《Descent (One Piece)》


 Tranquility

    Descent


    Chapter 1: Tranquility


    The dense canopy of palm trees, swayed gently in the steady breeze of the wind. The tropical island was as beautiful as ever, she reflected. Sitting on her porch, she thought to herself that it was a peaceful day. Clouds floated high into the sky, the temperature was perfect, the sun was beaming and the chirping of the birds, rang steadily through her ears.


    Yes, she decided, it was a peaceful day¡­ too peaceful.


    No sooner did that thought leave her head, did she faintly hear footsteps, that were steadily getting louder, approaching her location. Accompanied by those footsteps, was an even louder voice that excitedly cheered "MAMAAAA!".


    A tiny figure burst through the dense trees, charging her at full speed. Brown eyes amusedly watched in slow motion, as the charging figure promptly tripped on their feet, lay there for 30 seconds, slowly pick themself up, calmly brush the dust off their legs and burst into tears.


    The woman stretched her arms out and, in a matter of seconds, the child crashed into her bosom, crying their eyes out at their own clumsiness. Strawberry-blond hair jostled, as the woman shook her head in amusement. "This is why I tell you to slow down, my little Rose. You somehow manage to trip every time without fail. I would think you''d have learned by now," she chided in faux exasperation.


    Large tear streaked eyes, shining a striking shade of purple, looked up at her and, with wobbling lips, managed to say, "B-but Mama, I missed you."


    Her heart melted at the adorable sight and she beckoned him to climb higher, which he gladly did. He carefully avoided her flat stomach so that he could nuzzle his face into her freckled cheek. It only took a few more seconds for his cries to settle down and soon, a happy expression quickly overtook his features.


    Portgas D. Rouge couldn''t help but laugh at how quickly it took her son to get back to his cheerful disposition. Trying to control her laughter, after seeing the look of indignation on her sons face, Rouge asked, "Did you have fun today on your adventure, my little Rose?"


    Quickly forgetting his mothers transgressions, Portgas D. Rosan grinned up at her, small sharp fangs gleaming in anticipation, and said "You bet Mama! It was so fun!"


    At just four years old, he was a skinny boy who stood at 3''2 (96cm). His skin was a natural bronze hue and he wore a plain black tee with red shorts and black sandals. Perhaps his most distinctive features, were his shoulder length brilliant crimson locks that spiked down in every direction of his head and his blinding purple eyes that seemed to always shine in excitement. He was an adorable, wild ball of energy with an infectious sunny disposition and Rouge loved him with all her heart.


    Rosan was practically buzzing with excitement at his mother''s curiosity. "Oh! Well Mama first I¡­"


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    As Rosan began listing off his mighty adventures, Rouge allowed herself to get a bit lost in her thoughts. Despite not being her actual son, the freckled woman didn''t allow that to deter her and showered Rosan with all the love a mother could give a son.


    She had been taking an evening stroll one day, when a noise of distress alerted her to another presence in the area. Thinking someone was in trouble, Rouge had quickly gone to the source of the noise and gasped in shock at what she saw.


    Wrapped firmly in a blue blanket inside of a basket, a wailing infant, who couldn''t be more then a couple weeks old, rested there. Rouge looked around slightly and confirmed that it was only her and the child there. Had... Had this poor baby been abandoned by it''s parents?


    How awful! Why would anyone do that to this poor infant?


    "Who would leave such a young child out here alone?" Rouge thought to herself and, as if sensing that someone was there, the infant began to cry even louder.


    Crouching down to get a closer look inside the basket, Rouge''s heart melted at the sight. A tuft of red adorned the top of their head and they were covered in blue blankets. As they stared at Rouge she couldn''t help but be mesmerized at how bright and expressive their purple eyes were. The baby''s eyes seemed to glow in the night light and she found herself confused at the odd sight. She had never quite seen a child''s eyes glowing but there were much stranger things in this world so she didn''t allow herself to be bothered.


    The crying abated a bit, as the baby caught sight of her, Rouge knelt closer and saw something scribbled on the blankets. She smoothed out the babies blanket to get a better look at the writing.


    "_ D. Rosan" it read.


    Rouge''s eyes widened as she saw his name. It couldn''t be... the infant had the D initial? The babies parent had thought to hide his surname but not the D? Was it out of ignorance? It was a good thing she had found him first, it could have been disastrous if someone else managed to grab this baby.


    The baby had stopped crying by then to observe her and began giggling as she smoothed out their blankets, inadvertently tickling them in the process.


    It warmed her heart seeing how happy he looked and Rouge couldn''t help but let out a light laugh herself as she continued to play with the child. This continued for a few more minutes, before Rouge realized that it was not normal to be playing with an abandoned infant in the forest. He was placed safely in between a tree''s branch so it was clear that this was intentional.


    "At least they put him in, as somewhat of, a safe position as one could be in the forest," she thought to herself.


    As she bit her lip in contemplation, Rouge double checked again to make sure that this baby was truly left alone. "I can''t imagine what someone would do if they knew this child was a D," the woman thought, grateful that she was the one to run into the boy. She couldn''t, in good conscience, leave an infant who did not look older than two weeks alone. Who knows what they would do to him, especially considering if they happened to know the meaning behind his initial.


    The small amount of time spent with the child had already left her quite attached to him and, seeing that he had no parents in sight, the decision was easy for Rouge.


    Mind made up, Rouge picked up the basket with the baby inside and began to walk back home. "At the very least, if this baby has not been abandoned I can watch over them until their guardian comes," she thought to herself, but doubt filled her mind that anyone would come back for them.


    Rouge wondered just who could abandon such an adorable child and what the story behind it was. As she glanced down to look at the child, a fierce sense of protectiveness began to overtake her. No child deserved to grow up fending for themselves in such a cruel world. If she hadn''t found the child, who knows just how long they would have remained out here? They would almost surely die.


    She would raise this child herself if she had to.


    "Don''t you worry my little Rose, everything will be alright. You''re safe with me now," Rouge said to the child as she made her way back home. The woman smiled to herself as the baby gurgled happily.


    She had always wanted a child.


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    That had been four years ago and, true to her words, Rouge had raised little Portgas D. Rosan as if he were her actual son. It had not taken her long to identify that the baby was in fact a boy and he was very needy for attention. She had plenty of sleepless nights due to the boy missing her presence and letting her know he did (quite loudly in fact).


    Rouge had adjusted to the lifestyle of raising a newborn very quickly though and not once did she regret her decision. Rosan was a little ray of sunshine that shone wherever he went. He didn''t have many friends because there were not much¡­ children on Baterilla and that thought made Rouge shudder protectively.


    Due to reports of the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, saying he acted like a man in love on Baterilla, the World Government had seen it fit to kill any newborn infant in hopes of ending the legendary man''s bloodline before they could fully grow into a problem like him.


    Rouge absentmindedly rubbed her belly as she remembered that time. Luckily, due to the fact that he was a budding toddler, older then what the reports suggested with a unique appearance that looked nothing like Roger, Rosan had managed to evade the World Governments eyes and he was, thankfully, still alive.


    Rouge was abruptly snapped out of her musings as Rosan kept regaling her with his adventure and she caught something.


    Wait...


    What did he just say?


    "Rosan, sweetie? Mama is sorry but can you repeat what you just said?" Rouge asked. She could swear he had said something about a fruit and she felt a nervous feeling pooling in her stomach at the realization of what it could be.


    Rosan''s eyes scrunched cutely in confusion at her request, before his eyes lit up and he exclaimed, "Ah! I found a really pretty rock but I lost it when I was running back home." He looked forlornly behind him at where the rock probably was and it desperately looked like he wanted to get back up to go find it again.


    It was a really awesome rock.


    Rouge let out an amused sigh and she said, "No, not that my little Rose. What did you say after, about a fruit I think?"


    It finally dawned on Rosan what she was talking about and the sheer disgust that quickly took over his features, would have made her laugh if she wasn''t already filled with such dread.


    The redhead, sensing something was wrong but not letting it deter him said, "Ohhhh Mama, it was so bad! So, so, listen to this! After I lost my special rock right? I got really sad and tried looking for it everywhere," At this Rosan''s eyes went downcast as he continued ,"But I couldn''t find it anywhere¡­.I searched for so long but I never saw it! When I finally gave up I saw a really weird fruit in a bush..." Rouge felt a pit in her stomach as he continued with his story.


    "Oh no."


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    Flashback


    Rosan was not having a good day. In fact, this might have been the WORST day he ever had!


    The four year old might have been exaggerating a little bit, but he felt justified in feeling like this! After all, he had found the coolest rock ever and he was so excited to show it off to Mama but somehow, he had managed to lose the rock!


    Him! Rosan! Losing something! The very thought was inconceivable to the boy who had never lost anything! He was perfectly responsible, you could even ask Mama!


    Asking Rouge in question, would lead to the woman vehemently disagreeing with that notion.


    After searching for hours (5 minutes in reality), Rosan had given up and began to sulk back home. Pushing through the dense shrubbery, the four year old paused as something caught his eye. Kneeling down to get a closer look, his eyes sparkled in curiosity as he saw the strangest looking thing.


    Lying on the shrubbery, was a cubical white fruit covered with thick swirls. A weird letter M formed the stem of the fruit that made Rosan think of the word mayonnaise (it was a big word and he was a smart boy!). As he picked up the odd fruit, the redhead observed that it would just barely fit perfectly into an adults hand. That of course, meant that it was too large for Rosan''s, much tinier, palms so he had to use both hands to hold it.


    "Wow, so cool! I wonder what type of fruit this is?"


    Rosan regarded it in wonder. "It looks so good!" He exclaimed aloud. Allowing his curiosity to get the better of him, the boy held the fruit closer to his face to get a whiff of it and after deeming it suitable, took a large bite without any hesitation. The boy couldn''t resist! He loved fruits, they were much better then vegetables.


    He really hoped it didn''t taste like a pear though, Rosan hated pears.


    As he swallowed the bite, Rosan''s face immediately shifted into one of regret, as the most rancid taste ever filled his mouth. The boy was not exaggerating this time, when he declared this the most disgusting thing he had ever had the displeasure of eating.


    Definitely not a pear, pears were at least edible. Pears only made him cry when Mama was keeping the apples away from him.


    Rosan spat out the remains of the fruit and clawed at his tongue in hopes of getting the taste out of his mouth but it was all for naught. Tears pricked the corner of his eyes at how horrible it tasted. The boy finally understood what his Mama had meant, when she said not to just stick anything in his mouth.


    If this was the result, then he''d listen to everything she had to say!


    "Ugh ewww not good, so not good," Rosan moaned pitifully. What had he been thinking?! Oh right... he hadn''t been thinking at all.


    After taking a few seconds (10 minutes) to compose himself. Rosan stood back up from the hunched over position he hadn''t known he''d took, glanced at the fruit he bit into, and summarily tossed it deep into the bushes surrounding the forest he was in. "Man that tasted so bad, I can still feel it in my mouth" he said miserably.


    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    "My apologies Rosan. Would you like the taste to go away?" An androgynous voice suddenly asked.


    "Mm! Yes!" he immediately responded before remembering his manners and adding a, "Please it tastes so bad," and soon after, the taste from his mouth vanished.


    Rosan marveled as the taste disappeared, "Wow it''s just... gone! That''s... so... cooool!" and then realization hit him. Looking around rapidly, the boy asked "Waaait a minute...who are you?"


    After a moment, the voice he heard spoke up politely. "Hello, I am Modification," it introduced itself. "I am the aforementioned "nasty fruit" you have just eaten, if you have any questions you are free to ask."


    Rosan blinked in confusion before adopting a look of horror. "W-Wait a sec, did I¡­did I EAT YOU?! OH NO, I''M SO SORRY! PLEASE DON''T TELL MAMA I MIGHT GET IN TROUBLE!"


    Hysterically, Rosan began to think about what his mother would do to him once she realized he ate someone. Oh god how could he even begin to explain that he ate a person?! "I didn''t know people could transform into fruits!" the little child exclaimed in terror. "No wonder you tasted so gross! Humans are nasty!"


    As Rosan''s panic delved into a mumbled mess, Modification felt a sweat drop forming and thought to their self, "¡­Just what exactly did I get myself into?"


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    "Sooo you''re somethin called a Mod Mod No Mi?"


    "Yes."


    "What I ate was a Devil Fruit and that''s why you''re in my head?"


    "Indeed."


    "And now I have powers?"


    "That is correct."


    ¡­ After bombarding Modification with questions, Rosan finally took the time to process what he had heard from the Devil Fruit.


    Modification was pleasantly surprised that he had understood everything they had said. The Devil Fruit had thought they would need to explain a lot more but after only one explanation, the boy was nodding along in understanding.


    Modification had to give him credit where it was due. He was far smarter then he looked. Far, far smarter.


    Rosan''s eyes shined and he started shaking in excitement. "Wow that''s so cool! What can I do with it. Can I make unlimited ice cream? Can I turn into a dragon and breathe fire? That would be so awesome! Oh oh! Maybe I can make myself big so Mama doesn''t say I''m too young to do stuff anymore¡­"


    His eyes went wide and Rosan had to cut himself off as he said "Ah wait! I gotta get back home and tell Mama all about this."


    Completely forgetting that Modification was in his head, he said, "Sorry Mod-chan let''s talk later. I gotta go!" And he ran off without a second thought.


    Sweat drop fully forming, Modification decided that he was not as smart as he looked. No in fact, he was probably the opposite.


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    Present


    Rouge couldn''t possibly understand how someone as bright as her little Rose could be so stupid at the same time.


    She sat there with increasing amounts of horror as Rosan retold his tale of how he had eaten a Devil Fruit of all things. Had he seriously, without any hesitation, eaten an unknown fruit? Without even thinking of the consequences? Just because it looked good?


    Had Rouge known that her son had no sense of self preservation, she would have been much more assertive on telling him what to be careful of.


    The freckled woman hadn''t felt the need to tell Rosan about devil fruits just yet. He was only 4 years old after all and it was rare to see one of the elusive fruits in the Blue Sea. She had been saving the warning for what they did, when he was older and could decide on his own if he wanted one without being blinded by his fantasies.


    Seems like that option was thrown out of the window now.


    Something he said though had managed to catch her attention. "Rosan, you said your Devil Fruit is a she?"


    Rosan snapped out of his expert storytelling mode and nodded his head enthusiastically. "Mm... she sounds like one so I think so! Her name is uh¡­ Modification!" The redhead was grinning widely at his successful pronunciation of his, newly acquired, Devil Fruits name. "She''s so cool, Mama! The fruit was nasty and then she said "Do you want the bad taste to go away?" so then I was like "Yea" and then it was like fwoosh and then the taste was gone!"


    Rouge felt that familiar fond exasperation well up inside of her as her son rambled on and on. "Oh my little Rose, you''re so hopeless," She sighed softly, a smile adorning her features.


    Rosan''s eyes furrowed and his tiny nose scrunched up, as he said, "What?" The genuine confusion on his adorable face would have made anyone squeal at the sight and Rouge was no exception as she hugged Rosan close to her. The boy flailed in her grip but she ignored it.


    Rouge didn''t know much about Devil Fruits but she had never heard someone refer to them so specifically. Roger had told her about the fruits and he never mentioned it...


    She filed that information away for later. She wasn''t nearly as upset as she should probably be, but Rosan didn''t have to know that. The boy hadn''t been seriously injured and at worst, she would just have to be careful bathing him now. In fact, depending on the Devil Fruit eaten, Rosan would have an extra layer of protection!


    That didn''t mean he wasn''t in trouble though. The fruit could have been poisonous for all he knew and he ate it regardless.


    No, he was definitely going to be punished for being so reckless.


    "Mamaaaaa, you''re crushing me," Rosan whined and Rouge just hugged him harder.


    "Consider this punishment for doing something so dumb, Rosan." Rosan froze as he realized his mother was using his actual name and it finally dawned on him, that maybe what he did wasn''t the smartest thing ever. Rouge laughed as he wisely kept his mouth shut and allowed her to hug him.


    "He really is hopeless," Rouge mused as she continued to laugh.


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    Despite seemingly laughing at him and her general cheerfulness, Rouge was in fact not happy with what he had done and her wrath had been swift.


    "Being on punishment sucks", Rosan decided. It sucked so much that he would never, ever, ever do anything bad again. Nope, he was a changed boy now! He definitely wasn''t changing his ways of life because his sweet Mama terrified him.


    Rosan shuddered at the look in her eyes, when he had tried to argue against the idea of being punished. One look from his mother had completely shut down all arguments and Rosan had, rather meekly, said, "Alright Mama."


    His Mama was scary when she wanted to be. Really scary.


    The redhead idly bobbed his head in time with his mother''s humming and he glanced up at her from where he was seated. The pregnant woman, who expertly ignored the afternoon heat, was preparing dinner for the both of them with a small smile on her face.


    Rosan quickly closed the book he had been reading (A fairy tale about dragons) and ran up to his mother, excitement clear on his features.


    "Mama, lemme help please!" The boy excitedly called her as he practically jumped in spot. He loved spending time with his Mama! She was his most favorite person in the world after all!


    Rouge looked down and contemplated his request. The freckled woman was a little suspicious that he was trying to get out of trouble but, she immediately dismissed that thought.


    Rosan was far too honest to ever scheme against her. She had taught him the importance of not lying to her and the boy had quickly taken it to heart. He was innately honest as well, so that helped tremendously.


    With that thought out the way, Rouge smiled down at him, all traces of her being upset gone due to his genuineness and said, "Of course my little Rose! Can you do this for me?"


    As mother and son worked on dinner in peaceful silence, Rosan allowed himself to get lulled by the peace of it all. He really did love his Mama more then anything in the world and he cherished moments like this. The redhead didn''t have many friends because there weren''t that much kids on the island around his age. The few children on the island were rather put off by the way he acted too.


    Rosan shrugged. Their loss, he was awesome.


    He did have one friend his age named Shizuka but she was weird. She always mentioned weird things such as "getting married" and "being together" but Rosan didn''t know what that stuff was. When he asked his mother, she let out an uncharacteristically hearty laugh and explained it to him in a way that his childish mind could understand.


    The look of horror he had shot her, had made her laugh even harder. Rosan wanted no part of that!


    He was only 4 for crying out loud!


    It didn''t really matter though, Shizuka hadn''t spoken to him for a while! He was completely fine with it but he had been a little bummed out at first.


    She was the only kid he liked.


    Though that did remind him... "Mama!" he called looking over at the strawberry-blonde woman.


    Rouge raised a brow at Rosan, beckoning for him to continue.


    Rosan''s eyes gleamed in anticipation but before he spoke, he remembered that what he was saying was supposed to be a secret and he was good at keeping those!


    With that knowledge at the forefront, the redhead lowered his voice to a considerable degree and asked, "When will I get to meet Ace?" Causing Rouge''s eyes to widen. "The seagull guys have been disappearing and ya said that''s why we can''t meet him yet!" He finished in excitement.


    Rouge pondered his question. She had told Rosan a simplified version about her pregnancy and how the marines didn''t want Ace/Ann to be born. Her son caught on quickly that the World Government was bad news and made sure to avoid them whenever he could.


    Truthfully, the redhead was right. The WG had progressively slowed down their rather frequent trips to Baterilla. Maybe she could finally just allow the child to be born.


    The freckled woman quickly banished that thought. No, as long as there was a chance they were here she could¡ª no would not allow her baby to be killed.


    She couldn''t bear the thought of losing her child.


    "Soon, my little Rose," Rouge assured him gently, rubbing his soft spikes in the process. "Don''t worry about me, I''m fine," she finished, hoping it would placate him, but she knew it wouldn''t be enough.


    Rosan had an innate talent at reading people and it was a skill that he abused, particularly on her, with glee. She watched, with a frown on her pretty face, as his eyes went downcast at the news and his lips began wobbling.


    Was he really that upset that she wouldn''t be giving birth yet? No there had to be another reason for it. "Rosan? What''s wrong? Why are you so upset?" Rouge asked and she knelt towards her oldest child.


    Rosan glared up at his mother and she slightly reeled in surprise. "Why d-do you k-keep lying to me?! I-I never lie to you because you''d be mad, so why shouldn''t I be mad?!"


    Oh dear. Rouge looked away in guilt at his truthful words. She had really done it now and it didn''t look like her son was finished.


    Rosan, through shaky breaths, said "Y-you keep saying you''re fine but your not; I know you can''t be when you''re in so much pain at night!" The sheer frustration painted clearly across his face, made it clear that this had been bothering him for a while.


    Rouge froze, as an overwhelming guilt overcame her.


    H-had he noticed that?


    "Of course he noticed," she chided herself. Rosan could be very astute when it came to a person he cared about.


    Her attempts to hide the agony that came with prolonging her pregnancy, had no doubt been noticed by him. If the look in his eyes meant anything, then it was from the start. The strawberry-blonde didn''t want Rosan to know how bad it affected her, so she tried to mask the pain as a way of not worrying him.


    Masking it, had only made him that much more aware of the issue though.


    Rosan stared expectantly at her, practically demanding an explanation with his expression alone, and the pregnant woman couldn''t help the resigned expression that appeared on her face.


    Rouge felt a wave of exhaustion hit her as tears began to form. She was just so tired. The freckled woman wanted nothing more then to give birth to her child, but how could she in the circumstances that she was currently in?


    Small arms wrapped tightly around her and a watery smile formed as she gratefully hugged her son back. She looked down and felt utterly overwhelmed by how understanding Rosan''s, similarly, tear streaked gaze was.


    Despite how selfish she had been for not noticing how much pain her son was in, he still cared more about her own well-being, then how mad he currently was for being kept in the dark.


    She didn''t deserve his kindness at all and that thought removed any doubt in her mind. Seeing the pain it caused him, and how caring he was despite that, it was only right she confided in her fears to him.


    It was the least he deserved.


    Steeling herself, Rouge shakily said "I''m... so scared Rosan. I want nothing more then to have this child, I want to raise them, shower them in the same motherly love that I''ve showered you with but¡­ I can''t Rosan. Not yet."


    Her breath hitched as the tears began to pour and the four year old hugged her tighter as she continued. "The world government will stop at nothing to have this baby killed Rosan. My baby. They''ve been here for 2 years killing any newborn they can get their hand on." Rosan just listened in shocked silence and Rouge took that as her chance to keep speaking.


    "Roger has been dead for so long already¡­" she said forlornly and she let out a choked sob at the thought of the man she fell in love with. Rosan had long since joined her in crying and the two found solace in each other.


    Despite this, Rouge had already committed to telling her son everything and she couldn''t stop now. "I miss him so much Rose but, I have to be strong for you and for our unborn child. Roger, I can''t¡­ no, I won''t let our child die, Rosan. I-it wont happen. I refuse to let it happen."


    Rouge began hyperventilating just at the thought that something bad could happen to her child. Her child didn''t deserve to be killed before they had even had a chance to live. No one deserved to die for the sins of their parent. The thought was enough to send her into a panicked frenzy.


    Two hands clapped firmly onto her freckled cheeks. She had closed her eyes in the panic and as she opened them, she saw a tear-streaked gaze filled with nothing but concern and understanding. "Mama, it''s okay. I know it''s hard but if we do it together, it will be much better!" Rosan reassured her and she slowly but surely calmed down at how genuine he sounded.


    "I hate seeing you so sad. It makes me really sad, then we''re both sad, then we''ll probably cry a lot but then, I''m a big boy and I''m not ''posed to cry and ¡ª"


    Rouge couldn''t help it and she let out a delighted laugh as her son rambled. She grabbed Rosan and began to nuzzle him, much to his displeasure. Handily ignoring his protests, Rouge only hugged him tighter.


    There were moments when Rosan seemed so much older then his age and he showed such maturity and then, he would instantly revert back into his childish ways that filled her with so much joy. She was truly blessed to have found such a sweet little boy.


    Wiping her tears away, Rouge affectionately said, "Oh my little Rose, you''re absolutely right." Gently rubbing a spot on his hair that always turned him into putty, she asked, "Just what would I do without you?"


    Rosan snuggled deep into her and cockily replied, "Nuthin Mama, cuz I''m the best!"


    The freckled woman laughed in fond exasperation and said, "Of course Rosan! Of course."


    Mother and son stayed their for what felt like hours in the comfort of each other, until Rosan''s stomach let out an embarrassingly loud gurgle.


    Blushing slightly at his mothers amused expression Rosan tried to defend himself by saying, "Don''t laugh at me Mama, I''m hungry!"


    His indignation only got worse, as her bell like laughter got louder. "I''m sorry, my little Rose," Rouge didn''t sound apologetic whatsoever and Rosan puffed out his cheeks. "Lets finish dinner so we can eat, okay?" she told her precious son, who forgot his outrage at the prospect of food.


    Nodding his head furiously, Rosan replied, "Mm! I''ll help so we can make it 500 times faster!" And wiggled out of her grip. She cooed at the adorable sight.


    They both stood up in preparation to continue making food. The duo were in high spirits, despite the sadness they felt earlier.


    Rosan sobered up quickly and looked over at his Mama to ask her a question. "Hey, Mama?" he nearly whispered and at her questioning glance, he continued, "Do ya promise that after all this, the pain will go away and the 3 of us can be together?"


    Rouge smiled down at Rosan and replied earnestly, "I promise my little Rose."


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    Character Sheet: Portgas D. Rosan


    Summary: Found and raised by Portgas D. Rouge as a newborn, Rosan is a young boy full of boundless amounts of energy. Not much is known about his origins but, he has the D initial in his name. At only 4 years old, he is equipped with a larger then life personality and has more curiosity then what is probably good for him. Empathetic and observant, the boy is smarter then he looks.


    Devil Fruit: Mod Mod no Mi (Modification Fruit)


    Type: Paramecia.


    Description: Turns Rosan into a computer man. With this Devil Fruit, Rosan is allowed to modify whatever he sees fit. Whats interesting, is that this Devil Fruit seems to have a voice that Rosan has affectionately began to call Mod-chan. The nature of this fruit is unknown.


    Appearance: Tan, nearly bronze skin


    Height: 3''2 (96 cm)


    Hair: Spiky shoulder length red hair that''s soft to touch


    Eyes: 2 bright, shining purple eyes that seem to glow.


    Outfit: A simple black tee with red shorts and black sandals


    Likes: Rouge, Mod-chan, getting stronger, adventuring, sweets (he loves candy), meat and fruits (strawberries and mangoes are his favorite)


    Dislikes: Lizards (They make his skin crawl), World Government, Zombies (he doesn''t care that they aren''t real they creep him out), The taste of a Devil Fruit and anything nasty.


    <hr>


    Disclaimer: Only thing I own are my original characters and fruits.


    Authors Note: Hello! I''ve already made plenty of chapters for this story on other sites so I''ll upload them here at my discretion!


    If you''re interested and wanna join a server I made here you go The code is: discord.gg/BFFtXAXFU7

 Despair

    Rosan loved the freedom that being outside granted him.


    He loved the wind that brushed against his face, the noise of the wildlife, the palm trees, and the sunny weather.


    Rosan loved everything about Baterilla¡­ except for the lizards.


    Rosan really really really didn''t like lizards ¡ª you know, let''s not get into that.


    It had been one week since the redhead had confronted his mother. Since he had begged her to not exclude him from her life of pain.


    Patting himself on the back on how perfectly and maturely he handled that, Rosan was confident the scolding he had given his mother had solved most of their issues!


    After their talk, Rouge had a few instances when the pain of pregnancy was too much to deal with and when that happened, Rosan would be right there. The boy took to soothing her and rubbing her back to ensure that his mother understood that she wasn''t alone.


    It seemed to help because the pain would quickly abate soon after.


    Neither realized that Rosan was subconsciously using Modification to make the pain go away. Rouge had an inkling, but she was just glad that the pain was gone. The redheaded boy clearly didn''t know much about his Devil Fruit, if he didn''t realize what he was doing, but it seemed to adhere to his wishes in some ways.


    That brings us to our current moment.


    Rosan was sitting cross legged in the same clearing that he had found and ate his devil fruit. He had been wanting to speak to Modification again and practice what he could do, but Mama had been strict with her punishment this time (he was rather spoiled) and the redhead didn''t wanna risk making her genuinely upset.


    The four year old shuddered at the thought. For someone so sweet, Mama was really scary.


    Rouge had decided, after one week, that Rosan had been adequately punished. The strawberry-blonde had very clearly warned Rosan about what would happen if he decided to do something so dumb again and her son nodded rapidly in agreement.


    Rosan couldn''t help but shiver as he saw the look on her face. Underneath his Mama''s smile, was a terrifying demon that new Devil Fruit user swore he would not bring out. The 4 year old refused to be the idiot that suffered her ire.


    Though it was hard to believe, Rosan was in fact not stupid whatsoever!


    ¡­Darn, he was getting off track. He tended to do that a lot didn''t he. It wasn''t his fault! Everything was just so interesting! There was always something else grabbing his attention and once his attention got grabbed, he jumped to it like ¡ª


    Rosan smacked his cheeks with both hands in order to stop himself from doing it again and actually began to focus. Once he focused on something, nothing could stop him!


    Now, he needed to speak to Mod-chan before something stopped him.


    Not that anything could!


    ¡­


    "How am I supposed to get Mod-chan to speak to me again?" He mused. Maybe she was sleeping? He wouldn''t wanna wake her up in that case because if someone woke him up from his sleep, he''d go crazy! U-unless it was Mama of course!


    "I do not require sleep," A monotone voice spoke and Rosan yelped as he jumped and hit his head on a branch.


    Rubbing his head, Rosan whined in pain and said, "Can ya warn me before you do that please. I got scare ¡ª y-you nearly scared me there!" he hastily corrected himself. He suddenly stopped and a look of confusion came across his face. He didn''t say that out loud so how did she?


    "Hey¡­ are you some type of wizard? How did you know that I wanted to talk to ya?" Rosan asked.


    Modification explained swiftly and told him, "I''m a voice inside of your head so, it stands to reason that I can read your mind." Rosan nodded his head at her explanation without much issue. It made sense so he wouldn''t argue.


    "Wait!" he suddenly exclaimed.


    If she could hear his thoughts then¡­ "Why didn''t ya speak to me at all until now, Mod-chan!" The boy asked in childish fury. He had been avoiding speaking out loud to avoid getting in trouble with Mama but, if he could speak to her in his mind, then he''d have nothing to worry about!


    Modification for their part was surprised. They took a bit longer to reply and asked "You¡­ wanted to speak to me?"


    Without hesitation Rosan said, "Well duh, we''re friends! Don''t be so dumb, Mod-chan."


    As he spoke to the voice in his head, Rosan realized that he made a very important oversight and the boy said, rather loudly, "Wait wait Mod-cha ¡ª I mean Mod! I never asked if you were a boy or a girl!"


    The redhead moaned at how he forgot something as simple as that. "I''m sorry I heard your voice and thought you were a girl, so I called you Mod-chan this whole time¡­ Please tell me you aren''t a boy, I''d feel so bad!" The boy finished and he held his head in his palm.


    Modification, for their part, was utterly baffled at this boy named Rosan. He wanted to speak to it? Called them friends? Asked for its gender? Modification did not have a gender. Such trivialities had never mattered to the fruit. Yet, they seemed to matter to this boy.


    Just who was this child?


    He made absolutely no sense to the Devil Fruit. It showed, because the fruit was delayed in the answer that it gave.


    Rosan waited patiently, full of remorse. The boy was getting more and more upset because the silence seemingly confirmed his mistakes.


    He was actually really torn up about this. Modification, not wanting to see him upset any longer, made a decision in that moment.


    "I apologize for taking so long to respond. To answer your question, pertaining my gender, I am in fact a girl. There''s no need to be upset, you were right," She placated him and wasn''t that just strange? The, now identified woman, had no gender before hand, yet she had gone out of her way to make sure this strange boy was no longer upset with himself.


    Well, guess she was a girl now.


    Rosan brightened up immediately at that "Really?! Awesome, I knew it! People sometimes think I''m a girl too so I''m glad I didn''t be dumb like them!" He babbled excitedly and Mod-chan felt something stir at that.


    Huh, how odd.


    "May I ask you a question Rosan?"


    Rosan sighed and Mod assumed he was about to deny her request. Imagine her surprise when the boy said, "Mod-chan," in a scolding tone "Don''t be so dumb, dummy. Of course you can ask!"


    Mod was surprised by his response, but Rosan wasn''t finished. "And stop that! You use too much big words I don''t know. We''re friends so you don''t have to speak to me like that y''know!"


    Modification could not believe what she was hearing right now. She was getting reprimanded by a boy who probably couldn''t even count to 100 (He totally could!)! It would have been funny, if not for the fact that she actually felt properly scolded!


    How had he managed to make her feel bad? What was this boy? Was it because he had called her a friend¡­?


    "Rosan you called me your¡­ friend, what do you mean by that?" Mod asked softly.


    Rosan blinked in confusion and his eyes widened before morphing into guilt. "Oh¡­ I''m sorry," he apologized glumly. "I was so happy to get a new friend but I didn''t think about the fact that you may not want to be my friend," the redhead said in clear distress.


    One of the few chances he had to make a friend and he already ruined it.


    Great job Rosan.


    "This boy must be protected at all costs," Mod decided right then and there. He was far too cute for his own good and seeing him so upset over her question, had her rushing to reassure him. "I''d love to be your friend Rosan!"


    The boy startled a bit before beaming in pure joy at her and it made Mod want to smile too. "I just wanted to know why you wanted to be friends with me? You haven''t know me for long, so why?" She was genuinely curious as to why he was so eager.


    As Rosan heard her speak his face split into a megawatt smile, his eyes practically glowed and the sharp fangs of his teeth, gleamed to match his excitement. Barely composing himself, Rosan eventually said, "Well you said we''re gonna be together now, until I die right? Well, I''m never gonna die so we''re gonna be together forever, Mod-chan! We might as well be friends!"


    It was as simple as that but Rosan said it so earnestly and so matter-of-factly, that there was no doubt he meant it.


    Mod was prepared to speak, but she realized Rosan wasn''t done speaking. She watched as his eyes went downcast and instantly, the Devil Fruit got worried for the boy she was quickly growing fond of.


    Oh no¡­ she was already whipped.


    "Sometimes it gets really lonely..." He started and this was the quietest she heard him speak yet. "I don''t really have any friends," he admitted depressingly. "There''s only one person near my age and she doesn''t even look at me when we talk¡­ I have Mama, but I don''t wanna bother her because she''s busy with her stuff." Rosan''s eyes got a bit foggy as he continued "I don''t have anyone to play with, so I come to the forest and just do whatever I want. But, even that can''t distract me all the time."


    Mod felt increasingly worse as Rosan continued spilling his heart out to her and she felt her own heart pang in sympathy. This was clearly eating the boy up inside and seeing as he likely had no friend to vent to, she wouldn''t speak until he was done. As his friend, she would gladly let him get this off his chest.


    True to her observations, Rosan continued unhindered. "You sounded so surprised when I wanted to speak to you! I think Mod-chan is lonely like me, so I was thinkin we could just be each other''s friends!" He tried to sound excited, but it did little to mask the desperation in his tone.


    It tore at her newly discovered heart strings to see the boy, she had so quickly grown attached to, so distressed.


    "Since we share bodies, it''ll be hard to hide stuff from each other so, we might as well get comfortable with each other or it could get really bad. The best way to do that, is to be friendly with each other so we might as well be friends!" Rosan kept rambling on reasons why they should be friends and it honestly hurt to see how much he craved attention.


    Mod felt something unfamiliar surging through her as he tried to convince her on why it was a good idea to be his friend. It was clear that this boy was unbearably lonely sometimes. She felt a flash of surprise and respect for the boy acknowledging that he could easily get attention from his mother, but refused to just for the sake of her being at even a little more peace.


    It was as incredible as it was worrying to realize that this boy was only 4 years old and it flared instincts in Mod that she didn''t know she had.


    It only took a moment for her to recognize this steadily increasing feeling as a strong sense of over protectiveness and¡­ the Devil Fruit wasn''t as against it as she thought she would be.


    No in fact, she welcomed this feeling wholeheartedly.


    Rosan was a caring child who just wanted the best for those he liked. In his eyes, even someone like her who, for all intents and purposes, was an intruder in his body. She was just an opportunity for him to finally make a friend he no doubt longed for.


    As the feelings inside started developing, Mod slowly began to find her own resolution.


    She had never quite met someone like Rosan and he intrigued her to a degree the Devil Fruit had never felt. His cheerful demeanor and unwarranted confidence was quite endearing to her and she wished to see him grow up.


    This was the first time her user had been someone so young and she felt an unsettling feeling stir inside her at the thought of Rosan meeting the same fate as the wielders before him.


    That feeling was so strong, that she made absolutely sure that fate wouldn''t befall him.


    The resolution that was building inside of her only strengthened and Mod made up her mind right then and there. She would help young Rosan in any way that she could with all the knowledge she had amassed and ensure his safety because he was the first person who didn''t want to use her for their own selfish gain. It felt¡­ nice to be shown such affection and so, she decided to return the feeling in the only way she knew how.


    It was the least she could do for living freely inside of him without his permission.


    Rosan had gone silent, awaiting her response in barely concealed nervousness. She smiled fondly at how much the redhead anticipated her answer. She appreciated how considerate he was and decided to stop his suffering before he jumped to conclusions.


    Something told her the boy was very close to doing just that.


    "Rosan." The child perked up as he heard her call him and he listened intently, eagerly awaiting her response. "I''m flattered that you even asked. As long as you are alive, you can always rely on me to be there for you," Mod said as sincerely as possible. Rosan was one of a kind and the first person to extend a hand to her.


    She would be his closest companion if she had to be.


    Stunned, Rosan listened with wide eyes before breaking out into one of the largest grins she had seen yet (and she had seen a lot). His little sharp fangs were glistening and Rosan wiped the lingering tears away. The 4 year old boy began to cheer in pure elation at what he heard and Mod felt flattered that she was capable of eliciting such a reaction out of him.


    He was genuinely overjoyed that she wanted to be friends and it filled her with an unexplainable warmth. Another part, felt a slight amount of sadness that the redhead was so desperate for companionship in the first place.


    "Rosan deserves all the friends in the world," Mod thought to herself as she took in his adorable glee with fondness. It was their loss if they didn''t want to be around the ray of sunshine.


    By now, the boy had jumped up from his crisscross position, in favor of launching himself around the clearing. A little red missile shot around the entire forest yelling his joy to the world. It was incredibly infectious to witness and she was in no rush to stop him.


    Mod really was whipped already. She wanted to protect everything about this boy.


    It took 5 minutes for Rosan to settle down. The little boy sat, brimming with excitement, and Mod smiled at it all. The Devil Fruit had her doubts before, but seeing his reaction had wiped all of it away. She would do her absolute best to keep this boy safe.


    She had no regrets so. Which is why she decided to tell the boy something extremely important right then and there. "Rosan there is something I have to tell you about that''s incredibly urgent¡­"


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "So¡­ you''re super important, a lot of people want you, and they''ll try and hurt me to get you huh?" Rosan rubbed his chin, like how the adults did, as he contemplated what Mod-chan had just told him.


    "Yes, that''s about right," Mod-chan replied and Rosan nodded at her confirmation.


    After he had eventually settled down, Mod-chan had told him she had something important to tell him and so, he listened intently to what she had to say.


    A bit of what she had said was confusing, but Rosan had gotten the gist of it.


    Mod-chan wasn''t just a Devil Fruit, she was a highly prized one that a lot of people would kill to have. The seagull guys especially, seemed to really like her and frequently got their hands on her. She had told him that they would, without hesitation, take him and turn him into a weapon if they were aware that he had her so, he needed to be careful.


    Sucks for them, Mod-chan was his now, not theirs and it would stay that way for as long as he saw fit.


    Rosan hummed in thought as he finished digesting the information. He didn''t wanna be used by other people for their own gains; Getting captured was one of the last things the redhead wanted. The boy wanted to be free to make any and all decisions for himself and he would be darned if the seagull men took that away from him.


    Above all else, Rosan wanted to do as he pleased and he absolutely refused to let himself be shackled.


    "Okay Mod-chan, I believe you! What should we do? N-not that I don''t already have a plan!" Rosan asked her. The boy was trying to put on a serious front but he was completely failing due to how adorable he was.


    Mod couldn''t muster up the courage to tell him such a thing though.


    The Devil Fruit, for her part, was surprised at the absolute trust Rosan displayed in her. "You believe me?" she asked in slight shock. "Many would doubt me due to the negative light I am painting the World Government in."


    Was he simply being naive? She would have to help stamp that out as quickly as possible for his own sake, if he was. It would do no good if someone else used the boys good nature for their own gain.


    To Mod''s surprise, Rosan''s visage turned uncharacteristically dark, as a scowl appeared on his face. "I don''t like the Seagull Men ¡ª" He began with a surprising amount of venom in his tone. "¡ªThey made mama hurt because they won''t leave and I won''t forgive them for that."


    Mod honestly didn''t know that cheerful Rosan was capable of holding such a grudge.


    "I believe you, Mod-chan. Everyone says the seagull men are good people¡­ but good people wouldn''t kill someone who hasn''t even been born yet," Rosan declared simply and that was that.


    As far as he was concerned, the Marines had long since solidified themselves as his enemy anyways and Mod was just giving him another reason to be wary of them. How dare they just do whatever they wanted? They would pay. But, not yet because Rosan wasn''t strong yet. But soon, he''d be the absolute strongest!


    He''d be so strong, no one would even think to mess with his loved ones. Rosan felt his resolve strengthening and he gained a fire in his eyes.


    Previously Rosan didn''t have a set goal. The boy was content to live with his mother, just enjoying his life with her and his unborn sibling (who he knew was going to be a boy!). Now though, he had something to work for and he''d put his 100% in working towards it.


    Rosan would become the strongest. He didn''t care about ifs or buts. The boy would reach the top of the mountain and deal with anything that threatened his loved ones.


    That was a promise.


    Mod, being apart of him, felt all of this and she was awed at the pure conviction the boy radiated. His belief that he would become the strongest was simple and straight to the point. There was absolutely no room for doubt and, despite the little combat experience he had now, she believed him wholeheartedly.


    She felt proud at the absolute confidence he emitted. Some would call it arrogance, but she knew better. Rosan was aware that it wouldn''t be easy and he was willing to put in the effort to reach his goal.


    The Devil Fruit would help in any way she could.


    He had asked her what she wanted to do and, with his conviction, she felt more assured that this was the right course of action. "First, I suggest using my abilities in moderation. Due to the nature of Modification, it''s very simple to disguise it as another Devil Fruit and that''s what I''d like you to do. Only tell those who you have absolute trust in, my name."


    Rosan nodded approvingly at her request. It made sense, telling the whole world he had Mod-chan, would definitely be a bad idea until he was strong enough to defend himself.


    "Second, if you would allow, I''d like to personally modify you a bit¡­ Only if you agree of course!" She hastily added, not wanting to rush into things. "Since you''ve consumed my fruit, you''ve already gone through some natural changes. Your body and mind were already quite impressive but they''ve only been upgraded now that you have me. I''d like to add a bit more quality of life however to help you as much as possible."


    "Quality of life? Like what?" Eyes sparkling with curiosity and interest, Rosan was utterly fascinated by what she was talking about. Everything she was saying, was really interesting and ego boosting! His body and mind were already impressive? Of course it was! He was Rosan! He definitely wasn''t blushing at the compliments Mod-chan had thrown at him.


    Nope, not at all!


    "Mostly simple things that will enhance your body. For instance, You''d have full control of your body and, with my assistance, we can properly regulate it of dangers. It also comes with the benefit of having a mindscape, which-" Rosan quickly interrupted, though reluctantly, "Sorry Mod-chan but what''s a mindscape? It sounds cool but I never heard of one."


    Mod nodded at what he said. It wasn''t a surprise, not much bothered learning what a mindscape was because having one was nearly impossible. "Your mindscape, simply put, is a mental representation of you; how you feel, your character, likes, etc. Through your mindscape you will be able to regulate your body, speak with me, and even train a little bit. You can only train techniques and mentally however. Physically is not an option and you would still need proper rest. You''re a growing boy after all."


    Rosan nodded at the information as he processed all she said before a spark lit up in his eyes. "Wait wait... That means I''ll get to see you! Hell ¡ª I-I mean heck yea! I wonder how you look? Are you tall, what color is your hair? You must be so pretty! We can get to know each other better like this! What are ya waiting for Mod-chan?! Let''s make the mindscape, quick quick!" Rosan was practically vibrating with excitement at the revelation he had come to.


    Mod was truly baffled. All the benefits that came with having a mindscape and the revelation that had sold Rosan, was the fact that he''d be able to see her? She didn''t even have a gender before the boy had assumed she was a woman and she only agreed to it for the sake of not wanting to hurt his feelings. Now he wanted to meet her face to face?


    Honestly, what a demanding child!


    She could already tell how much of a handful he would be.


    Sighing in exasperation, the Devil Fruit said "I''m glad you''re so receptive to the idea Rosan. In theory we can see each other face to face and, since you''re looking so forward to it, I''ll get started on it right away." After a moment''s pause she added, "Also, I must confess, I don''t have an appearance. Is there anything in particular you prefer?"


    Beaming, the child bluntly said, "Nope, I got nothin!"


    She sweatdropped at his honest answer. It pained her to admit it, but she wasn''t even surprised at his response. The Devil Fruit had already gotten used to the boys quirkiness and had expected an answer like that.


    His antics were quickly becoming endearing to her and already they filled her with fondness. It was actually quite astonishing. Only one day of speaking to him and she had gotten so comfortable with the boy so quickly, that he had changed her entire character!


    Rosan was quite the terrifying child in his own way. She had no doubt that in the future, he''d be an absolute force to be reckoned with.


    Mod was looking forward to it.


    "In that case, would you have a problem if I used you as the basis of my appearance?" She asked hesitantly.


    Rosan, without even thinking about it, easily replied, "Sure that would be so cool! You can be like my big sister! It''ll be so awesome!"


    The redhead felt Mod smile and returned it brightly, as she said, "Thank you Rosan, I''m truly honored. In that case it will take about a week for me to finish the mindscape."


    Feeling a teasing feeling well up inside of her, she smiled and said, "You should probably start heading home now. I doubt your mother would appreciate you being out this late."


    With wide fearful eyes, Rosan noted that it was indeed getting very late and that yes, his mother would definitely not appreciate that. He quickly scrambled to rush home and all the while, Mod-chan giggled quietly at him.


    Rosan changed his mind. Mod-chan was mean and he definitely was gonna give her a piece of his mind after he evaded his mother''s wrath!


    Mod kept laughing at the boy''s misfortune. If she could continue to mess with Rosan like this, she could quickly see the beauty of their friendship.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rouge shivered slightly as a cool breeze brushed against her. Winter was swiftly approaching and not even Baterilla was exempt from the effects.


    She idly tightened the blanket surrounding both her and Rosan, as she leisurely sipped on some coffee. Her little Rose hummed in delight as he snuggled deeper into her body, intently focused on the book he was reading.


    It honestly amazed her that someone as hyper active as Rosan, could actually sit down and read a book on his own accord. Reading was one of the few things that could get her son to sit and focus which always lessened her worry for him. Best of all, he actually liked reading!


    The freckled woman didn''t have to force him to do the task and that was great for her when the boy was being too hyper!


    She noticed that her redheaded son had been much happier over the past few days. Despite his attempts to hide it from her, which was quite hypocritical if she said so herself, the boy had looked terribly lonely and it broke her heart.


    Rouge knew he was hiding it from her because he didn''t want to add more to her plate and that warmed her heart, but she didn''t believe in favoritism and if her little boy was in need of some TLC, she would gladly give it to him.


    Most of the children on the island were a few years older then Rosan. They had tried to intimidate little Rosan, to show just who was in charge, but he had thought it was a game and promptly beat them all into submission after they got into a fight. Rouge honestly hadn''t known Rosan liked fighting but, looking at the wild grin on his face as she cleaned his bruises, told her everything she needed to know.


    The boy was definitely a fighter.


    She had been sure to lightly scold him, despite knowing he wasn''t at fault, so that he could understand that you don''t just beat people up for fun. Though, she was glad that he was willing to defend himself. A world like this would gladly pick on the defenseless.


    But now, the older kids, with their bruised egos, avoided him like the plague and the few kids his age, wanting to fit in, soon followed suit. None of the kids wanted anything to do with him and, though he didn''t mind at all (claiming he was way too awesome for them, which Rouge agreed with), the effects of being lonely, still slightly hurt the 4 year old.


    Though there was that one girl, Shizuka. Rouge was sure she had a crush on Rosan, but the poor girl always got overwhelmed by her little boy''s personality. His larger then life attitude and cheerful disposition was too much for the child to handle. Every time they met up, the boy would speak about anything and everything, to the point where she was reduced to generally not saying a word to him just so she could comprehend it all.


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Worst of all, her silly Rosan just assumed that she didn''t like him either so he stopped trying to talk to her. He completely disregarded the fact that the girl said on multiple occasions that she wanted to marry him.


    "Poor girl," Rouge idly thought. Choosing to have feelings for her son of all people. Rosan was much smarter then he looked, but the boy was sorely lacking in social skills.


    Well, at least she didn''t have to worry about him finding the wrong girl too early. Her child had been blessed with good genetics and was going to grow up to be a looker and Rouge didn''t want to have to fend off all his suitors. Like this though, those poor people attracted to Rosan would be lucky to even get a glance from the boy.


    She had been getting ready to talk to him and make sure he was okay, when he came home late that day in a better mood than she had seen in a long time. Her son had apologized profusely for being late but despite that, he was smiling like he had won the lottery. The strawberry-blonde was happy that whatever weight was on his shoulder, had been lifted and it made her rest easier knowing he was happy again.


    No doubt gaining an ability that he could focus his attention into, was helping with that in spades.


    That had been a week ago and since then, he had been going out far more frequently. Rouge had to admit, despite being pleased that he had ways to occupy himself now, she did feel a slight pang of loneliness at times.


    After Rosan had confronted his freckled mother, the two of them had begun to rely on each other far more. So him going out so frequently now, stung a little bit.


    When it came to her however, nothing could escape Rosan''s perception. That morning he had taken one look at her, right as he was about to go outside again, and promptly dropped everything he was about to do to instead hang out with his "super amazing Mama!" and that''s how they ended up here, Rosan snuggling her under a warm blanket, reading a book, as she hummed a tune and drank her coffee.


    Honestly, she was beginning to think it was impossible to hide anything from the 4 year old. It was like he was able to tell how she felt at just a glance. It was a scary ability of his and she was sure in the future, when he was older, it would be incredibly useful.


    The two enjoyed each other''s company, inside their home, sitting on a couch under the blankets, just enjoying their respective presence. She absentmindedly read the book with Rosan, something about dragons, as they both hid away from the cold weather. Though she didn''t mind it as much as Rosan (he absolutely despised the cold), it still made her uncomfortable.


    Rosan looked so comfortable she doubted he had any intention of leaving his spot on her lap. Knowing him, he was probably going to fall asleep soon in her grasp and she''d be cooing too hard at the adorable sight to move him.


    She felt a little guilty about keeping him inside, so she would try to convince him otherwise and let him have some fun outdoors.


    Rubbing a spot on his soft hair he especially liked, she struggled to contain her laughter as he melted into her touch, practically purring in delight. Rouge softly asked him, "Don''t you want to go outside today, little Rose?"


    Without even looking up, Rosan replied, "Nope, I don''t wanna. It''s way too cold, Mama! Also, you were sad, so now I wanna be with you."


    Rouge sighed at his simple and blunt declaration, there was no point in arguing with him. Short of forcing him to do it, which she would never do, Rosan would definitely not change his mind. Still, blushing lightly, the mother was flattered that Rosan enjoyed spending time with her so much. She nuzzled his hair to hide her blush and began tickling his belly, catching the child completely off guard.


    "Pffft ¡ª kahahahaha! Wait, Mama stop! I ¡ª wait wait! This ain''t fai ¡ª" the boy was unable to finish and he helplessly devolved into more laughter. Rosan tried desperately to fend off her assault, but Rouge was merciless. She would tickle him until she felt like he had enough for being so adorable!


    After what felt like eternity to the boy, but was actually just another minute, Rouge finally stopped.


    Rosan lay flat on the floor, completely defeated and out of breath. The boys cheeks were flushed, matching his mother''s in hue and he had a massive pout on his face. Sitting up after a moment''s struggle, Rosan mustered up the angriest glare he could possibly muster to direct towards his mother!


    He failed miserably but that was besides the point.


    "T-that was cruel Mama! I didn''t even do nuthin and y-ya know how ticklish I am," Rosan angrily declared, puffing his cheek in indignation.


    Rouge had since stopped laughing and nearly melted at the sight. Composing herself, the mother said, in the most calm voice she could muster, "I''m sorry little Rose but, I have a good reason for doing it."


    Rosan impatiently looked at her as she deliberately paused in her explanation. This had better be good or else she''d face his wrath!


    Deciding to stop teasing him, she said, "You''re just too cute my little Rose! I couldn''t help it."


    Okay, so maybe she wasn''t done teasing him yet. Could you blame her? It was really fun messing with her adorable son.


    Rosan stared at her in disbelief, mouth wide open and a deep blush painting his features. Rouge couldn''t hold it in anymore and devolved into another fit of laughter. He had so much confidence yet, compliments still threw him for a loop.


    Rosan, having finally had enough of her teasing, let out a battle cry and tackled her. Though his assault was perfect and well executed, his mother was a formidable opponent. Rouge took it all in stride and hugged the redhead lightly against her frame. The strawberry-blonde began rubbing the weak spot that was his soft hair and all the fight was drained out of the Devil Fruit user, as he instantly melted in her grasp.


    The redhead sighed in bliss at the feeling. Yes, his mother was formidable indeed! He would spare her for now.


    He would pointedly ignore how Rouge had not stopped laughing the entire time.


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    Rosan was practically buzzing with excitement!


    He had been waiting for this day since Mod-chan had told him about it and it was finally here!


    Dusk was swiftly approaching and Rosan idly shivered. The steady summer breeze that normally accompanied the island, had been replaced with a chilly wind that he felt in his core. The trees that normally swayed heavily had come to a near standstill in wake of the new weather. Even the sun dimmed down, temporarily conceding to nature.


    Despite how much Rosan hated the cold, he marveled at how incredible nature was. An unyielding, unstoppable, overwhelming force that could never be stopped.


    He wanted to be like that. Rosan wanted to be as dominant as a force of nature. Then nothing would be able to stop him! He''d be like a hurricane and sweep everything up!


    The redhead was sat cross legged in the same clearing he always inhabited. Instead of his standard tee and shorts combo, Rosan had decided to dress appropriately for the weather. For his top half, he was adorned in a comfy purple hoodie that reached slightly below his waist and in the middle, was a red star. His lower half was just as simple, sporting snug black sweatpants. The cuff of the pants were tucked neatly into some snug black boots. To wrap it up, both his hands were covered in protective gloves.


    Yes, Rosan was the picture perfect definition of prepared (Mama had made sure of it). So that begged the question... WHY WAS HE WAS STILL SO FREAKING COLD?!


    As that thought passed through his head, a breeze brushed into his already rosy cheeks, causing him to let out a squeak of surprise. Rosan grumbled embarrassingly at the noise he let out and knew Mama would have laughed at him if she heard it.


    Kami, he hated the cold so much.


    Suddenly an idea popped into his head. "Mod-chan? Can you make me feel not so sucky against the cold?"


    After a moment, the voice, he was growing comfortably familiar with, spoke up and told him "Yes, I can regulate your body temperature to suit your needs, depending on the weather. Would you like me to apply it?"


    Nodding rapidly, Rosan exclaimed, "That''s amazing! Mod-chan you''re so awesome!" He marveled as the chill of the cold suddenly stopped bothering him. The breeze was still there but, where before he could barely handle it, now it felt totally normal!


    That was soooo cool!


    Mod blushed at his compliments and tried to change the subject due to the embarrassment she currently felt. "T-thank you Rosan but, don''t we have another thing to discuss?" She asked knowingly.


    Rosan''s eyes widened as realization hit him and a large grin split his face. "The mindscape! It''s ready, right?!" he asked excitedly. The boy was positively brimming with energy and Mod couldn''t help but match it with a smile on her face.


    Mod confirmed that it was in fact ready and Rosan cheered in joy, practically bouncing around the clearing in his happiness. "Yes! I get to finally see how you look, Mod-chan! I''m so excited! I waited an entire week for this and now it''s time! C''mon, c''mon! I wanna go right now, Mod-chan!"


    Mod definitely understood how people could feel overwhelmed by Rosan. When he got going, it was incredibly hard to get him to stop. Clearing her throat to get his attention, the redhead stopped chattering and listened intently to what she had to say.


    Smiling that he respected her enough to stop instantly, Mod said, "Because mindscapes are normally impossible to achieve, it may be a bit difficult to enter yours. But don''t be discouraged! You will be able to do it in time"


    Nodding in understanding, Rosan grinned and said, "Don''t worry Mod-chan, I won''t get sad! So, how do ya do it?"


    "Close your eyes and focus. Look for where you "feel" the deepest concentration of my ability. It''s not easy to locate but once you find it, take grasp of it and imagine yourself next to me ¡ª"


    "Wow Mod-chan, is that you?!" A voice cut her off, making her eyes widen in disbelief. "You''re so pretty!" Rosan gushed as he took in her appearance. After a moment he glanced around in wonder and said, "This place is so awesome too!"


    Mod couldn''t help but open her mouth in shock as she looked down at the grinning boy.


    B-but how? It wasn''t incredibly difficult to enter the mindscape but still, it wasn''t something a person simply got on their first try.


    Yet here was the tiny little boy, purple gaze with tiny pupils shining, as he drank up her appearance.


    Was he really that impressed with how she looked?


    As if reading her thoughts, Rosan nodded rapidly. "Yea Mod-chan, you look incredible!" He confirmed as he beamed up at her in awe.


    Unable to hide it, Mod flushed in embarrassment. She looked down at herself, the Devil Fruit wasn''t sure if Rosan would have liked it, but it seemed like she was worried for nothing.


    Mod stood at a modest height of 5''8 (172 cm). She had taken a page out of Rosan''s book and her skin was a bronze hue just a shade lighter then his. Framing her heart-shaped face was a drape of purple hair similar shade to Rosan''s eyes. It was styled into a hime cut that reached to just above her rear. She was fitted in a long, dominantly black with slight amounts of white on it, dress that reached all the way to her shoeless feet. Most notably however were her eyes. Two blood red orbs, lacking pupils, shined, as they directed their widened gaze to the boy who was at least two feet shorter then her.


    Rosan, finally snapping out of his reverie, practically launched himself at her. She was shocked when he crashed into her but his light weight, meant she didn''t stumble. Her apprehension was quickly wiped away as tiny little arms wrapped around her slim waist.


    "I''m so happy to finally meet you Mod-chan! You''re so pretty y''know? Your hair, it''s so beautiful and your eyes are so bright, just like mine! Now that I know how to get to you, I''m gunna visit you so much now! Kahahahaha! We can have sleepovers now! Wait... weren''t we kinda having them already? WELL, we can have even more!" Rosan cackled, speaking a mile a minute in his excitement.


    In hindsight, it was only a matter of time before Rosan''s entire character broke her. Having it happen now, instead of later, was probably a relief because this boy was very clearly insane.


    Despite the revelation on Rosan''s mental state however, Mod hesitantly wrapped her arms around his tiny frame and flashed him the first smile she had ever done in this new body. Rosan happily flashed her his signature grin, as he radiated an overwhelming amount of warmth and joy.


    Mod was beginning to understand how Rouge felt. Despite the fact that this boy would very well be the death of her, the purple haired woman wanted nothing more then to protect him.


    Finally satisfied, Rosan let her go and plopped himself down and began to observe his surroundings. "So this is my mindscape eh? Wow! This is exactly what I would want! Good job me!" the four year old said, praising himself with a pat on his back.


    Mod deadpanned at how shameless Rosan was but she had to agree that it fit him well.


    Rosan''s mindscape had taken the form of a seemingly endless tropical forest. Trees reached high into the sky and were densely packed together. Not even the sun could pierce the green foliage. The grass was cut low enough where even someone as tiny as the redhead would not be bothered by it. The only noise, besides the two of them, were the leaves rustling against the gentle breeze. In an area, where not as many trees lay, a large hot pink house was stationed. It looked to be a two story building and just from the outside, he could tell it was barren and empty except for the bare necessities.


    No matter, Rosan would change that soon enough. But that was for another time.


    Mod finally managed to compose herself enough to speak. "Hello, it''s nice to officially meet you," She began and Rosan''s eyes began shining in excitement.


    He could hear her in person now! It felt so weird to hear her soothing neutral voice in person and not as a voice in his head. "Like this, I can formally introduce myself. I am Modification, the Devil Fruit known as the Mod Mod no Mi and the partner of Portgas D. Rosan and it is my goal to ensure he achieves whatever it is he desires." She smiled down at Rosan as she concluded what she was saying.


    Rosan understood quickly what she wanted and immediately followed her lead. "Nice to meetcha, Mod-chan! I''m Portgas D. Rosan! I wanna become the strongest in the world so that no one messes with the ones I love! I hope Mod-chan can be my partner before, when, and after I become the best," Rosan beamed, as he held out his hand expectantly.


    Mod held out her hand as all apprehension was wiped from her form. No matter what, she would put her entire being into supporting Rosan. That she was sure of. It was the least she could do. As they grasped each other in a firm but friendly handshake, that quickly morphed into a hug, a deeper connection formed between boy and fruit.


    A pair of red eyes, hidden from view, watched them the entire time.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    While in the mindscape, Mod had taken the opportunity to explain basic things about her fruit usage and how he could use it.


    The 4 year old was surprisingly intelligent and was quick on the uptake of things, though at the end of it, the boy decided to give her freedom to change what she deemed fit. She just had to discuss it with him and all would be fine. The trust he had in her, to give her such freedom, was touching but she needed to make sure Rosan was not this trusting to everyone he saw.


    Rosan didn''t notice how late it had gotten. The sun had long gone and he was sure if he went into town, there would not be a single person in sight. Panicking at the time, Rosan hastily got up. "Oh no Mod-chan, It''s so late! I have to get home before Mama kills me!" The little boy quickly got up and began his quick journey home.


    Oh man, he had so much explaining to do. Rosan sent a quick prayer hoping that Rouge was feeling merciful at the moment.


    Mama wasn''t home.


    Rosan had rushed home in record time in order to tell his mother what happened and hoping that his excuses would hold up with the freckled woman. The redhead quickly unlocked the door and burst into their house, apologies already on the cusp of his lips. Said apologies died in his throat, when he realized his mother wasn''t sitting in her rocking chair waiting for him. The child was briefly confused, before guilt overtook him.


    She must have gotten tired, waiting so long for him, and had gone to sleep in her room. Dang it, he was being a bad son by ignoring his mother''s wellbeing and flooding her with unnecessary stress.


    Rosan quickly, but quietly made his way to her room to check up on her. It was too dark to navigate but Rosan refused to open the lights. If she was sleeping then he wouldn''t want to disturb her.


    Right on cue, everything became visible and Rosan sent a mental thanks up to Mod-chan. "Think nothing of it," was all she said. With that, Rosan continued, now unimpeded by the dark, to his Mama''s room. He finally made it to her room and slowly cracked the door open an inch just to confirm his suspicions that she was sleeping. He just wanted to see her. The boy didn''t want to wake her up so he''d check up on her and go to sleep himself.


    There was nobody there.


    Now Rosan was getting worried. "M-Mod-chan, d-did somethin happen to Mama?"


    He gasped as he asked, "Did someone t-take her?"


    Mod quickly soothed Rosan''s worries before he could delve into those what ifs. "That is unlikely. There are no signs of a break in." She had been observing their surroundings the entire time due to knowing that there was no way Rouge would go to sleep, without knowing of Rosan''s whereabouts. "Furthermore, I noticed that one of the coats on the hanger have gone missing. The most possible outcome, is that your mother left on her own accord."


    As Rosan absorbed the new information, a light bulb went off in his head. Slamming a fist against his palm, Rosan exclaimed, "She''s at the hospital!"


    Mod was impressed at how quickly he had deduced that. "Yes. That is most likely the explanation for why she is out so late. Well done, Rosan." The boy beamed at her praise, feeling quite proud of himself.


    Rosan was excited! Mama being at the hospital could only mean one thing. The baby was on the way! Grinning in excitement, the redhead prepared to depart the house again.


    Rosan began sprinting towards the hospital as he quickly left his home. "Mama probably doesn''t want me to be there," he whispered to himself. "Is there anyway we can spy on her without getting caught?" the child asked his newest friend.


    Mod confirmed that there was a way and Rosan grinned in excitement.


    He quickly made his way into the town with a spring in his step. It was incredibly late and extremely dark but, thanks to Mod-chan, he could see just fine. Everyone had long since retreated into their homes and Rosan should have been the only one out.


    Things were never quite that simple though.


    "Rosan ¡ª" Mod suddenly began urgently "¡ªStop! You need to hide!"


    Immediately, Rosan skid to a stop, confusion making its way onto his features, as he heard what Mod-chan said. He complied however and quickly tucked his tiny frame into a nearby flower shops display plant.


    Soon enough the reason for Mods concern revealed itself.


    A veritable giant, in comparison to Rosan, turned the corner. Tall, tanned, broad-chested, the muscular man surely struck intimidation into whatever he focused on. His hair and goatee were black, with sideburns beginning to whiten. He wore a dark double breasted suit with a white shirt and a red tie. What stood out the most however, were his shoulder pads. Whereas the normal were red and blue, this man''s shoulder pads were black and red.


    A marine and an important one at that.


    Rosan''s tiny pupils narrowed into slits, as the man, who was holding a lantern, lumbered past him. He didn''t dare make a sound as the man walked directly past the hidden child.


    Thankfully, the boy wasn''t noticed and Rosan allowed himself a breathe as the giant kept on walking...


    Directly towards the hospital.


    Rosan''s eyes widened in terror, as the implications struck him. That incredibly strong marine was walking to the hospital. The hospital where his mother was at. The hospital where Marines had ruthlessly killed any pregnant woman''s child.


    The hospital where his pregnant mother was currently at.


    The hospital where his pregnant mother was currently at.


    A foreboding feeling made its way into little Rosan''s stomach. T-this couldn''t be happening. The Marines... they had left weeks ago! They had finally given up! So why?! Why was there such a strong one here now? WHY WAS HE HERE?!


    "Mod-chan, who is that?! Why is he here? You recognize him, right?!" Rosan asked frantically and it was true, Mod did recognize him. It was hard not to. But, breaking this news to Rosan would be so hard.


    "Rosan¡­ that''s "Garp the Fist." He''s a vice admiral and he was bestowed the title, Hero of the Marines. He''s also known as the rival to... the late Pirate King, Gol D. Roger," Mod told the 4 year old softly.


    Rosan felt dizzy as he processed that information. This person, Garp, knew his father. Worst of all, they seemed to have history with each other.


    That man... was his dad''s rival?


    That man was his dad''s rival and he was walking towards the hospital.


    That man was his dad''s rival and he was walking towards the hospital.


    That foreboding feeling, in Rosan''s stomach, solidified into pure dread.


    His mother was in danger.


    Rosan stamped down the urge to rush into action. He stood no chance against that man and so, he needed to act with caution. "Mod-chan, I''d like to spy on that man but from a distance," Rosan said, voice completely serious.


    Mod was impressed that the boy was able to understand the severity of the situation. "There is a way. Give me a moment, I''ll upload the directions to you directly." The Devil Fruit replied, sounding just as serious as him.


    It only took a moment before Rosan received said info. He lightly touched his head at the influx of information but the moment soon passed. His eyes glowed with knowledge and the redhead knew exactly what he needed to do now.


    Nodding determinedly, Rosan quickly looked for the object that he needed. Finding it quickly, Rosan picked up the tiny rock and clutched it tightly. With glowing purple eyes, the redhead said "Modification: Transform."


    Before his eyes, the boy watched in awe as the rock''s form changed into that of a mechanical fly. It whirred a bit as it flew around before resting lightly on Rosan''s palm.


    He wasn''t finished however. "Modification, Vision Pair: User Rosan," he whispered.


    Rosan was heavily disoriented at suddenly being able to see through two point of views. Quickly shutting his own eyes, lest he give himself a headache, he temporarily shut down the robo flies vision so he could gather himself again.


    Finally, he opened his eyes again and stared at the fly in wonder. "So I can just order this thing around and it will listen to me?" Mod hummed in confirmation and Rosan''s eyes gleamed at the potential this ability had. "I want you to follow that old man okay? If you lose him, fly towards the hospital. I think that''s where he''s headed."


    It buzzed in affirmation and flew off without haste.


    As for Rosan, he sprinted back home. Making it in a record five minutes, he quickly went into his room and got comfortable, the child quickly went into his mindscape and rushed to Mod. She scooped him into a hug to ease his worries and noticed the redhead was trembling.


    "T-that man¡­ h-he''s so strong, Mod-chan," Rosan said and Mod looked at the trembling boy in sympathy. "I¡­ I never wanna be that helpless again, Mod-chan. Never."


    "I know, Rosan," the Devil Fruit said soothingly and she gently rubbed his back in order to get him to calm down. "We will become strong, I swear," she assured him.


    He buried himself deeper into her and murmured out, "The strongest."


    "The strongest," Mod repeated as they continued their embrace.


    For all his bravado, Rosan was still only 4 years old. It was moments like these, where Mod was afraid of the target she had painted on his back.


    After a moment Rosan disentangled himself from the hug and reactivated the vision on his bug. Due to being in his mindscape, the vision of his robo bug had expanded into a television view so that they could both watch.


    Boy and Devil Fruit, watched with bated breaths.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rouge had been laying down on the hospital bed before a commotion caught her attention.


    "Wait sir you can''t go there!" The voice of her doctor said, before being shoved away by a large hand. A large figure entered the room and it only took her a moment to recognize him as Monkey D. Garp.


    Holding his lantern up Garp asked, "Are you Portgas D. Rouge?" His deep voice came out as a question.


    Rouge nodded and that was it. Garp walked over to a corner and stood there in complete silence. She looked at the man in slight concern, recognizing who it was, but it was too late to suddenly stop the process. Besides, Roger had nothing but respect for the man before her and so, she would trust him.


    Rouge knew it was finally time. The marines had left and had shown no signs of coming back. She felt a sense of relief flood through her body.


    She would finally be giving birth after 20 long months. The pregnant woman had endured and endured but finally, it would all be worth it. With that, Rouge closed her eyes and finally stopped resisting.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    The fly had finally made it into the room. To avoid detection, it had hid itself onto the roof. It silently observed what was currently transpiring.


    In Rouge''s arms, was a wailing infant. She cradled it gently and a smile full of pure love made its way onto her face. "If its a girl Ann. If its a boy Ace. Those were the names we decided on so, as of today, this babies name, is Gol D. Ace." Tears spilled from her eyes as she clutched the baby close to her, kissing him gently on the head.


    Garp silently watched the exchange.


    Slowly but surely, Rouge felt all the strength leaving her body. As she faded, the mother of two looked at Garp in worry and said, "I¡­ have one¡­ more. His name... is Rosan. Please, take him with you."


    She was quickly losing the power to speak.


    "Rouge! Stay with us, Rouge!" The doctor spoke frantically, closing the distance to see if there was anything he could do. Garp could only stare in horror as the stress of holding a child for so long, finally caught up to her. Everyone in the room came to the conclusion at the exact same time.


    Rouge was dying.


    "My little Rose, I''m so sorry but it seems like I broke my promise. The 3 of us can''t be together after all," Rouge whispered softly.


    "I hope you can forgive your mama for being such a liar again. You never did like liars," The mother of 2 said. As she spoke, the tears fell down her cheeks even faster.


    "Please Rosan, as his older brother, I hope you can take care of Ace and the both of you grow up into exceptional young men." Sobs wracked her body but even then, she continued. "You''re a brilliant and kind young boy Rosan and I know under your guidance, Ace will grow into an amazing person too." Finally, the strength fully left her body. As she closed her eyes, a peaceful smile made its way onto Rouges face.


    "I''m so sorry I won''t be able to see you flourish, my little Rose," the woman apologized and it sounded so sincere and heart wrenching, that the onlookers couldn''t help but shed a few tears.


    "Never forget that mama loves you."


    And with that, Portgas D. Rouge mother of Gol D. Ace and Portgas D. Rosan, the woman who held a baby in her belly for 20 long months, through sheer willpower, died.


    Unheard to all, the fly crashed into the ground and shattered into pieces.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan''s had been forcefully ejected from the mindscape from the shock of the situation.


    The little boy violently shot up, as the memory replayed in his head over and over and over again.


    No no no no. That wasn''t real. That couldn''t be real. He was in his bed so he had to have been dreaming! Right! That was it! That had to be it! None of what happened was real. He would go to his mothers room and she would be just fine!


    Yes, he was sure of it. He would find her sleeping peacefully, still pregnant.


    Hastily Rosan got up and rushed over to his mothers room. Though he knew what he would see deep down, the 4 year old still deluded himself. Mod didn''t have the heart to tell him. How could she? How could she tell the boy that what he saw was no dream?


    Rosan desperately burst into her room. "MAMA, I''m sorry I was late I was testing stuff out with Mod-chan!"


    A deafening silence, was the only thing that greeted him.


    Rosan refused to give up though. Quickly, he ran to the dining area where his mother was normally at. Surely Rouge would be in her signature rocking chair, caressing her belly like always! "Mama! I''m sorry for rushing you, you don''t have to have the baby yet, I can wait! Please! I h-h-had a dream a-and if y-you h-have him, y-you might die!"


    The silence was damning.


    Reality finally began to set in as Rosan realized that it wasn''t a dream.


    He had watched his mother die. That had been very real.


    The stress of holding a child for so long had killed her. Rosan knew holding the baby for so long couldn''t be good. That''s why he begged her to have it as soon as possible. He knew this couldn''t be healthy for her.


    Now, she was dead. She was dead and he would never be able to see her again.


    Rosan didn''t realize he had collapsed onto the ground. It hurt to breathe. The redhead felt his whole world shattering as everything came crashing down.


    She had promised him that they would be able to finally be together after everything was done. She promised him so why? WHY? WHY? WHY? WHY DID SHE LIE TO HIM?! HOW COULD SHE LIE TO HIM? AFTER EVERYTHING THEY WENT THROUGH ¡ª


    Then it dawned on the hysterical boy.


    Ace.


    If it wasn''t for Ace, Mama would still be here. Ace had caused his mother to die. His mother had died for Ace. If Ace had never been born, his mama would still be here. Ace had killed his mama. Ace had killed his mama. Ace had kille ¡ª


    "Rosan!" A voice snapped him out of his spiral. "That''s enough! You need to snap out of it." Mod sounded incredibly worried for the boy having a mental breakdown.


    Rosan slapped himself as the magnitude of what he was thinking, finally caught up to him. An overwhelming guilt filled him then and there and the boy wanted to crawl into a hole and hide.


    Had he really put all the blame on his little brother? He was the worst of the worst. It would never be Ace''s fault. How could it be? He hadn''t asked to be born. Not even an hour old and Rosan had already failed as an older brother.


    He didn''t deserve his mother''s praise. He didn''t deserve anyone''s praise. He was the worst brother ever. Ace would be better off without him.


    Wait... that was right. Ace would be better of without him.


    Rosan''s visage hardened. "We need to leave Mod-chan. That marine is coming after us and if he figures out that I have you, it''s game over for the both of us."


    Mod was worried; Rosan was currently bottling his emotions up.


    "...What about Ace?" She asked tentatively. Surely Rosan wasn''t going to leave his baby brother behind?


    Rosan bit his lip at the decision he was about to make. "Ace has someone to watch over him. You don''t Mod-chan. Besides, I don''t deserve him. You heard what I was thinking, I''m awful."


    "That''s not true, Rosan."


    "Maybe... but I need to make sure the marines don''t get their hands on you Mod-chan. Going right into one''s hand, especially one like Garp, is a bad idea. So we need to leave the island on our own."


    "I¡­ understand," Mod said but she didn''t sound happy at all. "But, will you be okay?" The worry in her tone was palpable and Rosan flinched.


    His mask nearly cracked but, very quickly, he had composed himself.


    He couldn''t grieve, not yet. He needed to get off the island first.


    "I-I''ll be fine. We need to get out of here though. Who knows when that man will show up?" Rosan''s voice was a near whisper as he spoke.


    Rosan quickly began gathering essentials; clothes, food, drinks, and his toys. The boy was like a whirlwind, gathering them as quickly as possible. After a moment, he had stuffed everything into one bag, that he had modified to be bigger. "Mod-chan is it possible to make this bag smaller? I wanna put it in my pockets," he asked and, after a moment, Mod gave him the instructions of what to do and he held out his hand to touch the bag. After a short "Modify: Size," the formerly massive bag, had been shrunken.


    Tucking it in his pocket, Rosan tried to think about how he could escape the island.


    He could try to steal a ship, but his little body wouldn''t be able to get it ready quick enough. He didn''t have the ability to fly either. Even if he did, he doubted he''d be able to fly long enough to reach another island.


    Rosan went back to his room, as an idea suddenly formed in his head. Finding what he was looking for, Rosan held it up triumphantly. In his hands was a toy boat that was white and blue. "Mod-chan, do you think I can modify this into an actual boat?"


    Mod blinked at his question. That¡­ wasn''t a bad idea.


    No, in fact it was a great idea!


    She would most likely need to take over to ensure the boat was made perfectly but, the concept was brilliant. "It''s possible, I will need to take control if you don''t mind. I need to make the boat sailable." She affirmed. Luckily, she already knew how to do that.


    Nodding in agreement, Rosan quickly tucked away the boat. He had to go now before Garp came after him. He was sure he had a lot more time, but he needed to widen the distance as much as possible between him and that monster of a man or else he''d get caught.


    If that happened, the 4 year old had no illusion of what would happen if they fought and he tried to escape.


    Rosan grabbed his bag and began to depart from his, now former, home.


    He would miss his home terribly but, there was no reason to stay here anymore.


    With that, Rosan took off into a sprint. As he burst through the door, a picture frame fell onto the floor.


    It would be years until Rosan ever saw this house again.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    4 Hours later


    Garp had a bad feeling when he couldn''t sense anyone in Portgas D. Rouge''s home. That feeling turned into trepidation, as he realized the door was left ajar. Holding little Ace in one arm, Garp burst open the door.


    Nothing. There was nobody here.


    Glancing around, Garp didn''t notice anything out of the ordinary. No signs of a struggle and everything was left in place. Besides the fact that the door was left open, it would be hard to tell that there was anything wrong in the first place.


    But there was something wrong. There was no child here.


    Garp had known Roger had another kid. The Pirate King had said his oldest son was not his biological son, but that didn''t matter to him. The man''s final request, was for him to take care of the both of them and the Vice Admiral respected him enough to actually follow through with it. These kids didn''t deserve to be punished for something their father did.


    The Hero of the Marines couldn''t really do that though, because one of those kids was currently missing.


    Garp paused as he stepped on something. Bending down to see what it was, he noticed that it was a picture frame. The marine held it up and he saw a redhead, Rosan, he presumed hugging Rouge as tight as possible. Rosan, so full of joy, had a wide grin on his face and Rouge, while much more subdued, radiated an equal amount of happiness.


    Well, at least he knew what the child looked like. The kid looked fairly unique so he shouldn''t be too hard to find. Though that begged the question ¡ª


    What exactly happened here?


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    4 hours earlier


    A dinghy sailed calmly through the night. It was inhabited by only one person. A little boy, no older then 4, sat there, as the events of the day finally caught up to him.


    After Rosan had departed, he quickly made his way to a body of water opposite of the Marines ship.


    As he arrived, he removed the toy boat from his pocket and laid it on the floor. Rosan closed his eyes and let Mod-chan take control of his body.


    Rosan''s eyes snapped open, irises glowing red, instead of purple, to signify Mod taking over and she bent down quickly to rest her tiny palms onto the boat.


    "Modify: Form," she said and in an instant, the toy boat had rapidly grown in size. It had taken the size of a dinghy and the plastic had been modified into a buoyant material, capable of floating. She knew that Rosan would not be able to paddle with his frame, so she used Modification to passively power it.


    That brought them to their current situation. The dinghy sailed steadily through the ocean, as Rosan curled into himself. He had successfully escaped the island.


    But at what cost?


    Rosan''s mask, that he struggled so hard to maintain, cracked. The stress of the entire day had finally reached him and the poor 4 year old could no longer hold it in. Tears spilled as painful sobs wracked his tiny frame.


    "M-Mama why? Why did you leave me?" He couldn''t explain it right now, the boy felt so lost. "What am I supposed to do now mama, I-I miss you," The boy said miserably, as he hiccupped repeatedly.


    In a matter of moments, he felt himself dragged into his mindscape where Mod-chan had already been waiting for him.


    Wordlessly, she scooped the boy into a tight reassuring hug and Rosan fully broke down. He babbled incoherently as his body shuddered from pure grief. Why had it all gone wrong? All he wanted, was to be with his Mama a-and now she was g-g-gone.


    The boy sobbed even harder.


    Mod felt a terrible guilt fill her.


    She caused this. It was her fault that Rosan had so willingly separated himself from his brother. He had done it so that the marines could not get access to her again. All so he could protect her when no one else would. The Devil Fruit felt tears welling in her eyes, at the pure agony Rosan was currently in.


    Still, Mod refused to make a noise. The Devil Fruit would be here for him in his hard times. She was all he had left and she would never fail him.


    Even if Rosan had lost faith in the world, she would make sure to be a steady source of trust for this boy.


    That was a promise.


    The anguished sobs of a, suddenly orphaned, boy rang through the night and Rosan wailed his pain to the world.


    "WAHHHH!" He cried and cried.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Character Sheet ¨C Modification (Mod-Mod No Mi)


    Type: Paramecia


    Summary: A mysterious devil fruit that is highly prized by anyone that happens to know of its existence. Not much is known about this fruit except for that fact that it''s highly guarded by the marines. Curiously, she seems to be the only fully sentient Devil Fruit. Currently wielded by Portgas D. Rosan.


    Appearance: Tan skin, slightly lighter then Rosan''s. Her appearance is heavily inspired by Rosan.


    Height: 5 feet 8 inches


    Hair: Long purple hair styled into a Hime cut.


    Eyes: Red pupil-less eyes that glow in the dark.


    Outfit: Long black dress with slight amounts of white on the sleeves and stomach area. She is usually seen bare foot. Her nails are painted a mixture of purple and red due to those being Rosan''s favorite color.


    Likes: Rosan


    Dislikes: ??????????????????????.

 Determination

    Mama would always comfort him whenever he cried.


    Whenever he hurt himself, whenever he was sad, even if he was throwing a tantrum, Mama would always know the perfect way to make him feel better. "Big boys don''t cry, my little Rose," She would say as she soothingly, wiping away his tears as she hugged him close to her. She always knew how to make him feel better. Whether it was cooking his favorite meal, or singing to him with her voice that he loved so much, she would always cheer him up.


    Rosan missed her so much.


    Mod could only stare sadly at the boy. She wished she could have done more, but this was completely out of her comfort zone. The Devil Fruit had no idea what to do for the child and it was destroying her.


    Rosan had cried himself to sleep in their mindscape and not once had he left Mod''s caring arms. Mod had taken a page out of Rouge''s book and hummed softly to him while stroking his soft hair in reassurance.


    Eventually, after what felt like hours, the little boy had exhausted himself completely and slept soundly in her grasp.


    Placing him on the mattress inside their mindscapes home, Mod parted his hair slightly and rested a hand on his forehead. Using Modification, The purple haired woman shut down Rosan''s mind temporarily, ensuring that he would have a peaceful rest.


    He deserved that much at least.


    The Devil Fruit sighed softly to herself and made sure everything in the outside world was as it was supposed to be. She had made the interior of the dinghy soft enough so that Rosan would be comfortable sleeping, so there was no concern there and the weather was rather tranquil. It didn''t look like it would be changing anytime soon.


    Mod was thankful that Rosan had allowed her so much freedom to do what she wanted. She would make sure that nothing bad happened while he rested.


    Everything was in order now and nothing seemed out of place. Mod sighed for the umpteenth time and she sat next to Rosan''s sleeping body. Idly stroking his soft hair, she allowed herself a moment of rest to gather her thoughts.


    Honestly, this was such a mess. This had definitely not been apart of her plans. It was never her intentions to endanger Rosan so soon but plans never worked out the way you wanted them too. Still, this was too awry for even the Devil Fruit.


    She had wanted to wait much longer before inevitably setting sail with little Rosan. The boy was only 4 years old after all! He had no business sailing the ocean at such a young age. Luckily, he had her. Mod couldn''t imagine what would potentially happen to the child if he hadn''t eaten her fruit and still decided to sail on his own, due to his dislike of the World Government. It filled her with such dread that she refused to pursue those thoughts.


    She had wanted Rosan to get a much more firm grasp on his newly acquired abilities but, the world was merciless and now they had to adapt to the new circumstances.


    No matter, she would do everything she could to make sure no harm came his way.


    Glancing sadly at the sleeping boys tear-streaked face, she softly wiped those tears away. Right now, he needed her more then anything. To so willingly give up the bond with his brother just for her safety, filled her with a pleasant feeling that made her all the more guilty.


    She was all he had right now. Because he was suffering so much, she had to be strong for the both of them.


    It was strange, Mod had never spoken to Rouge yet, the pain she felt at her death was almost strangling. Despite not knowing her personally, it certainly didn''t feel that way.


    Mod had access to all of Rosan''s memories after all. Even the ones Rosan didn''t personally remember, Mod knew of. All his feelings of Rouge had been emitted to her and, as a result, she felt everything he felt.


    It was horrible, truth be told. She had never felt anything like this before and all she wanted to do was hug Rosan and cry herself to sleep too.


    Rosan was the first person to open himself up completely to her. The Devil Fruit was just as new to these powerful emotions as Rosan was. It was overwhelming.


    In a way, she had also lost her mother.


    But, Mod couldn''t let that stop her. The difference between her and Rosan, was that she was older.


    She had experience. The Devil Fruit had seen many people die. Rosan had never dealt with death and the first death he had ever witnessed, was that of his mother. That was absolutely horrible and she could feel how much it was tearing at the boy.


    Rosan was a naive 4 year old who had known happiness all his life. He didn''t have the capabilities to bounce back from this alone. He would try, because he wanted to protect her, but it wouldn''t be enough. It was up to her now to raise Rosan in Rouge''s stead.


    She would try and live up to the late mothers standards. No matter what, she would make sure Rosan was safe to do what he wanted. It was her job to support him and she prioritized that job above all else. She would help him. She would guide him.


    No matter what.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan awoke to the glare of the sun.


    The air tasted of salt and a cool winter breeze brushed against his skin. Unaffected by it all, Rosan blearily opened his eyes to an unfamiliar environment. His body felt heavy and the boy was more exhausted then he''d ever been. Normally, he was energetic even when he first woke up. Mama liked to call him an unstoppable ball of energy while tiredly glaring at him with her mug of coffee.


    Sitting up to shrug off the sluggishness, Rosan blinked before the full events of yesterday ruthlessly came rushing back to him. Frantically, the redhead sat up, desperately hoping that it was all just a really bad dream, that he would be home and he could tell Mama about the really scary dream. But, all that greeted him, was the surrounding ocean and the distant squealing of seagulls.


    Of course it wasn''t a dream...Mama was gone and he was never gonna see her again. Tears started streaming down the 4 year old''s face as he recalled the events of last night and he let out an anguished sob. He wasn''t ready to say goodbye to his Mama. How could he ever be? She had always been there for him as a constant presence that he felt safe with and without her, he felt truly lost.


    He couldn''t even honor her last wish. Rosan had willingly left Ace, his newborn baby brother, behind with that Marine. A terrible gnawing feeling filled him as he recalled the previous day. He didn''t want to admit it. He really didn''t but, for a moment, he had truly hated Ace for taking away his mother. He fully blamed his baby brother who was not even an hour year old yet, at the time, for killing Mama.


    The soul crushing realization that he had thought that of his younger brother, filled him with such a sense of self loathing that Rosan felt ill. His first hour as an older brother and he failed miserably. Mama wanted him to shower Ace in all the love she wouldn''t be able too and he did the complete opposite. He was the worst.


    No, he didn''t deserve to take care of Ace. Ace would be better off without a brother who couldn''t even stand him. No matter how short it had been, no matter how much he regretted it, it didn''t change the fact that Rosan felt those feelings and that was unacceptable. He would pursue him when they were both older and explain himself no matter what, he owed him an apology at the very least for being such a terrible older brother.


    It was what he deserved.


    He just hoped that Ace could grow into the man Mama wanted him to be. Rosan wasn''t sure he''d be able to live up to her wishes. He felt absolutely terrible. The boy grabbed a mirror from his bag and enlarged it to get a look at himself. Deep bags under red rimmed eyes, dry tear streaks, hair splayed messily over his head...He looked as awful as he felt. No. Scratch that. He would never look as awful as he currently felt.


    He was a complete mess.


    Rosan could feel it deep inside of himself. A boiling sensation was forming in his core and whenever he focused on it...bad thoughts happened. The boy couldn''t identify what it was but it didn''t make him feel good at all. It filled him with such bitterness that he just wanted to go back to sleep and forget about it all.


    Why? Why did he have to lose his Mama? What had he done to deserve this? Before, he had blamed Ace but, Ace didn''t ask to be born and Mama loved his little brother just as much as she loved him. It would never be Ace''s fault and Rosan felt even worse knowing that he had tried to put the blame on him.


    The blame lied on two people. The Marines¡­and Papa. Papa had dragged the Marines into their business. Gol D. Roger knew how notorious he was and anywhere he went, the World Government would be watching him. He shouldn''t have been so obvious when he came to Baterilla. Yet, the Pirate King had waltzed into his home without a care in the world, wooed his mother, got her pregnant, left without guaranteeing her safety, and died while simultaneously having all the Marines converge onto his home. He left Rouge to the Marines by himself like a complete idiot.


    His stupidity had gotten Mama killed. If Roger had not been dead, Rosan would have loved to make him think he was.


    Rosan glared darkly at the floor of the ship. Because of him, the Marines had spent 10 entire months scouring their home and killing every baby they could get their hands on. All in hopes of ending the late Pirate Kings lineage.


    The Marines¡­ how disgusting of them. Killing someone for the sins of their parents, was horrible and downright evil. Why did Ace have to be punished for what Roger did?! Did that mean if they knew Rosan was their child, he would be punished too? Why? He hadn''t done anything, he didn''t deserve to die because Roger decided to cause havoc onto the world. None of them did. Not him. Not Ace. Not...not Mama. How could they ruin the lives of family with no remorse?


    Rosan hadn''t done anything to be treated like this. He was only 4! So why was his existence a crime? No, why did they get to decide that his existence was a crime before he had given them a reason? Who were they to play Kami?


    At that moment, Rosan swore to himself. The marines would pay, the ones in charge, the grunts, even that old man who took Ace.


    All of them would pay.


    Papa- no. Roger was dead, so all the blame lied solely on them. They killed his mother. They took his Mama away from him. His sweet, caring Mama that he loved more then anything. The one who had always been there for him. The one who he''d never be able to see again. They had taken her.


    That was unforgivable.


    "Rosan, please calm down. This isn''t like you," A voice spoke up soothingly, managing to shock Rosan out of his dark brooding.


    The redhead''s eyes widened in realization. That was right, he couldn''t actively go to war with them right now. He had to protect Mod-chan. She was his friend and she was all he had left and Rosan clung to that detail like it was a lifeline.


    Rosan still had Mod-chan.


    He still had her.


    He wouldn''t...couldn''t lose her.


    Slowly, his rage subsided and the Mod Mod no Mi user was able to temporarily force his sadness down. Mod-chan was right, he needed to calm down or else he''d do something costly.


    Wiping his tears away, anguish made way for determination and Rosan straightened up.


    He couldn''t be sad yet. Not when Mod-chan still needed him. He needed to get as strong as possible to protect them both or else something disastrous could happen. If...if he lost Mod-chan too, he didn''t know what he would do.


    Rosan would become strong, the strongest. After he was the strongest...after he was capable enough of protecting Mod-chan and himself, he would seek out Ace and try to explain himself to his baby brother.


    He didn''t care if Ace hated him because Rosan deserved to be despised by his younger brother. After all, Ace''s older brother had willingly chosen to leave him behind moments after he was born. He didn''t deserve forgiveness from the baby but, he would make sure Ace knew the truth at least.


    The boy deserved that.


    "Mod-chan, we needa become strong at all costs. I''m okay now so I need you to help me as much as possible, okay?" The boy sounded firm as he addressed his body''s resident.


    Mod frowned at Rosan''s hypocrisy. Not long ago, the 4 year old had blown up on his mother for doing the exact same thing to him, that he was attempting to do to her. It was even worse because Mod knew, being inside of the boy, exactly how he felt.


    How could he get upset at Rouge for hiding her pain away from him, then proceed to do the same to her?


    Like mother like son she supposed.


    "Rosan. please don''t lie to me ever again," Mod said kindly, but firmly. "You can trust me with your problems, I promise." There was absolutely no way the child, especially one as young as Rosan, was okay this soon. It just was not feasible. She admired him for trying to put up a tough front for the both of them, but it wasn''t healthy what he was doing.


    Rosan frowned slightly and said, "I know I can trust you Mod-chan, I''m sorry. It''s just...I have to be okay."


    "The seagull guys aren''t gonna wait for us to grow up. If they learn that I have one of their most prized devil fruits, they will chase us to the end of the world." Fierce with determination, Rosan continued by saying "We need to be strong enough so that they can''t take us Mod-chan. We have to be. If I l-lose you too then I...I don''t know what I''ll do."


    Mod wanted, so badly, to disagree with him. He shouldn''t have to shoulder such a burden at his age. This was something he should have worried about when he reached adulthood, after spending more time with her and maturing, not while he was 4!


    For the first time since he obtained her abilities, Mod regretted the fact that Rosan ate her fruit. He wasn''t ready but he felt forced to be, all because of her. She wanted to disagree with what he was saying but, she couldn''t because he was right. They would be hunted down relentlessly and, if Rosan wasn''t ready, they would take him with no issue.


    All because of her.


    Rosan was quick to notice her own self loathing and shutdown that line of thought. "Mod-chan..." He began seriously, "It''s not your fault! Even though I''m not Mama''s real child, I''m still the son of the Pirate King and they would want to hurt me anyways! Me having you is just a bonus for em now. Don''t you dare try and blame yourself or I''ll get mad!" he finished with a scowl forming on his face.


    "If anything, I''d be in even more trouble if I didn''t have you when they did come for me so, thanks for givin me such a big advantage, Mod-chan!" Rosan beamed at her, showing a tiny glimpse of that happy go lucky boy.


    Mod was in pleasant disbelief. She was feeling rather flushed at Rosan''s sincere compliment of her and tried desperately to compose herself due to the unfamiliar, but not unpleasant, sensation.


    She failed miserably.


    Face still rosy, she instead decided to divert attention from herself. "You know that you are adopted? How? Your mother never told you," Mod pointed out with a raised brow.


    Rosan response was quick, easy and it showed that the boy knew for a while. "I look nothin like mama and I''ve seen pictures of pap- Roger. My hair color isn''t the same as either of theirs and it''s not dyed either! Mama told me Roger was my Papa as well and I know she didn''t love anyone else. So I figured mama didn''t give birth to me," he explained to a wide eyed Mod.


    "That doesn''t matter to me though!" Rosan exclaimed simply with a small smile on his face. "She raised me like my Mama, loved me like she was my Mama and took care of me like she''s my Mama so, she''s my one and only Mama," the 4 year old finished. Despite the situation, even just talking about Rouge, was enough to put a smile on the boys face.


    Mod had known Rosan was smarter then he acted, but, despite having access to everything about him, she hadn''t realized just how intelligent the boy actually was but it made a lot of sense. Her user was quick on the uptake of things and he was rather talented. "So you don''t resent Rouge for not telling you the truth?" she asked hesitantly.


    "Nope, why would I? Mama is my Mama and I love her. She could never have told me and I wouldn''t care because in my eyes she''s my only parent. Roger is only my Papa because she said so and I don''t even know my real parents!"


    Mod couldn''t help but marvel at his response. She agreed with him completely and, to see that he didn''t hold a shred of resentment towards her, was inspiring to the Devil Fruit. "That''s a very mature outlook Rosan. It makes me feel at ease with the idea of helping you become even stronger."


    Eyes widening in excitement, the 4 year old said "So that means ¡ª,"


    "Yes, I will use my past knowledge to help you to the best of my ability," Mod informed him, smiling as she felt Rosan''s happiness spike. "You''re right Rosan. We do need to get stronger and, as much as I hate the idea of putting you through this, it needs to be done for your sake."


    Rosan nodded rapidly in agreement. He was happy that Mod-chan was capable of seeing reason and he loved that she respected him enough to listen to him, despite the fact that he was 4 years old.


    "But," Mod said seriously, grabbing the boys attention once again. "Promise me this, Rosan. Promise me that you won''t let your anger rule you like it did before. I hate seeing such a kind boy like you acting so dark. It saddens me immensely so please, smile for me again?"


    Rosan was rather hesitant to make another promise. The last promise he made with Mama (who was the one who told him the importance of the vows!) was left fresh in his mind and a wave of resentment washed over him. The boy flinched at the feeling and ruthlessly stamped it away.


    His last one may not have gone well, but this was Mod-chan! She was so sincere in her request that he had to listen to it! It made Rosan blush that someone was able to compliment him so earnestly so the boy wanted to live up to her expectations. It''s not like the feeling in his pit felt good anyways. Even his Mama was falling victim to it and that just wouldn''t do!


    He much preferred being happy anyways so this was an easy promise to fulfill. The last vestiges of Rosan''s inner rage vanished completely (for now) and the cheerful boy tentatively came out again.


    Mod-chan was right he couldn''t let himself fall victim to his anger. If he did, bad things might happen to them both!


    "Alright Mod-chan!" Rosan began cheerfully getting a happy grin out of the woman. "I promise!"


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Going with that monster of a marine, Rosan thought offhandedly, was probably a better option then training with this slave driver.


    Mod-chan was also a monster.


    Relentless, efficient, and, above all else, ruthless, Mod worked Rosan to the core in their mindscape. Filling his 4 year old head with all sorts of knowledge, to the point he got dizzy, Mod made true on her word to train him. Not a day went by where the redhead was not learning something new and he practically felt his brain growing.


    The worst thing about it, was the apologetic smile she had on her pretty face the entire time.


    Rosan blessed his near eidetic memory else, he feared his brain might explode. One of the first things she had taught him, was learning and understanding the structure and build of a ship along with, the correct materials and how they were made.


    "Ships are the primary form of travel in this world and you will be traveling on one for a majority of our time together. Knowing how to manage one will be necessary and a boon in the future." Were her strict words.


    She then proceeded to make sure he learned everything that she knew about ships. It was clear Mod had experience with him from the amount that he learned. She refused to give him a break at all either, stating that his body was already resting in the real world.


    "Still a growing boy my ass," Rosan grumbled remembering her words.


    "Language," her voice said kindly and Rosan squeaked as he heard that. The redhead hastily apologized causing Mod to giggle.


    Training was separated into 3 parts; knowledge building, physical training, and ability training.


    Knowledge building, as its named suggested, was where Mod-chan took the time to build up his knowledge on various topics. She would drag him into their mindscape and promptly drill him with information. Rosan, in turn, soaked up all information taught to him like a sponge. He rarely stayed on a single topic for more then a day due to how quickly he grasped what she spoke of. Mod-chan had been immensely impressed by his penchant for learning and Rosan beamed happily at her praise.


    He still hated it though. It was easily his least favorite of the three.


    Physical training involved building up muscle. Though Mod-chan refused to make him do anything too extensive.


    "You''re too young," she said firmly and refused to listen to his reasoning. Rosan only received a deadpan glance as he tried to argue against her and that was the end of that. So, he had been relegated to doing stretches and relatively easy exercises that were made difficult by his young, tiny body.


    Rosan could only sulk at how easily she dismissed him.


    Mod-chan was mean.


    Ability training was where Rosan trained with the Mod Mod no Mi. This was easily his favorite part of training! Mod-chan and him would sit and practice Modification together. Mod-chan wanted him to start small and typically, he would modify what he learned at that moment. It was like homework!


    On his first day for example, he had made Mod-chan a miniature boat to show that he understood what she taught him! The purple haired woman had been proud of him and showered him in head pats, which always reduced the boy to putty. He also enjoyed brainstorming other things he could do, mostly for combat. His biggest goal was to transform into a dragon but, Mod-chan had explicitly stated that he would not be doing that yet and he begrudgingly agreed.


    The 4 year old would still be reading up on dragons though. She hadn''t said it was impossible so that meant he could do it and if he could do it, then he would do it! Mod-chan just sighed in fond exasperation and allowed him to do as he pleased. She wasn''t even sure if he could do that but she wouldn''t tell the boy otherwise. It was good to give him a short term goal that he could focus on. Maybe he would prove her wrong, his thinking was already proving to be more versatile then hers in regards to what her fruit could do.


    She had always been rather rigid but the redheads creative mind, was already helping her see things in a way she hadn''t seen them before. It was fascinating to see how the mind of a 4 year old worked with her fruit.


    Mod''s training was very effective and Rosan was making progress in spades.


    But now, he was bored. Training was nearly done and, to stave off his boredom, he was finishing his stretches. Letting out a grunt of exertion, Rosan stood up from the floor and the boy let out a relieved sigh as he stretched his back, to release the tension. The 4 year old let out a happy groan at the cracking noise.


    Plopping himself down again, Rosan sat cross legged as he contemplated what to do. They had been sailing for 3 weeks now and Rosan had seen nothing but water, seagulls, fish, and more water. He was bored and he wanted something to do.


    The redhead had his toys that he had stored in his bag but... Rosan had tried playing with them once and immediately burst into tears. The memories were far too much for his still raw mind.


    He hadn''t touched them since.


    Rosan was thankful he had thought to bring food and spare clothes. If not for his ingenuity, he probably wouldn''t have even been able to take everything. He had nearly emptied his room out, shrunk everything, and stored all of it in his newly created Space Bag (it was an awesome name! Rosan didn''t have to be told twice).


    Honestly, Rosan didn''t even know how he had thought of the Space Bag¡­ he just wanted to be able to store all his things in there and he guessed Modification listened to him!


    What an awesome ability!


    But nothing in his Space Bag was able to sufficiently distract him. Mod-chan wouldn''t let him train all day either so he couldn''t even distract himself with that.


    "Ne, Mod-chan?"


    "What is it, Rosan?" She replied immediately.


    "I''m bored." Was his simple reply and Mod let out a suffering sigh.


    She half expected as much.


    "Fine. What do you have planned Rosan?" Rosan grinned, sharp canines on full display. Mod-chan would normally talk him down with a resounding no, but she was finally seeing things his way!


    Truthfully, Mod just wanted to avoid the headache this route was going to take. Rosan''s plans were rather...eccentric.


    Adopting a thinking pose, Rosan rubbed his chin in contemplation.


    Despite Mod-chan practically giving him free reigns to decide, there was still a lot of ocean and no island in sight. Not only that, part of the reason why he was so bored out on sea was because his little boat didn''t allow him much freedom of movement at all.


    Looking down at the Dinghy, Rosan suddenly had a marvelous idea.


    Grinning widely, The wielder of Modification said "Mod-chan! Let''s steal a ship!"


    Mod blinked.


    That¡­wasn''t what she was expecting. He wanted...to steal a ship? What even gave him that idea in the first place? She thought he was going to ask for more ideas of what to do with Modification not¡­this.


    The Devil Fruit asked as much and in response, the child simply stated "Well you said I can''t do too much training cuz of the size of this ship and I can''t have any sorta fun on a boat this small sooo¡­lets just get a new one! We''ll be killing two stones with one bird!"


    "Two birds with one stone, Rosan," she corrected.


    "...My version sounds better," he decided stubbornly.


    Mod''s purple hair bobbed in time with the shake of her head as a startling realization hit her.


    Rosan was insane. That was the conclusion she finally reached. She had her doubts before because he was only 4, but now, she knew that he was undeniably unhinged and age had nothing to do with it.


    When Mod had asked him what he had planned, Rosan''s idea to steal a ship was definitely not on the forefront of her mind. Even worse...his reasoning was solid. It wasn''t the best ¡ª she could have just made the Dinghy larger ¡ª but she was sure that Rosan would have refused because the purple eyed boy seemed dead set on stealing a ship.


    Sighing ¡ªshe had been doing that a lot¡ª in defeat Mod-chan asked him "Just how do you plan on stealing a ship?"


    Rosan smiled triumphantly and said "Well we have to find one first and I know just how!" Seriously, it was insane just how smart he was! He had already planned for this! Great job Rosan! Really, amazing job!


    His Devil Fruit just stared at the boy shamelessly praising himself. It wasn''t even worth acknowledging sometimes.


    "Stealing a ship implies that you want to fight Rosan," Mod pointed out. "Need I remind you that you are 4 years old? Do you plan on fighting adults, who are most likely pirates, right now?"


    Rosan could practically feel her judgmental stare and she no doubt had her hands on her hips. Sweating just a little at his guardian, Rosan responded frantically in a way that would no doubt sway her. "Well I wasn''t planning on fighting a strong group of people I promise!" The boy exclaimed.


    He continued in hopes of further convincing her. "I have you Mod-chan! You''ll keep me safe, I know it! You can guide me and I''ll be extra careful! If I mess up you''ll save me!"


    Damn it, the manipulative brat knew just what to say to tug at her judgment. Blushing at his praise, Mod-chan cursed Rosan for being so aware. "F-fine, it''s a bit early to be running combat exercises but, with your natural capabilities, I''m confident it won''t be too difficult."


    Rosan cheered in excitement and he barely restrained himself from jumping around (he might fall in the water!). Alright! Convincing Mod-chan was the hard part. The woman was incredibly protective of him but Rosan loved her for that! Next came...another hard part¡­


    There were more hard parts then he had anticipated.


    Glancing hesitantly at the bag, Rosan steeled himself as he gathered his courage. He was being ridiculous! Mama had always told him big boys don''t cry and damn it, he was a big boy.


    Rosan shook away his apprehension and expanded the small bag into something sizable enough to comfortably fit his hand into. Rummaging around a bit, The child let out a victorious shout as he found what he was looking for.


    Pulling out the object, Rosan took in its appearance with a triumphant smile.


    Looking at the toy, a bird to be exact, Rosan banished away any negative thoughts he suddenly had and got to work.


    Mama had gotten him this toy Blue Jay a few months ago. Her reasoning had been that animals enjoyed being around him and vice versa so she got it for him. Rosan loved it even without the reasoning, she gave it to him after all.


    It was a simple wooden design. As its name suggested it was dominantly blue color with a white underbelly and a moderate amount of black dashed around its body. It was about 25 cm and fit easily into his tiny palms.


    Nodding to himself at the object, it would be just perfect, Rosan quickly got to work. Rosan said "Modify: State," followed by, "Modification, Vision Pair: User Rosan".


    Rosan was far more prepared this time around as the formerly wooden bird turned mechanical and began sharing vision with him. Rosan let the bird go and watched as it experimentally tested its new body.


    It unsteadily flew for a few seconds, not unlike a baby bird, before getting the hang of it and dashing around in excitement. Rosan watched with just a bit of envy. He would be able to fly freely like that eventually. The blue jay, coming from Rosan, understood its assignment immediately and took off in a flash.


    Rosan plopped himself down and the boy began shaking in anticipation. Remembering what Mod-chan said about hiding their identity, Rosan began looking for a new outfit to wear. He fully planned on using Modification so that meant he had to disguise himself!


    With that, Rosan got to work.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    In a rather short amount of time, the Blue Jay had found a ship. They must have been closer to an island then they had initially thought. Maybe that knowledge would have stopped Rosan from thinking of such a wild plan.


    Who are we kidding? The boy just wanted an excuse to do something insane.


    It went unnoticed by the occupants of the ship as it scouted out the, soon to be, opponents of its master.


    They were a pirate crew albeit, what seemed to be a newly formed one. They had a basic jolly roger on their flag; there was a standard skull with crossbones though, one of the bones was replaced with a basic saber. The ship itself was not very impressive being a standard caravel with a simple design but for someone of Rosan''s size it would be perfect, if not a bit large.


    As for the members of the crew, they seemed to all be out and about on the main deck. 6 men lounged about on the ship, laughing about something the bird could not pick up. None seemed to be equipped with anything dangerous, though two of them held weapons. One had a dagger and the other a short sword. Narrowing its vision a bit, it confirmed that none of them had visible guns.


    Chirping happily at the information gathered, he (Rosan had just assigned it a gender) preened as he accepted Rosan''s bountiful praises. It began flying back to meet up with the boy currently sailing over to its location.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan was shuddering in excitement and he had a wild grin on his face. He was about to engage in actual combat with people! The redhead was looking so forward to this!


    Remembering all of what Mod-chan told him, Rosan knew he had this in the bag. He would not underestimate them either, Mod-chan told him underestimating the opponent was a great way to get seriously injured, or die, and dying would suck so Rosan would be alert at all times.


    As he mentally commanded the Dinghy to set sail in the direction of the ship, Rosan took the time to look at his new guise.


    After some advice from Mod-chan, Rosan had opted to dress in a long black cloak. It fully covered his figure, stopping at just above his feet. He had even modified the hoodie so that it could better coat his face in darkness; Rosan''s face would be nearly impossible to see!


    Taking even more measures, in case someone had managed to take his hoodie off (Mod was very efficient), Rosan had even placed a mask on! Contrasting his, mostly black outfit, it was a white mask that covered his entire face. The only notable design was the black rose that curved onto one side.


    Under the cloak was a shirt that was the same white, with black markings, as his mask and long black pants that were both easy to move in and comfortable! To finish it off, he wore black combat boots. Despite it being unlikely that anyone would see these Mod insisted that he wear it so he did.


    Rosan looked down at himself and hummed in content. He liked it a lot! It could use a bit more color (he sighed despondently at the lack of red) but he was going for efficiency, not style and it helped that he looked cool as hell regardless.


    Nodding in satisfaction, Rosan held out his hand and pet the mechanical bird that landed on it. It tweeted in happiness at his gentle touch and Rosan smiled at a job well done. "Just one last thing from you okay?" Rosan said softly, grabbing the birds attention. "I want you to fly above me be on the lookout for any sneak attacks and make sure ya let me know." It sang in affirmation and Rosan watched as it flew off again but not before giving him an affectionate pinch on the cheek.


    The ship came into view and Rosan started shaking.


    He was so excited!


    Wanting to avoid getting spotted, Rosan looked down at the Dinghy. "Modify, Color: Camo." Smiling in success as the ship vanished from sight, Rosan quickly applied it to himself as well and waited with a bated breath as he finally approached the unaware passengers. Just one last thing to do and he would be fully ready.


    "Modify; Speed, Power: x2." Rosan discovered the he could multiply his base physical stats and, though it wasn''t much for a 4 year old, having double his normal strength would help tremendously. Multiplying his strength by 2 would be insanely useful!


    Man he was getting so good with Modification!


    He had a plan already too! He would take advantage of his surprise attack by taking out the two with weapons as quickly as possible, then he''d wing it and fight the others! Though he wasn''t underestimating them, they looked new, weak, and they were currently slacking. It would be perfect!


    "...What a fantastic plan Rosan¡­," Mod said in a deadpan but Rosan did not notice.


    "I know!" was all he said.


    "¡­," Mod sweatdropped at the boy cheering at his simple plan. He was unbelievable, honestly.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Nico Robin wasn''t sure why she had thought traveling with this crew was a good idea.


    They were a hardy bunch of upstarts who had thought it would be smart to use her impressively high bounty to gain notoriety. Idiots, all of them. They wouldn''t last a month. Such hubris wouldn''t be good for her safety. They probably thought going to Grand Line as they were now was a great idea.


    They were definitely not going to last long.


    The Marines had quickly been getting the gain on her so, in an act of desperation, she had agreed to travel with them for the moment. It wouldn''t be long, just enough for her to escape the Marine''s vision, then she''d slip out and disappear, leaving them to get destroyed on their own.


    The brunette doubted she''d be staying with them much longer though. They were bound to get annihilated, then captured, before she could even ditch them and she wouldn''t be here to go out with them. It was either that, or they would try and turn her in to cash in on her bounty. Leaving them was the most inevitable choice. It always was.


    Though, it seemed it would be done sooner rather then later.


    Since Ohara had¡­been destroyed by the World Government, Robin rarely had a moment to rest. She always had to sleep with one eye open and it was impossible to trust anybody due to the fact that, given the opportunity, they would turn her in without a second thought.


    Having a bounty of 79,000,000 Beri tended to do that to people.


    But, she would enjoy a moment of respite with this crew before she left. They were nothing special and the 8 year old was confident that, down the line, they wouldn''t be able to stop her from leaving.


    Currently, all the current members, barring her, were lounging on the main deck and she had opted to stay in one of the rooms. She was lying down reading a book about the geography of the South Blue as the nonsensical chatter outside devolved into panicked yells.


    Wait.


    Panicked yells?


    Robin paused as she heard their captain frantically attempt give out orders. By the sounds of things, they were being attacked. But by what?


    Had her cover already been blown by the marines? This was really bad. No one on the crew had a bounty yet so that could only mean they were here for her. Robin bit her lip in a small amount of worry. She had no clue how close to an island she was, they had just left one but there was no way she could swim there because...obvious reasons. She could try and look for a spare Dinghy but she doubted they had one.


    She was trapped.


    The Devil Fruit user would probably have to fight her way out if it got bad. She hoped that it wasn''t a large platoon and that her crew was at least somewhat useful at thinning them. She cursed to herself, this is why she hated joining people who didn''t stay in one place.


    Activating the Hana Hana no mi, Robin watched what was unfolding through the eye ball she just created and the 8 year old set out to find a location to hide in.


    For now, she would hide and hope they didn''t find her. If push came to shove, she would have to fight her way out. Depending on who they sent, and how much there was, it was possible she could get away.


    In the meantime, it would be a good idea to assess the threat level outside.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    A Little Earlier


    Rosan smiled smugly to himself.


    Camouflaging himself and, his lil boat, was turning out to be quite the boon! The crew he was about to attack didn''t see him coming at all!


    As he approached the ship, The 4 year old ran through what he was going to do again. It was simple enough; target the people with weapons, incapacitate them, beat em all up, win, new ship!


    It was full proof!


    If things didn''t work out then well, Rosan had Mod-chan to bail him out! He was practically invincible right now!


    "Stay focused Rosan," Mod''s voice came out and Rosan nodded in subdued excitement. Contrary to belief, he was actually pretty focused right now! The boy really wanted to fight them and he didn''t want to make any mistakes.


    The boy finally reached the ship and his grin got even wider. It was showtime!


    As quietly as possible, so as to not be detected, Rosan modified the surface of his gloved hands, giving it a sticky feature, and slowly but surely begun climbing the exterior of the ship. He couldn''t disappoint Mod-chan on his very first plan! Getting caught before he could even begin would definitely make her more resistant to ideas like this in the future!


    Grasping the rails, Rosan pulled himself up and disabled the sticky feature of his glove as he sat on the rail. He had seen it from his robo birds vision but, seeing it up close and in person was a much different experience then from a bird''s-eye view.


    There were 6 people and only 2 of them had visible weapons. Rosan knew this already of course but it did a good job at keeping him focused on the task at hand. They were lounging about and no one had noticed him.


    Good. That meant his camouflage was holding up nicely and doing its intended job. Unless they knew he was there, or they had some insane observation skills, it would be hard to notice him.


    Well, no more basking in his own glory for now (regrettably), it was time to get started.


    Jumping off the railing quietly and crouching slightly, Rosan let loose an inaudible exhale and blasted himself forward. The boy practically flew at one of the weapon wielding pirates ¡ªA dirty blond haired man casually flipping a dagger¡ª and, in a moments notice, Rosan, who was still not visible to them, reached the man, and delivered a momentum heavy flying kick to his solar plexus.


    The mans eyes widened in shock as he bent over but, before he could even let out another breath, Rosan firmly grasped his hair and kneed him in the nose 3 times with a crack causing blood to gush out and staining the floor beneath him. The older mans eyed rolled to the back of his skull and he collapsed onto the ships deck with a thud.


    Rosan didn''t feel remotely winded and he grinned eagerly. The hooded boy pocketed his dagger then, without any hesitation, modified the man''s weight and threw him overboard.


    The remaining members could only watch with confused gazes, as Haruto crouched over with a gushing nose accompanied by a cracking noise, and summarily faint. That confusion turned into panic when something picked him up, as if he were a baby, and tossed him overboard into the unforgiving ocean.


    Capitalizing on their shock, Rosan rocketed off again to the next person.


    His target this time, was the other man wielding a weapon. This one was even more bland then the first one and held a short sword instead of a dagger. He had short brown hair, that wouldn''t be easy to grab onto, and had a long sleeved shirt to complement the cold weather.


    Rosan soared towards his next target and chose that moment to remove his camouflage, showing the entire crew the mini black clad figure.


    Kaoru, the brown haired man, looked on in fear as he recognized he was the rocketing strangers target. He held up his weapon, a short sword, to defend himself but his slight hesitation cost him.


    Latching onto his outstretched arm, Rosan used his much smaller frame in order to push himself up to the mans face. In the process, Kaoru stumbled a bit and, like a shark in the water, the child capitalized on it.


    Rosan used his enhanced strength to push Kaoru onto the floor and he began pummeling the poor mans face with vicious strikes. No part of his face was safe but, in particular, his nose was victim to his brutal onslaught the most.


    Mod-chan had told him it was always a good idea to target the nose of someone because of his small, lighter frame. The nose was a rather weak structure and was quite susceptible to damage so it was a good idea to target it in a fight.


    Rosan took full advantage of that.


    The man flailed as Rosan ruthlessly punched the hell out of him. Right before he succumbed to his injuries, he managed to nick Rosan''s side with short sword due to the flailing which caused the boy to grunt and increase the ferocity of the blows.


    He soon fell unconscious from the figures aggression and Rosan repeated the same process he had done with the other man. The splash of the water was rather satisfying to hear.


    The 4 year old winced at the injury he received on his side. It wasn''t fatal ¡ªdue to being a wild and unfocused strike¡ª but, on the 4 year old, it still hurt a fair bit.


    It wasn''t enough to take him outta the fight though! He wouldn''t be here if a small injury was all it took to render him useless!


    Rosan mockingly dusted his hands together after he finished tossing the man overboard. He would have maybe felt bad, but his Mama had told him most pirates were bad people and wouldn''t hesitate to hurt him (Pap- Roger was the exception of course). He couldn''t care less what happened to them after tossing them overboard.


    That was for them to figure out because the crew didn''t matter to him at all.


    Mod was a bit shocked at how ruthless he was. Though, she found that it didn''t surprise her as much she thought it would. Rosan was a boy who only cared about the people he liked after all. Nobody else mattered to the, rather selfish, boy. Some random individuals would hardly bother the boy and Mod was completely okay with that. It''s not like they mattered to her either.


    Only Rosan mattered to the Devil Fruit.


    She had to praise him where praise was due. He had executed the first two parts of his plan near flawlessly. He didn''t have to drop the camouflage, but Rosan was a total showoff and so it didn''t surprise her. The purple haired woman had been a bit worried when he got nicked by the blade but it didn''t seem to bother him enough to stop so she wasn''t panicking.


    Mod focused a bit of her abilities onto the wounds location, so as to speed up the recovery process, just to be safe though.


    Still, Mod turned her chin up a bit in pride at how well Rosan was doing. The boy was naturally talented but she had still taught him well.


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    Rosan turned to the 4 other members in order to assess their reaction to what he had just done. It was natural that they would display a small bit of fear towards the figure who had easily he dismantled two of their members.


    The redhead wanted to capitalize on their fear.


    Fear made them sloppy and that made it easier for Rosan to do as he pleased. It would be bad to give them a moment to compose themselves. If he did, they might use their numbers advantage on him and that would mean he''d have to use more¡­ visible Modification techniques.


    He would need to keep the pressure onto them.


    Not giving them a moment to breathe, Rosan crouched. The 4 year old began sprinting forward to maintain his advantage. The man, who looked to be the captain, was frantically giving out orders.


    Rosan smiled to himself. They were slow on the uptake of orders, it was definitely a newer crew.


    Learning this info, made the masked boy quickly change up his strategy. Rosan swiftly pivoted to the right, facing the one who seemed quickest to take his orders, and charged after him.


    This was so exciting!


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "What the fuck is that thing." Daichi, the captain of the recently created Saber pirates, watched in disbelief as a seemingly invisible force took out Haruto and, after revealing itself to be a black clad figure, Kaoru within moments. That disbelief quickly turned into fear as both the unconscious bodies got thrown overboard.


    Just what exactly was happening right now? Were they¡­under attack...by a ghost?!


    They weren''t even a known crew yet! Why on earth were they being attacked? Daichi had only recently created this crew after gathering the courage to act out on Gold Roger''s final words. He had formed it with a ragtag group of individuals who all had the dream of earning riches beyond their dreams.


    They weren''t sure how achievable their goal was and they had their doubts but the recruitment of "The Devil Child" Nico Robin had been a huge boost to their spirits.


    Fat lotta good that was doing them.


    Now they were getting absolutely demolished by some black clad creature, that didn''t even reach 4 ft, and the only person with a bounty in the crew was nowhere to be seen at the moment.


    If she were here this fight would be far too easy. She had sunk 6 battleships after all. This would have been a peace of cake for her!


    This creature, it knew exactly what it was doing as well. The moment he tried to give out orders the creature had turned its attention to Ken, his closest friend and first mate, and immediately engaged him in combat.


    Ken, being his longest friend, was naturally the one that was quickest to react to his orders, and that...thing picked up on it instantly.


    Well it didn''t matter! All pirates had ordeals and this just happened to be the first ordeal of the Saber Pirates! It was time to show what they could do.


    "It''s just one person and, their so tiny, this should be a piece of cake," He thought with faux confidence that was quickly wavering at seeing how the things exchange with his first mate was going.


    Maybe his confidence was unwarranted at the moment...


    Robin wasn''t really sure what to think right now.


    The 8 year old knew that her "crew" was weak but, this was kind of insane. They were about to get utterly thrashed, she could tell from the way the first two crew members were dealt with.


    She contemplated helping them but quickly dismissed the idea. Whoever that was attacking them, surely had a devil fruit of some kind and the fellow Devil Fruit user was not keen on matching them up with each other.


    Maybe they had one that could turn them invisible? Robin wasn''t confident in her chances of taking him on and she, truthfully, really didn''t care what happened to this crew. The Hana Hana no mi user had found a suitable hiding spot and she was hesitant to leave just to potentially throw her life away. She just hoped that after they were finished, they would leave. It didn''t seem like he was after her in particular.


    If he were apart of Cipher Pol, the crew wouldn''t have needed to be thrown over the ship¡­ there would be no chance of them waking up.


    That begged the question though, just what was he here for?


    Until she found out she felt it was best if that thing didn''t know she was there. Yes, she would stay here and hope for the best.


    Silently, she watched as he suddenly changed directions and approach Ken, the first mate, with zero hesitation.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan was having so much fun! Who knew beating the hell out of people could fill him with such glee!


    The redhead knew this was a good idea! Sure, the cut hurt but he was used to a bit of pain. Heh. Who said being clumsy was a bad thing?


    Who was he kidding, it sucked and it had given him a good amount of injuries in his 4 years of living. Normally, when the boy hurt himself, he would have Mama to help him with the injurie ¡ª


    Shaking his head to rid himself of such thoughts, Rosan instead focused on the opponent in front of him. This one reacted the easiest to the orders of the Captain, so Rosan would take him out first.


    Charging him with his enhanced speed, Rosan ducked under the pirates grabbing arms by sliding between his legs. Pushing himself up into a handstand, he twisted his body and delivered a swift kick to the back of the mans knee. The mans cried out in pain as he was forcefully pushed down onto one leg but Rosan wasn''t finished with him just yet.


    Rosan flipped himself up from his handstand, grabbed the back of the mans shirt and yanked. Using the sudden momentum, Rosan launched himself upwards, putting himself above the man, while simultaneously forcing his opponent to lean back from the pull.


    Ken''s eyes rolled to the back of his skull as his face was met with two black boots that slammed harshly into him. He was knocked into sweet oblivion as his head brutally bounced off the deck. Stepping off of the man''s face, Rosan watched as the other two finally gathered their wits and surrounded him.


    2 on 1? How unfair!


    Rosan grinned excitedly.


    For them at least.


    He jumped over one of the 2 who had dove for him. Before he could pull himself up, Rosan was already descending onto him. Landing softly on his back, Rosan paused for one second, before jumping up high and slamming down onto the poor mans back once, twice, three times before stopping.


    "Ouch," Mod said offhandedly and Rosan nearly snorted aloud. He settled for a mental one instead.


    The man spit out a glob of saliva as a very audible crack came from his back. He was instantly knocked unconscious from the pain and his head lolled on the floor. Rosan wiped his foot on the mans very broken back and looked over at the second to last crewmate. This one looked to be the most afraid of him so Rosan had decided to leave him for last.


    Judging by how he looked currently, that was a good idea! This guy didn''t even wanna fight him anymore. He was backing away rapidly with tears running down his eyes.


    Clearly this isn''t what he had signed up for.


    Rosan narrowed his eyes slightly and shook his head in disappointment. He felt kind of bad that he had reduced the man to this state but, another part felt rather disgusted that the pirate was crying so freely. Mama had always said big boys don''t cry and this man looked above 20. How could he feel no shame for what he was currently doing?


    Gross.


    Someone''s mother didn''t give him the memo.


    A smaller, unnoticeable part felt a vindictive glee at the effect he could have on people.


    Well he wasn''t gonna get anything fun out of this man. Best to put him out of his misery then.


    Lame.


    Running up to the man, currently crawling away, Rosan ignored his pleas and silenced him by chopping him in the throat. The pirate gagged and Rosan spun, getting behind the man, so he could punch him in the back of his head twice with crushing force. He fell over unceremoniously, knocked blissfully unconscious.


    "Well, that was pretty easy", Rosan thought, blinking at how quickly they had fallen. It had a view exciting moments but it would have been pretty boring, if Rosan didn''t enjoy beating them up so much! Fighting was really fun.


    Mod-chan really was a great teacher! He had only sustained one cut from that entire fight. She was amazing! Incredible! Fantastic!


    "Oh enough of that¡­," Mod bashfully told him, her face progressively reddening the more words he said. The Devil Fruit was not used to being complemented so heavily and as such, she had no good way of defending herself from them.


    Rosan grinned at the purple haired woman before dusting himself off.


    Right then, that only left the captain for him dispose of. He wondered what the man was going to do now that his whole crew was gone. He didn''t look any stronger then the others so Rosan wasn''t really expecting much.


    The cocking of a gun shut off that train of thought rather quickly.


    Sometimes, Rosan wished he didn''t have to open his mouth and so brazenly tempt fate.


    Mod-chan shared the same sentiment.


    "T-turn around, you freak!" The, now pistol wielding, captain demanded.


    Turning around slowly, Rosan rolled his eyes as Mod-chan smugly said "I told you Rosan, always be prepared for anything."


    "Weird time to be smug about somethin like this Mod-chan. I could get shot ya know?" Was his exasperated reply. The sheer smugness Mod-chan radiated didn''t vanish at all. If anything, it magnified.


    She was taking after him far too well and Rosan wasn''t sure if he should be happy or worried about that.


    Who was he kidding, acting like him was always a win. He was him after all!


    Wait ¡ªright he was being held at gunpoint¡ª he needed to focus.


    The man had gained a new wind of confidence at the advantageous position he was in. "Bet you weren''t expecting this huh you bastard!" He boasted in victory.


    "Take off your hoodie, now! I wanna know who was bold enough to attack the Saber Pirates," He demanded with false bravado. After a moments pause, he looked around the ship and yelled "ROBIN, where the hell are you?!"


    Silence was the only thing that greeted him and he looked visibly irritated at being ignored. No matter, he''d deal with her later. He didn''t have any illusions at being able to beat the girl with an insane bounty but to just abandon them was unbefitting of a Saber Pirate.


    "Why is he talking to me?" Rosan wondered curiously. "Surely, he should just shoot me and be done with it right?"


    "Some people have gigantic egos and would much rather talk then get the job done. Don''t be like that, Rosan," Mod said with a shake of of her head.


    "Wow...this isn''t the first time you''ve seen this?" Mod shook her head no and Rosan nearly laughed. "People are really stupid!"


    "Yes they are Rosan. Yes they are." The Devil Fruit quickly focused on the problem at hand and thought of what to do.


    "Do as he says for now until an opening is available," Mod informed him and Rosan internally hummed an affirmative. "As expected, I''ll be bailing you out," Mod confidently replied with a rather cheeky smile that she had picked up from the redhead himself.


    Rosan cursed his mistake. If he knew Mod-chan was gonna get such an ego off of this, he would have been even more careful. Now, she was gonna be insufferable and he was going to be the target.


    "You know me so well," she said fondly and Rosan rolled his eyes again.


    Rosan purposely removed his hoodie slowly just to aggravate the captain. He was easy to rile up and the redhead was pretty good at annoying people!


    Daichi gained a vein of annoyance on his face as he was greeted by a simple white mask, 2 purple glowing iris, and a shock of red hair. He could practically feel the smugness radiating off the freak and that pissed him off to no end.


    "You think your so funny huh?!" He snarled. "I''m Daichi of the Saber pirates and your games end here. I can blow your brains out in seconds, so you better stop acting all high and mighty! Take off your mask NOW!" He demanded.


    He bristled as the only thing that greeted him was pure silence.


    The captain of the Saber Pirates felt his foul mood mounting. This¡­ thing had attacked them unprovoked, taken out all of his crew members, including his best friend, and now, he was teasing him even after having a gun pointed at him?!


    Bullshit.


    "SAY SOMETHING YOU FUCKER!" Daichi bellowed finally losing his temper as the stress of today''s events finally caught up to him.


    "Such foul language," Mod sniffed and Rosan nearly laughed at how genuinely bothered she seemed. Moving his gloved hand to his face, Rosan begun removing his mask at an agonizingly slow pace, much to the fury of the man, if the way he was trembling was indication.


    Teasing the man was pretty funny and, despite the situation, Rosan wasn''t worried at all.


    He had Mod-chan after all!


    Right before he fully removed his mask, Rosan smiled in mischief.


    Daichi had asked him to speak after all!


    The redhead cleared his throat to catch the mans attention and Daichi couldn''t help but lean forward in anticipation to catch his voice. Rosan''s smile turned into a full blown grin that Daichi, of course, didn''t see.


    "Modify: Shrink," Rosan said in clear amusement before he vanished from the captains sight.


    Rosan laughed in malicious glee as he shrunk. The look on Daichi''s face was utterly priceless. His jaw had dropped as Rosan practically vanished from sight before the man let out a string of curses and began unloading his chamber in a renewed fury.


    The redhead would cherish the sheer rage on the captains face at being fooled for a long time.


    Daichi must have thought Rosan had camouflaged again and was hoping to get a lucky shot. It was a good idea, invisible didn''t mean intangible after all.


    Unfortunately, this wasn''t invisibility. Rosan had modified his size and shrunk himself to nearly microscopic to fool the man! The redhead knew what his thought process was going to be when he vanished from his sight again.


    "He''s invisible again."


    Rosan took full advantage of that.


    It had worked out well AND he made the man look like an idiot.


    Rosan absolutely loved Modification.


    "A-already 4 and playing mind games? What a scary child," Mod said with a bright blush on her face.


    Closing his eyes, like he had promised, Rosan let Mod-chan take control. A blush dusted over the youths face as Mod took control and his eyes turned a blood red.


    The purple haired woman needed to get used to Rosan''s sincere compliments of her. They were too good at catching her off guard. Shaking her head, Mod decided to focus on the task at hand.


    Quickly maneuvering the possessed boys body, Mod ran up to Daichi. The man had completely lost it and was just shooting in every single direction. How sad, he had become a complete lunatic in his fury and had no regards for anything, some shots were even hitting his unconscious crewmates. How ruthless.


    It was up to her to put this animal down.


    Reaching him Mod quickly got behind him and jumped. "Modify: Revert," she intoned. Rosan microscopic body grew instantly into his normal form and she reached out to grab at his head, blood red eyes glowing bright.


    Daichi whirled around, but it was too late. The only thing that greeted him, were two red irises glowing sinisterly behind that white mask.


    As he felt a hand grasp his head, Daichi shook in a primal fear. Since attacking their ship, this¡­thing had not struggled even once. T-this wasn''t a normal p-person.


    This was a monster.


    "W-wait pleas ¡ª," he tried but the figure refused to listen.


    "Modification: Jam." Were the last things he heard before his world went blank.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan grunted as he threw Daichi over the ship. That had been the last person to go and Rosan didn''t even bother to watch after he threw them over. Wiping the sweat off his forehead, Rosan marveled at how well he had done.


    "You''re pretty incredible Mod-chan! What was that last move you did on Daichi though?" Rosan wondered. Mod just touched him and he blanked out! What was it called again? Jam?


    Rosan wanted to learn it! It could be really cool!


    "I jammed his brain. He saw the color of your hair so, on the off chance he lives, I disabled his brain so he won''t be able to tell anyone a single detail about you¡­or anything else for that matter," Mod replied as if she were discussing the weather.


    "Hey, isn''t that kinda really scary? You shouldn''t say that in such a nonchalant tone Mod-chan," Rosan said with a sweatdrop. Mod-chan was actually pretty terrifying when she wanted to be. The Devil Fruit was capable of doing some scary things without seeming phased whatsoever.


    Rosan was thankful that she spoiled him rotten.


    Rosan suddenly recalled something said in the battle and frowned. "Mod-chan, there might be someone else on the ship."


    Mod nodded proudly at his statement "Well done on noticing that Rosan," She praised. "Based on what Daichi said, someone named Robin is likely on this ship. It''s possible that he was lying since no one answered him, but its best to proceed with caution."


    Rosan agreed. Crouching slightly, the 4 year old touched the surface of the ship. "Modification: Scan-"


    "Wait just a moment please," a voice interrupted the redhead. "I believe you were looking for me?" A childlike voice said and Rosan paused what he was doing.


    Looking up, Rosan tilted his head as a kid who looked a few years older than him appeared.


    She wasn''t very tall (though that still made her taller than him) with a darker tan that was lighter then Rosan''s own, shoulder length black hair and blue eyes with dark wide pupils. She also had a long, thin and defined nose. She wore a simple black dress that stopped above her knees and matching black flops. She looked incredibly weary and, despite trying to appear as non threatening as possible, she had her guard up.


    Huh. Rosan blinked in confusion at what he was looking at.


    This was definitely not what he''d been expecting.


    Someone around his age? Sailing the sea? The boy wondered what her circumstances were for her to be with such a crew like the Saber Pirates.


    The boy shuddered as he felt a spike of rage from Mod-chan. Was she okay? What had caused her to get so angry?


    Robin, seeing that she hadn''t been attacked yet, hesitantly continued with her plan. "I''d appreciate it if you didn''t throw me overboard. I can''t swim," She requested politely.


    The figured continued starting at her with its head tilted. They did not indicate having even heard her question.


    Robin was starting to think this was a bad idea. The girl really didn''t have much choice though. It was either that or risk fighting this¡­person? She was pretty sure they were a human from what little of their appearance she had seen.


    If that idiot Daichi hadn''t blown her cover, she could have waited and seen just what the figure before her wanted. But instead, she was forced her to alter her plans. Robin doubted they were here for her but that didn''t make her situation any less worse. She was lucky that they didn''t attack her immediately and took that as a sign that they was at least willing to hear her out.


    It would suck if the brunette blew her cover for no reason. She could have just stayed hidden and used her Devil Fruit but¡­based on what she saw, if they landed one touch on her, it was game over.


    Robin had no clue how a fight between the two of them would turn out but she didn''t want to chance it.


    Like she established, if they touched her she was going to end up exactly like the rest of the crew. The Hana Hana no mi user shuddered as she recalled the glowing red where his eyes would be and a lifeless Daichi falling over. At least the red glow was gone, replaced instead by a dim glowing purple.


    She had to hope that it would be possible to negotiate with them. Glancing nervously around, she was only greeted with the sound of waves. There was no island in sight and the figure had already thrown the rest of the crew overboard.


    "You''re Robin?" they suddenly asked with their head tilted in an oddly cute display.


    Robin started at how suddenly they spoke. The mask they had on muffled their voice enough that she couldn''t quite tell what gender they were. Remembering that he asked her a question, Robin hastily confirmed by saying, "Yes, I''m Nico Robin." After a moment''s pause, she couldn''t help but ask "You haven''t heard about me?"


    "Am I supposed to know you?" was their confused response, head still tilted as they looked her up and down.


    Robin was shocked. After all, it wasn''t every day that someone didn''t recognize the "Devil Child". If they really weren''t aware of who she was, that definitely ruled out the possibility that he was here for her.


    "That doesn''t make any sense though." Robin contemplated, deep in thought. No one on this ship, barring her, had any relevance at all. They were an upstart group and they hadn''t even truly begun pirating.


    They didn''t even have any bounties! Surely they had a reason for attacking this ship in particular? She hadn''t heard of news of any ships getting attacked by a mini black clad figure. Unless they had recently started, this was likely their first target. So that begged the question...


    "Why did you attack them? Why aren''t you attacking me?" Robin asked them. She was curious on who this person was and what they wanted. She nearly regretted asking the questions as they just kept staring at her.


    It was unnerving.


    The masked figure didn''t answer her question. Instead they opted to ask her "How old are you? Did those pirates do anything to you?"


    Robin contemplated lying, but decided against it. "I''m 8 years old and no they didn''t do anything. They are afraid of me but, thank you for your concern." She replied politely though inside she was even more confused.


    You don''t just brutalize an entire ship one second and ask a question like that. Maybe he knew this crew personally if he was asking a question like that? That would explain his unprovoked attack.


    Yeah that must be it.


    Nodding to themself at her answer, they (she needed a name for this person) finally answered her question. "I wanted a ship¡­and you asked me not to throw you overboard."


    The "idiot" went unsaid but Robin still heard it.


    Resisting the sudden urge to choke them, Robin took a deep breath to try and stave off her annoyance. She quickly got it back under control before realizing what he had said. She nearly gaped in disbelief.


    "You¡­ attacked the people on this ship because you... Wanted it?" She managed to choke out.


    He nodded like brutalizing an entire crew for a ship was a perfectly normal thing to do. Robin was sure that whoever was under that mask was not right in the head.


    She was on a ship with someone who was probably insane. That didn''t bode well for the 8 year old.


    Just great¡­maybe she should have just stayed hidden.


    Rosan, for his part, wasn''t quite expecting this interaction.


    Robin was young, much younger then he was expecting. While she was still older then him, his circumstances weren''t exactly normal and he deduced that hers probably weren''t either.


    The other members were grown men so Rosan didn''t really mind throwing them overboard. Mama told him to always treat girls with respect unless they disrespected him first though and she hadn''t disrespected him. Since she was so nice to him, Rosan didn''t really want to throw her overboard.


    She also couldn''t swim so she would definitely die.


    Mod-chan had been silent since she had first laid eyes upon the girl. Rosan could tell that she wasn''t happy whatsoever and it worried him. "Ask her how old she is and if those men did anything to her."


    Rosan easily complied with her request and asked the girl who responded accordingly.


    Hmm...so she was 4 years older then him. Rosan hummed to himself as he digested and Mod-chan let out a sigh of relief when Robin had said that they hadn''t touched her.


    Still, she must have been pretty important if she expected people to notice her at a glance! Rosan contemplated just what he was going to do with her. The child didn''t wanna have to throw her overboard and, because of him, Mod-chan had a soft spot for children. She probably wouldn''t want to do it either especially unprovoked and the redhead didn''t want to force her to.


    She had seen his hair though and Mod-chan had been adamant on not showing anyone his spiky red hair. It was too unique and stood out, was her response when he asked why. It would not be hard for people to distinguish him from it.


    So now, the redhead was in a predicament. He was set on not throwing her off his newly acquired ship and Mod-chan was in agreement with him. He asked if she could wipe her memories and Mod-chan said she didn''t currently have the control to safely wipe it, if she did it she''d most likely turn into a vegetable.


    Still staring, Rosan watched as she fidgeted in discomfort. The boy couldn''t help the concern welling up inside of him as he looked at her. Her entire demeanor bothered him. She looked so scarred. She looked lonely.


    He couldn''t stand that. It reminded him of himself.


    "We should trust her, Mod-chan," Rosan thought to his Devil Fruit.


    "What makes you think she''s trustworthy?" Mod knew once Rosan made up his mind about something it was nearly impossible to change it. But, she still wanted to understand from his mouth what he was thinking.


    It also helped that she wasn''t adverse against the idea in the first place, she just had to be wary for the both of them.


    "She looks so tired Mod-chan!" Rosan began and his voice was filled with sympathy. "She''s only 4 years older then me but she looks like she''s been through so much already and, unlike me, I don''t think she''s lucky enough to have someone like you to rely on so I want to be the one she can rely on! Everyone deserves at least one friend. We know better then anyone that nobody should ever feel alone and that''s why we''re friends!" Rosan exclaimed passionately to his guardian.


    Mod''s heart swelled at the speech Rosan just gave her. Honestly, he was such a sweetheart sometimes and it warmed her to the core. The 4 year old was one of a kind and she loved him for that.


    He was also getting really good at giving speeches!


    Voice fond, Mod said "Alright Rosan, I have no objections. If she agrees to travel with us, I will gladly accept her."


    Rosan cheered internally as he heard her approval. He knew Mod-chan would support him! She always tried to put up a tough front but she was secretly a real sweetheart.


    The 4 year old expertly ignored the feeling of being glared at by his Devil Fruit and instead focused on the visibly agitated Robin.


    The girl looked like she was preparing for a fight! Rosan wondered how strong she¡ªNo! Bad Rosan! No trying to fight someone you''re about to invite onto your almost awesome, but not yet, ship.


    "Hey, Robin?" He said suddenly and watched as she lightly jumped at the sudden call of her name. Rosan winced at that. He didn''t mean to put her on edge so much. It made him feel even more compelled to befriend her because the girl had serious trust issues!


    Remembering he was still clad in his sneaking around outfit, Rosan slowly took his mask off, showing off all his features to his fellow child. Finally unmasked Rosan, asked "Do ya wanna be my friend and travel with me?"


    Robin''s eyes widened as the figure reached up and removed their mask. Crimson hair spiked down messily, as a dangerously young face gazed at her with shining, royal purple eyes.


    Robin had not expected the mysterious attacker to be so¡­young and her open mouthed surprise was testament to this. Just how old were they? Were they by themselves? Where were his parents?! Was he...was he the same as her?


    His (she assumed that they were a boy. Though, he did look a tad bit girly) height made much more sense now.


    Finding the ability to speak again, it was Robin''s turn to ask in a dumbfounded tone "Who are you? H-how old are you?" Maybe he was just cursed with permanent youth? A birth defect that made him unable to grow? A devil fruit ability most likely?


    All her doubts were wiped away as he blinked at her sudden question and replied "I''m Portgas D. Rosan nice to meetcha! I''m 4!" as if it was no big deal at all.


    Robin was sure anyone else in her shoes would have fainted at the sheer insanity that had occurred today but she had a reputation to upkeep.


    He was 4?!


    What type of 4 year old attacks a bunch of adults just for the sake of taking their ship?! Was he completely insane? He could have gotten hurt! He had gotta scratched with a knife! What 4 year old shrugs off a knife cut!


    Wait¡­did he say his name was Portgas D. Rosan?


    This boy had a D in his name?! This made him even more interesting in her eyes. But, what was it with people, who had the D initial, just doing whatever they pleased?! Surely not every one of them acted like this 4 year old.


    Right?


    No, she had to have been dreaming. "The events of today were just some freak fever dream," she tried convincing herself. To further prove her point, Robin pinched herself. Hard.


    Rosan''s gaze turned worried as Robin pinched herself and let out a tiny yelp of pain. Was she okay? Why did she just pinch herself? Oh...maybe she was one of the weirdos Mama had warned him about. Maybe he had made a mistake?


    "Rosan...she''s not a weirdo it''s just...your well, you. I don''t blame her for pinching herself."


    "Gee, thanks Mod-chan!"


    "How did you possibly take that as a compliment?"


    "...It''s not?"


    "...No, it is Rosan."


    Robin flushed as she saw the child still staring at her. Right, it wasn''t a dream. This was real. Very real.


    Fantastic.


    Robin waved off his questioning gaze, saying she was fine, and felt a burst of annoyance at how he looked at her. The child was practically calling her stupid with just his purple gaze alone and Robin didn''t think a child could successfully annoy her. She struggled to keep the cool facade on but, eventually the girl managed to get it under control.


    Suddenly remembering that he had asked her a question, Robin felt her gaze widen as she fully registered what he had asked. "Did you just ask to be my friend?" He nodded in confirmation, a toothy grin on his face. "And¡­you want me to travel with you?" She asked in confusion.


    Another cheerful nod, this time more enthusiastic then the first.


    Robin resisted the urge to pinch herself again. Was it possible for a 4 year old to be insane? Rosan had just brutalized an entire crew by himself, with only a scratch to show for it, and now he was looking at her with those adorably large, shining eyes, practically begging her to accept his proposition with his gaze alone.


    Yep, definitely insane.


    Robin wasn''t really in a position to refuse. She didn''t really fancy her chances against the ocean, which she was sure she''d end up in, if she said no. The redhead had attacked them disguised and he seemed adamant on hiding his appearance. The 8 year old had managed to see his entire face and she knew that was not a good thing.


    She at least ask wanted to know why on Earth he wanted to travel with her.


    The brunette asked as much out loud and his head tilted in the way he seemed to instinctively do when he was thinking. She had to admit, it was pretty dang cute.


    She wouldn''t say it out loud though.


    "I think it''ll be pretty fun if we travel together!" He said cheerfully. There was a pregnant pause after that and, At her incredulous gaze, his face became more serious. The child''s purple eyes turned downcast and he somberly said "I don''t know you really well but, I know that look in your eyes. You¡­look like you lost something really important to you."


    Robin''s eyes nearly widened at that but she carefully masked it behind a neutral expression.


    Unimpeded, Rosan continued softly "I know how it feels to have everything taken from you. It sucks. It''s the worst feeling I''ve ever felt in my life and it must have been the same way with you." The boys voice turned a bit watery as he spoke and Robin knew he was telling the truth. "The sadness is so much that it makes you wanna crawl somewhere and just sleep it away. The loneliness is so crushing it just makes you want to give up."


    Rosan looked up at her, royal purple locking on to sky blue, and said "You look really lonely Robin."


    Robin''s mask threatened to crack under the sheer intensity of his gaze. The 8 year old felt so small, so exposed at the way Rosan nailed all her insecurities with just a glance. Nobody had managed to do that in her time travelling.


    Just who was this boy?


    To know so much about what was going on in her mind at a glance¡­it was rather terrifying. More then that, The redheaded child had said he understood how she felt. What happened to him for him to relate to how she was feeling?


    Was that why a 4 year old was sailing the seas alone?


    Sympathy ran through her as that thought wormed its way into her head. Rosan was far too young to be forced into a position where he had to sail the seas alone. Though she was only 8, she had already been mostly independent back on Ohara. The loneliness of having no one didn''t affect her as badly because for most of her life she had no one.


    She couldn''t say the same for the 4 year old boy standing before her.


    "Don''t you know who I am? They call me the "Devil Child" Nico Robin. I have a bounty of 79 million beris! You don''t wanna be friends with someone like me," She said in hopes of scaring him off.


    Nobody would willingly want to be friends with her after hearing who she was. This was how it always turned out! It would just put a giant target on their back.


    Rosan for his part just stared at her. Slamming a fist into his palm, he said "Ohhh. That''s why you were surprised I didn''t recognize you!" and he laughed at the revelation. "What did you do to get a bounty so high?" the redhead asked in curious excitement.


    Robin was a bit put off at his lack of fear at the revelation. She didn''t let that deter her however. "I sunk 6 battleships," was her confident reply.


    Rosan narrowed his eyes at her. "No you didn''t. Don''t lie to me, I don''t like when people lie," he said bluntly and the boy scowled at her.


    Robin deflated a bit at his matter of fact tone. Nobody ever doubted that claim before because, since the World Government said it, it must have been true.


    Rosan didn''t believe her for even one second. He could immediately sense that she was lying and that would do no good. The redhead was not fond of people lying to him, not even his mother could get away with it!


    Defeated, Robin simply asked him "Well, why do you want to be friends with me?"


    Determined eyes looked into her and Robin felt as if he could see right through her. It was scary to be dissected so easily at just a gaze. "Nobody should ever be forced to be alone," Rosan eventually said with sad eyes.


    "You look exhausted Robin. You''ve probably never had anyone to rely on and that''s not fair! I want to be your friend so that you can rely on me! I''ll protect you when you get in trouble and you''ll protect me when I get in trouble!" He finished with a hopeful grin on his face.


    Robin felt something unfamiliar stir inside her at how sincere Rosan sounded. She wanted to dismiss his words as nothing but lies, but looking into his earnest gaze formed a lump in her throat that she couldn''t quite get rid of.


    He¡­really wanted to be her friend? She hadn''t had a friend since¡­since Saul and because of her, he was-


    Robin shook those thoughts away hastily and looked back at Rosan, the lump feeling heavier. She wanted to believe he was lying but she really couldn''t looking into those eyes of his. How could he be lying with all the interactions they currently had? Based on what he was doing, all facts pointed to him being honest with her.


    He had been protecting his identity, to the point where only the glow of his eyes were visible behind his guise, but he so willingly showed her his face. He invited her to the ship without even knowing her identity. When he did find out, nothing about his demeanor changed at all!


    Rosan had even told her his name and the D. part had caused her eyes to widen in recognition.


    He had the same middle initial as Saul¡­just what did it mean? They didn''t look even remotely related and he didn''t make it seem like the D. stood for anything. She knew there was something about that initial and for Rosan to disclose his full name to someone he just met, either meant he was really dumb or he really did want them to trust each other.


    Rosan, as much she wanted to deny it, only had her best interests at heart which left her stumped. No one ever had her best interests at heart. That''s why Robin was finding it so hard to believe that this wasn''t a ploy to turn her into the Marines. But, just from how he spoke, from how optimistic he was about everything, she couldn''t bring herself to believe that the 4 year old could plan something so underhanded.


    No, Robin had gotten good at picking up on people who wanted to use her and Rosan wasn''t one of them. The little monster had taken out an entire crew by himself, he didn''t need her! If anything, she''d benefit more from using him then vice versa.


    He was being completely genuine and that shook her to the core. They had only just met! Why did he suddenly care so much about her? He wasn''t normal but¡­maybe his crazy was a good kind of crazy?


    Hesitantly, Robin started heavily considering his proposition. Maybe deep down, she really did just want a friend. Or maybe, his insanity was contagious and she had fallen victim to it already.


    "That second option, really does seem likely," Robin mused.


    She began to feel oddly protective at the thought that he was traveling such dangerous waters by himself. Despite everything she had seen, the child looked so innocent, so vulnerable, so tiny. He really shouldn''t be traveling by himself. Something bad could happen to him...


    At the very least, he should have someone to watch his back.


    Mod snorted sympathetically, the poor girl had already fallen to Rosan''s charm. "Welcome to the club," she thought to herself.


    Robin tried to make it seem like she was contemplating still but truthfully, her mind had already been made up the moment she heard Rosan''s speech. The boy had long since won her over and she was just playing it up for theatrics at this point.


    Latching onto the last part of the boy''s speech, The Hana Hana no mi user mirthfully said "Something tells me, I''ll be doing a lot of the heavy lifting when it comes to protecting each other."


    Rosan''s grin widened in excitement at her acceptance and Robin noted that he had particularly sharp fangs. Said grin quickly turned into confusion, then protest. "H-hey we haven''t even known each other for long! How can you already tell that I''m reckless?" He said, admitting it without meaning too. The boy immediately recognized his mistake and hung his head in defeat.


    Robin couldn''t help the giggle that escaped her at the child''s antics. He was pretty funny!


    Unbeknownst to her, Mod-chan joined her in laughing at the boy. Mod decided that she would like this girl just fine.


    Rosan began regretting his decision. If Mod-chan and Robin got along then¡­wouldn''t that mean...they''d start bullying him? He didn''t like the sound of that. He really didn''t like the sound of that.


    "Bully? Me? I would never," Mod said cheerfully and Rosan shuddered at her tone.


    Maybe he shouldn''t have done this.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Robin was convinced that traveling with Rosan was gonna give her more headaches then was worth.


    Why? Because he was insane of course.


    The 4 year old''s entire demeanor screamed chaotic. It''s not like it was intentional either, it was just in his nature to do things that made him happy and they happened to be very...peculiar.


    He was a boy that did what he wanted to do and he did that with scary effectiveness.


    Things had started off normal enough. Rosan had gotten cut from his altercation with the, now defunct, Saber Pirates and it caused him slight discomfort. It was a long, but shallow cut so it wasn''t anything too threatening. Robin offered to patch up the already healing cut (which was much healing faster then she expected).


    Rosan happily accepted her aid with a beaming grin on his bronze face.


    Leading him to the medical room, Robin found a medical gauze and got to work on patching his cut up.


    Robin noted that he was a natural bronze as she patched him up. Robin doubted 4 year old''s knew tanning techniques and she knew for a fact Rosan didn''t care about that. Coupled with his, too bright, purple eyes and his spiky red hair (that was surprisingly soft!), the brunette could see why he was so intent on hiding his appearance.


    It was remarkably unique. If he became well known, it would be easy to spot him.


    Rosan hummed a happy tune as Robin worked and the 8 year old idly bobbed her head to the sound. "He has a nice voice," Robin thought idly to herself. Did his parents used to sing to him?


    As she finished wrapping his cut up, Robin signaled that she was done and Rosan got up, marveling at her handiwork. "Thanks Robin-nee, you''re the best!" The purple eyed boy beamed at her.


    "Robin-nee?" Testing it on her tongue slowly Robin found that she quite liked it. Smiling bashfully at Rosan, she said "It''s no problem, Rosan."


    Afterwards, Rosan had scurried back to the main deck. The boy looked like he wanted to do something so Robin followed after him, full of curiosity. As they both made it back outside Rosan glanced around nodding to himself still humming all the while.


    Robin watched in confusion as Rosan crouched down and palmed the floor.


    "Modify," He muttered. Robin''s confusion turned into shock as the entire ship began to shake. The 8 year old fell on her butt as the rumbling of the caravel removed her balance.


    Robin''s eyes widened as the entire ship transformed. It became slimmer and sleek. The brown shade of the caravel had turned a striking black with white rose patterns decorating the side.


    Unseen to Robin, the interior of the ship had changed too. Rosan had changed it so that, similarly to his old Dinghy, it would be able to move on its own without the boy needing to manually do anything.


    What? He was only 4 years old after all! Couldn''t expect him to operate the ship by himself just yet! ¡­Or ever with the changes.


    "You will still be learning how to operate one, just in case," Mod chimed in and Rosan nodded in affirmation.


    The Mod Mod no mi user made the ship a bit smaller for speed and for easier uses of Modification in the future. This wasn''t going to be the last time he modified this ship, he was sure of that. The boy was always seeking improvement and that applied to the things surrounding him as well.


    He found that modifying something that had already been modified by him made it much easier to change again! When he first modified something, it left him drained depending on the scale of what he was doing.


    Case in point, Rosan panted in exhaustion after finishing his latest task.


    He nearly fell over, but managed to catch himself at the last second. That was the first time he had modified something so large and he didn''t even need Mod-chan to help him! Her lessons were paying off nicely and Rosan was glad ships were the first thing she taught him about.


    The redhead was utterly exhausted from the taxing ability though.


    He was really hungry, now that he thought about it. He hoped Robin knew how to cook, Mod-chan could do a lot of things¡­ but, she was absolutely horrible at cooking and the less said about Rosan''s cooking (for now!) the better.


    Mod flushed at that. It wasn''t her fault! The Devil Fruit had never needed to cook before so it was natural she wouldn''t know how to cook. Still "You don''t have to be so rude about it Rosan." She pouted and Rosan sheepishly apologized to her.


    "Um," they both suddenly heard. Turning towards a wide eyed Robin, she asked "W-what did you just...do?"


    Rosan tried to answer but moaned "Food" instead. The poor boy looked ready to keel over and his face was morphed into pain.


    Taking pity on the pathetic display, Robin shook her head in exasperation and walked over to him. Robin helped him up, he was light, and slung his tiny arm over her shoulder. Walking towards the kitchen, Robin rolled her eyes.


    He was lucky she knew how to cook.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan let out a satisfied sigh as he finished eating the sandwiches Robin made for him. "You really know how to cook Robin-nee! Without you, who knows what I''d have made!" Rosan grinned thankfully at her.


    Robin blushed bashfully at his praise and said "It''s nothing. I''m no master chef, but I''m used to cooking for myself. I learned how to make a decent meal out of having to do so."


    Rosan nodded in understanding with a look of content on his face. Robin, seeing that this was as good as time as any, decided it was the perfect time to start grilling Rosan.


    "Rosan¡­" Seeing him glance questioningly at her, Robin continued. "You have a Devil Fruit right? Would you mind telling me what it is?" She asked hopefully. To give him further incentive, she hastily added on "I can show you mine too!"


    Rosan''s eyes widened at the revelation and the boy asked "You have a Devil Fruit too?!" At her confirmation, Rosan let a marveled noise escape him.


    "What is it! Show me!" He practically demanded as his purple eyes shone in curiosity.


    Robin wasn''t even surprised at this point about the boy completely disregarding her question. Crossing her arms together she summoned a single arm on Rosan''s shoulder and began pinching him on his cheek.


    That would teach him to not be so rude!


    To her surprise though, Rosan didn''t scream like she expected. Instead, he let out an excited squeal and began messing with the sprouted arm. Robin gasped as the boy shook her hand and then prodded and poked it.


    The sensation transferred back to her and the brunette hastily dissolved the arm. She sprouted two more and began to tickle Rosan in revenge.


    The effects were immediate.


    Rosan let out a yelp of surprise and fell over. She momentarily paused what she was doing until she realized the boy was laughing.


    "W-wait!" Rosan begged in between fits of laughter. "Stop w-why does e-everyone a-always tickle me- pfft kahahahaha!" He failed to finish his sentence as he began to helplessly laugh from the torture.


    Robin burst into laughter. She couldn''t help it! Rosan''s laughter was just too contagious. She giggled mirthfully at the hilarity of it all.


    Unable to maintain her fruit anymore, Robin collapsed in a fit of laughter releasing Rosan. Finally free from her evil clutches Rosan, still laughing, launched himself at her and decided to give her a taste of her own medicine.


    Robin squealed as Rosan mercilessly tickled her. Finally, a person he could get revenge on! Mama had been unbeatable, boasting a perfect record against the young boy but, Robin was fair game!


    Rosan maliciously took advantage of this fact and tickled Robin like his life depended on it. The girl pleaded for him to stop in between laughter but Rosan would have his vengeance!


    Mod-chan smiled fondly all the while. It was good that Rosan had a friend around his age and, based on what she had heard, it was good for Robin too.


    The two deserved a little bit of companionship.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "So your devil fruit is called the Hana Hana no mi and it lets you sprout pieces of your body? That''s so cool!"


    After their tickle war, a smug Rosan sat on one of the stools, Robin opposite to him, and finally got back on topic. The redhead had made sure to gloat his victory endlessly after Robin had chosen to wave the white flag though.


    Robin''s halfhearted glare was quickly wiped away, in favor of a blush, at his unexpected praise. "You think it''s cool?" At Rosans enthusiastic nod Robin smiled. That was the second time someone complimented her Devil Fruit and it felt just as nice as the first time.


    Robin listened to Rosan ramble about ways she could use her fruit and while some were interesting, others were rather silly (really, a giant version of her made solely from her feet?), she would note some of them for later.


    But first.


    "Rosan, you never told me what your Devil Fruit was." Robin interrupted. Crossing her arms she fixed Rosan with a heavy stare. She knew now that it was just Rosan being Rosan and that the boy was prone to move from topic to topic quickly but, she wouldn''t let him do it this time. He just needed someone to firmly keep him on track.


    Rosan blinked before a guilty expression overcame his features. She did ask him what his Devil Fruit was didn''t she? Instead of answering her though, he had been rude instead, not answering her at all. He really needed to stop changing the topic so much! Mama had said that it was a bad habit of his and that was why people didn''t really like talking to him much...


    Rosan contemplated on how to best tell her what his Devil Fruit was. He didn''t have a problem telling her. On the contrary, Rosan was very eager to tell her about the Mod Mod no mi.


    His fruit was just as cool as hers! No, it was even cooler!


    But, he needed to prove that it was cooler. Rosan rubbed his chin as he thought on how best to approach this. "Rosan¡­ is this really necessary. You can merely tell her what it is, I''m not really seeing the big deal about it?"


    Rosan dismissed her suggestion immediately. "You don''t get it Mod-chan! I need to let Robin-nee know just how cool you are¡­wait a minute, I got it!" Inspiration struck Rosan as his eyes sparkled.


    "I can just have her meet you!"


    Rosan quickly checked with Mod-chan to see if his new plan was possible. "I-I''ve never really thought about doing that but you can try it. I can make sure that nothing goes wrong."


    Eyes glowing in excitement, Rosan practically warped in Robin''s personal space and grabbed her hand. "Robin-nee! Do you trust me?" The bronze boy asked as purple eyes blatantly pleaded for her to say yes.


    Robin felt a sweatdrop form as she reluctantly said "Yes Rosan, I trust you." The boy was so pushy sometimes! Even if she wanted to say no, the impending heartbreak on his face would have instantly shattered her resolve.


    Something told her she was going to regret this decision but it was hard to say no to Rosan. He was lucky that she actually did trust him, he was so genuine and honest when talking to her! It was such an unfamiliar feeling and Robin found that she liked being treated like an actual person.


    How could she not trust him?


    ...Being insane and compelling was not a combination Robin wanted to run into again.


    Rosan cheered in glee, making her smile, and quickly made the brunette shut her eyes. Tiny palms connected to her equally small ones and Robin started a bit.


    She had noticed earlier, during their tickle war, but it was even more apparent now. Rosan radiated a lot of warmth! It was very comforting and the heat helped calm Robin down immensely.


    Rosan began speaking and Robin focused on his voice, palms still connected. "Modification, Link:...," he began and Robin noted that all the times she heard him use his ability he either said Modification or Modify.


    Was Modification the name of his ability?


    "...Users Robin, Rosan."


    Robin was a bit concerned, when a slight buzzing noise suddenly appeared in the back of her head.


    That concern quickly morphed into shock, as the sudden feeling of moving despite being completely still washed over her. She was tempted to open her eyes, but against her, probably better, judgment she decided to fully trust Rosan and kept her eyes closed.


    The feeling of being moved only got more intense and Robin gasped at the incredibly strange sensation. What was Rosan doing? Was she okay?


    Well, there was no use backing out now that she was in this deep. The Hana Hana no mi user decided to stop resisting the pull and let herself go.


    Robin promptly blacked out.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    When Robin opened her eyes again, she was greeted by 2 sets of eyes.


    One was the large, worried, purple gaze that she quickly identified as Rosan.


    The other was a pair of glowing crimson eyes that stared at her with a neutral expression.


    Robin contemplated getting up, but the grass she was resting on felt rather pleasant. It wasn''t often that she got to truly relax and she decided not to take it for granted. Maybe traveling with Rosan wasn''t so bad of an idea after all.


    Wait. Grass? That wasn''t right at all.


    Robin shot up with wide eyes, glancing around wildly. This wasn''t the ship. Where was she? How long had she been sleeping for?


    Whirling onto Rosan, she watched as the boy flinched and asked him as much. Holding his arms in a placating gesture did nothing for her nerves and the boy soothingly said "Robin-nee calm down! You just woke up, you shouldn''t be so alarmed."


    She reluctantly agreed that he raised a good point.


    Taking a deep breath, Robin calmed down just a little and glared coldly at Rosan. "When you asked me to trust you," She began with a hard stare "I didn''t expect you to kidnap me."


    She had trusted the boy and this was what that got her? This is why she never let her guard down around people. No matter how pure their intentions seemed, it was probably a lie.


    Rosan must have been a master of emotional manipulation because the hurt in his eyes at her accusation, made the girl falter.


    Waving his arms wildly, Rosan said "Wait wait we''re still on the ship! I would never kidnap you Robin-nee!"


    Robin shot him an unimpressed look as she glanced around and said "This sure doesn''t look like a ship Rosan." Looking at the purple haired woman she added distrustfully "And who''s your friend? Is she the one who set this up? Your mom?"


    The two looked somewhat similar. This woman was a slightly lighter shade then Rosan, with a pretty heart shaped face, enhanced by her sharp features, a button nose and plump lips. She had long, royal purple hair that was a similar shade as Rosan''s eyes and blood red eyes that were a similar shade to Rosan''s hair¡­


    Honestly, Robin would be hard pressed to find someone as pretty as her. She looked like royalty and, coupled with the long black dress, that may not have been far from the truth.


    The woman in question just looked at her with a blank expression on those gorgeous feature. She didn''t say anything and the stranger was just assessing her with those, oddly familiar, red eyes.


    Ah, she was an ice queen then.


    "Just let me explain Robin-nee!" Rosan pleaded and Robin sighed, loosening her rigid stance.


    Rosan, based on the look in his eyes, hadn''t meant to give her a scare. The little boy looked guilty at the fact that he had managed to cause her such anxiety and watching his regret helped to lessen the anger she was feeling.


    "I''m not angry at you anymore Rosan. But, a bit more of a warning besides "close your eyes" would be really nice," she said. Exasperated, she gestured for him to explain just what was going on and he nodded thankfully at her for forgiving him.


    It couldn''t have been that bad after all.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    It could definitely be that bad and the brunette sorely regretted tempting fate.


    Never again. She would leave fate out of this because it seemed to have a terrible sense of humor.


    Robin wasn''t sure if her head spinning, was because of the fact she was still dizzy, or because of the sheer insanity of what Rosan had just told her. At this point, she was sure it was both of the options.


    Turns out, they actually were still on the ship. The surprise on Robin''s face at seeing her unconscious body on the deck, was surely a moment she''d look back at in the future and laugh at. But right now, all she could settle for, was letting out a strangled gasp as disbelief seeped into her.


    She was informed that they were located in Rosan''s mindscape, a mental representation of the boy himself. Looking at the bright tropical forest, Robin definitely agreed that it was an accurate representation of the sunny redhead standing before her.


    That had brought them to the next point, that made any of this even possible.


    Rosan''s Devil Fruit, the Mod Mod no mi and Modification herself.


    When Robin had learned that the red eyed woman standing next to Rosan was his Devil Fruit she almost laughed.


    Instead, she fixed him with an unimpressed look. Surely, this was a prank of some kind that Rosan had been planning for who knows how long!


    But no, she actually was his Devil Fruit. Not only did Rosan seemingly have the first conscious Devil Fruit, she was the normal one of the two! Mod-chan (as Rosan affectionately called her) had taken over on the explanation in Rosan''s stead.


    Rosan''s plan had been to link the two of them together. He had taken inspiration from linking with his inanimate objects and decided to link to an actual person instead! Was it potentially dangerous? Maybe! But all the good stuff had dangers behind them!


    Learning about the capabilities of Modification, made Robin completely understand why it was imperative that Rosan kept this fruit a secret. It was dangerous. Dangerous enough to make a 4 year old stronger than fully grown adults. Weak adults, but still adults.


    It was no surprise at all that the World Government wanted it in their clutches.


    Despite everything, this had only strengthened her trust in Rosan. She felt flattered that he would share such an important secret with her and it made the thought of him wanting to be her friend, so much more believable.


    Robin was surprised he put so much faith in her but, she wouldn''t let him down.


    Glancing around at the spacious forest, Robin had to admit that Modification was capable of doing incredible things. Rosan told her that he had linked their minds together so that he could drag her into his mindscape!


    That sounded incredibly advanced¡­ and potentially dangerous? Did that mean Rosan could¡­ control people to some degree? It''s not like he had to ask her for permission. If the boy wanted to, he could have just forcefully linked them together.


    Robin shuddered at the seemingly innocent technique. If Rosan ever used it maliciously, it would be terrifying to go against.


    Mod had reassured her that she scolded the child properly. Robin had promptly scolded him afterwards after learning that was his first time doing it. The boy glumly accepted it but he was forgiven quickly. It was pretty adorable to watch him puff his cheeks out.


    The 8 year old was glad Rosan had someone as reliable as Mod watching his back. The purple haired woman was Rosan''s guardian and she took that job very seriously.


    Robin had been a little intimidated by the stony gaze of the women, but Rosan himself had broken that facade with just a few choice compliments. It was funny to see her pretty face adopt an atomic blush as she began stuttering.


    The Hana Hana no Mi user was relieved, in a strange sort of way, that she wasn''t the only one unused to getting complimented and falling victim to Rosan''s charm.


    She was actually much nicer then she let on. Unlike Rosan, she was reserved and polite and Robin quite liked her! Mod stated that she had already taken a liking to Robin as well, which is why she had approved the redheads idea of traveling together.


    They also both loved messing with Rosan so that was a bonus! The boy protested loudly at the unfair treatment already and puffed his cheeks out in anger.


    They were currently inside of a hot pink house. The interior of the house looked as if someone had been steadily working on it. Some parts were bare, left untouched by who she suspected to be Rosan, and others were decorated.


    This room in particular seemed like it had already been completed. The area resembled a lounge with white walls. On the walls, were various pieces of art but the ones that stuck out the most to her were a poster of a gigantic, black and red, fire breathing dragon along with another that had a beautiful woman with pink-blonde hair and freckles.


    The floor was blanketed with a black wool carpet with leather chairs on top of them. There was also a large potted plant in the corner that seemed to grow¡­fruits?


    How did that work?


    They each sat on one of the leather chairs as they got to know more about each other. Robin had learned that Rosan was from the summer island Baterilla.


    It was interesting because, Robin had come to the South Blue specifically for that island. Not to go to it of course! The brunette had heard that there was a heavy concentration of marines on the island and she figured it would give her the chance to lay low, unlike in West Blue, where they were highly alert for the Devil Child.


    Robin figured the Marines had something to do with why Rosan left the island. She asked as much but, for once, Rosan''s happy demeanor had completely vanished in favor of sadness. "Maybe some other time Robin-nee," he said, suddenly sounding depressed "I promise I''ll tell you eventually, but if I do now, I''ll start crying alot," was his sullen explanation.


    Robin nodded understandingly. Anything that would force a child, as young as him, to flee had to have been hard to talk about. She assumed one of the reasons had to do with Mod herself, but that couldn''t be the only reason. If it were he''d just have to hide the fact that he had her in the first place.


    There was another reason but Robin didn''t mind waiting for him to open up.


    Instead, as a show of trust, she told Rosan and Mod about what happened on Ohara.


    She told them how her fellow scholars had been ruthlessly killed by the Marines simply because they were capable of reading the Poneglyphs. She told him of the horrors that was a Buster Call, how her entire island had gotten assaulted and wiped off the planet by the Marines because they were deemed too dangerous.


    Robin told him the real reason that her bounty was as high as it was. She was the last person on the planet who could still read the Poneglyphs and how even before her island was destroyed she was considered an outcast due to her Devil Fruit and had no friends as a result.


    Throughout her entire explanation, she carefully watched both of their expressions.


    Mod was hard to read, she had put up that carefully woven mask. The only sign that what she was even affected, was the slight furrow of her brow and how she lightly bit her lip. As Robin continued to inform them of what happened to her though, her expression slowly melted into equal amounts fury and concern. Robin felt touched that so much concern was being directed her way.


    She had honestly never felt so much¡­


    Rosan wasn''t difficult to read at all, but that made it all the more scary. Rosan radiated such palpable malice and it was unnerving. She hadn''t known him for long but she could tell, by the worried side glance from Mod, that this wasn''t normal. He was so...angry. Grit teeth were bared showing how sharp his fangs were and he clenched his fists so hard she feared he would draw blood.


    Most terrifying, however, were his eyes. Those mesmerizing purple orbs weren''t glowing like they normally did.


    No instead, the shine had vanished completely replaced by a dark glacial glare that made her shudder. It was like looking into the depths of the ocean.


    It was wrong.


    She found herself dearly missing the way his eyes strangely glowed. They were much better then how empty they looked currently.


    A small part of her feared that Rosan was upset with her.


    When she finally finished, the 8 year old slumped over, mentally exhausted, due to the tale she told. She had no tears remaining for Ohara, they had already been spent months ago, so her eyes remained dry but that didn''t mean she wasn''t tired.


    Footsteps alerted her of a presence approaching and she watched as Rosan abruptly got up and began walking towards her. Months of living in paranoia, made Robin cringe back as he finally reached her. What he did however, surprised her.


    Rosan hugged her.


    It was a tight hug, full of love and understanding, and Robin had never felt anything like it before. Feeling another set of arms wrap around her tiny frame, Robin was shocked to see Mod had joined as well.


    Why? Why were they being so nice to her?


    She was the Devil Child. The entire world feared her. Everyone she allied with eventually faced destruction and yet she always managed to get away. She was a curse, an omen of only bad things to come. Everything she held dear, had been destroyed in front of her. Her mother, killed, her only friend, frozen solid. Robin had lost everything and the small girl forgot what it felt like to have bonds. It was in everyone''s best interest to stay away from her and she agreed with them. The 8 year old didn''t want to form relationships with people just so they could die because of her.


    So why¡­why couldn''t she push Rosan away?


    "Robin-nee, it''s okay I understand." Rosan said softy, contrasting how angry he had looked before. "You don''t have to be alone anymore Robin. Please be a little selfish," the boy requested as he gently rubbed her back.


    "We''re here for you. No matter what, okay? I''ll protect you with everything I''ve got always, I promise." Rosan swore.


    "He''s right Robin," Mod agreed and Robin was so surprised to see that same caring look that she reserved for Rosan¡­aimed at her of all people.


    "We haven''t known you for long, but I''m already quite fond of you. So, I will help you in anyway that I can." They both continued hugging her and it was clear that they did not planning on letting her go in the slightest.


    Robin couldn''t help the emotions overwhelming her. The brunette burst into tears as she clutched tiny Rosan''s frame and sobbed into his shirt.


    She hadn''t realized, but for so long she had desperately craved this. The unconditional support and care from someone was something that she severely lacked growing up. Just one person, was enough. That''s all she asked for and, now that she had finally received it, it was too much for the little girl.


    So she cried and cried.


    Rosan and Mod silently held onto her accepting her tears with not a single noise. They would not interrupt her breakdown. They had told her to be selfish and so, they let her cry.


    She needed this.


    As Rosan idly rubbed her hair, the same way he enjoyed getting his hair rubbed, Robin''s cries slowly died down until they were nonexistent. Still they refused to release her. They would be the pillar that she needed at the moment.


    Eventually her breathing evened out and it only took them a moment to realize she had fallen asleep. Allowing Mod-chan to take her, Rosan watched silently as she clutched the older woman, like her life depended on it, and buried her head into the Devil Fruit''s ample bosom.


    Mod-chan inclined her head silently and began to walk away so she could find somewhere to let Robin rest.


    As she rounded the corner and disappeared, Rosan finally allowed his full anger to be brought to the forefront again.


    He snarled hatefully as he recalled the story he heard from Robin-nee. "Who do the Marines think they are to decide who gets to live and who gets to die?" Rosan growled.


    "Aren''t they supposed to be the good guys? Why is it that every time I encounter one, I wanna hurt them as badly as they hurt me?"


    Rosan was furious. The boy was practically seeing red as insidious thoughts about the World Government began making its way into his head.


    It was true. All things Rosan heard about the marines, only painted them in a negative light to the little boy. There were good Marines he was sure of it but, the bad ones made the redhead want to vomit.


    They stay on his island killing every single baby just so that they could get their hands on his little brother, killing his mother in the process, and now they completely lay waste to an island, leaving his friend with nothing but a bounty, simply because they could read a language?


    Unforgivable.


    There was no doubt in his mind now. Rosan knew what he needed to do.


    The Marines would regret all their corrupt decisions that caused Rosan to lose so much. He would make sure of it. For hurting everything he cared for, Ace, Mama, Mod-chan, Robin-nee. For hurting them and making them cry¡­ he would make sure they got what they deserved.


    Rosan swore they would pay.

 Mischief

    "Boss! T-there''s an i-intruder in the a-area! They''re chasing me right now!" A nervous voice yelled barging hesitantly into a room. "I saw them! It was like a moving shadow was out there and they saw me a-and n-now I d-don''t know where anyone else is!". Instinctively, he cringed back and shielded his face after realizing what he had just done. The Boss could be pretty unforgiving when you disrespected him and he had just barged into his room without knocking.


    After a pregnant pause, he slowly lowered his arms when he realized that it was quiet. Unnervingly quiet. He nervously glanced around the boss'' room and noticed that it was devoid of human presence. This¡­this wasn''t normal. Something was off and the feeling of dread in his stomach was only growing stronger.


    Where had the Boss gone?


    Maybe...he had occupied himself with one of the many ladies of their crew and went to a more remote part of their island? The boss frequently busied himself with that and it wouldn''t be the first time he decided to do so on a whim.


    Whatever the case, he needed to find him now before it was too late. Before that...thing he saw reached them all.


    Juro was one of the newer members of the crew. He hadn''t been apart of it for very long and he was treated quite unfairly due to his meek nature. This would be the third night in a row where he was on watch duty and the bruises, that he would inevitably get, were never worth the complaints. The man had practically resigned himself to permanent watchman and so, he decided not to think too much about it.


    He had been lazily watching for signs of anything at sea, when suddenly, a dark silhouette had shown up in his line of sight. After concentrating in that direction, Juro was quickly able to identify it as a ship and a look of confusion made it''s way onto his face.


    That should have been his first warning sign. The boss hadn''t said anything about a ship arriving to their island nor did he hear anything about one of their ships leaving previously. Seeing as he was the only one currently on watch duty, he prepared to go alert someone of the ship just in case they were hostile.


    Before he could get down from his watchtower, the ship vanished before his eyes. One second it was there, the next it was gone.


    Blinking to make sure his eyes weren''t playing tricks on him, Juro confirmed that yes, the ship actually was gone. He nervously he grabbed a scope lying down to get a closer look at the area. Large ships didn''t just vanish from sight. Had...had he been hallucinating? He didn''t see anything at the shore, so maybe his eyes had been playing tricks...? Assured that there was nothing there and that he simply needed some sleep, Juro once again paused as he saw something move in his peripheral.


    Juro''s anxiety spiked and the man slowly raised the telescope to his eyes again. He was desperately praying that his eyes had been deceiving him and that there really was nothing there. As he looked through the scope, his breath hitched.


    There was somebody there and they were looking right at him.


    Juro screamed in shock and dropped the telescope. His eyes couldn''t have been deceiving him, there was someone on shore and they noticed each other in the darkness of the night. He scrambled to find anybody to help decide what to do about the obvious intruder because he refused to deal with them alone.


    W-what was that thing?!


    He hadn''t been able to get a good look but it was...something clad in all back, blending almost perfectly in the night. Juro kept looking back in fear as he sprinted to their main base at speeds he didn''t even know he could achieve.


    Good, there was nobody there. He was safe for now and that meant he would be able to reach someone in time.


    He had taken a detour into the forest to try and lose whatever it was he had seen and it seemed as if it were working. At this rate he''d be able to alert someone of what he had seen!


    He failed to notice the glowing purple eyes staring at him on the branch of one of the trees above.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    That had been nearly 10 minutes ago.


    In his mad scramble, he hadn''t found a single person yet. They were probably partying on a part of the island he didn''t frequent often and failed to notify him. It wouldn''t be the first time. But, where would that even be? Should he really risk going out there and running into...maybe he''d wait here for Captain to show up.


    Juro, in his delirious state, failed to realize that there was no noise whatsoever on the island. Or, maybe he did realize and just refused to accept it.


    Still, he wasn''t even slightly less worried. It made him feel worse actually, he was alone with a mysterious monster out there who was probably waiting for him. M-maybe the monster had already gotten his crew? But how...? Their ship had just arrived onto the island and he had only been running for 10 minutes. Was that thing really that fast? If that were the case, what could he even do? Maybe he could beg for his life? Would he be spared if he prostrated himself and pleaded?


    Something clattered audibly onto the floor.


    Juro whirled around in fear as he heard approaching footsteps headed straight for him. His anxiety reached an all time high and, panicking, he tripped on his feet before hastily crawling into the furthest corner.


    Tears welled into his eyes as impending doom walked through the door and the man began praying for his life to be spared, words already on the cusp of his lips.


    When the figure finally walked through the door, Juro opened his mouth, only to pause in confusion.


    Huh, that¡­didn''t really look like a monster.


    10 year old Nico Robin, and the newest addition to their crew, shot him the most unimpressed stare he had ever received from a 10 year old. Despite the embarrassment he felt at the position she had seen him in, he was happier then he could imagine knowing that he would survive another minute.


    He felt so relieved that he could cry. Wait, Never mind, he was already crying.


    "Juro," Robin greeted with a kind smile causing him to shakily smile back, as relief flooded his entire being.


    Oh thank Kami, it was just the Devil Child. She had just joined the crew and based on her bounty, she was definitely one of the strongest ones here. He just had to tell her what he had seen and she would protect him!


    Standing up on wobbly legs, Juro exclaimed gratefully "T-thank Kami you''re here Robin, t-there''s a monster out there and we need to stop it!"


    The man missed the way Robin''s eyes narrowed slightly at that and if he had caught it, maybe he''d have been a bit more cautious.


    But he didn''t.


    "Do y-you know where the other crew members are?!" Robin nodded in confirmation and he said "Great! Let''s go quickly tell them about whatever that was. Make sure you protect me from it alright?!"


    Smile back on her face, Robin said "Of course. Follow me this way and I''ll keep you safe." With that, she turned around and promptly left.


    Juro was surprised at how seemingly unfazed she was at the whole situation. But then again she was the "Devil Child". Something like this must have been right up her alley.


    Truthfully, he found her unsettling to be around but he wouldn''t look a gift horse in the mouth. Hastily following after her, he muttered under his breath "Maybe the 2 freaks will take each other out," and exited the room.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    They had been walking for a while now and not once had the monster shown itself.


    Juro nearly facepalmed in shame if not for the fact that he didn''t want to appear dumber then he already felt. Robin must have thought he was a complete idiot now.


    Just great. He wasn''t even sure if the monster existed now.


    But, the chill he felt when they made eye contact felt so real! It couldn''t have been fake. No, that monster had to be real. He was sure of it. Juro was willing to bet his life that he had not been hallucinating.


    Which begged the question¡­what was it doing now? Juro was sure it would follow him but, ever since he had entered the forest, he hadn''t seen it even once.


    That was it! It was afraid of Nico Robin! The monster probably didn''t want to have a face off against the little child with a bounty of 79,000,000 Beri. Juro couldn''t blame him, someone with a bounty that high in the Blue Seas was unprecedented and not much people wanted to face the Devil Child due to that knowledge.


    Heh. Guess even monsters feared devils. He was safe from that monster as long as he stayed with the brunette. His confidence renewed tenfold when Robin suddenly said "We''re here."


    Smiling in victory, he quickly ran to stand next to Robin. Juro''s victorious feeling was abruptly cut short. Instead, it turned into confusion, and then horror as he soaked in what he was currently seeing. The man instinctively took a step back at the sight before him.


    Bodies were littered everywhere. Their crew''s bodies.


    In the dark, he couldn''t tell whether they were breathing or not but that didn''t matter right now. What mattered, was the dark clad figure sitting on the bosses seat, with the bosses unconscious body under its lazily put up feet. It was the monster right there and it was staring at them both with its head tilted. Almost like it was curious.


    From it''s seated position he could make out that true to what he had seen, the figure was dressed in all black. A long cloak dominated its tiny frame stopping at just above their boot covered feet. A hoodie sat snugly on their head, showing only an endless black where their face was supposed to be. They were idly flipping a small dagger as they regarded them both with interest.


    Juro began to panic as he hastily hid behind Robin. "Nico Robin, that''s them! That''s the m-monster that I saw on the ship!" Juro exclaimed in fear. "They must have gotten to everyone else in the crew as well. We gotta save them!" He said shaking her rapidly in the process.


    Slowly removing his hands from her shoulder, Robin regarded him coolly. Juro began to fidget from that unknown look in her eyes but, eventually she said, smile back on her face, "Yes that''s definitely the "monster" you saw on the ship. Though, I must correct you on something."


    Looking down at her Juro was confused. "What''s wrong? You can''t fight it? Is that it?" He asked, puzzled and more then a little annoyed. "Just hold it back while I wake up the others in that case," he said as he prepared to go awaken all the other members.


    Robin sighed as she shook her head.


    He was truly an idiot.


    "That won''t be necessary." At his questioning glance, she continued "You''re right that he was the one on the ship. However he wasn''t the one who took out the crew members. That honor, lies with me," She ended with a smile. If he had stopped to think with even a slightly normal mind he would have noticed something amiss but alas, not everyone wanted to see the truth.


    Slowly, realization dawned onto Juro as he digested her words. His face morphed into one of fury as he raged. "You traitorous bitch! How could you turn against us? Now, we''re all gonna die to the monster because you chose the worst time to do so!" He tried to approach her but his body crashed into the ground. Looking up he saw that same black clad figure crushing his head into the dirt. Upon closer inspection he could see a faint purple glow under the hood.


    "What did you just call her?" They asked softly and Juro began quaking at the threatening tone. T-these two were in cahoots with each other? S-since when?


    Utterly undisturbed Robin simply shook her head in exasperation. "Wrong again Juro. I was never on your side to begin with so I haven''t betrayed anyone," She said simply.


    With a confident smile on her face, she said "A Monster and a Devil, working together. Quite terrifying don''t you think?" And after that simple statement, Juro felt a palm rest softly against the back of his head.


    This had been a setup he realized. Nico Robin had infiltrated them and sold them out to whatever this thing was with 0 remorse. She really was a Devil and no one could control a Devil. W-why did the boss have to recruit her-


    "Modification: Jam," was the last thing he heard before his mind went blank.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    6 year old Rosan removed his hoodie and surveyed the work they had done with a wild grin on his face.


    In the 2 years that they had been traveling together, Rosan had gained few changes. He had gotten taller, standing at a healthy 4''4 (132cm), and his hair spiked down even more wildly. Underneath his black cloak was an entirely new outfit as well. A long sleeved black shirt with a red rose in the middle of it and black cargo pants lined with red tucked neatly into his black and white shoes.


    All in all he looked much similar to his 4 year old counterpart with the exception of having less baby fat, a new outfit, and messier hair. His unique purple eyes still shone brilliantly and Robin often asked him if he modified the glow into his eyes with how bright they were (he didn''t!)!


    Truthfully, he didn''t know why they glowed! It was like this even before he had Mod-chan and Mama liked to tease him by saying he ate a lamp as a baby (the tears of panic in his eyes had made her fall from laughter)!


    Robin, similarly to Rosan, had not changed too much over the 2 years, but it was more than Rosan did. Her hair had stayed the same shoulder length that she preferred and she stood at a height of 4''10 (147cm). She had opted against wearing her long purple dress and now donned a purple jacket over a simple black blouse. To finish, she had long dark blue pants and matching boots.


    "Mm! Robin-nee, you sure ya needed me? You seemed to handle this just fine without me," Rosan exclaimed looking at the littered bodies in a little bit of awe. She had managed to get every single one of them but one and that dude was barely worth mentioning!


    Robin-nee was pretty scary when she wanted to be.


    Blushing at the praise, Robin rolled her eyes and said "It was dumb of them to trust me so easily, I just took advantage of it and poisoned every one of them." "Anyone who resisted, I promptly broke their bones and incapacitated them," she explained like it was no big deal at all. Worse, Rosan nodded along as if there was no problem at all with what she stated.


    Monstrous little children.


    Their plan was rather simple. All matters of crews and organizations wanted the service of the "Devil Child" Nico Robin for one reason or another. So over the years the 2 of them abused that plan to a wild degree. Robin would join the crew while Rosan would secretly tail them. The brunette stayed with them for as long as the redhead was willing to not see her, which hardly ever lasted more than a few days.


    Then, with their shared connection through Modification, Rosan, guided by Robin, would show up and they would destroy them from the inside-out.


    It was a surprisingly good plan considering Rosan came up with it, though, like all his other schemes, it was risky.


    The first few times they had done it, Rosan hadn''t even given her a day to settle in before barging in and taking everyone out. The look of surprise on her face as she saw the bodies taken out single-handedly would have made her laugh, if she weren''t the one being subject to it.


    To her utter disbelief, when asked why he was here so early, his only reasoning was "I missed you Robin-nee" and he shot her the most adorable puppy dog eyes. Robin had feigned anger but immediately, the deadly eyes managed to blow past all her preparation. The brat was too smart for his own good, she had melted immediately and let the topic drop.


    But why go through the trouble of attacking multiple organizations?


    Well it began soon after they first met.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    2 Years Ago


    "We''re going to run out of money eventually," Robin mused.


    The funds they had borrowed from the Saber pirates, were good for 2 people but, they would still need to buy necessities and that meant they''d need a source of income.


    Robin had recently woken up from her, rather embarrassing, nap (she had been sleeping soundly in Mod''s breasts). After apologizing profusely to the amused woman, who had just waved her off, She had left Rosan''s mindscape, along with the little boy himself, and now they were discussing how they were going to approach traveling together.


    They had both agreed that it would likely be just the 2 of them traveling with each other on this ship. The likelihood of them recruiting any other member was very low due to a various amount of reasons. Neither of them wanted to be the leader, Rosan didn''t want anyone leading them and it would be difficult to find trustworthy people.


    While it was concerning at first, Mod-chan had assured the 8 year old that she and Rosan would make up for the lack of members on their ship and that there was nothing to worry about. She would have been hard pressed to believe them but, she saw what Rosan''s Devil Fruit was capable of and knew that it was incredibly versatile.


    The fear on Rosan''s face at Mod''s confident statement made her giggle.


    Worries assuaged, Robin began thinking about anything else they would need. If Mod-chan said she had it handled then Robin trusted her. The Devil Fruit seemed much more reliable then Rosan so her statements were believable. In her musing, it didn''t take her long to find their next, and perhaps biggest, issue.


    Money.


    Getting money was going to be a bit of a problem. Robin being a wanted girl made it quite difficult for her to get a steady source of income. She couldn''t imagine how someone as young as Rosan would be able to get one as well.


    Voicing her concerns to the two, caused Rosan to adopt a thinking pose. It was even accompanied by the boy cupping his chin!


    Robin suddenly grew nervous at that look on his face. If the boy''s invasion of his newly acquired ship was any indication, then when Rosan had a plan, things were bound to get bad.


    Rosan slammed a fist against his palm as an idea came to him!


    "We can just steal the money! When we get to a new island, I can just sneak around and take their stuff! I''m pretty good at sneaking around!" He beamed.


    Robin blinked at that. It wasn''t a dangerous, or even bad, idea at all which surprised her. Maybe his ship idea was an outlier and she could expect more normal plans from him?


    Yeah, there was absolutely no way.


    Narrowing her eyes at him and crossing her arms, Robin simply said "You''re leaving some key details out aren''t you."


    Rosan regarded her in slight confusion before saying "I didn''t think it was that important but okay! Basically, I was thinking we could use your bounty on people to bait them, then we can take them out AND take their money! That way, it''s one less group trying to sabotage you AND we have income!"


    He thought that wasn''t important?!


    "He''s only 4. He''s only 4. He''s only 4," Robin repeated the mantra to herself as she felt her blood pressure rise. No one had ever managed to get her to feel such a way and she felt pretty proud that it took an actually psychotic boy to be the first.


    She let out a deep breath to compose herself and regarded the 4 year with patience. "Rosan, next time you think of a plan please tell me in full so that we can talk about it in detail more," She said slowly to the redhead. At Rosan''s enthusiastic nod, the 8 year old allowed herself to think of the plan more.


    It¡­wasn''t a bad idea but, it was potentially dangerous if things went wrong but she had already been hopping between organizations and crews that wanted her. That wouldn''t change. The only difference now, is that instead of the world government eventually finding and crushing said organizations, a combined effort of her and Rosan would be the one to do it.


    Well, it certainly gave her more control so that was a plus.


    After mulling it over a bit more, Robin came to a decision. "Alright we can go with your plan," The girl decided eventually. Quick to curb Rosan''s excitement, Robin said "But! We need to set up some ground rules. First, we can''t go after anyone too dangerous yet. Second, please don''t be so reckless. Third, we need some way to communicate so that we know when to enact our plans okay?"


    "I''m happy to know that you''re so reliable," Mod said, sounding pleased. Robin blushed in happiness at the woman''s praise.


    "Alright, it''ll be easy!" Rosan exclaimed and Robin smiled at his enthusiasm. Rosan was talented so she didn''t doubt his claims. As long as they followed the plan it would be easy.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Present


    It had not been easy.


    Robin sighed fondly at the memories of when they first started doing this. It was a disaster. It wasn''t that it was dangerous. In fact, it was pretty easy. The problem remained in another key issue.


    Rosan was possessive. Really possessive.


    The very first time she had infiltrated someones crew, she had been out of Rosan''s sight for, not even a day, before he came barging into their base. Her only warning, had been Mod-chan who, along with Rosan, was linked to her through their shared connection.


    Robin had watched Rosan rampage in their base with a look of pure disbelief that eventually turned into acceptance. She finally realized that trying to think of the redhead in a normal light would only degrade her sanity because the boy had long since lost his.


    He had been done in a matter of minutes.


    Groaning bodies littered the floor as Rosan excitedly approached her. Robin looked at him in pure defeat as Rosan threw their entire plan out of the window without a second thought. Mod offered up an apology and said "Really you should have expected this."


    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    "Rosan..." She began.


    "Yes Robin-nee?" Was his innocent response.


    "What are you doing here?"


    "Doing the plan Robin-nee."


    "Don''t you think...it''s a bit too early to enact the plan? It hasn''t even been a day yet."


    "I missed you Robin-nee," he said bluntly. "I didn''t want you staying with them, I wanted you to stay with me."


    She looked at him like he were a complete idiot at his statement.


    "Rosan¡­this was your plan. Why did you even think of this, if you couldn''t handle me leaving?"


    "I didn''t think you were gonna leave for that long!" He protested with his cheeks puffed. "I started missing you after 1 hour and decided it would be fine if I got here early!"


    "¡­"


    "...You look pretty today Robin-nee."


    "¡­"


    "...Robin-nee?"


    Robin walked away and Rosan hastily followed after, calling her name the entire time. She couldn''t deal with him. Rosan was unbelievable. Completely unbelievable.


    Mod-chan laughed the entire time.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Whatcha thinking about Robin-nee?" Rosan asked curiously, snapping her out of her daze. He was currently in her personal space but she was used to it by now.


    Looking down at the boy in her face, Robin smiled mischievously and said "Just thinking about the first time we did this and how you refused to let me out of your sight for even a day."


    Rosan blushed in embarrassment as he remembered exactly what she was talking about. The boy pouted at her, practically whining and said "I can''t help it! I was lonely so I went to get you!" Continuing he said "At least I got better though!"


    Robin snorted at that. "You sure did. Now you can last 3 whole days before you come get me. Really impressive." As she spoke, a dark cloud hung over Rosan''s head.


    Robin could be so cruel sometimes! He was just praising her and now she was harassing him?!


    "Mod-chan! Robin''s bullying me! Do something!" Rosan demanded as he spoke to his Devil Fruit.


    Mod-chan giggled and she said "It''s not Robins fault that your so needy Rosan. Honestly, you''re lucky we''re so fond of you, I''m sure anyone else would be fed up with your possessive streak!"


    Mod-chan was just as cruel as Robin, Rosan decided.


    They were both big bullies who ganged up on him because he was the youngest and he didn''t have to put up with this at all! No, he wouldn''t put up with this at all! He was an independent young boy who could make his own decisions and he decided that he didn''t wanna be here anymore!


    He stalked away from Robin "I''m going back to the ship you jerk! Don''t follow me!" and with that, he vanished into the forest.


    Robin stared, amused, at the boys retreating figure. Any second now and he would-


    A smaller figure crashed into her dropping her to the ground.


    Snuggling her happily, Rosan said "I missed you," and continued cuddling his best friend.


    Robin couldn''t hold it back anymore and started laughing uncontrollably. She fondly said "I missed you too Rosan," and returned his hug. The boy''s happiness was infectious and the brunette couldn''t help feeling glad to see him herself.


    Even if he was here too early.


    Reunion finished, they both got up and patted themselves. Glancing around at the still fallen crew members, Rosan said "They''re stuck here. I destroyed all their ships while that dude was running from me and took everything. If they do wake up, they won''t be able to make it off and the Marines will probably find em sooner or later cuz I tipped them off."


    Robin nodded with a smile at how efficient the boy was. Rosan understood exactly what to do and it swelled her and Mod-chan with pride. The brunette said "Great job Rosan, let''s get off this island then and see what we can do with the loot."


    With that, they began walking back to the shore.


    As they arrived Rosan dug in his pocket and pulled out a tiny black ship. "Modify: Increase" and he tossed it into the sea. After a 3 second delay, it grew fully into the White Rose, their ship, and swayed gently in the sea, awaiting them to board.


    Robin stretched as she made it back onto the soft grass of the ship. Over their 2 years together, Rosan continuously made changes to the ship. Outwardly, not much had changed except for the addition of grass on top of the wood of the deck.


    The ship was sleeker, built for speed, and Rosan modified it to the point where he was the only one that could fully utilize the ship. While the ship could sail, said sails were often furled up due to being powered by Rosan''s Devil Fruit. It did not really need the wind to keep moving and that was great because it meant they would always be able to escape.


    All in all, while it was still the same ship, it definitely looked and felt much more comfortable.


    "Rosan I''m going to take a bath first if you don''t mind? I''ll make dinner after I finish," Robin told him. Rosan nodded at her, removing a tiny bag from his pockets in the process. After a quick use of modification, the bag expanded and he began taking out and organizing everything that they stole.


    He was surprisingly diligent!


    Robin let him be and made her way to the shower. She began thinking about her redhead companion as she got ready.


    Rosan''s growth in power was downright explosive. Mod-chan admitted that Rosan''s use of Modification was better then even she had anticipated and he was already surpassing her in terms of creativity with the Devil Fruit.


    His versatility with it had become a sight to see and he was still scratching the surface.


    The 6 year old had even managed to make a variation of Link that did not knock her unconscious and drag her into the mindscape! Now, she could speak to Mod-chan whenever she wanted and Robin really did love talking to her. The older woman was very pleasant to be around and she spoke to Robin like an equal instead of a child, which the girl appreciated.


    Rosan was a genius that was growing faster than either of them expected. The Mod Mod no mi user still lamented at the fact that he couldn''t transform into a dragon though. The prodigy was used to getting everything on either his first or second try with minimal effort. The fact that he couldn''t achieve his #1 goal as easily as everything else left him quite annoyed.


    This was good for him though. Rosan was more stubborn than anyone she had ever met! Whether he reached his goal or not of transforming into a dragon, would be a valuable lesson either way.


    He would either learn that anything was achievable as long as he put his mind to it. Or, it would teach him early on some things were just not worth pursuing.


    She had faith in him though. The 6 year old was going to grow into a real monster.


    Finished with her shower, Robin dried herself and dressed in a lavender nightgown that Rosan had bought for her. The redhead had seen her eyeing it last year and decided to gift it to her as a present. She had kissed the boy on the cheek when he said he actually bought it for her birthday instead of stealing it!


    Seeing him blush in embarrassment was worth it. It was adorable!


    Well whatever the case, she was glad Rosan was on her side. He was very unpredictable and he absolutely hated listening to people. The boy truly believed that his course of action was the best sometimes and would sometimes completely disregard a plan if he thought his was better.


    The redhead had such an ego!


    He marched to the beat of his own drums and it fit perfectly with his chaotic nature. Luckily, the 6 year old adored her so much that, barring Mod-chan, she was the only other person he listened to.


    Exiting the bathroom, Robin crossed paths with Rosan on the way to the kitchen. "I''m done bathing Rosan. I''m gonna make pasta now so you should go shower."


    The boys eyes lit up as he nodded vigorously. He absolutely loved pasta, and though Robin wasn''t the greatest of cooks the way he ate her food and praised her never failed to make her blush.


    Robin headed to the kitchen as Rosan went to go bathe in order to prepare for the meal. Rosan took fairly long baths (Mama had taught him that hygiene was important) and the boy was surprisingly vain so she was in no rush.


    The 10 year old began removing everything necessary to make the meal and began humming a tune that she heard Rosan sing on multiple occasions.


    The boy could really sing!


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "When you walk away. You don''t hear me say. Please, oh baby don''t go~"


    Rosan was in the shower, soaping his hair, as he happily sang to himself. Steam rose, as hot water splashed against his body. A hot shower, after a job well done, with pasta on the way, was a great way to put Rosan in a fantastic mood!


    He loved how Robin-nee cooked! She always talked about how she wasn''t that good at cooking but Rosan didn''t care because the effort she put into the food made it taste like one of the best meals to him.


    2 years traveling with Robin-nee had been great! They had gotten incredibly close due to finding comfort in each other with their trauma and Rosan could trust the older girl with anything. Their bond had increased tremendously and they were so in sync, that they could easily read each other now.


    The near constant link they had with each other helped too!


    Mod-chan and Robin-nee both said he was too possessive, to which he stubbornly disagreed to. He wasn''t possessive for missing Robin! The 10 year old never let him forget the first mission they went on, but they had still completed it with no issues!


    He simply hadn''t calculated on how much he would miss her presence the moment she disappeared! So, to stop feeling bad, he went to get her. Perfectly reasonable!


    Pfft yeah right. He wasn''t possessive, just reasonably worried!


    "Whatever you say, Rosan," Mod''s mirthful voice said. Over the 2 years, her appearance had changed very little, she still retained the appearance of an 18 year old and her signature black dress had minor changes. She had opted to decorate it with more white streaks near the edges and on the back of her dress, was a white rose similar to the one that donned their ship. On her breast area of the dress, was the white cube that was her Devil Fruit.


    Her time around Rosan much like Robin, had mellowed the purple haired woman out considerably. It was impossible not to get affected by the redhead''s constant cheer and sunny personality.


    The 6 year old had greatly affected them both and the, once slightly frigid, Mod had turned into a warm person that only wanted the best for both Robin and Rosan. She had practically adopted the both of them as her own and she was much more playful, constantly teasing and embarrassing the both of them to great effect.


    It was as funny as it was sad. Robin especially, was not used to getting much praise at all so Mod-chan made sure to shower the little girl in them. Rosan, the empathetic soul that he was, quickly caught on to her motives and the 2 of them constantly bombarded the Hana Hana no mi user with compliments whenever the opportunity arose. The poor girl had no clue how to react to the praise, but her confidence had been steadily increasing in response to it.


    Good, the girl needed it.


    Finishing his shower, Rosan shut the water off with a mental command (he had modified the shower as well! It used to be only a bath but he had modified a shower head onto it). The redhead wiped his soft spikes and let out a content sigh.


    He loved showering! Him and Robin were both Devil Fruit users, so bathing could be potentially dangerous if one of them got submerged (they had sent pointed glances at him much to his chagrin) so Rosan had permanently borrowed a book from a store about the structure of various appliances. Learning it had been easy enough and, prepped with the new knowledge, Rosan had done some much deserved quality of life in, not only the bathroom, but all the other rooms as well!


    Man, he loved Mod-chan! Her abilities were really useful and they made Robin and his lives so much easier. What he was capable of doing with Modification, was nothing short of incredible! If not for her, he wouldn''t have made it so far so fast! Especially at his age too? He was probably the strongest 6 year old out there! Was there a 6 year old alive right now who was stronger than him? Nope!


    If that were the case, they might as well hand him the title of strongest right now!


    "That''s not how it works Rosan," a blushing Mod-chan said. Rosan laughed, as he dressed in a simple black tee and shorts, at how easily flustered she was! Her and Robin were really unused to getting compliments, a fact that he abused religiously whenever he got the chance.


    Though he meant everything he said, using it to get away with things was an added bonus that he wouldn''t say no to.


    Making his way to the kitchen, Rosan hummed to himself. Mama used to sing to him all the time and as a result, he loved music! He never failed to hum a tune to himself and now was no different. Maybe he should learn an instrument? The guitar sounded fun but he also liked the piano! He would look into that some other time.


    Why wouldn''t he be humming right now? Robin was making pasta and Rosan loved pasta! The 10 year old should be done anytime now and she wouldn''t begin eating until he arrived. He didn''t want to keep her waiting because that was rude and Rosan was not rude!


    With that thought, Rosan rushed to the dining area. His damp hair sprayed water around as it shook in time with his movements. Turning instinctively and taking the shortest route, Rosan appeared to the dining room in record time. He knew the White Rose like the back of his hand!


    He had worked on it after all and the advanced ship was a product of his progress.


    Robin had already prepared a plate for him as he entered the room to which he gratefully smiled at. The girl in question, was sitting in the plush seat next to him, absentmindedly reading a book, with steaming pasta in front of her.


    Noticing him immediately, she took once glance and went back to reading. "Dry your hair Rosan, I don''t want water in my pasta," was all she said.


    Rolling his eyes, Rosan stepped back a bit a put a hand in his hair, eyes glowing in the telltale sign of Modification. He didn''t feel like finding a towel so he would just modify the moisture out!


    Slowly but surely, he guided his hand through his full head of hair. Every part he touched, drained the excessive moisture out of his hair. In a matter of seconds, Rosan''s spikes were free of water. Rosan grinned ear to ear and promptly sat right next to Robin.


    Shutting her book, Robin muttered a "cheater" under her breath and dug into her plate. Rosan laughed and began eating away at the pasta. The 6 year old beamed as he showered Robin in praise at the food. It was so good!


    The girl lightly shoved him, blushing all the while. Mod joined in on the teasing and the poor girl was subject to the double team of boy and fruit.


    "You two, that''s not fair!" Robin whined. She had been getting used to their teasing but it still flustered her when they bombarded her with compliments like this.


    Rosan just laughed at her embarrassment and continued singing her praises between bites.


    Pouting, Robin turned back to her food and tried to tune him out unsuccessfully. It was difficult to ignore the redheads presence. He was like a loud, shining sun and he knew it.


    For such a sweet kid, Rosan sure was a jerk.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    The plaza was filled with people.


    They were chatting about whatever mundane thing they thought of, others were trying to purchase items and some just wanted to get home and had the misfortune of needing to go this way. All in all, it was a bustling area. There was something being done at every corner but all of that something was so¡­ lackluster.


    So boring.


    Perfect for what he wanted to do.


    Reaching into his pocket, 8 year old Rosan pulled out the object of the hour with a wild look in his eye. In his palm rested a toy figure. Upon closer inspection, it could be easily identified as a robot. The robot was dominantly white with a blue dome on the top of its head. The same shade of blue covered a majority of its arms and appeared as tiny marks on its legs.


    Finished with his inspection, Rosan grinned mischievously. He and Robin had split up the moment they landed on this island. The preteen said she had "girl" business to do, whatever that meant, and when Rosan asked, she said she would tell him when he was older.


    Mod-chan had seemingly understood what the 12 year old was doing and urged Rosan to give her a good sum of their Beri. Without much fuss, they had went their own ways, promising to meet up on a remote part of the island.


    Now, here he was on the roof of one of the buildings in the plaza.


    Wearing his standard disguise in broad daylight, was quite counterproductive to a disguise. Due to that, he had opted to wear a simple white and red hoodie and long black pants. His hair was tied up in a messy spiked ponytail so that he could put up his hoodie without his hair showing.


    In the odd chance someone took his hoodie off, they wouldn''t even see him! He had modified his hair and turned it pitch black and his eyes were of a similar shade with practically invisible irises.


    Not much had outwardly changed with Rosan (which he raged at) but his hair had grown longer. The 8 year old had meant to cut it to shoulder length again but it kept slipping his mind. Right now the redheads ponytail reached his upper back, which was too long in his opinion, and he would probably cut it shorter after this trip. But besides that, he looked the exact same.


    Unlike Robin who had suddenly begun growing in spades¡­she towered over him now and made sure to lord that fact over him constantly. She had informed him that she had begun going through puberty, which was why she was so much taller than him now but seriously, she was too tall right now. The girl was over a foot taller than him right now!


    The 8 year old needed to go through puberty now as well!


    Well no matter, right now Robin was somewhere doing something and he was bored and this was how he would stave his boredom off. Was it a good idea? Probably not. Would it be fun?


    Absolutely.


    They were currently located on some island in the North Blue. He hadn''t bothered to learn the name of it since they hadn''t planned on staying too long on it. That meant he could play a little prank on these people! That would be fun.


    Smiling mischievously, Rosan set his plans in motion. "Modify: Increase, x10" He whispered as he threw the toy robot onto a largely empty zone of the plaza. He didn''t wanna kill anyone after all!


    That would be pretty bad, not to mention attention grabbing.


    The passing people screamed as a giant something suddenly appeared from thin air. It didn''t move at all but that didn''t register to the people. In seconds, the idle, boring, nature had turned into a mad scramble as people tried to get out of there. People struggled to push past each other as they rushed to leave the area. The giant stayed stationary all the while not making a single move.


    It made sense, he hadn''t given it the ability to move after all. Although...he wondered how effective the Robot could be when it could move. Could Rosan make it fight for him? He would need to look into that later.


    Within moments, the plaza was barren and Rosan laughed at his handiwork. Leaping off the roof, Rosan landed gently on the floor next to his toy robot who remained stationary. Patting it happily on the leg, Rosan reverted the changes he had done and stuck the, now shrunken, toy back in his pocket. Another glance showed that no one had even been injured, so it was a huge success for him!


    "I fail to realize what part of this qualifies as a prank Rosan," a deadpan Mod spoke.


    Shaking his head, as if dealing with a child, Rosan said "You wouldn''t understand Mod-chan! Things like this, just aren''t your cup of tea!"


    "Then please enlighten me on how this is not an act of terrorism."


    "Nobody got hurt of course!"


    "That''s not how it works Rosan."


    "Haha! You''re too old Mod-chan, that''s why you don''t understand!"


    Rosan recognized his mistake a second too late and his eyes widened in dread.


    "I''m sorry may you please repeat that? You said I''m too what?"


    "¡­"


    "I''m waiting Rosan."


    "¡­Has anyone ever told you how amazing you look?"


    "Only 2 people know how I look Rosan. Now stop avoiding my question."


    "Sorry Mod-chan! I can''t hear you over the sound of me not listening. Ow! Okay okay! I''m sorry Mod-chan please stop making my head hurt! Please! I said please!"


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    After Rosan learned the important lesson of not messing with Mod-chan(for the 100th time), he had looted the plaza for things they needed ("This is terrorism Rosan,"). He was now headed to the designated spot where him and Robin were supposed to meet up.


    He rubbed his head to get rid of the lingering effects of his Devil Fruits unnecessary assault, as he walked into the empty clearing where he and Robin agreed to meet.


    Returning to his original crimson locks and royal purple eyes, Rosan sat down against a random tree and prepared to enter the mindscape. The boy wanted to give Mod-chan a piece of his mind before Robin got back about respecting his head! The 8 year old closed his eyes and right before he entered...


    He felt something.


    A clear gas slowly seeped into the clearing and Rosan''s eyes snapped open in sudden alertness. Rosan hastily donned his mask, but it was too late. He had already inhaled some of the gas, which must have been sleeping gas, and it was quickly taking effect.


    The boy felt his body get sluggish and he cursed.


    "Rosan focus! I''m currently purging the poison from your body so stay alert," Mod''s urgent voice came out. Rosan swooned a bit but shrugged it off as another problem quickly arose.


    They were surrounded.


    A group of people came out and soon, there was no exit available to the clearing. They had all donned masks on, giving away the fact that they were the likely perpetrators of the gas. They all leaked a malicious aura and Rosan had no illusion who the target of their ire was.


    A trap. Meant just for him.


    Well shit.


    He had always assumed Robin would be the one targeted by all sorts of people. Rosan never thought that someone besides the World Government would have eyes on him of all people. Especially not so soon.


    It wasn''t looking good for him¡­ he could barely stay upright and there looked to be at least 10 full grown adults. Was this a setup? He had done well to hide his tracks on this island. Had he slipped up somewhere? It couldn''t have been due to his robot shenanigan, these people had clearly been waiting for him to show up.


    Had he been set up? That was impossible. The only person who knew where the meetup spot was located was¡­was¡­


    No, no time to think about where it went wrong. These people were clearly hostile and Rosan needed to deal with them fast so they could focus their full attention on the poison.


    These men needed to go by any means necessary.


    With that thought, Rosan braced himself.


    Amplifying himself like it was 2nd nature, the 8 year old launched himself at the nearest foe, hand balled into a fist that he quickly slammed into the offenders face. He offered himself a small sense of satisfaction at the mans agonized screams as he clenched his now broken nose. His screams were silenced as a swift kick to the skull knocked him unconscious.


    These men were far quicker to react however and soon, they all charged him at once.


    "This seems fair," was his only thought before he was forced to duck under a heavy blow from a large man. In this crouched position, Rosan slammed his left foot on the man''s legs and entered a handstand. Keeling over from the surprising amount of pain, he was greeted by two boot clad feet crashing into his face that sent him into the realm of unconsciousness.


    Flipping himself upright, Rosan watched with slightly bleary eyes as the other men charged him. The first one who reached him swung a meaty fist down at him but the 8 year old grabbed onto the side of his arm and flew with the punch. Using the momentum against him, Rosan harshly pulled and the fat man crashed into the floor. 3 vicious stomps on his head meant he was down for the count as well.


    Rosan got up, but yelped as a kick crashed into his sides and he collapsed momentarily. He quickly shook himself awake as the effects of the poison seemed to get even stronger.


    Looking up at the offender in fury, Rosan dodged the second kick and delivered an elbow on the underside of the still extended leg.


    The resounding crunch was music to his ears. Everyone still fighting, barring Rosan, momentarily winced at the noise it made.


    It took the man a second to realize that his leg had been broken but, before he could even clutch it, Rosan had already moved onto his still healthy (for now) leg.


    Getting behind the now screaming man, Rosan delivered a roundhouse kick to his calf and watched in sadistic glee as the man fell over. Not finished yet, the redhead stomped on the man''s legs over and over again. Repeatedly he stamped on the same spot until he grew tired of it. The bone in that area was more akin to dust after he finished.


    Rosan wanted to admire his handiwork but he couldn''t, not yet. The 8 year old got up as the other men paused to apprehensively look at him. No one seemed to be in a rush to fight the boy who had dispatched 4 of their own that easily.


    Good, they feared him. That would help him in the long run if he wanted to get out of this with minimal injuries.


    Taking a step forward, Rosan contemplated on who to go for next. Most likely he would target the one on the farthest left, he looked the most afraid and he''d likely be able to take him out quickly. Mind made up Rosan took another step forward ¡ª


    And stumbled.


    The poison had finally caused him to slip up and it seemed like the men were waiting for this exact moment. Like sharks smelling blood, they converged on him immediately.


    He had fortified himself with Modification, but he was still only 8 and he was going up against grown adults. There was no way he''d be able to handle an onslaught from these men for longer. Panicking slightly, Rosan realized he wouldn''t be able to hide Modification from these men because he needed to use it.


    It was the only way out of this situation. The only problem was that, Mod was forcing a lot of the power into keeping him awake and counteracting the poison. No matter, he would just ¡ª


    A blunt object smashed into the back of his head, interrupting his thought process and, without so much as a peep, Rosan blacked out.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Man what an annoyingly strong brat. I can see why the Doc wanted him now." Person #1 said


    "Yeah lets hope he was worth the trouble." Said Person #2


    "Doesn''t matter if he isn''t, Doc gets what he wants. Now cuff him and lets go." Person 1 demanded.


    "What about the others?" Asked Person 3.


    "Burn the bodies and hide them. They aren''t useful anymore." Person 1 responded bluntly.


    "But-" Person 3 tried to protest.


    "But?" Person 1 said in a threatening manner.


    "¡­Nothing," was 3''s only response.


    "Good, since you care about these bodies so much I''ll leave the job to you." Was all 1 said before hauling up the child''s body and walking off.


    The others quickly followed after him leaving 3 alone to do the task.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    This island was quickly becoming unsafe to stay on.


    Normally that would be fine for Robin as she would just leave with Rosan, with a new disguise on, but there was a major problem that could not be ignored.


    Rosan was nowhere to be found.


    He had been missing for the better part of 3 days now and the 12 year old was terribly worried. They rarely separated for this long and, though she liked to tease him about how possessive he was, she was nearly as clingy of the boy as he was of her.


    She was just much better at hiding it.


    But now, she couldn''t find him and the signs were pointing at the worst.


    It all started, when she was headed back to the clearing that they agreed to meet up on. Robin had begun noticing changes within her body, which she knew was puberty, and, with the guidance of some books and Mod-chan, she was quickly off to buy the proper things needed.


    She separated from Rosan with that goal in mind. The girl had contemplated taking him with her, but the boy''s penchant for chaos would undoubtedly be a hindrance so she firmly told him to do something else.


    She already regret making that decision.


    After buying herself the essentials, the budding Robin had made the long trek back to the clearing. She was on the opposite side of the island so Rosan would definitely whine at her for taking so long. Rubbing a certain spot on his head, always caused him to forgive her immediately though.


    Finally arriving to the meeting spot they had agreed on, Robin braced herself for the inevitable tackle and the complaints about how late she was.


    Silence greeted her and Robin glanced around the clearing in confusion.


    Something wasn''t right and she suddenly felt nervous. Rosan should have been here by now so where was he?


    Upon closer inspection, Robin noticed just what was so off with the area. There had been an intense scuffle here. Marks littered the floors and there was blood in various spots. Worry started seeping into her frame as she used her devil fruit to sprout eyes all across the field.


    It only confirmed her fears. Based on what she was seeing, Rosan had likely been attacked and she hadn''t been there to help him. From the looks of it, he had lost too. Rosan was strong, Robin knew this first hand and for him to be defeated here¡­was he ambushed?


    This blood¡­was it his?


    Frantically, Robin began searching all over for the young boy. Her search of the island was a negative though. No matter how hard she looked, Rosan was nowhere to be seen. The boy had disappeared completely and Robin began to fear the worst.


    Worst of all, the Marines had begun flocking to this island, almost as if someone had alerted them. She had to stay hidden in her approach for Rosan, but it was getting difficult and she had made a few close calls already. Unless she risked being captured, she''d have to leave the island soon.


    It had been 3 days since she began looking for him and, as the days went by, she was beginning to lose hope. She had tried to use the connection between the two of them and it brought nothing but radio silence.


    The final nail in the coffin had been during her search for him. She had stumbled upon the burnt figure of a body with Rosan''s clothes. Tears pricked her eyes as she lost her breath.


    No! This wasn''t possible¡­he couldn''t be dead!


    Robin ruthlessly composed herself and started thinking rationally. Panicking was not going to help her figure out what actually happened to Rosan. It was obvious that he was ambushed and the redhead had done nothing to warrant getting killed.


    No, it was unlikely that Rosan had been killed, by the looks of it he had been captured. Mod-chan would ensure that he survived and, in the likelihood that he were being defeated, the entire island would know he''s fighting.


    She would know he was fighting.


    Wiping her tears away, they would do her no good, Robin gained a determined look on her face. She would find Rosan but first, she had to get off this island.


    The redhead normally shrunk the White Rose and put it in his pocket, so she''d have to find a new ship. The Mod Mod no mi user really was reliable and now that he was missing, Robin''s life would be much harder.


    Without Rosan, she''d probably have to resort to joining organizations again, but that was okay. She''d do it if it brought her closer to her best friend.


    He would be fine. Thinking otherwise just wasn''t a possibility. He was fine, he had to be.


    So why? Why wouldn''t her tears stop. Why was she sobbing so pathetically when Rosan needed her? The redhead would hate to see her crying like this but Rosan wasn''t here to see her tears. He wasn''t here and there was a chance that he was dea ¡ª


    Robin sobbed and sobbed to herself, hoping dearly that Rosan or Mod-chan would comfort her.


    Nobody answered her calls.

 Rage I

    Rosan awoke to the smell of heavy sanitation and medicine.


    His memories were foggy and he had a pounding headache. Trying to glance around his surroundings, proved futile due to the fact that he was firmly tied up. He felt weak. His body was heavy. He was so so tired. Distantly, he heard the sounds of someone talking.


    "Subject #118 has awoken but not for long. Breathing pattern appears to be normal. Heartbeat steady. May have a slight concussion. Reacts negatively to seastone. Likely to have a Devil Fruit. Type? Unknown. Name: Unknown. Gender: Male. We will continue to run tests on him. Will have him battle ready as well as obedient as soon as possible."


    Unable to concentrate any longer on the conversation, he fell asleep again.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    This time, he was awoken by the actions of someone else. Namely, being shocked quite harshly across his body.


    Yelping, his eyes surged open and he attempted to thrash about in pain. This proved impossible however, because of how tightly he was tied to a cold metal table. He noticed that there was some type of collar wrapped around his neck but he couldn''t focus on it for long due to the excruciating pain.


    Memories of the events that took place who knows how many days ago came rushing back and Rosan gasped at the influx of memories he received. He remembered getting ambushed in the clearing by a group of men. He remembered them using some poison to weaken him and he remembered how they waited for him to make a mistake before taking him out.


    He had been about to use Modification but he had been to slow. He had completely messed up and it cost them...he was so stupid.


    Eyes widening, he mentally called out to his Devil Fruit. "Mod-chan! Are you there?" It was silent for a moment before, almost sluggishly, a voice replied "I* h*r* R**an." She sounded muted, restrained but she was still there. Rosan allowed himself to relax just a little bit, despite the pain, and he tried to get an idea of what was going on. He was about to voice as much to Mod-chan until a voice interrupted his daze.


    "Ah-" it began "So you''re finally awake! Good good!"


    Craning his head in the direction of the voice, Rosan was greeted to the sight of a handsome man, who stood at a 5''9(175cm) in a white lab coat, with black slacks and dress shoes. White gloves covered his hands and he had a stethoscope around his neck. Shoulder length blonde hair framed goggles. The man was looking intently at him, radiating a hunger that sent uneasy chills up his spine.


    "Greetings, Subject #118." His smooth voice made Rosan recoil in disgust. It was full of a hidden greed and voices that hid their desires belonged to the worst kind of people. A voice like that didn''t bode well for him at all and that thought had Rosan struggling to find a way to escape from his binds.


    Completely undisturbed by Rosan''s reaction, the man continued. "You may call me Doc," he introduced himself kindly. "I''m sure you''re confused about the situation you are in, so I will be the one to enlighten you on what exactly is happening."


    "I''ve had my eyes on you for quite a while," he admitted with a proud smile on his face. "You see, I consider you the perfect specimen and the tests I''ve run on you only prove it. Strong growing body, dense bones, unnatural healing factor, a Devil Fruit, a good looking face that will no doubt charm both genders in the future, etc. You are everything a person would want in a weapon."


    The man cupped his cheeks and Rosan let out a distressed noise. Ignoring the boys discomfort, the man continued speaking. "I thought it would be impossible to get my hands on you truthfully. But after some¡­helpful information from a reliable source, we were able to successfully retrieve you!" Clapping his hands he stepped back from Rosan and began rummaging for something.


    Rosan''s tiny pupils shrank as he heard that bit of information. No, it couldn''t be, he refused to believe what he was insinuating. There was just no way it was true. This man was implying something, but Rosan would not take the bait.


    He never would.


    "I have many aspirations for you Subject #118. You see I''ve been looking for the perfect person to become my weapon and you match all my checks," he said and he was walking around the room. "What I aspire for is not just a weapon, it''s the ultimate weapon. Giants are too large, too big of a target, Fishman too noticeable, too hated. You on the other hand, are human. Yet, you''re body exceeds my expectations. Your looks are exotic. Good, in the future they will assist you greatly with what I have tasked for you."


    Walking back over to Rosan, Doc said "There''s only one problem and, even now, I can see it in your eyes." The man tutted as he slowly approached Rosan. The captured boy tried to shrink himself against the cold metal, to put distance between them, but the man would not be deterred.


    "What is your name?" Doc asked suddenly.


    Rosan blinked in confusion before stubbornly keeping his mouth shut. He wouldn''t tell this man anything about himself. Not even his name.


    That was a mistake.


    As if confirming his thoughts the man sighed and shook his head. "It''s as I predicted, you believe yourself uncontrollable and that just won''t do. Not to worry, I will personally curb such a rebellious young boy." With that, the man pressed a button on the controller he was holding.


    White hot pain filled Rosan as his entire body surged with electricity. "AAAUGH" The boy shrieked as his skin pricked in agony. It hurt. It hurt. IT HURT! He had never felt anything like this before and the pain was unimaginable!


    Suddenly the shocks stopped. Rosan''s body wracked in pain at the aftereffects of being shocked and he slumped over. Tears ran down his face as his body steamed from the electricity. The boy let out choked sobs as his steaming hair shadowed his face.


    "What is your name?" he asked again and the 8 year old shook in fear at Doc''s question. But he couldn''t answer him. He had promised Mod-chan to keep his identity a secret. This man couldn''t know. E-even if it hurt him, he couldn''t t-tell him.


    As if expecting the silence, the man sighed in faux sadness. "Why must you make me do this," Was all he said before pressing the button again.


    Rosan tried to brace himself for it this time, but there was no way to prepare for something like this. His screeches reached uncomfortably loud volumes as he thrashed around at the torture on his young body. This was unlike anything he ever felt! It hurt¡­it hurt so much. His tears had since dried from the heat. H-he couldn''t handle this! HE COULDN''T HANDLE THE PAIN -


    "R*s*n ple*se, tell him your name!" For a moment, Mod''s muffled voice became clear. There was a horror in her voice that was utterly heart wrenching and her voice was so choked up it was obvious she was crying.


    Despite the torturous pain he was in, Rosan was able to register Mod''s plea. Not wanting to worry her anymore, the boy choked out a "R-Rosan" to his tormentor before seizing up again as the shock continued to course through his body. He couldn''t even scream anymore.


    Clicking the device off in satisfaction, Doc asked "Could you repeat that for me? I didn''t quite catch that."


    "M-my n-name, is R-Rosan," He stuttered slumping over as the pain became too much for him. Mod had gone deadly silent, he wasn''t even able to feel her faint presence anymore. Was she...was she okay¡­?


    "Just Rosan?" He asked, smiling threateningly.


    Rosan shook a bit in fear at the thought of being shocked again, before speaking up. "I-I''m an orphan."


    Silence greeted him and Rosan thought his half truth would be caught. To his relief however, Doc stepped back seemingly satisfied with his response. "Good. Now was that so hard?"


    Not waiting for a response, not that he''d be able to get one, Doc tested the name on his lips. "Rosan¡­a fine name. Much better then Subject #118 at least don''t you think? I hope you won''t prove to be as troublesome as you have shown today. Somehow though, I have reason to doubt that."


    Rosan couldn''t hear anything the man was saying. He had already succumbed to the pain and laid unconscious, occasionally shuddering from the after effects.


    "To be able to handle so many shock doses is already a good sign," Doc said excitedly. "I will let you rest for now. Bring him to his cell."


    Doc watched as his two guards dragged the little boy away with that same deranged smile on his handsome face.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan awoke to the feeling of someone touching him. Quickly sitting upright, he let out a gasp of pain as his body disagreed with the sudden movement.


    The stranger gently pushed him back down and Rosan tried to resist, but he felt too weak and soon he was laying down again. Struggling to look up, he was surprised to be greeted by a set of electric blue pupilless eyes. The owner of those eyes, a young girl, slowly put a finger up to her lips in a shushing manner and got back to work.


    Rosan thought he was being attacked but upon closer inspection, he saw that she was applying some sort of ointment on his body. He hissed as she touched a particularly painful spot and she had the decency to shoot him an apologetic glance.


    Who was this girl? Had she been ordered to heal him? Then why did she want him to be quiet? Maybe she wasn''t supposed to be here. Was¡­she being nice to him? Rosan didn''t know the answer to these questions but he was still tired, so he didn''t make a fuss.


    Rosan took the time to take in her appearance. She didn''t look very old, appearing to be 10 or 11, with long blonde hair tied into twintails. She was dressed in sailor outfit, that was all black, fitted with a pink tie. Her eyes, as mentioned before, were a mesmerizing shade of electric blue that lacked pupils. The blue eyes in question were looking at him with pure sorrow. At what? He didn''t know.


    Did she feel bad for him? Why?


    She finished rubbing the ointment on him and she swiftly got up to flee his cell. Rosan wanted to at least say thank you, but he was tied firmly to his bed and he was far too sluggish to speak. The girl opened his cell door as quietly as possible and she sent him one last glance of concern, before closing the door.


    Looking at his body as much as he could, Rosan had to admit he wasn''t in nearly as much pain as before and it was probably because of that kind stranger. He sent the girl a mental thank you and lied back down on the cold pillow. The redhead tried calling to Mod-chan and was disappointed when he got nothing in response. Trying again, Rosan grew worried at the radio silence. He couldn''t even enter their mindscape right now.


    Rosan sighed in defeat and allowed his mind to wander to more urgent matters, namely Doc. That man...he scared Rosan. He was a man full of pure greed. The smile he kept on his face despite being witness to a child screaming his heart out, was a warning of what was to come. His utter lack of care for Rosan''s safety, his penchant for torture, the way he treated him...


    No, he did not like that man one bit.


    He needed to get out of here but he didn''t know how. Mod was silent and his powers were being nullified at the moment. He was completely trapped. Where was Robin? His options were limited but she would be able to save him when she found him.


    He wanted to plan more, but the lull of sleep was to great and soon, he submitted to it once again.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    He was getting real tired of his sleep getting interrupted.


    This time, it was the banging of his cell that woke him from his slumber. Rosan blearily opened his eyes, before flinching as someone screamed at him to get up. Getting up slowly, so as to not aggravate any injuries, Rosan tried to inch towards the cell but realized he was still tied up.


    The man failed to intimidate him. Rosan just stared back at him and after a moment the man grudgingly opened up the cage to free him from his bindings. Rosan was submitted to harsh manhandling, that was only made worse at his injuries, as he was roughly escorted to Doc.


    Memories of the doctor, filled Rosan with trepidation but he would remain strong. That man was trying to break him, but Rosan would not be broken. Nobody could control him before and that wasn''t going to change now. For now, he had to endure until Robin either saved him or he found a way to break out.


    Robin-nee¡­ he wondered if she was okay. She was probably worried sick about him and was no doubt looking everywhere for his whereabouts. If Rosan really couldn''t get out this situation she would save him like she had promised. Rosan fully believed in her.


    He steadfastly ignored the possibility that she could be the reason he was there. Such a thought was absurd, Robin-nee would never betray him!


    Staring into Doc''s unprotected, pupilless, viridian green eyes. Rosan told himself to just endure the pain and he would be fine. He wouldn''t break to someone like this he had to become the strongest after all!


    "Just wait for Robin. You''ll be fine Rosan," He thought, motivating himself successfully.


    With that he was ushered back into Doc''s clutches.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan really hated this place.


    He had figured out a few days in that he was in some sort of massive facility. What exactly was it? He didn''t know. But, he did know there were other prisoners here besides himself. Being called #118 suddenly made a lot more sense.


    The prisoner was pretty sure that he was still in the North Blue, he had overheard the guards talking about it. They tried speaking lowly but Rosan''s hearing was sharp and he managed to pick it up regardless. The boy snorted to himself at that. Idiots.


    Besides that, he was normally in too much pain to gain new information from his jailors.


    Doc was a monster. There was no other way to describe the heartless man. As far as Rosan was concerned, he was simply a plaything to the man who did whatever he pleased with the boy. All in pursuit of perfecting his "ultimate weapon". Perfect his ass. He was an irredeemable sadist.


    Besides obedience training, the man would do routinely medical examinations on the boy that were always crueler than they needed to be. Rosan had been given a healthy fear of needles as a result of the man''s prodding, one was enough to make him shrink away in panic and it quickly activated his flight or fight.


    He had begun giving him "Pain Tolerance Training" as well and Rosan loathed every moment of it. He explained in that sickly sympathetic tone of his that "It''s a weapons job to continue fighting despite the pain they are in. This is to help build up your pain tolerance so that you may fit the standards." Rosan knew he enjoyed seeing the rebellious boy shriek in pain. The man was a sadist at heart and Rosan was currently his favorite source of torment.


    The man subjected Rosan through various amounts of torture. Repeated beatings, shocking, simulated drowning, poison, etc. Doc was liberally abusing Rosan''s advanced body and they both knew it. The 8 year old was already becoming largely resistant to what he was getting poisoned by and Doc took that as a sign to increase the dosages. It was never enough to kill him, but it sure felt like he was dying if the pained sobs were anything to go by.


    It was awful.


    He had been here for nearly a month and it was beginning to wear at him. Already, his sunny personality was steadily being replaced by fear and anger. But no, he would continue to preserve. He had to. He made a promise to Mod-chan and he couldn''t let her down again.


    Recently, Doc had begun subjecting him to training for some sort of event called Ash and Dust. It appeared to be this islands main attraction and what Rosan was currently being trained so ruthlessly for.


    Wealthy people from all over the seas would bring their slaves to participate in brutal battles against each other. They would make bets on who would win while watching the contestants maim each other. They were allowed any weapon they wanted as they battled brutally in tournament format. Death was inconsequential as they could just find a new toy to torment. It was disgusting and inhumane and Rosan despised them for thinking of something so terrible.


    They only saw him as a slave that could make them money. Doc wanted to take advantage of his soft features and tiny frame to give himself an advantage. No one would take the 8 year old seriously and would be caught completely by surprise if he managed to win. It was a scheme to milk an incredible amount of beri out of the people.


    It made him quiver in rage at how they used him. That''s why despite the pain Rosan refused to submit.


    Training for the arena was just horrible though, just thinking about it made Rosan frown.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Flashback


    Rosan stared warily at Doc, purple eyes narrowed in distrust.


    The man looked happier then normal so that didn''t bode well for him, but he wasn''t sure why. The imprisoned boy was being as problematic as possible to him and it was beginning to show on the man''s features. Barring telling the Doc his name, the boy had not shared anymore information with him. It was painful, very painful, but Rosan was quickly adapting to it. At least Doc was getting visibly frustrated so he counted that as a victory.


    Seeing the man be so cheerful though, set Rosan on high alert. Just what was he planning?


    "Today, we will do something a bit different! Since you have been so willing to cooperate-" His voice oozed cheerful sarcasm "-We will be adding a core part of your training to the regimen now!"


    That couldn''t be good. A new part of this hellish torture he called training? Rosan continued to glance warily at the man, not willing to open his mouth at all.


    Smile dampening a bit, but no less excited, Doc simply clapped his hands together and said "Follow!" and with that he walked off.


    Knowing the consequences if he didn''t, Rosan slowly trudged after him. The redhead was mindful to not aggravate his injuries from the previous day, but they were healing up quickly and he could move somewhat fine. Rosan glanced around in curiosity as he was escorted to an area he hadn''t been to before.


    The facility was huge. He wasn''t sure how big, but he knew it was large enough to have at least a prison and medical area. There were other areas but, he wasn''t allowed into those parts of the building at the moment due to how disobedient he currently was.


    He watched as the whites of the walls slowly turned sandy brown (the people on this island must have been really rich) and soon, he was escorted into a large arena. The boy glanced around and noticed the large amount of seats, that were currently unoccupied, and the large, mean looking, bald man on the other side.


    "Your new regimen is called Gladiator Training," Doc said calmly and Rosan''s eyes narrowed. "We will be training you in combat in order to prepare for the upcoming tournament, Ash and Dust. Seeing as you have been gracious enough as to not inform us of your Devil Fruit, we have decided against removing your seastone handcuffs. In the future, when you are more obedient, we will have them removed. A weapon must have everything in their arsenal after all," Doc finished smugly.


    Rosan sent a scathing glare his way, before processing the information. Ash and Dust? Based on the arena he was in, it was likely the tournament they wanted him to participate in.


    Pricks.


    He was directed to a room with a large arsenal of weapons. Swords, throwing knives, daggers, a scythe, hammers, and axes were only the beginning. Glancing at them all, Rosan didn''t pick up a single weapon, walked back to the arena and simply signaled that he was ready to go, much to the confusion of his escort.


    They really thought he was going to fight? Yeah right. They were dumber than they looked. The redhead wouldn''t do what they wanted even if it meant taking a beating. Getting a bit more injured wouldn''t hurt him more than he was already hurting. He wouldn''t give them the satisfaction.


    Doc sensing his intent, simply sighed with a shake of his head. The look in his eyes promised proper punishment after his beating. He''d probably regret this later on, but he was resolute in his decision.


    Doc simply started the match with a "Don''t kill him," and he walked away. The man decided not to waste any time and charged at Rosan who simply stood there and braced himself.


    This was gonna really suck.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Present


    He still hurt from the beating he took. That bald man had been quite eager to beat on a defenseless child...what was wrong with the people on this island? Was everyone willing to assault a child so freely? This was messed up.


    Worse, Doc had decided he needed more obedience training after his refusal to fight. It was the first time he had seen the man so frustrated and he had paid for it dearly.


    Rosan sighed in misery as he shifted his body to the other side to alleviate some of the pain. In the month he''d been here, he hadn''t heard anything from Mod-chan and he missed her dearly. Who knows what the seastone was doing to her? If she were here with him it would be much more bearable but ever since she had told him to tell Doc his name, he hadn''t heard from her.


    It was tugging at his sanity, being separated from her for so long while being subject to this. They had been together for 4 years and not once had he felt their connection sever like this. It left him feeling horribly empty and that was affecting him more than anything. Rosan thrived on positive attention and Mod-chan was always enough for him. Now, without her, Rosan felt so lonely.


    Insidious thoughts were worming their way into his head and they were steadily wearing him down. Mod was his rock after all and the Devil Fruit was the only reason he was still sane. Without her, Rosan was slowly reaching his breaking point and he was none the wiser.


    He really missed Mod-chan and he really missed Robin-nee. Robin-nee¡­Rosan wondered where she was? Shouldn''t she have saved him by now? It had been one month...they had promised to save each other whenever they were in trouble. He had tried hard to uphold his part of the promise so why hadn''t she? Had Robin abandoned him? If not then where was she? Why did Robin leave him behind-


    Rosan smacked himself viciously and yelped at the pain, but it helped him focus. Thinking like that wasn''t good at all¡­Robin-nee was still looking for him, he was sure of it. He needed to stop think like that. Robin would never betray him. She didn''t. She didn''t. She did. She didn''t- He needed to think about something else. This was not good for his mental health. Rosan needed to think of something else. Something like...


    It''s only a matter of time


    ...That girl! The blonde one that had helped him heal! He wondered how she was doing? Rosan liked her because she seemed to be the only decent person on this island. It wasn''t often, but she liked to sneak in the middle of the night and if he needed it, which he always did, would rub some ointment on him to make him feel better. Then she would scurry away as quickly as possible as if she were afraid of getting caught. That at least gave value to his theory that he wasn''t supposed to be getting healed.


    Most of the time he was too tired to say anything back but one time he had managed to thank her. She had momentarily froze clearly not expecting him to say anything before she ran away even faster than normal.


    Rosan frowned a bit at the memory. Guess she didn''t like him very much. After he had thanked her he hadn''t seen her again which sucked cuz he wanted to talk to her. Rosan felt like he knew her but he couldn''t quite put his finger on it...


    Well, no use crying over spilled milk. He had more pressing matters, namely surviving Doc until he broke out.


    Sighing again Rosan shifted his body once more. He just needed to endure until he escaped. Endure. Endure. Endure.


    "Wait for Robin-nee. She''ll save me. Of course she will! She promised."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    It was becoming too much for the 8 year old. Everything hurt so bad, it was getting worse but he could(n''t) do it. He would(n''t) handle it. Doc was a man possessed, doing whatever it took to get him to submit. He was increasing the torture to levels that a child should never make it to.


    "Rosan! I wanted you to test out this new advanced poison I''ve developed! It should stimulate the pain of having your insides boiled! It may be harsh but, knowing you, this should only help build your resistance."


    It hurt! He screamed and begged for him to stop but it didn''t matter. He never listened. But he endured. He had to endure. He just had to.


    "Your body reinforces itself the more we break it! I wonder if there is an upper limit to how much it will strengthen? Let''s test it out!"


    He let out panicked breaths as he tried to crawl away. He never got away from him. Pain. A broken body. So much pain. It hurt so bad...B-but it was nothing! He would endure. He needed to¡­for Robin¡­for Mod-chan.


    "As of today, your training partner will be allowed to utilize weapons! Isn''t that just fantastic? You can build up your pain tolerance with sharp objects! Rest assured though, I''ve given him explicit orders not you kill you or scar your body. After all my weapon needs to be in perfect condition and we can''t have such a fine specimen ruined by something like scars. Though, he does have quite the sadistic streak so good luck!"


    A slash on his curled body. Slow, agonizingly slow, cuts marred his body. There was blood. So much blood. How was he still alive? Was he human? He had to be because he felt so much pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. PAIN. So much¡­too much. H-he needed to endure. But it hurt so much.


    Endure...he needed...to...endure...Because Robin...Robin would come. She would save him from these bad people. She promised.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    2 months later


    Robin wasn''t coming.


    The soul crushing realization came to Rosan one random day, as he sobbed on his bed at the latest whims of Doc.


    Robin wasn''t coming to save him. Two guards had thrown a newspaper at him that confirmed that Nico Robin had caused the downfall of yet another organization, that resided in the West Blue. All without him. She didn''t need him. Did she ever actually need him? No, she didn''t. That''s why she abandoned him.


    She wasn''t even in the same Sea as him.


    After all these months of enduring, hoping and praying that she would come save him, the revelation that she wasn''t coming affected him more than he could ever imagine. The realization that he had been enduring all this pain for 3 months, it was too much for the child. He couldn''t handle it. He just couldn''t. Rosan felt his entire world shatter before his very eyes.


    Rosan broke.


    (In hindsight, it was only natural. There was no Mod and there was no Robin to reassure him in his time of need. His mental state had been deteriorating over the months. He only had himself and his unstable 9 year old mind to rely on.)


    The 9 year old felt a moment of peace as everything froze. When had he had stopped crying? Actually¡­why was it that the only thing he could feel right now, was an intense burning rage boiling inside of his core. Normally Rosan would discard such a negative feeling but, instead of banishing this rage, Rosan embraced it. He embraced it fully and he let his rage run rampant.


    Robin had betrayed him. He had foolishly thought she would come to save him all because of a promise and he payed for it in blood and tears. He was stupid. He was weak. He had waited and waited, like a silly little princess waiting for their precious prince, for someone to save him and the only thing he got out of that, was pain and misery.


    How dare she? How DARE she?! This was unforgivable. Rosan felt the last dredges of his innocence get shattered into a million pieces as the stress of the events caught up to him. It was staggering to have his eyes opened like this.


    Nobody in this world was trustworthy. Everyone wanted to use him and when they grew tired of him, they would discard him like he was yesterday''s garbage. As if he were useless. Him?! USELESS? HE WAS USELESS?! Just the thought that anyone could think such a thing, made him quiver in fury.


    Those insidious thoughts, the ones he tried so hard to stifle, were now out in full and Rosan was unable to stop them. No, that wasn''t quite right¡­Rosan didn''t want to stop them. He felt his rage slowly mounting higher and higher, the sheer amount staggering to anyone who would have witnessed it. If there were anyone there they would have felt a wave of pressure wash over them. Such was the boys rage, that it was almost palpable.


    Then it stopped.


    The rage, along with the rest of his emotions, drained away. Leaving Rosan feeling somewhat hollow. But, like an old friend, rage was still there, still waiting for him like a drug, eager to be called.


    The light in his royal purple eyes died as Rosan emotionally shut down. He couldn''t afford to be emotional if he wanted to escape. Being emotional is what put him in this situation in the first place. Emotions were a hindrance. Had Rosan been thinking logically, he wouldn''t have needed to suffer for 3 months. Rage, along with all of his other emotions, could sleep for now.


    They were not needed.


    Unbeknownst to Rosan and Mod, his body, even through the seastone, heeded his wishes.


    A large castle made of pure ice formed as his soul actually separated into two. One took the form of a sleeping 4 year old Rosan, still filled with something. The other took the form of the current Rosan, the one full of a restrained rage and hatred. The sleeping boy flew as his body was forcefully dragged into the castle by chains and he was laid gently on a bed. Those same chains wrapped once, twice, three times around the entirety of the castle shutting off access. Nothing would get in and nothing would get out. Yet there was still a crack leaving the entrance slightly open.


    If Rosan had access to Modification, perhaps he would have been able to stop this. If Mod was available, perhaps she would have been able to warn him. She would have been able to tell him that his soul had split into two and she could have personally stopped it even if Rosan wouldn''t. But, Mod was incapacitated and was unable to tell that this was even happening. Right now, no one could stop what was happening.


    Rosan, in a moment of clarity, realized exactly what he needed to do. Rosan closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He properly restrained his emotions, because they would hinder him, and what was left of him was a cold calculated monster. One who was now willing to do whatever it took for the sake of him and his Devil Fruit.


    They had wanted to make a weapon and they had succeeded. He would show them how useless he was. He wouldn''t be the princess or the knight in shining armor. Rosan would be the monster that terrorized them both.


    Opening his eyes revealed something entirely different from before. On his right eye was the same chilly purple and on his left...a menacing blood red eye glowed into the night.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan broke, but he would not submit. Someone like Doc, weak coward that he was, could never be the one to break him. They didn''t have to know that though. Rosan would let them think they succeeded.


    The redhead would play it smart and patiently wait until an opportunity arose. Pretend like his spirit had been broken. Comply with all orders. Become the perfect little weapon.


    Rosan could see now that Doc was getting desperate. His steady increase of torture methods was full proof of that. So desperate was he, that he would take the 9 year old''s sudden obedience as a sign that he had finally won. After all, that was his goal. It would make him arrogant, sloppy, more prone to making mistakes.


    He would no doubt have some skepticism, but Rosan had been patiently waiting for 3 months for someone that wasn''t going to show up. He''d have the mans full trust sooner or later and that would be the most fatal mistake yet.


    When he let his guard down though, he would pay for it with his life.


    Rosan scoffed lowly to himself. Perhaps enduring did have its uses, it would be instrumental in his victory after all.


    The more he complied, the better his living conditions would be. If he showed them that he would obey all orders without question, they would naturally begin trusting him. It would only be a matter of time before they released his seastone cuffs. They would want their weapon to be at full power after all, in order to better their chances of winning the prize money.


    Once they did that¡­Rosan wouldn''t strike immediately. Letting his rage slip through momentarily, a sneer appeared on his neutral face.


    No, he wanted them to be completely relaxed, elated even. He wanted their guard to be completely down. He needed to catch them all by such surprise they''d choke on the air. Attacking them immediately, was far too merciful for them after what they did to the child. It would not satisfy him. He wanted to drag them from their high, into a despair worse than the one he felt.


    They needed to pay for making him break his promise.


    Ash and Dust, he decided, would be when he struck.


    He would win that tournament and win Doc his money...then he would strike. The elation and despair they''d feel, all on the same day would be euphoric. He''d take anything useful and then, he''d kill everyone that participated in this event all in one go. That way he''d be secure and still retain his anonymity to the world.


    His rage diminished and he shifted back into a blank expression, that he was getting increasingly comfortable with. Right now¡­retrieving his connection with Mod-chan was his #1 priority. He wasn''t sure what the Seastone was doing to her but he hadn''t heard anything at all from his Devil Fruit. Getting to her again took precedence over everything else. Afterwards, he would lull the islanders into a false sense of security and let them bask in their victory.


    Done with his planning, Rosan noted that he still had tear streaks and he wiped them clean until nothing remained. Rosan was done crying. Crying was for weak people who couldn''t do anything to help themselves. Rosan had been weak, but no longer.


    Mom had always told him big boys don''t cry, after all.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    The Next Day


    It caught Rosan by surprise when Doc took one look at him and immediately strapped him onto a table without a word. Normally he''d have some taunt ready so, to skip the pleasantries, was rather odd. He was muttering something to himself about Rosan suddenly being a heterochromatic.


    Heterochromatic? What was he talking about?


    The redhead craned his head slightly to look into one of the mirrors and Rosan blinked as he saw that his left eye had turned a malicious blood red. It looked like Mod''s eyes. He had...not been expecting this change. Did this happen last night? How well did Modification work through Seastone? Something like this didn''t seem like a tiny change...maybe Seastone only affected abilities when they were being transmitted out of the body. It would explain why he had briefly been able to hear Mod-chan, his ability wasn''t being negated, just suppressed.


    Interesting. He''d have to ask Mod-chan to explain when he got her back.


    Focusing his attention back onto Doc, he listened to what the blonde had to say. "Interesting. Despite the change in eye color, no other outward change seems to have taken place...," the man mused.


    The blonde man continued to run more tests on him and Rosan accepted it all with a bored expression on his bronze face.


    After an hour of testing, Doc had finally finished with his inspection of the 9 year old. "Truly fascinating!" He exclaimed in excitement. "Outwardly, your body has not changed at all," he explained. "But, on the inside, it''s as if everything has well evolved. Organs are working at a high functioning level, bones have been completely reinforced, healing factor increased. All of this happened in the span of one night with little to no explanation. Are you even human?"


    He had evolved? Hm. That was not expected but it wasn''t as if he had a problem with it. Still, he''d have to look more into detail about that eventually. What had Modification done to his body? Was it another Quality of Life? So many questions, so little answers.


    But first, it was time to begin.


    Considering the question, Rosan eventually said "All signs point to me being human, so yes I think I am."


    Doc snapped his gaze towards the boy, clearly not expecting the answer, and the scientist finally took in Rosan''s new demeanor. "Oh? It seems you''ve changed in more ways than one Rosan. What happened last night for you to go through such a drastic...metamorphosis let''s call it?"


    Rosan tilted his head at the question and simply replied "I''ve been subjecting myself through an abnormal amount of pain for what seems to be no reason at all. Seeing as I''m going to be here for a while, it''s futile to keep resisting."


    Doc''s eyes lit up like he had just won the lottery. Overjoyed, but still wary by his explanation, he clapped and said "Wonderful! You''ll have to excuse me if I find your claims a bit dubious. So to test the validity of what your saying, I have just one question."


    Rosan inclined his head to indicate that he was listening.


    "What is your Devil Fruit?" He asked with thinly veiled excitement.


    Doc was far too obvious. He had been expecting this to be the very first question he asked and was more then prepared as a result. Still, he needed to not make it obvious that he knew this was coming.


    Rosan pretended like he was thinking about the best way to explain it before telling him, "My Devil Fruit is called the Saizu Saizu no Mi. It allows me to increase and decrease the size of objects. It works best on inorganic materials but I can also use it on myself," He lied easily. The redhead chose that to be his Devil Fruit because the last thing he had done before getting captured, was increase the size of his toy robot. He wasn''t sure if they saw that but he wasn''t planning on risking it.


    The green eyed man stared at him as a smile split his handsome features. "Perfect! This information checks out so we can validate your claims!"


    Doc was excited. His most stubborn patient to date was finally coming around and complying! He had partially given at the idea of him participating in Ash and Dust but, with this sudden change of heart, there was still hope! He''d have to speed up the progress, since he had spent 3 months disciplining the boy, but that was fine. Rosan was the perfect weapon. He would adapt and succeed and prove to Doc his worth. Finally he felt like he was making progress.


    Rosan just continued to stare at him blankly, face not betraying anything. Inside however he smirked in victory. He had been right, the man really was desperate. Rosan had taken a gamble when lying about his Devil Fruit but, based on his observations it, was going to succeed.


    Doc had clearly implied that he had been watching Rosan for a long time and Rosan abused that slip up. He was glad that the only aspect of Modification he used in public was the size changing ability, it had served him well here. More and more, Rosan was beginning to understand the power of anonymity. If they knew of his actual Devil Fruit, they''d have tried much harder to break his mind.


    How unfortunate for them.


    "We must not waste anymore time!" Doc smiled impatiently. "We are months behind schedule so we will have to accelerate your training. Though it''s not all for not due to the amount of tolerance you have no doubt built¡­" the man murmured to himself. "Come," he eventually commanded, already walking away at a brisk pace.


    Rosan obediently followed.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    They were currently in the arena with the same bald prisoner who had been his fighting partner for the last few months. He seemed eager to begin the match, no doubt garnering joy from assaulting Rosan.


    Memories of multiple stab wounds, excessive bleeding, agonizing torture filled the prisoner boy''s mind. Rosan''s gaze turned slightly murderous as he relived those moments. This man had derived far too much pleasure from assaulting a defenseless boy who had no intention of fighting back. How unfortunate for baldy. He had no clue that this fight would be his final fight and this arena would be his final resting spot.


    "Today, we''ll begin with some Gladiator Training! Don''t disappoint me, Rosan," was all Doc said before he was escorted to the weapon section. The same assortment of weapons that were available to him lay there. Rosan, unlike other times, actually contemplated which one he''d be using. Tilting his head, the boy grabbed a massive hammer, that was much larger then he was and decided this would be his weapon.


    Grasping it in his palm, Rosan blinked at how light it was. No. It wasn''t that it was light, he had gotten stronger. Seems Doc was correct in his assumption that he had evolved, at least in the physical aspect this rang true. Rosan had been pretty strong for his age but this was nearing Boost levels of strength.


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    Interesting. There was also the fact that he was being suppressed by Seastone so he should be even weaker. He wondered how strong he would be with his boost activated and without restraints?


    Dragging it on the floor, to play up appearances, Rosan calmly made his way into the arena. The bald man took one look at him and started laughing uncontrollably.


    "Bahahahaha! You''re gonna fight me with that?! Kid, you look like you can''t even get it off the floor! You sure you don''t wanna just lie down and take the beating like you always do?!" The man asked as he clutched his belly, guffawing all the while.


    Rosan stared at him, tilted his head so he that he was facing Doc and indicated that he was ready. Doc seeing that, signaled for the match to begin.


    "How sad, your last moment and those are the words you chose to die with," Rosan told him with a shake of his head. Crouching down slightly, Rosan took a deep breath before his eyes snapped open.


    The spot he was standing on cracked as Rosan launched himself forward. Baldy, who was still recovering from his laughing, widened his eyes as within moments, Rosan appeared before him. Hoisting the hammer in both hands to his side, like it weighed nothing, Rosan smashed it against his kneecaps with a nauseating crunch. His leg folded like a wet paper as every bone in it was turned into paste.


    The scream of agony was music to his ears.


    Baldy collapsed as his leg was turned into mush. He pathetically garbled and tried to gasp for mercy.


    Rosan would not be showing him mercy. This man did not deserve his mercy.


    Without any hesitation, he repeated the same process with his other leg. Rosan held the hammer over his head and swung down. "Suffer you piece of waste," the boy sneered mentally.


    The leg stood no chance at all.


    With another sickening crunch it gave out. Baldy, unable to withstand the pain, began babbling nonsense as tears streamed down his pudgy face. The prisoner was lying face down choking on his sobs as his lower half was utterly destroyed by the monstrous child in front of him.


    Rosan mentally snorted at the pitiful display. So eager to dish out pain but unable to receive any? How amusing. "Can''t handle a bit of pain?" Rosan taunted softly. "A shame, I thought you would be tougher than me. You sure did act like you were," the boy mused thinking about all their encounters. The man loved gloating to the weakened prisoner any chance he got and he never showed any of the mercy he was currently asking for.


    Truly, he was the lowest scum of the world.


    "There''s no need to worry though, I''ll show you mercy," Rosan finished kindly and it was terrifying to witness on his blank expression.


    Slowly but surely, Rosan took the hammer and rested it on the man''s, facedown, head.


    Doc noticed what he was about to do and tried to shout a warning, but he was too late. He shut his eyes in order to avoid seeing what was about to happen.


    Rosan noticed Doc, of course he did. He made a point to make this as slow as possible. Raising the hammer at an agonizing pace, Rosan made sure to engrave the memory in his head. The memory of the absolute power he held over this man''s life.


    This was what it meant to be strong. To be strong was to have the power to dictate who got to live and who got to die. "Death is a mercy for someone like you."


    With that, Rosan swung down the hammer for a 3rd time on the, still screaming, man.


    The sound of screaming stopped. Instead it was replaced by a steady drip of liquid.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    How Curious. This isn''t what he was expecting.


    Looking down at the crushed skull of Baldy, Rosan had expected to feel revolted at the sight. He had killed someone for the first time after all. Was he not supposed to feel disgusted? He had heard from Mod-chan that the first kill was always the hardest. Sure, he had inadvertently killed people before but this was the first person to directly die by his hands.


    Yet, he felt nothing at all. How odd, his emotions hadn''t even slightly flared after the admittedly gruesome death. When he had restrained his emotions, he didn''t expect it to be that effective. The redhead stopped thinking hard about it after a moment.


    It didn''t matter to him. He just wanted Mod-chan.


    Doc very carefully avoided the dead body and instead focused his attention on him. Rosan smiled to himself at the look he saw in the man''s eyes, Doc feared him. Good. But, not enough. The man''s viridian green eyes still gleamed in excitement that outweighed the fear.


    Coughing Doc said "Ahem, that fight was most unexpected. However, that was also most impressive! I knew you had the potential and this just proves it. Such an impressive display of power! Being able exhibit such strength even through seastone currently weakening you is doubly impressive."


    His jailor started muttering to himself about running more tests on him and Rosan just patiently waited, a picture perfect sign of obedience. The redhead looked down at his outfit and regarded them in curiosity. There was blood and other matter that had splashed on it to give it a rather unappealing look.


    Messy. He didn''t like messy. He''d have to ensure this didn''t happen again. The 9 year old was a bigger fan of being bloodless, it was cleaner.


    "Doc, may I request a change of clothes and a shower please?" Rosan asked politely. Doc snapped out of his reverie at Rosan''s question and hastily replied "Yes! Yes of course! Right this way, we''ll get you just what you requested."


    Without further ado, he led Rosan to the showers while demanding someone bring a fresh set of clothes for him.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan had known his sudden obedience would garner positive results but, he hadn''t expected those results to be immediate.


    Doc really was desperate and it showed. That was perfect for him. He''d be allowed to practice with his Devil Fruit sooner than later and when that happened, it was all over for everyone here.


    Soon after getting changed, the blonde man had decided he would need to be moved into a better room. Rosan had no complaints and just nodded along with his decision. He would not say no to better living conditions.


    His new prison cell looked less like a cell and more like a bedroom. It was larger, the largest cell in the facility according to Doc, and had more than just a cold bed to sleep on. A nightstand with a lamp stood next to his bed and per his request, the empty bookcase would soon be filled with a variety of books for him to read. Unlike most of the other prisoners, he now had his own bathroom as well. It was even decked out with a shower and everything.


    Rosan snorted softly. It would be much easier to live in here then in his previous cell. The room was far more hospitable and it was actually warm too.


    At this rate, it''d only be a matter of time before he could reconnect with Mod-chan again. He was beginning to get an idea about what exactly happened to his body but he wanted her point of view.


    Even with his radical shift in personality, he had absolute faith in Mod-chan. She was the only person he could still trust and the fact that he could not even feel her, filled him with slight worry about her current state. She had probably expended too much effort trying to speak through the seastone and had fallen into some sort of sleep-like state. He couldn''t access his mindscape, so he was mostly guessing, but he was confident in his theory.


    Speaking of which, how would Mod-chan react to his change? Hm. He wasn''t sure, most likely she''d blame it on herself, his Devil Fruit had a habit of doing that. She had after all wanted him to retain his cheery personality. He frowned as he realized he had broken his promise to her.


    The 9 year old was beginning to realize how badly promises were affecting him. He seemed to always get the short end of the stick after they were broken. This is why he was so reluctant to make them. It seemed like the world itself was trying to test him.


    Mod-chan would understand, but he still felt like he had to make it up to her somehow¡­Rosan found himself, once again, cursing the people here. They had robbed him of his smile so, to apologize partially, to Mod-chan he''d rob them of their lives.


    Rosan shut the lights and he prepared to get some rest. As he lay down, the Mod Mod no Mi user contemplated his next course of action. Try as he might, he couldn''t really sleep right now so he was only left with his thoughts.


    Said thoughts were interrupted when he heard his cell door open 1 hour later. He heard soft, nearly inaudible, footsteps slowly make its way towards him.


    Oh?


    Rosan thought his little healer stranger had been done visiting him. The redhead was convinced that she didn''t like him due to their last encounter. So that begged the question, why she was here? The last time they met didn''t seem to end on a positive note so it was odd that she was here.


    Well it didn''t matter to him so he''d let her do what she wanted. If she came back to get some form of petty revenge then she could do that. Rosan didn''t care what she did at the moment.


    He''d gladly remember her face when he freed himself, though.


    Feigning sleep, Rosan listened to the footsteps getting progressively closer. The boy evened out his breathing and heard the footsteps finally stop and the warm presence of another person appeared.


    Rosan couldn''t tell how, but he could feel her intentions. How was she doing that? Did she also have a Devil Fruit? The 9 year old could tell that she meant him no harm, but he couldn''t explain how he knew that.


    The girl didn''t seem to notice Rosan discreetly staring at her. He must have been doing a good job at appearing to be asleep then. She was staring intently at his face and after what seemed to be an internal war of epic regards, she hesitantly reached out her hand and gingerly pet his hair.


    ...What.


    "So spiky, but so soft!" She whispered in awe. Rosan could only watch, completely baffled, as the blonde gushed over his soft hair. What the hell was she doing? Was she petting him? Who the hell did she think she was?! Why did she know all the right spots-


    "Do you normally pet people in their sleep?" Rosan asked having had enough of this embarrassment. He watched, in a small amount satisfaction, as the girl jumped with a small squeal. Finally sitting up, the redhead took the time to get a good look at the culprit.


    Like he remembered, she had long golden blond twintails that reached just above her butt. The only notable difference was that her sailor outfit had changed from black to white and she had a red tie instead of a pink one.


    Wide electric blue eyes stared into his heterochromatic ones. Predictably, she let out a small gasp as she made eye contact with the shorter boy. "Your eyes, their different! Are you okay?!". Her voice was soft and sweet and the boy found himself tilting his head at the concern in it. Rosan ignored her question in favor of staring at her.


    As he practically burned a hole into her, with just his gaze, Rosan repeated his question.


    Snapping out of her daze, the child stuttered a bit clearly caught off guard by his question. He waited patiently for her and raised a brow when she reached behind her and shakily pulled out, what he presumed to be, the same ointment she used on him before.


    "I-I wanted to help you heal faster, i-if you don''t mind¡­" was her rather timid response. The redhead didn''t know she was this shy but that might have explained why she ran away from him that one day.


    Rosan continued staring at her with his completely blank face as he processed what she said. So she was a weirdo. Good to know.


    Instantly she whispered "I''m not weird, I promise!"


    That got her a strange look from Rosan. Even if he had been thinking it, for that to be her first line of defense, must really mean she was weirdo. People must have called her that often.


    Holding her head in defeat, she simply asked "Can I just rub this ointment on you?"


    Rosan nearly snorted but stopped himself. Instead, he merely nodded at the girl in confirmation and stared at her.


    Smiling slightly, she quickly closed the rest of the distance and sat right next to him. She clearly had no idea what personal space was but then again, according to Robin, neither did he. This close, Rosan picked up the scent of a fruit perfume on her. It wasn''t too strong on his sharp senses and it made her smell pleasant. She was humming softly and Rosan almost thought he could relax due to how nice her voice was.


    That didn''t stop the prisoner from keeping his guard up though. Nobody around here could be trusted, no matter how pure the intentions seemed.


    She rolled up his sleeves and gently began rubbing the cool ointment on his tan skin. Being so close to each other, Rosan could see that her face was extremely red. She felt¡­embarrassed? Why? How did he know that? And...why would she get so close to him if this was the effect he had on her? Was she an idiot? There was something off about this girl and Rosan wasn''t sure what it was.


    The girl looked like she really wanted to say something but Rosan didn''t care enough to point it out, so he patiently waited for her to gain the courage to speak her mind.


    "I''m so sorry about everything!" She eventually blurted out.


    Rosan shot her a questioning glance, which prompted her to continue speaking. "I didn''t come here for a while because...I felt bad for running away from you after you told me thank you¡­" her face glowed in embarrassment as she explained her reasoning for not showing up.


    Was that it? She came back to apologize to him because she felt guilty?


    He raised a brow and told her "It''s fine to run away from people you don''t like. It doesn''t really matter to me."


    Instantly, the girl stopped what she was doing in favor of focusing wide, innocent, eyes at him. Shaking her head frantically she said "That''s not true, I do like you! You just...s-surprised me a-and I didn''t know how to respond so I ran off." She lowered her gaze and focused intently on where she rubbed the ointment.


    The redhead glanced at her with a bored expression, not believing anything she was saying. They didn''t even know each other, how could she say she liked him? He supposed that this was just another trick by Doc to let his guard down. Even if it didn''t feel like she was lying, Rosan wouldn''t believe her.


    "You''re going through so much, but you can still manage to muster up the strength to thank me¡­it makes me so happy!" She finished with a flushed expression on her fair face. Looking into his eyes once more, Rosan was surprised to find fresh tears brimming in the girls blue eyes.


    "B-but now, they c-changed you and while they did that, I was off being too embarrassed to even help!" She let out a choked sob as she reprimanded herself. "Despite everything you went through, your eyes always had so much determination and it was so inspiring to me! Now, you hide it well but, I can feel it¡­there''s so much rage and it''s so suffocating and I couldn''t do anything to help," The child wailed.


    Rosan finally allowed a look of shock to appear on his face because he couldn''t hold it back.


    She could feel his rage? That shouldn''t be possible. His rage...it lay dormant right now. It was still there¡­it would always be but, Rosan had buried it so deep, not even he could feel it. How was it possible that this girl could ''feel'' his rage as if he wore it on his sleeve? Was he not hiding it as well as he thought? No, Doc wouldn''t have been so pleased with him if that were the case. He would still be in his previous cell if anyone could sense it.


    Who was she?


    "I''m sorry. I wish I could help you more but¡­I''m really weak so all I can do is rub this ointment I made on you. That''ll never be enough, though. You don''t deserve to be here!" She said sadly and she looked at his dual eyes with a look of sorrow on her face. Her cheeks were flushed and she was actually crying. For him.


    He hated that. He didn''t need anyone''s pity.


    Rosan watched all this transpire with a stony expression on his face. Eventually, she quieted down and stared at him with puffy red eyes.


    He chose that moment to speak to her. "What''s done is done," he said coldly. "All that matters now, is how I handle the situation I''m in. I appreciate your concerns, but you don''t need to apologize to me. You haven''t done anything wrong. Thank you for helping me heal faster but, if you''re done, you should leave. Something tells me, that you aren''t supposed to be here and I wouldn''t want you to get into any trouble after all."


    The girl shot him a look that let him know she was aware of his dismissal, before her eyes widened as she finally realized the time.


    Standing up hastily, she said "Ah you''re right! I have to go¡­although I don''t even think they''ll realize I''m gone..." She got up and made her way to the cell door before stopping. Hesitantly she turned around to face him and asked "D-do you mind if I come back, please? I''d like to talk a bit more with you¡­o-only if you don''t mind though!"


    "Do whatever you want. I won''t be going anywhere," Rosan said bluntly, already tired of this conversation. Her eyes shined in elation as he accepted her request and she nodded vigorously.


    "Yay!" She cheered happily getting the boy to raise another brow. "I''ll come back tomorrow night then with some more ointment, Rosan!"


    As if remembering something, her face glowed and she said "M-my name is Meiko, by the way. I hope we can get along!" She bowed deeply and finally rushed out of the room.


    The door shut quietly, leaving the boy alone with his thoughts once again.


    Meiko¡­what a strange girl. Rosan was wary of her, due to her ability to sense his anger and would be treading with caution. She blamed herself for not being able to do anything, but it''s not like it was her fault. He was the one who got captured and like she said, she was weak.


    He didn''t need to rely on a weakling anyways. The boy would get out of here on his own merit. Still, she was odd enough that he''d carefully observe her in the upcoming months.


    The boy refused to acknowledge that she interested him.


    Laying back down Rosan got comfortable in his much nicer bed and prepared to sleep. It was as he was finally going to sleep, that he realized something.


    "How did she get in here¡­and how did she get a key to my cell so quickly?"


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    There were some days when Rosan wasn''t with Doc.


    On those days he''d be with Doc''s wife, Mom, instead. Whereas Doc was more focused on combat oriented things, ''Mom'' was tasked with teaching him things outside of combat. The two normally located in the library section of the facility to get this done. That way he could learn what he needed by reading.


    Mom wasn''t her real name, obviously but, she liked to be called Mom and so, Rosan called her that. At first glance you''d be hard pressed to find anything wrong with her. She was an attractive, short and curvy women who stood at about 5''5(152cm) with luscious black locks and kind blue eyes. She was normally seen with a kind smile on her pretty face and a slight blush on her cheeks.


    It wasn''t for show either¡­the lady was generally nice, always willing to help. She had treated him with kindness when he had first arrived. So then what was Rosan''s problem with her?


    She was a massive pervert. A massive pervert who really liked the 9 year old boy.


    It wasn''t subtle either. From him calling her Mom, which always caused her to affectionately grab him, to the incredibly suggestive looks she sent him, to the way she liked to crush him into her large breasts. When she looked at him, her blush would deepen and she would start muttering inappropriate things under her breath. He was fairly confident he had once heard her say "The things I''m going to do to you."


    This lady definitely wanted to rape him.


    Rosan knew he was pretty good looking. Mama had commented many times that she''d have to fend off women with a stick when he grew older and Robin had said, on multiple occasions, that they''d have to be careful in the future if his appearance kept up with age. It would make him quite prized by various people! Hell, his looks is one of the main contributors as to why he was here.


    Rosan''s only response was that future him had to worry about it. He thought his future self would have to start worrying at around 16, not 9...


    It didn''t help that Mom being a pervert wasn''t her only issue. The lady hated being denied. When they had first met, she had politely requested that he call her ''Mom''. Rosan had only laughed in her face and denied her request vehemently. The boy only had one mother and it definitely wasn''t a depraved pervert like this woman.


    Her kind visage had shifted into one of cold fury and the beating he had subsequently received made it difficult for the boy to sleep.


    After his change in demeanor, he had decided that denying her would not work in his favor so he had begun calling her Mom like she desired. She had melted completely as she heard him utter the word and the depraved look that appeared on her face made Rosan want to stay far away from her. It had worked out in his favor though. So long as he did what she wanted, she''d spoil him rotten. If it helped him live easier until he escaped, then Rosan didn''t mind doing it.


    They were sat currently in the back of the library out of anyone''s sight, not that anyone inhabited the area besides them. Rosan, at Mom''s behest, was reading up on the female anatomy. He was buried in her lap while his head cushioned between her large chest, just the way she liked it, and she softly caressed him.


    Rosan had to wonder how Doc felt about this. It was likely that he didn''t care considering he had seen the way those 2 interacted. The man probably had no intention of stopping it. Their relationship was cold but familiar, maybe at one point they had loved each other, but that had clearly changed with time. Mom had to have had a lot of power in this relationship though, if she was able to get access to Rosan so easily.


    Pervert.


    Still...if he played his cards right, he could potentially have another escape route. Despite being a last resort, he''d still like to have multiple options. It was never a good idea to put all his eggs in one basket. He would need to set up for that 2nd option so he''d have to get even further into her good graces.


    Fortunately, he knew just how to do that. Unfortunately, he knew just how to do that.


    Well, he''d already made up his mind to do whatever it took.


    Rosan idly got more comfortable, which had the added effect of getting him closer to her. Before, he had been sitting upright on her knees. Now however, he had scooted up even closer to the woman and his back was rested right on her stomach. It also had the bonus of sinking him even deeper into her cleavage.


    Rosan felt her gasp at his sudden proximity and she hugged him a bit tighter to herself.


    Moving his head in her cleavage to look up at her, Rosan felt he had done a sufficient job as he took glance at the woman. Mom''s eyes were a bit glazed over as they made eye contact and the blush on her face had deepened. Her painted lips were parted in surprise and Rosan nearly snorted at the clear shock on her face.


    As they made eye contact Rosan said "Mom I noticed you look even prettier than normal today! Is there a special occasion? Your hair looks really nice and you have different colored lipstick today! Normally it''s blue, but this time its red and I really like that cuz I really like red!"


    It was too easy. A subtle touch there, a smile solely for her here, a tilted head, and direct eye contact.


    He felt her panting get heavier as he spoke and by the end of his sentence, Rosan was sure she was visibly restraining herself from jumping him. Her electric blue eyes had narrowed into slits and the blush on her cheeks had turned darker then he had ever seen it.


    Mom visibly struggled to get her wits together and when she did, she eventually responded to him. "Y-you''re too kind my dear," she stammered a bit before continuing. "I''ve recently gotten a new brand of shampoo for my hair and I''ve been using it for the past few days. I-I''m surprised you noticed, nobody else has and that makes me h-happy. Also...I wasn''t too fond of it before but I''ve really taken a shine to the color red now."


    Rosan flashed a grin, red eye shining as he looked at the mess of a lady. The gesture came easy, too easy. "Red''s my favorite color too so I''m glad you of all people like it Mom!" Red was his favorite color so that part he didn''t lie about at least. He wasn''t really fond of lying but that only applied to people he liked and the only person he liked right now, could read his mind.


    Mom looked flushed. "Me of all people? I-I''m not sure what you mean by that dear," she whispered hopefully and Rosan had her right where he wanted her. If he still had the capacity, he''d be actually smiling.


    "Well I really like spending time with you! Doc can be really mean to me and he likes hurting me. You''re really nice to me and I feel safer around you so I enjoy being with you way more!" He was practically gushing. Rosan decided now was the time to go for the kill so he turned fully towards her and wrapped his small arms around her neck. Feeling her shakily return the hug, he planted an innocent kiss right on her cheek. "Thank you, Mommy!"


    Her grip on Rosan tightened to a wild degree as she crushed him right in her bosom. Rosan could no longer see her face but judging by the possessive hold she had on him, it was safe to assume that it had worked. He heard her try to speak but it was cut off by a low groan. Her warm breath brushed into him and Rosan was surprised that people like her existed in the world.


    "Mod-chan probably hates this lady with all her heart," he mentally snorted. She was quite protective of him and couldn''t stand the idea of someone trying to take advantage of the little boy, especially a pervert like Mom.


    "I-I- did n-notice hohow D-doc has been t-treating you-" she paused for a bit to catch her breath "If y-you want, I-I can talk to him about his rough treatment. Y-your still a growing young boy and possibly stunting your growth would be very detrimental. I- we would love to see you age properly. We h-have to make sure you are properly nourished and needless injuries are counterproductive."


    Rosan knew the effects of what calling her mommy would do. She was utterly depraved, so of course hearing him call her that would have a more positive effect. The degree of success though was surprising. The redhead knew she liked him but this was¡­. Unexpected. Still his manipulation tactics were working rather well. He had always been rather blunt so to dip into more subtle things was like a breath of fresh air.


    Popping his head out of her cleavage, Rosan flashed a grin, allowing his sharp teeth to show, as his large shining eyes glanced up at her. "Yay! Thank you Mom, you''re the best! I knew I could rely on you!" He beamed as he hugged her tightly.


    Pulling back so he could take a look at her face, Rosan was not disappointed. The woman''s face was beet red and her blue eyes were focused solely on him. She was biting her lip as she looked at him with hungry, lustful eyes and she was trying her hardest not to jump him. At least she had some morals, despite the fact that she was grooming him. She adamantly refused to loosen the grip on him either as she practically drooled.


    Too easy.


    "R-Rosan?" She called slowly, hesitantly, as if he were in control of the situation.


    Oh? Odd, but he could work with this.


    Tilting his head at her, Rosan curiously hummed, allowing her to speak. She followed his gaze all the while. "May I kiss you, please?" she practically begged him.


    When had the power dynamic shifted? Was it because he had taken charge of the conversation so strongly? Rosan wasn''t sure, perhaps she was inherently submissive? Whatever it was, he would note it. Staying in a control of a situation benefited him well and allowed him to dictate how things went.


    "I dunno¡­maybe we should wait to do that? I wouldn''t want you to get in trouble for kissing the weapon¡­" holding a finger to his chin, Rosan looked as if he was seriously contemplating it but, in reality, he was toying with her, dangling the bait to see how much he could milk out of this situation.


    Mom''s greatest weakness was her inability to accept denial. If Rosan told her that he would not be able to do something, that she wanted to do, because of someone else¡­well her reaction would be less than stellar.


    As predicted, the brunette''s face contorted into one of cold fury. She possessively grasped him and, in a dangerously low tone, said "They will not lay a finger on either of us! I will make sure of it. You have nothing to worry about because you are safe with me."


    Her face morphed back into its pleading from like nothing happened as she once again asked to be kissed.


    Rosan was totally victorious. He had carefully observed what made her tick and ruthlessly took advantage of it. Rosan marveled at how easy it was to manipulate a person. She had been reduced to absolute putty in his hands and it was fascinating to witness. He would be sure to take advantage of her hospitality up until his escape.


    "Hm~ well in that case, if you promise-" "I promise!" She interrupted him and then flinched as she realized her mistake. Hastily apologizing to the boy, Rosan accepted it with a wave of his hand and said "Ok! You can kiss me then!"


    "But...~" he stopped her and the visible frustration on her face was delightful "...you can''t tell Doc about this conversation, okay? We wouldn''t want him to get jealous that his weapon has a favorite that isn''t him y''know? This conversation stays between us, then I''ll let you kiss me," he finished with an impish smile on his face.


    Mom nodded vigorously at his request (demand) and Rosan let out a fond sigh. Nodding in a go ahead motion, Rosan allowed the woman to do what she wanted.


    The black haired woman looked like she had won the lottery and, knowing how much of a pervert she was, she probably thought she did. Cupping his cheeks, the pretty woman dove for his lips.


    The things he did for Mod-chan. She better not ever say he didn''t love her.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan calmly removed his weapon, a sword, from the back of his opponent. Blood dripped steadily from the weapon in a steady pat as the man beneath him bled out. He stared coldly at the corpse. He was weak, afraid, and barely put up a fight. Worthless. If this was supposed to be training, then Doc was trying to turn him into a sadist.


    Clapping interrupted him and he stared at the smiling Doc. The man was getting increasingly impressed with his results from these battles. He currently looked elated at Rosan''s effortless victory over his latest foe. "Well done Rosan! At this rate you''ll win this tournament with ease!"


    "You''ve proven yourself a reliable weapon, so I think it''s time to accelerate part of your training!" The man exclaimed and Rosan merely nodded his head. Was it time? Already? That was rather quick.


    Doc, who was out of reach, called in a guard and had them remove Rosan''s handcuffs. The redhead hummed as he felt the thrum of Modification roar to life. He nearly smiled at the feeling of slowly regaining his powers but he held it back.


    He had been waiting for this and now, it was the beginning of the end for everyone here.


    Turning towards Doc, Rosan bowed his head and said "Thank you for this opportunity Doc. May I demonstrate what I am capable of doing with my Devil Fruit?"


    The redhead knew Doc was testing him. It was fairly obvious and the redhead had to wonder just how much he was being underestimated due to his age. He wanted to see how Rosan would use his ability with the sudden freedom granted to him. No doubt, he had placed countermeasures in case he tried to increase his size to escape. If they were meant to counter the effects of the Saizu Saizu no Mi, they would work well...for someone who had it.


    But he didn''t have it.


    His planning was still in motion however so for now, he would play along by solidifying his "obedience". Besides, simply escaping wasn''t enough for the 9 year old anymore.


    He wanted no, he needed more.


    Doc let out a pleased sigh as Rosan made no attempt to escape. The best way for the boy to escape would be with his Devil Fruit so right now was his best possible chance. He had been slightly worried that Rosan was pretending but once again he had been proven wrong. The boy truly was 100% obedient now. Even if he tried to increase his size to escape, the room they were currently in, was full of seastone. Rosan would simply activate it if he grew too large, neutralizing him in the process.


    Luckily, that would not be the case.


    "Of course, Rosan! I''ll be bringing in the next opponent so, please return to the waiting area while we clean up the mess. If you wish to choose a new weapon please do so."


    Rosan simply nodded and made his way through the gate to walk back into the waiting area. He had the location memorized, so he simply walked there on autopilot. Finally alone, but most likely being watched, Rosan sent a mental prod towards Mod-chan to see if she was still there.


    After a long moment, he received a weak prodding in return, but no verbal confirmation from the Devil Fruit. She was here but she was weak...


    He''d give her time to rest up. Being suppressed by Seastone for so long must have not been great for her because it wasn''t great for him. For now, he had a plan to set into motion.


    Placing the bloody sword gently on the table, Rosan glanced at his desired weapons. As he picked them up, Rosan placed the massive gauntlets on his tiny hands and flexed his fingers. Nodding to himself, Rosan used his ''Saizu Saizu'' abilities to make the gauntlets better fit his small hands and he clenched his fist to ensure they were on correctly.


    Job done, Rosan waited patiently for Doc to call him out once more. It didn''t take long, as his voice soon came onto the intercom. "Report to the arena please, Rosan," was all he said before cutting it off.


    Rosan made his way to the arena at a leisure pace. He stopped to stare at his terrified opponent with an unimpressed stare. It was only natural, rumors had been spreading like wildfire around the inmates that anyone who had been put up against him had not returned. The 9 year old prisoner did nothing to dissuade the rumors and, since silence equaled guilt, they all had a good amount of fear for the child.


    It wasn''t a lie anyways.


    This man was no different. He was shaking uncontrollably and he could barely hold on to the sword he was wielding as he faced the much younger boy. To think rumors could reduce people to such a state. Did everyone just believe everything they heard? Not even a little bit of doubt? This man looked like he had already given up just looking at the 9 year old.


    Not a threat to him then. He''d get nothing out of this fight so he''d make it quick.


    The moment the signal began, Rosan audibly said "Increase" and watched as his gauntlet grew larger and his strength increased. Not wasting any time, Rosan, in a mood to flaunt, sprinted towards the man. Right before reaching him, Rosan placed the palm of his gauntlets on the floor and used the momentum of his speed to launch himself upwards. The man''s eyes widened as the tiny missile began soaring through the air.


    Flipping himself to face the man, Rosan caught a sloppy swing of the sword with the side of his gauntlet and said "Decrease."


    Everyone watching gasped, as the sword was reduced to the size of a toothpick. The, now defenseless, man''s terror increased tenfold as he looked into the expressionless gaze of Rosan. Still in the air, Rosan grabbed one the taller man''s arm and delivered a strong strike directly onto his mouth.


    The man toppled over from the force of the blow with an "oomph" on his back. Rosan landed harshly on top of his stomach, knocking the wind out of him, and paralyzing him. Moving forward so that he sat on his chest, Rosan delivered blow after blow to his face. The man tried using his arm to block his onslaught, but they simply folded under the pressure of his punches.


    The redheaded monster rained punch after punch and felt the man''s face breaking under his assault. The floor under him was beginning to dent at the display of strength and Rosan decided to wrap this up.


    Holding his hands, together Rosan delivered a brutal double axe handle strike. The mans stopped struggling immediately as blood was sprayed everywhere. His hands fell limply to his side as Rosan crushed his face against the gauntlet with a CRUNCH.


    Rosan stood up, gauntlets still clenched into a fist, and he looked over at Doc. The redhead looked completely unbothered by his display of brutality and he bowed to his jailor as he made his way to the rest area. As he walked back to the waiting area for further instructions, Rosan finally allowed himself a violent grin. His sharp teeth gleamed and his eyes glowed. Even the chilly purple had a glow in it, in contrast to its normally empty look.


    He had won.


    His victory had been assured and now, there was nothing they could do about it. His escape was not a possibility now. It was imminent. Unavoidable. Assured.


    Why?


    Rosan opened his palm to look at the key that rested there. Knowing he''d soon be visible on camera, Rosan pocketed the key and allowed his rage to vanish. Adopting his standard neutral expression, he calmly sat down to give an appearance that he was still that obedient little toy.


    Information truly was a dangerous weapon. Had they known what his Devil Fruit actually was¡­he was sure they''d never have released him from his Seastone in those conditions. After all, Modification was too difficult to keep a leash on unless you completely nullified it. The ability to change your size however? There were many counters to that.


    Had Rosan''s Devil Fruit actually been the Saizu Saizu no mi, he may have had to find other means to escape. But the ability to change his size was not his Devil Fruit. Rosan was a Computer Boy who could modify whatever it was that he was touching and they had signed away their lives the moment they freed him.


    When had he gotten the key you ask?


    It was while he was punching the life out of his opponent. Due to the nature of how he normally killed his opponents, his ruthless executions seemed like a normal occurrence and Rosan had calculated it into his plan. It was also the reason why he had opted into using the gauntlets, they were the easiest way to get what he wanted.


    While punching the man repeatedly Rosan, knowing that Doc wouldn''t watch the brutal affair, had stolen a tooth from the man. As he continued to punch the man, he had modified the tooth into the object of his desire.


    A universal key for his handcuffs.


    It had taken longer than he thought it would, which is why he had punched the man for so long. That was to be expected though. He didn''t have access to Modification for 3 months and so he needed to get a feel for it again.


    But, with the tooth successfully turned into a key Rosan had completely won. There was nothing they could do anymore. If by some chance they wanted to replace his Seastone handcuffs, he wouldn''t allow them and would just have to strike early. He doubted it though, these handcuffs had never been removed from him.


    Winning just wasn''t enough anymore though. It would never be enough to simply win. Rosan wanted to crush the wills of the people who had given him hell. He wouldn''t be satisfied until he heard them beg beneath him. Everyone that knew of his existence would have to die. Doc had likely advertised his newest weapon to the upcoming spectators and so, Rosan would have to take everyone out in one fell swoop. This way he would maintain anonymity and no one would know how he looked or what his name was.


    Now that he was free, it would be easy to do what he wanted.


    After all, Doc had said himself that he was the Ultimate Weapon.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan had been handcuffed again and escorted back to his quarters to retire for the day. He had naturally done it all without causing a fuss, obedient pet that he was.


    He was now sat on his bed, regarding his cuffed hands in curiosity. They were an interesting variation of handcuffs. Instead of linking together like standard handcuffs, they were more so like bracelets on each hand. Due to this, Rosan was able to mostly ignore them and perform normally, even with the exhausting drain it gave him.


    Removing the key from his pockets, Rosan removed the cuffs from his hand and tossed them aside. The redhead felt the familiar surge of Modification coursing through his body as he flexed his hand and the boy smiled.


    He had missed this feeling. It felt good. No, it felt amazing.


    He felt alive.


    The boy modified his key into a copy of the handcuffs and put them around his wrists. It would be hard to spot the difference between these and the Seastone handcuffs and Rosan wanted to keep up appearances at the moment.


    Glancing at said Seastone handcuffs, Rosan palmed the floor and modified a deep hole into it. Done with that, he tossed the Seastone into the newly created pit.


    Not yet finished, Rosan grabbed a piece of metal and modified it into a familiar mechanical fly. He gave it orders to find his belongings, scout the entire island and relay the information back to him. It buzzed in affirmation and flew through the holes of the cage, carefully maneuvering so as to not touch them.


    Rosan closed the hole and stood up to walk over to his bed. Breathing softly, the redhead easily entered his Mindscape.


    Opening his eyes, Rosan blinked at what he was seeing. His Mindscape...it was different then he last remembered.


    While still a forest, it was nothing like how it used to be. The sun had gone down, replaced by the dark of the night and the only source of light was the pale moon in the sky. It was now raining as well, had it been changed to a rainforest? The leaves were a bit droopy but otherwise, they were still healthy and there was an ever present endless amount of green.


    Rosan realized Mod-chan was nowhere to be seen. He could feel her though, as a weak pulse inside of the house. The boy headed over there and quietly opened the door to the house and walked into the room he knew she was located in. Rosan frowned as he took sight of her.


    She looked terrible. The purple haired woman was bedridden and it looked like she had just woken up, which she probably had. Her tanned face was flushed from what seemed to be a fever and her breathing was heavy. She saw him approach and tried to shoot up in joy at being able to see him once again. It had been so long since they had seen each other and the woman was overjoyed to see him!


    Rosan quickly closed the distance between them, to make sure she didn''t get up. His Devil Fruit looked weakened and he didn''t need to see her overexert herself anymore. The boy gave her a tight hug as he felt relief flood his entire system. He had missed her terribly. She had been a constant presence in his life and when their connection cut, he felt a horrible emptiness that he didn''t want to feel again.


    "Ah, I missed you more than you could imagine, Mod-chan," Rosan said, hugging her cheek to cheek. She weakly returned the hug, but her grip on him was firm. She was shaking heavily, afraid that she could lose him again and it filled the redhead with a familiar burst of anger. How dare they make his Mod-chan feel like this? Anyone who hurt Mod-chan didn''t deserve any mercy from him. He was going to enjoy what he was about to do to them.


    Mod tried to talk, but Rosan shushed her. The woman looked like she was just struggling to stay awake. Seastone¡­he hated the effect it had on her. Rosan wouldn''t allow himself to be capture and subjected to its effects again.


    "Don''t worry Mod-chan," Rosan reassured the bedridden woman. "Rest and restore your powers. I''ve got it handled now, you don''t have to do anything," He said softly to her. She didn''t have to clean up for his mistakes anymore, Rosan would do that himself and this would be his start.


    She finally noticed his shift in demeanor and shot him a worried look, but Rosan ignored it in favor of getting up and walking out of the door.


    "I have company. I will allow you to rest until you feel good enough to speak to me then I''ll visit you again, okay? In the meantime, assimilate yourself with my memories that you''ve missed. Goodbye Mod-chan."


    Before she could say anything, Rosan vanished and returned back to reality.


    Mod tried to get up and call him but she was still too weak to do anything. The purple haired woman panted in exhaustion from the exertion before lying back down on the bed. Rosan¡­he was different. Something had changed him. She needed to look into his memories immediately to understand the full scope of what went on.


    What had happened to him?


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan woke to the familiar sensation of a cool ointment being rubbed on him and was not surprised to see a shock of blonde hair. Meiko worked diligently and quickly. The girl was humming a nice tune to herself and she didn''t seem to be aware that he was awake.


    "You know Meiko..." Rosan watched in amusement as she squealed in fright "...I haven''t actually been seriously injured for a while now. My body has become quite adjusted to Doc''s treatment. While I enjoy the sensation of the ointment, your actions are unnecessary," he finished calmly.


    Something about what he said, caused her to flinch, before she pouted halfheartedly and tried to glare at him. She failed miserably as the glare fell away instantly, replaced instead by embarrassment. "I know that you haven''t b-been really injured for a long time¡­but, I still want to visit you and this is the only way I can be useful so please don''t kick me out! A-also, you still do have small i-injuries so I can work on those?"


    Rosan stared at her and said "Fine, do what you want," and that was the end of that. This girl managed to find comfort in his presence and Rosan didn''t care enough to tell her to leave so she was free to do as she pleased. It''s not like he had anything better to do.


    Meiko had made good on her promise to visit him more often. When the girl had said more, Rosan had figured she''d show up every week. But no, she meant every single night. She would barge quietly into his room, ointment in hand, and would proceed to rub the ointment on his body while talking to him about mundane things.


    The boy got the feeling that not a lot of people cared or listened to what she had to say. He was pretty sure she told him everything about her day because no one else was willing to hear her. Rosan, not having much better to do, would listen and even contribute to the conversation sometimes (something she greatly appreciate if the elation in her eyes meant anything). It wasn''t very often but, the blonde didn''t seem to mind that he rarely talked back.


    She was just happy that someone was actually listening!


    It helped that she had a pleasant voice, instead of one that grated on his ears, so Rosan didn''t mind listening to her. She was unknowingly a good source of info too. Rosan learned that they were on an isolated island called Daybreak Island near the calm belt in the North Blue. It''s citizens, typically, were wealthy people who either had slaves participating in the tournaments or spectators. Rosan curiously asked her if she had any slaves and she frantically waved her head no.


    The girl was vehemently against the idea of having people fight against each other. She abhorred the fact that they''d be killing themselves for the pleasure of other people. Rosan asked her why she was on this island then and she replied, downcast, "My parents," and ended the conversation there. Rosan sensing her sadness let the topic drop though he was a bit curious now.


    Speaking of which, Rosan had asked Meiko if her parents were concerned at all that she was going out so often, but her only response, was to tell him "My parents¡­they don''t care about me at all...they won''t notice I''m gone."


    At his questioning glance she explained that it was because she wasn''t very good at doing anything. She claimed that she was not interested in learning their craft and as a result, they had written her off as useless.


    She had wanted to become a medic for the Marines, partly to impress her parents, but mostly because she genuinely wanted to help people. The only problem was that she had no idea how to approach the marines, especially considering the less than legal affairs happening on this island. If they figured out her origins were tied to this island she''d never be able to become a marine. The blonde was also too young (being 11), to sail towards a base on her own.


    The blonde girl also had low self esteem. She didn''t seem to realize that she created her very own ointment, but Rosan had banished that self doubt when he told her how well it was working on him. Her face had turned an atomic shade of red and she stammered an insane amount at his compliment.


    Rosan wondered why he tolerated her so much but, he just chalked it up to her being the only nice person in his own personal hell. She had a naivety to her, that made him wonder what she was doing here, and she was the only person on this island who was genuinely kind to him. The redhead had gotten good at reading people. He had an easy time telling when someone was lying and she was genuine in everything she did.


    In another timeline, they could have been great friends.


    It was a shame that she had to die along with everyone else here.


    "Rosan¡­you seem a bit happier than normal today. No that''s not right¡­you seem more relieved?" Meiko suddenly said, interrupting his musing. Rosan glanced at her, wondering just how she knew that, but he saw no harm in telling her the truth.


    He would just omit some details.


    "Relieved? I suppose I am a bit relieved. I was allowed to use my abilities today¡­it felt nice not being so restricted. Perhaps that''s the reason?"


    As predicted her gaze turned into one of guilt and she looked down. Softly slapping her cheeks in an eerily familiar way, she looked up and determinedly asked him "Your Devil Fruit right? Could you tell me what it is, please?"


    "My devil fruit is the Saizu Saizu no Mi. It allows me to increase or decrease the size of myself and objects," was his automated response.


    Meiko''s soft blue gaze narrowed at him slightly. "Y-you don''t have to lie to me, Rosan," the redhead rose a brow in surprise at that. "I know the situation your in is really bad, b-but I''ve never lied to you so, please don''t lie to me."


    Rosan froze as he heard what she said. He regarded her with a shocked expression on his face, as the familiarity of it all washed over him.


    It was like looking at a ghost. Rosan remembered having the same problem with his mother about being truthful to him. She had been lying to him about how badly pregnancy had affected her and he found it unfair, due to the fact that he was always honest to her. The redhead never thought he''d be the one getting called out for such a thing, but life was funny like that.


    Still, to be able to so easily call him out on his lie? So easily? Despite her confidence issues, there had been no doubt in her tone whatsoever. It was worrying how easily she could see through him. If she had been an actual enemy, Rosan would have had a much harder time escaping from this place.


    That was another thing about her, she could read him like nobody else. Frankly it was unnerving.


    Around her, Rosan felt exposed in a way that he never experienced. Despite the wall he had up constantly, she tore through them like they were made of paper. The redhead wasn''t sure how she was able to see through him so easily. Nobody but Mod-chan could do that (and she could read his mind!).


    Not even Robin or his mother could see through him this easily and he was an open book around them.


    That wasn''t to say this was one-sided. Rosan had a frighteningly easy time seeing through her as well. Maybe that was why she kept coming back, they had some sort of bond that he couldn''t explain. The two of them were compatible in a way that had him putting his guard fully up.


    It''s why the redhead decided she needed to die. She was an enigma. An enigma that could be dangerous to him. She needed to be eliminated due to the power they held over each other. Rosan could not risk having this person as an enemy.


    Rosan, with a critical eye, gazed at her as she called him out so bravely.


    She raised a fair and valid point. Rosan would be a hypocrite if he didn''t realize that, because he had had the exact same issue with his mother. He watched as her, once confident gaze, wilted under his eye and she had quickly reverted to her meek demeanour.


    Meiko had a very good point and he acknowledged that fully. If this were anything else, he''d have conceded. But this wasn''t anything else. She didn''t seem to understand the full scope of the situation that he was currently in.


    "I don''t trust you," Rosan told her truthfully. Her expression turned a bit hurt, but he continued unimpeded. "Don''t get me wrong Meiko, everything you do is genuine and normally I would have no problem trusting you, but I''m sure you know what happened to me. I can''t allow myself to trust anyone so easily. No, that''s not quite right. I won''t allow myself to trust anyone."


    Why was Rosan telling her this? If she told Doc, all his planning could be ruined and he''d have to settle for enacting his plan early. He wasn''t sure why he was doing this but, something told him this conversation would stay between the two of them. Was it stupid of him? Yes but, this weird bond they had, assured him that she wouldn''t.


    He was getting pretty sick of lying anyways. It went against his character that his mother so caringly raised.


    Despite the hurt in her eyes, the understanding gaze she directed towards Rosan baffled him. Here she was, telling him everything she could and he wouldn''t even tell her one thing with the reasoning being that he didn''t trust her, despite being trustworthy.


    Yet she gazed at him with nothing but understanding and compassion. To see someone so caring, so friendly, so kind, Rosan couldn''t believe it. How could someone like this exist? How could she direct such a gaze towards him? How could someone be so nice to him?


    It seriously pissed him off.


    Who the fuck did she think she was? She thought she had the right to look at him with those eyes. This weakling thought she could pity him? Just the thought that he was being looked down upon, filled him with nothing but hot burning rage.


    Quicker then she could react, Rosan forced Meiko down and loomed over her. His dual eyes were positively blazing, as he snarled down at her. It was the first time he''d actually lost his temper since this change and the fact it was Meiko who caused it made it all the worse.


    "You really think you understand me don''t you?!" He questioned furiously to the frightened girl beneath him. His voice was low and packed with fury as he spoke to her."You don''t understand anything I''ve gone through so stop pretending like you fucking do. Don''t try to relate your life to mine just because your parents don''t love you and you have no friends," he hissed venomously.


    The redhead was angry in a way that he couldn''t even explain. Who did she think she was? Rosan wouldn''t let someone with family issues try to relate to him. How dare she even try to compare the two of their issues. Last he checked she wasn''t a fucking prisoner who had been getting tortured for THREE MONTHS!


    "T-that''s cruel Rosan! Y-you don''t have to say something like that," Meiko sobbed but Rosan didn''t care. She made him so angry. Did she really think that just because she could read him, she could just go and say whatever the hell she wanted? Rosan wasn''t a naive idiot anymore. He wasn''t going to believe anything a person said just because they honeyed their words.


    She needed to pay.


    Raising a fist, Rosan nearly swung down before stopping as he got a good look at her face. He was so consumed in rage, he assumed that she was crying in fear.


    But she wasn''t.


    No, she wasn''t crying because of his harsh words or how physical he was with her. She was crying because of his pain and that realization froze him completely. "I-I''m s-so sorry R-Rosan," she sobbed out an apology, making him flinch. "I''m so weak and pathetic, that I can''t even properly help you when you''re in so much pain."


    Rage left his body in an instant and was instead replaced by regret. The boy sagged slightly as regret for what he did, and was about to do to this girl, seeped into his body.


    What was wrong with him? He had let himself get possessed by rage and had nearly struck the girl because of it. It was sloppy of him to allow himself to succumb so easily to his own emotions again. He couldn''t allow himself to lose control like that again.


    Taking a deep breath, Rosan said "You should go Meiko¡­and you shouldn''t come back." He got off of her and let her pick herself up.


    She tried to protest his decision, but Rosan would not be swayed. Seeing that he would stay firm in his decision, she sadly got up and walked over to the cell. "I-I know you feel bad Rosan¡­but i-it''s not your fault so I d-don''t blame you!" She began softly.


    Facing him, compassionate blue stared into a combination of rage filled red and chilly purple as she said "Rosan, I just want to understand you! Please...I know you can''t trust anybody, I really do, but that''s why I want to earn your trust! B-because if you can''t trust even one person in life then can you really call that living?"


    "Nobody should ever be forced to be alone!" A 4 year old Rosan said to Nico Robin. The memory came rushing to him suddenly and Rosan had to bite his cheek to prevent himself from lashing out.


    "Get out," Rosan said through grit teeth. He hated how her words affected him. He hated how much sense she made. He hated that she refused to accept the reality that Rosan didn''t want to trust anybody. He hated that he seriously considered her offer. He hated how seemingly vulnerable he was around her.


    So he pushed her away.


    Opening the cage, Meiko left a few parting words. "I knew you weren''t going to hurt me Rosan. Deep down¡­you''re kind Rosan I know it. I''m so sorry that they did this to you and...I''m going to make this right. You may not trust me Rosan, but I trust you," she told the younger boy with a sad smile on her face.


    "I-I''ll find a way to break you out Rosan, I promise," before he could respond, Meiko softly closed the cage and scurried away.


    The heterochromatic boy stared in disbelief at her retreating form.


    She fully believed what she said. Meiko actually did trust him and that confused him more then he could imagine. It was impossible for someone to be so kind. It was a trick, it had to be. But it wasn''t. This was just who she was. Someone like her, didn''t belong in a world like this. The blonde was too pure for her own good.


    Rosan didn''t like her.


    In his 3 months here, besides rage, He hadn''t felt a single emotion flare up and yet she was able to get a reaction out of him so easily. She was lying about something, she had to be. The girl needed to be eliminated. She was a threat to Rosan.


    Right...?

 Rage II

    3 months later


    Like he had demanded, Meiko hadn''t visited him since the night he blew up on her.


    Rosan was unstable and he could freely admit that. He had been rather unhinged ever since his mother died. Someone like Meiko, who was too gentle for her own good, should not be around someone like him. It was only logical that she would heed his warning and stay away.


    He had to admit, he was slightly disappointed. Though he didn''t like the girl, her voice was soothing. Rosan wondered if she knew how to sing?


    The redhead decided to focus on more important matters. Namely, Doc''s walking form in front of him. After all, today was the day of Ash and Dust and Rosan planned on winning the whole thing. Anything less would be a failure for a boy and he wouldn''t feel as good destroying everything on this island.


    Rosans strength had increased greatly over his span here. Due to being forced to work in Seastone handcuffs for 3 months, being free of their effects, meant he was stronger than ever and it was noticeable. None of the other prisoners posed a threat to him anymore, so Doc had stopped giving him sparring opponents. No need to have such needless deaths, were the mans words.


    He was sure he had heard them celebrating at the prospect of never having to face him again and the boy withheld a snort at the thought. Treating a 9 year old like he were the boogeyman, was as funny as it was shameful.


    So now, when it was training time, Rosan would just build his knowledge with the various weapons that he had at his disposal. It had the added benefit of making sure he was with the much more submissive Mom instead of Doc. Rosan didn''t hate the woman as much as he hated Doc and, ever since his talk with the pervert, the power dynamic between the two had shifted and Rosan found that he was able to get away with far more stuff as long as he sufficiently distracted her.


    Though, that had the downside of turning Mod-chan into a seething lunatic.


    He pointedly ignored the sudden feeling of being glared at.


    There were various books on how to use a majority of the weapons so Rosan didn''t have a hard time picking them up. He wasn''t a master yet, but he had a good idea on how best to use each weapon. His preferred weapons were the Battle Axe, Hammer, Gauntlets, Sword and Scythe.


    Rosan was not a fan of the scythe, which was why it annoyed him to no end that it was one of his best weapons. Everything about the weapon irked him¡­its exceedingly long reach, how the blade was so awkwardly placed onto the pole, how he had to hold it in a way that didn''t interfere with his short stature. The weapon was so impractical, it was a wonder why people thought using it was a good idea.


    He despised the weapon and the first thing he''d do when breaking out, would be to find a way to make the scythe more accommodating to his frame.


    He had been reading a copious amount of random books since his stay here, to accumulate his knowledge and it was paying dividends. Blacksmithing, gardening, hunting, geography, calligraphy, etc. Rosan had soaked the knowledge of all sorts of books and added it to his growing list of skills to learn. He planned on utilizing every skill he learned so that he would not be reliant on anybody but himself. He would become a Swiss Army Knife so to say.


    Speaking of Modification, Rosan had done a good job of making it appear as if he were being properly restricted. Doc still believed that, outside of training, he had no freedom whatsoever and that was so very far from the truth. The bug he had sent out to scout had already gotten a full scope of the island, located his items, and relayed all the information back to him.


    In that time frame, He also had a conversation with Mod-chan. It went about as well as he expected.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Flashback


    Rosan sat idly in the lounge area of his mindscape. His face was a picture perfect calm as idly raked a hand through his hair.


    Adjacent from him was Mod-chan with a blank look on her face. The woman appeared to be as calm as Rosan, but she couldn''t hide the distraught look in her red eyes from the redhead. She had probably finished assimilating herself with his memories of his stay here then.


    This was going to go well.


    Rosan sighed at the look on her face. She was always trying to be strong for the both of them. It was as endearing as it was annoying. The redhead could take care of himself now, and, while he would still need her, the purple haired woman needed to understand this.


    Rosan decided that now would be a great time to get that out of the way.


    "Something on your mind, Mod-chan?" Rosan asked her softly. Mod-chan flinched at his flat tone and the 9 year old softened his expression. "Without the Seastone limiting us, you look much better¡­I don''t want to see you like that ever again."


    Rosan meant what he said, he hated seeing Mod-chan like that. He never wanted her to look so vulnerable. Just the thought of seeing her like that again made him sick.


    Mod-chan blushed and a small smile appeared on her otherwise sad face. She thanked him before she turned serious again. Straightening herself, she said "I''m sorry for calling you on such short notice Rosan its just¡­I finished going through your memories and-" Mod-chan struggled to say what she wanted to say, visibly fighting back tears and failing miserably.


    The child shot her an understanding look as he waited patiently for her. Mod-chan was very protective of him so seeing memories of him getting tortured for the better part of 3 months, must have destroyed her. Rosan knew her, she probably blamed herself for this. It was a testament to her overprotectiveness, that she wasn''t a sobbing mess at the moment. It was all to keep up the appearance that she was alright.


    For him.


    He hated that.


    Rosan didn''t want Mod-chan to be overprotective of him. They were equals now and they needed to look out for each other. It shouldn''t be so one-sided in his favor. Rosan would let her say everything she had to say before speaking his mind. Holding things in like this would only lead to a bigger breakdown in the future. It was unhealthy.


    (Hypocrite.)


    "I''m so sorry, Rosan," Mod-chan began through shaky breaths. "There are so much things I could have done to help alleviate your pain, but I couldn''t and while I was sleeping you were suffering so so much," the woman said in despair. "What I saw was horrible and...I could barely watch it! No should ever have to go through that, especially not you a-and it''s just not fair-" Mod collapsed as she failed to finish her sentence. Her frame was shaking, as she tried to hold in her sobs and Rosan frowned as he looked at her.


    What was with the woman in his life always trying to hide things from him? Maybe that was why he enjoy- he tolerated Meiko''s presence. She was an open book and she didn''t hide anything from the boy.


    Unlike him.


    Rosan made his way to Mod-chan and hugged her. "It''s okay Mod-chan. Let it all out, I''m here for you," the boy whispered soothingly. He would say more but he wanted her to finish before he spoke. For now he would just be the presence she needed.


    Mod-chan clutched his smaller frame desperately as sobs wracked her body. "I-its all my fault Rosan! Y-you tried to be so brave by yourself and I c-couldn''t even b-be slightly useful!" The purple haired woman was an emotional wreck as she spoke. "They took everything from you and I couldn''t s-stop them. E-even now, you''ve been doing everything by yourself, while I''m just sitting pretty a-and I f-failed you so horribly p-please f-forgiv-" Mod-chan wailed as the floodgates opened.


    This was Mod''s problem when it came to Rosan. The woman refused to put the blame on the redhead and instead, chose to shoulder it all by herself. He had noticed it since he was 4, but he was dealing with his own trauma and, by the time he had met Robin, he had thought she had solved it on her own. From having Rosan leave the island, to him getting captured and tortured, to his drastic shift in personality¡­she blamed it all on herself.


    He''d have to correct that. The boy should have corrected it the moment he noticed.


    Stroking her hair softly as she wailed into his small body, Rosan decided now would be a good time to speak. "Mod-chan, you have to stop blaming yourself," Rosan said firmly. "None of this is your fault, the blame lies solely on me. I''m the one who made these decisions and I''m the one who got us captured at the end of the day," the boy finished looking the sobbing Devil Fruit in her eyes.


    "B-but the only reason we got captured, is that you tried to hide the fact you had my powers in the first place." Mod-chan said utterly heartbroken, remembering explicitly how the boy had only decided to use his abilities when it was too late, because of her. Rosan was a child who valued not disappointing those important to him. Of course he''d take the words she told him when he was 4 seriously and it had cost them. She was stupid for not taking that into account.


    Rosan shook his head in denial. "I let my guard down and you know that, Mod-chan. I got arrogant, full of myself, because of how strong I had been getting. The idea that I could get ambushed never crossed my mind because I thought just hiding Modification was enough. I am just as to blame for deciding too late to use Modification."


    "You need to understand Mod-chan. The moment I decided to leave Baterilla, I should have stopped acting like a child. I failed to do that, I paid the price and now your paying the price for my immaturity too," the redhead said softly. "The only one who failed was me, Mod-chan. Do not blame yourself or else, I''ll really get upset with you," Rosan finished firmly with a frown on his face.


    Mod-chan tried to argue, but anything else she said, was swiftly shut down by Rosan. The woman didn''t want to believe him and that was okay. Rosan would give her time to gather herself, but he would get rid of these self-destructive thoughts.


    "I''m not someone who needs protecting anymore, Mod-chan. I made many mistakes, that you salvaged, but those mistakes just kept piling. I won''t allow myself to make those mistakes again so you don''t need to worry about me," the 9 year old told the slightly surprised woman. It was becoming apparent to her now just how much he changed and it was slightly staggering.


    "We were supposed to be partners, but I was a child and you were my mother. But, no more. You can rely on me now and I''ll prove it to you with my actions from now on." Rosan''s red eye blazed as he confidently spoke.


    "B-but Rosan, your smile¡­I failed to protect it! They took your happiness from you and I couldn''t do anything about it! I...I can''t forgive myself for that." Mod-chan looked so defeated as she spoke about the promise they had made so long ago. The woman looked like she was about to break down again and Rosan steadily calmed her down.


    She raised a good point and the reality of his emotional situation, was finally becoming clear to the boy. Rosan would normally have been sobbing just as badly at this point but right now, he couldn''t feel any type of sadness. The redhead was beginning to understand the brunt of just what happened to him and he resisted the urge to frown.


    He wouldn''t let it affect him.


    "You''re right Mod-chan, they took away my innocence and they showed me how cruel the world can be. I''m sorry I couldn''t keep my promise to you. Just like you, I can''t forgive myself for this failure. So, the people who did this, have to pay."


    Mod-chan protested, quite strongly, at that. "You''re not to blame Rosan! You tried but no one could make it out of such horrific torture unscathed. You haven''t failed anything, so there''s nothing for you to forgive!" The woman firmly responded, glaring at him with a motherly fury.


    Rosan simply countered her argument. "That''s how I feel about you right now, Mod-chan. You haven''t done anything wrong, so there''s nothing to forgive," the boy said, throwing the Devil Fruit''s words right back at her. "How about this? I will slowly forgive myself, if you can do the same," the dual eyed boy proposed.


    Mod''s eyes widened as she realized that she had fallen straight into his trap. The woman looked at him in a new light and realized that, maybe Rosan didn''t need her to protect him so much. The realization hurt her a bit, but she pushed it down in favor of the swelling pride inside of her.


    Equals didn''t sound too bad to her and, based on what she had seen from his memories, Rosan really didn''t need to overly rely on her anymore. He had escaped with nothing but his cunningness and intelligence. Despite the situation, Mod was really proud of the boy.


    Rosan watched all this transpire with a critical gaze. He knew Mod-chan enough to guess what she was going to say next. Before she could, he decided to speak up. "Mod-chan I know you are still upset with yourself at my personality shift, but what''s done is done. There is no time to dwell on the past, when there is so much of the future to experience. Maybe in that future I will learn how to feel happiness again but until then, we just need to continue."


    Mod-chan looked at him in wonder before her gaze turned resolute. Nodding steely, the tan woman said "You''re right Rosan. I need to get out of this funk and focus on our future. Thank you."


    Rosan nodded, satisfied, with her response. "Good, now do you have any idea why my eye has changed color? I''ve theorized some things but you have a much more intricate understanding of my body than I do."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Current


    A fusion of some sorts between him and Mod-chan. That had been what she told him. Despite being afflicted by seastone, Rosan''s inner body, barring Mod-chan, still worked normally and in response to his intense desire to become stronger, Modification had changed too merging partially with the boy.


    It was fascinating, Rosan wondered curiously if that made him half devil or half fruit.


    Seems all those people calling him a monster were right. He felt Mod-chan vehemently disagree and conceded without any argument with her. He personally didn''t care that he had partially fused with Mod-chan and she didn''t seem bothered by it either.


    In fact, Rosan was sure she was ecstatic about it. It made their connection stronger and Rosan would have a much easier time using Modification. He had been secretly training with it and he noticed the ease at which he was able to do things had dramatically increased.


    It was rather odd though, Rosan thought the moment he ate the Devil Fruit he had fused with Mod...maybe it had something to do with the fact that she appeared to be the only conscious Devil Fruit? He was positive that Devil Fruit''s fully combined with a person until that person died. Did that mean Mod-chan was not the Mod Mod no Mi in full?


    Well, he didn''t care too much about it. If that was what Mod-chan said happened, then that''s probably what happened. The redhead had no reason to doubt her.


    Doc was none the wiser at the fact that Rosan had been free the entire time. To be fair to the doctor, Rosan gave no hints. He kept up the facade of having the Saizu Saizu no Mi and due to that, his actual ability to increase and decrease the size of things had improved considerably.


    What had surprised Rosan, was that Meiko actually didn''t tell anyone about their meeting or the truth behind his Devil Fruit. Though the blonde girl didn''t know he had Modification, she had already known that his fruit wasn''t the Saizu Saizu no Mi. She could have ruined months of planning if she told them.


    She really had kept it a secret. Rosan¡­needed to apologize to the 11 year old if he saw her before the end of the night.


    That was neither here nor there though. Rosan had a tournament to win and a lot of money, that was definitely going to Doc, to earn.


    He had been waiting about an hour for his match to start and he patiently waited. Some man named Daichi was his opponent. It was the same name as the captain of the Saber Pirates, the pirate crew that was housing Robin. If it was anything like his very first battle, Rosan doubted he''d even break a sweat. Even if it was, people in the Blue Seas were rather weak.


    Rosan was currently donned in an all black outfit. A form fitting, long sleeved shirt, covered his upper torso while long cargo pants that were tucked neatly into some steel clad boots made up his lower half. His messy red hair had been tied into a bun, so as to prevent anyone from having an easy way to grab him. Though some strands still hung over his face that he made sure wouldn''t get in his way.


    Despite being a massive pervert, Mom was good at what she did. Rosan was rather vain himself so he was impressed by what she did. The outfit was approved by the both of them and so he chose to wear it. Mod-chan begrudgingly approved of it as well so he really knew it was good. His Devil Fruit always took the chance to hurl an insult at the black haired woman and it was funny to see the, normally calm, Mod so riled up.


    As he made his way to the entrance of the arena, Rosan felt the thrumming of people, all screaming, no doubt excited to watch 2 people fight to the death. He withheld a sigh at that. Rich people always claimed to be of a higher status then people but, when it came do to it, they were just as barbaric as the ones they showed disdain too. They just hid it behind curtains and pretended to be perfect. He knew better though, they wanted to watch this because it was fascinating to them.


    Well lucky for them, Rosan would put on a show that they''d never seen before.


    "Rosan," Doc began, speaking to him excitedly. "Today is the debut of my ultimate weapon! You''ve got a lot of people expecting you to fail and the bets have already been made. I''m the only one who believes you''ll win it all so you''ll win yes?"


    Said weapon glanced at him and merely nodded his head. He''d win the tournament, that was a guarantee. The green eyed man had said that everyone else already wrote him off and that he was the only one to actually believe in Rosan and that thought, made him snort inwardly.


    How sweet. Guess he had to win then.


    His inner show off flared as he thought about them doubting his ability. It was time to put those doubts to rest because Rosan wasn''t going to lose here of all places. They were surely going to regret betting against the redhead, but then again, they were rich so they probably didn''t mind as much.


    Besides, it wouldn''t be their only regret tonight.


    Rosan closed his eyes and let out a small breath. The boy had opted to use twin daggers for this fight and he lazily held them.


    They were one of the few weapons that actually fit his tiny frame. The daggers were still made for adults though so they looked more like dual tanto on him. He quite liked using them, it allowed for a more speedy approach and there was a certain type of beauty in the precise cuts.


    The redhead opened his eyes as the gate to the arena finally opened. "Bright," he idly noted as he looked around. The roaring of the crowd pounded in his ear, as thousands of people cheered at the spectacle. The cheers only amplified as both contestants walked out of their respective entrances and into view.


    "LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! WELCOME TO THE 7th ROUND OF THE ASH AND DUST TOURNAMENT!" A booming voice, at the top of the commentator stands, said. Modifying his vision to get a better look, Rosan was able to see that he was a man in a full black suit with slicked back brown hair and an obnoxious pair of sunglasses on his grinning face. "ON ONE SIDE, HAILING FROM THE NORTH BLUE, HE''S LEAN HE''S MEAN HE''S SHORTER THEN THE 5 LETTERS IT TAKES TO MAKE GREEN, GIVE IT UP FOR ROSAN!"


    Rosan hated this guy already.


    The crowd booed loudly for the newcomer, but the boy ignored it. They''d have a real reason to boo him soon enough.


    "ON THE OTHER HAND, WE HAVE ONE OF THE MOST PROMISING PROSPECTS TO WIN THE ENTIRE THING! HE''S LAST YEAR''S CHAMPION AND HE''S HERE TO RECLAIM HIS THRONE! GIVE IT UP FOR DAICHIIIII!"


    The crowd roared in excitement and Daichi basked in the noise of their cheers. He was a brown skinned muscular man with a buzz cut and a cocky grin. He wore a sleeveless blue shirt with camouflage pants and boots. For weapons, he had brass knuckles equipped. He was a muscled brute in every sense of the word.


    This would be easy.


    "THIS LOOKS LIKE IT''S GOING TO BE A FAST ONE FOLKS, SO DON''T GET TOO COMFORTABLE!"


    Oh if only he knew.


    No doubt, they thought he was going to be easy pickings. They immediately set him up against a fan favorite, and reigning champion, after all. Nobody expected such a small child to win a tournament, much less this fight.


    Wasn''t it just ironic that only Doc had complete faith in him to not just win this fight but the entire thing. "I''ll have to repay his goodwill," Rosan thought mockingly.


    A fast one hm? Very well, Rosan would go against this notion because he had nothing better to do. He would toy with their little golden boy and give them the show they wanted.


    It wouldn''t be fast. They could get as comfortable as they wanted while they witnessed his performance.


    Both of his arms laid lazily by his side as he stared at his opponent. The brute let out a laugh at what probably looked like a hopeless struggle. He didn''t yet understand, that the one who would be dictating the pace of this fight, was Rosan.


    This could have been a quick fight if Rosan had wanted it to be, but he didn''t want it to be. He wanted to torment this person.


    "That''s quite cruel, Rosan," Mod-chan said, tone not disapproving. He would have been surprised if it was, Mod-chan generally didn''t care about anyone that he didn''t care about. She would barely bat an eye at what he did to anyone else. It was a healthy reminder that the Devil Fruit was intended to be a weapon before he, luckily, managed to find her.


    "Just doing what the crowd wants, Mod-chan," was his response as he got ready.


    A horn blasted, signaling the beginning of the fight and Rosan took off. It was funny how everyone who fought him reacted at his speed for the first time. They always underestimated him and when he did this, they hesitated for far too long giving him enough time to do what he wanted.


    Case in point, Daichi''s eyes widened at the sight of him vanishing and let out cry of surprise as shallow cuts suddenly marred his chest.


    4 strips of his shirt fell off as Rosan stood before him. The little shit stared mockingly up at him, as a small amount of blood dripped off his daggers. Daichi felt a vein throb at the look in the boy''s dual eyes. The look of utter dismissal. As if...as if he weren''t even worth his time.


    Why was it that even though Daichi towered over Rosan, he was the one being looked down upon?! That look in his eyes...it suggested he wasn''t being taken serious at all!


    Unbidden, sweat began forming at the thought that he was only alive because the kid didn''t want to kill him, but he quickly shook those thoughts away.


    This kid was messing with him! Haha as if he could kill him! Nice try, but he wouldn''t fall for such tricks from a child of all things. He had been planning on giving the crowd a show, but the little brat had pissed him off to no end with his little bravado play.


    Rosan leapt back as Daichi crashed his brass knuckles where he was standing. He smirked at the fact that he had successfully provoked Daichi and, as he soared backwards, he began his next course of action. The moment his feet hit the ground, the redhead was already on the move. He was always on the move, never let your opponent think of their next move. Dust was kicked up as Rosan once again vanished from Daichi''s sight.


    Overwhelm them every step of the way.


    Glancing around wildly, Daichi couldn''t help but let out a gasp of pain as 4 more cuts appeared on his body, this time on his back. He wildly turned around in an attempt to punch at the offender but Rosan anticipated this. The child deftly dodged the blow and, using his much smaller height, he jumped on the man''s overextended arm. The redhead smiled at the man as he balanced himself perfectly on his flailing arm.


    Daichi saw red at the cheeky boy''s actions. W-who did this brat think he was?! Did he think he could afford to mess with Daichi of all people? The thought made him gnash his teeth in anger.


    Daichi tried to shake him off and when that failed, he used his other arm to swing at the annoying gnat. Rosan leaned back, completely avoiding the blow, and stabbed deeply into the offending arm.


    Blood gushed down his arm as Daichi let out an agonized scream at the pain he was feeling. The idiot tried to withdraw his arm, but that only had the added effect of making the dagger lodged weapon dig deeper. Rosan decided to reward his tenacity with more stabs, this time to his biceps.


    The man wailed in pain at the boy''s assault. This was unreal! H-how was this kid so strong? What had they been feeding him?!


    Done with his arm, Rosan leapt up his arm so he could reach the mans face and decided it would look better if he put 4 more cuts there. A slash appeared on both his cheeks, his forehead, and across his nose as the man fell on his ass.


    That was a grave mistake. Rosan smiled maliciously and, like a shark in the water, the redhead pounced on him. Cut after shallow cut appeared on his body as little monster gingerly took his time. His shirt had been completely shredded from the little boy and any attempt he made to defend himself only ended up with that appendage getting a new wound.


    The crowd had gone completely silent. Whether it was at the fact that their former champion was losing so handily or the fact that his opponent was clearly toying with him. Whatever it was, they had been hushed completely.


    Finally, Rosan got up to admire his handiwork. A rose was carved neatly onto the man''s muscular chest. The man let out gargled choke at the brutal pain of having your chest carved into with a sharp weapon. The dual eyed boy almost scoffed, but he didn''t care about the pathetic state the man was in.


    Finished with his job, Rosan grasped one of his blood soaked daggers and slit the man''s throat. The boy watched as his latest victim choked on his own blood with a passive gaze. Red and purple bore into brown, as the man gagged and grasped at neck with his hands, but it was useless.


    Rosan had made sure his strike was fatal.


    The sight of the 9 year old boy covered in blood, etched itself firmly into the minds of the spectators and Rosan was declared the winner. He bowed mockingly to the crowd, before making his way to his designated waiting area. That would teach them to doubt the boy.


    It was like the floodgates had been broken as the crowds roars increased tenfold.


    Rosan realized that they were cheering for him and a sneer almost made its way onto his face. These disgusting humans...he didn''t want or need their cheers. They could save it for the other contestants because they would need it far more than he did.


    "Cheering at the sight of an 9 year old killing in cold blood. How barbaric," Mod-chan sighed at the sight and Rosan agreed with her.


    "Don''t worry Mod-chan, their time in this world is reaching an end," He said softly as the gate shut behind him, crowd cheering loudly for him all the while, unknown of the fate that was going to befall them.


    Rosan made his way back to Doc, who looked positively ecstatic at his performance. "Yes yes! Well done Rosan!" The blonde man congratulated. "The fact that you didn''t even sustain an injury against the previous champion, is nothing short of incredible! I knew you would perform most impressively!" Rosan held his disgust at the gushing man before him. "Come, let''s get you cleaned up right away!"


    Rosan closed his eyes as he let himself get taken away.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    After getting cleaned up by Mom (Mod-chan was filled with fury the moment she laid eyes upon the woman), Rosan had absolutely mowed through his next few opponents. It was laughably easy how little resistance they put up to the smaller child.


    It seems like they wanted to give Daichi an easy run to the finals and Rosan graciously took that in his stead. No one had managed to make him break a sweat and the redhead got the feeling that he was going to be disappointed until he got his revenge.


    The crowd loved him now, due to his tendency of showing off (seems old habits die hard) and how versatile his weapon choice was. He had yet to use the same weapon twice in the 4 matches he had after Daichi. In said matches, he chose to use a sword, a nagi, a staff, and a sickle.


    He had comfortably made it into the finals and for his last match, he chose to wield the scythe. He lazily held it over his shoulder and as a result, the blade dragged slightly on the floor. He figured he''d get some more practice in with the strange, hard to wield, weapon that was bigger then he and what better way to test in then against his final opponent.


    He had no idea who his final opponent was going to be. The contestants were not allowed to view other fights, so as to keep the battles fair. As a result, they were both going in blind.


    Not that it mattered to the dual eyed boy, his opponent would die and Rosan would live. That was that. Besides, if they were anything like his previous opponents, Rosan wouldn''t be struggling against his opponent.


    As he made his way to the arena, Rosan was greeted by something large and blue. He blinked as he took in the appearance of his opponent. 8 feet tall with a lot of fat and gills on his shoulder and neck. He had spikes all over his body and if they were anything like the fish he was based off of, Rosan was going to be in a bit of trouble.


    A Pufferfish type Fishman. Fantastic.


    Rosan made a mental note to stop tempting fate so much. His final opponent was an actual Fishman. Fishmen were notoriously powerful and were said to boast 10 times the strength of humans. They were made of much sturdier stuff as well and this one in particular, looked like he''d be able to tank a lot of damage.


    He wore a slave collar around his neck and the look in his eyes, suggested that he really wanted to turn Rosan into paste.


    Right...Fishmen didn''t like humans because of the amount of prejudice they had to face. While their hatred was justified, Rosan didn''t care about how they looked or where they lived so, why was this man looking at the redhead like he personally committed a crime against Fishmen. The only crime he was about to commit wouldn''t really leave the man with much room to direct his hate because he''d be well, dead.


    No matter. It would be slightly difficult, but maybe, just maybe, Rosan would finally have a good fight. Gripping his scythe, Rosan stared blankly at the slave across from him.


    "How interesting, unlike the other humans, your gaze lacks disgust," The Blue man said and he sounded impressed. If that was enough to impress him, then the bar was set really low.


    "What is your name boy?" The Fishman asked curiously. Rosan continued staring at him, as he contemplated answering, before he decided there would be no harm in doing so. It wasn''t going to matter in a little bit anyways.


    "My name is Rosan," he kindly introduced himself. "In regards to your curiosity, your race means nothing to me. Human or Fishman, you are all just obstacles that need to be dealt with. Who you are doesn''t mean anything when you''re dead," Rosan replied frigidly.


    Despite his uncaring response, the Fishman nodded in respect. "I thank you for that, Rosan," he said with a short bow. "It''s not often I meet someone who doesn''t care that I am a Fishman. My name is Kenzo and unlike my other opponents, I shall give you an honorable death."


    "Kenzo huh?" The redhead repeated softly. "Sorry to tell you Kenzo, but I have no intention of dying here," he informed his opponent truthfully. "You have no need to worry though. I will not forget your name, even in death."


    "I will not underestimate you, Rosan. Your main advantage is gone," The pufferfish said and he actually looked apologetic. "It was a good run but your journey ends here. I''m truly sorry young one but I have a family a I must make it back too them at all costs."


    "Whether you underestimate me or not, the results of this fight won''t change. I will win. That is a fact. You assuming that I''m simply winning because my opponents underestimate me, is underestimation itself Kenzo," Rosan said matter-of-factly.


    "You say you have a family? If I ever find them I will send them your regards and let them know that you died with honor, instead of the death I''m about to give you. You deserve that much." With that, Rosan ended the conversation and Kenzo followed suit.


    The annoying commentator chose that moment to speak up, "WELCOMMMEE TO THE FINALS, EVERYBODY! IN A CONTINUOUS SERIES OF UPSETS, OUR TWO FINAL OPPONENTS ARE NOTHING THAT WE EXPECTED!"


    "ON ONE SIDE, WE HAVE KENZO THE FISHMAN! TRUE TO HIS LINEAGE, HE''S A SAVAGE MONSTER WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR SOME OF THE MOST BRUTAL DEATHS HERE."


    Rosan scoffed as the crowd jeered and booed the fishman. All of this just because he looked different? People really were stupid if they judged things on the surface only.


    Kenzo''s eyes flashed with pure hatred but he held himself back from reacting outwardly.


    "ON THE OTHER SIDE, WE HAVE THE SURPRISE UPSTART! THE GRACEFUL KILLING MACHINE! THE TRUE UNDERDOG! NOBODY EXPECTED HIM TO AMOUNT TO ANYTHING, BUT HERE HE IS AND HE''S READY TO COMPLETE THE FAIRY TALE. GIVE IT UP FOR ROSANNNNN!"


    The noise the crowd made was deafening. After his first match against Daichi, the crowd had begun cheering for him and after his convincing victories, they were fully on his side. They were chanting his name as they roared for him to kill the filthy fish.


    Tch. Rosan hated taking orders from people he didn''t respect.


    "ALRIGHT FOLKS! THE CONTESTANTS ARE READY. WILL ROSAN''S LUCK FINALLY END HERE TO THE MIGHT OF KENZO OR WILL HE PREVAIL DESPITE ALL THE ODDS. DON''T LEAVE YOUR SEATS, IT''S GONNA BE A FUN ONE. BEGIIIIIIIIIN!"


    Luck? Never mind, he didn''t care. He had more important things to focus on. Namely, the gigantic fishman charging him with surprising speed that belied his massive size.


    Kenzo was faster than he expected, but Rosan was faster. The redhead ducked under the man''s meaty fist and he slid past his leg to deliver an experimental swing of his scythe, that Kenzo jumped over and Rosan was forced to block the responding blow from the large man''s foot.


    Rosan was sent flying, as the kick connected with the scythe. Landing upright, Rosan decided that he should avoid blocking the fishman''s blows. In fact, it was in his best interest to not get hit by his opponent. The man packed a serious punch and Rosan felt the recoil even through the block.


    Rosan''s adrenaline began pumping in earnest, as the prospect of a challenging fight finally revealed itself. This time, he wouldn''t wait until he was sure he had to use Modification. He made that mistake once and it had cost him everything. He''d win this fight right here, right now and Kenzo would be yet another name added to a growing list of people.


    "Boost x2." Rosan said and the effects were immediate. The redhead tensed up as he felt the boost wash over him.


    The 9 year old was already plenty strong for his age, but right now, he was sure even through all that protective fat, Kenzo would be unable to withstand him.


    He vanished from Kenzo''s view.


    The fishman barely had time to widen his eyes, before a long cut appeared on his back and the force of the blow was so strong, he stumbled forward slightly. Kenzo tried to catch himself, but he felt a gust of wind and looked up, only to see Rosan aiming a downward swing that was no doubt meant for his skull.


    He leaned back hastily, but was unable to fully dodge the slash and another cut blossomed on his chest.


    "So strong. So fast! How is he able to cut through me so easily?!" Kenzo was baffled. How was a child this age, capable of exhibiting such strength and speed? He jumped back once again as Rosan swung down so hard, the blade of the scythe embedded itself into the floor but that wasn''t it, the boy began moving with the scythe still embedded in there.


    Just what the hell was that power?! Was he even human?


    Rosan "tchd" as he saw that his blade was about to embed itself into the floor, but he swiftly adapted to the situation.


    In one fluid motion, Rosan used the momentum of the swing to push himself on top of the edge of the handle, gathered energy into his legs, pushed off the handle with extreme force, grabbed the middle of his weapon as he dismounted it, and using the force of his leap, dragged the blade through the earth. As he soared towards Kenzo, Rosan began spinning rapidly, scythe still underground (but not for long), at an incredible pace.


    Eventually, the blade tore itself through the ground and joined Rosan.


    The crowd roared at Rosan''s ingenuity.


    Kenzo watched in disbelief and a surprising amount of fear as the human buzzsaw careened towards him. Rosan was moving too fast for him to fully avoid the blow and, at that speed, he had no illusions of surviving a hit from the boy. Even if he did somehow survive, the match would only be wrapped up moments later.


    Kenzo tried to leap away from the redhead but, like he predicted, he was too slow. The boys momentum carried him too quickly to his target. Kenzo let out a loud groan as his leg was severed cleanly from his body. Falling to one knee, blood gushed on the floor, much to the glee of the crowd.


    "Modify," Rosan thought to himself as he modified his own momentum and he steadily halted. Rosan eventually stopped spinning before he could crash into anything and assessed the damage he had dealt.


    He had never spun like that and he took a moment to thank Mod-chan because without her he''d probably be throwing up his dinner. He had been aiming to kill him, but the man was fast enough to somewhat evade him.


    No matter. Without a leg, Kenzo was as good as dead anyways. Rosan gripped his scythe and charged at Kenzo, ready to deal the finishing blow-


    Only to let out an unexpected gasp of pain. It was the first time he had made such a noise since his change.


    Why?


    Multiple small spikes were embedded into his abdomen. Rosan looked down unsteadily at the wound. Spikes? But how? Looking up, the dual eyed boy was greeted by the sight of a fist flying for his face. He only had a moment to say "Fortify!" before it connected with the boy.


    "ROSAN!" He heard Mod-chan call out, as the blow connected and he was tossed through the air like a rag doll. Rosan landed on the floor and began tumbling repeatedly, until coming to a stop courtesy of colliding into the wall. He groaned, hand on head, as he tried to gather his wits.


    Blearily opening his eyes, Rosan sarcastically thanked Doc for all that pain training he had been put through. Fortifying his body, had definitely played a hand in his survival as well. Before, he''d either have been knocked unconscious by the raw power of the fishman or dead. Now, while still pretty injured, he was mostly dazed (he could possibly have a concussion) and could recover from this.


    As he looked at Kenzo, Rosan saw the source of his trouble.


    The man was covered in what had to be detachable spikes. A large amount of the spikes were missing from his back and they were no doubt the ones currently making acquaintances with his stomach. Rosan looked at the mess of his opponents shirt, as the fishman desperately tried to stave off the bleeding of his missing leg. He was using his shredded shirt as a sort of wrap to apply pressure onto the gaping wound.


    Detachable spikes¡­just his luck. Rosan had calculated a lot of possibilities, but a fishman who could detach his spikes was not one of them. He knew they were for protection but the extent of that protection was lost to him.


    Could pufferfish even do that?


    "Are you okay Rosan?" Mod-chan asked worriedly. That punch had been incredibly strong and the Fishman connected all of it. She wanted to make sure Rosan was okay to keep going. If Mod had to, she would take over his body and finish the fight for him.


    Gingerly touching his nose, Rosan winced a bit and verified that it was broken. He let out a grunt as he forcefully straightened it into place and began gingerly picking the spikes out of his body. "I''ll be fine Mod-chan. I modified my body so that it was more resistant to poison and thanks to Doc poisoning me so often, I''ve built quite the tolerance," The redhead informed her. "Please ensure that my body is properly checking and purging any foreign sources though."


    "Right. We should wrap this up now so I can focus my full attention on healing your injuries. He only has one leg and he''s losing a lot of blood. Seeing as you can still move normally, this fight is as good as over." Mod-chan said with a proud smile on her face.


    Nodding in agreement, Rosan ripped the last spike out of his body with barely a wince. His movement managed to catch Kenzo''s eyes and he soaked in the sheer surprise and fear the man displayed.


    He had probably not been expecting Rosan to get up from the combination of poison, pain, and power behind that punch. Maybe on anybody else, Kenzo would have already won the match.


    But Rosan wasn''t anybody else.


    And now, it was time for the finale.


    "WHAT AN AMAZING TURN OF EVENTS. IN A SHOCK TO ABSOLUTELY EVERYBODY, ROSAN HAS GOTTEN BACK UP! INCREDIBLE! IS THIS BOY A MACHINE?! A MONSTER?! A DEMON?!" The commentators grating voice rang out.


    Rosan ignored the annoying voice in favor of slowly bending over to pick up his scythe. He''d have to move a bit slower, lest he aggravate his injuries, but it would be more than enough to finish the fight. "Decrease." Rosan intoned as the size of the scythe decreased looking much more like a Kama.


    "Kenzo¡­," Rosan began making eye contact with the fishman. "...I''m impressed. You were the only one capable of injuring me to such a degree. You have my respect and as such I will give you the death you deserve. Stand up. Die fighting."


    Despite the fear in his eyes, Kenzo stood up balancing himself on one leg. Blood dripped sporadically from his stump, landing with a squelch on the floor. "I must admit, perhaps I did underestimate you Rosan. I thought, combined with my surprise attacks and my strength, your neck would have snapped from the blow. I commend you for surviving, but I cannot accept defeat just yet. My wife and daughter are waiting for me and if I die here, how will they survive?" With that question asked, the Fishman got into a defensive stance.


    "The lives of you, your wife, and your daughter mean nothing to me," Rosan said ruthlessly. "If they are strong, they will live. If they are weak they will die. You''re so focused on them, you don''t even seem to realize your own situation," the child pointed out coldly.


    "You are weak Kenzo, so you will die."


    Rosan didn''t bother giving him another response. He had a job to finish. He thought about numbing himself, but the pain kept him alert. Satisfied, Rosan crouched lowly and rocketed off, fully intent on finishing this fight.


    He would need to be careful about getting spiked again.


    Rosan slid past the incoming punch and ducked under a set of spikes that shot at him. Before Kenzo could withdraw his fist, Rosan dug the blade deep into his arm, severing a tendon.


    The redhead tilted his body 90 degrees to avoid more spikes and flipped backwards to make distance between the two of them. Kenzo''s right arm bled heavily and it hung limply at his side. The man panted but he still looked determined to win.


    He had not yet lost hope.


    Rosan smiled.


    What happened next, could only be described as a slaughter. It was like watching a dancer.


    Rosan would weave in and out, dodging all manner of attacks from Kenzo while surgically removing a part of his body. He would duck under a punch and deliver a cut to his ribs, Spin from the retaliation of spikes, exit his field of vision and strike his back, Jumping over a desperate headbutt, to land on his overextended head and teasingly cutting the back of his neck.


    Rosan was playing with him.


    This was no longer a fight. This was a performance and Rosan was the leading act. The crowd absolutely loved every moment of it. Their cheers could shatter glass with how loud they were. The redhead was entertaining them more then anyone else ever had with how gracefully he moved in and out.


    Rosan didn''t care how they reacted. He wasn''t doing this for them he was doing this because it was fun.


    He was fighting a strong opponent and he was forcing them to submit to him. The power he held over them was fun.


    The thrill of the hunt, caused some of Rosan''s suppressed emotions to seep through and a psychotic, bloody grin, sharp fangs gleaming, made its way onto the boy''s face as he enjoyed every single moment.


    Someone should not be able to move so gracefully, with such an insane look in their eyes. It was unnerving. It was polarizing.


    Mod-chan watched this all with acceptance in her eyes. Rosan had always had a bit of a sadistic streak and it seems like this had brought it out to the fullest.


    They watched with malicious glee.


    Kenzo was currently in an unbearable amount of pain. When he had first seen the child, he thought that perhaps they had used underhanded tactics to win their way to the final. He had resolutely decided to not fall for such tricks and to put the small human out of his misery quickly.


    He knew now that the child was not using such tricks.


    Kenzo hated humans, but he respected this child. He looked at him with no bias so he''d end him quickly. A quick conversation had shown that the child cared little for his lineage, he did not care if Kenzo was a fishman or a human. Kenzo was just an opponent he needed to fight and the Fishman respected that immensely.


    Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    The child had caught him completely off guard with the sheer amount of power and speed he possessed. From the start of the match, Kenzo was forced into the defensive. Contrary to his size and what would have been a preferred method of fighting, this boy, Rosan, had pursued him relentlessly, not even giving him a chance to think about his next move. Always attacking.


    His tactics were utterly overwhelming in nature.


    Despite losing a leg, he thought the fight had been as good as over, after he had managed to catch Rosan off guard with his spikes. They were a last resort in case he got cornered by his master¡­or by an abnormally strong boy.


    Kenzo had the ability to detach and shoot out his spikes to unsuspecting foes. If the spikes themselves weren''t enough, then the paralyzing poison, they were laced, with should have given him enough time to gather his wits and finish the job.


    Watching Rosan get up and shrug off all of this, with barely a wince, had filled him with an unexplainable amount of fear. How was he not affected by his last resort attack? The boy looked slightly uncomfortable but otherwise, he seemed fine.


    What had happened to the poison? The spikes? What was he? He found himself echoing the commentators concerns. Was this boy even human? Had Kenzo been set up against some sort of cyborg?


    The redhead before him had decreased the size of the scythe that was far larger than the boy was and Kenzo''s eyes widened.


    A Devil Fruit user. Fantastic.


    That explained his durability at least. If they were near water, this battle would have been far different but alas there was nothing but dirt in this arena.


    Rosan told him to die fighting, but he hadn''t given up yet. His slave master was a cruel man and relied on Kenzo to do most of the heavy lifting at home. If he died, his beautiful wife and daughter would suffer his wrath instead.


    He had something to fight for and he couldn''t say the same for this emotionless boy, who seemed to revel in the battle. He would fight with everything he had and win.


    Looking at the condition of the child and the condition of himself, he came to a conclusion.


    Rosan wasn''t human.


    No, he was a demon in the form of a child. That was the trick he had played against his other opponents.


    Since he had lost his limb, Kenzo had not been able to get a single attack on the monster in human flesh. Worst, he was being toyed with. Rosan could have ended the fight at any moment and they were both aware of it. The boy was dancing around his body with minimal effort and littering it with constant injuries.


    It was only a matter of time before he actually did die from just bloodloss.


    Most of his limbs were rendered useless by the boys relentless assault. He had been completely overwhelmed and there was nothing he could do about it. Looking into the heterochromatic eyes of this demon, Kenzo shook at the amount of rage they possessed. To make matters worse, the boy was grinning toothily with a bloody mouth.


    He was enjoying this, enjoying tormenting the fishman despite having the ability to end this quickly. This was the death he deserved?


    Consumed by rage Kenzo made his most costly mistake yet. He jumped and swung his only leg at Rosan with a rage filled scream. For a second, it looked like the blow would actually connect, but Rosan had been expecting this. After all, every other limb had been rendered useless.


    As his leg soared through the air, Rosan, in an impressively display of flexibility, leaned back completely to evade the blow.


    Hands touching the floor from this position, Rosan angled both his feet up as he got into a handstand and connected squarely with the mans extended leg. Kenzo was unable to balance himself any longer due to his one foot being airborne and he fell on his back.


    Still in a handstand, Rosan thought "Modify Weight: Lighten," and launched himself upwards with a push. As he practically, floated through the air Rosan began spinning. He grasped the kama and said "Increase x3," and watched it grow back to its original size.


    It didn''t stop there however.


    The crowd gasped as they bore witness to the scythe growing to ludicrous sizes. Rosan himself couldn''t even wrap one hand around the weapon anymore. As he placed both hands around the handle, the weight of the weapon made itself apparent and began dragging his spinning, lightened, body downward at a rapid pace.


    Kenzo tried to muster up the energy to move but he couldn''t. Rosan had made sure he''d be incapable of movement. Looking up, he saw a gigantic something flying towards him in that same buzzsaw motion that had cost him his leg. Closing his eyes, he accepted his fate. Today, he had fought a real monster and lost and this was the price he had to pay.


    "Masumi and Kaori, I''m sorry but it seems like I won''t be able to make it home soon," the Fishman apologized. "Please stay strong for me, I know you two can do it. I will always be watching over you both. My only regret is that I wasn''t able to free you two and see Kaori grow up into the wonderful woman she would be," were Kenzo''s final words as the buzzing of steel reached closer and closer.


    "Masumi and Kaori hm?" Rosan thought to himself. "I will remember those names. Don''t worry, they will be safe for years to come. You and your master will both die tonight."


    The human buzzsaw was seconds away from connecting and this time he would not be denied. Red and purple glared down uncaringly at his victim as Rosan uttered "Meteora" and crashed into his target. A cloud of dust rose as the only sound heard was steel connecting with flesh.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Masaru, or Doc as well all knew him, had been watching Rosan for a long time.


    It hadn''t been intentional, but plenty beautiful things happened by accident. He didn''t know about Rosan at all before he received reports about the "Devil Child" traveling in their area. Doc didn''t have any illusions about being able to fight someone able to sink 6 battleships, but it would do good to get info on what she was doing.


    Imagine his surprise, when he gained info that she was traveling with someone who seemed to be even younger than her! Another demon perhaps? The new info intrigued him and in moments he was telling his sources to glean more into the new individual instead.


    It had been his best decision yet. Rosan was a masterpiece. At first, he had just been watching Nico Robin in hopes of getting info on what she was planning, but the boy had stolen the spotlight in a heartbeat. He was the clear fighter between the two and he relished battle. Everything about him was perfect. It was as if all his desires in a weapon were mashed into this one child.


    It was only natural he concocted a plan to capture him. He hired a group of men to tail Rosan and ambush him when he was alone. There was no way they''d be able to fight both the boy and the "Devil Child". In fact, they probably wouldn''t be able to even handle him alone, so he graciously supplied them with an invisible toxin that would render him unconscious after a certain amount of time while progressively making him sluggish.


    The plan had worked beautifully and soon the boy was safely in his clutches.


    The boy had proven to be¡­difficult but Doc would not be deterred. He finally had his desired weapon and so, he''d make it work. Rosan was stubborn but he''d be able to breakthrough the boy.


    What Doc hadn''t expected, was for it to be this difficult. No matter how much punishment he inflicted on the child, or how much the child begged him to stop, besides his name he had not made any progress at all with him. The boy stubbornly believed that Nico Robin would rescue him and that kept his resolve strengthened. The fool had no clue that he was far, far away from where he got captured.


    Daybreak Island was not any easy island to reach.


    Doc tried whatever it took to get Rosan to submit. He increased the amount of punishment and progressively got more creative with it but nothing worked. The boy refused to be broken and the man was at his wit''s end. Normally, he''d be impressed that his perfect weapon was so resilient but right now, it was infuriating.


    Imagine his surprise, when one day Rosan walked into his lab with a completely different colored eye. Doc had taken one look at him, before he immediately began running numerous tests on Rosan to get to the bottom of what happened.


    He had been able to see various changes in the boy''s body but frustratingly enough, he couldn''t pinpoint the reason why these changes happened. None of what was happening made any sense at all. As he ran through his results with Rosan, he let his frustration seep through a bit and he asked, aloud, "Are you even human?"


    He had not been expecting Rosan to say "I believe I am human, yes."


    The blonde man snapped his gaze upwards as he finally registered the dead gaze that were Rosan''s eyes. Could it be? Had it finally worked?


    Rosan answered everything he asked obediently and Doc resisted the urge to yell in joy.


    He had done it! Rosan had finally been broken! Finally, his weapon could finally begin becoming his weapon.


    The 9 year old went above and beyond to prove that he truly was the perfect candidate. Prisoner after prisoner had been nothing more than a nuisance to the boy and he eliminated them all with an impressive variety of weapons.


    His kills were¡­messy to say the least and he couldn''t stomach watching them, but that was why he had a weapon to do the dirty work! It was worth a queasy stomach to see just what Rosan was capable of.


    Though, his wife was proving to be slightly difficult when it came to the boy so that was a concern. She was a pervert and he had no interest in indulging her needs, so she could do whatever she wanted. They had a marriage out of convenience and what used to be love. The blue eyed woman had too much power though, so if she wanted to have her way with Rosan so be it.


    As long as she didn''t negatively affect the boy''s performance he didn''t care.


    Rosan was truly fascinating. The boy was a genius, plain and simple, and he had an incredible aptitude for learning. He would request various books and have them done by the end of the day, always asking for a new one to indulge in. He did not complain anymore and he didn''t even let the pain from tolerance training phase him.


    He was exceeding his expectations!


    And it had all accumulated to this moment.


    Doc had never felt more proud, as he watched Rosan mow through the competition in the tournament. The boy had won over the crowd handily and took out all his opponents with minimal effort.


    All while putting on a show. It was like watching the son, he never had, win an award.


    He had been worried when he saw the massive fishman in the finals, to the point where he doubted if even his weapon could win this match. If he died here, all his hard work would be for nothing!


    But watching the fight, he felt his fears assuage a bit. The way Rosan was handling his opponent filled him with a sense of relief he didn''t think he ever felt. He even managed to remove one of the man''s legs, much to the joy of everyone viewing!


    He noted the sigh of relief his wife let out at how well Rosan was performing. She was watching the fight nearly as intently as he was. He wasn''t sure when the two had gotten so close but he didn''t care enough to question it.


    The fear returned and magnified tenfold, as he watched Rosan get stabbed by the Fishman''s spikes and launched across the arena. Sachie, his wife, had let out a terrified gasp as her dear Rosan slammed into the arena walls.


    He had thought the boy was dead and all his hard work throughout the 6 months went down the drain. Everyone else shared the same sentiment of him being dead, if their groaning was anything to go by. Doc was filled with a dread and an anger at his prized weapon being defeated.


    Should he have waited for him to become older?! Why had he placed him in a tournament after only 3 months of proper training? How was this his fault?! He didn''t think there would be a Fishman in the tournament! Perfect he may be, Rosan was still underdeveloped and a child. If he were older this fight would have been long over and it would be the Fishman who lay defeated.


    But no, the boy got up with barely a wince much to the relief of both of them and everyone there. After removing the spikes and finally using his Saizu Saizu no Mi, Rosan made his move.


    What happened next, was a one sided massacre.


    Rosan was the definition of grace and elegance, as he systematically dismantled the Fishman. The Fishman tried but Rosan had an answer for everything he did. The boy''s opponent was just a moving punching bag and, when he finally got tired of this, he launched himself upwards while in a handstand.


    Everyone watched with an awed gaze as Rosan soared higher and higher until reaching his apex. Then he began falling and falling and his weapon began growing bigger and bigger. He closed his eyes before he could witness the gruesome sight. There was a sound of metal meeting flesh, then silence, then clapping, then roaring.


    The blonde man didn''t even know Rosan could jump that high! Could his Devil Fruit control his weight as well? He didn''t know about the mystical fruits but he had to believe that it could because look at what he was witnessing!


    Doc had never felt so proud before in his life. Rosan had killed the fishman and was declared the winner of the Ash and Dust tournament! The weapon, his weapon, was a force to be reckoned with and there was still room for him to grow.


    The crowd gave the boy a standing ovation and Doc joined them. Sachie was looking at the boy with such hungry eyes, he nearly forgot they were married.


    His weapon had done its job well and now they were comfortably rich from the bettings and the prize money. After collecting the money tonight, Doc would finally leave this island with Rosan and continue his research elsewhere. Maybe he could even mend his relationship with¡­no matter. She would understand once he explained it to her.


    Things were finally looking up for him!


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Later that Night


    Rosan had won the tournament like he said he would.


    He felt satisfied, not because he won (only Kenzo had been able to awaken something in him, but not even he could withstand his onslaught) but because that meant it was time. Tonight, was the night he "freed" himself and killed every inhabitant on Daybreak Island.


    He would not delay it any longer.


    The redhead would do it tonight, before anyone had the chance leave so that his identity would remain a mystery to the world.


    He was currently sat upright on his bed inspecting himself. His skin was still a bit tender from getting turned into target practice from Kenzo but it would heal quickly.


    Mom had patched him up and he was glad for his injury because he was positive that if he didn''t have it, he wouldn''t be in his cell currently. It didn''t stop her from her suggestive touches though, deranged pervert that she was.


    "I will not be satisfied until that harlot is dead, Rosan," Mod-chan told him with a fury in her voice that he had scarcely ever heard.


    "But of course, Mod-chan. Anything for you," was his easy response. Rosan didn''t really care for Mom but if Mod-chan wanted her dead, then she died. She sent him a warm pulse and Rosan sent her one back.


    He had a mental map of the entire island and he decided on the best course of action. Thanks to his bug scouter, he had the entire layout of the island memorized. It had also found all his belongings in the facility so Rosan wouldn''t have to waste time looking for it. Rosan really needed to think of a name for his bug, it was incredibly useful and difficult to spot.


    The redhead sighed at his lack of creativity when it came to names.


    "You can''t be creative in everything, Rosan," Mod smiled cheekily and the boy rolled his eyes.


    His thoughts were interrupted, as the door to his cell was gently and quietly opened. The boy''s gaze snapped towards the noise and his face was one of shock.


    It couldn''t be¡­ but why?


    Meiko walked into vision nervously, with both arms held behind her back as she avoided eye contact with him. Rosan''s brows furrowed at her as genuine confusion overtook him.


    What was she doing here? Even after he told her to stay away...she came back?


    "Didn''t I tell you not to come back," the 9 year old said bluntly and the girl jumped. He rarely initiated the conversations, content to just let her speak, so he had probably surprised her.


    "U-um actually, y-you said I shouldn''t come back a-and I just chose not to listen," Was her meek response. Meiko shut up at Rosan''s unamused gaze and shyly removed her arms from her back to show him the ointment and some gauze.


    "I heard you were in the tournament today and you won! I wasn''t allowed to watch but I wanted to see if you were injured," the blonde girl whispered softly.


    Rosan felt his dormant emotions flaring, like they always did, when he talked to this girl. The redhead sighed and simply said "I have some here actually. Mom patched it up a bit but she didn''t do a very good job," and he pushed his shirt up.


    The girls face lit up as she frantically waved her hand and tried to cover her eyes. She failed miserably and, as her eyes peeked through her hands, she gasped at his wounds. The holes were closing up quickly but they were still pretty noticeable.


    A worried look overcame Meiko as she saw his wounds. Not wasting anytime, she closed the distance between the two of them and after sending him a questioning glance, to which he shrugged uncaringly, she began rubbing her ointment on him.


    It stung slightly but it was nothing he couldn''t handle. Rosan simply took the time to stare at the humming girl working on him. She was so earnest in her work it filled Rosan with a strange, inexplicable, feeling.


    "I''m sorry," Rosan suddenly said to the diligent girl.


    She paused what she was doing to look at him with wide eyes. "Y-you''re sorry?" She stuttered and her bright blue eyes stared into his own.


    "The last time we met¡­I attacked you unprovoked and nearly struck you," Rosan began softly. "I replayed that conversation in my head and I was completely out of line," he admitted much to the surprise of the girl before him.


    "It''s just...everything about you is different and it irritates me in ways I can''t explain. We hardly know each other but it doesn''t feel that way and we can read each other like open books. No matter how hard I try to deny it, you can tell exactly what I''m thinking and that aggravates me but, that doesn''t mean I should strike you. For the way I acted, you have my sincerest apologies."


    Meiko gaped at Rosan''s confession. She knew the boy had been trying hard to deny the fact and truthfully, the fact that they could read each other so easily, confused her as well.


    They just clicked together. The blonde had felt this sensation since she first laid eyes upon his unconscious figure when spying on him being brought in. She couldn''t explain it but she hoped that hanging out with him would help answer some of her questions.


    She had never met anyone like this and based on the way Rosan was handling it, neither did he. Unlike him though, who strongly rejected it, Meiko fully accepted it. It felt nice to be looked at, to be acknowledged. When having their one on one conversations despite his general aversion to speaking, he always focused all his attention on her.


    He would even have some things to add to the conversation, which always made her happy!


    She liked Rosan. He was so considerate, despite his situation and even though he was dealing with his own things, he still let her talk to him.


    "Rosan¡­ you don''t have to apologize because I know you weren''t going to hurt me," Meiko said with a smile on her face. "This whole experience, I know it''s jarring. I don''t know if anyone has had to deal with a situation like this before. I know I haven''t. To feel so exposed, is really weird and I can see why you reacted the way you did. That''s why I''m not mad at you," the blonde told the younger boy.


    "I meant what I said Rosan, I trust you completely. Deep down, you''re a kind person and I hate that this had to happen to you because you don''t deserve it. Even still¡­ I know this is horrible of me to say, but I''m glad I met you."


    Meiko grinned brilliantly at him and he felt his chest constrict. It was bright, too bright. Meiko''s smile was like the sun and it was blinding him.


    She was pure. Too pure for this island. Too pure for Rosan. Despite his nature; his atrocities, his actions to her, she still had that look. Those caring, electric blue eyes focused on him with nothing but understanding, not a hint of fear in them despite what he was.


    Despite who he was.


    Rosan hated it.


    "Meiko- thank you. You''re words, they mean a lot to me and I''m happy that some people still have faith in me," Rosan said. Closing his eyes, the redhead said "I trust you Meiko. You not telling anyone I lied about my Devil Fruit is enough for me...," Her smile, if possible, got even brighter.


    "...which is why I''m sorry," the boy finished after a long pause.


    "What? You''re sorry?" Confusion overtook the little girl, before realization seeped in. Meiko took a step back in fear as she saw the boy tense. She could feel it, Rosan he was planning on attacking-


    "Modify Target: Rest Mode," a voice behind Meiko said and a hand made contact with her. Looking up at Rosan in betrayal, the last thing she saw was the remorseful look in his eyes.


    "I trust you Meiko. But, you should never have trusted me."


    With that final statement, she lost consciousness.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan caught the falling girl and placed her gently on the bed.


    The strange feeling in his pit had refused to go away. In fact, it had only gotten worse at the look in the girls eyes. She had looked so hurt, so betrayed. She truly had believed in him and he chose to stomp on that trust.


    He was a monster... so why did he feel this way? Why did he feel so bad?


    "It''s because you''re not heartless, Rosan. The fact you feel this guilt is proof of it. You are simply doing what needs to be done because of the circumstances you''ve been put in. Don''t let anyone tell you otherwise," Mod said soothingly.


    "You''re right as usual, Mod-chan. I''m simply doing what I have to do." But, a small part of him still felt bad for the girl. Meiko didn''t deserve the fate that she was about to receive. She was a good person.


    Still, there were things he needed to do. He was getting off this island today and nobody would stop him.


    Removing his fake handcuffs and grasping them, Rosan closed his eyes and said "Modify: Form," and watched as they transformed into two humanoid figures. The dual eyed boy simply modeled them after the easiest thing he knew, which was himself.


    Not yet finished, Rosan touched them both and said "Modification: Seed of Life."


    This technique was a bit different then when he made the bug or the Blue Jay. The previous two had no will of their own and simply followed Rosan''s commands. They would dutifully do exactly what he asked of them. With Seed of Life, while they were still loyal to the redhead, they were also much more independent.


    Rosan watched as he breathed like into the two synthetic copies of himself. Nodding in satisfaction, he pointed at his first clone and told it, "#1, you will retrieve my belongings and find the money Doc won. Once you find them, go to the closest ocean source and signal me." #1 nodded in confirmation.


    The redhead then looked at his second clone and said "#2, your job is to loot everything of value. Begin with this facility and progress to the entire island. If you believe in your abilities, feel free to take from the people as long as you do not get spotted. You may take your time, I have matters to attend to."


    Glancing around Rosan walked over to his bed and tugged the blanket off. "Modify Form," was all he said and the blanket transformed into a bag.


    "Modification, Link: User White Rose,"He handed the modified bag over to #2 who accepted it without prompting. "That bag is connected to the White Rose. Wait for #1''s signal, before you begin storing items in there because the ship is shrunken. Ensure that you two are not seen. #1, when you are done, assist #2"


    "Yes sir!"They both replied.


    Rosan looked at the sleeping Meiko. She looked so peaceful, contrasting the hurt look on her face moments before he put her to sleep. "Rosan¡­ she doesn''t have to die. I know deep down, you don''t want to kill her," Mod-chan said worriedly. The boy was conflicted right now and he was leaning towards killing her because of his identity. Mod didn''t care that much about keeping his identity a secret. His own worries were much more important than that and she needed to let him know.


    Rosan bent over to smooth out her ruffled outfit and he contemplated what to do with her.


    The idea of keeping her alive lessened the feeling in his gut so maybe it was the right course of action? Yes, his body seemed to agree with the notion that she should stay alive so he wouldn''t kill her.


    His thoughts were interrupted as something fell out of the girls clothing.


    Picking it up, Rosan''s eyes widened slightly at what he saw.


    Now this was very interesting. He had a hunch but he never delved too deep into it because the girl seemed adamant in not talking about it and he didn''t care enough to prod. He could work with this.


    "There''s been a change of plans," Rosan said suddenly catching his clone''s attention. #2 carry this girl to the White Rose and let her sleep in Robin''s room then resume your previous objective. She will not die tonight." Rosan watched as #2 picked her up with minimal issues and with a nod they both vanished from his sight.


    "I won''t kill her. My body is very against it anyways and there''s no reason for her to die with these people. Though with this new info I''ve just learned¡­"


    Rosan smiled and vanished from sight. To think the one person he could consider a likeable on this island, was the daughter of the person he hated the most.


    Seems he had a friend to visit.


    The item he held was an image. On it were 3 people, one was obviously a younger Meiko and the other 2¡­were Doc and Mom.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan had never been outside the facility before.


    The cool breeze on his skin, the glow of the stars, the moon shining in the night, the brilliance of the sun during the day...Rosan had nearly forgotten these sensations in the 6 months he had been held captive. It felt nice¡­he had found himself missing this feeling. He was always an adventurous boy and outside was one of his favorite places to be.


    The boy did love nature after all.


    It was silent and there was no sign of anyone but that was to be expected. They had most likely retired into their temporary living spaces, tired from all the energy they had expended cheering for him during the tournament.


    Not to worry, they''d be able to rest to their hearts content.


    The unique thing about this island, was that it didn''t have citizens in the traditional sense. Daybreak Island was mostly isolated from the world, they were largely self sufficient and didn''t qualify as an actual populated island by the Government.


    The "citizens" were just people who had a lot of Beri to spare and were very bored. From what he understood, the only permanent residents were Doc, the prisoners, and a few other people.


    This place was just a vacation spot of sorts to the individuals coming and going as they pleased. The only time they all mutually gathered was when there was a big event going on and they wished to witness it.


    An event like Ash and Dust.


    During events like this, everyone who normally inhabited this island would come back en masse to witness the spectacle. Most would place bets on who would win the whole thing, while others chose to actually enter their own participants for the massive prize pool that the winner got.


    Doc had not only bet on Rosan, the man had also entered him into the competition so that he could win the prize in his name. No doubt, he had already collected his prize and was debating on what to do with all the money he had gotten.


    Unluckily for him, Rosan was the one who won. It was only fair that the winner was the one who actually receive their prize. Why would he not deserve it? He did everything, while Doc just sat there marveling at "his weapon".


    Pathetic. He was going to rip that man apar-


    Mod chose that moment to strike up a conversation with him.


    "Rosan, what will you do after you leave this island?" Mod-chan asked him and the boy stopped to process her question.


    "I don''t have a set goal in mind, Mod-chan. I will simply travel around, get stronger, and provide for the both of us. I didn''t forget that I have to find and apologize to Ace¡­ but I don''t think he''s old enough to understand that I''m his brother. He should be about 5 right now? I hope that Marine is raising him well."


    "What about Robin-chan?" Mod-chan asked softly and Rosan did a sharp intake.


    "¡­Do not speak that name to me Mod-chan. I can''t stand traitors." Rosan said calmly. Mod-chan had seen his memories, she knew what the boy thought about Robin.


    "Rosan, surely you aren''t upset with her! Robin would never betray you and you know that! That girl¡­she loves you with all her heart and if she knew what happened to you, she''d bring hell to this Earth."


    "Then where is she, Mod-chan? That''s right, you don''t have an answer but I do. She''s joining other organizations and bringing them down all on her own. She''s stopped looking for me because she has no use for me. In her eyes, I''m expendable. She doesn''t need me and I definitely don''t need her."


    "Rosan you''re being unreasonable and you know it! She trusts you with her life and vice versa. She would never stomp on that trust. You would never stomp on it," Mod-chan begged him but Rosan could not be swayed.


    "Unreasonable?! I''m being UNREASONABLE?!" He hissed and felt his anger flare. "Tell me what that trust got me then, Mod-chan. I''ve been suffering, alone, for 6 months and she''s nowhere to be seen yet, here I am. Free. All by myself. I''m no longer the same idiot who needs to be bailed out when something goes wrong. When things actually went south, nobody was there to save me and that made me realize that if you want something done, you have to do it yourself and Mod-chan, I can do it myself now."


    Mod flinched at the tone he was taking with her. Was Rosan angry with her? H-he had never gotten angry at her before. Truthfully it hurt... a lot but he was being completely unreasonable! She had accepted that he was no longer the same boy, but to blame his Robin-nee of all people? It was insanity! She needed to try and put a stop to this.


    "Rosan, please just listen! Talk to her and I''m sure you won''t be disappointed by what she says. This isn''t like you at all! I know what happened to you hurt, but-"


    "You know?" Rosan asked her and the raw disbelief in his tone made her choke on her next words. "You may have the memories but you will never understand the pain I''ve been through Mod-chan. You don''t really know anything about what I tried to endure while waiting for someone, for anyone, to save me while I went through hell. Every. Single. Day."


    Mod-chan said nothing, too shocked by his hurtful words. What was happening? Why was this happening? R-Rosan he was so angry a-and he was lashing out on her. Tears began welling up in her eyes, as she unintentionally let out a sniffle.


    Rosan heard it but he didn''t care. The redhead was too angry to see reason. He seemed to be always be when he got like this.


    "You want to know what I want to do about Robin? Fine. I didn''t care enough to seek out that traitor but since you want me to see her so bad, if...no, when I do find her, I''ll talk to her just like you want. When she inevitably disappoints and confirms my thoughts, I''m going to kill her and her death will be on your hands, Mod-chan," his voice was completely icy and devoid of emotion.


    Mod was in shambles as she heard the 9 year old lash out at her. Never did she expect a conversation with her dear Rosan to go this south. Tears flowed down her eyes at how cruel his words currently were. He didn''t mean what he was saying right? "R-Rosan? You don''t mean that."


    "I''m not a liar, Mod-chan. You of all people, should know that."


    "Rosan this isn''t who you are!"


    "This is who I am now Mod-chan. Everyone changes and you need to accept that I''m no longer the same boy I used to be."


    "I know that, I really do, but this is drastic even for you Rosan!"


    "No Mod-chan. This conversation is over. Please stop bringing it up."


    "Rosan-"


    "I said no, Mod-chan." Rosan was beginning to feel frustrated with this argument. Why didn''t she understand that things couldn''t go back to the way they were. She was the one being unreasonable right now and the woman didn''t see it.


    "B-but Rosan-"


    "Modification. I. Said. No." His anger boiled over and Rosan called Mod by her full name for the first time since they met.


    Shock overcame his features as he realized his mistake too late. There was a silence, then a choked sob tore through his mind and it wrenched his heart.


    "Wait Mod-chan, I didn''t mean to."


    "...I-I understand. I-I''m s-sorry Rosan, I... I stepped o-out of line. I-I''ll stop. I-I''ll stooo-" She was unable to finish what she was saying, as she abruptly she cut off their connection.


    Silence greeted a wide eyed, guilty Rosan.


    Fuck.


    He let his anger get the best of him again and this time, he went too far. This was different from when his anger was directed towards Meiko. A random girl was one thing, but his Mod-chan?


    The redhead never should have lashed out at her like that. She only ever wanted what was best for him and he had chosen to retaliate with pure venom.


    Rosan felt like scum. Mod-chan was his closest companion and the one person he knew he could always trust. To be the cause of her pain made him feel worse then all the torture he had endured.


    He needed to get his anger under control, he had never had such a hard time controlling it and it was causing him to make mistakes that he ended up regretting. He just wanted to apologize now but Mod-chan wasn''t even willing to hear him out. An attempt to enter the mindscape proved that she had closed him out from that too.


    Double fuck.


    Just when he was about to give up, their connection activated again. Mod, obviously still crying, sniffed out "R-Rosan, I-I''m not mad at you¡­I could never be. I can feel y-your regret, I-I just n-need some time. Please f-focus on getting off this island and then I...I''ll be ready to talk. I''m sorry but I won''t be of much h-help. I love you Rosan don''t f-forget that."


    And with that, she shut the connection back off. This time though, he felt the steady pulse of her presence.


    Rosan felt conflicted. He could forcefully enter the mindscape to talk to Mod-chan but she wanted some alone time and the redhead valued her needs. Besides, she was right, he needed to get off this island.


    Their talk could wait for later when he was fully free.


    Taking a deep breath, Rosan curbed the rest of his anger in favor of cold rationality. He made a mistake and he would amend that but for now, he had people to meet and an island to escape.


    Rosan idly poured love through their connection and he knew she could still feel it. He needed to make it up to her somehow... and the first step to that, was to listen to her request. That wouldn''t be enough though. He hurt her feelings and that wasn''t something he was used to doing.


    Damn he really had messed up.


    But, that was for later. Rosan focused his attention on the mission at hand.


    Standing back up (when had he even sat down?), Rosan headed in the direction of where Doc resided. Despite himself, Rosan allowed a cruel smile to don his face.


    It was time for him to have some fun.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    When Doc awoke it wasn''t pleasant. In fact it was quite the opposite.


    A slap connected to his face and he woke with a startled yell. He tried to get up but found that movement was not possible. Looking down he saw the source was a piece of rope tied around him quite tightly. He was sitting upright in a chair in what appeared to be his living room.


    What on Earth was going on?


    It didn''t take long for his confusion to be answered. "Ah, you''re finally awake," A quiet voice said. "Good."


    A familiar quiet voice.


    Sitting on the kitchen table across from him, idly polishing a knife, was the source of his good fortune itself Rosan. Relief flooded him for a moment as he thought the boy was here to help him before confusion overtook him as he began to fully shake off his sleepiness.


    How was Rosan here? Wasn''t he supposed to be in his¡­cell?! Panic flooded him as he realized the boy was not supposed to be here.


    "Greetings Doc," Rosan greeted him with a small wave and a kind smile on his bronze face. "It appears that you''ve finally noticed the situation," he remarked idly, flipping the knife up and down.


    "You''re probably thinking along the lines of why I''m here and not in my cell, yes?" Rosan asked him.


    Doc didn''t say anything but his surprised gaze was all the confirmation Rosan needed.


    Hopping down, from his seat on the table, the boy walked over to his captive and gingerly touched his cheek. "I''m right aren''t I?" Rosan asked him softly, tauntingly.


    "How are you here boy?! How are you free? Who freed you?!" Doc asked frantically and loudly hoping that someone would hear him and come check.


    Rosan nudged his head in a direction and held a finger to his lips. "Shh, you don''t wanna wake up your wife, right?" Looking to the side he saw Sachie, his wife in question, resting in a similar position as he was. She was sleeping peacefully with a blush on her face and muttering to herself perversely.


    "Degenerate," was all Rosan said. The boy shook his head and focused back on Doc and told him "If you''re being loud to get attention, that won''t work. The walls are soundproof, they can''t hear you."


    Doc shook his head "That''s impossible, These walls aren''t designed to be soundproof. You''re lying."


    Rosan''s laughter sent a chill down his spine as he looked at him in pity. "You didn''t design them to be soundproof that''s true. But I did."


    The blonde man was confused by what he meant by that but the redhead didn''t deign to give him another response.


    Rosan walked over to his wife and delicately stroked her cheek. She was beginning to stir from his touch and Rosan chose that moment to speak again.


    "I want to thank you Doc," he began, making eye contact with the Doctor. "You managed to show me the worst side of humanity so early on in my life and I really do appreciate that," the boy had the decency to sound sincere and that terrified Doc more then he could imagine.


    By now, Sachie had fully awaken and she shot him a confused, if not slightly frightened look. She had been dreaming about Rosan and she thought maybe this was apart of her dream as well, but his touch felt too real.


    What was happening?


    Rosan either didn''t notice the look or he did and he didn''t care as he continued to stroke her cheek.


    "To show my appreciation, I''d like to give you both a reward! But¡­I can''t do that without knowing you''re names. It''s not fair that only my name is known after all! We''re friends, yes?" Rosan clapped his hands in false cheer, very reminiscent to Doc himself.


    Pointing at Sachie he said "Let''s start with you then." Rosan''s eyes glowed with malicious intent as his grip on her cheek tightened. "Tell me, what is your name?"


    Sachie felt true fear. Despite his cheer, the look in Rosan''s eyes was anything but happy. "R-Rosan dear w-what are you doing?" Rosan simply tightened the grip on her as he continued smiling.


    "I asked you a question."


    "I don''t understand! Didn''t you say I was your favorite person dear? You can just keep calling me Mom-"


    She was interrupted by Rosan''s very audible scoff. "You''re more delusional then I thought. I''ve got you tied up, at my mercy, and you still think anything I said was true? Did you really believe that I liked calling you Mom?" Rosan asked with a small laugh. "I only did it to get on your good side you pervert. A degenerate like you could never be my Mom. Only one person is worthy of being called my Mom and it will never be you," He finished cruelly with a grin on his face.


    As Rosan tore into her verbally, her eyes narrowed into that same cruel gaze she had donned when he first refused to call her Mom.


    How dare he? HOW DARE HE?! He had tricked her?! She had showered him in nothing but love and affection and this was how he treated her? This backstabbing little BRAT!


    "Oh? Seems like the pervert is finally mad. Do you plan on doing something about it?" He taunted and she glared at him in pure hatred.


    Rosan relished in it for a few more seconds, before growing tired of her refusal to answer his question.


    "Modify Target: Sensitivity," The redhead thought to himself and he watched in satisfaction, as her expression shifted from hatred to pain.


    He hadn''t changed his grip on her whatsoever, all he had done was increase her sensitivity. Where as the grip was slightly uncomfortable before, it was now too painful for her fair skin to bear.


    "Answer my question. I''m not going to ask you again," the boy said, no longer smiling. Those dual colored eyes bored into her as Rosan stared blankly at the woman.


    She tried to ignore his question as best as possible. Her silence quickly changed, as Rosan decided to stop gripping her, in favor of sinking his sharp nails into her instead. She couldn''t help the gasp of pain that evolved into squealing as Rosan pressed down harder and harder and harder and harder-


    "Sachie!" She squealed and Rosan paused what he was doing. Panting harshly, she said "My name¡­ is¡­ Sachie. Now please stop!"


    Nodding in satisfaction, Rosan stepped back, removing his hand from her cheek in the process. He looked down at her with a smile on his face, exuding a staggering amount of superiority.


    Rosan shook his head and said "Now was that so hard?"


    The boy tut his teeth in disappointment. "It''s such a shame Sachie, I didn''t really hate you all that much but your refusal to answer my question, has netted you quite a bit of negative points from me," Rosan shrugged helplessly in a "what can you do motion". "Maybe if I was Doc, I''d be willing to forgive you. Unfortunately for you Sachie, I''m not as "patient" as your dear husband."


    With that, before they could register what was happening, Rosan had taken the knife he was holding and slashed her throat.


    Rosan stared stone faced at the dying lady.


    Mod sent him a burst of satisfaction.


    Doc watched in horror, as a spray of blood flow through the air, landing on Rosan''s expressionless face.


    Sachie mechanically looked down, almost not believing what just happened to her. The woman tried desperately to grasp at her throat but, she was still tied up. The woman let out a gargled breath as she choked on her own blood.


    Looking back up, Sachie was met with a sight that would haunt her for the last coming moments of her life.


    Looking down at her, was not a person. No, Rosan was a demon in human flesh. Electric blue stared at an angry blood red that clashed with a frozen royal purple, as the heterochromatic child looked down at her with an utterly blank face. Catching her eye, Rosan did the most natural thing that came to him.


    He grinned.


    The bloodied boy grinned at her. "Don''t worry Sachie, I''ll take good care of your daughter. After all, you taught me everything I needed to know."


    Sachie''s eyes went wide as he said that. She tried to ask how he knew that she had a child but she only succeeded in coughing up a large amount of blood. No not her daughter, not Meiko. She hadn''t even gotten to completely make it up-


    She coughed up another glob of blood as thinking became too hard for her.


    Rosan knew what she wanted to ask but he didn''t deign to give her a response. She deserved to die in the most horrible way possible. Let her imagine the possibilities, they were probably way worse then what he could say.


    The 9 year old walked away from her right and right towards the terrified Doc.


    Doc watched all this transpire with an impending sense of doom.


    He watched his wife struggle to breath. He watched his wife look towards him, pleading with her eyes for him to help her. He watched as it became too much and her eyes rolled to the back of her head as she stopped breathing all together. He watched her die. Dead. Just like that. There were no theatrics. She was alive one second and dead the next. At the hands of the weapon he had been raising.


    He felt tears forming in his green eyes at the sight of the corpse.


    They didn''t love each other anymore, but he still held her in high regards. They had been together for more than a decade, of course he cared for her. They had even raised a child togeth-


    Wait.


    "H-how do you know we have a child?" He stuttered out in confusion. That wasn''t possible, he had never mentioned his only child around Rosan. It was irrelevant information that he didn''t need to disclose yet until they left the island.


    So how did he know?


    "Oh you noticed that? How astute of you Doc," Rosan mocked. "Meiko and I..." Doc''s eyes widened as Rosan said her name "...are quite acquainted with each other," he informed the man with a smirk.


    "When I learned she was you''re daughter I was quite shocked! I never imagined a girl as kind as her, would come from people like you! I decided even though you will die tonight, someone will still be alive to pay for the sins of their parents."


    Naturally, this was a lie but the man didn''t need to know that. Rosan didn''t believe that a child should pay for the sins of their parents. If he did, that would make him a massive hypocrite.


    Doc listened to this psychotic boy speak and he finally realized that he had made a mistake. He should never have targeted Rosan. There was a reason he had been traveling with the Devil Child and Doc should have taken that into account. The boy was unhinged and it was present, even when he still had his sunny personality.


    The man had just chosen to ignore it.


    Now, his unhinged nature was coupled with that of a cold blooded monster and he was the one who caused this. Doc had given birth to this demon and now he was paying the price.


    Rosan stopped in front of him and looked him in his green eyes. "You wanted to know how I freed myself right?" He asked kindly, bloody grin still on his face. "I bet you''re expecting me to say Meiko freed me. Well your out of luck Doc, Meiko didn''t free me, you did."


    At Doc''s shocked confusion Rosan continued with malicious glee. "I can see your confusion and, since I''m in a good mood, I''ll explain," the boy informed him.


    "The Saizu Saizu no Mi? Yeah, I lied. That isn''t my Devil Fruit. For the sake of maintaining my privacy from the dead, I won''t tell you my actual ability but the moment you released me from my handcuffs, you freed me," the 9 year old finished smugly.


    Doc felt like his world was crashing around him as he heard Rosan speak. He freed him when he unlocked his cuffs? He had lied about his Devil Fruit? But that meant that¡­


    "You''ve finally realized Doc. Everything was a lie except my name and like the desperate imbecile you are, you accepted it as the truth."


    By now, Rosan had dropped all friendly pretenses in favor of hissing in rage.


    "You thought you could make me submit but I will never submit to anybody. I am Portgas D. Rosan and I will become the strongest in the world so that people like you, won''t think twice about coming after me. Your attempts to break me failed but I wanted to thank you. Your trials have only made me stronger. Being a prisoner in this personal hell has taught me more than you could imagine."


    Rosan touched him again. "But now the tables have turned. You see Doc, even though you''re going to die tonight, you won''t have the luxury of dying quickly like your wife," he said softly and his voice was drenched in so much rage Doc began praying.


    "No Doc, for you my friend, it will be long, slow, and painful. 6 months of torture in a couple of hours, do you think we can do it?" The redhead wondered.


    Modifying his sensitivity Rosan grabbed the knife and made a small cut on his cheek. For Doc it felt like he was losing a limb and the man let out an agonizing yell as Rosan marked him.


    Grinning down at him Rosan, in the ultimate form of revenge, said "Now tell me..."


    "...What is your name?"


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    2 hours later


    When Rosan walked out of Masaru''s (Doc) home, it was raining hard. The downpour soaked his body and matted his hair but the redhead didn''t let that bother him. He quite liked the rain.


    He had done what he set out to do and now his anger had finally been properly sated.


    Doc was a screamer, and he lasted much less time then Rosan did too. Though, after about 30 minutes, he had lost his voice.


    Rosan had taken a vindictive pleasure in torturing the man within an inch of his life. Since his sensitivity had been increased, the smallest of injuries felt far worse, meaning the redhead could tease him as much as he wanted and it would still be terrible. Larger inflicted injuries, felt like the man was dying. Rosan had made sure to inflict the maximum amount of damage to him.


    Rosan had inflicted the same hell that he had been dealing with, upon that man and it felt euphoric.


    Doc was slowly bleeding out now. He no longer had any limbs, and Rosan had instantly cauterized a majority of them so that he could die slower. Rosan had decided against killing him because he had something much better planned for him. Something that he would be putting into action right now.


    While torturing Doc, Rosan had been waiting to receive another signal from #1 and #2. He had received one earlier but he wanted to make sure they were now off the island. When he did receive it, he had wrapped up his business with the man and now here he was.


    It was time to begin.


    Crouching onto one knee, Rosan placed his palm on the wet concrete of the floor. The Mod Mod no Mi user concentrated and said "Modify State: Oil" and the floor changed.


    All across the island, the floor transformed. With the assistance of the heavy downpour it had been made much easier. His pants and boots had been unfortunate enough to get caught in the crossfire but that was okay.


    He wouldn''t have to worry about that soon enough.


    Rosan got up and took a moment to gather himself.


    That¡­was draining, extremely so. He had never modified on such a large scale and he was getting dizzy because of it. The boy took a moment to compose himself and regather his energy.


    He wasn''t done yet though. There was still something he needed to do.


    Rosan could have just set the island on fire from here and be done with it, but Rosan was a show off at heart and he was thorough. It was why the crowd loved him and as such he would do nothing less but entertain.


    The redhead staved off his dizziness and leapt on top of a random roof. He closed his eyes and activated Modification again, only this time it was on himself.


    Rosan had an epiphany. For 5 years he had been trying to achieve one goal that he just could not do. He had been unaware about why he couldn''t do it and it honestly left the little boy stumped.


    He was normally a quick learner so to be unable to achieve this, left him a bit doubtful of whether it could actually be done. What had he been doing wrong? Where did the technique mess up? What was he missing?


    Now, Rosan had an inkling as to why he couldn''t do it. He didn''t have a good enough base to rely on. He was also lacking the resolve to properly latch onto a certain emotion that was needed to achieve this transformation.


    Now he had both.


    Latching onto rage, Rosan snarled to himself...


    "Modification: Ragnarok."


    For just a moment, the world stilled. Then Rosan began to change.


    Rosan hunched over as black scales formed across his body and his hands began transforming into claws. He fell to his knees as two large (much larger than the boy) black wings, with red streaks , sprouted from his back. A large and long tail with a similar black and red color scheme to the wings burst from his tail bone.


    Gritting his, now sharp, teeth Rosan drew blood as he began to grow larger and larger. The building he was on couldn''t hope to handle his new weight and with a rumble, it collapsed, crushing anyone that was currently inside. Soon, he was an intimidating 20 meters tall.


    Rosan''s human form was gone and in his place, was a large black dragon with streaks of red coursing through his body like visible veins.


    Large sharp claws, massive wings, and a long spiked tail dominated his frame. The only thing the dragon had in common with Rosan were the large heterochromatic slits that made up his eyes. One was a blood red, the other a royal purple.


    He hoped Mod-chan had saved a picture of this for future viewing. He wanted to see it from a different perspective.


    With one experimental flap, Rosan took to the skies and basked in the feeling of finally flying. He had always been jealous of avians for having the ability to soar through the sky.


    This was freedom.


    Alas, he couldn''t fully enjoy the feeling just yet because it was time to finish the job. By now, a commotion was beginning to stir and people were exiting their homes. Whether it was due to the sound of the building collapsing, or realizing their possessions had been stolen, islanders left the "safety" of their homes and they bore witness to the massive mythical creature flying above them.


    They were looking up at someone greater than them, someone better than them. This was the view that the strong earned and this was the fate that the weak inherited.


    Rosan roared. It was one of pure rage. One of the pent up anger, of a boy who had been denied his freedom for far too long.


    "RAOGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH"


    The people screamed and tried to run, but Rosan had oiled the floor for 2 reasons. They slipped and fell and panicked as they realized running away was near impossible. Even if it were, where would they be able to go? Making it to the ships would take too long and for the people who did, they had no delusions of being able to take on a Dragon.


    They felt a primal surge of fear as they looked at the large draconian figure in the sky. Rosan snorted at them and, on his new figure, it was more akin to a deep rumble.


    They were trying to beg for mercy? Pathetic but Rosan understood where they were coming from.


    He would give them mercy.


    Rearing his head back, The dragon began gathering energy into his throat. It didn''t take but a few moments to answer his call and soon, the rainy night sky lit up brilliantly.


    The people paled as they noticed, what looked to be, the sun dominating their vision.


    At night.


    The screams of terror only grew louder as they realized it was the mysterious Dragon preparing an attack. An attack for them.


    Impending doom encroached upon them all, as they saw the Dragon, that appeared out of nowhere, gather a large amount of energy in his long maw.


    Some people cried, some prayed, others even tried shooting at the Draconic figure.


    All of them failed and when that failed, they were reduced to praying to a God.


    But, at this moment the only god that could save them¡­was Rosan.


    And Rosan was no God.


    The obsidian dragon finished gathering energy and, as he pointed his head downwards, the world froze for everyone there.


    A single moment of eternity, that didn''t last long enough.


    Rosan opened his mouth and the world burned.


    "ANNIHILATION" The dragon roared as an absolute gigantic amount of flames, burst out of its mouth. The rain did nothing to diminish the flames. As the flame soared through the air, it finally reached its target.


    Daybreak Island.


    Rosan watched as his own personal hell folded under the pressure of his immense draconic flames. It was sweet irony, that this hellhole of an island was now burning.


    The people screeched in agony as the monstrous flames connected with them. His enhanced sense of smell, detected charring flesh and the agonized screaming was like a chorus of imps. Rosan hoped that in his last moments, Doc felt this fire, this rage.


    Masaru did. The near catatonic man felt every last moment and the knowledge that he caused this would haunt him even in the afterlife.


    Rearing his head back one last time Rosan let his victorious roar sing through the night.


    "RAOGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH"


    Daybreak Island, the man made island, was no more. Brought to ruin by a monster of its own creation.


    By Portgas D. Rosan.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan landed on the White Rose, now in his human form, naked as the day he was born.


    Unfortunately, his clothes were not able to survive his long awaited transformation.


    Well no matter, he hadn''t grown at all in the 6 months captured so he had a spare set of clothes. Even if he did grow, he could just modify his outfits so that they could fit.


    Though, it would be inconvenient if his clothes ripped every single time he transformed. He''d need to find a way to circumvent that.


    Looking at #1 and #2, Rosan thanked them for their work. He was about to demodify them, when he thought better of it.


    "Actually, you two can prove useful to me. As such, I will keep you both," The boy told them with a nod of acknowledgement. Both clones saluted as they heard that.


    "Thank you sir!" They said in unison.


    "We will need to add some key differences though you two look exactly like me and I would much rather not have that," Rosan said idly. He didn''t mind that they looked like him, they were his clones after all. But being a carbon copy was not something he needed.


    After a moment of deliberation, he turned to #1 and turned his eyes royal purple, like his right eye, while changing his outfit to a white cloak. "#1 You will now be Angel," Rosan informed his first clone.


    "Thank you sir." The now dubbed Angel said and Rosan nodded in satisfaction.


    Turning towards #2, he repeated the same process with different results. Rosan turned his eyes blood red, like his left eye, and gave him a black coat instead. "You will be Demon, #2."


    "Your wish is my command, Master," Demon said with a low bow.


    Satisfied, Rosan stepped back. "You two manage the ship and make sure we make it to the next island in one piece. I will be having a talk with Mod-chan and then, our guest of honor."


    "Sir!" They saluted.


    With that they went their separate ways.


    Rosan allowed one last smile to appear on his face. This one was a victorious one.


    Finally, finally they were free. It was a minor setback but it was essential for his growth. Rosan entered his room and closed the door behind him.


    He had work to do.


    Bonus!


    The Misadventures of Robin and Rosan ¨C 1


    This takes place right after the end of chapter 3. Robin and Rosan are 8 and 4 respectively!


    Robin was mortified from the events that had happened last night.


    She remembered everything. From watching a 4 year old systematically destroy a crew of pirates, to crying herself to sleep in the large chest of his pretty Devil Fruit.


    The same large pair of breasts she was waking up in right now.


    "Finally awake?" A soothing voice said and Robin looked up to find Mod-chan looking down at her with a gentle smile on her warm face. Robin, noticing their compromising position, turned beet red and hastily removed her head from the woman''s chest.


    "Ah! I''m sorry I didn''t uh mean to fall asleep there!" Robin stammered out an apology. She hadn''t planned on crying herself to sleep and now she had probably gotten snot and tears all over the ice queen!


    Mod-chan let out a soft chuckle and her long purple hair bobbed in time with her laughter. "It''s okay Robin-chan! I really don''t mind. You barely bothered me and I know you really needed that." Mod-chan said understandingly.


    "Besides, you looked so cute, I couldn''t dream of waking you up," Mod-chan finished, with a larger smile this time.


    Robin blushed an interesting shade of red at being complimented, but hesitantly put away her worries and looked around. "Mod-chan¡­where''s Rosan?" she asked, looking for any sign of the little boy.


    Mod-chan got up, still carrying an even more embarrassed Robin in her arms, and made her way out of the mindscapes house. "Rosan is training right now. Your words really lit a fire under him and he wants to get as strong as possible to protect you!" Mod told her.


    "R-really? He''s training¡­for me?" Robin asked hesitantly.


    Mod merely nodded with a bright smile on her face, as they found the boy in the forest clearing trying to rapidly modify a piece of wood into various objects.


    "Of course! You''re one of our precious people now, Robin and, whether you like it or not, Rosan has attached himself to you," Mod said cheerfully before her face shifted into a more serious expression.


    Robin looked slightly intimidated by how serious the woman looked and she awaited her words. "I hope you''re tolerance levels are high Robin."


    Robin''s eyes widened as she said that. "W-why? Is something wrong?" She asked in confusion.


    Nodding in sympathy Mod-chan said, with full confidence, "Yes. Rosan is clingy, possessive and selfish. Whenever you do something please keep in mind, those 3 important details."


    Robin couldn''t help the sweatdrop that appeared on her face. She had been expecting something a bit more serious not¡­that. Despite the absolute confidence Mod-chan displayed, Robin found herself doubting what she said.


    Mod-chan, sensing her doubt, simply said "You''ll see," and they continued watching the boy train.


    Surely Rosan wasn''t that bad right?


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan was that bad. The groaning bodies surrounding them was a testament to that.


    Robin took a deep breath to stave off the urge to choke the cheerful boy in front of her. She had known that his idea, while reckless, was too good to be true.


    Rosan had suggested they use her reputation to sneak into organizations that desired her abilities. After some time gaining their trust, the redhead would show up, in his disguise, and they would work in tandem to destroy them from the inside out.


    They would then take all of their valuables, while Rosan left an anonymous tip of their whereabouts to the Marines.


    It was a good plan, which surprised Robin considering hyperactive 4 year old Rosan, was the one who thought of it. She figured there had to be a catch but disregarded it because there wasn''t an obvious one she could point out.


    It was going smoothly and Robin figured she''d have their trust after about a week, based on what she saw. That was when the catch, she couldn''t spot, reared its head full force.


    Rosan couldn''t stand the thought of her not being with him so much so that, not even a day later, he had invaded and beaten down all the people in this organization just to get her back.


    When she asked him what he was doing here so early, his reply was "I missed you so I came to get you," and that was that. There was no worry for her being in danger, no thought that she could have been captured, just a desire to get her back at all costs.


    Robin looked on in sheer disbelief at the audacity of this boy. He was the one made this plan and he was the one messing it up?!


    Who did that?!


    Robin turned and walked away. She pointedly ignored Rosan calling her and the smug "I told you so" from Mod.


    She was beginning to regret working with these two. They were definitely insane.


    "You don''t mean that!" Mod said in mock offense.


    "Robin-nee come baaaaaack!" Rosan called.


    Yep. Definitely insane.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Character Sheet: Rosan


    Current Age: 9 (His birthday is March 12th! He turned 9 sometime during his 6 month imprisonment)


    Summary: Found and raised as an abandoned orphan, by Portgas D. Rouge, not much is known about his origins or who his actual parents are. Previously, he had a larger than life personality but due to the actions of being imprisoned he is a shell of his former self. Suppressing all but rage it is not wise to cross this monstrous 9 year old. His current goal is to become the strongest in the world so that no one dares mess with him or his loved ones.


    Devil Fruit: Mod Mod no Mi


    Type: Paramecia.


    Description: Turns Rosan into a computer man that allows him to modify anything he can touch. The nature of this fruit is unknown. Due to the stress of being captured, Rosan has fused even further with his Devil Fruit and the result has turned his left eye a blood red.


    Appearance: Tan, nearly bronze skin. Wears a form fitting long sleeved black shirt, long cargo pants that are tucked neatly into some steel clad boots.


    Height: 4''4


    Hair: Spiky long red hair that''s soft to touch. Tends to keep in either a ponytail that reaches his mid back or a bun with strands over his face.


    Eyes: Right eye is a chilly royal purple. Left eye is a angry blood red.


    Likes: Rouge and Mod-chan


    Dislikes: Traitors, Having his freedom restricted, the World Government, Needles, and people using him.

 Confusion

    This was the 2nd time Mod-chan hadn''t been there to greet him and it kind of stung. He was in the expansive rainforest by himself and his only company was the rain that constantly hit him. The rain didn''t bother him, in fact he liked the feeling of the cool water against his skin.


    The redhead had no right to feel hurt though. He had been the cause of this after all.


    After shutting the door to his room and getting dressed, Rosan had wasted no time laying on his bed and entering his mindscape. He needed to apologize to Mod-chan for how he acted. She was the last person Rosan ever wanted to explode on and the fact that he did, made him feel horrible.


    Mod-chan was his closest companion and the one person he knew would always be there for him.


    He shouldn''t have let his anger get the best of him and he definitely shouldn''t have directed said anger towards Mod-chan. He needed her to know that he truly was sorry.


    It didn''t matter if she already forgave him.


    Walking towards where her presence felt the strongest, Rosan made it to their home and after a moments delay he entered. Switching on the lights, the redhead noted that Mod-chan wasn''t in the lounge. The 9 year old frowned slightly and made his way to the bedroom.


    As he neared, his enhanced hearing picked up a tiny gasp and some slight rustling, as Mod-chan no doubt felt him approaching. Rosan''s frown deepened at that.


    She hadn''t felt him the moment he entered? Just how badly was she affected by what he said?


    "You mean everything to her, of course she''d be affected by what you said, idiot," he thought to himself.


    Knocking on the door once, Rosan patiently waited for Mod-chan to allow him entrance. After a moment, a hoarse voice said "Come in."


    Rosan softly pushed the door open as he made his way inside the room. Mod-chan was sitting on the bed, with a brave expression on her pretty face, as she watched him enter the room. They stared at each other for a few seconds, before the purple haired woman averted her gaze.


    His frown deepened. He hated that he caused her to react like that.


    "Mod-chan, can you please look at me?" Rosan asked softy. She hesitated for a moment, before taking a deep shuddering breath and focusing back on him. As soon as they made eye contact again, her mask broke and she let out a strangled sob as she turned away from him.


    "I-I''m sorry Rosan I don''t know what''s wrong with me!" Mod sobbed. "I''m r-really not u-used to f-feeling l-like this! I really don''t understand b-but I''m¡­ I''m so sad!" She couldn''t continue speaking as she wailed.


    Rosan suddenly knew why she was so badly affected and it made him feel worse. In hindsight, the reason was simple.


    Mod-chan wasn''t used to being sad.


    She had felt sadness before but he had never been the cause of it. Rosan had never made Mod-chan genuinely upset. The boy was always happy to go along with whatever the purple haired woman said and vice versa.


    This was the first time they disagreed so severely on something and she was unprepared, for the influx of emotions an argument like that would cause. It didn''t help that Rosan, the boy who she loved and valued the most, was the one who caused it.


    She was likely being overwhelmed by the negative emotions.


    Before Rosan had eaten her fruit, Mod-chan had admitted that she lacked any emotions and she only gained access due to Rosan giving her so much freedom in his body. Not only did Mod-chan feel everything he felt, the Devil Fruit also had her own emotions to deal with. A combination of his rage and her sadness?


    It made sense why she reacted so negatively now. She wasn''t used to feeling sadness on such a level coupled with his rage. Rosan was the first person to ever make Mod-chan feel this way.


    He wanted to throw up at the thought.


    Mod-chan valued Rosan above all else, even herself. He was the person that she loved the most and she always wanted the best for him. She was older then he was but her grasp of emotions were practically on the same levels as his. Disagreeing so heavily with the person she loved the most, must have destroyed her.


    He would have to fix that.


    Walking slowly, so as to not startle her, Rosan slowly wrapped his arms around her in an embrace. She stiffened slightly, but slowly relaxed as Rosan stroked her hair the same way he liked getting his own stroked. Rosan whispered softly to her "I''m sorry Mod-chan¡­I let my anger get the best of me and took it out on you. It was wrong of me to misplace my anger on you and you didn''t deserve that. You aren''t used to this and I chose to completely disregard that."


    Hesitating a bit, the redhead said "But I think¡­ I think this is a good thing." At her confused glance he explained "Up until now, we''ve never actually disagreed with each other, but it''s fine if we do. We don''t always have to agree. We''re not the same person and that''s okay."


    Taking a deep breath, Rosan continued "What''s not okay, is how the argument escalated and that''s solely my fault. I refused to listen to reason and I got annoyed when you kept trying to press the issue. I willingly pushed the situation out of hand and that was childish of me, especially when I said I would stop acting like one."


    "It won''t get to that point again Mod-chan, I swear it," Rosan promised to her.


    He meant it too, Mod-chan was far too important to him and he would never jeopardize their relationship. He wouldn''t disregard what she said like that ever again. Rosan tried to imagine a world where he didn''t have her unconditional love and the mere thought made him clutch her tighter. "You''re my best friend Mod-chan and I appreciate you more than you could ever imagine."


    Throughout his comforting words, Mod could only clutch him tightly as she cried harder. The purple haired woman was unable to keep herself upright anymore and she dragged the both of them down onto the bed. She clutched him like a stuffed animal as she blubbered "I''m sorry too, Rosan!"


    Clutching him harder she said "I knew y-you were getting upset but I ignored it! I-I''m so used to you always agreeing with me¡­ I couldn''t accept the possibility that you really didn''t agree with me. I refused to stop and that''s why you got so upset with me! Still e-even knowing all that, i-it still hurts so bad!"


    "I know, Mod-chan," Rosan soothed the older woman. Stroking her hair, he continued by saying "That''s why I''m here, so that it can hurt less. When Mom died... I was hurting really bad. I was filled with so much pain and resentment. I thought to myself, why would she leave me? Didn''t she promise we''d always be together? Why did she choose Ace over me? If that line of thought continued¡­ I would have hated Mom for lying to me. For leaving me."


    Mod-chan let out a sharp intake as she heard the confession.


    "But because of you Mod-chan, you made sure I didn''t go off the deep end. You kept me sane, you keep me sane. Even if you had just acquired emotions, you knew exactly what to do for me and I''m eternally grateful for that. Now...now I''m here for you."


    Holding her possessively, Rosan said "I''m sorry Mod-chan. You were incapacitated so the sudden shift in our dynamic must have caught you off guard. It needed to be done though. Before, we were more akin to mother and son. That''s not what we agreed on Mod-chan and it''s my fault for making claims that I couldn''t back up."


    "From now on we''ll be equals like we agreed to be in the first place. You won''t have to focus so much resources on keeping me safe, alright? I''ve learned a lot while imprisoned. I can take better care of myself now," Rosan told her confidently and she nodded in agreement.


    "I''ve changed Mod-chan¡­ there''s no avoiding that fact. I''m no longer the same Rosan I used to be¡­ but I''m still Rosan.We can argue, we can disagree, and we can even get angry with each other. But one thing that will never change, is the care and respect I have for you. I love you Mod-chan and no matter what happens to me, that will always stay the same."


    Mod-chan felt her sobs renewing at his heartwarming speech. "I''ve always hated how good your speeches are. Y-you always know the right things to say," she said with a watery smile. Unable to respond anymore, the Devil Fruit simply held onto Rosan and let her cries ring through the night.


    Rosan let her without a complaint. She needed this, Mod-chan was so used to being his pillar that she had begun to neglect herself in favor of raising him right. Always strong, never doubting, picking him up when he fell, teaching him. She was a constant presence in his life and she never allowed herself to be weak.


    All for his sake.


    It wasn''t right.


    Rosan was being extremely selfish and while he normally was a selfish person, he refused to be with Mod-chan. He was over reliant on his Devil Fruit and she carried that weight alone.


    Well no more. Mod-chan shouldn''t have to shoulder both of their worries on her own.


    He would still rely on her, of course he would, but not on the scale he had been using her before. It was not healthy for him to always look to someone else when he was in trouble and it definitely was not healthy for her to bear the weight of two people.


    The redhead didn''t know how long they had been there but Mod-chan was steadily getting more quiet. Eventually her sobbing had reduced to slight hiccups and then quiet, nearly inaudible snores. Within moments, his Devil Fruit companion was fast asleep.


    Rosan didn''t even think about leaving. He didn''t think he could even if he wanted to. Mod-chan had a steel grip on him. Moving around to get more comfortable, the 9 year old prepared to fall asleep as well. He had been up for quite a while anyways so he needed to rest.


    Growing boy and all that.


    Looking at Mod-chan one last time, Rosan allowed a small, fond, smile to appear on his face.


    It was the first time he had seen her fall asleep before him.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Mod awoke to a ticklish sensation on her chin. Too tired to laugh, she instead sluggishly looked down, only to be greeted by a shock of red hair rustling against her.


    The owner of the red hair had their head buried in the nook of her neck and a rather possessive grip on her black dress. She realized this wasn''t much by choice because she was crushing Rosan into her taller frame.


    Mortified by what she was doing to her wielder, she hastily released him. In hindsight, that probably wasn''t the best decision considering that Rosan hadn''t been free for even a full day.


    Rosan''s eyes snapped open and he quickly shot up, in prime position for combat. Eyes glowing in a telltale sign of Modification, he quickly glanced around. His fist were clenched in preparation to strike, before his eyes landed on her.


    Rosan relaxed his stance and instead, adopted a confused, and particularly, vexed expression.


    Mod had the decency to blush a bit at her oversight and she sheepishly apologized to him. "I saw how tight the grip I had on you was so I¡­ wanted to make you more comfortable. Pushing you away, was probably not the best idea."


    Rosan sighed in exasperation and sat back down, guarded expression gone. Mod resisted the urge to laugh at his sleepy gaze.


    "Or, you were just embarrassed about how tight you were crushing me and pushed me away in a panic," Rosan pointed out causing her blush to deepen. Huffing a bit, Mod simply turned away from the boy. She didn''t have to give him an answer if she didn''t want to.


    She felt much better, better then she had in a long time. Rosan''s words last night, were just what she needed and she found her love for the boy, if even possible, growing.


    Rosan was right. He had changed and she knew that better than anyone else due to having access to his memories. He made it abundantly clear that it was okay though.


    As long as Rosan loved her, he''d never stop being the Rosan she loved.


    Curse his charisma! His speeches always inspired such a strong reaction out of whoever he was talking too. Robin was one of the main victims of this and could attest to being one.


    It was good to see that he retained that ability.


    It hurt to see his personality change and it filled her with nothing but satisfaction, to see justice delivered to the people who caused it. Mod had naively hoped that Rosan would revert back to his previous self, but it was not fair to expect him to stay the same after what he had gone through. It would be more odd if he did stay the same.


    That didn''t mean it was any less sucky.


    Honestly, it was only natural he reacted that way to Nico Robin! Mod sometimes forgot that Rosan was only 9 years old. Robin and Rosan had made a promise to always protect each other, and in the eyes of the boy, Robin had betrayed him.


    Rosan, while mature in many areas, was still just a child and he acted as any kid would. Even if it wasn''t true, the redhead was unnaturally stubborn and he wanted something to blame.


    She''d just hoped that Rosan found Robin when he was older and he was able to process his emotions easier. If they found each other right now¡­in his current mental state, she feared for the girl''s life.


    Mod wanted to find Robin as soon as possible but, with Rosan like this, it wouldn''t be the best idea. For now, she would evade bringing her up again so Rosan could cool down and think things through.


    Like Kami themselves was testing her, Rosan abruptly said "Mod-chan, I wanted to talk to you. About Robin."


    The redhead must have noticed her freeze in worry because he hastily reassured her that it was nothing as serious as last night.


    Mod relaxed at that. She may have understood that arguing was healthy but she didn''t really want to have another argument ever with Rosan. It hurt too bad to see him direct his anger towards her.


    Nodding hesitantly, she let Rosan say what he wanted to say.


    the redhead took a deep breath and said "I''ve decided I won''t kill Robin¡­ I''ll talk to her like you wanted me too. Even if I don''t like the response, as long as you want her alive, I''ll keep her alive."


    The purple haired woman allowed a surprised look to appear on her face at Rosan''s words. It was soon replaced by a look of fondness as the boy looked away. He really was making an attempt for her sake and she appreciated it.


    Mod, unlike Rosan, still very much loved Robin and understood that it was likely out of the girls power when it came to rescuing Rosan. She was sure that deep down, the 9 year old knew that too but he would never see reason until they talked.


    Rosan was stubborn in his beliefs and just the fact that he was willing to accommodate her wish, was a win.


    Scooping the still smaller then her (she had to savor the time he was this small!) boy in a hug, Mod-chan nuzzled Rosan lovingly. "Oh Rosan there''s no rush. Take as long as you need. Although I must ask, what if Robin didn''t betray you? What will you do?"


    Rosan hugged her back like he always did. "Of course Mod-chan, I''d do anything for you and you know that. Even if I can''t stand it I''ll make an attempt only for you," he replied warmly before he thought about her question.


    "If she hasn''t betrayed me¡­ I will offer my sincerest apologies. I know how much you still love her so, on the off chance she doesn''t hate me, I''ll ask to travel with her again. I will not force her to accept however," was his honest response.


    Mod nodded, chest warming at the effort he was putting it. They shared another touching moment before finally separating.


    The Devil Fruit felt much better after this entire ordeal and promised to be more open to him in the future. He couldn''t really hide anything from her so the fact that she was hiding things from him was simply not fair. She knew he didn''t mind his lack of privacy though.


    It''s why Mod-chan loved him so much. He was unique in that things that would bother anyone else, didn''t bother him at all, as long as he liked you. The average person would be much more wary of a Devil Fruit suddenly intruding on their privacy. Most people didn''t enjoy feeling so exposed. She didn''t blame them at all. It was quite the jarring experience when your thoughts weren''t privy to just you.


    But Rosan¡­he didn''t think like that. He just saw her as a companion and that''s why she was so loyal to him.


    It reminded her of a conversation they had years ago.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    4 years ago


    "Rosan why do you trust me so much?" Mod suddenly asked the 5 year old.


    Both Rosan and Robin looked up in surprise at her question. She didn''t blame them, the question had come out of the blue and they weren''t prepared for it but this would ensure that his response was more truthful.


    The Devil Fruit ignored the voice in her head telling her that Rosan hated lying. She wanted to hear what he had to say. Mod was an intruder in the boys body and yet, despite that, Rosan loved and cared for her as if they were actual flesh and blood. The boy had even willingly given her full access to his body!


    Nobody in their right mind should ever do that!


    Still floored by her question, Rosan asked in return "What do you mean Mod-chan?" The boy looked genuinely confused by what he, no doubt, considered a stupid question. She had a tendency to ask him questions like this and his response was always the same "Do I need a reason to trust you?"


    It always made her feel a bit silly when he answered like that. This time was different though. The Devil Fruit wanted a reason and she refused to take no for an answer. Mod wasn''t sure what was happening to her but she attributed it to her ever growing emotional capacity.


    Her emotions... the purple haired woman found that they were getting out of control lately and she was struggling to rein them in. The only way to currently get them under control, was to fulfill what that emotion desired. When she was angry, she''d take control of Rosan''s body and let her frustrations out on some unsuspecting criminal.


    When she was sad, she''d take Robin and Rosan and cuddle the life out of them until she felt better. When she was happy she''d hug the life out of them and generally acted much like Rosan did. It always gave Robin a nice headache, when there were basically two Rosan''s running around.


    Right now, she was a weird mix of sad and afraid? The idea that Rosan could grow up and realize she was a nuisance, made her scared. That''s why she needed him to confirm her thoughts. She wouldn''t be satisfied until Rosan answered her question. Mod needed to hear it from him or she might go insane.


    "Yes Rosan, you do. I know you''re only 5 but you should be more wary of what I am! You haven''t doubted me even once since we''ve met!" Mod exclaimed in indignation, a frown set on her face. "Surely me being your friend, isn''t enough of a reason for you to give me so much control of your body!? Shouldn''t you be more concerned?! We''re literally called Devil Fruits!"


    Robin stayed silent as Rosan''s face shifted into one of understanding. The Hana Hana no Mi user sensed that this was between Rosan and Mod-chan and so she would stay out of this.


    She wouldn''t need to intervene anyways, Rosan had this handled. The boy was a natural empath, he was very good at reading people and picking up on what they were feeling.


    In truth, she was curious too. From what she understood, Rosan and Mod-chan had not been together for that long when she had first met them yet, the boy had absolute faith in everything she said.


    It was odd but, to be fair, Rosan also trusted Robin enough to let her enter his mindscape after only a few hours of knowing each other. The boy was trusting, worryingly so, but to not even question the fact that he had a so called "intruder" was odd.


    She wanted to see what answer he''d come up with and if it was enough to assuage Mod-chan.


    He did not disappoint. "Mod-chan is that what has you so worked up? Do you think I''m going to just throw you away one day?" Rosan asked her softly with a hint of anger.


    Mod-chan narrowed her eyes at Rosan but nodded stiffly. Rosan let out a fond sigh and said "Dummy! I trust you because not once have you ever given me a reason not to trust you!"


    Oh? What did he mean by that? Judging by the wide eyed gaze of Mod-chan, she was confused too. Rosan continued, completely unfazed by her reaction.


    "From the moment we started talking, you''ve been helpful to me Mod-chan! You offered to help me before I even knew you existed so why wouldn''t I trust you?"


    Mod-chan had a flushed expression on her face as she tried to argue "W-what if I was just using that as an opportunity to get close to you? What if that''s was all a lie? W-what if I''m lying right now"


    Rosan would not be deterred as he shook his head in a "no" motion. "That''s not possible. You suck with emotions, Mod-chan," She blushed and pouted as he said that. "You''re like me! We don''t like lying. When you first spoke to me, it seemed like you didn''t get to talk to people often and that must have been so lonely."


    "You''re just like me, Mod-chan," he said softly.


    "That''s why I wanted to be your friend! You were so surprised that I wanted to be your friend, that''s how I knew you weren''t faking it!" The boy grinned at her and she felt a strange sensation pulsing through her body.


    What was this feeling? She was unable to identify it so she let Rosan keep talking in hopes that it would become clear to her.


    "Besides, you didn''t ask to be here Mod-chan!" The redhead laughed, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head. "I''m the reason you''re here! When you were just a fruit, I ate you without really thinking about it. If anything, you aren''t an intruder, you''re a prisoner! My bad!" He apologized, clearly not meaning it in the slightest.


    Robin sweatdropped at how insincere his apology was.


    Mod resisted the urge to grab her head.


    "I don''t regret anything though Mod-chan! If I could, I''d eat your fruit again! You asked me why I trust you so much? I trust you because you trusted me! You''re my first and one of my bestest friends, Mod-chan!" Rosan said passionately, with a beaming grin on his childish bronze face.


    It was relief. That was the strange sensation she had been feeling. Mod was relieved that Rosan accepted her so readily. She had thought that maybe, just maybe, it was an act and he was just the same as her previous wielders.


    But no, that wasn''t the case at all. Maybe he''d throw her away after aging, maybe she''d willingly let him die like the rest of them. The thought that Rosan and her''s relationship could reach that point one day, filled her with nothing but pain.


    But no that wasn''t it. Rosan wasn''t using her for his own personal gain. Rosan knew she was lonely and he simply offered her his hand. To him, she really was just "one of his bestest friends" and not the weapon she was intended to be.


    Tears welled up in her eyes and she scooped up the boy in a bone crushing hug. She let out a watery laugh as Rosan flailed in her grip, before the boy gave up and settled on hugging her back. "I''m sorry for being a dummy, Rosan. Will you forgive me please?"


    Rosan pat the middle of her back and laughed. "Of course! Don''t be silly Mod-chan! You stop me from being a dummy so I have to stop you from being one too!"


    The two laughed together as they embraced.


    Robin let out a relieved sigh herself at how easily it had been resolved. That was the thing about Rosan, it was hard to let a problem stew because of his blunt and perceptive nature. If he thought something was wrong, he''d immediately call you out on it and solve the problem right there.


    The redheads reasoning was so him. The boy was so earnest, that it really did make you feel dumb when you doubted him. Both of them noticed her relieved sigh and, without haste, they dragged her into the hug as well. Robin yelped as she was unceremoniously forced between the two people.


    Never mind, they were both still idiots.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Looking into the dual colored eyes of Rosan, Mod smiled to herself.


    He was different. That much was obvious but he was still her Rosan. No matter what he had gone through, Rosan still trusted her with his life and that''s why she loved him.


    No matter what, Rosan would always have her loyalty and she would always have his. All they needed was each other and they''d be alright.


    For now though, they had other things to focus on. Such as the one sleeping figure on their ship. "Rosan that girl¡­ Meiko what do you plan on doing to her? I recall you telling her parents that you''d take good care of her in quite the sadistic tone¡­?"


    Rosan waved a hand dismissively. "Oh that. Don''t worry, I was lying to them," was all he said.


    Mod sweatdropped at that. The boy had been lying to them? The boy had always had a bit of a mean streak but this was downright vengeful.


    Seeing her question gaze, Rosan simply said "I simply told them that so that even in death, they couldn''t rest easily. I don''t plan on doing anything with the girl. To blame her for the sins of her parents, would make be the biggest hypocrite in the world. I simply thought of it when I saw her family photo."


    Rosan looked strangely at her. "Mod-chan are you alright? Shouldn''t you already know this information? Are you still upset?" He asked, a bit worried about her well being.


    Waving her hands frantically, Mod said "No! I feel much better thanks to you Rosan, there''s no need to worry! It''s just¡­" Mod looked away embarrassed "...I noticed that you were receiving some of my emotions as well. So when I begun feeling sad I cut off our connection. As a result, I was only able to catch a few things and was not privy to your true intent."


    The redhead nodded and his face morphed into a thinking expression. "Mod-chan how do you feel about this partial fusion? Do you have a better idea of how it happened?" He asked her.


    Mod thought about his question. How did she feel about it? She knew Rosan didn''t mind so she already knew how she felt. "I''m totally fine with it Rosan. I wouldn''t want it to be anyone else and I''m sure you feel the same way!"


    "Now as for how we fused? I looked a bit more into it since our last talk and I''ve come to some conclusions. Seastone does not get rid of your abilities, they simply suppress it. Externally you lost your abilities, but internally your body still operated as if it had Modification just¡­ more subdued, it''s very likely that to get to previous levels of performance, Modification partially combined the two of us."


    Rosan hummed in acknowledgment. A forceful evolution to circumvent the effects of seastone. It would explain why he felt so much stronger. When the seastone had been removed, his bodies performance returned to normal and it combined with the enhanced state his suppressed form had. It still didn''t explain everything such as how he wasn''t fused with her in the first place, but if Mod didn''t want to reveal that information, he wasn''t going to force her.


    Weird but he could roll with it.


    "I''ll likely drop Meiko off on the next hospitable island and give her a partial sum of the money we got so she can live comfortably," the boy decided.


    Mod-chan smiled at that. It was incredibly thoughtful of him to give her money so she could manage.


    There was one problem with that though and it was the fact that Meiko was a normal 11 year old girl. She wasn''t Robin or Rosan. There was no way she could manage by herself unlike the resourceful duo.


    It was unfortunate for the girl but it seems like she would have to.


    "It''s day time now Rosan and I imagine our guest of honor is going to be waking up soon. Try and avoid dying to her," She said cheekily.


    "You don''t need to remind me. She probably hates me but I deserve it. I tricked her after all but what''s done is done. I won''t be surprised if she attacks me," Rosan said.


    The boy stood up and closed his eyes.


    Waving at him Mod simply said "Good luck!" and he vanished.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    This wasn''t her room.


    The smell was more akin to coffee and flowers, lavenders to be exact, in contrast to her room that smelled of fruits and fragrance from her perfumes.


    The 2nd thing that tipped her off that she wasn''t in her room, was the bed. This bed was far more comfortable and much larger than hers!


    She almost sunk into it! It felt so good that if not for the fact that she knew something was wrong, she''d have gone back to sleep.


    Probably the most damning fact that Meiko wasn''t in her room, was the fact that her room didn''t move. Wherever she was, most likely a ship, was steadily swaying as she slept.


    That couldn''t be right¡­


    Memories of what happened last night came rushing to her and the blonde girl shot up in haste, before grabbing her head. She had a pounding headache and it took her a few seconds to get it settled.


    The blue eyed girl glanced around and she confirmed that this was in fact not her room. Whoever this room did belong too, seemed to really like violet and black. It dominated a majority of the room in a dark display.


    Shakily standing up, she unsteadily walked towards the door of the room. Quietly opening the door, she stepped outside of the unknown owners room. Out of curiosity she turned around to inspect the door. It was purple with black circles on it. A simple sign read out "Robin".


    So she had been sleeping in someone named Robin''s room? "Robin-san, sorry if I messed up anything," she thought.


    Meiko turned around only to see another door directly in front of her. This door was shut tightly with an insignia of a red rose on it. In big bold letters, it said "ROSAN''S REALLY RAD ROOM!"


    She flinched a bit as she saw that name.


    That''s right, Rosan...he betrayed her¡­


    Meiko felt tears well up as she tried not to think about it and she held her sobs in.


    Why would he do that? She really did trust him and for him to say she shouldn''t have ever done that felt like a slap in the face. The girl had wanted to help him escape! She even managed to steal her father''s key on the night he knocked her unconscious...


    Her only reprieve, was that she knew he genuinely regretted it. There was an unmistakable remorse in the boys eyes as he attacked her. It also helped that he had decided to take her with him! She did want to travel with the boy who intrigued her so.


    If he chose to escape with her, then maybe he did like her?


    It''s not like Mom and Dad would care if she was missing (Mom definitely would, the woman actually cared about her daughter). In fact, if they did come searching, it would more likely be for Rosan himself.


    To them, their daughter barely existed in their world. Maybe Rosan taking her from them wasn''t that bad of an idea after all. At the very least, she enjoyed being in his presence. It''s why she visited him so often.


    Mom and Dad could shove it! She didn''t want them searching for her after all!


    Wiping her tears, Meiko blushed as her stomach rumbled. Maybe she could find the kitchen and make some food. She wasn''t tied up, so she doubted she was being held prisoner¡­ maybe she should make some breakfast for Rosan too, in that case. It was the least she could do since he had given her the freedom he had been lacking for 6 months.


    Mind made up, the blonde tiptoed past Rosan''s room and headed to where she thought the deck was.


    Her hunch was correct because soon enough, she was met with the glare of the sun. Shielding her electric blue eyes from how bright it was, she basked in the cool breeze.


    It felt so nice outside! She had never been on a boat before, always staying on Daybreak Island, and she was regretting that decision. The salty tang in the air, the breeze, the endless expanse of the ocean, the seagulls!


    Meiko was beginning to fall in love with the sea. It was so...big!


    It looked to be early morning, which was good! She could make breakfast for them if it was early! She smiled to herself as she looked around to get a hint on where the kitchen was, and immediately froze as she saw the black clad figure of Rosan himself.


    The redhead was currently facing away from her, looking out at the sea and Meiko wondered if he was steering the helm? She didn''t see anything there but the blonde was still a bit tired so that could explain it. He didn''t seem to notice her, as he focused on making sure they stayed on course.


    The blue eyed girl thought to speak up, but something seemed off about him¡­ he seemed a bit...lifeless? Rosan had always been pretty stiff though but she couldn''t feel any sort of connection to this one.


    She wasn''t 100% sure but this wasn''t the Rosan that she knew. Did he have a twin? They looked exactly the same!


    Slowly turning around, Meiko crashed into something bright. Looking down slightly she saw¡­ another Rosan?!


    This one had on all white instead of black and she noticed that both his eyes were purple like how Rosan used to be when she first met him. This one felt just as lifeless as the other and, though he was practically a carbon copy of Rosan, she knew this wasn''t him.


    "You''re awake," Light Rosan said. His voice was flat, conveying absolutely nothing. She couldn''t even tell what he was thinking, which was unlike the conversations they normally had.


    "I-I am. You¡­ you aren''t Rosan right?" She asked hesitantly. Footsteps alerted her and she turned around and came face to face with Dark Rosan.


    This one looked much like the other two Rosans but unlike Light Rosan, his eyes were a piercing red like Rosan''s left eye. "I noticed her when she walked out but she didn''t seem to pose a threat, so I let her be," Dark Rosan said.


    Oh¡­guess he had noticed her...


    White Rosan nodded and assessed her. "Correct, I am not Rosan. My name is Angel," the now dubbed Angel said. "Why are you roaming the ship? What are you planning on doing? Is it harmful? Will I have to eliminate you?"


    Her eyes widened at his questions and her expression turned a bit pale at how casually he spoke about killing her. Waving her hands frantically she hastily said "I-I''m not trying to hurt anyone I swear! I-I''m just really hungry and I thought I''d make breakfast for Rosan and I!"


    Angel stared at her, expression unchanging, before he nodded. "Very well, Demon will lead you to the kitchen. He will be watching you to insure you do not try and do anything¡­ dangerous. I trust these conditions are fair." With that, he walked away to who knows where and vanished from both of their sights.


    Meiko turned towards the red eyed Rosan and smiled shakily at the black clad clone. Demon was much scarier than Angel, it''s probably why he had that name. Despite looking the exact same and carrying the same expression he managed to look meaner and more menacing. "N-nice to meet you Demon. I''m Meiko! I hope we can get along!"


    Demon seemed a bit surprised at how cordial she was being. Meiko wondered why but he bowed slightly and said "A pleasure Meiko. This way please." He turned around and started heading, presumably, to where the kitchen was located.


    Not wanting to be left behind, Meiko followed hastily. Maybe she''d make some eggs and bacon if they had any? She hoped Rosan wasn''t allergic to anything. Maybe she could ask Demon¡­ being a clone of Rosan, he''d surely know.


    "Demon does Rosan like eggs, bacon, and pancakes?"


    To her surprise, he answered without delay. "Master will eat all of that without fuss. He likes his eggs scrambled and his bacon slightly crispy."


    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    "Great! Do we have all the necessary ingredients? Can you show me where they are?" She asked excitedly up at the surprisingly polite clone.


    "Very well, I will show you when we arrive."


    "Awesome! Now, how about¡­"


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    When Rosan woke up, it wasn''t to someone trying to kill him so he took that as a good sign. Getting up, Rosan did some light stretches to get his body warmed up.


    He scanned the ship in a small vicinity and blinked when he noticed Meiko was not in Robin''s room.


    Modifying the scope of the scan Rosan quickly located her in the kitchen along with¡­Demon? Hm. What was she doing? Trying to blow up the ship? He doubted it, the White Rose was made of sturdy stuff. If Demon was watching her, then he had nothing to worry about.


    Rosan donned a simple white tee and black shorts and began his journey to the kitchen. His bare feet connected with the cool floor and Rosan embraced the simple feeling of moving freely.


    It felt good to be free. The 9 year old had missed the feeling of being allowed to go wherever he wanted.


    Mod-chan sent him a pulse of happiness and he readily sent one back.


    As he got closer to the kitchen, his enhanced sense of smell (had transforming into a Dragon made it stronger?) picked up the scent of eggs and bacon.


    Was she cooking? Before he could enter the corridor, that led directly to the kitchen, he ran into Angel.


    "Greetings, Angel," Rosan greeted his white clad clone with a small nod.


    "Master." Angel bowed in respect. "I trust you are doing fine today. Meiko has awoken and elected to make breakfast for the two of you. Seeing no harm in it, I allowed her too, with Demon keeping an eye on her of course. If you are unhappy with my decision please let me know!" He bowed deeper and the redhead looked at him oddly.


    Rosan waved his hands dismissively at the clone. "You did nothing wrong. Meiko is a gentle soul, she wouldn''t hurt a fly. She is far too genuine so it''s likely that she is actually making breakfast. Though I''m surprised, I thought she would be far more upset."


    Angel looked at him and with slight hesitance, said "Master¡­ I don''t think Meiko is aware of what you''ve done to her home."


    Ah. Yep, that would do it.


    Rosan sighed and said "I''ll explain the situation to her then. There is no point in lying to her, she can see through me regardless."


    Running a hand through his soft spikes, he thanked Angel and sent him on his way.


    "Sir!" Angel saluted before going to the main deck.


    Rosan prepared himself for the mess that was going to happen with a deep sigh. "Wish me luck Mod-chan. I can''t imagine how she''d react."


    "Don''t worry Rosan. It''s going to be bad but not nearly as bad as you expect it to be," were the Devil Fruits reassuring words.


    Somehow, Rosan doubted that.


    Finally making it to the kitchen, Rosan quietly opened the door and stepped inside. As if sensing him, Meiko suddenly whirled around. The redhead flinched at the pure happiness in her gaze, before she remembered what he did and her expression became far more reserved.


    Far more hurt.


    It¡­ stung? Rosan didn''t like seeing her like that.


    Nervously, the blonde waved a hand at the redhead. "Hi Rosan¡­ I''m pretty sure you''re the real one, at least. I made some breakfast. Demon told me you had no problems with eggs, bacon, and pancakes so I made some for us."


    Glancing at Demon, Rosan tilted his head questioningly. Sensing his intent, Demon replied "The food is safe to eat Master. I watched her every step of the way. Now if I may?" Rosan gave him the go ahead and his black clad clone bowed, before leaving the room.


    Focusing his attention back on Meiko, Rosan lightly sniffed. He had to admit the food smelled incredible and he was quite hungry so he would eat what she offered. Better than making his own food at least.


    Meiko blushed in appreciation for some reason before he realized.


    Right, she could probably feel his satisfaction. This was why he decided to just tell her the truth about Daybreak, hiding anything from her was not possible.


    But first, he would eat.


    "I-I''m not sure how much you eat so I made a lot. If it''s too much, we can save it for later! Please tell me if there''s anything I can do to improve on it," Meiko said, her nervous energy palpable.


    The blue eyed girl looked genuine, like she actually valued the opinion of the person who kidnapped her. The person who betrayed her.


    This girl was stupid. So stupid. If it were anyone else, they''d readily take advantage of her-


    Shaking his head, Rosan simply said "Thank you, Meiko. The food smells great and I look forward to eating it. You don''t have to worry about how much you made, I eat a lot." With that, he took the offered plate and walked over to the dining room.


    He heard tiny footsteps as the blonde followed him with her own plate as well.


    They ate in silence only breaking it once when Rosan praised her on how good her food was.


    She blushed a deep shade of red and said "It was nothing. I cook all the time for myself." Forcing her face down, she started shoveling her food at a rapid pace.


    Rosan looked at her in amusement. He got the sense that she was incredibly happy at his praise.


    She probably wasn''t used to it.


    The redhead got up and applied light slaps to her back, as she began choking on the food.


    Idiot.


    "T-thank you," She shot him a grateful look to which he merely nodded and then ate at a much more reasonable pace. Rosan had already finished a majority of his plate so he opted to just stare at her.


    Her blonde twintails were messier then normal but it looked good on her. Her sailor outfit was navy blue this time and her tie was black. She noticed his staring and the blush, that seemed to always be on her face, deepened as she looked away.


    "She''s adorable," Mod-chan gushed and Rosan agreed with her. She was adorable. He was starting to believe Angel''s claim that Meiko didn''t understand the full scope of the situation. She harbored no hatred for him currently and that was too odd for what he had just done.


    If he had to guess, she probably thought he took her away from her neglectful parents and wasn''t aware that they were both very dead.


    Well she had wanted him to be more honest and he agreed. Lying was annoying, he''d only do it if he had to so he''d acquiesce with her wish. Now was as good as any time to start.


    This was probably going to suck.


    "Meiko¡­" Rosan began, easily grabbing her attention. The girl was so attentive to everything he said, probably from the lack of attention she received. She sensed his tone and her blush vanished as she looked at him with a serious, if not slightly fearful, expression. Seeing that he had her focus, he asked her "How much do you know about what happened last night?"


    She adopted a thinking pose, her eyebrows furrowed and her button nose scrunched up. Rosan could practically hear Mod-chan cooing. Oh wait, never mind she actually was cooing.


    "N-not much honestly. I-I only remember¡­you knocking me unconscious¡­" She whispered. "Why Rosan? Why did you do that? You betrayed me when all I wanted to do was help..." Her voice turned wobbly and the hurt in it was unmistakable.


    She truly felt betrayed by his actions.


    Rosan resisted the urge to flinch, as his heart wrenched. Forcing a stony expression on his face, the redhead said "You chose to trust a prisoner. One who wanted to escape from all the torture he was receiving in the span of 6 months. You have nobody to blame but yourself Meiko. I simply did what I had to do, to ensure you didn''t jeopardize my plans of escaping."


    "I told you not to trust me, but you chose to ignore my warning," he finished coldly.


    She flinched back clearly affected by his words as tears pricked her eyes. "D-did our talks mean nothing to you Rosan? Was all of that a lie? I-I really did enjoy speaking to someone who didn''t treat me like a nuisance or look at me like I''m a failure¡­" She sounded heartbroken as she continued.


    Her emotions were clouding her. Otherwise, she would have been able to tell that Rosan was barely holding up himself.


    The boy struggled to keep his composure, he didn''t know why but this girl affected him in ways that he just couldn''t explain. Why did he feel so bad?


    "That''s not true. Talking with you, was something I did enjoy Meiko," Rosan said reassuringly and wasn''t that a thought. Why was he trying to reassure her? Was it really that big of a deal if she thought these things or not?


    Apparently, his mind thought so.


    Mod-chan was oddly quiet. Rosan didn''t notice.


    "I don''t think your a failure and I do enjoy speaking to you," the redhead said honestly. "You provided me a brief respite from that living hell and I''m truly grateful. Who knows how much worse I could have ended up if not for your ointment?" Rosan watched as she wiped her tears away to continue listening to him.


    "I didn''t lie that night Meiko. I trust you. I really do, it''s why you''re still alive right now. But¡­you shouldn''t trust me. I''m a monster now, your late father made sure of it."


    As he hoped, Meiko had latched onto some very key words. With shaky breaths, she hesitantly asked "Why I''m still alive? Late father? R-Rosan? What happened?" she looked so confused, that Rosan was tempted to have Demon explain it to her.


    But no, he had to be the one to do this.


    Better to rip the band-aid off immediately then. "Daybreak Island is no more. I destroyed it and killed every inhabitant, besides you, on it. You are the sole survivor," Rosan said bluntly and he instantly regret his decision.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Meiko was sitting but she felt like she was falling. That couldn''t be possible. What was happening to her? H-he had said late father right? Maybe she misheard him maybe he was just jok-


    "Daybreak Island is no more. I destroyed it and killed every inhabitant, besides you, on it. You are the sole survivor." Rosan''s words slammed into her like a train. Faintly, Meiko realized that she was having trouble breathing. She then realized she was hyperventilating.


    "Daybreak Island is no more."


    "Destroyed and killed every inhabitant on it."


    "You are the sole survivor."


    It was completely overwhelming her. Killed? Rosan, h-he killed them? H-how did he do that? The redhead was so much younger then them all! How could the 9 year old joke like that?!


    As she looked at the younger boy however, his remorseless gaze reached her and she realized Rosan was telling the truth. He had really killed them all and he didn''t hold an ounce of regret in him.


    Her parents¡­Mom and Dad they weren''t good people and they neglected her but she still loved them with all her heart. They were here parents after all! She didn''t wish bad on them, she just wished they''d stop being bad people.


    B-but they couldn''t make that decision anymore b-because they were dead.


    A choked sob escaped her and she quickly covered her mouth to stifle it. She couldn''t cry she just couldn''t. She wouldn''t cry in front of-


    "You are the sole survivor."


    "I-I just need a moment t-t-to myself. I-I''m sorry b-but I have to-" another sob wracked her body, interrupting what she was trying to say. Without waiting for Rosan to say anything, she rushed past him and quickly vanished from sight.


    She ran past Demon, who looked a bit worried for her but she didn''t stop running. She eventually made her way back to Robin''s room and slammed the door with more force than necessary.


    Apologizing quietly to the object, she placed her back on the door and collapsed. "I''m okay I''m okay I''m okay I''m okay," she repeated the mantra to herself repeatedly, even as the tears fell down her eyes.


    "I''m okay I''m okay I''m okay I''m okay I''m okay I''m okay."


    "I''m not okay." and she could no longer hold it back. Wails of agony ripped through her body and the 11 year old cried her heart out.


    It wasn''t fair! Why?! Why did people have to die?! Why couldn''t everyone just get along with each other? W-why did they push a child to the point where he would willingly kill them all just for the chance of freedom?!


    Meiko had no answers to this question. She didn''t think there was a right answer to that question. So she cried and cried.


    Worst of all, she couldn''t put the blame on Rosan. How could she? He didn''t ask to be there! They had kidnapped the boy and corrupted him with months of torture. He didn''t have to kill them, but they had put him through so much, it was only natural he retaliated in the way that he did.


    Rosan hadn''t always been like that, they had just turned him into this.


    Still the reality of what he did, shook her to the core. A 9 year old should not be capable, or even willing, of doing what he had done.


    The death of her parents...it hurt more than she could imagine. She missed when Mom would read to her and sing her sweet nothings when she was younger. She missed when her Dad would grab her into a hug after she fell and hurt herself always telling her not to cry and that it would be okay.


    Why did they have to change so suddenly?! If they never changed, they wouldn''t have paid the price for becoming bad people¡­they wouldn''t have forced Rosan''s hand at killing them.


    They wouldn''t have abandoned her so easily.


    But none of that mattered anymore, because now they were dead and even if she wanted to go back to those times she couldn''t anymore.


    Tears renewed as she sobbed miserably. "Mama, Papa I miss how things used to be," The poor girl said, as she curled into herself and cried.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "That was harsh Rosan." Mod-chan said neutrally.


    "You''re right, Mod-chan," Rosan agreed with her because she had to be right. How else could he explain this feeling in his gut. He had been feeling terrible since the tone had turned serious and watching Meiko rush out, barely restraining her sobs, had affected him more than he liked to admit.


    Rosan let his stony expression fall, as he recalled their conversation.


    He didn''t realize he was being so harsh to her¡­ Rosan lacked the tact and as a result, she suffered for it. He had always been like this but now it was coming to bite him. Maybe¡­ maybe he could be a bit more thoughtful in the future.


    The only time he felt such a scale of emotions was when around her. He couldn''t stand not being in control of them. Since his change, he normally had such a firm grasp on them and she threw all of that into disarray.


    Sighing, Rosan raked a hand through his hair and idly grabbed his bun.


    What''s done, was done. He would have to apologize to her in some way but he couldn''t take back what he said. For now, he''d give her the space she needed and just wait for her to approach him.


    He needed to get his thoughts situated anyways. Maybe some training would take his mind off of it.


    Mind made up, Rosan made his way to his spacious room. He made a show of opening and closing it loudly to alert Meiko to his whereabouts.


    Rosan glanced around his room. Nothing had changed since it had been confiscated by Doc but that didn''t surprise him. They probably didn''t even know the toy ship was the White Rose. Even if they did, it was too small to make changes to.


    His room was spacious, surprisingly so, Rosan had modified the dimensions to make it much larger then a ship this sizes room had a right to be.


    He had decorated it black and red and had an assortment of collectibles he had amassed from his journey. The reason it was so spacious however was so that he could have room to physically train himself. It would do no good if he crashed into anything so a large part of the middle room was bare, allowing him to freely train.


    Rosan got straight to work as he began stretching his body out.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    A knock on the door, interrupted Rosan from his push ups. Standing up, Rosan wiped a thin bead of sweat off his forehead and looked down at his body in wonder.


    Rosan had always had quite a lot of stamina. It eclipsed Robin''s and he had been victim to many of her complaints. The redhead took great joy in rubbing his superior stamina in her face at any opportunity where it was appropriate.


    But this was ridiculous.


    He had been going through his routine for about an hour and he barely felt winded. Lunges, sit ups, squats, planks, jogging, etc. Rosan had done all these in a steady interval and he barely felt winded. Even now, before he got interrupted, he had been reaching the 100 record on his push ups just to see how much he could do and he felt like he could do much more.


    For now, he''d probably have to think of a new workout. Weights were still out of the question though...growing boy and all that.


    Walking to the door, Rosan half expected to see Angel or Demon preparing to update him on their status. Had they seen an island? Unlikely, they had only been sailing for one day. Perhaps they were passing by a ship¡­


    Imagine his surprise when he opened the door and on the other side, was Meiko herself.


    She was ready to see him? So soon?


    That couldn''t be right.


    The fair skinned girl was a mess. Her blonde hair was messy, her clothes were ruffled, she was trembling uncontrollably, her face had tear streaks, and her electric blue eyes were red from crying.


    Rosan had heard her crying, he was sure everyone on the ship heard her crying. To give her some more privacy, he had modified the walls, closing any gaps in them, and made them soundproof (it was how he made Doc''s home soundproof!). Seeing how useful it was, he had made sure to apply it to the entire ship.


    Her electric blue eyes were more dim as she quietly asked "Can I come in...?"


    Rosan nodded, stepping aside and allowing her to come inside.


    Despite her obvious distraught, the girl was still able to show her appreciation for the room and she looked on in wonder. Rosan felt a little pride at how starstruck she looked but that quickly vanished as her gaze landed on the bounty poster of Nico Robin.


    To Robin''s embarrassment, Rosan had gotten her bounty poster as soon as he could. He was so proud that Robin had such a high bounty, he took one and framed it! She tried stopping him but Rosan could not be deterred. It sat proudly on his nightstand, surviving all forms of attacks from Robin herself.


    He''d have to destroy it now.


    As Meiko''s gaze lingered on it, she no doubt began to form obvious connections. If she knew the name of who''s room she was sleeping in, it wouldn''t be difficult.


    Rosan softly asked "Did you want to talk to me?"


    Her blue eyed gaze snapped to his dual eyes and when they made eye contact, she averted her gaze.


    Rosan felt a twinge at that, before coolly brushing it off. Keeping his face blank, Rosan patiently waited for her to speak.


    He didn''t have to wait very long.


    "Um¡­I''m sorry for running away so abruptly," Meiko said quietly, voice even lower than his.


    Rosan couldn''t fight the shock that appeared on his face as the girl started off with an apology of all things. "I-I just needed to gather my thoughts a little bit. There was a lot I needed to think of," She finished.


    Enough. There was no reason at all for her to begin with an apology.


    "Meiko, I''m sorry for being so harsh with you," Rosan said, surprising her greatly. She looked up with wide eyes, as he said "You have been nothing but kind to me and I''ve been nothing but cruel to you. You don''t deserve that and I shouldn''t have delivered the news to you like that."


    Rosan took a deep breath as he bowed shallowly. He never bowed but she deserved this much. "I know you hate me but bear with me for a little longer. Once I find a suitable island, I will give you a generous amount of beri and leave you alone for the rest of your life. You will never hear from me again."


    The 11 year old froze as those words slammed into her.


    Suitable island? Never hear from him again? L-leave her alone? Meiko felt horror creeping upon her as Rosan told her that he''d be leaving her all alone on some random island. No. No no no no-


    "No!" She suddenly exclaimed surprising him. The sheer terror on her face as he finished his sentence, was enough to give him pause.


    "No?" He asked, genuinely confused.


    "P-please don''t leave me you''re all I have left! I-if you leave me I''ll really have nothing," the blonde begged as she quickly closed the distance. Those blue eyes looked at him with such fear that he was left momentarily speechless.


    Rosan narrowed his eyes at her words.


    She didn''t want him to leave? Did she even know what she was saying? Did she not register the words that he told her?


    "You would stay with the person that you hate, simply because they are the only one you have left?" Rosan asked incredulously. "Have you developed Stockholm Syndrome? I''ve read that it normally takes longer then one day for a person to develop it but you are also an oddball."


    The girl looked genuinely shocked as Rosan spoke. She waved her hands frantically and said "Wait wait wait! I don''t hate you! I don''t hate you at all! Where did you even get that idea?!" After a moment she added "And I definitely don''t have Stockholm Syndrome, please don''t be silly!"


    Rosan refused to believe what she was saying was true. Somehow, she was using this connection they had to appear truthful but Rosan was fed up with her actions. People like her just didn''t exist.


    She didn''t hate him? There was no way she didn''t.


    He called bullshit.


    "You''re telling me, that you don''t hate me at all?" Meiko nodded with wide, fearful eyes, sensing his impending eruption, and Rosan let out a disbelieving snort as he growled out "Are you fucking stupid?!"


    She flinched as the redhead finally grew tired of everything about her. An unbelievable pressure began to wash over her and the girl fell to her knees as she struggled to breathe.


    W-what was this feeling? Rosan''s presence¡­ it w-was so daunting. How was he doing this?! She felt like she was about to blackout!


    Rosan didn''t even seem to realize he was releasing this pressure. He was far too angry to notice much of anything at the moment.


    No one could act like this. No one. This was a ploy by her so that he could let his guard down. He rarely cursed but she seemed to bring out the worst in him and he couldn''t stand it. He didn''t know how she did it but she just did.


    Mod-chan refused to speak up, interested in seeing how this conversation would turn out and not wanting to manipulate Rosan''s choices.


    "Do you honestly think I believe that you don''t hate me?!" He snarled. She tried to speak up but Rosan wouldn''t let her.


    No she needed to be exposed of all her lies.


    "I just revealed that everyone you know and love is dead and that you''re currently on the ship with the one who did it."


    "Your mother, Sachie..." she flinched as he said her name "...and your father Masaru, or as I like to affectionately call him Doc, were my main tormentors when I was stuck on this hell. When I freed myself I found them both and I tortured them."


    A sadistic smile appeared on Rosan''s face, as he held up his hand and clenched it into a fist. "6 months of pain repaid back in one night! Tell me, did your parents tell you what they did to me? What they caused me to become? Or maybe you feel regret because you do know what they did and you wish to atone?" He questioned her ruthlessly with a raised brow.


    "I don''t need you to atone, the sins of a parent should not apply to their innocent child. You can take your charity and you can fuck off. I don''t need your sympathy and I definitely don''t need you to repay a debt that doesn''t exist."


    Finished, Rosan panted slightly, still glaring at the older girl. He was satisfied to see that she was glaring back at him. Like this, the redhead could see the startling resemblance she shared with Sachie.


    Hm. Seems he had finally gotten under her skin. Good now he''d see her true colors. He wondered what she actually thought of hi-


    "You''re wrong."


    Rosan was stunned into silence as Meiko finally spoke. He didn''t detect any rage in her voice it was¡­determination?


    "Rosan, Mom and Dad¡­they were bad people and I know that more than anyone," Meiko sad, glare still on her face. "I-I don''t know the full extent of what happened to you because they didn''t tell me anything but I don''t want to stay with you because of that. I want to stay with you because you''re the only person who understands me!" The blonde exclaimed and she actually looked frustrated with him!


    "Even though you were a prisoner and you were in so much pain, y-you still thanked me for tending to your wounds! No one has ever thanked me so sincerely and the fact that you were able to fight through the pain to do that, meant so much to me."


    The girl paused to take a deep breath. Rosan couldn''t muster up the strength to say anything and the boy just opted to stare wide eyed at her.


    Meiko didn''t notice his sheer shock due to how focused she was on what she was saying and so, she kept going. "N-not only that but, do you understand how sorry I am to find comfort in a prisoner of all people?! You were dealing with your own things a-and yet you still took time to speak with me. You made me feel like I existed..." she admitted quietly and Rosan''s dual eyes unwittingly went soft.


    "I hate that someone as kind as you, was forced to meet people as bad as my parents," the blonde girl admitted. "Rosan¡­how could I possibly hate you when I know you had no choice? I don''t blame you Rosan for becoming what you had to become. As much as it hurts me to say¡­Mom and Dad are fully to blame. You were just caught up in their schemes and as a result you had to suffer¡­"


    Tears had begun welling up in the girls eyes as she spoke. Tears for him. Was she actually¡­ crying for him? Again? Even after everything he had done¡­?


    "I don''t want to stay with you to atone, Rosan. I want to stay with you, because I trust you. I always have Rosan and you keep trying to push me away!" Meiko shouted at him, clearly upset with his stubbornness.


    "Well, I won''t let you! I''m staying with you whether you like it or not because I like you!" The blonde declared with the most confidence he had ever seen her display.


    Her eyes widened at her slip up.


    Rosan didn''t think it was possible, but her face turned as red as his hair. He swore he could see steam pouring out of her ears. She tried hard to cover up her mistake by saying "I-I mean, you um...you could have left me for dead on Daybreak Island but you chose not to a-and I appreciate that...so that''s why I like you and oh¡­"


    Her head slumped in defeat and Rosan couldn''t help it, he let out a small chuckle that evolved into full laughter. Her head shot up as she heard Rosans laughter for the first time. It was at her expense but still hearing his boyish laugh filled her with an unexplainable feeling.


    "Kahahahaha!" Rosan laughed in genuine joy at her antics.


    She really was an idiot. But, she was a genuine idiot.


    Meiko decided, in that moment, that she really liked his laugh. She hoped she got to hear it more often in the future.


    Rosan understood why Meiko got under his skin so easily now. Besides the strange connection they had, she was what he had been except that when facing hardship, she was a person who stuck to her beliefs. Rosan couldn''t say the same for himself, he had tried and failed and maybe that''s why he couldn''t stand how pure she was. He thought she had ulterior motives, but he was just being an idiot himself.


    Rosan might have been more powerful then she was, but she was alot stronger than him.


    He told her as much and she frantically waved her hands in denial. "I don''t agree at all! I think you''re so much stronger then you give yourself credit for!" Meiko said with an admiring gaze.


    "6 months is a really long time, Rosan! I would never have been able to retain my sanity if I went through what you did. You''re really resilient and you won''t bend to anyone''s will. If it were anyone else¡­ they''d be a slave in just 1 week! I''d love to have your fortitude!" She exclaimed vehemently and the girl meant everything she said.


    "She''s right Rosan," Mod chimed for the first time that conversation. "For 6 months you endured that hellish torture with no one but yourself. Please give yourself some more credit," The purple haired woman praised.


    "Oh? And where have you been hiding, Mod-chan?" Rosan asked accusingly.


    "Me? I was here this entire time just reveling at the fact that you got hit with a taste of your own medicine. I didn''t think I''d ever meet someone who gave such heartfelt speeches like you but here we are."


    "Oh? So this must be how you feel when getting a speech from me."


    "Absolutely. You don''t know how satisfied I am to see such justice served."


    Still chuckling, Rosan said,"I assume this means you approve of this girl? You sure do love picking up strays."


    "You don''t have to assume I get taken with every sweet child I see Rosan!"


    "¡­"


    "¡­"


    "Yes I approve of this girl."


    With that, she shut off their connection to go sulk somewhere.


    Honestly, Mod-chan was such a child sometimes. Rosan stopped laughing and he took the time to catch his breath. It had been a long time since he had laughed like that and of course it was because of this strange girl before him.


    Only Meiko could invoke such emotions out of him so he''d acquiesce with her wishes. The blonde deserved that much.


    "Alright, you can stay with me Meiko," Rosan said simply, with a shrug of his shoulders.


    Her eyes widened before a large smile overtook her features. Rosan watched as she quickly closed the distance again and wrapped both arms around him. The 9 year old went stiff, before slowly allowing himself to relax as he realized she was just hugging him and he shook his head.


    She really was the strangest person he''d ever met.


    Meiko still felt it through their odd connection and jumped back as if burned. "Sorry! You must not have positive memories of getting touched! Next time, I''ll ask for your permission." The girl bowed deeply, as she apologized.


    Rosan snorted and waved her off. "It''s nothing, don''t mind it. I''ve allowed you to touch me before, so I don''t really care. You just caught me off guard is all. You don''t need to ask me for permission. After all, you said you like me right?" His tone turned a tad bit mischievous as he said that.


    Predictably, Meiko''s face turned scarlet. "Rosan please stop teasing me!" She whined.


    Rosan smirked at her but truthfully he was contemplating things. She liked him huh? Judging by her reaction, Rosan assumed she was slightly romantically interested in him. It would explain things a bit but, Rosan wasn''t sure how much was attributed to this strange connection.


    He needed to figure out more about it but he wasn''t really sure where to start.


    Did he like her? No. Not romantically at least. Maybe in the future that would change but right now, Rosan couldn''t afford to be romantically interested in anyone.


    "Keep an open mind Rosan. You deserve happiness and if I learn you aren''t pursuing this because of me, I won''t forgive you."


    Nodding, Rosan figured that was fair enough. He''d keep an open mind, if he found himself liking her then he''d have no problem pursuing her. The redhead was a boy that knew what he wanted and knew what he didn''t.


    He had plenty of time, he was only 9. It''s what Mod-chan wanted and he had been hesitant because of his desire to keep her safe but since she wanted him to keep an open mind, he would.


    Meiko was interesting in a way he had never witnessed so Rosan had no problem keeping her around. He found himself wanting to learn more about the girl and why she was the way she was.


    She''d still have to do things though. He wouldn''t tolerate anyone being useless. Maybe he could ask her to teach him how to cook? She was damn good at it and he enjoyed eating her food.


    Maybe this wasn''t such a bad idea.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    The Misadventures of Robin and Rosan ¨C 2


    Rosan and Robin are 4 and 8 respectively.


    Robin learns about Rosan''s past.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan was clingy.


    Robin knew that first hand. It was probably his most annoying trait and it was still kind of adorable to her.


    Still, even Robin had her boundaries and right now, as Rosan burst into the bathroom, towel covering his indecent spot, loudly exclaiming they bathe together, Robin finally put her foot down.


    One firm scolding later, a sulking Rosan had his head down as Robin soaped it up.


    The Devil Child had wrapped a towel around herself and she gently lathered up his hair. Despite the spikes, his hair was soft and she always marveled at that fact. Robin didn''t stay mad at him for long because he genuinely looked remorseful at invading her privacy.


    He probably didn''t know better, he was 4 after all. Still, she had to wonder why he was so clingy?


    "Rosan?" Robin asked as she washed the shampoo out of his hair. The boy looked up at her teary eyed and, with wobbly lips, said "Yes Robin-nee?" and her heart melted at the sight.


    She sighed at how adorable the boy was. He was making her feel bad at his, albeit genuine, mistake! He had to learn that somethings were not okay though.


    "I''m not mad at you Rosan. I just wanted you to know, it''s rude to burst into the bathroom when someone else is using it," Robin explained patiently. Rosan was 4 so it was up to her and Mod-chan to teach him what was acceptable and what was not.


    "I''m sorry Robin-nee¡­ I''m so used to bathing with Mama, I didn''t think about how it''d make you feel. I don''t like bathing alone so I figured you didn''t either," he said, looking absolutely gutted.


    Robin''s gaze turned sympathetic. She didn''t know much about what happened to Rosan''s mother but if it was anything like her own, then she was probably no longer with them. It was understandable that she hadn''t yet thought of telling Rosan about things like this.


    She probably thought they had more time.


    "Oh Rosan," she rubbed his shoulder soothingly "It''s okay. I understand now so how about this? On some days I''ll bathe with you okay? But sometimes I need some alone time and I''m used to bathing alone."


    Rosan''s eyes lit up and he nodded vigorously. "Okay Robin-nee! It won''t happen again, you can count on me!"


    Robin smiled at him and softly rubbed his hair. He was a precious boy and with Mod-chan helping, they would help him grow into an exceptional man.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan was clingy and there were times when it was annoying.


    This was not one of those times.


    Robin had been having a bad day. They were still sailing and she had been kept awake by a particularly vicious nightmare. The bags in her eyes were pronounced and she shakily tried to make herself coffee to stay awake. She steadfastly ignored the fact that an 8 year old should not be resorting to such things to stay awake.


    It was the same nightmare as always. Ohara in flames, everyone she loved dying, ice and magma, d ship being destroyed, a giant being frozen...


    This one was a bit different however. In this one all her loved ones¡­they had surrounded her, blaming her for their deaths. None of them had eyes but she still felt their gaze judging her harshly.


    "Why were you the one who got to live?"


    "Why did we have to die Robin?"


    "It hurts so much Robin please help us!"


    They never failed to shake her to the core. But the worst were always when Saul and Olvia chose to speak.


    "Giving birth to you was a mistake Robin. I should never have came back."


    "Why did I try to escape with you? I died for you Robin!"


    "Why Robin? Why Robin? Why Robin?" They''d chant over and over again, getting closer and closer to the trapped child.


    Robin had woken up with a fresh wave of tears from it.


    She knew it was just a dream but it felt so real. She shakily got up, knowing she wouldn''t be getting anymore sleep and decided she needed a drink. Looking outside she saw how dark it still was and concluded she still had a couple more hours before it was daytime and Rosan woke up.


    Now, here she was, in the kitchen, trying to make herself some coffee to make it through the day.


    She was used to this but that never made it easier. As she poured herself a cup, tiny footsteps alerted her to an approaching presence.


    Had she woken Rosan up?


    The boy in question, rounded the corner still rubbing his eyes. He yawned out sleepily "Robin-nee?" and she froze, like a deer in headlights.


    Rosan took one good look at her and immediately, he was fully awake. Closing the distance between the two of them, glowing purple eyes gazed worriedly at her face. Robin tried to look away but she could still feel his piercing gaze.


    "Rosan, I didn''t expect you to be awake at this time," Robin said, surprise on her face. "Is something wrong?" The 8 year old asked conversationally. She covered up just how tired and affected by the nightmare she was to avoid worrying him but she should have known it was for naught. Nothing seemed to ever escape those odd eyes of his.


    Rosan frowned at her and bluntly said "You''re not okay. What''s wrong?"


    The brunette knew she wouldn''t be able to hide it from him. Rosan was incredibly talented at detecting issues in a person and it was a detail he abused without remorse. Mod-chan had told her not even his mother had been safe from his perceptiveness.


    That wouldn''t stop her from trying.


    "I''m fine Rosan. I just couldn''t sleep so I thought I''d start the day early," Robin smiled, painfully fake, at him. She hoped it would be enough for him since she told a half truth but she should have known better.


    Rosan''s worried gaze turned into a judgmental glare as he stared her down. "Robin didn''t I tell you not to lie to me," he chastised the older girl and she flinched back. "I don''t like liars. What happened? You can tell me."


    She held Rosan''s gaze for a minute, before deflating. Her mask broke as she whispered "I had a bad dream¡­it was about Ohara."


    Rosan''s gaze immediately turned understanding. He was like that, always so understanding towards her and always knowing just what to do.


    Case in point, he took the coffee out her hands and dumped it in their sink. She tried to protest at the waste of a drink, but he ignored her.


    Job done, Rosan took both her hands into his tiny ones and guided her out of the kitchen. Robin, seeing no point in resisting, let herself get dragged away by the smaller boy.


    They made their way to his room and Robin watched Rosan open the door and softly tug her inside. "Sit," was all he said pointing at his bed. Robin climbed the bed and sat down and after a moment Rosan climbed after her.


    "Lay down," Rosan said lying down himself. Robin didn''t see the point in this but went along with it regardless. Now lying down, she watched the tiny boy scoot closer to her. He enveloped her in a hug and she sighed at how soft and warm he was. He smelled fresh, like flowers. "Close your eyes," he whispered and she listened.


    After a moment she felt reality shift and slowly opened her eyes. They were back in the mindscape and were now lying on the bed in the house. Robin wondered where Mod-chan was but her curiosity was soon answered as the woman in question opened the door holding 2 warm cups of something.


    She approached them both and handed the cup over to Robin. Upon closer inspection Robin identified it as warm milk. She looked questionably at Mod-chan and said "How is it possible that you have milk?"


    Mod-chan shrugged, just as lost as her. "Rosan thought it was unfair that I didn''t get to eat in here and this was the result. I can get you a cookie if you want as well. For some reason, it actually works. Though it fills you up as if you are eating real food, you''ll still have to eat in the real world because your body hasn''t actually consumed anything," was her response.


    "But¡­ can''t you just possess his body and eat like that?" Robin asked curiously.


    "I could, Rosan says that doesn''t count as me eating. I decided it''s hopeless to argue otherwise," Mod said, looking defeated.


    Robin just accepted it as Rosan being Rosan and took the cup. Drinking it, she gasped slightly at the fact she actually could taste it. She gulped it down and Rosan followed suit. Soon they both finished their cups and with a relieved sigh, they put them down.


    "Tell me about your dream Robin-nee," Rosan said out of the blue. She flinched at his request but when she saw the sincerity in Rosan''s eyes, she relented.


    She told him everything. About how she couldn''t stop having nightmares about Ohara, how they plagued her and kept her awake, how this one in particular was more vicious, how she had to drink coffee just to stay alert. Rosan listened to it all intently, expression never shifting only nodding along thoughtfully.


    When Robin finished, she let out a massive sigh.


    She had to admit, talking about it with someone who cared felt like a huge weight was lifted off her shoulder. Talking to Rosan always felt good because the boy was a very good listener. He let her speak her mind and when she got to parts that caused her to choke up he was always there to sooth her.


    "I have bad dreams too Robin-nee," Rosan told her causing Robin''s eyes to widen. Rosan hesitated slightly, as if debating telling her, before nodding resolutely. Robin watched the flash of emotions and her eyes widened as the implications hit her.


    Was he? "The reason I''m out at sea is because my Mama¡­," Rosan choked up a bit. Remembering what he did for her, Robin softly soothed him and told him to take his time. Mod-chan was sitting on the bed now and they both worked in tandem to help him.


    "My Mama was pregnant," Rosan eventually said. Robin looked on in dread when he said that. He couldn''t mean? She hoped not.


    "She was pregnant with my little brother, Ace. He was supposed to be born much longer ago but¡­but the Marines stopped her."


    "Stopped her how?" Robin asked him confused.


    "There were rumors that the son of the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, was conceived on that island. As a result, they started taking all the pregnant women on Baterilla and killing their unborn children," Mod-chan informed her sadly.


    Robin recoiled in disgust at that. "That''s not fair though! What do the children have to do with that!" She paused for a while as another piece of information came to her. Gol D. Roger?


    She thought his name was Gold Roger...?


    Rosan nodded in agreement. "Kids shouldn''t bear the sins of their parents but they don''t think so. Mama did everything she could to keep Ace safe so she¡­ she hid the fact that she was pregnant for 20 months."


    Robin gaped as he said that. 20 months?! T-that was impossible!


    A person could only hold a child for 9 months! There was rarely a case of someone exceeding that time especially not by 11 months! That was inhuman!


    Just who was Rosan''s mother exactly?


    "Mama''s name was Portgas D. Rouge," Rosan said. Robin''s eyes widened as she heard that initial again. What did that D. mean? What power did it hold?


    "Holding a baby for 20 months it''s not supposed to be possible...," Rosan mimicked her thoughts "...but Mama did it and she suffered because of it. After I ate the Mod Mod no Mi I tried to help her as much as I could but¡­"


    Robin hugged Rosan tightly as tears began forming in his eyes.


    She understood why Rosan so strongly resented the Marines now. They had caused his mother nothing but suffering and were likely the cause of her death due to just being there! Weren''t they supposed to uphold justice?! What they did was barbaric and inhumane.


    Coupled with what they did to Robin¡­it was a wonder Rosan hadn''t assaulted any yet. Mod must have played a key part in that.


    "Mama eventually gave birth to the baby. But the stress of holding him for so long, was too much for her. She¡­she died after he was born," the redhead said miserably.


    "I think she knew she wasn''t going to survive because she didn''t tell me that she was having the baby. I was looking all over for her and I used Mod-chan to spy on her. T-That''s when I saw it...I-I-I saw Mama die," Rosan let out a broken sob as the pain became too much for him.


    He had... seen it?


    Rosan had witnessed his mother die.


    This little boy had to watch his mother die and the implications, made Robin begin to truly hate the world. Robin had known Rosan''s reason for being out on sea was bad but this went beyond that.


    This was just terrible.


    Rosan had been raised by Rouge and probably loved her more then anything and he had been forced to watch her die giving birth. It must have hurt the boy so much, to see the one person who''s been a constant in your life, vanish. Robin felt tears well up and she clutched the sobbing boy even tighter.


    He had been through so much at such a young age.


    She shot a grateful look at Mod-chan for being there for him. If she wasn''t there¡­ Robin didn''t even want to think about what would have happened to Rosan.


    "A-a super strong looking marine took Ace and he was coming after me too!" Rosan admitted with tears streaming down his eyes.


    "Mama entrusted Ace to him but how could I ever trust the people who killed my mother?!" The boy wailed and he was shaking so terribly. "I-I wanted to take Ace b-but¡­ I was scared, scared that he''d take me and discover Mod-chan. How can I c-call myself a big brother, when I''m not even w-willing to risk myself for him!"


    "The World Government, they want Mod-chan too! They want her for their own greedy hands and I can''t let them have her! S-so I left Ace behind. I left Ace to save Mod-chan because I promised that I would protect her."


    Rosan clutched both her and Mod-chan possessively. "I-I already failed Ace but I can''t fail you two."


    To be forced to make such a heartbreaking decision at such a young age¡­ Robin''s heart went out for Rosan and she found herself becoming equally possessive of the boy.


    Everything was beginning to make sense now. His love for Mod-chan, his attachment issues, his clingy tendencies, his possessed fervor at becoming the strongest. Rosan was doing all this for the sake of others. It was polarizing how selfless this selfish boy''s goal was.


    One thing stuck out to her however.


    "Rosan you didn''t fail Ace at all! You did what you had to do! Leaving him with the strong marine was the best course of action. It''s unreasonable to blame yourself for being unable to retrieve him. To sail the seas at your age while watching a newborn, is suicide!" The Hana Hana no Mi user exclaimed.


    Rosan shook his head vehemently in return. "That''s not why!" he shouted, shocking her into silence. "For a second Robin¡­for a second, I blamed Ace for killing Mama. I can never forgive myself for that. T-that''s why I left him alone. I''m not fit to be his older brother!"


    Oh. Oh. That¡­ wasn''t very good.


    Robin could see why Rosan was so distraught now. Anyone in his position, would be guilty for blaming the death of a parent on their younger sibling.


    Still, by his words, it seemed like he realized his mistake immediately. He was upset with himself for no reason because his reaction was natural for a boy his age!


    "Rosan you''re not at fault," Robin said firmly. The boy sputtered in protest but Robin wasn''t having it. "You know that Ace isn''t the one who killed Rouge right?" Rosan nodded hesitantly. "So why are you still so guilty?"


    Rosan immediately said "B-because I blamed him in the first place!"


    Robin shook her head and shut him down "You had a natural reaction Rosan. You have to remember that you''re 4 years old. You weren''t thinking straight and it caused you to lash out at the most obvious choice. That''s okay Rosan, as long as you know you were wrong you can''t possibly be blamed. You know who is at fault yes?"


    "The Marines and Papa," Rosan said automatically with a surprising amount of venom in his tone.


    Robin nodded and said "Exactly. So stop beating yourself up about it okay? If you don''t I''ll really be mad at you."


    "NO," Rosan suddenly exclaimed making her jump. "I don''t want you to be mad at me so I''ll stop! You''re right Robin-nee... I just have to apologize to Ace and hope he forgives me."


    Robin and Mod both nodded approvingly. "Good job Rosan! I knew you coul- wait Papa?"


    Why was Rosan''s father to blame?


    Rosan nodded in fury with such hate in his eyes, that Robin recoiled. "Yea Papa! If he wasn''t acting like such an idiot and he hid his presence better, the Marines wouldn''t be there in the first place," he snarled.


    Robin felt a sense of vertigo as she started connecting the dots. Was Rosan implying what she thought he was implying?


    "Rosan¡­ is your father Gold Roger?" Robin asked him hesitantly.


    "Nope!" Rosan said and Robin let out a breath she hadn''t know she''d been holding. "Papa''s name is Gol D. Roger!"


    Nope, that feeling was back again. Robin was torn between strangling Rosan or glaring at Mod-chan for, no doubt, purposely withholding this information. Settling for the 2nd, all she got was a sheepish grin in return from the woman in question.


    Rosan, sensing something was up, clarified Robin "Oh but Roger isn''t my real father!"


    "I''m adopted and Mama found me when I was a newborn! I don''t know who my real parents are, because they abandoned me in a forest."


    It was as if Rosan was trying to force her to cry. Every time she learned something about him, she found herself growing even more depressed for the boy. To make matters worse, sometimes the boy didn''t even realize how bad the things he said were.


    Rosan had been adopted by the Pirate King and his wife. His little brother was the only child of the late man and a Marine already knew that.


    Robin hoped that whoever had taken him in, did a good job at hiding his identity. If the Marines found out who Ace was, no matter what he did, they''d kill him. As she ran that by him Rosan shook his head slightly.


    "I think Mama found me on her own. I don''t really know Roger like that. Apparently, I met him a few times when I was younger but I only call him Papa cuz Mama loves him. I really don''t like him much, he killed mama."


    Robin was glad that Rosan trusted her enough to tell her this information. She understood completely why they had been a bit hesitant to tell her about it.


    Being the son of the Pirate King, was a big deal and would put a massive target on your back. Robin could imagine the troubles the 4 year old would have if the Admirals decided to come after him.


    She shuddered at the thought of Vice Admiral Kuzan suddenly paying him a visit. The boy wouldn''t stand a chance against the iceman that effortlessly killed a Giant.


    Rosan probably wanted to get a lot stronger before that information was revealed to the world. She understood his fervor for training now (besides the fact that he was a battle junky). The boy was a huge target! Not only was his alleged father Gol D. Roger, he had Mod-chan, a highly prized devil fruit who appeared to be guarded jealously by the World Government.


    The redhead was important and, despite the danger he was in, he had dragged her into his mindscape, given her a glass of milk and opened up to her to keep her at ease.


    All because she couldn''t sleep. The Devil Child smiled to herself as her care for Rosan reached uncomfortably high levels.


    He was truly one of a kind.


    Speaking of which, Rosan beamed at Robin and said "It''s day time Robin-nee! Your body should have gotten a lot of rest while we were in here so you''ll be less tired then before!"


    Was it really daytime? Had that been Rosan''s goal all along? Distract her long enough so that her body could get some much needed rest?


    "From now on you can sleep or we can talk in here! Your safe with Mod-chan and I!"


    Robin was stunned at just how amazing Rosan''s personality was. The 4 year old had found a way to prevent her from having nightmares and he had practically extended the invitation to her permanently.


    The brunette beamed at the redhead and gladly accepted his offering. Rosan cheered and grabbed them both into a group hug.


    Rosan was clingy, but he was the sweetest boy she had ever met.


    His empathy was rarely seen in this world and she was lucky that she had him.


    Robin didn''t have nightmares for years to come.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Character Sheet: Meiko


    Full Name: Suzuki Meiko


    Current Age: 11


    Gender: Female


    Summary: Daughter of Suzuki Sachie and Masaru, Meiko, unlike her parents, is much more caring then either of them. They used to always spend time with each other but one day her parents became consumed by their research and, not wanting to involve her due to her kindness, she was neglected as a result. Very gentle in nature, she is a sweetheart who is against violence. She has a crush on Rosan because she feels like he is the only one who treats her like a person and values what she has to say.


    Devil Fruit: N/A


    Appearance: Has fair skin and is almost always wearing a sailor outfit with different variation of colors.


    Height: 5 ft (152.4cm)


    Hair: Golden Blonde hair that is a darker shade then her fathers. It''s matching in length with her mother. Normally styled into twintails.


    Eyes: Electric blue like her mother. Like her father, they lack pupils.


    Likes: Her parents, Rosan, cooking, helping people, and the color red.


    Dislikes: Violence, the way her parents acted, being ignored, and being abandoned.


    Dream: She wanted to join the medical squad in the Marines so that she could actually help people. Now she wants to stay with Rosan and help him open up more.


    Fun Fact: She believes her parents hate her but they both wished to make amends with her after successfully leaving the island with Rosan.


    Fun Fact #2: Her birthday is May 10th.

 Infatuation

    Meiko and Rosan''s dynamic was clearly different from Robin and Rosan''s.


    Robin and Rosan were partners in crime who did almost everything together. Combat, espionage, looting, etc. They were used to having each others back. Of course, there were some things Robin was better at and there were some things Rosan was better at but, after years of relying on each other, they worked in near perfect tandem with each other.


    Meiko and Rosan, on the other hand, operated differently.


    Meiko wasn''t a fighter and she wasn''t physically fit either. The two of them fighting together was very likely never going to happen so Rosan would do most of the heavy lifting. Similarly, she didn''t do anything else that Rosan was used to doing with his partner in crime.


    But what the blonde girl lacked in one area, she made up for it in others.


    So used was she to taking care of herself, she had become great at handling household duties. Rosan was not very good at them, so Robin normally did the bare minimum.


    Meiko refused to be useless and seeing how little effort Rosan put into maintaining the cleanliness of ship, took it upon herself to do the tasks.


    That was the difference in their dynamics. Rosan and Robin worked perfectly together while Meiko and Rosan worked perfectly around each other.


    It was frightening how quickly they had gotten into the swing of things. The two children were scarily in sync with each other.


    Robin and Rosan had taken much longer to get to the level Meiko and the boy showed (that was probably Rosan''s fault for how...eccentric he had been).


    The redhead didn''t care that she refused to fight. The boy was more than capable of fending for himself but he forced her to workout a bit so she could at least be physically healthy. Meiko whined nonstop about having to do it but she did it anyways.


    The blonde grumbled about how she would much rather focus on other things¡­ like medicine.


    That was another great thing about her. She had wanted to be a nurse for the Marines and as a result, she was very good at dealing with injuries. Rosan at best could wrap a gauze around his wounds but he was out of his depth when it came to actually using medicine. Robin was the same seeing as she was the one who taught Rosan how to use the gauze.


    The two normally relied on their enhanced healing factor, from being Devil Fruit users, and Mod-chan.


    Meiko, being a budding medic, did not have these limitations. She had taken one look at where the medicine was normally kept and demanded that she be given funds to restock the cabinets. Rosan had relented easily enough to her demands and told her she could restock everything that needed to be restocked.


    He sighed in exasperation at the beaming grin she had sent him. It was fine if Meiko wanted to continue nursing him. She was likely the only person Rosan would let touch him with anything remotely relating to hospitals.


    The redhead had gained a healthy disdain for doctors due to his experience and if anyone approached him with a needle, he''d very likely beat them within an inch of their life.


    Rosan had also gained a new found hatred for being tied up in any capacity. It gave the 9 year old too much unpleasant flashbacks and though they didn''t really bother him anymore, he''d still do good without it.


    Doc was dead but he''d left his mark on him no doubt. Not only had he given Rosan a slight phobia to needles, he had begun doing things eerily similar to the deceased man. Rosan wasn''t an idiot, he had been around Doc for a majority of his time so naturally he''d pick up on some of his mannerisms.


    The false cheer he had exuded when he was torturing them, his happiness at seeing people suffer... Rosan had always had a bit of a sadistic streak but it had only been enhanced by the Doctor. Meiko''s father had changed Rosan in more ways than he found comfortable.


    The man was dead though, so his mannerisms didn''t matter. They were Rosan''s mannerisms now and he wouldn''t let Doc get even a single victory over him.


    Rosan was Rosan. He wasn''t anyone''s weapon. He was free to make his own decisions now.


    Done with his musings, Rosan got up from his meditative stance. Sometimes, he would forego entering the mindscape to just meditate.


    He wasn''t very good at it though due to his always active mind. It didn''t matter to him though. The redhead normally used it as a chance to gather all of his thoughts and it worked to some degree.


    Now, it was time to start the day.


    Opening the door to exit his room, he was greeted by Meiko doing the same thing. That was another strange thing, they normally woke up and began their days at the exact same time. Rosan sometimes thought that maybe she waited for him to leave so that she could leave at the same time, but he doubted it.


    She probably just took a long time to get ready.


    Meiko shot him a shy smile and waved at him. Rosan acknowledged her with a nod and she took that as cue to begin talking to him. Not like she wouldn''t have done in otherwise, she could feel that he was doing fine.


    Meiko wasn''t Robin, she was much less reliable and reminded Rosan a bit of himself. But Meiko didn''t have to be Robin. The girl had a different set of skills that made her just as valuable.


    So what if she couldn''t fight? Rosan needed to start doing things alone now anyways. He liked having a partner to watch his back but he didn''t need one. She could be whatever she wanted to be as long as it didn''t impede him.


    Sighing to himself, Rosan began to wonder when this girl had wormed her way into his heart.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Here''s the beri you requested. Go ahead and buy the supplies we need." Rosan told Meiko handing her a sizable amount of beri.


    Meiko looked at the amount of beri with wide eyes. "R-Rosan," she choked out "Isn''t this a bit too much beri?"


    They had arrived to a new island and remembering her demands, Rosan had given her the necessary beri so she could get what she wanted. The only problem was that this was way more than she anticipated!


    Rosan blinked at her. Was it really? "You wanted to stock up on everything didn''t you? I eat a lot and medical supplies aren''t cheap so the amount I gave you, should be adequate."


    Meiko gaped at him. "It''s expensive, but not 1 million beri expensive Rosan! Do we have enough to warrant giving me so much money?"


    Rosan rolled his eyes. He had robbed Daybreak Island for everything they had and it was full of wealthy people. They didn''t have to worry about running out of money for a long time.


    If they did ever run low on funds, it wouldn''t matter, due to the fact that he was wanted to begin bounty hunting as well.


    "Yes Meiko, we have more then enough. I keep it stored elsewhere so you haven''t seen it but I''ll show you soon. Also you need an entirely new wardrobe, the funds should be more than enough to cover what you need," Rosan told her patiently.


    Meiko felt a blush creep onto her features as Rosan finished speaking to her. He was so considerate! She had been wearing some of the clothes in Robin''s room but the girl was quite a bit taller then her so they were always loose on her slim frame. The redhead had offered to modify the clothing so they could fit but she shook her head rapidly.


    The blonde didn''t want to mess with anyone''s clothing!


    The 11 year old had asked Rosan if he traveled with Nico Robin by any chance and the way his mood soured, despite his neutral expression, let her know that he was not on the best of terms with her.


    It felt like¡­ betrayal? Meiko wondered just what they had been through together.


    Whatever the case, the mention of Robin put Rosan in a noticeably more dour mood and she hadn''t brought it up again as a result.


    Rosan didn''t scare her but he could be scary at times.


    Still, the fact that he had given her so much money to get what she wanted was touching. Bowing deeply, she thanked Rosan and he just waved her off. Then she realized something.


    "Um Rosan¡­what if I get robbed? A small girl like me walking around with all this money and eventually the groceries would be quite noticeable as well and I''m not super strong¡­"


    Rosan adopted a thinking pose at her valid concerns (to which Meiko internally squealed).


    If it were him, anyone who tried to rob him would be dealt with accordingly, but Meiko didn''t have that luxury. He''d have gone with her but he had other matters to attend to.


    "Demon," he called and within moments his mechanical copy showed up bowing on one knee. "Accompany Meiko as she buys our supplies. I trust you can handle anyone that approaches her with malicious intent."


    After a moment, he added "Be sure they don''t try to scam her either. She seems likely to fall for that."


    "H-hey I''m right here!" Meiko protested to which they both ignored her. The girl held her head at being dismissed so easily.


    Demon bowed and said "At once sir, may I request we have some form of disguise. The chances of someone approaching us would be greatly diminished, if I were to look¡­ unapproachable."


    Nodding Rosan walked up to the crouching Demon and placed a hand on his head. Idly he noted that the clones hair felt quite soft. "Modify: Appearance," Rosan intoned.


    Meiko gasped in shock as Demon''s height suddenly shot up standing at an imposing 6''0. His long flowing hair turned blonde and his eyes turned black. A scar made its way from his temple through his eye and stopped right above his mouth. He wore a gray shirt that did nothing to hide his impressive body and baggy pants of matching color. All in all, Demon cut quite the intimidating figure.


    Rosan nodded in satisfaction as he stepped back. Meiko simply gaped in disbelief. "Rosan¡­WHAT WAS THAT?!" The 11 year old yelled.


    The redhead startled as her pitch rose and focused a confused gaze towards her. Then it dawned on him. "Oh right," he remarked. "Even though you knew my Devil Fruit registration was a lie, I never did tell you what it actually was."


    As Rosan told her about Modification, Meiko''s eyes widened in wonder.


    It was incredible! She had rarely seen Devil Fruits but Rosan''s sounded so versatile! But, then a thought occurred to her "Rosan if what you''re saying is true... how long were you free for when we were back at Daybreak?" She asked dreading the answer she was going to hear.


    Rosan noticed her trepidation, of course he did. She no doubt noticed his hesitation to answer that question as well. He knew Meiko well enough to anticipate her reaction to his answer. "3 months. I was free for 3 months," Rosan told her truthfully.


    Her face crumbled a bit as he told her that.


    Rosan called her an idiot sometimes but truthfully she was a bright girl. She could connect the dots easily enough. "But with your fruit, you wouldn''t need to plot an escape¡­the moment you were freed from the Seastone, you could have vanished without a trace. That means you stayed, to exact the most amount of revenge right?"


    Rosan nodded, impressed by her accurate observations. "Yes that''s right. In this world, anonymity is quite important or else a bounty will get slapped on your head. Due to my...complicated life, it''s in my favor if the least amount of people know who I am or what I look like," Rosan told her calmly.


    "Due to the nature of Daybreak Island, multiple people already knew of my name and how I looked. To make matters worse, they come and go as they please on that island. I wanted to take them out in one go and the tournament was the best way to do that," He finished.


    Meiko looked crushed by his statements. They both silently agreed, that speaking of Meiko''s home and his prison was not in their best interests and this was the reason why. The girl looked like she was about to cry at any moment now.


    Rosan was really beginning to hate seeing people cry.


    This would serve as a reminder to the girl, that the boy she was traveling with was a murderer. The door to leave was always open and Rosan had made that very clear. The path he chose to take was a dangerous one.


    One he didn''t want the kind girl to get involved with.


    "I wonder why~," Mod-chan spoke up but Rosan steadfastly ignored her.


    "Right that makes sense¡­ especially if you want to remain anonymous¡­" Meiko mumbled, voice barely audible.


    Rosan sighed and decided to end the conversation there. It would only get worse if it continued and he didn''t want the girl to walk into town sobbing, it''d look bad for Demon. "I''m going to go scout this island and see if there''s anything of interest, I''ll be back sometime during the night. Feel free to use Angel and Demon as you see fit."


    Rosan easily modified his current outfit into his go to disguise.


    His long black cloak flowed gently in the wind, as he donned on the same outfit he had worn when he first met Robin. There were some key differences though. Whereas before the cloak had been all black, there were now white streaks all across the outfit. The sleeves were tinged in more white then black and the same applied to the edges of his hoodie and the bottom of the cloak. His mask was currently inverted (he still had the white one), it was now all black with a white rose carved into the side of it.


    Though, it was unlikely that someone would see his mask anyways.


    Meiko looked at him in awe and gave a small applause. "You look amazing Rosan! But... don''t you think it''s a bit suspicious to walk around dressed like that?" She asked curiously.


    "Maybe but I''d rather not risk it. Besides it''s better to be suspicious and unknown then to be suspicious and known, especially with an appearance as distinct as mine," was the masked boy''s simple response.


    She nodded at his logic. He was right about having a unique appearance. Red hair, bronze skin and he was heterochromatic? The boy stuck out like a sore thumb (in a good way! But not good for him). He was right to be cautious, even though this disguise would warrant even more suspicion.


    She smiled to herself, Rosan was quite the show-off without knowing it.


    "You should get an altered appearance as well," Rosan began looking at her. "I''d rather you not get linked back to anything involving me."


    Meiko shook her head rapidly in denial. "No thank you! My appearance is my own and I don''t want to change it! If you''re really adamant about it I''ll wear a hat but I want to stay the same," She said firmly.


    Rosan admired her desire to keep her appearance. Acknowledging her wishes, he handed her a sunhat and some shades. After a moment he grabbed one of his Space Bags and modified it into a black purse with a rose on it. "Here you can have this. I''ve modified it to expand the internal size of the bag so you can place the money in there."


    Blue eyes shining, she gratefully accepted the bag. Thanking him profusely, Meiko grabbed Demon''s arm and dragged him off the ship. Rosan watched with amusement as his clone was forcefully dragged away by the much smaller girl.


    Turning towards Angel, Rosan said "Relocate the White Rose until Demon notifies you when they are arriving." Angel saluted and Rosan leapt off the ship.


    With Meiko dealt with, Rosan focused on what he planned on doing. He didn''t have one set in stone, but he had a general idea on where he wanted to go.


    Rosan hummed and vanished.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Meiko had found Demon quite intimidating when she first saw him but her fears were unwarranted. Her conversations with the synthetic clone had made her quite fond of him now. It reminded her not to judge a book by its cover.


    He was polite like Rosan but in a way that seemed more genuine and unlike his creator, she couldn''t tell what he was thinking so it made the conversation much more fresh. She no longer felt unease when she was around him. Meiko could confidently say she much preferred Demon over Angel.


    Angel was scary.


    While Demon didn''t intimidate her anymore, his stone faced demeanor and overall appearance did a great job at intimidating everyone else. They had been given quite a wide berth since entering the island and people were actively avoiding the duo.


    Meiko was glad for that. According to Demon, she looked like a wealthy girl and people would no doubt try to take advantage of her. She wore a white and blue sundress to accompany her sunhat and shades and, coupled with the black purse she looked like someones rich daughter, Demon''s rich daughter, based on the peoples reactions.


    Making her way into the pharmacy, Meiko hummed a tune as she waved at the lone employee there. The young man shot her an annoyed look that quickly vanished when he made eye contact with Demon. Nervously he waved back at her and she shot him a beaming grin.


    The blonde girl stifled a giggle, as she heard Demon snort quietly in amusement. She felt a little bad, but the worker didn''t have to be rude! Browsing the aisle, she made sure that what she picked up was actually what she needed.


    She had chosen the pharmacy first because their supplies would be the most expensive. It would be best to buy everything she needed here first then decide her course of action afterwards. The other items wouldn''t be nearly as expensive as the medicinal supplies.


    Demon was staring down the young man again and the poor employee was getting visibly nervous. Resisting the urge to laugh out loud, she instead slapped the clones arm and he finally relented. She felt a smug sense of superiority from the clone, as he focused his attention on what she was buying.


    She soon finished picking what she needed and made her way to the counter to have the cashier ring up her order. He kept shooting glances at Demon, clearly anxious in his presence and the clone seemed to soak it all in. She probably should have had him wait by the door if she knew he was gonna harass the man so much.


    For a clone of Rosan, he sure did have a mischievous streak.


    As if proving her point a smooth deep voice spoke up asking "Is there something on my face, Thomas?"


    The cashier, who she assumed to be Thomas, let out a yelp as he stammered out an "Uh N-no sir, not at all! J-just wondering how you got that scar is all!" He tried frantically to escape Demon''s non existent wrath with an excuse.


    Meiko facepalmed at his actions. Upon closer inspection she saw that he had a name tag that read out "Thomas". That explained how Demon knew his name. Sighing in exasperation, the blonde interrupted their conversation and soothingly said "I''m sorry about him, he''s just teasing you."


    "How much do we owe you?" the 11 year old asked, after shooting Demon a look that told him to behave.


    Snapping his attention to her, he shot her a grateful look, before he said "T-that will be 30,000 beris miss."


    He tried hard not to look at the amused Clone and Meiko took out the necessary amount and handed it to him. So hasty was he in wanting them to depart, he didn''t even count the money.


    Meiko had given him the right amount though. He was lucky the 11 year old was an upstanding citizen or else he could have potentially gotten in trouble!


    She handed all the medicine to Demon as they departed and he smoothly stored them in his own bag. She looked fascinated at the fact that the bags size didn''t increase at all. He then told her that the bag was connected to a room in the ship and Angel would sort them out.


    Meiko shuddered at that, she hoped Angel wasn''t upset at having to do her work.


    Still, she wanted to know just what he had been doing back there.


    Turning towards Demon, with her hands on her hip, Meiko asked him "What were you doing to that poor employee?" She tried to look disappointed, but she failed to hide the laughter in her voice.


    Demon simply shrugged and responded "He was being rude to you so I decided to be rude to him is all. There''s no need to be upset with someone for existing especially not when that someone is as kind as you."


    Meiko blushed in appreciation at his kind words. Shyly looking down, she bashfully thanked him and rushed off to their next location.


    Yes, she definitely enjoyed Demon''s presence.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan stared at his clawed hands and dismissed them with just a thought. His training was coming along nicely.


    He had been practicing transforming different parts of his body into that of his dragon form with great success. He hoped that by doing this, he could get a feel on how it felt to transform into a dragon again.


    This also doubled as a way to see if he could control the size of his dragon in the future.


    It was interesting to note that he could still utilize some of the Dragon''s abilities while not in the form. The scorch marks of his unique draconic fire around the clearing was testament to that.


    When disguised however, he probably wanted to avoid transforming into a dragon. He doubted there were much dragons around (were there any?) and it wouldn''t take a genius to make the obvious connection that it was him.


    He loved the feeling of flying though so he''d have to think of an alternative. He didn''t need another full transformation, all he wanted was a way of flying. Perhaps he could apply his dragon training?


    Cupping his chin, Rosan decided that yes, all he needed to do was give himself a pair of wings. There was no need to fully transform. The wings of his dragon were out of the question.


    He wanted to avoid linking this disguise to that of his dragon because Rosan wanted to be the one to transform into the dragon. The redhead wanted to treat this disguise as a completely different person.


    The more different they were, the less likely people would make the connection and if things ever went bad, he could just abandon the disguise and none would be the wiser.


    He''d have to completely revamp himself in his disguise.


    Thinking about it, Rosan concluded that the best course of action was to just use the scythe when in his disguise. He hated that weapon so removing it from his arsenal when he was Rosan, would not hurt him at all. Since it happened to also be one of his best weapons, his disguise would also not lose anything out of it.


    A win-win.


    Decision made, Rosan went back to his first dilemma. He ruled out insects and avians off his list. Insect wings were fragile and would not benefit him in the slightest they were also not built for traveling long periods of times. Also, they looked gross.


    Bird-like wings, would be ideal but there weren''t any that caught his attention. Some bird wings were not sturdy enough to carry him, he was much too heavy for that and though there were possibly some birds that could support him Rosan wasn''t too fond of how they looked. Besides he''d much rather continue the theme of using fantasy as a means to transform.


    His breakthrough with the dragon transformation proved that as long as he thought he could do it, he would be able to.


    Now, he just needed to find a suitable replacement. The 9 year old had seen a library when making his way to the fields, so maybe he''d find something there.


    He could also look for a material to make himself the ideal weapon. He didn''t want to buy a weapon, they were prone to rust and break unless they were top quality. Rosan didn''t have the experience to tell if something was top quality or not so the next best solution was to make the top quality weapon himself.


    Thinking to himself, Rosan figured he''d find a blacksmith and force him to teach the boy how to do the art. Books were useful but he would need hands on experience to make sure he did everything right. He wasn''t sure there were any local blacksmiths on the island though, so he''d save that for another day.


    He had more pressing matters to attend to at the moment. Namely, the library.


    Done with his musings, Rosan stood up and turned in the direction of where he saw the library. Rosan slowly walked out of the clearing as he thought about what he could pick.


    Maybe he could transform into a phoenix? No, Rosan didn''t fancy the fiery birds very much¡­


    Besides, he already had something that could use fire and dragons were cooler.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "How do I look?" Meiko asked spinning happily in a black and red dress. She didn''t normally wear these colors, but she had decided it was time for a change.


    Yep¡­ that was definitely it... No other reason at all.


    Demon, holding a multitude of bags already, nodded and said "You look great. You''re attempt to get Masters attention will be greatly increased if you wear that. He''s a big fan of black and red."


    Meiko immediately flushed and she frantically began waving her hands in denial. "W-what makes you t-think this is for Rosan! I just wanted to add a bit more colors to my wardrobe and I saw this dress! It''s not like¡­ was it really that obvious?" She slumped over in defeat at getting caught so easily.


    Demon for his part just bluntly said "Very obvious," and her head slumped even further.


    They had recently finished shopping for groceries. Meiko had used a generous amount of funds (less than what she had paid for the medical supplies, though it was supposed to be more...) to stock up on everything they needed. Rosan had a large appetite (he said it was because of his Devil Fruit) and he could really eat a lot so she thought buying as much food as possible was the best course of action.


    Everything she bought, was currently on the ship and was, no doubt, being sorted by Angel. That Space Bag (what a silly name!) of his really was incredibly useful. She had hoped that the trip to buy groceries was not as eventful as the medical supply shop but she should have known not to tempt fate.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Flashback


    Meiko had finished getting everything she needed.


    She was currently in the market buying groceries for the ship. She had a hunch that Rosan had quite the appetite and Demon agreed so she figured she could buy a lot of things. She hummed as she picked out the necessities.


    Demon, ever vigilant, kept a critical eye on what she bought. Perhaps he was trying to see if she got anything Rosan was allergic to? He hadn''t mentioned being allergic to anything but maybe he was just embarrassed about telling her.


    That was a pretty adorable thought. Rosan stammering about what he couldn''t eat, with a red face. Meiko resisted the urge to squeal.


    Flashing a quick smile at the clone instead, she was happy to see him flash her a small one back. She was curious about the clone truthfully. She had thought he was a perfect copy of Rosan but they were quite different in personality.


    Angel too, was unlike them both. Was this intentional from Rosan to differentiate between them?


    She thought just the only way to tell them apart was by their appearance and what they were wearing. Demon tended to wear dark clothes and had a set of crimson eyes much like Rosan''s left eye.


    Angel, on the other hand, wore lighter clothes and his eyes were a chilly purple similar to Rosan''s right eye.


    That wasn''t all though. Their personalities were very different from each other as well.


    Demon though he looked the more intimidating of the two, was actually quite polite and helpful. He always answered her questions in a genuine tone and he was easy to talk too. When Rosan wasn''t available to talk to, the blonde found herself consulting Demon instead and the clone never turned her away!


    Meiko quite liked him and she felt like maybe he was fond of her too!


    Angel on the other hand... Despite looking much more gentle than his brother, he was more of a Demon then Demon was! More than once she found herself in an uncomfortable situation of the purple eyed clone just staring her down judgmentally. He had a thinly veiled politeness to him and every question she asked, made her feel dumb just for asking him.


    She had the distinct feeling that Angel didn''t like her but that was okay! Maybe she''d get to know him better after a talk.


    Despite being twin copies of Rosan, they were both unique in their own ways. Between the two, Angel was very obviously the one used to being the leader and Demon was much more used to taking orders. They got along with each other seemingly well and worked together in seamless harmony. It was fascinating to look at.


    They were like a well oiled machine!


    This was another reminder on how different all 3 of them were. As Meiko went to ring up her order, Demon standing some ways away looking at something, the cashier had taken one look at her and immediately said "That''ll be 80,000 beris Ma''am."


    As she fished for the right amount, a hand grabbed her gently and gave her pause. Looking up, she saw Demon glaring at the cashier and he scowled. "That''s not the correct price," the clone said, causing Meiko to look back at the cashier in shock.


    Had he been trying to scam her? Was she really going to fall for it too? Why was Rosan right?!


    The cashier immediately wilted under his gaze. "A-ah I''m s-sorry sir I wasn''t aware that you were keeping her company!" the man shrunk under his deepening glare.


    "So if I was not here, you''d have properly scammed her?" He rumbled in deep dissatisfaction.


    Realizing his mistake, the cashier shook his head so hard Meiko was afraid it was about to fall off "N-no I didn''t¡­ I mean! I-"


    "Trying to profit off of a little girl? How pathetic," Demon began and it was at that moment, the cashier began fearing for his life. The intimidating clone smiled however and said "Lucky for you, I''m a nice guy so I''ll ignore your previous transgressions if you can do something for me."


    Nodding vigorously, the scammer said "Of course sir! Thank you for forgiving me for this horrible mistake and I''m sorry I even thought of it!"


    Demon, still smiling, nodded along with the man and asked him "Can you tell us the actual price of the groceries?"


    "R-right away sir! Your total is 40k beris sir!" Was the employees response as he bowed repeatedly.


    He had intended to charge her double?! Meiko glared at the man and he paled as he saw Demon notice. The clone, for his part, pat her and told her to calm down.


    "40k? Alright, give him half of that," Demon said cheerfully.


    Understanding dawned on Meiko''s face, as confusion bloomed on the cashier''s. Said confusion, turned into an anxious expression as he tried to reason with him.


    "B-but sir I-I run a business here I can''t possibly accept half of the actual price," He stammered out. He was immediately silenced as the clones glare returned in full force.


    "That doesn''t sound like my problem at all. You were willing to scam a little girl so I''m willing to accept my discount now," was his ruthless response.


    The cashier tried to argue but Demon shut it down completely. He finally gave up on trying to convince him when the currently blonde man actually snarled at him. It was funny to see the man turn white as a sheet and his sudden agreement at the entire process.


    Meiko watched in awe as Demon practically bullied someone all for her. She looked at the clone in admiration as she handed over 20k beris to the defeated cashier. The blonde felt a bit bad, but he had been trying to take advantage of her.


    What little mercy she had was stamped at this fact.


    With that done, they both made their way out of the market with an air of victory. As they walked out of sight of most of the citizens Demon took out his bag and began storing all the groceries inside of it. His neutral expression had returned as he focused on his task.


    "Demon?" She called out. He paused what he was doing to look up at her questioningly. She hesitated before rushing the clone of Rosan and engulfing him. "Thank you for helping me so much! I really appreciate you," she muffled into his shirt.


    Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    Demon''s surprise was palpable but he recovered like a champ. Slowly, he wrapped his arms around her smaller frame to recuperate the hug. "You''re welcome Meiko, I quite like your presence so it was my pleasure," he said softly.


    She let out a hum of happiness and hugged him tighter.


    Demon decided there, that he''d be Meiko''s guardian. The girl couldn''t defend herself so he''d be the one to do it. Neither Angel or Master would mind so he was sure it would be accepted quite easily.


    Meiko decided she would be treating all 3 like their own person because that''s what they were. She had been doing it before but, her interactions with him really drove home that Demon was his own person, despite being a clone. The blue eyed girl idly wondered how Angel was like one on one, before shuddering.


    Maybe it was better for her to stick with Demon for now.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Present


    Demon was a sweetheart and Meiko really appreciated him. She was glad Rosan decided to give them emotions to better identify who was who.


    She''d have to repay Demon somehow for being her escort for the day. The clone had not complained even once, despite the extreme amount of everything she bought. He just held the bought materials until it was time for him to store them away.


    They had now finished shopping and were walking back to the ship. The sun had gone down and the pulsing summer heat had been replaced by a cool gentle breeze. She shuddered a bit and Demon must have noticed, because he put one hand on her and she warmed up considerably.


    "I have a portion of Modification¡ªbeing Rosan''s clone," he answered seeing her questioning glance. "It''s not nearly enough to do the things he can do but I''m capable of at least warming you up."


    She smiled gratefully at him. He was so pleasant to be around, she wasn''t used to having someone be this considerate to her. He still had some of Rosan in him after all.


    Meiko glanced around a bit and a confused expression appeared on her face. "I don''t think the ship was this way was it?" She asked him.


    "Angel relocated on Masters orders. I''m bringing you to the new location," he told her. She nodded at his explanation accepting it without much questioning. Rosan was cautious enough to definitely do that so she had no reason to doubt him.


    They continued walking at a leisurely pace. Meiko was thinking about what to make for dinner tonight when she felt something trip her. Yelping in shock, she began falling and was easily caught by Demon.


    Indignation popped up on her face when she realized he was the one that tripped her. Preparing to scold him, she was silenced when Demon, still holding her, leaned forward and whispered "We''re being followed, don''t act suspicious. I''m going to lure them into an area and eliminate them. You don''t need to worry, I''ve already assessed their levels and they are not a threat."


    Eyes wide, Meiko shakily nodded and Demon hauled her upright. They continued walking at the same pace they had set before, though Meiko was noticeably more tense.


    The blonde was nervous and scared. What did they want from them? Were they trying to steal from them or were they trying to kidnap her. She didn''t want to get kidnapped s-she wanted to stay with Rosan and Demon and even Angel. She didn''t wanna leave them¡ª


    Demon rubbed her arm in a soothing fashion and she immediately calmed down.


    She was being silly, Demon was here and he''d make sure she stayed safe. She had full faith in him and her acting like this, was just going to make them look suspicious.


    Finally, Demon stopped in the middle of a clearing and she followed suit. At his prompting she hid behind a tree close to him so she could watch. After a moment of deliberation she grabbed onto the nearest branch and slowly scaled the tree. She managed to make it to the safe spot just in time.


    Demon turned to face the new arrivals. 3 adults, 2 men and 1 woman, walked through the foliage to greet him. "Well well, look what we have here," the man on the left said. He was scrawny and short, shorter then Demon in his disguise, with shaggy brown hair framing a normal. He had a false sense of bravado about him, most likely because of the dagger he was holding.


    "We saw you¡­touring the island with your daughter. You both look quite wealthy so we were wondering if you''d be willing to accommodate us with a small sum of money," said the man on the right. His hair was a shoulder length black and he had a dirty white shirt on with ripped jeans. Similar to the other man he was wielding a weapon, a bat, in his hands.


    "Lets not make this too hard handsome," the lone woman said flirtatiously. She wore a revealing dress that showed a large amount of cleavage. She had blonde hair that seemed dyed and a lot of makeup on her face.


    "Just give us all you''ve got and we won''t have to hurt you or your daughter¡­ speaking of which," The girl looked around in confusion before asking "Are you afraid we''re gonna hurt her so you decided to hide her? No need to worry, you have our word that we''ll leave after we get what we came here for."


    Demon stayed completely silent as he opted to just stare them down. Did people like this actually exist? This wasn''t some type of ironic joke?


    They lost a bit of their bravado at how unbothered he looked, but chalked it up as him playing tough.


    Wow, people like this really did exist. What a thought.


    Rolling his eyes at their unwillingness to back down, He cracked his gloved knuckles and began slowly walking towards them. They had threatened his charge and so he needed to ensure they were eliminated. They didn''t look like they could even fight, merely relying on intimidation tactics and the safety of their weapons.


    The fight would be over quickly.


    True to his words, the fight had ended pathetically quickly. He wasn''t as small as he was used to being so the fighting style that he inherited from Rosan was out of the table. That hardly hindered him though. He had used his newfound height and ever present strength to beat down his opponents.


    It was quite funny to see the sheer shock on their face, when they had successfully stabbed him only for him to completely ignore it and continue his assault.


    Demon may have looked human but he certainly wasn''t one.


    One punch to each of their domes, had rendered them unconscious. Now he stood there, looking at their limp bodies, so he could decide the best course of action. They probably had to die, couldn''t afford to leave loose ends aliv-


    "Wow Demon, you''re really strong," a voice interrupted his musing. Looking back he saw Meiko staring at him in awe, she looked at the defeated enemies in pity and Demon sighed fondly at her antics. He knew where this was going.


    Best to just address it now.


    "You look like your about to ask me a question," Demon told her. "Let me guess, you''re about to ask me not to dispose of them correct?" The clone asked Meiko, making her jump in surprise.


    The blonde looked at him with wide eyes, "How did you know that? Are you able to use Rosan''s connection to me too?!" Was her baffled questions.


    Demon resisted the urge to facepalm and simply told her "You''re like an open book Meiko. I don''t have Masters connection to you, you''re just incredibly easy to read."


    The girl held her head in defeat at his honesty. "Yeah that sounds about right¡­" she mumbled. It didn''t take her too long to perk back up though and she said "Please don''t kill them! They''re just being really dumb!"


    Shuddering a bit she asked him "I think they''ve learned their lesson so can we just go back to the ship please?"


    Ah, she was afraid. He didn''t blame her, the girl probably wasn''t used to seeing such violence. How she evaded seeing the fights happening on her island? Demon had no clue. Maybe her parents did care for her if they sheltered her this much.


    Well no matter, he''d comply with her wish to leave. She was rightfully afraid and wanted to leave the source of her fears. It was admirable that she refused to punish the criminals any further so Demon would not kill them.


    To Meiko''s relief, Demon stepped away from the three and walked past her. He continued walking and after a moment he looked back at her and said "Well? We won''t make it to the ship if you stand there all night."


    Meiko blinked in shock. Had it been Rosan, he''d probably have killed them just to spite her. The boy didn''t like being told what to do and if he could, he would actively seek to do the opposite.


    The blue eyed girl smiled a brilliant smile at the fact that Demon had actually listened to her. She quickly jogged to catch up to the clone and together, the two made their way back to the ship.


    Meiko failed to realize just how protective of her Demon had become. Trying to scam the 11 year old was one thing, but actively trying to rob her? With weapons?


    Unforgivable.


    "Master, 3 bodies. Attempted robbery with weapon. Verdict: Death. Sending location," the younger clone of Rosan relayed through their connection. With that out of the way, he focused on guiding Meiko back to the ship.


    He may be nicer but that only applied to Meiko.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan had been cooped up in the library all day reading about various topics of interest.


    He was in an isolated area, surrounded by a pile of books so as to avoid the eye of the masses. He knew how distinct his disguise could be and he already drew quite a few eyes. They probably didn''t fear him much due to his height and that was fine.


    When he had first walked in, the already silent library had somehow gotten quieter. Ignoring the very obvious stares, Rosan had walked up to the librarian and stood there until she noticed him.


    She was relatively young, about 17 years old. She had brown hair set up in a messy bun that had strands lying in front of her face. Red glasses sat on her face and she was reading a book of her own. A name tag sat neatly on her chest that read "Carmen".


    Looking up, she let out a small gasp at the black and white clad figure staring at her. She couldn''t make out anything besides their outfit.


    Who was...?


    "May you tell me where the fantasy section is located please?" Rosan asked in an androgynous voice. He had modified it to be genderless in nature so that people would have a difficult time identifying whether he was a boy or a girl. It never hurt to be too careful and if people were unsure of his gender it allowed Rosan to be more free.


    Though, wasn''t everyone''s default guess to a gender, male anyways? Maybe he should pretend to be a girl then? With Modification, it would be easy to fool people. The boy distinctly remembered an adventure he had with Robin and embarrassingly crushed that idea.


    Nah, genderless it was.


    "U-um down that way and take a left, you''ll find the fantasy section next to other fiction books," Carmen relaxed just a bit at his question. She probably thought he was a cosplayer who was far too into his costume.


    He wouldn''t dissuade her of that notion. It was unnecessary.


    Nodding his head in thanks, he made his way to where she had told him to go. It didn''t take him long to find what he was looking for and within moments, he was sat in his isolated area surrounded by books that potentially had what he was looking for.


    It hadn''t taken him very long to decide on what wings he''d get. He had made his decision after reading his 2nd book on mythical creatures that could fly.


    Angel wings.


    At first he had considered Pegasus wings, but he didn''t like how they appeared. They curved outward in a way that he didn''t like and their overall appearance didn''t appeal to him. Too stiff and short.


    He contemplated on what wings would suit all his wants. Pegasus wasn''t bad but Rosan was vain and the wings looked dumb on the Pegasus so they''d definitely look stupid on him.


    That''s part of the reason why he had decided on Angel wings. The other was when Angel had relayed the location of the ship to him and he had thanked his clone. Then it had occurred to him.


    Why not just use Angel wings?


    Finding a book on Angels, Rosan had seen an image of them and made up his mind that these were what he wanted. They were feathery so they fit the birdlike theme he had been looking for and they weren''t stiff and straight like a Pegasus'' wing. They would curve down his entire back and he should have no problem folding them against his back.


    They were much longer and they had the benefit of looking better too. The cherry on top, was that it wasn''t a full transformation like the Pegasus.


    Rosan didn''t want to learn how to transform into the horse-like creature just to only utilize its wings. The 9 year old didn''t like horses and he would never use the transformation as a result. Angel was the perfect choice for him, it would only give him a set of wings to use since they were humanoid.


    Mind set, Rosan memorized the contents of the book on Angels so that he could practice summoning the wings. They were similar in a way to bird wings but had key differences that would make it much more difficult. Rosan was confident however that summoning a pair of wings was much easier then transforming into a dragon.


    Hopefully it didn''t take 5 years...


    It had only taken Rosan 1 hour to find his desired wings and he was relieved at the results.


    Seeing that he had plenty of time to spare, Rosan had decided to start looking into materials for the weapon he''d make in the future. He wanted something very durable. Sure if his weapon ever got destroyed, he could just Restore it into its original condition. But, if it broke in the middle of battle that would be precious seconds wasted that could cost him his life.


    The redhead had already lost due to wasting seconds, he wouldn''t make that same mistake again.


    He also wanted a material that was flexible. Rosan was versatile, that''s what his style of Modification was all about. Overwhelm the opponent with multiple options. Become an unstoppable force of nature.


    He wanted something that would be easily receptive to Modification, but he wasn''t sure that was possible.


    He didn''t want to use one weapon in a fight, he wanted to use all the ones in his arsenal. That way, his opponent would never have time to adjust to his style until it was too late. As such, his weapon would have to be one that could easily transform.


    Maybe he could incorporate Modification into the weapon somehow¡­


    It was a thought for later. For now, he''d have to find a suitable material.


    Rosan didn''t anticipate finding a material would be so hard though. Metals were too inflexible. Steel, iron, aluminum, bronze, etc... none of them fit his needs. He had been strongly considering titanium, but it also had the problem of being too rigid.


    "You''re thinking like me, Rosan. Be a bit more flexible in deciding the appropriate material. Think outside the box, if you can''t find the right material¡­ just make it! You have me after all."


    Just make it.


    Such a solution was not one many people thought of because they didn''t have the means to actually do it.


    But Rosan did have the means because Rosan had Modification.


    He smiled at the idea Mod-chan gave him. He was normally the more creative of the two so the fact that she had been the one to give him this idea, meant they were both growing in their own ways.


    "Thank you Mod-chan. I feel a bit dumb for not thinking of that," Rosan said, glad that his partner was so reliable.


    "It''s no problem Rosan! We''re partners so it''s my job to help you out when you''re stuck in situations like this," was Mod''s warm reply.


    With a now more open mind, Rosan stopped reading books on only ores and decided to expand his horizon. Even if he were making a weapon with his very own material, he''d still need a base. Modification didn''t rely on miracles so Rosan still needed to find a material that would bend to his will.


    He had been in this one spot for the entire day. He''d only move occasionally to pick up a new book and place an old one back in its location. He wasn''t rude (Mod snorted at that) and he didn''t feel like staying longer than necessary just putting books away.


    He hadn''t missed the appreciative glance the librarian shot at him. She was probably used to cleaning up after the people here.


    Speaking of which, it had become so late that the only two people currently occupying the library, were him and said librarian. Rosan exhausted nearly every book and his annoyance must have slipped through, because he saw the librarian warily approaching him.


    Before she could speak up, Rosan interrupted her. "Don''t worry. I''ll be leaving before the closing time, just tell me when you start closing and I''ll begin putting the rest of my books away."


    She was clearly surprised by the fact that despite being focused so intently on the book, he had still noticed her approach. The teen hastily denied his claims and said "No that''s not why I''m here! I noticed you reading through an abnormal amount of books and was curious as to what you were looking for?" After a moment she added "I''m Carmen by the way. I mostly work here alone."


    Rosan looked up from his book to regard the woman. She shifted uncomfortably as the masked figure stared her down. "I''m reading about materials. Trying to find an interesting one has proven to be quite difficult however," Rosan eventually told her.


    Taking a look at the current book he was reading, Rare Stones, She nodded in understanding "I completely understand what you''re getting at." Adopting a thinking pose she took a look at him for a couple moments before a veritable light bulb appeared over her head. "One moment please!" The librarian said before rushing off.


    Rosan watched her vanish behind the shelves of books with a somewhat confused expression before shrugging to himself, Rosan shut the book and waited for her to show up.


    That book was another dud anyways.


    It didn''t take Carmen long to come back. She walked towards him excitedly holding a book in her hand. When she made it to his little table, she held the book expectantly towards him.


    Slowly grabbing it, Rosan looked curiously at the book. It read in big bold letters "The Philosopher''s Stone".


    Looking at the triumphant librarian, Rosan asked her "What is this?"


    Carmen puffed up and said "I saw the book you were reading and thought since you were reading on rare stones, I''d give you the most interesting one in here! It''s a book about a mythical item called the Philosopher''s Stone."


    She deflated a bit "It''s capable of doing incredible things but it''s not real. It''s a really good read though so enjoy! We close at midnight so you have about 2 more hours left." With that, she waved at him and left to go get any books that were out of place.


    Humming to himself, Rosan figured there was no harm in reading this book. At best, he''d find a suitable material to use. At worst, another dud. This would probably be the last one he read before he headed back to the ship.


    He didn''t want to stay on this island any longer.


    Reading this book was the best decision he had made today.


    This Philosopher''s Stone¡­ it was exactly what he needed! If he used this stone as a base, he could possibly get the perfect weapon he wanted. Honestly, he could use it for more than just a weapon. The capabilities of this stone was nothing short of incredible!


    It was unlikely that he''d be able to make a stone that did exactly what this book did but, he could create and modify it to be suitable enough for a weapon. He doubted that it had the properties to grant immortality but, maybe it could mimic the effects. Rosan didn''t care about achieving immortality, he just wanted a weapon that wouldn''t break.


    Perhaps he could use the immortality aspect to give it regenerative properties¡­


    What was even better, was what the stone could do. It was said to be capable of turning metals into gold. Rosan didn''t give a damn about getting gold, he could get money in other ways, but the implications of that meant if he used this stone as a base, he''d likely have a good chance of getting a flexible weapon that was able to bend to his will easily.


    Like Carmen said, the stone didn''t exist. While that would be the end of the road for most people, Rosan wasn''t most people. As long as he had an idea of where to start, he''d be able to make the mythical stone.


    First, he''d find out how to make the Philosopher''s Stone, then he would use the Philosopher''s Stone to make himself the perfect weapon, and finally, he''d figure out what else he could do with the stone. He''d be the first and only person in the world to have access to it, who knows what he could achieve with something that didn''t exist.


    For the first time in a while, Rosan was excited at the prospect of learning something new. It wouldn''t be easy, it would be even harder then transforming into a dragon but Rosan had transformed into one despite how unlikely it was. This was not a matter of could he do it, this was a matter of when he did it.


    He was in no rush so he''d do some more research on the weapon until he was positive he knew what to do.


    "Master, 3 bodies. Attempted robbery with weapon. Verdict: Death. Sending location."


    Rosan shut the book abruptly. Demon wanted him to kill 3 people? He probably avoided doing it himself due to being in the presence of Meiko. Very well, he would handle it.


    Placing all his books in their original location, Rosan walked up to Carmen, who was busy sorting her own set of books and softly called her name. She jumped in fright and whirled around, before calming down when she noticed who it was that called her. "Aha sorry about that¡­ I''m really not used to anyone being here at this time of the day," she told him, clearly embarrassed.


    "I didn''t mean to startle you," Rosan began before handing her back the book. "You were right. This really was interesting. I''ve learned a lot and I wanted to thank you for giving me this book." He nodded in appreciation at her and she flushed at his sincerity.


    "I-it was no problem! I''m just happy to see another person who appreciates reading as much as I do!" Carmen smiled happily at him. "Are you leaving now?" She asked him.


    Rosan simply nodded. "Something has come up and I''ve overstayed my visit. No need to worry about my presence being a bother anymore," was his cool response.


    "No no I wasn''t bothered at all by your presence!" The librarian denied instantly. "I actually enjoyed it very much! Like I said, it''s not often that someone stays to keep me company¡­ it can be quite creepy at night."


    Glancing around at the large library, he dryly said "I can imagine."


    She let out a small giggle at his response. He was dressed strangely but he was a polite and enjoyable presence. She wasn''t sure what he was dressing like that for but she just chalked it off as him dressing in a costume for a party or something.


    "Right, I must get going now. Goodbye Carmen," Rosan did a small wave before walking away and out of the door.


    Carmen waved back and turned around before a thought occurred to her. Rushing outside she yelled a "WAIT!" and glanced in both directions.


    Nothing.


    Blinking in confusion at the empty streets, Carmen sighed out "I didn''t even get their name¡­"


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan had disposed of the bodies easily enough. They were already unconscious when he arrived to the seen so he just finished the job Demon had no doubt been about to finish.


    Hm...Demon seemed quite fond of Meiko. Rosan hadn''t put much thought into it, but he had noticed immediately that Demon and Angel acted distinctively different then him.


    They didn''t even act similar to each other. Rosan hadn''t thought to put emotions into them when he had made them and so he didn''t. That could only mean...


    "Mod-chan."


    "¡­"


    "Mod-chan," he repeated patiently.


    "Why did you wake me up Rosan. I was having a nice dream," A tired voice replied.


    "You don''t sleep unless you''re crushing me into you, Mod-chan."


    "Well there''s a first time for everything."


    "¡­"


    "¡­"


    "¡­"


    "¡­"


    "¡­Okay it was me," she confessed sheepishly.


    "I know," Rosan sighed in exasperation. "But why? I''m not upset about it, I just want to know your reasoning," he asked curiously.


    "Well for a while, I wanted to see if it was possible to implement emotions into something since before meeting you, I lacked any myself," Mod explained. Seeing as she now had emotions, surely Modification had played some part in that. "When you created Angel and Demon they initially had no emotions so I figured they would be the perfect experiments," the woman said with a shrug.


    "So I presume you took control of my body and implemented emotions into them?" The boy questioned, getting a nod from Mod. "Well, at least we got our answer questioned. I never thought to check if I can modify emotions but with that knowledge, perhaps I can make good use of it."


    Now that he thought about it...he had just casually created clones of himself that were equipped with their own emotions. Wasn''t that kind of a big deal?


    Eh. Let someone else worry about that.


    "In regards to Demon and Angel, I didn''t give them any specific personality¡­ What I did rather,was unlock their ability to feel. The personalities they have developed have nothing to do with me or even you for that matter."


    "Every time I learn something new about you Mod-chan I get more and more impressed," Rosan hummed in contemplation. "Alright, I''ll keep this noted. There''s nothing wrong with them having emotions. In fact this is quite the boon. It''s better to have subordinates with feelings, than mindless slaves."


    "I''m glad you''re so receptive to this idea Rosan but something tells me you''re going to be quite nefarious with this information," Mod-chan said amused.


    "You''ve known me for 5 years Mod-chan, when have I ever given off that vibe?"


    "...Goodnight Rosan," and the connection was abruptly shut.


    "You can''t sleep without me Mod-chan."


    "¡­"


    "Mod-chan?"


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    After his pleasant conversation with Mod-chan, Rosan had finally arrived to the relocated ship. Jumping on the deck, Rosan was greeted by the smell of¡­ pasta?


    He loved pasta.


    "Oh Rosan you''re back!" A voice called excitedly. Looking in the direction he heard it, Rosan was greeted by Meiko who had just exited the shower. He paused as he took in her appearance.


    Still wet from the after effects of taking a shower, Meiko had foregone the twintails and instead let her golden blonde hair run freely down her back. She was no longer wearing Robin''s clothes. Instead she had on a long black and red robe that stopped just above her bare feet. She was smiling at him brightly.


    "Cute," Rosan thought idly as he expertly ignored Mod-chan swooning in the background.


    Dipping his head, Rosan greeted her with a simple "Greetings, Meiko." Staring at her a bit, he offhandedly said "I like your robe."


    Rosan had no clue why that comment made her so happy but the way she lit up made him resist smiling himself.


    She probably felt it though. Damn connection...


    "Really?! I like it too! That''s why I bought it¡­ I recently really started liking red and black and so when I saw it, I had to have it! Demon and I had so much fun today!" She exclaimed, sounding excited. Rosan just patiently listened to her talk about her day as she led him to dinner.


    Passing by Demon, who he reverted back into his original form, Meiko waved enthusiastically at him to which he smiled and waved back before bowing deeply to Rosan.


    Rosan waved him off and said "Well done Demon. You''ve performed admirably," the redhead praised with a nod. "Based on the questioning look in your eyes, I take it you wish to continue being Meiko''s guard?"


    His eyes widened considerably at Rosan''s bluntness before he replied "Yes Master, if that''s alright with you."


    Rosan looked at Meiko and told her "It''s your decision. Whether he continues being your guardian or not, is of no concern to me."


    Without any hesitation, Meiko nodded vigorously "I''d love that! Demon and I get along really well and we had a lot of fun today! Please please please let him come with me again," she pleaded with large eyes.


    "I just said it was your decision," Rosan said and his voice was tinged with a bit of amusement.


    Meiko flushed at his statement, he probably thought she was pretty dumb. But hey, that meant she could go on more adventures with Demon!


    "Thank you Rosan!" Meiko hugged Rosan in glee. Naturally he went a bit stiff, before relaxing. He didn''t hug her back but that was fine. At least he was more accepting of the hugs!


    "It''s no problem. I was gone for quite a while. Did you eat already?" Rosan asked her. He had a feeling he knew what her answer was going to be.


    Honestly, the girl was far too considerate.


    As he expected, she shook her head no. "I wanted to wait to eat with you! You really didn''t take that long, I had to organize my clothes a bit and Demon helped me with that. Then I decided to reward my hard work with a shower. Did I ever tell you how awesome your shower is?! I''ve never seen anything like it! It''s so cooool!"


    It was a good thing Rosan didn''t talk as much anymore because Meiko could speak enough for the both of them. He wondered how a conversation between the two of them would go before his shift.


    "I dread just thinking about it. I think you two would talk my poor ears off," Mod said with a shudder.


    "Shut up," Rosan said and his partner just laughed at him.


    Rude.


    Finally arriving to the dining area, Meiko stopped talking in favor of getting plates ready. They were having Fettuccine Pasta, which was a variation Rosan had never heard of. The world was a large place if there was a type of Pasta he didn''t know of. He wondered how much variations of the noodle existed.


    Rosan was surprised that the food was still steaming hot. As they sat down in the comfy seats, he brought up that fact to her and she simply said "Demon made sure they stayed warm! I actually finished making it a while ago but you stayed out longer then expected¡­ what were you doing anyways?"


    The redhead blinked as he took a bite of the pasta. Meiko grinned as she felt his delight at eating the pasta.


    "This is good," Rosan told her aloud causing her to beam. "I was practicing a bit with Modification in a clearing then I went to the library and spent the rest of the day there¡­ I imagine it was less eventful then what you did."


    Taking a bite as well Meiko moaned in delight and told him "I don''t want to brag but I think it was! Demon is really really funny y''know? Someone tried to scam us and he managed to scare him enough so that we only had to pay half the actual amount!"


    "Oh?" Rosan began in curiosity. "Seems like you and Demon had a lot of fun today. Tell me about it," he requested, knowing it would make her happy to do so.


    "Okay! So first we went to the Pharmacy to buy medical supplies! We ran into an employee that really didn''t want to be there so Demon¡­"


    They continued eating as Meiko retold her tale. Rosan didn''t realize, but he was smiling along with Meiko which only made her even happier.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    2 weeks later


    Rosan sat in the middle of the deck of the White Rose, cross legged with his eyes closed. Angel, Demon, and Meiko watched him in curiosity, he had been doing this for the past 2 weeks and based on the small amount of frustration Meiko felt from him it was with little success.


    The redhead didn''t understand what was so different between the wings of an Angel and the wings of a goddamn bird that made it so hard to summon but he was beginning to get annoyed.


    The boy had been trying to summon the wings with little success for over 2 weeks and it really shouldn''t have taken this long. He paused for a moment to run through the information.


    Maybe this would help calm him down.


    Angel wings were more durable then avian wings. They were also more fitted for humanoid figures rather then the birds that varied in size. Even if he had decided to go with bird wings, they would not be as comfortable on his body as the holy wings.


    He wasn''t a Zoan type after all.


    Mod-chan had offered her assistance but Rosan refused it. He wanted to figure this out on his own like how he had with the dragon. The 9 year old couldn''t use her as a crutch for everything and she understood that, which is why she didn''t offer to help again.


    This was his challenge to solve and Rosan was going to solve this problem.


    Transforming into a Dragon had been his most difficult task yet. It took Rosan 5 years to finally achieve the draconic transformation.


    The redhead noticed that everything he modified, needed a base to start with. He could not simply will things into existence because that''s not what Modification was.


    Modification took something that already existed and allowed Rosan to change it to whatever it was he desired.


    This applied to even his body. Besides the base, the only limit to its abilities, was Rosan''s imagination and the boy was quite creative.


    The key to transforming into a Dragon, had been using overwhelming rage as a base and because of his newfound understanding of what he needed to do, the dual eyed boy could now easily attain the form he had been longing for since he was 4.


    Rosan had tried applying that same logic to his Angel wings but he had failed spectacularly.


    The redhead tried channeling rage, but he didn''t so much as make a hint of progress. He was stubborn however so he tried it for a week before concluding rage was not the answer.


    Curse his stubbornness...


    For the next week, he tried a different approach. Instead of rage he tried to channel things an Angel would feel. First, he chose a divine righteous feeling. He thought by channeling what dominantly made up the creatures disposition, he''d be able to transform successfully into them. But no, there were no white wings in sight.


    If not for his ever growing control of his emotions, he''d have throttled somebody by now.


    Rosan decided today he''d approach it differently. Instead of channeling a divine righteous feel, he''d do it a bit differently.


    Taking a deep breath Rosan, for the umpteenth time, focused on sprouting a pair of Angel wings. This time however he didn''t channel divine benevolence, no he decided he''d combine his practice and generate a feeling that was neither.


    Rosan decided leaning too heavily onto one side wouldn''t work like how it had with his Ragnarok transformation.


    Angels were much more complicated than Dragons. Trying to simply channel the general consensus of what Angels were composed of would not be enough. Rosan needed to put his own spin on it, pretending to be something he was not, would only fail. But trying to completely disregard it, would result in the same thing.


    The boy needed to find a balance. One side for Rosan, the other for the Angel.


    He had finally found just what he needed.


    Righteous Fury.


    The world he lived in was cruel and unjust. The ability to corrupt anything over time, that''s what the people of this world did. Not even the formerly pure and innocent Rosan was exempt from its touch. Or perhaps due to the nature of the of the world, he had never been like that.


    This world¡­ it needed to be changed, he needed to be the change. He would teach them all in the name of Righteous Fury.


    This world didn''t deserve a benevolent Angel, one who would guide them¡­ no what it needed, was an Angel that would cleanse the world of all of its injustice.


    What it needed was a-


    "Modification: Shinigami."


    Large wings, both taller than his body, burst forth. They arced off his back in a brilliant display, each feather long and narrow tensing at his righteous might. They furled and unfurled at a mere thought.


    To the surprise of everyone watching, instead of being a bright white, the wings were composed of obsidian black feathers that blended intricately with each other. Flexing his wings, Rosan took off with minimal effort.


    The wings were easy to control. Bending to his will, as if it were just another limb.


    The color was a bit of a surprise but as he thought about it, the shock quickly wore off.


    White wings did not suit him after all. Rosan was no longer pure, he had successfully allowed this world to corrupt him and his new wings were a reflection of that. Glancing at the wings, Rosan marveled at how they seemed to consume the light around them.


    Perhaps in another timeline, a more innocent Rosan would have had the holy wings angles were depicted with.


    But this was his timeline.


    It was fitting that Rosan had the wings of a Fallen Angel. It was almost poetic. His fall from grace, represented in the form of these magnificent black wings.


    "Incredible! Rosan you did it!" Mod-chan said in awe looking at the gorgeous wings on his body.


    Watching the 3 on the ship look up in a similar amount of awe, Rosan made a decision.


    What this world needed was a justice without bias. He would become the force of nature that brought change to the world; the winds that would blow everything away; the fire that set everything ablaze; the water that washed it all away.


    Rosan would become the most feared individual in the world if he had to.


    What this world needed, was an Angel of Death.


    <hr>


    Bonus!


    The Misadventures of Robin and Rosan ¨C 3


    Rosan and Robin are 5 and 9 respectively.


    Robin learns the importance of not pranking an insane child.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Robin was sat on a bench, in some park reading a book as Rosan had the time of his life.


    Currently, the boy was playing tag with a bunch of other children and he was unsurprisingly dominating them.


    Robin, to avoid being recognized, had Rosan modify her hair color to an azure blue and change her eye color to a burnt orange. She had shades on to cover her eyes and a cowgirl hat on her head.


    Rosan had similarly changed his design to match hers. She had to admit, seeing the boy with his azure blue hair and orange eyes was quite adorable.


    Though, she preferred him with his signature red hair and purple eyes. She wouldn''t tell him that though, his ego was way too big for his own good.


    Together, they looked like a typical sibling duo and besides their striking appearance, they were left largely alone. It was why Robin had allowed Rosan to play with the kids at the park.


    Unlike her, the boy needed to interact with other children. Robin wanted him to grow up to be social and not utterly distrusting of everyone around him.


    She was happy to see that the 5 year old was having a lot of fun.


    Though, it really put into perspective how much more physically gifted Rosan was compared to the other children. Despite being the youngest boy there, the boy was absolutely running circles around them all.


    It wasn''t too much of a shock, the 5 year old was even more physically gifted than her and he was 4 years younger! She was just surprised that they weren''t accusing him of-


    "You cheater!" Someone yelled, presumably at Rosan.


    Yup, there it was.


    Looking up from her book, Robin saw one of the oldest kids there, a boy around her age, pointing accusingly at Rosan. The redhead for his part scratched his head and asked "Me, cheating? How?"


    "I don''t know, you must be using magic! There''s no way a pipsqueak like you could be better then us" He crossed his arms and glared at Rosan.


    Ah making fun of Rosan''s height, a sure way to get him to piss you off.


    "Haha I get it now!" The boy cackled. "I''m not cheating!" Rosan clarified and Robin just knew he was gonna make them upset. He had a special talent at annoying people. "It''s not my fault you guys suck that bad! Just be better!" He told them bluntly with a large grin on his face that looked really condescending at the moment.


    Robin sighed, holding her head, at her companions antics. He was right but he didn''t have to say it.


    Predictably, the kids there didn''t take too well to being insulted by someone so much younger then them and they tried to grab at him.


    Rosan simply moved out the way of them all and kicked each offender with minimal force, laughing all the while. He kept his foot on the back of the one who accused him, before slowly removing it with a cheeky grin.


    That must have been embarrassing, if their red faces were anything to go by. Losing so easily to a 5 year old would surely not look good for.


    They deserved it though, trying to lay a hand on her Rosan? They were lucky he was unharmed and she didn''t get her hands on them!


    "Seeeee?" he pointed at the boy on the floor and he cackled at the red-faced kid.


    "I''m always right! You guys really suck!" The boy started walking towards Robin, still chuckling to himself, and the 9 year old shut her book. She got up to greet the approaching boy with an amused smile on her face.


    "We''re leaving?" She asked him and he nodded cheerfully, grabbing her into a hug. She complained about the fact that he could be sweaty but he only took that as an opportunity to hug her tighter.


    Brat.


    "They''re mad that I''m better and I got bored beating them so much," Rosan shrugged and Robin stifled a chuckle as they began walking away. In that case, they would find somewhere else to relax with each other.


    It wasn''t long until they found an abandoned spot to hangout at. Robin had resumed reading her book while Rosan began idly modifying a branch he found. The brunette absentmindedly bobbed her head to a tune he was humming.


    Rosan was a pretty good singer and he was always taking the time to hum some song.


    This continued for about 20 more minutes, before an ear splitting screech pierced her. Wildly looking up, Robin only saw a blur of red crashing into her, causing her to drop her book, and begin tumbling out of her seat. Finally done rolling, she saw Rosan clutching her tightly and noted that the boy was shaking uncontrollably.


    "Are you okay Rosan?" Robin asked worriedly hugging him back. The boy rarely showed fear towards anything, laughing in the face at even the largest foes. For him to be so shaken up gave her pause. She watched him shakily take one hand off of her in favor of pointing in the direction of where he had been at.


    Over there? She couldn''t see anything from this angle so what was it?


    Warily, Robin got up, Rosan still hiding behind her, and slowly walked towards the location. She prepared for the worst and what she saw made her question reality.


    Rosan...was afraid of¡­this?


    Looking down, Robin was greeted by the sight of a very large lizard. She blinked as it laid there lazily chewing on grass.


    Robin turned towards her younger companion and slowly asked "Rosan...what caused you to scream?"


    Surely she was mistaken. There was no way she wasn''t mistaken.


    Rosan had his eyes shut tightly, as he replied "Y-you don''t see that monster right there?! D-Did it move away?!" Opening his eyes, the temporary bluenette made eye contact with the lizard again and let out a shriek as he leapt very far away.


    Robin sweatdropped as she heard Mod-chan try to sooth Rosan through a fit of laughter.


    Of all the things¡­ Rosan was afraid of lizards? The thought that the fearless and reckless Rosan was actually afraid of lizards was so hilarious that Robin couldn''t even hope to stifle her laugh.


    "Rosan of all things to be scared of, you chose lizards?!" Robin clutched her stomach and fell to the floor, unable to keep her balance, as she laughed even harder.


    To be fair the lizard was huge!


    But it was also pretty cute! Why was Rosan so afraid of it?


    Speaking of which, the boys face had turned as red as his hair and he blushed furiously at her teasing. It wasn''t his fault that the weird thing had freaked him out! Rosan had seen lizards before but one that size, was unreasonable for him!


    "It''s not f-funny Robin-nee! Stop making fun of me," The boy raged in indignant fury.


    Robin couldn''t help it though, it was so surreal that the same boy who attacked an entire crew at 4 years old couldn''t even look at a lizard!


    That solidified it, Rosan really was the weirdest person she had ever met!


    Robin felt a mischievous grin appear on her face and realized that the boy was rubbing off on her more than she could admit. "Rosan," she called to the boy, who had put a considerable amount of distance between the two "I got rid of the lizard, you can come back now!"


    The poor boy always believed everything she said. Robin felt a bit bad, but it was too funny to pass up.


    Rosan predictably, lit up in joy. "Really Robin-nee?! You''re the best!" and he rushed over, she noticed that he was still holding the branch in his hand, as he charged after her.


    Robin waited a few moments before she enacted her plan. Sprouting some hands on the floor she waited and waited. When Rosan finally passed by them Robin struck by doing the most natural thing someone would do in this situation.


    She tripped him. Right into the waiting arms of the lizard.


    Rosan watched in wide eyes at his impending doom.


    The redhead felt sheer terror at the fact that he was about to touch this¡­this thing! So Rosan did the most natural thing he would do in this situation.


    He modified his stick, into a hand cannon. A hand cannon that was very loaded and very primed to shoot.


    Robin''s glee turned into a dreadful shock, as she saw his stick transform into an entire hand cannon. "Mod-chan," she hissed already trying to back away. "Did you teach him how to do that?!"


    "I did and as you can probably tell, I''m having so many regrets," the Devil Fruit bemoaned. She knew she shouldn''t have taught this to Rosan but there was nothing she could do against his puppy dog eyes.


    "Brace yourself Robin, this is gonna sting."


    In hindsight, pranking a 5 year old, with access to such a dangerous ability, was not the smartest thing she could have done.


    A small boom rang in the clearing.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Don''t you think a hand cannon was a bit excessive, Rosan," Robin asked him while wiping debris off her face.


    She hadn''t been injured by the attack. Though, it stung like Mod-chan said it would. She looked at the boy in pure exasperation at his actions.


    "Not my fault," Rosan said, stubbornly crossing his arms and refusing to look at her "You shouldn''t have pranked me Robin-nee, that was cruel."


    The boy himself had some singed hair and small cuts on his face but he barely seemed to notice them. No he was much more in favor of being angry with her.


    Robin sighed at his antics. "He has a point," the brunette thought to herself and wasn''t that something. For once, Robin had been the cause of something stupid. Well, there was a first for everything.


    She figured she should make it up to him somehow.


    Done wiping the twigs and rocks off her face, Robin scooted up to Rosan and enveloped him in a hug that he instinctively returned, before remembering he was supposed to be mad at her.


    He still didn''t release the hug though. The boy really liked his hugs.


    "Sorry Rosan, I shouldn''t have messed with you like that. How about after I patch you up I make us some pasta tonight and then I can read you any book you want?" She recommended soothingly to the boy, patting his hair all the while.


    The boy tried, he really did but Robin knew too much about him. Nose scrunched up Rosan tried hard to ignore her offer and she saw how his angry gaze wavered in place of anticipation before he remembered he was mad at her and snapped back into anger.


    It was adorable that he tried to resist but eventually, the little boy crumbled.


    "F-fiiiine. I guess I can forgive you Robin-nee. Everyone does stupid things once in a while. Even me! So I guess can let this go," was the boys, not nearly as hesitant as it should be, response.


    Hugging her back, the two embraced for a moment longer before getting up and heading back to the ship.


    As they made their way to the White Rose, a fleeting thought passed Robin enough to cause her to pause a bit in her step.


    "Rosan?" Robin called the boy.


    "Yes Robin-nee?" he asked innocently.


    "If you''re so afraid of lizards¡­why do you want to transform into a dragon?"


    "¡­What do you mean?"


    "Dragons are just really big lizards if you think about it Rosan, they look pretty similar."


    "Dragons aren''t lizards Robin-nee! Dragons are Dragons, silly! Sheesh, for someone so smart you sure can be stupid, Robin-nee!"


    "...I really don''t think I''m the stupid one here Rosan."


    "What does that mean Robin-nee?"


    "..."


    "...Robin-nee?"

 Reaper, The Angel of Death I

    Watching Rosan practice above the ship, with his newly acquired wings, was her new favorite hobby, Meiko decided.


    There was something enthralling about watching him repeatedly circle the air. It was like watching an Angel perform. The 9 year old looked amazing and Meiko idly wondered if she could get him to fly her around too.


    After achieving Shinigami, Rosan had been seen practicing nearly nonstop with the obsidian black wings. The heterochromia said he wanted to accommodate himself with the newly acquired appendages and it also doubled as stamina training for the boy, due to him not being accustomed to flying.


    "It''s really incredible isn''t it?" Meiko asked offhandedly to the approaching figure. She was still looking up at Rosan so she assumed that it was Demon.


    Not hearing a response, the blonde glanced down and flinched at the royal purple eyes burning a hole into her.


    Ah. This wasn''t Demon, this was Angel. That would explain the silence.


    Nervously, Meiko waved at the white clad clone and was not surprised in the slightest, to see no response.


    No. Instead, she was rewarded with that same judgmental stare the clone seemingly loved fixing her with.


    She really to wonder why the clone hated her so much...


    Meiko sighed, preparing to watch Rosan from somewhere else but she abruptly stopped herself.


    This wasn''t fair! Why did she have to move just because the mean clone didn''t like her? She had been nothing but nice to them both (even treating them like their own people!) and she had received nothing but scorn from the older clone of Rosan.


    She was nice to Demon and in return, Demon was nice to her. So why did Angel hate her so much?


    Determinedly, Meiko turned around to face the clone ready to give her a piece of her mind, only to lose all confidence at the questioning glare Angel shot at her.


    No fair! She couldn''t stand up to someone so intimidating and the clone knew it too, judging by the smug look in their eyes.


    "Angel," a soft voice rang out catching both their attention. "That''s quite enough, Meiko has done nothing to deserve such treatment," Demon said calmly, patronizing his twin.


    Angel proved to be just as stubborn as Rosan however and crossed his arms pointedly looking away. "She''s done enough," was his simple response.


    Demon shook his head in exasperation. Seems like it wasn''t the first time they had this argument and Meiko felt a surge of appreciation at the fact that the red eyed clone was defending her even when she wasn''t around him.


    Demon decided this time though, that enough was enough.


    "I would be surprised, if Master hasn''t already noticed your unnecessary contempt for her, Angel," Angel''s eyes widened in dread as realization hit him. "I doubt you want him to be the one approaching you about your less then stellar personality before you''re ready. It''ll most likely lead to you being forced to tell him that."


    That? What were they talking about?


    Based on Angel''s frightened expression, they didn''t want Rosan knowing yet. Meiko wondered what it was but it wasn''t her place to pry so she wouldn''t pry. If they were hiding it from their Master, then she was definitely not privy to it.


    Helpful soul that she was, she''d still try to offer her two cents though.


    "Um¡­" Meiko began and flinched slightly as they both focused their attention on her. Steeling herself, she said "I won''t ask about the specifics but...Rosan probably already knows that you''re hiding something."


    Seems that the thought had never crossed either of their minds.


    The blonde watched them both pale slightly at the realization that Rosan probably did know.


    Did they really think the redhead wouldn''t know? Waving her hands, she frantically reassured "Don''t worry! He''s probably just waiting for you to approach him! I doubt he''s upset with you guys but waiting too long will only make things worse on his side."


    That calmed them down a tad, before Angel warily asked "How would you know that? We''re literally clones of him and he hasn''t shown any indication of knowing," and it was the truth. If Rosan did know, he was doing an incredible job at appearing ignorant to the fact.


    Meiko smiled. It was the first time Angel spoke to her with something other then barely restrained contempt. "It''s just a feeling I have," at their doubtful looks she sighed and decided to delve more into it. "Rosan is really observant, he''s very good at detecting emotions and even I can tell how nervous you guys are. He might have picked up on it a while ago. Though, the fact he hasn''t approached you guys about it, means he isn''t too worried about it!"


    They nodded, fear slowly vanishing, at her explanation. The twins stared at each as they deliberated something for a moment before nodding and turning towards her.


    Could they read each other''s mind? That was really cool! She''d like to be able to do that with Rosan someday¡­


    "I''m sorry about Angel," Demon began. "She''s been really stressed since she''s gotten emotions and you and I, are the only people she can properly take it out on."


    Angel bowed in apology while rubbing the back of his head with a sheepish expression.


    Meiko grinned brightly and said "It''s okay! I thought you really didn''t like me and it was making me a bit sad. I''m glad it''s just stress though! I can help you with¡­ wait, she?"


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Meiko now understood why Angel was so cranky all the time. They may have been a clone of Rosan, but Angel was also a girl.


    The blonde girl could understand how being trapped in the wrong body, could lead to some resentment. The white clad clones attitude was somewhat justifiable, especially considering Meiko was a girl in the right body!


    Still, their reaction when she asked why they hadn''t just told Rosan, had been less then stellar.


    Meiko was beginning to think that she was the only one on this ship who didn''t fear Rosan. The clones were convinced that if they told Rosan that a clone of the boy identified as a girl, he would lose it and destroy the both of them! Meiko couldn''t help the unladylike snort that left her at their sheer panic.


    Honestly, they were being ridiculous! Rosan wasn''t some merciless demon! The boy would be confused, but there was no way he''d destroy them over something so trivial.


    It''s no wonder they strove for perfection! They were of the opinion that Rosan saw no value in subjects that could not do their job right. The redhead wasn''t like that at all! He valued the things that belonged to him and that included the clones. It''s why he didn''t have an army of clone Rosan''s just running around causing havoc. It would undermine Angel and Demons value!


    The clones really did allow their reverence for Rosan to cloud their judgment.


    "Do you guys really think Rosan would throw you away based on something like this?" Meiko asked incredulously. The confused looks she got from the twins, made her realize they really did think that.


    Okay. Clearly they were going to need her to be a medium for them. She could do that. She needed to do this because at this rate, Rosan really would start getting suspicious!


    "Alright, I''ll start the conversation with Rosan," Meiko told them suddenly. "I won''t be able to tell him though, it''ll make him upset with, if I''m the one telling your secret," she explained kindly. Rosan was an honest person and he preferred to handle things himself. As such, he expected others to be the same way when dealing with him.


    Both nodded hesitantly, though they still looked unsure of the decision to just outright tell him. Meiko flashed a reassuring grin and said "Don''t worry you two! If Rosan really does react badly, which I doubt, I''ll convince him to keep you guys! You really are making a big deal out of nothing though, Rosan is surprisingly considerate!"


    They relaxed, a bit more confident, and finally finished planning.


    "Meiko¡­I wanted to apologize again for being such a bitch to you," Angel said and she actually looked ashamed at her rudeness. "It''s just I was already in a cranky mood and seeing you get along so easily with Demon and Rosan, made me unjustifiably upset with you. I was wrong to think like that though. You''re a genuinely sweet girl and from now on, I will support you in your endeavor for Master''s heart!"


    Meiko''s face turned red as a tomato at the words of the white clad clone. "I-I d-don''t know what you m-mean b-but thank you for your kind words! W-we should get prepared, Rosan will be on the way soon," were her embarrassed words, before she bolted away from the clearly amused clone.


    "You were right Demon, teasing her really is fun!" Angel smiled at her twin.


    "I told you. It''s adorable seeing how red she can get," was Demon''s cheeky reply.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan landed to the sight of Angel, Demon and Meiko all awaiting his return. Willing his wings away, Rosan regarded them with curiosity.


    They looked like they wanted to tell him something. Based on how nervous Angel and Demon were, it likely pertained to them. Meiko looked relaxed but determined, giving more validity to his claim. Was she there to protect them? From him?


    "Mod-chan, how afraid are the twins of me?" Rosan asked her curiously with a raised brow.


    "They are terrified of you, Rosan. They are of the opinion, that you''ll discard them the moment they make a mistake," She replied softly.


    Really now? Did he really give off such an air, that his own clones would be scared of him? Rosan figured clones of himself would know him better then anyone else but maybe that was not true. That was partially his fault, he hadn''t made them with the intentions of being perfect copies of himself. They simply looked like him.


    Well, best to dissuade them of such thoughts then.


    "Oh? Are you ready to tell me about what you''ve been hiding?" Rosan asked curiously and his answers were questioned when his clones flinched backwards in shock. Were they truly unaware that he knew? Wow, fear really did cloud a person''s judgement.


    He was very aware that they were hiding something. They always looked like they had something to say before catching themselves and Rosan just pretended to ignore it. If they didn''t want to tell him yet, then he''d wait for them to be ready.


    As long as it didn''t jeopardize anyone on the ships life, Rosan honestly didn''t care.


    The redhead decided against doing anything else as they opened and closed their mouth in disbelief. They were probably processing the fact that despite knowing, Rosan had still opted to leave them alive for committing a crime as great as hiding something from their Master.


    Rosan saw Meiko glance over at the two in exasperation. The blonde had not seemed aware of what they were hiding before so maybe they had told her while he was flying? That had to have been it because the girl was terrible at keeping secrets.


    "Rosan, Angel has something they want to tell you," Meiko told him bluntly, pushing his white clad clone forward. Rosan felt Angel''s nervousness spike, as he focused his dual colored eyes on him and the boy tilted his head at the fear in his eyes.


    Was he really that unapproachable?


    "I''m not sure if you realized, but you have literally sprouted all black Angel wings, Rosan. You look like an actual Shinigami when you have your hoodie up as well so I think you already know the answer to that," Mod told him bluntly and Rosan hummed.


    Fair.


    "A-ah master!" Angel stammered and it only amplified as Rosan raised a brow at him. "I-I j-just wanted t-to inform you about s-something regarding m-myself," his purple eyed clone let out a sigh as he finished speaking. He looked at Rosan expectantly, as if afraid he''d shut him down.


    When did he even give off the impression that they were expendable? Was it because of how easily he created them? Rosan frowned at that thought, which caused Angel to wince in fear as he thought it was directed towards him.


    There was value in everything, especially things created by him. The 9 year old needed his clones to know how valuable they were to him, easily produced or not.


    "Angel," Rosan began "I am not a tyrant. If I''ve ever given you a reason to believe otherwise, please notify me and we may talk about it. But, I believe I have been fair enough to label your reaction as unnecessary."


    Both Angel and Demon had the decency to look ashamed at their reactions. "I-I''m sorry Master it''s just¡­I don''t really know where to even begin," Angel said, head held low.


    "Try from the beginning," their leader told him patiently.


    Rosan wasn''t upset with them. He was actually more curious about what would cause them to have such a reaction.


    Maybe they had killed someone?


    "Right. The beginning," Angel said, before steeling himself. "Well it all started when Master Mod gave us the ability to feel. You''re probably aware, but we didn''t have emotions when we were first created. We were allowed to keep the ones granted to us due to your gracious nature, which we are eternally grateful for!" He said with a bow


    Taking a deep breath, he continued by saying "It''s just¡­well¡­how can I put this¡­" Rosan decided not to rush him and watched as Meiko, along with Demon, put a reassuring hand on his shoulder.


    Rosan smiled to himself.


    It was good to see them getting along. Angel, for whatever reason, harbored a strong dislike for Meiko and he had been about to confront the clone about the reason why.


    Seems they figured out and solved their issues on their own though.


    "Master," Angel spoke up again after a moment catching his attention "I''ve been extensively looking into my new personality and¡­ I have deduced that I''m not a boy," he confessed while nervously looking at the floor.


    Rosan blinked as he heard that.


    Huh.


    What?


    "I''m sorry?" Rosan asked. Had he perhaps misheard his clone? No. Rosan and, by proxy, his clones wouldn''t make a mistake like that.


    "I''m not a boy Master, I''m a girl," Angel told him and he blinked in confusion. A clone of him was a girl? How did that even work? They should have been a near 1:1 copy of him even with the added personality given to them by Mod-chan. Had Mod-chan given Angel a personality that would make him (her now) more attuned to being a female?


    "Mod-chan did you¡ª"


    "Nope, I simply gave them a personality. Gender preference was never in it," she interrupted him immediately, sounding terribly amused.


    Well there was that question answered.


    Rosan was genuinely perplexed. For one, he didn''t know they even had preferred genders. The redhead wasn''t really thinking about things like this when he created them. There was no intricacy when making them¡­ he just wanted to spend as much time as possible with Doc and looting the island would cut into that.


    Hence Angel and Demon being born.


    Were they really afraid of telling him something like this? Rosan knew his clones feared him slightly, but this was ridiculous. Did they really think he''d throw them away at the slightest error? As much as the man influenced him, Rosan was not Doc.


    He''d never be Doc.


    Looking at them again, Rosan was surprised to see Angel with a resigned expression on her male face. Why? He hadn''t even said anything yet¡­


    Oh right, he hadn''t said anything yet. They were probably jumping to unreasonable conclusions due to his silence. Angel probably thought he was about to destroy her if the look on her face meant anything. Demon even looked like he was about to intervene as well, if the way he was positioned indicated anything.


    Even at the risk of himself, he''d defend his sister?


    Rosan idly wondered if they got that from him, before discarding that thought. A good sibling wouldn''t leave their infant brother alone with a stranger.


    "¡­" Mod-chan frowned at his negative thoughts.


    Rosan stopped thinking such thoughts and focused on the topic at hand. He should probably do something about this. He''d have to fix the error inside of Angel.


    The dual eyed boy began walking towards his older clone with a purpose and her eyes widened at the grave look in his eye. She wanted to take a step back, but she was rooted firmly to her spot with .


    Demon, fear visible on his face, stepped in front of her ready to sacrifice himself first.


    Meiko watched all this transpire with confusion clear on her face.


    As Rosan approached them, he spoke up. "Demon, please move aside. My concerns lie with Angel," he politely commanded but his black clad clone didn''t move an inch.


    "Master...I can''t let you get any closer to Angel," he said resolutely and blood red stared into red and purple. Rosan and his clones were the same height but Demon felt so much smaller looking into the dual eyes of his creator.


    Angel violently snapped out of her reverie due to the fact that her brother was putting himself in the face of certain death. "Demon, move! He doesn''t have a problem with you so please don''t throw your life away!" she pleaded but Demon shook his head and stayed there.


    "Admirable," Rosan began praising him, before saying "But Demon, that wasn''t a request. Move."


    Demon could only watch in horror, as his body moved against his will and stepped aside leaving Angel exposed to Rosan. Dread pooled in his stomach as he watched his Master stare down his sister.


    He was about to witness her die and there was nothing he could do about it. Worst of all, his Master, who he viewed as his king, was going to be the one to do it.


    This couldn''t be happening. This had to be some sick joke. His revered leader killing his twin? The thought made Demon nauseous.


    Angel knew this was bound to happen eventually. She just hoped that Rosan didn''t get upset with Demon because he had tried to intervene. Her little brother just wanted to protect her...she didn''t know what she would do if her twin died because of her.


    Standing face to face with Rosan, Angel could see the tell tale sign of Modification. Glowing eyes stared into resigned purple. His face remained blank, not betraying any thoughts.


    Rosan slowly raised his left hand and inched it closer and closer to her. "Master please!" She heard Demon plead but Rosan ignored him in favor of closing the distance between them. This close, she could smell the scent of flowers that her Master always had.


    It smelt nice, pleasant.


    Closing her eyes, Angel accepted her fate. She resisted the urge to flinch as Rosan''s soft hand made contact with her cheek. His body radiated heat, but it was cool to the touch.


    It was rather jarring.


    "Modification:¡­," She heard him begin and Demon''s panic was palpable through their connection. Angel sent him a warm, loving, pulse and his fear only intensified.


    She was gonna miss him.


    "...Swap."


    ...


    Death didn''t feel much different from living. Actually maybe it felt even better! Angel could still breathe and think normal. The female clone wasn''t aware that she could even go to the afterlife¡­her body even felt different too! It felt right-


    Wait¡­ she wasn''t dead?


    Hesitantly, Angel opened her eyes again to look at the amused gaze of her Master. His dual eyes glowed in mirth and he removed his hand from her cheek.


    Meiko couldn''t hold it in any longer and she started laughing uncontrollably causing both Angel and Demon shot her an incredulous look. The girl was clutching her belly, as she gasped out "R-Rosan who knew you could be so playful?!"


    Their leader let out an amused snort. "Did you two really think I''d kill you over something as trivial as you wishing to swap genders? Do you take me for some type of Devil?" Rosan asked, actually looking annoyed.


    "Fear is healthy, fear is necessary for survival. But fearing me to such an extent¡­it''s offending. You two are my subordinates and any subordinate of mine, is valuable. It''s why I have only you two," He chastised and they both looked ashamed of themselves.


    Meiko decided to intervene "Rosan... he''s a bit cruel, but he would never destroy you just because you want to be a girl, Angel. Despite how he acts, Rosan is actually kind of a sweetheart! All you had to do was tell him and he''d help you!"


    They looked at her in disbelief. Rosan? A sweetheart? Even Rosan looked surprised by her statement, if the way his brow raised indicated anything.


    "Meiko, how did you know I wasn''t planning on killing her?" Rosan asked curiously, with a tilted head and the blonde gushed.


    Angel and Demon looked shocked at Rosan''s question. Did Meiko know from the beginning that their leader wasn''t going to kill her?


    "There''s no way you would kill her over something like this Rosan!" Meiko said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. To make matters worse, Rosan was nodding along at her reasoning, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.


    Did that...make them stupid?


    "Well, Angel," Rosan began, catching her attention. "I hope in the future, you won''t be so reluctant to tell me something like this. Efficiency is important after all. I am your creator, but that does not mean you should treat me as some untouchable God. Besides¡­ what is the point in worshiping a God who won''t even hear out your concerns?" He asked and Angel felt a weight get lifted off her shoulder at those words.


    ...He was right. Angel and Demon were being stupid and they had put Rosan on a pedestal that he didn''t tell them to put him on. He had even allowed them to keep their personalities because he didn''t want them to be mindless slaves!


    She felt really silly at the moment.


    Rosan agreed with her if the knowing look in his eye indicated anything. He let out a snort and Angel blushed in shame. "I hope we can be more honest with each other in the future. Enjoy your new body," was all he said and he inclined his head.


    Enjoy her new body?


    Angel gasped as she looked down and saw the changes that took place. She was a couple inches shorter now with a small bulge around her chest area. Her ponytail had grown from shoulder length to around mid back and the spikes in her hair smoothed out slightly. Her eyelashes became longer and her lips a bit thicker. Her already soft expression somehow became even softer due to the transformation.


    "Wow Angel, you look amazing!" Meiko cheereed excitedly. "Is this how Rosan would look if he was a girl? I''m kinda jealous¡­" she mumbled and Angel felt a dust of red fleck her cheeks.


    "She is not an exact replica of how I would look as a female because it''s apparent that she is her own person. We bear a large amount of similarities but she has key details that makes her Angel," Rosan informed the starry eyed Meiko.


    Meiko whirled on Rosan as he said that. "Doesn''t that mean you know how you would look if you were a girl?" She demanded and their clones raised a brow at the validity of the statement.


    Rosan simply said "I would rather not answer that question," and left it at that. Meiko whined and kept pestering him but he remained steadfast in his response. The only sign he was even acknowledging what she was saying, was the small smile on his face and the slight glow in his eyes.


    Rosan he¡ª Angel felt so dumb for ever fearing her master. He was right, the 9 year hadn''t personally done anything to warrant the degree of fear that they felt. They had unjustly labeled him as a terror due to his actions on Daybreak but he had never directed that rage to them...


    All she had to do was tell him about her problems and he would have tried to help. Even if he disagreed with the notion that Angel was a girl, the boy would not destroy her. That wasn''t the type of person he was. Rosan was pretty open to things like this, that''s why he was so good at Modification.


    Angel would never doubt him again.


    She felt tears brimming and before she could stop herself, the female clone engulfed Rosan in the tightest hug she could muster. Rosan let out a grunt of surprise and her actions caught up to her.


    Hastily, she stepped back with wide eyes. "I-I''m sorry Master I don''t know what came over me it''s just, I''m really happy and I couldn''t really control myself! Next time, I''ll be able to control myself but for now, please punish me as you see fit!" She bowed lowly, accepting any punishment that would come her way.


    After a moment of silence, she looked up only to be greeted by Rosan and Meiko''s deadpan stare. "Sorry Master¡­old habits die hard," she sheepishly rubbed her head and her fellow redhead simply sighed with a shake of his head.


    "It''s fine. Like I told Meiko, I don''t mind being hugged by you guys. I''m just not used to it at the moment. Forgive me if I am a little stiff, I''m still trying to get accustomed to positive contact," Rosan said apologetically and she nodded in complete understanding. "Though¡­ in your excitement Angel, you seem to have forgotten someone," he pointed out.


    Angel yelped as she was scooped up and engulfed in a bone crushing hug. Her expression turned warm as she felt the pure relief radiating off of her twin brother and without hesitation, she returned the hug. "I thought I almost lost you¡­" her twin mumbled and she whispered reassuring words to him.


    "Sorry about that Demon," Rosan tilted his head with a hand on his chin. "I was feeling a bit mischievous so I figured I''d mess with you three. Meiko was able to catch on immediately though... so it was really just you two," the redhead hummed curiously.


    "I figured it would be funny to show you both how silly your fear is. Perhaps I went overboard?"


    Angel and Demon both sweatdropped at his contemplation. Overboard was a bit of an understatement. That prank was way too cruel!


    "Well whatever the case, it all worked out well. You two don''t need to worry, the only reason I''d ever actually destroy you both would be if you betrayed me. I do not tolerate traitors," Rosan explained easily.


    The twins nodded at that. There was nothing to fear then, they were completely loyal to Rosan and Mod.


    "You two have a special bond," the Mod Mod no mi user suddenly told them. "Cherish it with your lives. Prioritize it, even over your loyalty for me. Having someone willing to protect you, despite fear paralyzing them, is a precious relationship worth savoring," Rosan finished and they widened their eyes at what his words.


    Master he was¡­he was the best!


    "Yes Master!" They chanted at the same time bowing deeply to the boy.


    Rosan nodded, finally satisfied and prepared to leave. Meiko, predictably, followed right behind him and decided to strike up a conversation.


    "Do you want some tea Rosan?" Meiko teased with an impish grin. "You don''t normally talk that much so it must be bad on your throat."


    "Do you know how to swim Meiko?" Rosan asked in return and the girl immediately stopped talking. The redhead resisted the urge to snort as she pouted at him.


    He knew her too well.


    "Rosan, who''s Master Mod?" Meiko suddenly asked him, remembering a part of the conversation where Angel mentioned a "Master Mod". Rosan paused and she followed suit.


    Right, he never told Meiko about Mod-chan, just that his fruit was Modification.


    "There''s no harm in telling her about me. Maybe one day, she can even come to the mindscape!" Mod said and he could tell that she was beaming.


    Rosan couldn''t resist the urge to snort. Mod-chan was not being subtle about how much she liked the blonde. At Meiko''s questioning glance, Rosan decided there would be no harm in telling her.


    "Master Mod is Mod-chan," Rosan began, continuing to walk and she followed. "Long story short, she''s the voice inside my head. In a more detailed description, she''s the Devil Fruit that I ate and she has been watching over me since I was 4 years old," he finished with a fond smile. They had been together for a majority of his life now and he never regretted it.


    "Oh stop!" Mod said with bright blush on her face.


    Meiko''s blue eyes gleamed as she heard about his closest friend. "Can she hear everything we talk about?" At Rosan''s nod she asked in rapid succession "What does she think about me? Will I ever be able to meet her? Oh! How does she look?!"


    Rosan silenced her with a raise of his hand. "Mod-chan actually really likes and appreciates you for treating me normally, despite everything. She''s quite fond of you and has been wanting to meet you for a bit."


    Meiko blushed in happiness at Rosan''s words and waited patiently for him to answer her other questions.


    "You can figure out how she looks when you meet her. As for when you can meet her¡­ I don''t see the harm in bringing you to her right now," Rosan mused while cupping his chin.


    Meiko was excited but curious. How could he bring her to Mod-chan? Wasn''t she a voice inside of his head?


    "Follow me to my room," Rosan decided and Meiko hastily followed after the shorter boy.


    It was honestly adorable how short he was. Meiko wasn''t the tallest around and if she got her mother''s height, she wouldn''t be tall ever but she would enjoy looking down at Rosan while it lasted. She wondered how tall he would be when puberty inevitably struck the 9 year old.


    Her face felt a bit hot imagining an older Rosan and she slapped her own cheeks.


    Best to focus on other things... Like his room.


    Meiko liked entering Rosan''s room, it was spacious and felt like she was in his sanctuary. It was like she could get a glimpse of him with his guard down, when he stepped in here. The way his shoulders relaxed a bit and the tiny exhale he let out, made her smile warmly.


    The room was far larger then the exterior suggested and it''s flowery scent wafted easily through the air. She idly noted, that the bounty of Nico Robin was missing from the stand. Meiko really wanted to know more about their relationship¡­ but she would hold off until they got closer. Though, the 11 year old felt like she was making amazing progress with him!


    She would go as far as to say Rosan was fond of her!


    "You may want to lay on my bed," Rosan suddenly told her and she froze.


    W-w-what?! Lay on his bed?! S-so soon!


    This went a little past fond!


    "R-Rosan aren''t we moving too fast?!" A bright red Meiko, asked him. S-sleeping on the same bed as him w-was indecent! She liked him b-but she had limits!


    "What are you talking about¡­ oh," Rosan realized with wide eyes.


    "Meiko that''s not what I meant at all," the boy said, sounding uncharacteristically flushed. "Where exactly is your mind taking you? I just wanted you to get comfortable for what I''m about to do."


    Meiko blushed even deeper. "Rosan you pervert!" The blonde exclaimed, with her hands on her cheeks. She didn''t think the boy was so perverted! She was flattered b-but they were too young!


    To her shock, a tiny dust of red appeared on Rosan''s cheeks and Meiko squealed at how cute the sight was. "Y-you," Rosan stammered and Meiko couldn''t resist the urge to engulf the shorter boy in a hug.


    "Don''t worry Rosan! Even though you''re a pervert, you''re really adorable!" The blonde gushed and she ignored Rosan''s urge to throttle her.


    "You''re as big of a pervert as your mother, Meiko," Rosan sighed, defeated before forcing them both down on the bed.


    Before she could tease him even further, he said "Modification, Link: Users Rosan, Meiko," and she shut her eyes at the sudden vertigo.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    When Meiko opened her eyes, she was shocked to see an expanse of green instead of wood. The deck of the ship had a lot of grass on it, but this was too much. Looking around, she came to the conclusion that she was not even on the ship anymore.


    The area she was in was so full of nature, it was just breathtakingly beautiful. Large healthy trees covered much of the area and she was under one currently, completely shielding her from the constant downpour of rain.


    Was she inside of a rainforest? How did Rosan get her here?


    "Welcome to my mindscape," a familiar voice rang out and she looked to the side to see Rosan right next to her. The boy was looking at the rain with a slightly cathartic expression on his face and he didn''t even flinch as the drops impacted him.


    Rosan seemed to thoroughly enjoy the rain. Maybe it reminded him of his freedom?


    "Mindscape? What''s that?" Meiko asked curiously. Rosan faced her, with that same expression, and told her.


    At Rosan''s explanation, Meiko felt her eyes bug. A physical representation of a person''s mind? One that only he could seemingly activate? That was incredible!


    Rosan agreed with her, if the way he puffed up slightly was an indication.


    "Follow me, I want to introduce you to Mod-chan," the redhead said, walking without hesitation into the rain. Meiko was surprised to see him look and sound so relaxed! He acted so unlike how he usually did and she much preferred the way he acted now.


    The boy was normally rigid and tense, like a frozen wall. She was so used to seeing cold indifference, that seeing him so¡­ loose was a welcome surprise.


    He paused as he noticed she wasn''t following him and sighed. Turning back, he materialized an umbrella and handed it to her.


    She accepted it with a beaming grin (that Rosan rolled his eyes at) and followed after the wet boy. Idly she noted that the redhead''s hair was no longer in a bun. Instead, he let it run freely and his red spikes were matted down by the rain.


    "You should let your hair down more often Rosan," Meiko said speaking over the patter of the rain. "I really like it like that," she gushed. Seeing his hair in a bun, kind of felt like he was hiding who he was in a way! With his hair down, Rosan felt more like himself.


    At least, that''s what Meiko thought.


    "I normally keep it in a bun for combat purposes but¡­I can see about letting it flow free in the future," he replied.


    She smiled happily at the fact that he was listening to her and they continued to walk in a comfortable silence. Eventually, they made their way to a large, hot pink house. It looked about two stories high and was surrounded by many flowers and fruits. The trees around the house were much shorter and it looked like a perfectly maintained garden.


    Meiko looked at it with glittering eyes. The house looked incredible! She could tell a lot of care went into the surrounding area and she appreciated the efforts of whoever did.


    Rosan entered without knocking and proceeded to wet the entire floor. The boy looked at the floor for a moment, before continuing to walk without a care in the world. Meiko rolled her eyes at the boys rudeness.


    "You should have dried off first, Rosan!" Meiko slightly admonished her crush, who simply shrugged in response.


    "She''s right, Rosan," A soft, feminine voice agreed with her. It sounded wise and playful all in one. It was very soothing to the ears and Meiko felt herself instinctively relaxing. The blondes gaze snapped up towards the approaching figure and she gaped. "You can make an umbrella at will, yet you choose to hassle me so," she finished.


    "Can''t help it Mod-chan, the feeling of the rain on my skin, feels good," was Rosan''s easy going response and Meiko stared, shocked at how at ease the redhead was.


    The now dubbed Mod-chan was a sight to behold. Long purple hair framed a bronze (a shade lighter than Rosan''s), heart shaped face with striking crimson, not unlike Rosan''s, pupiless eyes. She was taller then them both by a fair margin and was donned in a long black dress with white on the edge of her arm sleeves and at the bottom of her dress. Her nails alternated between purple and red paint and her bare feet were similar. The woman''s plump lips were formed into a small smile and she happily regarded the two of them.


    Meiko couldn''t resist gawking at the woman standing before her. She was that gorgeous!


    Meiko turned scarlet as she realized she said that out loud. Oh Kami, that was so embarrassing!


    The lady flushed, mumbled a low "Thank you," and bashfully looked away with an endearing smile on her face. She felt Rosan''s amusement, as the boy drank up her sudden shyness.


    "I-I''m sorry I didn''t realize I said that out loud! I didn''t mean to embarrass you," Meiko frantically apologized. The woman fought off her blush and waved her off.


    "I-It''s fine. I thought I got used to Rosan''s compliments, but it seems I''m not as adept as I thought I was," she mused, still a bit red faced. She coughed a bit and decided to properly greet the girl.


    "Meiko I''m so glad to finally be meeting you! I am Modification but you can call me Mod. I''m Rosan''s Devil Fruit and I''ve granted him the abilities of the Mod Mod no mi," the purple haired woman smiled warmly at the girl and extended one of her manicured hands.


    Grasping the offered hand, Meiko smiled up at the woman and said "It''s so nice to meet you Mod-chan! I''m Suzuki Meiko and I''m 11 years old! I like helping people, learning new recipes, and spending time with Rosan! Did you decorate this house? It looks incredible!"


    Surprisingly, Mod shook her head no and told her "Rosan is the one who decorated everything actually."


    Surprise bloomed on Meiko''s face as she looked at Rosan in disbelief.


    "What?" Rosan asked "Is it that surprising that I''m the one who designed everything?"


    The 9 year old looked genuinely offended at her shock and he looked away in annoyance.


    Meiko smiled brightly at how less guarded Rosan acted in his mindscape. He looked so much more genuine and comfortable around his long time partner!


    She secretly hoped he would one day be this comfortable around her.


    Meiko learned a lot about Mod-chan and Rosan''s relationship in her time here. The woman had been with Rosan since he was 4 years old and Meiko laughed hysterically, as she was told about the tale of him eating her without the knowledge of what she was and nearly tearing up at her foul taste. Rosan blushed in embarrassment at the memory and mumbled "It looked good," which only caused her to laugh harder.


    Her gaze softened as she heard of how Rosan had extended his hand to the woman and how, disregarding the fact she was inside of him, they were inseparable. She loved hearing about the dynamic duo and how Mod-chan did everything to protect little Rosan.


    He sounded like he had been such a headache to deal with!


    Rosan watched the genuine happiness on both their faces and allowed himself to smile as well. Meiko and Mod-chan got along scarily well. The two spoke to each other as if they were old friends and Rosan didn''t know if that was a good thing for him or not. He was leaning more towards the second option due to Mod-chan and her sudden love of teasing him.


    Meiko especially loved hearing tales about his escapades. Who knew that Rosan was so reckless?! Attacking an entire ship when he was 4? Raiding a groups personal island? Using a hand cannon to destroy part of a forest because he saw a giant lizard? That one in particular got a deep blush out of the boy.


    She couldn''t picture the calm and collected Rosan as such a wild person. He sounded like he was crazy! She just gaped at Rosan the entire time Mod-chan regaled her with tales. Worst of all, the boy didn''t deny anything! He just sat there with a faint blush on his cheeks, demeanor screaming guilty.


    All of this was true?!


    "Rosan did you really do all of these? I didn''t think you were so insane!" Meiko exclaimed in glee. Rosan didn''t say anything but offered her a nod and she laughed in joy. Meiko didn''t think learning about Rosan''s past would be so fun but here she was.


    "He is isn''t he? He used to give me and Robin so much trouble¡ª" Mod cut herself off as she realized her mistake.


    The atmosphere turned a bit tense as silence washed over them all. Rosan''s lips were slightly pursed and Mod-chan looked guilty. Meiko was confused at the sudden shift but remained silent.


    This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    Was talking about Robin a sore spot for them?


    Rosan let out a soft sigh and said "We''ve been here long enough Meiko, let''s go for now okay?"


    Mod-chan looked a bit upset, so Rosan got up to give her a warm hug. She looked surprised but gratefully returned the hug back. "Don''t be upset Mod-chan, I''m not mad or anything. It''s just this silence is awkward," Rosan told her bluntly.


    She nodded in agreement, still wrapped in a hug, and said warmly "You''re right, we''ve been here long enough and you two need to eat something before going to sleep."


    Meiko felt her heart warm at the sight of how close the two were. She had thought Rosan had no one to trust but she was wrong!


    As long as he had Mod-chan, he would never be alone.


    Angel and Demon, Mod and Rosan... Meiko was envious that they were able to have such a strong bond with each other. It hurt to admit, but she felt a tad isolated¡­


    Maybe she was the one who had no one?


    Meiko shook her head vigorously at the negative thoughts. She should stop thinking like that, it wouldn''t be very good for her. The blonde lightly slapped her cheeks for good measure.


    Looking up, she saw both Rosan and Mod staring at her with an unreadable look in their eyes. She flushed at the 2 set of eyes on her. Had they seen that? She should at least try to explain herself.


    She yelped as Mod-chan suddenly grabbed her and engulfed her. She was crushed into the taller woman''s frame, as Mod-chan hugged her warmly. She flushed but hugged the pretty lady back. She smelt sweet and Meiko felt safe in her grip.


    "Meiko," she heard Rosan say. Looking at him she saw a bit of sympathy in his gaze "If you ever feel isolated, feel free to come to me. You were there to offer me reprieve, during my dark times, so I''ll be here to return the favor," he said, voice uncharacteristically warm.


    How had he known?


    "Rosan is an empath¡­ he''s good at knowing how people feel. He may be a bit harsh, but he does value the feelings of people he cares about. You don''t have to worry about being alone as long as he''s here because he knows that feeling well," Mod informed her with a small smile on her pretty face.


    Meiko felt tears brimming her eyes at the sincerity of their words.


    She didn''t think Rosan cared for her very much but he did and that made her happier then she could have thought! The boy was just bad at showing it but it probably wasn''t like this before. Meiko felt her heart constrict at the thought that the redhead really did care for her.


    "C-can I come back here, Rosan?" She shyly asked him.


    To her relief, Rosan nodded without hesitation. "Even if I said no, Mod-chan is spoiled and that woman has already decided to practically adopt you. You''re welcome here anytime," he told her.


    Mod puffed her cheeks in outrage at the boys words. "I''m spoiled?! The boy who will throw a fit if we don''t go along with his plans is calling me spoiled?" Honestly, the nerve of this little brat to completely ignore his own actions!


    Rosan smirked cheekily and said "My plans are amazing, Mod-chan. I''m not throwing a fit. I''m trying to help the less intelligent understand why it''s good to go with my idea." He froze as he realized the mistake he made and the temperature immediately dropped in the room.


    "Are you calling me less intelligent?" Mod asked, with a serene smile on her pretty face. Meiko saw right through it and knew if Rosan answered incorrectly he was in a world of pain.


    "No, I did not say that," Rosan automatically said sensing imminent danger in the form of his sister figure.


    "So who were you referring to?" Mod asked, still smiling. Somehow, she was directing a piercing gaze towards Rosan with her blood red eyes closed.


    "¡­" Rosan was about to compliment her, but she immediately said "Don''t try to worm your way out of this with a compliment, Rosan," and the boy closed his mouth. Well...maybe he could still compliment her.


    "Don''t you dare," Mod warned


    Meiko felt a pulse through their connection and, though Rosan was not looking at her, she could feel his intentions.


    She was too nice for her own good. Rosan was lucky she was here because anyone else would have let this unfold.


    "Mod-chan," the woman in question looked at her and she took that as her cue to continue. "Boys they can pretty dumb so they don''t really think about what they say until they say it!" Rosan sent her a scathing glare but she ignored it, a warning pulse shut him down immediately and he reluctantly shut his mouth.


    "Rosan probably didn''t mean it like that but hes a dummy, so it came out wrong," she reassured the adult woman. Mod adopted a thinking pose, with the girl still in her grasp, and she thought about what the 11 year old said.


    "You''re absolutely correct, Meiko," Mod-chan nodded at her explanation, seemingly satisfied. "I have to keep in mind that Rosan just isn''t as smart as the two of us," she sighed sadly, thinking about the unlucky reality that was Rosan''s gender.


    Rosan looked like he really wanted to say something, but he smartly held his tongue at the warning smile Mod shot at him.


    Soon they couldn''t keep up the facade any longer and they all began laughing. Even Rosan joined in with his boyish chuckles. It sounded so pure and Meiko was blinded by a fleeting image of what Rosan used to be. She was left a little breathless at the sight of him grinning with those sharp fangs of his.


    He looked so innocent in that moment...


    Meiko couldn''t resist anymore and reached out to drag the boy into the hug, catching him off guard. The redhead tried to protest but after a moment, he stopped and began hugging them back.


    The blonde blushed fiercely and they both teased her about it. She ignored it all though in favor of the overwhelming happiness she felt.


    It was the first time Rosan had ever hugged her back.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "This island doesn''t look very inviting," Rosan idly said. He was standing on the ledge of the ship, as he watched the approaching island, with a calculating gaze. "Stop the ship right here," he suddenly commanded. "I don''t want the White Rose anywhere near this place, in case things go south."


    He felt the ship stop at his orders and turned to face his 3 allies. "You 3 stay here. I''ll scout this island myself and make sure it''s safe for us. We still have plenty of supplies so it''s not the end of the world if we can''t dock here," he informed them calmly.


    Angel and Demon nodded at what he said and Meiko looked a bit relieved. She probably felt the bad vibes from this island as well so Rosan didn''t want her stepping close to it.


    The redhead had begun feeling rather protective of the girl ever since she started regularly entering his mindscape and he''d be damned if he let her go with him.


    If there was any danger present on this island, he''d ensure it didn''t get to her.


    "Maneuver the ship to a safe location. Remain hidden until I return," the redhead ordered. "Have some fun and don''t bully Demon too badly okay?" Rosan told them, already dressed in his guise with his obsidian wings out.


    At their nods, the black clad figure flapped once, twice and took off towards the island.


    The three looked at his rapidly fading figure for a moment. They stood there for a while until he vanished from view.


    After a moment of silence, Meiko broke it.


    "Wanna put makeup on Demon to see how he''ll look?" she asked Angel. "Rosan normally looks so good without makeup, I think we can make him look better," the blonde reasoned


    "¡­Yes I do," She answered, after a moment of deliberation. "I agree, Master does have an attractive face. It plays a big part in why I look this good," she sniffed haughtily and the girl puffed up.


    "Despite being different genders you still look really similar¡­ I wonder if we can replicate your appearance on Demon''s face!"


    "It should be easy until we hit puberty. We still look like identical twins at the moment."


    Demon sweatdropped as they both fixed their gaze on him. "Don''t I have a say on what you two do to my body?" he asked them both, already knowing there was no hope.


    "Nope," They replied simultaneously and they dragged him off.


    Demon simply sighed in defeat. Getting double teamed by the girls seemed like it was going to be a normal occurrence now.


    How fun.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "How depressing," was Rosan''s first thought as he walked through Fregate Island and observed the people there.


    The Shinigami had recently landed on the island in an unoccupied clearing and had quickly made his way to where he had seen people. He made sure his face was properly shielded from view and folded his wings, putting them in a resting position. Rosan had no intentions of recalling his wings, in this disguise they would always be out so he could easily get away in case something unfolded.


    After walking for a few minutes, he was beginning to think that this island wasn''t worth it.


    There weren''t much inhabitants but what few it did have, were broken and seemed to have lost all the will to live. That didn''t stop them from shooting the disguised boy a wary look so good on them. Rosan wondered if it was because they couldn''t see how he looked or because he had massive wings resting on his back.


    "Probably both," Mod-chan supplied unhelpfully and the boy internally snorted.


    The island itself was quite surprising, it didn''t look like it should have such an atmosphere. It was wealthy looking, if that massive castle in the background was an indication and each building looked far larger then he expected. If anything, Rosan expected the island to be full of self-absorbed pricks.


    Just what was going on with this place?


    Walking up to a vendor, Rosan watched the old man perk up slightly at his approach. He looked nervous, as the black clad figure approached him but held hope at the prospect of a customer.


    Rosan took one look at his merchandise and raised a brow. This naturally went unseen.


    "All of this is expired," Rosan told the elderly individual, pointing at the fruits in the stand.


    The old man looked slightly ashamed and said in a raspy tone "Trust me lad, if I had anything better to sell I would but this is all I''ve got."


    The masked boy hummed in curiosity. "Let me guess, you''re hoping I''m going to be a kind soul and then you plan on charging me an outrageous price, right?" his shocked silence was all the confirmation Rosan needed.


    Rosan was not a charity case, he wouldn''t give this man free beri for some spoiled goods. He didn''t care about the problems of the people on this island. They could deal with it themselves.


    Turning around, the 9 year old prepared to leave the man behind to scam someone else.


    "P-please wait a moment!" he heard the raspy tone call to him but he ignored it. There was nothing left he wanted to say to the man. He had been hoping for information at the minimum but if everyone was like this, he''d be closer to killing them then getting anything.


    He glanced around a bit, shook his head, and decided to go back to the ship. They needed to prepare to set sail for the next island; Fregate island was a bust, there was no need to dock here. Distantly he heard the old man still calling for him and he had to respect the tenacity.


    "What''s will all the ruckus?" A grating voice suddenly called out giving him pause.


    Craning his head in the direction of the voice, Rosan was greeted with the sight of 2 bland men with sabers resting at their hips. They were thuggish in appearance but otherwise, they weren''t notable enough for him to take stock of.


    That didn''t mean they hadn''t gotten his full attention though.


    "Is the old man trying to scam someone else again?" Thug 1 asked with an amused tone, shooting a glance at the petrified vendor. Said old man was rooted to his spot and he began sweating profusely.


    Nervous but resigned? How interesting. Maybe this island could be of use after all, if the crowd steadfastly ignoring this was anything to go by.


    "Was last time not enough of a reminder for you old man? Trying to get pity out of visitors hasn''t worked for you before so why do you keep trying. Maybe that last beating you got rattled the last couple of brain cells outta your skull," Thug 2 chortled, as Thug 1 laughed at his joke.


    "N-no it''s nothing like that I swear! It''s just ever since Lord Arata has taken over things have been hard for all of us! I''m just trying to make ends meet ¡ª" The old man tried to speak but was smacked harshly by Thug 1.


    "Keep Lord Arata''s name out of your mouth filth. Especially if you aren''t praising him," he warned the old man, who could only nod fearfully, tears welling at his eyes.


    Rosan watched all this transpire with a blank expression on his masked face. He had no interest in helping this man. It had nothing to do with him and he had just tried to scam the boy.


    Satisfied at the successfully cowed man, Thug 1 focused his attention on Rosan. He let out a short whistle as he appraised the mysterious figure "I haven''t seen you around these parts before," he began looking the much shorter individual up and down.


    Rosan didn''t say anything, as he just stared back.


    "Visitors have to pay a fee on this island. I don''t think that''ll be an issue, right?" the man asked and the redhead raised a brow, though it remained unseen.


    A visitors fee? What was with this island and trying to milk him of his money? The old man at least looked the part of being poor and was likely unable to provide for themselves. These 2 looked more than healthy enough. This was a rather poor attempt at trying to take his beri. Was it because he was short? He doubted they''d try this if he were taller.


    Fine, he would entertain them for a bit then.


    "How much is the fee?" He asked softly, tone not betraying anything. They looked at each other in surprise before smiling greedily.


    Hm. So they didn''t have a set price in mind. It also looked as if they hadn''t expected him to comply so easily because their stance loosened up.


    "1 million beri," Thug 2 told him and 1 nodded along at the price. The people around (they had begun listening when the 2 thugs showed up) gasped at the price but immediately quieted at the threatening gazes shot their way.


    A divide amongst the people maybe? Maybe killing these two, would garner positive reactions because to try and extort such an exorbitant price out of him, deserved nothing but a meeting with his blade.


    Just who did they think they were, trying to get 1 million beri out of him? Did they really think that would work?


    "You want me to pay 1 million beri just because I''m a visitor?" Rosan asked. They nodded, not seeming to sense the danger they were in at all. He didn''t blame them, Rosan''s tone hadn''t changed since he had begun speaking but his word choice was rather obvious.


    Whatever, idiots only died faster.


    "Whoever implemented this visitors fee, must be quite lacking in the intelligence department," Rosan tested and they predictably darkened. The boy smiled darkly under his mask at their reaction.


    Rosan found that he quite liked manipulating people. Ever since the redhead had wrapped Sachie around his finger, the thrill of making someone do what he wanted, unintentionally, filled him with a dark glee.


    Brandishing their weapons, Thug 1 said in a threatening tone "Are you calling Lord Arata stupid? There are serious consequences to that!"


    Rosan tilted his head and asked "Lord Arata? Is he the reason the people of this island are so depressed and defeated? Are you charging them these impossible prices and threatening them if they don''t have it? Some Lord."


    The two bland thugs went red with rage at his reply. Snarling, Thug 2 said "Don''t ya dare disrespect him like that. Lord Arata is a great man! You wouldn''t understand his goals and motives."


    "I don''t think I want to nor do I care to try," was Rosan''s stony response. Internally though, his mind was running at the possibilities of what could be done.


    Rosan carefully observed the way the crowd reacted at what the thug said. They flinched whenever Lord Arata was mentioned and the fear on their face when he talked about the man, was all Rosan needed to know.


    Arata was an unwanted guest. One that they desperately wanted gone.


    He smiled to himself a plan already stewing. Oh he could work with this.


    "I like this plan, only benefits and no negatives that affect you. I didn''t think you were capable of such a thing," Mod teased, with a grin on her face.


    "Reckless they may be, my plans rarely affect us negatively when we put them into play," Rosan retorted, with a glare.


    "One day you''ll be able to convince me, I''m sure of it!" She giggled at him.


    "I hate you sometimes," Rosan replied with a mental sigh.


    "You could never~," She chimed.


    Rosan ignored her, in favor of looking at Lord Arata''s subordinates. They had supplied him with a sufficient amount of info, one that he could use for his own gain. They no longer served a purpose. If he wanted more info then well...


    The fearful crowd would willingly tell him the rest after what he was about to do.


    "Thank you for the info," Rosan interrupted their spiel and shut them up. "So Lord Arata is the one who offended me with such absurd taxing? Good. I will teach him a lesson," the boy decided, earning a wide eyed gaze from everyone there.


    "Y-you? Teach em a lesson?" Thug 1 spluttered in disbelief. They both looked at each other for a moment, before they burst into laughter.


    What they said next, did nothing but decorate the color of the grave Rosan had already thought up for them.


    "Yer short ass is gonna teach Lord Arata a lesson?" Thug 2 guffawed, clutching his stomach as he nearly collapsed.


    "What are you gonna do? Make him bend over and eat one of your feathers?!" Thug 1 howled in laughter.


    It was almost like people didn''t have a sense of self preservation these days. When someone mysterious shows up, you don''t just needlessly provoke them. Rosan couldn''t understand these people.


    An oppressive aura washed over everyone there, causing them to freeze up in fear. The two laughing thugs choked on their spit, as they were subjected to the mysterious figures presence.


    "Oh dear, you''re height is still a sore spot for you Rosan? You''re only 9 you know," Mod reassured him.


    "That doesn''t make it any less annoying Mod-chan," Rosan scoffed.


    He was decently annoyed now so he figured he''d use his Pressure. Rosan didn''t exactly know what it was (Mod-chan said it had nothing to do with Modification), but Meiko told him about how he had unleashed an unreal pressure, the day they had gotten into the argument about whether she hated him or not.


    Rosan was still glad she didn''t.


    Mod smiled to herself.


    Rosan had been understandably confused but upon deeper inspection (many trial and errors on his clones) he had discovered that he could generate some type of pressure. He didn''t know the specifics but, it was almost as if he were imposing his presence onto the person.


    It was exceedingly effective and Rosan had taken to generating a consistently low amount of it. When he wanted to increase the amount, it took a lot of focus but he was able to successfully do it. It left him drained though, so he increased it sparingly.


    Judging from everyone''s reaction, It was working out very well. He had been training it on Angel and ¡ª huh, maybe practicing the technique on Angel and Demon, were why they feared him so much.


    He should apologize to them after he finished his job here.


    Wait, never mind, they were clones of him.


    Accessing their connection (he needed to start naming them), Rosan sent a quick apology to the twins for what he had done to them. The clones seemed like they were struggling but they momentarily paused to send him a confused "It''s okay?" before Rosan abruptly shut the connection again.


    He''d explain to them later; the twins seemed like they were having fun.


    The Triplet Telephone or TTT sounded good enough. He wasn''t very good at naming things so this would have to do.


    "Rosan," Mod-chan called and he snapped out of his musings. Right he needed to focus, how unfortunate that he still had the tendency to run off on tangents. He''d have to deal with that one day.


    "I think it''s adorable!" Mod gushed, before her tone turned accusing. "How come you haven''t named our connection though?"


    "I need to focus on the mission Mod-chan," Rosan said as dodged her question completely.


    "¡­Fine, but this isn''t over," she warned him before going silent.


    Now he needed to think of another name¡­ lucky him. He would do it though because Mod-chan wanted it, and Mod-chan got what Mod-chan wanted. Spoiled. That''s what she was. Maybe he''d just call it Ethernet¡­ actually that was a pretty good one for all of them ¡ª


    Enough sidetracking. It was time to proceed with his plan.


    Rosan dampened his Pressure and allowed everyone around him to finally breathe. He heard a sigh of relief from all of them, before he reached into his cloak. They all let out a tense breath as Rosan slowly dug around.


    Thug 1 and 2 had, by now, realized that they might have gone and antagonized the wrong person and the two were shaking.


    Hmph, took them long enough. They both unsteadily held their sabers in front of them and they watched Rosan with mounting trepidation.


    Rosan, finding what he was looking for, successfully pulled out the item. They all watched with bated breaths as Rosan pulled out a¡­kama? Calling it that would be a stretch, they weren''t even sure it was a weapon.


    Thug 1 and 2 resisted the urge to laugh again but they let their guard down for just a moment and that moment cost them. Rosan loved capitalizing on any situation in a fight and this was one of them.


    Before they could even react, Rosan had modified his mini scythe into its original size and they watched, with wide eyes, as the scythe grew larger then the person wielding it. The thugs tried to back away but they were too slow and Rosan''s presence was too intimidating.


    It was too daunting. Like death itself was standing before you.


    Rosan smiled behind his mask at the obvious fear in their eyes.


    It was time to begin.


    He stretched his wings out and flapped once. Within moments, he appeared in front of Thug 1, who only had time to widen his eyes before Rosan, with his scythe raised, swung and nearly bisected him at the waist.


    The onlookers looked away in horror and disgust, as blood sprayed through the air and the mortally wounded man fell onto the floor. He tried to scream but Rosan wouldn''t even give him that mercy. Before a noise came out the redhead brutally stomped the man''s head into the pavement with a resounding crack.


    He stopped moving immediately.


    Turning towards his partner, Rosan decided he''d take his time with this one. He was the one who made the short joke, so Rosan wanted to show just how much he appreciated it. He slowly progressed towards the man who could only take a step back for every step forward that Rosan took.


    "S-stay back! I-If I don''t report back to Lord Arata, t-there''s gonna be trouble for ya!" He stammered before tripping in his haste. The man desperately tried to crawl away "L-Lord Arata has a bounty of 3 million! You don''t stand a chance if you get his attention!" The man tried to intimidate this demon approaching him.


    "3 million?" Rosan idly said, tilting his head. "That''s so little."


    He watched in satisfaction, as the man went pale at Rosan''s casual dismissal of their bosses bounty. Watching the hope drain out of him, was exhilarating to witness and the Mod Mod no mi user was beginning to realize how much of a sadist he had become.


    There was just something about mentally killing somebody that made him so¡­


    Thrilled.


    "You made a joke about my height, yes?" Rosan asked as he steadily aimed his scythe towards the man''s legs. "I believe when I''m done with you, we''ll end up being about the same height."


    The man nearly went catatonic as Rosan spoke. He was finally beginning to realize who he was dealing with. The black wings, the black cloak, the large scythe, the flat tone that had yet to change throughout this entire conversation. Their daunting presence and the indomitable aura.


    The Shinigami itself had descended, to rain judgment upon them. Only the aspect of death itself, could speak so coldly about murder. To them, it was probably a normal, everyday, occurrence.


    Everyone else watching was beginning to come to the same conclusion and it caused them to quake in fear. This was not a human, this was the personification of death.


    This was a person who had no trouble killing and that spoke volumes.


    Who knows what would happen to them after he was done? Thankfully, they hadn''t earned his wrath like the foolish thugs. Staying on his good side would be in their best interest, lest they suffer the same fate.


    Rosan didn''t care about any of that in the moment. Right now, he had a target and his goal was to make said target suffer for his insolence.


    With that, he raised his scythe and swung down.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    The crowd were equal parts terrified and appreciative at what he had done.


    They were torn between cheering for the death of two of their tormentors, or vomiting at the gruesome scene. A majority of the people chose the second option but Rosan didn''t care.


    Not his fault that they had weak stomachs, he was 9 years old and this didn''t bother him in the slightest.


    "You aren''t normal Rosan," Mod chimed in helpfully.


    "You practically raised me for 5 years Mod-chan. If anyone is to blame for my sanity issues, it''s 100% you," he responded smugly.


    "W-well that''s just not fair! I did my best for you but you''re completely insane," she protested, sounding offended on her own behalf.


    He mentally snorted and said "Yeah sure blame it on me, the 9 year old. Real mature of you Mod-chan, I''m learning so much right now."


    "You¡­" she fumed, as Rosan''s smugness washed over her. He looked at the corpse and resisted the urge to kick it for good measure.


    Rosan looked pristine, despite what he had just done and not a single fleck of blood had made its way onto him. He had been practicing avoiding the messiness of what he did and it was paying off.


    Focusing his attention towards the crowd, Rosan was satisfied to see them flinch at his invisible gaze. Good they were acting as he expected.


    Time to move forward with his plan then.


    "I would like to speak to someone who is not on this Lord Arata''s side," his androgynous voice rang out to the watching crowd. He waited patiently, not surprised at all that no one was stepping up.


    They feared him, he wasn''t expecting anyone to step out for a while.


    After it became apparent no one wanted to step out in fear of falling victim to his wrath, someone shoved past the crowd, snarling out a "cowards" and approached him. Rosan watched the figure carefully. He doubted anyone on this island could hurt him but it never hurt to keep your guard up.


    It was an adult woman who looked to be about 20 years old. She was of average height, with short straight gray hair that was styled into a pixie cut with short bangs. She had a hardened set of brown eyes and a scowl on her face.


    She currently fixed him with a hard gaze that belied a small amount of fear. Rosan had to give her credit where it was due, she hid it admirably. He was just too good at reading people.


    They sized each other up a bit, the woman getting steadily more uncomfortable, as they both remained silent. Rosan idly polished his kama sized scythe again with the shirt of Thug 2 and the woman fidgeted.


    Unable to resist any longer, she blurted out "You wanted to speak to someone right? Well, here I am."


    He knew she would crack eventually. It worked in his favor like this, as it allowed him to dictate the conversation.


    "So you''re the representative of these people?" He asked her politely. At her nod, he said "What is your name?"


    "Aiko," was her terse, to the point, reply.


    "Aiko," Rosan tested the name on his lips before nodding in satisfaction. "I called you here because I have a proposition for all of you," he told her.


    She tried to hide the curiosity behind a scowl, but he saw through it. "What kind of proposition?" the gray haired woman replied gruffly.


    "I will kill this Arata person and allow you all to redistribute whatever is in that castle between yourselves," Rosan began and at their wide hopeful gazes he held up a gloved hand.


    "But¡ª,"


    "There''s always a but," Aiko scowled, before flinching at his piercing gaze and shutting her mouth.


    "Did you think I would do something like this for free? Underestimating me like that can cost you. Just look at our 2 friends here," was his chilly response and she couldn''t help but gulp and shakily nod.


    "As I was saying, I will kill him for you all but, I require 15% of this islands total earnings every 2 weeks," he finished.


    "15% every 2 weeks?" She asked in disbelief. "I''m not sure if you realized kind stranger, but we''re kinda living in pretty shitty conditions," she replied sarcastically, before realizing it wasn''t a good idea to antagonize this very willing murderer.


    "I''m aware," was his dry response. "That''s why I''m asking for a percentage and not a flat amount. I could easily demand 10 million beri every 2 weeks if you want me to," he informed them, which caused them to pale at the thought.


    If this island prospered like he wanted it, the percentage would outweigh the 10 million before long anyways.


    "What if we say no to your demands?" She asked him.


    "Then I will leave and let you explain these 2 corpses to Arata," was his simple response.


    "Can we bargain the percentage?" She tried.


    "You are in no position to make demands," Rosan responded icily. "Any bargaining, will only end up with me increasing the percentage," and that was that.


    She tch''d in annoyance and Rosan felt his respect for her increase. She would be a fine leader for these people. Anyone else would have folded immediately after seeing what he was capable of doing but she still tried her hand.


    It was futile but Rosan liked that.


    "What if we fail to give you the beri?"


    "It all depends on circumstances. I''m not heartless, if you can''t afford to give me the beri on a few occasions I won''t punish you. I will give you the time you need to get back on your feet before demanding payments. If you withhold it on purpose however, I will kill every single one of you."


    She shuddered at his brutal answer before asking one last question. "Will you screw us over by increasing the price one day?"


    "No, I''m an honest person. I asked for 15% and that is what I''m expecting. I will not increase the percentage unless you try to bargain or scam me."


    "¡­" looking around at the crowd of people, Aiko sucked in a deep breath and said "Okay, we agree to the terms," holding out her hands for a handshake, she felt a gloved palm make contact with hers and marveled at how warm he felt to touch.


    You would think Death would be colder.


    "Pleasure doing business with you," the mysterious figured responded "Now tell me everything there is to know about this Arata, I want to be done before night time."


    Such confidence! Aiko hoped he could back it up. A stray thought occurred. "I don''t know what to call you, what do you go by?"


    He paused as if deliberating her question. A name? He hadn''t thought of that¡­ Rosan was out of the question naturally. Maybe Mod? No...that was bad too.


    Ugh, he hated naming things.


    "I do not have a name. You may call me whatever you want. It does not matter to me," he eventually said. Aiko raised a brow at him but didn''t voice her thoughts.


    No name? Just who was this person? Still he had given her the privilege of naming him, so she might as well try. The gray haired appraised him once more.


    He (she just assumed they were a boy. It would save her the headache) had on black. Lots of black. He had large beautiful wings, reminiscent of some birds but something told her, they were more¡­ transcendent. They were obsidian black and Aiko got the feeling that wings like that, should be white.


    Kind of like an Angel...


    His outfit was dominated with black and white, the colors of life and death. Coupled with his wings¡­maybe Raven or Crow? They were birds that represented death and, since they were black, it would fit him well. She dismissed them immediately though.


    They didn''t quite fit those magnificent wings of his (did he have one of those Devil Fruits? She thought they were a myth). He really did look like an Angel¡­ but with that massive scythe...


    "Reaper," she suddenly said, nodding in satisfaction. An Angel of Death is what he was, so what better name was there then Reaper? With his black wings, black and white outfit, hidden face, and massive scythe he really did look like the Shinigami itself.


    "Reaper¡­that is acceptable. You may call me that then," the now dubbed Reaper nodded, agreeing easily enough with her and it caused her to puff up a bit.


    "Now that that''s settled, you wanted to know about that son of a bitch Arata right? Well first things first¡­"


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Lord Arata was a man pretending to play king.


    He was a former pirate with a 3 million beri bounty and was currently using that fact (and his crew) to lord over these people. He had randomly shown up, killed the actual lords of the castle and asserted his presence unceremoniously.


    3 million beri might not have been a big deal for him, but for the people here, coupled with the fact he had goons to do his bidding, it proved to be too much. They had tried to resist but after the first group of people died, they had learned to just keep their head down and allow him to do whatever he wanted.


    He had asked if they had asked the Marines for any help and her response slightly surprised him.


    "We asked them for help but after a half-assed investigation they concluded that we were lying and never showed up again," Aiko all but snarled.


    "Corrupt?" Rosan deduced simply and she nodded, glad that he caught along.


    "They are likely colluding with Arata because they want exclusive rights to our goods. It''s the reason our island was able to become so wealthy," she said with a slight amount of pride before her anger surged again. "Now those bastards just milk us for all we have!"


    Rosan knew there was bound to be some corruptness going on in the Marines. Every organization suffered this issue, but for them to disregard a person with a 3 million bounty just for resources? The World Government was the driving force of the world, they didn''t need to do this.


    This was just greed. How could this self-proclaimed justice be greedy?


    How disappointing.


    Their reasons for hunting Ace down, while utterly immoral, stemmed from the fear of the rising of the 2nd pirate king. To them that was a good enough reason. It wasn''t good enough for him but he could see why they did it.


    This though? It really put into perspective that the World Government were just bullies with too much power.


    That had been 1 year ago. His grip on this island had remained firm and the people had long given up.


    All but Aiko at least. She was the only one that had any fighting spirit left but the woman wasn''t dumb. She knew she had no chance against the delusional man.


    "Everyone has resigned to their fate so why do you still fight?" Rosan asked her out of curiosity and her face shifted into one of absolute fury.


    "That bastard¡­ he has my sister!" If looks could kill, Rosan''s body would be a smoking husk because she looked absolutely murderous at the moment. "Just imagining what''s happening to my little sister, at his hands, fills me with too much hate to give up," Aiko declared and she was clenching her fists hard enough to draw blood.


    The redhead didn''t have much right to say this, but as an older brother he understood where she was coming from.


    If Ace were in the same situation, well Rosan would make sure that person wouldn''t be able to hold anything else for the rest of their very short life.


    They would suffer his wrath and he would enjoy every moment of it.


    But Aiko was powerless to stop it¡­ just like Rosan was powerless to stop Garp. The 9 year old could sympathize with the rage she felt. It was likely even more overwhelming, due to knowing that Arata had no good intentions. Rosan trusted Garp to keep Ace safe because Mom had trusted him to do so.


    He could not say the same for Aiko.


    Wait a minute... he had an idea.


    "Would you like to get your hands on Arata after I''m done?" Rosan asked her suddenly. If he played his cards right¡­


    Aiko''s gaze shot up and brown stared into an endless black.


    Was Reaper serious? He would allow her, the woman who had been wanting to get her hands on this bastard for one year, to finally get sweet vengeance.


    If he actually allowed her to do this¡­ well Reaper would have her undying loyalty.


    Rosan smiled at her vigorous nod.


    Manipulating people was quickly becoming his new favorite hobby. Like this, he had practically guaranteed himself a loyal subordinate. Someone who willingly followed a person, was far better then someone who was forced to, there was less chance of betrayal this way.


    If Rosan had her willingly backing him, this island would be much more willing to fall in line.


    "It''s settled then. I will deal with his minions and I will incapacitate him. Afterwards, you may do whatever you want with him. As a show of good will, I''ll even give you the means to watch," Rosan told her and the look in her eyes suggested that she may have just won the lottery.


    "Hell yeah," she cheered. "You better not be lying to me Reaper," the woman warned playfully.


    Rosan smirked under his mask and told her "No need to worry, I''m not one to lie."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Modification: Shinigami was a fascinating technique, Rosan mused, as he floated far above the castle.


    Like Ragnarok, it made slight changes to his disposition. Not anywhere near the same degree, but enough for it to be noticeable.


    Ragnarok amplified his rage. It attempted to turn him into a bloodthirsty berserker. It was strong but dangerous if he lost control.


    Daybreak Island was a testament to the destructive powers it wielded.


    Shinigami, on the other hand, didn''t focus on any particular aspect of his personality. Despite channeling righteous fury into his transformation, Rosan didn''t feel any of that. In fact it felt like his already dampened emotions, were even further restricted in this transformation.


    How fitting that he was restricting himself even further like this.


    When in this form, he felt his cool demeanor turn frosty and his efficiency increase drastically. Killing became a non factor to him because after all, everybody died.


    Death had no favorites. At any time, anyone could die and Shinigami was the representation of that.


    It was still exceedingly useful. It lacked the raw power Ragnarok had but Rosan hadn''t unlocked this transformation for strength. He had simply unlocked it, because his vanity could not handle simple bird wings.


    This was all a bonus.


    Above the castle, Rosan had already thought of the best course of action. He had contemplated only targeting Arata, but he discarded the thought. He wished to free this island completely so every one of his allies would need to die too. It would take more work but the redhead would still be done before the day was over.


    With a flap of his wing, Rosan descended towards the castle at a moderate speed. It did not take long for him to gently and quietly land on the roof of the building. Rosan crouched slightly to palm the roof and Scanned the interior for life forms.


    Nodding in satisfaction at what he sensed, Rosan modified a hole into the roof and floated downward. The Shinigami glanced around and confirmed that the room was empty, save for him. He withdrew his scythe from his cloak and began deliberating the right course of action.


    How to best approach this? He could just go around and pick them off one by one.


    Nah, that was too clich¨¦.


    He would just bring them all to him. It would make this faster for him if they all just grouped into one area. A different take on hunting, but one he welcomed.


    "Ever the show off, Rosan," Mod couldn''t resist throwing in a quip and Rosan rolled his eyes.


    "Meiko sure is rubbing off on you Mod-chan, you were never this insufferable," was his retort as he began walking.


    "Funnily enough, I don''t think I inherited that from Meiko," she responded smugly and the boy snorted.


    "Halt! State your business with Lord Arata ¡ª ACK," Rosan idly slashed the throat of the person talking, as he leisurely walked past the mortally injured individual.


    "Oh? Perhaps you inherited it from my memories of Doc. It would explain a lot now that I think about it," Rosan mused.


    "Getting closer~ this person did spend quite a bit of time with Doc," Mod joked with a grin on her face.


    "Hey stop right there! What do you think you''re ¡ª HRGK," someone tried to stop him but a large scythe protruding from his abdomen stopped the minion from saying anything else. Rosan, who had not stopped moving, absentmindedly ripped the scythe out of him and continued on his merry way.


    "Wait. Don''t tell me...you got it from Sachie?" Rosan let out a mock gasp as Mod-chan reeled in shock at his audacity.


    He did not just go there.


    "You know, I always wondered why you hated her so much. Besides the fact she was a pervert and that hellacious beating she gave me once¡­ she was quite pleasant to me and spoiled me rotten. Is it because I had her wrapped around my finger?" Rosan questioned, almost as if he were actually thinking about it. "I don''t blame you though, that woman had a huge pair of¡ª,"


    "Do not say another word," Mod warned him and Rosan gained a predatory smile.


    Bingo.


    "Oh? I see now," the redhead said in realization. "You''re jealous aren''t you? I don''t blame you though, I would hate her too with how tightly she was squishing me into them? Who knew you were so possessive though Mod-chan? Maybe you got that from me," Rosan had a victorious smirk on his masked face and he felt her embarrassment shine through.


    "You have nothing to worry about Mod-chan. You can ask to squish me whenever you want. Sachie can''t steal me from you," he teased and she let out a whine.


    "I hate you sometimes," she grumbled accepting defeat.


    "You could never," Rosan''s smirk turned into a shit eating grin as he used her own words against her.


    "What happened to the boy who always lost these war of words," she complained.


    "Bullying children? That''s low even for you Mod-chan."


    "That is not what I meant!"


    "Sure~"


    Their banter continued as Rosan continued to cut down anyone they came across. He was not paying them any attention as his body moved on it''s own.


    Rosan loved coming up with new techniques and this was one of them. Currently, he was seeing if he could modify his body functions, so that they could move without conscious thought. It was an Auto Mode of sorts and the technique was coming along nicely.


    It was not perfect. Rosan had to program it preemptively and it could only handle basic orders but it was progress. His goal was to have it active even while he was sleeping, in case anyone tried anything funny. They would be in for one hell of a surprise when his sleeping body defend itself.


    He wondered if Aiko was enjoying the view. He had given her a modified drone that showed her, and by proxy the people around her, a view of his little escapade.


    He did this for 2 reasons.


    One was to show Aiko that he was a man of his word and that Arata would not be dying to him.


    The other, was to ensure that they understood that going against him, at any point, would not be a wise decision. They saw how effortlessly he was taking out the swathes of enemies. If he could take out their tormentors so easily¡­ what chance did they have against the Shinigami?


    "The amount of techniques you''ve been able to come up with is startling Rosan. You are doing things with Modification I couldn''t even fathom as a possibility," Mod pointed out and she sounded so proud of him.


    "I don''t think I could have as much fun with any other Devil Fruit," Rosan hummed, as he idly cut down another individual. His latest victim let out a strangled gasp and they collapsed on the floor.


    Rosan stepped on top of their body and jumped a small distance, to avoid the forming pool of blood and continued along his way. Sure he could fly, but he would rather be rude.


    Everyone else had surely been alerted of his presence by now and while Rosan could practice his stealth and pick people off one by one, he wanted to be done soon and they were too weak to do something that boring. Stealth missions were only fun when the enemy had a good chance of spotting you.


    The most efficient and fun way, he decided, was to group them up in one place, killing any stragglers to attract their attention, and handle them all at once.


    His plan was going without a hitch. Rosan reached the room where he had scanned the two presences. Lord Arata should be in this room with Akemi, Aiko''s sister. It looked to be the master bedroom and Rosan frowned deeply. That man better not be doing what he thought he was.


    Not bothering to knock, Rosan forcefully kicked the door open and stepped inside. 2 gasps and a strangled "Who?" greeted him. Rosan canceled his Auto Mode, as he took in the appearance of the 2 individuals currently on a bed.


    Lord Arata was a big man, but it was not muscle, only pure fat. He had shaggy brown hair that was tied into a ponytail and had pale skin. Beady black eyes looked at him in confusion and a bit of outrage at being interrupted. He was wearing a disturbingly little amount of clothing and Rosan curled his lips at the sight he was seeing.


    The girl, who Rosan assumed was Akemi, was also wearing a small amount of clothes. She was of average height with long straight gray hair styled into a ponytail. Her tear streaked eyes were a warm shade of brown and she had wobbly lips instead of a scowl. She looked like the spitting figure of Aiko with some differences.


    "Are you Akemi?" Rosan asked her and, at her fearful nod, he eased her fears by saying "Its shocking just how much better you look then your sister, despite looking so similar." He could almost feel Aiko''s outrage from here and resisted the urge to smirk.


    Messing with the angry woman was fun.


    Akemi blushed at his praise and stuttered out a "T-thank you."


    Lord Arata didn''t seem to appreciate being ignored so he decided to interrupt their conversation. "Just who the hell do you think you are ¡ª,"


    Suddenly appearing in front of him, the stranger''s gaze bore into him. The only thing he could see was a faint red glow. which made him flinch back in fear.


    "Speak when spoken to," he warned calmly before slamming a fist into his skull. Looking at the girl for another moment, he seemingly decided he wasn''t done and glued one of the man''s hand to the wall behind him.


    With a knife.


    Lord Arata let out an uncharacteristically high pitched squeal as the knife pierced his palm and embedded itself deeply into the wall. He tried moving, but the risk of losing his hand, kept him still. It did not stop him for pawing at his arm though. Tears sprung to his eyes at the pain he was currently feeling and he wet himself.


    "Stay there for a bit and just watch, someone I know has some words to say to you," Rosan told him.


    Arata could only whimper as tears leaked down his eyes.


    Rosan sneered in disgust at the sight. "Can''t handle a bit of pain? Pathetic," he scoffed.


    Satisfied that he wouldn''t be moving, he focused his attention back on the half naked Akemi. The woman flinched at his approach and trembled harshly, as he put a hand on her.


    Aiko''s little sister blinked at the sudden warmth. She looked down in wonder at the long coat that covered her modest frame and clutched it a bit tighter. His touch was soft and warm and it caused her to look up at him in shock. The gray haired woman thought that she was surely going to die to this mysterious figure.


    "Did that man rape you?" the stranger asked her curiously. He was pretty sure he already knew the answer but he needed confirmation


    At his question, she could only look down in shame as tears began falling from her eyes and she let out a choked sob. She didn''t give him an answer but the look in her eyes...


    It was all the confirmation he needed.


    Rosan could not stand rapists. For a person to touch someone without their consent¡­ it gave him many unwanted memories.


    Doc and Sachie had not raped him (though the women had been dangerously close. Rosan blessed his age), but they had touched him. They had defiled him and he couldn''t do anything about it for so long¡­ just like this girl here.


    Rosan sympathized with the victim more then he would have liked.


    He delivered a strong blow to Arata''s head and was satisfied at the groan of agony he let out. Rosan regarded the man with thinly veiled contempt and he reached out to grab him.


    Disgusting creature.


    "Modify Target: Sensitivity," he thought to himself, as he held onto Arata. The man had been reduced to whimpers but his screams began anew as the amount of pain he felt, spiked to unimaginable levels.


    Rosan felt dark satisfaction well up inside at the agonized man.


    "Disgusting. If not for what you and Aiko agreed to, I''d have dealt with him accordingly," Mod said, scorn in her tone. She gleefully watched the man thrash about in pain.


    That would teach him.


    Scoffing at the pathetic sight, Rosan told Akemi to find a suitable hiding spot and, despite the confused look she shot him, the woman scrambled to hide herself. She was now situated under the very large bed. out of sight for what was about to take place.


    Good. If she became a hostage, Rosan would not stop to save her.


    The disguised redhead stood facing away from Arata, who was still moaning in agony, simply waiting. He idly flipped another knife as he stared at the slightly ajar door.


    Any moment now¡­


    There. The pounding of footsteps rapidly approached his location. Glancing around, Rosan nodded to himself. This was enough room to deal with them. The castle was quite massive after all and this bedroom room was no different.


    Eventually people, the rest of Arata''s buddies he assumed, began pouring into the room with all sorts of weapons. Swords, bats, daggers... he even spotted a couple of guns!


    All of that just for 9 year old him? He was honestly flattered that they felt like he needed this much things.


    He''d have to show them how much he appreciated it.


    "B-boys teach this damn midget a lesson ¡ª GAGHHHHH," Whatever Arata was about to say, was interrupted as Rosan buried a knife into his other hand. The howl he let out, was music to his ears and the boy nearly laughed. With his sensitivity raised, it probably felt like he was getting stabbed by a knife made of molten lava.


    "Did I not tell you to quiet down and enjoy the show?" Rosan asked the crucified man. "If you open your mouth again, I''ll lose what little patience I have left with you," as if to further cement his point, he revealed his scythe and returned it to its original size. The Shinigami held the blade close to the man''s head and prodded him gently with it.


    Arata let out a terrified whimper and shakily nodded his head. He did not say another word for fear of hell incarnate carrying out his vow.


    Satisfied that he got his point across, Rosan turned his attention back towards the large crowd. They looked at their boss in worry and fixed a furious gaze onto the one who had done it.


    Rosan responded by idly petting the top of his scythes blade.


    "Unfortunately for all of you, I''m quite frustrated that I cannot kill this man right here," Rosan tilted his head at the quaking Arata. "I hope you can understand that there are no hard feelings in what I''m about to do to you all."


    It seemed, his polite tone did nothing but piss them off even further. What? Was he not allowed to be nice?


    Some people these days.


    Hoisting the scythe over his shoulder, Rosan beckoned them all towards him. "Try not to take this the wrong way," and with that he charged.


    "Is there a correct way to take death?" Mod asked him.


    "Shut up, Mod-chan," Rosan responded flatly and she laughed.


    Letting out a chorus of yells, the 20 some men charged the mysterious figure that had barged in uninvited. They would teach him a lesson he''d never forget.


    There was 20 of them and 1 of him. They were probably of the opinion that he would be overwhelmed by their larger numbers.


    How wrong they were.


    Rosan smiled a bloodthirsty smile under his mask, as he watched them all charge.


    It had been a while since he had last fought someone. Despite knowing the outcome of this fight already, he felt his blood singing at the prospect of the upcoming slaughter.


    Removing his scythe from his shoulder in a two handed grip, Rosan charged.


    The black clad figure was a whirlwind of steel. Everything the group did, he had an answer to. Hope was lost the moment Rosan released his Pressure.


    How could they possibly deal with this? This was no man¡­ this was death incarnate!


    As soon as the battle began, Rosan immediately leapt into the group. He was mindful of where his scythe was because with it''s large size it could potentially mess him up.


    He really had nothing to worry about but Rosan was nothing but cautious.


    He was on top of the first person instantly. Ducking under a wild swing, Rosan swung his scythe upwards. The blade slammed through the man''s head in a horrific display and, without wasting a moment, he brutally yanked it out.


    He jumped off the corpses falling body, to deliver a flying kick onto the person next to him. Stealing his sword, Rosan threw the weapon and successfully knocked the gun right out of someone''s hand. He scrambled to get it but Rosan, spreading his wings, flew and slammed into the square of his back. He shouted in pain but was immediately silenced as Rosan dug the scythe deep into him.


    Someone tried grabbing for the boy but he sidestepped it. Not wasting a single moment, he deftly picked up the discarded gun and unloaded 4 bullets into the man''s back. "Oh, I like this," Rosan thought to himself as he, without looking, aimed the gun behind him and unloaded 3 more shots into the approaching man.


    "Note to self, get a gun," Rosan threw the gun away and grasped his scythe with both hands. "I have to admit, this is more disappointing than I expected," Rosan told the petrified crowd. He was sure he heard someone throwing up at his brutality.


    They had quickly lost the will to fight after seeing the futility of it all.


    How unfortunate. They still needed to die. Rosan couldn''t afford to have any loose ends or people plotting revenge. It would cause him unnecessary hassles in the future.


    This fight was as good as over so Rosan decided to begin the finale. "Well no matter, I wanted to wrap this up anyways," he said, in that infuriatingly blank tone of his.


    Rosan began spinning his scythe rapidly, fully spread his wings and he moved. For a moment, there was silence, then there was blood, then, the screaming.


    Blood curdling howls started to ring out throughout the castle.


    Rosan moved from target to target at an astounding speed delivering slash after slash. Tendons, muscles, limbs, nothing was safe from his relentless onslaught. Some died instantly, others bled out, some were more resilient and required personal attention by him, but none escaped his wrath.


    Someone tried to run, desperate to save their own lives but Rosan caught them by the waist in the sickle of his scythe and pulled. Their top half slowly but surely slid off in a wet display.


    No one else tried to run after that.


    Rosan mowed through them with cold, elegant, brutality.


    He was like a performer the way he danced from person to person. A horrific, yet oddly enchanting display.


    Just like that, before anyone could process what happened, the fight was over.


    Bodies littered the floor, limbs were separated from bodies, heads were hanging, and there was so much blood.


    Yet incredulously, Rosan remained spotless.


    Sighing in boredom, Rosan assessed the damage dealt and recalled his scythe. This had not even been enough to make him sweat. He had at least expected the sheer number advantage they had to force his hand but there was none of that.


    Not even the ones with guns had posed a problem. It wasn''t their fault though, Rosan had made sure they wouldn''t be using them and went after them as quickly as possible. They should have known there would be a massive target on their back though.


    Seriously, did anyone know how to fight these days?


    "Not everyone is a battle maniac like you are Rosan," Mod informed him.


    "Maniac? You''re exaggerating," Rosan dismissed.


    "After this, I''ll be happy to give you proof," she offered.


    "Nope, don''t need it," Rosan replied.


    "I wonder why¡­" she hummed knowingly.


    Rosan didn''t deign to give her an answer. "Akemi, you can come out now. Though I suggest you close your eyes¡­ and cover your nose. Your sister should be on the way soon," he called to the hiding girl.


    Akemi slowly crawled from under the bed with her eyes closed and her nose covered. It didn''t fully block the effects of the smell and she flinched at the overwhelming stench of blood. She closed her eyes tighter, fearful at the sight she would see if she did open them.


    Rosan simply walked up to her and guided her to the door. "You can open your eyes now. Make you''re way to the entrance of the castle and wait for Aiko to show up. I will be behind you," he told the trembling adult.


    She nodded and slowly but surely made her way to the castle. Rosan noticed that she was limping. Before she could make it far, Rosan grabbed her and modified her body so as to wash the pain away. She flinched before relaxing as his touch made her feel better. "Thank you so much," she whispered gratefully and Rosan merely nodded before releasing her.


    "How considerate of you, Rosan," Mod cooed with a smile.


    "I only did that to invoke loyalty," Rosan argued.


    "That''s true... but I still felt a spike of sympathy from you," Mod said softly.


    "I really can''t stand rapists, that''s all. I know how it feels, when someone touches you without your permission," he frowned.


    "Oh Rosan how I wish I could have helped you more," The purple haired woman sighed forlornly.


    "Don''t think about that Mod-chan, what matters is that we''re fine now," Rosan sent her a warm pulse as he made his way to Arata.


    "You''re right Rosan and from now on we won''t be separated again," she sent a pulse of adoration back to him.


    "I''d rather die then be separated from you again," Rosan affirmed with a gentle smile on his soft features.


    Rosan smiled before it morphed into a neutral expression as he regarded Arata. He roughly removed both knives from the near coma induced man and was satisfied to hear him groaning in pain. He fell to the floor in a pitiful heap and as he tried to move, Rosan slammed a foot against his head.


    "Don''t move," he commanded, grinding his foot for good measure. The man fearfully obeyed and Rosan moved his leg from his skull. He silently modified the mans weight to make him easier to move and cruelly dragged him through all the corpse''s of his companions. Arata couldn''t help retching, as he was covered in the blood of his allies and the man nearly fainted at making contact with their disfigured bodies.


    W-what h-had he done t-to provoke this monster?


    It didn''t take long for Rosan to make his way outside. He was greeted by the sight of Aiko and Akemi having a tearful reunion. The sisters were hugging each other desperately as Aiko whispered "It''s gonna be okay now," to the sobbing woman.


    Rosan dumped Arata''s body in front of the two and handed Aiko a bloody knife. "Here. Under the deal we made, I have given you one very incapacitated Arata. Feel free to do whatever you want to him. He should be particularly sensitive right now," courtesy of him but they didn''t need to know that.


    The look in Aiko''s eyes promised nothing good for the man and Arata finally realized his situation and the reason the stranger had left him alive. He tried to plead for his life but Rosan was already walking away from the 3. Aiko regarded him curiously, with much more trepidation in her gaze then before.


    Oh right he did show her everything.


    Good. Loyal she may be, humans were a naturally curious bunch. With this display, the inkling in the back of her head asking "Just what will he do to me if I do decide to betray him?" would be answered and she would have no room for such doubts.


    He had told his clones not to fear him, because he was concerned about how it would affect their efficiency. To be a proper ruler however, one should garner a small amount of fear from their subjects.


    Fear and respect were the most ideal emotions to rule. Respect bred loyalty and loyalty ensured there would be no rebellion.


    Fear made sure the small part of doubt in that loyalty, was ruthlessly stamped out. Not too much to overshadow the respect but enough to always serve as a warning.


    Rosan was sure he had made his point clear with this display.


    "Where are you going Reaper?" she asked him as she had taken notice of the fact that he had begun walking and spreading out his wings.


    Rosan, without stopping, responded "To my ship. We will meet again tomorrow to discuss more about our terms. For now, you may teach that rapist a lesson and spend time with your sister," he saw the gleam of rage in her eyes as he reminded her of what Arata did and nodded in satisfaction.


    With that, he flapped once experimentally and flew off.


    "He''s scary," Akemi whispered to her older sister and they watched his quickly retreating form.


    Aiko couldn''t help but nod "Well get used to him. We''re probably going to be seeing him a lot more." At her confused gaze she said "I''ll tell you about it later."


    "For now though¡­" Aiko bared her fangs, as she looked at Arata. "I got a lesson to teach our friend here."


    Arata could only let out a terrified whimper.

 Reaper, The Angel of Death II

    A cross-dressing Demon had been the last thing he expected to see when landing on his ship yet, here it was in all of its glory.


    Demon was currently blushing in embarrassment as the wide eyed male clone, looked into Rosan''s blank expression. The boys hoodie was down, so he was forced to watch as his Master slowly but surely, raised a brow.


    He got the sense that the heterochromia didn''t even want to question it.


    Demon was currently donned in a simple black and red dress that looked a bit large on him with nothing on his bare feet. His hair, that he preferred to keep free, was tied into a ponytail. Upon closer inspection, Rosan realized he wasn''t just completely embarrassed (though he was) but there was a makeup on his face.


    That would explain why his blush was so deep.


    Or maybe he really was that embarrassed.


    "Why didn''t you tell me you were also a girl Demon?" Rosan asked, curiously raising a delicate brow. He saw no reason for Demon to hide it from him. Had he not been more then fair enough to Angel? Sure, having two clones of himself identify as female was a bit concerning but Rosan truly did not care about that.


    "Don''t worry Rosan, you''re a boy," Mod reassured her partner.


    "You make that sound like an insult," he pointed out.


    "Insecure," she sniffed.


    "I am the least insecure person you know."


    "I know like 3 people, Rosan."


    "...Touche."


    Rosan focused his attention onto Demon once more before saying "One moment. I will swap you as well¡ª"


    "T-that really won''t be necessary Master," Demon interrupted. "I''m still a boy it''s just¡­ some people are very talented at not giving you any say in the matter."


    Rosan''s eyes widened, before they became understanding. "Ah, Meiko got her hands on you," was all he said and the clone nodded sheepishly.


    "My condolences though, if it makes you feel better, they made you look quite good," he complimented.


    "That does not make me feel better Master," Demon blushed worse and began fidgeting in place.


    Well, he tried.


    "Rosan, why don''t you let me dress you up like this," Mod whined into his ear and Rosan scowled.


    "Absolutely not. Even if I did allow you to, your fashion sense leaves much to the imagination," he shut it down immediately.


    "Hmph," Rosan got the sense she was crossing her arms "You didn''t seem to have a problem with Sachie dressing you up. In fact it seems like you managed to pick up her fashion sense too. Just tell me that you prefer her style over mine." She scowled.


    "¡­" was this woman seriously going to use Sachie to win every single argument?


    "You can only do it in the mindscape, I refuse to wear it outside unless it''s my current, male, gender."


    Mod-chan cheered and victory and he was sure she''d have kissed him on the cheek if he was there. "I have so much ideas tonight! I wonder if Meiko can give me some tips¡­ wait we can bring her too!"


    "I didn''t agree to that," Rosan said bluntly but he got ignored. Sighing in defeat, Rosan let Mod-chan do whatever she was doing.


    Seems he had found another person good at not giving you a say in the matter.


    "Rosan, you''re back!"


    Ah. There goes his other headache inducing companion.


    Meiko waved and gave him a hug which he returned. He had been getting much better at that, it helped that every time they entered his mindscape Meiko would hug him as much as Mod-chan would.


    "Hello Master," Angel bowed to him and he greeted her back with a small wave. His female clone was looking at Demon and Rosan and the doubt on her face as she realized what she did nearly made him laugh.


    Seems it dawned on her that Demon had his face because the poor girl looked like she was about to faint on the spot.


    "So¡­ what do ya think?" Meiko asked excitedly not realizing Angels internal crisis. Demon was shaking the girl in worry but she seemed unresponsive to it all.


    Rosan couldn''t resist the small snort he let out.


    "Besides the fact that you''re torturing Demon¡ª," Rosan began and she smiled without a hint of shame "¡ªIt looks good. You will not be doing this to me though." He was satisfied to see her immediately deflate.


    Angel snapped out of her trance as she heard Rosan''s compliment and asked "Does it really?!" before covering her mouth. She shot Rosan an apologetic look but he waved her off.


    "Well he looks just like you Angel, and you also look nice," Rosan finished. She blushed scarlet and thanked him profusely before excusing herself and running away in embarrassment. Rosan snorted in amusement.


    He had to admit, his clones having emotions made the days far more entertaining.


    "Complimenting a clone of yourself? Your ego is massive," Mod poked fun at him with a cheeky grin.


    "Didn''t you base your appearance on me, Mod-chan?" Rosan pointed out, smiling in equal fervor. "This is your fault. Your very existence is an ego booster," he finished triumphantly.


    "That''s¡­fair," she conceded thoughtfully and Rosan laughed in victory.


    "So what did you do today Rosan?" Meiko asked excitedly, practically bouncing in her spot. Angel and her had messing with Demon but, a small part of her had been worried about Rosan''s safety.


    She knew he was strong enough to fend for himself but still!


    Rosan, feeling her worry, nodded in appreciation. "I didn''t do anything of much importance. I freed that island from a weak tyrant and now they are going to give me a steady income every 2 weeks. Tomorrow, I''m going back down to finalize the details, then we can leave," Rosan replied, voice full of boredom.


    Huh?


    "Wait¡­ what?" Meiko asked dumbly. That didn''t sound like it was of no importance¡­ that... sounded like it was really important?! She voiced her incredulity to him and he shrugged and said "They were weak so I didn''t really get much out of it. Though I guess I did get something useful out of it."


    Meiko nodded with a serene expression on her face. It all made sense now.


    Rosan was insane. Absolutely insane. Mod-chan really had been telling the truth with all those stories.


    Palming her head in exasperation, Meiko asked "Can you tell me the full details while I start on dinner please?"


    Rosan nodded with a confused expression on his youthful face.


    Was it something he did?


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    As Meiko prepared dinner, Rosan was sat on the counter near her, telling the blonde everything he had done on the island. Demon and Angel were nearby to also hear about his adventure.


    Meiko had paused multiple times in his tale, to regard the boy in disbelief.


    He had taken out over 20 people by himself?! Rosan was a machine! He merely shrugged and said it was nothing he couldn''t handle because they were weak.


    A 9 year old should not be saying that with such confidence!


    Meiko on her part, was torn between being proud that Rosan had freed them from Arata''s wrath, or being upset that he put himself in potential danger. She went pale as a sheet, as Rosan mentioned the fact that some of them had guns. She wanted to smack him for being so reckless but the thought of putting her hands on someone, especially Rosan, horrified her.


    "A gun is not enough to put me down Meiko," Rosan assured her. "I''m made of tough stuff and I''ve modified my cloak to be pretty durable." Tugging his cloak as emphasis, Rosan sent her a small smile and it helped calm her down.


    Meiko could never stay mad at Rosan for long. He was earnest in a way that made you realize, there was no point being upset with him. Being mad at the redhead would be for naught because this was just how he was and he wouldn''t change for anybody.


    The blonde also had a hard time staying mad at people in general. She was too nice for her own good and Rosan said that she could be taken advantage of as a result of her kindness.


    There was also the crush she had on him but that didn''t play a big part.


    Yep. It definitely didn''t.


    Rosan was opening up more and more to her and it made her happier then she could imagine! The first few weeks they had traveled together the boy was reserved, barely showing her a thing, and since his outburst, he had tried his hardest to mask his emotions from her. Outwardly it was successful but through their connection she could tell how he really felt.


    Still... she was convinced even Angel and Demon had shown more personality then he had!


    He had improved in spades since they began getting closer! She was successfully breaking down his barriers, with the help of Mod-chan, and she could see shades of the old Rosan the Devil Fruit described in the boy now!


    His trip on this island was proof of that!


    Perhaps he''d never reach his original state but she wanted him to at least be happy.


    Rosan and Mod-chan also noticed his gradual shift in personality. Rosan was a bit hesitant, his emotions had caused him much harm, but he realized it was futile to resist Meiko''s charm and he didn''t feel like going through the trouble of willingly stifling his emotions.


    As such, he just naturally let whatever was happening happen. It''s what Mod-chan wanted anyways so he didn''t have much of a problem with it.


    Mod-chan for her part, loved Meiko all the more for it. She didn''t think anyone would be able to make a breakthrough for Rosan in a very long time (not until he met Robin at least) but she was proven very wrong. This girl was so pure and she understood Rosan in a way, that it honestly scared her. She didn''t think anyone would be able to get through to Rosan as easily as the blonde did, not even his mother!


    How Rosan kept finding such amazing people, she didn''t know but she attributed it to his magnetic personality. Whatever the case, she was glad Meiko and Rosan had met.


    "Rosan," Meiko called getting his attention "You said they are giving you 15% of their total earnings every week right?" He nodded in confirmation.


    "I will allow them time to recuperate before I start collecting but yes. Like this we won''t have to worry about running out of beri. I will be bounty hunting as well so funds should not be an issue," he told her.


    She nodded then asked "Do you plan on staying in the North Blue?" Rosan shook his head, so she followed up with "How exactly do you plan on collecting the beri then?"


    She got the urge that Rosan knew she was going to ask that if the way he puffed up was an indication. "I have a technique for that, it''s similar to what I did with the bag I gave you but on a larger scale," the boy explained, practically preening at the look of awe Meiko shot him.


    "Does it have a range limit?" she asked.


    "Nope, but at the moment I can only have a set amount placed at a time. This island will be one of the locations, the White Rose will be another and one will be on you," he told her.


    Blinking owlishly, she pointed at herself and said "Me?"


    Rosan nodded in confirmation. "Yes my limit right now is 3 and the first was always intended to be for you. This way, if you are ever in danger I will be able to keep you safe," he finished seriously locking his dual eyes onto her own.


    Meiko''s face turned an interesting shade of red as her pupilless blue eyes widened to epic proportions. Rosan raised his brow, as the blonde began stuttering nonstop and she covered her face in embarrassment.


    She looked very much like her mother with that blush on her face.


    Rosan couldn''t identify any lust from the blonde though, so it just left him confused.


    "Rosan isn''t Meiko just the cutest thing ever?" Mod gushed and Rosan''s confusion amplified.


    "Did I do something?" Rosan asked his partner.


    "You know, it''s incredible how clueless you can be Rosan. You''re able to notice obscure details so easily. Yet the moment it''s right in your face, you can''t see it," Mod cooed, much to his outrage.


    "What exactly can''t I see? Why is she so flustered from what I said?"


    "Never change Rosan. Never change," The Devil Fruit let out a fond sigh. It was times like this, where Rosan really was a 9 year old boy.


    An insane, murderous, 9 year old boy but still a 9 year old boy.


    "...What?"


    On Meiko''s half, she felt her face heat up as her chest pounded harshly. The thought of Rosan made her feel dizzy and she felt her blush deepen as she stared at his face.


    His very adorable face.


    As she soaked in his appearance, Meiko came to the startling realization that Rosan was no doubt going to attract a lot of suggestive glances when he grew older. Soft spiky locks, that were a unique shade of red, framed his tan face. He had let them down and the wild hair flowed past his shoulder.


    He had let them down at her suggestion. They weren''t in a bun like he was used to. He listened to what she had to say and the thought made her lightheaded.


    No one liked to listen to her. No one...except for him. It had been like this ever since Daybreak. He was the only one that gave her his undivided attention.


    She felt herself getting lost in those bright, mesmerizing eyes.


    Royal purple, formerly devoid of feeling, shone brightly with emotion in one eye.


    Crimson red, so full of rage, stared at her without any of it. There was only a tender sort of care. Care for her well-being¡ª


    Oh.


    Meiko didn''t think this was a simple crush anymore.


    This was unexpected... She needed to find a way to talk to Mod-chan about this¡­ but could she do that without Rosan knowing? He''d probably let her if she just asked, but he''d be suspicious. She would probably do it anyways, Rosan knew she had a crush on him, but the boy didn''t seem to know the full scope of it.


    The wise Devil Fruit might know the best way to approach this.


    She had thought that maybe this crush would go away over time but, if anything, it only got stronger. The more time she spent with him, the more apparent the feeling got.


    Meiko had fallen for Rosan. Hard.


    What was she going to do about this?


    Looking at the source of her affections, she held her head at the confused look he sent her way.


    This was going to be harder then she thought.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "I''m coming with you," Meiko declared, not even thinking about taking no for an answer.


    Rosan didn''t have his hoodie up so she saw him raise a neat red brow at her. She idly wondered if Rosan had a self care routine, his hair, despite how wild it was, always looked so well done.


    It made her kinda envious.


    "Okay," was all he said causing her to look at him in surprise. She had expected him to argue against her decision and she voiced as much.


    "When have I ever denied a request from you?" the redhead questioned and the blonde opened her mouth to answer, before shutting it.


    He¡­had a point. She didn''t realize but Rosan rarely disagreed with her. Actually, he avoided pointless arguments so, as long as it didn''t affect him too bad, he would agree with most requests.


    "It''s just I thought you''d be more protective of me and say no," she admitted truthfully, tugging one of her twintails.


    "It''s true. Your safety is currently my number one priority," he said and she flushed at his honesty. The redhead really didn''t seem to understand the effect his words had on her as her cheeks became hot. "But, you will have the most protection by my side anyways. If I thought anything on this island could get through me, I wouldn''t let you go and I wouldn''t go myself."


    Meiko smiled at how straightforward he was.


    Some might call Rosan arrogant but she knew better! The redhead wasn''t arrogant at all, he was just confident in his abilities and he acted accordingly. He didn''t make baseless claims and that''s why he didn''t let her join him yesterday. It was because he wanted to gauge the power for himself!


    Without knowing what he was capable of, it would be easy to confuse the two.


    "Are you afraid of flying?" Rosan asked her. She shook her head no and let out a surprised squeak as Rosan suddenly scooped her into a bridal carry. She instinctively wrapped her hands around his neck and blushed deeply as she realized their proximity.


    Rosan snorted at her reaction and said "You always have a blush on your face, it reminds me of Sachie," and her blush deepened, as she pouted.


    "What a surprise, a daughter acts like her mother," she said sarcastically and Rosan let out a small chuckle at her bite.


    "You two are remarkably similar though, you''re not as big of a pervert as she is. I could be wrong though," Rosan teased and she blew a raspberry at the boy.


    His only response was to laugh at her misfortune.


    "You''re a jerk, Rosan," she grumbled and he gave her a completely insincere apology that made her roll her eyes.


    "Try not to call me Rosan when we land," was all he said, before he spread his obsidian wings and took off without warning.


    Meiko couldn''t up let out a scream of surprise as her body was suddenly elevated at a rapid rate. The blonde was clutching onto Rosan for dear life and she let out a squeak at how far away the ocean was.


    "P-please w-warn me next time," she begged the boy and the two momentarily remained stationary in the air.


    "Don''t worry Meiko, you can trust me. I won''t drop you, I''m strong," Rosan promised. She simply hugged him harder and he gave her a reassuring squeeze in response.


    Eventually, she settled down and gave Rosan a shaky nod, indicating that she was ready. "You may want to hold on to your hat," he recommended and with that, Rosan spread his dark wings and took off.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Flying was the most incredible feeling ever, Meiko decided.


    Once she got over her fears, she let out a shout of joy in Rosan''s arms. The height was not so scary when she didn''t look down and the feeling of the cool wind on her, madly grinning, face felt amazing!


    She felt so safe in Rosan''s arm! The 11 year old knew he wouldn''t drop her so it allowed her to let go of her fears and embrace her excitement.


    Rosan couldn''t resist the smile that made its way to his face at the look on Meiko''s face. The girl looked like she was having the time of her life, as she held one hand on her sunhat.


    He was glad she was enjoying this, flying was probably his favorite thing to do and to see that she shared his love for it, satisfied him.


    "I wonder why~," Mod cooed.


    "You sure have become talkative Mod-chan," Rosan couldn''t resist pointing this out.


    "I can''t help it. Since you''re too cool to speak now, I have to pick up the slack," was her snarky response.


    "Who made you this sassy?" Rosan wondered.


    "You." All playfulness disappeared, as Mod-chan spoke in the most deadpan voice yet and Rosan sweatdropped at the drastic shift in tone.


    She really meant that huh?


    "You¡­may have a point," he conceded.


    "Of course I do," she harrumphed and Rosan just knew she was crossing her arms.


    They weren''t far from the island so they made it there far sooner then Meiko would have liked. Rosan clutched her tighter, as he suddenly angled himself downward and began descending. The land mass got closer and closer and Meiko noted that he was flying directly towards a large castle.


    Rosan reached the floor with barely a sound and as he softly landed on the floor, he put Meiko down and furled up his wings.


    Meiko was reluctant to let him go, but she eventually unwrapped her arms from his shoulder. "Please tell me we can do that again?" she pleaded with puppy dog eyes and Rosan almost melted at the adorable sight. He gained control of himself quickly and just nodded.


    "Seems like someone else is good at using how cute they are," Mod accused and Rosan groaned.


    How was it his fault that he knew how to abuse his looks? Use every advantage you had.


    "Of course Meiko. We can go flying again whenever you want," she hugged him in glee and the redhead returned it.


    A whistle interrupted them and Meiko jumped before hastily removing herself from him, red faced. Rosan simply turned towards the source of the noise and was met with Aiko and Akemi both staring at the two with an impressed and wide eyed gaze respectfully.


    "S-sorry for interrupting Reaper-sama," Akemi bowed nervously.


    "Didn''t think you had emotions honestly," Aiko shrugged before looking at Meiko. "Getting yourself such a cutie? I''m seriously impressed," she finished, causing the blonde to blush in embarrassment.


    "Aiko. Akemi I trust you had a good night," Rosan nodded towards the sisters and he was satisfied to see the amount of respect they had for him.


    "It was incredible! I hadn''t seen my sister in over a year, so we have a lot of catching up to do," Aiko naturally took the lead. Bowing lowly, she told him in a serious voice "You have my eternal gratitude for saving this island and my sister. Whatever you want Reaper, I''ll do my best to help you."


    "I will keep that in mind, Aiko," Rosan said, easily slipping into his Reaper persona. "For now, we will stick with our current deal, I do not desire to take advantage of you all."


    Her respect for him only grew and she bowed deeper. "I have a few concerns that I''d like answered though," she began, leading them back to the castle and she shot a curious look at the blonde "Who is she?"


    "A friend," was his clipped response and she reluctantly dropped it.


    "N-nice to meet you both," Meiko waved at her. Aiko and Akemi smiled at her and waved back.


    She was a polite one!


    "How did a sweet girl like you, end up with an asshole like them," Aiko asked pointing a finger at Reaper. The Shinigami ignored them all, as he kept walking and she stuck her tongue out at him, which he also ignored. The older sister grumbled to herself.


    Jerk.


    "He kidnapped me," Meiko responded truthfully and that gave the sisters pause. They looked at her with wide eyes at what she just said and she stared back in confusion.


    "S-sorry but," Akemi stuttered. "D-did you say he kidnapped you?"


    "Mhm!" Meiko nodded, seemingly not bothered in the slightest.


    They opened and closed their mouths, no doubt wanting to ask dozens of questions, but Reaper simply said "Don''t bother," and that was the end of the conversation.


    The rest of the walk continued in silence and Aiko shot Reaper a wary look. Kidnapping this wealthy looking girl, freeing an island from a tyrant, brutally murdering said tyrants subordinates...


    Just who was he?


    "Reaper are you a revolutionary?" She asked curiously.


    "No," was his response and she scowled at his short answers. He wasn''t revealing anything about himself and it was grating on her nerves. The asshole could at least afford to elaborate!


    They arrived to the castle (which Aiko and some other islanders had a blast cleaning up. She was sure some of them were still throwing up at what they saw.) and made their way to the office. Meiko glanced around in awe at the size of the castle and the various artifacts on the wall.


    It practically screamed wealthy! If the rest of the island was like this¡­ then she now knew why Rosan wanted money from them.


    "Reaper, I''m sure you don''t plan on staying here so¡­ how exactly do you plan on collecting the beri every 2 weeks?" Aiko asked curiously. Meiko also wondered what exactly this technique was, Rosan had said he''d rather test it on something that was not on her, to avoid any potential risk.


    "I have my ways," he said cryptically, not sparing them a glance. "You don''t need to worry, I''ve got it all covered."


    Aiko looked a bit unsure but she just shrugged and nodded. If he said he had it handled, who was she to doubt him?


    "You are going to be moving into this castle," Rosan announced suddenly, causing her eyes to bug out in shock.


    Maybe now she could start doubting him.


    "W-what? Why?" Aiko asked in disbelief. Reaper stared at her and she got the sense, that he was raising a brow at her stupid question. She blushed a bit and glared at him.


    "Convenience for the both of us," he said simply. "Someone needs to be here to give me the beri and I''d rather not be kept waiting. You are the only one I trust to not mess up and you are the leader of the island anyways so this castle is yours," he finished matter-of-factly and Aiko spluttered in surprise.


    "Wait wait wait, since when am I the leader of Fregate? The others didn''t agree to this!" she tried protesting and Rosan internally snorted.


    Was she serious?


    "Since I decided. This is not up for debate. You are the delegate I chose for the island and if the others have any protests, they won''t say anything regardless, cowardly bunch that they are."


    She found herself nodding in agreement and realized that he was right. The others couldn''t even step up when Reaper had asked for a representative so how could they be trusted to make sure things on the island were running smoothly.


    She didn''t have to like it though.


    "Relax Aiko, you just have to be here on schedule every 2 weeks. You were already planning on getting this island back on its feet so I would assume I''m not adding any unnecessary work," Reaper said and she nodded reluctantly.


    She could do that, someone would need to do that anyways. She doubted the rest of her people had the leadership qualities so she''d need to be at the forefront.


    "Now," Reaper claimed as they arrived to the office "You two stand out here for a moment," he directed towards Aiko and Akemi, who both nodded with some curiosity at his demand. What was he planning on doing?


    Rosan made his way, Meiko in tow, into the room and gently shut the door behind him. After a moment of deliberation, he walked towards the wall closest to the office desk and looked for the spot with the most space. He moved a painting out of the way to give himself more room and threw it somewhere.


    Looking at the now more spacious zone, Rosan nodded to himself.


    This would do just fine.


    Meiko watched all this transpire, with anticipation on her features. What was her crush about to do?


    Rosan closed his eyes and focused hard. What he was about to do¡­ it had taken a lot of brainstorming but he had finally figured it out.


    The redhead had only thought of this due to having a mindscape and due to the bags he had given to Demon and Meiko respectively. The same bags that were somehow linked to a room in his ship.


    He hadn''t thought about it at the time¡­ but the more he did, the more he realized the massive implications of just what he had done.


    How had he been able to connect that bag to his ship? He had connected the two with a thought and an application of Modification, but the more he delved into it, the more potential he saw in the technique.


    The conclusion he came to, had the boy grinning wildly.


    Manipulation of space.


    The redhead had been modifying space and it had slipped right under his nose this whole time. Even with other techniques, Rosan always manipulated space to achieve his modifications.


    With that realization, Rosan had been hard at work to crack it.


    There was a medium between the bag and his ship that allowed them to link. Rosan wanted to find that medium and make it his own. It was a secret project that he had been working on in the mindscape and thank god for that, because Rosan didn''t want to accidentally (he would not risk it) cause the end of the world by ripping an accidental tear into space.


    His research, had given birth to the discovery of a Pocket Dimension.


    A Pocket Dimension!


    Rosan actually had access to a Pocket Dimension and had expanded it to levels that would be suitable for his needs.


    "The ability to find a Pocket Dimension and turn it into your own¡­ I don''t think I would have never thought of that," Mod remarked and she was smiling fondly at her charge. "You''re incredible, Rosan."


    Rosan puffed up at the compliment. It had taken a lot, he had been practicing it nonstop in his mindscape, even sacrificing sleep, but the results were more than worth it.


    The Pocket Dimension was not exclusively his though. In theory, the small space had always been there and, with the right Devil Fruit, someone could access it but as far as Rosan knew, he was the only one who could fully utilize it.


    Anyone else that could access it, even partially, would have to be killed. It was too much of a risk, even if they couldn''t utilize it to the same degree he could. Imagine if word got out that the pocket dimension was real and the wielder of the Mod Mod no mi, a fruit already coveted by the World Government, was the only one who could access it.


    Rosan was sure all 3 Admirals would converge upon him, given the chance.


    Confident in his abilities he may be, Rosan was not foolish enough to think he could take out 1 admiral. 3 would be overkill.


    His access to the Pocket Dimension was why Rosan didn''t need to stay on this island. Concentrating a considerable amount of power, Rosan''s voice rang through the room.


    "Modification: Save Point."


    A nearly invisible door formed on the wall that he had just cleared up. It flashed momentarily, alerting Meiko before completely vanishing. None could see it, but Rosan knew it was there.


    Save Point was a technique that connected a source of Rosan''s choosing to the pocket dimension. Like this, Rosan would be able to enter the confusing dimension from his ship, locate the door that led to Fregate and collect his beri all in a matter of moments. To others it would look like he was teleporting and in a way they were right.


    It was an incredible technique and it had been hiding under his nose this whole time.


    Rosan wanted to actually turn himself into a save point so he could enter at any location, but that was proving to be difficult. It seemed turning a person''s body into a source for another dimension wasn''t easy. If it failed, then he''d just have to find a medium like what he planned for Meiko.


    Rosan explained this to Meiko and she widened her eyes in disbelief. "Rosan that''s i-incredible!" She exclaimed, not quite believing her ears. The girl was in a bit of a daze at his explanation and she was having trouble fully processing it.


    Manipulation of space? Something like that was possible? It sounded as amazing as it did dangerous to the blonde girl.


    "Mod-chan is capable of doing some really scary things. Your Devil Fruit is so strong," she told him and she felt how proud he was.


    Rosan was about to say something before he stopped and just put a hand on Meiko. She got a little dizzy as Rosan said "Link," before it quickly faded. She blinked for a couple of seconds wondering just what he did.


    "Don''t mind him, Meiko," a familiar voice made the blonde jump 10ft in the air with a startled yelp. "Rosan is a show off and he wants to prove to you just how amazing I am," Mod finished, sighing in exasperation.


    Meiko whirled around to look for Mod-chan. She sounded like she was right by her but it felt a bit¡­ closer. Wait, was Mod-chan in her head?


    "Yes I am!" she heard clapping, as Mod-chan confirmed her suspicions. "Rosan linked the two of you without dragging you into his mindscape so this way, you can talk to me and to him," Mod explained to her.


    "What can''t you guys do," Meiko asked in slight fear.


    "Swim/Swim", They said simultaneously and she sweatdropped.


    "It seems to be a success but I''d like to have a bit more control over it before I use it on you. I need to ensure that it''s 100% safe...," Rosan informed her.


    "In the meantime, find a medium that you would like me to use," He finished and she beamed in appreciation. Rosan was so considerate and she cherished that feeling it gave her.


    "Okay, I''ll find something!" Meiko smiled and Rosan nodded.


    He called in the sisters and as they walked in, they looked around and noticed nothing out of the ordinary. They might have noticed the painting was moved, but they didn''t habit this room enough to know.


    "This is where we''ll meet," Rosan told them getting a grunt out of Aiko and a shaky nod from Akemi.


    "Um Reaper-sama," Akemi called and flinched as Rosan faced her.


    Meiko idly wondered why they were calling him Reaper.


    "Identity reasons," Rosan''s voice chimed in her head. "I''d like to keep my identity a secret. Having this Reaper alias, allows me to do what I please and if things go wrong, I can just go back to being Rosan," he told her and she nodded at his logic.


    Giving himself a free way to live his life normally, if Reaper did something dangerous, was smart. She now understood why he asked her if she wanted a disguise. The sunhat did a good enough job hiding her face and so did the sunglasses with her eyes but she refused to change her appearance.


    Her appearance was unique to her and she refused to change it. It''s what made her special and changing that would be changing who she was.


    Rosan respected her decision and at her explanation, the boy had even told her that he would limit how much he changed his personal appearance due to what she told him!


    The idea that she was actually changing the boys perspective on things, left her beaming in joy. Despite how stubborn Rosan could be, he always kept an open mind and was willing to change if he needed.


    It was one of the things she liked most about him.


    "What is it Akemi?" Rosan snapped Meiko out her musings, as he looked at the nervous woman.


    The woman looked like an absolute mess and Meiko felt strangely sympathetic with her. She wilted a bit under his gaze and avoided eye contact.


    That confused Rosan.


    "You are the one who called me, yet you won''t even look at me?" he asked making her flinch. She trembled a bit at his words and the woman looked like she was very close to breaking down.


    "You could stand to be a little less intimidating, Rosan," Meiko suggested.


    "I agree, you can be quite scary," Mod chimed in.


    "But¡­she called me? I''m not understanding how I could possibly be in the wrong." She wanted to laugh at how genuinely confused Rosan sounded.


    He was too cute sometimes.


    "Boys," Meiko sighed in disappointment.


    "Boys," Mod agreed.


    "This was a mistake," Rosan''s voice came out flat and they both laughed at his misfortune.


    Aiko shot him a glare and said "Could you be a bit more gentle, Reaper. You know what she went through," and Rosan fixed his gaze on her.


    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    He tilted his head at the older sister and asked "I''m aware. But then, why would she call my attention in the first place?"


    "What happened to her?" Meiko asked curiously.


    "She was raped and held as a prisoner for over a year," Rosan explained her situation and Meiko looked horrified.


    Who would put someone through that?! Being r-raped and held prisoner? The blonde wanted to throw up at the thought and Rosan sent her a soothing pulse which calmed her down. Meiko tried hard not to let sympathy show on her face.


    She failed miserably.


    "She''s trying her best right now! Don''t be such a dick, Reaper," she snarled and Akemi frantically tried to calm her down. "It''s bad enough that she had to be in that hellhole for a year, you slaughtering every single person while she was in the room didn''t make her situation better," the woman was baring her teeth at Rosan now.


    Akemi truly feared for her sisters life right then and there.


    "Oh I''m sorry, did you want me to tell the goons to wait one moment while I deliver your darling sister to you?" Rosan asked sarcastically, taking a step forward. "Thanks, but no thanks. I''m not someone who likes to waste time and searching the island, for the remnants, would be far more trouble then gathering them in one location."


    "Rosan did you really kill those people with her in the room?" Meiko asked Rosan, with a disappointed tone.


    "I fail to see the issue. I told her to hide under the bed then to close her eyes. Whatever she saw is on her," Rosan said rigidly and Mod-chan readily agreed with him.


    "Rosan is no ones babysitter," Mod said, rather coldly and it caught her off guard. "Akemi is an adult who didn''t take much of his advice and she suffered the price for it."


    Meiko flinched at their callous replies. It was a stark reminder, that the boy and his Devil Fruit were not saints. Everything the two did, was for themselves and the people they cared for. This whole island could perish and she doubted either of them would bat an eye.


    It was quite a terrifying thought how little care the 9 year old had for the lives of others. Why did her parents have to¡­


    Her breath hitched and she forcefully disregarded those thoughts. It would do no good if she broke down here in front of everyone. She didn''t want to cause any trouble for Rosan.


    Aiko held her ground but was pulled back by a visibly terrified Akemi. She knew what Reaper was capable of and if Aiko made him upset¡­ she really was going to be an only child!


    Bowing deeply, the younger sister hastily stuttered out an apology. "I-I''m sorry Reaper-sama f-for Aiko¡­ she''s r-really hotheaded a-and c-combined with her p-protective streak, it makes her say dumb things often."


    "Do not apologize for the attitude of someone else," Reaper said in a stony tone and she immediately stopped talking. She began fearing for the worst and Aiko seemed to realize that she might have aggravated the wrong person, if the way her expression shifted indicated anything.


    She hated her sisters mouth sometimes.


    "Akemi," Reaper said grabbing her attention. "It''s alright to be afraid."


    Aiko''s eyes widened in surprise at his words.


    Was he...?


    "What you went through¡­ no one should ever have to go through that," he began, causing her lip to wobble.


    "It''s okay to feel fear. Fear is a driving force. But, do not allow that fear to drag you down. Don''t let that fear control you," Reaper let out a small breath as he spoke.


    "The people who hurt you, they''re gone now. I made sure of it." Her lip quivered as his words struck into her.


    "Do not let your memories of them defeat you because they can''t get to you anymore. That fear¡­ it''s healthy. It will ensure you never want to feel like that again. What''s not healthy, is allowing that fear to determine how you live. You must control your fear, not the other way around. No matter what, you must never stop fighting," the masked man concluded, backing away from the woman, who regarded him in pure shock.


    Akemi felt as if a weight was lifted off her shoulders.


    The full scope of the situation had hit her all at once. They couldn''t hurt her anymore. All those months of misery, gone in a blink of an eye. Her tormentors were gone and it was all because of the black clad figure in front of her.


    The Angel who had saved this island.


    Her savior.


    Akemi tried to bite back her tears.


    She failed miserably.


    Something grabbed her and once she identified it as Aiko, all the floodgates released. Clutching the hem of her older sisters white shirt, Akemi shook as sobs wracked her body. She felt so relieved. It was like she had finally woken from a never ending nightmare and it was overwhelming.


    The girl could do nothing but cry and her older sister knew just how to deal with that.


    "Shh, everything''s gonna be okay Sis. I''m here for you." Aiko, who''s anger had dissolved, shot Reaper the most grateful look she could muster. She had no clue how she was going to even start talking to Akemi about her trauma. The cloaked figure had managed to assuage both of their fears in one speech and she was eternally grateful for that.


    Reaper may have been an ass, but at least he cared a little.


    "It''s good to know that you still have an aptitude for speeches," Mod smiled at Rosan and the boy snorted in amusement.


    "He does this often?" Meiko asked looking at Rosan in shock.


    "Mhm," she nodded. "Rosan could turn even the most rebellious folks loyal to him, if he wanted too!"


    "Wow, Rosan," Meiko awed, before asking "Why don''t you become like a Pirate Captain or a Marine. You have so much charisma!"


    Rosan let out an uncharacteristic snarl and it made her jump in surprise. "I have no interest in becoming a pirate and I''d rather die then become a Marine," he growled and she flinched at his tone.


    Meiko wondered just what happened for Rosan to harbor such resentment towards both. She had wanted to be a Marine, so it kind of stung that there was a possibility her and Rosan could have been enemies.


    The blonde shivered to herself.


    She didn''t like her odds against the 9 year old.


    "What did the Marines do to you, Rosan?"


    The redhead simply said "I''ll explain it to you one of these days," and left it at that.


    Mod-chan sighed fondly, much to his annoyance. "Such trust already? Meiko, you sure are doing a number on him," she teased them both.


    Meiko turned scarlet. There was no way Mod-chan knew right?


    There was no way!


    "Rosan, out of curiosity, how do you think someone with a mix of blond and red hair would look?" Mod asked curiously. The lady sounded down right devious.


    Oh Kami, she knew.


    Meiko felt lightheaded at the blatant question Mod-chan asked.


    "Blond like Meiko''s?" Rosan asked in return and Meiko felt like she was going to combust on the spot. "I think blond with red streaks and vice versa would look good. A 50% combination of both, would be questionable but it could work," Rosan finished.


    "Hmm and what about you Meiko? How do you think a child with those colors would look," Mod asked and Meiko swore she was going to throttle the woman.


    She wasn''t being subtle at all! Child?! T-that was so far into the future. This hypothetical question was totally unnecessary¡­ though she did feel happy that Rosan approved of their future¡ª-


    No, bad Meiko!


    "Meiko, are you alright?" Rosan asked her.


    "Are you sick? You''re awfully red," underneath that worry, was too much mirth and Meiko promised to herself, that Mod-chan would be getting assaulted the next time she saw her.


    Before she could answer, she was mercifully saved by the sisters.


    "Reaper," that was Akemi speaking and the girl looked at him with such reverence, Meiko felt her stomach twist. "Thank you so much!" she bowed at a straight 90 degrees.


    "Y-you saved me and made me realize that they can''t hurt me anymore, you have my utmost gratitude and rest assured, I will make sure Aiko lives up to your expectations," she vowed with a shaky smile on her face.


    "H-hey I''m not that bad," Aiko protested and was summarily ignored. She scowled and promptly turned away from them.


    "If there''s anything you need, please let me know!" Akemi bowed once again before smiling brightly at Reaper and, after a moment''s hesitation, hugging him.


    Meiko gaped in disbelief.


    Was that a blush on her face?! W-who did she think she was?! Meiko was utterly outraged! If only she knew Rosan''s real age, she probably wouldn''t be looking at him with those stupid, gushy, brown eyes of hers.


    "Thank you Akemi, I''ll be sure to let you know," Rosan nodded, not hugging her back but choosing not to break it.


    Akemi didn''t seem to mind. In fact, Rosan not pushing her away only made her hug him tighter.


    Meiko glared at Rosan. This was his fault! He shouldn''t be entertaining this at all! The blonde didn''t need to be here to watch this anymore so she wouldn''t be. She crossed her arms and, without any prompting, left the room.


    They all watched her go in confusion, though Aiko had a knowing look in her eyes.


    "Meiko?" Rosan called but she didn''t stop.


    "You''re a jerk Rosan," was all she said.


    Rosan looked at her retreating form with nothing but confusion.


    What did he even do?


    Mod-chan sighed and Rosan got the sense she was shaking her head. "Meiko was right, boys really are stupid," was all she said which only amplified his confusion.


    "¡­?"


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan was blunt.


    He very rarely sugar coated his words and his honesty, was often confused for rudeness. The redhead didn''t really care about that though. If someone was hurt by his honestly, they could grow a spine and deal with it. He didn''t think he''d ever be put in a situation where he wished he had more tact.


    Dealing with Meiko, seemed to give him a lot of first times though.


    She had been ignoring him, for some reason, ever since they had left the castle. Rosan normally wouldn''t have cared but he didn''t even do anything!


    Was she upset that he had killed all those people? Leaving them alive, would have been more trouble then it was worth. It would mean that there was always the chance for an attack in the future and Rosan did not feel like dealing with that.


    He tried to get her to explain just what he did, but the blonde was stubborn in her silence.


    The Shinigami politely greeted the approaching villagers, who looked at him as if he was some deity that didn''t deserve to walk amongst them.


    Rosan hadn''t expected to get that reaction out of other people but it made sense. He had just saved them from their long time tormentor, after all. Coupled with the fact that he had wings resting on his back, they probably thought he was some type of guardian angel.


    A stupid assumption, but he wouldn''t dissuade them.


    But, back to his main issue. Rosan had tried to coax a reason out of Meiko and she didn''t even bother giving him a response back. Her refusal to speak to him, was beginning to irk the boy, especially considering he wasn''t sure what he had done to her.


    Their issues could be solved if they just talked so why did she refuse to talk?


    Coupled with the fact that Rosan despised being ignored, it was no surprise that he was slowly boiling over. Grabbing her arm, he dragged the, clearly surprised, girl into an isolated area and firmly held her against the wall. He was glaring at her now, though it remained hidden, and he chose to speak aloud this time.


    "Stop. Ignoring. Me," the black clad figure grit out, as his grip tightened on her. "I don''t know what you''re deal is, but I''m getting fed up with how you''re acting right now."


    Meiko flinched slightly at his steely stone and he noted that she was trembling ever so slightly, but Rosan just wanted to know what her problem was.


    "I''m going to ask you one last time before I''m over it. What''s your deal?" he growled.


    Meiko felt tears brimming in her eyes at the forceful tone. "R-Rosan, you''re hurting me...," she whispered and she bowed her head.


    Rosan''s eyes widened and he hastily let her down. The redhead backed away from her and began wondering, what exactly was wrong with him.


    Guilt washed over him at her tone. He had gone and done it again, hadn''t he? Letting his emotions get the better of him¡­ Was the situation even that serious to get worked up about?


    Rosan was a complete mess and he cursed himself for it. At least he had managed to reign himself in faster then normal.


    "Meiko I''m sorry, I didn''t mean to hurt you," he tried to apologize to the girl but he knew that wasn''t enough.


    "C-can you escort me back to the ship please," she muttered not looking at him. Rosan saw a stray tear hit the floor and he felt knots forming in his belly.


    "...Alright," he eventually said with a sigh. With her permission, he reluctantly grabbed her and they took off.


    The fly back was silent.


    Dropping her off on the ship, Rosan opened his mouth to apologize again but shut it, seeing no point. He already apologized once and doing it again and again, would change nothing.


    Meiko awkwardly said she was going to get dinner ready and Rosan made an excuse that he still had some business to do on the island.


    Not waiting for a response, he flexed his wings and took off. Demon and Angel wisely stayed silent.


    Why did he keep doing this? He overreacted. Again.


    Damn it Rosan.


    He needed to dedicate some weeks to just controlling his emotions. He had thought he was getting a better grasp at them but with Meiko, all logic was thrown out of the window and his emotions continued to get the best of him. Still, she didn''t deserve to be a constant victim to his errant emotions.


    He would make this up to her.


    "Try getting her a gift?" Mod suggested and he nodded. That was perfect. Rosan would get her a gift.


    "Thank you Mod-chan. By the way, do you know why she was upset with me?" Rosan asked curiously.


    "I do, but I don''t feel like telling you," Mod said.


    Rosan sighed and just dropped the topic. Mod-chan could be such a brat.


    Returning to the island, Rosan went to the plaza he had been to when he first arrived on Fregate. This island didn''t have much of anything at the moment but maybe he''d be able to find something suitable here? Meiko wasn''t the type to care about the price of a gift.


    No it was the intentions that mattered to her.


    "Oh Reaper-sama!" A familiar raspy voice called out. Looking in the direction of where it came from, Rosan was greeted by the form of the old man from before who had tried to scam him, waving the figure over. Shrugging his shoulders, he simply walked up to the man.


    "Planning on scamming me again?" The Shinigami greeted conversationally and he was pleased to see the man rapidly shake his head in denial.


    "No! How could I ever dream of scamming our savior," he looked genuinely disgusted at the thought and Rosan nearly snorted.


    How quickly people backtracked when learning new info. How fast they changed when someone did something favorable for them.


    He hated that.


    Rosan didn''t detect any insincerity, so he chose to believe the man.


    "Why did you call me over here?" he asked bluntly. Rosan wasn''t quite in the mood to entertain some old man at the moment, so it had better be a good reason.


    The old man cupped his chin and looked at the fully cloaked figure.


    He could not see anything that would suggest who Reaper was. He wondered what Reaper''s actual gender was? Everyone assumed that he was a boy because that was just easier to remember but who really knew? The Angels voice sounded like they could be either gender. Eventually he said "You looked as if you were searching for something,"


    Rosan nodded a bit surprised and said "I''m looking for a gift," and, after a moment of deliberation, he added "I do not want your expired fruit."


    "Please stop bringing up the events of yesterday!" The old man had the decency to look embarrassed and Rosan couldn''t help but smile to himself at how tormented he looked.


    Outwardly he just nodded.


    The elder adopted a thoughtful look. "Is it for the lass you were walking with earlier? She did look rather upset with you," he pointed out, before hastily taking back what he said, as Reaper just stared at him. He didn''t say a word but the man got the message well enough.


    "Keep talking and something bad will happen to you."


    A light bulb went off, as an idea came to his head. He told Reaper to wait one moment and vanished to who knows where.


    The masked redhead just watched the mans retreating back.


    Rosan waited for about 3 minutes, before the panting old man came rushing back with something.


    In his hands he held a small case that fit right into his palms. "I think this will do the trick," the old man said, before handing the case to Rosan. He gingerly took it and opened it without delay.


    A shining red orb, the size of a marble, dangled from a long chain that ended with a clasp. It shone in response to the brilliant sun and Rosan raised a brow at how expensive they look. The gift came in a pair of two and he hummed in contemplation.


    Earrings. The man had gotten him a pair of earrings.


    "Like it?" the elder puffed up proudly. "It''s made of ruby and it was far too gorgeous for me to give up to those ruffians so I hid it from their sights. I believe they would be the perfect gift for the lass," he finished with a grin that revealed a lot of missing teeth.


    Rosan had to admit, they were a sight to behold. Meiko would love them for sure and they were red. "How much do you want for them?" he asked, looking up from the earrings. He began digging around inside of his cloak before he was stopped by the elder.


    Waving his hands frantically, he said "I could never charge our savior," and Rosan frowned at that.


    He was not a fan of special treatment and that applied to himself.


    "I insist! Consider it an apology, for trying to charge you a ludicrous price for the fruits yesterday,"


    Rosan simply sighed and accepted. That was fair, he supposed. Rosan grabbed the box from the man with a simple "Thank you," and pocketed the earrings. The Shinigami bid the man a farewell, stretched his wings and took off in a gust of wind.


    The onlookers looked on in awe at the sight of Reaper soaring away in a matter of moments.


    He wanted to get them to Meiko as soon as possible.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Meiko was a bit glum as she made dinner.


    She knew she was overreacting a bit¡­ but Rosan didn''t have to get so rough with her! She...didn''t think he would have reacted like that.


    Rosan was normally much more in control of his emotions.


    Ever since he blew up that one day she figured out her parents were gone, he never overreacted like that again.


    "Rosan knows he messed up," Mod chimed in, making the blonde jump in fright at the voice.


    Mod-chan could still speak to her? Was Rosan able to hear this too? "No it''s just you and I," she informed the blue eyed girl.


    "I didn''t know we could talk, just the two of us," Meiko gasped and Mod hummed.


    "My connection with Rosan is constant, but when we speak to each other I have to focus on him. When it''s the both of you, I have to focus on the both of you," She explained and Meiko was nodding. "I chose to focus on just you this time."


    Her mouth formed an O at the explanation and she nodded in understanding.


    "I''m not asking you to excuse his actions, but please understand that, due to extreme circumstances, Rosan is not very good at things like this," Mod-chan began, with a frown on her bronze face. Meiko could tell that her blood red eyes were furrowed a bit too.


    "What do you mean?"


    "Rosan he¡­ he hasn''t had anyone properly teach him about many things. The only ones he had were Robin and myself and well¡­ one is an introvert, who had a rough upbringing herself and the other is a Devil Fruit, who lacked emotions until meeting him," Mod informed her.


    "We tried our best to teach him about these things and we were making good progress too! But, as you can imagine, getting captured and tortured everyday for 6 months didn''t positively help with his malleable mind..."


    Yeah that would change anyone much less a child.


    Meiko nodded in sympathy. He was only 9 years old and it was safe to assume he had been sailing the seas at a very young age.


    "Since he was 4 to be exact," the woman clarified and Meiko felt her eyes widen in dread at that bit of information.


    S-since he was 4?! That was suicide! What made him decide to travel at such a young age?! It couldn''t have possibly been anything good, judging by Mod''s tone.


    "It wasn''t by choice but you''ll have to ask him to elaborate," The Devil Fruit said sadly and Meiko nodded in understanding.


    Rosan would tell her when he was ready!


    A child''s mind was very easily influenced. It didn''t sound like the circumstances that caused Rosan to leave at 4, were very good so, it was very possible that his mind was already in a not so stable state and Daybreak made it worse.


    Meiko could understand Rosan''s point of view a lot more now. The fact he was making a genuine effort to change himself, was a good sign that he knew of his shortcomings.


    Rosan was seriously awesome! His maturity at only 9 years old was awe inspiring and Meiko wanted to follow his example.


    "That boy¡­ I love him like he''s my own son and he might as well be," Mod admitted fondly and Meiko''s electric blue eyes, went soft at her gentle tone.


    "Seeing him so broken before, broke me and watching him slowly but surely gain the light in his eyes from before makes me happier then you could imagine and it''s all thanks to you Meiko," The earnest tone in her voice shook Meiko to her core.


    "B-because of me? What did I do Mod-chan?" The girl asked with a confused expression on her fair skin.


    "Nothing except being you, sweetie," Mod-chan began kindly and the girl flushed at the compliment. "You''re bringing out the suppressed emotions in Rosan, that no one else is able to, and it''s putting him in unfamiliar territory."


    "Rosan¡­ I would never have expected him to be so accepting of another person so soon, due to what he went through, but your managing to shatter any barrier he has put up and it''s bringing my old boy back," Mod-chan sounded a bit choked up, as she spoke and Meiko sent nothing but sweet reassurance to the purple haired woman.


    Mod needed this. The woman was attached to Rosan but it was clear she couldn''t talk to him about everything. How could she tell the boy that she wanted the old version of him back? It was unbelievably selfish and worst, Rosan would try his hardest to go through with her wish.


    His love for her was deep and he was willing to go through hell and back for his long time partner.


    She knew Rosan would be furious if he found out she was keeping info from him, so she needed an outlet. Sweet, caring Meiko was the perfect choice and the little girl had no problem being a listening ear.


    Mod-chan was really starting to love this shining girl.


    "Don''t worry Mod-chan! Together, we can slowly but surely help Rosan get better," Meiko spoke with such sureness, all Mod-chan could do was laugh and believe her.


    "You''re an amazing person Meiko," Mod-chan started, getting a blush out of the little girl. "That''s why I approve of your pursuit in Rosan''s heart!"


    A ticked off expression formed on her face at the memory. "Mod-chan what exactly are you doing?!" she bellowed at the Devil Fruit.


    "Whatever do you mean," Mod-chan asked innocently and Meiko wanted to strangle the woman right then and there.


    "Asking us about a blond and red haired child? Could you be more obvious?!" Meiko asked, completely exasperated, as she waved her hands animatedly.


    "Just wanted you to know, that I know!"


    "W-why didn''t you just tell me like this?!"


    "¡­ The chance to tease you, was too good to pass up," the purple haired woman admitted sheepishly. She let out a nervous laugh, as Meiko tried to burn a mental hole into her.


    Mod-chan, sensing danger, tried to salvage the situation.


    "W-well Rosan and I both know you have feelings for him, but only I know that it''s evolved from more then just a crush," Mod-chan explained, causing her to turn a deep shade of red.


    "When did you find out?" Meiko was curious, she only recently found out that her feelings ran deeper. Did Mod-chan always know that it would end up like this or did Meiko give it away?


    "When you did," was her response. "I saw the way you were looking at Rosan when he said he wanted to keep you safe. The realization on your face made me realize too."


    "H-how were you able to tell but not Rosan?" She stammered and Mod-chan sighed in fondness.


    "Due to spending a prolonged amount of time around Sachie¡ª," she flinched from the restrained venom in the woman''s voice at the mention of her mother "¡ªRosan has gotten quite good at picking up when people are attracted to him."


    That didn''t really her answer and she said as much.


    "Let me finish," the woman requested politely and she nodded and apologized. "It''s fine. The problem is that Rosan is only good at detecting lust due to it being more¡­ negative in nature. You don''t feel lust for Rosan, your attraction to him is pure in nature and that''s why he isn''t able to tell how deep it runs."


    "He''s good at detecting negative emotions but not more positive ones when regarding himself? But why?" Meiko mused.


    "Rosan he¡­ he doesn''t have a very high opinion of himself," Mod admitted and the blonde couldn''t help but ask why.


    "It''s two things, really. He was forced to leave someone behind and¡­he thinks someone else has abandoned him. Coupled with the fact, that his time on Daybreak Island has caused him to view himself as a monster, you can imagine that he probably doesn''t think anyone, barring I, loves him," she answered and the woman sounded upset.


    Clearly Mod didn''t believe that but Rosan would not listen to her because of how intertwined they were.


    Meiko''s eyes softened in sympathy. She understood well what it was like to have low self esteem. Being ignored by your parents for years, really helped in giving you confidence issues.


    Her crush didn''t seem to have any confidence issues. In fact, Rosan''s confidence bordered on arrogance but... that probably only extended to his skills and not his character...


    She really wanted to help him with whatever problems he had because the redhead had been helping her tremendously with her own confidence. She wanted nothing more then to return the favor to the boy who deserved it.


    "I''m trying myself but maybe, with the 2 of us, he''ll finally start to see reason," Mod said with a hopeful tone and Meiko nodded rapidly.


    "Honestly that boy is so self punishing sometimes," she exhaled fondly and Meiko had to agree. For someone normally so compliant, Rosan really could be insufferably stubborn. But, it was apart of his charm and it was another reason on a long list of why she was so infatuated with the boy.


    In a much better mood, Meiko hummed as she began making dinner. She wanted to make seafood today after seeing a recipe so she quickly took out the necessary ingredients. Rice, shrimp, salmon, beans, tomatoes¡­ these were some of the things she grabbed.


    Satisfied with her selection, Meiko quickly got to work.


    The 11 year old was just about to finish, when Rosan showed up. The boy did his best not to startle her and, seeing that she was still busy, opted to keep his mouth shut. She shot him a small smile and he relaxed a bit, though he still looked tense. He felt guilty and that warmed her up considerably.


    It always made her smile knowing that he really did care.


    The blonde decided she would hear what he had to say first and so she made them both a plate of her dish (it was something called Paella!) and ate in silence. She beamed at the delighted look in Rosan''s eyes and began to eat her own food in return.


    Rosan finished before her. He always finished eating first, despite normally having a larger plate of food but he was considerate enough to not leave, even after he was done! They normally talked about mundane things as she finished her food and the peace was calming.


    This time, he opted to stare at her while she ate which made her flush in embarrassment.


    There was something about his eyes that just gave them such an intense feel. Whether it was the fact that they were two different colors, or that they subtly glowed, she didn''t know but it made keeping eye contact with him, really difficult.


    Rosan''s presence was hard to ignore.


    She finally finished eating and once she sighed in satisfaction, Rosan decided now would be a good time to talk.


    "Meiko¡­" he said softly, grabbing her attention. Taking a deep breath, the redhead said "I wanted to apologize for being so rough with you¡­ I keep letting my emotions get the best of me over simple things and it''s only causing you harm."


    Meiko opened her mouth to tell him that it was okay but Rosan would not let her. She was too forgiving for her own good and he would never get better, if she just forgave him after every transgression.


    He needed her to at least be a little upset, dammit.


    "Meiko it''s hard to feel bad when you''re not even upset," Rosan sighed out and she sheepishly tugged one of her twintails.


    "I''m just trying to understand things from your perspective is all, Rosan!" The 9 year old let out a deeper sigh at the compassionate gaze she shot him and dropped it.


    "Well whatever the case, I still want to make it up to you."


    Pulling out the box, he said "I got you a present as an apology... and as a thanks for putting up with me," and he presented it to her.


    Meiko''s eyes shone in curious delight and she easily accepted the box out of his hand.


    She loved getting gifts! She used to get them all the time when she was younger and they never failed to fill her with joy, no matter what it was. It was just the fact that someone wanted to get her a gift that made her love them!


    The 11 year old opened the box and her eyes widened in shock at what she laid eyes on. Inside of the box, was a pair of really beautiful earrings.


    They were a ruby red pair of orbs, that dangled slightly on a short chain. They were in perfect condition and seemed to glow in the lighting. The earrings were light to the touch, but held a weight to them, that let her know it was likely not fake.


    They were absolutely gorgeous and Meiko loved them.


    She let out a squeal and crashed into Rosan. In her excitement, she planted a kiss right on his cheek and didn''t even flush in embarrassment.


    "Thank you thank you thank you!" she exclaimed, smiling brighter then he had ever seen. "I love it! Wait just a sec, I''m gonna try them on right now," before he could say anything, she took off.


    Rosan absentmindedly touched his cheek. Huh, he wasn''t expecting such a strong reaction. He guessed she appreciated it.


    Mod smiled knowingly.


    The Mod Mod no mi user walked out of the dining room, just in time to run into Meiko again. He was about to say something, but paused as he took in her appearance.


    Gone was her night robe and in its place, was a long frilly red dress that was streaked in black. It had no sleeves and flared out at the bottom. She had on the earrings he gave her and they complimented her current outfit well.


    Rosan felt his mouth go dry and he stared at her with wide eyes.


    "Wow~," he heard Mod-chan say and he had to agree with her.


    "Well how do I look?" The blonde asked, spinning in a circle. "I love these earrings! Oh I know!" Meiko suddenly exclaimed to the frozen Rosan. "I want you to use them as a Save Point so I have an excuse to always wear them," she told him and Rosan could only nod, as he soaked in her appearance.


    She looked stunning.


    Red looked really good on her. Her silky blond hair, always tied in those twintails, looked even brighter and Rosan felt the urge to stroke it. Pupiless, electric blue eyes shone in excitement, as she looked at him in pure adoration. The admiration in her eyes, as she flashed her pearly whites at him, staggered Rosan a bit.


    Admiration just for him.


    Rosan regarded Meiko, as if he was actually seeing her for the first time.


    Hate them he may have, Doc and Sachie were not ugly by any means. In fact, the married couple were quite the attractive duo and Meiko seemed to have inherited a perfect mix of her parents.


    In the future, the girl was going to grow up to be quite the beauty and Rosan suddenly felt a small sense of disdain, at the attention she''d likely be receiving in the future. He hoped she didn''t pay any of them attention because he deserved all the attention.


    Her button nose, her large, caring, blue eyes, that looked at him like he were an actual person and not an object, the way her lips curled whenever she smiled at him, her golden blonde hair just thinking about it, suddenly made his chest pound.


    The redhead felt a bit lightheaded looking at her.


    This was new. What exactly was this feeling¡ª


    Rosan felt his eyes widen in dread, as realization finally hit him.


    Oh. Oh no.


    "Oh yes~," Mod said in a sing-song voice.


    There had to be an explanation for this! Surely he didn''t¡­


    Rosan recalled the innocent kiss on his cheek and felt his face turn hot.


    T-this couldn''t be happening! He couldn''t be... not to her of all people!


    "Rosan, are you okay? Your face suddenly turned red," Meiko said, clueless about his internal dilemma. Rosan tried to tell her he was fine, but he choked on his words the moment he looked at her.


    She looked really good in that dress.


    "I-I''m fine Meiko," the redhead wanted to curse at his slipup.


    Rosan didn''t stutter.


    Meiko caught it immediately.


    Quick as a flash, she placed a dainty hand on his forehead in concern. Rosan knew it was just her inner doctor kicking in but she was close. Too close.


    Rosan didn''t know what was happening. He couldn''t think straight and he couldn''t keep his eyes off of her. She smelt really good. Like strawberries. Rosan really liked strawberries.


    His mind was completely betraying him right now and that was unacceptable! He needed to get it under control right now or else he might do something regretful¡ª


    "Are you sick? I''ve never heard you stutter before," she sounded worried. Worried for him. Just for him. Rosan had never gotten sick before in his life, but he was tempted to say yes, just so she could keep her eyes on him.


    Like right now.


    She had her attention focused solely on him and Rosan liked that.


    Rosan really liked tha¡ª


    Ah shit.


    "You finally realized!" Mod sang and for once, Rosan had no comeback. How could he after the revelation of what he was feeling, made itself clear to him.


    "Rosan?" Meiko asked in concern and the object of his new affections, was invading his personal space like no ones business. Rosan found he didn''t quite mind Meiko being in his personal space¡ª this was bad.


    This was really bad.


    Rosan had fallen for Meiko. Hard.


    The victorious cheers of Mod-chan, rang through the night, confusing poor Meiko greatly.


    Chapter End


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Bonus!


    The Misadventures of Robin and Rosan ¨C 4


    Robin and Rosan are 9 and 5 respectively.


    Summary: Robin gets sick. Rosan tries to help in the best way possible. You can imagine how well that goes :).


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan wanted to cry.


    Why did he want to cry, you ask?


    Because Robin was dying and nothing he did made her feel better. The girl had been bedridden for a week now and no matter what she told him to do for her, she didn''t get better. She was clearly dying and the thought brought the little boy to tears.


    He had wanted to bring her to the hospital but she had told him they would sooner call the Marines, then treat the Devil Child. When Rosan mentioned disguising her, she said "We don''t have enough funds at the moment to afford a hospital bill, Rosan," and put her foot down. Robin had told him she''d be fine in no time so there was no need for that.


    Rosan was reluctant to believe her.


    "Rosan, I think you''re overreacting," Mod tried but Rosan shook his head in denial. He was currently sitting outside of Robin''s room because she didn''t want him to be close to her. The girl was worried that he would catch whatever she had.


    Jokes on her, he couldn''t get sick! He had never been sick a day in his life!


    "Neither of us are doctors Mod-chan, how do we know it''s nothing serious!" He whimpered and his Devil Fruit sent him a soothing pulse that helped little. If only he had been a doctor, he could¡ª


    Wait a minute. All they needed was a doctor right? Rosan didn''t have to bring her to a doctor¡­ he could just bring a doctor to her!


    Slamming his fist against his palm, the redhead got up in excitement. They were currently stationed near an island because the swaying of the ship made Robin dizzy.


    "Robin-nee?" Rosan called knocking softly on the door. He patiently waited for her to respond and eventually the sick girl spoke up.


    "Y-yes Rosan?" Her weak voice called out. She sounded so tired and Rosan felt his heart breaking. Robin-nee seemed infallible at times so seeing her like this, made him really sad.


    He would make sure she got better!


    "I''m going out¡­ is there anything you need before I go?" He asked her gently.


    After a moment of silence, she said "Sorry but can you get me some water and a wet rag please?"


    "Don''t apologize Robin-nee, I''m on it!" with that, he took off to get the requested items. Quickly retrieving the items, he made his way back to where she rested at record time.


    Opening her door softy, Rosan made his way to the 9 year old, looked at the flushed Robin and promptly replaced her rag. He touched her forehead and winced at the temperature.


    She was burning up. That only reinforced the idea, that he needed to get a doctor to check up on her.


    He carefully placed the water to her lips and she greedily drank it all. He planted a soft kiss on her cheek and hugged the girl before stepping back. She relaxed easily at his warm touch and Rosan smiled in return.


    Touching her arm gently, he said "Modify Target: Rest Mode," Robin shot him a grateful look as he put her to sleep and soon she was quietly snoring away. Rosan modified her, numbing her body, so that she would feel less pain.


    It would allow her to sleep easier.


    Satisfied, the 5 year old got up and prepared to get off the ship. He placed one of his Bugs near Robin to alert him if anything went wrong with her. He''d be here as fast as possible in the case something did happen.


    Rosan set off to find a target. He had to help Robin-nee in any way possible.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Rosan¡­ are you sure this is a good idea?" Mod asked unsure of his plan.


    "It''ll be fine," he whispered, scouting the house of interest. It was night time and he was currently stalking his targets home.


    He had been watching him all day using his Bug and decided he would be the perfect target to help him.


    He was a plain, unassuming man with messy graying hair. He seemed like a bit of a pushover, which is why Rosan chose him for his mission today!


    If the man didn''t want to hear him out¡­then well, he''d threaten him of course!


    If that failed¡­ the redhead wasn''t a murderer by any means so he wasn''t going to kill him out of frustration. He''d just mix with the man and force him to do it! That was another reason why he had picked the pushover, there was no way he had more will then Rosan!


    Rosan didn''t like the idea of forcefully controlling somebody, because it was a gross violation of a person, but desperate times called for desperate measures.


    "Rosan, this is kidnapping," Mod said in a deadpan tone. The boy''s plan, really made her question his sanity sometimes. He seriously wanted to kidnap an entire person and he saw no issue with it at all!


    Honestly, he gave her such a headache sometimes!


    "I gotta help Robin-nee somehow, Mod-chan," he hissed. "If they don''t wanna help her by choice, then I won''t give them one."


    With that, he secured his hoodie and jumped down the building he was on into an alley. He didn''t want to risk getting spotted.


    That would be pretty bad.


    He stealthily made his way to the Doctors house with nothing but determination. He soon arrived to the house and, stopping at a wall, the redhead touched it and closed his eyes. After a moment, he modified a large hole into the wall and quietly stepped through.


    All the lights were shut off but that didn''t impede Rosan. Thanks to Mod-chan, he could see just fine in the dark. As he glanced around, Rosan thought to himself that it was a nice house.


    It was much bigger then his own home at Baterilla but that was to be expected.


    Mama wasn''t a doctor. Actually... how did Mama get money? They were always well off and Rosan never felt like they were lacking in any...


    It was probably Roger. Gross.


    Rosan Scanned the entire house for signs of life and eventually spotted two near the top.


    Upstairs then.


    Rosan spotted the stairs and slowly trudged up to his destination. He idly thought about robbing the man silly but shook his head. That was not what he came here to do and the man would be less inclined to help him if he realized that the redhead robbed him.


    Robin-nee was much more important.


    Eventually, the 5 year old made his way to a room with its door shut firmly. Holding his head to it, he idly heard snoring from two people.


    Was he married? Oh well, that didn''t matter. He didn''t need his wife.


    He slowly turned the door knob and quietly opened the door. Making his way to the sleeping couple Rosan did the most natural and efficient thing that came to him.


    He slapped the man awake.


    "You are such an idiot, Rosan," Mod sounded tired of his antics and Rosan blinked in confusion at her words.


    The Doctor woke up with a start from the blow and before he could even begin screaming, Rosan had covered his mouth with a "Shh," and used his superior strength to restrain the man.


    His flailing eventually woke up his wife (he assumed) and she was about to scream but immediately stopped as Rosan fixed her with a gaze. Rosan held a finger to where his lips would be and she thought about going against it, but seeing the grip the stranger had on her husband, she wisely stopped.


    She looked to be in much better shape then her husband with shoulder length black hair and scared brown eyes. She was sleeping in her underwear and she seemed to just realize because she quickly covered herself up, with a small, embarrassed yelp.


    The man eventually stopped flailing, as he realized the futility of it and Rosan patiently asked him "You done?" At the mans nod, Rosan said "I''m going to remove my hands and if you scream, I will knock you out. Okay?" He nodded fearfully and Rosan removed his hands.


    Thankfully the man was smart enough to not scream, Rosan would have been really annoyed if he had to drag his bigger body to the ship. Still the fearful look on their faces was not really what he was hoping for.


    "It''s almost like you broke into their home," Mod said, sarcastically and Rosan shushed her.


    He needed to break the ice here and show he wasn''t that hostile.


    "What''s you guys names?" Rosan asked them both and they flinched at his sudden question. They looked at each other then back at him, as he stood there without a care in the world.


    Eventually the woman (the doctor really was a pushover) decided to speak up. "I''m Hana a-and this is Goro," she said pointing at herself and then her husband.


    "It''s nice to meetcha," he said, purposely not introducing himself. "As much as I''d love to get to know you more, I need your help Goro," Rosan directing his attention towards the doctor.


    "M-me?" He asked in confusion pointing a finger at himself. Rosan nodded at the still tense man in affirmation.


    "A¡­companion of mine, she''s sick and I need you to give her a personal checkup to make sure there''s nothing wrong with her," Rosan said, unable to keep the worry out of his tone.


    Hana''s eyes softened a bit at that information and Goro''s widened in disbelief. "Y-you broke into my house to t-tell me that?!" He gaped, almost not believing what he was hearing. "W-why didn''t you just wait until I was actually in the hospital and bring your friend there?"


    Rosan shook his head no. "I can''t do that, it has to be personal. I just need you to follow me back to my ship, do the checkup and then we''ll pretend like this never happened," he told the doctor.


    Goro started shaking his head rapidly in denial. "No no no! I can''t do that! If you want a checkup you''ll have to schedule an appointment at the hospi¡ª"


    He froze, as the intruder suddenly appeared right in front of him. If Rosan had his hoodie down and his mask was off, the man would have seen the boys snarling visage but thankfully, he was only subjected to his very palpable anger.


    That still didn''t help him.


    "Listen. This girl means everything to me. If anything happens to her because you refused to help, I''m going to lose my mind and I''m going to take out my frustrations on you," he snarled at the, steadily paling, doctor.


    "I''m going to give you two options. You either get up and follow me to this ship willingly, or I drag you there and force you to do it and don''t even think about sabotaging the process because I swear to Kami, any pain you''ve felt before, will not be enough to prepare you for what I''m going to do to you," he finished, getting closer and closer until the hem of his hoodie touched the man''s forehead. This close, Goro could see a white mask and faint purple glow.


    A tap on his shoulder, made him look over to his wife who was looking at Rosan with soft brown eyes. Her black hair bobbed, as she shook her head and the woman said "Honey, I think you should help them. They seem very stressed right now and this seems like an act of desperation."


    "I don''t think this person is used to asking people for help and they look like they''re in a rush. Despite the crudeness, they were still willing to give you the courtesy of asking you for help," she finished and Rosan looked at her happily.


    Goro looked like he wanted to argue, but one look in Hana''s firm eyes, let him know it would be futile. Letting out a sigh of defeat, he said "I need to at least get some equipment for a basic check¡ª"


    "I already handled it," the hooded figure interrupted him. "I took everything I thought you would need and just put it on my ship¡­ I''ll return it all after you''re done," his even tone finally broke through, as a hint of impatience seeped into his voice.


    Goro gawked at him. "Y-you broke into the hospital too?" at his quick nod, Goro was tempted to question them, but decided the headache was not worth it and closed his mouth. At Hana''s urging, he hastily got up and requested to take a shower at least. His wish was granted albeit reluctantly by the short, black clad individual.


    Goro, not wanting to try his patience, quickly took a cold shower to ensure he was fully awake.


    Getting out of the shower, he was confused when he didn''t see anyone in the bedroom. He quickly got dressed, fearing the worst and made it downstairs only to see Hana and the mysterious figure having a seemingly pleasant conversation.


    They were both drinking milk and Hana was laughing about something the figure said. A plate of cookies were being munched on as well and, while the figure still had his hoodie up, he saw a white mask with a black rose on it lying next to him on the counter.


    They both faced him at the same time, though he got the feeling that the masked figure had sensed him long ago and greeted him. "Welcome back, honey!" Hana greeted him cheerfully. She was dressed in a simple white robe that covered her modesty. "Our dear friend here, was just telling me about his escapades! He''s quite the charming individual you know?" she said cheerfully and the figure next to her laughed happily.


    Goro opened and closed his mouth, at the sight of the masked boy rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. Dear friend?! He had been gone for 10 minutes! What even happened in that timespan?! He finally settled for lamely saying "I''m ready to go," and left it at that.


    Rosan nodded and he put his mask back on. Securing it firmly on his face, he got up and hugged Hana, which she happily returned and the woman pat him gently on his back. "Bye Hana! I''ll make sure to bring your husband back in one piece! Though, I should have done this during the daytime since he needs the sunlight," he bid her farewell and she just laughed knowingly, as if they had known each other forever.


    "He would have said no if the sun was out!" She joked, waving him off. "I hope your friend is okay! To throw away your pride for her¡­ you two have a very strong relationship! I kind of envy you for that," the brown eyed sighed despondently and Rosan pat her shoulder in sympathy.


    Why did he suddenly feel so outraged by her statement!?


    What the hell had he missed in the 10 minutes he was gone? His wife and a burglar¡­getting along like they knew each other forever?!


    He really needed a smoke.


    Finally done bidding each other farewell, they departed his home. The boy told him wait one moment, vanished behind his house and came back not soon after. "What were you doing back there?" Goro asked curiously and the figure simply said "I was closing something."


    He learned that, for the sake of his waning sanity, it was best not to question him and just followed the boy wherever he was being taken. They walked at a rather brisk pace and the Doctor had to wonder how this short figure was so quick.


    Rosan shook in anticipation, as they got closer and closer to their destination. Finally someone would be able to check up on Robin! He needed to make sure she was absolutely okay and this was the best way to do it.


    "You never cease to amaze me, Rosan," Mod said, voice full of exasperation. "I don''t know how you managed to make friends with someone who''s house you broke into but only you could do it."


    "It''s cuz I''m awesome Mod-chan," Rosan grinned smugly. Mod simply agreed with a "Yes you are Rosan," and ended the conversation.


    The 5 year old knew Mod-chan was proud of him, the woman didn''t wanna admit that she was just as worried as Robin-nee as Rosan was, but the purple eyed boy could see right through her.


    At the pace they set, it didn''t take long for them to arrive to the White Rose. Goro was panting at the speed they set off at while Rosan stared ahead, perfectly fine.


    They boarded the ship and Goro had to take a moment to appreciate its design. He had never seen such a sleek ship! The design, layout, and interior looked far more advanced then any ship he had ever seen.


    A ship this unique must have cost a fortune!


    Rosan grabbed a glass of water and they walked at a much more moderate pace to her room.


    The boy finally arrived at Robin''s door and he told Goro to wait a moment. Not bothering to knock, Rosan entered the room without hesitation. Robin''s room had been slightly changed to accommodate the medical supplies he had borrowed from the hospital.


    The girl in question, was wide awake and looking at him with confusion in her blue eyes as she, no doubt, noticed said equipment. She tried to speak but Rosan shushed her and put the glass of water to her lips, which she greedily drank up. The girl let out a sigh of relief, as her parched throat was momentarily satisfied.


    Rosan decided now would be a great time to tell her the news.


    "I found a doctor that will check up on you Robin-nee," Rosan said bluntly. Predictably, her eyes widened in disbelief.


    "H-how?" she croaked out and the 5 year old explained what he had done today. By the way her eyes narrowed, Rosan was glad that she was currently incapacitated, else he''d be in trouble!


    If the girl had not been sick, Rosan was sure he would be getting an earful but the moment she tried to berate him, she began coughing and gave up. The purple eyed boy gave her another sip of water to ease her pain and he smiled softly at her thankful expression.


    Robin had to wonder just how insane her lovable partner was. She was feeling a certain type of resignation at what he told her.


    Did he seriously break into a doctor''s house?! Then proceed to ask him for help? After slapping him awake?!


    Rosan had to have some loose screws, right? He was so polarizing in his actions, that it made her head spin. Everytime she thought she got used to him, he went and did something new!


    The brunette had made it loud and clear that she didn''t need the help of a doctor and that it was just a fever but Rosan clearly wasn''t of the same opinion. It was cute that he was going so far to make sure that she was alright


    "Don''t try to deny me, Robin," Rosan chastised her and the concern in his voice was obvious. "I need to make sure you''re not dying and neither of us are doctors. So, I got an actual doctor."


    Her eyes softened at the worry in his tone and, with a defeated sigh, she nodded her head in compliance and placed it back on the pillow. Rosan grinned in victory and called Goro in.


    She warily looked at the doctor through half lidded eyes and she idly felt Rosan touching her. After a moment, they linked up and Robin let out a relieved sigh at not having to use her actual voice.


    He had gotten really good at knowing what she was thinking.


    "Can we trust him?" Robin asked the boy.


    "We can. I already warned him what would happen if he tried anything¡­ Also, I get along well with his wife," Rosan told her.


    Somehow, Rosan telling her he was friends with the wife of the man, whose house he broke into, was one of the more normal things he had done.


    The man looked slightly uncomfortable but resigned. As if he just wanted this all to be over with.


    She honestly felt a bit bad for him. It was hard to deny Rosan when he wanted something (spoiled brat) and to be woken up this late must have been arduous for his aging body.


    He wasted no time in running various tests on her. She didn''t put up resistance to anything and with how intently Rosan was staring at the man, she doubted he would try anything funny.


    He didn''t seem to recognize her so that was good. It could be potentially disastrous (for him) if he did.


    He soon finished and turning towards Rosan, said "Your friend will be fine. She has a particularly harsh variant of the Flu but give her some rest and make sure she doesn''t exert herself and she''ll be fine in no time."


    Rosan sagged in relief at the news he received. It warmed her heart how worried he was for her and she didn''t (not that she could) resist when Rosan wrapped her in a hug.


    "You''re going to be okay Robin-nee!" he exclaimed aloud, hugging her tightly. She let out a coughing laugh, as she tried and failed to hug him back. The boy didn''t mind whatsoever and he more than made up for her lack of energy with his own.


    "Wait¡­ Robin-nee?" A voice suddenly spoke up causing them both to freeze. They both looked at Goro at the same time, as the man began connecting the dots. Realization slowly made its way onto his face and he took a good look at Robin.


    The doctor paled.


    "Oops, guess I have to make sure he stays silent about this," Rosan said sheepishly, eyes glowing with the telltale sign of Modification. He wouldn''t jam him because he actually liked his Hana! She would be understandably upset if he brought back a vegetable.


    "One day, I will go a week without getting a headache from you Rosan," Robin replied.


    "I''m afraid, that''s impossible," Mod said, in the most defeated tone ever.


    Rosan just laughed nervously.


    <hr>


    Character Sheet: Angel & Demon


    Full Name: Angel/Demon


    Age: N/A (Appear to be whatever age Rosan is)


    Summary: Angel and Demon are twin synthetic clones made by Rosan. They bare a striking resemblance to their Master due to Rosan modeling them after the easiest thing he could think of. Formerly, they lacked emotions but due to the help of Modification, they have gained the capacity to feel. They carry out the orders of their masters Rosan and Mod-chan who they both hold in high regards.


    Appearance: They both look nearly identical to Rosan with key differences. Angel is normally seen wearing white. Demon and is normally seen wearing black. Despite looking human, they still give off a feeling that they could be something else.


    Height: 4''4 ft


    Hair: Both have the same blood red spiky hair as Rosan. Angel keeps his in a ponytail while Demon lets his flow down his back (for reference Rosan''s is currently in a bun).


    Eyes: Angel has Rosan''s royal purples eyes/Demon has Rosan''s blood red eyes.


    Personality: Angel is rude and sarcastic around anyone that isn''t Rosan, Mod-chan, or Demon. He has a holier than thou attitude and will somehow make you look dumb even if you ask a simple question. Enjoys staying on the ship and maintaining it due to his dislike of humans.


    Demon is polite and nonchalant. He is generally relaxed with a bit of a mischievous streak. He will not tolerate any slight upon the people he respects and will ensure the correct punishment is dished out. Enjoys hanging out with Meiko.


    Random Facts


    They were created at the exact same time but Angel is the older twin due to being Clone #1.


    As a result, Angel is often left in charge between the two. Demon does not mind. In fact he prefers it.


    Demon''s favorite color is purple, Angel''s is red.


    Despite not existing for very long, Angel and Demon love each other very much.


    They are aware about how ironic their names are and that it is better suited on the other.


    Angel prefers Rosan. Demon prefers Mod.


    They both have a slight fear of Rosan and believe he will discard them if they prove to be inadequate (Even if he wanted too, which he doesn''t, Mod wouldn''t let him).


    On the contrary, they do not fear Mod at all.


    Can communicate telepathically with each other and with Rosan.


    They have not inherited their personalities from Rosan.


    Have some control of Modification, not even half of what Rosan can do but enough to do simple tasks.

 Serenity I

    The warm summer air brushed gently against his skin and he almost let out a relaxing sigh. In the distance, he could see the largest of the trees gently swaying in time with the wind.


    It was a beautiful and peaceful day...


    So why the hell did he feel so agitated?


    10 year old Rosan sat on the edge of the White Rose as he watched his destination, a summer island, get closer and closer. The summer island, for all intents and purposes, looked like the ideal vacation spot yet, Rosan didn''t feel like he was going on one. His lips were pursed in discomfort as the island neared.


    Maybe this was a bad idea ¡ª


    He felt a warm hand clutch his own and he was sent a reassuring squeeze. Craning his head slightly, red and purple met electric blue. The redhead flashed a small smile and allowed himself to relax a little.


    "So this is Baterilla, the island where you were raised?"


    12 year old Meiko looked at the island with a hint of awe mixed with trepidation. On one hand this was Rosan''s former home¡­ on the other hand, this was Rosan''s former home and the bad memories seemed to outweigh the good tremendously.


    Meiko knew why Rosan was hesitant to come here but he really needed this. She just hoped that the boy got some form of closure by coming here.


    After what he had told her¡­ well how could she not insist he come here? It had been 6 years since he had last been on this island!


    Remembering the conversation they had months ago left the blonde thinking. She blushed scarlet as she remembered the entire scope of the conversation they had 5 months ago.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    1 month after the events of Fregate


    A 9 year old Rosan sat cross legged, in the clearing of his mindscape, idly observing Meiko and Mod-chan laughing about who knows what.


    He was currently practicing the speed of activating Save Point so he allowed himself to get lost in his thoughts. He had been practicing this technique for a while now, so his body knew the motions without him having to put much thought into it.


    Later, he would try and see if he could increase the limit.


    Rosan stared longer then he would have liked at Meiko''s elated expression and felt his face heat up. The child looked away before they noticed him staring and let out a grunt as he lost focus of his technique.


    He had poured too much power into it.


    That couldn''t be goo ¡ª


    The resulting boom made a deep scowl form on his face.


    Look at him¡­ messing up techniques because of his silly little crush. This wasn''t like him at all and he felt embarrassed that of all things, his feelings for Meiko would throw him so off balance.


    He was alerted to their presence by the sound of rapidly approaching footsteps. Glancing at Mod-chan and Meiko, Rosan swiftly wiped away his scowl and regarded them both with a neutral expression.


    "Rosan, what was that loud noise? Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere? Should I get the medical supplies?"


    Meiko''s doting used to annoy him but now, it caused Rosan to flush in appreciation. He liked being the sole focus of her attention more then he liked to admit.


    "That won''t be necessary Meiko, this is my mindscape," he replied and her mouth formed an O in realization. She looked adorable with her face set like that but then again she looked adorable any ¡ª


    Goddammit.


    Rosan wanted to slam his head into a wall until something broke at the thoughts invading him.


    How did this even happen? Rosan prided himself in knowing about himself but his feelings for Meiko came completely out of left field.


    The redhead blamed it on his suppressed emotions so really, it was his fault. His feelings for her had most likely been slowly building up the more time he spent with her but he had never payed attention to it. It made sense, the blonde was the only one who showed him positive attention on Daybreak, his crush had probably unknowingly developed there...


    Seeing Meiko in that dress, so pleased with him, wearing something that he bought her, made all his latent feelings burst forth like a veritable freight train.


    His emotions for her had steadily been building up but it was blocked by a wall and cnce the wall crumbled, all of it slammed into him and caught him completely off guard, which reduced him to his current, pathetic, state.


    Now, the Mod Mod no Mi user was scrambling to get a grasp of himself and making terrible progress. At least he had stopped stuttering just by being near her. It didn''t help that even before suppressing his emotions, Rosan had never quite felt something like this before.


    Goddammit.


    Rosan cleared his throat and said "I''m fine Meiko, really. I just... put a bit too much power in my technique is all."


    She nodded at his explanation and instead of going back to where she was sitting, she plopped herself right next to the younger boy.


    Rosan resisted the urge to put his head in his hands. This idiot didn''t seem to understand the effect she was having on him.


    Mod smiled knowingly and Rosan nearly scowled at her.


    The damn traitor was having too much fun watching Rosan struggle like a newborn to get a grasp of this feeling. When Rosan had tried to modify his feelings to make them go away, Mod-chan had denied it.


    He didn''t even know she could do that!


    The woman had told him to stop being a coward and to deal with his feelings head on. He reluctantly agreed with her and instead of forcefully using Modification, he had stopped attempting to do it.


    Instead, he had tried to get advice from the woman on what to do but she simply shrugged, just as lost as him. He frowned as he recalled their conversation.


    "Everything you feel for the first time Rosan, I''m likely feeling too," she said helpfully and Rosan huffed in response.


    "Thanks Mod-chan! That''s exactly the answer I was looking for from an ancient Devil Fruit with, who knows how many, years of memory," he replied sarcastically.


    "Well sorry I couldn''t be of more assistance Mr. I''m in love but don''t wanna tell her," she bit back and the redhead scowled at her.


    He was not in love.


    "You and I both know telling her is not an option Mod-chan."


    "Why not Rosan?" the purple haired woman had dropped all playful tense, as she stared seriously at the shorter boy.


    Rosan sighed. He already knew where this conversation was headed.


    "Meiko is a good person, Mod-chan," he began, exhaling fondly as he thought about her. "She''s better off finding someone that''s actually good for her, instead of a person like me. I''m just hoping that her crush eventually wears off so she can find that right person."


    Mod shook her head in annoyance. Her charge still thought it was just a harmless crush. "Don''t be such an idiot," she thought to herself "You can''t just expect someone to stop loving you after some time." She wanted to rip her hair at his stubbornness but instead let out a deep sigh.


    "Rosan why don''t you want yourself to be happy?" Mod asked sadly and Rosan blinked in surprise.


    "I''m not trying to stop myself from being ¡ª."


    "Yes you are Rosan," Mod cut him off. She was glaring at him now and Rosan went quiet.


    "You always talk as if you don''t deserve to be. First, you refuse to forgive yourself because you had no choice but to leave Ace behind and now, you clearly have feelings for this girl and you''re saying you don''t deserve her! You keep torturing yourself Rosan and it''s hurting everyone who cares about you!" She shouted.


    Rosan was shocked silent. The sheer frustration in her tone was enough to keep him rooted to his spot. The boy had a stunned expression on his face from actually being yelled at by her.


    "I just don''t get it, Rosan! You''re normally such a selfish boy, yet lately, it seems you never want to do anything that benefits you unless it''s getting stronger!"


    "Rosan, for everyone''s sake¡­ Meiko, Ace, Rouge, me, please stop being so stubborn and harsh on yourself! I know you want to be the strongest to keep us safe, but this is not the way. You have to enjoy your life as well," Mod finished and Rosan felt his heart twist as he saw the tears brimming in her eyes.


    Mod panted as she finished berating the child. A part of her felt bad, but a larger part felt nothing but satisfaction.


    She didn''t like going against Rosan often but she had to admit, seeing the utter surprise on his face as she tore into him was more gratifying then she thought.


    Everything the Devil Fruit did, she did for his sake so it balanced out how horrible she felt for shouting at him.


    The deep contemplation on his face, gave her pause. The boy looked as if he never realized his unhealthy habit and he was just now evaluating them.


    Did he¡­ did Rosan not realize how self destructive his thinking process was? Did all Mod have to do was point out his issues¡­? Was the boy really that unaware?!


    Her look of satisfaction turned into one of disbelief.


    Right... he was only 9.


    Meanwhile, Rosan was deep in thought as he digested the words of his Devil Fruit. Her words and emotions resonated deeply inside his core, as he contemplated the validity of her statements.


    Was he really being so hard on himself¡­?


    The redhead thought back to both the situations Mod-chan had mentioned and tried to view them in another perspective.


    He had made the choice to leave Ace behind of his own volition¡­ right? The more Rosan thought about it the more he realized it was either leave Ace behind, or go with Garp.


    Being taken somewhere by the Marines when Rosan had the Devil Fruit he did¡­ that was just not an option. Rosan stood no chance against the marine so taking Ace from him was also ruled out.


    Rosan¡­ he really couldn''t have taken Ace with him could he? He had no option but to leave him in the old man''s care. He didn''t have a choice.


    But that made him a coward.


    He ¡ª no. Rosan had said he would view it in another perspective and he had already come to the conclusion that he couldn''t have taken Ace. The only options he had were to go with the marine¡­ or leave Ace behind. The choice was obvious


    The Mod Mod no mi user forced himself to think about his second situation.


    Rosan was not a liar, much less to himself. He was an honest person at heart and he only lied if he had no other option. That''s why he could say with confidence that he had a massive crush on Meiko. He knew the girl had a light crush on him so why didn''t he want to pursue it?


    Because he was a monster and monsters couldn''t do what normal people did.


    Rosan had taken everything from Meiko. Her parents died by his hand. Her island reduced to nothing because of him. Just the fact that she didn''t hate him spoke miles about her character.


    If anyone on the planet was justified in their hatred for him, it was her.


    What gave him the right to have feelings for her? Rosan didn''t pursue her because Rosan didn''t deserve her. He was a cold blooded monster and Meiko was the sun. He was tainted and she was pure.


    "Rosan¡­," the snarl snapped him out of his musings and Rosan was surprised to see rage in Mod''s crimson eyes. She picked him up by the collar of his shirt and his dual eyes narrowed into slits. The two eyed each other and the tension rising was obvious.


    "I''m sick and tired of how you view yourself," Mod-chan growled at him and Rosan had to force himself to calm down, lest he lash out.


    "Mod-chan, I love you, but get your hands off of me," Rosan said in a dangerously low tone but Mod refused to back down. His long time partner was showing that she could be just as stubborn as him when she wanted to be.


    The redhead would have applauded her if he wasn''t close to assaulting her for the grip she had on him. Only the knowledge that she was doing this for his sake, kept him from attacking her right then and there.


    Not even Mod-chan could get away with treating him like this.


    "Just listen to me Rosan," she said and the boy let out an aggravated sigh that Mod reciprocated in equal capacity.


    They stared at each other in a tense silence before Rosan tersely nodded his head at her, tiny pupils still set into slits but fangs no longer bared. Mod-chan let out a relieved sigh and took this as her sign to go.


    She did not disappoint.


    "Rosan, you are the most amazing little boy I''ve ever met! Your empathy, your consideration, how you always try to make sure those you care for are happy, you are so incredible and you don''t even seem to realize it! Y-you are the first person to ever accept me as more then a Devil Fruit and because of you I¡­ I-I feel like a person."


    Mod began choking up and Rosan felt all of his anger wash away at the sight.


    "Everything you do¡­ you do it with my best interests in mind Rosan," Mod whispered and her grip on him loosened.


    "You left your brother behind because of me for Kami''s sake! Never in my years has anyone cared for me on the scale that you do. You''ll do anything to make sure I''m happy but you just don''t get it Rosan! I can''t be happy unless you''re happy because you are my life!" she exclaimed, tears finally falling and the purple haired woman looked at the boy in nothing but despair.


    Rosan looked at the woman pouring her heart out in wonder.


    He did not know much of anything about her past and truthfully, he didn''t care. Her past was her past and what mattered was that she was with him now. She had alluded to having previous wielders and being a weapon for the marines but Rosan had never pried deeper. It was not a topic she liked talking about, so he never pressured her to talk about it.


    What he did know was that before they had met, Mod-chan had no emotions, had little to no social interactions and she didn''t even have a gender nor appearance!


    Yet here she was; crying, laughing, teasing, with such a beautiful face and she was just so alive because he had extended an arm of friendship to the Devil Fruit.


    Mod-chan was able to feel these things because of him and that made his eyes soften. The two of them trusted each other more then anything in the world and so Rosan knew she truly meant everything she said.


    If Mod-chan could say this with such confidence¡­ maybe he did need to take a better look at himself.


    If Mod-chan believed with her heart that he wasn''t what he thought he was¡­ maybe he could try for her.


    Maybe he was being a bit too hard on himself. If that really were the case...


    "Mod-chan I''m going to tell Meiko everything and make my decision based on what she says," Rosan informed her and he softly clutched her in reassurance.


    He still had his doubts so¡­ he''d see what Meiko thought. He would kill two birds with one stone by telling Meiko about Baterilla and his feelings for her.


    If what Mod-chan was saying was true¡­ who better to tell him then the one whose life he ruined?


    Mod felt nothing but relief as she heard Rosan''s intentions. The Devil Fruit sagged onto the floor, with Rosan in tow, and let out a breath she hadn''t known she''d been holding.


    She looked at Rosan with unwavering confidence in her crimson eyes. Mod fully believed in Meiko''s abilities and knew there was nothing to worry about if Rosan was relying on her to disappoint him.


    He fully thought the blonde was going to reinforce the idea that he was a monster but Mod knew better.


    Meiko would show Rosan how stupid he was being.


    Rosan saw said confidence and for the first time in a long time, he doubted himself. What would cause Mod-chan to be so confident. The woman had unwavering faith in what Meiko was going to say and it confused him.


    Did she know something he didn''t? Surely Meiko''s answer wasn''t set in stone¡­


    Suddenly, Rosan wasn''t so confident that he was going to hear what he thought he was.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    He looked directly into Meiko''s eyes as his memory ended and the girl flushed, looking away. Rosan sighed at how cute she was.


    He felt his resolve waver a bit. God he really was a coward ¡ª no this is exactly what Mod-chan had been talking about. Until Meiko told him her thoughts, Rosan would refrain from degrading himself.


    "Meiko, I have something to tell you," Rosan said in a serious tone.


    Mod widened her eyes and Meiko shot him a concerned look at the graveness in his tone.


    "What''s the matter Rosan?" Meiko asked and the fact she sounded so worried for him, made his heart flutter.


    Kami, he had it bad.


    Rosan decided he would tell her everything now before he got cold feet.


    "The Marines killed my mother when I was 4 years old," Rosan told her bluntly and Meiko''s eyes widened in horror at the rather abrupt influx of information.


    What had he just said?!


    "W-what?" She stammered in confusion and the redhead hesitantly continued.


    Rosan told her everything that transpired on Baterilla. How his name was Portgas D. Rosan, how his mother had found him when he was a newborn and raised him like her actual son, how she was married to the pirate king Gol D. Roger (that had gotten a pale, wide eyed look from the girl), how she had been pregnant with his little brother Ace, how she was forced to withhold giving birth for nearly 20 months due to being the child of the pirate king, how he ate the Mod Mod no mi met Mod-chan and the target that was put on his back in doing so, how his mother had died giving birth to Ace, how¡­ how he had seen her die.


    Meiko had to excuse herself after she heard that specific detail. The 9 year old was sure he heard retching and it spoke volumes about her character that just hearing his experience would cause her to react like this.


    Rosan told her how, at just 4 years old, he had made the hard decision to leave his brother behind in the care of the Marine who had witnessed his birth. How he had been sailing the seas for most of his life in the pursuit of getting strong enough to keep Mod-chan and himself safe. How he had traveled with Nico Robin for 4 years¡­ and how he eventually ended up in Doc''s grasp after a trap was laid for him. Rosan tried to avoid omitting any details and honestly, it felt liberating, talking to someone else about it.


    He had not shed a single tear as he regaled the blonde and the redhead began to idly wonder when the last time he cried was?


    Probably when he realized Robin wasn''t coming to save him. That had been his breaking point after all. After that moment, Rosan had not shed a single tear again.


    Good.


    Meiko on the other hand, was an absolute mess. The blonde girl had tear streaks running down her cheeks and she let out choked sobs as Rosan told his life story. More then once, he had to pause his tale due to the 11 year old excusing herself and the 9 year old heard a keening wail every single time she walked out of sight. Every time she walked off, Mod-chan followed after her, presumably to soothe her, and Rosan sat there to keep himself composed.


    It made him happy that Meiko and Mod-chan got along so well.


    It never got easier telling this story, but Rosan had been thinking about it for 5 years now, at some point, you just became numb to it and that''s exactly how he felt.


    He had to constantly ground himself back to reality, as he nearly detached himself from the conversation. Only the knowledge that he needed to gauge Meiko''s reaction, kept him invested in his tale.


    When he finished, he sagged a bit, only to let out an uncharacteristic yelp as something crashed into him. The tanned boy fell, back first, as a crying Meiko hugged him for dear life.


    Despite the situation, Rosan was distinctively aware of just how close she was to him!


    "R-Rosan, I-I''m s-s-so so s-sorry," she sobbed into his chest and he instinctively wrapped his arms around her. Rosan wanted to say something but, he was more mentally drained then he thought. He couldn''t think of anything to say, so he just let her speak.


    Meiko sniffed uncontrollably as she tried to compose herself. "Everything you''ve gone through¡­ My Kami, Rosan you''re so brave," she eventually said and the words she chose, made Rosan open his mouth slightly.


    She thought¡­he was brave?


    "H-having to watch the person who raised you, cared for you, loved you, die... You don''t understand how strong you are, Rosan," she sounded choked up as she spoke. "Nobody would have been able to bounce back and yet, at only 4 years old, you focused enough to find the best way to keep you and Mod-chan safe. That''s incredible Rosan," Meiko sounded so proud of him, as she repeated what Mod-chan had been trying to tell him.


    The dual eyed boy was reeling from her words so Meiko took that as her chance to continue.


    "I know you Rosan. You probably blame yourself for having to leave your brother behind."


    His wide eyed gaze, only confirmed her suspicions and she shook her head furiously. "Listen to me Rosan. You. Were. 4. You can''t be blamed for not wanting to take your little brother out to sea with you! It''s already dangerous for you by yourself, what do you think would happen if you add a baby to the mix! You have nothing to blame yourself about. Do you understand me?!"


    Rosan felt like he was getting scolded by Mama and he could only nod at her firm tone.


    Maybe, just maybe... he really wasn''t to blame for abandoning Ace? He really didn''t have a choice in the matter and hearing Meiko repeat it, was really making it drive home in Rosan''s head.


    He felt a bit silly for disregarding what Mod-chan had been saying. He valued her words so much, but when it came to his own character, he just couldn''t see reason¡­


    Meiko''s gaze softened as she wrapped her arms around Rosan delicately. "I wish I was there for you sooner, Rosan. You must have been so lonely and afraid¡­" she said it so soft, so compassionately and Rosan felt his heart stop as he registered one word in particular.


    Afraid? He was... afraid?


    Previously, Rosan would have dismissed that thought completely. He was Rosan! Anything he feared, he would deal with accordingly because the strongest couldn''t fear. Now, as he looked at it from a different perspective, he looked back at all of his actions and attributed them to fear.


    They fit surprisingly well.


    He was afraid of acknowledging how powerless he was to save his mother.


    He was afraid of acknowledging that he just wasn''t ready to raise Ace.


    He was afraid of acknowledging the gap in strength between him and the Marine who took his little brother.


    He was afraid of acknowledging his fear of being hurt and betrayed again and that''s why he closed himself off.


    That''s why he suppressed his emotions.


    He didn''t suppress them because they got in the way¡­ he suppressed them because of what they did to him. Rosan had always been an emotional boy after all.


    He was afraid.


    Rosan was afraid.


    The thought was so surreal, that Rosan threw his head back and let out an honest to god laugh.


    "Kahahahahahahahaha!" The redhead laughed the most genuine laugh he let out in a long time because, no matter how you looked at it, Rosan was a coward.


    Yet, here was this amazing and incredible person saying the exact opposite. She didn''t think he was a coward for his actions. No, she thought all of his decisions made him brave. Worst of all, she genuinely believed everything she was saying. He could see it in her eyes, hear it in her words.


    Meiko was really an earnest idiot!


    The boy laughed so hard, tears began forming in his eyes.


    Mod and Meiko watched with equal amounts of surprise for various reasons. The purple haired woman hadn''t seen Rosan laugh like this since before he had been taken by Doc. If not for how out of place it was in this conversation, the Devil Fruit would have broken down crying seeing Rosan laugh so freely.


    Instead, she just watched with a hand over her open mouth at the hysterical boy.


    Meiko on the other hand, had never seen Rosan laughing like this ever.


    Sure, she had seen the boy chuckling and even laughing in a reserved manner, but she had never seen him laugh so freely. Rosan''s boyish laughter and hearing the genuine joy in his voice, made her heart slam into her chest repeatedly.


    He sounded so happy and so carefree¡­


    She didn''t think it was possible to like him anymore but it seems she was proven wrong.


    The tanned boy finally regained his composure after a few minutes. The boy felt breathless as he wiped away his tears and eventually, he managed to settled down.


    Rosan was done running away from his fears. He would find Ace (eventually instead of never), explain the whole situation to him and whether his baby brother hated him or not, he''d take it to the chin. He would acknowledge when he feared something but instead of showing cowardice, he would try and deal with it head on.


    Which is why he wanted to address this now.


    "Meiko I think ¡ª no, I have a massive crush on you," Rosan said suddenly, locking his red and purple eyes onto the teary eyed girl. He had closed his heart off for fear of being hurt again because he couldn''t handle the emotional pain of being hurt. His emotions were his biggest weakness because he was an emotional person. You could throw any sort of physical pain at him, but if it was mental then he was just as vulnerable, if not moreso, than anyone else.


    Not anymore. He liked Meiko, so he wouldn''t deny himself any longer.


    Who cared if she was probably going to reject him? At least he managed to actually say it!


    Mod felt her jaw drop at how blunt Rosan always was. C-couldn''t he have been a bit more subtle?


    Meiko felt her brain shut off at Rosan''s sudden statement. It only took a matter of minutes, before she rebooted and her face turned the deepest shade of red he had seen yet.


    Sachie would be proud.


    "I-I-I. W-w-what. Y-y-you. Huh?" Meiko''s eyes turned into swirls at the overwhelming emotions. She started swooning backwards and a small set of hands grabbed her to keep her upright. Focusing a bit revealed that the one holding her was Rosan himself. He looked a bit apprehensive, but the concern in his eyes made her stammer uncontrollably.


    All that care just for her?


    The girl was lightheaded and she felt as if her heart was about to burst out of her chest.


    Rosan was close. Too close. This close, she was able to smell the scent of flowers on the boy and it caused her to nearly revert back to her previous state.


    The genius really didn''t seem to understand the effect he had on her.


    She just needed to take some deep breaths. In and out. In and out. In¡­ and out.


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    The blonde glanced at Rosan and the worry in his heterochromatic eyes made her flush.


    Inandout. Inandout. Inandout.


    She needed to gather her thoughts or else she''d might combust on the spot!


    Rosan had just admitted that he had a crush on her. Rosan had just admitted that he had a crush on her! Meiko felt like she could die on the spot with how happy she felt! She just couldn''t believe that the aloof Rosan harbored feelings for her of all people! He liked her back!


    Meiko resisted the urge to squeal.


    The boy had never once expressed attraction of any capacity, barring the love he felt for Mod-chan. She thought he was far too focused and closed off to ever think about something like this so to hear him confess to her first, put her over the moon!


    Honestly, she didn''t think her feelings were ever gonna be recuperated!


    But no, here he was, with a shy blush blooming on his face, as he realized the implications of what he had just said. It dusted lightly over his bronze skin and Meiko had to try her hardest to not squeal.


    Rosan was just too adorable for his own good!


    She was a bit nervous though. Did she really deserve Rosan? He was so special and she was so¡­ normal. The boy had a goal that would shoot him to the top of the world if he succeeded. In comparison, she just wanted to be a doctor¡­


    Did she deserve to stand by the side of someone with so much ambition? The redhead had to have been the most ambitious person she ever met...


    She shot Mod-chan a look. The older woman gave her a reassuring nod and a warm smile. It filled Meiko with a lot of confidence, until her crimson gaze turned mischievous and the purple haired woman mouthed out a "Go get him," before shooting her a thumbs up.


    Meiko should not have looked towards the Devil Fruit. The beautiful woman was a horrible tease.


    Looking back at Rosan, the blonde saw that the boy was getting more and more doubtful. She was seeing a lot of firsts because the boy was fidgeting now. This must have been hard for him and her prolonged silence, was probably not doing him any favors.


    She remembered the words of Mod-chan about how he didn''t think he deserved to be loved and she felt her resolve strengthen.


    Rosan did deserve to be loved. He deserved it more then he realized and she''d show him!


    "Rosan¡­ I really like you," Meiko eventually said and the way Rosan''s eyes widened with hope filled her with as much satisfaction as it did sadness.


    He¡­really had expected her to deny him? Even after she told him long ago that she had a crush on him¡­


    She wanted to hug the traumatized boy and so, that''s what she did. The 9 year old had been through so much already at such a young age and getting captured by her parents, was the nail in the coffin.


    She now understood why he had changed so drastically. He had already been teetering on the edge.


    6 months of getting tortured, had finally pushed him over it and this was the result.


    Rosan was a good person who had been forced to change, lest he be devoured by the bad people around him. The boy was an unwilling victim to this cruel world and she wanted to cry at the thought.


    "I''m so sorry Rosan! You had to go through so much a-and my parents only made it worse!" She began, tearing up at the thought.


    "You''re such a good person and you deserve to be happy!" Meiko exclaimed passionately. She was so upset that Rosan had gone through such an awful ordeal because he didn''t deserve it. The child deserved to be with his mother, helping raise his little brother and yet he couldn''t.


    Instead, he had been forced to become a weapon by the hands of her parents! Meiko was surprised by just how much resentment she was feeling for them at the moment.


    How dare they do this to an innocent child? How could they treat him so harshly when he was so young?! Not only did he believe he was a terrible older brother, they made him believe he was nothing more then a monster, a weapon of destruction meant to hurt and kill. Her parents were just awful! Their actions were inexcusable, even from their own daughter. There was no way anyone with morals could excuse what they had been doing ¡ª


    Rosan rubbed her arm soothingly and she found herself calming down instantly.


    The blonde couldn''t help but blink in shock at the pure anger she had been feeling. Was that really her own anger? She... she wasn''t used to being angry!


    It was jarring...


    "Meiko, it''s not like you to harbor such resentment. I''m grateful that you feel so upset on my behalf but it would do you no good to go down the same path as me," Rosan told her, voice soft. She nodded shakily, grateful that he had been there to snap her out of her anger.


    Tentatively, Rosan asked Meiko "So you really like me too?" and the girl blushed beet red before flashing him a nervous smile.


    "Rosan, I''ve liked you since we were still on Daybreak Island¡­ I even told you," she accused.


    "Well, I knew that but at the time, I thought it was just a small crush no?" Rosan wondered in curiosity. He had known Meiko harbored feelings towards him but not to this extent!


    He had thought it was just a silly crush that would go away in time.


    Her mouth formed an O as she fully understood his question. "It was the day you told me about Save Point! When you told me that my safety was one of your priorities... it made me feel something new for you," she confessed, suddenly turning shy as she looked towards the floor.


    Rosan nodded at her response with a slightly surprised expression. "I realized I liked you after I gave you the earrings¡­ seeing you in that dress made me look at you in a new light and I started thinking about who you are as a person... the results are this," he explained to her .


    Meiko looked equally surprised. "Oh. We realized we liked each other only a day apart," she pointed out and Rosan nodded in amusement. That was a funny coincidence!


    After a comfortable silence digesting what they said, Meiko asked Rosan a question.


    "Did¡­ did I really look good in that dress?"


    "...Yes you did."


    "Rosan¡­"


    "Yes, Meiko?"


    "You''re kind of a pervert."


    "...I don''t wanna hear that from you Meiko."


    Meiko flushed at the deadpan expression on the redheads face. She was not a pervert!


    She looked at Mod-chan for support, but the purple haired woman was pointedly looking away from her and inspecting her always perfect nails for mistakes.


    Traitor!


    She pouted in defeat and Rosan grinned in victory, before she became serious.


    "Rosan I want to help you get better if you''ll let me," Meiko grabbed his small hands and looked at him with nothing but compassion in her gaze.


    Seeing Rosan so vulnerable, reminded her of just how young he was. Meiko wasn''t very tall, but Rosan was so small and, though he was fit, underneath his clothing was a slim figure.


    His time at Daybreak had made the redhead somewhat malnourished but Modification and his diet was already helping in spades in keeping his body well.


    "Help me how?" Rosan was genuinely curious and the child watched the blonde take his hands into her own. He would normally dismiss any and all help unless it was from Mod-chan but he hadn''t even been accepting help from her. He prided himself on being receptive to change yet, here he was doing the complete opposite.


    Pathetic.


    "Whatever you need help with of course!" Meiko replied cheerfully. Rosan hummed in contemplation at her words and he cupped his chin.


    "I''ll always be there for you Rosan so please¡­promise me that you''ll never leave me," Meiko requested and she sounded so earnest, so desperate, that Rosan felt a small pang.


    He was hesitant to make promises. Promises were something that held so much value to him yet they could be so easily broken and it always ended up hurting him in the process.


    He loved and missed her but, a part of him resented his Mama for making a promise that they''d be together. Rouge had to have known about the problems of holding Ace for that long, yet she still promised him.


    She had lied in the worst way to him and now he would never see her again.


    He resented himself for breaking his promise to Mod-chan and allowing his anger to get the best of him. Sure, it was out of his power, but he hadn''t made much attempts until recently to get it under control. He tried to keep his smile for the Devil Fruit but he had failed and that was unforgivable.


    Most of all, he resented Robin for tricking him so thoroughly. They had promised to keep each other safe and Rosan had fully believed in it like he did every promise but, like the others, it had been broken and he had been on the receiving end of it, resulting in him turning into this.


    Needless to say, Rosan had his reservations about making an oath. It was pretty clear that he was bad at keeping promises, even if they were mostly out of his control.


    The look in Meiko''s blue eyes though¡­ Rosan knew no other answer would be acceptable. He was starkly reminded that Meiko had developed abandonment issues due to his actions on Daybreak. The girl was terrified of being left behind and it played a part in why she was traveling with him currently. He was all she had left and she had attached to that knowledge like a lifeline.


    He could understand where she was coming from.


    She was as afraid of being left behind, as he was of being betrayed.


    "Meiko I promise I won''t ever leave you if you promise to always be by my side, no matter what I do," Rosan said softly.


    Any sane person would understand the unfairness of what Rosan was asking but that''s why he was asking it. The redhead wouldn''t put a promise on anything else. If Meiko was serious about this then he''d see right here ¡ª


    "I promise!" She said without hesitation.


    Rosan and Mod-chan (who had just been watching the entire exchange with warm eyes) blinked owlishly at her rather abrupt answer. He had expected her to at least think a little on it¡­


    "You really don''t find an issue with what I''m asking?" Rosan was confused. What he was asking was completely unreasonable so why would she so readily agree? The 9 year old had intended to stay with her regardless but he just used this as an excuse so he didn''t need to make a promise. But, here she was, puffed up like she had just scammed him thoroughly.


    "Of course not silly!" She said, making it seem like what he was asking was a given. "I want to stay by your side anyways so you''re asking a pretty stupid question!" The blonde chastised with a large grin.


    Everything Meiko said sounded so genuine, that Rosan found himself blown away.


    "You¡­ you won''t betray me? You won''t leave me...?" The boy whispered and he sounded so exposed that it broke her heart. It took everything for Meiko to hold back her tears. The boy, because he was just a boy, just wanted people he could trust.


    Rosan didn''t want to be alone, but he was too scarred to let anyone in.


    What a torturous way to live...


    Meiko and Mod both engulfed the boy in a bone-crushing hug. They held onto him like a lifeline just so he could know that they were there for him.


    "Rosan, I would never betray you because honestly, I think I love you," Meiko confessed and Rosan felt his heart stop at her admittance. Feeling particularly bold, Meiko planted a reassuring kiss on his cheek and Rosan''s brain froze as emotion began to overwhelm him.


    "Rosan, listen to me. Meiko wants nothing but the best for you," Mod said and the woman soothingly rubbed his crimson hair. "She''s a wonderful person and she cares about you¡­ I think, no I know you can trust her," she finished.


    Rosan felt himself warm as he heard the reassuring words coming from them. They were full of love and care and he just¡­ he had forgotten how nice it all felt.


    Unaware to both Mod and Rosan, deep inside of his body, the castle of ice made when Rosan was on Daybreak loomed high.


    It''s crystalline surface reflected the minimal light granting it an ethereal glow. It looked exactly the same, save for the chains. Where before they were secured firmly around the castle, now the death grip had loosened slightly. The entrance was ajar and inside the only resident of the castle began to sleep easier.


    Back with Rosan, the boy was confused to feel something wet rolling down his cheeks.


    Strange, the rain didn''t reach here.


    He looked at Meiko and though she was crying, her tears couldn''t magically roll down his cheek. A look at Mod-chan, confirmed the exact same thing.


    Rosan touched his face and was shocked to find that he was crying. Tears were rolling down his cheeks and it left him reeling in astonishment.


    Why was he crying? Surely their words hadn''t affected him that much... Right?


    But here he was, shedding tears as a surge of relief coursed it''s way through his body.


    The last time he had cried, was when he realized Robin was not coming for him. His Mama had always told him big boys don''t cry when he got hurt and he had taken that to heart. Rosan saw crying as a sign of weakness and, when his goal was to become the strongest, there was no time to be weak.


    He would never cry from pain. Never again.


    But... was it okay to cry if the tears weren''t from pain? It was fine if he was crying tears of relief, right?


    If his tears were positive?


    Yes it was. He decided it was okay, because he was happy that he had such wonderful people to rely on.


    So Rosan clutched them back, surprising them greatly, and allowed his tears to fall freely. He held onto them for dear life, as if they could disappear at any moment.


    Meiko and Mod heard the 9 year old let out a desperate whimper and the dams broke. To see the boy in such a raw state, it was too much for the two and they could no longer hold back their emotion.


    Meiko had never even seen Rosan show any sign of weakness before today and it felt riveting. Knowing that the boy was still capable of tears, of feeling such emotions filled her with an undeniable sense of relief.


    He was no emotionless monster. Rosan was a child. A child who desperately needed help that the world wasn''t willing to give him.


    Well she would be the one to help him!


    No matter what it took.


    Mod was just as bad as Rosan was, when it came to blaming oneself.


    She blamed herself for forcing Rosan''s hand in making the agonizing decision to abandon his little brother. If she had not told him about the dangers of what came with eating the Mod Mod no mi, the boy would be raising little Ace right now.


    She blamed herself for making Rosan put such high expectations onto himself. The boy did everything for her, he didn''t allow himself to fail because it could potentially jeopardize her safety.


    She blamed herself for Rosan thinking he betrayed the Devil Fruit by breaking his promise when he had no say in the matter. She would never have had him make that promise if she knew he would have taken it to heart for something he couldn''t control.


    She blamed herself for not being there when Rosan was ruthlessly toyed with on Daybreak island by that disgusting man who morphed him into a cold blooded killer. While he had been suffering nonstop, she had been sleeping. Seastone or not, she should never have allowed her child to be alone.


    She blamed herself for not being able to convince him that Robin was innocent. There was no world where Robin would ever betray Rosan. She truly did love the boy with all her heart but her charge was too angry to see that.


    But most of all, she blamed herself for lacking the ability to change Rosan back to how he used to be.


    How could she convince Rosan that he wasn''t what he said he was? The two had been together forever. She had an undeniable bias when it came to the boy and they both knew it.


    Even if that bias played no part in what she honestly believed, it would never be able to convince Rosan that what he said was not true.


    Yet Meiko, bless her beautiful soul, had none of that bias. In fact, she had all the tools necessary to hate Rosan and they all knew it.


    After everything Rosan had done to her, any person would have wholeheartedly agreed with his own sentiments. The redhead fully expected the blonde to hate him and it would have only reaffirmed his own beliefs.


    But no, in a shock to both of them, The 11 year old had instead confessed that she was likely in love with the boy. The sheer shock value of what she said, was enough to make Rosan seriously reconsider his own values because what bias would she have against him? He had taken everything from her except for her life after all. There should be no bias.


    Her parents had been killed by his hands, her island had been destroyed, everyone she knew and love was gone and it was all because of Rosan.


    Yet she said she loved him.


    It was fitting that the two liked each other. They were both very clearly insane.


    Mod knew it was selfish and immoral to think, but she didn''t care. She was glad Rosan had done what he did and that they had Meiko now.


    Because of Meiko, Rosan could get better and Rosan would always be the Devil Fruit''s number one priority.


    Mod would be eternally grateful for what Meiko had done.


    The three cried as they held onto each other yet none of it was sadness.


    No, there was only relief in those tears.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Meiko''s eyes went soft at the memory and she put a hand over her heart from the lingering emotions.


    Over the months, Rosan had been making an earnest effort to be more open with her and it was showing!


    He was much more expressive now and though he was still a bit standoffish, the boy didn''t try to put walls up between them anymore. The redhead was open with how he was feeling and due to his inexperience with emotions, she would help him out in any way that he could.


    Meiko had slight regrets though.


    Rosan was¡­ well to put it in simple terms, Rosan was chaotic¡­to an extreme degree. The boy did whatever he felt like and the consequences didn''t bother him at all!


    The redhead had once asked her to teach him how to cook and she had agreed readily, happy that he wanted to learn and said he could watch her prepare dinner. The boy had insisted she just tell him what to do and, seeing no harm in it, she agreed.


    She was a bit worried when Angel, Demon, and even Mod-chan commented on how bad of an idea it was but love made a girl do stupid things.


    Next time, she would heed their warnings. If not for how well modified the White Rose was, Rosan would certainly have burned down the entire ship. The sleek, advanced ship had taken the beating it like a champ because Rosan''s cooking was horrendous.


    Worst of all, the child had the gall to say her teaching was terrible and that''s why he failed so spectacularly. The disbelief she shot the boy, due to his sheer audacity, made him laugh at her.


    Wanting to prove a point, Rosan had told her to make dinner and he''d standby and watch her the entire time. She didn''t know where he was going with this so she did exactly as he said and prepared an actually edible meal for them to eat.


    She watched with her jaw dropped as, the very next day, Rosan made the exact same meal she had made the night previously with absolutely no differences.


    Somehow, the redhead had perfectly replicated their dinner!


    Meiko spluttered as she took a bite and saw that it even tasted the same!


    "So how does it taste?" The smugness in his voice almost made her lie to him right then and there. She refrained from it because he''d be able to tell anyways.


    "How were you able to perfectly replicate my dish?!" She asked in return refusing to answer the question.


    The boy shrugged in superiority and Meiko wanted to strangle him, as he smugly said "I just watched you cook it and did everything you did. It''s actually pretty easy and I even noticed that you made some mistakes! Next time I can make an even better dish."


    He deftly moved out of the way of her lunge and sat right on her back. She kicked her legs fruitlessly and the asshole just laughed at her.


    "Thanks for teaching me how to cook, Mei," Rosan teased her and she flushed in anger.


    She didn''t teach him anything!


    "I hate you Rosy," she grumbled and he patted her head gently. The ass was still sitting on her back and he made no move to get up.


    Meiko really hated geniuses.


    Something about the whole process confused her though.


    "Rosan you watch me cook all the time so how did you even manage to mess up your first time that badly?"


    "Well that''s because most of the time I''m not actually watching you cook, I''m watching you," he replied easily and she blushed darkly, all anger forgotten.


    That was another thing, Rosan had no shame whatsoever. He didn''t realize the implications of some of his statements until you pointed it out. Then when he did realize, he would start teasing you relentlessly.


    Maybe she should have just left him without emotion. It was easier for her that way.


    Meiko didn''t regret it though. She never would because seeing Rosan defer to her like this, made her feel glad she offered her assistance. The boy was opening up and it warmed her to the core. It was why they were currently visiting Baterilla!


    Rosan was afraid to visit his mother''s grave because he thought he had failed the late woman by leaving Ace behind. The boy had not visited her in 6 years! That just wasn''t fair to the woman at all!


    Meiko had put her foot down and told him they''d visit her grave the first chance they got. He looked pensive at that but the blonde reassured him that she would be his moral support. The Modification user agreed reluctantly but the grateful smile he shot her, told the girl all she needed to know.


    The only issue, was that they were in the North Blue currently and Rosan was raised in the South Blue.


    Getting from the North Blue to the South Blue was not an easy task. The Blue Sea was separated by the imposing Red Line, the world''s sole continent and as such, travel was extremely difficult without being connected to the World Government.


    Rosan had told her that he had traveled through the South Blue before making the decision to go to the North Blue when he was 6. The West Blue was out of the question for him because he had been traveling with Nico Robin and he heard that the Hero of the Marines loved to frequent the East Blue so that was also not an option.


    She had questioned how he could have possibly gotten to the North Blue from the South and he said he used the Calm Belt. Her jaw dropped as he casually mentioned going through the notoriously treacherous strip of ocean (the one full of Sea Kings). She had voiced her worries and Rosan had smiled reassuringly.


    "I had Mod-chan guiding me and the White Rose is an advanced ship, it can move without wind because of my abilities and it''s really fast! We might have had a run in with some Sea Kings but we just ran," he said with utmost confidence and she had no choice but to believe him.


    "You don''t have to worry though, we won''t need to take the Calm Belt this time," Rosan said and at her curious gaze, he simply said "We''ll just fly over the Red Line."


    ...Fly?


    "Fly?" Meiko repeated and Rosan nodded.


    "It will be less dangerous if we just fly over the Red Line. I have a lot of stamina so it won''t be an issue," he shrugged.


    She furrowed her brow a bit and frowned. "You''re gonna carry me the entire time? Won''t that be hard on you? I have been putting some weight on¡­"


    Rosan lightly chopped her on the head and he said "Shut up Mei. You''re just going through puberty and you know that. Don''t be so critical of yourself when you''re telling me not to do that."


    He grabbed her and pulled her into an embrace. "You''re so helpful to me, but you also have problems of your own," Rosan hummed and she flushed in shame at how blunt his accurate assessment of her was.


    "There''s no need to be self conscious Mei. You''re perfect just the way you are," Rosan said as he rubbed her back.


    "You''re only saying that to make me feel better¡­" Meiko mumbled into his red spikes. Rosan had taken it out of its bun, since she loved it when it was down, and now, the spikes were running freely on his head again. They reached just above his back and were much less disheveled then when he was a kid.


    "Mei, you''ve been training in medicine for a while, I''m sure you know what''s happening to you is natural and that you''re over exaggerating. There''s no need to get upset about it because you still look great," Rosan calmly explained to her.


    The blonde nodded glumly. "Having self esteem issues mixed with hormones is hard, Rosy," and he just laughed that laugh she loved to hear.


    "You''re cute Mei and you''re gonna end up beautiful when all is said and done," he spoke with absolute confidence and Meiko felt a blush forming on her face. She blushed way too much around Rosan... but she couldn''t help it!


    "Meiko, I like everything about you and that''s all that matters. Forget what anyone else thinks because they don''t matter. As long as I think you''re fine, then you''re fine," the 10 year old said firmly and the 12 year old could feel the possessiveness in his tone.


    She hoped no one ever showed interest in her when Rosan was around. The blonde would never reciprocate them, but something told her Rosan could be quite unreasonable.


    The blue eyed girl found his possessive streak cute, but when she thought about what it could mean for other people¡­ it suddenly looked really scary.


    "So what will you do with Angel, Demon, and the White Rose while flying to the North Blue?" Meiko suddenly asked, as the thought came to her.


    "I''m shrinking the ship since we won''t need it and I''ll be carrying all 3 of you of course," was his response and Meiko''s brow furrowed once again.


    "Rosan I know you''re strong but you''re um¡­ you''re not the biggest of people," she tried to explain without triggering the boy. "I don''t see how you''ll be able to carry all of us in your arms," she eventually finished and was relieved to see the boy only looked mildly annoyed.


    His annoyance was quickly wiped away by realization. "You think Shinigami is my only transformation." It wasn''t a question but she nodded anyways.


    Rosan smiled.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Meiko, sitting next to the far too calm duo of Demon and Angel, screamed in joy as she rode on the back of the massive dragon that was Rosan. The black dragon with red highlights sped through the clouds at a rapid pace with the current passengers on his back.


    She had no idea the Mod Mod no mi user could transform into a Dragon of all things!


    When he had first transformed, Meiko had been quivering in a primal sort of terror at the sight of the winged reptile. But after letting out a terrifyingly loud roar, the obsidian Dragon had immediately rested its head onto its claws and stared at her with a familiar intelligent gaze.


    "R-Rosan? Are you there?" the blonde asked tentatively, stepping closer to those large, familiar, heterochromatic eyes. They were on an uninhabited island (Rosan had mentioned invading this island before when he was younger) and so no one but the residents of the White Rose were here.


    The dragon rumbled deeply in confirmation and though it rattled her bones, she stepped forward in awe and began to pet his scales. The rumbles began to sound more like purring and Meiko couldn''t resist the urge to giggle.


    He raised a claw carefully, so as to not hurt her, and gently pressed it against her head. Meiko felt the familiar sensation of linking and after blinking she experimentally said "Rosan?"


    "Meiko this is Ragnarok," she heard his high pitched voice greet her. Hearing Rosan''s childish voice on the form of such a magnificent creature made Meiko laugh way harder then she would have liked.


    Her laughing turned into a terrified squeak as a massive tail wrapped around her and firmly placed her on the Dragon''s back. Rosan''s amusement was palpable and she heard the dragon let out a deep snort.


    She pouted at him. "That was mean Rosan," she chastised him.


    "Nobody told you to laugh at me," He chastised the girl and she scowled at him.


    "I wasn''t expecting to hear your voice from the dragon," she reasoned and she got the sense that the boy was rolling his eyes.


    "Do you prefer this then?" Rosan''s voice suddenly deepened harshly, into a low, aggressive growl.


    Meiko paled dramatically and shook her head in a negative. "N-no thank you I''d rather not. Your voice is much better anyways." He sounded as terrifying as he looked and if she had to hear that in her head for the entire ride, she wouldn''t be sleeping.


    "Funny, I thought the same thing," Rosan agreed snidely, voice back to normal.


    "Rosan''s voice is pretty adorable," Mod chimed in and Meiko smiled in joy at hearing the Devil Fruit.


    "Isn''t it?! Rosan''s just the cutest wouldn''t you agree?" Meiko grinned as she felt Rosan''s annoyance spike.


    "He''s cute and he knows it! You should have seen him when he was younger! He would liberally abuse how adorable he was to get his way! Even his mother fell victim to it," she gushed.


    "Wow, how crafty of you Rosan!" Meiko teased.


    "We''re leaving now," Rosan said blandly, avoiding the conversation like a plague. They both laughed at his misfortune and he expertly ignored it.


    Angel and Demon both leapt onto the resting Dragon''s back and the three got into a comfortable position. His scaly back was not nearly as rough as they thought and they attributed it to the fact that he most likely modified it with them in mind.


    "It''s normally rough but I''ve modified it for comfort this time," Rosan explained confirming their thoughts. "The ride will take a while and I wouldn''t want you 3 to be uncomfortable the entire time."


    It was small things such as this, that made Meiko really love Rosan.


    The black dragon stood up after everyone was prepared and, with a flap of his massive wings, Rosan was airborne. Another flap and the boy was soaring high above the clouds.


    Meiko''s screams of elation rang through the sky as the draconian flew off.


    They had been flying for a few hours now at a leisurely pace due to Rosan wanting her to enjoy the ride and Meiko had calmed down from her initial high. Angel and Demon were content to just speak to each other so that left Meiko to talk with Rosan and Mod-chan.


    The fly over to South Blue brought another issue to her mind.


    "Rosan, I want to talk to you about something" Meiko said a bit hesitant to bring this up. The blonde just knew that if she asked him wrong, Rosan would shut down completely.


    Rosan sensed her trepidation and replied, in a serious tone, "What is it Meiko? There''s no need to be hesitant."


    "Can you tell me about your relationship with¡­ Nico Robin maybe?" she tentatively asked him. After a long silence, she hastily added "S-sorry I shouldn''t have asked that please just ignore my question!"


    She messed up, she shouldn''t have asked him that. Oh no, what if they went back to square one now?! Speaking about Nico Robin was a sore spot for Rosan.


    Mod-chan had told Meiko that she had to walk on eggshells when bringing up the Devil Child but she had thought they were making such good progress¡­ She just hoped Rosan wouldn''t put his walls back up ¡ª


    "Nico Robin was my companion of 4 years," Rosan began and Meiko blinked in shock. "She was someone that I thought I could trust with my life. But when I chose to trust her with my life, she showed me the harsh reality that the only person I can trust is myself."


    Meiko frowned, as Mod-chan let out a tired "Oh Rosan¡­"


    Did the Devil Fruit not agree with Rosan? She hadn''t told her much about Robin, but the purple haired beauty didn''t seem to resent the girl like Rosan did. On the contrary, Mod-chan seemed quite fond of the Devil Child.


    She wondered if the two had gotten into an argument about the fugitive. Mod-chan scarcely mentioned her around Rosan. When the woman had told her to refrain from mentioning Robin, she sounded almost afraid of what could happen.


    "We were very close but she left me to rot at that place."


    Rosan''s voice hadn''t gotten this cold in a long time.


    "That place¡­ do you mean Daybreak?" Talking about her island when his tone was this grave, was never good for either of them but her curiosity for Robin and concern for Rosan, outweighed her fear.


    "Yes. For 4 years we were together up until I messed up and got captured¡­ for one month I clung on to that silly promise Robin and I made to each other and I suffered because of it. While I was getting tortured within an inch of my life, hoping and praying she''d come help me, she was joining up with other organizations and doing what we did alone," Rosan delivered in a stony tone, voice not betraying anything.


    "I was under the impression that we relied on each other. I was foolish to think that I could rely on anyone but myself."


    Meiko felt tears well up as he spoke. Rosan''s voice was without emotion, but he could never hide the raw pain in it. His entire personality shift, when she had seen him again on Daybreak, suddenly made sense. She thought her father had finally gotten his wish but the stress from all the pain and the realization that someone you trusted with your life was not coming for you, was too much for anyone to handle.


    Whether it was her fault or not, Nico Robin was the catalyst that caused Rosan to reach his breaking point. Even if Robin was innocent, in the child''s eyes, what she did was unforgivable.


    "¡­" Mod wanted so badly to defend Robin but she couldn''t justify her actions in the eyes of Rosan. The redhead had made a promise with Robin and despite how impossible it was, the Hana Hana no mi user had not been able to keep said promise.


    The Devil Fruit didn''t blame Robin for being unable to find them. She loved that girl, of course she could never blame her!


    But Rosan did and because he did, there was not much she could do about it. She could only hope that as Rosan aged and spent time around Meiko, he''d become more reasonable.


    "Rosan¡­ why do you value promises so much?" Meiko asked in genuine curiosity. Promises were important to her but the extent that Rosan valued them, was scary.


    She wasn''t sure anyone valued promises as much as the redhead. He treated them like they were sacred and that made her realize why he asked her that question in their mindscape.


    "Mama told me when you make a promise you should do everything in your power to keep it," Rosan sighed forlornly, as he reminisced on a time long ago. "Even though she lied to me and couldn''t keep her promise¡­ I still love her and I value everything she has told me."


    "I couldn''t raise Ace like she wanted, so I can at least keep her lessons close to my heart."


    "Broke your promise?" Meiko asked him.


    "She promised that after she gave birth to Ace we''d be together¡­ just the 3 of us but, she died giving birth to him instead and left me."


    Rosan''s voice cracked a bit as he spoke about his mother. "I told her that holding the baby for so long would only be detrimental to her health and I was right, but I wish I wasn''t. The stress of childbirth killed my mother."


    Meiko''s eyes went soft and she wanted nothing more then to hug Rosan and tell him it''s alright. He sounded so hollow. The 10 year old had been living with this for so long and the mental strain, just kept piling on top of each other.


    She admired Rosan for not breaking. He was one of the strongest people she knew mentally.


    "Rosan, I understand your frustrations, but I don''t think Robin willingly abandoned you," Meiko said in a near whisper. The blonde knew she was playing with fire right now, but Rosan trusted her to set him straight and that''s what she would do!


    "Meiko," his voice came out low and the warning in it was obvious. She flinched a bit at his tone and second guessed her actions.


    "M-maybe we should talk about something else?"


    Mod sounded nervous. Really nervous. They had talked about this before then. Judging by how anxious the Devil Fruit sounded¡­ the conversation had not ended well.


    The clones shared her sentiment, if the way they were shuddering was an indication.


    Right, they were naturally connected to Rosan. They just revered him too much to actively use the connection.


    Well, Meiko would not back down from this.


    "Rosan¡­ Dad was very meticulous," Meiko began hesitantly, making sure to use the right wording. "It''s very likely that he''s been planning your capture for¡­a long time and he''d made the steps necessary to ensure Nico Robin couldn''t find you."


    "Also¡­ I remember him mentioning to Mom, that he informed the Marines about her whereabouts. Can you imagine trying to look for someone and having no clue where to start and on top of that, the Marines are hunting you in spades¡­ I think she had no choice but to join an organization¡­"


    Meiko got nervous at the absolute silence. Not even Mod was saying anything but the purple haired woman''s fear was tangible.


    The clones had long since stopped whispering to each other and they were nervously glancing around. Angel was clutching Demon''s hand in reassurance as the male clone looked to her for safety.


    Meiko frowned sadly. How was Rosan able to cause such a reaction? It was sad to see how touchy of a subject this was.


    "What do you want me to do then Meiko?" Rosan''s voice came out in a near whisper.


    "Should I chase her around the world just so I can have closure? What will that achieve? Do you honestly think any answer she gives me will satisfy me? Nico Robin emotionally destroyed me Meiko. I trusted her to save me but nobody came. I don''t care if she didn''t have a choice and maybe that makes me selfish but I can''t just rationalize the pain and suffering I endured away. What I''m feeling right now... it''s not based on logic Meiko."


    Rosan''s speech was bitter and resigned and Meiko just wanted to stop right there.


    But she couldn''t do that. The 12 year old knew that Rosan was hurt that no one had saved him. He needed an outlet and he chose Nico Robin. But that wasn''t fair to the girl that had been with him for 4 years!


    She didn''t deserve to be hated by someone who she still very likely loved.


    "How do you think Robin will feel when you meet her one day and you want nothing more then to strike her down?" Meiko asked Rosan seriously. "She probably thinks your dead, Rosan! How will she react if you two suddenly see each other again and you harbor nothing but hatred for her?!"


    "¡­" Rosan said nothing.


    "You need an outlet Rosan I understand¡­ Please, you can use me if you want. I am the daughter of the two who made your life hell¡­" Meiko sounded sad, but accepting, as she said that.


    "Don''t even suggest something so stupid Meiko," Rosan snarled out and he sounded so angry that Meiko actually leaned back in surprise. "I would never hate you because of who your parents are. It''s just¡­ I don''t know what this feeling is." The boy sounded lost and her eyes became understanding.


    "I know it''s hard Rosan. To feel such powerful emotions and not knowing what to do," Meiko whispered to him "It''s okay to feel like this Rosan¡­ that''s what makes us human."


    "That''s what makes us¡­human," Rosan said to himself in wonder. He had always fancied himself a monster but maybe¡­ maybe he wasn''t as far gone as he thought?


    Robin had left him behind, that much was true. But, maybe Rosan never considered the circumstances that led to that.


    No, that wasn''t quite right. Rosan refused to acknowledge the possible circumstances.


    Rosan knew Doc. They had spent far too much time in each others presence, for him to not pick up on the craftiness of the Doctor. Knowing him, he had probably left a corpse behind that matched his figure to ensure no one would look too hard for him.


    It was very likely, that Robin had begun searching for him with the knowledge that he may very well be dead.


    Coupled with the fact the Marines were probably searching for her¡­


    Had she been forced to give up her search?


    Yes, most likely. The Marines would swarm every island in pursuit of the Devil Child. There was a very real possibility that Robin had to accept the fact that Rosan was probably dead; and with a heavy heart, she was forced to leave.


    He wouldn''t be surprised if she went to the Grand Line... Travelling to the other Seas was difficult.


    Rosan also had possession of the White Rose, so Robin would have needed to find a way to get off the island safely¡­ which probably meant she joined up with an organization...


    It was obviously clear that she had not abandoned him by choice.


    So why?


    Why did he still feel such rage?


    He understood now, so why? Why?! WHY?!


    "You''re only 10 Rosan," Mod-chan spoke up softly. "You feel hurt and you feel betrayal. You aren''t used to feeling such overwhelming emotions and that''s okay. As you grow older, you''ll better learn how to control them."


    "Mm!" Meiko agreed "I''ll be there to help you the whole time Rosan so make sure you talk to Robin because she must have been worried sick about you!" The girl demanded and Rosan let out a small chuckle as he finally conceded.


    What would he do without them?


    "Like I told Mod-chan, I will talk to Robin if I ever see her. Looking for her is not my priority though. If we find each other, we find each other but for now, I simply want to get stronger," Rosan told her and she nodded.


    That would be for the best, as Rosan got older he''d be able to sort out his errant emotions easier so his meeting with Robin wouldn''t go south.


    Mod was elated at how smoothly the conversation had went! Watching Rosan make an earnest attempt for them, warmed her to the core. The woman feared that Rosan would have lashed out harshly on Meiko but, he seemed to have remembered their argument so long ago.


    If that made this conversation go smoother, Mod was glad they had it in the first place.


    Even without near eidetic memory it would have been hard to forget.


    Meiko was so glad that Rosan was being receptive to criticism. It made helping him that much easier and they were making real progress because of it. It filled her with more joy then she could imagine, that someone valued her words so much.


    Angel and Demon were thankful that their Master hadn''t lost his temper. They knew exactly what Rosan was capable of doing as a Dragon. Daybreak Island being burned into nothing was a very vivid reminder.


    They shuddered at the utter mayhem a Draconic Rosan would cause. He had managed to destroy an island with a power he wielded for the first time. The destruction he could cause after training so much¡­ They didn''t even want to think about it!


    "My clones have such little faith in me," Rosan said in a vexed tone causing their eyes to widen.


    "N-no it''s nothing like that, Master!" Angel hastily assured him. She was waving her hands frantically in an attempt to persuade him.


    "We were just wary of the possibility that it could happen," Demon agreed with just as much panic.


    A snort cut them both off, as Rosan said "You two are so easy."


    The amusement in his tone was noticeable and the two scowled at his teasing tone.


    Master was much less of a jerk before, Angel decided.


    Demon nodded sagely.


    Mod laughed at their misfortune.


    Meiko giggled at Rosan''s ever growing confusion.


    "¡­ I''m not that bad right?"


    "¡­"


    "¡­"


    "¡­"


    "You''re an agent of chaos, Rosan," Meiko, bless her soul, finally spoke for the rest of them when it became clear that no one else was going to speak up.


    "I hate you all."

 Serenity II

    Rosan was nervous.


    Something about visiting his old home, filled him with a dread he couldn''t explain. Deep down though, he knew the reason.


    He had failed his mother. Quite spectacularly at that. Her last wish had been for Rosan to take care of his little brother and he had done everything but that.


    It had been 6 years and he had never even met the boy...


    Rosan didn''t even know what Ace looked like! He had not seen his little brother in 6 years and he never even got a good look at him as a baby. The only thing he had seen, was a tuft of black hair. It wasn''t even strawberry blonde like his mother''s...


    Finding him could prove to be slightly difficult.


    He hoped Ace was happy wherever he was. Rosan wasn''t quite ready to visit his younger brother, but hopefully the 6 year old had friends and was enjoying his life.


    If he figured out anything happened to his little brother, not even the massive gap in strength between him and Garp would stop him from ripping that man to shreds. When he eventually sought out his brother, Rosan just hoped Ace didn''t hate him too much.


    He wouldn''t blame him if he did though.


    Rosan was, surprisingly, undisguised for this trip. He would never dare to disrespect his mother by hiding his appearance. His red hair spiked out freely and he had opted into wearing a long sleeved black shirt with red roses decorated all over the sleeves. On the back was one large rose. He had opted to wear baggy black pants that were tucked into equally black boots.


    "Your always wearing something black¡­ Is it your favorite color?" Meiko''s bell like voice chimed.


    "My favorite colors are red and purple. Black comes right after them," Rosan began, turning to face the blonde. "I wear black more because it''s less noticeable then the two I mentioned. When I was younger, I used to wear red a lot more," Rosan explained to her, getting a nod out of the blonde.


    Meiko was in her signature sailor outfit. This one was colored white, with hints of red, and it had a red tie to match. She had on thigh high socks tucked neatly into some white sneakers. Her golden blonde hair was out of its twintails in favor of flowing freely down her back and stopping just above her butt.


    "You look good with your hair down," Rosan commented offhandedly, after appraising her appearance.


    Meiko blushed red and she stammered out a "Y-you think so?"


    Her blush deepened as Rosan nodded without hesitation. She blushed deeper and bashfully thanked him, before touching her hair in thought.


    Rosan knew he would be attracting looks without his disguise, but if he were dressed as Reaper, he''d be attracting an equal, if not more, amount.


    Reaper''s popularity had exploded in the months since he had adopted it''s persona. It seemed that everywhere in the Blue Sea, people were talking about the mysterious black clad figure and Rosan wasn''t really sure why people loved talking about the Shinigami.


    Well, he had been capturing and turning in bounties over the Blue Seas at an abnormally quick rate. Maybe that was why? Coupled with the fact that you couldn''t see an ounce of his skin, and his very noticeable wings, and his gigantic scythe ¡ª


    Okay never mind, he knew why Reaper was attracting so much attention.


    There was something about mysterious figures that attracted humans. The ethereal air that he gave off, his dismissive attitude, the fact that he had begun floating because it was easier then walking, but they thought he was too transcendent to walk the same earth as them¡­


    Really people were so annoying. They took the most insignificant details and spun them into something so much more.


    They spoke of him like he was some type of boogeyman though and it was more annoying then he''d like to admit. He was nothing but polite whenever he interacted with someone so why did everyone panic when they saw him?


    He even heard parents warning their children that if they stayed out too late, Reaper would come get them!


    Really?!


    Rosan had yet to attack anyone who didn''t have a bounty unprovoked! His sheer outrage at that one made Mod and Meiko laugh for 30 minutes straight. Even the clones couldn''t help but join in.


    He didn''t even have a bounty yet! Though, he suspected the Marines were just looking for a reason to give him one. They had asked him to join the World Government and his rather rude reply of "I''d rather pluck every single feather off of my wings, one by one, with a rusty spoon" probably didn''t sit right with them.


    The fact remained though, Reaper was popular and their infamy was only rising higher and higher.


    Rosan didn''t want any connections between himself and Reaper. If the people saw his other persona paying his respects to a woman who had been dead for over 6 years¡­ well it would be suspicious to say the least. Besides Rosan wanted to visit her as Rosan, not as Reaper.


    The redhead had modified his ship as well. He didn''t outwardly change its appearance, but he had changed the black to a more standard brown. The White Rose was an all black ship and apparently there weren''t much black ships, or any ships really that looked like his did. People didn''t know Reaper had a ship due to his penchant of flying everywhere, but it never hurt to be careful.


    Maybe Meiko had a point about him being too flashy¡­


    Eh, Too late to change things now. Any appearance change to Reaper would be detrimental in the long run. It would make him appear more human and people were less likely to believe it was him. Besides, Rosan was quite vain when it came to his appearance and the 10 year old prided himself in looking good.


    Reaper looked good so Reaper would stay that way.


    The duo of Meiko and Rosan descended from the ship at the same time. It was clear though, that Meiko was much more willing to go then he was. She sensed his trepidation and gave him a gentle squeeze of reassurance. He let out a small sigh and flashed her a thankful smile.


    Over the months, relying on Meiko had made his life so much easier. The blonde always knew how to calm him down and now that he was willing to listen, he benefited from it greatly.


    As they walked through Baterilla, Meiko took the chance to observe her surroundings.


    It really was a beautiful island that was immersed in nature. The wind blew gently and her long hair swayed in time with the breeze. Chirping birds were located in a dense amount of trees and the chatter of people meshed perfectly with it all.


    She could see what Rosan''s mindscape was based off of now. Living here made one really appreciate nature. The summer island was beautiful and it embraced nature much like Rosan''s mindscape did.


    The Modification user''s mindscape was a lot more wet though.


    What really caught her attention though, were the looks. In particular, the amount of eyes on Rosan, varying in degrees of shock. The boy seemingly didn''t realize but she knew nothing evaded his gaze.


    "Rosy, I think they notice you," Meiko pointed out through their connection.


    "It''s been 6 years, but my appearance has barely changed¡­ it''s probably not hard at all for them to notice me. I was the type of kid who everyone knew," Rosan replied offhandedly.


    She nodded after remembering the stories Mod-chan told her. Rosan was probably a notable shining presence on Baterilla during his time here with how wild he acted.


    The inhabitants looked like they had seen a ghost.


    That wasn''t a surprise. To them, Rosan might as well have been a ghost. They probably weren''t even aware that Rouge, Rosan''s mother, was pregnant so news of her death would have caught them all surprise. Coupled with the fact that no news of Rosan''s fate had reached their ears... Well, they probably thought the boy had died along with his mother.


    The only one who would have known that Rosan left on his own accord¡­ would be the Marine that took Ace.


    Rosan had a rather distinct appearance. If you knew who he was, it wouldn''t be hard to identify him, no matter how he aged. It''s why he wore his Reaper disguise so frequently, so that people couldn''t immediately recognize him public.


    Spiky, untamed, brilliant crimson locks that reached the shoulder. Bronze skin that looked too natural to be a tan. Large eyes with near invisible pupils that each shined a different color, one blood red, the other royal purple. Coupled with the fact that he was considered attractive...


    "Exotic" is what Sachie liked to describe him as.


    Meiko was inclined to agree. She doubted anybody looked quite like Rosan so the fact that everyone on the island recognized him was no surprise.


    A blush dusted her cheeks at the fact that someone like Rosan would be attracted to her. She was glad. As he grew older, Rosan would garner quite a bit of attention from males and females alike.


    She scowled at the thought of other people fawning over him.


    Rosan was hers.


    "Here I was thinking Rosan was the only possessive one," Mod spoke up causing her to turn an interesting shade of red.


    "I am not possessive," Rosan and Meiko said at the exact same time.


    "Maybe one day Meiko can convince me but Rosan, that ship has sailed long ago for you," Mod-chan said in a deadpan.


    Meiko couldn''t wipe the smile off her face as Rosan scowled.


    She had to agree with the Devil Fruit, Rosan was possessive. Meiko recalled how one time, an older boy had tried to flirt with her. She had embarrassingly rejected his advances, but he had been insistent.


    The blonde was flattered, but she only had eyes for one person¡­ and that one person managed to catch the boy getting progressively more demanding. Meiko urged him to stop but he refused to listen and she shook her head in sympathy.


    Rosan (dressed as Reaper) had walked up to the suddenly paralyzed offender, whispered something into his ear, squeezed his shoulder gently, and walked away. The kid had progressively paled as Rosan spoke and by the time he was done, he had been shaking like a leaf. The masked boy had patted him one last time before allowing him to run off.


    The boy had shot off without glancing back even once.


    And he wondered why Reaper was getting so famous. The rumors spread about the Angel of Death were not being helped by Rosan whatsoever.


    Some people looked like they wanted to approach, but Rosan''s aura dissuaded most forms of curiosity. The boy''s tiny pupils had narrowed into slits and his mouth was set into a straight line. He looked like the picture perfect "Approach me and die" and everyone too notice.


    That didn''t stop people from trying though.


    "R-Rosan," A mature voice called out, causing them both to pause "Is t-that really you?" The voice asked skeptically.


    They looked to see a short, fair woman at about 30 years of age looking at the boy with wide disbelieving eyes. She was of average weight with a pretty, yet aging face that indicated her age. She had shoulder length, glossy black hair tied into a ponytail and brown eyes with slight crows feet. She was currently holding a baby in her arms that was peacefully asleep.


    Rosan sent the woman an uninterested glance and she flinched at the look in his eyes. "Hello Megumi," he began, remembering the woman from his time here. "Congratulations on the child," he said, nodding towards the infant.


    Meiko sighed at how curt he was. Rosan clearly did not want to continue this conversation, but something told her this wasn''t the end of it.


    "I ¡ª thank you, but what happened to you?! When we heard Rouge-san died and we didn''t hear about you we just¡­" Megumi froze at the frigid stare Rosan shot her. The older woman cursed her lack of tact and tried to sway the conversation in another direction. "W-What happened to your eyes dear?" she asked instead.


    Rosan had a brilliant pair of purple eyes that were talked about frequently between the civilians because of the fact that they seemed to glow. He had not been heterochromatic, so to see a burning red eye in his left eye was quite off putting and only raised more questions.


    "You sure are asking a lot of questions, Megumi," Rosan pointed out idly and she frowned at him.


    "You should show some respect to your elders little Rosan," She chastised gently. He was saying her name far too casually for the age difference between them.


    It was quite rude!


    Rosan''s eyes narrowed.


    "The very first thing you do when seeing me, is mention my dead mother to me and you have the nerve to call me rude?" Rosan asked incredulously and he raised a single brow. He got the desired reaction out of the woman, because she immediately reeled back and turned defensive.


    "N-no I-I w-wasn''t trying t-to¡ª,"


    "Not only that, your commenting on my appearance with such an unpleasant expression on your face? What exactly have you done to deserve my respect because you''ve been nothing but disrespectful?" The boy cut her off with a confused expression.


    She stammered as she looked down into those intimidating eyes of his.


    "Um¡­pardon me," The woman excused herself hastily. "I h-have to get home now, the baby gets in q-quite a fuss if she doesn''t get her meal," she stuttered out. Rosan opted to continue staring condescendingly at the mother.


    "You do that. While you''re at it, I think you should learn how to have a conversation, Megumi," Rosan suggested and those dual eyes stared at her, daring her to continue challenging him.


    She didn''t.


    Megumi turned hastily and fled the scene, promising herself to never have a conversation with the redhead again. Little Rosan had always had a presence but never had it felt so dangerous. He was such a cheerful boy and he was willing to have a conversation with everyone around him!


    She couldn''t help but wonder what happened to him to cause such a drastic shift from the happy go lucky boy to¡­that.


    Everyone who witnessed the conversation, wondered the same thing.


    "You''re really good at that," Meiko eventually told Rosan, as the shock wore off. He was ruthless!


    "Good at what?" He asked knowingly.


    "Controlling the conversation," the blonde said still a little surprised at the way he handled it.


    "Oh?"


    "That lady¡­ she didn''t even get an answer out of you. You immediately found a problem with her statement and made that the main topic."


    The boy snorted through their connection. "It''s a handy skill to have. I didn''t want to tell that lady anything anyways so I figured I could teach her a thing or two for being so nosy," was his cheeky response. "Now let''s go. That little display should have been good enough for everyone to get the message."


    Meiko giggled and obediently followed after the shorter boy. It was good to know he wasn''t too badly affected by being here and was still capable of making jokes.


    True to his word, no one else tried to bother them. Anyone who did, was quickly assuaged as Rosan released some of his pressure.


    Despite how long it had been since Rosan was last home, he guided her like he had never left. He deftly moved through the people (they went out of their way to avoid him) and it didn''t take long before they arrived to his home.


    It was a simple white house with a red roof adorning its top. It looked as if it hadn''t been attended to for a while and there was a plentiful amount of overgrowth.


    Rosan froze as he regarded the house. His face cracked a bit as memories from so long ago came rushing back.


    How could he ever forget them? The redhead thought that he had grown numb to it all, but thinking about it and actually being there in person were two very different things.


    He couldn''t do this. H-he wasn''t ready to confront this part of his past. He couldn''t face anything that reminded him of Mama. He just couldn''t do it ¡ª


    "It''s okay Rosan, I''m here." A increasingly familiar comfort washed over him as Meiko spoke up. She always knew how to calm him down.


    Rosan really loved that amazing blonde. The blonde in question, blushed scarlet and began swooning.


    Steeling himself, Rosan and Meiko made their way to his old home. Despite the burst of confidence, Rosan''s feet felt like lead and every step was harder than the last.


    As they got closer, Rosan nearly broke as he saw a lone grave on the side. His exceptional vision read out Portgas D. Rouge in bold letters and his throat locked up.


    The only thing keeping him composed was his improved self control and the girl standing next to him.


    Without realizing it, Rosan had stopped directly in front of the grave and he promptly collapsed onto his knees. There was so much he wanted to say but his throat felt so, so restricted.


    So he just sat there cross legged and stared.


    Meiko rubbed his back soothingly. She asked Rosan if she could explore his home and at his hollow nod, the blonde entered with a soft squeeze of his shoulder.


    Rosan just continued staring with those bright eyes of his.


    Meiko never wanted to see that look in his eyes again.


    The blonde hated when he looked like this because this was exactly how he looked when he was still imprisoned on Daybreak.


    The less said about those times, the better. The blonde let out a tired sigh and she tugged at her long hair.


    He needed this though. The 10 year old, if he could, would have put this meeting off for as long as he could. And that was a really long time.


    You really just had to look at the fact that he had yet to visit Ace.


    Meiko let out another sigh. Just what was she going to do with Rosan?


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    The door creaked from neglect and Meiko hesitantly stepped inside Rosan''s former home. She coughed from the large amount of dust and her eyes began to water. She didn''t take another step, as the air outside slowly helped clear the dust.


    Blinking the tears away, Meiko glanced around as she finally gained the ability to see.


    Despite its condition, the house had a homey feeling to it. Furniture was laid out neatly in what she assumed was the living room and there were three doors. One was shut tightly with a sign that said the word "ROSAN" scribbled messily on it.


    Meiko chuckled at how cute his handwriting looked. It was a far cry from his impossibly neat penmanship now.


    The other two had nothing similar but she assumed one was his mother''s room and the other was probably the bathroom.


    It looked perfectly suitable for a mother and her child. There was nothing out of the ordinary except for the fact that it looked as if it had been deserted for years.


    Considering the situation, it likely had been.


    "You''re finding it hard to compare this home to Rosan aren''t you," Mod stated. Her voice was amused with a hint of melancholy.


    Meiko nodded at her correct assessment. It was hard to imagine Rosan living in such a quaint and simple home.


    "Is it just you and I Mod-chan?" Meiko asked the purple haired woman in curiosity.


    "Yes, I wanted to leave Rosan be and figured we could spend time together."


    Meiko smiled happily at being kept company by the Devil Fruit. She loved spending time with Mod-chan so she had no complaints.


    She stopped as she came across a shattered frame. She bent down to pick it up and her eyes widened as she saw that it was a picture of Rosan and, presumably, Rouge.


    Rouge was beautiful. She was a slender woman with long, wavy pink-blonde hair. She wore a pink hibiscus flower in her hair on the left side of her head, and had freckles dusted on her face. She also wore a long, short-sleeved, light blue dress that reached down to her feet, and sandals. Honey brown eyes were warm even through the picture.


    Rosan looked utterly adorable! He had a lot more baby fat and his eyes shone in happiness.


    Meiko didn''t know Rosan was even capable of smiling so brightly!


    The mother and son held each other and the love they had for each other was obvious. Knowing that all of it was ripped away from Rosan without his consent, suddenly tore at her heart.


    He looked so young and so vulnerable. His gaze was filled with nothing but innocence and curiosity and seeing how he acted now made tears brim in her eyes.


    Why did he have to be the one who suffered?


    "You two would have been the best of friends," Mod mused and Meiko sighed at what could have been.


    "I''m sad that I never got to meet this Rosan, but I''m glad that I got to meet Rosan at all¡­ He''s helped me more then I could ever imagine."


    Mod smiled gently at Meiko''s love for the 10 year old. "He''s helped me so much as well. Thanks to him, I''m an entirely new person. It wouldn''t be an exaggeration to say Rosan gave me life and for that, he will always have my undying loyalty."


    Meiko gaped a little at the Devil Fruits words. She knew that the two were close but to hear just how close they were¡­ it warmed her heart! The boy and his partner had such a pure relationship.


    "Don''t think you''re excluded young lady," Mod admonished, causing her eyes to widen in surprise. "Did you actually think we would leave you out?! We love you Meiko, you''ve changed our life for the better after I thought all hope was lost for Rosan."


    "Rosan...was going down a dangerous path, full of hatred and rage, but you''ve taught him that he can still love and trust another person. That boy values you more then you could imagine because like how he gave me a new chance at life, you''ve given him one too," Mod''s voice was full of love and appreciation, as she praised the 12 year old.


    "From the bottom of my heart Meiko, thank you so much."


    Oh.


    Meiko hadn''t felt love like this since before her parents had changed for the worse. The sheer appreciation Mod-chan poured into her words threatened to overwhelm the neglected girl.


    For so long, Meiko just wanted things to go back to the way things were with her parents, when she was showered in unconditional love by the two of them. She just wanted someone to show that they cared for her. The lack of that, coupled with how demeaning and cold they were to her, had lowered her own self esteem tremendously.


    To hear Mod reassure the girl that there were people in the world who loved her... Well, it was too much for the little girl.


    "Meiko?! W-wait I''m sorry I didn''t mean to make you cry! Was there something wrong with what I said?" Mod tried to frantically reassure the crying girl but Meiko just shook her head.


    "I''m sorry Mod-chan it''s just I-I''m so happy," she sobbed at the pure relief flooding her body. She just wanted anyone to show that they cared for her and to hear someone say it directly, lifted a weight off her shoulder that had been holding her down for so long.


    Mod''s eyes went soft. Rosan wasn''t the only one with internal issues it seemed. She knew the girl had severe confidence issues and she was glad that her words had been able to help.


    Honestly, what was with all these children and their issues. This world was a seriously messed up place!


    Meiko continued crying as Mod soothed her. Eventually the girl settled down and wiped her red eyes.


    "Thank you Mod-chan I¡­ I really needed that. I didn''t realize but I''ve been waiting for someone to say for a long time," Meiko sniffed and a watery smile appeared on her face.


    Mod smiled in return at the blonde. She didn''t deserve to be neglected the way she was by her awful parents. The girl was a sweetheart who wanted to see the best in everyone and she deserved the world.


    "I swear, there''s always a therapy session going on between us," the purple haired woman joked and they both devolved into laughter.


    The two eventually settled down and Meiko clutched the photo frame. She wanted to give this to Rosan because she was sure the boy had no photos of his mother.


    She entered Rosan''s room and laughed at all the red and purple. The boy had not been lying when he said those were his favorite colors! His entire room was decorated with the two colors. He had the cutest little bed too! It was like a messier, brighter, more childish version of his room on the White Rose.


    Her mood went a bit somber as she entered Rouge''s room. The late mother''s room was immaculate and there was not a single thing out of place. It contrasted greatly from Rosan''s room. Hers was far more elegant and much neater and a lot more pink too.


    After exploring much of the house, Meiko decided there was nothing left for her here. She wanted to get back to Rosan to give him the photo of his mother. He would love it!


    Her eyes lingered on the rocking chair for a moment before she exited Rosan''s former home.


    "Rosan! I found something you might¡­like?" Meiko paused as she drank in the sight.


    The redhead was staring at her but he wasn''t alone. No there was someone else there with the boy. A girl with brown hair and gray eyes was hugging Rosan tightly and she was rubbing him.


    She was rubbing him.


    She was rubbing him.


    "Rosan, who is this?" Meiko asked politely, staring daggers at the girl.


    "Who is this Rosan?" The brunette asked at the same time, returning the glare.


    "Oh dear," Mod giggled at the sparks flying between the two. Meiko really was possessive. The girl was not one for violence but she looked as if she wanted to yank the child off of her wielder.


    By her hair.


    Rosan sighed. "Meiko, Shizuka. Shizuka, Meiko."


    "It''s nice to meet you Shizuka," Meiko said with a smile on her face that Rosan immediately identified as fake.


    "Pleasure is all mine Meiko," Shizuka responded in an equally fake tone.


    Rosan looked at them both and shook his head.


    Why did this have to happen to him?


    "The price of being "exotic" I guess," Mod mocked him and Rosan groaned.


    He hated this damn fruit.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Some time ago


    Rosan had not said a single word since he had sat in front of the grave but somehow, he felt as if he had spoken a thousand to his mother.


    He really did need this. The longer he stayed, the more he realized how understanding his mom would have been. If anyone would understand why he did what he did, it would be his Mama.


    The redhead could practically envision their conversation.


    Mama would ask him why he had made the decision to leave Ace behind and he''d tell her it was to protect Mod-chan. She would shake her head in faux disappointment, before scooping him up and whispering how she knew of his protective streak. She would rub him on his head, on his favorite spot, and tell Rosan how she wasn''t mad at him.


    Rouge would tell him that whatever decision he made, she would support it, as long as he was careful.


    That was just who Rouge was, so caring and understanding. That''s what he loved so much about her. Even if Rosan messed up she would always be there, guiding him gently.


    How he wished she were actually here. Rosan had been denied even the chance to speak to her one last time and it tore him apart at the seams. She had gotten to say her last words to him, but he couldn''t say them to her. It left him incomplete. Hollow.


    He missed her so much.


    Rosan needed to accept that she was gone though and staring at the grave with her name on it was a good way to hammer it in.


    He would never forget his Mama, how could he? Despite resenting her for her decisions, Rouge''s decision to die was one made out of love and Rosan loved her. As much as it pained him, Ace was her biological son so her decision was natural. He loved his little brother too and he would never die him his right to be born.


    He fully understood why she made that decision, but, even with that knowledge, he couldn''t get rid of the pain.


    Why couldn''t she just give birth a little sooner¡­? Maybe the strain wouldn''t have been as overwhelming. Maybe if he had been there, he could have even helped with Modification?


    So many maybes but the definitive truth, was that she was gone now. It was no use dwelling on the what ifs.


    The boy chose to focus on another matter. Namely that of Gol D Roger. His and Ace''s father¡­and Mama''s lover.


    The Pirate King was lucky that he was dead, else Rosan would have hunted him down with his dying breath.


    How fucking dare he knock up Mama and just die? He showed up to the island, with no regards for secrecy, alert the whole world that he was madly in love and had the World Government zero in on the island, costing Mama her life. He didn''t even leave any type of protection outside of Garp raising Ace. Did he ever even care that he was jeopardizing Rouge''s life?


    That was unforgivable. If he were still alive, Rosan would have taken great joy out of killing the man himself.


    Is what he would have like to do but truthfully, he knew he couldn''t. Mama would be heartbroken if she knew he wanted to kill Roger. Forcing her to make such a difficult decision¡­ he could never do that.


    The redhead knew if it really came down to it, his Mama would always choose her children, but Rosan didn''t want her to leave behind the man that she loved.


    Rosan never wanted to be the cause of his mother''s anguish. She loved Roger with all her heart so the redhead could never hate the man with all of his.


    The 10 year old sighed despondently. "Mama, why did you have to fall in love with such an idiot?" He asked no one in particular.


    "R-Rosan?" A voice called out in disbelief, causing him to raise his head. He focused his sharp gaze on the source and saw them flinch. His eyes shone in recognition, as he looked at the new person.


    Chin length, wavy brown hair framed a young feminine face with a fair complexion, that was slightly tanned by the summer weather. They wore a white tank top that exposed their navel and some blue shorts covered partially by an equally blue skirt. Stormy gray eyes sparked in apprehension, fear, and¡­hope?


    He recognized this person. It had been 6 years but his memory served him well.


    "Greetings, Shizuka," Rosan greeted the only person he could call a friend when he had lived on Baterilla.


    Calling her a friend though was a bit of a stretch. She largely avoided making eye contact with him and hardly spoke to him when they hung out. It was jarring because she used to be so interactive with him! Rosan had quite enjoyed her presence despite the fact she used to talk about the weirdest things.


    Rosan figured Shizuka''s parents were forcing the girl to hang out with him, so he stopped talking to her. It didn''t matter if the boy was lacking friends, he didn''t need anyone''s pity at all.


    "Y-you''re alive?"


    The girl looked like she had seen a ghost. Everyone else on the island had that same look but Rosan wasn''t close to any of them. Outside of using his charm to get things for free, he rarely spoke to them about much. He was content to stay with his Mama or by himself in the forest.


    That''s why he didn''t deign to give any of them an explanation on his whereabouts. Who were they to him? Nothing but people he used to live on the island with.


    He wasn''t here for them. He was here for his mother.


    This girl was no different. Just another person he lived on the island with.


    "It appears that I am," Rosan told her, polite and stiff, as he regarded her with curiosity. Rumors of his return had no doubt spread around the island and though news of him being alive could be detrimental, that was for future him to worry about. That didn''t help explain why Shizuka of all people came to visit him though.


    Imagine his surprise, when the girl jumped on him with a squeal. Rosan was too shocked to react and the girl began nuzzling his soft cheek in glee. His fellow 10 year old was talking a mile a minute as he sat there, rooted to his spot.


    "Where have you been?! Are you okay?! You''re still as cute as ever! Oh but your eyes!" she gasped as she looked at his left eye. By now, Rosan had finally gotten his wits together and pushed the girl off of him so he could sit back up. That didn''t deter her whatsoever and she took one of his arms and crushed it against her.


    Rosan sighed and just let her be. She had been like this before she had stopped talking to him but time away, seemed to have made her revert back into it.


    It was annoying.


    He didn''t care enough to stop it though so he just let it happen.


    "Rosan! I found something you might¡­ like?" Meiko''s voice caught his attention and for some reason, Rosan felt an extreme amount of danger.


    In hindsight, maybe he should have cared more.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Meiko sized up the new arrival with a placid smile on her face.


    Her wavy brown hair parted into bangs on the side of her head and she had striking gray eyes. She was cute. Too cute. Her outfit nearly made the blonde scowl. Rubbing her bare skin on Rosan! At least the boy wore outfits that covered most of his skin.


    The way this Shizuka was holding Rosan set off blaring alarms in the back of her head. They were far too close for her liking and Meiko had to resist the urge to bare her teeth at the girl.


    Just who did she think she was?!


    Shizuka looked at the 12 year old with a threatening gaze. Golden blonde hair hung freely down her and electric blue eyes, which lacked pupils, stared gently but firmly at her. Her sailor outfit rested neatly on her growing slim figure and she seemed to have a small, permanent, blush on her cheeks. She scowled at the girl.


    She was cute. Too cute.


    Who did this bimbo think she was?!


    The dual eyed boy stared at them both with tired eyes. The two had met each other for 2 minutes and they already held such animosity for each other? How did that even work?


    "Rosan, how do you still not get it?" Mod blinked at him in genuine confusion and Rosan regarded her with curiosity.


    "I don''t understand, what am I not getting?" Rosan closed his eyes in thought as he contemplated what could possibly cause them to be at odds. His mouth opened in a small o, as realization hit him.


    "Meiko, are you jealous of Shizuka?"Rosan asked, as the epiphany struck him.


    That had to be it! They were just talking about how possessive the duo was and now a girl was touching him!


    Rosan would obliterate anyone that put their hands on Meiko, even if it wasn''t suggestive like how Shizuka was. The girl was just happy to see him, for whatever reason.


    Both girls looked at him with shock at his sudden statement.


    "Why are you like this Rosan¡­" Mod-chan sounded equally as tired as he felt. She didn''t expect the boy to be that blunt about it but then again Rosan wasn''t one to hold back on his words...


    "?"


    Meiko blushed and said in outrage, "J-jealous? Why would I be jealous of someone like her?" She pointed at the brunette in indignation who simply gasped in offense.


    "Someone like me? What do you mean by that you blonde haired bimbo?!"


    "B-bimbo?! That''s rich coming from you! Look at how close you''re holding him!"


    Mod giggled as Rosan watched the two bicker in growing confusion. Why was Shizuka egging this argument on? She knew that Meiko was jealous, yet here she was getting into it with the blonde, quite heatedly.


    Why?


    "Bimbo!" Shizuka growled.


    "Tramp!" Meiko retorted.


    "Wench!"


    "Broad!"


    "Hussy!"


    "Wannabe Prostitute!"


    Rosan didn''t even know Meiko could get this vulgar! His mouth was open in shock at her choice of words. Even Mod gaped at the blue eyed girl.


    The blonde did have some bite!


    Shizuka reeled back in offense. "Oh that is it! When I get my hands on you, you''re so done," the 10 year old raged in fury.


    Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    Meiko, the same girl who despised violence, looked as if she was about to actually engage the girl. "Bring it on harlot! And get your hands off Rosan! I won''t say it again!" The blonde bared her fangs.


    The entire exchange was so surreal for Rosan, that the boy decided he needed some semblance of normality.


    "That''s enough you two."


    The two straightened at the authority in his voice and immediately stopped arguing. They looked at the boy''s neutral but firm expression with wide eyes, as he pursed his lips at them.


    Meiko was caught off guard. Rosan never took this tone with her and seeing the exasperation in his eyes made her sheepishly snap out of her rage.


    Shizuka was caught off guard for a different reason. It was unnerving seeing the energetic ball of energy named Rosan so calm and serious. The brunette had tried to ignore it but Rosan was different. Seeing him without a permanent grin, was unsettling and hearing that tone of voice was¡­ strange.


    He had always had a presence to him. It''s what made his personality so magnetic but now, it was so daunting.


    Seeing that he had their undivided attention, Rosan let out a sigh for the umpteenth time and allowed himself to relax. "You two are being ridiculous right now," he finally said after a moment.


    "Meiko, you''re getting worked up over nothing," Rosan told his companion and she flushed at his tone. "We''ve already talked about this, I like you and only you. I am yours and you are mine."


    The girl blushed deeply at his bold proclamation. Rosan could have sworn he saw steam coming out of the girl, as she looked everywhere but at him.


    "D-dummy. I d-didn''t think y-you would say s-something like that in public," she stuttered and though she tried to sound reprimanding, the happiness she radiated could be felt from a mile away.


    Shizuka looked crushed. Rosan did not notice.


    "There''s nothing to worry about, Shizuka was just egging you on. She doesn''t like me. Honestly, I''m surprised she''s here¡­ What?" He stopped what he was saying as he regarded the girls.


    They were looking at him like he''d grown a second head. Rosan tilted his head at the incredulity on their faces.


    "Rosan¡­ I get why, I really do but, you are seriously so stupid sometimes," Meiko said in a tired voice eerily similar to Mod-chan.


    "Sometimes Rosan, you even shock me," Mod-chan agreed.


    Rosan furrowed his brow in confusion and recalled what he said. They had adopted that look when he mentioned Shizuka not liking him. Something was wrong with that statement then. Hm. The only thing that could be wrong with that though was that he incorrectly guessed that ¡ª


    The redhead finally noticed the crushed look on the brunette''s face and paused as he digested the new information. The boy blinked and asked "Shizuka, you like me?"


    She looked incredulous at his realization. "Wait. Y-you never realized?"


    Meiko felt a bit of sympathy for the poor girl. Surely Rosan was not this clueless?


    "Realize? What? You suddenly stopped speaking to me," he accused the girl and her jaw dropped at the sheer audacity of the boy before her.


    "Y-you''re personality was really overwhelming and you talked a mile a minute! By the time I was ready to say something, you were already moving on to the next topic! I was struggling to keep up with what you said so I just stayed silent and listened!" she explained with an open mouth of disbelief.


    ...That made sense. He did talk a lot.


    "You constantly avoided eye contact with me," he pointed out.


    "You''re cute and I got lost in your eyes too often so I sometimes didn''t catch what you were saying! You have a very mesmerizing pair of purple eyes," she countered, crossing her arms in exasperation.


    ...That also made sense. He was damn good looking.


    "Ego maniac."


    "Shut up."


    "You never gave any obvious signs?" Rosan tried one last thing and Shizuka was finally glaring at him like he was an idiot.


    "I used to literally say we would get married when we got older!"


    "I was four! I didn''t know what you were talking about and when Mama told me I decided that I wasn''t ready."


    "I haven''t seen you since you were 4! This is the first meeting we''ve had in 6 years and you''ve already claimed someone else! Have you seen your appearance?! I knew this was gonna happen!" She raged and Rosan winced.


    ¡­That made a lot of sense. His mom had said she''d have to beat off potential suitors with a stick.


    "There is never a moment where you aren''t complimenting yourself."


    "Kami, I hate you so much sometimes."


    "I love you too!"


    Rosan digested this new information and realized that maybe he was lacking when it came to the love aspect of life. He was good at discerning lust because of his prolonged exposure to that depraved pervert Sachie but identifying things like this was hard. How was he supposed to tell the difference between someone being friendly or not?


    The redhead sheepishly rubbed the back of his head and said "My bad," to the gray eyed girl.


    Meiko put her head in both hands. Could she even count this as a victory?


    Shizuka held her head in exasperated defeat, before shaking it back and forth. Determinedly, she looked up and dramatically pointed a finger at the blonde.


    "You may have won Rosan''s heart for now but that doesn''t mean I''ve given up! From now on, we''ll both be fighting over Rosan''s love!" She declared.


    Meiko blinked and said "You know we travel together right. Don''t you think I have a pretty big advantage already?"


    The brunette faltered a bit at that. "Wait, you''re not staying Rosan?"


    The 10 year old shook his head in a negative. "No, I just came to visit my mother''s grave. I''ve done what I needed to do so I''m leaving soon."


    Shizuka looked a little downcast before curiosity overtook her. "Rosan¡­ news of Rouge-san dying was shocking enough and then you disappeared without a trace. What happened to you?" Rosan was so unlike the boy she used to know that it was kind of scary.


    It had been 6 years, but the change was so drastic.


    Rosan pursed his lips and his demeanor instantly turned frosty. "None of your business," he frigidly said. He exhaled as he saw her flinch with a hurtful expression and toned it down. He was getting too defensive when it was just childish curiosity.


    "Apologies, I didn''t mean to come off so rude but, I don''t quite feel comfortable talking about it."


    Shizuka nodded in understanding at her fellow 10 year old before asking "Will¡­ will you visit maybe?"


    "Not often," Rosan said truthfully and she nodded knowingly. She had expected that much, Rosan was a hard person to hold down. Only Rouge had been able to do it successfully, but even she couldn''t contain the hyperactive child for long.


    The boy was a free spirit that did whatever he pleased


    A tap on her shoulder brought her face to face with Meiko. Her electric blue eyes looked remorseful and she bowed deeply. "I''m sorry for calling you such mean words," she apologized, shocking the brunette. "I don''t know what got over me but I hope you can forgive me."


    Shizuka was surprised at how genuine the blonde sounded. She giggled a bit and said "I can see why Rosan likes you now," earning a bashful look from the girl. "It''s no problem at all. I already forgave you!"


    The two smiled genuinely at each other before Meiko took Rosan''s side. Rosan looked as if he didn''t want to be here any longer so they were probably going to leave soon.


    "Goodbye you two! See you next time you come back," Shizuka waved at the two as they got ready to walk off. "Don''t forget Meiko, if you mess up with Rosan, I''ll be right there to take him!"


    "He''s MINE," she said possessively grabbing onto Rosan who just shook his head.


    "Please don''t talk about me as if I''m some trophy," Rosan requested which earned him a raspberry from the both of them.


    The redhead shook his head in exasperation and prepared to walk off before stopping. He had almost forgot one last thing in the chaos.


    Walking back to his mother''s grave, Rosan pulled out a pristine white Rose and placed it gently in front of her grave. He stared at her grave and then suddenly, his throat didn''t feel so constricted.


    "I''m sorry for taking so long to visit you, Mom," Rosan finally spoke to the grave and the two girls watched the exchange with solemn eyes at his somber tone. They backed away a bit to avoid hearing the private conversation.


    "I''m sorry for not being able to take care of Ace like you wanted. I hope you can forgive me¡­" he ran a hand through his soft spikes.


    "So much has happened since¡­since you passed and I don''t even know how to explain some things to you. No doubt you''d be bawling your eyes out after hearing what''s happened to me but I''m fine, really! Lately, I''ve been feeling like life is getting better." Rosan exhaled as all the words came flooding out.


    "I was in a really dark place when I left Baterilla. I¡­ I hated you and Ace for a bit Mom, I won''t lie," he confessed sadly. It tore at him just thinking about it, the amount of rage he had momentarily felt.


    "I just couldn''t believe that you left me so soon. Mod-chan helped me snap out of it and I thought I was getting better but¡­ but I got captured and all those dark thoughts came rushing back and filled me with nothing but hate. I''ve done some terrible things, I''m going to do some terrible things but I hope you don''t condemn me."


    He allowed himself a small smile as he continued to speak.


    "Even though I was filled with such hate, someone saw through all of that and they gave me hope¡­ hope that I can still feel something positive," Rosan looked back and made eye contact with Meiko for a bit before flashing her a smile full of love. The girl turned beet red but she shyly returned the smile and he was satisfied to see it filled with an equal amount of love.


    "I have to go now. I''ll be back to visit you and I''ll tell you more. I¡­ I miss you more then you could imagine, but I know you''re watching me and I have just one request. Please keep watching over me Mama."


    Rosan held his forehead to the grave for a moment, before he stood back up.


    The warm wind embraced him as if forming a hug. He had always loved the way the wind felt against his skin.


    "Forever and always my little Rose."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Alone this time Reaper?"


    Rosan regarded Aiko as he pocketed his bi-weekly stipend. The young adult looked largely the same though her outfit was no longer the rags she wore when they had first met. Instead, she wore an all black suit that did a good job at hiding her feminine curves.


    "I could say the same to you, Aiko. You and Akemi are normally attached to the hip," he pointed out and the woman snorted in annoyance.


    In the past couple months, Fregate Island had boomed in commerce without Arata actively sabotaging them. It had only taken a few weeks for trades to open up again with the island and Aiko had been kept quite busy as the newly delegated leader of the island, much to the girls protest.


    Rosan knew she secretly enjoyed having such authority over the people. He nearly snorted at the thought of the angry woman giving out demands.


    At least she was fair.


    Like he had predicted, no one (the few people who knew about their deal) had a problem with her being in charge. In fact, because Reaper himself had hand picked her to be the leader of Fregate, they revered her as if she was the Angel of Death''s messenger herself.


    They probably thought crossing her would be crossing him, which was true. Aiko was the only person Rosan trusted to not mess things up completely. If anyone tried to undermine her¡­


    Well, they would have to deal with him.


    "We''re going through¡­ girl stuff currently and unlike me, she is allowed to make the decision to not be here when you arrive for the money," she glared at his hooded face. It didn''t quite have the desired effect considering she couldn''t see anything but she liked to think he was quivering!


    Yeah, he definitely was!


    "Hm. My apologies, I''ll get out of your sight immediately then," he said, purposely not giving her a chance to protest his decision. Without wasting time, he activated Save Point and disappeared.


    Aiko blinked as he vanished before a scowl formed on her face. "That asshole is really good at switching the subject off of himself." With that she got up and headed to where Akemi was. The girl would be upset at not being able to see her winged savior but she would get over it.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    The best word to describe the, Pocket Dimension was alien.


    It was an expanse of darkness and yet, Rosan could see perfectly. It felt as if something was there and yet, there was nothing. There was no sound and yet Rosan could hear. Time flowed but every second felt eternal. Space was seemingly infinite yet he felt as if he had no room. He moved but it felt as if he took no steps.


    Everything about the Pocket Dimension was wrong in a way that he couldn''t describe. He located the door that would lead to his ship and moved in it''s directions. It felt as if he was making no progress, yet his destination got closer.


    Stepping through, Rosan allowed himself some time to catch his breath as the wrongness of the Pocket Dimension vanished. He didn''t mind being in there for prolonged periods of time, but he always felt disoriented when he stepped into reality again.


    Pulling back his hoodie and taking off his mask, Rosan stepped out of the room of the ship directly connected to the alternate dimension.


    The salty air brushed against his features as the pale glow of the moon disoriented him slightly. Rosan learned quickly that going through his Pocket Dimension while it was day time, was not worth the migraine he got. Sure he could modify the headache, but he''d rather not deal with it at all.


    "The Pocket Dimension is quite unnerving," Mod whispered. She hated when he entered that place and typically cut off their connection whenever he went in there.


    Rosan didn''t blame her. The redhead had purposely stayed in there for a long period of time so he could get used to the feel of it. Despite that, it was still an uncomfortable experience for the boy.


    It was a miracle Meiko had been able to enter that place more then once. She hated it even more then Mod-chan but her desire to be with him prevailed.


    The blonde could be even more stubborn then him sometimes.


    When she learned that he forced himself to stay in there for a prolonged period of time, the blonde had demanded to join him. The 12 year old had not released him not even once.


    Not that he minded. He quite liked being close to the blonde.


    She was sick though so Rosan forbade her from coming with him. The blue eyed girl tried to protest but he was firm in his decision.


    Rosan was reminded that she was in fact Sachie''s daughter with the tantrum she had thrown. It was quite the sight to see the blonde throw such a fit and the redhead would have laughed if it wasn''t directed towards him.


    Angel was, as normal, manning the helm of the ship. She smiled as she saw him and gave him a bow. He smiled back and waved at her.


    "I trust Demon is ensuring Meiko does nothing dumb?" His female clone snorted at his question and shook her head.


    "She''s quite rebellious when she wants to be. Who knew that girl couldn''t take no for an answer?" Angel cackled at how upset Meiko had been when Rosan refused to take her with him.


    "Funny, I knew a person like that¡­ They even look quite similar," Rosan said dryly and they both snorted in amusement.


    She was normally so reserved, so to see her throwing a tantrum at being denied was quite a surprise.


    Like mother like daughter he supposed. At least she wasn''t as violent as Sachie. The blonde would never forgive herself if she hurt him¡­ Not that she could.


    "She''s tired herself out with all her antics. I think she''s just waiting for you so she can sleep," Angel called to his retreating back.


    "Duly noted."


    Rosan thanked his clone and made his way back to his room.


    Ever since first entering his mindscape, Meiko had refused to sleep in Robin''s room and instead opted to sleep on his comfy bed. Rosan had offered to modify his former companions room to her liking but she had denied it instantly.


    Robin''s old room was now used as a closet for the blonde and his room had become theirs. Rosan didn''t see a problem with it, so he accepted it without issue. His bed was big enough for 2 adults so the two children could sleep on it without issue.


    Meiko was incredibly clingy though¡­ not that he minded. Rosan used to be the same way and a small part of him enjoyed finding someone that was equally touchy.


    The redhead came across a mentally exhausted Demon and glanced in sympathy at his male clone.


    "You doing alright?" Rosan asked his clone and winced at the tired glare he got back. "Right¡­ Not the greatest question to ask. My bad."


    "I was this close to tying her up, Master," was all Demon said, before he excused himself. His long haired clone left with haste and didn''t look back even once.


    Rosan chuckled a bit at his antics and opened the door to his room.


    His chuckles died as a pillow immediately collided with his face. The soft bag rolled down his face slowly and landed on the floor with a tiny thud. He glanced, annoyed, at the perpetrator and was met with an angry, but tired, blue glare.


    Red and purple clashed with pupilless blue, as the two stared each other down challengingly.


    "You''re acting like a child," Rosan pointed out.


    "It''s almost like I am a child," Meiko retorted sarcastically.


    "You know that''s not what I meant." He was glaring at her now.


    "What could you possibly mean then?" She glared back.


    "You''re that mad that I didn''t bring you with me?" He asked in exasperation.


    "Yes I am! I said I wanted to go and you left without me!" She snarled. The girl sounded furious.


    "Mei, you''re sick!"


    "I don''t care. I wanted to go!"


    Rosan sighed and picked up the pillow. He made his way over to his vexed companion and paused as his ears picked up a sound from the girl.


    Was she growling at him?!


    Huh. She really was upset with him. Fortunately, Rosan knew just how to appease her.


    Cautiously approaching the wild girl, Rosan eventually reached his bed and by proxy, Meiko as well. She was glaring at him with indignant fury and Rosan did the smartest thing he could think of.


    He planted a kiss right on her cheek.


    "Yes! We won!" Mod cheered and Rosan wondered just who we was.


    Honestly, it was comical how quickly Meiko''s expression changed. Her anger melted away immediately and even in the darkness, Rosan could see her glow an interesting shade of red. She touched the part where he kissed her and her mouth open and closed repeatedly.


    "Y-you¡­ w-what¡­ huh?" Meiko stammered as she tried to comprehend what he just did. Rosan was not affectionate¡­right? (He was very affectionate)


    Rosan decided to add the finishing touch. His abnormally sharp fangs were in full show as he flashed a genuine grin. He scarcely smiled like this ever since his capture but being around Meiko made him feel happier.


    It worked like a charm.


    Meiko felt her heart pounding as she looked at Rosan''s tan face. His eyes were shining and he felt genuinely happy. She felt blessed that he was comfortable enough to be this open with her.


    She was so lucky.


    "Y-you big dummy," she grumbled in elation. "Mod-chan and I are dressing you up so let''s go to sleep," she demanded, refusing to look at his face any longer. Not waiting for a response, the girl laid down and waited for him to join.


    "Yay!" The thought of dressing Rosan up filled Mod with glee.


    Rosan rolled his eyes and decided that it was best if he just let it happen. Clambering on the bed, the redhead hummed as Meiko squeezed him and they both quickly fell asleep to enter his mindscape.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Meiko loved watching Rosan do even the simplest of things.


    Currently, she was watching the boy run through his exercises. The boy had extracted himself from her sleeping grasp and was currently doing his stretches.


    How she never managed to wake up as soon as he did, she would never know, especially considering how tightly she held him.


    Rosan had a daily routine that he followed to a T. He would wake up, stretch, use the bathroom, grab water for the both of them, and workout. Meiko would normally wake up in the middle of his workout and she would just lay there, content to watch him.


    Meiko learned a few things watching him.


    The redhead was way too strong for his age. She knew what he was capable of but watching him casually lift things twice his weight was always a humbling experience.


    It was the same with his workouts!


    He went through them with minimal effort, hardly breaking a sweat. Meiko would sometimes join him and the girl would be left a panting mess after the whole thing was over, unlike him.


    The boy had an unnatural amount of stamina!


    It wasn''t all bad though. Rosan would carry her whenever she was too tired to move without complaints and then personally help her drink water.


    Still at his age and with his build¡­ Rosan calling himself a monster wasn''t a stretch. He had begun using the term in a more positive light so she had no problem agreeing with it because that''s what he was.


    Speaking of which¡­


    "Rosan?" She called the boy who was currently in the plank position.


    She hated planks.


    Rosan grunted in acknowledgment and she took that as her cue to continue. "I wanna do your weekly checkup if that''s okay," she told him and got a nod in return.


    "Since you''re awake, come join me. You need the exercise," Rosan said making her whine.


    Why did she have to join him she was a doctor not a fighter!


    "Stop complaining and come," he smirked and she begrudgingly made her way over to him.


    Rosan sucked.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Rosy, I forgot to tell you!" Meiko suddenly exclaimed catching the boys attention. They were currently lounging on the deck of the White Rose, next to each other, basking in the warmth of the sun.


    Rosan glanced up from the book he was reading, something about rubies, to regard her. He tilted his head to the side and it caused his hair to cover his eyes slightly. "What is it Mei?" he asked, eyes glinting in curiosity.


    Meiko resisted the urge to squeal at the sight. Instead, she dug around her outfit with a concentrated look. The blonde triumphantly pulled out her prize and handed it over to the Mod Mod no Mi user.


    "Here you go! I found it back in your old home and thought you''d like it!" She beamed at the boy who took the gift. It was the picture she had found of Rosan and Rouge back at Baterilla. Meiko had removed the glass from it and now it was just the photo of the two.


    "¡­" Rosan scrutinized the picture with an unreadable look in his eyes. He held it almost tenderly, as he instantly recognized the photo. After a moment, he closed his eyes and let out a deep breath.


    "Meiko I ¡ª thank you," he eventually said, causing her to smile softly at him. "I''m glad I have this picture now¡­ this way I will never forget how Mama looked."


    His voice was barely above a whisper but she heard him all the same.


    "I will be sure to cherish this. Now I have to make it up to you."


    Meiko waved him off bashfully. "It''s nothing Rosan! You two looked so cute together in the photo and I don''t think you have any pictures of her so I got you this one!"


    "I''m glad you did," Rosan smiled at her and she returned it. "You''re a good person. Way too good for me sometimes."


    "Sometimes? Rosan isn''t your ego getting a little too big," Meiko teased.


    "You''ve been spending too much time with Mod-chan. I need to cut your visiting time," he said bluntly, crossing his arms in annoyance.


    "You would never/You would never," They spoke at the same time, causing Rosan to sigh in aggravation.


    "See? You two are even speaking in sync! This is getting out of hand!"


    Meiko blew a raspberry at him and Mod followed suit. Rosan shook his head fondly at how immature they were and ended the conversation there before a headache started forming.


    He looked at the picture one last time before deciding what to do with it.


    The next day, Meiko and Mod cooed over the white pendant that stopped right on his chest with the very same picture, shrunk down to fit better, he had just gotten.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Mei, I got stabbed."


    Her head snapped up as she heard Rosan say what she think she heard. The boy was out of his Reaper persona and was handing off money to Demon.


    He had gotten what?!


    "You got what?!" The blonde repeated aloud in clear concern.


    "Are you okay? I said pretty loud and clear that I got stabbed," Rosan''s brow furrowed and he looked at her in equal amounts of concern.


    "S-should you really be the one asking that, Rosan?" Meiko asked in a baffled tone as he removed his cloak, showing his toned body off, and the long cut on his torso. It was shallow, but the cut was long enough that there was still a decent amount of blood being lost.


    Meiko snapped to attention after seeing his injury and quickly ushered him off to the medical room. Rosan didn''t resist and in no time at all the blonde was patching him up.


    "Does it hurt?" Meiko asked prodding the wound and Rosan just shook his head.


    "Nah, I''ve felt worse. I''m very used to pain so this is nothing," was his easy reply. She nodded, still upset that he was injured, and began applying cream to the injury. It wouldn''t need stitches, a cut like this would be gone in no time with the redhead''s enhanced body.


    The blonde couldn''t resist the smile as Rosan let out a relieved sigh and she asked him "I haven''t seen you injured in so long Rosan¡­ you''re normally really careful. How did you get this?" She had taken out a gauze and began wrapping it around the cut.


    The 10 year old laughed and she groaned, already exasperated. "Well it happened like this," he began and she got comfortable after fully wrapping his waist.


    Something told her he had done something very dumb.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Rosan are you sure this is a good idea?" Mod warily asked the boy.


    "I need to test it for combat don''t I?" He asked in return.


    "Well yes, but shouldn''t we give it a test run in a more controlled environment¡­ this is a bit crazy for our first time no?"


    The this in question was where Rosan was currently located. That place being the middle of another ship, surrounded by a band of pirates all leering at him in apprehension.


    "Of course. If I get the desired results in an environment like this then I''ll know it works fine," The 10 year old said confidently.


    Mod just shook her head in resignation. She just hoped Rosan didn''t get them too hurt. This was bound to be messy.


    At least the boy was a prodigy.


    Satisfied that Mod-chan wouldn''t be saying anything else, Rosan set his plan into motion. He had been practicing a lot but it was always better to test in a real situation.


    Currently the boy was Reaper which explained why the pirates had yet to attack him. The Shinigami''s reputation was growing explosively and he was becoming increasingly easy to notice now due to his signature black and white outfit and his obsidian wings.


    It didn''t take a genius to figure out it was him and these pirates knew that.


    "I''m surprised. Normally, this is the part where you all recklessly charge me and die," Reaper remarked conversationally. His voice was, as always, soft and neutral and he displayed no obvious emotion.


    No one had ever seen the mysterious Reaper act any other way. Most people came to the conclusion that the enigmatic figure couldn''t actually feel emotion. That had become the general consensus and it wasn''t like Reaper entertained any rumors about himself, so it had practically become a fact.


    That''s how his reputation had spread so quickly honestly. Rumors started, others caught wind of it, Reaper never commented on them, and they spread like wildfire with no one to deny if it were true or not.


    It was up to them to decide what they chose to believe. At the end of the day, Rosan didn''t really care.


    As long as his guise was not compromised, they could say whatever they wanted about him.


    At least the rumors hadn''t given him a bounty yet. It would be annoying if the World Government gave him a wanted poster so soon. Traveling would be more difficult and he wouldn''t be able to turn in bounties of his own.


    How fortunate that he was doing their job better then they were. They were hesitant to give a bounty to the person gathering criminals in all 4 of the Blue Seas.


    The speed at which he traveled between the Blue Seas, had made them rightfully wary of him. They were intimidated by what he could achieve and it was smart of them.


    He was not their allies after all. On the contrary, Rosan despised anything involving the World Government and this was only a means to an end to him.


    But at the end of the day, he was a bounty hunter and the Marines benefited heavily from him. They were reluctant to slap a wanted poster onto the Shinigami and that was good for him.


    It also helped that he didn''t do anything (as far as they knew) to actually warrant a bounty.


    They were still afraid of him though. Everybody was. He had a presence to him, a daunting pressure, to anyone who saw him in person and to everyone who knew of him, it only solidified those rumors.


    Rosan really didn''t care. It helped that no one bothered him though.


    Sucked that everyone thought he was going to kill them for something as simple as speaking out of term.


    He glanced at the pirates. They seemed to be of the same opinion and Rosan was nearly offended. He was going to kill them of course, but not for speaking out of term!


    Rosan was polite after all, he had manners.


    Well, no matter. This wasn''t an important pirate crew. If he remembered correctly, only their captain had a bounty so he didn''t have to care about the conditions of these bodies.


    Perfect!


    "Modification: Auto Mode, Form: Exterminate."


    Something washed over him, as he felt all his muscles relax.


    Suddenly, they tensed up and in a moment, his signature scythe was in his grasp. The blade gleamed at the prospect of bloodshed.


    Rosan himself, had absolutely no control over what was about to happen. The boy was currently in his mindscape, sat next to Mod-chan, watching the test run with glinting eyes.


    The purple haired woman just shook her head in defeat. Leave it to Rosan to test a technique like this right here, in the middle of hostile enemies.


    At least they knew he could do it.


    Auto Mode, in the simplest of terms, was subconscious muscle memory. Rosan gave his body a set of orders and as long as the Mod Mod no Mi user himself was capable of doing it, his body should in theory be able to replicate it without him needing to be in control.


    Which is why he was here on this ship.


    He wanted to see how effective Auto Mode was in such a different situation. The last time he had used it was on Fregate Island when he was clearing out Arata''s men. When he had been using it there, he was still partially in control.


    Not this time though. This time Rosan and Mod-chan would be taking a step backwards.


    The reason Rosan made Auto Mode was simple.


    Battles were unpredictable.


    Something could happen that could throw the entire flow of the fight out of order and a winning party could find themselves losing at the shock of it. It was impossible to fully anticipate how a battle would turn out.


    In the event something like that were to happen, well the whole tides of a fight could turn if one party was sufficiently distracted.


    Rosan would not be that party. Not again.


    That''s where Auto Mode: Exterminate came in.


    It was a variation of his Auto Mode focused solely on battle. There were no distractions because there was nothing to distract. No one was conscious of the details that didn''t pertain to battle.


    While like this, nothing would get in the way of him completing his objective. Unless Rosan or Mod forcefully took over, his mission was to win the battle at all costs.


    A plentiful amount of enemies could overwhelm not only a person''s body, but a person''s mind. Thoughts on who to attack, where to dodge, how many you need to worry about... Such thoughts would lead to mistakes.


    It would cause one to hastily make decisions that would best help thin the number of people while conserving power. Such decisions would make a person sloppy, more prone to error. Such decisions would lead to imminent death or capture.


    He would know.


    Auto Mode was made to fight multiple opponents without having to worry about the arbitrary details. Efficient targeting, lack of distracting thoughts, precise attacks meant for maximum damage...


    It practically turned him into a robot. The amount of people, as long as they were not overwhelmingly stronger then him, would not be a hindrance. When things got uncertain, Rosan would fall back to Auto Mode.


    It was Rosan''s killing machine and right now, he was displaying that in full.


    Rosan wanted to be a force of nature, but he treated every battle like a performance. His preferred way of fighting was with nonstop aggression, but he prided himself on how good he looked doing it. Due to the fact that he had a tendency of showing off, he also preferred to give his opponents a chance to attack.


    He was like a maelstrom.


    If Rosan was a maelstrom, Auto Mode(AM) was a tsunami.


    The killing machine didn''t care about any of the things Rosan did in battle. AM went for the most lethal blow in every strike. He did not throw out an attack unless he was sure it would hit. He would move on to his next target, with no regards for the one he just struck down, because he was sure that they were dead.


    Not a single movement was wasted. Every step was calculated, every strike connected, every hit killed.


    He was done in a matter of minutes.


    Effective¡­ but there was no style. Rosan was not a fan but then again, AM was not meant for that.


    AM was not meant to battle like him. He would do the flashy stuff and his exterminator could do whatever it wanted.


    Mission completed, AM immediately deactivated, giving control back to Reaper. The masked boy wasn''t expecting this and being given control so suddenly, disoriented him heavily.


    So caught off guard was he, that Reaper didn''t notice the captain charging at him, gleaming blade in hand, until it was too late to fully avoid the blow.


    Reaper leapt back but the sword still grazed him. He felt a warm liquid and pursed his lips at the tear in his cloak.


    He liked this cloak. He liked this cloak a lot.


    The captain, realizing that his sneak attack had been only partially successful, took a step back as the implications of what he had done settled into his core. He had just struck Reaper, The Angel of Death, after said Angel brutalized his entire crew.


    With no effort.


    "Honestly, it went smoother then I expected," Mod-chan tried.


    Reaper growled.


    The captain paled.


    "We can just modify the tear away Rosan it''s not that ¡ª and he''s off. Wow Rosan, you can be quite sadistic when you want to be. I didn''t even know the human body could make that noise!"


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "What did you learn from this Rosan?" Meiko asked, hands on her hip, as she stared firmly at the redhead.


    "Ensure that AM has a built in Scan before it shoehorns me into my body again," Rosan replied easily.


    She glared at him.


    "¡­" Rosan pretended not to notice.


    She glared harder.


    "¡­ Figure out all the issues with my technique before deciding to go into a dangerous environment," he eventually said and she nodded in satisfaction. As long as he knew what he did was a mistake, she was satisfied.


    "You''ve got him on quite the firm leash Meiko," Mod said cheekily. "Why don''t you listen to me like this Rosan?" She asked in indignation and the boy smiled, equally as cheeky.


    "I''m not on a leash and I actually like Meiko," he laughed before grunting at the sudden headache he got.


    Rosan hated when she did this to him.


    "Brat," Mod grumbled at the boy.


    "Ironic," Rosan replied, still holding his head. He was very tempted to revoke her access to his body.


    Mod-chan was lucky that he loved her.


    "You''re ridiculously spoiled," Rosan groaned as the headache vanished as quick as it came. He let out a sigh of relief as it disappeared.


    "Ironic."


    Both their attention was grabbed as Meiko''s laughter rang through the air. At least someone found their exchange funny.


    "Shehehehe," the girl laughed genuinely at their antics and Rosan felt his face go slightly red. Her eyes were full of mirth and she smiled happily, as her face glowed red. Her golden blonde hair shook in time with her amusement as her small body shuddered in glee.


    He decided that he quite liked her laugh.


    "Whipped."


    "There''s no way you got this annoying from me."


    "You keep fooling yourself into thinking that."


    "I am not whipped."


    "And I''m not a voice inside your head. We can both lie, you see?"


    "..."


    "It''s okay Rosy, I don''t think you''re that whipped."


    "You are not helping Mei."


    "She''s just too nice to admit it."


    "That''s not true Mod-chan! I think he''s whipped but he''s not that whipped!"


    "¡­ Alright, I''ll show you whipped."


    "Wait Rosy what are you doing ¡ª s-stop I''m ticklish! Mod-chan h-help me ¡ª shehehehe!"


    "¡­ I''m ticklish too unfortunately and I don''t want to become Rosan''s target. You''ve made an honorable sacrifice Meiko."


    "Traitor!"


    "Don''t worry Meiko, she''s next."


    "Wait Rosan we can talk about this!"


    "Absolutely not."


    "Please Rosy have mercy on me!"


    "No, I don''t think I will~"


    The helpless laughter of the girl rang out through the ship.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    The Misadventures of Robin and Rosan ¨C 5


    Robin and Rosan are 10 and 6 respectively.


    Summary: Rosan gets injured, Robin blames herself.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Robin messed up and Rosan had paid the price because of it.


    Because of her incompetence, her favorite person in the world was injured.


    Looking at the unconscious boy, made Robin feel utterly worthless in that moment.


    He looked so small and vulnerable, his red hair splayed haphazardly over a resting face and his customary grin was gone. Instead, he donned a small, if not slightly pained, expression on his bronze face.


    At least his breathing was steady. She didn''t know what she would do if Rosan just¡­ she didn''t even want to think about it.


    To make matters worse, the boy hadn''t even been the one to make a mistake, she had. They had been in a fight together and she had let her guard down, thinking the battle was over. There were unconscious bodies lying everywhere in wake of their battle, groaning from the duos onslaught.


    Rosan had been humming a jaunty tune as he stole everything of value from them. The boy looked a little worse for wear but he was relatively unharmed, which made her relieved.


    The thought of the redhead getting injured by one of these excursions always terrified her but the boy was a natural at fighting, even at his terribly young age.


    The girl didn''t notice one of the unconscious bodies sneaking up on her before it was too late. With a furious yell, the offender tried to strike down the traitorous Nico Robin.


    She turned around in surprise but there wouldn''t be enough time to react.


    Then Rosan, always so protective of her, shouted out "Robin-nee!" shoved her out of the way and took the slash meant for her. Robin wasted no time sprouting arms all over the attacker and she broke every single bone in his body.


    He did not get back up.


    She watched in horror as Rosan''s body collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut. The 10 year old rushed over to her younger companion in panic and tears sprung up at the sight.


    Rosan was not moving. A pool of blood was forming under his tiny body.


    There was so much blood. A child his size should not be bleeding this much. "R-Rosan?" Robin called, afraid to touch him. In that moment, he looked so small and he was bleeding a copious amount.


    There was no response from the redhead.


    The pool of blood grew larger.


    No no no no no no! This couldn''t be happening. This just couldn''t. R-Rosan he¡­he had saved her life and now he was paying the price.


    Just like everyone on Ohara. Just like her mom. Just like Saul.


    Yet here she was doing nothing as Rosan laid motionless in a puddle of his own blood. She was worthless. How did it always end up like this? Why was she the one who always survived? Why couldn''t she just be happy ¡ª


    "Robin now''s not the time!" A frantic voice snapped her out of her self destructive thoughts. Robin''s eyes went wide at the familiar voice.


    "M-Mod-chan?" Robin called hesitantly. Hearing the purple haired woman''s voice snapped her out of her daze and filled her with an undeniable relief.


    What was she doing? Rosan was bleeding out and she was taking the time to wallow in misery?


    She needed to help him immediately because that''s what he would do for her! The brunette looked at Rosan''s lying body with nothing but determination.


    With the others, she couldn''t do anything but, she could help save Rosan.


    No, she would absolutely save Rosan.


    Whatever it took. Robin would keep Rosan safe.


    "I''m glad you''re better," Mod said softly, relieved that Robin snapped out of it.


    "I''m directing everything onto his injury so I just need you to apply pressure to the wound and to bandage him up. In the meantime, please bring him to a safe area."


    Mod was focusing intently on ensuring that Rosan''s body prioritized the wound, first and foremost over everything else. With Modification, it was child''s play.


    No person had access to their body quite like Rosan did with the Devil Fruit, but that didn''t stop her from worrying. The wound was deep and he was losing a lot of blood.


    Robin nodded and stripped one of the unconscious bodies of their shirt. She used said shirt to wrap it firmly around the wound that covered the middle of his back. She made sure not to aggravate the injury while tightening the cloth.


    Picking the boy up, she placed him firmly on her back and, utilizing the Hana Hana no mi, she summoned an extra set of hands to keep him steady.


    Rosan was so light¡­ The boy ate a lot, but...maybe she should spend more of their funds on food.


    She began the trip back to the White Rose, little Rosan in tow, and that''s what brought her to the current situation. The Hana Hana no mi user was looking at Rosan''s sleeping figure, absentmindedly prodding her food.


    She didn''t know how long she had been here. Mod-chan had told her to get some food and the black haired girl had initially refused, but the woman had reminded her that Rosan would be furious if she willingly hurt herself for him and so, she reluctantly went to make something to eat.


    Robin sighed and decided to at least finish off the rest of her food.


    Mod was right, Rosan would be livid with her if she neglected herself because of him. She quickly polished off her plate of rice and rushed off to place it in the sink.


    The Hana Hana no mi user made her way back to the room with a fresh set of bandages and a wet rag. Robin unwrapped his previous set and she gained a relieved expression, as she looked at the injury. It wasn''t nearly as bad as when she had first brought him here.


    When she first looked at the gaping injury, she had thrown up and her sobs shook her growing frame.


    Mod had spent the better part of an hour soothing the girl all while working on Rosan''s body.


    Honestly, the Devil Fruit was too good for them sometimes.


    Now though, the wound had healed immensely and it looked worse then it actually was due to the dried blood staining it.


    The 10 year old diligently wiped the rag across his naked back and gently dabbed at his wound, being careful not to aggravate it. After she had thoroughly cleaned him, she proceeded to wrap the bandage around him. It was as she was doing this that the boy began to stir.


    "Mm." Robin''s head snapped up, as she heard the boy utter a noise. Her face morphed into hope as he slowly but surely began to wake up. The redhead shifted his body, and his bleary eyes were glowing red, a sign of him utilizing Modification. He groaned tiredly and turned so that he wasn''t face down on the bed.


    "Robin-nee?" The redhead asked, as he took notice of Robin immediately.


    Unable to hold herself back, Robin crashed into the boy and wrapped him in a hug. She hugged him for dear life, like he was going to disappear at any moment.


    Rosan squeaked in surprise, before rebounding like a champ and returning the hug.


    What was going on? His brows furrowed as he felt tears landing on his body. Was Robin-nee okay? What happened?


    "I''m sorry I''m sorry I''m sorry," the girl sobbed into him and Rosan''s purple eyes went soft.


    "Why are you apologizing to me, Robin-nee?" The 6 year old asked her softly and he patted her hair in hopes of calming her down. He was largely successful and eventually, the girl stopped shaking uncontrollably.


    "B-because of me, you got hurt so badly!" She wailed and Rosan decided he didn''t like seeing his calm and collected Robin-nee so shaken up. The female devil fruit user was normally so composed and it balanced out well with his wild personality.


    "I-I was so scared Rosan¡­ there was so much blood and you weren''t moving a-and I thought I was gonna lose you like I lost everyone else a-and waaa!" Robin''s sobs renewed, as she recalled what happened and she clutched onto Rosan in fear of him disappearing at any given moment.


    "W-why would y-you risk your life f-for someone like me¡­?" Robin whispered and Rosan''s eyes narrowed dangerously.


    He knew Robin. Like him, she suffered from PTSD due to the events that happened on Ohara. They were both suffering and they dealt with it in their own ways. Rosan accepted that part of her wholeheartedly because he was the same.


    "Robin, look at me."


    What Rosan would not accept, was Robin needlessly putting herself down.


    He would not accept that at all.


    "Don''t you dare talk about yourself like that again or you''ll make me really mad. You''re an incredible person and I won''t allow anyone, even yourself, to tell you otherwise." Rosan''s anger was palpable and Robin reeled back in surprise.


    "Was I supposed to just stand there and watch you get hit?" Rosan asked her and her eyes widened in guilt. "H-how do you think I would feel if I saw you bleeding out Robin? I have the luxury of having Mod-chan so I can heal faster than normal¡­ You don''t have Mod-chan."


    He remembered it perfectly of course. He had finished defeating his last opponent and was looting them for all that they had. He turned towards Robin to cheer at a job well done and he saw someone charging her, weapon in hand, with intent to kill. So hasty was Rosan, he didn''t even reinforce himself before launching Robin out of the way.


    All he felt was pain, as the saber struck him and then, he blacked out.


    "You could rewind 100 times and I''d do the same thing again and again. No matter what, I''d make sure you stayed safe Robin-nee because¡­ because I can''t lose someone again," Rosan''s anger tapered off and he sounded so tiny, so vulnerable, so tired, so young.


    He should not have to worry about life and death at such an age.


    "Y-you would go to such lengths for me?" Robin asked in disbelief and¡­ hope? Rosan nodded resolutely and she couldn''t help but ask "Why?"


    "Because I love you." His answer was short, simple, and in hindsight, quite obvious. Yet, it felt as if he had spoken a thousand words to her. Rosan sounded so sure of what he just said and though it was easy for him to say¡­ it was so so hard for Robin to believe.


    The 10 year old looked stun as she digested his words. Rosan¡­ he loved her? Robin had heard the words before but no one had ever said them to her¡­ Not even her mother.


    How could anyone love her? How could anyone love the Devil Child. It was inconceivable. No one should be capable of loving someone like her.


    Everyone hated or feared her...


    But, here was this boy saying the complete opposite. This wholesome, amazing little boy, telling her that he loved her with all his heart. There was no room for doubt in his tone so why should she not believe him? Why should she not believe that someone did love her. S-she¡­she deserved that much right. She deserved to be loved by even one person right?


    Robin looked into Rosan''s deep royal purple eyes and recoiled at the look in them.


    His gaze was honest, full of so much love and the redhead was directing it towards her and she could tell he truly meant everything he said. The raw emotion he exhibited threatened to overwhelm her like all the other times and it was just so much.


    No one should be able to show her such blatant affection. Especially not someone like Rosan who had his own heavy baggage to carry.


    So why?


    Since they had met, Rosan had been a shining light in her, otherwise, dark life. The longer they spent with each other, the closer they got and she could confidently say that the bronze boy was the only person in the world who cared for her. Robin didn''t know why Rosan was so amazing to her but without him¡­ she''d still be running, unable to sleep well, always with one eye open, not trusting anything or anyone around her.


    But he granted her the safety she had been craving for so long. Because he loved her.


    Of course he loved her. Wasn''t it obvious? She would be stupid to realize that he didn''t.


    Tears welled into her eye as she broke down. Robin didn''t realize that she just wanted someone, anyone to say those words and mean it.


    For as long as she could remember, Robin had been an outcast. None of the kids wanted to associate with her, her aunt despised her, her mother had abandoned her, and her only solace was in the Tree of Knowledge and the scholars in there who treated her like an equal.


    But she was still only 10. She was a child and children needed some form of affection. Affection that she seldom got.


    Yet, here was another child, with his own problems, happily willing to show her the affection she so desperately needed.


    It was too much for the scarred girl and she broke down.


    "I-I love you too, Rosan," Robin sobbed in happiness as she buried her head into his smaller frame. "I promise Rosan I won''t let something like this happen again! I-I''ll keep you safe! I swear! I never wanna feel this sadness again!"


    Rosan hugged her with equal fervor. His hold was tight but soothing and Robin felt herself instinctively relaxing in his embrace.


    After a moment, she hesitantly looked up just to see those same caring eyes again. She feared that maybe it was all a trick and Rosan''s eyes would be replaced by a cruel gaze replicated by so many others in her life. Just to prove that she had fallen for another trap.


    But no, his eyes were still the same. Full of love and care, reserved for her. Nobody ever reserved such emotion for her...


    Robin blushed.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Robin was doing a good job at keeping her promise.


    She was doing too good of a job.


    The girl was afraid to let Rosan out of her sight and as a result, he was being suffocated.


    It started off simple enough. Robin had decided promptly, that she would be sleeping in the same room as him and Rosan was ecstatic to hear the news! The older girl slept in his room often, but she decided that, for the sake of his injury, she''d be a more permanent resident.


    They both ignored the fact that Rosan was mostly healed.


    The Hana Hana no Mi user also began making the Mod Mod no Mi user more food to eat, which was also great! Rosan burned through a lot of energy due to Modification so he consumed plenty of food! Robin had said that maybe they were using to low of funds on food (they weren''t) and that they should spend a bit more.


    She was in charge of stuff like that, so Rosan accepted without complaint.


    Besides, he loved food! Who didn''t? It tasted really good!


    The boy noticed very quickly that Robin was hovering him, clearly afraid at the prospect of potentially losing him and the girl followed him wherever he went. They hadn''t even been doing their infiltration missions because the brunette admitted that she would miss him! That was crazy! He was the one that normally missed her so it threw him for a loop.


    Rosan understood what she was going through and he liked the attention so he didn''t have an issue with it.


    Now though, it was getting a bit ridiculous. Robin wasn''t letting him outta her sight and he was beginning to feel the effects. He loved Robin but this¡­ this was too much!


    Rosan tried to consult Mod-chan about it, but the purple haired woman laughed at him and said that Robin was acting a lot like him.


    Like him?! The audacity! Rosan had promptly stuck his nose up at her and told the Devil Fruit he''d deal with it himself. She laughed even harder at him and the boy decided he was mad at her!


    That didn''t last for very long though...


    But, he needed to talk to her about this, he couldn''t breathe!


    Currently, Robin was washing his red locks in the bath and Rosan hummed in bliss at the feeling. He loved getting his hair rubbed and Robin knew all the right spots by heart now. The boy melted into her grasp and practically turned into a puppy.


    ...Wait, don''t get distracted Rosan!


    "Robin-nee, we need to talk," Rosan said, fighting through the bliss to address the girl.


    "Hm? What is it Rosan?" The brunette asked cheerfully as she rubbed a specific spot on his head that had him purring. She giggled as the boy acted like putty in her hands.


    Rosan snapped out of his reverie and focused on the main topic at hand. "You''re becoming a bit much, Robin-nee," he said bluntly, as he leaned his head back to look at her.


    Robin raised a brow at him in confusion but she wasn''t fooling anyone. Rosan knew how much of a genius the brunette was, so the girl was acting dumb. That meant the female Devil Fruit user noticed how she was acting¡­


    "Robin-nee, you''re suffocating me. You aren''t letting me out of your sight and you are kind of overly protective of me," he muttered to her soothingly. "I know why you''re doing it so I really don''t mind, but you''re going a bit far don''t you think¡­?"


    The 10 year old frowned at his words. "I-I''m not that bad!" She protested and went silent at the deadpan glare Rosan shot her.


    "Someone accidentally bumped into me and I''m pretty sure you scarred the poor lady when you summoned all those arms on her¡­ We had to leave the island immediately and it wasn''t because of me this time!" Rosan exclaimed to her and she flushed in embarrassment.


    "You could have gotten hurt!" She tried reasoning with him but Rosan remained wholly unimpressed. Eventually she held her head in defeat.


    "I''m just so scared¡­" Robin mumbled and Rosan''s gaze softened at the tone of her voice. "I''m scared that I''ll lose you if I let you out of my sight! I-If I lose you, I don''t know what I''ll do, Rosan."


    "That day when you got injured, it made me realize that you and Mod-chan are all I have¡­ I was so terrified at the thought of you dying Rosan, I don''t know how I''d be able to continue," the brunette confessed quietly.


    Rosan''s eyes widened in dread as he heard her admittance and the boy almost chopped her on the head.


    Th redhead desperately wanted to tell her that, in the event of something happening to him, she would need to be strong for the both of them but¡­he would be a hypocrite if he did tell her that.


    The redhead didn''t know what he would do if Robin died. Just the mere thought of it, had him shuddering in fear.


    No, he could not bear to witness that.


    "Robin," Rosan called the downcast girl. "I¡­ I won''t die until I become the strongest and when I become the strongest, no one will be able to kill me so you don''t have to worry about that. I promise," Rosan told her with the utmost confidence. He had no intentions of kicking the dust until he became the strongest


    "If anything happens to me¡­ you have to try and be strong for the both of us okay Robin? I¡­ I don''t want to be the reason you give up, so please keep fighting until we see each other again because I won''t die," he begged the older girl, looking directly in her blue eyes.


    Robin couldn''t believe what she was hearing from him right now. He wanted her to just move on?! H-how could he expect her to just do that? It wasn''t possible, she would be too devastated!


    "It''s okay to take time and mourn," Mod spoke up, voice soft and understanding. "What''s not okay, is allowing such emotions to weigh you down permanently. Everyone needs time to mourn but you cannot mourn forever."


    Royal purple, with small, nearly invisible pupils, stared into sky blue, with wide dark pupils, and eventually, purple won out.


    "Okay, Rosan," Robin conceded with a small sigh. Arguing with the boy was impossible sometimes.


    He was right though. Robin would never be able to forgive herself, if she inadvertently blamed Rosan for giving up on life. No matter what the reasoning was. If she disappointed the boy even further then¡­ well she''d hate herself.


    "Awesome Robin-nee, I''m glad we could talk this out!" Rosan smiled wide and Robin was surprised that he hadn''t jumped to hug her yet. Bathing or not, the 6 year old had no clue what boundaries were and Robin had eventually come to accept it.


    At least Rosan was not a pervert. She was sure he didn''t even know much about things like that. She''d probably have to teach him¡­ that would be fun.


    Robin noticed that his eyes were closed despite him looking at her and she stifled a laugh as realization hit her.


    "Rosan?" Robin called the 6 year old.


    "Yes Robin-nee?" He asked.


    "You have soap in your eyes don''t you."


    "...Yes Robin-nee."


    Robin let out a small giggle and fondly said "Oh Rosan, what would you do without me?"


    "Drown probably," Mod supplied helpfully.


    "Burn the ship down," Robin joined her in the teasing.


    "Subjugate an entire island."


    "Piss off the entire world with his personality."


    "I think he''s doing a good job at that already."


    "You two are so mean," he said glumly, interrupting their completely unnecessary bashing! They laughed at the youngest ships inhabitant.


    The boy shook his head in misery. They were ridiculous! Absolutely ridiculous! The worst kind of ridiculous!


    "¡­ Robin it''s starting to burn. Please help me."


    "Yes of course Rosan. Hold still please."


    "It''s not funny."


    "It''s pretty funny."


    "I have to agree with Mod-chan it is pretty funny."


    "I''m gonna beat the both of you up."


    "You would never/You would never."


    "¡­ I hate you guys."

 A Day in the Life of Reaper

    Her base was in utter chaos.


    Currently, all of her subordinates were in a terrified frenzy and Captain Valerie had to wonder just how one person was capable of invoking such a reaction out of her men.


    Well, the problem was who that one person just happened to be.


    After hearing who the sole invader raiding them was, the copper haired captain understood why they were so fearful. Even she tried to hide her fear under a false sense of bravado. It would do no good to show how shaken up she was by this because she was the Captain.


    "Captain!"


    Valerie turned her head towards her first mate, Zack, and regarded the panting black haired man with cautious curiosity. She didn''t say anything to him, so he took that as a sign that he could continue talking to her.


    "Out there¡­ It''s a fucking bloodbath!" Zack looked green as he explained what was happening to the woman in front of him. His black eyes shook in terror as he spoke and it shook her to see him like this.


    "We need to get out of here, our men won''t hold out any longer against that monster! They¡­ They''re a-all gonna die! We need to run away now, find a spare boat a-and¡ª," Valerie put a hand up to cut him off and opened her mouth to speak ¡ª


    "Calm down."


    ¡ªAnd promptly shut it as she realized it was not her who spoke those words. She had been about to say those exact same words but someone had beaten her to the punch.


    Someone who''s voice she did not recognize.


    Valerie froze as she looked past her first mate.


    Zack seemed to realize something was amiss and he hesitantly turned around, only to drastically pale as he came face to face with the floating, sole intruder that had completely upended their base.


    This was the reason she understood why there was so much fear in her base currently.


    Reaper, the Angel of Death, assessed the two with what may have been curiosity? It was impossible to tell what the famed Shinigami was thinking, due to their covered body, but their head was slightly tilted.


    At first glance, Valerie would be hard pressed to find the bounty hunter intimidating, but that''s what made them all the more terrifying.


    They built their reputation solely on what they had done to people like her.


    They were short, surprisingly so. It was almost like she were looking at a child but no child could do what Reaper was capable of doing.


    The Angel of Death wore a black cloak that was streaked with white and their voice, what little of it she heard, was soft and gender neutral which was what caused confusion on whether they were a male or female.


    Everything about Reaper''s demeanor screamed polite, yet cold. Anyone who didn''t know of the Shinigami would not be too afraid of them outside of being wary at their perfectly concealing outfit.


    Yet, she was terrified of the figure in front of her because she did know of them.


    Reaper had a presence to them that anyone near could feel. The obsidian winged angel seemed to emit a foreboding pressure at all time that made her knees weak and it filled her with a hopeless feeling. It was like she knew how this battle was going to turn out already.


    How casually the short figure was wielding the bloody scythe, that was twice their height, did nothing to calm her. Valerie knew based on Zack''s report, that most, if not all, of her men were dead. Looking at the spotless figure, would have her hard pressed to believe they were the one who did it.


    She knew better though.


    Quite possibly the most unsettling thing about Reaper though, was how they acted.


    They never seemed bothered by the brutality they displayed to their victims. It almost felt like Reaper treated everything they did, as a chore and there was something inherently wrong with that.


    The fact that they were here, unfazed, about the people mercilessly slaughtered behind them, at their hands, was what truly solidified the idea that the Angel of Death was not just a title based on his appearance.


    Only death itself could commit the acts that Reaper did and be utterly unperturbed by it all.


    "Greetings, Captain Valerie," Reaper said, with a nod of their head. "I trust you have seen what you''ve wanted to see out of me... Are you finding yourself satisfied?" They asked politely. The only noise at the moment was Zack''s heavy breathing and Valerie wondered how those massive flapping wings were quieter then her heart ramming in her chest.


    Nobody knew what gender Reaper was and the hunter didn''t seem interested in correcting the mass. There were guesses of course and the general consensus was that the Shinigami had no official gender. Some were convinced they were a boy and called them such, others claimed to have evidence that they were a girl and chose to do that instead.


    No one was 100% and Reaper seemed content to leave it that way.


    They never got an outward reaction when people called them he or she so it truly left them stumped. The cloak hiding their figure was not helpful either so people just gave up and labeled them gender-less.


    Didn''t stop them from trying to find out though.


    "So you know of me eh, Reaper?" Valerie quickly regained her composure and smiled cockily at the hooded figure. It was best not to let them know how unnerving she found them so playing confident would help her in spades.


    She lost some of said confidence as they just stared at her without emotion.


    "Naturally. That''s why I''m here," they calmly explained to her, like she was a child and the copper haired woman couldn''t help but grit her teeth in anger.


    "Captain Valerie of the Valor pirates. Bounty: 5 million beri. Appearance: a muscular woman with copper hair and brass knuckles," Reaper listed off her information neutrally.


    "Please, correct me if I got anything wrong," they requested politely, as if the Shinigami didn''t already know everything they said was correct.


    They were definitely here for her then.


    That did not bode well for the pirate at all. She masked her slight worry in favor of bravado and said "You seem awfully interested in a woman like me! Maybe if you let us go I''ll ¡ª"


    "You''re not my type," Reaper said bluntly, shutting her down immediately.


    She flinched at how quickly they answered. "Not your type? Reaper, the monster who people claim has less personality then a corpse, has a type?" She asked in genuine curiosity.


    "No, I don''t."


    This. Smug. Little. Shit.


    Valerie felt a vein form on her head. This tiny shit was trying to get a rise out of her and it was working. Their tone had not changed once but she just knew he was mocking her.


    Oh when she got her hands on them they were so dead ¡ª


    "Captain, I-I''ve seen what they can do¡­ W-w-we can''t fight that thing!" Zack reminded her and he was shaking in terror at the prospect of facing this demon.


    The man was truly traumatized by what he had seen. Reaper could not possibly have been human with what they were capable of doing. Fighting them was not an option. They had already lost.


    Valerie snapped out of her anger as she remembered just who they were dealing with. Zack was right, fighting them was not an option.


    Reaper had taken out people who were much stronger then she was and with what was seemingly no effort. This was nothing to the figure with obsidian wings. Fighting the Angel of Death was not an option. They needed to plan an ¡ª


    "Escape route?" Reaper finished her train of thought and she instinctively took a step back in shock as their words pierced into her.


    This was the second time they had done that.


    "You want to know how I''m doing that?" Dread pooled in her stomach as Reaper seemingly read her mind. "You are doing a far better job then most, but nothing escapes these eyes," their soft voice rang out, tonelessly.


    "You are afraid."


    This was not a question, but a statement. "You try to hide it, but I can see it still. The way you avert your eyes, how you are slightly hunched over, you are slightly biting your lower lip, you have one leg behind the other so you can pivot and run and of course, the shaking. You can never exclude the shaking."


    Reaper didn''t raise or lower their voice. Their tone was forever disinterested. Stance always the same. Most infuriating of all, was how they said everything with the knowledge that they were right.


    Reaper pointed everything out as if he were reading the news and the Angel of Death knew they were correct most of the time.


    "Escape me? No one has ever escaped me," Reaper said matter-of-factly. "The moment I choose a target, they are dead and I chose you today. That''s it. You may run, but you will not survive for long. There is no escaping judgment."


    The Angel of Death brandished their scythe in a two handed grip and held it to the left of themselves. "Death is inevitable. You cannot run from it. You cannot hide from it. You may delay it but eventually, it will reach you..."


    Vanishing from their sight, Reaper appeared in front of Zack and ran their blade through the terrified man''s chest. They ripped it out in a spray of blood and the man gurgled pathetically as he collapsed onto the cold floor beneath him. It hurt to breathe. It hurt to think. It hurt to...to...to ¡ª


    "...And I''ve reached you."


    Valerie watched in horror as her first mate was eliminated with startling ease. His body began leaking a steady stream of blood and she paled dramatically at the implication that she was next. The female captain took a step back in terror as that floating demon turned its attention towards her.


    There was so much blood yet, none of it reached the Shinigami.


    "It''s ironic isn''t it?" Reaper began slowly raising their scythe. "It''s always the scummiest humans, the ones who would kill a child without blinking, who fear their deaths the most. Do you think about how the people you''ve killed feel? I do."


    "You won''t have to worry about that fear for much longer though."


    With that they vanished again only to appear directly in front of her. The two were so close that Valerie could see a single red glowing dot where their eye would be. The unbearable pressure finally became too much for the copper haired captain and she collapsed on her knees as sheer terror overcame her.


    She tried to beg for mercy but it was all for naught.


    Death had no bias.


    "Goodbye, Captain Valerie."


    Reaper swung the massive scythe down.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Ah Reaper! Back so soon?" A friendly voice spoke to Rosan and he nodded at the average looking man across from him, behind the counter.


    "Greetings, Ken," was all he said before tossing a bag towards the man.


    Ken was a man of average build, who had short cropped black hair and navy blue eyes. He was fair skinned and wore a simple marine uniform. He caught the bag with a practiced ease and looked at it curiously.


    "Who''s this?" he asked the Angel of Death.


    "Captain Valerie of the Valor pirates."


    Ken whistled at that. "She was just spotted in North Blue 1 day ago. You found her that quickly and came to the South Blue to turn her bounty in?"


    He would have been shocked, but he''d been through this with Reaper far too often to let it surprise him anymore.


    "I was in the area and you''re the most tolerable bounty collector so naturally, I''d come here," was his reasoning. Ken was one of the few who didn''t have a paralyzing fear of him so, to save himself the trouble, all the people he captured just went to Ken.


    He was not lying when he said he had been in the area. Rosan had not been planning to hunt Valerie down but, Aiko had been raging the entire time about how the muscular female pirate had attacked one of the shipments headed to Fregate.


    This had the added effect of causing Rosan to become annoyed as well. Fregate was his island and an attack that negatively affected them, negatively affected him.


    Naturally, she had to pay so Rosan told Aiko he''d handle it and began to hunt her down.


    Needless to say, he had been successful and now the woman''s corpse was being passed on to the bounty collector here.


    His appointed leader and partner of Fregate would be pleased to hear about this.


    Right, he was going to have to report this to the gray haired woman after getting his money.


    Ken nodded at his explanation. "Well just lemme verify that this is actually her and we''ll give you your money¡­ N-not that we would call you a liar, but rules and regulations and what not ¡ª"


    "I''m not going to kill you for doing your job," Rosan cut him off, voice still neutral. Ken flushed in embarrassment and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.


    "Right sorry. Those rumors sure are something and seeing you in the flesh does nothing for my nerves¡­" he explained and Rosan resisted the urge to sigh.


    Damn rumors.


    It took Ken no time at all to verify that it was in fact Valerie in that bag and he came back with a briefcase of beri.


    "You know I''d tell you to keep them alive so that you can get the most amount of beri, but the higher ups want me to give you full price regardless so that''s kinda moot," he told the hooded figure.


    "Are they still trying to recruit me? I thought I made my disinterest clear."


    Rosan had 0 intention of aligning himself with the World Government anymore then he had to. He despised them completely and, if not for the fact that he would most certainly die, he''d have already begun actively attacking them. That could wait until the future, when he was stronger.


    Then he''d show them hell.


    But for now, patience. He had learned that waiting until the opportune time, was very rewarding when you got the payoff.


    "Gotta give em props for not quitting," Ken laughed slightly.


    Rosan nearly snorted before grabbing the briefcase.


    "If that''s all, I''ll be taking my leave," the boy said calmly before turning around to depart from the location.


    "See ya in like 2 days, Reaper," Ken joked, waving at the retreating back of the Shinigami.


    They really were quite pleasant to speak too if you got past the fact that it was unnerving to speak to them.


    Rosan made it out of the building, spread his wings and took off into the sky. He ignored the screams and awed noises of the citizens and quickly vanished from their sight. Once he was in the clouds, the 11 year old activated Save Point.


    Instantly, he was gone.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "I''ve dealt with Valerie."


    Aiko and Akemi jumped with equally surprised yelps as Reaper suddenly appeared before them. Aiko scowled deeply as Akemi smiled brightly at him.


    "I swear to Kami, Reaper," Aiko growled at the pain in her ass. They weren''t even in the office! Was he suddenly able to appear anywhere now? That didn''t bode well for her! She just knew he liked giving her headaches.


    Rosan smiled underneath his mask in amusement. His use of Save Point had improved massively and it was paying off in dividends.


    He could now appear within a vicinity to the location he had set. Since his Save Point was the office room inside of Aiko''s mansion, he could appear anywhere he wanted inside of the building.


    It was great at pissing Aiko off and Rosan found that he enjoyed messing with the 22 year old.


    He enjoyed it a lot.


    "Hi Reaper!" Akemi waved happily at him and he nodded in return. It was good to see the younger sister doing so well now. The woman had steadily been improving and now, after 2 years of support from Aiko, the 21 year old was nothing like the withdrawn, scared girl she used to be.


    Good for her.


    "Valerie is dead," Rosan repeated to the woman who was struggling to catch her breath. Rosan wanted to laugh at how spooked she had gotten but he had appearances to keep up.


    Reaper was always composed and didn''t do pranks... Well, obvious pranks.


    Even if Aiko firmly thought otherwise, she was the only one who did.


    Her glare was wiped away in favor of confusion and then disbelief.


    "I complained about her attack literally yesterday!" Aiko exclaimed in shock as she regarded the monster in disguise because that''s what he was.


    A complete monster.


    "I am not one to delay issues¡­ she decided to attack you and so, she had to pay the price," Rosan told the two what he had done and Aiko could only shake her head in exasperation.


    "You''re a crazy boy Reaper," Aiko eventually said. Reaper tilted his head, which got a coo out of Akemi, and stared down Fregate''s leader.


    "How can you be so sure that I''m a boy?" Reaper asked her getting a snort out of the woman.


    "You kidding me? That blonde cutie is practically attached to the hip with you and well, she doesn''t look very old," she pointed out. "Also you''re growing taller¡­ Just how old are you?"


    If Aiko were anyone else, she''d have been dead. It was vital that Rosan and Reaper remained separate and that extended to age as well.


    The angry woman, despite how much she complained about him, was incredibly loyal and Rosan knew she wouldn''t reveal his information without his consent.


    She would pay the price with her life if she did, otherwise.


    Rosan pointedly ignored her question. "Astute observation skills, but that still doesn''t answer my question. How can you be so sure I''m a boy?"


    "¡­ I never thought of the possibility that the blonde could swing the other way," Aiko said thoughtfully as she cupped her chin.


    "You never thought of that? Don''t you like women?" Rosan asked curiously, getting a massive blush of outrage out of the woman.


    "W-what?!" she exclaimed in shock at being called out so suddenly. Akemi began laughing uncontrollably at her sisters misfortune and the blush on her face.


    It was too funny watching her interactions with Reaper!


    "What g-gave you the idea that I like women?!" Aiko asked as she tried and failed to fight the blush off her scowling face.


    "You don''t?" was all Rosan asked and she tried to scowl angrily at the unphased Shinigami.


    Brown stared into endless black. Eventually, black won out and Aiko held her head in defeat.


    "¡­ I like both," she muttered.


    Akemi couldn''t help it anymore and the younger sister fell on the floor with how hard she was laughing.


    "See was that so hard?" He asked in a neutral, yet somehow patronizing, voice. "It''s not good to lie to yourself because that breeds discontent."


    Rosan was smiling mischievously behind his mask. This was going to be fun.


    Aiko sighed in defeat at being figured out so easily. "¡­ So you''re a girl then?" She asked the hooded figure curiously and Reaper simply shrugged. For some reason, she knew she was not about to like his response.


    "Now why would I answer that?" was all they asked before promptly vanishing from both of their sights.


    Akemi''s laughter reached a startlingly high pitch.


    Aiko''s roar of anger could be heard across the whole island.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan removed his mask and took off his hoodie with a small sigh as he finally arrived on his ship ¡ª


    "Portgas D. Rosan."


    Only to immediately suck the sigh back in, as he heard his entire name be called.


    Full name? Uh oh. That couldn''t be good for him. That meant someone was upset.


    "Looks like you''re in trouble Rosan~," Mod''s ever useful voice rang out, supplying him info he dearly needed.


    Normally, Rosan would banter back and forth with his oh so beloved Mod-chan, but the blonde standing across from him, clad in her red and black night robe, smiling serenely, had his full attention.


    She looked¡­happy to see him.


    He was in trouble.


    13 year old Meiko was currently undergoing the hellish process of puberty in earnest and she was not pleased about it.


    She stood at 5''4 (162 cm) and her body was starting to fill out as a result of her growth. The blonde had not been happy when she realized she would need to get a new wardrobe to accommodate her growth spurt, but Rosan had just modified her current clothing to fit her. She had been ecstatic to see her favorite robe fitting her again and had gleefully kissed his cheek.


    He refused to acknowledge how she squealed right after due to his red face.


    She let her golden blonde hair flow freely and it stopped right below the mid of her back. Those electric blue eyes, that Rosan normally loved staring into, were currently glaring at him in tightly constrained displeasure.


    Meiko would have been an entire foot taller then him if not for the fact that he had also begun finally growing. At 11 years old, Rosan stood at 4''8 (142 cm). He was still quite a bit shorter then the blonde, but the boy was just glad he was actually growing and he knew he''d only be getting taller from here.


    Other then that, he looked largely the same but his baby fat was quickly disappearing due to the rigorous training he put himself through. Some of his spiky hair was tied into a shoulder length ponytail while most of it swayed freely.


    He liked to think he looked good.


    "You''re still cute so I agree."


    "Please stop calling me cute."


    "But why?" Mod-chan whined like a child. "As long as you still look like this I think I can do it! Puberty could begin hitting you at any moment so my days of calling you adorable are numbered!"


    "¡­" The 11 year didn''t bother answering her.


    "Greetings, Mei." Playing it cool would do him wonders here. He needed to gauge just how upset Meiko was. "How are you doing toda ¡ª,"


    "2 days."


    Rosan winced as she interrupted what he had been about to say. Meiko never cut him off and for good reason. The blonde respected him too much to do that and the redhead didn''t really like being interrupted.


    Super pissed then.


    "You''ve been gone for 2 days, Rosan," the barely maintained smile on her face vanished in favor of a furious scowl.


    "Well technically¡­"


    "You''re about to say something really stupid,"


    "...We''re currently still on day 2," he finished right as Mod-chan said that and really, he didn''t know what possessed him to say something like that.


    He was too much of a smart-ass for his own good.


    By the looks of it, Meiko was wondering the same thing. Her brow shot up to her hair questioningly and she looked at him like he had signed a death wish.


    In hindsight, Meiko had been having some insane mood swings in light of puberty, so leaving her while she was dealing with said mood swings, was really not the best idea.


    Well at least he had an answer to this.


    Quick as a flash, Rosan appeared in front of the taller girl and wrapped her in a hug.


    Meiko was weak to physical affection, especially from him, and Rosan was using that to his full advantage right now.


    It was a dirty move but, the redhead had been playing dirty since he was 4! Playing dirty was better then what she could potentially do to him.


    Meiko tried to resist, but she predictably melted into his grasp. The blonde let out an angry sigh before that melted away too. "No fair Rosy! You can''t just do this every time I''m mad at you. One day it''s not going to work," she whined as she begrudgingly hugged him back.


    "Kahahaha," Rosan laughed as he stroked her hair, getting a sigh of bliss out of Meiko. "I''m sorry. Something came up that was disrupting Fregate and I decided to deal with it right then. Bringing a decapitated head onto the ship, with you on it, isn''t very cool and leaving it in the Pocket Dimension is just a waste so I flew over to South Blue to get it done,"


    "Okay I get it!," Meiko complained. "I didn''t need to hear the part about the head, Rosy. That''s gross."


    "Sorry Mei," he apologized with a small smile on his face. He paused for a moment as he realized something. Glancing around, Rosan asked "Where are Angel and Demon?"


    Meiko flushed her signature red and mumbled "They''re avoiding me right now. I was too upset, I think."


    "Pfft kahahahaha!" Rosan threw his head back and laughed at the embarrassed girl. "You can be quite scary when you want to be y''know," he told her causing the girl to blush even harder.


    "Shut up," she mumbled, hugging him tighter.


    Rosan laughed even harder.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    As Reaper, he did not only kill pirates and turn them in. That''s just what he allowed the public to know about him.


    What? You didn''t seriously expect an unknown figure to not control the type of information released about themselves right? The mass didn''t even know what his gender was. Why would they know anything else about him.


    Of course he did more then just bounty hunting!


    Case in point, Reaper was currently floating above the unconscious bodies of the crew that inhabited this ship. Only one was left awake and he was currently staring at Reaper in recognition.


    "B-but why is Reaper here?!" The man asked in confusion. "None of us have bounties for you to take!"


    "Curiosity," was all Reaper said.


    Rosan had been flying when he saw their strange ship. Normally he would have ignored it, but there was something peculiar about it that intrigued him enough to begin inspecting it.


    It was probably the fact that it was a cargo ship without any symbol on it. That was already odd. Most cargo ships had some form of insignia on it that would show some type of allegiance. This one had nothing on it though and while that wasn''t the most uncommon thing, from his vantage point, the crewmates all looked rather suspicious and shady.


    Naturally, he investigated.


    The sailors on the ship had not been happy to see him. They had, without any provocation mind you, began attacking him, solidifying his thought process that there was something fishy going on. Either they recognized him, or they had some cargo that wasn''t supposed to be seen.


    Could be both honestly.


    Still rude though.


    Rosan wasn''t aiming to kill yet, so he knocked all but one unconscious. The one who was awake seemed surprised that he had even left anyone alive.


    Was general opinion of him really this low?! He was almost offended.


    Eh, whatever.


    "What is on this ship?" Rosan asked the man politely. He didn''t look very threatening but Rosan would not let his guard down.


    The man said nothing but Rosan had been practicing patience for a while now.


    He politely asked the shaking man another question.


    "Who is it intended for?"


    "Y-you think I''ll tell you that?" The man laughed shakily. "You might be scary, but my boss is even scarier," he said confidently.


    "Oh?" So he wouldn''t answer him then? Very well. He could work with that.


    "Trust me, I can change your opinion very quickly," Reaper said calmly. Who even answers a question like that? Telling someone to their face that they weren''t that scary would only encourage them to prove them wrong.


    Idiots.


    He approached the suddenly pensive man and the floating figure placed a gentle hand on his cheek. "Modify: Sensitivity,"he thought to himself and the man flinched under his grasp.


    "Now," Reaper began neutrally. "Let''s try this again. What is on this ship?"


    Predictably, the man didn''t answer. He seemed set in staying silent and Rosan would have admired the loyalty if it was not born out of total fear.


    Rosan smiled to himself.


    He would be compliant very soon.


    The redhead could have explained what was about to happen to him. Maybe that would have made him answer faster, but he was a bit of a sadist and figured it would be more fun having the man figure out himself.


    Besides, lackeys like these guys were way too stubborn for their own good for no real reason. They always needed a bit of force to see things his way and he was very good at having people see things his way.


    The screech of pain he let out as Reaper tightened his grip slightly, was music to the Shinigami''s ears. His screeching amplified as the Angel of Death decided to use his very sharp nails to dig into his very delicate skin.


    Modifying someone''s sensitivity was so very effective.


    It didn''t take long for the man to begin singing.


    That was no fun. He hardly ever got past the gripping part when initiating his interrogations.


    Reaper stared at the broken man, displaying no emotion as usual but internally, Rosan hummed.


    So this shipment was intended for the Grand Line, for someone named Joker? Rosan had no idea who that was and apparently neither did the one he interrogated.


    All he knew was that irritating the man, meant you were as good as dead and his reputation was known all around the blackmarket aspect of the world.


    How interesting.


    "Mod-chan I don''t suppose you know who Joker is?"


    "No I don''t. I''m sorry I couldn''t be of more assistance," Mod apologized and Rosan just waved her off.


    He didn''t expect her to know so her apology was unnecessary.


    Still, Joker was quite a big deal as far as he knew. The fact that Reaper didn''t know of him seemed to surprise his target greatly.


    So Joker was well known and, based on what was on the ship, it wasn''t for anything good. He wondered who they were but he was located in the Grand Line so his interest wasn''t very high.


    Rosan would have to keep that name in mind for the future. He doubted the man would be happy with him for ruining one of his shipments.


    Not that he''d figure out anytime soon.


    The contents of the ship interested him. There were enough weapons of all types, that Rosan had to wonder what the motive behind having this much was.


    The redhead doubted that it was anything positive. Maybe he was preparing for a war of some kind? Supplying weapons to one side to exploit them in the future. It was a good idea to further get a country on your side.


    Rosan personally, didn''t need them. He was likely going to take one of each weapon for future purposes but the rest was quite useless to him.


    That didn''t mean he wouldn''t take them though.


    His draconic nature demanded he take everything so he would. He refused to hoard it though, the 11 year old wasn''t one to waste things.


    He''d probably give it to Aiko as a gift. The lady was resourceful, she''d know what to do with it.


    Actually, that''s exactly what he would do! Seeing the look on the adult''s face once she saw the advanced set of weaponry would be really funny to witness.


    Rosan really liked messing with her.


    His mind was made up. He would take everything on the ship and store it in his pocket dimension and then hand it over to Aiko.


    But first¡­ Reaper eyed the assortment of unconscious members and the shaking man.


    They''d have to be dealt with.


    Nobody needed to know what Reaper did in his free time after all.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "I''ve brought gifts," Reaper said, suddenly appearing in front of the two sisters.


    Aiko jumped up from where she was sitting and nearly choked on her food. Akemi sympathetically rubbed her older sister''s back, as she struggled to catch herself.


    "I...hate¡­you...so...much," Aiko panted out as she glared at Reaper with pure rage.


    "You have the honor of being the latest to say that. Congratulations," Reaper claimed and he even had the audacity to give her a nod of acknowledgment.


    Aiko really did hate this bastard.


    "It''s good to see you Reaper!" Akemi beamed and Reaper regarded the woman with a small nod. Then, he paused as he got a good look at her.


    She was in a sheer black nightgown that left nothing to the imagination and her gray ponytail was down freely. Rosan pursed his lips under his mask when he verified that Aiko was also dressed rather¡­ freely.


    "Am I interrupting something?" Was all he asked getting a look of confusion out of the two.


    "Interrupting something¡­?" Akemi asked in return before she followed Reaper''s gloved finger and noticed the issue. Her brain shut off as she noticed her state of dress and that her savior was there to witness it.


    Rosan watched the range of emotions with amusement under his mask. Confusion, realization, shock, and horror all flashed across the younger, gray haired, sister''s face.


    Akemi let out a shrill squeak and the woman bolted.


    "Aaaaand there she goes," Aiko said, looking as amused as he felt.


    "I apologize for the interruption," Reaper said to the woman who just waved him off.


    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    "I''m used to your antics besides, this is just our nightwear," Aiko shrugged.


    "You''re taking this way better then she is. It''s not like your outfit is any better," Reaper pointed out.


    "It''s not like you''re a pervert," the woman countered. "You have the emotions of a rock; something like this probably doesn''t even phase you," she said before pausing in contemplation. "You aren''t a pervert right?"


    Reaper tilted his head and it was strangely adorable to his business partner. "A pervert?" He questioned and the Shinigami paused as if seriously contemplating the question.


    Knowing Reaper, he probably was.


    "No I am not," he eventually said. "Even if I was a pervert, you are not my type."


    Aiko paused as she digested that. "You have a type?" The gray haired woman asked, looking at her partner in shock. Reaper, the emotionless machine, had a type? The same person who''s tone of voice had never changed in the 2 years she knew him? That dude?


    "No."


    She really, truly, did hate this smug bastard.


    There was not a single soul alive who could tell her otherwise that deep down, Reaper was a playful, teasing, asshole. She didn''t care if she was the only one who believed it. The brown eyed girl was positive no one had to deal with this but her.


    Aiko tried hard to quell her anger in favor of questioning why Reaper was here. She was tired of him already and he had just shown up.


    "I recently attacked a suspicious ship and they had cargo that was rather useless for me. I thought it would be better in your hands instead of mine," The winged figure explained, getting a nod of understanding out of the woman. What he did in his past time was not something she dwelled on too much because it normally ended with Fregate benefiting from it.


    Reaper dug his gloved hand into his cloak and pulled out a small cube. He indicated that she follow him and so Aiko got up, food forgotten, to do so.


    Eventually, they reached an empty room in the castle and Reaper threw the cube onto the floor after muttering something.


    Imagine her surprise when the cube suddenly expanded and instead, it was revealed to be a massive box full of various amounts of weapons.


    Aiko''s jaw dropped as she took in the huge assortment of weaponry and stepped closer to get a better look at them all.


    Where the hell did he get all of this? Who were these intended for? Did Reaper attack a warship?!


    "You can do whatever you want with these," Reaper told the shocked woman. "I''ve already taken what I''ve wanted and I didn''t want the rest to go to waste, so I thought I''d give it to you."


    These weapons far outclassed the few Fregate had because Fregate was not a very combat heavy island. If she got these distributed to their security, it could greatly boost their combat strength. With weapons like these, they wouldn''t have to worry as much when someone like Valerie attacked their ships.


    Oh you bet your ass she was accepting these.


    "Thank you Reaper," Aiko bowed in appreciation. "Sometimes I forget how useful you are. You''re so secretive that I can''t imagine all the good you do for us."


    "I''m not that secretive," Reaper commented offhandedly.


    "I don''t even know what gender you are or how you look," Aiko said in a deadpan.


    "That''s fair," Reaper conceded before pausing in contemplation. "Very well, I''ll tell you," He said, getting a wide eyed look from the woman.


    Was he serious? Was that all it took? No way. She had tried much harder with little results to show for it and now he was just going to up and tell her?


    "I''m a girl."


    Bullshit. He was definitely a guy.


    "Prove it," Aiko demanded as she crossed her arms under her bust.


    "I''m hurt that you don''t trust your superior," Reaper said neutrally and maybe she would have believed him if he didn''t speak in that same damn neutral tone of his. She just stared at the figure with the obsidian wings with a glare on her face and the Angel of Death tilted their head.


    "Fine, I''ll show you my face," Reaper said after a moment getting her to gape.


    He(She?) removed his(her?) mask first and it showed how little she knew of the Shinigami because she wasn''t even aware that Reaper had a mask.


    It was an obsidian black with a white rose on it and she wasn''t quite sure what the material of it was. It was quite beautiful, in a simple way and she found that it fit Reaper''s demeanor. Over the top wasn''t his style but he definitely had style.


    She waited with a bated breath as the Angel of Death put a gloved hand over their hoodie ¡ª


    And shrieked at the skull staring back at her.


    Rosan fought hard to hold his laughter in. Instead of his normal, 11 year old, tanned face, he had modified it''s appearance to that of a human skull.


    Aiko was subject to the skeletal face instead.


    It was hilarious.


    "Ask me again in 10 years to see my face and I''ll show you. Promise," Reaper said, completely composed as he regarded the underdressed, panting woman. It had given her the fright of her life seeing an actual skull looking back at her and she felt her heart hammering in her chest.


    "Did I... ever¡­ mention¡­ how much¡­ I¡­ hate¡­ you?" Tired brown eyes glared at the re-hooded figure. Partnering with Reaper was not worth the heartache she felt on a daily basis.


    "You don''t mean that," Reaper said in that damnably neutral voice of his. Even giving her the scare of her life never made him crack in his demeanor.


    Damn monster.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Contrary to belief, Rosan enjoyed being Reaper quite a lot.


    Despite all the restrictions he placed on himself to avoid any relations between Rosan and Reaper, the redhead still had plenty of resources. He thanked the stars that he had a Devil Fruit like Modification. The versatile fruit let him get away with so many things.


    He just couldn''t outwardly utilize Modification. He could still use it internally and if he got really desperate then well, who said he needed to audibly announce when using the fruit?


    Rosan never got that. Wasn''t the element of surprise important? Going around advertising your techniques vocally, seemed kind of dumb unless they already knew what your ability was. Maybe that''s why? Because people already knew. At that point, you might as well just show off your naming skills and how flashy you are.


    He''d probably understand more when he became the strongest but for now, he had to play it smart.


    No one would be able to tell he was using Modification anyways. Rosan could make it seem like he had any Devil Fruit if he really put his mind to it. It had worked on Doc exceedingly well. Why would anyone else be able to tell at a glance? The only way for someone to realize the redhead had Modification would be to know about the fruit beforehand, or for him to tell them.


    Yes, there was very low risk to being Reaper and Rosan enjoyed that immensely.


    What he did not enjoy, were the opponents he fought when he was out hunting.


    To be blunt, the majority of active bounties in the Blue Seas were weak. None of the people he fought, posed an actual challenge to him or his overwhelming style.


    He knew why. Most of the people worth their salt, went to the Grand Line and the ones who were too weak, opted to take a more permanent residence in the Blue Seas. There were a few strong ones who stayed behind but those people lacked the ambition to challenge him in earnest.


    They could never defeat him with their little desire. Rosan''s ambition to become the strongest was too much for the Blue Sea. Defeat at the hands of these people, was completely unacceptable. They fought to survive and Rosan fought to win, to grow until none could match him anymore.


    That was the difference between them.


    Rosan had contemplated going to the Grand Line, but he had quickly discarded that idea. That sea was a different beast compared to the Blue Seas and the redhead was much too young to go there at the moment. There was also the fact that he didn''t feel remotely comfortable leaving Meiko behind to go hunting while the White Rose sailed the treacherous sea.


    Actually, he just didn''t feel comfortable taking Meiko there period. He would need to get much stronger in the Blue Sea before taking just the two of them into there... And he''d probably have to recruit some people.


    Gross.


    Maybe in the future, when he was older, but for now, it was a definitive no. There was nothing in Paradise for him anyways, besides strong opponents and Rosan wasn''t that desperate to get stronger. His primary desire to become so strong was so that he could protect the ones he loved. Throwing those loved ones right into the face of danger was counterproductive.


    He was young he would take things at his pace.


    Robin might currently be there though. The redhead had not heard any news about his old companion in any of the Blue Seas.


    Either the 15 year old was in the Grand Line or she was really good at hiding. It could be either and Rosan wouldn''t put it past her to just completely cloak her presence...


    Rosan idly wondered how she was faring these days. After his talk with Meiko, he realized how unfair he had been to his best friend and the next time they saw each other, he would properly apologize for his actions.


    But he digressed, the opponents in the Blue Seas barely qualified as training partners to the ever growing child. Rosan was glad that he could train himself so efficiently with Modification because otherwise, he''d be stagnating. His self training was the best form of training he got these days.


    It didn''t help that the people he fought were partially terrified of Reaper. They were already weak, but weak with little to no will either?


    Give him a break!


    So yes, being Reaper was fun, but it could be annoying at times.


    This was not one of those times.


    Rosan was forced to float up as a set of claws smashed into the ground. He hummed at the attack and his eyes gleamed with excitement under the mask. This looked promising.


    It was imperative that he not get hit by those claws if the paw shaped crater was any indication.


    As he hovered above the battlefield, he took the time to assess his opponent.


    The Wild Animal, Maverick was a pirate captain worth 15,000,000 beris. He was a gigantic, dark, man, who stood close to 7ft tall, and was the source of the new gigantic, paw imprint on the floor. It seemed like the large man was not happy at the state Reaper had left his crew in.


    Not his fault they were so easy to defeat. The captain should have trained them more, not that it would have changed the outcome.


    The best way to describe Maverick would be hairy. He had a full head of brown hair that stopped near his chest, a full beard and mustache that connected to each other, hair on his exposed chest, hairy arms, hairy ¡ª you get the point.


    Maverick was a grizzly man which was fitting, because the man wielded the Kuma Kuma no Mi, Model: Grizzly.


    Rosan, after learning that information and looking at the man himself, was positive that Zoan Devil Fruits altered their wielders at a molecular level because, there was no way this was a coincidence.


    Perhaps after eating the Zoan, the wielder would begin to steadily adopt traits of the animals they became? This man was too similar to an actual bear and Rosan refused to believe that he willingly chose to look this stupid.


    The Zoan theory held merit; Ragnarok was not a Zoan but Rosan found his own traits altering slightly to match that of the Folklore version of dragons.


    It was a good thing Rosan was largely similar to a dragon, personality wise. Love of competition, his desire to win, his inability to handle failure well, his extreme confidence, how demanding he could be¡­


    The redhead was glad that he wanted to transform into the mythical creature because they fit each other well.


    What he didn''t enjoy was how much more confident it was making him. Rosan knew what arrogance got you.. The redhead could not afford to die so early due to his increasing hubris.


    No, he would stamp that arrogance down ruthlessly. As much as he needed to.


    It was why he was currently flying above the bear man. Rosan was confident he could handle him; he wasn''t so arrogant to think that he could go in without a plan though. One good swipe from the transformed man could be dangerous to him.


    Curse his young body¡­


    Despite that though, he was excited.


    Devil Fruit users were rare; Rosan scarcely ran into them and the ones he did, had fruits not even worth mentioning.


    Mod-chan mentioned that there were far more Devil Fruit users in the Grand Line and that running into a wielder in the Blue Seas was difficult.


    "You''ve been to the Grand Line?" Rosan asked his partner before thinking about it. Of course she had. Rosan was not her first wielder and he doubted a fruit as coveted as his, would spend much time in the Blue Seas.


    "Most of my time was spent there actually," Mod-chan admitted. "A majority of my time spent in the Blue Seas, is due to you being my wielder."


    Rosan nodded at that explanation and focused once more on his opponent. Currently, Maverick was raging in his hybrid zoan form. He was closer to 9ft now and he was snarling up at the Shinigami.


    Seems like he had really pissed him off.


    A captain that actually cared about their crew? How rare.


    When Rosan had slaughtered Maverick''s crew members, he was not expecting the man to react in such a violent manner. Most captains cared more about their lives then that of their crewmates and they usually tried to flee after seeing what Reaper was capable of.


    The bear man was genuinely furious though. Rosan hadn''t even been able to greet him before the enraged captain transformed and charged him, slamming a paw into the ground where he had been standing.


    Rude.


    Rosan respected him though. Too show such fury for the sake of his fallen members. He was a man that was no doubt respected by his crew.


    He must have cared for them a lot.


    Unfortunately, Rosan did not.


    "Boost x2" Rosan intoned as he activated Modification. Rosan did not know much about bears, but he knew Zoans were quite durable and could dish out a lot of damage. He hummed as his body pulsed in time with the boost.


    Playing around with the Captain was not in his best interests so he''d boost himself from the start.


    Boost was a simple technique that he used before, hence the simple name. Rosan modified and multiplied his base attributes. He opted to multiply only by 2 because it had no negative affect on his body.


    In theory he could go higher, but any higher then 2 would put a strain on his body that he could not handle in the long run. It was why he only doubled his power, it didn''t negatively affect him because of his strong body composition.


    Normally nothing forced his hand though so it''s not like he needed to triple or quadruple his power. If it came to that, he''d probably have to flee. x3 or x4 might kill him.


    The stronger Rosan''s base power was, the better the boost would be so it was no excuse to stop training.


    The redhead would naturally reach the level his boost currently gave him, so the technique would be even more effective when he used it again.


    He was already much stronger then the first time he had done this technique (when he was 4 against the pirates!) and when he had used it against Kenzo. This technique was one that would grow with him. As long as he got stronger, Boost would get stronger too.


    A technique perfect for him. He intended to become the strongest without boost activated.


    His ever increasing strength was made evident, when Rosan gripped his scythe and dive bombed towards Maverick at a breakneck speed. The hybrid bear only had a moment to jump back before the masked figure crashed into the spot he had been at.


    Maverick quickly snapped out of his rage as an even larger crater then the one he caused with formed. Standing in the middle of the crater was the Angel of Death themselves, Reaper.


    "I''m impressed that you were able to dodge that, Maverick-san." Their voice was soft and polite, not belaying any of the maliciousness that came with the action of slaughtering an entire crew.


    "As a rule, I only allow myself to miss once," Reaper spoke conversationally, as if they were not just trying to turn him into paste with that attack. Maverick saw nothing but red due to just how¡­nonchalant this monster was acting.


    "You¡­ You just slaughtered my entire crew and y-you''re trying to act like you don''t care at all?" Maverick seethed in disbelief at the sheer audacity of the black and white clad figure.


    "I''m sorry?" Reaper tilted their head at him and it only made him more furious. He wasn''t being taken serious at all.


    Reaper acting all prim and proper was just a way to mock the man who just lost his entire crew.


    Maverick was practically frothing at the mouth at the gall of the person before him. "You show up, kill every single member on my crew, and now you''re speaking to me as if your completely unbothered? Cut the bullshit," the dark man snarled in fury, his sharp teeth gleaming.


    "Ah," Reaper said in realization. "I think you''re mistaken," the Shinigami supplied helpfully.


    "This is not an act by me. I don''t care about your crew, I don''t care that they are all dead by my hand and I don''t care about what I''m going to do to you," he said coldly making the Bear Man step back in shock.


    "As if I''m completely unbothered? You must not understand who I am, Maverick-san."


    "Pirates, marines, bandits, none of you are exempt from my wrath. The World Government prides themselves on being the bringer of justice. Let me ask you, how can justice be corrupt? How can justice be biased?" Reaper asked the man rhetorically.


    "Justice does not handpick who to deliver judgment unto. No one is exempt from justice. Not even justice is exempt from justice."


    Maverick looked at the Shinigami, anger forgotten for the moment, in surprise. "So what, you''re going to be the justice that this world needs? Is that what you''re saying?" His voice was thick with disbelief as he regarded the insane figure in front of him.


    Reaper tilted his head as he looked at the bear hybrid. "Me? Justice? No. There is no justice in being the Angel of Death. I am not so arrogant to think that I am such a positive word. I simply kill without bias because death should hold no bias. No one should be exempt from getting killed if their actions deserve death."


    Reaper began seeping an immense pressure that rooted Maverick to his spot. "I am the force that will cleanse this world; the winds that will tear it all asunder; the fire that will reduce everything to ash; the wave that will drown and consume whatever is in its path."


    "I am Reaper. Nothing more, nothing less."


    "You seem to have snapped out of your rage," Reaper commented idly. "I was hoping for that. Now the fight can be more interesting."


    Maverick had his doubts before, but meeting them in the flesh, he was sure. The figure standing before him, all the rumors about how the Obsidian winged bounty hunter was something...more, were true. That''s why slaughtering his entire crew didn''t even phase them. Killing was just a routinely behavior for them.


    Reaper was not human.


    That was the only explanation and, as Maverick stood across from the Angel of Death, he realized that there was a very real possibility he would die here. Reaper would not let him escape, he was sure of it. It was kill or be killed.


    Fine by him. He had lost everything in a matter of minutes to the thing in front of him.


    All he had left was rage fueling him to fight the source.


    Maverick let loose an animalistic growl as he got on all fours and he began to transform.


    Rosan watched in curiosity as the man entered his full zoan state. His fur began covering his entire body and his size increased massively as he transitioned into a full grizzly bear.


    He smiled to himself.


    "You are honestly terrifying Rosan," Mod said seriously.


    "You never have to be afraid of me Mod-chan."


    "I know, and that is what''s terrifying."


    Rosan snorted as he began spinning his massive scythe. "I normally like to ask before the battle if you have any last words, but something tells me you don''t."


    The redhead liked to give a person the chance to say their final words before the battle began because he wouldn''t give them the opportunity when he was about to deal the killing blow.


    He wouldn''t give them any chance to turn the battle around.


    Maverick snarled and remained silent. His muscles tensed up as he prepared to charge the figure.


    The only noticeable sign that Reaper was getting prepared, was the twitch of their wings.


    "Well then, let the performance begin."


    Maverick pounced causing Reaper to move to the left to dodge the blow. A downward swipe of the scythe was barely dodged as bits of fur was trimmed off the bear. The Angel of Death blocked the offending paw swipe with his scythe and was tossed back several feet as a result.


    A simple flex of his wings, was all he needed to catch himself.


    Shinigami and Bear stared at each other, as they paused for a moment.


    "What''s the matter?" Maverick snarled in superiority at forcing the Reaper back. "Surprised to find someone who actually knows how to fight?"


    "Most normally die the moment I begin my onslaught," Reaper replied truthfully. "Devil Fruit users really do offer a more fun experience."


    "Hm. I''m not impressed by what I''m seeing so far," Maverick taunted, feeling incredibly confident at being able to hold his own. "At this rate, I won''t have to worry after all," he snorted.


    Reaper shook his head in disappointment at that. "Maverick-san, you of all people should know the saying "Not to poke a sleeping bear."


    Maverick tried to respond, but he roared in pain as Reaper''s scythe suddenly embedded itself firmly into his back. Due to his thick fur and skin, it was not fatal but that didn''t mean it didn''t hurt.


    Reaper must have been surprised by how thick his skin was because Maverick blindly swiped back and claw actually met fabric.


    Rosan grunted as he flew backwards after getting struck in his midsection. The skin where Maverick struck had clearly been shredded even through the perfectly intact cloak. His outfit was durable, it didn''t break easily, due to his modifications, but that didn''t mean it protected him from everything.


    The bear hit hard¡­ Very hard. The masked redhead frowned as he felt the copious amount of blood flowing.


    Troubling.


    Rosan modified his cloak to tighten around where he had been struck. Best to apply pressure now and deal with it later. He deliberated numbing himself but decided against it.


    Pain kept him alert.


    Rosan had not been expecting the mans skin to be so thick. He was surprised that his scythe had not cut all the way through and the man had taken what little advantage he got, by throwing a wild, unfocused, strike. It was an oversight on Rosan''s part and the Zoan captain had benefited from it.


    Maverick had gotten lucky. Rosan had been sloppy.


    He would not make that mistake again.


    "I''m directing some focus onto the wound," Mod chimed in. "I''ll make sure it doesn''t get worse before you see Meiko."


    He really loved Mod-chan.


    The masked boy didn''t need to reply as he stared at the recovering bear. He was right to be wary of getting struck by the grizzly bear. If Maverick got too many hits in, Rosan''s small body would not be able to handle it. His healing factor wouldn''t have much to work with if he was dead.


    He would need to make adjustments.


    His signature scythe reduced greatly in size to the point where he could easily hold it into one of his small hands.


    Maverick recovered just in time to see Reaper rocketing towards him with a flap. The bear let out a startled grunt and moved his body enough to only receive a glancing blow from the kama.


    Imagine his surprise, when Reaper pivoted immediately in air and delivered a kick to the side of his head, temporarily stunning him. He was further stunned, when the Angel of Death struck his side, successfully this time, with his kama but it failed to pierce his skin.


    That soon turned into pain as the Shinigami flew above him and stomped on his head again, forcing it to collide with the ground.


    The black clad figure proceeded to stomp on his skull repeatedly with precise and brutal strikes. Maverick couldn''t help let out a howl of agony as the floor beneath him, began caving from the impact of every single kick.


    How was the diminutive figure so powerful? Each blow felt crushing and if not for his enhanced durability, his head would be nothing more then a bloody pulp right now. He needed to get out of this and quick.


    He roared and quickly transformed into his smaller hybrid form. The sudden transformation allowed him to escape and using his more human hands he gripped Reaper''s leg, hoisted them up, and bodily slammed them into the ground.


    Rosan actually gasped, as he felt the wind leave his lungs. He was body slammed violently on the floor once, twice, three times. He was by no means out of the battle, but the blows were strong and if not for his tolerance training with Doc, he''d be . His inexperience fighting a zoan was showing and it was paying dividends for Maverick.


    Rosan was getting excited.


    Eyes blazing behind his mask, Rosan transformed his kama into gauntlets and modified his cloak to make it more slick, effectively escaping the hybrid bears grasp. The captain had not been expecting that, if the way his eyes widened were an indication, and Rosan launched himself backwards with a near silent hiss of pain.


    His back was going to bruise from that one and his head might need to get checked. But despite that, he was grinning under his mask.


    This was fun.


    Nobody was in the area, he could afford to let loose a little.


    Touching the floor, Rosan uttered "Modify State: Oil,"and watched in satisfaction as the battlefield went from hard stone to a slippery oil.


    Maverick was shocked to lose his footing all of a sudden and when he looked down, he saw that the floor had changed.


    What on Earth was happening?


    First Reaper had begun using more then just their scythe to battle him and now apparently they could change the landscape to their wishes? Maverick had never heard anyone mention this about the infamous Shinigami and he had to come to terms with the fact that this was probably new information.


    Was Reaper¡­holding back all this time? Was there even more that they could do?!


    The possibility filled the bear hybrid with more dread than he would ever admit.


    He wasn''t allowed to fully make sense of what happened though because a covered fist immediately collided with his nose, breaking it. He roared in pain and slipped again, giving Reaper clear access to his, suddenly vulnerable, body.


    The Angel of Death took the offering graciously.


    Blow after blow rained onto his arms as he tried desperately to guard himself from Reaper''s assault. Each hit felt heavier then he ever expected someone of this size to be able to do and not even he, with his increased durability and thick skin, could survive the onslaught for long.


    He managed to transform into his full bear in hopes of catching Reaper off guard again, but the Shinigami had been expecting it this time. He stopped his attacks immediately and flew up high out of sight.


    Maverick, now in his full bear form, found that it was even harder to move when every limb was on the oily floor.


    Was...was this a trap? Had he fallen right into the Shinigami''s lap by transforming? Did he force him into a situation where he needed to transform ¡ª


    His eyes rolled to the back of his head and he felt every bone in his body crack as a superhuman force crashed into him from far above, courtesy of Reaper.


    Not even the oil could protect him from the impact and the captain instantly reverted back into his human form. He no longer had the energy capable of keeping his zoan in tact.


    "Didn''t I tell you I would only miss once?" Was all he heard before that signature scythe appeared into view again.


    "It was a good fight, Maverick-san," Reaper''s painfully neutral voice was tinged with something that Maverick could barely make out as he faded in and out of consciousness. "Thank you for dancing to my tune. I will remember you, even in death."


    They raised the scythe above their head in that oh so familiar pose. Maverick didn''t even see them revert it to its original size.


    "Goodbye, Captain Maverick."


    "Excited," Maverick dimly thought, as he identified the unknown emotion Reaper had in their tone. "They sounded excited."


    Excited to land the finishing blow. Excited from the prospect of the battle. Yes, Maverick could finally see.


    The Angel of Death was not a monster. They were a demon.


    Reaper swung down.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan had temporarily stored Mavericks body in the pocket dimension. He wouldn''t fly over to turn his bounty in just yet because he had a more pressing matter.


    Namely, the injuries placed onto his body courtesy of the now deceased bear man.


    "Rosy you''re back ¡ª Are you okay?" Meiko said, immediately worried at the slightly strained expression on his face.


    Pain didn''t really bother him. He had gained an incredible pain tolerance due to Doc''s training from so long ago.


    Meiko''s late father had dealt far worse damage onto him.


    This was nothing.


    Without adrenaline pumping his body though, Rosan was starkly reminded that he didn''t get injured very often. If not for the Quality of Life Mod-chan had given him so long ago, the pain might have been unbearable otherwise. Thanks to the changes though, his body did not suffer deterioration from lack of attention.


    It would always stay at its current peak.


    Thanks to his Devil Fruit, his body kept sensations firmly in mind and compared to what Doc did, this was nothing.


    Still hurt though.


    "I''m fine Mei, just gonna need a checkup," Rosan told her. "I got in a fight with someone who had a Zoan Devil Fruit. He got a few good hits on me," he explained.


    Meiko nodded, worry clear on her face, before ushering him over to the medical room. Rosan followed without complaint, shooting a wave towards Angel and Demon in the process, which they returned, and soon he was seated comfortably in front of the blonde.


    "It''s not often that you come here for injuries¡­" Meiko commented idly, as she got what she needed prepared. Rosan flinched as he saw her pull out a needle, but he stamped his fight or flight urge down immediately.


    Meiko was the only person in the world he trusted to do these checkups on him. He had a fear of needles that he was working hard to get rid of with Meiko and they were making decent progress but only when she was the one to do it.


    Rosan could not stand hospitals; if not for the blonde in front of him, he''d just let every injury naturally heal.


    "Would you like me to get injured more then?" Rosan asked curiously, tilting his head and flashing her a slight smirk.


    "T-that''s not what I meant, Rosy!"


    "Ohhh," Rosan''s eyes lit up in realization. "You just want an excuse to see me shirtless!" The 11 year old slapped a fist against his palm at his discovery. "C''mon Mei, you know all you have to do is ask right?" Rosan''s smile was far too smug for her liking.


    The blonde spluttered helplessly as she turned red. Eventually, she gave up on trying to convince him and grumbled about how she didn''t like his teasing one bit.


    Rosan laughed at her as he removed his cloak. With a flash of Modification, the boy was left in only the baggy black pants he wore underneath and his black and white shirt which he soon discarded as well. It was soaked in blood, so he would probably just throw it away.


    The gasp of horror Meiko let out prompted the Mod Mod no mi user to look down and even he was surprised at the state of his injury.


    The skin on his midsection looked shredded and there was a copious amount of blood pouring down the large wound. It looked as if he had gotten mauled by a wild animal (which he did) and this was after Mod-chan had begun focusing attention onto it.


    A normal person would have fainted from blood loss by now.


    "A normal person would be dead, Rosan," Mod spoke in a deadpan and Rosan blew a raspberry at the woman which she responded to in kind.


    The redhead couldn''t help but whistle. Maverick hit hard.


    "Rosan, what happened?!" Meiko asked in horror, as she began furiously working on his injury. "And your back is so bruised! What did this to you?! How are you talking so casually right now?!"


    "A grizzly bear," the boy said bluntly. He hissed slightly as she dabbed at his wound and Meiko was too focused to apologize.


    That injury stung more then he''d like to admit.


    The look Meiko gave him demanded an explanation so Rosan told the 13 year old about his encounter with Maverick. By the time he was done, she had begun the process of wrapping his midsection up. The bandages wrapped neatly around his slim waist and soon, she was done.


    "Sometimes, I forget just how strong you are Rosy," Meiko told him in wonder as she digested what he told her.


    Meiko knew about Reaper''s budding reputation. Of course she did! She was pretty sure everyone in the Blue Seas who could read knew about him!


    The Angel of Death was a hot topic everywhere they went! Since his sudden burst into the world, the Shinigami had become popular at a disturbingly quick rate.


    Even she wasn''t sure why.


    Perhaps humans really were too curious.


    To them, Reaper might as well have not been human. No one knew anything of the infallible Angel and, even with all the rumors, people hoped that some definitive proof on just what the winged figure was dropped.


    It was probably what kept them so invested in the Angel of Death. The knowledge that they could learn something about them.


    Meiko snorted at that. Rosan would never entertain them because he wasn''t that type of person. What other people wanted or thought, didn''t matter to him whatsoever. He wouldn''t give them the satisfaction of knowing anything about Reaper unless he wanted them to know something about his alias.


    Exposure was one of the biggest things her crush shied away from.


    That only sparked their curiosity more, however and it made them even more interested!


    At least most were too afraid to actually approach him and ask themselves. They thought doing so would incite his wrath and result in him killing the offender.


    Rosan wasn''t that cruel! He would just refuse to answer and politely tell them to stop bothering him.


    Meiko found it kind of funny how much the normal person was terrified of Reaper. Maybe it was a person''s natural fear of death that played apart? Considering Rosan did actually look like a fallen Angel¡­it made sense.


    Still though, looking at the 11 year old, it was really hard to link him to the terrifying mysterious figure. It was exactly what he was going for though so it worked out. Rosan didn''t look like he was capable of doing the things Reaper was capable of doing.


    To put it bluntly, Rosan was too adorable (he resented that) for anyone to make that connection.


    The redheads appearance was one mothers (and herself) would gush over. Even with Reaper''s short stature, linking him to a child like Rosan was just not feasible in some people''s mind.


    After all, to them, Reaper was death itself. Why would an 11 year old be so intimate with the concept of life and death?


    That''s why Rosan never bothered to modify his height. It was just not feasible to them that the Reaper could be a child. They would sooner think that he was not human then believe him a child.


    Let people think he was a concept instead of human. He would not correct them.


    It was a bit arrogant on his part, but Rosan had picked up the habit of not changing his appearance from Meiko so really, it was her fault.


    Meiko herself wasn''t so sure how she felt about Rosan being Reaper. On one hand, she hated that people needed to die and that Rosan was the one doing it. On the other hand, the people he went after were just not good people so she really couldn''t support keeping them alive.


    She didn''t like Rosan being Reaper not one bit, but the boy was stubborn and if she tried to get him to stop, they would just get into an argument that would leave them mad at each other for probably an hour.


    What? They couldn''t stay mad at each other for long!


    The blonde found that it was getting easier to deal with over time. Thanks to puberty though, she was getting a lot more¡­ unpleasant.


    "Honestly, it''s thanks to Mod-chan," Rosan shrugged, getting a blush of appreciation out of the purple haired woman. "Without her, I wouldn''t be nearly as strong as I am right now. All of my accomplishments are thanks to her," he said gratefully.


    "Mod-chan is pretty amazing," Meiko agreed with his notion quite readily and she grinned brightly at the thought of the Devil Fruit. "Being able to manage someone like you, for so long, is nothing short of incredible!"


    "Right?" Rosan laughed as she said that. "I''m quite a handful! The fact that Mod-chan can handle me so well, makes her even more special!"


    "W-what are you two doing?!" Mod stammered in embarrassment as they complimented her. "Please stop you two you''re embarrassing me¡­" she complained with a flushed face.


    "Oh?" Mod groaned at the smugness in Rosan''s voice. "Mod-chan can''t handle a couple of compliments?" He asked, voice oozing in concern.


    "Really?" Meiko asked in faux surprise. "She''s so gorgeous though! Someone like her would be getting compliments every second of every day!"


    "You guys, please!" The purple haired woman begged.


    Rosan was feeling far to mischievous. He grabbed Meiko, who squeaked, and they entered his mindscape within moments. They stood directly in front of a beet red Mod-chan who was pouting in a displeasing manner at the two.


    "Rosan! You k-know I''m not great at dealing with compliments so why are you teasing me," the oldest person there scolded the youngest. "Roping Meiko into your schemes is underhanded!"


    The two children looked at each other for a moment in contemplation. They were far too in tune with each other and with the help of their connection, it was easy to tell what the other was thinking.


    Somehow, they even managed to keep their motives hidden from Mod herself and it had the Devil Fruit furrowing her purple brows in confusion.


    How were they doing that? The only thoughts Rosan could hide from her were the ones she didn''t want to hear. She even had access to memories of the boy that he didn''t know about! Of when he was a newborn!


    How on earth was he masking his intentions from her?


    Imagine her surprise, when the two children looked at her at the same time, barged into her, making her yelp in shock, and dropped her on her butt. The woman flushed deeply at the two smaller figures grasping at her.


    For all her teasing, she was not used to this.


    "I feel like I haven''t said this nearly enough but¡­thank you Mod-chan for everything you''ve done for me," Rosan said warmly as he hugged her.


    "You''re the most amazing partner I could have ever asked for and I''m grateful for having you here to guide me in my difficult times," Rosan whispered into the taller woman as he was nuzzled her left cheek.


    Meiko nuzzled her right cheek at the same time. "Mhm! I don''t think you understand how much we appreciate you Mod-chan! You''re the pillar who makes all of this possible," Meiko gushed at the Devil Fruit with purple hair.


    "Thank you Mod-chan!" They said at the same time, before planting a kiss on either side of her cheek.


    The tanned woman began stuttering uncontrollably as her face turned a shade of red that would make Meiko proud. Watching their cool older sister figure cosplay the blonde was a sight they would cherish for a long time.


    "I-I-I," Mod stammered as she tried to process the sudden influx of emotion. The poor woman''s mind was going a mile a minute. "Y-you t-two a-are ¡ª oh dear¡­" she gave up as she hugged them tight and hid her face inside the mix of blonde and red hair.


    She loved these two humans so much.


    Never in Mod''s wildest dreams, would she have expected people to care for her to the degree that Meiko and Rosan did. To the Devil Fruit, the idea that someone would love her like she were human, never once crossed her mind. Her life before Rosan had been one that she didn''t want to relive.


    But here she was, with two people who she could claim to genuinely love with all her heart. She wished Robin was here dearly because she loved the Hana Hana no mi user just as much and the brunette desperately needed some affection that she lost.


    The thought that she was loved, was so surreal to her that at times, she found herself being overwhelmed by it all. Sometimes, she would sit by herself just to take it all in.


    Other times, she would cry in relief.


    Like right now.


    She let out a choked sob as she hugged two of her most precious people close. Mod never thought that she''d be able to call someone precious but, Rosan had been adamant on proving her wrong since the moment they met.


    Rosan''s mischievous gaze was gone in favor of a fond type love. He had wanted to tease Mod-chan a bit but after entering the mindscape and seeing his older sister/mother figure, he decided to show his appreciation for the woman instead.


    Besides, it still counted as teasing!


    Meiko shared the same sentiment. Because of Mod-chan, she was still alive! The woman had managed to convince Rosan that leaving her to die on Daybreak wasn''t what he wanted to do and the boy listened to her.


    If Mod-chan hadn''t been able to assure Rosan that he didn''t really want to kill her, well she wasn''t sure Rosan himself would decide alone to spare her!


    The unconditional trust the two had in each other and the fact that they had been amazing enough to include her into the mix, touched her more then she could ever imagine.


    She would cherish this feeling forever.


    "Rosan. Meiko. I love you two," Mod said as cried into their smaller bodies.


    "We love you too, Mod-chan," they chimed in unison hugging the woman tight.


    The 3 hugged each other for a long moment and were content to stay like that for a while.


    That moment was broken up by Rosan saying "Oh," in sudden realization.


    "Oh?" Meiko repeated in confusion.


    "I have to get Maverick''s body out of the Pocket Dimension before he stinks up the place," Rosan explained, voice slightly muffled as he was still crushed into Mod''s frame. Mod giggled at the feeling of his breath tickling her skin.


    "Ew¡­" was all Meiko said.


    "Mmm you get used to it," Rosan shrugged.


    "I really don''t think you do," Meiko said, voice deadpanned.


    "I have to agree with Meiko," Mod''s watery voice came out teasingly. "You just aren''t normal," she finished.


    "Being normal is boring," Rosan laughed as he got up and wiped his pants.


    His Pocket Dimension was quickly becoming a little sanctuary of his and he didn''t want a rapidly cooling corpse in there.


    That would suck.


    Donning his signature outfit, Rosan finished putting his mask on and pulled up his hoodie. He modified Maverick''s body and put it in stasis before placing him in a bag and heading off to his destination. It would take a few hours but that was if he took his time.


    "Make sure you don''t get into any fights Rosan!" Meiko called out to his flying form. "I''m forbidding you until you heal! When you come back we can spend quality time together!"


    "You''re so annoying sometimes," Rosan said, rolling his eyes but he was smiling. Meiko and Mod-chan were utterly spoiled and got whatever they wanted from him.


    He couldn''t deny them even if he tried. Rosan let out a sigh.


    The women in his life sure were a handful.


    Being the Angel of Death had its perks. He didn''t really care about the reputation he garnered and he didn''t actually care much about being Reaper but he still enjoyed it.


    It was fun being Reaper.


    Chapter End


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    The Misadventures of Robin and Rosan ¨C 6


    Robin and Rosan are 9 and 5 respectively.


    Sparring sessions!


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan rolled away frantically as a pair of hands spawned from the ground and tried to grab at him. He lunged forward to avoid a second pair that appeared behind him. Finally, he somersaulted over a pair of feet that lay right in front of him. It was quite an impressive display of athleticism for someone his age and he''d normally be praising himself.


    The redhead was not allowed to catch his breath however, as even more hands spawned on him. The boy yelped at the sensation of getting grabbed and they tried to force him into submission.


    He really hated fighting Robin.


    Unfortunately for her, they had already sparred plenty times before (in which she handily kicked his ass) and Rosan was adapting at an incredible rate. In one of those spars, he learned a very key thing.


    The young devil fruit user bit one of the hands grabbing him and was satisfied to hear a squeal of pain from the girl''s, now discovered, hiding spot.


    The redhead grinned viciously.


    Rosan looked directly in the direction of where Robin was hiding with a wild look of joy in his eyes.


    Their spars were typically a game of cat and mouse. Robin couldn''t fight him head on and they both knew that. Rosan was too strong for her too handle in a straight up fight and that meant she needed to play keep away.


    It''s why he typically led the battles while Robin supported him from a distance. It worked out quite well when someone was about to hit the boy only to find themselves immobilized and open to a free hit from the deceptively strong child.


    That''s why their sparring session ended up like this. Robin would pepper Rosan from a distance with her Devil Fruit while the boy desperately tried to find her location.


    The first few times they fought, ended with the Hana Hana no mi user handily winning. Rosan had not been able to handle her onslaught and he could never find her in time before being subdued.


    Rosan was quick to adapt though and he''d finally figured out how to beat her.


    The Mod Mod no mi user palmed the floor and uttered out "Modify: State,"and watched as the ground was upraised from its original position. The entire landscape changed and rose, as a surprised Robin was forcefully ejected from her spot.


    He learned some key things about Robin in these fights.


    #1: The limbs Robin formed using her Devil Fruit, were an extension of herself. As such, anything that happened to them, happened to Robin which is why he bit her hand. Her actual hand would feel the sensation as a result. He noticed this when they first met and explored it in detail.


    #2: Rosan discovered that, in his pursuit of a long range technique, he could modify the terrain to his liking. Something that he was planning to add to his arsenal and abuse religiously.


    Like right now.


    The two locked eyes with each other and Rosan grinned like he had won the lottery.


    "Gotcha~," Rosan sang as he crouched.


    Robin stared with a wide eyed gaze at the younger boy.


    "Boost x2" He grunted eyes glowing red as he activated Modification.


    "Uh oh," Robin said to herself as she saw the red missile shooting at her.


    This was going to hurt.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "I''m sorry Robin-nee," Rosan said glumly at the girl with a very black eye.


    He hadn''t meant to hit her that hard and the guilt he felt was greatly consuming him.


    "It''s fine, Rosan," Robin said soothingly as she balanced an ice pack over her right eye. It hurt but that was the price of sparring. Still, the boy was too strong for his own good.


    "No it''s not!" The boy exclaimed and Robin was surprised to see tears forming in his eyes. "I hurt you a-and I shouldn''t have! I just got so excited at the thought that I was finally gonna beat you and this happened¡­"


    The normally feisty boy, looked absolutely crushed as he spoke and Robin resisted the urge to squeeze his cheek. He was genuinely upset so her reacting at how cute he was, would probably not do the boy any favors.


    Right, it was time to be the sensible one¡­as usual.


    "Rosan, look at me," Robin said soothingly, as she placed the ice pack down to regard her favorite person. "We had a sparring session," she began slowly. "People are bound to get hurt and we need to get stronger anyways so of course it''s gonna happen."


    The boy looked wholly unconvinced by what she said and the brunette sighed.


    He was so stubborn sometimes.


    "Rosan, I''m not upset with you so you don''t have to be upset with yourself," she said firmly grabbing the boy and hugging him. She knew Rosan would try to resist the hug despite wanting to return it, so she left him no room to escape.


    Honestly, he was so hard on himself at times.


    Predictably, he squirmed in her hug and tried protesting but the redhead loved physical affection too much and soon he melted in her grasp. Robin cooed at that and pat his head softly.


    Returning the hug, Rosan grumbled about how unfair it all was. Mod-chan and Robin-nee forgave him way too easily when he messed up.


    "You have to take in account your age Rosan," Mod said warmly. "Robin-chan and I understand that you''re 6 and a growing boy. You''re bound to make mistakes and that''s why we aren''t so hard on you."


    Robin nodded in agreement. "She''s right Rosan. You''re very young and you haven''t been taught much about what''s right and what''s wrong," she explained to the smaller boy.


    "Every experience, is a learning experience and that''s why I''m not upset with you," the brunette finished and she had a patient smile on her face. Rosan was a smart child but he was still a child.


    Rosan didn''t seem quite convinced. "But Robin-nee, you''re only 4 years older then me," he pointed out and she nodded.


    "True but, my life on Ohara forced me to mature quickly," Robin rebutted. "You didn''t have to take care of yourself since you could walk and talk right?"


    At Rosan''s nod she smiled at the boy somewhat bitterly and said "I envy you for still being so carefree Rosan, it''s why I''m not really mad at you. Despite all you''ve been through you can still smile and laugh like the child you are."


    Rosan nodded in understanding, but he was still frowning. "Don''t worry Robin-nee, with me around you don''t have to be as mature! Soon, you''ll be as happy as me," he finished confidently.


    Robin looked at the boy in wonder and giggled. It was odd how selfish and caring one person could be but then again, Rosan was an enigma.


    He was right though. Robin had never felt so free before and it was all thanks to traveling with Rosan and Mod-chan. She didn''t feel like the Devil Child when she was around him.


    She felt like Nico Robin, the 9 year old best friend of Rosan.


    She hugged him just a bit harder and he happily reciprocated it. The boy was so affectionate and it tugged at her heart so much. He hugged her at least a dozen times a day and he still treated every time like a new one.


    The redhead was so pure sometimes.


    "I think I''m already as happy as you," she mumbled and he giggled in glee.


    Rosan just didn''t understand how much she appreciated him. The wild boy meant everything to her.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Robin was beginning to quickly realize just how perfectly Rosan''s Devil Fruit countered hers.


    If the boy touched her even once with his abilities, the fight was over. Unfortunately, that''s exactly what her Devil Fruit relied on and both of them were very aware of that.


    She was finding it increasingly difficult to defeat the boy now. When she did manage to get a win, it was because she outsmarted him and caught him off guard.


    It wasn''t like he was stupid though. On the contrary, Rosan, despite how he acted (he claimed it was more fun to act this way), was highly intelligent. He had near photographic memory and he used that to his full advantage.


    The redhead was a sponge that greedily absorbed knowledge in spades and it was paying off.


    The boy was a genius and his ability to adapt, combined with having a fruit as versatile as Modification, made him an incredibly formidable opponent.


    Robin panted in defeat on the floor as the boy got another victory on her.


    "Good fight, Robin-nee!" The boy in question cheered for her, not looking winded whatsoever.


    That was another thing about Rosan. His physical capabilities were unreasonable. Robin was a very fit girl, she had to be with what she did, but Rosan was something else. The boy''s endless amount of childish energy, stemmed from his unreal stamina.


    Modification certainly helped the boy out a lot but even without it, Rosan had the potential to be incredibly strong. The Devil Fruit just enhanced what he already had, turning him into a monster.


    Robin withheld a snort. Who said Kami didn''t have favorites? Rosan had completely won the genetic lottery.


    It made her wonder just why he was abandoned. Maybe he wasn''t ideal for his parents?


    "It''s getting harder for me to beat you Rosan," Robin commented breathlessly and the smug little prick just laughed.


    "Well of course," he said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I have to be able to beat everyone if I wanna be the strongest!" He claimed happily.


    At this rate, his childish, albeit ambitious, claims were starting to sound a lot more believable.


    Damn geniuses.


    "You''re a genius too, you know?" Mod laughed and Robin completely ignored the amused woman.


    Rosan looked at her in concern and asked "Are you okay? Did I hit anywhere too hard?"


    "I''m fine Rosan, just a little sore," she said, before stretching her muscles. "I just need to take a shower and then I can prepare dinner."


    Due to them not having a doctor on hand, and being criminals (though Rosan was not), they had to be careful not to injure each other seriously, lest they be incapacitated.


    They both healed relatively quickly but one of them being injured would be disastrous in the long run. The two worked too well in tandem with each other.


    They were like a well oiled machine and if one piece went down¡­ well Robin didn''t want to imagine what Rosan would do if she suddenly got injured.


    The boy was chaos incarnate, if she were putting it nicely. In the time spent recovering, Rosan would probably get a bounty in the process.


    "Woohoo!" The boy cheered. "Bath time with Robin-nee!" the boy exclaimed in excitement before he hoisted Robin up, causing her to yelp in surprise, and rushing off to the bathroom with the girl in tow.


    Robin sighed in exasperation and let herself get carried away. Leave it to Rosan to automatically assert himself into her shower time. Honestly, what was she going to do with this troublemaker?


    At least the redhead wasn''t a pervert.


    He was lucky he was adorable.


    Bonus End!


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Character Sheet: Reaper (In the perspective of other people)


    Name: Unknown (Goes by Reaper)


    Title: The Angel of Death


    Age: Unknown


    Gender: Unknown


    Summary: Reaper is a mysterious figure who has burst into the scene from seemingly nowhere. Not much is known about him but the ease at which he handles bounties, coupled with his mystifying nature, has made him a hot topic of discussion across the Blue Seas and even a little in the Grand Line.


    Seemingly apathetic, it is rare to see Reaper lose his cool or break composure. He is surprisingly polite despite his profession and as such, the enigmatic figure is becoming increasingly popular around the world.


    Devil Fruit: Unknown. Speculated to be a Zoan type of some sorts. Perhaps a bird variation.


    General Appearance: Unknown. Covered head to toe with a long black cloak with white streaks, black gloves with white lining on it, and black combat boots. They have a rose on their. Their hoodie does a great job at concealing their features so no one knows what is under there.


    The most notable feature about Reaper is that they have a set of massive, obsidian feathery, black wings that are almost always being used.


    Height: Unknown (All that is known is that they are surprisingly short)


    Hair: Unknown


    Eyes: Reports have indicated that if you look close enough you can see a faint red glow under their hoodie. No one is willing to verify that detail however.


    Likes: Unknown


    Dislikes: Unknown


    Fun Fact: The Marines have offered Reaper a position into their ranks multiple times. They tried to entice him with an immediate ranking to Lieutenant Commander but the Angel of Demon immediately denied. Currently the offer is at Commodore but Reaper is firm in their decision. They are keeping a close eye on them as a result of the denial

 Beginning of the End

    14 year old Meiko hummed a jaunty tune Rosan taught her as she excitedly dressed herself.


    Why was she excited you ask?


    Well because she got to hang out with Angel and Demon today! Normally she got to hang out with either one or the other (it was mostly Demon, Angel preferred watching the ship) but today, she''d get to be with both of them!


    It was a shame that Rosan was off doing his Reaper duties. She seldom got to hang out with the triplets but when she did it was always such a treat!


    Watching the interactions of the trio never failed to make her laugh! It was always chaotic between the smug, confident Rosan, the haughty and proud Angel, and the kind, mischievous, Demon.


    It was never boring with the 3! Though, that wasn''t always a good thing. They were all incredibly overprotective of her and it showed when someone even looked at her the wrong way¡­


    It was quite embarrassing, but Meiko secretly enjoyed all the attention they showered her with.


    Still they could be a bit much¡­


    Alas, it was only the twin clones this time. Meiko felt herself missing Rosan but, the redhead had said he''d try and wrap up his business as soon as possible so that the 4 of them could hang out together.


    Rosan''s blush after she had embraced him and planted a kiss on his cheek left her smiling hard enough to make her own cheeks hurt.


    He was just so adorable sometimes!


    Meiko looked down at herself and smiled in satisfaction. It was hard to imagine that it had already been 3 years since she began traveling with Rosan but she didn''t regret a single moment of it.


    At 14, puberty had caused the teens body to practically explode in growth. Probably the least noticeable change was her height and hair. She stood at 5''5 and her golden blonde hair flowed down her back in a simple ponytail.


    Her body had begun changing to the point where bringing Demon to the clothing store was too embarrassing for the poor clone and she opted to take Angel instead.


    The look on Demon''s face when he saw the bra she was planning on buying, was priceless but she wouldn''t put the clone through that again. Meiko was too kind to torment the gentle clone.


    Her chest had began rapidly growing which is why she needed to buy a new bra and most disappointingly, she needed to update her wardrobe. Her cute sailor outfit had begun garnering unwanted attention whenever she went out and she did not want to be the reason Rosan committed homicide on civilians.


    Meiko flushed at the thought. She was unused to getting attention and despite how much more confident she got hanging around someone as bold as Rosan, she still had a few insecurities left.


    Her redheaded love interest was doing an amazing job at stamping it out.


    Still, other people showing interest in her just proved his words that she was beautiful! Rosan wasn''t just saying it to boost her confidence, he actually meant it!


    ...Which in hindsight, was a silly thought. Rosan was very honest and he wasn''t the type of person to say something just to make someone feel better.


    He was way too much of an ass for that! Even she wasn''t spared from his ruthless teasing, though her fake tears up tended to always make him apologize.


    Meiko looked at her fit body, kept in shape by Rosan bullying her into joining his hellish workouts (at least he never made her do the amount he did), and smiled at what she saw.


    The blonde was glad that Rosan forced her to join him in his exercise. She complained every single time without fail but the Mod Mod no mi user was doing it for her sake and she appreciated that.


    Meiko had embarrassingly confided in him about how her weight was getting to her. Looking back at it, she knew that she was overreacting and that it was just puberty doing its thing and her weight wasn''t as nearly as big of a problem as she was making it out to be but¡­ she couldn''t help it.


    The redhead had tried to reassure her of the exact same thing but seeing how badly it was affecting her, Rosan had taken the initiative and dragged her into his workout routine.


    "If you really aren''t satisfied then do something about it," he had confidently told her. "You''re just going through puberty Mei, but if you are really set then I''ll help in any way I can," the redhead finished, grinning at her all the while.


    Meiko blushed at the memory and sighed happily as she cupped her cheeks. Thinking about Rosan never failed to keep a smile off her face. She missed him¡­ she hoped whatever he was doing, he finished quickly.


    Kami, she had it bad for him.


    Shaking her head to try and get Rosan out of her thoughts, Meiko donned a long white sundress adorned with red roses all over it. It was a birthday gift from Mod-chan and the wink she got from the older woman, left her a stammering, red mess.


    Mod-chan was as big of a jerk as Rosan was sometimes.


    Still, she absolutely adored the dress the purple haired woman had gotten her. The blonde had made sure to show Mod-chan her appreciation and she was satisfied at how embarrassed the woman ended up when she showered her in kisses!


    Serves the Devil Fruit right for teasing her!


    She wiggled a bit in happiness before she managed to settle herself down. She didn''t want to keep the twins waiting after all!


    Meiko grabbed her favorite ruby earrings and clasped them on her ears. After all these years, she refused to wear any other type of earrings but the pair Rosan got her. She loved them too much to even consider replacing them because they were special to her.


    It was the first gift anyone had gotten her in a very long time.


    When Rosan realized that he gave her a bone crushing hug and told the blonde that someone like her deserved all the gifts in the world. She had whined embarrassingly in his grasp but deep down her heart was jumping for joy.


    Truthfully, just being with Rosan was enough of a gift for her. The love they had for each other was something she appreciated more then he could imagine.


    Thinking about gifts made Meiko blush an atomic red as she recalled one Rosan had given her.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Hey Mei," Rosan greeted cheerfully as he suddenly appeared on their ship.


    Meiko jumped in surprise before rounding on the boy with a glare on her face. "Rosan! Please don''t scare me like that," she chastised the boy who just smiled sheepishly.


    "Sorry sorry," Rosan apologized and he pulled the girl into a hug that she immediately melted into. "I was just excited because I wanted to give you something!"


    Meiko looked down at him and quirked a brow in curiosity. "You wanna give me something?" She asked, pointing a finger at herself and Rosan nodded rapidly.


    "I read somewhere, that a gift is better when you get it while you''re eyes are closed," Rosan informed her, before commanding she do just that.


    Meiko couldn''t help but giggle at how enthusiastic he sounded. It was good to see Rosan acting like the child he was sometimes. The redhead was so mature that seeing him like this made her cheeks hurt from smiling.


    Rosan''s joy was really infectious! They had made so much progress with his personality that it was exciting


    She hastily closed her eyes after Rosan shot her an impatient look and at his command, she extended out her hands.


    Something small and cold was placed in them, making her gasp slightly and Rosan told her that she could open her eyes now.


    When Meiko did so, the gasp she let out was far more audible. The blonde''s free hand covered her mouth in shock as she stared at the gift given to her by the boy she loved.


    It was a ring but not just any ring, it was the most gorgeous ring she had ever laid eyes on.


    The oval stone was a brilliant shade of purple similar to Rosan''s left eye and it was fashioned in silver. The purple stone was set amongst natural pear and marquise-cut stones that were equally purple to create an intricate floral motif. On the bottom of the ring, embedded in small letters, was the word RAM.


    Meiko was rendered speechless as she laid eyes upon it.


    "Gorgeous isn''t it?" Mod sounded fond with a hint of amusement in her voice at the starstruck expression on Meiko''s face. "I didn''t even help him whatsoever, it was all his idea," she supplied helpfully.


    "What do you think?" Rosan asked as his eyes shone. "It''s amethyst! Since your earrings are red, I wanted to get you something purple next and this is what I decided on," he explained with an adorable smile on his face.


    "I figured you would look pretty good in my colors!" he finished and the pure confidence in his tone, would have made her roll her eyes if they weren''t suck gawking at the ring.


    "Also you probably noticed the RAM right? It stands for Rosan and Meiko. I was going to put just your name but, I like this better," he added thoughtfully.


    Rosan paused what he was saying as he heard Meiko sniff. His eyes furrowed in worry and he looked at her face.


    Had he messed up? The redhead was sure that Meiko would have loved the gift, but maybe purple wasn''t her thing?


    He should have gotten white, it was Meiko''s favorite color.


    Stupid.


    Meiko, sensing that his confidence had wavered a bit, rushed into the boy and knocked them both over. "Rosan¡­" she choked a bit on her words as she clutched the boy, "...I love it!" the blonde exclaimed and she noticed the boy relaxed immediately.


    "But¡­why did you get me something this amazing?" Meiko asked and her voice was barely above a whisper.


    Rosan forced the blonde to look at him and she felt her breath hitch at the pure tenderness in his gaze. "Because you''re amazing, Mei," was his simple response.


    "You deserve everything and more Mei and I want you to realize that. You''re such an incredible person and the only one who doesn''t seem to realize that is you," Rosan''s voice was soft and he idly stroked her hair.


    Meiko, even with tears forming in her eyes, blushed deeply at Rosan''s words. She knew he was being honest because she could feel it but, it never failed to throw her for a loop when someone spoke highly of her.


    "Why d-did you decide on a ring t-though?" Meiko asked slightly embarrassed at the implications.


    To her great surprise, Rosan''s cheeks turned red as well causing her blush to deepen. "For now it''s just a reminder," he mumbled but she picked it up and Meiko felt like she would faint from the heat of her cheeks.


    "I want to become the strongest so that no one will ever come after the ones I love," Rosan said suddenly. "After I become the strongest, w-we can settle down together¡­ i-if that''s okay with you of course!"


    Seeing Rosan''s face turn a progressively deeper shade of red, was definitely one of the most adorable things Meiko had the pleasure of seeing. She would have been squealing if her head was not spinning at what he just said.


    Rosan¡­ He¡­ Did he really just say that?


    Meiko looked at him once more and despite how deep his blush was, his gaze was utterly sincere.


    She was getting overwhelmed with emotion at the thought that someone like Rosan wanted to spend his days with her.


    So she did the first thing she thought of.


    Meiko grabbed Rosan by his cheeks and kissed him.


    On the lips.


    The blondes brain short circuited as she realized what she had done. She had relied on instinct to guide her and it betrayed her when she needed it most.


    "It''s about time!" Mod squealed in joy at what she was witnessing, causing Meiko to wallow in embarrassment.


    Her embarrassment only got worse when she realized that she had yet to break contact.


    She was such an idiot.


    Hastily, Meiko broke the kiss and pushed herself up. "I-I''m s-sorry! I-I don''t know w-what c-came o-o-over me," the girl stuttered horribly and eventually she just shut her mouth.


    No use talking if she couldn''t even get the sentence out properly.


    She took the chance to steal a glance at Rosan''s face and what she saw stunned her.


    The boy''s mouth was open in shock and his eyes were a bit dazed in confusion. It only took him a moment to come to his senses and when he did, his face turned a shade of red that she had never seen on the Mod Mod no mi users body.


    It was matching his hair in color!


    "Y-you i-idiot! W-what are you doing!" He exclaimed in shock and he stared at her with wide bright eyes.


    Meiko''s jaw dropped at Rosan''s reaction.


    What was this?! Was Rosan¡­ Was he embarrassed?! The same boy who teased her endlessly¡­was like this after one kiss?!


    "Is this all it takes to cow Rosan?!" Mod-chan seemed just as shocked as her.


    Rosan seemed to notice his mistake and he very quickly tried to salvage the situation. "W-what? No way!" He exclaimed, face still as red as his hair. "I was just caught off guard! That''s it!"


    Meiko smiled.


    Rosan paled.


    The blonde tackled the boy and though he protested, the older girl was unrelenting.


    "The worst thing about this, is that you''re just as embarrassed as I am but your still choosing to do this," Rosan said flatly. His face seemed to be permanently red now and Meiko was proud to know that she wasn''t the only one on the ship who could reach those levels.


    The teen let out an honest laugh at Rosan''s misfortune before she hugged him tightly. "Thank you for the gift Rosy, I love it," Meiko said warmly as she embraced the boy.


    Rosan smiled softly, injustice forgotten, and hugged her back. "Does that mean¡­?"


    She giggled and said "Of course dummy! You couldn''t get rid of me even if you tried."


    Rosan let out a laugh of his own. "How silly of me. I shoulda known your answer was always going to be yes." His voice was tinged with amusement and Meiko couldn''t keep the smile off her face.


    The blonde paused for a moment before tentatively saying "Rosan?"


    "What is it Meiko?" The redhead asked as he tilted his head.


    "...I love you," she said softly, hesitantly.


    Rosan froze as he heard that before a real grin broke out on his features. "I love you too Mei," he beamed as he kissed her on the cheek.


    Meiko felt like her heart was gonna explode at the sheer sincerity in his tone. He didn''t even hesitate to respond to her words and the pure adoration in his tone made her lightheaded.


    "I want at least 2 kids and one of them has to be named after me in some way, preferably the girl" Mod chimed in causing Meiko to blush furiously. K-kids? But that was so soon!


    "How do you know for sure I''m having a girl?" Rosan hummed in amusement.


    "Your firstborn will be a girl I just know it!" The Devil Fruit grinned.


    "M-Mod-chan please stop!" Meiko begged and Rosan just cackled evilly.


    "Maybe one of them will have a mix of blonde and red hair," he teased, causing Meiko to snap her gaze towards him.


    "Y-you remember that?" She asked, gawking at him in disbelief.


    "It''s hard not to with how happy you were after I confirmed that I''d like it," Rosan said, looking far too smug for her liking.


    "You two would have the absolute cutest babies!" Mod gushed and Meiko hid unsuccessfully behind her twintails.


    "You two are the worst," Meiko mumbled.


    "Shouldn''t have teased me," Rosan sang.


    "I love you too~," Mod joined.


    Meiko just grumbled.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Meiko squealed in joy with a rosy blush as she recalled the memory. The thought that Rosan wanted to spend his remaining days with her filled the blonde with so much joy she could burst.


    Never in her wildest dreams did she think someone, especially a person like Rosan, would reciprocate her feelings.


    Meiko was insecure. Anyone could tell you that after spending a moment with her. Years of neglect from her parents had burdened the girl with a slew of issues that she struggled to get rid of.


    It was her biggest weakness. Meiko could not get out of her own head and it did nothing but trouble her at the worst times.


    She wasn''t good enough; too childish, too naive, too kind. How could she ever do what her parents did? The moment they had changed¡­ the two had immediately written her off as useless.


    It stung just thinking about it and more then once Meiko had been left staring at her ceiling at night wondering why she wasn''t up to their standards. It had brought her to tears knowing that she wasn''t good enough for anybody.


    Yet she was good enough for someone. Someone who was incredible in comparison to how normal she was.


    Ever since she had first heard of Rosan, she had known how special he was. The redhead had been able to capture the undivided attention of not just her father, but even her mother was completely enamored by the boy. Sachie nor Masaru weren''t easy people to impress.


    Meiko knew that personally.


    It wasn''t a surprise that something that interested both her parents, would be of interest to Meiko herself. The blonde couldn''t help but feel a little resentful that one person had managed to effortlessly capture the attention of the two people who she desperately wanted attention from.


    So Meiko went to see the one had managed to do just that. The blonde had been a nervous mess when she realized she''d be going behind her parents back to see the culprit, but the girl realized that they probably wouldn''t even notice she was gone and that emboldened her as much as it saddened her.


    She took her father''s key to the facility and set off to find her culprit. All she knew was that it was the cell numbered 118. The blonde managed to make it into her father''s facility without alerting anyone and she quietly looked around for their cell.


    Meiko and Rosan hadn''t met each other at the same time. When Rosan had first met her, she had already seen him before. The boy had been unconscious when Meiko had first sneaked into his cell.


    When she laid eyes upon him, she couldn''t help the startled gasp that erupted from her at the sight of the tiny child. She couldn''t explain it but she felt a connection to this person as if they knew each other!


    It was odd considering this was the very first time she had ever met them but for some reason, she felt drawn to them.


    She naturally wanted to get to know them more.


    It was a boy a very, very young boy by the looks of it. He looked even younger then her! His red hair was splayed messily and it covered most of his face, his clothes were ripped, and he had dried blood on him. His arms were handcuffed and despite sleeping, he looked distinctly uncomfortable.


    He was injured. Disturbingly so and Meiko looked on in horror at the condition of his body, resentment all but forgotten.


    This was the person that her parents were so fascinated by? He was so young! What had he done to gather the attention of both her parents enough to the point where they''d kidnap him? Why was he so injured?


    H-had her parents done this to him? Surely t-they wouldn''t do something so...


    This was terrible!


    The girl had gnawed on her lips as she looked at the boy who couldn''t be older then 10 and made a decision. She had come in here occasionally, though her father only let her into the medical room, so she knew where said medical supply was.


    She would try and patch him up without making it too noticeable in hopes that her father didn''t find anything amiss.


    The lights were barely on and Meiko struggled to find the room but when she did, she quickly spotted what she was looking for and excitedly grabbed a small amount of supplies.


    The blond was happy that she had been studying medicine because it would be valuable.


    She patched the boy up as well as she could without waking him. Besides a few noises, the redhead didn''t seem remotely close to rising from his slumber.


    Meiko finished quickly and when she did, she took the chance to look at him again. She couldn''t help but blush at what she saw.


    With his hair parted and looking a tad more healthy, Meiko could make out that the boy was cute¡­


    Very cute.


    She yelped quietly at the realization and fled the room in embarrassment. The girl didn''t stop running until she made it to her home and she quietly snuck into her room and slammed her head into the pillow.


    Meiko wanted to see him again¡­


    So she did! She waited for a moment to escape her parents at night (not that it was very hard when she was largely ignored) and made her way over to where the injured redhead was.


    This time, the girl had grabbed a special ointment she had been working on. She had overheard her parents talking about how rebellious Rosan (was that his name?) was after waking up and that he''d require additional discipline.


    The way they said that filled her with an unexplainable dread. The blonde was briefly reminded of the condition that the boy had been in but there was no way her parents would make it worse...


    ...Right?


    Meiko knew her parents were not great people. As she got older, that startling truth was made clear to her and it shattered her innocent view on the world a little.


    She wasn''t aware that their actions would extend to even children though. The thought that some poor child was being tormented by her adults, made her sick to her stomach and she couldn''t believe they would ever do something like that¡­


    Maybe the boy had done something terrible...?


    The young blonde wasn''t quite sure about that¡­


    Meiko made her way to his cell again and entered without prompt upon arriving. She quietly made her way over to the sleeping figure and stepped back in horror at what she saw.


    These injuries weren''t present the last time she was here.


    His skin was blistering from what seemed to be burns and the boy was red all over. Meiko turned green at the smell of burnt flesh and she tried hard not to throw up and make his living conditions even worse.


    This¡­ t-this couldn''t have been done by her parents right? They would never do this to a boy who didn''t even look old enough to be alone. She to refused to believe that her parents would ever do something like this. Her parents weren''t good people but they wouldn''t stoop to this level. T-they were better than that!


    Yet here he was, in her father''s facility, in a cell, handcuffed, with horrendous looking injuries. He couldn''t have done this to himself¡­ and Meiko recalled the conversation Mama and Papa had¡­


    Her eyes welled up as she gazed at Rosan''s unconscious figure and she fought hard to stifle a sob. Was he going to be okay? How could they just leave his injuries unattended to like this? That was so cruel!


    If no one would help the poor boy, then she would try to help any way she could.


    Dabbing a hand into her ointment, she gently began rubbing the cream onto the boy but the moment her hand made contact with him, the injured redhead shot up, surprising her greatly, only to let out a sharp gasp of pain.


    Meiko jumped in fright at his sudden movement but her eyes softened in sympathy at the obvious pain he was in. The blonde pushed the boy back down and though he tried to resist, he was too weak and soon, he was resting on his back once again.


    They made eye contact and Meiko felt her breath hitch as she stared into the most brilliant shade of royal purple eyes. The orbs were shining brightly and Meiko wondered how she could see them so clearly in the night.


    They were one of the most gorgeous pair of eyes she had seen and they were in so much pain.


    Meiko steeled herself and began diligently dabbling the ointment on the purple eyed boy. He whimpered in pain and Meiko''s heart melted at the noise. She stared at him with a sad, sympathetic gaze that he noticed.


    The blonde tried to be as gentle as possible, so as to not cause him any more pain, and eventually finished patching him up.


    Admiring her handiwork, she got up and stepped back. The boy looked like he desperately wanted to say something, but he couldn''t muster up the energy to speak and sagged as a result.


    For some reason, Meiko just knew he wanted to show gratitude and the girl couldn''t help wonder how someone could feel even an ounce of gratitude in a situation like this. Her heart fluttered at his kindness and after shooting him one last glance of concern, she fled the facility.


    As she prepared to sleep, Meiko realized that she was becoming a little obsessed with the mysterious new boy on the island. The blonde really wanted to have a conversation with him and get to know him better. She wanted to understand why her parents were so enraptured with him and it was driving her a bit crazy that she was becoming like them in that regard.


    Maybe it was because there was finally someone else her age on Daybreak island? Meiko was the only child here and as such, she had always felt a little isolated from everyone else.


    She was homeschooled and largely self sufficient as a result. All the adults were really rude and cruel and she didn''t feel comfortable talking to people who owned slaves and treated them so cruelly¡­


    It was safe to say that Meiko had no friends.. which is probably why she wanted to get to know him more.


    The girl tried hard to ignore the fact that he was a prisoner being tortured but she just couldn''t. The boy was being brutalized nonstop and it was due to her parents¡­


    Maybe she could make his stay more comfortable? To make up for the treatment the corrupt adults put him through?


    She would try. She had to try.


    And try she did! Meiko visited the injured boy as often as she could so that she could ease his pain as much as possible. His gratitude was obvious and she was left blushing at the unfamiliar show of affection. It made her feel guilty that she was deriving pleasure from a prisoner that was being tormented.


    This went on for a bit, with her parents being none the wiser, and one day as she worked on him again, glowing purple eyes staring all the while, he suddenly whispered "T-thank you, for doing this when your not supposed too."


    Meiko froze as she heard his squeaky, raspy voice. She had never heard anything more then a whimper or gasp of pain from the boy.


    He sounded as young as he looked and he looked young. His voice came out in a rather hoarse tone that suggested he had been screaming earlier and Meiko couldn''t help but cringe at how it sounded.


    Despite the pain though¡­ he had still managed to thank her of all people. The boy was being held prisoner and he had the capacity to still thank someone?


    Meiko felt her heart pounding as enough blood rushed to her face to make her woozy.


    She wasn''t used to being thanked, so could you blame her when she, without responding, turned around and bolted from the room.


    The poor blonde didn''t stop running until she made it to her room and she slammed into her bed without hesitation. What she did had finally caught up to her and the girl moaned in embarrassment.


    Running away from someone just because he thanked her? She was such an idiot sometimes. This just showed her startling lack of interactions with anyone her age.


    There was no way he wouldn''t take that the wrong way. Meiko sighed in misery and hid her face into her pillow as she berated herself.


    She would just wait one week before apologizing to him. If she visited him now she might combust on the spot.


    Decision made, Meiko went to sleep thinking of ways to apologize to the cute boy.


    "Next week for sure," Meiko thought to herself.


    It did not take one week. It took two months and Meiko wanted to slam her head into a wall at what she was doing.


    Her embarrassment had taken forever to fade and to make matters worse, her parents had suddenly began acknowledging her existence, making it harder to escape at night!


    The experience was far too surreal for her!


    "Meiko," The voice of Sachie, her mother, called causing Meiko to jump up. She wasn''t used to being directly spoken too at home so to hear her mother call her name was a shock.


    "Y-yes, Mom?" The blonde replied hesitantly, as she looked over at her mother. The girl began fidgeting nervously at what she could possibly want from her.


    Did her mother perhaps know what she had been up to? If she did, Meiko would be in a disastrous amount of trouble. After all, she had been tampering with their prized weapon and probably making it even harder for her father to force him into submission.


    She shuddered at what her father may do. Clearly they weren''t as innocent to children as Meiko thought.


    Sachie seemed to notice Meiko''s worry and the beautiful buxom woman was quick to reassure her daughter that nothing was wrong. "You aren''t in trouble! I just wanted to¡­talk to you," her mother said a bit awkwardly and she looked away from the little girl who looked so much like her.


    "Y-you want to talk to me?" The disbelief was clear in her tone. "A-about what?" Meiko asked and it broke her mother''s heart how uncertain she sounded.


    Sachie had never personally agreed with the idea of pushing her daughter away but Masaru had raised a good point. Meiko was exceedingly kind, even for her age, and introducing the girl to the activities they did would shatter her view of the world.


    Much as she hated it, she wanted Meiko to remain innocent and so she stopped acknowledging her in order to protect her.


    That had all changed with the addition of Rosan. Her husband had high hopes for the boy and she was inclined to agree with him. If things worked out well, they wouldn''t need to stay on this island any longer.


    The black haired mother wanted to try and amend their relationship before the family departed.


    "Meiko¡­" Sachie began in a heartfelt tone and she saw her daughter instinctively relax at the tone she used. "I''m sorry. What we''ve done to you is unforgivable as parents but please understand that we did it for your own good!"


    "I want to make it up to you in any way that I can so please, let me," Sachie finished with a bow of her head.


    Sachie watched Meiko''s eyes, the same color as her own, but pupilless, widen in shock and she felt her heart wrench as tears began forming in her daughter''s eyes.


    "U-um," Meiko stuttered before saying, "Okay¡­ I''d like that."


    She smiled hopefully up at her mother as she tentatively rubbed her arms. The sight caused Sachie to smile herself.


    This is why they didn''t want Meiko apart of their world. She was too kind. The fact that she so easily forgave the mother for years of neglect, spoke volumes of the type of person she was.


    Sachie wanted to protect her daughter more then anything.


    Mother and daughter spent time with each other whenever given the opportunity and before Meiko realized it, 2 months had passed by.


    She was ashamed to admit that the joy she spent spending with her mother, had made her temporarily forget about the redheaded prisoner. It was so surreal to the blonde that her parents wanted anything to do with her and it temporarily hid the disappointment she felt in them for everything.


    The blonde had gasped in horror as the thought of the boy suddenly slammed into her one night and she began tearing up at the shock of it all.


    He had been suffering. For 2 months. Because of her parents. And she was not there to help alleviate the pain even slightly.


    Oh no...


    Meiko prayed that her father had shown even a bit of mercy but deep down, she knew better and the thought that she had been so happily enjoying herself made her let out a quiet sob into the pillow.


    She needed to go see him immediately.


    Making sure that her mother was not going to bother her for the rest of the night, Meiko snuck out to go meet the imprisoned boy.


    The key she had grabbed looked unfamiliar and so, she deduced that he had been moved somewhere else in the facility.


    No matter, she''d find him if it was the last thing she did!


    It took her quite a while to locate his new room but finally, she had found the cell number matching the key.


    The cell door clinked, a sign that it had been unlocked, and Meiko stepped through the door quietly.


    The room was in a much better condition then the one he had been in previously and Meiko wondered what had happened for him to suddenly get an upgrade.


    Had her father mercifully loosened up a little?


    Somehow, she doubted that¡­


    Rosan was no longer handcuffed to the bed and appeared to be sleeping peacefully. Nothing suggested that the boy was in any pain but she could never be sure because Masaru was a scientist.


    The thought that he got used to it on his own, horrified her more than she would like to admit because no one should get used to torture.


    She quickly walked towards the boy to ensure that he really was okay. As she finally reached him, she noticed that she was able to get a better look at him in this room and greedily soaked in his appearance.


    He was in a much better shape then when she had seen him 2 months ago and she was able to verify just how adorable he was.


    In the light, Meiko could see that he had bronze skin and that his hair was the most striking shade of red she had ever seen. She didn''t even know some people could have hair this color!


    And it was so spiky! Was that how it naturally looked?


    Well it had to be. She doubted her parents cared enough to use hair products on the boy.


    Meiko had an internal war with herself before coming to an important decision. Walking closer towards the boy, Meiko took a deep breath and hesitantly placed a hand into his hair.


    The blonde gasped in awe at how soft his hair was. How did he manage to get his hair like this? Would he be able to give her tips? Wait, no he probably didn''t use hair products.


    This was natural?!


    "So spiky, but so soft," she whispered to herself as she began raking her hand through his spikes.


    Meiko eventually lost herself in her task. She was so distracted, that when Rosan said "Do you normally pet people in their sleep?" she jumped up with a squeal and quickly backed away.


    The girl tried to compose her rapidly beating heart from the scare she had just received. Rosan was just staring at her and she felt her face heat up at how stupid she must have looked to the young boy.


    They made eye contact and she was left gasping at what she saw.


    "Your eyes, they''re different! Are you okay?!"


    The last time she had seen the redhead, both of his eyes were a brilliant shade of purple. Yet now, his left eye was a sinister shade of blood red and his purple eye looked positively frosty.


    He was not a heterochromia last she checked.


    Not only that, his whole demeanor seemed so wrong now. Even injured, Meiko could tell that he was a kind boy but right now, as he stared at her with a blank expression, she had a sneaking suspicion that he had been fundamentally changed and it made her frown sadly.


    Just w-what had her parents done to him?


    The small boy did not answer her. He just continued to stare and eventually he repeated his question.


    Meiko had been shuffling uncomfortably at the intimidating gaze directed towards her, but she snapped out of it as she heard him repeat himself.


    Hastily she pulled out her ointment to save further embarrassment and presented it to him.


    "I-I wanted to help you heal faster, i-if you don''t mind¡­" she whispered timidly. Rosan stared at her, face not shifting whatsoever, but she just knew what he was thinking.


    "I''m not weird, I promise!" She reassured him quickly. The boy simply raised a brow and shot her a strange look as if she confirmed his thoughts by saying that.


    Meiko held her head down and simply asked "Can I just rub this ointment on you?" to which he nodded. She felt a blush creep on her face at the faint amusement in his eyes.


    As she rolled up his sleeves, Meiko felt her blush deepen at the close proximity between the two of them. She wasn''t used to Rosan being so...active when she did this so to see him up and about, was doing wonders for her social skills.


    Her very abysmal social skills¡­


    She opted to stay silent, besides the little hum she let out as she worked, fearing that she would embarrass herself otherwise, and gathered her thoughts.


    Gathering her thoughts brought her to the forefront of why she had come rushing here in the first place.


    Rosan had been here for 3 months, getting tortured by her parents and it seemed like they finally cracked him.


    The redhead was far more reserved now. Previously, he was so used to her presence, that he would let his guard down when she showed up. Now though, he was permanently on edge.


    He didn''t deserve to be help captive like this and she had been doing nothing to help him for 2 months and now he was like this¡­


    "I''m so sorry about everything!" she blurted out and at Rosan''s questioning glance, she continued by saying, "I didn''t come here for a while because...I felt bad for running away from you after you told me thank you¡­"


    Imagine her surprise when the boy suggested that she didn''t like him! How could he even possibly think that?! Did he have any idea how much S-she was risking by coming here to make sure he was okay?! And he thought she didn''t like him?!


    The nerve!


    "That''s not true! I do like you! You just... s-surprised me a-and I didn''t know how to respond, so I ran off," was her timid reply and she directed her gaze towards where she rubbed the ointment.


    Looking at him, gave her a stark reminder that he was a victim of her parents. This young child was being held captive and being tortured endlessly by her mother and father.


    He was a prisoner.


    And he still thanked her.


    "You''re going through so much, but you can still manage to muster up the strength to thank me¡­it makes me so happy!" she choked out and she felt tears forming in her eyes as she regarded the adorable boy.


    He was so kind but her parents had managed to corrupt him. Now the boy had such an empty expression and his gorgeous eyes, that shone in childish wonder, lost all the spark in them. Despite how empty he tried to look, she could feel it deep in her bones when looking at him. Rosan masked it well but she could sense it and it terrified her.


    The boy had an unsettling amount of rage inside of him. Enough to shake her to the core and freeze her to this spot.


    It was scary.


    "B-but now, they c-changed you and while they did that, I was off being too embarrassed to even help!" She couldn''t help but let out a choked sob as she spoke to the boy. "Despite everything you went through, your eyes always had so much determination and it was so inspiring to me! Now, you hide it well but, I can feel it¡­there''s so much rage and it''s so suffocating and I couldn''t do anything to help,"


    The girl sobbed as she thought about how much pain the redhead must be in. A look of shock appeared on his face as she spoke and she could feel how confused he was. It was startling how easily she could read him. For all intents and purposes, he displayed little to no emotion so how could she tell?


    Who was he?


    Whatever the case, Meiko knew that he didn''t belong here. Something about seeing him caged like this just felt so wrong. He was supposed to be free and she wasn''t sure why she knew that but she just did.


    "I''m sorry. I wish I could help you more but¡­I''m really weak so all I can do is rub this ointment I made on you. That''ll never be enough, though because you don''t deserve to be here!"


    It took her a long time to compose herself but when she did, she noticed Rosan staring at her with that same blank expression of his. Seeing that he had her attention, Rosan chose to say, "What''s done is done. All that matters now, is how I handle the situation I''m in. I appreciate your concerns, but you don''t need to apologize to me. You haven''t done anything wrong. Thank you for helping me heal faster but, if you''re done, you should leave. Something tells me, that you aren''t supposed to be here and I wouldn''t want you to get into any trouble after all."


    Rosan''s not so subtle dismissal wasn''t lost to the girl but, she appreciated that he pretended to care. He raised a good point though. It was getting dangerously late and though her father certainly wouldn''t notice, maybe her mother would.


    She doubted it.


    Meiko hastily got up so she could head home. "Ah you''re right! I have to go¡­ Although, I don''t even think they''ll realize I''m gone."


    She got ready to leave before stopping herself. The blonde honestly really wanted to visit him again. Something about the boy just drew her in and it filled her with an unexplainable curiosity.


    Meiko wanted to get to know him more.


    Turning hesitantly to face him, Meiko asked "D-do you mind if I come back please? I''d like to talk a bit more with you¡­o-only if you don''t mind though!"


    The boy didn''t even look at her as he said "Do whatever you want. I won''t be going anywhere."


    Her eyes lit up in joy at his easy acceptance and Meiko cheered.


    "Yay!" The girl could jump in joy but she didn''t want to creep the boy out even further. "I''ll come back tomorrow night then with some more ointment, Rosan!" she assured him. She pointedly ignored the fact that the boy was barely injured and she was thankful that he didn''t bother pointing it out himself.


    Suddenly Meiko remembered her manners and she blushed brightly at her oversight. She bowed deeply and told the redhead "M-my name is Meiko by the way I hope we can get along."


    With that, she quickly left the room.


    When she finally made it to her room, the girl shoved her face into a pillow and screamed in joy.


    She felt so proud of herself! Normally, she didn''t have the courage to make requests or ask for things. The fact that she had managed to muster up said courage and receive a positive answer, left her beaming in joy.


    It said a lot about her current state of mind, that she found such happiness in a prisoner who probably hated everyone and everything on this island¡­


    Well whatever! Rosan didn''t seem to mind her presence and he had said himself that she could visit so she would do just that! She deserved to be a little selfish for once because it made her happy!


    That night, Meiko fell asleep with a smile on her face.


    True to her words, Meiko visited Rosan the next night¡­ And the night after that, and the night after that too, and the night after that¡­


    The blonde visited the prisoner practically every day!


    Despite her mother''s sudden spike of interest in her, Sachie was still a busy woman and couldn''t give Meiko her full attention. She was trying though and Meiko appreciated her efforts dearly, despite feeling like it was a little too late for this.


    She had even heard her mother firmly telling Dad to stop hurting Rosan so much! The tone of the woman was threatening and if Papa was a smart man (which he was), he would not try to argue against her.


    Speaking of Rosan, the blonde really enjoyed spending time with the redhead! He was a fantastic listener and he actually said things back! The 9 year old was so polite to her and Meiko loved the feeling of actually being listened to.


    She still played it off as her wanting to apply ointment onto him but, Rosan hadn''t been seriously injured for quite a while so she really didn''t have a reason to visit him anymore.


    Meiko found solace in his presence though. They meshed together in a way that she couldn''t quite explain and she was sure Rosan noticed as well. The boy was quite stubborn however and tried his best to ignore the very obvious signs.


    Meiko was not of the same opinion.


    She chose to embrace it unlike Rosan and that''s why she visited him so often! The blonde felt drawn to him in a way that was unexplainable and she didn''t want to jeopardize their¡­sort of friendship?


    It''s why she he refrained from telling Rosan just who her parents were. His main tormentors, were the ones who gave birth to her and she couldn''t imagine his reaction if he found out.


    She didn''t want to lose one of the few people who payed attention to her.


    Yes, it was best if she didn''t tell Rosan about her parents just yet¡­


    Meiko didn''t enjoy how isolated from the world Rosan was, so she told him anything and everything about her days and what went on outside of the facility. The boy often let her speak and provided some small words here and there which always left her beaming.


    It rarely ever showed on his face, but she could feel his amusement whenever they spoke and it made her speak more confidently. The blonde knew she was rambling a lot and it would have embarrassed her more but, she could feel that Rosan somewhat valued their conversations.


    Probably because it provided a small respite in this hell that he lived¡­


    Meiko had to save him. At any costs.


    She couldn''t stand violence and she had made sure to let Rosan know that. She refused to own any slaves and the idea that they were having someone as young as Rosan, trained to be a weapon made her feel incredibly nauseous.


    That had actually made the younger boy curious and he asked her why she was even here in the first place?


    Reluctantly, Meiko told him that it was due to her parents and hearing how saddened she sounded, he mercifully let the topic drop, to which she was immensely thankful for.


    It hadn''t stopped him from asking if they were concerned about her frequent trips here, to which she dejectedly replied that they wouldn''t even notice her missing.


    She explained to him that her goals and aspirations didn''t align with what her parents wanted and as such, they practically threw her to the side and ignored her existence.


    Meiko blushed a pretty shade of red as Rosan bluntly pointed out just how talented she was due to her ointment.


    She had made the unconscious decision to absolutely save him at all costs once she heard his compliment.


    Speaking of which¡­


    Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    "Rosan¡­you seem a bit happier then normal today. No that''s not right¡­you seem more relieved?" Meiko asked as she watched the boys gaze snap to attention.


    Something about him was different. He seemed much more¡­alive? The boy looked as if he was practically thrumming with energy and she noticed that his eyes were shining much brighter then other days.


    Could eyes even glow like that?!


    Rosan stared at her in thought and she knew he was contemplating if he should answer or ignore her. Thankfully, he chose the former. "Relieved?" He asked. "I suppose I am a bit relieved. I was allowed to use my abilities today¡­it felt nice not being so restricted. Perhaps that''s the reason?"


    Meiko held her head in guilt at the reminder that he was a prisoner before slapping her cheeks in determination.


    Rosan was handling the situation like a champ and here she was being completely pitiful.


    That just wouldn''t do!


    "Your Devil Fruit right? Could you tell me what it is, please?" Meiko asked excitedly.


    She knew he had the cuffs placed on to suppress his fruit powers but she didn''t actually know what it was!


    Devil Fruits were fascinating to her. She had never met anyone with one but just the concept of them was so interesting! A mysterious fruit that was able to grant users abilities yet took away their ability to swim? It was easily one of the most interesting topics in the world!


    Naturally she would wanna learn about at least one of them!


    Rosan immediately said "My devil fruit is the Saizu Saizu no Mi. It allows me to increase or decrease the size of myself and objects."


    "A lie."


    There was absolutely nothing wrong with what he said so why on earth did Meiko know he was lying to her. The blonde could not explain, but she knew for a fact Rosan was not being honest with what his ability was.


    The older child narrowed her eyes at the prisoner and softly said "Y-you don''t have to lie to me Rosan..." to which he raised a brow at.


    "...I know the situation your in is really bad, b-but I''ve never lied to you so, please don''t lie to me," she finished and Meiko was satisfied to see a look of shock appear on his face.


    Part of her was hurt that he would lie so easily to her. Meiko understood why he was so guarded around anyone but she was trying her best for him! He could have at least said that he didn''t feel comfortable telling her what it is but instead, he chose to lie.


    But how was she so sure that he had lied?


    Meiko noticed that the two of them were able to understand each other to a scary degree. No matter what Rosan did, she was able to glean into his true motives and vice versa. They could not hide anything from each other and the blonde had accepted it.


    It seems that Rosan was still in denial. He didn''t seem to appreciate how compatible they were and tried hard to keep his guard up (it never worked).


    The boy in question was gazing critically at her and it was honestly pretty intimidating with the way they glowed. She shuffled a bit in nervousness at his heterochromatic gaze and her once confident gaze quickly reverted to the meekness she was used to.


    She at least knew he was seriously deliberating what she had said. It seems that he had come to a decision because a sense of understanding came from him.


    Her hopes were shattered when he bluntly said "I don''t trust you."


    Rosan wasn''t done however. "Don''t get me wrong Meiko, everything you do is genuine and normally I would have no problem trusting you, but I''m sure you know what happened to me. I can''t allow myself to trust anyone. No... that''s not quite right. I won''t allow myself to trust anyone."


    It hurt her more then she would like to admit, but she understood exactly where he was coming from. They had robbed the boy of his livelihood and kept him captive for months. His entire personality had shifted due to the stress and pain her father had inflicted upon him.


    Who was she to assume that he would just trust her because she visited him in the dark of the night? As far as he was concerned, her being an inhabitant of this island, made her just as much to blame as anyone.


    Her meager attempts to make him more comfortable, didn''t take away from the fact that this was his own personal hell.


    Evidently, Rosan knew exactly what her thought process was because his mounting confusion suddenly shifted into rage so quickly, that Meiko was caught completely off guard by the events that happened next.


    The girl let out a yelp of pain as Rosan suddenly forced her to the floor. His eyes were laced with fury and Meiko sadly noted this was the most emotion he had shown since she had seen him.


    Of course it was her who caused him to act like this. She just couldn''t do anything right¡­


    "You really think you understand me, don''t you?!" He all but snarled and she began shaking at the raw hatred in his tone.


    "You don''t understand anything I''ve gone through so stop pretending like you fucking do! Don''t try to relate your life to mine just because your parents don''t love you and you have no friends," The redhead hissed and she flinched strongly at his harsh words.


    Tears welled into her eyes, as the boys cruel words slammed into her. She sobbed and hiccuped as she said "T-that''s cruel Rosan! Y-you don''t have to say something like that!"


    But he was right. How could she even begin to compare their situations? Rosan was being tortured. The injuries he sustained while here were horrendous and she could personally attest to that.


    How could Meiko even begin to fully understand just how much pain he was in?


    Seeing was so much more different then actually experiencing it.


    She had been trying so hard to fully ignore it but with the boy bringing it to attention, the blonde saw just how terrible his life currently was. Did she really think just talking to him and slightly alleviating his pain was doing anything?!


    That was hopelessly naive¡­


    Meiko''s sobs renewed at the boys obvious misery.


    Why had they done this to him? Why was he not allowed to be free? Why couldn''t they just release him?! Why? Why? Why?!


    Rosan was about to swing at her and Meiko knew how much stronger he was then her. If the blow connected, she wouldn''t be able to hide the bruise and the blonde was a terrible liar.


    She knew though, that he wouldn''t actually hurt her. Rosan was mad, but he wasn''t mad at her. He was simply upset about his circumstances being brought up.


    H-he would know that it wasn''t her fault. She was sure of it.


    The boy suddenly stopped what he was doing as they made eye contact and realization dawned on his features.


    He could tell what she was feeling, right? T-that''s why he suddenly stopped?


    Maybe he''d really believe her then if she apologized to him¡­


    "I-I''m s-so sorry R-Rosan," she sobbed "I''m so weak and pathetic that I can''t even help you when you''re in so much pain."


    The blonde watched in a small amount of wonder as the rage quickly slipped off his face in favor of regret of all things. Meiko was shocked to see the boy slowly clamber off of her, allowing her to get up.


    She hesitantly did and as she got another look at his face she saw anger but, it wasn''t directed towards her. No in fact, it was directed towards himself.


    He probably didn''t like the fact that he had lost control. The boy had practically been a stone wall since they met and this was the only time she had ever seen such a burst of emotion from him. It was probably not up to his standards and his disappointment was rolling off in waves.


    Rosan took a deep breath and said "You should go Meiko¡­and you shouldn''t come back."


    Her eyes widened in horror at that. Not come back?! B-but she enjoyed spending time with Rosan! The thought that she''d have to go back to a life of being mostly ignored, terrified the little girl more than ever.


    She tried to argue but Rosan was firm in his decision and Meiko reluctantly gave up. The blonde walked, downtrodden, to the door. She was about to leave but seeing the regret on Rosan''s face, solidified in her mind that he was not a bad person.


    "I-I know you feel bad Rosan¡­but i-it''s not your fault so I d-don''t blame you!" Meiko said softly and she turned to face him. She stared into his dual colored eyes and marveled at the fact that they both seemed to display a different emotion.


    "Rosan I just want to understand you!" Meiko begged quietly. "Please...I know you can''t trust anybody, I really do, but that''s why I want to earn your trust! B-because if you can''t trust even one person in life then can you really call that living?"


    Meiko knew her words resonated with Rosan because in true Rosan fashion, he ran away from it. "Get out," the boy said through grit teeth.


    The blonde acquiesced and opened up the cage but not before leaving some last words.


    "I knew you weren''t going to hurt me Rosan. Deep down¡­you''re kind Rosan I know it. I''m so sorry that they did this to you and...I''m going to make this right. You may not trust me Rosan, but I trust you."


    "I-I''ll find a way to break you out Rosan I promise," she finished before hurrying away. Part of her feared his response and so, she quickly left before potentially earning his ire again.


    That night she cried herself hoarsely to sleep.


    The next day when Sachie had first laid eyes on her, she had scooped her up into a hug and Meiko began crying in earnest again. Her mother didn''t ask what was wrong, which Meiko was grateful for, and just hugged her daughter while rubbing her back soothingly.


    Meiko had been crying a lot since her meeting with Rosan. Most of the time it was for the boy, other times it was because she replayed the conversation in her head.


    She understood where Rosan was coming from, but that didn''t mean his words hurt any less. The boy could be quite venomous when he wanted to and Meiko had been subjected to that first-hand. She replayed those words in his head over and over again and it made her heart shudder at the raw hate in his tone.


    Eventually though, with the help of her mother, Meiko finally got over herself and stopped crying so much.


    She had never seen Rosan cry, so she wouldn''t be crying either.


    Instead, the blonde focused her attention on other matters to distract herself.


    Namely, freeing Rosan.


    Meiko had thought long and hard on how exactly she was going to free the boy and she deduced that the perfect time, would be during Ash and Dust. The girl was not allowed to actually attend the event because she was too young and it was far too violent.


    Personally, she was glad. If her parents had forced her to attend, Meiko was sure she''d have an empty stomach by the end of the first match.


    So it was totally fine that she''d not be going. It would give her alot of time to prepare for helping set Rosan free. The boy didn''t deserve to be here and Meiko knew that more then anyone. She would set him free and beg him to spare her parents from their actions.


    The redhead was reasonable. If he found himself indebted to Meiko, she was sure that he would listen to what she had to say. She knew what type of person Rosan was. He would absolutely hate the idea of being in debt to someone, so he would try and pay it off as soon as possible.


    Maybe he wouldn''t spare her father and that thought made her choke up, but perhaps she could make a case for her mother since she was in the process of redeeming herself?


    She was optimistic and maybe it was dumb, but she believed in Rosan.


    The only problem, was that the boy in question would be participating in the tournament.


    Meiko was awfully worried for him. It was rare for anyone that wasn''t the favorite to survive the gladiator battles and Rosan was only 9 years old! The blonde had caught a glimpse of some of the competitors before and they had left her quivering in fear.


    Some of those people tripled her height!


    The smaller and younger Rosan could potentially be getting sent to his death and that terrified Meiko, who considered him the only person she could even remotely call a friend.


    Only the absolute confidence Masaru (her father) had in him had stopped her from doing something completely reckless.


    She needed to have faith that the boy would pull through or risk the both of them getting captured.


    What would her father do if he found out she had been trying to free his prized weapon? Meiko shivered at the thought.


    To avoid blowing her cover, Meiko spent the next 3 months doing exactly what Rosan wanted. She did not visit him whatsoever and instead started thinking of ways to sneak him out without causing a scene.


    That''s how she had come to the conclusion of waiting on Ash and Dust the high that people would be on after seeing the violence, would be good for her plan sailing smoothly. They would party themselves unconscious and she would take the opportunity to steal her father''s key and free Rosan.


    There would be many ships docked and Meiko was sure they''d be stocked with food so the redhead would be fine.


    The only problem was that Rosan would likely be sailing by himself and she wasn''t sure if the boy had any navigation skills.


    He was also very young and likely suffering from trauma. Would he be okay by himself¡­?


    A small part of Meiko wanted to travel with him¡­Just to see if he would be okay! N-not for any other reason¡­ None at all!


    Okay so maybe she had a slight crush on Rosan. It was perfectly natural! The 9 year old was one of the only people who payed attention to what she said a-and he was very close to her age. Of course she''d have a huge crush on him.


    It also helped that he was good looking. Though that wasn''t the reason Meiko liked him.


    The two were just connected in a way that she wanted to explore in detail. She had never seen anything like it and it would be disappointing if, probably, the only person in the world she shared this with, just vanished from her life forever.


    Meiko resolved to ask Rosan to allow her to travel with him. She was tired of being afraid and never standing up for herself and she deserved to be a little selfish! It''s not like anyone from this island would miss her and Rosan needed as much help as possible to make it through the trauma he had!


    He needed to have someone he could rely on. Even one person was enough.


    Mind made up, Meiko diligently prepared for the day and every day was spend nervously hoping Rosan would be able to succeed in the tournament.


    She dearly wished she could do more but as the event came closer, opportunities to visit Rosan became much more difficult.


    Ever since her episode as well, her mother had become much more protective of the blonde. Whenever the woman was not busy, she would be spending time with Meiko and making sure she didn''t break down.


    Meiko appreciated the sudden attention that she had so desperately needed. Her mother was putting in an effort and Meiko wasn''t the type of person to be rude about it, so she readily accepted her efforts.


    She had missed hanging out with her mother. They were very similar and she felt safe around her. The damage she did, might have been irreversible to the young girl''s mind but at least it seemed like she cared.


    It hurt that she had to hide this info from her mother, but Meiko wasn''t sure what Sachie would do to Rosan if it came out.


    She couldn''t be trusted with this after everything she had done to the child.


    In no time at all, the day of Ash and Dust arrived and Meiko was buzzing in anticipation. She was incredibly nervous because today would decide whether or not Rosan would be able to escape or not. Either he''d win the tournament and make it out alive¡­ or he wouldn''t.


    Maybe he wouldn''t die from the injuries? She was sure her father would do everything in his abilities to keep the boy alive. Based on what she had seen as well, he was surprisingly durable and had a quick healing factor. It was very likely that he could make it out of this alive!


    Meiko really hoped so.


    Her parents had long since left to go get the star of the show ready and she was left to her own devices. Being used to this, Meiko didn''t really mind and so, the girl made herself something to eat and got to preparing any medical supplies for Rosan.


    Once she did that, she snuck into her father''s office, careful to not make a mess, and opened one of the drawers in which he hid a spare key.


    Despite the fact that she was the only one there, Meiko was mindful to not make any noise and eventually she retrieved it. Afterwards, she rummaged around some more until finding another key and the girl smiled triumphantly.


    It was the key to Rosan''s handcuffs.


    She knew it was for Rosan because the boy was the only prisoner with a Devil Fruit and so they had to use special handcuffs to restrain him. It was only natural that her father would have a copy of them.


    Seastone handcuffs were notoriously difficult to take off without a key and she knew her father was paranoid enough to have more then one.


    Meiko waited with a bated breath in her room to hear the arrival of her parents. After what felt like hours, she finally heard the door to her house open and the sound of a conversation playing out.


    Her parents must have thought she was asleep because they were trying to not raise their voice so Meiko had to strain to listen. What she heard left her beaming in happiness.


    "He exceeded even my expectations," The smooth voice of her father, Masaru, whispered. "Never did I expect him to be able to deal with a Fishman of all things! He was truly the perfect choice to mold."


    "Mhm," Sachie agreed and she sounded far more excited then the male. "He''s so strong! To think he was able to achieve such results in such a short amount of time is incredible!" She gushed and Meiko heard something perverse in her mother''s tone.


    "Considering he was under the effects of Seastone a majority of the time as well. The fact he was able to perform at such a level, really leaves no surprise at what he was able to accomplish without them," Masaru concluded.


    "Thanks to Rosan, we managed to secure such a huge amount of beri too," Sachie said proudly. "I''m so proud of him I can''t wait to see him again!"


    "Keep your perverted thoughts to yourself," Masaru grunted but Sachie completely ignored him.


    Meiko resisted the urge to cheer loudly. Rosan, he had done it! Not only that, but he had managed to defeat a Fishman of all things?!


    That was incredible!


    She had heard about Fishman. It was very unlikely for an average human to be able to stand up to a fishman so the fact that Rosan (who was 9!) not only stood up to one, but managed to defeat them spoke volumes about how strong the child was.


    She was so proud of him!


    Meiko heard footsteps approaching her door and quickly, the girl feigned sleep. She didn''t want her parents to know she was still awake. The girl wanted to make sure they didn''t suspect her even a bit.


    The blonde heard the door open and soft, dainty footsteps that could only belong to her mother approached.


    She eventually stopped in front of her only child and seeing that she was fast asleep, Sachie smiled slightly. Bending over, she planted a kiss right on Meiko''s head and adjusted her blanket.


    "It will all be better soon, Meiko," her mother whispered before getting up and leaving, presumably to get ready for sleep.


    Meiko smiled sadly at her mother''s affections but did nothing to reciprocate them. She waited another 30 minutes before she moved.


    Quietly grabbing everything, Meiko softly opened her room door and, after double checking that neither of her parents were in the living room, slowly departed.


    All the lights in the house were closed but Meiko had been living here all her life. She easily navigated her home and in no time at all, the girl was outside.


    The blonde knew by heart where Rosan was located and the best way to go while avoiding people. Soon she made her way to his cell door.


    Meiko let out a nerve wracking sigh. Her last meeting with Rosan had not gone so well but, she at least knew that he regretted how he had acted towards her. She just hoped he didn''t immediately kick her out.


    Steeling herself, the 11 year old unlocked the door to his cell and quietly entered the room.


    She had not been expecting to find Rosan sat up on his bed instead of sleeping. The boy was staring directly at her with that constant neutral expression of his.


    Meiko resisted the urge to squeal as she saw that he had his hair put into a messy bun with some strands hanging and it allowed her to see more of his face.


    It was really cute! Meiko gushed at how adorable it made the boy look.


    She did prefer when he let his hair free however.


    Realizing that she had been staring for too long, she quickly averted her gaze.


    "Didn''t I tell you to not come back," Rosan suddenly said and it caused her to jump in fright. It wasn''t often that the redhead initiated a conversation with her and it had caught her by surprise to hear him first.


    "U-um actually y-you said I shouldn''t come back a-and I just chose not to listen," was her meek response. She immediately stopped talking at how unimpressed Rosan looked and, hoping to move the conversation forward, Meiko pulled the ointment and gauze she had been holding behind her.


    "I heard you were in the tournament today and you won! I wasn''t allowed to watch but I wanted to see if you were injured," was her soft response.


    The way Rosan looked at her sent a strange feeling through her. Eventually, the boy sighed and said "I have some here actually. Mom patched it up a bit but she didn''t do a very good job," before he pushed his shirt up.


    Meiko blushed brightly at his sudden action and tried to cover her eyes. She shamefully peeked through said hands and what she saw had her reeling in horror.


    His abdomen was littered with holes and though they were visibly closing up (which was amazing to see), it still looked painful.


    A protective urge washed over her and within moments she had closed the distance. After shrugging in an uncaring manner, Meiko got to work on patching him up.


    She eventually got immersed in her work and started to hum a small tune.


    "I''m sorry," Rosan suddenly said, causing her to pause what she was doing.


    Had she heard him right? He was apologizing? For what reason?


    "Y-you''re sorry?" Meiko cursed herself for stuttering but she couldn''t help it.


    Rosan nodded slightly. "The last time we met¡­I attacked you unprovoked and nearly struck you," Rosan began and his eyes were rather dim right now.


    "I replayed that conversation in my head and I was completely out of line¡­" the younger boy admitted and her eyes went wide at that.


    "It''s just...everything about you is different and it irritates me in ways I can''t explain. We hardly know each other but it doesn''t feel that way and we can read each other like open books. No matter how hard I try to deny it, you can tell exactly what I''m thinking and that aggravates me but, that doesn''t mean I should strike you. For the way I acted, you have my sincerest apologies."


    He raised a good point. Meiko wasn''t sure she had this synergy with any other person in the world.


    Meiko stared at the boy and, despite how blank his expression was, she could tell he meant his apology.


    "Rosan¡­ you don''t have to apologize because I know you weren''t going to hurt me," she smiled at the boy as she said that. "This whole experience, I know it''s jarring. I don''t know if anyone has had to deal with a situation like this before. I know I haven''t. To feel so exposed, is really weird and I can see why you reacted the way you did. That''s why I''m not mad at you," Meiko said after a moment of deliberation, before she gained confidence.


    "I meant what I said Rosan, I trust you completely. Deep down, you''re a kind person and I hate that this had to happen to you because you don''t deserve it. Even still¡­ I know this is horrible of me to say, but I''m glad I met you."


    Meiko flashed the boy a brilliant smile and he awkwardly held her gaze. She saw a flash of something in the boys eyes but it was gone as quickly as it came.


    "Meiko- thank you. You''re words, they mean a lot to me and I''m happy that some people still have faith in me," Rosan said quietly.


    For a 9 year old to be saying something like this¡­ it hurt her. Rosan was so young, it always caught her by surprise that he was just a 9 year old.


    Rosan closed his eyes and said "I trust you Meiko. You not telling anyone I lied about my Devil Fruit is enough for me..."


    She smiled brightly at that. The girl had finally earned his trust! She could do a happy little dance at the fact that she was breaking through to him!


    "...which is why I''m sorry."


    Meiko paused and let out a confused "What? You''re sorry?" before she felt it.


    Regret.


    Her eyes widened in fear as she felt Rosan''s muscles tense and she took a step back. The boy was planning on attacking her right then and there!


    S-she didn''t even get to explain herself ye-


    "Modify Target: Rest mode," A voice behind Meiko said as a hand made contact with her. The blonde turned to face her attacker with a look of pure betrayal on her face.


    H-he had said he trusted her¡­ how could he?


    The look of remorse on his face, only made her feel a little better as the boy said "I trust you Meiko. But you should never have trusted me."


    Meiko sighed as the memory ended. After that, she had lost consciousness and the next time she had awoken, she had been on the White Rose with Rosan.


    Sachie had tried to amend their relationship but it had been a bit too late and the damage had been long done. The death of her mother always hit hard but a small part of Meiko realized she had brought it upon herself.


    Rosan was one of the worst people to mess with and they had found that out the hard way.


    Still, a large part of her was glad that she got to meet Rosan. It sounded terrible, considering he had killed her parents, but she had never been happier around anyone else and Rosan truly made her feel alive.


    Meiko couldn''t imagine how she would have been without having ever met Rosan.


    A knock on the door snapped her out of her musing and Meiko gasped in horror. "Are you dead?" Angel''s ever confident voice rang out.


    She had totally forgotten!


    Angel and Demon were waiting on her to get ready and she was just daydreaming!


    How embarrassing.


    "S-sorry you two!" Meiko called back as she hastily finished getting ready. "I''m ready hold on!"


    Meiko looked at herself in the mirror and smiled in satisfaction. If Rosan were here he''d tell her how good she looked!


    Making sure that everything was in order and her earrings were firmly on, Meiko finally departed to meet up with the twins.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Meiko found it so funny that Angel and Demon changed in appearance more then the oldest of the triplets.


    The 3 still looked very similar to each other now but they all had their distinctions.


    Demon''s changes were the most obvious. He was still practically a carbon copy of Rosan, standing at 5''2 just like him. Instead of red hair, it was now the same shade of purple as Mod''s.


    The conversation had been simple but really funny.


    "You want me to make your hair purple?" Rosan had asked his male clone.


    "Yes¡­ if you don''t mind," Demon replied while kneeling.


    Rosan waved him off and told him to stand up.


    "Of course I don''t mind, purple is an awesome color," Rosan smirked before he tilted his head in curiosity. "I''m curious why you suddenly want the change though," He said.


    "Well, Angel is very easy to tell from the both of us because she''s a girl," Demon began and Rosan nodded along. "Me on the other hand, well I''m a carbon copy of you. Angel is as well but she''s not male so I wanted a way to distinct myself without being too different from you."


    "There''s also the fact that you put me on a pedestal which is completely unnecessary," Rosan pointed out, which caused Demon to blush embarrassingly. "You should be more like Angel. There''s no need to worship me like that because I really didn''t ask for it!"


    He was right, but he didn''t have to be so blunt about it.


    "So you want purple hair like Mod-chan," Rosan deduced easily and Demon nodded in confirmation.


    "Alright, c''mere," the redhead said and Demon hastily made his way over.


    With a simple "Modify," Rosan grabbed a strand of Demon''s hair and they watched in marvel as his hair turned purple. The job was quickly done and everyone marveled Demon''s new appearance.


    Angel handed her brother a mirror so that he could inspect himself and she smiled happily at him. It was good that he gathered the courage to ask Rosan a question by himself!


    His longer hair was a darker shade of purple then Mod''s royal purple hair and it similarly flowed down his back in neat spikes. Other then that, he still looked like just like Rosan.


    "I always knew you preferred Mod-chan over me," Rosan sighed forlornly as he admired his handiwork.


    He looked good with purple hair. Rosan still preferred red, but purple was just as good.


    Demon''s eyes widened in guilt as he said "I didn''t mean to offend you Master! It''s just-"


    "I''m kidding," Rosan interrupted in exasperation as he cut his clone off. "I can see why you would like Mod-chan more, she''s pretty gorgeous," Rosan smiled mischievously.


    "Don''t you dare," Mod warned but she was ignored completely and the woman let out a miserable sigh.


    "T-that''s n-not," Demon tried to explain himself but Rosan was not having it.


    "I mean just look at her," the redhead praised and the gleam in his eyes didn''t look promising. "Mod-chan is the whole package. Long purple hair, brilliant red eyes, jaw dropping beauty and earth shattering curves! She looks like a supermodel! I don''t blame you for wanting to look like her," Rosan explained and the boy had a full blown grin now.


    "Y-you exist to give me a headache," Mod-chan sounded audibly embarrassed and they could just imagine the deep blush on her face. "Did you have to mention my curves?" She complained and Rosan cackled.


    Demon didn''t look much better. His face was beet red and he refused to look at anyone.


    Angel, his dear sister, decided to not be his dear sister in that moment.


    "No worries Master!" The female clone hugged Rosan cheerfully and he happily returned it. "Demon prefers Master Mod, but I prefer you!"


    The two actual demons laughed at Demon''s embarrassment and all the purple haired clone could do, was hide his face behind his hands.


    All he wanted, was to mirror his sisters red hair and purple eyes and now he was being tortured like this.


    Meiko laughed at the memory. She had been far too busy laughing back then as well to input her two cents but seeing the easy going Demon, so embarrassed, was too good to ignore.


    Angel was the clone who had went through the most changes and the memory of how it happened made Meiko laugh even harder.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Maaaaaaster," Angel''s voice called from a distance, steadily getting closer.


    Rosan and Meiko had been relaxing on the deck together when they heard her. The redhead looked up from the romance novel he and Meiko had been reading (it was not his idea) and waited for the female clone to appear in his sight.


    It didn''t take long and soon Angel, in all her glory, appeared in front of him. The more outgoing of the twins was looking at Rosan like she dearly wanted to ask him something and so he obliged.


    "Greetings Angel," Rosan greeted and he sat up.


    "Hi Angel!" Meiko waved and the female redhead smiled at them both.


    "Master¡­I have a favor to ask of you," Angel said politely and the girl had a demure look on her face.


    "About?" Rosan asked as his eyes narrowed in suspicion. The way she said that had his hairs up.


    Angel was never polite and she was especially not demure. No in fact, Angel was the opposite of demure.


    "I know you''re a reasonable person so you''ll definitely hear me out first, right?" Angel asked with a hopeful smile on her face.


    "¡­" Rosan was on full alert now and he looked at Meiko, who simply shrugged her shoulders helplessly, just as lost as he was. "I''ll hear you out but first, tell me what the topic is on at least."


    "My appearance," she replied easily enough.


    Rosan relaxed a great deal as he heard that but he still had his guard up. "What about your appearance made you decide to act like this? You wanna turn into a dragon? Back into a boy? Wait¡­ You want purple hair too like Demon?! You traitor! You said I was your favorite!"


    "Wait wait wait, Master!" Angel frantically stopped him. "It''s not like that and you are my favorite! Just hear me out first."


    "Mmm," Rosan hummed as he tilted his head. "Alright sure, I won''t interrupt you."


    Angel let out a sigh of relief as he conceded. That was step 1 done. She didn''t expect him to give up so easily but then again he hadn''t heard everything.


    Now to get to the difficult part.


    "Well Master, you know how Demon and I can''t actually age right?"


    Rosan nodded and Angel continued. "Because of that, you modify us constantly to match your age."


    "It''s easy for Demon because he''s basically you but well as for me¡­"


    Realization slowly began to dawn on Rosan''s face but, like he said, he refrained from talking.


    "Well because I''m a girl it''s hard to actually determine how exactly I would look and now that you''re going through puberty, Demon is being changed to match you and his change is very accurate¡­"


    The middle triplet let out a deep breath and said "Mine on the other hand, can''t possibly be accurate because well, gender differences¡ª,"


    "Absolutely not," Rosan suddenly said and Angel gaped at him. Meiko looked at him in confusion but she was a smart girl. It would only be a moment before she realized.


    "You said you''d let me finish!" Angel protested angrily and Rosan sighed, but waved at her to continue.


    It finally hit Meiko and the grin on the girls face was promising for his clone but not for him.


    "I don''t think it''s fair that my younger twin gets to grow properly and you have to take guesses with me," Angel continued and Meiko nodded along in agreement.


    "Puberty for girls is much different then puberty for boys," Meiko said helpfully, as a victim of puberty herself.


    Rosan didn''t look convinced. "Use Mod-chan or Meiko then," he said with a frown but Angel shook her head in denial.


    "I can''t use them both because they aren''t you. You''re the one who my appearance is based on. Master Mod based her appearance on you but that was mostly color scheme! She could pass off as your mother but she''s still not you!"


    Her redheaded counterpart let out an aggravated sigh and they were surprised to see that he looked flushed.


    "So you want me to¡­swap myself into a female and use that to modify you?" Rosan asked hesitantly, dearly hoping that he was somehow wrong.


    Angel nodded vigorously as hope flared up in her. "Yes! That''s exactly it!"


    "No."


    Angel deflated.


    Well she couldn''t be too disappointed. It''s not like she expected Rosan to say yes to her.


    "That''s not fair, Rosan," a voice called and Angel''s snapped her gaze up as Meiko reprimanded Rosan.


    "Angel doesn''t deserve this, she''s been nothing but loyal to you! You''re the one who chose to base them off your appearance, so the least you can do it help them when they need help," she chastised him.


    "I...but¡­," Rosan struggled to find a reason but Meiko was glaring firmly at him and truthfully, everyone on the ship knew he was extremely whipped.


    Rosan eventually let out a small sigh of defeat. "Yeah yeah, you''re right. It''s just¡­"


    "Didn''t you say you transformed into a girl before," Meiko accused and Rosan looked at her in annoyance.


    "How do you still remember that?" And after a moment he added "Yes I did¡­ But I was 7 and I looked kind of the same as I did as a boy. And... it wasn''t by choice. Mod and Robin practically forced me."


    "That was so fun!" Mod beamed at the memory and Rosan scowled deeply.


    "Well if you did it before then you should be used to it! What''s the problem?" The blonde asked in curiosity, she so wanted to know what circumstances led to Rosan''s first transformation but that was for another time.


    "You know what the problem is," he replied bluntly, glaring at her now.


    That was fair.


    "So you''ll¡­?" Angel asked in anticipation and she nervously wrung her hands.


    Rosan looked at her. After a moment he let out a deep sigh and said "Yeah, I will. Even without Meiko''s incessant badgering, I''d have eventually said yes."


    "Hey!" the girl in question protested.


    Angel crashed into her Master in a bone crushing hug. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"


    Rosan laughed and hugged her back. "Of course. Now step back before I change my mind."


    The female redhead hastily did so and Meiko followed suit.


    Angel was based on how Rosan would look as a 9 year old and he was currently 12. He didn''t expect himself to change that much until his later years so this would be quick.


    She probably would not have to be modified too heavily.


    The interesting thing about Rosan''s gender swap technique was that it turned Rosan into an exact female version of himself. If Rosan was born as a girl, this would be exactly how he looked at that current age.


    Rosan naturally had no desire of modifying his female appearance beyond that.


    "Modification: Swap," the redhead uttered as he used the technique on himself.


    The redhead felt the technique taking effect and grunted. It didn''t hurt whatsoever but, it felt strange.


    Rosan had expected the change to be quick and done in seconds. Why on Earth was he changing so much?


    "Oh wow," He heard Meiko call in awe as the transformation ended and she had a huge blush on her face.


    "What the hell?!" Angel responded in disbelief and her jaw dropped slightly.


    Rosan heard their reactions and confusedly looked at them.


    Demon chose that moment to show up and after taking one look at Rosan, his eyes widened considerably and his mouth actually opened at the sight.


    Rosan frowned and quickly modified a random rock into a mirror. What he saw left even him surprised.


    For one, his female form was taller and that aggravated him to no end. Whereas 12 year old male Rosan stood at a 5''2, 12 year old female Rosan was a whopping 5''7 and she stood taller than everyone else on the ship.


    The pure confusion on his face, as he saw the stark height difference between his forms, nearly made everyone watching burst out in laughter. Mod actually was laughing.


    The massive height difference also made itself apparent with how tight his clothes suddenly felt. Looking down Rosan felt his mouth slightly open. His shirt was form fitting so it did absolutely nothing to hide how much his chest had expanded.


    W-what was this?! Had Mod-chan done something to the technique?! Last time he did this, his female form practically looked like a copy of his male one! Was this a prank on her end?!


    "No I didn''t," Mod laughed uncontrollably, much to his embarrassment.


    "Looks like female Rosan started reaping the benefits of puberty way faster," Meiko said, admiring her boyfriend turned girlfriend. She had almost thought he further modified himself but the confusion and shock on his face proved otherwise.


    There was also the fact, that he didn''t want to do this in the first place so something like this, would be the last thing he did.


    This was how he would naturally have looked? Meiko was pretty jealous. Rosan was kind of gorgeous right now!


    "How blessed," Angel exclaimed, gawking shamelessly at her Master''s chest.


    Going through puberty faster was an accurate assessment. The difference between his male form and female form was way too apparent.


    Her spiky crimson hair had not softened whatsoever, unlike Angel''s and had gotten slightly longer, now reaching her back instead of stopping at her shoulder. Like previously said, she gained a solid 5 inches in height, towering over everyone currently on the ship and only being an inch shorter then Mod herself.


    Rosan had been wearing a black short sleeved shirt which looked more like a crop top on his new figure. He didn''t like showing his skin, so to see his entire bronze midsection shown so brazenly was a new experience. Similarly, his pants had gotten shorter showing a glimpse of some long legs.


    This was really not what he had been expecting at all.


    "I-I must have put too much power in the technique?" Rosan''s was unsure and the fact that his voice was a bit deeper now, almost set him off.


    This was bullshit.


    "Just to be clear ¡ª," Angel began dryly "You are not making my boobs that big. As accurate as possible my ass, I don''t need those things impeding me."


    So, so bullshit.


    "I have to admit even I''m surprised¡­ I didn''t expect you to change this drastically. I''m curious how you''ll look when your fully matured because right now, you''re the whole package," Mod said and she was laughing at the fact that she used Rosan''s own joke against him.


    "You performed the technique perfectly by the way," she cheekily added.


    Complete and utter bullshit.


    "Don''t worry, Rosan!" Meiko reassured the, now taller, girl. "Girls tend to hit puberty faster then boys so just wait until you hit yours!"


    His girlfriend stepped closer and admired his body and Rosan wanted to take a leap into the ocean when she said "I think yours are bigger then mine."


    "I pray that you''ve seen everything you''ve needed to see, Angel," Rosan''s smooth voice came out and it was impossible to miss the sheer annoyance in it. Even with all that frustration, the voice still managed to captivate all the listeners.


    "Honestly, I saw more then I bargained for," Angel said cheekily glancing up and down.


    "Who knew Master could be such a bombshell," she finished and Rosan instantly transformed back into his male form. He was tired of this unjustified teasing.


    Rosan let out a deep, aggravated, sigh of annoyance before a thought occurred to him.


    "Wait¡­ Do I have to do this every year?"


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Yes he did and the thought made Meiko cackle in glee.


    Seeing the actual Rosan as a girl, was a treat she didn''t know she wanted!


    Seriously, Meiko hadn''t expected him to look that good. Her younger self would have been demoralized looking at the attractive 12 year old.


    Angel had put it perfectly. Rosan was blessed.


    She was looking forward to seeing the boy go through puberty now!


    Thanks to getting a look from the source, Angel had been properly changed and Rosan had quickly shooed the overjoyed girl away.


    The redhead looked strikingly similar to Rosan''s female form. She was 5''7 and bore the exact same features. Her long hair remained in a ponytail and like before it looked softer and more tame then both versions of Rosan. Unlike female Rosan, Angel had opted to keep her chest much smaller.


    A snap of fingers snapped Meiko out of her daydreaming and she blushed as she looked into the impatient purple eyes of the girl in question.


    "How long do you plan on standing there? Lets go!" Without further ado, Angel grabbed a yelping Meiko''s arm and began to drag her off the ship.


    "Wait wait! I can walk on my own you know!" Meiko complained but Angel was not hearing it.


    Demon watched the two and simply shook his head in exasperation.


    They were really unbelievable sometimes.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Meiko glanced around in confusion. The sun was beginning to go down and in all the excitement, she had managed to lose Angel and Demon.


    They were at an amusement park and she had been having a lot of fun! The 3 had gone on multiple rides and Meiko had enjoyed every single one of them. Even the ones that the unfazed clones called boring!


    But now they were nowhere in sight¡­ she had gone on a water ride by herself (for obvious reasons) and they said that they would wait for her, but maybe something came up?


    Well they were disguised at the moment and she knew how they looked so it wouldn''t be hard.


    She just needed to get dry first before going to find them. Luckily the ride had prepared for this and there was a machine that helped with drying.


    Meiko pointedly ignored all the looks from the perverts and in no time at all, she was done.


    What Meiko didn''t realize, was that among those perverted gazes were another set of eyes that lacked all signs of perverseness. Instead, they were those of a hunter seeking its prey.


    The blonde had made the decision to just go back to the ship. Angel and Demon would detect her the moment she boarded it and they''d make their way to her. She had contemplated waiting for them at the ride, but it was getting really dark and Meiko was not a fan of the dark.


    The girl never noticed that she was being followed.


    As she made her way to the White Rose, she gasped in shock as a hand roughly grabbed her. That shock turned into fear as she tried to scream and another hand covered her mouth.


    Meiko struggled but the person was unrelenting. Thanks to her training with Rosan, she was actually able to break free for a moment and she took full advantage of that!


    She swung her leg behind her as hard as possible and was satisfied to hear a squeal of pain as her foot connected with the perpetrators family jewels.


    Without wasting another moment, she took off.


    She didn''t make it far as another person tackled into her and she collapsed. The impact made her lose her breath and she heard a feminine voice whisper "Sorry!"


    The painfully slow footsteps of, presumably the first person she attacked, approached and Meiko''s struggles renewed.


    Meiko stared into the apologetic teal eyes of the girl holding her down. What was happening? Why were they doing this? She was scared. She was really scared.


    She wanted Rosan ¡ª


    The girl''s thoughts were interrupted as a blow to the back of her head knocked her unconscious.


    The last thing she heard was,


    "What are you doing Izuki-nii?! Don''t hurt her!"


    "We need to transport her quickly Izumi, can''t do that while she''s awake."


    "I-I guess¡­?"


    And she blacked out.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Demon had been searching for Meiko for 30 minutes before he concluded that something was very wrong.


    He needed to contact his Master now.


    They had gotten separated while Meiko was on a ride. Something had happened to the ship that had immediately caught Angel''s attention and, wanting to ensure that nothing bad was going on, his twin had gone to check it out.


    Demon had opted to wait for Meiko but that option was thrown out of the window when he was suddenly attacked.


    "Don''t move," A low voice said suddenly appearing behind him. Currently he was disguised as the same form he''d taken when he had first went out with Meiko. On the back of his 6''0 frame was a gun.


    Guns didn''t work on him but to avoid causing a scene he would pretend like they did.


    "Good," The voice said. "Now turn around and start walking," they commanded.


    Demon obeyed.


    It was likely that they were about to bring him to an isolated area so as to not cause a scene.


    Smart.


    Unfortunately for them, Demon wanted the exact same thing. He needed to glean their motives and this was the best way.


    He was brought to a clearing where 2 other people were waiting, all equipped with weapons.


    "Brought em already?" One of the individuals asked. He was a rather unassuming man with a sword in hand.


    "Didn''t even put up a fight! What an idiot," The weapon wielder laughed.


    Demon''s relaxed poster never let up. He was nowhere near his Master''s strength, but that hardly mattered when these were his opponents.


    Free from unwanted gazes, Demon decided he would eliminate them all now and quickly make his way back to Meiko.


    This wasn''t random. He was sure something was up. He needed to get the girl and they''d regroup on the ship before contacting Master


    Demon suddenly tensed up and threw his head back. He was satisfied to hear a crunch as it connected directly with his hostage-taker''s head.


    The man let out an agonized scream as he collapsed and Demon turned around to silence him with a vicious stomp.


    Job done, he knelt down to pick up the man''s gun and quickly put his arm up to block the swing of a sword with it.


    Quickly adjusting himself, Demon grabbed the sword and yanked down. The man could not keep a grip on it and it was promptly turned and skewered through his heart.


    Demon didn''t even wait for his body to drop before turning his attention to the other pistol wielder.


    They were at standstill as they both measured their guns against each other.


    "A game of Chicken?" Demon said idly as he prepared to unload the gun. "I don''t think you will win."


    With that, they both pressed the triggers of their guns. Demon''s aim was true and the bullet went straight through the person''s skull.


    The now dead man hadn''t missed his shot. The smoking bullet lodged into Demon''s skull was testament to that.


    But Demon wasn''t human.


    The entire exchange took less then 5 minutes.


    Pocketing the stolen pistol, Demon hastily made his way over to the park where Meiko was.


    Upon arriving, he hastily searched for the blonde and he felt his heart drop when he couldn''t find her anywhere.


    He searched the surrounding area before deciding that this was just not going to work. The island they were currently on was massive and it would take him a while to search the entire land.


    He needed to get back to the ship. Master needed to know immediately.


    "Angel!" Demon frantically called his older twin as he landed on the ship. He paused as he took in the state of the ship.


    "Some fuckers tried to set the ship on fire and they ambushed me," Angel snarled, as she wiped soot off of herself. "Good thing Master made the ship so durable."


    "Meiko''s missing," Demon said bluntly and Angel''s gaze snapped towards him in pure horror.


    "What?" She asked in disbelief.


    The purple haired twin took the time to explain the situation to her and by the end, Angel looked like a nervous wreck.


    "This is really bad," his sister said in panic. "We need to contact Master immediately! He''ll know what to do!"


    Demon nodded in agreement. He had never been so thankful that their connection range had no limit.


    "Master!"


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Today had been annoying.


    Aiko had told him about a pirate in the area and Rosan had agreed to hunt them down. He thought it would have been done quickly.


    That had been hours ago.


    The 12 year old had been led on an actual goose chase. Turns out this particular Captain had a small fleet.


    Rosan had gone through the painful process of eliminating each of the fleets ship before finally finding his target.


    Captain Taz was a man who talked entirely too much. He was 6''3 with long brown hair and long pants. He opted to go shirtless and he had a saber rested by his side.


    He had been talking about how their duel would be epic and that he had been waiting for Reaper to finally approach him.


    Rosan hadn''t bothered hearing the rest of what he had to say. As the man talked and talked, Rosan felt his annoyance peaking and decided to just get this over with.


    One swipe of his scythe and the world was 1 pirate crew less.


    It had been entirely too easy which is why it annoyed him to no end that it took that long. Seriously, at least give him a good fight! He had the same bounty as Maverick did!


    He had turned the mans meager 15,000,000 million beri bounty in and quickly made his way over to Aiko.


    The two had been talking about how annoying his trip was when he suddenly heard "Master!" reverberate in his mind.


    The twins? They scarcely used this connection.


    "What is it?" Rosan replied back instantly.


    What he heard, made his blood run cold.


    "It''s Meiko! She''s missing!"


    ¡­


    ¡­.


    ¡­.


    What.


    "Reaper?" Akemi called worriedly as she felt his sudden shift.


    "You alright?" Aiko asked similarly concerned.


    Rosan didn''t hear them however. He was too busy replaying what he had just heard in his head.


    Meiko was missing?!


    He abruptly got up and, in a matter of moments, he was gone.


    Aiko and Akemi looked at the spot in worry. They hadn''t missed the murderous aura Reaper had emitted for a split and their partner was always polite enough to at least say goodbye.


    For him to just abruptly leave? It was cause for concern.


    Aiko absentmindedly sent off a prayer to whoever managed to piss Reaper off.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Explain the situation now."


    It was not a question and as they felt the murderous aura of Rosan, Angel and Demon cowed a bit in fear.


    "W-we were attacked," Angel explained. "We think they are targeting you."


    As Demon explained the situation, Rosan had not moved once.


    And then an unbearable pressure washed over the two of them. They gasped in terror as Rosan all but snarled at them.


    "You left Meiko by herself?!" He screeched at the two and they shrunk in on themselves at their mistake. The redhead was glaring at them with so much rage in his eyes that they nearly fainted.


    "HOW COULD YOU BE SO STUPID?!" Rosan snarled in raw unadulterated anger.


    The twins were shaking uncontrollably as Rosan slammed them with his Pressure.


    "YOU DIDN''T WANT TO CAUSE A SCENE? I DON''T CARE IF YOU HAD TO DESTROY AN ENTIRE ISLAND TO DO SO, I DON''T CARE IF YOU HAVE TO RUIN MILLIONS OF LIVES AT ONCE, MEIKO ALWAYS COMES FIRST YOU FUCKING IDIOTS," Rosan roared and the twins were convinced that they were about to die to him.


    Their master looked utterly furious, teeth bared into a snarl and those very sharp fangs clenching into each other. They had never seen him this angry and to know that it was directed towards them caused them to feel untold amounts of guilt alongside their terror.


    "Rosan please! Calm down! We can talk about their mistake later!" Mod called and this was the most worried she sounded in a long time. "Meiko is our #1 priority at the moment. We have to save her!"


    The Angel of Death forced himself to take a deep breath and his pressure momentarily relented.


    Mod-chan was right. He needed to get Meiko immediately. If they were here for him, then she should be safe for now.


    Rosan regarded the two terrified clones coldly, before he turned away from them.


    This wasn''t over.


    A mistake to this degree needed to be punished.


    "Modification: Save Point" was all he said before he vanished from their view.


    Angel and Demon let out a breath they didn''t know they had been holding before collapsing.


    They had royally fucked up.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Izumi had to wonder why on Earth she had agreed to this plan. As she stared at the tied up blonde she had to stop and think, was this really worth it?


    Getting on Reapers bad side? Why would they ever want to do that?


    Alas, she couldn''t protest the stupid decision. Izumi had always been a rather meek girl, content to follow her older brother Izuki, and so she didn''t feel confident enough to voice her disagreement with this.


    Izumi was a young girl with olive skin. She was only 13 years old and stood at a healthy 5''4. She was skinny with chin length, curly, pitch black hair that parted to the sides and had the effect of bringing out her bright teal eyes.


    She was currently tasked with guarding the blonde girl who had been aboard Reaper''s ship.


    Reaper¡­


    She had always been fascinated in the Angel of Death. She held them on a rather large pedestal and wanted nothing more than to meet the famed bounty hunter.


    Her parents had been attacked and killed by a group of pirates. Not even a day later, those same pirates had been captured and murdered by the Shinigami themselves.


    Ever since then, she had gained a slight crush on the figure and tried hard to keep track on them.


    Which is why she thought this was a really terrible idea.


    She didn''t want to get on Reaper''s bad side. She wanted to thank them for their hard work, not kidnap one of the passengers on their ship.


    Why had they even joined this group of people? Izuki-nii had made the wrong decision and she should have tried harder to dissuade him.


    Her older brother was 18 years old and stood at a 5''8. He was skinny with olive skin and slightly spiky black hair with long bangs that somewhat covered his teal eyes. They looked largely similar to each other but he was more mature, being 5 years older than her.


    He was just as obsessed with Reaper and wanted to join the Angel''s crew. As a result he, along with his younger sister who he was now the guardian of, decided to join a group that was also interested in Reaper.


    Izumi was beginning to suspect that it was not in the same way she was interested.


    Not only had they kidnapped this girl. They had set fire to their pitch black ship and attacked the blonde man as well.


    The teal eyed girl figured that they wanted Reaper''s head for whatever reason. They would no doubt fail because her hero was not weak whatsoever but they didn''t seem to think that.


    They had recruited the siblings for their knowledge on Reaper. Well, what little they had which was still a lot more then most people. Most people weren''t even aware that Reaper had a ship!


    She wanted to stop this but she was outnumbered and not strong at all. Izuki was a lot stronger then her, but he couldn''t handle their numbers either.


    It''s not like he had a problem with it either. Her brother only wanted to meet Reaper. The way to meeting him didn''t bother him at all.


    It''s almost like he forgot what Reaper did for a living.


    "I''m sorry," Izumi whispered absentmindedly to the blonde girl. "I didn''t know they would do this to you. If I did, I would never have agreed to this¡­"


    "It''s okay," a kind voice whispered back and Izumi snapped her gaze towards the blonde who was supposed to be unconscious.


    Izumi blinked at the words the kidnapped girl said.


    Had she just been forgiven? For kidnapping the girl¡­?


    "You¡­ forgive me?" Izumi whispered to their tied up captive.


    "Yes I do," she replied gently and Izumi felt herself reeling in surprise. Why was she being forgiven? She had kidnapped the girl with blonde hair and was the main reason she had gotten caught.


    "I don''t think you want to do this," she replied, sensing the confusion on her face. "You thought I was sleeping and you still felt the need to apologize to me so I don''t think you''re a bad person," she finished confidently.


    This girl had to be insane. How could she be so forgiving to one of her supposed enemies, despite her situation.


    Still¡­ Izumi couldn''t help but feel her heart flutter at the genuine kindness in her tone.


    "You''re using me as bait right?" The blonde suddenly asked and Izumi, seeing no reason to lie, nodded her head. At that, the girl suddenly shook her head sadly.


    "You need to hide quickly. This is not going to go as you planned," the girl said and her mesmerizing, electric blue eyes stared at her in sympathy.


    "What do you mean?" Izumi asked in slight trepidation. Reaper shouldn''t even know where they are yet. The plan was to leave him a note tomorrow while setting up traps in case things went south.


    The traps were currently being set up now and the note had not gone out yet.


    So why was Izumi suddenly so worried?


    But, Meiko was just shaking her head. "I know you''re not a bad person so I''ll ask Reaper to spare you but¡­ I think everyone else is going to die," she said sadly.


    Now Izumi was scared. What was this foreboding feeling?


    "Reaper is not someone to mess with and...they happen to be extremely protective of me," Meiko informed her softly.


    Izumi''s pit stopped as she heard that declaration. H-had they made a mistake on who to kidnap? Extremely protective? Of this girl right here? They didn''t know the relationship between the two but they just figured that she was the blonde man''s daughter and that Reaper didn''t actually care much for her.


    If he was protective of her... D-didn''t that mean he was going to kill them all?


    Her brother chose that moment to burst into the room of the warehouse they were currently staked out in.


    "Izumi!" Izuki called in greeting. His voice was high as he waved at his sister. "How''s the hostage? Still sleeping eh. Helluva kick that one has!"


    Still sleeping? Izumi turned around to see that yes, Meiko did appear to still be sleeping. The girls eyes were closed and her breathing came out evenly. She did not look like she had just been awake 30 seconds ago.


    "Izuki-nii," Izumi said urgently. "I think we need to leave. Now," she told her older brother and she couldn''t contain her fear well enough.


    Izuki looked at her in confusion. "What''s wrong, imoto?" He asked in concern at the frantic look in his little sisters eyes.


    "We''re so close to meeting Reaper, why do you suddenly want to back out?" He asked.


    "The way we''re doing this, it''s wrong. We attacked them. Do you really think they''re going to hear us out," Izumi tried to bring reason to her brother. "We should cut our losses and leave now. If we bring them the blonde here, they will definitely be more willing to hear us out."


    "Izumi seriously, what''s wrong. I trust your instincts, it''s what has gotten us so far, but you gotta explain to me," Izuki said.


    Izumi simply said "This is a really bad idea nii-san," and prayed that he would hear her out and they could just get out of here. She would explain more but that foreboding feeling was so oppressive, she couldn''t think straight.


    "Bad idea?" An unfamiliar voice said, causing them both to freeze in surprise.


    Izumi and Izuki froze as they slowly turned around to the direction of the voice. An unbelievable pressure washed over the two of them and, within moments, they were on their knees.


    Reaper, The Angel of Death, stared at them with a barely contained fury and it was then that they realized, just how royally screwed they were. They could see a red eye visibly glowing behind his hoodie and it was the most terrifying thing they had ever seen in that moment.


    "You''re about to find out that this is the worst idea you''ve ever had."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan was mad.


    No, scratch that.


    Rosan was fucking pissed.


    They attacked his ship, they attacked his subordinates, and, worst of all, they attacked his girl.


    Meiko was his and they dared to touch her?!


    To see her tied up¡­ as a prisoner, it filled the obsidian angel with a fury he hadn''t felt since he was captured on Daybreak. Rosan couldn''t stand the thought of being a prisoner and that extended to the ones he vowed to protect.


    To see Meiko not free... Rosan quickly removed her bindings and helped her up.


    "Are you okay?" Rosan asked tenderly and Meiko flushed at how caring he sounded even despite his palpable rage.


    "I-I''m okay," she confirmed, happily soaking up the attention.


    "I''m glad you had the earrings on," he said softly, ignoring the room flooding with people. "Without them, I''d have taken a bit longer to find you."


    Meiko blushed happily. "They''re my favorite earrings so of course I''d put them on!"


    Rosan finally turned around to eye his opponents. He was not surprised to see that all of them had weapons of sorts.


    Seems like someone had a vendetta against him.


    "Hide somewhere," Rosan said, turning towards Meiko. "I''ll be done soon. It''s been a long day and I just want to eat."


    Meiko nodded quickly but not before saying "Please don''t kill the black haired girl with teal eyes. She looks about 13. She wanted no part of this."


    Rosan didn''t outwardly acknowledge her but she knew he heard her. Satisfied, Meiko quickly ran off to go hide somewhere.


    "Hey, stop her!" A voice called out but Meiko didn''t even look back.


    She didn''t have to.


    True to her beliefs, the person didn''t even get to make a step towards her before a scythe made its way through his abdomen. The blade was unceremoniously ripped from his gut and he dropped dead.


    "No need to be greedy," Reaper said conversationally as he held his scythe over his shoulder. "I''m more then enough."


    Rosan swung his scythe and held it behind him in a reverse grip. The blade reached past his head and Rosan held his other hand loosely in front of him in a "come hither" gesture.


    What happened next, could only be described purely as stress relief for Rosan. He was a whirlwind of destruction as he mowed his way through the crowd of people.


    Rosan slashed open the belly of one person and kicked him into a group of 3. As he crashed into them he gripped his scythe with both hands and shot a wave of energy that severed all 4 cleanly.


    Not pausing for a moment, he pivoted to the left and punched a person in their throat. They gagged and Rosan gripped his shirt, picked him up, and threw him. The sheer force of the blow made His body collide with another person and they both crashed, with a loud crack, against the wall.


    They did not get back up.


    Izumi watched all this from her hiding spot in complete terror at what they unleashed.


    She was shaking uncontrollably at the carnage that the Shinigami was participating in.


    The really pretty blonde girl had been right, they should have ran. They should have never gone through with such a stupid plan on a Shinigami who hunted people down in all corners of the Blue Seas. Of course they were going to find the ones who attacked his crew!


    Reaper was a monster.


    She watched in pure terror as he easily handled all of his opponents in unnecessarily brutal fashion. Some man tried to jump onto the winged Shinigami and he deftly sidestepped it by floating away. As the man flew through the air, Reaper caught him by the stomach.


    With his blade.


    She wanted to throw up as the bleeding body hung limply on the scythe. Reaper discarded him like he was nothing but trash and continued to move like he hadn''t just casually impaled someone.


    They were all going to die. Izumi''s only hope, was that he listened to the sweet blonde and chose to spare her life because otherwise, she would end up like all the bodies littered uncaringly on the floor.


    Eventually, it seemed like Reaper got bored with the one sided slaughter because he flexed his gorgeous black wings and took to the skies.


    Everyone still alive looked up without any ounce of hope as he gripped his scythe with both hands and positioned it to his left side.


    Rosan looked down at them in disdain. He tensed his muscles in preparation for his upcoming technique.


    They would face judgment.


    "Absolution."


    He swung his scythe and a gigantic wave of energy, filled with his draconic flames, was released from it. The remaining survivors looked on with resignation at the approaching wave of destruction.


    Reaper had been running rampant in all the Blue Seas. It would only be a matter of time before he went after them so they thought to bring the fight to him first and so they had done just that!


    That was a costly mistake.


    Reaper was absolute.


    The screams of agony lasted only a moment, as they were killed instantly from the attack.


    Izumi had, miraculously, survived the attack. She could not say the same for everyone else. As she looked at the carnage she felt a staggering amount of dread at the possibility of dying.


    S-she really didn''t want to die...


    Had Izuki managed to survive? She dearly hoped so. Her older brother didn''t want Reaper dead, he just wanted to meet them and talk!


    Rosan scoffed at the battle. They had wanted to ambush him? Even with their traps, it wouldn''t have worked on him. The difference in their strengths was far too large.


    He landed on the floor without making a noise and turned in the direction Meiko had headed off too.


    Izumi really hoped that he would get the girl and just leave because that would mean her life had truly been spare.


    She wanted to get off this island right now and run far away. Antagonizing Reaper was a mistake that they should not have ever entertained and she cursed her meekness.


    The black haired girl would be having nightmares for months after what she just witnessed.


    "Wait right there!" A very familiar voice called out and Izumi felt her blood run cold.


    No please. Please don''t be this dumb. Please! Not after what you just saw!


    As she dared to look, Izumi realized that her brother did in fact choose to be that dumb. He was standing a ways away from Reaper who had paused at the voice.


    With the blonde in his hands.


    With the blonde in his hands and a gun to her head.


    Her brother had a death wish. WHAT WAS HE DOING?!


    Meiko was deathly still as Izuki focused the gun to her skull.


    Rosan vowed to kill the man no matter what. The boy was at his limit today.


    "Hi Reaper-san, it''s nice to meet you!" Izuki said with a crazed, obsessed gleam, in his eyes. "I''m Izuki and I''ve wanted to meet you for a long time!"


    Rosan knew that gleam. It was the same gleam that Doc had when looking at him. He knew intimately what that look meant.


    Desire for his strength.


    How Rosan hated that look.


    Alas, there was not much he could do currently. He was holding the only person in the world, that would actually give him pause, hostage.


    If it were anyone else, Rosan would not care.


    But this was his Meiko.


    "This is an unorthodox way of handling things, Izuki," Reaper said calmly despite the burning hatred he felt at the moment.


    "Forgive me! you''re not an easy person to reach! I didn''t want to do things like this but well¡­," Izuki looked around at the bodies on the floor in a bit of fear. "I think you get the point."


    Reaper nodded in understanding. "A very valid point. I suspect you have demands then?"


    Izuki nodded eagerly. "I promise I''m not an enemy Reaper-san! If you could just put you''re scythe down..." after a moment of deliberating, he added "...also I want to see the face of the person I''m talking too. So, if you don''t mind."


    Meiko''s safety was much more important then his identity. Rosan was sure Mod-chan wouldn''t mind either.


    The Devil Fruit agreed immediately.


    Izuki watched with a bated breath as Reaper dropped his scythe without hesitation and moved to pull his hood back.


    What Izumi saw shocked her and, despite the situation, she blushed.


    Spiky shoulder-length red hair framed a bronze face that was devoid of baby fat. He had large shining eyes that were sharp and it was fascinating to note that his right eye was a royal purple and the left was a blood red. He looked jaw droppingly young and, combined with his rather short stature, he couldn''t possibly be older then 14.


    Reaper was a boy and he was an attractive one to boot, in Izumi''s humble opinion.


    Both Izuki and Izumi were thrown for a loop as they stared at the child whose face was carefully blank. They hadn''t expected the famed Angel of Death to be a young boy but they had seen what he was capable of.


    Somehow the thought that he was just a child and not an adult terrified them even more.


    "I''m surprised¡­ how old are you Reaper?" Izuki said, voice full of curiosity. Looking at the person before him, there was no doubt that Izuki was older than the Shinigami.


    "12," He blandly replied and he continued to stare evenly at the 18 year old.


    Izumi gaped. Reaper was even younger then her?! How did he manage to get this strong when she was so weak?!


    Rosan contemplated lying but, he didn''t know anything about this person. He would not risk putting Meiko in any sort of harm at all.


    He''d be dead very soon regardless.


    "What''s your name?"


    "Rosan. Are we going to keep playing 20 questions, or are you going to get to your point?" He asked calmly.


    "Right, sorry," Izuki apologized sheepishly. "I''ll get straight to the point, Rosan-san, do you mind if I call you that? I want to join your crew."


    He didn''t notice Rosan raise a red brow.


    "You want to join me and you figured the best way to do this, was aligning yourself with people who want to kill me?" Rosan asked as he tilted his head.


    Izumi felt dread pool in her stomach. This was not going to end well. She could feel it in her bones but fear was preventing her from speaking up.


    "I didn''t think they were going to attempt to kill you," Izuki admitted with a frown on his face. "They only told me that they were equally as interested in you. I never expected it to be this kind of interest though."


    "But of course, something like this is no problem for you and that''s why I wanna join you!" He finished excitedly and he was bouncing around.


    "What can you do?" Rosan suddenly asked, catching Izuki off guard.


    "What can I do?" Izuki asked with furrowed brows.


    "Yes, what are you good at?" Rosan asked patiently as he idly tapped his foot on the ground.


    Meiko chose not to interrupt.


    Izumi felt utterly pathetic as she refused to do anything despite her mounting dread at the situation. Reaper was about to do something and she really didn''t want to see it.


    "W-well uh," Izuki floundered a bit as he thought of what to say.


    "You want to join me but you can''t even list your skills?" Rosan tilted his head again as he regarded the older person. "You know what I do is not a game right? I hunt dangerous people down and I kill them," he said bluntly and he continued tapping away.


    "S-shut up!" The black haired young adult said in embarrassment. He had not been expecting the question.


    "You didn''t even stop to think that I''d question this? You are hopelessly optimistic if you thought you could just join Reaper for free."


    Izumi found herself agreeing with him.


    "I-I know alright!" Izuki yelled in shame. "It''s just¡­ Our parents died to a pirate attack and I couldn''t do anything about it! But you¡­ you managed to capture them and ever since I''ve wanted to join you and have you train me," he said, looking ashamed of himself.


    "My condolences," Rosan actually managed to sound sincere and Izumi felt all her hairs rise as she realized the tapping stopped. "I''m sorry that happened to your parents¡­ And I''m sorry that you''ll be joining them soon."


    "What?" Izuki said in confusion before the floor under him shifted and a spike flew out, stabbing the hand holding the gun. The boy didn''t register what happened in time and he screamed in pure agony at being stabbed.


    Meiko quickly broke herself from his grasp and moved a small distance from him.


    Rosan vanished and within moments, he was in Izuki''s personal space. The boy slapped the gun away and he watched in satisfaction as it went flying. He proceeded to kick Izuki in the gut and when the man keeled over in pain, the redhead grabbed him by his neck.


    The boys eyes were positively blazing as he glared at Izuki with nothing but hatred and the teal eyed man couldn''t help trembling in fear.


    "Who do you think you are," Rosan hissed with barely contained rage.


    "You think I''d let you aboard my ship after you put a fucking gun to my Meiko''s head?" He snarled as he tightened his grip around his neck. Izuki gasped for air and felt his vision darkening as the lack of oxygen got to him.


    "Let me show you how much I think of your proposition," was all Rosan said and Izuki blacked out.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Izuki-nii was going to die.


    The realization hit Izumi like a ton of bricks and it nearly floored her.


    Her older brother was going to die and it was to the person who she practically worshiped.


    She didn''t care that Izuki had provoked the boy. He was her older brother a-and when their parents had died, he had taken it upon himself to raise her. Despite struggling with the deaths of their parents, Izuki-nii had raised her with an unconditional amount of love.


    And he was about to die.


    Izumi looked at the gun that was lying at her feet, knocked away by Rosan, and came to a decision. With shaky hands, she managed to pick up the pistol. She had never held a gun before but if she didn''t do anything, Izuki was going to die. She didn''t know what she would do if that happened and she had to prevent it at all costs.


    Izumi was trembling harshly as she aimed it at Rosan.


    Izumi closed her eyes, looked away and she hesitantly pressed the trigger.


    The sound of a gunshot rang through the night.

 N/A

    Rosan was ambitious. He would be the first to tell you that.


    His ambitions were not ones a person would normally have because they were lofty. He was probably one of the most ambitious people on the planet and he readily accepted that.


    Rosan had a simple goal that required all of that ambition though.


    He wanted to become the strongest. The absolute strongest in the world.


    Why?


    So that he could protect the ones that he loved.


    If Rosan became the strongest, people would be less willing to attack the ones who were his. It was simple and yet, to achieve such a goal, would require reaching the very top of the world.


    Rosan never wanted to go through the agony of losing someone dear to him again. It had happened too many times for the emotional boy and his heart couldn''t take it.


    It''s why he desired to be the strongest. The stronger he was, the less likely he''d be subject to such an unbearable pain because he''d be able to protect them all no matter what.


    Rosan was absolutely confident that he would achieve his goal. It was not a matter of if he could become the strongest. It was a matter of when he would become the strongest.


    In due time, he would be standing on the apex of the mountain with no equal and everyone who wronged him would pay the consequences. It was his right as the strongest, to do as he pleased.


    Yes. Rosan was ambitious and Rosan watched all that ambition crumble away as Meiko''s body collapsed on the floor.


    "No¡­ Please no. Not like this," Mod begged quietly as horror and unspeakable pain filled her tone.


    The redhead watched in muted horror as blood began pooling under her body.


    Not again. Please not again. This couldn''t be happening to him again. He couldn''t watch another person he loved die. He just couldn''t. It would break him in ways he couldn''t explain.


    Izumi opened her eyes and watched in horror, as her shot missed its mark and hit the wrong person. Tears began welling in her eyes at her mistake and she cursed herself.


    S-she had been aiming for Rosan, not Meiko! She was the last person the teal eyed girl wanted to hit! The blonde had never done anything to her! They kidnapped her for no reason and she still forgave the girl.


    She had even protected her from Rosan''s wrath!


    Izumi had never wielded a gun before and yet she tried to take aim with trembling arms and she even had the gall to close her eyes? It was a recipe for disaster!


    Just what had she done?


    Angel and Demon finally arrived and as they took in the carnage, they saw a sight that made their blood run cold.


    Meiko was on the floor and she was bleeding out.


    Rapidly.


    "No¡­" they said in unison as horror seeped into their bones. Their eyes had to have been playing tricks on them because there was no way this could be happening.


    Rosan snapped out of his dazed terror and immediately made his way over to the fallen Meiko.


    No no no no no no no please not her. Anyone but Meiko. Please! ANYONE but her!


    T-take him instead! He would gladly take her place if it meant she got to live longer.


    Please! Anyone but Meiko. Not his Meiko.


    "Meiko, can you hear me?!" Rosan desperately asked as he reached her.


    "Rosan...is that you?" She called gently as she moved her head somewhat to face him. Rosan felt his heart shatter at the sheer amount of blood.


    This couldn''t be happening.


    "Modification: Scan," Rosan said urgently and he scanned Meiko''s body. He desperately hoped that it was some type of sick joke and that the wound was artificial. There was just a lot of blood but she wouldn''t actually be in any type of danger!


    What he saw made tears spring into his eyes and despair seep into his bones.


    Her liver had been struck.


    No.


    No no no.


    Rosan refused to accept it.


    Rosan refused to accept this.


    Why? Why did he let his anger get the best of him? Why didn''t he just RUN?! Why didn''t he take her with him and leave her in this place?


    "Rosan," A voice called and a hand rested on his cheek. Meiko knew she didn''t have a lot of time so she wanted to say as much as possible.


    "Remember what I asked you alright? Please don''t kill that girl," was Meiko''s first request and Rosan held back a sob at just how kind she was.


    "Y-you''re dying and the first thing you do is concern yourself with someone else." Rosan would have laughed, if it wasn''t the love of his life dying.


    Mod didn''t bother trying to hold back her sobs.


    "C-can you connect us please, Rosan? One last time," Meiko asked and Rosan acquiesced immediately.


    "Thank you¡­ it was getting hard to speak," Meiko said with a small laugh through their connection.


    "Meiko p-please," Mod sobbed out and it broke the girls heart. "Please don''t l-leave us! I''m begging you, anything but this!"


    "Angel, Demon, Mod-chan, Rosan¡­ I want to thank you all so much for making my life so amazing. Who knows what I would have been doing without you all," Meiko began and happy tears sprung up in her eyes at all the memories.


    "Angel¡­ we started off rocky but I will never blame you for that! I''m so happy we got to be best friends and I cherish all the shenanigans we went through. I''m so glad you got to be true to yourself and that you discovered who you really are!"


    Angel fell onto her knees as realization seeped in. "Meiko wait¡­ who am I supposed to go clothes shopping with, w-who else can I gossip endlessly with, y-you''re my best friend¡­ I¡­ I-I didn''t say you get to l-l-leave s-so why¡­?" A sob cut Angel off and whatever else she was about to say was lost in the girls sobs.


    "I know and I''m sorry," Meiko whispered soothingly.


    Angel''s sobs only got louder and the female clone curled in on herself.


    "Demon I ¡ª thank you so much. You were the first one to make me feel included. Ever since we met, you''ve always had my back and I appreciate that more then you could ever imagine. I''m sorry for all the torment me and Angel put you through but you took it like a champ!" Meiko joked.


    "You can prank me as much as you want Meiko j-just please," Demon begged as he watched the girl he had been tasked to protect fade away. "It¡­ i-it''s all my fault! I should never have left you alone for even a second." He covered his face with both hands as reality seeped in.


    Did he really think leaving her behind was the best course of action?! He should have taken the people out right then and there? Who cares if he caused a scene?!


    "None of that, Demon," Meiko chastised. "You''ve been protecting me for 3 years straight and not once did you make a mistake. You are not to blame and I won''t allow you to blame yourself."


    Demon let loose a shaky sob as he collapsed on the floor. It was becoming too much for him.


    "I''m sorry that I wasn''t able to teach you more about medicine but you''ve inherited Rosan''s genius so I''m sure you will be even better then me!" She laughed gently and Demon''s sobbing reached even higher levels.


    Meiko sighed fondly as she got to her two favorite people in the world. "Mod-chan and Rosan, I love you two more then you could ever imagine and I will never be able to put into words how much I care for you both. You two changed my life. Without the both of you, I would never be the person I am today and I am eternally grateful for that."


    "Mod-chan¡­you are the mother I desperately needed in my life! Since the moment we met, you practically adopted me as one of your own and have showered me in nothing but praise and love. I feel truly spoiled when I''m around you. I''m so glad we got to meet and I love you so much for allowing me to get so close to you!"


    "Meiko I''m so sorry¡­ I wish there was something I could b-but I can''t and now I''m watching you d-die and it''s tearing me apart!" Mod sobbed in pure agony and she wailed her pain to the world.


    Meiko was her daughter in all but blood. She loved the little girl so much for everything she had done and Mod would gladly give her the world if she wanted it because she deserved it.


    She didn''t deserve this.


    "Mod-chan please take care of Rosan for us! I know it''s selfish of me to ask but please keep the stability together!"


    Mod sniffed miserably but this was Meiko asking her to do something and she would never disrespect the fourteen year old. "O-okay Meiko, I-I''ll do it for you," she managed to choke out and the purple haired woman was sobbing full force now, unable to say anything else.


    To hear the strong Devil Fruit cry so freely, made the tears fall faster from Meiko''s eyes.


    "Thank you so much Mod-chan, I-I knew I could rely on you," Meiko choked up a bit as she said that and finally, she turned her attention to the last person.


    Rosan.


    Her beloved Rosan.


    It broke her heart seeing the look on his face. Tears were flowing endlessly from his eyes and he looked so hopeless at the situation that she began crying harder. No doubt, the genius was trying to think of some way to save her.


    It warmed Meiko''s heart to know that this was the person she chose to fall in love with.


    "Bear with me Rosan, this is going to be long," Meiko joked and Rosan let loose a heart wrenching sob as he buried his head into her body. He was shuddering and Meiko had never seen him this vulnerable.


    The blonde took a deep breath.


    This was going to break her¡­


    "Since the moment we met Rosan, we had a special bond. I wasn''t so sure before but the more time I spent with you the more I began to understand just what it was. Rosan¡­ I think you''re my soulmate and I really do believe we were made for each other!" She exclaimed excitedly.


    "Despite everything we''ve been through, I''ve never once regretted the decision I made to travel with you and I¡­ I-I''m so glad that you managed to love a girl like me. Someone as special as you falling in love with someone normal like me makes me so happy!"


    Meiko could no longer hold it in and she began sobbing in earnest. Rosan joined her and she choked up at the noise. "Thank you so much Rosan. You''ve changed me in so much ways and I appreciate it so much. We''re connected in a way that I would never feel with anyone else and it makes me so relieved that I got to meet such an amazing person like you."


    "Meiko¡­" Rosan whimpered and she was reminded that he was still just a vulnerable child. "You made me realize how harsh I was on myself. You made me break out of my shell and you made me realize there''s so much more to live for. I-I''m not ready to lose you, I can''t ¡ª I won''t be able to take it. Y-you said it yourself, we''re soulmates so please, please don''t go. I need you."


    The boys voice was so vulnerable, so raw and so desperate that Meiko felt her heart flutter. She softly caressed Rosan''s soft hair as she let the tears run free.


    "I know and I''m so sorry that it has to be like this. But please, you have to stay strong Rosan. I believe in you," Meiko begged and she knew Rosan would listen to her because he was her Rosan.


    "W-what am I supposed to do without you, Mei¡­" Rosan sounded so lost and Meiko let out a sob.


    "You have to live for the both of us, Rosy, until you can find a new meaning to life. Please, can you promise me that?" Meiko asked and Rosan began crying in earnest as he realized the person he had actually fallen in love with, was about to die in his arms.


    "I-I promise," Rosan said aloud and Meiko shot him a beautiful smile.


    "Rosan I-I know this is selfish of me to ask but can you ¡ª," Rosan didn''t even let Meiko finish her sentence as he kissed her. He cupped her cheeks desperately and Meiko held him back as breathing became harder for her.


    Rosan didn''t care that he could taste blood. This was his Meiko and if that was what she wanted, then that''s what she would get.


    Eventually, he pulled back, lips red with blood, and stared at Meiko in sorrow and love.


    Meiko stared back at him with pure adoration in her eyes.


    Gentle electric blue eyes, lacking pupils, stared into shining purple and red eyes. Both were filled with such love for the other that they could not be mistaken as any other person''s lover but each other.


    "Rosan, I love you," Meiko said softly.


    "I love you too, Meiko," Rosan said it back without hesitation and Meiko cupped his cheek one last time before her hand went limp.


    Electric blue eyes lost the light in them as Suzuki Meiko, Age 14, died with a smile on her face.


    Royal purple and blood red eyes lost the shine in them as a piece of Rosan died with her.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    In the mindscape, Mod had to compose herself as she felt something in the mindscape shift. She looked around in grief as the water of the rainforest turned to pure ice, as the leaves froze, and as the wildlife died.


    A frozen forest. Mod couldn''t say she was surprised that it had changed.


    But that wasn''t the problem at the moment. The problem, was that there was something happening in another part of Rosan''s body. One that she scarcely visited due to the fragility of it.


    What was going on with Rosan''s body?


    She made her way over to where she felt the shift and what she saw, made her eyes widen in surprise.


    When had this castle gotten here¡­?! H-how long had it been here?


    Nothing that happened in Rosan''s body ever got past her and Mod was alerted to even a minor change.


    This was not a minor change.


    Wiping her tears as best as she could, Mod quickly deduced that this castle was formed when Rosan was being neutralized with seastone on Daybreak island because that was the only time she had been neutralized.


    So, this castle had been here¡­ for 3 years?!


    Mod could already take a guess what its purpose was, but she would have to verify with Rosan later.


    The castle was largely similar to when it first appeared with one key difference. Whereas before the chains only wrapped thrice around the castle, it was now covered head to toe in steel shackles.


    Mod''s eyes furrowed in worry as she saw just how tightly wrapped the castle was. She would need to bring this to attention with Rosan immediately.


    For now, it could wait. She needed to make sure her user was doing okay.


    Mod certainly wasn''t.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan idly wondered when he had stopped crying.


    In fact, Rosan was wondering why he couldn''t feel anything at all. Right now, the redhead couldn''t feel even the slightest of emotions.


    It was like his breakdown so long ago on Daybreak but not even rage wanted to be his companion this time.


    That made sense, he was a terrible companion.


    Rosan grabbed Meiko and carried her in a bridal position. He walked over to where Angel and Demon were and gently placed the body in their surprised hands.


    "Bring her to the ship and clean her."


    They flinched at his tone. There was nothing there. Rosan''s eyes lacked the shine they normally did and his face was expressionless.


    He looked dead.


    "M-Master¡­?" Angel called hesitantly as tears ran down her face in despair.


    "Are y-you feeling alright¡­?" Demon asked before slapping himself at the dumb question. His heightened state of emotion was doing him no favors at the moment.


    Rosan stared at them for a moment, face void of anything, before he said "I gave you an order," and the boy turned around in order to walk back to where he was.


    They looked at his retreating form in worry and resignation.


    All the years of work had been undone and it left Rosan in an even worse state then before.


    The twins reluctantly carried Meiko away to the White Rose.


    Izumi watched this all transpire with despair in her terrified eyes.


    The blonde had been really loved and to see how destroyed they were by her death, filled her with untold amounts of guilt. She didn''t mean to kill her! The girl had been nothing but nice to her and truthfully Izumi had begun to harbor a crush on her! She cursed the people for deciding to kidnap her


    Now though, Izumi was scared. Scared about what was going to happen. It quickly dawned on her that she caused this series of events. She had killed Reapers lover. The Reaper that she looked up to, the one who she wanted to thank for what he had done. The one who had just finished slaughtering an entire room of people with minimal effort.


    She was scared¡­ She was really scared!


    She didn''t want to die! She wouldn''t have needed to die if Izuki had just let things run its course. Meiko would have guaranteed her survival and the girl was nice enough that she could plead Izuki''s case as well.


    But instead, she chose to make the worst possible decision. Why did she do that? Why would she ever use the gun?


    Rosan had gone deathly calm after Meiko died. One second he had been sobbing uncontrollably, the next, nothing. The only sign that he had felt anything, were the tear streaks still marking his face. There was no more scream of rage, no cries of anguish, no pleading.


    Nothing.


    Only a cold oppressive feeling seeped into the air, as a pair of lifeless eyes pierced into her core.


    At that moment, it felt as if she was looking at death itself and Izumi found that it was getting increasingly harder to breathe. It was absolutely suffocating right now and the girl gripped her own shirt tightly.


    Rosan was looking directly at her.


    Rosan was looking directly at her.


    Izumi felt like she would faint from fear at his expressionless gaze.


    "Congratulations," Rosan said and she flinched at his voice. It was devoid of all emotion and it perfectly matched the expression he currently had on his face.


    It sounded vacant.


    "You did it, you''ve won. You''ve defeated me completely."


    The praise was empty and Izumi didn''t know what was about to happen to her, but it terrified her all the more.


    "I hope the consequences of this victory are worth it though, because if you thought things were bad now, I''m going to show you that it can get much worse."


    Izumi began shaking uncontrollably as Rosan calmly made his way over to her. Izuki-nii was still unconscious, so it was just her and the monster she created.


    She fell on her butt and tried to crawl away but she bumped into a wall and the teary eyed girl regarded him with utter terror.


    "Why?" Rosan suddenly asked and she fearfully looked at him in confusion. "Why did you do it? Why didn''t you shoot me instead? Meiko was completely harmless to you. She defended you. If she didn''t do that, you''d be dead along with the people surrounding me."


    Izumi was wondering that too. Why did she do it?


    "It... was... an accident. I-I didn''t mean too!" Izumi choked out in terror and it was a miracle that she could even speak right now. "I-I was aiming for you b-but my hand was shaking too much and I c-closed my eyes. I-I''m so sorry I never intended for this to happen! I really did like Meiko a-and if I could do something different, I would!" she pleaded, praying and hoping that he accepted it.


    He didn''t.


    "The love of my life...died to an accident?" Rosan asked and Izumi got the sense that his voice should have been tinged with disbelief. Instead, he shook his head and the pressure doubled down on her.


    Izumi couldn''t breathe. It felt as if she were in an enclosed space and she suffered from claustrophobia. It was so much that she nearly fainted from it.


    "Make no mistake Izumi, what I''m about to do you... It will not be an accident."


    Rosan knelt down and grabbed her cheek in an almost tender manner. In any other situation, Izumi may have blushed at the attention this attractive boy was directing towards her but right now, as those dual eyes stared into her own teal, all she could feel was doom.


    "Meiko was my everything. She was my love, my life and you took that from me. Now, I will return the favor. I''m going to take everything from you and the only thing you''ll have left, is me," Rosan promised to her and Izumi tried to beg but the redhead would not be deterred.


    "P-please, Rosan! I swear I didn''t mean to-"


    "You must love your brother very much," Rosan suddenly said, staring right at her unconscious brother. "I wonder if he''ll love you the same after this."


    Izumi didn''t know what he meant by that but she wouldn''t do anything to her brother. Not even Reaper could make her hurt him!


    "How amusing, you think you have a choice."


    Izumi felt her terror spike at those words.


    "Modification:¡­" Rosan said to himself and Izumi''s begging increased at the sight of his glowing eyes. What was he planning on doing? W-what was going to happen to her?!


    "Please, I''m sorry! You have to believe me! I-I never wanted to do this!"


    "...Hijack".


    Izumi gasped as she suddenly lost all control of her body. She could still feel everything but, she could no longer move anything!


    "W-what is this?" Izumi thought to herself in fear.


    "This? This is justice," a soft voice suddenly spoke up in her mind. A very familiar soft voice. Izumi began panicking as she recognized who was speaking to her and the thirteen year old began wondering how he managed to do it.


    W-what was Rosan doing in her mind? How was this even possible?! D-Did he have one of the fabled Devil Fruits?!


    But she thought the wings would be it!


    "Modification: Hijack" was a largely similar technique to Rosan''s Link that he so affectionately did with those he loved. The key difference though, was that it was far less¡­consensual. Rosan wasn''t linking anyone together with this move and he certainly wouldn''t ever do it to a loved one.


    This wasn''t a pairing between to friends. He was committing a hostile takeover.


    Izumi felt her body stand on it''s own and make it''s way over to her brother. Her eyes widened in horror as she realized what Rosan meant from his previous statement. If he was the one controlling her body then... then...!


    No. No no no no no no.


    "Rosan I''m begging you. Anything but this!" Izumi begged as she reached her beloved older brother.


    "No," was his harsh, vacant reply. "I want you to feel how I feel, I want you to hurt how I hurt, I want you to hate like I hate. You will never be able to reach my level of agony but, I''ll try my best to make it close. I promise."


    Izumi was forced to watch in muted horror as her body tied up her older brother to a pillar firmly.


    All the while, Rosan watched it all with that damnably empty face of his. He looked almost bored at what was about to take place.


    She felt her arm raise and she tried to stop it but she couldn''t. The teal eyed girl slapped her brother and he awoke with a startled yelp.


    "Huh, w-what," Izuki said in a daze as he looked around in confusion. He laid his eyes on her and said "I-Izumi? What''s the matter? Are you alright?" Her brother asked in worry.


    "¡­" Izumi said nothing and she felt her face form into one of remorse.


    "Izumi¡­? Where''s Reaper at, did he leave?" The teal eyed man asked as he struggled to move. It was then that he noticed that he was tied up. He struggled a bit and he asked his younger sister to help him get out of them.


    Izumi said nothing outwardly but inwardly, she felt her panic spike as the footsteps of Rosan approached.


    "Stalling, Izumi-chan?" Rosan asked patiently, as he took her side. He laid a soft hand on her cheek and caressed it like one would do to a lover. It finally hit her just what Rosan was planning on doing and she couldn''t believe it.


    Her thoughts were only confirmed as the boy pulled a knife out of his cloak and placed it gently in her hand.


    "Izumi¡­?" Izuki asked in fear as he saw her grip the knife and face towards him.


    "I-I''m sorry Izuki-nii," words that were not her own spilled out of her mouth and Izumi watched in pure dread as her own body betrayed her. "I-it was either you or me a-and I don''t wanna die Izuki! I hope you can forgive me¡­"


    His confusion turned to a look of betrayal and Izumi felt her heart wrench at the look in his eyes.


    "That''s not true Izumi! Stop playing around!" Izuki''s struggles renewed at the utter remorse in her eyes.


    "Reaper offered me a position in his crew," Izumi confessed. "He told me that I''d have to prove my worth by getting rid of "baggage" and that after I dealt with you, I could stand by his side."


    "If I refused he would have killed the both of us! I-I don''t wanna die when I didn''t even want to do this Izuki-nii," A choked sob left Izumi''s throat as she gripped the knife tightly.


    "Reaper, what did you do to her you bastard!" Izuki roared but Rosan didn''t even flinch. He merely tilted his head and stared at him with a bored expression.


    "I gave her an option," he said. "Die for something she didn''t want any part of, or eliminate the one who caused this and join my side. I''m sure you can guess which one she picked," his voice was soft as he regarded the man.


    As if wanting to prove his point. Rosan knelt and placed a hand on Izuki. "Modify Target: Sensitivity," he thought to himself and then he got up and walked away from the two of them.


    Not even a moment later, Izumi used the knife to slightly mark her brother. The scream of agony he let out would forever be imprinted into her mind and the girl internally teared up at the horror of it all.


    "You didn''t really think I was going to have you kill him immediately, did you?"


    Izumi shook as her body betrayed her. She was at the complete mercy of a demon and this demon was going to make her commit an unforgivable act!


    Rosan was going to make Izumi torture her own brother.


    "You will never forget this feeling of helplessness, Izumi. You will never forget the feeling of belonging to me. You will never forget the mistake you made crossing me."


    "Please R-Rosan please don''t m-m-make me do this. Please just kill me!" The teal eyed girl begged pathetically as the complete and utter hopelessness of the situation seeped into her.


    She was afraid of death but she would much prefer that over killing her own kin!


    "Meiko''s last wish was for me to not kill you." Rosan managed to make what would normally be a blessing a complete curse.


    "You won''t be closing your eyes this time either."


    With that, Rosan stopped speaking to her. He would show her not even a shred of mercy. Speaking to her was a form of distraction and he did not want her to have that at all.


    No, all her attention would be focused onto the task at hand.


    "Rosan¡­ Rosan please!" Izumi sobbed as she placed another cut onto her brother who let out a screech. "I-I can''t do this, I can''t, I just can''t!"


    But she received no reply. Rosan was content to watch from a distance as Izumi brutalized her own brother.


    "S-sis please," Izuki begged and Izumi wailed at how heartbroken he looked. "It hurts so much¡­! How could you do this to me?! After everything we''ve been through, my own sister would do this?"


    "No Izuki-nii, I''m being controlled this isn''t me," Izumi tried to explain but naturally, those words didn''t come out of her body.


    "I know and I''m sorry Izuki-nii," her body said instead. "You''ve always been there for me b-but I''m just so afraid of dying and this was the only way I could make it out."


    The words sounded so pathetic to her own ears and that''s exactly what Rosan was going for. He didn''t want Izuki to die loving his sister.


    He wanted him to hate her.


    "Y-you would sell out your family just to live and because you''re attracted to him?" Izuki asked and the pain on his face was momentarily replaced with raw confusion. "Izumi¡­ that''s so pathetic!"


    "SO AM I JUST SUPPOSED TO DIE WITH YOU?" Izumi yelled out in frustration, making her brother reel back in shock. "THIS IS YOUR FAULT IZUKI-NII! YOU KIDNAPPED THE GIRL AND YOU BROUGHT REAPER TO US!"


    "WE CAN''T ESCAPE FROM HIM! NO ONE EVER HAS IZUKI-NII! SO OWN UP TO THE FACT AND STOP TRYING TO DRAG ME DOWN WITH YOU!"


    It was a testament to Rosan''s skills because even Izumi would have believed she was the one to say them. The controlled body even began panting from exertion after the outburst.


    Izumi realized something at that moment.


    Rosan was evil.


    "Y-you," Izuki sputtered as he was left reeling at her words. "You selfish whore," he snarled in utter disgust. Izumi let out a broken wail as she saw the raw hatred on her beloved brothers face.


    Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    This couldn''t be happening. This just couldn''t be happening to her. This was a never ending nightmare and all she wanted to do was wake up from it.


    Izumi''s body''s response was to give him another cut that had him devolving into a fresh set of cries. "Call me whatever you want, I am not dying for something that''s not my fault," she hissed venomously.


    With that, she began hurting him in earnest.


    The teal eyed prisoner was forced to watch as she tortured her brother for hours. The torture progressively got worse as time went on. What started as simple small cuts turned into much larger ones and they only got worse.


    Izuki had not stopped screaming even once. He couldn''t even muster up the energy to glare back and his voice had gone hoarse.


    Izumi had practically gone catatonic at what was happening. The girl had been reduced to muttering "no" over and over again at the horrific sight. She had stopped begging the redhead after the first hour. He didn''t even reply back to her, content to let her suffer in the noise of her brother''s screams.


    Rosan watched it all with a stony, almost relaxed expression. His demeanor had not changed even once. There was no satisfaction at what he was doing. He didn''t feel the urge to get revenge. He didn''t feel anything.


    Izumi snapped out of her near catatonic state as she realized what her body was beginning to do.


    Izuki began to realize too because he hoarsely begged for mercy that his sister was not going to give.


    Izumi held one finger in her grasp.


    "Izu please. Please don''t do this," Izuki begged hoarsely. His voice was raw and the sheer terror in them, had a fresh wave of tears appear in Izumi''s teal eyes.


    Izumi of course, ignored him and cut his finger off swiftly. The howl of agony Izuki let out as the worst pain he had ever felt, magnified by Modification, washed over him. The eighteen year old collapsed and his sobbing renewed in earnest.


    That was the final straw for Izumi.


    "AUGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH," The girl screamed as her mind broke from all of the stress.


    This was inhumane. She was being forced to torture her last living relative. The person who raised her. The one who took the burden of being her caretaker.


    She was in hell.


    It was only an hour after she cut off his first finger that Rosan seemingly grew content with what he saw.


    Izuki was broken with a majority of his body parts missing. He was alive but it wouldn''t be for much longer.


    Rosan chose that moment to release Hijack. He stared knowingly at what was about to happen.


    Izumi suddenly felt herself gain control and she gasped at the sensation of being able to move again. The girl was momentarily shocked but she tried to recover as quickly as possible and the teal eyed teen rushed over to her brother with tears in her eyes.


    "Izuki-nii, stay with me!" She begged as she put both hands on her brother. She was crying a copious amount of tears as her brother began dying right in front of her. "I''m so sorry, t-that wasn''t me! Please believe me!" She tried to explain to her brother.


    Izuki couldn''t hear her however, he could see her.


    Feeling his life quickly fading, Izuki looked up at his younger sister blearily. "Izumi¡­" he said as he hacked out a large amount of blood.


    "Yes Izuki-nii?" Izumi said hopefully as she stared at the damage that she caused.


    Izuki stared at her for a long moment and his eyes flashed with hatred one last time. "I wish you were never born," he hissed and he stopped resisting the lull of death.


    Just like that, Izuki was no longer apart of the world, his last moments spent in pain and hatred.


    Izumi felt her brain short circuit as she repeated her brothers last words over and over again.


    "I wish you were never born."


    "I wish you were never born."


    "I wish you were never born."


    The stress of the situation, combined with her brothers harsh final words, proved to be too much for the 13 year old and Izumi threw her head back and let out an earth shattering screech.


    "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH," The girl screamed as her mind broke fully from the stress of it all.


    When she finally finished screaming to the heavens, Rosan approached her. He took one look into her empty gaze before speaking.


    "Do you understand how it feels now?" The redhead asked softly. "The feeling of loss. The guilt at being the one who did it. The knowledge that the last person you loved died hating you. Tell me how do you feel?"


    Rosan tilted his head slightly as her vacant gaze landed on his own vacant ones.


    She did not answer.


    "Hate me, resent me, despise me. Do whatever you want, but never forget that you are only alive because I willed it. What''s left of you belongs to me and don''t you ever forget that. We are bonded together by our brokenness, by how empty we are."


    "We are bonded because we took everything from each other," Rosan finished softly, blankly. Not once had he displayed any emotion since Meiko passed. He didn''t speak out of anger.


    He spoke out of truth.


    Izumi absorbed his words with a blank expression on her broken visage. Her dull teal eyes stared into his soul and the redhead hummed.


    Rosan grabbed her and forced her up. She did not resist. When Rosan raised her shirt, she did not react. When Rosan removed his glove, showing off his sharp glowing claws, she made no indication that she noticed.


    When Rosan put that glowing hot claw on her belly she finally took notice.


    "A gift, from me," was all he said and he modified her sensitivity.


    "This may hurt."


    Izuki screeched as Rosan branded her with no remorse. As he brutally marked her skin.


    Hurt was an understatement. This was the worst pain Izumi had ever felt in her life. The pain was so great, that it immediately slammed through her broken demeanor and shook her to the core.


    It took 10 minutes and in those 10 minutes, Izuki had not once stopped screaming.


    Mod watched the entire exchange with horror in her eyes.


    Rosan did not react.


    They could no longer see.


    Finally, Rosan finished and he stepped back to admire his handiwork. Marred onto Izumi''s belly was a single rose. Not quite done yet, Rosan put a hand on the quivering girl and modified the color of the entire thing, turning it a solid black, and released her.


    The girl collapsed as the after effects of the brutally acquired tattoo caught up to her. She shuddered and convulsed as she began to black out.


    The last thing she heard and saw was Rosan looking at her brothers mangled corpse and saying, "You may want to clean that up," before he finally vanished.


    Izumi''s eyes flashed with the faintest spark of something and she finally lost consciousness.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan delicately grabbed Meiko''s unnaturally still body. ''


    She was donned in a pure white dress and, besides the jewelry Rosan gifted to her, she had nothing else. She still had a smile on her face that slightly stirred Rosan''s broken heart.


    He held her in a bridal position and promptly vanished into his Pocket Dimension.


    Over the years, he had gained an exponential amount of control over his dimension. It was practically his second home now and it was used for a large variety of things.


    One of the things he had done, was build a house.


    Well castle was a more accurate term.


    It was gigantic. The castle was a mixture of black and purple with a pointed roof and it looked as if it had been carved from marble.


    Rosan had expended quite a bit of energy modifying and molding the castle to fit his image, but it didn''t matter because he did it for Meiko, who had been thrilled to have her very own castle of all things.


    "We won''t be settling for a while, so I hope this will do for now," Rosan had told her. She had given him an ecstatic kiss as thanks and then laughed at the bashful redhead.


    The inside of the castle was modified to be immune to the effects of the pocket dimension and so, Meiko had no problems staying in here.


    Rosan made his way into the castle and, still carrying Meiko, walked upstairs to their bedroom.


    It was a spacious area with a purple and black king sized bed in the middle of the room. Rosan had allowed Meiko to decorate it as she saw fit and she had chosen a flower theme in response.


    There was a black and purple carpet covering the floor with a large rose in the middle, the windows were covered by purple drapes donned with multiple roses and there were various miscellaneous furniture neatly placed.


    Rosan ignored all of this and gently placed Meiko on the bed. He stared at her for a long moment before coming to a decision.


    He carefully removed the ruby red earrings he had given to her so long ago and clasped them to his own ears. He quickly placed his hair back into its bun so that it would be visible to anyone looking at his face.


    Next, he slid the amethyst ring off her slender fingers. He stared long and hard at the gorgeous piece of jewelry.


    The ring was meant to be a reminder.


    A reminder to marry Meiko once he had finally achieved the strength required to settle down. They had promised Mod-chan at least two children and one was to be named after her in some way. It had made Rosan the happiest he had felt when she readily agreed to the idea with a bright blush on her face.


    It was a reminder of the love between the two of them. One that would never be broken.


    It was a reminder that didn''t matter anymore.


    Because he was worthless. Rosan had acquired all this strength and when it came down to it, he couldn''t protect the one person in the world who needed his protection the most.


    It didn''t matter if he became the strongest, if he couldn''t even do something as simple as protect his loved ones.


    Rosan slid the ring onto his left hands ring finger and modified it so it would easily fit. The stone gleamed slightly and Rosan continued to stare at it with an empty expression.


    Let the stone be a new reminder then. A reminder that he was nothing but a failure.


    Finally, he placed a palm on Meiko''s face. "Modification: Blue Screen," he said activating his technique and the entire room seemed to be encompassed in a blue light. The bright blue light faded though it seemed to still be there.


    Using Modification, Rosan had placed the entire area, including Meiko, into stasis. Inside this room, nothing would change or age. It was all exempt from the workings of space.


    Let Meiko stay beautiful. Forever. She deserved it.


    He could not do anything, but he could at least do this.


    "Oh Rosan...," Mod said brokenly and she dragged him into the mindscape.


    Rosan did not resist.


    Mod-chan was a complete and utter mess. Her perfect hair laid haphazardly on her head and her bronze face was flushed with the aftereffects of crying herself ragged. Her blood red orbs were ringed with even more red and she had tear streaks running down her face. The woman''s, normally, impeccable dress was practically thrown over her frame and it looked as much of a mess as everything else.


    Like Meiko requested, Mod would try to be strong for everyone. She was failing miserably at the moment, but who could blame her?


    She had practically lost her daughter after all.


    Rosan, even with his emotional state, instinctively stretched his arms out for the woman. It didn''t take long before a figure crashed into him and soon, Mod-chan was sobbing into his frame. The woman''s body was trembling uncontrollably and Rosan rubbed her back soothingly.


    Despite this though, not once had his demeanor shifted.


    Mod took notice of this immediately and it practically confirmed what she had been thinking.


    The purple haired woman shakily pushed herself up and tried to compose herself.


    "Rosan ¡ª," the woman coughed as she hoarsely spoke. She didn''t know how long she had been crying for, but it had been too long. "C-could you f-follow me please?"


    "Okay," Rosan said obediently and Mod resisted the urge to flinch. Instead, she turned around and began walking with a purpose. Rosan slowly walked behind her in response.


    They made their way out of the home in their mindscape and Rosan took stock of the new environment.


    "A frozen forest," he said flatly as he observed his surroundings. There was a large amount of snow and ice on the floor now and every single tree had turned a pure white.


    Naturally, the coolness of the weather had no effect on Rosan or Mod.


    "Yes," Mod confirmed. "It¡­ it t-transformed soon after Meiko¡­," The woman was cut off as a sob wracked its way through her body.


    "Don''t force yourself," Rosan said and it was supposed to sound caring but instead, it came off as hollow.


    Despite that, Mod nodded at his words.


    "I-I wanted to show you something," Mod explained to him and Rosan lightly tilted his head.


    "What is it?" he asked.


    "...It''s best if I show you, then explain," was all she said and Rosan nodded.


    That made sense.


    They eventually reached their destination and Rosan actually paused as he took notice of the large castle made of what looked to be pure ice. The palace was covered from top to bottom with chains. It looked as if nothing could get in and nothing could get out.


    How curious.


    "An addition with the new environment?" Rosan asked as he turned towards Mod-chan who standing right next to him. Surprisingly, she shook her head in a no motion.


    "No, I suspect this has been here far longer then the frozen forest," Mod said as she looked at the castle with a frown on her pretty face.


    Far longer? Mod-chan noticed every single detail that happened to his body and she was always sure to tell him if it was important. If she was only just now telling him about this, either she thought it wasn''t important enough, which he doubted, or she didn''t notice until now.


    Rosan quickly connected the dots.


    "You didn''t notice earlier because you were under the effects of seastone 3 years ago," Rosan deduced and Mod shot him a look of surprise.


    "That''s right," she confirmed and Rosan looked back at the castle.


    It was safe to assume that Mod-chan only noticed this because of what happened to Meiko. If this castle was here while he was on Daybreak and Mod-chan noticed due to Meiko''s death¡­ There was a connection there.


    "This castle houses my emotions," Rosan said as it all clicked together. That was the only possible connection.


    This castle likely formed the day Rosan realized nobody was coming to save him on Daybreak and he broke down. It finally explained what had caused him to so easily suppress his emotions.


    This must have been a much more extreme case however. Whereas before, certain things could elicit a reaction out of the boy (mostly rage), it seemed unlikely for anything to cause Rosan to react now.


    Mod-chan must have noticed the castle storing every single one of his emotions in that case. It explained why Rosan currently couldn''t feel anything at the moment.


    "I tried to entering it, but I can''t. Something is keeping me out," Mod said with a nervous gaze.


    "I see," Rosan stepped up to the castle and prepared to open the gate.


    Nothing happened.


    Rosan tried again and was met with the same result.


    "It''s even rejecting you¡­?" Mod said in confusion. Did that mean Rosan¡­ didn''t want his emotions back?


    The redhead gazed at the castle with searching eyes.


    "I have a theory," Rosan said as he regarded the gate before him. "This castle was likely created when I made the decision that my emotions would only be a hindrance in my mission to escape. My reaction to Meiko''s death was even stronger then back then likely causing this."


    Mod could see where he was going. Rosan would run away from his problems until he had no choice but to face them. It was his biggest weakness and one he worked hard to counter. He had been making spades along with Meiko but, h-her d-death had probably set everything back to square one.


    "My desire to get my emotions back is likely weaker then Modifications'' desire to keep me shielded from them. It makes sense considering I have absolutely no desire at all."


    "B-but that''s not reasonable!" Mod said in disbelief but he was right. "If it has all your emotions¡­ how will you ever get that desire back?"


    "Meiko was able to naturally have me open up to her. It''s possible that it has to be natural instead of forceful. Modification is shielding me from them, not holding them hostage. It will have no reason to block them if someone breaks through successfully."


    B-but Meiko was his soulmate! How could anything else even reach the level of compatibility the two had?


    "You have to live for the both of us, Rosy, until you find a new meaning," Rosan repeated the words Meiko said to him and Mod felt tears worming their way into her eyes again.


    "It seems like Meiko''s final wish for me was more impactful then we could imagine. If I don''t find a new meaning, I will probably be like this forever," the redhead said as he stared back at the castle.


    Mod didn''t like it, but he was right. Right now, neither of them could open that castle. It was refusing them out of protection and so, they would let it protect.


    She prayed that something out there could chip away at Rosan''s frozen heart. All Mod needed was a little bit of progress. If there was someone out there, the purple haired woman would support them wholeheartedly.


    Everything she did, was for Rosan after all.


    "I''m sorry Mod-chan," Rosan suddenly said as he saw the distraught look on her face.


    Mod scooped the boy up and hugged him fervorously. "Don''t be Rosan. I will never blame you for what happened," she whispered soothingly and the woman buried herself into his smaller frame.


    The boy accepted it without any complaint.


    It was up to Mod to be strong for the both of them and she would try her best.


    As she took another look at the castle though, she felt a shudder of familiarity and her eyes widened nervously.


    She hugged Rosan just a bit tighter.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Aiko and Reaper were pretty close. Sure, she made it seem like she was constantly annoyed with the Shinigami but, everyone who knew them and saw their interactions were aware that it was all in good fun.


    Mostly.


    She would even consider them her friend and maybe they thought the same.


    Which is why she knew something was very very wrong with them.


    This was her first time seeing him since he had abruptly left 2 weeks ago. Since then, it had been radio silence from the Angel of Death and she would never admit it out loud, but Aiko was worried about them.


    Akemi had been a nervous mess the entire time and it was up to Aiko to keep her sister in check.


    She had been hoping that he was alright. Reaper had done so much for them in the years of their partnership and because of him, Fregate was more prosperous then it had ever been.


    It was a huge relief to see him in her office on the scheduled time to collect his stipend.


    "Reaper!" Akemi moved to excitedly greet him, but she stopped as she felt his aura. Aiko felt it too.


    Reaper always exuded a low amount of pressure when you were in his presence. It was dark, confident, and slightly overwhelming. Aiko had long since grown used to it and these days, it barely fazed her.


    Now though, it was totally different. His aura was still there, but it was completely devoid of anything. It was just there.


    Somehow, it was even more unnerving then what he normally exuded.


    Was he alright?


    "Greetings Akemi. Aiko." Reaper nodded to them and Aiko had to wonder how he managed to pull off sounding even more emotionless. Reaper was always keen on showing as little emotion as possible. It was why people assumed he had no personality.


    Aiko knew better. No matter how he acted, the gray haired girl knew that Reaper, deep down, was a pretty playful person.


    He had a way of making his neutral tone come off as snarky, sarcastic, and condescending at times and it infuriated her as much as it entertained her!


    Right now, he lacked all of this.


    Something was wrong. Very wrong.


    "Reaper, are you alright?" Akemi asked carefully. Her younger sister had likely detected these changes as well.


    "I don''t see how that''s relevant."


    They flinched at his reply and stared warily at him. They were worried for him but, Reaper had always been a person who didn''t like to share his information.


    They wondered why he was so secretive.


    "I got your money right here," Aiko said slowly and she handed it off to him. He accepted it and swiftly put it away. He had no slick remark or anything of the sort to say to her and it only made her more worried.


    "Reaper, that day you left abruptly¡­ what happened?" Aiko asked hesitantly as she saw the Shinigami prepare to make his departure.


    He never left immediately¡­ this was scary.


    "A situation arose. I handled it," was his curt response.


    Aiko frowned deeply. He was being incredibly standoffish at the moment and it was throwing her for a loop.


    Maybe she could try and goad a reaction out of him? What would get him to mess with her...?


    "Could you show us your face, Reaper," Aiko suddenly asked and the figure paused. He was probably thinking of some snarky way to say no to her right now and she''d feel a little better about his situation.


    Maybe he was just having a bad day?


    "We''ve known each other long enough," was all he said and he turned to face them.


    ...What?


    This had to be some sort of prank right?


    "I-I thought you said to ask in 10 years?!" Aiko stammered in confusion.


    "I said that in order to annoy you. I already trusted you when you first asked," he replied bluntly.


    With that, he removed his hoodie.


    They stared shockingly at his brilliant crimson hair, tied into a bun, before Reaper removed his mask. He had opted to use his black mask today and they gasped at what lay under.


    The first thing Aiko noted was that Reaper really was a boy. Though, he was adorable enough that, with a bit of work, he could probably pass off as the opposite gender.


    The second thing she noted, was that he was terribly young. She took in his features and deduced that he couldn''t be older then 14 yet.


    The most notable thing about Reaper by far though, were his beautiful eyes. Not only the fact that they were two different colors, one red and the other purple, but they looked lifeless.


    The boy looked dead inside and his entire expression lacked anything!


    Akemi gasped in horror and felt tears well up at the expression on the, too young, boys face. No child should ever look at the world like this. The way the boy looked¡­ it was terribly haunting.


    He looked as if he had nothing left to live for.


    Aiko looked at him with wide eyes as she stared into his soulless eyes.


    What the hell happened to him? No one deserved to have such a look in their eyes. Especially not the one who had freed and brought this island to heights they had never seen before.


    She couldn''t even get upset or triumphant at hearing that he was in fact teasing her. One look into his expressionless gaze, rendered her completely speechless.


    "S-so my theory was correct," Aiko tried to say. "You a-are a boy! And a young one at that!"


    "Correct," he confirmed. "My name is Rosan, I''m 12 years old. It''s important that not much people are aware of my existence due to my rather unique appearance."


    Taking another look at what she could see, Aiko and Akemi both nodded in agreement. They didn''t know if anyone else in the world even looked like the boy. His tanned skin, coupled with the fact that he had a unique shade of red hair and heterochromatic eyes, would make it damn hard to avoid public eye.


    But fuck! He was only 12?! That meant the boy was nine when he liberated Fregate from Arata''s hands.


    What the hell did they feed this monster growing up?!


    He moved his head, jostling his ruby red earrings in the process, and faced Aiko. "It is imperative that you don''t tell anyone how I look," without the mask on, his voice was no longer masked and they could hear how young he sounded.


    "If you do, I will kill you."


    The way it was delivered chilled Aiko to her bones. His tone didn''t have even a hint of inflection. It was that same, chilly, tone that he had used since arriving. The way he looked at her only solidified that this meant nothing to him.


    He said it like he was discussing the weather.


    Rosan was simply warning her of what would happen. He would not enjoy it, he didn''t intimidate her, he wasn''t trying to force her to keep it a secret. He probably didn''t even care if she kept it one or not.


    He would just kill her if she did.


    That was not a threat. It was a promise.


    "Have some faith in me Rea- Rosan," Aiko actually sounded annoyed. "We''re partners, of course I wouldn''t sell you out."


    Akemi nodded her head with empathy. "Your secret is safe with us!"


    Rosan nodded and tried to smile. He probably could have fooled someone with it¡­ if it reached his eyes. Instead, it just looked as if he was forcing himself to do the act.


    "I believe you two, it''s why I showed you my face in the first place."


    "You may want to work on your smile," Aiko suggested and Rosan nodded as his face went back to normal.


    "I see¡­ Do you have any suggestions?" He asked with a slight tilt of his head that had Akemi squealing.


    "Your eyes play a huge part in making a smile believable and well, your eyes are kinda terrifying to look at right now," Aiko said truthfully.


    "Understood, I will keep that in mind," Rosan said and he made to exit.


    "One last thing Rosan!" Aiko said and he turned around once more.


    "Whatever happened¡­ I''m sorry but try not to beat yourself up too much about it," Aiko''s eyes looked worriedly at the boy who was at least a decade younger then her.


    "Please take care of yourself Rosan," Akemi said. The look in her saviors eyes was one that nearly brought her to tears. He had helped break her out of her own shell after the events with Arata and she couldn''t even help him with his own issues.


    "...Understood, I will keep that in mind," he eventually said before vanishing from view.


    The two let out a breath they didn''t know they were holding.


    "That was nerve wracking¡­" Akemi said and she looked a bit downtrodden.


    "I wonder what happened to him," Aiko said as she collapsed in her seat. "Let''s go Akemi, I need to get a drink."


    "For once Aiko-nee, I agree with you."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Master didn''t speak to them anymore.


    The only time they ever interacted was when he had an order for them. Other than that, he scarcely said a word to them.


    It was their fault after all. They had let Meiko out of their sight and she was put right in the middle of battle as a result.


    Not only that, Master was stuck protecting her and fighting off people and...they were stuck being useless. By the time they had shown up, the battle was already over and Meiko lay bleeding out on the floor.


    Angel took it hard, but not nearly as hard as her younger twin.


    Demon had been nearly catatonic. Her purple haired brother had been practically moving on auto-pilot for a while now and she didn''t know what to do for him.


    How could she make him feel better, when she felt just as shitty!


    It was an impossibly hard situation to deal with and normally, Master would have been able to snap them out of their funk. If not him, then Meiko would have easily been able to do it.


    She was even better at making them feel better then Rosan was.


    But, the Master they knew and loved was no longer here¡­ A part of him had clearly departed with Meiko who was¡­ w-who was ¡ª


    Angel held her face in the palm of her hands, as tears welled into her eyes. She couldn''t help the hiccups and soon she was sobbing in full force.


    She didn''t know what to do and it was breaking her!


    Her brother was in a zombie-like state. Her Master was devoid of feeling. H-her best friend was d-d-dea¡­


    Angel let loose a louder sob then intended and she hastily tried to cover her mouth.


    She didn''t want anyone to hear her. They all had their own problems to deal with right now and she didn''t want to drag them into hers. Attracting attention to herself was just selfish so, the female clone of Rosan cried as quietly as possible.


    The redhead went stiff as she heard soft footsteps approaching. She tried to mask what she was doing to the best of her ability and she hesitantly looked up.


    Angel went pale.


    Standing before her, in all his glory, was her fellow redhead, Rosan himself. He was staring directly at her with that unbearably blank expression of his.


    Angel hated it. She wanted her Master back.


    "M-Master?" the purple eyed girl called hesitantly. "Is s-something wrong?"


    Curse her heightened emotional state. She couldn''t even speak properly to her creator.


    He continued to stare at her, face never changing, and it made her fidget in place.


    Angel could still distinctively remember the wave of rage that had washed over her when she told him of their blunder and it made her shudder. He was so angry and the raw fury in his gaze had completely paralyzed her.


    Rosan had entrusted them to protect Meiko and they had failed completely.


    "If Master was the one watching over her, this wouldn''t have happened because he''s actually competent," Angel thought bitterly to herself. They could not even do a simple task.


    They were not worthy of the life Rosan had given them.


    She would not blame or stop him from destroying her because she deserved it.


    The look in his eyes when he had left them had suggested that it was not over, yet, after what happened to Meiko, the boy had done absolutely nothing to them.


    No punishment, no speech, no death.


    Nothing.


    Maybe their punishment was how he barely acknowledged their existence now. It was a fitting one because Angel was practically being tortured at the fact that he barely even looked at her.


    Her crying in a room, alone, was proof of that.


    "Why do you cry here, alone and in silence?" The shorter boy asked her and she looked at him with shock in her eyes.


    "I-I didn''t want to cause anyone to w-w-worry," Angel spoke softly and she refused to look at the one who created her in his eyes.


    "Crying in a dark corner is cause for plenty worry," her Master replied and she flinched.


    Angel chose not to say anything. She hoped that her Master would leave so that he wouldn''t see her in such a pathetic state for any longer.


    Rosan instead chose to walk closer to his female lookalike.


    "Stand up," he commanded and Angel immediately moved to follow his order.


    Angel felt wrong looking down at her shorter master and she nervously wrung her hands together.


    Imagine her surprise, when the dual eyed boy simply outstretched out his hands for her.


    H-he wanted a hug?


    "Whenever one of us felt sad, we would hug each other," he began speaking. "Whether it was Mod-chan, Me, or Meiko, a hug never failed to make us feel better," his voice was quiet as he spoke but she heard him perfectly.


    "A-and you think I deserve to feel better?" Angel asked hesitantly as her hurt purple eyes stared down at Rosan''s impassive face.


    "Why shouldn''t you?" He asked in return and Angel let out a choked sob. Without hesitation, the girl crashed into Rosan and hugged him for dear life.


    Rosan was used to being in this situation multiple times and he instinctively hugged her back.


    "I understand that these are difficult times...," Rosan began. "...But there should never be a situation where you feel like you have to hide your pain on our ship."


    "I don''t hate you for what happened. There is no need for you to hate yourself," was all Rosan said and Angel couldn''t handle the flood of emotions anymore.


    She let it all out. She must have been crying for an hour straight on Rosan, who just accepted it without a word.


    Eventually, Angel released herself from Rosan''s with a string of hiccups.


    "I''m sorry Master¡­ I got you all wet," Angel sniffed.


    "Think nothing of it," Rosan said idly. He took one glance at her and said "You need to take a break and rest. I will handle your duties until you are capable of doing them yourself."


    Angel reluctantly nodded. It was not a suggestion so she couldn''t really go against him but, handing her duties off to her master was unthinkable for her. To see him so readily offer to do it, despite how he was currently, warmed her up immensely.


    She felt a burst of affection for her master.


    Even in his current state, he always knew how to make her feel better. It didn''t matter how he was, Rosan was still Rosan.


    He was the worst off from what happened yet he still went out of his way to try and lighten her trauma.


    This was why she was devoted to him. This is why she would so readily die for her master. He cared for them as much as they cared for him.


    Angel came to a decision at that point.


    "I''ll do everything in my power to bring you back to normal Master," she swore to herself.


    If he could so effortlessly make her feel better about herself, then the least she could do was help him feel anything.


    She would do it or she would die trying.


    Rosan stared at the resolve in her eyes blankly.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Demon didn''t really know what he had been doing for a while now.


    He had been moving and working but¡­it didn''t feel like he was the one doing it. His body was on auto-pilot and the purple haired clone didn''t actually pay attention to what was being done.


    It had been like this for weeks.


    He was content to stay like this forever.


    He didn''t deserve to dictate his life.


    Everything was his fault.


    Demon was so damn stupid. Why would he ever leave Meiko alone? It had been his duty for 3 years to keep her safe. Not causing a scene would always come second to prioritizing her safety and he had foolishly done the opposite. Now she had paid the price and so did everyone on the ship.


    All because of him.


    He should have called Master instantly. Pressure had gotten to the normally gentle version of Rosan''s purple haired clone and he had crumbled underneath it.


    Angel and Rosan would never have crumbled under that pressure. They''d have known exactly what to do and how to approach it.


    Perhaps this was his curse as the youngest. To be utterly worthless until your older siblings could help you solve your problems.


    He deserved to bear the title of youngest. He certainly acted like it when push came to shove.


    Truthfully, Demon had almost asked Rosan to destroy him but he refrained because of his love for Angel.


    Angel¡­ His dear sister was taking this hard and he knew it. She was blaming herself despite it not being her fault whatsoever.


    The blame lie solely on him.


    Another curse of being the youngest. Your older siblings always added on to their own burdens, with yours.


    Demon hated himself.


    He was snapped out of his self loathing by the sound of footsteps.


    It must have been Angel, Master''s footsteps were inaudible a majority of the time. He felt bad for ignoring his sister but, he couldn''t burden her anymore with his thoughts. He would just not acknowledge her and eventually she''d leave.


    That''s what he had been doing for the past few weeks anyways.


    "Ignoring me?" A voice that was decidedly not his sister said. Demon felt dread pool in his stomach.


    Well, just his luck. It seemed like this was one of the few times where his footsteps were audible.


    Demon looked up and came face to face with Rosan himself. The moment they made eye contact he instantly looked away.


    He did not deserve to look at his Master''s face.


    The youngest on the ship was confused to hear a sigh escape his Master''s mouth.


    "Demon, I am not Rosan."


    Huh? If they weren''t Rosan then that meant they were¡­


    "M-Master Mod?" He asked hesitantly, still refusing to look at the redhead''s face.


    "Yes it''s me, Demon. You would have known if you could look at my face for more then a split second. I even made sure my footsteps were heard so you could be alerted beforehand," the now identified Mod''s voice suddenly shifted from Rosan''s to her own.


    "M-my apologies Master Mod, I was not aware it was you¡­ I thought it was Angel," he replied truthfully.


    Mod let out a small sigh and focused her blood red eyes on Demon''s face. "Next time I take control of Rosan''s body I will just make him look like me, I''m sure he won''t mind."


    The woman paused as she digested his words.


    "Have you been ignoring your sister?" the woman possessing Rosan''s body asked.


    Demon didn''t say anything, but he hung his head in guilt, practically confirming her thoughts.


    "Look at me," Mod demanded and the purple haired clone reluctantly looked up.


    He nearly looked away again at the utterly disapproving glance on her face.


    "I''m disappointed in you, Demon," Mod chided and he flinched at her tone. "We are all going through hard times right now, for you to go out of your way to make your sister''s life more miserable, is completely unacceptable."


    She was absolutely correct. Of course she was. Master Mod normally had a tendency of being right.


    He was being a terrible brother. Angel, despite having her own problems, had tried hard to help him and he had completely disregarded her which probably caused the overprotective girl to sink further into her sadness.


    Man, what was he doing right now? At the very least he could have acknowledged her.


    Scratch being a terrible brother, he was the worst brother.


    Mod sighed. "You''re more similar to Rosan then you may imagine," she said with a shake of her head. "Do you remember what Meiko said to you, Demon?" Mod suddenly asked.


    How could he forget? He had been replaying that day in his head every day nonstop.


    "Meiko doesn''t blame you. If she saw how you were acting right now, she would be furious. You''re ignoring your sister, you''re in a practically vegetative state, and you are so full of self loathing that it''s nauseating," she said bluntly and the words pierced right through him.


    "Everyone is trying their best to adhere to Meiko''s last wishes. Everyone except for you. Even Rosan, who has lost everything, is doing a better job then you."


    Her words were cruel and truthful. Demon and Rosan were similar when it came to having an unnecessary amount of loathing for themselves. Being kind to Rosan never worked unless you were Meiko, so she would take the exact same approach with his purple haired clone.


    "I understand you blame yourself. Everyone does, Demon. But do you want to know the difference?" The woman asked quietly and Demon stared at her with his undivided attention.


    "The difference is that everyone is trying their best to live for Meiko. Everyone but you."


    The words slammed into Demon like a freight train. Master Mod was right. He had noticed Angel returning to a functional state. Master Rosan had never even stopped and he was the one most affected by it.


    Master Mod seemed to be doing the most of all!


    What was he doing in comparison?


    Mod saw that she was making a breakthrough and decided to add some finishing touches.


    "Do you know why I''m the one speaking to you and not Rosan?" Mod suddenly asked and the youngest looked at her with a curious gaze. "He''s not equipped to speak to you. Rosan has no will to live, Demon. Would it not be hypocritical for him to try and tell you to do so?"


    "Despite that though, he chooses to continue solely to find a purpose. All because Meiko asked him too. If he can continue like this, then you can too," she said firmly.


    Hearing Master Mod speak about Rosan really put things into perspective for Demon and it made him feel like a major idiot. Of course Master was going through something worse then he was.


    The love of his life had died in his arms!


    Yet, he kept pushing forward so as to not disappoint her.


    It seemed all Demon was trying to do, was disappoint her.


    "I¡­ I understand Master Mod," Demon eventually said. "You''re right, I was being stupid and selfish. Thank you for making me realize my errors."


    She smiled a sad smile and Demon felt a pang at how tired the woman looked.


    "Master Mod, I think you should rest some," Demon suggested softly and the woman possessing her wielders body nodded along.


    "Another reason I''m possessing Rosan currently is that he''s abusing my powers to stay awake without repercussion. I plan on letting this body rest but I had to speak to you first," she explained tiredly.


    The purple haired boy nodded in appreciation. "Thank you again Master Mod I really do appreciate your efforts."


    Mod hugged the boy and said "Think nothing of it."


    After pulling back, she said "Now I must go to sleep if you don''t mind. Make sure you apologize to Angel."


    With that, Mod directed Rosan''s body to his room to get some much needed sleep.


    Demon watched this with a slight smile before pushing himself up.


    He would support Mod and Rosan in anyway possible. He never wanted to feel the same helpless feeling that he had felt that day. Meiko had been teaching him about medicine because he had requested it and she had been ecstatic to see someone else on the ship interested in it.


    The purple haired clone would learn enough about being a doctor to make her proud.


    ...Right as soon as he could muster up the courage to enter the room and not collapse. As he was now, he would get nothing done and so, he would just remain in the library. But soon, he''d push himself to enter her work quarters.


    For now, he needed to go find his twin and apologize to her.


    She deserved it.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Mod was exhausted and she didn''t mean physically.


    She was currently hugging Rosan''s sleeping body to herself as she allowed herself a minute to relax. He would not be waking up anytime soon.


    The woman let loose a quiet sob.


    There was a reason she had spoken to Demon. One was because he needed to snap out of his fun and the other was that she was reaching her limit.


    Between making sure nothing happened to Rosan and balancing her very fragile emotions, the woman was finding it hard pressed to handle anything more.


    She was so glad Rosan had chosen to speak to Angel on his own accord. The boy''s sharp hearing had heard his clone crying to herself and he took it upon himself to help her.


    Even like this, Rosan always found the right things to say.


    But Mod hated seeing Rosan like this. She despised seeing the cheerful boy turn into a shadow of what he used to be.


    What could she do about it though? The boy was right, there was currently no way to get his emotions back without it being disastrous for everyone in the area.


    Loathe as she was to admit it, this was for the best. A Rosan with emotions, in his current state would lead to the deaths of many.


    Including himself.


    Mod hated it so much but it was for the best. She would not lose Rosan.


    But, the Devil Fruit had been handling so much, that she wasn''t able to properly deal with her own emotions.


    Meiko was important to all of them, Mod and Rosan especially, and her value lay much more in what she could do. The teen was the emotional glue to all of them and she understood Rosan better then anyone.


    Not even Mod could deal with Rosan the way Meiko did and she had relentlessly teased them both about that small fact.


    It made sense though, they were soulmates.


    Mod never thought anyone''s death besides Rosan would have put her in such a state but here she was, proven so utterly wrong. She loved Meiko as much as she loved Rosan and the woman took it as hard as the boy did.


    But she had to be strong. For Meiko. For everyone. Without her, who knows how bad things could possibly get? Rosan had been awake for 3 whole days nonstop and he would have gone even longer if she hadn''t put her foot down and demanded he take a break and sleep.


    The boy had obediently listened to her. Not a single complaint had escaped his mouth as he immediately surrendered to her requests. He was so compliant now, that it was unnerving to her.


    The purple haired woman let out another sob.


    I-It was so hard. Everything was so much more difficult now and she was trying her best but, it was overwhelming her. It was even worse that the woman had her own things to deal with.


    Now that she was given a little free time, all she could do was cry and let her emotions catch up to her.


    "Mod-chan," a voice spoke up beneath her making her freeze. Her sobs instantly stopped and she looked down at the dual eyes of Rosan in her lap.


    "R-Rosan? How are you a-awake?" She tried to mask the fact that she was crying but she knew it was for naught.


    "I knew you would have tried to do something like this and I didn''t want you to deal with it alone," he told her softly and her eyes narrowed in guilt. The woman bit her lip at getting caught but Rosan didn''t look angry with her.


    Of course he didn''t.


    "Please use me as you see fit," he said and the child extended his arms for her.


    Mod felt tears well into her eyes and the emotional baggage became too much for her. It was like a dam burst and with a sharp wail of distress, the woman crashed into Rosan.


    "I''m sorry Mod-chan, for making you feel as if you didn''t even have enough time to cry. I''ve been failing you as a partner and that is unacceptable," his empty voice spoke.


    "You don''t have to say anything right now, please just relieve yourself. That is all that matters at the moment."


    Mod did just that and so she cried and cried into her smaller partner. It was euphoric to let all of it loose and Rosan was just there for her. He gently rubbed her back as she sobbed into his smaller frame.


    No matter how he was, no matter what happened to him, he would always be there for Mod-chan. She was his rock and so, he would be hers.


    Mod cried until she fell asleep.


    Rosan held her all the while.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan stared at Meiko. In his hands, was a photo that she had demanded they take together without even giving him a chance to say no.


    Meiko and Rosan were cheek to cheek and though the redhead had pretended to be annoyed, the fond smile on his face, belay how he truly felt.


    He had been visiting this place every day just to stare at her resting body.


    "Meiko, ever since I lost you, I have found that I don''t feel anything at all," he began softly.


    "Modification has deemed it necessary to completely suppress my emotions and maybe that''s for the best. I have no doubt that if they were active, a lot of people would currently be dead."


    Rosan took a step closer and eventually he was sitting right next to her.


    "Truthfully, my desire to live has completely vanished. A part of me went with you but yet, I''m still here, alive and breathing."


    It should have been him. Not her. Anyone but her. Yet, here he was...


    Alive.


    And here she was...


    Dead.


    Rosan idly looked at the ceiling. "You have to live for the both of us Rosy, until you can find a new meaning to life," the redhead repeated.


    "Those words are the only thing driving me. For you Mei, I''ll find a new meaning. I will try my best to find a reason worth living so that you won''t be disappointed in me. That was your final wish for me and I will honor it. Until then, I won''t allow myself to die if I can help it."


    Rosan got up in preparation to leave. He stared in contemplation at the photo in his hands.


    He would need to save this on his person, as a memento. So that even if he were to suffer memory loss, Meiko would be imprinted firmly on his mind.


    "A new reason to live¡­" Rosan said to himself as he looked at his soulmate with his permanently dead gaze. After a moment he vanished from sight, but not before leaving some parting words.


    "How unlikely."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Character Sheet: Rosan


    Full Name: Portgas D. Rosan


    Age: 12


    Summary: Found and raised by Portgas D. Rouge as a newborn, Rosan is a young boy devoid of any emotion and lacking a will to live. Not much is known about his origins but, he has the D initial in his name. Previously, his goal was to become the strongest in the world but due to the death of his lover, Suzuki Meiko, all of his drive has vanished. At 12 years old, his only current goal is to fulfill the wish of his deceased love and find a new reason to live.


    Devil Fruit: Mod Mod no Mi


    Type: Paramecia


    Description: Turns Rosan into a computer man. With this Devil Fruit, Rosan is allowed to modify whatever he sees fit. This fruit is currently the reason Rosan is devoid of emotion, due to the boy not being able to handle the overload. It patiently waits for the day that someone can save Rosan.


    Appearance: Tan, bronze skin. Outfit changes often but normally he is seen wearing a combination of black and red, black and purple, or red and purple.


    Accessories: Ruby red earrings in his ears, Amethyst ring on his left hands ring finger, white pendant that stops right at his chest with a shrunken picture of him and his mother.


    Height: 5''2 (157cm)


    Hair: Spiky long red hair that''s soft to touch. Keeps it in a messy bun that leaves strands hanging and exposes his earrings. Reaches just above his back when he lets it fall freely.


    Eyes: His right eye is a royal purple and his left one is a blood red. Both have lost the glow in them and subsequently gives Rosan a rather lifeless appearance.


    Likes: N/A


    Dislikes: N/A

 Maro

    "It seems¡­" Reaper began, glancing dispassionately at his shattered scythe "...that I am in need of a new weapon."


    He could restore it using Modification but, the weapon had failed him again. This was not the first time it had broken due to circumstances from the battles that the Angel of Death took. It was proving to be a liability in battle now, so the 12 year old no longer had any use for it.


    A weapon that couldn''t do its job properly, was a weapon better off destroyed.


    Well, no matter. It was about time he fully invested himself into making the item he had long ago been interested in crafting.


    The Philosopher''s Stone.


    It was said to be capable of turning metals into gold or silver. It was also known as the elixir of life, due to being able to rejuvenate a person and granting immortality.


    No doubt, it would have been one of the most coveted items in existence. Perhaps it would even be more valuable then a Devil Fruits...


    Had it existed.


    Unfortunately, the alchemical stone did not exist. If it did, the entire balance of the world would have undoubtedly shifted. What the stone was capable of, would cause untold amounts of disaster for whoever had their hands on it.


    If the stone existed, who knows what the state of the world would be like? Maybe it was for the best that such a dangerous item was only known as a myth.


    Reaper did not care about what was best for everyone. He needed a new weapon and he had long ago decided it would be made from the Philosopher''s stone.


    Balance be damned, none of that mattered to the Shinigami.


    With Modification, it was possible that Reaper could actually create the Philosopher''s stone. It''s unlikely that it would be an exact replica, but he didn''t really care about making a carbon copy. As long as he could create it, it was an automatic success.


    Immortality was not something he desired. Staying alive forever did not appeal to him like it may have to other people.


    He did not even want the Philosopher''s stone for himself. Maybe after he made one for his future weapon, he could make one for his clothing, himself, etc. The possibilities were endless.


    Reaper just didn''t want it to have immortality properties when applied to himself. Being immortal in a world like this sounded like hell, especially without his lover.


    The rejuvenation aspect sounded good for him though. Recovering quickly from injuries, with his already fast regeneration, would be helpful.


    He would have definitely made one for Meiko but that wasn''t possible anymore.


    Reaper stared at his discarded scythe dispassionately before glancing at the broken body of his latest opponent.


    He was an unassuming man named Haru but he had a particularly useful Devil Fruit. The Sabi Sabi no mi was the reason that his scythe was currently in an unusable condition at the moment. The man had grabbed it and rusted the blade into nothing.


    The battle had not been difficult whatsoever but, learning that the man was immune to his weapon, had forced him to adapt.


    His limbs were more then enough and the result was the broken body before him. Seems Haru thought Reaper was a one trick pony and that his sudden immunity to his scythe would have given him the edge. It had made him confident.


    How costly.


    "Do you have any final wish, Haru?" Reaper suddenly asked his defeated opponent. After Meiko''s death, he had taken to asking his opponents if they had any final wishes.


    Haru chose to spit a glob near his foot as his answer.


    Reaper watched it sail pathetically through the air and land next to him. He looked at the spot for a moment before regarding the man again.


    "I suppose not," he commented idly. That was not a surprise, no one had yet to actually have a final wish. Maybe they thought he was lying?


    He saw no need to lie, especially to a person who was dying.


    With that, Reaper made his way over to the near dead man. He had systematically broken every bone in his body but the job was not done.


    It was never done.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan silently reviewed the notes (though he didn''t need to due to his near photographic memory) he had made for himself on the White Rose.


    He was currently dressed in a loose, long sleeved, silk white shirt that was blank. Some comfortable, equally loose, black sweatpants and a lack of footwear made up his bottom half.


    The few strands of his hair, left from his bun, moved in time with the breeze and his ruby red earrings followed suit. His amethyst ring gleamed on his ring finger due to the sunlight as he turned a page and his white pendant remained hidden beneath his shirt.


    The user of the Mod Mod no mi was currently reading up on everything he needed to know about the Philosopher''s stone and checking off what he could and couldn''t do at the moment.


    The Philosopher''s stone, is said to be created by the alchemical method known as The Magnum Opus. There were various instructions of how to create the mythical stone but, seeing as one didn''t exist yet, Rosan was hard pressed to believe any of them actually worked.


    Still, he had taken away a few key things that he was sure would be useful.


    Alchemy was universally agreed upon to be needed. This is why the stone could never be made because alchemy didn''t actually exist.


    That''s where Modification came in. Alchemy was based on the transformation of matter. It''s most used attempts were to turn base metals into gold but, it could be used for other things such as transforming a rock into a bug or making a set of clones from nothing but handcuffs.


    Modification was practically alchemy. They were both nothing but transmutation. No, Modification was much better then alchemy. Rosan was confident he could easily modify base metals into gold. If that was the ultimate goal of Alchemy, then Modification had long since surpassed it already.


    After all, Rosan could transform into a dragon.


    "With Modification, the first hurdle, that has stopped everyone else, has already been completed," Mod spoke and Rosan nodded.


    "Yes, this was the most difficult step and we were able to easily surpass it. Everything else should be relatively simple, if not annoying to achieve," Rosan thought to his long time partner.


    Mod was proud that her ability was proving to be such a boon to Rosan''s goals. Once the redhead had realized that alchemy was just a watered down version of her ability, he had made sure she understood how amazing Modification was.


    She was still left flushing at his praise. Despite everything, some things never changed.


    Properly filtering everything that was useful to him from the things that were useless, Rosan got up to do what he needed to do. He quickly transformed into Reaper and let his hoodie down for once. He contemplated taking his mask but decided it wasn''t necessary.


    He had some things he needed to do.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Aiko. Akemi," A young voice called, causing the two of them to jump in fright.


    "I swear to all that is ¡ª," Aiko cut herself off with a grumble before she started swearing in earnest.


    "Reaper? What''s the occasion?" Akemi asked in her sisters stead.


    The savior of their island had their hood down, showing off his youthful boyish features and that ever present blank expression.


    Aiko and Akemi had to admit, despite the dead expression he wore, Reaper was pretty adorable. He especially had some of the most gorgeous dual eyes they had ever seen.


    "Sorry to interrupt," Rosan said softly as he nodded at the two. They finally noticed that he had on a very familiar set of ruby red earrings and realization began to dawn on their face as they recalled the very dead expression on his face.


    Oh no.


    Akemi held her hands to her mouth as her brown eyes widened in horror. Aiko couldn''t blame her because she was sure that she was doing the exact same thing.


    "R-Reaper?" Akemi spoke up, prompting the boy to look at her.


    "Call me Rosan," he told her bluntly and she flushed at his directness.


    "R-right, s-sorry," The gray haired younger sister said, before gathering her wits and preparing to ask her question. "I-is Meiko ¡ª,"


    "Yes, she is," Rosan suddenly said, causing both of them to back up in surprise.


    Did he know what they were going to ask?!


    "I knew what you were going to ask," the redhead confirmed and he looked completely unfazed. "I didn''t want to hear the question aloud so I answered it beforehand."


    The sisters looked worried. It was obvious Rosan cared immensely for the blond haired girl and to hear the news that she was¡­dead, explained why the boy himself looked so vacant. This was probably his way of coping with the information.


    If only they knew.


    "I-I''m so sorry¡­" Akemi said with tears brimming in her eyes as the revelation hit her.


    Aiko couldn''t say anything. She felt her throat lock up every time she attempted.


    Reaper had frequently brought the girl over. Meiko was such a sweet and kind girl and Aiko had loved pointing out just how different, yet compatible the two were. It normally ended with the gray haired woman stewing in anger though because of the Shinigami''s quick wit.


    Akemi had been slightly jealous at how easily someone could get her savior''s attention, but it was impossible to be angry with the compassionate blonde. The two got along very well and she was happy to see a side of Reaper only Meiko could bring out.


    And now, just like that, the girl was gone.


    "Kami, Rosan," Aiko eventually choked out with tears brimming her eyes. To see the headstrong girl so shaken up, was a sight to see but the news was just too much for even the hardened ruler of Fregate. "I¡­ I can''t even begin to imagine ¡ª I''m sorry."


    "There is no need to apologize."


    The lack of emotion in his voice was understandable to the sisters now. Those two were deeply in love with each other. Reaper had been dangerously protective of her as well to the point where Meiko had told them people couldn''t even look at her the wrong way.


    "That is not why I am here today," he said quietly and they both straightened up.


    "R-Right," Aiko said as she tried to focus on what the boy could have wanted. The older sister wiped her eyes and asked the redhead "What did you need?"


    "I''m in need of some rare stones of high quality," Rosan said getting straight to the point. "I could go looking for them myself but, seeing as Fregate is a premier trade route in the North Blue, I believe it would be faster and easier if you were to get them for me."


    Aiko nodded at that. It was a simple enough request and with Akemi helping her, finding high quality stones would be easy. Rea ¡ª Rosan hardly ever asked for anything and the boy did plenty for her. She would do her best to get what he was looking for.


    "Sure, that won''t be too hard. Just give me a list of what you need and we''ll start looking for them right away," Aiko told him confidently.


    Rosan''s face formed a smile and he managed to make it look a lot more genuine then last time.


    "Improvement," Akemi said as she lightly clapped for the redhead.


    "Thank you, I took your advice and implemented it," Rosan said as he pulled a paper out of his cloak. Without even looking at it, he handed it over to Aiko who grabbed it out of his small hands.


    Looking at the list, she raised a brow at what it had.


    "What exactly do you need all these for?" Aiko asked offhandedly, not expecting him to answer her. Reaper was always stingy with information.


    "I''m trying to make something that doesn''t exist," the boy said, causing her gaze to snap up in surprise.


    What? He was sharing information?!


    Dear Kami.


    "W-Well these shouldn''t be too difficult to get, it may take some time but I''m confident we can get what you''re looking for," Aiko said a bit dumbly, too surprised to ask for details.


    "You can count on me Rosan-kun! I''m much better at these type of things then Aiko-nee," Akemi beamed at the boy, who nodded to them both.


    "It will be expensive, I will supply you with the money so that you may ¡ª," Rosan began before Aiko cut him off.


    "You don''t need to pay, I''ve got this." His gaze almost seemed questioning and so, Aiko continued. "Seriously? After everything you''ve done for us Rosan, this is the least of my worries. You don''t gotta worry about paying, we''ll handle this," Aiko said and by the tone of her voice, she wasn''t going to take no for an answer.


    "If you insist¡­ Thank you," Rosan said, attempting another smile. "When you have managed to get them all¡­," the 12 year old began as he pulled out a Den Den Mushi and handed it over to them, "...just call me with that," he finished before preparing to leave.


    "Alright, will do," Aiko responded.


    "If that''s all, I''ll be going now," Rosan said.


    "Wait!" Akemi called, making the child pause. "¡­Rosan are you okay?" she asked worriedly. He had been like this for so long now and he showed no sign of changing. If this was his way of coping then it was getting increasingly worrying.


    Rosan simply stared at her, expression not shifting, and the younger sister felt herself wringing her hands. His gaze was piercing and his mesmerizing eyes locked her into place.


    Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Rosan opened his mouth and said:


    "I have not been okay for a long time."


    And that was that. The boy vanished without another word.


    The two sisters looked at the spot he had been at with clear concern.


    "I hope he gets okay soon¡­" Akemi said with tears welling up in her eyes and Aiko instinctively walked up to hug her.


    "Me too Akemi. Me too."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    With Aiko and Akemi handling one part of his tedious job, Rosan immediately set out to do the next step of his mission.


    "Angel, I''m going out," Rosan told his female clone, who was busy with making sure the ship was headed in the right direction.


    She didn''t even look up as she asked "What are you off to do?"


    "Learning how to blacksmith so I can manipulate heat properly," was all he said, making her pause what she was doing.


    "Can I come with you?" She suddenly asked looking up at Rosan who simply tilted his head. "Since you''re only learning it to manipulate heat correctly, maybe I can handle the weapons on the ship?" The redhead girl asked hopefully, ignoring the fact that they hardly had weapons.


    "Crafting is something I really enjoy and I''ve already been learning how to be a better shipwright, so I might as well add being a blacksmith to my repertoire as well," she finished, smiling down at her master.


    They didn''t have many weapons on the ship but Rosan wouldn''t mention that. If she wanted to spend time with him, she could have just said it.


    "Okay you may come with me," Rosan complied easily enough. "If that''s the case, we may as well take the ship then"


    Angel nodded excitedly at him. "Demon''s been busy learning how to be a doctor so I don''t think he''d be very good at manning the ship alone!"


    The White Rose was largely self sufficient due to Rosan''s non stop tampering and Angel joining him but it still required care.


    Without warning, Angel rushed over to where Demon was located, ponytail bobbing, to tell him the new plans. Rosan followed behind her at a much more controlled pace.


    By the time he arrived to the ships library, it looked as if Angel had already told Demon everything. Both noticed him the moment he showed up and Angel beamed while Demon looked a bit withdrawn.


    "Angel. Demon," Rosan nodded. "I trust Angel has caught you up on what is happening?" he asked the purple haired clone.


    "Y-yes ¡ª," Demon cleared his throat a bit. "Yes Master, she has informed me," he confirmed and his voice scratched up a bit.


    Rosan nodded. "I hope you don''t mind seeing me more often. I''ve been trying to give you space since you can''t function properly in my presence, but you will have to put up with it for the time being," Rosan told his clone, who could only blush in embarrassment.


    "I-I''m sorry i-it''s just your presence is a bit overwhelming for me," Demon admitted in shame.


    The redhead stared at his clone for a while, head tilted slightly with his ever present blankness. It was impossible to tell what he was thinking and soon Demon was fidgeting in his seat.


    "There is no need to blame yourself for what happened," was all Rosan said before he turned around and walked away from the two.


    Demon''s eyes widened as he heard that.


    The words had been simple and to the point yet, he felt as if a giant weight had been lifted off of his shoulder.


    Despite his new resolve, Demon and Rosan had not spoken to each other since Mod had possessed him. It was not his Master''s fault either. The purple haired clone had been purposely avoiding him and so, Rosan gave all orders to Angel.


    He just couldn''t face the one who created him. Even just looking at him filled him with such a large amount of shame that it was repulsive. Angel had tried to talk to him about it but it was one of the few things that he just couldn''t listen to his sister about.


    To hear it from his Master''s mouth though, not Master Mod, but Rosan, it felt so different.


    Rosan was the one most affected by this after all. If he told Demon not to blame himself, then he''d be nothing but pathetic if he continued to do so.


    Demon looked at his Master''s retreating back with an almost reverent gaze. "Master!" He called and the twelve year old paused.


    Rosan turned his head around to look at him and Demon found that it was so much easier to look at his creator now.


    "T-thank you! I didn''t realize how much I needed to hear that," Demon said, bowing as deeply as possible.


    "Think nothing of it," Rosan said softly. "Remember what I said all those years ago. Too much fear is debilitating. If I wanted to kill you, you''d have been dead a long time ago so ease your worries," he finished before resuming his walk.


    Demon watched his Master leave with a new appreciation.


    His Master was different, that much was true but even despite his lack of emotions, there were still core parts of him that made him Rosan.


    Angel watched this exchange with a relieved smile on her face. Her younger twin had been trying hard to avoid Master and Rosan saw no point in confronting him about it so he let him be.


    She was hoping Rosan would have something to say after taking a look at Demon and she was not disappointed.


    Her Master really had a way with words!


    "See? You really gotta stop being so dumb Demon," Angel sniffed in a superior manner at her younger brother.


    Demon looked as if he wanted to protest, but he held his head and said "Yeah you''re right sis¡­ I gotta listen to you more often, huh?"


    "Of course you do," the redhead said and she tossed her ponytail haughtily.


    Honestly, did she have to do everything around here?


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    No matter what, hanging out with Rosan was always a treat.


    Angel naturally loved spending time with her Master. The two were pretty similar to each other (much more similar than her and Demon) and it was never boring watching their personalities clash.


    It was a bit impossible now to have any personalities clashing but that was fine with Angel! As long as she got to spend time with her fellow redhead, she was happy as can be.


    Rosan staying on the ship for prolonged amounts of time always made things much more interesting. Simple little things changed with his presence.


    For example, what to do when a Sea King wanted to get friendly with the White Rose.


    "RAOGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"


    Angel watched in awe as the massive dragon roared in victory.


    The poor creature didn''t stand a chance. It roared in agony as the fire connected and Angel almost winced in sympathy as it was charred instantly.


    Normally, when encountering a Sea King, Angel, Demon and Meiko came to a general consensus that it was just best to flee from it. Due to how advanced the White Rose was, it was not difficult whatsoever.


    Clearly, Rosan did not share that opinion. The very dead beast was a testament to that.


    It hadn''t even been a fight.


    Rosan had seen the Sea King and told them to pull back from it. Angel had already been preparing to flee so that order was easy to follow.


    What she had not been expecting, was for Rosan to leap off the retreating ship and for his dragon to take his spot.


    The gigantic dragon was at least 30 meters and Angel looked on in disbelief at the sight of the magnificent creature.


    Could Rosan control the size of it?! That seemed to be the case. He was not nearly that large whenever they traveled on his back.


    The obsidian dragon flapped its wings and launched itself at terrifying speeds towards the serpentine sea monster.


    The Sea King tried to attack but Rosan caught it''s skull in between two of his claws and he pulled. She felt her jaw slacken as the dragon easily removed the aquatic serpent from its watery depth and flew higher and higher.


    And higher and higher. He effortlessly carried it into the clouds and finally, he stopped.


    Rosan dropped the massive Sea King and, as it fell back towards the water, Angel''s eyes bugged as an absolutely massive flame connected with it in midair.


    The Sea King, now consumed in the draconic fire, couldn''t even roar as momentum carried it faster and faster into the deep blue sea.


    The resulting splash carried just as much steam as water.


    The obsidian Dragon was nowhere to be seen, so that meant Rosan had reverted back into a human and he would be here soon to greet them.


    Right on cue, a figure gently (as gentle as dragon wings could be) flapped it''s draconic wings as it descended onto the White Rose. Rosan looked none the worse for wear and his blank expression could be confused for boredom.


    "Anyone who attacks us, will die," Rosan replied blandly and his tone left no room for doubt. He stated it like he was listing a fact.


    Master was scary.


    Angel loved it!


    His raw might, the power he exhibited, the ease at which it was done. Her Master was incredible!


    She idly noticed that she was grinning ear to ear and Rosan pointed it out.


    "It''s just, I really love watching you fight Master!" She gushed. "So strong! So versatile! You''re on your way to becoming a force of nature and I''m loving it!"


    "Thank you Angel, your praise is very much welcomed," Rosan nodded his head in thanks and she beamed down at him before pulling him into a bone crushing hug.


    He instinctively returned it and the middle triplet cooed.


    Little by little, step by step, she would get her old Master back.


    As they broke the hug, Rosan said, "While I was up there, I saw our destination in the distance. We should be close to it in an hour or so. I will modify the ship temporarily and transform it into a submarine while the two of us dock."


    Angel nodded in excitement before curiosity overtook her. "Master, how will you get the blacksmith to teach us? You''re quite popular as Reaper and well not in the good way."


    "I''m not asking," was his response. At her questioning glance Rosan decided to elaborate.


    "I have a technique for this. After I use it, he will be teaching us."


    Rosan told his fellow redhead about the technique and Angel felt a bead of sweat form on her head at what he was telling her.


    Master was terrifying.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Nuvema was a standard island in the West Blue with nothing in particular that stood out. There were no pirates subjugating it, no corrupt marines, nothing dangerous.


    Except for him.


    "It''s startling how often we run into one or the other," Mod said with a tinge of amusement.


    "It''s quite startling the amount of times it has happened, do Marines just join to flex their power instead of doing their job?" Rosan asked, agreeing completely with her.


    "How often do you two run into an island like that?" Angel curiously asked. The two talked as if this island wasn''t apart of the norm!


    "Too often," Mod sighed. "We don''t typically care to help them but, sometimes they get an urge to attack us, perhaps out of intimidation, and that never turns out well for them," she told the redheaded clone.


    Angel snorted at that. It was funny to know that if you weren''t on Master''s radar, all you had to do was leave him alone and he wouldn''t bother you.


    Humans were stupid like that.


    At Angel''s behest, Rosan had decided to not dress as Reaper this time. When his female clone asked to dress him up, Rosan had given her the go ahead. She just needed to be mindful to hide his key features.


    Angel was excited! She had never dressed up Master before! Rosan was quite stylish (something he reluctantly admitted Sachie helped him with) and so the boy scarcely needed help.


    While he was like this though, the boy didn''t care enough to try with his clothing. He opted to let Master Mod dress him out of disguise, else he''d just wear the same outfit and simply wash it.


    Her reasoning for dressing the boy like she did was that they would be in a very hot area.


    She blushed as Rosan blandly told her that he could regulate his own temperature. The boy didn''t argue with her decision though and he just let it happen.


    The 12 year old in question had on a white cardigan on, which reached just a bit past his waist, that was left open to show the black shirt underneath along with his white pendant. He wore knee length baggy pants that tightened at the cuffs and predominantly white sneakers with black on them that were comfortable to wear but not very practical for combat.


    To finish off his outfit, he had on a beanie that did a good job at completely covering his hair (though he had to change its style a bit) and a set of shades that completely covered his heterochromatic eyes.


    His earrings and ring remained.


    Angel thought he was absolutely adorable.


    Mod had to agree.


    Angel herself, opted to wear a lot of white of course.


    She was dressed in a form fitting short sleeved shirt that flared at the ends and the purple eyed clone opted to wear leggings that were black with white streaks. She had on shoes similarly to Rosan that were all white instead.


    The girl had initially refused to put a hat on. It would ruin her outfit! She didn''t want one but Rosan simply stared at her. She had immediately grumbled in defeat and grabbed a sunhat. Handing it to Rosan, she asked him to turn it white, which he easily did.


    She had taken her, at the moment, obnoxiously long hair and tied it into a bun.


    "How do I look?" Angel asked Rosan as she did a confident spin.


    "I thought you wanted us to avoid attention," Rosan said, much to the confusion of his redheaded clone.


    "Huh?" Angel said, stopping to look at her Master. He was looking her up and down and she nervously wondered if she did something wrong.


    It had to have been the stupid hat.


    "You look good," Rosan said making her instantly blush. "You are going to attract attention looking like that and we are not here to deal with predators."


    Angel gaped at his words before flushing and turning to face away from him.


    Her Master''s words always carried more impact; hearing his praise, was one of the few things that could break through her confident demeanor.


    "Stupid Master and his stupid nice praise," she grumbled before walking away, red-faced from her heterochromatic creator. He was too good at making her elated for his own good.


    "¡­?" Rosan tilted his head slightly, but he moved to follow after his clone.


    Perhaps he had said something wrong?


    "Don''t worry Rosan, you didn''t say anything wrong," Mod reassured the boy and he nodded his head at that.


    It was a girl thing then.


    "That''s not what I ¡ª never mind," Mod said as she immediately gave up. She could explain it sometime in the mindscape but for now, the purple haired woman was fine letting Rosan reach his own conclusions. It wasn''t a big deal anyways, Angel just valued his words more than other people.


    "¡­?" Rosan tilted his head again.


    How confusing.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan and Angel were currently walking side by side with each other as they headed to their destination. It was dark out now and the two walked at a leisurely pace.


    They were in no rush to reach their destination so they took in the sights.


    The two had spent the day doing whatever Angel wanted to do while Rosan summoned a bug to track his target.


    The taller redhead had taken the offer with glee and had dragged the boy everywhere.


    They went shopping for clothes, got supplies for the ship, went shopping for more clothes (this time for Rosan!), and ate at a pretty nice restaurant!


    She noticed Rosan watching the chefs the entire time they cooked and was about to question it until she remembered that Meiko had mostly done the cooking on the ship with Rosan helping. With her gone...Rosan did all the cooking now.


    Angel and Demon did not require food so the 12 year old didn''t want them learning a skill that was only useful for him.


    "I need to buy a recipe book," Rosan suddenly said and her eyes gleamed in excitement. It was the first location they were going to that Master himself had suggested!


    They had quickly eaten their food (Angel didn''t need to eat but it was still nice to do so!) and promptly set off to go buy the book.


    True to Rosan''s words, they had attracted the attention of quite a bit of people. Angel flushed in embarrassment as she steadfastly ignored Rosan''s gaze.


    Luckily for them, none had tried to approach the two yet. They would certainly have met their end in some way if they did.


    It must have been Master''s aura saving them.


    "Hey there pretty lady!" A voice said, cutting her musing off and she almost groaned.


    Guess it was her fault for tempting fate.


    "Not interested," Angel said immediately, not even turning around to face the approaching man. Rosan hadn''t even paused in his gait and she had to admire how completely unbothered he was.


    He was probably used to this. Reaper had some¡­ fanatical fans and Meiko was seriously attractive as well. How everyone but the girl seemed to notice, Angel would never know.


    She laughed softly to herself. That was just Meiko''s charm she supposed. Humble until the end.


    Since Master had not stopped, Angel saw no reason to and kept pace with the boy.


    She thought that was that, until an arm wormed its way over her shoulder causing the redheaded clone to go stiff.


    "Hey babe, you don''t gotta be so cold," A voice leered into her ear and Angel recoiled in disgust.


    Who did this worm think he was to put his hands on her? He would dare put his hands on Angel?!


    How dare he.


    Nobody was allowed to just touch her. Only Demon, Master Mod, Meiko and Master were exempt from that.


    For this insect to put his hands on her body¡­ Angel stepped out of his grasp and turned to face him. She took the time to stamp her disgust and rage and instead looked at the target of her ire.


    Rosan had stopped moving.


    The best way to describe this man was¡­ average. He had shaggy brown hair, an unkempt beard, was of average height, and a slightly muscular build. He could be seen as attractive in the eyes of people.


    Angel was not one of them. This man may as well have been the ugliest person on the planet because at the moment that''s all she could regard him as.


    "For one," Angel said in a deceptively calm voice. "I''m only 12 years old so you should go take your flirting to someone else who''d be more appreciative of it."


    "There''s no way you expect me to believe that," the man fired back as he flashed her, what he thought was, a charming grin.


    Angel was not charmed.


    "How about you come with me and we can discuss your real age over a drink or two?" he asked as he stepped closer to her.


    Angel was about to throw caution to the wind and just kill this man. Her fist clenched and she decided she''d just break his neck and call it a day.


    "Back away from her, she belongs to me," A quiet voice said, making them both pause.


    Angel flushed in happiness at seeing her Master defend her and instantly calmed down. He would handle this then.


    Good, she didn''t want to get her hands dirty.


    "Me and your mom are talking adult stuff kid, so how about you got get yourself a glass of milk and let us talk," he said condescendingly, looking down at Rosan and using his hands to shoo him off.


    "Kill him."


    That was Master Mod and she did not sound happy.


    "Okay," Rosan thought and that was that.


    "You two are so scary," Angel said.


    "Thank you/Thank you," they said simultaneously and she sweatdropped at the fact that they perceived it as a compliment.


    "She''s younger then me," Rosan told the man calmly and the only adult there had the audacity to snort.


    "You expect me to believe that? Yeah right kiddo, I''m not gonna ask nicely again so let the adults do the talking," he said no longer smiling.


    Rosan blankly stared at the man. "No, she''s mine."


    "So possessive," Angel tried to sound disapproving but she was smiling.


    "It''s the truth. All of you are mine. Anyone who tries to interfere with that, will pay," Rosan said bluntly.


    "Alright, now you''re starting to annoy me kid," the brown haired man said, no longer smiling. "Save your kid the trouble before I deal with him, babe."


    That was directed towards her. She looked at him like he were infected but he never seemed to notice.


    Honestly, how far up his own ass was he? They had both told him her age and she very clearly wasn''t interested but he just wasn''t getting the message.


    Whatever, she was getting tired of this.


    "Did Meiko have to go through this? Some people are so sick," Angel frowned at the thought. It explained why Rosan was so protective of her.


    "Alright," Angel said aloud, giving everyone pause. "I''m sorry for him. How about we talk this out, in that alley over there, where no one can see us," she told the man and if he had half a brain he would have taken it for the threat it was.


    He did not.


    His eyes widened in surprise and a lecherous grin made its way onto his face. He coughed a bit before saying "Yea¡­ "talk" let''s do that!"


    Pig.


    "Have fun master," Angel said as she directed him into the dark alleyway.


    "Okay," Rosan said obediently as his eyes began glowing behind the shade.


    "Disgusting creature," Mod said in disdain and Angel nodded in agreement.


    The man never noticed, far too lost in his own degenerate thoughts, until it was too late.


    The screams went unheard.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Is this the place?" Angel asked, curiously inspecting the building. It was a large, 2 story house that was a light brown in color and a slight amount of vegetation surrounding it.


    Nothing too jaw dropping. This building was quite unassuming.


    Perfect.


    "Yes, this is where our target is." Rosan began walking to the back of the large house and Angel followed after him.


    After a moment, they stopped and Rosan rested his palm against the wall. His eyes began glowing in the night and he quickly modified a hole into said wall.


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    As they walked through the hole, her Master uttered "Scan" and after a moment, he pointed upstairs. She nodded in confirmation.


    Their target was upstairs then.


    "Follow," Rosan commanded and she gasped in surprise. She had been expecting him to just tell her to wait.


    "You wanted to come with me," Rosan pointed out and she blushed in embarrassment at being figured out so easily. "Don''t be too loud."


    With that, they began moving. Angel marveled at just how quietly and quickly Rosan maneuvered around the house. The 12 year old did not make a sound as he quickly made his way over to his target.


    Angel was not nearly as skilled as him. She had to move much slower and she was far less confident in her steps. By the time she made it upstairs, Rosan had already made it to the room.


    He patiently waited for her to arrive and when she did, he opened his eyes.


    "Have you done this before?" Angel asked, looking particularly vexed at how much she struggled compared to him.


    Rosan nodded in confirmation. "Yes, the first time I did it was to convince a doctor to help Robin when she was sick. The other times were much less gentle."


    She didn''t even want to know.


    Rosan removed the lock from the door and pushed it open without a noise and Angel once again was impressed at just how efficient he was.


    Master took absolutely no chances.


    Their target was a tall tanned man with a bald head. He was quite muscular with a full beard and no mustache. He looked to be about 40 years old and he was sound asleep.


    This was their target. He was a renowned blacksmith who was notably skilled in what he did. Skilled enough to get Rosan''s attention.


    How Rosan had heard of him? Angel didn''t know but her Master had probably been on this island before as Reaper.


    Speaking of Rosan, the boy wasted absolutely no time in closing the distance between them. The redhead was like a ghost and he, without hesitation, placed his hand on the man''s head.


    Angel watched with bated breath at what he was about to do.


    Rosan, eyes glowing brightly, said aloud "Modification: Overhaul."


    Nothing happened outwardly but that wasn''t the point of the technique. No, Overhaul was much more dangerous.


    After using Hijack on Izumi, Rosan had wanted to test the technique more and explore options. That''s where he decided to make Overhaul.


    Whereas Hijack was Rosan taking someone''s body over. With Overhaul he was modifying a person''s actual mind. They were complete opposites to each other but Rosan preferred Overhaul.


    Hijack allowed him to take a person''s body over but if they had a strong enough will, they could forcefully eject the boy.


    Unless you knew of Overhaul beforehand, which Rosan would make sure was not happening, it was not possible to know that your mind had been rewired. The new thoughts invading your mind would seem natural as long as the redhead didn''t make them too egregious.


    If you were sufficiently guarded, it would resist the effects of the technique. If you were weak minded however, then even if you knew Rosan was planning on doing it you would find that, like Izumi, there was nothing you could do about it.


    Even if this blacksmith were awake, he would not be able to resist the technique. Sleeping just made it far easier on the boy.


    When Angel had heard of the technique, she had gaped at how powerful it was. She had not known her Master was capable of modifying even a person''s mind but, then again, he had managed to give both her and Demon an entire personality.


    Why was this any different?


    It was still utterly terrifying.


    After 30 minutes, Rosan was done and he stepped back. The sleeping man had looked slightly uncomfortable but not once did he look like he was about to wake up.


    "Are we done?" She asked her Master who looked over at her. She noticed that his eyes were no longer glowing so he had to have been.


    "Yes."


    "What did you do exactly?" The purple eyed girl asked.


    "Hideyoshi will now think that the two of us are his apprentices and as such, he will teach us everything he knows about his craft," Rosan explained to her and she marveled at that.


    That was incredible! It was incredibly immoral but neither of them cared about that.


    The two departed and made their way back to the White Rose in order to wait for the next day where they would learn what they wanted in earnest. Rosan made sure to give the door a lock again and closed the wall he created so as to not cause suspicion.


    "That was fun Master!" Angel gushed in happiness. It was not often that she spent one on one time with her beloved creator.


    If he didn''t mind she''d like to do it more often.


    "I do not mind," Rosan informed her and the female copy of him beamed. "Now, let''s go to the ship. I would like to read the contents of the recipe book I bought today."


    Rosan grabbed Angel, who yelped at the sudden touch, and activated Save Point.


    The two vanished without a trace.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Rogue! Red! You guys are here bright and early, I like that!" A booming voice greeted Rosan and Angel.


    "You are Red," Rosan told Angel after she shot him a confused glance. The girl nodded as she heard that.


    "Hideyoshi," Rosan greeted in that ever present blankness. "My sister and I are in your care today," The 12 year old said with a nod of his head.


    Angel couldn''t hide the smile as Rosan called her his sister. "Don''t disappoint us," the clone said, looking the man up and down with a sneer.


    What? If they weren''t the people she loved, then obviously she didn''t like them.


    "As rude as ever Red!" Hideyoshi didn''t even look remotely bothered by her attitude and he just laughed boisterously.


    Angel raised a brow at that. "Master did you ¡ª"


    "Yes. I am aware of your attitude towards anyone that is not us and so I have adjusted him to be used to it," Rosan interrupted her and she blushed at his bluntness.


    "It''s okay Angel!" Mod reassured her. "You can be a bit rude but it''s a part of your charm and we really don''t mind it!"


    "Your words are so reassuring Master Mod," Angel said dryly and Mod just laughed at her.


    "Right you two ¡ª," Hideyoshi began as the blacksmith clasped his hands. "Let''s get started! You two are novices right?" He asked and the two nodded, making him laugh again. It was a hearty and deep laugh and Angel was already annoyed by it.


    "Alright let''s start from the beginning then! First you wanna¡­"


    Angel couldn''t resist rolling her eyes. Master was very thorough.


    "I must make no mistakes. The same applies to you," His voice rang and Angel immediately straightened up.


    "Y-yes, Master!"


    She would become an exceptional blacksmith, one that her Master would not be disappointed in.


    Despite her dislike of the man, Angel guessed she could pay direct attention to what he was saying.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    A good thing about being a clone, was that you could potentially be as good as your creator was, as long as they wanted you to be.


    Rosan was not someone who half-assed things and though they weren''t as strong, they were as intelligent.


    The two absolutely blew through the lessons taught to them by Hideyoshi and Angel had to marvel at how easy it was.


    Master was always a fast learner. It was why he was so strong, the boy learned things at a quick pace that was only enhanced by Modification.


    Angel learned nearly as quickly! She was in awe at how easily this came to her and she found herself once again appreciating her Master. The two had drained all the information they needed from Hideyoshi in only 1 month.


    This was so unfair¡­ She loved it!


    The bald blacksmith had also clearly not been expecting them to absorb his information so thoroughly and he was left speechless when he ran out of things to teach them.


    Rosan had since moved on from what Angel was interested in and began delving deeper into manipulating the flames. More then once, she saw him subtly shift the temperature with his draconic abilities to achieve different results with what he was doing.


    Angel herself, was using her very limited abilities, inherited from Rosan, to reinforce whatever it was she created. Already her weapons, while less quality, were more durable then the ones created by Hideyoshi. Even that wasn''t completely true because Rosan could modify whatever she created and make it even better!


    She loved her master, he was so resourceful!


    The two were done with their lessons and Rosan had taken the liberty of erasing themselves from Hideyoshi''s memories.


    "Did you learn what you needed to learn?" Angel asked the boy as they relaxed on the White Rose.


    "Yes, I learned a lot under him," Rosan said softly and the female clone smiled at him.


    She was glad that she had gotten to spend time with Rosan. Despite everything, Angel had still had a lot of fun and she felt like she learned a little bit more about the oldest triplet.


    "I had a lot of fun spending time with you!" Angel beamed and Rosan looked at her. After a moment, he flashed a smile that failed miserably to reach his eyes but still made his female clone light up.


    "It''s good to hear that," Rosan began before looking at his hands. "I would have thought that you''d have enjoyed yourself far less due to my circumstances."


    His voice was always so quiet yet she never strained to hear him. Master just had that presence about him. He was the type of person that could make an entire group of people quiet down to hear him instead of having to raise his voice.


    Nothing would ever change that.


    Angel shook her head sharply. "No, of course not!" She denied vehemently. "I just enjoy being in Master''s presence! It''s never boring around you and most of the time, I''m on the ship anyways so it''s nice to experience something new," she told the listening boy.


    Rosan tilted his head and stared blankly at her. "If you want to leave the ship more often, you may ask. I do not mind taking you with me," he told his female counterpart and her eyes widened.


    Really? Just like that?


    "Y-you mean it? If I want to go somewhere I just have to ask?" Angel''s eyes were wide in disbelief.


    "It''s always been like that," he told her bluntly causing her to flinch. "I have told you and Demon multiple times that I value the both of you and to stop treating me like Kami. You are much better then Demon in that aspect but you still do it as well."


    Rosan had stopped looking at his hand to instead look her directly in the eye. His lifeless gaze filled her with tears but she refused to look away. This was her beloved master after all and she would never forgive herself for rejecting him.


    "Meiko saw you both as equals, why is it a problem that I do too?" He asked simply and Angel felt her heart stop at those words.


    Tears began falling from the purple eyed clone and she rushed Rosan without hesitation. Engulfing the shorter boy in a bone crushing hug, Angel sobbed into his body.


    "I''m sorry Master¡­," Angel apologized. Hearing Meiko''s name never failed to make her overflow with emotion. "Since you created us, I''ve always had this barrier between the two of us that prevented me from seeing things like that," she confessed and she felt Rosan''s arms wrap around her.


    "Meiko¡­ she always tried to tell us to stop looking at you like that but we never took her words serious! You are our leader and we always viewed you as such. We never stopped to consider that you wouldn''t like that very much¡­" Angel mumbled into his soft hair.


    "I am not too fond of being a leader of anything," Rosan admitted making her eyes widen. "I simply live the way I please. It is why I do not want to be a pirate captain. I command you two because I willingly made you both. It is my duty to do so, but please do not remind me of that fact every day."


    Angel couldn''t help but let out a loud laugh. Master¡­he was so childish!


    He just straight up admitted that he wasn''t a fan of having responsibility and she marveled at the fact that he was doing the exact opposite.


    The boy had almost single-handedly, with the help of Master Mod, made the inhabitants of the White Rose''s livelihood great for the better part of 3 years. Due to Rosan, they didn''t have to worry about any sort of resources!


    Money, food, supplies, damages, all of it was handled by the redhead staring at her.


    It was startling to realize that Rosan was only 12 years old.


    "Do not feel sorry," Rosan immediately said before Angel could even speak. "I care about you all, that is why I do not mind all the duties I have had to do. As long as you were comfortable and I was comfortable doing it, it was fine with me."


    "If Rosan, at any point, felt like not doing what he did, trust me when I say, he would have immediately stopped doing it," Mod said fondly and Rosan nodded. "He''s a boy that knows what he wants, and knows what he doesn''t."


    Angel felt her eyes soften as she looked at him.


    Her Master was one of a kind and he deserved the world. Rosan was an incredible person and it made her all the more upset that he lost what he loved the most.


    "I love you, Master," Angel said suddenly, half expecting him to just nod and say thank you.


    "I love you too, Angel," Rosan replied, causing her to freeze, before she looked at him with open mouthed disbelief.


    What? Was he just saying that? It was no secret that the oldest triplet had access to none of his emotions anymore¡­ so whatever came out of his mouth was generally the truth.


    "It is true that I lack my emotions," Rosan began, causing her gaze to snap to him. "But, that does not mean I have forgotten all about them. It is why I can hug you back and say I love you. Before I lost my emotions, that was how I truly felt," he explained simply.


    "That is¡­," Mod sounded a bit choked up as she said that and the female clone couldn''t blame her.


    Angel felt her heart constrict at his explanation. Tears started rolling down her eyes in spades and she tackled Rosan to the floor.


    "M-M-Master!" She sobbed as she clutched him tightly. "Y-y-you''re so damn sweet!"


    "Thank you," Rosan said and he patted her head gently.


    Angel had the best leader ever.


    Maybe helping him and his icy heart really was possible? Either way she would try.


    Her Master deserved it.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Remind me again why you need this stuff Rea ¡ª Rosan?" Aiko asked as she looked at the short redhead before her.


    She had successfully procured all the items Rosan had asked for and to get them at such a high quality, cost a pretty penny that would have had her balking had it been anyone else who asked for it.


    Luckily, it was Reaper who did so. She didn''t mind doing favors for him because well, despite being a complete asshole, she liked him. Seeing that he was such a squirt only made her more endeared to the boy that had showed up and saved their island.


    It also made her slightly more afraid. She shuddered at how strong he would be when he was an adult.


    "I am currently in the process of creating a stone that does not exist and I require these," Rosan replied to her truthfully and she looked at him dumbly.


    Did she even want to know?


    3 years around Reaper had told her that if he did deign to answer, it was going to give her a headache and a hangover.


    No, she did not want to know.


    "Well whatever the case..." Aiko began, handing over the items to Rosan who accepted them. "...I''ve got all the items you asked for and Akemi made sure they were the highest of qualities, so you should be good to go."


    Rosan nodded at her words. "Thank you, Aiko."


    The gray haired woman smiled and waved him off. "Don''t sweat it Rosan, this is the least I could do after everything you''ve done for us," she told him.


    Rosan smiled and Aiko had to admit, he was getting quite good at that already! The boy''s smile actually looked real now and Aiko was glad he had actually taken her advice.


    She had to admit, he was pretty adorable.


    Aiko rolled her eyes with a blush and said "Get outta here before I pinch your cheek."


    "An odd threat but, one I will listen to," Rosan said and she rolled her eyes again.


    The boy got up and with a short wave, he vanished.


    Aiko looked at the spot he was at and shook her head.


    She was never going to get used to that.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Everything was finally prepared.


    It had taken Rosan a while, but he finally had everything he needed to create what he wanted.


    The Philosopher''s Stone.


    After careful planning and amassing his knowledge, the redhead could confidently say he could make a copy of the mythical stone.


    Would it be a carbon copy? No. But it would have all that he wanted in it.


    There was no set method to creating the Philosopher''s Stone so Rosan made his own with what knowledge he did have.


    The Philosopher''s'' stone is created by the alchemical method known as The Magnum Opus. The starting material was something known as the Prime Materia. No one knew what it actually was but it was described in nothing but similes and other nonsense.


    All Rosan knew was that it was the base. His goal was to make a weapon solely for him so it was natural what he would use as a base.


    "Isn''t this a bit much¡­?" Mod asked in clear worry.


    "It''s fine, Angel is here to make sure nothing bad happens," Rosan explained and the female clone in question, nodded her head as an affirmative despite looking just as worried as Mod-chan sounded.


    As the boy stared into the cauldron, with a startling amount of his blood, Rosan could see why they were worried.


    Rosan needed a base to represent the Prime Materia and from what he understood, it was a pure material similar to chaos. Rosan, due to having modification, naturally purified his blood whenever something foreign entered it. Due to being poisoned all those years ago, he had set it up to work passively.


    Purge, he called it.


    That meant his blood was the closest thing to pure matter he could currently think of. This, coupled with the fact that Rosan wanted this weapon bonded to him, made it the natural choice.


    Had he used a bit too much? Perhaps. That detail was inconsequential to the boy, however.


    With that out of the way, Rosan could get to the main part of the process.


    Alchemy was the transformation of matter. Modification was that but better. The moment Rosan had eaten the Mod Mod no Mi, he had become an alchemist.


    Yes, that''s why his blood would work. Modification was the transformation of matter and so much more and Rosan was modification now. He was a computer man, he was no longer a regular human. Something like this, to a person with modification, would be child''s play.


    "That''s why¡­," Rosan began, his eyes glowing brightly "this will succeed."


    Rosan slapped his palms together in a praying gesture.


    "Modification: Seed of Life," he intoned. In between his palms, a cube of energy began forming which slowly spread his palms apart and it became the size of an apple. Rosan held it directly over the cauldron ¡ª


    and dropped it in.


    "Alright Angel," Rosan said to his clone. "Do you remember the order?" At her nod, the redhead said "On my signal, drop the required ones."


    They were currently in a newly created room on the White Rose. It had everything required for blacksmiths and Rosan had told Angel that it was for her. The girl had squealed, squeezed him, and planted a kiss right on his cheek in happiness.


    Her embarrassment at her actions had quickly caught up to her and Rosan waved her off.


    His redheaded clone nodded at his words and walked closer to him. "Will you be okay Master? You lost a lot of blood," she asked.


    "I''ll be fine," Rosan told her before focusing his attention on the cauldron.


    His tiny pupils turned into reptilian slits and the boy held his clawed hands out. After a moment, a bright flame conjured itself and Rosan aimed it at the bubbling pot.


    His draconic fire would need to be exceptionally hot for what he was about to do.


    The Magnum Opus had four phases and these 4 phases were what required Rosan to acquire Aiko''s assistance. The four phases of the alchemical process were; Nigredo, the blackening, Albedo, the whitening, Citrinitas, the yellowing and Rubedo, the reddening or purpling.


    Rosan had asked Aiko to buy him 4 items in relation to those colors.


    Nigredo was obsidian.


    Albedo was pearl.


    Citrinitas was citrine.


    And Rubedo was, of course, ruby.


    Rosan didn''t actually think order mattered, but he didn''t see any reason to test otherwise.


    "Angel," was all he said before his clone walked up and took out the first stone.


    Obsidian.


    She carefully dropped the large black stone inside of the cauldron and backed away due to Rosan''s warning.


    Once she got a safe distance, the flame Rosan held roared to life and he directed a steady stream of the fire to the cauldron.


    The reason Rosan had been so interested in learning smelting techniques was to better assess the amount of heat he''d need to properly melt the materials he needed.


    Rosan would need a lot.


    Normally this would take a lot of time. He was planning on melting 4 materials that were extremely difficult to melt. It would take far too much time and Rosan, based on his learning''s from Hideyoshi, concluded there wasn''t a natural flame strong enough to achieve this quickly.


    So he opted to use the flames of Ragnarok.


    "It seems as if all your techniques are dangerously helpful at the moment," Mod cheerfully chimed in and Rosan nodded in confirmation.


    The flames of a dragon were said to be the most destructive of any creature. They could lay waste to anything in their path if they put enough power behind their attacks and Rosan had that power within his grasp.


    Rosan had used the lessons to better get a grasp on his flames as well. Rosan had been using his flames like a hammer; it never occurred to him that he could use it for so much more.


    Like right now.


    The temperature of the flames increased to unbearable levels and if not for the fact that Rosan had Mod-chan and immunity from his own draconic flames, he''d probably collapse long before he got to finish.


    Angel was spared from it for obvious reasons. The clone couldn''t even sweat, heat was inconsequential to her.


    Rosan heat up the cauldron for the better part of 2 hours before telepathically signaling for Angel to drop the next stone in there.


    Pearl.


    As she walked up, she noticed that the contents of the cauldron were pure black.


    "That''s kinda cool," she thought as she dropped the pearl inside of the cauldron. Rosan had dimmed the flames considerably so that she could do so and the moment she backed away from it, they surged back to life.


    She looked over at her Master in worry. His expressionless face was focused on the task and he didn''t even look slightly concerned.


    What type of monster was he? He had been using those flames for 2 hours¡­ Wasn''t he getting tired at all?!


    "Rosan''s stamina is unreal," Mod spoke up quietly. "Even I find myself surprised by how much energy he has."


    Angel couldn''t help but agree as she looked at her Master continue to use those powerful flames for another hour.


    "Next."


    Citrine.


    The purple eyed girl walked over to the cauldron to drop the yellow gem in there. The contents of the pot had turned white now and Angel had to wonder how the hell it was managing to do that.


    She stepped back and watched the flames roar back to life again. The clone walked past Rosan and paused.


    Was¡­ Master breathing harder then normal?


    Upon further inspection, Angel verified that yes, Master''s breathing was slightly labored.


    "Ah¡­ He used too much blood and now he''s planning on exerting himself for hours," Mod said and she sounded upset with the twelve year old.


    "Rosan is always so stubborn and bullheaded. Even like this, instead of waiting to recover fully, he just does it straight away," Mod lamented.


    Angel didn''t miss the hopefulness in her tone and she smiled at the Devil Fruit''s secret joy.


    That happiness soon turned back into worry though. Master had just started on his third stone and he still had one more left. Would¡­ would he really be alright?


    She wanted to voice her worries but, Rosan had told her to try and not interrupt his focus so she would not do so just yet.


    Citrine took less time then Obsidian, but more time then Pearl.


    "Next."


    Angel gnawed her finger nervously. Master didn''t sound too good. Maybe it was just her mind playing tricks on her because he sounded the exact same as he always did.


    She thought about telling him to take a break but Rosan clearly could sense her hesitation because the boy said to her "I''m fine Angel. Bring the last one and then I''ll be just about finished."


    The taller girl nodded her head and grabbed the last stone.


    Ruby.


    Ruby¡­ such a harsh reminder. Of course it had to be the last one that Rosan used.


    Angel hated looking at it.


    She hastily walked over to the cauldron which was now a golden yellow and, without any hesitation, dropped the ruby inside of it.


    She stole a glance at Rosan and frowned at what she saw.


    His face was flushed red and there was a lot of sweat from him over exerting himself. She saw sweat roll off his body and when it hit the floor, it immediately turned into steam. The boy was using the strongest flames he had produced yet and his breathing was becoming a lot more labored.


    Angel was glad that she was a clone because the amount of heat in here was unreal. Master was not a clone though and, even though the heat wasn''t affecting him, the energy used to maintain that heat was surely doing a number on the child.


    Master Mod must have been working overtime right now.


    "Understatement. He''s going on probation for a while after this," the Devil Fruit said, her voice tinged with annoyance and concern.


    Angel couldn''t help but giggle. It was better then being nervous.


    Ruby took longer then all 3 of the previous ones. It was the final step so that was natural but it only made Angel more and more worried.


    The shorter redhead was straining hard to focus on the task and he was doing his best to not faint at the moment. He had been too reckless to just immediately start it after losing so much blood but he didn''t want to risk ruining the purity of it.


    A little bit of strain would be worth the outcome and he would just rest afterwards.


    Rosan''s breathing had turned into panting 1 hour into the process.


    By hour 2, the flame had actually faltered for a bit before he immediately caught it.


    By hour 3, Rosan had silenced himself completely. Angel had seen a red liquid hit the floor before evaporating immediately and she noticed Rosan''s head bobbing.


    Finally, by hour 4, Rosan cut the flame off. The boy shakily stood up and Angel rushed to keep him steady when he nearly stumbled. He thanked her and she immediately waved him off.


    The contents of the cauldron had turned red again and Rosan knew it was a success. Angel had told him that it had gone through all the necessary color changes.


    All except for one.


    Rubedo was known as the reddening but, it was also known as the purpling. Only after it reached the purpling, was the process truly finished.


    Yet, Rosan had not told Aiko to buy any purple stone.


    The boy disentangled himself from Angel and slowly made his way over to the cauldron. After a moment of deliberation, he raised his left arm and stared at it.


    Rosan delicately removed the amethyst ring from his finger, kissed it, and dropped it into the cauldron.


    Rosan needed a weapon that would never leave his person. One that was not just a weapon, but an extension of himself. To have the Philosopher''s stone take the form of a weapon, Rosan would need another base.


    He had chosen Meiko''s ring.


    The giant black pot began shaking violently the moment the amethyst ring had landed inside of it. Rosan took the time to gather his strength and make sure everything was in working order.


    Using his flames for more then 8 hours was not great. On the bright side, Rosan felt like he had gained a mastery over his flames that he had never been close to achieving before.


    Ragnarok would be exceptionally stronger once he fully recovered.


    On the downside, the boy felt like he was about to collapse at any moment. The extended duration of using the flames, coupled with the fact that he had drained himself of a large amount of blood, meant that even he was running dangerously low on energy.


    After this, he would get some much needed rest.


    It took 20 minutes for the cauldron to stop its shaking. When it did, Rosan approached it without hesitation to look inside of it.


    Sitting at the bottom of the cauldron, was Meiko''s ring and a stone. Rosan ignored the stone completely and went right for the ring. It pulsed with energy and Rosan wasted no time grabbing it.


    The moment he made contact, the ring let out a particularly strong pulse and Rosan felt himself binding to it. He let out a tiny grunt as he felt his skin get pricked but he slid the ring onto its rightful spot.


    It perfectly adjusted into it''s spot on his ring finger and Rosan felt something brush his mind.


    "Father," the voice said and Rosan tilted his head as he heard that.


    How¡­ interesting.


    "That... is not what I was expecting," Mod said in clear surprise.


    "Neither was I," Rosan replied truthfully and at Angel''s questioning glance, he explained to her what had just happened.


    "I-it can talk?" Angel asked in confusion.


    "No¡­ not it," Rosan began as he glanced at the ring. "Their name, it''s ¡ª,"


    "RAM"


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    There was another stone.


    After testing his new ring and transforming it into a scythe (which took a second longer then he would have liked), Rosan finally payed attention to the stone inside of the cauldron.


    Rosan guessed this was how the Philosopher''s stone actually looked. It was a glowing red stone that flashed purple at times.


    "I suppose I did use too much blood. I had only intended to make one for the moment but, this is fine," he mused as he held the stone in his hand.


    What to do with this?


    "Consume, Father," Ram said and Rosan tilted his head as he registered the command.


    "Okay," he replied obediently.


    "Okay?" Angel asked confusedly as she looked at her Master. What did he mean by okay?


    "W-wait Rosan, hold on for a second!" Mod exclaimed in disbelief but it was too late.


    The two watched in horror as Rosan held the stone up and ate it. The stone went easily down the boys throat and he somehow managed to quietly swallow it.


    He didn''t even chew it¡­!


    "I thought you eating things you just got your hands on, was a one time thing," Mod said in shock.


    Angel gaped at what she just saw.


    Rosan stood still for a moment and then, something shifted ¡ª


    And all he knew was pain.


    Blood began gushing from the boys mouth, nose, eyes, ears. The boy didn''t even let out a scream as he collapsed.


    "What ¡ª," Mod said before her voice suddenly vanished.


    "H-holy shit! M-Master a-a-a-are y-you o-okay," Angel rushed over at Rosan who had not made a single noise.


    Watching blood pour out of her Master, whose face was still expressionless, was the most terrifying thing Angel had ever experienced.


    He didn''t look alive!


    "D-DEMON!" The terrified clone yelled as she picked her tiny master up and charged after her younger twin brother.


    "Angel?" Demon called in confusion as he appeared in her sight. "What happened? You and Master were in that room for 8 hours and suddenly you''re calling for¡­ what the hell happened to Master?!" His voice had raised into a near shriek as he finally saw the condition Rosan was in.


    "I-I-I don''t know," Angel stuttered horribly. "H-he had already overexerted himself a-and then he a-ate s-some s-stone a-and then t-this happened and and ¡ª,"


    Demon clasped his hysterical sister and said "Deep breaths, Angel."


    "L-Lets bring him to the medical room," Demon said hesitantly but his older sister was way ahead of him and she had already began rushing there, Master in tow.


    Well, that was one way to get him to enter the room.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Believe it or not, based on what I''m seeing, Master is actually healing at an abnormally fast rate right now," Demon said in disbelief.


    After some slight hesitation, that nearly made his older sister tear into the purple haired boy, Demon had quickly run a diagnostic on Rosan and came to the conclusion that the redhead was actually fine.


    "You call that healing?" Angel growled as she pointed a finger at the copious amount of blood on Rosan''s face.


    "You said he ate the Philosopher''s Stone right?" he asked his sister and she nodded in confirmation. "Well one of its properties is that it can rejuvenate a person and grants immortality. Master probably doesn''t have immortality, but instead, he likely gained extreme regeneration and his body is just adjusting to it."


    Her eyes widened in realization. "He''s also lost a lot of blood from using so much in the cauldron. Maybe it''s producing blood at too quick of a rate."


    "Yes, that''s what happened," Mod chimed in sounding tired. "It would have eventually done so, but I stabilized his body. Despite how scary it seemed, Rosan should be better then fine."


    Angel sagged in relief at the news and Demon patted her shoulder. They looked over at Rosan and, true to Master Mod''s words, the boy already looked better. He was no longer leaking blood so that was a great sign.


    "He is in so much trouble," Mod growled and Angel nodded immediately,


    Stupid Master and his stupid making her worry.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    He had been sleeping for 3 days.


    Mod-chan had not been happy with him whatsoever. Rosan admitted that he was in the wrong for his rather...reckless behavior.


    "Just¡­run it by me first before you do something Rosan," she sighed and Rosan nodded.


    That was an easy to accomplish request.


    "Also, you may want to come into the mindscape," Mod suggested and he nodded once again.


    The 12 year old closed his eyes and opened them when a cold breeze brushed against his cheek.


    He was immediately engulfed in a hug, courtesy of Mod-chan, and he returned it easily enough.


    "Don''t do something so stupid again please," the woman muttered into his hair.


    "It¡­was a lapse of judgment," Rosan admitted and she sighed fondly before pulling back. That was when Rosan noticed.


    They were not alone.


    His gaze snapped towards the new figure and he gazed at them up and down.


    They were a girl, same age as him, with tan skin¡­ the same shade as his. She had long silver hair styled into twintails with dark purple streaks. The tips of said hair were dipped into a similar shade of purple. She had full lips and a button nose. She would have looked like royalty if not for her attire. The mysterious girl was wearing one of Mod''s dresses and on her much smaller frame, it looked ridiculous.


    The most fascinating thing about this person however was the fact that they had the same face as Meiko and their eyes. Much like Rosan, they had heterochromia. There was a key difference however. Rosan had complete heterochromia. His right eye was a royal purple, and his left eye was a blood red.


    This girl also had red and purple eyes. But both were red and purple. Whereas Rosan had one color in each eye, this girl''s eyes were a perfect combination of red and purple.


    They shone and clashed against each other in an oddly fitting manner and her somewhat bored expression widened as they made eye contact ¡ª


    Before shifting into¡­ love?


    "Father!" her voice was clearly in the midst of puberty as it excitedly cracked. She charged and jumped for the boy.


    Rosan would have put his guard up and promptly blast her away, but what she said threw him for a loop.


    "Father?" He repeated and she crashed into him. The two fell to the floor and tumbled around. They finally stopped and Rosan noticed that she was nuzzling him of all things.


    Mod looked terribly amused by the whole thing.


    "Rosan...," the woman began "¡­This is the ring that you''ve bonded with, RAM," she finished.


    "This¡­ is RAM?" Rosan asked and his blank face managed to convey how confused he was.


    "Yes, Father!" Ram said in excitement. "I am your new and loyal weapon! My name was taken from the signature on the ring that I combined with," she explained as she stood up and bowed reverently to her creator.


    "Ram¡­," Rosan said to himself. So, her name was essentially Rosan and Meiko¡­


    How fitting.


    "Her presence was not this strong when you first bonded to her," Mod said, a bit puzzled as she assessed the girl that was the same height and age as Rosan.


    "I can explain Auntie Mod!" Ram exclaimed getting a blush of surprise out of the woman.


    A-Auntie? This girl had been all serious (and naked!) when they first met but, now that she had seen Rosan, it was like speaking to a completely different person.


    "I reached my full potential because Father ate the other Philosopher''s Stone!" She said getting a raised brow from Mod.


    "That''s why you told him to eat it, which was extremely reckless by the way, then?" Mod asked and she got a rather ashamed look out of the ring.


    "I-I''m sorry, I wasn''t thinking about what would happen to Father¡­," she apologized depressingly. "I just wanted our bond to be complete and it couldn''t be while Father was the way he was¡­ Only by consuming the stone, could we bond completely."


    The partners nodded at that. "That''s why you suddenly exist in my mindscape? We''ve become synced due to me devouring that stone?" Rosan asked the silver haired girl.


    She nodded rapidly. "When I was just created, I was your weapon but¡­ I could feel that you wouldn''t be able to utilize me to my full potential and I wouldn''t be of full use to you. I would be a failure of a weapon and a weapon who can''t do their job correctly, is a weapon better off destroyed," Ram said, utterly serious.


    "I couldn''t agree more," Rosan said, nodding his head. "What did syncing do for us then and, Mod-chan, how did my body change with the absorption of the Philosopher''s Stone?"


    "We are joined now Father," Ram said and her eyes glinted a bit psychotically. "Any weapon you want me to turn into I will do so instantly, with the abilities of the Philosopher''s Stone and Modification¡­ I can receive your intent and transform before the thought even gets out. Also the best part is, with the two of us synced now, I will constantly evolve with you Father!" The mixed eyed girl was grinning insanely as she spoke.


    Ah, so his weapon was unhinged.


    How fitting.


    Rosan filed away what she said for a moment and looked at Mod-chan. She was warily looking at Ram, who just smiled at the both of them. Eventually, the woman shook her head and let out a soft sigh before straightening.


    "After consuming the Philosopher''s Stone, your body destroyed itself," Mod said bluntly, giving Rosan pause and making Ram look guilty again. "I thought you were about to die so I stabilized you to the best of my ability but, your body began healing at an insane pace which made me realize that it was rebuilding itself," she explained, still dazed by all that she had seen.


    "After your body healed itself back up, it was as if you were an entirely new person. You''ve completely evolved and everything about you is increasing at a rapid pace. Most notably, Your regenerative abilities have reached unprecedented levels¡­ I think you could even regrow a limb if it keeps evolving like this," she admitted.


    Rosan absorbed the information that was given to him.


    Ram and him were bonded and that bond turned into complete synchronization after he had consumed the other Philosopher''s Stone. Due to this, they would be even more efficient and there would be no delay in their combat. Her natural capabilities of being able to transform into any weapon, had been enhanced with the addition of Modification. Rosan was sure he could even turn her into new weapons that he had yet to use.


    Not only that, she would evolve with him. The redhead could assume that before, she would be the exact same no matter what but now, when he grew she would grow.


    That would explain why they looked to be the same age. Rosan had managed to make the perfect weap -No.


    Rosan had made a perfect extension of himself. Constantly adapting, changing, growing, Ram was just a piece of Rosan, not a weapon.


    The 12 year old directed his attention to the information Mod-chan left him.


    Another evolution¡­ and this time, it wasn''t due to Modification. Rosan hadn''t really planned on consuming the Philosopher''s stone, but Ram had told him to do so and so, he did.


    The results had been¡­unexpected.


    Rosan knew intricately about the Philosopher''s Stone. He could confidently say that he wasn''t really human anymore. The redhead was aware of what it could do and he was aware of what his version of it could do.


    He didn''t make it with the intention of immortality but apparently, he had gotten damn close.


    At least he hadn''t actually achieved it. That would have been bad. Rosan didn''t want to be immortal.


    That begged the question though¡­ just what was he?


    Ah, that''s right. Rosan knew exactly what he was.


    Rosan was a dragon that would raze everything to the ground.


    Rosan was an angel that would bring death to the world.


    Rosan was a boy who''d been warped by life itself.


    Rosan was a monster.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan was currently under punishment.


    Mod was definitely not happy with him so Rosan accepted his punishment with all the grace he could muster.


    He was not allowed to use Ram whatsoever in the period that he was punished. The silver haired girl tried to protest but she was quickly exposed to an upset version of Mod-chan and wisely kept her mouth shut afterwards.


    Rosan understood, Mod-chan was as scary as his mother sometimes.


    The redhead was also not allowed to engage in any acts of violence. Mod-chan wrote it off as a punishment, but Rosan knew she was just worried about him and wanted to make sure his body was perfectly fine.


    "T-that''s not why," she grumbled angrily at him.


    Truthfully, Rosan felt more then fine. Mod-chan hadn''t been kidding, the 12 year old really did feel like he had changed. His body was practically bursting with energy and if he repeated the process of making the Philosopher''s Stone, he felt as if he''d be barely winded.


    The redhead had experimentally cut himself to see what he was working with and was surprised to see the spot heat up and instantly close.


    Angel had marveled, Demon had balked.


    Rosan always had a fast healing factor, but this was ridiculous. Did Zoans even heal this fast?


    Well, whatever. He needed to stay alive longer anyways.


    He would only allow himself to die after he found a reason to live.


    Alas, he had been on punishment for 2 weeks and Mod-chan stubbornly refused to let him off.


    That was fine, he didn''t really mind but he still had his non violent duties to attend to.


    "Rosan, can you do me a favor?" Aiko asked suddenly as she handed the boy his stipend.


    "As long as it does not involve violence, then yes," Rosan replied as the money vanished from his hand.


    The gray haired woman shot him a puzzled look. "It doesn''t but¡­ why exactly can''t it involve violence?"


    "I''m currently under punishment."


    ¡­


    The Angel of Death, the most popular bounty hunter, a literal murderer¡­ was being punished?


    He really was 12 huh?


    "Your mom ground you?" Aiko teased.


    "My mother has been dead for 8 years," Rosan replied and Aiko immediately winced.


    She was so terrible at this.


    "Ah¡­ well¡­ uh¡­s-sorry," Aiko faltered. This kid was trying to bring out all the waterworks huh?


    "It''s fine, I''ve come to terms to with it," Rosan softly spoke and Akemi engulfed the boy.


    "Don''t mind her Rosan-kun," Akemi spoke up, as she gently tousled his soft hair. "Aiko can be really dumb sometimes when it comes to people, that''s why I handle all of them."


    Rosan nodded and Aiko held her head in embarrassment. Even her sister was reprimanding her.


    She didn''t have to deal with this shit.


    "I just want you to deliver this letter to one of our confidants on another island, I was gonna have it shipped but, you''ll be faster," she asked.


    "Do they know of our dealings?" Rosan asked and she nodded.


    "Okay, tell me where they are and what they look like and I''ll have it delivered."


    Aiko smiled at Rosan and ruffled his hair. "Thanks Rosan, here''s the info¡­"


    "Remember, you''re still under punishment," Mod said and Rosan could tell she was crossing her arms.


    "I know Mod-chan," he said bluntly.


    "Auntie Mod is scary¡­" Ram muttered


    "W-Why are you calling me Auntie?!"


    "? Because you''re my Auntie."


    "¡­?!"


    "That reminds me, why did you call me Father?"


    "That''s obvious. You created me with your own blood Father and you have bonded me to the ring of your lover. Naturally, that means I''m your daughter."


    "That makes sense."


    "Don''t just accept any explanation Rosan!"


    "?"


    "?"


    "...Do I have to deal with two hopeless idiots now?"


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    After Aiko had given him the info. Rosan had wasted no time in finding the man she had told him about and handing the letter.


    It had been a simple affair and, despite the obvious fear he had for Reaper, he had accepted the item with a professionalism that Rosan could appreciate.


    Now he was exploring the island.


    It was nothing special, Rosan would normally have left by now but, he had some time to spare and decided to see what this place could offer.


    He was beginning to find out that it could offer nothing.


    Rosan was just about ready to leave this island. Currently, he was at a stand that sold fruits and was currently picking some out to eat as he flew.


    The owner, an old man with graying hair, clearly recognized who was buying his food and was nervously sucking up to him.


    "Kiss-ass," Ram idly scoffed.


    "Crude, but I agree," Mod said.


    "These are the most quality fruits Reaper-sama," the old man bowed repeatedly as he offered the bag to the Angel of Death.


    "Thank you," Reaper said coldly as he reached into a coat to get the necessary money. He was about to hand over the money ¡ª


    and then a tiny blur shot past, stealing the bag in the process, and ducked into an alleyway.


    The old man looked as if he had seen a ghost as Reaper''s hand stopped moving. He went white as a sheet.


    "Reaper-sama I-I can explain," the man stammered, fearing for his life. "T-that was a h-homeless rat w-who has nothing better to do but steal from others! S-she was kicked out of the orphanage because of her tendencies and has been like that since forever."


    Rosan simply stared at the man that was overexplaining. He didn''t really care what he was talking about.


    "How old is she?" Reaper asked calmly and the man''s gaze widened in hope.


    Was Reaper finally going to get rid of the nuisance? He could only hope.


    "She''s eleven, Reaper-sama!"


    "Name?"


    "She doesn''t have one."


    Hm. Interesting.


    Reaper dropped the money onto the stand and looked in the direction the thief ran off to.


    He didn''t care that his fruits had been stolen. But someone had stolen from him.


    That was unacceptable.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    The thief let out a sigh as she hid herself in a hideout she''d made in an alleyway.


    It was nothing special and filled with the absolute minimum. Not even a bed was in the barren room.


    She shakily opened her bag and reverently pulled out an apple before eating it without any hesitation.


    The malnourished girl didn''t know who she had stolen the fruits from, but they weren''t anyone she''d seen on the island before. With some luck, she could just hide out until they left and repeat her process with the next unsuspecting person.


    In no time at all, she had finished the apple and let out a moan of delight. It was still fresh! Much better then the garbage she normally had to eat.


    She had been getting so so hungry and the food she normally ate just wasn''t enough anymore for her growing body.


    People had begun getting used to her antics so stealing was getting harder, the last time she ate something that wasn''t garbage was a week ago. Now, she actually had some fresh fruits to eat!


    She would enjoy them with gusto. Pulling out another apple she prepared to eat it ¡ª


    "Are you enjoying that?"


    And froze at the sound of a voice directly behind her.


    Mechanically, the thief turned her head around and let out a startled shriek at the black void.


    W-when had they gotten here?!


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    The thief was¡­interesting.


    True to the old man''s words, they were a girl who looked to be about eleven years old. Instantly, Rosan could tell that they were heavily malnourished and likely hadn''t eaten a proper meal in a while.


    She was a small thing with fair, sickly dirty skin and what looked to be blue hair that may as well have been black with all the grime caked in. Her outfit couldn''t even be called that. She was wearing filthy rags that were hanging on by a thread and showed more skin then it covered.


    What Rosan found most fascinating about her, were the two burning orbs that made up her eyes. They were a burnt orange and, despite the state of the girl, they glinted with a surprising amount of determination.


    Rosan had to wonder why she clung to such a sad existence.


    "Are you enjoying that, my fruits?" he repeated and her fearful gaze began darting around.


    Oh? She was looking for an escape? No matter. None had ever escaped him so, why did she think she stood a chance.


    She seemed to realize she didn''t have anywhere to go and her gaze landed back onto him.


    Rosan tilted his head.


    He wasn''t going to kill her. Rosan tended to not kill people younger then him unless they decided to attack him with deadly intent.


    Besides, he was still under punishment so he was not allowed to hurt her at the moment.


    "So diligent~." Mod sounded pleased with him.


    The thief seemed to make a decision as they stared each other down because her eyes narrowed in determination and he saw her muscles tense.


    Obvious.


    She launched herself at him but, Rosan was far too used to people launching themselves at the boy and he knew exactly how to counter such an attack.


    He tilted his body to the side and watched her eyes widen in surprise. Before she could fully fly pass the boy, he grabbed her and forced her onto the ground.


    "Is this too violent?" He asked Mod-chan, making sure not to use bruising force.


    "No, this is fine."


    Wanting to make sure he didn''t need to escalate the situation. Rosan grabbed her arms in one hand and held them above her. She was struggling immensely so Rosan sat on her stomach.


    The boy paid no heed to how filthy she was and how limited her clothing was.


    Despite the situation, the girl was still looking for a way out. Her eyes stared at him, hoping to find a weakness, and shut tightly when she couldn''t find one.


    Rosan found it commendable. It wasn''t often that someone fought him to the end. Most people gave up once they saw it was the Angel of Death.


    Though, it''s likely she didn''t know who he was. Ever since the birth of Reaper, no one even dreamed of doing something like this.


    Nobody in these oceans were dumb enough to steal from him.


    "I do not plan on hurting you," Rosan said and she stopped struggling as much when she heard that. "I simply wish to talk."


    She glared at him for a moment, before giving up when the black void just stared back. Reluctantly, she nodded.


    "O-okay," her raspy voice said and she sounded like she desperately needed some water.


    "I am Reaper, The Angel of Death, what is your name?" he asked, starting simple.


    "I-I don''t have one¡­" she replied.


    "You don''t have a name?"


    "¡­ I was left at the door of the orphanage when I was born. I didn hav a name attached ta me and they never bothered ta gimme one."


    Her speech was unrefined. She wasn''t used to speaking and the words she did use, were those of a novice or outright pronounced wrong.


    "You speak as if no one cares about you. Is that the case?"


    She nodded sadly. "They hate me. I dunno why."


    The bluenette was probably the daughter of a pirate. Rosan didn''t know and he wasn''t going to go around asking anybody.


    "So why? Why do you fight so hard to live on an island where just existing is a fight for your life?" Rosan asked and he tilted his head at her in what could be curiosity.


    Her orange eyes burned with determination. "Cause they all reject me," she said bitterly.


    "They think I won''t achieve nothin and I''ll just roll over an'' die. I''ll keep livin just to prove em wrong."


    "Such a petty reason," Mod said in surprise.


    Rosan agreed.


    The winged Shinigami suddenly stood up, freeing the girl who hesitantly stood up.


    "You live here, day by day, fighting for your life constantly. You live in horrible conditions; you are starving, you haven''t had a proper bath and you haven''t had a proper meal in who knows how long. You have nothing. Not even a name to claim as your own."


    Every word he said hammered into her and made her flinch harshly. The reality of his words were bringing tears to her eyes and she shrunk into herself.


    Rosan did not care.


    "Yet, you continue to fight, simply to reject the people surrounding you. Your purpose for existing is to deny those who want you to disappear. Such a petty, vindictive, reason to exist, I find that admirable."


    Her gaze snapped up as she heard him say that.


    "You are an interesting person. One who''s potential has not yet been tapped into," the black clad figure said, making her eyes widen.


    "Come. Join me. Become the right hand of death and I will unlock said potential," the Shinigami offered and she felt her heart stop at those words. "It will not be easy but, with the life you currently live, you already know how to survive against the odds. Do this or waste away into nothing."


    She felt her breath hitch at the glowing red orb beneath his hood. He had outstretched his hand for her to grab.


    "You, who have nothing, I will give you something."


    The thief was interested in his words. No, that wasn''t quite right.


    She was captivated.


    Reaper had completely hooked her in and she found herself drinking in his words as if she had been stranded for years in a desert. She walked closer to the Angel of Death like a woman possessed.


    "You have no name you say..."


    She stepped closer and closer.


    "Well then, as of today, you are ¡ª,"


    She grabbed his outstretched hand reverently and clutched it with all the fervor in the world. She had made her decision and now there was no going back to the life she knew before.


    "Maro."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Misadventures of Robin and Rosan ¨C 7


    Robin and Rosan are 8 and 4 respectively.


    How Rosan managed to get a library on his ship!


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Robin was surprised to find that Rosan enjoyed reading.


    Surprised was putting it nicely, she had been open mouth shocked when Rosan lamented the lack of books on their ship.


    She knew Rosan wasn''t stupid. It was just his carefree attitude that made it seem so. But, he was still hyperactive and the boy was like a ball of energy. Imagining him sitting down and reading an entire book was just not feasible for the Archaeologist.


    Yet, here they were, disguised, in a library doing just that. Rosan was humming quietly to himself as he read his book and he was idly leaning on her as he absorbed the contents of his fantasy book.


    It was dangerously cute.


    This was probably the quietest she had ever seen an awake version of Rosan. It was¡­nice to see.


    "Our ship needs some more books on it," she idly murmured to herself, as she flipped a page of her own novel.


    Robin would quickly learn not to say such things around Rosan.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Rosan¡­ What did you do?" Robin asked with wide eyes as she looked at the newly created room of the White Rose.


    Rosan randomly adding a room to the ship wasn''t a problem. The boy was normally seen modifying his own ship so often, that it didn''t surprise her anymore when she saw a new addition.


    The contents of the room however, were an issue.


    Why?


    Because the entire room looked exactly like the library they were just in a few days ago.


    The tiny little boy puffed his chest out with pride as he preened. "You said you wanted books on the ship yea? Well, I got the books!" He exclaimed cheerfully.


    Robin blinked dumbly at that.


    This¡­ was her fault? How was this possibly her fault?!


    "I¡­ I can explain," Mod said tiredly.


    "A couple days ago when you guys were reading in the library... You said, "Our ship needs some more books on it." Remember?" Robin blinked at how Mod-chan perfectly mimicked her voice.


    "Impressive Mod-chan! You sound just like Robin-nee!" Rosan praised giddily.


    "Thank you, Rosan," she said offhandedly. "Well, our cute, adorable, always wanting to impress us, Rosan heard you and he agreed with you. Readily," Mod said gravely.


    "You never want Rosan to agree with you and have him do something about it ¡ª,"


    "Because it will always end up in the worst possible scenario."


    Robin found that Mod-chan had not been kidding.


    As she looked at the now empty library, they had just inhabited 3 days ago, the Hana Hana no mi user came to the conclusion that Rosan was insane. Everything, even the book cases, were gone.


    "H-how?" she croaked in disbelief. The local authorities were there and the librarian was white as a sheet.


    "He broke in at night and shrunk everything, I thought he was only going to take like one or two sections but, Rosan is the most selfish person I''ve ever happened to meet," Mod sounded so, so tired as she explained.


    Robin felt as tired as she sounded.


    "You like books, I like books. You wanted books, I wanted books. Who wants to spend money on books? I don''t wanna, so I just took them!" Rosan said cheerfully and Robin found herself wondering for the umpteenth time just what exactly was wrong with this unhinged child.


    She held her head in her hands and let out a tired sigh.


    "Huh? Robin-nee, what''s wrong?" Rosan asked worriedly and it made her sigh even louder. The 4 year old didn''t even seem to see an issue with what he had done.


    Well¡­ at least they didn''t have to go to libraries anymore?


    Robin felt her sanity shake as she found some reasoning to justify this.


    "Trying to cling to it when dealing with Rosan will never work. Trust me, I''ve tried," Mod said, trying to sooth the girl.


    Said girl let out a strangled noise as she heard that.


    "¡­?" Rosan tilted his head cutely. "Did I do something wrong?" he asked, puzzled.


    "¡­No Rosan, no you didn''t," Mod said, making the boy smile excitedly.


    They were both insane.


    "Don''t you mean all 3?" The purple haired woman said cheerfully.


    Robin let out another strangled noise.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Character Sheet: Ram


    Name: RAM (Rosan and Meiko), goes by Ram.


    Age: 12 (Appears to be whatever age Rosan is at the moment)


    Gender: Female


    Summary: Created by Portgas D. Rosan, Ram is the byproduct of the mythical Philosopher''s Stone that was fused with the amethyst ring Rosan gave to the late Meiko.


    Merely a voice at first, she was given an appearance and a home in Rosan''s mindscape after the boy ate the remaining Philosopher''s Stone allowing them to perfectly link. The two are bonded to their core and it is not wrong to say that she is merely an extension of Rosan. Fiercely loyal and more then a bit unhinged, the weapon will strike and defend anything in her Father''s way.


    Abilities:


    Able to shapeshift into whatever Rosan desires (this is not limited to weapons but that is her primary purpose).


    High leveled Regeneration due to being made up of the Philosopher''s Stone.


    Able to absorb and transform into any material that it gains access to.


    Innate Modification allowing for more fluidity.


    Appearance: Tan skin the same shade as Rosan''s with full lips, long eyelashes and a button nose. She looks and has the same features as Meiko.


    Height: 5''2


    Hair: Long silver hair styled into twintails with dark purple streaks. The tips of her hair are dipped in a similar shade of purple.


    Eyes: Has heterochromia like Rosan. While Rosan has complete heterochromia (One eye is purple and the other is red), Ram has Segmental heterochromia (both her eyes are a combination of red and purple).


    Likes: Rosan, being useful to Rosan, Mod, fighting.


    Dislikes: Failure, anyone who dares oppose Rosan.

 Grim

    "Master¡­," Angel''s voice began in slight confusion. "...Who is this?" she eventually asked as she regarded the filthy¡­ person? Thing? Girl...? Angel was confident that it was a girl at least.


    "This is Maro," Rosan said as he nodded his head to the small thing hiding behind him clutching his left hand. The boy didn''t seem care that the filthy girl was currently dirtying him.


    Unfortunately, Angel did.


    Her eyes narrowed as she took in the girl''s appearance and a sneer made its way onto her pretty face. Who did this person think they were? Touching her Master in that condition? She must have a death wish because right now Angel was well on her way to ¡ª


    "None of that," Rosan said blandly and her sneer immediately vanished. She stared at her creator for a moment before looking back at the girl.


    She was small (even smaller then Master!) with fair skin and¡­ was that blue hair? The girl may as well have been naked with how little her clothing was protecting her and the temperature left the skinny little thing shaking. Angel couldn''t even see much else because of how dirty the girl was but she at least had some cute, orange eyes.


    Why was this¡­ Maro with her Master? Why was she clinging so hard to him? Was she trying to piss Angel off?


    "I''ll explain to you and Demon in detail after we get her some water and a shower but, as of today, she will be traveling with us," Rosan explained, still dressed as Reaper. His obsidian wings were furled up and his scythe was nowhere to be seen.


    "N-nice to meetcha, I''m¡­Maro," The girl sounded unsure, testing the name on her lips and Angel raised a brow.


    "You don''t know your name?" She asked rudely and the girl flinched at her harsh tone. The dirty girl hid even further behind Master''s back and Angel''s eyes narrowed into a full on glare as she buried her dirty face into the redhead.


    Coward.


    "She didn''t have a name until I gave her one 10 minutes ago," Rosan explained, seemingly not bothered by the events happening at the moment.


    "Master¡­ You what?! Did Master Mod ask you to do this?" Angel asked in confusion. Master had named this girl Maro? Why?


    What? What was even going on?


    "No, I''m just as surprised as you," Mod admitted with a small smile on her face. "He made this decision of his own free will."


    Angel understood the implications of what she was saying and an almost brilliant smile made its way onto her face. Instead, she settled for an eye roll.


    Whatever. He said he would explain it to her and so she would wait until then.


    For now¡­


    "I just cleaned the parts of the ship that don''t have grass and I don''t need her dirtying it up, Master," The redheaded clone said with her hands on her hip. "Take her to the shower and get rid of that sorry excuse of article we''re calling clothing please."


    "Okay," Rosan obediently said. He suddenly picked the girl up, who let out a surprised yelp, in order to make sure she didn''t further stain the ship and made his way to their bathroom.


    Angel watched them go, hands still on her hip, and waited for them to vanish. When they did, a smile made its way onto her face and she rushed to go find her brother.


    When she spotted Demon, reading his books, she jumped onto him in joy. "Demon!" she yelled ecstatically, as the more composed of the two barely flinched.


    "What is it, Angel?" He asked, not looking up from his book.


    "We have a new passenger on the ship!"


    Demon actually stopped reading his book so that he could look at his sister. His eyes were wide as he heard her and he said "We have a what?"


    "I don''t know the details but Master will explain it to us later!" She gushed.


    Her purple haired brother nodded his head before a puzzled look appeared on his face. "Why are you so happy about this? You hate people," he pointed out and his older sister nodded her head.


    "I do!" She agreed readily with his accurate assessment. "But, Master invited her on the ship. On his own!"


    A minute pause.


    Demon dropped his book as he heard that. "HE DID?!"


    "YES!"


    "B-but Master hasn''t made a decision for himself in so long?!"


    "I KNOW!"


    "That means¡­ is there actually a chance Master can turn back into the way he used to be?"


    "I''m not sure Demon but, this is a good step in the right direction. It was never going to be easy but, now I feel like we actually have a chance!"


    Her twin brother smiled gently at the hope in her eyes and they shared a brief hug.


    "We''ll get him back Angel,"


    "I know, no matter how long it takes. We just need to shower him in all the love he deserves."


    Demon nodded resolutely.


    There was a small ray hope now.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "We''re here, now if that''s all ¡ª," Rosan said preparing to leave.


    "Wait!"


    "?"


    "Can ya¡­ Can ya help me please? I dunno how to use one of these a-and I don''t want ya ta leave me¡­"


    Rosan stared at her for a moment.


    "Mod-chan?" He questioned. He distantly remembered Robin telling him that something like this was generally not okay. But, if Maro wanted it¡­then he needed to consult this with his partner.


    She had told him to do so after all.


    "I¡­ I''m not used to this," she admitted. "Normally, you''re the one barging into people''s bath times but this one wants you too¡­ I''d say it''s fine then?"


    Rosan nodded at that. "Okay," he told Maro and she looked immensely relieved at his acceptance.


    Angel would throw a fit if the girl didn''t properly clean herself anyways, so Rosan would help her out.


    He looked down at himself and noted that he was still Reaper. The redhead dispelled his wings, getting a gasp out of Maro, and promptly removed his cloak.


    Maro didn''t know too much about Reaper. She heard many rumors about him but, she didn''t know how he looked or what he really did. That''s why she stole from him. She didn''t actually know that this was Reaper until he found her and introduced himself.


    What she did know though (at least until now) was that Reaper was not human. That was generally agreed upon. No one had ever seen his face or any part of skin ever from the Shinigami.


    As she looked at the Angel of Death removing his clothing, Maro came to a new conclusion.


    Reaper was definitely human.


    Rosan had finished removing his clothing and neatly placed them to the side. He looked over at Maro, who was gawking at him, and looked at her attire.


    "I''m destroying that," he said blandly, pointing lackadaisically at the bluenettes rags. She just continued staring at him with her mouth open and with wide eyes.


    Rosan would need to brush her teeth as well.


    "Y-y-you''re¡­," she stuttered a bit and Rosan tilted his head.


    Ah.


    "I realize now that I have yet to introduce myself officially. You only know me as Reaper," the redhead said and he filled their large bath with water. He preferred showers, less chance of drowning, but he didn''t think he could properly clean her in a shower.


    Bath it was.


    "I am Portgas D. Rosan and I am the one who is called the Angel of Death," he introduced quietly as he tested the temperature of the water. After nodding in satisfaction, he stepped inside slowly and felt the slight tension leave his body.


    Maro snapped out of her daze, though she was still shocked, and quickly followed suit. The dirty girl hesitated a bit and Rosan simply looked back at her.


    "I dun wanna get the water all dirty wit you in it¡­" she said. The orphan hadn''t really thought this through. She was happy that he agreed to join her but now she risked getting him all filthy¡­


    "Thank you for your concern," Rosan said as he grabbed everything he''d need to scrub this girl down. He eyed her for a bit and promptly grabbed even more.


    "You have nothing to worry about, my bathing system has a filter that works at an immaculate pace," the redhead explained.


    "¡­" Maro shot him a puzzled look and Rosan realized that she probably lacked education.


    "Do you know how to read?"


    "...No."


    "I suspected. Even if you dirty the water, it will be clean."


    "Ah!" A look of understanding dawned on her face and she finally stepped in the water. Maro half expected it to be freezing like what she was used to, but the delightful gasp the bluenette let out as the warm water made contact with her, was full of happiness!


    It felt incredible! This was the most pleasant experience in the water she ever had!


    "Move in front of me so I can wash your hair," Rosan commanded and she hastily moved to follow his order. The boy instructed her on how to use everything and, though her head was spinning, she understood the gist of it.


    The 11 year old marveled at how nice everything felt and she let out a happy moan as Rosan began the process of cleaning her unkempt, dirty long hair. Taking a page out of his book, she began to scrub herself as instructed.


    They worked in silent, with the only noise being the sound of scrubbing, water, and a small girl full of wonder.


    That silence was broken by the newest resident of the White Rose.


    "...Master?" Maro called testing the word she heard the scary, redheaded girl say and finding that she liked it.


    "You plan on calling me Master as well then?" Rosan stated in monotone, as he rubbed a spot that had Maro melting.


    "Y-yes?" she said unsure with herself due to not being able to tell how he felt.


    "Very well, what did you want to say?"


    Maro fidgeted a bit. "...Yer really pretty," she eventually said and the scrubbing on her hair paused for a moment.


    "Thank you."


    The scrubbing resumed and the newest resident relaxed a bit. Her new master wasn''t very expressive but, it was kind of endearing in a way.


    "I''m a boy, by the way."


    Maro dropped the rag she had been holding in disbelief.


    "I''m naked and you still couldn''t tell? We have much to teach you."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    So her hair really was blue. Not only that, it was a beautiful shade of azure blue.


    Rosan looked the girl, dressed in a black night gown that was too large for her, up and down and nodded in satisfaction at a job well done.


    "S-sorry again for callin ya a girl," Maro said in shame and Rosan blankly stared at her.


    "It''s fine, you are not the first," he said bluntly before stepping up to the girl and modifying the clothes to make it fit. The redhead made sure they were on her malnourished frame correctly before he began to walk away.


    He was not surprised to hear footsteps hastily following after him.


    A hand tentatively grabbed his arm and when she noticed Rosan not rejecting the gesture, Maro got a bit more bold and clutched him tighter.


    Rosan did nothing and she smiled slightly.


    The redhead made his way over to the kitchen, little follower in tow, and thought about what to make. He stared minutely at the girls pathetic frame and decided to get her on a balanced diet immediately.


    It''s a good thing he had been observing chefs and reading elaborate cookbooks. He could copy their steps perfectly and make something decent for all of them. The 12 year old would be able to make her something good.


    Meiko had also taught him many recipes of food that he particularly enjoyed.


    "Oh! Master!" A voice called and he saw that it was Angel, accompanied by Demon.


    Rosan nodded at them both and Maro fearfully hid behind him.


    Angel narrowed her eyes as the bluenette avoided their gaze. "Wow, you sure can clean up. You actually look like a decent human now," she scoffed, making the girl flinch again.


    Demon bopped her on the head and said, "Behave," and his twin sister simply grumbled in annoyance, but acquiesced.


    The purple haired clone walked over to the cowering bluenette who looked at him with a curious, yet hesitant, gaze. He flashed her a smile and she hesitantly smiled back.


    "It''s nice to meet you, I''m Demon and that rude girl behind me, is my twin sister Angel," he said, patting the girl gently. "Don''t mind her, she''s nice once she stops hating you." It wasn''t very reassuring, but that''s just how his sister was.


    Despite that, Maro tentatively said "Nice to meetcha, I''m Maro."


    "Maro? That''s a good name," Demon smiled and she blushed happily at his compliment. She was adorable but really malnourished. The red eyed doctor in training would need to run a diagnostic on her if Master was okay with it. He was already thinking of the necessary equipment she''d need and what diet to get her on that would help catch up her development.


    Meanwhile with Rosan and Angel.


    "Master, where did you go after you led her to the shower?" Angel asked curiously. She had half expected him to be getting dinner ready but he was not in the kitchen and so she assumed that he was in his room handling something.


    "I was bathing Maro," Rosan said bluntly, as they all walked to the kitchen.


    Angel paused.


    Demon paused.


    Rosan, sensing something was wrong, paused with a tilted head.


    Maro, seeing that Rosan stopped, paused as well with a nervous gaze.


    "...Together?" Angel asked confusedly as she took a look at the oldest triplet. He was currently in a loose, sleeveless red shirt, that looked very comfortable, and some black sweatpants.


    Master only switched into clothing like this after he bathed.


    "Yes," was his neutral answer.


    "...Master, you pervert," Angel scowled furiously and she pointed an accusing finger at Rosan while glaring with pure malice at Maro, who squeaked. Demon gawked at how bold his sister was and Maro didn''t know what a pervert was.


    It didn''t stop her from hiding behind Rosan though. Angel scared her.


    "I''m not a pervert," Rosan said calmly as he remembered the conversation he had with Aiko and Akemi. He had deduced right then and there that he wasn''t a pervert and he was sure even after some time he was still not one.


    He wasn''t sure why Angel was suddenly calling him one. Had he done something wrong?


    Angel spluttered in anger. "Y-yes you are! Why are you bathing with her? Y-you haven''t even known each other for long!"


    "Because she asked and Mod-chan said yes."


    Curse Rosan for being like this. If you asked him something there was a solid chance he''d say yes unless Master Mod said no.


    "Why are you upset?" Rosan asked with a tilted head. "Did you want to also bathe with me?"


    Curse Rosan for being like this. How dare he try to embarrass her without meaning to.


    "Stupid Master," she grumbled as she turned on a heel and made her way over to the dining room.


    "?" Rosan was not sure why she was mad. "Mod-chan?"


    "Angel is jealously protective of you and Demon. She doesn''t want anyone to just walk up and take advantage of you."


    "Ah, I see," Rosan blinked. "I don''t think Maro is capable of taking advantage of me. Even if she were, you would be able to tell me."


    "Don''t worry Rosan it''s just¡­ it''s Angel''s way of coping. She cares about you two more then ever right now and that girl is shouldering her own sense of duty,"


    Rosan nodded at that. "I understand. In that case, I will ensure I don''t step over them."


    "You''re such a sweet boy Rosan," Mod smiled gently at him.


    "Of course! Father is the best!" Ram agreed.


    "Thank you."


    Conversation over, Rosan began walking towards the kitchen again, Demon and Maro in tow.


    He would have to apologize to Angel while he was at it.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Maro drooled as she looked at the assorted dishes presented before her.


    "Gross. Close your mouth," Angel said as she fixed a plate and Maro quickly listened to the taller girl.


    Angel and Demon didn''t need to eat, but that didn''t stop them from enjoying their Master''s cooking.


    He was really good now!


    The boy in question, had already begun eating at a moderate pace. He was a clean eater and looked pristine while doing so. The area around him was currently spotless as he ate his food.


    Maro was the opposite. The orange eyed girl tore into her food like a man possessed. She refrained from using utensils (she didn''t know how) and grabbed at everything with her hands.


    Rosan, while cooking, had explained some of her situation to them. It wasn''t a lot due to him focusing on the task, but they knew that she was a homeless orphan.


    Demon was nice enough to let her be. The girl probably hadn''t had a proper meal in years and no one seemed willing to teach her anything. Let her enjoy herself for a bit.


    Angel was not.


    "Okay, that''s enough. I''m not gonna pretend like I''m okay with this," Angel scowled as she got up and moved over to the ravenous Maro. The girl looked up in fear, with her mouth full to the brim and instinctively shrunk in on herself. The purple eyed clone didn''t miss how the little chipmunk held her food a bit closer to herself.


    "I can barely put up with a normal human and you''re much lower then what I''m used to," Angel said rudely and Demon sighed at his sister. He had a feeling she was going to end up saying something.


    Rosan paid them no mind.


    "You can''t read, you have worse social skills then Master, you got Master all dirty, you shower with him and now you''re telling me you can''t even eat properly?" Angel was full on glaring now and Maro was trembling in fear. There was only so much the haughty clone could take and this girl had managed to piss her off in one day!


    "Angel ¡ª," Demon tried but his sister just glared back at him and he shut up immediately. The purple haired clone couldn''t go against his sister when she got like this.


    He stole a glance at Rosan in hopes that he would intervene.


    The 12 year old was content to eat his food. No doubt he was hearing this but he just did not care enough to get involved.


    "Worst of all, you have the audacity to wear those clothes and dirty them," Angel snarled and Maro was convinced she was about to be assaulted if the way her eyes were darting around was any indication. "You should never have been allowed to put those clothes on but your taking advantage of Master''s current state!"


    "I-I''m sorry¡­" Maro whispered.


    Angel was face to face with the bluenette now, who trembled at the proximity, and purple glared heatedly into orange. "I''m not Master. We may look the same, but unlike him, I will never accept you. You will never be able to compare to Mei¡ª,"


    "Angel."


    The clone immediately stopped and straightened up as she heard her Master. "Yes, Master?" she said, turning to face him no sign of anger in her eyes.


    She could never direct those eyes to her Master. He didn''t deserve them.


    Maro let out a sigh of relief as the focus was taken off of her. The orange eyed girl trembled slightly at the memory of raw hate in Angel''s eyes. She was sure that if given the chance, the redhead would have gladly killed her.


    Rosan looked at Angel with that empty gaze of his, food done, and he got up to meet her.


    "Your anger is misdirected," he said bluntly and Angel went stiff. "I did not bring Maro onto this ship to replace Meiko. Nobody will ever be able to replace Meiko."


    Angel hated this so much. He was supposed to show something, anything when talking about her best friend, his lover yet he couldn''t. Master was a husk currently and the female clone could not stand that thought.


    "Maro is interesting," Rosan said and Angel''s eyes narrowed in anger. "She has nothing at all. No home, no name, no food, no family, nothing. Yet, she is the only person I''ve met so far who was bold enough to steal from Reaper," Rosan explained and Angel''s eyes widened at the revelation.


    She had stolen from Master? Is that what put her on his radar?


    "When I caught her, instead of giving up like everyone normally does in the face of Reaper, she sought an escape route and even resorted to attacking me. I found it¡­ interesting that the one person who showed the most courage to me was someone who had nothing at all. So I decided to give her something."


    "Maro is not Meiko''s replacement. She is my student. I will be training her to become Reaper''s partner. Those were my sole intentions, nothing less and nothing more," Rosan explained and Angel felt relief flood through her system at the revelation.


    I-if that was all then¡­Angel didn''t mind it too much.


    "I''m sorry," Rosan suddenly said and Angel felt her heart drop as she heard that.


    "M-Master, There''s no need to apologize! I jumped to conclusions a-and I should have waited for your full explanation," she bowed deeply in shame.


    "I should have explained it all sooner. It was inconsiderate of me to let this feeling stir inside of you and I unintentionally made it worse. I bathed with her because she did not understand how anything worked and I gave her the clothing because there was nothing else she could wear" the redhead said and Angel felt guilt well up into her at how upset she had gotten.


    "It was an oversight on my behalf and one that should not have been allowed to happen," Rosan finished and Angel immediately scooped him into a hug.


    "I''m sorry Master¡­ I was too rash!" Angel mumbled. "I-I¡­ I just miss her so much and I saw a new girl a-and I just¡­ I just couldn''t stand the thought that you were replacing her so soon," she admitted with tears welling up into her eyes.


    "¡­" Rosan stared at her for a moment, before he hugged her back. "...I miss her too."


    It had been a split second but, in that split second, the sheer brokenness in Rosan''s voice overwhelmed everyone there.


    "I miss her more then you could imagine Angel¡­ I would have given her everything. I would tear the whole world apart just to bring her back. But, I can''t even properly grieve because I feel nothing at all," he admitted and the emptiness in his voice just solidified it.


    "I visit her every single day and not once have I shed a tear. I don''t feel sadness, I don''t feel anger, I don''t feel happiness. I feel nothing."


    "Why? Why am I unable to cry for the girl that I love?" he asked vacantly and everyone there broke down, unable to handle such an innocently asked question.


    "Oh Rosan," Mod said with tears streaming down her eyes. She covered her mouth as grief overwhelmed her.


    "Father I''m so sorry¡­ I wish I got to meet Mother¡­," Ram sobbed and Mod pulled the small girl into a hug. Rosan''s weapon cried into the warm embrace of his Devil Fruit and they found comfort in each other.


    Demon had abruptly left the room without a word but his tears were visible for all to see.


    Angel felt like the worst person in the world. Deep down, a part of her had thought that Rosan had moved on. That the oldest triplet had already forgotten about Meiko. He never grieved, he continued with his work, he rarely mentioned her and when he did, it was in that same empty voice he always had.


    Seeing him bring this Maro aboard had only solidified her thoughts. Master had moved on and Angel was not even remotely done grieving.


    None of them were, except for him.


    But, that wasn''t the case. Master couldn''t grieve and that was its own type of hell. His lover, his soulmate had died in his arms and he could not even properly mourn about it.


    It was utterly terrible.


    "Do you remember Meiko''s last words to me, Angel?" Rosan asked softly. "She wants me to live for the both of us and that''s the only thing pushing me forward."


    "M-Master¡­ I promise I''ll do everything in my power to help you get better again," Angel said.


    "Thank you but, I''m not a person who believes in promises anymore," Rosan said calmly and Angel sadly nodded in understanding.


    Who could blame him?


    "Instead, we will diligently work towards the goal Meiko set for all of us. I can''t promise that I''ll find a new reason but, I won''t die until I do."


    "That is why I brought Maro on board. She managed to interest me and as such, I wish to explore that," Rosan said truthfully as he looked at Maro.


    "I am using you for my own gain, my own interests, you are here solely for my own selfish wish. Despite that, do you still wish to accompany us?" Rosan asked the girl who had been observing everything with wide eyes.


    Maro didn''t know anything about what they were talking about but the mood was suffocating the young girl. The orange eyed girl didn''t even realize she had begun crying and she hastily dabbed her tears away!


    It was too much for her!


    But Rosan, her Master, was asking her a question. It stung when she heard it but now she understood a bit of why he was the way he was.


    He had no emotions! It made so much more sense now!


    Maro deliberated his question a bit and came to a decision quickly. "Yer the only person who looked at me without wantin me dead. Ya said you were gonna give me a purpose and¡­ I wanna have a purpose. Without you it''s back to a life of nothin and¡­ I don''t wanna live like that no more," she said sadly, remembering all the years of struggle on her island.


    Angel''s eyes went soft in guilt as she realized she had been lashing out on this little girl for no reason.


    Rosan stared at her.


    "So you wish to stay then, Maro?" He asked and Maro found herself captured in his gaze again. She had never seen such a unique shade of eyes. It was even more noticeable without his hoodie on and with his hair in a bun like that. The red and purple hypnotized her. It was so¡­


    Mesmerizing.


    "Yes. I wanna stay Master. Please, make me something," she answered in a daze.


    Rosan nodded his head.


    "Naturally. I am not one to lie."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "I''m sorry."


    Maro stumbled as she heard that. The bluenette directed a wide eyed gaze towards Angel who was looking at her with¡­ not quite an apologetic expression but it was an upgrade from the raw hatred in her eyes earlier¡­


    "I shouldn''t have lashed out at you like that," Angel said and the girl looked like she really didn''t want to say those words.


    Angel really didn''t but she wasn''t arrogant enough to disregard her mistakes. Haughty she may be, but she didn''t let pride blind her. That''s what humans did and Angel was better then them.


    Except for Master of course!


    "Ah gee," Maro said in embarrassment as she rubbed the back of her head. "It''s alright! I don''t really get much but¡­ you all lost someone really important right?" At Angel''s hesitant nod Maro said "I¡­ I don''t wanna replace her, I swear! I just wanna have a purpose besides livin to live," she admitted.


    "Yeah and I disregarded that so I''ll make it up to you," Angel said looking the skinny girl up and down. Without all the dirt and grime, she was actually a little adorable but her mannerisms were atrocious.


    "Ya will?" Maro asked with wide eyes. "Ya don''t hav ta go through the trouble of that, honest!" The orange eyed girl waved her hands rapidly.


    "No it''s fine, I want to do this anyways because honestly I can''t stand the way you do things," Angel said honestly with a shrug. "I''ll teach you to be better then those humans because right now, you''re barely better then an animal," the pretty redhead finished confidently.


    Maro blushed in embarrassment at her rather rude wording but she was beginning to figure this was just how Angel acted. "W-Well if ya insist, I won''t say no!"


    "Good, I won''t let you hold Master back in any way at all!" Angel said, holding her hand out.


    Maro stared at it in confusion.


    "Shake it, idiot."


    "Oh¡­right, sorry!"


    "I have so much to teach you¡­"


    "Sorry¡­"


    "Stop apologizing."


    The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    "Ok, I''ll try¡­ sorry."


    "¡­"


    "...Sorry."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    RAM was exactly what Rosan wanted in a weapon. It was perfect for his fighting style.


    "Thank you Father," she gushed at his praise, practically radiating in happiness.


    Rosan rapidly spun his staff before quickly transforming it into a scythe and slamming downwards then, as he lifted it back up, he morphed it into a hand held double barrel and shot out something that were not quite bullets but held even more destructive capabilities.


    He idly spun the pistol and it morphed back into its default form, amethyst ring nestling perfectly onto his ring finger.


    "Wow," Maro said with wide eyes forgetting for a moment that Angel was helping her learn how to read.


    "Master is amazing," Angel said, not minding because Maro was praising her Master! "Now, read this sentence again. Properly," she demanded and Maro quickly got back to her task.


    Angel was still as scary as ever¡­


    Rosan stared at the ring for a moment before morphing it back into a pistol.


    All of his weapons had the same color variation in some way. Purple, silver and black. Depending on the weapon, the dominant color varied. The gun for example, was predominantly silver and his scythe was predominantly black but, they all had the 3 colors in some way.


    "I''m surprised you are able to generate your own ammunition. It means that I don''t have to get my own gun," Rosan said idly and he felt Ram puff up.


    "What type of weapon would I be if I couldn''t even use such a common weapon. I use a combination of modification and my innate abilities to create them. As you can see, they are not your average bullets and are reinforced."


    "Impressive, I suppose it is a good thing I ate the Philosopher''s Stone then. Can you transform into other types of guns?"


    Before he had even finished asking his question, the pistol transformed into a shotgun, and then a sniper. She even changed into a bow!


    "I made the right decision making you Ram," Rosan said softly making the girl flash the brightest grin yet.


    "I aim to please father!" She gushed.


    "You really are quite impressive Ram," Mod praised and Ram hugged the older woman.


    "Thank you Auntie Mod! I wanna be as useful as you!"


    Mod blushed. "Please stop calling me Auntie¡­"


    "No!"


    Mod sighed in defeat.


    Rosan continued practicing with Ram and he had to admit, they were an absolutely perfect fit. Everything felt natural. He was right to use his blood to make her, they were made for each other. The redhead didn''t feel like he was using a weapon, he felt as if he were using an extension of himself.


    Just like he wanted.


    "W-will ya be teachin me how ta fight like that Master," a quiet voice said, causing Rosan to look over at Maro and tilt his head, as he contemplated her question.


    "Eventually, we must not skip steps however. Your body is severely underdeveloped due to the conditions you''ve lived in and your education is lacking. Thank you for offering to teach her by the way, Angel," Rosan said and Angel beamed with a blush on her face.


    "Of course Master! I won''t have someone so unrefined working by your side! I''ll whip her into something extremely exceptional!" She said with utmost confidence.


    "I appreciate that, you didn''t have to, yet you are doing it regardless."


    "Anything for you Master!"


    Rosan smiled before looking at Maro again. "I will have to think up a routine for you but for now we will just be building you up. We have much to do."


    Maro nodded, determination in her orange eyes and she said "Right Master! I won''t let ya down!" She grabbed the book and began peppering Angel with questions. The girl was taken aback but she smiled in pride and began answering them.


    Rosan stared at the two for a moment before going back to practicing with Ram.


    Angel was hard to get along with because of her general disdain to everyone but, once she warmed up to you she was quite pleasant to be around. You just needed to get used to her mannerisms.


    They would get along fine.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Rosan, who is this?"


    Aiko stared at the small little thing fidgeting around. She was clearly not used to the scrutiny of other people because she was hiding behind the, for once, taller boy.


    "This is Maro," Rosan answered. "Maro this is Aiko, she is the reason I found you," Rosan said introducing the two.


    Aiko and Maro''s eyes went wide at that.


    "Y-yer the reason Master found me? Thank ya!" She bowed but remembered Angel telling her that someone like her shouldn''t bow to a human. She hastily raised her head in fear of retaliation but remembered the haughty redhead was not there.


    "Nice too meetch ¡ª I-I mean, i-it''s nice to meet you, I''m Maro," the girl said sounding a lot more proper then previous days.


    Angel was a merciless slave driver.


    Aiko recovered quickly and held out her hand. "It''s nice to meet you Maro, I''m Aiko. Me and your "Master" have been friends for about 3 years now," she greeted.


    Maro grabbed her hand and gently shook it. It was awkward but Aiko smiled at how cute she looked. The girl was concentrating on doing it right and it was adorable to witness.


    "Now Rosan, what do you mean I''m the reason you found her?" the leader of Fregate asked, with a raised brow at the preteen.


    Rosan explained how he found her and Aiko''s mouth opened in realization.


    "So that mission I sent you on, thanks for that by the way, is how you found her? Huh. Neat," Aiko said and Rosan nodded.


    "So what do you plan on doin with her?" The gray haired woman asked.


    "I''m training her," Rosan said simply and her eyes went wide.


    "For your Reaper stuff?" A nod and Aiko looked worriedly at the little girl. "Do¡­ do you really think she''s fit to do things like that?"


    "We''ll see. If not, I don''t have much of a use for her besides allowing her to stay on the ship," he said bluntly and the bluenette flinched at that.


    "Bit harsh, Rosan," Aiko frowned and the boy tilted his head.


    "Was it? I apologize. I was simply stating the truth."


    Right, he had no emotions. He just spoke his mind now... not that he didn''t do that already.


    Aiko sighed. "So that means she''s gonna be the Grim to your Reaper eh?" she asked.


    "Grim¡­" Rosan said with a tilted head. "That is a fine name. Thank you Aiko," he told the gray haired girl softly.


    Aiko blinked. "You didn''t have an alias for her before?"


    "No, I was actually going to ask you to find a name for her like you did for me."


    "Hey don''t just blatantly admit to using me like that."


    "Why? You''re good at it."


    "...Thanks, I guess."


    "You''re welcome."


    Aiko sighed again. Rosan would always give her a headache no matter what.


    "Grim? But I thought my name was Maro¡­?" The bluenette spoke up in confusion.


    "I''ll explain it to you later, Maro," Rosan replied.


    "Kay," she said with a nod.


    "How much does she know?" Aiko asked in shock.


    "She doesn''t have a proper education," was his response.


    Aiko sighed.


    She didn''t even want to know.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    When Angel wasn''t hellishly conditioning her mind. Rosan was hellishly conditioning her body. The boy had her on a strict workout regimen meant to help her body catch up in development and though it was working well, it hurt.


    He was merciless. Maro thought Angel was bad but Rosan was completely ruthless.


    Maro collapsed on the floor after she finished her final lap, drenched in sweat, and she panted in exhaustion. She greedily drank the water offered to her from Demon and she shot him the most grateful look she could muster.


    The kind twin smiled at her.


    Everything hurt. She was so sore. Master had run her through the ringer and it showed. The poor girl couldn''t even move to hold the water by herself.


    At least Demon was the one watching. Angel would have probably poured the water on her instead of personally letting her drink it.


    Worst of all, Master himself was still going. She looked in disbelief at how effortlessly he was running around the room that was way too large for the ship.


    He had overlapped her more times then she could count and he was still going strong.


    When he finally stopped, she was convinced it was only because the obvious hunger on her face was downright pathetic, not because he was tired.


    At least he always made an amazing amount of food. Maro was thankful that she got to eat such good meals instead of the usual garbage that she was accustomed to.


    She thankfully hugged Demon''s neck, as he picked her up piggyback style.


    The training was working wonders. Already, when Maro wasn''t sore, she felt stronger then ever! Master Rosan really knew what he was doing.


    Along with that, Angel, while rude, also knew what she was doing! The bluenette felt really smart now and the way she spoke, was getting a lot more refined! In no time at all, she could already feel herself getting better than she had ever been.


    Rosan looked at Maro in contemplation.


    To be frank, the girl was a prodigy. She didn''t seem to realize the speed at which she was learning, was not normal.


    Rosan knew she had potential. That''s why he decided to take her along. But not only was she a prodigy, she was a blank slate.


    The boy could perfectly mold her into whatever he desired specifically because she lacked anything. She was a sponge that was soaking things up at an impressive rate and the redhead was impressed that no one had picked up on her capabilities.


    There was only one issue though.


    Maro was not suited to be a weapon.


    The 11 year old had potential to be an incredible fighter¡­ but she was a gentle soul. She would not be able to kill someone because it was not in her nature. Just from his interactions with the girl, he knew that she wouldn''t be able to do so.


    He would have to curb that.


    The 12 year old needed to get rid of this before it became a problem. So he would do it immediately.


    "Good, A weapon who can''t kill is no weapon at all," Ram said somewhat coldly.


    "¡­" Mod wasn''t particularly close with Maro so she didn''t feel the need to defend the girl from Rosan''s act of cruelness.


    "Maro, after we eat and shower, you will be coming with me," Rosan told the tired girl and she looked at Rosan in curiosity.


    "Fer what, Master?" she said slipping back into her old dialect. She always slipped back when she got too tired or too excited.


    "Something that needs to be done."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "M-Master? W-what are we doing?" Maro asked with wide, nervous eyes.


    "What needs to be done," Rosan said blankly as he stood before the terrified pirate. He was holding his signature scythe, though it looked different. The pole was pure black and the blade was silver. Running through the middle of the entire weapon was a purple streak and the part he gripped was the same purple.


    Captain John was a pirate captain with long black hair, black beady eyes, and a full beard. He was currently being subdued rather easily by Rosan, who was dressed as Reaper, and was shaking in fright.


    Maro herself, was similarly disguised in a cloak like Reaper''s as well. Her cloak was an inverted version of Rosan''s, being an all white with black streaks and she, obviously, lacked his set of black wings.


    "This is Captain Jack, bounty: 2 million beri. A barbarian of a pirate who kills, steals and rapes. He is scum of the world and as such, he needs to be dealt justice."


    "You will be dealing that justice, Grim," Reaper said bluntly, as he stared at the girl.


    Realization dawned on her and she began trembling as Rosan tossed the mans tied up body in front of her. Her trembling increased tenfold as Rosan placed a dagger in her hand.


    It felt heavy in her palms and Maro wanted nothing more then to throw it away.


    "Master¡­ I-I can''t do that," she whispered. "P-please don''t make me do that!" she begged, hoping that he could see reason.


    "Why?"


    She shook at the simple, uncaring question. "I¡­ I just can''t. It''s so wrong a-and I don''t wanna be the reason he dies!"


    "Then what purpose do you have for me?" Rosan asked and she froze.


    "If you cannot fight for me, what use do you have? I am not training you to bring about world peace, I am training you to become a weapon. You are going to become my right hand, killing is a necessity in this cruel world and I will not have you holding me back. One mistake and you could get us both killed."


    Tears sprung into her eyes at his harsh words but she remained silent. She couldn''t argue against his words but she just couldn''t do what he wanted her too. It was just...wrong.


    "...Despite everything you''ve gone through, you still have beliefs you cling to. You are a noble person. That is admirable," Rosan complimented.


    "How unfortunate, I don''t need a noble person."


    Maro felt her heart stop as she heard the cold declaration. "W-what? Master w-what do ya mean," she said as she nervously switched back into her old way of speaking.


    "I am Reaper, the Angel of Death, do you think the world calls me that because I simply look like a Shinigami? No, I am a killer. I hunt people down and I take their lives. How can you possibly expect to be the right hand of Death when you won''t even kill?" He wondered and his head tilted to the side.


    "You are useless to me, I don''t need you. A weapon who cannot strike down it''s Master''s foes, is not worthy of being called a weapon," he finished coldly.


    The bluenette felt her world stop as she heard that.


    Master¡­ didn''t¡­ need her? She was useless to him? I-If she was useless to him then¡­ wouldn''t he abandon her? Wouldn''t he leave her behind to the world she had lived in before?


    No. No no no no no. She didn''t want that. She didn''t want to go back to her previous life of constant hunger, hatred and loneliness. Master was supposed to give her something! This was that something?


    Yes, yes it was.


    "I¡­ I don''t wanna be useless to you Master¡­ I''ll do it," she said shakily and Rosan tilted his head at her.


    "Okay," was all he said and she gripped her dagger. Looking down at the fearful man, Maro felt her stomach crawling at what was about to happen but she quashed it.


    Master said this man would receive judgment and, as his right hand, it was her job to do so. It was either him or her and she would always choose herself over a random person.


    "Please don''t¡­," Jack said and she stopped what she was doing as the words reached her. The fear, the desperation, it was too much for her.


    The dagger clattered onto the floor.


    She really was useless. Master had been fine before, he did not need deadweight like her to hold him back and get him killed.


    Reaper stared blankly, not betraying any thoughts.


    "You are kind," he said before grabbing his long black and silver scythe and swinging down in a powerful arc.


    Maro watched in horror as the blade pierced Captain Jack with no effort and the man let out a strangled gargle. Blood splattered and some landed on the bluenette herself.


    She couldn''t help it. She turned and retched.


    Rosan looked utterly unfazed by what he had done.


    "Kind people do not make it far in the world," he said bluntly to the heaving bluenette. "You are my weapon yet, you have a set of values that contradict my own. That is unacceptable. As you are now, I have no use for you."


    "Discard your current values because they are not my own. You fight for me, you live for me, you kill for me. This is what it means to be my weapon. You exist for my sake. You are Grim, the right hand of Reaper."


    "If there is a next time, you will be killing the target." There was no room for argument and Maro, who had finished throwing up, nodded weakly.


    She would never disappoint her Master again. He was right, that man was scum of the Earth. He would not have hesitated to kill her yet she could not even kill him in return. People like that would take advantage of people like her. If he were not tied up, he would have absolutely struck Maro down.


    Maro was weak. And she absolutely hated that.


    Being weak was why her life had been nothing but hell. If she were strong, nobody on her island would have been able to cross her. If she were strong, who would stop her from taking what she wanted. If she were strong, she would not be hungry. She would not be homeless. She would not struggle to survive.


    She would not be useless to her Master.


    Rosan watched her with a blank gaze.


    What he had done was harsh, but it was necessary. This world was not one that favored those who were kind. The ones who stood on top of the world, the Celestial Dragons, were proof of this.


    If the world favored those who were kind, the Celestial Dragons would not have everything. They would not rule the world. Someone more deserving would.


    Someone like Meiko.


    But instead, Meiko, the kindest person, was dead and the Celestial Dragons were still alive.


    And Rosan was still alive.


    Maro was inherently kind. Rosan would never be able to fully curb a person''s nature and that was never his intention from the start. But, he would put a wall over it. Let her use that kindness to those who deserved it. That''s what he should have done with Meiko, even by force.


    He would not make that mistake again.


    "Come, you need to be bathed," Rosan said blandly and he picked up the girl.


    Maro did not resist.


    The two vanished, bodies left behind without a care.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Master¡­what happened?!" Angel asked as she looked at Maro in slight shock.


    The girl was a mess. She had tear streaks in her eyes and blood (Angel doubled checked and was relieved to find that it wasn''t hers) on her body. Not only that, it was clear the girl had been vomiting because she made no move to clean the remnants from around her mouth.


    "I was off showing Maro what she got herself into," Rosan told her bluntly and Angel''s mouth went into an O at that.


    "I guess she didn''t take it too well then?" The redheaded clone asked and Rosan nodded in confirmation.


    "She was unable to even kill a criminal I handpicked due to how irredeemable he was," Rosan said softly and Maro flinched terribly at the memory.


    Angel sighed as she saw the violent reaction from the girl. Right, not everyone was as exceptional as her Master. The 3 original inhabitants of the ship were used to killing. It never phased them because the people they killed deserved it.


    Rosan had been conditioned for 6 months to be a weapon for Kami''s sake!


    But, Rosan had never been normal and it was an oversight on their part to think everyone would be like them. The Mod Mod no mi user was always an oddity even before his capture on Daybreak.


    "So she''s not suited to being Grim?" Angel asked.


    "No, she is a liability and I don''t need liabilities."


    "What will you do now? Will you kick her off the ship?"


    "No!" That had been Maro who spoke up. "I-I don''t wanna go! Please let me stay, I-I c-c-can b-be useful!"


    They both looked at the terrified girl.


    "Just because you are useless to Reaper, does not mean I will kick you off," Rosan told the tiny girl. "You have nowhere to go, you may stay on the White Rose. Besides, you already know my name, how I look, and that I''m Reaper. It would be foolish to let you go."


    Maro felt her heart constrict. She was being allowed to stay on the ship out of some form of pity and for the fact that she knew secrets. She was not here on her own merits, she was here because leaving would only hurt Rosan in case she wanted revenge.


    Was this the limit of her existence? Being kept around due to knowing things that she could potentially leak?


    That was so pathetic.


    "Master¡­ I can, no I will be useful to ya," Maro said and that determined look that had intrigued Rosan in the first place was back. It was the look of a person who would do anything in their power to survive. It was the look that made the redhead decide to take her in the first place.


    "Even after seeing what is expected of you and being given an option to stop¡­you still wish to continue?" Rosan asked softly an he tilted his head.


    Without hesitation, Maro said, "Yes."


    Determined, burnt orange, eyes stared into empty, royal purple and blood red, eyes.


    "How admirable," Rosan said.


    "Okay, we will resume your training. Failure is not an option."


    "Yes Master! I won''t let ya down."


    Rosan nodded minutely and said "Now, go bathe."


    Maro looked at Angel who scoffed but nodded. Since teaching her, Angel had taken it upon herself to teach Maro the importance of self care and how to do it alone.


    Maro still hated bathing alone though and Angel refused to let Rosan (who didn''t really understand why) bathe with her. Though reluctant, the redheaded clone began bathing with her instead.


    Rosan knew she secretly enjoyed having another person to interact with. Demon had been hard at work with becoming a doctor and he was making such great progress that Angel didn''t want to frequently disturb him.


    His female clone could talk to him whenever she wanted but, Rosan was not the best to have a conversation with. Formerly, he used to be but things had changed.


    Maro was good for both Angel and Demon. They needed the distraction. The middle child of the Rosan trio bore an unnecessary amount of stress onto herself and the youngest was a rather gentle soul who enjoyed helping people. Rosan and Angel were not ones that needed help often but Maro did.


    It''s why he would have let her stay on his ship regardless of if she were Grim or not. It was his job as their leader to ensure that they were doing fine and he didn''t miss how Angel was warming up to the girl or how Demon was happy to actually be able to help someone and employ what he learned.


    "How does the failed weapon''s presence help you, Father?" Ram said curiously. The silver haired girl didn''t really like Maro. As of right now, she was a liability that could cause harm to her father if she faltered. She was a weapon with no edge and Maro would never approve of that being around Rosan.


    "It doesn''t help him," Mod said bluntly. "But, Rosan is trying to see if, in the future, it does."


    "He''s really making an effort to honor Meiko''s final wishes. I''m proud of you, Rosan," Mod said with a sad smile on her face.


    "Thank you Mod-chan," Rosan spoke quietly. "Even if she can''t be my weapon, maybe she will help unlock my emotions."


    He doubted it but he would try.


    "I see. In that case, I will honor Mother as well and maybe stop my hostility towards Maro," Ram said softly. "Besides, the look in her eyes tells me that she will become a suitable asset for you Master!"


    "I believe so too, Ram," Rosan agreed, as he thought about his prodigious but gentle student. She learned quickly, her skills were developing at a rapid pace and it wouldn''t be long before the redhead felt comfortable taking her on his trips.


    For now though, he would continue at the pace they were at currently. Maro would be strong if he had anything to say about it.


    He did say he would give her something didn''t he?


    That something was food right now. They needed to eat.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Maro ducked to avoid incoming fist and retaliated with an upward kick. She cursed as her leg was easily grabbed and she lost her balance. Before she could fall, she quickly palmed the floor to regain her footing and launched herself back.


    The 11 year old wasn''t even able to capture her breath because the moment her feet hit the floor, her target appeared directly in front of her. She gasped in shock and hastily threw a punch that was effortlessly blocked. A returning punch in her gut stopped all thoughts of continuing the fight.


    The bluenette collapsed onto the floor and coughed harshly at the blow.


    Master was a monster. That hadn''t even been his full power and she couldn''t keep up at all.


    It''s not like she was weak either. Master had been ruthlessly training her for months now and it was working wonders for her.


    No longer was she extremely malnourished. Though she was still skinny, the girl''s body had begun filling out due to the diet Rosan had supplied her with. She was beginning to look fit for her age and her muscles were developing nicely on her slim body.


    Her fair skin was clear of dirt and practically glowed and she had cut her azure blue hair to chin level with bangs that covered the left side of her face, stopping right above her left eye so as to not block her vision, (it was easier to manage like this). She was wearing a white sports bra and equally white leggings, courtesy of Angel. Her stance was a lot more confident now and her burnt orange eyes looked far more mesmerizing on her improved body.


    Angel had actually complemented how she looked! "Cute," she had said and that left Maro blushing in happiness for 10 minutes.


    She didn''t feel very cute right now though.


    "You are improving," Rosan said softly as he relaxed his muscles. The 12 year old was dressed in a red tank top with some black gym shorts on and all his accessories in the correct place.


    He was not even breathing hard. Her master had too much energy.


    "Don''t feel too down," Angel said. "You couldn''t expect to match Master so soon. He''s very strong and you''re only just starting!"


    Demon nodded in agreement as he handed her some water while rubbing her back. "Master calls himself a monster for a reason. His strength is absurd even without Master Mod."


    Maro greedily drank the water offered to her. "Thank ya," she said before cursing at Angel''s glare. She couldn''t help slipping into her former speech especially when she was tired!


    Then a thought suddenly occurred. "Master?" she called looking at the oldest one there.


    "Yes?" he replied.


    "Who''s Master Mod?" Maro asked curiously.


    Oh, right. Maro didn''t even know what his Devil Fruit was. Did the girl even know what a Devil Fruit was?


    "One of them things ya eat that gives powers, yea?" She asked and Rosan nodded.


    "I knew ya had one but I didn''t know much else," she said.


    Rosan hummed at that and Maro liked how pleasant it sounded.


    "Mod-chan?"


    "You can tell her, she should know everything about your abilities if she is to be your partner," Mod replied.


    "Okay."


    "Mod-chan is my partner," Rosan began and then he explained the abilities of the Mod Mod no mi fruit to her and who Mod-chan was. Maro''s eyes were wide in interest the entire time he told her about it.


    "That''s amazin Master! I didn''t know ya had such a useful ability!"


    The bluenette was fascinated. She had no clue Devil Fruits could grant such unique powers. No one had ever bothered telling her about the illusive fruits before so she had only heard about them in passing.


    To know her Master had such a strong one¡­


    "Can I meet her, Master Mod I mean?" Maro asked in excitement.


    Rosan thought about just letting Mod-chan take over his body, but his student probably wanted to personally meet her.


    "Objections?"


    "None," Mod said, a little surprised that someone was so eager to meet her.


    "Then I have none either," Ram said simply.


    Right, Ram didn''t like Maro. Not until she was able to prove her worth at least.


    "Okay," Rosan said and he extended his hand for Maro to grab. The girl, getting the hint, grabbed it in confusion.


    "It''s best to close your eyes the first time," Rosan suggested and Maro acquiesced.


    Maro noticed Rosan''s dead eyes glowing and the boy said "Modification, Link: Users Rosan, Maro."


    The bluenette''s confusion morphed into shock as a wave of dizziness hit her. It was such a bizarre sensation and Maro had no clue how to properly describe what was happening to her. The best way to explain it was that she was moving while being completely still.


    At least it wasn''t as bad as Rosan''s pocket dimension. How the boy moved like nothing was wrong with that place, was beyond her. She had been left violently shivering the first time they entered it and the redhead had been forced to pick her up and move her.


    The sensation finally stopped and Maro was once again confused. The reason why was because the girl was trying to process the reasoning for it suddenly being so unbelievably cold.


    The girl hesitantly opened her eyes and gasped at the tragically beautiful sight before her.


    It was a forest but, unlike standard forests, there was no green. Everything was white due to the combination of ice and snow and even the trees were frozen. It was snowing and Maro had to wonder just where they were.


    It was hauntingly beautiful but looking at it, filled the bluenette with no joy.


    "This is my mindscape, it is a representation of who I am as a person," her Master''s voice suddenly said and she looked towards the boy who was just as under dressed as her but, seemingly unaffected by the cold.


    "Why a-a-aren''t ya c-cold?" Maro asked, teeth chattering as she shivered.


    "Modification regulates my body depending on the weather to shield me from its effects," Rosan explained.


    Rosan''s Devil Fruit was amazing.


    "Thank you, now follow."


    The bluenette followed after the retreating boys back in curiosity. At one point, they had to stop because she was shivering so much and Rosan, without looking back, placed a jacket onto her.


    She looked in awe as it suddenly materialized and she thanked her Master, who just waved her off, and said "It was delaying us, that''s all."


    The two eventually arrived to a large, hot pink, house with vegetation that, was growing despite the cold, and a scarce amount of trees surrounding it. The white door was shut tightly and the floor wasn''t as icy as other parts of the forest.


    Before they could even approach the house, the door burst open and a figure rocketed out. Maro went stiff on instinct, but the figure ignored her completely and jumped on Rosan. The boy had clearly been expecting this because he didn''t even get pushed back from the force.


    Maro was about to help her Master, but she stopped when she noticed that the unknown figure was¡­nuzzling him?


    "Father~," the figure gushed and Rosan wrapped his arms around the now identified girl.


    She was the same height and had the same skin tone as Rosan with long, wavy silver hair, styled into twintails, that had dark purple streaks running through them. The tips of said silver hair were dipped into more purple and gave the girl a rather exotic appearance. She had full lips, long eyelashes, a button nose, and the most intriguing eyes Maro had ever seen!


    The combination of red and purple in her eyes reminded her of Master Rosan!


    She was wearing a black and purple Spanish-style double breasted coat that extended past her knees and stopped just above her boots.


    The girl was as pretty as Angel! She looked like some sort of combat royalty princess and Maro found herself gaping at the close proximity between her and Rosan.


    "Greetings, Ram," Rosan greeted and the girl purred as he rubbed her back.


    "I missed you, Father!" She exclaimed.


    "You saw me yesterday."


    "I know~."


    Maro sweatdropped at their reaction and Ram seemed to finally noticed her because her expression turned serious in an instance and it almost looked as if she were glowering at her. Those mixed eyes of hers were narrowed and her pretty face was rather unamused.


    Seriously, why did everyone on the ship have a problem with her?


    "Ram," Another voice, more mature then anyone on the ship, called and the one known as Ram, instantly morphed back into happiness. She nuzzled into Rosan, who just accepted it with that same blank expression of his.


    The bluenette looked towards the source of the voice and felt her jaw drop. Standing before her, had to have been the prettiest woman she had ever seen!


    Tall, just a little taller then Angel, with a curvy figure and perfectly lustrous hair, the figure before her was stunning. Her skin was a bronze hue that was only a little lighter then Rosan''s with full, pouty lips and sharp blood red eyes eerily similar to Rosan''s left eye. She had long purple hair, styled into a hime cut, that stopped right above her butt and a long black dress streaked with white.


    Upon further inspection, she saw that there was some sort of cube design thing on her chest.


    Maro was left blushing as she realized that she had been unintentionally staring at the woman''s boobs.


    She was downright gorgeous.


    "Why is everyone on this ship so damn attractive?" She thought to herself. Angel, Demon, Rosan, Maro and this mysterious woman (who had to be Mod-chan) were all lookers.


    "Because their appearances are based on me," Rosan said bluntly. Maro snapped to attention as she heard that and the realization hit her that they had heard all of her thoughts.


    Ram had a smug smile on her pretty face and practically preened at the, obvious to her, compliments.


    "Of course we''re all attractive! Have you seen Father? He''s been good looking since he was a baby!" She spoke like it was the most obvious thing in the world and, though she looked the least like Rosan, she was still very attractive in Maro''s eyes.


    The woman, who had to have been Mod-chan, blushed slightly and said "Thank you for the compliment Maro. Rosan has told me multiple times but it''s nice to hear an outside source confirm it."


    This woman was trying to make Maro fall in love with her.


    Mod blushed deeper and Maro realized that she could still be heard.


    "I-I u-uh s-sorry bout that¡­ I u-uh didn''t mean for ya to hear that." Maro felt like she was about to combust on the spot. This was so embarrassing. She held her head in her palms and moaned miserably.


    Ram was laughing wildly as she clung onto Rosan, who just watched the entire exchange. No doubt he would have joined in on the teasing if he could.


    Mod cleared her throat to move the topic forward and Maro mentally thanked the lady. Ram instantly stopped laughing when the woman shot her a glare and the silver haired girl cowered behind Master.


    Maro decided right then and there that Mod was up with Demon as her favorite people on the ship.


    "I appreciate that Maro," Mod said with a kind smile on her face. "I''m Modification, or Mod for short. It''s nice to meet you," she held out her hand and Maro hastily went to shake it.


    "That''s Ram," Mod informed her as she pointed towards the silver haired girl. Said girl stuck her tongue out at Maro. "Forgive her, she is Rosan''s weapon and she is not that fond of you."


    Maro shot her a questioning glance for both of the things she said and Mod was kind enough to answer her.


    "The ring you''ve seen Rosan use, the one that can transform into any weapon, that''s Ram. Rosan created her because he wanted a flexible weapon that fit his fighting style. As for her not being fond of you¡­ well Rosan is turning you into a weapon as well and you aren''t doing a very good job," she explained making Maro remember the exact moment she was probably talking about.


    "Father doesn''t need deadweight like you helping him. You''ll only get him injured or worse," Ram growled and Maro flinched at the acidity in her tone.


    "So far, you''ve proven to be a failure of a weapon and, a weapon who can''t do their job correctly, is a weapon better off destroyed."


    Not even Angel was this mean to her. Maro nervously stepped closer to Mod at the look in the weapon''s unique eyes. Her words were incredibly cruel and the bluenette didn''t like how much they affected her.


    Her tone was different then Rosan''s. Maro knew now, after spending time with him and from Angel, that Rosan just spoke what was on his mind and due to not having any emotions, he saw no need to censor what he said. The boy was practically a robot.


    Ram was different. Her words were just as much of a weapon as the ones she could morph into. The ring truly didn''t think she was useful at all and saw no purpose in her being here and she spoke with enough venom for Maro to know that she was trying to hurt her.


    Maro did not want to be left alone with this girl.


    "Ram," Mod chastised "I thought you said you would stop your hostility."


    Ram scowled and her mixed eyes were narrowed. "That''s before I knew I''d have to meet her face to face. Father I don''t think you need someone like her supporting you," she declared, looking at Rosan.


    The 3 looked at the boy, who''s expression had not once shifted, and waited to hear what he had to say.


    "Everyone fails at least once, Ram," Rosan eventually said. "It''s what makes a person human. I have failed my fair share of times and I''ve lost everything as a result."


    Their eyes wavered as guilt crept into them.


    "To condemn Maro because she failed once, especially after she made the resolve to continue down this path, would make me a hypocrite," Rosan informed the silver haired girl.


    Maro felt her heart flutter at the boys words and she felt a newfound loyalty stirring inside of her.


    "Rosan, Mod, Ram¡­ I will become a weapon worthy of being your partner. Worthy of being acknowledged by all of you. You 3 may reject how useful I am now but, I will become your best supporter yet. That is a promise."


    Maro felt fired up and her orange eyes were practically shining in determination. Distantly, she realized this was the only reason she was alive. She fought so hard to survive solely because the world rejected her existence.


    These 3 were doing it right now. That was unacceptable.


    "So petty," Mod said, with a smile on her face as she proudly looked at the girl who finally stood up for herself.


    "I like that look in your eyes! It''s the look of someone who will be useful to Father!" The gleam in Ram''s eyes was psychotic and she grinned wildly, sharp canines on full display.


    "I believe you," Rosan said making her eyes widen in shock. "That determination is the same look you had when you told me your reason for living. You will become a valuable asset and I''ll help you get to that."


    Maro felt tears well into her eyes at their words. They¡­ they believed in her? No one had ever believed in her.


    No, that wasn''t true. From the moment he had given her a purpose, Rosan had believed in her. The first person to ever believe in her had been believing since they had met. She had just not seen the obvious.


    The orange eyed girl locked eyes with the heterochromatic boy and she felt her loyalty spike.


    She would not let him down. Maro would do everything in her power to become strong.


    For him.


    "Master," she called, sounding more confident then she had ever sounded.


    "Yes?" Rosan replied with a tilted head.


    "I want a Devil Fruit," she claimed.


    The thought had been lingering in the back of her mind since Rosan had introduced the fruit to her but now, seeing how useful his own was, Maro wanted one that she could call her own.


    Mod''s delicate purple brow was raised in surprise and Ram''s grin was blinding.


    Rosan stared at her for a moment with his head still tilted. Eventually the boy said "Okay," which left her grinning happily.


    "I have just the one for you."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Misadventures of Robin and Rosan ¨C 8


    Robin and Rosan are 10 and 6 respectively.


    Robin gets captured by a crew she infiltrates and Rosan goes to save her.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    This crew was more paranoid then Robin could ever imagine. Her being tied up and bruised was a testament to that.


    It was a lapse in judgment on her part and one she paid dearly for.


    The girl struggled in her bindings to no avail. She was currently being suppressed by seastone so her abilities were out of the question. She was completely trapped.


    Just great. How did they even get their hands on seastone? If she knew they had it, she wouldn''t have bothered infiltrating them.


    "Still struggling eh?" One goon laughed at her and she stared neutrally at him, refusing to show emotion. He didn''t appreciate that because a slap greeted her right cheek and she collapsed onto the floor.


    "You probably think you''re so smart, bitch," he snarled at the fallen girl. "Captain had you all figured out. He knew there was something fishy about you and so we went ahead and captured ya."


    Despite the sting in her cheek, Robin had retained her previous expression and leveled the man with an even stare. "I have not even done anything and you immediately capture me? I didn''t imagine you''d be so afraid of a little girl," she remarked and flinched as he slapped her again.


    "Shut your fucking mouth," he growled out and he looked like he was about to strike her again but a banging on the door, telling him lunch was ready, stopped him. He glared at her one last time before exiting the room, leaving Robin by her lonesome.


    The girl let out a pained sigh at the bruises and she closed her eyes.


    She missed Rosan.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    The connection between him and Robin had been abruptly cut.


    There was only one thing that would cause that.


    Seastone.


    Robin-nee had been captured.


    Robin-nee had been captured because of a plan that he made.


    Robin-nee had trusted him with the plan and because of it, she was captured.


    Rosan was going to make whoever did this pay.


    "For once, I agree with you. How dare they touch Robin," Mod scowled in barely contained fury.


    Rosan said nothing and that was worrying enough. Rosan always had something to say. It was in the redhead''s nature.


    As they approached the ship she was captured on, Rosan placed his disguise on and prepared for combat. It was nighttime and his ship was being hidden well in the darkness. There was also the fact that it was camouflaged and most of the members were probably sound asleep barring their scout.


    There would be hell to pay.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Robin was awoken rather abruptly as someone gently shook her.


    She was tempted to ignore it but the hands were much too small to be a crew member. They also felt very familiar.


    The brunette opened her blue eyes and was greeted by darkness and a purple glow.


    The 10 year old couldn''t help the smile that reached her face. "Rosan?" she whispered and the 6 year old nodded his head before removing his hoodie to show her his adorable face.


    Robin could have kissed him at that moment! She was so relieved to see him.


    Rosan began working on removing her bindings and Robin chose that moment to start questioning him.


    "Crew?"


    "Sleeping. One was awake, but I threw him overboard."


    "Noise?"


    "None. Snuck in. They don''t know I''m here¡­ Yet."


    "Are you okay?"


    "...Are you okay?"


    "I''m doing better now that you''re here."


    "¡­"


    Rosan undid her ropes and paused as he saw her handcuffs. The boy tilted his head before he rummaged around for something. He pulled a simple nail out and modified it into a key.


    The handcuffs clicked open and Robin let out a breath as the effects wore off.


    "Welcome back, Robin," Mod said warmly as their connection was reestablished.


    Robin smiled in relief. She didn''t like not being connected to Rosan. It left her with her own thoughts and those thoughts never made her feel good.


    "Thank you Mod-chan," she replied.


    "Back where you belong," Rosan said and she rolled her eyes at how possessive he was.


    She gratefully grabbed the boys hands and he hauled her up. The girl couldn''t help but wince as she stood up and of course, Rosan did not miss it.


    His bright purple eyes suddenly roamed her entire body and Robin paused as he grabbed her chin and inspected her face.


    The look of sheer hatred in his eyes terrified her.


    "Did¡­ did they do this to you?" Rosan asked and his voice was so quiet that Robin struggled to hear.


    "...Yes they did," she eventually answered. There was no point lying to him. The child was amazing at detecting lies and it''s not like she wanted to protect the crew. She was just afraid of his reaction after she did say yes.


    The boys expression turned hauntingly cold and he simply said "I see."


    "Wait here."


    Robin could do nothing but obey the order. She sat in the seat her captive had been sitting in and collapsed.


    She distantly realized that she was shivering and stopped it immediately. The Hana Hana no mi user would never be afraid of her dear Rosan. It was just¡­ at that moment he had actually scared her. The look in his glowing eyes had terrified her and she wasn''t sure if it was just the night sky but, his sclera had looked black.


    A child should not be that scary. Especially not one as adorable as Rosan.


    The sounds of combat began soon enough. There was screaming, flesh hitting flesh, people begging for mercy and then silence.


    Robin finally regained enough energy and made her way out of the room. What she saw, left her mouth open.


    Rosan was standing there with a litter of bodies surrounding him, all unconscious.


    The boy looked utterly serene, hoodie down, and looked as if he had not just taken an entire crew on by himself.


    He detected her and turned towards her. "Robin-nee," he called and she felt herself straighten up at his tone.


    "Tell me which one hurt you."


    It didn''t take her long to find the culprit. He had a shaggy beard with messy black hair.


    "I-it was him," Robin said shakily, pointing a finger at him.


    Rosan''s cold eyes turned into hatred so quickly it left Robin reeling. The redhead marched over to the man''s body and ruthlessly slapped him awake. He let out a startled yelp and instantly shut up as he saw said hatred.


    "You think you can put your hands on my Robin-nee and get away with," Rosan snarled. "I''ll make you regret the day you even looked at her," the boy finished before extending his hand and cupping the man''s face.


    "Modify: Sensitivity," he intoned and nothing happened outwardly.


    Robin didn''t even know Rosan could modify something like your sensitivity. That was utterly terrifying and could easily win him a battle if he upped it against a person unused to pain.


    Like he did now.


    Rosan withdrew his left hand, before morphing it into a fist and slamming it into her captives left cheek.


    The agonized shriek he let out would be embedded into Robin''s mind for a while. The man sounded as if he were being killed and Robin knew that if his sensitivity really had been upped, it was very likely that it was what he felt.


    Rosan didn''t even flinch at the scream. The redhead repeated the process with his other fist and slammed it into his right cheek this time. He repeated this process with his left hand again and then did the same with his right.


    The man wailed in agony and began to plead for mercy.


    "Oh dear," Mod said but she didn''t sound disappointed.


    The brunette watched Rosan repeatedly whale away at the man who''s screaming only got louder and louder before it cracked. Only when he finally blacked out, did Rosan stop his brutal assault.


    The boy picked the offender up and threw him into the ocean.


    Rosan looked around at the discarded bodies and repeated the process.


    Soon, he was done and he made his way over to Robin. The anger from his eyes had vanished and as he looked at her, they morphed into something far more caring.


    He pulled her into a hug and said "I''m sorry for scaring you."


    Of course he knew. Nothing got past this boy.


    Her eyes softened as she heard him apologize and she, without hesitation, hugged him back. "It''s okay Rosan, it just caught me off guard."


    She had never seen him so angry. Robin had no clue Rosan''s mean streak went this far. The boy had turned downright murderous after seeing the bruises on her skin and the sounds of the crew, as she was recovering, were ones of pure agony.


    It was scary but¡­ it''s not like the anger was directed towards her.


    No, the anger was because of what happened to her. Someone had gotten angry on her behalf¡­


    Robin was touched and she hugged Rosan tighter.


    Rosan was scary, but not to her.


    No, Rosan would never scare her.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Character Sheet: Maro


    Name: Maro


    Alias: Grim


    Age: 11


    Gender: Female


    Summary: Born on an island in the North Blue. Maro is an orphan who has been struggling to survive since she could speak. Seemingly hated by everyone on her home island, the girl spites them by continuing to live despite their wishes. This determination to prove the ones who hate her wrong, has piqued the interest of Portgas D. Rosan and the boy decided to take her onto the ship so that he could train her. She works hard to prove herself as Reaper''s partner, Grim.


    Appearance: Fair skin with varying outfits supplied to her by Angel. Normally white in some way (due to being Angel''s favorite color).


    Height: 4''8 (142 cm)


    Hair: Silky, azure blue hair that''s chin level with bangs that cover the left side of her face, stopping right above her left eye so as to not block her vision.


    Eyes: Burnt orange.


    Likes: Demon, Mod, Angel, Rosan, Food, Sleeping, and being useful.


    Dislikes: Hunger, being left alone, being useless, people who deny her existence.

 The Angels Demon

    A body slammed into the wall with crushing force and the victim crumpled. She took a deep breath before focusing her attention on the next target. It was easy to crush them like this. They were of no challenge to her.


    "S-so the rumors were true?! Reaper really does have a partner now?" A panicked voice asked. This couldn''t be happening! Just the Angel of Death was bad enough and now there was another one? The Angel''s Demon was real?!


    "Yes, b-b-boss! We thought our eyes were playing tricks b-but there''s another one and t-they have on w-white instead of black ¡ª GAH!" The voice was cut off as he was bludgeoned in the skull by a club.


    "White instead of black?" An amused voice, sounding as androgynous Reaper but much different, asked causing the bandit to fearfully glance at the source. Standing there, in all their glory, was exactly what his subordinate had been so terrified about.


    Just like he described, they were dressed almost exactly like the infamous Reaper but instead, their colors were inverted. They wore a predominantly white cloak with black streaks all over. The sleeves were tinged with black and so was the hoodie and the bottom of the cloak.


    All in all, it simply looked as if Reaper had decided to swap outfits, removed his wings, and replaced them with blue flames.


    "You must be talking about me~," They finished cheerfully and held up that gigantic club. The captain tried to back away, but a presence behind, stopped him in his tracks.


    "Finished, Grim?" A hauntingly cold voice called and he paled as he knew exactly who it was. Everyone always mentioned how¡­vacantly the figure spoke. As if they weren''t fully there. Like they were on a different realm then the people they hunted.


    "Yea I''m done, Reaper!" The now identified Grim answered cheerfully and the contrast between her tone and Reaper were night and day.


    It was all the more terrifying.


    "Bandit Dan," Reaper said as greeting and the terrified leader hesitantly turned to face the Angel of Death.


    "We''ve already dealt with your crew so that leaves just you left!" Grim sounded way too amused at his situation. It was clear that the Angel''s Demon was not taking this serious whatsoever.


    "Do you have any last wish?" The obsidian winged Angel asked politely. They made no move to attack yet, as if they were actually going to wait for the person to tell


    "I dunno why you still do this, they never take you up on your offer," Grim chimed in, now speaking to their partner.


    "It''s a courtesy that I like to see through," was all Reaper said.


    Predictably, Dan tried to make a run for it by running past the smaller (though much taller) threat that was Grim. Reaper''s reputation was too fearsome for him to ever attempt going past the Angel.


    "They always run my way," Grim grumbled, letting Dan run past without much trouble.


    He didn''t make it very far because the white clad figure waved their giant club and a giant wall of blue flame cut him off.


    The man tried hard to find an exit, but he realized that he was completely trapped with two monsters eyeing him as if he were nothing more than a insect. Dan contemplated running through the flames, but there was something off about them and he just knew he wouldn''t be able to survive.


    "Oh? You got good survival instincts," Grim said, sounding proud despite the fact that they were trying to kill him. "Most people try to run through that and don''t even have time to regret their decision. Something about gigantic blue flames don''t seem to set off their warning bells!"


    Dan felt something snap at how smug the white clad bounty hunter acted towards him. He let out a furious roar and charged Grim, who had not moved an inch from their spot.


    Reaper stared at him with a tilted head as they watched the man lose his sanity. They were content to just stand there and let their partner handle the criminal.


    Before he could even plan an attack, Grim grabbed their club and smashed it into the mans face sending him flying into the blue flames. He lost consciousness on impact and didn''t even let out a groan of pain


    "Oh wait, we need him to be recognizable," Grim gasped in realization. They banished the flames right before Dan flew into them and the man crashed into a wall instead with a sickening THUD.


    "Are we done?" The Angel''s Demon asked and Reaper nodded in response.


    Letting out a sigh of relief, 12 year old Maro put down her hoodie, removed her white mask, and took a deep breath. Her long canines shortened dramatically, though they were still rather sharp, and her green skin reverted back to its fair color. Her long, wild hair, went back to its original chin level and it''s pure white color went back to azure blue with white streaks.


    "You''ve gotten much better at using your Devil Fruit," Rosan commented idly as he went to go pick up Dan''s battered body.


    Maro beamed in excitement at his praise and did a happy little dance. "I''m glad you trusted me enough to give me such a strong ability, Master! I hope I haven''t disappointed you yet," she gushed and she rushed to glomp the cloaked 13 year old.


    Rosan accepted it and wrapped an arm around the strong girl with practiced ease. "On the contrary, you''ve done nothing but impress me since your declaration a few months ago," he said calmly.


    The bluenette grinned up at him as she remembered their conversation.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Flashback


    "Master," she called sounding more confident then she had ever sounded.


    "Yes?" Rosan replied with a tilted head.


    "I want a Devil Fruit," she claimed.


    The thought had been lingering in the back of her mind since Rosan had introduced the concept of the fruits to her but now, seeing how useful his own was, Maro wanted one that would she could call her own.


    Mod''s delicate purple brow was raised in surprise and Ram''s grin was savage.


    Rosan stared at her for a moment with his head still tilted. Eventually, the boy said "Okay," which left her grinning happily.


    "I have just the one for you."


    The two left Rosan''s mindscape with some simple goodbyes (Maro stuttering nonstop around a clearly amused Mod while Ram laughed uncontrollably) and they were back on the ship.


    When Maro awoke, she saw that she was hugging Rosan''s, now equally awake, body and she embarrassingly removed herself from his grasp.


    "S-sorry Master, didn''t mean to hug up on ya like that," she mumbled and Rosan just waved her off.


    "Think nothing of it, now let''s go."


    She raised a brow in confusion at that. "Y-you already have a Devil Fruit for me?"


    "Yes, I stole it when I was 11 from someone named Joker and I haven''t done anything with it," Rosan explained as he told her about the event that caused him to get it.


    He was flying one day, when he had spotted another suspicious ship that looked heavily guarded. Naturally, that only made the 11 year old more curious about its contents so he decided to check it out.


    The redhead would have certainly had trouble dealing with all those people (they looked much stronger then the last ship he raided) and so, Rosan decided that, for the sake of being an ass, he would terrorize this ship.


    Unfairly.


    Rosan wasn''t normally one to use unfair techniques. His goal was to be the strongest and as such, techniques that ended the battle without him learning anything, defeated the purpose of that goal.


    When the redhead was fighting a strong opponent, techniques that could instantly end the fight were a no go. He wanted to win with a combination of Modification and his own strength.


    But for the sake of trolling?


    Absolutely.


    The boy camouflaged himself and angled his flight downward towards the ship, already having a plan in mind. He only needed one person alive, the others could drop dead for all he cared and that''s what was going to happen to them. As he neared he listened in to see if he could glean some information from them.


    He was not disappointed.


    "Joker-sama will be so pleased at the unexpected development!" Grunt 1 said to his ally, with an excited grin on his face.


    Joker again? Now Rosan just had to do it. He didn''t know who this Joker was, but this must have been fate if he found another shipment from the person.


    The masked boy grinned mischievously. He was definitely going follow through with his plan now if it meant antagonizing a familiar name.


    "There''s no way we won''t get a raise for this discovery!" Grunt 2 said in equal fervor. "I mean, we managed to find a fucking Devil Fruit! In the Blue Seas! The chances of that happening are super low!"


    Poor idiots, speaking so freely. They were just cementing Rosan''s plan of raiding the ship. If only he weren''t a flying Shinigami that could camouflage himself. They would have been able to get away with this! How unfortunate that someone as great as him existed!


    Besides the Mod Mod no mi, Rosan had yet to see an actual Devil Fruit. The chance to see (and steal!) one was far to tempting and any doubts the 11 year old had at raiding the ship (as if there were any), were wiped away.


    "Modify: State."


    The crew lazing about on the ship were confused to find that they suddenly could not move anymore.


    That confusion turned into shock as someone''s head suddenly got lobbed off without prompt.


    That shock turned into dread as the Angel of Death suddenly materialized from thin air.


    That dread turned into fear as he began mercilessly slaughtering everyone on the ship without any prompting. He flew from person to person with astounding speed and they tried to defend themselves, but the floor gluing them down prevented them from even being able to do that.


    Rosan snorted at their inability to do anything. If they were smarter they''d have taken their shoes off... Not that it would help. The entire ship floor had been modified into a sticky adhesive and no part was left untouched. They''d need to be able to fly to escape and well, something told him they couldn''t do that.


    They were caught in a perfect little spider web with no way out.


    A fact that Rosan abused ruthlessly.


    The Shinigami removed the head of all but one person. The reason he had chosen this one particular person, was because they had done the most intelligent thing on the ship and pulled out a Den Den Mushi.


    Rosan would have stopped it, but he didn''t want to and he had already dialed it up anyways. The snail was now ringing with a purururu as it waited for the other person to pick up.


    "J-Joker-sama?" The grunt said fearfully as he eyed the suddenly still Reaper staring at him.


    "What is it?" The voice demanded, sounding amused.


    "W-w-we''ve r-r-run into an issue w-with the s-shipment," he stammered.


    "An issue?" Despite how amused he sounded, the underlying threat in his tone was not missed and the grunt paled dramatically.


    Rosan took that chance to snatch the snail out of the cowering man''s hand.


    "Greetings, you must be Joker," Rosan said softly. His voice betrayed nothing (not that it ever did when he was Reaper) as he spoke to the underground broker but internally the redhead was grinning.


    "Who is this?" Joker asked.


    "I-It''s Reaper, Joker-sama!" The grunt replied helpfully, only to scream in agony as a scythe buried it''s way into his stomach.


    "Quiet grunt. The important people are talking so you can just stand there and look pretty," Rosan said cruelly.


    Joker let out a laugh despite the situation his subordinate seemed to be in.


    "So you''re Reaper," he said in amusement. "I don''t pay much attention to what goes on in the Blue Seas, but from what I''ve heard, you''re quite the big fish in a small sea..."


    "...After hearing you speak, I''ve decided that I quite like you," Joker said and Rosan saw that the Den Den Mushi was grinning.


    He wasn''t taking the situation serious at all and that meant he didn''t take Reaper serious at all. The redhead could tell that whoever Joker was, he was quite powerful. If they engaged in a fight, the Angel of Death would almost certainly lose and be forced to flee, lest he die.


    The Grand Line was full of powerful people it seemed.


    How exciting.


    "You flatter me with your words. Unfortunately, I don''t think you''ll be liking me very soon," Rosan said. While conversing with the unknown man, the redhead had been searching for the most interesting item on the ship.


    "Oh? And why''s that?" The man over the line asked. "If I remember right, nothing on that ship is of great importance to me," Joker finished in full confidence.


    The boy smiled triumphantly as he found a locked box beneath the ship.


    Modifying the lock away, Rosan opened the, now unlocked, box and grabbed the object in there.


    It was a green circular fruit, that resembled a melon, with white swirls and an equally white stem. Rosan wracked his brain as he identified the Devil Fruit.


    He had read and absorbed the contents of a Devil Fruit encyclopedia a while ago, in case he ever ran into one of the fruits, so it didn''t take him very long to identify it.


    The boy actually grinned in excitement at his discovery.


    "Not only did your minions find a Devil Fruit that they wanted to hand over to you ¡ª," Rosan said getting a raised brow from the Den Den Mushi. Joker was clearly curious but he still seemed at total ease with the situation.


    It''s not as if he cared that much about just one Devil Fruit.


    "¡ªIt''s a Mythical Zoan of all fruits. Aren''t I just the luckiest to find and own the rarest type of Devil Fruit. Maybe if they knew it was a Mythical, they wouldn''t have tried to surprise you and just told you immediately so you could personally come retrieve it," he finished and it was his turn to sound amused.


    There was a silence on the other line. The Den Den Mushi was no longer grinning as he digested the information.


    Then, a litter of veins appeared on its head and it grinned again but this time, Rosan could clearly sense his annoyance.


    "You''re playing a dangerous game, Reaper," he laughed in thinly veined annoyance. "If you know what''s good for you, you''ll give me that Mythical and I''ll allow you to join me. I do still think you''re interesting after all."


    Joker couldn''t care less about some random Devil Fruit. But Mythical Zoan''s were not just some random fruit. There was a reason they were classified as the rarest type of fruit. The abilities they granted to the user were perhaps the best of all Devil Fruits.


    Marco the Phoenix was a prime example of how powerful a Mythical Zoan was.


    "Join? Now why would I do that?" Rosan asked, voice still tinged in amusement.


    "You don''t want to have me as an enemy," the unknown man promised, as his agitation steadily grew to levels of anger.


    "I think I''ve been an enemy since that first shipment I destroyed in this same sea. You''re welcome by the way, I bet you were wondering who did that," the redhead supplied helpfully.


    Another silence flooded the area.


    "That was you?" the smile was gone now and the veins deepened.


    "Joker¡­ you seem to be a little upset. Is something the matter? Would you like to talk about it? I''m all ears."


    "Pray that we never meet Reaper."


    "Oh we won''t. Not yet at least. I have no illusions on what will happen to me but, when we do meet, I won''t be the one that''s praying," Rosan promised with a wild grin despite his calm tone.


    "I wonder how you''ll feel, on your knees, praying to an Angel of Death."


    Not letting Joker answer, Rosan shut the connection.


    Elsewhere, Donquixote Doflamingo looked at the sleeping Den Den Mushi with a litter of veins on his head. He was grinning so widely but despite that, anyone watching him knew he was very displeased.


    "Doffy?" Trebol called, being the only one brave enough to speak up at the moment.


    Doflamingo ignored him however and just kept staring at the snail. Eventually, he spoke.


    "Reaper," Doffy grit out through his teeth. "I''ll be keeping a close eye on you. If you ever make it into the Grand Line, I''ll be the one to personally take out the so called Shinigami."


    A blast of Conquerors Haki washed over everyone there as the Heavenly Demon made his declaration to the Angel of Death.


    Rosan looked terribly amused at the interaction he just had. It was going to be an interesting game of Chicken. Neither he nor Joker knew of each other''s identity and it would likely remain that way for a while.


    The redhead had no plans of going to the Grand Line at the moment and, if Joker personally came for him, he wouldn''t be able to capture the elusive Shinigami. The 11 year old also had the added benefit of being able to travel between the 4 Blue Seas with ease. Not much could claim to be able to do that.


    The redhead was the one with the advantage here. If Joker did show himself, then right before Rosan escaped, he''d be able to identify the mysterious person. Then, he would get stronger and stronger and when he felt sufficiently powerful, he would personally hunt the underground broker down until he made them pray to him.


    Only after that, would Rosan would deal with him accordingly.


    For now though, he would take his hard earned Devil Fruit (heh) and store it in his Pocket Dimension. The boy had no clue what he''d do with the Devil Fruit, but he didn''t plan on selling a Mythical Zoan of all things.


    They were the rarest Devil Fruit. It would be much better for him to just hold on to it for future use. Maybe if it were a normal Zoan or a Paramecia (he wouldn''t sell a Logia either) but this was special.


    No, he would definitely be keeping it.


    "Only you would willingly agitate a powerful enemy who you have no chance of beating," Mod said fondly as she shook her head.


    "No chance of beating yet," Rosan corrected with a cheeky grin as he transferred everything else on the ship into his dimension. Aiko could have them, Rosan had no use for them and he had already gotten what he wanted from this trip.


    Finished with his job, he flew upwards until he hovered steadily above the ship. He contemplated the ship''s fate before quickly coming to a decision.


    His cheeky grin turned into a much more savage one, as his dual eyes turned into slits and he began growing larger and larger.


    When in doubt, use Ragnarok.


    No evidence left behind after all just in case his newest enemy personally came to check up on it. He hoped Joker had a lot more of these ships because this one was about to disappear.


    With that, Rosan obliterated the entire ship and sunk it to the bottom of the ocean.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Maro listened to his story in awe.


    "This Joker fella¡­he sounds really strong. Can you beat him now?" She asked curiously.


    "No, probably not." Rosan replied honestly. "I''m sure he''s keeping tabs on what I''m doing now and if he personally comes after and catches me, then I will die. I haven''t heard or seen any of his ships since our conversation a year ago though."


    Maro nodded, a bit fearfully, at that information.


    So Master, had a very strong person looking to kill him and he wanted to give her the fruit that he had stolen from the man.


    Was she in danger?


    "I didn''t tell him what the Devil Fruit was. He won''t know it''s you unless you advertise that you got it from Reaper," he explained bluntly.


    "Now come, grab my hand."


    Maro did just that and she braced herself for the eeriness of Rosan''s pocket dimension.


    The two vanished from the ship, only to appear in the bizarre Pocket Dimension. The bluenette shivered terribly and held Rosan tighter.


    Maro didn''t think she would ever be able to get fully used to the sensation of being in such a strange place. It was so¡­wrong. Nothing in here made any sense and the fact that Rosan walked around like it was normal, bothered her to no end.


    The boy shot her a side glance as her grip tightened, before focusing forward again and walking towards the gigantic castle that Maro had never stepped inside.


    The orphaned girl had been in the Pocket Dimension multiple times, but not once did Rosan bring her to this castle. She had been curious about its nature but asking the redhead about it, kind of scared her.


    Now she was getting to see it without having to ask!


    Rosan parted the doors to the castle and stepped inside.


    Maro unknowingly let out a sigh of relief, as the effects of the Pocket Dimension vanished and she stood just a bit straighter. As the two walked together, the orange eyed girl took the chance to observe the castle.


    If she could describe it with one word, fancy would be the one because she didn''t know much big words¡­


    But it was really fancy.


    They were walking down a corridor on an incredibly soft purple and black carpet that Maro wouldn''t mind sleeping on if given the choice. Furniture and decorations were everywhere and they looked more advanced then anything she had seen (which admittedly wasn''t much but she had broken into some houses before! These things were way better than the ones she entered).


    Sleek short and long chairs, that were not made out of wood, dominated one area and in between all of them was a table that was made out of wood with a potted plant on top of it. Fancy drapes, that were purple with black roses on them, covered the multitude of windows.


    There were multiple rooms and she distantly wondered what was in each of them as they walked past each one. Her curiosity got the best of her when they walked to a set of stairs, one that went up and one that went down, and took the one going down.


    "What''s up the stairs, Master?" She asked and Rosan just looked at her for a moment.


    "Something important to me. Never go up there or I''ll kill you," he said bluntly and she froze at his words. The way he delivered that left no room for doubt and it terrified her.


    "Y-yes, Master," she stuttered and the boy simply nodded. Maro made a note to herself to never climb up those stairs.


    Her fear was quickly wiped away in favor of awe, when they reached the bottom of the stairs and entered a room. Her jaw dropped at the contents inside of the very large room.


    There was so¡­much¡­treasure. Maro had never seen so much gold in her life!


    The sheer amount let her know that Rosan would never have to worry about expenses again.


    "This is the treasury," Rosan explained softly to her. "It''s where I keep anything of interest along with a majority of my treasure. If I haven''t given it to Aiko, I likely put it in here," he explained and Maro started swooning at just how much stuff there was.


    The 12 year old boy walked towards a podium with a box on top of it and opened it without hesitation.


    Inside was the same green and white fruit that he had mentioned in his tale and Maro''s eyes shone in curiosity at the odd looking piece of food.


    She walked up, almost reverently, at it and gulped at the implications.


    When Maro had asked Master for a Devil Fruit, she had expected him to find a standard one and just have her eat that.


    The bluenette didn''t think this one was some standard one.


    "Master...do ya really think I should be eatin this? Do ya really trust me that much?" She asked hesitantly, looking towards the taller boy with nervous confusion. She was beginning to doubt her abilities now that she was actually face to face with the fruit that would change her life.


    "Of course," he said without hesitation and her eyes widened at his blunt answer. "I am training you to be Reaper''s partner. If I didn''t trust you, I would have already failed and this would never have worked," the dual eyed boy told her honestly.


    Maro felt a strange, warm sensation at his words that felt surprisingly pleasant and a large smile made its way onto her face.


    She would not let his trust go to waste.


    With a determined gaze, the 11 year old grabbed the green fruit and, without hesitation, took a large bite, and then another, and then another until the entire thing was gone.


    Now Maro, being a homeless orphan, had eaten plenty of things. When you didn''t have a home, you couldn''t be picky with what you ate. The girl had even eaten literal garbage just to get rid of the hunger pangs.


    None of that even came close to what she had just consumed.


    The girl coughed with tears in her eyes at the absolutely foul taste of the Devil Fruit she just ate. The taste was so horrible that she immediately collapsed, still coughing terribly, and the girl clawed at her tongue to get the taste out.


    If eating garbage couldn''t even prepare her for this, Maro didn''t know if anything could.


    It took her embarrassingly long to compose herself and she let out a sigh of relief as Rosan placed a hand on her back and the taste went away.


    "I had a similar experience," he explained and she hugged him for dear life at the small mercy he had given her.


    "Yer the best, Master," she moaned in pathetic relief.


    After she finally gathered herself, Maro realized something.


    "Wait Master, what exactly is my Devil Fruit?" Maro asked her, now, fellow Devil Fruit user.


    "I was expecting you to ask before you took a bite into it to see if you actually wanted it but, it seems you no longer have a choice," Rosan remarked getting a blush of embarrassment out of her.


    She hadn''t really been thinking.


    "It''s fine though, I think you will find that you quite like you''re Devil Fruit. The name of it is¡­"


    Maro waited with bated breath as Rosan revealed the name of the fruit.


    "...The Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Dokkaebi."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Flashback End


    Rosan was right. Maro had not been disappointed.


    She absolutely loved her Devil Fruit. The Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Dokkaebi was an incredible and fun fruit that Maro was glad to have!


    Every day she learned something new about the fruit, only reinforced her loyalty to Rosan, who had entrusted her with it, to even higher levels.


    Maro had never heard of Dokkaebis before but, she had a wonderful Master who had done research on them the moment he identified the fruit. The boy refused to let her go in blind because that was a "Waste of time and an unnecessary delay," by his words.


    So Rosan had told her everything he knew about the mythical goblins to see if she were capable of it.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Flashback


    "I''m going to be informing you of Dokkaebi lore and you will check to see if you are also capable of doing that," Rosan informed her and the 11 year old nodded in determination.


    "Before we begin, I''d like to give you basic information about Zoan''s in general."


    Rosan, along with Angel, Demon, and Maro, were sat in the training room of his ship. His two clones were shocked to know that Rosan had given his new student a Devil Fruit of all things!


    They were curious about the outcome of things.


    "There are 3 types of Devil Fruits," Rosan began and Maro listened to his every word. "Paramecia, Zoan, and Logia."


    "Paramecia are the most common and there is no specific category of abilities that they grant. The power between them all varies. They can give you the ability to sprout pieces of your body on the surface of things or they can allow you to modify anything you touch."


    "So Master," Maro began with a curious gaze. "That means you''re a Paramecia right?"


    "Yes, the Mod Mod no Mi is a Paramecia Devil Fruit," Rosan confirmed.


    "Logias are the rarest of the 3 Devil Fruit types," the boy continued. "People who have eaten Logias have their body composition transformed into a natural element that they can freely control. Due to their body composition being transformed into the element that they have gained, they can transform parts of their body into that element, making them impervious to damage. There is someone who can transform into ice for example."


    Robin had told him about that.


    "That¡­doesn''t sound very fair," Maro frowned as she heard about the rarest of the 3 fruits. "How are you supposed to defeat someone with a Logia?"


    "I''m not sure," Rosan admitted and Maro got the sense that he would have frowned if he could. "There is elemental advantage. If you have an ability that counters the element you should be able to touch them but otherwise, I haven''t found a concrete way besides using Seastone¡­," Rosan finished before he paused and started thinking.


    "Actually¡­," he mused.


    "Yes Father," Ram''s voice spoke causing everyone to jump slightly. They were all linked to the boy so they could hear his weapon loud and clear but he hadn''t even asked her a question!


    They were totally in sync.


    "If you give me seastone to absorb, I can transform into the material but I don''t really know what the drawbacks would be," she said, sounding apologetic.


    "We can discuss it later then," the redhead said and she replied with a "Yes Father!".


    "Do you understand so far Maro?" Rosan asked. "It''s possible that the two of us will fight our share of Devil Fruit users."


    The bluenette nodded in confirmation. Paramecias could be bad news. Logias were bad news.


    There was no doubt in her mind that Rosan understood her rather simple thinking and Maro blushed but, the boy deemed it good enough.


    "Finally, there are Zoans," Maro perked up even more as she heard Rosan speak about the Devil Fruit she had.


    "Zoans are more common then Logias but rarer then Paramecia. They allow you to transform into an animal species at will. You can either turn into the full animal, or a hybrid between the animal and your human form. What''s interesting about Zoans is that, unlike Paramecias and Logias, they are said to have wills of their own even unconsumed. Probably a side effect of being an animal," The 12 year old told everyone there.


    Maro nodded in fascination but something was bugging her with what he said.


    "Master, you said Paramecia and Logia fruits don''t have wills?" She asked the boy.


    "That is correct," he said.


    "Doesn''t that mean Mod-chan is a Zoan instead of a Paramecia? She has a will of her own and you can even transform!"


    Rosan tilted his head at her question in contemplation. "My transformations are not due to me being a Zoan. I am modifying myself into an entirely new creature. I don''t only transform into a Shinigami, I can also transform into a Dragon and I know of no mythical creature capable of doing that."


    The first part was a bit harder to answer because the redhead didn''t actually have an explanation.


    "I can explain," the woman of the hour said, causing them all to gain a surprised look.


    "Mod-chan?" Rosan wondered with a tilted head. He didn''t delve into her past because it seemed to be a touchy subject for the Devil Fruit and he respected her privacy. He really didn''t care to learn more about her past because it was hers to talk about.


    "It''s fine, Rosan," she reassured. "Truthfully, I should have told you at least some things about myself but it''s not something I like to think about."


    Everyone there remained silent at the exchange between fruit and boy.


    "If it makes you feel uncomfortable, you do not need to speak about it," the boy informed his most trusted person. "It does not matter to me if you don''t tell me. What matters is that you''re here with me now."


    "Oh Rosan," Mod said, voice full of love. "You''re just the sweetest ever, you know? There are a lot of things I''d rather not talk about yet but, I can at least tell you about my origins."


    "Only if you want," the heterochromatic boy said firmly.


    "Thank you Rosan, really. I really do love you for being so patient with me," she said and it may have been an illusion, but they saw a ghost of a smile on Rosan''s face.


    "I love you too Mod-chan."


    The tender moment warmed all of them, Angel in particular, and Maro smiled gently at the exchange.


    She wanted what they had.


    "Rosan, do you mind if I take over to explain?" The woman asked and Rosan nodded without hesitation.


    Angel and Demon grinned in excitement. They always loved seeing Master Mod in person, even if it was in Rosan''s body.


    Maro didn''t even know Mod could take over Rosan''s body! At least she would still be looking at Rosan''s, still adorable, face instead of Mod''s beautiful one. The two may have been able to pass off as mother and son, but Rosan had not matured yet. When he did, Maro would be having the same troubles¡­ Unless she matured too!


    Mod was mature. That had been made very clear to the bluenette.


    She wasn''t mentally prepared to see the woman again after their first encounter (that had only been a couple days ago!). The bluenette was still mortified by how she acted in front of the stunning Devil Fruit and she needed to ask Angel how to better compose herself in the future.


    Rosan closed his eyes and Maro''s jaw dropped in disbelief as the boys appearance changed. He grew 6 inches taller and the boy''s bronze skin grew just a hint lighter. His red hair turned a familiar shade of purple, as the spikes smoothed out and it grew much longer, reaching his back now instead of his shoulder.


    "Oh you have got to be kidding me," Maro said in despair as Rosan transformed into Mod. She wasn''t mentally prepared for this and now, instead of Ram, Angel would be witnessing this.


    She was so dead.


    "I wasn''t aware Master Mod could do this," Angel said in awe.


    "She mentioned it to me some time ago but I''m still surprised," Demon remarked.


    True to Maro''s words, Rosan (or Mod now) had transformed the boy''s body into her own body inside of the mindscape. The woman opened her eyes, showing off her blood red irises and let out a sigh as the air brushed against her face.


    Being free was always enjoyable.


    "You''re free to take over whenever you want, you know this," Rosan spoke and his voice was muffled.


    "You should take Father up on his offer more! It means I get to spend time with him more!" Ram said and Mod correctly deduced that she was probably the reason his voice was not clear.


    "Master Mod!" Angel greeted as she rushed over to the woman. She engulfed the Devil Fruit in a hug and when she did, she paused.


    When Mod had taken over Rosan''s body, she had modified the boy''s appearance into that of her own. This was evident by the fact that she was quite a bit taller then the 12 year old boy and looked a few years older. The only sign that this was in fact Rosan''s body, was that she was donned in his, always present, accessories...


    And that she was currently wearing his outfit.


    Rosan had been wearing an outfit picked out by Angel. It was currently winter and, though the redhead was not affected by weather, his fellow redhead had decided to dress him up with that in mind.


    Thank Kami for that because Mod-chan had not modified her outfit at all.


    Rosan was in a red, form fitting, long sleeved silky shirt, that had a black star on his left chest and baggy white pants lined with red.


    Mod was also dressed in that. But, where it fit Rosan, it...did not fit her.


    Angel felt a sense of D¨¦j¨¤ vu as she looked at Master Mod and said "Wow".


    "Hm?" Mod said before she looked down and blushed. "Oh."


    On Rosan it was form fitting. On Mod it was tight. Much similar to that time the redheaded boy had modeled for Angel, the clothing on Mod was very revealing.


    The red shirt on her frame squeezed her body in a way that would have had all eyes (like right now) on her. The shirt didn''t even reach her belly and she had an embarrassing amount of cleavage showing!


    The baggy pants didn''t look baggy at all and instead clung to her long toned legs. They, much like the shirt, didn''t reach all the way and showed off her bronze skin and bare feet.


    Maro nearly went comatose at the sight. The girls face was so red, it looked as if she were going to combust on the spot. She noticed that Mod had a pendant and, when she saw where it ended, she shut her eyes as tight as possible.


    Demon flushed and looked away.


    Angel whistled. "First Rosan, now you Master Mod? You two really know how to show off the goods. I never knew just how modest your dress was," she teased making Mod blush deeply.


    "Enough of that," she chastised in embarrassment, before modifying the clothing to fit her frame. They were a little too tight, unlike her dress. The purple haired woman breathed out a sigh of relief at being less constricted.


    She definitely preferred her dress. It wouldn''t have people looking at her as much.


    "It''s okay, Mod-chan," Rosan said. "All their reactions were positive because, like I said, you are a gorgeous woman."


    "Hottie," Ram said smugly.


    How did Rosan manage to come off as a tease when he wasn''t even trying to? Mod would never know.


    "T-thank you Rosan, Ram," Mod stuttered before clearing her throat.


    The woman smiled, it was the first time she had managed to be in the real world as herself instead of Rosan.


    It felt¡­ nice.


    "I will somehow find a way to coexist in the real world with you," Rosan promised. "I owe you a hug for everything you''ve done."


    She really did love that boy with all her heart.


    "Alright, now that we''ve gotten this out of the way, I can explain some things about myself," Mod said, instantly grabbing the attention of everyone there.


    The woman let out a breath.


    "Maro, based on Rosan''s information, you were confused as to why I wasn''t classified as a Zoan correct?"


    Maro nodded in confirmation.


    "Well, you''re wrong I''m a Paramecia," she said bluntly. "But, you are not completely incorrect."


    That got their attention.


    "What?" Even Rosan was interested. Well, as interested as an emotionless boy could get.


    "The truth is, I didn''t have a will of my own for a very long time," Mod admitted. "I was simply the Mod Mod no Mi and I would grant my users the ability to modify what they pleased."


    "Naturally, the World Government, or more specifically a scientist, took interest in what I could do and it wasn''t long before they acquired me."


    "Who was the scientist?"


    "...His name is Dr. Vegapunk," Mod whispered. "He''s a never before seen genius and is responsible for advancing the world''s technology by about 500 years."


    "Dr. Vegapunk," Rosan repeated the name on his lips and hummed in contemplation. A potential enemy that he''d have to strike down.


    "Yes, he''s the one responsible for giving me a will of my own. I am a Devil Fruit that was experimented on by the World Government," she revealed shocking everyone there.


    They were stunned silent at the revelation.


    Rosan knew Mod-chan was different. Robin had made it abundantly clear that Devil Fruits don''t normally participate in a person''s life so¡­freely. Yet, Mod-chan lived inside of him as a person with a mind of her own and she was a completely different person than he was.


    Now it made more sense. She was an experiment.


    "Vegapunk wanted to create a sentient Devil Fruit and he wanted to use me as a base. Why? I don''t know. Probably because of the versatility of my fruit," Mod shrugged.


    "What I do know though, is that in order to give me a will of my own, he created a blank Zoan, which was a Zoan type fruit without an actual animal in it. To make up for the fact that there was no animal inside of it, he somehow implemented some sort of AI into the fruit and assimilated it with the Mod Mod no Mi. Afterwards, that''s how I came into existence."


    Mod shuddered at the memory and everyone there made sure the woman was good to keep going. The crimson eyed woman thanked everyone for supporting her so strongly with a gentle smile on her face.


    She appreciated them all.


    "I am a cross breed between a blank Zoan with an AI and a Paramecia. It''s why you have turned into a Computer Human, Rosan. We are still a Paramecia, but you have some Zoan features."


    "Increased strength, regeneration, stamina, and my memory becoming near eidetic, to name a few," Rosan said softly.


    "Yes. It''s because of that and that is why I am so heavily prized by the World Government, even though I''m considered a failure," she explained calmly. Previously, that may have bothered her but she had Rosan now so she didn''t care.


    "...You are considered a failure?" Rosan asked and she could practically sense the disbelief.


    She blushed in happiness at his genuine confusion. The woman couldn''t help but giggle at the sheer confusion on everyone''s face there.


    The last word they''d use to describe Mod was failure.


    It made her feel good.


    "When I say failure I don''t mean like I was useless to them," the red eyed woman said getting a much more understanding look from the ones there.


    "Vegapunk''s original goal was a complete success, but afterwards was a failure because they could not control me. If I did not accept my wielder, they would meet an unfortunate end. The World Government eventually stopped trying to have me consumed so much when I killed a Vice Admiral prospect," she told everyone there.


    "Then one day, when my latest user died, I reincarnated into a fruit and Rosan found me before they did." Mod had a fond smile on her face at the memory of meeting the hyperactive 4 year old for the first time. Had it really been 8 years since they met? Time flew.


    "Were you planning on killing me as well?" Rosan asked bluntly, causing everyone there to gawk at his straightforwardness.


    "Not immediately," she said truthfully. "I could tell from the start you had no affiliation with the World Government and I saw your memories so I had no reason to kill you. Also, you were so very young and killing a child doesn''t sit right with me. If I did plan on killing you, it would have been after I got an accurate judge of your character when you were older."


    "That makes sense."


    "I''m glad it never came to that though. Now you are my most precious person and just me telling you my original intentions makes me sick," Mod told him with a deep frown on her face.


    "There''s no need Mod-chan, I know you won''t kill me because I trust you with my life."


    She smiled gently, anger forgotten, at how honest he was. "This is why I''ve chosen you as my wielder."


    After a moment, she said "That''s another issue. If the World Government finds out just how compatible we are, I fear they won''t even kill you. You are the only person I have ever accepted and as a result, you are the best user of Modification to date," she explained.


    "They will try to control me," Rosan deduced.


    "Yes, without a doubt," she confirmed.


    "I cannot be controlled. We already know what happened last time it happened."


    "I guess we''re even more compatible, neither of us can be controlled!" Mod smirked and she swore she saw Maro flinch after taking one look at her face.


    Weird.


    "It is a bit odd though," Rosan said suddenly, getting a raised brow out of Mod. "You never struck me as the type to be so rebellious. I found it a bit hard to believe that you would just kill your previous wielder if you were not fond of them."


    "¡­," Mod''s face was expressionless and Rosan knew that this was not something she wanted to delve into.


    "Don''t worry, I''m just speaking my thoughts aloud. You don''t have to talk about it," Rosan soothed.


    "Thank you Rosan, I really do appreciate you."


    "Think nothing of it. Is that all you wanted to talk about?" The redhead asked.


    As a response, Mod immediately reverted the changes and soon, Rosan was back in his own body with some much larger clothes on.


    He ignored Angel''s gushing about how adorable he looked in the oversized clothes and modified them to their original size.


    "A bit of a sidetrack, but I trust no one had an issue with it?" Rosan asked and they all rapidly shook their head no.


    Mod was a mysterious woman. Not even her beloved Rosan knew everything about her and it was obvious she trusted him more then anyone in the world. For them to learn more things about her past, was a rare opportunity that they would be hard pressed to pass up.


    "The only issue I have," Angel suddenly said before turning to Maro with a glare. "Is how hard Maro was staring at Master Mod! You little pervert! I knew you had bad intentions when you asked Rosan to bathe with you!"


    "Oh dear," Mod sounded embarrassed. "I thought it was because of my story¡­"


    The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Maro looked like she had been caught stealing from the cookie jar. Her mouth was open in shock and her face was an interesting shade of red. She tried to defend herself but nothing came out and Angel''s glare deepened.


    "T-that wasn''t my intention A-Angel-chan," she explained. "I j-just didn''t wanna be alone so soon!"


    Angel was having none of it and she looked like she was about to throttle the poor girl.


    Rosan decided to throw her a bone.


    "Angel, you don''t seem to be upset with Maro when she''s staring at you longer then necessary," the emotionless boy pointed out and Angel froze at the revelation.


    "She¡­ does?" Angel asked in disbelief as she looked at Maro, who was about to faint at being exposed.


    Maro sent out a short prayer. There was no way she was making it out of this alive.


    "Y-y-you," Angel stuttered in shock. "PERVERT!" she howled before jumping on Maro.


    Demon, sensing what was about to happen, had spaced himself right next to Rosan who could only look at his purple twin with a tilted head.


    "Is there a problem with what I said, Demon?"


    "Yes, Master."


    "What is it?"


    "I think you should ask Master Mod, she will explain it better then me."


    "Mod-chan?"


    "When you''re a bit older Rosan."


    "I wanna know too!"


    "You and Rosan are the same age, Ram."


    "Okay."


    "Okay!"


    Demon sighed. Was he perhaps the only normal person on this ship?


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    After Angel had properly punished, a now sulking, Maro, Rosan had returned to his lesson.


    "Zoan''s are interesting," Rosan told the members of the ship. "Whereas all Logias are powerful, and Paramecias vary, Zoans are either in the middle of the two, or they surpass both."


    "Surpass?" Maro asked in curiosity. She was convinced that Logias were the absolute strongest and no matter which one you had, it would be better then either a Zoan or a Paramecia.


    Then she remembered a key detail.


    "You called my Devil Fruit a Mythical Zoan," she said and Angel clapped happily at her for catching that particular detail.


    "Impressive, you caught that," Rosan praised and she blushed at the compliment.


    "When I said Logias are the rarest of the 3 types, that was true," Rosan explained and Maro''s eyes were wide in fascination. She knew now that the fruit Rosan gave her was no ordinary Devil Fruit.


    "Zoan''s have 2 known subclasses," the redhead began. "The first are Ancient Zoans and these allow their users to transform into ancient animals like Dinosaurs. They are rarer then normal zoans and are seemingly stronger as well."


    She awed at hearing about that. Dinosaurs were extinct, so to hear that some people could transform into them still, fascinated her.


    "The final sub-class and type of Devil Fruit are Mythical Zoans."


    "They are the rarest sub-class of Zoans and the rarest type of Devil Fruit in general. They are even rarer then Logias."


    Maro''s eyes widened at that information and the realization that Rosan had given it to her of all people, made her gawk.


    "They are considered to be the most powerful sub-class of Zoans and, when consumed, allow you to take the form of a creature from myth or legends. Off the top of my head the first one who comes to mind is Kaido of the Beasts."


    "Kaido? Who is that?" Maro asked curiously.


    "He''s the most recent Yonko," Rosan said bluntly, causing Maro''s eyes to widen in disbelief.


    Angel had told her about the power balance of the sea. There were Three Great Powers and they consisted of Marine Headquarters, the Seven Warlords of the Sea, and the Yonko.


    The Yonko were the most powerful pirates around and Rosan was telling her one of them had a Mythical?!


    "Yes, Kaido became notorious around 6 years ago. He wields a Mythical Zoan that allows him to transform into a Dragon. He was recently granted the title of Yonko and is widely known to be one of the strongest pirates alive, after Whitebeard, and unkillable."


    "A-and I have the same class of fruit as him?" Maro asked fearfully.


    "That is correct."


    "You really believe in me that much¡­?" Maro asked.


    "I don''t think you understand how impressive you are Maro," Rosan told the surprised girl.


    "Barring the fact that you were incapable of killing someone, which I now know is a normal reaction ¡ª," everyone sweatdropped at that statement.


    Rosan really wasn''t normal.


    "¡ªYou are a prodigy. I''m not sure how no one managed to sense your latent potential but that''s fine by me because now I have you," the redhead explained to the girl.


    "If I didn''t think you would do well with this Devil Fruit, I would not have given it to you. If I didn''t think you were worth recruiting, I wouldn''t have recruited you. If I didn''t think you had what it takes to be Reaper''s right hand, I wouldn''t be training you."


    "Make no mistake, I''m no hero, Maro," Rosan said quietly. "Heroes are selfless, they do things for others best interest. They have to care about everyone and I don''t want to care about everyone. I only want to care about the ones that matter to me and when someone matters to me, I will do anything for them. Tell me Maro, can you prove that you matter to me?"


    Master had a way with words that always captivated her. It was why she chose to follow him in the first place. They were like drugs being injected into her and when he said them, you listened to everything he had to say.


    Maro stood up and walked over to the one who had given her a purpose. "Master, despite how much I let you down, you still chose to believe in me and you even gave me such a rare Devil Fruit as proof of your belief."


    "Even if the whole world turns against you Master, you will always have my loyalty. You saved me from an eternal hell that would end up with me dying miserably and your giving me all the tools to stop being weak. That is a debt that cannot be repaid."


    "You''ll find out very soon how much I will matter," Maro told the boy with a confident grin on her face.


    Angel and Demon were stunned at her declaration. They hadn''t seen Maro''s speech inside of Rosan''s mindscape so to see the burst of confidence from the 11 year old, was quite impressive.


    Angel in particular was assessing the girl in a new light. There was a hint of approval on the middle triplets face.


    "I look forward to it," their leader said calmly.


    "Big words for someone who can barely read," Angel sneered at the bluenette, who suddenly began cowering. Naturally, this was behind Rosan and Angel didn''t take appreciation to that fact.


    Demon sighed as he watched Angel and Maro.


    Some things never changed.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Mythical Zoan''s are said to give their users abilities outside of just transforming, before you transform let''s find out what you get being a Dokkaebi."


    Maro really wanted to transform, but seeing what she could do in her human form was imperative. Reaper''s identity was a secret and so, hers would be too. She would be in human form a lot because it was much less conspicuous then a full zoan transformation.


    "Zoan''s rely on their transformation too much. You will master everything."


    Maro figured out a few things about her fruit just from the few days she had it.


    For one, she had gotten strong. Like, really strong. Even Rosan commented that her strength was even more then the standard zoan boost.


    She was inclined to believe him. The girl had almost broken a door off Rosan''s reinforced ship by just opening it.


    That made her excited to see what her actual transformation would grant her.


    Her appearance had also altered a bit. Her hair currently had white streaks in it and her canines had gotten even sharper then Rosan''s! Her jaw had dropped as she looked at herself in the mirror and saw that her body had gotten a lot more toned and she didn''t look malnourished anymore!


    She couldn''t help but flex looking at her new frame.


    Awesome!


    Other then that though, she hadn''t discovered many things on her own.


    That''s when Rosan decided to help her out. Painfully.


    Maro leapt back hastily but wasn''t quick enough to dodge the blow from Rosan. The boys punch connected solidly with her gut and the bluenette grunted.


    Maro had reflexively let out a pained noise but, that''s when she noticed as well.


    It didn''t hurt. At all.


    The boy as well seemed to notice that his blow did next to no damage to her and tilted his head.


    "How interesting," Rosan said and he loosened his stance to instead walk closer to her.


    Maro was surprised herself. Despite his small stature, Rosan hit very hard. She had many nights of sleep where her body was bruised and battered from the boys training and she had seen his power firsthand when he fought as Reaper.


    Yet, the spot he struck didn''t even sting. She knew Zoans were more durable but that didn''t make any sense at all.


    "If this aspect of a Dokkaebi is apart of you, then I''m confident everything else is," Rosan said softly as he inspected her body. She blushed at the attention only to keel over at the incredibly strong punch the redhead planted in her gut again.


    "Master¡­that was¡­rude?"


    It didn''t hurt.


    "It''s as I suspected," Rosan said calmly. "Dokkaebi are said to be incredibly skilled at wrestling and the only way to defeat them is to exploit their right side. I suppose that translates to you being impervious to damage on your left side," he explained to the girl, who had wide eyes at the revelation.


    That sounded¡­ really strong.


    Rosan hit her, softer then his previous punch but still pretty hard, on the right side of her body and the gasp she let out was one of actual pain.


    "Don''t get a big head. Like I said your right side is still vulnerable. I will train your right sides durability so that it doesn''t become a huge concern but don''t become overconfident," the redhead scolded quietly.


    "Sorry Master," she said and Rosan nodded in acceptance.


    "Good, now that I know one part of the legends are true. I want you to try summoning two items. They are integral to being a Dokkaebi," he suddenly told her.


    "Items?" Maro questioned curiously. "Okay, I can try¡­ What are they?"


    "A hat and a club," was all he said.


    Her brows furrowed at that but she nodded. She would have questioned him more but something stopped her.


    It''s as if she instinctively knew what he was talking about.


    "A Zoan was a good choice for her," Mod remarked and Rosan nodded in agreement as he looked at Maro''s face.


    "Why?" Ram asked in confusion.


    "Maro''s previous lifestyle was that of an animal basically," Mod said bluntly. "Due to that, and the fact that she has had no proper education for 11 years, she''s likely had to rely almost solely on instinct, something Zoans excel at."


    Ram nodded in understanding. "Because they''re animals and Devil Fruits fundamentally change a person. That makes sense, she must feel right at home with a Zoan and, adding the fact that she''s a prodigy, she will probably have this done pretty quickly -,"


    "There!" Maro suddenly exclaimed and they watched as she summoned a massive wooden club from nothing followed by a large hat.


    Maro frowned at the hat and, as if obeying her will, transformed itself into a silver tiara that fit her perfectly.


    She smiled this time and placed it neatly on her head.


    The bluenette then looked at her giant club and waved it around a bit. She let out a yelp of surprise as blue flames suddenly conjured all over her body and she began to panic at the prospect of being burned.


    "AHHH HELP ME!" Maro squealed in fear, rolling around to try and dash them.


    "Idiot," Angel said with a shake of her head. The girl had been about to help but she noticed the flames were not burning anything so she let it be.


    "Focus, Maro," Rosan said to the girl, effortlessly piercing her panic. "Those are your flames. Bring them under control."


    The orange eyed girl heard his words and she realized that, despite being covered, they were not burning her. Heeding his advice, she tried willing the flames away and grinned triumphantly when they listened to her.


    "I did it, Master!" She cheered childishly. The 11 year old concentrated again and the blue flames reappeared. She repeated the process multiple times before she got a proper feel of it.


    "Can you tell me more about these flames?"


    Rosan nodded and she beamed at having a walking encyclopedia to help her along the way.


    "I do not know much about the Blue Flames of a Dokkaebi," he admitted. "All that is said is that they herald the appearance of one. Perhaps you can use them for travel? If I''m correct¡­ these blue flames could also have something to do with the fact that Dokkaebi are known to be defenders against evil spirits so I''m sure you can use them offensively."


    "Master, you know so much," Maro said in awe as she looked at the flames. She focused on doing harm and the flames responded. They roared to life and the bluenette grinned at the intensity.


    She could work with this.


    Finally, she dismissed the flames and focused on the club again. The wooden club had been the reason she summoned those flames in the first place. As she gripped the club that was even larger then her, she marveled at how light it was and how sturdy it felt, despite being made of wood.


    "That''s a Dokkaebi''s club. It can summon things and is also known to act as a magic wand which helps with illusions and harvest growth."


    They paused as they heard that and Demon''s mouth opened in surprise.


    "Harvest growth and illusion magic," Maro muttered to herself in awe. This Devil Fruit was ridiculously awesome! Never in her wildest dreams did she expect to get such a powerful ability when she asked for one of the mysterious fruits.


    "Can we have an area on the ship for gardening?" Maro asked suddenly.


    "I second this!" Angel spoke up immediately with a smile on her face. She had always wanted a garden but the girl didn''t want to work on it. It would get in the way of her other duties so she refrained from asking her even busier Master.


    "Okay," Rosan said compliantly.


    Maro beamed at how supportive Master was being.


    Illusion magic would be insanely useful considering she was working with Reaper, whose identity was an important secret. She didn''t want anyone to find out who Rosan was through her.


    She was about to ask what her tiara (that bucket hat would have looked so stupid on her! Angel taught her well!) did but, like before, her instincts guided her.


    The orange eyed girl closed said eyes and concentrated. For a brief moment, the tiara glowed and then¡­


    Maro vanished.


    "Impressive," Rosan said softly. He hadn''t even needed to tell her what to do. She was getting the hang of her Devil Fruit at a rapid pace.


    "She vanished?" Demon asked in shock.


    "Where did she go?" Angel muttered in confusion.


    "She''s invisible, it''s the ability of her hat," Rosan explained before he suddenly tilted his head to the side and flipped something over.


    "Oof!" a voice called out and Maro flickered into view.


    "H-how did you know I was there?" she asked in a daze. The girl had wanted to sneak attack Rosan and finally get a hit in, but he somehow saw through her?


    "I have good battle sense," Rosan informed her. "Also, I can modify my eyes to view heat signatures."


    Ah, that made sense.


    "Your fruit is nonsense, Master," the girl groaned.


    "Thank you/Thank you/Thank you!" The 3 voices, inside of Rosan, said in chorus and Angel burst out laughing. Even Demon chuckled at the miserable look on Maro''s face and the look of betrayal she shot him made the purple haired boy apologize with an even bigger smile.


    Angel laughed even harder.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "As I mentioned before, Zoan''s have 3 forms. Human, Animal, and a hybrid between both."


    Maro was excited. The girl had been waiting for this day and she was shaking hard in excitement as a result.


    Rosan had yet to steer her wrong, so when he prevented her from transforming into a Zoan she had begrudgingly agreed to it. It turned out for the best because she found out that, even in her human form, she could still be a force if she wanted to.


    Maro was already seeing the benefits of her Devil Fruit and she hadn''t even transformed yet.


    Needless to say, she had been looking forward to this day.


    "Today we will see your animal form," Rosan said calmly and Maro tried to mimic his coolness.


    She failed miserably.


    "I can see how excited you are," the redhead commented and she flushed. Angel, luckily, was in an understanding mood today and so Maro was spared from the terrifying clone''s wrath.


    "Transform into your Zoan, Maro," Rosan commanded and the girl resisted the urge to cheer.


    Everyone watching stayed silent as Maro closed her eyes. Rosan had dressed her in a beautiful blue kimono with white roses adorned all over it. The 2 redheads of the crew, along with Maro, had gone clothes shopping for the girl and had picked out multiple outfits for the 11 year old.


    The bluenette definitely didn''t cry at having things to claim as her own.


    This kimono had been picked out by Rosan, greatly surprising the newest resident of the ship.


    "Master is surprisingly stylish and vain," Angel informed her. "Believe it or not, he used to be the most fashionable on the ship. He likes to look good," the tall clone told her and Maro looked pleasantly surprised.


    He was good. The boy even knew blue was her favorite color!


    The redhead had to modify it a bit to suddenly fit her taller frame (she was the same height as Rosan now!) and he also told her that due to being a Zoan, her outfit might be destroyed. As a result, he made it similar to his own clothing (he could turn into a dragon!) and had it stretch with her!


    Master was seriously so incredible!


    Maro focused more on the task, as she noticed she was sidetracking, and it didn''t take her long to understand what she needed to do.


    Everyone watched in wonder as Maro began to change.


    The girl shot up an entire foot, standing at a staggering 6''2, and as this happened her skin turned a light shade of green and her, once short hair, grew long, wild and white, stopping right above her mid back and her, once tiny, nose grew, pointing outwards. The nails of her hands and feet turned into dangerously sharp claws and her teeth, particularly the canines, lengthened (they were still short enough to remain in her mouth when they were closed) and sharpened dramatically.


    She felt her muscles ripple as they expanded in time with her transformation. Her pupils vanished and the entirety of her sclera turned the same orange shade as her eye color.


    In her hands laid the club and, on her new frame, it looked like a perfect fit. She''d have to see if she could adjust the size of it in her human form.


    The tiara on her head was practically invisible, even if it was completely covered by her wild hair, it was tiny on her newly found size.


    Transformation done, Maro looked down at her complete zoan form and felt a surge run through her body.


    She felt¡­ AMAZING! The white haired goblin was practically packed with power and Maro felt like she could take on anyone at the moment!


    Just imagine how strong she''d be after training! Even Master would have trouble facing her!


    The girl wanted to get an even closer look at her body.


    Without any prompting, a large mirror was summoned in front of her.


    "Thank ya Master," her normally squeaky voice came out as a deeper grumble as she stepped up to the mirror.


    "That wasn''t me," Rosan told the girl. While everyone stared in wonder, Rosan had been calmly assessing all the changes with a calculating eye.


    The boy had noticed the changes to her body even before she transformed into a full Zoan. It reminded him of the theory he had long ago when facing Maverick, the grizzly bear captain. It seemed that Zoans did change their user''s human form on a level similar to Logias and Paramecia.


    Unlike Maverick, her full Zoan didn''t look like it had much downsides (including how she looked as a human). Whereas the other man had been limited by the fact that he was on 4 legs, and suddenly lost the ability to use his arms, Maro was bipedal much like his hybrid form and didn''t lose her arms.


    He wondered about what her hybrid form would be. It would likely sacrifice size and power for speed and dexterity.


    "That wasn''t you?" the Dokkaebi asked in confusion as she looked down at her positively tiny Master. From this angle, him looking up at her, he looked even more adorable!


    "No. Your club did," Rosan commented, pointing at the massive wooden club in her hand.


    Maro looked at the club in confusion. "But this looks like the mirror in your room," she pointed out. It was a carbon copy of the standing mirror that Rosan kept in his room.


    "That''s because it is," Rosan confirmed. "Dokkaebi can summon with their club, but it doesn''t make what you summon from thin air. You summon it, by stealing from someone else essentially and taking it from the area around you."


    This Club was amazing. Maro was interested in it before but now, she wanted to make it her go to weapon.


    It was perfect! She had seen Master use a plethora of weapons, but he had never used a club like hers. He was more into the hammer when it came to bludgeoning things!


    If this was to be her weapon, it would need a name¡­ something befitting its nature.


    "Daisy," she said suddenly.


    "Daisy?" Demon asked in confusion.


    "Yes, my weapon''s name is going to be Daisy," Maro confirmed.


    "You''re gonna name that giant, fierce, and menacing club¡­ Daisy?" Angel asked in disbelief and she saw Demon stifling his laugh.


    "Yes."


    It was a perfect name! Maro didn''t see it as fierce, it was actually pretty adorable in her eyes.


    "Besides, Master''s name is Rosan which sounds like Rose and he named me Maro!"


    "Correct, I named you Maro because I intended to make you an extension of myself," Rosan said softly. It was also because he was rather bad at names, but Mod-chan had told him not to tell her that.


    "Well then I have to have something flower themed!" she laughed deeply and it was still odd to see that, rather terrifying, creature act and sound like Maro.


    "That makes sense." The redhead tilted his head at the explanation before nodding.


    His fellow redhead thought otherwise. "No it doesn''t, Master!"


    Demon laughed slightly. "Just let it go, Angel-nee."


    "She named an ugly club Daisy cause Master''s name sounds like Rose!" Angel raged and Maro, despite definitely being stronger than the clone, cowered in fear behind the foot shorter Rosan. Realizing that Rosan could no longer hide her, Maro did the next best thing.


    She picked him up and hid her face behind his frame.


    In hindsight, she should have thought more about this.


    "Y-you," Angel stuttered before anger overtook her feature. Demon simply held his head in his hand in exasperation.


    "STOP HOLDING MASTER LIKE THAT, YOU IDIOT," she roared before charging the Oni. How dare she?! Holding her amazing Master like he was some toy.


    S-Stupid girl!


    Maro squealed (on her taller, scarier, and more monstrous body it sounded more like a roar and looked positively comical), dropped Rosan, who landed easily on his two feet, and bolted.


    Angel kept chase and soon, the two vanished.


    "I seem to be the catalyst for this reaction rather often," Rosan told his remaining clone, who could only nod.


    "Angel is particularly protective of you and holds you on an even higher pedestal then I do. She''s just very comfortable with you," Demon admitted with a soft laugh.


    "She probably thinks some actions aren''t befitting of you," Mod explained with a small smile on her face.


    "Angel is right!" Ram snorted. "Master is the first of his kind and he has me to boot! He''s practically royalty!"


    Demon agreed but he didn''t see any harm in what Maro was doing.


    "You''re ego reminds me of someone I know and love," Mod sighed fondly as she pinched the arrogant girls cheek.


    "Stawp pinchin me, Auntie Mod," Ram whined. The woman had taken to doing this as punishment and it always hurt!


    "Stop calling me Auntie Mod," she grumbled.


    "No!"


    "Then no!"


    The two began arguing and Demon had to wonder if Rosan went through this all the time.


    "They are much better when I''m there. But they can also be much worse," Rosan told his purple haired clone.


    The youngest triplet sighed tiredly. The fact that he could say that with such an unbothered face really said something about the people he traveled with.


    He really was the only normal one on the ship.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Fight me Master!" Maro said, with a sneer on her face.


    Ever since entering her full zoan, the girls hubris had shot up and it made her rather unruly. She was getting more and more uncontrollable and she seemed to relish in that fact.


    It was natural. Clearly the Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Dokkaebi was the fruit of an apex predator. She would try to upset the order of things sooner or later and prove that she deserved to be on top.


    Rosan eyed her momentarily, before going back to his book. "Training is already over, you can fight me tomorrow if you so wish," he replied in his standard tone. He wanted to finish this book tonight. It had some recipes in it and he wanted to try cooking one of them tonight.


    Maybe he''d try cooking multiple... Did he have the ingredients for some of these? Probably, Demon had restocked on them when he went supply shopping for his medicine.


    Maro wasn''t having it however. "No, I wanna fight you now," she demanded baring her sharp canines at the boy.


    Rosan did not answer her. He was content to keep reading his book and he barely acknowledged the girl before him.


    "What? Are you scared?" Maro taunted in superiority at the sight of the redhead being completely silent. "I didn''t take you for someone who could be afraid, Master!"


    The boy looked at her with that empty gaze of his, (she definitely didn''t flinch as that gaze bore into her) before going back to his book.


    "I have no emotions to fear you," was all he said.


    "What are you doing, Maro?" Angel frowned disapprovingly at the girl. "Master never says no so, when he does, he means it. Stop bothering him or ¡ª,"


    "Or what?" Maro asked turning towards the, momentarily taller, clone. The bluenette had been feeling particularly bold these past few days and not even Angel could stop her streak.


    Judging by the redheads open mouth and raised brows, she had not expected to be cut off. "Maybe you could before, but I don''t think you can beat me anymore," the bluenette said confidently.


    Angel''s eyes narrowed in anger but Maro was right. Angel was not a fighter and Maro was a prodigy who was being personally trained by Rosan. If they fought and the girl used her Devil Fruit it wouldn''t be much of a fight because the redhead would get destroyed.


    "You little shit," Angel snarled furiously.


    Of course that fact wasn''t enough to cow Angel.


    "Who do you think you are, you ungrateful brat?" The haughty redhead demanded and she stepped closer to the bluenette. "You think I care that you have some fancy Devil Fruit? You''ve got a lot of nerve acting like you''re something amazing all of a sudden when there''s so much you can''t do."


    Maro scoffed at her. "Doesn''t that sound familiar? Even with how I''m acting now, I''m still not worse then you."


    Demon saw the murder in Angel''s eyes and thought to stop the rising tension. He immediately dismissed that though, getting in between these two was a bad idea and would only make things worse. He just had to hope that Master stepped in before it went too far.


    The boy had since closed his book and was observing the interaction between the two with a blank gaze.


    What was he thinking?


    "I apologized and admitted that I was in the wrong and your still stuck on that?" The fury on the pretty redhead''s face would have normally cowed Maro but not today.


    No, today she was feeling far too bold.


    "You''re such a fucking child! I was right about people like you, one little power boost and you disregard everything you''ve learned before. Master really is one of a kind for not letting power get to his head," Angel scowled and she slammed a finger on the younger girls chest.


    The nerve of this little girl to be allowed on their ship, to get granted a strong power by her Master, and letting it get to her head to the point where she was flaunting it around boldly.


    Fucking humans. There was a reason she couldn''t stand them.


    Now it was Maro''s turn to get angry. The 11 year old snarled violently and her skin began turning green. It didn''t matter what, Angel always thought she was so much¡­ better then everyone. How could she think she was so special when she was so weak!


    It was annoying.


    "Ya know," Maro said suddenly feel particularly vindictive. "I didn''t think someone who shares the same face as Master and Demon-kun could be such a loud bitch."


    Maro didn''t even fully understand what a bitch was. She just knew that, from her time on her home island, whenever it was used on a woman, they got really upset.


    There was a pregnant pause at her words.


    Demon''s eyes went wide in disbelief as he heard that. The purple haired clones mouth dropped in shock at the words Maro said. He almost couldn''t believe the meek girl had actually gone and said that.


    Ram whistled in shock. She hadn''t expected Maro to grow such a backbone. She was kind of impressed honestly but Angel wouldn''t take that lying down, no matter what the difference in strength was.


    Mod frowned. That was uncalled for. Angel could be overbearing but that was just her personality and she had thought that Maro had already gotten used to it. Seems like the Devil Fruit had brought out some lingering resentments.


    Rosan didn''t react.


    Angel''s face went through a range of emotions. Surprise, then disbelief, then¡­ hurt? Before finally shifting into a familiar rage.


    A loud slap echoed throughout the ship.


    Maro was sent reeling as the deceptively hard slap connected to her face. Angel had made sure to hit her right cheek as well so the girl actually felt it.


    When the bluenette had seen the hurt on Angels face, she had actually felt bad. She didn''t mean to hurt the girls feelings after all. She just wanted to win the argument! As soon as hurt made its way onto her face, Maro was going to rush out an apology.


    Now, after the slap, all she could see was red.


    Maro raised her hand and returned the slap with just as much viciousness.


    That would teach Angel to not mess with her!


    What Maro did not expect, was for how strong the blow she just threw out was. The orange eyed girl watched in horror as the female clone was sent flying into a wall with a thud.


    "ANGEL-NEE!" Demon yelled in horror as he watched his sister crash into the wall back first with a surprised gasp. The purple haired clone wasted no time in rushing to see if she was alright.


    The Oni hadn''t expected her attack to be so strong. She had just been so angry that she did the first thing that came to mind. Angel had managed to get under her skin so easily and she needed to retaliate.


    But that was just her personality. That''s how the girl was. Maro had spent enough one on one time with her to know that she really was a decent person who was just overly worried for her little and older brother. She knew that well and she still reacted violently.


    What had she just done?


    "Angel-nee are you okay?" Demon asked the middle sister, voice full of worry. She had a nasty bruise on her cheek but the girl was awake so that was good.


    "I''m fine, Demon," the tallest inhabitant said quietly, as she nursed her cheek in one delicate hand. "We don''t feel pain, remember?"


    "I know! But, I can still worry for you, you know?"


    "Yeah¡­ I know," was all she said, before pulling herself up.


    "I-I''m sorry," Maro said, as the green hue vanished from her skin. "I-I d-didn''t mean to."


    "But didn''t you?" Angel asked quietly silencing Maro and filling her with guilt. The redheaded clone had flinched the moment the bluenette spoke and Maro had flinched in return when Angel asked her that question.


    The purple eyed clone brushed herself off and left without waiting for a response.


    Maro already felt bad, but the disapproving stare Demon shot her made her feel far worse. Those red eyes stared at her and he had a noticeable frown on his face. When they made eye contact, all he did was shake his head.


    The purple haired clone excused himself and went after his sister.


    Disappointing Demon was the last thing Maro wanted to do. She enjoyed the youngest clones presence. He wasn''t aloof like Rosan or condescending like Angel. He really was nice to her and she liked talking to him the most. He was like an older brother to her!


    I-It wasn''t her fault right? So why¡­? Why did she feel so bad?


    This couldn''t be her fault. It just couldn''t. So if it wasn''t her fault¡­then whose?


    There was only one other person in the room so naturally, Maro pointed the blame at them.


    "Master¡­ why did you let it get to that point?" The bluenette asked as she angrily turned towards the leader of the ship.


    "You''re choosing to blame me? I expected that," Rosan said softly and he regarded her with an even stare. "I told you not to get arrogant, yet you did so regardless..."


    "...How disappointing."


    Maro felt rage consume her as she stomped towards the boy again. "Fight me, now."


    Rosan stared at the green hued girl blankly. He had noticed how confident Maro had been getting ever since transforming into a Zoan. It was only a matter of time before she got too confident for her own good. Now she was regretting her actions and lashing out at the strongest one there.


    As if to prove a point.


    He expected her to heed his warnings but it seems she didn''t.


    Very well then.


    He would teach her.


    That''s what a teacher did when their student was being unruly.


    "Okay," Rosan told her. He got up and made his way over to the training room and Maro followed soon after.


    He would show her the difference in their skill, Devil Fruit or not.


    After all, she was his student.


    "Make sure she understands the hierarchy Father," Ram said with a psychotic grin on her face.


    "Naturally," Rosan replied calmly.


    It was time to set things straight.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan and Maro sized each other up.


    Angel and Demon watched quietly from a distance. The youngest clone figured his sister would appreciate watching Rosan fight and so he had dragged the reluctant redhead here.


    As for the female redhead, she blankly watched the exchange with cool eyes. Her expression belay nothing as she assessed the two gearing up for battle.


    Her and Maro had made eye contact when she first entered the room but Angel had been the first one to break it. It was unlike her but¡­ she couldn''t look at the girl right now.


    Truthfully, she didn''t know how she felt. No one had ever been so rude to her and it kind of hurt. Not only that, she had been struck. Hard enough for it to bruise her synthetic skin and send her flying.


    She had no illusions that she''d have suffered from a concussion if she were human and that thought filled her with a strange betrayal.


    Angel thought her and Maro had been getting along rather well. To hear the harsh words and to be attacked left her feeling rather subdued at the moment. The haughty clone really didn''t know how to react currently.


    Maro was glaring at her Master with malice.


    "You''re mad at a problem you made," Rosan commented, as RAM transformed into black combat gloves lined with purple and silver. "You claim that Angel is worse then you, but Angel will own up to a mistake. You should know that first hand shouldn''t you, Maro?"


    "S-shut up," Maro growled as she began transforming. She had no way to reply to that because he was right. But, she was too upset to admit that.


    "You had to know it was going to get to that point right, Master?"


    The boy nodded, only making her angrier and she asked "So why did you let it continue?"


    "You would not have listened to me regardless so why would I bother?" Rosan responded with a tilted head. "Even without my intervention, you realized what you did is wrong and now you can''t live with that guilt you currently have, so you''re misplacing it onto me."


    "That''s fine though. As your master, it''s my job to deal with your temper tantrums accordingly," he finished calmly.


    That was not what Maro wanted to hear.


    With a savage snarl, the girl transformed into her full zoan and she roared. When she finished, the massive Dokkaebi summoned her, equally massive, club and charged the redhead.


    Rosan would have sighed. Instead, he tightened his stance and prepared himself for the upcoming battle.


    The only way Maro would truly learn anything, was if he showed her the difference in their skill. She had gotten substantially stronger after eating her Devil Fruit, but it was not enough.


    "Boost, x2," Rosan intoned as he felt his body strengthen under the effects. The redhead''s eyes glowed as he stared down the charging figure.


    It would never be.


    Maro reached Rosan and slammed her club onto the floor but Rosan simply moved to the left. The girl had made sure to guard her right side due to her nature as a Dokkaebi. Attacks on her left side did not work, but that did not deter the redhead in the slightest.


    The boy delivered a quick jab to Maro''s rib that left her completely unfazed. It still didn''t stop her from flinching and reflexively blocking the spot that Rosan attacked.


    He took advantage of that ruthlessly.


    Before Maro could even blink, Rosan vanished and delivered a knee to her rib again, but this time, it was on her right side. She groaned in pain at the blow but quickly brushed it off and retaliated with a reckless swing that was instantly punished.


    Rosan ducked under the blow and kicked out behind her knee, dropping the girl temporarily, before he moved in front of her and 3 quick jabs to her face. Maro flinched at the strength of the blows but the redhead had not even be using close to his full power.


    The boy stopped and jumped away a safe distance. He made eye contact with a recovering Maro and tilted his head at her. Those heterochromatic eyes bored into her and she scowled at how apathetic they looked.


    "You''re toying with me," she said bluntly.


    "This is a lesson after all," he replied simply.


    He was trying to rile her up, Maro realized. In her anger, she had tried to engage the boy in close combat and suffered for it. Though Maro was good, Rosan was better and she should have known that.


    She needed to try and calm down or else she''d lose horribly. The redhead took advantage of every weakness in a battle.


    Maro moved more carefully this time and Rosan''s eyes never left her body. She conjured a fireball and tossed it at the redhead and he deftly sidestepped it. It seems like that was the only advantage he was going to give her because he immediately rushed her and slammed a spinning kick into both her defending arms.


    She tried to grab at his legs but he stood on her opposite arm and flipped himself over her body so that he could pepper her defenseless back. The girl howled in pain and she fell on one knee as Rosan rained blow after blow on her. Each punch was as brutal as the last and if not for her transformation, she''d be out of the fight.


    Her flames ignited all around her body and the redhead leapt back to get away from them.


    Remembering her own words, the white haired Oni let out a deep sigh and she focused. Maro waved her club and Rosan reflexively moved as her blue flames roared to life.


    She was going about this the wrong way. Attacking like a brute against someone like Master, would only result in her getting completely embarrassed. He was much better than her at close combat and it was obvious that if it continued like this, he''d win effortlessly.


    Maro needed to handle this smartly or else.


    The Dokkaebi remembered something that Rosan told her when discussing her abilities and she decided if it really did work how he said, now would be the best time to test it out.


    It was time to start her plan.


    She launched a wave of blue flames at Rosan, who moved all the way to the left to avoid them. Maro concentrated and the flames pivoted chasing the boy down. Judging by his momentary pause, the redhead did not expect that but he didn''t let it delay him for long.


    As the boy got chased by the homing flames, Maro, who had cut her connection to them, concentrated deeply. She was staring intently at the boy, pretending like she was controlling the flames, and she began to channel those blue flames again.


    Only this time it was inwardly.


    "All that is said is that they herald the appearance of one. Perhaps you can use them for travel?" Rosan''s voice rang through her head as she recalled the memory.


    If he was right then, he was about to be in for a world of pain.


    Maro concentrated deeply and her massive frame hunched over. She focused on making the blue flames less harmful and instead focused on moving.


    The Oni grinned wildly as she suddenly vanished with a pop, only to appear directly behind the boy. She tightened the grip on her club maliciously and prepared to swing.


    "Oh!" Mod said in clear surprise at seeing Maro vanish in blue fire.


    "You miscalculated, Father," Ram said as the girl appeared behind them.


    "It appears I did," Rosan said blandly and he instantly fortified his body.


    The blow that connected to him, knocked the wind out of his chest and sent the boy flying.


    It was not to be understated how strong Maro had gotten after transforming into a Dokkaebi. This was made evident by the sheer distance Rosan flew inside of their large training room. The boy''s body would have kept going too, had it not eventually embedded itself into a wall.


    Angel and Demon gaped.


    Maro grinned victoriously at her new technique. Master was right, she could use it to travel and he was the first one she tested it on.


    She had won! She actually did it! With her Devil Fruit, she actually defeated Master!


    The girl wanted to celebrate, but her celebration was cut short.


    Rosan''s body did not fall to the floor.


    He landed perfectly on his feet.


    Maro watched in horror as he shrugged off her blow. The boy''s face was bleeding and he had a large cut on his forehead that began steaming. In a matter of seconds, the cut was just¡­ gone and she heard bones cracking back into place. The only thing that suggested he had been injured, was the remaining blood.


    The boy opened his mouth and spit out a tooth, before another one immediately grew in the empty spot. He stretched a bit before looking at her with that same empty gaze.


    B-but how?


    "Master¡­ are you even human?" The Dokkaebi asked in disbelief. She thought she was the only monster on the ship.


    "No," Rosan said, suddenly vanishing and appearing in her face. She quivered at the glow in his eyes and instinctively took a step back.


    Master was an apex predator.


    "I''m better."


    The boy grabbed her and they vanished, only to appear on the deck of the ship.


    Maro watched as Rosan grew wings but they were not the ones she was used to seeing on his frame. Normally, she was used to seeing the feathery wings that gave him the name Angel of Death.


    These wings did not have feathers. They were still black, but they were scaly instead of feathery and were streaked in red. She saw that his tiny pupils had transformed into slits and the girl remembered something else he said.


    "I can turn into a Dragon."


    Oh.


    Oh.


    Oh no.


    The memory replayed over and over again in her head as Rosan assessed her.


    "Well done Maro," he congratulated. "To be honest, I didn''t expect you to land a single hit on me. But, you did. And it hurt."


    "I''ve taught you well and that''s why I''m going to keep teaching you," he informed her.


    "Your next lesson is to see just how large the gap between us is," the redhead said softly.


    "Modification: Ragnarok,"


    The boy let her go, flexed his giant wings, and flew.


    Angel and Demon were on deck by now and they looked up knowingly. Maro looked up in terror as Rosan transformed before her very eyes.


    Just h-how many transformations did he have?


    Maro''s musing was cut short as her vision of the sun was suddenly blocked by the massive monster above.


    "He''s gotten faster at transforming,"


    Staring down at her, in all its terrifying glory, was an obsidian black Dragon with red streaks coursing through its entire body like visible veins. Large, equally black with a red underside, wings dominated the dragon''s frame and a long tail idly swished behind the creature.


    Everything about the Dragon screamed lethal. Their claws were sharp, their teeth were sharp, everything was sharp. Sharper then her own for sure. He could probably chew iron with those razor sharp fangs of his.


    The Dragon tilted it''s reptilian head back, opened it''s long maw and let loose an earth shattering roar.


    "RAOGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"


    After announcing its presence, the Dragon swept downwards and made direct eye contact with Maro.


    The girl froze as those eyes, which were the same color as Rosan''s own, stared deep into her soul. She began quivering terribly and the bluenette didn''t even remember deactivating her transformation.


    They stared at each other for what felt like an eternity to Maro, but was only a few seconds for everyone else.


    Then ¡ª Rosan moved away from the ship and back upwards¡ª Maro watched in awe as he let out another roar and, in an obvious display of power, he reared his head back, faced downwards, and let loose an absolute gigantic wave of fire.


    Maro actually squeaked when she saw the flames and even from this distance, she felt the raw heat emitted from the attack. If those flames hit her¡­would her Devil Fruit be able to protect her?


    The girl wondered just how much Rosan held back when fighting her because this was nothing more then a statement. The girl couldn''t tell exactly what the Dragon was doing but she could feel it. His intentions were loud and clear.


    "Don''t forget whose in charge."


    Needless to say, Maro understood exactly what he meant. Even her Dokkaebi side had been cowed into submission. Crossing Master was against her best interest and the fact that he even let her go on such an unruly streak, with no retaliation, was a blessing.


    Done with his impressive showing, the Dragon vanished, leaving only a small child behind, and Rosan floated down with his, still present, draconic wings. The 12 year old landed gently on the ship and dispersed his wings. The boy massaged his jaw for a moment before dropping his hand.


    "I trust you learned something new?" Rosan asked the bluenette who had to stop herself from shivering.


    "Yes M-Master, I learned a lot," Maro confirmed shakily.


    Don''t mess with Master.


    But the girl was curious. "Master...I''m sure you noticed how I''ve been acting, so why didn''t you act before now?" The Goblin girl asked.


    Rosan tilted his head at her. "All of you have a unique set of personalities that makes you who you are. Who am I to stifle that? I do not care how you all act as long as it doesn''t negatively affect anyone on the ship," he said bluntly.


    "How you acted was of no concern to me and it would have remained that way had you not approached me."


    Maro almost fell as she heard that. So all of this, really was her fault. Arrogance had gotten the best of her despite Rosan''s explicit warnings to avoid succumbing to it.


    Ugh. Some student she was. Maro felt like she had just been talking big beforehand.


    "You are young," Rosan''s voice interrupted her musing. "You are learning. Every mistake you make, is one you will avoid in the future and that is all that matters."


    The bluenette nodded determinedly and took his words to heart. He was right, she would not be making this mistake again in the future. Maro had learned her lesson and would not act like such an idiot again. She would take accountability for her actions from now on.


    Which meant she needed to apologize to Angel. Just an apology was not good enough though. What she had done to the girl was uncalled for and, in her arrogance, the bluenette just wanted to hurt her. Now Angel didn''t even want to look at her...


    Maybe Master would have a suggestion?


    That night, Maro went into Rosan''s room and asked him for advice on how to apologize to Angel.


    "You want my advice?" Rosan asked in his night gear. The boy looked like he had been sleeping but the moment she touched him, he had opened his eyes with no signs of tiredness present.


    It had honestly given her quite the fright to see how quickly he had awoken.


    "I don''t apologize often but when I did, it was mostly to Meiko," Rosan mused and Maro listened intently.


    "Angel is a lot different from Meiko but, they were best friends who shared many interests, so this might work for her as well."


    Maro listened to what Rosan told her to do and questioned if it would work. The boy''s response was that he didn''t know and she just shrugged. It wouldn''t hurt to try and Angel was a surprisingly reasonable person. The bluenette just needed to be sincere, which she was, about her apology.


    She thanked Rosan and was about to bid him goodnight, before she decided against it and tentatively asked him if she could enter his mindscape as well.


    "Okay," the boy agreed and she smiled in elation.


    "Try not to ogle Mod-chan and Ram too much this time. Mod-chan is easily flustered and Ram has a giant ego already," Rosan said bluntly and Maro felt her face turn red as a tomato.


    "R-right," she uttered quietly.


    Master was embarrassingly straightforward¡­


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "What is this supposed to be?" Angel asked with a raised brow at the offering Maro was trying to hand to her.


    "An apology¡­?" Maro didn''t sound sure of herself now that she was face to face with the, normally haughty, clone. Seeing her so quiet and reserved whenever they spoke, rubbed her the wrong way and so she wanted to fix that immediately.


    The offering she was trying to give Angel in question was a bouquet of roses. The flowers were a mix of red and white (her favorite colors) and they were accompanied by a box of chocolate.


    "You don''t sound to sure of yourself," Angel commented dryly and Maro flushed.


    "I...I am it''s just, I uh never did something like this before," the bluenette mumbled and the poor girl was trying very hard to burn a hole into the ground.


    "Well, there''s a first time for everything. Seems like we''re both not used to unexpected things happening," Angel said rather snidely and Maro flinched. The redhead sighed at the downtrodden look on her face and decided against attacking her.


    "You¡­wanted to apologize to me?" The female clone asked, deciding to throw the shorter girl a bone.


    Maro''s gaze shot up in hope and she nodded rapidly. "Yeah I do! I f-felt really bad about what I said to ya the other day and I felt even worse for hitting ya. I really didn''t mean to take it that far and even though I knew how ya are, I still let it get ta me."


    The bluenette took a deep breath. She was getting nervous and when that happened she slipped back into her old speech. The 11 year old needed to calm down and gather her thoughts.


    "I really appreciate everything you''ve done for me Angel and the other day made it seem like I didn''t. That''s not true! You''re taking time out of your day to help me when you don''t have to and I just spit in your face. I-I don''t want you to stop teaching me because I like spending time with you so, please forgive me!" Maro pleaded while moving her gifts a little closer to the taller girl.


    Angel was surprised. She didn''t expect Maro to apologize to her and bring gifts as well. Their last interaction was still fresh on her mind and honestly it hurt the redheaded girl more then she liked to admit.


    It hurt so much, Angel had actually taken a step back to assess her own character and she begrudgingly admitted that she could be a bit¡­rude. It''s why she had been so quiet, she was trying to figure out how best to handle this revelation.


    No one she cared about had ever had a problem with her personality before. Not her little brother, not her Master, and not...Meiko. She had treated Meiko quite terribly before and they had managed to become best friends!


    But not everyone was as kind, receptive, and patient as Meiko. The girl had been one of a kind and she was capable of putting up with Angel and Rosan.


    Not a lot of people would be able to do that and Angel didn''t care. But hearing the truth from Maro''s mouth hurt her. Did that mean she cared about the bluenette¡­?


    It was all so confusing and Angel didn''t really know how to handle it. So she settled for just ignoring the problem.


    What? She was still a clone of Rosan after all!


    But now, the problem had approached her. With gifts. What made her decide to get her roses and chocolate of all things? Surely she wasn''t¡­?


    "Did Master tell you to do this?" Angel suddenly asked and Maro nodded without hesitation.


    "I wanted to apologize to you and Master told me this is how he did it," the 11 year old explained pointing towards Rosan, who was reading a book. The boy glanced up at being addressed and Angel shot him a wave that he returned.


    That explained a lot. Rosan did this a lot whenever he wanted to apologize to Meiko. It was comical how it worked every single time due to the girl''s nature.


    Angel focused her attention back on the nervous girl before her and the clone sighed. Maro was putting in an effort so she could put some in too. It''s not like she hated the girl...anymore.


    "Maro¡­," the redhead said grabbing the girls attention. "...I want to apologize as well," she began making Maro''s jaw drop. Was it that hard to believe? She apologized to the girl before so why was it suddenly so shocking?


    Angel stamped down her annoyance. She was trying to apologize, not cause another argument. "I''m not used to my personality being...so poorly received. No one has ever had a problem with it before. Demon is very understanding and he can tolerate a lot, no personality fully bothered a chaotic person like Master and Meiko was a real sweetheart."


    "I got too used to them and just assumed you''d be the same way and I''m sorry for that," Angel said earnestly.


    This was not how Maro was expecting the exchange to go. She was expecting to get slapped again honestly, it was what she deserved after hitting the girl into a wall. To hear Angel apologize again, really made the bluenette feel bad.


    Master was right, Angel would own up to a mistake unlike her. She was pathetic!


    "You don''t have to apologize!" Maro said frantically. "Like I said, I understand that this is just who you are and I don''t want you to change that. You shouldn''t have to change for someone you barely care about!"


    "Idiot," Angel suddenly said with a shake of her head.


    "Huh?" Maro asked confusedly.


    "You think I''d apologize to you if I didn''t care about you? If I didn''t care about you I''d have thrown you overboard while you were sleeping because I don''t require sleep, Master''s student or not," Angel said truthfully and Maro gaped at the honesty in her tone.


    She would have thrown her overboard? To let her drown? Just like that?


    Angel was still scary¡­


    "You¡­care about me?" Maro said hesitantly and Angel snorted.


    "Obviously. Now give me those gifts," the girl said, accepting the flowers and chocolate. "Thank you, I''ll be sure to put these flowers in a vase," Angel said with a small smile on her bronze face.


    Maro smiled brilliantly before remembering something. "Oh wait! I still have to do one more thing," the girl exclaimed. Master had said he did this often so she figured she had to do it too.


    Angel raised a red brow at her in confusion. "One more thing?" What was she planning?


    The bluenette walked up to Angel, who was still confused, got on her tiptoes and planted a kiss directly on the clones cheek. Rosan told her that along with getting her gifts, he would always plant a kiss on her cheek that made her instantly forgive him.


    She decided to take a page out of his book since the first part worked so well!


    Angel froze as she felt those lips connect with her cheek. The redhead had never experienced something like this before and she felt her brain short circuit.


    Rosan stared at the two with a tilted head.


    "I was not aware you two were like that but that explains a lot," the 12 year old said calmly.


    "I think they are pretty cute together!" Mod gushed.


    "Maro and Angel sittin in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G~," Ram sang cheerfully.


    "When did you plan on telling me about this Angel?" Demon asked, voice tinged with mirth.


    Maro was confused. What were they all talking about? Did she do something wrong? She was just following Master''s advice.


    "I-I¡­t-that''s not¡­," Angel stammered. She heard everything they said and all their comments only served to throw her mind in complete disarray.


    So Angel reacted the only way she knew how.


    "I change my mind Maro," Angel said, grabbing the girls attention. Purple eyes stared into orange and purple said "I am going to throw you overboard."


    Maro''s eyes widened in fear as she heard that and the girl took a step back. "Wait! W-what did I do?" she asked in genuine confusion. Was she not supposed to kiss her?


    "Be a pervert," Angel said stonily. "If you stay still, I''ll make it quick."


    Maro naturally ran for her life. Angel pursued.


    "Hm. What an odd way to express affection," Rosan commented before going back to his book.


    "Rosan. If Maro dies, you know it''s your fault right?"


    "How so?"


    "She kissed Angel on the cheek because of what you said."


    "I didn''t tell her to kiss Angel on the cheek. I told her that''s what I used to do with Meiko because we were together."


    "Well I don''t think Maro picked up on that last part because you didn''t tell her."


    "Oh. I suppose I''ll go help her then."


    "Before you do, give it a couple minutes! I wanna see the chaos."


    "Okay."


    "No! Save that little girl immediately."


    "Okay."


    "Boo you''re no fun, Auntie Mod!"


    "Stop calling me Auntie!"


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Flashback End


    Maro sighed fondly at the memories. The times of her receiving her Devil Fruit were very hectic and she learned so much in a short amount of time.


    She didn''t regret it for even a moment!


    "Done daydreaming?" A voice asked and Maro smiled mischievously at her Master. She was taller then him now (5''5 to his 5''4!) and he told her it was probably because of how Zoan''s worked.


    Rosan was probably right but...Maro cheekily told him it was because he was destined to be short.


    Earning Angel''s ire was totally worth it...is what she would have liked to say but Rosan didn''t even react!


    Lame.


    "I''m all done Master," Maro said as she placed her hoodie back on. This crew hadn''t been very strong at all (they hardly ever were) and the bluenette was finding herself disappointed.


    Her and Master were a formidable duo and they scarcely struggled against the foes they were up against. The two barely needed to fight together!


    She wanted to do something fun!


    "Master, I wanna do somethin fun," Maro declared and Rosan stared at her. During her daydream, the boy had looted everything of value and was patiently waiting for her.


    Rosan was used to her antics by now and simply asked "What do you have in mind?"


    Maro hummed excitedly as she thought of what they could do. Just attacking crews, wasn''t enough anymore. She needed a bit of spice in her life! She thought of her and Master''s abilities and quickly came to a decision.


    "We can do stealth missions!" Maro declared. With her invisibility and Master''s camouflage¡­ they''d be in and out of anywhere they raided!


    "Okay," Rosan conceded easily enough. "Where do you want to go?" Despite agreeing, the redhead wanted to see how much she progressed and let her decide on her own. Her growth had been staggering and in the few months they had been together, Maro had proven her worth.


    He had made the right decision.


    Maro adopted a thinking pose as she thought about their best course of action. A stealth mission meant there was a goal and a goal was meant to be valuable. They needed to raid a place that had something of value and was challenging.


    A rich place was out of the question for their first raid. Maybe in the future for fun but right now, there would probably never be a shortage of Beri on the White Rose due to Master''s connections with the booming island, Fregate.


    Due to Master''s connection with Fregate, a lot of places were ruled out. Curse Rosan for making such a good investment, he was unintentionally making this difficult for her.


    Then, Maro had an epiphany.


    You see, Maro was from the North Blue and, in the North Blue, everyone, even someone homeless like her, knew of a certain group of individuals. There was no doubt in her mind that they would have items of value for them.


    They were the Kingdom of Science after all!


    "Master...," Maro began with an impish grin on her as she decided on a target. The boy prompted her to continue and she did so gleefully.


    "...Let''s raid the Germa Kingdom."


    Rosan stared at her for a moment with his head tilted. After a second, he quickly came to a decision.


    "Okay."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Misadventures of Robin and Rosan ¨C 9


    Robin and Rosan are 11 and 7 respectively.


    The origin of Rosan discovering how he''d look as a girl!


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    There was a reason Robin was the one who normally infiltrated organizations and crews by herself. It was due to the fact that the Hana Hana no Mi user did not trust Rosan whatsoever when it came to not messing up his plans in some way.


    Could you blame her? He was too chaotic for his own good!


    The boy was aware of that and he never had a problem with it before. This organization however, made Rosan decide to come with her personally this time.


    She was happy that he was so protective of her but there was one issue with this particular crew.


    "It''s an all female crew Rosan," Robin tried to explain to the boy who was stubbornly crossing his arms. The 11 year old held back a sigh at the look on his face. He was not letting her go alone. Either she took him with her or she didn''t go at all.


    "I don''t see the problem! People used to confuse me for a girl all the time so they will too," he told her confidently.


    Robin let out another sigh. "We''re not risking it Rosan." When he was 4 it would be hard to tell but as he got older, anyone with working eyes would be able to tell.


    "Then you''re not going," he declared simply and she knew he wasn''t going to change his mind.


    Robin got annoyed. She hated when Rosan got like this, the boy was impossible sometimes and always expected things to go his way when he decided they should! "You''re acting like a child, Rosan."


    "I''m 7."


    She growled at his snarky reply. "You know what, I''m going regardless!" Robin decided. The brunette didn''t have to deal with his spoiled attitude right now! He could throw his tantrum without her being here!


    "No you aren''t," Rosan stared at her with his arms crossed. His brilliant purple eyes pierced her mesmerizing blue and his gaze was even.


    "You can''t stop me," Robin said childishly. She was the older one between the two and she made most of the decisions! If she wanted to go then she would go.


    "Yes I can, I''m stronger than you." Rosan was glaring at her now and Robin glared back. This little¡­


    "Kids, calm down," Mod''s soothing voice interrupted their argument. "I have a solution if you''ll listen."


    Robin and Rosan were still glaring at each other challengingly before they took a deep breath at the same time.


    "Fine/Alright," Robin and Rosan said at the same time before glaring at each other again.


    "Stop copying me!" Rosan growled.


    "We didn''t even say the same thing, stupid!" Robin retorted and it was clear that the two were about to come to blows.


    "Enough. You two are just worried about each other so there''s no need to be so upset," Mod chastised the both of them and the woman had her hands on her hips. "Rosan, you''re acting spoiled right now because something is not going your way. Didn''t I tell you not to act like this! You can''t have everything no matter what you think."


    Robin smiled triumphantly at the downtrodden look on Rosan''s face. Serves him right for being such a brat!


    "Oh don''t think you''re free either, Robin," Mod frowned and Robin flinched in surprise. "You know how Rosan is and you chose to purposely antagonize him to get a reaction out of him! Don''t stoop to his level of childishness because that boy thrives on annoying people and he won''t stop until he wins."


    She was satisfied to see that they both looked properly scolded. "Now, Rosan wants to go with Robin to keep her safe and Robin doesn''t want Rosan to go because it''s an all female crew. Correct?"


    They both nodded at that.


    "Well, all Rosan has to do is Modify his gender!" Mod said with a smile on her face.


    Rosan froze in disbelief as he heard that.


    Robin was equally shocked. "He can do that?"


    "I can do that?"


    "Naturally," Mod said. It''s how she had gone from gender less, with no appearance, to a woman with an appearance! If Mod wanted to, she could used Modification to turn herself into a man, a child, an elder, etc.


    "W-wait," Rosan stammered and Robin''s eyes gleamed at the hesitation in his tone.


    "You know what? I think that''s a great idea, Mod-chan," the brunette declared and Rosan knew there was no getting out of this. He could try but Mod and Robin always got what they wanted.


    "F-fine," the redhead mumbled in defeat. As long as he got to keep Robin safe, then he could do this. "So...how is it done?"


    "Give me control and pay attention to what I do," Mod instructed and Rosan instantly obeyed. When the 7 year old opened his eyes again, they were a familiar glowing red.


    "Modify: Swap," the possessed boy said and Robin watched as, true to Mod''s word, Rosan gender swapped.


    His spiky hair lengthened from shoulder length to mid-back level and the boy''s features softened. His face became rounder, his eyelashes extended, and his lips became fuller.


    Those brilliant crimson eyes transformed back into royal purple and Rosan inspected her new body in curiosity.


    Robin watched, stunned, at Rosan''s transformation.


    Rosan told her that his mother used to always say he was going to grow up into a handsome boy. Robin believed her words because the more Rosan aged, the more clear it became.


    Robin was convinced Rosan had been blessed with good genetics because the same thing applied to his female form.


    Not much had changed besides key features that meant Rosan was a girl now but she was still good looking! If he had done this when he was older, well Robin was going to have to beat people off with a stick herself!


    "Wow Rosan, you''re pretty!" Robin gushed, anger forgotten as she looked at the 7 year old.


    "Hey! Don''t call me pretty," Rosan protested with a blush of indignation on her face. "I''m handsome!"


    Her voice was just a tad bit higher and the look of childish fury was definitely Rosan''s. It made Robin and Mod giggle.


    "Seems like no matter what gender he is, Rosan will be adorable," Mod cooed and Robin agreed wholeheartedly.


    "Stop teasing me!" Rosan protested loudly. Her cheeks were puffed out and the 7 year old''s face was blushing in embarrassment.


    "Right, sorry Rosan," Robin apologized, still laughing at her younger partner. "Let''s get you dressed up in something more convincing so that we can infiltrate this organization!"


    Rosan nodded in agreement before pausing at what she said. "Dress me up how?" The girl asked with a sense of dread.


    Robin''s smile widened.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "So you''re Nico Robin and¡­who''s this little cutie?" A woman''s voice asked looking between Robin and Rosan. She was taller then them both with short black hair and a nose ring on her attractive face.


    Rosan glared ferociously at the woman. She had been changed into a purple blouse and long black pants. Her red hair was tied into a long ponytail and her eyes were currently Mod''s crimson red, despite the Devil Fruit not being in control.


    "This is Rose," Robin introduced the shorter girl, with a polite smile on her face as she nudged said girl.


    "Nice to meetcha," she said through grit teeth, glare still on her face. Rosan was never doing this again! They had been teasing him nonstop and he didn''t have to put up with this level of harassment!


    "Aren''t you just the cutest thing," the woman cooed and she bent down to reach Rosan''s level. "I''m May and I''m the captain of this crew. Normally I don''t accept ones so young but I think I can make a special exception for you two," May said, reaching a hand out to softly rub Rosan''s hair. It was so soft and the red was so striking!


    The 7 year old was about to bite her but one look from Robin stopped, her in her tracks. "Behave," she said and that was that.


    Rosan grumbled. Lucky freaking idiot. She was spared from getting bit...for now.


    "Rose is gonna be quite the looker when she grows up," May said as she looked the girl up and down. "I think you''ll be a fine addition to the crew and in some years, your gonna be a total knockout."


    May thought the blush on the girls cheek was due to being embarrassed from her compliments and cooed. While Rosan was certainly embarrassed, it was not because of what the woman said.


    It was because of the two voices laughing continuously in his head.


    "I''m gonna get my revenge on the both of you," Rosan swore in embarrassment.


    "You would never!" Mod sang between laughs.


    "You''ll look back at this and laugh Rosan," Robin joined and the redhead grumbled again.


    Stupid freaking everything.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Robin had not expected Rosan to be so popular with the crew.


    The girl was always being fawned over by one person or the other and it was not helping that Rosan tried his hardest to be disliked. Unfortunately, none of what he did worked. They just thought the girl was just shy and were trying to break her out of her shell.


    Robin snorted. Rosan? Shy? Utter insanity.


    They couldn''t even sleep together! Someone was always hogging the Mod Mod no Mi user and it extended to night time as well so Robin was forced to sleep alone! She couldn''t lie, she missed his warm body.


    Robin was glad no one ever paid this much attention to her. She much preferred being feared for her bounty then whatever was happening to Rosan.


    Still, she wanted to take this crew out and go back to the White Rose. While everyone had been hounding Rosan (she knew his appearance was unique but this was a bit much), Robin had been looking for things they could bring back after taking them out.


    Her results had been rather fruitful and now it was a matter of when to attack. She''d probably coordinate an attack with Rosan while they were sleeping.


    This was honestly the most patient the boy had ever been... Is what she wanted to say but, as Robin looked at the unconscious bodies before her, with Rosan sitting near them in his male form, she simply uttered out a "What?"


    "Oh! Robin-nee!" Rosan greeted cheerfully. The boy had a large grin on his face as he greeted her. "You''re probably wondering what happened. Well it all started when¡­"


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan was currently being harassed by May and some of her other crewmates.


    It had been like this for a few days, him being constantly hounded by multiple members, so the boy turned girl was used to it. He just ignored them and spoke to Mod-chan and Robin through their connection.


    Today was a bit different. It seemed like they actually had something sort of important to say besides gushing over his red hair or his bronze skin.


    "Rose, help use betray Nico Robin," May said confidently and Rosan paused.


    What?


    "What?" Rosan asked aloud.


    "I can hear the papers of them signing their lives away as we speak," Mod sighed. It was to be expected. Rosan was jealously protective of Robin and anyone who even threatened her, didn''t make it very far if they were in the boy''s sights.


    "You want me to betray Robin?" The redhead asked with a tilted head.


    "Yeah just think about it. She''s the only one with a bounty on the crew at the moment and we can fully jump-start our career by turning in that 79 million," the captain said and she didn''t seem to realize the temperature of the room dropping.


    "Ah, I see," Rosan said softly and his glowing eyes were cold.


    How dare they even suggest he betray Robin? She was one of his closest companions and they thought he would just throw that away for some bounty money?


    If Rosan wanted money he''d take it. As a matter of fact, he decided he was going to take away their careers right now.


    It was time to show them how good of an idea he thought it was.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "You did this because they wanted you to betray me?" Robin asked and her voice was quiet.


    "Of course," the boy declared. "I will never betray you and the fact that they thought money was enough to sway me, made me sickeningly upset."


    His words were touching her right in the heart. Robin smiled brightly and hugged the boy tightly.


    "That means a lot to me, Rosan. Thank you," she said fondly and the boy hugged her back.


    They separated and the redhead was grinning at her. "Of course Robin-nee!" he waved her off like it was a given. To him, it probably was.


    "Besides, if I wanted your bounty, I would have taken it loooooooong ago."


    Robin felt her annoyance rise at the nonchalant tone he said that with. He sure did like to rub it in her face how he was stronger then her. He would sometimes bring it up to win an argument that had nothing to do with strength and it was honestly so annoying.


    "Why are you a boy again? You were much cuter as a girl."


    "I looked practically the same!"


    "Still cuter."


    "Cuter then you!"


    "I wonder how your female form will look when you''re older¡­"


    "You won''t be finding out! I ain''t ever doin it again."


    "Yes you are."


    "Yes you are."


    "Y-you two aren''t even giving me a choice? Freedom is a lie if that''s the case!"


    "¡­"


    "¡­"


    "I hate you two so much."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Info Sheet: Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Dokkaebi


    Type: Mythical Zoan


    Description: Allows the user to transform into a hybrid and full version of a Dokkaebi, a goblin spirit that possesses extraordinary abilities. It was given to Maro by Rosan, who stole it from Joker.


    Appearance: A green circular fruit that resembles a melon, with white swirls and an equally white stem.


    Transformation: Allows user to turn into a tall, light green Goblin with wild white hair, a long pointy nose, sharp nails, a razor teeth. In Maro''s case, due to not being a full adult, her transformation has not reached it''s full size.


    Abilities: Being a Dokkaebi, Maro is capable of doing what the Nature Goblins can do which include:


    Harvest Growth (She''s gonna be one hell of a gardener)


    Supernatural Strength with an innate talent for wrestling


    Extreme durability on everything that is not done on the right side of her body.


    A club that doubles as a magic wand that can summon things near her and cast illusion magic.


    Blue flames that she can use to travel (can teleport short distances) and for combat purposes.


    A hat, that she turned into a tiara, that grants her invisibility.


    Additional Info: Altered Maro''s appearance and personality slightly. She now has white streaks going through her blue hair, muscles and she is also growing in height due to puberty and the nature of Zoan Devil Fruits. In terms of personality, Maro is much more playful and mischievous.

 The Grim Reaper

    The North Blue was the sea that Rosan tended to frequent the most due to his connections with Fregate. It was natural that he knew about heavy hitters like the Germa Kingdom.


    It was a seafaring kingdom that was ran by the Vinsmoke Family. Not much people knew the kingdom, along with its army Germa 66, actually existed. Their knowledge of the army only extended to its story and everything else was merely labeled a myth.


    How nonsensical.


    In a world where eating a fruit gave you a variety of abilities, people found an underground army mythical. It was fascinating how people managed to reach the conclusions that they did.


    Well, he wasn''t surprised. A majority of people either thought Reaper was a myth or that he was not human. Both were wrong.


    But he digressed, Germa was very real. They were just elusive and did all their dealings, as he mentioned, underground. It was like his rival in the Grand Line, Joker but on a much larger scale.


    He had spoken to Aiko as well and she was one of the few people who was aware of the existence of the kingdom. The woman was a big name in the North Blue these days and she was used to dealing with shady business (her partner was Reaper after all). She had taken part in her fair share of...less then legal dealings.


    Mostly everyone that dealt with the Black Market knew of Germa''s existence.


    "Why the sudden interest in Germa anyways?" Aiko couldn''t help but ask with a raised brow. They were in the lounge area of their castle (Rosan had teleported in without announcement as usual) and the leader decided to make tea for everyone there (mostly to calm her racing heart).


    "We''re gonna invade em!" Maro beamed in her spot on Akemi''s lap. The 12 year old was laying down on their sofa with her head being subjected to rubbing from the 23 year old. She sighed in bliss at the attention she was receiving and Aiko could have sworn she saw her potted plant growing a little taller.


    "You''re gonna do WHAT?!" Aiko screeched. The 24 year old looked at the two as if they had grown a second head.


    "Maro wanted to invade the Germa Kingdom and I agreed to it after weighing the benefits," Rosan explained, while calmly sipping his honey and lemon dipped (just how he liked it) tea. "Since we are going to invade them, I''d like to learn more about the Kingdom of Science. It will increase our rate of success this way and we can prepare for anything."


    "G-Germa is an army, Rosan," Aiko pointed out, concern clear on her face. "You two are an insanely strong duo, but I don''t think you guys can handle all of their grunts and their commanders."


    "Aiko used to read to me about Germa 66 when we were kids," Akemi said worriedly. "Their commanders in particular, seem really powerful so you should be wary of them," she said, before going back to patting the lazing Maro.


    "You should try a bit harder to convince them this is a bad idea. They listen to you more than me," Aiko grumbled at her younger sister.


    "That''s not true," Rosan said, getting a raised brow out of the leader. "I value your words more than you could imagine. You are one of the few people I actually listen to, you know," the 13 year old explained quietly to her and Aiko was not blushing in appreciation at his words.


    She grumbled and looked away from the teen so that he couldn''t see the embarrassment on his face.


    "Maybe if it was Rosan''s idea, but Maro was the one who thought of it and this little goblin always sees her plans out," Akemi sighed fondly at the girl lying in her lap.


    The younger sister had discovered Maro when the bluenette had grown bored of Rosan and Aiko''s business talk. She was getting better at understanding what they were speaking of but it was so boring.


    She had wandered off to see if she could do something else, only to find Akemi and the two had hit it off immediately after one conversation.


    It was probably because Akemi spoiled Maro rotten due to how adorable the girl was.


    "You know me so well~," the goblin girl said cheekily and she nuzzled deeper into Akemi''s gentle hands.


    "It''s not our intention to fight an army," Rosan said dryly. "Maro wanted to do an infiltration mission with stakes behind them and this is what she decided on," the teen explained to the sisters. He wanted his partner to start having more independent thoughts that weren''t related to him and this was a step in the right direction.


    "Mhm!" Maro nodded excitedly. "We''re just going for their technology! Germa is said to be really advanced in science so I wanna steal some, or all, of it for ourselves!" She shook in excitement as she said that, just thinking of what she could possibly get from the kingdom of science, left her grinning wildly.


    "Naturally, as our longtime partners, you get access to whatever we can find as well," Rosan explained and Aiko''s eyes sparked in interest at that tidbit of info. The woman heard about Germa''s technology and to say that she didn''t want it, would be a bold faced lie.


    "I can''t convince you otherwise and the deal sounds way too good so...just be careful alright, you kids?" The gray haired older sister requested, unable to keep the worry out of her voice. She was like a big sister to these little idiots and damn it if anything happened to them, she''d be pissed.


    "Naturally," Rosan said, forming a smile that he had been working hard to perfect. Aiko had to admit, the redhead sure was a boy of effort! It looked real!


    "Aww! You act like such a hard-ass but you''re really just a worrywart, Aiko-chan!" Maro gushed and the bluenette rushed to hug her.


    "Right?" Akemi agreed readily, with a large smile on her face. "Under Aiko''s tough exterior, is a pretty sweet person that can be seriously overprotective!"


    "Can you guys not make fun of me?" Aiko grumbled in annoyance but she hugged the girl back.


    "They are simply stating the truth. I''ve known you long enough to verify that you are a kind person," Rosan spoke softly.


    "All of you are so annoying," the brown eyed woman glared.


    "Odd way to say you love us~," Maro purred.


    "We love you too!" Akemi gushed happily.


    "It''s fine to be honest with us," Rosan informed her.


    Aiko really did hate them.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Maro was excited and the girl was shaking at the prospect of doing something fun.


    Her and Master''s very first infiltration mission! On Germa! This was going to be awesome!


    Rosan and Maro had planned perfectly on when to attack Germa. It had not taken the intelligent redhead long to find the elusive kingdom and, so as to have an easier time invading, the teen scouted them out for information.


    Currently, they were in the East Blue because they had reason to believe that Germa was going to attack the kingdom of Cozia soon.


    Rosan didn''t come to the East Blue often. It was his least visited sea due to a variety of reasons. The biggest one, was that it was the sea the Hero of the Marines visited the most.


    The bounties weren''t very interesting either. Maro hated coming here because there was nobody interesting to fight, so they didn''t come to the weakest Sea often.


    With Germa being here though, the two had made their way over with haste. It had the added effect of being good practice for Maro as well!


    The bluenette discovered that, with enough practice, she could use her blue flames to fly! The discovery was made soon after her fight with Rosan. Since she could use her blue flames to displace herself, what was stopping her from using it to soar through the sky like her Master?


    Case in point, Maro and Rosan were hovering over what was no doubt the Germa Kingdom as they thought about their best course of action.


    "So the moment they begin their invasion on Cozia, we go?" Maro asked curiously. It was simple enough but things didn''t need to be complicated to be effective.


    "Yes," Rosan confirmed. "Most of their army will be attacking the island and that will give us more freedom to take what we want."


    The bluenette nodded excitedly. They were both naturally dressed as Grim and Reaper for their infiltration mission.


    "Link, separate, regroup in case of battle?" The white clad girl asked.


    "Link, separate, regroup in case of battle," the black clad boy repeated in confirmation. He tapped her head and instantly linked the two together.


    "Testing, testing~," Maro sang as they successfully established a connection.


    "Hello, Maro!" Mod called with a small smile on her face. The purple haired woman had grown quite fond of Rosan''s student over the months. The girl had made good on her promise she declared so boldly to them and she was becoming a more and more valuable asset every day.


    "Goblin!" Ram greeted cheekily. Seeing as Maro was no longer a life threatening hindrance to her Father, the silver haired girl no longer had an issue with the bluenette anymore. Maro had managed to completely prove her wrong and the ring respected her for being able to subvert her expectations like that.


    "Mod-chan! Ram-chan! It''s good to see you guys!" Maro greeted the two cheerfully. When the Dokkaebi learned that Rosan trained in his mindscape, she demanded to join him. This had the added effect of letting her hang out much more with the two, more talkative, inhabitants of her master''s body.


    Ram especially, warmed up to the girl over time after seeing her dedication to Rosan and the two had become good friends. All the ring wanted was for the girl to be useful and here she was, being useful. There would be no complaints from her.


    "Seems that they''ve begun," Rosan idly remarked, as he watched a various amount of ships embark onto the island.


    "It''s showtime!" Maro cheered, as she activated her tiara. Grim hugged Reaper and vanished from sight.


    "Good luck, Master," the Oni said and she rocketed downwards to the Kingdom.


    "That girl has no patience," Mod sighed with a fond smile.


    "Don''t get left behind, Father," Ram demanded competitively.


    Rosan nodded and camouflaged himself. It was time to grab anything of value from Germa.


    With that, Reaper flew downwards.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Grim, currently invisible, landed on Germa''s territory with a thud. The white clad girl let out a tiny "oops" before verifying that no one was around her to hear that noise.


    Germa was pretty weird. The "territory" of the kingdom was comprised of platforms surrounded by railings, that were built on the shells of large snails. Said snails also doubled as ships, that were currently being used to invade the island of Cozia.


    The Oni had chosen to land on, what was probably, the main part of the kingdom (if the huge castle was anything to go by) and she was sure Master was gonna land here too.


    This was probably where all the goodies were!


    The castle seemed mostly barren and all the soldiers were gone so that left the non combatants.


    They would be easy to get past. She just needed to not touch them.


    Reaper''s right hand thought about barging through the main entrance, but this was a stealth mission! She didn''t want to attract attention!


    Besides, Master was probably going to have a way easier time entering the castle and Aiko expressed an interest in their scientific technology so she''d look for that! She was sure the leader of Fregate would appreciate her efforts!


    She remembered Reaper''s warning and hummed. Her partner had told her, in a tone that brook no argument, to "Avoid Vinsmoke Judge."


    Vinsmoke Judge was apparently the head of the Vinsmoke Family, the rulers of Germa, and as such they probably couldn''t take him one on one.


    Despite the curiosity of seeing how strong he was, Grim did not fancy fighting a losing battle. Her Devil Fruit may be strong, but she was still young! Master was scarcely wrong so, if he wanted her to avoid Judge, she would avoid him.


    Besides, she wasn''t here for battle! She was here to pillage! Her blood demanded that she take everything of value in this kingdom and she was always one to follow her heart!


    The Oni summoned one of Rosan''s bags with a wave of her club and headed in a random direction with a skip in her step.


    It was time to see if Germa had anything worth stealing!


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    A camouflaged Reaper landed in the front of the castle without making a sound.


    The Angel of Death placed a palm on the castle walls and did a quick Scan of the building.


    He paused at what he was sensing. There were 6 people in the building currently. 5 of them were condensed in one area near the bottom and the final one was by themselves in a room near the top. Despite being alone, Reaper''s scan deduced that they were a much bigger threat.


    That was likely Judge. It seems that he had chosen to not attack Cozia along with his soldiers yet.


    He doubted this castle actually had anything of value (it struck him as too lavish for that), but Grim made it clear she wasn''t interested in going here so he''d be the one to do it. Just because it probably had nothing interesting, didn''t mean it had nothing. He was sure he would find something good here.


    Besides, he was much better at being incognito then his partner was.


    The Shinigami modified a hole into the castle and stepped inside. A second later, said hole closed and Reaper made his way deeper in. He summoned two of his scouting bugs and had them track the two groups of people.


    He wanted to ensure their location constantly so as to not run into them by accident. He did not want them to find each other, lest the mission get ruined.


    This was a stealth mission after all.


    His little scouts flew off and the obsidian winged Angel floated in a direction that would avoid the two, the single presence in particular.


    It wouldn''t be hard. One was at the very top and the others were at the very bottom.


    Now, let''s see what this castle had for him.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    The fun stuff always had to be watched over. Honestly, why didn''t they just leave it out in the open for any onlookers to see!


    Grim had quickly found something of interest and it seemed to be where they kept their weapons!


    The only issue was that it was being guarded and that sucked.


    Luckily, she was invisible and that meant she could get away with any shenanigans she had planned.


    The white clad Oni had moved out of sight of the two unassuming soldiers blocking the door and was currently smiling cheekily to herself. This was a stealth mission but as long as she didn''t get caught, she wouldn''t fail!


    Grim summoned her blue flames and palmed it. Then, as if she was a pitcher, she launched the flame in the direction opposite of the building she wanted to invade.


    The resounding boom, made her grin madly.


    Like she predicted, the guards, being one of the few ones not invading the island, immediately went to check the noise. They would probably think someone from Cozia managed to sneak in an attack and would search for a foe that didn''t exist.


    Or well, a foe they just couldn''t see~


    Honestly, she was too smart for her own good! Now she had free reigns to explore this building even if they did come back! They had not once, looked inside the building they were watching while she observed them so she was safe!


    Grim took that opportunity without hesitation. Pushing the door open and shutting it behind her, the right hand of Reaper hummed a tune to herself as she walked past all manner of weapons.


    None of them really caught her interest. They were just weapons and that wasn''t exciting (she saw some type of energy weapons though and decided that Master and Ram would appreciate them)! She wanted something a bit more fun!


    The fun stuff was always most heavily guarded in the deepest parts of a room so that''s where she would go!


    She was growing more and more bored as she went deeper and the girl was getting slightly disappointed. Wasn''t Germa supposed to be big and terrifying because of how advanced they were? Were they just hiding all of it?


    Of course not. Something told her the kingdom of science were quite arrogant and thought too highly of themselves. They probably didn''t think they would ever be infiltrated!


    As Grim was musing to herself, a piece of paper caught her eye. Upon closer inspection, she identified it as a blueprint, with a journal next to it, and picked it up in curiosity.


    Her eyes glittered in fascination.


    "A Raid Suit...?" She muttered to herself before picking the journal up and reading its content.


    The Dokkaebi grinned.


    She wanted this bad. Imagine if her and Master changed their cloaks to be as amazing as the Raid Suit! What it was capable of seemed so damn useful and it would be a massive increase in strength for the two!


    Boost in physical abilities, water proof, resistant to fire, bullet proof, and it had some goofy looking boots that let you hover and accelerate!


    Okay so maybe she didn''t want a carbon copy because the design was seriously goofy. But she wanted one with all its capabilities!


    Apparently they had created 6 Raid Suits and each one was biometrically locked to the commanders, who were genetically modified. Looks like she couldn''t steal them then¡­ that meant they had to somehow craft them.


    That genetically modified commanders part, had her rather interested but there wasn''t much information on that in the journal.


    Looking at the blueprints, had Grim scratching her head too. There was no way she''d be able to make this on her own and she didn''t think this was Reaper''s field of expertise either.


    "Master?" The Oni called.


    "Yes?" The Shinigami replied and Grim explained the situation of the raid suits to him.


    "You said they are biometrically locked?" Reaper asked and Grim hummed in affirmation.


    "Yeah, why?"


    "I believe I have found one of the Raid Suits. Are they always in suit form?"


    "Nope, apparently they start off as a canister that can transform. Do you see one of those, Master?"


    "Yes, this one is a green canister with a white 4 on it. I found it in a child''s room. I''ll steal it as reference," the Angel of Death said.


    "Sweet! Also, there''s no way we can make one on our own," The Dokkaebi said bluntly. It was too difficult and though Rosan could maybe learn it eventually, that would take too long and she was nothing if impatient.


    Reaper was silent for a moment before he said "Understood, I''ll kidnap a scientist from Germa and have them do what we want."


    Grim sweatdropped at his declaration but decided that it was probably the best course of action to get the suits as quickly as possible. "How do you plan on getting him to obey? Torture?" she asked.


    "No, torture is too ineffective for long term working. You''ll see when we''re done," the black clad Angel said. "Now, store all the materials, even the ones we don''t need."


    "Way ahead of you, I''m taking everything!" Grim replied gleefully, as she did just that. There was no way she''d leave anything here! She was not a weapons expert like Master so she didn''t see the value in them but Reaper certainly would.


    "Right, I''ll leave you to it." With that, Reaper cut the connection between the two.


    Grim was beginning to find stealth missions really fun! It had a certain charm to it that wasn''t just beat the hell out of anyone that they wanted to and the white clad Oni enjoyed that. She really did enjoy beating the hell out of anyone though...


    The disguised Dokkaebi greedily took every single thing of interest in the room and stored it in her bag.


    She was going to be getting a Raid Suit one way or another!


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    This looked like a room he wasn''t supposed to go in.


    Naturally, that meant he would be going in. It probably held valuable assets that were just begging to be taken.


    Reaper had just finished his conversation with Grim before finding this room. He had been in some child''s room who had the canister he mentioned previously.


    Based on Grim''s explanation, the Raid Suits were meant for the commanders which meant either the current commanders were into some questionable things, or they had children in the midst.


    Perhaps this was for Judge''s child. He couldn''t see any other reason why there would only be 6 Raid Suits and a child got access to one.


    Unfortunately, Judge was going to have to make another one for whoever Green 4 was because his Raid Suit now belonged to Reaper.


    The Raid Suit sounded interesting. If he were able to make one, in combination with Modification, he''d be able to have a Raid Suit that didn''t look as ridiculous as Grim claimed they would be.


    An Angel did not need a cape. Or hovering boots.


    It was likely that he''d just modify the appearance of the Raid Suit, while keeping all of its bonuses. Reaper knew Grim was going to make him do that for her own suit and he did not see the point in swapping out his signature black and white cloak.


    Now he just needed to find a competent scientist here that could make the Raid Suit.


    It seemed that fortune favored him because, as he entered the room he was no doubt not supposed to be in, he was greeted by the strange sight of a scientist manning a bunch of¡­ humans? Inside of liquid filled capsules.


    Reaper tilted his head as he noticed something.


    None of these humans looked unique. There was at least a dozen others that shared an appearance to each other.


    Clones then.


    "Grim," Reaper called.


    "Master?" She replied curiously.


    "It seems that Germa''s army is so powerful because they can make clones," he explained causing Grim''s eyes to widen.


    "That''s¡­wow!" She exclaimed in awe. "There''s no way we''re not stealing that right?"


    "Naturally, it even comes with a scientist," he said softly.


    "Awesome! I think this was pretty successful so we can wrap this up soon!" His partner replied with a cheer.


    "Right. I will take anything of value in here then," Reaper told her.


    "Have fun~," Grim said and the connection cut.


    Reaper was not one to waste time. The lone scientist had yet to notice his presence and he was going to keep it that way.


    The Angel of Death quietly made his way over to the man and in a matter of seconds, he chopped him, knocked him unconscious, and dumped him into his Pocket Dimension.


    It was done without a single noise. The scientist hadn''t even been able to gasp before getting dumped in his dimension.


    He wasn''t remotely interested in the already developing clones so he''d leave them be, but the technology used to make them would be imperative.


    Did he want clones? No. If he wanted more clones he would have given Angel and Demon siblings. He believed in quality over quantity and those 2 were quality enough that he didn''t want more.


    Would it still be useful to have? Yes. If Aiko had a clone army, Fregate would be unstoppable. Convincing her wouldn''t be difficult either. That woman was ruthless when it came .


    With that, Rosan took everything of value that wasn''t a clone and placed it in his Pocket Dimension. His newly acquired scientist couldn''t work from scratch after all. Though¡­he''d probably leave him with Aiko, Reaper would rather not have anyone he didn''t trust on his ship.


    "You''re ruthless, Father," Ram commented in admiration.


    "You''re nonchalance is scary," Mod teased with a slight smile.


    "Thank you," Reaper said softly.


    "That wasn''t a compliment."


    "Mine was!"


    "Of course it was."


    "What is that supposed to mean, Auntie Mod?!"


    "Stop calling me Auntie Mod you spoiled little ¡ª."


    Reaper tuned them out for a moment as something interesting was relayed back to him by his bug.


    Something in the lower part of the castle.


    Oh? A Dungeon? And it appeared that it had a prisoner in it too.


    Normally he wouldn''t have cared (he still didn''t) but the prisoner looked rather young and he was currently being assaulted. For what reason did they have a child locked up? He almost looked to be the same age Rosan was when he was captured back on¡­


    This required investigation.


    "Uh oh," Ram said but she sounded excited.


    "I figured Maro was going to be the one to mess up the mission but if it''s Rosan, then I guess it''s fine. I''m much more used to him messing missions up anyways," Mod mused. Rosan hardly did something of his own volition these days so whenever he did, everyone just watched with bated breaths and thinly veiled interest.


    Reaper said nothing, already making his way to the dungeon.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Sometimes, Vinsmoke Sanji wondered why he didn''t get turned into a monster like his siblings. If he did, he wouldn''t be living in a hell like this, despised by all his family members barring his dead mom and his older sister.


    These thoughts really only came to him when he was getting beat on by his brothers, like right now.


    Vinsmoke Ichiji, Niji, and Yonji took a sadistic glee in stomping on their brothers fetal body while Reiju listened in with a stony expression.


    The little blonde boy had tears streaming down his masked face, as his brothers cruelly beat him down. They hurled insult after insult with sadistic smiles on their face and Sanji could do nothing but endure.


    "Dad, help!" He begged for something he knew was not going to happen.


    Reiju frowned deeply at what was happening to her only brother with emotions. Sanji, he didn''t deserve this at all! He was a kind boy and her mother had been nothing but proud of him for being something his other siblings were not.


    To see him reduced to this was¡­ disgusting! She was deeply disappointed in her father for allowing this to happen to her younger brother. He was cruel and heartless and she despised him for going to such extents just because Sanji wasn''t like them.


    Hearing her little brother cry from the abuse, broke her heart but she couldn''t do anything about it, for fear of retaliation from her brothers. She couldn''t go against all 3 of them and if she defended Sanji, they''d turn their aggression towards her.


    The sound of the dungeon cell opening, cut her musings off. The pink haired girl paused as she heard that and her confusion amplified.


    Was it food? No, Sanji wasn''t scheduled to get dinner for a few more hours.


    She ruled her siblings out as well because all 3 were currently in his cell.


    So that left¡­her father? He was the only other person, besides a few guards, that knew Sanji was down here. But why would he be down here? He had not once visited her blonde brother since locking him up and seemed content to leave it that way.


    There was also the fact that besides the cell door opening, there was no other sound. Reiju almost believed someone left the door open! There was no indication that someone else was in the dungeons.


    Not even footsteps.


    Reiju, who had tensed up, allowed herself to relax again. It must have just been a rat or somethin ¡ª


    "Oh?" A soft voice said in front of her and the girl jumped up in surprise with a small squeal. The sound of violence stopped immediately as her brothers no doubt heard that.


    Soon, the source of the voice revealed itself and when it did, Reiju''s blue eyes widened in recognition and a hint of fear.


    She knew who this was. Who didn''t? At this point, everyone in the Blue Seas was aware of this person''s identity.


    Black cloak with white streaks that covered them from head to toe, a cold unfeeling presence, an unknown pressure, a faint red glow under their hoodie covered face.


    And those signature majestic obsidian wings, that looked to be devoid of all light.


    Yes, Reiju was looking at Reaper, the Angel of Death, in all their glory.


    What was he doing here?!


    How had he gotten in? Why had there not been an alert? W-was he just invisible? He had appeared right in front of her with no prompting and was now eyeing her through the endless black of his hidden face.


    Were the rumors about him actually true?!


    "Being a bystander, can be even worse then being the abuser," Reaper said idly to her with a tilted head, causing her to flinch. "It means that at the end of the day, you''re complying with what they are doing. Do not consider yourself righteous because you haven''t taken part in it, that only makes you a weak coward."


    She reeled at his words as they slammed into her viciously. The last thing she expected was for Reaper to be here scolding her and for those words to hit so close to home! How could he tell what she was thinking just by looking at her? Was she that easy to read?!


    The obsidian winged Angel did not bother to wait for a response. He floated down the steps to where her 4 brothers were located and made eye contact with every one of them.


    Even Sanji, despite struggling, was wondering just who this person was.


    "Wait...I know you!" Ichiji said with a raised brow, showing no fear whatsoever. "You''re Reaper right? The Angel of Death? What the hell are you doing here?" He demanded, taking a threatening step forward. This one had red hair and a red shirt with the number 1 on it.


    Sanji''s eyes widened as he heard that. This was Reaper? The Angel of Death was very famous in the Blue Seas. What were they doing here?


    It was said that wherever the Shinigami appeared, someone was going to die. Maybe they were here for the blonde? He was the only injured one and maybe they were worse than he initially thought...


    His fears were seemingly confirmed as Reaper ignored Ichiji''s question and turned their hooded face towards the 3rd brother.


    "How old are you?" Reaper suddenly asked the blonde, who recoiled in fear.


    "I-I''m 8," Sanji replied hesitantly. At that moment, the blonde really did fear for his life.


    "Why are you here, imprisoned?"


    Sanji was confused at that question but he answered regardless. "Because I''m a failure¡­"


    "I see," was all they said and he seemingly dismissed the boy there. Sanji let out a sigh of relief as the pressure abated and stared warily at the Shinigami.


    "Tell me, do you take pleasure in attacking a person who cannot defend themselves?" Reaper asked the three perpetrators in that neutral tone of his.


    "Yes," Niji said bluntly with a smile on his face. He had blue hair, with shades and a blue shirt that had the number 2.


    "Why? He is already a prisoner so what''s the point of continuing to torture him?" Reaper asked another question. He didn''t seem as curious as his question portrayed but they had heard he was a man of few words.


    Reiju had heard many rumors about Reaper and now she didn''t know which was true because right now, he was having a seemingly polite conversation with everyone there. Wasn''t he supposed to be some type of murdering machine?


    "Because it''s fun and he''s weak," Yonji said as if that explained everything. "Since we''re stronger than that failure, can''t we do whatever we want with him?"


    "That is true," Reaper admitted in agreement. "The strong are allowed to dictate how the weak live, I agree with that sentiment."


    Sanji shrunk as he heard that. For just a moment, he thought Reaper was on his side. Seems like it was too good to be true.


    "In any other situation, I would not have even showed up," the Shinigami told everyone there. "I do not typically care what you people do. Unfortunately, the circumstances of this situation are filling me with undesirable memories."


    "Torturing an imprisoned child is not something I''m fond of," the Angel of Death finished truthfully.


    What he was witnessing reminded him of his days imprisoned on Daybreak. It didn''t help that the blonde boy was around the same age as him at the time. It filled his empty heart with¡­something and he deduced that stopping this would satisfy him.


    Or not. It was worth trying regardless.


    "Oh? So what are you gonna do about it?" Ichiji asked already getting ready for a fight. His 2 other brothers followed suit they looked raring to go.


    "I''m going to dictate how the weak live," Reaper replied softly.


    "Man you can be so badass sometimes!" Ram gushed in awe at the words of her father.


    "Grim, I have revealed myself, wrap up what you are doing."


    "You did?! What happened?" Grim asked curiously.


    "I ran into something that reminded me of my past."


    "Will you explain it later after we leave?" His partner asked. She didn''t know anything about his past and that was fine with her but to say she wasn''t curious, would be a lie.


    "Naturally."


    "Alright! I''ll get ready then we can meet up, try not to be too long!"


    "Okay."


    Before anyone could react, Reaper vanished, only to appear in front of Yonji. The Angel of Death delivered a vicious punch to the boys cheek that sent the surprised boy flying.


    Reaper paused to look at his fist. "His skin is hard. Are these the genetically modified commanders? I didn''t expect all of them to be young."


    "The green one you just hit must be the owner of the canister you stole. It''s safe to assume that they all have their own."


    "They all look rather similar as well," Ram mused taking a look at their swirly eyebrows. "Genetically modified quadruplets then? Maybe the blonde boy''s modification failed, I can see that he has similar features to them through that overkill of a mask."


    "That''s out of his control and his own siblings choose to treat him like this?" Mod frowned at their cruelty. That didn''t seem fair to the child, why do this to him when he didn''t even look old enough to make the decision to be genetically modified.


    Sanji watched in shock as Reaper casually sent the 4th brother flying into a wall. Even through their hard skin? Sanji never even made them flinch!


    Reiju was just as surprised. One second it was rather peaceful, if not tense, and the next, Reaper had moved faster than they could react, landing a solid hit on her youngest brother...and it worked!


    Maybe those rumors really did have some merit!


    "It seems I will have to hit you all harder," Reaper concluded and his gloves were replaced by Ram''s own combat gloves. These were changed a bit to hide his hands fully. It would do no good if they saw a glimpse of his skin that his regular combat gloves showed.


    "Yay! It''s my time!" Ram cheered but she dialed down her bloodlust.


    He was aiming to knock them unconscious, not kill.


    This was a stealth mission after all.


    Yonji pulled himself up and rubbed the cheek that got hit. It looked a little dented but he easily fixed it back into place.


    The 3 brothers were a lot more wary now at the threat in front of them. He moved quicker than they could react and just one punch, that didn''t even seem to be his strongest, was enough to hurt them through their exoskeleton.


    Reaper''s reputation seemed well earned.


    The slight lull was broken by the 3 brothers charging the Shinigami at once. They all came in from a different angle so as to split his attention.


    "They have good teamwork," Reaper thought as he saw 2 going low and one going high. They would be formidable in the future when they properly aged, in conjunction with the raid suits that they had.


    Unfortunately, this was not the future.


    The Shinigami floated above the two going low (Blue and Green) and grabbed the one who went high (Red). Clutching the boy with the 1 on his shirt, he flew higher and higher until he slammed the boys head into the ceiling. His fellow redhead crashed through with a thud before Reaper gripped him again and threw him to the floor.


    Ichiji couldn''t even make a move as Reaper slammed into his belly with one foot, indenting the ground beneath him.


    His eyes bugged and spittle flew out his mouth as he was knocked unconscious from the force of the blow.


    "Easy!" Ram preened at the easy knockout.


    Sanji''s eyes had bugged at seeing the sight of one of his tormentors, knocked into dreamland with minimal effort. Was he dreaming? This nightmare had drastically transformed into something a lot more pleasant and he wasn''t sure he wanted to wake up.


    Reiju was being overwhelmed by the events of what was happening today. It was all so surreal that she must have been dreaming. This seriously made no sense at all to the pinkette and she was convinced she was going insane.


    A small part of her felt a vindictive pleasure watching her brothers get beat up.


    Reaper was curious to see how unfazed the two remaining brothers were at seeing Red get effortlessly knocked out. They displayed no amount of fear and it was rather curious.


    Everyone displayed even the slightest amount of fear at the unknown entity known as Reaper, but their eyes betrayed nothing of the sort.


    "A side effect of the genetic modifications maybe¡­," Mod mused.


    "Heh, Ichiji got taken out pretty easily," Niji remarked with a smirk on his face.


    "It was fast too!" Yonji cackled. "Seems like we''re next," the green haired brother remarked.


    "Looks like it," the blue haired brother said with a grin before they charged the Angel of Death.


    Reaper watched the odd brothers with a tilted head. The Shinigami caught a fist from Green and raised a brow at the power behind it. He was strong for his age. Very strong. That punch was strong enough to casually break bones.


    His own reinforced bones could attest to that. Unfortunately for them, he had an unfair regeneration that quickly patched up the injury.


    Shoving the green brother back, he grabbed an extended foot from Blue and used him as a living weapon by ramming his flying body into Green, bowling the boy over.


    Reaper, wanting to finish this, appeared in front of the two and grabbed them both by the head. He tensed before slamming them into the wall repeatedly until they were knocked unconscious. The wall dented at the repeated slamming and he unceremoniously dropped the two.


    Sanji and Reiju flinched at the rather brutal display but they knew that their brothers skin was made of tough stuff.


    "They will be strong when they are older," Reaper said softly, catching their attention. "And you will be punished more harshly as a result." This was directed towards the blond prisoner, who flinched from his truthful words.


    "What will you do?" The Angel of Death asked quietly. He was directly in front of the beat up little boy and the only thing separating them was the cage.


    Reiju watched, frozen, as Reaper spoke to the only brother she actually cared about. Their words replayed in the back of her mind and she resolutely moved to stop them.


    The obsidian winged Angel glanced back at her, freezing her on the spot. "How very odd, unlike your 3 brothers, the 2 of you are showing a very real fear," was all the Shinigami said before he deemed her as a non threat and focused his attention back onto Sanji.


    Sanji looked at the black clad figure before him, before realizing that was a genuine question directed to him.


    "If...if I could anything..." the blonde''s squeaky voice hesitantly started. "...I don''t wanna be here anymore. I wanna run away and leave Germa!" He exclaimed as a waterfall of tears cascaded down his masked face.


    "If I leave here¡­ I''ll never have to see Dad again," Sanji sobbed in misery at the torture he''d been put through. Reiju''s eyes became a little foggy at the pure pain in her brother''s voice.


    She needed to help him escape, even if it meant going through Reaper themselves.


    "You''re father did this to you?" Reaper asked with a tilted head. "Vinsmoke Judge?"


    "Y-yes," the 8 year old sobbed. "H-he called me a failure and locked me in here for 6 months!"


    "How awful," Mod said with a frown on her face. What type of parent did this to their children? First he willingly modified them, then, when one failed, he threw him in the trash as if he were useless.


    He was scum.


    "I see," Reaper said softly as he digested the new information. "What will you do?" He repeated his question and Sanji focused watery eyes onto the man.


    "I-I want to leave a-and become a cook!" He exclaimed with passion. Everyone may have laughed at his dream but he would remain steadfast in his goal.


    "You want to become a cook?" The Angel of Death asked softly and he stared into those resolute gray-blue eyes. Despite the pain he was in, they were utterly determined when discussing his dream.


    If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    "Yes!" Sanji exclaimed and, even though there were tears falling down his face, the confidence in his answer was admirable.


    "Okay," Reaper simply said before summoning his black scythe making Sanji yelp in fear and forcing Reiju to tense up in preparation for battle.


    "Stand back, you cannot become a chef in there."


    Sanji blinked dumbly before his body automatically took a step back. They both watched in disbelief as Reaper swiftly swung that giant scythe and it cut through the cell like butter. He repeated the process a few more times until an opening for the prisoner was made.


    "Such a strong resolve does not deserve to be stifled and killed here," Reaper told the awed boy. Reiju''s mouth was opened in shock at the compliment and at the fact that Reaper had freed her brother.


    Who was the Angel of Death really?


    Sanji hesitantly stepped through the cage and came face to face with his savior.


    Reaper was taller than the boy and exuded an intimidating pressure. He couldn''t see anything under their mask except for a faint glow and he couldn''t even tell what their gender was!


    "You...you freed me?" Sanji said in disbelief and for the first time, he didn''t look afraid of the Angel of Death. Just confused.


    "You cannot become a cook in there," the Shinigami said simply and Sanji''s eyes widened as he heard that.


    "Why aren''t you making fun of my dream?" He asked quietly. No one but his mother had taken his dream seriously and the boy didn''t know how to react to the idea that anyone else could believe him.


    "It''s not in my nature to make fun of a person with such conviction. No matter what their dream may be," Reaper replied softly. "You fully believe that you can become a cook after being imprisoned for an unknown amount of time, why would I not believe you if this can''t change your resolve?"


    Sanji felt his tears reforming as he digested the words and the boy let out a sob at the overwhelming emotions.


    Someone believed him! Someone thought he could be a cook! The boy almost collapsed in relief at the positive reinforcement from a source that wasn''t his deceased mother.


    "Why do we always run into a child with some fucked up life," Ram sighed.


    "Language...but I agree. This world is cruel and even the safety of your parents, are not guaranteed," Mod said with a frown on her face. The safety of your parents...


    "You should not show your tears so boldly," Reaper commented idly. "People will think you weak."


    Reiju watched all this with her own tears brimming. The first person besides her mother to support her brother''s dream, was a person who hunted people down. It said a lot about their family that Sanji was finding solace in a renowned murderer.


    Reaper bent down to the child''s height and touched the mask. After deducing that it wasn''t Seastone but iron, he gave the boy a warning to brace himself and unceremoniously ripped it apart with his bare hands.


    Both siblings gawked at the casual show of strength from the man who was supposed to be wielding a scythe. He was good at hand to hand combat and physically strong too?!


    "Pink," Reaper said suddenly, looking at the oldest Vinsmoke sibling, who jumped at being addressed. "I will escort Yellow outside of the building, you secure him an escape and make sure no one will see him," he instructed.


    Reiju gawked at the audacity of the figure before her. "You come here, knock out my brothers, release a prisoner and now you''re giving me orders?!" Her voice was full of disbelief.


    "Yes," he said bluntly making her eye twitch. "You didn''t jump to the aid of your other brothers, but the moment you thought Yellow was in danger, you were about to intervene. Right, Pink?"


    The 11 year old glared at him for noticing that. "Why can''t I just escort him then?" After a pause she added "And my name''s Reiju! Not Pink!"


    "I-I''m Sanji," the 3rd brother chose to introduce himself as well.


    "You are one of Germa''s commanders Reiju. If you were caught helping Sanji escape, you''d need to escape as well," Reaper explained and she didn''t like how smart he seemed to be.


    He was right though and it would be really bad for her because she couldn''t disobey her father''s orders.


    "Even so, I won''t leave Sanji alone with you," she declared to the Shinigami. Reaper himself had called her a bystander and dammit he was right! The least she could do, was spend time with her little brother before he escaped this place for good.


    "Okay, be mindful that you don''t get caught," the Shinigami said simply and Reiju was shocked at how easily they conceded. She just dumbly nodded as a result, unable to muster up a response.


    Reaper was one of the strangest individuals she had ever met!


    "Good, now follow me Sanji, Reiju," Reaper spoke softly and he floated away slowly. The freed boy and his sister moved to follow him after a moment''s hesitation. The moment they stepped through the door, the Shinigami paused for a split second.


    "Be prepared for a meeting with your father," the Angel of Death said suddenly causing Sanji to freeze in terror and Reiju''s eyes to widen.


    Wasn''t he supposed to be helping with the island¡­? What was he doing here and why was he in their way?!


    "W-why?" He stammered.


    "The path to exit is currently being blocked by him," was all he said before summoning his signature scythe.


    "Grim, to me. Prepare for combat."


    "Calling me personally? What, are we fighting Vinsmoke Judge?" Grim joked cheerfully, already pivoting her path to where Reaper was.


    "Most likely."


    There was a silence before Grim replied in a way that let Reaper know she was grinning ear to ear.


    "This trip turned out even more fun than I thought!" The Oni cackled in glee. "I''m on my way!"


    "Don''t underestimate our opponent."


    "Oh I won''t~," she replied before cutting their connection.


    Grim seemed to be the only one excited at the prospect of running into Judge. Sanji was shaking in his boots, Reiju was preparing to hide and Reaper didn''t feel anything.


    "I never expected you to go so off the rails with your plan," Mod commented offhandedly with a small smile on her face.


    "I suppose that''s a good thing," Reaper said softly.


    "It means I''m unpredictable. Even to myself."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Vinsmoke Judge had not been expecting to see his 3rd son running free with Reaper, the Angel of Death. He could not see Reiju due to the girl hiding behind a corner.


    He couldn''t care less that Sanji was free, if the boy wanted to escape he would let him. The person he was currently traveling with was an issue though.


    "What are you doing, Sanji?" Judge asked in surprise, regarding his failure of a son with a critical eye. "Why are you out of your cell and what are you doing with Reaper?!"


    Sanji flinched before his eyes hardened. No... He wouldn''t allow his father to cow him moments before he escaped. "I...I''m getting out of this kingdom and you can''t stop me!" The 8 year old boy declared resolutely, standing firm in the face of the head of his family.


    "You tell him kid!" Ram cheered. He had guts, standing up to his dad like that! He cried a lot, which she hated, but she could respect anyone with a backbone!


    "That''s quite the tongue you''ve gotten while imprisoned," Judge idly remarked, eyeing the silent Reaper the entire time. The obsidian winged Angel was content to stand there and politely listen to them talk and it bothered the patriarch of Germa. Finally, after deeming that he wasn''t attacking yet, he focused his attention back onto Sanji.


    "There is no easy sea where a normal and weak kid like you can survive on your own," Judge told the boy matter of factly, staring down his surprisingly angry son. "You''ll either die or hold Reaper back in some way that will get the both of you killed!"


    Reaper had no intention of letting this boy travel with him but he wouldn''t tell that to the blonde man.


    Sanji''s glare deepened and he snarled out a "So what?! You can''t stop me!"


    "Well that''s a relief!" Judge suddenly said, making the blonde freeze in unexpected surprise. "I guess I am human after all. Even though you''re useless, I couldn''t muster up the resolve to kill my own son..."


    "But you''ll go away voluntarily? Without me having to do anything about it?"


    Tears started brimming in Sanji''s eyes and he began shaking at the words being said. T-This wasn''t how he had expected the meeting to go! He thought his father would try harder to keep him locked up but to know that he cared so little about him, that he''d let him run away without stopping him... it was overwhelming him with negative emotion.


    "I''m not gonna stop you. The only one I''ll be stopping is Reaper," his father said bluntly, relieved that Sanji actually wanted to get out of here.


    Reaper remained silent as he watched the exchange with a tilted head.


    "But can I ask just one last favor as your father, Sanji?" Judge asked the teary eyed boy and it was the most serious he had seen his father yet.


    "Don''t ever admit that I''m your father¡­," he began gravely, closing his eyes. "...in front of other people!"


    Sanji felt his heart drop as he heard that and the tears began flowing freely. The boy let out a choked sob at the thought that he had been so willingly disowned by his own father without any hesitation.


    Judge, heartless asshole that he was, did not care whatsoever. "It''s a shame that I don''t want anyone to know!" The blonde man claimed cruelly. "You understand that don''t you, Sanji?"


    It was as if all the fight had been drained out of Sanji. The boy held his head down and began shaking uncontrollably. Finally, the blonde could hold it back no longer and he began sobbing uncontrollably. The anguish was too much for the little boy and he wailed his pain to the world.


    "And the father of the year award goes to," Ram said sarcastically though inwardly, she was seething. If Father ever said that to her, she would want to die immediately. To be denied by the one who created you, could be a fate worse than death and in her eyes, it was. Her heart (for once) went out to Sanji and the silver haired girl frowned deeply.


    "What an awful human being." Mod was utterly furious with the human man standing before her. What type of parent would so cruelly do this to the child they had brought into the world? Vinsmoke Judge was a cold monster and she would gladly end his life if given the opportunity.


    At least Rosan''s biological mother had abandoned him instead of raising him in a toxic environment. That woman would probably be... No. Mod would not allow herself to get any angrier.


    Rosan wondered how he would have reacted if his Mama had said those words to him. He would probably go through a breakdown worse than the one he had on Daybreak honestly. The boy cherished his mother and her words dearly and if she said such harsh things to him, he''d be irreparably destroyed for a long time.


    Truthfully, Reaper was doing things here in a way that he suspected he would do if he did have emotions. He wasn''t able to feel anything at the moment, so he thought finding something that would normally have him react, would trigger a feeling inside of him.


    What would his former self do if he saw an eerily reminiscent sight similar to his time on Daybreak? Investigate and intervene most likely and so that''s what he did.


    What would he do if he saw such resolve in a place where there should only be helplessness? Help retain that person''s resolve most likely.


    So what would he do if the main culprit of such abuse was in front of the former version of himself? Kill them most likely.


    So that''s what he would do.


    "Go," Reaper said softly to the sobbing boy and his hidden sister. "I will make sure he doesn''t change his mind and seek to recapture you," the Shinigami declared quietly.


    "Go become a cook, I hope that one day I''ll be able to eat your food."


    The blonde boy, despite his crying, heard the winged figure and nodded shakily. "It''ll b-be t-the best meal you''ve ever had!" The crying boy exclaimed, trying hard to ignore the pain inside of him.


    "I look forward to it. Goodbye, Sanji."


    "...Bye, Reaper."


    With that, the blonde child ran past his father, who made no move to stop him, only to freeze as he felt a second presence.


    "There''s no need to stop, Grim is with me," Reaper explained softly, looking at a particular spot right in front of the boy.


    Grim?! He had heard some rumors that Reaper had recently began working with a partner, but opinion on whether they were real or not, was rather divided. People didn''t want to believe that the Angel had his own personal Demon when he was already so efficient on his own.


    Before the blonde''s eyes, a white clad figure with black streaks suddenly appeared, dashing any doubts that Reaper did have a partner.


    "I didn''t think you''re heart could still bleed, Reaper~," Grim purred standing some ways behind Judge and being right in front of the crying Sanji.


    "I''d say you''re late Grim, but some people love the sound of their voice," Reaper replied calmly, ignoring her teasing tone completely.


    "Ain''t that the truth! I hope you didn''t miss me too much while I was gone... well besides that guy monologuing!" The Oni exclaimed and everyone could just tell she was grinning.


    "I trust you heard everything?" he questioned.


    "Oh definitely! This tall dude is trying his hardest to get the best Dad award! I''m sure the little blonde would agree with me," Grim''s voice seemed to be constantly cheeky as she spoke and it was rather annoying for her enemies, especially when they were about to die!


    Reiju was shocked to see another Reaper appear but this one was clad in all white. Unlike the cold, seemingly emotionless black clad figure, the white clad figure seemed to be bursting with emotion! Their actions and mannerisms were completely opposite to their obsidian partner!


    Was this Grim? She was a bigger weirdo than Reaper was! They were both weirdos!


    "Is this kid the reason you went so off the rails with the plan?" Grim asked in amusement. They didn''t seem to be taking the situation remotely serious, despite being face to face with the head of the Vinsmoke family.


    "Yes. His situation reminds me of the past," was all the Shinigami said.


    "You''ve got sooo much to tell me when we leave," the Oni replied and her partner nodded.


    "Who says you''ll be leaving?" Judge asked critically, looking at the two. So Reaper did have a partner. There were rumors that he had one but public sightings of the Angel of Death always showed them by themselves so opinions were split.


    Seems it was true.


    "We already got what we came here for~," Grim sang. "You only know we''re here because we showed ourselves, right?"


    Judge was instantly put on guard as he heard that truthful statement. They were right, how long had the two been here?! Just what were they doing on Germa? Surely they weren''t just here to free his useless , they had to have had an ulterior motive and Sanji just made their plans derail.


    "What are you here for?" He demanded


    "C''mon Judge-san," Grim tutted. "Why on Earth would we tell you that? That would ruin the surprise when you find out yourself!"


    "It would be counterproductive if we told our enemy what we came here for," Reaper agreed. "Right now, we''re simply playing distraction for a boy who has still not begun running."


    Sanji snapped out of his shock at seeing two Reaper''s.


    "Get goin kid!" Grim said, patting him on his head. "You don''t deserve this guy as a parent so go achieve your dreams without him! Fuck what he said about you! He''s just an angry loser!"


    Sanji tried to wipe his tears and nodded determinedly. Without hesitation, he ran off, tears still flowing. Reiju took a different route to meet up with her younger brother, desperate to tell him some parting words.


    "Don''t look back and keep running! The Grim Reaper is here to deliver judgment on this unworthy soul!" Grim declared confidently and she summoned a "staff".


    Reaper simply tensed up and got into position.


    Judge, despite his arrogance, knew this wasn''t good for him. He was on his way to his room to pick up his raid suit before he intercepted these 2 and without it, his odds of winning were not as secured.


    "Oh?" Reaper called. "You look rather nervous," he pointed out kindly.


    "Almost like someone doesn''t have their super suit to carry them?" Grim hinted, sounding entirely too smug.


    They even knew about the Raid Suits. Judge underestimated Grim and Reaper.


    "You think I need my suit to beat you both?" Judge rumbled at both the targets he dwarfed.


    "That would just make it much easier."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Fighting in a disguise while being a Zoan was pretty difficult. It wouldn''t be difficult to identify her abilities and pinpoint it to her when she fought undisguised.


    Master was lucky that his Devil Fruit was so versatile, he could afford to disguise himself. Other Devil Fruit users didn''t have the luxury depending on what they did. Zoan''s especially.


    Fortunately, Maro had a very key ability that made this possible, otherwise it would be difficult to journey with her Master.


    Illusion magic.


    Due to being a Dokkaebi, she could utilize illusions to keep up appearances! For instance, her "staff" was actually Daisy, her club! Her flames were a standard orange as well instead of the distinct blue!


    It was really useful in case she didn''t kill her opponents because she was pretty sure they were going to have to flee from Vinsmoke Judge.


    The man casually deflected a precise swing of a scythe from Reaper and tossed him back with a powerful kick that momentarily flipped him. The Angel immediately righted himself and flew back into the action.


    Grim and Reaper charged the weary man in tandem. Reaper exuded a large amount of killing intent, momentarily distracting Judge, and giving Maro a split second to take advantage. She swung Daisy downward at the blindsided man but he somehow moved out of the way and retaliated with a punch of his own that connected square with her stomach.


    He had been doing this the entire fight and it was infuriating. The man could somehow predict their attacks and dodge accordingly as a result and it was seriously annoying.


    Worse, his hits hurt all of her body. Not just her right side. She was full of bruises from his strange attacks and it reminded her of how Master told her not to be arrogant just because an entire side was immune to damage.


    He was right like that. She hated that he was right like that because now she was going to train even harder to build her resistances.


    Ugh, this must have been how people felt fighting her and Master. They didn''t even know what he was doing!


    The two partners leapt back in unison to reassess the situation after another attempt to strike Judge failed in the same way.


    "Devil Fruits?" Grim said through their connection.


    "Devil Fruits." Reaper confirmed.


    "It doesn''t matter if he can predict our attacks if he has nowhere to dodge them."


    Grim grinned wildly. She loved working in tandem with her Master. Once you started moving to his rhythm, it was like a performance that strung you along.


    No escape options eh? Fine by her.


    Her gleaming teeth sharpened as she began transforming. The girl was sure to put an illusion over herself so that it looked as if nothing was changing but make no mistake, she definitely was!


    Her hidden skin turned a familiar shade of light green and her hidden hair turned a mixture of blue and white. Unlike in her full zoan, her hair did not lengthen nor did she gain a boost in height. Her nose also remained the same and her sclera was left untouched leaving her orange eyes there behind the hoodie.


    Maro''s hybrid zoan form enhanced her speed to the point where she could consistently keep up with Master and not have him run circles around her. It lacked the sheer power and durability of her full zoan transformation, but she was already really strong and Master had built up her tolerance too!


    Unlike what she had seen with other zoans, her hybrid and full transformation each had their own benefits and her half human half animal form wasn''t absolutely better!


    Reaper didn''t visibly do anything but she knew he boosted himself and the shenanigans that were his Devil Fruit were about to begin in earnest.


    It was a good thing she had her own shenanigans! The slight lull of battle as they backed off nearly gave Judge an opportunity to attack but that wasn''t their style.


    The two moved at the same time ¡ª


    Their style was to utterly overwhelm any opposition that got in their way!


    Judge attempted to move away from the oncoming onslaught, but he was surprised to find that he was completely glued to the floor.


    What on Earth had caused this to happen-


    Grim watched in satisfaction as both her and Master''s attack connected clean on the man. Daisy slammed into his side with such force that he was uplifted from his position despite being connected to the floor and Ram sliced a deep cut into his outfit.


    She was surprised to see that there was no blood...and that Judge wasn''t knocked unconscious from their combined efforts.


    What the hell? What was he even doing right now?!


    "So he can dodge and negate our attacks to some extent?" Grim complained. That was so not fair.


    "It appears to be that way," Reaper commented idly. He was unbothered by the revelation, though it would make the battle much more difficult.


    "Cheat?"


    "Cheat."


    Grim summoned a wall of flames on either side of the man and teleported in front of him. As she did that, the flames began converging on the man who had powered his way through the still glued floor. He jumped back, only to widen his eyes as Reaper appeared in the one spot he was at.


    Judge moved his arms to block the coming attack, but all Reaper did was grab him with his gloved hands and then let go. The kick directed towards his chest was blocked by his scythe but he was still sent flying back. Getting attacked was worth it and he quickly righted himself up again.


    Unknowingly to him, the Angel of Death had modified his sensitivity. There was only so much damage you could ignore.


    The head of the Vinsmoke family only figured out when he chose to ignore what would be a minor blow from Reaper, in favor of dodging Grim''s attack.


    That was a mistake that would quickly allow things to spiral out of control for him. In his arrogance, the man had chosen to not dodge the attack, that he could have probably dodged, and took it instead.


    It felt like he had just gotten stabbed and that left the man reeling. What had happened to him?! What was in Reaper''s scythe all of a sudden, for him to feel that? What had he done to suddenly pierce through his Haki?!


    The momentary lapse in judgment, was all the predators needed.


    It was only a matter of time before they got their opening. Judge was not a great hand to hand combatant. He was most effective with his Raid Suit and his lance and without them, his power was cut by more than half.


    Like a pack of wolves, they moved to shatter his concentration and his body.


    Grim delivered a heel kick that Judge clumsily moved out of the way of and the man turned around to deliver a chop to Reaper''s arm but he let out a surprised grunt as a burst of flames collided with his exposed back. He was able to ignore them completely before with his Haki but now, that was not the case.


    Judge needed to go on the offensive. They had left him on the defensive since the match had started and, though he had easily been warding them off, he had been reduced to just countering and that wouldn''t do.


    He dashed, unearthing the ground beneath him and made his way to a surprised Grim. The man landed a Haki imbued fist into their gut, getting a shocked gasp out of them and sending the Oni careening into a wall.


    The weak link between the two was definitely Grim. It wasn''t noticeable due to the Shinigami supporting and protecting the Oni so often, but there was a clear gap between the two that any experienced fighter could see.


    Reaper took everything he hit them with, with barely a flinch and always retaliated without hesitation.


    The white clad figure was less experienced than him and it showed in how they reacted to being attacked. They must have been some type of Logia, clearly they were unused to getting hit too much.


    What he did not expect, was the sheer aggression Grim suddenly began to display.


    It was like a flip had been switched and the white clad figure surrounded in orange flames turned into a berserker with a furious growl. There was no more finesse in their fighting style and it felt like he was fighting a wild animal now. He could have sworn he saw them flicker but it was gone as soon as it appeared and he didn''t have the time to question in.


    The flicker that Judge saw was Grim entering her full Zoan state.


    This was good for him, he could use that anger to his advantage and find an opportunity to put Grim down.


    Reaper saw it and reacted accordingly. When Grim entered her full Zoan, their strategy changed and he, surprisingly, became the main aggressor, despite her being much more aggressive than he. He was much faster than her like this and so he used that to his advantage to distract his foes, giving her opportunities to get a hit in.


    It was a good balance that subverted just how wild the Oni was in this form and allowed them to increase the tempo of the match even further.


    Just the way he liked it.


    The Shinigami gripped his scythe and shot out 4 crescent waves of energy at Judge before flexing his wings and flying above them. Alone, they could be dodged with no issue but with Reaper behind them, he was forced to make a quick decision.


    Worse, Grim was charging from behind as well. His best option would be to focus on the berserker in the white cloak then. If he took out the angry bounty hunter in the process, his chances of winning would skyrocket¡ª


    A pillar of fire formed under Judge, like a geyser, cutting off all his thought process and launching the shell shocked man high into Reaper''s waiting arms.


    Come now. How arrogant was Judge to think she was really that angry? Master was really good at what he did and she had gotten her anger issues to a suitable level! Something as silly as getting hit a little too hard, wouldn''t make her fly off the rails in rage!


    The Angel of Death gripped his scythe and flew around Judge over and over again, delivering cuts all the while to the airborne man.


    The eldest Vinsmoke tried to summon his Haki to guard the attacks, but the moment his concentration had been broken, they had yet to let him regain it. The pain was excruciating and he felt himself blacking out from the onslaught of damage.


    He was snapped out of his daze, as Reaper flew high and crashed into his body with a spinning drop kick that sent the man plummeting ¡ª


    ¡ªRight into Daisy. The club connected directly on his face and, if not for his last second miracle application of Haki, he had no illusions of whether he''d be alive right now or not. A broken nose and some missing teeth being all that he got, was a blessing.


    Right before he was knocked unconscious, a primal fear at the thought of dying made its way through his body. Judge didn''t want to die to these monsters. He hadn''t even been able to use his full power! T-this wasn''t fair at all! If he had his Raid Suit, they would have both lost in one hit!


    He still had so much to do! The head of the Vinsmoke still needed to take over the North Blu-


    "I feel bad, he probably would have slaughtered us if he had his Raid Suit," Grim remarked at the fallen man. That fight was too hard for someone whose power was cut down so drastically. The Sea had such interesting people!


    "He will learn to always be prepared than. Judge seems very arrogant however, so I somehow doubt that," Reaper explained. Even without his suit, he had displayed some interesting things such as being able to predict his attacks and blocking an attack from him and Grim.


    Perhaps he was genetically modified too?


    Whatever the case, this man didn''t deserve to live. Reaper would be killing him right now-


    "Stop right there!" A voice called and Reaper flew to the side to dodge an enhanced bullet that nearly blasted a hole into the wall.


    "Oh, we''re surrounded," Grim remarked. The Oni glanced around and noticed an abnormal amount of Germa Soldiers pointing advanced weaponry at them.


    Seems like the army was done with their business. Which meant they were done with theirs.


    The Shinigami glanced at the soldiers, then at Judge. If he attempted to kill the man, they would both die. Germa''s weaponry was advanced enough to give him pause and the Angel of Death decided that the head of the Vinsmoke was a lucky man today.


    Besides, Sanji was a nice kid. He probably didn''t want his dad dead.


    "Maro, to me. We''re leaving," Rosan said softly, as he prepared to use his save point.


    "Way ahead of you. We got everything we needed anyways!" She sang before a pillar of flames (still orange) surrounded the two of them. Maro teleported to Rosan and the moment she latched onto him, they vanished from the sights of the soldiers.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    When Reiju came back from her teary departure with her favorite sibling, she had not been expecting to hear that her Father was in the infirmary with a severe concussion.


    No, the news had left her completely shocked!


    Reaper had actually managed to defeat him? Even without his Raid Suit, her father was formidable enough to easily handle his children.


    The Angel of Death was the strangest person she had ever met and their partner, from what little she''d seen of the Oni, was up there with them!


    She felt a bit of regret that he didn''t finish the job but something must have interrupted him. She heard that the Shinigami never left survivors to tell the tale.


    Whatever the case, Reaper had piqued her interest and she would be keeping a close eye on information regarding him. They annoyed her but¡­they also fascinated her in a way she couldn''t explain. Every rumor about him seemed to be completely wrong when you actually met the Shinigami and she had to wonder just what was right?


    Meeting them had only left her with more questions and only made him appear more mysterious!


    Maybe in the future, he''d be able to actually dispose of her father¡­


    For now though, she had to keep up appearances and be a dutiful daughter to Germa.


    The 11 year old sighed to herself.


    She missed Sanji.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Sanji would never forget what Reaper did for him.


    The Shinigami had turned his never ending nightmare, into a dream that he didn''t think would ever happen. It hadn''t even been long but the boy was happier than he had been in a long time.


    He finally got to pursue his dream of becoming a cook and it was all thanks to the mysterious bounty hunter!


    Sanji remembered the last words the black clad figure had said to him. He would become an amazing chef and if the Angel of Death ever tried his food, he''d make him say it was incredible!


    He had to for one of the few people who believed in him. They wouldn''t regret it.


    He didn''t care what anyone else had to say about Reaper! The Angel had chosen to save him when they had no reason to so he would repay him!


    The 8 year old boy''s gray-blue eyes shone in determination and he got back to work.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Judge was surprised to find that he was still alive.


    His body only being sore was a testament to Germa''s technology because he should have been feeling more than just aches right about now.


    The memories of his battle came rushing back and the man wearily got back up with a scowl on his features.


    Despite not having Haki, Grim and Reaper still found a way to somehow counteract him. If they ever unlocked their haki, they could be an actual threat for even the Grand Line.


    The man snorted arrogantly to himself. If he had his Raid Suit, this match would have gone very differently. The two had gotten lucky. That was all.


    Judge left after verifying with the Doctor that he was fine and the man grunted a bit at the sunlight. He didn''t even get to take a step before he was approached by one of his soldiers.


    The clone looked nervous and that wasn''t just because he was around the head of the Vinsmoke family.


    "What?" The blonde man asked gruffly, still sour from his loss. It was a lucky win but he had still lost and he hated losing.


    He hadn''t been prepared to fight those 2.


    "Um...Sir," the clone saluted. "It''s about Grim and Reaper¡­" he said hesitantly to the head of Germa.


    "Get on with it," Judge said, getting annoyed with his clones hesitance.


    "Right!" He saluted nervously. "It''s just some of our equipment...it''s missing," the clone confessed.


    Judge didn''t like the sound of that one bit. "What do you mean by some?" He asked warily.


    The clone took a deep breath. "All of our weapons in the storage, all of our equipment, barring the clones, in the Soldier Stock Depot, the blueprints to the Raid Suit, along with Prince Yonji''s own Raid Suit-,"


    "WHAT?!" Judge roared in disbelief at that last bit of info. The weapons were one thing. With their prowess, they would be able to replenish them in time. The last two however were concerning. The equipment for cloning would be tedious to get but it would be doable. What was more concerning was that Reaper seemingly was interested in the clones that he had somehow discovered.


    Did he want to make an army of his own? For what reason?!


    But the blueprints to the Raid Suit AND his own son''s canister? The Raid Suit was incredibly powerful and for it to be in the hands of someone who had managed to defeat him without one (no matter how lucky), was cause for concern.


    The blonde man calmed down as he gathered his wits. There was no way they could make a Raid Suit on their own. Only a select few people outside of Germa would be able to make it and Yonji''s own Raid Suit was biometrically locked to him.


    That extended to the cloning as well. They were nothing in the Angel of Death''s hand.


    It was unfortunate that his green son lost his but he could make another one for him. It was useless in the hands of Grim and Reaper, as well as the blueprints without a capable scientist-


    "Sir, with all due respect, I didn''t finish," the clone said nervously, snapping Judge out of his musing. He glared at his subordinate for daring to interrupt him before waving for him to continue.


    "One of our head scientists, Hiroshi, went missing. We have reason to believe that he was kidnapped by Reaper during their invasion due to there being no signs of his departure."


    Judge felt cold as he heard that. One of his head scientists? So...not only did Reaper have the blueprints to his Raid Suit and the information on his cloning, he had the means to achieve results with it.


    The head of Germa screamed his anger to the world.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Aiko screamed in shock as a giant green Oni suddenly appeared in her room along with Rosan.


    "We do this all the time and you still get surprised?!" Maro rumbled, as those pure orange eyes pierced at her.


    "Yeah I''m used to two annoying brats barging in, not a giant fucking monster!" Aiko retorted angrily, looking up at the towering Dokkaebi. Maro''s full zoan transformation was seriously scary to look at and having it show up out of nowhere, was not something she needed in her life!


    "Akemiiii-chan," Maro whined, deactivating her transformation and charging the younger sister with puppy dog eyes. "Aiko is bullying my transformation! I can''t help how I look but she doesn''t care!" The 12 year old was hugging the gray haired woman tightly as she spoke.


    "Aiko, be a bit more considerate please," Akemi admonished, as she hugged the blue haired girl back soothingly.


    "Stop spoiling that girl so much, Akemi! She''s got you eating out of her palm and Rosan and I have to deal with it," Aiko complained.


    "But she''s so adorable! Did you get taller? You''re the same height as me now!"


    "Yep! Master did too, we''re the same height now!" Maro complained. Rosan had begun finally reaping the benefits of puberty and the both of them stood at 5''6.


    It wasn''t making sense how fast either were growing! Maro was just taller than Rosan the other day and she lamented the fact that she couldn''t brag about the difference anymore, despite the redhead not caring in the slightest.


    "That''s true, you used to be way shorter than me, Rosan," Aiko sighed fondly at the memories of when they first met. To think it had been 4 years since she had met the, now, 13 year old. The boy had grown at least a foot taller!


    She felt oddly proud seeing his growth.


    "It seems I was right about growing much taller when I hit puberty," Rosan remarked softly. It was only a matter of time until his growth began in earnest.


    "You''re getting handsome instead of cute now, Rosan¡­" Mod said with a sense of dread mounting inside of her. If he went out undisguised, the amount of attention he was going to get, would be worrying for the Devil Fruit.


    "Awww Auntie Mod is possessive!" Ram cooed understandingly. "I understand how you feel! Imagine if someone gets their claws on Father and he stops paying attention to us! I''d have to get rid of them!"


    "You can be so annoying sometimes!" Mod complained to the weapon.


    "So, how did it go?" Aiko asked the two in curiosity. Maro looked rather smug and satisfied so it must have gone rather well and that was shocking!


    Did they actually manage to invade Germa successfully?


    "We come bearing gifts!" Maro cheered and she told the tale of their Germa expedition.


    The gray haired sisters listened with wide eyes at hearing what they did. Did they actually manage to defeat the leader of Germa? Even without his suit, that was quite the feat they achieved!


    These two were absolutely insane!


    "Weren''t you complaining about how boring the weapons were?" Rosan remarked idly as she finished telling the two.


    "Well yeah but why would I let them have it!" Maro said cheekily. "Besides, I found some pretty interesting weapons that you guys might appreciate!"


    Aiko''s attention was immediately grabbed at that. Weapons from Germa? For her? She loved these kids because that sounded too good to pass up.


    "Speaking of," Rosan suddenly said, glancing at Aiko. "We kidnapped someone and we want you to give them a building where they can work freely," he told the woman.


    She stared into his dual eyes in disbelief as she processed what he said. "You...kidnapped someone?"


    "Yes, a scientist from Germa."


    "...Why?" She croaked.


    "We stole some blueprints from Germa that were too advanced. As a result, we took a scientist that would be able to properly make what we wanted," Rosan explained patiently.


    "Yeah! I wanna Raid Suit!" Maro cheered.


    "I have no words for you two¡­" Aiko mumbled and she felt an imminent headache forming. It always did when dealing with the shenanigans of Master and Student.


    "Do you plan on torturing him?" Akemi asked in concern. She didn''t want the 13 year old to do something like that.


    "I asked the same thing!" Maro exclaimed. "How do you plan on doing that, Master-kun?"


    "I can show you right now," the redhead said, closing his eyes. After a moment, an unconscious man was materialized in front of them.


    "You are getting so good with controlling the area of your Save Point," Mod commended with a small smile. His abilities with the space technique were incredible now and he was constantly improving it!


    "Thank you," Rosan replied.


    The teen approached the unconscious man and placed a palm on his head.


    "Modification: Overhaul," the boy said.


    Rosan had told Aiko and Akemi about his Devil Fruit a long time ago. After knowing each other for so long, the boy trusted them enough to know that they wouldn''t be betraying him so he told them about his fruit.


    The 3 watched in confusion as the boy just remained there. He had said a technique name, then gone still and now he just stood there with his eyes closed.


    After about 10 minutes, Rosan opened his eyes and took a step back.


    Seeing their questioning looks, Rosan explained what Overhaul did to them and the look of terror in their eyes at his explanation, gave him pause.


    "You can just¡­rewire a person''s mind?" Aiko asked in disbelief. She knew that Rosan''s devil fruit was capable of some crazy things but this had to be the scariest technique he explained to them yet.


    "That...is so scary," Akemi whispered in shock.


    "You terrify me sometimes, Master-kun," Maro said in awe.


    Aiko knew that she had to ignore moral implications when dealing with Rosan, but this was insane.


    "I would never use it on you all unless you betrayed me," Rosan said truthfully. "And if you did betray me, having your brain rewired would be the least of your worries."


    "Gee Master, that makes me feel so much better," Maro grumbled with a small smile on her face. She would never betray him so she had nothing to worry about!


    "You are just a beacon of safeness," Aiko said dryly with Akemi nodding rapidly in agreement. Knowing her little sister, she actually believed it. "Is there anyone you aren''t willing to use it on?"


    "Innocent children," was his only answer and they all sweatdropped.


    "Should have expected as much," Aiko sighed. "Alright, so they need an area to work in? If he''s a scientist from Germa we could get him his own personal lab in a building we recently built. He can even have assistants!"


    "That would be ideal," Rosan said, before crouching down and shaking the man awake.


    They all watched, with bated breaths, as the man began to slowly awaken.


    The formerly sleeping scientist made eye contact with Rosan and immediately shot up.


    "Rosan-sama!" He saluted before noticing everyone else and bowing deeply. "Maro-sama, Aiko-sama and Akemi-sama too¡­ did I do something wrong?"


    "Not at all," Rosan replied conversationally. "We were currently discussing a complete overhaul of your new laboratory, with Germa equipment and everything, and wanted to involve you in the conversation."


    "Maro, I don''t know his name. Introduce yourself," Rosan said through their link and the bluenette stifled a laugh.


    "We haven''t properly met yet," Maro said with a friendly smile to the scientist. "I''m Maro! It''s so nice to meet you!"


    Hiroshi''s eyes went wide in surprise at how polite his new bosses were being currently. They were certainly much more pleasant to work with than Judge!


    Rosan had rewired his mind so that the man would think he had willingly left Judge for a healthier working place that didn''t fill him with fear. It seemed to be working well but he''d have to make sure that it worked completely.


    "Nice to meet you Maro-sama! I''m Hiroshi!" He introduced himself with a smile.


    "I look forward to seeing your work on the Raid Suit," Maro gushed and her eyes turned dreamy at the thought of having her own suit.


    "I won''t let you down! Though¡­ I will need some assistants and I''m assuming you have all the necessary equipment as well¡­" he began musing.


    "That''s right, I will have everything moved in as soon as possible if Aiko has the room ready?" The redhead questioned.


    "You''re in luck, we do have a room ready right now!" Aiko said excitedly. She didn''t know allying with Rosan would get her a scientist and technology from Germa of all places!


    Everyday she found herself thanking this gold mine for falling right into her lap.


    "Good, we will begin the move in process immediately," Rosan said softly.


    "You''ll be helping?" Hiroshi asked in surprise. His leader was playing an active part in the process?


    "Naturally. With me, it will be done before the day is over and you can get started immediately," Rosan explained and Hiroshi decided he liked his new boss much more than Judge.


    "How do you feel about genetic cloning?" Maro asked Aiko suddenly, orange eyes staring curiously at her.


    "I wouldn''t have a problem using it on enemies to make an army. Using it on innocents is a no from me though," Aiko told her. "Why?"


    Maro smiled.


    Aiko felt her head throb.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Home sweet home!" Maro cheered as she stretched her back.


    "Master, Maro!" A voice called and they saw that it was Angel, followed by Demon. The girl rushed them both and scooped them in a hug and dragged her brother with her.


    Maro blushed at the proximity and Rosan hugged her back.


    "Welcome back you two," she said with a wide grin, before stepping back and looking at them.


    "I hope you had fun," Demon said with a small smile.


    "Maro, I was tending to the garden and I harvested some of the fruits there," Angel told the 12 year old, who beamed at her with a thumbs up.


    "You''re Devil Fruit speeding up crop growth is very useful," Demon commented. They didn''t have to worry about buying food that you could grow and, while they were rich, it was good to save money.


    "Happy to help~," she grinned. It felt good to be appreciated for what she was capable of and it made her all giddy inside.


    "Master...did you get taller again?" Angel asked looking at the two. Rosan had been growing rapidly over the past few weeks and he was only a little shorter than her now.


    "Ah, it''s about that time isn''t it?" Rosan asked calmly and his female clone smiled widely.


    "About that time¡­?" The bluenette asked confusedly. What were they talking about? What time was it? Cooking time? Bath time? She hoped it was bath time, she needed to take a bath. Judge had made her work up a sweat!


    Maro watched in surprise as Rosan put a hand on Demon and modified the purple haired clone. The shortest one on the ship was changed to match Rosan''s height and he appeared to be 13, just like his creator.


    "Ah!" Maro said in surprise. "You make them age at the same rate as you?!"


    "Yes, they are physically the same age as me and so, I make them as accurate to my current age as possible about once a year," the redhead explained.


    The Goblin girl nodded at his explanation. That made sense. They were clones of Rosan and that meant they couldn''t age properly. He would have to modify them himself unless they would stay the same way forever.


    Wait. Demon was pretty easy to explain. He was essentially just a purple haired version of Rosan.


    How did Rosan know how to accurately change Angel -


    "Modification: Swap," the Mod Mod no Mi user said and Maro looked at her Master in confusion. Swap? Swap...what exactly?


    Her jaw dropped in disbelief at what she saw. "W-w-wha," the normally confident girl stammered in shock.


    Rosan was gone and in his place, had to be a supermodel.


    Tall (even taller than Mod-chan) with long red spikes that flowed down her back, Maro felt dizzy looking at the female version of Rosan in all their glory.


    What the hell was this?!


    The Goblin girl looked at Rosan''s chest and then looked down at her own much smaller ones.


    She was only 1 year younger! This wasn''t fair!


    "You got so tall¡­" Angel said in awe at the 5''11 figure, not looking remotely surprised at the figure in front of them.


    "Angel...if you''re supposed to be as accurate as possible, why are your boobs so much smaller?" Maro asked bluntly, getting the redhead clone to blush in embarrassment.


    "There''s no way I''m walking around with those!" She complained as if it were obvious. "Are you looking at them? They''re way too big."


    The 12 year old nodded at her explanation before looking at her Master again. She looked like a true ice queen with that neutral expression on her face and the girl was assessing the changes made to her body.


    They made eye contact and Maro flushed again. This felt like when she first met Mod-chan. No fair! She had just gotten over that and now she was forced to look at another one!


    "You''re too attractive for your own good, Master-kun," the bluenette grumbled and Angel nodded in agreement.


    "Thank you," her silky voice came out. Rosan''s voice had begun getting deeper as a boy and that seemed to extend to his female form as well. It was in stark contrast to Angel''s much higher pitch.


    Maro was glad Rosan was a boy. He was good looking but she was more into girls and this was a wow.


    "If your looking at me like this..." Rosan began calmly. "Doesn''t that mean you are attracted to Angel as well? Barring my chest, my hair, and my right eye she is a carbon copy of this form. I look like her older sister right now."


    Angel''s mouth opened in shock at his blunt statement and she looked at Maro to gauge her reaction. What she saw, made her mouth open even further.


    The bluenette was stammering with a red face as she tried (and failed) to deny her claims. The two made eye contact and Maro''s blush deepened.


    The Oni really hated Rosan sometimes. He had no subtlety when it came to things like this.


    "You''re such a pervert," Angel muttered, shoving the girl and failing to move her whatsoever.


    A strong pervert.


    "Sorry¡­" Maro mumbled in embarrassment. She hadn''t been expecting to get called out and it left her struggling to properly answer her.


    "What did I tell you about apologizing for every little thing?" Angel admonished softly. "Honestly, if there''s no reason to apologize, then you shouldn''t apologize!"


    Maro''s gaze snapped up and she was about to say something, but she saw a light dust of red on the bronze clone''s face.


    It was cute. Really cute. Like, seriously one of the cutest things she had ever-


    "Oh no," Maro said in horror, as realization dawned on her. It couldn''t be...right? M-Master was such a better option! He didn''t scare her shitless and threaten to throw her overboard while she slept! Demon was even better than the both of them! He was the most pleasant to be around and actually nice too!


    "Oh yes!" Mod cheered. She was always happy to see her little ones come to these realizations.


    "Oh. This is the same realization I had with Meiko isn''t it," Rosan said, ever blunt. Good for Maro, he always thought the two females of the ship would make a good couple but they never seemed to realize.


    The same realization he had with Meiko. The Meiko that was Master''s lover.


    She had a crush on Angel. The same Angel that scared the hell out of her.


    Angel gained a rather confused expression as Maro suddenly put her head in both her palms and moaned sadly. What was wrong with her? Had Master unknowingly insulted her through their connection?


    Maro was just glad that Angel hadn''t been listening into the conversation.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Misadventures of Robin and Rosan ¨C 10


    Robin and Rosan are 8 and 12 respectively.


    Rosan finally gets to sate some of his vengeful urges


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    The Marine''s were hot on Robin and Rosan''s trail at the moment.


    While normally that wasn''t a problem (the White Rose was very elusive thanks to Rosan) there was a key issue right now.


    They had seen Rosan. Around her and though that wasn''t enough to get him a bounty, it would make them rightfully worried about the redhead. Now, the boy and his Devil Fruit were fully intent on getting rid of them.


    As much as she wanted to just escape, Rosan getting a bounty because of her, was unacceptable and she begrudgingly agreed that it was best if they got taken out.


    It was a good thing they were being pursued by ship on the sea. That would make it much easier to hide the bodies.


    Her 8 year old companion was currently eyeing the pursuing ship with hatred and Robin just knew he was going to make this personal. After all, the Marines played a direct hand in the death of Rosan''s mother, Portgas D. Rouge.


    "Be calm Rosan, don''t let them anger you before the fight even starts," Robin soothed. He was the main aggressor in their fights and if he slipped up because of anger, it would be costly.


    "I''m actually very calm right now, Robin-nee," Rosan said, side eyeing his companion before focusing on the Marine vessel again.


    "Surprisingly, he is," Mod verified and Robin shuddered at the fact that she was agreeing.


    This was going to get violent.


    "Let''s start," Rosan said without warning and his eyes began glowing in tandem with his words. Robin gasped as the ship unveiled a multitude of cannons on its side.


    "Were you gonna tell me the ship could do this?" Robin inquired as it bombarded the Marine ship with waves of artillery.


    "What cool ship doesn''t have cannons, Robin-nee?" Rosan asked in return, looking entirely too smug for his own good. Robin glared and the boy sighed apologetically.


    "Sorry for not telling you," the redhead said sheepishly and the older girl simply sighed in return.


    "Is there anything else you feel like you should tell me?" Robin asked only to pause in disbelief as harpoons came out and latched onto the enemy ship, pulling them closer and preventing their enemies from escaping.


    "We have harpoons," Rosan said cheekily, donning his hoodie and running headfirst into the Marines.


    The girl followed after him with a shake of her head.


    She was definitely going to strangle him after this.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan had been eagerly waiting the day he got to get some revenge on the Marines. Them seeing how he looked, meant they needed to be taken care of! Especially because they now knew he was with Nico Robin.


    After launching a salvo of cannons onto the ship and hooking into it, the boy decided he''d much rather personally deal with them and so, here he was!


    "Be careful, Rosan," Robin said through their connection.


    "Of course, Robin-nee!" The redhead replied with a smile on his face.


    "I''ll deal with the ones who have guns," his best friend said. "You haven''t done anything stupid in a while so you''ve earned it. Go crazy," Robin sighed in fond amusement.


    "Ah, I really love you, Robin-nee," the masked boy beamed in appreciation getting the 12 year old to blush bashfully.


    "J-just go before I change my mind and snap all their necks," she said, rolling her eyes and crossing her arms together to offer him support.


    Rosan took her command with glee.


    The Marines by now, had gathered themselves from the bombardment of canon''s. A plethora of the soldiers had been taken out by the onslaught and their ship was in critical condition at the moment.


    Worse, they had been harpooned and now someone was on their ship along with Nico Robin...the Devil Child.


    Rosan must have had the luck of Devils because their communication was struck by the cannons as well, leaving them no way to request for backup or report that Nico Robin had a potential ally.


    It was just them vs the 2 figures. Good odds for them, right?


    Wrong.


    Rosan rocketed off and struck the first offender with a knee to the face. He was satisfied to hear a crunch and the man would have been sent flying from the force of the blow, if the falling redhead didn''t grab him by his neckerchief on the way down and bodily slam him on the deck. That definitely broke his already broken nose.


    Not stopping for even a second, he pivoted to his right and punched a charging marine right in the stomach. The boy tensed and jumped over the crouched over Marine, only to come crashing back down on the man''s head, boots first.


    The modified curb stomp slammed his head clean through the deck and Rosan walked away after dusting his boots off with the man''s body.


    The clicking of a gun, brought his attention to a woman aiming at him. She was clearly nervous, if the sweat on her face indicated anything and she hesitated to shoot the small child.


    She probably didn''t appreciate watching her crewmate get treated like a seed.


    Rosan on the other hand, didn''t even hesitate and that must have caught her off guard because she took a moment to gather her wits. The redhead snorted to himself and showed no fear as he charged her.


    It was soon revealed why as a multitude of arms sprouted on the, now screaming, woman''s body. The arms easily disabled her and dropped the gun out of her hand.


    Her screeching at being grappled by so much hands was cut short, as the short boy dropkicked her with a cackle, sending her flying into the wall and into dreamworld.


    "You are so lucky to have Robin," Mod said in amusement, watching the little whirlwind of destruction. "She enables your recklessness!"


    "Recklessness? Nah, it''s trust!" Rosan beamed and he punched a poor Marine in his family jewels. The man let out a high pitched squeal as he fell over and the redhead ruthlessly stomped on the same spot until he lost consciousness.


    "I''m glad you trust me so much, Rosan," Robin sighed fondly, as she absentmindedly clutched a Marine that was approaching Rosan.


    The boy was clearly having the time of his life and Robin had to once again marvel at how strong her partner was.


    Rosan laughed in malicious glee, as he casually parried a swipe of a saber from a Marine with his buddy. The boy paid no mind to the saber slashing his human shield and he continued to cackle.


    The man couldn''t even gasp in horror, as the body of his ally was thrown onto him and they were both silenced as the redhead stomped on them both over and over again.


    He was such a sadist¡­ Rosan''s fighting style was brutal and free and the boy showed no care for his opponent''s well being.


    Robin wondered how it would evolve when he was older. Right now, he was utilizing his diminutive height to outmaneuver his opponents and deliver deceptively strong blows while avoiding their larger bodies.


    She was reluctant to admit that Rosan was going to grow and if he ended up as tall as he said he was going to be (such confidence!) then he''d have to adjust his style accordingly.


    The brunette shuddered at that. His current opponents were lucky that he was a still developing child. Rosan was going to be scary when he got older.


    Robin was looking forward to seeing it. For now though, she would continue to tease him about their massive height difference. Robin was the same height as Mod-chan now and Rosan was still a little thing! The boy was completely outraged to see how quickly Robin had been growing and he told her to "Just wait!", to which they both laughed at him.


    It was always fun to bully the hyperactive menace.


    Despite the brutality, Robin couldn''t hold back a smile at how much fun Rosan had when fighting. The boy was quite the junkie and the adrenaline rush from battle, always got him excited! He thrived on the excitement of action and that''s why she had no problem letting him be the main aggressor.


    "Boys," Mod sighed.


    "Boys," Robin agreed with a shake of her head. She idly broke the bones of a Marine that decided that approaching her, was smarter than approaching the monster that was Rosan.


    Did they really think she was an easy target? How naive of them!


    The two stopped their decimation of the crew, when a presence made themselves known.


    Robin knew this was going to happen, that''s why she worked so quickly to dispatch the Marine''s on the ship. They would make the upcoming fight all the more difficult.


    Captain Akio stared at the two of them warily. He would have been out earlier, but he had been trying to request for backup when his comms got cut.


    The man wasn''t able to inform them that Nico Robin had a redheaded partner (or hostage), due to explaining exactly where he was, but he had let them know that he was trailing her.


    Well, it seems like the Devil Child and her partner didn''t appreciate that one bit. He didn''t expect them to board the ship.


    This went against reports on Nico Robin. She rarely ever fought, only escaped which was why he informed them of the location first. He was a bit nervous at having to fight a 79 million beri bounty along with her unknown partner.


    The large man sighed and withdrew a hammer.


    He didn''t get paid enough for this.


    "Let''s end this fast, Rosan," Robin said urgently. "He was probably calling for reinforcements and I don''t think we can handle a platoon just yet."


    "Kay!" Rosan agreed. The boy''s bloodlust had been temporarily sated after the beat down and the chance to beat a somewhat high ranking Marine pleased him immensely.


    The boy wasn''t dumb. He couldn''t handle a platoon of Marines...yet. In the future though, when he was older and stronger, they wouldn''t stand a chance!


    For now, he would settle for hindering them and taking this ship out seemed like a good enough idea.


    Without any warning, Rosan blasted off to the Captain, whose eyes widened, and delivered a kick that was hastily blocked by the man''s hammer.


    Akio tried to swing back but found that it was impossible, due to the 2 arms holding his own arms, giving Rosan an opportunity to deliver a punch to the man''s gut that he weathered easily.


    He powered out of their grasp but the redhead had already leapt away from him.


    "Wow, people hardly ever break out of your grasp," Rosan commented and he assessed his opponent with a critical eye.


    "It just means I have to use more," Robin shrugged, already preparing to do just that. "We need to get rid of that hammer. I don''t want you getting hit by it," the brunette said, with only a hint of worry in her voice.


    If the 8 year old got hit by that hammer it would do a lot of damage to him and Robin did not want to have to ever worry about seeing Rosan in a near death state again.


    "Get rid of the hammer you say?" Rosan hummed, before cackling in glee. "Alright, let''s do it!"


    Akio watched in confusion as the black clad figure picked up a discarded staff and began charging him. He blinked as the shorty prepared to swing 10 steps to early, only for his eyes to bug as the weapon expanded to ludicrous sizes.


    The attack caught the Marine to off guard for him defend properly and, though he hastily threw up his hammer to defend, a good majority of the attack connected to his ribs.


    It was a testament to his strength that he wasn''t sent flying but that didn''t matter because it created an opportunity.


    A multitude of arms sprouted on the man, disarming him and they tried to brute force him down.


    The Captain didn''t earn his title for nothing though. Akio actually began overpowering the arms and Robin raised a brow in surprise. He was strong and the brunette probably would have had some trouble fighting him alone.


    Unfortunately for him, Robin was not alone and she certainly wasn''t the main attacker in this battle. Everyone always thought she was because of her high bounty and her partner not having one, but she was fine being the support for Rosan''s performance.


    The redhead crashed into the back of the Marine right as Robin dispersed her arms. The man lost his breath as he shot out a glob of spit and Rosan jumped up and landed again, this time on Akio''s head.


    "T-two Devil Fruit users?" Akio thought to himself in disbelief as his head smashed through the Deck like so much of his other crew members.


    His last thoughts before falling into the realm of sleep was how unfair the ocean was to put him up against two monsters.


    "Is that all of em?" Rosan hummed looking at the mess that they caused. He crouched down and did a quick scan and verified that yes, it was and the child laughed in joy.


    "Not even a Captain can handle our onslaught? We''re such a good tag team!" Rosan beamed, rushing to hug Robin.


    "One Devil Fruit user is difficult to deal with. Two must be hair pulling," Robin said in amusement. They had easily dismantled the Captain and honestly, it felt kind of good winning such a battle decisively.


    It''s not like a Marine Captain was weak, Rosan and Robin''s Devil Fruit combinations were just too much for someone as regular as him.


    "You two are a scary combination," Mod said truthfully. "When you two get older and stronger there won''t be a lot of people who can handle you two."


    "They can''t handle me now!" Rosan cackled as he jumped around in excitement.


    "You''re right, they can''t handle you but it''s certainly not because of your power," the purple haired woman said, voice teasing.


    "I don''t know if anyone can handle you, Rosan," Robin sighed fondly. The boy was seriously too much most times and her insane patience had paid dividends over the years.


    "You can handle me, Robin-nee," he said accusingly. The boy had begun throwing all the unconscious marines overboard (after Mod jammed them) and Robin was checking to see if they had anything of value.


    "We''ve been traveling for 4, almost 5, years Rosan."


    "OH, YOUR BIRTHDAY IS COMING UP SOON!" Rosan cheered, completely moving on from the previous topic. "What do you want? Don''t be afraid to say anything because we have alot of money!"


    Robin blushed at how excited he sounded for her 13th birthday. He was so random in the most pleasant ways.


    "I don''t want anything at the moment so let''s just have a fancy dinner, okay?" Robin said warmly with a small smile on her face.


    "Yea! Just the two of us! I can even find us a nice spot and then I''ll modify it and then no one can bother us, except for Mod-chan! Wait¡­Mod-chan is always here so it''ll be the 3 of us! Now I gotta edit my plans a lil bit¡­ but not too much!"


    Robin laughed aloud at his musing.


    "What about you Rosan? Your birthday is only a month after mine so what do you want?" The 12 year old asked.


    "I want us to be together forever!" Rosan said without hesitation and Robin was sure that she was an interesting shade of red right now.


    "Y-you''re so silly you¡­" Robin complained and she was glad Rosan was busy throwing people overboard.


    "Awww, is my cool and collected Robin actually flushed?" Mod teased with a gleam in her eyes and Robin just blushed harder.


    It wasn''t her fault that Rosan said these things without any thought whatsoever! They had been with each other for so long but he could still catch her cleanly off guard with his words.


    "Robin-nee?" The redhead called in confusion.


    "Ask for something else Rosan¡­" Robin said with a roll of her eyes.


    "What?! Why?!"


    She smiled to herself at the distraught in his voice. He was honestly way too open with her and wore everything on his sleeve.


    "Because that''s a given already," she finished and Mod squealed in happiness.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Character Sheet: Grim (In the eyes of other people)


    Name: Unknown (Goes by Grim)


    Title: The Angel''s Demon


    Age: Unknown


    Gender: Unknown


    Summary: The mysterious partner of Reaper, Grim is even less known than Reaper is. Some people are not even aware that Reaper has recently gained a partner. Those who do know of, or have met Grim are rather put off by their playful personality, especially in comparison to the far more cool headed Reaper. They are normally seen surrounded in flames of sorts, causing people to speculate that they are a Yokai of sorts which has caused them to give the Oni the title "Angel''s Demon".


    Devil Fruit: Unknown. The flames make people speculate that they have the Mera Mera no Mi or some fruit dealing with fire but it is not guaranteed.


    General Appearance: Unknown. Covered head to toe with a long white cloak that has black streaks all over, white gloves with black lining, and white boots. The hoodie hides all their features and no one knows what they look like.


    Height: Unknown


    Hair: Unknown


    Eyes: Unknown


    Likes: Reaper


    Dislikes: Unknown.


    Fun Fact: Maro is constantly using an illusion even with the disguise. For instance, her flames are orange instead of blue and her club is a staff to throw off any suspicion to her human form. She makes sure to maintain this illusion when transforming into her zoan form due to the massive height difference and muscle gain she gets. It was rather draining at first to constantly maintain the guise but she has been steadily improving it and her stamina has increased.

 The Goblin Princess

    Maro was excitedly jumping around next to an ever patient Rosan. For once, the two were not in their disguises and donned their regular clothing.


    "You know," Aiko began, eyeing the two. "I think this is the first time I''ve seen you two without your cloaks," she commented as she looked them up and down.


    "I had no idea you two could dress so well!" Akemi gushed at the two children before her. Who knew that they looked so good outside of their guise!


    Rosan was wearing a buttoned, long sleeve black cardigan that was left open to show a loose, dark purple shirt underneath and some long black baggy pants that were lined with a similar shade of purple. He wore predominantly purple shoes that had a large amount of black on them.


    His hair was tied into his preferred bun showing off his ruby red earrings and he had all his other accessories on as well.


    Maro (who had no sense of style) had been dressed up by Angel and the 12 year old currently wore a modified blue kimono, that allowed her freedom of movement, with a wave pattern on it. Her azure blue hair remained the same length and style.


    The girl didn''t see any use in wearing accessories (besides her tiara!) and when she asked Rosan why he wore so many, his reasoning being that each was a memento for someone he loved, made her burst into tears.


    Curse her sappy heart!


    "Look at you, Maro!" Akemi gushed. "You look like a princess with that setup! It''s hard to imagine that you used to be such a skinny little thing and now your so healthy!"


    Maro beamed at that. Her evolution was a sight to behold and she was no longer the dirty little girl who had been struggling for food on the daily. Master had turned her into a rather fit person and honestly the Goblin felt like she pretty good looking!


    "Gotta admit Rosan," Aiko said dryly looking at the boy. "I didn''t think you knew anything besides that black cloak, you look seriously good like this," the gray haired woman praised.


    "I''ve been told that I''m rather vain so a sense of style is needed," Rosan commented idly and he thanked her for the compliment.


    "As much as I''m loving being praised," Maro began with a large grin. "We''re here for a reason! A little birdie told me that my Super Suit is finished!"


    Aiko rolled her eyes at the impatience displayed but she nodded. "Yeah yeah yeah you eager little brat," she grumbled. "They''re ready for the both of you so let''s just go," the leader of Fregate finished and she prepared to depart the castle.


    Rosan and Maro were out of disguise due to the boy wanting to avoid letting anyone know that Fregate was allied with Reaper. Not too much people knew and the redhead knew everyone that did (everyone that had witnessed his arrival the first time).


    He scarcely left the castle so no one actually knew when Reaper was on the island barring Aiko and Akemi. It was good just in case things went bad. Rosan didn''t want Fregate to be a target due to the Angel of Death.


    "I trust you aren''t advertising the fact that you have Germa''s technology, Aiko?" Rosan questioned idly. "Don''t make it obvious, if they launch an attack on you I won''t be able to stop them."


    "You don''t have to tell me twice," Aiko barked out a laugh, not looking worried in the slightest. "Fregate is not really a country big on combat so that''s a plus but, we''ve got measures to make sure they don''t notice."


    "That scientist is seriously impressive though," the gray haired woman remarked, with an impressed smile. "He managed to get so much done so quickly! This is the power of Germa I guess. Though, the clones take quite a long time to fully develop," she commented, shrugging at the information. She didn''t really care about the clones truthfully but some extra firepower was always useful.


    "I was lucky to grab a head scientist," Rosan said truthfully. "He just happened to be in that forbidden room so I assumed that he knew multiple things. Hiroshi is adjusting rather well though."


    "Mhm," Aiko nodded in agreement. "His old boss must have been a piece of shit because he loves it here so I doubt he''ll wanna leave anytime soon."


    "That''s good to hear," the redhead said and the two went into a comfortable silence.


    "Raid suit! Raid suit! Raid suit~," Maro sang in joy as she practically skipped to the location. The blue haired girl was garnering the attention of quite a few people and now the group were being eyed up by observers.


    Aiko didn''t fail to notice some of the gazes that landed on them and smirked teasingly at the eyes on Rosan and Maro.


    "Seems like you two are rather popular eye candy right now," she poked. It wasn''t a surprise, she hadn''t been lying when talking about their looks. The two were rather attractive and if not for the fact they almost always wore disguises, they''d get a lot more positive attention.


    "I''m 13," Rosan said simply.


    "I''m 12!" Maro followed up before a blush washed over her face. "A-and I already like someone¡­" she finished in a near whisper.


    Akemi squealed as she heard that and Aiko just knew they were going to have a girl talk about it later.


    "Is it Rosan?" she whispered quietly and the boy clearly heard it, but he ignored it.


    "I''m attracted to Master but I don''t think I''m the one he needs. P-plus I look up to him," Maro whispered back. "The girl I like looks exactly like him though so it''s a win-win for me!"


    "It''s a girl and she looks like Rosan?!" Akemi sounded extremely interested and Aiko suddenly was too. A girl that looked just like Rosan? If the boy was any indication then Maro''s crush was no doubt attractive.


    Lucky brat.


    "Yeah! She''s really scary but also kind of sweet when she wants to be and she hates everyone, but a few people and I''m one of them... I think! A-and she''s also super cute, like cuter than me and I think she knows I like her¡­"


    "Angel doesn''t know," Rosan said suddenly and Maro''s jaw dropped at the fact that he was peeping into their conversation.


    "M-Master did you hear everything?"


    "Yes, I have exceptional hearing. There was no reason for me to comment until now so I chose not too."


    "So you uh, heard the part where I said I was attracted to you¡­?"


    "That''s correct. Your reasoning for not pursuing me is a smart one as well," Rosan said calmly.


    "Though, if you had asked, I probably would have said yes as long as Mod-chan agreed."


    "I would have!" Mod smiled teasingly.


    All 3 of the girls spluttered at the blunt declaration and Maro especially turned an interesting shade of red.


    "W-why would you say yes? Do you think I''m pretty?" Maro asked with a little happiness.


    "You are attractive but that''s not the reason why," Rosan said blandly. "I would have said yes because a relationship would have been a good opportunity to try and feel something again."


    Their eyes went soft as they heard his explanation. That was right, Rosan was still a brick wall and despite his time with Maro, it seemed barely any progress was made. Sure the boy sometimes did something surprising, but that was mostly on memories of how he used to be.


    "You and Angel would make a good pairing though," Rosan said softly, making her eyes widen. "You won''t let her walk all over you and she likes a person that will stand up to her, though she won''t admit that."


    "And after all the stress Demon and I put her through, she deserves a little happiness outside of the two of us."


    "You''re so sweet, Rosan," Mod said with a fond smile on her face.


    "Angel is the name of the one you like? Don''t worry," Akemi said with a fire in her eyes. "We''ll get you and her together at all costs."


    "W-wait, I didn''t ask for this," Maro stammered and Aiko just loved seeing the look of embarrassment on the cocky girls face. It was a rare sight and the leader of Fregate relished in it.


    "You have my approval," Rosan said and he paused for a moment before nodding. "Ram says that you can''t ogle her and Mod-chan anymore or else she''s telling Angel."


    Maro moaned in defeat. She just wanted her Raid Suit!


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Maro-sama, Rosan-sama!" Hiroshi greeted "I''ve finished both your Raid Suits," the scientist finished in excitement, as he led the two to a location in his lab.


    Besides asking the two for a rather large blood sample and what they were looking for specifically, Rosan and Maro had been left largely in the dark about the process of the Raid Suit.


    While Rosan was fine with that, Maro was rather impatient and she instead had to force herself to focus on other things. The most effective thing was Angel and due to that the blue haired girl''s crush was developing more and more.


    "Hiroshi." Rosan nodded as greeting. "I trust you are doing well," the teen finished politely.


    "Hiya Hiroshi," Maro greeted with an excited grin as she vibrated in anticipation. "How ya doin?!" The bluenette asked as she got close to the man, who stepped back instinctively from her enthusiasm.


    "I''m doing fine, thank you for asking," the scientist said before coughing. "I can see your excitement so let''s not waste any time!" He finished with an excited grin on his face.


    Finishing such an important task for his new boss, filled Hiroshi with an accomplished feeling. He just hoped they were satisfied with the end product. It wasn''t the exact same as the Raid Suit''s made for Judge and his children but it should still satisfy their needs.


    "Oh!" Hiroshi exclaimed as he turned towards Rosan. "Rosan-sama, I managed to get you the weapons you requested!"


    Rosan glanced at him momentarily before nodding. "Thank you, I''d like them now if possible," he said softly and the scientist nodded enthusiastically.


    "But Maaaaaster," Maro complained. "I want the Raid Suit!"


    "So get it."


    "But I wanna get it at the same time as you!"


    "So wait."


    "But I don''t wanna!"


    "Ram would like to have a word with you about delaying her growth in power."


    "Suddenly, I don''t mind waiting."


    Everyone witnessing the conversation sweatdropped at how quickly Maro changed her mind. Whoever Ram was, they really didn''t seem like a person to be trifled with.


    Eventually, the group made it to Hiroshi''s room and entered without haste.


    "Here we are," the scientist began before going to find what he got ready for Rosan.


    The redhead looked at the weapon''s with an appraising eye. There was a cannon, a pistol, a rifle, and a bow.


    Personally, Rosan wasn''t interested in the weapons themselves. After all, Ram could already transform into all of these. What he was interested in was the resources the weapons used.


    The 13 year old didn''t know what it was but Germa''s weapons did not use standard ammo. They used some sort of energy and Rosan wanted that for himself.


    If Ram could absorb the energy-like properties of the weapon, then the redhead could use them as well.


    "If?" Ram said, sounding genuinely offended. "I am the ultimate weapon! Of course I can absorb it all Father!"


    "I''m sorry for doubting you, Ram," Rosan said and she scoffed.


    "If it were anyone else they''d have to pay! But, since it''s you, I suppose I can forgive you."


    "What about me?" Mod asked in amusement and Ram immediately froze.


    "Of course you are exempt as well, Auntie Mod!" The silver haired girl said nervously. Rosan never disciplined the arrogant girl, so it was up to Mod to do it in his stead.


    She had practically raised Rosan, Robin, AND Meiko so Ram was nothing new.


    Rosan, done inspecting, extended his left hand and grabbed each weapon. Ram was a selfish girl (she got that from him) and as such, any weapon that wasn''t her, that the redhead grabbed, she would absorb it.


    Her Father wasn''t allowed to use anyone else but her because she was the best!


    Everyone watched with a surprised gaze as the weapons were disintegrated and assimilated with the expensive silver ring on Rosan''s hand.


    Rosan, being so intertwined with Ram, was also being affected. The boy flexed his hands and was satisfied to see the air distort slightly around it. Ram transformed into a set of form fitting gloves and the redhead aimed at a target.


    His gloves began glowing and the target didn''t stand a chance at the massive blast of energy shot at it and vaporized it on the spot.


    "Oh, I like," Ram said crazily, as Rosan glanced at the steaming glove.


    It was strong. It would serve his arsenal well.


    "Since you''ve absorbed this energy, you can use it for other weapons as well?" Rosan asked and he reverted the gloves back into his ring.


    "Yep! I can switch between them now and this energy source thingy is super useful," Ram gushed and Rosan nodded before focusing his attention back onto Hiroshi.


    "Thank you Hiroshi, those weapons were valuable to me," Rosan said with a short nod.


    The man stuttered a bit at his casual display of power before recovering. "I-it''s my pleasure, Rosan-sama," he said with a bow.


    "So your ring is a weapon¡­ Neat," Aiko said unsurprisingly. The teen was full of tricks and a weaponized ring was on the tamer side of what he could do.


    "Such a beautiful ring being so dangerous... How scary," Akemi whispered in awe and a bit of fear.


    "Ram is seriously impressive," Maro hummed. "It''s a good thing I decided to grab those weapons, I had no idea you''d be able to casually use their power source."


    "She is my ultimate weapon after all," Rosan commented simply.


    "So your ring is Ram and it''s a she? How considerate," Aiko laughed shortly.


    "You can meet her one day if you want. A fair warning though, she has no respect for anyone but a select few and she can be rude."


    "Nah, I think I''m good."


    "Raaaaid Suit," Maro complained, having had enough. Master had gotten what he wanted so now it was time for her to get what she wanted!


    She was about to throw a fit but a canister dropping in her hand stopped her. It was simply white with nothing extra on it.


    Similarly, a simple black canister was dropped in Rosan''s hand.


    "I would have designed it, but something tells me it won''t be staying in it''s canister form for much longer," Hiroshi said in amusement.


    "That reminds me," Rosan began suddenly. "How exactly are the Raid Suit''s biometrically locked? The Green 4 is impossible to open, even with Modification. I''ve never failed to open something with Modification," the redhead finished and he almost sounded annoyed.


    "Well to not get to complicated," Hiroshi began, clearing his throat. "Basically, every single human has something called a Lineage Factor, which is the blueprint of life itself."


    That piqued Rosan''s interest. "Oh? Tell me more."


    "It was discovered by a research team that was led by Dr. Vegapunk and Judge-sama," Hiroshi said.


    "Vegapunk," Rosan repeated at the familiar name.


    "¡­" Mod frowned slightly at the name and Ram rubbed her back soothingly.


    Maro raised a brow at the familiar name. "This Vegapunk guy is seriously smart huh?" She asked to herself mostly.


    Hiroshi nodded in confirmation. "He''s an absolute genius! Vegapunk discovered that you could manipulate it from a young age and it would change the growth of a life form."


    Rosan thought deeply about this. "Judge''s children. They are modified because of this?"


    "Ah so you met them!" Hiroshi exclaimed in surprise and Rosan nodded. "Yes, Judge-sama modified all 5 of his children. He modified 4 while his wife was still pregnant and his oldest daughter too."


    "It worked for all but one?" The redhead asked and Hiroshi shot him a strange look.


    "Yes, it failed on his third son Sanji and he unfortunately died to unknown circumstances," the man informed them all.


    Rosan''s face betrayed nothing but on the inside his mind was working.


    "Died? That kid looked pretty alive to me," Maro hummed in contemplation.


    "Probably wanted to make everyone think he was dead so he didn''t have to think about him," Rosan thought as he thought about the terrible father.


    "I see¡­ Is there anything else you can tell me about Lineage Factors?" Rosan said, avoiding mentioning that Sanji was alive. Let him enjoy his life outside of anything Germa related.


    "Hm. Oh yes! Since you have one this information might benefit you. Devil Fruit''s actually change the user''s lineage factor once consumed!"


    "That explains a lot," Rosan said simply. If eating a Devil Fruit altered your genetics to such a degree, it was no wonder Maro was changing the way that she was.


    Then Rosan paused.


    "So a Devil Fruit combines with a person''s Lineage Factor, altering them to their core?"


    "Yes, as you''ll see with your Raid Suits, it has some changes that fit your Devil Fruits due to the fact that it was made with some of your Lineage Factor," Hiroshi said in excitement. Not even he knew how different they''d be from Germa''s own Raid Suit''s.


    Judge nor his children had Devil Fruits but their suits seemingly had special abilities regardless.


    "My Raid Suit will have some qualities of Modification because you extracted my Lineage Factor¡­," Rosan was deep in thought. Did that mean you could extract a person''s Devil Fruit? Unlikely, they would probably need to die¡­


    But maybe he could¡­ hm. It was a thought for the future but he was quite interested now.


    "Your mind is a scary place, Rosan," Mod said in wonder. The things he thought about were probably not on the spectrum of normal.


    "Maro is about to blow a lid and I''m sure your all curious, so let''s use our Raid Suit," the redhead said, as he stored that information away for a later date.


    Maro cheered at hearing that. Finally! She had been waiting way too long and now it was time.


    "Master, we have to do it at the same time!" The Goblin girl demanded holding her canister up. There was no way she was keeping this inconvenient thing as a can, she''d just have Rosan modify into something more fitting.


    "Right," the teen said simply and he held up his own canister. What an inconvenient item, he''d modify it into something more fitting after testing it.


    The two, after instructions from Hiroshi, held the canisters to their waists and everyone watched in awe as the canister began glowing and the clothes began wrapping around the two.


    Maro was wearing a predominantly white and blue battle dress with sleeves that stopped at her elbow and a skirt. She wore long, knee length white boots and long white gloves that met where her sleeve ended. Combined with her tiara, the girl looked like royalty.


    "Oh! I like it! I look so good!" Maro gushed. She looked like the type of princess that wasn''t afraid to kick ass, which was funny because her outfit was so white! The 12 year old looked over at Rosan and gasped at his apparel.


    The redhead was wearing a long, open black coat with red streaks that stopped at his knees and underneath the coat was a form fitting red shirt that showed his rather muscular frame and the pendant as well.


    He had long black baggy pants and stylish red sneakers lined with black streaks. For once, the teen had no gloves on showing his bronze hand and the silver ring on it.


    The boy looked at his outfit for a moment and nodded. It looked just fine.


    "You look so cool, Master!" Maro gushed as she closed the distance between the two. She was inspecting him up and down and prodding his body over and over again.


    "Thank you. It is to my liking as well," Rosan said softly and he inspected his student. "You look good. It''s hard to imagine that only a year ago, you didn''t even know how to properly bathe."


    "Aw Master, yer makin me blush," Maro said bashfully. She knew she looked good but hearing it from someone she looked up to, made her feel a lot better.


    "Fascinating! It seems the Raid Suits have changed to match your preferences," Hiroshi muttered and he began jotting something down.


    As he began running tests on the two, Rosan hummed.


    After a moment, his outfit instantly transformed and Reaper was standing before them. They all jumped at the sudden change and Maro looked at him with wide eyes.


    "That was instantaneous," she pointed out and Rosan simply nodded.


    "I didn''t use Modification either. The outfit simply responded to my thoughts," the redhead informed them, making their eyes go wide.


    "I believe due to being made with my Lineage Factor, this outfit''s ability is to transform. It''s simple but my Raid Suit can be a permanent addition while looking like normal clothing or I can change it to fit the situation," Rosan informed her and to further prove his point, the teen''s Raid Suit seamlessly shifted into winter apparel, summer apparel, hell it even transformed into a suit of armor!


    So Rosan had an adaptable weapon and adaptable clothing? That was awesome!


    "Wait, so what''s my special ability?" Maro asked in confusion as she adopted a thinking pose. Rosan''s was directly tied to his Devil Fruit so hers must have been too!


    Try as she might, she couldn''t really think of any special ability this Raid Suit had, that her Devil Fruit couldn''t already do.


    Then again¡­ Rosan probably could have modified his clothing even without that ability! It just looked so much smoother and didn''t drain any unnecessary energy from the teen.


    Maro summoned her blue flames and she was shocked to see that her battle dress was producing them too! Did her Raid Suit greatly enhance what she already had?


    "Seems like you''ve come to a realization," Rosan said and Hiroshi nodded enthusiastically.


    "That''s really the premise of the Raid Suits Maro-sama! They greatly increase your fighting abilities!" He explained and Maro was nodding too.


    "Though you two can''t swim, they are still waterproof, resistant to fire, bulletproof and your footwear allows you to float and jump far distances!" He explained.


    Rosan and Maro could already fly but this still had their uses.


    "All of the future commanders Raid Suit''s have a special ability inside of them, but you two already have special abilities and so your Raid Suit ability is based off of that," the man finished and Maro''s eyes sparkled.


    "So with this Raid Suit¡­I''m practically enhanced?! That''s awesome!" She cheered.


    The 12 year old stepped away from everyone and immediately transformed into her full Zoan and the dress grew with her. Looking at the monstrous 6''6 figure in a battle dress, was quite the amusing sight but it didn''t take away from how terrifying the Dokkaebi looked.


    Maro looked at her attire in wonder. It was different from her Grim Disguise. It felt much more...organic in a way! Like it would grow with her naturally! This didn''t feel like a disguise that Master gave her to suit her needs. This felt like her very own personal armor.


    The physical boost of the Raid Suit extended to her transformation as well! Her Hybrid form would be a force to be reckoned with when she chose to go all out!


    "I love it!" Maro exclaimed and everyone, sans Rosan, flinched at the roar. She casually summoned some flames and squeaked at the sheer power behind them.


    This was the type of power when she actually put effort into harming someone!


    "I knew raiding Germa was gonna be a great idea," the bluenette cheered as she deactivated her transformation. The Raid Suit put her in a whole new realm of strength right now and she was only going to get stronger!


    "It seems to benefit you a lot due to your Zoan nature," Rosan explained softly as he deactivated his Raid Suit and went back to his former outfit.


    Maro glared jealously as, instead of turning into a canister like it was supposed to, it turned into a black armband.


    "It''s almost like I have a second Ram," Rosan commented as he got rid of his inconvenience issue. It would be much more convenient if it was an armband that was permanently on his person rather than a canister that would be annoying to carry everywhere.


    The girl deactivated her own Raid Suit and soon, she was back in her kimono with a canister in her hand. She glared at it in contempt.


    Master had taught her the importance of not wasting time and this Canister was a waste of time.


    "What do you want me to transform it into?" Rosan asked, already sensing her demand.


    She beamed at him and hugged the teen, before thinking about his question. As she looked at her Master, a shy blush suddenly appeared on her face.


    The girl mumbled something so lowly that not even Rosan could pick it up.


    "I can''t hear you, Maro," the redhead said calmly and she buried her face into his shirt.


    "Can ya turn em into some blue earrings like the ones in your ear? I want it to be my own memento for how ya gave me a new chance at life," she said again, voice uncharacteristically soft.


    "That is so sweet!" Mod gushed at the adorable blue haired girl.


    "Yes! Praise Father like he deserves to be," Ram cheered.


    Akemi cooed at the sight and said "I''m so happy for you Maro! You deserve to be where you are right now!"


    Aiko sighed at the, admittedly, cute as hell sight and said "You two are gonna be the death of me one day but I guess it''s pretty worth it to see stuff like this."


    Maro blushed deeper at that and whined at them to shut up.


    Rosan stayed silent as he stared at her. Eventually, he grabbed the canister and modified it into the dangling, sapphire blue orbs she requested.


    "Here, let me put them on for you," Rosan said quietly and the girl uncharacteristically stayed still for him to do just that.


    Once he was finished, Maro hugged him tenderly and he returned it.


    "Thank you Master. As long as I''m still breathing, I will always be Grim, the faithful partner of Reaper," she declared softly.


    Rosan stared at her and she missed the unreadable look on his face at her declaration. He seemed to almost be deep in thought but he said, "You''re loyalty is one a lot of people would kill to have and you chose to give it to me. I am undeserving of such faith, especially after what I put you through, but that just makes me all the more appreciative."


    "Thank you Maro, for everything."


    The girl couldn''t hold back the tears and she sobbed happily into Rosan''s chest.


    Everyone smiled at the tender scene.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Maro couldn''t believe that Master was taller then her now.


    The 13 year old bluenette looked at the towering 14 year old with a scowl on her face.


    "Did you modify your height?"


    "No. Permanently changing something about my physical appearance is not something I''m fond of."


    "...Did Master Mod-chan change your height?" She asked instead.


    "Mod-chan is as depressed as you at the fact that I''m taller than her now. It''s probably because I make a bad little spoon now."


    "...Did you modify your height?" She tried.


    "You already asked me that."


    The 5''9 Maro held her head in defeat. Looking at her, was the 5''11 teen that was Rosan.


    This didn''t make any sense! His growth spurt had literally blindsided her!


    "Everyone is taller than me now¡­," Mod lamented. Even Ram, who aged at the same speed as Rosan, stood taller than her at 5''9 and was properly filling out as a woman.


    She should have made herself taller when deciding on her appearance.


    "Don''t worry, Auntie Mod!" Ram reassured, sympathetically patting the shorter woman. "You''re still hot!"


    "Thank you so much, Ram," Mod said dryly. She really needed that compliment to cheer her up.


    "I''m not sure why any of you are surprised," Rosan said calmly. "I did say it was only a matter of time before I grew."


    "We all thought you were full of shit!" Maro complained and Angel laughed at that. She and Rosan were currently the same height because it seemed like Rosan''s female form had finally decided to stop growing taller.


    That''s the only thing that stopped though because the transformation was still developing and Maro learned that the hard way every time she looked at Angel.


    "You saw how tall my female form was," Rosan pointed out bluntly. "Did you think I was going to be shorter than her? I''m likely not even done growing," the redhead said and Maro hung her head in despair.


    "B-b-but I''m the shortest on the ship now," Maro whined. "Aren''t Zoans supposed to affect my growth! I demand compensation now!"


    "Maybe you''re supposed to be shorter than you are now," Rosan said, unintentionally bruising her ego more and making Angel double over.


    "I think it depends on the Zoan as well and I guess it doesn''t apply as much to the Dokkaebi," he offered the inconsolable girl.


    "Bullshit, that''s what it is," she grumbled.


    Angel rolled her eyes at the sulking girl. "Chin up, Maro! It''s not like you''re done growing we''re all still young and puberty lasts a long time," the redhead clone informed the shorter girl.


    "I hate puberty. It makes me moody and messes me up on missions so now we can''t go on them right now. And it makes Master way taller than me," Maro sulked and Angel sighed at the pathetic sight.


    "I''m two inches taller than you, you''re exaggerating right now."


    "Well instead of going out on missions, you get to hang out with Demon and I! Who wouldn''t want to hang out with me?" Angel preened confidently and her twin brother rolled his eyes.


    "Egomaniac," the tall, purple haired clone said.


    "What did you say?" Angel asked.


    "I said Maro was gushing to me about your looks today," Demon replied and the both of them blushed.


    "Stop lying, you stupid little brother!" Angel scowled and she prepared to chase her brother down to get a proper answer out of them.


    "Demon, don''t tease me please," Maro mumbled with an atomic red blush on her face.


    "There''s an island near," Rosan said suddenly, making them pause. "We can all check it out since we''ve got nothing better to do. If not, I''ll be heading into my mindscape."


    "No! Let''s all hang out," Angel said enthusiastically, running up to and hugging him in glee.


    "I''m such a pervert," Maro sighed in defeat as she drank in the sight of the two attractive siblings hugging.


    Demon patted her back soothingly. "I''m sure if you just asked her for a hug, she''d give you one," he whispered.


    "Or she''d kill me," Maro countered, voice just as low.


    "...That''s true," he mused, before shrugging with a small laugh. "You''ll never know if you don''t try."


    "What are you laughing about over there?" Angel asked curiously, still hugging a complacent Rosan.


    "Don''t wanna tell you," Demon said with a small grin and Angel let out a snort of outrage.


    "Who the hell made you this rebellious? Was it Maro?!" she demanded.


    "N-no, it wasn''t me!" Maro tried defending herself but Angel wasn''t having it.


    Playing matchmaker was funnier then he thought it would be.


    "I never took you for one to be so mischievous, Demon," Rosan said idly, glancing at the two girls of the ship.


    "Well I am a clone of you, Master," he replied with a smile and Rosan nodded in agreement.


    "That you are."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Let''s split up to buy necessities," Rosan said calmly. "Demon and I will go together. Angel and Maro you two group up and buy things for your garden."


    Maro''s jaw dropped at Rosan''s statement. Was he serious?! Just like that?!


    Angel beamed at the thought of the garden. "Okay! I wanted to try growing strawberries and I wanna plant a mango tree. C''mon Maro, lets go!" She finished, grabbing the bluenette by her arm and dragging her away.


    "Be careful," Demon called with a wave before turning towards his face twin. "We rarely hang out huh, Master?"


    "That''s true. It''s probably because we are both so quiet," Rosan said softly as he watched the two depart.


    "There''s comfort in silence so I don''t mind," Demon shrugged. He had been getting much more comfortable around Rosan and he found that the way he acted previously was rather silly.


    His Master was just a boy after all.


    "Fair warning," Rosan said as they leapt off the White Rose. "Every island I''ve gone to undisguised recently has had multiple people try to seduce me. Seeing as we look alike, be wary of them."


    "Does it really happen that often?" Demon asked curiously.


    "More than you could imagine," Mod said with a tired sigh.


    "They can''t even stand on the same level as Father!" Ram complained at the thought of the multitude of men and woman that showed interest in Rosan.


    Honestly, they needed to tone it down. Rosan was only 14!


    "This island looks like its in terrible condition so I think we''ll be fine," Rosan commented and Demon had to agree.


    "Are we really gonna find anything here?"


    "Probably not. I simply did this as a way to force Angel and Maro to interact for as long as possible before they realize this island is a dud."


    "You''re scary, Master."


    "Thank you/Thanks!/Thank you," the three voices replied and Demon sighed.


    He was never going to get used to that.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Master was a jerk. He knew that she was a bumbling mess around Angel and yet he still chose to do something this conniving!


    Maro could barely form coherent sentences around the haughty clone these days. She thanked the stars that this crush formed after the girl could comfortably bath by herself or else she''d be dead from blood loss.


    "Ugh, I don''t think this island really has anything useful," Angel complained at the sorry state of everything. "Even worse, so much people are staring at us. Have they never seen someone as hot as me?"


    Maro almost agreed before biting her cheek. The two were dressed rather lavishly, with Angel wearing an expensive, white fur coat over a red crop top, white latex pants, and red shoes. The tall redhead had some fancy shades on her tan face, an expensive white purse and her read hair flowed freely down her back.


    All in all, Angel looked like she had money to flaunt and was aware of that. The girl was stunning and Maro felt under dressed in comparison.


    The bluenette had never been huge on fashion, normally letting Rosan and Angel buy her clothing, and as such she normally stuck to her kimonos (being the first outfit she wore that belonged to her).


    Currently, she was wearing a short all red kimono with a white obi and some black sandals. Her short blue hair, with white streaks, was in it''s ever present chin length style but her bang had grown to cover more of her face stopping a bit below her eye now. Her sapphire earrings dangle idly with every moment and she touched it for a moment before letting it go.


    "I think they''re looking at you," Maro pointed out and Angel scoffed.


    "You say that like you don''t look good either," the redhead countered and Maro flushed.


    "You think so¡­?" She asked in confusion, looking down at herself. The bluenette knew that she was pretty attractive but compared to Angel? Or well¡­anyone else on that ship...


    Damn Rosan and his damn genetics.


    "Duh! You''re hot, Maro," Angel said with a roll of her eyes and Maro went a bit lightheaded at the blunt statement. The redhead really needed to think about what she said these days or the bluenette would catch a heart attack.


    The girl steeled herself a bit and was prepared to compliment Angel in return. She turned towards the girl ¡ª


    Only to see a tiny figure snatch her crushes purse and take off in a direction.


    The murder in Angel''s eyes, made Maro stop the clone from taking another step.


    "Wait wait wait! I''ll go get your purse Angel, you just wait here and try not to kill anyone," Maro said steadying the older girl, who forced herself to calm down.


    "Deep breaths until I come back okay?" The bluenette requested and Angel nodded mechanically.


    The athletic goblin turned on her heel and rushed to find the thief before Angel turned homicidal and dragged Rosan into this. If she did that, well this poor island would become even worse.


    Ugh, she just wanted to talk about her crush!


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "This island''s conditions are poorer then I thought," Rosan mused and Demon nodded in agreement.


    "I asked that nice lady who kept eyeing me about it," the purple haired teen began. "Apparently they are being subjugated by a rather selfish king who only cares for himself and the citizens are suffering for it," he commented.


    "Anyone who tries to riot deals with his guards and the bandits that he hired."


    "I see," Rosan said softly before pausing.


    "Are you planning on helping?" Demon wondered.


    "No, I am not Reaper today and even if I were, the king has no bounty that would make the Angel of Death interested in him. Besides, I don''t care for these people," he said coldly.


    "Right," Demon said, nodding at the words of his Master. "Still, I hear the king has quite the perverted streak and regularly picks up woman he garners an interest in."


    "Is that so?" Rosan asked before humming. The two were currently seated in a rather lifeless park.


    "Something tells me today will be an eventful day," he eventually said and Demon raised a brow at that.


    "Why?"


    "Maro," was all the redhead said and he glanced at the people in the distance. "Despite everything, my student still has a bleeding heart and she will no doubt empathize with the people here."


    "How can you be so sure?" The purple haired clone asked. Maro, under Rosan''s tutelage, had become quite the little monster and something like this wouldn''t be enough to move her.


    "She is my right-hand. Of course I know," was all he said.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Maro had not been expecting the tiny little thief to be a little girl who looked about 8.


    She had black grimy hair, rags, and scuff marks all over her pale body. The girl''s blue eyes were staring at her with utter terror at being cornered so easily.


    Maro cut quite an imposing figure these days outside of her disguise. Not only was she tall, she had feminine figure that showed off her curves and the fact that she worked out.


    Her kimonos normally hid that, but she was wearing a short one today and that had the effect of showing off her strong, lithe legs.


    These features were out on full display to the cornered little girl before her. The black haired girl''s eyes darted in every direction as she tried to find an escape and she clutched the stolen purse. Maro''s burnt orange eyes bore into her and the little girl burst into tears.


    Scared, dirty, and in the face of someone so much stronger than you.


    It was nauseatingly familiar.


    Maro bit back a snarl at the memories of her home island and took her own advice. Ever since eating the Hito Hito no mi, Model: Dokkaebi, she had gotten rather quick to anger and so Rosan gave her advice on how to better control that.


    The shock on her face when the redhead told her that he also had anger issues, should have been framed.


    Maro took a deep breath and reached into her kimono. The thief saw this and began trembling terribly. She looked as if she was about to run through the tall girl but she wouldn''t even be able to budge the 13 year old''s body.


    The Oni ignored this all and summoned 3 apples from the White Rose. Pulling it out of her obi, she offered it to the girl who could only stare at her in shock.


    "I need that purse but I know you''re hungry so here," Maro offered to the wide eyed child. "I''m not going to hurt you, I understand why you''re doing what your doing but the person who that purse belongs, to will not hesitate to kill you," she explained patiently.


    "So I''ll give you these apples in exchange for the purse okay?"


    The black haired girl stared at her, almost not believing her words, before nodding hesitantly. She handed the purse back to Maro, who gave her the 3 apples in return.


    The tiny thing wasted no time in devouring one and the bluenette raised a brow at the fervor she was eating it at. The child was very clearly desperate to eat anything.


    "Good! Now I have to go before my partner gets really mad," Maro said cheerfully, getting back up and dusting herself. She needed to make sure Angel hadn''t killed anyone or else they''d probably have to leave the island. Though, this island was pretty terrible anyways so they''d leave soon regardless.


    "Enjoy your meal and try not to steal from scary people! Steal from the ones who won''t be able to chase you!" She advised, turning around and leaving.


    What she didn''t expect, was to hear tiny footsteps shuffling behind her confident ones. She paused and a tiny figure crashed into her.


    Maro craned her head and was confused to see the child looking up at her while gobbling up another apple. The Oni looked at the black haired kid and asked, "What are you doing?"


    She hid her face behind her dirty hair and didn''t answer. Maro simply shrugged, turned around and kept walking.


    Angel would deal with her. That girl was ruthless and she didn''t care how old you were.


    That reminded her¡­Maro wanted to confess to Angel and she had been this close until getting interrupted. The girl had straight up called her hot! Maro almost squealed from the memory and felt her confidence skyrocket.


    The moment she met up with Angel, she would confess to her!


    Or at least, that was the plan until she saw 4 men hounding her crush. They all had lecherous grins on their faces and it was clear that they were up to no good.


    Based on the look in Angel''s eyes, she was seconds away from committing manslaughter ¡ª


    And Maro was right there with her. The 13 year old let out a furious snarl, summoned her club and charged the 4 with no hesitation.


    The first one couldn''t even turn around in time before the wooden club (Maro forgot to put an illusion over it in her anger) smashed into his head and sent him careening. He was already unconscious by the time he hit the floor and a steady pool of blood was forming under his head.


    "So¡­," Maro said with a frown. "Wanna speed me up on what''s happening here?"


    Angel''s eyes lit up as she saw her and Maro nearly melted. "Maro! Thank Kami, I didn''t want to get my hands dirty with them!" She exclaimed, rushing over to the shorter girl. The redhead looked at them with blatant disgust and a sneer formed on her face.


    "They approached me talking about the king wanting to meet me or somethin," Angel scowled in fury. "He''s a pervert and he wanted to add me to his collection! The nerve of that slimy bastard," she snarled.


    Maro saw red at the explanation and her skin actually began turning green! "Y-you aren''t anyone''s object! How dare they treat you like one?!" The Oni snarled and Angel looked at her in worry.


    "...Are you okay? You seem more upset than me!" Angel pointed out in worry. She clearly noticed the green hue of her budding transformation and wondered why Maro was getting that angry.


    "I''ll be okay once they''re all dead," Maro declared, as she hoisted up her club.


    "I didn''t expect to go hunting today but hey, the beauty of the world is expecting the unexpected," Maro grinned wildly as she leapt at the closest person.


    Her target tried to hold up a sword to block her swing and he was in for the shock of his life as the sword folded under the pressure of the wooden club. That surprise was short lived because it soon smashed into his ribs and broke every bone that it connected to.


    The onlooking crowd watched in disbelief at the demolition of their tormentors. They watched as the teen literally suplexed one of the men 3 times into unconsciousness.


    Maro laughed at the fear on the last man''s face as his weapon broke on her left side. The Oni then grabbed his neck, hoisted him up, and slammed him into the ground over and over again.


    Eventually, the girl was satisfied and she tossed his body to the side with a huff.


    "Did they touch you?" Maro asked in concern and Angel scoffed.


    "If they touched me, you wouldn''t have been able to get your hands on them," she declared and the bluenette let out a laugh at the statement that turned into a wheeze as Angel looked over her shoulder.


    The redhead''s gaze turned murderous and the little girl that had been tailing her squeaked in terror. "Is this the little thief that stole my purse, Maro?! Why is she following you around like a dog?" The redhead snarled and Maro''s gaze snapped to said girl.


    "Ah don''t worry, Angel!" Maro placated the taller teen frantically. "I got your purse back but I felt bad because of how hungry she was and it made me remember my early days," the Oni explained patiently.


    "I felt bad so I gave her some apples, now she won''t stop following me."


    "She won''t be following anyone after I break the little shit''s legs," Angel decided and Maro had to physically restrain the girl from doing just that. Maro blushed as she was forced to wrap both hands around the redhead''s exposed belly.


    Her poor target was torn between running for her life, or staying close to Maro. The indecision just made her freeze in her spot and the bluenette wondered how dumb someone could be.


    "Um...excuse me?" A raspy voice called, interrupting their conversation.


    Maro raised a brow at the old man speaking to them and Angel scowled, causing him to flinch. The redhead, much to Maro''s disappointment, extracted herself from the Oni''s grasp and glared silently at him.


    Looks like Maro was taking the lead on this.


    "Sup, old man," Maro greeted the man with a curious look. "Are these your friends? You come to defend their honor? I don''t think you could hurt a fly with that figure but I''ll bite!" Maro shot off rapidly, making the old man pale.


    "No no! I wouldn''t dream of fighting such a powerful fighter such as you!"


    Maro laughed at the terrified look in his eye. "I''m just kiddin! You look like you''re about to keel over!" She cackled before getting composing herself. "What do you want?"


    It was then that she noticed the large crowd surrounding her and Maro sweatdropped. It was a good thing she had illusions up when fighting as Grim, Master would probably not be pleased if this was how his identity was revealed.


    The man began sweating at the playful girl''s demeanor but he hardened himself.


    "Please save our country!" He demanded while prostrating himself and bowing.


    Maro blinked.


    "Huh?"


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "So¡­you want us to save you from your abusive king?" Maro asked hesitantly, a bit surprised that someone was so freely asking her for help.


    Grim and Reaper must have been really scary, hardly anyone ever asked them for help and it was never this bold!


    "That''s right," the old man, who introduced himself as Jun, confirmed. "King Hikari earned his position unfairly and we never approved of it. Unfortunately, he''s surrounded by an army and we have no means to attack him," he finished before coughing violently.


    "Our island has been suffering for years under his rule and nearly all the resources go to him...please, I''m begging you to save us," Jun was near tears as he finished.


    "I''m not a fighter and I don''t like any of you, so I''ll pass," Angel said uncaringly, making him flinch at her harshness.


    Maro had to commend Angel for being so decisive because she herself, was seriously conflicted.


    The teen had seen how much everyone was struggling on this island and her heart went out to them but she didn''t know if she should help them out.


    "Um...hold on let me talk to my Master about this¡­" Maro told the old man who''s eyes widened at the revelation that the bluenette had someone to refer to.


    Was there actually another one as strong as her?


    "O-of course, where are they?"


    "He should be here any minute¡­," Maro said, before activating the connection between her and Rosan.


    "Master?" She called.


    "Yes, Maro?" Rosan replied immediately.


    "Could you come here? I wanna discuss something with you," she said hesitantly.


    "Okay."


    With that, the connection shut and Maro nervously waited for Rosan to appear.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan glanced blankly at the group of people there. Upon his arrival, the nervous energy seemed to only amplify.


    An old man was looking between him and Angel and his face morphed into one of dread.


    Ah, she must have left a good impression on them all.


    Demon stifled a laughter as he caught the old man''s look as well.


    "Master!" The subject of his thoughts greeted and he instinctively held open his arms to grab his fellow redhead.


    "I trust you two had quite the eventful day so far," Rosan asked and Angel scowled for a moment, glaring at a little girl who was hugging Maro''s leg.


    "That little rat stole my purse and Maro won''t let me hurt her," the redhead said, glaring at Maro now. The bluenette shrunk under her gaze and nervously waved at Rosan.


    "I''ll speed you up on what''s happening Master," Maro said and Rosan nodded.


    As she retold her tale, the two other inhabitants of the White Rose listened intently.


    "This checks out with what I told you Master," Demon said and he held his chin in contemplation.


    "You were also right about everything else you said¡­" The purple haired sounded impressed.


    "Naturally," their leader said, before fixing Maro with his dual eyes.


    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    "Why?" Rosan asked suddenly and Maro stumbled a bit at the abrupt question.


    "Why what, Master?" She asked in return and Rosan tilted his head.


    "Why should I help these people? What do I gain from helping them?" He asked in succession and both Demon and Angel went quiet in confusion.


    This was odd of Rosan¡­


    "I don''t understand¡­," Maro mumbled in confusion.


    The Mod Mod no Mi user stared at her for a moment before glancing at all the onlookers.


    "Didn''t I tell you? I''m no hero. I''m not going to help some people out of the goodness of my heart unless it benefits me in some way. So let me ask you again, what reason do I have for helping these people?"


    Maro was stumped. She kinda knew this was going to be Rosan''s answer so why did she feel the need to consult him in the first place?


    "Well...I guess you''re right," she said softly causing everyone there to slump in defeat. "There really isn''t much of a reason to help them."


    The bluenette felt the small girl clutching her and remembered a time when she was in the exact same position. When she was so so weak and tiny and she needed to resort to stealing nonstop just to not go hungry.


    "But¡­I want to help these people," Maro said softly and all the onlookers snapped their gaze towards the bluenette. "I don''t want them to suffer under the hand of someone like the King, Master!" The Oni declared resolutely and her orange eyes stared into his red and purple own.


    The crowd gasped as she stood up for them and they began looking at the strange girl in wonder.


    "Is that your reasoning? Because you want to?" Rosan asked softly and Maro hesitated for a moment before nodding.


    "W-we can help patch them up and make them useful for us in the future! We can set up like a base here or another potential trade route! We''re still in the North Blue so i-if we can get an ally like Fregate ¡ª."


    "That''s enough," Rosan interrupted and her mouth shut in surprise and he beckoned his group to follow him to an isolated area away from listening ears. They obediently followed him and waited patiently for his words.


    "You are kind," Rosan began and Maro flinched at the memory those words brought her. Of when she hadn''t been able to kill someone and not being good enough


    "I didn''t realize it until recently, but you do not have a life outside of me and that is my fault," the redhead said softly.


    Demon and Angel eyes widened curiously at the direction of the conversation.


    "Maro, you have become over reliant on me and I''m sorry for that," Rosan said bluntly and her eyes widened at his words.


    What was he...?


    "I neglected your wants and your desires in the pursuit of turning you into my weapon but instead, you became a reliable partner to me. Unfortunately, my methods have left you with a deep dependency on me and I''m the one who caused it."


    The bluenette wanted to protest but Rosan shushed her and so, she let him continue.


    "The reason I asked you these questions is because I want you to have your own beliefs. It''s true that I don''t want to help these people but I know that you do and I wanted you to realize that just because I don''t want to do something, you don''t have to share my opinion," the heterochromia explained quietly.


    "If I had emotions, I have no doubt that I would care for you deeply because I care about you now," he admitted and Maro felt tears welling into her eyes at his statement.


    "Rosan¡­," Mod said in awe and she felt her heart pound at the revelation that he cared for Maro.


    "M-Master¡­," Maro uttered simply.


    "I am sorry for what I did to you Maro. I took advantage of your conditions and raised you into a valuable asset, but at the cost of you yourself."


    Angel and Demon listened to the conversation with unreadable expressions but on the inside, they were a torrent of emotions.


    Rosan was growing up in his own ways.


    "Master, don''t apologize to me!" Maro demanded with tears brimming the edge of her eyes. "Everything you''ve said, none of that matters to me except for the fact that you gave me a new life!"


    "So I may be a bit dependent on you? I don''t care! I can grow past that especially now that you pointed it out. You say your sorry for what you did to me but you were only trying to protect me!"


    "You''re right, I am kind and you knew that firsthand," Maro said softly and Rosan paused to regard her. "That''s why you were so harsh with me on that day right? You didn''t want anyone to take advantage of my kindness."


    "Yes, that''s correct," Rosan confirmed. "I wanted you to build a wall around your heart so that not just anyone could take advantage of you."


    "And I appreciate that more than you could imagine because it worked! If you never did that, who knows what could have happened to me?" Maro asked before taking a deep breath.


    "I love you, Master and I don''t want you to think that you failed me because you did the exact opposite. Even now, you are trying to help me grow as a person!"


    "You love me?" Rosan asked and Maro confirmed without hesitation.


    "Of course I do, you idiot!"


    "Of course, how silly of me," Rosan said softly and he seemingly came to a decision right then and there. Angel and Demon smiled at the touching scene and Ram had to support a teary eyed Mod.


    "You understand that we are here as Maro and Rosan, not Grim and Reaper so we will fight with that knowledge in mind," Rosan explained to her and her eyes widened.


    "So you''ll help?!" She asked excitedly and Rosan nodded.


    "I will and I have just one request," the Mod Mod no mi user said, much to Maro''s confusion. Angel and Demon as well raised a brow at that.


    "What is it?" Maro asked curiously.


    "When we''re done liberating this island, I want you, Angel, and Demon to stay here."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "WHAT?!" Angel roared in disbelief at what she just heard.


    "Master?! What are you talking about¡­?" Demon said in shocked confusion at his words.


    "¡­" Mod and Ram opted to stay silent.


    "M-Master?" Maro stammered quietly. "W-What do you mean?"


    "Exactly what I said. I want you to become their Queen, Maro," Rosan informed them softly, looking at all 3 of his companions.


    "But what does that have to do with Demon and I?!" Angel demanded furiously. "Don''t think you can just push us away as you please, Master!"


    "I have caused all 3 of you nothing but stress," Rosan suddenly said and it shocked them into silence. "I never intended for the 3 of you to rely so strongly on me. It''s gotten to the point where my suffering, has caused you all to suffer."


    "The life I live is dangerous and so I want you all to live a life that doesn''t solely rely on me," he said truthfully, as he stared at his hand.


    "If I die, what will happen to you 3, who cannot live without me?" The teen asked rhetorically and their silence was all the answer he needed.


    "Since the moment I''ve created you two, you''ve only known me and if you were merely clones of me, that would be acceptable. But you two aren''t just clones of me. You two share my face but are completely different people."


    "Demon is kind and gentle and he wants to pursue a path of medicine in honor of Meiko. You are a good person and you have been afraid of me for most of your life," Rosan said bluntly, causing Demon to flinch.


    "Angel you are haughty and confident. You won''t let anyone tell you what to do if you don''t want to do it. When Meiko died, you nearly tore yourself apart from the stress of Demon and I and you made a promise to save me at all costs that I didn''t ask you to make."


    Angel''s jaw dropped at his statement. "You... You''re talking about the day you found me crying aren''t you...?" She whispered and he nodded. S-So he had wanted to separate them for that long?


    "Maro, I don''t want you to only be Grim, the faithful partner of Reaper."


    The bluenette''s eyes widened in realization. "You''ve been planning to split up Grim and Reaper for a while now, haven''t you?" Maro said quietly and the hurt in her voice was unmistakable.


    "That''s right," Rosan confirmed. "You are 13, I cannot have you confined to me for the rest of your life. That is not living," he explained quietly.


    "You 3 are young. I want you all to grow in an environment that doesn''t have me as your leader in it. You are all humans, not slaves to Rosan."


    "Angel and Demon. Maro needs you far more than I do. She can''t rule this country alone and you two are both capable of assisting her," Rosan said, facing the two that he created. Since the moment he had seen Angel''s resolve, he had made the decision to eventually separate from them. The middle triplet was fully intending to save him no matter the cost and Demon would always support her.


    "You two should not be stuck taking orders from me until I die."


    The two held their heads at that. He was making too good of a point and they couldn''t refute anything.


    "Master I don''t understand...why are you pushing us away?" Maro asked because that''s all it looked like to her. The tears in her eyes began flowing. "Do you not want us anymore."


    Rosan stared blankly at her and something in his eyes flickered. "I don''t want to do this," the redhead admitted softly and they all flinched.


    "But it''s necessary. I want you all to grow into your own people who can be separated from Rosan or Reaper," he said quietly.


    "Ever since Meiko died, you''ve all just been trying to fight a losing battle with me and I won''t stand here and watch you all eternally dig at walls that refuse to break," Rosan said, referring to his emotions.


    They all flinched as they heard that.


    "Angel and Demon feel like it''s their obligation to make me open up again and you were dragged in it Maro. I can''t put that burden on you three anymore."


    "Do you want to know why I''m pushing you all away?" Rosan asked and before they could answer, he said, "Because I love you."


    "All three of you, I love you and I refuse to let you waste away your lives on someone who has no will to live."


    Angel and Demon collapsed at that and Maro felt a bit lightheaded herself.


    "All of this...is because you love us?" The Oni asked and Rosan nodded without hesitation.


    "Of course. It would be a complete failure of your leader if I continued to let you guys fester in such a toxic environment. You all need something fresh and for it to be fresh, I cannot be there."


    His words hurt but they were true. Rosan was their pillar and everything they did, related to him in some way. He understood that more than anyone and he wanted them to gain an identity outside of "Obey Rosan."


    "You''re a fantastic leader, Master," Maro said suddenly and Rosan bowed his head.


    "I disagree, but thank you."


    "As much as I hate this, Rosan is right," Mod said. The three reeled at the fact that Mod was agreeing.


    "You all deserve this much so if not for him, please do it for me. Live your lives the way Rosan wants you too!" Mod said with a watery smile. It felt like she was allowing her children to fly free.


    "Ram and I will take care of Rosan, you can believe us!" The Devil Fruit told them all with full confidence.


    "Of course we will! It''s my duty to protect Father," Ram said and though she sounded ever confident, her voice was far more subdued.


    "Even Master Mod agrees," Demon said and he finally began contemplating it.


    "It''s not like I''m going to disappear off the face of the planet," Rosan explained.


    "This island needs a lot of work and I will assist in making it as prosperous as I made Fregate."


    "He just wants the best for you all and right now, he''s not what''s best," Mod continued.


    "It''s okay to worry for Father, of course it is. But worrying for Father dominates you guys to an unhealthy level and he knows that more than anyone," Ram said.


    "You guys will be able to see me whenever you want, I''ve already placed a Save Point on Maro''s tiara," Rosan finished.


    "Promise you''ll visit often," Angel whispered and Demon and Maro''s gaze snapped to the girl.


    Angel was the most attached to Rosan! For her to be the first one to come to terms with it, spoke volumes and it had them finally come to terms with it themselves.


    "I promise," Rosan said without hesitation and Angel let out a choked sob.


    "I''m sorry Master for treating you in such a negative light," Demon said sadly.


    "I''m sorry for not trying to fix it right away," Rosan countered and the purple haired clone teared up.


    "I''m gonna miss traveling with you a ton, Master," Maro said quietly with tears falling.


    "This is not the end Maro. One day we will travel together again because you are Grim, the faithful partner of Reaper."


    Rosan let them all cry and he cut the connection. They made their way back to the confused crowd and they all tensed at the sight of the intimidating redhead.


    "Maro and I will deal with your king," the redhead declared, making them all gasp in shock. "In return, I ask that you comply with the decision to make Maro your queen of the, soon to be, vacant throne."


    The crowd, after hearing Maro''s touching declaration just earlier, roared their agreement without hesitation, much to the shock of the blue haired Oni.


    "Anyone who is injured, speak to the purple haired boy, he will tend to your injuries," Rosan said, pointing at Demon, who waved kindly.


    "Anyone who is trying to avoid injury, do not speak to the red haired girl," he warned, pointing at Angel.


    Angel flushed at his warning and scowled lightheartedly.


    "Let''s not waste any time," Rosan said, finished with his instructions. "Maro, let''s go and turn you into a usurper."


    "Right!" She declared as she cracked her knuckles.


    "T-thank you sir, ma''am," the crowd bowed lowly.


    "There is no need to call me sir," Rosan said calmly. "I am only 14."


    "Please don''t call me ma''am," Maro said, looking vexed. "I''m 13! Not 23!"


    The crowd heard that and reacted in the only way they knew how.


    "WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!"


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Maro, after finally tangling that little girl off of her, and Rosan assessed the castle before them.


    "This is going to be your castle," Rosan said idly and Maro snorted at that.


    "It''s ugly can you modify it for me?" She asked, not taking the situation serious at all.


    "Yes, do you want it to be blue and white?" The boy said idly, ignoring the flood of people pouring out of it.


    "You''re so considerate!" Maro gushed happily.


    "Should I modify the amount of rooms as well so that you and Angel are forced to sleep together?"


    "I take it back, you''re mean," Maro said bluntly, blush painting her face.


    "STOP IGNORING US!" The crowd roared in anger and Rosan side eyed them.


    "I''ve never seen a group of people so eager to die~," the bluenette hummed with a smile on her face and she promptly summoned Daisy. The girl tapped her earrings and after a bright glow, she was decked in her battle dress.


    "Death is odd. Some run from it, others welcome it. This bunch seems to be apart of the 2nd half," the redhead commented and he transformed Ram into his gloves. His armband expanded and smoothly covered his body in his raid outfit.


    "Let''s give them a performance," Rosan whispered idly, as he clenched and unclenched his fists.


    "Bow to your new queen!" Maro demanded with a grin, as her skin hue began turning green.


    "It''s the first time we''re fighting as Maro and Rosan!" The Oni said through their connection and she was shaking in excitement.


    "That''s true, I guess I can show you how Rosan fights," the computer teen told her and she began shaking even harder.


    Without any warning, Rosan extended his hand and shot out a compressed blast of energy that collided with the floor in front of the army. Those caught in the immediate blast were killed instantly and the others near were sent flying.


    "Overwhelm," Rosan said with glowing eyes and he shot off.


    Maro loved her Master.


    With a toothy grin, the Dokkaebi shot off as well, already in her hybrid zoan form.


    Everyone who saw Maro''s sudden transformation paled in fear at the realization that they were fighting a Devil Fruit user. Some tried to run, but a pillar of blues flames surrounded the entire area, preventing escape.


    "Running is no fun! It makes my job harder when I have to search for you," Maro complained, as her club ignited with similar blue flames.


    "Just stay here and die fighting!"


    The 13 year old slammed her club into one of the bandits and set the burning man flying into a group of people. With a flick of her hand, those flames expanded and consumed everyone who were unlucky enough to be in the pile.


    She grinned as her battle dress protected her from the hail of bullets and the girl charged the offenders responsible for that. Everyone standing in her way, got bulldozed by her monstrous strength and she tanked every attack launched at her.


    Maro grabbed one of the shooters guns and bent it with sheer strength, making it unusable. She then grabbed the screeching shooter himself and launched him into another shooter. The girl utilized the Raid Suit''s boots and jumped high into the air, only to land and crush the both of them underneath her.


    "I see you''ve picked up Rosan''s habit of stomping on people," Mod said in faint amusement and Maro cackled as she caught a charging figure in one hand and body slammed him, breaking every bone in his body.


    "I can see why he does it so much, it''s really fun!" She cheered as she glanced over at Rosan.


    Her leader was a whirlwind of carnage as he mowed through them all. Maro watched in awe at the proficiency the boy displayed with every weapon.


    Rosan parried a swipe of a sword with his black gauntlets before transforming the tips of them into long spikes and stabbing them through the offenders neck. He removed the weapon from the man''s throat and whirled around to his next target.


    Mid whirl, his gauntlets transformed into a long silver naginata that he used to cut cleanly through a person. The boy expertly ignored his screeching and transformed the pole of his weapon into a black and silver chain.


    Gripping the chain of the kusarigama, Rosan began spinning the weapon rapidly and he disappeared in a blur. His actions were soon made clear as the screaming began.


    The redhead literally mowed through the people with the chained sickle and Maro winced in sympathy, dropping the limp body in her grasp.


    "It''s impossible to have a valid strategy against Master," The Oni said in awe. The speed that he changed his weapons was incredible and no one could properly prepare for that.


    It was utterly overwhelming!


    Rosan stopped after annihilating a majority of the army and he appeared in their visions again. The boy once again transformed Ram but this time, he picked a purple sniper of all things.


    He used his enhanced sneakers and took to the sky. Everyone knew what was about to happen next and they tried to run but it was for naught.


    Rosan''s vision and aim were perfect.


    The teens sniper was using the energy that Germa used. As a result, one bullet tore through a person''s body like they were made of wet tissue.


    Maro''s jaw dropped at the power behind the sniper. One shot looked like it was being shot out of a cannon.


    "I never thought I''d say this...but I''d rather fight Reaper," Maro said with a bead of sweat.


    "Rosan limits himself as much as possible as Reaper so as to not give any hints on who is under that identity," Mod explained calmly, utterly unperturbed. "Due to this, Reaper is much less versatile than he is. Imagine when he starts freely using Modification!"


    Maro shuddered.


    Master was a real monster.


    Rosan landed gently besides her, sniper back in it''s ring form. "Hm, that was lackluster," the redhead said softly.


    "Isn''t it always? You fighting like this is even scarier then Reaper," Maro muttered.


    "Thank you," Rosan said and she sweatdropped.


    "That wasn''t a compliment ¡ª," Maro began but the earth shuddering made her pause.


    "Oh?" Rosan said with a tilted head as he looked in the direction of the noise.


    "So this must be the reason no one can challenge King Hikari," Maro said with a raised brow at the newly revealed figure.


    They were gigantic, standing at a solid 10 ft, with a wild mane of brown hair and a scruffy beard. Beady black eyes stared at them lazily but that went slightly alert at the sight of all their fallen allies.


    "Wow, he''s tall," Maro pointed out, not looking remotely afraid at the man who dwarfed her.


    "Very much so," Rosan confirmed blankly staring at his next opponent.


    "Do you think he''ll be able to handle our onslaught?" The Dokkaebi asked in amusement.


    "Of course not," the Computer teen replied immediately. "You know the saying, the bigger they are ¡ª,"


    "The more fun it is to crush em!" Maro exclaimed in excitement and the girl transformed into her full Zoan. The girl shot up a solid foot in height (6''9) and her short blue hair lengthened and turned pure white, as she transformed into her monstrous Dokkaebi.


    The Goblin girl thought about summoning a wave of flames but that would be too easy! She wanted to have a little fun!


    Rosan was content to watch her have a bit of fun. The both of them were overkill anyways.


    Maro collided with the tall man''s body, causing a struggle between the two to ensue. Much to the taller man''s surprise, the Dokkaebi easily overpowered him and body slammed him to the pavement.


    He grunted in shock as Maro effortlessly picked him up by one leg and began slamming him over and over again.


    "You created this," Mod told Rosan and the boy nodded.


    "I''m proud, I have nothing to worry about," the teen responded as he watched the green Dokkaebi spin the man around by one leg repeatedly and launch him. He crashed into the castle wall with a sickening thud.


    Much to their surprise, he was not knocked unconscious from the beat down and he slowly got back up.


    "You''re boring but you can take a beating so that''s pretty fun," Maro rumbled as the, slow man roared and charged her.


    "You must have gotten dropped on the head as a baby¡­" the white haired goblin muttered as she just stood there and watched the approaching target.


    The man swung down violently at Maro, only to blink in confusion as his hand went right through her.


    "Right here~," The goblin waved to the left of where he swung. The tall idiot roared again and swung at the illusion once more, only to be left gaping in surprise once more at hitting nothing.


    "Man...I really think you''re just a trophy to show off," Maro grumbled behind him and she hoisted Daisy up. The club began burning with blue flames as she prepared to wrap this up but it didn''t stop there. The flames grew larger and larger until it looked as if the enlarged club was made out of fire.


    The Dokkaebi tensed her muscles as she prepared to swing.


    "Spiritual Cleansing," Maro said and she slammed Daisy into the 10ft tall man like he were a baseball.


    He didn''t stand a chance. The man was killed on impact and his burning body soared through the air before landing with a thud on the floor.


    "You were right, Master," Maro commented turning back to normal and marveling at how her clothes so easily changed with the Oni. "That was lackluster."


    "Unfortunately, all the people worth a fight are in the Grand Line," Rosan commented and Maro sighed.


    "I''ll have to visit that sea when I''m older then!" She declared and Ram snorted in amusement.


    "That''s the spirit!" The weapon said proudly.


    The two were about to enter the castle, but the surprise presence of another person gave them pause and they gauged the newcomer with a curious gaze.


    It was a tall, pale man (about 6''2) with long black hair and piercing, stormy grey eyes. He wore an all blue suit with a white undershirt and black dress shoes. He didn''t seem to have any visible weapons but his utterly relaxed demeanor after looking at the carnage the two invaders did, was cause for concern.


    "You two have caused quite the mess," he began conversationally and he didn''t move his body at all as Rosan shot a bullet through him with zero hesitation. Maro watched with a sense of dread as the man''s head seemingly exploded in a mess of brown, before reforming as if nothing happened.


    "I''m Hibiki," the man introduced himself, not seeming to mind that he had just gotten shot. "I just received a call from the King that we had a couple of intruders but you both look pretty young. I have a son around your age so I don''t really want to do this but, you did just shoot me without hesitation."


    "A logia," Rosan thought simply. That was not good. The redhead still had no means to attack one.


    "Fuck," Maro said wearily. Things were never meant to be easy, huh?


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Hibiki had the Tsuchi Tsuchi no mi. He was an earth man and damn, he used that fact to give them hell. It was now very clear to see why no one had been able to challenge the king.


    The ground erupted beneath the two in a mess of spikes and they both darted in separate directions. Maro lobbed a fireball at him and he didn''t even bother dodging it, letting it sail through his intangible body.


    She growled in annoyance. "What do we do?!" They were clearly stronger and faster than him but they couldn''t touch him and that seriously pissed her off.


    "...I still have no method to hit Logia''s. We''re at a disadvantage here," Rosan admitted and they were forced to jump over a giant wall of earth that was going to bury them.


    This was bad. This was really bad. How were they supposed to win?! This was so bullshit!


    "We''re at a bit of a standstill here," Hibiki pointed out casually. He was well aware that they were stronger than him but as long as they couldn''t touch him, it didn''t matter.


    "Fuck you," Maro snarled, smashing a pillar that tried to pierce her. She was currently in her hybrid form so she could better utilize her speed against the onslaught of the earth man. This was ridiculous! Were they just supposed to dodge nonstop until one or the other got tired?! That''s all they had been doing this entire fucking fight and it was really pissing her off.


    Rosan stared at his opponent with a blank expression. He jumped over a pillar and contorted his body to dodge a rock bullet shot from Hibiki. He transformed Ram into a double barrel pistol and tried shooting the man and it expectantly failed.


    How did people deal with Logias? This wasn''t making any sense. Whitebeard, Kaido, and Big Mom were considered to be the strongest pirates in the world and none of them had Logias. On the contrary, the three admirals did have Logias but yet they never tried to attack those pirates... Was it simply because of their crews? No, there had to be something he was missing.


    How were they able to deal with Logias? Rosan needed to find out this key detail because right now, they were the most annoying type of people to deal with.


    "I wish I could help more but I''m not sure myself..." Mod muttered. It was something she had mulled about for a long time but the Devil Fruit had reached no answer.


    The redhead didn''t want to admit it, but they couldn''t defeat this man. There was no way to touch him but he could touch them... they needed to retreat and think of something else ¡ª


    Maro''s gasp stopped him dead in his tracks and he tensed his muscles at the sight he saw. She was rooted to her spot and could only stare with wide eyes as a very sharp pillar careened towards her.


    No, not again. Not if he could help it.


    "Boost x2."


    Maro had messed up. In her anger, she didn''t notice the ground beneath her getting softer and the 12 year old had gotten caught by quicksand. Now there was spike flying towards her and she really didn''t want that to pierce her. Maybe she could angle her body in a way where her left side tanked the attack? It would be hard but she could do that and then displace herself.


    Rosan suddenly appeared in her vision and her eyes widened in dread. W-what was he d-doing?!


    Her heart dropped as the spike pierced him right through his stomach and he grasped it with both hands. "Modify: Form," he bit out, despite having a hole in his belly and the spiked rock vanished from his application of modification. The teen fell on his knees with way too much blood pouring right now.


    Maro immediately displaced herself and grabbed the collapsing boy in horror. She cloaked the both of them in her invisibility and hastily dragged him away.


    Hibiki was content to remain there until they showed themselves again.


    "Master, why the fuck did you do that?!" Maro hissed in terror, there was a lot of blood right now and it was causing her to panic.


    "It''s fine, I ate the philosopher''s stone," Rosan grunted, spitting out a glob of blood and the hole began closing up before her very eyes.


    "Answer my question!" She barked with angry tears in her eyes.


    "You''re my student, it''s my job to keep you safe. I wouldn''t be able to forgive myself if you were seriously injured while I could stop it," Rosan answered her, closing his eyes tiredly. "It seems that the more severe the injury that is healed, the more energy I drain."


    Maro''s mouth opened in disbelief at his honest answer and she stared at her Master with tears flowing. She knew he''d be fine but damn it he scared her. Jumping in the way for her of all people! D-Did Master actually care about her that much?


    "We can''t beat that man," Rosan informed her. "But we won''t be retreating."


    "W-We won''t?" Maro asked in confusion. Did he have a plan? How were they supposed to beat him?


    Rosan dragged himself back to his feet and Maro caught the stumbling teen. "Y-You''re not going out there again, are you?!" She gaped at the insane teen.


    "Yes, I am not letting you fight him alone. We just need to stall him until my order."


    She nodded reluctantly and the two made their way back to the Logia user standing guard of the castle. He looked at Rosan with a surprised expression on his face.


    "But how?" Hibiki muttered in confusion before shrugging it off. "There''s no shame in retreating, children. You may be stronger than me but I have the advantage now. You two don''t have to kill yourselves."


    "Vindication." Rosan held his gloved hands out and prepped up a massive beam of energy. After it reached a sufficient size he released it and the attack split off into smaller beams that rushed for Hibiki.


    Like it had been going the entire fight, the attack phased harmlessly through their opponents body and he shook his head. They were just going to be repeating the same song and dance until one ran out of energy.


    "Landslide," Hibiki said and a massive wall of earth began tumbling towards the duo. It started off slow but began to quickly pick up in speed.


    Maro and Rosan both jumped over the attack but the redhead got nicked and he was partially hit by the attack.


    "Rosan, are you okay?!" Mod asked in worry. He was much more sluggish then normal but her charge went into battle anyways. This boy never thought about losing a battle, no matter his condition.


    "I''m fine." Rosan tested the leg that got clipped and found that it was probably dislocated. His leg was healing but he couldn''t put pressure on it while it was doing so.


    "Master are you sure you can keep going?" Maro was practically gnawing her teeth in worry. Rosan was noticeably faster than her so the fact that she escaped the attack and he didn''t, was making her nervous.


    Rosan was about to answer but he paused and nodded. "We don''t need to fight anymore unless this fails."


    "Huh?" Maro asked intelligently. What had he been planning?


    "Hibiki-san," Rosan called and the man paused in his onslaught to regard the teen curiously. "I think you should stop attacking us and start listening to our demands."


    The Logia raised a brow at the audacity of the boy before him. "Why would I do that ¡ª


    "Rin."


    Hibiki froze completely. How... How did he know that...?


    Rosan extended his hand and made his palm face the sky.


    What the man saw, made his blood go cold. It was some type of footage of a purple haired teen, that looked exactly like the redhead before him talking to someone. But that wasn''t the issue.


    No, the issue was that the purple haired teen was having a seemingly friendly conversation with his son, Rin. They were both laughing at something and his 12 year old son was rather red faced at the moment.


    "I''m sure you can probably tell already, but that is my ally, Demon," Rosan informed him softly. "When you carelessly shared information about having a son, I figured I''d have him ask these loving citizens about where you lived. They were more than willing to share the location and Demon decided to go there."


    Hibiki couldn''t believe that the teen had used one throwaway comment to do this.


    Rosan stared without a shred of emotion in his gaze. "I''ve had another of my allies prepare a boat for you. You will get on it and you will sail away from this island. If you don''t obey me, Demon will snap your son''s neck."


    Maro couldn''t believe what Rosan was doing right now. She regarded her Master in disbelief. T-This was really underhanded!


    "We have no choice, Maro. We can''t beat him at the moment and a prolonged battle will only result in us getting further injured. It may be evil but I will do whatever it takes."


    The bluenette nodded hesitantly and dropped it.


    Hibiki knew that the boy was not bluffing. If he didn''t listen to his demands, his son would die and these two could just flee again. He wouldn''t even be able to properly exact his revenge.


    "If...If I leave, will my son''s life be guaranteed?" Hibiki asked. He loved his son too much, he would never forgive himself if harm befell his way.


    "You have my word that no harm will befall your son as long as you leave," Rosan assured him and the man closed his eyes in resignation.


    "...Okay. I''ll leave but please don''t kill my son."


    "Of course, I''m not a liar."


    Rosan tested his foot and nodded in satisfaction, then he and Maro escorted the man to the ship that Angel had prepared. His face was utterly unfazed by what he was doing.


    "You sure are efficient, Master," Maro said quietly.


    "It''s his fault for working with someone that is so hated. He would have been a good ally," Rosan replied.


    "W-Would?" The Oni asked but Rosan didn''t reply.


    Hibiki glanced at the ship with an unreadable look in his eye and after looking at the cold exterior of Rosan and realizing his hands were tied, he stepped on it. The hired bodyguard unfurled the sails. He was surprised to see the ship moving so quickly without any strong winds but he just chalked it up to that demonic redhead.


    "So once we kill the king, he won''t have any reason to fight us anymore..." Maro mused and Rosan said nothing for a moment. They stared at the sailing ship vanishing into the distance and the redhead closed his eyes.


    Finally, the boy snapped them open and Maro flinched at the slits. "As long as we can''t beat him officially, he will always pose a threat. Especially after we threatened his son," he informed her and his draconic wings burst from his back.


    "M-Master...?" Maro whispered but Rosan took off from his spot.


    Hibiki hadn''t missed the boys wording. Only his son''s life was guaranteed but the redhead had never included Hibiki himself. So, he wasn''t surprised in the slightest to see the floating figure looking down at him from above.


    He closed his eyes in acceptance and couldn''t even muster up the rage to fight back. He was in the middle of the ocean with only this boat and his target was in the sky.


    It was over for him.


    It was a tiny mistake but this demon had immediately capitalized on it when things were no longer in his favor. "Remember what you promised," was all he said as a brilliant red glow began to shine from above.


    Rosan stared at the Logia with an empty gaze as his attack charged. "Rin''s life is guaranteed."


    With those simple words, Rosan let his attack fly and obliterated the ship beneath him. The attack didn''t connect with Hibiki but it didn''t matter.


    The ocean would do the job for him.


    "Those were your final wishes, after all," the redhead finished coldly.


    Hibiki''s eyes rolled to the back of his head as the ocean drained away all his strength and he sunk to the bottom of the sea.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "There''s only the king left," Rosan said simply and Maro nodded in slight hesitation. She knew that the redhead had killed the man and while she didn''t agree with it, she couldn''t have found a better solution so she dropped it.


    "Master...are you sure about this?" The girl asked timidly. If she knew things were gonna turn out like this, Maro would never had asked Rosan to help these people!


    Sure, her heart did go out to them but she didn''t want to leave Rosan! He was the one who had given her a purpose. When no one believed in her, the redhead had chosen to and now she was stronger then she could have ever dreamed.


    Maro didn''t care that he was doing this for her sake. She heard that her Master was a selfish person but this didn''t seem very selfish.


    The 13 year old wanted him to be selfish right now!


    "¡­," Rosan stared at her for a moment. "Did you know that I wanted to be the strongest in the world at one point?" The redhead asked suddenly and Maro blinked in confusion before shaking her head no.


    "Yes, I wanted to be the strongest in the world so no one would even think about messing with my loved ones. I was very ambitious and not much people could match it," The 14 year old admitted and Maro''s eyes widened at that revelation.


    "Believe it or not, since meeting you I haven''t trained nearly as hard as I used to because that''s not my goal at the moment."


    "My goal is to find a new reason to live and that is not a goal you three need to be involved in," Rosan said softly. "I don''t want you guys to go with me on my potentially dangerous journey."


    "But, we''re strong Master...," Maro said quietly, not understanding.


    "Yes Maro, we''re strong. You and I, but not Angel and Demon," Rosan retorted, making her gasp in realization.


    "Meiko died because I am Reaper," Rosan said calmly and he closed eyes at the memory. "There are so much things I could have done differently that day but the bottom line, is that my infamy got her killed."


    "I don''t want you to go through that feeling with Angel. You love her and I don''t want you to go through what I did," he explained.


    "Protect her with everything and keep her safe, Maro. Don''t become me," he finished and his empty red and purple eyes stared into her saddened orange.


    "You''re doing this for our relationship¡­?" Maro said and the wonder in her eyes at her Master''s words were clear.


    "Yes, being Grim is risky and though the people in the Blue Seas are weak, there is always the chance of a sleeping giant who doesn''t appreciate our actions. Just one Logia, who wasn''t even stronger than us caused us this much trouble," the redhead explained and the bluenettes eyes softened.


    Rosan wanted to protect what they had. The teen didn''t want anyone he cared about to go through what he went through and it made Maro finally give in fully to his demands.


    The redhead wasn''t pushing them away, he just wanted them to have their budding relationship with no regrets.


    She engulfed the taller teen in a hug and muttered into his chest, "You better visit us whenever you can."


    He returned the hug and she sighed as his strong arms wrapped around her. Master was warm to the touch and she spent many nights falling asleep in his comforting grasp.


    "Of course, I care for you all and I don''t want completely disappear from your lives. I just want you all to live a more stable one, away from me," he answered truthfully.


    "Settle down, get married, adopt a child," Rosan said and Maro blushed scarlet.


    "Angel is never going to adopt," the girl said, giving up on trying to avoid it.


    "You''ll find a way around it," the redhead said simply and the Oni blushed deeper.


    "I''ve got a couple ideas¡­but that''s for the future!" She stammered and the bluenette eyed Rosan for a long time before almost fainting.


    Mod burst out laughing as Rosan and Ram tilted their heads.


    "G-go capture that king," the Devil Fruit said in between laughter and Maro really did love Mod for helping her out of these situations so often.


    "Isn''t it funny," Rosan said suddenly and Maro tilted her head questioningly at him. "You told me you''d become my best supporter yet and now your about to be Queen."


    The girl blushed at the callback to that conversation before puffing up. "I''m not a liar Master, you taught me that! I meant what I said and I''m not done yet! You''ll be in awe at what I''m doing in the future!" She declared, before pausing.


    "Also, Queen makes me sound old and I''m only 13! I''d rather be called a Princess!" She complained with a puff of her cheeks and Rosan nodded.


    "The Goblin Princess," Rosan hummed. "That is a good moniker."


    Maro tested it on her lips and grinned widely. "I like it! I hope it sticks!" She beamed.


    "It will after you make an example of the King," Rosan informed her and the girl laughed.


    "Well, what are we waiting for then!" The Oni grinned ferociously and she cracked her neck.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Y-you can''t do this to me!"


    King Hikari was a short, stout man who clearly enjoyed eating a little too much. He was currently being dragged by a very annoyed Maro and he panicked the whole way.


    "I''m the rightful king of this land and there will be consequences to what you''re doing to me!" The pudgy black haired man roared and Maro just glanced back at him.


    "Who''s gonna deliver it? You? Are you strong? Should we fight? I don''t think you can fight¡­," the bluenette said in rapid succession and the man began quivering at the look in her eyes.


    "No! My Soldiers ¡ª."


    "Are all dead," Rosan interrupted calmly directing those blank eyes of his to the fallen king. "Even your secret Logia weapon."


    "Why do you think no one is stopping us from dragging your fat ass around," Maro snorted in amusement.


    "W-what do you want?" The King stammered. If they were able to kill Hibiki, no one stood a chance against them. "Riches? Food? Woman?! I c-can have them all delivered to you!" He said, trying to bribe them unsuccessfully.


    "Speaking of woman¡­ aren''t you the one who sent a bunch of losers to hit on Angel, the redhead girl?" Maro snarled suddenly and she bared her sharpened canines at the man.


    Hikari paled as he saw her skin hue begin to turn green.


    "She''s my little sister you know?" Rosan said softly and he nearly fainted as a small amount of pressure crashed into him. "She''s too young for you to be directing such perverted intentions towards her."


    "Y-young? How old is she? How old are you two¡­?!" The king looked increasingly.


    "She''s 14. I''m 14," Rosan said bluntly.


    "I''m 13!" Maro sneered and the man paled dramatically.


    "I-I d-didn''t know!" Hikari stammered. How could that possibly be his fault? The redhead was tall, mature, and was wearing an expensive outfit! She was one of the most gorgeous people he had ever seen and so he wanted her for himself.


    "Something tells me, you''ve completely missed the point," Maro snarled and he flinched in terror.


    "You do not have the rights to anyone just because of your status," Rosan said softly.


    "Don''t you call all of us yours?" Maro said suddenly with a raised brow, ignoring the king momentarily.


    "Is that not true? All of you belong to me," Rosan said matter-of-factly, causing Mod and Maro to sweatdrop.


    "Rosan is rather possessive. You should have seen him when he was younger," the woman informed Maro.


    "I would love to meet Master with personality. He sounds like such a fun person to be around," Maro gushed at the thought of her aloof Master being completely chaotic.


    "I don''t see the issue Auntie! Everything should rightfully belong to Father," Ram declared, only to get her cheek pinched.


    "You are such a problematic person Ram! I''m so glad only people connected to Rosan can hear your thoughts!" Mod complained.


    "Interesting," Rosan suddenly said, making them all raise a brow in curiosity. "Something just occurred to me. Couldn''t I use RAM to turn Ram into a ¡ª


    "Please just let me go!" The king interrupted their conversation unintentionally, making all the girls there snarl.


    Maro transformed into her full Zoan, with the man still in her hand and said "Shut. The. Fuck. Up."


    King Hikari almost went comatose, as he was forced to look into the glowing orange sclera of this monstrous green Oni. The grip that they had on her was unnaturally strong and the sharp claws drew blood.


    He quivered and wisely shut up.


    Maro, still in her zoan, began dragging him even easier than before.


    "What were you saying, Master?" Maro asked and Rosan hummed.


    "I will discuss it in detail more when I''ve thought it out fully," he informed them and Maro nodded before glaring at the King again.


    Stupid idiot for interrupting her Master.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "People of Celadon!" Maro called to the massive crowd in front of her, using the island''s name.


    "For too long have you all been suffering under the hands of an abusive, incompetent king who has brought your land to ruin," the blue haired girl began, getting a nod of agreement out of a majority of them.


    "But no more! Today, this man right here ¡ª," she pointed at the tied up Hikari, who was struggling in his ropes "¡ªWill finally earn his judgment from your new Princess, me!"


    The crowd roared as they heard that and Hikari paled.


    "For his crimes against you people, I sentence the Fallen King, Hikari Juro, to execution by flames," Maro finished gravely and the onlookers gasped in excitement.


    The Dokkaebi turned towards the former king with a small smile on her fair face. That smile turned into a full blown grin at the sorry state of Hikari. Her abnormally sharp canines gleamed, as her arm was surrounded in blue flames.


    "Spring Cleaning," Maro said simply and she placed a palm on the top of his head. The flames made their way down his body slowly and the screams of pain would be etched into the minds of the people for years to come.


    This was to show them that not only would Maro protect them, if they dared to cross her, the same thing would happen to them.


    Soon, it was as if Hikari was being bathed by the flames and the roar of fire covered his screaming. After what seemed like a millennia, the screams stopped and the charred body of the King fell over.


    "It''s been far to long since you have all had anything," Maro said seriously. "But that was before I showed up. I will make this land the most prosperous in the North Blue and I need you all to support my goal."


    "For you people, who have had nothing, I will give you something."


    The girl transformed into her full Dokkaebi form and the people yelped in shock. "My name is Maro and I am the Goblin Princess!" She roared deeply.


    The crowd, who had been stunned silent by her speech, found their energy and roared to the heavens along with her.


    "MARO, MARO, MARO, MARO, MARO, MARO, MARO!" They cheered in sync.


    "She''s been taking lessons from you. That speech was very Rosan-esque," Mod said proudly with a slow applause. The Rosan family were currently hidden behind the girl as she gave the speech.


    "I''m impressed," Ram grinned sharply at the girl.


    "That girl really has grown up since we first met her," Demon said with a kind grin on his face.


    "She did tell me that she would be become my best supporter yet," Rosan said softly. "It seems she''s taken those words to heart."


    Angel stared at Maro''s form with an unreadable look in her eye and Rosan caught it.


    "Don''t deny your feelings," their leader said and Angel blushed at his bluntness. "If you really do like Maro the way I think you do, don''t run away from them."


    "Life is too sudden for you to reject the things you want. Even I know that much."


    Angel''s eyes softened at his words and though she said nothing, Rosan knew his clones well enough to know that she was seriously contemplating his words.


    "Demon, how is Rin?" Rosan asked his purple haired teen.


    "Not good, he''s crying because he thinks his dad has abandoned him. I promised that I would keep him safe from everyone though and he likes me so it''ll be fine," Demon informed him and the redhead nodded.


    It was harsh but necessary and so, Rosan didn''t allow those thoughts to plague him.


    The redhead directed his gaze back to Maro.


    His only intentions for her had been purely selfish. Her only purpose was for him to get a new weapon and to see if she could interest him enough for his emotions to unlock.


    Somewhere along the lines though, Maro became more than that. She stopped looking like a pawn to him and began to actually look like a person. A person worth caring for.


    Rosan was proud of her.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Remember, you have to visit twice a week, okay?" Angel said, nuzzling her head into the nook of Rosan''s neck. The headstrong clone always had a much softer side around her Master and it was in full force right now.


    "Okay," Rosan agreed, despite the fact that she did not say that before. He had his arms wrapped around her. The redhead expertly ignored the tears making contact with his body.


    They were all currently on the White Rose, gathering their own things. Maro was currently in her room getting all of her clothing and Demon was in the medicine room as well. Rosan had forced him to take all of the things there because he didn''t know what to do with them besides the bare minimum.


    "When I need a checkup, I''ll come to you," Rosan had told the purple haired clone and his eyes glazed over with tears.


    "I''m sorry Master, for everything," Demon said and the two shared a rare hug.


    "You have nothing to apologize for," Rosan reassured, patting his youngest clone on the head.


    Rosan gazed at a brave looking Maro for a moment.


    "I''ll tell Aiko about this and have her become partners with Celadon as soon as possible," Rosan informed his right hand girl.


    "Awesome! If she doesn''t wanna use the clones, she can send em my way as well," Maro said confidently. They would be a valuable asset for her in the future.


    "She likely will. It''s fortunate that you are still in the North Blue, that makes it far easier."


    Maro nodded in agreement and fell silent for a moment.


    Rosan knew everyone on the ship far too well because he extended his arms for her and she immediately crashed into him with a loud sob.


    "T-thank you for everything Master," the 13 year old cried heavily, as she squeezed him tightly. "You changed my life for the better and I''ll never forget anything you taught me. When no one saw anything in me, you did and you defended me every step of the way!"


    "I-I''ll become the Queen of this place and make it better than ever. Grim and Reaper may be done for now but I''ll still do everything to be useful to you!" She sobbed and Rosan pat her head.


    "I''m proud of you, Maro. Never forget that."


    Everyone there froze at the simple declaration.


    Rosan...was proud? Of her? Was this real?


    Angel covered her mouth as tears began spilling.


    Demon hid his face behind his arms as he also began crying.


    Maro froze in disbelief as she processed the words. Then she squeezed Rosan with all her heart and began crying even louder than before.


    "Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!" She wailed and Rosan accepted it all easily.


    Even the sudden weight of Angel and Demon crashing into him didn''t phase the boy. He had expected it.


    They shared a group hug for a long while before finally giving their leader some space.


    "I will come back soon to help you all rebuild," Rosan said softly. "This island needs a lot of work so map out what needs to be done and call me back."


    He handed the girl a Den-Den Mushi, which she readily accepted and they all descended from the ship.


    "Be safe Master!" Demon waved enthusiastically, as their long time home set sail.


    "Don''t forget! 3 times a week!" Angel declared with a wave of her own.


    "We love you Master! I hope you can find what you''re looking for in the future!" Maro beamed.


    "Bye you 3! I really do love you all and we''ll visit as often as possible," Mod said and the older woman had definitely not been crying wildly.


    "See you! I''ll keep Father safe and sound, you don''t gotta worry!" Ram exclaimed with a confident grin.


    "I love you all too," Rosan said softly but they still heard him and they had to do everything in their power to not cry again.


    The White Rose sped up and soon, it was outta their sight.


    The 3 sighed to themselves.


    They missed Master.


    Angel, remembering his words, steeled herself and faced Maro.


    "Maro," the redhead called, grabbing her attention. "I like you," she said bluntly and the bluenette froze at those words.


    "I... w-wha... h-huh... w-wha," she stammered in disbelief and her face turned as red as Angel''s hair.


    The twins watched in disbelief as Maro short circuited and the bluenette fainted.


    "Was I too forward?" Angel asked in surprise with a sheepish look on her face.


    "What do you think?" Demon sighed with a shake of his head.


    He really missed Master.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "You and Maro separated?!" Aiko asked in shock, as she looked up at the giant teen.


    When the hell did Rosan get this tall? He used to barely reach her waist when they first met and now she had to crane her neck to look at him?!


    "Yes," Rosan confirmed with a nod of his head and he decided to explain the situation to her.


    "What the fuck?" Aiko deadpanned as he finished telling his tale. "So you just...overthrew a king and replaced him with her?" She asked slowly and even Akemi''s eyes were wide.


    Rosan really did like just putting people in positions of power, huh?


    "That''s right. Maro is the princess of Celadon now and I want you to ally yourselves with her," Rosan explained calmly.


    Aiko, despite her shock, nodded. "Alright that''s easy enough. I like the not so little squirt and her Harvest Growth abilities could turn that island into a real monster in the future," she hummed and she began planning what to send them.


    The clone production would be good for the new princess. Fregate wasn''t really one for fighting but something told her, Maro was going to be a lot different.


    Due to Reaper, Fregate was better than it had ever been and it was a hot spot of resources. Aiko didn''t imagine Rosan not having a hand in Celadon''s growth.


    They were going to be a force in some years.


    "How do you feel about all of this Rosan?" Akemi asked suddenly getting both their attention. "Surely you must feel some way after separating from her? She''s practically your daughter!"


    "If I could feel, I''d probably be sad but proud," Rosan said bluntly. "I don''t think my decision would have changed. I didn''t want her to only be Grim, The Angel''s Demon, I wanted her to grow into her own person and that was impossible with me around," he explained.


    "Some people are loyal to me to a degree that hurts themselves and I don''t ever want someone to rely on me that much."


    "Because the life you live is dangerous," Aiko said, picking up on the hidden message.


    "Because the life I live is dangerous," Rosan confirmed. "I''m willing to do anything to achieve my goal of finding a new reason to live and I don''t want to drag anyone else into that."


    "That''s...surprisingly mature," Aiko commented and Akemi nodded with teary eyes.


    "I''m aging in my own way. My treatment of Maro two years ago, was not fair to her but the damage has been done," Rosan said softly. "All I can do it make sure she grows independently from me. She is a kind girl and I just gave her the power to not be taken advantage of."


    Akemi rushed to hug him and Aiko couldn''t resist joining.


    "You''re a good kid, Rosan," Aiko said warmly and Rosan stared at her.


    "Many people seem to think that," he conceded, before stepping back and handing her a Den Den Mushi.


    "That connects to Maro, call her to talk things out," Rosan told her and she nodded.


    "A Queen at 13... You two never cease to amaze me," Aiko muttered.


    "She prefers the term princess. More specifically, the Goblin Princess," the redhead said and Aiko snorted, while Akemi crooned.


    "Maro is just the most adorable!" Akemi gushed.


    "She sure doesn''t lack confidence," Aiko said dryly.


    "That is true," Rosan said before getting up. "That''s all I came to tell you two. I''ll be on my way now."


    "See ya," the sisters waved before Aiko suddenly thought of something. "Oh by the way, there''s a World Noble in the North Blue currently. He just visited Fregate a few days ago but I don''t really know where that prick went," the gray haired woman said in annoyance at the memory of the completely insufferable Celestial Dragon.


    At least he didn''t see fit to do anything damaging to their island. Some other places had not been as lucky.


    "Alright. I''ll be sure to avoid him," Rosan said softly with a short nod and Aiko let out a sigh of relief.


    She had explicitly explained to Rosan just how dangerous messing with the World Nobles were. Attacking one meant that an Admiral would be breathing down his neck in a matter of time.


    Though...the Admirals were stationed somewhere in the Grand Line so it would take a while for them to show up.


    "Bye Rosan, be careful traveling alone!"


    The boy waved before vanishing.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "So what will we do now?" Mod said curiously and Rosan tilted his head.


    They were currently in his room of the ship as it lazily sailed the seas of the North Blue. He was still a little sore from his battle with Hibiki so he opted to let himself heal faster and board his ship. The weather outside was tame so Rosan didn''t see a reason to manually control it.


    "It''s about time I finally visit Ace," Rosan said calmly. "I didn''t want him to see me in this state, but it can''t be helped. I''ve been like this for two years and I''ve postponed the reunion long enough," he explained.


    "Ace¡­," Mod hummed, recalling Rosan''s baby brother. "I hope he can understand your reasoning when you explain it to him."


    "He''s ten, I wouldn''t be surprised if he didn''t understand," Rosan replied with his eyes closed. The meeting with his brother had been one he had dreaded since the moment he had abandoned him but right now, he didn''t feel anything about it.


    How bothersome.


    Their conversation was interrupted at the sound of a cannon connecting solidly with their ship.


    The redhead snapped his dual eyes open and stood up at the noise.


    "We''re under attack? How brave," the redhead commented and his armband transformed seamlessly into his Reaper guise.


    "Who would attack you so boldly?" Ram snarled and even Mod was confused.


    "Whoever it is, won''t be alive for much longer."


    With that, Rosan vanished, only to reappear on the deck of the White Rose. What the hovering boy saw, made him pause.


    It was large ship with a grandiose design. The ship possessed four masts, with the frontal sail having the World Government insignia on it. The front three had a crow''s nest, with the top of each also having the Government flag on top. The ship''s figurehead was a golden bunny wearing a silver crown.


    "Ah," Rosan began quietly. "The World Noble Aiko told me about."


    Perhaps he had been mistaken for a pirate? Rosan wasn''t sure how but that could have been it. The teens ship looked nothing like a standard ship, much less a pirate ship. He had no black sails (and they were almost permanently furled up) and no pirate flag either.


    Well, he''d just figure out by asking.


    Rosan flapped his wings and took off towards the ship. It didn''t take him long to land on the railing and he was faced directly with the Celestial Dragon themself.


    It was a fat man in a thick white suit adorned with medal-like knobs on the front. His black hair was combed upwards with a distinct curl top and it was being protected by some sort of rectangular oxygen tank.


    "What a gaudy design," Mod sniffed.


    "He''s really ugly!" Ram sneered.


    "Greetings," Rosan began. "I am Reape ¡ª."


    "Who does this filthy commoner think he is?!" The man interrupted with a screech, clearly outraged by the audacity of this lesser being. "Do you not know who I am?! Of course you know! I am Saint Jeremiah and I will not accept such a filthy creature speaking to me!"


    His guards were on alert but they were rather lax. They probably knew who he was then and thought nothing of it. Reaper hunted bounties after all. Though, Rosan wouldn''t be surprised if the World Government already knew he was on this ship.


    "Ah. My apologies Jeremiah-san," Rosan said politely and the man stewed in anger at the casual tone this...thing was taking with him. "I don''t wish to take up your time, I just would like to know why you attacked my ship."


    "If not for your wings, I''d have long since killed you by now," Jeremiah said and Rosan tilted his head. "Do I need a reason to attack a ship that happened to cross my path?" the World Noble sniffed. It was this things fault for daring to sail the seas on the same day as him.


    Rosan merely tilted his masked head as he heard the man''s reasoning.


    "Though, it''s good that you were not killed in the attack," Jeremiah said and he snapped to get one of his guards attention.


    "Get me a slave collar. I want this unique creature. He has an interesting pair of wings that I need. I want to see if the feathers will grow back after being plucked by a razor! We could use them for fashion if they do!"


    The guard hesitantly saluted at Jeremiah''s psychotic spiel. He looked fearfully at the stationary Reaper and went to go grab the collar.


    "So these are the God''s of this world," Rosan thought blandly.


    If Jeremiah was any indication, they were terrible. This man had just casually labeled him a slave? He had been imprisoned for 6 months and this man wanted to do it again for the rest of his life? While torturing him to boot?


    Unforgivable.


    These were the people that got to rule the world? These people got to do whatever they wanted, while people like Meiko, died? This is what the Government considered Justice? These filthy pieces of garbage got to dictate the livelihoods of anyone they wanted?


    Unacceptable.


    "Rosan are you about to¡­" Mod began hesitantly with wide eyes. Was her little boy really this insane? There was no way he was actually this insane, right?


    "Do you want to know something interesting, Jeremiah-san," Reaper said softly, grabbing the man''s attention. The Celestial Dragon was about to go on another tangent about how he should not be speaking to him but the Angel of Death would not have it.


    "At any given point in time, something truly unfortunate can cause a person to meet their untimely end," he began softly and the Celestial Dragon paused in curiosity at his words. Living such a pampered life gave him no sense of danger it seemed because Rosan was very clearly threatening him.


    "Whether it''s a little infant who''s too sick to remain alive, or a powerful individual who simply got unlucky, Death has no bias."


    "What are you talking about?" Jeremiah demanded, not seeming to understand where this was going. His guards were smarter but they were still too slow on the uptake.


    Being around a Celestial Dragon had given them a feeling of invincibility. They never thought anyone would be insane enough to do what he was about to do. That''s why they let this go on.


    "I''m sure you don''t know who I am so I''ll introduce myself."


    "Rosan, are you sure about thi ¡ª."


    "My name is Reaper, the Angel of Death, and though I don''t feel like I''m qualified to do this, I am Death and just this once, I am about to deliver justice onto justice itself," he explained and before anyone could even blink, Reaper was holding the decapitated head of Saint Jeremiah in his hand.


    "Death has no bias after all," he whispered, staring into the unaware gaze of the dead man. His face hadn''t even registered that he was about to be killed, still held in that dumb expression of his.


    "I normally ask a person if they have any final wish or words," he commented idly. "But you''ve been born with everything and you speak nothing but garbage."


    With that, Rosan tossed the man''s head away.


    "You actually¡­!" The look on Mod''s face, was nothing Ram had ever seen. The woman went white as a sheet with an open mouth and wide, shaky eyes.


    The Devil Fruit knew Rosan was insane but this was, quite literally, the worst crime he could have ever done!


    It took awhile for the guards to register the fact that Reaper had just killed a Celestial Dragon and the sheer shock of the situation gave the Angel of Death an ample amount of time to do what he wanted.


    He fell backwards off the rails and turned his scythe into gloves. The Shinigami caught himself in midair and pointed 2 fingers at the hull of the government''s ship. A beam of energy began forming and it grew larger and larger, as Reaper aimed it at the ship.


    The bottom of the ship was consumed by a massive blast of red energy that left a gaping hole inside of it.


    "Haha! That''s it Father!" Ram cheered psychotically.


    Reaper ignored the hail of bullets colliding with his Raid Suit and turned towards his ship. It had been injured by the cannonfire of the World Noble and it didn''t look good to his amateur eyes.


    He doubted an Admiral would be on the way soon but they were on the way and so he needed to get out. The boy palmed his damaged ship and reduced its size so that it could comfortably fit in a pocket.


    He then flexed his wings and took to the skies until he was right above the ship.


    The entire time, they had been panicking and screeching at what had just happened but Reaper didn''t really care.


    Such arrogance to have incompetent guards protecting them. The World Nobles had access to the strongest of Marines, yet they sailed the seas with weaklings. They must have truly thought themselves above all, but death was an unstoppable force that could only be stalled.


    And Rosan had never been one for stalling.


    The boy stopped above the grand ship and aimed both hands at it. A massive ball of energy formed before condensing into something smaller. Particles kept flying in from every direction and it kept combining into the ball.


    Reaper aimed a steady hand at the ship and let his attack fly. The small ball of energy expanded to ridiculous sizes as it was shot towards the World Governments ship.


    "Exoneration," the Angel of Death intoned and the blast collided ruthlessly with its target.


    It never stood a chance.


    His energy blast melted the ship like it was butter and the people still alive, were killed on impact. Even from here, Rosan could smell the burning flesh.


    "You sure do love your birds eye view, Father," Ram said in amusement. She couldn''t blame him though, it was beautiful to look at the burning ship.


    "Do you realize what you''ve just done?" Mod asked seriously. Rosan had just killed a Celestial Dragon. She didn''t think a single person in the world was crazy enough to do that.


    "The bounty your about to get is going to be incredibly high just from this act alone! I think you''ve just committed the worst crime in history," Mod explained to him. The price on his head... it was going to be staggering. Even if the Marines covered this up, which they would, Reaper would have a bounty that would put all eyes on them.


    "That just means Reaper is retired," the 14 year old said calmly. It was why he had invented this persona in the first place. So that he could get one free get out of jail card.


    "Five years is longer than I expected," the purple haired woman shrugged with a resigned sigh. "Well the differences between Reaper and Rosan are so large, that I doubt anyone will make the connection."


    "You probably won''t be able to use the scythe for a long time though," Ram commented with a bit of a frown. Not being able to turn into a weapon wasn''t ideal for her but it was only one.


    "That''s fine. I have many other weapons I can use," Rosan said softly and he floated out of sight.


    "It''s rather funny that some so called higher being, died in such an anticlimactic way. No body to recover, no one to tell the tale, just a sad death in the middle of the ocean," the 14 year old replied coldly.


    The teen stared dispassionately at the wreckage and he vanished from their sight.


    "A death worthy for scum like him. He could never join me for a performance."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Sengoku couldn''t believe what he was hearing. He actually wouldn''t have believed it, if the person explaining it to him didn''t look so grave.


    "You received a call by a ship that was destroyed moments later... That said Reaper had attacked and killed a Celestial Dragon?" The Fleet Admiral asked slowly and his subordinate nodded slowly.


    "That''s right, I didn''t think it was serious but I heard screaming and moments later, the call cut," he explained.


    Sengoku felt a headache forming at that. Reaper wouldn''t have attacked that ship for no reason. The Bounty Hunter was a topic of interest for the Marine''s because they would be a valuable asset to their forces. They traveled through the Blue Seas at a speed that told them the Angel of Death had a Devil Fruit and they only used it to collect bounties.


    Saint Jeremiah had done something to provoke the Shinigami and Reaper clearly didn''t take kindly to it.


    Sengoku held back a deep sigh. It didn''t matter, the sages would want their head no matter what. The chances of Reaper ever becoming a Marine, had dropped into the negatives now.


    "Prepare to create a bounty for them," the fleet admiral ordered and the Marine saluted.


    "And make sure information about what Reaper has done, is never revealed."


    If the world learned that someone had the gall to actually kill a Celestial Dragon... It wouldn''t be immediate but some people would begin to get confident and it could throw the world into chaos.


    Sengoku hoped it didn''t come to that.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Kuzan let out a troubled sigh at being dragged all the way over to the North Blue.


    Trips this far were normally handled by Borsalino but the Yellow Admiral was busy handling other matters so that left him or Sakazuki and the Red Admiral preferred staying close to the World Nobles, dog that he was.


    If not for the severity of the situation, he wouldn''t have even bothered coming but as he looked at the wreckage of the World Nobles ship, he had to wonder just what happened.


    Reaper had caused this? He had heard much about the Angel of Death, due to the World Government''s vested interest in recruiting him into their ranks but that was probably not going to happen anymore.


    The Admiral froze the ocean around him and walked up to the destroyed ship, ignoring the questioning looks from his subordinates.


    There was not a single body in sight. All the ones that survived the explosion were probably at the bottom of the ocean now and that included Saint Jeremiah.


    So much for retrieving his body.


    Kuzan didn''t know much about Reaper''s personality, but he had heard that the Shinigami was very polite and only saw it fit to attack people with bounties. That''s what they had been doing for five years since their burst into the scene


    So that meant Jeremiah provoked him and, considering most of their personalities, he knew that it was a very likely possibility.


    Unfortunately, that wouldn''t slide with the World Government. A Celestial Dragon had died and no matter what they did, they would never be in the wrong.


    The Blue Admiral knew it likely wasn''t Reaper''s fault but nobody would care. The Angel of Death had killed a Celestial Dragon and now they wanted his blood.


    "Reaper...whoever you are, I hope you realized what you''ve done," Kuzan drawled as he made his way back to his ship. There was nothing here for him to retrieve. By the time he arrived, the damage had already been done and the Shinigami was probably long gone.


    He likely wasn''t even in the North Blue anymore.


    No one would have expected Reaper to be a hidden monster in the Blue Seas after all. Or maybe they did and just refused to accept it.


    Aokiji let out a sigh. This was way too troublesome.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Maro, Angel and Demon were taking a break inside of the newly appointed Princess'' castle. They had been helping with reparations of the island all day and they were mentally drained from the process.


    The bluenette let out a lazy sigh as she soaked in the sun on the balcony. She smiled gratefully at the pale girl that stole Angel''s purse and accepted the offered lemonade.


    The black haired girl blushed and beamed before skirting away.


    Maro had decided to let her (her name was Kanna!) stay in the castle and work for her stay and the little girl readily accepted with tears in her eyes. If not for Angel, Maro was sure Kanna would be following her everywhere but the redhead terrified her.


    She had also offered Rin a chance to stay with them and the gray eyed boy had hesitantly agreed, after some encouragement from Demon. It was mostly Maro''s guilt at the fact that he thought his father had readily abandoned him but there was no way she was ever going to tell him the truth.


    Being a princess was hard work but she had Angel, Demon and the support of the people helping her. It was jarring for all 3 of them to be in such positions of power but Angel had been helping in spades.


    It would have been great if the citizens weren''t so terrified of the redhead.


    On the other hand, Demon was unnaturally popular. The boy''s kind demeanor coupled with the fact that he was as handsome as Rosan, meant that he was in the good graces of woman and men in all age groups.


    Maro laughed when she heard him muttering about Master always being right.


    Angel sat next to her and the Oni couldn''t help but stare as the redhead stretched.


    The clone caught her and slightly blushed and Maro looked away in embarrassment.


    They had begun officially dating and well, they really had no clue how to go about this so they just took it at their own pace. It was working out fine for them and Angel was just mimicking whatever she saw from Rosan so it was pretty nice already!


    Her thoughts were interrupted as a News Coo appeared. Out of habit, she payed the gull to inspect the bounty posters that were on them.


    It was a habit that she acquired from being Grim. Rosan and the girl frequently bought things from the News Coo to inspect new targets and where to avoid and she enjoyed the leisure time spent with him just going through it all.


    As she accepted everything from the gull, Maro placed the newspaper to the side and slid closely to Angel so they could both look at the new bounties.


    Though she wasn''t going to be hunting them, there was always a chance that they showed up on Celadon unannounced and if that happened, well they''d be dealing with her.


    Maro paused as something caught her eye and she grabbed the object of attention immediately. The 13 year old let out a loud "WHAT?!" and Angel shot up to look at her.


    "What? What''s wrong, Maro?" Angel asked in confusion. Maro was not one to let out such an outburst but the girl was gawking at a bounty poster with her eyes bugged. The sheer shock in her eyes, worried the redheaded clone.


    She began shaking and handed her the poster without saying a word. Angel raised a brow and grabbed it out of her hand. She didn''t even inspect it for 3 seconds before a shriek escaped her mouth.


    "HOW DID HE DO THIS? WE HAVEN''T EVEN BEEN GONE FOR A MONTH?!" Angel screamed and Demon came rushing to the scene.


    "First Maro, now Angel? Are you too alright ¡ª," Demon was about to ask before his twin shoved the bounty in his face.


    What he saw made him go white as a sheet.


    "Master, what the fuck," Demon said, cursing for the first time since his creation.


    "DID MASTER GET RID OF ME SO HE COULD HAVE ALL THE FUN?!" Maro gaped in disbelief.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Aiko removed her suit and crashed on her couch with a happy moan.


    She just wanted to fall asleep right then and there. Sometimes, the gray haired woman wondered why she accepted this damn position from Rosan but that never lasted long.


    The opening of a door, alerted her to her little sister''s presence and Aiko lazily looked up to make eye contact with Akemi.


    She sat all the way up at the nervous look in her eyes and Aiko sharply asked, "What''s wrong?"


    Akemi sighed and said "You have to promise to not be mad."


    That sent Aiko on high alert and the woman stared warily at her. "What is it?" She demanded without promising.


    Akemi let out a sigh and pulled out a bounty poster. The woman then handed it over to Aiko and what the older sister saw, made her jaw drop.


    "W-w-w-what the fuck?" Aiko said in disbelief at what she was looking at.


    "It''s his first bounty too¡­," Akemi said with a furrowed brow.


    Aiko stared at it for a bit longer and said "Nope. I''m going to sleep. When I wake up I can think more about this."


    True to her words, the woman got up and made her way to sleep with Akemi behind her. That didn''t stop the 25 year old from contemplating the situation.


    What on Earth had he done to get this?!


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Sanji had been keeping up on Reaper ever since the Shinigami saved him. The Orbit had picked up on his childish fascination and they teased the 9 year old about it, much to his embarrassment.


    "Sanji! You might wanna see this¡­" A voice called, catching the boys attention. The budding chef was currently chopping some onions and he paused as he looked at the paper his crewmate was holding.


    The knife dropped on the floor, as the boy gaped at what he was looking at.


    "WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?" The child screeched and, though everyone expected it, the volume was louder then they anticipated.


    How did this happen?! What did Reaper do?! The Angel of Death only hunted bounties and that wasn''t going to land him one himself.


    Something had to have been wrong! There was no way the Reaper that he met, would do something deserving of a bounty this high.


    The boy gnawed his lip in confusion.


    How was he supposed to cook him the best meal now?


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Nico Robin was sat in her room, staring at a bounty poster with inscrutable eyes. A cup of coffee sat on the table next to her.


    On the poster, was the infamous Shinigami themselves, Reaper.


    The Devil Child had heard of them. She was sure everyone in the Blue Seas had heard of the Angel of Death.


    She didn''t know what exactly they were capable of but the girl didn''t even want to risk being spotted by them. They were a bounty hunter so they would surely hunt her down if given the chance.


    Which is why it was a surprise to see them on a bounty poster themselves.


    Perhaps that meant she was safe from them now.


    Seeing a bounty this high in the Blue Seas, reinforced the idea that she had done good to avoid the Shinigami all this time.


    They truly were dangerous.


    Still, the black clad face that was Reaper, reminded her of when she first met Rosa ¡ª


    Stop. He was gone and thinking about him, never did her any good.


    Robin had spent so long looking for him and hadn''t heard anything in 5 years and she finally accepted it. It took her too long to come to terms with the fact that the last person she cared for was gone and she refused to regress back into that lifeless state she had taken.


    Endless black stared back at her and the 18 year old bit her lip in order to hold back her tears. After a moment, she crumbled up the bounty poster and threw it in the trash with more force than necessary.


    The Devil Child took out a picture that her and Rosan took on the girl''s 12th birthday. Rosan had stolen a camera and demanded the two take a picture. One picture had turned into a dozen and he forced her to keep one with the both of them in it on her person.


    Robin was glad that he made her do that because this was her only remaining connection to her old companion.


    She missed him so much but she would keep moving for him.


    Robin cursed Reaper for digging up old wounds and forced herself to get some sleep before she broke down further.


    She wouldn''t be staying with this organization for much longer anyways.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Donquixote Doflamingo looked at the bounty with a wild grin on his face.


    "So, you''ve got a higher bounty than me, Reaper? I wonder what you did in the Blue Seas to warrant getting one so high," the blonde man mused. He would be keeping this with him as a memento.


    Someone with a bounty this high, would not be able to stay in the Blue Seas for long. It was only a matter of time before Reaper stopped playing in the little leagues and actually went to the Grand Line.


    When that time came ¡ª


    Doflamingo let loose a loud laugh that startled all of his crewmates.


    ¡ª He would be waiting for him.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    A set of bright eyes locked onto the bounty before the figure grinned.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan, undisguised, was currently sat in a restaurant, drinking a cup of lemonade while nibbling on a platter of sandwiches. He was currently staring at his bounty poster with a blank expression.


    It was a picture of him in his Reaper guise (of course) and it was impossible to tell who it was underneath. The distance of the picture was slightly further, to show off his obsidian black wings and he wasn''t holding his scythe.


    The 14 year old expertly ignored the suggestive wink from the waiter as she arrived with his actual meal and he thanked her, getting a blush out of her.


    "Goddamn perverts," Mod snarled and Ram laughed.


    "You can''t expect people to not be attracted to Father!" Ram chastised the older woman with a shake of her head.


    Before Mod could say anything, an attractive older woman with blonde hair sidled up into the seat next to Rosan with a flirtatious smile and the Devil Fruit let out a strangled yell.


    "Hey handsome," she greeted and Rosan glanced at her with a half-lidded gaze. "I don''t think I''ve seen you around here before. I''m Amy," she introduced leaning closer to him.


    Rosan stared at her before taking another sip of his drink. "Did you want something?" The redhead asked politely and he focused his attention back on his bounty poster. His voice was getting deeper now and, though it still cracked quite a bit, it wasn''t nearly as bad as last year.


    Last year was pretty bad.


    He suspected that the World Government wanted to make his bounty even higher then what it currently was but it would be too suspicious if his very first bounty was that ludicrous.


    They probably would die before revealing that a Celestial Dragon had died. Even still, the price of the bounty was insane. He wasn''t even strong enough to deserve a number this high. Seems they really did care about the Gods of their world...


    The woman withered a bit at his dismissive tone. "I-I just wanted to get to know a bit about you?"


    "I''m Rosan. I''m 14," he informed her and the woman''s mouth opened in disbelief.


    "Seriously? What the hell..." the woman muttered at hearing his age. She shrugged helplessly at the situation as if saying "what can you do" and instead looked at the bounty poster he was staring at.


    "Oh! That''s been the talk of the town," Amy exclaimed, pointing a finger at the bounty poster and grabbing Rosan''s attention again.


    "Is that so?" Rosan asked and he dug into the pasta that he ordered.


    Meiko''s was better.


    "Yeah! No one ever expected Reaper of all people to get a bounty!" The woman exclaimed in surprise. "He''s been really helping in cleaning out the seas so I wonder if the World Government didn''t like him taking credit for all of it¡­"


    "They haven''t released a reasoning behind it either," Rosan added and she nodded.


    "I wonder what he did¡­?" The woman mused and Rosan didn''t miss how she labeled Reaper as a male. Lots of people referred to Reaper as he, some also referred to them as she but others just assumed they were truly gender-less.


    "Are you a fan of his? You''ve barely taken your eyes off the bounty poster since I saw you?" Amy asked curiously and Rosan hummed.


    "No, I''m not a fan," the heterochromia eventually decided, eyes glowing faintly.


    "Just curious about what they''ll do next is all."


    <hr>


    Bounty Poster


    WANTED


    DEAD OR ALIVE


    ''THE ANGEL OF DEATH'' REAPER


    500,000,000 Beris


    -Marine

 King

    Multiple sets of eyes were currently focused on him and each and every one of them were clearly demanding an explanation.


    Rosan was sipping a cup of tea at a leisurely pace and he didn''t seem bothered by being the focus of everyone''s attention. "Some of you have never met before," the redhead pointed out and they all gained tick-marks of annoyance.


    He definitely wasn''t bothered.


    "Introductions can be saved for later," Maro said dryly. "You''ve got some explaining to do, Master," the princess finished, crossing her arms at the unfazed teen and glowering in childish anger.


    Rosan was currently being glared at by quite a bit of people. Maro, Angel, Demon, Akemi and Aiko were all gathered in Maro''s new castle impatiently waiting for him to explain himself.


    The teen placed his cup of tea down and fixed them all with a blank gaze.


    "Okay, what do you want to know?" Rosan asked softly and Angel stepped up.


    "What the hell did you do to get a 500 million beri bounty?" She demanded and Rosan tilted his head.


    "Ah, I killed a Celestial Dragon; Saint Jeremiah to be exact," he replied bluntly. The World Noble was asking for it. You don''t just get away with attacking someone unprovoked.


    Everyone there froze in astonishment.


    "WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?!" They all screeched in unison and Rosan decided he should just tell them the whole story.


    The group listened to his story with varying reactions and when Rosan finished, Aiko was the first to speak up.


    "So¡­you ran into the World Noble I told you about and you...killed him?" The woman said, sounding a bit dazed. The horror in her eyes, was clear as day and she was looking at her partner like he were the most insane person on the planet.


    "Yes, he attacked me unprovoked and tried to enslave me so he had to pay," the redhead replied blandly.


    "Master has always been like this," Demon sighed and Angel nodded in agreement.


    "Everyone who attacks us, always faces retaliation and it seems that he really doesn''t care who does it," the middle triplet sighed fondly, no longer upset now that he explained his reasoning. In fact, she was glad that the piece of garbage was dead!


    How dare he try to enslave her beloved Master?!


    "They only gave you 500 million for killing a Celestial Dragon?" Akemi asked in shock and the Shinigami nodded.


    "I suspect they wanted to make it higher, but they are trying to cover up what I''ve done and it''s my first bounty. Having one this high as your first is probably unprecedented," Rosan finished with a shrug. He picked his tea up to continue drinking and hummed at the sweetness of the honey in it.


    "I''d imagine it''s going to be harder to do your business with such a huge bounty on your head," Aiko muttered, cupping her chin in curiosity. Reaper was a bounty hunter but he probably had the highest bounty in the Blue Seas now...


    "There''s no need to worry about that. I''m retiring Reaper," Rosan said bluntly, making all but Angel and Demon gape at how casually it was stated.


    "NO NEED TO WORRY?! LISTEN TO WHAT YOU JUST SAID!" Aiko roared.


    "REALLY?! JUST LIKE THAT?" Maro said in disbelief. He had beaten the shit out of her just to get her up to par to be his partner and now he was just retiring the both of them in the span of two days? Master was so cruel!


    "Reaper was always intended to be a disguise that allows me the liberty of messing up once," Rosan stated calmly and his clones nodded.


    "Master just didn''t want to draw eyes to his unique appearance and so, he made Reaper," Demon said softly.


    "It was never a big deal for him. I think the world cared more about Reaper then he did," Angel shrugged with a short laugh.


    "Reaper was a pastime who got unnecessarily famous," The dual eyed teen said truthfully. "I just wanted a steady source of income with bounties but then I saved Fregate and it spiraled out of control from there."


    The other three shuddered at that. Reaper was one of the most famous figures in the Blue Seas and even people from the Grand Line had their attention on them. To think that this wasn''t Rosan''s intention made the boy all the more terrifying.


    What shape would the world be in when he actually wanted the attention to be on him?


    "Speaking of which, since Reaper is retired that means you don''t have to give me 15% every two weeks now, Aiko," Rosan''s deepening voice rang out and her gaze snapped towards him.


    "What do you mean?" The woman visibly frowned at his words. What was he getting at right now?


    "You made that deal with Reaper, not Rosan," he began, locking those dual eyes onto her. "Fregate is one of the powerhouse islands of the North Blue now and I would rather not jeopardize its position in the world due to you being allies with a wanted criminal."


    "So we''ll just give the money to Rosan, not Reaper," Aiko retorted, crossing her arms as she glared at him. "You aren''t getting rid of me that easy, kid. We''ve been doing this for five years now and it ain''t stopping. Besides, you''re not wanted. Reaper is the criminal," the gray haired woman finished with a shrug.


    "Awww," Maro''s bubbling voice cut in, making Aiko freeze and Akemi coo. "I knew you cared about us! Someone''s gotten attached to Master and just doesn''t wanna see him go!" The blue haired princess teased.


    "We knew your complaints were just a cover up!" Akemi gushed with a large smile on her face. "You care about Rosan more than you''d like to admit and I think you even enjoy when he visits you!"


    Aiko growled lowly and put a hand to her head. "That''s not what I meant!" She tried defending herself but those two were even more annoying than Rosan was.


    Case in point, they immediately dived on top of her with outstretched arms. Aiko tried to fight it but Maro was seriously too fucking strong! Once that girl had you in her grasp, there was no getting out of it.


    Unless the one other person who had her on a leash was there.


    "Ahem," a cough rang out and Maro froze completely. Aiko raised a brow at the look of fear on her face and the 13 year old slowly put her down.


    "I don''t think you''ve formally introduced us, Maro. That''s a bit rude, don''t you think?" A high sneering voice came out and the blue haired girl paled dramatically.


    The princess almost looked like she was gonna turn around to face the source.


    But old habits really die hard.


    Maro squeaked in fear and immediately ran behind Rosan. She hid her body behind the taller teens muscular frame and remained there in hopes that he would save her.


    "T-that''s Aiko and Akemi," Maro introduced after peeking her head out from the side. "Their sisters! Aiko is the leader of Fregate and gives Master a lot of money! She acts really gruff but she''s really sweet on the inside and Akemi is a natural sweetheart!" The Goblin Princess finished.


    "Aiko and Akemi, those two are Angel and Demon! They are clones of Master and are really loyal to him! Demon is one of the nicest guys you''ll ever meet and he''s training to become a doctor!" Maro gushed happily, making the purple haired clone smile in return.


    "Angel is my girlfriend! She''s really confident and hates a lot of people. You should have seen her when we first met!" Maro explained and it sounded like a cry for help.


    "You didn''t compliment me," Angel pointed out calmly and Maro thought about vanishing right then and there.


    The fear made her sloppy.


    Rosan, who finished his tea, decided to save his former student at that moment.


    "Oh? You two are together now?" Rosan asked softly and Angel flushed. "Congratulations, you two are a good pair."


    Angel forgot all her anger at being complimented by Rosan. "Thank you, Master! Your words really made me think and I decided that I really did want to be with this idiot."


    "Hey I''m not an idiot¡ª," whatever Maro was about to say was interrupted by Angel glaring at her and she wisely shut up.


    "So you''re Angel," Akemi beamed, with sparkling eyes. "Maro talked about you and she didn''t do you justice! She said you look like Rosan, but I didn''t think Rosan as a female would be this gorgeous," she gushed, closing the distance between the two immediately and eagerly shaking her hand.


    Angel blushed a deep shade of red at the compliment and looked away. "I guess you''re a pretty tolerable human if you can appreciate me at a glance," was all she said and the gray haired younger sister smiled brightly in response.


    "Clones?" Aiko said curiously and Demon heard it.


    "That''s right, we were made at the same time but Angel is older than me," the youngest triplet informed the woman and she looked at the teen. He looked exactly like Rosan but he had long smooth purple hair, that flowed down his back, and blood red eyes.


    Aiko whistled. "Man, Rosan really is just taking advantage of his good genes, huh?"


    Demon, after all the attention he received on this island, merely smiled and said, "Thank you, I''m happy that Master used himself as a template for how we look."


    Maro was still hiding behind Rosan but she watched the interactions with a fond smile on her face. "I''m happy that they get along well! They''re going to be seeing each other a lot more, now that we''re allied," she exclaimed and Rosan nodded.


    "How have you been holding up?" The redhead asked and she hummed.


    "It''s been tiring but it feels really rewarding! I''ve got some ideas for what I want to do but I''m gonna need your help!" The bluenette replied and Rosan readily agreed.


    "I can stay here for a bit to help out then," he said and Maro cheered happily. Angel also had a large smile on her face as she heard that.


    "Oh! Master, can you turn one of the rooms into a workplace for me like on the ship?" the clone asked. "I really want to see if I can improve on my crafting and I don''t want to do it out there!" She finished and Maro sweatdropped.


    "That can be arranged, I can start right now," Rosan told his fellow redhead and he got up.


    "I''ll help!" Maro offered cheerfully, partially because she wanted to help and partially because there was a real chance Angel was still mad at her.


    She wanted to avoid her wrath at all costs.


    "We can also begin working on getting the buildings outside up to snuff, you can modify them right? I wanna make them as sleek as the White Rose! Oh, we can do it to our ships too! And I want to make greenhouses for our crops! I''ve already made so much since I''ve been here, which takes a lot of energy you know, but having a greenhouse where they can look fancy would be great! By the way, do you think I can grow all types of plants instead of just food? I would think yes right?! I want our island to look beautiful with all sorts of greenery!"


    Rosan simply nodded at everything she was saying. He had been around Maro long enough to know exactly what she was talking about, so where anyone else would be confused, he was able to comprehend it with ease.


    "I think you can only understand her so well, because you were the exact same," Mod said with a smile on her face.


    "I disagree," Rosan replied simply and Mod''s smile grew even larger.


    "Whatever you say, Rosan!"


    "Hmph."


    "It seems I have a lot of work to do. Seeing as my schedule is suddenly free, we can dedicate the day to advancing Celadon," the Mod Mod no mi user finished and Maro jumped on him in glee.


    "You''re the best!" The Dokkaebi gushed and everyone there had to wonder just how Rosan managed to catch all of that.


    "With Rosan personally helping and Fregate being your allies...this island is going to be terrifying in the upcoming years," Aiko muttered and Demon nodded in agreement.


    "With Maro''s ability to accelerate the growth of crops, while keeping them healthier than ever, we can probably establish trades with other islands of interest. Seeing as Fregate is such a powerhouse, you can set up connections with us quickly and we can became a rather dominant group," the purple haired clone mused and Aiko looked at him.


    "Oh, you''re good," she remarked and Demon smiled a little wider.


    "I hear your not too fond of the idea of using the clones from Germa?" He asked and she nodded.


    "Fregate is not one for combat and we have pretty advanced technology already. Besides...my waning moral compass would rather we not use them. You guys want them instead?"


    "Yes, while Maro is a fighter, our citizens are not and that could leave us vulnerable to attacks. Clones will be useful for defending us and the technology will be good too¡­" the purple hair clone mused.


    The two continued talking about the island''s future and Aiko was refreshed to see not everyone that Rosan knew was a menace.


    Meanwhile, Akemi and Angel were talking about something completely different.


    "Is this really how Rosan would look as a girl?!" Akemi whispered in awe and Angel shook her head.


    "Not even exactly! You should see the size of her boobs, there was no way I wanted him to put those on me," the haughty clone replied back in a hushed tone. "She looks wilder and makes it work! They''re actually a total bombshell! Even though I look just like her, I''m still jealous."


    "Really? But you look so amazing! I can see why Maro was so smitten with you," Akemi praised and despite her blush, Angel shot her a confident grin.


    "Of course! Who wouldn''t be," the teen preened. "You keep talking about me but look at you! You don''t have a lucky someone waiting for you?" The clone asked, making the woman blush.


    "No and I think it might stay that way," she replied honestly. "I''m not really interested in anyone right now and I think it''ll remain that way. Besides, I''m enjoying just supporting Aiko right now," the younger sister replied.


    "You are such a great sister! You remind me of me," Angel commented and they both laughed.


    "Why do they get along so great?" Maro grumbled, remembering the first time she met Angel. It didn''t look like the redhead was planning on assaulting Akemi anytime soon.


    "Akemi knows the right words, if you had complimented Angel I''m sure she would have warmed up to you faster," Rosan said simply.


    "My circumstances were just a tad bit different, Master," The Dokkaebi whined and the two of them departed from the room.


    "That sounds like a you issue, idiot" Ram sneered and Mod laughed.


    Maro held her head in defeat.


    Everyone was so mean to her! Wasn''t she royalty now? Why couldn''t they have some respect!


    "Because you''re an idiot," Ram cackled happily.


    "Fuck you," Maro replied.


    "Language."


    "I''m telling Auntie Angel that you want to do terrible things to me!"


    She hated it here.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "So what will you do now? You can always stay here!" Maro beamed hopefully.


    "That would defeat the purpose of why I wanted you to remain here in the first place," Rosan commented and she deflated a bit in defeat.


    "Yeah, yeah," she mumbled and Rosan pat her head gently, much to her happiness.


    "I''m going to look for my brother," Rosan said suddenly, making everyone there snap to attention.


    "You mean Ace?" Angel asked curiously.


    "You have a brother?" Aiko asked in surprise.


    "Can we meet him?!" Maro asked in excitement.


    "Yes," Rosan said answering all three of their questions. "I''ve prolonged this meeting for 10 years," the boy replied, sighing.


    "I was hoping to regain some of my emotions before meeting him, but that is unlikely and I don''t want to delay any longer. I''ve just been running from the inevitable meeting anyways, so maybe its better like this. I have no emotions to justify fleeing anymore so I''ll find him," Rosan replied calmly.


    They nodded at his explanation and felt a well of sadness for the teen.


    "Do you know where he is?" Demon asked and Rosan hummed.


    "Probably in the East Blue," he replied making them raise a brow.


    "Why do you say that?" Maro questioned. The East Blue was the sea they frequented the least so for him to be so confident in that answer, meant he had a reason.


    "I avoid that sea because Garp the Hero visits it often," Rosan replied frankly. "He''s the one who has my brother and I''m assuming that he is visiting Ace."


    They all froze as they heard that information.


    "Y-you mean the Hero of the Marines?" Aiko asked in disbelief and the 14 year old nodded.


    "T-that''s crazy!" Maro exclaimed in surprise. Rosan''s little brother was being protected by a monster like that! Even she knew who Garp was!


    "Yes, he probably knows how I look too," Rosan commented idly. "I don''t have any interest in testing my strength against an unwinnable battle and Garp would likely force me to remain in the East Blue," the redhead finished.


    "You''re much older now but anyone looking for a childish version of you, would still be able to make the obvious connections," Angel mused. Older he may be, Rosan''s appearance was still unique. Anyone looking for him would be able to tell the taller teen was the 4 year old redhead.


    "Well, I''ve done all I''ve wanted so far," Rosan commented with a slight shrug. "If Garp see''s me and forces me to stay, as long as Ace doesn''t hate me too much, I wouldn''t mind."


    "How can you be so sure Ace hates you?" Akemi asked softly. The redhead could be a bit...cold but she wouldn''t go so far as to call him hated!


    "I abandoned him," he replied bluntly and they all flinched.


    They didn''t ask, feeling that it was a little too personal. Even if Rosan would answer, they wouldn''t do that to the teen.


    "What island do you think he''s on?" Maro asked curiously.


    "I''m very sure that he''s on Dawn Island," the 14 year old replied and he cupped his chin. "If not, then I''ll have to intercept Garp himself and reveal my identity."


    "Whatever it may be, I''m going to leave immediately," Rosan commented and they nodded.


    "Alright, we''ll stay here for now and continue to hash out details of this alliance," Aiko commented. They had been planning on visiting Celadon but news of Rosan''s bounty had accelerated that tremendously and the boy had personally escorted their ship there.


    "Thank you for the help, Master!" Maro bowed and Rosan waved her up. "You and I together accelerated the growth of this island by so much! We look so awesome now!" the blue haired princess commented in awe.


    Celadon was practically an entirely new island because of the combined efforts of her and Rosan. While Maro handled the crop growth and the greenery, Rosan dealt with the construction.


    His mastery of Modification showed because every building (with the permission of the owners, who readily accepted) were sleek and advanced, and Maro marveled at how incredible it all looked.


    Celadon looked like a perfect blend of technology and nature and Maro loved it.


    She was doing a great job at molding the island in her image and this was just the beginning! Already, everyone who had been homeless or struggling, were currently accounted for and as long as proved their worth, they would not be out on the streets.


    What? She had learned from Rosan that you have to be useful in some capacity at 11 years old! The princess expected the same from her citizens and would not tolerate anything less.


    "Will you be flying all the way there? I know you can''t use Shinigami for obvious reasons but¡­?" Angel asked worriedly.


    "I''m probably going to be changing the color of the White Rose. Not much people even know Reaper owns a ship but it was attacked by a World Noble so I''m under the assumption that the Marines know," Rosan commented, getting a nod out of them.


    "I''ll sail to the Red Line and then fly into the East Blue. Afterwards, I''ll sail to Dawn Island and begin my search...The White Rose was badly damaged and I patched her up to the best of my abilities so it should be able to handle a voyage."


    That Celestial Dragon... he had permanently damaged his ship according to a shipwright on Celadon and she wouldn''t be able to handle rough waters for very long anymore.


    "Sounds good," Demon nodded at the plan. They were all saddened to hear about what happened to Rosan''s ship; it was important to all the people who lived on it but as long as it wasn''t fully destroyed, they would be fine.


    "Be careful," Angel warned softly.


    "I hope you and your brother can talk things out," Akemi said warmly.


    "They''ll be fine, Rosan isn''t the type of person to do something without a reason, I''m sure Ace will understand," Aiko commented.


    "Master is the best! Nobody can stay mad at you for long cuz you''re awesome!" Maro cheered and Rosan offered them a smile.


    He could only hope but Rosan would hate someone who abandoned him for 10 years.


    Maybe Ace was a better man than he was and would completely understand why he did what he had to do.


    Somehow, he doubted that.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan was sure that if he had emotion, he would hate the East Blue. Perhaps hate was too strong of a word, loathe would be a better term.


    For the boy who craved action, the weakest sea was too tame for him. For the boy who was already struggling to find worthy opponents in the Blue Seas, the East Blue was the last sea he''d want to be in.


    It was such a shame that he was too young to go to the Grand Line. He didn''t plan on going there until he was an adult.


    The 14 year old was currently on the White Rose looking out at the serene sea.


    He had modified the color of his ship and it was now a shade of silver with purple on it. The purple sails were unfurled, to give the appearance that it was using the wind to sail, and his signature white rose on the side of the ship, was replaced by a black one instead.


    "I''m going to miss the all black," Mod said wistfully. The purple haired woman liked the color black and Rosan had changed it to that color because of her.


    "But now its based on me!" Ram beamed and Mod pat the taller, silver haired girl.


    "It does look good in your colors," the woman mused and the ring grinned in response.


    Upon her insistence, Rosan had changed the color of his ship to match Ram''s color scheme and the silver and purple teen was pleased.


    As mentioned before, Ram aged at the same rate as Rosan so she was physically 14 now. The weapon still wore her Spanish-style double breasted coat and it did a great job covering her developing figure (she did not like that she was developing at seemingly the same rate as Rosan''s female form).


    She opted to keep her silver, purple streaked, hair in its twintails to honor her Mother. More than once, she caught Rosan staring at her due to her startling similarities to the late Meiko.


    Rosan wasn''t the type of person to see another in someone though. Ram was her own person and he would not try and force the image of Meiko onto her.


    Ram appreciated that more than he knew. She didn''t choose her appearance and, though she loved her mother, she didn''t want to be a constant reminder to her Father.


    Her job was to help, not impede.


    "Ah, I think we''re here," Rosan said softly, staring at the approaching island. He hummed in contemplation before sprouting his Draconic wings. Touching the White Rose (should he change it to Black Rose? No, he liked the current name), the redhead shrunk the ship and pocketed it.


    This left him hovering above the ocean and he flew into the clouds, to avoid catching any eyes.


    The less people that knew about him, the better.


    The boy soared one trip around Dawn Island and spotted a heavily-forested, low hanging mountain. He also spotted what was likely the Capital of the Goa Kingdom and deduced that Ace was probably there.


    He would go inspect it later. For now, he would check the smaller village first in case his little brother was being raised there. It would be faster to get that one out the way and gather information at the same time.


    The teen descended into the forested area, out of sight, and landed without making a noise. His wings vanished and he looked down at his outfit. He was donned in a long black cloak and that probably wouldn''t be very good for avoiding suspicion.


    It seamlessly transformed into a long-sleeved, silk red shirt, baggy white pants, and blood red sneakers.


    He nodded in satisfaction.


    Now he looked like a civilian (albeit with his accessories and the quality of his clothing, perhaps he looked too wealthy? He was sure it would be fine).


    The redhead''s hair was still in a bun and he contemplated letting it down, but his wild hair would be more noticeable if it weren''t wrapped up.


    Finally finished with his preparations, Rosan made his way to the small village he had seen. It didn''t take him very long to make it there and the first thing he set out to do, was find a tavern or bar.


    Loose lipped individuals, who got affected by alcohol, often gave the most valuable information and Rosan was only here for wanted to know about Dawn Island and see if there was anything he needed to avoid.


    He wondered why people were so willing to get drunk in a public environment.


    Well, it didn''t matter to him. He couldn''t get drunk and he wasn''t particularly fond of alcohol in the first place.


    "If you ever want to get drunk one day, I''ll lower your bodies resistances," Mod supplied helpfully and Rosan nodded thankfully.


    "I will keep that in mind when I''m of age," the redhead replied.


    He didn''t miss how people were staring. They always stared when he was undisguised and with his growth spurt, the eyes had increased.


    Rosan didn''t blame them. He towered over plenty of people now with his 5''11 frame and his age was mistaken quite often. His face was still relatively young though so it confused him but people were people.


    The stares never lasted long when he actually stared back. His unique eye colors (particularly the red), the dead gaze, and his resting bitch face were all a good way to scare people off.


    Finally, the dual eyed boy found a suitable location.


    It was called the Partys Bar and the teen decided it would be good enough (he didn''t think there was another bar in this quaint village). He stared at the discarded door on the floor and deduced that he came at a wrong time.


    Oh well, he was already here and he had nothing else to do.


    "Just be careful," Mod warned and the redhead nodded.


    The 14 year old entered the bar and paused at the sight of what appeared to be bandits and pirates. It really was a bad time because the lead bandit had just finished swiping everything off a counter with his sword, drenching a straw hat wearing man on the floor in the process.


    What an unnecessary mess.


    "This place ain''t worth our time if they''re out of booze. Let''s go!" The bandit leader said, turning around to leave.


    Rosan expertly ignored it all and made his way to the only unoccupied space, which happened to be the attacked counter (all the other seats were filled with the pirates) and crossed paths with the departing bandit.


    The bandit leader didn''t seem to appreciate that very much.


    "Eh? Don''t you see me trying to move?" He paused right in front of Rosan and sized him up. "Do you know who I am? I have an 8 million bounty."


    "So low," Rosan thought to himself instinctively, looking up at the man. Who even started off a conversation like that? A typical intimidation method to get people to do what you wanted.


    The redhead wondered how the man would react to his own bounty.


    He was a tall, tan-skinned man with black hair, a black goatee, and an X-shaped scar above his right eye. He wore a long red coat over a white shirt, black trousers, and a golden necklace.


    Rosan recognized him.


    Higuma, leader of the Higuma Bandits, a group so weak that he didn''t even bother glancing their way past their leader''s bounty poster.


    If he were Reaper, they''d be dead where they stood.


    Unfortunately, he came here as a civilian.


    "You stepped in front of me," Rosan replied blandly, looking utterly disinterested in the conversation.


    That didn''t mean he''d act like some pushover. No one disrespected him. If a Celestial Dragon wasn''t exempt from that, some silly Bandit was way out of his league.


    "You got a problem, rich guy? Or are you a wimp like all these pirates here?" Higuma barked, letting out a laugh at his own joke.


    By now, the two were the center of everyone''s attention and Rosan felt that he should sigh. His appearance was unique enough, he didn''t really need the added attention from this bandit''s actions.


    Rosan contemplated killing him but decided he probably shouldn''t. It would be bad for his search if he did it without a disguise on. Rumors spread fast and he was sure talks about a tall redhead were already being whispered.


    "Don''t compare me to anyone, there is nobody like me," the teen responded before making eye contact with Higuma. "If you have a problem, we can always step outside to solve it," he offered politely. With his tone it came off as an actual solution, albeit in a condescending way due to the lack of emotion in it.


    The Mountain Bandit, unwittingly, flinched as those heterochromatic eyes pierced into him. He was unnerved at how lifeless his gaze looked and the teen didn''t even look remotely afraid of his large group.


    "Nah, killing you would ruin the appetite I worked up," Higuma decided, shoving past Rosan, who didn''t move from the contact, and making his way out of the establishment.


    "Later cowards," the man grunted and he left the bar, followed by his group.


    Rosan didn''t even look back at him.


    "Coward," he remarked and he sat down in a seat, next to, who was probably, the bartender''s son and the redhead actually raised a brow at what was very obviously a Devil Fruit being consumed by the kid currently.


    How he was able to just eat that horrid tasting fruit casually? Rosan would never know.


    "Which fruit is that?" Ram asked curiously and Rosan ran through his memories of the Devil Fruit encyclopedia.


    "The Gomu Gomu no mi," he replied quickly and Ram hummed in disinterest. She didn''t ask anymore questions about the fruit and instantly deemed it as worse then his own.


    He couldn''t blame her, Mod was much cooler.


    "Oh you little flatterer!" She gushed with a smile on her face.


    The redhead ignored the curious gaze of everyone there, used to it by now and patiently waited for the bartender to be done with what she was doing.


    Said bartender, a young, green haired woman who wore a yellow kerchief, an orange blouse with black sleeves and a long light blue skirt, was currently attending to the man on the floor.


    Rosan didn''t care enough to get a good look at him, but he did note the straw hat and the red hair that was a tad darker then his own.


    Hm. It wasn''t often he met someone with red hair.


    "Are you alright, Captain? Are you hurt anywhere?" The woman asked, wiping the Pirate Captain with a rag and he just waved her off.


    "Oh, I''m fine. No problem at all," he replied good naturedly.


    Then the whole bar erupted into laughter.


    They all began making fun of their captain and Rosan idly wondered how anyone could handle being disrespected so easily. Even the captain himself was laughing at the altercation that just took place.


    The black haired kid next to him seemed to agree.


    "WHY ARE YOU LAUGHING?!" He screamed and Rosan shot him a side glance at the volume of it.


    Wow, that kid sure had a set of lungs.


    "That was so uncool! Why didn''t you fight them?!" The child demanded with a look of pure anger on his features.


    "No matter how many there are or how strong they seem, you''re not men¡ª or pirates¡ª if you laugh after something like that!"


    Was this bartender ever going to get up and speak to him? He was pretty sure he came here as a customer and he was watching her fuss over a grown man. The service here was pretty bad and he wondered why she was the only employee.


    Maybe that mountain bandit had a point about this place not being worth his time¡­


    Guess he had no choice but to listen. He was already in too deep to just get up and leave. Besides, he wanted to see their reactions once they realized the child had eaten the Devil Fruit they had carelessly left lying around.


    "I can understand how you feel Luffy, but he only spilled some booze on me. It''s nothing worth getting mad over," the red haired man assured and Rosan noted that he had a triple set of scars over his left eye.


    How did he get a scar like that without inflicting any sort of visible damage on his eye? He seemed to be using it just fine. Actually, he looked kind of familiar...


    "He has a point¡­" Mod added in amusement.


    "What if Father was the one who got booze spilled on him?" Ram asked curiously.


    "He no longer has a point."


    The weapon chortled at that.


    "Whatever, this guy is way cooler than you!" The kid said, pointing a finger at Rosan, who ignored him, and prepared to walk away from them all.


    "Rosan, you and this kid would get along well," Mod laughed, remembering the circumstances of how Rosan had obtained her Devil Fruit.


    "Your Devil Fruit looked much tastier," Rosan said dismissively.


    The red haired man grabbed the kid, Luffy was his name, and froze in disbelief as the boy kept walking and stretched. Every pirate, and the bartender, gasped at the bizarre sight and the green haired woman let out a tiny yelp.


    Who even leaves an open box with a Devil Fruit in front of a kid? At least Rosan found Mod-chan by complete accident. It''s not like Mom dangled the fruit in front of him and said, "Don''t eat it, my little Rose!"


    That was a great way to get him to eat it. Little Rosan was quite a menace now that he thought about it.


    "You have no idea how true that statement is," Mod sighed tiredly and Ram sweatdropped at the look in her eyes. Rosan was going to disagree, but he didn''t want to test his Devil Fruits patience right now.


    What ensued after the realization that the child had eaten a Devil Fruit, was utter chaos and the captain, Shanks, informed Luffy of his inability to swim.


    "He''s being dramatic, Father turned out fine after eating a Devil Fruit," Ram said, rolling her eyes at the scarred man.


    "Swimming is irrelevant when you can fly," Rosan agreed.


    "It also helps that you never knew how to swim to begin with," Mod pointed out. "It''s not like you lost a super important skill and I think the payoff was worth it!"


    "I can''t argue with that," Rosan said, fully agreeing with her statement. Modification was completely worth losing the ability to swim.


    The whole bar was in a frenzy; he really wasn''t sure what the big deal was. Maybe Mom was just too cool headed because her reaction was nowhere near this bad. She had actually been kind of glad that he had eaten a Devil Fruit and just warned him of the dangers of falling into the sea.


    The teen let out a quiet sigh.


    This bar really had terrible service.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "I''m so sorry for the wait," the green haired woman bowed and Rosan just stared at her with a blank, unimpressed, gaze.


    The pirates had gone back to partying and the Luffy kid had gotten over the fact that he was rubber pretty quickly.


    Rosan was honestly surprised they remembered his presence.


    "My bad!" The man named Shanks apologized to his fellow redhead. "I got Makino all worried so she couldn''t get to you!" He finished sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head.


    "I don''t care so think nothing of it," Rosan said bluntly, taking his eyes off the man. "It was an unnecessary hold up though, considering you''re a grown man who doesn''t need to be babied, but what''s done is done."


    Everyone listening flinched at his emotionless tone and Makino bowed again shamefully at completely ignoring him. They all distinctively remembered how the unique stranger stared Higuma in his eye without a hint of fear and made him back down after proposing they settle things outside.


    He was a potentially dangerous variable.


    "Are you ready to order?" Makino asked kindly and Rosan simply stared at her with a tilted head.


    "What do you think?" He replied. He had been ready since he sat down but she wouldn''t know that.


    "R-Right!" He sure had a way to make her feel guilty without a hint of emotion in his tone!


    "Something to drink and fried rice with shrimp, please," the redhead requested and the green haired woman''s brows furrowed.


    "I''m sorry, but were all out of alcohol," the 19 year old repeated, preparing for a repeat with Higuma. People really did not like being told there was no more booze and threw quite the tantrum.


    "Is that all you have to drink, Green?" Rosan asked and he somehow managed to successfully convey how unimpressed he was.


    "For someone who doesn''t care, you sure do have a lot of bite right now!" Mod said with a giggle. Everything the bartender said, Rosan had a snide response in return.


    "They wasted my time and I''m not getting any valuable information out of them. This was a waste of a visit."


    Makino blushed and said "We have other drinks like¡­juice or milk?"


    "Juice is fine. If you have lemonade, I''ll take that," he said simply and the woman nodded hesitantly.


    Rosan''s attention was grabbed by the kid with black hair and a scar (how did he get that?) laughing at him.


    "Only kids drink juice!" Luffy pointed out, with a cup of juice next to him. "Real men drink alcohol!" He declared and Shanks rubbed his red head at the idiot of a kid. The man was getting ready to apologize for Luffy before Rosan decided to speak up.


    "That makes sense, I''m only 14" Rosan commented calmly, making everyone there freeze.


    This guy...was 14 years old?!


    Shanks observed the new figure with a rather calculating gaze.


    Luffy''s jaw dropped in surprise. "No way! But you were so cool before! You aren''t much older than me?!"


    "How old are you?" Rosan asked, deciding to entertain the kid until he got his order.


    "Seven!" Luffy replied.


    "Thank you for the compliment, but I''m seven years older than you, that''s quite a bit," the redhead pointed out.


    "I''ve never seen you before!" The seven year old said in excitement, plopping himself right next to Rosan and invading his personal space without a care in the world. "Are you new here?! Are you a pirate too?! Oh wait, are you a mountain bandit?!"


    "Didn''t your mother ever teach you not to talk to strangers?" The teen chided. Rosan could tell that at a glance, this kid was too trusting and more than a bit dumb.


    Or, he was purposely ignoring all the obvious issues with the 14 year old but Rosan somehow doubted that.


    "Nope! I don''t know my mom! I only have Gramps and he just throws me in the jungle," the kid rambled on before shuddering in fear at the mention of his grandpa.


    Ah, so bartender wasn''t his mom. Just a caretaker.


    "I''m Monkey D. Luffy!" the boy suddenly introduced himself and Rosan paused as he heard that. "Wanna be my friend?!" He asked excitedly, happy at the chance to finally have someone around his age to talk to.


    "Luffy," Makino hissed at the child. "Stop bothering him!" She demanded but the rubber boy was already to enraptured by the idea of making a friend his age.


    The dual eyed teen actually took a look at Luffy after he introduced himself. Someone else with the D. initial? How interesting.


    Robin hadn''t told him much (because she didn''t know much herself), but he did know that his middle initial was a topic of interest for her. She wanted to know more about people with the D. initial because two of her best friends had them.


    Not to mention Ace, Mom, and Roger were some too. Rosan was also sure one of his biological parents had the initial as well, considering he had it.


    And now there was another one sitting in front of him.


    Just what did this initial mean?


    "I''m Rosan," he introduced eventually, seeing no harm in it. "I am new here, I am not a pirate, and I am not a mountain bandit," he said, answering all the kids first set of questions.


    He deliberated the final question and eventually, he truthfully said, "I''m not a person worth being friends with, so I think I''ll pass."


    "Eh? No way. Be my friend," Luffy demanded completely ignoring his response.


    Everyone there sweatdropped at how casually Luffy ignored Rosan''s statement.


    "...Okay," Rosan eventually replied.


    The listeners face planted at how easily Rosan gave up and Luffy beamed cheerfully at his acceptance.


    If the kid wanted to be his friend, let him. He was probably going to be here for a while looking for Ace and he''d probably run into the seven year old more than once. Best to just accommodate him.


    Besides, he''d eventually see why it was a bad idea to be friends with Rosan. Anyone who knew him for long enough understood in time.


    "Awesome!" He cheered, as Makino held her head and Shanks let out a loud laugh.


    "Wow Anchor, you actually managed to make a friend!" Shanks teased and Luffy glared at him.


    "Yeah! And he''s way cooler than you! He was actually going to fight back," the seven year old retorted, turning away from the redheaded man to face the redheaded teen.


    "Even his hair is cooler!"


    Mod snorted at the childish claim and Shanks held his heart in mock pain. The surrounding pirates laughed at Luffy''s anger and began teasing their captain.


    Rosan watched it all with a lazy gaze.


    If only they knew just what he was capable of. They would be far less willing to let a seven year old be in his company.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan didn''t miss the fact that Luffy had many similarities to himself as a kid. It was actually quite startling to see.


    All those similarities were just enhanced tenfold by the fact that he lacked any type of common sense.


    The boy was a complete moron.


    "You two are so similar," Mod gushed, already liking the rubber boy.


    "That''s an insult to Father! He was never this bad!" Ram argued.


    It was true. Luffy was like a version of Rosan who had removed all thought processes.


    Rosan was intelligent. Robin learned very early on, much to her annoyance, that the redhead wasn''t an idiot that just did whatever he wanted to do.


    No, he put a lot of thought into what he did, that was why despite his schemes appearing to be so crazy, they mostly worked out in the end. It was just that Rosan wanted to do fun things and his definition of fun, made it look like he were an idiot in the eyes of his old companion.


    If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Luffy wasn''t like that at all. Rosan was positive the boy didn''t even think. Like in general.


    It was rather fascinating to witness.


    If Rosan used to be an agent of chaos, then Luffy was chaos incarnate.


    "You two are a great fit then!" Mod beamed, not even trying to hide her intentions.


    Shameless woman.


    The boy had attached himself to Rosan way too quick, reminiscent of how quickly he attached himself to Robin.


    But Rosan had Mod-chan to tell him if that were a good idea or not. He was pretty sure that bartender, Makino, was telling him how bad of an idea it was to hang out with the redhead. He respected her for that. She was smart.


    Hm. Rosan suddenly felt bad for Robin if this was her perception of him.


    The pirates didn''t mind his presence and Rosan would have considered that a mistake, but he wasn''t stupid.


    The group was far stronger than him.


    They were the Red Hair Pirates after all.


    "To think a crew like this would be in the East Blue," Mod hummed in contemplation and Rosan nodded. It would be in his best interest to not antagonize them.


    He was currently making his way back to Foosha Village after scouting out the Capital and finding nothing interesting about Ace there.


    Luffy had demanded to come with him, but Rosan needed subtlety and the boy was anything but so he went without the little troublemaker.


    Huh, he really owed Robin an apology. He must have been such a headache when they were together.


    "That is an understatement," his Devil Fruit said seriously, not a hint of a smile on her features, and Ram began laughing uncontrollably.


    Rosan hummed as he made his way out of the forest. He had been sleeping in his Pocket Dimension the past few days and due to not wanting to be spotted, he opted to enter and exit on the top of a tree (he left one of his earrings on it).


    He was wearing a short sleeved white shirt and some white shorts and underneath the outfit, was a black bodysuit. To finish off, the redhead had some black sneakers on and his usual accessories in place.


    Truthfully, it was his fault that the rubber boy was so attached. Rosan just went along with everything he wanted to do and the seven year old was probably ecstatic at that fact.


    The 14 year old wasn''t sure why he entertained him so much, but he chalked it up to some type of sympathy that stemmed from having a similar childhood.


    They had both been rather lonely.


    "I think this is a good thing for you," Mod said softly. Maybe hanging around someone that was so similar to how he used to be, would be help the boy in unlocking his heart.


    "Alright, I''ll stay around him longer then," Rosan said, making the woman smile gratefully. If Mod-chan saw potential in the little boy, then he would trust her judgement and follow what she wanted.


    The teen was about to make his way to where Luffy was located, which was probably the bar, only to run into the bartender, Makino, herself. She crashed into him and Rosan easily steadied the panicking woman.


    "You seem rushed, is something wrong?" The redhead asked and she finally seemed to register just who she crashed into.


    "P-please! It''s Luffy, h-he got taken by the mountain bandit''s a-and¡ª," Makino began but Rosan held a hand up.


    "Breathe slowly, you''re hyperventilating and it''s causing your thoughts to go awry," Rosan explained patiently and the woman forced herself to calm down.


    "You said Mountain Bandits had Luffy? Are they the same ones that caused a ruckus in your bar the other day?" The redhead asked softly, and she forced herself to look into his strange, lifeless, dual colored eyes.


    She had to remind herself many times that he was only 14; that thought made her feel rather sick though because what happened that caused someone so young to adopt a seemingly permanent look like that?


    "Y-yes! They were talking about Captain Shanks and Luffy tried to defend him¡­" The woman said and Rosan closed his eyes.


    Such an idiot. That was another thing about the seven year old. His total lack of fear and self preservation.


    He was going to get himself killed like that.


    "I understand," the redhead replied. "Lead me to them, I''ll deal with it."


    The rubber boy was interesting and Mod liked him, so Rosan would not let him die here.


    "Y-you will?" Makino asked hopefully, but unsure. He was only 14 after all and it was a group of mountain bandits. One of them even had an 8 million bounty! How was he going to deal with all of them?!


    "You don''t want me to help?" Rosan asked, tilting his head as he eyed the visibly nervous woman.


    She was about to protest but she stopped herself. Like it or not, Luffy needed help and this boy was readily offering it.


    Makino didn''t approve of their friendship, due to her protectiveness over Luffy, but right now that friendship might be what saved his life.


    "This way," the woman said, running off without hesitation.


    Rosan followed her easily and just thought to himself,


    "How did the search for my little brother turn into this."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    True to Makino''s words, Luffy was currently being assaulted quite harshly by the leader of the mountain bandits, Higuma.


    "No one can save this brat now. I won''t spare anyone who''s attacked me..." Rosan arrived in time to see a diminutive man pleading for Luffy''s life and Higuma denying the request.


    Rosan decided now was a good time to announce his presence.


    "Bullying children now? Mountain bandits really are pathetic," The redhead intoned quietly, catching everyone''s attention there.


    "Rosan!" Luffy called in glee, despite being stepped on by a large boot currently.


    Higuma raised a brow at the redheaded teen. "He deserves it, he called me names so now I''m gonna kill him," he explained with a smug smile on his face.


    "No you aren''t," Rosan replied calmly and the whole crowd was watching the exchange with fearful eyes. "He called you names and you got upset? What, are you 12? Grow up you little manchild," the redhead admonished coldly, much to Higuma''s fury.


    "What did you just say?" The mountain bandit snarled but the 14 year old ignored him. That only served to make Higuma more upset.


    Was Luffy''s new friend seriously about to face up against all these mountain bandits? That was suicide!


    Rosan''s thoughts were rather different.


    "If I use an energy blast, will Luffy die?"


    "It''s best if we don''t test that."


    "Fair."


    "You won''t ruin my appetite today so I have no qualms killing you brat," Higuma growled.


    "Did you actually manage to convince yourself that the reason you didn''t fight me that day, was because it would ruin your appetite?" Rosan asked, tilting his head. "Well, no matter. I''ll show you reality soon enough."


    Unseen to all, Ram seeped into his gloved hands and the teen prepared to take Higuma''s head off with one precise energy blast ¡ª


    Only to be interrupted by the presence of another.


    "Nobody came to greet us at the harbor; I was wondering what was going on¡­" A voice called, making the mountain bandits and Rosan pause.


    The teen shifted his head slightly and was greeted to the sight of the entire Red Haired Pirates in their glory. They were watching the exchange with cool and confident gazes and didn''t seem bothered in the slightest.


    "Looks like we won''t have to do anything," Mod remarked calmly and Rosan nodded, draining the energy out of his glove.


    "Awww that''s lame, I wanted to kill them!" Ram complained with a frown and Mod just patted her soothingly.


    "It''s better this way; I can hide myself for a bit longer," Rosan said softly. It would benefit him more if he didn''t reveal what he was capable of at the moment. If he did, then he''d have eyes on him.


    "I thought your punch was as strong as a pistol, Luffy?" Shanks mocked, casually walking up to the bandits. This had the added effect of placing him right Rosan and the man nodded at the teen.


    Rosan ignored him.


    "S-Shut up!" Luffy stammered with the boot still on his head. This was just a setback! If he could land a punch, Higuma would be dead!


    "Taking a break from your cleaning duties?" Higuma mocked with a sneer on his face. He took his attention off the irritating redhead and instead locked it onto an easier, in his eyes, target. "I don''t know what you want, but take another step and we''ll kill you, cowards."


    Rosan tilted his head, as Shanks did just that and the cocking of a gun finally stopped him.


    "Didn''t ya hear him, dumbass?" A bandit chuckled, holding a gun to his head threateningly. "Don''t come any closer or I''ll blow your head off!"


    "What are you doing, goon?" Rosan thought blandly. "You''re far too relaxed for what you''re doing right now, just shoot him. I don''t understand why everyone does this."


    "I wish I could tell you, Rosan. Arrogance is far too prevalent in this world," Mod sighed with a shake of her head.


    Unfortunately for the bandit, Rosan didn''t say this out loud.


    "You''re putting your life on the line by pointing that at me," Shanks said. The captain had a carefree grin on his face and his demeanor screamed ''relaxed''.


    "Huh? What''re you talking about?"


    "He''s dead."


    "I''m saying it''s not safe to point guns," the man smiled, pointing directly up at the firearm.


    Before he could even blink, a large man with a round body, eating a rack of meat, put his own gun to the bandit''s head and shot, killing him instantly.


    Everyone watching gasped in shock at the sight.


    Rosan didn''t even flinch at the sight of the man''s death. No, his thoughts were elsewhere.


    "Fast," he thought simply, staring right at the big man who had done it. "I was right to be wary of this crew. If I provoked them, I''d be dead in seconds," the teen stated.


    Shanks didn''t miss the sight of Rosan not even batting an eye and his curiosity piqued.


    To not even blink at the sight of someone being killed in front of them?


    The 14 year old was a complete oddity.


    Truthfully, since meeting Luffy, the captain of the Red Haired Pirates had been keeping a close eye on his fellow redhead to see what his deal was and if he were a threat to the people here.


    Except he couldn''t tell at all.


    There seemed to be no ulterior motive as to why the teenager was hanging out with Luffy. Whatever his favorite kid asked of Rosan, the teen would follow along and it made Shanks suspicious of what he was up to.


    But Rosan hadn''t done anything.


    He was strange.


    But what was definitively the strangest thing about him, and the thing that made him so hard to read, was his complete lack of emotions.


    That lifeless gaze was not for show. Rosan was filled with ice and never reacted to anything other than tilting his head, or humming. He was unfazed by a majority of things around and Shanks was sure the teen knew who their pirate crew was and the threat they posed.


    Yet he never acted differently.


    Even now, watching someone getting their brains blown out, was not enough for him to react in the slightest. He just watched it all with those strange eyes of his and was instead focused on the pirate crew of all things. There was no trust in his stance and he was positioned in a way that would defend himself against both parties if needed.


    Shanks had to wonder just what happened to turn him into this. The 14 year old seemed more machine than boy.


    Rosan didn''t miss Shanks sizing him up but he didn''t bother acknowledging it. He wasn''t interested in the pirate captain at all, beyond being impressed by the strength he and his crew wielded.


    "What''ve you done?! That wasn''t fair!" A bandit screamed out and Rosan heard Mod scoff.


    "Fair?!" One of the pirates cackled in the background, clearly amused by the bandits shock.


    "Cut the crap! Did you think you were dealing with saints here?" Ben Beckman, the first mate of the Red Haired Pirates, drawled.


    "We''re pirates! We don''t play by the rules!" Shanks finished with a confident grin.


    "A criminal trying to talk to another criminal about what''s fair," Mod said, voice tinged with amusement. "Isn''t that funny?"


    "The pot calling the kettle black," Ram laughed and the purple haired woman giggled at that.


    "You got nothin'' to do with this anyways" A bandit growled.


    "Listen, Bandits," Shanks said. "Whether I''m splattered with alcohol or food or even spit on, I''ll just laugh that stuff off. But! No matter what the reason, anyone who hurts a friend of mine, has to pay!" He finished seriously, glaring at the bandits.


    "How noble," Rosan thought, utterly unmoved by the words coming out of the captain''s mouth. While he agreed with the second part, the redhead disagreed completely with the first half of the sentence.


    Allowing yourself to be disrespected?


    Ridiculous.


    "Friend?!" Luffy said in shock, looking directly at Shanks.


    "Hahahaha!" Higuma began laughing. "Nice speech, very intimidating," the man mocked.


    "Lousy pirates! Kill ''em, men, including the rich boy!" Higuma roared.


    The bandits roared and began charging and Rosan prepared to jump away, content to let the pirates deal with it. Anyone who came his way, would die but he doubted it would come to that.


    "Rosan," Shanks suddenly said, making him pause to regard the man.


    "How about you deal with them?" The man requested. His fellow redhead was smiling at him and it was obvious what he wanted.


    Rosan was about to deny his request, but the pause caused the bandits to reach the two and the redhead was dragged into the fight.


    "You''re not as clever as you think you are but I''ll play your game, Shanks," the redhead said, grabbing a swinging arm and casually breaking it. He would make him regret dragging the teen into the fight.


    Everyone took a step back in surprise at the scream of agony that erupted from the bandit.


    "He wants to see what we can do," Rosan said coldly.


    "So we''ll show him as little as possible," Mod said, with a calculating eye.


    "While giving them a show they won''t forget," Ram grinned psychotically.


    Rosan held onto the very broken arm of the bandit, hoisted him up and used him as a living weapon to slam into the other opponents. One bandit was battered repeatedly by his ally''s body and by the time the redhead was done, they were both knocked unconscious.


    He discarded the body in the path of a swinging saber and was satisfied to see it used as a successful meat shield. Blood sprayed from the poor bandit and Rosan stared into the fearful eyes of the offender with a cold expression. The shocked bandit tried to withdraw his bloodied blade, but he was far too slow.


    Rosan quickly closed the distance between them, grabbed the Bandit''s head and kneed him three times in the nose. The first hit broke it instantly, the next two was just the redhead being unnecessarily brutal.


    He grabbed the falling man''s saber and swung behind him, clashing with steel (he had to actively tell Ram to not devour the weapon in the process).


    His opponents eyes widened at watching his own blade crumble from the force of Rosan''s blow and the momentum of the swing, meant he was not spared from damage. The saber cleaved into him with unforgiving force and the bandit collapsed on both knees as blood began gushing out of his chest.


    The 14 year old jumped back to avoid the spray of blood and, in the process, he flung the saber with pinpoint accuracy to a surprised bandit, impaling him through the heart and killing him instantly.


    He eyed the rest of the bandits without a shred of worry on his features and took in their nervous expressions.


    Rosan and Reaper, naturally, fought different.


    Reaper was immaculate in what he did. He was controlled, precise and their feet rarely touched the floor, content to constantly change the field that wouldn''t impede him. The Angel of Death, with their signature scythe, was like a puppet master, high above his subjects, controlling the battlefield and anyone on it.


    Rosan was a performer in a different way. He was unrelenting, stylish, and constantly modifying his style so as to overwhelm whoever he fought. A battle with Rosan was like an always changing, never ending performance where he was the leading actor.


    Due to his growth spurt, the style he adopted as a child had to be changed. No longer could he use his shorter height to his advantage against larger foes. That wasn''t a negative though because now, he had the strength to go toe to toe with them.


    He had always been a rather brutal child and it now translated into his older frame.


    Case in point, he wrapped his hand around a flailing bandits neck, body slammed him onto his stomach, and stomped harshly on his back, crushing the bones in his body as if they were made of paper and making him squeal in agony. Another stomp on his head, shattered his skull effortlessly and the redhead wiped his sneakers with the man''s body.


    "I missed your stomps," Mod said, sighing fondly. He rarely fought as Rosan and Reaper didn''t use stomps in his style.


    When Shanks told Rosan to deal with them, he had been expecting a bit of a struggle and for the pirate crew to intervene. The boy, for all his muscles, was still only 14 and he didn''t seem to have a visible weapon.


    Clearly, he didn''t need one.


    If he knew Rosan was going to be this brutal when dealing with the bandits, he would have just let Beckman handle it. The redhead was completely merciless and he didn''t spare a single soul! Did he even care that he was doing this in front of civilians?


    "I''ll play your game," his cold voice sounded in Shanks head.


    Ah...so he was doing this to prove a point.


    The crowd was rather green in the face at the sight of Luffy''s new friend demolishing the bandits and more than a few had to look away from the sight.


    Makino and the Mayor had a look of terror in her eyes at the fact that this monstrous boy had been hanging around little Luffy this whole time.


    He wasn''t at all friendly like Shanks was. No, he was a real monster and he was not afraid to show them. It was no wonder he had said he was not a good person to be friends with! He had been trying to warn them of what he was capable of.


    Luffy gasped in awe at the strength of his friend, completely unperturbed by the brutality he displayed. "You''re so strong, Rosan!"


    "So much for being subtle," Rosan thought, turning to face Shanks. The crowd looked rightly terrified of him but the redhead didn''t care about the opinions of others. It had never mattered to him before and that wouldn''t change.


    "Satisfied?"


    Shanks looked at him with an unreadable look and merely nodded. The pirate captain turned towards Higuma.


    The leader of the mountain bandits looked terrified. Watching his group get utterly dismantled by some rich kid, was a good way to shatter his confidence at the moment.


    "Do you see now? This is reality," Rosan told the man calmly, reminding him of the first part of their conversation.


    "But¡­the brat started it," Higuma stammered, looking left and right.


    "He''s trying to flee," Rosan said immediately, eyeing the man. His entire body was poised to make a run for it. He knew because this was exactly how a person looked when trying to flee from Reaper.


    They never got away.


    "Are you going to stop him?" Mod asked curiously.


    "No, the pirate captain thinks he''s in control so let''s see how he handles this," Rosan finished, taking a step back to lean on a building and letting Shanks take charge.


    "Doesn''t matter," Shanks began, smiling at the man threateningly. "There''s a price on your head isn''t there?"


    Higuma flinched before gritting his teeth.


    "Damn it!" He growled and the mountain bandit grabbed a smoke ball ¡ª


    And dropped it.


    "C''mere Kid!" A voice growled.


    "HEY! LET GO!" That was Luffy.


    "LUFFY?!" Shanks called through the heavy smoke.


    The smoke cleared and there was nothing there.


    Chaos ensued.


    "Oh no! I let him escape! We''ve gotta save Luffy!" Shanks panicked with wide eyes. He had gotten way too lax!


    Mod snorted at the look on his face.


    "This is why I trained you to never let your guard down until the battle is over," the Devil Fruit explained.


    "A valuable lesson, he''s stronger than me by a large margin but far more careless."


    Higuma would not have escaped him because Higuma wouldn''t have had the chance to think of escaping. The redhead would have killed him right then and there.


    Perhaps that was the difference between him and pirates.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Luffy really hated mountain bandits.


    They really sucked and the fact he couldn''t land a hit on them sucked even more.


    That stupid bandit had thrown him in the water and now he was drowning because he couldn''t swim because he had eaten that Devil Fruit thing.


    To make matters worse, a Sea King was currently looming behind the stupid bandit, with Luffy drowning.


    This sucked.


    The seven year old flailed about in a frenzy and that only increased as the Sea King ate the petrified Higuma in one bite.


    "Somebody help me!" Luffy screamed with a mouthful of water. He frantically tried to stay afloat and the Sea King looked directly at him with those massive red eyes.


    The Sea King charged swiftly through the water, opened its mouth wide and prepared to eat Luffy whole.


    The seven year old felt his life flash before his eyes as the Sea King chomped down ¡ª


    But something pulled him out of the way.


    Luffy looked up to see a shock of red hair and he felt the tears brimming in his eyes start to overflow.


    "Shanks!" The boy said, voice shaky from the near death experience.


    The Lord of the Coast reemerged and assessed the new target. It growled lowly and prepared to repeat the process.


    "Get lost!" Shanks intoned in a low tone, staring directly into its red eyes.


    The Lord of the Coast froze in terror as a pressure washed over him and, after what felt like an eternity, it went back to its home underwater.


    "I''m in your debt, Luffy," Shanks said with a kind smile on his face, as he rubbed the child''s head. "Makino-san told me everything, you fought for us."


    Tears streamed down the seven year old''s face, as he clutched Shanks tightly.


    "Hey, don''t cry! You''re a man aren''t you?!" The captain joked with a placating grin on his face.


    "B-but... Shanks ¡ª!"


    "WHAT ABOUT YOUR ARM?!" The boy sobbed hysterically.


    Shanks smiled softly at the kid and pat him soothingly with his good arm. "It''s only an arm. No big deal. I''m just glad you''re okay," he replied truthfully.


    "WAHHHHHH!" Luffy sobbed as the floodgates fully broke.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan watched Shanks swim back to shore with a tilted head.


    That was a lot of blood.


    Narrowing his vision a bit, he soon saw the reason why.


    "What was out there that caused you to lose an arm?" Rosan asked the soaked captain.


    Luffy was currently clutching the man, sound asleep after clearly crying his heart out and Rosan assumed that the missing arm had something to do with him.


    "A Sea King," Shanks answered sheepishly and Rosan stared at his fellow redhead.


    "A Sea King did this to you?" The 14 year old asked, clearly not believing him.


    "Someone as strong as you, would not lose an arm to some Sea King," he said bluntly and Shanks let out a laugh.


    "Maybe, but I''m betting it on the new era," the man replied easily enough, inclining a head towards Luffy.


    "You allowed yourself to lose an arm for this child?" Rosan asked softly. "Off of a hunch?"


    The foolish went unsaid.


    The man let loose another chuckle. "If you hang around him long enough, I''m sure you''ll see why."


    The redhead simply hummed as a response, which caused Shanks to sober up a bit and get serious. "Just who are you, Rosan?"


    The teen leveled him with that never changing gaze of his and asked, "Why do you want to know?" in return.


    "Closing your heart off at such a young age, is pretty concerning and your lack of emotions is even worse," Shanks commented in a friendly manner. He wasn''t trying to push the teen into becoming uncomfortable (if he could even feel that) but he was curious about it.


    "A pirate is concerned about me? How amusing," Rosan said blankly, closing his eyes.


    "If you lived the life I was forced to live, you''d probably kill yourself," the redhead told him softly.


    "Tell me about it," Shanks requested, curiosity piqued.


    "No. I don''t feel like divulging into my life with a pirate," the teen said bluntly and the captain laughed sheepishly.


    "That''s fair! How about I introduce myself and we go from there?"


    Rosan said nothing, those empty red and purple eyes just gazed at him. He didn''t see the point of this. The redhead wasn''t going to tell him anything.


    Shanks figured the best way to get him to open up a bit, was to reveal something interesting about himself. But what exactly could he tell the redhead... He wasn''t at all impressed by his crew or his bounty...


    "I''m Shanks! I''m the captain of the Red Hair Pirates and I was an apprentice for the Roger Pirates," the man introduced. Now he''d verify if he was talking about the Pirate King and they could start talking from that!


    It was genius!


    "Oh no," Mod whispered in dread.


    "Roger Pirates?" Rosan repeated, tilting his head. "You mean Gol D. Roger''s crew?" The teen asked and Shanks paused in disbelief.


    How... How did Rosan know his real name? The newspapers had done a great job at hiding the D. in his name and the redhead was too young to have heard about him before they did.


    "If that was a way to get me to open up," the boy began coldly. "It failed. I despise that man and you telling me you were in his crew, doesn''t make me warm up to you at all."


    So the kid held a vendetta against his former captain.


    That made him all the more interesting.


    "What did Captain do to you? Kill your family?" Shanks asked, voice full of curiosity and wariness. He didn''t want a fight to break out right now, he was losing a lot of blood and there was a sleeping child in his good arm currently.


    Something told him Rosan wouldn''t care about any of that.


    Rosan normally wouldn''t divulge this information, but a part of him wanted to see the shock on his face. The dread at learning just who he was.


    "As a matter of fact, he did. Roger was the reason my mother died and my mother happened to be his wife," Rosan informed the Red Haired Captain, dual eyes staring into black. "I''m sure you can already guess, but that man is my father."


    His expression was exactly what he had been hoping to see.


    Shanks went pale at the revelation and his mouth opened. A bead of sweat rolled down his head and he wasn''t sure if the dizziness was only from the loss of blood.


    This kid¡­was¡­ What?


    "Captain!" A voice called and Shanks forced himself to break eye contact at the sound of Makino making her way over.


    Her eyes widened in horror at seeing his missing arm and she immediately began fussing over and questioning him.


    "It seems that Luffy is safe and sound," Rosan told the woman, who flinched at the teen. "If that''s all, I''ll be going now."


    Shanks watched the redhead depart but his mouth was too dry to say anything.


    Rosan didn''t bother looking back at him as Shanks crew started converging on the man.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "How did you find me?" Rosan asked softly. The night sky was gorgeous tonight and, as he stood on the top of a tree, he gazed up at the pale moon.


    "What you told me earlier today... Was that true?" Shanks demanded. He had managed to break away from his crew to seek out the teen and it had brought him to the top of this rather tall tree.


    "I am not a liar," was all Rosan said. "Though, he is not my biological father."


    "Would you like me to explain?" The redhead asked, already knowing the answer.


    "If I think you''re lying¡­" Shanks warned with a dangerous gaze.


    "If I were lying, you wouldn''t be able to find me," the redhead replied truthfully, still staring up at the moon.


    "When I was two years old, Gol D. Roger appeared on my home island, Baterilla and managed to woo my mother, Portgas D. Rouge."


    Two years old? That would be 12 years ago if the boy really was 14¡­ Right when the Roger Pirates disbanded.


    Shanks felt a sense of vertigo at the fact that Rosan could very well be telling the truth.


    "I don''t remember him much because he got my mother pregnant and left. Unfortunately, Roger isn''t a very subtle man, huh?" Rosan asked, finally turning to look Shanks in his eyes.


    Shanks noted that the boys eyes were dimly glowing and wondered what that was about, but he answered, "Yeah¡­ Captain wasn''t a subtle man at all."


    "I know. He let Mom suffer for two years because of it," Rosan said bluntly, making Shanks flinch slightly. "The Marines speculated Roger got someone on my home island pregnant because of how he acted there¡­"


    The red haired captain''s eyes widened at the implications.


    "...So to prevent the Pirate King''s bloodline from continuing, they began killing all children born around that time. For two years."


    Captain was going to have a child? The Marines knew about it? So much was going on right now and Shanks didn''t know how to properly react to the influx of information.


    "Mom was one of the strongest people I knew," Rosan said blankly. "She held the fact that she was pregnant for two years and she lived everyday in pain because of it. When the time came for her to give birth, she couldn''t handle the stress and I watched her die moments after."


    Damn it, Captain. What the hell were you thinking?!


    "¡­," Shanks couldn''t think of anything to say to the teenager. What could you even say to a person that just admitted to watching their mother die. How could he even defend his Captain when it was so unfavorable against him?


    It would only lead to negatives and he was quite sure Rosan didn''t care how strong he was.


    "You don''t need to say anything. I''ve grown past that," Rosan told him and it was truly unnerving how his tone had not shifted even once since they had met.


    Naturally, he wouldn''t tell the red haired man anything about Ace, or anything about what he had done after that. He had no reason too because it had nothing to do with him. Only his connection with Roger had made the redhead tell the captain this information.


    The redhead looked back up at the sky.


    It really was a beautiful night. Maybe when Shanks left, he''d go for a fly.


    Shanks was conflicted.


    On one hand, he was looking at one of the few remaining connections to his late Captain. On the other, that one connection made it very clear that he wanted nothing to do with Roger.


    At all.


    Shanks respected Roger with all his heart and that would never change. If Rosan had emotion he''d probably not like him due to their vast difference in opinions on the Pirate King.


    "Did captain''s actual child survive? Where are they?" Shanks couldn''t help but ask.


    "I don''t know."


    It was clear he wasn''t getting anything more relating to his past out of the teen and Shanks just sighed. So Rosan didn''t even stay around his little sibling. Whether it was by choice or the child didn''t survive, Shanks didn''t know.


    He really needed a drink.


    "Your life must have been hard," the man commented to his fellow redhead. His demeanor, his eyes, and the way he fought¡­ Shanks was curious about what happened in this kids life to have him end up like this.


    "...Yes, I suppose it has," the 14 year old replied. The scarred man didn''t even know the half of it.


    "Everything about you screams lifeless but you still move with some sort of purpose... Why?" Shanks asked curiously and Rosan looked at Ram for a moment.


    "I move so that I can find a reason to live."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "You''re leaving, then?"


    "Yeah. It was a long stay, but now we part ways. Bet you''ll miss me huh?"


    Shanks and Luffy were sharing one last conversation with each other, as the crew prepared to set sail. The seven year old had made sure to drag Rosan with him and the boy was sitting at the dock, looking out at the ocean.


    Luffy smiled at the man and said "Well, yeah, but I won''t ask you to take me anymore. I''ve decided to become a pirate on my own now!"


    Shanks turned around and stuck his tongue out childishly. "I wasn''t gonna take you anyways! You''ll never be a pirate!"


    Luffy''s face immediately shifted into one of childish indignation. "Oh yes I will! One day I''ll have a ship and crew better than yours! And we''ll have the biggest hoard of treasure in the world!"


    "I''M GONNA BE KING OF PIRATES!" Luffy declared boldly to the world. Everyone watching, looked at the boy with fondness at the claim.


    Rosan glanced back at the seven year old with a piercing gaze.


    "Hmm¡­ You''re gonna be better than us, huh?" Shanks remarked with a smile on his face.


    "Well then¡­," Shanks began softly, removing his straw hat from his head and placing it on the upset Luffy''s head.


    "Do me a favor, keep this hat safe for me?"


    "?!" Luffy looked down as tears began streaming from his eyes. The implications of what Shanks was currently doing, were not lost on the boy and it began to overwhelm him with emotion.


    "This hat means a lot to me. Promise that you''ll give it back to me someday¡­when you''ve become a great pirate."


    Shanks made his way over to Rosan as Luffy cried, clutching his hat tightly.


    The redhead didn''t even glance up as Shanks took a seat next to him.


    "What are you gonna do now?" The captain asked.


    "As if I''d answer that."


    Shanks let out a chuckle and said, "I saw you staring at Luffy after he made his declaration. Are you mad that he wants to have the same title as Captain?"


    Rosan momentarily looked at him. "I do not hate my father for his accolades, or his accomplishments. Being the son of the pirate king means nothing to me. I hate him because he was the reason the woman who raised me, died. That is a sin that I will never be able to forgive."


    That was understandable.


    "I won''t ask you to forgive the Captain," Shanks said seriously. "But know he probably never wanted it to turn out like this."


    "I didn''t either but only one of us is alive to deal with the consequences."


    A silence washed over them for a moment before, surprisingly, Rosan broke it.


    "You asked why I stared at Luffy? It''s because his dream will be a difficult one to achieve."


    "You believe him?!"


    "Who am I to doubt a person''s convictions. I just hope the world doesn''t tear him down before he gets to that point."


    "Like it did...to you?"


    "¡­"


    Shanks smiled with a shake of his head. "Luffy is a strong kid and with you watching out for him, I''m sure he''ll be able to do it."


    "Who says I''ll be watching over him?"


    "Call it a hunch, he''s a really interesting one and if you stay around him you might find that reason you''re searching for."


    "¡­" Rosan didn''t say anything for a moment and Shanks was content to let him think. Eventually, the teen said,


    "How unlikely."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "First, we''re gonna need a musician," Luffy decided resolutely and Rosan glanced at him.


    "We?" The teen asked curiously, looking at the much shorter boy.


    "Yeah! You''re apart of my crew now!"


    "When did I agree to this?"


    "Eh? Don''t be stupid, Rosan! You agreed long ago!"


    "I think he''s talking about when you agreed to be his friend," Mod giggled.


    Rosan thought about arguing, but he learned much about Luffy. There was no point in trying to disagree with the boy because things either went his way, or no way.


    "Okay," the redhead replied simply and Luffy shot him a beaming grin. "But don''t tell me what to do, I''m not fond of taking orders."


    Luffy nodded happily.


    "You agreed way too easily to being a pirate," Mod pointed out, but the woman was smiling.


    "I hold no personal grudges against pirates, I just had no interest in being one."


    "Great, you can be our musician!"


    "I can play the piano, but I refuse to do so."


    "Chef!"


    "No."


    "Navigator!"


    "Too much decision making, no."


    "What can you do?"


    Rosan could do everything that Luffy asked him to, but he didn''t want to. Still, he should at least be a little cooperative since he had been forced to join the crew.


    "I can scout," he informed and Luffy beamed.


    "Awesome! You do that then," the seven year old finished and Rosan nearly sighed.


    He should have just disappeared.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    It seemed like everyone always wanted to speak to him.


    Today, it was the bartender girl, Makino.


    "Stop hanging out with Luffy," the, normally kind, woman requested firmly.


    He expected this.


    "Did my fight against the bandits scare you?" Rosan asked softly, already knowing the answer. The 19 year old, or any of the villagers really, had barely been able to look at him.


    "I''m not asking you," Makino threatened bravely, despite the fact that it was just her and this¡­monster.


    She was not shaking.


    Rosan could see right through her.


    "I don''t take threats lightly," Rosan told her politely. "They are the prelude to an attempt on my life, and an attempt on my life means I can''t accomplish my goal. Anyone who wants to kill me, has to die themselves," he finished emptily and the woman flinched back, doubt on her face.


    "Stop tormenting that woman," Mod chided. She didn''t like that this Makino person was trying to impede on a potential way for Rosan to unlock his emotions, but antagonizing her would make it more difficult.


    Killing her was out of the question too.


    "I¡­ I''m not threatening to kill you," Makino said meekly, unconsciously taking a step back. "It''s just you''re not a good influence for him."


    "I''m not the one who gave him the dream of becoming Pirate King, which is the title of a criminal by the way. You should have had this talk with Shanks instead because he''s the one who has fully influenced Luffy," Rosan reprimanded her and she flushed at being scolded by someone 5 years younger than her.


    She was lost for words, unable to refute his argument and Rosan decided to throw her a bone.


    "I''ve already agreed to join Luffy''s crew and I''m not a liar," the redhead informed the green haired woman. "But, if you can convince him to remove me, I''ll stop hanging around him. I don''t care either way," he replied truthfully.


    "I respect your concern for him but something tells me you took too long to take action."


    Makino stared into his eyes and nodded.


    Rosan watched her resolution with a tilted head. She would try to convince Luffy and she would fail. The boy marched to the beat of his own drum and once he decided on something, it was next to impossible to change his mind.


    "Sounds familiar."


    "Indeed it does."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Nothing Makino attempted, changed Luffy''s mind. He was absolutely set on Rosan being his first friend and crewmate and there was nothing she could do about it. The woman had actually been taken aback by how strongly the rubber boy had rejected her.


    "It was a good effort," Rosan told the woman, while drinking a cup of tea. "There''s no point being upset about it. Rid yourself of that animosity or you''ll go gray early."


    She glared at him before releasing a resigned sigh. "I guess you''re right," the 19 year old muttered and the 14 year old decided to ease her worries.


    "I am not fond of hurting children unless they plan on harming me and Luffy has made it clear that all he wants is a friend. You are worried that I will hurt him but if I wanted to, I''d have already done so," he explained bluntly and she nodded at that.


    He had a point, Luffy dragged the teen off everywhere (sometimes with her not even there to oversee) and he had always come back in the same condition...mostly but when he was hurt, it was never Rosan''s fault.


    "You''re right¡­," Makino sighed. "I''m sorry for being so harsh to you but, I worry about Luffy. He''s so¡­"


    "Trusting?" Rosan offered and she nodded rapidly.


    "Yes! I don''t want him to be taken advantage of due to his nature," she said softly and Rosan rubbed her on the shoulder, making her relax.


    "I understand how you feel, he''s a good child in a cruel world and that makes you worry."


    She nodded and Rosan hummed.


    "I respect you. You just want what''s best for Luffy and what makes him happy," Rosan eventually said. The seven year old was currently sleeping so he was not here to hear the words.


    Makino felt herself relax even further at his words. She smiled gently at the younger teen and said "I was wrong about you. You''re not as bad as I thought you were."


    "I''m far worse," Rosan thought to himself, looking at the woman he had easily manipulated.


    She was important to these people. With her easing up on him, it would allow him to move more freely.


    "I''m glad, I thought I was going to have to sick Luffy''s grandpa on you," Makino said, with a small smile on her face.


    Rosan simply blinked.


    "His grandpa?"


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Oh," Mod said in clear surprise.


    Rosan, as he stared into a set of eyes that very clearly recognized him, couldn''t blame her.


    Luffy didn''t tell him that his grandpa was Garp the Hero.


    Garp looked at the teen in front of him with clear surprise. Was this who he thought it was? After all this time he had just appeared on his own?


    "What''s your name boy?" Garp asked bluntly and Rosan contemplated lying to him.


    "That''s Rosan!" Luffy replied obliviously, grinning. "He''s the first member of my pirate crew!"


    "Okay, maybe the comparison between you two was a bit harsh," A sweatdropping Mod said.


    "He is such an idiot," Ram sighed.


    "I should not have given him my real name," Rosan thought blandly. There was no way Garp wouldn''t know who he was now.


    "Rosan¡­" The Hero of the Marines said gruffly, scratching his beard. "Where did you go that day, 10 years ago?"


    Makino looked at the two in confusion. Did they know each other? She wondered what their connection was...


    "I ran away," the redhead replied truthfully.


    "Where?"


    "Out to sea. Where is my brother?" Rosan asked in return. He had no interest in playing 20 questions with the Hero of the Marines.


    Any doubts Garp had about who this person was, were instantly wiped away at that question.


    He raised a brow at the redhead, not quite believing that he was sailing the seas alone and lived to show for it, but the look in his eyes showed that he did go through something.


    "I was about to take Luffy here to him right now but your coming to stay too," the old man decided and Rosan gazed at him.


    "Past the surprise, he is utterly unfazed at seeing me again," the 14 year old thought blandly, wondering if this is where Luffy got his eccentricities from.


    "It''s true, you''d think his reaction would be worse than Shanks considering he knows about your existence¡­ Perhaps he''s hiding it very well?"


    "Everyone always hides something. Even then, there is always a reaction to gauge outwards."


    Even if he was hiding something, he wasn''t as bothered as he should be.


    Oh well.


    "Garp-san?" Makino said, sounding unsure but Garp ignored her.


    He looked towards his grandson and grabbed him by his cheek harshly. "What was it you just said about being a pirate?!" Garp barked and Luffy yelped.


    The Marine''s eyes bugged as Luffy''s cheek stretched out farther then it had any right to.


    "WHAT?!" Garp roared in disbelief at the sight. "Luffy, did you eat a Devil Fruit?!" The man asked in shock.


    "Yep!" Luffy chirped. "I ate the Gomu Gomu no mi and now I''m a rubber boy!"


    The man showed more reaction to his grandson eating a Devil Fruit then to practically seeing a ghost. This was definitely who Luffy inherited his oddities from.


    Garp looked fed up with the boy and began dragging him away. "I knew leaving you in this peaceful village was a bad idea," the old man grumbled, recovering amazingly.


    He was so strange.


    "WHERE ARE YOU TAKING ME?!" Luffy demanded and Garp merely pinched his cheek harder. The boy actually squeaked in pain. "But I''m made out of rubber, why does it hurt?!" He whined.


    Why did it hurt? Rosan was reminded on how Maro was able to feel pain on her left side from Judge.


    "You two are moving! This village is too soft," Garp said bluntly and with that, he dragged the flailing seven year old away.


    "You and Garp-san have history?" Makino asked questioningly and Rosan nodded to the shorter woman.


    "I saw him when I was 4 but this is his first time meeting me," he said softly and Makino''s eyes widened in horror.


    Didn''t he say he went out to sea? W-why was he traveling the sea at only 4 years old?


    "Brat," Garp called, referring to Rosan. "Come on," he said gruffly and Rosan merely stared at his back.


    "It seems that''s my cue to leave," the redhead said softly and he regarded Makino with a nod. "Bye, Makino," the teen waved and he walked off, behind the man.


    "Bye, Rosan!" A confused Makino waved. She would have tried harder to stop Garp from doing whatever it was he was doing, but she couldn''t stop the old man.


    At least Rosan was there to support Luffy.


    She hoped.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan was surprised to see a house in Mt. Colubo but in hindsight, it made sense to hide Ace here.


    He would need to be as hidden as possible so people didn''t make any type of connections.


    Garp had dragged Luffy the entire way and Rosan had to give it to the stubborn boy, he had not stopped spouting about being Pirate King even once. Even with the clear aggravation blooming on Garp''s face.


    Rosan shot the Vice Admiral a glance at hearing him mention Ace needing to become a Marine.


    He wanted his little brother, the actual son of the Pirate King, to become a Marine? Not only that, he wanted Rosan to become one too.


    Garp was hopelessly optimistic. Rosan wondered how he''d react if he knew that the redhead already had a bounty.


    The Hero of the Marines banged on the front door of the lone house and yelled "DADAN! GET OUT HERE!"


    Luffy had began running around the clearing and Rosan kept one eye on him. The teen was leaned against a tree, red and purple eyes staring holes into the house.


    10 years. It had been 10 years since Rosan had seen his little brother and now the time was finally about to come where they''d meet face to face.


    "I hope it goes well," Mod said, voice filled with a little dread. If Ace hated Rosan, all the negative reinforcement the boy had given himself would come to the forefront again and she wouldn''t be able to talk him out of it.


    Ram gave the shorter woman a hug and said "It''ll be okay, Auntie Mod!"


    She forced herself to calm down and hugged the teen back. "Thank you Ram, I needed that."


    "Of course!"


    The door to the house opened and out came a tall, overweight, middle aged woman with long, orange, curly hair and a big, masculine face. Behind her were a group of people all holding weapons.


    Rosan identified her immediately from her bounty. Curly Dadan. Bounty of 7,800,000 and leader of the Dadan Family.


    A group of mountain bandits.


    Why was Ace with mountain bandits?


    "¡­," Mod could feel the impending doom already.


    "Stop it! Whoever you are, do you really wanna get killed?" The woman roared, and the cigarette in her mouth jostled.


    "It''s me," Garp said bluntly and it was like a flip had been switched in the lady.


    The woman''s eyes widened in horror and she practically flew back as she said, "Garp-san!" and the other bandits squeaked at her declaration.


    "You''re looking good," The Marine said conversationally but Dadan wasn''t having it.


    "Garp-san you gotta give us a break!" The woman begged. "Ace is already 10 years old!"


    "He''s already more than we can handle! Can''t you take him off our hands?" Dogra pleaded.


    Ace was a problem child? He really was his little brother.


    It was then that Dadan noticed little Luffy shooting around the clearing.


    "What the¡­ Who''s that kid?" The mountain bandit asked and she noticed another person leaning against the tree.


    He was much taller then the first boy, with a striking shade of red hair, bronze skin, and the most unnerving set of heterochromatic eyes she had seen. His dead gaze bored into her own and she flinched at the empty expression on his face.


    "This is Luffy, my grandson," Garp said, grabbing the boy with one hand. "Say hi, Luffy, they''ll be watching you now."


    "Yo."


    "YOUR GRANDSON? WATCH HIM? WHAT?!" Dadan gaped in shock.


    "That''s Rosan, he''s the one I told you about 10 years ago," The Marine informed her .


    "Greetings," the redhead said politely, with a short nod, still eyeing the leader of the mountain bandits.


    Dadan recalled the conversation they had when she was first tasked with watching Ace and her eyes widened. "This is the 4 year old boy that went missing?! Your telling me he''s only 14?!"


    "Yea, you''ll be watching him too," Garp said and the woman''s eyes bugged.


    "Don''t worry, I''ve been taking care of myself for years now," the 14 year old said softly. He noticed something move out of the corner of his eyes, and finally took his gaze off the bandits.


    "We can''t!" They denied in unison and Garp grunted.


    "Alright then, here''s your choice. Do you wanna spend all your life in prison or raise them?" He asked with his arms crossed.


    "You realize how many of your countless crimes I''m turning a blind eye to?!" The man laughed boisterously.


    "Well I don''t want to go to jail, but sometimes I think I''d be better off!" Dadan moaned sadly.


    "We already have our hands full with Ace! Now you want to throw your grandson and this other kid into the mix?! I bet they''re probably monsters too!"


    "Crappy shack," Luffy muttered.


    "You wanna fight?!" Dadan yelled but Luffy just ran off without a care in the world.


    "H-he''s not listening to me!" The leader of the mountain bandit face-planted at the lack of attention Luffy gave her.


    Rosan said nothing. The boy was currently rooted to his spot while Mod and Ram tried to whisper soothing words to him.


    Luffy kept running and then a glob of spit connected to his cheek. "Agh! Spit?! Yuck!" The boy squeaked as he grabbed his cheek.


    "Hey! Who are you!?" Luffy demanded, running up to another child.


    "Oh, that''s Ace!" Garp said.


    It was a short boy with curly black hair and freckles on his face.


    Freckles like Mom.


    He wore a plain red t-shirt, black shorts, and brown sandals and the sheer anger in his eyes, was enough to stagger even Rosan.


    This¡­ was Ace? His little brother? Why¡­ Why did he have that look in his eyes?!


    The only reason Rosan had so confidently left his little brother in the care of the Marine, was in order to keep him safe and so that he could grow up with a semi-decent life. The risk of traveling with a four year old on the dangerous seas was just too risky.


    "Rosan, it''s okay!" Mod tried to soothe. It really wasn''t but she didn''t want Rosan to do something stupid. It was clear that he really didn''t care who you were and the Devil Fruit didn''t want him to fight this man.


    "I''m sure there''s an explanation for this," Ram said nervously. Even she understood that this was bad and the battle hungry ring was trying to assuage him.


    It was not okay.


    If Rosan knew Ace was going to end up like this without him, he would have fought tooth and nail to get his little brother back.


    "Luffy, this is Ace. He''s three years older than you. You''re gonna live here with them from today," Garp said and Rosan mechanically turned his head towards the Marine.


    Mountain bandits were one thing, Rosan had only adopted a similar look in his eyes after being tortured for six months straight. For his little brother to have it now, meant that leaving him behind... was the wrong choice.


    It was as if every decision he had made, was being spat back in his face, as he looked at his angry little brother. Why did he even leave him behind if this was the end result? Why had he been forced to make such a difficult decision at just four¡­ and that decision ended up being wrong?


    Mom made a mistake trusting this scum of a Marine. At the end of the day, none of the people in the organization that had killed her, were trustworthy.


    Garp needed to die.


    Rosan''s eyes glowed brightly, as Ram transformed into into a pair of black gloves ¡ª


    ¡ª And all hell broke loose.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    One second, everyone was watching Garp introduce Ace and Luffy, and the next, a massive blast of red energy forced the man to jump back. It crashed into a tree and reduced it to nothing.


    Garp looked towards the source and was surprise to see that it was Rosan who attacked him.


    "Rosan, what''s the matter?!" Luffy asked in surprise at seeing his first crewmate attack his Grandpa. That was outta nowhere!


    Everyone watched with a surprised expression at how bold the redhead was to attack the monster that was Garp. They felt a bead of sweat as they looked at the smoky area that used to be a tree.


    D-Did they really have to raise another monster?!


    Ace watched with wide eyes at the power behind that attack. The boy was preparing to walk away, but curiosity dictated that he see how this ended.


    "What are you doing?" Garp asked with a raised brow and for the first time in a long time, there was an emotion in Rosan''s eyes.


    Pure hot rage.


    "I''m going to rip you to shreds," the teen snarled and Mod''s eyes went wide at his tone.


    So they had been right, a powerful enough emotion was able to seep through the castle and into Rosan.


    She had to wonder how angry he would actually have been if the castle wasn''t there.


    Probably enough to raze this entire island to the ground.


    Rosan bent his knees and cracked the floor beneath him, as he flew towards the Hero of the Marines. He crashed into nothing as Garp jumped over him but he rebounded admirably.


    "Boost x2," Rosan thought immediately and he looked up at the still floating Garp.


    The ground beneath the teen crumbled as he jumped to reach him and Garp raised a brow, impressed by his power. He was currently using Geppo to stay afloat and the boy had managed to reach him with one push.


    The Marine blocked a punch to his solar plexus and nodded at the strength behind the blow. He held the fist in his hand but Rosan would not be deterred.


    In an impressive display of flexibility, the boy twisted himself and delivered a kick that would have forced Garp to release him but the man used Haki to tank the blow.


    Rosan grunted as Garp launched him to the floor with an abnormal amount of strength. The boy momentarily lost his breath at the force of the landing but he immediately recovered to continue his onslaught.


    Garp landed in front of him and said "What''s the matter with you, brat?"


    Rosan spat out a small amount of blood and stood up without a hint of pain.


    "He''s made of tough stuff," Garp thought.


    "You¡­ I should never have trusted you," Rosan said lowly, dual eyes glowing and Garp''s eyes widened in surprise. "I didn''t leave Ace in your care so he could end up with that look in his eyes. I left him with you because I thought you''d be a much better choice than me. A safer choice."


    Ace froze as he heard that. What the hell was this guy talking about? Left him behind? Who the hell was he?


    "I was wrong," Rosan finished coldly and the ground erupted as soon as he finished his sentence.


    Only Garp''s Haki was able to prepare him for the surprise of the fact that Rosan had a Devil Fruit. He deftly dodged the sudden spikes that used to be the ground and ducked under another blast of energy from the redhead.


    "Woah! Rosan, you have a Devil Fruit too?!" Luffy asked in awe. He had never seen anyone take it to his Grandpa like this and his eyes sparkled in excitement.


    He was so strong!


    Ace was surprised for another reason. Was this teen¡­ related to him somehow? What did he mean left him with Garp?


    Was this¡­his brother?


    He desperately needed answers.


    Garp could have ended the match instantly, but a strange guilt was holding him back due to the impact of Rosan''s words.


    He had been able to instantly spot the troubled look in his younger brother''s eyes and he was rightfully upset. Ace''s life had not been an easy one.


    "He might not have been as safe with a 4 year old..." Rosan began and his armband transformed into his default Raid Suit. The long, black and red coat was left open to show the red shirt underneath and his baggy black pants were tucked into his red sneakers.


    "...But at least he would have been loved," the 14 year old snarled. "I''d rather be in danger and loved, then safe and unloved," Rosan finished with barely restrained fury.


    With that, he was off.


    Luffy was wondering just what Rosan''s Devil Fruit was. He had been hanging out with his crewmate for weeks and he didn''t know he even had one!


    Ace was practically petrified at the blunt declaration that someone would have loved him of all people. He couldn''t believe his ears. He had a brother? A brother that willingly left him in the care of someone else so he could be safe?


    He couldn''t wrap his head around this at all!


    The Dadan Family looked at the redhead with a terrified gaze. They didn''t think anyone would be crazy enough to attack Garp but this kid didn''t care at all!


    Worst of all, he was strong. Did Garp expect them to be able to watch a monster like this? If he got annoyed with them, they would all die!


    Mod was worried. Rosan was throwing out all subtlety in his quest to kill Garp and the teen was out for his blood. He had been preparing for Ace to hate him but this was far worse.


    What are you supposed to feel, when you entrust someone with something dear and they fail. Completely.


    Ram had to constantly soothe the Devil Fruit nonstop because of her worry.


    The brat ¡ª Rosan''s words affected Garp more than he would have liked to admit. In the eyes of the 14 year old, The Hero of the Marines had failed spectacularly in raising his baby brother and Garp couldn''t even fully refute it.


    Besides keeping Ace safe from the eyes of the Marine, Garp really hadn''t done anything else to make his life easier. That''s why Rosan''s statement felt so true.


    Would he have enjoyed his life more if he was with the more endangered redhead?


    Probably.


    "I''m sorry," Garp said suddenly, grunting as he tanked a punch right to his gut.


    Rosan would not see reason.


    "I''ll forgive you in 10 years, after you die today," the redhead promised and he leapt back to charge a truly gigantic beam of energy. One of his hands were outstretched and the red laser-like attack began to charge rapidly.


    Nothing against Garp was working. Rosan couldn''t modify him for some reason and that reduced his options by a lot.


    Garp had to wonder just what his Devil Fruit was. The old man sighed wearily and decided to end the battle here.


    That attacked looked dangerous for the surrounding area and so he couldn''t let it be released, lest someone (it wouldn''t be him) got hurt.


    Rosan couldn''t react in time, as Garp vanished and appeared directly in front of him with a fist reared back.


    The Mod Mod no mi user was momentarily knocked unconscious as the blow connected to his face and he soared through the air. The only thing that managed to snap him awake, was his raw hatred for the World Government.


    Garp had watched Rosan''s eyes roll to the back of his head. So he was surprised to see the boy suddenly right himself in midair and skid to a stop.


    The Vice Admiral was surprised at just how resilient the boy was. He had put a sufficient amount of force in the blow to knock him unconscious but the boy woke himself back up.


    The teen spat out a tooth and everyone watched in awe as another one grew back into place immediately.


    ...What.


    Just what was this brat?!


    Rosan snapped his nose back into place and his body handled the rest. It was times like this, that he was grateful for consuming the Philosopher''s Stone.


    The teen, in a last ditch effort, let loose a massive amount of Pressure on the Marine, hoping to at least slow him down so that he could properly charge his attack.


    Garp was having none of that however. His eyes had widened in recognition at the pressure washing over him but it didn''t affect him at all. The old man vanished again and Rosan tried to react, but he was too slow.


    "What a monster of a man," Rosan thought as another fist connected firmly with his skull.


    The teen finally fell over, knocked unconscious from the attack.


    He did not get back up.


    Garp hadn''t felt this tired in a long time and he didn''t mean physically. The mental drain of today was staggering and the guilt he felt was a rare feeling.


    "Put him to sleep in one of the rooms," Garp instructed to the terrified Dadan and she nodded shakily, instructing some of her bandits to go pick the tall teen up.


    He was a complete monster, the fact that he was only 14, was terrifying.


    Garp looked at his sleeping face and let loose a sigh. Despite the anger he fought with earlier, he looked almost peaceful. If his eyes were open, it would be a far different looking reaction but right now, the boy seemed like he was actually sleeping.


    He didn''t think Rosan had some variation of conquerors haki, but that pressure was unmistakable.


    Luffy followed after Rosan, worried for his friend and Ace remained rooted to his spot, overwhelmed by the events of today.


    "That''s all from me," Garp rumbled, getting ready to depart. "I''ll come visit when I have the chance."


    No one said anything, too surprised by what just transpired and Garp vanished into the forest.


    "All things considered, I expected that to be way worse," Mod sighed, relieved that it was over.


    "That punch was strong, Father will be out for a while," Ram remarked, thinking about the fight that just took place. Currently, the weapon and Devil Fruit were sitting in their home.


    "We don''t lose often but that man is a monster."


    "We''ll be stronger than all of them one day and when that time comes¡­" Ram muttered with a deep frown.


    "...We''ll make all of the World Government pay," Mod finished coldly.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Misadventures of Robin and Rosan ¨C 11


    Robin and Rosan are nine and five respectively.


    Robin tries to think of a birthday gift for Rosan.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    When Robin really thought about it, she wasn''t sure what type of gift Rosan would really like.


    The boy''s birthday was fast approaching and Robin had no clue what to get him!


    The recently turned nine year old had never given anyone a gift before and Rosan was the first person to ever give her a gift.


    Robin wanted to return the favor because the thoughtful gesture had brought her to tears and she had hugged the younger boy for dear life.


    But the brunette was stumped.


    Rosan didn''t show an explicit interest in anything! Everything was fascinating to the little boy but there wasn''t that one definitive thing he seemed to want above all.


    Robin wanted to get him the best possible gift so she needed to consult an expert.


    That''s what brought her to the mindscape sitting across from Mod herself.


    The purple haired woman was looking at Robin with a curious gaze, as Rosan trained some ways away.


    "I saw that you wanted to talk to me, so I sent Rosan far enough that he can''t hear," Mod said softly, voice a near whisper.


    "Thank you, Mod-chan." Robin smiled at the thoughtful woman. She didn''t even need to tell her anything and the Devil Fruit knew something was up!


    "So what do you want to talk about? Are you feeling well? Nightmares acting up? Is your body changing in ways you don''t understand?" Mod asked and Robin blushed.


    "N-No!" She stammered in embarrassment. "I wanted to talk about Rosan''s birthday! I don''t know what to get him as a gift," the nine year old said, feigning a calm air but actually being more than a little nervous.


    "I don''t know what the best gift for him would be! What if he hates it¡­? I''ve never had to do anything like this and I don''t wanna mess up!"


    "Robin."


    The child froze at Mod''s tone. It was gentle but firm and it helped calm the panicking girl down.


    "You''re overthinking it," Mod informed her with a small smile on her face. The woman shook her head and said "Rosan doesn''t want anything specific unless you''ve got a way to give him a Dragon."


    Robin sweatdropped at that. That sounded about right. "So...what should I get him? What if it''s not good enough for him? I don''t wanna let him down¡­" she whispered.


    "Oh Robin you have nothing to worry about. Rosan doesn''t care about that! Just the fact that someone he loves is willing to give him a gift is enough for him," Mod assured her and Robin blushed at the casual dropping of the word love.


    "You think so?" The Hana Hana no mi user asked, sounding unsure.


    "I know so! He won''t get mad at you, I promise," Mod said soothingly and the little girl smiled up at her, feeling a bit more confident.


    "Okay! I''ll think of something," Robin said with a determined gaze.


    "Roooobin-nee," Rosan''s voice called and Robin looked at the bronze boy curiously.


    "Let''s go play! I''m done training," Rosan beamed and she let out a small laugh.


    "Are you really done?" Mod asked with narrowed eyes and the child shrunk a bit at her crimson gaze.


    "Y-yes Mod-chan! I did everything you wanted me to do! I''m not gonna avoid getting stronger!" The boy whined, glaring at Mod.


    "Sorry, sorry, Rosan," Mod placated with a smile, scooping the boy up and patting him on the head. The effects were immediate and he began purring in content.


    "Didn''t you want to play?" Robin asked in amusement.


    "In a minute," Rosan sighed, burying himself in the older woman''s bust.


    Robin and Mod laughed at the pleased boy.


    Rosan really was silly.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan hummed a jaunty tune as he made his way into the island they had docked by. Robin had sent him off the ship, due to having something important to do, and the boy had agreed easily enough.


    She told him to come back after a couple of hours so that''s what he would do!


    Mod-chan was radio silent too and that meant she was doing somethin, so the boy wouldn''t bother her!


    It was just him and his¡­ his thoughts.


    Oh, that wasn''t very good at all.


    Rosan hated being left alone with his thoughts.


    The boy''s cheerful mood immediately plummeted at the revelation and he tried hard to bounce back.


    Today was his birthday! He couldn''t feel sad on his special day! He was five now and that meant he was getting much closer to being an adult!


    Since it was his birthday, he would have to celebrate it with Robin-nee when she was done with her business! Normally, he celebrated his birthday with his¡­ with his¡­


    Ah dammit, there went his mood.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "I really hope this makes him happy," Mod said worriedly and Robin quirked a brow at the woman.


    It was just the two of them communicating (Robin did not know Mod could do that!) and so the words caught her a bit off guard.


    "What''s the matter? Is Rosan okay?" Robin asked, looking inside of the oven momentarily before getting up and using her Devil Fruit to tidy up the area.


    "No, he''s sad right now," the Devil Fruit informed her and the nine year old frowned at that.


    "You should speak to him, I think I''m good here," Robin said. She had never baked a cake before, but the cookbook was straightforward enough that she could do it.


    "...No, I''ll stay here," Mod said, surprising the brunette greatly.


    It was no secret that Mod was protective of Rosan. She was practically in charge of raising the boy and she took that job very seriously. For her to deny helping him, was a much different outcome than Robin expected.


    "?"


    "Don''t misunderstand, I''m worried sick for him but I think what your doing will help him more than what I can say," Mod explained and Robin was suddenly unsure of herself again.


    "Do you really think so?" She asked quietly.


    "I know so."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    No matter what Rosan tried, once he began thinking of his mother, it was impossible to stop.


    The boy had since secluded himself in an isolated area and he was curled in on himself now. It was taking everything for him to not burst out crying and as such, the birthday boy had been rooted to this spot for a while now.


    After what felt like hours (it was nighttime now), the boy was snapped out of his daze by a familiar voice.


    "Rosan¡­?" Mod called quietly.


    "¡­" Rosan didn''t reply, his head was currently resting in his knees and he was acting rather unresponsive.


    Mod sighed.


    "I''m taking control of your body and bringing you back to the ship, once we get on, I''ll give you control so you can find Robin, okay?" She instructed and Rosan shuffled a bit.


    "...Okay."


    The boy didn''t resist and soon, the red eyed five year old made his way to the White Rose.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "It''s quiet," Rosan thought, as Mod gave him control of his body again.


    The boy blinked a bit and realized he was really hungry.


    Some way to celebrate his birthday huh? He was really pathetic...


    Robin probably made something for him to eat and went to sleep. He would go eat and then check up on her to make sure she was okay and to let her know that he was okay.


    Decision made, the five year old made his way to the kitchen ¡ª


    "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"


    ¡ªAnd yelped at the lights suddenly being switched on.


    Rosan''s jaw dropped in surprise at Robin''s cheer.


    "H-happy wha ¡ª," the redhead gaped, sadness gone in favor shock.


    The dining area had been decorated with party supplies and there was a large cake along with other assortments of food.


    The boy''s eyes widened in awe at the purple ROSAN on the strawberry cake and he felt an emotion welling up in his chest.


    His lips began wobbling as Robin said, "I heard you were a bit sad today...so I hope this cheers you up! I don''t know what flavor of cake you like so I just made strawberry!"


    Rosan tore his eyes off the cake and turned to regard his travel companion. "You did this all by yourself¡­?" The five year old asked quietly and Robin nodded rapidly.


    "Yes I did, with some help from Mod-chan¡­ What''s the matter? Are you okay?" The 9 year old asked worriedly, noticing the shaky lips of the child. "Did I do something wrong?" The girl asked quietly.


    Maybe this wasn''t a great idea. Mod-chan should have just went to soothe him because the boy was definitely about to cry right now. Ah¡­ Robin was beginning to feel really bad ¡ª


    The boy crashed into Robin, startling her and it took her a moment to realize he was hugging her.


    "Thank you so much!" Rosan sobbed into the girl. "I-I was having a really bad day and I was about to c-cry sad tears and I hate crying sad tears because t-they make me think of how weak I am b-but, now you''re making me cry happy tears a-and that''s way better then crying sad tears!"


    Robin''s eyes went soft as the boy blabbered into her body and she immediately hugged him back.


    "You like it¡­?" The nine year old asked softly and Rosan nodded feverishly.


    "I love it!" Rosan squealed, hugging her tighter. The boy stepped back in excitement and kissed Robin right on her cheek.


    "You''re the best, Robin-nee!" The redhead exclaimed and the sheer emotion in his teary eyes, floored the Devil Child.


    Robin touched her cheek in surprise and stared at the source. Rosan was wiping his eyes with the largest grin on his face and he stared at her with pure adoration in his glowing purple eyes.


    It felt...nice.


    Robin decided she liked how he looked at her with those eyes.


    "C''mon Robin-nee! I wanna eat the cake! Is it strawberry? I love strawberry!" Rosan said, dragging the older girl to the table.


    "Wait Rosan we can''t eat dessert first! I made you your favorite pasta as well," Robin informed and the birthday boy cheered loudly.


    "You seriously are the best, Robin!"


    She liked it a lot.

 By Any Means

    Rosan awoke to the cold floor beneath him, alone.


    The teen, not sensing any danger, slowly sat up and glanced around to inspect the area he had been resting in. The room was simple in its design and there was nothing too eye-catching about it besides some thin blankets. There was a commotion in another room and he assumed that it was the bandits that he now lived with.


    Memories of his battle with Garp surged and Rosan noted that his anger had completely dissipated.


    "I lost," Rosan thought blandly. It wasn''t really a close battle either. Garp had not even remotely struggled against the teen and only the guilt of failure, held him back from destroying the redhead instantly.


    "That old man is crazy strong. I''ve never seen anyone stronger than him," Ram commented, frowning at how effortlessly they were defeated. Father wasn''t weak by any means, that Garp was just outrageously strong.


    "It''s only natural, there''s a reason we ran from him ten years ago," Mod said tiredly and Rosan focused on his Devil Fruit.


    "How is the castle? How are you? You sound tired and some of my emotions seeped through so maybe something changed?"


    "I''m doing fine..." Mod smiled in appreciation at his question. "...I didn''t notice any visible changes but that anger was unmistakable. Something changed and despite the circumstances that caused it, that''s a good sign for us."


    "That''s good. It''s the first time we''ve managed to elicit a strong reaction," The teen hummed, standing up and making his way towards the door.


    He needed to eat something.


    "How long have I been asleep?"


    "An entire day," Ram replied with a frown. That old man hit really hard. He had managed to knock out Rosan twice in only two punches.


    She didn''t remember the last time he had been knocked unconscious. She didn''t think he had ever been knocked unconscious since creating her.


    Rosan agreed with her sentiment of Garp hitting hard. If not for Mod-chan and the Philosopher''s stone, he''d probably have a headache, a missing tooth and a broken nose... How fortunate for him that he had none of those.


    The sun outside indicated that it was daytime and the teen opened the door to his room, set on finding a meal. He glanced, unimpressed, at the noise the door made and resolved to fix that issue later. The teen was used to being quiet and something like this was rather inconvenient.


    Everyone went silent at the door and Rosan glanced around the room, ignoring the gazes of the bandits.


    He met the eyes of Dadan and the woman took that as a sign to speak up.


    "Alright! Listen here, brat!" The bandit boss began and Rosan tilted his head at her as his form of acknowledgment. "You probably don''t know where you are so I''ll tell you! This is a den of the Dadan family, mountain bandits that rule Mt. Colubo!"


    "I know who you are," Rosan said quietly, cutting her off. "You have a bounty of 7.8 million, right?"


    The orange haired woman went a little pale at that quiet threat (was she reading to deep into it?!) but she rebounded admirably.


    "W-well, you''re gonna have to start working pretty hard now that you''re awake and you''ll only have one bowl of rice and water a day!" Dadan stammered a bit and Rosan hummed. "Cleaning, laundry, polishing shoes and weapons ¡ª"


    "Where are Ace and Luffy?" Rosan asked, interrupting the bandit from giving the same speech she gave to the seven year old.


    She face-planted at the fact that he ignored her but answered him regardless. "Ace is out, I don''t know where that other brat is."


    That was the wrong thing to say because Rosan''s wandering gaze was now boring into her.


    "You don''t know where Luffy is?" The teen repeated and Dadan gulped at those unnerving eyes of his.


    "H-he''s been missing for a day now after he followed Ace," she informed the shorter teen.


    Rosan said nothing for a moment and Dadan distinctively remembered what he did against Garp. Dadan was not nearly as strong as the Vice Admiral... If he attacked her, she was as good as dead.


    "Alright, I will go find him," the redhead decided. "Also, I''m not doing any of those things you said. I will clean after myself and secure my own food because one bowl of rice is not nearly enough for me," he informed her politely, nodding his head and leaving.


    Dadan watched the boy completely disregard everything she said and make his way out of their hideout.


    "Hey wait, brat!" She called out in fury. "Don''t just decide that on your... own," she tapered off as she stepped out of the building.


    Rosan was surveying the destroyed field with a calm eye.


    "Your little temper tantrum did this," Dadan grumbled. "You know how long it''s gonna take to patch this up?" She asked and the 14 year old looked back at her.


    "My apologies, I''ll fix this immediately," the redhead said softly and he crouched down to palm the floor.


    "What are you doing ¡ª" Dadan started, but the floor shaking, cut her off.


    "Modification: Repair," Rosan thought to himself, closing his eyes and concentrating. Under his guidance, the field did just that and moved. The battle ground shifted around drastically, latching itself together and Dadan watched in awe, as it seemingly patched itself right up.


    Her jaw dropped at the display and she fixed bugged eyes on the bronze boy.


    "W-w-wha," she tried to ask but Rosan was already walking off.


    "I can''t grow back trees, but I can at least repair the field," Rosan told her, without looking at the woman. "I''m off to find Luffy now."


    With that, the Mod Mod no mi user disappeared into the forest.


    Dadan stared at the spot he had been in for a long moment before she held her head in her hands.


    What was it with Garp finding all these monsters? First Ace, then Luffy, and now this Rosan person.


    Maybe prison really was better than this.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    The forest was large and, thanks to the amount of trees, Rosan couldn''t really abuse the fact that he could fly to get a better viewpoint.


    Guess he was doing this the old fashioned way and walking around until he found traces. It was a good thing he was used to hunting people that tried to run from him.


    The first thing Rosan noticed, was the tree that had been violently ripped from it''s spot. Finding the source of where it had originally been, showed that it had been pushed downhill.


    "Was Luffy attacked with this?" Mod pondered and she had to wonder who was crazy enough to attack a seven year old with a tree.


    Rosan went back to the massive tree and casually lifted it up to look under it. Luffy was made of rubber so blunt force couldn''t hurt him but he could have still been trapped under it.


    Nothing.


    The redhead placed the tree back down with a resounding thud and made his way back to where it got knocked off. He would follow the path ahead of it then.


    The teen set off with a calculating gaze, following any footprints that were still present and eventually, he made his way to a shaky bridge.


    Underneath the bridge, was a rather deep valley. It was deep enough that if anyone fell, they would almost certainly die from the height.


    "Don''t tell me he¡­" Mod said with a bit of horror in her tone. Did Luffy perhaps try to cross the bridge and slip in?


    "I wouldn''t put it past him," Ram snorted in amusement. "He''s lucky he''s made out of rubber, perfect fruit for an idiot like him."


    Rosan enhanced his vision to look deeper in the valley. He had been around the boy long enough to know that this was a possibility and a very high one too. Actually, knowing Luffy, this was the highest possibility for his future captain.


    The teen summoned his draconic wings and floated into the valley. Hopefully Luffy hadn''t fallen into the water source. Anywhere else would be fine for the rubber boy, but the water was certain death after all this time. Not to mention that the redhead wouldn''t be able to save him if he did.


    Rosan''s ear twitched as he picked up the sound of screaming and the howling of a pack of wolves.


    Mod sighed. "I think we found him," the Devil Fruit said and Rosan took off in the direction until he found his future captain.


    "Having fun, Luffy?" Rosan called to the boy desperately trying to escape from the wolves. He looked a complete mess. His shirt was ripped, he had bite and claw marks on his bloody body and he was filthy to boot.


    The seven year old''s eyes lit up at seeing the sight of Rosan with such massive wings and despite the situation, he squealed, "ROSAN, YOU CAN FLY?! THAT''S SO AWESOME!"


    A wolf nearly bit the boy running for his life and he then screamed, "SAVE MEEEE!"


    Rosan scooped up the tiny boy easily and proceeded to punt the closest wolf into a wall. The force of the blow was too strong for the canine and it immediately slumped over, unmoving.


    Luffy clutched the taller teen like his life depended on it (it did) and Mod cooed at the adorable sight.


    Rosan stared at the wary wolves surrounding him and hummed. Animals had good instincts, they knew he was much more of a threat then Luffy.


    Were they still planning on attacking him? That was rather foolish.


    The boy channeled some of Ragnarok and let loose a low snarl that successfully cowed the hesitant canines. A puff of fire sent them scurrying away and Rosan focused his attention onto the injured and beaten Luffy.


    "Wow! Thanks for saving me, Rosan!" Luffy beamed and Rosan nodded in acknowledgment. "Who knows how long I woulda stayed down there if you didn''t show up!"


    "How did you get down here? Did you slip?" The redhead asked the boy, flexing his wings and ascending back to the top.


    "...Yes," Luffy said, pushing his lips out to the side, and Rosan caught the lie so quickly, it made Ram cackle.


    "You are a terrible liar," Rosan commented but he didn''t push the issue further. If Luffy didn''t want to tell him, he wouldn''t force it.


    Besides, that answer told him everything he needed to know already.


    Ace was probably the one who did this.


    "How can you be so sure?" Mod asked, despite agreeing with him.


    Rosan thought back to the look in his little brother''s eyes and how he had mercilessly spit on Luffy''s cheek.


    "Luffy is a lonely child so he probably tried to make friends with Ace, who''s much closer in age with him then I am. Something tells me Ace doesn''t want any friends and he attacked Luffy using the tree. It could have been the bandits but they weren''t lying to me when they said they didn''t know where he was. Also, Luffy''s footprints were next to a slightly bigger pair of feet that could only belong to another child," Rosan explained and Mod hummed, impressed.


    "Your observation skills have improved dramatically," Mod smiled and Rosan said, "Thank you."


    The two reached the top and Rosan placed his captain down gently. The seven year old watched with starry eyes as his crewmates wings vanished back into his body.


    "Wow! Rosan, what''s your Devil Fruit?" Luffy demanded.


    "The Mod Mod no mi. I''m a computer man," the redhead informed Luffy. He thought about linking with the boy, but Rosan was pretty sure the rubber boy didn''t think, so it would be counterproductive.


    He''d let him in the mindscape one day though.


    "I can modify the things around me with a touch and change it into what I desire," Rosan explained and Luffy opened his mouth in awe when he picked up a discarded branch and transformed it into a toy robot.


    The seven year old was about to speak up, but his stomach let out an unnaturally loud gurgle and he fell over in hunger.


    "Fooooood," Luffy moaned pathetically, causing his scout to look over at him.


    The boy was bruised and injured and the only thing on his mind was food? He sure did have his priorities straight... Hunting wouldn''t take very long, but it would take too long for Luffy so Rosan would just cook something up for him. He was sure he still had some food left on his ship that was in stasis.


    He picked the boy back up and made his way to the hideout. "I''ll make you food and then you can tidy up."


    Luffy cheered before his stomach gurgled again and he rested his head on Rosan''s shoulder.


    "He''s even more helpless than you were," Mod laughed in joy and Ram joined her.


    "I think you just became his babysitter!" The silver haired girl pointed out and Rosan closed his eyes.


    "Ah, it appears I have."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Ace still wasn''t back and Rosan contemplated searching for him.


    The redhead immediately discarded that idea though. If Ace wanted to speak to him, he would speak to him. Rosan would not try and force the boy to talk to him.


    He would be patient.


    The area around the bandit''s home was rather spacious and the White Rose wasn''t very large so Rosan could safely summon it here.


    The former Angel of Death, pulled his sleek, silver ship out of his pocket and placed it on the floor. He then, with Luffy still in his grasp, watching curiously, stepped a fair distance away.


    "Modify: Increase," Rosan said softly and Luffy''s eyes bugged in excitement at seeing an actual ship suddenly show up!


    His eyes transformed into stars and he screamed out, "AWESOME! ROSAN, IS THIS YOUR SHIP?!"


    "Yes, her name is the White Rose."


    "She looks amazing!" Luffy exclaimed, before a contemplative expression overtook his features. "We can''t use her when we set sail," he decided suddenly and Rosan hummed.


    "Why?" He asked, already knowing the answer.


    "Because this is your ship, not mine!" Luffy explained simply and Rosan nodded.


    "That''s fine then," the redhead said. "She was damaged a while ago anyways; It''s not a good idea to make her our main ship."


    Luffy was right anyways. This was his ship and he would never relinquish ownership of it. Since Rosan wasn''t the captain, the 7 year old felt obligated to get his own ship and would refuse to use the White Rose as the main one.


    He sure was taking his duty as Captain seriously. Rosan was impressed with his resolve. Luffy probably wouldn''t want much help from him in the future if he felt like he could do it and the redhead was fine with that.


    Rosan didn''t want to help much anyways. He preferred to stay out of people''s business and let them figure things out on their own.


    "She was damaged?! What happened?!" Luffy asked in surprise.


    "I was attacked by an annoying person," the redhead explained, not going into detail about his encounter with the Celestial Dragon, and his captain nodded in understanding.


    The noise of the expanding of his ship, attracted the attention of the people inside and soon, the whole Dadan family was outside and gaping at the vessel.


    Dadan knew at a glance that the reason the ship was here, was because of the oldest brat she was in charge of.


    Somehow, the bandit didn''t even think she was in charge of him.


    True to her words, on the deck of the ship was Rosan and he was holding the, supposedly, missing Luffy. The missing boy in question looked like he had been in a war with a pack of animals and Dadan hazarded a guess that he probably was.


    "WHAT''S GOING ON?! W-WHAT IS THIS?!" Dadan roared in disbelief, causing Rosan to stare at the shell shocked woman.


    "A ship."


    "NO SHIT!" She exclaimed comically and Rosan tilted his head at her. She forced herself to calm down and asked in a much lower tone, "What is it doing here?"


    "I put it here."


    She resisted the urge to throttle the teen and calmed her racing heart. "With your Devil Fruit? What exactly is it? You were doing a lot of crazy things against Garp-san," she asked and Rosan hummed.


    "That''s a good question," he told her, before heading deeper into his ship, Luffy in tow.


    "SO ANSWER IT?!" She screeched and the bandits behind her sweatdropped. The redhead did not show back up to answer her question and the leader of the mountain bandits, was left staring at just the ship.


    Dadan held her head in defeat and moaned in misery.


    Every single one of these brats were problematic monsters. They were going to be the death of her.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    A well fed Luffy slept easily on his back, as Rosan reduced the size of the ship again and pocketed it.


    He tried waking the boy up to bathe but he was out like a light from his trip in the valley so Rosan let him sleep while he washed his injuries. How he didn''t wake up from his action? The redhead would never know but Luffy had already proven to be a complete oddity even by his standards.


    They were currently back at the bandit''s place and Rosan stared at the ceiling above him. He was about to enter his mindscape to check up on Mod-chan and Ram, but he was alerted to the presence of another person nearing the room.


    He had of course noticed the extra bed and it didn''t take him long to deduce that this was his little brother''s room. It seems he had come back from whatever it was he was doing.


    True to his words, Ace opened the door. Luffy was closer to him and he regarded the sleeping boy with a slightly surprised expression (so he did throw him over) before making eye contact with Rosan.


    Angry black made contact with lifeless red and purple and Rosan eventually broke the silence.


    "Would you like to talk? Outside?" The redhead asked quietly. He hoped his little brother (he had no right to call him that) agreed so that they could figure this out immediately.


    Ace stared at his supposed brother with a stone face but on the inside, he was a torrent of emotions.


    There were so much questions he wanted to ask the mysterious redhead so he nodded.


    Rosan got up without making a noise and made his way to the door. He pushed it open and was satisfied to not hear a noise this time. The redhead deftly avoided all the unconscious bandits and let out a breath at the cool breeze of the night.


    Footsteps alerted him to Ace following and Rosan turned to face the much shorter boy. The barking dog was immediately silenced at once glance from the redhead and it scurried away somewhere else.


    "I''m sure you have many questions for me; I won''t hesitate to answer any of them," Rosan told his younger brother and Ace took a deep breath.


    "Who are you?" He began simple.


    "My name is Portgas D. Rosan. I''m 14 years old and I''m... your older brother," he introduced himself to the shorter boy.


    "Are you¡­ really my brother? We look nothing alike," The 10 year old pointed out hesitantly and Rosan nodded.


    "We are not blood related," he informed his younger brother. "Portgas D. Rouge, our mom, found me abandoned in a forest when I was a newborn and she raised me like I were her own blood for four years."


    Ace nodded at the explanation. "Portgas D. Rouge¡­" he tested the name of his birth mother on his lips.


    "Yes. She loved the both of us very much even despite the fact that I wasn''t her real child," Rosan said, making Ace''s eyes go wide.


    "She... She loved me?"


    "Of course. Mom did everything in her power to make sure you survived and got to live your life," Rosan said softly and Ace felt a strange feeling welling up in his gut at that statement.


    "How?" The boy asked quietly and Rosan explained the entire situation of their late mother to him. By the end of the conversation, Ace was regarding his brother with wide, disbelieving eyes.


    "She really kept me hidden¡­ for 20 months?!" The 10 year old asked and for once, the blatant anger in his eyes were completely gone.


    "A child should not bear the sins of their parents," the redhead began, making Ace step back in shock. "Just because Roger is our father, does not mean our existence should be considered a crime. Mom believed that more than anyone and that''s why she sacrificed her life so that you could live yours."


    So the redhead even knew who their father was... That made everything he was saying even more believable.


    Rosan reached into his shirt and pulled out a pendant. Using Modification, he expanded it to show the picture on it. One day, he''d give Ace his own picture of mom because this one was a little too precious to him.


    "This is her. You two look nothing alike but you inherited her freckles," the redhead told his black haired brother.


    Ace gazed at the picture like it were made of gold. It was a photo of their mother and, what appeared to be, a much younger Rosan. The redhead was right, they really did look nothing alike! She had pink blonde hair and honey brown eyes compared to his black hair and eye combination!


    They were both smiling, though Rosan''s was much wider than his mother''s calmer one, and they were hugging each other tightly.


    They clearly loved each other¡­


    So this was his mother, Portgas D. Rouge. Ace didn''t know what to feel right now but he was getting overwhelmed with a foreign emotion. His brother looked much the same, just older. It was startling how much difference expressions could make because the serious, lifeless demeanor of his brother made him look like a completely different person than the beaming child in the picture.


    "Why didn''t you come with me?" Ace asked seriously and he felt a raw anger surging up. This whole time, this whole fucking time, he had an older brother and he didn''t even know about him!


    Rosan had been expecting that reaction. Honestly, he expected that to be one of the first questions so it was a surprise that he had valued other questions more.


    "There are two reasons," Rosan told his brother. "For one, I have an ability that is very coveted by the World Government. Even if Garp didn''t blame me for being Roger''s son, I don''t know what he would do to me if I revealed my ability."


    Ace scowled at that answer. "An ability worth abandoning your own brother?" he growled out and the redhead closed his eyes.


    "Please know that not a day has gone by where I haven''t felt guilt at what I felt forced to do," Rosan answered quietly, causing Ace to pull back a bit.


    "What''s this ability anyways?" The 10 year old grumbled and Rosan hummed.


    "It''s best if I tell you in a more secure location," the 14 year old told him and he got up.


    Ace followed suit and the duo walked deeper into the forest.


    Rosan looked at an incredibly large tree and nodded his head. This would do fine.


    "Do you mind being carried?" He asked his younger brother and Ace thought about it before saying, "Depends."


    "Grabbing my hand would probably be the most tolerable way for you," Rosan guessed, holding his hand out for Ace to reluctantly grab.


    The freckled boy''s jaw dropped, at seeing actual wings sprout from Rosan''s back! They were black scaly wings with a red underside and they were huge!


    "Hold on tight," Rosan instructed and he took to the skies immediately.


    Ace let out a startled yell at suddenly ascending before it turned into excitement.


    Flying felt good.


    Much to his disappointment, they reached the top of the tree in no time and Rosan let his hand free.


    "Flying is one of my favorite things to do," the redhead said softly and Ace could begrudgingly see why.


    "Do we really have to be up here for what your going to tell me?"


    Rosan hummed and bent down to touch the branch they were on. "Modify," he said simply, watching it expand to be much larger and walling the two off from the floor.


    This way, they wouldn''t fall off and suffer serious injuries. Rosan was quite sturdy but he wasn''t sure about his younger brother.


    Ace watched with wide eyes as the branch transformed into a mini tree house.


    Coupled with what he had displayed in his fight against the old man, maybe he had a valid reasoning for hiding his Devil Fruit. The amount of things he seemed able to do...


    "Closing your eyes, makes the experience much easier to deal with," Rosan suddenly said, locking his dual eyes onto the shorter boy.


    Ace glared distrustfully at him before doing so and he tensed, as the heterochromia placed a warm palm on him.


    "Modification, Link: Users Rosan, Ace," and Ace grunted at the sudden shift of surroundings. He shivered violently at the extreme drop in temperature and he had to wonder just where the hell they were.


    "You reacted the best out of everyone I''ve done that too," Rosan commented and Ace opened his eyes at hearing him.


    "This is my mindscape," the teen began explaining. "It is a mental representation of me as a person and it changes according to my psyche."


    Ace raised a brow at the explanation and was finding himself more and more impressed with Rosan''s ability.


    He looked around at the mindscape and observed the frozen forest with a confused expression.


    So this forest¡­ was a representation of how Rosan was? Ace wondered what caused it to be so damn cold.


    An orange jacket formed on the boy and instantly warmed him up, ceasing all his current complaints.


    "Follow me," Rosan said. "I''ll explain my ability as we walk so that you aren''t too surprised."


    As Rosan explained Modification to his younger brother (he was much more receptive to information then Luffy was), Ace''s eyes progressively grew wider and wider in interest.


    His Devil Fruit was really cool.


    "Thank you," a naturally soft, mature voice called out and Ace startled a bit.


    It was a purple haired woman who towered over him, but was a few inches shorter than Rosan. She wore a fancy black and white dress that covered most of her frame and her hair was styled into a hime cut. To finish off, she had a pair of blood red eyes that stared at him knowingly despite the fact that they never met.


    Next to her was a tall girl with probably the most unique appearance he had seen yet. She had long silver twintails, that were streaked with purple, and her eyes were a distinct combination of red and purple. She was wearing a black and purple Spanish-style double breasted coat that hid her figure.


    She looked at the young boy with a confident, if not slightly unhinged, grin on her face.


    Ace looked at the two warily until Rosan said, "Don''t worry, they''re with me," and the boy forced himself to remain calm.


    "So you''re Ace!" The purple haired woman hummed. "It''s nice to meet you. My name is Mod, and I''m the main reason Rosan left you behind," she said bluntly and Ram looked at her like she was crazy.


    "This is Ram, she''s Rosan''s weapon," Mod said, introducing the slightly taller girl next to her.


    Ram said nothing, which was surprising, due to sensing the forming tension. All she offered was a small wave that Ace didn''t return.


    Rosan eyed Mod for a moment but followed in his weapon''s footsteps.


    Ace glared at the woman and asked, "Are you the second reason that he mentioned?" but the woman shook her head in a no motion.


    "No. The other reason Rosan left you behind, is because he didn''t think he deserved to raise you," the woman said frankly and the freckled boy looked towards the teen to confirm.


    "...It''s true," Rosan said. "I felt that I wasn''t worthy of raising you because I blamed you for killing Mom," he admitted and Ace flinched harshly at the revelation.


    "It was only for a brief moment," Mod interrupted with a frown. It was important to place that information out there. "Rosan was a four year old boy who had just watched his mother die and you were the most obvious target for him. Even so, he was able to quickly snap out of it, yet the guilt has been gnawing at him for 10 years."


    "You don''t have to defend me, Mod," Rosan said quietly but the woman shook her head vehemently.


    "No! You aren''t going to defend yourself and you''re saying things in a way that''ll definitely make Ace hate you. You blamed him for less than 30 seconds and decided that you were the worst brother in the world because of it for ten years!" The older woman shouted and the redhead didn''t respond.


    "You watched her die?" Ace asked, feeling a strange sensation that he desperately wanted to be gone.


    "Yes, I did," Rosan confirmed and his younger brother looked to the floor. "She didn''t tell me she was giving birth so I sent a bug to spy on her. It arrived just in time to see her give us her parting words and die."


    Even Ace couldn''t blame Rosan for lashing out. He must have been suffering a great deal and the stress caused him to pick the most logical choice (in his grieving eyes). The boy truly did seem like he loved their mother and her death had permanently scarred him.


    Maybe it was his fault. If he hadn''t existed, Rosan would likely still be with Rouge and he''d get to enjoy his life with the person who raised him.


    "Don''t do that," Rosan suddenly said, making Ace freeze. "Don''t regret the life you''ve been given. Why do you think you shouldn''t exist?"


    "...Because I''m Roger''s son," Ace said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.


    "Roger¡­" Rosan actually managed to look displeased. "That man is truly an idiot for the way he ruined our lives. No wonder you''ve grown up with that look in your eyes. You have probably heard horrible things about him and as such, it affected you."


    Ace didn''t answer, confirming his thoughts.


    "You are not Gol D. Roger," the redhead explained quietly. "Your name is Gol D. Ace, a 10 year old orphan who has done nothing to deserve being hunted by the World Government. The sin''s of a father should not pass down to their child and that applies to even you, no matter what anyone else has to say."


    "Mom sacrificed her life for you because she loved you. Don''t tarnish her final action by questioning your existence. Live your life to the fullest, until you find a reason to live, if you have to."


    Ace looked at his brother in awe at his words. He couldn''t help but ask, "And what about you? Do you love me?"


    Rosan tilted his head and said, "Of course I love you. I wouldn''t have been so afraid to meet you if I didn''t."


    Ace was surprised to feel some tears running down his eyes at the simple declaration. Someone actually¡­ loved him? Someone didn''t curse his existence just for being the son of the Pirate King? The only other person who he could legitimately call family, didn''t hate him for being the cause of their mother''s death?


    That¡­ That was a relief.


    "I need time to digest this information," Ace suddenly said and Rosan nodded in understanding. It was perfectly fine to be overwhelmed by a revelation like that.


    "I''ll disappear for a few days so that you can process them alone," the redhead offered and Ace agreed to that.


    "I will leave tomorrow then. I''m glad we managed to talk this out without coming to blows... yet," Rosan said softly and Ace couldn''t help but snort.


    He wouldn''t be so sure about that just yet.


    "Wait," Mod suddenly said and everyone paused. "Rosan, I''d like to talk to Ace. Alone please," the purple haired woman said and the 14 year old hummed.


    "Okay," he agreed easily. "Come Ram, you can have me to yourself while we wait."


    The dead silent Ram let out a loud cheer and immediately jumped on Rosan''s back. She snuggled closely to him and the redhead turned in the opposite direction to walk off.


    Once they were out of sight, Mod sighed and looked at the lone individual there.


    Ace was staring at her with distrustful eyes but the purple haired woman didn''t care very much.


    No, all she cared about was making sure Rosan got better.


    "Rosan is not to blame for leaving you," Mod said calmly. "I am. I influenced his decision to leave you behind because of the threat the World Government posed to me and his desire to keep me safe, triumphed everything."


    As she spoke to him, it finally hit Ace on just who this person was. "You''re the Devil Fruit," he muttered and Mod confirmed it with a nod.


    "Yes and I''m the one who told Rosan not to trust the Marines and the death of his mother, only strengthened that already negative mindset. The reason he chose to leave you, was because Garp already had you and he at least wanted to protect me. If I never told him, he''d be with you from the start."


    Ace let loose a quiet snarl at the cold tone of the woman. "Why are you telling me this? Are you trying to make me hate you?!"


    "If that means Rosan is spared from it, then yes," Mod said without hesitation and Ace flinched in surprise at the speed that she answered.


    "Don''t misunderstand Ace, I really do love you," the purple haired woman said softly, making the 10 year old gap. "Of course I''d love someone that Rosan loves. But you need to understand that I love Rosan more and I will do anything for him."


    "Rosan has been through too much already and he''s barely hanging on by a thread right now. You don''t seem to understand how valuable you are to him and I don''t want you to break him even further," Mod said truthfully and the look in her eyes, made Ace tense.


    The freckled boy thought back to that lifeless expression that seemed to permanently be Rosan''s face and felt his curiosity spike.


    "What happened to him?"


    The older woman let out a tired sigh and said, "It''s not my place to tell you, but I''m sure he''ll answer you if you ask."


    "I don''t think you''ll do something stupid because you are a smart boy. But understand this Ace, if you do in fact say something stupid and it brings Rosan to the point of no return¡­" Mod began and her crimson eyes began glowing ominously.


    "...You''ll have me to deal with and you''ll understand just how much I care about my child."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "I''ll be leaving for a couple of days, Luffy," Rosan told his future captain.


    "Okay!" Luffy said, without even asking where. Rosan liked that. Luffy wasn''t a nosy person.


    The seven year old was looking intently at the area that Ace had departed in and Rosan guessed he was going to follow him again.


    "Be careful while I''m gone; Try not to fall into a valley again," the redhead requested and Luffy nodded rapidly.


    The rubber boy looked like he was about to take off any second now and Rosan knew for a fact, that he was going to end up in more disastrous situations.


    He hoisted the tiny boy up suddenly, palmed his straw hat, and said, "Modification: Save Point."


    Job done, he put the child down and said, "Now you can go," and he watched as Luffy rocketed off.


    Hopefully Ace would be too deep in thought to harass his captain.


    Somehow, he doubted that.


    "Where are you going?" Dadan asked gruffly and Rosan looked at the bandit leader.


    "Are you worried about me?" He asked and the woman scoffed.


    "Of course not! I''m just curious is all."


    "I''m going to visit a princess," he said truthfully, calling her out on her bullshit. It was odd though... For some reason, Dadan didn''t believe him when he said it.


    He tilted his head at that fact. Was it that unbelievable? Maro certainly didn''t act like a princess but she at least dressed and looked like one... somewhat.


    "I don''t think that''s the reason why," Mod said in amusement.


    "Whatever. Just make sure you get back before Garp catches wind your gone," Dadan said and she began making her way back into the hideout.


    "I don''t want to even look at that man. If I see him again, I won''t be able to resist attacking him," Rosan said truthfully, making his way deeper into the forest.


    Dadan looked back at him in disbelief. Did he not remember handily losing that fight? Did he get a few screws knocked loose in the process? Was he seriously hellbent on attacking Garp every single time he saw him?


    Crazy damn kids these days.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "You were supposed to visit us three times a week," Angel growled in a barely restrained fury. Creator or not, the pretty redhead was seriously about to attack Rosan for the sheer audacity that he seemed to always exhibit.


    "I said that so you could let me go easier," Rosan informed her truthfully, unbothered by her anger. "I''m trying to make it so you three are independent from me and visiting you three times a week, defeats that purpose."


    "But I don''t wanna be independent from you," the middle triplet whined and Rosan rubbed her hair gently. One day, his clones would appreciate what he was trying to do for them. Right now, they still held him on too high of a pedestal so they wouldn''t see it yet, but one day.


    "But I do," he said and his fellow redhead grumbled in defeat.


    "If Master wants it, I''ll do it," she conceded begrudgingly.


    "Thank you Angel, I appreciate your cooperation," Rosan said and he hugged her. She melted in his grasp with a happy sigh and Maro looked properly annoyed.


    "Why can''t you act like this around me?!" The princess grumbled in annoyance.


    "Because you aren''t Master," Angel said ruthlessly and Maro fell over at her blunt honesty.


    "B-but I''m your girlfriend," she whined. Why did she have to fall in love with the rudest of the triplets... Honestly, Demon would have been a much better choice.


    "But you''re not Master."


    "You''re so mean to me," Maro said with a rainy cloud over her head and Angel finally decided to throw her a bone.


    The tall redhead made her way over to Maro and planted a simple kiss on her cheek and the bluenette was back to normal instantly.


    "Alright! So Master, how did it go? Did you find your brother? Does he hate you? Love you? Is he still wearing diapers?"


    The female clone sweatdropped at how quickly she rebounded and just sighed in exasperation at the antics of the princess.


    "Tell us everything!" Angel demanded eagerly and Rosan nodded in affirmation.


    "Where is Demon?" The redhead asked and his clone smiled fondly.


    "He''s working at the hospital right now with his little helper, Rin," the redhead said softly. Demon had been improving at a massive rate in medicine and now, he was comfortably working as a doctor. Rin didn''t like being far from him so he had ended up being a bit of an assistant to the purple haired teen.


    "I''ll tell him everything when he gets back but I can''t wait!" Maro was shaking in excitement as she impatiently waited for Rosan to tell her about what he was up too.


    What? He had been gone for a really long time!


    Rosan hummed and said, "I''ll start from the beginning then."


    They all sat comfortably in Maro''s massive blue room and Rosan thanked the child, that seemed to be attached to his student, for bringing snacks.


    Kanna blushed at the praise, bowed, and fled the room.


    "I think she likes you~," Maro teased and Rosan raised a neat red brow.


    "I''m pretty sure that applies to you more than me," he responded and the bluenette raised both her blue brows in confusion.


    "Huh?" Maro asked dumbly and Angel let out a snort.


    "I still can''t believe you let that little thief stay in the castle. Should have just let me deal with her," the redhead scoffed and Maro put a soothing hand on her shoulder.


    "Now, now, none of that, Angel¡­ Kanna is working hard to prove her worth and she''s doing a great job! She already avoids you like the plague because of how scary you are! Isn''t that good enough?" The princess asked patiently, hoping that her girlfriend could see reason.


    "No."


    Maro sweatdropped and just let the topic drop. She looked at Rosan and just beckoned for him to tell his tale.


    Angel was honestly too much sometimes!


    "I made a... friend," Rosan began bluntly and they froze in astonishment at that. "And he made me join his pirate crew."


    ¡­


    "Huh?" Maro asked dumbly and Angel was right there with her.


    "I''m afraid I need you to elaborate, Master¡­" Angel requested slowly and the redhead simply nodded.


    He told the two about how he had just wanted to gather information on the town and met the hyperactive Luffy in the process. He mentioned how the child reminded him a bit of his younger self and that the seven year old had forced Rosan to become his friend.


    The two girls stared, dumbfounded, at the story and it took them a moment to process it.


    "Luffy was it? He actually managed to convince you to become a pirate?" Maro asked.


    "He didn''t give me much of a choice and Mod-chan likes him, so I agreed."


    "Master Mod is personally interested in him?" Angel asked in awe. "That means he can benefit you in some way, right?!"


    "Yes. He''s a unique child," Rosan answered truthfully.


    "We have to meet him soon! Once we stabilize Celadon more, we''re definitely visiting," Maro exclaimed and Angel nodded in agreement.


    "Now what about Ace?" The redhead asked and Maro leaned forward eagerly.


    "I found him and we spoke. He''s the reason I''m here actually. If you don''t mind I would like to stay for a couple of days."


    Angel cheered excitedly and crashed into Rosan. "Of course Master! You can sleep in our room and we can talk about everything and you can watch me work and I can dress you up again! I love dressing you up!"


    "Am I actually the princess here?" Maro asked, but Angel completely ignored her. The Dokkaebi would have sighed, but she was grinning too.


    Master was staying for a bit with them! She would have whooped in joy but she had appearances to keep up as the princess! Decorum and all of that stuff that Angel brutally taught her...


    "What brought this on? Did the meeting with him go bad?" Maro asked, suddenly seriously and Rosan shook his head.


    "It went¡­ far better than I imagined but that might be because of the shock factor of the situation," the Mod Mod no mi user admitted and they beamed.


    "Ace... is an angry child. I do not regret avoiding that Marine because that man cannot be trusted, but I regret not finding a way to take my little brother with me," the redhead told them, closing his eyes. There was no possible way he would have been able to get Ace out of Garp''s grasp and escape without getting caught... the man had shown that he could fly and there was no doubt he''d be able to catch up to the redhead.


    "That bad?" Maro asked and Rosan nodded.


    "I attacked Garp out of anger," was all he said and they the two froze at the revelation.


    The idea that Rosan attacked a monster like Garp was only secondary to the knowledge that he actually felt something.


    "T-true genuine anger?" Angel stammered in hope.


    "Yes, Rosan was actually upset to the point where he discarded all pretenses and attacked Garp with Modification," Mod told them softly. Despite the risk of doing so, the Devil Fruit was happy that he had done it! It meant that he was being completely irrational and irrationality, was based purely on emotion.


    They gaped at Rosan, who simply nodded. "It was a short burst and the anger has since dissipated but it has promising implications."


    Angel couldn''t prevent the tears from welling up at that. "S-So it''s not impossible! Master can still be helped!" She shakily said and the teen sagged in relief.


    Even if it was anger, it was something. Even if it was gone now, it had been there!


    The girl could cry right now.


    "Now we have to meet Ace!" Maro exclaimed giddily. She was rubbing a soothing hand on Angel''s shoulder and the princess also felt a well of relief surging through her.


    "Not yet, I don''t want to overwhelm him," Rosan said. "Besides, the reason I''m here is because I want him to gather his thoughts without any sort of bias. If he hates me, I will understand if he wants me gone. If he doesn''t, then I will do what I can to mend our broken relationship."


    "You''re putting a lot of effort into this, Master," Maro smiled.


    "I hope it''s worth it," Angel beamed and Rosan nodded in agreement.


    "¡­" Mod hummed and Ram looked at her in curiosity, but said nothing.


    "I''ll stay here for a week, then I''ll be gone again. If you need me for anything, let me know," Rosan informed them softly.


    "Nope! You are not working! Your gonna spend time with us and that''s that," Angel said, leaving no room for argument and Maro laughed.


    "You''ve done a lot already! We got some stuff from Aiko recently and we''ve already set up trade routes with some interested islands. They are really curious about how we manage to produce such healthy crops so quickly!" The princess bragged with a puffed up chest.


    Celadon was already well on its way of making its name known!


    "I''m impressed. You are making full use of every single one of your abilities as a Dokkaebi," Rosan commented and she blushed at the praise.


    "But I have no one to fight right now! We have to spar during your stay here," Maro decided.


    "When was the last time you bought yourself clothes? We have to go shopping!" Angel demanded. "I know why you haven''t showed up, but I still don''t like it so you have to make it up to me!"


    "Okay," Rosan conceded without complaint and Angel grumbled.


    Stupid Master and his stupid compliance.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "You threatened Ace, right?" Rosan said calmly, staring at his caretaker of 10 years.


    Ram''s mouth opened in an O and Mod stared at Rosan with a neutral gaze.


    The 3 were currently in the mindscape, relaxing in the lounge area, on the long, black and red, couches. Ram was resting her head on Rosan''s lap as the teen idly rubbed her hair.


    She wisely chose to stay silent. Maybe she''d go find something else to do if it got bad... There was no way she was gonna interfere with this.


    "Threaten? No," Mod replied, equally calm. "I just informed him of the situation without needlessly dragging your name through the dirt like someone I know." There was a small bite in her tone as she said that final part and the silver haired teen began to squirm uncomfortably.


    "So you shifted the blame off of me and onto yourself, then you threatened him."


    Mod raised a delicate purple brow. "You sound very sure that I threatened him."


    "Of course. I know you better than anyone else, Mod-chan," Rosan chided her gently, boring his gaze into her and successfully making her fidget. "I understand that you are overprotective of me and that, in my current state, anything that could possibly have a negative effect on me, will be dealt with by you. Am I wrong?"


    The Devil Fruit stared at the taller (she missed the days when he was shorter than her) teen and let loose a tired sigh.


    "I do not regret what I''ve done," Mod said and Ram contemplated fleeing from the situation.


    Sometimes, it was a blessing that Father had no emotions.


    "He is 10," Rosan informed his longest companion. "He has every right in the world to feel disdain for me and you shouldn''t try to influence that."


    "I disagree," the Devil Fruit replied stubbornly. "You tried very hard to portray yourself in a negative life when telling Ace what happened. It seems like you are actively trying to influence him into hating you."


    "¡­" Rosan did not respond and Mod took that as a sign to continue.


    "You told Ace that you blamed him for Rouge''s death, yet you omitted the fact that it was for a split second. Do you think he would have known how short it was, without me intervening and mentioning it?" The woman accused and she frowned heavily at her charge.


    "I thought we were past this self destructive phase of yours, Rosan," she finished sadly.


    "I''m sorry," Rosan said suddenly, making her pause in surprise. She had expected him to fight back more strongly... "You''re just worried for me and it''s only been amplified because of my change," the redhead pointed out and she nodded in agreement.


    "You''re willing to do anything to protect me, even if it means throwing your morals away and I appreciate that. But, I''m not a fragile piece of glass, Mod-chan."


    The woman froze in shock at his words and she began to rapidly shake her head at his quiet declaration. She... she wasn''t trying to imply that at all!


    "Ace hating me will hurt but I doubt it will cause me to fall even further then where I''m currently at. My mental fortitude is pretty strong and I''ve prepared for this outcome for 10 years."


    "I-I know that! It''s just...I''m so scared Rosan," she admitted in a soft whisper. "Every day I think about what happened to Meiko and how much it changed you and every day I think to myself, "how is Rosan going to recover from something like this?" and it makes me so scared to think that maybe it will never come!"


    "You and Meiko were made for each other. To lose your other half is something not many people can recover from a-and I''m afraid that there''s a chance it can happen to you too! I''m not worried about you falling further, I''m worried about you never recovering."


    Tears began welling up in her eyes and she bowed her head. "I miss it Rosan. I miss your emotions, I miss your smile, your care, your anger, your chaotic nature. I miss all of and I won''t accept anyone potentially slowing down what little progress we''ve made. Even Ace."


    "It''s not often your this up front and honest with me," Rosan commented and she couldn''t resist smiling despite the tears.


    "It''s cause your growing up now," she said playfully and Ram giggled.


    Rosan got up (Ram nearly protested) and made his way over to Mod. He wrapped the woman in his arms and whispered, "I''m lucky to have you, Mod-chan. The extent that your willing to go for me, makes me feel truly blessed and I love you all the more for it."


    "I know," Mod mumbled, burying her face in his chest. The plus side of his growth spurt, was that Rosan was a very comfortable person to rest against now.


    "You are the most important person in the world to me. You''re my best friend, my mother, my sister, my partner for life... You have done everything for me since I was 4," Rosan replied truthfully and she couldn''t keep the large smile off her face at his declaration. "I will do anything to make you happy and if that means clawing through this world to get my emotions back, I''ll do it. Just for you because you deserve it."


    Her tears began falling and she desperately clutched the person she cared for most. This was why she loved him so much! His number one priority, had always been her since they met and it had not changed over the years. It was natural that he had become her number one priority.


    "Group hug!" Ram cheered and she dove onto the two. She was hoping to knock them over, but Rosan deftly caught her and included her into the mix.


    "Whether you eventually unlock your emotions again, or you stay like this, you''ll always have my unconditional loyalty," Ram exclaimed without any hesitation and Mod laughed.


    If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    "I don''t care how you end up Rosan. I''ll love you all the same, but I just want you to be happy," the Devil Fruit whispered warmly and her wielder clutched the two tighter.


    "That''s why I endure, to see if there is such thing as happiness for me now," Rosan murmured and the 3 just held each other.


    Even if he couldn''t find it, at least he still had people who cared for him.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    The week had passed by quickly and like always, his 3 old shipmates were there to see him off.


    "Don''t disappear for longer than a month this time," Angel snarled but the fact that she was buried in Rosan''s body, made it impossible to take her serious.


    Just don''t tell her that...


    "I''ll try to balance visiting you guys and making you grow away from me," Rosan promised. "You three are already making good progress. You have other things to focus on that distracts you from the fact that I am not here."


    "Stop trying to use logic on me!" Angel harrumphed and Demon snorted.


    "I still have a hard time believing the story you told us. I wish I could have heard it in person," he hummed. He had been busy working at the hospital and applying what he had learned from his studies. It was working out extremely well for him and he was already near the top of the staff.


    "Blame Maro," Angel said without hesitation and the girl gaped at being outed so quickly.


    "S-Snitch!" She barked and the redhead stuck out her tongue childishly. Maro returned it in kind and soon, the two began bickering with each other.


    "I apologize for not delaying, but I''m happy that you are finding so much success as a Doctor, Demon," Rosan said truthfully and Demon blushed bashfully.


    "I-I''m just trying my best to honor Meiko''s memories," he muttered with a soft smile on his face.


    "She''d be proud of you and a little jealous that you caught up to her skills so quickly," Rosan remarked and the 2 clones laughed at the truthful statement.


    Maro smiled a forlorn smile. She would have loved to meet Meiko in person. All 3 of the triplets thought very highly of her. Angel didn''t compliment anyone (besides Rosan) as much as she complimented the late lover of their Master.


    She must have been an amazing person.


    "Alright, alright!" Angel said with a shaky smile. "We''ll let you go before it gets bad and I try to forcefully keep you here!"


    "Thank you, Angel," Rosan nodded and he waved at the three before vanishing.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan''s method of going to Dawn Island, was to teleport to Luffy''s straw hat that he recently placed a Save Point on.


    That was not a good idea.


    Luffy was incredibly reckless.


    Mod let out a deep sigh of regret at the sight of the child almost being consumed by crocodiles.


    Rosan glanced at his soaked pants, from being knee deep in the water, and hummed.


    "This is unexpected. I suppose it''s a good thing that I''m taller now or else this would be rather troublesome."


    If more than half of his body had been submerged, he''d be pretty weakened and it would be a lot harder to escape from the crocodiles. Since the water only reached his knees, he was fine.


    Luffy didn''t look very fine though.


    The boy was desperately trying to avoid getting chomped by the crocodiles and Ram was laughing hysterically at the sight. The silver haired weapon was rolling on the floor at the hilarity of it all and she was desperately clutching her stomach.


    "Perhaps I made a mistake," Mod said and the teen began laughing harder.


    "Your the one that was interested in him Auntie! No regrets now," she cackled.


    "Do you need help, Luffy?" Rosan called and the boy looked at his scout with such pathetic eyes, Ram lost her breath.


    Rosan transformed his weapon into a katana and made his way to the crocodiles.


    "Crocodiles are edible, right?" the redhead asked and Mod nodded.


    "Yes, they are."


    "Then we will eat this tonight. I hope it''s not too difficult to cook," the teen decided and he dashed into them without hesitation.


    10 minutes later. Rosan stepped on Luffy''s inflated belly to push out all the water he had managed to drink. The corpses of the crocodiles, were lying some ways away and the redhead contemplated on just how he''d cook them.


    "Being rubber sure has given your body some... freedom," he commented slowly and his captain''s response was to spit out another glob of water.


    "At least you''ve never had any accidents with drowning," Mod said tiredly.


    "If I fell in the water while traveling with Robin, she wouldn''t be able to get me and I''d die. It was trying times back then when I was that clumsy," Rosan said truthfully, thinking back to it.


    He had way too many near falls when he traveled with the Devil Child and she had told him to stop raising her blood pressure. After they separated, and he was imprisoned, the boy had gained far more control over his formerly clumsy body with training and he managed to more easily evade situations like that.


    Luffy was probably always going to have this problem.


    It''s a good thing he ate Mod''s fruit before he ever cared about the ocean.


    "Did you try and follow Ace today again?" Rosan asked the recovered child.


    "N-no!" Luffy lied and Rosan tilted his head.


    "You don''t want me to interfere?" he asked instead and the rubber boy nodded rapidly, thankful that he didn''t need to lie anymore.


    The boy was a terrible liar anyways.


    "I want Ace to be my friend!" The seven year old said determinedly. "I don''t want to rely on you for everything so no helping! I can do it!"


    Rosan could respect that. He wasn''t keen on being a babysitter anyways. If Luffy wanted to do it by himself, the redhead wouldn''t stop him. His captain was someone who wouldn''t hesitate to ask for help if he truly couldn''t do it himself, but if he could, then he would and that was a mindset that he could appreciate.


    "Okay, I won''t follow you two, have fun and try not to die," Rosan said calmly and Luffy cheered.


    With Luffy chasing Ace, that would leave him plenty of free time and he didn''t know what to do with it.


    Rosan had not been training as intensely as when he was younger because he simply lacked the drive to do so. He didn''t think that was changing anytime soon. Besides, his priorities had changed over the year. Being the strongest was a far off dream at the moment.


    Seems he could actually visit Maro and co more. They would be happy to hear that.


    He would naturally still limit his visits though.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan glanced at the bandit''s hideout.


    He had been at the rich capital today to glean some info on it and now, he was making his way back to their home. The redhead was purposely avoiding Ace, in case the boy wanted some more time alone, and that meant he didn''t see Luffy either.


    He contemplated searching for the seven year old but discarded the thought. His struggle against Ace was building character along with his strength and Rosan wouldn''t impede that.


    With that, he entered the building ¡ª only to immediately pause at the speech of the, obviously drunk, bandits.


    "He''s a demon child!" That was Dadan currently yelling. "We can''t control him and if the government finds us, we''re all as good as dead!"


    "Ace is uncontrollable! If he dies, he dies," the bandit leader slurred.


    "Not this again," Magra sighed.


    "What about his brother? You really think he''ll accept that?" Dogra said worriedly.


    "That redhead? He''s even more of a monster than Ace is! I doubt anything here can kill him but if by some miracle he does die, we''ll be lucky."


    "Is that so?" Rosan said softly and every single one of them froze in unison, terror welling up in their bodies at that familiar, quiet voice.


    The redhead entered the room and stared down the bandit leader with searching eyes.


    "I''d like to make one thing clear," Rosan began and they started trembling. "I do not care what people have to say about me, much less bandits whose lives are already ruined. I''ve been called much worse things in my life and it has never affected me," he informed them, voice a near whisper but they could hear him perfectly.


    "But the fact that you speak so cruelly about Ace, while he lives with you, is unacceptable. This is surely not the first time either and I''m sure he''s picked up some of your words."


    A daunting pressure slammed into them and they found that it was getting alot more difficult to breathe.


    "The mind of a child is impressionable. "Should I be alive? Am I a demon? A monster? Would I be better off dead?" If told something many times, they will have no choice but to begin believing those doubts," Rosan''s voice was almost inaudible and he took a step forward the terrified bandits.


    "That is unacceptable," his voice echoed in the room.


    Dadan tried to speak up but she was unable too. The worst thing about this entire ordeal, was that Rosan''s tone had not shifted even once. He spoke in that same vacant cadence of his and it made the situation all the more unsettling.


    "If Ace grew up hearing what you were saying, that would explain some of what I need to know," he said and the pressure relented. More and more, he was realizing the mistake he had made leaving his little brother in the care of these people... Sadly, hindsight was 20/20 and there was nothing he could do to change the past.


    "Let this be a warning, if I ever catch you bad mouthing my 10 year old brother in that way again, I''m going to show you what an actual demon is and you''ll find that you much prefer the way someone like Ace acts..."


    "...Okay?" Rosan finished gently.


    "O-Okay," Dadan stammered, sobered up and terrified.


    Rosan nodded and turned away to leave.


    "I''m surprised you didn''t kill them," Mod commented with a raised brow.


    "Yea! Normally, you wouldn''t even give them a warning!" Ram was also confused. Father had quite low tolerance for people that offended him so to see them still breathing, came as a surprise to her.


    "There is no point. I would gain nothing from it besides Garp hunting me down," Rosan informed them.


    He stepped out of the room, only to make eye contact with Ace himself.


    The 10 year old was looking at him with wide eyes and it was clear he had been listening in.


    Rosan had not been intending for that.


    The redhead pointed outside questioningly and after a moment of deliberation, Ace nodded.


    The two walked out and Rosan asked "Do you want to go to the tree again?"


    Ace enjoyed flying so he agreed faster this time (just a little). Rosan''s large, scaly wings sprouted from his back and the son of Roger reached out his hand for the tall teen to grab.


    "What type of wings are these?" Ace asked curiously as they flew to the location.


    "Dragon wings," Rosan answered immediately.


    "!" Ace reeled in shock. "You can transform into a dragon?!"


    "Yes I can. It''s a technique I''m very proud of. It took me far too long to learn how to do it."


    Ace wanted to see it but he wouldn''t say that out loud.


    "I can show you one day, if you''d like," Rosan offered and his younger brother nodded his head in agreement.


    "Do all children love dragons?" Mod asked, looking utterly unimpressed. She liked how Rosan''s dragon looked but she was not nearly as awe inspired as everyone else seemed to be. She was more so inspired by how bullheaded he had been in trying to achieve the technique. It had taken him 5 years after all!


    "Dragon''s are pretty awesome!" Ram said cheerfully, just as smitten with the flying lizard as everyone else.


    "I don''t understand¡­"


    "It''s because you''re old, Auntie!"


    ¡­


    "I-I didn''t mean it like that," Ram tried but it was too late for her.


    "How could you have possibly meant it?" Mod asked calmly, with a firm grip on the silver haired girl''s cheek.


    "I''m sowwy," Ram''s distorted voice came out and she desperately tried to pry Mod''s soft hands away.


    Why the hell was Auntie so strong?! W-what was she eating?!


    "Are you calling me fat now?!"


    "Noooo, where did you even get that from?!" Ram was justifiably terrified for her life.


    Rosan expertly ignored the two. The two brothers landed on top of the tree and the redhead placed Ace down easily enough. He repeated the same process as last time and soon, the two were sitting in a mini tree house.


    The redhead sat down, content to let Ace steer this conversation and he began humming a tune that Meiko loved to listen to.


    Ace himself, was deep in thought. He had been thinking hard about what he thought of his older brother in the time that he was gone.


    He didn''t think he hated him, but he surely did resent him. It was impossible not to, he was supposed to have an older brother to watch out for him and instead, he got nothing but vicious words growing up about how the son of Roger was better off being killed.


    "I''ve got some more questions for you," Ace decided.


    "Okay," Rosan replied easily enough.


    "What were you doing these past 10 years?" he wondered.


    "Sailing the seas mostly. I rarely stayed on an island for long," Rosan informed him.


    "By yourself?"


    Rosan shook his head no. "I''ve always had at least one companion with me. At first it was because I was only 4 and could not reliably take care of myself but around 9, it was simply because I needed more hands."


    "So you''ve been sailing the sea for 10 years," Ace muttered.


    "Yes. If not for Mod-chan, I''d probably be dead who knows how many times," the redhead told him truthfully.


    Mod-chan¡­ Ace remembered her words clear as day. The protective gleam in her eyes as she talked about her charge, the ease at which she threatened him¡­


    Ace had to wonder what caused her to go to such lengths for his older brother. The woman admitted that despite loving him (wasn''t that a shock) she wouldn''t hesitate to hurt him if he hurt Rosan.


    The 10 year old refused to fear anybody though. She wouldn''t cow him from speaking his mind. Nobody could.


    But first¡­


    "Why are you so serious all the time? It doesn''t feel like you have any emotions and it''s a little hard to believe that your sincere in trying to make it up to me," Ace said bluntly.


    "A good observation," Rosan praised blandly. "You''re right, my emotions are locked away at the moment and show no signs of coming back to me. I assure you that one of my biggest regrets that I have never let go of, is not being able to bring you with me in some way."


    Locked away. So something caused this to happen to him.


    "What happened? Was it Mom?" Ace asked softly and Rosan''s dual gaze locked onto him. It almost felt like he wasn''t going to answer the question, but his brother had said he would answer without hesitation.


    "Mom played a big part, but she was not the decisive factor," the redhead sighed and he looked at his ring. Ace did not miss that motion and he regarded the fancy, oddly familiar (it reminded him of something but he wasn''t sure what), ring curiously.


    The 10 year old didn''t miss how Rosan wore so much expensive jewelry. The redhead had dangling ruby red earrings in both ears, a white pendant, and that silver and amethyst ring.


    Coupled with his various outfits, Ace thought his brother was just some rich kid but it was clear that he was wrong.


    The pendant was one of his last connections with Mom. Ace wondered what the ring and earrings signified.


    "To be frank, the reason my emotions are locked away is because the love of my life, died in my arms," Rosan told him and Ace felt the world freeze around him at what the redhead just said.


    That¡­ that was not what he had been expecting to hear. No, that was definitely not what he had been expecting to hear.


    "W-what?!" The 10 year old stammered in shock. Did his brother really just say that? The love of his life¡­ died in his arms?


    What the fuck?!


    Mod closed her eyes as the pain of the memory washed over her. She resisted the urge to burst out crying and Ram immediately pulled the woman close to her, whispering words of reassurance all the while.


    "The cause for my emotions disappearing, happened because my lover, Meiko, died in my arms," Rosan repeated softly and Ace began shaking his head rapidly.


    "Wait! I didn''t think it was that bad¡­ You don''t... you don''t have to continue," he told him. This was clearly not something easy to talk about and Ace was out of his depth with the topic. He didn''t mean to bring up bad memories when asking the redhead that question.


    "Rosan has been through too much already and he''s barely hanging on by a thread right now. You don''t seem to understand how valuable you are to him and I don''t want you to break him even further," Mod''s words reverberated in his head and Ace suddenly found that she had not been joking.


    "Are you sure?" Rosan asked and Ace nodded without hesitation.


    "...Sorry for making you think about that," the freckled boy mumbled. He wasn''t used to apologizing but he felt it was necessary here.


    "You didn''t know," the 14 year old dismissed immediately. "There''s a lot of things you don''t know about me."


    That sounded ominous.


    "That''s my fault though. I should have sought you out sooner and as an apology, and a show of trust, I''ll tell you one of my biggest secrets," Rosan said and Ace raised a brow at that.


    "You have a secret bigger than Modification?" The 10 year old wondered.


    "I suppose you can say that," Rosan hummed. "I am Reaper, the Angel of Death."


    ¡­


    ¡­.


    "WHAT?!" Ace''s jaw dropped at the revelation and his eyes bugged comically.


    Was his older brother¡­ really that Reaper? The infamous bounty hunter turned criminal?! Everyone talked about that guy so even someone like Ace, who didn''t pay much attention to the outside world, knew who they were! Granted, he didn''t know much but he knew that they were a pretty big deal!


    You''re saying this was them?! He found that a little hard to believe!


    "Yes, you are one of the few people to know that so please keep it a secret," Rosan requested.


    "But your wings are scaly and I heard that Reaper''s wings are feathery, like a bird," Ace pointed out. It was the one constant people talked about when mentioning the Shinigami. Those black wings of theirs.


    "Angel, actually," Rosan said and a magnificent pair of wings burst out of his back. They were pitch black and feathery and something about them looked like more than just bird wings. Even in the dark of the night, they seemed to absorb the light around them and Ace had the strange urge to touch them.


    "I never said a dragon is the only thing I can transform into."


    Ace eyed his brother in a new light.


    So the redhead was the elusive criminal, Reaper. That explained the dangerous air around them and how they had been able to fight Garp for a moment.


    That¡­ was kinda cool.


    Ace sighed before cocking his fist back and punching Rosan right in the nose. The redhead''s head was flung back by the impact but he accepted it without complaint and didn''t bother wiping the blood that had begun leaking from it.


    He deserved that. Honestly, Ace was well within his rights to hurt him even more and he wouldn''t stop him.


    "I don''t hate you. I resent you," the freckled boy eventually said. Punching him like that, felt good.


    "No matter what your reasoning is, you still abandoned me for 10 years. We''re supposed to be brothers, but I didn''t even know you existed until recently."


    Rosan stayed silent, sensing that Ace wanted to get this off his chest.


    "The only reason I don''t hate you, is because you look like you''ve had your own problems over the years," Ace said truthfully. "I wouldn''t even want to look at you if you weren''t like this and I''d hate you as much as I hate Roger."


    Mod frowned at his words.


    "I don''t really consider you my older brother so don''t try to act like you are. I''ve been taking care of myself for this long and I definitely don''t need your help anymore so you don''t have to watch out for me," he grunted and he was sure the woman who had threatened him last time, was glaring now.


    Eh, he didn''t care. She could fuck off. He was going to speak his mind and no one could tell him otherwise.


    "Do you want me to leave? Permanently?" Rosan questioned and Ace was tempted to say yes but despite his words, this was still family. His older brother was trying to make an effort and though the freckled boy was angry with him, he wouldn''t push him away needlessly.


    Mom loved them both equally after all and he owed his mother for how great of a woman she was.


    "No, just¡­ don''t interfere with my life if I don''t want you to," Ace grumbled and that was probably as good as Rosan was going to get.


    "I understand," the redhead said and Ace was surprised to see a nearly invisible smile on his face. "Thank you for giving me the chance to redeem myself; I will take your words serious."


    "Do whatever you want," Ace grunted, tired of this conversation and tired in general. "I won''t go easy on you just because you''re my brother."


    Rosan nodded before saying, "Don''t tell Luffy I am Reaper, by the way. That boy can''t keep a secret for his life."


    Ace''s eye twitched in annoyance at the mention of the seven year old and he said, "I got no reason to talk to that kid anyways. Why would you even tell me that?"


    "Luffy is a spoiled kid. He seems to always get what he wants," was all Rosan said.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Three months.


    Luffy had been chasing after Ace for three months.


    Rosan felt his respect slightly rise for the seven year old. He was very stubborn and tenacious and the boy had spent every single day chasing after his freckled brother.


    The redhead did nothing to aid Luffy, as per request and just remained at Dadan''s home. While the straw hat boy was chasing Ace, Rosan would go hunt, visit the capital, or go visit Makino.


    He made sure not to mention what Luffy was up to when he was visiting the bartender.


    Rosan had not done anything out of turn since his encounter with the bandits and this had the added effect of making the people around him relax. Makino especially seemed quite fond of him now and he wasn''t very sure why. Maybe she was bored and had no one to talk to until him.


    His lack of interference meant he hung around the bandit family more and he learned many things about them.


    For one, Dadan actually did care about the kids so he was wrong about that (he could admit that). She was just way too embarrassed to show it. Her concern for Luffy had been obvious to spot and she was upset that Rosan was not making sure he was alright.


    "He''s a growing boy," was Rosan''s response. "He also doesn''t want me to help, so I won''t help."


    She grumbled and dropped the topic, understanding quickly how stubborn Luffy was. She had tried to get him to stop many times and had received the same answer every time.


    It made her more tolerable, to know that she did exhibit concern for those two. The woman just happened to be abrasive in personality.


    Ram was enjoying Luffy''s journeys immensely. She had laughed herself to tears, at the sight of the seven year old''s face after a beehive fell on him.


    Rosan himself had to actually go retrieve the boy after a particularly strong breeze actually blew his tiny body away. Even Mod found that moment particularly funny.


    The bandits begged to differ, if the way they screeched was an indication.


    Dawn Island was unlike any other island he had seen in the East Blue. It was dangerous for the ill equipped and seemed more likely to be an island in the other oceans. like the North Blue. Rosan remembered Luffy mentioning Garp throwing him in the jungle alone.


    The old man certainly had a few screws loose. The rubber boy hadn''t even had his Devil Fruit, which had done an impressive job (on Mod''s level) of keeping him alive, when Garp threw him out there.


    But, after three months, it seemed like Luffy had finally made it to the other side of the forest.


    Good. Rosan would rather not travel with someone incompetent. It meant he''d have to involve himself far more than he felt comfortable doing at the moment. The redhead did not want to attract attention onto Luffy''s future crew before they were strong enough to deal with it.


    While that should have been the end of that, things never seemed to go normal when the straw hat boy was involved.


    The day had started off normal enough. Rosan had decided he would go visit Makino today because there was nothing better for him to do and he helped her out in the bar sometimes when he was free.


    The woman seemed to appreciate his visits and being able to talk to someone close to age in her (despite the five year difference) and Rosan figured he would fall further in her good graces by doing said visits.


    The teen, after Makino asked, was currently handing out beverages to all types of patrons. It was easy to do and she normally had him give the alcohol to the more¡­ aggressive patrons.


    With his tall, muscular, stature and empty gaze, they normally kept their complaints and hands to themselves. Well... some of them at least.


    There was a large influx in woman who frequented the bar, that Makino had no qualms using him against.


    "I wouldn''t mind staying here all day, if you''re the one giving me my drinks," a husky voice purred close to him and Rosan was forced to restrain Mod from taking his body over.


    "Thank you," Rosan replied politely and the drunk woman swooned. "You flatter me. I don''t think I''m deserving of such compliments."


    That was the wrong thing to say. The woman looked like she was about to jump him.


    "Hey handsome! Another drink here please!" another woman''s voice called and Ram sweatdropped at the fury on Mod''s face.


    "Okay," Rosan nodded, going to Makino to pick the order up.


    "You''re really popular with them," the green haired woman teased and the 14 year old glanced at her.


    "You''re stating information that you already know. Otherwise, you wouldn''t be using my services so liberally," the redhead responded, expertly balancing a large amount of mugs on the tray.


    The young adult''s only response was to laugh and wave him off. "You offered!"


    "No I didn''t."


    "I don''t like this woman anymore," Mod growled. To think she had defended her! Now she was using Rosan''s looks for her own gains. How underhanded of her!


    "It''s fine, Mod-chan," Rosan soothed and he approached the table that had called him earlier.


    The woman, a blonde this time, shot him a flirtatious smile and directly placed a tip in his pockets.


    They sure did tip well.


    Today, he was wearing a silk, long sleeved purple shirt that had a red rose on the chest area with baggy beige pants that reached his purple sneakers.


    It seemed to have a positive effect on the people.


    "Father, have you ever thought of getting a tattoo?" Ram asked suddenly.


    "Not since I was alot younger. My skin is mostly hidden so it has never come to thought? Why? Would you like me to get one?" He asked and his weapon nodded rapidly.


    "Why the sudden interest in tattoos?" Mod asked curiously.


    "Maro and I were talking about them! She was considering getting one and I thought Father would look great with a tattoo on his arm!"


    "I have no complaints," the purple haired woman hummed in approval.


    "Then I will get one. You can decide what it is and if Mod agrees, I''ll get it," Rosan decided and the silver haired teen cheered ecstatically.


    She was going to make it awesome because her father was awesome!


    "Do you dye your hair by any chance? It looks amazing!" one woman gushed, beckoning him to sit down.


    Rosan glanced over at Makino, ignoring the furious glares of the few men there, and she nodded with a teasing smile on her face.


    He was hoping she said no.


    "Thank you, red is my natural hair color," Rosan responded, not even flinching as the woman got in his personal space. He was glad Meiko had helped him deal with people touching him because it seemed to happen too often for his liking. If he still had an aversion to being touched, there would be a lot of dead or severely injured people.


    "And your eyes! They''re so beautiful! It''s like looking into a frozen painting!" she enthused, looking directly into his eyes.


    That was a first. His lifeless gaze was being complimented? He wasn''t sure how to respond to that. Most people couldn''t stand looking at his eyes.


    Too unnerving, they said and he agreed with them.


    "Ah. That''s a rare compliment," Rosan replied truthfully. "Thank you, I appreciate it."


    "Such a gentleman too~," she crooned and the redhead excused himself at the call of someone else. No doubt, they also noticed the woman rubbing her assets up on him.


    Ram sighed in disappointment. "Father, you''re hot," she chastised and Mod growled.


    "I thought I had more years! I thought puberty was going to come slowly for you! I didn''t expect it to hit you so hard," she bemoaned miserably. He was nowhere near this tall when he was 13! Just last year, all the ships inhabitants, barring Demon, had stood above the boy and now he was the tallest one?! It was utter nonsense! S-She needed to get permission to modify his height!


    "You two are the first to make those things sound insulting," Rosan remarked and he quickly went to his next customer. At least this one was a male... Though, if he kept glaring at him like that, he wasn''t going to be recognized as a human. "And you are not modifying my physical appearance permanently."


    "I hate you."


    "You can use 4 year old me as a stuffed animal tonight."


    "I love you."


    Ram snorted.


    This was how his time here normally went. Woman of all ages flirting with him, dealing with all sorts of aggressive patrons and Makino taking full advantage of his capabilities.


    Rosan didn''t really mind but the two living inside of him begged to differ.


    "I distinctly remember you calling me possessive, Mod-chan," the redhead hummed and the woman gasped at his audacity.


    "Don''t you even dare imply that! I''m not anywhere near as bad as you!" Mod was definitely not whining at the moment.


    "You don''t gotta lie to yourself, Auntie! I''m super possessive of Father and I don''t let him use any weapon but me!" Ram beamed at the shorter woman.


    "You are unhinged," Mod said flatly.


    "Thank you!"


    The woman let out a miserable sigh and the ring cackled.


    After a few hours, Rosan decided he was done for the day. The patrons had been sated (he had only had to beat up two idiots) and it was currently just him and Makino.


    "Thank you again, Rosan," the bartender said warmly. "You''re a machine! You make my life way easier when you work."


    It was true. Rosan was incredibly efficient even with the woman constantly hounding him. The teen was swift and meticulous and he brought out drinks and food so quickly, it left Makino dizzy.


    "Something like this is easy," was all the redhead said, preparing to leave the bar. It was nothing for him, maybe he could start finding more difficult ways to balance the trays when handing them out...


    "Oh, wait! Could you give this to Luffy please?" the woman requested, handing him a plate of food. "I''m not sure he''s eating healthy up there so get this to him?"


    Rosan grabbed the plate and nodded. He could teleport to Luffy, but he felt like flying at the moment.


    "I''m off then," the redhead told her and she waved goodbye.


    Rosan quickly made his way into the forest, greeting anyone comfortable enough to greet him first, and summoned his wings. It was getting late and he would just retrieve Luffy from whatever mess he had gotten himself into.


    He flew through the forest (it was annoying having to avoid all those trees) at a measured pace and raised a brow at the fact that he couldn''t find Luffy anywhere.


    Did he finally die?


    "How morbid. Robin wore off on you," Mod said but she didn''t seem too off put by Rosan''s train of thought.


    "As funny as that would be...," Ram began dryly "...I doubt he''s dead. That little kid is tenacious! He probably finally made it to the other side of the forest."


    "Ah," was all Rosan said and Ram sweatdropped.


    "Hey, you have no emotions but why did that sound disappointed?"


    "I''m not sure what you mean. My tone never changed."


    "...Okay, Father."


    Mod giggled at their interaction and Rosan angled himself in a direction that led him to the other side of the forest.


    Rosan... was not fond of Gray Terminal. Due to his enhanced sense of smell, it was rather unbearable to be in and he had to numb his smelling more than once to remain there.


    Not only that, there was nothing of value there. Just fools who thought it would be a good idea to rob the, admittedly, wealthy looking teen.


    What? He was vain and Angel did not make it better. He wasn''t going to alter the way he dressed just to avoid interactions. That was Reaper''s job and the Shinigami was retired.


    As he flew, two figures caught his eye. The boy tilted his head at the sight of his little brother and some boy wearing a top hat and he descended in front of them. They seemed rather panicked at the moment and seemed to be discussing something of importance.


    That didn''t bode well.


    Rosan landed on a higher branch and his wings vanished from sight. The teen jumped off and landed in front of them with a thud, making the two boys jump and tense up in preparation for battle.


    "Ace," the redhead nodded in greeting. "You seem panicked."


    His freckled brother relaxed slightly at the sight of him and he glowered at the teen. "Don''t just go sneaking up on people like that!" he growled and the 14 year old tilted his head.


    "My apologies."


    The top hat wearing boy regarded him wearily and this close, Rosan could see that he had blonde hair underneath the hat.


    "Is this that Rosan you were talking about?" he questioned and the teen noted his missing tooth and scuff marks.


    A fighter then. And one who seemed used to getting in altercations.


    "Yeah," Ace confirmed and Sabo looked at the teen again.


    He was unnerving. Sabo didn''t like the look in his eyes because there was nothing there. If you took his eyes away, he''d probably end up looking the same and that thought was kind of creepy!


    "W-we don''t have time for this!" the blonde boy suddenly said, snapping himself out of the staring he had been doing, and Ace looked at him in confusion.


    "What''s the matter? Did they come back?!" the freckled boy asked and Sabo shook his head with nervous eyes.


    "N-no! That Luffy, he still hasn''t talked!"the top hat wearing boy yelled and Ace felt his heart drop at that declaration. The little idiot hadn''t said anything yet?! Didn''t he realize they were dealing with actual pirates right now? Wait... of course he didn''t, the freckled boy hadn''t told him anything... shit.


    "Oh?" A voice called and they looked at Rosan, whose head was tilted. The faint glow in his eyes rooted them to their spot and Sabo felt a bead of sweat forming.


    "Could you explain the situation to me?" He asked quietly and the two 10 year old''s, froze.


    "W-we messed with some pirates and they took Luffy," Sabo began, not even thinking of messing around. He explained the entire Porchemy situation to Rosan and the boy just stood there.


    Unmoving.


    The top hat wearing boy panted slightly after his explanation and looked at the teen.


    Ace told him that Rosan was Luffy''s friend so he had been expecting some type of reaction at the knowledge of the boy being tortured.


    But there was nothing there. Just that same, unfeeling gaze.


    It felt wrong.


    "Do you know where they are, blonde?" Rosan asked suddenly. "I''ll deal with them."


    "Y-you?" Sabo asked in disbelief. "We''re talking about actual pirates! Porchemy has a real sword!"


    "That means nothing to me," Rosan said simply, placing a plate of food down near a tree. "Tell me where they are and I will deal with them. I cannot let Luffy die just yet. He''s interesting."


    "Sabo just tell him," Ace said and the blonde looked at him in shock.


    Did Ace really want to send him to his death? Just like that?! Were they both insane?


    "Fine, follow me," Sabo muttered and he rushed off.


    Rosan nodded and made to follow the boy. He could have used Save Point, but he didn''t know how much people were watching and he''d rather not slaughter everyone in the vicinity for witnessing it.


    "Why do you even wanna risk your life to save that kid?" Sabo asked curiously.


    Rosan hummed and simply said, "He''s my captain, I''d be a bad crewmate if I didn''t save him when he was in trouble."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Ace couldn''t hide the surprise on his face at Rosan''s declaration.


    Luffy was his captain? Really?


    Did the seven year old even know who was on his crew right now?


    Sabo raised a surprised brow at that. That Luffy kid was being serious about becoming a pirate? He sure worked fast if he already had a member. It sure was a unique one too.


    Rosan had immediately used modification to lessen his sense of smell as they entered Gray Terminal. As they neared their destination, the redhead picked up the sound of flesh being struck.


    "Luffy is made out of rubber¡­ and I''m sure they figured that out by now," Mod said with increasing horror. Blunt objects didn''t work on the little boy and plenty of pirates had little to no morals so that could only mean ¡ª


    "They probably moved on to weapons," Ram finished her train of thought grimly. The idea of that small kid being struck by a weapon, didn''t sit well with her at all.


    Rosan focused on where the noise was and, in a burst of speed, he blew past Sabo, surprising the 10 year old greatly, so he could burst down the door.


    He paused at what he saw.


    Luffy, bloodied and beaten, was chanting "Won''t tell," with tear streaks in his eyes that mixed with the blood dripping down his body. He was hanging off the ceiling, tied to a rope, and the amount of blood, was far too much for such a small seven year old to be leaking.


    "Those¡­ animals!" Mod snarled and her visage had darkened considerably. Her blood red eyes began glowing ominously and she clenched her fists.


    "This is too far even for me," Ram growled glaring at them.


    Rosan simply stared. Memories of a more unpleasant time came rushing to him, as he saw the sight of the bloodied boy hanging there helplessly. No way out, just the victim of someone else''s sick and twisted whims...


    Constant unending interrogation.


    A steadfast silence.


    Disapproval. Anger.


    Needles.


    Shock. Shock. Shock. Shock. Shock. Shock. Shock. So much shocks, why did it hurt so much? Why was he getting used to it?


    Pain. So much pain. Too much pain to handle.


    Blood. So much blood. Too much blood to handle.


    What is your name? What is your name? What is your name? What is your nameeeee ¡ª


    Rosan ignored the gazes of everyone there and calmly took a step towards Luffy, completely ignoring the massive man next to him.


    "R-Rosan! A-Ace!" Luffy sobbed in relief and the redhead gazed at the slumped over boy with a neutral expression.


    Ace and Sabo looked at Rosan like he had grown a second head. The two had come in, guns blazing, and he was just walking around without a care in the world.


    Just who was this guy and what kinda balls did he have?


    "Who the hell do you think you are?" Porchemy scowled, before making eye contact with Ace and Sabo and momentarily forgetting about the redhead.


    "Ace! Thanks for saving me the trouble of findin ¡ª" the white haired man tried to say.


    "Do you make a habit out of torturing children?" Rosan asked quietly, never taking his eyes off Luffy.


    Porchemy growled at being interrupted and he focused his gaze back on the teen standing next to him.


    Treating him like he wasn''t a threat.


    The pale pirate was clearly getting fed up with the events of the day, from getting his money stolen, to this little stupid brat not telling him a single thing! With a roar, he grabbed his sword and swung it at Rosan.


    Ace and Sabo gaped in horror. Was Rosan seriously about to die like that? After talking so big?


    "Treating you like you aren''t a threat?" The redhead suddenly spoke up, making Porchemy''s eyes go wide. He reached out and grabbed the saber in between his gloved hand and with a simple flex, it shattered into pieces everywhere. The pieces of metal clanged loudly on the floor before everything went dead silent.


    Sabo''s eyes bugged.


    Ace gaped.


    The two, who had gotten robbed by Ace, felt their jaw dropping.


    Porchemy felt an immeasurable amount of dread pool up inside of him.


    "I don''t think you understand. You aren''t a threat," Rosan finished and his glowing, heterochromatic, eyes landed on the pirate.


    He cut down Luffy and slowly walked over to Sabo. Depositing the boy in his hands, the redhead said, "Take him and go. What''s about to happen, shouldn''t be viewed by children."


    Ace shook his head with a dark look in his eyes. "I never run from a fight."


    "This isn''t a fight," Rosan countered immediately. He vanished from his spot, only to appear in front of Porchemy and delivered a heel kick to the man''s chest.


    The pirates eyes bugged at the force of the blow and his body flew backwards before crashing into a wall.


    "This is purely stress relief."


    Porchemy hacked and coughed up a glob of blood at being kicked so harshly in his sternum. He looked into the vacant gaze of the monster that delivered the blow and began doubting if even Captain Bluejam could beat him.


    "You have zero problem torturing children," Rosan commented idly, not even seeming to care about the situation at hand.


    "Unluckily for you, I have zero problem torturing adults."


    A cold bead of sweat began dropping from Porchemy''s head at the casualness of the statement and he quickly scrambled away.


    Rosan watched with a tilted head, as he picked up a pair of bloody spiked gloves and shakily equipped them.


    "DON''T THINK YOU CAN BEAT ME!" Porchemy roared in fury. A fluke! That''s what it had been! His sword wasn''t of high quality and he used it often. That''s why it had broken. It had to be!


    "Would you like to know something?" Rosan asked politely and Porchemy gaped, as the redhead''s own gloves turned into spiked gauntlets.


    "I much prefer when my opponents act like this," he admitted and everyone there tilted their heads in confusion.


    "When they delude themselves into thinking that everything I''ve done was not 100% intentional. It''s far more entertaining to fight someone who thinks I''m just a fluke, then fighting an opponent who''s already accepted defeat... It''s quite sadistic of me but I can''t help some things. I''ve always been a malicious child," the 14 year old told him.


    "So in your last moments, I want you to dance for me Porchemy. I want you to dance to my tune. Do your best to follow my movement. It may be a bit difficult but you have my word¡­" Rosan whispered and Porchemy realized at that moment that Bluejam had nothing on this demon in human flesh.


    "... That I will turn this into a performance you won''t forget. Even in death."


    The last of the giant man''s patience was gone, if the numerous veins on his head were an indication. With a roar of deluded fury he charged Rosan.


    "I''LL KILL YOU, YOU SUNNOVA BITCH!"


    "That''s what all my opponents say before they die. Especially the pirates. I swear, you are all taking the exact same lessons as each other."


    "Make him suffer," Mod commanded.


    Rosan ducked under a wild blow and instantly modified his sensitivity. He clenched his spiked fist and casually punched upward, connecting solidly with the man''s gut.


    The howl of pain he let out, was music to Ram''s ear.


    "Okay," Rosan acquiesced, leaning back the perfect distance to avoid grabbing palms. Porchemy''s reward, was for the redhead to duck back into his guard to deliver a 3 punch combo to his chest. The same chest where he had planted that devastating heel kick to.


    Needless to say, the pirate didn''t appreciate that very much. Rosan was honestly surprised he hadn''t ruined his voice box yet.


    Porchemy didn''t understand why it hurt so fucking much! W-what were his spikes made of?! This pain... it was unlike anything he ever felt! This wasn''t normal... the demonic redhead had done something to his body.


    Rosan was dead silent but his eyes had never left Porchemy. Now that the battle had begun, the pirate had his undivided attention.


    This was his stage and he would not have anyone show him up.


    Ace watched this all with wide eyes. His brother''s claim to be Reaper was looking to be more and more true based on what he was seeing with his battle.


    To be blunt, Rosan was dancing around Porchemy''s attacks.


    Effortlessly.


    The redhead sidestepped an attack and spun behind his tall target to deliver a returning blow on his lower back. Porchemy swung wildly behind him but Rosan calmly pivoted the fist to the side with a slight push of his hand.


    He then broke that arm with a completely vertical swing of his long legs.


    They all winced at the noise of bone breaking, Porchemy''s inhuman howling and how awkwardly his arm bent.


    This wasn''t even a fight. True to his words, Porchemy was being forced to respond to Rosan''s movements and whenever he did, the teen was already onto the next one.


    It truly did look like a captivating performance. It was a fucked up performance, but still a performance. One that Rosan was completely in control of.


    His brother was a scary person.


    Porchemy didn''t even know when he stopped thinking. Maybe it was after the fourth hit to his head, or the stomp that had broken one of his legs, maybe it was the multiple holes in his body leaking blood from those spiked gauntlets. He wasn''t really sure, but his body had just been reacting at this point, desperate to get a hit on the teen.


    Nothing worked.


    Ram loved this. Loved when her Father fought like this. Loved when he used her to dismantle his foes. Loved watching the fight leave their body, the hope draining from their frame at the overwhelming force displayed by the redhead.


    It was intoxicating having such power over someone. The ring had a psychotic grin on her face at the show of dominance.


    Mod hated seeing children get abused by adults. It reminded her of the times when she was utterly helpless to save Rosan from the same treatment. Months and months of torture and she couldn''t even whisper words of assurance to her lovable charge. She was unconscious while Rosan screamed and begged for anyone to save him until he realized that he needed to save himself and changed accordingly.


    Seeing Luffy, a boy who reminded her so much of how Rosan used to be, in this state, sickened her to the core and so she would relieve herself the only way she knew how.


    "Overwhelm him," Mod said coldly and Rosan immediately moved to finish the fight. He had been prolonging it to make the man suffer but Mod-chan got what Mod-chan wanted.


    "Okay."


    The redhead dug his spiked gauntlets in Porchemy''s gut, making the man wail, and hoisted the man up with no effort.


    Everyone''s eyes bugged at watching Rosan lift someone twice his height.


    Rosan dislodged the spikes and the action left him airborne, perfectly horizontal. He tensed his muscles ¡ª


    "Let''s see if you can handle a taste of your own medicine," Rosan hummed, clenching his fists.


    ¡ªThen the teen began swinging.


    Punch after spiked punch connected to Porchemy''s floating body. The force of the onslaught kept his body airborne, as Rosan rained blow after blow on the man.


    Thunk thunk thunk thunk thunk thunk thunk thunk.


    That was all they heard, as Porchemy''s flesh was tenderized at the staggeringly fast blows of the demonic redhead. He was staring directly up at the pale pirate with that blank expression on his face as he brutalized him.


    And then he stopped.


    His gauntlets transformed back into gloves and the boy took a single step back, acting as if he had not just tortured a grown man and glancing neutrally at his opponent. Porchemy''s body suddenly remembered what gravity was and crashed onto the floor with a final thud, right in front of his executioner.


    "Do you see what I was talking about now? Pirates always spout the same spiel while doing the least impressive things. You should really look to get better classes," Rosan''s deepening voice came out blandly, turning away from the still man.


    "Thank you for joining me for this dance, Porchemy. I hope this was a performance you''ll never forget," the redhead whispered gently.


    "I''m not very fond of lying after all."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Captain Bluejam stared at Porchemy''s body with disdain on his face.


    "I heard what happened Porchemy, did you honestly get beaten by some kids?" Bluejam grunted, looking at the living bruise that was his crewmate.


    The damage done to his body was extreme and it was a testament to his will, that he was still even alive.


    That wasn''t the reason though. Rosan wanted him to bleed out from injuries. Killing him right then and there would be too easy for such scum and he didn''t want the other children to see it.


    "Boss... Run... Demon," Porchemy tried to gasp out. He tried to look up, but the damage was too much and he lay there in the dirt.


    "Don''t even speak to me, useless dumbass," Bluejam sneered, holding up his gun and shooting the man repeatedly.


    Boom, boom, boom, was the only sound heard in the night and the pirates that had come with their captain, flinched at his brutality.


    As Bluejam departed the scene, he snorted to himself. Allowing some kids to scare him? He didn''t know what he had ever seen in Porchemy.


    "Demon? That demon better have my damn money."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Sabo watched as Rosan appeared from wherever he had went, with a plate of food in his hand.


    Luffy was sobbing like mad and it looked like Ace was finally fed up with the younger child.


    "SHUT UP!" The freckled boy roared with razor sharp teeth. "STOP CRYING ALREADY! IT''S ANNOYING! I HATE COWARDS AND CRYBABY''S AND YOUR BOTH!" he yelled and Luffy immediately shut up to appease the freckled boy.


    "You two might actually be brothers," Mod teased, anger sated. She was stroking a content Ram''s hair and the silver haired girl sighed cathartically, head in her lap, after a job well done.


    Maro definitely picked up her bad habits from the weapon. Those two becoming best friends, was a mistake.


    "Crying is a sign of weakness but Luffy is only seven, so it''s fine," Rosan hummed. He bent down and placed the plate in the child''s laps.


    "From Makino," Rosan said softly. "I didn''t realize you were in trouble. I''m sorry I couldn''t be there faster."


    "Th-thank you!" Luffy said suddenly, bowing his head and silencing the 3 there. "Y-you saved me hic," the boy sobbed and Ace grew even more annoyed.


    "Why you little¡­"


    "Hey now, he''s just saying thanks," Sabo placated, as he held the freckled boy back.


    Ace sighed and looked at the boy. "Why didn''t you just cough it up in the first place? Those pirates are the kind of people who''d kill women or kids without hesitation!"


    Rosan hummed to himself. He had stubbornly refused to give Doc any information for quite the long time too. If the man was as impatient as Porchemy had been or the redhead had been as stubborn as Luffy¡­ he''d probably be dead.


    He couldn''t fault Luffy because that would make him a hypocrite.


    "I thought if I said anything¡­ you wouldn''t be my friend!" Luffy said through shaky breaths.


    "He is just the sweetest little kid!" Mod cooed at how dumb and adorable Luffy was and Ram rolled her eyes at the Devil Fruit''s gushing.


    "So what?! It''s better than dying!" Ace exclaimed with a frown on his freckled face. "Why do you want to be friends with me so bad anyways?! Don''t you remember what I did to you?!"


    "BECAUSE IT''S LONELY!" Luffy screamed with tears in his eyes.


    "Rude," Ram said. Father was right there!


    "¡­" Rosan didn''t really care so he said nothing. He wouldn''t get offended over the truth. The redhead was not a person you could hang out with. Especially not a person like Luffy.


    He was far too empty to make another person feel whole.


    "I can''t go back to Foosha and I hate bandits and Rosan''s my friend b-but he acts more like an adult and he''s not really all there too..."


    Rosan''s sharp gaze instantly landed on Luffy as he heard that.


    "...If I don''t follow you, I''ll be alone and I don''t want to be alone! I hate it more than being hurt!" The straw hat wearing boy finished.


    "Where are your parents?" Ace asked, taken aback. He hadn''t expected to hear that from the seven year old boy and it had taken him by surprise.


    "Grandpa is all I have," he responded bluntly.


    "So you feel better when you''re around me?"


    A nod.


    "You¡­ you need me?"


    Another nod.


    "Do you¡­ want me to live?" Ace asked hesitantly.


    "Of course I do!" Luffy exclaimed and that put Ace in deep thought.


    "Luffy, what did you mean by that? When you said I''m not all there," Rosan suddenly asked. His eyes were locked onto his future captain but they were not threatening.


    There was just a slight interest there.


    Ace regarded his older brother''s interest in curiosity. Did he not tell Luffy about locking his emotions away? Did the seven year old just make the observation on his own?


    "Huh?" Luffy replied in confusion, almost like Rosan''s question was incredibly dumb. "You''re not all there! A big piece of you is missing, stupid," he said bluntly and the redhead paused.


    A big part of him missing... How did Luffy know that?


    "He''s surprisingly perceptive," Mod said suspiciously.


    Luffy saying that, brought the attention onto Rosan and they all remembered the fight against Porchemy.


    He was suddenly subject to the eyes of everyone there.


    "Ace, you didn''t tell me your older brother was so strong," Sabo said warily, remembering the ease at which he defeated the pirate.


    He broke his sword by clenching his fist!


    "I had a lot on my mind when it came to him," Ace muttered in annoyance. "Telling you how strong he was, wasn''t really high on my list."


    "Wait¡­ YOU''RE ACE''S BROTHER?" Luffy screamed in shock and the two 10 year old''s face planted.


    "Yes," Rosan answered, nonplussed. "That''s why I came to this island, I was looking for him to explain myself."


    "Huh, okay," Luffy said, picking his nose and dropping the topic immediately. His eyes lit up as he remembered the food and he eagerly dug in, sighing happily at the taste of Makino''s cooking.


    Sabo and Ace exchanged a look and after a short moment, the blonde walked up to him and extended his hand.


    "Nice to meet you," the blonde introduced. "I''m Sabo! Ace''s best friend and I wanna be a pirate!"


    "He''s polite," Rosan thought to himself, shaking the hand. "Portgas D. Rosan. I''m the scout of Luffy''s future pirate crew. Thank you for watching over Ace."


    Sabo blushed bashfully and Ace glowered in embarrassment.


    "How did you get so strong?" The top hat wearing boy asked in curiosity. "Ace told me you were only four years older than us!"


    "Ah, I''ve been fighting since I was four," Rosan answered and their eyes bugged at the revelation. "Most pirates in the Blue Seas are nothing serious, my first fight was against a pirate crew."


    Did he just say he fought a pirate crew at four years old?!


    "Ace, your brother is a monster," Sabo whispered in slight fear.


    "I should have known after seeing him put up a fight against Gramps," Ace whispered back.


    "I''m sorry for beating Porchemy so brutally in front of you all... I am not fond of children being tortured," Rosan apologized calmly.


    "I-it''s fine," Sabo waved him off. It was rather brutal but Porchemy had it coming.


    The redhead was still pretty scary though.


    "Oh, I have a bit of a problem," Sabo suddenly said. "I''ve been living in this forest near their cove for my whole life but after this, all four of us are gonna be hunted by those pirates."


    Rosan didn''t think weak people were qualified to hunt, but these three weren''t as strong as he was yet.


    "That could be problematic for you," Rosan muttered. "They could find you while your sleeping, then you''d definitely die."


    Ace and Luffy, who had gotten into an argument while Rosan spoke to Sabo, agreed.


    "Right? That''s why I need your help," the blonde requested.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan immediately opened his eyes, at the feeling of another person entering the room.


    The light sleeper sat up and made eye contact with the completely surprised bandits.


    Since taking residence in the room, the redhead had made numerous changes to enhance his comfort. The most obvious, was the giant bed that all four of them slept in now.


    He knew Dadan wanted one but she needed to stop being so embarrassed about every little thing and just ask him herself. Maybe he''d give her a hint one of these days that he was willing to do so and she''d muster up the courage to ask him.


    The bandits were looking at the pile in disbelief and the redhead followed their gaze. Ah, that would explain why they were in here. There were four people now instead of three.


    The bandits dissolved into panic at the sight of Sabo and immediately called Dadan to the room.


    The redhead got up, sleep forgotten as Dadan screamed, "What''s going on here?!"


    "Rosan, who is that?! What''s another kid doing here?!" The bandit leader asked the only awake boy there.


    "That''s Sabo. He lives here now," Rosan answered and the blonde in question woke up from all the screaming.


    He rubbed his eyes and let out a yawn before making eye contact with Dadan. "Hey! You''re Dadan right?! I''m Sabo! Thanks for letting me stay here," he beamed, shaking the dumbfounded lady''s hand.


    She slapped it out of her grasp and said, "Sabo?! I know that name! I heard you''re a dirty little troublemaker!"


    Sabo just laughed at that. "Oh, I heard you''re a nasty old hag!" he replied cheekily.


    Rosan, already knowing where the conversation was headed, began to check on Luffy''s bandages. The boy was careless at the worst of times and he sometimes didn''t register that he was injured until the pain kicked in.


    Dadan was a pushover, she wouldn''t refuse Sabo''s request.


    "She''s nice in her own way," Mod commented.


    "Some people just gotta be honest with themselves!" Ram grinned.


    "It''s a rather difficult thing for some people to come to terms with," Rosan said.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    As a former menace, Rosan could confidently say that Ace, Sabo and Luffy were menaces.


    "Former?" Mod asked in amusement.


    "That''s what I just said, isn''t it? Is old age making you hard of hearing, Mod-chan?"


    "You should be worried when you enter the Mindscape tonight."


    "..."


    "It''s far too late, Rosan. I''ll see you tonight!" Mod smiled gently and Ram took a step back in fear.


    "Good luck, Father."


    "I''ll find a way."


    Rosan watched his little brothers empty their pockets from all the jewelry they had stolen with a nod of his head.


    Whatever trouble the boys could get into, they did. And if it didn''t involve fighting, they dragged Rosan with them.


    "You''re too strong. We won''t be challenged if you fight too," Ace had explained and the redhead nodded.


    "Okay, I will not interfere in your battles. I understand the need to challenge yourself. It''s good for your growth."


    While Rosan was not allowed to fight with them, they certainly had no qualms abusing his abilities for other things.


    "How did you even get this much stuff?" Sabo awed, looking at the giant stash of jewelry that was Rosan''s pile.


    "Pickpocketing those unaware nobles, is simple if they are not suspicious of you. It''s only slightly harder if they are," the boy stated. He had successfully stolen much more difficult things. This was child''s play in comparison. Nobles were far too unaware of their surroundings to be able to notice what he was doing anyways.


    "W-Where''d you even fit all of it?" The blonde asked dumbly. Rosan wasn''t equipped to carry all of the things he got!


    "My pockets," the teen said simply and Sabo face planted.


    The redhead had gotten so much things! With him, their pirate stash would grow at a massive rate in no time! But they would probably need to increase the size of the area they kept their stash.


    "There''s not enough room," Rosan commented, sizing up their hiding spot. "One second."


    He crouched down and palmed the inside of the hole in the tree before muttering, "Modify: Dimension."


    Sabo watched with wide eyes, as the inside of the hole seemed to grow! The stash of money that was already in there, suddenly didn''t looked cramped and Rosan easily placed his stash in there.


    "That should be better," he hummed and at Sabo''s wide eyed glance, he came to the conclusion that the boy did not know about Modification.


    "You didn''t tell him?" Rosan asked softly, tilting his head at his younger brother.


    "I wanted to, but your ability is a secret," Ace replied bluntly and the redhead smiled a small smile.


    "I appreciate that."


    Ace blushed bashfully and looked away after muttering a, "Whatever."


    Seeing as Sabo was now living with them and he was Ace''s most trusted friend, Rosan didn''t see an issue in divulging his Devil Fruit to him. The teen informed the blonde of the importance of keeping it a secret.


    That brought them to another moment, when Sabo heard he brought Ace to the mindscape.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "I never attempted bringing more than one person into my mindscape," Rosan mused, grabbing a wandering Luffy by the scruff of his neck.


    The clones couldn''t enter his mindscape and he normally only brought one person (Robin, Meiko, Maro). An opportunity to bring multiple people, was rather rare. He didn''t trust many people after all.


    If he could bring multiple people into his mindscape, maybe he could link with multiple on the outside too simultaneously?


    It was a thought for later.


    "I-it''s cold," Sabo stammered, clutching his shaking arms. He let out a sigh of relief, as a large blue jacket materialized on his frame and thanked the teen responsible for it.


    A similar orange and red jacket materialized on Ace and Luffy respectively and the three followed after the woefully underdressed Rosan.


    "I can regulate my body temperature," Rosan explained. "I don''t feel to hot or too cold most of the times so I can dress how I please."


    His Devil Fruit was awesome.


    "Thank you," a kind voice called out, catching their attention. "I seem to get that a lot. It makes me feel good inside to know people think so highly of me," the purple haired woman smiled softly.


    Sabo liked Mod! She was polite to the boys and didn''t mind their wild mannerisms, despite reminding him of nobles with how proper she was! On the contrary, she watched the three interact with a fond smile on her face.


    "Rosan was quite a wild child so I really have gotten used to it. It brings back memories," she sighed in reminiscence and Sabo couldn''t help but raise a brow in disbelief at that.


    Rosan? Wild? The same redhead that was almost unnaturally calm at all times?


    Mod also seemed to have a playful side because she had immediately attacked Rosan when he entered the mindscape! The redhead seemed to have been anticipating this and he had caught the woman in her attempt and threw her over his shoulder with zero effort before placing her on their large bed and sitting on her until she conceded with a childish grumble.


    "I really do hate how tall you are," Mod whined in defeat.


    "Consider this justice for all the times you made fun of my height," Rosan countered softly, patting the woman''s, who he was still sitting on, hair in reassurance. She glared at the cackling Ram and was satisfied to at least shut her up.


    Mod may have looked a noble with her attire and demeanor, but she was much more enjoyable to be around and way more chill!


    Ace was almost constantly on edge around her though¡­ He wondered what that was about but he wouldn''t pester his friend about it because it would just make him clam up or attack the blonde.


    Ram was¡­ crazy. That was the best way to describe the unique teen.


    She didn''t show much interest in anyone that wasn''t Mod or Rosan (especially Rosan¡­ why exactly did she call him Father?! They looked nothing alike!) and she was very clearly not right in the head. The heterochromatic weapon, craved violence like no other and they quickly learned that she was not pleased with them for excluding the oldest of the four from their battles.


    She was so displeased, that she almost attacked the boys right then and there if not for Rosan grabbing her and patting her on the head. The psycho immediately curled up in his grasp and was clearly content to stay there forever.


    She got along well with Luffy (Sabo was pretty sure she regarded him more like a small puppy then as a human) and, surprisingly, Ace and she easily fit Sabo into the equation too.


    The three boys had taken to frequenting his Mindscape while they were all sleeping because it was way cooler in here and none of the inhabitants seemed to mind.


    They even slept in here at night sometimes! It was pretty awesome actually!


    But it was really cold outside.


    "It used to be a tropical forest and then a rainforest," Rosan said softly, inspecting the ice blue trees.


    "Unfortunately, my state of mind is not very good right now so we have to settle for this. At least it''s beautiful to look at," the redhead commented and Sabo looked at him in curiosity.


    It was no secret that Rosan was lacking in the emotional department but Sabo had just chalked it up to that being his character. He never stopped to think that maybe the older boy hadn''t always been like this.


    Mod''s words about him being a wild child, gave more support to this too.


    "I never asked for the life I was given but it was one I was forced to adapt to," Rosan admitted to the blonde, watching Ace and Luffy get into another argument. Ram was egging them on like the troublemaker she was and Mod was shaking her head at the silver haired teen''s antics.


    "I can understand that," Sabo said truthfully, thinking back to his parents and his life as a noble. He hated the very idea that he was born with that heritage and would do anything to wash himself of it.


    Rosan glanced at him and nodded, understanding what he meant. "Sometimes, I think about how different everything would be if I just stayed with Ace¡­ but even though I hate the fact that I left him behind, I don''t regret the people I''ve met on the sea."


    "How is it? The sea I mean," Sabo asked excitedly, storing away a bit of what Rosan said for later.


    "It''s¡­ great," Rosan said. "As beautiful as it is dangerous and when your on a ship, with the wind brushing against your face, it''s liberating," he explained to the starstruck boy.


    "Would you like to hear of some of my adventures?" Rosan asked softly. "Some of it is confidential but in the future, we can exchange our secrets," he told the blonde and Sabo stared at him for a minute with a scrutinizing gaze.


    Did he have a clue already?


    "I''d like that," Sabo decided with a grin and Mod joined the two, pinching a struggling Ram.


    He had been more than a bit wary of Rosan and after his display to Porchemy, he was actually a little scared of him.


    But Rosan was a cool person and Sabo liked him! Luffy was lucky that he managed to recruit the redhead first because Sabo definitely would have tried his hand.


    "Thank you," the redhead said and he had a small smile on his face.


    "Let me tell you about the time I got in my first fight¡­"


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "I''m sorry."


    Ace stared at Mod warily, as the woman suddenly apologized to him. She had pulled him aside to speak one on one and the 10 year old decided to hear her out despite how their first meeting had turned out.


    "You''re sorry?" The freckled boy asked and the woman nodded with a guilty frown on her face.


    "Yes¡­ I shouldn''t have threatened you like that," Mod said softly and she let out a deep sigh. "Just one look at you and I can tell you''ve gone through so much and yet, I still went out of my way to try and make your life more difficult. I''m sorry for that and I hope you can forgive me."


    "...Did you tell Rosan about our meeting? Did he tell you to do this?" Ace asked skeptically.


    "No and no, but he did figure out on his own," the Devil Fruit told him. "Nothing I do ever gets past him so I''m not even surprised but he hardly reprimands me. This is me deciding to apologize on my own," she explained truthfully.


    "What I did was immature and unbefitting of me, but please try and understand where I''m coming from and why I did this," Mod requested and Ace merely stared at her.


    "Rosan, no matter how infallible he seems, is fragile. Mentally, he''s one of the strongest people I know, but all that strength goes out of the window, when it comes to his loved ones," the woman explained sadly. His loved ones were his weakness, it''s why he hadn''t wanted to bond with Meiko in the first place before throwing caution to the wind. He would do anything to avoid the pain of losing someone he loved again.


    "I-I''ve been raising him since he was 4 years old and he''s gone through so much," she whispered and her voice cracked at all the memories. "He''s probably never going to tell you this, but, Rosan was captured at only 8 years old and tortured for 6 months so that he could be molded into the perfect weapon by a cruel and wicked scientist."


    Ace stared in horror at the words of the Devil Fruit. "Tortured?! For... For 6 months? Was he really¡­?"


    She shakily nodded her head. "Everyday, they put him through so much pain and the entire time, he was being restrained by Seastone so I couldn''t even be there for him! It was one of the worst period of his life and it shattered the way he viewed the world too... That''s why he did that to Porchemy."


    Ace recalled the brutal beat down he had inflicted on the man that tortured Luffy and nodded at that. It made sense that he would react so violently if what Mod was telling him was true.


    So... his older brother had been tortured too?! Ace couldn''t keep the concern off his face at that revelation. For that long... Was that why he always covered every inch of his skin? Not once, had he seen the redhead wearing something slightly revealing. It''s not like he had any scars but then again, he did heal very fast.


    And not all scars were physical...


    "I blame myself for so much of the things that went wrong in Rosan''s life," Mod whispered and there were tears brimming in her eyes. "All I want now, is for him to be happy and it led me to threatening you because you might have the most potential to affect his emotions."


    The 10 year old flinched at that revelation.


    "I''ll do anything for Rosan because Rosan would do anything for me¡­ that''s why I threatened you, but please know I didn''t do it out of hate for you, I did it out of my love for him," she finished and the regal woman bowed.


    "But I should never have done that in the first place so I''m sorry, Ace."


    "I get it, I get it," Ace grumbled. He didn''t feel comfortable watching the noble looking woman bow to him. It was odd and didn''t fit her.


    Her words put a lot of light on the situation and Ace could begrudgingly see why she had tried to rile him up so much.


    Mod didn''t want anymore stress to fall on Rosan''s shoulders. Even Ace could understand why she acted the way she did to him and went out of her way to redirect his ire.


    "Stop apologizing, I ain''t mad at you anymore," the 10 year old said and Mod raised her head in hope at his declaration.


    "You aren''t?" She asked quietly.


    "I understand why you did it so you can stop now," the freckled boy retorted.


    "I ¡ª thank you, Ace," the woman said and she engulfed the boy in a hug.


    Ace blushed at the close proximity between him and the woman and forced himself out of her grasp.


    "I''m goin to sleep," the freckled boy grumbled, walking off and Mod watched him go.


    When he vanished, Mod let out a deep sigh and the tiny smile was removed from her face.


    "I wonder, am I evil?" Mod said to herself, looking at her delicate, bronze, hand.


    Maybe she was. After all, she had just manipulated little Ace into sympathizing with Rosan without a care in the world. He was justifiably angry at his older brother and deserved to feel all the rage he felt. It wasn''t her right to manipulate how he felt towards her child.


    But, she would do it. She would do it because it was for Rosan.


    Did that mean she wasn''t evil? After all, her only purpose in doing this, was for another person and not herself. She was doing this for the 14 year teen inside the house who had been suffering since he was four.


    No, she was not evil. She just wanted to save Rosan. She just wanted him to be happy. The only way she could truly be happy, was if he were.


    If that meant threatening someone to do it, she would do it.


    If that meant manipulating people, she would do it.


    If that meant using anyone and everyone that could potentially help Rosan, she would do it.


    Angel, Demon, Maro, Luffy, Ace¡­ even Robin... Without Meiko, breaking through to Rosan was harder than ever so Mod would use everything at her disposal.


    Helping Rosan get better, meant everything to her. All other things were secondary in her eyes. She loved them all but she loved Rosan more. That''s how it had always been and that was probably how it would always be.


    Since the moment they met... Since the moment that adorable little boy had extended his hand towards her so that they could be friends... Since the moment he had chosen her over his own brother, Rosan had become her everything.


    Rosan had given her life, so she would return his.


    By any means necessary.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Misadventures of Robin and Rosan - 12


    Robin and Rosan are 11 and 7 respectively.


    Rosan is kept awake from nightmares.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "My little Rose," a familiar voice called in the darkness and Rosan glanced around in wild confusion at the sound.


    He couldn''t see anything but he was sure he just heard his Mama call him!


    "Mama?" He called back hopefully. Where was she? Why couldn''t he see her?


    It was so dark¡­ What was Mama doing in a place like this? Was she okay?! Oh no... What if she needed his help?!


    Suddenly, a blinding white light overtook the area and he was no longer in the all consuming darkness. He inadvertently let out a sigh of relief as the invisible pressure abated and turned around.


    He found that he would have much preferred that pressure over what he was currently seeing right now.


    It was the hospital where he had watched Mama''s last moments¡­ and she was right there, on the bed, with blank, bleeding eyes and horrific, disfigured, skin. She was clearly a corpse but... t-this wasn''t how she was supposed to look!


    His Mama hadn''t been killed in a way for her to look like this. It was s-simply childbirth? Childbirth didn''t do this to someone¡­


    R-Right?


    She was staring at him. There was no honey brown, just a piercing white gaze that was bleeding disturbingly. It was unnerving to look at but Rosan couldn''t tear his gaze away.


    This was a bad dream. He needed to wake up now. If he didn''t wake up, t-then it could get really bad. He didn''t want it to get really bad...


    But he couldn''t. He couldn''t wake up right now and that fact scared him more than anything. It was just him and... and his M-Mama?


    "My little Rose," his mother repeated and he watched in pure horror, as the imitation of his Mama got up and began walking towards him.


    "Do you hate me?" She asked and the boy began to rapidly back away from her.


    "N-no Mama! I could never hate you!" Rosan stammered and as if to prove his point, he stopped moving, allowing the woman to reach him.


    That was a mistake.


    "So why?" She asked softly.


    "W-why?" he asked confusedly. What was Mama talking about? W-What had he done?! W-Was he trouble?!


    "Why didn''t you listen to my last wish?!" She suddenly snarled and seeing his Mama make that face was so foreign to the boy, that he couldn''t properly fathom it.


    She picked him up by his collar harshly and asked, "Why aren''t you helping Ace grow like I asked you? Why Rosan? Why did you abandon Ace?"


    "I-I had no choice, Mama!" Rosan tried to explain himself but she wasn''t having it.


    "But didn''t you? You chose to leave my baby boy behind!" the imitation of Rouge growled and tears sprung in Rosan''s eyes. He didn''t want to leave Ace behind b-but couldn''t she see that he just couldn''t go with that Marine? How could he ever travel with him?!


    "Mama¡­ you''re hurting me¡­" he whispered. Why was she doing this to him? His Mama would never hurt him! S-She wouldn''t hurt him... B-But maybe she would for abandoning his little brother.


    "Good. You deserve it."


    She said it so coldly, so sadistically, that the tears began falling freely down his face.


    "After everything I''ve done for you, you abandoned my real child when all I asked was for you to help him," she said harshly and the grip on Rosan tightened at the same time his tears began to fall harder.


    "Raising you was a mistake. I hate you," she finished and the seven year old let out a heart wrenching sob at that declaration.


    It didn''t matter if this wasn''t his Mama, it still felt so real and to hear that come from her mouth, hurt him more than he could ever imagine. It grasped at his heart in an unforgiving grip and squeezed until he felt like he couldn''t breathe anymore.


    "I-I''m sorry Mama!" The boy sobbed. "I d-didn''t want to, b-but I had to keep Mod-chan s-safe," he choked out. He had promised her that he''d keep her safe and going with the Marine''s, wasn''t safe for her!


    "It''s too late for apologies. You need to be punished, my little Rose," she said simply and Rosan just resigned himself to it.


    Rouge raised her hand in a slapping motion and swung with full force at the boy ¡ª


    Only for him to wake up from the nightmare.


    Rosan sobbed loudly as he shot up and Robin instantly woke up at the noise of distress her companion let out.


    "Rosan, what''s wrong?! Are you alright?" The 11 year old asked worriedly. They were in his room and he was currently crying his heart out in the dark of night.


    The small redhead tried to answer but another sob tore through his body and he wailed his pain to the world instead, tears falling in troves from his eyes. He curled into himself at the pain of the nightmare and shuddered in grief.


    Robin''s eyes furrowed in concern. She had never seen Rosan react so negatively to something and it was heartbreaking to witness. She had seen him cry of course, the boy was very emotional, but this was something else!


    Right now, he just looked so sad.


    The brunette quickly scooted over to the crying child and wrapped him in a delicate hug. Right now, he just needed someone to be there for him and she would be that someone.


    "It''s okay, Rosan," the lone survivor of Ohara soothed, gently raking a hand through his soft spikes. "I''m here for you, just let it out," she whispered and the boy desperately clutched her back.


    "M-Mama hates me!" Rosan sobbed in defeat and Robin''s eyes widened in surprise at his heartbreaking declaration.


    Where did he even get that from?


    She tried goading an answer out of him, but he couldn''t muster up the courage to speak and so, she carried him to the kitchen instead.


    As Robin did that, she felt their link form naturally and asked Mod-chan about the situation.


    "I think he had a particularly vicious nightmare," the Devil Fruit explained and she was biting her lip in worry at the distraught child. Rosan hadn''t cried like this in a long time and it was concerning her.


    Robin sat down with Rosan close to her and stared whispering sweet nothings to him. She utilized her Devil Fruit to make a clone of herself (Rosan had once wondered if she could make one and after plenty of experimentation, she found that she could!) and had her fix them both a plate of food and milk.


    All the while, she rubbed his hair and helped calm him down.


    Eventually, Rosan had been reduced to just sniffing repeatedly and Robin looked at the child with sorrow due to his pain. He was tucked tightly into her side and she paid no mind to the fact that he had soaked her nightwear with his tears.


    She was happier than she liked to admit that he trusted her on the same level as Mod. Normally, the computer boy would have instantly gone to the woman so that she could comfort him but he had decided to stay here with her!


    She wouldn''t let him down.


    Robin carefully placed the milk to his lips and was satisfied to see him scrunch his face slightly.


    Rosan was not a fan of milk.


    Regardless, he drank it all and Robin placed the empty cup down. She contemplated feeding him but she wasn''t sure he would be able to properly eat like this.


    She would try to probe him for some information then.


    "What happened?" Robin asked softly but to the point. Her redhead companion was a blunt individual and she found that this was the best way to approach things with him.


    He wasn''t one to half-ass his words and it had caused her to become a lot more blunt as a result.


    Rosan sniffed a bit and wiped his eyes. "I-I had a really bad dream¡­ I tried to wake up from it b-but I couldn''t," he told her and his voice was heavy with sadness.


    The small redhead told her about his nightmare in full detail and Robin''s eyes softened in sympathy.


    She knew a thing or two about those kind of nightmares. In fact, it was a nightmare like that, which made her and Rosan get so close.


    Robin would be here for him this time.


    "Rosan, there''s no way your mom hates you," the 11 year old said reassuringly.


    "I-I know b-but it felt so real and it hurts so bad," Rosan''s voice cracked as he said that and Robin hugged him again.


    "It''s okay Rosan, nightmares are supposed to hurt you but they aren''t real. You know that wasn''t your real Mom, right?"


    A nod.


    "You know your mom would never say something like that, right?"


    Another nod.


    "You know your mom loves you right?"


    ¡­


    Nothing.


    Robin sighed sadly at the doubtful look on his face. He was being a dummy right now and she needed to set him straight.


    "Look at me, Rosan," Robin demanded and his gorgeous purple eyes, hesitantly stared into her mesmerizing blue eyes.


    "I don''t think you realize just how amazing of a person you are," she said truthfully. "You can''t just go hating yourself because of what you think, when all facts point to something else!"


    "Portgas D. Rouge loved you with all her heart and nothing will change that," Robin said firmly and Rosan looked at her in wonder.


    "How can you say that so confidently?" Rosan asked curiously.


    "Because you managed to make me love you with all of mine," Robin replied simply and Rosan froze in surprise. The redhead''s eyes went wide at her declaration


    The brunette never said she loved him first! She was far too unaccustomed to positive reinforcements and whenever Rosan said he loved her she would blush, stammer, and hide her face from him before hesitantly saying it back.


    This was a first!


    "Rosan¡­you saved me from a life of loneliness. I was already committed to never trusting a single soul again after Ohara, but you broke through all of my walls in such a short time," Robin admitted with a teary smile.


    "You are such a lovable kid and that''s why I trust you so much and I refuse to let you think anyone who already loved you, would suddenly stop."


    Robin took a deep breath. "Even on the slim chance that someone does hate you, it doesn''t matter because Mod and I will always love you and that''s all that matters."


    She wasn''t as good at speeches as Rosan but she had been around him long enough to know a thing or two.


    You just had to say what you really meant!


    "You mean it¡­?" Rosan asked quietly, stunned by her words. "As long as you two love me¡­ That''s all that matters?"


    "Yes," Robin said without hesitation.


    "Of course," Mod said confidently.


    "Even if the whole world is against you, the two of us will always be on your side," Robin finished with a large smile.


    Her words resonated deeply with him and Rosan felt tears welling up at the care.


    "P-Promise?" He asked with wobbling lips.


    "Promise!" She declared and that was all he needed.


    With a loud sob, Rosan crashed into Robin, which had the effect of knocking her out of their seat, and sobbed into her body.


    "O-okay!" Rosan wept happily. "You''re right! M-Mama would never hate me a-and I was being silly. Even then, I have you guys and that''s all that matters!"


    Robin rolled her eyes at the overly affectionate boy and hugged him back. "Of course, you big dummy!"


    He cried into her chest until he fell asleep and Robin picked the light boy up so that they could go back to sleep.


    "Thank you, Robin," Mod said lovingly and Robin blushed.


    "It was nothing Mod-chan. Rosan would do the same for me and I meant everything I said!"


    "I know and that''s why I''m thanking you. You''re as good for Rosan as he is for you."


    Robin stammered a bit with a red face.


    "Can we just go back to sleep please?"


    "Of course of course!"

 Family I

    Sabo hastily jumped over a swing and tried to retaliate with a downward swing but the figure was quick to react and their weapons collided as a result. He tried to overpower the offender but he wasn''t strong enough and was launched back as a result.


    He landed upright and yelped as another swing, this time from the left, came with unforgiving force towards him. The blonde tried to quickly throw up a defense but it wasn''t enough to completely block the blow and he was sent flying until he landed on the floor with a tiny "oomph".


    Before he could get up, the staff that had been attacking him, lay gently on his throat. A clear sign to surrender that Sabo had no choice but to take.


    "You''re way too strong," Sabo huffed, lying on the ground in defeat. In the corner of his eyes, he could see Luffy charging an attack for Ace and accidentally punching himself in the process.


    The 10 year old brunette didn''t appreciate that and immediately finished their fight up with an angry face.


    The four boys were finishing up their 100 matches and Luffy was paired up with Ace, leaving Sabo to fight Rosan.


    The redhead hadn''t lost a single one of the matches today and he didn''t even look winded in the process. Worst, he was holding back and he never used the same weapon twice in a row!


    "This is supposed to be training so I will limit myself to just above your level to allow you to get maximum benefit from it," Rosan reasoned and Sabo grumbled at the logical answer.


    There was no point in him finishing the fight in one hit. He gained nothing from it. Like this, he could train them while simultaneously deepening his understanding of the weapons he used. It also would add to their experience if they ever fought someone who wielded one of the many weapons he used.


    "You''re improving," Rosan commented to the resting boy and his bo staff transformed back into a ring. "I think you''re the best of the three with that metal pipe," he said and Sabo grinned.


    Ace was a physically stronger then him but Sabo was better at using their pipe so battles between them were usually really close. Today, Ace had managed to get two victories over him but there were days where he would get more victories.


    Luffy never won any of his fights but that never deterred him. He was determined to catch up to the three who were much stronger than he was and it was admirable.


    Battles with Rosan were only deceptively close due to his penchant of fighting just above their level.


    He fought very slowly with Luffy in order to guide the young boy and if it were Sabo or Ace in the seven year old''s position, they''d probably beat the redhead.


    He didn''t give the two 10 year old boys the same luxury. They were much stronger than Luffy was and he fought them accordingly with Ram (when they learned that his ring was the psycho Ram, their jaws had dropped to the floor).


    "You think I''m the best with the pipe?" Sabo said thoughtfully and Rosan nodded.


    "Luffy has no affinity with weapons and Ace relies more on brute force than technical skills. Those two are more similar then they probably want to admit," Rosan hummed and Sabo cackled at that. Ace and Luffy, if given the choice probably would just prefer to punch instead of using a pipe.


    "I didn''t expect you to be so good with a pipe," the blonde pointed and Rosan looked at Ram.


    "I''m quite adept with multiple weapons. I don''t use the staff too often, but it is one that I have practiced with," Rosan explained before transforming Ram into an array of weapons that left Sabo''s eyes sparkling.


    She even transformed into a sword! A real sword! When sparring with them, every weapon he used was of a wooden variety so as to not cause real injuries... which was funny because they still hurt like hell.


    No wonder he hadn''t been afraid of Porchemy! He probably saw real swords all the time!


    "How did you even get Ram? Is she a Devil Fruit too?"


    "I made her with my Devil Fruit... and some science," Rosan hummed. He idly wondered about making another Philosopher''s Stone before discarding it. The redhead could only make the stone using Modification and because of that, it was only perfect for users of Modification. He had wanted to make one for Maro but it wouldn''t have worked and the redhead didn''t need to make another one for himself.


    By now, the two brunettes had finished their argument and were listening in to the conversation as well.


    "That''s awesome! Mod-chan is a really useful Devil Fruit," Sabo praised. Man, some Devil Fruits were really cool! Rosan warned the boy not to compliment her too much because her ego would grow and he''d have to deal with it.


    He then lightly grabbed his head for some reason.


    "See? Your ability really is stupid," Ace mocked Luffy, much to the child''s fury. "Rosan can do all these things and you turn into rubber. You''re so useful."


    "My Fruit is super cool! I''ve got plenty of unbeatable attacks! If they worked you wouldn''t be saying that!" the boy scowled and Sabo sighed in exasperation.


    "THEN THEY AREN''T UNBEATABLE, YOU DUMBASS!"


    Here they go again. Those two argued about anything and everything no matter what it may be. It was up to Sabo to dissuade them from continuing because Rosan was always content to watch their squabbles (Mod-chan told him it was because Ram found it so funny.)


    "You have a fat mouth for someone who lost every single match today! You couldn''t even beat Rosan when he was fighting that bad!" Ace sneered.


    "YOU CAN''T BEAT HIM EITHER AND HE''S APART OF MY CREW SO THAT MEANS I BEAT YOU!" Luffy roared and Sabo nearly choked on his laughter at the seven year old''s logic.


    "THAT DOESN''T MAKE ANY SENSE," Ace roared back and he tackled the boy, fed up with his antics. "DON''T BE SO COCKY JUST BECAUSE YOU MANAGED TO FORCE ROSAN INTO YOUR CREW! IF ANY OF US ASKED FIRST, HE WOULD HAVE SAID YES!"


    "BUT I ASKED FIRST AND NOW HE''S MINE," Luffy replied and the two were off.


    "Luffy did not ask. He just demanded I join and I didn''t care enough to say no," Rosan told Sabo and the blonde snorted in response. That sounded exactly like what Luffy would do, the boy was extremely demanding.


    The two watched the Ace and Luffy brawl in a comfortable silence before Sabo decided to speak up.


    "Who would you have picked to join out of the three of us?" Sabo asked curiously. Maybe Ace since that was his little brother? It made the most sense and Rosan did come here for the freckled boy in the first place.


    "You. You''re the least problematic and the most resourceful. Ace has no tact and will try to fight every single person we see and Luffy doesn''t think... which doesn''t bode well for me in the future. Though, Luffy''s nature would probably give the most exciting adventure," Rosan commented without hesitation and Sabo beamed at the honest answer.


    The redhead paused for a moment. "Don''t tell them I told you that."


    Sabo laughed loudly.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Luffy made some friends," Rosan said and Makino looked at him with wide eyes. Really? Her little Luffy had made some new friends?!


    "Don''t worry, they are problematic but not as much as me," he assured and the 19 year old rolled her eyes.


    "That makes me feel so much better," she replied dryly, handing him a plate of food that he accepted with ease. It was quickly becoming a routine between the two that Makino was beginning to enjoy.


    He was helping her out again while the three kids did whatever it is that they did. Rosan agreed with the notion that he was too much of a handicap currently, so he chose to stay out of their business unless they asked him to come with.


    When he did that, he would leave them to their own devices and visit people.


    Most of the time, he was helping Makino in her bar. He didn''t want to visit Maro and Co. too much for obvious reasons.


    "I''m surprised you''re willing to help me," Makino said happily. "Do you need the money? Is that why?"


    "Money?" Rosan tilted his head at the woman and she gushed. "No, I don''t need money. To be honest, I won''t be lacking money for a long time," he replied and she raised a brow in curiosity at the redhead''s statement.


    Looking at the way he dressed, it made sense that he would have money¡­ But did he really have that much?


    "I have earned a lot of money over the years. I could reliably pass off as one of those high end nobles in the Goa Kingdom," Rosan informed her and the young adults mouth opened in surprise.


    He was loaded! The teen probably never had to work again!


    "So why do you come here then?" The woman asked, genuinely curious at what his response would be. If he didn''t need the money then there was really no reason for him to show up and help her. Was it to get in her good graces since she had practically raised Luffy?


    Rosan hummed and Makino wondered if he could sing. He had a very nice voice and even though puberty was causing it to change in pitch (he really was 14!) it still sounded good.


    "This village is boring," the teen said bluntly, causing the green haired to protest a bit. I-It wasn''t that bad! The quaintness of the town was rather endearing once you got used to it!


    "There are not much people close to your age and I''m sure the Red Haired pirates added a spark of interest to your otherwise mundane lifestyle."


    "You really don''t have to be so rude about it, Rosan," Makino grumbled, sulking at his harsh assessment on her life. He had a tendency to say mean things in the most neutral voice ever and she seriously didn''t know if it was intentional or not.


    "You hang out with the mayor the most and that man is one of the most uninteresting individuals I''ve ever met."


    That made Makino giggle. "Mayor Woop Slap isn''t that bad!" She tried defending his honor. He was a worry wart and pretty boring but to call him the most uninteresting individual, was just him being rude!


    "If you insist. If his company is enough to keep you sated, I will stop visiting," Rosan told her and she shook her head rapidly in denial.


    She wouldn''t defend him that much. The redhead visiting was the best part of her day! Not only was he nice to talk too, he kept the rowdy customers, man and woman, at bay! He was a blessing in disguise.


    "So you visit to keep me company?" Makino asked, causing Rosan to nod. She flushed in appreciation and gave him a quick hug that he didn''t return, but didn''t reject.


    "That''s surprisingly sweet of you!" She beamed. He may have been rude and brutal, but if you looked past that, he was actually a decent person!


    "Thank you," he replied, finishing off his plate and getting up to go wash it. Before he could do so, Makino took it out of his hand to do it herself and he blinked at her but conceded.


    Makino looked at him with an assessing gaze for a moment, deep in thought. "You''re too young right now but maybe in a couple years¡­" she muttered. He was already a looker now and it was likely he still had a couple more years to grow... The constant influx of woman constantly hounding him made it hard to miss his good looks.


    Rosan glanced up and caught her searching gaze. "I''m not attracted to you," was all he said.


    "I take back what I said about you being sweet," she grumbled at the bluntness of the boy.


    "Ah, I wasn''t intending to be rude. You are attractive but I''m not attracted to you," he clarified and she rolled her eyes.


    "Not making me feel any better, Rosan," Makino sighed in exasperation. Honestly, he was the strangest boy ever. He wasn''t the only one who patrons flirted with. She had her fair share of people who tried their luck with her but apparently his lack of interest in the opposite sex, extended to everyone.


    Unknown to the green haired woman, a certain purple haired woman was death staring her so hard, it was a miracle she hadn''t turned into dust yet.


    "You know Auntie, Father is surely going to do the deed when he''s older," Ram pointed out with a cheeky grin on her bronze face. "What will you do when that time comes? Stop him? I don''t think that''s very fair!"


    "I-I won''t stop him... I''ll just cry in a corner at the thought of my boy finally reaching adulthood," Mod growled and Ram merely shook her head in amusement.


    "So you won''t mind if he''s an adult?" Ram was surely playing with fire right now but the girl wasn''t the wisest when it came to these things. Sometimes, Rosan thought she was a masochist because of how frequently she went out of her way to agitate Mod-chan.


    "¡­" Mod grit her teeth and mechanically turned her head towards the cheeky weapon. "If... Rosan decides he wants to indulge himself in the future, I won''t stop him because that is... a natural occurrence. But... he needs to be of age, otherwise I won''t allow it."


    Saying that sentence seemed to physically hurt her and Ram practically signed her death wish with the next statement.


    "Auntie Mod, Father is good looking and hardly ever rejects anyone. If a woman makes an advance on him, isn''t he just going to say yes to her? How many women do you think he''ll attract? Just look at what''s happening at this bar!"


    "¡­"


    "We''ll probably have to cut the connection too. I for one, do not want to see Father having you know what. I''m sure you want to see it less then I do."


    "¡­"


    "Auntie Mod? Are you ther ¡ª Ow! Stawp, pleash!" Ram suddenly whined and it was clear that her cheek was being mauled by Mod''s delicate hands.


    "Stop trying to anger me, child!" Mod barked and Ram nodded rapidly, still pleading for the woman to let her go.


    Why did it hurt so much?! It was only her cheek getting grabbed?! Why could she never break out of it no matter what she did? Auntie Mod had a freakish amount of strength!


    Rosan wisely said nothing. He just sipped on his tea with a calm expression on his face.


    He learned early on not to interfere with their talks. It never went well for him.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "You know...," Rosan began expressionlessly, looking at¡­ whatever this was supposed to be. "...I can just use my Devil Fruit to disguise you three, right?"


    He was currently looking at a "disguise" of the 3 boys and that disguise, was just the 3 of them piled on top of each other, with a long cloak covering them completely.


    "Eh?" A voice from the middle called. "You can?"


    "Yes Luffy, I can," Rosan confirmed slowly and, as if to prove it to them, his hair turned blonde and his eyes turned electric blue. "Look."


    The cloak opened and Mod rolled her eyes in amusement. Ace was at the top, Luffy was in the middle and Sabo was at the bottom. Rosan couldn''t join them because he was too tall and they would stick out even more then they already did.


    "Huh, that would have been good to know," Ace muttered, looking at his, now blonde, brother. "But we''ve already committed to this so we''ll do it next time! That''ll make it even easier in the future when this trick gets discovered."


    Rosan merely nodded his head at that and allowed them to close their cloaks. If it worked, it worked. Who was he to doubt their plans... His own had been rather eccentric as a child.


    "Idiots," Ram laughed cheerfully.


    "So if you can disguise yourself¡­" Sabo mused. "You can modify your height right?"


    "That''s right," Rosan confirmed.


    "Alright! Do that and get in here!" The blonde beamed and Mod groaned in disbelief. Were they really about to add Rosan into the mix? She felt rather embarrassed to be doing something like this.


    "Okay," Rosan agreed and his eyes began glowing.


    "Modify Age: 10," Rosan intoned and his body shrunk rapidly, while his features softened. Soon, he looked much closer in age to the three boys and Rosan paused.


    "You three are far shorter than I expected," Rosan said. He had thought he was small for his age but the three misfits were positively tiny in comparison.


    "See! I told you it was natural to be so short, Rosan," Mod grinned. He had caused such a fuss as a child and now look!


    "You look way younger," Ace remarked and the other 2 nodded in agreement.


    "My growth spurt was very sudden and recent," Rosan told them. He stared at the disguise in contemplation before quickly coming to a decision.


    "I''ll get on the bottom," the redhead said and they nodded in agreement. After a short struggle (Luffy forgot where he was supposed to go), the tower of four dragged the crocodile corpse into the city.


    "How stupid are these people for this to be working?" Ram gaped in confusion. Seriously? No one was doubting them? No one had decided to stop them even once?! She knew there were tall people in the world but c''mon! They had such a suspicious cloak on!


    Rosan mentally shrugged. Despite the few odd looks, they had managed to make it into Edge Town, a place where thugs stayed, with only one person stopping them, that person being the guard.


    After showing them the crocodile, the scared guard had quickly let the very tall man through.


    Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    As they walked, a group of thugs surrounded the four.


    "Hey pops! You should leave your package here," a man smiled smugly at the "lone" individual.


    Ace, who was at the top, said nothing which only served to aggravate the group of men.


    "Hey, why don''t you say something?!"


    "Shut the hell up, punk," Ace finally replied before Sabo slammed a pipe on his leg and tripped him up.


    The man let out a yell of surprise and the boys finally decided to reveal themselves.


    "When you mug somebody, be careful who you pick!" Ace declared, pulling the cloak off and revealing the four hiding underneath it.


    The three local menaces were immediately recognized, though Rosan was sure they were trying to figure out just who he was.


    What followed next, was a beat down on the idiots who tried to rob them. Rosan, with his smaller body, fought like he used to which involved maneuvering around his opponents and crushing them with momentum and flexibility.


    "The animals are more of a challenge," Rosan muttered at the broken bodies before him.


    "This is why we tell you to stay out of the fights," Ace tsked, but he was impressed at how quickly Rosan changed his style to fit his smaller body.


    Was that how he fought when he was younger? It was an ideal fighting style for someone his size but he would still need some power behind his blows... Not that he was lacking any.


    "My apologies," Rosan commented, already getting ready to get back into their disguise. "They would have no benefit to you all growing stronger so I chose speed over experience."


    "Yeah, yeah, let''s just sell this damn thing," Ace grumbled jumping to the top and wrapping the cloak around their body again.


    It didn''t take long for them to enter High Town and find someone that was willing to buy the crocodile skin. After some choice words from Rosan, they got even more money then was offered!


    "I''m glad they paid so much for the skin! Rosan, who knew you were so good at haggling?!" Sabo exclaimed in awe. The redhead had been relentless, adding information that had managed to sway the greedy merchants and showing a clear willingness to sell to someone who would be more interested.


    It had worked like a charm!


    "Rich people don''t often pay attention to how much money they are spending. Spin a tale and they will be eager to pay for it."


    "I''m hungry!" Luffy whined like the glutton he was.


    "Just a little longer. We''ll have great ramen noodles!" Ace assured.


    "I am quite fond of ramen," Rosan said suddenly and Sabo raised a brow at that. "They are not as good as pasta, but they are very good and I learned how to make them a while ago."


    "I don''t know what ramen is but if Rosan speaks highly of them, then it must be good!" The blonde exclaimed. "You can make it too?! If it''s really good you can cook it for us when we want some!"


    "You can cook?" Ace asked curiously. That explained why he never ate with the bandits.


    "I can," Rosan confirmed. "I can show you all one of these days on my ship. I have many ingredients in stasis."


    "...You have a SHIP?!" Sabo eyes bugged in surprise.


    "I do. Her name is the White Rose and she has been my ship since I was 4."


    They were about to grill him more but Luffy''s stomach grumbled loudly.


    "I''ll show you it after we eat," Rosan finished and they voiced their agreement.


    They arrived to the restaurant and entered without haste, only to be stopped by one of the employees.


    He made a hassle about how they weren''t supposed to be there and Sabo showed him some gold medallion that had them immediately identified as nobles. They were then escorted into the VIP room and given 4 servings of ramen to indulge themselves in.


    "So this is ramen?!" Sabo asked in excitement, popping his head out of the cloak.


    "It looks good!" Luffy drooled, popping his head out of the other side.


    "Try it!" Ace grinned and the three dug in.


    Rosan watched them for a moment before taking a bite of his own. It was good, but he had better. They didn''t have to come back here, the redhead would make them ramen whenever they wanted some.


    Ram snorted as the boys asked for more and more plates, heedless of the poor lady that was being run ragged due to their demands.


    The redhead wasn''t even remotely surprised that it was Luffy that blew their cover. He watched the youngest idiot stretch his arms out to grab a plate out of the ladies hand and she screeched in disbelief, collapsing on the floor before running off to, no doubt, inform someone of the situation.


    "We''re gonna have company soon," Rosan said, as he did a quick Scan and sensed multiple people heading to their direction.


    The door burst open and the head chef came through in a rush. "Sir, we need to talk!" He said and the 3 other boy''s eyes widened.


    "Damn, they found out!" Ace yelled.


    "Let''s go!" Sabo yelled back.


    Rosan watched the three idiots burst through the window that was very high up and shook his head. After a moment, he dashed after them and neatly jumped through the created hole.


    "Thank you for the meal," the redhead told them, before gravity did it''s job and dropped him.


    "Someone catch them! They didn''t pay!" A voice screamed and the four children took off.


    "You know, I could have paid for that," Rosan commented idly, as he stayed behind the boys to ward off potential danger. "Surely it would have been easier then this."


    "Yeah, but this is more fun!" Ace commented with a wild grin, sliding between the legs of a guard.


    "You do have a point, it is more exciting," the teen replied, conceding.


    Rosan made note of every person they ran past, in case they tried something and so he caught a wealthy looking man''s eyes widening in recognition.


    Oh?


    "Sabo!" The black haired man called, making the blonde look back in surprise. Rosan didn''t miss the look of horror and recognition that crossed his features before he wiped it from his face.


    "Sabo! Wait! You''re alive! Come back home!" He demanded but Sabo kept running.


    Ah, so that was his secret.


    Interesting.


    "Sabo! He''s calling you," Ace noted.


    "Who is that guy?!" Luffy asked with his mouth still full of noodles.


    "He must have mistaken me for someone else! Let''s go!" Sabo replied, trying to appear dismissive and they kept running at his words.


    Rosan slowed down to look the man directly in his eyes and he was seemingly satisfied to see him avert his gaze.


    Then, he turned around and kept running, deftly dodging anyone that stepped in his way.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "What? I''m not hiding anything!"


    "Really?"


    "Of course he is, Luffy! Tell us, Sabo!"


    Rosan remained silent.


    Sabo looked at the three other with a nervous gaze. Ace and Luffy were hounding him while Rosan just stared with a blank, knowing gaze.


    "We can''t have secrets among us!" Ace declared and Rosan looked at him for a moment.


    "We can''t?" He asked with a tilted head. He didn''t know about that rule... Was he next?


    "Shut up for a second, Rosan," Ace grunted before turning back to Sabo.


    "Okay," he replied and Sabo could have sworn he saw Ram glow for a second. Knowing the weapon, she probably didn''t appreciate Ace telling Rosan to shut up... but she wasn''t that crazy...


    Yeah, it must have been nothing.


    "Who does he think he is!" Ram barked, eager to show the little brat how much she appreciated him telling her Father to shut up.


    "It''s not a big deal, Ram. You can be calm," Rosan instructed, banishing the glow from his ring. Honestly, why was his weapon so unhinged all the time?


    "Fine," she grumbled. Ace was in for a world of it when he got into the mindscape.


    "Tell us," Ace and Luffy demanded at the same time.


    Sabo was content to remain silent and Ace took that as a sign to step up his interrogation.


    He, along with Luffy, grabbed the blonde boy and began violently throttling him. "Tell us, you bastard! Or I''ll beat it out of you!" Ace demanded with a scowl and Sabo tried to desperately fight them off before giving up that plan.


    "Agh! I''ll talk! I''ll talk," the choked boy said, tapping out.


    "Such a violent way to get answers!" Mod mock gasped.


    "I like it!" Ram beamed.


    "Of course you do."


    "...Why does that sound like an insult?"


    Rosan would rather they not get this violent with him. All they needed to do was ask and he''d probably tell them. He trusted the three.


    Not Luffy though. Luffy had no clue how to keep a secret.


    "The son of a noble?!" Ace said in confusion.


    "Who is it?" Ace and Luffy asked at the same time.


    "Bless their dumb souls," Mod said fondly.


    "I am!" Sabo exclaimed in annoyance and he watched in disbelief as the two stuck their fingers in their nose and said, "And?"


    He felt his annoyance spike and roared, "YOU TWO ARE THE ONES WHO MADE ME TELL!"


    "Luffy and Ace are way too similar," Rosan hummed and his two companions snorted in agreement.


    "The truth is, both of my parents are alive. So I''m not an orphan and I didn''t grow up in the Gray Terminal," Sabo began in a somber tone. "The man who called me today... was my father."


    Ace''s eyes widened in surprise at that.


    "I was lying to you guys. I''m sorry."


    "He apologized so it''s okay with me! I forgive you," Luffy said simply and the boy smiled, anger forgotten... if it was even there in the first place.


    Rosan had plenty of his own secrets so he didn''t harbor anything. This only seemed personal to Ace and so he''d let the freckled boy dictate the conversation.


    "I don''t get it," the freckled boy said suddenly, facing away from them all. "Why would you do it? Why would a noble run off to live at Gray Terminal?" The 10 year old wondered. He was living a life of wealth and would never have to worry about being ridiculed or going hungry... so why?


    Sabo''s eyes wavered a bit and Rosan was sure he was reliving some memories, because that''s how he used to look when he was younger.


    "All they care about is wealth and status. They don''t give a damn about me," Sabo began with a grave voice.


    "If I can''t marry a girl from the royal family, I''m no better than trash. So they forced me to study and take lessons every single day. Then they''d fight if I couldn''t learn fast enough¡­ I was just a nuisance in that house," the blonde muttered. Living with his parents, was its own kind of hell and Sabo would replace it with anything else, so long as he got to make his own choices.


    "It seems that whenever I meet someone of royal heritage, their life is anything but good. Being born with royal blood doesn''t always equal a pleasant life," Rosan said quietly, thinking back to Sanji.


    "¡­" Mod had an unreadable look in her eyes as Rosan said that and if he had seen it, he would have questioned her.


    Ram did see it, however.


    "Auntie, what''s with that look in your eyes?"


    "It''s¡­ I''m just thinking about the past," Mod said vaguely and Ram just nodded in acceptance.


    Rosan was very perceptive though. He always was when it came to his Devil Fruit. "I wonder Mod-chan, are you thinking about your past¡­ or are you thinking about mine?"


    "¡­"


    "Hm," Rosan hummed but dropped it. He didn''t care enough to delve deeper and if Mod wanted to tell him, she would tell him. If it was important, she would not hide it from him. His surrogate mother would not go out of her way to endanger him.


    Besides, he didn''t particularly care about his birth parents so he wanted nothing to do with them. If she knew about them, she could keep it to herself. As far as he was concerned, his mother died giving birth to his younger brother and his father was the dumbest man on the planet.


    "If¡­" Mod began hesitantly. "If it''s of significance, I will always tell you. But I don''t think you would care about this information so I didn''t bother mentioning it."


    "I''ll leave it up to your discretion. Whether you tell me or not, is completely up to you. I trust you," Rosan replied bluntly, ending the conversation between the two.


    Mod frowned slightly at that and bit her lip in contemplation. Maybe she should tell him what she knew?


    "I may not be an orphan, but I''ve always been alone," he said sadly.


    "Nobles have a low opinion of the Gray Terminal but it''s better than the stifling High Town where your life has been arranged for years to come."


    "I''d rather be in danger and loved, then safe and unloved." The words he declared to Garp, whispered in his ears at Sabo''s declaration.


    "So that''s how it was," Ace mumbled in thought.


    "I think you made the right decision," Rosan said softly.


    Unlike him.


    "Ace! Luffy! Rosan!" Sabo suddenly stood up and pointed out to the expansive blue ocean. "We gotta set out to sea someday! Let''s get out of this country and live freely!" The boy exclaimed in excitement and his eyes were full of wonder, as he gazed at the beautiful sea.


    "I wanna see the world out there and write a book about it! Let''s become stronger and become pirates someday!" He yelled to the heavens and he pumped both fists into the air at the prospect.


    Ace and Luffy grinned.


    "I''m gonna become one ¡ª you don''t have to tell me to!" Ace declared with a confident grin. "I''m gonna become a pirate and defeat others and become infamous! It''ll be the only proof of my life!" the freckled boy exclaimed, looking up at the sky.


    "It doesn''t matter if all the people in the world reject me or despise me, I''ll become a great pirate and show them what I can do! I won''t run from anybody or lose to anyone! Because I''m feared or hated or whatever, my name will be known all over!" The boy finished and Rosan stared at his brother.


    He cursed Roger for placing such a burden onto Ace but at least the boy was taking matters into his own hand. His little brother shouldn''t have to feel like his existence was worth proving, but everyone else had hammered that idea into him and this was the result.


    Hopefully, he achieved his goal. Rosan would be rooting for him the entire time.


    "I got it! Alright then¡­!" Luffy said excitedly running up to Ace. The 7 year old took a deep breath before he screamed to the world "I WANT TO BE¡­!"


    Ace and Sabo gawked at his declaration and even Rosan raised a brow at it. This was why he believed that Luffy would do everything in his power to become King. Because he genuinely believed it.


    To the boy, it may as well have been a statement for the future.


    Ace scratched his head in exasperation. "You fool¡­ I was wondering what you''d have to say¡­" he sighed and Sabo laughed heartily at the youngest boy''s antics.


    "You''re funny, Luffy! I can''t wait to see how you turn out in the future!"


    "You all have good dreams," Rosan said softly, looking up at the sky. "Don''t ever forget them. Sometimes when things get hard, that will be the only thing pushing you forward."


    "What about you, Rosan?!" Luffy asked his scout curiously. "What''s your dream?!"


    Ace and Sabo looked at the mysterious redhead with equal amounts of curiosity. Come to think of it, Rosan had never actually shown interest in anything! They knew he had come here to find Ace and ended up joining Luffy''s crew, but his ambitions were lost to the three boys. He was more than strong enough to set sail already but he seemed content to watch, and sometimes join, their antics.


    They wondered why...


    The redhead blinked at them, dead eyes glowing dimly. "Me? I have no dreams anymore," he said quietly, much to their surprise. "I just want to find a reason to live now."


    Rosan was no dreamer. His dreams had died with Meiko.


    The three looked at Rosan rather somberly and he sighed. "I''m sorry, I didn''t mean to ruin the mood," he apologized. This was why he had opted to remain quiet. His bland nature gave him quite the serious air and it could dampen the mood sometimes.


    "Tell us what your goal was and why you don''t have it anymore!" Ace demanded. His brother had been making an effort and the freckled boy could begrudgingly admit that he was beginning to appreciate it, so he wanted to know more about the enigmatic redhead.


    "Yeah! You said we would exchange secrets and since I''ve told mine, it''s time for you to pay up!" Sabo grinned cheekily.


    "Tell us since I''m your captain!" Luffy declared childishly, beaming happily.


    "Seems like you can''t deny them," Mod said fondly.


    "They''ve got you cornered, Father," Ram laughed.


    "They do. I''m completely trapped."


    Rosan trusted them. They were good kids and far too honest to ever betray him.


    "When I first met Mod-chan, she told me about how much people were going to come after me to get their hands on her, so I wanted to be the strongest in the world," Rosan began softly, grabbing their undivided attention.


    Even Luffy was serious!


    Rosan remembered the day vividly. He had been only four when he made up his mind to do everything in his power to protect Mod-chan. If it meant becoming the strongest, then well he''d just have to do it. There had been no doubt in his mind and it had remained that way for a long time.


    "If I became the strongest, no one would ever think about messing with my loved ones and I''d be able to keep them safe from harm. I wouldn''t be able to feel the pain of losing them because that''s a pain I can''t handle," he admitted and the boys could sense that something had gone terribly wrong.


    "But, even after all my years of training... I wasn''t able to keep the one I loved most, safe and she died in my arms because of it, while I was utterly helpless to stop it. I was supposed to be strong for the both of us because she couldn''t be strong but in that moment, I felt like the weakest person on the planet."


    Desperate tears landing on the face of the person he loved. A soft, loving smile meant just for him. How that love had not wavered for even a second in her last moments. How even with her dying breath, she was still able to keep firm in her beliefs.


    How she could so confidently say, "I love you," to a failure.


    Meiko was weak, but she was so much stronger than him.


    Sabo gasped in horror at the knowledge and regarded the teen in a new light. That explained the lack of emotions and the blonde couldn''t even blame Rosan for becoming like this. He felt a well of pain surging inside of him at the agony Rosan must have been put through and he admired the redhead for still being able to continue.


    Ace already knew this but to hear Rosan go into detail, made it sting all the more. His older brother had been dealt a terrible hand and this was the result.


    "When my lover Meiko, died in my arms, a big piece of me died with her. It sapped me of all of my ambition and right now, I''m no different then a ghost hanging on to one last thread. Her last thread. Her last wish for me, was for me to live for the both of us until I could find a new reason to live and so, that is what I will attempt to do until I die," he told them, voice a near whisper.


    For Meiko''s sake, for Mod-chan, for all the people who relied on him...


    "That''s no way to live¡­" Sabo whispered sadly. It was torturous. Rosan wasn''t even properly living! He was just passing the days by right now! "Are you okay?" He couldn''t help but ask.


    Rosan closed his eyes momentarily. "I have not been okay for a long time."


    "I''ll help you," a tiny voice declared and Rosan looked at the source. Luffy''s hat was being hidden by his, too large, straw hat but he looked up at the redhead with pure determination. "I''ll help you, Rosan!"


    "We''ll go on the biggest, best adventure ever and I''ll make you say you found a new reason to live! You''ll become the strongest, just watch!" Luffy declared with the utmost confidence and the three just stared at the boy with varying reactions.


    "That''s going to be hard to accomplish," Rosan informed the boy. "I''ve been trying for two years with little to no success."


    "I don''t care! I''ll do it because you''re my nakama and I''m your captain and we''re friends!" The boy said simply, leaving zero room for argument. Rosan was apart of his crew so Rosan was his responsibility until their journey was finished!


    "Well if you put it that way, I guess I have to help too," Ace grinned. His brother may have left him in the past, but it had been with good intentions. He just wanted the infant to be safe and that was not something he could guarantee him. It hadn''t worked out, but his brother had been four, there was no way he could have predicted this outcome.


    "Alright! Count me in! I''ll help you get better because I like you, Rosan!" Sabo joined in and the redhead looked at them all with his dead eyes. It used to bother Sabo how expressionless they were, but after learning about his past, it only filled him with determination.


    Rosan stared at the three, digesting their declarations before bowing his head (he never bowed) and saying, "Thank you all, I appreciate it. I''ll put my full trust in you all."


    Before they could say anything else, they watched with dropped jaws, as Rosan''s hair turned purple and he gender swapped into his Devil Fruit!


    They didn''t even know he could do that! What the hell?!


    Mod stared at the three with tears brimming in her eyes and she scooped the boys up into a bone crushing hug. "You three have no idea how much I appreciate your words," the woman choked out. She had been about to burst into tears when Rosan had told them of his former dream but she actually did when the three showed their unconditional support.


    She loved these little menaces! They were all so kind!


    Ace and Sabo flushed at the proximity. T-They had not been expecting to be in such close proximity to the purple haired woman... ever!


    "G-Get the hell away from me! Y-you''re crushing me in your huge boobs," Ace said crudely, struggling to get out of the deceptively strong woman''s grasp. She looked dainty, why was she so strong?!


    Sabo was too embarrassed to say anything and decided that staying frozen, was the best course of action.


    Luffy¡­ hugged the woman back as best as he could, completely unbothered by the proximity. "Modi!" He squealed before freezing as a realization seemed to hit him.


    "DID YOU KILL ROSAN?! WHERE IS HE?!" Luffy screamed in horror. That realization made the panicking boy struggle even harder than Ace currently was.


    The purple haired woman sweatdropped at the sheer panic on the seven year old''s face and the two ten year old''s wanted to slap their heads at his antics.


    Ram looked at Luffy with a nervous expression on her bronze face.


    Was this idiot really gonna be the one to save her Father?


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "I just realized that all of us want to be Captains," Sabo muttered.


    "I wasn''t expecting that," Ace said truthfully. "Sabo, I thought you''d wanna be navigator on my ship."


    "If not for my shift in personality, I''d likely be a Captain too," Rosan hummed. "I can''t stand taking orders from people and it leads me to doing my own things when I disagree with them."


    "I guess it''s a good thing you joined Luffy''s crew, I don''t think he has a brain to give out orders," Ace mocked with a grin and Rosan nodded in agreement.


    "You can all just join my crew!" The boy in question declared happily, not even realizing he was being insulted.


    "NO THANKS!" Ace and Sabo immediately roared to the younger boy.


    "Huh?!" The boy gawked in disbelief before stomping around. "I said you can join so you have to join!" He complained. Didn''t they know they''d be sailing with the Pirate King? Rosan knew! Ace and Sabo were so stupid!


    "That''ll never happen, idiot!"


    "Yep, never!"


    "What did you just say?!¡­ But that''s okay. I already have Rosan!"


    "You gave up way easier on them then you would have on me."


    "Eh? You asked to join!"


    "...Don''t just make things up, Luffy. You didn''t give me a choice."


    The two ten year old''s laughed at Luffy''s confusion.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Well, let''s just leave it until the time comes," Ace remarked, as he walked up with a bottle of sake. "Maybe we''ll go our separate ways."


    "Oh, you stole that from Dadan!" Luffy pointed at the bottle in recognition.


    "Aren''t you all a bit too young to be drinking sake?" Mod remarked, though she made no effort to stop it. There was probably a good reason for this so she''d let them indulge themselves. She was still beaming with happiness at their willingness to help Rosan, so she''d let them get away with it.


    "Did you guys know?! We can become brothers if we exchange this cup of sake!" The freckled boy grinned, removing the top from the bottle.


    "Brothers? Really?!" Luffy beamed in excitement.


    "When we become pirates, we might not be on the same ship but our brotherhood will always be with us!" Ace explained.


    "There''s four cups," Rosan pointed out and the three looked at him like he was stupid.


    "There''s four of us," Luffy explained slowly and Rosan was honestly surprised he could count.


    "You''re including me?" The teen wondered, tilting his head to the side. The question seemed like it was for everyone but the redhead was staring intently at Ace.


    The other two followed suit and Ace was subjected to the gaze of three people. He shuffled a bit at the attention before coughing lightly.


    "I meant it when I said I don''t consider you my brother," Ace said bluntly and Rosan nodded at the reminder of their conversation. "But¡­ we can become proper brothers now."


    "You... mean that?" The redhead asked softly.


    "...Yeah, I wouldn''t offer to help you if I didn''t," Ace replied with a shrug.


    "And you two? Do you also think I should be apart of this?" Rosan asked the other two boys.


    "Of course!" Sabo exclaimed.


    "Duh, stupid," Luffy beamed.


    Rosan paused for a moment before a burst of warmth flooded his body.


    Mod and Ram gasped in wonder at the sensation.


    The three boys watched with wide eyes, as Rosan flashed the largest smile they had seen on him yet. It was nothing impressive, not even showing teeth, but it was completely visible.


    "That¡­ makes me happy," he eventually said and as quick as it came, it was gone again, leaving Rosan empty. He idly touched his heart at the feeling vanishing, before letting his arm hang limp.


    "You smiled!" Luffy cheered and the two other boys grinned.


    Mod felt tears well up at the sensation and she couldn''t stop herself from letting out a happy sob.


    Ram wasn''t even hiding her tears. She had never met her Father with emotions after all.


    "Maybe it''s not as impossible as I thought it was," Rosan said blandly, thinking of that feeling. It felt... nice. He had forgotten what it was like to be happy. He wouldn''t mind feeling like that all the time...


    He wondered how he was able to feel momentary bursts of his emotion with the castle sealed so shut. Maybe the chains weren''t as tight as they appeared.


    Maybe the problem was that he needed to be willing to accept all his emotions. Even the negative ones.


    "Alright! Let''s drink already!" Luffy said impatiently and the four boys grabbed their cups.


    "Wherever, whatever, we''ll always be bonded together!" Ace said happily, grinning ear to ear.


    "So from now on, we''re brothers!" He declared and they all toasted their cups together to solidify it.

 Family II

    Rosan was currently on Celadon, explaining everything that happened so far to his old travel companions.


    "Brothers? So all three of them are your brothers now?" Demon asked, looking very interested in his tale. He never expected Master to be... doing this honestly. It was surprising to hear about his numerous adventures but he was happy that their former leader could actually relax now.


    "So Ace forgives you?" Angel asked and Rosan nodded. She beamed at that information. It placed one less burden on Master''s back and that was a huge win in her book.


    Maro was deep in thought, which was becoming a more common sight due to her royal duties, after listening to Rosan explain everything.


    Finally, she slammed a fist against her palm, attracting the gaze of all of them. "KANNA!" The princess screamed suddenly.


    Demon looked at the princess with a raised brow and Angel let out a sigh of exasperation.


    "Screaming for people is rather unprincess like, don''t you think?" Demon asked in amusement, as tiny rapid footsteps made their way to the door.


    "Y-yes, Princess?" Kanna squeaked, opening the door and the girl turned red, at all the eyes suddenly looking at her.


    "I think that''s the first time I''ve ever heard you speak," Rosan commented and the girl almost fainted at seeing her Princess'' master there. S-she had not been expecting to see the redhead.


    "Kanna doesn''t really speak often! Angel thought she was mute for the longest," Maro cackled and the female clone rolled her eyes.


    "It must be because Master and I look so similar," the redhead scoffed, lazily staring at Maro''s assistant and successfully intimidating her. "She should be more like Rin, he isn''t as annoying and knows how to tell people apart."


    The black haired girl squeaked and hid behind Demon, who pat her in response.


    "She''s not scared of Demon," Maro pointed out and the purple haired clone snorted.


    "Most of our citizens prefer me over Angel because I don''t go around terrorizing them with death glares," he laughed. Angel really needed to get herself under control sometimes. She didn''t even pretend to like people and very blatantly showed her disgust. It would definitely bite her in the ass one of these days.


    She was lucky that she was dating the ruler of the island.


    "Don''t care! None of them are Master so their opinion doesn''t matter to me," she shrugged uncaringly.


    "What about me?! Do I just not exist anymore?!" Maro asked in shocked confusion.


    "You have no choice but to like me," Angel replied with a wave of her hand, dismissing her completely.


    "Aren''t we getting a bit sidetracked?" Rosan questioned.


    Kanna watched in awe at how quickly they snapped to attention from his words.


    "Oh, right!" Maro exclaimed and the Goblin Princess turned towards her hidden assistant. "Kanna! I''m going out for a few days! You and Jin are in charge!" She beamed.


    Jin was the 33 year old son of Jun, the old man who had requested Maro''s assistance. He was competent enough that, outside of Angel and Demon, the princess could trust him to not mess anything up!


    The eight year old blinked owlishly and pointed at herself nervously. "M-Me?" She sounded fearful as she asked that and Maro nodded without hesitation.


    "You don''t gotta be afraid! You watch me like 24/7, you got this!"


    "I''m pretty sure she actually does watch you 24/7," Angel grumbled in amusement.


    "Well of course she does, silly! She''s my assistant," Maro beamed like the social idiot she was.


    Angel wasn''t intimidated by the fact that some tiny eight year old was harboring a crush on her girlfriend but if she were, she''d have nothing to worry about because Maro was a moron. A loyal moron, but still a moron.


    "You''re absolutely right, Maro. Sometimes, I can''t compete with your intelligence," the redhead clone said, voice monotone and she began exiting the room. "I''m going to go pack."


    "I should probably do that too," Demon said, getting up and leaving as well. He would have to let the hospital know that he''d be gone for a bit too... and Rin. The boy was still as attached to him as ever and he probably wouldn''t react well to the knowledge that the doctor would be gone.


    "Hey, wait for me! You guys have no respect for your princess," Maro complained, dashing out of the room.


    Kanna paled at the realization that it was just her and Rosan left. She looked left and right, looking for anything to distract herself with and realizing that the room was impeccably clean.


    For someone so carefree, Maro sure was neat... she wondered how much Angel had to do with that before quickly discarding that thought. Thinking of Angel scared her...


    "You''re afraid of me for all the wrong reasons," Rosan said suddenly, not even looking at the girl due to his eyes being closed.


    She flinched at his words but remained silent.


    "You should stop comparing me to Angel, that''s one of the reasons she hates you," Rosan informed the girl. "You''re afraid of me because you''re afraid of her and you see how much she looks up to me. That''s stupid and it offends her deeply. Also, have you ever actually apologized to her for stealing her purse?"


    The girl''s eyes locking onto the floor, was all he needed to know.


    "If you want her to tolerate your presence, learn to separate the two of us or she really will get fed up with you. Maro can''t and won''t protect you forever," the redhead finished.


    His words were harsh and she felt herself tearing up but he was right. Kanna couldn''t avoid Angel forever because the girl preferred to stay in the castle and if Maro had to pick¡­ Well, it was a no brainer.


    "What should I do?" Kanna asked quietly and Rosan hummed.


    "Stop being so afraid of everything and stop comparing us. That''s all you can really do and eventually, Angel will warm up to you if you''re sincere enough."


    The girl nodded and remained deep in thought until the three returned.


    "I''m ready to goooo!" Maro exclaimed excitedly and the two behind her, rolled their eyes at her energy.


    "Okay," Rosan replied.


    "I won''t be gone for long, Rin," Demon assured, patting the shorter boy on the head. The twelve year old looked unconvinced but he nodded reluctantly.


    Rosan glanced at the boy attached to the youngest triplet. He looked much better now and seemed to be recovering well from the knowledge that he wouldn''t be seeing his dad again. He was never going to reveal the man''s true fate for his own sake. It was unfortunate that his father was such a problem, but that''s just how the world worked.


    "Princess Angel¡­" A squeaky voice called, grabbing the middle triplet''s attention. She regarded Kanna with curiosity, surprised that the child was directly addressing her and the girl took that as a sign to continue.


    "I''m s-sorry for everything," she bowed lowly, hoping the haughty clone would accept it. "I''ve never apologized for all the things I''ve done and I really regret that."


    "Oh, you''re forgiven," Angel replied bluntly and Kanna blinked owlishly.


    "Huh?"


    "Did you think I was gonna not accept your apology? You realize your mistakes and you''re sincere about it so I forgive you! I''m not someone who''s gonna keep a grudge for no reason, not my style," the clone replied with a shrug of her shoulder.


    "I will keep a grudge though if you keep delaying my trip with Master!" She glared.


    "R-Right!" She bowed again but the little assistant had a smile on her face. Kanna was wrong about Angel, she may have been scary and mean, but she would tolerate you as long as you didn''t give her a reason not to.


    "If that''s all," Rosan said quietly and the three clambered around him.


    "Thank you Rosan-sama!" Kanna said with a large smile on her face and the redhead nodded.


    "Think nothing of it," he replied.


    "Rosan-sama...?" Maro muttered with a glinting eye. "Look at you Master! I knew Kanna had a crush on you!"


    "You really are an idiot sometimes, Maro," Rosan said, gently patting his student on the head. Maro''s mouth opened in outrage but Angel''s low growl of impatience, successfully silenced her.


    With that, they vanished.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    When Dadan walked outside, she had not been expecting to see the four brothers interacting with three extra people. Her jaw dropped in confusion and she rapidly looked between them.


    "Rosan, who are they?!" Luffy asked curiously. Ace and Sabo looked just as curious and they didn''t miss how two of them looked very much like Rosan himself.


    "Do we have siblings that you didn''t tell me about?" Ace demanded, looking at Angel and Demon in confusion.


    "Ace. Sabo. Luffy." Rosan began pointing at each one in order. "These are Angel, Demon and Maro."


    "These three are my brothers," Rosan told his old travel companions, pointing at the boys.


    "These two are my clones and this is my student," he in turn told his brothers, pointing at Angel and Demon, then Maro.


    "C-Clones?!" Sabo asked in shock. He had his own clones?!


    "Clones?!" Luffy asked in excitement.


    "You can make clones?" Ace wondered in surprise and Rosan nodded.


    "I use clone in the loosest terms. They simply look like me but they are very different," Rosan informed the trio. Besides appearance, there were actually not much similarities the three shared. To call them clones of himself wouldn''t be doing the two justice.


    "It''s nice to meet you all. I''m Angel," the female clone introduced herself and they all shook her hand. She decided to be on her best behavior today because Master acknowledged these people as his brothers! That automatically made them good in her books.


    Maro pouted glumly at the attention the two clones were receiving and Rosan simply pat her on the head.


    "So this is where you stay," Demon stated, looking at the bandit''s home. He noticed Dadan and waved politely at the surprised leader.


    "You must be Dadan, it''s nice to meet you," The purple haired clone said kindly, introducing himself in the process. She waved back dumbly, not sure how to respond to the fact that she was looking at 3 Rosan''s.


    "These three used to travel with me before we went our separate ways," Rosan explained to everyone listening. "I made Angel and Demon when I was nine and I met Maro when I was twelve."


    "We''re not accepting three more, there''s no way we can do that," Dadan shook her head rapidly in denial. Rosan was already bad enough and didn''t listen to a thing she said. Adding more to her already cracking plate was going to destroy her mental.


    Angel looked over at her and sneered. Master only barely mentioned this one so the redhead felt no qualms about being her usual self.


    "Who''d wanna live in this crappy shack anyways?" The redhead scoffed. "I can''t believe this is where you''re letting Master sleep! Garp was it? I need to speak to him about this," she sneered and Dadan looked this close to throttling the teen.


    "Ah don''t mind her!" Maro immediately jumped in the conversation before Angel could make an even worse first impression. "And don''t worry, we won''t be staying here! We are just visiting and once we''re done, we''ll go back to the castle!"


    ¡­


    "CASTLE?!" Dadan asked in shock. W-What was she talking about? Just who were the people that this redhead knew?!


    "Huh?" Maro tilted her head in confusion. "Master, do you never talk about me? How don''t they know I''m a princess?! Why aren''t they interested in me?! I''m the coolest one here! I''m hurt! I won''t forgive you for this!" she whined, childishly pounding her arms into Rosan''s chest.


    The redhead patted her apologetically but let her throw her little tantrum.


    "PRINCESS?!" Dadan screamed.


    Rosan tilted his head. "I told you this before, Dadan. Remember when I told you I was visiting a princess?"


    "YOU WERE TELLING THE TRUTH?" She roared in disbelief.


    "If I don''t have to lie, I won''t lie," he responded bluntly.


    "You''re his student?" Ace asked curiously, sizing the kimono wearing princess up and down. Today, her kimono mostly hid her lithe figure so she didn''t look like much of a fighter to them.


    "Yep! I was Master''s right hand and I was a pretty damn good one," Maro flaunted with a cocky grin, hand on her hips, as she puffed her chest out. Ace''s eyes widened in recognition and the girl''s mouth opened in surprise at that. Did he perhaps know that Rosan was Reaper?


    Wow, Master really did trust these squirts!


    She made eye contact with Rosan and a quick conversation seemed to happen between the two.


    Eventually, she nodded and said, "You guys like to fight too, right?! Let me show you what I''m made of! Master and I haven''t sparred in forever."


    The three boys grinned in excitement.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    The boys had quickly learned that Maro was a monster and Sabo meant that literally!


    She even had a Devil Fruit too, just like Rosan!


    After hearing Maro''s words, the four brothers led their guests into their sparring clearing with varying degrees of excitement.


    Luffy wanted to see more from his future crewmate! Rosan didn''t try very much when fighting either of the boys and since Maro was his student, he was bound to show something new!


    Sabo wanted to see what his fellow noble could do! She definitely dressed like royalty and so he was finding it a little hard to believe that she was a fighter.


    The blue haired princess was dressed in a simple white kimono, with floral motifs all over, that hid her tall frame and she had a pure silver tiara on the top of her head. To finish off, she had dangling sapphire earrings that were very similar to Rosan''s own ruby ones.


    Ace wanted to see just what Reaper''s partner, Grim, was capable of.


    He didn''t know anything about the Shinigami''s Demon besides the fact that they didn''t always have a partner. Grim had shown up out of nowhere and even less was known about them then the already elusive Reaper.


    Now he was about to see the both of them fight?


    That would be fun!


    "Master, it''s been too long so I hope you don''t mind if I let loose a little!" Maro grinned eagerly. Her dumb Master had gotten her this strong and left her with no one to spar with! How utterly inconsiderate of him!


    Rosan''s response was to modify the field around them. The floor turned into an arena with a barrier and the spectators seats were placed up high in a way that would protect them from collateral, while allowing them to still watch with little issue.


    "Awesome!" Luffy gasped in awe.


    "We should keep it like this," Sabo said and Ace nodded in agreement. It looked pretty damn cool right now and would make their training feel more... serious!


    "Today is the day I finally get a win!" Maro grinned savagely, and her sharper than normal fangs, seemed to glisten. It may have been a trick to their eyes, but it looked like the white streaks in her hair were growing more numerous.


    "She''s never beat him?" Sabo wondered and Angel snorted.


    "Nope not even once. Maro-chan hasn''t been fighting for as long as Master. She''s may be a prodigy but he is too."


    "Mhm," Demon nodded in agreement. "Even with her Devil Fruit, Master still manages to comfortably beat her without issue. We have to listen to her whining all the time as a result."


    "Devil Fruit? She has one too?" Ace asked in surprise before he noticed Maro''s entire form changing.


    "WHOA!" Luffy gasped with starry eyes at the transformation.


    She grew a solid foot and now towered over, the formerly taller, Rosan. Her skin turned a light shade of green and her lithe figured grew much more muscular. The Princess'' azure blue hair with pale streaks, turned fully white and her pupils vanished, showing her pure orange sclera.


    "What is that?" Sabo asked in awe. He had never seen a monster like that before! What type of creature was it?!


    "A Dokkaebi," Demon informed them, telling them about the mythical goblin.


    "Wow, every time I hear about a new fruit, I realize how lame Luffy''s is," Ace remarked smugly, much to the seven year old''s outrage. If not for the prospect of the fight sufficiently distracting him, he would have jumped on Ace (to lose handily).


    But Maro wasn''t done.


    Her earrings glowed and transformed into a white and blue battle dress with sleeves that stopped at her elbow and a skirt. She wore long, knee length white boots and long white gloves that met where her sleeve ended.


    Seeing such a massive and intimidating monster wearing a battle dress, was actually very funny.


    The Goblin Princess roared and summoned a massive wooden club.


    "Hm. Not using your hybrid form?" Rosan asked curiously. His armband expanded and wrapped around his body, seamlessly forming into his own raid suit. The black coat moved in time with the wind and Ram transformed into a set of familiar black gloves. The redhead began idly stretching and his dim gaze began glowing slightly.


    "Gotta ease into the performance, Master!" She rumbled and Rosan nodded along.


    "I''ve taught you a little too well," he hummed and the two sized each other up.


    Everyone watched with bated breaths at the two staring each other down, waiting for some unseen signal that would begin their battle.


    A single leaf floated gently down and the moment it hit the floor ¡ª


    The two burst into action.


    A gigantic wave of blue flames shot towards Rosan, that was countered by the teen raising the floor into a wall. The flames began bathing the makeshift wall but didn''t pierce them due to the redhead modifying its sturdiness.


    He tensed his legs and vanished behind the wall, unseen by Maro, only to appear behind the giant goblin. He was about to take a swing with his left leg, but he suddenly pivoted on his right and delivered a strong punch behind him.


    The crowds confusion, turned into surprise at hearing flesh connect to flesh and the image of the hulking Dokkaebi wavered a bit, before disappearing.


    The grinning Dokkaebi suddenly appeared where Rosan punched and swiftly grabbed his outstretched arm before he could pull it back. She hoisted the smaller teen up by that one arm and tried to ruthlessly slam him to the ground.


    Rosan wasn''t going to let it be that easy though.


    A massive tail burst from behind him and wrapped itself around Maro''s neck mid fall and he slowly halted his downward momentum, due to trying to pull her down while she resisted. Rosan''s tiny pupils turned into slits, as he opened his mouth, showing off his razor sharp teeth.


    A burst of draconic fire made Maro instinctively release him, despite her raid suit being fireproof and she leapt back from the teen, after forcing him to unsummon his tail to avoid it getting grabbed by her unforgivable grip.


    She cursed herself from the mistake but didn''t dwell on it for too long because Rosan was already on the move again. Fighting him was such a pain because he hardly ever stopped moving.


    The Dokkaebi squeaked, which sounded more like a roar, as a massive blast of energy nearly collided with her. She cracked the ground beneath her when she jumped high over the blast, only to gasp at seeing Rosan already there.


    His gloves transformed into a pair of giant gauntlets and he delivered a double axe handle to the skull of the Goblin Princess.


    Maro went careening towards the floor at rapids speed and crashed with a thunderous thud.


    Rosan floated down gently, still on high alert, and transformed Ram into a bo staff just in time to block a tremendous strike from Daisy.


    "Done messing around?" Rosan asked calmly and Maro, in her hybrid form, grinned.


    "I can say the same to ya! Things are gettin too excitin for ya to be holdin back!" The green skinned hybrid grinned, slipping back into her old dialect and they broke off, leaping back a safe distance from each other.


    Maro''s entire outfit ignited in blue flames and Daisy followed suit.


    "This is just sparring you know?" Rosan hummed before activating his boost. "If you want to go all out, either we fight in the mindscape, or my Pocket Dimension."


    Maro ignored him and vanished from her spot.


    The most annoying thing about fighting Maro, Rosan learned, was her tendency to abuse her invisibility with her ability to reposition herself with those blue flames.


    "Modify: Vision," Rosan intoned calmly. It was not wise to fight Maro like this unless he modified his vision to view heat signatures.


    The only issue, was that Maro had finally thought up a counter his eyes. That made ending the fight a tad bit more difficult.


    The entire arena was engulfed in blistering flames and Rosan heard Ram suck her teeth in annoyance.


    "Who told her to fight smart?" the weapon snarled and she transformed into a brilliant silver and black bow. "Take to the skies, Father."


    Rosan was already moving. Without even thinking about it, he activated Shinigami and his Angelic wings burst from his back, allowing him to take to the skies with one flap.


    Right now, the ground was Maro''s domain but it was impossible for her to take the sky from him. He was much more mobile then she was and his wings allowed him to be more aerodynamic then her, in comparison, stiff flames. His former partner was well aware of that and if she came up here, it would be very bad for her.


    Unfortunately, he wouldn''t be giving her a choice in the decision.


    He aimed his silver bow, as if he already had an arrow drawn, and was satisfied to see energy beginning to form. The redhead began condensing it greatly, turning it into the shape of the ammo he was imagining.


    His bow didn''t actually have arrows to use and creating them would be a hassle, so he used the energy he gained from Germa combined with modification to form his own ammunition for the bow.


    All the spectators gaped in awe at the battle they were currently watching. These two were amazing! They were putting on one hell of a show and the familiarity in which they fought, spoke of countless battles with and against each other.


    "Those wings¡­" Sabo muttered, staring intently at Rosan''s feathery appendages. Beautiful obsidian wings, that seemed to devour the light around them. That sounded oddly familiar.


    Maro let loose a string of curses as it began raining destruction on the field in an attempt to hit her hidden form. She was forced to dodge arrow after arrow and she just knew Rosan could, and would, keep this up all day.


    Curse her Master! This was cheating!


    She would be playing right into his hands by doing this but she had no choice and that irritated her beyond belief.


    That''s what he was probably thinking at least. Too bad the princess wouldn''t make it that easy for him.


    Rosan blinked as flames suddenly appeared around him and above him, preventing him from going higher. He was forced to descend lest he get hit by them and they followed him, intention''s made loud and clear.


    They wanted him back on the ground.


    Clever girl.


    He was not aware Maro could control the location that her flames spawned so adeptly. She must have been keeping up with her training.


    Good. Celadon needed a powerful queen.


    The moment Rosan''s feet hit the floor, he was attacked by Maro. The teen turned his weapon back into a bo staff and blocked the wild swing from the hybrid Dokkaebi. The ground beneath him began crumbling from the force of the blow and she began grinning wildly. To make matters worse, the flames from above were speeding up to crash into him.


    The redhead was about to divert the force of her swing so he could gain distance but he lost some of his balance as Maro suddenly released her hold on the club and dove in to grab him. He caught himself and leapt back but the slight delay, gave her enough time to propel herself forward with her flames and wrap her arms around his waist.


    Before he could react and find a way to break out, the bluenette hoisted him up and body slammed him into the ground with tremendous force, once, twice and three times before slamming him a fourth time and at the same time, her flames reached their destination, crashing into them both with a loud boom.


    Maro blinked at the lack of sound the body should have made when hitting the floor before she realized that Rosan wasn''t in her grasp anymore. Almost as soon as she made that realization, the ground itself began attacking her and the floor began moving to restrain her completely.


    "What a bullshit Devil Fruit," she complained.


    The Goblin Princess tried to make some distance, but a gauntlet covered hand grabbed her foot from underneath the ground and a previously shrunken Rosan burst upwards from the dirt, back to his original size. He took the flailing Dokkaebi and began flying with her in tow, dangling her so she couldn''t properly hit him with full force.


    As they reached a sufficient height, Rosan suddenly angled himself downwards and started plummeting with Maro still in his hand.


    Maro groaned in defeat and tried to transform into her full zoan to throw him off a little but Rosan''s grip was unforgiving. He didn''t even seem to register the added height and weight and kept flying unimpeded.


    This was gonna hurt.


    A resounding boom reverberated throughout the clearing.


    "Owww," Maro whined as the dust cleared. She had reverted back into her human form and Rosan had dispersed his wings.


    "I think this is a good place to call it," Rosan commented calmly, stretching his body. Maro hit hard and his back did not appreciate those body slams.


    "You only say that because you would be the winner," she groaned but didn''t argue against it, glancing at him pleadingly.


    Rosan picked the Princess up and she lazily sagged into his arms with a happy sigh. The redhead adjusted her a bit and palmed the floor so that he could repair all the damages.


    "THAT WAS AWESOME!" A voice screamed and Rosan watched two rubbery arms wrap around his neck. Luffy crashed into him with excited glee and the redhead glanced at him with a tiny smile.


    "You two are so strong! That was so cooool!" The seven year old awed and Maro beamed.


    The other''s approached at a much more moderate pace.


    "You''ve both improved," Angel praised. It was always impressive to watch how much stronger those two were than her.


    "I''m proud Master, I thought I''d have to patch up Maro after you guys were finished," Demon smiled softly, eyes roaming the two to make sure they were perfectly in tact.


    "H-HEY don''t you mean the both of us?!" The princess whined.


    "I''ve been learning restraint," Rosan hummed. He couldn''t go around killing everyone in his normal fashion with the children watching.


    "You literally slammed me from the sky, jackass!" Maro said in disbelief. That had not felt good at all! Did he think he could just slam anyone from that height and they''d survive?!


    "You''re durable. At worst, you have a small headache. You sure weren''t complaining when you body slammed me four times with that monstrous strength of yours," the redhead pointed out and she crossed her arms.


    "Still hurt and you''re durable too. Do you know how hard it is to take you out of a fight? You''re literally insane." she grumbled. She was convinced that unless you killed him or thoroughly incapacitated him, Master would continue to fight to his last breath.


    "Rosan," Sabo suddenly called. "You''re Reaper, right?" He asked and Rosan simply nodded, not seeing a reason to keep it secret from them any longer. Ace already knew anyways and they weren''t allowed to hold back information from each other.


    "That''s right. Out of habit, I summoned my wings but there''s no reason for me to hide it from you all," he told the blonde, who could only stare in wide eyes as he digested that information.


    "I am Reaper and that is Grim," the redhead said, pointing at a grinning Maro.


    Sabo looked between the two with wide eyes at the revelation. Ace''s older brother was actually Reaper?! That was insane! No wonder he didn''t care whatsoever about Bluejam and his crew!


    The teen had been hunting pirates for years now as a sport! They really were nothing to him and he had a bounty of 500 million!


    The redhead was incredibly dangerous. Sabo was glad he was their brother!


    "What''s a Reaper?" Luffy asked in confusion, tilting his head to the side.


    "A mystery person," Rosan replied instantly, satisfying the boy. It was imperative that Luffy not know much about Reaper. The little boy absolutely would reveal his identity by mistake.


    "Ah, okay," he replied with a nod and they all sweatdropped.


    "So you are Grim," Ace muttered, looking at the princess in a new light. Despite looking like royalty, she acted anything but and she took Rosan''s attacks like a champ.


    "You''re Ace right?!" Maro asked excitedly and she got close to the boy to shake his hand rapidly. "Nice to meet you! Master has told me so much about you!"


    "He has?" Ace blinked before an embarrassed blush overtook his features. "I didn''t say you could talk about me, Rosan!" The freckled boy grumbled in annoyance.


    "Sorry, Angel and Maro are demanding." Rosan didn''t sound sorry whatsoever but the two he mentioned, had the decency to look sheepish.


    "I like to know anything and everything about Master!" Angel beamed and Maro nodded in agreement.


    "We can tell you about ourselves!" The bluenette exclaimed excitedly. "Let''s get food! I miss Master''s cooking!"


    Luffy immediately started salivating at the thought of food. "Let''s hunt a deer! I want venison," the boy demanded and his brothers nodded.


    "Hunt?" Angel and Demon blinked. They never expected her Master to so comfortably live like this but he had been wild as a child so this probably didn''t bother him.


    "Hunt?! I wanna come, lemme come!" Maro demanded, grinning eagerly at the prospect of chasing an animal. That sounded really fun!


    "I can make a feast then," Rosan hummed. "I''ll be using the White Rose to cook everything in that case. I should have extra food in there too. Angel, could you help me prepare everything while they hunt the food?"


    "Of course!" Angel gushed. She got to spend time with Master and that was always a reward in her book!


    "Demon, there is a capital over there and the 4 of us are not allowed in," Rosan began, taking out a large amount of money and handing it to the youngest triplet.


    "You want me to buy drinks?" The purple haired teen asked, not even phased by hearing that the 4 brothers were banned. Based on what Master had told them, he was surprised that they were not outlawed on the entire island.


    "No alcohol. If there''s anything that catches your eye, feel free to buy it"


    "Right, I need the walk anyways. I''m always cooped up in the hospital," Demon nodded. He just hoped the nonstop flirting didn''t hold him up. He was much too nice to abruptly end conversations.


    "PARTY!" Luffy exclaimed in joy, jumping at the thought of all the food.


    "Oh right! We never got to see your ship!" Sabo exclaimed in excitement. He was gonna see an actual ship! He wondered how Rosan''s ship looked? Knowing his oldest brother, there was no way it was going to be a normal ship.


    "How much deer''s do you think we''ll need?" Maro asked Ace, who thought about it.


    "A lot. We''ll give one to the bandit''s too so they don''t bother us," he replied and the princess nodded excitedly.


    "You''re a lot different then most nobles," Ace pointed out, causing Maro to snort.


    "Well for most of my life, I was actually homeless!" She exclaimed and his jaw dropped at the revelation. "Master found me around 2 years ago and I just became queen a few months ago because of him!"


    Ace and Sabo''s eyes bugged at that.


    "I reacted the same way!" Maro gushed.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Your ship isn''t like anything I''ve ever seen before," Sabo commented through a large bite of food and Angel batted him gently on the head.


    "Manners," she chastised the blonde but there was no point in trying to reprimand them really.


    They were like wild animals and they barely listened to boot!


    The three boys were violently stealing food from each other despite having their own hefty portion and it left Angel sweatdropping in exasperation.


    Something told her these three were far too stubborn to be changed. Though, that wouldn''t stop her... She needed to at least beat some manners into them.


    She glanced in appreciation at Maro for not being as bad as she used to. The three boys had tried stealing from her and she almost retaliated but the Princess held onto her wits and just warded them off.


    Demon smiled at the chaos going on, already finished with his portion and just watched the boys cause an absolute tear. They were even worse than Maro was when they first found her!


    "I''ve modified it extensively," Rosan told them, effortlessly blocking the grabby hands of Luffy. "I don''t think a ship like mine exists because no one has changed theirs as much as I did."


    "It''s pretty cool in here¡­" Ace admitted. It made him want a ship more than ever and he couldn''t hide his anticipation for the day he became a pirate.


    "We''re sleeping in here tonight," Angel informed Rosan. "There''s no way I''m sleeping in the same area as those damn bandits."


    "Sleepover!" Luffy cheered and Ace was deep in thought.


    "We''ve been meaning to move out of there anyways. We were gonna build a new hideout so we''ll sleep here in the meantime," the freckled boy explained.


    "Oh we can help! Angel and Master are good at stuff like that!" Maro beamed.


    "They don''t want me to use my Devil Fruit but I am still decently well at it," Rosan hummed.


    "You''re good at stuff like this?" Sabo asked Angel in wonder. Nothing about the girl screamed that she was good at building.


    "Yep! I did a lot of the work on the ship and I got interested in it so I learned with the help of Master," Angel grinned. Demon had busied himself with medicine so she had often did his physical labor (much to his discontent) and Master was always moving about, never staying on the ship for too long until he was forced too. "I bet you didn''t expect someone dressed like me to do things like that huh?"


    Sabo nodded because truthfully, she was right.


    The teen was dressed in an expensive, all white outfit. She had on a silk shirt that flared at the bottom and a skirt plus thigh high combo.


    The female clone of Rosan was dressed in a way that would suggest the complete opposite of her interests. She even had on all white! That was so easy to get dirty!


    All of Rosan''s companions were really strange!


    The three brothers liked them!


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Master! Luffy! Some woman and her grandpa, or very old boyfriend, are here for you!" Angel called out and Mayor Woop Slap spluttered at her casual rudeness.


    "Actually, he''s neither," Makino said kindly, looking at, what could only be described as, a female version of Rosan. The pretty redheaded girl eyed the two with disdain and looked Makino up and down in particular.


    "What''s your relation with my Master? Are you trying to seduce him?! He''s too young for you, old lady!" she sneered, getting close to the shorter woman with a look that promised pain.


    She was tall. Much taller than the duo standing before her.


    "Old lady? I''m only 19," Makino muttered. Was it because of what she wore? Maybe she should update her wardrobe in that case...


    "Have some manners for your elders, young lady," Woop Slap tried to reprimand and Angel sneered at him.


    "I''ll show you some fucking manners, you dirty, short, ugly old man," the teen growled. Woop Slap''s eyes bugged at her choice of words and his face turned red in anger. Before he could open his mouth and cement the beating Angel was certainly going to give him, a blue blur quickly got in front of her to prevent the redhead from causing even more problems.


    "Who decided that it was a good idea to let Angel greet them?!" A tired voice asked and Makino took in the sight of a kimono wearing, blue haired girl grabbing and placating the rude redhead.


    The blue kimono was short and it showed off her strong, yet feminine, arms and legs. The other pretty girl had azure blue hair that was streaked with white, a tiara on top of it, and sapphire earrings that reminded her of Rosan''s own set.


    "I''m sorry for Angel," she told the two, with a strained smile on her face. "She takes a while to warm up to people and can come off as... difficult due to that. I''ll be sure to talk to her about her bad manners later."


    She held out a hand and said, "I''m Maro! You''re here for Rosan, right? I''m his student!"


    Makino smiled and took the offered hand in her own. "I''m Makino and this is Mayor Woop Slap! We met Rosan a while ago when he first came to our village!" She explained to the beaming bluenette.


    "Woop Slap is a stupid name," Angel muttered and Maro put a hand over her mouth, only to yelp at the feeling of being licked. She rounded on the redhead with a glare and the middle triplet stuck her tongue out childishly.


    The Mayor looked like he was about to burst a blood vessel and Makino had to stop herself from laughing.


    "Makino!" A voice called excitedly and she held out her hands to catch the hyper Luffy. The boy crashed into her in glee and a much calmer Rosan followed suit.


    "Greetings, Makino," Rosan nodded to the woman and she moved over to hug him, much to Angel''s outrage. "I see you''ve met Angel and Maro."


    "I have! You didn''t tell me you knew such pretty people," Makino commented idly. "Is Angel your sister?"


    "She is my clone but yes, I do like to refer to her as my little sister," Rosan commented and Angel couldn''t help but glomp him in joy. He deftly caught her and she began snuggling him.


    "Clone¡­?" Makino wondered.


    "Yes. She is a clone of me. I have another one named Demon but he is not here due to having to attend to urgent matters back home."


    "Maro''s a Princess!" Luffy exclaimed. "That''s why she can''t join my crew!"


    Maro sweatdropped at that but nodded her head. "Luffy please don''t tell everyone that the first time you introduce me. It could get me in trouble in the future when you become a pirate."


    Now she understood why Rosan didn''t want him to know he was Reaper.


    "You''re a princess?!" Makino gasped in awe, appraising the girl before her. "Is that why you said you don''t have to worry about money? Is Maro-san funding you?" Getting money from a princess would probably stop anyone from worrying about running out of it.


    Maro and Angel both snorted in unison. "Hell no," the princess replied rather crudely.


    "Master has had a ton of money long before we met!" The bluenette beamed. "Though, do you want me to give you money in the future? We''re already pretty wealthy now, you know!"


    Makino eyed Rosan in curiosity. Just who was the mysterious boy really?


    "That won''t be necessary, Maro. I want you guys to develop as much as possible in the coming years. Anything you want to give me, spend it on Angel or your island," the redhead responded, making his fellow redhead blush bashfully.


    "Hmm. Alright but this isn''t over! I will be useful to you in anyway possible and that includes collecting any money I want to give you!"


    "Oh you!" Angel gushed to her face triplet and the green haired woman couldn''t help but gawk at the complete 180 in personality.


    "Master has her completely whipped," Maro whispered into her ear, shaking her head in confusion. "I don''t get it! I''m her girlfriend but I can never get her under control like he does. She''ll fight tooth and nail with me but once Master says something it''s all "Yes, Master!" and I''m just grumbling in my corner about how unfair it is..."


    "You two are dating?!" Makino whispered back in shock, looking between them. "That''s so adorable!" She gushed and Maro blushed bashfully.


    "We have to talk more about it later but for now..." the bartender tapered off, pulling out an array of clothing.


    "I figured Garp didn''t think about things like this so, I brought new clothes!" Makino beamed and Luffy laughed in excitement at the prospect of clothing.


    "I got some for all four of you," the green haired lady said, looking at Ace and Sabo as well.


    The two hidden boys looked confused for a moment but Sabo eventually grinned and made his way out, shooting a teasing grin at Ace all the while.


    Ace eventually followed after Makino beckoned him and Rosan eyed the woman.


    "I don''t need clothes," the redhead said blandly and he pointed at his long sleeved red shirt as if to prove his point. "I have more than enough. Angel and Akemi made sure of it."


    "But I went to the trouble to get you some¡­" Makino mock frowned at the tall teen. "You might as well add some more to your wardrobe!"


    Rosan tilted his head at her and nodded. "Okay. Since you already have it, I''ll accept it."


    Makino and Maro both beamed, though the bluenette had a rather unsavory gleam in her eyes.


    A few minutes later, a now shirtless, Rosan asked, "Is this part really necessary? Even if the clothing doesn''t fit, I can make it without having to do unnecessary parts like this."


    "No, I think this is perfectly fine," Maro said shamelessly, staring at Rosan without a care in the world. She idly checked around her mouth to make sure she wasn''t drooling and gave herself a thumbs up at a job well done.


    "I agree with Maro," Angel joined simply, also staring shamelessly. What? She could appreciate her master''s good looks! He looked like her after all and she was damn good looking!


    "You two are dating," Rosan pointed out flatly. "Mod-chan if you take over my body, everyone is gonna see you half naked," he informed the fuming woman. She had been rather inactive lately, but leave it to her to always want to protect his chastity.


    "I don''t have to transform."


    "Down girl," Ram cackled, successfully holding the woman back.


    Mod grumbled in annoyance but conceded.


    "Exactly! We can both comfortably appreciate the sight because we''re dating," Maro finished smugly and Angel nodded again. It was a win-win in their books.


    Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    "Can you blame them?" Makino giggled. She was personally giving him the clothing so that gave her the benefit of being the closest, a gift she didn''t mind taking advantage of.


    Years of harsh training, that Mod-chan reinforced, had ended up benefiting Rosan greatly. His body was honed from exercise and it translated into a muscular swimmer''s build that Maro and Angel seemingly appreciated. Even Makino could admit that she was going a little slow on purpose.


    "You''re always wearing long sleeved clothing," Maro sighed sadly. "You should just go full shirtless some days. Reveal some skin!"


    "We used to shower together."


    "That was before your growth spurt! You were adorable then, not hot like now!" She complained. Damn it, she should have pretended to still be afraid of bathing alone...


    "You two bathed together?" Makino asked in surprise.


    "Yes. Maro was afraid of being left alone and she didn''t know how to bathe properly so I bathed with her until Angel took my place. Then when she got her Devil Fruit, she began showering instead so she had to do it alone," Rosan explained and the green haired woman blinked at that information.


    "Those days were chaotic," Maro mused fondly. "Angel remember when you hated me because you thought Master wanted to date me?! Look at us now!" she snorted and Angel had the decency to blush in embarrassment.


    "I was angry and stressed and thought that Master could do way better," she said flatly and the bluenette laughed loudly.


    "Well, it turned out for the best!" She gushed, hugging the taller girl and Angel rolled her eyes but returned it. That was until Maro registered the second part.


    "WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU THINK MASTER COULD HAVE DONE WAY BETTER?!" She gaped.


    "Exactly what I said," Angel grinned mockingly.


    "You are so full of it! How can you say that so confidently when we''re dating?!" Maro glared at the redhead.


    "I was just showing you pity!" Angel glared back.


    "YOU''RE THE ONE WHO CONFESSED!"


    Their lover''s spat was broken up by Ace assaulting Luffy and Sabo for making fun of him being so embarrassed at the ordeal.


    The two offenders were laughing as they ran away from the infuriated 10 year old and the watching girls giggled at their antics.


    "...Why haven''t you put a shirt on me yet?" Rosan asked.


    "Just a second," Makino reassured.


    "Just be some eye candy for a little longer! The only times I see you shirtless are when I "accidentally" walk in on you changing," Maro demanded.


    "I decide his outfits most of the time so I don''t have that problem," Angel shrugged before pausing. "Wait. Why did you put so much emphasis on accidentally?! Maro you''re such a shameless pervert goddammit!"


    "Pervert?! Me?! I''m just a person who can appreciate clear beauty!"


    Rosan nearly sighed. They were so ridiculous.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Makino cooked everyone a meal that night and all was going well. Rosan had offered to help her cook, but she had insisted that she could do it on her own and for him to just relax. The redhead had simply nodded and went to go do just that.


    Luffy, Ace and Sabo were talking about becoming pirates, when Rosan suddenly tensed up.


    The redhead''s gaze snapped up to the entrance and Ram let loose a snarl.


    "You again," she growled. The silver haired teen remembered vividly how effortlessly he had dealt with Rosan and her glare deepened.


    No one toyed with her Father like that.


    "Master¡­? What''s wrong?" Angel asked, noticing his shift immediately and getting everyone''s attention.


    Rosan''s only response was for Ram to transform into his gloves. That action put everyone who knew about his gloves, on edge. They knew just what he was capable of doing with the black combat gloves and Dadan dearly hoped he didn''t destroy the entire hideout this time.


    "You''re still talking about crap like that?!" A gruff voice called out.


    Luffy and Ace paled.


    Rosan stared but didn''t move. Angel moved over to make sure he was alright, as the teen watched everything that was happening.


    "Outside," The 14 year old said suddenly, standing up and making his fellow redhead pause in worry. "Go outside so we can continue from last time or else this whole building will be caught in the crossfire."


    The onlookers gaped at the insanity displayed by the redhead. Did he have no fear?! Garp had taken him out in two hits last time and he was still this hellbent on fighting him?


    Garp looked at the redhead with an unreadable look in his eyes. "You''re still trying to kill me, brat?"


    "Of course. I will never forgive you for what you did until your name is written on a tombstone, or mine is," Rosan replied but he wasn''t displaying any obvious anger this time.


    The teen stepped past the giant man and made his way outside.


    Makino was confused. Last time she saw the two, Rosan displayed no interest in fighting the old man¡­ He was only interested in seeing his¡­ brother, who lived with mountain bandits, for 10 years.


    Ah, now she understood.


    Garp grumbled something about being 10 years too early and unruly brats before he lumbered outside.


    Everyone else followed suit. They would not want to miss this.


    "Save us Rosan!" Luffy begged with tears in his eyes.


    "Rosan''s strong but the old man is a monster¡­" Ace muttered. He didn''t think Rosan was going to win this.


    "Do you need help, Master?" Maro asked, already prepared to summon Daisy. Monkey D. Garp was a monster of a Marine, even if the two of them teamed up and fought him with everything they had, it wouldn''t be nearly enough but that didn''t mean anything. If her Master wanted to fight, then she''d join him no matter what.


    "No. Stay out of this. I''m the one Garp offended me so I''m the one who will deal with it," Rosan said blankly. Maro hesitantly nodded and anxiously spectated the upcoming fight. She hated seeing him get hurt while she could potentially help but it was his orders and she would obey.


    "He lost so decisively yet he''s talking like he doesn''t care at all about that fact," Dadan thought in surprise. There was something wrong with her oldest brat and she hoped Garp didn''t hurt him too badly... not that she cared about him or anything.


    Ace explained the situation to a confused Makino and her mouth opened in surprise.


    "Rosan¡­ was trying to kill him?" The 19 year old asked in shock.


    "Yeah, he was out for blood but he lost pretty one-sidedly," Ace muttered, staring intently. Rosan was fighting Garp because of him and he didn''t know how he felt about that.


    On one hand, Rosan was justifiably angry at the fact that Garp didn''t properly take care of him. On the other, Ace didn''t need anyone to defend him and despite his living conditions, he was fine.


    But this was of Rosan''s own volition and it was clear that he barely did things on his own accord now.


    Ace would let him have this then.


    "I''m not going to let this training drag out for long this time, brat," Garp grunted. "I''ve still got to train the other brats."


    "Duly noted," Rosan said and a massive pair of reptilian wings burst from his back.


    Without signal, Rosan took to the skies and his whole form began changing.


    "Modification: Ragnarok."


    "Seriously?!" Maro gawked at the sight of Rosan activating his draconic transformation. There was so much shrubbery and grass around! Was he trying to start a fire?!


    "W-What''s happening?!" Makino panicked, stepping back, despite the paralyzing fear trying to restrain her, at the sight of Rosan transforming into something overwhelmingly menacing.


    Ace, Sabo and Luffy grinned eagerly. Rosan had told them he could transform into a dragon and now it looked like they''d finally be able to see it!


    Garp only looked confused.


    Just what exactly was this brat''s Devil Fruit? What type of fruit allowed him to do all of this? Did he have a Mythical Zoan? That''s what it looked like to the Vice Admiral. It''s not like Kaido was the only Dragon in existence... perhaps this was just another type of mythical zoan that granted a different array of abilities...


    Wouldn''t Sengoku have mentioned a fruit like this though...? Ugh, he should have payed more attention to what he had to say.


    A massive black dragon loomed above them all and a primal sort of terror ran through all but Garp''s body.


    Makino began to shake, as she instinctively tried to look for an area to run to, desperate to hide from that massive monster. He was huge, blocking their vision of the night sky and his obsidian black scales were streaked with red. Glowing, heterochromatic, eyes were focused on Garp but it felt like he was watching them all.


    The 3 brothers stared at the dragon with wide eyes. This was nothing like the giant tiger in the jungle.


    Rosan reared his head back and let loose a terrifyingly loud roar that they were sure all of Dawn Island could hear. There would probably not be anyone lingering outside for much longer.


    "RAOGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"


    "It''s smaller than normal," Angel muttered and their gaze snapped to her in surprise.


    "It''s probably so he can maneuver easier," Maro reasoned and she nodded in agreement.


    "He can get bigger?!" They screeched and the couple nodded.


    "I think his max is like 40 meters," the redheaded clone said and they gaped at that information.


    Rosan opened his maw and let loose a condensed amount of flames, solely wanting to target Garp. It wasn''t his intention to burn down the forest so he''d need to exercise control of his flames while increasing the power behind them.


    As the fire began to form, he concentrated on focusing the power into one precise point. This would reduce its area of effect but it would do much more damage to a target. Once he gathered the required energy, the dragon let the attack fly.


    His laserlike flame shot out at massive speed towards the Vice Admiral like it had been shot out of a cannon. It seemed like the old man didn''t have enough time to dodge the attack and it connected squarely with him causing an explosion of dust to shoot up.


    Once the smoke settled, Rosan could only stare blankly at the utterly unharmed form of Garp. It''s not that he had been too slow... he just decided to completely tank his attack with barely a grunt.


    "What the fuck?" Ram said eloquently, staring at that monster with wide eyes. His outfit hadn''t even been affected! What was this guy?! Was he... was he really this out of their league?


    "That attack could pierce through steel and he just took it?" Rosan hummed. This was going to be bad. Unless he wanted to burn the forest down (this island was so lucky his brothers resided here), Ragnarok wouldn''t be very useful right now.


    As if to prove that he was more than fast enough, Garp vanished from his spot and appeared right on top of the Dragon. He was about to punch the flying reptile but the swipe of a tail momentarily distracted him.


    Rosan tried to turn so that he could attempt to gouge Garp with his claws, but the old man prevented that by grabbing his swinging tail and, in a monstrous display of strength, the Vice Admiral jumped off the Dragon, appendage still in hand, and launched the creature into the ground with bruising force.


    "Hm, so Ragnarok is a no go too," Rosan thought as he crashed into the unforgiving floor. It cracked beneath his weight immediately and the dragon instinctively snarled.


    "Would the fight have been different if we weren''t in the forest?" Ram mused. A lot of Ragnarok''s options were limited due to watching out for the surrounding area and not wanting to cause a forest fire but she doubted a change of scenery would close the gap between the two of them.


    "It would grant us more freedom to fly, but he can fly too and I''m sure he can keep up with us before we get out of his reach," Rosan replied, looking at the old man rocketing towards him. He experimentally tried to shoot a massive wave of flames upward but the man literally batted it aside and continued his course unimpeded.


    Luffy''s grandpa was a real monster.


    Rosan could just accept his defeat here but that went against his character. He would never accept defeat until he was truly incapacitated or someone whose life he care about, was in danger.


    Garp crashed onto nothing due to Rosan reverting back into his human form and the redhead launched himself backwards. Mid leap, Ram transformed into two double barrel pistols and he began firing a burst of bullets at the man.


    The Vice Admiral looked impressed that Rosan was able to react so quickly and he began to tilt his body side to side to dodge every shot from the teens gun.


    "You don''t have to attack me every time you see me, brat," Garp commented in annoyance. He still had to train the other three brats and this one was taking up a lot of his time.


    Rosan''s response was to let loose a salvo of enhanced bullets on him. The old man dodged every single one and he tutted.


    "How is he able to consistently do that?" Rosan did not have bad aim. On the contrary, he was quite adept at hitting things with his various artillery weapons, so it made no sense at all for Garp to have dodged every single one of his bullets.


    The Vice Admiral sighed as the bullets stopped so that the redhead could transform it into a double barrel shotgun in order to continue his assault in a different way. Fighting this brat wouldn''t get anything done. Garp could knock him out hundreds of times but he would continue to attack him until he was dead or stronger than him.


    "Why didn''t you come with us that day?" The Vice Admiral asked because this wouldn''t be happening if Rosan didn''t run away in the first place. The redhead was upset at him for not properly raising Ace but he was the one who chose to run away from that responsibility.


    "I would rather die then put my trust in a group of people who would condemn a newborn for the sins of their parent. I was 4 and I had to watch my innocent mother die because of your organization. You think I don''t know the cause of my mother''s death? You think I don''t know who caused it?" Rosan berated him quietly.


    The ones who didn''t know about Rosan''s past, froze in shock at the revelation. They looked to Garp, hoping that what the boy said was not true, but the man was uncharacteristically silent.


    Maro stepped back in surprise and tears brimmed in her eyes at the depressing information. Angel grabbed her shoulders and hugged the Princess as grief flooded the two. The middle triplet knew everything about her Master''s past but it never stopped hurting when she had to think about his mother''s fate.


    Makino felt tears falling at the words Rosan said and how empty he sounded saying them. At only 4¡­ he watched his mother die? She couldn''t even fathom how much pain the boy must have been in and she wanted nothing more than to give him soothing words.


    Sabo didn''t have a good relationship with his parents but that looked to be the complete opposite with Rosan. He looked at the 14 year old in sympathy at the trials he probably had to go through and felt his determination to help him, deepen.


    Ace had been told this already but that didn''t make it easier to hear. His mother was a fantastic person who his older brother loved dearly and there didn''t seem to be day where he wasn''t thinking about her. The knowledge that he had failed her so completely, really didn''t make his feelings to gramps more positive.


    "Gramps, is that true?" Luffy asked sadly and the question seemed to take all of the fight out of the man. To hear his grandson ask that question... it was too much for even Garp.


    Garp understood why Rosan felt that way perfectly and it made filled him with a weariness that truly showed his age.


    He needed to approach this differently. If he didn''t nothing would ever get done until Rosan achieved his goal or died trying. The redhead was surprisingly vengeful and it seemed like he was bad at letting things go.


    Rosan watched as the old man got on his knees and bowed his head until it touched the floor.


    Everyone witnessing had their mouths open in disbelief at the sight of Garp groveling near the teen.


    "I''m sorry," Garp said gravely, not raising his head off the floor.


    "You''re... sorry?" Rosan asked softly and he tilted his head. Did he think... an apology was going to make up for what he had done? For what the Marines had done to him? Was he supposed to forgive all of them now for this one man''s apology?


    "Monkey D. Garp," the redhead called coldly. "All I ever wanted, was to spend my days with my loving mother and my baby brother in peace. All I wanted, was to be a big brother and to have the safety of my mother."


    No one else said anything, afraid of interrupting the redhead, but emotions were high at the moment.


    "But for 20 months, my mother, Portgas D. Rouge, was forced to endure the hellish process of pregnancy. Through sheer will. All because of you morally inept Marines. All because you wanted to kill my little brother. All because my little brother''s birth was considered a sin to the entire world. My same little brother who was condemned to death the very moment he was born."


    "I never wanted it to be like this," Garp said quietly.


    "Bullshit," he snarled in a burst of anger and everyone reeled back in surprise, not expecting to hear genuine anger in his, normally neutral, tone. "You only knew about Ace because he told you right? Before he got killed, he must have asked you to save him and that''s how you knew. But you only came 20 months after his death," Rosan said and his pressure began unintentionally leaking.


    Mod''s eyes widened in a staggering amount of dread, as a realization hit her like a freight train.


    "Why didn''t you come earlier? I was two when the Marines announced their presence and you came on the day Mom was giving birth. How did you know she''d be giving birth that day? You knew about our existence, Garp. You are one of the strongest and most respected Marines in the world, yet you condemned my mother to death when you could have saved her."


    "...I couldn''t. This was a direct order from the Fleet Admiral and not even I could do anything about it," Garp replied truthfully and the redhead stared at him. "I never agreed with the idea that they should be killing newborns on that island but my hands were tied so all I could do was sneak over when she was finally ready to give birth."


    "I had no idea you watched your mother die that day," the Hero of the Marines told him gravely.


    "Of course I did. How do you think I knew to run away from you?" The redhead asked rhetorically. "While my mom suffered, I could only think "Why do the Marines want my little brother dead so bad?" and that made me realize I couldn''t ever trust them. After all, how could I ever put my trust in the same group of people that played such a strong hand in my mother dying?"


    "But despite my hatred for you all, Ace didn''t have any of that hatred," he said softly, getting a gasp out of his freckled brother. "Ace was a newborn and I was four years old. I had the knowledge of who caused Mama to die, but he didn''t. Not only that, I would never be able to properly take care of him while sailing the dangerous seas because truthfully, I couldn''t even properly take care of myself. But, I would never go with you."


    Garp understood that and so, he said nothing. What could he say? There was nothing that could come out of his mouth, that would make the situation more favorable for him and honestly, he deserved this because the corruption of some Marines was something he could only watch as a reluctant bystander.


    "Mama''s last wish for me, was to help Ace grow into an amazing person," Rosan reminisced. He would never forget her last words. He had vivid dreams about them, he replayed it in his mind every time he laid his eyes on his younger brother, and the guilt of failing her, made sure they would remain with him forever.


    "I couldn''t do that in the condition I was in. I was four and I just lost my mother. I would never have been able to properly raise Ace into the man she wanted him to be," he concluded. It would have been impossible. A little baby was not meant to sail the seas with someone completely unfitting for it. Rosan''s life was already dangerous without the child but with him? They''d both have died and not even Mod would have been able to prevent it.


    Hearing it like that, Ace understood Rosan''s points completely now. He couldn''t find it in himself to blame his older brother for doing what he did because the freckled boy would surely react the same way. The only difference is that he''d have taken his little brother and gotten them both killed... something Rosan wanted to avoid at all costs.


    "So against all my better judgment, I chose to trust you despite what you were apart of. Trust that you could raise Ace better than I could because Mom trusted you. I trusted that you could honor Mama''s words better than I could because I already failed to remain with him."


    Rosan spoke quietly but everyone could hear every word he said. They hadn''t missed a single word he had said and some couldn''t even hold back their silent tears.


    "But you failed."


    They winced at that statement. Rosan''s voice was flat and to the point and it conveyed none of the suffering he had been through. The burst of anger that had momentarily appeared, vanished without a trace.


    "My mother spent 20 months of agony making sure Ace was able to live, but my ten year old brother is questioning whether he should be alive or not."


    Dadan flinched in guilt at that, remembering vividly all the times she had spoken so cruelly about the freckled boy. Of course he was a troubled child, every single day someone was telling him the son of Roger was better off dead but she still went out of her way to say those things. It was a small miracle that Rosan had chosen not to kill them when he had caught them that day.


    "Whatever happened to me, I deserve because this is the life I chose. But Ace never chose this life and you''re the one to blame for forcing him to live like this," Rosan finished and the pressure suddenly vanished.


    "I''m a failure and that''s why I trusted you with him. I just never expected you to be a bigger failure than me."


    The teen was done talking and he stared at the unmoving Garp. The Vice Admiral still had his head connected to the floor and it had remained that way throughout his entire speech.


    "I thought just guaranteeing his safety would have been enough," Garp suddenly said and he truly did sound his age at that moment. "As long as he''s safe and away from the World Government''s eyes, he can have a semi normal childhood. That''s what I thought but it wasn''t enough."


    "You''re right, Ace deserved to live his own life, free of his Father''s sin but he wasn''t able to escape it." The Vice Admiral sounded grave and there was no mistaking the guilt. "If I could do something different, I would but it''s too late to change what''s already done."


    "But that doesn''t mean you aren''t right. I spit in you and your mother''s face and I truly am sorry for that. I know that''s not enough for you to forgive me so if you want to attack me, do it. I won''t try and stop you or resist. It''s the least you deserve," the old man said and that was that.


    Rosan stared at him with a tilted head, as he digested that information. Then, he pointed his gun at the man.


    "If I shoot you here, you''ll just accept your death?" The redhead asked quietly and he heard a few gasps in the background.


    "That''s right."


    A truth. Garp was fully prepared to die right here at his hands.


    He truly did regret his actions. Perhaps he always had and the redhead was the only one willing to call him out on it. Rosan closed his eyes and took a deep breath. His grip never loosened and some of the onlookers were already getting prepared to look away from the no doubt gruesome sight.


    Meiko would have given him another chance without any hesitation. If he truly did regret his actions, then the blonde would have let him prove it. She was incredible like that, always willing to allow a person to become the best version of themselves.


    He would know that best.


    Besides, Ace was getting better now and he was seeing the value in his own life.


    Makino let out a breath she didn''t know she was holding at the sight of Rosan''s double barrel shotgun transforming back into that beautiful amethyst ring that he never took off. At least she knew the reason he always had it on now.


    "I won''t try and kill you anymore," Rosan spoke softly, turning away from the groveling Vice Admiral. "There''s no point. You understand the gravity of what you''ve done and you have a proper amount of regret. Besides, despite everything, you''re still two of my little brothers grandpa and I wouldn''t want to execute you in front of them. No one deserves to watch family die."


    They flinched at that last statement, knowing that he was speaking from experience.


    "I''m going to sleep. The events of today have left me drained," Rosan said blandly and he walked off to where he kept his ship. He hadn''t spoken for that long in a while and on top of that, he had spilled his heart to them.


    Angel and Maro quickly chased after the teen, but not before the bluenette left him some words.


    "Master has given you an opportunity to earn his forgiveness! I''ve never seen him spare anybody!" Maro whispered encouragingly and she patted him on his back. "He''s actually pretty understanding so just don''t screw up like this again and he''ll eventually warm up to you!"


    With that, the bluenette rushed off to catch up to the other redheads.


    "Are you okay, Garp-san?" Makino asked, rushing over to the groveling man and forcing him to stand up.


    Garp remained silent for a moment and then stuck a finger in his nose and simply said, "Man, I really thought I was gonna die!"


    They face planted at his nonchalance but just chalked it up as Garp being Garp.


    The old man looked at where Rosan disappeared and let loose a sigh.


    He doubted their relationship would ever get better than that but at least he was past the homicidal part. That was probably the best the Hero of the Marines could ask for.


    That was one brat dealt with at least.


    "What were you three saying about being pirates?" Garp rumbled threateningly to the remaining brothers. They looked like they were about to go pursue the oldest boy but Garp''s voice, froze them in their tracks.


    "RUN!" Ace said and they took off.


    "GET BACK HERE SO I CAN TEACH YOU A LESSON, BRATS!" Garp roared and he pursued after them.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Rosan, how do you feel?" Mod asked seriously.


    "Nothing," Rosan responded. "I felt a burst of anger but it vanished quickly."


    "At least we''re making some progress," she smiled softly.


    "You''re speaking again. You''ve been quite silent these past few days," Rosan pointed out. She could speak to him about anything and his partner knew that. If she didn''t talk to him about it yet, that meant she wasn''t in the mood to do so and he''d leave her be.


    "I... I was just preparing my thoughts. There''s something that I want to talk to you about and I''m almost ready so be patient with me until then," the woman explained quietly. She had wanted to discuss something with him, but there was new information that was far more urgent.


    "Of course. Take your time."


    The redhead didn''t miss the nervousness in her tone but he wouldn''t point it out.


    "Master!" He heard Angel call and the clone crashed into him in worry. He steadied her easily and glanced at the jogging Maro behind her.


    "I¡­ I didn''t know you went through that," the princess said quietly. She realized that she didn''t know a lot about her Master''s past besides some information about his deceased lover, Meiko.


    It didn''t feel good.


    "My past is not one I''m proud speaking of," the redhead told his student truthfully. Him and Maro were very close but she didn''t know much at all about what he had been doing before meeting his future right hand. It wasn''t necessary for her to know and she had never prodded him, probably due to Demon telling her how sensitive it was.


    "I-I can understand why," the bluenette said, but she still looked upset. "No one should ever have to go through what you did, Master," Maro whispered and she joined the hug.


    "I appreciate your words and I agree. What I went through would break many people but I had Mod-chan to worry about that kept me steady enough and then I met Robin and she really helped me," he explained.


    "Robin? You mean Nico Robin?" Maro asked, recalling the highest priced bounty poster of the Blue Seas. She had always wondered why the two had never hunted her down considering how much she was worth but her Master had just mentioned that it was very likely she had already relocated to the Grand Line and they would not be going there yet.


    "Yes, we traveled for 4 years together before getting separated. Sometime after that, I created Angel and Demon and traveled with Meiko."


    She really didn''t know anything about her Master.


    "Master, could you tell me more about yourself?" She asked curiously.


    Rosan hummed and nodded. "You deserve to know more about me. Let''s go talk on the ship."


    Maro grinned happily at that.


    She loved her Master!


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan had to wonder how he always ended up at the bottom of these sleep piles.


    "It''s getting cold and you radiate a lot of body heat," Mod supplied helpfully. She would know best, Rosan was a fantastic teddy bear in their always freezing mindscape (even if she regulated her own temperature like him).


    "You''re comfortable to cuddle and you''re tall," Ram added.


    It had started since the four brothers began sleeping on the same bed. Ace, Sabo, and Luffy were horrendous bed partners and it almost looked intentional the positions they ended up in while they slept.


    Rosan always got the short end of the stick due to it too. It was probably because he was the tallest.


    Now Angel and Maro were added to the mix and the teen once again suffered for it.


    Maro had always been clingy since the moment he took her aboard the ship. She slept in his room near nonstop and used the excuse of wanting to enter his mindscape, for more training, to get away with it.


    Not like Rosan would have denied her anyways.


    Though, with her Devil Fruit it became a lot harder to break out of her grasp when she got particularly hug happy in her sleep. Due to Dokkaebi''s being fantastic wrestlers, the bluenette had acquired quite the grip.


    Angel never slept with him but apparently, she was just as clingy. Rosan''s left arm was completely trapped due to his face triplet and he thought to himself that her and Maro really were perfect for each other.


    She didn''t even need sleep.


    Coupled with the fact that his brothers were laid haphazardly on his body, Rosan found that he wouldn''t be moving anytime soon.


    If he did, he''d wake all of them up and he didn''t want to do that.


    "Come in the mindscape so we can cuddle you instead!" Mod beamed.


    "Yeah! Auntie and I are way better!" Ram grinned.


    "You are not better, Ram. You nearly suffocated him one time."


    "He lived!"


    "He can''t die in the mindscape!"


    "So I can do what I please!"


    "No!"


    "Yes!"


    This repeated back and forth until Mod grabbed Ram''s cheeks and Rosan simply closed his eyes.


    He was going back to sleep.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "We should use this tree to make our hideout," Sabo mused, looking at the massive tree in awe. It was easily the biggest tree in the forest and it would suit their needs perfectly.


    "Good choice!" Angel praised and she looked it up and down. "Do you have materials? I know you don''t want Master using his Devil Fruit because that would take the effort out of it and I agree! There''s nothing like crafting something with your two hands."


    The redhead clone was the only one still here due to Maro having to attend to her royal duties. The bluenette had complained nonstop about it but one kiss on the cheek, had been enough to assuage her.


    That just left Angel to help with the construction of their hideout.


    The brothers decided on making a hideout after Garp decided to discipline them with "training" which was really just him beating the three boys down.


    "There''s a whole area where we can get them!" Sabo beamed and Angel hummed in contemplation.


    "If you mean the Grey Terminal¡­ I''m not going there." The redhead recoiled in disgust at the thought of that place. It smelled terrible and there was a lot of creeps there who kept leering at her.


    Maro had almost put someone in the grave when they attempted to get grabby with the two.


    "R-right," Sabo said, remembering the man''s head embedded in a wall very well.


    Maro hadn''t even transformed to deliver that blow¡­


    "Master you and I can refine this layout that Sabo drew while they go collecting," Angel hummed and Rosan handed her a pencil.


    "Yes! We''re gonna make the best hideout ever!" Luffy cheered excitedly.


    "We need traps too," Ace grinned.


    "Lethal?" Angel asked curiously and they sweatdropped.


    "N-no. They don''t need to be lethal."


    "Kay," she chimed and began jotting on the piece of paper. Rosan, knowing his brothers well, would occasionally input some info that had her quickly editing her plans.


    Angel was dressed in a white tee that exposed her midriff and some comfortable black sweatpants. It was the most carefree they had ever seen her dress so far!


    "You''re actually pretty toned," Ace praised, looking at the tall clone up and down. He hadn''t expected the dainty clone to have a fit figure but then again, he hadn''t expected her to be interested in carpenting either.


    "I''m just stealing Master''s hard work," Angel dismissed, looking at her own frame. She wasn''t as fit as Rosan or Maro but she still had the look of someone that regularly kept up their hard work.


    "Rosan''s hard work?" Sabo asked curiously.


    "Angel''s appearance is based on how I would look as a girl," Rosan said softly and Luffy looked at the oldest brother.


    "You''re a girl?" He asked dumbly and Angel snorted.


    "Are you sure about having Luffy be your captain, Master? I think Sabo is a safer choice," the clone said dryly and Sabo beamed happily at the fact that he was seen as the best choice by Angel too.


    "I''m a boy, Luffy but when I''m helping Angel out, I turn myself into a girl to make it accurate to her needs," he said slowly and he was sure the seven year old didn''t fully get it but at least he got an idea.


    "You''ll see it eventually. Since I''m still a growing boy, I have to actively change Angel and Demon as well so my female form will make an appearance," he said and the three nodded in curiosity.


    "Now go get us the materials!" Angel demanded, still jotting sketches on the paper. She wasn''t planning on making anything advanced, but she did want it to be comfortable and durable.


    The three saluted and they took off in excitement.


    "I''ve never seen you so excited to help someone that isn''t Demon, Maro or me," Rosan remarked and Angel glanced at him in confusion.


    "Well if they''re your little brothers, then that means their basically mine! What type of older sister would I be if I didn''t help my little brothers out?" she scoffed and Rosan simply stared at her for a moment.


    "U-unless you think otherwise. I-I mean I am just a clone of you a-and I''m not the one who drank the sake with them¡­" Angel mumbled in embarrassment.


    Rosan simply patted her on the head in a reassuring manner.


    "Stop being silly, Angel," Mod soothed. Honestly, she had no idea why they had such random bursts of being intimidated by Rosan. He only wanted their best interests.


    "I''ve called you my little sister on multiple occasions, why are you suddenly having doubts? You are my sister," Rosan stated, leaving no room for argument.


    Angel teared up a bit at that and smiled brilliantly.


    "Of course, silly me!" She beamed and the haughty teen tried to wipe her eyes.


    "Alright, enough of that let''s get started! Get everything ready for me!"


    "Okay."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    What would have normally taken them two weeks to build their hideout, only took one with Angel assisting the boys.


    The clone didn''t want to interfere too much with their vision so she kept it simple and just instructed them on the proper way to do things, with a little physical assistance here and there (mostly when it was Luffy doing something). With her help, what would have been a shoddy hideout turned out to be something much more comfortable and stable!


    Their new base sat high in the tree, nestled comfortably in one of the branches, and it was large enough to house a good amount of people. It was made of wood and on the inside was the large bed that the four used at Dadan''s.


    On the very top of the tree, a flag said ASLR and Angel couldn''t resist smiling at how childish it was.


    It had been a long time since their former leader had deigned to act childish and she was glad that the kids were forcing him to do so. He deserved to be the kid he actually was every once in a while.


    "Thank you, Angel," Rosan told his clone softly and he grabbed her into a hug. She flushed happily and returned it, only to yelp, as two tiny figures and a reluctant Ace, crashed into her too.


    "Thanks, Angel!" The three chorused and the 14 year old''s face turned as red as her hair.


    "I-It''s nothing," she stammered in embarrassment. "That''s what big sisters are for!"


    "Big sister?" Luffy tilted his head, before nodding rapidly. "Oh yeah! You''re Rosan''s sister so you''re our sister!"


    "That''s true!" Sabo laughed and Ace nodded along with the two.


    Ah, Angel didn''t think she''d ever like other humans but these three had managed to prove her wrong.


    "I see why you''re so fond of them now, Master," the girl mumbled and Rosan pat her head.


    "They are all pretty unique aren''t they?" He hummed before they broke off the hug.


    "Let me take you back to Celadon. Maro probably misses you terribly and knowing her, she''s about to push Demon to his limits," Rosan said and Angel cackled.


    "Good! Rebellious little squirt has been out of control lately! I swear its the attention he''s been getting from all our citizens¡­" the redhead paused and a look of horror crossed her face.


    "Does... Does he have a girlfriend?!" The middle triplet gasped. Was she the one telling Demon to disrespect his twin like this?! Oh when Angel got her hands on that broad, she was so dead, regardless of what her adorable little brother had to say!


    "I doubt it. Demon is focused on his career and doesn''t have time for that," Rosan replied but she wasn''t listening anymore.


    "I need to interrogate him! Take me back!" Angel demanded. "Bye you three! I''ll have Master bring you all to Celadon one day and I can show you around!" The clone waved before dragging a compliant Rosan away.


    "You don''t have to drag me... I can just teleport us you know?" Rosan informed her.


    "Then hurry up! I''ve got to tell Demon he''s better than whatever he''s dating!"


    "But he isn''t dating anyone."


    The three brothers watched as Angel ignored everything Rosan said and they vanished from sight.


    "We should check to make sure Angel didn''t make those traps lethal," Sabo mused.


    "She wouldn''t do that¡­ I think," Ace replied.


    "Angel definitely would!" Luffy laughed and the two sighed at that.


    Yes, yes she would.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan was at the Party Bar again, helping out the sole bartender there and giving the aggressive patrons their orders.


    "Angel and Maro left? I liked talking to them," Makino sighed sadly.


    The 19 year old really was lonely. She had been spending a lot of time with the couple and the three seemed to get along fine.


    "Maro has her duties to attend too and she doesn''t like being too far from Angel," Rosan said softly and he took a bite out of his pasta. "Next time they visit, I will be sure to tell you."


    "Thank you!" The green haired woman smiled in appreciation. "But I didn''t know you had a student, or that she was a princess!"


    There was a lot she didn''t know about him. He didn''t talk about himself very much, content to let her lead the conversations.


    "She was my student first," Rosan informed her. "But, she was too attached too me and it was getting unhealthy. A situation arose where I could make her a princess, so I took it."


    "You made her a princess¡­?" Makino blinked at that. The teen before her was becoming more and more mysterious as the days went by. His life was shrouded in darkness and she didn''t think anyone knew much about it besides Angel and Demon.


    She was reminded of the conversation he had with Garp and the woman bit her lip sadly.


    "Rosan¡­ Was everything you said to Garp-san¡­ Was that true?" She asked hesitantly and his empty gaze looked up to land on her. There was no shine or emotion at all in Rosan''s gaze and it felt wrong. Now that she knew some of what he had gone through, she wanted nothing more for those uncanny eyes of his to have something.


    "Of course. I would never make something like that up."


    "N-No I didn''t mean it like that!" She waved her hands in a placating manner despite knowing he wasn''t actually upset. "I just¡­ I can''t believe some of the things that happened to you because t-that''s so sad."


    Her voice turned shaky at the memory. When Rosan was just four, he had been forced to watch his mother die? The thought made Makino want to throw up and she was beginning to understand why the redhead always seemed so lifeless.


    That night when she had made it home, she had cried herself to sleep because of the altercation between Garp and Rosan. The redhead had lost so much in such a short span and to come back and realize none of it was worth it...


    Well, she would be angry too.


    "It''s been ten years, I appreciate the concern but you don''t need to be upset on my behalf," Rosan dismissed and he took another bite of his food.


    She wanted to protest but she felt her throat lock up and just dropped it.


    They remained silent for a couple of minutes and Makino was the one to break it again.


    "You''re not a failure," she said suddenly.


    "Hm?" Rosan tilted his head and he regarded her with those hauntingly beautiful eyes.


    "You called yourself a failure when you spoke to Garp-san but... I don''t think you''re a failure. I think you tried to do what was best for everyone and it didn''t work out," she said firmly and Rosan stared at her.


    "Makino, with all due respect," the teen whispered and his dual eyes locked her firmly in place. "You don''t know anything about me to decide that on your own. I appreciate your words but to my ears, they sound hollow and hold no value at all to me."


    She flinched at the harshness of his words but she knew that he was just speaking his mind. He didn''t actually mean anything rude by it.


    "Even so¡­ I know enough!" She said. "You came here just to make amends with your little brother and it''s working! You got angry on his behalf and you made Garp of all people apologize! I''ve never seen him do that!"


    "You might have failed before, but that doesn''t make you a failure, Rosan. I don''t think a failure would be able to do the things that you can!" She encouraged and the 14 year old stared at her.


    "Thank you," he eventually said and he closed his eyes. "You''ve given me a lot to think about."


    "She''s right Rosan¡­ You''re anything but a failure," Mod said quietly.


    "You can never be a failure because you made me!" Ram agreed solemnly.


    "¡­" Rosan said nothing because there was nothing he could say that would change their minds.


    He let his anger get the best of him and because of it, Meiko died. If he had been even a little more rational, he would have prioritized getting her out of there and then dealt with all the enemies.


    But he didn''t. In his anger, he sought to satisfy himself immediately.


    Because he was selfish. That cost him. He always talked about how his emotions got in the way of things and time and time again, he let them interfere regardless.


    Makino didn''t know what she was talking about because she didn''t know anything about him. She didn''t know who Portgas D. Rosan really was so how could she ever decide what he was?


    His allies could say whatever they wanted but that wouldn''t change the truth of the matter. Twice now, he had to watch someone he loved died and it was because of his own incompetence. His goal had been to keep his loved ones safe and he couldn''t do it.


    Of course he couldn''t do it.


    He was a failure.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "You wanted to talk to me, Mod-chan?" Rosan asked quietly. It was currently just the usual three inhabitants of his mindscape, due to his Devil Fruit wanting to discuss something with him.


    She was trying to hide how nervous she looked but Rosan and Ram could see right through her. The redhead had shot his weapon a look to see if she knew anything but she simply shook her head no, just as lost as he was.


    So they were both in the dark...


    "Y-Yes I wanted to t-talk ¡ª" she coughed a bit to gather herself and let loose a deep sigh. "Rosan... as you probably realized, I haven''t been very... active lately," Mod began nervously. He wasn''t used to seeing his long time partner so shaken up so whatever she wanted to talk to him about, it must have been urgent.


    "Well, I was actually... looking into the castle," she explained quietly, not making eye contact with either of the teens there. "Do you remember the burst of anger you felt when confronting Garp a few weeks ago?" Mod asked softly.


    Rosan simply nodded, choosing not to say anything and only making her more anxious as a result.


    Ram was much more merciful. "Auntie...? Are you alright? I''ve never seen you so shaken up before and it''s making me nervous. It''s like you''ve seen a ghost!"


    Mod forced herself to calm down and smiled slightly at Ram, assuring her that she was fine. She looked back at Rosan again and sighed wearily. There was no way to sugar coat this...


    "There are two versions of me," she told them bluntly, choosing to rip the band-aid right off instead of skirting around it.


    Ram''s jaw dropped at the revelation. W-What the hell did her Auntie just say?! When she said two versions... did she mean Father? Surely that''s what she meant, right?!


    "Two versions of you? Like an alter ego?" Rosan questioned with a raised brow. "How is that possible? I''ve known you since I was four and you''ve never even once indicated that you have another ¡ª"


    The redhead paused and Mod''s dread only grew as he seemingly came to a realization. His piercing gaze landed on her and he simply said, "Explain."


    She wondered what revelation he had come to but he likely wouldn''t tell her until she finished explaining herself.


    "Alter ego used to be accurate... but things have changed. It requires me to tell you more about my past," Mod explained wearily. There was a reason she didn''t like talking about her past with her son... it wasn''t something she was proud of and she was much too happy with Rosan to ever think about the life she had without him.


    Ram and Rosan both nodded, allowing her to continue unimpeded.


    She let out a deep sigh.


    Sometimes she was thankful that Rosan had no emotions. If he did, he''d be rightfully furious with her.


    "Last time, I told you all how I was given a will of my own due to Vegapunk''s tampering with my Devil Fruit. He combined me with some sort of A.I to make up for the fact that the blank zoan had no consciousness."


    They nodded, remembering well what she was talking about.


    "What I failed to mention was that the A.I had... a virus connected to it," Mod explained gravely. "I don''t know if it was intentional on his part, but that virus is my alter ego. They are... nothing like me at all."


    The silence after her statement was deafening. Not even Ram had anything to say and she opted to look at her aunt with a wide eyed gaze.


    "So this virus is what''s been killing all your previous wielders," Rosan concluded intelligently. Mod had admitted herself that she had no emotions before meeting him. But somehow, she was capable of deciding whether her wielders were worthy or not? He had not pressured her because it was her place to tell him but he always knew something was odd about it.


    "Yes, that''s right," Mod nodded, seeing no point in hiding it anymore. "I... didn''t want the virus to get their hands on you because I wanted you to survive at all costs, so when I was making the mindscape, I forcefully separated the two of us and sealed them away."


    "It failed," Rosan pointed out and the purple haired woman frowned.


    "Being the majority of the Devil Fruit, I''m stronger than they are by a fair margin. I don''t know how they managed to escape..."


    The redhead simply hummed. "How did they kill your previous wielders?"


    Mod shuddered a bit. "They... the virus begins to poison your mind with insidious thoughts. They make it seem natural but eventually, it gets more and more bold. Then, when you are at your most vulnerable, they whisper sweet nothings to you so that you may give up to them and then wreak havoc with your controlled body, heedless of the damage your body is taking in the process."


    The redhead digested that information and it confirmed some of his hunches. "This virus... they were never sealed in the first place. You were fooled," he explained to her bluntly. He wasn''t sure how Mod-chan never noticed but it was possible that the virus knew how to avoid her. They were the same person after all.


    The woman''s eyes went wide at that. "I was... fooled? But how are you so sure?" What did Rosan notice that she didn''t? She wasn''t privy to every single one of his thought processes because that was just too intrusive, even for her.


    "I could be wrong, but I''m sure that I''ve been dealing with those same insidious thoughts since I was four," Rosan told her and her heart dropped to her stomach. "It was seemingly natural at first considering my circumstances... but when I got captured, I''m assuming this virus got more bold due to you not being there to detect them."


    When he was on Daybreak, those insidious thoughts grew more and more rampant. Some of it was natural but that''s what made the virus all the more dangerous. They had snuck in their own influence into the natural thoughts and he had been none the wiser. In fact, it was probably the virus that had directed his ire towards Robin in the first place. It had taken that one small piece of doubt he had towards his best friend and, knowing how much he loved her, used it as the forefront of his hatred.


    That was unforgivable. When the redhead found this virus, they would pay. Using Robin against him proved that they would never be an ally, because that meant they knew how much he had cared about her.


    Mod felt her heart breaking at the revelation that her virus had always been free. Had it been waiting for the perfect opportunity to corrupt Rosan? Daybreak was the greatest chance they would have due to the purple haired woman being incapacitated so why didn''t they?


    The Devil Fruit had never resisted the impulses of the virus but when it came to Rosan, she would absolutely make sure they never took over.


    Unless... maybe their goal wasn''t to kill Rosan? They may have been restrained by the seastone... but Mod could see no logical reason why the virus had opted to go inside of the castle.


    "It needs my emotions to successfully take me over," he concluded, interrupting her thought process. "You''ve never found it? Where is it?"


    Mod closed her eyes and her feature turned weary. "It''s... it''s in the castle. I''m sure of it," she replied quietly. When Rosan had let loose that burst of anger against Garp, she had felt them. She couldn''t mistake that destructive familiarity.


    "That''s... problematic," Rosan hummed. "Why did you take so long to tell me about this? If you had informed me of your alter ego before the castle formed, I could have told you about those insidious thoughts much sooner. They''ve been plaguing me since Mom died."


    "You had too much on your plate already," Mod immediately replied. "The virus... they''re not someone I ever wanted you to meet. I was hoping to find a solution to them without ever dragging you into it."


    "But look where that got you," Rosan reprimanded her and she flinched guiltily. "They''ve been hiding this whole time and they snuck into the castle when it formed. Now if I want my emotions, I''ll have no choice but to confront them. When that time comes, I wonder what you''ll do because I already know what I''m going to do."


    Ram froze in disbelief. "...Father? W-What are you implying?" Surely he wasn''t... surely he wasn''t doubting Auntie, right? She had never seen him doubt her. Not even once! Those two were always on the same wavelength so this was absurd!


    "Mod-chan, would you so willingly get rid of your alter ego if it meant saving me? Would you let me get rid of them if those were my intentions?" Rosan asked curiously, never once taking his eyes off of his surrogate mother.


    Mod froze completely at that accusing question, not expecting Rosan of all people to doubt her. It hurt so much more than she expected it too, despite knowing this was a possibility. "I... I would never betray you, Rosan. You are my life a-and I just didn''t want to add more to your already full¡ª"


    "Answer the question, Mod-chan," Rosan interrupted coldly. "Would you let me get rid of them? Can you say with confidence, that you wouldn''t interfere if I tried to eradicate the virus? Because that''s what I''m going to do."


    "Eradicate...?" Mod whispered in surprise. Rosan had already written the virus off as a lost cause...?


    "You chose to seal the virus away instead of completely getting rid of them, despite knowing the threat they pose to me. Why is that?"


    Nobody knew his Devil Fruit better than he did, not even this virus. But he was sure that the virus knew one thing.


    Mod-chan couldn''t get rid of them. Not because she was weak, but because they were connected to each other. It was very likely, that the woman who raised him, cared for the virus.


    Rosan knew she loved him, that was never in doubt. But would Mod-chan get in the way of him trying to eliminate this virus? If she did... then not even he could tell you what would happen.


    "I... I don''t know," she confessed guiltily. She truly didn''t know the answer to that question.


    No matter the situation, she would always choose Rosan, but would she allow him to kill someone who had been with her for as long as she could remember?


    "Then let me ask another question," Rosan said softly. "Will you deal with them?"


    The woman blinked in shock and he pressed on.


    "Will you handle the virus? Even without my interference? Can I trust that you have this handled despite past mistakes?"


    Rosan never once questioned his trust in her. Mod had always had his unconditional trust, so to hear that question, brought her to tears.


    But she deserved this doubt. She hid crucial information from him after all.


    Mod hardened herself and nodded strongly. "I will. You don''t have to worry. I''ll deal with the virus and you deal with getting your emotions back. Once that castle opens, we''ll deal with both the issues inside of it."


    The virus was undoubtedly a threat to her son. But... it was clearly not trying to kill Rosan. When the time came to confront them, Mod would try and glean it''s motives before coming to a decision. If she let the redhead deal with it, he''d do everything in his power to destroy her. He was already near her in strength and in the upcoming years, he''d surpass her with adulthood.


    Her alter ego would stand no chance... Mod needed to be the one to deal with it and not involve Rosan.


    Dual eyes stared into blood red for a long while before Rosan stood up and approached her. He looked down at her and Mod was starkly reminded that he was beginning to tower over her now. They stared at each other for a long time and even though the purple haired woman had gotten used to his empty gaze so long ago, it felt like the first few days she had seen him like this again.


    The heavy tension was broken, as Rosan pulled her into a hug and said, "Okay. I trust you."


    She felt herself sag in relief and tears resurged at that simple statement. The woman clutched him as tight as possible and buried her face into the crook of his neck.


    Ram let out a breath that she didn''t know she''d been holding. If an argument ever genuinely broke out between the two, the silver haired teen wasn''t sure what she''d be able to do. It was impossible to pick sides but if it ever truly got to that point, she''d have no choice but to side with her Father.


    Unknown to the both of them, Rosan stared down at Mod with an unreadable look in his eyes. It was impossible to tell what he was thinking behind that lifeless gaze, but he never once took his eyes off his longest partner. Eventually, he hummed and she looked up.


    Mod-chan smiled determinedly at him and the redhead formed a smile too.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Misadventures of Robin and Rosan - 13


    Robin and Rosan are 10 and 6 respectively


    Robin and Rosan navigate to the North Blue!


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Robin, Rosan and Mod were currently in the boy''s mindscape discussing their next course of action.


    Namely, what sea they should relocate too.


    Rosan was tucked neatly in Mod''s lap, content to let the two girls mostly dictate the conversation. He sighed in bliss at the feeling of his Devil Fruit idly rubbing his head and snuggled even deeper into her.


    "What brought this on, Mod-chan?" Robin asked curiously, wanting to understand the adult''s motives. "It won''t be easy to travel between the Blue Seas, you know?" She pointed out. It was actually exceedingly difficult unless you had special connections.


    The purple haired woman nodded. "Normally, we''d have to go through the Reverse Mountain or the Calm Belt. I''d like to go to one through the Calm Belt because Reverse Mountain can be potentially lethal with only you two."


    "The Calm Belt has no wind currents and it''s a feeding ground for Sea Kings though," Robin mused. There was a reason that method was hardly ever used, it was almost certain death.


    "But the White Rose doesn''t need wind!" Rosan chimed and Robin''s eyes went wide in realization.


    That''s right¡­ Rosan''s (Their!) ship was mostly powered by Modification so it didn''t need wind!


    "Are we faster than Sea Kings though?" the brunette asked hesitantly and Rosan hummed in contemplation.


    "I can speed us up with Modification! The more power I put into it, the faster we''ll go! I just need you to tell me where to go."


    The brunette nodded, it was reckless but she was used to his antics by now and they had been running amok in the South Blue for quite a while.


    "Alright, I''ll do some research then and we can get a compass too," Robin hummed. "But what Sea are we going too? I absolutely refuse to take you or myself to the Grand Line right now and the West Blue is also out of the question."


    "Yeah even I know the Grand Line is a bad idea right now!" Rosan replied with a sad smile on his face and his companions sweatdropped at the look on his face.


    The boy sure was eager to go the Grand Line one day in order to get stronger.


    Robin said they needed to wait until they were adults and Mod wholeheartedly agreed with her, so adulthood it was.


    "Let''s go to the North Blue," Rosan said, after a moment and they both raised a brow at him.


    "Is that because it''s hailed as the strongest of the Blue Seas?" Mod asked suspiciously, causing the boy to shake his head rapidly.


    "I didn''t even know that! Now we definitely have to go!" he beamed and they both sighed at their careless mistake. Sometimes, it was impossible to tell what was going on in Rosan''s head.


    "Why North Blue then?" Robin asked in curiosity. She personally wanted to go to the East Blue because that was known as the weakest sea and it would give them a lot of liberties.


    "Garp, the Marine that took Ace, goes there a lot and I really don''t want him to find you or me," Rosan said seriously and her eyes widened in understanding.


    If the Marine found Rosan, then he''d find her by extension and the both of them would be separated due to her high bounty. Considering that Rosan didn''t have a bounty, they''d either arrest him for colluding with her or Garp would take him and only she''d be arrested. Either way, it would end up with them being separated.


    She was touched that the redhead wanted to keep her as safe as possible.


    "That''s smart of you, Rosan!" The 10 year old praised and Rosan grinned happily.


    "Alright, let''s go to the North Blue!"


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    The two children had prepared everything they needed for their voyage.


    They actually had quite a lot of money thanks to their escapades and so they had been able to stock up on a lot!


    With Robin and Mod''s guidance, Rosan would use Modification to power the White Rose through the Calm Belt. By doing that, he would circumvent the issue of there being no wind and it would be as if a normal ship were sailing through the normal ocean.


    That problem was now eliminated and that left the next one.


    Sea Kings and not just any Sea Kings, but some of the largest ones in the world!


    The Calm Belt was where especially huge Sea Kings nested and that was why you could not just paddle past it. It was almost certain death if they caught you and seeing as both her and Rosan were Devil Fruit users¡­


    They would need some more insurance.


    "Rosan, I need you to modify the ship and give it a propeller," Robin instructed the shorter boy. "We need as much speed as we can get and we can''t be sure if Modification will be enough."


    The redhead had nodded eagerly and immediately went to go steal a book on how to best make one. Once he finished, he bragged about how he couldn''t show it to her yet because it was super amazing!


    "He told me not to tell you," Mod sighed apologetically and Robin giggled, used to his antics. He was always trying to surprise her with whatever it was he learned and more often then not, it was crazy but she had grown rather fond of it.


    She sighed at how quickly he had picked up the trick and muttered something about geniuses.


    "But Robin-nee, you''re a genius too!" Rosan exclaimed with a confused gaze. "You can read those Poneglyphs with no effort when no one else can! That''s incredible!"


    She flushed at his praise and mumbled out a thank you.


    Robin had once asked Rosan if he wanted her to teach him how to read Poneglyphs. She was sure the boy was smart enough to learn it but he had steadfastly refused her offer.


    "No way! That''s your special gift and I don''t wanna take your special gift from you," he grinned and she smiled at his thoughtfulness.


    Truthfully, she wouldn''t have had a problem passing on the knowledge to her favorite person but he was stubborn like that.


    Robin''s gift was her gift and Rosan didn''t want to take it from her.


    The offer was always on the table though but she doubted Rosan would ever accept it.


    She was happy that he considered her talents so special!


    But she digressed, the two were sailing at a moderate pace towards the Calm Belt now and Robin couldn''t fight the stab of worry.


    What? One of them had to be rightfully paranoid! Rosan didn''t even look remotely afraid at the prospect of being Sea King lunch and he was humming a jaunty tune. She couldn''t help but laugh as he began dancing terribly in place.


    Good singer he may be, the boy definitely couldn''t dance but that didn''t bother him at all! His carefree spirit was infectious and she instinctively felt herself calming down.


    For once, the sails were doing their job and the wind moved it steadily through the blue ocean. Rosan was glancing at the endless ocean with an excited look in his eyes.


    He wasn''t powering the ship at the moment because they wanted the redhead to conserve his energy. The 6 year old may have had way too much stamina for his own good but they''d need to approach this as carefully as possible.


    When they finally arrived, they didn''t even realize at first until the ship abruptly stopped.


    Robin paused as she verified that there was no wind blowing at all and this time, it wasn''t a fluke.


    "Rosan, I''m furling the sails now," Robin said urgently, summoning a multitude of hands to do just that. "On my mark, I want you to go!"


    "Kay!" Rosan chirped, grinning eagerly and his eyes began to glow brighter, doing their best to try and mimic the sun.


    The Devil Child worked at record speeds and the moment she finished, she said, "Go!"


    The White Rose blasted forward as Rosan focused Modification into it and it was just in time too, as a Sea King burst out of the water near them.


    It was massive.


    The blue creature looked vaguely serpentine with large bulging eyes and a massive maw of teeth.


    Rosan whistled.


    "It''s huge!" The boy awed, as it looked at their retreating ship in confusion. "I think you could fit 500 Rosan''s in its mouth!"


    "500 is too low, you''re a tiny kid," Robin mused much to the child''s outrage.


    "I''m 6! Just you wait, you big bully! I''m gonna be taller than you," the boy growled, puffing his cheeks adorably.


    "Maybe one day," Mod giggled.


    Rosan grumbled and Robin was so glad that he was her travel partner. The boy was casually assuaging her concerns by not even regarding the Sea King that was trying to eat them.


    It really helped cool her own nerves, how unfazed the child was.


    All of that flew out the window, as Rosan let out a terribly large shriek.


    "AHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The tiny boy screamed.


    Oh no¡­


    "W-w-w-why are there WATER versions?!" Rosan screeched in terror and the ship began moving faster in response to his sudden fears.


    Why?


    Because a giant Sea King, that looked very much like a lizard, was eyeing the two lazily.


    "Now you''re worried?" Robin asked with disbelief at the insane child. She had nearly forgotten that the boy was deathly terrified of overly large lizards. Why? She would actually never know, considering it was the strangest thing to be afraid of and that he wanted to turn into a dragon but that was just Rosan. A walking, talking, overly excited, enigma.


    "YES!" He screamed and he yelped, at the sight of the lizard getting closer to them. "ARE WE GOING THE RIGHT WAY? PLEASE SAY YES!" He begged because there was no way he was stopping for even a second.


    "We are!" Robin confirmed and as the Sea Kings (there were at least 5 chasing them right now!) got closer, the White Rose suddenly shifted and rocketed forwards.


    Robin gaped at the sight of the propeller shooting them forward like it were a cannon instead.


    Was this Rosan''s secret?! He made a juiced up propeller instead of a normal one? The blast was so powerful, that it sent the ship airborne for a few seconds!


    They sailed through the sky before landing with a massive splash and the ship was off again.


    There were still some Sea Kings chasing them but thankfully, the lizard one was gone and Rosan let out a sigh of relief.


    "Finally lost it," he murmured and she sweatdropped at the fact that he was only avoiding that one.


    "Rosan I didn''t realize you made the propeller so strong," Robin said slowly and he beamed.


    "I know! It''s awesome right?!"


    She opened her mouth, before shutting it. It... was useful. But she couldn''t say that out loud because Rosan would try and do something this dumb again. You had to wisely compliment the redhead or else he would make you regret it.


    "Please run it by me next time?" The 10 year old requested instead and Rosan nodded rapidly.


    "Kay!" He grinned before looking out at Sea again. He didn''t even look bothered by the sight of the other gargantuan Sea Kings and instead sighed wistfully.


    "When I turn into a Dragon, we won''t have to run from them anymore," Rosan said to her and Robin smiled at his confidence.


    "I look forward to it."


    "Yeah, just you wait! I''m gonna come back here and burn them all! ESPECIALLY that lizard."


    "You can barely look at the lizard, how do you expect to be able to aim at it?"


    "...My flames will just be big enough to burn the entire Calm Belt!"


    "You really believe that don''t you?!"


    "He does."


    "What?! You guys don''t believe me?! Have some more faith in me!"


    "No."


    "No."


    "I don''t deserve this treatment¡­"


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    They needed to utilize their propeller at least 3 more times to safely escape from the Sea Kings and because there were no lizards, Rosan laughed all the while. The rush of wind was doing wonders for his adrenaline.


    "Is this it?" Rosan asked as he suddenly felt wind again. His messy hair moved in time with the breeze and Robin contemplated cutting the boy''s hair down to it''s shoulder length again. She much preferred when the spikes stopped at his shoulders and right now they were just above his mid back.


    "Yes, we''re in the North Blue now," Robin smiled in relief. Now that it was over, she had to admit that it was pretty fun.


    "Awesome! We did it!" Rosan cackled. "We can go to any sea like this now. Like the Grand Lin ¡ª."


    "No."


    "No."


    "Eh, it was worth a shot," he shrugged, completely unbothered by the double refusal. He was expecting it but they hadn''t even let him finish his sentence... They were so rude sometimes.


    "We can stay in the North Blue for a while. I don''t think my heart can handle another journey like that for a good bit," Robin told her best friend and he nodded.


    "Wait. Robin-nee, how did you get into the South Blue?" Rosan questioned with his head tilted. She told him that she was from the West Blue... Born on Ohara.


    "I dyed my hair and put contacts in my eyes, then I snuck onto an important ship that was being escorted by the Marines until we made stop at one of the islands to restock and I slipped away. It was risky but I figured it would be worth it, if I made it to the South Blue where little to no people would suspect me," Robin answered. It had been going pretty smoothly but somehow, Rosan brought even more attention onto her with his escapades.


    The boy deserved her bounty more than she did!


    Rosan frowned and unexpectedly grabbed her into a hug. "Well, no more sneaking around and putting yourself in super danger! You have me now and I''ll keep you safe!"


    She smiled a true smile at the boy and readily returned the hug.


    "Of course, Rosan! What would I do without you?"


    "Nothin cuz I''m the best!"


    "Of course you are!"


    "YOU MADE THAT SOUND LIKE AN INSULT!" Rosan roared and his two female companions simply laughed at him.


    He held his head and sulked.


    He got no respect around here.

 Resentment

    "Rosan, I want to talk to you about something," Mod said seriously. She had been deeply contemplating this and after how well the talks with the virus went, she decided her son was old enough to hear this.


    The 4 brothers were currently in his mindscape and at Mod''s call, they had quickly given the Devil Fruit their attention.


    "What is it, Mod-chan?" Rosan replied calmly. He was sitting upright with Ram, as usual, resting her head on his lap. He idly stroked one of her silver twintails and she purred in bliss.


    There was something else she wanted to tell him? It was unlikely that it was as bad as the virus but he could never be too sure, considering she had chosen to hide that from him in the first place. Who knew what else she was hiding from him?


    Mod took a deep, nervous breath and steeled herself. She was psyching herself out for no reason. This wasn''t nearly as bad as the virus and Rosan had been more than reasonable on that discussion.


    "You know how I have access to all your memories, correct?" Mod asked softly and he nodded in confirmation. According to her, she could view any memory of his due to having a mindscape. It was incredibly useful to have and allowed her to remember even the smaller details of his life. That''s why she had known so much about him when they had first met.


    "If you have access to them, then I should as well right?" Rosan questioned and she nodded in return. The redhead didn''t really think about looking back at his memories and that was something that probably would not change.


    When he was younger, the thought of remembering would hurt too much so he shied away from it. Now, he saw no purpose in doing so. Memories were just that, memories and he had enough things in the past to think about.


    "Yes. It''s stored in an area inside your mindscape but that''s for another time... If you''re interested in viewing it!" Mod confirmed. She knew about his general disinterest with memories but Ram was not the same. She had demanded to see memories of times where she didn''t exist and had wanted to know more about Meiko.


    "I love watching your memories!" Ram gushed happily. Her and mother looked so alike but acted like two completely different people! She actually acted more like Father when he was younger and that made her giddy!


    "Hm¡­ I suppose we can show these 3 my memories from long ago," Rosan decided and his brother''s eyes widened in interest. "My life was rather... hectic and I can''t show you everything because you are all still young but maybe when you''re older and still interested."


    "Yeah!" Sabo nodded cheerfully. "That sounds fun!"


    Ace nodded in agreement. Rosan''s past was an interesting topic of interest that they didn''t have many details about. To see with their own eyes what he had been doing? It sounded like it could be fun!


    Luffy didn''t really care about Rosan''s past but Ace and Sabo were interested so he''d watch it too!


    "Sorry to interrupt," Mod said quietly, causing them all to go silent. "Like I said, I have access to all your memories, even the ones you can''t remember because I went back to look at them," she informed them all.


    "That¡­ includes memories of when you were a newborn," the purple haired woman told him hesitantly and Rosan immediately nodded in understanding, getting what she was implying.


    Everyone else only looked confused.


    "So you do know of my birth parents," the redhead hummed. How interesting, he had speculated that Mod had some information on his parents but he didn''t care about them, that''s why he refused to prod her.


    Sabo and Ace''s eyes went wide at that revelation. Rosan''s birth parents? The Devil Fruit knew about them? But hadn''t he been abandoned?


    "Not exactly," Mod whispered. "I know a little bit about your mother, but I have no clue who your father is or could be. I wanted to tell you what I did know about the woman who gave birth to you."


    "You hate her," Rosan pointed out and his surrogate mother locked eyes with him.


    "Yes. Abandoning you to your fate is completely unforgivable and if I ever get my hands on her..." Mod had a dark look in her eyes at the thought of the woman who had so cruelly left him. Her only saving grace, was that her abandoning Rosan, allowed the two to meet.


    "Ah, so she did abandon me. I guessed as much," the redhead said but he didn''t look at all bothered by it. The teen remained silent and indicated for her to continue.


    Mod took another deep breath.


    Where to begin?


    "Your mother''s name is Iris D. Raisa and she is the queen of an island in the South Blue," Mod said bluntly.


    Ram''s jaw dropped.


    "W-w-WHAT?!" She stammered at the revelation and looked up at her Father in awe. "Father is¡­ Father is royalty?!" The teen gaped in disbelief.


    When she had said Rosan was practically royalty, she didn''t mean it literally! This was too much information to take in and Auntie Mod had only said one sentence!


    "SHE''S A QUEEN?!" Sabo gaped. That mean two out of four of the brothers were of noble heritage and the redhead was of even higher status then the blonde had been!


    Rosan hummed but didn''t comment. So he was a prince? Even if he had emotions, he wouldn''t have really cared. His birth mother meant nothing to him and he would never call her his mom.


    It was interesting that she was a D. though. That explained who he got his middle initial from.


    "Yes, I think Rosan was her first child and based on what few words I heard¡­ he was not meant to be born," Mod said gravely and the redhead instantly pieced together the information.


    "Ah, she was likely raped by my father," he said bluntly. If he wasn''t supposed to be born and he was abandoned by her, it was likely that someone had forced their way onto her. That was understandable.


    "That''s what I think as well but she didn''t say much of anything around you. She didn''t even wait a day after your birth to abandon you," Mod growled lowly. The woman was merciless, leaving a newborn in the forest like that. How she could move so soon after giving birth? Mod would never know but she hadn''t even hesitated to leave.


    Rouge had thought Rosan was a couple weeks old when she found him, but the woman had been wrong. Rosan hadn''t even been a day old.


    "The only reason I know her name, is because her personal doctors called you Iris D. Rosan and referred to her as Queen Raisa while making sure you were healthy. Iris could be the surname of your father but I heavily doubt it," the woman finished and they all digested that information.


    "Bitch," Ram muttered venomously. Who did she think she was? Abandoning her father?! She should be grateful that she gave birth to him! The weapon was right there with Auntie. If they ever met, there would be hell to pay.


    "How does she look?" Ace asked in curiosity. It was clear that Rosan didn''t care whatsoever about his birth mother so they would ask the questions instead.


    "I was seeing through Rosan''s eyes and he was color blind at the time so I''m not too sure," Mod muttered with a frown on her pretty face. "I believe that Rosan inherited mostly everything from her though. Her features were strikingly similar to your female form and the doctors said "He inherited your red hair and purple eyes," before going quiet and apologizing profusely, presumably from her glaring at him."


    "How did I end up in Baterilla?" Rosan suddenly asked, filing that information away from later. Besides Angel and Demon, he doubted anyone looked like him.


    It was unlikely that he''d ever meet her, seeing as he didn''t sail through the South Blue anymore, but just in case it ever happened.


    Mod hummed. "You slept for most of it but I suspect it was by flight. That was the sensation it felt like and I heard wings flapping but when you woke up, the flight had already been finished and she only stared at you for a brief moment..."


    Baby Rosan must have known something was going to happen because as Raisa tucked him in a tree, eyeing him all the while with a neutral expression, he had begun to cry. The only sign that it had affected her, was the sight of her brows furrowing slightly but she had immediately banished it and had taken off without looking once.


    Mod truly hated her. Memories of baby Rosan sobbing always tore at her heart strings and she wanted nothing but to hug the infant.


    Rosan tilted his head as he digested her words.


    So she probably had a Devil Fruit. Some type of Zoan that granted flight by the sound of it. He wondered what it was because that could likely be the reason that he loved flying so much...


    "My birth father is probably powerful," Rosan commented. If it was true that she had been raped, then that meant the man who contributed, was a strong individual.


    Raisa was a queen and she would probably have security. Coupled with the fact that she was a Zoan Devil Fruit user and his birth mother¡­


    Hm.


    To be so bold in his actions and go after a queen. Perhaps Rosan had inherited some of his personality from the man who had helped birth him.


    What a sickening thought.


    "I didn''t want to tell you about her because I really do hate her and she serves absolutely no purpose to you," Mod frowned. "But when Sabo was telling us about his life and you called me out, I felt like I needed to for the both of us."


    "You didn''t but I''m happy you came to the decision on your own," Rosan placated her with a rub of the shoulder. It was good for her to be able to come to these decisions on her own, even if it came at the expense of withholding information from him.


    "I truly don''t care about learning more of the people who birthed me. My name is not Iris D. Rosan. It''s Portgas D. Rosan and I am the son of Portgas D. Rouge," he said bluntly and Mod couldn''t help but smile brilliantly at him. Even at such a young age, he had known he was adopted and his stance on who his mother was, never once changed. Even with the knowledge that his real mother was still alive, he still thought the same thing and she loved that.


    "The fact that I am a prince, means nothing to me. Though, Maro will be happy to hear that we share something else in common."


    They all sweatdropped at his nonchalance but decided this was probably the best way to go about it. If Rosan didn''t care, why should they?


    "I''m probably never going to meet her and I think the both of us are fine with that. There''s no reason for me to put any stress on a person who I barely knew for a day," Rosan commented and Ace looked at him strangely.


    The two were far different with how they approached their parents. Ace detested Roger despite never meeting the man while Rosan was completely indifferent to his mother. Even if the circumstances were different...


    Maybe he could take a page out of his book? Roger didn''t have to rule his life the way he was allowing it too and he had his brothers now.


    It would be hard to undo years of work but what better time to start, than now.


    "Good," Rosan said, patting Ace on the head and getting his hand slapped in return. "I hate father too but I don''t let him weigh me down," the teen explained and the freckled boy snorted in amusement.


    "Seems like we all have parental issues," the redhead hummed. He idly wondered about the fate of his birth father. Mod-chan knew nothing about him but someone like that, who would so brazenly assault a queen, couldn''t have been good for the world.


    Maybe he was currently in a prison? Or maybe he was dead? Eh, he didn''t care.


    The two ten year old''s laughed at that comment before they all looked at Luffy. The boy was currently being chastised in a motherly tone by Mod for picking his nose and she was pinching his cheek for good measure.


    "I wonder who Luffy''s parents are..." Sabo mused. Anyone related to Garp, had to be a monster in their own right.


    "Gramps and Luffy are enough for me," Ace snorted and Rosan nodded in agreement. "I don''t wanna meet anyone else like those two."


    An older version of Luffy, sounded like a complete disaster in the making.


    The little seven year old just stared at them all in confusion. He was about to pick his nose again but Mod slapped his hand away and began to threaten him with no food.


    That successfully cowed him.


    "What are you guys talking about?" The youngest boy asked.


    "Nothing at all, Luffy," Rosan answered immediately, not willing to explain it to the boy. His youngest brother was hopeless at the best of times.


    Sabo and Mod nodded sagely.


    Ace and Ram snorted in amusement.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan could not stress enough, how little self preservation (Rouge would let out an unladylike snort if she heard Rosan say this) Luffy had. He wasn''t sure if it was bravery or stupidity but it really could have been either or both.


    The redhead''s bet was on stupidity.


    "Luffy, we stand no chance against that tiger!" Ace complained as he and Sabo dragged the struggling boy away.


    "HE TOOK MY FIRST CATCH!" Luffy screeched indignantly and he waved his little arms in anger.


    Rosan understood but sometimes it was best to just cut his losses.


    They had been hunting a Danpa (Rosan was simply watching from above) and after cornering it, Luffy had successfully taken it out.


    His victory had been short lived though because a huge tiger had quickly come to claim their prize, heedless of the effort the rubber boy had just put in.


    Luffy, in his ever present wisdom, tried to fight the tiger and he failed spectacularly but he wasn''t one to give up and that led to the situation now, with Ace and Sabo dragging the squirming rubber boy away.


    The boy then proceeded to lose the first Danpa they captured, by jumping incessantly on a bridge and falling through it, leading to the Danpa falling and Rosan having to grab his brother lest he fall in the ravine.


    Now they had no food.


    "All the food on my ship has been eaten as well," Rosan told them, as they all lay down on the comfy large bed. When Maro and co visited, they had made sure to eat everything on the ship with the amount of parties they threw.


    The redhead saw no point in restocking it so now the White Rose had no more food on it.


    "I''m starving," Luffy whined and Ace punched him on the head in anger.


    "It''s your fault!" He roared.


    "Can you blame him for getting upset about losing his first catch though?" Sabo asked thoughtfully.


    "It''s too reckless to fight such a big tiger though," Ace told the blonde.


    "That''s something you would do!" The former noble chuckled.


    "Ace still doesn''t think he and Luffy are similar," Rosan commented and he deftly dodged a punch aimed for his skull.


    "Shut up! Both of you," the freckled boy grumbled and they all lay down to get some rest.


    Luffy chose this moment to wake back up.


    "Ace! Sabo! You guys gotta come aboard my ship! Okay? Say yes!" The youngest child exclaimed.


    "This again?" Rosan commented, closing his eyes. He was already trapped with the little boy so this had nothing to do with him.


    "All of you want to be captains and none of you will listen to the other. It won''t work," the redhead said.


    "He''s right and I''m especially not taking orders from you, Luffy," Ace confirmed snidely. There wasn''t a chance in hell he''d take orders from his useless little brother.


    "But it would be fun to travel together! Rosan and I are gonna have the most fun so you should join us on my ship!" Luffy exclaimed in excitement.


    "I don''t like the sound of that," Mod sighed. Luffy was insanely reckless on the best days and she could already see the amount of effort Rosan would need to put in to keep him alive.


    "I do!" Ram beamed. The rubber boy''s omen sounded like a lot of fun!


    "I''m not taking orders from anyone," Sabo said decisively.


    "It''s not gonna work," Ace smirked in amusement.


    "Honestly, you''re lucky you managed to recruit me, Luffy," Rosan added his two cents. "Normally, I would have never even thought twice of joining someone''s crew. I have no interest in leading a group but I would rather do that then listen to someone else."


    Ace snorted at that. The brothers had seen some of the teen''s earlier memories and they readily agreed with that statement.


    He was as chaotic as Luffy was! It was surreal to see the stone faced redhead, so hyper and unhinged. They felt sympathy for Mod and that Robin girl. Rosan seemed impossible to deal with.


    "Oh yeah!" The seven year old said as an idea struck him. "How about this? The one who beats the big tiger can be captain!" He exclaimed with a huge grin.


    "The big tiger? Are you serious?" Ace questioned with a raised brow.


    "The chances of you becoming captain are pretty low," Sabo pointed out.


    "That tiger is gonna eat you," Rosan said bluntly.


    "That''s not true! None of us can compete against him right now," Luffy whined in annoyance.


    "That''s a good idea!" Ace and Sabo exclaimed at the same time.


    "Hm. Maybe I should go defeat it and have all of you come aboard my ship," Rosan mused, cupping his chin as he thought about it.


    "NO!" The three yelled at him in unison. "This is between us!"


    "Rude," Rosan commented before closing his eyes again. "Since this has nothing to do with me, I''ll be going to sleep now."


    The three brothers discussed their idea more, before following the oldest boy to sleep.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Will today be any different from the others?" Mod hummed curiously, glancing at the three boys facing off against the giant tiger.


    "Maybe. It''s been a couple of months since they''ve begun doing this and they''ve gotten stronger from all the losses," Rosan commented, staring evenly at the tiger.


    He was currently on top of a tree, glancing down at his brothers. Not once did he interfere with their battle but if they were in a situation where they were certainly about to die, he would step in.


    As expected, Ace charged in first and delivered a blow that the tiger easily weathered. It responded with a swipe of its tail that sent the freckled boy crashing into the floor with a pained grunt.


    "If they only plan on fighting it one on one, they''ll all lose," Ram frowned in contemplation. Those three were extremely strong for their age but this Tiger was utterly massive and could weather a lot of blows.


    "Teamwork makes difficult battles a lot more tolerable," Rosan agreed. He preferred fighting one on one but he knew the merits of having a partner well. Traveling with Robin, had taught him the importance of having an ally to watch your back.


    That''s why he trained Maro to be his right hand. On the off chance that he ever slipped up, she would be there to give him time to recover. It didn''t happen often but they had saved each other''s life during their fight with that Logia.


    It seemed that Ace was realizing this too. The tiger had effortlessly dealt with Sabo and Luffy and when it went to land a killing blow on the little seven year old (Rosan was just about ready to intercept it), the ten year old''s had intercepted it.


    Rosan loosened his muscles as they teamed up and sat back down.


    They didn''t need him for this.


    Good.


    Sabo was tasked with luring the tiger into Ace and Luffy''s waiting arms. The seven year old grabbed two trees with his arms and began stretching backwards.


    Once he reached the max distance, Ace stepped in front of him and Luffy rocketed forward, launching the freckled boy through the air from the momentum.


    "Gomu Gomu no Rocket!"


    The freckled boy crashed into the tiger with unforgiving force and smashed his pipe against its head, cleanly knocking it out.


    "So they can work together!" Mod beamed at seeing them win the battle through teamwork.


    "So I guess Ace is the captain now," Sabo frowned in disappointment. Rules were rules. Ace had landed the finishing blow, so that meant he won.


    "Ah, but I worked so hard for this!" Luffy whined.


    "I''m not gonna be the captain," Ace waved them off. "I didn''t beat it alone. We worked together to take it out."


    The brothers smiled at that and began joking around with each other.


    "I hate to interrupt," Rosan''s dry voice rang out from the top of the tree. "But you have company."


    They looked at him in confusion before freezing, at the low growling sound behind them.


    The three slowly turned around and gaped at the sight of another equally massive tiger snarling at them. It did not look pleased with what they had done whatsoever and it''s growling was increasing in frequency.


    "RUN!" Sabo yelled and they took off with the tiger hot on their heels.


    Rosan watched this from the comfort of his tree and Ram cackled hysterically.


    "I doubt it will happen, but please make sure they don''t die," Mod sighed and the teen nodded before hopping through the trees to pursue his brothers.


    They were hopeless.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "I should lay low in the upcoming days," Rosan suddenly said, while reading a newspaper.


    His brothers looked at him in varying degrees of confusion so the redhead decided to elaborate.


    "There is a Celestial Dragon coming to Goa," Rosan started off. "For the sake of everyone on this island, it''s imperative that I don''t meet him."


    "What''s a Celestial Dragon?" Luffy asked and Sabo looked at him.


    "They''re the ones who rule this world," the blonde explained with a frown. "I''ve heard their even worse than nobles and they can do whatever they want without repercussion."


    "It''s true," Rosan confirmed. "If you even strike one, a Marine Admiral will pursue and deal with you," he told the three.


    They looked at him in surprise at that information. An Admiral? One of the strongest powers in the World Government?"


    "What did you do?" Ace asked with a bead of sweat on his head. He knew his older brother. The redhead definitely did something.


    Rosan hummed. "The reason Reaper''s first bounty is 500 million, was because I killed one of the World Nobles," he told them bluntly.


    ¡­


    "W-W-WHAT?!" Sabo screeched in disbelief. He was the only one of the three that seemed to understand the gravity of what Rosan had just said.


    "I was sailing one day when he attacked my ship," Rosan informed his brothers. "After I confronted him, he began talking nonsense and then tried to have me enslaved for his sick pleasure."


    "The fact that people like that get to rule the world¡­ The ability to do whatever you want with zero consequence... I do not believe anyone should be allowed to live like that and he learned that first hand," the redhead finished.


    "He tried to make you a slave?" Luffy growled in a surprising amount of anger.


    "What type of sick bastard just gets to decide that on their own?!" Ace snarled with a deep frown.


    "Nobles¡­ they really are the worst," Sabo muttered with a dark look in his eyes. Every day he regretted more and more that he had been born with their blood.


    "People who are handed everything, will never have the life changing experiences needed to rule," Rosan said coldly. "If I meet another Celestial Dragon, I might not be able to resist killing them and knowing what I did, they probably have much stronger guards with them. So for the upcoming days, I''ll keep a low profile and stay away from the Gray Terminal and Capital."


    Sabo nodded immediately at that. He wasn''t sure but if news got out that a Celestial Dragon was killed on Goa, this island would become a target for the World Government''s wrath and it would be completely destroyed.


    Rosan said he might not be able to resist killing him, so that meant the redhead would very likely do it.


    "Alright," Ace nodded at that.


    "Try to stay out of trouble. If you need me, I''ve modified my Save Point so just pull on the red part of Luffy''s hat and I''ll be notified that someone is trying to use it," Rosan instructed, pulling the part he was talking about to emphasize his point. He had thought of this after Luffy had gotten caught by Porchemy and he hadn''t known.


    His brothers were stubborn though so even with that information, they probably wouldn''t use it.


    That was fine with him.


    "Have fun, I''m off to visit some of my... friends," Rosan called before vanishing from his brother''s sight.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Sabo rummaged around in the pile of trash and grinned in excitement after finding a telescope. Luffy had wanted one for their hideout so he would be happy to see that the blonde had managed to find one.


    He needed to make sure and thank Angel for helping make their base so sturdy. There had been freak storm but it had admirably weathered a lot of it! It would still need some repairs but not nearly as much as it would need if the female redhead didn''t help.


    Rosan had some really cool friends! He was glad that they had joined their circle and was eager to see them again, especially Maro!


    His musings were cut short, at the sudden presence of others and he tensed up.


    Sabo glanced warily at the influx of pirates surrounding him and recognized their hostile energy.


    "Hey boy!" A man walked up and Sabo instantly recognized him. "I didn''t know that one of the infamous little brats was from a noble family."


    Sabo scowled at that and placed the telescope in his coat. "Bluejam! How did you know?"


    He didn''t go around advertising his nobility. So how did Bluejam know he was one? Just what was going on right now?


    The blonde took a quick glance around and verified that he was completely surrounded.


    "Alright remember, don''t hurt the kid," Bluejam ordered and the ten year old dodged an incoming dive, responding with a hellacious kick that took the offender out of the equation.


    "So you wanna fight?!" Sabo asked threateningly, only to look back in confusion at the sight of a rolling barrel descending to his level.


    The barrel crashed into someone and Ace and Luffy burst out of the wreckage with battle cries and landed right in front of the blonde.


    "Ace! Luffy!"


    "D-dizzy," Luffy swirled around at the momentum.


    "You okay, Sabo?" Ace called with a confident grin and the blonde grinned back.


    "Yeah!"


    Ace gauged all his opponents with that ever cocky grin of his. "If the three of us fight together, we can easily beat these bastards!"


    "That''s right! Not even the big tiger stood a chance against us!" Luffy yelled confidently.


    Bluejam kept glancing around though, almost as if he were searching for something. "Isn''t there a fourth one? Where is he?" He demanded.


    "We don''t need him to deal with guys like you!" Sabo said confidently. Rosan would be overkill so they refused to have him help with something like this.


    The pirates looked aggravated at the idea that they were being underestimated and they positioned themselves far more aggressively.


    "You little shits!" They snarled.


    "Let''s just finish this quickly by killing their captain," The freckled boy commanded and they were off.


    Sabo sidestepped a wild blow and leapt into the air to deliver a strong kick to a pirate''s side and a stomp to his back.


    Ace leapt over a swing of a sword and responded in kind, with a devastating strike of his pole to the head of the man. He brutally hit him again just to make sure he was down.


    Luffy effortlessly tanked a blow with his rubbery body and retaliated with a vicious headbutt to the chin.


    The brothers were making quick work of the pirates and soon, they all charged Bluejam at once. If they managed to quickly take out the captain, they would win this fight easily.


    The men stepped back in surprise, and a bit of fear, at the strength of the children and hastily pulled out his gun.


    The brothers immediately stopped what they were doing, at the sight of the firearm, and dove for cover.


    "So that''s how you managed to deal with my boys following you," Bluejam muttered and they looked at him confusedly.


    Boys following them? What was he talking about?


    "Alright brats, don''t move!" the pirate captain demanded.


    Ace glared at him. "I''m not afraid of that!"


    His words were cut short at the feeling of being grabbed and he immediately began struggling in the offender''s grip.


    Sabo was no better but they both failed to escape. Luffy''s head was being smushed into the ground and he was heartily threatening the one doing it.


    The blonde''s struggles stopped as he saw a sight that made his blood run cold.


    "Dad¡­!"


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "You were right. They were going to get attacked soon."


    Rosan stared at his brothers, from his place in the sky, with a blank gaze. He was out of sight from everyone there and his draconic wings flapped idly.


    "It was obvious. After I dealt with those pirates stalking us, it was only a matter of time before Bluejam struck," the teen replied.


    He had naturally noticed that they were being followed and observed. The redhead hadn''t told his brothers but he had dealt with them personally.


    Now the pirate decided to strike.


    Rosan watched his brothers fight the group valiantly only to scatter at Bluejam pulling out a gun.


    Rosan watched Sabo give his own freedom up for the sake of his other brothers safety.


    Rosan watched Sabo turn around and walk back into the capital.


    Rosan watched the pirates take Ace and Luffy away.


    Yet Rosan did nothing.


    "You won''t help?" Mod asked in confusion.


    "I already told them how to access me. If they wanted my help, they would have asked. I''m not going to help people that don''t want help. Brothers or not," Rosan replied rather coldly.


    Their stubbornness was beginning to cost them. The boys were clearly in trouble and all they needed to do was call on Rosan and he would have solved this all.


    Yet, they didn''t want to and Rosan was not the type of person that would offer his assistance. He didn''t like helping people who thought they could do it on their own. It made them ungrateful and spiteful.


    "They will have to do this on their own until they call on me. I won''t offer my assistance anymore," the redhead told his inhabitants.


    Mod frowned but nodded in understanding. Rosan detested helping people that acted like they didn''t need it. Even as a little child... he would only offer once. His little brothers were very headstrong and even after Rosan told them explicitly how to summon him, they refused to do so. "At the very least, make sure Ace and Luffy don''t die."


    The redhead already thought of that. He sent a bug after the pirates and instructed it to notify him immediately if their life was in danger.


    Done with that, the teen stealthily flew after Sabo, blocked by the white clouds.


    He wanted to know what the boy was thinking right now.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Ace... shouldn''t we call Rosan? He could get us out of this easily!" Luffy whispered to his older brother. The two brothers were currently working for Bluejam and he had them carrying some crates around to some specified locations.


    "No," Ace whispered harshly. The thought of accepting his older brothers help, when he couldn''t do anything at the moment, left a sour taste in his mouth. It was like he was acknowledging his own weakness at the moment.


    He couldn''t stand that thought, they''d find a way out of this.


    "Why?!" Luffy asked in confusion. Rosan was super strong! He would take these guys out in an instant and go get Sabo too!


    "We can''t fall back to Rosan when one thing goes wrong, Luffy," Ace hissed. "If we can''t do this, we might as well make him the captain and sail under his ship."


    Luffy frowned but nodded at the logic. Rosan was his crewmate! He couldn''t be the captain because he was the scout of his ship!


    "Lets just do what Bluejam wants for now and see what happens," Ace finished and he continued walking.


    Luffy said nothing but followed after.


    The bug watched all the while.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Your family is pleasant."


    Sabo jumped in shock at the familiar dry voice and hastily turned towards the source.


    "R-Rosan?!" The blonde called towards the teen sitting lazily on his bed, eyeing the stuff in his luxurious room. "What are you doing here?!"


    "I''ve been tailing you this entire time," Rosan replied easily.


    "B-but I didn''t even sense you? And how did you even get inside?!" Sabo asked in disbelief. This whole time, Rosan had been following him and not once had he known?


    "I''ve done my fair share of breaking and entering as well as assassinations that require me to be silent¡­ Also, I modified a hole into your wall and flew through," Rosan informed him bluntly and Sabo sweatdropped at that information.


    His oldest brother was pretty scary.


    Sabo shook his head and immediately asked "Are Ace and Luffy okay?!"


    "They are alive but with Bluejam," Rosan told him and Sabo shot him a confused look, prompting him to continue. "They never called me and when I sent a bug, I learned that they still don''t want me to help them."


    "What? Seriously?!" Sabo muttered to himself. "What is Ace thinking right now by not calling you?! They definitely need your help¡­"


    Even Rosan knew that and if he didn''t want to help¡­


    "You two are too stubborn for your own good," Sabo sighed in defeat but he knew where Rosan was coming from.


    Sabo wasn''t as nearly as against the idea of the redhead helping them out as much as Ace was but his best friend seemed to despise the idea of receiving any help from their oldest brother. It was probably from the lingering resentment he felt due to Rosan having left him behind but he had claimed that they were good now...


    Of course it was never going to be that easy.


    Rosan hummed, not denying the statement and instead asked, "What do you plan on doing now? Would you like me to break you out?"


    "Even if you break me out¡­ If I go back with you guys, I''ll just be attracting trouble. My father won''t give up on searching for me," Sabo muttered sadly.


    "I could deal with him. That way he won''t bother us," Rosan suggested, showing off Ram for good measure.


    Sabo shook his head rapidly. "You don''t have to do that! I don''t want you to kill him," the blonde assured him and Rosan nodded. That was still his father! He would feel terrible if his brother killed Outlook on his behalf.


    "No one in the capital can really hurt me so why don''t you just let me protect you?" The teen wondered and he tilted his head to the side. It seemed like a pretty easy solution to the redhead. He was more than strong enough to deal with whatever was sent his way.


    Sabo remained silent for a moment.


    "As long as I stay here, the four of us can''t do what we normally do and it''ll be my fault," the blonde spoke up after a while. "Dad is paying people off to get me too and he might get even more desperate. You leave a lot to deal with your business and I don''t want that to stop because of me..."


    "I don''t want to be a burden," Sabo said seriously. Besides, if he wanted to be a pirate he couldn''t rely on Luffy''s scout until it was time to set sail. It would be embarrassing as a captain to rely on another crews member.


    "We''re brothers, I would never consider you a burden but I understand," Rosan nodded. He wouldn''t argue against him because he understood where he was coming from.


    "So what will you do? It''s obvious you won''t remain here. Where do you plan on escaping?"


    Sabo was touched at Rosan''s words and he began contemplating the question. Just what would he do... He had no intention of staying with his terrible family but he needed to find a way to escape.


    Suddenly, Rosan held a finger to his lips and vanished from his sight.


    "I''m camouflaged," a voice whispered in his ear, making Sabo jump. "Someone is coming, pretend like I''m not here," Rosan commanded and he linked with his brother so that they could continue communicating.


    The former noble nodded imperceptibly and a hand suddenly rapped on his door.


    The identity of the person was soon revealed to be his new brother, Sterry.


    Sabo regarded him with thinly veiled disgust and the camouflaged Rosan stared blankly at him.


    "I don''t think I want to claim this one as my brother," Rosan said quietly and Ram burst out laughing.


    "Kahahahaha!" The weapon cackled. "I don''t blame you! He''s got quite the face!"


    "I think we''re all in agreement," Sabo snorted.


    "Don''t be rude," Mod tried to reprimand but there was a smile on her face that she failed to hide miserably.


    "Hey, brother! I heard that you''re pretty stupid," Sterry greeted snidely. "Mother and father were always saying that behind the curtain."


    Sabo''s glare deepened.


    "What a polite boy," Ram praised sarcastically.


    "But you have the devil''s luck cuz they''re gonna take care of the burnables tomorrow night."


    "What?" Mod muttered in confusion, not liking where this was going. There was no way he was implying what she thought he was implying.


    Sabo was equally confused and he gave Sterry his undivided attention.


    The boy soaked it all in and continued with a smug smile. "If you had stayed in the Gray Terminal, you would''ve died tomorrow."


    The blonde''s eyes narrowed at that information and he quickly closed the distance between the two.


    Sterry began panicking as Sabo grabbed him by the scruff of his neck. "W-W-What are you doing?! I''ll tell father!" The boy threatened in terror.


    "What were you talking about?! What''s going on?! Tell me everything!" Sabo demanded with a deadly look in his eye.


    "Th-There''s gonna be a fire in the Gray Terminal tomorrow!"


    Sterry began telling Sabo about how the World Government was going to visit Goa and the nobles were in a panic because a Celestial Dragon was with them. They didn''t want the World Noble to see the horrible state of the Gray Terminal so they were planning on burning it down¡­ With everyone still in there.


    And it was intentional. They wanted to burn up all the shame of the kingdom and that included the people.


    It was¡­


    "Disgusting," Rosan whispered and Sabo finally understood completely why his older brother had attacked one of the Celestial Dragons.


    This was beyond cruel! How could they even think about doing something like this? Surely this must have been some sick joke!


    "We need to do something," Sabo said, completely ignoring Sterry now. He donned his regular clothing and grabbed his pipe from under the bed.


    The blonde opened the window and immediately leapt through.


    Rosan was quick to follow and the moment they were out of sight of the building he undid his camouflage.


    "He has to be lying," Sabo said in a panic. "It''s not possible to burn down such a large area."


    Rosan didn''t reply for a moment, deep in thought before he let loose a small breath.


    "I think I know how they''re going to do it," the redhead replied.


    "What do you¡­ oh no," Mod said as it finally dawned on her. "Ace and Luffy."


    "What?!" Sabo whispered in shock. "What about them?!"


    "Bluejam and his crew are doing a job," Rosan explained. "They were placing crates down all over Gray Terminal. There''s a chance that there could be oil and explosives inside of them."


    Sabo felt his heart stop at the revelation. "But that''s ridiculous! There''s no way that''s true!"


    Rosan said nothing. Sabo was in denial right now and didn''t want to see the obvious truth.


    "Tomorrow morning, I''ll check by observing the citizens tomorrow and see if there really will be a fire. We''ll group again when I finish," the blonde told him.


    "Okay," the redhead replied simply. "I''ll find you when the time is right."


    Sabo nodded at the plan and told Rosan to go make sure Ace and Luffy were okay.


    The redhead hummed and vanished.


    "I feel bad for Sabo. He''s a kind boy so he refuses to believe it," Mod sighed sadly. He was far too kind to be anything like those nobles that his father wanted him to be like.


    "Sometimes, the best way to find out the truth is to be directly hit with it," Rosan replied. It had happened to him many times and he was infamously stubborn without it.


    His brothers were the same way.


    Only when facing the truth themselves, would they be able to acknowledge the current issues without being in denial.


    That''s why Rosan wouldn''t interfere unless necessary.


    "It''s harsh¡­" Mod began.


    "But necessary," Ram finished.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "We''re going to move crates for Bluejam today," Ace declared and Luffy looked a little doubtful but he nodded his head.


    Rosan glanced at his brothers and tilted his head. "Bluejam? I thought he was your enemy. Why would you willingly go back to him?"


    "He''s paying us for a job," Ace said simply and his older brother hummed.


    "Okay," was all he said. "I trust you know what you''re doing."


    The freckled boy was glad that he didn''t try harder so with a stiff nod, he grabbed Luffy and began the trek to Gray Terminal.


    "Try not to stay out too long today," Rosan suggested but Ace didn''t outwardly acknowledge him.


    Luffy looked back and Rosan didn''t miss the apprehensive expression on his face but his youngest brother obediently followed after.


    "Despite what he said, Ace still somewhat resents you," Mod frowned. His stubbornness could be risky in the future and if it persisted, something bad could happen to him.


    "Yes, that''s why he will refuse my help no matter what. Anger and resentment are not something that can disappear so easily. Even if you can come to terms with the reasoning why you feel that way," Rosan said knowingly.


    It had taken a long time for his anger and resentment towards Robin to vanish. Even with the knowledge that she couldn''t possibly save him (he owed her an apology), he was still upset and hurt with her...


    Ace had been suffering like this for ten years. It was expected for him to still be angry at the redhead. He had gotten much better but it was not possible to get completely rid of that fast.


    Rosan summoned one of his bugs and had it follow after the two.


    Bluejam was a greedy man so his brothers lives were in danger today. He would ensure that they didn''t die.


    That would take place later tonight though. For now, he would do other things.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    The nobles of this kingdom were crazy.


    That was the devastating conclusion Sabo came to, as he gauged the reaction of every person who knew of the fire happening tonight.


    Rosan was right. There was going to be a fire and the nobles didn''t care one bit. They were treating it like a normal everyday occurrence and some were even happy about it happening.


    This place was disgusting. He couldn''t stay here. He couldn''t become like these people. People who wouldn''t even bat an eye at the death of innocents.


    He needed to meet up with Rosan and warn Ace and Luffy while he were at it! His oldest brother knew about it but there was no guarantee that he would take action.


    Sabo knew his older brother. He probably knew him the best out of the three! Rosan was surprisingly stubborn and he would not interfere until he felt like he needed to.


    That probably meant to prevent Ace and Luffy from dying.


    He needed to warn them now or else! Sabo didn''t dare try and risk waiting until the last moment.


    Would Rosan even be able to stop a fire big enough to take out the entire Gray Terminal? Would he even try?


    Sabo didn''t think so.


    So he ran. He ran like his life depended on it to go warn Ace and Luffy.


    "Stop!" The voice of a guard called and Sabo sucked his teeth in annoyance. "That''s the runaway boy! Get him!"


    The boy sped up as he heard the footsteps of multiple people chasing him. If they caught him now, he wouldn''t be able to warn them in time. He couldn''t get caught. He needed to make it to Gray Termina ¡ª


    In his panic, he lost his footing and tripped onto the unforgiving ground but he wouldn''t let that deter him.


    "I-I have to tell them!" Sabo said through grit teeth and he pushed himself back up. He set off again and immediately crashed into a noble.


    "Ow!" The blonde said, holding his head and he made to move again but the guards finally caught up to him and restrained the boy.


    The boy struggled immensely but it was 3 on 1 and they managed to finally subdue him.


    He was dragged back to his home and into the unforgiving arms of his father.


    "Get in here!" Outlook growled, tossing Sabo down the stairs and into the cellar. "You''ve given me nothing but trouble! You''re such a bad son!"


    "I was right to adopt another child just as I thought," the man finished and he shut the door on the ten year old.


    Realization hit Sabo''s eyes as he realized he had been locked in the room and he began banging on the door.


    The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    "Open up, dad! I gotta go!" The child begged but no one answered him.


    Tears began welling in his eyes at the hopelessness of his situation and he collapsed on the cold floor.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    A tied up Ace and Luffy struggled heavily in their binds.


    Well, Ace struggled while Luffy cried.


    He couldn''t believe what he had learned today. Those crates that he had been carrying around for Bluejam, had been filled with oil and explosives and they were going to be used to set the Gray Terminal aflame!


    Ace didn''t want to be the cause of this! He never wanted it to turn out like this.


    After refusing to tell Bluejam where the treasure was, the pirate had tied the boys up to be caught in the fire.


    Ace had managed to get his hands on a sharp piece of glass and now he was rapidly tearing away at the ropes. He only sped up, at the sight of the Gray Terminal catching fire.


    He was not going to die here. Not until he found the answer to his existence...


    "Try not to stay out too long today."


    Ace''s eyes widened as a startling realization hit him. Rosan never suggested that they come home earlier. He let the boys do whatever they wanted and only felt the need to search for them after it go too late at night.


    But all of a sudden, he tells them to not stay out long today? Bullshit. He had to have known something was going to happen!


    "I trust you know what you''re doing."


    Ace scowled. If he did know, then he chose to say that on purpose. As if he knew his little brothers were going to be in trouble soon.


    His scowl deepened.


    Fine. He would show his older brother that he didn''t need his help.


    The freckled ten year old broke free and dragged the sobbing Luffy with him.


    "C''mon Luffy! If you keep crying, I''m gonna leave you behind," Ace barked and the seven year old immediately shut his mouth.


    The fire was everywhere! Ace was finding it difficult to breathe with all the smoke in the air.


    The ten year old looked left and right before deciding on a path and he quickly set off with Luffy hot on his trails.


    He would not die here.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan hummed.


    "Sabo is not here."


    The here in question, was his younger brother''s home. The boy was nowhere to be seen and Rosan was sure he had learned that the fire was very real.


    The redhead walked out of Sabo''s room, in camouflage, and began his search for the blonde.


    He was pretty sure that he didn''t even need his camouflage to navigate around the noble home without being caught, but one could never be too careful.


    The sound of a commotion caught his ears and he quietly made his way to the source to see if he could get any hints.


    His sharp hearing managed to pick up Sabo''s father complaining.


    "Sabo did it again! Call the police," Outlook growled in annoyance and Rosan saw that a vent had been kicked open.


    Ah, so he had been locked away and managed to escape. He had no reason to be here then.


    Rosan saw the open window and made his way through it into the cool air. The heat of the flames didn''t reach this place, unlike the glowing brightness.


    "Sabo will probably be heading to the front of the gate. Let''s make sure he doesn''t do anything stupid."


    Rosan nodded. His bug was still watching Ace and Luffy so that meant Sabo was unattended too.


    The teen quickly dashed to the front of the gates of Gray Terminal and came across the sight of guards assaulting a helpless Sabo. The boy was desperately trying to open the gates to Gray Terminal and they were bludgeoning him with the butt of their long guns to dissuade him.


    Ram snarled in fury at their actions.


    Rosan vanished.


    Sabo looked on in confusion, at the fact that he was suddenly being hoisted up and a guard let out a pained yell, before going unconscious, as he was slammed violently into the wall, via kick.


    He was in the arms of someone and their identity was soon revealed.


    "Rosan?!" Sabo whispered in shock and the redhead glanced down at him.


    "Ensure your target is absolutely safe first," Rosan thought to himself and he withdrew from the guards that Ram so desperately wanted to kill.


    He took Sabo and vanished into an alleyway before the guards could fire at the two of them. He would not die, but he couldn''t say the same for his little brother.


    "Are you alright?" Rosan whispered to the boy who looked near comatose. The blonde was going to pass out any second now from the harsh beating inflicted onto him.


    The sound of footsteps alerted the two and Rosan immediately turned to face the threat, while Ram transformed into his double barrel pistol. He aimed it directly at the man and made it very clear that he would shoot. The man, sensing the threat stopped and held his hands up in a gesture of peace.


    He was a tall, near three feet taller than Rosan, middle-aged man who was dressed in a long green cloak that covered much of his body.


    Underneath the hoodie, he could see a red tattoo on the left side of his face and some black hair.


    The two sized each other up but Rosan''s attention was grabbed, by his little brother desperately grasping him with tears in his eyes. He kept one eye on the stranger but focused on the boy.


    "R-Rosan," Sabo gasped, tugging his long sleeved shirt desperately. "You were right¡­ The nobles¡­ are behind the fire."


    "You''re exhausting yourself, Sabo," Rosan whispered softly but he would not dissuade the boy from talking. He needed to get this off his chest before the call of sleep lulled him.


    The blonde shook his head and tears began forming in his eyes. "This town smells worse than Gray Terminal¡­ It smells like rotten people!" He gasped out.


    Rosan noted that he was trembling from exertion and soothingly rubbed his arm.


    The man was content to watch but Rosan didn''t miss the grave expression on his face.


    "If I stay here... I''ll never be free!" The blonde admitted and he began to sob in earnest. "I-I''m ashamed of being born a noble!" He cried, causing Rosan to wrap both arms around him, careful not to aggravate his injury. There wasn''t much he could say to his little brother but he''d be a source of comfort.


    The man''s eyes had gone wide at Sabo''s words. Rosan didn''t miss the look of shock and dread on it and couldn''t blame him. It''s not every day you hear a noble denounce their own heritage.


    "Do what you have to do, Sabo," Rosan said, giving him his full support and the boy continued to cry.


    "Please, Rosan! Save Ace and Luffy! They''re in the fire aren''t they?! Ignore what Ace wants and save them both!" Sabo begged and finally Rosan saw something alarming in the man''s gaze.


    Recognition.


    The moment Sabo had mentioned Luffy, the strangers face had lit up in recognition and hearing of their fate, he couldn''t keep the uneasy expression of his features.


    Ah.


    Interesting.


    "Okay Sabo. I''ll save them," Rosan whispered back.


    "I know how you feel," the man suddenly said. "I was born in this country, too. But, I still don''t have enough power to change this place."


    "What is the leader of the Revolutionaries doing here?" Rosan asked calmly and Dragon regarded him with a cool gaze. Sabo looked up at the redhead in confused shock.


    "So you know who I am," Dragon praised but the redhead was not impressed at all.


    He had recognized him instantly. Of course he did, Rosan often looked at Bounty Posters and this was the most wanted man in the world. Every bounty hunter worth their salt would know about him.


    "You''ve come to the same conclusion as I have then?" Mod questioned.


    Rosan nodded. He had pieced together some things based on the mans expressions and the few words he said.


    "What business do you have with Luffy? Not that I don''t already have my guesses."


    Dragon was impressed. The kid had been observing him the whole time and he no doubt noticed his slight reaction at hearing Luffy''s name.


    Not only that, the leader of the revolutionary had admitted he was born in Goa. If the teen was as smart as he acted, then he had already connected the dots.


    "I''m not fond of parents who willingly leave their children behind," Rosan said quietly.


    So he did know.


    Dragon didn''t deign to acknowledge that part. "Aren''t you supposed to be in the North Blue? How did you manage to end up in the East?" He asked in return. Traveling between the seas was no easy feat. What made it more impressive was that he had gone from the North to the East. That was especially difficult considering they weren''t at all close to each other like the South/East or North/West.


    "?!" Mod''s eyes widened.


    Ram''s eyes narrowed.


    Sabo fought hard to stay awake due to the interesting conversation.


    North Blue? Wasn''t Maro a queen in the North Blue?


    "On what basis are you so sure I''m supposed to be in the North Blue?" Rosan countered with a tilted head.


    "On the basis that a red haired teen with heterochromia was reported to be helping the new queen of Celadon overthrow the old one," Dragon grinned. It was one of the islands on the revolutionaries radar but due to having a Logia protecting him, they couldn''t just send anyone to deal with the corrupt king and there were higher priorities that the people, who could deal with them needed to handle.


    "Tch," Ram muttered in annoyance. "He''s good. Are we sure this is Luffy''s dad?"


    "He has to be," Mod replied softly. Too many things lined up for him not to be and he hadn''t denied the claim.


    "So the revolutionaries were there and they allowed two teens to clean up what should be their mess? Aren''t you all supposed to be changing the world and dealing with corruption?" Rosan hummed, sounding utterly unimpressed.


    "Resources are finite," was Dragon''s reply. "I thank you for assisting that country. We would have eventually gotten to it but you helped us immensely."


    "Thank me by not interfering in Maro''s business. I would rather the revolutionaries not bring harmful attention to her."


    By now, Sabo had fallen unconscious, succumbing to his wounds, and Rosan idly adjusted him to give him more comfort.


    "I won''t ask you why you abandoned Luffy and I don''t really care but are you an enemy or not?"


    Dragon, without hesitation, replied, "No, you can consider me an ally."


    "Truth," Rosan verified and he nodded. "Okay, I''m going to trust you to watch over Sabo for me, Dragon. I need to go save my dumb little brothers."


    "Save my son, please," the world''s most wanted man requested and Rosan glanced back at him.


    "You still consider him your son?" The redhead wondered momentarily.


    Well, that didn''t matter to him. Maybe Dragon just didn''t want to drag Luffy into the life of a revolutionary due to how dangerous it was going to be.


    It was far more noble then what his parent''s likely did.


    "I don''t care if Luffy is my little brother, don''t walk around and tell people he''s your child, Monkey D. Dragon. You could bring great harm onto us if that''s revealed," Rosan finished before he vanished from the man''s sight.


    Dragon stared at the spot where the boy with the lifeless gaze had been for a moment, before crouching down to make sure Sabo was okay. He had assured the teen that he was an ally so it would be best if he didn''t break that trust.


    The look in his eyes spoke of unspeakable hardship.


    "What an interesting boy," Dragon mused to himself.


    He had been slightly interested based on the reports he had read. After all, it wasn''t every day, that two teens overthrew a king and usurped his position. Not only that, they had ruthlessly set up the man wielding the earth Logia and eliminated him with brutal efficiency.


    Now, Celadon was shaping up to be an important island and it was largely thanks to the mysterious redhead who didn''t even live there. Knowing that he considered himself his son''s brother, made him all the more interesting. He also had a Devil Fruit that the leader of the Revolutionaries couldn''t identify...


    But what was definitively the most interesting thing about him, was the uncanny resemblance he shared with a certain woman he knew...


    Dragon would be keeping an eye on him.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Ace hadn''t expected Bluejam to still be here but he was and he had lost his goddamn mind in the process.


    He had gone completely insane and it was clear that he was content to let his crew along with Ace and Luffy, die together in this fire.


    Not on his watch.


    Even if it meant giving up his treasure of 6 years, that didn''t matter more than Luffy''s life.


    So he showed Bluejam the location of the treasure and sent the man on his way.


    Or, that was supposed to happen but the pirate had other things in mind. He had his crew grab the boys and started spewing nonsense about how they couldn''t be trusted and that they would need to follow him.


    There was no way he was following the man to the treasure! They would surely die in the fire if he did that and it went against their deal in the first place! Was he fucking insane?!


    Now, he was forced to watch his youngest brother screaming in pain, from a cut on his head, as a sword got ready to impale him where he lay. And there wasn''t a damn thing he could do about it.


    He couldn''t let Luffy die here. He just couldn''t. This was his little brother and it was his job to protect him!


    Sheer panic and rage flooded his body at the sight of his brother laying helplessly there. Without even thinking, the boy screamed at the top of his lungs.


    "DON''T TOUCH LUFFY!"


    Ace wasn''t really sure what happened, but one by one everyone barring Bluejam and Luffy fainted.


    He landed upright and immediately ran over to his little brother to check up on him. "Luffy, are you alright?!"


    There was blood leaking down his forehead from the nasty cut and Ace balked at the gruesome injury. He had never intended for it to turn out like this. It wasn''t supposed to go like this.


    "You never wanted it to turn out like this? So why did you never call me then?" A familiar voice uttered and Ace froze in shock.


    Rosan glanced around, face utterly blank despite the raging inferno surrounding them and locked eyes with Ace.


    "You two are in dire need of assistance and yet, I had to come here on my own because you refused to call me," Rosan sighed, shaking his head.


    "Your stubbornness is going to get you killed, Ace."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    His brother had Pressure¡­ or at least some variant of it.


    Rosan watched calmly, as Ace unknowingly utilized his pressure to knock everyone unconscious.


    "I figured it wasn''t exclusive to us since I''ve never heard of it so I wonder what it is?" Mod said curiously. There was nothing in her memories about the pressure Rosan and Ace exhibited.


    "I never thought of using it to knock a person unconscious¡­ Can I even do that?" Rosan wondered. Maybe Ace had a special variance of it that allowed him to do that?


    He wasn''t sure but what he was sure of, was the fact that his little brother would have very likely chosen to die before calling him.


    "This goes past resentment," Mod muttered. "He even dragged Luffy into it," she said in disappointment. The woman didn''t think he''d have gone this far to prove his stubborn point.


    "You must be Bluejam," Rosan greeted the nervous man. Ace''s display had left him shaken up and he was looking rapidly between his men before finally focusing on the surprise arrival.


    "W-who the hell are you?" Bluejam growled out, eyes bugged in annoyance and from the heat.


    "¡­I''m the demon that Porchemy tried to warn you about," the redhead replied softly and his icy gaze landed on the captain.


    "What business do you have with my brothers? Did Ace not give you the location of the treasure? Why are you still bothering them?"


    Ace looked at Rosan in disbelief. "Y-you''ve been tailing us?"


    "Naturally. I won''t let you die here," the redhead responded.


    "I can''t just trust their words," Bluejam snarled. "I need insurance to make sure they aren''t just lying to me! I need that treasure now so that I can get my revenge."


    "Greedy. Even in the face of death, money is all he can think about," Ram muttered with a shake of her head. If you cared about money so much, become strong enough that you could take it on your own, not rely on some shitty nobles to keep up the end of their bargain. What a fucking moron.


    Rosan hummed. "If you won''t trust their words, then trust mine," he offered.


    "The treasure is not there."


    Ace''s eyes bugged in confusion at what his brother was saying. "What are you talking about?! Yes it is!" He retorted, glaring at his brother in annoyance.


    "No, I moved it," Rosan told him. "This morning, I relocated the treasure to an area that Bluejam won''t reach no matter how hard he try. It''s gone and you aren''t getting it," he finished coldly, turning towards the pirate this time.


    Bluejam felt as if he were floating at the revelation that his only way to get revenge on the nobles, was no longer an option.


    He grit his teeth so hard, he drew blood and the man held his pistol up.


    "You¡­ fucking... BRATS!" Bluejam roared and he began shooting at the redhead indiscriminately.


    Rosan glanced lazily at the man, raid suit already donned and it effortlessly tanked all the bullets meant to harm him.


    "That won''t work but it was a good effort," the redhead complimented and Bluejam paled at seeing him completely unscathed by the hail of bullets.


    "W-what the fuck?" Bluejam whispered, trembling slightly in fear. Was¡­ was he immune to bullets?! How did that work? This was who Porchemy had tried to warn him about?


    The redhead tilted his head slightly, before his ears picked up the noise of running over the roar of flames.


    "Ah, I didn''t expect to see you here," Rosan said, completely ignoring Bluejam and focusing on a spot in the fire.


    Ace watched in shock, as the entire Dadan family burst through the flames. They were all geared to fight and the worry on their face at seeing the boys, filled him with a strange feeling.


    They were here¡­ for him?


    "Keep your hands off my boys," Dadan growled threateningly. None of them would be dying on her watch, even if she had to fight this pirate to keep them safe!


    Rosan appraised her after that statement and nodded approvingly. "I misjudged you Dadan. You do care about us."


    "S-SHUT UP!" She roared with a blush at the utterly unbothered child.


    Seriously, he wasn''t even sweating in this immense heat!


    "Take Luffy and Ace and leave," Rosan commanded and Dadan saluted at the order. If he had this handled, he had this handled. The redhead was stronger than they were and he would solve this issue easily.


    "No need to tell me twice. Boys, let''s go!" Dadan roared and they carried the injured Luffy away.


    Ace did not move.


    "Stay out of this, Rosan," Ace snarled, causing the teen to actually raise a brow at him. "I don''t run from a fight and I don''t need your help!"


    "This is unbelievable, he''s even worse than you as a child!" Mod gaped. What was he even thinking right now?! They were in the middle of a fire, against an opponent the little boy would struggle against immensely and he still wanted to fight?


    Was he a maniac?!


    "I assumed you didn''t need my help either and look where that got us," Rosan countered, indicating all the flames surrounding the group. Even now, they were barely avoiding getting licked and the immense heat had them all sweating.


    Everyone actually gaped at the snide words coming out the teen''s mouth. They hadn''t expected him to talk back. He hardly ever talked back!


    "I let you do things your way and it turned into a massive disaster. Now, we do things my way and my way doesn''t need you to be here," the redhead finished. Rosan didn''t need Ace to win this fight


    Ace actually looked like he was about to come to blows with his older brother, if the way he tensed up meant anything. "Stay. Out. Of. It," the freckled boy warned one last time. He clenched his pipe tightly and glared darkly at the redhead. He''d take him and Bluejam out if he had to.


    "¡­" Rosan glanced at him with those dead eyes, contemplating his demands before nodding his head.


    "Okay," he agreed and he vanished from their sight.


    Ace thought that was the end of it, but a presence suddenly appeared behind him and before he could whirl around, a gentle but firm hand rested on his back, preventing him from moving.


    "You can talk to me later when there''s not a fire surrounding us, sucking the oxygen out of you," Rosan''s cold voice echoed.


    "Modification: Rest Mode," the redhead thought to himself and Ace felt the lull of sleep calling.


    He tried to resist and would have succeeded, but Rosan was merciless and the long duration spent in the fire, had already sapped him of his energy. Ace shot the teen a deep final glare before passing out from the technique.


    This wasn''t over. Not by a long shot.


    "He''s going to be very upset."


    "Good. That means he''s alive."


    "Will you be alright?" Dadan asked worriedly, as Rosan handed the sleeping Ace to her. "The fire is spreading everywhere and you might get caught in it!"


    The redhead didn''t even look at her. "Thank you for your concern, but flames these cold, will never burn me," he informed her and then he shooed them away.


    After a moment''s hesitation, they left, but not before shooting more worried looks back at the fourteen year old.


    "Don''t think you can run, Bluejam," Rosan whispered to the terrified captain. "You didn''t let my brothers escape, so I''m not about to let you."


    "Then we''ll die here, together!" Bluejam roared. "We''ll both die in these flames tonight! I don''t care anymore if I die but I''m taking you with me for ruining EVERY FUCKING THING!"


    "How delusional." The redhead shook his head and his dead gaze landed on the captain.


    "Someone like you could never kill me. Now come and die. Join me for your last performance; I will make sure to kill you before these flames do."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    The two stared at each other. One the perfect picture of calm and the other, a hysterical insanity.


    "A sword and a gun," Rosan mused. "Very well, I will fight you with the same weapons. I do think the sword is a bit boring though, maybe you should consider getting a more unique weapon."


    "Stop fucking with me," Bluejam snarled. This boy was talking to him like he were discussing the weather and that irritated him beyond belief. He was captain Bluejam, some snot nosed brat had no right to be underestimating him!


    "I don''t really think I''m "fucking" with you," Rosan said idly and his ring transformed into a long silver and purple katana, that made Bluejam''s eyes widen in surprise.


    "I think I''m executing you."


    The teen dashed forward and clashed blades with the much taller man and they remained like that for only a moment, until Rosan started overpowering him.


    Bluejam''s eyes widened at the sight of the shorter teen effortlessly pushing him back and he hastily broke contact to make distance.


    "How old are you, boy?" The man asked hesitantly. There was no way he was a child like his reports suggested.


    "Fourteen," Rosan replied, transforming his katana into a gun and shooting a hole through the hand reaching for a gun. "You can''t distract me, Bluejam. You have my undivided attention. I know some people in a bar that would love that honor."


    The captain howled and grabbed his injured hand. He looked down at the wound and nearly threw up at the gruesome injury. "W-what are you brat?! How are you able to do that? Do you have a Devil Fruit?!"


    "Now why would I waste my breath answering a dead man''s questions?" Rosan wondered.


    Bluejam saw red. Combined with the lack of oxygen, suffocating heat from the flames and the agonizing pain of getting a hole put through your hand, it was natural that the pirate captain fully lost it.


    The insane captain let out an unhinged roar and sprinted at the redhead, ignoring all the signs that he would almost certainly not win against the monster staring lazily at him.


    "Driven insane by a request that you so foolishly believed would be granted to you," Rosan hummed. "Did you really think someone like you could become a noble? Well, I don''t blame you, you sure do have the face of one."


    "SHUT THE FUCK UP YOU LITTLE SHIT!" Bluejam roared.


    "We should trash talk more often," Ram grinned giddily. Bluejam didn''t even look human right now with all the veins and soot riddling his face!


    "You''re a bad influence on everyone you interact with, Ram," Mod chastised fondly. Leave it to her to make fun of a dying man.


    "But isn''t it more fun this way?!" She cackled in joy, enjoying watching her father''s treatment of this waste of space.


    Rosan effortlessly sidestepped the man''s wild attack and stuck out one foot to trip him. The man collapsed and groaned in agony due to the blistering heat of the floor. He couldn''t breathe. Everytime he inhaled, his lungs burned hot.


    "Are you finding it hard to breathe? Is thinking becoming more difficult? Is your vision becoming spotty? Do you want some water?" The redhead asked quietly and it finally occurred to Bluejam that this brat before him was torturing him.


    "Is it too hot? Are you thinking to yourself "I need to hurry up and kill this brat so that I can escape from this fire?" I bet your also wondering why it isn''t affecting me, right?"


    Rosan exposed his sharp fangs and let loose a massive burst of flames from his mouth, that made Bluejam collapse in surprise. H-Had he just let out a breath of fire?! He... He couldn''t kill this monster! There was no way! If he kept attacking... he would just die!


    "You didn''t think flames like this, could really affect a dragon, right?" Rosan snarled and the captain finally began begging for his life.


    "You won''t die to the flames that you created, but you''ll certainly be dying to some flames. It''s fitting don''t you think?"


    Rosan began slowly walking towards Bluejam, who desperately tried to crawl away from the demonic sociopath in human flesh.


    "Wait wait! I didn''t mean to mess with your brothers and I don''t want the money anymore! I promise!" Bluejam begged. It only increased in frequency as the flames began to lick his skin from the close proximity.


    "I don''t believe in promises anymore," Rosan uttered and the area around him began getting hotter and hotter.


    "Do you have any last wish?" The redhead asked kindly, shifting from that guttural growl to his neutral, human, tone. It was jarring to see how quickly he could switch between the two and only added more to his inhuman air.


    "P-please let me live!" Bluejam requested and Rosan actually paused in his steps.


    The redhead tilted his head and said, "Okay."


    Bluejam let out a gasp of disbelief. Was he seriously going to just let him live?! All because it was his final wish? Just who was this guy?!


    "You can live on in my memories, despite how disappointing you were, Bluejam. Trust me when I say, I will never forget you," Rosan acquiesced and his flames roared to life.


    Bluejam''s eyes bugged in terror and the man looked for anyway to escape.


    There was none.


    "Goodbye, Bluejam."


    "Annihilation," Rosan growled and a massive wave of fire formed from his mouth.


    "WAIT PLEASE LET ME LI ¡ª AGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"


    The flames moved and Bluejam''s screams were drowned out by the fire.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "I TOLD YOU NOT TO GET IN MY WAY!"


    Rosan grabbed the pipe out of midair and stared evenly at his seething brother, not budging an inch.


    Ace looked pissed. There was a dark look in his eyes and he was gritting his teeth so hard, that they began to creak.


    Injured little Luffy, was staring at his two older brothers with a worried look at the exchange.


    The redhead had just gotten to the bandit''s hideout after dealing with Bluejam and his, now awake, younger brother decided to graciously greet him.


    "You need to know when to step down from a battle," Rosan suggested quietly. "Some things are more important then winning a fight."


    "Shut up," Ace snarled. "I never run away from a fight and you got in my way when I told you to stay out of it!"


    Rosan hummed. "I did stay out of it, Ace and look what that got us. I let you run things and now Sabo is with the parents he hate, Luffy is seriously injured and you both were about to die in a fire. If I continued to stay out of it, who knows what would have happened."


    Ace let out a savage growl. "I had it under control until you butt in when I didn''t want you to. I told you stop trying to act like I need an older brother but you don''t listen!"


    "You think this is me trying to act like an older brother?" Rosan asked in disbelief and he actually began to feel something from his brothers stupidity.


    Annoyance.


    "You put Luffy''s life at risk, Ace. He is my captain and he could have died because of how stubborn you chose to be. All of this is happening because of your stupid pride," the redhead said and his eyes were narrowed slightly.


    "It''s fine to not want my help, but dragging our younger brothers into it, is where I draw the line."


    Ace was seeing red and he wildly swung at the teen again, but Rosan had enough. He grabbed his younger brother out of midair and pinned him onto the floor viciously, knocking the wind out of him.


    "Guys! Please!" Dogra begged but Rosan glared at him and the rare sight, made him yelp and fall backwards in fear. He had never realized how intimidating the redhead''s gaze could be.


    Satisfied that he wouldn''t interfere again, the redhead focused back on his freckled brother and fixed him with that same glare.


    Ace was stunned to see actual anger on Rosan''s face and stopped struggling as much in wake of his surprise.


    "One pull," Rosan said lowly. "With just one pull, I would have resolved all of this. Gray Terminal would not have burned, Luffy would be fine and Sabo would be here."


    "But you chose to make it difficult on purpose. Do you want to know why?" The redhead asked and he didn''t even give his little brother a chance to speak.


    "Because you still resent me."


    Ace''s eyes narrowed and he growled. "I already said I don''t resent you ¡ª"


    "I do not like liars," Rosan interrupted coldly. "Fine then. I''ll spell it out for you."


    "Rosan don''t you think this can be settled another way?" Mod asked nervously.


    "No."


    His answer was short and to the point and Mod knew he wouldn''t be changing it.


    "All of this could have been avoided if you had just called me, but you refused my help until the very end," Rosan repeated and Ace glared at him. "Do you know why? Because the thought of me helping you out, fills you with disgust. The thought that the brother who abandoned you to at birth, is here helping you, is sickening. That is called resentment, Ace."


    "Like I said," Ace snarled lowly. "I don''t resent you. I didn''t want you to get in my way and you did just that. Because of you, I had to back down from a fight. I never back down from a fight."


    Rosan''s eyes narrowed at that line of thought. "Thinking like that is going to get you killed, you little idiot," he growled. Fighting to the end wasn''t the end all be all. Ace''s reckless style of thinking was bound to get him in trouble eventually.


    He learned first hand that some battles were not worth finishing until everyone was safe.


    "Maybe I wouldn''t have had to think like that if you taught me earlier in my life," he snarked violently before his eyes widened.


    There was a pregnant pause as everyone registered the words until Rosan broke it.


    The fourteen year old closed his eyes and said, "Throwing one of my biggest regrets back into my face is low, Ace. Nobody knows how much I messed up more than I do but I didn''t think you''d stoop to that to win an argument."


    The teen abruptly got up and released the ten year old from his grasp. "Some things are more important than finishing a fight. Keeping the ones you love safe, should always be a higher priority," he whispered knowingly before shaking his head.


    "Never mind, I''ll be leaving for a few days."


    Ace couldn''t even say anything as Rosan vanished from his view but in that brief moment, his older brother had sounded sad.


    It made the freckled boy feel guiltier than he could imagine.


    "That was mean, Ace," Luffy said bluntly and the boy sighed.


    "Shut up, Luffy."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Sabo couldn''t stay here any longer. Every moment spent here, felt like he was becoming less of himself.


    His parents wanted him to live for them and not himself simply because they birthed him. They didn''t care about what he wanted or what his goals were, Sabo was worthless unless he did what they wanted.


    That was no way to live.


    "Ace... Luffy¡­ I know that fire didn''t kill you two," Sabo sighed to himself. There was no way the fire killed them, Rosan would make sure that the two made it out alive.


    Rosan¡­ he so badly wanted to take up the teens offer so that he could be with the three again but the constant harassment (he knew it would be coming) against the redhead, would make him react in a way that was not favorable for anyone.


    He did not want Rosan to go on a murder spree. Terrible they may be, the nobles didn''t deserve to die and that''s what his brother would eventually do.


    Besides, his eldest brother already had too much on his plate right now and Sabo didn''t want to add even more. He didn''t want to restrict his freedom, when that was one of the few things he still had, by keeping him rooted to this island. He had friends like Maro, Angel, Demon and Makino and he deserved to visit them...


    "So what will you do? It''s obvious you won''t remain here. Where do you plan on escaping?"


    The teen had seen through him like a book. Sabo was going to leave the Goa Kingdom because he would never be free if he stayed here.


    The nobles were rotten to the core and they sickened him to a nauseating degree.


    He wouldn''t be Sabo if he remained here so he needed to escape.


    The blonde thought about asking Rosan for help but the teen had done enough already and as a captain, he needed to be able to do this on his own and not overly rely on another captains crewmate.


    It was a little early but he had no choice.


    Sabo would escape this island and become a pirate.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Master¡­ you look a little gloomy," Maro commented, blue hair bobbing as she looked him up and down. They were sat in the Princess'' office and she was using this as a great opportunity to avoid looking at her paperwork (she hated paperwork).


    Angel hummed as she cut another strand of Rosan''s hair. It was getting past his shoulder and she decided to trim it down for him.


    This had the added effect of allowing her to see him with his hair down. She liked when his hair was down.


    "Maro''s right, you seem a bit upset," Demon agreed. It was hard to tell but he had become super observing of his Master and all his tendencies. He was skillful enough to tell that Rosan was currently feeling something and the doctor in him was a little worried.


    He had promptly showed up, without warning, and they had immediately jumped him in happiness but after a day of allowing him to brood in peace, they decided that something was up with him.


    "Ah yes, I am a bit upset," Rosan admitted easily enough. "I got into an argument with Ace and he made me feel annoyed."


    Their eyes widened at that and so, Rosan told them everything. They listened with varying expressions and nodded along with everything he said.


    "All of this sounds like you could have easily resolved it," Maro pointed out with a slight frown. "Is Ace really that stubborn?"


    "It''s not only Ace, Master is incredibly stubborn too," Angel chastised and she momentarily stopped trimming his hair to place her hands on her hips. "Ace is in the wrong for endangering all of their lives but you should have put up with his anger and just stopped it before it could become problematic! These are your brothers Master, not little playthings to prove your point!"


    Maro squeaked at the tone Angel took with Master. "W-when did you get so attached to those kids?!"


    Demon''s brow was raised in surprise. "You like other people? Since when? What did I miss while you were still there?"


    Even if they were Master''s brothers, that wouldn''t have given them that much of a free pass with his antagonistic sister. They must have really left a good impression on her.


    Rosan moved his head to stare back at Angel and she flinched as his gaze bore into her. So maybe she shouldn''t have snapped on him like that... ugh, she knew being separated from him for so long wasn''t a good idea. Now she was reprimanding him!


    "You''re right," he admitted softly and she froze in surprise. "I unknowingly treated them not as brothers but as subjects to prove a point too. I''m not used to all of this."


    Their eyes softened at his honesty and Angel sighed. "You both need to apologize to each other but you two are way too stubborn. Though, I''m glad you retained at least some part of your personality traits."


    The redhead finished cutting the oldest triplets hair and was satisfied to see it back to it''s shoulder length level. She tied it the back half of it into a bun, leaving his front spikes free and sighed sadly at the sight.


    "Alright! Let''s go apologize!" Angel declared suddenly. "I''m coming with you to make this right!"


    "Alright, I need to visit Sabo soon anyways and make sure he''s okay," Rosan agreed.


    "I won''t be able to come this time," Demon said apologetically. He liked the kids but his job as a doctor took a lot of his attention. He was due to go in soon and just wanted to spend time with Master before he did.


    "There''s no need to apologize. I''m proud of you," Rosan smiled softly and the younger twin blushed in happiness.


    "Aww I''d love to come but I''m busy dealing with this," Maro whined and she glared at the cursed papers.


    She was too young for this! She needed an assistant to do this for her or else she''d go insane!


    "Next time," Rosan reassured, patting her on the head.


    "I don''t see you doing paperwork ever," Maro grumbled in indignation. Sure there was nothing that he needed to do paperwork for, but he didn''t even do it around Aiko!


    "Because I don''t want to do paperwork," Rosan said blandly. "If you don''t want to do it, hire an assistant. It''s what I would do after verifying they are trustworthy."


    Maro glanced at her teacher in disbelief at his words. "You wouldn''t just do it on your own? What¡­?"


    "Of course not," the redhead replied. "I don''t need such responsibilities, even if I were royalty."


    Then Rosan paused. "Oh speaking of which, Mod-chan told me that my biological mother is a queen so I have royal blood."


    ¡­


    "Huh?" Maro asked intelligently. What the hell did he just say?


    "W-wait, what?!" Angel stammered in shock at the casual bombshell. Did he just say what she thought he said?


    "You''re a prince?!" Demon gaped in disbelief. Why would he just tell them that so casually? This seemed really important!


    "Yes," Mod said calmly.


    "I''m dating an actual princess?!" Maro squeaked, looking at Angel in fear. She wasn''t worthy! She was only a queen by name! She didn''t have royal blood flowing through her veins.


    "Is that all your thinking about?" Ram wondered in amusement.


    "You were dating an actual princess before you knew that information," Angel sneered in a superior manner.


    "Yeah, because I''m a queen! Look at you riding my coattails!" Maro smirked smugly.


    "Smug little shit," the redhead growled.


    "Ironic!" Maro barked.


    As the two began to inevitably devolve into an argument, Demon, being the only normal person, instead asked Rosan to elaborate on the information he just told them.


    The redhead nodded and told them about what Mod had informed him and they momentarily remained silent to digest the information.


    "If I ever meet your birth mom, I might assault her," Maro said lowly, eyes glowing orange momentarily.


    "She would abandon you as a newborn? That''s inhumane... bless Rouge for being able to find you because you would have died otherwise," Demon muttered. That was disgusting behavior, newborns needed their mothers and she had left him behind without a second thought... Rosan really could have died if he hadn''t been found so quickly.


    "You say I might look like her?" Angel frowned. "That sucks. I don''t want to look like her."


    "You don''t look like her, you look like me," Rosan said simply, instantly making her feel better. "I don''t care about her so you three shouldn''t either."


    "Fine," Maro grumbled. "I''m still gonna hit her though. It shouldn''t be difficult to tell who your mother is."


    "She is not my mother," Rosan told her truthfully. "The bond we have is nonexistent and so you should not hate her on my behalf."


    "That''s rather mature of you, Master," Angel smiled and Rosan hummed.


    "Make no mistake, this is just what I''m saying because we have never met. It''s easy to say something when you aren''t actually in the scenario but things may change if I ever meet her personally."


    "It''s good that you are keeping an open mind on this. That way, you won''t be caught off guard in case you do get angry," Mod praised.


    Her little boy was growing up way too fast for her!


    "You''re too cool, Master," Maro sighed fondly and then she waved them off. "You two go while I deal with this nonsense. I''m coming to visit next time, though," the bluenette finished, glaring at the paper.


    Angel laughed at the look and planted a gentle kiss on her cheek. "You''ll be fine, I''m seriously proud of you for taking this so seriously," she told the younger teen and Maro turned beet red.


    "Ah, stop embarrassing me!" The goblin girl beamed, completely contradicting her words. "Go! Get outta here!" She demanded.


    "Okay okay!" Angel agreed and she grabbed onto Rosan with an amused expression on her face. The redheads waved at her and they promptly vanished.


    Maro grumbled to herself and Demon patted himself off as he stood, so that he could go to work.


    "KANNA!" She suddenly screamed and the footsteps approached quickly.


    It was a good thing Kanna was never far from her!


    "Yes Princess?" The black haired girl called. Ever since her talk with Rosan, she had gotten much more comfortable around the castle and as a result, much more confident in herself.


    Maro had no clue how Rosan did it so easily. She was honestly jealous.


    "I want you to look into potential candidates for a secretary position. I''m sick and tired of doing all this paperwork and it''s getting in the way of my training." Maro definitely didn''t whine saying that.


    "What about me?" Kanna blinked in confusion. It seemed like an obvious choice to her, considering how much she hovered Maro.


    "You want to?!" Maro replied in surprise. Kanna did a lot for her so she was surprised the girl was offering to do this too.


    "I think she''s a good choice," Demon nodded, patting the small girl on the head. She nodded enthusiastically with a bright smile.


    "Princess Angel has been teaching me a lot recently! I can filter the type of things you get so you don''t have to do too much!" She beamed with a rosy blush on her face that Maro immediately picked up on.


    "Hey wait a minute¡­ d-do you have a crush on Angel?!" Maro asked in shock, looking at her assistant. "Back off! She''s mine!"


    Demon sighed fondly. Maro was as much of a social idiot as Master had been. Those two were way too similar for their own good.


    Kanna waved her hands frantically and said, "N-no! It''s the same thing I feel for you! I thought it was a crush but it''s just admiration! I promise!"


    "Oh, okay!" The bluenette accepted the explanation easily and Kanna sagged in relief.


    Princess Maro was rather possessive of Angel and she for one, did not want to get on the Dokkaebi''s bad side.


    "Wait¡­ you have a crush on me?!" Maro suddenly asked in disbelief. She didn''t even realize! She fully thought that Kanna liked Rosan!


    Kanna moaned miserably.


    Angel was right, Maro really was an idiot.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Alright you two!" Angel declared, glaring harshly at her stubborn brothers. The teen was all business right now and she would not let either of them escape, lest they face her wrath.


    Luffy was standing right next to the clone and he grinned eagerly at the reluctant look in Ace''s eyes.


    Rosan, as usual, looked completely unfazed by the events and his emotions had long tapered off. As such, he was the first to take initiative.


    "I''m sorry," the redhead suddenly said, making Ace snap his head towards the teen in shock.


    "I treated you two like an experiment and I was trying to prove a point. But, that''s not what brothers should do," Rosan said quietly. "I will not apologize for helping you against Bluejam though. I don''t doubt your ability and I''m sure you would have defeated him but the fire was too much of a problem at that point and I didn''t need you to needlessly injure yourself."


    Ace almost protested but a firm glare from Angel, silenced it and instead he began to digest the information.


    Eventually, the freckled boy sighed and conceded. "I''m sorry too," Ace grumbled so lowly, they strained to hear him.


    "I thought I got over what you did, but I didn''t and it put us all in danger because of it. I ran with the excuse that having you help, was too much and it turned into this¡­" he admitted reluctantly. It was incredibly stupid of him and in the future, he would try to not do that.


    "And that''s okay," Rosan informed him. "I understand your need for growth and having me help with everything, will only negatively harm you in the long run but it''s okay to ask for help."


    Luffy nodded happily along with Rosan and Angel had a smile on her face. She had expected that to go way worse but these two were surprisingly self aware.


    The bandit''s, sans Dogra, watched all this with a relieved look. If Ace and Rosan were mad at each other and it came to blows, no one would be able to stop the two.


    Only Sabo had a chance of calming them both down.


    "Why don''t you ever run from a fight?" Rosan asked curiously and Ace sighed.


    "I can''t help getting fired up sometimes and I''m always afraid that if I run, I''ll leave something important behind," he admitted.


    Mama had said that same thing about Roger one day.


    It figured that he was like the late Pirate King in many things. Ace and Mom, besides the freckles, were almost nothing alike.


    Based on the look on Dadan''s face, he was right that Ace had gotten it from Roger because there was no way Garp knew anything about his mother.


    Rosan nearly let out a sigh. He wouldn''t be telling Ace how similar to Roger he was. That would only serve to infuriate the ten year old when they seemed to finally be making progress.


    "I understand why you feel that way. I would never run if it potentially meant I would put my loved ones in danger," Rosan responded.


    "So... do you two forgive each other?" Angel asked tentatively. This was far easier than she expected.


    Rosan and Ace nodded in unison and she grinned.


    "Perfect! That means I don''t have to get violent," the teen beamed.


    "You''d hit me?" Rosan asked curiously. Angel would never put her hands on him before so for her to so boldly say that, was surprising to him.


    "If I have to!" His fellow redhead nodded without hesitation, not even seeming to realize what she was saying.


    Seems it was a good idea that he made them stay with Maro. His clones were already growing independent from him and that pleased him.


    "Good, we all need someone like you to keep our heads on straight," Rosan praised and Angel blushed beet red at it.


    "Oh you!" She gushed, jumping into Rosan''s arms from happiness.


    Luffy cheered at the outcome and he joined the pile.


    Ace thought they were overreacting and let out a strangled yelp as a rubbery arm dragged him into the pile.


    Luffy''s laughter turned into a scream as Ace punched him right on the skull.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Oh Dogra!" Luffy called happily. He was currently having two beetles fight each other as the diminutive man approached. "Where were you today?!"


    "Are you alright?" Rosan asked calmly, looking at the man intently. He and Angel (who didn''t want to leave yet) were watching over the seven year old as they chatted about anything.


    The bandit looked like he had seen a ghost and he was nervously sweating.


    "I-it''s uh... best if I tell you all at once," Dogra told him and he promptly made his way into the house.


    Rosan and Angel shared a glance before following after the man. Luffy quickly made his way too and soon the only one outside was the dog.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "W-what?! Sabo''s¡­"


    "STOP LYING YOU BASTARD!" Ace roared, tackling Dogra onto the ground. The boy was poised to strike him and had cocked his fist back. "Don''t even joke about something like that!"


    Angel had a look of horror on her face at the news and when she chanced a glance at her Master, she went pale.


    "I''m not lying or joking about it! It was so sudden!" Dogra choked out in fear. "I could barely believe what I saw! I thought I was dreaming!"


    "Shut up! Sabo went back to his family''s home!" Ace growled. "How could he be at sea?!"


    "Where do you plan on escaping?"


    "That''s right! He went home!" Luffy agreed loudly.


    "A hoodlum like me can understands how he feels! People don''t wanna always go back home!" Dogra exclaimed and he shoved Ace off of him.


    "It''s obvious you won''t remain here."


    "If he was really happy, he wouldn''t go out to sea¡­! He wouldn''t go out to sea by himself with a black flag on his ship!" Dogra screamed and the tears began falling from his eyes.


    Luffy teared up immediately as the realization hit him hard. "Sabo¡­ H-he wasn''t happy!" The boy sobbed in agony.


    "Why?! Why didn''t we go there to take him back?!" Ace said in a near whisper before rage overtook his features.


    "Where is the bastard who killed Sabo?! I''m gonna kill him!" Ace roared, shaking Dogra back and forth.


    "K-Kill the Celestial Dragon?! That''s not possible¡­!" Dogra choked out.


    "I''ll make him pay!" Ace declared and he was off but Dadan immediately tackled him to the floor.


    "Stop, you little shit!" Dadan growled and she harshly slammed the boy into the wood.


    "Get outta my way!" Ace grunted, struggling against her grip.


    "How can you be so confident even though you''re not that strong?!" The bandit leader scowled harshly and she slammed him into the wood again to prove her point.


    "What can you do?! They''ll kill you! You''ll die and people will forget you by tomorrow! Sabo was killed by this country! This world! What can you do about it?!"


    "You''re father changed the world with his death! When you become a man that important, then you can do whatever you want!"


    She jostled the ten year old back and forth and Angel was about to step in, to stop her from further injuring her younger brother.


    "A Celestial... Dragon. Again?" A voice whispered but everyone heard it as if it had been screamed. The older twin froze in fear, as she hesitantly looked over at her master again.


    Rosan''s face was unbearably blank at the moment and it portrayed nothing at all. It was the same face he almost permanently had adopted for the last two years so it was impossible to tell what he was thinking.


    Ace and Angel suddenly remembered the reasoning Rosan gave them on the bounty of Reaper.


    The teen suddenly moved to the front of the door and left without warning.


    "Oh fuck¡­," Angel whispered, as she realized what he was about to do. Based on the look in all the other inhabitants eyes, they probably had a clue too.


    "L-Let me deal with Master," Angel hastily told them. "I''ll talk him down from doing something that will get this entire island destroyed!"


    They could only stare with wide eyes, as the tall redhead followed after her older brother.


    Dadan hoped Angel could talk to him because she didn''t dream of being able to stop the teen.


    "Tie this fool up," the bandit leader ordered and she tossed Ace to the other bandits.


    Ace struggled but there was too much and soon he was tied to the tree, reduced to only helplessly flailing his legs.


    Luffy meanwhile, cried and cried.


    "SABOOO!" He sobbed.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Rosan."


    "Mod-chan."


    "Please reconsider what you''re about to do."


    "But isn''t this all I can do? This is what I''m best at so this is what I should do."


    "..."


    "Eventually, Rosan but not now. You need to remember that a Celestial Dragon has already died in the Blue Seas. There''s a very solid chance that they are now being guarded by legitimate threats that are strong enough to deal with Reaper. You will put everything at risk and Sabo wouldn''t want that. That''s why he chose not to come back with you."


    "I shouldn''t have given him an option."


    "You know giving him an option was the right thing to do. Don''t ever blame yourself for giving someone the freedom of choice."


    "¡­"


    Rosan stopped walking at her words and that gave him enough time to hear a rapid set of steps behind him.


    "Master, please wait!" Angel called and she crashed into his back. His clone wrapped her arms around him and held him for dear life.


    "You don''t have to do this, Master," the redhead whispered into his hair. "I understand why you want to do it. I wouldn''t normally stop you but you have so much to lose if you attempt to kill that Celestial Dragon."


    "This isn''t the middle of the ocean like the last one. If he dies here, this island will cease to exist," Angel murmured and she felt hot tears forming at the thought that Sabo was really gone.


    "I¡­ I know it hurts but we can''t throw away what we still have left," she reassured the older teen and Rosan let loose a deep breath.


    "Angel¡­ I don''t feel anything," Rosan said, finally glancing at the haughty clone.


    She froze at the revelation and hesitantly looked up at him. His face, as always, was set in that neutral expression of his.


    "I thought I cared for Sabo but news of his death, filled me with nothing. I''m not sad or angry and that''s why I can still be reasoned with."


    "If I can''t even mourn for my little brother, the least I can do is avenge him. But, I can''t even do that yet because I stand to lose even more without gaining anything."


    Ah. This was the worst. Every time it felt like they were making progress, reality reared its ugly head.


    "You do care for him, Master."


    Angel wouldn''t let that bring her down though.


    "I saw the way you interacted with him, with all of them. You care for our little brothers and I refuse to accept anything else!" She exclaimed with angry tears now. Because of his lack of emotions, he couldn''t see things the way others did, so his judgement couldn''t be too reliable. Her older brother didn''t have a high opinion of himself so of course he wouldn''t be able to see it!


    "It''s true. You visited Sabo when he was alone and he cherished your company. If you really think you didn''t care for him, then you deserve actor of the year," Mod said softly.


    "So then, why don''t I feel anything?" Rosan asked with a tilted head.


    "I think¡­ the castle is making an effort to especially make sure the negative emotions don''t seep through," Mod said. It was also very possible that the virus could somewhat manipulate what emotions seeped through and for whatever reason, they chose not to let out negativity.


    Just what was their plan?


    "That... makes sense," Rosan hummed, picking up what Mod meant, and he finally relaxed his muscles. "Thank you Angel and Mod. I can always rely on you all," he said softly and he turned to face his clone.


    "Of course Rosan," Mod said softly, smiling sadly.


    "Anything for you, Master," Angel whispered and Rosan looked into her purple eyes.


    He scooped her into a hug and said, "Let it all out, I''m here for you."


    Rosan stroked her ponytail and Angel let loose a shaky sob into the crook of his neck, as the tears finally flowed freely.


    She really did like Sabo...


    "I know," he soothed and the two remained there, in the dark of the night. Even if he could feel nothing, he would still be here as emotional support.


    For all of them.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Boss! You won''t believe this but we got a letter from Sabo!"


    Ace''s eyes widened at that. "Give it to me! I won''t go to the town and it''s for us, right?"


    He had been tied up all night to a tree but this was a message from Sabo and he had to read it.


    "Ace, Luffy, I hope you guys weren''t hurt too bad in the fire. I''m worried about you guys but Rosan told me he would save you all so I know you two are safe."


    Ace began walking through the forest, a torrent of emotions running through his body, as he read the last link to his blonde brother.


    "I''m sorry to say it, guys, but when you get this letter, I''ll already be out on the sea. Things led to things and I decided to set out to sea before you. My destination will be anywhere but here."


    Ace paused for a moment to tear his gaze away from the paper, steadfastly holding back his tears, before diving back in.


    "I''m gonna become stronger and become a pirate! The four of us have to become the freest pirates ever so one day, let''s meet up again somewhere."


    "Somewhere on the wide open sea! Definitely, someday!"


    Ace made it to the area where they had declared their dreams all those months ago. The expansive, beautiful sea gazed back at him and he stood there.


    "By the way, Ace, which of us do you think is the bigger brother? I know Rosan is the oldest but between us two, who do you think?"


    It was definitely the freckled boy but Sabo would have argued with him about it, even despite knowing that Ace was born on January 1st.


    "It''s weird, but our brotherhood is my treasure. Luffy is still a weak crybaby and Rosan still needs a lot of help but, they''re our brothers so please take care of them!"


    Tears welled up in Ace''s eyes, as the harsh reality of what happened finally caught up to him.


    "One pull. With just one pull, I would have resolved all of this. Gray Terminal would not have burned, Luffy would be fine and Sabo would be here."


    It was his fault.


    "SABOOOOO!" Ace threw his head back and sobbed to the world. He didn''t know how long he cried for but it must have been hours.


    Rosan watched from the top of a tree, as his little brother cried.


    "Won''t you speak to him?"


    "No. Ace loathes the sight of crying so if he were to get caught in the act, he would close himself off and let it build up. He needs this."


    "He truly is your brother."


    "...I just hope his reluctance to accept help will wear off when he grows older."


    "Only time will tell."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan sat next to a Luffy who was lying face down in the grass. The seven year old had been crying nonstop and the redhead just offered his presence.


    His future captain had been rather unresponsive as of late.


    Angel was with Makino, talking to the nineteen year old to distract herself from the pain and he told her to call him immediately if she needed support.


    The sound of footsteps alerted the redhead and he glanced back to make eye contact with his freckled brother.


    Ace held his gaze for a moment before looking at Luffy in annoyance. He blew a breath on his fist and punched the boy right on his head.


    Besides grabbing his hat, the child made no move to react and the ten year old let out a sigh.


    "Rosan, you said you moved all the treasure in the forest, right?" Ace asked the redhead, who nodded in confirmation.


    "That''s right, I did it just to be safe and it seems like it payed off," the redhead replied. He had stored it in his Pocket Dimension so it would be simple to get. "One moment, I can go retrieve it ¡ª"


    "Don''t bother. I don''t care about the savings anymore," the freckled boy cut him off. "That was the pirate savings I was gonna share with Sabo but Sabo didn''t need it, so I''ll let it go and leave it to you."


    "Are you sure? I don''t need it, I have more than enough treasure already and it''s for your pirate funds," Rosan pointed out and Ace snorted.


    "If you didn''t get it, it''d be gone and I''d have nothing anyways," the boy stated with a shrug.


    "...Alright, I''ll hold onto it," the redhead responded eventually. He would just sneak some of it on Ace''s ship when the boy set sail and the freckled boy would have to get over it.


    "A-Ace¡­ R-Rosan¡­ I...," Luffy finally spoke up and the two brothers regarded him with curiosity.


    "...I wanna become stronger! More, and more¡­ More and more, more and more," the child constantly chanted.


    "I wanna become even stronger! Then, I can protect anything or anyone! I don''t have to lose anybody!" He sobbed and Mod''s eyes softened.


    It was the same goal as Rosan''s...


    "I beg you! Ace, Rosan please don''t die!" The small child requested.


    "Oh Luffy¡­" Mod sighed sadly. He really was so similar to Rosan in so many ways.


    "Cut it out! Worry about yourself first! You''re way weaker than me!" Ace roared, hitting Luffy again.


    "I know how it feels, Luffy," Rosan spoke up and the teen looked out at the sea. "It''s a terrible feeling, to feel powerless but all you can do is keep moving forward. One step at a time, until you can achieve your goal."


    Mod smiled sadly at his words and she sent him a burst of love.


    Ace stared at his older brother in respect before looking back at Luffy. "Listen carefully, Luffy! I''ll never die!"


    The words slammed into the little boy and he slowly moved himself up into a sitting position. "Uh-huh!" He choked out, hiding his face desperately with his straw hat.


    "Sabo told me to take care of the two of you too," Ace said and Rosan tilted his head at that.


    "Take care of me?" Rosan questioned and he pointed at himself before shrugging. "I''m in your care."


    "S-shut up!" Ace barked in embarrassment, before clearing his throat. "You two¡­ I promise that I''ll never die! How can I leave a wimpy little brother and a robot older brother like you two behind?"


    "Too many people care for me and I know they''d be destroyed if I died," Rosan said softly. "You have nothing to worry about because I will live for as long as it takes."


    Luffy sniffed and nodded even harder.


    "I''m not smart so I don''t quite know what killed Sabo but Rosan has a clue, right?" Ace asked.


    "The corrupt system of this world," Rosan answered immediately. "A system that allows utterly unfit animals to rule this world."


    "I can see now why you killed the Celestial Dragon," Ace growled. He had been about to do the same thing after all. "People like them, are opposed to freedom and Sabo died before he knew freedom."


    "We exchanged that same cup of sake and we''re alive! So listen, Luffy, Rosan. We have to live without leaving any regrets!"


    "Right," Rosan said immediately. "Anymore regrets," he internally corrected.


    "Uh-huh!" Luffy agreed.


    "We gotta go out to sea someday¡­ and live as we like. Freer than anyone else and that means we''ll make enemies everywhere."


    "Uh-huh!"


    "I have many enemies already," Rosan hummed. Those were Reaper''s enemies though and well, Reaper was basically dead to the world now.


    "That means we get to make new enemies!" Ram cheered excitedly.


    "Never change, Ram, never change," Mod sighed fondly.


    "Let''s go out to sea when we''re 17!" Ace declared and Luffy nodded without hesitation.


    "I turn 17 in three years," Rosan pointed out and Ace waved him off.


    "Your apart of Luffy''s crew so you leave when Luffy turns 17," he said.


    The redhead nodded. So he''d be 24 when they set sail.


    "Oh no¡­" Mod said in worry. 24 was more than enough time for those grabby woman to get their hands on her little Rosan.


    B-but she wouldn''t dissuade him when he was of age. He was a growing boy and¡­ hormones would affect him even despite the castle, so she couldn''t just interfere with that¡­ no matter how badly she wanted too.


    "What is that miserable look on your face, Auntie Mod?" Ram cackled and it really spoke on the girl''s behalf that, despite knowing how this was going to end, she still chose to poke the woman.


    "Ram¡­ come here for a second please," Mod said in an unnaturally calm voice and the teen froze in terror.


    "I think that''s a bad idea so I''m just gonna go this way," she declared but after Rosan, Mod had absolute control of the mindscape.


    "No, I don''t think you are," she smiled gently, appearing right in front of her and pinching her cheeks.


    "F-Father! Save me from this monster!" Ram begged.


    "M-Monster?!"


    Rosan closed his eyes and expertly ignored Ram''s plea for help.


    There was no way he was getting dragged into this.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Angel? Are you alright?!" Maro asked in concern at the gloomy look in her girlfriend''s purple eyes. "H-have you been crying?! Master what happened?!" The princess demanded.


    Master or not, if he hurt Angel, he''d be in a world of pain!


    "I''m happy that you''d so boldly threaten me for her sake but I did nothing," Rosan informed her quietly and Angel nodded in agreement.


    "Master was being my emotional support," she whispered and the computer teen rubbed her back soothingly.


    "What''s wrong?" Demon asked in concern and Rosan told them everything, after Angel gave him the go ahead.


    The horror in their eyes as he finished his tale told him everything he needed to know. Tears had already sprung up in Angel''s eyes again and she collapsed in a worried Maro''s arms.


    "A¡­ A World Noble just¡­ struck his ship down¡­?" Demon asked in dazed confusion.


    "If he''s anything like the one I met, he probably struck his ship for daring to cross paths with him," Rosan informed them slowly.


    "That''s¡­ bullshit!" Maro snarled and her skin began turning green from the anger she felt. Hot, angry tears formed in her eyes, at the revelation that Sabo was dead and the only thing stopping her from raging, was the emotional girl in her arms.


    "I will get my revenge, eventually," Rosan said quietly.


    "I''ll help," the Goblin Princess growled. She would get back at those World Nobles at all costs no matter what.


    "Don''t jeopardize what you have, I wouldn''t want the World Government to converge on this island. You''d be sitting ducks," Rosan gently chided his student.


    Maro frowned but he was right. If she made an enemy of the World Government, this island would be in grave danger and it wasn''t like Germa. She couldn''t just move it as she pleased.


    "They just won''t know I''m their enemy then," the princess grinned viciously. "In fact, I''ll let them think we''re allies!"


    "Oh?" Rosan raised a brow at the bluenette.


    "It''ll be the best infiltration mission you''ve ever seen!" Maro beamed. "Buuuut, it might take a while to bear fruit."


    Rosan was impressed with his student. "That''s going to be quite dangerous but it could be immensely useful if it works out. It may also mean contact between the two of us will limit when I become a pirate."


    "Maybe but that won''t stop me from visiting you! Life is full of risks and I love you too much to limit our visits more than they already are!" The Dokkaebi grinned.


    "What exactly are you planning on doing?" Demon asked warily, already having a clue.


    "Isn''t it obvious?! We''re gonna become bigger and bigger and we''ll get so great that the World Government will have no choice but to want to ally with us," Maro let loose a sharp smile at that.


    "Then we''ll accept and that will be their biggest mistake because Master is my most important ally!" The Goblin Princess declared. It was genius!


    "Be careful," Rosan whispered. "I wouldn''t forgive myself if something bad happened to you so approach this cautiously and give away no clues."


    "Your my precious student and I won''t accept you dying on my behalf."


    Maro, after carefully placing Angel to the side, glomped Rosan immediately. "S-stop embarrassing me Master! Your gonna make me super happy and then I won''t let you leave!"


    "My apologies," Rosan apologized and Angel''s eyes flared to life.


    "Don''t make Master apologize for no reason, Maro!" Angel reprimanded, grabbing the girl by her ear and making her whine.


    "S-stop embarrassing me in front of Master! I have an image to upkeep now!"


    "Master has seen you at your lowest! Your image was ruined since you were 11!"


    "Oh yeah?! You don''t seem to think that!"


    "I can show you exactly what I think!"


    Rosan watched the two bicker, with a tilt of his head.


    "You know, they only really get like this when it involves you," Demon told him in amusement. "Those two are normally in sync with each other."


    "I wonder why I have this affect on people?" Rosan stated calmly, content to just watch them.


    There was no way he was getting dragged into this.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Hey, Mei."


    Rosan stared at her body with an expressionless face. She was as beautiful as ever and she looked the exact same as any other day.


    The redhead visited her every single day without fail but recently he hadn''t been able to, due to news of Sabo''s death. Whatever he did that day, he would tell her while speaking his mind on whatever else he was thinking of.


    "One of my little brothers, Sabo, died due to the Celestial Dragons," Rosan began and he sat on the bed next to her. The fourteen year old (they were the same age now) grabbed a strand of her lustrous blonde hair and idly stroked it.


    "I could have saved him¡­ but he didn''t want to burden me any further and requested that he do it on his own. Maybe I should have ignored him and just helped him set sail."


    "But it was ultimately his choice and I won''t take choices away from someone I¡­ care about," the teen spoke. Angel was right, he did care about his blonde brother. He would be stupid to not acknowledge that.


    "Ace cried, Luffy cried, even Angel cried¡­ but I didn''t and I thought because of that, I didn''t care for Sabo. But Angel and Mod-chan helped me realize that I do care. I''m learning to rely on all of them more and more when it comes to things like this."


    Mod sent him a burst of affection to show her support.


    "I won''t lie, It''s hard to accept others as emotional support when you were the best I could ask for, but I''m slowly progressing and I think you''d be a little happy."


    The redhead sighed softly and dropped the strand of hair. He removed his earrings and just stared at them with a vacant expression.


    "Ace wants us to live as we like, with no regrets and I think you''d want that too so that''s what I''m going to do. I think¡­ I think I''ll regret living a life without my emotions so until I find them, I won''t die. I''m sure you''d be happy to hear that."


    He placed the ruby red earrings back on and stood up. "I''m going now, Mei. I want to keep living for the both of us so, please continue to support me."


    "Even if the whole world turned against you, Meiko would always be on your side," Mod assured him.


    "Mother loved¡­ No. Mother loves you and nothing will ever change that!" Ram agreed.


    "Yes, no matter what our love is one that can never be broken," Rosan said softly. "That includes you two as well. I love you both and want to thank you for remaining by my side."


    "We love you too, Rosan," Mod''s voice came out in quiet elation. The woman was overjoyed that he had said it on his own accord. "You couldn''t get rid of me even if you tried! We''re together until the end."


    "Yeah! We''re not as shitty as your birth mother. We will never abandon you, Father!" Ram beamed and Rosan hummed at their truthful words.


    Yes, they also had their own bond that couldn''t be broken.


    Eventually, he smiled and said ¡ª


    "I''m glad to hear that."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Raisa(Rosan''s mother''s name) means Rose in Yiddish


    Iris (Rosan''s mother''s surname) are purple-blue flowers that symbolize Power and Majesty.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Bonus


    "I didn''t expect to ever receive another call from you, Monkey D. Dragon," a majestic voice said. It was a deep and feminine voice that commanded respect from all, despite how soft spoken they were. "I trust you are using a means to avoid this call from being traced? I would rather not have to explain myself to the World Government."


    "Hello to you too, Raisa," the leader of the revolutionaries replied. "No need to worry, I have a White Den Den Mushi."


    "What are you calling me for? I thought I made it clear that I no longer wish to have any ties with your army. It''s only our former friendship that has prevented me from hanging up," Iris D. Raisa muttered lowly. She was currently sat on her throne, idly reading some paperwork before balling that specific one up and throwing it away.


    Raisa was a gorgeous, tall woman, standing at an impressive 6''2 with smooth and lustrous blood red hair, that flowed down her bronze back in waves. Her features were youthful and sharp, enhancing her beauty and belying her true age of 32. She wore a slim royal purple gown, that hugged her curves and her heels were currently lying somewhere in the room, due to not having to go anywhere. A silver crown with purple markings, lie on the table she was currently reading documents on.


    "I''m aware. I''m just curious about something and felt it was urgent enough to consult you," Dragon said. He was currently on the Wind Granma, sitting in his own personal quarters as he talked to his former ally.


    "Oh? Curious enough where you''d call me?" Raisa raised a neat red brow at that and hummed in curiosity, tilting her head and resting it on a free fist.


    "Of course. After all, you never told me you had a son that you abandoned. That''s unlike the girl who wanted nothing more than to have and raise her own child."


    She froze for a moment and pursed her plump lips. The only way to tell she was annoyed, was that her brows had slightly furrowed but otherwise, her face remained painfully neutral.


    "You are in the South Blue and you chose to call me? Why not just visit if this is what you wanted to discuss? I''m not so cold that I''d turn you away. I just wouldn''t let you step on my island."


    Now it was Dragon''s turn to raise a brow. Not only was she dodging the accusation, she automatically assumed that he was in the South Blue.


    "I haven''t been in the South Blue nor have I encountered your son there," he replied calmly, watching the Den Den Mushi''s reaction.


    "That''s not possible. The person you encountered is not my son then," Raisa said simply, inspecting her red nails in boredom. "If that''s all you wanted to discuss, I''m going to hang up."


    "He looks exactly like you. The only difference is that the part of his hair that is not in a bun, is spiky, he has heterochromia and his eyes don''t have any glow in them at all."


    "If this is your idea of a joke Dragon, you''ll find that I''m very unamused by it," the queen said coldly. "My son did not have heterochromia and his eyes should almost certainly be glowing. No one in my lineage has ever had eyes that don''t glow."


    "So I''m assuming your son''s name isn''t Rosan, then?" Dragon asked knowingly, grinning at the call.


    Raisa''s glowing purple eyes, actually widened in shock. The beautiful, royal purple orbs, were fixed directly on the Den Den Mushi.


    How did he know his...


    "But... But how? You shouldn''t... If you haven''t been to the South Blue... there''s no way you should..."


    Not only did he have heterochromia, his eyes had no glow in them? But that wasn''t possible. What had happened to him?


    "Where did you see him?" The queen demanded, voice measured despite the racing thoughts. Dozens of scenarios ran through her head but she banished them all. There was no point in thinking of what could have happened when she could just find out herself.


    "I won''t be telling you that. Something tells me he doesn''t think too highly of you and you did abandon him after all," Dragon replied, expecting that to be the end of the conversation. Rosan had told him that he wasn''t fond of parents abandoning their children and it didn''t take a genius to see that he had likely been abandoned by his own.


    Besides, he did tell the redhead to consider him an ally and he looked like someone who wished to be hidden. Just revealing his location to anyone, could be detrimental to him.


    Raisa''s response was to hang up the call in annoyance. The revolutionary leader was getting on her nerves and wasn''t going to answer any inquiries she had so there was no point in continuing the conversation.


    The queen stood up, paperwork forgotten, and let out a sigh as her bare feet hit the cold floor. She stepped onto her balcony and was subjected to the night sky.


    "Iris D. Rosan, to think you managed to survive," she muttered to herself. It didn''t make any sense... if he was truly alive, he should be fourteen right now. How on Earth had he managed to get out of the South Blue?


    What was even more eye catching, were the details about his eyes. It was not possible that they completely stopped glowing and Raisa had taken a good long look at him when he was just born. Of his crying face when he somehow realized she was going to leave him behind.


    Rosan had two glowing purple orbs, just like her. He had physically inherited nearly everything from her and gained nearly nothing from his¡ª


    It wasn''t adding up, she would need to check herself if Dragon had been truthful. He wasn''t the type to joke around with something like this, but they had not talked in a long time.


    If her son''s eyes had truly stopped glowing, then something disastrous had happened to him. The glow in their eyes was attached directly to their emotions and Rosan''s eyes had shone unnaturally bright. Brighter than anyone in their lineage...


    If he ended up like that man... she''d really regret not killing him when she had the chance. Unfortunately, Raisa didn''t think a child should pay for the crimes of their parents and she hadn''t gone through nine months of misery, just to kill her child right then and there.


    Two scaly wings burst from the redhead''s body and combined with her arms, before the Queen took off into the night sky, heading to the place where she had abandoned her only child.

 A Little Slice of Life I

    "Isn''t it funny? The moment the Celestial Dragon leaves, the trash has come right back to refill the place."


    Rosan glanced down at Gray Terminal. It didn''t look any different then before the fire because all the junk had piled back up and given the dirty place its original appearance.


    People had even repopulated the area once more.


    It was disgusting.


    "To go to such extents for a group of people¡­" Mod frowned in disappointment. She never understood just why the World Nobles were worshiped to the degree that they were and she wasn''t sure she''d ever understand.


    She loved Rosan unconditionally but she would never let him get away with the things that the World Nobles did. The way they operated and the things they did... Nobody should be allowed to do that, no matter their accolades.


    The redhead looked from his vantage point and merely shook his head, before vanishing from his spot.


    If a World Noble ever chose to visit this place again, Gray Terminal would be reduced to ashes once again and the moment they left, it would be filled to the brim with junk. It would be an endless cycle, doomed to be repeated over and over again until something broke.


    Whatever. He didn''t care what they did to this place. As long as his brothers remained safe, they could burn this place as often as they wanted.


    He wasn''t going to be the one to break the cycle. Leave that to someone like Dragon.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Gomu Gomu no Pistol!"


    Ace''s eyes widened, as he was actually forced to dodge the rubbery punch from Luffy. If he hadn''t moved, he would definitely have gotten hit by the attack and that was a vast improvement from how proficient Luffy used to be.


    He was almost impressed¡­ until the recoil from the extended attack sent Luffy flying and the seven year old promptly knocked himself out of the fight.


    Ace threw his head back and roared in laughter at the sight.


    "The idea is solid... but you need to actually hit your target, Luffy," Rosan informed him from his seat, watching the two brothers fight their last battle of the day. He''d need to work on Luffy''s accuracy a bit more tomorrow... The move had a lot of potential but he needed to be able to aim it at moving targets.


    The brothers were currently sparring in the arena he had erected when he fought Maro a while ago.


    "He can''t help it!" Ace cackled, pointing at the defenseless rubber boy. "It''s like I said, rubber is useless in a fight!"


    "Shut up!" Luffy roared childishly and Ace gained a tick mark on his head.


    "What?! I''m telling you the truth! All you can do is bounce back attacks and sink like a rock!" The freckled boy yelled and the two collided heads with each other.


    "Stop making fun of the Gomu Gomu no mi! I''ll make you cry someday! I''ve been creating new attacks stronger than the pistol!"


    But Luffy couldn''t even properly connect attacks with his original attack... Why was he already moving on to new ones? Rosan was an enjoyer of new techniques, but he at least wanted his previous one to be usable before making another one. It didn''t have to be perfect, it just couldn''t blow up in your face.


    "Luffy, that was great!" Sabo''s voice called out cheerfully. "Your arm stretched further than yesterday!"


    Rosan paused at the sound of his blonde brothers voice, reverberating through his ears. Arguments like this happened so often between the three, that he had automatically slotted Sabo into the conversation.


    His brothers had clearly done the same.


    "Sabo! You''re too easy on Luffy!" Ace exclaimed and Luffy smiled brightly.


    "I knew I was stronger than yesterday!" The seven year old cheered.


    "Don''t you think so Sabo?!" They both asked before realization hit them.


    "It''s going to take some getting used to," Rosan sighed quietly.


    Luffy sighed as well and stepped away from Ace with a forlorn expression. "Sabo was a good brother¡­"


    Ace immediately turned defensive in outrage. "What?! You mean it''d be better if me or Rosan had died?!"


    "I didn''t say that!"


    "SO YOU JUST WANT ME TO DIE?!"


    "I DIDN''T SAY THAT EITHER!"


    Rosan hummed in contemplation. Sabo probably was the best brother for Luffy. He was nicer than both the redhead and Ace. Rosan was also largely hands off as well, so it was natural for the seven year old to favor the blonde.


    "I think you''re a pretty good brother," Mod beamed and Ram nodded immediately.


    "Yeah! You can kick ass, steal, and you have me!"


    "That¡­ I don''t think that''s what qualifies him as a good brother."


    "Of course it does!"


    "How exactly does it?!"


    Rosan sighed again and raked a hand through his hair not trapped by its bun. Two arguments were about to start right now and it was up to him to stop them both.


    It was far too troubling.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    He had only been successful in stopping one argument and that was the one in his head. Mod and Ram were still sulking after his intervention and he decided to treat them tonight, spoiled little kids that they were.


    After their argument had escalated to blows, that Rosan had also intervened in and stopped, Luffy and Ace had come to the very intelligent decision to establish their own kingdoms.


    Luffy was the ruler of Luffy''s Kingdom and Ace was the ruler of Ace''s Kingdom...


    Rosan stared at the pitiful little huts that they called their kingdoms and hummed.


    "You two are being dumb," the redhead said and they humph''d in indignation, as a response.


    "We need to be strong enough to live on our own," Luffy declared. "That means you too, Rosan!"


    "I''m already strong enough to live on my own," Rosan said slowly but they were clearly not listening to him.


    He let out a tiny sigh. He had been sighing a lot lately. This must have been what it felt like to deal with unruly little siblings. Angel and Demon were so much nicer to him.


    "Beat their childishness with your own!" Ram beamed and Mod snorted at that.


    "Honestly Ram, you are such a bad influence."


    "Okay," Rosan replied and he took out the White Rose. The oldest brother moved a little away from them and placed his silver ship on the floor.


    His brothers watched in curiosity (and jealousy) as it grew to its full size and Rosan jumped up on the deck.


    "This will be Rosan''s Kingdom," Rosan said simply. "Feel free to enter if you want baths or food¡­ or better shelter or actual living conditions. Though, I do need to restock."


    Dadan looked between the three with a bead of sweat. She expected this out of Ace and Luffy, but Rosan joining really threw her for a loop. She guess she couldn''t really blame him since it looked like he was trying to prove a point and the two younger brothers were being quite stupid.


    "I don''t need your help!" Ace roared childishly at the teen.


    "Yeah! I don''t need either of you to help me!" Luffy scowled.


    "DON''T AGREE WITH ME!" Ace barked with razor sharp teeth and the two immediately got into another argument.


    "I think you two should make it more secure, in case of rain," Rosan called out helpfully. "Maybe you should combine forces. I think separately, it will be hard."


    "SHUT UP!" They roared.


    Ram cackled. "Yes, just like that!"


    Mod put a palm to her head and groaned in exasperation.


    Everyone was completely hopeless.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan hummed a quiet tune, that had Makino bobbing her head, as he washed his own dish.


    "You have a nice voice," Makino complimented with a small smile on her face. "Even with your voice cracking so often!" She teased.


    "That''s the life of someone going through puberty," Rosan said blandly. Puberty was actually pretty terrible once he ignored the benefit of added height.


    "So even your getting affected by it?" The bartender asked in amusement. Seems even someone as infallible as Rosan, was subjected to the torment of growing up. That made her feel better, considering puberty had been hell for her too.


    "Yes. Despite not having emotions, my hormones are seemingly not exempt from that. Luckily I don''t have the urges to act out on them but that could possibly change with time so you should be careful," Rosan told the 19 year old.


    She blinked at his bluntness and flushed at the warning. "You know, some boys would keep that information to themselves."


    "I see no reason to."


    Makino laughed at the tall teen. "I''ll have to keep that in mind in case one of these woman manage to successfully seduce you!" She teased.


    "I can''t until I''m an adult so I won''t," Rosan told her. Angel and Mod-chan had both threatened him with action and he didn''t want to earn their ire so he acquiesced.


    By the way Makino shuddered, Angel had somehow managed to speak to her too. His little sister could be quite scary when it came to protecting their chastity and nobody was spared... which was funny considering she was the only one dating somebody.


    "I love Angel, but she''s scarily protective of you," the green haired woman sighed in fear. The female clone of Rosan, had given her a thorough one on one talking to about her older brother and she would not be forgetting it anytime soon.


    "We''ve been through a lot so it''s somewhat justified," Rosan told her. "I will still apologize on her behalf though. She is very headstrong and isn''t afraid to speak her mind, regardless of the person''s feelings."


    "She really is your little sister!" Makino teased happily and the redhead hummed.


    "That she is."


    The two continued to chat about unimportant things and Rosan paused as a sensation washed over him.


    "Ah, Makino I have to go," Rosan informed her suddenly, causing the bartender to tilt her head at him.


    "What''s the matter?" She asked curiously. It was still relatively early in the day and Rosan didn''t normally leave until dusk.


    "Luffy is calling me; He might be hungry," the redhead answered. The Save Point that he had placed on Luffy''s straw hat had been pulled.


    They never pulled it.


    He had told Makino something that wouldn''t cause her to worry, but something was likely wrong.


    "Oh alright! Should I fix up a plate for him?" Makino asked and Rosan shook his head.


    "That''s fine, I have food on my ship that I can give him."


    With that, he vanished from his spot and Makino blinked.


    "Rosan has a ship?"


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    The stench of blood wafted through the air and it gave Rosan pause, as it immediately assaulted his senses.


    That wasn''t good.


    Rosan looked at his brothers and was surprised to see that Ace of all people was the one holding the straw hat. It was clear that he had called him and that thought was rather unexpected.


    The reasoning soon became clear though because Luffy was bleeding a tremendous amount of blood.


    "Rosan!" Ace called with panic stricken eyes. "Please! We have to help Luffy!"


    He was quickly connecting the dots about what happened but that could wait for later. For now, he needed to make sure his youngest brother didn''t die.


    Rosan tore one of the sleeves to his shirt off and modified its size so that it could work as a makeshift bandage. He wrapped it tightly around Luffy''s wound to put pressure on the bleeding and hoisted the, too light, boy up.


    "Hold on to me and close your eyes," Rosan instructed and Ace did so without hesitation. His freckled brother looked like he was about to burst into tears at any moment now and it reaffirmed what had likely happened.


    "Oh dear, that is too much blood," Mod frowned worriedly. It was a good thing Ace had called on them, that wound was deep and Luffy was young but he would be able to survive if given proper medical attention.


    Not wanting to waste any time, Rosan activated Save Point and the three vanished from Dawn Island.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Master! How are ¡ª WHAT HAPPENED TO LUFFY?!" Maro asked in terror at the sight of the seven year old. There was a large wound being covered up with, what was probably (based on the tear), Master''s shirt. The rubber boy was sleeping in the redhead''s grasp and seeing how small he was, invoked a protective feeling out of the Dokkaebi.


    Ace flinched harshly and the princess didn''t miss it.


    "Maro, is Demon here?" Rosan asked calmly. "We need his assistance at the moment."


    "H-He''s here. Hold on, just follow me!" she instructed and the Dokkaebi was off with Rosan and Ace directly behind her.


    They reached Demon''s room in record time and the purple haired teen''s door was already open. He regarded them with a surprised expression, lazing about with Rin, before nodding respectfully with a small smile.


    "H-Hello, Rosan-sama," Rin said quietly, surprise clear on his features. Rosan simply nodded as a greeting and focused back on Demon.


    "I wasn''t expecting to see you guys so randomly! What''s the occasion?" Demon began, before noticing the package that Rosan was carrying and the scent of blood that came with it.


    "Ah, Luffy''s hurt," he said in a measured tone, head already running through what to do. "Come in, I''ll tend to his wounds right away. Rin, go get the supplies ready."


    Demon''s assistant saluted and dashed off without hesitation.


    The younger twin''s tone managed to instinctively make the two panicking people calm down. To hear how undisturbed he was, did wonders for them.


    "It''s very convenient to have an infirmary connected to my room. I had Master add one some time ago in case a spar went bad between him and Maro," Demon said conversationally, before carefully extracting Luffy from Rosan''s grasp and bringing him into the room.


    "Please stay out here while I work on him."


    With that, he softly shut the door and Ace collapsed onto the floor. Tears immediately began flowing from the boys eyes and Maro stared at him in sympathy, rubbing his shoulder soothingly.


    "Ace, what happened?" Rosan asked softly, taking a seat next to his brother. Maro had instructed Kanna to make them snacks and her assistant saluted, before dashing off.


    "It''s my fault," Ace gasped out and the tears fell to the floor harshly. "It''s always my fault¡­!"


    Rosan didn''t say anything, content to let Ace vent.


    "Luffy he¡­ he asked me for help while fighting a bear and I ignored him even though he really did need it! Then the bear¡­ the bear caught him off guard and hit him and then there was so much blood!"


    Their childish spat had gone too far and Luffy had paid the price because Ace wanted to prove a point. Why did he always want to prove a point?! Rosan had warned him of this and still he didn''t change! Why couldn''t he change?!


    "I''m not good enough!" The freckled boy sobbed. Sabo was the better brother. Hell, even Rosan was a better brother! He wasn''t cut out to be one and he had learned that the harsh way. He just hoped Luffy didn''t pay the price because of it ¡ª


    "So become good enough."


    Ace froze at those words and he hesitantly glanced at Rosan.


    "I don''t think I''m good enough either," Rosan admitted softly. "That''s why I''m trying to get better. You can do the same until you are good enough."


    "That''s impossible," Ace whispered softly. "Twice. It''s been my fault twice now. I can''t change."


    Rosan flicked him on the head and he winced at the pain.


    "Don''t be stupid. You''re already changing," the redhead commented bluntly. "Just you acknowledging it, means that you are actively trying to change it."


    "Don''t you realize Ace? You actually called me," Rosan told the ten year old and his little brother''s eyes widened at that truthful statement.


    "You made it a point to never call on me and yet, when Luffy got hurt, you didn''t hesitate. Last time it happened, you still didn''t call me but now you did. It''s not impossible for you to change because you already have. Everyone makes mistakes, you just have to be conscious of that fact and try to not make the same one again."


    Maro clapped as Rosan finished and she smiled brightly at him. "I love hearing your speeches, Master! Do you like, practice them? Can you give me more tips please?! I totally steal your techniques when I give my own speeches and they work really well. The people love me!"


    "I just speak the truth, Maro and I don''t think they love you for your speeches," Rosan said softly.


    Ace wiped his eyes and looked at his older brother in awe because he was right. Ace was capable of changing!


    In his panic, he didn''t even think twice about calling onto Rosan. He just wanted to save Luffy as badly as possible. Now that his brother had extended his hand, he only felt relief, not annoyance like he thought he would.


    Maybe¡­ maybe getting a helping hand from the teen wasn''t so bad after all. Maybe... maybe he had been making a big deal out of nothing...


    Rosan smiled at the look in Ace''s eyes and left him to muse.


    His ears were alerted to the sound of footsteps and Angel stomped into the room with a scowl on her face. Kanna was right behind her with a plate full of snacks and the child looked fearful for their lives.


    "Why didn''t you tell me you were visiting?!" Angel growled in fury. She patted the black haired assistant on her head at a job well done, before rounding on Rosan with a glare.


    Rosan stood up and immediately grabbed the angry girl into a hug before she could get violent.


    "Such a dirty trick," Mod smiled faintly.


    "It''s the best way to get out of trouble with all of you."


    "I''m sorry Angel, I was in a rush. Luffy was injured badly and we needed Demon''s help," he explained.


    The clone, predictably, melted in his grasp before her eyes went wide at the news. "Luffy was hurt?! What happened?"


    They explained what happened to the seven year old and her eyes narrowed in worry. She joined the sitting trio and soon, they were all munching on snacks and exchanging tales while Demon worked on Luffy.


    "You actually fought a man with a bear Devil Fruit?" Maro asked in awe. Ace looked just as interested and Rosan nodded his head.


    "His name was Maverick, he wasn''t too strong but at the time, I didn''t have experience fighting Zoan Devil fruits and it gave him some key hits. The injury was rather gruesome and Meiko scolded me harshly."


    "It was so funny watching her baby Master despite him being so much stronger than her!" Angel cackled. "He wasn''t allowed to do anything and there was nothing he could say about it because he was whipped!"


    They laughed at the lack of refusal coming out of Rosan and began teasing the redhead who simply ignored them.


    "You two invaded an army?" Ace asked in bewilderment, looking rapidly between the princess and his older brother.


    "It was so fun!" Maro giggled in glee. "We stole so much stuff and probably set them back by years! We''re definitely on their shit list and I guarantee Judge wants our head on a platter! Ah Grim and Reaper was such fun times!"


    "One day we can adventure as Maro and Rosan," the redhead informed her and she tackled him in glee.


    "That''s a promise and not even my princess duties will hold me back. I just have to be careful not to get caught!"


    Ace watched the two interact with amusement. Though they were complete opposites in personality, Maro and Rosan had quite similar thought processes which probably stemmed from the fact that they were a master and student duo.


    Observing them served as a very good distraction from the fact that Luffy was in the other room.


    Speaking of which¡­


    Conversations stopped, as the door opened to reveal Demon and Rin. The clone patted his assistant on the head and the boy smiled brightly at the action.


    "...Luffy would have very close to dying if you didn''t bring him to me so quickly," the purple haired clone admitted. "If the wound had been any deeper, he would be gone but it wasn''t so he''ll be fine."


    They let out a collective sigh of reliefs and the Doctor smiled. "Let him rest for a few days and he''ll be good as new. We''ll monitor him in the meantime but there''s nothing to worry about."


    "Thank you, Demon and Rin," Rosan said and the youngest triplet smiled brighter. Rin hadn''t expected to be addressed directly and he stammered out a, "Y-You''re welcome!" while straightening up.


    "Oh! While he rests, we can show Ace around the island!" Maro exclaimed excitedly. "You get to see how much better my island is compared to Goa!" The princess preened. They weren''t as rude as the nobles and didn''t go out of their way to separate themselves like the snobby kingdom did! This place would be one big family with no one left alone if she had anything to say about it!


    Angel snorted loudly at her girlfriend''s antics. "We can all go together. It''ll be fun... Why are you guys looking at me like that?"


    Every single person in the room stared at her with blatant warriness on their features and she scratched her head in confusion as well as outrage.


    Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    "You only leave the castle to go to our garden," Maro said slowly.


    "Every citizen is terrified of you," Demon joined.


    "For good reason, you went to Gray Terminal once and someone ended up with their head in a wall because you demanded it," Ace pointed out.


    "You''re just as bad as me," Ram giggled.


    "Don''t worry Angel! It''s apart of your charm!" Mod soothed.


    "We can spend time here? Just the two of us while they explore?" Rosan suggested in a placating manner.


    "Fuck all of you," Angel growled. "And I''m taking you up on that offer, Master. Just not right now!"


    "That wasn''t really an offer that extended to multiple day ¡ª"


    "Don''t care! You offered and I''m taking it!"


    "...Okay."


    Honestly, everyone was so demanding.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "So this island looks like this because of you and Rosan?" Ace asked in wonder. They had been touring it with Maro at the lead and he had to admit, he was really impressed.


    "Yeah! He worked on the buildings and I worked on the nature!" Maro beamed, waving at everyone she walked past. They had been stopped multiple times to accept free gifts from the citizens of Celadon (surprisingly because of Demon of all people) and both the doctor and princess cheerfully regarded them with a familiarity.


    Maro and Demon were incredibly popular with the people of Celadon due to how hands on and kind they were with everything and they loved the two''s friendly disposition.


    "Princess Maro! You and your friends should come try our new recipe out and tell us what you think!" A middle aged chef said, waving them all over with a grin on his face.


    "Oh sure! I won''t turn down free food!" Maro beamed, dragging the group there.


    "Demon~! The recent shipment sent us too much supplies so I figured you would appreciate the extra!" A mature beauty called, offering up a supply of goods to the group.


    "I''m flattered. I won''t turn down a free gift," Demon smiled, preventing the woman from seeing Angel by standing directly in front of his glaring sister.


    The island was bustling with an energy that wasn''t there when they first landed on it and it was all thanks to the efforts of the Goblin Princess and the twin clones. Even Angel had been helping out in a plethora of things (though she didn''t let the people know) and Maro had never been prouder.


    That didn''t stop them from being utterly terrified of the haughty redhead, though.


    "So many people have been visiting us and we''re reaping all the benefits! We''ve already traded tons of resources with Fregate and with how much crops we can grow, we''re shooting up in value!" Maro gushed to Rosan and he hummed.


    "You''re doing much better than I anticipated. I thought I''d have to interfere much more," the redhead praised. It was good that she was taking everything he and Angel had taught her and applying it to her queenly duties.


    "I was thinking of building a hotel and construction has already started! So many wealthy people are visiting so I figure we milk them for their money while giving them a place to stay!"


    "Ever the opportunist huh, Maro?" Demon sweatdropped. The Dokkaebi girl was rather greedy in nature and she especially loved getting money from annoying rich people.


    "Good," Rosan nodded. "Whatever you need me to do, I''ll do it."


    "Ah, I love your Devil Fruit so much," Maro sighed in bliss. The Mod Mod no Mi was awesome.


    "Please don''t flirt with me in front of Angel," Mod suddenly admonished and the princess froze. The bluenette''s face turned red and she began to stammer uncontrollably.


    "T-that''s not¡­ I didn''t mean it like that," Maro squeaked. Sure she had a crush on Mod-chan before but she couldn''t help that! The woman was like a supermodel and she was one of the first to show her kindness. Could you blame her?! Anyone would be head over heels in love with the Devil Fruit based on just looks alone!


    "Aw, I''m just teasing," Mod giggled. She liked to mess with the others from time to time! Teasing was a habit she had picked up from Rosan and she could admit that it was quite fun to do on others besides him.


    Angel laughed at the embarrassment on her face. "Don''t worry I''m not upset! Master Mod and Ram would never give you the time of day so I''m not stressed about an old crush."


    "You are so mean!" Maro whined and she pathetically flung herself in Rosan''s arms so that he could comfort her. "Maybe I should just go for Master instead. He''s much nicer to me than you are and his female form is way more blessed! I''m sure he would have said yes too!"


    "Please don''t drag me into this... and you mentioned my female form like I''ll just randomly enter it for your pleasure," Rosan said bluntly, causing Ace to laugh at his older brother''s misfortune.


    Angel growled at her. "You think you have a chance in hell with Master?! Dream on little shorty! I have a better chance and I look exactly like him!"


    "I''m glad you think I''m so valuable but please keep me out of this," Rosan tried once again. Getting in between a lover''s spat was a bad idea. Demon had told him all the time it was suicide to interfere between him and Meiko''s little spats and he had taken that to heart.


    Maro gawked at her audacity. "I-I''m only two inches shorter than you, you tall, cocky¡­ Ugh I can''t with you sometimes!"


    "Deal with it!" Angel taunted, sticking out her tongue childishly.


    Maro was about to retort until she made a disturbing realization, lying in the arms of her teacher. "MASTER, DID YOU GET TALLER AGAIN?!"


    "Ah, Yes. I grew another inch."


    The bluenette made a dramatic show of collapsing on the floor, completely forgetting about the argument she was in, and she whined pitifully. "There''s no way I''m done growing, right? Surely everyone else won''t eclipse me... right?!"


    "I think you are," Rosan said, not realizing that his words would only drive her further into despair.


    The onlookers sweatdropped at their Princess'' antics. Even in public she still acted the same.


    Maro was truly¡­ unique. Most could say that.


    "At least you''re the tallest in your full zoan?" Rosan offered, realizing he made her even more upset.


    "S-Shut up for a second, Master! I''m trying to be miserable here."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Happy birthday, Ace!" The crowd called to the eleven year old and Rosan brought out an absolutely massive cake for the boy.


    The freckled boy stammered in shock before his face turned an interesting shade of red at the chorus. Remembering his lessons of kindness from Makino, the birthday boy slowly bowed his head and said, "T-thank you."


    It was the first time they had ever celebrated his birthday and it left the boy feeling overwhelmed.


    "Ah, I remember when I was eleven," Maro sighed wistfully, stroking her chin like she were some type of grandma. "Master used to call that torture training." Good times. Torture it may have been, he sure was effective and did well on his goal to make her stronger.


    "You didn''t die," Rosan hummed and he began slicing the white and red cake into multiple pieces. He had made it himself and it had turned out pretty well after taste testing a small part. Hopefully they all liked it.


    "I didn''t know you could cook, Rosan," Makino said, looking at the size of the cake in awe. It was massive! He had managed to make something that large by himself?!


    Luffy wasn''t even trying to hide the fact that he was salivating.


    "Master did all the cooking on the ship," Demon said proudly. "He used to be very terrible! There was one time he actually nearly burned the entire ship down and he didn''t even try to take blame for it! Luckily, he''s a genius so he learned quickly and spared the White Rose from anymore damage."


    They listened to the story with varied expressions and burst out laughing at the detail of him refusing to take blame.


    "He also doesn''t talk about how well he can cook because Master doesn''t want anyone to know that he has a sweet tooth," Angel smiled mischievously.


    "That''s so cute!" Makino gushed.


    Rosan stopped cutting into the cake for a moment, to walk over and pinch Angel''s cheek for revealing that. She whined apologetically and unsuccessfully tried to slap his hand away, much to the amusement of everyone there. Finally, he released her and went back to the pastry.


    "Asshole," Angel mumbled, rubbing her cheek. How did it even hurt? He was such a jerk sometimes.


    The redhead distributed a plate to everyone there, before standing in front of Ace himself.


    Ace watched in confusion as Rosan reached into his pocket for something and he pulled out a paper. The redhead placed it in his hands and the freckled boy felt his throat lock at the contents.


    It was a picture of his mother and she was flashing him a gentle smile.


    "I made a copy of the one in my possession and took myself out of it," Rosan informed his brother. "I was always planning on giving you a picture of Mom but, I wanted to wait until the right time and figured it would be a good present for your birthday."


    Ace held the photograph almost fervently and glanced at his older brother in appreciation. He didn''t have any type of connection to his mother so to finally get one, meant the world to him.


    "Thank you, Rosan. This... this means a lot to me," Ace said and his brother patted him on the head.


    "Think nothing of it. You deserve to have something that reminds you of Mama," he said simply and the others smiled at the heartfelt scene.


    Something that reminds him of Mama huh?


    "How does Portgas D. Ace sound?" The freckled boy asked with a grin on his face. "I think that''s the name I''ll take."


    Rosan smiled.


    "I think it''s perfect."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "I don''t see why this is such a big deal."


    16 year old Rosan looked at everyone there, with a blank expression on his face. There was entirely too much people watching him at the moment with varying looks of anticipation.


    Luffy, Ace, Angel, Demon, Maro, Aiko, Akemi and Makino were looking at the tall teen eagerly. This day had been a long time coming and they had missed it last year because no one mentioned it!


    "You guys are never this excited to see my Dragon," Rosan almost sounded like he was annoyed but his face remained as stony as ever.


    "You can turn into a Dragon?!" Aiko asked in surprise.


    "Yes I can. It''s called Ragnarok and I''ve been trying to do so since I was four. I achieved it when I was nine ¡ª," Rosan tried but Angel stamped her feet in annoyance.


    "Nope! Nuh uh, no stalling!" The haughty teen scowled and Rosan sighed.


    "I agree with Angel," Maro sighed dreamily, locking eyes onto Rosan the whole time.


    "You have no shame, Maro. I''m right here," Angel said flatly, glaring at the 15 year old princess who just shrugged helplessly.


    "I barely get to see Master''s female form, gotta enjoy it whenever you can!" The teen grinned shamelessly. She had not changed much over the 2 years besides having her body fill out more and her face was maturing too!


    Her dreamy stare turned into a glare as she stared at the 6''2 frame of Rosan. His face was sharpening as well with age and he was well on his way to adulthood.


    Asshole and his good genes. Maro had resigned herself to the fate of staying 5''9.


    "I''ve waited way too long to see your female form," Akemi beamed and Makino nodded eagerly. The green haired woman had heard from Maro what was going to happen and she just had to be here to see it! This had the added benefit of having her meet Aiko and Akemi and the three had gotten along amazingly.


    "This feels like a form of harassment," Rosan muttered quietly. He hadn''t expected so much people to want to see this. He had only done this to help Angel and now he was being treated like some type of attraction.


    Was he really that attractive as the opposite gender?


    "Yep! Total hottie," Ram beamed teasingly.


    "You already know you are. You always used to abuse your good looks as a child and Raisa is... not hideous," Mod scowled.


    "Should I call you Mother when you transform?" His weapon asked curiously.


    "You all are so lucky I have no emotions, else none of you but Angel would be seeing this," Rosan drawled, eyes glowing in preparation to activate the technique.


    Ace just wanted to see his older brother get embarrassed. Luffy wasn''t even paying attention to what was happening.


    "Modification: Swap," the teen muttered and they watched with fascination, as his body began changing before their very eyes.


    The figure lost a few inches to their height and the onlookers eyes bugged as their proportions flared. Hips widened, breasts expanded and their spiky hair unraveled from it''s bun due to the added length, reaching to just above their butt. Eyelashes lengthened and features softened as their face became rounder and more feminine in nature, causing all who hadn''t seen the transformation yet, jaws to drop.


    "Dear Kami," Aiko choked on her spit at the sight. She began coughing in spades due to the surprise and the leader of Fregate, gripped her shirt in disbelief.


    "Wha ¡ª wow," Akemi gasped in surprise. She looked at the figure and then she looked down at herself and she repeated the process multiple times before giving up on understanding.


    Makino couldn''t even say anything as she regarded the person with a shell shocked expression on her face. Her mouth was left open in her surprise and Demon helpfully closed it for her.


    Maro whistled in glee and Angel smacked her on the head immediately after.


    The shock and awe was broken up by the most unexpected person.


    "ROSAN''S A GIRL?!" Luffy screamed in shock and the nine year old shot up to his oldest brother in surprise. "Wow! Why didn''t you tell me?!" He demanded.


    They sweatdropped at the idiot and Ace held his head in fond exasperation.


    "No, Luffy. I told you already that I''m a boy and that I do this to help Angel," Rosan explained patiently. Unlike Angel, whose voice was higher pitched, Rosan''s was a much deeper octave, despite how soft it was. It would no doubt entice anyone that had the pleasure of listening to it.


    "Holy shit," Aiko said with wide eyes. "This is how you look?!"


    "That''s right," her smooth voice came out like butter. "I try to keep Angel''s appearance faithful to this one while giving her differences that make her distinct. With her input of course."


    "Like not wanting those things on my chest!" Angel chirped cheerfully. "Though, I didn''t expect your voice to get so husky! It''s a good thing you don''t always look like this, I''d have committed murder a long time ago!"


    "Is it really that deep?" Rosan asked curiously. As a male, his voice had become quite a bit deeper over the years and this one had already been reaching the deeper territory when he first did the transformation. Guess it made sense that it sounded so different from Angel''s.


    "Wow you look amazing!" Akemi gushed in awe, quickly closing the distance between the two. The short woman had to look up at the towering teen and she realized that Angel''s height had not been amplified.


    Angel hadn''t been kidding, Rosan managed to make wild look good. That much was apparent as a male but it even translated to this form!


    Makino wasn''t sure what she had been expecting, but it was definitely not this. The differences between Rosan and Angel were very apparent.


    Angel, despite her personality and height, was rather dainty in appearance. Her red hair lacked the same amount of spikes that her older brother had and her features were delicate and soft.


    Rosan''s appearance matched Angel''s personality and vice versa. Her hair was more untamed then her sister''s and it had much more spikes, reminiscent of her male form. The transformation''s features were also slightly sharper than the redhead clone.


    "There''s not much for me to change this time around," Rosan hummed as he moved over to Angel. They were still the same height and that probably would not be changing with age.


    All Rosan really had to change, were features that were changing with age.


    "Thank you, Master!" Angel beamed and she hugged the teen gratefully.


    Maro watched without an ounce of shame in her body as the two hugged and Demon had to whisper a warning into her ear about what Angel would do to her.


    Rosan watched with a neutral gaze as they all hounded his new form and sighed at the seething woman inside of him.


    It appeared Mod was not happy with all the attention he was receiving.


    "Honestly, is it that big of a deal? Angel is right there," Rosan said softly. He really didn''t understand the big idea.


    "Yes it is! Angel looks more like your twin sister than a clone of you!" Makino gushed in awe. The teen was absolutely stunning! It seems both genders of Rosan had been blessed in the genetic department!


    "You look... better than I expected," Aiko agreed. She had honestly been expecting a mostly carbon copy of Angel not¡­ this. Seriously, there was no way she could have predicted this.


    "I need to see you like this more often!" Akemi beamed.


    "No. I only take this form to help Angel," Rosan said, actually refusing someone. "Now, please back away from me, all of you. Maro is looking at me in ways that would probably strike discomfort in another person."


    "Can you blame me?!" Maro protested but she froze as the recently changed Angel glared at her. It seemed her girlfriend had finally run out of patience with her and the bluenette took that as her cue to flee from the scene.


    "Gotta go bye!" She said, sprinting off at amazing speeds.


    "Please transform back," Mod said through grit teeth and Rosan obeyed her wishes. Soon, his male form stood before them all again and he tied the back of his hair back into a bun.


    "I hope you''re all satisfied. You will not be seeing that form often unless you are somehow attached to the hip with Angel."


    They all nodded eagerly and Rosan nearly sighed.


    Something told him, they would be at every one of these now.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Angel, I want a tattoo," Rosan said calmly and the clone looked over at her former leader in surprise.


    The 16 year old clone blinked. "Y-You do?"


    He nodded. "Ram wanted me to get one and she finally thought of something," the teen explained and Angel nodded.


    "Why are you telling me this then?" She asked the oldest triplet and he blinked at her.


    "Isn''t it obvious? I want you to be the one to give it to me. You''re the only person I know and trust who can design it and I won''t let anyone else touch me."


    That made Angel happier then she would like to admit. Her face turned rosy at his blunt admittance and she began swooning at how adorable her older brother acted sometimes.


    "Alright, Master! I''ll do it but let me practice before I work on you. My designs aren''t normally for things like tattoos so I want to be the best I can."


    Rosan nodded at her. "Of course and thank you in advance. Here, I''ve already written and drawn a rough idea of it."


    He handed her the reference sheet and the teen glanced at it with appraising eyes. It only took her a moment to rove over the paper and she nodded at it. Master''s artistic abilities were surprisingly great!


    "It''s due to Modification," Rosan said softly. He wasn''t good at drawing because of talent but because he could abuse Modification. It''s why his penmanship was so neat now. Perks of being a computer man, he was practically copy and pasting things from his head.


    "This shouldn''t be difficult! I''ll call you when I''m done practicing," Angel beamed and the redhead patted her thankfully.


    Rosan received a call 1 week later from the middle clone and, along with his two other brothers, they made their way to Celadon.


    The redhead was glad that they enjoyed the place (though they claimed it was far too tame compared to Mt. Colubo, which Maro agreed with) because his former traveling companions were quite fond of the boys.


    "You''re getting a tattoo?" Demon asked in surprise. That seemed more in line with Maro or Ram then Master.


    "Yeah, Ram wanted me to get one and Mod-chan didn''t have a problem with it so I''m getting one," Rosan replied curtly.


    The doctor snorted. Yep, he knew it.


    "You never struck me as a tattoo person so I''m surprised you agreed," Maro pointed out. Her Master was almost always covered up and it was rare to see any skin that wasn''t his face.


    "I used to want one as a kid because I thought they were cool," Rosan admitted. "But it''s not been a priority of mine and now that I have free time and Ram wants me to have one, I may as well."


    Maro''s mouth opened in an o at that. It was a small conversation between her and Ram they had a while ago and the bluenette had ultimately decided not to get one due to not having any ideas.


    Clearly, Ram thought otherwise.


    Angel walked into the room with all the necessary equipment in hand. "Alright Master, I''m ready to do this! I''ve been practicing a lot and it''s gonna be perfect!"


    Rosan sat in a comfy chair and said, "I''m in your care."


    She shot him a confident grin and immediately set to work. Skin was a lot different then paper but it wasn''t all that difficult and Rosan was a fantastic client.


    The boy didn''t move a muscle as she worked on him and she marveled at the fact that it had been a few hours and he was still frozen in spot.


    It was seriously impressive. He was like a robot!


    Maro had gone out with Ace and Luffy after about 30 minutes after the nine year old got bored and they were currently sparring 2 on 1 with the Dokkaebi.


    That meant it was just the twins and their creator. The silence was comfortable but Angel wanted to talk to her Master.


    "How have you been, Master? Are you doing well?" She asked like a concerned mother.


    "...I haven''t been well for a long time," Rosan admitted quietly and she frowned. "But, I''ve been getting better and it''s thanks to all of you."


    She smiled brightly at that and nearly hugged him, before remembering she was working on him.


    Demon grinned fondly at what he said. He was currently reading a book but he had bookmarked and shut it after hearing the two begin conversing.


    "How about you Master Mod and Ram?" The purple haired clone jumped in.


    "I must admit, it''s nice being able to relax but I''m so used to being on the move with Rosan that I''m a bit restless," the Devil Fruit said sheepishly.


    "Yup! I''m the same as Auntie! I haven''t killed anyone in way too long!"


    "That is not the same as me at all! What are you even talking about?!"


    "Eh? Maybe I misheard you since you''re so short!" The silver haired teen said smugly. Angel wasn''t even surprised to hear a cry of fear moments later.


    "You exist to annoy me, child."


    "F-Father help! Auntie is trying to hurt me because she''s not tall!"


    "How many times do we have to do this, you spoiled brat?!"


    Rosan expertly ignored her call for help and Angel couldn''t resist laughing.


    "Ram, maybe you should stop provoking Master Mod so much! We don''t see it very often, but she can be quite terrifying," Angel tried and Demon nodded sagely, hiding his chuckles.


    "I see it everyday Auntie Angel and Uncle Demon!" Ram yelped and the teens sweatdropped.


    She would never get used to being called Auntie.


    They listened in amusement as Ram kept trying to flee but she never got far. The silver haired ring''s cries of fear only got progressively more desperate and it was clear Mod was enjoying this a little too much. The woman must have clearly gained a sadistic streak from being around someone like Rosan for so long.


    "Oh wait! I can just do this!" Ram cackled in victory.


    Rosan let out a sigh and made Angel pause what she was doing. The girl obeyed in slight confusion but her jaw dropped at what happened next.


    Ram (the ring) began violently shuddering until it morphed into a tall, silver haired girl. The twins jaws dropped in confusion at the surprise appearance and their eyes went wide.


    "Ta-da!" Ram cheered excitedly.


    "We just recently figured this out and already you''re abusing it," Rosan hummed, gazing at his weapon with an unimpressed gaze.


    "It''s the only way I could survive! I don''t wanna die young!" Ram beamed.


    "That won''t save you!" Mod said in a warning tone and she patiently sat back down to wait for Ram. She could take over Rosan''s body but luckily for her, he was in the middle of getting a tattoo.


    Angel and Demon had never actually seen Ram before. They could not enter Rosan''s mindscape so they only had a general appearance of the weapon and the unhinged teen absolutely refused to possess Rosan''s body.


    All they really knew was that Ram bore a striking resemblance to Meiko with silver and purple hair instead of blonde, while having Rosan''s complexion.


    That was a very accurate assessment.


    The first thing the twins noted was that Ram was tall. It wasn''t often that the redhead clone found another girl taller than her but Ram barely inched her out at a solid 6''0, standing at the same height as Demon.


    Secondly, she sounded like an older version of Meiko and that took their breath away. Her calling Meiko mother, was a very accurate assessment.


    Those were the only similarities she shared with the blonde however. Ram clearly inherited everything else from Rosan, including her body. She looked every bit as unhinged as she acted and the girl had a wild grin on her bronze face.


    Ram had on her signature double breasted black and purple coat, that was doing a bad job at hiding her figure, and her long silver hair was tied into its usual twintails.


    "R-Ram?!" Angel called in disbelief and her fellow 16 year old rushed up to her to grab her. "How are you and Master out at the same time?!"


    The ring cackled loudly. "It''s my job as a weapon to be able to transform into any weapon and that includes the most obvious one! A human!"


    "It was rather difficult and she can''t stay out for too long but just the fact that we were able to do it was a huge success," Rosan said. He managed this for Ram, now he just needed to find a way to get Mod-chan out too. There had to be a way...


    "I can''t go too far from Father and I much prefer being with Auntie Mod in the mindscape but this is nice too!" The teen gushed and Angel''s mouth just opened in surprise at her sheer energy.


    "You sure are a fiery ball of energy," Demon pointed out, getting an excited nod out of the ring.


    "C''mon Angel! I wanna watch you finish the tattoo! It''s a great distraction from what''s going to happen to me when I go back in the mindscape," Ram cackled and Angel realized that she did need to finish Master''s tattoo.


    She sweatdropped at how accepting Ram was of her punishment. No one managed to irritate Master Mod like she did but it was all in good faith and the two still loved each other.


    The clone got back to working on a patient Rosan''s tattoo and Ram watched her all the while. The four teens talked about a lot of things and Angel really liked how expressive the ring was!


    Maro quietly entered the room and her jaw dropped at the sight of Ram resting her head in Rosan''s lap with a content smile on her face. Angel was finishing up the tattoo and had a look of deep concentration, not noticing their arrival.


    "R-R-Ram?!" The princess gaped and Ace and Luffy peaked their heads in after hearing that.


    "Shhhh!" Ram shushed, holding a finger to her lips as Angel focused on Rosan''s tattoo. She glared at them and made it very clear that if they messed up the redhead, there would be hell to pay.


    Maro saluted instinctively and went to go sit. Luffy was about to launch himself at the silver haired girl in glee but the princess instantly caught the boy and dragged him with her.


    Ace snorted and followed, though he eyed Rosan''s tattoo with interest.


    "Done!" Angel exclaimed with an excited gaze as she stepped back to admire her handiwork. "Tell me what you think, Master! If you want me to change anything I''m sure we could use Modification to remove it and I can get right on it."


    "No, it''s perfect," Rosan smiled softly and Ram shot up to look at it as well.


    On his left arm, right on his bicep and ending at his shoulder, in all black, the name ROSAN was sprawled neatly.


    Cutting through his name, was a long rose whose thorny stem repeatedly wrapped around his muscular arm. A part of the stem cut neatly through the S of the tattoo, crossing it out (it had been Ace''s idea), and the red petals of the rose bloomed in front of the letter R in a magnificent display.


    "It''s beautiful," Mod smiled softly at the sight of the tattoo. It had been approved by all three of the inhabitants of Rosan''s body so she had no complaints.


    "Yes! It turned out perfect!" Ram grinned excitedly. This was exactly how she envisioned it and Angel had done an incredible job at capturing it.


    "That''s a cool tattoo!" Ace grinned. "Angel, wanna give me one too? I planned on getting one in the future but since you''re an expert, I can trust you to do it," the freckled boy questioned.


    "O-Oh! Sure! I can give you one, just show me a picture and I''ll be able to replicate it on your skin," the redhead blushed bashfully, scratching her cheek in embarrassment at being trusted with another tattoo.


    It was kind of a nice feeling...


    "Awesome!" Luffy beamed, rocketing himself forward to inspect Rosan''s tattoo. "That''s so cool! I want a tattoo too! Of meat!"


    "No," everyone said in unison, shutting down the rubber boy instantly.


    "I gotta say, this looks incredible! It''s hard to believe that this is your first job, Angel," Maro praised and her girlfriend blushed in appreciation.


    "I couldn''t fail Master so I had to do it as if I had years of experience!" Angel muttered, staring a hole into the floor. She felt like she was about to overheat with all the praise right now.


    "You did good," Rosan said simply and he hugged the beet red teen. "Thank you. I knew I could rely on you."


    "O-Oh you!" She gushed.


    "Okay now that we''ve got that out the way," Maro began cheerfully, expression immediately shifting into outrage. "HOW IS RAM OUT HERE?!"


    Ram gave a peace sign to the shorter girl and remained silent, smirking in that familiar infuriating manner that Maro had seen many times from her best friend.


    "Do you remember that time we were dragging the former king of Celadon to his execution?" Rosan asked suddenly, causing the princess to nod her head at the memory.


    "Before he interrupted my thoughts, I was going to mention how I could just use RAM to turn Ram into a human," Rosan explained and her mouth opened in surprise at that. "In theory, it should work because humans are considered weapons too but it was a lot harder to do in practice since our buildup is so much more complicated. We were only able to achieve it because Ram is so gifted."


    "I prefer being a ring," Ram shrugged truthfully. She wasn''t human and she wasn''t going to pretend like she was. She much preferred being wrapped around her Father''s finger.


    "That''s amazing, Master!" Maro exclaimed in awe. She didn''t know she''d ever be able to meet Ram in person! Now there was so much she''d be able to do with her best friend and the terror they would cause would be awesome!


    "You never cease to amaze me," Demon laughed.


    "Now I just need to find a way to get Mod-chan a body," the redhead mused. He wasn''t sure how he was going to do that but he''d figure out a way.


    "You really don''t have to. I like being here and I can just take over your body when I do want to be out," Mod said in amusement.


    "No. I owe you a hug," Rosan said and that was that.


    She blushed in happiness and rolled her eyes at that.


    Rosan would always be Rosan.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Greetings, Outlook," 17 year old Rosan waved and his target screeched in surprise, falling on his ass at the random appearance.


    The redhead had decided to pay the noble a visit since he was 17 now. Sabo had wanted to leave the island at that age but that was out of the window now because of this man right here.


    "W-who are¡­ It''s you. I don''t know what you want but you can''t have it! G-GUARDS! QUICKLY, THERE''S AN INTRUDER IN THE HOUSE THAT YOU MUST DISPOSE OF!" The man screamed and the redhead stared at him.


    "They won''t be coming. It''s just you and I," Rosan hummed and the man steadily paled as, true to his words, no one came. He stared at the stone faced redhead and began looking left and right for anything to defend himself with.


    There was nothing.


    "Tell me, do you regret what you pushed Sabo to do?"


    Outlook blinked in confusion at the abrupt question before a look of annoyance crossed his features, fear forgotten for disappointment in his biological child.


    "If Sabo had just listened to his parents, he wouldn''t have met that fate. It''s a child''s job to follow the will of the ones who birthed them," he said cruelly. His son had to just heed his words, then he''d have married a higher class noble woman while guaranteeing their status but look at where not listening had gotten him.


    "Is that so? Even at the risk of their happiness?"


    "Listening to me would have made him happy, eventually. I only wanted what was best for that useless boy!"


    "Alright. That makes sense," Rosan nodded at his words, before vanishing from his spot and slamming the man into a wall by his neck.


    The noble let out a choked gasp of fear at the strength behind the 17 year old''s blow and he tried to reach for the strong arm. He desperately tried to claw the hand away but Rosan''s grip was unforgiving.


    "You shouldn''t talk so badly about your son. After all, he''s the only reason you''re still breathing right now," Rosan told him gently and his tone completely contrasted how violent his action was. "Did you know I offered Sabo the chance to be free by killing you so that you couldn''t interfere anymore?"


    Outlook''s eyes widened in fear, as Rosan subtly tightened his grip, constricting his air flow completely. His face began turning blue at the lack of oxygen and tears began falling as he felt his life flash before his eyes.


    "But your kind son, the one who you abused so cruelly, actually refused the offer. Can you believe that? Sabo hated every single moment in this town and you are the main reason but he didn''t think you deserved to die because of his good heart that you wished to twist. I respected his wishes, even to this day and that''s why you can cling on to your miserable existence, blinded by stupid things such as social status."


    The teen dropped him and gently dusted off the nobles shoulder, ignoring the erratic coughing Outlook did at being unable to breathe for so long. "I just wanted you to know that at any moment, if I wanted to, you''d be dead and there''s nothing anyone here can do about it but me. So instead of cursing your son, you should be thanking him for allowing you to keep on living."


    Tears of fear welled up in his eyes as he stared at the tall redhead before him and he collapsed on the floor. He held his neck as if that was going to protect him if the teen decided to attack him again.


    "Oh and if you know what''s good for you, you won''t tell anyone I visited you. If I can get in this easily, no one can protect you so don''t give me a reason to come see you again. I better not hear about any sort of group looking for me or I''m automatically going to pin it on you," Rosan whispered before he waltzed right through Outlook''s door.


    Sabo''s father gaped at the audacity of the redhead exiting through his front door but stamped that away in favor of relief at still being alive.


    The noble contemplated calling the officers and reporting this, but that monster''s words remained fresh in his mind.


    How had he gotten in here without anyone noticing? Could he do that whenever he wanted? H-how long had he been watching Outlook?! Was he safe anywhere he went?


    What would happen if he fell asleep...?!


    "Good job Father! Let him know who''s in charge!"


    "Hm. I''m going to just randomly appear in his line of sight whenever I feel like it. Until he''s afraid to even sleep."


    "You are a sadistic person, Rosan."


    "It''s been like this since I was four. This is nothing new."


    "...Please don''t say that like it''s supposed to be normal."


    "Being normal is boring, isn''t it?"


    "I agree!"


    Mod sighed at the two.

 A Little Slice of Life II

    "Ace, I''m going to visit Mom''s grave. Would you like to come with me?"


    The 14 year old blinked in surprise at the question before nodding without hesitation. His mother was located all the way in the South Blue and it was unlikely he would ever be visiting it, no matter how bad he wanted too until much later in his piracy.


    But his brother was giving him the chance to do so with no issue. It was a no brainer what his answer was going to be.


    "What?! I wanna come too!" Maro and Luffy demanded at the same time.


    "I wanna go too," Angel interjected and Demon nodded along.


    The 18 year old looked at everyone and hummed in contemplation. "Okay. We''ll be flying there on my Dragon, so get everything you need."


    "Let''s have a picnic on his back!" Maro beamed and the 17 year old shook in excitement at the thought of journeying with her Master. "I can have our chefs cook us a lot for the trip! Oh, but we can''t eat all of it without giving Master some! That would be really rude!"


    Luffy began salivating at the prospect of food and he soon joined Maro in her jumping.


    "KANNA!" The princess screamed and her assistant soon entered the room. The 12 year old smiled at the bluenette''s antics but she was used to it by now.


    Maro left the island quite frequently and that meant Kanna dealt with her stuff a lot. It had the added benefit of making her incredibly reliable and the Dokkaebi could trust her with practically anything.


    Honestly, what an irresponsible princess!


    "Going out, Princess?"


    "Yep! Tell our chefs to prepare a lot of snacks for an extended picnic involving the usual group. You and Rin are in charge and I''ll leave my tiara here in case of emergency!" She beamed and the 12 year old nodded immediately.


    "Right away!" She bowed and exited, making her way to Rin first to inform him of what was happening.


    "It''s a good thing you have someone as loyal as Kanna doing your bidding," Angel remarked with a roll of her eyes. "I know for a fact I would have had enough of your shit if I was working for you."


    "I wouldn''t make her do anything she doesn''t want to do," Maro beamed excitedly. Age had done nothing to dampen her nature and at 17, the only thing that changed was the maturity of her body and her mind at being princess for so long.


    Well, barely for the mind part.


    "What made you want to visit Rouge''s grave, Rosan? You haven''t been there since you were 10."


    They watched Rosan curiously at that information and he sighed.


    "I didn''t feel like I deserved to visit her these past few years because of how spectacularly I failed at all aspects," he admitted. "It would have been a dishonor in my eyes to go visit her."


    They flinched at his honesty but they knew Rosan was beginning to have a more positive outlook on himself. They had made sure of it, rather forcefully sometimes.


    "But I''m 18 now and that means I''m an adult. I want mom to at least know how much I''ve grown since I last saw her and that I''m¡­ doing better."


    "Besides, Ace probably won''t have a chance to ever visit her and I can easily make that happen."


    Mod smiled gently at her little boy (man now) and nodded her head. "I''m so proud of you Rosan. You have nothing to be ashamed of."


    "Yeah!" They all chorused in agreement and Rosan paused at their unhesitant unison.


    It was 7 vs 1. If he refused to believe their words here, then he was just being stupid. Even if he was unnaturally stubborn, he wasn''t that stubborn.


    Rosan flashed a small, true, smile and said, "I appreciate that. Thank you, all of you."


    "Now, let''s go visit her," he said and they all cheered in agreement.


    They all got prepared (Ace and Angel had the liberty of manhandling Luffy into not eating all the food already) and followed Rosan to a largely empty area.


    "Don''t stand too close and throw up an illusion," Rosan instructed.


    Maro beamed and summoned her club. She waved it around Rosan and the surrounding area, before giving the redhead a thumbs up when he vanished from everyone''s view.


    "Modification: Ragnarok."


    They couldn''t see it but they could feel Rosan transforming into a dragon and they watched with bated breaths as the ground shook beneath them. They were rather surprised to not hear his signature roar and Maro snorted.


    "I knew he did that just to show off," she muttered.


    Something scaly snaked around all of them and they yelled in shock as they were lifted up and deposited onto, what had to be, his scaly back.


    They heard the flap of a gigantic pair of wings and they were suddenly in the sky. Luffy whooped in joy as his head reached the clouds and Demon had to make sure the 11 year old didn''t throw himself off the dragon.


    After they were safely out of vision, Maro waved off the illusion and Rosan''s dragon was revealed in all of its glory.


    The obsidian reptile with red streaks soared through the air at amazing speeds and Ace couldn''t keep the wild grin off his face. He had secretly wanted to go flying with Ragnarok for a while now and it was as fun as he imagined.


    Maro loved riding on Ragnarok. She had asked him many times to transform into one while they traveled just so she could fly on his back, despite having the ability to do so herself.


    "Remember you all, be on your best behavior," Mod informed them and they nodded at her words.


    "Luffy. Maro. I''m talking mostly to you two."


    "P-please don''t imply that I''m as bad as Luffy," Maro whined, as the youngest boy there grinned cheerfully.


    They talked about random things as they snacked on food and enjoyed each other''s presence (Angel was sure that Demon was seeing someone).


    "Just tell me the truth Demon!" She demanded, glaring at her exasperated brother. "Who is she? Why haven''t you introduced me? Is she good enough for you?!"


    "Even if I did have a girlfriend, you are the last person I''d have her meet! I''d even let Reaper meet her before you!" Demon said. Because of the fact that he was becoming more independent from his sister, she was absolutely certain that another person had stolen him away and was hellbent on figuring out who.


    She gaped in disbelief at his words. The nerve of this little rebellious piece of ¡ª


    "He has a point, Angel," Maro said slowly, hoping not to incite her wrath. "It''s¡­ very hard to warm up to you and you are very¡­ passionate," she finished lamely.


    "If she can''t handle me, then she doesn''t deserve you!" Angel retorted after silencing Maro with a heavy glare. "We''re twins! She''s gonna be seeing me often and I''m not going to change the way I act for anyone so she has to get used to it!"


    "I told you, I don''t have a girlfriend!" Demon groaned.


    "...Boyfriend? Is it Rin" Angel asked instead and he grabbed his head in both hands.


    "Rin is strictly my assistant, Angel. I would rather not get into a relationship with someone I''m working with," Demon stressed. It could end up being disastrous in the long run and besides, Rin still didn''t know about the true fate of his father.


    "And?! I see the way he stares at my adorable twin brother''s face!" she barked but the purple haired adult stopped responding.


    Angel scoffed angrily and crossed her arms. "I''m just trying to do my duties as sister and somehow I''m the bad guy¡­ What about you, Ace?" The redhead suddenly shifted, interrogating her freckled brother instead.


    She didn''t even bother asking Luffy.


    "You''re at the age where puberty starts really kicking in right?" The 18 year old clone asked the freckled boy. "Any girls catching your eyes? Your turning pretty good looking, don''t you think?"


    Ace blushed at the sudden attention and began protesting. "N-No! What are you even asking?!"


    Maro and Angel''s eyes gleamed.


    "It was definitely that one brown haired girl in Foosha Village the time we visited," Mod told them shamelessly. She was a pretty little thing and she had also been eyeing Ace so it wasn''t a surprise that he noticed her.


    "I knew you were eyeing her a little too hard!" Ram cackled and Ace swore he was going to get his revenge on them the next time he entered the mindscape.


    For now though, he needed to avoid getting embarrassed in front of Luffy and Rosan. Those two were very annoying when it came to the middle brother. Rosan would start and Luffy would join and then there''d be a brawl between the three that always ended up with the redhead patting his head while sitting on his back.


    Annoying asshole...


    Wait a minute¡­


    "What about Rosan?!" Ace demanded and it worked just as intended. He managed to throw suspicion onto his older brother by not going into detail (not that he had any detail to go into).


    "Master?!" Maro gaped. "Have you been fooling around?! You''ve hit that age now and everytime we watch you work at the bar, someone has put their hands on you!"


    Rosan, who had been content to listen to their talk, blinked at suddenly being the center of attention.


    Clever Ace¡­ he was proud that the blunt boy used such a sly tactic but he''d have to get his revenge later.


    "Yes," Rosan replied bluntly and everyone (barring Luffy and the two inside of him) froze.


    "WHAT?!"


    "N-no way," Angel gaped in despair, holding her heart in pain. She fucking knew Master was too popular with the woman on that island and one of them would get their grabby hands on him eventually. The moment he turned 18, she should have kidnapped him and forced him to live on Celadon until it was time for them to set sail...


    "Master Mod, why didn''t you stop him?!" She demanded. Angel and Mod were the founders of the "Protect Rosan''s Chastity!" committee and the Devil Fruit was even more protective of him then she was! They were both aware of the man''s general compliance so it was up to them to ward off threats!


    "It was Auntie Mod''s idea," Ram chimed with a wide grin. She didn''t care that Rosan was fooling around, as long as he still paid attention to them! Since it was clear he was, she supported all his endeavors because he was the best!


    Their eyes bugged at the revelation.


    "...The stress of Rosan potentially doing the deed was affecting me more than I''d like to admit so I just had him be the initiator," Mod admitted miserably, sulking in a corner.


    It was true. The moment Rosan hit 18, the Devil Fruit had practically been gnawing her nails at the idea that someone would successfully seduce the redhead.


    She desperately needed to rid herself of this feeling, in order to focus, so she made the tough decision to just have Rosan get it over with. It was better this way and since she told him to do it, she could mentally prepare herself!


    Besides, she couldn''t just take advantage of his emotional state and tell him to say no to everyone! These things were natural and she wouldn''t stop natural things from happening... no matter how much she hated it.


    "W-who was it?" Maro asked, voice a near whisper. The princess was in open mouthed disbelief. She never expected Rosan of all people to have sex! Seriously, he was like a robot and she was pretty sure that was the last thing on his mind!


    "Ah, it was Makino. I just asked her and she agreed since we spent so much time together and I figured she was a better choice then one of the random patrons."


    "I''m gonna kill her," Angel said calmly, only to yelp as Luffy jumped on her. "L-Luffy! Get off of me you little shit! She''s not even here for me to kill yet!"


    "No! You can''t kill Makino!" The child said stubbornly and Maro cackled at the sight of the two struggling. She scooted over to make sure they didn''t fall off and watched the exchange in amusement.


    "I have too! She corrupted my dear Master so she has to pay," Angel argued childishly, throttling the little boy without hesitation.


    "I agree with Angel," Mod said in complete monotone and Ram gaped at her.


    "Auntie, both of you, you''re being ridiculous! You can''t just kill her because Father asked her and she agreed! She was the most natural choice, no?!"


    "Who says I can''t?"


    "You can''t be mad because Father is having sex! It''s natural and he''s a hot looking dude! You should just be glad that we have a choice on whether or not we want to see it because I really don''t! Can''t you already tell how popular he is! I know I can!"


    Rosan sighed. There goes Ram.


    The weapon squealed in fear, as predicted, and bolted from the angry Devil Fruit.


    "Is it really that big of a deal?" the dragon asked. "You told me to get it over with and I did."


    "B-but it still hurts my soul," she whined, while tugging Ram''s cheeks.


    "You''ll get used to it! There''s no way this is going to be the only time!" the silver haired girl chimed, despite the pain and she let out another squeal as Mod pinched her harder.


    Ace hadn''t expected it to turn out like this but he wasn''t complaining. As long as they didn''t have fuel to tease him, he''d take it and he even made Rosan a target in the process.


    Heh.


    Maro wanted to congratulate her Master at managing to do it with a hottie like Makino but Angel would no doubt attack her for doing so (it wasn''t worth it), so she settled for breaking up the two tangling people before Luffy''s recklessness threw them overboard.


    Demon was just glad that the attention was off of him. He knew it was a good idea to not reveal anything to Angel. She was crazy.


    They were all crazy.


    Rosan placed a pure white rose next to another, perfectly healthy, one and stared with his ever blank gaze at the grave.


    "It''s been a long time, Mom. As you can see, I''m 18 now and things have been... hard but I''m not here to talk about me today besides telling you that I''m doing fine now. I brought someone you might recognize."


    Ace stared at the grave and felt his throat lock up. On the grave was the name Portgas D. Rouge and he had no more illusions to who this belonged to.


    He felt a rush of emotions and it was making his head spin. Finally, it calmed down and Ace knew what he needed to say.


    "Mom¡­ Thank you for doing everything you could to let me live. I won''t let you down and I''ll live a life with no regrets," Ace promised.


    "Rosan and I had a rocky start to our relationship but... he''s my actual brother now along with Luffy and I wouldn''t want it to be any other way. I''m sure you''d be happy to hear that we found a family who loves us both," the freckled boy smiled softly.


    Rosan''s lips curled upwards at that and he mussed up his brother''s hair. "That makes me happier then I''d imagine," he replied, going out of his way to ruin the teen''s hair.


    Ace slapped his hand off with an embarrassed expression. "Asshole," he muttered good naturedly.


    The two remained there for a moment (his other companions were exploring his home and the forest around it) and basked in the comfort of the silence.


    "Rosan?" A soft, alluring, voice called and the two brothers glanced back at the source.


    "Ah, Shizuka. You look well," Rosan greeted and her jaw dropped at the sight of the 18 year old.


    Even sitting down, she could see how much taller he was then her busty, 5''3 frame.


    "It''s been so long! You look so different and so¡­" She trailed off embarrassingly, blushing red as she checked him out. Last time she had seen him, the boy was as short and adorable as ever. Right now, short and adorable were not what she''d classify him as.


    To distract herself, she focused on the new presence. "Who is this?"


    "It''s nice to meet you, I''m Ace," the freckled teen greeted politely and he bowed his head. "I''m Rosan''s brother."


    "Wow! You''re so much more polite then Rosan!" She gushed, shaking the taller teens hand.


    Ace raised a brow in incredulity at that. Him? More polite then Rosan? He nearly snorted at that but accepted the compliment. In a way, it was kind of right, considering Rosan said the rudest of things in a polite tone. She also probably knew him as a kid and he was even more of a menace then his brothers!


    "It''s been 8 years," Rosan said and he stood up from his position to regard his former friend. He wasn''t really interested in having a conversation with her but she probably wanted to have one with him so he''d indulge the woman.


    She hadn''t gotten much taller and he towered over her now. Her body had filled out plenty with age and she grew her brown hair to mid back levels.


    His fellow 18 year old was wearing a sleeveless black blouse with white shorts on and it gave him an eyeful of cleavage due to the height difference and the fact that he had to look down at her.


    "When you said you wouldn''t visit often...," Shizuka began with narrowed eyes. "...I didn''t think you meant 8 entire years."


    "Things happened and I don''t like this island enough to constantly visit it," Rosan said dismissively, not willing to tell her. She wasn''t privy to his life.


    The woman didn''t seem to mind his secretive streak and she began glancing around curiously. "Where''s Meiko? Did you two break up? I hope you two are at least still friends! She''s a real sweetheart, you know? Wait, does that mean you''re available?! Let''s go on a date right now!"


    Ace held his breath as the temperature subtly dropped. He didn''t blame the woman, but mentioning Rosan''s previous lover like this was never a great idea.


    "Meiko is dead," he said bluntly and Shizuka froze up, as those words washed over her.


    "S-she is?" The gray eyed woman asked and she finally made eye contact with Rosan''s lifeless gaze. Those dual eyes of his lacked the glow that she had always been mesmerized with and the glacial orbs, felt as if they were trapping her in a deep and endless abyss. It was highly unsettling and she forced herself to avert her own gaze, lest she get sucked in.


    Guilt welled up inside her and the woman said, "I-I''m so sorry¡­ I was being thoughtless¡­" Shizuka hadn''t meant to bring up any unwanted memories, she was just joking around. There was no way those two would have ever broken up because even through her jealousy, she could tell that they were made for each other.


    "You didn''t know. You were just trying to make a joke," Rosan dismissed and his other companions chose that time to show up.


    "Maaaaaaster, your house was so quaint and comfy! I saw your room and it was the most adorable thing ever! I keeled over at the cuteness of it all! Your handwriting used to be so awful!" Maro gushed and Angel nodded happily.


    "It really was so cute imagining 4 year old you running around the whole house! Rouge must have had such a hard... time¡­ Who is this?" Angel asked with a narrowed gaze as she noticed Shizuka. The girl was already on edge after hearing about what happened with Rosan and the last thing she needed, was for some other broad to seduce him right in front of her.


    Shizuka''s eyes widened at seeing the twins. Did Rosan have siblings?! Since when was that a thing?! As far as she knew, the boy had lived alone with his mother but these two looked the exact same age as him!


    Maro immediately grabbed Angel with a strained smile. "Rosan, do you know this person?" She asked in a friendly manner, keeping her girlfriend away from the short beauty. She opted to call him Rosan in case the person got the wrong ideas and he was trying to score.


    "Yes, her name is Shizuka," Rosan said calmly. "We were friends when I was 4 and due to a misunderstanding¡­ I thought she didn''t like me so we stopped talking but that was my fault."


    "Misunderstanding?" Demon asked.


    "Like?" Angel growled.


    Maro glanced pleadingly at him and Rosan immediately understood what she was asking him. For everyone''s sake, he would not elaborate on their relationship (it didn''t matter if he didn''t like her, Angel would still retaliate).


    "We''ve done what we needed. Do you guys want to buy snacks before we head back?" Rosan said calmly and Luffy nodded ecstatically.


    "Right, let''s buy a lot for the trip back. We can also get some exclusives, like the Elephant Trunk Tuna. It''s really good."


    "That sounds amazing right now," Demon sighed happily.


    "You''ve gotten quite the group of friends, Rosan! They''re all really impressive and very attractive too!" Shizuka smiled at the sight of the group. It was a far cry from the little 4 year old who spent most of his time alone in the forest or with his mother.


    "Yes they are," Rosan agreed readily. "I''m more proud of each and every one of them then they realize."


    Angel squealed in joy and immediately slammed into Rosan. He easily caught the tall girl in his arms but stumbled a bit as Luffy and Maro followed suit.


    Ace snorted in amusement at the sight of his older brother getting surrounded and Demon chuckled softly next to him.


    "They''re all idiots," the freckled boy sighed fondly.


    "I couldn''t agree more," Demon nodded sagely.


    "You make me so happy," Angel gushed, nuzzling Rosan''s left cheek.


    "Your words of approval mean so much!" Maro agreed, nuzzling his right cheek.


    Shizuka watched the two rather attractive woman surrounding Rosan and came to the realization that she''d probably never be able to gain his affections.


    It hurt but deep down, after seeing his interactions with Meiko, she knew it was never going to be and it honestly didn''t hurt that much considering she hadn''t seen him for so long.


    "Ah, I know what you''re thinking," Rosan said suddenly. "Angel and Maro are dating each other, not me. Angel is my little sister and Maro is practically my daughter."


    Shizuka blinked at his words before a beaming smile made its way onto her face. "So I still have a chance?"


    "No, you should move on."


    She should have felt depressed but instead, she laughed. "I figured you''d say that and honestly, I think your right."


    "Good, you deserve someone who will appreciate you. You''re a beautiful woman and any guy would be lucky to have you," Rosan said kindly, getting a rosy blush out of the woman.


    "Stop saying stuff like that or I''ll fall in love all over again," the woman complained.


    Seriously this guy was unbelievable. Don''t tell her to move on while complimenting her.


    "Oh!" Shizuka said, as a memory came to her. "Rosan, I just remembered! Around 4 years ago, a woman came to the island. She was really covered up and seemed to be looking for something."


    Rosan glanced at her and tilted his head. "Why are you telling me this?"


    "Well, I happened to run into her and noticed that she had glowing purple eyes and they reminded me of yours! I think she might have been looking for you," The gray eyed woman told him.


    "...Raisa visited this island?" Mod asked in confusion. Was it to make sure Rosan was dead? Or was it to make sure he was doing fine?


    "I was under the impression that she hated me but if she visited this island¡­ it must have been out of some twisted concern. If she hated me that much and wanted to see if I died, she''d probably just kill me herself," Rosan explained. She was his biological mother and Rosan himself would never go out of his way to abandon family. Perhaps a small part of her was the same way.


    "...Is she searching for you? For what reason?" The Devil Fruit pondered. Mod hoped she wasn''t going out of her way to find Rosan. If it was to make amends, she''d never accept it. Even if her charge felt nothing for the woman and would likely allow her to prove it, Mod would never forgive her.


    "It''s best not to dwell on it. We can''t even be sure that it''s her so we should take this with a grain of salt," Rosan said but he didn''t sound convinced himself. He wasn''t sure what his birth mother''s goal was but he didn''t care about it or her.


    "I''m not sure what her relation to me could be but thank you for telling me, Shizuka," the redhead said and she smiled at him.


    "D-Daughter?!" Maro whispered before tears started forming in her eyes. To the princess who had no parents or anyone that wanted her, Rosan''s words meant everything to her and she began happily bawling on his chest.


    "Wait," Ram said. "Doesn''t that mean Maro is basically my sister¡­?" The silver haired woman whispered in horror and Maro cackled in victory.


    "Should I start calling you Ram-nee, now?" Maro purred to her best friend.


    "Fuck off!" Ram barked.


    "Language."


    "I hate you, Maro."


    "Love you too~."


    "Wouldn''t that make you my niece?" Angel hummed in curiosity, causing the Dokkaebi to suddenly freeze at the truth of the statement. "I don''t wanna date my niece."


    "H-He said like a daughter!" She protested immediately, rounding on Angel in shock. "You... You wouldn''t break up with me over something like that, right?! RIGHT?!"


    Angel merely looked away from her, inspecting her nails awkwardly. Maro began whining like the spoiled brat she was at the refusal to answer and started tugging the woman''s sleeve insistently.


    "I''m just kidding!" The redheaded clone laughed, hugging the shorter girl to appease her and planting a gentle kiss on her cheek, making her beam happily with a rosy blush.


    The princess immediately grabbed Luffy by the cheeks when he laughed and said, "Maro is stupid!"


    "I DON''T WANNA HEAR THAT FROM YOU!" She roared indignantly, shaking the 11 year old back and forth rapidly.


    Ace watched everything unfold with a fond exasperation and shook his head. "How did a trip to visit my birth island turn into this?" He muttered in disbelief.


    "I wish I could answer you but I can''t," Demon laughed.


    Shizuka sweatdropped at all the chaos.


    "Your friends sure are... unique," she said to her childhood friend.


    "...Yes, my family is full of eccentric people," Rosan corrected and he smiled a small smile.


    Angel and Maro squealed again and tackled him to the floor.


    "Please stop doing this," Rosan muttered and Shizuka laughed at his plight.


    Today was finally the day.


    It had been 7 years and now, he was finally taking one step towards his dream.


    Yes, Ace would become a pirate that the whole world knew about. Hate him or love him, he''d live his life without a single regret until he finally found the answer to his lifelong question!


    He was currently on his temporary ship (he''d get a bigger one eventually) and he was looking back at all the people seeing him off.


    The bandits, the mayor, Makino, Angel, Demon, Maro, Rosan and Luffy. They were all here to see the 17 year old depart.


    Ace grinned happily at them all. Dadan wasn''t here but that was because she was a big sap and she didn''t want anyone to see her bawling her eyes out so he didn''t mind.


    "Take care, Ace!" Luffy beamed.


    "I hope you find what you''re looking for," Rosan waved and Ace grinned wider at the two.


    His brothers were precious to him and to have them see him off made the boy giddy with excitement. He wouldn''t trade their bond for anything in the world and he hoped they (especially his stupid older brother) knew that.


    "Luffy, Rosan, I''ll see you out in the sea! I''m heading out now!" The freckled teen grinned.


    "Yeah! I''ll be way stronger when I leave here in three years," Luffy grinned in return.


    "I''ll make sure he doesn''t die until he gets to that point," Rosan assured and Ace laughed heartily at the look of outrage on Luffy''s face.


    "Bye Ace! If you somehow ever end up in the North Blue, you''ll be welcomed on Celadon any time," Maro waved ecstatically. She was going to miss that freckled boy dearly.


    "Be careful out there! Don''t die because of your narcolepsy!" Demon warned with a kind smile. The day they found out Ace had narcolepsy had been the day where he had immediately sought out Demon for a way to lessen the attacks.


    Why? Because Rosan painted his face the moment he figured out his brother hadn''t just fainted. The fury on Ace''s face, while Luffy laughed hysterically, was well worth fleeing for the better part of an hour. Afterwards, he had demanded to see the doctor and Demon had prescribed him the necessary medicine for his condition.


    "Don''t just give it up to anybody, you''re better than that!" Angel beamed and Ace flushed with a scowl at his protective redheaded sister.


    The scowl was quickly wiped off his face and was replaced by a fond smile. This was his family and he''d do everything to protect them. They accepted him for all his qualities and without them, he''d be such a different person.


    He was going to miss them but he couldn''t stay any longer.


    They all waved the sailing ship off and Ace finally turned away when they vanished from his sight.


    Almost as soon as he did that, the air distorted around a corner of the ship and he stared in disbelief, at the large pile of treasure lying there. He picked up the note lying there and it read, in impossibly neat letters, "It would make your older brother sad if you threw away his gift to you so please accept it. This should be more than enough for you to get what you want so have fun. Signed - Rosan."


    Oh that son of a¡­


    "I dropped the illusion, Master," Maro said and Rosan nodded. Good that meant that Ace would probably see the treasure right about ¡ª


    "ROSAN!" A voice roared in the distance and everyone who knew of his plan, burst out laughing.


    "I knew he wouldn''t appreciate it," Rosan sighed with a tiny smile. "No matter, he has at minimum three years to get over it."


    "What if he throws it away?" Mod giggled.


    "He wouldn''t throw away a gift from his dear older brother," Rosan hummed. "Don''t you remember the time I bought him that Mama''s Boy shirt? Despite trying to choke me to death, he never did throw it out."


    Ram cackled at the memory. Rosan loved teasing Ace and his reactions were always worth it.


    "Besides, Ace is a terrible liar. I''ll just interrogate him when we do see him again."


    "You can be really playful, Master!" Maro laughed with a large grin. Over the years, he had been tormenting them all and it was as annoying as it was refreshing.


    "I was rather playful when I was younger," the 21 year old told her.


    "It''s true!" Angel cackled before an angry expression crossed her features. "But me and Demon were subject to this the most! You were a complete asshole!" she scowled, glaring at Rosan, who completely ignored her gaze by inspecting his nails.


    "Three more years, Luffy and we''ll also be setting sail," Rosan commented, dodging Angel''s dive and grabbing her to appease the outraged woman.


    Luffy grinned excitedly.


    "We''ll get even stronger before that!" The future captain said, brimming with confidence.


    "Ah! We won''t be able to see you two off the way we want too," Maro frowned sadly. Rosan was the one who transported them between the islands and since he was setting sail, it would be stupid to have him leave the ship just to bring them back.


    "We''ll visit you all before that," Rosan promised. He would be visiting everyone he knew before setting sail. Even if he could visit them whenever he wanted, it would be rude not to do so.


    "You better!" Maro threatened with a large grin. "On the exact day too! I don''t care how long it takes or else I''m hunting you two down."


    Luffy saluted and Rosan nodded. "Of course, you three are precious to me and I wouldn''t feel right leaving without letting you know."


    "Yeah! We''ll definitely visit!" The future captain grinned like it was a given. "Now let''s throw a party! I want food!"


    "We already threw one last night," Rosan pointed out but his youngest brother was no longer listening.


    "PARTY!" Maro cheered and the two rushed off excitedly.


    Angel sighed fondly. "Those two enable each other''s bad behavior so much," she said flatly, watching them go with a shake of her head.


    "I can buy drinks," Demon suggested. "I want some wine."


    "Fucking alcoholic," Angel muttered under her breath. Demon was the triplet who enjoyed alcoholic beverages the most. The female redhead wasn''t very fond of them and Rosan tolerated it.


    They''d both still drink it though, especially in a party environment.


    "I''ll help with food," Makino offered with a smile on her face.


    "Then I''ll help with food too," Angel jumped in, glaring daggers at the bartender.


    "You don''t have to look at me with such dangerous eyes," the green haired woman placated but Angel didn''t let up. In fact, her glare only deepened.


    The redhead squealed in surprise, as Rosan easily lifted her up and began walking off after slinging her over his shoulder.


    "Stop harassing people, Angel."


    "B-but I have to protect you!" She protested, not struggling at all in his grasp.


    "You can protect me over here, then," Rosan hummed.


    Makino watched them go with a sweatdrop. Maybe it had been a bad idea to occasionally hook up with the redhead. She really did feel like Angel was going to kill her sometimes.


    "Don''t worry," Demon assured, patting her on the shoulder. "Angel likes you so she won''t kill you¡­ Maybe."


    "That... makes me feel so much better," she replied dryly.


    Demon smiled apologetically.


    "Happy birthday, Meiko."


    Rosan placed a white rose next to her and bowed deeply. "You would be 26 today... I wonder how our life would have been right now. Would we have children? Would I have become the strongest? I''m not sure, but I''m sure we would have been happy regardless."


    "Luffy''s birthday was 5 days ago. He turned 17 so that means we''ll be heading out soon as pirates. You two would have gotten along really well. Knowing you guys, you''d want to celebrate your birthdays together and we''d throw a huge party for you both."


    Meiko and Luffy would love each other. He was sure of it. They were both good people and the blonde would absolutely adore his captain. She would approve of him and the two would give him headaches every single day with how clingy they were.


    "I wonder how you''d look when you found out that not only am I becoming a pirate, but I''m not the captain of the crew. I imagine circumstances would be different if I still had all my emotions... but even without them, I doubt I''d allow just anyone to lead me."


    This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    "The castle has barely made any progress but¡­ I''m feeling bursts of emotions much more frequently so I think there is a lot of progress being made. Though, I''ve figured out that there is an intruder in there, doing something with my emotions. I expect to meet them soon considering how much more often my feelings leak," he explained to her before a thought came to him.


    "I realized I never formally introduced you two but this is Ram," Rosan said softly and his weapon transformed into her silver haired human form.


    "I wasn''t kidding when I said you two look remarkably similar¡­ If this was how you would look at 24, then I''m a lucky man," Rosan said honestly and Ram blushed at the praise.


    "I''m glad that I managed to inherit Mother''s appearance," the 6''0 woman said somberly. "She is such a beautiful person and I would have loved to see how she would have aged."


    "We all would have," Mod said quietly and the three stayed there to pay their respects.


    "I''m sorry for always dragging you guys here," Rosan said softly.


    "Never apologize for this, Father. We will always be with you, no matter what," Ram said strongly, hugging him tightly.


    "We want to be here with you so you aren''t dragging us anywhere," Mod agreed firmly.


    "I appreciate that more then you could imagine," Rosan whispered and they went silent.


    It was a sobering atmosphere but the 3 found comfort in each other.


    They always would.


    "I can''t believe it''s been 15 years since we met," Aiko muttered in disbelief, glancing up at the redhead before her.


    When they had first met, Rosan had been 9 and Aiko 20 and she had towered over the boy (even despite the fact that he was floating).


    Now, she had to strain her neck to look at him. Oh how time flew, puberty had hit him like a sea train and everyone was aware of it. Not a day went by when someone wasn''t making an advance on him and he just accepted it all with that same stony demeanor, little heartbreaker that he was.


    At 24 years old, Rosan stood at the tall height of 6''5. He had come a long way from the tiny boy he had been before and his patience (and boasts) finally paid off.


    His hair remained shoulder length when it was not in its bun and he had lost all of his baby fat, showing off a chiseled, handsome face that garnered plenty of looks.


    His tattoo was being hidden (as usual) by a long sleeved purple shirt, with a black rose on his left breast area, that barely hid his muscular figure and long, baggy, black cargo pants. He had on all his usual accessories and purple sneakers streaked with black.


    "Keep staring at me like that and your girlfriend will get jealous," Rosan''s deep voice snapped her out of her musing.


    Aiko rolled her eyes. "I couldn''t help it, you''ve really grown up¡­ Also how do you know I have a girlfriend?"


    Rosan merely pointed at his neck and she flushed red, before pulling up her collar to cover her bruised body.


    Akemi laughed at her sister''s embarrassment and decided to steer the direction for the sake of Fregate''s leader. "She''s right. You''ve grown a lot and it''s honestly crazy to see how much more handsome and mature you''ve become! You used to be such a cute little boy and now look at you!"


    Rosan looked at his longtime partners and hummed. "Thank you. My mother used to always tell me she was going to have to beat people off with a stick when I''m older and I guess she was right."


    The sisters laughed at that before turning serious. "I don''t care if you''re becoming a pirate, I still want you to visit us," Aiko said firmly, glaring at him to get her point across. "We''re partners for life and you''re like an annoying little brother to me."


    Akemi cooed at her older sister''s words and nodded in agreement. "You''ve done so much for us at such a young age and to see you so grown now¡­ It almost makes me want to cry."


    The younger sister was actually tearing up and Rosan grabbed the both of them into a hug.


    "Of course I''ll still visit. You guys have done so much for me and have become some of my most loyal friends to this day," he said softly. "I reward loyalty with my own loyalty and you two deserve nothing but loyalty. I''ll do anything you guys ask me to do because you both deserve it."


    It was true. In all 15 years of knowing her, Aiko had never once let him down. Despite her complaints, the woman always did her job perfectly and never gave him a reason to step in, sending the money on time (despite him telling her she didn''t have to pay him anymore) and turning Fregate into a monster of an island. She was a perfect partner.


    "Stop trying to make me tear up," Aiko grumbled in his chest but she readily returned the hug. "We love you, Rosan so be careful out there. I know how strong you are but you never know."


    "Mm!" Akemi agreed. The younger sister made no attempt to hide her tears at Rosan''s words and she was soaking his silk shirt, not that he minded. "You''re the best thing to happen to us and though many people may hate Reaper, we are the complete opposite!"


    Rosan flashed them a tiny smile before squeezing them a little tighter.


    "I love you guys too," he said simply and even Aiko teared up at that.


    Rosan hummed in contemplation. "It''s been 10 years since Reaper has vanished off the map. I''m sure people are surprised that I haven''t done anything since getting a bounty."


    "Hell, I''m still surprised you so willingly abandoned that persona," Aiko interjected. Reaper was incredibly famous and carried quite the presence around him. To give up someone of such fame, even with a bounty, was insane. Most people could use that reputation to do whatever they wanted.


    To be honest, there is nothing the Marines would be willing to do with a person who has a 500 million beri bounty in the Blue Seas. Any Marine capable of dealing with that, was in the Grand Line and resources were spread too thin for them to send that person to deal with the Shinigami who could just escape whenever they wanted.


    If Rosan wanted to, he could have likely conquered at least one of the seas before someone tried to interfere and they would likely fail to even capture him.


    "At the end of the day, Reaper is a bounty hunter and since I have a bounty, there''s no point in keeping him. They were a means to an end and allowed me to act much more freely, despite all the restrictions I placed on myself," the man explained to them.


    The sister''s nodded at his explanation before Aiko scowled. "To think just one bounty hunter would be the one to save us first and not the people whose job it is to do it," the 35 year old scowled.


    If only the World Government knew what she actually thought about them. That''s why she gave them the worst (still pretty good) quality goods she could hand over.


    Speaking of which¡­


    "Ram was consulting me with this and I figure we could finally try it out," Aiko said suddenly. She had met the weapon and honestly the shock of seeing a silver haired Meiko had shaken her to the core and dredged up the lingering sadness inside of her.


    Appearance and their attachment to Rosan was all they shared though. Ram was a terror to deal with and she relished in that fact. It reminded her of how playful Reaper used to be before she was aware of his identity as Rosan.


    The leader of Fregate pulled out some seastone handcuffs and presented them to Rosan.


    "Here, I managed to get my hands on some seastone so that you could absorb it."


    "She is such a useful partner," Ram beamed and she urged her Father to grab it.


    The redhead did just that and didn''t even flinch at the feeling of getting all his energy sapped out. He had been under the effects of seastone for a prolonged period of time before so this was nothing new.


    What was new though, was the fact that the seastone had not been absorbed instantly by his weapon.


    "I''m not going to absorb it," Ram said seriously as she inspected the material. "I can do it, but the negatives outweigh the positives by too much to make adding this to my arsenal worth it."


    Rosan hummed and his partners raised a brow at him. They no doubt knew how quickly Ram absorbed materials and weapons so for the seastone to still be in his hand, was concerning.


    "Explain to all of us," Rosan instructed and she nodded before morphing into her human form.


    Aiko and Akemi waved at the woman and she waved back but there was a frown on her face.


    "Father, you and I are bonded to an extreme level. It''s why you can so effortlessly use Germa''s energy and I have some degree of Modification. Whatever I absorb, by proxy you absorb."


    Rosan immediately nodded in understanding. "So if you absorb Seastone, which negates my abilities, it could be disastrous for us. I wouldn''t be able to use my abilities until you manage to get it out of my body."


    "Yes, it would take me some time to find and get rid of it. But, that would take too long for my liking and it would be an absolute failure on my part."


    "Don''t beat yourself up," the redhead assured, stroking her hair gently. "I somewhat expected this outcome. It''s my fault that I''m a Devil Fruit user."


    "Of course it''s not!" Ram violently protested. "You wouldn''t even be able to create me without it so none of that, dummy."


    Rosan pat the tall woman on her head and surrendered with a nod. "That means we will have to find another way to attack Logias. I was hoping we could do it like this but alas, it was never going to be that easy."


    "We''ll just hit them until they get hit!" Ram grinned psychotically, morphing back into a ring and nestling snugly on Rosan''s left ring finger.


    "Logias have natural counters. With Modification it''s possible to exploit that," Mod explained and Rosan nodded.


    For something like Ice, a natural counter would be easy to find but what if he found one of the more elusive elements...


    That would be troubling.


    He''d need to find a more decisive method. He could get his hands on a seastone weapon quite easily with Aiko''s assistance, but he would not disrespect Ram like that. She was his one and only weapon. Any other weapon he used, normally belonged to the enemy and was trashed immediately after.


    "This is why I love you~," Ram gushed.


    "I thought it was because he spoiled you rotten," Mod said, voice full of amusement.


    The ring blew a raspberry as a response.


    "Thank you for supplying me with the seastone, Aiko. Unfortunately it wasn''t of much use to us," Rosan nodded and she waved him off.


    "It''s fine. We managed to secure quite a bit and they''ll be useful in the long run so I don''t mind," the gray haired woman said dismissively.


    "Will you be going now?" Akemi asked.


    "Yes, it''s about time for me to leave. I''ll be sure to visit whenever," Rosan promised and they nodded eagerly.


    With a single wave, the man vanished.


    "Man, puberty hit him hard. He''s fucking hot," Aiko muttered and Akemi nodded in agreement.


    "Seriously, I didn''t expect that cute little boy to become so handsome," the younger sister sighed.


    "Oh? Are you crushing?" Aiko teased and Akemi rolled her eyes.


    "Nope, maybe I used to but he''s like a little brother to me," she replied. "Besides, I saw you getting an eyeful of him. Want me to tell your girlfriend what you''re up to? She might not bruise your neck again if I do."


    "You''re so lucky I love you" Aiko growled, stomping away from her younger sister.


    "I love you too!" Akemi laughed, following after her.


    "So you two are finally leaving," Maro sighed fondly, looking at the two sadly. Damn it, she was gonna miss the hell outta them.


    Rosan and Luffy regarded the inhabitants in the room with a blank and excited expression respectively.


    "Yep!" Luffy chirped happily. "Me and Rosan are gonna go on the best adventure ever and I''m gonna become Pirate King!"


    "It just occurred to me, that technically I have to take orders from Luffy now," Rosan mused, looking at his captain in contemplation.


    Luffy grinned at Rosan and said, "Yep but I won''t tell you what to do unless I have to!"


    "You remember that?" Rosan asked in surprise and his youngest brother nodded eagerly, looking proud of himself.


    That sounded fair enough. Luffy was far from unreasonable and he didn''t care about giving out orders. He would scarcely tell Rosan to do anything and the redhead would be free to make his own decisions most of the time. If he had joined Ace, his freckled brother would absolutely take advantage of his sudden leadership over the oldest brother and make him do everything with malicious glee.


    Ah, it was a good thing Luffy found him first.


    A figure crashed into the two and it was revealed to be the middle triplet herself, Angel. She was clutching them both with crushing force and her eyes were brimming with tears as she determinedly glared at them.


    "You two go out there and become the best damn pirates on the planet!" Angel''s muffled voice commanded. "I expect nothing less from my brothers!"


    "Of course!" The 17 year old beamed, happily returning the hug. "I''m gonna become the Pirate King so I have to be the best!"


    "I won''t let you down," Rosan hummed, stroking her long hair to soothe her.


    At 24, Angel had fully matured and remained as gorgeous as ever. Her long hair was flowing free now instead of being in a ponytail and there was a blue daisy resting neatly in it that she scarcely removed. On her left ring finger, a beautiful silver ring, with a sapphire gemstone gleamed.


    She remained 5''11 and her curvy body had finished developing so there was not much reason for him to assist her.


    She still made him though.


    Demon had opted to not keep Rosan''s height and let himself be 6''0 instead of 6''5. His purple hair remained as long as ever though and he had taken to tying it up in a high ponytail so that it didn''t interfere with his work.


    Maro had gone through the most changes. The 23 year old queen had gained a bigger bust then her girlfriend and she had grown one extra inch, standing at 5''10 now. Her azure blue hair, that she dutifully kept at chin level, had an increased amount of white streaks (it was due to her Devil Fruit, not stress) and she had begun wearing more regal kimonos that hid her, rather curvy and strong, figure. On her right ring finger, a gorgeous white ring, with a ruby gemstone, glowed.


    Rosan was impressed. To think she had gone from that malnourished, homeless girl to this healthy, beautiful queen before him. Her progress had been a sight to behold and it made him proud of her. If not for how loyal she was to Angel (and how scary the redhead was), he was positive she''d have multiple suitors trying their luck at winning her heart.


    He had even once listened to her complaining about how other island''s wanted to ally themselves with her through marriage, despite her sheer disinterest in them.


    Maro, being Rosan''s partner, could tell what he was thinking (when he let her) and she flushed with a large grin at the attention she was receiving.


    "I''m happy you approve, Master!" The queen stated, preening all the while.


    "Do you guys have food? Plans? Money? Of course you have money¡­ but will Luffy use your money?!" Angel asked rapidly in concern.


    "Nope!" Luffy beamed shamelessly and Angel sweatdropped.


    "As long as I don''t give him the money directly, it''ll be fine," Rosan said calmly. He wasn''t planning on doing that regardless. Luffy could not be trusted with money at all and he''d spend all their funds on food. It would be best if he dealt with the money.


    "You won''t be using the White Rose either¡­" Demon mused. It was Rosan''s ship, not Luffy''s and since Luffy was the captain, it was out of question to use it as their primary source of travel.


    They would be hard pressed to find a better ship then the White Rose but Luffy was right to want to start at 0. He would need to build himself up completely and he couldn''t do that with Rosan''s ship.


    He was the captain after all. Rosan was just a humble scout.


    "I still can''t believe Rosan of all people is allowing someone else to lead him," Mod sighed fondly. The little boy who had no intention of being a leader, but also had no intention of letting anyone else lead him... A free spirit who only wanted to live for himself and his loved ones.


    He may not have his emotions, but he was still growing up in his own ways.


    "I wouldn''t allow it normally but since it''s Luffy, I can concede!" Angel smiled brightly and her youngest brother laughed happily.


    "He''s gotten quite strong! We''ve made sure of it!" Ram grinned eagerly. They had been quite ruthless when training the boy over the 3 years and it was paying off.


    Rosan doubted much of anything would be of trouble to Luffy in the East Blue.


    Good, his brother couldn''t die here. If he had to interfere, he''d begin training him in earnest again.


    "Ah it''s really hitting me that you guys are about to go¡­" Maro sighed miserably. "I know I''ll see Master but as Captain, I probably won''t see Luffy as much."


    The Queen and Luffy were two idiots that enabled each other and it made them get along famously. It also gave Angel a headache when the two were left alone to their own devices and Ram decided to join them on the fun. The amount of chaos they caused, had made Mod take over many times to discipline the three.


    Maro had no idea how getting her cheek pinched could possibly hurt that much.


    If not for her duties as queen, Luffy would have relentlessly pursued her to join his crew and she would have readily agreed, along with the twins. Those two were no doubt going to have a crazy fun adventure if Luffy was the one making the decisions and Maro would have supported every single one of them!


    "Don''t worry Maro! When I start missing you, I''ll just have Rosan bring you on our ship!" The Captain said like it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Then you can meet our crew and see our ship! Then we can throw a party!"


    "Alright! When that happens, you better make a name for yourself! Give those Marine''s hell!" Maro grinned savagely.


    "Oh you can believe that I will." That was Rosan and everyone''s grin widened at his assurance.


    "You''ll hear about us in no time!" Luffy promised.


    "Maybe not me," Rosan hummed. "I would rather prolong anyone knowing of my existence for as long as possible so I''ll let Luffy cause all the chaos."


    They nodded at that before settling into a comfortable silence.


    "We should probably head out now," Rosan mused and he stood up. He wasn''t even able to take a step as he was tackled by all of his companions.


    There we go.


    Angel and Maro were sobbing freely into his chest and they clutched him like their life depended on it. Demon hugged him just as fiercely and let his tears fall freely. Rosan smiled softly at them and hugged all.


    Honestly, the three of them acted like his children sometimes. It was... endearing and he didn''t mind it much at all. He had basically given life to all of them so it wasn''t that far-fetched anyways. As their leader, it had been his job to look over them and that meant listening to their problems and making sure that they were okay.


    "I know you can visit us whenever you want but this is still too much for me! I can''t believe you''re actually going now! I never thought I''d see this day!" Angel cried. "I want you to go out there and explore the world in full! No matter what, I want you to say that you enjoy this a-and I want you to get all your emotions back!"


    "Alright, Angel. I''ll do my best," Rosan assured.


    "You two have to be careful. I know you won''t rely on me so please get a doctor for the ship as soon as possible. If things get bad, don''t hesitate to come to me. I''ll have anyone you bring patched up in an instant," Demon requested quietly and Luffy shot him a thumbs up.


    "We''ll get a doctor right after we find a musician," the captain said seriously and Demon sweatdropped.


    Maro, ever the sap, cried into him and soaked his shirt the most. "You managed to help me find what I was looking for so... I-I hope you find what you''re looking for! W-When you get your emotions back, we''re gonna throw a party so big everyone''s gonna hear about it!"


    "Still as attached to me as ever, Maro. Like I said, I can visit you guys whenever, my Save Point is still on your tiara. Don''t worry, I''m not going anywhere," Rosan soothed and she eventually calmed down to just whimpering.


    They released him and Rosan was about to go before he paused.


    "Mod-chan wants to hug you guys as well," Rosan suddenly said and Angel cheered happily.


    Demon and Maro were not as excited.


    "I''m not mentally ready for this," Maro swooned, grabbing her cheeks. Mod was too much for the queen and the regal woman had an untouchable air about her. It was like she was a queen in her own right! Maro sometimes found herself mimicking the woman in meetings so that they could be intimidated by her stone cold demeanor!


    There was also that crush she harbored on the woman from long ago. Mod-chan sure had it going on. Master was lucky to be able to see her whenever he wanted. Maro could only wish.


    "You and me both," Demon muttered. He was of the same opinion as Maro in that Mod was an untouchable presence. She was scarcely seen as well and that added to her already powerful aura.


    "Oh none of that you two," Mod said with a roll of her eyes and they watched as Rosan''s body became slimmer and shorter. His blood red hair turned royal purple and it completely smoothed out, growing much longer.


    "Rosan''s too tall," the woman complained, looking down at his, now oversized, clothing.


    This was another reason Mod seemed untouchable to them. The woman was practically eternal. Time had done nothing to change her appearance and she was content to remain this way. She still physically appeared the exact same as the day she had met Rosan.


    "Stop that you two!" The Devil Fruit scowled. She held her hands open and Angel was already happily in them, squeezing the woman in happiness. "Just come give me a hug. I don''t bite!"


    "Modi!" Luffy cheered and he immediately pounced on the woman. The two embraced and Mod smiled gently at the 17 year old.


    "We might hurt you?" Demon tried and the woman''s crimson eyes narrowed.


    "I''m happy to show you how proficient I am in battle if you want. I''m not as strong as Rosan now, but I''ve been watching him for all these years and I''ve naturally picked some things up," she stated and the two immediately waved their hands in surrender.


    "Nope, I''m okay," Maro said fearfully and she, a little to eagerly, launched herself into the woman, easily picking her, Luffy and Angel up in the process.


    "Could you have a little more shame!" Angel scowled at the queen who had the decency to look sheepish.


    "I''d rather not test Master Mod''s patience," Demon whispered and eventually joined the group hug.


    They remained that way for a moment until Mod stepped back to assess them.


    "You don''t have to worry about Rosan, I''ll keep him safe like I''ve been doing these past 20 years," Mod assured them and it really did dawn on them all that the two had been together for 20 years.


    She would not have wanted it to be any other way. Rosan was her most precious person in the world and she cherished him above all things.


    The residents of Celadon were immediately calmed down by Mod''s voice and they nodded resolutely, finally allowing the two to leave without any setbacks.


    "Alright! Let''s go!" Luffy said and Mod nodded her head before transforming back into Rosan.


    "Bye you two! Don''t die or else I''ll kill you!" Angel promised.


    "Make sure you recruit trustworthy people whose hands you can put your life into! Master has no tolerance for traitors too," Demon advised.


    "I totally want to join you guys for one adventure one day! Maybe when you guys go to the Grand Line," Maro mused. There was no way she wasn''t going to travel with them one day but she had learned the art of patience and so she''d wait.


    "As long as Luffy doesn''t mind," Rosan said and the boy nodded rapidly.


    "Of course, all three of you can come! It''s gonna be awesome!" Luffy laughed and they grinned at his infectious cheer.


    "C''mon Rosan, let''s go!"


    Rosan grabbed his youngest brother and shot them a wave before the two vanished.


    "I still can''t believe Master forced me to be a queen and then decided to go on such a fun adventure," Maro sighed despondently but she didn''t regret it. She loved her citizens and she loved this island dearly.


    She would never tell the twins but Rosan had made them settle down, so that the clones could be protected from the harshness of the world. The fact that he wanted to keep those two safe, made her all warm inside and she vowed to protect them in his stead. They had helped her stabilize and turn this island into something glorious and she loved them both so damn much! It was her duty as queen, to keep all her citizens safe!


    It would undoubtedly piss Angel off though, if she figured out the reasoning he wanted them to stay behind.


    Yeah¡­ she would keep that information to herself.


    "If Master ever unlocks his emotions¡­ those two are gonna turn the world upside down," Demon mused.


    "I trust Luffy," Angel said confidently. "He''s a surprisingly perceptive kid and I think he''s one of the few who can actually help Master."


    "Yeah, Luffy''s awesome!" Maro nodded in agreement.


    A knock on the door cut them off and Kanna quietly walked in. The 18 year old bowed with a smile and said, "My queen, your meeting is about to begin in ten minutes."


    Maro groaned in annoyance. "I''m on my way¡­ Is it possible that I can ¡ª"


    "No, I already do everything for you so you have to be here for the meetings."


    The bluenette pouted as Angel laughed at her.


    There was way too much responsibilities involved in this.


    Maro cursed Master for making her a queen.


    "Not gonna see us off?" Rosan asked calmly.


    "Yeah, we''re leaving now!" Luffy exclaimed, barely able to contain himself.


    The source of their prodding sighed in annoyance. "The mayor and Makino won''t mind, but the villagers will be afraid of us," Dadan said finally.


    "But¡­" Luffy''s disappointment was clear.


    "She''s right Luffy, they will cause a ruckus if they show up," Rosan said calmly. "It''s not because she''s going to cry herself silly at the sight of us sailing off," he explained.


    "Eh?! I thought that''s exactly what she was going to do!" The 17 year old replied dumbly.


    Dadan gained a tick at the man''s words and gnashed her teeth. "Can''t you two just go already?!" She barked. Kami, the redhead had gotten so annoying over the years.


    The bandit leader hid her happiness at the fact that he was comfortable enough to annoy her. Despite their terrible start, Dadan was pretty sure that the redhead actually liked her.


    "Okay," Rosan said obediently, but he made no move to leave.


    "Alright! Thank you guys for everything," Luffy beamed with a megawatt grin.


    Rosan merely walked up to the bandit''s and Dadan gained another vein of annoyance.


    "What?!" She asked angrily, standing up to face the redhead. "You''ve still got something to say ¡ª"


    Rosan wrapped two arms around the bandit leader.


    "I was wrong about you. I thought you didn''t care, but you care as much as a mother does," Rosan said softly. "I''m sorry for judging you so soon and thank you for raising Ace and us. You''re an amazing person, Dadan. I know how bad you wanted a comfortable bed so I left one in your room as well as some money so you can spoil yourself."


    "Yeah! I hate bandits, but I like you guys," Luffy beamed.


    Dadan had never been hugged by Rosan before. She had always secretly wanted one but she would never ask for one out loud.


    Now he was willingly giving her one and coupled with both the boys words, as well as his gifts, they successfully broke Dadan.


    The woman pulled out a napkin and began wiping her tears away, as she cried in spades. Without any hesitation, she wrapped her arms around the redhead and returned the tender hug.


    "S-Stop talking nonsense and go away already, you bastards!" she sobbed and everyone laughed.


    "You''re hugging me to tightly and I don''t think you want to let go," the redhead hummed.


    "S-Shut up!" She cried, not releasing him.


    Rosan patted her on the back and finally broke the hug before making his way over to Luffy.


    "See! I knew she was gonna cry!" Luffy pointed out to his brother and Rosan pat his head to congratulate him.


    "You proved me wrong," the redhead praised. The boy didn''t but there was no point explaining it to him.


    "I''m not crying!" Dadan cried. She was gonna miss all her boys. She knew they were gonna impact the world and the bandit leader would be rooting for them the whole time.


    The bandit''s laughed harder.


    "Luffy... this boat is too small," Rosan said slowly. He had yet to step in it but he was not sure how the two of them could properly fit on it and move around.


    Rosan was not small anymore and Luffy had grown too. It would be really cramped for the both of them (just Rosan, it seemed impossible for Luffy to be put in an uncomfortable position).


    "Why don''t you take my fishing boat?" A villager offered. "That thing won''t last a minute with you two in it."


    "This is fine! This is what I wanna start with!" The captain, laughing in glee as patted the ship.


    "Two Devil Fruit users¡­ and this is what he wants to use?" Mod wanted to sound surprised but she was far too used to Luffy''s antics.


    "If the ship breaks, please fly away and let him drown," Ram decided after taking one glance at the sorry excuse of a ship.


    There was so much issues with this ship. For one, neither him or Luffy ate light at all. There wouldn''t be nearly enough food to satisfy the both of them, if not for his pocket dimension, and his brother would finish it off by himself in a day.


    Rosan sighed. He should have just become the captain of his own ship.


    "Alright," was all he said before stepping onto the dinghy.


    Luffy grinned in satisfaction and didn''t even seem bothered by how much space his, much taller, brother was taking.


    The captain looked towards the sky in excitement and screamed, "Sabo! Watch over us! We''re heading out to sea now!"


    Rosan wondered how Sabo would be faring as a pirate. The boy was just as talented as Ace but he didn''t approach things with as much fervor as his freckled brother.


    No, Sabo was a lot more calculating. He wouldn''t be surprised if the boy was just as dangerous as Ace but in a more subtle way.


    Well, there was no point in thinking about what ifs.


    For now, he''d just observe Luffy on his journey to be the Pirate King and help if he deemed it necessary.


    Maybe he''d find something helpful along the way. He wasn''t holding out any hope but it would be nice if it happened. His emotions were coming out much more frequently so maybe he just needed an extra push and what better way then to go on a journey through the world''s most dangerous sea?


    "Take care, Luffy!"


    "Bye, Rosan!"


    Mod groaned in annoyance at the numerous voices of the woman sadly waving the man off. "I hate them all," she said flatly, getting a sympathetic rub on the shoulder from Ram.


    Rosan waved at them in return and soothed Mod at the same time. He was certainly¡­ popular with the female population on Goa and that had only increased since becoming a full fledged adult. It was annoying but he could put up with it and he didn''t really care at the end of the day.


    The same could not be said for his dear Mod-chan.


    "Alright, we''re going now!" Luffy said and he loosened the rope holding the ship. ''


    "They''re finally leaving¡­" Makino sighed fondly, glancing sadly at the moving boat. "I''m gonna miss the two of them."


    Since arriving, Rosan had kept her company many times and he was rather enjoyable to hang around with, once she quickly got used to his odd mannerisms.


    When she told him that, his reply was, "Your life really is boring, if you find joy in interacting with me."


    He had no emotions but he was so rude! Despite how he viewed himself as boring, behind his stony expressions and emotionless tone, was a very entertaining person and she''d die on that hill! He should give himself more credit where credit was due!


    Makino could confidently say that he had become one of her closest friends despite how much she had feared him before. He was the only one she could regularly talk to that was close to her in age range and it had the benefit of leaving the two of them isolated together a various amount of times.


    It was no surprise that she had agreed to take his virginity when he was of age. Makino would be lying if she said she wasn''t attracted to him and they both agreed that there were no strings attached when doing it. One thing had led to another and they began to occasionally hook up.


    She probably should have said no though, Angel was terrifying. Makino didn''t know how someone could get so creative with threats but she feared the haughty clone might actually follow through with them one day.


    Ah, she probably wasn''t going to see the twins or Maro for a really long time either.


    She really was going to miss them all.


    Her musings were cut short as the Lord of the Coast made its appearance right in front of Rosan and Luffy and she gasped in worry. Would they be alright? It was quite close to them so maybe they didn''t have enough time to react... Oh no, she didn''t want them to die so soon! Hopefully Rosan would deal with it before it sunk their ship.


    The redhead in question, looked utterly unbothered and Luffy smiled eagerly at the fish that nearly killed him 10 years ago.


    "So this is the Sea King that took Shanks'' arm?" Rosan mused, making no move to attack it and eyeing it boredly. As long as Luffy could handle it, the redhead saw no need to interfere.


    "Yeah and he has no clue who he''s messing with," the rubber boy grinned. He clenched his fist and launched it back. His hand began stretching to an insane degree and the rubber boy brought the fist back to let his attack fly.


    "Gomu Gomu no Pistol!" Luffy bellowed and he connected squarely with the Sea Kings cheek. The powerful punch knocked it out in one blow and it collided with the water in a loud thud.


    "I wonder how edible Sea King is," Rosan idly said, as the monster sunk into the Sea. The people seeing them off were cheering at the display and his sharp vision could pick up relief on Makino''s face.


    Did they really think one measly Sea King was going to take them out? How insulting.


    "First, we gotta get a crew," Luffy decided. "I want at least 10 of them. Sound good to you?"


    "Yeah," Rosan nodded. 10 was fine, he wouldn''t have wanted a massive crew like some other ships because that would be far too much people for his liking.


    "I''m the scout so we''ll at least need a cook and a navigator," Rosan hummed.


    "And a musician and a black flag!" Luffy grinned, shaking in anticipation.


    "Alright, let''s go!" The pirate captain grinned and the scout smiled a tiny smile.


    "I''m gonna become¡­ THE KING OF PIRATES!"


    Bonus


    Rosan and the twins are 19


    Maro is 18


    Ace is 15


    Luffy is 12


    Turmoil between the leaders of Celadon - Part 1.


    "M-Master?"


    Rosan paused in the middle of his spar with Luffy and idly grabbed the rubbery hand out of midair, dangling his little brother as he felt his connection with the clones randomly flare.


    "What''s the matter?" Ace asked from his seat, noticing the pause in his brother.


    "It''s Angel. She activated my connection and she doesn''t really do that ever," the redhead replied. He stopped his duel with Luffy and decided not to leave his little sister waiting any longer.


    "Angel, what''s the matter?" Rosan asked softly. She was trying to mask it but the light stammer in her voice, let him know that something was wrong with her. He knew his clones as well as they thought they knew him.


    The woman was barely keeping it together.


    "C-Could you come pick me up... p-please? A-And don''t tell anyone here that you''re coming either."


    Rosan raised a single brow but said, "Okay. Wait in your room; I''ll teleport right there to pick you up."


    "I''ll be right back with Angel," Rosan informed them, getting nods of curiosity out of his brother.


    "Only Angel? What about Demon and Maro?" Luffy asked curiously.


    "She didn''t want me to tell them I was getting her so it''ll be just her."


    Activating his Save Point to Maro''s tiara, Rosan vanished from their site.


    It was a good thing Maro had opted to keep her tiara in the castle. It didn''t seem like the queen or Demon was here so that made getting Angel without alerting them, much easier.


    The clone was already waiting for him and Rosan mercifully didn''t mention how terrible she looked. His little sister was barely keeping herself together right now but she was trying and he''d spare her for now.


    "Come, let''s go," he said, holding his hand out for her to grab. Angel stared at Rosan with a strong expression before her expression immediately wavered at the sound of her older brother''s voice.


    Instead of grabbing his arm, she crashed into his chest and began sobbing, blabbering all the while and clutching him desperately. He quickly recovered and began rubbing her back, activating Save Point in the process and going back to Dawn Island.


    Luffy and Ace''s surprise, turned into worry at the sight of the crying redhead on their oldest brother''s chest and they quickly closed the distance between her.


    "Angel, are you alright?!" Luffy asked.


    "What''s the matter?" Ace prodded gently.


    Her sobbing only got worse and the freckled boy cringed back, not knowing how to deal with a crying woman.


    Luffy was no good at this either so he''d let Rosan handle it!


    "I-I''m so stupid! I... I don''t know why I act like such a bitch all the time b-but I do a-and it only hurts the people I love at the worst times," Angel wailed, soaking Rosan''s shirt and trying to bury herself deeper into him.


    "Oh, Angel," Mod sighed, sadly staring at the mess of a woman.


    "Angel, what happened? Talk to me," Rosan soothed, trying to calm her down. It was a testament to her current mental state because he was actually failing to do so. Nothing they were saying was getting through to her and so, he just let her cry until her sobs turned into hiccups, those hiccups turned into whimpers and the whimpers turned into soft snoring.


    "I wonder what happened to Auntie Angel..." Ram pondered.


    "The only things on Celadon that would ever make her break down, would be involving Demon or Maro. Seeing how sad she is, it probably involved both."


    Rosan sighed and adjusted her in his grip. "We''ll just ask her when she wakes up. I''ll talk to Demon and Maro afterwards to get a bigger picture on just what happened though because it seems like even Angel agrees that it''s her fault."


    He couldn''t say he was surprised that Angel''s personality got the best of her. Demon had been becoming so much more independent lately and didn''t rely on him or his older sister nearly as much as he used too. Maro had always been emotional and the Dokkaebi sometimes let it get the best of her when it came to her loved ones.


    "Let''s call it here today?" Rosan asked his brothers and they readily nodded. "Go hunt some food while I bring her to our hideout. I''ll cook us all something to eat."


    Ace and Luffy nodded in unison and quickly took off. Rosan walked in the opposite direction and brought the woman to their hideout to rest.


    The redhead sighed. Seems like he still had problems to clean up with his old crew.


    Angel awoke to the smell of food and slowly pushed herself up. She blearily wiped her own eyes and was met with three sets of eyes gazing at her, concern on both of them and a familiar neutrality on the other.


    "Angel, we made food for you. Eat up," Rosan instructed, pushing a plate of meat and a glass of water towards her. She saw that they all had their own hefty portions of food and accepted her own.


    She felt exhausted but that didn''t stop her from digging into her own food and the group of 4 ate in silence... Well, as much silence as ravenous eaters such as Luffy and Ace could participate in.


    "What happened?" Rosan asked bluntly, seeing everyone finish their meals. He had never been one for subtlety outside of missions and that remained true even without his emotions.


    His sister regarded him with a confused expression, before her eyes wavered at the memories crashing back into her. Tears formed in her eyes again and she let out a choked out sob.


    "M-Maro broke up with me," she whimpered, curling into herself.


    Everyone blinked in disbelief.


    "Huh?/What?/The hell?" Every single person said in confusion. Were they hearing that right?


    Even Rosan couldn''t quite believe it. He tilted his head to the side and stared a hole through her. "Maro is head over heels in love with you and it''s been that way since she was 12. What exactly did you do to make her break up with you?"


    It may have been harsh for Rosan to immediately pin the blame on her, but he knew all of his allies well. Maro genuinely loved the haughty redhead and would never be the one to break up with her. Angel had done something that had pushed the recently turned 18 year old to her limit.


    Angel flinched back at his accusing question and he saw her tears grow but the Mod Mod no mi user wanted answers right now. If he had to be a little ruthless, then so be it.


    "She... she just wanted to tell me something and it seemed so important to her b-but I just finished messing something up in my workshop and... I took my anger out on her. At first she was hurt, but then she got mad and she started screaming back about how I didn''t care about her! I realized how much of an ass I was being because she started crying a-and before I could make amends, s-she broke up with me. I didn''t even get to apologize before she stormed out of... of the roo ¡ª"


    Angel shuddered in the middle of her story and she began sobbing again in earnest, clutching herself and letting loose ear shattering wails.


    Rosan sighed in understanding. When Maro had been 17, she had pulled him and Demon aside one day to talk to them.


    "I... When I turn 18, I want to propose to Angel!" Maro said in determination, staring up at her teacher with a pleading gaze. "Do I... Do I have the both of you guys approval?" She asked softly.


    "What a stupid question," Rosan replied, flicking her on the head and getting a yelp out of her. "You shouldn''t even have to ask me, Maro. I''m the one who urged Angel to pursue you so of course you have my blessing."


    "You''re already family, Maro," Demon said kindly, grinning fondly at the girl. "If I didn''t think you were good for Angel, you two wouldn''t be dating!"


    She grinned blindingly at the two and crushed them in a hug.


    His student wanted to propose to Angel and it was likely that she had tried to do just that and got rebuffed before even opening her mouth. He wasn''t surprised that she got angry and lashed out.


    "Demon caught wind of our argument a-and he was so mad at me. I-I never saw that look on his face and he blew up on me, telling me that I never take consideration of other people when I act the way I act before running off to console Maro..." Angel whimpered.


    "I don''t wanna lose her, Master! I-I know I''m mean and rude a-and I insult her all the time b-but I love her and I want to spend everyday around her!" Angel begged, closing the distance between them and grabbing him desperately.


    "Angel..." Rosan sighed. "Your personality has finally come and bite you. You know how emotionally vulnerable Maro can be and yet you refused to hear her out. Now she''s finally fed up with you and you don''t know what to do about it."


    "Rosan?" Mod whispered in surprise. Besides Ram, Angel was quite possibly the one person Rosan spoiled the most. He treated her like a princess! To see him tearing into her like this, was quite the surprise.


    "Maro is a complete sweetheart. I don''t doubt she''ll forgive you but you need to understand that it''s not okay to continue to hurt her feelings whenever you want. Don''t take advantage of the love she has for you, Angel. Demon and Maro were completely correct to be upset with you."


    "I-I know and I just want her to know that I''m sorry!" She whimpered. "Please Master, I''m begging you to just give us a chance to talk! I know she''ll listen to you so please! I just want to make this right..."


    Ace had never seen his confident sister so distraught and it was quite jarring. He sympathetically stared at her and patted the woman on the shoulder in hopes of making her feel better.


    "You really love Maro huh, Angel?" Luffy said somberly.


    "I-I do and I just want her to know that," Angel told them.


    "Okay, I''ll talk to Maro and try to set up a meeting between the two of you. You two are good for each other and one bad argument shouldn''t be the end of it all," Rosan said, standing up. "I''ll bring her here so just wait."


    "T-Thank you so much, Master!" His sister bowed deeply and he waved her off.


    "Think nothing of it," he said, vanishing from their sight.


    Demon sat next to a gloomy Maro without making a sound, though he knew she was aware of his presence the moment he showed up. They were currently at her personal garden, staring at all the beautiful vegetation and fruits.


    "...Hey," he said softly.


    "...Hey," she repeated quietly. "Here to tell me how disappointed you are in me? No offense, but I really don''t need that right now."


    Demon sighed sadly at her tone. "Just because Angel is my twin, doesn''t mean I''ll take her side for everything, Maro. After you stormed off, I got mad and let her know that it wasn''t okay what she did."


    The queen looked up in surprise at that, frosty features melting away in favor of shock. "You got mad at her... on my behalf?" She asked softly, not believing him.


    To her surprise, Demon scooted over and embraced the bluenette in a hug. His long purple hair brushed against her and her expression wavered.


    "You were trying to propose weren''t you?" He asked quietly. "And she just snapped on you without even hearing you out, right? You don''t deserve that, Maro. Angel''s personality has never really bothered us but that''s because she doesn''t go out of her way to make our life harder. You''re a sweetheart, Maro and you didn''t deserve that treatment."


    The queen sniffed a bit and the floodgates came crashing down after that one small mistake. With a sharp wail, she crashed into Demon and began sobbing in full force.


    "I don''t know why she hates me!" Maro cried, desperately trying to make herself smaller. "I-I don''t know what I did wrong! She''s so mean to me a-and I got fed up because this was so important to me a-and she didn''t even want to hear me out! I... I didn''t want to break up with her but she made me so upset!"


    "I know," Demon soothed, patting her gently in hopes of calming her down. "No one will blame you for reacting the way you did so don''t blame yourself. But, I will say that... Angel doesn''t hate you. Not even a little."


    Maro whimpered. "S-She doesn''t?"


    "Of course not. You two have a genuine love for each other but Angel''s personality makes that difficult to see," he assured. "You should see her when she''s talking to me about you. That girl is a woman in love and is so glad that you can put up with her... less then stellar temper."


    Despite herself, Maro let out a watery laugh. "I guess I may have overreacted..."


    "You didn''t. I think your reaction was completely normal but I don''t think you guys should let it end like this. At the very least, have one more conversation?" Demon suggested.


    The Dokkaebi nodded in his chest and pulled back to wipe her tears. "Okay! I''ll talk to her and we''ll figure this out."


    The two stood up and dusted themselves off.


    "Demon...?" Maro called quietly.


    "Yes, Maro?" Demon replied.


    The bluenette engulfed him in a hug and he smiled softly, as she said, "Thank you so much for making me feel better. You''re the best."


    He returned the hug and replied, "Of course, little goblin. You are our queen after all and the whole island would cause an uproar if they knew their beloved majesty was miserable and crying. Even Angel''s wrath wouldn''t stop them from trying to protect you."


    "Stop teasing me!" She whined, before they both laughed.


    Maro loved Demon. He had never given her a reason not to dislike him and always supported the queen when he could! He even snapped on his older sister for her sake! Whereas Rosan was like her father, Demon was her protective older brother and she deeply cherished their bond.


    "It seems like you two have already resolved things on your side," Rosan said softly, making them jump in surprise. Maro glared at him for scaring her before realizing that her Master was here.


    "Master! How did you know something was wrong?" The queen asked.


    "Angel called me to come get her. She''s on Dawn Island right now. I get the gist of what happened and I made sure to let her know that what she did to you was not okay," he informed them.


    Maro''s eyes widened at that. It was no secret that Rosan let Angel get away with practically anything, so to hear that he went out of his way to scold her on the Dokkaebi''s behalf, made her warm and tender inside.


    "I don''t blame you for what you did, but can you two talk it out?" Rosan requested. "Angel''s a mess right now and she begged me to at least get an audience with you."


    His student''s eyes narrowing in worry, was all he needed to know that things would be okay. Nodding without hesitation at his request, the two grabbed onto Rosan and they promptly vanished from Celadon.


    Maro really hadn''t been expecting someone to crash into her literal moments after appearing on Dawn Island, but the shock of red hair attached to the person desperately clutching her, proved otherwise.


    Angel was at least planning on trying to apologize normally to Maro when she saw her, but all of that flew out of the window when she saw the somber queen appear in front of her. The beautiful blue haired goblin that was too good for her sometimes.


    It was natural that she overreacted.


    "I''m sorry, I''m sorry, I''m sorry!" Angel sobbed, clutching Maro like her life depended on it. "P-Please don''t leave me! I know I can be a bitch and I''m super rude a-and I make your life more difficult when we got out on dates and I''m rude to the people serving us b-but please don''t break up with me! I love you, Maro!" The woman begged, locking teary purple eyes onto wide orange ones.


    The 4 boys were watching from a distance, not saying a word and just observing in curiosity.


    Hearing Angel so desperately say she loved her, made Maro''s heart clench and despite their argument, the queen was sad to see the state her girlfriend had been reduced to.


    "I don''t wanna break up, Angel. I just... I got really upset and blurted out the first thing I could think of," Maro sighed, hugging the woman in her strong arms. "I overreacted, I''m sorry for causing you to become like this!"


    "Don''t apologize!" Angel barked, making the Dokkaebi reel back in surprise. "It''s not your fault so just don''t! I-I won''t let you forgive me so easily and try to take blame in the process. I''m so glad you don''t wanna break up with me, even though I deserve it, b-but I''m still the one who pushed you to that point. I''ll be better, I promise!"


    The redhead took a deep breath and stepped back, much to Maro''s confusion. That confusion turned into shock, as Angel pulled something out from her back pocket and presented it to her.


    "I was planning on asking Master to make us a fancy dinner so I could do this but... I think now''s as good as time as any," Angel said, taking a deep breath before staring directly into Maro''s eyes. "Maro, will you marry me?"


    She opened up the case to reveal a beautiful white ring, with a ruby gemstone and smaller red gems adorned on it. It gleamed and reflected the shock on the queen''s face.


    "I''m so sorry for letting my anger get the best of me and blowing up on you. Despite how bad I am to you sometimes, you''re so patient and caring a-and you always hear me out, no matter how tired your duties make you. B-But when it was time for me to be a good girlfriend, I shut you down completely and even started screaming at you." Angel nervously glanced downward and bit her lip in misery but continued.


    "I shouldn''t have done that and I really want you to understand how much I love you, Maro. I... want to spend the rest of my life with you and the thought of you not being there for me... it terrifies me. You keep me safe and you love me despite all my problems a-and you''re so beautiful but you still think I''m so much better looking then you when that''s just not true and ¡ª"


    Maro put a finger to her lip to silence her and sighed fondly. "You know Angel, that''s the second time you''ve done this to me."


    "S-Second time?" Angel muttered in confusion. Did she mean the second time she had hurt her? I-It was true...


    "Yep. The first time was when I psyched myself up for a whole day to confess to you and then you suddenly blurted it out, causing me to faint," Maro laughed, pulling the slightly taller woman into a tender hug. "The second time, I was super stoked to show my rude and beautiful girlfriend this awesome ring so that I could ask her to marry me, when you suddenly decided to blurt it out instead."


    Angel took a sharp breath at that and shakily said, "You... You were going to ask..."


    Watching Maro dig into her kimono to pull out a beautiful sapphire ring of her own, suddenly made Angel aware of why she had gotten so upset, why Demon had gotten so upset and why Rosan had reprimanded her. The queen had been so excited because she wanted to propose.


    "To answer your question, I do," Maro grinned, grabbing Angel''s bronze hand and delicately sliding the ring on it. Then, she demurely held out her own hand for Angel to return the favor.


    "You want to... with me?!" Angel asked softly, staring at the Dokkaebi''s fair hand with a wavering gaze.


    "Of course I do! I love you," Maro declared without hesitation.


    The redhead sniffed and took her own ring, before sliding it on her girlfriends finger. When she finished, she immediately crashed into her arms and began crying in earnest.


    Maro, ever the sap, began tearing up as well and smiled blindingly, holding her fianc¨¦e tightly.


    "It seems they managed to figure things out," Demon smiled, pleased to hear that they were getting married.


    "I had no idea Angel was planning on proposing as well," Rosan nodded. He was happy for them.


    "You didn''t? She told me and Makino about it," Ace raised a brow, glancing at Rosan and Demon in confusion.


    The purple haired clone blinked, scratching the back of his head. "When did you and Angel get so close...? She told you and not us?"


    Ace grinned smugly.


    "I don''t know what''s going on but everything''s better no so let''s throw a party!" Luffy beamed, jumping in the group hug between Maro and Angel without hesitation and making them fall to the floor.


    "Luffy, you little shit! We''re having a touching moment here!" Maro roared, bonking the 12 year old on his head


    Demon, Ace, and Ram burst out laughing watching the three collapse, while Rosan and Mod smiled softly.


    "Good for you guys," Rosan whispered.


    <hr>


    Full Name: Portgas D. Rosan (Iris D. Rosan) (?)


    Age: 24


    Birthday: March 12


    Summary: Found and raised by Portgas D. Rouge as a newborn, Portgas D. Rosan is the scout and older brother of Monkey D. Luffy, captain of their newly founded pirate crew. . Not much is known about his origins but, he has the D initial in his name and his birth mother is the queen of an unknown island in the South Blue.


    Currently devoid of any emotion due to the death of his lover, Suzuki Meiko, all of his ambition has vanished though some sparks can occasionally be seen. At 24 years old, his current goal is to fulfill the wish of his deceased love and find a new reason to live by observing the unique boy known as Monkey D. Luffy, while keeping his family safe and restoring his emotions, which are locked in a castle with a strange entity known as the Virus.


    Devil Fruit: Mod Mod no Mi


    Type: Paramecia


    Description: Turns Rosan into a computer man. With this Devil Fruit, Rosan is allowed to modify whatever he sees fit. This fruit is currently the reason Rosan is devoid of emotion, due to the boy not being able to handle the overload but occasionally an emotion is capable of seeping out. Currently, there are two parts of this Devil Fruit, Modification herself and the Virus, which has played a part in keeping Rosan''s emotions jailed.


    Appearance: Bronze skin. Outfit changes often but normally he is seen wearing a combination of black and red, black and purple, or red and purple. It goes mostly unseen, but he has a tattoo of his name on his left arm that has a rose cutting through the letters. The thorny stem wraps around his arm and cuts through the letter S before it blossoms into a red rose right by the R.


    Accessories: Ruby red earrings in his ears, amethyst ring on his left hands ring finger, black armband on his left hand and white pendant that stops right at his chest with a shrunken picture of him and his mother.


    Height: 6''5 (195 cm)


    Hair: Spiky long red hair that''s soft to touch. Keeps it in a messy bun that left the spikes in the front of his head free.. Reaches just above his back when he lets it fall freely.


    Eyes: His right eye is a royal purple and his left one is a blood red. Both have lost the glow in them and subsequently give Rosan a rather lifeless appearance.


    Likes: His family


    Dislikes: N/A

 The Captain and the Scout

    "Who woulda thought our journey would have ended in disaster so soon?"


    "I can''t believe I''m saying this, but all of this could have been avoided if we had just taken my ship."


    Rosan stared at his younger brother and Luffy grinned back. Despite the calamity happening around the two, neither of them looked bothered about the situation they happened to be in.


    "I never thought of all the things to potentially kill us¡­ this would be one of them," Mod sighed in exhaustion. This was something that could only be achieved with Luffy it seemed.


    The redhead was inclined to agree. After all, the two brothers were currently being sucked into a whirlpool that was almost certainly going to kill the Devil Fruit users.


    "Let''s just leave him to drown," Ram said in a deadpan. She just knew this was going to happen. This sorry little ship was doomed from the start but the rubber squirt was adamant in his ways.


    "I''ve got a better idea," Rosan replied.


    "Luffy, get in that barrel and I''ll track you from the sky. Once we get out of this whirlpool, I''ll retrieve you."


    Luffy slammed a palm against his fist at the plan and nodded resolutely. "Alright!" He exclaimed and the boy immediately went and did that, without even questioning his brother.


    "Are you actually trying to kill him?" Mod asked in amusement, shaking her head at their antics.


    "¡­" Rosan said nothing and as the barrel lid closed, he palmed it.


    "Modify," he uttered and was satisfied to see it get successfully reinforced. The whirlpool would not be destroying the barrel while it was buffed with his Devil Fruit.


    He could have just flown with Luffy, but the idiot had wanted to use this ship and so he was going down with it.


    "You''ll probably wanna take a nap in the meantime," Rosan offered before he kicked the barrel overboard.


    "Nice!" Ram beamed. She was pleased with her father''s actions.


    "You two are genuinely psychotic," Mod said blandly. At least he had reinforced the barrel... Luffy was probably not going to die in the vortex because of that fact.


    Ace would not be happy if this was how their youngest brother met his end... especially if he learned that it was Rosan''s idea.


    Rosan thought maybe it would be funny but he didn''t have the humor to be able to tell and the middle brother was scarily protective of Luffy too...


    His draconic wings burst from his back and he swiftly took to the skies, lest the whirlpool take him as well. From his vantage point, he watched the whirlpool destroy the ship and the barrel did an admirable job surviving the attack before it vanished from his sight in some direction.


    Rosan blinked.


    Ram laughed nervously, inching away from her Auntie in case she had to suffer her wrath. "Oops?"


    "Oh, the barrels gone," he commented idly and Mod let out a suffering sigh.


    "Please go find him."


    "Okay."


    The tug of his Save Point was weak because of the ocean but he could briefly feel it¡­


    He thinks.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan had definitely kicked him into the whirlpool.


    His brother was so mean sometimes!


    After getting tossed around alot, Luffy had eventually been spit out of the vortex and he decided to take a nap to pass the time.


    It was a really nice nap but he should probably wake up now.


    The 17 year old yawned, stretched his arms, and burst out of the barrel that had been his savior.


    "That was a great nap!" He exclaimed happily. "Even though Rosan kicked me into a whirlpool, I managed to survive somehow... But man, I really thought I was gonna barf with how dizzy I got!"


    Sleeping in his vomit, didn''t sound very enjoyable.


    The teen paused as he realized that he wasn''t alone and Luffy stared at the unfamiliar faces. They gawked at him in disbelief as if they had seen a ghost and the straw hat wearing boy scratched his head.


    "Who are you guys?" He asked in confusion. Where was Rosan? Didn''t he say he was going to watch him from the sky?


    "WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?!" They responded in disbelieving fury.


    Three of them looked like pirates¡­ and the last one looked too pathetic to be a pirate. Speaking of which¡­ Where exactly was he?


    Did he wash up on an island? Who knew that barrel could be so useful!


    Oh wait, Rosan did! That''s why he made him go there! What a smart scout his older brother was!


    Koby watched, with his jaw dropped, as a person burst out of the barrel he had just brought onto the island. H-he had thought it was alcohol! He didn''t expect a person to just be taking a nap (who does that?!) in there!


    The pink haired cabin boy was internally freaking out because this looked really, really bad for him. If Alvida-sama found out that he had brought someone on the island without her permission, he''d be dead meat for insubordination!


    It was as if fate itself wanted to laugh at the boy because a black object came flying into the building they were all hiding out in, breaking it on impact and causing a slight shockwave.


    "BACK TO WORK YOU LAZY DOGS!" A booming voice called out and Luffy shouted in surprise as he was sent flying while still trapped in the barrel.


    "Whoa!" The rubber boy exclaimed, rolling out of sight with Koby in tow.


    "Who''s the most beautiful woman throughout all the seas?" A booming voice asked as Luffy disappeared.


    "LADY ALVIDA! YOU ARE... OF COURSE!" They chorused but the captain was not smiling. She had a scowl on her rotund face and immediately closed the distance between her and her crew, glaring at them.


    "Which one of you had such a great nap?!" Alvida demanded and their eyes widened in fear at her question.


    Great nap?! None of them had taken a nap!


    "T-That wasn''t us! We have an intruder on the island, Captain!"


    "Yeah and he was brought here by Koby too!"


    Alvida''s eyes widened at that information. "Could he be a bounty hunter?! Koby... that traitorous bastard."


    Cowardly little boy couldn''t even do anything himself... How did he manage to even find a bounty hunter to hunt her down? He never left the island so that meant that...


    The woman began sweating a little at the slight implications. Surely it couldn''t be... right?


    "I don''t think a single bounty hunter is bold enough to come here besides the demon swordsman, Roronoa Zoro¡­" A grunt muttered.


    "It can''t be though, the Marine''s have him locked up!" His buddy retorted.


    "...What if it''s them?" The grunt asked in terror and his face went white.


    "Them? Who''s them?" Another, younger, grunt asked, clueless expression on his face.


    "You''re pretty young so you don''t know but... It could be Reaper."


    "Don''t be ridiculous," Alvida dismissed a little nervously. "Reaper has been off the grid for 10 years and they have a bounty now. There''s no way they''re coming after us."


    "I heard Roronoa Zoro is clever and if he is that clever... he probably managed to escape the Marines."


    She nodded to herself at the explanation. It had to have been Roronoa Zoro trying to target her bounty.


    There was absolutely no way Reaper was going to come out of hiding just for her. Not even Alvida was that arrogant.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan landed directly next to where he felt his Save Point''s presence the strongest. It had suddenly began pulsing, which meant the ocean was no longer fogging it up and he quickly flew over to where his brother was.


    He hadn''t expected Luffy to wash up on an island full of pirates but that was just his little brother''s luck and it seemed like he even made a new friend in the process.


    "Rosan!" Luffy cheered excitedly, bounding over to his scout with a beaming grin and immediately wrapping his arms around the much taller redhead.


    "Luffy... you survived," Rosan commented idly, returning the hug without complaint and eyeing up the other boy there. He was currently shaking like a leaf at the sudden arrival of the redhead and he looked successfully intimidated by the sight of the tall man.


    How odd, Rosan knew people could be intimidated by him but he wasn''t going out of his way to scare this stranger... Maybe he was just that cowardly?


    Luffy suddenly remembered something and the boy angrily retorted, "You totally pushed me in the whirlpool!"


    Koby balked at that information and looked at the redhead in renewed terror. HE DID WHAT?! A WHIRLPOOL?!


    "I wanted to give you a head start."


    "Oh, okay!"


    "THAT''S NOT OKAY" Koby finally couldn''t keep his silence and blurted that out, before putting both hands over his mouth, as those dual eyes locked back onto him. He really didn''t feel very comfortable staring into that unnerving gaze right now. Actually... he didn''t think he''d ever feel comfortable looking into them. It made him feel like all his hopes and dreams were just destined to be crushed into the cold sea.


    "Luffy, who is this sad, pathetic little boy?" Rosan asked bluntly and Koby depressingly held his head at those harsh words. This Rosan and Luffy were both brutally honest and the pink haired boy didn''t think anyone could prepare for them.


    "This is Koby. Koby, this is Rosan!" Luffy introduced with a grin and he explained what happened to the cabin boy.


    "You accidentally ended up on a pirate ship that you thought was going out for fishing?" Rosan asked slowly and Koby nodded his head in affirmation, looking ashamed all the while.


    "Did you hit your head as a baby?" The dual eyed man asked softly, genuinely meaning it.


    "Right?! He''s so dumb!" Luffy laughed and Koby felt himself falling deeper into depression.


    "You shouldn''t bully him so much¡­ Not everyone can be born smart," Mod tried to defend him, not realizing that he''d probably be even further upset by her words.


    "If he could hear you he''d be even more depressed!" Ram cackled.


    Mod scratched her head in confusion at that statement. Would he really...? She didn''t see anything wrong with her words so why would he?


    "Why don''t you try and run? I don''t think you''re strong at all so that''s your next best option," Rosan offered.


    "He''s a coward too! He can''t run away cuz he''s scared," Luffy interjected.


    Rosan hummed at that, nodding his head at the explanation as he came to a conclusion. "You''re really worthless. How are you still alive? Shouldn''t you just roll over and die at this point?"


    Koby sobbed comically at the two ganging up on him. "You two are really mean!" He cried out. They were right but they didn''t have to say it! Who were these two abnormal people!


    "?" Rosan tilted his head. "Apologies, I wasn''t intending to come off as mean. I''m just speaking the truth based off my own observations."


    Koby sank deeper into despair at the seemingly polite, but actually really rude, man.


    "As much as I hate to admit it¡­ you two are right. I don''t have the courage to float around at sea in a barrel... or to kick someone into a whirlpool¡­" Koby trailed off and he inspected the two again.


    Just what made them decide to travel together if one was willing to kick another into a whirlpool?


    "What made you two decide to go out to sea anyways?" Koby asked.


    "I''m gonna be the King of Pirates!" Luffy exclaimed bluntly.


    Rosan said nothing.


    Koby''s jaw dropped at the revelation. The pink haired boy looked at Luffy like he had grown a second and he may as well have because he was clearly insane. "K-King of the Pirates?"


    "Yeah."


    "Wait, you''re a pirate?!"


    "Yep."


    "Where''s your crew?!"


    "Don''t got one. It''s just me and Rosan."


    "I''m the scout."


    The two brothers watched as Koby remained frozen and Luffy began to wave his hand incessantly in the pink haired boys face. Just what exactly was wrong with this weird boy?


    "K-K-King of the Pirates is the title given to the person who obtains everything in the world!" Koby suddenly said. "That means seeking treasure of wealth, fame, and power¡­ the One Piece!" He shouted.


    "Yup!" Luffy agreed.


    Rosan nodded his head and said, "Sounds about right." Both looked utterly unbothered by what the panicking boy was saying and it was almost comical to witness the sheer difference in moods.


    "Yup?! Sounds about right?! Don''t you know pirates all over the world are going after that treasure?!"


    "I thought that was obvious. This isn''t called the Great Age of Pirates era for no reason," the redhead commented. This boy was way too jumpy for his own good. Just hearing about Luffy''s dream had reduced him to this?


    "He really is dumb!" the straw hat wearing boy laughed merrily. "I''m going after it too!"


    "No way! No way, no way, no way! Absolutely no way!" The boy exclaimed in utter disbelief. "There''s no way you can be King of Pirates in the golden age of Piracy! It''ll never happen!"


    "He''s annoying," Ram commented with a deep groan of exasperation.


    Luffy clearly agreed because he shut the boy up with a fist to the head.


    "Thank you, Luffy," Rosan said.


    "He was being hysterical," Luffy shrugged like it was no big deal.


    "You shouldn''t walk around doubting people''s dreams, Koby," the redhead chastised him calmly. "It''s disrespectful."


    Koby flinched at his words and had the decency to look ashamed.


    "I''m not afraid of dying, Koby!" Luffy exclaimed with a smile. "I''ve decided that I wanna become King of the Pirates and if I die while trying to achieve it, then that''s fine with me!"


    Rosan hummed in agreement. "Dreams are worth staking your life on. If you live your life never attempting to accomplish your goal, was it ever worth living?"


    The cabin boy stared at the two with wide eyes as he digested that information.


    "Now we gotta find a boat," Luffy muttered and he began walking off.


    "No, we''re using mine until we can get a new, actual, ship that you can call your own," Rosan replied immediately, shutting down his captain completely. "My ship wouldn''t have gotten caught in that whirlpool and I expected you to get something better than the barely upgraded raft."


    Luffy whined at that but eventually accepted it. Rosan rarely disagreed with anyone so when he made demands, people usually followed them and Luffy was no exception, captain or not.


    "Fine, we''ll use it until we get our own," the captain agreed and the two prepared to walk off.


    "D-Do you think I can do it too?" Koby suddenly asked and the two paused. "If I''m prepared to die for it?"


    "Do what?" Luffy asked.


    "Do you think even I could join the Marines?" The boy asked quietly.


    Rosan stared at him with a blank gaze and it almost looked like the ring on his finger was glowing.


    "Marines?" the captain asked, after shooting Rosan a side glance.


    "Yes! Catching bad guys is my dream! It''s been my dream since I was little! Do you think I can do it?!" The teary boy asked them, eyes desperate for their approval.


    The glow vanished and Luffy gazed back at Koby.


    "How am I supposed to know?" The rubber boy chuckled. He didn''t know anything about this guy besides the fact he was a coward!


    "Only you know the answer to that," Rosan hummed. He had contemplated killing the boy right here so the world could have one less Marine but his goals were noble enough and he didn''t seem like the type to become corrupt.


    Also, Luffy would be upset with him for killing his friend.


    "Whipped," Ram snorted.


    "You don''t call him whipped when you''re the one being spoiled," Mod pointed out.


    "I''m his daughter! It''s my right and nobody else''s!"


    "Whatever you say, Ram."


    Rosan ignored them both, sensing the impending argument that seemed to happen hourly with the two.


    "No! I''ll do it! If I''m gonna be a chore boy for the rest of my life, then I''ll break out of here and catch even Alvida-sama ¡ª no, Alvida!" He exclaimed loudly. That would show her! He''d escape, become a high ranking Marine and put bullies like Alvida back in their place!


    "WHO ARE YOU GOING TO CAPTURE, RUNT?" A voice roared and Koby went pale, watching his sorry excuse of a dinghy be destroyed instantly under the attack of a large figure.


    "What... is... that?" Ram asked in horror and Mod softly bopped her on the head.


    "Don''t be rude, that''s a person," the woman admonished with a slight smile.


    The figure was a tall and very obese woman with long wavy black hair, and freckles on her cheeks. She wore a white cowgirl hat with a large red plume, a red neckerchief, a pink plaid shirt, and a blue captain''s coat over it.


    Her statement may have been rather crass but... there was some validity in what Ram said because Rosan would be hard pressed to find someone who looked like her.


    "M-MY BOAT!" Koby screeched in horror. He had been working on it for over 2 years and, though it would have certainly not survived even one voyage, all his hard work had gone down the drain!


    Alvida sized up the unfamiliar faces with a victorious smirk on her face. "Neither of you look like the bounty hunters Zoro or Reaper but¡­"


    She fixed the redhead with a predatory gaze that had Ram squealing in fear.


    "STAY AWAY!" The silver haired woman screamed, jumping into Mod''s arms for protection.


    Rosan didn''t like where this was going. He had been thinking about how the pirate was wary of Reaper, before she began gazing at him with the same eyes many people had fixed him with over the years.


    "No, no, no, a million times no. I''m telling Angel," Mod said decisively. There was a limit to what she could take.


    Ram gawked at her sheer audacity.


    "B-But Father didn''t even do anything?!"


    "I don''t care."


    Why was he in trouble? What did he do? Did Mod actually think he would have entertained this? He was just being polite. The redhead was going to let her speak first instead of jumping to conclusions.


    "You, redhead. Become my ¡ª"


    "No thank you. I''d rather not be with a "sack of shit" sorry," Rosan said respectfully and he slightly dipped his head as an apology.


    Those were Ram''s words, not his. Angel would probably tell him to say something along those lines as well.


    The entire area went silent at Rosan''s words and Luffy burst out laughing. The captain collapsed on the floor and clutched his stomach as he laughed and laughed.


    Alvida''s face went red in anger and embarrassment. She hadn''t even managed to ask the rude (albeit handsome) man her question and this was what she got?


    HER? Clearly he didn''t know what he was talking about and it was his loss!


    "Koby, please enlighten this fool. Who''s the most beautiful of all on these seas?"


    "As far as I know... Wouldn''t that be Mod-chan?" Rosan wondered. "Maybe not because she''s in my mind so not much people know how she looks. Angel then?"


    "I think Auntie Mod would win if there was a contest!" Ram beamed supportively.


    Mod blushed an atomic shade of red at being harassed by her two companions. "I-I¡­ T-thank you for the compliments but please let''s leave it at that!"


    She should have known not to say that around Ram.


    "Awww our hot little Auntie can''t handle a few compliments?" Ram''s voice was oozing with false concern and the tall woman capitalized immediately on Mod''s embarrassment. "Why not? Don''t you see what you''re working with! Be glad you''re not in the real world permanently because Father would be just as bad as you when it came to attention from suitors!"


    Rosan was fairly sure he''d be worse but he wouldn''t say that.


    "I-I just said stop... Why must you try and embarrass me like this?!"


    Rosan listened to Mod malfunction due to Ram peppering her with more and more compliments and he let them have their fun.


    Koby looked as if he was about to answer on auto-pilot but the laughing Luffy was doing a great job at distracting everyone there.


    "K-Koby," he wheezed between his fit of laughter. "W-Who''s this big chunky lady?"


    Everyone''s jaw dropped even further as Luffy added another insult to the pile.


    "Don''t be so rude, Luffy," Rosan reprimanded softly.


    "YOU''RE EVEN WORSE!" The surrounding pirates roared. This redhead had absolutely said something worse than the straw hat wearing boy and he didn''t even seem to notice! Who did he think he was?! Was he unaware?!


    "Oh? My apologies, I was just being honest," the 24 year old told them, tilting his head to the side.


    The group of pirates collapsed at the utter insincerity in his tone and Alvida looked like she was about to explode on the spot due to their words.


    "Rosan, Luffy! You both need to take it back!" Koby panicked, trying to save the two. "Throughout all of the seas, Alvida-sama is¡­"


    He remembered the words of the two strange pirates and stopped what he was saying. It didn''t matter if he died, so long as he fought for his dream to the end.


    "Alvida-sama is¡­ The UGLIEST OLD HAG EVER!" He finally roared. To hell with her! These two were right! If he died here, then that was the extent of what he was capable of!


    Luffy burst out laughing again and fell right back on the floor.


    "W-What did you just say?" Alvida hissed, veins riddling her face. The events of today, with the handsome redhead and the scrawny straw hat, were causing her to reach her limit and Koby was putting the final nail in the coffin.


    Koby steeled himself and stepped forward with a brave look on his fear filled face. "I-I''m going to join the navy! And then I''m gonna beat up pirates and them I''m gonna catch your lousy ass for everything you''ve done to me!"


    "That was well said," Rosan commented from the side, content to watch this all unfold. Alvida posed zero threat to him and Luffy had it handled so he didn''t feel the need to interfere.


    "Nope, I refuse to accept that. Knock her out for daring to make a move on you," Mod demanded and Rosan sighed at her tone.


    "Okay."


    "Luffy, I''ll take her out," Rosan suddenly said and the captain looked at him in curiosity.


    "Okay!" Luffy agreed easily enough before patting Koby on the back and dragging the petrified boy away. "That was well said, Koby!"


    "W-Wait, you''re just gonna let Rosan fight her?!" He shrieked in disbelief. He''d die! There was no way the redhead could beat Alvida alone... They''d need to gang up on her!


    "Yup!"


    "?!"


    Rosan sized the seething pirate up and hummed. "You shouldn''t show your emotions so freely grandma-san, people will take advantage of that," he offered her and she nearly blew a fuse at his patronizing words.


    "You¡­ stop messing with me! I''m only 25!"


    The redhead paused as he digested her words. "Did you look like this at 24 too?" He asked curiously.


    The deep glare she shot him, was answer enough.


    "Ah, then I''m safe."


    Alvida let out a hellacious roar and charged him, mace at the ready. Rosan stood there, with his head tilted, as the approaching figure neared his location.


    Everyone watching (except for Luffy), could only gawk in horror, at the sight of the redhead casually catching a swing of the big woman''s iron mace.


    "Ow, I''m in so much pain," Rosan said blandly, idly gripping the mace even harder in his bronze hand to the point where cracks began appearing.


    Alvida''s jaw dropped in surprise, at the bored expression on his face after effortlessly catching her attack and she tried to take a step back but his grip on her mace, was unforgiving. There was no way... just who was this random person?!


    She had swung her mace with everything she had and he was just standing there, mocking her?! Was he... Was he some type of monster?!


    "My apologies... I didn''t really want to do this so I''ll make it quick," the computer man whispered gently. Seemingly not minding the spikes on the mace at all, he tugged it forward and dragged Alvida with it. He clenched his fist and aimed directly for the woman.


    The woman''s eyes rolled to the back of her skull as a fist blurred and connected to her cheek, upheaving the large woman and sending her tumbling on the floor. He had given her no time to react and in only one attack, she was down for the count and showed no signs of waking back up.


    Her crew looked at Rosan in complete fear but he paid them no mind, focused on his mother instead.


    "Are you satisfied?" The redhead asked and after a long silence, he sighed again, turned towards the body and punted it a ways away to a different part of the island. It sailed through the air from his strength and everyone heard the thud of her landing.


    "Now I''m satisfied."


    "You shoulda killed her, Father," Ram exhaled sadly.


    Rosan hadn''t killed anyone since he was 18. Maybe he was maturing because killing such weak people seemed like a chore to him these days, with his little brothers around, he didn''t want to expose them to an even darker aspect of life.


    "M-Monster!" Koby whispered in disbelief at the strength Rosan displayed. What was he?! Alvida, the person who had been terrorizing him for two years, had just been taken out like yesterday''s trash by someone he had just met... The same person who was claiming to be just the scout.


    Everyone watched in terror as Alvida''s body soared through the air at the kick he planted. Were they... were they next?! Lady Alvida-sama was the strongest on this island bar none and she had just been taken out in one hit. The redhead in the expensive clothing didn''t even look bothered by it, already glancing away from the pirate crew and regarding the straw hat boy again.


    Rosan simply said, "We''re done here right? I''m going to get the ship ready."


    "Yeah! Let''s get outta here," Luffy agreed and the two began to walk away, not seeming to care at all about the events that had just happened. To them, it might as well have been just a random Tuesday with how nonchalant they were acting at invading someone''s island base, insulting said owner''s appearance and beating her down in front of her entire crew with only two hits...


    They were both monsters.


    "Koby, what are you doing? Let''s go!" The captain exclaimed and the pink haired boy blinked owlishly.


    "Eh?" He asked intelligently.


    "He''s slow Luffy so we have to spell things out for him," Rosan explained patiently, causing his brother''s mouth to set into an O of realization. "You can''t become a Marine here, so we''ll bring you to a base where you can become one. Did you get all that?"


    Honestly, was it possible that someone was dumber then his younger brother?


    Koby fell at his insult before hearing the second part and shooting back up in surprise.


    "You two would escort me¡­?" He whispered, tears brimming in his eyes at their act of kindness. Gathering himself up, he shot a momentary glance back at his former crew and hastily following after the pair.


    They were a weird duo but they were surprisingly nice!


    "If you whine or panic unnecessarily in my face, I''m going to throw you overboard. If you compliment the Marines in my face, I''m going to throw you overboard. If you tell anyone anything about me, I''m going to hunt you down, rip you in half and then throw you overboard," Rosan informed him patiently and the fact that his expression had not shifted even once, terrified Koby.


    "R-R-Right!" He saluted fearfully.


    He changed his mind, Rosan was not nice at all.


    Luffy laughed at the look on the pink haired boys face.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "This ship is incredible!" Koby awed at the sleek silver ship.


    He had never seen a boat like this before! It looked a lot more advanced then what he was used to and it seemed designed for comfort and speed. How did they manage to get such a rare looking ship?!


    "Why didn''t you use this ship in this first place?"


    "Because it''s my ship, not Luffy''s," Rosan explained. "Even though we could have used it until we got our own, someone refused and got tossed into a whirlpool as a result."


    "I thought you said you were giving me a head start?!"


    "I was¡­ Unfortunately, you survived."


    "But you protected me, didn''t you?" Luffy asked knowingly, a large, carefree grin, plastered across his face.


    "...Yes."


    He wouldn''t actually let his little brother die. Luffy was far too spoiled and it was absolutely Rosan''s fault that he was. Ace had chided him many a times for going to easy on him but Luffy wasn''t someone who''d let that weaken him, so Rosan continued to do so.


    Besides, the last three years would have dashed any of Ace''s complaints about him going too easy on the rubber boy. He had made good on his words and thoroughly trained up his little brother.


    If he was sure the whirlpool was going to kill him, naturally he''d have carried him away but Rosan had seen more dangerous ones.


    Koby sweatdropped at the conversation between the two insane boys. There was something deeply wrong with the opposite personalities. The fact that they were so comfortable with each other spoke volumes of their bonds.


    "That reminds me... um Rosan-san how did you show up on the island? Did... Did you fly?" Koby asked hesitantly. He hadn''t been able to catch it, considering he was looking at Luffy the whole time but one second, there had been no one there and the next, a redhead was standing right next to him.


    There had not even been a sound! He was like a ghost!


    "You want to be a Marine right?" Rosan asked in return.


    Koby nodded without hesitation at that.


    "We''re enemies. If I tell you anything about me it''s only going to be while your bleeding out and dying," the redhead informed him coldly.


    The cowardly little boy shrieked in fear. "R-Right!" He didn''t know what Rosan had against the World Government but it would be best if Koby didn''t mention them around the man. H-He was right anyways... the two were pirates and he was planning on joining the Navy so they would become enemies.


    He didn''t have to be so cold about it though...


    He turned his attention to the nicer of the two instead.


    "Luffy-san, if you''re going for the One Piece that means you two will be going to the Grand Line, right?"


    "Mhm," Luffy nodded. "Rosan have you ever been to the Grand Line?" His captain asked suddenly.


    "No. I was banned from entering until I became an adult," he replied calmly. While traveling between the seas, he had caught glimpses of the strange strip of ocean but he had never personally gone there.


    "That''s smart," Koby nodded, not knowing who could possibly ban this person from entering. "They call that place the pirate graveyard and for good reason too. If you go there unprepared, you''ll die!"


    "Yeah. We''re gonna need a strong crew¡­ What about that pirate hunter guy? What''s he like?" Luffy asked suddenly. What was his name again... Roruano Zero?


    Rosan didn''t know much about a pirate hunter. He had been lying low for a long time now and only really left Goa to visit his allies or for the occasional trip to different islands with all of them. Outside of bounty posters, he wasn''t too well versed in what was happening in the East Blue.


    In the past 10 years, he hadn''t been keeping up with what was happening around him too much so he wasn''t aware that there was another renowned bounty hunter. He did know that a plethora of people had begun bounty hunting (and dying) in order to replicate the fame that Reaper had amassed over the years.


    How flattering that he was causing a wave of people to show up. Perhaps he truly was Roger''s son in a way.


    Speaking of which, Alvida had been relieved that Reaper hadn''t been there but the Angel of Death hadn''t been active for 10 years. The fact that people were still wary of them was flattering but¡­ it would be best if he didn''t reveal his identity until Luffy and his future crew were strong enough to defend themselves.


    "Mhm, we''ll have to exercise caution lest we attract the whole world''s attention before we are ready," Mod nodded.


    "They''ll get what''s coming to them but it''ll be on our terms," Ram grinned.


    "You want to recruit the pirate hunter?" Rosan asked his captain.


    Luffy nodded and said, "If he''s a good guy, I''ll let him join," and the redhead nodded in return at that. It sounded good enough to him and if he was renowned, he must be somewhat strong.


    "What?! I heard he was captured by the Navy!" Koby exclaimed in disbelief, hoping to dissuade the duo from doing something stupid.


    "Aww, he''s a weakling?" Luffy frowned in disappointment at the revelation.


    "No way! He''s as terrifying as a demon!"


    "How do you know that? Have you met him?" Rosan asked the pink haired boy. Was Koby speaking from experience or was he just needlessly panicking again.


    His bet was on the latter.


    "N-No¡­" he answered meekly.


    "So how do you know this? Rumors?"


    "He''s been captured by the Marine''s! He''s a bad guy," Koby insisted and Rosan just stared at him.


    "Your perception of the world is too naive. I suggest not looking at everything in black and white or else you''ll break long before achieving your dreams," the man offered his two cents before making his way to a different part of the ship.


    "I''ll cook dinner."


    With that, the redhead vanished from their sights to prepare for food.


    Koby stared at his retreating back with a confused look on his face. "Too naive? But Marines are the good guys and if they captured someone, they have to be bad¡­ Right?"


    "Koby," Luffy said, uncharacteristically serious. "Don''t say that around Rosan. If you do, he''ll kill you," the captain warned.


    The aspiring Marine flinched harshly at his words and felt a surge of fear at the warning. What problem did Rosan have with the Marines?!


    He wasn''t sure but he certainly didn''t want to provoke him anymore so he would try and keep his mouth shut about them around the mysterious redhead.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "We should be arriving on the island with a Marine base soon," Koby called out.


    "Let''s sabotage them!" Ram called out excitedly.


    "Okay," Rosan hummed as they approached the island.


    "It shouldn''t be hard... Luffy has eaten everything already so try and take resources while we''re at it," Mod interjected and Rosan nodded.


    His brothers appetite was too insane and Rosan wasn''t a light eater either.


    The boy in question, was laughing cheerfully at the prospect of meeting a potential crewmate.


    "This is no time to be laughing, Luffy!" Koby admonished. "Roronoa Zoro is being held there¡­ They say he''s a demon in human flesh who''s chopped up bounties like a bloodthirsty beast!"


    Rosan paid no mind to what Koby was saying. Rumors were how Reaper''s fame had gotten so out of hand and 90% of them were wrong.


    The best way to find out about a person, was to meet them yourself. Everyone was always caught off guard by Reaper''s polite disposition because of the nonsense that they filled their heads with. Honestly, some people actually thought he was really the God of Death.


    Silly them, Rosan was no God.


    Luffy planted his feet on solid ground with an excited cheer. "We finally made it!"


    "Are you hungry?" Rosan asked patiently and the teen nodded rapidly. "We can go get some food then in the meantime while we make plans."


    The redhead summoned one of his mechanical scouts (it was a bird) and had it go search the Marine base. It''s orders were simple. Find Zoro and anything of value so that Rosan could steal it later.


    It didn''t take them long to find a quaint place to eat and the party of three ate their fill.


    "Well Koby¡­" Luffy began, while rubbing his belly in content. "I guess this is where we go our separate ways. I hope you join the Marines and become a great sailor!"


    "Good luck and don''t let the power get to your head," Rosan said, eyes closed as he rested his cheek against a hand.


    "T-Thank you, you two!" Koby teared up. "I hope you guys become great pirates... even if it means we''ll be enemies."


    "Oh! I guess we should find that Roronoa Zoro guy while we''re here," Luffy said and he paused, as every other patron in the restaurant screamed at the mention of the pirate hunter.


    Rosan glanced up at the noise of tables crashing before he closed his eyes again and hummed a quiet tune to himself.


    "You probably shouldn''t say that name out loud around here," Koby whispered and Luffy hummed in contemplation.


    He shrugged and Koby took that as his approval. His eyes lit up as he remembered something and he excitedly said, "I saw a poster that said that Captain Morgan is at this base! I heard he captured a pirate named Captain Kuro years ago ¡ª"


    Even more tables crashed, as the patrons screamed again at the mention of the name Morgan and the pink haired boy couldn''t help but let out a "Huh?" in confusion.


    "I''m leaving," Rosan announced suddenly. The table crashes were extremely unnecessary and the screaming was too annoying. It was only a name being said, how could that cause that much fear?


    At least say a name that deserved it¡­ Like Big Mom. Or Whitebeard.


    Yeah... Whitebeard sounded much more intimidating then someone named Big Mom. Kaido sounded scarier then both of them...


    Not Shanks though. Idiot redhead couldn''t intimidate a child.


    Luffy laughed at the actions of the citizens and followed after his scout without delay. Koby quickly shot up and chased the two.


    "W-Wait, you two didn''t pay!" He exclaimed but they had already disappeared.


    Koby held his head at their antics.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "That restaurant was really funny! We should go back there again!" Luffy exclaimed, still laughing at their antics.


    The redhead shook his head at the stupidity of the patrons. "Honestly, who just flips tables for fun?" Rosan commented blandly.


    "I understand why they were afraid of Zoro, but why did they scream after hearing their captain''s name¡­" Koby mused.


    "Maybe they got carried away in all their fun," the captain said.


    "WHY WOULD THAT HAPPEN?!"


    "Isn''t it obvious?" The scout replied softly. "They screamed from fear so they are afraid. Of both of them."


    Koby blinked in shock at his blunt answer. "But that''s impossible! Why would they ever be afraid of him?"


    "¡­" The redhead said nothing and continued to walk.


    "He''s a good kid but very naive," Mod mused. "Haven''t you been going a little too hard on him?"


    "Do you think so?" Rosan commented. "I can''t help but want to tear down the fantasies of a person who praises the people I despise the most in the world."


    "That''s rather spiteful of you but I understand."


    "...If I thought he was anything like the Marines that ruined my life I''d have long ago killed him. But for him to pretend like everyone in the World Government is a paragon of justice... It''s not only naive but it spits in the face of those who were subject to their power hungry ways."


    Time had done nothing. Rosan''s hatred of the World Government still remained even with the blanket over his emotions. In fact, the lack of emotions meant that it hadn''t even slightly lessened for them.


    "You''re right about that and it seems like there''s a corrupt Marine even here. Maybe this will be what he needs to open his eyes."


    They approached the massive gate that blocked the entrance to the Marine''s base and sized it up.


    "Well, go in Koby!"


    "B-But I''m not mentally ready a-and the people sure were scared after hearing the Captain''s name¡­"


    Luffy was no longer listening due to the fact that he was climbing the top of the wall to get a closer look.


    "What''re you doing?!" Koby shouted. W-What if he got in trouble for climbing that and they saw Koby hanging out with him and then they labelled him a pirate and he had to flee!


    "Trying to get a glimpse of the demonic beast," Luffy said casually, searching for his target all the while.


    "He should be there, I saw him earlier," Rosan interjected and Koby looked at him in confusion.


    Saw him earlier? Rosan was with them the whole time though...?


    "There''s no way he''d be out here¡­ He''s probably somewhere in the deepest parts of the prison¡­"


    "I see someone!" Luffy suddenly said and he dropped down to go to a closer location. Rosan followed the hasty teen at a more moderate pace and Koby, still not believing them, chased the two.


    Luffy hoisted himself up and Rosan leapt up with a single bound before sitting neatly on it.


    "That looks like him," the redhead commented and Luffy nodded along.


    "See? I told you, Koby!"


    The pink haired boy finally made his way up the wall and when he looked at who the two were talking about, he screeched and fell back down.


    "A b-black bandanna and a haramaki sash! It''s really Roronoa Zoro!" The boy gasped in terror. He had such a menacing aura and it left Koby shaking just looking at him.


    "He can get away easy if we untie those ropes," Luffy pointed out.


    "Want me to do it?" Rosan asked with a tilted head. It wouldn''t be that hard to get him untied. The redhead had freed people from more difficult things.


    "No, absolutely not! That''s suicide! If you free him, he''ll kill us then wreck the town!"


    "How scary," the Mod Mod no mi user said blankly.


    "Hey, you guys," the tied up man suddenly called, grabbing their attention. "Come over here and untie me, I''ve been here for nine days and I can''t take anymore."


    "Okay," Rosan acquiesced and the redhead actually looked like he was about to do it!


    Koby let out a strangled yell and the redhead paused. "D-Don''t do it, you two! The moment you untie him he''ll kill us and get away!"


    "He can''t kill us," Luffy said bluntly. "I wouldn''t let him!"


    "No one on this island can kill us," Rosan added calmly. It''d be an insult if he lost in the East Blue of all seas.


    "Huh?!" Zoro muttered in shock at the statement from the two. They were rather bold statements and if he weren''t tied up, he''d have challenged them.


    Though¡­ he didn''t see any blades on either of them so maybe not.


    "These two have such massive heads," Koby cried comically. Did no one else have any survival instincts but him?!


    Their conversation was interrupted, by the sight of a ladder being planted next to them. They all watched with varying degrees of interest, as a little girl climbed it and whispered for them to be quiet.


    Koby screeched in fear at seeing her drop down into the area and tried to call her back. If that child walked up to Zoro... who knows what he''d do to her?!


    "Luffy! Do something or she''ll be killed!" He whispered urgently.


    "Why don''t you just do it yourself?" The captain replied.


    Rosan saw the child approach the tied up man with what appeared to be rice balls and watched the scene unfold, tilting his head curiously.


    "Whadda you want?" Zoro asked gruffly. "Get lost before you get killed!"


    If that stupid Marine caught wind of this, the girl would be in trouble and him going out his way to save her, would have gone down the drain.


    The child completely ignored his warnings and presented him with the gift in her hands. "I thought you might be hungry so I made these rice balls for you! It''s my first time ever making them so I hope you like it!" She beamed.


    "I''m not hungry! Get outta here and take that food with you!" Zoro lied and the girl looked saddened by his words.


    "B-but¡­"


    "I said I don''t want it!" He barked. "Now get outta here before I stomp you to death!"


    Good, that should scare her off ¡ª


    "You shouldn''t bully kids, Roronoa Zoro!" a whiny voice called out in the distance. "I''ll tell my father on you if you keep doing that!"


    "What is wrong with all these people?" Ram asked in horror, taking in the sight of Captain Morgan''s son, Helmeppo. Now, she wasn''t the most stylish girl around, (thankfully she was naturally blessed by the genetics of both her Mother and Father) but not even she would deign to dress or look this ridiculous! Her black coat was awesome enough and not stupid at all like this walking mushroom!


    "Another weirdo," Luffy mused, unknowingly agreeing with Ram.


    Helmeppo was a lanky, average-sized young man with a distinctive cleft chin and light blonde hair. His hair was styled into some sort of mushroom style and he was wearing a fancy suit.


    Rosan was of the opinion that he had absolutely no style at all. The walking mushroom should take some tips from Angel... but his little sister would probably stomp him out if he even dared to approach her.


    "He must be some high ranking Marine! That little girl will be safe with him," Koby sighed in relief, but the man''s next actions completely dashed his ease.


    The pink haired boy watched in horror, as Helmeppo bullied the girl into giving him a rice ball, spit it out after finding out there was sugar instead of salt, stomped on the remaining one, threatened to have the crying child executed, ordered a Marine to throw her over the fence, and threaten to tell his dad when the man, understandably, hesitated.


    "So safe," Rosan commented softly. "I feel like I can sleep peacefully with him in charge."


    Koby flinched at the man''s words but couldn''t say anything besides, "How horrible¡­"


    The girl stepped back in fear as the Marine approached her and he whispered, "I''m sorry, please curl into a ball."


    With that, he hoisted her up and launched the child over the wall. Luffy immediately reacted and grabbed her before she hurt herself and the teen absorbed the impact of the blow, as they crashed into the ground.


    "Are you okay?" Koby asked in concern and the little girl nodded with teary eyes.


    Rosan wasn''t looking at what was going on behind him. He was listening in on the conversation between Zoro and the Marine Captain''s son.


    "I''ll live the whole month, so you better keep your promise," Zoro warned and Helmeppo laughed annoyingly at him.


    "Good luck surviving the whole month, Roronoa Zoro," he replied condescendingly, already walking away.


    Tied up for a whole month? What a strong but stupid man. The Marine brat had no intention of keeping his promise. Rosan could hear the lie in his voice but apparently he was the only one able to.


    Well, he supposed he couldn''t blame them. He had always been pretty good at detecting lies and his former experiences were useful in identifying when a person was doing so.


    Like right now.


    Luffy approached the prisoner with a curious smile on his face and Zoro glanced at him in annoyance.


    "You still here?" He asked gruffly. "Better not let Helmeppo''s father catch you," the green haired man warned.


    "Stuck out here for all to see¡­ Are you really all that strong?" Luffy wondered. Didn''t look like it... how did he even get captured? He wasn''t even a pirate!


    Zoro felt his annoyance spike at this annoying kid''s words. "Mind your own business!" He growled at the teen before him and Luffy just laughed in response.


    "I''m looking for good men to join my pirate crew," the captain suddenly said and Zoro raised a brow.


    "Pirate crew? You think I''d lower myself to that level?" He asked incredulously. There was no way he''d ever stoop down to becoming a pirate. Those guys were scum of the Earth and caused trouble that he wanted no part of. He had one goal and one goal only. Being a pirate wouldn''t help him at all so the idea was a no brainer.


    "But becoming a pirates my dream! What''s wrong with it?" Luffy asked with a furrowed brow, tilting his head to the side and regarding the man with confusion.


    Zoro stared at him and smirked. "So what? You think if you untie me, I''m gonna join your pirate crew?"


    That wasn''t enough to get his loyalty and this kid would be stupid for thinking that. He had his own set of beliefs and some kid wasn''t going to change them just by setting him free.


    Luffy''s only response was to shrug and say, "Well I haven''t decided if I''ll ask you yet¡­ You know you got a pretty bad reputation?"


    Zoro snorted. He didn''t care about what people thought about him so hearing he had a bad reputation, didn''t phase him in the slightest.


    "It doesn''t matter and I don''t need your help to free me. That Captain''s idiot son promised to free me if I lasted a month here, then I''ll be free to pursue my dream," he said confidently.


    Luffy smiled good naturedly and said, "I don''t think I could last one week without food."


    Rosan personally thought Luffy was giving himself too much credit. He was sure his little brother couldn''t last a day.


    "I''ve got more willpower then you so go look for a crewmember somewhere else," Zoro dismissed and Luffy laughed.


    "What a strange person," he mused and the rubber boy began to walk away from the bound up prisoner.


    Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    "Wait a minute," Zoro suddenly said and the captain paused. "Pick that up for me," he requested, nodding his head towards the rice ball that the little girl had made.


    The pirate glanced down and pointed at the food. "You''re gonna eat this? It''s mostly a dirt ball now though¡­" Luffy stated with a puzzled look on his face.


    "Just shut up and feed it to me! And don''t miss one grain of rice!" Zoro demanded.


    Luffy shrugged and tossed the discarded rice into the green haired man''s mouth without hesitation.


    The pirate hunter coughed for a solid minute after consuming the dirt filled rice and the rubber boy simply said, "Told you so, are you trying to kill yourself?"


    That seemed like a dumb way to die... but who was Luffy to judge? Lots of people said his dream was dumb!


    "T-Tell the kid that it was delicious and I ate it all," Zoro said, through a fitful of coughs.


    Luffy simply laughed as a response and walked away.


    "What do you think?" Rosan asked calmly to his brother climbing back over the fence.


    "He''s interesting!" Luffy said honestly with a big smile and Rosan nodded in agreement.


    "So you want to invite him to the crew?"


    The rubber boy shrugged. "I don''t know yet. How do you feel about him?" He asked in return


    Rosan hummed and tilted his head, as they began walking back. "He''s a bit stupid but I think if you can convince him to become a pirate he''ll be a valuable asset. He''s got a lot of drive inside of him."


    "I think so too!" Luffy grinned.


    Roronoa Zoro¡­ Rosan wondered what he''d do when he found out Helmeppo was lying.


    He''d probably die. Those ropes sure looked tight.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "He really ate it all?!" The little girl, Rika, asked in wonder. She was currently torn between looking at Luffy and glancing pleadingly at the tiny bird resting on Rosan''s finger. It was rubbing its cheek against his own and preened in satisfaction at being praised by him.


    The redhead allowed his scout to fly over to Rika and she squealed in joy at the little bird entertaining her.


    "Yeah! He ate every last bite!" Luffy exclaimed and the child let out a relieved sigh.


    "I''m so happy!"


    Koby looked conflicted and for good reason. What he had just seen and heard probably shook up his naive viewpoint of the world.


    "Is Zoro really as evil as everyone says¡­?" Koby muttered to himself, causing Rosan to glance over at him momentarily.


    "He''s figuring out the world isn''t as pretty as he thought. Marines good? Pirates bad? I wish life was that simple."


    "It''s good that it''s happening this early. I''m sure his disappointment if he found out months after joining the Marines, would deeply affect him."


    "It might even break someone as softhearted as him," Ram snorted.


    "He''s not evil!" Rika denied vehemently and a sad look crossed her face. "Everyone in town is afraid of him but he didn''t do anything wrong¡­ He was thrown in prison because I got attacked by Helmeppo''s dogs!"


    She explained what happened between Helmeppo and Zoro and they listened with varying degrees of curiosity.


    "So Zoro''s in jail because he attacked that guy''s dog to save you?" Luffy pondered.


    "That makes sense! He''s really scary but he still only hunts people with bounties and you can''t get thrown into prison for that¡­" Koby said.


    "I thought once you were imprisoned, you were evil," Rosan suddenly said, glancing blankly at the pink haired boy. "Isn''t that what you said? The Marines locked him up so he''s evil, right?"


    Koby flinched at his words and opened his mouth but immediately closed it. There was nothing he could say to defend the Marines here because he was seeing it with his own eyes what was happening.


    Helmeppo and his father were awful. They flaunted their power without a care in the world and as a result, the people here had to suffer. They were supposed to be the good guys so why did their actions seem so¡­ evil?


    Koby didn''t know but he was sure that Rosan did. That''s why the redhead had chastised him so often because to him... the aspiring Marine must have sounded downright ignorant.


    Their conversation was cut short, at the sound of glass crashing in Rika''s mother''s restaurant and they made their way inside to see what the commotion was.


    "I''m hungry! Let us all eat for free," Helmeppo laughed condescendingly as he leaned into his chair. There wasn''t a hint of care on the spoiled brats face and he was treating the restaurant like he owned it.


    "I''m glad that I raised you to be better than this," Mod sniffed.


    Ram laughed at her bothered tone and patted her.


    "Anyways, I decided to hold a public execution for Roronoa Zoro," Helmeppo told the people listening to him (not that they had a choice).


    Luffy raised a brow in confusion.


    "Didn''t you make a promise to him?!" The captain asked and the onlookers gasped at watching someone have the bravery to question the spoiled brat.


    "Eh, promise?" Helmeppo raised a brow and dug a finger into his ear. "That promise was just a joke! He''s just a dumbass for believing it!"


    "Wait, don''t kill him. We don''t want to attract attention to ourselves so soon."


    Rosan hadn''t been about to kill him on the spot... Just put him into a coma for a few days, but Mod successfully stopped him. To so casually dismiss a promise in front of him¡­ Helmeppo was so very lucky that his Devil Fruit had been there to sway him.


    Luffy did not have a voice of reason like Rosan.


    His brother immediately rushed Helmeppo and punched him square in the cheek, flooring him and making the spoiled kid tumble before he crashed into a table. The blonde squealed in pain and tears formed in his eyes at the pain.


    "How come Luffy gets to do what he wants?" Ram pouted. This was so not fair! The moment Ram tried to do something, her cheek got mauled by her terrifyingly strong Auntie.


    "Because Luffy''s thoughts aren''t kill first, ask questions later," Mod explained slowly. It was punch first actually but at least punching wasn''t killing.


    "...You still believe that Luffy thinks?" Ram questioned and the purple haired woman sweatdropped.


    W-Well that was true...


    "Rosan, I''ve decided to ask Zoro to join my crew," Luffy declared, glaring at Helmeppo even while being held back by Koby.


    "Okay," Rosan nodded in compliance. He didn''t have a problem with the recruit and if Zoro proved unruly, he stood no chance against the two.


    "Y-You hit me! You actually hit me!" Helmeppo gasped through teary eyes. "I''M CAPTAIN MORGAN''S BELOVED SON. I''M TELLING DADDY ON YOU!"


    "This is a grown man," Ram pointed out in deadpan. Daddy? Seriously? Was he some kind of kink freak? Kami, she was glad her Father was so cool and normal... Well, as normal as an emotionless man with two extra voices inside his head could be.


    "Don''t go crying to your dad! Face me like a man," Luffy declared but Helmeppo was already being dragged off by his subordinates.


    "You two just made enemies of the whole Navy!" Koby fearfully declared.


    "We''re pirates," Rosan replied simply.


    "It was gonna happen eventually!" Luffy smiled. "Now I''ve gotta talk to Zoro. Rosan, what are you gonna do?"


    The redhead hummed. "We''re running low on supplies, I''m going pillaging."


    Luffy grinned.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    While Luffy was talking to the pirate hunter (he just knew that man was being forced to join the crew), Rosan was in the process of robbing this Marine base dry.


    They needed the resources after all. The Marines could use their hefty funding to buy more stuff.


    Rosan was walking through the Marine Base like he owned the place, expertly avoiding the eyes of the soldiers here despite not being camouflaged.


    Well, he would have been avoiding their eyes¡­ if there were any Marines here. He had run into far less than he had expected (0) and that made him pause in contemplation. He had already ransacked the kitchen and stolen all the necessary food from the fridge, freezer and pantries but there hadn''t been anyone there to silence in case they saw him.


    How unfortunate. He wanted a reason to destroy a couple of Marines.


    "Modification: Scan," he uttered and his radar shot out over the entire vicinity of the base.


    Three in the courtyard, one in the base (besides him), and a plethora of people on the roof¡­


    Rosan hummed at the influx of information and summoned a bug to go to the roof. He wanted to see what had them so invested up there, that they would make every single Marine vacate the interior.


    In the meantime, he would go check on the one other presence inside of the base ¡ª


    A resounding crash echoed throughout the building, halting his thoughts, and he heard Mod let out a suffering sigh.


    ...


    "...Modification: Scan," Rosan said again and he closed his eyes at the new information.


    Two in the courtyard, one in the base, and one extra person added to the plethora of people on the roof¡­


    "Don''t ever take Luffy on a stealth mission with you," Mod warned in a resigned manner, causing Ram to cackle hysterically.


    "At least I got all the food," Rosan muttered as he began moving through the corridors. He was curious about the only other source in the base and, knowing Luffy, he was being chased right about now. The place would soon be flooded with Marines but he wasn''t worried about being spotted. He had managed to evade the eyes of much more formidable foes...


    Should he help his brother?


    "Nah," Ram said and he nodded in agreement before dashing off in the opposite direction of his captain.


    Luffy would be fine. What was really surprising, was that Koby appeared to be in the courtyard now with Zoro. Had the kid finally opened his eyes at the corruption happening around him?


    Good for him.


    It didn''t take Rosan long to track the one presence that had sparked his curiosity and he paused at the entrance of what was probably the Captain''s room.


    Crouched in front of a safe, was a pretty, orange haired girl wearing a white and blue striped shirt, an orange mini-skirt and brown high-heeled boots. She was rummaging around for something and he heard her muttering to herself.


    Oh? This didn''t look like a Marine...


    How interesting.


    Nami let out an unruly screech at the sound of someone saying "Greetings," and whirled around to face the intruder (ironic).


    The thief prided herself on being able to sense when people were near her. She kind of had to have that skill due to her line of profession in burglary. The orange haired girl was confident she could feel a person out before they got too close.


    Except for this mysterious person right here.


    They were like a ghost because Nami still couldn''t sense them. He had effortlessly snuck up on her and she had no idea how long he had been there.


    The figure staring at her, was tall, bronze, and handsome with a brilliant shade of red hair tied into a messy bun that left the spikes in the front hanging. He wore a long sleeved red shirt, long black pants and was equipped with accessories that had Nami eyeing them greedily (especially the ring).


    Most notable about this figure though, were those dual orbs staring into her soul without a hint of life in them. One was purple and the other red and Nami quickly averted her gaze due to how increasingly unnerving it was to gaze into them.


    He didn''t look like he was apart of the World Government but he could just be opting out of wearing his uniform... His outfit was rather expensive, so perhaps he was one of the higher ranking ones... They did get paid incredibly well.


    She would need to proceed carefully just in case.


    "You shouldn''t surprise me like that!" Nami exclaimed with a hand over her beating heart.


    "My apologies. That was not my intention. I was just curious about what you were up to," he said blandly, never taking his eyes off of her.


    Nami calmed slightly at the lack of suspicion in his tone and figured that maybe he thought she was a fellow Marine? After all, neither of them were wearing uniform so it could actually be easier to convince him.


    "I was doing an inspection of the room," Nami smiled in a confident manner and he hummed, tilting his head to the side curiously. She would pretend to be a higher up in the Marines and shake him off when he let her continue doing her "job".


    "Is that so? That''s odd because I came here to do the same thing and I don''t recall Vice Admiral Garp telling me someone else was coming," he replied calmly.


    Nami froze at that revelation. He was sent here by a Vice Admiral...? Oh no... Was he also one? B-But weren''t Vice Admirals normally stationed in the Grand Line?!


    "Would you mind showing me some identification?" The redhead asked those dreaded questions and Nami decided it was high time to jump to plan B and get the hell outta here.


    A coy smile formed on her face and she leaned forward slightly, hoping to draw his eyes downward. "How about we do something else?" Nami teased in a low whispering, practically preening at the sight of his eyes never leaving her figure.


    The tall redhead hummed, expression not shifting even once, but she didn''t notice in her own confidence. "Something else?" He questioned and Nami grinned on the inside.


    They always fell for this. Discarding responsibility for the chance to get some action. It was almost sad how easy it was but the surprise on their face when Nami knocked them silly and escaped was always satisfying.


    "Yup! Just you and I!" She chirped, stepping up suggestively to him. He didn''t react as she got closer, nearly touching him and those intriguing eyes of his pierced her soul, no hint of emotion in them.


    Nami knew better though! Even the biggest stiffs, with their neutral expressions, eventually fell for her charms. She was a woman who knew what she was working with and not much people could resist it. This man would be no different.


    He silently regarded her for a moment and she just knew he was fully weighing the pros and cons of it. That never lasted long though, soon he''d say yes and she''d take the opportunity to knock him unconscious ¡ª


    "No thanks, Orange. I''m not interested in whatever you''re offering. Show me your identification," he finally demanded, eyes finally leaving her figure to glance out the window.


    The thief''s jaw dropped at his casual dismissal, reeling back in surprise. Nami wasn''t arrogant but she knew she was attractive. Her looks had gotten her in and out of trouble many times over the years and she had learned to hone and abuse it to get her way.


    More than once, she did this exact same trick with another person and immediately knocked them unconscious once they were lost in their lecherous fantasies. By the time they awoke, she was long gone and they were probably left fuming at being tricked.


    But this man right here was utterly unfazed by her provocations. His gaze hadn''t been checking her out... it had just been to make sure she didn''t prove to be a threat and the redhead had decided she wasn''t!


    The man wasn''t even looking at her anymore! He was staring outside of the window at who knows what and she furrowed her brows in outrage.


    How rude of him! Even a thief like her had some pride and he was stepping all over it right now!


    "Y-You¡­" She stewed in disbelief and the redhead finally glanced back at her.


    "I''d love to keep messing with you Orange, but it seems like its getting pretty active out there. Let''s do this some other time and we can think up some new roles for ourselves," the stranger said suddenly.


    "I''m not a Marine by the way. I just felt like making you sweat because I can. Have fun with whatever your stealing, you should escape soon considering all the Marines are still outside," he finished, waving slightly at the dumbfounded thief.


    Without any hesitation, he leapt out of the window and she harshly flinched back at the sound of the glass breaking.


    Nami''s shock at seeing him jump out the window, quickly turned into anger at the fact that he was messing with her and a vein throbbed on her head.


    "MY NAME''S NOT ORANGE, YOU DICK," she roared furiously, before covering her mouth in shock and fleeing the scene.


    That stupid redhead¡­ How dare he mess with her?! Who the hell did he think he was? Messing with her because he could?! What kinda psycho did that?!


    Then she paused as his actions caught up to her.


    H-HAD HE JUST JUMPED OUT OF THE BUILDING?!


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "These ropes are so tight," Luffy complained and Zoro felt his annoyance spike at the hopeless expression on his face.


    "H-Hurry up!" Zoro yelled at his new captain, watching the Marine''s approached them with an increasingly nervous expression. The strange rubber boy before him had managed to convince him to join his crew but he wouldn''t be spending much time as a pirate, if he wasn''t SET FREE!


    Luffy looked way too proud of himself as he said, "There! I managed to untie one of your arms!"


    "GIVE ME MY SWORDS MORON!" Zoro roared at the idiot before him and Luffy did just that.


    "KILL ALL THAT DEFY ME!" Morgan roared and Koby screamed in fear as every Marine swung down ¡ª


    Only to be met and parried by all 3 of Roronoa Zoro''s swords. He glared at all of the Marine''s as he casually held them back and said stonily, "The first one who moves, dies."


    "Wow! He''s so cool!" Luffy beamed.


    "Eek! He''s so scary!" The Marine''s thought collectively.


    "I gave you my word so I''m a pirate and I attacked the Marines so I''m officially an outlaw¡­" Zoro began, glancing at Luffy.


    "...But hear this! I have a mission to fulfill!" He declared to his captain. "I''m going to become the World''s Greatest Swordsman! My name may be infamous, but it''s gonna shake the world!"


    "If I have to abandon my dream for any reason¡­ Then I''ll make you carve out your own heart!"


    Luffy grinned eagerly at that. "World''s Greatest Swordsman eh? That''s great! The Pirate King would expect nothing less!" He declared.


    Zoro smirked in return. He liked this kid, his ambitions were equal to the Swordsman''s own ¡ª No, they seemed even bigger! "You talk big, Captain."


    "Stop hesitating! Slaughter them right now!" Morgan roared.


    The rubber man grinned eagerly and instructed Zoro to duck, which he confusedly obliged with, before cocking his leg back. "Gomu Gomu no Whip," Luffy yelled, extending his leg and bowling the Marine''s over completely, sending them crashing into a heap.


    The soldiers groaned, but didn''t get back up.


    Morgan''s eyes bugged out of his head at the display. A Devil Fruit? In this part of the ocean?!


    "Incredible!" Koby awed. He had only recently learned that Luffy had a Devil Fruit due to seeing the boy randomly use it while they sailed. The wide eyed screech of terror had earned him a punch to the skull, courtesy of Rosan and Luffy laughed all the while, explaining his fruit in the process.


    "What the hell are you?!" Zoro asked in confusion.


    "I''m a rubber man!" Luffy exclaimed happily. He said it like everyone should just accept this knowledge with a serene expression.


    Just who was this guy?!


    The Marines became completely demoralized at the display of the two monsters. Roronoa Zoro was already too much for them but now they had to deal with a Devil Fruit user too?! They really were going to die if they kept it up!


    "A rubber man?"


    "Captain, they''re too much!"


    "It''s hopeless, we can''t fight a rubber man and that demon Roronoa Zoro at the same time!"


    Morgan''s visage darkened at their words and the temperature dropped around him. "All of you who were just whining right now¡­ I want you to grab your weapons and shoot yourselves in the head. I won''t tolerate any weaklings so on my order, fire!"


    He refused to have such cowardly men under his command. They could all die right here and right now for their transgressions.


    Much to their surprise, the Marine''s actually began holding up their rifles to obey the order. Despite shaking, they really did look like they were ready to press the trigger.


    "These guys are mental," Zoro muttered in disbelief. Killing yourself over someone elses orders simply due to their rank?


    Ridiculous.


    Luffy snarled and dashed forward, straight towards Captain Morgan, throwing a punch that was barely blocked by the man''s axe. Everyone''s jaw dropped, as the weapon crumbled beneath Luffy''s fist and shattered. Morgan most of all, was in a state of utter disbelief, at seeing his axe hand completely destroyed by this runt.


    "I''m your enemy so try putting me to death," the pirate captain threatened with a glare on his face.


    The captain snarled in disbelief. Who did this no name think he was? Waltzing into his base and doing whatever it was he wanted. From destroying his statue, to shattering his faulty axe with a lucky blow! It was obvious he''d have to teach this lousy idiot what happened when you crossed Axe-Hand Morgan.


    "LUFFY!" Koby screamed. "DESTROY THIS LOUSY NAVY!"


    "You don''t have rank or status and yet you attack me? I''ll teach you to defy your betters!" Morgan growled. His axe shattering jarred him but he was still him! He was a captain and this was a random. He managed to get a lucky hit? So what? This wouldn''t decide the battle and after he won, he''d get his axe repaired into mint condition so that this didn''t happen again.


    "I''m captain Axe-Hand Morgan!" He roared and charged the scrawny boy before him.


    "Nice to meetcha! I''m Straw Hat Luffy!" The captain greeted politely.


    Luffy jumped over a wild swing from Morgan and planted both feet to his face, sending the man flying. He didn''t get to make it very far, due to the rubbery hand gripping his shirt and the rubber boy pulled him back into his waiting arms, pummeling the man repeatedly with punches.


    Try as he might, Morgan found that it was impossible to free himself from the, much smaller, boy''s grip.


    The rubber boy suddenly released the Marine and grinned at him, infuriating the man to a degree he didn''t think was possible. After all, his grip had been steely and there was no chance of Morgan escaping it so that meant he had been willingly let go.


    He was... He was being toyed with? By this no name? Him? Captain Morgan? Treated like a joke...?


    HIM?!


    "D-DIE!" Morgan roared in unfathomable rage and swung his broken handle at the airborne boy.


    "Don''t wanna!" Luffy laughed, spinning in midair to effortlessly dodge the incoming attack. Morgan''s reward for the failed attack, was another sandal to the jaw and the straw hat wearing boy began repeatedly stomping on his face.


    The Marine Captain tried to defend himself but it was for naught and Luffy continued stomping him out.


    "Wow¡­ Captain Morgan is getting destroyed," the Marines whispered in disbelief, watching the man groan in pain. They had never seen him get trashed like this and it was rather humbling to see their demon get so effortlessly destroyed.


    "So strong?!" Koby didn''t know Luffy was this powerful! Rosan was the one who had taken out Alvida so he had never seen the teen in action! He was strong and fast, moving in a way that prevented Morgan from having any form of retaliation!


    Speaking of which¡­ where was Rosan? The pink haired boy had seen no sign of him since this whole thing started. He was sure the redhead had been traveling with them but his steps were assured and quiet, never making a sound, which is why Koby didn''t even notice him disappear until just now! How did the redhead manage to erase his presence so casually and where did he go?!


    "You and the Marines are ruining Koby''s dream!" Luffy said, accenting each word with a stomp to his skull.


    Rosan had taught him well.


    "STOP IT, STRAW HAT!" A voice screamed and it was revealed to be Helmeppo. He was holding a pistol to Koby''s head and the Marine''s son was shaking in fear. Watching his daddy get manhandled so easily, did a number on him and had reduced him to a nervous wreck.


    Luffy completely ignored him and kept stomping on Captain Morgan whose groans of pain at every blow, grew louder.


    Zoro sweatdropped.


    "I SAID STOP YOU IDIOT! ONE FALSE MOVE AND FOUR EYES GETS IT!" He demanded and the pirate finally stopped.


    Luffy just stared at him, completely unfazed. Him and Koby made eye contact and he watched the aspiring Marine steel himself.


    "DON''T LET ME BE THE REASON YOU LOSE! EVEN IF IT MEANS I DIE!" Koby screamed out resolutely.


    "You''re a good guy, Koby!" Luffy beamed before he began winding up a punch. "Hey, stupid son! Koby really is ready to die here!"


    "I TOLD YOU NOT TO MOVE! I''LL REALLY SHOOT HIM HERE!" Helmeppo screeched but Luffy ignored him.


    A shadow loomed over him and Koby screamed for Luffy to watch out.


    "Gomu Gomu no¡­," Luffy began, throwing his fist back.


    Zoro placed a sword in his mouth to defend his captain.


    A shadow began falling from above.


    "...Pistol!"


    "DADDY! KILL HIM QUICK!" Helmeppo screeched before the punch collided square with his cheek, knocking him unconscious and sending his body soaring.


    At the same time, Zoro moved and cut through Morgan with all three of his blades¡­


    But that wasn''t it.


    A figure crashed into the Marine Captain and planted him deep into the ground, much to the open mouth surprise of all but Luffy. Morgan spat out a glob of blood from the force and he felt his bones shattering at the impact, as his body embedded itself into the dirt.


    "My apologies, I didn''t expect you to have already lost. You''re quite the weak one aren''t you?" a deep voice rang out softly but clearly.


    Rosan glanced down at the broken body beneath him and stepped off of him without any trouble, idly wiping his shoes clean with Captain Morgan''s outfit in the process. He was going to crush him before he could take a swing at Luffy, but it looked like it had been dealt with by Zoro.


    Nice, the swordsman seemed reliable enough.


    Everyone (barring Luffy) bugged their eyes at the surprise entrance. Who was this? Where did he come from?! The speed at which he dropped on Morgan... DID HE COME FROM THE SKY?! D-DID THEY HAVE TO FIGHT ANOTHER MONSTER?


    "Did you manage to recruit him?" Rosan asked his captain.


    Luffy nodded his head victoriously.


    "Did he give you a choice?" The redhead asked Zoro in turn.


    The swordsman shook his head in annoyance.


    "Good," he said for both of them.


    "WHAT DO YOU MEAN GOOD?!" Zoro roared in annoyance. Don''t tell him he had to deal with another person like his captain. Luffy had already shown that he wouldn''t take no for an answer and this redheaded anomaly seemed right up there with him.


    Luffy just laughed good naturedly at the, already tired, look in Zoro''s eyes.


    "Rosan''s my scout!" The 17 year old exclaimed, prompting the redhead to nod as a greeting.


    "Nice to meet you," Rosan greeted politely, gauging Zoro properly now that he was freed. "I heard you want to be the World''s Greatest Swordsman¡­ There will be many strong enemies out there. It won''t be easy so you have to do better than what you think your best is."


    Zoro grinned savagely at that and said, "I wouldn''t want it any other way!"


    "Captain Morgan''s been defeated!"


    "Unbelievable!"


    "These guys are insane!"


    They turned their attention towards the crowd of Marines and Zoro boldly said, "If any of you still wanna capture us, step forward."


    "I doubt they''ll be able to," Rosan said calmly, already dismissing them as a threat. He hadn''t even needed to interfere with the battle against the Captain¡­ Morgan was incredibly weak and he doubted his attack would have worked on Luffy even without Zoro, considering his Axe was broken.


    If they wanted to continue fighting them then Rosan would show the silly Marines how outclassed they were.


    Their enemies turned towards each other for a moment before throwing their weapons into the air in joy. Some of them began weeping in happiness at finally escaping the hell that was Captain Morgan''s reign and they cheered uproariously.


    "WE''RE FREE!" They cheered in joy.


    "Morgan''s reign is finally over!"


    "HOORAY!"


    "Huh? They''re all happy that their captain was beaten¡­" Luffy pointed out.


    "So only the Captain and his son were corrupt," Rosan hummed. How fitting. A little bit of power and it immediately went to their head. He wasn''t even that high ranking, being a measly Captain. How disgusting that he would allow that to poison his mind.


    Well, he hoped that Morgan enjoyed getting his organ''s pulverized. If he recovered from them, maybe he''d change his outlook on life.


    He doubted it though.


    "They were all just afraid of Captain Morgan!" Koby exclaimed in relief. It was good to know that not every single Marine here was scum. He had thought that his dreams had shattered right before his eyes but there was still hope for him!


    Zoro finally let his guard down and collapsed on the floor with a groan, much to the panic of Koby.


    "I''m...hungry¡­" he eventually said.


    "We should get some food," Rosan agreed. He was absolutely not dipping into the resources he had just stolen until they left the island. The redhead needed to preserve as much food as possible because Luffy was his captain and Rosan was his babysitter.


    Something told him, all his efforts would be for naught.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "How the hell can you two eat more than me?!" Zoro asked in disbelief. He had been tied up for nine days and somehow, his new crewmates were eating even more than him!


    How was Rosan even eating so quickly?! Every time he looked at the man, he was eating at a measured and neat pace but his plates were piling higher and higher the moment he looked away. Was this some kind of trick by the redhead? Was he some type of wizard?


    "I burn a lot of energy," Rosan replied truthfully. His body was constantly working and though it kept him in impeccable condition, it had the added effect of draining him. On the bright side, his already immense stamina was constantly being built upon due to it.


    It was a good thing he was far more controlled then Luffy was. On the off chance that his brother cleaned out the kitchen, he''d be able to weather the hunger just fine.


    "You didn''t even do anything?!" Zoro accused, pointing a fork full of food at the man. He hadn''t seen the redhead until the battle was over! What was he even doing? Zoro was sure he had came from the sky but where the hell had he come from. Was he at the top of the Marine building?


    He wondered if the redhead had a Devil Fruit as well... Falling from such a massive height and having not a single injury to show for it? That was insane.


    Rosan hummed and took another bite of his meal, not bothering on defending himself. He was well versed in the art of stealth and stealthy people didn''t brag about what they stole. It was one of the things he had picked up while running around as Reaper.


    "Rosan¡­" Koby called and the man glanced at him through the corner of his eyes. "You were right about everything, I was being too naive and I must have sounded so ignorant to you¡­ I''m sorry."


    "Why are you apologizing to me? You didn''t offend me in the slightest," the redhead answered blandly, thanking Rika''s mother for handing him another plate and getting a blush out of her.


    She was giving them far too much food, he''d have to leave her some money due to her hospitality. Feeding him and Luffy would be incredibly draining to her storage.


    "I just wanted you to understand that not everything is in black and white and you''ve learned it. Not all Marines are good and not all pirates are evil. It''s as simple as that but something very hard to grasp. What you do with that information, is up to you."


    Koby nodded resolutely at his words and vowed to not end up as corrupt as Captain Morgan.


    "So besides you two, who else is in the crew?" Zoro asked curiously. He had seen what Luffy was capable of but he knew nearly nothing about the mysterious redhead with the empty gaze. What was his deal anyways? From their short meetings, he noticed that Rosan never smiled, frowned, or displayed any outward emotion.


    He was incredibly nonchalant and calm, not allowing anything to affect him.


    It was odd to see the two pirates so comfortable with each other. They were polar opposites. Luffy was bursting with energy and Rosan was... not. Yet, the two were familiar in a way that spoke of years around each other and Zoro sorta figured someone with Rosan''s personality, would grow tired of someone with Luffy''s.


    "It''s just us 3," the captain said bluntly, still eating his food.


    "He forced me to join when he was seven. Didn''t even give me a choice," Rosan replied with a sigh, causing Luffy to laugh at the memory.


    "Seven?!" Zoro repeated in surprise. He didn''t think they knew each other for that long!


    The two nodded in unison.


    "Yep! Rosan''s my brother!" Luffy told him with a big grin.


    There was a pregnant pause as Luffy revealed that information. Zoro and Koby had gone completely silent, digesting it slowly.


    "BROTHER?!" Koby and Zoro gaped, looking between the two rapidly.


    "W-Why am I just learning this?" Koby asked in disbelief. He hadn''t been traveling with them for too long but something like this, was normally said in like the first hour of meeting someone! Didn''t they think that was worth mentioning?! What was wrong with them?!


    "You two look nothing alike," Zoro pointed out. Rosan was a redhead with bronze skin and Luffy had black hair with light tan skin. Plus none of their features were similar at all. Nothing even suggested they had similar blood.


    "You didn''t ask and we''re not blood related," Rosan answered both questions calmly. What was the big deal anyways? Had they never met a pair of siblings? This wasn''t worth causing a fuss over.


    "B-But you kicked him into a whirlpool?!" Koby pondered in disbelief, distinctively remembering that piece of information. It was rather hard to forget.


    "You did WHAT?!" The green haired man''s eyes bugged. Threw him into a whirlpool?! He knew that the both of these brothers were insane but it seemed Rosan had inherited a more homicidal dose of insanity.


    "He was being dumb and refused to use my ship for the time being¡­ so I gave him a head start," Rosan said vaguely, placing a cheek against his fist boredly. Luffy had gone back to eating his food by now, content to let his scout handle this.


    Zoro looked at how unbothered Luffy was by what his brother was saying and came to the conclusion that his captain had inherited a strain of insanity that made him stupid.


    He sighed in defeat. "What can you do... Rosan was it?" Zoro asked curiously.


    "Portgas D. Rosan," he introduced himself for the first time. "I''m the humble scout. I scout stuff."


    He pointed to the little bird playing with Rika and said, "That''s mine."


    Zoro gauged him curiously, looking up and down at the tall man.


    He didn''t look like much of a fighter, with his expensive clothing and jewelry and the swordsman couldn''t see any visible weapon on the man. Coupled with that fact that he hadn''t been there for the fight¡­ Zoro was hard pressed to call him much a fighter.


    Though, his figure looked incredibly strong. He was muscular underneath his clothing so maybe he was a fighter...


    "He''s underestimating you," Ram pointed out, scowling at his audacity.


    "It''s fine, I have nothing to prove yet."


    "He''ll find out sooner or later how strong we are. He''s apart of our crew now after all."


    "Hey hey! Where are you guys going now?!" Rika asked curiously, patting the bird with one finger and beaming as it trilled happily.


    "Isn''t it obvious?! We''re going to the Grand Line!" Luffy exclaimed like it was no big deal.


    Koby spat out the juice he was drinking at hearing that. "It''s only you three! There''s no way you can go there yet!"


    "You still haven''t even gotten a navigator or a ship yet," Rosan agreed with the pink haired boy. "Unless you plan on using mine forever. In that case, we can begin sailing there now."


    The redhead didn''t care if they went to the Grand Line now or 6 months later. The Pirate Graveyard was not something he feared and he was confident in his ability to survive it.


    He wasn''t as confident in the injured White Rose''s ability but it would surely be better than whatever Luffy wanted to use.


    "Oh! You''re right!" Luffy gasped in realization.


    Koby sighed in relief at the fact that Rosan was being sensible. Their short time traveling together showed that the redhead was content to follow whatever plan Luffy set down without much complaint.


    But sometimes, he would remind his captain of something that would alter his spontaneous planning. Koby was glad that the man seemingly knew how to keep his brother in check.


    "Why do you even care? It''s not like you''re coming with us," Zoro pointed out with a raised brow. Koby was interrupting their conversation as if he were apart of the crew and that was pretty strange to him.


    "T-That''s because I''m worried for you guys! Is that so wrong?!" Koby yelled out, offended on his own behalf. "We haven''t known each other for very long, but we''re friends¡­ Aren''t we?"


    "Yeah!" Luffy said without hesitation. "We''re going our separate ways but we''ll always be friends! Rosan thinks so too!"


    "I do?" Rosan blinked at that before turning those intriguing eyes towards Koby and tilting his head. "You''re changing as we speak so I guess I can consider you a friend," he eventually said.


    To Koby, who had been called an enemy so coldly before, those words meant the world to him.


    "Ever since I was a kid, I''ve never had anyone to call a friend before, much less someone who would stick up for me. Even I wouldn''t stick up for me!" Koby admitted sadly.


    Rosan still wouldn''t stick up for him, to be fair.


    "But you guys taught me how to live for my beliefs! I''m going to make my childhood dreams come true!" He finished passionately.


    "I didn''t have many friends as a kid either and it took me a while to get some," Rosan admitted and Koby''s eyes went wide. "But as long as you continue forward without hesitation, you''ll find people who you can consider family."


    "Yeah!" Luffy beamed at Rosan, pleased with his older brother.


    It was hard to believe that the man had no friends. He looked really cool and his unique appearance would have, no doubt, garnered a lot of attention growing up! Even now, on this island, people were staring at him! Rika''s mother hadn''t taken her eyes off the strange redhead and Koby wondered what her deal was!


    "Shouldn''t you be worried, Koby?" Zoro suddenly asked. "You were a cabin boy on Alvida''s ship for two years, if the Marines find out about that, they won''t let you join."


    Sweat began forming on Koby''s head at that information as he realized that Zoro was right. The Marine''s were no joke when it came to gathering information either, if they wanted to do a background check on Koby, they''d definitely find out.


    Right on cue, the door to the restaurant opened and in walked the recently freed Marines themselves.


    "Pardon me, you guys are pirates, right?" The man asked.


    "Yup!" Luffy answered without hesitation.


    "Um¡­ We appreciate that you saved our town from that tyrant and we''re truly grateful to you, but we can''t shelter pirates. I''m sorry, but I have to ask you to leave. To show our gratitude, we won''t report you to the higher ups," he told them all, scratching his head awkwardly but looking firm in his decision.


    The crowd watching them, immediately erupted into protests at that, hurling insult after insult at the Marines ejecting their heroes out of town.


    Luffy simply grinned and said, "I guess we should get going then! Thanks for the food, lady!"


    Rosan and Zoro stood as well and began following their captain.


    "Ah, wait! Your little birdie!" Rika called, handing the bird over to the tall redhead. He idly pet the chirping bird and permanently disabled their dual connection before handing it back to the girl.


    "Keep him, he enjoys your presence," Rosan said softly, patting the girl on the head. "You don''t have to worry about feeding him, he doesn''t need sustenance."


    That was directed towards the mother, who smiled at him with a darker blush, despite her disappointment that he couldn''t stay longer.


    He could make multiple so parting ways with one barely affected him. Besides, his little bird did actually like the child. It was strange how they all seemed to have personalities but he wouldn''t rob them of it. He encouraged independent thoughts from his creations.


    Rika beamed with an ecstatic expression and wrapped her arms around his leg. "T-Thank you, big bro! I''ll take good care of him!"


    Rosan simply nodded and continued making his way out of the restaurant. He didn''t feel like staying in a Marine sanctioned island anyways, lest he''d have the urge to destroy it completely. It was good that they were leaving immediately and that only Morgan and his son had been corrupt, else he''d have truly tore the entire place down.


    The three walked past Koby without even glancing at him and that prompted the Marine to ask, "Aren''t you going with them?"


    "Huh?" The pink haired boy asked dumbly. Going with them? No that wasn''t right at! H-He didn''t want to be a pirate¡­ He wanted to be a Marine so that he could capture bad guys! If he didn''t say anything, wouldn''t they assume he was a pirate?!


    "I''m¡­ I''m¡­ I''M NOT ONE OF THEM!" Koby declared loudly and Luffy smiled to himself.


    "Good for you kiddo!" Ram cheered.


    "Is that true, pirates?" The Marine asked, prompting Luffy to look back.


    The captain''s smile turned mischievous at being questioned and he gazed right at the Marine. "I know what he''s been doing up until now," the straw hat wearing boy declared and Koby froze.


    "He wouldn''t¡­" The pink haired boy thought to himself.


    "There was this island and we met a really fat lady named Alvida!"


    "He would!"


    This was bad. This was really bad. If Luffy revealed his past, he''d never be able to become a Marine. No, he''d probably be labeled a criminal and be forced to be a pirate! That just couldn''t happen!


    "She was a really ugly hag and for two years this guy ¡ª"


    "SHUT UP!" Koby roared, punching Luffy right on the cheek.


    All went silence at the shock of the situation and Koby, realizing what he did, stared at his fist in disbelief.


    Had he just punched Luffy?! Him?! Well he had to because the pirate was about to reveal his past to the Marines!


    Luffy grinned.


    Zoro let out a sigh with a smile.


    Rosan simply hummed. "I''ll go get the ship ready. Try not to take too long beating him," he suggested, making sure the Marines heard him. People tended to take him more serious then Luffy so he figured he''d offer his assistance.


    "Why you!" Luffy grinned eagerly before retaliating with a punch of his own right on Koby''s cheek. The pirate began pummeling the boy while spouting things such as "Take that!" or "Take this!" all the while!


    The Marine in charge had enough and yelled at them to stop immediately. He had thought they were friends?! What was going on with them?!


    "Hey, hey, that''s enough. You went too far," Zoro reprimanded, stopping Luffy from further attacking the helpless boy.


    "IT''S CLEAR THAT YOU''RE NOT CREWMATES! PLEASE LEAVE TOWN, NOW!" He demanded and the straw hat wearing boy left without another word.


    Koby realized at that moment, that Luffy had goaded him into attacking the pirate just so suspicion could be thrown off of him. Over and over again, the rubber boy had assisted him and the Marine prospect was getting sick of being so helpless. Standing up shakily, he turned towards the group of wary Marines and bowed at a 90 degree angle.


    "PLEASE LET ME JOIN THE NAVY SIR!"


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan, who was currently on board the White Rose, glanced to the left and saw that same orange haired girl making her way onto a ship of her own.


    "Oh it''s you, Orange," he greeted and she jumped at his voice, before glaring at the familiar face. "Did you find what you were looking for?"


    "You¡­!" Nami said in surprise."How¡­ How are you still alive?" She asked in confusion. She had watched him leap out of the very top of the building and was almost certain that he died after that.


    "Are you concerned about me?" Rosan asked in return, sitting on the railing of his ship as he stared down at her. "I''m touched. Thank you, Orange."


    Nami bristled at his tone and decided that talking to him was not worth the headache. He managed to effortlessly annoy her and she was still stewing at the prank he pulled on her.


    Yes. It was best if she just ignored him.


    "At least say bye," he chided and she nearly lost her cool, when she looked at him and saw that he had already dismissed her presence...


    Again.


    He wasn''t even regarding her anymore and that irritated her beyond belief. She didn''t even know why it was so annoying. Something about this redhead just got her so riled up and she knew he was doing it on purpose. How he knew the right buttons already? She''d never know but damn she hated it.


    She glared at the silver ship (it was an expensive looking ship that she dearly wanted to rob) and just loosened the rope holding her own ship so that she could set sail.


    Stupid, annoying redhead. He was so lucky she had things to do.


    Rosan, tired of his conversation with the thief, watched his crewmates approach with a half lidded stare.


    "Woah, I''ve never seen a ship like this," Zoro whistled, looking at the sleek silver ship.


    "I''ve made many changes to the White Rose since I first got her," Rosan informed his newest crewmate. "She''s very dear to me and has gotten me out of trouble many times."


    Zoro raised a brow at hearing that Rosan himself made changes but nodded at his explanation. Seems he was a little more than a humble scout...


    "Yeah! Rosan''s ship is super cool but we still need to get a new one!" Luffy declared, boarding the ship with a carefree grin.


    Zoro nodded, following after his captain with a smirk. "It''s a nice way to leave, don''t you think? Being unable to turn back because everyone hates you¡­ It''s pirate-like."


    "I agree," Rosan nodded and Luffy laughed at the two.


    "That''s true!" He exclaimed.


    "Luffy-san! Rosan-san!" A voice screamed and the two looked at the source. Koby stood there, saluting to the group.


    "Thank you for everything! I''ll never forget all you''ve done for me!" He shouted out. Those two had changed his life for the better and because of them, he was actually going to become a Marine!


    "I''ve never heard of a pirate being thanked by a Marine," Zoro chuckled in amusement.


    "There''s no need to thank me. I barely did anything," Rosan waved him off and the ship began setting sail.


    "Let''s meet again, Koby!" Luffy yelled, waving his hands back and forth.


    "Bye big brothers!" Rika screamed, waving and the bird chirped a cheerful farewell to its creator.


    "All hands, salute!"


    "Being saluted by a group of Marines¡­" Ram mused.


    "How unexpected."


    Rosan didn''t want their salutes. He had long since stopped looking at the group and instead, made his way deeper into the ship.


    "I''m off to sort the things I stole," he waved. He wondered if the Marines would still be saluting if they knew what he had done. They had more things to worry about, such as making sure they managed to secure enough food to sustain them all.


    "Things you stole?" Zoro asked with a raised brow. Was that what he had been up to? Huh, he seemed pretty useful.


    "Yeah, I raided that Marine base for everything they had," Rosan replied and the swordsman''s eyes widened in shock.


    "When?! Where did you even put everything?! You landed on Morgan without anything in your hands!"


    "That''s a good question."


    "SO ANSWER IT!"


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan let out a quiet sigh, as he sat in a comfy chair and his weapon immediately plopped herself into his lap and closed her eyes in content, snuggling the redhead without a care in the world.


    The redhead was currently relaxing in his mindscape with Mod and Ram and they were discussing various things as his body slept.


    Right now, the topic of discussion was their new crewmate.


    "Will you be telling Zoro about us?" Mod asked curiously, sipping on a cup of tea and resting her head against Rosan''s shoulder.


    "I didn''t plan on telling him immediately," Rosan admitted. He hadn''t told Koby anything about himself. The pink haired boy wasn''t even fully sure the redhead had a Devil Fruit but he had an inkling.


    Zoro wasn''t even aware he had a Devil Fruit. Maybe he''d have to rectify that...


    Mod raised a delicate brow at that. "You don''t trust him?" His partner asked. He was a crewmate now after all. Who knows how long they''d be traveling together? A little trust would go a long way in securing healthy relationships and Rosan needed some people to trust.


    "Trust is not something we can afford to hand out so easily, Mod-chan," his deep voice came out bluntly. It''s not as if Zoro was untrustworthy, Rosan was just someone who wouldn''t give out his trust without hesitation.


    That was a key difference between him and his captain.


    "I''d normally agree, but there''s no point causing potential rifts between crew members. At the very least, as our first member, Zoro should know. We can decide about future people knowing when the time comes," Mod argued, standing up for the swordsman.


    "Even if it puts you at risk?"


    That''s the sole reason Rosan was hesitant to hand out information about himself so freely. Mod''s safety was a priority to him and he wouldn''t allow anyone to jeopardize that no matter what.


    "Zoro doesn''t strike me as that type of person and you''re even better at reading people than I am. I think you know he''s not a risk to us," Mod smiled and her partner eventually nodded his head.


    "Alright, I''ll tell him then," Rosan conceded. She was right, Zoro wasn''t that type of person. He was the type where if you told him something, unless told otherwise, he would keep it to himself.


    Mod smiled brightly, satisfied with his reply and nuzzled deeper into him, prompting Ram to glance up.


    "That guy was underestimating us," she grumbled in annoyance. "Who does he think he is?! None of his swords hold a candle to me and he''s trying to write us off! We should show him just what we''re able to do."


    "He doesn''t know what we are capable of and that''s fine," Mod chided gently, stroking the taller woman''s hair. "We can''t go around flaunting our strength to the Marines so soon. If even one person recognizes Modification, they''ll potentially send an army for me, which is honestly still better than an Admiral..."


    "I''m confident I can handle a majority of Marines... but if they send someone of Garp''s level or an Admiral, I could be captured immediately and they will separate us from you, Ram," Rosan joined in. Sure he''d likely be able to escape by accessing one of his Save Points, but Luffy and his future crew would be put in danger and he doubted he was fast enough (he was fast but an Admiral was very likely much faster) to gather them all to flee.


    Ram''s eyes widened in fear at that revelation and she clutched Rosan tighter. "Absolutely not! If anyone that isn''t you tries to touch me, I''ll destroy them myself and claw my way back to you!" She growled out angrily.


    Her father was right though... They were strong but they weren''t that strong yet. Soon they would be but for now, they wouldn''t flaunt their abilities to the whole world.


    "Good. Besides, the people in the East Blue are far too weak. I imagine that once we enter the Grand Line, things will get much more fun for us," Rosan mused. Ever since he had been a child, he was rather interested in the world''s most dangerous sea and that interest seemed to extend to even now.


    "I''ve mostly been in the Grand Line and the best way to describe that place, is bizarre," Mod admitted truthfully. "Sometimes the sea itself can be more dangerous then the people when dealing with the Pirate Graveyard."


    She was glad that Rosan had managed to convince Luffy to gather more crewmates before going there. Something told her, the boy would have gone there with any little ship and just Rosan and Zoro if given the chance but with the Grand Line, that was almost certain death.


    "That sounds like so much fun!" Ram grinned savagely, trembling in excitement at what they could potentially meet there.


    "You act a lot like I did when I was younger," Rosan hummed, stroking the purple streaks of her silver hair softly.


    "Well I''m your daughter! Of course I do," Ram gushed happily, leaning into the touch and purring.


    "Rosan was much more tolerable than you were," Mod sighed. "He didn''t harass me every single day of the week."


    A look of annoyance crossed the ring''s pretty features and she glared at her Auntie petulantly. "You just didn''t have to deal with him going through puberty! He''d be worse than me," Ram argued crossing her arms under her ample bust.


    "I doubt it. Rosan spoiled me often and all you do is give me headaches," Mod sighed sadly, shaking her head admonishingly and causing the silver haired woman to gain a vein of irritation.


    "T-That''s not all I do! I give you massages a-and I uh¡­" The woman trailed off in disbelief as she thought of something else to say. S-Surely she did more for her than harass her... right? Was she really that annoying?!


    Ram glanced up and saw Mod with an infuriatingly smug look on her face.


    "And¡­?" Her auntie asked with a smirk on her pretty face. Those red orbs pierced into her challengingly and Ram resorted to her last option.


    "F-Father! Auntie Mod is bullying me!" she whined pitifully, sinking deep into Rosan and gazing pleadingly at the redhead.


    "But Mod-chan has a point, no?" Rosan replied and the ring froze in shock at his words. "I think you''re much more problematic then I am."


    The look of betrayal she shot him, made Mod shudder in amusement until she couldn''t hold it in any longer.


    "Kahahahaha!" The woman laughed, pulling the youngest there into a warm embrace. "Oh Ram, we''re just messing with you! I love you all the same no matter what and I know for a fact Rosan would have been more problematic. He was a demon as a child and gave me more headaches than I deserved."


    "That''s a rather rude thing to say about the boy you raised, Mod-chan," Rosan said but the faint amusement in his eyes, made their heart flutter in joy.


    "Your body is showing emotions more frequently now," Mod grinned happily at the revelation. It was still brief bursts but it was so much more promising then the first couple of years he was like this.


    "I have you all to thank," Rosan said truthfully, grabbing both the shorter woman into a tender hug. "All of you, my family, made it known loud and clear that I was loved and even someone as stubborn as me is being receptive to it."


    "You never need to thank us," Mod said gently, rubbing a calming hand through his soft hair. "We would do anything for you. You have become a pillar for all of us over the years and you wanting to see us all happy, makes us want to see you happy."


    "I dream of the day where I get to cause chaos with a version of you capable of feeling everything," Ram admitted in a near whisper. She had never said it out loud because Rosan''s goals were her goals, but this was something that she alone decided.


    "I know," Rosan said softly. "It''s just one more reason, on a long list, to get my emotions back. A lot of you have never seen me with my emotions and just rely on my memories and stories but I want you guys to experience it yourselves and realize that I really do appreciate you for everything."


    Ram teared up a bit at his own admittance and crashed into him, shuddering a bit as she silently cried into his chest. She remained there and Rosan just patted her until the woman fell asleep.


    Mod watched it with a fond smile on her face. Ram was physically 24, but mentally the ring was far younger then her and Rosan and it really showed when they weren''t talking about violence. All she wanted was her father''s acknowledgment and she couldn''t fully receive that until his emotions unlocked.


    After all, Rosan had never once referred to Ram as his daughter and that must have torn her apart internally.


    Rosan, with his deep connection to her, sensed that too and did his best to appease her.


    He just... He didn''t think of her as his actual daughter and he couldn''t lie about it. They were connected after all. Ram was an extension of him and he acknowledged that he was her Father, but he couldn''t currently see her as his daughter because he didn''t deserve things like that at the moment.


    After unlocking his emotions, he''d evaluate his relationship with his ring and hopefully, she''d be able to finally get the acknowledgement she yearned for.


    "Do you think it helped?" The redhead asked his partner softly, adjusting the tall woman in his lap into a more comfortable position. Ram was only a couple inches shorter than him so it was a tad difficult but he managed.


    "More than you could imagine," Mod whispered encouragingly. "Ram likes to appear strong but she''s quite vulnerable when it comes to you."


    "When did everyone become so protective of me?" Rosan mused and the purple haired woman let out a soft laugh.


    "We''ve always been, ever since you were born someone has been overprotective of you."


    He snorted quietly at that but didn''t deny the statement.


    "That reminds me, I don''t have much goals but I do have one for when we enter the Grand Line," Rosan said to her and she raised a brow at that.


    "Oh? What is it?" She asked.


    Rosan hummed for a bit, as he looked at a picture on the wall.


    "I want to find Nico Robin."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Bonus


    Aiko is 30


    Akemi is 29


    Makino is 24


    Rosan and the twins are 19


    Maro is 18


    Ace is 15


    Luffy is 12


    Turmoil between the leaders of Celadon - Part 2!


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Two figures crashed into each other wielding different weapons. One was a giant wooden club, the other, a black and silver buster blade. Both pushed into each other with unyielding force before finally breaking off and leaping backwards in unison.


    One of the figures opened their mouth and a massive gush of flames poured out, rushing towards their opponent, who quickly countered by summoning their own, blue, flames and firing it back.


    An explosion ensued, masking the shorter of the two and they sprinted at amazing speeds towards the wary foe.


    Grabbing the buster blade, Rosan angled it upwards and prepared to swing down at the defensive Maro. The Giant Dokkaebi was already preparing to block the attack but let out a roar of surprise as his blade immediately transformed into a set of gloves and he grabbed the club.


    The redhead vaulted over it (and Maro too) and, facing her back now, placed a palm on her battle dress. The gloves began glowing and Maro was too slow to react in time before the attack flew.


    "Retribution," he intoned, firing a point blank red explosion, that sent her flying in a heap with a squeal.


    Maro groaned but pushed herself up, eager to continue. So it was no surprise that she felt disappointment, when Rosan held up a hand signifying the end of their duel.


    "Aww what?! I haven''t even transformed into my hybrid yet!" She exclaimed, glaring at the cheater. He just wanted to be the definitive winner again! He was such a dick sometimes!


    Ace nodded in agreement. "Maro''s capable of taking much more damage than that. Why''d you stop it so early?"


    "Yeah! Why''d you stop it so early?!" Maro repeated, fixing those glowing orange eyes on him.


    "You''re off your game today. You''ve been getting hit by things you don''t normally get hit by," Rosan immediately countered, causing her to wilt in surprise. "I did something, right? Why are you so nervous around me?" He asked softly, stepping up to the giant Dokkaebi and gazing directly into her glowing orange irises.


    Maro immediately transformed back into her human form and gazed at her Master with a wide eyed look. "N-No you didn''t do anything!" She tried to say, before coughing at the fact that she was stammering.


    Curse him. Master was way too good at seeing through her. Nobody knew her like he did so she should have known he''d notice something was off with the mythical goblin.


    "I just... well I am nervous because of you but that''s not because of anything you did," Maro finished, taking a deep breath and daring a glance at her Master.


    His head was tilted slightly, but he nodded in understanding. "You want to ask me something then."


    She hated this guy. He was too good at what he did.


    Well, no point in keeping it to herself anymore.


    "Master..." Maro began, taking a deep breath to steady herself. "For my wedding, could you walk me down the aisle please?!" She blurted out so quickly, the words almost blurred together.


    "It''s just, well... you know I don''t know my parents and well, there''s no one else I could think of and I really don''t have any other choices anyways and you''re the best choice even if I did have other choices because you made me who I am and ¡ª"


    "Maro."


    "And you found me when I had nothing and gave me a purpose and even though you were really mean to me when we started off, it was all for my benefit and it worked out so well for me and I wouldn''t have become a queen without you s-so you have to do it ¡ª"


    "Maro."


    "I mean, if you don''t do it, who else can?! The more I think about it, the more it has to be you! Y-You even said I was like a daughter to you, didn''t you?! That means you''ll... please do it..."


    A strong pair of arms scooped up the rambling queen, finally cutting her off and she placed desperate eyes on the redhead responsible for it. He was staring down at her with uncharacteristically soft eyes and she choked up at the sight of them.


    "Maro, you''re so stupid," Rosan chided her, flicking his student on the head gently. "Did you actually think that I''d ever turn you down? I''d be honored to walk you down the aisle and I''m touched that you see me as the only option," he said softly.


    Despite what he had done to her when they first met, Maro still held him to such a high standard. He was touched.


    Ah shit, Ace and Ram were totally gonna make fun of her if she started bawling her eyes out right now but she really couldn''t help it.


    "It''s so funny to see the supremely confident goblin, so doubtful for something that should have been expected," Mod giggled.


    "I can''t believe my best friend is so stupid sometimes," Ram sighed in fond annoyance.


    "You really thought he''d say no? This big sap?" Ace cackled, pointing a finger at his older brother with a teasing grin. "Rosan couldn''t say no to any of us even if he tried!"


    Luffy nodded with a beaming grin. "Yep! Maro sure is stupid for thinking he''d say no!" The rubber boy exclaimed.


    "I''ll show you both how much I appreciate your words after this," Rosan said idly, staring at his brothers with a blank expression.


    Ace and Luffy paled a bit at that, before turning tail and sprinting off to go find somewhere to hide. Last time they had irritated Rosan... he had used Modification to stress why it was a bad idea.


    Ace did not want to be a girl again. The experience was downright terrible and hearing Ram cackle for nearly an hour straight, was something he could go without.


    "As if that will help them," Rosan muttered, still holding onto the shell shocked Maro. "But they are right you know? I would have never said no to you with something like this."


    Maro''s gaze wavered as she looked at her beloved Master and the queen sniffed like the actual sap she was. She slowly buried her head on Rosan''s chest and clutched him tight. "T-Thank you so much, Master."


    For everything. Without him, Maro wouldn''t have made it to 18. She''d have been dead so much sooner but he had saved her. No one else saw anything in her except for him... E-Even after she had stolen from him, even after their first mission together had been such a massive failure.


    When she had failed to show her use as Grim... Rosan hadn''t even planned on kicking her off the ship! If she truly didn''t want to continue, he''d have let her stay there regardless and that was so touching...


    But that wouldn''t be enough for her. Maro couldn''t go back to a life of just surviving. She had... no she needed to prove her own worth. No longer could she be weak. She had to become strong enough to take what she wanted and live on her own merit.


    And she did. She did because of the man holding her. The first person to show a semblance of care for her and the first person to truly acknowledge her.


    "I love you, Master," Maro sobbed, holding him with all her might.


    Rosan knew that thank you wasn''t just for agreeing to walk her down the aisle. She was recalling every single thing he did for her and, as he felt the queen holding him, his eyes went soft.


    It was never his intention to get so close to her. He wanted to use her for his own gains and see if that momentary interest in her would have evoked something. Rosan thought it was going to fail and though she didn''t unlock his emotions, she did the next best thing.


    Maro made him care for her. He really did care for his student and would do anything for her because she had proven she was a person worth caring for.


    "You''ll find out very soon how much I will matter."


    Memories of a younger Maro grinning confidently at him surfaced in his mind and the redhead smiled softly at his prized student.


    "I love you too, Maro," Rosan replied, squeezing her.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Demon and Angel were currently having their weekly sibling hangout with just the two of them. The redhead drank down her banana smoothie and sighed at the wonderful taste.


    "Thank you," she said.


    The chef''s jaw dropped, at being thanked by the terrifying clone and he hesitantly saluted at her. "O-Of course, Princess Angel! If you''ll excuse me, I have to make sure everything in the kitchen is in working order!"


    Without any hesitation, the man turned and bolted, much to the amusement of Demon and the confusion of Angel.


    "He must think hell is freezing over since you actually thanked him," the purple haired man snickered, enjoying his latte with a calm smile.


    Angel stamped down her annoyance at that, considering it was her fault in the first place. "Ah... everyone must have a really bad perception of me... I know they''re aware of Maro and I being together, but what if I ruin their perception of her when it''s revealed that we''re getting married?!" She panicked, eyes going wide.


    She didn''t care how people viewed her (though she was starting to work on being more tolerable for Maro''s sake) but if they began to dislike Maro because she went out of her way to marry her...


    "Don''t be stupid," Demon snorted, biting into his slice of cake and humming. "You underestimate how much our citizens love Maro and as long as she''s happy, they''re happy. Besides, you are scary to them but you also rarely interact with the people too. They don''t see you all that often."


    "That''s true..." Angel sighed. Ugh, being considerate was annoying but she''d do it because she loved Maro and Maro loved these people. She was going to be their queen soon so she should at least put some effort into not being a piece of shit.


    She was really jealous of Demon sometimes. He made being nice to them look so effortless and it worked out fantastic for him. She was pretty sure her twin brother had unknowingly amassed a cult of fans.


    Well, he deserved to be so loved. Demon was awesome.


    Which reminded her...


    "Demon," she said abruptly.


    "Hm?" He replied, locking red eyes onto her purple.


    "I want... I want you to walk me down the aisle for the wedding," Angel requested softly.


    Demon''s eyes went wide at that and he dropped his fork in disbelief.


    "Me? Why not Master?" Demon asked in confusion. Surely their oldest brother was the best choice... he created them after all and he was their former leader. He could honestly think of no better choice of who would get that honor.


    His older sister looked at him like he were stupid and crossed her arms at him petulantly.


    "You serious?! Demon, you''re my twin brother for Kami''s sake!" Angel exclaimed angrily, actually looking upset with him. "Since the moment we were created and Master Mod gave us emotions, you''ve been there with me through thick and thin! You were the first person I told about my real gender, you were the first person I hugged when I could feel, you were the first to see me cry! We''ve never been separated for long and no one knows me like you do... besides Master but this isn''t about him right now and he''s some type of wizard!"


    Demon''s eyes softened at the heartfelt look in her eyes and he exhaled fondly.


    "We really have been through a lot, haven''t we?" He replied softly.


    "When we both thought Master was going to destroy me... you stepped in the way and risked his wrath, Demon. I wouldn''t want anyone else but you to do it. You''d always be my first choice," Angel said strongly, pushing herself up and hugging her slightly taller twin.


    "You know how much I appreciate you, Demon. You help me keep my head on straight when I''m being stupid. I love you, little bro," she murmured, squeezing him lightly.


    His eyes turned a little foggy at that and he wrapped her in a hug as well.


    "I love you too and I''d be honored to walk you down the aisle, big sis." he replied.


    Angel grinned brightly at him and he smiled back.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "H-How do I look?" Maro said, turning and presenting her selected wedding attire to her onlookers. Maybe she should have worn a suit...? There was no way Angel wasn''t going to wear like a dress or something... those had the most potential to be the most stylish attire...


    Her outfit was a simple, pure white Kimono that covered Maro''s entire frame and gave her a modest appearance. Her signature tiara was resting neatly on her head and her blue and white hair, was tied into a bun behind her instead of flowing free.


    "Beautiful," Mod smiled.


    "Gorgeous," Rosan responded.


    "Hot," Aiko chimed.


    "Stupid," Ram, who was out for the wedding, grumbled.


    "Like Maro!" Luffy beamed.


    The queen blushed rosily at the first three statements before it transformed into a sweatdrop at the last two.


    Ram really didn''t appreciate being forced into different attire. The woman sure did love the color black... and not having to wear dresses but, watching Auntie Mod have to wrestle the taller woman (Maro seriously had no idea how the Devil Fruit was so strong) into a white dress of all things, really drove that home.


    "You look beautiful as well, Ram. Stop throwing such a fuss at having to wear a dress and support two of our family members in their times of happiness," Mod advised wisely, smiling calmly.


    "No," she replied stubbornly, making the woman sweatdrop.


    Honestly, she had no idea why Ram hated looking so good. The silver haired ring had acquired all of Meiko''s looks and was stunning as a result but had gained none of the vanity that either of her parents seemed to wield. All she wore was that same double-breasted coat and she was absolutely faithful in it.


    That must have been because she only wore that black dress... Mod couldn''t help it though, it was a really nice dress.


    They were all getting prepared for the wedding and the chattering of the excited citizens outside could be heard by them all.


    When Maro had revealed to them all that she was getting married, the overwhelming support they had given her had brought the queen to tears.


    "IT''S ABOUT TIME THEY TIED THE KNOT!"


    "THEY''RE SUCH A CUTE POWER COUPLE!"


    "HONESTLY, I''M JEALOUS THEY FOUND EACH OTHER FIRST! THOSE TWO ARE KNOCKOUTS!"


    "THIS CALLS FOR CELEBRATION!"


    The entirety of Celadon had brought gifts for the two to celebrate the momentous occasion and Angel''s jaw had dropped at their unconditional support. S-She thought they hated her! It''s not like she did anything to be liked... In fact, she did the complete opposite and totally deserved to be hated!


    But they were happy for the both of them...


    "Our citizens are so fucking cute," Angel mumbled, embarrassingly burying her head in Maro''s chest.


    "Aren''t they?!" Maro beamed, laughing all the while.


    The queen smiled at the memory and idly adjusted her kimono. She was used to them being fitted for combat but this one was exclusively for her wedding and it was a little uncomfortable as a result, not that she minded because she was so giddy!


    Speaking of which, Angel was currently in another room also getting fitted with Demon, Akemi, Makino and Ace! Maro was so excited to see how she was dressed because her soon to be wife, always looked stunning.


    Soon to be wife... Maro still couldn''t believe Angel actually wanted to marry her...


    "W-What if I''m not good enough?!" The queen suddenly exclaimed a nervous expression on her face. "Oh my Kami, w-what if I''m the worst wife ever and she immediately dumps me in favor of some other dude?! Would I still be queen for committing murder on their pour soul?!"


    Aiko sweatdropped at the panicking Dokkaebi and let out a fond sigh. She was as much of an idiot as ever.


    "For one, Angel''s in love with you and she naturally dislikes people. There''s no way she''d leave you for someone else, dumbass," Ram snorted. Anyone with a working brain, could see how head over heels in love the redhead was with the idiot goblin.


    "I agree with Ram," Aiko snorted. "You two are super cute together and I don''t actually think anyone else can handle her in a relationship besides you. I don''t think you realize how much she appreciates that little detail."


    Maro seemed to still think Angel was a bit out of her league and it was adorable, especially considering the fact that the Dokkaebi was incredibly beautiful in her own right. She didn''t have multiple suitors trying to form alliances just to marry her for no reason after all. The queen seriously thought it was purely political and it was hilarious.


    "Yeah, you guys are right!" Maro nodded determinedly, slapping her cheeks in order to stop psyching herself out. "I need this wedding to get started before I faint of anxiety! I''m so excited and nervous and eager! Oh Kami... I have to kiss her in front of all those people! W-What if I mess up and do something really stupid?!"


    They all sighed in unison.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "I wonder if I should have worn a suit?" Angel mused, looking down at her white dress with a contemplating expression. There was no way Maro was going to wear one... Her soon to be wife was in love with kimonos and Angel was the more stylish of the two.


    It was a long, flowy, sleeveless dress with straps on it that had a floral motif, a plunging v-neck and a ball gown silhouette.


    "Why? You look absolutely stunning! I think this is perfectly fine," Makino gushed, helping adjust the dress a bit along with Akemi.


    The younger sister of Aiko nodded rapidly in agreement. "I''m so jealous of you and Maro! Anyone would be lucky to marry either one of you!" The woman beamed, causing a light dusting of red to cover the bronze girl''s cheek.


    "Y-You think I''m good enough to marry Maro...?" She asked, uncharacteristically timid. "She''s an amazing and patient person b-but what if she finds someone not as stressful as me and leaves me for them?! W-Would I be in the wrong for asking Master and Demon to murder them?!"


    Demon sweatdropped at that. "I''m a doctor, Angel... Even though I''d definitely do it if you asked, I''d rather not," he replied.


    Everyone sweatdropped at his response.


    Demon would always support his sister''s decisions... no matter how questionable they were.


    "You have nothing to worry about," Ace snorted, waving off her concerns. "You should see how much she talks about you when the four of us are sparring. She can''t go a second without mentioning your name," he sighed. It was extremely annoying honestly, but he couldn''t blame the woman too much because Ace was sure he''d be bragging about Luffy and Rosan nonstop after he became a pirate.


    Akemi nodded rapidly. "It''s the same with us during our meetings! Aiko once taped her mouth to get her to shut up and focus! She''s been raving about you since she was 12, you know!" The woman exclaimed.


    The light dusting of red deepened further on the woman''s cheek and she looked away from all of them. "You guys are right! If Maro got tired of me... she would have broken up with me ages ago! We''ve been dating for five years now!"


    Five years and Angel was just as in love with her as ever... she wouldn''t be able to replace Maro with anyone even if she tried. She was hopelessly smitten with the Goblin Princess.


    It was a good thing they were getting married... Now Maro couldn''t get rid of her even if she tried! They were stuck together until death! Yeah, that''s right, once they kissed each other, it was official!


    "Alright! I''m ready to kiss my woman on the lips!" Angel grinned eagerly. There was a fired up look in her eyes at the realization she came to and everyone sweatdropped at her sudden switch in mood.


    It was best not to dwell on her thoughts. Angel''s thought process could be just as unhinged as Rosan''s.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Maro underestimated just how popular she was. There were so much people here for her wedding and the reception hall couldn''t hope to fit them all. That didn''t deter them because a large group were standing outside, watching a big screen (Courtesy of Rosan''s Modification technique, Stream) that showed the inside of the wedding room.


    As Rosan walked her down the aisle, she felt a burst of nervousness at seeing just the official up there. Angel would be the second one up and so it was just her and Rosan.


    "Nervous?" Rosan asked softly, squeezing her arm reassuringly. He was dressed in an all black suit that Maro thought he was rocking very well, in her humble opinion, and his hair was let down for once (Angel demanded it for her wedding).


    The free red spikes flowed downward to his shoulder and made him look damn good (Focus Maro, you''re getting married!). Makino had offered to be his date so that the woman eyeing him (like right now) wouldn''t make a move and he accepted without much complaint.


    "A little," she admitted. "I... what should I do?"


    "Why should you be anything but confident? You fought with blood, sweat and tears to get here so why should you ever be nervous? You earned this moment so hold your head up high," Rosan assured, making the woman stand up a bit straighter.


    He was right! The people were here because they loved her as their queen and wanted to support the woman who had helped save their island. She was getting married to the girl that she loved and dammit, she''d be happy!


    "You''re the best Master!" She beamed, looking much more confident then before.


    "Of course, this is a special day for you and being nervous won''t do you any good."


    Rosan finished escorting her and took his seat near Makino and Ram on a table in the front row. The rest of the seats were filled with her other family and one was empty for Demon to sit in. All of them were dressed professionally and she was surprised Luffy had managed to dress up! He didn''t even have his straw hat on his head right now!


    She figured that next to Ram, he''d be the most difficult to dress but Rosan mentioned that Luffy was normally dressed up by either him or Ace! The rubber boy had terrible fashion sense so they decided his outfits most of the days.


    Ugh, why was little Luffy so damn adorable! He was currently grinning up at her cheerfully, unbothered by everything around him.


    She should take some notes from him. Maro took a deep breath and stood tall, looking at the entrance where her fianc¨¦e would soon show up with a measured expression.


    That measured expression, quickly melted away at the sight of Angel.


    "Ah, I''m so lucky," Maro sighed, smiling goofily at the redhead in the long white dress being escorted by her twin brother.


    Angel met her eyes and blushed scarlet at the goofy smile on Maro''s face, averting her gaze but gaining a smile of her own.


    The gorgeous redhead finally made it just across from Maro and the two gazed at each other, lost in the others gaze. Burnt orange stared into royal purple with unconditional love and Angel felt herself getting a bit lightheaded at those tender eyes, cheeks dusting red as she threatened to start swooning.


    Was this... was this how Master and Meiko felt about each other? The way Maro was gazing at her, it was... it was the exact same way those two stared at each other... and someone was staring at her like that? Her! A clone!


    This super strong and adorable goblin was genuinely in love with her despite all her faults and here they were, getting married for the entire island to see. Hell, Celadon was so famous, a majority of North Blue would know they were tying the knot!


    All those damn marriage proposals could finally fucking stop because Maro was hers! She refused to share this lovable Goblin with anyone else so they could shove it!


    So distracted was she, Angel didn''t actually here the official begin the ceremony and only Maro''s plump lips saying, "I do," made her realize that she was probably next and the woman blushed at zoning out.


    When asked if she would take this woman as her wife, protecting her and being there for as long as they lived, Angel smiled without hesitation and confidently said, "I do!"


    If possible, Maro''s grin widened and the Dokkaebi''s cheeks turned a rosy red at the confident reply.


    The ringbearer (Kanna) presented both rings to the duo and they picked up the respective rings they bought. Maro grabbed the sapphire ring and after being prompted, slid it gently on Angel''s right ring finger, securing it neatly.


    Angel grabbed her own ruby ring, and slid it gently on Maro''s own right finger, smiling in an uncharacteristically soft manner.


    Before the official could fully seal the deal, Maro suddenly said, "U-Um, wait just a moment please!"


    He blinked in confusion but nodded, acquiescing with the queen''s request.


    Angel''s nervous expression only lasted a moment, due to Maro reaching into her gorgeous and simple kimono (it was so her) to pull out the object of her desire.


    It was a pristine blue daisy and Maro presented it to her demurely.


    "I... it''s a daisy that I personally grew for this moment," Maro admitted. "Master and I put a little magic on it so that it could be used as a permanent accessory... You don''t have to worry about it withering or deteriorating, as long as I''m with you!"


    Maro really loved Modification, it made difficult gifts much easier to attain.


    The crowd cooed at the actions of the sappy queen and some of the woman in the crowd, were glaring at their husbands for being unable to obtain such an impossible gift.


    Tears formed in Angel''s eyes and she slightly tilted her head forward so that Maro could place the daisy in her hair. The blue contrasted greatly with the red but that just made it more obvious to anyone looking, that she was Maro''s woman and no one else''s.


    The middle triplet was barely holding herself together, as she stood straight again and Maro nodded towards the official, allowing him to finally end the ceremony.


    Not sure who to refer too, he simply hoped one of them would take initiative and said, "You may now kiss the ¡ª"


    Angel rushed forward, unable to hold herself back any longer and slammed her lips straight onto Maro''s own with such fervor, the crowd gaped.


    Maro''s eyes widened at the feeling before she melted into the kiss and returned it back with equal fervor.


    Ugh, leave it to her wife to always take the initiative when Maro was intending to. It was so her.


    Aiko grunted in annoyance and handed Makino a wad of cash, which she accepted easily.


    The two had made a bet to see which one was going to initiate the kiss first. Aiko had bet on Maro and Makino had bet on Angel.


    "I didn''t think Angel was such an eager bee," she groaned and the bartender grinned at her, pleased with the results.


    "Maro''s such a hopeless romantic but Angel is super forward!" Akemi laughed at her sister. "Even if Maro intended to kiss her first, there''s no way she''d be able to go quicker than Angel. That girl is a woman who knows exactly what she wants."


    "Angel''s almost always initiating things first between them. She''s a go getter," Demon nodded sagely. He knew that without a doubt, Angel would be the one to initiate the kiss and had opted to not make easy money for the sake of integrity.


    "They need to get a room. They''re going to suck all the oxygen out of this one by the time they break up the kiss," Ram complained, rolling her eyes at the married couple with a fond smile. She was happy for them. They deserved each other.


    She''d never forgive them for forcing her into a dress though. There were too many eyes that weren''t her father eyeing the beauty and she was half a second away, from stomping their skulls into the pavement.


    "Ace, I''m hungry! Let''s eat!" Luffy moaned. He had been waiting forever and he could practically smell the feast that was going to happen after this celebration.


    "Yeah yeah, let''s go fix ourselves a plate," Ace smiled, dragging his younger brother off to do that.


    Rosan stared at the duo with an unreadable look in his eyes.


    "Thinking about what could have been?" Mod asked quietly. It was just the two of them currently, which didn''t happen often these days and she found herself missing this feeling a bit.


    "How could I not? If Meiko were here... she would have made me cave and propose myself, heedless of if I was the strongest or not," Rosan replied.


    He would have accepted it without complaint. Of course he would. Rosan had always been incredibly emotional and seeing the genuine joy on his student and sister''s face, would have made him want to feel the exact same thing with Meiko. Though they were practically already married, a ceremony would have truly drove it home.


    "Do you think... you''d resent them if you could feel?" She asked another question hesitantly, knowing he''d answer truthfully but not knowing what it would be.


    "..." Rosan hummed a bit. "I''d feel a little bitter, I won''t lie. But resent? No. Maro and Angel deserve each other and I wouldn''t let some unknown future drag down the happiness I feel for them. I will never resent anything that makes my family happy."


    Mod smiled gently at that, relief all over her pretty features. "I hope one day, you can find someone worth proposing to. You truly do deserve it."


    Rosan watched the two break their kiss and glance over at their family, twin blushes of embarrassment on their face at the realization of what they were doing. Despite that, they never let each other go and gazed at each other in a way that reminded him of how he used to look at Meiko and vice versa...


    He smiled at the duo, getting them to grin brightly and the two wives began approaching the group.


    "I hope so too because if a day like that ever comes, I''d have succeeded in everything I''d ever desired and I''ll finally be able to let Meiko rest in peace."

 Circus Act

    "I want to find Nico Robin."


    Mod blinked in shock at what Rosan just said. "Y-You want to find Robin-chan?" She repeated quietly and when he nodded without hesitation, an immense amount of warmth flooded her body and she stifled a happy sob.


    Rosan had long since stopped hating the girl who he thought betrayed him and when he figured out about the virus, it had turned into... not quite guilt, considering he had no emotions, but certainly a familiar self loathing for allowing himself to fall victim to it.


    Even when he had his emotions, the hate he carried had gone away after his talk with Meiko. She had helped him see reason and the redhead had reluctantly agreed that it was not her fault at all that they were separated. More and more, the logical redhead had begun to see how irrational his anger had been and it tore at him nonstop.


    But the damage had long been done. Rosan had lost his hatred for her but over the years, he realized more and more, how much he wronged his best friend.


    His irrational anger for Robin was one of the few things Mod was disappointed in Rosan about but... but it had been her fault in the first place for never informing him of the virus and that had given the Devil Fruit crushing guilt of her own.


    If she had just trusted him and told him about her other side... he''d have known something was amiss and could have prepared for it accordingly but she didn''t.


    Rosan didn''t make it clear, but Mod knew some part of him doubted her capabilities now and he adjusted accordingly, putting up his guard even more.


    It hurt. It hurt so much that she had caused this but the Devil Fruit was too afraid to have a confrontation about it because it was her fault in the first place. At the end of the day, she didn''t trust Rosan enough to divulge this information and it had turned him against his closest ally that wasn''t Mod herself.


    Rosan loved Robin dearly and because of her...


    It was why she wasn''t privy to his thoughts about Nico Robin... Rosan chose to keep it to himself and that really hurt but she understood that he needed some privacy and that... and that the virus was still her.


    But even with the knowledge that he was keeping it to himself, it had still been many years... so why now? She was elated that he made the decision on his own but why did he make the decision?


    "What brought this on?" Mod asked gently.


    She watched her wielder close his eyes and let out a quiet sigh, which made her own gaze soften.


    "I''ve actually wanted to do it since I was 18 since you said I''m not allowed to go to the Grand Line until I''m an adult," Rosan admitted.


    Mod bit her lip at hearing that.


    S-She had said that hadn''t she¡­?


    "Since I became Reaper, I haven''t heard news about Robin in the Blue Seas for years. I''m very sure that she''s in the Grand Line and since I already agreed to join Luffy''s crew, I decided to wait until he set sail," he explained to her, causing her to nod.


    Rosan raked a hand through a bun and shook his head. "I... I''ve wronged Robin more than I''d ever like to admit," the man told the purple haired woman. "She''s thought I''ve been dead for 16 years and I never made a move to correct it."


    Mod''s eyes went soft as he spoke but she remained silent.


    "She''s probably been in a lot of pain for a long time and yet I never reached out to her, even once. Even if the virus played a part in it... I still allowed myself to actually think she betrayed me," the redhead sighed and Mod put a soothing hand on his shoulder.


    "Rosan... it''s impossible to prepare for a threat you had no idea about. What the virus did to you... please understand, that it''s not your fault!" Mod pleaded, guilt welling up.


    "Robin''s going to be upset but Robin is also an incredibly intelligent and kind girl. She loved ¡ª loves you and that is not something that will change so easily with time. If you explain to her what happened I know she''ll forgive you because no one understands better than she does about how self critical you can be."


    Rosan pondered her words for a second. "I''m going to answer any question she asks of me, no matter what. She deserves to know about everything," he resolved.


    "Even¡­ Meiko?" Mod asked hesitantly for some reason.


    "Even Meiko," the redhead replied without hesitation.


    The Devil Fruit sighed fondly at her user. Leave it to Rosan to go above and beyond when trying to make things right for a person.


    "The Grand Line is a big place. How will you find her?"


    Rosan actually smirked a small smirk. "If I don''t find her quickly, I''ll just have to advertise it in the best way possible. I wonder if there is there a person alive with two separate bounties?"


    Mod laughed beautifully at that. It had been a long time since Rosan let out a genuine smirk and she relished in it. "I wonder if they will combine your bounties if they find out you''re Reaper," she mused.


    500 million was already a hefty sum... if the World Government found out that not only was he the Reaper who killed Saint Jeremiah, but he had (and could control) Modification... Well, he might reach an unprecedented bounty that you''d normally see in the New World.


    "Only time will tell. Reaper''s identity coming out wouldn''t be the end of the world unless it was too early," he replied with a shrug, idly rubbing a spot on the sleeping Ram''s hair.


    Done with their conversation, Rosan stood up, with Ram in his hands, and grabbed Mod, who yelped in surprise at the sudden action.


    "Let''s go to sleep. I''m tired after stealing all those resources," Rosan hummed.


    "No you aren''t! A-And stop dragging me! I can walk you know!" Mod complained to the pushy redhead.


    The purple haired woman squealed as Rosan effortlessly hoisted her up instead and flung her over his shoulder. Ram grumbled a bit at being adjusted again but she didn''t bother waking up, too comfortable to do so.


    "Better?" Rosan hummed to the flailing woman over his shoulder, that was beating a tune on his back to no effect.


    "I hate you. You''re so lucky that I love you," Mod whined in defeat.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Rosan, I''m hungry!" Luffy complained to his scout.


    His scout in question, was deeply contemplating throwing him overboard, at the fact he asked after causing such a mess.


    "I was asleep for a couple of hours and you guys managed to mess things up this bad?" Rosan asked the two idiots with a blank stare. "Luffy, I stole so much food... How did you finish it already? Who was steering the ship while I slept? How did we get so off course from our original course? I''m not even a navigator and I wanna vomit."


    "Zoro steered while I ate!" Luffy exclaimed.


    Rosan paused for a second. "Did you... cook?"


    "Yep! It''s a little messy in there," his captain exclaimed without hesitation.


    Messy was an understatement. Luffy had somehow managed to get food on the ceiling.


    Rosan closed his eyes and ignored that issue for a moment. "Zoro, haven''t you been sailing alone? How did you get us so off-track?" He asked patiently.


    "I''m sailing because I followed a pirate I was after out to sea and I couldn''t find my way back to my village. I was following that one cloud right there," the green haired man explained, pointing towards the sky to emphasize his point.


    "Oh so your sailing because you just got lost," Luffy said bluntly and Rosan sighed.


    "Looks like we''re gonna need a navigator as soon as possible because if we let Zoro or Luffy steer, we''re gonna die and I don''t wanna do it myself," the redhead muttered to himself but they heard him loud and clear.


    Zoro felt a vein forming at their words. "YOU DON''T HAVE TO PUT IT LIKE THAT!" He roared in embarrassment at the bluntness of the two.


    Luffy simply laughed and Rosan kicked them both out of the kitchen.


    "Get out, I''m gonna clean now. Don''t do anything stupid," the redhead instructed, looking at the catastrophe that was his kitchen.


    Angel would absolutely flip if she saw this. Luffy would have been put on punishment for the entire day, if the tidy girl had seen the mess he managed to cause.


    The two nodded in unison and left the room, leaving the adult to deal with his captain''s mess. He could have used Modification, but the redhead felt like doing some physical labor.


    Using his Devil Fruit to solve everything, while convenient, would make him lazy and over reliant on it. Besides, cleaning was rather peaceful and he enjoyed doing it. Sometimes (whenever he was on the ship), he would assist his middle triplet in tidying up the ship and they''d spend bonding time while Demon studied.


    Angel desperately needed someone to bond with. In hindsight, it was no wonder her and Maro managed to fall in love. Rosan wouldn''t be surprised if his little sister ended up unknowingly liking his student first.


    "I wanna heeelp," Ram suddenly said and his ring instantly transformed into the silver haired woman. She immediately jumped him and Rosan was too busy washing the dishes to stop her, causing yet another disaster to happen to his shirt this time.


    "Oops," Ram said sheepishly at the sight of the water spraying everywhere. "Sorry Father! I didn''t mean to get you all wet like that but at least uh... some people would really enjoy the sight of you in a drenched shirt?"


    Rosan stared at her neutrally and merely pointed at a chair, causing the woman to sit down with a salute.


    Helping woulda sucked anyways... she''d probably make things worse.


    The man muttered and his hand glowed for a moment with his draconic flames. After a few seconds, there was no sign that he had been splashed and he continued to wash the dishes, without a dumb rubber boy or idiotic ring to disturb him.


    "Problematic," Mod teased.


    Ram scowled at her tone and ignored her with a, "Hmph."


    Honestly, if not for the fact that she could be around her Father or Maro like this, Ram would almost never turn into a human. It offered her no inherent benefit over her weaponized forms and Rosan couldn''t utilize her like this. Something about only using his enemies as human weapons.


    It was solely a form for convenience, not fighting...


    Ram hated that.


    Still, she did love hanging out with her family in person so that didn''t make this form the worst (that honor belonged to defensive weapons!) and causing chaos with Maro, Luffy, and Ace, was one of her favorite pastimes (even though Angel and Mod dished out punishment swiftly and harshly...).


    It was still always a blast.


    She just couldn''t stay in it for very long because she got tired of being human really fast. They had so much useless things about their bodies that she had to deal with outside of Father''s mindscape!


    Speaking of which...


    "Father, is all the food actually finished?"


    "No, I knew Luffy would try something like this so I stored a majority of the food elsewhere. We should still have enough and I''ll cook some of it soon or else my dear little brother will do something dumb ¡ª"


    The door to the kitchen banged open and a panicked Zoro entered the room, cutting off what Rosan was about to say. He was about to speak but he took one look at Ram, and his jaw dropped in confusion.


    Who... Who the hell was this? Had she been hiding on the ship the whole time? Did they have a fourth crewmate? No, Luffy never mentioned her¡­ but Rosan wasn''t even remotely wary about the tall woman staring at him idly.


    Maybe she had been in Rosan''s room? That was the one part of the nice ship he hadn''t explored yet so maybe...


    "I''ll introduce you two later, I have some things I''ve been meaning to tell you anyways," Rosan said. "You seem like you''re in a rush, what did Luffy do?"


    Only his brother would cause a person they just met, to panic to such a degree... It was apart of his charm.


    Zoro took a deep breath and said, "He tried to capture a bird and got taken away by it in the process."


    The redhead paused his dishwashing as Zoro explained exactly what happened. Luffy, out of hunger, tried to get a bird so that they could eat it and had gotten his head stuck in its beak in the process when he grabbed onto it.


    Ram burst out laughing and clutched her stomach from the hilarity of it all, causing their swordsman to look over in confusion. Wasn''t Luffy their captain?! W-Why were they so lax about the situation?


    "Why didn''t he just ask me to capture it?" Rosan sighed. Honestly, if his brother thought for even two extra seconds, his life would be so much easier.


    Zoro raised a brow.


    "How would you have captured that bird if Luffy couldn''t?"


    "I can fly," he replied simply and his draconic wings burst from his back as proof. The scaly appendages flapped idly and curled up so as to not take up space.


    Zoro''s eyes bugged at the sight of the obsidian wings. "Wait, you''re a Devil Fruit user too?!"


    Rosan nodded and made his way out of the kitchen, Ram and Zoro in tow. "I was actually gonna tell you about it later today but now''s as good as time as any. Please keep it a secret until I reveal it myself."


    He pinpointed the Save Point located on Luffy and steered the White Rose in that direction while telling Zoro about the Mod Mod no mi.


    Mod-chan was right, he needed to be able to trust his crew and what better place to start then their first crewmate.


    Zoro listened with a clearly interested expression but he seemed even more interested in Ram than his Devil Fruit.


    "So she''s your weapon?" The green haired man asked curiously, pointing a finger at the smirking silver haired woman. She nodded eagerly and jumped on Rosan before morphing into a ring that he placed neatly on his finger.


    Zoro''s eyes widened in recognition at the amethyst ring and he whistled as it transformed into a hammer, sword, gloves, etc.


    "You''re a swordsman?" His eyes gleamed in interest.


    "Not really, the sword is one of my least favorite weapons to use," Rosan admitted truthfully and Ram transformed back into a glove. "It''s not stylish enough for me and too many swordsman exist so that makes it boring. But, I am fairly good at it."


    The swordsman grunted in understanding and the two''s conversation was interrupted at the sound of screaming in the water. They both glanced over and saw 3 men struggling to stay afloat. It seemed like they had been there for a while because the trio looked visibly tired and would probably go under soon enough if no one helped them.


    It was just their luck that Luffy had gotten snatched away then because that meant they could help. They noticed the approaching ship and they''re eyes lit up.


    With the prospect of help right there, the trio began immediately begging for help.


    Zoro sweatdropped at the sight of Rosan glancing at them momentarily before looking away as if they weren''t there and keeping the momentum of his ship going.


    "WE KNOW YOU SEE US!" They roared in indignation.


    The redhead sighed. "I guess we can help them," he muttered, stopping the ship and allowing them to board. The three looked utterly pathetic right now so he''d throw them a bone despite their intentions.


    "Were you actually planning on ignoring them?" Zoro asked with a deeper sweatdrop. The redhead before him was like a stone and always spoke politely but he was actually pretty rude, wasn''t he?


    "They''re gonna attack us once they board so yes," Rosan replied simply, not even remotely bothered by the prospect and the swordsman raised a brow at his nonchalance.


    "Really?" He asked curiously.


    This would be funny.


    "You were actually planning on ignoring us!" One of the thugs yelled angrily after boarding the ship.


    "...Sorry, I thought you guys were particularly ugly fish," Rosan replied gently, as if he were trying to not hurt their feelings.


    "CUT THE BULLSHIT!" They roared, before pulling out their blades.


    "Stop the ship!" They threatened. "We''re members of the Buggy the Clown-sama''s crew so this boat is ours now."


    "Buggy the... Clown...?" Zoro muttered.


    "Your... ship?" Rosan asked.


    This was his ship. He wouldn''t even give it up to even Luffy and his captain knew that. Who did these thugs think they were to try and claim his property?


    It was clear that these three needed to be taught a lesson.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "We''re very sorry, sir! We won''t make such a mistake again, sir!"


    "Good, make sure you clean every inch of my ship. You missed a spot right there."


    Zoro watched with a sweatdrop as the three thugs, who were very clearly in pain, rushed to follow Rosan''s orders.


    He thought his redheaded crewmate was not a fighter, but the ease at which he had brutalized and cowed these three, dashed many of his doubts.


    After the redhead had nearly broken all their backs with brutal stomps, he had given them an alternative. Get thrown overboard with those injuries or follow every single one of his orders until he was bored with them.


    It was obvious which one they picked.


    "#1, go get me a cup of lemonade," Rosan requested calmly, lounging on a chair while reading a book about various weapon ideas.


    "M-my name''s ¡ª"


    "Your name is #1 right now. Is there a problem with that?"


    "No sir! I''ll get your drink right away sir!" He saluted and dashed off.


    "GET ME SOME SAKE TOO!" Zoro yelled to his retreating back and was satisfied at his backwards salute.


    "You''re pretty relaxed," the swordsman said to the scout.


    He hummed as he flipped another page. "We''re heading right to Luffy right now and he''s strong so I''m not worried about him," he replied.


    His brother''s Save Point was loud and clear so he wasn''t drowning right now and if he wasn''t drowning, he was fine.


    His servant came back in record time (Rosan praised him for finding the kitchen so quickly) and handed the both of them their drinks.


    "Thank you," Rosan said and then he gestured for the goon to sit down. "Sit, I have some questions for you, #1."


    The bruised man was thankful that he was being allowed to rest and he gleefully took the offer.


    He took a sip of his drink and nodded at the taste, pleased that the man was not dumb enough to poison him. "How did you three end up in the sea?" Rosan started off calmly.


    "We got our boat and treasure stolen by a girl¡­" the grunt answered, frowning at the memory.


    "Girl? Did this girl happen to have orange hair?" Rosan questioned and #1''s eyes widened in recognition.


    "Y-Yea! Do you know her? Where she could have went? We need to get that treasure for Buggy-sama or else we''ll die!"


    The world worked in funny ways. Rosan didn''t deign to answer the man and simply took another sip of his drink.


    "Who''s Buggy?" Zoro asked instead,


    Rosan gestured for the man to answer but the other ones cleaning had stopped in surprise.


    "You two don''t know Buggy?!" #2 gaped in disbelief


    Zoro shrugged and replied, "Nope."


    Rosan did due to his bounty poster but that was about it so more info would be nice.


    "He''s the captain of our crew and he''s eaten one of the Devil Fruits too! He''s a terrifying person and you don''t wanna get on his bad side or else he''ll kill you!"


    "A Devil Fruit user," Rosan thought to himself. That was interesting but he wasn''t too fascinated in a user who still resided in the Blue Seas.


    Actually, he wasn''t too interested in a lot of things.


    "Buggy the Clown¡­ Is he at the island we''re about to arrive at?" Rosan asked.


    The three hesitated to answer, causing him to stare blankly at them for a moment.


    "Do not think he will protect you three from me. Your lives belong to me until I decide otherwise. Now, stop trying to withhold information from me or I''ll begin teaching you guys how to hold your breath underwater," the redhead informed them softly.


    "And I didn''t tell you to stop cleaning."


    They squeaked at his threat and began telling him everything he wanted to know.


    "S-Scary," the three thought in terror. He was terrifying in a different way than Buggy. He didn''t have to show it... just his words and the low volume were threatening enough.


    Zoro shot the redhead an impressed look. Rosan was pretty effective and did a great job at getting information for them.


    He quite liked his methods.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    No matter what he did, he just couldn''t escape the mouth of this giant bird! Luffy''s head was firmly stuck in between its jaws and it was content to leave the struggling boy there.


    Did it even notice him? Well, that didn''t matter at the moment. What mattered was that he was completely trapped¡­


    Well, he was completely trapped, but a friendly cannonball crashed into the bird and he was freed as a result of it!


    The rubber boy was sent plummeting to the floor headfirst and it was a good thing he ate the Gomu Gomu no mi because he''d probably be dead otherwise!


    Still though¡­ "Who just shoots cannonballs in the sky for fun¡­?" He wondered in confusion. "At least I''m safe now¡­ That was actually pretty fun!"


    He wouldn''t mind doing that again!


    The rubber boy dusted himself off and made sure his straw hat was secured on his head, patting it just in case. Now how was he gonna find Rosan and Zoro¡­?


    Actually, his brother would just find him so he had nothing to worry about! He could just explore the area until he did show up!


    The sound of someone saying, "He''s not injured?!" Made him aware that he was not currently alone. There were a couple of guys and one orange haired girl looking at him in shock.


    Nami''s shock turned into a sneaky gleam as she looked at him and a smirk appeared on her face, idea formulating instantly.


    "B-Boss! You came to save me!" She exclaimed in joy, rushing up to the straw hat stranger.


    "Huh?" Luffy replied in confusion. He was pretty sure he had never seen this person before in his life¡­ was Rosan disguised as this person right here¡­?


    He didn''t think Rosan ever called him boss before (he was sure the redhead never would). His brother also didn''t like changing his appearance.


    So this was probably not Rosan... he thinks.


    "Who''re you?" The rubber boy asked the stranger but she was already running away from them all.


    "I''ll let you deal with those guys!" She exclaimed, vanishing from their view.


    "She''s getting away!" One of the pirates yelled.


    "It''s fine, we got her boss right here and that''s even better!" Another pointed out.


    Luffy scratched his head in confusion and looked at the remaining people there. "You guys know someplace to eat?" He asked. While waiting for Rosan, he may as well get that long awaited meal and these guys probably knew a place so he''d ask them!


    Their response was to rudely hit him and send his hat flying.


    The captain''s eyes darkened at that and he immediately put the offender to rest, with a fist to the skull. He glared at them all and simply told them, "Don''t touch the hat."


    The remaining two began to sweat nervously at the strength he displayed but didn''t let that affect them. With a roar, they gripped their sabers and tried to swing at Luffy.


    It only took the captain two more punches, one for each, to silence them as well and he checked to make sure his hat was fine.


    "Wow! So strong!" A voice called from the roof and he looked at the source, only to find the same girl who had ran away from before. "You managed to beat those guys barehanded!" She grinned at him.


    "You''re¡­ who are you?!" Luffy repeated in genuine confusion.


    "The name''s Nami! I''m a thief who specializes in robbing pirates!" She introduced before continuing. "Wanna team up with me?!"


    "Nah, I don''t feel like teaming up with you," he replied bluntly and he began to walk away from her.


    Nami blinked in confusion before it morphed into surprise and she hastily moved to follow after the strange boy. "W-wait, hold on a minute!" She called to his back.


    Luffy suddenly remembered a key detail and collapsed onto the floor. "I''m starving¡­" he whined pitifully and the orange haired girl took the chance to seize the opportunity.


    "I can treat you to some food!" Nami beamed.


    The rubber boy rebounded instantly.


    "Really?!" He exclaimed excitedly and she flinched slightly at his sudden energy, not expecting him to suddenly be so friendly.


    "Y-Yeah!" She replied hesitantly.


    "Well, let''s go!" He rushed her impatiently.


    Nami smiled in victory.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "They still haven''t caught the thief?!"


    Someone gasped in fear at the grave tone and hastily sought to appease him. He stepped up to the clown and said, "They should be pursuing her as we speak, Captain Buggy!"


    Buggy held his cheek with a fist and glanced at the man with visible annoyance. "How did the map get stolen so easily in the first place?!" He barked out and was satisfied to see them flinch.


    He sucked his teeth. "Just when we were about to enter the Grand Line and raise some hell too¡­"


    The man laughed nervously and said "The key to the map room got left in the lock and only the robber knows ¡ª"


    "What did you just say?!" Buggy cut him off and his subordinate blinked in slight confusion.


    "I-I said only the robber knows ¡ª"


    "WHO HAS A RUBBER NOSE?!" Buggy roared in fury, mishearing what his poor subordinate said and immediately closing the distance between the two.


    "Does my nose look funny to you?" The clown asked lowly, grinning with no amusement in his eyes.


    "N-No I never said that cap''n! I said it was a mistake!" The man pleaded with bugged eyes. How had his words gotten completely misinterpreted?! He had been speaking about the thief! He would never insult his captain''s nose!


    Clearly, Buggy wasn''t aware of that.


    "NOW IT''S A STEAK?!" Their captain screeched in disbelief, eyes bugged with rage. "UNACCEPTABLE! NOW YOU FLASHILY DIE!"


    The man tried to plead that it was a misunderstanding but his words were caught in his throat rather forcefully, due to the fact that his neck was being gripped with tremendous force.


    "He''s using the Devil Fruit power¡­" The crew muttered in fear. There was nothing they could do to save the poor guy and they could only send looks of pity at his unfortunate soul.


    "Ready the cannon," Buggy ordered, taking a seat in his throne like chair in boredom. He rested a fist against his cheek, as he said, "Blast him to pieces!"


    "I-I¡­ I NEVER SAI ¡ª PLEASE SPARE ME!" The man begged, still being choked violently. He watched with tears in his eyes, as his crewmates began hesitantly setting up the cannon and his pleas increased tenfold.


    Eventually, all he could do was scream in terror and the cannonball fired.


    The following explosion, was utterly deafening and they could only thank the stars that it wasn''t them at the receiving end of that.


    "Go get me my map," Buggy ordered with a grin. "And make sure you take everything of value from this town!"


    His crew shook in utter fear, with sweat pouring down their features and said, "Aye aye, Cap''n!"


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Seems like we''re here," Rosan hummed, glancing at the deserted island with half lidded eyes. It wasn''t impressive by any means which is probably why the clown had decided to take it over.


    "Luffy''s on this island right?" Zoro asked curiously and the redhead nodded without hesitation.


    He pointed a finger in a direction and said, "He''s that way. I can feel him."


    Out of the corner of his eye, Rosan saw his 3 servants flinch and immediately turned his attention towards them. "What? Is your captain over there?" He asked them and was satisfied to see them answer without hesitation this time.


    "Yes sir! That''s the location that Buggy-sama chose as his base!"


    Good, at the moment, they feared him more than Buggy. How that would change when they actually met him? He didn''t know nor did he care. They had fulfilled their purpose.


    "So Luffy has already encountered him huh?" Rosan mused.


    Both he and Zoro paused, at the sound of an explosion taking place exactly where he pointed at.


    "Oh cool!" Ram gushed at the sight of an entire row of buildings being taken out in one blow.


    "We should go get him," the redhead muttered and his crewmate agreed immediately.


    Hopefully Luffy wasn''t messing around too much, his little brother had a tendency to do that and it made things much more difficult then it had to be.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Nami had not expected her plan to go so haywire. She just wanted a map to the Grand Line so that she could get more money!


    After learning that the mysterious boy she wanted to team up with was a pirate, Nami had been justifiably turned off at the idea of them teaming up and immediately rescinded her offer. She couldn''t stand pirates at all and the idea of becoming allies with one, made her sick to the core.


    So, she decided to sacrifice the weaker pirate to the stronger one in order to get in the stronger ones good graces! It was a natural course of action that ensured her chances at survival, while giving her an opportunity to get even more treasure.


    It had worked out wonderfully. Buggy had accepted her into his crew (what an idiot) and they didn''t suspect her due to her turning in her "boss". Now, they were throwing a party and getting blackout drunk in the process while the straw hat kid was tied up in a cage.


    Soon, they''d be too intoxicated to process anything and she''d rob them for everything they had!


    ...Or that was supposed to be the plan. Nami had never intended to get the straw hat wearing boy killed! Worst, she was supposed to be the one to do it! With the Buggy Balls! The power of the cannon balls left her white in fear and knowing she had to use it on the prisoner, made her skin crawl.


    She would be no better than the pirates if she killed him so she wouldn''t. The orange haired girl would not stoop to their level and so, when one of the pirates in Buggy''s crew snatched the match out of her hand, to light up the cannon himself, Nami grabbed her staff and knocked him clean on his head.


    She wasn''t even sure why she did it. There was no way she could handle this entire crew of pirates but to go along with what they said¡­ that would make her even worse then them!


    Now the thief was desperately trying to fend off the oncoming pirates while the cannon got closer and closer to obliterating the imprisoned pirate.


    Thinking quick, Nami ducked under a swing and sprinted over to the cannon. Reaching it in record time, she did the only thing she could think of and put her hands over the fuse.


    "AGHHHHH!" She couldn''t contain the scream of agony at the searing pain and the caged Luffy looked at her in clear surprise before his eyes widened.


    "Look out!" Luffy yelled.


    She looked back to see a group of pirates leaping at her with their own respective weapons and Nami tried to whirl, but it was far too late. There was no time to react the swords swinging down towards her¡ª


    "How many people do you need to take on one girl?" Zoro called out, stopping all the charging offenders with the flat end of his blades.


    "Zoro!" Luffy called in joy at seeing his crewmate.


    "Zoro¡­?" Nami whispered to herself. This was one of his other crewmates? The pirate hunter, Roronoa Zoro? But how did he convince him to become a pirate?!


    "Wow, this must be fate," A familiar deep voice called and Nami''s eyes widened in dread at the sound of it.


    She knew that voice but she really wish she didn''t.


    "Three meetings so soon, Orange? Perhaps it''s destiny having us see each other so often," Rosan waved at the orange haired girl and she nearly groaned at the sight of the redhead sitting on top of Luffy''s cage.


    "Just kidding, I don''t believe in fate. It would make me a lot more angrier if I did and that wouldn''t be good for anyone."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "How on earth did he manage to get himself tied up and put in a cage?" Mod asked warily. Luffy was strong enough that sneak attacks wouldn''t really work on him and she didn''t think anyone here could successfully tie up the teen who didn''t even look injured.


    "How did you get tied up?" Rosan asked his captain. It was probably because of his easy going nature... It wasn''t bad to be easy going but you probably didn''t want to do that with enemies.


    He idly eyed everyone there, checking for any potential threats and not finding any. The most notable person there, was the actual clown with a big red nose.


    "Where do you think he bought that nose? It looks like it''s perfectly glued on his face," Ram prodded curiously.


    "I can ask him later," Rosan assured.


    Luffy beamed at the question. "Our new navigator did it!" His captain explained.


    The scout hummed at that. So they had a new navigator now huh? Judging by Orange''s expression, she had not even remotely agreed to joining the group.


    "I look forward to working with you," Rosan told her anyways and she roared, "I''m not your navigator!" in response.


    "So you''re Roronoa Zoro," Buggy called out to the green haired man and the swordsman turned his attention from them to the clown. "Here to collect my bounty?"


    "Nah, I gave up on pirate hunting," Zoro said in disinterest, much to their surprise. "Rosan, can you open that cage?" He called to the redhead.


    The man nodded in response.


    "I can but I think it''s funny to see Luffy trapped in here so I''ll hold off on freeing him for now. Maybe I''ll even eat in front of him for being so dumb and lax..." the redhead replied, causing his captain to begin complaining about how mean he was.


    "DON''T IGNORE ME!" Buggy howled in fury before composing himself. "You''re not interested, but I am. Killing you here will help spread my name even faster," the clown cockily said.


    "I wouldn''t try it, you''ll die," Zoro said coldly, glaring at the captain while gripping his sword just a bit tighter. It was clear that words weren''t going to work on him so he''d have to teach him the hard way.


    "GET ''IM CAPTAIN BUGGY!" The surrounding pirates began chanting.


    "CUT EM TO PIECES!"


    Rosan watched the two square off with a neutral gaze. He was content to just sit here and see how the battle unfolded. The redhead had no interest in fighting anyone here so it would be good training for his crewmates.


    If Buggy had an interesting Devil Fruit though¡­


    The clown licked his knife eagerly and with a bounding leap he said, "DIE FLASHILY!"


    Zoro''s only response was to tense up and the swordsman instantly cut through Buggy like he were made of paper.


    Nami gasped in horror at the gruesome sight and looked away immediately.


    "Wow, he''s so weak!" Luffy whistled.


    "That was disappointingly easy," Zoro said. It wasn''t even worth using two swords for, much less 3. Why was this guy so eager to die? He couldn''t make sense of it.


    "There''s no blood," Rosan thought. The battle was not over but they were treating it as if it were.


    That was not good.


    "They let their guards down," Mod frowned in disappointment. She had taught Rosan since he was 4, to always be thorough until he was sure the battle was over. It was even more important that the redhead pay attention to it due to his diminutive size at the time.


    The scout would have thought that the sudden laughter of the pirate crew would have raised their alertness, but it appeared only his brother realized something was amiss.


    True to his thinking process, Zoro wasn''t able to react in time to Luffy''s warning call and was stabbed from behind as a result.


    "ZORO!" The captain yelled in shock.


    "!" The green haired man grunted in surprise and looked down unsteadily at the knife stabbing him through his back. What¡­? What was going on? How had he gotten¡­


    The swordsman saw a floating hand holding the knife and his eyes widened in dread.


    Fuck. He knew Buggy had a Devil Fruit but still didn''t prepare for it. What was he thinking?!


    "The Bara Bara no mi!" Buggy cackled, not looking dead or injured at all and those who weren''t aware, watched in disbelief as his body reattached itself. "You can slice and dice me, but you can''t kill me! I''m a chop-chop man!"


    Not an interesting fruit then. All interest Rosan may have had, vanished at hearing about his Devil Fruit.


    "Chop-chop man? That guy''s a freak!" Exclaimed Luffy, the rubber man.


    "Oh Luffy, never change," Mod sighed fondly at the rubber boy.


    Rosan hummed and began moving in a way that didn''t attract anyone''s attention.


    "I didn''t hit any vital spot, but that wound is pretty serious! You never stood a chance, Roronoa Zoro! It''s my win!" Buggy cackled in victory.


    "BUGGY! BUGGY! BUGGY!" The pirate crowd chanted.


    This was pathetic. Zoro had come to save Luffy but now he was the one who needed help. All because he had disregarded the fact that the man before him had a Devil Fruit.


    "STABBING SOMEONE IN THE BACK IS FIGHTING DIRTY YOU BIG NOSE!" Luffy roared in fury. Who did this fat nosed clown think he was, fighting like this?!


    Everyone froze simultaneously at hearing that.


    Nami looked at the idiot in disbelief. Why?! Why would he say that out loud?!


    The pirates were thinking the same thing because all the chanting had stopped and they began sweating nervously.


    Buggy felt a vein throb in sheer rage at the audacity of the prisoner before him. "Who''s¡­ GOT A BIG NOSE?!" He roared. Without hesitation, the man gripped his knife tightly and sent his arm flying towards the straw hat prisoner.


    "LUFFY!" Zoro yelled as the knife seemingly connected to his captain.


    Buggy''s eyes widened slightly in surprise, at seeing the kid effortlessly grab the knife between his teeth and crush it into pieces.


    Oh? Quite the strong idiot they had.


    Luffy grinned at the clown and said, "I swear I''m gonna kick your ass, Buggy!"


    The chop-chop man threw his head back and roared in laughter. "Ha ha ha ha ha ha! You? Kick my ass? Don''t make me laugh! You three are about... to¡­ die... here?" he tapered off in confusion.


    Wait. Three? Wasn''t there... wasn''t there a fourth person here?


    No, he was sure of it. There was almost certainly another person here. It had been the one sitting on the cage.


    The redhead. Where was he?!


    "Wait, that''s your real nose? You didn''t buy it at a store?" A voice called out blandly.


    Everyone''s attention was drawn to the mostly silent redhead, who was inspecting the lit cannon pointed at the pirate crew.


    The lit cannon pointed at the pirate crew.


    The lit cannon pointed at the pirate crew.


    "I''m so sorry that you were born with that on your face," Rosan apologized as the fuse reached the end. "At least it''s red. Red is a fantastic color. Imagine if it were blue or yellow? That would be even more embarrassing."


    No one had noticed his slits turn back into his tiny pupils¡­ or that he had even made it to the cannon in the first place.


    Buggy couldn''t even howl in rage at the insult to his nose again, as terror crept into him. That cannon was loaded with one of his Buggy Balls! If that fired¡­


    Luffy cackled in joy at Rosan''s verbal assault. "Ha ha ha ha ha! I refuse to die! Good job Rosan!"


    "Naturally," his older brother replied, moving towards the cage and hoisting it with no issue. He wasn''t even paying attention to the cannon anymore and instead looked towards the green haired man who let his guard down.


    Nami gaped at his casual show of strength. She had totally forgotten he was here until he had spoken again by the cannon. He had taken complete advantage of the chaos around him and they were gonna make it out alive because of it!


    "Zoro, can you move?" He asked and his crewmate nodded after testing the extent of his injuries. It was bad but he''d survive after eating and getting some rest.


    "Good, be prepared to move soon. Also, you should all cover your ears. That cannon is about to fire."


    "Wait wait wait!" Buggy called in disbelief. "You can''t fire that at us! I can''t believe it''s already lit! Wait I said! WAIT!"


    The cannon fired and Ram whistled at the destruction.


    "Germa''s technology is more destructive but you gotta appreciate all forms of demolition," his unhinged weapon replied.


    "You aren''t wrong about that," Rosan replied softly, eyeing the debris for a moment. "We should go now, I have to eat a meal in front of Luffy before I break him out this cage."


    "H-Hey!" His younger brother protested.


    Nami looked at the crew of pirates in disbelief. They were all insane, this was why she hated pirates! She could never tell what went through their heads and it wasn''t worth the trouble tying to.


    "Are you coming, Orange?"


    A vein of annoyance made its way onto her head. "MY NAME IS NAMI!"


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "How is your injury?" Rosan asked Zoro, nibbling on a piece of bread that Luffy was desperately reaching for. Whenever he got close, Rosan would poke him with his sharp nails so that his rubbery hands would hastily retreat.


    "I lost a lot of blood so I need some rest," the swordsman panted, falling due to his shaky legs. It was good that the scout was strong enough to carry that cage, it would have been troubling otherwise if he had been forced to do so.


    "You let your guard down," Rosan reprimanded and the green haired man held his head slightly at that. "You should have taken into account that Buggy wasn''t bleeding and you paid the price because you didn''t. I even had his minions tell us about his Devil Fruit but you never showed a hint of wariness."


    "So you noticed that Buggy wasn''t dead¡­" Zoro mused. "You''re right, it''s my fault for being too lax and I lost because of it."


    Rosan and Luffy had both noticed something was amiss but he had failed to do so. It was a mistake that could have potentially been fatal if the redhead hadn''t intervened.


    Losing to that sham of a pirate... How sloppy of him¡­


    "Rosan, free meeee," Luffy whined pleadingly. This was too cruel!


    His brother hummed for a moment at the caged teen, tilting his head in contemplation.


    "Hey look, there''s a dog right there," Rosan pointed and it was comical, how easily he diverted Luffy''s attention to the animal.


    If he released the rubber boy right now, Luffy would absolutely go do something stupid and the redhead wanted to finish his food first.


    His captain''s eyes glittered in excitement and he easily dragged the heavy cage over to the dog. It was a small white dog with thin ears, beady black eyes, and a short, brush-like tail. The little thing was riddled with injuries and Rosan idly wondered what happened to it.


    It stared at them in a stationary position and it didn''t move a single inch at all. It almost looked as if it were guarding the pet store behind it.


    "Rosan, Zoro, it''s not moving at all!" Luffy exclaimed after trying to make it laugh and failing to even make it move.


    "The hell if I care. It can do whatever it want," Zoro groaned tiredly. He just wanted to get some rest right about now.


    Rosan didn''t respond, content to eat his meal.


    "Maybe it''s dead?" The rubber boy mused and he reached out to poke the dog. A moment after making contact, the dog gained an annoyed expression and immediately pounced onto Luffy.


    Ram burst out laughing at the sight of Luffy''s face being bitten.


    Mod shook her head in amusement. Honestly, the rubber boy was too much sometimes. It was surreal how much he could enjoy every situation.


    "Ow! Let me go you dumb dog!" The caged boy began brawling with the violent dog that was now chewing his arms. "Take that! And this!" The rubber boy flailed, swinging his fists to little success.


    "BE SERIOUS, LUFFY!" Zoro roared in disbelief but his blood loss was making itself apparent right now.


    "Is the middle of the street really the best hiding place you three could come up with?" Nami asked in worried confusion. She had separated momentarily from the pirates for unknown reasons but it appeared that she had come back.


    "Hey! It''s our navigator!" Luffy beamed and Nami felt a tick forming on her head. Now that she knew he was crew with the stupid redhead, it made sense why the rubber boy was so annoying.


    It must have definitely run in the crew.


    She took a deep breath and said, "I just wanted to thank you for saving me and I don''t like owing debts."


    Nami tossed the key to the cage and it landed on the floor with a tiny clang. Luffy beamed in excitement at seeing the key.


    Now Rosan couldn''t keep him in here any more! He was free to grab the food from his selfish older broth¡ª


    The dog took one look at the key and promptly consumed it in one gulp.


    Everyone stared at the dog with a mixture of reactions.


    Rosan almost smiled at how hard Ram was currently laughing and even Mod-chan couldn''t hide her giggles at what just transpired.


    "F-Father, I like this dog!" She cackled in glee. Since she had seen it, the dog had done nothing but entertain her so it was good in her books!


    "It is a pretty funny dog," Rosan agreed with her sentiment.


    Luffy''s eyes bugged out of his head in fury and he began to choke the dog with all his life. "GIMME BACK THAT KEY YOU STUPID DOG!" He roared and the poor dog''s eyes bugged from the pressure.


    The two''s brawling renewed in earnest and Rosan, at Ram''s behest, decided to finally free his captain so that the dog would be spared.


    That was put on hold though, as a presence approached and Rosan''s gaze snapped to the person, trying to gauge if he was a threat and immediately dismissing him as one.


    It was an elderly, bespectacled man, with curling gray hair distinctly bunched atop his head and down both sides of his neck.


    "Stop bullying poor ol Chouchou you young''uns!" The old man yelled at the four there.


    He introduced himself as the mayor of the village, Boodle, and after taking a look at Zoro''s wound, had the swordsman put to rest in his home.


    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    He then explained to them, why the dog chose to stand guard in front of the pet shop. Due to his owner dying and him valuing it as if it were his own personal treasure, the dog had taken it upon himself to keep it safe.


    To someone like Luffy, those words would strike a chord inside of because he also had a material treasure that he cherished.


    Rosan could agree to some extent too. His own treasures, were the accessories he wore day in and day out. The ones he would never take off unless he was robbed in death. To honor what he had lost... and to remind himself of what he could lose.


    Hm. Seems even an animal like this dog had things that it valued as well. The world was an interesting place.


    The conversation that they were having about the fate of this town, at the hands of Buggy, was cut short at the sound of a loud roar grabbing their attention.


    "W-What was that?" Nami asked in fear and the mayor''s eyes widened in recognition. He hastily grabbed their navigator and the two promptly ran off after he said one thing ¡ª


    "That must be Beast Tamer Mohji! We gotta get outta here!"


    Rosan watched them go with a blank look on his face. "They were just gonna leave you here, Luffy. It''s a good thing you''re strong or else you''d die."


    "Does that mean you''ll free me?!" His brother asked excitedly. Would he finally get out of this cursed cage?!


    "Let''s see what we''re dealing with first, then I''ll consider it," Rosan replied, glancing at the dog for a moment. If it didn''t leave now, it was probably going to die.


    The redhead didn''t really feel like protecting it. He didn''t care at all about its story, his heart didn''t resonate with it whatsoever.


    He shrugged at it''s steadfast demeanor and turned away from the animal... only to be greeted by... two(?) more.


    A shadow loomed over the two and Rosan knew that Ram was gawking at the site of the person before him.


    Honestly, Angel had been a horrible influence on his weapon the moment Ram had unlocked her human form. The two hung out almost nonstop after the discovering and now she was frequently wondering what was wrong with people and their getups despite wearing the same style outfit for 12 years.


    Beast Tamer Mohji was a man with muscular torso and thick lips. He wore a white fur vest that covered the area of his chest, blue pants held up by a yellow sash, and shoes in the shape of animal white fur feet.


    The animal tamer was on top of a menacing large lion with green fur and a purple mane which was probably where he got his epithet from.


    "Quite the exotic appearance," Rosan commented idly, nodding his head in greeting to the odd individual.


    "Why does he have on such a weird animal suit?" Luffy asked in curiosity.


    "I''m not sure but maybe it''s to make his Captain feel like he belongs. I know if I was born with a nose like that, fellow circus freaks would make me feel better about myself," the redhead replied seriously.


    The lion rider felt his head throb in annoyance. "DON''T BE SO DAMN RUDE!" He roared before catching himself and coughing lightly.


    These two were some of the rudest people he met. They actually kinda hurt his feelings with their toxic words and this was the first time they ever met!


    "I am Beast Tamer Mohji, and this is my hair."


    "That''s your hair?" Rosan asked curiously. Why? How? What? What was he thinking?


    "That makes it even weirder," Luffy said bluntly. Buggy''s crew sure did have a bunch of weirdos in them.


    Mohji desperately tried to stifle his rage and surprisingly, the pirate turned towards the nonchalant redhead. "I have no interest in taking that caged boy''s life. You''re the one I''m here for. Buggy-sama wants you for what you''ve done."


    Rosan blinked at that and tilted his head. "He wants me? Tell him I''m not interested in my enemies when it comes to that but I appreciate the offer."


    "THAT''S NOT WHAT I MEANT AND YOU DON''T HAVE A CHOICE!" Mohji roared in fury, fed up with their antics.


    Richie charged and swung a massive paw at him that Rosan deftly dodged, landing on top of Luffy''s cage in the process and shooting a raised brow at the charging lion. Unfortunately that had the effect of leaving the pet store in its path behind him and the Lion effortlessly smashed into it with the attack meant for him, destroying it in the process.


    "Oh," The 24 year old said.


    He glanced impassively at the sight of the dog barking in fury and doing a suicidal charge towards the lion. Chouchou howled futilely and jumped up to bite Richie.


    With one brutal swipe of his massive claws, Chouchou was sent flying in a spray of blood and landed in a heap, struggling to pull itself up and dragging its broken body towards the ruthless lion.


    "Rosan," Luffy said in anger at his brothers actions, or lack thereof. "You could have stopped that!"


    His brother had a tendency to treat things like this... as if people''s lives were just a game and it had been prevalent even when they were kids. He could have stopped the building from being destroyed and the dog from being attacked but he did neither, content to passively watch despite being the target!


    "It''s stupid of me to stop an attack without knowing what it could do. So I dodged it instead," he replied ruthlessly, utterly unbothered by what just took place.


    Rosan didn''t care about the treasure of someone else. He had no empathy for people he didn''t love and that meant he wouldn''t go out of his way to help them unless he somehow resonated with them, which had a near 0% chance of happening.


    "I don''t understand... isn''t it his fault for being weak?" The redhead replied simply, getting up with a small shrug.


    Whatever, he didn''t feel like dealing with an upset Luffy when it came to things like this. There was not a soul alive that was more stubborn then his youngest brother and Rosan knew Ace and himself.


    Though the two were naturally more stubborn then their youngest brother, when Luffy actually did want to be stubborn, it was impossible to change his mind.


    Besides, despite being weak, the dog really looked like he was about to die fighting for what he cared for.


    Rosan could respect that. He''d also drag his broken body to a fight he couldn''t win just to keep his treasured items intact.


    The Mod Mod no mi user effortlessly picked up Luffy''s cage, much to the surprise and trepidation of Mohji, and slammed it right on top of the lion''s head, immediately embedding it into the ground.


    "Woah!" Luffy yelled dizzily at being taken for a trip by his scout.


    Blood sprayed from Richie''s head, as he was bludgeoned by a heavy cage and the lion roared in pain. It reared its body back up and was about to swing wildly at Rosan, but he suddenly stopped as they made eye contact.


    "Richie?! What''s wrong?" Mohji asked in confusion. Had the hit to his head been stronger than he anticipated? Was he going to be alright? That damn... red...head?


    Red and purple slits stared back at the lion, daring it to make another move. It was a warning that only an animals instincts could feel.


    The warning of messing with an apex predator.


    "I''m something of a beast tamer myself," Rosan said idly. Mohji didn''t notice that his eyes had changed into those of his dragon''s and that was why the lion had stopped whatever it was doing.


    An animal''s first instincts were to survive after all. Dealing with a stronger creature went against that natural impulse like a blaring sign.


    "Sit."


    Richie obeyed despite Mohji''s orders and when Rosan began approaching the two, the lion made no effort to stop him¡­ Almost as if he feared the consequences of doing so. It stared at the redhead with a bead of sweat rolling down it''s features and submissively held its head.


    "Paw."


    The lion held out a massive paw and the redhead idly palmed it with his own big, though much smaller in comparison, palm. "Good boy," he praised softly, idly heating up his hand to uncomfortable levels and staring at the increasingly nervous lion.


    "So Buggy sent you to deal with me?" Rosan asked calmly, finally directing his attention towards the owner and removing his hand. "I planned on just having Luffy deal with everything... but I guess I can entertain you specifically since you were polite enough to meet me face to face."


    The Beast Tamer stepped back in fear at the declaration made by the redhead. "Wait! I''m sorry! I''ll give you anything you want so please spare me!"


    "But you''re the one who attacked me? If you didn''t want me to hurt you, you shouldn''t have tried to strike me. I would have left you alone, if you had left me alone," Rosan said matter-of-factly.


    The redhead paused and raised a brow, as the lion fought against its instincts to protect his master.


    Richie growled timidly but eventually let out a roar and stood tall, facing down certain doom with a look of bravery.


    "Richie!" Mohji said in awe, touched that his lion was moving despite the overwhelming terror it felt.


    "How admirable," Rosan said apathetically, watching the suicidal charge with a neutral gaze.


    Before Richie could even think to reach out a claw, a black sneaker planted itself on the lion''s nose with a sickening crunch and it sent him and Mohji, who he collided with, soaring a great distance from the original battlefield.


    The lion had been knocked unconscious instantly from the power of the blow and, as Mohji struggled to get from underneath him, a terrifying shadow loomed over him that made his heart squeeze. Those merciless dual eyes of his predator bore into him without a hint of expression and it sent tremors through his entire body.


    "Please¡ª"


    A stomp to the ribs, cut off his plea abruptly and Mohji spat out a river of blood, letting out a strangled screech at the sensation of his ribs being crushed beneath that cruel heel.


    Rosan removed his black sneakers from the man''s chest after cleaning them with his broken body and tutted. "No one has good survival instincts these days. I left you alive so make sure you tell your captain to not throw his life away."


    The redhead took his time walking back towards Luffy''s cage, inspecting the barren town all the while. He palmed the cool steel and glanced at his silent brother. Eyes glowing, he easily modified the steel and forced it open, making a hole big enough for his captain to walk through.


    The rubber boy stared at the computer man. They continued to stare at each other silently, until Rosan conceded with a sigh.


    "You''re lucky you''re my brother."


    Everyone was lucky that he didn''t have his emotions, actually. Maybe if he ever got them back, he''d show them how insufferable he could be.


    Yeah, that sounded like a great idea. Robin and Mod-chan didn''t deserve to be the only ones who dealt with the full terror of Portgas D. Rosan.


    "I''m so touched," Mod said flatly, no hint of amusement in her tone.


    Nami and Boodle left their hiding spot, shocked at what they had witnessed and they looked at the redhead with a bit of fear in their eyes.


    Well, anger in Nami''s case.


    "All you pirates are the same!" She shouted angrily. "You take and take and you never stop. No matter what it is, even a person''s treasure means nothing to you! I oughta kill you two right here and right now before you can go pillage some innocent town."


    "As if you could ever kill me," Luffy said, sticking his tongue out.


    "You''re just on a long list of many who''ve made that claim and failed," Rosan uttered, disinterested in her anger.


    "LETS GO RIGHT NOW!" Nami roared in fury. She didn''t think she could take the redhead but she could definitely take the straw hat wearing boy on.


    As Reaper, Rosan had never pillaged a town (he had permanently borrowed many things as a child though). He was a bounty hunter and townsfolk didn''t have bounties. Besides, he had a steady source of income that more than made up for all his needs. If he ever pillaged, it would be solely for fun but he had more fun things to do.


    He didn''t think he was anything like pirates, but clearly this girl had been scarred by them so he wouldn''t try and change her mind. It''s not like he cared enough to do so anyways, crewmate or not.


    "You aren''t. Comparing you to the standard pirate is an insult I can''t allow you to take," Mod frowned. She would never have aligned herself with Rosan if he were like Buggy or any other of those pirates. The Devil Fruit had raised him better than that.


    "Yeah! You''re way better than them!" Ram beamed.


    He approached the broken dog that was crying and barking in front of the destroyed building slowly, making sure not to set it off. "Fighting an opponent you know you can''t beat just for the sake of protecting what you love¡­ I''ve been there before," Rosan said simply and he approached the wreckage.


    Placing one palm on the building, Rosan thought, "Modification: Repair."


    Wrapping his ability around the pet shop, he began the process of fixing it into the state that it was at before. He hadn''t taken a look at the exterior but it shouldn''t be a problem.


    It was a good thing he helped Maro with her island''s buildings all the time. That made this alot easier to do.


    They all watched in shocked awe, as Rosan restored the building to its previous state with... Magic?!


    D-Did he have one of the Devil Fruits too?


    "Revealing some of my fruit for a dog," Rosan muttered quietly to himself, stepping back and assessing the building. It looked fine to his eyes and so, he would stop here.


    "How noble of you," Mod teased. She was sure that Rosan would have attacked Luffy first before agreeing to restore the building but maybe part of him did sympathize with the cute little dog.


    "Quiet," Rosan replied before glancing at Chouchou. "There, you have your treasure again. Keep protecting it but make sure you don''t neglect yourself in the process. Your friend wouldn''t like that, would he?"


    The dog rubbed it''s head affectionately on Rosan''s pants and barked in affirmation glancing up at him with a gaze of acknowledgment.


    Seems it really was as intelligent as the mayor said because it began walking away from the building it was guarding forever, presumably to get its injuries tended to.


    "Satisfied?" He asked his captain and the rubber boy nodded cheerfully, all anger forgotten.


    Rosan sighed.


    He should have really become his own captain¡­ or stayed with Maro. Maro wouldn''t make him do stupid things like fix a building because of a dog...


    Actually, yes she would. His family was full of idiots.


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    Mohji managed to miraculously drag his broken body back to where Buggy was stationed. He needed to urgently tell him about the monster with red hair and not to underestimate him.


    "Mohji! I sent you after the redhead and you lost to Zoro?!" Buggy screamed in disbelief. Zoro could wait, the redhead had personally offended the clown with his insults and had gotten one up on him and he needed to pay.


    Redheads¡­ Buggy hated how annoying they were. All of them were a pain in the ass.


    "Not Zoro¡­ it was¡­ the redhead," Mohji gasped out, his ribs were broken right now and it was a miracle that he could muster up the energy to do anything.


    "THE REDHEAD DID THIS TO YOU?!" Buggy roared. That damned redhead really wanted to make his life difficult...


    Of course he would, he was a fucking redhead.


    "Spared me to... warn you. Don''t underestimate the¡­ monster¡­" the beast tamer tried to say but the pain proved to be too much and he collapsed .


    Buggy stared at the unconscious body with a fury in his eyes. "If it gets out that my first mate was beaten by a nobody¡­ OUR REPUTATION WILL BE RUINED!" He howled.


    Beaten to the point where he was forced to call some random redhead a monster? There''s no way this was getting out if Buggy had anything to say about it.


    "MEN, LOAD THE BUGGY BALLS! WE''VE GOT A TOWN TO DESTROY!"


    "AYE, AYE, CAP''N," They chanted.


    Buggy couldn''t kill one of the redheads he hated but this one would kind of make up for it.


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    "I''m sorry for yelling at you two!" Nami apologized with a smile and the two waved her off.


    "No need to apologize to someone who wasn''t offended," Rosan replied simply.


    "Yeah! It''s obvious you lost someone dear to you because of pirates," Luffy nodded. "I don''t wanna hear about it though."


    The redhead nodded in agreement. He couldn''t care less about her past.


    "I CAN''T STAND IT NO MORE!" The Mayor suddenly yelled, grabbing all their attention. "Those darn bullies! Chouchou and these young''uns fought so bravely but I, the Mayor, am just standing here and letting my town be destroyed!"


    "Mayor, please calm down!" Nami said. He was going to get himself killed with his current train of thought!


    "Sometimes a man''s gotta do what a man''s gotta do!" He replied gravely. "Isn''t that right, you two?!" The old man asked the two brothers.


    Luffy grinned excitedly. "That''s right! You said it old man!"


    "DON''T ENCOURAGE HIM!" Nami roared in disbelief.


    "There''s no way your making it out alive, but at least you can die with what little honor you have left," Rosan nodded in agreement.


    "BE MORE ENCOURAGING!" She roared again. What was wrong with these two?! They were completely insane!


    Boodle explained to them about hey they had spent 40 years building up this town into what it currently was and how it was all the citizens treasure. He then hoisted up a makeshift weapon ("Wow he works pretty quick, Father!) and prepared himself for an already lost battle ¡ª


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "FIRE THE BUGGY BALL!" Buggy roared.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    ¡ªOnly to get blown away from the force of a Buggy Ball being shot directly in their vicinity.


    Luffy and Rosan remained rooted to their spots, as Nami and the Mayor fell from the explosion.


    "They even destroyed my house!" The Mayor snarled in disbelief.


    "ZORO WAS SLEEPING IN THERE!" Luffy shouted in realization and his mouth in shock. There was no way he lost his first crewmate already!


    "I''m afraid he''s been killed¡­" The Mayor said in resignation.


    They heard a tired groan from the destroyed building and Zoro held his head in exhaustion. Surrounding him, was a wall that mostly protected him from the explosion and all of them regarded it in confusion.


    "Who the hell put a wall here?" he muttered.


    Rosan hummed, glow in his eyes vanishing, as he turned towards the direction of the explosion.


    "H-How are you still alive? Where did that rock come from?" Nami muttered in shock, looking at the otherwise fine man. Were all of them some kind of freaks? First there was the redhead lifting cages, that shouldn''t normally be lifted by one person, demolishing a gigantic fucking lion after cowing it into submission... and magically fixing up a destroyed building from nothing?!


    Now, the green haired swordsman was just casually waking up after sleeping inside of a house that had been utterly decimated by one of the Buggy balls. Even with the wall blocking it (seriously, how did it get there), he didn''t even look phased!


    Not only that, he simply wakes up after sleeping off a gruesome injury that would have put anyone out of commission!


    This Luffy was really good at recruiting monsters! No wonder he wasn''t worried at all about dying. If she had these guys defending her all the time, she wouldn''t be worried either!


    "I refuse to let them get away with this for another second!" The Mayor suddenly declared. "I won''t let 40 years of hard work go to waste to some scum!"


    With that, the Mayor tried to run off, only to be stopped by a clearly concerned Nami.


    "You won''t accomplish anything getting yourself killed! You''re just being reckless!" The thief exclaimed, trying her best to hold him back from doing something stupid.


    "I KNOW I''M BEING RECKLESS!" He roared with tears in his eyes and the pain on his face was clear to see. He knew full and well that he was going to die in his attempt to stop the Buggy Pirates but to him, it was better to die fighting then to let his treasure be destroyed.


    To be so weak and stupid... Rosan just couldn''t understand why these people never attempted to get strong in a world like this, leaving themselves open for even the most mediocre of fighters to take over.


    It was better to find out you had no affinity to getting strong then to never even attempt it.


    "The Mayor was crying¡­" Nami pointed out.


    "It didn''t look that way to me!" Luffy grinned eagerly.


    "Things are getting exciting," Zoro nodded with a grin.


    "This isn''t something to laugh about!" The thief chided worriedly. The Mayor really was going to die if they did nothing about it!


    "Don''t worry I like that old man so I''ll make sure he doesn''t die," the captain reassured confidently.


    "I''ll let you handle the rest then, Luffy," Rosan said softly, not interested in fighting the circus act any further then he needed to. "Please protect my innocence from the clown who wants me."


    Luffy nodded easily enough. "Right!" His captain agreed, not minding in the slightest.


    "Y-You''re not gonna fight?" Nami asked in clear surprise. Their chances of winning, drastically lowered if the redhead didn''t participate in the battle¡­ Though she wasn''t sure he could take on Buggy after seeing what the clown was capable of.


    Rosan didn''t see a point in fighting the clown so he opted not to. It was fine if they continued to underestimate him and Luffy.


    "Luffy and Zoro can deal with it. There''s no need for me to involve myself any further," the 24 year old replied calmly. He had no need to further involve himself.


    The redhead wouldn''t have even fought the beast tamer, if not for the fact that it was he that had been specifically requested for.


    "Z-Zoro? With that injury?!" Nami stammered in confusion. How heartless was this guy to let his injured crewmate fight over him.


    "He''s eager to fight," Rosan simply said, not at all worried for what might happen to their swordsman. "That injury won''t hold him back."


    "I''m more worried about my reputation than my guts," Zoro grinned viciously, wrapping his bandanna firmly around his head.


    None of them were taking this serious. Luffy was laughing merrily without a care in the world, Rosan was actually preparing to not do a damn thing in this fight and Zoro was risking his insides to battle.


    "Do you wanna see me battle that badly? I''m touched," Rosan hummed and she felt a dreadfully familiar annoyance rising whenever she spoke to him. "You should get used to it, Nami. I don''t fight very often. Too much boring people."


    "U-Used to it?" Nami gaped in disbelief. They really were just slotting her into the crew despite the fact that she had rejected them every single time.


    "We''re headed for the Grand Line! We''ll steal that map back and then we can go together so join up with us!" Luffy beamed.


    Nami let out a sigh of defeat. He was utterly relentless.


    "I won''t become a pirate but we can "join forces" and work together for a common goal!" The navigator finally said.


    Luffy''s grin widened and they high fived to solidify the deal.


    "Alright! I can''t wait!" The rubber boy exclaimed, cracking his knuckles eagerly. Being locked in that cage had made him restless¡­ and hungry.


    "You''re always restless and hungry. That''s why I hid the food on the ship," Rosan chastised him.


    Luffy blinked at that. "WE STILL HAD FOOD?!"


    Nami held her head in her hands.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "The second salvo is ready, Captain Buggy!"


    Buggy grinned.


    "Alright! Fire!" The clown commanded. He wanted this town destroyed completely. Then he''d find that annoying, shitty redhead along with that stupid rubber boy with the infuriatingly familiar straw hat and hang their heads on his wall, laughing at them all the while.


    A redhead and a boy wearing a straw hat? Who the hell decided to give him two reminders to that shitty bastard Shan ¡ª


    "GET OUT HERE RIGHT NOW, BUGGY THE CLOWN," A voice roared, cutting off his internal musing.


    Who the hell¡­?


    "Who are you? What''s your death wish?" Buggy asked in annoyance at the fly buzzing around outside. This old man wasn''t even worth his time and had just come running to his death.


    "I''m Mayor Boodle! I''ve been running this town since you were pillaging nurseries and I won''t let you lay another hand on our treasure! I challenge you to a fight!" He declared.


    The pirate crowd roared in laughter at the sight of the old man challenging their captain and his second mate, Cabaji, tried to fight him instead.


    Buggy wasn''t having it though. He was the one who was challenged after all and so, he''d personally deal with this dumbass.


    It was time to stave off some annoyance anyways.


    Everyone knew that the only thing that could qualify as treasure, were gold, silver and jewels. Unless this town was made of that, it was nothing but garbage and that''s why Buggy was destroying it all.


    Buggy, from his perch far above the old man, detached one of his hands and had it wrap around the Mayor''s neck. He watched in amusement as the gray haired dumbass punched his offending hand unsuccessfully and the clown tightened his grip, causing blood to begin gushing out of the man''s mouth.


    Despite that, the old man was still fighting with every inch of his pathetic life.


    "COME DOWN AND FIGHT ME LIKE A MAN!" He choked out resolutely, even as his eyes began rolling to the back of his head.


    "You''re not worth the effort," Buggy sneered, only to pause at the feeling of a new sensation on his hand. "Huh?" He muttered in confusion. Who the hell was gripping his arm that harshly?! The clown looked back down only to widen his eyes in recognition.


    "The straw hat kid?!"


    The red vest wearing boy was holding his detached hand with a grin on his face. "Buggy, I''m here to kick your ass, just like I promised!" The rubber boy exclaimed.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Remember, I''m only here for the map and the treasure," Nami reminded them. She had no interest in fighting these pirates. She did not want to die.


    "Whatever," Zoro shrugged.


    "How fun, that means we get to speak more," Rosan said dully and due to Nami not knowing about his emotional circumstances, it came off as sarcastic to their navigator (it absolutely was).


    "You are so annoying!" the orange haired girl growled. This tall redhead had been nothing but a headache since they met on the other island! Did she really have to sail with this one?!


    "Why are you young''uns here?" Boodle asked in confusion, coughing from the pain of being choked. "Stay out of this. You''re outsiders!"


    Rosan could never understand why some weak people were hesitant to ask for help. There was nothing wrong with receiving it, especially if you couldn''t do it by yourself. Luffy had been unbelievably weak and never hesitated to ask for help when he couldn''t do something, but others simply had too much pride?


    This was why he never offered to help people on his own volition. No, only after asking would he contemplate giving it.


    Luffy grabbed the screaming old man and smashed his head into the wall, knocking him out cleanly, much to the shock of the onlookers.


    "Good, he was getting annoying," Ram sighed. Weak people pretending to be strong never failed to irritate the weapon.


    "What the hell?!" Nami shouted in surprise. "Whose side are you on?! Why did you attack the mayor?!"


    "He was in the way!" Luffy grinned.


    "Good thinking, he was gonna get himself killed otherwise," Zoro nodded in agreement.


    "If Luffy didn''t do it, I would have. Not to keep him safe but because he was just talking too much," Rosan added.


    "THERE''S OTHER WAYS TO DO THINGS LIKE THIS! ARE YOU ALL CRAZY?!"


    Rosan shrugged and Luffy laughed before stepping up to regard Buggy. The captain took a deep breath before screaming, "HEY BIG NOSE!"


    Nami gaped at how idiotic this boy proved to be time and time again, while Zoro''s eyes widened in disbelief.


    Rosan casually sipped a cup of tea that he got from who knows where, truly set on not interfering in this battle.


    The clown''s crew had their mouth opened in shocked dread and Buggy''s eyes went white in fury. "KILL THAT FLASHY IDIOT! GIVE ''IM THE BUGGY BALL!" He roared.


    Without wasting any time, the cannonball that they had meant to shoot into the town again, was instead fired towards the 4 with a terrific BOOM.


    Their navigator and swordsman watched with open mouths, as their deaths fired towards them in real time.


    "You and Luffy are very good at annoying people," Mod commented idly. Luffy''s approach was much more simplistic then Rosan''s (and much more unintentional) but in a way, that made it even more annoying since that simple approach successfully got under their skin.


    Rosan nodded in agreement because Luffy''s antics extended to even his own allies. Nami and Zoro were currently shouting furiously at the unbothered boy for his stupid actions and his brother only grinned.


    "That measly cannonball won''t do anything to me!" The captain said before inhaling deeply. "Gomu Gomu no Balloon!"


    Before their very eyes, Luffy inflated like a balloon and caught the cannonball with his enlarged stomach, before bouncing it back to the ones who shot it. Their enemy pirates looked on with bugged out eyes at the reversal and they didn''t even have time to move before it exploded on them.


    "Do you remember the first time Luffy did this technique?" Mod asked in amusement.


    "We played kickball with him," Rosan replied at the memory. Surprisingly, it was one of the techniques that Luffy didn''t have to practice too much but Ace had still found a weakness and the three older brothers had punted the helpless seven year old around the field.


    Oh how time flew. Now his youngest brother wasn''t the helpless little boy who needed his brothers to do everything for him. He was strong all on his own and that made the oldest brother rather proud.


    Ace would be glad to see that he had been proven wrong. Luffy''s fruit wasn''t useless in battle. His captain had actually made it pretty useful with some inspiration from Rosan in the form of three years of torture training.


    Maybe he wouldn''t be too happy to hear about that training portion. Ace had become rather protective of Luffy ever since the bear incident and he even tried striking Garp to defend him.


    Rosan helped because he didn''t like Garp but he digressed...


    He shouldn''t have made his dislike of the Marine so blatant. He had some interesting techniques that he nor Ace never bothered to ask about.


    Luffy on the other ¡ª


    Ah, he was getting sidetracked. It was best to focus on what was going on right now despite how disappointing he was going to end up.


    Nami was currently yelling at Luffy for not giving them a heads up and his brother was being as intelligent as ever about it, but their attention was grabbed from the devastation of the Buggy Ball.


    "You''ve got some nerve trying to flashily do me in," a voice called out gravely from the wreckage.


    "He''s using his men as shields¡­" Nami whispered in horror.


    "¡­" Rosan tilted his head at that. Even if they were clones, the redhead would never consider using Angel or Demon as shields. Human shields were reserved for his enemies only, not his allies.


    What a gross abuse of leadership.


    "Cap''n, this is the worst disgrace we''ve suffered since you formed our crew," a man with black hair said. He was holding the lion that Rosan had just destroyed as a meat shield to keep himself safe.


    "I''m so mad, I can''t even speak," Buggy said lowly. This group had managed to piss him off to a degree he hadn''t felt in a long... long time in only one day and he had it up to here with them.


    "Ugh¡­ Where am I¡­ What the hell happened?" Someone groaned and it was revealed to be the Beast Tamer themselves. He had suffered serious injuries from Rosan and he was barely holding on to the realm of consciousness.


    "Mohji, you''re still alive?" Cabaji asked with a slightly raised brow, still holding onto the lion.


    Rosan raised a brow at watching the supposed second mate cow the first mate but then again, this was a circus. Mohji made eye contact with the redhead and the man''s eyes bugged in fear at the one who had effortlessly defeated him.


    "Cap''n Buggy, watch out for the redhead! He''s a monster that was able to tame Richie with one look! I think he has Devil Fruit powers like you!" The first mate warned Buggy, before letting out a sharp gasp of pain and clutching his ribs. His eyes rolled to the back of his skull again and he collapsed.


    Rosan shot them a short wave. "You don''t have to worry. I won''t be fighting," he assured the crew. "I''m flattered that you were looking for me but I really don''t think someone with such a glaring red nose, is something I''m interested in. Still a great color by the way."


    Nami was sure that they knew his red nose was a sore spot, yet they still continued to aggravate him with that topic. There was something seriously wrong with these two and she didn''t know what it was! Did she really have to travel with suicidal idiots like this? Was that really the greatest idea?


    Buggy went red in the face at the anger he was currently feeling. "Won''t be fighting?! YOU THINK I CARE ABOUT THAT, COWARD!?" He shrieked, shooting one of his hands out towards the offending redhead.


    "He''s so lucky Luffy already promised to kick his ass," Ram sneered, watching in slight satisfaction as Rosan grabbed it out of midair and squeezed, eliciting a howl of pain from Buggy.


    "Like I said, I really don''t feel like fighting you so take the beating from my captain instead," the 24 year old told him gently, heating up his palm as warning and getting another howl out of the clown. His tone completely contrasted the steel like grip he had on Buggy''s floating hand and try as he might, the clown could not recall it.


    "This has nothing to do with cowardice. You should honestly be glad. I''d much rather fight Luffy then me and if you keep trying to attack me, I''m sure you''ll find out for yourself," he informed them all, releasing the hand and allowing it to float back to its weary master.


    Zoro began internally reassessing Rosan''s strength. He knew the scout wasn''t a pushover like he had thought before, but he wasn''t sure just how strong the redhead happened to be. The swordsman had learned a fair bit about the bronze man and whatever he said, he generally meant.


    Was he really just a humble scout like he claimed to be¡­?


    Cabaji had enough of the insult that his crew was facing and immediately lunged forward on his unicycle. The acrobat had Rosan in his sights, who held out his hand to obliterate the idiot, but Zoro jumped in the way to block his blade.


    "If it''s a sword fight you want, I''ll clash blades with you," the injured swordsman grunted.


    Rosan placed his hand down.


    "Is he sure he wants to fight with that injury? He doesn''t seem to heal as fast as you or Luffy. Stressing it could be bad for him," Mod frowned at the reckless actions of the swordsman.


    "Hey, Zoro. You should rest and let me deal with them," Luffy warned in worry, fully taking stock of his swordsman''s wounds. The injury was still pretty fresh and if it was aggravated, his friend could be in trouble.


    The green haired man simply shrugged him off and said, "Stay out of it."


    Rosan watched with a stony demeanor as Cabaji took full advantage of Zoro''s wound. The acrobat was rather ruthless when it came to picking at the spot.


    He spat out a gout of flame that caught Zoro off guard before kicking him violently on the wounded spot. The scream of agony their swordsman let out, made Nami cover her eyes. She couldn''t watch this torture anymore, it was too much.


    The injury was too inhibiting for Zoro and he was unable to go on the offensive due to that.


    Cabaji took full advantage of that, planting yet another kick on the man''s wound and sending him crashing to the ground.


    "AGHHH!" Zoro roared, rolling in agony and clutching the injury tightly.


    "What''s wrong?" The second mate taunted, with a smirk on his face. "A grown man shouldn''t be squealing like that."


    Nami listened to the cruelty displayed, with abject horror. "Aren''t you two going to do anything about this?!" Their navigator hissed in disbelief. Luffy was staring at the battle going on with a neutral expression while Rosan glanced disinterestedly.


    Neither looked like they had any intention of interfering and it baffled her.


    "He told us to stay out of it," Rosan deigned to answer. "And didn''t I say I''m not going to fight? You''re a bad listener, Nami."


    "E-Even if he dies?" The orange haired girl gaped in disbelief.


    "Do you really think that acrobat, who preys on a wound to stand a chance, will be able to put down someone with Zoro''s resolve? If that were the case, I wouldn''t save him regardless. He can just die here from his shame," Rosan informed her coldly.


    She couldn''t believe what she was hearing... w-weren''t they apart of a crew? Why would they treat each other so coldly?!


    Luffy remained silent, eyes on the battlefield and Nami had to wonder what she got herself into.


    Cabaji grinned victoriously and prepared to charge the, in his eyes, defeated pirate hunter. As he got closer to his prey though, he was taken by surprise, as Zoro batted him aside with the butt of his sword.


    "Is poking at my wound that fun to you? How annoying," Zoro grumbled, unamused.


    The swordsman grabbed his own blade, only to dig it into his wound, effectively making it even worse and getting a grunt of exertion out of the man.


    Everyone gaped at the suicidal display from the swordsman.


    "Seems like Luffy is good at recruiting fellow psychos," Mod himself, the rubber boy had managed to recruit Zoro and Rosan back to back! He had a penchant for insanity!


    "I like this swordsman!" Ram grinned eagerly.


    "Is that enough of a handicap for you?" Zoro asked with a demonic grin on his face. "Now I''ll show you the difference in our levels."


    "Cool!" Luffy beamed.


    "So cool," Rosan nodded in agreement.


    "My swords aim to be the greatest in the world. I can''t lose even once to anyone who calls himself a swordsman!" The swordsman declared.


    "Ah, your strong resolve keeps you going," Cabaji said in realization. "You don''t have to worry though, wounds as bad as yours will be more than enough of an excuse when you lose to me."


    "To hell with that," he scoffed. "If I lose to someone like you with injuries this light, then I may as well give up my dream right now!"


    Rosan nodded in approval. He momentarily side eyed the thief as she informed them of her plan to steal the treasure and map, before deciding against sending a bug to track her.


    She could do what she wanted.


    "You don''t trust her at all, like you do Zoro," Mod pointed out.


    "It''s hard to trust someone that has 0 trust in you. I won''t be the one to extend my trust first. I have much more to lose to someone that will probably jump ship. Besides, I don''t want to be forced to kill someone that Luffy''s interested in."


    "That''s fair. She''s not as single minded as Zoro is so it''s more difficult to get a current glean on her character."


    Rosan hummed in agreement and dropped the topic. The battle between the acrobat and Zoro was wrapping up it seemed. After declaring that this was his ultimate technique, Cabaji had taken out some spinning tops and flung them all at the swordsman.


    While Zoro slashed them all into pieces, the man probably did the most impressive thing to Rosan yet and rode his unicycle up a building. He then leapt high into the air and in an incredibly obvious and telegraphed attack (seriously, anyone with half a brain could stop this) began descending onto the swordsman.


    This was such a joke of a fight. Were they really fighting a band of traveling clowns?


    "Don''t you have a similar technique as this one? I remember you used it on Maverick all those years ago," Mod prodded with a teasing smile.


    "I can fly and my technique is much faster, even as a child. Besides, I only do it when my opponent is fully incapacitated, like against Kenzo and like against Maverick," Rosan replied blandly. It was stupid to waste stamina on a move that someone could dodge when you could do something else.


    The clown tried to interfere by holding Zoro down but his brother had already scouted him out and was stomping on his foot rather eagerly. This allowed the swordsman to avoid the attack just barely and Cabaji connected with nothing but concrete.


    "Ahh¡­ I''m getting tired," Zoro grunted.


    The acrobat grinned victoriously at that statement.


    "So you''ve finally given up huh?" He asked eagerly, only to flinch as Zoro glared at him coldly.


    "You''ve got it all wrong. I''m tired of your shitty ass circus tricks. I expected better out of a swordfight and got this instead," he declared.


    Cabaji felt a vein form from annoyance and sneered at the injured man. "Fine, no more tricks. I''ll deal with you using my real swordsmanship!"


    With that, the acrobat charged Zoro at full speed, who glared at him before getting into position to deliver his own attack.


    Zoro crossed his two swords across his chest and placed the blade in his mouth horizontally behind them. "Oni¡­" the man began tensing his muscles at the quickly approaching acrobat, before dashing forward himself.


    "...Giri!"


    Three cuts appeared on the second mates chest and his eyes rolled back at the power of the swordsman who had crushed him.


    "How could we, the Buggy Pirates, lose to some common thieves," Cabaji groaned as he collapsed on the floor in defeat.


    "Shoulda stuck to your tricks, circus man," Rosan thought idly.


    "We''re not common thieves...," Zoro informed him, taking his bandanna off and inhaling deeply.


    "...We''re pirates!"


    With that, the man collapsed on the floor. "I''m goin to sleep now! You can handle the rest," he said, already preparing to rest right there.


    Rosan sighed and went to go move the man. He had nothing better to do anyways.


    "You took too long to defeat him," the redhead said, hoisting him up on one shoulder.


    Zoro groaned tiredly. "Gimme a break. The amount of blood I''m losing is making me dizzy."


    Rosan snorted quietly. "I''m no doctor. Suck it up for now and I''ll try and wrap a gauze around it when we board the ship. That''s the best I can do for you."


    Maybe he should have had Demon teach him a few things (curse his arrogance for absolutely refusing to learn the skill). With the Philosopher''s stone, he didn''t really see the need to learn about medicine. The boy was scarcely able to sustain an injury that required medical attention and he didn''t care enough about anyone else to learn medicine for their sake (barring Ace and Luffy but they healed abnormally quick like him).


    It was pretty useful¡­ For him at least.


    Zoro had already fallen asleep and Rosan dragged him to some vacant building so he could rest up.


    "Why do I feel like such a babysitter," he muttered.


    "I think Maro had a big part to play with that! It''s almost instinct now! Should we start calling you Mama Rosan?"


    "I''ll make Ram call you grandma since that''s what you actually are."


    "I-I was just kidding! Ram! Don''t you dare get any ideas young lady. You''d listen to Rosan over me?!"


    "H-He''s my Father! I can''t just say no to him!"


    "Yes you can! You are physically a grown woman!"


    "No I can''t! And what do you mean by physically?! Are you saying I''m mentally a child? That''s rude, Grandma!"


    "I told you not to call me that!"


    "You two are like children. Maybe you should start calling me Mama Rosan because the amount of people I have to maintain, including the two inside my body¡­"


    "I DON''T WANT TO HEAR THAT FROM YOU, PORTGAS D. ROSAN!"


    The sheer outrage in Mod''s voice, made him crack a small smile.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    When Rosan had arrived onto the scene again, the battle between Luffy and Buggy was well underway and impressed him as much as he expected to be, which was not at all.


    His brother had the clear advantage and only Buggy''s unknown tricks (and Luffy''s playfulness) with his Devil Fruit, were keeping him in the battle.


    "Oh, Rosan!" Luffy exclaimed, noticing the redheads arrival. "This clown knows Shanks!"


    Rosan slightly raised a brow at that. "Is that why you haven''t knocked him unconscious yet? You want information on him?"


    Last he had heard, the man had become a Yonko sometime after leaving Foosha. He and his crew seemed to have gotten quite powerful (not that they were weak before) and they all sported hefty bounties. Other than being impressed that he became a Yonko despite losing an arm, Rosan didn''t care enough to get more information on the man who had sailed on a ship with his father.


    Shanks was Luffy''s idol, not his.


    Speaking of which¡­


    "Your straw hat," Rosan pointed out, glancing at the 3 knife marks. Seems his brother had been too lax and the hat paid the price. "This is why I always tell you to stop being so playful. Give it here so I can repair it."


    "So that is Shanks'' straw hat, I knew it looked familiar," Buggy sneered. "Not only that, both of you know him¡­ We used to board the same ship as apprentice pirates," the clown said.


    Rosan''s attention was suddenly grabbed by that as Buggy told them the tale of why he would never forgive Shanks.


    The clown pretended to eat a Devil Fruit so that he could sell it off for 100 million beri and at the same time, find the treasure that a map had pointed out. Unfortunately for him, Shanks had caught him by surprise and caused him to accidentally eat the Devil Fruit.


    To make matters worse, he had lost the treasure map in his rage and it vanished into the ocean. Buggy dove for it but due to eating the fruit, he could no longer swim and Shanks had to save him.


    "Ah, so Shanks saved you!" Luffy smiled fondly.


    "THAT''S NOT WHAT I''M TRYING TO SAY!" Buggy roared in indignation.


    "That is by far the dumbest way to have obtained your Devil Fruit powers ever. You panic swallowed the fruit? Are you stupid?" Rosan asked genuinely, causing Buggy to splutter in indignation.


    The clown fumed at his choice of words. "I was in a flashy heat of moment! It was a split second decision!" He argued.


    "You understand that even one bite of a Devil Fruit, gives you its abilities... right? How the hell did they let an idiot like you on Roger''s ship? Not only are you dumb, you and Shanks were apprentices at the same time and his crew is so much stronger than yours, that it''s laughable," the redhead finished, shaking his head at the hopeless clown taking resident on a random island in the East Blue.


    If he were even half of Shanks'' level, he''d have to take Luffy and flee but that wouldn''t be necessary because the clown was weak. He was merely relying on his Devil Fruit but even now, his captain was quickly figuring it out.


    Luffy was a genius in battle and Buggy was just another pirate that Reaper would have cleaned up from the ocean if he were active. Rosan had put his captain through many different scenarios over the years and his brother had began excelling under the conditions.


    Buggy zeroed in on one specific part of what Rosan said and felt the world freeze around him at the redhead''s statement.


    How did he know who his captain was?


    He... He never... Did he mention Roger being his captain?


    "Shanks told me, obviously. As for why he did¡­ That''s not something I''m willing to disclose to a "flashy" idiot like you."


    Buggy actually took a long look at the redhead for the first time.


    "You''re not Shanks long lost brother or something right?"


    "Are you really dumber than I already think you are?"


    The clown withheld an annoyed snarl at that. He would take great joy in interrogating the accursed redhead. There had to have been a reason Shanks told him about sailing with the Roger pirates so he''d leave him alive for now and get his answers later.


    After he dealt with the equally annoying straw hat boy, this tanned dumbass was next.


    But before even dealing with the straw hat ¡ª


    "I don''t tan. That''s a rather rude assumption. You wanna know what''s not an assumption? The fact that you have a massive red nose that you''re deeply insecure about."


    "SHUT UP! YOU''RE INTERRUPTING MY TRAIN OF THOUGHT!" Buggy roared, launching a knife at the redhead.


    Rosan idly plucked the blade out of midair and disintegrated it, tilting his head at the clown all the while. "My apologies, you can continue with your train of thought. I won''t interrupt anymore."


    The clown coughed, ignoring the sight of the redhead vaporizing his knife, and thanked him. Now where was he...


    Oh, right!


    "I couldn''t get all the treasure underwater because of that bastard redhead but that just means I''ll have all the treasure on land!" Buggy suddenly declared before splitting his upper half from his bottom half.


    "It doesn''t matter who you are, if you put your hands on my treasure, I''LL FLASHILY KILL YOU!"


    ¡ªHe would deal with that damn traitorous thief!


    "Don''t think you can get away from me, Nami! I''ll flashily chop you up!"


    Nami gasped in terror and tried to run away faster but the pirate was quickly approaching. She had gotten too caught up in the fight between them and now he was about to strike her down.


    Right as Buggy reached her, he let out a squeal of pain and his eyes rolled to the back of his skull momentarily. The reason for this, was due to the fact that Luffy had ruthlessly planted a sandal right on the man''s crotch.


    "Nice shot," Rosan praised with a light applause. When he was younger, he did crotch shots all the time. It was his right as a child to use everything at his disposal to win and it was the adults right to accept it.


    Buggy moaned in agony, tears rolling down his face at the excruciating pain he was going through. "M-My balls¡­" he groaned pitifully.


    T-That was dirty, attacking his lower half! That damn rubber boy. He had it up to here with this entire fucking crew! From the traitorous thief, to the bastard redhead and finally the shitty straw hat.


    "Don''t forget that you''re still dealing with me!" Luffy grinned before glancing at Nami. He pointed a finger at the thief and said, "You should drop that treasure and run, he won''t stop chasing you!"


    The look of sheer outrage on Nami''s face, after hearing Luffy''s suggestion, could be framed and placed on a wall.


    "No way am I gonna leave my treasure behind!"


    "Your treasure?!" Buggy asked in disbelief. There was no way she said what he thought she said.


    "That''s right! My treasure! I''m a thief who steals from pirates and I just stole it! It''s mine, mine, mine!"


    "You know... I can respect that. Sticking to her values even in the face of someone that can certainly kill her, is rather admirable."


    "Don''t ever show her your treasury, Father."


    "Okay."


    Buggy chose to still not heed Luffy''s advice about paying attention to him because he was specifically targeting Nami now for stealing his treasure.


    Rosan held his sigh in. These fights really weren''t interesting at all. They were far too silly for someone like him, who brutally murdered all his opponents.


    The clown split himself into many pieces and began chasing Nami down. While the girl desperately ran for her life, Luffy noticed that Buggy''s feet weren''t flying with the rest of his body and grinned mischievously.


    The clown was unable to properly do anything to Nami because Luffy tickled, stomped, and yanked the skin of his feet constantly. The poor thief was getting even more spooked due to being unaware of what the straw hat wearing boy was doing and just assumed that Buggy was getting increasingly more terrifying.


    "CUT IT OUT!" Buggy roared to the rubber boy.


    "No, you knock it off!" Nami screamed, slamming her bag of treasure right into him.


    Or at least that''s what she was planning to do, but Buggy managed to catch it and they struggled back and forth for it.


    "I guess this is what we should have expected fighting a circus crew. Luffy was never going to take such goofy people serious so I should have just eliminated them all while he was in the cage still," Rosan muttered, watching his captain plant a boot in the clown''s face.


    A thought suddenly occurred to him. "If he''s insecure about his nose, why is he even dressing up as a clown and recruiting circus performers? Shouldn''t he just buy a mask or something?" The redhead asked aloud.


    "I''m not too sure actually. Maybe he''s unsuccessfully trying to conquer his insecurities?"


    "I think he''s just dumb."


    Rosan had to agree with Ram.


    "SHUT UP YOU FUCKING REDHEAD!" Buggy roared, facing Rosan. "THAT''S IT! I''M GOING TO FLASHILY DO YOU IN SO YOU CAN FINALLY SHUT UP"


    The clown tried to recombine his body, only to blink in startled confusion at finding himself much smaller. The diminutive clown turned in disbelief and was greeted by the smugly grinning Nami who was next to his tied up limbs.


    "Pft," was all the redhead said at the sight and Ram began cackling at his simple show of amusement.


    "Even Auntie Mod is laughing at him!"


    "If something is funny enough to make Rosan laugh, what chance do I have?!"


    Luffy laughed joyously and began to stretch both his arms behind him. "Way to go thief!" He praised before focusing his attention on Buggy.


    "See ya, Buggy!"


    "Word of advice, try not to split your attention on so much people," Rosan advised.


    "S-Stop!" The clown said with bugged eyes. Was he seriously going to lose here without getting even a single victory over these randoms?! Was this how the Buggy pirates LOST?!


    Luffy grinned mercilessly and Buggy paled dramatically.


    "Gomu Gomu no Bazooka!" He yelled before sending Buggy flying high into the sky.


    "I win!" Luffy cheered.


    "You could have ended that much faster. Was the clown that entertaining to you?" Rosan chided.


    His captain laughed merrily as a response, waving him off with a beaming grin.


    The redhead hummed before handing Luffy his repaired straw hat. "There. Try to take better care of it in the future. I need this hat intact as much as you do."


    "Thanks, Rosan! You''re the best!"


    The 24 year old simply nodded before he turned to go retrieve Zoro.


    "You''ll join my crew, right?" Luffy asked the lone person there.


    Nami sighed in exasperation. "Fine, for the time being. I can probably make a fortune if I stick with you guys."


    This kid seriously couldn''t take no for an answer.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan hoisted up the groggy Zoro, unbothered by the blood leaking onto his outfit and began the march towards the White Rose.


    "Is it over?" Zoro asked, his head was hunched over Rosan''s shoulder and he was thankful that the redhead was bothering to carry him because he couldn''t really move right now.


    "Yeah, Luffy dealt with it," Rosan answered calmly, walking towards his ship.


    The swordsman nodded at that and they walked in a comfortable silence before he thought of something. "Yo, Rosan¡­"


    His target hummed in acknowledgment.


    "Could you have taken out Buggy too?" Zoro asked curiously. Not once did the redhead seem stressed about the situation. In fact, he seemed rather relaxed, from not releasing Luffy from his cage to saying that he wouldn''t need to interfere.


    Rosan glanced at him for a moment. "I realize I never told you this but my emotions are currently locked away. That''s why you hardly see me react to anything. I''m mostly incapable of doing so, though I am getting better."


    His eyes widened at the revelation and he looked at the scout like he were a puzzle to be solved. No emotions? Locked away? Did it have to do with his mysterious Devil Fruit? All the users he had met so far, had displayed some bizarre abilities so he didn''t discard the idea.


    "To answer your question... Yes, I could beat Buggy. In one hit if I wanted too. Luffy could do the same but he was playing around too much like he always does. I take my battles much more serious then he does and they tend to end in deaths, which is why I said he would prefer to fight my silly little brother."


    "Just how strong are you?" Zoro raised a brow. He had never actually seen the redhead in action, besides crushing the back of those three previous pirates and he was curious about what he was capable of.


    What was his preferred style? How did he use his weapons? What was his most used weapon? Zoro wanted to know these answers because unlike Luffy, this man was a complete enigma.


    He almost thought Rosan wasn''t going to answer with how silent he stayed but the redhead eventually replied.


    "I''m not sure. I haven''t gone all out in a very long time... I''ve had a pretty eventful life so I''d say I''m a little strong. I doubt anyone in the East Blue could defeat me or Luffy but who knows."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan and Zoro weren''t so sure why Luffy was getting chased by the citizens of this town but the redhead deftly avoided them in case they chose to redirect their ire towards him.


    He had no interest in slaughtering civilians.


    When they made it to the shore, they saw Luffy and Nami being confronted by 3 familiar faces.


    "Thinking you could rob us and get away with it huh?" #1 asked smugly, expertly hiding the pain in his back. "Looks like we have to teach you two a lesson!"


    "Yeah!" #2 grinned maliciously. "This''ll teach you not to steal from pirates!"


    "We''re bound together by fate now! You can''t get rid of us that eas ¡ª."


    "What are you three doing?" A dreadfully familiar deep voice asked, freezing them to their spot and making all three go pale. "Why are my servants harassing my captain? Did I release you from your duties too soon? You know Buggy''s been defeated, right?"


    The three pirates turned white at the voice and all eyes turned to Rosan. He was staring at Buggy''s subordinates with that empty gaze that terrified them so much in such a short span.


    "I asked you 3 a question."


    "WE''RE VERY SORRY, SIR! WE HAD NO IDEA THIS WAS YOUR CAPTAIN, SIR! PLEASE FORGIVE US, SIR!" They saluted and bowed repeatedly.


    J-Just their luck for these two to be allies with their tormentor. Even worse, his claims of Buggy not being able to protect them were true because he had marched right to their captain''s base and come out unscathed.


    Rosan hummed in contemplation.


    "Seeing as you haven''t come to blows yet, I''ll forgive you and let you stay free," he informed them and they sagged in relief.


    "But."


    They froze again.


    "You have to successfully escape from me. If I capture you, and I will capture you, you will be my eternal servants, doing whatever I want until you die because I won''t die," Rosan explained softly, tilting his head to the side.


    "Word of advice, I can''t swim so if you start now, I won''t bother chasing you."


    "AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" They didn''t even think twice about questioning his advice and his former maids swam away without any hesitation. He could still hear them screaming in the water.


    "They should save their breaths, they might drown if they keep screaming like that."


    "I wonder where they''ll swim off to," Ram mused.


    Zoro and Luffy laughed heartily at the scene and Nami looked at Rosan with an utterly baffled, if not fearful, expression.


    "Despite having their backs nearly broken in half, they still cleaned my ship quite well," Rosan mused.


    Their navigator actually took one step away from him. "Scary¡­" she whispered.


    "They were good maids," Zoro agreed, as Rosan dragged him on top of the White Rose.


    "You need to get some rest. Demon would kill you if he saw what you were doing with that injury," Rosan muttered.


    "Demon?"


    "My little brother. He''s a doctor. You''ll meet him one day."


    Zoro was too tired to question the fact that Rosan and Luffy had even more siblings so he just didn''t bother.


    "This is a nice ship," Nami awed, looking at it with wide eyes. She had been on many ships before and this one was one of the nicest yet!


    She wondered how much treasure was stored on it...


    "Thank you," Rosan replied. "Don''t try and rob me, I''ll stomp your back into pieces."


    She squeaked in fear and nodded rapidly, putting a safe distance between the two in the process.


    "WAIT!" A voice called in the distance. Their ship had already set sail so the four looked back at the noise to see who was calling them.


    It was the Mayor and he looked like he had ran all the way here, if the way he was breathing was an indication.


    "Thank you! We''re in your debt!" He grinned joyously, tears streaming down his face.


    "Don''t worry about it!" Luffy grinned. "Take it easy!" The rubber boy called out. He waved merrily at the joyful mayor and smiled cheerfully.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "YOU LEFT ONE OF THE TREASURE BAGS?!" Nami screeched in rage. This little damn ¡ª


    "Yeah."


    "Just one was worth 5 million, you know?!"


    "But they needed it to fix their town."


    "5 million isn''t even that much," Rosan said calmly. "Just go hunt someone with that bounty. Should have kept Buggy and turned his in. Triple profit right there."


    Zoro nodded in agreement. It''s what he did.


    "NOT THAT MUCH?! YOU THINK THAT''S NOT THAT MUCH?!" Nami actually looked like she was about to strike the redhead for his insane statement. "I''M NOT SOME MONSTER LIKE YOU THREE! I CAN''T JUST HUNT DOWN A PIRATE WORTH 5 MILLION!"


    "So weak. Can you do anything for yourself?" The redhead muttered to himself, making it loud enough for them all to hear.


    Their navigator flung herself at him with all the fury of a wild animal.


    Since they had met, this damn, annoying, poker faced idiot had been grating on her nerves and she was fed up! Nami would have her justice right here and right now!


    Rosan simply blinked at her and grabbed the orange haired woman with one hand. He placed the flailing girl down gently on her stomach, patting the feral girls head all the while (much to her fury), and left the deck.


    Nami darted up to pursue him but the redhead came back a moment later and dropped a heavy bag in her hands that made her pause.


    "There. 5 million. Could you stop crying now?" he told her simply. It really wasn''t that big of a deal but she had her reasons.


    It was like a switch had been completely flipped. Nami''s eyes turned into stars and she said, "Thanks Big Bro! You''re the best!"


    The redhead looked at the gushing navigator hugging him and deduced that she was probably insane. There was no other explanation for someone to mood swing this quickly at something like money.


    "You know, I really don''t think you have the right to call anyone insane."


    "I disagree."


    "I agree with Auntie Mod! You''re also pretty insane!"


    "Ram, I order you to disagree with Mod-chan."


    "What?! But that''s not fai ¡ª"


    "I disagree with Auntie Mod! Father is not insane!"


    "It''s 2 on 1, you lose Mod-chan."


    "...When you enter the mindscape you are in so much trouble."


    "Seems like I won''t be entering for a while then."


    "?! Why must I be punished for doing what you said! You''re entering tonight and I won''t accept any other outcome!"


    "...Okay."


    Mod grinned victoriously.


    Rosan sighed audibly.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Bonus


    Aiko is 30


    Akemi is 29


    Rosan is 19


    Maro is 18


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "N-No one told us there was a monster protecting this damn island!"


    "WELL NOW YOU KNOW WHY NO ONE SUGGESTS RAIDING IT, DUMBASS!"


    A low growl interrupted the hiding pirates and they went white as a sheet, slowly turning around to face the monstrous sight before them.


    "Calling someone a monster is rude. I''m a Queen, you little trolls," they snarled in contempt.


    The last remaining pirates, who had foolishly tried to pillage her island, could only shriek in terror, as the near 7 foot behemoth wrapped her giant paws around each of their heads and smashed them together.


    Blood spurted out of their skulls, as they were knocked blissfully unconscious and Maro tossed them to the side like they were made of garbage.


    "Honestly, these North Blue upstarts are way too cocky for their own good," she muttered, transforming back into her human form and grinning bashfully at the applause.


    "GET EM QUEEN MARO!"


    "SHOW THEM WHO''S BOSS!"


    "BOW TO YOUR MAJESTY!"


    "Is anyone hurt?" Maro asked the cheering crowd. Most shook their head but a small voice spoke up.


    "I... My leg hurts," a small child whimpered, clutching the appendage with a pained expression. The little boy was desperately trying to hold back tears and Maro quickly rushed over to them in a flash.


    "Shhh, it''s gonna be alright," she soothed. Hoisting the child up, she cradled him and marched off towards the hospital.


    It was definitely broken and she spent the entire trip distracting the small boy with little fire tricks.


    The citizens watched her with fond smiles.


    "The Queen really does it all..."


    "Honestly, she''s a one woman army."


    "I wish there was a way we could take more weight off her shoulders..."


    "Even though she doesn''t mind, Maro-sama really does do a lot."


    It was why they never minded her frequent trips off the island. It was her downtime and it was good for her.


    Still though... dealing with every single pirate that invaded the island... They would need some assistance soon.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Maro stretched and waved goodbye to the little boy, making her way back to her office with an amused sigh.


    Damn pirates and hurting the sweet little kids. They were lucky that her citizens had been watching else they''d have faced even harsher punishment from her, courtesy of Daisy!


    The woman sat in her seat and let out a sigh.


    She wanted to visit the Grand Line again, this time not on Government business. Maybe Master and Luffy would let her join on one of their journeys one day...


    The sea was fascinating and weird and totally awesome, having the wildest shifts in weather and generally not making any sort of sense. She enjoyed every second of it and was disappointed that Grim and Reaper hadn''t lasted until they were adults so they could visit it.


    She even managed to keep some things called a Log Pose as a souvenir! The government had been nice enough to let her keep it.


    Yeah, she was definitely going back there one day. Luffy had no choice in the matter.


    The Queen''s internal musing was cut short, as her Den Den Mushi began ringing and she curiously picked it up.


    "Hey there, this may or may not be Maro! Oh... I guess you would know my voice if you''re calling me~" She beamed to the voice on the other line. "Hm? You want me to shut up? Gotcha! Oh? You''ve also got something to show me? Sure, I''ll be right there!"


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Maro and Rosan hummed their own tunes as they waited on Fregate for someone to greet them.


    Aiko had called the duo to discuss something important with them and they made their way over almost instantly (after Maro had contacted Rosan). Now, the duo patiently waited for the leader to show up, doing their own things in the process.


    Rosan idly flipped a pen that belonged to Aiko and transformed it, with Modification, in the process into various objects. A steel pencil, a wooden knife and a laser pointer were some of the few things he chose.


    Maro watched it with interest, idly molding her blue flames into a picture of Angel in the process. Once she did that, she put an illusion over it so that it could look exactly like her wife and sighed fondly.


    "That''s perfect. How long do you stare at Angel for you to have not made a single mistake?" Rosan mused, poking the mechanical cat that was the pen and getting it to pur. After a moment, he modified it again and gave it the appearance of a real cat, making it purple in the process.


    Maro cooed at the adorable sight, grabbing it out of his hand to pet it on her own.


    "I uh, I stare at her a lot. Let''s just say that," she muttered, blushing slightly at the question.


    Wanting to quickly change the subject, the Queen said, "Where the hell is Aiko?! She''s never been late before... or did we just show up really early?"


    "You showed up really early, dumbasses," an irritated voice called out. "I called you two twenty minutes ago... Why are you just always ready to be on the move?"


    Aiko, along with Akemi and Hiroshi, walked through the door and stared at the former bounty hunter duo.


    "I''m not one to waste time and I was free today," Rosan grunted. Ace and Luffy were off hanging out with the twins and Makino while they were out so nothing too crazy should happen.


    "Hiroshi? I haven''t seen you in a long time!" Maro grinned cheerfully, bounding up and marching over to the group of three. "How''s the wife? I recently got married too you know!"


    Hiroshi grabbed her hand and shook it, smiling all the while. "Queen Maro. Congratulations! My wife is doing fine and we actually caught your wedding. A real catch you managed to find, huh?" He prodded, getting a brilliant blush out of the blue haired Oni.


    "Oh you''re just teasing!" She gushed, holding her cheeks and swooning.


    "Hiroshi," Rosan nodded as greeting. "What''s the occasion? Have you made a discovery that you''d like to discuss with us?"


    Hiroshi nodded, shaking the redhead''s hand in the process, and indicated for Aiko to explain.


    The leader of Fregate cleared her throat and got straight to the point. "Hiroshi''s development of the first batch of clones are finished and they''ve reached adulthood. I don''t plan on using them and I decided long ago that Maro could have them so take em off my hand," she said.


    Maro''s eyes glittered.


    "Who did you use to develop them?" Rosan asked in interest.


    "Some of those high bounties I had you collect and not kill after you retired Reaper. We needed strong bodies as baselines to produce good clones and they were already criminals so why not," Aiko said, shrugging.


    The redhead nodded at that. He figured she wanted something done with the bounties he captured so to know it was for this, made it all clear.


    "We''ve adjusted they''re body types accordingly. Some are built for strength, speed, etc so that they can accomplish multiple tasks," Hiroshi commented.


    "My very own clone army," Maro sighed in happiness.


    Celadon didn''t have an official army. Their citizens, as much as Maro loved them, weren''t really all that strong and that left her to do most of the fighting (there were some citizens that chose to be soldiers and they did have weapons to try and defend themselves) when pirates decided attacking her island was a smart idea.


    They quickly found that fighting a Dokkaebi was never in their best interests and she quickly handed them off to the nearest Marines, collecting their bounty and increasing Celadon''s prestige in the process.


    It was a good thing she had a lot of stamina and Rosan.


    She refused the Marine''s offer to have a base built there so that they could be stationed on her island because Celadon hadn''t needed them before and they didn''t need them now beyond the alliance with the World Government.


    Now, she didn''t have to worry about it!


    "She was worried about not having enough soldiers?" Rosan mused to himself. It was a valid concern... Maro was powerful but she was practically the sole guardian of Celadon and he had raised her to not be arrogant at all...


    Alright, when he set sail with Luffy, he''d be on the lookout for any interesting people that could benefit her. After some convincing (or overhauling) he''d send them to her and she''d have more than just the clone army to defend her.


    "Are you... not gonna discuss this with her? You know... to actually get her opinion on the matter?" Mod asked incredulously.


    "No, I''ll just surprise her every time."


    "There is genuinely something wrong with you. I hope you know that."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Maro gazed at her new soldiers with an appraising eye.


    Cloning was so fascinating to her because Angel and Demon were clones but they were so very different from the army before her.


    For one, despite being clones, these guys functioned practically as humans. The only abnormal thing about the clones created by Hiroshi, were how fast they had been aged into adults and the fact they couldn''t reach old age.


    Angel and Demon looked human, felt human and acted human but they weren''t. Maro wasn''t sure what the details were, but she was sure that they weren''t made from Rosan''s DNA. Her teacher created the two clones with a genius use of Modification on a whim and over the years, refined them more and more until he was satisfied...


    Kami, she hated that genius sometimes. Who the fuck just does that? She had the rarest class of Devil Fruit but Modification was honestly ridiculous.


    At least his stroke of genius had ended up being her future wife and doctor...


    Ah! She was trailing off... The long silence must have been pretty awkward.


    Chancing a glance at them, the queen flushed a bit at how visibly nervous they were. The clones all gave her their undivided attention and were fidgeting at the expression, or lack thereof, on her face.


    There was not a single unique face among them, though they didn''t all look like each other. An array of men and woman were standing at attention, looking a lot like some criminals her and Master hunted years ago, and focusing on the ruler of one of the most prosperous islands (and rising!) in the North Blue.


    Time to break the ice a bit...


    "You guys don''t have to be so nervous! I don''t bite, promise!" Maro beamed, flashing her pearly whites at them and making some go slightly lax. "I''m Queen Maro and I''m happy to meet you all, soldiers!"


    "I like to think that I''m a pretty fair queen and as such, I''ll never ask you guys to do something I wouldn''t want to do! All I ask is for your cooperation and help in keeping Celadon and it''s citizens safe, alright?"


    "YES, YOUR MAJESTY!" They chanted at once, saluting.


    The queen grinned at that. "Great! Now... we need uniforms for you all, not to mention a place where you can all stay..." She mused loudly.


    They would both be pretty easy to achieve. She just needed her good ol Master to help make the building for them all.


    "Kanna, go to Mai''s Clothing Store and set a down payment for a huge amount of uniforms. Tell her to prioritize it, please," Maro requested from her assistant. She wanted to eventually commission Hiroshi so that they could get lesser raid suits. It took too many resources to make the ones her and Rosan had so Hiroshi had instead concocted a plan to use less resources to make more raid suits at the cost of some of the features Rosan and Maro had.


    That was fine. It would be a bad idea to advertise their raid suits so freely after all so this was actually pretty genius of the scientist.


    "She would have done so regardless and for free too," Kanna smiled.


    Maro grunted and tapped her tiara. "I know that''s why I''m telling you to place a downpayment. My citizens are too damn cute and I have no intention of taking advantage of their hospitality!"


    Kanna nodded at that, jotting down something on her clipboard.


    The little assistant jumped with a small squeal, as Rosan suddenly arrived in front of the two with a tilted head.


    Ugh, she was never going to get used to that.


    "You called?" Rosan greeted, messing up Kanna''s hair apologetically and getting an embarrassed slap from the assistant.


    The queen nodded enthusiastically, jumping on the redhead eagerly. "I want your input on what I should design as my armies uniform aaaand I want to make a really big building for them to all reside in," she requested.


    He nodded, eyeing the curious clones. "I think they should wear your signature colors. Maybe blue and white bodysuits with a mask that hides their face."


    "Sounds good to me!" Maro beamed, watching as Kanna jotted it down. "Alright, follow me so we can make that base! You guys are free to do whatever you want for the day!"


    That last part was directed towards the clones and with a slight slap on his shoulder, Rosan walked off with Maro on his back. He was far too used to her antics to ever be bothered by them anymore and just let her do what she want.


    The clone army couldn''t help but watch their carefree queen with slight sweat drops.


    "You''ll get used to it," Kanna assured calmly. "Queen Maro is rather eccentric!"


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Maro was bored.


    Well, Maro was always bored when it came to these meetings because they talked about the most mundane things and she had to be here to oversee it.


    Ugh, Ace, Luffy and Master were probably sparring right now and she was listening to this. She nearly crashed her head into the table but she couldn''t do that because Queen and all that jazz.


    She wondered if she could learn more advanced teleportation like Master did. She could displace herself but could she increase the range ¡ª


    The door to their room burst open and one of her guards rushed through the door. "Urgent message for the Queen! We''re currently under attack by a group of pirate¡ª"


    His words were cut off, as Maro immediately vanished with a crazy glint in her eyes.


    Everyone at the meeting watched the spot with a shake of their head. Leave it to Maro to take any and all opportunities to sprint away from her more, tedious duties.


    Their beloved Queen should not be so eager to dive straight into the frontlines but that was what she wanted and they''d never go against her.


    "¡ªBut they''ve been dealt with by the... She didn''t let me finish..." The man muttered, scratching his head in confusion.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "ALRIGHT! WHERE''S ALL... the... action?"


    An excited Maro watched in confusion, as some of her non official (she was still working on it) army, surrounded a group of tied up pirates. The clones looked perfectly fine and the surrounding area looked fine as well. Her citizens were cheering for the clones and they simply blushed bashfully, pleased with their job.


    "Oh, Queen Maro!" One of the clones spotted her, jumping up and saluting. "We know we aren''t technically on duty yet, but we couldn''t help but jump in to stop these pirates from causing any damage!"


    The other 5 (there were six of them here) nodded in agreement, gauging the Queen''s reaction with nervous eyes.


    ...


    "Your majesty?" Another clone called tentatively.


    Maro jumped a bit at being addressed and whirled towards the clones, who flinched. She held out her hands placatingly and said, "I''m not upset with you guys, really! I''m super glad that you managed to stop them before they could cause damage... It''s just... I was bored a-and I wanted to beat them up and you guys already did it."


    Everyone watching, blinked at her words before faceplanting, clones included.


    The Queen was visibly sulking now, much to the citizens amusement. "I like having an army b-but it looks like they''re too good at their job and that means they might make me stay in the castle more... W-What if my skills rust?! Ace and Master would make so much fun of me and wouldn''t let me live it down," she muttered to herself, walking off in despair.


    This was the worst! I-If she gave Ace and Master fuel, those two demons would let her hear it for years to come! S-She needed to go spar with them now to avoid going soft!


    "Keep it up, you guys... I''m really proud of you. Now, I''m gonna go bother my Master and have him bring me to his island for a bit..."


    They sweatdropped heavily at the genuine sadness in her tone and looked between the pirates and the Queen.


    "You guys did nothing wrong," the citizens assured delightfully. "Our queen is just a spoiled brat. We''re really happy that you guys are here to take some of the load off her shoulders. She does everything around here."


    The clones were finally coming to terms with that. Watching the Dokkaebi be supportive of them, despite wanting in on the action was quite the sight. It was... endearing in a way and made them respect their Queen even more then they did.


    Maro truly was an eccentric ruler and they wouldn''t have it any other way.

 The Art of Deception I

    "Rosan, what''s your Devil Fruit? You do have one, right?" Nami asked out of the blue one day.


    Luffy was off in the redhead''s training room of the ship to stave off his own boredom and Zoro was taking a nap somewhere so that left the two of them on the deck of the ship to make sure no crazy incidents happened.


    Nami was hesitant to be left alone with the redhead but he had not spared her even a single glance, content to just read his book while sipping on a cup of lemonade.


    He didn''t bother her at all and she found herself relaxing in his aloof presence. His dead eyed gaze was unnerving but you got used to it¡­ though she wondered what the story behind that was. Rosan wasn''t very expressive either¡­ She had never seen him smile or laugh or even get upset at the various antics of his captain.


    The redhead looked up from the book he was reading, something about the elements, to regard her with a lazy gaze, head tilting to the side as he let out a disinterested hum. "Yes, I do."


    "I know Luffy has the Gomu Gomu no mi but I don''t know what you have¡­" She mused. It was difficult to place a name onto it because he seemed capable of doing two completely different things.


    He had managed to completely repair Chouchou''s treasure and free Luffy from his cage with just a grasp¡­ To her eyes that looked like repairing and destruction, which were polar opposites! What type of fruit did that? Was that all he was capable of? Nami was beginning to think he was the one who raised the wall as well that protected Zoro!


    Did his fruit have something to do with matter? That could have been it!


    "I''d tell you, but we both don''t trust each other currently, right?" Rosan replied calmly, gazing at her coolly. "I''d rather not tell you what my Devil Fruit is at the moment. It''s important that information on it doesn''t spread needlessly and I don''t exactly think you like me enough to keep it secret."


    Nami flinched at his bluntness, not really expecting him to outright reject her and wilted at his assessment that she didn''t like him. To just outright say something like that... was he trying to make the conversation awkward for them both?


    That was another thing about the redhead... He wasn''t anything like Luffy, who could trust anyone at a glance, or Zoro, who went along with what the rubber boy did, with only slight suspicion.


    No... Rosan was someone who seemed to thoroughly judge a person''s character for himself before making decisions based off of that. It was completely logical of him but being around Luffy had put her guard down, leading her to not expect someone in his crew to be like that.


    It was likely that he was aware she wasn''t interested in being a pirate and surrounded himself in the necessary walls to prepare for that outcome.


    "Let''s get to know each other a bit more," Rosan said softly, gaze back on his book as he continued to read it. "We''re practically strangers right now."


    "R-Right," she nodded. That was fair but she hadn''t expected him to be so blunt about it. Then again, everyone on the ship seemed rather honest and spoke their minds with no regards of how it might affect the person they were speaking to.


    Luffy and Rosan were just like this. That was probably why they were in a crew together.


    "My name is Portgas D. Rosan. I''m the scout of this ship. I like my family and don''t really dislike anything," the redhead suddenly said.


    Nami blinked in surprise.


    That name... Portgas...? Had she heard that somewhere before? It sounded familiar but he might have just had one of those names, y''know? It was best not to dwell on it since she couldn''t immediately identify it.


    The navigator got rid of her current thought process and couldn''t resist smiling. "My name''s Nami! I like tangerines and money and I hate pirates!"


    He was making an effort to get to know her even though he didn''t need to! How polite of him! Maybe she had gotten it all wrong about him ¡ª


    "Wow, you like something besides money? I''m genuinely surprised, based on what I''ve seen so far," Rosan''s bland voice cut in to her musing. "Maybe you aren''t as insane as I thought you were."


    "I DON''T WANNA HEAR THAT FROM YOU!" Nami roared in fury, glaring at him all the while.


    She took it back. He was still as insufferable as ever. He had the audacity to call her insane? He was definitely so much worse, no matter how cool and collected he appeared to be!


    The nerve of some people!


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    "We''re gonna need a new ship, the White Rose was damaged long ago and won''t be able to handle the Grand Line," Rosan informed the crew.


    "Damaged?" Nami asked curiously. The ship had been sailing perfectly since they had gotten it so to hear that it was damaged, was quite the surprise. Would... would it sink on them in the middle of the ocean?! How reckless were these guys to sail with a damaged ship and only just now mention it?!


    "Around 10 years ago, I was unexpectedly attacked and my ship was caught in the crossfire," the redhead grunted quietly, recalling the memory with a blank gaze.


    Saint Jeremiah had managed to deal lasting damage on his treasured ship with his attack. He managed to get a lucky hit on the hull, severely damaging it and Rosan had tried to modify it but it was to little success. All he had done was prolong the inevitable, something Angel had confirmed with a sad look.


    It wasn''t like he''d let his crew die, he could carry them all in the event the ship unexpectedly sank but the White Rose could still sail due to him not using it even once over the 10 years. It''s just that if the sea decided to turn¡­ wild, his ship would needlessly suffer and they could potentially be put in danger.


    Rosan sighed, he liked his ship. She had been his sole ship for 20 years and it was the subject of his most amount of modifications. She''d have probably sunk long ago if he hadn''t made her so durable and sturdy but perhaps the years were catching up on her if a measly Celestial Dragon could do this to her.


    If not for her, he''d be much worse with his ability to quickly modify objects to the degree he could.


    "She has served us perfectly. I''m going to miss the White Rose¡­" Mod sighed wistfully. She was a fantastic ship and to think that she had been so average when they first got the caravel... Rosan had managed to mold the ship in his image and the result was the only ship they over owned and needed.


    "10 years ago? How old are you?" Nami asked. The redhead looked pretty young! She wouldn''t think he''s any older than 20 so 10 years ago would have made him really young... Just what reasons did he have to be sailing the sea at such a young age?


    Nami''s circumstances were a little... irregular so maybe he was the same?


    "24."


    "You were sailing and attacked at sea when you were 14?!"


    That was insane! How did he get out of an attack that left his ship so damaged?!


    He nodded his head but didn''t deign to go into detail. "Regardless, getting a new ship should be priority. A musician can wait for later, Luffy," the redhead said softly.


    "Fine," Luffy sulked, causing Zoro and Nami to sweatdrop.


    "There should be an island a little to the south," Nami informed them, looking at the map in her hand. "It would be great if we could get a ship there in that case."


    The crew nodded in unison at that, plan set and they adjusted their course accordingly.


    Rosan would offer to pay for it but Luffy would immediately shut it down so he remained silent.


    "Alright! We need more food!" The captain cheered.


    "My only complaint about this ship is how little booze there is," the swordsman sighed.


    "I don''t drink alcohol often. I can''t get drunk so I don''t see the point and would rather drink something tastier," Rosan apologized, much to the surprise of Zoro and Nami, who weren''t aware he couldn''t get drunk. He had actually gotten drunk before on Makino''s (and Angel''s¡­ and Maro''s¡­) insistence.


    The redhead felt his impulses going out of control mostly and his inhibitions were lowered but besides that¡­ he was mostly the same if not... more aggressive (according to Makino at least)? It was hard to act different when it affected your emotional state.


    The others though... Angel was incapable of getting drunk without his interference but when she did, the woman turned into a protective terror. He was sure even Demon was at his wits with her, if the tired expression on his face was anything to go by, assuring the woman that he was in fact single.


    The youngest triplet himself, had built quite the tolerance and was the most normal, besides Rosan, when he got drunk. He did become a lot more flirty though (surprisingly), if the group of women and men Angel threatened to slaughter viciously meant anything. He was normally hounded by a lot of people but instead of being polite, he seemed to actively participate in it.


    Makino seemed to be normal when drunk. The woman mostly made sure Luffy didn''t sneak any alcohol and conversed with Rosan, Aiko or Akemi. Sometime during the night though, she managed to completely prove him wrong after drinking a bit too much and the bartender dragged the redhead away in the middle of the party, much to a snarling Angel''s rage, who needed to be held down by Demon lest she actually commit murder.


    Maro was a complete lightweight and got drunk almost immediately. Everytime Rosan saw her, she was transformed into a different form and she was also incredibly grabby, randomly crashing into anyone of them with gusto. Poor Luffy had been a living stuffed animal due to his rubbery body not being affected by her steely grip, up until she dropped him and dragged away Angel.


    Rosan was idly curious about how he''d act drunk with emotions. His family was rather unique with how they behaved and he could readily admit that with emotions, he was as chaotic as Luffy. Getting drunk may turn him even worse...


    "You''d become a terror to the world. It would make your days as a child pale in comparison," Mod said without hesitation, smiling just thinking about it.


    "Way worse than me. I think with emotions you''re already going to be worse but add alcohol to that? You''ll make me proud," Ram agreed with a huge grin.


    Rosan disagreed.


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    "Wow there really is an island here!"


    Nami looked at Luffy in exasperation and glanced in sympathy at a sighing Rosan.


    "Of course there is! It''s right here on the map," she said slowly, pointing at it and letting out her own sigh at the look of confusion on Luffy''s face. Nami had no clue how they managed to survive this long but she would attribute it to the mysterious redhead and not these two idiots.


    The group began walking up the hill but the moment they took a step, Rosan slowed his gait and glanced up at a tree, letting Ram subtly seep into his gloves.


    Zoro suddenly tensed up and put a hand on his blade. "Careful guys, I sense people," he called and right on cue, something began shooting at them.


    Ram rolled her eyes at Luffy jumping left and right wildly to avoid the pellets. At the same time, various pirates flags raised up, surrounding them from 3 angles. Rosan calmly stepped to the side of a shot and took aim at where he was sure someone was ¡ª


    Only to stop at seeing a long nose obviously pointing out of the bush they were trying to hide in.


    The faint red glow vanished as he lowered his hand and Rosan immediately dismissed his target as a threat once he saw his weapon of choice.


    A slingshot? Was he suicidal?


    The long nosed male crossed his arms triumphantly and said, "I am Usopp, leader of the terrifying pirates who run this island! State your business! Just know that if I find your answer lacking, my 80 million subordinates will deal with you!"


    "80 million? Wow, that''s quite a lot," Rosan praised, expression not shifting. How would they ever be able to deal with that much people? It didn''t seem very possible¡­ Maybe he''d have to bring out Ragnarok early to stand a chance against such a formidable foe?


    "AWESOME!" Luffy gaped in total awe, stars in his eyes, and all three of his crewmates looked at him with sweat drops. Unlike the redhead, they were very sure the rubber boy''s praise was genuine.


    Nami sighed at their antics. "You''re lying, aren''t you?" She asked the seemingly confident boy.


    Usopp''s eyes bugged at being found out so easily. "She saw through it!" He said aloud, panicking in surprise and holding his head. What was he going to do now? Should he fight them head on? No... A tactical retreat sounded better to his ears o-or he could keep lying!


    Nami rolled her eyes with a smile. This guy was a total idiot.


    "See? You admitted it."


    "I-I admitted it to her¡­" Usopp began swaying at being tricked so easily. Wasn''t he supposed to be the one tricking them?!


    "WHAT?! HE WAS LYING?!" Luffy shouted in disbelief, jaw dropping to the floor at being fooled. "Rosan can you believe that?! He was lying to us!"


    "I can''t believe it either, Luffy. I was thoroughly tricked," the redhead replied with a shake of his head. "I didn''t know how we were gonna deal with 80 million people, I thought we''d have to turn back for sure."


    Nami sweatdropped at all 3 of them. Rosan''s voice didn''t even suggest he fell for it.


    "Crafty tactician! 80 million may have been an exaggeration, but I do have great men under my command!" The long nosed boy said confidently. This one was full proof! If they saw through this... then they were utterly invincible and he''d have no choice but to tactically retreat!


    "You mean about three people, right?" Nami teased and right on cue, a childish chorus of screams rang through the air and three boys jumped out so that they could run away from the pirates.


    "Wow Nami, nothing gets through you at all¡­ Are you a mind reader? What number am I thinking of right now, 1-10?" Rosan asked curiously


    Nami sighed. She may as well try and guess.


    "7?"


    "No, it was 4,444. I guess you aren''t a mind reader," the redhead replied, shrugging helplessly.


    He held his hand out to effortlessly catch the punch she immediately threw at him.


    "You are so annoying!" Nami growled.


    "You would get along well with one of my friends. She thinks the exact same thing," Rosan said, thinking of Aiko. "You both even have a temper. Nice swing by the way, have you been working on that? I could give you a tip or two."


    Old habits die hard. The redhead had always enjoyed riling up the more emotional people. Ace had attacked him many times while going through puberty because of his antics and there wasn''t a day that went by where Aiko didn''t want to strangle him.


    "You''re just annoying in general," Mod smiled mischievously. "The more emotional people are prone to react but you get on everyone''s nerves. I can''t tell you how much times you gave me a headache growing up."


    "Why are you bullying me? You know I can come in there right? What will you do if Ram and I decide to double team you, Mod-chan?"


    "...You wouldn''t do that. Two taller people jumping this poor woman who raised them?" Mod tried to appease him but the redhead would not be swayed.


    "I''ll see you tonight and you can decide for yourself," Rosan hummed.


    Mod let out a noise of protest while Ram cheered excitedly, ignoring the glare the woman shot her way.


    While he had been conversing with Mod, the long nosed boy had drawn his slingshot again. Rosan had interrogated quite a few people so he was pretty decent at identifying lies.


    Every sentence that came out of this boys mouth, sent off a blaring bell in his head that would have irritated him were he younger. That''s how much he lied. It was honestly quite impressive and Rosan saluted him for being able to maintain such confidence with what he spouted.


    Still though, he had to hand it to him¡­ aiming a slingshot of all things in front of his enemies¡­ Rosan wasn''t sure if he was stupidly brave or just stupid.


    "You''re putting your life on the line pointing that at me," Luffy smirked, straw hat shadowing his eyes.


    Rosan almost snorted out loud.


    Was he serious right now?


    "H-Huh?!" Usopp said nervously. What was this sudden tension?! Were they actually pirates?!


    "I''m saying those aren''t for threatening people," the straw hat wearing boy warned.


    "I nearly took your head off. You shouldn''t mess around like that," Rosan added, seeing no harm in joining.


    Zoro smirked at their antics and slightly drew his sword. "What you''re looking at now are real pirates, you know?"


    Usopp flinched at the words of the three intimidating people and the long nosed boy began sweating nervously. The pressure was getting to him and his knees were shaking. H-He didn''t know they were actually pirates!


    Eventually, he collapsed on his butt and dropped his slingshot. "Real pirates definitely have more punch behind their words¡­" he sighed sadly.


    Zoro and Luffy exchanged a glance and immediately burst into laughter.


    "We stole those lines!" The rubber boy exclaimed. "From Shanks! A pirate I respect!"


    "Respect? You practically worship that idiot," Rosan pointed out. He hadn''t stolen his lines. If Usopp had wielded a gun and was a bit less nervous, the redhead really would have sniped him where he stood.


    "You guys know Red-Haired Shanks?!" Usopp gaped. That legendary pirate?! Really?!


    "Unfortunately I do. He''s really annoying," Rosan sighed. His fellow redhead was quite the topic of interest these days.


    "Yeah!" Luffy nodded with a smile. "Your dad''s Yassop, right?"


    The scream of excitement Usopp let out made him too eager and he tumbled down the cliff he was on due to leaning forward too much.


    "Idiot," Ram said.


    "Yeah, Yassop is my old man¡­ But how do you know that?" Usopp asked, after rubbing his head from the impact.


    "He''s apart of Shank''s crew," Rosan replied bluntly. "I didn''t talk to him often but since I hung around Luffy I got to hear him talk about you nonstop."


    Usopp blinked at that.


    "REALLY?!"


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    They had all relocated to a restaurant and Rosan was calmly eating a plate of food, as Luffy told Usopp about his father.


    The man was a fantastic shot. Rosan would never deny that but man was he annoying. Actually, the redhead could confidently say the only one apart of that crew who wasn''t annoying, was Ben Beckman.


    For someone who so readily abandoned his own son to live alone, Yassop sure did talk about him too much (Rosan hadn''t even been around them for long) and the way he casually mentioned abandoning him, had firmly put him on Rosan''s "would probably really hate with emotions" list.


    Alas, Usopp wasn''t an angry person like he was and he didn''t blame his father at all for going out to sea. Maybe Rosan''s life would have been easier if he had been as supportive as some people but unfortunately, he wasn''t an idiot.


    Robin had this problem too, not resenting her mother at all despite what Olvia had done to her. The redhead had made it no secret that he hated her late mother and he informed her that he''d do it in the Devil Child''s stead, since she was too forgiving for her own good, much to her exasperation.


    He hoped she didn''t forgive him that easily.


    Currently, they were asking Usopp if he knew anyone that could give them a big ship and the boy was very clearly playing dumb.


    "There''s a big mansion over on the top of the hill over there," Zoro pointed out and Usopp''s eyes bugged.


    "Oh do you know them, Usopp?!" Nami asked excitedly.


    Based on his reaction, he did know them and he didn''t want the crew to know them. After telling the pirates that they couldn''t go there, he made up some excuse and immediately vanished.


    They watched him make a hasty departure and Nami wondered what that was about.


    "He is probably close to the person in the mansion," Rosan responded. "If I had to guess, something is wrong with them. I doubt he thinks we''re gonna kill the owner of that mansion so they could be facing another issue that makes him reluctant to introduce us."


    Nami''s mouth opened a bit at his assessment. It was rather¡­ intelligent of him and made a lot of sense. She didn''t think anyone of them were capable of that.


    "You''ll catch flies," Rosan said, ignoring her gaze. He had never once indicated he was stupid. Where did she get the idea that he was, from?


    The door to the restaurant they were in opened and in walked the three children that had been hiding when they first docked.


    "The Usopp pirates have arrived!" They yelled in unison before looks of confusion appeared on their face. Their eyes began darting and it was then that they realized, their captain was nowhere to be seen.


    "Hey, Pirates! What did you do with Captain Usopp?!" They demanded.


    "Ah that meat was good!" Luffy sighed in relief.


    The children froze as they heard that declaration. D-Did he just say¡­


    "Meat?!"


    "Don''t tell me the captain..."


    Where exactly was their mind taking them? Rosan had a pretty active imagination but wasn''t this too active?


    "I think your mind might be even more active then theirs," Mod interjected.


    "You really are not doing yourself any favors for tonight."


    "?! I-I thought you were joking! You aren''t seriously going to double team me, right?!"


    "..."


    "You two are just totally unbelievable!"


    "If you''re lookin'' for your captain¡­" Zoro began, with a savage grin on his face that had the children quivering.


    "...We ate him."


    "GYAHHHHHHH OGRESS!" They screeched, looking directly at the giggling Nami, who stopped smiling immediately.


    "WHY ARE YOU LOOKING AT ME?!" She roared and immediately rounded on the laughing Zoro.


    "I know an Ogress¡­ Sort of," Rosan hummed. Did Maro count as one? Maybe not¡­ She''d probably take offense if he called her an ogre.


    "She definitely would," Mod giggled. You could call her goblin just fine but if you tried to call her something like Ogre or Orc, she''d lose it and throw a massive tantrum.


    "I''m gonna start calling her Ogre from now on whenever I get the chance," Ram decided with a large smile on her face.


    "Don''t tell her I''m the reason," Rosan requested. He''d rather not deal with the Queen''s temper tantrum and whining.


    Maro could be such a brat sometimes.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "If our captain ran off at this hour, this is where he''d be."


    "Wow! It''s HUGE," Luffy gaped.


    They were currently standing at the gates of the mansion along with the three children who brought them here.


    When questioned on why Usopp would bother coming here, the children explained about his friendship with the owner of the mansion, Kaya, and how she was weak. Her parents had died years ago from an illness and she had suffered greatly as a result, falling into a depression.


    To make the rich girl feel better, Usopp told her made up stories. It seemed largely successful because around him, she felt much better in general.


    It was enough to convince Luffy to ask her for a ship after all. His brother was currently poised to rocket his way over the wall and his crewmates were showing to him how stupid they were.


    "Wait, don''t tell me you''re about to¡­" Nami gaped.


    At one the group (sans Rosan) grabbed onto Luffy and the redhead shook his head at them.


    Idiots.


    "Pardon the intrusion!" The rubber boy beamed and he rocketed off with all 5 of them in tow, leaving the redhead alone.


    "You''re all idiots," he said, watching them all fly over the wall. You never grabbed Luffy when he was using this technique. Even when he first invented it, Rosan had the foresight to avoid being near him.


    Ace had not been as lucky.


    "10 years with Luffy has done you wonders," Mod smiled softly.


    "I don''t even think Father would have grabbed onto him 10 years ago!" Ram shook her head in disbelief.


    Rosan nodded in agreement and jumped over the tall gate. He began walking in the direction that they flew in while humming a quiet tune to himself.


    Honestly, they always had to make things so difficult. He could have just modified a hole into the gate but if they wanted to be quirky, who was he to judge?


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    When Rosan arrived to the scene, it was to the sight of some butler reprimanding the, very loud, group of people.


    Seriously, he was sure everyone heard Luffy and the group crashing on the floor. They had no hint of subtlety whatsoever.


    "Quite the lively group," Rosan called.


    "Oh, Rosan!" Luffy called happily, waving at the scout.


    The redhead waved back before looking towards Zoro and Nami.


    "Did you two have fun? I don''t know what possessed you to grab onto Luffy," Rosan said softly and the annoyed look on their faces told him everything he needed to know.


    The redhead glanced at the butler again and hummed in contemplation. He was currently spouting out quite the vicious words (that Rosan agreed with) about Usopp''s father.


    He really was worthless for abandoning his family without a second thought. A person like that shouldn''t have gone around and had a kid in the first place. It''s why Rosan didn''t want to marry and have children with Meiko until he did become the strongest because there might have been a moment where he just couldn''t take either with him and that would be horrible for the both of them.


    He refused to leave them behind. He wouldn''t be anything like Roger or Olvia or even his own birth mother.


    Usopp clearly didn''t agree with that sentiment, if the look of hot rage on his face meant anything and Rosan simply shook his head at the long nosed boy defending his father, writing him off as a lost cause.


    Something was odd here though, Rosan had never met this man before but he was positive he had seen this butler''s face before. Seeing as he didn''t come to the East Blue often before settling down here¡­ it meant his memory had seen it elsewhere.


    He continued to stare at the man as Usopp got fed up with him.


    "Why not just make up another lie about your father? Talk about how he was a traveling merchant? Perhaps you''d rather say that he wasn''t your real dad?" Klahadore clearly goaded him.


    "SHUT UP!" Usopp roared, punching him right on the cheek and knocking the butler''s glasses off his face.


    Kaya gasped in horror at his action while the children screamed, "CAPTAIN!"


    The group of pirates just watched the exchange with neutral gazes. Rosan''s eyes had never left Klahadore''s face and he began sifting through his many memories with the assistance of Mod-chan.


    "I''M PROUD THAT MY FATHER IS A PIRATE! I''M PROUD THAT HE''S A BRAVE WARRIOR OF THE SEA! I MAY MAKE UP STORIES BUT I''LL NEVER LIE ABOUT MY PIRATE HERITAGE!"


    This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    "The poor child''s been brainwashed by the romance of being a pirate," Rosan thought blandly. To be so proud of someone that abandoned him¡­ maybe his abandonment issues were flaring right now because the redhead just couldn''t see why you''d be happy.


    It''s not like being a pirate was as good as Usopp imagined it to be. 90% of them were scum of the world and deserved anything and everything they got. Yasopp luckily, was apart of Shanks crew and Rosan could admit that he was much better than other pirate choices.


    "Father, what about if your actual father was a pirate?" Ram asked curiously, watching the exchange with uncaring eyes. They were really going back and forth right now and oh ¡ª Usopp was leaving the estate now.


    Lame, she wanted him to keep fighting.


    "It would support the theory that Raisa was raped if he were. Seeing as I can''t stand rapists, I''d have to kill him."


    "You already have enough on your plate as is¡­ Now we have reason to believe you''re a rape child on top of it," Mod sighed. Why couldn''t her little Rosan just have a simple life? They really just couldn''t catch a break could they?


    "The less I think about my birth parents, the better. One a queen, the other likely a pirate¡­ Perhaps Raisa had good reason to abandon me with the stain I''d have no doubt placed on her legacy," the redhead shrugged.


    He was thinking about all this objectively. No emotion ever went into thoughts about the two who birthed him. Raisa was in the South Blue and he was soon headed to the Grand Line.


    He knew nothing about his father but if he really were a pirate, there was a chance Rosan would run into him one day. If that happened, the redhead would kill him, plain and simple.


    He had no ties to either of them. If Raisa proved to be an enemy, he''d kill her too.


    "Rosan, we''re leaving!" Nami called, snapping the redhead out of his musings. He glanced at their navigator, before nodding.


    "I''m not sure you were listening, but never show your face around here again," Klahadore said to the redhead, pushing his glasses up with the palm of his hand.


    Rosan tilted his head at the man. What an odd way to adjust your glasses. He had never seen anyone do it like that...


    The butler flinched at the empty eyes piercing him and had a guarded expression as that gaze landed on his mistress.


    Kaya looked a little nervous at the sight of being stared at by the scary redhead but he simply hummed and left the area.


    "I''m on the way, Nami," he replied.


    Klahadore released the breath he didn''t know he had been holding as the redhead vanished from their sights.


    What an odd man.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Kaya coughed harshly as Klahadore entered the room with a small knock.


    "It''s time for your lunch, my lady," he called, rolling in a tray of food.


    "No thanks. I don''t want it," she mumbled.


    The butler let out a sigh. "The cook would be sad to hear that. He worked hard to make you a healthy dish."


    "Why did you talk to Usopp like that?" Kaya asked sadly. "I know I wasn''t supposed to speak to him behind your back but you didn''t have to drive him away like he were a dog!"


    Klahadore remained silent and simply walked to the depressed woman''s side. "May I sit?" He asked.


    "Go ahead," she replied, not looking at him.


    The two reminisced about his arrival to this island 3 years ago. He had made a single mistake and was left to rot by the ship he was sailing with. With nothing but his name and his clothes he had dragged himself through the village and Kaya''s father had taken pity on him.


    He owed his life to those two and taking care of their legacy was how he would repay his debt.


    "I shouldn''t decide who your friends are¡­ I know you hate me," the butler sighed.


    "I don''t hate you Klahadore but you went too far! Usopp is a very good person and you refuse to understand that," she admonished him.


    "Quite the sob story. My black heart is weeping," a deep voice called out, making them freeze to their spot.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Hey where''s Luffy?" Nami asked.


    "Probably went after that "Captain" boy," Zoro replied.


    "Rosan''s missing as well¡­ Do you think he went after Usopp too?" the navigator asked curiously.


    Zoro thought about it for a moment.


    "No chance," he replied with a short laugh.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan stared at the frightened owner of the mansion and her butler with a tilted head.


    "So that''s how you ended up here, Butler-san?" The redhead asked softly.


    "Y-You?! Didn''t I tell you not to come back?!" Klahadore recovered admirably quick. "Where are our guards? How did you get in here so easily?"


    "It''s rude to answer a question with another question, don''t you think?" Rosan shot back calmly, only serving to infuriate the butler more at asking yet another question.


    "W-what do you want?" Kaya asked fearfully, before she delved into a fit of coughs.


    The redhead glanced at the mistress and she flinched as that gaze bore into her.


    "So you are the sick owner of this house¡­ It''s nice to meet you. I''m Rosan," the redhead greeted her with a small wave that she confusedly returned before the butler stepped in front of her.


    "Not going to introduce yourself? You really are quite rude but that''s okay. The owner''s name is Kaya right?" He didn''t seem bothered by the fact that he had just broken into their estate.


    "That would make you Klahadore? Quite the name you have," Rosan said softly. "You don''t look like a Klahadore to me¡­ Did your parents give you that name?"


    The butler went stiff at the way he phrased that but Kaya didn''t notice.


    "P-Please tell us what you want?! W-Was it about the big ship?!" The blonde asked fearfully. She didn''t like that look in his eyes¡­ It reminded her of her depression, of her sickness and she wanted nothing more than to shut her eyes tight and escape from the beautiful glaciers that was his heterochromatic gaze.


    He scared her. Eyes that gorgeous, shouldn''t look so daunting.


    The redhead shook his head. "No, I don''t have business with you, Kaya-san. I actually wanted to talk to Klahadore here. I''m sure you don''t have any plans at the moment so would you mind entertaining me? I don''t bite."


    "Don''t listen to what he''s saying Miss Kaya!" Klahadore said warily, trying to figure out why he asked such an odd question and not liking where the answers were leading him.


    "Oh? That''s fine then, we can just talk here," Rosan replied coldly, staring at the slightly sweating man. "I don''t care if she hears this or not. There''s just a few things I''d like to verify with you Kur ¡ª."


    "Just a moment please," the butler interrupted hastily. "You wish to talk to me¡­? Fine, we can speak but I''d rather Miss Kaya not hear your crass pirate language. She''s already had to deal with the fear of being in the same room as you so this is enough."


    "Smart man," Rosan praised with a small nod. "Lead the way. It was nice meeting you, Kaya-san. You could do to have a little more confidence in yourself, you''re a pretty child."


    Kaya flushed at his words. "I-I''m 17! I am not a child!" She frowned.


    "Yes you are but that had a lot more bite then anything else you''ve said. Keep it up," the redhead replied, following after the butler and quietly closing the door behind him.


    She stared at their retreating backs in slight confusion, forgetting that he had broken into their house in favor of feeling outrage.


    Who was he to call her a child?! He barely even knew her! The nerve of some people.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan stared at the glaring butler with an impassive expression on his face.


    "Just what were you about to say back there in front of Miss Kaya?!" He hissed at the redhead that had almost ruined everything with just a few words.


    "I did give you the chance to make it a one on one conversation. You chose to ignore that chance and that was the only one I was going to give you, Kuro-san.," Rosan pointed out calmly.


    So he did know who he was. That had not been a fluke. But¡­


    "How?! We''ve never met! I''d have remembered an appearance like yours."


    "Your bounty poster," was all he replied. "It was odd, considering that you were listed as dead, but then you told that sweet story about how you were working here for three years, the same amount of years your bounty has been inactive."


    "I figured you just had one of those faces but then, I saw the way you adjusted your glasses and decided to observe you further. If you had not confirmed my suspicions, I wouldn''t have revealed myself but you did and that makes everything much more fun."


    His years of being a bounty hunter were doing him well. He frequently checked bounties out of habit (Maro told him she had this habit too) and Kuro''s was just one in a long list of those he had checked. His near eidetic memory, with help from Mod-chan, was the only reason he had recognized the man.


    Kuro stared at the redhead before him with a dangerous expression that Rosan seemingly didn''t notice.


    "I was thinking about why a pirate would allow himself to be a butler for 3 years," he began softly, cupping his chin slightly with one hand. "But your epithet is Kuro of a Hundred Plans so I figure getting in the good graces of that sickly and rich girl is just one of them?"


    "How can you be so sure? I could just be tired of the pirate life," Kuro countered cautiously.


    "That''s true, but what was it that you said...? Oh. Right. You''re just a filthy pirate, I wouldn''t put anything past you," Rosan replied.


    Kuro saw red and bit back a snarl at the cocky redhead before him.


    "Wow, aren''t you projecting a bit much with those words? Maybe that should have been my first clue but I was too busy admiring that verbal teardown of Usopp''s father. Nice job on that by the way. I agree wholeheartedly."


    The butler forced himself to take a deep breath. This redhead''s neutral tone, combined with his snide words, gave off the impression that he wasn''t taking this serious and that annoyed him more then he liked to admit.


    "Well since your so confident that I''ve got something planned, what will you do?" There was no point playing dumb but he wouldn''t outright reveal himself. This strange man had managed to unravel nearly all his planning on their very first meeting when he had fooled people for three years, but they would certainly believe his words over the pirate who just docked here.


    Even if he knew the truth, no one would take his word for it. So what exactly was he planning ¡ª


    "Nothing."


    Kuro blinked at that. "Huh? What do you mean?"


    "Are you really as smart as they say you are? I feel like you''ve been one step behind this whole conversation," Rosan chastised him, shaking his head at the flash of irritation on the butler''s face. "I won''t do anything. This has nothing to do with me and I won''t involve myself in others business."


    Well, not until Luffy got himself involved, but Kuro didn''t need to know that.


    "Don''t you think it would be boring if I just solved every single issue before it could arise?" Rosan questioned him rhetorically. "I could just kill you right here and right now but what would that solve? No one would believe me anyways and I don''t like doing thankless work."


    There was no point in killing Captain Kuro. They wanted a ship from the sick girl and he was the last person seen with him. It would reduce their odds greatly if he killed the butler. Only Luffy and Zoro would believe him if he told them the butler''s true identity.


    So let him go wild until he did get involved. He doubted anyone could handle Kuro and Luffy liked Usopp so he''d inevitably help him out. Then, the village would be in their debt. He just needed to have his captain find out about the attack and then Rosan would begin working in the background.


    He didn''t need anyone to figure out his hand in this after all.


    "Quite manipulative of you," Mod hummed to her charge, not bothered by his scheming. It was funny how someone honest like Rosan, could stoop to such tactics like manipulating everyone in the background. He had shown how proficient he was at tactics like this on Daybreak and quickly incorporated it into his arsenal.


    He was so polarizing but whereas before it bothered her, she had grown used to it and even saw the benefits.


    "The opportunity arose and so I figured I could take advantage of it. I haven''t done such large scale manipulation since Daybreak and it''s good to control the outcome so that it''s in your favor," the scout responded. Luffy didn''t want him to buy them a ship so Rosan would do the next best thing and find a way to interest himself in the process.


    "Subtle stuff like this isn''t my cup of tea," Ram complained with a forlorn sigh. She wasn''t into these type of things. The weapon wanted Rosan to slaughter everything with her in his hand and that''s all she wanted... Well, besides a mother but Auntie and Father didn''t need to know that just yet.


    Kuro looked at the insane redhead in disbelief. "Why did you even approach me?! What do you have to gain from this?"


    "So that you were aware that you aren''t nearly as smart as you thought you were. I heard your plans never fail¡­ How does it feel to know that I can end it right now if I wanted to?"


    He wanted to kill this brat so badly.


    "You really think you''re stronger than me?" Kuro challenged threateningly. He had enough of this boy dictating everything.


    It was time to take back some control.


    "I don''t know. Do you think you''re stronger than me?" The redhead countered. "If you do, feel free to come after me when you put your plan into motion. I''ll let you join my performance."


    Rosan nearly scoffed. Take back control? As if he had any to take back. They both knew who had all the cards right now and if Rosan so pleased, he could send it all crashing right now.


    But he wouldn''t because that was no fun and he truly didn''t care about the owner of this mansion enough to save her...


    Right now at least.


    Kuro considered it deeply but decided trying to attack the redhead would lead to more problems then solutions, especially if he was not sure how the battle would go. "You really won''t interfere then? You''ll let me do as I please just like that?"


    "So long as you don''t drag me into it, I will not interfere. You don''t have to worry, I am not a liar," Rosan assured him, already planning on how he would eventually kill the man despite what he just said.


    Wording was important. No matter what happened, Luffy would help and that meant Rosan would be dragged into it. Kuro''s funeral was already signed off by the redhead, he just didn''t know it yet and he wouldn''t know it until he was dying.


    He didn''t lie. Rosan really wasn''t going to touch him until he was dragged into the situation. Kuro just didn''t know that the redhead was going to work in a way to get himself actively drawn into it.


    "You scare me, Father," Ram said in awe. This glasses wearing dumbass had no idea what her dad had in store for him!


    "If that''s all, I believe you have a meeting with someone?" Rosan told him. His little bird had been following the strange man for a while now, after it noticed a ship in the distance, and he was sure that the hippie was waiting for Kuro to approach him.


    It was another pirate in his crew after all. Jango, the captain of the Black Cat pirates after Kuro "died".


    Kuro stamped down his shock at the redhead even knowing that and hastily left the scene with a scoff. He couldn''t be too sure if the man was being serious but he had no choice but to believe he really wouldn''t interfere.


    Besides, he was a pirate. He had no reason to help any of the people on this island and that gave the former captain some confidence.


    At the end of the day, pirates only cared about themselves and no matter how cocky he was, a no name like that redhead, who didn''t even have any weapons on his person, would serve no problems to his plans.


    Rosan watched him go with a tilted head. Now, he needed to go meet up with his crew before they got too suspicious.


    It would be no good if they knew what he were up to. They were much too nice for that and would never think twice about manipulating the sickly and depressed girl.


    How lucky that they had him to do the dirty work. He didn''t care at all about her status, just what she could offer to them all and they would be leaving this island with a new ship.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Oh! Rosan, where have you been? We ran into the weirdest hypnotist today," Nami greeted the redhead approaching them.


    "You''re greeting me? Did the weirdo manage to hypnotize you into being a nice person? Maybe now you won''t be mistaken for an Ogress," Rosan replied, not answering her question and deftly ducking under the punch aimed his way.


    "I CAN''T JUST BE A FRIENDLY PERSON?! YOU''RE SERIOUSLY THE WORST!" She roared in fury, causing Zoro to laugh at her.


    Ugh, stupid redhead and his stupid rudeness. Why did he have to harass her so much?!


    A tiny little blue jay fluttered into view and landed on Rosan''s outstretched hand, nuzzling his cheek after swiftly hopping up his arm. "Where''s Luffy?" The redhead asked, petting it gently on its head and getting a trill of delight out of it.


    Nami cooed at the adorable sight and Rosan allowed the bird to fly over to her side, much to her delight. The navigator quickly forgot her anger with the redhead and began gently patting the bird on its head, getting delighted noises out of the avian and rubbing its cheek on the orange haired girl''s own in return.


    "With that long nose," Zoro replied. Where did Rosan get all these birds from? He gave one to that small girl, Rika, back at Shell Town and now he just had another one? Was he an animal tamer? He wouldn''t really ever apply that to the redhead but he was just full of surprises.


    Must have had something to do with his Devil Fruit¡­ He did mention that they weren''t real.


    "You mean that long nose right there?" Rosan pointed and the other 5 (the children were still there), glanced to see a serious Usopp running down the road with a grave expression on his face.


    They tried to greet Usopp, but he completely ignored them and kept running down the road like he had a mission to complete.


    "Is he still mad about his dad being insulted?" Nami asked in confusion.


    "Who knows?" Zoro shrugged.


    "No, that look was different!" Carrot exclaimed.


    "Yeah! Something must have happened!" Pepper nodded in agreement.


    "Why did he look so desperate?" Onion wondered.


    Zoro''s eyes turned sharp at their words and Rosan hummed.


    "How do we get to the shore?" The green haired man asked the kids seriously.


    "I''ll be going ahead," the redhead told them and their eyes bugged, as he vanished from their sight.


    "W-WHAT WAS THAT?" The children screamed in disbelief, looking like they had just seen a ghost.


    Nami watched with equally wide eyes. She did not know Rosan could do that. To be fair, she wasn''t sure what he could actually do! He rarely showed more than the bare minimum so something like this, understandably left her jaw on the floor and she struggled to pick it back up.


    "C''mon," Zoro urged, looking completely unfazed. "The shore, take us there," he demanded.


    The navigator looked at his unbothered expression. Did he already know Rosan could do that?! How in the dark was she?!


    She sighed in resignation.


    Well, he did say they should get to know each other better.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Luffy''s sleeping position is always a sight to see," Rosan hummed at the sight of his brother.


    "How can he just fall asleep anywhere? It''s really quite impressive," Mod praised the rubber boy.


    If Rosan had to guess, his brother fell off the top of the cliff and Usopp hadn''t bothered to check if he was alive or not. It was logical, anyone who fell from such a height would surely die...


    Rosan kicked Luffy''s sleeping body and jolted him awake.


    ...Anyone that wasn''t his captain of course. Honestly, the Gomu Gomu no mi was the perfect fruit for his little brother. He''d probably die with even a Logia somehow just because of how clumsy and carefree he was.


    "Mornin!" Luffy exclaimed with a yawn, grabbing his brother''s outstretched hand and easily pulling himself up like they had done this many times.


    They did. Rosan trained Luffy and Ace rather harshly and there were times when his brothers couldn''t even move on their own, resorting to his help, and sometimes Maro''s, help.


    "Did you enjoy your nap?" Rosan asked, looking up at hearing the five he had left behind talk on the cliff. The redhead had Ram transform into a gun and shot a rock to alert them of their location, satisfied when the chatter stopped and movement picked up again.


    "The others should be here soon, then you can tell us why you were sleeping down here and why Usopp was in such a hurry."


    Luffy nodded and they waited for the others to show up.


    "Luffy! What are you doing down here?" Zoro called out and the rubber boy waved cheerfully.


    "That''s the thing! I thought I was on the cliff up there but I was sleeping down here! Oh but you wouldn''t believe it!"


    Luffy explained that Klahadore was actually a pirate and he was planning on assassinating Kaya so that he could inherit her money and let him live in peace in her mansion, all alone.


    They all listened in shock but Rosan was slightly confused.


    "Why did he just let Usopp run off like that?" The redhead asked aloud. He was missing something here¡­ If the long nose told the villagers about his plans, that would make the redhead''s own plans much easier. He wouldn''t have to play a stronger hand and could let things unfold more naturally.


    But Kuro was a smart man (he should be at least), he wouldn''t let Usopp escape like that. Not unless he was assured that the long nosed boy was harmless to his plans like how Rosan claimed he himself was.


    "I don''t know but he''s pretty stupid for that!" Nami shrugged. "Now they can all escape before the pirates come!"


    Rosan wasn''t satisfied with that. There was a key detail he was missing and he refused to continue until finding it out.


    He ordered the bug that was tracking Usopp to transmit its information to him and when he received it, the 24 year old let out a sigh.


    "You three," Rosan called to the children getting ready to flee. "Does Usopp lie often to the villagers? To the point where they''d attack him?"


    The kids froze as they heard that and they nodded hesitantly. "Y-Yeah! Almost every day the captain screams about how pirates are attacking and the villagers chase him for it."


    "Right, thank you. You can go now."


    The children were too young to catch on and Luffy was too dumb, but Zoro and Nami picked up on it immediately.


    As the children vanished, Nami said, "If what they just said is true, the villagers aren''t going to believe him¡­ That''s why Kuro didn''t care that he escaped¡­"


    She was right. Usopp had already tried to inform the villagers and they were clearly fed up with his antics. Then, he tried to tell Kaya and even she didn''t believe him, harshly rebuffing him in the process. Karma was catching up to the boy and he was reaping its punishment with gusto.


    That put a minor dent in his plans. That meant he''d still need to find a way to have the villagers know about Kuro¡­


    Actually, the villagers didn''t need to know. It would actually be better if they were attacked and some died. The sick girl was the only one that really needed to survive but perhaps leaving some villagers alive to vouch for the pirate crew would be good...


    No, he''d just tell Kaya herself. The villagers were an unnecessary part to this entire thing and he could discard them. As long as he played bodyguard for the girl, she''d have no choice but to repay them.


    She didn''t believe Usopp at all but Rosan always did have a way with words and he''d begin to sew doubt into her. Coupled with how the long nosed boy acted, she''d begin to slowly realize that he was telling the truth.


    Seems he had work to do. And here he thought it was all just gonna pan out without him interfering.


    This was why he didn''t lie. Too much trouble.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Usopp had not been expecting to see Luffy up and standing with zero apparent issues but here he was and the liar''s jaw was safely on the floor at the surprising sight.


    He also wasn''t sure how he was going to deal with the issue of the Black Cat pirates. No one believed him except for the group currently looking at him and as he looked at Onion, Pepper and Carrot asking him how to deal with actual pirates¡­


    It was obvious that he wasn''t going to get them involved. They were just kids and little kids like them, would stand no chance against real pirates. Hell, Usopp himself stood no chance against pirates!


    So he lied to them. He told them that he was lying about the butler''s identity because he pissed him off with all the things said about Yassop.


    "I think less of you now."


    "I never thought you''d lie to hurt someone else!"


    "We really respected you too!"


    Their words hurt him more than he''d like to admit but if that''s what he had to do to make sure they were uninvolved, then he would do it.


    No one believed him now. Everyone thought he was no good, he had lost his friends and pirates were about to ravage the town that he loved, killing who knows how much in the process¡­


    Usopp held back the tears forming in his eyes.


    This sucked.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    They were currently back out on shore, glancing at the ocean, as Nami wrapped up Long Nose''s bleeding arm (he had been shot by one of Kaya''s butlers).


    "Why did you tell them that?" Luffy asked curiously, referring to the lie he had told the children.


    "Because I''m a liar," Usopp explained. "They were never going to believe me from the start. I was being too optimistic."


    "Even so, the truth is the truth," Zoro frowned. If they didn''t believe him, they would just have to deal with the consequences of not trusting his word.


    "Those pirates are really going to come, aren''t they?" Nami asked.


    Usopp nodded in affirmation. "Yeah, they definitely are. Everyone thinks I''m lying though¡­"


    They thought tomorrow would be a normal, peaceful day but the pirates would show up, kill them and Kuro would win¡­


    He couldn''t let that happen. That''s why¡­


    "I''m gonna stop them tomorrow at the beach! That way, this can stay a lie. Even if I''m shot in the arm or beat with brooms¡­ this is still my village and I love this village!"


    Rosan tilted his head and his expression was unreadable at the words of the liar.


    It was admirable of him but that wouldn''t do. This remaining secret, would ruin his plan so he''d ensure that at the very least, Kaya-san figured out about it. This was the only outcome that benefited his crew in some way.


    He just needed Luffy to¡­


    "You''re one hell of a nice guy for pushing your henchman away and going into battle alone." Zoro smirked at the words of the liar.


    "Just so you know, I have dibs on all the pirates treasure!" Nami said greedily before shooting Rosan a warning glance when he looked over at her. He put his hands up in surrender and closed his mouth.


    "Alright, we''ll help you out!" Luffy decided with a scowl.


    There. Now Rosan could act.


    He was a man of his word after all.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "What can you guys do?" Usopp asked the four pirates.


    "Slice," Zoro said.


    "Stretch," Luffy said.


    "Steal," Nami said.


    "Scout," Rosan said.


    Nodding at their synergy, the liar decided to join them. "I can stealth!" Usopp declared.


    "YOU''RE GONNA FIGHT!" They roared.


    "I have something I want to do," Rosan told the planning group. He basically understood what their plan was so he didn''t need to be here anymore.


    Luffy nodded and waved him off.


    "You don''t plan on participating this time either?" Nami asked curiously. She didn''t realize before, but Rosan seemed to operate on his own time. He didn''t really team up with them or anything like that, content to do things alone and out of sight. Half the time, she wasn''t sure what he was doing but neither Luffy or Zoro seemed to care.


    Rosan hummed at that. "It depends," he replied truthfully. "I''ll let Luffy deal with Kuro and maybe I''ll help out with the fodder. If there''s someone you can''t deal with, perhaps I''ll get rid of them... or I''ll just let you die. It really depends on my mood."


    "You talk like you''re strong," Usopp shuddered. Let them die? W-Wasn''t that a bit messed up?!


    Rosan shrugged.


    "I''ve been fighting pirates since I was four years old, I know a thing or two," the redhead replied.


    Zoro and Nami stared at him with wide eyes at the revelation. Fighting since he was four?! Seriously? Didn''t he also mention sailing the seas at 14...? Surely he wasn''t... surely he hadn''t been sailing the seas as early as four years old, right?


    The redhead didn''t reveal much about himself but if he was sailing since he was four... there might have been a very good (or terrible) reason for that.


    Usopp meanwhile, was just glad that there was someone else who told lies like him. If someone as scary looking as this guy lied like that, it made him feel more at ease.


    "F-Four?!" Nami gasped.


    "Yeah, it''s how I got my ship," was all he said, walking off. "Don''t wait on me. I don''t know how long I''ll be out."


    The redhead kept walking at a leisurely pace until he vanished from their sights.


    "He''s weird," Usopp told them. The cool redhead didn''t have much input and he didn''t seem to display anything obvious besides a general apathy to everything.


    "You get used to him¡­" Nami sighed. "Luffy, how did you even manage to meet a guy like that?"


    "Rosan''s my brother!" Luffy said bluntly, smiling good naturedly.


    There was a pregnant pause.


    "W-WHAT?!" Nami''s eyes bugged at the revelation. "He''s your BROTHER?!"


    "Yeah," Luffy replied, picking his ear with a finger due to the loud volume of Nami.


    Why did they never mention this?! The two looked nothing alike! They were polar opposites?! Nami had so much questions and she just knew Rosan would make her work for them.


    She thought about asking Luffy instead but one look at the idiot, made her realize he''d give her a headache in another way.


    Zoro laughed at her shock. "If it makes you feel better, they just don''t really talk about it. Luffy is Luffy and Rosan is Rosan. It was also a surprise for me when I found out."


    She hated how much sense that sentence made. Did that mean they were infecting her with their insanity?


    "Infecting? As if you weren''t already poisoned long ago," Rosan''s empty voice rang through her head.


    Nami moaned in misery at the fact that she was automatically slotting him into their conversations when he wasn''t even there!


    She should have never agreed to join them. Damn it all.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan quietly made his way to his destination, making sure to stay out of sight of any few people that were lingering outside.


    "You really are quite scary sometimes, Rosan," Mod''s warm voice came out in amusement.


    "I like it!" Ram cackled.


    The redhead finally made it to where he was supposed to be and immediately leapt over the fence. He didn''t make a single noise as he landed on the grassy terrain and walked straight up to a random part of the mansion.


    "Manipulation is not beneath me and my dear little brother needs a new ship. This seems like a rather easy way to get one without me just buying it so I''ll do all the dirty work."


    He was just doing this to see if it were interesting enough for him. Perhaps manipulating people would spark something with his emotions? He doubted it but it never hurt to try considering the dark joy he felt at manipulating all the inhabitants of Daybreak.


    If he ruined a couple of lives along the way, well that didn''t really matter to him. He ruined more than enough lives and he never cared even with his emotions.


    As long as it wasn''t his family, he couldn''t care less.


    "Modify," he muttered, walking through the newly created hole in the wall he forcefully made. Rosan shut it behind him and continued to walk until his nose picked up a scent.


    Blood.


    "Seems he''s made his move¡­" Rosan mused, walking towards where the scent got stronger. He entered a room and looked to see that it had been destroyed with long slash marks.


    Lying on the floor was an unconscious butler, with the appearance of a lamb, bleeding. The redhead bent down and checked his pulse, only to see it pulsing rather strongly.


    "He didn''t even kill him? Kuro surely is an arrogant man. First he let Usopp escape and now he lets this man live? Perhaps we overestimated him."


    Rosan nodded in agreement. He picked up the bloodied butler and began walking towards the medical room. The redhead had scouted this place out already while waiting for Kuro so it didn''t take him long to find it.


    He found some gauze and gingerly wrapped them around the man''s injury before waking him up.


    "Hopefully he knows who attacked him."


    "And if he doesn''t?"


    "I''m going to turn his injury fatal, Overhaul him and have him frame Kuro in front of Kaya before he succumbs to his wounds. She won''t doubt a dying person''s words."


    "That''s psychotic, Father," Ram grinned at his ruthless statement.


    "I blame you, Ram. You always spout the most unhinged things and have Rosan practice such brutal moves in battle," Mod teased with a shake of her head. Her purple hair bobbed in time with her movements and she desperately tried to hold back her laughter.


    The weapon spluttered at Mod''s words and was about to defend herself, until she saw the teasing grin on her face.


    "Father, I can''t wait until we double team Auntie."


    "Y-You two are still planning on doing that?!" Mod gaped at their audacity, red orbs widening in disbelief. "This is no way to treat the woman who raised you both! I can''t believe you''d gang up on me!"


    "I hope you''re still not as ticklish," Rosan hummed.


    "She''s TICKLISH?!" Ram asked in shock, before she shot the woman a truly unhinged grin.


    "Why would you tell her that?! Ram, I swear if you tickle me, you''ll regret it."


    "Oh Auntie, when has that ever stopped me?!"


    Rosan heard a scuffle ensue that somehow ended in Ram whining in defeat and Mod-chan not letting out a single laugh.


    He snorted quietly.


    Those two were so childish.


    "I never want to hear that come out of your mouth again," Mod said in a deadpan.


    "I didn''t say it out loud."


    "I don''t care."


    "...Noted."


    The redhead began shaking the bandaged butler awake and was satisfied to see him groggily waking up.


    "W-where¡­?" The injured man asked.


    "Are you alright?" Rosan asked gently, narrowing his eyes slightly and pursing his lips to give off a worried expression. "I have a sensitive nose and the stench of blood was overwhelming so I came to check in case something was wrong. Thank goodness I did, you were unconscious on the floor bleeding out. Who did this to you?"


    The man''s gaze slowly shifted into focus as Rosan spoke until his eyes widened. He tried to sit up but let out an agonized gasp, making the redhead gently lie him back down.


    "T-Thank you so much! You saved my life!" The man groaned thankfully. "I-It was our butler, Klahadore! H-He really is a pirate and Miss Kaya is in grave danger!"


    "Shh, don''t overexert yourself," Rosan muttered gently. Good, so he did know.


    That made things easier. Now he just needed to finish this up and let his crew handle the rest.


    "I can keep you and Kaya-san safe. I just need you to explain the situation to her. I''d do it but you are much more trustworthy then I am," the redhead informed him.


    Merry nodded rapidly at the man who saved his life. "S-She should be sleeping in her room! Do be gentle when you wake her up, she wasn''t feeling too well and went to sleep early."


    The butler trusted this man because if he wanted to kill Kaya, he wouldn''t have bothered to heal his injuries and would have just done that.


    "I''ll bring her to you, then I can escort you two out of here," he assured, standing up and making his way out of the room.


    "I can''t imagine why someone so arrogant was given such an epithet. Perhaps his past success inflated his ego."


    "I even told him beforehand that I had completely figured his plan out in hopes that he would alter it slightly. How disappointing. Perhaps he just didn''t have any clue how to change it this deep in."


    He entered Kaya''s room and glanced blankly at the sleeping girl. He wasted no time and gently tapped the girl until she stirred.


    "Kaya-san, we need to talk," Rosan whispered to the sickly blonde. Her eyes snapped open at the unfamiliar voice and she shot up, only to let out a fitful of coughs.


    "Don''t overexert yourself," he advised, staring into her fearful eyes with a neutral expression.


    "I-It''s you! You''re the one who broke in last time¡­" Kaya said, looking for the nearest thing to grab before choosing a pillow and holding it in front of her.


    Ram snorted.


    "Do you remember why I broke in? You can relax, I''m not here to attack you," The redhead replied.


    Kaya looked at him in confusion before wracking her hazy memories. "I¡­ You came here to talk to Klahadore, right?" She said hesitantly and he nodded.


    "I''m sure you were curious about what we talked about, so I''ll tell you."


    He was right, she was curious but that didn''t change the fact that this redhead broke into their home again.


    "J-Just who do you think you are ¡ª"


    "Klahadore is Captain Kuro," Rosan interrupted bluntly, heterochromatic gaze piercing her. He saw her flinch back in surprise and decided not to give her a chance to doubt him. "You seem like a smart girl. If you take that information and replay our conversation with the new knowledge, you will see the truth without me having to explain it."


    Kaya felt dizzy hearing Rosan utter the exact same words Usopp did just earlier today. "Why¡­ Why are all of you telling me such lies? What did Klahadore ever do to you to deserve such treatment?"


    "Nothing, that''s why I''m not lying," Rosan said coldly, shutting her up and causing the sickly girl to shudder. "You think I''d break into your home just to tell you a lie about your measly butler? What purpose do I have doing that? Replay the conversation in your head. Now."


    Kaya began shaking at his demand and did just that.


    Rosan patiently waited for the realization to dawn on her features and he was satisfied that it was sooner rather than later.


    "Y-You asked him about his name on purpose¡­ t-then you almost called him Kuro but he interrupted you b-because he didn''t want me to hear it. That''s why you said you don''t care if I hear it but he did¡­"


    Seems she actually was smart. "I knew you could do it," Rosan praised quietly. "Yes, that''s right. I wanted to question him on his real identity but I wasn''t sure what exactly he was planning so I left you out of it."


    The girl began tearing up as the reality of the situation made itself known to her.


    "If you still don''t believe me, I can show you proof," the 24 year old told her. "Can you move? Do you need me to carry you?"


    Despite her tears, she shook her head stubbornly and stood up on her own. "L-Lead the way," she stammered slightly and Rosan inclined his head, somewhat impressed by the brave front she was putting up.


    "Okay."


    Kaya let out a loud gasp as they made it to the room Merry was in. "Merry! Are you alright?! W-What happened to you?! Was it this man right here?!"


    She rounded on him with a glare, only to flinch at the icy gaze staring a hole into her. He opted not to say anything and she reluctantly focused on her butler again.


    "Miss Kaya! Thank goodness you''re alright," he sighed in relief. "T-Thank you¡­"


    "Rosan," the redhead introduced himself softly. "Can you tell Kaya-san what happened? I think it''s important we find her a safe location in case Kuro comes back."


    "You''re absolutely right! Miss Kaya, I couldn''t believe it but Klahadore was actually a pirate and he attacked me! If not for this gentleman right here, who managed to smell the blood, I could have died!"


    "I win."


    "Everything really fell into place so easily."


    It was disappointingly easy, to be honest. Then again, Rosan wasn''t sure why he ever expected to be impressed by the East Blue.


    "S-So it really is true¡­" Kaya tapered off and the despair on her face was clear as day.


    "W-What are we going to do? Shouldn''t we just give Klahadore what he wants? We don''t stand a chance against the pirates and it''s too late to do anything about it!"


    Merry was nodding in agreement. Maybe it was possible to bargain with him and he''d decide to spare them? He was an incredibly dangerous pirate and they would die trying to resist. It was best to just give him what he wanted.


    Rosan calmly interrupted their panicking and said, "That won''t be necessary. My crew, along with Usopp, will handle it. You just need to not be here for when Kuro comes back and that''s where I come in."


    Kaya flinched at the mention of Usopp and it finally hit her that he had been telling the truth this whole time, if the tears flowing meant anything.


    "Merry-san, will you be coming with us?" Rosan asked calmly and the butler shook his head.


    "I''d rather you take Kaya. I will further tend to my wounds and head into the village before Kuro arrives."


    What a good butler.


    Rosan nodded in affirmation and glanced at the teary eyed blonde. "You can apologize to Usopp after this so stop crying so much. You made a mistake. That''s fine. Everyone makes mistakes. Just don''t make the same one again."


    She nodded shakily and wiped her eyes at his words. "R-Right."


    Rosan sighed. Children.


    "Get on my back. We''re going fairly far and you won''t be able to walk the distance in your condition," the redhead ordered, not giving her a chance to say no.


    She still tried to protest but the scout just hoisted her up, causing the girl to squeal, and planted her on his back. Kaya instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck, for fear of falling and the redhead kept her legs up.


    The sickly girl flushed at the physical contact, noting that she was only in her dress and that his strong arms were on her bare legs and the wealthy girl glared embarrassingly at the back of the handsome man''s red bun.


    "We''ll see you tomorrow, Merry-san. You don''t need to tell the villagers about this, Usopp would prefer it be kept a secret. We''ll handle the rest," Rosan assured.


    "T-Thank you again, Rosan-san!" Merry bowed deeply at the man who saved them both. "We are in your debt."


    "Of course you are."


    Rosan nodded and trotted off with the lady of the house until they made it outside.


    "We''re going to my ship."


    "I thought you guys needed a ship¡­?" Kaya muttered, trying to ignore the warmness that he exuded or the ease at which he carried her o-or his very noticeable muscles that she could feel while this close... that shifted with the slightest movement...


    S-She wasn''t used to being touched by the opposite gender, okay?!


    "We do. Mine is irreversibly damaged due to an attack. It hasn''t shown sign of sinking yet but it''s only a matter of time and I don''t want my allies to die."


    She nodded at his explanation and Rosan hummed.


    "I need to meet up with my crew soon so I''m going to run fast. I hope you''re fine with that, Kaya-san."


    "Oh¡­ okay!" She agreed and the squeal of terror she let out, made Ram cackle.


    The ground dented beneath them as the redhead took off from the mansion at tremendous speeds. Kaya had no clue he was going to run this fast but she was holding on for dear life, fear on her face at going faster than she ever did.


    Rosan blurred through the village, making sure no one saw him and it took them no time at all to reach the White Rose.


    "P-please give me a better warning next time!" Kaya requested with a strained voice. The panting girl had a death grip on Rosan at the moment that the redhead barely registered.


    "I thought my warning was good enough¡­ I''ll consider it," he replied, boarding his ship and heading to his room.


    Despite being wealthy, the blonde had never seen a ship like this before and she glanced around in awe at it.


    "You can sleep in here," Rosan told her, placing her on his bed. "You''re still exhausted from the events of today so you can get some rest."


    The redhead didn''t give her the chance to respond and he quickly left the room, quietly shutting the door behind him and vanishing from her sight.


    Kaya watched him go with a perplexed expression. She couldn''t tell what he was thinking at all! He was such an oddity and it was driving her insane. What type of pirate did the things that he did? What was his plan...?


    Her eye''s became heavy as the comfort of the bed lulled her to sleep and though she tried to resist it, she eventually went into dreamland.

 The Art of Deception II

    Rosan appeared at the slope where his crew was located, with a calculating gaze.


    "Seems you guys have already prepared everything," he greeted, making them jump in surprise.


    "Yo," Zoro waved lazily.


    "Rosan!" Luffy beamed.


    "You were gone pretty long," Usopp mused.


    "Yeah we did prepare everything, no thanks to you!" Nami scowled.


    "Oh, did you miss me?" Rosan replied, raising a brow. "I''m sorry for disappearing for so long, Princess Nami. How can I ever make it up to you?"


    Her vein throbbed in annoyance before a smile made its way on her face. "I didn''t know you and Luffy were brothers," she said. "You can tell me some information about that!"


    "...That was sarcasm." The idiot went unsaid but they all heard it.


    "I KNOW IT WAS SARCASM! JUST TELL ME ABOUT IT, YOU DICK!"


    "We''re not blood related," Rosan said, interrupting her raging. "I met Luffy when I was 14 and he forced me to be his friend despite everyone warning him otherwise¡­ That also somehow meant that I was apart of his crew and we became brothers over the 10 years together."


    Luffy nodded cheerfully at the explanation. "Yep!" He chirped.


    "So that''s how it is," Nami muttered with a sweatdrop. It¡­ made sense. Luffy hadn''t given her much of a choice either.


    To be stuck with this guy for 10 years... the navigator suddenly pitied Rosan while thinking he deserved it at the same time for being so insufferable.


    "The pirates should be arriving soon," Zoro said, glancing out at the sea.


    "Shouldn''t we have seen them by now?" Luffy moaned in boredom. "Where are they?"


    "Are they even coming?" Nami asked in confusion.


    "They definitely are," Usopp nodded.


    The redhead, who was lying on the floor with his eyes closed, simply hummed.


    They all looked at Rosan in confusion. Did he know something that they didn''t? Why was he humming so suspiciously?


    He got up from his resting position to regard them and with the most infuriatingly neutral expression ever, he said, "My bird saw their ship a while ago and it was at the other shore, not this one."


    The look of horror on their face at the realization, made Ram choke on her on spit.


    "WHY DIDN''T YOU SAY SOMETHING EARLIER?!" Usopp gaped in disbelief. They had been here for like 20 minutes before he deigned to open his mouth! What was wrong with him?!


    "I figured that you guys were just being extra prepared, but I guess it''s my fault that the long nose who has lived here for how many years, doesn''t know things like this," Rosan shrugged in a "what can you do" motion.


    What? He had done his part and now it was time for them to do theirs. They couldn''t expect him to do everything now and telling them about things in advance, was no fun.


    "OH NO! WHAT ABOUT OUR TREASURE?!" Nami screeched in utter horror.


    "I already moved the ship out of sight."


    Kaya was sleeping on it after all and it would be counterproductive to put her closer to the pirates.


    "We should hurry, they will probably reach the village if we keep talking here," Rosan advised, not that he cared. Luffy had already ran off after getting some instructions and Usopp was hot on his heel.


    "You two, what are you doing?! Let''s go!" Zoro barked, already running off.


    The redhead meanwhile, was glancing at the orange haired girl who refused to let him go. "T-Thank you for saving my treasure," she sobbed ridiculously, holding him like they were the best of friends because of one action.


    "There is something deeply wrong with you, Nami," Rosan muttered to the leech attached to him.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Where are Luffy and Zoro?" Rosan asked the terrified Usopp, he had hoisted Nami up, threw her over his shoulder (much to her fury) and dragged her here at a rather leisurely pace so they were surprised to see that only the liar was fending off the pirates.


    The redhead grunted as Usopp jumped on him with tears of relief. "Thank goodness you''re here! I don''t know where they are, I was the first one here!"


    So they both got lost.


    Great.


    Fed up with their antics, the redhead tossed the two away and watched them collapse on top of each other with twin "Oofs!"


    "Jerk," they muttered


    Rosan sighed. "I''ll deal with these pirates until they show up. I''m sure you guys don''t have a problem with that."


    "Nope!" They chirped in relief, injustice forgotten in their minds.


    Did he have to do everything here?


    How bothersome.


    "You need to stretch your old bones anyways," Mod grinned. "Keep the blood active!"


    "...Mod-chan, you never did tell me how old you are. Would you mind reminding me?"


    "I will hurt you."


    "I love you too."


    "Go get em, Rosan!" Nami cheered him on.


    Cowards.


    He looked at the gathering of pirates and tilted his head before humming. "I guess I can show you a little something new."


    Ram transformed into a set of combat gloves, as the pirates roared a challenge and he decided to meet them halfway.


    The redhead vanished, only to appear in front of a random pirate and he punched him in the throat. The gagging man couldn''t react in time, to stop Rosan from effortlessly lifting him up and crashing his skull into one of the walls repeatedly, causing a spurt of blood to begin pouring.


    But Rosan wasn''t done.


    He took his limp body, tensed and, in an impressive display of strength, threw the unconscious man far into the ocean until his body vanished with an inaudible splash.


    Everyone watched in awed terror as the broken body soared through the air until it disappeared and looked at the relaxed monster who had done it.


    "I''ll give you guys a couple more seconds to reconsider your decision," Rosan offered the shocked pirates. "I usually fight to kill."


    Their response was to let out battle cries and rush him.


    He contemplated rolling his eyes at their foolish actions. Of course they ignored him. The fodder always ignored him. Then people wanted to call him merciless when he showed them why fighting him was a bad idea.


    The scout of the Straw Hats sidestepped a wild swing and chopped the outstretched arm of his offender, effortlessly breaking it, before grabbing the appendage and body slamming the screaming man over and over again until he went silent.


    Rosan discarded the body and idly kicked another person in the stomach. Their body caved under the strength of his blow and the redhead launched him upwards with a simple lift of his leg.


    Before he could get too high, Rosan reached up and grabbed the back of his shirt, crashing the flailing pirate into the unforgiving ground and crushing his bones with a casual stomp that engraved him in dust and blood. The man tried to scream but all that came out, was a wet rasp that only prompted the redhead to stomp him again.


    He did not make another sound.


    Without even looking behind him, Rosan outstretched his right hand and a red beam pierced the heart of the pirate sneaking up on him, killing him on the spot and getting a gasp of horror out of his allies.


    He aimed his left hand at a larger group and a much larger beam crashed into them after a slight delay, sending the unfortunate group soaring in a smoky husk.


    He had been practicing more with combining Modification and Germa''s technology so he could better mold the strange energy into his image. Good to know that it was paying off.


    Nami and Usopp looked at the redhead with blatant terror on their face, utterly shaken by the brutal display from the redhead.


    "He''s a monster too," the orange haired woman whispered in disbelief. Was this why he was so disinterested in fighting anyone?! S-She was kinda glad that he wasn''t a battle junkie because there was no way her stomach would be able to constantly handle seeing this. It couldn''t even handle it now and both her and Usopp glanced away, turning green and ¡ª oh ew, the liar was definitely throwing up.


    The redhead was mowing through their overwhelming numbers with utter ease, toying with them the whole while with the most bored expression on his face ever (it was the same face he always had on... did he even have a different expression?). Eventually, it seemed like he got bored and just started using one poor pirate as a living weapon, repeatedly slamming the unconscious body into any unlucky soul in his path and breaking more than one bone in the process.


    "Remind me never to piss him off," A nauseated Usopp said.


    "I''m way ahead of you," Nami agreed, popping an eye open and immediately shutting it again.


    "Oh! You guys got Rosan to fight! I was worried I didn''t make it in time!" Luffy exclaimed, sweating from running all over the town.


    Zoro was much the same and he had an impressed expression on his face at the destruction Rosan was casually causing.


    Ram could even shoot out beams of energy?! He wanted to test his blades against the mysterious weapon one day. He was interested in seeing the full scope of just what she was capable of.


    "Where were you two?!" Nami asked in disbelief.


    "You ran ahead of me?!" Usopp accused.


    "I got lost," they said in unison and Rosan tossed his temporary weapon to the side to regard the new appearances.


    "We are never trusting Zoro with anything involving directions," the redhead informed them.


    The swordsman spluttered at that blunt statement. "W-what about Luffy?" Zoro asked in disbelief.


    "That''s a stupid question. I never trusted him in the first place," Rosan replied calmly, stomping on the hand of a fallen pirate. "I didn''t tell you to twitch, minion. Do that again and I''m ripping your arm off and feeding it to you."


    The pirate beneath him whimpered and wisely went limp.


    "Scary¡­" Usopp and Nami whispered.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Kuro was annoyed.


    No, scratch that. Kuro was absolutely livid.


    His pirates being late was the least of his worry because there was no sickly girl in this estate.


    Both Merry and Kaya were nowhere to be seen. How the lamb butler had managed to survive his attack? Kuro didn''t know but evidently he should have checked his injuries and ended his miserable existence because the butler clearly managed to convince her to get out of there.


    It didn''t make sense. Even if he didn''t die, he should have been unconscious for quite a while. His wounds should have kept him out of commission until the pirates raided and did finish the job off. That''s why he didn''t bother checking.


    But he was somehow healthy enough to flee? How was that possibl ¡ª


    Kuro felt his rage reach levels he didn''t think were possible.


    Why?


    Because of that fucking interfering, smug, pirate redhead. That was the only explanation. The redhead chose to interfere with his plans, despite saying he wasn''t going to and managed to warn both Merry and Kaya.


    He lied.


    "You''re just a filthy pirate, I wouldn''t put anything past you."


    The veins on his head became visible for all to see but luckily there was no one watching him.


    He stood up and made his way to the shore.


    Kuro would find and slaughter that redhead, plan be damned.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "C-Captain! Please! W-We need help!" The pirates begged in fear. The ones who had not yet been attended to by Rosan, were slowly inching away from the demon in human flash who was mowing through them.


    "I-It''s just one person!" Jango said, despite the slight fear he felt at watching him dismantle his men. Nodding to himself, he pulled out his chakram in hopes of turning the tides. "Fine, we''ve wasted too much time anyways and the boss will be most displeased... Look at this ring closely. On "one, two, Jango," you guys''ll grow stronger and all your wounds will heal."


    "What''s he doing?" Luffy asked in curiosity, watching the hippies actions intently.


    "Hypnosis. He''s trying to convince them that they''re stronger. How ridiculous!" Nami explained with an annoyed look. There''s no way that would work! Hypnosis was just a party trick that worked on children and idiots!


    "Hypnosis? Does it really work?" Rosan hummed. That sounded rather interesting... if he was using it on his allies, he didn''t see the harm in testing it.


    "Only one way to find out!" Ram beamed.


    "We shouldn''t be allowing ourselves to get hit with an enemy attack! It could have some unforeseen drawbacks that could affect¡ª and you guys aren''t even listening to me," Mod sighed tiredly. They were honestly ridiculous but at least it wasn''t a physical attack. She taught Rosan better then to allow himself to get hit with an unknown attack but for this one, they at least knew had an idea on what it would do.


    The Devil Fruit would never admit that she was a little curious too. Ram would use that as fuel if she did.


    The wounded pirates all stared at the rings and unbeknownst to them, Rosan and Luffy were too.


    "One, two, Jango!" The hypnotist said.


    Almost immediately, the pirates surged back to life with a renewed strength. They roared at the power-up and the Straw Hats watched in disbelief, as one of them punched the side of a cliff, causing part of it to collapse.


    "No way," Nami gaped. "They really did get hypnotized and it actually worked?!"


    "He managed to gouge out the cliff? What insane power!" Zoro muttered in surprise.


    "With that many people getting power-ups¡­ How will we be able to stop them?" Usopp asked nervously.


    The pirates roared like wild animals and began climbing up the cliff, rapidly approaching the still Rosan.


    "W-Why''s Rosan just standing there?" Nami asked in confusion. The redhead had not moved even once and it was beginning to worry her. Was he out of energy? Was that the real reason why he didn''t fight often? Did he have a low amount of stamina...?


    "L-Luffy, Zoro, quick! Go help him!"


    "Right! C''mon, Luffy," Zoro urged but he paused as he noticed that Luffy wasn''t moving either.


    Then they heard it.


    A low, deep laughter rang through the air and they froze at the source.


    "Pft Kahahahaha!" Rosan laughed maliciously, grinning madly at the approaching pirates with two positively glowing orbs in his eyes. "Well shit, who woulda thought! A backwater island, a group of shitty pirates and this is where I see the first display of my emotions?! It''s so funny I can''t help but laugh!"


    His Devil Fruit let out an audible noise of surprise, completely floored by this display and Rosan''s grin widened even further at her obvious torrent of emotions.


    "R-Rosan!? I-Is that really you?" Mod gasped, voice cracking in sheer disbelief at the sight of Rosan temporarily displaying his emotions. Tears welled up in her eyes at catching a glimpse of him with his feelings out in full force, caught horribly off guard by the entire thing. She could not even say anything else, unable to properly catch her thoughts.


    "Of course it is! You think someone else could even come close to looking as hot as me?!" He retorted with a cocky grin, getting an awed look out of the Devil Fruit.


    Looking at his wide, psychotic grin, listening to his excited, unhinged, voice and glancing into his heterochromatic, shining, gaze floored the Devil Fruit who had not been expecting this whatsoever.


    It was her little boy. It was a glimpse of her precious little psycho who craved violence like no other. The one who at only the tender age of four, discovered the joy of being an adrenaline junkie. Her little agent of chaos that managed to turn even the simplest of missions into something so much more wild...


    She wanted ¡ª needed this to be permanent. Mod would do anything to get him back without the need of hypnotism.


    "W-What a terrifying laugh! Y-You laugh just like me and Auntie! I love it!" Ram had never been seen with a bigger grin, tears glistening in her eyes at the sheer excitement she was currently feeling. She knew it wasn''t permanent but her Father was showing emotion outside of the memories she saw! It was so surreal to witness and she realized that she was no one else but his daughter.


    I-If he was like this permanently, would he finally be able to call her his daughter?


    "Aww is my cute little weapon about to cry?" Rosan mocked, eyeing the remaining pirates with wild eyes. Those glowing red and purple orbs were rapidly shifting between each one like a predator who couldn''t decide which meal to start with.


    "I-I''m not crying! I''m just excited to see you like this!"


    "I-I agree! It''s been 12 years since your emotions showed so strongly a-and I have to admit, I''m overwhelmed," Mod admitted happily, flushing with joy at the reminder of how infectious Rosan''s emotions were.


    "Best to soak it all in then! We might not see this for a loooong time!" Rosan cackled, eagerly cracking his knuckles in preparation for what he was about to do to these unfortunate souls.


    Ram nodded eagerly, propping herself up and doing her best to mimic a statue.


    "W-wha!" Nami gaped in fear at the menacingly unhinged laughter. She never heard that noise come out of Rosan''s mouth before. She had never even seen him smile and you were telling her he could laugh like that?!


    "Did he get hypnotized too?!" Zoro gaped in disbelief. There was no way Rosan would have gotten caught off guard by that, especially after hearing about it from Nami. He had to have done it willingly then.


    Was he testing to see if it actually worked?! He didn''t seem like the curious type but maybe he was!


    "RAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Luffy roared in fury, clearly hypnotized himself.


    "DON''T TELL ME YOU FELL FOR IT TOO, IDIOT!" Zoro roared. He fully believed Luffy got caught by accident.


    "Look at all these people running for lil ol me," Rosan grinned, abnormally sharp fangs gleaming at the charging pirates. "I know I''m hot but I''m only easy for Mei! Seems I''ll have to teach you all some manners!"


    The redhead tensed and the floor cracked beneath him as he vanished from his spot, causing everyone''s eyes to go wide in fear.


    One pirate spat out a glob of blood, at the fist indenting itself firmly in his gut, holding him up with the force of the blow. He felt all his organs get pulverized from the blow and it sent him flying until his body vanished into the ocean.


    "You''ve gotta at least offer me some roses so I can consider it! It''s literally in the name!"


    Everyone watched the soaring body with blatant fear on their faces, all confidence drained away by that one display. They began to back away from hell incarnate, until the redhead stopped them all with pointed look.


    "If you make me chase you, just the color red is gonna trigger a PTSD attack that''ll have you shrieking for years!" he chimed, pointing and pulling at a free strand of his own hair to emphasize his point.


    The pirates whimpered in fear at that cheerful warning. No one had ever told them they''d be facing a living, breathing demon but here they were.


    "I think I prefer when he''s emotionless," Nami muttered in terror, listening to him with a white face. W-Was this the reason he acted like a robot? With his emotions, h-he was utterly terrifying to behold, saying the scariest things with the largest smile instead of that emotionless visage of his.


    The redhead''s eyes gleamed at causing them all to submit and he heard a roar behind him. Turning his head to the side slightly, Rosan let out a snort of amusement and turned fully.


    "Oh? You managed to get hypnotized too, Luffy?" Rosan turned back to greet his captain and they were treated to the sight of the handsome man grinning widely. They never noticed, but he had really sharp fangs and his eyes were glowing so bright, that it looked unnatural.


    It was like looking at an entirely different person! He was so full of life! Was this really the Rosan that they knew?


    "Ah look at my dumbass adorable brother, so eager for action! Fine, you get to have the special sibling privilege and we can share!"


    Luffy roared in response.


    Every could only watch (Nami knew he was the one who had saved Zoro!) in terrored awe, as the slope shifted and they watched as the ground erupted, forming a wall and splitting it in two, separating the pirates.


    A... A-A Devil fruit...? This whole time, they had been up against a Devil Fruit user?!


    "That''s your side..." Rosan began and he blurred until he was in front of a terrified pirate. Gripping the man''s head, the demon began brutally slamming him onto the erupted ground repeatedly until he was leaking enough blood to cover his entire face. The redhead smiled all the while, utterly unbothered by his act of violence and continued bashing the poor man''s skull against the wall.


    "...And this is mine!"


    "I think I prefer when he''s emotionless too," Usopp agreed. His knees were definitely not shaking and he was definitely not feeling the after effects of throwing up.


    The hypnotized rubber boy sprinted down the cliff and began punching the air rapidly. "Gomu Gomu no Gatling!" Luffy roared, pulverizing the group of pirates under his rapid punch assault. Screams rang out through the pirates as they were all punched repeatedly with no chance of retaliation. In only a matter of moments they were all beaten into submission and the rubber boy was left growling in dissatisfaction at the easy and quick fight.


    From his point above them all, Rosan grinned down at the cowering pirates. Holding out his hand, the redhead cackled and said, "Vindication!"


    A massive beam of red energy shot out and split off into little smaller beams, piercing nearly all the poor pirates on his side and incinerating their insides. They couldn''t even scream as the attack ruthlessly ravaged their numbers and ran through their bodies.


    "They''re both monsters," Zoro muttered. This couldn''t even be called a fight right now. Just how strong were his captain and scout? He thought they were only a little stronger than him but maybe he had misjudged them...


    He especially misjudged Rosan. Appearances were deceiving, the redhead was capable of far more than Zoro''s first impression of him had presumed.


    "P-Please, mercy!" One lone pirate begged the red headed devil grinning down at them all.


    "Mercy? I can count on one hand how many times I''ve showed someone mercy! But you know what random pirate, whose life I don''t care about? You''ve tugged at my black heart so I think you can be another!" Rosan smiled gently, patting him on the shoulder.


    The pirate shuddered in fear. W-When did he get so close? Their predator had not been this close, standing quite the distance away before suddenly appearing in front of him, but this near, he could see his bright heterochromatic gaze burning a hole into him.


    It was the gaze of an apex predator toying with his food. The utter amusement in the psychopath''s eyes, made him shudder uncontrollably. Red and purple glinted at him and stared kindly at the pirate near tears, contrasting his murderous tendencies just minutes ago.


    "Kay! Run along now minion, consider this my act of mercy," The Mod Mod no mi user said with a tiny wave.


    "R-Really?!"


    "Of course! I''m not a liar," he assured.


    They watched the pirate smile in relief and the terrified grunt turned around to sprint away, only to let out an agonizing scream of pain at the beam of energy piercing his stomach not even a second later.


    "How unfortunate, you didn''t run fast enough," Rosan shrugged uncaringly. "What can you do. I did show you mercy¡­ you just didn''t capitalize on it fast enough and I got bored watching you fail to escape me. I''ve never let anyone escape me after all."


    "Father is utterly terrifying," Ram gaped, watching the poor pirate grasp at the hole in his belly helplessly. Now, the ring could freely admit that she was a demon but she paled in comparison to what her Father was currently displaying. H-He really just up and killed that dude for no reason!


    H-He was so damn COOL!


    "He acted like this as a child too¡­ he''s just even more unhinged with age," Mod smiled fondly at the memories. This only reinforced her desire to get his emotions back because the redhead was just so full of life that it never failed to make her mood better, even when she was in a bad one.


    "You guys are too kind!" Rosan replied.


    Mod and Ram blinked owlishly at his response. T-That wasn''t a compliment. How did he possibly take that as a compliment?


    "I wonder why I didn''t turn into a raging beast like the others?" the redhead mused. "Maybe my emotions are tied to my strength? Since he made me "stronger" it forcefully drew out my feelings."


    His family bloodline was so weird. Glowings eyes that were tied to emotion and power? Bah, he probably inherited that from his useless birth mother too. He seemed to have gotten everything from her. Made him wonder just what he inherited from his father besides the man''s apparent boldness.


    "That was really boring though... I need to fight someone that''ll get my blood flowing¡­ that''ll really make me think I might die. That sounds like it could be real fun."


    Mod''s eyes narrowed in contemplation. Perhaps that was what he needed to activate the castle... If his emotions really were tied to his power, Modification would find it fit to stop caging them if he needed to go all out.


    It was food for thought.


    With a burst of modification, the wall he erected vanished and Rosan watched in amusement, as his rampaging brother tried to destroy the ship, only to be put to sleep by the visibly terrified hypnotist.


    Lame, he was about to challenge his rubbery brother to a quick fight.


    "Maybe it''s cuz I have Mod-chan and Ram protecting me from its full effects. Especially beautiful woman might be the true counter to this hypnotism, ya know?"


    "D-Don''t call me beautiful! You''ll make me embarrassed, jerk! Stupid, idiot, asshole Father!" Ram squeaked with a flushed expression, blushing deeply at his praise. It was funny when Maro or anyone else appreciated her beauty but not Father! His praise would make her die of happiness a-and she couldn''t die just yet! Who did he think he was?!


    "I''m g-going to undo the effects of the hypnotism soon," Mod stuttered, blushing at the unexpected praise. Damn it, she forgot that Rosan with emotions was a complete tease.


    "Alright!" Rosan agreed easily enough. "Experiencing my emotions again was pretty fun but how does such a strange and weak hippie have such a fascinating technique?"


    "I agree, he''s unnaturally weak but his ability is unlike anything I''ve seen before¡­"


    Never did they expect, that some random man was capable of forcing out Rosan''s emotions, when neither of them could do it. He had also given them a strong hint on how to possibly unlock his emotions, that being a desire to use all his strength.


    "Yo," Rosan waved to his gawking allies, appearing in front of them and making them jump in surprise. "Enjoy the show? You probably won''t see something like that for a long time so I hope you memorized me smiling... Not that it''ll be hard, people seem to really like staring at my face."


    "W-what?" Nami stuttered. She immediately made a note to not get on Rosan''s bad side because if she went out like those pirates she''d probably be squirming in death.


    Zoro looked at the amused redhead with a calculating gaze. So that was how he acted with emotions? He was quite demonic in nature and his style was especially brutal to watch, showing not a single hint of mercy despite how often he smiled.


    Usopp had backed far away from the redhead and his knees were shaking rapidly.


    "Aww, you don''t gotta be afraid, you pussy! I don''t treat my allies like that. Just don''t give me a reason to and you''ll be golden," Rosan cackled with an amused expression, as if he didn''t mind that they were rightfully afraid of him. No, he seemed to relish in it if the way he was eyeing them meant anything.


    "W-what happened to you?! You''re so expressive and not robotic!" Nami pointed out. The man was like a stone wall 99% of the time and right now he was the complete opposite. His handsome visage was permanently set in a neutral expression and now that same face was laced with so much emotion, it was like he had an alter ego!


    "That, would be my emotions," Rosan''s blank voice came out. His smile had vanished and the glow in his eyes were no longer there, giving them that standard dead look they were accustomed to and making them realize just how out of sorts it was that he never displayed outward emotions.


    "Y-Your emotions?" The navigator questioned and he nodded.


    "My emotions are locked away and they are rather difficult to get back. That man''s hypnotism somehow managed to temporarily release them," he explained calmly, contrasting his previous self so strongly, they got dizzy trying to comprehend it.


    "I¡­ was quite chaotic when I had them but I wasn''t aware I had become even more of a problem. I lost my emotions about 12 years ago when I was still a child and I''ve clearly grown since then."


    With emotions, he was nothing short of demonic. It was a bit of a surprise but he somewhat expected it. He had always been pretty unhinged and the years clearly made it worse.


    It was a good thing his other emotions like sadness and rage didn''t seem to come into play. Everyone on this island would have been in danger because he was sure his years of suppressing those emotions in particular were going to bite him if he ever did free them.


    They listened with wide eyes at his explanation, not quite expecting to hear that. How did someone just lock away their emotions?! Why was it so difficult to get back? Was he permanently scarred and needed therapy?


    But the way he was saying it... it didn''t sound like a coping mechanism (maybe it was), it sounded like they were literally locked away with no way to get them back currently.


    The redhead hummed and sat down a ways away from the pirates he had just massacred. There were still some left but that had been the ones on Luffy side. Not a single one who went against Rosan survived.


    As usual. He rarely left survivors.


    "I''m done for now so you guys can have fun," he said simply. He didn''t even intend to fight the pirates but that was fine and he''d even say he benefited greatly from it.


    His random emotion gain was interesting and the fact that some weak hypnotist had showed him it really was possible to get them all back, made him nearly snort aloud.


    How fortunate for him, now he just needed to find the trigger. Although... he needed to prepare for the day that did happen because even with just that small glimpse he could point out important details that were worrying.


    His emotions were overwhelming. To an incredible degree. It seems like the virus hadn''t been inactive because his emotions had developed even more over the years and did not stagnate like he expected them too.


    Except he himself had stagnated. If he ever did get them back, who knows how much work he''d have to put in to not let them take complete control of his every action. He needed to combine his two current personalities, not have one dominate the other.


    "I... I''ve never had so much faith before but it''s still possible. Trust me Rosan, we''ll get them back or we''ll die trying and when we do, I''ll help you every step of the way. I also had to deal with gaining emotions so I think I can help!" Mod smiled in determination.


    Trust her eh? He wondered if he could really do that.


    Rosan''s eyes closed and he let out a short nod of approval. Palming the area underneath him, he idly made the floor more comfortable to lie on and got situated.


    Mod beamed at his approval and cupped her chin in contemplation, unaware of his slight doubts. A difficult battle that would force Rosan to draw out the strength that the castle stole... They needed to go to the Grand Line to find a fight like that and when they did, the world would not be ready for them.


    Jango let out a sigh of relief, at watching the redhead lie down and close his eyes. He must have exhausted himself and couldn''t participate anymore so that meant they could clean up the others. If he was out of the fight, the hypnotist could call forth his trump cards.


    "Buchi, Sham, come on out!" He called and two figured darted out of the ship. The Meowban Brothers could clean up this mess with ease.


    "You two, we absolutely must get past this hill but there''s an obstacle blocking the way, get rid of it," Jango instructed. "And when your done, go after the redhead quickly, he should be replenishing his energy so we can''t let him get it all back!"


    The two brothers looked up at Zoro''s steely glare and nervously stepped back. "W-We can''t possibly do that! Just the green one looks scary enough and you want us to go after that devil too?!" Sham stammered.


    "Y-Yeah, they both look strong¡­" Buchi agreed. They were both sweating at the swordsman and it caused Zoro to gain a confused expression on his face.


    "Huh?" He muttered. Was this seriously what he was up against? No wonder Rosan and Luffy had such an easy time... if these were the trump cards, this crew was going to sink today.


    Rosan watched the pitiful exchange with one eye. If it were him, he''d have just blasted them and be done with it but plenty of people had pity and Zoro appeared to be one of them.


    It cost him though. Their swordsman had let his guard down and the two ace in the holes quickly took advantage of that, darting forward and attacking the caught unaware swordsman. Their cowardly nature was all an act and the man had lost two of his swords as a result with a strangled gasp of shock.


    "When do you think he''ll learn to stop underestimating his foes?" Mod asked curiously. This was the third battle now where Zoro had treated the battle a bit too lax. He had no choice against Cabaji due to his injuries, but those same injuries had come from one of the battles he made the mistake at.


    If it were Rosan doing the same thing, Mod, as his teacher, would have harshly punished him with training. The ocean was far too unforgiving to make such mistakes multiple times in a row and the Devil Fruit would have found it utterly unacceptable if her charge did it.


    "When he suffers a crushing defeat," Rosan replied easily. Zoro was strong by East Blue standards but he wasn''t that strong. He only wrote off the fight against Buggy due to the clown having a Devil Fruit that directly countered his skills but that just wouldn''t do. It was good to be confident in one''s skill but he just struggled against a circus act and still chose to act like this?


    If you thought they were weak, give them a swift death. It was that simple. Mercy was only reserved for someone who you had thoroughly crushed and had no intention of fighting anymore. That''s why the redhead hardly ever handed it out.


    Because the ones he thoroughly crushed, died.


    Zoro was now currently on the defensive, after nearly getting crushed under Buchi. It was clear that one-sword style was not his strong suit (perhaps he''d have to teach him a bit) but it was enough to keep him in the battle.


    Well... it was, until Usopp tried to interfere to help the man out. The liar tried to help Zoro out, by picking out one of the brothers with his slingshot, but the green haired man took the snipers attack instead of letting it hit the cat brothers, shooting Usopp a warning glare in the process.


    That resulted in him being left open, though and he suffered vicious twin scratch marks as a result, getting out a groan of pain from him.


    "Don''t interfere or else they''ll focus their attention onto you," Rosan advised the confused sniper, idly watching Zoro get pushed back further and further. "There''s a 50/50 chance that I protect you if they decide to target you and you shouldn''t like those odds."


    The sniper gaped in disbelief at his words. He was just going to let him die?!


    "He''s right," Nami agreed, despite not liking that he wasn''t helping at all... But he had done enough so maybe they could do something now... "There has to be something we can do¡­ If we manage to get his swords, Zoro can win easily."


    Rosan was content to remain in his spot and Luffy was sleeping way down the shore so that left Nami and Usopp to think of a plan.


    "I''ll do it," Nami said eventually, knowing the redhead was not going to interfere. "I''m better at this type of stuff," she reasoned.


    Usopp nodded reluctantly, shooting another glance at a Rosan who didn''t even seem to be paying attention to their planning.


    "You sure can be cruel."


    "If I do everything for them, they will become over reliant on me. You should know how I feel about people overly relying on me. Luffy didn''t do it when he was seven, I expect these two to be able to do something."


    "That''s... fair. You have a point."


    The thief began sprinting down the hill so she could grab Zoro''s swords, but right before she could pick up one that she grabbed onto, a looming figure put their foot on top of it and prevented her from moving it.


    Nami couldn''t even look up in time and let out a gasp of pain, that turned into a short scream, as a chakram pierced her shoulder, drawing blood and causing tears to prick her eyes. The navigator collapsed on the floor and began clutching the area that was cut, biting her lip at the red marring her hand.


    "NAMI!" Usopp yelled nervously. "ROSAN, NAMI''S HURT! D-DO SOMETHING!"


    W-Was Rosan going to help her ou¡ª


    The redhead wasn''t even looking at his injured crewmate. He was actually looking behind him at something else currently with a tilted head, expression not shifting whatsoever.


    Usopp was not the same. What the liar saw, made him go white.


    "What do you need swords for?" Jango asked, glancing up and freezing at what he saw. The hypnotist went pale and he let out a strangled gasp, backing up slightly and looking for cover.


    Sham, Buchi and Zoro stopped their battle for a moment and the two cat brothers let out twin screams of fear.


    Captain Kuro looked down at them all with such palpable fury on his face, his own pirates were sure that they were going to die.


    "I''d reprimand you all accordingly due to night being long gone¡­" Kuro began, before he turned on Rosan with nothing but raw hatred in his eyes.


    "...But it seems like all was for naught, considering OUR TARGET ISN''T THERE!" He roared in rage, vanishing from his spot.


    Rosan calmly leapt away from the oncoming attack. The redhead looked at the slash marks carving the ground with a half lidded gaze and appraised the man who did it.


    Ah, so that was why he adjusted his glasses like that. His choice of weapon was strange and one Rosan would never use but if it worked, it worked.


    "You should at least greet me first," Rosan hummed, unbothered by the man''s ire. "You''re honestly so rude, Kuro-san."


    Kuro howled and charged.


    Usopp froze in disbelief as he heard something. Target wasn''t there¡­? Were they¡­ Were they talking about Kaya?! No, they had to have been talking about Kaya!


    She wasn''t there?! THEN WHERE WAS SHE?!


    The long nosed boy turned and sprinted in the direction of her mansion without any hesitation.


    Kuro, assuming that Rosan had included them in his plans to ruin him, ordered Jango to chase down that long nosed nuisance.


    "AFTER HIM, JANGO! HE MIGHT LEAD US TO HER!" The pirate captain snarled, swiping at the nonchalant redhead and failing to land a single hit.


    The hypnotist yelped with a salute and immediately rushed off.


    Jango''s distraction, was all the opening Nami needed.


    "Z-Zoro!" She gasped out, picking up his discarded swords and launching them to the pirate.


    The savage grin Zoro let out after catching his two blades, promised pain.


    "IT DOESN''T MATTER IF YOU HAVE THREE BLADES!" Sham screeched, fighting vigor renewed after seeing his former captain retain his skills. The underlying promise of death was not lost to him and any disrespect he considered throwing Kuro''s way, was focused on his aggression towards the moss head.


    "YOUR SKILLS HAVEN''T IMPROVED!" Buchi roared.


    "You just don''t get it, do you?" Zoro grinned, getting into position. The swordsman put his hand swords over his mouth blade and said,"Tiger Trap!"


    He swung down at the approaching pirates and they spat out blood as the attack connected, eyes rolling to the back of their skulls and quickly falling unconscious from the swift and precise slash.


    "Just having three swords, is different from knowing Santoryu," Zoro informed them.


    "They''re all monsters¡­" Jango said in terror, paling at the sight of Zoro defeating the Meowban Brothers in one hit. To make matters worse, the redhead was still dodging his captain''s attacks and for someone who knew of his speed, that thought made him nervous.


    A-At least he was being put on the defensive! He hadn''t managed to get a single attack in so captain had the advantage!


    Kuro would deal with them all. Jango just needed to focus on following the long nose and getting the man his money.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "YOU DAMN FILTHY LIAR!"


    Rosan hummed as he dodged another attack from the pirate, raising a brow in curiosity despite knowing exactly what he was talking about.


    He was pretty fast.


    "That''s quite offensive to someone like me. When did I lie?"


    "You said you wouldn''t interfere," Kuro hissed hatefully. Because of this damned pirate, everything was going to hell and the thought that he wasn''t going to get his inheritance, sent him into a frenzy.


    Rosan nodded.


    "I told you not to drag me into it, but you did," the redhead corrected the seething pirate, ducking under a wild swing of those long swords on his gloves. "No one told you to attack my captain. You sent him falling down a cliff and tried to kill him. Of course I''d involve myself afterwards."


    Kuro paused as he heard that, not believing his ears. "T-That straw hat boy is your captain?!"


    That couldn''t be right. There had to have been a mistake. If he had known that... he''d never have told Jango to deal with him but he didn''t...


    "Oh, did you think I was a captain who didn''t care about his crew like you? I guess I never did mention that," Rosan shrugged unapologetically, stepping to the side to avoid a furious lunge.


    "Your plan was doomed to fail the moment you let Usopp escape and tell Luffy what happened. Because I''m apart of his crew, anything he does, inevitably drags me into it."


    The former captain of the Black Cats froze at that, disbelief making its way onto his face. "You... You tricked me," Kuro said in realization, not believing that he of all people had gotten tricked. Him. Kuro of 100 plans.


    Him. The smartest person in the East Blue.


    Rosan nodded in approval, even choosing to clap for him. "That I did. I''m a little disappointed that you didn''t think to alter your plans but then again, you''re only considered the smartest person in the East Blue of all seas and I don''t even believe that."


    But Kuro wasn''t listening to him anymore, too shocked by the revelation. He had been tricked. Tricked by this fucking redheaded nuisance. He snarled hatefully and began his renewed assault on this man that ruined everything.


    "I''LL FUCKING KILL YOU!"


    Rosan audibly sighed, shaking his head at Kuro''s words. "Here we go again. Another pirate making the same claim and failing completely. Could you tell me where you took your lessons from? I want to find this person and tell them how bad of a job they are doing."


    The howl of fury the man let out, made Ram drop to the floor in amusement.


    The two blurred around the field and try as he might, Kuro could not touch him and that only served to make him more outraged.


    Nami listened to their interaction in confusion. Kuro was implying that Rosan already knew something and ruined it¡­ Had the mysterious redhead already approached him? When did he do that? How long did Rosan know the butler was Kuro...?


    Kaya was missing too¡­ did Rosan move her? Did he scout out Kuro''s plan already? It seemed like he did, considering the pirate was literally frothing at the mouth due to her scout.


    She gazed at the redhead with fascination. He was far smarter than she first thought. Nami had underestimated him because he was in Zoro and Luffy''s company but Rosan was showing that he was much more willing to use his head to get things done.


    She needed to question him after all this was over so that she could get a glimpse of what was going on in his mind but first¡­ She had a certain idiot to wake up. The orange haired girl idly clutched her shoulder from the pain but ran over to Luffy.


    "I don''t understand why you''re so upset with me," Rosan mused, tilting his head. "I didn''t lie to you even once but you''re still throwing a tantrum despite that. Have a bit of dignity. Don''t you know what pride is?"


    Kuro didn''t know how this boy was keeping up with him but he didn''t care at the moment. "You can''t dodge forever," he warned.


    "I happen to have a bit of stamina," the redhead countered.


    "Where did you hide the girl? TELL ME NOW!"


    "Why would I do that? You''re the only one here who wants her dead and if you couldn''t tell already, I kind of want you to fail."


    "Kahahahaha! Look at the look on his face! It''s so rich!" Ram cackled in joy.


    "He''s going to permanently stay red if he keeps this up," Mod giggled. "To completely unravel his plan has driven him to a point that is funnier then I expected. I have to admit, I can see why Ram enjoys angering people so much."


    Rosan agreed. Soon, Luffy would wake up and deal with this man and he''d never even get close to finishing his ¡ª


    "KLAHADORE! PLEASE STOP THIS!" A familiar voice that wasn''t supposed to be here called.


    Both Rosan and Kuro paused in their exchange and the black cat pirate felt a well of satisfaction, at seeing the redhead close his eyes and sigh.


    "Sometimes, I wish my family did not tame me because I''d have just killed every single person on this island and be done with it," Rosan muttered, staring down a panting Kaya.


    She flinched at the redhead''s lifeless gaze and took a step back at seeing her butler with a vicious set of claws.


    "Kaya," Rosan greeted, watching as she took another nervous step back like a child who understood they did something wrong. "I thought I told you to stay put so would you mind telling me¡­"


    "...Just what do you think you''re doing here?" The redhead asked gently.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    There was a reason Rosan didn''t include other people in his plans unless he trusted them unconditionally.


    Robin herself learned rather quickly that the redhead rarely ever followed through with a plan to a t, always modifying it on the go if he thought of a better idea and she swiftly adapted to that part of him, genius that she was.


    That''s why he didn''t include other people. He was incredibly aware of their ability to alter their plans because Rosan himself used to do that all the time. If someone like him could do it, others stood no chance.


    "It doesn''t matter whether you have emotion or not, your ego will always be one of the highest on the planet."


    Ignoring her completely ("Don''t ignore me young man!"), the man continued his thoughts unimpeded.


    Humans were far too unpredictable to be reliable, especially if you didn''t know them well. You could never tell what was fully going through their mind.


    For instance, why the hell would a sick, depressed girl, who was being targeted by a group of pirates, put herself in sight of the ones targeting her when she was completely safe?


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Some might call it bravery at wanting to make things right.


    Rosan called it complete stupidity for interfering when you weren''t supposed to. He had not been kidding, if he were as on edge as he''d been so long ago, he''d have killed Kaya himself for being the one to mess up his plans and then he''d burn this stupid island down.


    They could thank his family for still being alive. They had mellowed him out considerably over the years and without the constant threat of action, it had worked out well for everyone around him that wasn''t an enemy.


    The redhead stared at the idiot with a blank expression on his face. He was normally very good at reading people and Kaya had struck him as intelligent. Clearly that did not apply to her emotions because he made sure to stress that Kuro wanted her inheritance and he wanted to kill her.


    But she still showed up.


    "I-I couldn''t just stay there while you all were fighting for me! T-There must be something I can do to stop Klahadore from doing this," the girl protested before bravely facing her butler of 3 years.


    "Klahadore, stop this! I¡­ I''ll give you what you want so please stop fighting!" The blonde begged.


    Give him what he wants? Didn''t he already tell her that he had this handled? What was wrong with her? Were people really this stupid? Was Rosan perhaps the only person in the four seas who used their brain and thought logically?


    Was he the only one with common sense?


    "Kill her," Ram demanded. Stupid little idiot ruining her Father''s planning didn''t deserve to breathe the same air as him.


    "I can understand why you''d want to do that, but that''s not necessary," Mod assured her charge, shooting a glare that successfully cowed the ring. If she didn''t speak up, Rosan may very well kill that girl.


    Ram was spoiled and when she made demands the redhead normally listened to her. Sometimes he didn''t, but you could never tell and Mod wouldn''t take that risk.


    Rosan would normally not be too bothered by his plan being somewhat ruined (Luffy was his captain after all) but he had kinda been pushing Kuro to his limit since figuring out his identity and it looked like the man was willing to do anything in order to get a win over him.


    "Miss Kaya, I was looking for you," Kuro said, forcing his voice to be calm.


    Rosan tensed.


    "I don''t think you understand," the pirate began. "I don''t want just your fortune, I want the peace that comes with it. You see, being chased nonstop by the Marines, is not a lifestyle I desire and I''ve spent 3 years earning the trust of the villagers here."


    "All the time we spent together over the 3 years¡­ Do you remember?" Kuro reminisced. "We went sailing together, took trips into town, I took care of you when you were sick. We suffered and laughed together, Miss Kaya."


    Kaya began tearing up at the memories and she felt her resolve waver. M-Maybe he was still here ¡ª


    "All those years, I''ve endured just so that I could kill you this day," Kuro hissed in suppressed fury.


    Kaya froze in shock at his words and tears began welling up in her eyes. She covered her mouth and barely suppressed a strangled cry that the pirate relished in.


    The former captain vanished, only to appear in front of the sobbing Kaya.


    "The plan was to have you accidentally die and leave me your fortune, but things have changed because of a certain someone," Kuro whispered dangerously. This redhead thought he had him all figured out huh?


    "We wouldn''t want you moving away from me so soon, now would we? How about I make it so you can''t move at all?"


    The pirate slashed down with one of his cat claws only for someone to move in the way.


    he redhead...? How had he been able to react to his movement...? Kuro had moved long before him but he had caught up? Just how fast was he really?


    That surprise didn''t last long though because his attack still connected with something and Kuro was filled with so much satisfaction, he couldn''t keep the smile off his face.


    "I think I like this outcome much more then the attack connecting on Kaya," the pirate decided maliciously.


    "Oh? Aren''t you a bit too eager to see my skin? Just like everyone else I happen to meet," Rosan retorted softly, expression neutral despite the gruesome injury. The back of his purple shirt was completely shredded and there were 5 vicious slash marks on his back that all leaked a steady amount of blood.


    He liked this shirt. It was a good thing he had Modification but the fact that it had gotten shredded in the first place¡­


    Unforgivable.


    Nami gasped while looking away from the injury and Kaya couldn''t hold back her scream at the fact that she caused it.


    Rosan stared the rich girl down, face not shifting whatsoever, as if he wasn''t injured. "This is why I told you to stay put. The battlefield is no place for people like you. You''re weak and the strong prey on the weak," he explained.


    Kaya could only stare at his unbothered expression with tears in her eyes, holding her head shamefully. Because of her¡­ she caused him to...! Was he going to die because of her stupid mistake?


    Kuro was about to swipe down again, wide smile on his face due to the redhead seeming to pay him no mind. The reason was soon revealed however, as a flying fist connected clean with the man''s face and sent him crashing to the floor.


    "Took you long enough, Luffy," Rosan said idly. "He ruined my shirt. I was about to kill him."


    "My bad!" Luffy grinned, pulling his fist back with a snap. "I''ll deal with this evil butler!"


    "Better you than me," the redhead nodded.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Y-Your back," Kaya stammered in worry. "Are you okay? Do you need to be wrapped up?"


    Rosan glanced at her. "I was fine until you showed up. Thanks for the assistance," he replied.


    Kaya flinched harshly at his words and held her head in guilt. He heard her sniff and saw a few more tears hit the floor but the redhead felt no sympathy for the idiot.


    "Stop crying, I''m already healing," Rosan told her calmly.


    Kaya''s eyes snapped up in confusion. Already healing? What was he talking ¡ª


    Before their very eyes, they watched the terrible wound on Rosan''s back begin to steam and close up. It looked like it was forcefully stitching itself back together and soon, the only sign that he had been struck, was the remaining blood and the fact that his shirt was still shredded.


    "W-What are you¡­?" Nami whispered in disbelief. No one was able to heal that fast naturally, it was just not possible! T-That injury should have taken weeks to close up and it should have left a scar!


    "A humble scout," Rosan replied, removing his shirt so that he could repair it.


    Kaya turned beet red at his shameless act and immediately closed her eyes after catching a glimpse at all those muscles.


    D-Didn''t he see that she was right in front of him! What was wrong with him?!


    He paid her no mind and focused on his outfit. "Modification: Repair," he thought to himself and watched in satisfaction, as his silky purple shirt stitched itself back together until it was in perfect condition.


    This one had a red rose on it, no way was he letting it stay destroyed.


    "You have a tattoo?" Nami asked curiously, glancing at his muscular build with a curious gaze. She thought he was lazy but with his build, it was clear that he was very physically active. Never did she expect him to be so fit and she wondered what he put himself through to get so strong.


    Nami or Zoro weren''t even aware Rosan had a tattoo! The rose design cut across his neatly written name and bloomed out right next to the R in a beautiful display. It looked incredible and they weren''t sure why he opted to keep the amazing tattoo hidden.


    Every new detail they learned, made it clear that they knew startlingly little about the redhead.


    "Yes, I got it when I was 16. My sister did it for me," he told them.


    Sister?! Did he just casually drop information on having a sister?! How many family members did these two have!?


    Before they could even question them on who his sister was, the redhead turned towards Kaya.


    "Since you revealed yourself, there''s no point in bringing you back to my ship. I''ll escort you back to the mansion and you''re going to stay there until the fight is over? Okay?" Rosan ordered the teen. It sounded like a question but it clearly wasn''t and the owner of the mansion was well aware of that.


    Kaya nodded meekly. "W-Where''s Usopp?" She asked hesitantly. She needed to at least apologize to him for what she had done.


    "Probably fighting a hypnotist."


    She opened her mouth and immediately closed it as Rosan fixed his gaze on her, dead gaze beginning to glow slightly.


    "Don''t make me knock you out. I''ll do it with great joy because of how much you''ve derailed things."


    Kaya nodded again, faster this time with a look of fear on her face. Like a properly scolded child, she allowed Rosan to escort her back to her home.


    What was with this girl? She just loved throwing herself in the middle of danger.


    Idiot.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Usopp didn''t exactly know where he was running too but he just needed to find Kaya.


    Missing? How was that possible?! Maybe she had actually taken his advice and gone hiding? If she did, that was fantastic but he wouldn''t be able to sleep if she somehow didn''t...


    Usopp wasn''t sure but he had to make sure she was safe.


    "Captain!"


    His face shot up in surprise at hearing the three familiar voices. That surprise turned into horror at realizing who was here.


    Why the hell were the kids here?!


    "GET OUTTA HERE YOU THREE!"


    "WATCH OUT!" They screamed but it was far too late a warning.


    A flying object landed square on Usopp''s back and the sniper gasped as the pain caused him to collapse and tumble on the grassy floor.


    "GAH!" The teen cried out at the burst of pain. He glanced back in confusion and saw that he had been struck by a chakram.


    "You really run fast," Jango said in annoyance. He was nervous due to the fact that Captain Kuro was already clearly angry and he didn''t want to further anger the terrifying man by failing this mission.


    "C-Captain! Are you alright?!" Pepper asked in a mixture of concern and fear. Usopp shot them a shaky, brave smile that belied his own terror.


    He was absolutely not alright but he didn''t want to needlessly scare the kids. "T-This is nothing to the great Captain Usopp!" He told them, with false bravado. Inwardly though, he was wondering how the hell he was going to deal with this pirate. That chakram hurt and his back was bleeding copiously at the moment.


    "Where is the lady?" Jango asked Usopp in a low tone. He couldn''t waste time with this wannabe pirate right now.


    "That''s what I''m trying to find out!" The sniper bit out, dabbing his wound and wincing at the pain. "I don''t have time for this! Usopp pirates, search for Kaya!"


    Aka, run for your lives.


    "Aye, Aye, Cap''n!" They saluted and the four ran without any hesitation.


    "Hey, WAIT!" Jango yelled at the retreating kids. He grabbed his chakram and launched it at the scattered group.


    Carrot let out a squeal of fear as no less than five trees were cut by the disc like weapon and it spurred him, and his best friends, to run even faster.


    Usopp''s eyes bugged at how strong those chakram were and was glad that he was apparently not hit with full force.


    It seemed like the pirates really didn''t know where Kaya was so that meant looking for her could wait, for now he needed to get awa ¡ª strategically retreat from this hypnotist.


    "WAH!"


    Or, that was the plan, until he saw Onion get clipped by an attack.


    Usopp froze at the sound of the child screaming and without even thinking, he turned around and aimed his slingshot at the pirate.


    "Lead Star!"


    Jango was about to pick up the fallen kid, but was caught off guard by the lead star connecting solidly with his gut. The pirate let out a tiny "oomph" at that and he glared at the long nosed liar who had been the source of the attack.


    "Why you¡­" he growled, grabbing two of his chakrams and spinning them. Without wasting any time, he launched one at the boy, who leapt out of the way and shot the second one at his vulnerable body that just landed, giving him no time to dodge again.


    "AGHHHH!" Usopp yelled as the chakram dug into his belly. He spat out a glob of blood and clutched the spot to desperately stave off the bleeding.


    "I was hoping you''d lead me to the Miss, but I''m just gonna kill you and find out myself," Jango decided.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan watched Kaya collapse with an uncaring gaze, heedless of her struggles. They were walking through the forest in the direction that led to her mansion and despite how tired the sick girl was getting, the redhead refused to help.


    "Tired?" He snarked blandly. "I doubt you''d be struggling this much if you stayed on the ship."


    The exhausted girl shamefully refused to make eye contact, as she tried to defend herself. "I-I know! I''m sorry but I thought I could do something¡ª"


    "AGHHHH!" A loud scream interrupted the two and Rosan closed his eyes as Kaya''s own eyes widened in recognition and then horror.


    "That was Usopp-san!" She gasped, forcing herself to stand so that she could head over to him. The strain of all the movement she did today, was too much for the owner of the mansion and she fell back down, panting heavily and gripping her shirt in exhaustion.


    Rosan contemplated kicking her while she was down but just hummed instead as he came to a decision. "Wait here. Usopp will come to you soon."


    He was going to do this after the fighting was over but now was as good as time as any.


    "W-Will you be fine?" Kaya asked hesitantly. The redhead was harsh but he was still the one helping her this much when he didn''t have to. Especially considering she had been nothing but a nuisance to him when he was just trying to keep her safe.


    "That''s a stupid question."


    Rosan took off in the direction of where he had heard the scream and it didn''t take him long to see Usopp desperately trying to defend an injured kid while fighting off the hypnotist.


    He had a long cut on his back and his stomach was bleeding too. He was clutching a wound and the fear in his eyes were very noticeable but he resolutely stood in front of the panicked child.


    Despite being so cowardly, perhaps even he had things he wanted to protect that allowed him to bypass his weaknesses.


    Rosan guessed he could lend him a hand then. He''d have let him die if the coward had completely given up.


    Jango''s eyes bugged as he was suddenly kicked in the stomach and his body crashed into a tree with brutal force, snapping the wood from its spot and sending it collapsing with the pirate.


    "Usopp, Kaya is in that direction and she''s out of energy. Take those kids and go help her."


    The teen in question, looked at Rosan in disbelief. When had he gotten here? Wasn''t he tired from his display earlier...?


    Then, he registered the redhead''s words and his gaze followed the direction that the finger was pointed in.


    Kaya was there? Really?! Did Rosan manage to find her? When did he do that?!


    Usopp didn''t know but he wasn''t going to wait to find out.


    "T-Thanks, Rosan! Usopp Pirates, let''s go!" He yelled out and the three children saluted before all of them disappeared.


    Jango heard this all and was about to follow them but the redhead''s presence, completely froze him in his spot, giving him a stark reminder of just what happened to more than half of his men.


    "Finally, we''re alone," Rosan hummed, glancing at the terrified hypnotist with a tilted head. "Jango was it? Can I call you that?"


    Memories of what Rosan did were embedded firmly in his mind and Jango felt himself shaking at the fact that they were alone.


    "W-What do you want?" The hypnotist asked fearfully.


    Wasn''t... Wasn''t Kuro fighting him? Did he manage to escape his captain? But how?! Kuro had him on the defensive the entire time! What was he doing here?!


    Rosan stared at him and he felt himself fidgeting nervously.


    "Your hypnotism is very interesting," the 24 year old admitted truthfully. "You''ve managed to temporarily do something that was not possible for twelve years and that has caught my attention."


    The hypnotist didn''t think catching a demon''s attention was a good thing at all. In fact, being on one''s radar sounded like a terrible omen.


    "I want you to join my side," Rosan offered bluntly. "I think your abilities are being wasted and despite how weak you are, what you can do is impressive enough to leave you alive."


    Jango blinked at his words. "Y-You want me to just betray my allies? I could never do that!"


    "Soon, you will have no allies. I will make sure of it," Rosan promised ominously. "You can either join me or suffer the consequences of not doing so. You won''t be staying with me, I''ll bring you to a place where you can live peacefully as long as you do what I ask you to do."


    That place was of course Maro''s island.


    Jango blinked behind his shades in confusion. He would have no allies soon¡­? What did he mea ¡ª


    Oh.


    "You''ll kill me if I say no? You think that scares me!" Jango frowned. He wouldn''t just throw his loyalty away. He may have been a pirate, but he had standards you know!


    "I''ve discovered that there are things in life far worse than dying," Rosan whispered coolly, face not shifting at all. "I''ll gladly show you that death can sometimes be a more desired alternative. How do you think being trapped inside of a body that you can''t control feels? Watching as they do everything opposite of your real intentions? Would you like to find out before I force you to submit?"


    This redhead terrified him more than he''d ever admit and he was already visibly afraid of him. How could he say such things without the slightest change in expression?


    Jango felt a chill crawl down his spine at his words and realized that it was in his best interest to not find out what the redhead was going to do to him.


    "W-What do you want me to do?" He finally asked. There was no getting out of this.


    "Not much. I simply want you on my side," Rosan told him quietly. "You''re being put to waste by a person that plans on killing you when this is over anyways. I personally think you''re much more interesting than Kuro and he doesn''t seem to know or care. Killing you would be unwise."


    "W-What?" Kuro was going to kill him? Jango wanted to be surprised but honestly, he really wasn''t. He didn''t want anyone to know that he was Captain Kuro so it checked out.


    "Have you made up your mind?" Rosan asked and Jango hesitantly nodded. "Good, I don''t tolerate people who lie to me. Let''s get along, Jango."


    If the man was lying to him, Rosan would torture him near death and then use Overhaul to take over. The hypnotist''s technique was too interesting for him to merely get rid of.


    "Hey! I may not look it but I''m an honest man," Jango protested, causing Rosan to simply nod.


    Reaching out his hand, Rosan grasped the pirate without warning and thought, "Modify Target: Rest Mode," successfully putting Jango to sleep. With a wave of his hand and a slight glow of his earrings, he stored him in his pocket dimension.


    "I agree with this decision. Having him strengthen up our allies, could be quite the boon," Mod hummed. He also did mention that he wanted to give Maro allies a long time ago and it was clear he didn''t forget. Honestly, her son was such a menace.


    "Maybe even weaklings have value¡­ I never thought I''d see Father with emotions so soon! It was so fucking awesome!" Ram gushed. It was so surreal to witness! She wanted that to be the way he acted permanently!


    "Language," Mod admonished, despite agreeing with her sentiment. It had filled her heart with so much joy to hear Rosan''s laughter again and for his voice to be anything besides blank.


    She yearned for the day where that was the norm. Where they could bring Rosan home


    "There''s only Kuro and Luffy left. That shouldn''t be too hard for him," Rosan said, making his way back to the shore.


    He was tired of babysitting that idiot. Let Usopp deal with his stupid girlfriend.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Just¡­ what¡­ were¡­ these BRATS?


    "Gomu Gomu no Pistol!"


    A fist connected solidly with his cheek, despite the speed he was running at and he crashed to the floor.


    "You''re pretty fast," Luffy remarked, looking wholly unbothered by the entire ordeal, if the carefree. There were some large cuts that he received from the start of the battle but that had been the only time he had caught the rubber boy off guard.


    Kuro couldn''t believe it. The straw hat boy was able to perfectly react to him¡­ Almost as if he could see him while the butler was using his stealth foot.


    Case in point, Kuro again tried to use his technique and it seemed to throw Luffy off for just a moment but never long.


    Luffy watched Kuro run around the entire field. "You waste a lot of movement!" He called out before swinging his foot in the area that he was going to appear in.


    "Gomu Gomu no Whip!" He called slamming his foot into Kuro''s abdomen and sending the speedy man tumbling.


    "I don''t like you," Luffy said bluntly to the struggling man. "Running away from a life of piracy? If you didn''t want the reputation, then you shouldn''t have become a pirate!"


    The few remaining pirates (the ones that fought Luffy and not Rosan) watched in awe as the rubber boy manhandled their captain like it was nothing.


    Zoro, who was observing the battle from a distance, found himself wondering for the second time since joining this crew just how strong someone else was. Besides the anger at Kuro''s words, Luffy looked mostly unbothered by the fight before him and he was easily repelling all of his opponent''s attacks with moves of his own.


    Kuro, realizing that there was a very real chance that he could lose here (the redhead hadn''t even been dealt with yet!), decided to use his ultimate technique.


    "H-Hey, don''t tell me¡­"


    The Black Cat Pirates began panicking at the sight of Kuro swaying back and forth.


    "O-Oh no! That''s¡­"


    "That''s the Captain''s ultimate attack!"


    "D-Doesn''t that mean we''re in danger too?! He can''t control who he attacks when he''s like this!"


    Luffy and Zoro regarded them in confusion. What were they talking abou¡ª


    "AGH!" A pirate screamed as five long gashes appeared on his torso. Soon, the same screams of agony began to ring through the group of pirates.


    "W-What''s happening?!" Nami asked in disbelief, soaking in the sight with a look of horror. She had just finished robbing the pirates for their meager treasure, only to see said pirates getting cut into mercilessly by some unseen force.


    "He''s attacking his crew more than his opponent," Zoro muttered in disgust. What was wrong with the pirates they were running into? Did none of them care about the men who chose to follow them? Maybe Zoro had gotten lucky choosing to follow Luffy.


    Luffy grit his teeth in rage at how carelessly Kuro was treating his crew, his friends. The rubber boy didn''t even care that he was also getting marred by the random targeting, glaring harshly at the darting figure with an intense look.


    This was utterly sickening.


    "DON''T YOU CARE ABOUT YOUR OWN CREW?!" The rubber boy roared, voice laced in unrestrained fury.


    "Luffy?" Nami gasped in shock. He was getting mad on the other pirates behalf...? Just who was this boy?


    The captain of the Straw Hats glared at the battlefield and extended his hand, catching Kuro in the middle of his attack. He gripped the man''s suit from behind and ruthlessly slammed him into the pavement so that he couldn''t move anymore.


    Kuro heaved at the impact, spitting out a glob of saliva, and shakily pulled himself up. Did he actually manage to catch him out of his Out of the Bag Attack?! Just who were these no name pirates?! First a redhead who could consistently dodge his speed, that managed to identify him almost immediately when everyone else had been fooled by his death for years and that had ruined all those careful years of planning for the hell of it!


    Now this idiotic rubber boy was effortlessly keeping up with him? He was infuriatingly carefree and seemed to almost be mocking Kuro with how easily he dealt with his speed. Was this some sort of fluke? Was it because he was out of shape?! First the redhead who dodged him and now the rubber nuisance?!


    WHY WOULDN''T THEY JUST DIE?!


    First the redhead, now this rubber boy. The pirate wasn''t even going to be able to get his revenge on the one who had foiled him in the first place.


    "Oh? You don''t look too good," a familiar voice mocked and Kuro went red in the face.


    "Y-You," he snarled at the sight of Rosan staring blankly at him. Not once had the redhead ever regarded him differently and combined with the fact that the rubber boy wasn''t taking him serious, it nearly made him pop a blood vessel.


    "Kaya is safe, Jango has been dealt with and my adorable little brother is crushing you. You''ve failed quite spectacularly, Kuro¡­ You''re quite the unlucky one to run into us the moment you decided to spring your plan. Too much patience can cloud your judgment of good opportunities," Rosan informed him kindly.


    He just needed to take one with him. That''s all he needed. If he managed to kill the redhead, he''d be fine. Kuro began swaying back and forth again and the redhead just watched with that infuriatingly neutral expression.


    "Oh no you don''t!" Luffy called out, wrapping his arm and legs around the taller man''s body. "Try doing that move now!" The rubber boy grinned cheekily.


    "I-If the rubber boy wins, does that mean we don''t die?" One of the pirates asked in a sliver of hope.


    "I think so¡­"


    They glanced at each other for a moment before quickly coming to a decision.


    "GO RUBBER BOY! GET EM! KILL CAP''N KURO!" They cheered.


    Luffy''s face instantly morphed into one of annoyance at their chants. He flung his head all the way down the shore in order to face the cheering pirates directly and their eyes bugged at the sudden proximity of them and the rubbery pirate.


    "Who said you could root for me?!" Luffy barked at the idiots. "I''m gonna get you guys, too! Just wait till I''m done with him!"


    They fell on their asses and crawled backwards while screaming, "GAHHHHHH!"


    With that declaration, Luffy said, "Gomu Gomu no¡­"


    Kuro watched with horror on his face as everything crashed and burned around him at the hands of people he had deemed irrelevant.


    No, this couldn''t be happening. After all his careful planning, three years worth of it, you were telling him some random group of wannabe pirates were going to be the one to put an end to it?!


    It wasn''t only the redhead that was a problem?! This¡­ THIS COULDN''T BE?! HOW COULD THIS BE HAPPENING?!


    "IT''S IMPOSSIBLE! MY PLAN CAN''T FAIL! THEY NEVER FAIL!" He roared as he finally reached his limit. The pirate struggled intensely in Luffy''s grasp to no avail and only increased in intensity at the sight of the rubbery head careening towards him with what was sure to be concussive damage.


    "Ah yes, I was wondering when that last dose of sanity was going to taper out," Rosan mused. It was almost a staple in some people when they were about to lose. Always raving about how they were better then this and how they couldn''t lose here. He had learned a lot out of the second hand pirate classes that his victims so helpfully taught him.


    "BELL!"


    Luffy''s head snapped back to his body and the momentum of the headbutt connecting to Kuro, knocked him cleanly unconscious. A spray of blood left his mouth and his eyes rolled to the back of his head, as the rubber boy nearly shattered his skull into pieces. His body fell like a puppet with its strings cut and he did not move again.


    "It''s our victory."


    Of course it was, someone as pathetic as Kuro would never be able to handle Luffy''s tenacity and strength. He lacked the resolve to put his life on the line against his brother and once you failed to do that, you would lose against him. The moment he had given up the pirate life, he had given up his own because he lacked the resolve.


    Rosan watched Luffy tell the pirates who he was and what his goals were and nodded in approval. He would never have followed the rubber boy if he ever wavered in his goal.


    After all, he said with the utmost confidence that he''d save the redhead but if he wavered in his dream to be Pirate King, how could Rosan ever expect to trust him with such an important mission?


    The redhead watched Luffy, Nami and Zoro interact with a tilted head, then he looked at the fleeing pirates carrying Kuro with admirable haste. It didn''t take long for the defeated group to hoist him on the beaten ship and eventually, the Black Cat pirates set sail.


    His dead eyes never left the ship.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Nami pulled him to the side while Usopp conversed with Luffy and Zoro about becoming a pirate and setting out to sea by himself.


    Yeah right. Luffy already slotted him into the crew and the liar would absolutely die by himself.


    "Nami," Rosan nodded in greeting. "You wanted to talk about something?"


    The navigator nodded in return hesitantly, not sure if she''d get the answers she wanted. "This whole thing with Kuro¡­ did you already know and play a hand in it?" She asked him curiously.


    "Yes."


    She half expected him to give her some infuriating answer so to outright confirm it, left her rather surprised.


    "You did?!"


    Rosan nodded. "Yes, from the moment I saw Kuro posing as a butler I figured out his identity. It was a little confusing, considering he was supposed to be dead but I gathered a couple of other clues that helped me confirm it."


    "You knew all this beforehand but you didn''t say anything until they attacked¡­ Why?" Nami wondered. If what he was saying was true¡­ he could have stopped this long before it started!


    Rosan figured it wouldn''t be ideal to tell her he wanted to secure Kaya''s gratitude and a ship so he told her the other reason.


    "No one would have believed outsiders who just landed on this island a day ago," he replied and she nodded along with his explanation, remembering that they absolutely refused to believe Usopp himself despite his status as a liar.


    "I figured they would have believed Usopp which is why I was surprised that he was being chased by them."


    That made... a lot of sense.


    "Kuro called you a liar too," Nami pointed out. He called him a lot of stuff actually but the liar part was the most interesting.


    The redhead glanced at her for a moment.


    "You''re smarter then I thought you were," he complimented and she felt a tick mark forming on her head.


    "I could say the same to you!" their navigator countered, crossing her arms in annoyance.


    "I told Kuro that I wouldn''t ruin his plans as long as he didn''t drag me into it," Rosan began. "Unfortunately for him, Luffy is my captain and he already took a shine to Usopp so I was never not going to get dragged into it. Once Luffy said he would help, I went to go move Kaya to the ship and derailed everything."


    What a conniving plan¡­ He had set up Kuro from the start and the pirate was none the wiser until it was too late. That explained why the pirate had shown up in such a foul mood.


    "I feel like there was an ulterior motive here¡­" Nami mused. Rosan wasn''t the type to do something out of the goodness of his heart, her short time with him had made that clear to her.


    Rosan hummed. "You''re right, I did this so we could get money. Kaya is indebted to me and I''m sure we''ll get rewarded for it."


    Nami''s eyes turned into stars and she crashed into Rosan. "You''re the best big bro!" She cheered. Honestly, he was so smart and talented and she''d never doubt him again!


    "One day, I''m going to get you the help you need, Nami," Rosan told their navigator, patting her shoulder in reassurance.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "We should get going now," Zoro said. They were in the restaurant that they first came to when docking on the island and they just finished eating the rest of their meal.


    "Yeah!" Luffy agreed, patting his belly in satisfaction.


    "Ah, there you guys are!" Kaya called, opening the door to the pub and entering after seeing her targets there.


    "Hey, Miss," Luffy waved casually.


    "Are you alright, being out of bed?" Nami questioned in concern.


    Kaya nodded happily and explained to them that her sickness was due to her dismay at losing both parents and that due to Usopp, she was feeling better.


    Then, the blonde girl nervously looked over at Rosan, who had opted to just observe the conversation, and bowed to him.


    "Rosan-san, thank you very much for helping Merry and I¡­ I know I caused you a lot of problems and I truly am sorry for that so to make it up to you¡­ I''ve prepared some presents for you guys!"


    Ah, she was still guilty about causing him to get struck... should he milk it?


    "It all worked out in the end anyways so you don''t have to be guilty anymore," Rosan shrugged.


    No, he didn''t care, he already won.


    "A present?" Luffy asked in clear interest.


    "Yes, please accept it!" Kaya smiled at the four and beckoned for them to follow her.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    All four stared at their gift with various reactions.


    "A caravel!" Nami gasped in awe at the sight before her. Luffy grinned in excitement at it and cheered at finally having a ship to call his own.


    "Can we really have it?!" He asked.


    "Yes, please use it!" Kaya nodded happily.


    It was a caravel designed personally by Merry (who had not stopped thanking Rosan profusely for his work) which explained why it had a goat''s head.


    "A caravel, with lateen sails and a central stern rudder, I present to you, The Going Merry!"


    Merry hopelessly tried to explain how to operate the ship to Luffy (Mod-chan had force fed him information ships when he was younger so he already knew) and Nami just told him to explain it to her.


    As they did that, Kaya decided to speak to Rosan again.


    "Your personal ship is really incredible¡­ I was in awe just looking at it!" Kaya complimented with a fascinated look in her eyes. "I hope the Going Merry can live up to your expectations."


    Rosan hummed and nodded in approval. "Thank you, this saves us a lot of trouble."


    "I also left some essentials!" Kaya added hastily. "And some bonus funds too, as thanks for everything you did."


    "I appreciate that, Kaya. Despite all the troubles you caused me, it all turned out fine in the end."


    Kaya pouted at his snide words. "I said I was sorry about that! It was a stupid mistake, I know, but please stop bringing it up!"


    The redhead snorted and pat her head. "I''m just teasing," Rosan replied calmly, ruining her hair on purpose.


    She scowled and batted his hand away petulantly. "Has anyone ever told you how annoying you are?"


    "I could give you three off the top of my head. Six on a good day."


    Kaya groaned. Did he have a snarky reply for everything? He was just the worst!


    Their conversation halted at the sight of a figure, with an insanely huge bag, rolling down the hill at worrying speeds.


    "It''s your boyfriend," Rosan pointed out, recognizing the idiotic figure of Usopp.


    "P-PLEASE STOP TEASING ME!" Kaya stammered in embarrassment, face turning a similar shade of red as his hair. She always felt some type of embarrassment when speaking to the redhead and she hated how used to it she was getting.


    "Teasing...? You two aren''t dating? Color me surprised." The redhead tilted his head to the side at the revelation.


    The girl just moaned in misery and hid her face behind her hands, not opting to answer.


    He was just the worst. Was this her punishment for messing up? She didn''t deserve this!


    "Let''s stop him before he crashes into the ship," Zoro said.


    Luffy nodded in agreement.


    The captain and swordsman both lifted up one foot to stop the approaching ball and Usopp ran into them face first with a loud smack.


    "T-Thanks," Usopp groaned through their sandal and boot respectively.


    Afterwards, the Straw Hats quickly got situated on their ship and Rosan made sure to give everyone their belongings from the White Rose, pocketing his silver ship afterwards (much to the open mouthed disbelief of everyone watching and his refusal to divulge any information).


    The redhead watched Usopp and Kaya, from atop the new ship, talk about the boys desire to finally go out to sea. How the long nose didn''t notice the rich girls resolve quickly fading, he didn''t know but she looked like she desperately wanted him to stay.


    "Did you get what you wanted from this?" Mod asked curiously.


    "More or less. There''s just one more thing to do but the bonus money should help us out for when Luffy eats all the food."


    "You have absolutely no faith in him," she giggled.


    "Where does he even put it away? Is it cause he''s made of rubber?" Ram wondered in confusion. Father ate a lot too but he just burned that off or turned it into muscle!


    Luffy, despite the hellish training Rosan put him through, was still pretty scrawny for his age! Sure he had a good amount of muscles because of the physical labor Rosan put him through but it seemed like the boy was just destined to be naturally slim.


    It was one of the world''s mysteries.


    "When I come to visit this village again, I''ll tell you about all my adventures and they''ll sound like even bigger lies than the ones I already mentioned!" Usopp grinned.


    Kaya grinned happily in return. "I look forward to it!"


    The liar then looked towards the crew and said "You guys take care too! Let''s meet again sometime!"


    Luffy blinked in confusion. "How come?"


    Usopp frowned at that response. He thought they had became friends over their adventure together... Was that only on his part?. "We''re both gonna be pirates so we''ll meet again on sea!"


    "What''re you talking about?" Zoro raised a brow like Usopp was stupid. "Get on already."


    "Eh?" Usopp balked in confusion.


    "We''re friends now, aren''t we?" Luffy asked as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.


    Usopp looked at all of them in confusion before a look of joy came across his face and he jumped excitedly.


    "I GET TO BE CAPTAIN, RIGHT?!"


    "DON''T BE DUMB, I''M THE CAPTAIN!"


    Their laughter rang through the skies as the ship set sail.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "MASTER!" A voice called, tackling Rosan, who didn''t move an inch. He was far too used to this to be moved over, even with her monstrous strength.


    "Maro, how have you been?" Rosan asked, patting the clingy queen on the head and squeezing her, much to the Dokkaebi''s joy.


    "I just got out of a meeting with Government officials and it was superrrr boring and I was like "Oh you just wait till I betray you guys" but they didn''t know I was thinking that because I''m super good at infiltration missions. And and I left my tiara in my room just in case you visited me so that they couldn''t see you!" The Queen of Celadon gushed.


    The redhead nodded, understanding everything she said despite the fact that she barely took a breath and just continued to hug her, absentmindedly stroking her blue and white hair and getting her to purr in bliss. She buried herself deeper in his strong frame and grinned happily at that warmth she loved so much.


    Maro had been making her way to her room to dress in something less professional and more movement free, when she saw Rosan laying half his body on her bed, eyes closed as he, probably, conversed with Mod and Ram. He hadn''t visited since the day he and Luffy set sail so she was understandably excited to see him.


    "So¡­ how have you been?! You guys don''t have bounties yet! What''s the big idea?! Crew? Ship?! Tell me! Wait, lemme call Angel and Demon, they''ll be super happy to see you!"


    Rosan let Maro talk and call his twin siblings, content to let her run the conversation however long she wanted. She could go for days if she wanted too and it balanced out his mostly silent demeanor well.


    She urged him to sit down and dashed off to go retrieve the two other rulers of Celadon. The queen came back in record time and Rosan quickly got back up, expecting to be tackled again.


    "MASTER! I MISSED YOU SO MUCH!" Angel beamed, tackling Rosan the exact same way Maro did and failing to move him just like her. He easily grabbed his younger sister and squeezed gently, practically repeating the same thing he had done to Maro, getting a happy coo out of her and achieving the same results. The female redhead snuggled him deeply and he nearly rolled his eyes at their antics.


    "How are you?" Demon followed up, joining the group hug and gracefully accepting the head pat from his older brother with a pleased smile. "We''re happy to see you!"


    "How''s the pirate life so far! I still can''t believe we can call you a pirate now!" Angel asked curiously.


    "Before I tell you guys about my journey so far, I need a favor from you, Maro," Rosan said calmly.


    "You need a favor from me?!" Maro gaped at his statement, surprise clear on the beautiful queen''s features. "Hell yeah! What is it?!"


    "We recently got out of a fight with the Black Cat Pirates," Rosan told her. "One of their members had a very interesting ability and I want you to hide and house him on this island. I can modify his appearance if you''d like me to so that he''s harder to recognize."


    Her excitement dimmed a bit at that and Maro''s eyes narrowed at that. "What ability could he have that would make you want to potentially jeopardize Celadon? He probably has a bounty, right? We''d have to disguise him and we might still be in danger."


    Master or no, she wouldn''t just accept a pirate on her island. Celadon were allies with the World Government right now so they couldn''t do anything risky. Rosan knew that but still asked her so the pirate (he was from the East Blue after all) had to be good for something.


    "It''s best if I show you," the redhead replied. He was proud that Maro didn''t just agree immediately. His student would normally do anything to please him but instead she showed her wariness and questioned him like a queen should.


    Good. He didn''t want her to say yes to everything solely because he was her master.


    Rosan''s eyes glowed and he reached into his Pocket Dimension (without going inside of it!), pulling out Jango and depositing the, still sleeping, man on the floor.


    With a simple nudge, the hypnotist began to slowly wake up. The leaders watched the rather odd man wake up with curious eyes, wondering just what he had done to gain Rosan''s attention (the poor soul).


    "Warn a guy before you knock him out," Jango grumbled tiredly. He didn''t expect to get kidnapped by the guy he had just agreed to join but then again, the redhead operated on his own time it seemed.


    Any other words he was about to say, were cut off as he laid eyes on Angel. The redhead clone was looking at him with thinly veiled disgust but Jango didn''t see that. He saw probably the most beautiful woman in his life and his heart thumped harshly against his chest.


    Jango no longer had any doubts about joining Rosan if he got to look at such a beautiful woman like this.


    Maro''s eyes narrowed dangerously.


    "Master¡­" She warned in a low snarl. The queen was about to turn him into paste if he kept ogling Angel like that.


    Demon laughed at her obvious annoyance and Angel looked at Maro in confusion, wondering what made her wife so upset all of a sudden.


    The queen possessively grabbed Angel and dragged the woman closer to her frame, glaring at Jango warningly and getting a surprised yelp out of her wife, who eventually rolled her eyes and blushed.


    "Jango, I''d like you to hypnotize me. Use the same words as last time," Rosan called out, snapping the dazed man out of his daydream. "You three, look away. Especially Maro."


    He did not feel like dealing with an enraged Dokkaebi in her own castle. They''d have to spend the rest of the day repairing it and he didn''t fancy doing that.


    "R-Right!" He saluted, noticing the striking resemblance between him and the middle triplet.


    "On "one, two, Jango," you''ll grow stronger," Jango said, pulling out his pendulum and swinging it back and forth.


    "Hypnotism?" Angel muttered curiously, looking away from the swinging chakram despite her burning curiosity.


    "How interesting," Demon said. If it was enough to get Master''s attention, then surely it actually worked and if it did... There was a lot they could do with that.


    "Why did he warn me explicitly?" Maro grumbled in annoyance, crossing her arms under her bust with her eyes closed.


    "One, two, Jango!"


    The three residents of the castle opened their eyes and stared in curiosity, as a silence befell them all. Rosan''s head was currently ducked and they had to wonder if it actually worke ¡ª


    "Kahahahaha, two times in one day? Aren''t I just the luckiest!" A deep laughter rang out, making them freeze.


    No, it couldn''t be¡­ could it...?


    Rosan''s grinning visage greeted the stupefied leaders, tilting his head in amusement at their expressions. His eyes were glowing brilliantly and the madness behind them were plain as day, as he basked in their shocked gazes. He stepped closer to them all and bent over slightly, allowing them to take in all his handsome features.


    "See that look on your faces?! I told you he had an interesting ability but you didn''t trust your never wrong master!" The redhead cackled, sharp fangs on display. "When he hypnotizes me, my emotions are temporarily freed because apparently they''re tied to my strength!"


    Angel''s jaw dropped as tears formed in her eyes. The redhead couldn''t believe what she was seeing and she couldn''t hold back a strangled sob, slamming into her older brother with such fervor that his eyes went a little wide, not expecting the strong physical affection.


    That laughter, that grin, that glow! This was her Master! He was here right now looking at them and he was so beautiful and amazing and she was getting overwhelmed right now!


    "Someone''s happy to see me," Rosan hummed, recovering admirably and lifting his little sister with his hug. She squealed in surprise and fixed a teary glare at him for carrying her so suddenly. He smiled unapologetically and began to spin her, getting another squeal out of her and rapid slaps to his chest that didn''t phase him at all.


    Demon looked like he had seen a ghost, which was a fair assessment, considering that it had been 12 years since they saw Rosan act like this. The last time had been before... before everything went ¡ª


    "Hey, you don''t gotta cry, Demon," Rosan''s voice came out tenderly, losing all the madness in it at seeing tears spring up in the youngest triplets eyes. Placing Angel down, he walked up to his younger brother and wrapped strong arms around him.


    "I-I know, I''m just happy to see you like this," he choked, burying his face in the taller redhead''s chest and soaking it all in.


    "...I''ll try to get back to this without any help, okay?" The scout assured, running a hand through Demon''s smooth purple hair.


    Angel let out a choked sob again and immediately joined the group hug. The oldest of the triplets hugged them both, soothing them with a fond grin on his face and bright eyes that shone with a love that they hadn''t seen in a long time.


    "W-Wow!" The queen gasped. "You''re so expressive and so alive and so handsome when you''re grinning! And you look completely insane and did I mention that you''re so handsome right now?!"


    Maro''s eyes were bugged and the queen was completely floored. She had never seen the redhead act like this at all outside of his memories so this was a complete first for her that she greedily soaked in.


    "So handsome? Are you stupid?! I''m always handsome my foolish little goblin!" Rosan mock gasped, freeing up a hand and pinching her cheek, getting an indignant whine out of her.


    This was the Rosan that everyone had been so desperate to get back?! She could see why! He had done a complete 180 in personality and it was so... AWESOME! HE WAS SO COOL RIGHT NOW WITH HIS BRIGHT EYES AND HIS GRINNING FACE! It was so much better than his lifeless expression combined with that neutral face of his.


    She... She wanted to see him like this permanently. Maro had only ever known no emotion Rosan but she''d love to get to know the one who did have emotion because he seemed like he was really fun to hang around.


    She watched Angel and Demon cry on his chest and looked at the tenderness in his eyes and realized that they had been afraid for nothing. One night, Angel had confided in her one night about how the only reason they were alive was because Rosan had lost his emotions when he was about to dish out punishment on them and they never did know what exactly he planned on doing.


    Because of his loss in anger, he never did punish them and they were sure that if he ever gained his emotions back, he''d fully hate them because at the end of the day, they were the ones left in charge with Meiko and Rosan had been put into an unfavorable position because of it.


    It was her wife''s biggest fear (one that Demon shared) and she had sobbed in the Dokkaebi''s chest after revealing it.


    "I... I don''t want him to hate meee. I don''t know what I''ll do if he does, Maro! We look to him and he''s done everything for us without asking for a single thing in return. He''s our brother but he''s also our creator and if he hates us, what''s the point in even being alive?!" Angel sobbed and it caused Maro''s own eyes to go wet because there was nothing she could do that could change her mind besides assuring her that there was more to live for. She didn''t know how Rosan was with his emotions, she didn''t know how he thought... she didn''t know anything about him.


    So all she could do was offer her presence to her emotional wife and her words.


    She was so glad that there was no sign of animosity in the redhead''s eyes. Just an insane glint that spoke of untold chaos when his emotions were fully unlocked.


    He accepted all their affections with an easygoing grin on his face, laughing at the tears in their eyes and getting glares when he mocked it. "I''ll tell you about my adventures while I''m like this! Then I gotta go back to the crew!"


    The three nodded eagerly and Rosan told his former traveling companions about all the trips he had so far with the Straw Hats.


    None of them could keep the smile or resolve off their face at seeing how much emotion he was displaying.


    They swore that this would become permanent.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "You know, you disappear a lot," Nami pointed out to the redhead. He just appeared on the ship and they jumped in fright at the unexpected arrival, fixing the redhead with a hard glare that he seemingly didn''t notice.


    "Indeed I do. I can''t help it. I''ve always been rather restless," Rosan agreed. It was a habit that had been around since he was four and when he had gained the ability to fly, things had only gotten worse.


    Not even a lack of emotions inhibited his free spirit.


    "You were missing last night too¡­ What were you doing?" Zoro asked curiously.


    "Last night¡­?" Rosan mused.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Last Night


    "Greetings, Captain Kuro."


    Kuro jumped at that voice and felt his vision go red at the familiarity of it.


    "How did you get here? Why are you here?! Just stopping me wasn''t enough so you wanted to rub salt into the wound as well?" The reinstated captain snarled. Because of this redhead right here, everything he had ever planned, had gone to waste and now he was back to being a miserable pirate.


    "I''m not petty enough to do something like that," Rosan said blandly, knowing that he was petty enough to do that. "No, I''m here on much more serious business."


    That''s when Kuro smelt it and it caused him to tense up.


    Blood.


    "Ah, so you finally noticed."


    Kuro got up and immediately reached for his claws. The redhead allowed him with just a tilted head and that dim gaze of his.


    "I''ve killed your entire crew but you were planning on doing that anyways, right? It''s just you and I and that''s the way I prefer it." Rosan''s voice was a near whisper as he spoke but Kuro heard him loud and clear.


    "You see, I''m not quite like my crew members. I''m much more... hardened if you would," the redhead offered him. "I don''t think just beating someone is enough. I think being more thorough is necessary for certain enemies and I decided that the moment we met, that I''d be killing you and that''s what I''m here to do."


    "But first, I wanted to reveal something to you."


    Kuro glared at the man in hatred. No longer listening to the redhead, he activated his stealth foot and blurred ¡ª


    Only to find a scythe embedded firmly in his belly. He gagged in disbelief and shakily looked down at the weapon, blood pouring from the wound and his mouth.


    He didn''t even see him move...? A scythe? Who would use such an odd weapon of choice¡ª


    "You''re not as fast as you think you are, I thought Luffy made that clear."


    A hooded figure in a black and white cloak stared at the man and a horrifying realization seeped into Kuro''s bone, as two black feathery wings burst free from his back.


    He took a step back in fear, not quite believing his eyes and his rage momentarily vanished, replaced by a cold feeling of doom. "Y-You¡­ B-But that''s IMPOSSIBLE!" Kuro bellowed, refusing to believe it for even a second. This couldn''t be happening... this couldn''t be happening!


    They had gone missing for over 10 years! No one had seen or heard tale of them so what were they doing on some unassuming pirate crew, sabotaging his fucking plans?!


    "Things are only seen as impossible to people who refuse to open their eyes," Reaper admonished quietly, floating upwards and causing the scythe to begin angling awkwardly inside of him.


    The pirate was unable to hold back his groan of pain at getting the blade shifted inside of him and he desperately tried to remove the source of agony.


    "You wanted to know why I was able to identify you so easily, right? Well that''s because bounty hunting was a bit of a hobby of mine in the past."


    Kuro stared at the Angel of Death with disbelief. You were telling him¡­ that his plan had gotten foiled by the Shinigami who was worth 500 million beri? That¡­ That was BULLSHIT! HOW COULD ANYONE HAVE EXPECTED THIS TO HAPPEN? REAPER SHOULDN''T EVEN BE IN THE EAST BLUE?! WHAT WAS HE DOING HERE?!


    "Do you still think you''re stronger than me? I wasn''t dodging your attacks as defense, I was dodging them because my Captain had dibs," the Shinigami intoned coldly.


    "Now, you get to see what it''s like when I''m on the offensive."


    Kuro staggered, as the scythe was ripped from his belly and he quickly activated his stealth foot to try and get to a place with some more space.


    His personal quarters were far too cramped for him to run freely.


    The moment his feet landed on the deck, a kick planted itself on his back and he was rocketed into a wall, embedding his body into it.


    Reaper floated high above him, gazing down at him with his head tilted. It was impossible to see underneath that black hoodie and despite watching his wings flap, they made no noise.


    "You realize that this benefits me more than you, right?" The black clad figure asked and as if to prove his point, he vanished from his spot, cut into Kuro''s belly and flew out of sight into the night sky.


    Kuro was a sitting duck like this. He looked around and saw the corpses of his crew lying around and realized that this was the only reason they had been allowed to escape that wretched island.


    So that no one could see what was going to happen to them.


    Rosan didn''t need his crew to see just how operated yet after all.


    He mercifully landed on the deck and curled his wings back up, spinning his black and purple scythe in an impressive display. "Come. Dance for me. You seemed to relish in ruining my shirt earlier, so I will give you a performance worth remembering, not that you''ll like it very much."


    Kuro''s confidence had practically vanished at the knowledge that he was dealing with the Angel of Death of all people. This was someone with the highest starting bounty ever (and he had gotten it in the blue seas!). A person who cleaned up bounties in all corners of the seas with an ease. Kuro would have done everything in his power to avoid him 10 years ago and now they were likely even more experienced with age?


    To know that the Shinigami had likely been a child this entire time and was now an adult? Did he... Could he do anything to this demon?


    Rosan fully capitalized on that doubt.


    The Black Cat Captain was forced to dodge a swing of the massive black and purple scythe and tried to retaliate with a kick, but quickly withdrew it due to the speed that Reaper recalled their weapon, threatening to skewer them in the process.


    He leapt to the left to dodge another swipe and grunted as a hand gripped his suit and threw him into a wall with brutal strength. It shuddered and cracked at the force of the blow and his back was almost certainly purple from all the bruising he was currently receiving.


    Kuro only had a moment to duck as the scythe crumbled the wall behind him with a slash and he groaned at the exertion he was putting on his own injured body.


    If that connected... what condition would he be in?! He wasn''t keen on finding out.


    This was impossible. Not only did he have a giant cut on his belly, Reaper wasn''t even giving him an option to attack right now. It was almost permanently the Shinigami''s turn and it was getting increasingly more difficult to maneuver.


    He was completely on the defensive and it was eerily reminiscent of their first fight, only the tables had turned completely.


    Rosan was relentlessly attacking Kuro, he tried to dodge everything, but it wasn''t working out too well. His body was littered in wounds due to his unending aggression and the man was getting more and more desperate, doing anything to avoid getting hit by that deadly scythe.


    The retired Shinigami blocked a wild and desperate swing of his claws and Kuro used that momentary reprieve to leap far away from him. Reaper allowed it to happen and began idly spinning Ram as the Black Cat pirate began swaying back and forth.


    "Out of the Bag Attack," he snarled, vanishing from sight and marking everything around him randomly, excluding Rosan.


    So this was the technique he was about to do before Luffy stopped him...


    "You waste a lot of movement," Rosan advised idly, spinning his scythe even faster.


    ...How disappointing.


    The scout stopped spinning his weapon, gripped the scythe, twisted his entire body to a seemingly random direction, dashed in said direction and slammed his weapon of choice down with ruthless force at what appeared to be nothing ¡ª


    Kuro let out a howl of agony due to the fact that he had just gotten his leg severed cleanly from his body. The former butler collapsed on the floor and began tumbling from the momentum he had built up, before crashing unceremoniously into the railing of his ship.


    The Angel of Death began floating idly, moving closer to the disable pirate at a measured, slow, pace. It was as if he was taking a leisure walk through the park with how lax he was taking the situation and it let Kuro know that from the very beginning, since he was recognized, his death had been signed.


    "Do you know why I showed you that I was Reaper?" Rosan asked him suddenly, not even remotely bothered by the screeching. "So that even if you did manage to show me something interesting, I''d still kill you."


    "Nobody can know I''m Reaper after all. I''m sure you understand, right? Nobody could know you were Captain Kuro, right?"


    Kuro groaned in anguish, clutching the stump in terror and trying to gather what little bearings he had left. This wasn''t supposed to be like this. It wasn''t possible to account for a monster spontaneously appearing, a wolf in sheep''s clothing, surrounding himself with actual sheeps who were carefree and naive while he was merciless and cruel.


    The Straw Hats were more dangerous then they realized. They had a demon lurking in their midst, doing all the dirty work that they wouldn''t do and ensuring that all threats were thoroughly dealt with while they continued to sail through their journey.


    Rosan hummed and landed directly in front of the bleeding man. "I never understood sparing enemies. What''s stopping you from just attacking Usopp''s island again? It''s not like we''re permanent residents there. If you attacked them again, no one would be able to stop you this time and Kaya-san would almost certainly die. I''m honestly surprised you haven''t thought of doing it yet. So, I''ll deal with you here and now before you can," he whispered.


    "That, and you did damage my shirt. I quite like that shirt and you got blood all over it. Repairing it was easy but cleaning it? That''s a whole different story."


    He was completely insane. Kuro was dealing with an actual sociopath in the flesh. One with no morals and no qualms of doing such evil acts. No matter what Kuro did, this redhead would have made sure he failed.


    He never stood a chance and his death was assured the moment this redhead had landed on their island.


    Lady luck decided to have the two meet and lady luck decided to have him killed.


    Rosan brandished Ram and aimed it towards the mortally wounded butler, propping his chin up with the blade of the scythe before aiming it high.


    "Goodbye, Captain Kuro. It was a pleasure meeting you."


    Kuro stared at him in a moment of true terror and screamed, as Reaper swung down his scythe.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Flashback End


    "¡­" Rosan hummed at the two watching him curiously and shrugged.


    "I was just dealing with something unimportant. It was nothing serious."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Bonus


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Alright, so where should I start?" Rosan asked curiously, eyes gleaming at the looks of anticipation in the trio''s eyes.


    "Everything!" Angel demanded, while Demon and Maro nodded eagerly.


    They had long sent Jango off to his living quarters with advice to change up how he looked and now the rulers of Celadon were surrounding their former leader, getting as close to him as possible and claiming a part of his body as their own to touch.


    "Sure sure," he said, holding out his hand and allowing the ring to transform into Ram''s human form. She beamed in happiness and crashed into her emotional father with gusto, nuzzling his cheek in the process and getting an amused snort out of him.


    "Are my emotions really such a novelty?" Rosan mused, allowing the ring to plop herself in his lap in content.


    Ram looked back and raised a disbelieving brow. "Of course, Father! I''ve never seen you like this before and so, I''m gonna soak it all in," she declared, drinking in his smirking visage with greedy eyes.


    Rosan for his part, peacefully allowed them all to stare at him. He had been missing his emotions for a pretty long time, so even a glimpse would be accepted greedily by them. Everyone liked to stare at him anyways so he was used to all the eyes.


    But damn, Ram seriously looked way too much like Meiko. It was actually getting kinda hard to look at her right now but he wouldn''t say that out loud.


    "I missed this so much and I''m sad that it''s temporary but we''ll make it permanent," Mod said softly. It was still so surreal to see and even if she was over the moon, she had to remind herself that this was only temporary and it was only a glimpse. This was not the full scope of his emotions. They had no idea what the full scope of his emotions would be like so they needed to be prepared.


    "We''ll do it because we love seeing him like this!" Maro beamed and the others nodded rapidly.


    "What? You hate me otherwise?" Rosan asked, expression shifting into one of hurt. "Have you guys really hated me for 12 years...? That... That kinda sucks..."


    Watching those shining eyes shift into one of pure hurt and his voice get low, affected them more than they''d like to admit and they frantically sought to reassure him otherwise.


    "Of course not, Father!" Ram said, eyes wide and guilty. "I-I''ll love you no matter what! Always! Forever! Even if you threw me away, I''d still love you!"


    Maro nodded hastily in agreement. "I say I love you all the time and no emotion you, is the only one I know so I can''t be lying! I just was really happy to see this version of you so I said that without thinking!"


    Angel and Demon said nothing, nervously averting their gaze from the redhead.


    Their gaze snapped up however, at the amused snort that came out of their former leader.


    "Pfft, I was just kidding," Rosan cackled. "You guys were sweating super hard just now, huh?"


    He was just kidding? W-What was wrong with him! He was such a good actor for someone who had their emotions locked for 12 goddamn years!


    Maro''s mouth opened and closed helplessly, before the queen crossed her arms. "You''re a dick," she grumbled.


    "You had me scared for nothing," Angel scowled, glaring at the smirking visage of her older brother. He looked so infuriatingly smug right now that she wanted to wipe it off his face. Preferably with her fist.


    Demon let out a sigh of relief before lightheartedly glaring at his brother as well.


    Ram began complaining and shaking him, fear gone in favor of a indignant pout.


    "My bad, my bad," Rosan apologized insincerely, getting tick marks out of all of them. "Alright, I''ll tell you guys about my journey so far."


    They perked up at that and all sat on Maro and Angel''s bed. Ram wasn''t planning on really listening but she wanted to look at Rosan''s face more which was why she sat directly on him.


    The redhead idly stroked the silver hair of his weapon as he contemplated where to start. Silver was actually a pretty good color... he should consider adding some to his wardrobe. His weapon would surely appreciate that.


    "Right now, we have 3 members in our crew," Rosan began. "There''s Roronoa Zoro, our swordsman, Nami, our navigator and Usopp, our... liar?"


    He shrugged. "Our journey started off pretty fun! Luffy and I immediately ran into a whirlpool and after I made him get into a barrel, I punted it into the sea."


    "YOU DID WHAT?!" Angel roared in disbelief, interrupting him immediately.


    What the hell did he just say?! He did what exactly to the youngest in their family?!


    "Threw him into the whirlpool," Rosan replied, nonplussed by her reaction. "He was asking for it for putting the both of us on that shitty raft. Seriously, what was he thinking?!"


    Maro spluttered at his look of annoyance. There was no way Master was the one offended right now. "But we have Devil Fruits! You can''t just toss him into the ocean like that, much less a whirlpool!"


    The redhead laughed. "Eh, I modified his barrel and he survived so it all worked out. Oh! We landed on an island full of pirates right and we found one named Alvida," he began.


    Ram immediately gagged and even Mod let out a noise of displeasure, making the three raise their brows in confusion.


    "Wait... you mean Iron Mace Alvida?" Maro gaped. "That massive lady in the East Blue?! D-Don''t tell me she ¡ª"


    "Yep," Rosan said, nodding his head with regret. "She tried to make a move on me! C''mon I get that I''m hot and pretty compliant so if you ask me somethin I''ll likely say yes but even I have my limits!"


    "What does she look like?" Angel asked with narrowed eyes, sisterly urges already acting up and a snarl making its way onto her lips.


    The scout of the Straw Hats held out his hand and they let out noises of awe as a hologram began emitting from it (Could he always do this?!). The figure began morphing and eventually, that noise of awe, turned into one of rage from Angel.


    "WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT?!" She roared, looking at the hologram of Alvida in rage. "HER? SHE THOUGHT SHE HAD A CHANCE WITH YOU?! NEVER IN A MILLION FUCKING YEARS WOULD I LET ANYONE OF MY BROTHERS EVEN CONSIDER IT!"


    "I thought the exact same thing!" Mod joined, fury on the woman''s face as she crossed her arms and nodded rapidly. She knew Angel would react just the same way!


    "THANK KAMI FOR MASTER MOD, WHAT IF SHE TOOK ADVANTAGE OF YOU! AGHH CAN''T YOU JUST MODIFY YOURSELF TO BE A TAD BIT UGLIER?!"


    "I ASKED HIM THE SAME THING BUT HE WAS ALL "No Mod-chan, I don''t like to permanently alter my physical appearance." AND I NEARLY DID IT MYSELF!"


    "That was good," Rosan praised, clapping at her perfect imitation of him. She even had the voice crack added from when he was younger.


    "Thank you, Rosan," Mod smiled brightly, before it immediately shifted back into rage. "THE AUDACITY OF SOME PEOPLE! ROSAN IS SO LUCKY HE HAS ME TO WATCH OVER HIM!"


    Angel nodded furiously. "If I ever get my hands on that sack of shit, she''s dead."


    "I knew you were the one who taught Ram to say that!" Rosan cackled.


    "Ram''s my little tall gumdrop and it''s my job to make sure she''s a proper woman," Angel said dismissively, getting a beaming grin out of her nice. "PLEASE TELL ME YOU GOT TO PUNISH THAT DAMN PIRATE!"


    Mod confirmed it with a noise and the two began ranting again.


    Demon and Maro watched with a sweatdrop as the two founders of "Protect Rosan''s Chastity", raged to each other, while Rosan added commentary that they only briefly acknowledged.


    Rosan''s eyes shone with mirth as they talked about her idiocy and he said, "Now now, as much as I love hearing compliments about myself. I should probably continue!"


    Angel and Mod reluctantly stopped ranting to each other so that they could listen to the amused man. They''d get back to it another time and the redhead would need to add some more rules to their already long list of Rosan''s protection.


    "Mod-chan had me knock her out and I punted her across the island so you don''t gotta be so upset," Rosan assured. "Afterwards, we went to go recruit Roronoa Zoro. He''s a bounty hunter who''s nowhere near as cool as Reaper but pretty good. He was making a bet with the corrupt Marines there that they never planned on upholding."


    "Corrupt Marines?" Demon asked with a raised brow.


    "What a surprise," Maro said sarcastically, rolling her eyes at that.


    "Mhm. Their Captain, Morgan was slinging his authority around with a vengeance. You had to practically worship him and he didn''t tolerate any sort of slander," Rosan sighed. "I don''t get how he could act like that. He was so fucking weak it was hilarious. I ended up crushing his spine after Luffy beat his ass and he got arrested soon after."


    They snorted at hearing about how he jumped out of the top of the building to do so and shook their head at his antics.


    Robbing a Marine Base for all they had? That sounded just like him.


    "Then one day, Luffy ended up getting snatched away by a bird while I was cleaning up his mess in the kitchen and it brought us to this island taken over by Buggy the Clown."


    "A clown?" Angel shuddered. She hated clowns with a passion. They looked so dumb and stupid.


    "I always wanted to meet a clown!" Maro beamed. She loved clowns! They were so goofy and funny!


    Rosan snorted. "Buggy was a dumbass. He was insecure about his nose, but dressed up like a clown and he ate a Devil Fruit in the stupidest way too! I thought the way I ate mine was bad but nope, his was way worse!"


    Listening to him explain that the clown had accidentally swallowed it in fear after trying to hide it of all things... The three had to agree.


    "We met our navigator there too..." Rosan gripped his chin and hummed. "She hates pirates, which makes me think she''s gonna jump ship. She''s warming up to us super quick but there''s something holding her back and I don''t know what is it. I''ll be keeping an eye on her just in case but Luffy is already set on having her be our navigator and her skills are some of the best I''ve seen," he admitted.


    "Someone who''s skills you are impressed with? She sounds like a keeper," Demon pointed out, getting a short nod out of the redhead.


    "After our fight with Buggy, we went to the island where I got Jango from," Rosan continued, grinning in a cunning manner. "There was a supposedly dead pirate there posing as a butler named Kuro and I confronted him."


    "Oh?" Maro leaned forward in anticipation.


    "Yeah, he was taken really off guard by the fact that I could tell who he was! I told him that I wouldn''t interfere in his plans as long as he didn''t drag me into them but I tricked him," Rosan cackled, eyes shining in amusement. "Genius my ass. I foiled his plans instantly and sent him into a rage that you could frame!"


    Maro joined his cackling with clear amusement in her eyes. It was always so fun to mess with targets! Watching them reach their limits, never failed to fill her with a sadistic glee that she shamelessly picked up from her Master.


    Rosan explained what the man''s plan was, to use Jango to hypnotize Kaya and give her inheritance over to Kuro, and how they had to stop that from happening.


    "That little dumbass nearly ruined my perfect plan," Rosan complained with an annoyed sigh. "Who the fuck just decides to deliver themselves into the enemy''s'' arms? I never contemplated killing a civilian more than I did her but it worked out."


    "What happened to Kuro?" Maro asked curiously. "Was Jango really the only interesting one in the crew?"


    "Yeah. His abilities had nothing to do with combat strength unlike the others and the others were weak including Kuro himself," Rosan sighed. "I wanted to send more minions to my cute little student but alas, I had to kill them all."


    "You''re scary," Angel said flatly, shuddering a bit at his casualness.


    "You''re planning on sending more people my way?!" Maro gaped, flushing happily at being called cute. "Don''t you think you should discuss this with me a bit?!"


    "Nah, I''d rather not," Rosan replied cheekily, idly tugging one of Ram''s twintails and getting a whine of annoyance out of her. She smacked his hand away and glared at his unapologetic glance, before shuffling away so that the more awesome Demon could attend to her better.


    The purple haired doctor simply smiled and accepted her hug kindly, getting her to purr as he pat her head.


    Maro gained a tick mark at that and immediately crashed into Rosan in annoyance, knocking him over slightly and putting her right over him. "Stupid Master and your stupid tendencies! Don''t be such an ass!"


    She tried hard to throttle the redhead and this close to him, she saw Rosan''s amused gaze turn downright sinister a smirk making its way on his face that no one but her saw.


    The queen let out a tiny "oomph" at the fact that Rosan just nudged her arm out of place and ruined her balance, crashing her body fully into his own and getting a noise of protest out of the redhead when his arms "unintentionally" wrapped around her waist.


    What the hell was he doing¡ª


    "Maro what the hell are you doing?!" Rosan barked, much to her surprise. "I told you when you were drunk that we can''t do this! What would Angel think?! She''s right there you know!" He chided.


    Maro went white and realized just how they looked right now.


    Oh that son of a bitch (that worked because she did hate Raisa!).


    By pushing her out of balance, Rosan and Maro ended up in quite the compromising position and combined with his words, it painted a very, very bad image for her. A very bad image to her possessive wife that almost always listened to what her older brother had to say.


    Angel''s amused gaze shifted into something much more dangerous and Maro sent up a prayer to any actual Angel listening to her.


    "Prayer not accepted," Rosan, the Angel of Death, whispered cheekily.


    "Maro," Angel said calmly. "I can understand your attraction to Master. Everyone''s attracted to Master and he looks just like me. But what exactly do you think you''re doing?" She hissed.


    The queen hastily pushed herself off of an embarrassed Rosan (he was such a fucking dick), turning towards her wife with wide, nervous eyes and said, "It''s not what you think! Master set me up!"


    Shit... did she actually try that when she was drunk? Maro was a super lightweight so she couldn''t tell you but maybe she got Master and Angel confused? They were both super hot and she didn''t discriminate so maybe...?


    Angel pursed her lips. "Come with me, we need to talk about your drunk behavior."


    With that, the middle triplet turned on a heel and marched out of the room.


    Rosan and Ram could no longer hold it in and began laughing in unison.


    "Kahahahaha! You''re just way too easy, Maro!" Rosan cackled. There was no remorse whatsoever in his gaze for setting the queen up so ruthlessly and never in her life did she contemplate murdering her teacher until now.


    "Serves you right for being a shameless pervert! Maybe now you''ll stop ogling me and Auntie''s boobs and ass !" Ram joined, high fiving her Father with a large grin.


    Maro closed her mouth and turned towards the duo with fury in her eyes. "Y-You two... Kami I hate you both so much. Mod-chan please get rid of the hypnosis!"


    "I''ll apologize for the both of them," Mod sighed in sympathy. "Rosan you shouldn''t set Maro up like that!"


    "She made it too easy, jumping on me like that. I had to take the opportunity," Rosan shrugged. "You should go quick before you get kicked out of the room tonight. You were rubbing your huge boobs all on me and Angel is super possessive so she definitely noticed," he advised, smirking insufferably.


    "Don''t call my boobs huge, you asshole! I''m seriously pissed at you, Master!" Maro barked, stomping off to go explain that Rosan was a menace and that Angel was the only one who she had eyes for and praying that she didn''t get to sleep on the couch tonight after such a boring meeting with government officials.


    Demon watched it all with a sweatdrop. Poor Maro, she was probably in trouble for something that Master set up.


    "When you get a girlfriend Demon, I''m gonna embarrass you too. I hope you know that," Rosan warned him, smirking psychotically.


    "First Angel, now you? There''s a reason I choose to stay single," Demon sighed sadly. He couldn''t put his significant other through the trial of visiting his family. She''d lose her mind in the process and it would be his fault.


    His entire family was just too crazy.

 The Best Meal I

    The peaceful lull of the ship, was abruptly broken by loud laughter, courtesy of the Captain of the Straw Hats, Monkey D. Luffy.


    "IT''S FINISHED!" He cheered, presenting his project like it were a prize to his crew. "LUFFY''S PIRATE FLAG!"


    Rosan looked up from the book (it was about elements) he was reading to observe the pirate flag with a tilted head. Luffy had negative skills when it came to art but he wasn''t even slightly surprised that his brother decided to make the flag on his own with no assistance at all.


    "Whaddya think? It''s nice, huh!" Luffy beamed.


    "A pirate flag ought to inspire terror and it is pretty scary," Zoro mused.


    "I fear his talent," Nami added.


    "You''re a little low on design sense," Usopp balked.


    "I like it," Rosan offered, clapping at his brother''s effort. Everyone had to start somewhere. Modification hadn''t made him proficient in art immediately.


    "DON''T ENCOURAGE HIM!" They roared at the redhead.


    Rosan simply held his hands up in surrender.


    "Don''t worry, I got this!" Usopp took it upon himself to fix the horrific flag and when they all looked at the much improved skull and crossbones, adorned with Luffy''s straw hat, they synonymously agreed that it would be the jolly roger of their ship.


    "It''s good," Rosan commented. The long nosed had made a flag of himself just before (which had been soundly rejected) and they found out that him being a good artist was not a lie. Maybe there were things he didn''t have to lie about.


    "I''ve been drawing graffiti on walls for 50 years! This is nothing to me!" Usopp bragged with a proud smile.


    Never mind. Rosan knew he was expecting too much out of him.


    "Now paint it on the sail!" Luffy demanded, pleased with how it looked.


    "Alright alright!" The liar conceded, getting right to it. Luffy sure was demanding...


    The crew watched their newest member work and all nodded in approval. The captain laughed in joy at Usopp''s job well done and slapped the exhausted liar''s back with far too much force.


    Now they felt like actual pirates!


    "Ah, I''m tired!" Usopp groaned, lying flat on the deck. Painting the entire sail had taken a lot out of him so now he just wanted to laze about.


    The crew went back into a slight lull as Luffy rocketed himself over to his seat on Merry''s figurehead.


    "Rosan... Do you actually scout like ever?" Nami questioned the silent redhead. He claimed to be the scout of the ship but besides vanishing (how did he do that? His unknown Devil Fruit? He mentioned that he did it by using Luffy''s straw hat... which made sense) frequently, they never actually saw him do his job.


    "There is hardly a moment where I''m not scouting," Rosan replied in return, not bothering to glance up and flipping a page of his book. "The moment we land on an island I send out a scout and I normally have one slightly ahead of the ship to warn me of anything."


    "Ahead¡­ of the ship?" The navigator muttered in confusion and right on cue, a familiar little blue bird landed on his shoulder and trilled happily, rubbing his cheek against the one who created him.


    The redhead shut the book and stood up, patting the bird with a single finger the entire time. "We''re going to be seeing an island soon," Rosan informed them. "Are you satisfied now, princess?"


    "The bird scouts for you?!" Nami asked in surprise, suppressing her annoyance at his mocking words in favor of the boundless curiosity she felt towards the most mysterious member of the crew.


    Rosan nodded. "It''s not a real bird. It''s my little scout that I use to get information. I sometimes have them in the form of a fly too, in case I need them to be smaller and more unnoticeable. But they are mostly birds because birds are more aesthetically pleasing."


    There was also the fact that the bird took the form of the toy his mother had given him when he was much younger (the same one he used to scout the pirate crew when he was 4!).


    The unaware crewmates awed a bit at that. That was exceedingly useful to have!


    "Do you make them?" Zoro questioned. "You gave one to that kid back at Orange town too."


    "I do," Rosan nodded and Usopp''s eyes sparked in interest.


    "You''re good at crafting?" The sniper spoke up.


    "...Sorta?" The redhead mused. He never actually crafted anything besides Ram. He mostly just modified something else into the object of his desire though that required knowledge of how it was built.


    In theory, he should be pretty good at crafting because understanding how to build something made Modification all the more useful. It just wasn''t a necessary skill when he had his Devil Fruit. With Modification, he could create them significantly faster then if he went through the hassle of finding and using tools.


    This was an opinion Angel vehemently disagreed with him about. She loved using tools to craft whatever it was she was interested in and the satisfaction from completing it was "Something you won''t be able to feel by cheating with Modification, stupid Master!"


    Her loss. She could take forever to craft what she wanted then. He''d be over here finishing before she could even get ready.


    Mod giggled at her son''s childishness. It was something Rosan and Angel argued about constantly and she doubted both the redhead''s would ever see eye to eye about it. Rosan was too much of a computer man, prioritizing efficiently crafting things and only enjoying modifying them to his image and Angel was too hands on with everything, loving the steps needed to finish her job and only using her small amount of Modification to reinforce her projects.


    The two argued about it at least once a week these days. It was hilarious to see how comfortable Angel got with the idea of disagreeing with Rosan.


    "My sister is the one who crafts naturally. She''s much better at it then I am," Rosan eventually said, with a nod. "She''s gotten really good over the years."


    He was proud of her. She had managed to turn her duties into a genuine interest and he was pretty sure she even occasionally went to Fregate to learn from Hiroshi, which was a far cry from what his ferocious little sister would have done before. Her tolerance for other people had improved massively once she realized Celadon''s citizens didn''t hate her whatsoever and he''d say she was even slightly pleasant to be around in their first meeting.


    Nevermind, she was still pretty hostile without realizing it.


    "You mentioned having a sister before! What''s she like?" Nami asked curiously. Was she nicer then Rosan? Did they look alive? A female version of Rosan sounded like quite the gorgeous person (she could begrudgingly admit that Rosan had good looks).


    "You also mentioned having a brother named Demon," Zoro pointed out.


    The redhead hummed. He didn''t see any harm in telling them about the other two triplets.


    "Angel and Demon are clones of me," Rosan explained, causing their eyes to bug at the revelation.


    "We are all technically the same age, so sometimes I refer to them as triplets, but they are actually twins and younger then me. Angel is a rather haughty person that generally dislikes everyone she speaks to which makes her difficult to get along with. Demon is a kind person with a bit of a mischievous streak who''s a very talented doctor. He is much more pleasant to speak to if you''re meeting them for the first time."


    They sweatdropped. It sounded like their names needed to be inverted.


    So the redhead had twin clones that he called his siblings? And they were the same age as him but somehow younger...? Also one was into crafting and the other was a doctor?


    That was quite impressive (and weird)... why weren''t they in the crew?


    "I wonder if we''ll meet them one day¡­" Nami muttered curiously. She was interested in seeing what the redhead''s other siblings were like.


    "I miss Angel and Demon and Maro too!" Luffy exclaimed wistfully.


    "Maro?" Zoro spoke up. Another unfamiliar name¡­


    "She''s a queen and Angel''s wife," Rosan informed them.


    Zoro and Nami''s eyes bugged at that reveal. His sister was married to the queen of an island? Holy!


    Usopp had to give it to Rosan, he was a pretty good liar too! They had more in common then he first thought! Maybe he wasn''t as scary now that he realized they were cut from the same cloth...


    Nah, he definitely still was.


    "A QUEEN?!" Nami screeched. "YOUR SISTER IS MARRIED TO A QUEEN? IS SHE RICH? DOES SHE HAVE MONEY?"


    "That''s the same question, Nami."


    "ANSWER IT!"


    He knew a queen! An actual queen! Was that why he looked so wealthy?! Why weren''t they using her money more?! Why didn''t they have the biggest ship in the East Blue?!


    Before Nami could grill him further, Luffy called their attention by saying, "Are we going the right way? This feels kinda dangerous."


    The stormy gray clouds in the distance contrasting with the clear blue sky on their half, was quite the foreboding sight and Usopp was already preparing to suggest they turn around.


    Nami looked at her map and her eyes lit up. "This has to be the place! The legendary Treasure Island!"


    Turning towards the crew, they all saw the greedy glint in her eye and Rosan sighed.


    "They say whoever steps close to the island, incurs Kami''s wrath," Nami explained with a devious smile and as if agreeing with her, the weather suddenly turned harsh and a storm formed right above the crew.


    Usopp let out a scream of horror at the rapid weather change. There was no way the rumors were true, right?! Was this actually Kami''s wrath?!


    Rosan had long since shut his book so it didn''t get soaked and his little tiny scout found refugee inside of his black shirt, chirping in satisfaction at being safe.


    It did know that the rain didn''t really affect it right? It''s not like his creations ran on electricity... or were real. Maybe he had made it too similar to a bird.


    "That sounds kinda fun!" Luffy exclaimed excitedly, much to Usopp''s growing horror.


    "Y-You don''t mean ¡ª"


    "Yep! We''re going there!" Nami beamed in excitement.


    "To the treasure island!" The captain demanded.


    They steered and maneuvered the ship towards the legendary island and Rosan watched it appear with a tilted head. His spikes paid no mind to the rain and he closed his eyes at the cold droplets dropping against his skin.


    He often let rain batter against his body, far too used to it from when his mindscape was a rainforest. He quite missed the rainforest... he even preferred it over the tropical forest that his mindscape had first taken form as but that might have been because he preferred his personality when he was 9 - 12 over when he was 4 - 8.


    He idly wondered what form his mindscape would take if he ever received all his emotions back. This current part of him would never vanish so maybe frozen rain in a tropical forest?


    That sounded like a natural disaster.


    "Thoughts?"


    "Keep your guard up just in case but it should generally be fine. Make sure you send out a scout though," Mod chimed.


    "If somethings dangerous just use me!" Ram cheered.


    Rosan nodded and his little bird chirped in annoyance, turning its head at having to go out. After some mental words of encouragement, it trilled and flew off but not before receiving one more pat on its head.


    Honestly, did his little helpers find Angel inspiring? Why were some of them so stubborn sometimes?


    The 5 departed from the ship and made their way into the strange forest while observing their surroundings. Rosan was content to walk in the back of the group while Nami led them through with a pep in her step.


    Being in the back showed Rosan just how jumpy their newest member was. The liar was very clearly a coward because the slightest noise made him yelp and he had yet to let go of a nonchalant Zoro.


    "T-This is one creepy island," Usopp muttered fearfully, looking in every direction.


    "Yeah?" Zoro questioned, looking utterly unfazed. He didn''t see what was so creepy about it.


    "I heard that an amazing treasure is lying somewhere on this island," Nami explained to the group following her. Plenty of pirates had come here but they seemed to flee in terror before even making it to the treasure.


    Well not them! They''d get that treasure if it was the last thing Nami did!


    "That explains why you wanted to come here so badly," Rosan commented, much to her annoyance. "It''s fun to see your cowardice fly out the window when it comes to treasure."


    Nami took a deep breath. The redhead did this on purpose and it worked every time but this time, it would be different! She would ignore him and continue along her way until she got her treasure.


    Yes, it would be impossible for Rosan to phase her when she was in such spirits.


    When Luffy expressed his curiosity about why they fled in terror, Nami explained the stories to him. How one man''s face turned into a boar, or how one''s mustache turned into a snake and began strangling him.


    Usopp had turned blue at that information and he dearly looked like he didn''t want to be here anymore. The sniper got even closer to Zoro in hopes that the swordsman would either protect him, or sacrifice himself for the cause.


    "So you''re here for revenge," Rosan said in realization and Nami looked at him in confusion. She had never been on this island before so what was he talking about ¡ª


    "This island must be why you''re an Ogress, those kids were onto something."


    Zoro burst out laughing at the look of shock on Nami''s face that quickly morphed into rage.


    She flung herself at the redhead with intent to kill and he deftly dodged her. "YOU. ARE. THE. WORST!" Nami snarled at her unsuccessful attack, gearing up to do another one on the asshole of a redhead who just loved to terrorize her.


    "You don''t mean that," the redhead commented idly. He was about to comment again but he paused at the feeling of being watched.


    Zoro yawned and went to lay down. "I''m going to sleep," he said and immediately fell unconscious.


    "That must be a skill," Mod commented with a forlorn sigh. She wished Rosan knew it because trying to get the boy to sleep when he was younger, was utterly impossible for her. It was partially the reason why she had used him as a cuddle toy (besides the fact that he was completely nice to cuddle). It completely trapped him and prevented him from blitzing around the room.


    It helped that he very much loved being hugged so he didn''t struggle in her grip, content to rest against her bust with a happy sigh.


    A rustling noise made Rosan and Luffy glance curiously at the sight of some weird rabbit snake hybrid.


    Usopp yelped, which caused Nami to shriek, at the feeling of drool landing on him.


    She glared at him for scaring her and he hastily came up with a lie to avoid her wrath, only to pause at the feeling of being licked.


    "L-Luffy, stop that," Usopp said shakily, looking at the source and realizing that it was in fact not his captain doing that. He froze in disbelief at the sight of a chicken coyote licking his hand.


    At the same time, a panda bat burst from the tree behind Nami with a loud shriek.


    "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The two screeched in unison and they promptly fell on the floor, crawling quickly towards their unfazed captain and scout.


    That was when they noticed all the eyes.


    "W-What''s happening?" Nami stammered.


    "We''re surrounded I think," Rosan replied calmly.


    "Leave!" A voice suddenly called out to them.


    Luffy began to glance around in confusion. "Who''s there?!" The captain yelled.


    "Who is it?" Nami was nervous. Were those rumors actually true?!


    "Leave!" The voice repeated. "I am this island''s protective Kami! Leave this island at once if you value your lives!"


    Rosan listened to the voice try and intimidate them with a blank expression on his features. This supposed "protective Kami" sure was saying a bunch of suspicious things.


    Threatening them? Just forcefully eject them if you were actually one.


    The dozens of eyes revealed themselves and the strangest animals came out, causing everyone to scratch their head at the sight of them.


    Were they all some cross hybrids of two animals? How strange¡­


    "Is this a lion?" Luffy asked, picking up a pig with a lion''s mane.


    "I''m pretty sure that''s a pig," Nami replied with a sweatdrop.


    The pig-lion began pulling at Luffy''s face and their captain hastily dropped it on the floor with a startled yelp.


    Clearly the so called Kami of this island wasn''t very knowledgeable because he wasn''t even aware that Devil Fruits existed, screaming in panic at watching the rubber boy''s face stretch.


    Rosan glanced in a direction after he slipped up and called himself a pirate before vanishing from his spot.


    "Are you really Kami?" A perplexed Nami asked. This person sounded like a phony and this all seemed like an elaborate prank to her.


    "S-Shut up! If you won''t listen, then receive my divine punishment!"


    An array of booby traps were activated and the crew yelped as they were forced to dodge the incoming boulders and sharp logs coming their way.


    The Kami smiled. It was only a matter of time before they all got scared off and ran away from this island¡ª


    "That''s some divine punishment you''re dishing out," Rosan commented behind the mobile bush, making the figure screech in surprise.


    "Kami" whirled around and tried to aim his pistol, but Rosan was faster and the redhead promptly punted the bush into Luffy''s waiting arms.


    "Woah! Is this supposed to be some kind of shrub person?" Luffy asked curiously, looking at their attacker and dangling the diminutive man without a care in the world, heedless of the man''s embarrassment. After some struggling, the man finally asked to be put down and the rubber boy acquiesced.


    It was a man with a notably pear-shaped face, green hair, and a pronounced uni-brow. He seemed to be stuck in a chest and it compressed his body into diminutive levels.


    "I''ve never seen a person stuffed inside of a chest before!" Luffy exclaimed in awe. "Are you a boxed and sheltered son?"


    "Yeah, I''ve been overly pampered since I was a little boy," the man nodded. "OF COURSE I''M NOT!" He roared.


    Gaimon, the man trapped in the chest, explained to them about how he had been trapped in the box for 20 years now due to his desire to get the hidden treasures of this island. While climbing up to go retrieve it, he slipped and fell in a chest and his crew left him behind without realizing it happened.


    "Stupid," Rosan said and the treasured man collapsed at his blunt insult.


    "Rosan, you think you could free him from that chest?" Luffy asked curiously. His brother could probably just modify it away and the problem would be solved!


    "Don''t be ridiculous! My body has atrophied so much that it completely fits with the chest. If you destroy it, I''ll die!" Gaimon said.


    Rosan shrugged at that and just let it be. He didn''t want to use his ability on this random stranger anyways.


    "Who''re you guys anyways? I''ve never met pirates like you!" Gaimon asked with a curious expression. They were surprisingly friendly and not very homicidal like typical pirates...


    Not the redhead though. The redhead scared him.


    "I''m Luffy! I''m gonna become the King of the Pirates!"


    Gaimon''s eyes bugged at that announcement. He wanted to go to the Grand Line?! That place was known as the pirate graveyard! It wasn''t just a place for anyone to go to. They''d die if they went there!


    "You''re saying the same thing everyone else says," Rosan told the shrub man. It was pretty annoying to hear the same thing over and over again. He had gotten the message loud and clear the first time. If they weren''t apart of this crew, they had no right to judge Luffy''s dream.


    "Yeah! I''ll get it, I have good luck," Luffy beamed.


    "Rosan, you think Luffy can do it?" Nami asked curiously.


    "If I didn''t think he could do it, I wouldn''t be apart of his crew," Rosan said bluntly. "He has had the resolve and ambition since he was seven and it has not once wavered, who am I to doubt him?"


    If he truly didn''t think Luffy would have been Pirate King... he would have just made his own crew because following Ace was a recipe for disaster. The middle brother absolutely would terrorize him and he refused to willingly subject himself to that after all he put the freckled boy through.


    Luffy grinned at his brother''s words. Rosan never doubted him! Even when they were younger the redhead simply told him that his dream would be difficult to achieve, not impossible! No one else had believed in him like his oldest brother!


    Nami looked at the two with a fond smile before a thought occurred to her. "What about you, Rosan? What''s your dream?"


    Zoro and Usopp perked up at that. That was right, Rosan had never actually stated what his dream was!


    "I don''t have one," he replied simply, much to their surprise. "I just want to find a reason to live and Luffy promised me that I''d find one on his journey."


    They froze at his simple, but dark, declaration. A reason to live¡­? Did¡­ Did Rosan not want to be alive right now? Did he really have no reason to be alive?


    Was that why his gaze was so lifeless? Was that why his emotions were locked away? Just what happened to him?


    Rosan saw their curiosity and immediately went to shut it down.


    "Don''t ask about what happened to me. I won''t answer," he told them bluntly. "It''s not something I want to talk about so please respect that. Maybe one day but it won''t be anytime soon."


    They nodded hesitantly and dropped the topic, before focusing back on the conversation between Luffy and Gaimon. Whatever happened to turn Rosan into this, was concerning to think about but they would respect his wishes and leave it be until he trusted them to do so.


    "You''re just like me! We even look the same, we''re practically twins!" Gaimon gaped with shining eyes. This straw hat boy was exactly like him! Having a dream that you strove to complete was just like him! It was like looking in a mirror that went 20 years back¡ª


    "You look absolutely nothing like my little brother and I''m not claiming you as my brother so cease that thought process immediately," Rosan interrupted his daydreaming with a blunt and harsh statement, staring a hole into the shrub man with a neutral gaze.


    Gaimon abruptly collapsed at the redhead''s ruthless words.


    W-What a cruel thing to say to him¡­


    "But man, you got stuck here for 20 years!" Luffy exclaimed in surprise.


    "All for some treasure," Rosan hummed, utterly unimpressed. He was glad that treasure had never meant much to him. It was just a means to an end to buy resources to survive.


    Some people based their whole life around such irrelevant things. Intense desire for one thing... that just showed you weren''t capable of getting it normally. Most people cared so much about treasure because of their innate greed along with their inability to naturally get such things.


    Perhaps he''d care more about such things if he didn''t have Modification.


    "So there is a treasure on this island¡­" Nami mused. She wanted it, but it wasn''t her right. Gaimon had been protecting it for 20 years and it clearly meant a lot to him.


    "Don''t worry, Gaimon. We''ll get the treasure for you," the navigator reassured.


    A clapping noise grabbed her attention and she regarded Rosan with a thinly veiled glare. She just knew he was trying to piss her off and it always worked because he knew all the right buttons to push.


    "Character development," was all he said. "I''m really proud of you. I didn''t think someone as greedy as you could ever change."


    One of these days, Nami would get her payback on the redhead.


    Gaimon thanked them profusely and lead them, along with his strange animals, to the area where the treasure resided.


    "You aren''t gonna come up here, Rosan?" Luffy called to his scout atop a huge turtle cow.


    "No thanks, I''ll just walk," the redhead replied, keeping pace with the large animal. He would rather not be that close to all those people. More tolerable of being touched he may be, crowds still weren''t his thing (unless you were his utterly demanding family of course).


    They all made their way to a massive cliff that looked impossible for a normal person to climb and regarded it with curious gazes.


    "I can''t believe the day has come!" Gaimon beamed. It had been 20 long years but he''d finally be able to get the treasure he had waited so long for. "The rest is up to you, Straw hat!"


    "Sure!" Luffy exclaimed before rearing his arm and flinging it atop the tall cliff.


    "Gomu Gomu no Rocket!" he yelled, launching himself to the very top.


    "I''m surprised you guys didn''t grab onto him this time. I thought you enjoyed it so much the other day," Rosan hummed.


    "Shut up," Zoro and Nami deadpanned.


    They waited with bated breaths for Luffy to come down and were confused when nothing happened.


    "I''ll go check," Rosan offered, vanishing from his spot and appearing next to his captain atop the cliff.


    Usopp and Gaimon shrieked at the sight of Rosan disappearing. "W-Where''d he go?!" The liar gaped.


    What was that?! W-Was Rosan a g-g-g-GHOST?! WAS USOPP BEING HAUNTED BY A GHOST?!


    "Probably up there," Zoro pointed. "I don''t know what that technique is, but it can bring him right to Luffy."


    "It''s really useful," Nami muttered, still caught off guard by the display. A technique that let him go right to their captain...


    They waited a couple more minutes for Rosan to affirm what was happening before their brows furrowed in confusion.


    What were they doing up there?


    "Luffy! Rosan! What''s going on up there?!" Nami called for the two who hadn''t said a word.


    "I found em! Six treasure chests!" Luffy''s voice called back and he appeared holding one of them in his hand.


    Gaimon grinned widely at that. Finally, after all these years! "Toss them down here!" he demanded to his saviors. He''d finally get his treasure chests ¡ª


    "No!"


    They blinked owlishly at his abrupt response.


    "Huh?!" Gaimon gasped in shock.


    "We aren''t tossing it down," Rosan told them, walking into vision and glancing down at them.


    Were they serious? Now was not the time to actually act like pirates!


    "Rosan, stop telling Luffy to keep the treasure!" Nami growled at the redhead.


    "Yeah! Those belong to Gaimon! Bring them down!" Usopp called in disbelief.


    Rosan tilted his head and didn''t bother replying.


    "No, it''s alright," Gaimon suddenly said and tears began brimming in his eyes.


    "What?! But that''s your treasure," Nami complained. She was not going to let those two bully him into losing out on the treasure he had guarded for 20 years. That was seriously messed up of them!


    "You two are great people!" The shrub man called out tearfully. "I had a slight feeling that I tried hard to ignore but¡­ They''re all empty aren''t they?!"


    "We''ve been found out, Luffy," Rosan said and his captain nodded.


    "Yeah, they''re all empty," the rubber man replied.


    Not caring at all for the short man''s feelings, Rosan was just going to tell him that they were all empty but Luffy decided otherwise so he just went along with it.


    It made sense that they were all empty. Plenty of people must have come to this island before Gaimon and his crew. They probably discovered the treasure long before he did and nabbed it already.


    What a stupid man, wasting 20 years for some empty boxes. That was why Rosan didn''t care to hunt for treasure. It was a waste of time. There were other ways to get money that didn''t involve taking chances. You just had to be strong enough to earn it.


    Now he was crying about it¡­ Rosan would probably cry too if 20 years of his life went down the drain for nothing.


    That didn''t make it any less pathetic. One shouldn''t cry so freely in front of other people.


    "Don''t cry old man! You should be glad that we came in 20 years. If it had been 30 years, you''d probably be dead!" Luffy laughed at him.


    Rosan stared at his brother. He couldn''t possibly be thinking of¡­


    "You already made a fool out of yourself and all you''ve got left is the One Piece! Come be a pirate again with us!"


    ...He was. First the liar, now the shrub? His brother sure was something. Usopp at least seemed to have value that leaned heavily towards resourcefulness but what exactly would this little pathetic shrub do for them?


    "His recruiting methods are much more lenient then yours considering you don''t ever invite anyone!" Mod teased. If he were captain, Mod doubted Rosan would have invited any of their current crewmates, barring Nami for when he eventually made it to the Grand Line. He would much rather sail solo then gather a crew.


    Maro was the exception but that had only been because Rosan sensed the latent potential lying in the dirty little girl and now look at her! She was Queen of one of the most prosperous islands in the North Blue because Rosan chose to invest in her!


    It was no wonder he vanished so frequently from his crew. He wasn''t a fan of being in groups. It contrasted greatly from the little boy who wanted friends but Rosan wasn''t a little boy anymore.


    "Father can do it all by himself, he doesn''t need anyone but me!" Ram huffed. Deadweight would only slow him down! They didn''t need that in their journey because if that deadweight died, it might halt his progress!


    "I''d like to think he needs me too but I could be wrong," Mod giggled.


    Ram balked at her Auntie''s statement, not believing she even implied that! "O-Of course he needs you!" The silver haired woman stammered. "You two are practically one and the same at this point!"


    To her, Rosan and Mod were synonymous with each other! He wasn''t her father without his Devil Fruit and Mod was meant to be Rosan''s Devil Fruit! That''s how codependent the two were of each other.


    Rosan couldn''t disagree with her notion. He couldn''t imagine a life without Mod-chan¡­ He was sure that it would shatter his mind to no return if he somehow lost her forever, castle or not.


    Mod knew that it wasn''t healthy, but there really wasn''t much either of them could do about it. They had been together for 20 years now on a level many people would consider more then intimate and that was just the nature of a person who had eaten a Devil Fruit. She knew nearly everything about Rosan and, barring her past, Rosan knew everything about her!


    It was just a natural consequence of sharing a body and she wouldn''t dwell on it for long. They really had no reason to try and be more independent from each other. Perhaps when Rosan achieved that one goal of his and actually gave her a way to coexist with him in the real world but even then, she''d not want to be separated from him.


    Despite Luffy''s invitation, Gaimon had actually refused it due to wanting to protect the strange animals on the island.


    "Knowing that there''s no treasure, somehow makes me feel more free then I''ve felt in a long time!" Gaimon explained to the crew as they began their departure.


    "Isn''t the real treasure these animals that you''ve bonded with?" Rosan asked him softly, glancing at his ring for a moment. "Treasure doesn''t only have to be silver and gold. As long as it has value to you, you can call it valuable."


    Luffy nodded eagerly and idly grabbed his straw hat.


    Gaimon looked at the tall redhead with wonder in his eyes. "Y-You''re right! They are my treasure! T-Thank you for helping me realize that, Rosan!"


    Rosan hummed in acknowledgment.


    "So these weird creatures are your true friends," Zoro mused with a small smile.


    It was fitting.


    "He''s the weirdest creature of them all, though!" Luffy pointed out.


    "WHAT DID YOU SAY?!" Gaimon roared, causing them all to devolve into laughter.


    Soon, the pirate crew boarded their ship and waved farewell to the shrub man and his strange friends.


    "See ya! Take care!" Luffy yelled in the distance.


    "Bye!" Nami waved.


    "Goodbye! I know you all can find the One Piece! Once you do that, BUY THE WORLD!" Gaimon screamed with tears in his eyes.


    If anyone could do it, Luffy could.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    A loud thud brought the lounging straw hats, barring a sleeping Zoro and missing Rosan, attention towards the source.


    "What is that?" Nami asked in surprise.


    "I found it in the storeroom!" Luffy said excitedly, presenting the box of cannonballs to the crew. "I figured we could test out our cannon!"


    "In that case, I think I''m the best candidate," Usopp smugly joined in. "When I was just three, I jumped on a cannonball that flew around the whole world!"


    "ROSAN!" Luffy screamed, ignoring Usopp completely. "DO YOU KNOW HOW TO WORK THIS?!" He asked his missing brother.


    "LISTEN WHEN SOMEONE''S SPEAKING!" Usopp screamed at the rubber boy.


    "I haven''t seen Rosan yet today," Nami mused. He was normally the first one awake (sometimes she didn''t even think he slept) but on some days, he would wake up last and show up at a random time.


    Seemed like today would be one of those days.


    "Oh, he must still be sleeping," Luffy sighed sadly at the fact he wasn''t available. Modi and Ram must have wanted to spend more time with him and probably refused to let him go.


    They were so greedy sometimes!


    Mod would certainly have pulled the rubber boy''s cheeks red if she heard him utter those words because he had no right to say them.


    "There should be a reef further south," Nami said, as she inspected her map. "We can practice there."


    "Really?!" Luffy asked in excitement. Having a navigator was the best! "Alright, let''s go!"


    "You can''t shoot a cannon without "Master Cannon Usopp" assisting you¡­ LISTEN TO ME!"


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "They sound like they''re having fun," Rosan muttered. Mod was currently in her never let him go mood (she seemed to get these far more frequently these days) so he had opted to remain in the mindscape until she was satisfied.


    Ram decided to be annoying too and joined in. Now he was trapped between them.


    Mod hummed in satisfaction but was otherwise content to just snuggle him and Ram cackled at the purple haired woman.


    "You know how Auntie is when she''s in her moods!" His weapon grinned. It never failed to amuse her because when Mod was in her mood, she always wanted Rosan which meant he got to stay here longer and that was a fantastic plus for the ring!


    "Despite my resilience and modification, I would still like to eat," Rosan tried and got promptly ignored.


    "You''ll live," Mod sighed comfortably, burying herself deeper. He was so warm and the house was so cold right now. It would be a terrible idea to just let her son leave when he could stay here and let her be comfy!


    Rosan sighed in return and simply hugged her back. She was ridiculous sometimes.


    "You didn''t tell Nami and Usopp about me," Mod suddenly said. She knew the reason why but she loved to hear his thought process anyways. "How do you feel about them?"


    After a moment''s pause, the redhead deigned to answer her.


    "Nami''s skills as a navigator are invaluable. I''ve yet to meet someone as talented as her," Rosan offered with a hum that made Mod''s head bob. "The only problem is, she doesn''t trust us and I won''t put my trust in someone who doesn''t trust me. I barely want to put my trust in people who do."


    He couldn''t blame her. Rosan was not a trustworthy person after all and he didn''t like trusting others either.


    Mod nodded at his explanation. It made perfect sense to her but she dearly hoped that he was wrong.


    "And Usopp?" She asked.


    Rosan took a bit longer to answer this time. "He is¡­ complicated. I think his potential is being stifled by his cowardice and his penchant for lying makes him untrustworthy in a different way. If things get tough, I can''t guarantee that he''ll keep my secret."


    The liar was a good shot. He was a very good shot and it was clear he inherited that from his father but Rosan couldn''t see how a slingshot was a useful weapon in the slightest. He was severely limiting himself by using such a childish weapon but perhaps that was just the liars nature. He wasn''t an actual pirate, he was his fairy tale fantasy of one.


    If Usopp had a gun and rid himself of that cowardice, he''d be a formidable opponent. He was crafty and resourceful and being resourceful was a great way to remain alive.


    Unfortunately, he was a coward and had little aptitude for fighting (as far as he could see). Rosan knew that it was just his nature and so he let it be. He had already trained one student too many; He didn''t feel like trying to train another while completely altering their nature in the process.


    Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    Doing something like that would require him to be¡­ harsh and Luffy wouldn''t appreciate it very much if he did that to one of his friends so he''d let the sniper remain that way. If it ever bit him in the ass, it would be no skin off Rosan''s back, he wasn''t a fan of liars.


    "Neither are quite like Zoro so I can understand your reasoning," Mod nodded. The swordsman had his own set of honor that he followed and she doubted even the threat of death would make him spill Rosan''s secret.


    Still, she hoped all of them came around and gained enough trust in each other. Rosan''s desire to completely stray away from forming bonds wasn''t one she liked very much because she knew deep down, that little boy who still wanted friends was still there.


    He was just afraid of opening up and being hurt again.


    "We just need a chef, a doctor and a shipwright now¡­" Rosan hummed.


    When it came to cooking, that was left to either him or Nami (mostly him since his cooking was better, much to Nami''s annoyance) but they weren''t chefs and Rosan refused to cook regularly for them all. The two only did it out of convenience and because anyone else would burn the ship down.


    "These things take time, especially if you want quality," Mod assured. Rosan would understand this. Quality was much more important to him then quantity when it came to people.


    He would be pick a crew of two over a crew of one hundred if that second person was useful and the hundred were not.


    "It''s not like you need a doctor," Ram shrugged uncaringly. Rosan''s healing factor, due to the philosophers stone, was unheard of and it would have even the most skilled of doctors rubbing their paws in greed to get a sample of his blood.


    He couldn''t get sick naturally, he healed from any injury that wasn''t lethal and his body practically had a mind of itself, taking care of all of itself due to his Devil Fruit. Rosan was a genuine freak of nature and would probably not be classified as human by 90% of the world.


    "I don''t need one, but the others probably will," the redhead told her. "I don''t think I''ll be making anymore philosophers stones and they don''t heal as fast as I do."


    Telling this to Ram didn''t matter, considering she only cared about Rosan''s well being but it was good to make her understand.


    "I guess¡­" The silver haired woman muttered in contemplation. Luffy dying wouldn''t be very good. She quite liked the rubber squirt despite the fact that his tendencies would pose a very real danger to her father buuut those tendencies also happened to be very fun as she found out over the years.


    "Alright, I can see the benefits of needing a doctor now!" She nodded.


    "Good, now will you two let me leave? You had me all night and for a lot of the morning too," Rosan asked calmly.


    "Five more minutes¡­ or hours," Mod sighed, content to actually remain there for five hours. She used her monstrous strength to snuggle her son harder and contemplated falling asleep right then and there, holding him the entire time.


    Rosan sighed, unbothered by her show of strength, while Ram cackled and followed in her Auntie''s footsteps.


    Ridiculous.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Oh, hi Rosan!" Luffy waved.


    "You were sleeping for pretty long¡­ We thought you were dead," Nami teased the approaching redhead.


    "Sorry¡­" Mod mumbled embarrassingly. The woman was out of her mood now and she was mortified by her own actions like she always was when she got physically affectionate.


    "Would you have missed me?" Rosan countered easily. "Don''t worry, I can''t die just yet. I''ve got things I need to do."


    The first thing was to cook a meal. He was hungry.


    The navigator rolled her eyes at that. "I wouldn''t have missed you," Nami grumbled in annoyance. "I don''t think an Angel would miss someone like you."


    "I see you''ve been taking lying lessons from Usopp. Angel would almost certainly miss me. That girl looks up to me way too much."


    "I wasn''t talking about your sister you ¡ª"


    "H-Hey! I don''t give those lessons out for free you know!" Usopp interjected between the verbal warfare.


    "Shut up," they said at the same time, making the sniper wilt immediately.


    "S-Scary¡­" he muttered, backing away from the two monsters.


    "I''d love to continue our pleasant conversation, but I''m hungry," Rosan hummed. The redhead made his way to the kitchen to prepare himself a meal but before he shut the door, a loud crash resounded outside.


    "COME OUT, PIRATES!" A voice roared in tangible fury.


    Rosan shrugged and shut the door to the kitchen. They could deal with it while he made himself something.


    "How many are there?" Zoro asked as Luffy confronted the voice.


    "Just one," Nami said. Her and Usopp were currently staring out the small window on the door and saw that the lone individual was causing quite the ruckus.


    "Let Luffy deal with it then," the swordsman replied laxly.


    The furious man was of average height with short black hair and sunglasses. He wears a blue hooded jacket with a purple undershirt, tan pants, boots, and a watch on his left wrist. There was a tattoo on his left cheek with the kanji for Sea.


    "We''ve taken the heads of many pirates! Are you nameless wannabes trying to kill my partner?!" He growled, gripping his blade and swinging down at Luffy.


    "That voice sounds familiar," Zoro mused.


    Luffy gained an annoyed look in his eye at seeing the damage caused by this stranger. "I don''t know who your partner is, but stop damaging our ship!" He frowned, grabbing the man''s head with his stretched arms and brutally tossing him into the wall.


    The attack instantly defeated the rather weak bounty hunter and he collapsed with a thud and a groan of pain.


    "Johnny, is that you?" A voice called to the defeated man.


    "W-Who''s calling me with such a familiar tone?!" The now dubbed Johnny, barked. He glanced up at the source and a look of familiarity sparked on his face.


    "Big Bro Zoro!" Johnny exclaimed in surprise. What was he doing on a pirate ship?! Was he captured?!


    "? You two know each other?" Luffy asked.


    Zoro nodded in confirmation, before glancing around in confusion.


    "Where''s Yosaku?" The swordsman asked.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Who are these people?" Rosan asked, glancing at the two new appearances while eating rice balls. "I heard crashing noises too, are they the cause?"


    The black haired one had the decency to look ashamed and Nami explained the situation to him.


    Apparently earlier in the day, Luffy and Usopp had been practicing with the cannon on the ship and they had obliterated a rock in the distance. Unfortunately, that rock had been temporarily housing Johnny and Yosaku here and the already sickly Yosaku had gotten even further damaged by the unintentional attack.


    "So you know these two?" Rosan asked Zoro.


    "Yeah, from my bounty hunting days. We traveled together for a bit," Zoro confirmed, grimly looking at the gravely injured Yosaku.


    "Small world," he commented. What were the odds that Zoro would know two people who they had accidentally struck? The East Blue was quite a large sea so running into people repeatedly was a rare occasion.


    Rosan looked at the one named Yosaku in contemplation. He certainly did look pretty terrible with the pale face and the blood...


    He tilted his head though at what they had said about the sickly man. Those symptoms sounded familiar but because he never got sick, he couldn''t pinpoint it.


    Demon would know for sure¡­ He really should have asked his youngest clone for medical tips.


    Eh, it was fine. He doubted he''d ever regret not knowing more about them.


    "I told you to take at least a few lessons. But noo, "the best medicine is making sure your enemies are dead so they can''t hurt you," right?" Mod admonished the cocky redhead. That quote didn''t even address diseases! He was so full of it sometimes!


    "I''ve never gotten a disease in my life. You purge me of anything dangerous and my body is already strong. Therefore the only thing I''d need medicine for are injuries," Rosan countered.


    "You¡­ ugh it''s impossible arguing with you sometimes," Mod sighed, holding her face. "It''s scurvy by the way. It was one of the first things I taught you about when you were four but I guess it makes sense that you didn''t recognize it immediately considering you''ve only read about it."


    Ah, right. Scurvy was pretty common if you were a sailor. Rosan didn''t have to worry about it because his body was constantly in top condition due to Modification and he couldn''t get sick regardless. Lack of vitamin c wasn''t something he''d ever have to worry about and he didn''t care about anyone who could catch it so he had stored the information deep in his head.


    Luffy and Usopp had tears pouring down their eyes at the mistake they made shooting the cannonball at the two. They repeatedly apologized and Rosan just knew Angel would be upset if she saw the rubber boy bowing.


    "Are you all stupid?" Nami asked, crouching down and inspecting the sickly figure.


    "How dare you make light of my partner''s death?!" Johnny growled but Nami ignored him.


    "Luffy! Usopp! We have some limes in the storage. Go get them and turn it into juice," their navigator demanded and the two hastily saluted to do just that.


    "Y-Yes Ma''am!" They said in unison, dashing off to make amends for their mistakes.


    The two forced the lime juice into Yosaku''s mouth as Nami explained scurvy to them.


    "You''re amazing! You''re like a doctor!" Luffy exclaimed in awe.


    "I always thought you were impressive!" Usopp bragged.


    Nami gaped at their stupidity. "THESE ARE BASIC THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW TO SURVIVE AT SEA, MORONS!"


    "She''s right," Rosan nodded in agreement. "Scurvy is quite easy to deal with. Dying because of it is embarrassing."


    "You knew it was scurvy?" Nami asked in surprise. She was glad there was at least one other sensible person here¡­ Even if it was the person who annoyed her the most.


    "It took me a bit to identify it because I''ve never actually seen a person with it, but yes," the redhead replied.


    Nami sweatdropped. "Were you gonna just not tell them anything and let him die?"


    "Yes. Like I said, if you don''t even know about something as basic as scurvy, you deserve whatever happens to you."


    Everyone listening face planted at his ruthless and to the point statement.


    "Harsh¡­" Nami muttered. She was quickly learning from the things said and seen, that Rosan was quite the ruthless individual behind that emotionless persona.


    How him and someone like Luffy managed to successfully become brothers? She would never know.


    Yosaku abruptly got up, seemingly healed and he immediately began dancing at the fact that he had been saved, thanking Nami profusely in the process.


    "THERE''S NO WAY YOU CAN RECOVER THAT QUICKLY!" Nami barked at all the morons.


    Their navigator was proven correct when the bounty hunter duo formally introduced themselves as Johnny and Yosaku and Yosaku promptly fainted again due to the scurvy resurging.


    "Dumbass," Ram scoffed.


    "Language," Mod chided gently.


    "See? You''re telling me I should have bothered saving this idiot?" Rosan chimed in blandly.


    "You might have a point¡­" Nami agreed with a suffering sigh.


    "I always do," the redhead replied.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    It was currently night and Yosaku had been put to rest. A majority of the crew were in the lounge room and Rosan had excused himself, choosing to scout himself this time.


    "It''s a bit too crowded." With people he didn''t trust very much. "I''ll keep watch while you guys chat about the chef we very much need."


    With that, he left his slightly confused, but not at all surprised, crew behind. He was currently standing at the top of the mast of the Going Merry, staring off into the distance.


    "It''s a beautiful night," Rosan muttered. The full moon was out and the stars shone brightly. Maybe he''d go for a flight when his crew fell asleep?


    If only it was raining. Rosan quite enjoyed the sensation of rain.


    Currently, he had a bird listening in on the conversation going on in the lounge room. Apparently they were going to a seafaring restaurant called the Baratie to recruit a cook.


    That wasn''t what caught Rosan''s interest though. No, it was something far more concerning.


    "A certain hawk-eyed man was said to be near the Baratie," Johnny had said to a visibly excited Zoro.


    It didn''t take long at all for Rosan to make the obvious connections. Zoro was a swordsman after all and he was striving to be the best. It was only natural who his target was.


    Did he really want to kill himself battling the world''s strongest swordsman, Hawk-Eye Mihawk though? Rosan was very sure the man could slaughter all the straw hats with minimal effort. Zoro stood no chance one on one but then again, their swordsman probably didn''t understand just how large the gap was.


    It did not make it any less stupid. Throwing your life away in pursuit of your goal, was just as stupid as not attempting to pursue it. Their swordsman was too arrogant in his skills.


    Maybe if he got out that battle alive, he''d be sufficiently humbled.


    Rosan sighed, he really didn''t want to have to reveal himself to such a formidable foe that he was positive he couldn''t kill but he prepared himself for the possibility. It didn''t help that Mihawk was one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea and answered to the Marines¡­


    "Look at you! You''re already thinking about defending your crewmates!" Mod gushed. He had changed so much! Rosan normally didn''t care at all about the wellbeing of others and even though he likely still didn''t... he was still thinking of how to keep them alive!


    "I''m only thinking of fighting because I know Luffy is going to attack Mihawk when he kills Zoro," Rosan sighed. He would absolutely not let his youngest brother die if he could help it and if that meant incurring his fury at having to flee from Mihawk without avenging Zoro, then so be it.


    "Testing me against the strongest swordsman in the world¡­ I''m excited!" Ram grinned psychotically.


    They would probably lose horribly but as long as they didn''t die, it would be a great learning experience!


    "Don''t be so eager. We don''t want to fight him," Rosan tried but his weapon was clearly not listening, gushing about how the strongest sword in the world looked and wondering if she should transform into it as a show of dominance.


    "Who are you talking to up there, Rosan?!" Nami called out curiously. How did he even get all the way up there? He went up there frequently and it was always so fast!


    "My inner demons," Rosan replied immediately.


    Nami opened her mouth, before closing it and shrugging, choosing to leave it at that. She wouldn''t question the strange redhead. It would just end up with her fuming.


    "Calling me a demon? How rude," Mod mock frowned.


    "You are a Devil Fruit," Rosan pointed out.


    "That is true¡­ at least I''m not like Ram, she''s an actual demon," the purple haired woman sighed in relief, much to Ram''s outrage.


    "WHAT?! T-There''s no way I''m that bad! Right, Father?!"


    "¡­"


    "...Father?"


    "We still love you, Ram. Never forget that."


    "No matter what!"


    "I fucking hate you two sometimes."


    "Language."


    "Language."


    "Lemme show you how much I fucking think about watching my fucking language right about fucking now ¡ª OW! Okay, okay! I''m sowwy, Auntie!"


    Rosan let out a quiet snort at their antics. He didn''t mind Ram''s cursing at all. It seemed like with emotions, he was just as bad. Mod was just too proper for her own good and thought that someone as mentally young as Ram, needed to be less vulgar (completely ignoring the fact that she was physically 24).


    Honestly, she just wanted an excuse to be a mom. She stopped telling him to watch his language the moment he hit 18. Granted, he didn''t curse much at all but it was still a sign that she acknowledged him as an adult.


    Ram was clearly not in the same boat and he honestly couldn''t fault Mod for treating her like a kid. She certainly did act like one in all aspects.


    "Never change, you two."


    Ram whined.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    The Baratie was a fairly large ship. It had an oval shape, with the normal masts and had a fish as a front-piece/head. The fish looked pretty goofy (Rosan personally just wasn''t a fan of figureheads on ships) but it fit the restaurant theme well.


    "It''s impressive," Rosan commented idly.


    Everyone was in awe at the sight of the tall ship. Luffy and Usopp were actually drooling and Rosan idly closed the mouth of his rubber captain, lest Mod start complaining.


    A loud horn went off and the redhead turned, only to see that it was a Marine ship approaching the same restaurant as them.


    "No," Mod said immediately.


    "You didn''t even give me a chance to contemplate it," Rosan muttered but acquiesced. Perhaps he''d hunt that particular ship down later where there were no witnesses.


    "No way! The Marine''s way out here?!" Yosaku yelled in shock at the sight of the blue-green ship.


    "Surely they won''t shoot at us, right?" Usopp pondered nervously.


    "That''s their job," Rosan said bluntly. "We''re pirates, remember?"


    "T-That''s true¡­" The sniper stammered. He kind of forgot that little detail...


    Johnny was quietly trying to step away from the inevitable confrontation so as to not get confused for being a pirate but he was a step too slow.


    A man walked into view, catching their attention. He was an average-sized Marine that wore a white pinstripe suit with pink hair that was well-combed and a scar under his right eye. There were bolts attached to his knuckles.


    "I''ve never seen that pirate flag before," he mused for a moment. "I''m Iron Fist Fullbody, Lieutenant at Navy Headquarters! Who''s your captain?! Come out and state your name!" The Marine demanded.


    "Monkey D. Luffy!"


    "I''m Usopp ¡ª OW!"


    Rosan gripped the snipers nose and said, "None of that."


    "O-Okay! I get it!" Usopp''s voice come out nasally and Luffy grinned at his scout.


    "We just made our pirate flag the day before yesterday!" The rubber boy announced bluntly.


    "And I''m the one who drew¡­" Usopp''s sentence tapered off as he looked back at the neutral Rosan and how close he was. The redhead waved at him and the liar let out a tiny squeak, wisely keeping his mouth shut.


    "The day before yesterday?!" Johnny snickered.


    "What amateurs!" Yosaku cackled.


    Fullbody looked over at the two laughing and raised a brow. "I recognize you two, aren''t you the bounty hunters that go after small pirates? Looks like you finally got captured," he mocked.


    "Everyone wants to be a bounty hunter like that coward Reaper these days. Even if they don''t have the talent for it. I thought you stupid bounty hunters would learn your lesson after seeing even him go into hiding but can''t help everyone," Fullbody shrugged.


    "Coward?!" Ram snarled. Her father was anything but a coward! He would literally rip this pink haired bastard to shreds in front of a platoon of Marines!


    Rosan didn''t care. It was all false bravado because no one had heard from Reaper in 10 years. Though, it was true that many people were becoming bounty hunters to try and mimic his success, to little affect.


    If he were still active, he doubted this Marine would be saying that so confidently.


    "DON''T YOU TALK ABOUT REAPER LIKE THAT!" Johnny barked, pulling out his sword.


    "YEAH DON''T BE MAD THAT HE WAS DOING YOUR JOB BETTER THAN YOU! THAT''S PROBABLY WHY YOU GAVE HIM THAT BOUNTY!" Yosaku snarled, following along.


    Johnny and Yosaku clearly didn''t appreciate getting insults hurled at them because they immediately tried to challenge Fullbody to a fight and got completely stomped.


    "So weak," Luffy frowned at the two.


    "You guys should retire," Rosan suggested. Hunting pirates was no joke and these two clearly had no affinity for it.


    At least they defended his persona, that slightly raised their point levels.


    "Egomaniac."


    "You sure do love that word. Perhaps you''re projecting."


    "I am probably the most humble person you know."


    "This is the part where we laugh, Ram."


    "I hate you."


    Ram cackled.


    "He... was... just... strong," the bounty hunters muttered through bloody faces.


    During their beating, bounty posters began flying everywhere on the ship and Rosan eyed them all out of habit. Was there anyone here that Reaper would find worthy to kill? He doubted it. The East Blue was always so disappointing.


    He wouldn''t have bothered hunting anyone here except for one person and that was Shark Tooth¡­


    Oh?


    Nami grabbed the one poster Reaper would have gone out of his way to judge and glanced at it with an unreadable look in her eye, that everyone but Rosan missed.


    Wasn''t this just interesting? What business did Nami have with the Fishman, Arlong? Judging by the way she was minutely shaking, it was probably nothing good.


    Arlong was the captain of an entire crew of Fishman. Rosan would only have considered hunting him because apparently, he was someone with Grand Line strength and his entire crew was formidable which would make the battle interesting.


    Not that any of that would have mattered to the Angel of Death. He''d have struggled against all of them 10 years ago (likely even losing in the process) but if that ever got close to happening, he''d just reveal more of his cards and burn them to cinders with Ragnarok.


    If he fought them now? Well, he''d still be disappointed in the East Blue, that''s for sure.


    He always did want to fight a Fishman that had access to water. Kenzo was weak to lose to a 9 year old but with water he would have convincingly beaten him. Perhaps when his crew was sleeping, he''d go out for a flight and relieve the sea of some extra pirates... It was food for thought.


    "She did say she hated pirates. Perhaps he''s the reason why?" Mod offered and Rosan hummed in contemplation.


    He''d be keeping an eye on her. He didn''t quite think it was that simple because some things never were.


    "C''mon, let''s go to the restaurant," a pretty blonde in a red dress (who had been staring at Rosan for a good bit, much to Mod''s rage) told Fullbody and he nodded in agreement but not before telling his subordinates to attack the crew.


    "They''re an eyesore, sink em."


    They watched the Marine ship take aim at them and the cannon fired with a resounding boom.


    "I''ve got this!" Luffy declared before inhaling. "Gomu Gomu no Balloon!"


    The rubber boy turned into a balloon and caught the cannonball but the momentum made him shift ¡ª


    and he hit the restaurant instead...


    "WHAT?!" Everyone, including the Marines, who had never seen Luffy do this exclaimed.


    Rosan closed his eyes and let out a quiet sigh at the sight of the hole in the roof.


    Perhaps it was best if he went with his brother.


    "Ow," Luffy groaned with teary eyes.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "We brought him in, owner," two chefs said, dragging a resigned Luffy into the room.


    Rosan followed at a sedate pace to make sure his brother didn''t make things worse.


    "I thought he had gained much better control over that technique¡­" Mod sighed. Some things never changed. Surely Luffy had enough control to just redirect it back at the Marines? The boy never did like planning and just went with the flow so she wouldn''t be surprised if the only thought that went into the technique was, "Reflect it!"


    Luffy began apologizing profusely to what appeared to be the head chef and then he took one look at his leg, or lack thereof.


    "AHHHHHHHH, YOUR LEG!" Luffy screeched with even more tears. He hadn''t meant to obliterate the man''s leg like that!


    "IDIOT!" The head chef roared, planting a foot on his face and Rosan decided now was a good time to intervene.


    "I''m sorry for my captain and his actions," Rosan began, catching the head chef''s attention. "I''ll repair the roof as an apology."


    Zeff looked at the dead eyed heterochromatic with a surprised expression on his face. He sure did have no presence to him for someone who looked so unique. It was quite difficult to even tell there was another person in the room!


    "Repair? How?"


    Rosan had already walked up to the hole and was inspecting the damage dealt with a calculating gaze.


    "Modification: Repair," he thought to himself, and Zeff watched with a fascinated gaze, as the roof began molding back into the state it was at before. In no time at all, it was as if the ship had not gotten blasted by a cannonball and he gazed at the redhead with much more interest.


    The only sign that there had been a problem, were the injuries currently on the head chef''s body.


    "A Devil Fruit?" Zeff asked curiously. It was rare to see them around these parts of the seas but he couldn''t even begin to tell you what that one was.


    "What else could it be?" Rosan retorted calmly, willingly not going into detail.


    "Even if Rosan fixed it, I still have to make up for it myself!" Luffy exclaimed, not pleased with his own actions. "I got no money though!"


    The redhead closed his eyes in defeat. He tried for his brother. He really did, but he was way too honest.


    Zeff rubbed his long beard at that declaration and shrugged. If he wanted to make up for it despite the problem being solved, then fine. "That just means you have to work here."


    "Alright! Anything to make it up!"


    "One month, unpaid, as a chore boy." He was going to make it one year but the problem was already solved so he settled for a month.


    "Okay! One month, unpaid, as a chore boy!"


    ¡­


    "Eh? O-One month?!"


    "Looks like our pirate journey is over," Rosan commented, much to his younger brother''s despair.


    "Not going to bail him out?"


    "Not yet. Let him sweat a little for being an idiot then when we get our chef, I''ll convince him to let us go."


    Mod giggled at her son''s response.


    "This has nothing to do with me," Rosan commented, wishing his brother luck and ignoring his pleading gaze.


    The idiot should have just let him deal with it instead of speaking up. There was a reason Rosan handled all of the talking between him, Luffy and Ace. The middle brother was a blunt idiot that had terrible social cues (he got much better thanks to Makino) and Luffy would forever be hopeless when it came to anything not fighting related.


    "Yeah, just your captain is needed. Thanks for repairing my roof," Zeff nodded. He wouldn''t force the one who repaired the roof to do labor.


    "Oh, I see Zoro, Nami and Usopp," Rosan commented. "I''m going to join them if they''re ordering. Bye, Luffy," the redhead waved and he left the room.


    "One week!" He heard Luffy say and Ram burst out laughing.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "So Luffy is here for one month?!" Zoro asked in disbelief. That was way too long!


    Rosan had just finished informing them of what transpired with the head chef and he nodded in confirmation.


    "I repaired the roof but Luffy insisted on opening his mouth so now he has to deal with it for at least until we can find a chef," Rosan hummed. "After that, I''ll bail him out. I can''t have him trapped here for a month after all."


    "He''s so stupid," Nami sighed in exasperation. Luffy was seriously lucky that he had Rosan around.


    "HEY, WAITER," A familiar voice screamed, making everyone in the restaurant glance up. It was the Marine Lieutenant, Fullbody and he didn''t look very happy.


    Rosan watched a blonde in a black suit walk towards the man and neutrally watched the exchange. From his position, he could only see the back of the chef but the conversation was loud enough for everyone to hear.


    "Didn''t I tell you I''m not a waiter?" The chef said calmly. He momentarily ignored the Marine in favor of looking at Fullbody''s date and the blonde immediately began to flirt with her, much to the annoyance of the Marine and the amusement of the girl being subjected to it.


    "They''re causing quite the commotion," Rosan muttered, watching the pink haired man make a fuss about there being a bug in his soup.


    "Sorry, sir, but I don''t know since I don''t know much about insects," the blonde smirked. He was clearly not taking him serious and neither were the other patrons, if the laughter meant anything.


    The sound of a table shattering, reverberated throughout the room and the patrons of the restaurant let out shocked gasps. The few who were not paying attention, were now and there were eyes all on the Marine who very clearly lost his composure.


    "DON''T FUCK WITH ME!" Fullbody snarled. His fists were clenched and it was clear that he had been the one to shatter the table. This had the added effect of spilling all the soup he had ordered on the floor and the amused chef immediately darkened.


    "Waste of good food," Rosan thought idly. This was why he couldn''t stand the Marines. Everything was just one big ego trip for them and they never actually thought about doing their job of keeping the peace.


    No, all of them just joined for themselves.


    The chef bent down and glanced at the soup with an unreadable look in his eyes. "...You could have eaten it if you took that bug out, you know," the blonde eventually said.


    That had taken three days to cook and it was wasted, just like that. By some ungrateful guy that just wanted to cause a scene for nothing because he wasn''t a fan of being made fun of.


    Fullbody placed a foot on the chefs outstretched hand with an annoyed look on his face. "Aren''t you acting a bit to big for your britches? I''m a customer! I''m paying you!"


    "Fullbody-san!" His date tried calming him down. "Stop, let it go!" She begged but he simply shoved her to the side and she fell to the floor with a pained gasp.


    The patrons were dead silent at the altercation, afraid to attract attention to themselves so as to not incite the wrath of the lieutenant.


    Well, all but one group.


    "He''s pretty rude," Rosan commented idly, making no attempt to lower his voice. He was resting a cheek on his fist as he watched the free entertainment. "Pushing his date like that, what a gentleman."


    Zoro snorted at that. "I don''t see what the big idea is. It''s just a bug."


    Usopp shrugged helplessly. "Not even Captain Usopp is afraid of a mere bug. I''ve dealt with the biggest bugs on the planet before!"


    Nami giggled at their comments. "Seems he''s got too much of an ego to handle being embarrassed."


    "That seems to be the norm for the Marines," the redhead muttered. "They just hire anyone to do the job. I''m convinced half of them are mindless idiots and the other half are on a power trip."


    The orange haired navigator and swordsman looked at Rosan with a curious gaze. He seemed to harbor quite the dislike for the Marines. Was there a story behind that?


    Probably. Rosan seemed to have a lot of unknown stories.


    "Can money satisfy your hunger?" The blonde chef suddenly asked Fullbody.


    The Marine looked at him with a confused, but annoyed, expression on his face. "What did you say?" He asked.


    "I''m saying, can money satisfy your hunger?" He repeated, before spinning into a handstand and delivering a devastating series of kicks to Fullbody''s face.


    "Ouch," Rosan commentated. He had a strong set of legs on him.


    "Don''t waste food," the sous chef warned with a hard glare. He was currently holding Fullbody''s bloodied body up with one hand and the unconscious Marine could only twitch from the thrashing he received.


    "At sea, provoking a cook is the same as committing suicide. Remember that."


    Other cooks had shown up the scene by now and watched in horror at what their sous chef had done to the Marine.


    "Sous chef?!" One called in disbelief.


    "Sanji, again?!" Another one groaned.


    The crowd watched the beat down in horror and Fullbody''s date looked shocked to see how effortlessly he had been defeated.


    Rosan paused as he heard something key and he actually began blinking at the sudden information.


    "Sanji?" He said to himself.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Eh, you know him?" Zoro asked. He was sitting closest to Rosan so he had heard the man mutter the blonde''s name under his breath.


    "...Something like that. Though, I doubt he knows who I am," Rosan replied calmly. He hadn''t meant to say his name out loud but he didn''t expect to hear that name again.


    Now that he had a name, it was impossible for him not to make the obvious connections to that prisoner he had saved so long ago when he raided Germa.


    The weak prince who had been disowned by his own father for being deemed a failure. The one who had told the Angel of Death that he wanted to be a cook with such conviction that he had been freed as a result. The one who looked up at him with obvious adoration (that he didn''t deserve) through those excessively teary eyes of his...


    The one who looked like he could defend himself now despite being so weak before.


    Rosan never thought he''d see the blonde again. The world sure was a small place.


    "He''s grown strong," Mod praised with a proud smile. No longer did he look unsure and weak. Sanji had clearly been following his dreams with fervor if he was now the sous chef of such a popular restaurant and perhaps his brother''s treatment had given him the urge to grow strong as well.


    It had been 11 years since they had last met. Rosan had been 13, and Sanji 8 so that meant the boy was now 19.


    He had gone through many changes; The redhead was impressed by his growth. It was night and day from when he was a child.


    A large screaming man was currently reprimanding Sanji about treating their customers correctly, to which Sanji replied, "He insulted the cooks and our food, who gives a damn if he''s a customer."


    Fullbody clearly wasn''t getting the memo that he should keep his mouth shut, because now he was threatening to have the restaurant shut down.


    "How embarrassing," Rosan mused, watching the bloodied man rave. Sanji had gotten fed up and looked as if he were about to finish the man off.


    It was a shame that the other chefs were trying to stop him.


    All current commotion halted, as another commotion began. Namely, the ceiling of the restaurant shattering and dropping two familiar people.


    Rosan sighed. "I shouldn''t have left them alone."


    "LOOK WHAT YOU DID TO THE CEILING, BRAT!" Zeff roared to the straw hat wearing boy.


    "YOU''RE THE ONE WHO BROKE IT!" Luffy roared back.


    "Owner! Please stop Sanji before he kills the Marine!" A chef begged and Zeff finally noticed the altercation taking place.


    "Sanji, what are you doing?! Are you trying to put my restaurant out of business?!" Zeff demanded, walking up to his sous chef with a set frown.


    "Shut it you old geezer!" Sanji retorted, only to grunt as a peg leg connected squarely with his cheek and floored him.


    Fullbody grinned at the sight of the sous chef finally getting what he deserved, only to cry out in pain as he was similarly struck to the floor.


    "And you, get the hell outta here already!" The head chef demanded, glowering at the idiot of a Marine.


    Fullbody trembled in disbelief. W-What was wrong with this place?! WHAT WAS WRONG WITH THESE PEOPLE?!


    "The chefs sure are unique," Nami pointed out with a perplexed expression on her face.


    "Pirates probably come here and they likely aren''t all compliant like us. You can''t own a seafaring restaurant and be like Usopp I would imagine," Rosan countered.


    "That''s true," she conceded. If the chefs were pushovers, they''d likely not be able to even run a business.


    "H-Hey! I''ll have you know that when I was only 5 I owned my own seafaring restaurant and when pirates tried to invade me they learned that Captain Usopp was a force to be¡ª LISTEN TO ME!" Usopp roared at the 3 ignoring him.


    The sound of the door entrance banging open, caught their attention and a visibly nervous Marine burst into the restaurant.


    "C-Captain Fullbody, we''ve got a problem!" The subordinate hastily called. "The Krieg Pirate we captured escaped after beating all 7 of us in battle!"


    The lieutenant gaped at that and patrons of the restaurant who heard of the Krieg Pirates began fearfully muttering to each other.


    "W-WHAT?! B-But he was starving when we captured him 3 days ago and we haven''t fed him yet!" Fullbody said nervously, sweating buckets right now.


    "Krieg pirates?" Zoro muttered in interest. The patrons of the restaurant began panicking at that information, saying things such as how the Krieg Pirates were the most powerful group in the East Blue.


    "Most powerful pirate group in East Blue?" Rosan repeated with a raised brow. He had heard of the Krieg Pirates. They were an armada consisting of about 50 ships and around 5,000 men who were led by a man named Don Krieg, a man with a bounty of 17,000,000 beri.


    It sounded like a fearsome group but Rosan knew that it was just quantity over quality when it came to them. Not even Don Krieg was very notable and he was the type of man that would never recruit someone stronger than him.


    Only sheer numbers made them somewhat formidable but they were truly nothing impressive.


    BANG!


    Everyone froze at the noise of gunshot and the Marine who was reporting to Fullbody collapsed in a spray of blood.


    He did not get back up.


    "EEEEEEK!" The customers shrieked in terror.


    Usopp and Nami gasped at the gruesome sight while Rosan and Zoro stared, stone faced.


    "We have a new customer," Patty said.


    "He better not go on a rampage in my place," Zeff grumbled.


    "Oh, a pirate!" Luffy grinned.


    The wounded pirate was a lanky, average-sized man with short, scruffy hair and slight stubble. His eyes were surrounded by dark rings and he wore an open gray-white jacket lined with twin red sea-serpent designs, a green undershirt, gray trousers, a gray headband with blue stripes, and two round earrings on each ear.


    He walked right past a paralyzed Fullbody and sagged into the chair before simply saying, "Bring me food. Anything''s fine¡­ This is a restaurant, right?"


    Patty stepped up and morphed his face into some type of smile before saying, "Welcome, ya damn crook!"


    The gasp of horror the crowd let out at Patty''s crass attitude, made Ram scoff.


    "Pussies," the weapon snorted.


    "Just who is teaching you this language?!" Mod gaped at the taller woman.


    "Auntie Angel and Maro!" Ram snitched shamelessly. Angel especially, really had a way with her words that solidified just how much she disliked a particular person.


    The horror on her face when Mod confronted her about unintentionally teaching Ram these words, would be absolutely delicious.


    "I''ll have to teach them about what they should say around you," Mod muttered, crossing her arms with a contemplative expression. Ram was easily the most vulgar of them all with Angel being a solid second and the redhead loved teaching Ram things as her "Cool Auntie".


    Well, Mod would need to speak to her about this. She was the one who had to deal with this!


    Ram sent out a quick prayer to Angel.


    "I''m terribly sorry, sir, but do you have the money for that?" Patty asked, rubbing his head apologetically with a large grin on his face.


    The pirate glared at him and aimed his gun at the chef.


    "Do you take lead?" He retorted.


    The smile was instantly wiped off Patty''s face. "So you don''t have money, right?"


    Before the injured pirate could even react, Patty delivered a double axe handle strike that sent him careening towards the floor and began to ruthlessly beat the starving man.


    "That damn Patty broke my chair," Zeff muttered in annoyance.


    The crowd cheered loudly at the sight of the pirate getting beaten down and they roared in victory as he was tossed out of the restaurant.


    Rosan noticed Luffy disappearing and let out a sigh. "I''ll be right back," he informed the crew. "Order whatever, it''s on me."


    Nami''s eyes shone at his words. Only loaded people said that! One day she would find Rosan''s secret stash and persuade (beg) him to give her some!


    "No you won''t, greedy little princess."


    With that, Rosan got up and went to go find his captain.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "He''s still a kind child," Mod smiled fondly at seeing Sanji hand the starving pirate a meal.


    Rosan nodded in agreement. Despite not having any money and threatening the chefs, the blonde prince had seen it fit to still give the pirate a meal.


    If he did something like that¡­


    "Hey, cook! Join our pirate group!"


    ...Yep. He managed to get Luffy''s attention. That was the last thing you wanted to do and now poor Sanji was definitely apart of the crew.


    Sanji looked a bit taken aback by Luffy''s abrupt request but recovered admirably. "I refuse. I have a reason for working at this restaurant," he said.


    Luffy frowned at that. "No! I refuse!"


    Sanji and Gin blinked owlishly. "What?" The chef asked in confusion.


    "I refuse your refusal!" Luffy declared. "You''re a good cook so let''s be pirates together."


    What the fuck?! Who was this guy? Who the hell just refused someones refusal? "Listen to what I have to say, damnit!" Sanji replied in disbelief.


    "I feel bad for anyone that Luffy gains an interest in," Ram snorted. The youngest brother was quite spoiled and none of them did a thing to reel it in!


    Rosan couldn''t help but nod in agreement as his captain and the cook got into an argument.


    Thankfully, the formerly starving pirate (he introduced himself as Gin of the Krieg pirates) interrupted the two arguing. After verifying that Luffy was in fact a pirate, he asked the straw hat wearing boy if he had any goals and Luffy promptly answered his same answer every time.


    "I''m aiming for the One Piece so I''m gonna enter the Grand Line," the rubber boy replied bluntly.


    Gin''s eyes flashed and he began to sweat nervously. "Since you''re looking for a cook, you must not be a big crew," he pointed out grimly.


    Luffy nodded. "Yup, he''s our sixth member!" The captain exclaimed, pointing a finger at Sanji.


    "DON''T COUNT ME!" Sanji roared. Seriously, what was wrong with this moron?!


    "You seem like a nice guy, so I''ll warn you¡­ Don''t go to the Grand Line," Gin told Luffy.


    The Krieg pirate proceeded to tell the rubber boy how it was best to avoid the Pirate Graveyard and take his chances exploring any part of the sea besides that one.


    "You know something about the Grand Line?" Luffy asked curiously, tilting his head at the scarred pirate with a glimmer of excitement.


    Gin clutched his head as the blurry memories began flooding in. "No¡­ I-I don''t know anything. I don''t understand anything about that place¡­ That''s why I fear it."


    "For the unprepared, the Grand Line truly deserves its title of the Pirate Graveyard. One mistake is all it takes for an entire crew to sink," Mod warned gently. It''s why she had been so adamant on not allowing Rosan to go there when he was younger. When it was just him and Robin, that would have been almost certain death no matter how talented the two partners were.


    Rosan hummed. He had very been eager to test his strength there as a child (and with his emotions he was sure that would still have been true) but that desire had vanished. Now, he had other reasons to want to go there.


    Though... maybe the oddity of that sea would help him out. The blue seas had been too dull for him even when he was still a child.


    "What happened to you in the Grand Line?" The redhead spoke up for the first time, catching the attention of the two who hadn''t noticed him.


    "Who¡­?" Sanji asked in confusion at the sight of the redhead staring down at them.


    "That''s Rosan! He''s my scout!" Luffy introduced cheerfully. "Rosan, this is Sanji! He''s our new cook!"


    "Nice to meet you, Sanji," Rosan nodded. "I hope we can get along."


    "I SAID I WASN''T APART OF YOUR CREW!" Sanji barked at the increasingly annoying straw hat.


    "We should try his food first then make a final decision, I agree," Rosan hummed.


    "Yeah!" Luffy agreed.


    "THAT''S NOT WHAT I MEANT!" Sanji was already tired of these two and they had just met. Was this whole crew full of nutjobs?!


    "There are real monsters in the Grand Line," Gin said gravely, grabbing their attention. "He''s your captain, right? Maybe you can convince him to sail in any other sea."


    Rosan tilted his head. "No, I also have business in the Grand Line and no one can convince Luffy to give up on his dream."


    Luffy nodded with a beaming grin and a thumbs up.


    The two were not as weak as the Krieg Pirates were. Gin was a pathetic weakling who was apart of a pathetic crew. That''s all there was to it and it would never be different.


    His rubbery captain was already more then ready for the Grand Line. Rosan had made sure that no one in the East Blue could challenge his strength and he''d blaze through the seas much like Ace did.


    If he didn''t... Well Rosan would just pick back up with training until he did of course.


    "Well, I''m a stranger to you guys so I have no right to stop you," Gin smiled, preparing a boat and getting ready to leave. "I just wanted to warn you."


    He then turned towards Sanji and said, "Sanji-san, thank you so much!" The Krieg pirate bowed deeply. "I owe my life to you. The food you gave me was the most delicious! Do you mind if I come back?" He requested.


    Sanji smiled at the pirate. "Any time!" He replied kindly.


    "There you are, Chore Boy!" A gruff voice called out.


    Zeff, who stood next to Rosan, looked down at the exchange with an unreadable look in his eyes. The head chef glanced at the empty plate and cup and grunted.


    Gin''s face morphed into guilt at the realization that Sanji had fed him for free without consulting anyone else. Now he was going to get in trouble for¡­


    "Get outta here, Gin," Sanji muttered, grabbing the plate and cup. Without any hesitation, he dumped both into the ocean and grinned smugly. "I can''t get in any trouble if there''s no proof that I did something."


    Gin''s eyes widened at his action and he bowed to the floor as the ship set sail. "Thank you, Sanji-san! I''ll never forget your kindness!"


    "Try not to get caught again," Sanji waved and he took a puff out of his cigarette.


    "Sanji! Chore boy! Get back to work already!" Zeff barked. His patience had run thin with the two and he had an annoyed look on his face. What a waste of a plate and cup. He could have fixed the issue in any other way.


    "Hey, redhead. Could you fix the hole on the ceiling?" The owner asked the chore boy''s subordinate. Since he was here, it was best to just ask him instead of having to pay for it.


    "I don''t work for free," Rosan replied calmly. "I only fixed your roof because my captain blew a hole into it. That other hole was your own doing so I have no obligation to fix it for free."


    "How candid," Zeff remarked. He was more similar to his captain then the head chef thought.


    Rosan hummed for a moment, coming to a decision on the spot. "I''ll fix it, but I want Sanji to cook me his best meal in return," the redhead replied.


    "Deal," Zeff nodded immediately, not seeing a problem with that. The best meal from his brat? That would be easy enough and he''d get a repaired roof in return.


    While the head chef saw no problem with that, Sanji froze completely at those words. There was something about those words¡­ Something alarmingly familiar. Something that reminded him of a time that not many people alive should know about and this scout shouldn''t have been one of them.


    Unless...


    He looked at the redhead talking to his straw hat captain with a searching gaze. He was tall, much too tall¡­ That was the first thing and he was very clearly missing his signature black wings and that oppressive aura. The next was that he was not covered head to toe in black¡­ Well, he actually was but you get the point! The outfit was much too expensive and looked fitted for leisure and not combat. Reaper would never wear something like this!


    But didn''t that make sense? Reaper did have a bounty of 500,000,000 after all and they had gone missing for 10 years...


    What was stopping the Shinigami from just having no disguise on? It''s not like anyone knew who was under the hoodie... Hell, no one even knew Reaper''s official gender.


    He started wracking his mind at possibility that this Rosan was Reaper¡­


    The two acted startlingly similar. They both had an emotionless disposition and talked in an empty but polite manner¡­ but that wasn''t nearly enough to make the connection! The redhead also seemed much more playful (as playful as someone who seemed to display zero emotion could be) then the daunting Shinigami.


    Besides, many people admired the Shinigami and opted to act like them. This person could just be one of the thousands who decided to adopt some of Reaper''s qualities in hopes of mimicking his success. Others did it just because they thought the Shinigami was cool!


    The chef nodded at that. He could only chalk it up as a coincidence right now. He was the sous chef after all and was decently well known in the East Blue as a prominent chef. Of course someone would want to try his best meal over the shitty geezer''s own.


    Sanji idly made eye contact with the relaxed scout and the chef idly noted that the dead eyed man was heterochromatic. He had quite the set of orbs and they were probably the most notable part of his appearance. His right eye was a dull royal purple and the left was¡­


    The left was¡­


    The... left... was...


    A dull blood red.


    "Sanji! What are you so spaced out for?! Get back to work!" Zeff demanded.


    The chef''s cigarette fell out of his mouth at the sheer shock he was currently feeling. There was just no way right? After 11 years¡­ Was it really them? No, it had to have been a coincidence. It had to be!


    "Eh? Rosan, do you know him?" Luffy asked in confusion. Sanji had been staring at his brother for a pretty long time now. Was his chef alright?


    Rosan hummed and nodded. "We met once when I was 13. I''m surprised he can recognize me," the redhead replied. He wasn''t too surprised. Ever since his shift, him and Reaper''s personality were practically identical.


    "How old are you now?" Zeff asked curiously, interested in knowing when the redhead had met his foolish son and why his sous chef was reacting the way he did.


    "24."


    Sanji let out a choked noise.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "There is no reason for you to have ordered this much food."


    Rosan stared at the smug Nami with a neutral expression on his face. Was this her definition of revenge? He had been antagonizing her quite a bit since she joined them so perhaps he should have expected this.


    Neither him nor Luffy were at the table currently to order all of the food so this was definitely to try and spite him.


    "You said we can order whatever!" Nami beamed and Usopp shot him an apologetic look.


    The sniper tried to stop her from provoking the scary redhead but the navigator was not willing to listen to reason, spearing forward with a ruthless smile and a cunning gleam in her eyes.


    Since the moment they met, Rosan went out of his way to constantly annoy her and he always got the upper hand on her too. On her! Of course she''d take this opportunity to finally get revenge on him! He was practically begging for it by placing such a tempting offer on the table.


    Zoro was drinking away merrily, ignoring everything else but his current task. Clearly he had been the one to order the sake because no one else was touching it.


    Their table was fully packed with a wide assortment of food ranging from seafood, rice, meat, soup, sake and pasta.


    Rosan sat down and took a bite out of the pasta. He chewed it for a bit and nodded in satisfaction. It was good. The Baratie''s reputation was well earned so he''d enjoy everything here.


    Nami blinked in confusion at his lack of a reaction and just chalked it up to his emotionless disposition.


    There was surely no way he''d be willing to just pay for all of this! Why was he just eating without a care in the world?


    Rosan noticed her confusion and made a point to wave at her mockingly. "I did tell you to order whatever, didn''t I? If I say that, naturally it means I have the means to pay. And I do happen to eat a lot so you did me a favor."


    The redhead had been getting income that increased constantly from Fregate since he was nine years old and Aiko''s island was one of the wealthiest in the North Blue. Even now, he went to collect payments from his long time partner and the amount only increased as their island became more prestigious.


    Money would never be an issue for him. It was a good thing he had said a percentage instead of a set price. Not only did he get more and more every time their total earnings increased, he forced Aiko to constantly do the math of the island''s entire funds and that was something she especially despised doing (he forbade Akemi from doing it) if the way she glowered at him whenever he brought it up meant anything.


    Some things would never change and that was the enjoyment of pissing off his surrogate older sister.


    He should visit them soon. It was about that time to annoy his long time partner.


    When the bill came up to nearly 120,000 beri (about 1,200 USD), Rosan accepted it easily enough and took out the required amount out of his pocket without hesitation, paying for them all and even asking for more so that he didn''t have to cook tonight.


    Nami watched him effortlessly pay for the entire meal with a dropped jaw and the redhead glanced at her, making a point to raise a brow.


    "You''ll catch flies," he advised gently. Did she forget how he just casually gave her five million beri all that time ago? Silly little orange girl. You needed to plan a bit more to get revenge on someone like him.


    Usopp moved a bit away at the glower on Nami''s face. He was not going to get in between what was quickly becoming a daily routine between the navigator and the scout because they were both terrifying.


    "Has anyone ever told you how annoying you are?" The orange haired woman growled.


    "I''ve been getting told that since I was four," the redhead answered.


    "And you never thought of changing your ways?" She suggested.


    "I am infamously stubborn according to some of those same people," he replied dryly.


    Nami was about to continue but they were interrupted by Luffy''s scream of outrage.


    "YOU GUYS ARE EATING WITHOUT ME?!"


    "Oh! If it isn''t the chore boy!" Zoro called with a teasing grin on his face.


    "I heard you have to work here for a month!" Usopp laughed at his plight, much to Luffy''s chagrin.


    "Should we repaint the flag to something else?" The green haired man laughed.


    "Wait¡­ Doesn''t that mean Rosan would be the captain now?" Nami asked with barely restrained disgust. He was the first to join Luffy''s crew after all. Having to take orders from the redhead seemed like a trip to an early grave for her.


    "No/Nope!" Rosan and Luffy said at the same time. "Rosan doesn''t wanna be a captain! He wouldn''t be in the crew if he did!"


    The scout nodded in agreement and watched as Luffy tried to sneak a booger in Zoro''s drink.


    Usopp and Nami began snickering as they also caught sight of it and Zoro grabbed his cup to take a drink ¡ª


    And forced the beverage down Luffy''s mouth.


    "YOU REALLY THOUGHT I DIDN''T NOTICE?!" Zoro roared and Luffy collapsed on the floor, clawing his tongue in the process.


    Sanji glanced up from what he was doing to glance at the table the chore boy was at. He saw a head of red hair and was starkly reminded of his current predicament.


    Right¡­ he owed the man one of his best prepped meals in exchange for him fixing the hole on the ceiling.


    Sanji wouldn''t normally mind but there was one big glaring detail.


    That redhead could potentially be Reaper. Sanji wasn''t completely sold on that fact (it was basically all his denial) because some things just didn''t add up.


    For one, Reaper, when they were active, traveled with only one other person and that was Grim¡­ he couldn''t imagine the Angel of Death traveling with such a loud group because that went against everything he knew about his old hero and he knew a lot more then others!


    But maybe it was a cover up? In that case¡­ did that mean one of these people were Grim? He found that a little hard to believe honestly but maybe...


    Sanji looked over at the group more deeply and froze as he gazed at Nami. In a blur, he was at the pirate groups table with a rose in hand and presenting it to the laughing navigator.


    "Oh, dear ocean! I thank you for today''s encounter!" Sanji swooned much to Nami''s surprise.


    "How odd, he never struck me as a pervert," Mod mused, watching the blonde chef shamelessly flirt with Nami. He was really laying it on thick with exaggerated movements and heart eyes as well.


    "It''s not like we''ve seen him interact with a woman before and he was a prisoner¡­ Maybe if he had seen you, he''d be just like this," Rosan countered.


    "How embarrassing," Ram snorted at the pathetic sight.


    "I''d love to journey with you but alas, the obstacles between us are too great!" Sanji gripped his chest at the reminder and forlornly looked away from the puzzled Nami, starkly doing his best to completely ignore Rosan''s presence in the process.


    "Are those obstacles you''re talking about me?" Zeff called, making the chef scowl in annoyance.


    "Tch, damn geezer," Sanji muttered.


    The head chef of the Baratie began stroking his ridiculously long mustache.


    "This is a good opportunity. Why don''t you go become a pirate with them? I don''t need you here anymore," the head chef declared.


    "What?!" The swirly-browed chef gasped at the audacity of Zeff. "I''m the sous chef here, you damn geezer!"


    "And?" Zeff raised a brow at the brat. "You get into trouble too often with the customers, you flair your nostrils the second you see a girl, you can''t even cook a decent meal! You''re dead weight at this restaurant so you might as well go."


    Ram whistled at the verbal lashing Sanji was receiving. She liked this old man, he knew how to hit you where it hurt.


    The chef in question, glared at Zeff and said, "I can ignore everything else you just said, but don''t go mouthing off about how bad my cooking is."


    He gripped the owner by his collar and looked him dead in his eye. "I''m going to stay here as a cook so stop trying to kick me out, you shitty old geezer."


    Zeff did not appreciate being grabbed like that because he hoisted Sanji up and slammed him over the pirate''s table, knocking it over in the process and gathering the attention of everyone there.


    The sous chef slowly clambered back up and glared at the old man who attacked him. He then claimed that he wouldn''t leave until the head chef died and Zeff left with some parting words stating that he still had 100 more years left in him.


    Sanji took a drag out of his cigarette and calmly picked the table up, before placing a Fruit Macedonia in front of Nami, back to his flirting like nothing happened.


    Usopp didn''t take kindly to the chef only apologizing to the orange haired woman and when it looked like it was coming to blows, Nami managed to easily placate the blonde man.


    "You sure do know how to abuse your good looks, Nami," Rosan commented idly, watching her shamelessly manipulate Sanji.


    Nami''s eyes narrowed before they lit up. "So you do think I look good!" She pointed out triumphantly. She still remembered their encounter on Orange Island and how effortlessly he had dismissed her advances. It still stung her pride but she began feeling a lot better after watching just how much people''s advances he denied (he got a lot).


    The redhead tilted his head at her statement. "I would be a fool not to acknowledge how attractive you are. It''s unfortunate that you''re not my type," Rosan replied, causing her to raise a brow at that.


    "You have a type?" Nami asked and they all looked at the redhead for his answer, curious to know just what his type was.


    "No."


    The navigator flew over the table to try and strangle him, failing like every other time and making her more unhinged as a result.


    Luffy was happily munching away at some of the leftovers on the table.


    Zoro barked out his laughter, downing even more sake in the process as he watched the altercation.


    Usopp tried to break it up but a stray kick from Nami, sent him flying into dreamland.


    Sanji watched their interaction and seemingly convinced himself of something.


    There was no way this was Reaper. The only one who could have possibly been Grim, had shamelessly attacked him and they didn''t seem very familiar at all like him and that Luffy idiot (there was absolutely no chance the straw hat boy was Grim).


    Besides, Rosan was too playful (in comparison to the Angel of Death) and seemed to thrive on annoying people. He was much different then Reaper''s professional, business like demeanor. The Shinigami didn''t deign to do stuff like this.


    It was underneath them.


    Yes, there was no way this colorful redhead was Reaper.


    "Is he still in denial?" Mod asked in amusement.


    "I''m in no rush to change his mind," Rosan hummed, repelling Nami''s efforts completely. It''s not like he had explicitly said he was Reaper, he wouldn''t directly tell anyone about his identity like he had done with his family.


    Not even Luffy fully knew he was Reaper because he was terrible at keeping secrets.


    "Are you still trying to hit me?" The redhead asked curiously, wondering if patting her would make her froth. "Stop, can''t you see that you''re causing a scene? Look, the people are watching us more then normal and it''s not only because of me this time."


    That only made the navigator more feral, if the intense struggling meant anything. "It''s almost like someone was just thrown through a table!" Nami hissed, desperately trying to wrap her hands around the redhead''s neck and failing due to him using his height to repel her.


    "I don''t understand why you''re so upset," Rosan sighed with a shake of his head. "You''re pretty, you''re getting free food and you have Sanji here eating out of the palm of your hand. To still be so angry... I worry for you, Nami. I hope you know that."


    "You are going to make this girl go gray early," Mod giggled. Rosan and Nami had a really amusing dynamic to her and she found it very entertaining. The fact that it was never serious made it all the better for you.


    "Haha, Father can be very annoying!" Ram teased.


    "I''ll see the both of you tonight," Rosan hummed and they immediately began spluttering. Whenever Rosan said that, it never turned out well for them and they had learned that it was best to appease him before he actually did enter the mindscape, lest they get tickled unconscious.


    "W-What?! Don''t you think this is a bit uncalled for? I didn''t do a thing!"


    "I-It was Auntie Mod''s fault! You should have seen the way she was looking at me! She was practically telling me with her eyes to say it!"


    "You little lying demon! I did no such thing!"


    Rosan smiled a small smile as they devolved into argument with each other.


    It was almost too easy sometimes.

 The Best Meal II

    "Rosan!" Akemi beamed in joy, flying into his strong arms with a happy sigh.


    She had missed the redhead dearly and was glad that he was visiting!


    "We saw him two weeks ago," Aiko rolled her eyes but she was happy to see him too. "How''s the pirate life, Rosan? Why don''t you have a crazy high bounty yet?"


    The younger sister nodded vigorously in agreement. He needed to have one upped Reaper by now! 1 billion was a great starting point!


    "I''m trying to avoid attracting attention right now, you two. I already have one absurd bounty, I don''t need a second one at the moment," the redhead replied calmly, pulling the other sister into a hug and squeezing the two gently.


    Akemi melted into it and Aiko tried to protest, despite relishing in the hug, so she could keep up appearances.


    She wasn''t fooling anyone.


    "Here, your money," Aiko grumbled, accepting his reasoning and handing him his stipend. "How''s that little squirt Luffy anyways? I would have expected him to have a bounty by now. That kid has no ounce of subtlety."


    "We haven''t really had much altercations with the Marines and Luffy isn''t one to cause harm to innocents so we don''t have a real reason to gain bounties," he explained calmly, accepting the money and having it vanish into his pocket dimension with a simple wave of his hand.


    His little brother was still slaving away at the Baratie while his crew patiently waited for him to get out of the situation. If he took too long, Rosan would just have a talk with Zeff.


    It''s not like the head chef had a real reason to keep Luffy there, the Mod Mod no mi user had immediately repaired the roof of the restaurant. They both knew that but Rosan only allowed it to continue because the rubber boy had been asking for it and they had still been unable to sway Sanji to join the crew.


    Once he succeeded, then Rosan would allow his dumb captain to be free. There was no way he would allow Luffy to stay there for a month.


    "I have some free time since Luffy is occupied, is there anything you guys want to do?" Rosan asked the sisters and Akemi beamed in excitement.


    "Have you and Angel updated your wardrobe recently?!" The younger sister asked, causing him to shake his head no. "Great, we can all go shopping and grab a meal! It''s on me!"


    "Alright. I''ve been meaning to add a bit of silver to my collection," he nodded. There was no point in offering to pay, it literally never worked.


    "Silver? I know just the place! I''ll try not to get you too much this time," she grinned.


    Rosan nearly snorted. That was absolutely a lie. Angel and Akemi bought him far too much clothes to last a lifetime. He was sure if he put his entire wardrobe on the Going Merry, she wouldn''t even make it out of the East Blue before sinking. It was incredibly handy to have a Pocket Dimension to store all that stuff.


    "I still have stuff to do but I guess I''ll go," Aiko complained. She wasn''t even remotely as psychotic as Angel and Akemi when it came to clothing the others but she would never turn down a chance to see the redhead shirtless.


    What? She deserved to spoil herself a little!


    "Do you honestly still think you''re fooling anyone?" Rosan asked with a tilted head, pinching her cheek and getting a growl of aggravation out of her. "Honestly, this tough act of yours has not worked for about 13 years. You''re like a little gumball on the inside."


    Akemi giggled at the look of outrage on Aiko''s face and the older sister launched herself at the redhead.


    "I''ll show you gumball you little annoying fucking ¡ª," The leader of Fregate snarled and Rosan deftly caught the shorter woman, patting her on the head and carrying her bridal style, knowing that it would piss her off all the more being held like this.


    "You would like one of my crewmates, she thinks I''m just as annoying," Rosan chimed, effortlessly holding the struggling, suit wearing, woman and walking out of the room with her, Akemi in tow.


    The younger sister giggled the entire time at their antics. This was like clockwork between the two and it was great to see Aiko let her guard down when the redhead was here. She was normally calm and strict when on the job and cooled down significantly when it was just the two of them but Rosan made sure it was impossible for her to remain coolheaded.


    "I hate you," Aiko growled. He sure did love to lord around that height of his. She tried punching him on the chest but the first one ended up with her fist hurting and she immediately gave up.


    Strong, annoying, muscular brat.


    "I haven''t heard you say you hate me in a while, I kinda missed it," Rosan hummed, patting her mockingly on the head. "It''s refreshing to know that some things don''t change, like your temper."


    Aiko snarled.


    Akemi laughed loudly.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "You''re lucky that you can just go in and out whenever you want while we''re stuck here waiting for Luffy," Usopp complained to the redhead that suddenly appeared on the ship.


    They had no clue how he did it (and Usopp had screamed the first time) but Rosan had a tendency to vanish for who knows what and just suddenly show up again near Luffy. He didn''t deign to explain what it was but apparently Zoro knew about it.


    "It''s difficult for me to stay in one place for long due to the fact that I''ve been traveling since I was four," Rosan informed him. "Being on the sea brings that feeling of restlessness back so I move around a lot."


    It was hard for him to stay still. As a child, it made him a nightmare for Rouge and then Mod... and then Robin... and then Meiko...


    You get the point. He was a free spirit.


    The sniper nodded at his lying crewmate (he needed to work on them a bit, maybe Usopp would give him pointers in the future) and said, "I know what you mean, I''ve been sailing the seas since I was two and settling down was really difficult for me but I managed!"


    Rosan stared at him for a long moment. "Are you mocking me?" He asked lowly, tilting his head to the side.


    Did their sniper think him sailing the sea at just four was something worth making fun of? There was hardly a good situation where a near toddler should be on the ocean alone.


    Usopp froze at the question and immediately hid behind Zoro at those piercing eyes boring into him. "O-Of course not! The great captain Usopp doesn''t mock anyone!"


    "Hm." Rosan eyed him for a moment longer before gazing away from the sniper. Whatever, some lying coward who knew nothing about him, wasn''t worth his attention. Let him continue to lie to himself in peace.


    Zoro snorted at their interaction. Did Usopp really think everything that came out of their scouts mouth was a lie? Well, he''d find out eventually that the redhead was an honest person and it was clear he also wasn''t a fan of liars.


    "Rosan, can''t you do something to get Luffy out of this?" The swordsman asked.


    "I already did," Rosan interjected. "It''s his fault that he''s working here currently and like I said, I''ll bail him out after a week. It''s been two days so we have five more to go."


    "I don''t see what the big idea is," Nami grinned happily, unfazed by their stay here. "We get free food and drinks and it tastes amazing!"


    "That''s only you," Usopp replied in annoyance. At least Rosan didn''t let them die of starvation... mostly. The redhead was so rude sometimes honestly.


    Sanji was firmly in Nami''s palm. It was rather amusing because he was doing everything in his power to avoid Rosan in the process despite convincing himself that there was no way he was Reaper.


    He had yet to give the redhead his promised meal and Rosan had waved Zeff off when the head chef asked if he wanted intervention.


    "I can''t have the best meal if it''s not readily cooked, I don''t mind waiting," he replied calmly, causing the old man to nod in respect.


    Luffy had still been unsuccessful in recruiting the blonde chef, which was also apart of the reason he hadn''t freed his younger brother. They would have stayed here until the rubber boy managed to convince him regardless.


    Speaking of which, his captain was currently walking a huge trash bag when he caught sight of his crew lazing about on the Going Merry.


    "Luffyyyy," Usopp whined in exasperation. "Let''s hurry up and get outta here!"


    "I''ll try talking to the owner again today," the rubber boy frowned. Zeff was completely unwilling to change his mind no matter what Luffy asked of him. He was steadfast in his decision to keep the pirate here and when he asked Rosan, the redhead told him to deal with his own stupidity for once.


    "No, I won''t help you again," Rosan replied out of nowhere, shutting Luffy down before he could even open his mouth.


    Bah, Rosan was so mean. He was about to replace Ace as the meanest brother!


    Conversation between the crew halted, as a massive shadow loomed over them and Rosan angled his head up slightly to see what the cause was.


    It was a very large galleon ship with a saber tooth tiger as a figure head. It was nearly triple the size of the Baratie (which was not small at all) and positively eclipsed the Going Merry. It had a standard jolly roger with two hour glasses on either side.


    "Oh?" Rosan hummed.


    Screaming and panicking began to ensue inside of the restaurant as the ship''s jolly roger was instantly recognized.


    The Krieg Pirates. This was no coincidence.


    "I find it a bit odd, don''t you think?" Mod questioned. "It''s a miracle that their ship is even able to move."


    Mod''s observation was spot on. The ship was a complete wreck and it looked more akin to a ghost ship. How it was able to still sail, was a complete mystery to the redhead.


    "Looks like they had quite the fun trip," Rosan commented idly. Whatever natural disaster they had run into, sure did it''s job in utterly wrecking them.


    The man of the hour, Krieg himself, descended from the ship and everyone watched with bated breaths, as he slowly made his way to the entrance of the Baratie.


    He was a large, muscular man, with purple-gray hair and distinct sideburns. There was a thick layer of gauze wrapped around his head and he wore a fur-lined coat over a yellow vest with black spots-like motifs.


    Gin was carrying him currently and the two entered the restaurant with haste.


    Rosan sent his bird to follow after the duo and his crewmates regarded him with curiosity.


    "Don''t you all want to listen in?" He asked, extending his palm upwards as it began to glow. "Modification: Stream," Rosan thought and his little birds perspective was suddenly being shown to the straw hats and bounty hunters.


    Everyone on the ship gasped at the sight of sudden footage and they clambered around to get a better sight, until Rosan made it larger for them.


    "You''re all too close to me, I''m not a fan of that."


    He didn''t trust them (barring Zoro) enough to be comfortable with their proximity. His family had made him far more tolerable but he was just that. Tolerable. He wouldn''t go out of his way to be crowded.


    They backed a bit away from him and he nodded his head in thanks for the lack of questions, ignoring the curious gazes and focusing on the stream.


    The group watched with varying degrees of confusion, as Don Krieg began begging the restaurant for food, even choosing to prostrate himself in the process. It was a far cry from what they had heard about him and his personality.


    It was clear that he was in the same boat as Gin had been in before. The captain had not eaten in many days and out of desperation, they had come to the Baratie to fulfill their hunger.


    Unfortunately, their reputation was well known and it was said that the Krieg Pirates were a cruel bunch who relied on trickery and deceit.


    Gin tried to beg them when Krieg collapsed, but they were not spared a single sympathetic glance.


    "Would you have fed them?" Mod asked curiously. She always liked to ask what her charge would do in these situations just to make him think! It was fun imagining what he''d do in certain scenarios and she liked to make poke his brain.


    "If I had something to gain out of it," Rosan began, watching the chefs refuse to give Krieg food. "I am not one to trust rumors, but those about pirates hold at least some merit. If Don Krieg had something valuable, I''d feed him in exchange for it but otherwise I''d turn in his bounty. That''s probably the most valuable thing about him," he finished.


    His armada was weak, he was weak and he doubted the man had something Rosan would want. His 17 million bounty was very likely the best thing about him so the redhead would have just killed him and turned in the body.


    "And if he promised to repay you after you fed him and lied about it?" Mod prodded.


    "He''d find out what it means to lie to me of course."


    She nodded, satisfied at his response. It was what she expected him to say and the purple haired Devil Fruit had no problem with his response. She had almost certainly become much more compassionate over the years but she was still Rosan''s mother and they shared many traits. That compassion only extended to people she cared about much like her son and Mod wouldn''t bat an eye if a person she cared little for were to die.


    She may have acted more human then Rosan these days, but that would never change what she truly was.


    They continued to watch the scene unfold in a comfortable silence, interested in seeing what they would do with Krieg. It didn''t look like the chefs were planning on feeding the Don and for good reason too. The pirate was a terror in the East Blue and a chance like this, where he was completely vulnerable to capture, didn''t appear often.


    "This is the best chance they''ve got to turn in his bounty," Johnny nodded, agreeing with the sentiment of all in the restaurant.


    "He''s kinda stupid for just showing up in such a weakened condition," Usopp muttered, no longer afraid of the giant galleon after fully taking in its appearance.


    The crowd had begun to regain their bravado at the sorry sight of Krieg and they began jeering at the duo, threatening to throw anything near them at the two.


    "Once we feed him, he''ll pillage us immediately!" A chef growled with his arms crossed. "We shouldn''t even give him a drop of water!"


    "I won''t do anything¡­" Krieg interrupted, causing them all to pause. He prostrated himself lowly to the ground and weakly said, "Once I eat, I promise I''ll leave quietly. So... please... help me."


    Gin looked petrified at the sight of his esteemed captain begging and urged him to stop but Krieg remained rooted to his spot.


    The group on the Going Merry watched in surprise, as Sanji kicked Patty unconscious, holding a plate of food and a drink in his hand. The blonde chef placed both in front of Don Krieg and urged Gin to have him eat it.


    "That wasn''t very smart of him," Rosan said softly, much to the confusion of the crew.


    "Why? Because he''s a pirate?" Nami asked and the redhead shook his head.


    "No, because he lied about leaving quietly."


    They froze at his blunt declaration.


    "W-What do you mean?" Usopp asked in slight fear. If what Rosan was saying was true, then they were all going to be in danger soon!


    "I''m good at detecting when a person is lying," the redhead told them. "When Krieg said he was going to leave quietly, that was a lie. I could tell from his tone, but he''s probably going to attack the moment he regains his energy."


    They, barring Zoro, somewhat doubted his claims (why did everyone doubt his words? Was he that good at being incognito?) but almost like being spoiled to a movie, they watched Krieg devour his meal, slam his bottle on the deck and clothesline the unsuspecting Sanji across the room.


    "Still doubting me?" Rosan hummed to the petrified crew.


    They glanced at the redhead who correctly predicted it and wondered how he was so easily able to tell, shakily denying his question in the process.


    They didn''t miss how unbothered he was at the fact that Krieg seemed to be at full strength but the screaming of the fleeing patrons, grabbed their attention.


    Rosan''s bird chirped at the mass of people and flew out of their way, cutting off the connection to the inside and disappearing from their sight.


    "What do we do?!" Usopp asked, tempted to join the fleeing patrons.


    "Isn''t it obvious? We''re going in there," Zoro remarked and the sniper''s jaw dropped in disbelief at that.


    "Yeah, Luffy''s still in there," Rosan agreed. "We can''t leave without our captain, idiot."


    "Are you scared?" The swordsman asked with a smirk on his face.


    "Afraid you might die?" The scout tilted his head curiously.


    "D-Don''t be silly!" Usopp barked in embarrassment. Who wouldn''t be afraid of dying?! These two just had no sense of self preservation!


    "Don''t worry, I won''t protect you," Rosan assured and Usopp relaxed.


    Then he registered his words.


    "DON''T YOU MEAN YOU WILL?!"


    Nami and Zoro couldn''t help but laugh at Rosan''s silence.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    When the crew entered the restaurant (sans Johnny, Yosaku and Nami), they were surprised to see every single chef surrounding Sanji with guns.


    "Are you a spy for Krieg, Sanji?" One of the chefs asked with fury on his face. "We ain''t letting you in the kitchen! We''ve had enough of your behavior."


    Sanji stared at them for a moment and then spread his arms out. "If you want to stop me, then fire," he demanded without a hint of care on his face.


    "I know they''re irredeemable villains, but my job is to feed people, not to judge them. It gets too complicated otherwise," the chef smirked.


    "If a man is hungry, I feed him! That''s a cook''s job."


    Rosan appraised his words with a hum. It seems the boy had been incredibly serious about becoming a chef all those years ago. He had taken his duty as a cook to heart and that resolve he had seen when Sanji was just a prisoner, was still there, looking even stronger than before.


    He wondered what happened to the child to strengthen his conviction to this level.


    "I think Luffy might see the same thing you saw all those years ago," Mod remarked. It was really quite amusing (and a little suspicious) that the child they had saved 11 years ago, was about to be recruited onto their ship but the world worked in mysterious ways so she wouldn''t question it too much.


    Rosan hummed curiously. He had figured that Sanji was a kind person, seeing as he was a prince but only wanted to become a chef, but this went past his expectations. He wondered if something happened to the blonde to make him like this.


    Clearly it went past his fellow chefs too because Patty sucker punched the back of his head and ordered the remaining cooks to restrain him so that he couldn''t do anything else.


    The large chef bent over and seemed to be rummaging for something, only to reveal a ridiculous lobster themed bazooka.


    "Should we have Ram absorb that?" Mod asked in amusement. It was a weapon and the silver haired woman was the ultimate weapon. It made sense for her to absorb all manner of weapons


    "S-Stop messing around, Auntie! I can already transform into a bazooka! W-Who the hell did they even commission to make a lobster themed weapon?!" The ring balked in confusion. It was so, so ugly!


    What a complete insult to all weapons out there! She was tempted to eat it just so that it didn''t exist anymore!


    Patty laughed and taunted Krieg in victory, before firing the bazooka at the pirate captain.


    Rosan idly pulled Usopp out of the way of the flying debris that was the broken door and hummed at the lack of blood¡­ and body parts.


    "T-Thanks, Rosan," Usopp stammered at the save. Maybe he wasn''t as rude as he acted! Yeah, Rosan was just a tsundere! Saying one thing and actually meaning the other!


    The redhead nodded at his thanks, before dropping him unceremoniously on the ground with a thud.


    "That''s my one save for the day, good luck surviving anything else," he said ruthlessly.


    "You''re the worst," Usopp grumbled in annoyance. Nevermind. Definitely not a tsundere. He was just a genuine asshole.


    Seriously, the least he could do was extend a helping hand when they needed it but nooo. He was content to be as annoying as possible!


    Once the dust settled, they were surprised to see that the shot had only infuriated a, now revealed, armor wearing Krieg.


    The chefs let out gasps of horror, as Krieg revealed his built in weapons and sprayed them all down with bullets... that didn''t kill them?


    Usopp screeched in fear.


    "He''s probably over reliant on that armor," Rosan commented, unfazed by what had just happened due to the fact that every single chef was still alive. If Krieg really was as reliant on that armor as the redhead thought, then the Mod Mod no mi user was a terrible matchup for him.


    After all, he could just modify the man''s armor. Whether it be transforming it into a different material or making it too tight to wear. People who relied on fighting with material items, would find that facing Rosan was never a good time.


    "You''re not fair, Auntie Mod," Ram tsked at the crimson eyed woman, who only regarded her with a shocked expression.


    "A-A lot of Devil Fruits are absurd! I''m just one of many!" Mod tried to defend herself with a look of protest on her. "I actually used to be much more fair before I was combined with the blank zoan but even then, I think I''m much easier to deal with than being completely intangible!"


    "Whatever you say, hack," The mix eyed girl scoffed. She remembered her Auntie mentioning how her modifications were temporary before combining with the Zoan but that mattered little to her because she didn''t know that version of Auntie.


    "You''re just trying to irritate me right now!"


    Rosan was only half focused on the two children''s arguments ("I will seriously end you, Rosan") and watched with a tilted head as Zeff brought a large sack of what could only be food so that Krieg could feed his men.


    "There, that should be enough to feed all 100 of them," the gruff owner said.


    "Owner?!"


    "Chef Zeff?!"


    "What are you doing?!"


    The chefs were understandably shocked by the owner''s display. First Sanji, now him?! What was going on right now?! Were they really that afraid of Don Krieg? Why would they do something so incredibly stupid?!


    Krieg''s eyes went wide at something the other chef''s said.


    "Did you say Zeff?!"


    "Is that owner famous?" Zoro asked curiously.


    "You could say that," Rosan replied. "He used to be a pirate by the name of Red-Leg Zeff. He was quite strong too, they say he never used his hands in battle, only his legs. I''m surprised though... Last I heard, he had been sailing the Grand Line and it''s not easy to reenter the Blue Seas once you''ve left them."


    Age had changed his appearance a bit from his bounty poster but it was still unmistakable. Rosan just didn''t care enough because unlike Kuro, this man had clearly given up a life of piracy to do something that he loved.


    "You know a lot," Usopp pointed out incredulously. Whenever the redhead actually said something that wasn''t an insult, it was surprisingly useful and insightful! Perhaps in his quest for knowledge, he had become such a formidable liar like him!


    "¡­" Rosan didn''t deign to answer the long nose, idly preparing for the possibility of getting attacked despite how weak everyone here was.


    Something told him the Straw Hats weren''t leaving here quietly.


    "The only thing I lacked in my journey through the Grand Line, was information but with your logbook, I''ll be able to conquer that sea easily!" Krieg declared excitedly.


    After learning of Zeff''s identity, the Don had demanded the owner''s logbook of his journey through the Grand Line but the former pirate had refused, claiming that it was a testament to his crew''s adventure.


    Krieg didn''t appreciate that reply.


    "Then I''ll take it by force! I didn''t succeed the first time, but that doesn''t change the fact that I''m Don Krieg!" He roared arrogantly.


    "I''M THE STRONGEST OF THEM ALL! I HAVE THE AMBITION, THE STRENGTH, THE SHIPS, THE MEN, I JUST LACKED THE KNOWLEDGE!" He roared proudly. "I''ll take that log, assemble another armada, conquer the Grand Line, and capture the One Piece!"


    "You? Capture the One Piece? Don''t be ridiculous, someone as stupid and weak as you could never be King of the Pirates."


    Everyone paused in disbelief at the insulting words and Krieg mechanically turned around to see that the unknown speaker was a bronze redhead with heterochromia. He was currently staring at the Don without a hint of fear on his expression, head tilted to the side as they made eye contact.


    Usopp''s jaw dropped at the redhead''s stupidity and he hastily tried to pull him out of the way, to very little success. What the hell was he thinking?! Bringing the attention onto them?! Was he insane?! Why was he so hard to pull?!


    "Yeah! I''m the one who''s gonna be King of the Pirates!" Luffy declared bluntly, smiling at his brother who nodded in approval.


    "Hey, you two should stay out of this! You''re no match for him!" Patty exclaimed, taking a step forward to try and dissuade the maniacs from dying so early.


    They effortlessly ignored the chef, much to his outrage.


    "Gold armor, 50 ships, a massive ego and yet you couldn''t even last a week in the Grand Line. Do you really think a log of someone else''s book will help with your severe lack of skill? You''re as embarrassing as you are stupid, Don Krieg," Rosan said, tilting his head at the Don.


    Come on now, surely his arrogance wasn''t this prominent. Mod-chan told him that a journey through the Grand Line would be different for everyone because of how random the sea was so what did Krieg think was going to happen?


    Everyone looked at Rosan like he had personally signed a death wish while Luffy and Zoro chuckled at his insult.


    Krieg felt a vein throb at his words and turned fully towards Rosan, food forgotten at the moment as he took a step forward. "What the fuck did you just say?" He asked threateningly. Who did this no named idiot think he was messing with?


    "I said it''s impressive how you''re still alive despite such a difficult journey," the redhead hummed.


    "That''s not what you said," The leader of the pirate armada growled.


    "So you did hear me. I feared that the Grand Line took more than your dignity away. You shouldn''t act dumb, its dangerously similar to your normal personality," the redhead advised wisely.


    "Rosan, stop!" Usopp hissed. "Are you trying to get yourself killed?!" He whispered, urging the redhead to move and scowling at not seeing him budge at all.


    He shrieked at the sight of Krieg revealing his weaponry again and hastily moved out of the way of his line of sight, leaving the redhead alone to stare down the man neutrally.


    The captain had enough of this dumbasses smartass attitude. "WATCH YOUR MOUTH, WORM!" The man roared and began firing at the lone redhead who made no effort to move out the way.


    Rosan stared at the man with a tilted head and instantly turned Ram into a floating shield, blocking every single bullet effortlessly while his hands lay lazily at his side.


    Everyone who chose to watch the, presumable, carnage, blinked and then opened their mouths in surprise.


    Where¡­ Where did that shield come from?!


    Luffy laughed cheerfully at their dumbfounded looks. Did they really think this guy was gonna be able to beat Rosan?! They were all really stupid!


    "Shields are lame," Ram pouted. Why didn''t he just turn her into his gloves and incinerate every single bullet! Sure the people behind them would have died but who cared about the small details!


    "The ultimate weapon shouldn''t be complaining about what she turns into," Mod teased.


    "I-I''m not complaining! I''m just stating my genuine opinion! Unless Father wants to bludgeon people to death with the shield, I don''t see how its useful! The best defense is a good offense!"


    "That''s not the¡­" Mod immediately gave up on trying to teach the silver haired woman and just let it be.


    Ram was impossible sometimes.


    "Quite the temper you have," Rosan commented over the stationary shield, not a scratch on the weapon. "I don''t know why your so upset. You''re not the one who''s going to conquer the Grand Line."


    "I am!" Luffy grinned challengingly.


    Krieg''s eyes bugged in rage at the audacity of these two. "I don''t think these jokes are very funny, so how about I crush you both right here and now?"


    They thought that they could just sail the seas after Don Krieg himself had managed to fail?! Utterly preposterous! He''d get rid of them then he''d take this ship and its logbook.


    Two on one was overkill but apparently Krieg didn''t know that.


    "I don''t need Rosan for this," Luffy agreed confidently. He cocked his fist back in preparation for battle and eyed the tall pirate without a hint of fear on his face.


    Krieg looked back and forth at the two crewmates and growled at the sight of the redhead being unarmed again (they weren''t taking him serious) but he took another look at Zeff and calmed his temper.


    "I''ll deal with you two later," he declared, picking up the large sack of food. "I''m going to feed my underlings, anyone who doesn''t wanna die can escape the restaurant. The only things I want are the logbook and this ship."


    "Anyone who stays¡­ It''ll be a bother but I''ll bury you into the sea, remember that."


    With that, Krieg departed from the restaurant and paused for a long moment to look Rosan in the eye.


    The redhead tilted his head and glanced up at the near 8ft man, unfazed by such a silly intimidation tactic. "You shouldn''t stare at me for so long. People will get the wrong idea and I for one, would rather die then take you on a date."


    Krieg felt his veins throb but scoffed and promised himself that he wouldn''t let the redhead escape, before making his way to the beaten Dreadnaught Sabre.


    "You seem to relish in antagonizing every single foe we meet."


    "It''s their fault for making it so easy. I just have to point out a couple of things and they start frothing at the mouth."


    "D-Do you have a death wish?!" Usopp gaped at the crazy redhead. Didn''t he hear all those things about Krieg?! What was he doing? Was he trying to get their crew annihilated?!


    Oh no¡­ W-What if their close proximity made him a target now! He had been right next to Rosan before the bronze man had gotten fired on so it wouldn''t be illogical to think that they were allies.


    "You worry too much about the stupidest things," Rosan countered, causing Usopp to splutter. "Luffy will you handle this or should I teach that silly pirate a lesson?"


    "Leave it to me!" the rubber boy grinned.


    They noticed Gin apologizing to Sanji and Luffy recalled something.


    "I''m sorry Sanji, I never imagined it would come to this¡­" A defeated Gin bowed his head.


    Surprisingly, Zeff was the one who spoke to him.


    "That''s not something you should apologize for, underling. Each cook acted as if they were right, that''s all."


    The chefs, sans Sanji, began protesting loudly at what the owner had to say.


    "Don''t tell me you''re taking Sanji''s side?!" Patty roared.


    "That''s right! He''s responsible for this whole thing!" Another exclaimed in anger.


    "He''s going to put your precious restaurant out of business!"


    "That''s right isn''t it, Sanji?! You''d do anything to be the head chef!"


    "SHUT UP, YOU IDIOTS!" Zeff roared in fury.


    All the protesting died down at the anger in his voice and the chefs went ramrod straight.


    "Have any of you ever felt what it''s like to be on the brink of starvation?! Losing food and water on the high seas¡­ Do you know how scary it is?! Do you know how hard it is?!" The owner of the Baratie asked, tone barating them due to their ignorance.


    "W-What do you mean, Owner?" Patty asked dumbly.


    "The difference between Sanji and you all, is whether you know it or not," Zeff said.


    Sanji said nothing, only taking a long drag of his cigarette.


    "It seems like just being free from his family didn''t end the hardships Sanji had to face," Mod frowned sympathetically. His life was full of difficulties that seemed to never end and it reminded her of Rosan''s own struggles.


    "He''s survived his trials and has become stronger as a result. It''s even given him an even stronger resolve that will benefit him," Rosan replied.


    When given a trial, there were two choices you could make. Crumble underneath the challenge, or rise and overcome it, becoming a new person in the process and discarding the previous version of you.


    Rosan had overcome one challenge when he was nine and he had almost completely crumbled underneath another one when he was twelve. Even now, he was trying to recover from that soul crushing defeat but when you crumbled, it was difficult to piece yourself back together alone.


    "You''re doing good, Rosan," Mod assured quietly, regal voice soothing as she was filled with a desire to hug her charge. "One step at a time, we''re in no rush."


    He nodded gently at her words. Mod-chan was the only reason he hadn''t fallen into an irreversible despair. She was his foundation and kept him focused, constantly being the voice of reason that did its best to drown out his self loathing nature. If not for her, he''d have died long ago.


    He owed the woman more than she knew...


    Even despite his doubts about her true intentions.


    Mod grinned fondly at her charge, sending him overwhelming amounts of love. They would always have each others back. Nothing could change that and despite the few hiccups that were her fault, the love they had for each other would never falter.


    "You two have the most adorable bond ever!" Ram gushed. She hoped that one day she could have a proper father and daughter relationship with her creator like the mother and son relationship these two had!


    "Shut up, Ram."


    "Y-Yes Ma''am!"


    "If you all have time to grumble, leave the restaurant from the back door already!" Zeff declared with a wave of his hand.


    The chefs looked conflicted at his order and stared hesitantly at the man. He was just telling them to leave?


    "I''ll stay and fight," Patty decided. "I couldn''t bear it if I was just beaten and didn''t fight back."


    That seemed to strengthen the resolve of his fellow chefs because they joined him.


    "I''ll stay too! This is the restaurant where I work!"


    "We don''t have anywhere else to go anyway!"


    "ARE YOU ALL STUPID?!" Gin yelled in disbelief. "YOU SAW HOW POWERFUL THE DON IS, RIGHT?!"


    Were they actually planning on fighting the Don?! That was suicidal! They stood no chance against the leader of the Krieg Pirates and he really would bury them in the Sea!


    "Hey, Gin," Sanji interrupted his raging.


    The man looked up in surprise at the chef who had saved him.


    "Let me tell you something. As a cook, it''s my duty to feed someone who''s hungry. But¡­"


    Sanji effortlessly kicked up a fallen table and sat on it''s edges.


    "...soon, we''ll be facing plunderers with full bellies. If I have to beat your crewmates to death, don''t complain. If someone''s going to take over this restaurant, I''ll slaughter them without hesitation, and that goes for you too!"


    Gin remained silent, stunned by his words and resolve.


    "Wow, your change is like night and day. I''m impressed to see how much you''ve grown," Rosan commented and Sanji''s gaze snapped to him in surprise.


    "What do you mean by that?" The chef asked warily.


    "Still playing stubborn? I can respect that, I''m rather stubborn myself," the redhead nodded, dropping the conversation. It wasn''t his job to forcefully make someone see something. He much preferred seeing the shock on their face as they came to their own realizations.


    Honestly, he wasn''t even sure why he revealed his identity to Sanji so boldly in the first place. Perhaps it was a form of curiosity, perhaps he was tired of keeping it secret, perhaps he trusted the blonde who owed him his life to a degree. He didn''t know and he didn''t care but the fact that Luffy had practically already cemented the chefs role into the crew, probably played a part.


    Besides, no one would ever believe someone''s claim that Rosan was Reaper unless they had overwhelming evidence. His skillset had so much variety that he fought nothing like the Angel of Death currently.


    His controlling the field style was handy but it was wholly unnecessary currently and deep down, he was a showoff and his current style reflected that. Reaper''s fighting style was incredibly effective at winning decisively however so if he was ever pushed into a corner, bringing it out would be a bad sign for his opponent.


    Sanji clenched his cigarette a bit harder at the redhead and let the conversation drop. He had more things to worry about than the identity of someone, who he admittedly looked up to (practically worshipped) as a kid, who had gone missing for 10 years. Once this battle was over, he could fully dwell on the overwhelming evidence of Rosan being Reaper but until then, he would push it out his mind...


    Well, that''s what he was telling himself at least.


    "Gin, you said you didn''t know anything about the Grand Line, but you''ve been there!" Luffy pointed out in confusion.


    Gin gulped and clutched his head. "I¡­ I know nothing. It''s all a crazy fog. Something happened on our seventh day out. But was it a dream or reality? It''s all mixed up in my head¡­ Just one man, one man wiped out 50 ships!"


    Everyone let out noises of disbelief at the revelation.


    "WHAT?!"


    "JUST ONE PERSON?!"


    Gin revealed to them that the only reason the main ship hadn''t been completely destroyed, was due to the arrival of a freak storm.


    "I don''t even want to remember that man! That man''s piercing hawk eyes, eyes that could kill with just a glance!"


    "What?!"


    That was Zoro who said that and at the same time, Rosan paused.


    "They had a run in with Hawk-Eye Mihawk?" The redhead mused. It was no wonder they had been nearly wiped out. Few would be capable of escaping from the Worlds Strongest Swordsman and even fewer would make it out alive.


    Even a freak storm was seen as more favorable then a run in with that man. Perhaps the Krieg Pirates truly did get unlucky and would have made a much better run if they didn''t run into one of the literal worst options on the planet...


    "Nah, they suck. They''d have died in 2 weeks instead," Ram shrugged.


    He agreed.


    As they discussed the identity of the man, Luffy spoke up.


    "Who''s Hawk-eye, Rosan?"


    "The world''s strongest swordsman," the redhead replied. "If Zoro wants to be the strongest swordsman, he needs to fight and defeat him."


    Which would be impossible right now. Zoro overestimated his abilities currently and wasn''t aware of just how strong some people really were.


    The green haired man nodded at that. "He''s the reason I went out to see. I''m searching for him."


    "The Grand Line¡­ what an interesting place," Rosan hummed.


    "That''s where we have to go to find him then¡­" Zoro grinned challengingly.


    "I''m getting excited just thinking about it!" Luffy laughed happily.


    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    "W-We can still not go there," Usopp cried comically.


    "Are you guys stupid or what?" Sanji suddenly asked the group. "Guys like you die before anyone else."


    "Yeah, but you didn''t have to call us stupid," Zoro replied, making the blonde chef raise a brow. "When I decided to become the world''s strongest swordsman, I decided to devote my life to it. Nobody can call me stupid but me."


    "Me too, me too!" Luffy agreed, laughing all the while.


    "As a man, I must agree," Usopp lied and Zoro hit him with the butt of his sword.


    "If I die before achieving my goal, that just means I wasn''t good enough to be alive," Rosan stated simply. "I''m not afraid of death. That''s all there is to it."


    Zoro and Luffy nodded in unison at his words. They were both the exact same way.


    "What nonsense," Sanji scoffed.


    Unseen to everyone, Zeff smiled a small smile at the interactions going on.


    "DO YOU GUYS EVEN UNDERSTAND THE SITUATION?!" Patty screamed at them in disbelief. "Out there is the huge Galleon that belongs to Don Krieg, Commodore of the pirate fleet! If you wanna dream, do it after surviving this life-or-death crisis!"


    "How scary," Rosan hummed, utterly unmoved by Patty''s words. The burly chef glared at him due to his neutral tone and he waved back, much to the amusement of Luffy and Sanji and the further irritation of Patty.


    Honestly, if he were as weak as the chef, he''d be scared too. Rosan was sure even his four year old version would give this guy a run for him money.


    "Rosan gets it!" Usopp nodded in agreement.


    "That was sarcasm, Usopp. There''s no human alive that scares me."


    "R-Right! I knew that!" Man, his redheaded crewmate seriously needed to layoff the lying sometimes. Even Usopp had periods of downtime but Rosan had to have been a compulsive liar or something!


    "It''s a good thing you said human, how is your fear of giant lizards?"


    "...Mod-chan, did you know that you''re one of the most gorgeous people on the planet but that''s only when you aren''t talking?"


    Mod''s jaw dropped at Rosan''s sheer audacity, and her sharp red gaze narrowed in disbelief. "T-That is no way to talk to me, you rude ¡ª,"


    "Language!" Ram chimed in eagerly.


    Mod gaped at the two. She wasn''t even planning on cursing! "I''ll see you both tonight and you can see how gorgeous I am when I''m angry! I wonder how confident you''ll be then!" She harrumphed.


    Rosan wisely remained silent.


    Ram was not as smart. Before the silver haired woman could even utter a syllable, the Devil Fruit ruthlessly gripped her cheek and reduced the ring to just whining.


    Honestly, his weapon was such an idiot.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    It didn''t take long for them to hear the battle cries of the, now rejuvenated, pirate crew and the chefs prepared themselves for battle.


    "Try not to die, Sanji," Rosan called quietly. "You still owe me that best meal so show me how strong you''ve gotten."


    "Worry about yourself," the blonde muttered in annoyance. He could whip up his best meal for the redhead but he just knew he could get better so he didn''t want to do it yet.


    "Do you still cry a lot?" The redhead asked softly, tilting his head at the irritated chef.


    Sanji bit his cigarette even harder then before. "...No I don''t cry. I don''t know who told you about that," he bit out. Another piece of evidence in a case that should have long been shut.


    Rosan hummed. "Good. I wouldn''t want tears on my meal. You certainly did cry a lot when you were a child."


    "S-SHUT UP!" Sanji barked, not liking how much this redhead knew about him. "STOP PRETENDING LIKE YOU KNOW ME AND AFTER THIS IS OVER I''LL HAVE YOUR MEAL READY!"


    Rosan nearly snorted. What was that one saying? Right. Never meet your heroes. Sanji was learning that first hand because he wasn''t a hero in the first place. "Don''t worry, I''ll accept it sometime during our journey together. There''s no rush."


    Sanji felt himself gain a tick mark. "I never said I was going with you guys!" He barked in annoyance.


    "Right."


    Sanji felt his annoyance grow. The more he talked to him, the less he believed that this was Reaper. They were just too different! He didn''t even kill Don Krieg for sizing him up like that!


    After this was over, he''d just skip all pretenses and ask the man outright because this was ridiculous.


    Was he a spy for Judge?! How did he know so much about him? Only Germa knew he cried alot as a kid and after encountering Reaper, he trained himself hard and stopped crying as much.


    "GET READY! WE CAN HEAR THEIR WAR CRIES!" Someone called out.


    "They''re all so worried! I guess this is the despair of being weak," Ram cackled.


    Before Rosan could respond, he watched with a blank gaze, as the massive galleon outside was promptly cut into three pieces.


    "WHAT?!"


    "WHATS GOING ON?!"


    "RAISE THE ANCHOR BEFORE WE SINK WITH IT!"


    Zoro''s eyes widened. "Our ship is still out there!" He barked, already moving to go check on it.


    An open mouthed Luffy, quickly followed after him and so did the chefs, curious to see what was happening outside.


    Rosan sighed.


    "Rest in peace, Zoro."


    If that was who he thought it was, things just got a lot more difficult for them. Even if those rumors about him being here had turned out to be false (it was a red eyed man not a hawk eyed man. Johnny was a moron), it seems the real Mihawk had decided to show his presence for some reason.


    The World''s Strongest Swordsman¡­ A small part of Rosan, the one who had once desired to be the strongest in the world, was curious about just how powerful the man was.


    A tinier part, one hidden to even him, wanted to test his own might against that strength.


    With that, he followed after them all.


    The redhead stared at the sunken ship with a tilted head before two familiar voices screamed for Zoro.


    "BIG BRO!" They both screamed in unison, struggling to stay surfaced. The capsized waves were threatening to overwhelm them and they desperately reached out to get grabbed out of it.


    "Johnny! Yosaku! You two okay?!" Zoro asked in concern, pulling them both up over the railing. "Where''s our ship?! Where''s Nami?!"


    "T-THEY''RE GONE!" They cried.


    "SISTER NAMI, SHE SAILED OFF WITH ALL THE TREASURE AFTER SAYING THIS!"


    "Tell them that if we''re linked by fate, we''ll meet again!"


    Usopp, Zoro and Luffy all went pale at the revelation.


    "W-WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?!" They roared.


    Rosan hummed at the revelation.


    "I guess you were right to not trust her," Mod frowned. She had been hoping that Rosan was overreacting and that the girl was just taking time to warm up to them, but it seems like he was correct in his assumption that she was going to jump ship.


    Or well, take their ship in this case.


    "Hm." Was all the redhead said, closing his eyes momentarily before snapping them open again, slight glow vanishing. He listened to the two bounty hunters tell the tale about what happened with a neutral expression, not reacting whatsoever at what he was hearing.


    They had been fooled by the orange haired woman when she requested they turn around so she could change her clothes. After doing so, Nami had subsequently thrown them overboard before taking off with the ship, the Straw Hats treasure and Johnny and Yosaku''s as well.


    She betrayed them.


    Rosan didn''t like traitors.


    Mod frowned nervously at that.


    "We should''ve known her behavior was just an act," Zoro scowled.


    "Kaya gave that ship to us!" Usopp growled.


    "Wait, I can still see the ship!" Luffy called out and true to his words, it was visible in the distance. "Zoro, Usopp, Rosan, go after her!" Their captain said.


    "¡­" Rosan stared at Luffy then nodded his head. "Fine. You''ll be staying here?"


    "Yeah, I''ve got it handled and I still gotta finish my business at the restaurant!"


    "Alright," the redhead nodded.


    "Fine, what a high maintenance captain," Zoro complained.


    As Johnny and Yosaku got the boat ready, Rosan actually thought that Zoro was going to make it out of this situation alive.


    He was silly to even entertain the notion. This was why he stopped tempting fate so long ago.


    Zeff let out a startled gasp, the most emotion he''d shown yet, as a small black boat that resembled a coffin appeared into view and on that small boat, lie one lone individual.


    "¡­" Mod frowned worriedly. This could end up being really, really bad for them if things went out like how Rosan predicted. If Zoro died, Luffy would stop at nothing to beat Mihawk and that might end up jeopardizing all of them because this was the strongest swordsman alive and he could probably kill them in his sleep.


    "¡­!" Ram grinned excitedly. If things went like how Father predicted, they''d be able to test themselves against the world''s strongest swordsman! Her goal was the same as what Rosan''s had been as a child and that was to make her Father the strongest with her by his side! This would be a great way to test how far they needed to go in the future and this was the person wielding the strongest sword! As the ultimate weapon, she wanted to see how she faced up against him!


    "¡­" Rosan stared blankly. He was hoping things didn''t go exactly like how he predicted because if so, they were all dead. Zoro was going to challenge Mihawk and he was going to lose. This was a guarantee.


    What was not a guarantee though, was whether or not he''d make it out of it alive. If he did, it would be good for them, if not¡­ the redhead didn''t fancy explaining to Ace that Luffy died to the world''s strongest swordsman because Rosan was not going to die here, whether he could save Luffy or not.


    "THAT SON OF A BITCH!" They heard Don Krieg roar in fury.


    "HE''S FOLLOWED US HERE TO KILL US!" One of his pirates screeched.


    "WE''RE DONE FOR!" Another sobbed.


    Mihawk was a tall, lean, and muscular man with black hair, a short beard, mustache and sideburns that pointed upwards. His attire consisted of a wide-brimmed black hat decorated with a large plume, and a long, open black coat with a red velvet inside with no shirt underneath, with red, flower-patterned sleeves and collar and He wore light purple pants that were held up by a decorated belt. They were tucked neatly in his large boots.


    On Mihawk''s back, resided his, at the moment, hidden sword and he had the most piercing yellow gaze Rosan had seen yet.


    "So that''s the world''s strongest swordsman¡­" Zoro whispered. "I didn''t think I''d run into him so early!"


    "Y-YOU MONSTER!" One of Krieg''s members called out, mustering the courage to speak. "WHY DO YOU KEEP PICKING ON US?!"


    Mihawk didn''t even spare him a glance. "For fun," was all he said.


    "...FOR FUN?!" He roared in disbelief, pulling out two flintlocks and firing without hesitation at the pirate.


    Mihawk unsheathed the weapon on his back and effortlessly changed the trajectory of the two bullets flying towards him.


    "That''s an awesome sword," Ram gushed, gleefully soaking in the appearance of it. It was a curved, single-edged black blade in the shape of a latin cross, with a golden crossguard decorated by blue and green cabochons and a hilt wrapped in bandages, with a particularly big cabochon at its extremity.


    She knew her father wasn''t a fan of using swords very much but that didn''t really pertain to things like greatswords, claymores and generally bigger swords! Maybe she''d get him to start using a sword like Mihawk''s more...


    "B-But I aimed straight for him... did I miss?!"


    "No. Shooting at him is useless. He deflected the bullets with his sword," Zoro said, smiling challengingly at the hawk eyed man.


    "What the?!"


    "Hey, who are you?!"


    "Those three swords¡­ could it be?!"


    Rosan and Luffy watched Zoro approach Mihawk with stone faced expressions.


    "You know he might die, right Luffy?" The redhead told his captain with a tilted head. "What will you do if that happens?"


    "..." the rubber boy didn''t say anything but he didn''t have to. The only one who knew the youngest as much as Rosan, was Ace.


    Rosan hummed and continued to watch the exchange. He wanted to see just how capable Mihawk was and Zoro was clearly hellbent on challenging him.


    "There''s no time for this!" Usopp growled in fury. "The ship''s almost out of sight!"


    "Shut up, Usopp," Rosan said softly. "Zoro''s goal is right in front of him, do you think he''d really let this chance slip by?"


    The long nosed boy gulped and wisely remained silent, deciding to watch the situation unfold with a curious glance.


    "Hey wait, three sword style?! That''s Roronoa Zoro!"


    "WHAT?!"


    "The pirate hunter?" Krieg frowned.


    "That guy?" Sanji called out in surprise.


    "Pathetic weakling," Mihawk droned, vanishing and appearing on the remains of the broken Galleon. The world''s strongest swordsman stared at Zoro and said, "If you''re a competent swordsman, you don''t need to cross swords to know the disparity in our skills¡­"


    "...Does the courage to point your blade at me come from confidence or ignorance?" He asked curiously.


    "It comes from ambition!" Zoro replied with a savage grin before placing Wado Ichimonji in his mouth. "And from a promise to a dear friend of mine."


    "There''s no way Big Bro Zoro can lose!" Yosaku said.


    "He''s the strongest already!" Johnny agreed.


    "Idiots," Rosan chided softly, much to their surprise. "If that''s what you really think, then you''re in for the surprise of a lifetime. I hope you guys aren''t ugly criers."


    The bounty hunters fought for Zoro''s sake, questioning how he could have no faith in his crewmate but Rosan ignored them, staring at the most dangerous person there and trying to think of ways to keep his crew alive.


    The redhead could tell at a glance, years of battle experience kicking in, that if Mihawk wanted too, he could kill every single person here with zero effort and be gone before the hour was over. Nobody here could defeat him. It was a suicide mission to even put yourself on this man''s radar.


    True to his thoughts, the hawk-eyed man pulled out the cross necklace he had and revealed the knife inside of it.


    "What''s that for?" Zoro asked with a glare set on his features. He couldn''t be thinking of...


    "I''m not the kind of fool who hunts rabbits with a cannon," Mihawk replied laxly. "You may have a reputation, but you''re still just a bunny in the tamest of the four seas."


    The swordsman shrugged apologetically and his expression became incredibly patronizing. "Unfortunately, I don''t carry a knife smaller then this one," he apologized.


    "Damn he''s good," Ram whistled. She loved some trash talk and this guy was making it look easy.


    "He''s already upset," Rosan thought. That was not good. This battle was already over.


    "THAT''S ENOUGH MAKING FUN OF ME," Zoro roared, clenching his swords harder before breaking out into a full sprint. "DON''T FEEL STUPID WHEN I KILL YOU!"


    "You''re just a little frog, croaking in your puddle. It''s about time you learned how big the world is," Mihawk sighed with a small shake of his head.


    "ONI GIRI!"


    Zoro swung using all three of his blades and everyone watched in utter disbelief at the sight of Mihawk effortlessly stopping the attack¡­


    With just his knife.


    "B-Big Bro''s Oni Giri was stopped?!" Johnny croaked in disbelief.


    "I-It''s never been stopped by anyone before!" Yosaku gaped.


    "I can''t say I''m surprised at this outcome," Mod sighed, already writing the battle off as finished. It was clear from previous battles that Zoro was overconfident in his abilities. He had never been truly challenged and it was clear based on the fact that one ability being stopped, had driven him into a frenzy.


    Zoro began swinging without any thought or strategy. Right now, he just wanted to hit Mihawk and the more he desired it, the less likely he''d be able to do it.


    Hawk-eyes parried every single blow with barely a flinch and knocked the offending attacker back with an almost bored expression on his face.


    "This can''t be true. The gap between us can''t be this large!" Zoro gasped out in despair. He was doing all of this with just a toy?! Was that all he was worthy of in the eyes of the greatest swordsman?! Was this truly the limit of his strength... all those years, all the sweat and blood... this is what that amounted to?


    He didn''t come all this way to lose! Him and Kuina had shared a dream to become the greatest swordsman and the ticket to that dream was right in front of him.


    So why?


    Why was he being effortlessly tossed around?! Did all his training mean nothing?!


    Absolutely. NOT. HE REFUSED TO ACCEPT THAT.


    So Zoro kept swinging with a renewed frenzy and that frenzy only increased as every single attack failed.


    "What drives you? Why do you fight so hard when you cannot win, weakling?" Mihawk asked the panting Zoro.


    "WEAK? DON''T CALL OUR BROTHER WEAK!" Yosaku roared.


    "I''LL TEACH YOU A LESSON!" Johnny roared.


    They both leapt over the railing to go confront Mihawk and let out equal yelps as long rubbery arms reached out and forced them to sit down.


    "STAY OUT OF IT JOHNNY, YOSAKU! CONTROL YOURSELVES!" Luffy managed to say through grit teeth. It looked more like the rubber boy was trying to restrain himself, not the two bounty hunters.


    "I wonder who you''re saying that too," Rosan hummed, content to watch it all unfold. He knew this would be one-sided but Mihawk was making this fight look like a chore currently. With such a small weapon too¡­


    What a monster of a man. He could practically hear Ram salivating at the idea of fighting him.


    Zoro let out heavy pants as he was repelled again and he rolled across the broken deck before catching himself. "I...can''t lose here!" the green haired man gasped out.


    "The world''s strongest swordsman! The pirate king expects nothing less!"


    "TIGER TRAP!" Zoro roared, slashing downwards at the unfazed Mihawk.


    Everything went silent for a moment. The only thing they could hear, was Zoro''s wet gasp at being stabbed right on the chest, dangerously near his heart.


    Luffy grit his teeth even harder and his breathing became palpable.


    Rosan side eyed his captain and let out a sigh, eyes beginning to glow slightly in preparation.


    Mihawk looked at Zoro in interest. "Do you want me to pierce your heart? Why don''t you retreat?" He asked curiously.


    Zoro, with blood leaking from his mouth, slowly said, "I can''t¡­ If I retreat even one step¡­my vow, my ambition¡­ Everything I care about...will be shattered. All my dreams will be lost forever."


    "Yes, that''s defeat," Mihawk retorted bluntly.


    "Then I can''t retreat."


    "Even if it means death?"


    "I prefer death to defeat," Zoro said with finality, grinning all the while.


    Mihawk''s bored expression sparked with interest at that and he mercifully withdrew the knife from Zoro''s chest.


    "Boy... Speak your name."


    Zoro placed two of his swords at an angle, heedless of the blood pouring from his body. "Roronoa Zoro."


    "I''ll remember it. I haven''t met someone so brave in a while so I''ll honor the swordsman''s code and send you to your death with the strongest black sword."


    That was the closest thing to praise Zoro would get from the man.


    "Rest in peace, Zoro. Unable to even make it out of the East Blue," Rosan sent off his prayers, Ram already glowing.


    "BROTHER PLEASE GIVE UP!" The bounty hunters begged.


    It was do or die. Zoro would either win, or he would face death. It was his last chance to achieve victory.


    "Three Sword Style Secret Technique:¡­" Zoro began, spinning his two blades rapidly.


    "Fall," Mihawk uttered, soaring over to Zoro, poised to cut him in half.


    "...THREE THOUSAND WORLDS!"


    The two collided and there was a tense silence until the two swords Zoro was holding in his hands, shattered into dozens of pieces and clanged loudly onto the deck.


    There was not a scratch on Mihawk as he assessed the green haired man calmly, Yoru resting lazily by his side.


    Zoro spat out a glob of blood and withdrew Wado Ichimonji from his mouth before calmly sheathing it. Contrary to belief, he had never felt more at peace with himself.


    He had lost completely. Never in his life, did he think he would lose a fight but he was proven wrong by the world''s strongest swordsman.


    The green haired swordsman stood up and turned to face a confused Mihawk with his arms outstretched.


    "What are you¡­" the hawk-eyed man trailed off.


    Zoro grinned and said, "Wounds on the back are a swordsman''s shame."


    Mihawk actually grinned at that declaration.


    "Magnificent."


    With that, he grabbed Yoru and swung diagonally across his chest, letting loose a massive spray of blood and sending Zoro crashing into the sea.


    "ZORO!" Luffy screamed in disbelief, tears welling up in his eyes at the sight of the swordsman falling back in the ocean and glaring heatedly at the one who had done it. "DAMN YOU!"


    Without any hesitation, Luffy cocked his fist back and launched it at Mihawk. He grabbed onto the railing and soared over to his location to avenge Zoro.


    Sanji gaped at the sight of Luffy''s arm stretching.


    "So he has a Devil Fruit¡­" Krieg mused. That explained his arrogance but Devil Fruits were not the end all be all. He''d show that idiot Straw Hat what happened when you messed with Krieg.


    Rosan sighed at the sight of Mihawk effortlessly sidestepping Luffy''s attack and before he could even turn towards his captain, the redhead vanished from his spot and swung Ram (she had taken the form of a silver and purple claymore that looked a lot like Mihawk''s own, cocky little shit that she was) at the man who had crushed Zoro.


    He was not surprised in the slightest to see his attack get blocked.


    "Whatever you do, make sure you make it out of this alive. No matter what," Mod advised worriedly.


    The onlookers gawked at the sight of Rosan vanishing in one spot only to appear in another.


    What was that?! How was he able to move so fast?! Didn''t he have a shield before? Where did that sword come from!


    Sanji let out a sigh of relief at seeing his weapon of choice.


    "Oh?" Mihawk called out curiously, casually parrying the attack and making Rosan disengage to Luffy''s side. "Are you two that young swordsman''s crewmates? You did well to let him fight his own battle."


    "There''s no need to worry, I left him alive."


    "Is that so?" Rosan replied, glancing back just in time to see Zoro cough out blood and be escorted to the ship. "How fortunate, Luffy."


    "Boooo," Ram whined, stamping her feet petulantly. At least she had seen some of what he was capable of.


    "Zoro!" Luffy let out a sigh of relief.


    "My name is Dracule Mihawk! It''s too soon for you to die. Learn about yourself! Learn about the world! Grow strong, Roronoa Zoro! However long it may take, I shall await you at the top. Strive with your whole heart and mind to best this blade! STRIVE TO SURPASS ME, RORONOA ZORO!" The world''s strongest swordsman said.


    "Thank Kami. Zoro is still alive," Mod sighed happily. Now Luffy didn''t have to die trying to avenge him and Rosan didn''t have to die trying to keep Luffy alive!


    "Usopp! Is Zoro okay?!" Luffy called.


    "No he''s not! But he''s alive and unconscious!" the sniper replied, panic stricken.


    "Say something big bro," Johnny sobbed.


    Rosan watched with an almost impressed expression, as Zoro raised his remaining sword into the sky.


    "Zoro?" Luffy gasped in shock.


    "L-Luffy¡­? Can you...hear me?"


    "Yeah!"


    Zoro panted harshly as the injuries took its toll on his body but powered through regardless. "Did I worry you?" He gasped out.


    "If I fail¡­ to become the world''s greatest swordsman, you''d be disappointed... right?" The green haired man asked.


    Luffy watched Zoro with a surprised expression on his face.


    The swordsman spat out more blood and Johnny urged him to stop speaking but he wouldn''t.


    No, he couldn''t.


    "NEVER AGAIN!" Zoro yelled and everyone was shocked to see the tears running down his eyes. "I WILL NEVER LOSE AGAIN! FROM NOW TO THE DAY I BEAT HIM TO BECOME THE GREATEST SWORDSMAN¡­ I WILL NEVER¡­ LOSE AGAIN! YOU GOT A PROBLEM WITH THAT, KING OF THE PIRATES?"


    Luffy grinned widely and laughed. "Not at all!"


    Rosan felt something stir slightly at the declaration and he gazed at Zoro with a curious look in his eye.


    That ambition¡­ it was... admirable.


    He would like Zoro just fine.


    "Luffy really hit the jackpot with that one," Mod smiled softly, watching the ship sail off in pursuit of Nami. He was able to fully pique Rosan''s interest now and that meant her son could see the value in him.


    Luffy wasn''t the only one he''d bother keeping alive now.


    "So you wish to be the King of the Pirates?" Mihawk asked in amusement. "That''s even more difficult to achieve then my title."


    They made a good duo, him and that Roronoa Zoro.


    "Don''t care, that''s what I''m gonna be!" Luffy declared without any hesitation.


    "And you?" Mihawk asked, turning towards the redhead. "You have a sword that looks similar to mine, but you don''t seem to desire a fight with me."


    "I''m not a swordsman," Rosan replied instantly, much to the slight surprise of Mihawk. "I''m just the humble scout of my little brother¡­ Though, I do have a question for you."


    The hawk-eyed man raised a brow at him and inclined his head.


    "How is it that you can recognize the two of us?" The redhead tilted his head. "Is it because of Shanks? I don''t remember giving that man permission to talk about me."


    Mihawk knew the both of them. Maybe for Rosan it would have been easy to recognize him, but to recognize both him and the more unknown Luffy? It was far too suspicious.


    Luffy blinked before his jaw dropped. "YOU KNOW SHANKS?!"


    Mihawk looked at him in surprise at the fact that he had managed to notice that, before he let loose a low chuckle. "That''s correct. You two are as interesting as he said you were but you are much more difficult to get a read on."


    Without any warning, Rosan threw up his blade to block a slash from Mihawk, sighing slightly at the power behind it.


    "I''d like to see one last thing before I leave," the world''s greatest swordsman declared.


    Everyone watching, gasped at the sight of Rosan being attacked. What were they talking about over there for the redhead to suddenly be a target? What was going on?!


    The redhead himself leapt a safe distance away and gazed neutrally at the man.


    "What are you doing?" Rosan asked calmly, unfazed by Mihawk''s actions. "I assure you I''m not nearly as interesting as Shanks made me out to be."


    That annoying redhead. Why on earth would he tell Mihawk, the world''s strongest swordsman, anything about him? This was not someone who''s radar he wanted to be on yet.


    "You''re even more interesting then what he said is all. Red-Haired never mentioned that you used a weapon, I''d simply like to see how adept you are with it¡­ call it curiosity," The hawk-eyed man replied calmly.


    With that, he vanished again and Rosan had no choice but to play along with his game. The two appeared in the middle and once again clashed blades. Black met silver in a spray of sparks before Mihawk tossed Rosan back.


    "YES! WOOHOO!" Ram cheered. She was actually getting to fight the strongest sword in the world! She was so happy right now that she wouldn''t cause Auntie a problem for 2 hours!


    "I''m so flattered," Mod said dryly, gazing unimpressed at the excited weapon.


    "Alright, I''ll spar with you until you''re satisfied," Rosan muttered and Ram began glowing, much to everyone''s confusion. "But like I said, I''m no swordsman."


    His claymore transformed into a set of gloves and Rosan let loose a massive beam of red energy towards the slightly surprised Mihawk.


    Sanji went pale at the sight of the redhead''s weapon rapidly shifting into the gloves. R-Reaper''s scythe wasn''t always visible a-and he fought his brothers with his...


    With his...


    Oh.


    Rosan was already on the move before his attack finished (Ram was in the form of a katana now for more speed) and he appeared behind a Mihawk who had just cut through his wave of energy with little to no effort.


    He could see how Zoro got annoyed so quickly. Mihawk was making it look easy but Rosan was well aware of the gap between the two unlike his crewmate which was why he was able to keep a cool head.


    "So you are not a swordsman because you use all types of weapons?" Mihawk mused, deflecting a swift slash to his stomach. He had never seen a weapon that could so seamlessly transform¡­ It was clear this boy had a Devil Fruit but he didn''t know what it could possibly be.


    "Limiting myself to such a boring weapon would be no fun," Rosan retorted. "Everyone''s a swordsman these days, why would I want to be something so common?"


    "Such ego." The amusement in Mihawk''s voice was noticeable. To make that claim in front of the world''s strongest swordsman¡­ What an interesting person.


    Shanks was right to be so interested in these two.


    "He''s only fighting slightly above my perceived skill level¡­" Rosan mused. It was similar to what he had done with Ace and Luffy when they were kids. He would steadily increase the level until they reached it, then increased it again.


    He did not like that it was being used against him.


    "Boost x2," he thought to himself, body pulsing with newfound power and the redhead vanished even faster then before, cracking the wood beneath him, only to appear behind Mihawk. He transformed his katana into a pair of gauntlets and swung with a staggering amount of force, intending to shatter Yoru if he chose to block it.


    Mihawk raised a brow at the massive increase in Rosan''s speed but he simply deflected the attack with a wave of his sword and finally went on the offensive.


    The redhead couldn''t leap back in time to avoid the perfectly timed slash to his belly and he frowned at the tear in his silver silk shirt. There was blood pooling down his stomach and it was seeping into his clothing.


    "Why does someone of your level still reside in the East Blue?" Mihawk asked curiously, watching his opponent not even flinch at the somewhat deep injury. He was not aiming to kill the redhead but that was still impressive of him.


    Based on what the World''s Strongest Swordsman could see so far, both the captain and the scout were well out of the league of the East Blue and were probably more then strong enough to sail comfortably in the Grand Line.


    Even Roronoa Zoro was strong enough to enter the Grand Line, he just wouldn''t have as comfortable as a time as the first two.


    "Lack of ambition," Rosan replied softly.


    Everyone watched in disbelief as the injury steamed up, before closing as if he had never been cut. "Like I said, I''m just the humble scout of my captain. Where he goes, I go."


    "W-Who is he?" Someone whispered.


    "W-What is he?" Someone else gawked.


    "He just healed that cut like it was nothing!"


    "He''s keeping up with that hawk-eyed monster!"


    "Keeping up?" Rosan commented with a tilted head, shutting up the ones who said it and making them glance nervously at the other monster. "What exactly are you watching? Are you truly that untalented?"


    Mihawk had barely put any effort into this fight and he was testing Rosan for some reason. This was all just a game to the world''s greatest swordsman and the redhead was its participant today.


    He hadn''t felt this out of his league since fighting Garp.


    "The people out there really are monstrous!" Ram cackled in joy. "If this is what we can expect from the Grand Line, we need to go there now!"


    "I''ve never seen someone toy with Rosan so effortlessly," Mod commented idly. Garp tended to end things quickly when it came to fighting the redhead.


    "Shall we continue?" Rosan asked softly.


    Mihawk''s reply was to shoot a crescent wave of wind towards him that collided with his own wave of wind, giving him enough time to move out of the way of the attack that quickly overpowered his own. He then transformed his katana into a long double bladed curved sword (one side was silver, the other black) with a purple grip in the middle, just in time to collide with the equally beautiful black blade known as Yoru.


    A furious dance took place between the two and it was only Rosan''s strange choice of weapon (and Mihawk holding back tremendously) that kept him in the battle. They repeatedly clashed over and over again, Rosan using his natural dexterity and speed to make the odd blade work wonders for him. He never remained in one place, moving all over at a pace that would leave anyone dizzy.


    Well, almost anyone.


    He was like a whirlwind of destruction compared to Mihawk''s tranquil swings but nothing he did worked. A slash to his abdomen with one side of his blade, followed by a spin and a swipe to his back were both effortlessly blocked and he was slashed across his chest as a result, injury healing up as he moved to continue his assault.


    Against most foes, his sheer flexibility would have been more then enough to overwhelm them but right now, it was giving him nothing but more and more cuts across his body that were swiftly healing up.


    Rosan used his double sword as both an offensive and defensive option to avoid being injured too greatly. It was one of the strongest weapons in his arsenal for not just close combat, but far as well due to just how diversely he used it but its full potential was unlocked when he was flying around for different angles.


    As if proving his point on how diverse it was, Rosan leapt back, held his weapon in an archer stance and swiftly began forming an arrow of energy, firing off a salvo at the swordsman.


    Mihawk held his stance and diverted one of the arrows to the broken down ship that was Kriegs and everyone''s eyes bugged at the massive explosion that took place right afterwards.


    "M-Monster," they gaped at the terrifying redhead. Just who was this guy?!


    It almost looked like a game that Mihawk himself started. With perfect precision, he cut every single destructive arrow that flew his way, not allowing a single one to fly past, or hit him.


    Once he grew bored, he dashed forward again and slashed downward, forcing Rosan to hold the attack back with his weapon. The sheer strength Mihawk possessed meant that he wouldn''t be able to do this for much longer and Rosan utilized Germa''s energy to shoot out a long beam of energy from both sides of his blade that honed in on the swordsman.


    Mihawk glanced in interest at the homing beams but like everything else, he simply leapt back a safe distance and swiftly banished them with a swipe of his sword.


    He didn''t let the redhead rest for long because he quickly dashed back into his guard. Grabbing Ram, Rosan seamlessly transformed her into dual blades, seemingly disconnecting the middle, and their dance began again. Using the advantage of having two weapons now instead of one long one, the redhead was able to go even faster and sparks began flying as they ruthlessly crashed into each other again and again.


    Yoru, despite its size, flew so swiftly through the air that it was taking Rosan everything just to keep up, just barely managing to block each heavy, but fast, swing. Rosan transformed Ram into dual blades for more speed but it was almost like he were still using his previous weapon with how he still couldn''t land a clean hit.


    "You have quite an impressive weapon," Mihawk praised as the two clashed once again. "Most would break clashing with the world''s strongest sword for this long."


    "What a flatterer!" Ram gushed.


    "He''s a complete monster," Mod complimented, eyeing Ram warily. She was pretty sure the psychotic silver haired girl had a crush on Mihawk''s sword and that was somehow the strangest thing about the sentient ring.


    "I personally made Ram to be this impressive," Rosan hummed. "Never once has she been broken."


    Maybe he should not have said that.


    "Is that so?" Mihawk prodded.


    Without any warning, Mihawk increased his strength past what Rosan was expecting and shattered Ram with a diagonal slash that placed a deep cut on his body, drawing out a spurt of blood that began spilling onto the floor and getting gasps of horror out of everyone there, convinced he was going to die.


    "?! I ACTUALLY BROKE?!" Ram gaped in disbelief. That had never happened before. S-She was unbreakable! The amount of force needed to break her... Mihawk was seriously super impressive!


    Agh! She was fangirling so hard right now! She should be furious that she was actually broken, not gushing!


    "That did require a sufficient bit of force," Mihawk complimented. "Against anyone else, I doubt your Ram would be easily broken. You have a praiseworthy weapon."


    "Hmph," Rosan grunted, focusing a bit and watching as both he and Ram began regenerating until they were both in perfect condition again.


    He just got this shirt and it was already getting shredded. How unfortunate, it would take some time to repair all the cut marks.


    "S-Seriously?! HE MANAGED TO HEAL FROM THAT?!" Everyone gawked. Not only could he heal, his weapon could heal too? W-Was this guy even supposed to be human? The Pirate Hunter Zoro was in near death condition and this guy looked perfectly fine right now!


    This was the craziest fight they had ever seen! They weren''t even able to keep up most of the time and watching the two monsters in action, solidified just how out of their depth they were...


    Rosan ignored them, gazing at Mihawk with a tilted head as he prepared to don his Raid Suit.


    Ram was not normal. Ram was the most unique weapon that existed on the planet and that extended to what she was made of. She wasn''t impossible to break, but she was close and this man had done so effortlessly.


    He was strong. Very much so.


    Unbeknownst to them all, his body began idly shuddering at the prospect of fighting such a strong opponent in earnest.


    If the fight had continued anymore, something would have happened to Rosan but unfortunately, all would remain unaware of that because Mihawk exited his stance and sheathed his blade behind him.


    "Both you and your weapon have some of the most impressive healing I''ve ever witnessed," the man pointed out curiously.


    Zoans healed slower then the enigmatic redhead and he wasn''t aware that there was a weapon that could regenerate like this Ram could. He was rather interested in her but that was for another time.


    "I''m a healthy person. Ram inherited that aspect from me as well," Rosan commented and everyone watched as his weapon transformed into the expensive ring that normally lay on his finger. "Have you seen what you wanted to see? I don''t appreciate being toyed with."


    Ah, so his weapon normally took the form of a ring.


    Shanks undersold how interesting this duo was. Mihawk would be keeping an eye on them.


    "Yes, I''ve had my fun for today," Mihawk decided, already walking back to his single passenger ship. "You have plenty of potential. Despite how much I held back, you kept pace with me admirably and I could sense that you have even more in your arsenal but, your lack of ambition is holding you back greatly."


    "No one knows that more than I do," the redhead retorted, glancing down at his positively blood stained shirt. "Thanks for sparring with me, I learned much from this."


    This shirt was going to be hard to clean... He hoped Akemi didn''t get too upset when he brought it to her, he didn''t feel like cleaning it himself.


    "I hope when we encounter each other again, you''ll have regained all that ambition of yours. I''d like to know more about that Ram of yours and see just how strong you can become," the swordsman replied.


    The redhead was much stronger then Shanks made him out to be but then again, it had been 10 years since they saw each other. Before losing it all, Mihawk was very sure the Rosan''s own ambition was something to behold because only losing something great, could affect a person so greatly.


    Even the so called "Anchor" was much stronger then the weakling in the story. From what little Mihawk had seen of Luffy, he was much stronger then what he initially expected.


    Those two would be perfectly fine after entering the Grand Line and Mihawk was curious to see what the Straw Hat pirates could do in the future.


    Luffy, Rosan and Zoro... Yes, Mihawk would be keeping an eye on all of them.


    "Next time you see Shanks, tell him to stop talking about me," Rosan retorted calmly. He didn''t need to be put on anyone else''s radar yet. He was pretty sure Mihawk wasn''t the only incredibly powerful person who knew about him.


    Ace was apart of the Whitebeard Pirates after all. Honestly, if he was going to end up following another captain, he should have just joined their crew. It would have been much more fun and now the strongest man alive knew about him too.


    "Tell Shanks I said hi!" Luffy beamed. He was content to watch those two duke it out since he knew Rosan was made of tough stuff and could take quite the beating if he needed to.


    "HE WANTS TO KNOW MORE ABOUT ME?!" Ram squealed, jumping on her Auntie with the most excited expression to date. YES! THE WORLD''S STRONGEST SWORDSMAN TOTALLY THOUGHT SHE WAS WORTHY! THAT WAS SO AWESOME!


    "You are the ultimate weapon after all," Mod praised, accepting her excitement with a proud smile. Ram being acknowledged by Mihawk was no small thing. She deserved to be happy right now.


    "FUCK YEAH I AM!"


    "Language."


    "YEAH I AM!"


    "Where do you think you''re going?" Krieg called out to the uninterested Mihawk. "Didn''t you come to take the head of the King of East Blue, Don Krieg?"


    "That was my intention. But I''ve had enough fun for now, so I shall take a nap."


    Krieg scowled at being disregarded and said, "You may be done, but I''m not. I''ve had enough of being defeated."


    With that, Krieg revealed his entire arsenal of guns and fired at Mihawk, heedless of his crew telling him how bad of an idea it was.


    "NOW IT''S MY TURN TO HAVE FUN... DIE!"


    "As expected, he never learns a lesson," Mihawk muttered, unsheathing his sword for one last attack.


    A massive wave rocked everything and had the benefit of hiding Mihawk''s body and ship. The Krieg pirates went flying as even more of their ship was destroyed and Luffy launched himself over to the Baratie.


    The retreating ship holding Usopp, Zoro and the bounty hunter duo, rocked back and forth but managed to remain upright.


    When the wave settled, Mihawk had vanished.


    Krieg scoffed at Mihawk''s cowardice and set his sights back on the Baratie. Then he realized something.


    "Hey pops, can I stop doing chores if I chase those guys away?" Luffy asked excitedly.


    "That''s a deal," Zeff said, still reeling a bit at the display from the redhead. It was true that Mihawk had been toying with him, but he had still shown skills far above the East Blue standard. Just like Mihawk (and apparently Straw Hat too!), if he so pleased, all of them would be dead before the day ended.


    "You said you were going to be King of the Pirates? Are you serious?" Zeff asked the grinning rubber boy.


    "Yeah, of course! I''ll definitely be the Pirate King!" Luffy said confidently.


    "What about your red haired crewmate? That one doesn''t seem to want to attract attention but he managed to interest Mihawk of all people for good reason and he''s traveling with you. His expertise with all weapons is a rare sight," the owner of the Baratie praised.


    "Rosan? I''m gonna give him a reason to live!" Luffy exclaimed excitedly, jumping up and down in preparation for the upcoming battle. "I want him to become the strongest because that was his dream so we''ll go on the best adventure ever until he has it again!"


    They listened to his declaration with surprised expressions. That boy didn''t want to live? It fit well with his character and his personality but they never expected his emotionless disposition to go that far.


    Sanji was no longer fooling himself. That man was without a doubt, Reaper, the Angel of Death, and the one who had freed him from his prison all those years ago. Watching him transform his weapon into a similar set of gloves that he used to beat down his brothers, solidified it.


    He wasn''t sure what to think about the one who saved him from his own personal hell. He never believed in the rumors spread about the Shinigami but the man did have a bounty of 500 million. No, the Reaper he knew would have a good reason for having such a high price on his head. The Angel of Death wouldn''t go out of his way to free one random boy if he was a monster like the world made him out to be.


    He would just ask the redhead. After all, he did subtly reveal his identity to him and the curiosity was killing¡ª


    "WHERE''S THAT DAMN REDHEAD?!" Krieg roared in fury, grabbing all their attention. The leader of the pirate armada had at least wanted to get his revenge on one of the targets of his ire, but the redhead was nowhere to be seen and it left him frothing at the mouth.


    "Huh, where is he?" Zeff asked Luffy curiously.


    "I told him to go on!" Luffy replied bluntly. Rosan wasn''t needed here, the rubber boy could handle them by himself.


    "Wait, so he''s not coming back?!" Sanji asked in disbelief. There was no way he found Reaper after all these years and he was gone, just like that.


    "Nope!"


    But¡­ he had yet to cook for the one who had saved him¡­ DAMN IT! WHY HAD HE BEEN IN DENIAL FOR SO LONG?! IF HE JUST ACCEPTED THE OBVIOUS SIGNS IMMEDIATELY HE WOULDN''T BE IN SUCH A DILEMMA!


    "Don''t worry, I''ll accept it sometime during our journey together. There''s no rush."


    How bothersome. How was he going to cook him the best meal now?


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Usopp screamed in realization as their little boat sailed in the direction of the Going Merry.


    "WHERE''S ROSAN?!" The sniper asked in disbelief. With Zoro injured, it was up to the redhead to keep them all safe but he was nowhere to be seen!


    "We saw him get attacked by that Mihawk guy before we sailed out of sight," Johnny replied.


    "What?!" Zoro groaned out in agony. Mihawk attacked Rosan? Why? Rosan claimed that he wasn''t a swordsman and knowing him, he would go out of his way to avoid unnecessary battles like going up against the World''s Strongest Swordsman.


    Just what did he miss?


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Nami looked off to the horizon with a forlorn expression on her features, tears welling up in her eyes.


    "What a bunch of swell guys," the navigator sighed gently at her former crewmates. "If we meet again, I hope they''ll let me sail with them¡­"


    She had betrayed them. Taken their ship and ran off with it. It wouldn''t surprise her if they were absolutely furious with her and sought to get their revenge. She would definitely deserve it for double crossing them when they had been nothing but pleasant to her.


    But, she would still miss them dearly. She desperately hoped that when this was all over, they''d all let her back on board.


    Luffy, Zoro, Usopp¡­ even Rosan! They bickered often but it was all in good faith and there wasn''t actually any animosity between the two. In fact, she found herself looking forward to the battle of words between them! The redhead forced her to think which the other members severely lacked and everything they did distracted her from her inevitable fate.


    Tears began pouring from her eyes at the memories of them all. "I hope we meet again!" she sobbed out.


    Once she was free, it would all be over and she could finally make her own decisions. Once that happened, she dearly hoped she''d find the crew again. If by some miracle she did then well...


    Nami wiped her tears and smiled softly at the tiny blue bird that just landed on her shoulder. It trilled quietly and she softly stroked its feathers. It seemed to have sensed her distress and was now offering itself up.


    What a nice bird. It was rather pretty too.


    After fulfilling her mission with Arlong, Nami would find the straw hats and apologize for what she did. Luffy would forgive her, Zoro would be wary of her, she wasn''t sure how Usopp would react and Rosan would ¡ª


    Rosan would¡­


    Rosan would...


    Rosan would...


    ...


    ...


    Nami froze as she looked at little blue jay staring directly at her. This close, the navigator could see the glimmer of intelligence in the animal''s eyes and it filled her with a strong sense of foreboding that made her heart squeeze until she felt like she couldn''t breathe.


    "If we''re linked by fate, we''ll meet again."


    Nami went white as a sheet at that deep voice that normally annoyed her. Right now, it did nothing but fill her with a newfound terror that made her begin to panic internally.


    "Didn''t I tell you when we met at Orange Town? I don''t believe in fate, Nami."


    Portgas D. Rosan stared down at Nami with a tilted head on the upper railing of the ship. A pair of black reptilian wings (that had red streaks), lay dormant on his back and gave her no illusion of what allowed him to somehow catch up to her.


    He vanished from his spot and appeared right in front of the terrified navigator. The redhead towered over her and bent over slightly to look her directly in her face, showing off those dual eyes of his that were so fascinating to look at.


    That handsome face did nothing for her nerves and she began to shake terribly at that lifeless expression of his that didn''t even regard her as human right now.


    He tutted softly. "If I did believe in fate, I''d be a lot more angry¡­"


    His near invisible pupils were set into slits right now and combined with the red and purple of his eyes, it was one of the scariest things she had seen to date. Nami had never seen his pupils look like that and she didn''t even know he could grow wings.


    She remembered how brutal he was to his opponents, how merciless he had been, crushing them like they were nothing but trash, and how he had said he''d only ever do that to them, if they gave him a reason to with the most unhinged smile on his face ever.


    Looking into those dimly glowing eyes, the navigator realized she might have just given him one.


    "...And you''d be a lot more dead."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Bonus!


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    The triplets are 20


    Maro is 19


    Ace is 16


    Luffy is 13


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Hey, Master, who was your first kiss?" Maro asked curiously, propping her head up to ask that question.


    "Hm?" Rosan popped one eye open at that to regard her.


    It was currently the three brothers and the rulers of Celadon lounging about in the boys base after a day of sparring and eating a meal.


    "Why do you want to know?" The computer man asked, closing his eyes again as Luffy slept haphazardly on his body.


    Maro hummed, stroking a curious Angel''s hair idly. "Well, I just realized that you were my first kiss and it got me curious on who managed to convince you to kiss them first!"


    Her wife blinked in confusion, shooting up at that. "WAIT. YOU AND MASTER KISSED? WHY AM I JUST NOW LEARNING THIS?!"


    Ace blinked at that as well. As far as he knew, Angel and Maro had been dating for as long as he knew them.


    Rosan nodded in confirmation. "Yes, I gave Maro her first kiss."


    The beautiful Queen laughed nervously. "I guess I never did mention that huh?"


    They were all rather interested in hearing about it.


    Rosan and Maro huh? They could see it.


    Demon actually thought Maro and Master would have gotten together at one point, up until he realized that she was more into girls and stared at Angel alot.


    Angel could see it too judging by how hard she was holding her wife and glaring at her older brother. "What''s the story behind this? I demand answers!" She barked.


    Rosan hummed, unbothered by her hostility. "You can relax. This was when Maro was 12 and she wanted to see something that''s all."


    Demon perked a brow. "See something?"


    The Dokkaebi nodded rapidly. "Yeah it went something like this!"


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Flashback


    "You want me to kiss you? Why? Don''t you like Angel?" 13 year old Rosan asked calmly, looking at his student (she was a little taller then him currently).


    Maro nodded at his question. "Yeah... at least I think I do! But I know for sure that I like you but it''s a different way then Angel''s and I can''t tell which is which so I wanted to kiss you to see if I like-like you or if I like-like Angel."


    Ah, right. Maro had no clue about anything remotely romantic. She was attracted to people solely because she was a natural pervert.


    "H-Hey!" The bluenette protested with a look of indignation. He was right but still! She just appreciated beauty and all the residents of the White Rose, were beauty!


    "Okay that''s fine, I''ll help you then," Rosan nodded.


    "You will?!" Maro gaped. Was it really that easy? Wow, if she knew this then she would have done this ages ago before it was for a serious reason!


    "Shameless fucking perv," Ram growled.


    "Language," Mod admonished, smiling in amusement at what was going on.


    "You asked me so I see no reason why I should say no," Rosan shrugged, closing the distance between the two and promptly locking his lips onto the shellshocked Dokkaebi.


    D-Did he really just do that? Seriously?! What was wrong with this guy! At least give her some time to prepare... This was her hot as hell Master after all!


    Maro gaped and blushed scarlet at how forward her Master was, blinking in a daze as she kissed her for a moment and then broke it.


    "Well?" Rosan asked softly, pulling back and taking in her expression.


    Despite the blush, Maro looked much the same and seemed even confused.


    "You know, normally I''d be over the moon that you actually kissed me but I''m only really happy. Besides the fact that you''re insane forwardness caught me off guard... I dunno I just sorta expected to feel more," Maro mused, cupping her chin in contemplation.


    Her attraction to Rosan was probably the most obvious thing on the planet because Maro made no attempt to hide it. She also knew that she loved him dearly but perhaps it wasn''t the way she thought it was?


    "Now that I''ve kissed you, can you imagine Angel in my position?" Rosan questioned and the moment he asked, Maro''s face turned crimson.


    "D-Don''t put such thoughts in my head!" She swooned. Oh man, if Angel kissed her like that... Maro might just do everything the redhead wanted without a single complaint.


    Ah, Angel~ She seriously needed to confess to her one of these days before someone else managed to steal her attention... She thanked the stars that the girl was so hostile to everyone.


    "Well then now we know that you definitely like Angel," her teacher hummed.


    "Honestly, I feel like you only did this to get a free kiss from Father," Ram scowled.


    Maro spluttered at that. "H-Hey! I''m not that big of a pervert! I''ve never felt these things before so I just wanted to be sure."


    "Rosan was much the same though... He didn''t ask me to kiss him to be sure though," Mod laughed.


    Maro thought Rosan missed out by not doing that. She would gladly take up the chance to kiss Mod-chan but maybe that was just her.


    Yeah, no way. She was sure 99% of the human population would want a piece of the Devil Fruit.


    "Sooooo, wanna keep practicing?" Maro asked with an unsavory gleam in her eyes.


    Hey, he was compliant! Might as well cash in!


    Rosan tilted his head. "Very well, I don''t mind¡ª"


    "No," Ram denied with a scowl.


    The bluenette shrugged, not bothered by it.


    Couldn''t hurt to try.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Flashback End


    "Oh so you kissed because you couldn''t tell who you were romantically interested in?" Demon questioned.


    "And even after kissing Master you chose me?" Angel gaped, blushing rosily with an unsavory gleam in her eye.


    She didn''t think anyone would ever pick her over Master! She was merely a clone of him after all! But her awesome, gorgeous wife actually kissed him and still chose her!


    Oh she was going to so get rewarded for that!


    Maro beamed at that.


    "Now what about you, Master? Who was your first kiss?!" The Queen prodded.


    "Isn''t it Meiko?" Angel raised a brow. That was the most obvious choice considering they were lovers and Rosan had been super embarrassed when she first kissed him on the lips.


    Demon nodded in agreement. Master getting kissed by Meiko was one of the funniest days ever (right next to when he transformed into a girl) because of how embarrassed he had been.


    Rosan surprisingly shook his head no. "My first kiss was Mod-chan but she doesn''t count so it was Robin."


    "Oh you mean that day..." Mod blushed in embarrassment, remembering that time.


    They blinked dumbly at that.


    "Huh?" Everyone said dumbly.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Flashback


    "Robin-neeeeeeeeee!" 7 year old Rosan yelled excitedly. "There''s something I just learned that I need to do with you!"


    11 year old Robin glanced up from the book she was reading and regarded the charging redhead warily. At the speed he was running at, he was surely going to crash into her but these days he was careful enough not to make it painful.


    Aka, they now had carpet in the interior of the ship.


    "What is it, Rosan¡ª"


    The redhead promptly tackled her out of her comfy seat with an excited squeal and Robin let out a tiny oomph as the much smaller boy crashed into her with a hug.


    But that was not all.


    Robin''s eyes widened in pure confusion as Rosan excitedly locked lips with her without an ounce of prompting. He hummed in excitement and as the kiss dragged on, Robin''s face turned progressively more and more red, the implications of what he was doing catching up very quickly with her.


    It was then that she realized that Rosan could talk for years if he wanted to. He had an incredibly strong set of lungs and could keep this going for a long time.


    Unfortunately, she was too shocked to do anything about it.


    "R-Rosan! Just because I accepted it without complaint doesn''t mean you can do it to anyone," a flustered Mod said.


    The redhead blinked at that and reluctantly broke the kiss, hoisting a stunned, crimson faced, Robin to her feet.


    "Really?" Rosan asked in confusion, scratching his head. "But when I asked what a kiss was you said, I do it when I really love someone! Then I kissed you for a realllllly long time, Mod-chan and now I kissed Robin-nee for a really long time because I love you both a lot!"


    Robin flushed even deeper, refusing to make eye contact with the confused boy and making the redhead grow worried.


    "I-I... you have to ask them first Rosan and when I meant someone you really love... I-I meant someone you want to like, marry and have kids with!" Mod panicked.


    The Devil Child sweatdropped at Mod, embarrassment momentarily forgotten due to her words.


    Wasn''t that a bit of an extreme response to tell someone like Rosan? The logical Devil Fruit was panicking very hard right now from also being smooched by Rosan and it made Robin feel much better that she wasn''t the only one floored by the little menace''s actions.


    Rosan''s eyes bugged as his jaw dropped. "W-W-W-WHAAAAATTTT?!" He screeched, sweating nervously as tears formed in his eyes. He looked towards Robin and immediately crashed into her, beginning to sob loudly.


    "Y-YOU DIDN''T TELL ME YOU TWO WOULD GET PREGNANT?! P-PLEASE DON''T DIE! I''LL NEVER FORGIVE YOU TWO IF YOU DIE!" The boy cried, soaking Robin''s shirt with his genuine tears, looking up at her so helplessly, she forgot that she was about to reprimand him.


    "O-Oh dear," Mod said, holding her red face in exasperation. She was so embarrassed at being kissed so abruptly on the lips that she didn''t think of what she said to Rosan in the moment. Of course the eccentric redhead was going to jump to the worst conclusion off of her words.


    Robin never expected her first kiss to be taken like that but at least it was by Rosan... and he was remorseful?


    It could have been worse...?


    "It''s okay Rosan," she assured, face still burning. "I won''t get pregnant off of a kiss! Mod-chan didn''t explain everything in detail but I''m fine," she finished, grabbing the panicking boy and steadying him.


    Rosan blinked. "Really?" He asked, voice full of relief. "So you guys won''t get pregnant if I kiss you?"


    "No, we won''t," Mod replied, sighing at her mistake. She thought Rosan would stop at complimenting her appearance but the moment she told him about the specifics of a kiss, he had happily jumped on her and proceeded to practice what he learned.


    The shock and embarrassment had stopped her from telling him that he couldn''t just do that whenever he wanted and he summarily charged Robin next and now they were here with her little boy thinking you could get pregnant off of a kiss.


    Looking at her genius idiot, Mod realized she was not looking forward to the day she had to explain the birds and the bees.


    "You should probably not kiss a person without their permission though... Mod-chan and I are just accepting of everything you do," Robin sighed in defeat.


    "So it''s not good if a person kisses me without my permission... but if I have permission I can kiss them?" Rosan asked, getting a nod out of the two.


    "That means I can kiss you guys whenever I want! Yes!" He cheered, jumping around ecstatically and tackling Robin to the floor again.


    "W-Wait! Rosan I didn''t¡ª" Robin''s brain quickly shut off as Rosan resumed where he left off with a pleased hum.


    "I-I don''t even know where he got the curiosity to learn about kisses from," Mod moaned in misery, watching him pepper his best friend. Wasn''t he mortified to learn about Shizuka all those years ago? Why did he suddenly want to kiss them so badly!


    Robin had gone nearly comatose by now, not used whatsoever by such physical affection and Mod wanted to save her, but Rosan would just go after her next and she was in the same boat as the Devil Child.


    At least she had a crush on him? Yes, it wasn''t even Mod sacrificing her! She was giving her daughter what she wanted!


    "This is fun!" Rosan beamed obliviously.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Flashback End


    They looked at the redhead with dropped jaws, not believing his tale until remembering how much of a menace he was when he was younger.


    "You sounded like the most adorable terror ever, Master," Maro finished. He really got to kiss Mod-chan for free?! The world just wasn''t fair!


    "The more I hear about your journey with Robin, the more bad I feel for her," Ace snorted. That girl was too intelligent to be stuck with his carefree older brother.


    "Y-You thought she was gonna get pregnant off of a kiss?" Angel cackled, holding her stomach and rolling on the floor at that.


    "I can''t believe your first official kiss was Master Mod," Demon said with a shake of his head.


    "...It was unexpected," an embarrassed Mod replied, holding her head at the memory. She really wasn''t expecting Rosan to just start throwing out kisses so casually but he had been a menace all the way up until he turned 8 and neither her or Robin were safe.


    "I was told to kiss people that I love without any extra details," Rosan replied calmly, closing both his eyes again. "I love Mod-chan so I kissed her. I love Robin so I kissed her. If you were all there too, I''d have kissed each one of you as well."


    They blinked at his bluntness before every single person, barring a dozing Luffy, blushed for various reasons.


    Ugh, Rosan was so embarrassing sometimes but it was super endearing.


    "Don''t worry, Father!" Ram chirped happily. "I will accept any and all kisses from you as your amazing daughter!"


    "Ditto," Maro said, yelping as Angel punched her on the skull.


    "Don''t give him any ideas," Ace groaned in annoyance. "He''s already super annoying with his possessive streak, we don''t need him to start marking us now."


    They all nodded sagely. Their oldest brother was one of the most selfish people around and would do whatever it took for them to understand that they were his.


    "That''s not a bad idea," Rosan remarked idly. He didn''t mind kissing them all so that they understood.


    "I accept it!" Ram beamed.


    "L-Let''s not," Mod stammered. She did not think she could handle such physical affection again.


    "Rejected," everyone else said (Maro reluctantly joined after getting glared at).


    The second oldest there simply shrugged his shoulders. "Fine. Not like it will change anything. You all already know your mine."


    "NO WE''RE NOT!" Ace roared, tackling his older brother and beginning a tussle that Luffy immediately joined, waking up at hearing being collateral of the two brothers fighting.


    "BRAWL!" Maro cheered, jumping into the pile to get her fair share of action.


    "At least take it outside! I don''t wanna have to repair this base because of your stupidity!" Angel scowled, urging them to leave.


    "GET EM FATHER!"


    "They''re all so stupid," Mod sighed forlornly. "At least you''re normal, Demon. Please never allow them to shatter your sanity."


    Demon smiled at the Devil Fruit''s words. "I try my best every day, Master Mod. But, I''m curious... Why was Master so embarrassed when Meiko kissed him?"


    The Devil Fruit held her head. "Besides the fact that Rosan is terrible at receiving a taste of his own medicine and was unused to being on the receiving end of such physical affection, I told him that if a girl kisses him without his permission, he''ll die."


    The doctor had a massive sweatdrop at that reveal. "W-Why would you tell him that?"


    "T-To protect his chastity! After a firm glare from Robin, I quickly took it back b-but he fully believed me when I said it at first and I think a part of him never forgot the slight possibility," Mod said, visibly embarrassed.


    "Master Mod... you''re just as messed up as them," Demon sighed, holding his head at her actions.


    "I-I don''t wanna hear it! You''d never understand a mother''s plight!" She whined.


    Demon wasn''t sure he wanted to but he wouldn''t say that out loud because of his undying respect for Mod.

 The Price of Freedom

    Rosan with emotions, had plenty of things that he could admit he childishly disliked. Vegetables, zombies (he finally came to terms with them not being real at around 15), being ignored... The amount of things he didn''t like were numerous.


    His time on Daybreak Island, only increased the amount of things he hated and turned those dislikes into something not so childish anymore.


    He of course hated the World Government for everything that they had done to him and the people he loved. They had offended him too much for that to ever dissipate and he was sure when he regained his emotions, it would be stronger than ever and they would suffer as a result.


    He could not stand being restrained in any capacity. If you tied the redhead up or reminded him of the time he was a prisoner in any sort of capacity, he''d go feral and become uncontrollable.


    He did not like needles or being touched very much. Meiko herself had personally done her best to get rid of these fears and it worked wonders for the redhead with trust issues. It was one of the reasons he had been so fond of hugging, it actively helped him recognize that some people were not a threat to his safety.


    He was sure he''d despise the virus because they went out of their way to turn him against one of the most important people in his life. Mod may have wanted to talk to them, but Rosan wouldn''t even bat an eye if he needed to destroy them. It would be incredibly difficult for his Devil Fruit to get them to coexist but she didn''t seem to understand that and he was in no rush to explain it to her until the day came.


    But the one thing Rosan truly hated, were traitors because they signified everything that the redhead was against.


    Traitors were liars and the honest boy didn''t like being lied to. They said one thing and then did the other and they did it without regard of how you felt. They didn''t care how much they hurt you in the process. They didn''t care that they tricked you into forging a bond with them and stamped on that trust.


    They just cared about themselves.


    For someone like Rosan, who valued his loved ones above all else, of course traitors would be the thing that he were most vulnerable to. His overly emotional heart, couldn''t handle the sting of betrayal because he always put his wholehearted trust into the people that he loved.


    That''s why he wrongly blamed Robin... His ire had been directed towards the fact that one of his two favorite people on the planet broke their promise and it broke him as a result.


    Of course, none of that mattered now because of his current disposition and he didn''t truly hate anything at the moment.


    That was probably one of many reasons he hadn''t killed Nami on the spot. One of the others, was that people who wronged him didn''t get to die fast.


    As the terrified navigator stared into his, at the moment, draconic slits, Rosan tilted his head in contemplation.


    She was quivering right now and it was obvious that she was just crying. It seemed like the girl was desperately trying to find a way out of this, soon to be, terrible situation.


    What a silly thing to do. No one had ever escaped him.


    "I guess it''s a good thing I didn''t tell you about my Devil Fruit, right?" Rosan hummed quietly, never taking his eyes off of her.


    Nami flinched back at his statement and finally found her words.


    "R-Rosan!" She squeaked out, looking behind her and seeing the never ending ocean. Unless she wanted to take her chances with the sea (which might not actually be a bad idea considering Rosan couldn''t swim), there was no way she was getting away from the redhead who she just discovered could fly.


    "Nami," he replied curtly, nodding his head as greeting. "You were crying recently. Why?" The redhead asked with a tilted head.


    She averted her gaze from those disturbing eyes and said, "T-That''s none of your business."


    During their time together, the navigator got used to staring into them, but that was before she betrayed the crew. Right now, those empty eyes didn''t hold any of the familiarity she had grown fond of.


    "That''s fair enough. You have your secrets," the redhead replied understandingly.


    Before the orange haired woman could even blink, a warm hand wrapped itself firmly around her neck and hoisted her up effortlessly until she was forcefully put face to face with that dimly glowing gaze. She tried to inhale only to go pale at realizing she was quickly losing the ability to breathe.


    "I''m not sure you fully comprehend the situation we''re in right now," Rosan whispered gently to the terrified navigator, refusing to loosen his grip. "You betrayed us and unlike Luffy, I have much lower tolerance for people who tried to earn my trust, only to betray me later."


    Those unique irises stared straight into her brown ones without a hint of feeling in them and Nami let out a strangled yelp as she continued clawing at his hands.


    "I like you Nami. I thought we had a pretty nice relationship but we are not close enough where I''d feel even remotely bad about eliminating you here," the bronze man answered truthfully, tightening his grip ever so slightly to emphasize the point he was making and making her go completely white. "Those tears of yours, are one of the few things saving you right now so tell me, for what reason are you crying, alone on this ship?"


    He wouldn''t kill her regardless but she didn''t need to know that. Luffy was dead set on making her their navigator and even Rosan could see the immense value in her skills.


    His brother would also not forgive him if he did kill her.


    But if she proved to be too difficult, the redhead would just overhaul her minutely so that his rubber captain (who was very perceptive) wouldn''t notice the changes.


    The redhead placed her down and waited patiently for her to catch her breath.


    Nami coughed a bit and looked at the tall man staring down at her. His head was tilted slightly and he was allowing his little faithful bird to rub it''s cheek against his own, ignoring everything around him in favor of garnering affection from his creator. The sight would honestly be pretty adorable, if not for the fact that Rosan was utterly terrifying right now.


    But... He was right to be doing this so she couldn''t fault him¡­ She did betray them and steal the ship that Rosan had put a lot of effort into securing for the crew. The fact that he was allowing her to explain herself, when she had witnessed how merciless he could be, was a small testament to the bond that the two had been forming while traveling.


    Even if they argued nonstop, the two both enjoyed it and she ruthlessly stomped on it by leaving without a second thought.


    She closed her eyes in resignation. "I was crying because I betrayed you guys," the navigator admitted sadly.


    Rosan paused at that.


    Oh...?


    "I¡­ I really liked traveling with you all and I didn''t want to leave but I have to¡­ When I finished my business, I was hoping to run into you guys, explain myself and travel together again," she informed him, glancing down at the floor.


    She missed the redhead scrutinizing gaze as he digested her words.


    "She''s telling the truth. What will you do now?" Mod mused.


    "I don''t know. I never thought of this as a possibility."


    "That''s because you never want to see the good in people."


    "¡­"


    She was right but should she really be the one talking to him about trusting people? After all, even she held vital information from him and she was the person he was supposed to trust most in the world.


    "What caused you to betray us if you didn''t want to?" Rosan asked softly and his threatening aura vanished. His slits transformed back into their tiny pupils and he guided the relieved orange haired girl to the kitchen to give her a glass of water.


    Nami gratefully accepted the cup and drank it down while thinking of how to best explain it to the redhead. She was glad that he was past the murdering her stage but she was still hesitant to inform him of what exactly her business was.


    "Does it have something to do with Arlong?"


    That sudden question, caused Nami to choke on her drink. The redhead pat her back as she began coughing erratically and she regarded the redhead with disbelief.


    "H-How long have you been watching me?" She asked hesitantly. That was... she never even made mention of Arlong. How... How did he know?


    "Since the moment you grabbed his bounty poster," the redhead replied immediately. "I was keeping an eye on you these past few days," he admitted.


    "After my bird nearly got swept away by the tide of people, I had him rest on the ship and activated it when I heard what you did. Even if I couldn''t reach you, we would have found you regardless because he was watching you the whole time."


    More and more, Nami was beginning to realize, just how dangerous Rosan was and just how resourceful he could be. Not only that, he was intelligent with it too. He didn''t reveal all his cards to them and that''s why she felt confident in being able to get away from them.


    If she knew he could fly (his teleportation was not on the Going Merry, it was apparently on Luffy), there was no way she''d have entertained the notion of taking the ship and leaving because he''d always be able to catch up.


    But by not informing her of what he was capable of, she had fallen right into a trap¡­


    She wondered just how capable the redhead was. What else was he hiding? What else could he do?


    "I''m apart of Arlong''s crew," Nami admitted bitterly. "He¡­ He came to my village eight years ago and took over. He kidnapped me after seeing how well I could draw maps and we struck up a deal¡­ If I could give him 100 million, I''d be able to buy the village back and he''d leave."


    "This Arlong¡­" Rosan began softly. "...He took something important from you, right?"


    Nami flinched at his observation, eyes wavering a bit, and he reassured her that she didn''t have to tell him.


    The redhead digested what she told him for a moment and then nodded his head. "So you''ve been a slave to Arlong since you were 10¡­"


    Arlong had shown up to the East Blue long after he had retired Reaper. Rosan was about 16 when it happened but after glancing at the man''s bounty poster, he did a bit of research using Maro and her connection to the Government.


    Apparently, after the Fishman Warlord Jimbe acquired his position, he asked for a number of his allies to be pardoned from prison and among them was Arlong.


    Why he would do that? Rosan didn''t have a clue but Arlong made the decision to not even bother with the Grand Line and instead went for the weakest of the blue seas. It appeared that poor Nami here was a victim of that.


    A fishman subjugating humans¡­ Rosan couldn''t say he was too surprised. They had been heavily prejudiced for a long time now and plenty of them were enslaved even at this moment. For one to want revenge... was anyone really expecting otherwise?


    He had seen many things over the years, an outcome like this was only natural. You couldn''t treat something with nonstop disdain and expect them to return it with peace.


    "It must have been hard. I can''t say I know what you''ve gone through fully, but I know what it''s like to be enslaved to another person so I''m sorry for reacting the way I did," he apologized quietly.


    Nami froze for two reasons. For one, Rosan actually apologized to her. She had thought he would have been a lot more unreasonable, which would have been justified, considering she betrayed them all but here he was, letting her explain herself and even apologizing as a result of her explanation.


    As for the second¡­


    "You were enslaved to someone?" She asked quietly, half expecting him to not answer such a personal question.


    To her surprise, he did.


    "Yes, when I was 8 going onto 9," he replied, much to her shock and horror. "He wanted me for my potential as a weapon and I was tortured for six months as a result, due to my rebellious nature and refusal to submit to him."


    "So this is how you plan on showing your apologetic? By sharing information?"


    "I''m not very good at showing sincerity."


    Nami felt her heart drop at his admittance and looked at the redhead with a sympathetic gaze. "For s-six months? You were tortured for six months¡­?"


    At such a young age, he was tortured every day for six... Nami wanted to throw up at the thought. Who could be so heartless?


    He nodded. "It was a difficult time for me. I was rather naive and innocent before that moment but that moment in my life woke me up."


    The navigator found herself nodding sympathetically at his words, gazing at that lifeless gaze of his and slightly understanding why he was like this. "How did you get free?"


    "I fell into his good graces and lied about what my Devil Fruit was. After lulling them into a false sense of security, I struck and killed everyone on that island."


    That was a good day. As a child, Rosan would smile whenever he thought about the terror on Doc''s face at his actions. The catatonic expression as he immediately crumbled under not even a quarter of what Rosan had been dealt at his own hands.


    That didn''t stop him though, he made sure to thoroughly teach Doc about the monster he created.


    Nami took a step back in surprise at his blunt declaration, paling at the reveal. "You¡­ You killed everyone? At only 9?" She whispered in horror.


    When he was kid? T-That was insane... How?


    "That''s right. They deserved it for treating me like some toy to do what they please. Months of being treated like a plaything¡­ that man did whatever he wanted with my body. He didn''t treat me like a human so I showed him that he was right."


    Her eyes softened at his words and she felt a deeper kinship forming with the secretive redhead. They both went through their fair share of hell it looked like.


    "You''re not the monster he thinks you are, Rosan. Don''t let some bastard tell you that," Nami assured, resting a hand on his shoulder.


    The redhead gazed at her with a tilted head, eyes momentarily shifting to her hand. "I''m certainly a monster but maybe you''re right in that I''m different from what he thinks."


    "That doesn''t change that I had the power of monster to free myself but you don''t have that power," the redhead said softly. "Don''t worry, Luffy or I can deal with the fishman and you can properly join our crew."


    Nami''s eyes widened in horror and she felt her heart drop. "W-What?! N-No! You guys can''t come here! J-Just let me finish paying the rest of the money and then I''ll be free of him! We can travel together again afterwards!"


    "Or, we could just get rid of him. This seems like a more surefire and faster way, don''t you think?" Rosan countered calmly.


    "You''ll all die! It''s an entire crew of fishman." Nami urged Rosan to reconsider. "I don''t want you guys to lose your lives because of me! Just¡­ Just let me handle this! I only need a couple million more¡­"


    Due to the fact that Rosan had reimbursed her from the 5 million Luffy left at Orange Town, it would take her no time at all to get the rest of the funds. All she needed was two million more beri and she''d be free.


    Rosan hummed. "I''m coming with you then. Luffy is going to seek you out one way or the other. He''s already set on you becoming his navigator and I agree with the sentiment."


    He could have just given her the rest of the money but that would achieve nothing and he wanted Arlong defeated anyways.


    Nami opened her mouth to protest, but closed it in defeat. At least they wanted her back... but they really couldn''t come here! They''d die and she didn''t want that!


    "Do you have a way to hide yourself and them when we dock? I''ll let you stay with my sister until I figure something out..."


    The redhead nodded at her inquiry. "I have my ways."


    "Good. And please, don''t cause a scene while your there," the orange haired woman pleaded.


    "I''m not Luffy. I don''t seek trouble for fun¡­ anymore."


    Nami held her head and sighed deeply. "Sometimes, I think you and Luffy are just as bad as each other."


    Rosan disagreed.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Luffy glanced at the invading pirates with an eager grin on his face and he began idly stretching, attracting the attention of the chefs surrounding him.


    "You sure you don''t need that redhead crewmate of yours?" Zeff asked gruffly. With him around, this would be a helluva lot easier. He hadn''t been able to phase Mihawk but his showing was still far above what anyone else here could do.


    At some point, they couldn''t even see the two moving!


    Having him help would end the Krieg''s invasion long before it could even start.


    "Nope! He probably wouldn''t help anyways!" Luffy laughed cheerfully and they face planted at his honesty. "Rosan only fights when he feels like it! Everyone here is too weak and boring for him."


    Zeff let out a short laugh. "That boy probably needs a good fight to motivate him and he won''t find it here."


    Sanji could see why Rosan thought that. He was Reaper after all and the Shinigami had hunted all manner of people over the years¡­ Don Krieg and his entire armada would just be another day in the office for him...


    He no doubt would have been useful in this battle, but the blonde had grown strong over the years, he didn''t need to rely on the man anymore and he''d show it here.


    The chef refused to admit that it was his admiration for Reaper that motivated him to start fighting and training in the first place.


    "Go to the operation room and open up the fins," Sanji ordered one of the chefs.


    "But¡­ that''ll give the enemies a foothold!" He gaped in disbelief.


    "That''s fine, we can''t let the inside of the restaurant become a battlefield or this old geezer will start complaining," the chef smirked.


    "Did you say something, you damn brat?" Zeff grunted.


    "Yeah, I said you''d scream like a baby," Sanji retorted.


    The roaring of the enemy pirate crew caught their attention and Luffy began jumping in excitement.


    That sparring session between Rosan and Mihawk got him pumped! He needed to spar with his brother when they met up again but for now, this crew would do to work off some steam!


    Grabbing onto the railing and pulling himself back, the rubber captain excitedly yelled out, "Gomu Gomu no Rocket," and soared towards the pirate crew.


    "HE''S FLYING TOWARDS US!" Someone panicked but they were far too slow.


    As Luffy soared through the air, he kicked out his legs in a sweeping motion and bowled over the screaming fodder.


    "Gomu Gomu no Whip!"


    Everyone caught by the attack, went flying into the water and the rubber boy grabbed the mast of Krieg''s fallen ship so he wouldn''t join them. Luffy laughed at the look of shock on the captain''s face and childishly stuck his tongue out.


    "YEAH, THAT CHORE BOY IS PRETTY GOOD!" One of the chefs cheered and the rest soon followed up.


    "The Grand Line''s crawling with guys like that, eh?" Sanji muttered, sweating a bit. It seems like Reaper had chosen quite the capable person to be his captain. That was good to know.


    Not that he had any reason to be worried...


    "Watch carefully how he fights, Sanji," Zeff instructed the surprised chef. "Don''t take your eyes off of him until the end of the battle."


    "Attacking the restaurant that fed you¡­ Ungrateful jerk, I''ll knock you to the moon!" Luffy declared, pounding his fists together as he expertly balanced himself on the broken down mast.


    Krieg''s response was to laugh. "HAHAHA! You plan on fighting near the water with little foothold? I know that you Devil Fruit users sink like stones in the sea, Anchor boy," he said, smiling in a superior manner.


    "Yeah, but I can still stretch!" He beamed. He had plenty of tools in his arsenal that would keep him out of the water!


    Their conversation halted at the sudden noise coming from the Baratie and Luffy watched in awe as a battlefield formed from the fins of the seafaring restaurant.


    At the same time, the fish head of the ship detached itself from the Baratie, and revealed cannons hiding inside of it''s mouth. Piloting the paddleboat, were Patty and Carne.


    "What the hell is that?" Krieg muttered.


    "THAT''S SO COOL!" Luffy screamed in open mouthed awe. He wanted one!


    The fish shaped paddleboat (Sabagashira I) began firing indiscriminately at the pirates and they were forced to flee lest they get hit by it.


    Patty and Carne then turned their attention onto Don Krieg and with a battle cry, they fired a point blank shot at the leader of the pirate armada.


    Their cheering was cut short, as the momentum of the Sabagashira was suddenly halted and the two manning it looked on in confusion.


    The duo''s eyes bugged at the sight of Don Krieg stopping the paddleboat with just his single hand.


    "I am Don Krieg, ruler of the world''s seas!" The captain declared gravely.


    "I told you that''s gonna be me!" Luffy said, annoyance clear on his features. He was really gonna have to teach this guy a lesson!


    With a roar, Krieg hoisted the boat up and launched it towards the Baratie.


    "I DON''T HAVE TIME FOR YOUR GAMES!"


    The chefs screamed in terror at the sheer power that Krieg possessed and felt their hope dampen at the approaching missile.


    "IT''S GONNA DESTROY THE RESTAURANT!"


    "MOVE OUTTA THE WAY!"


    "Those two had a lotta heart." Sanji puffed out smoke and regarded the flying ship coolly. Him and Zeff were the only chefs unfazed by the incoming missile and he shrugged at his coworkers.


    The sous chef tensed his muscles and leapt up to reach the paddleboat before redirecting its course with a single kick, sending it flying in the opposite direction.


    "With only one kick?!" Krieg gaped in disbelief at the display of strength from the mere chef.


    "He''s pretty good!" Luffy smiled. His chef was becoming even more impressive the longer he watched him!


    "YOU SON OF A BITCH, SANJI!" Patty roared in fury.


    "ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL US?!" Carne asked in equal fervor.


    "Yeah..." Sanji replied bluntly.


    They collapsed at that.


    "You really think you''ve got time to be cracking jokes?" A pirate from Krieg''s crew asked in amusement, discarding a body of one of the chefs there.


    The Krieg Pirates had made short work of the cooks there and they cockily stared at the workers.


    "We''re the crew of the great pirate Captain Krieg, don''t think we''re gonna lose to some damn cooks!"


    "Be some good little cooks and find some land restaurant to cook on!"


    The pirates jeered and grinned cockily.


    Patty and Carne watched their coworkers get beat up with bugged eyes, not believing their eyes.


    "Why are you guys losing so easily?!" Carne gaped.


    "You call yourselves fighting cooks?!" Patty questioned in disbelief before the two rushed into battle.


    Luffy let out an impressed whistle at the sight of the duo effortlessly dispatching the pirates that had made it onto the platform but he tilted his at watching them both get taken out by a¡­


    What was that?!


    He was a towering man, with an ensemble that included two large iron plates covering his front and backside, as well as two small plates with large pearls embedded in them.


    "Wow, he looks so stupid!" Luffy whistled. The stupid man (Pearl was his name) was lucky his brother wasn''t here right now, Rosan was really rude!


    If Rosan was there, he would have shot the rubber boy a raised brow at the fact that he didn''t seem to include himself.


    (They were both incredibly ignorant at their own antics, not realizing how similar they were and causing everyone else a headache as a result)


    A pirate walked over to Patty and tried to steal the beaten man''s knife, only to receive a hellacious kick to the face for his efforts. The poor man went flying until he collided with three other pirates and they all collapsed in a heap from the force of smashing into Pearl''s shielded body.


    "A kitchen knife is a chef''s soul," Sanji glared darkly at the pirates. "Don''t you dare put your amateurish hands on it again, shitty pirates."


    The sous chef handed the knife back to Patty and told him to lie there while he dealt with the crew. He stared at the charging pirates with a neutral expression.


    "WE WON''T LOSE TO SOME MERE COOK!"


    His glare darkened further and Sanji vanished from his spot, only to appear in the middle of the approaching pirates in a double handstand position. Then, he began spinning rapidly, delivering a kick to everyone surrounding him.


    "GAH!"


    "UGH!"


    "OOF!"


    "Mere cook?" Sanji repeated with a scowl. "I''ll cut you bastards in 3," he promised.


    "As expected of my future cook!" Luffy beamed. He was really impressing the rubber boy right now with his display!


    "Beating them with only kicks? How arrogant," Pearl remarked.


    "The hands of a chef are their life. I can''t risk damaging them in battle. Don''t worry, I''ll finish you off with just my feet too," Sanji smirked and he took a drag of his smoke.


    Pearl began bragging about how he had never lost a battle out of 61 fights. In all 61, he had never been harmed and because of that he was invincible. He was so invincible, that he had never shed a single drop of blood in battle.


    At the same time, Krieg grew tired of looking at Luffy and brought out his chained flail. He began spinning it rapidly before calling the rubber boy''s attention.


    "If you don''t pay attention to your opponents, Straw Hat, you''ll die!" Krieg cackled, launching the weapon at the 17 year old.


    Luffy sighed in annoyance as the attack connected with the mast he was holding onto and he was sent flying towards the Baratie.


    He just wanted to watch the fight between his chef and the stupid shield but since this guy wanted to be annoying...


    The flying teen angled himself so he didn''t fall into the water and instead slammed into a cocky Pearl, knocking his face into the shield he was holding and causing blood to leak from his nose.


    Everything was silent except for the sound of Sanji chuckling softly and Luffy picking himself up to dust himself off.


    Pearl shakily touched the blood leaking from his nose. "What?"


    The pirates began panicking.


    "This isn''t good¡­" Krieg sighed in annoyance.


    "BLOOD?! OH NO!"


    "IT''S OKAY PEARL! IT''S JUST A NOSEBLEED!"


    "YEAH! YOU DIDN''T GET A WOUND FROM BATTLE!"


    The third mate of the Krieg pirates wasn''t listening though. He eyed the two before him with a shaky gaze and said, "T-t-t-these guys are dangerous!"


    "He''s acting weird," Sanji pointed out.


    "From a bloody nose?" Luffy asked in confusion, picking his own nose in the process.


    Pearl began slamming his shields together while screaming "Danger!" over and over again until the man caught fire.


    Krieg sucked his teeth in annoyance. His third in command had been raised in the jungle and this was the technique he created when there were strong creatures around.


    "Fire Pearl Big Bonus!" Pearl shrieked, spreading fire onto the entire platform and catching everyone unfortunate enough to be in it.


    Luffy yelped at the fire and leapt a safe distance away from the burning man. If he kept burning like that, he was gonna set the whole place on fire!


    The rubber boy looked at his own burning butt and proceeded to freak out.


    "HOT HOT HOT!" Luffy comically screamed, running back and forth while patting out the flames.


    If Rosan were here, he''d be very displeased with Luffy''s antics so it was a good thing he wasn''t.


    Sanji''s gaze darkened at the sight of the flames and he immediately launched himself at the offender. He would be damned if this random idiot, burned down this restaurant.


    The people awed at Sanji''s insanity, as Pearl blocked the kick with his fiery shield.


    "Flaming Pearl Surprise!" The pirate yelped, throwing a punch that Sanji ducked under.


    "You think I''d call myself a chef if I was afraid of some flames?" The sous chef taunted, launching another kick that connected solidly with Pearl''s face, making him stumble backwards. That didn''t deter Sanji whatsoever because he dipped into the man''s guard and delivered two more that successfully broke his nose.


    The pirate teared up at the pain and looked at Sanji as if he were the Devil himself, clutching his bleeding nose with choked sobs.


    H-He was crazy! Attacking him even despite the fire? Who did that?! W-Why would he break his nose?!


    He needed more fire! That''s what! More, more, more and MORE!


    "FIRE PEARLS!" He screeched, sending out even more fiery pearls. A group of the flying balls went sailing towards the Baratie, trajectory sending it straight into Zeff, and the chefs tried to warn him to get away.


    "GET OUTTA THERE OWNER! IT''S GONNA HIT THE RESTAURANT!"


    Zeff watched the oncoming projectiles with his arms crossed and ignored everyone warning him to move. With a single swipe of his wooden leg, he put out the flames using a gust of wind and the pearls fell flat on the floor.


    "Even with one leg, that was nothin," The owner scoffed, looking at his shocked chef''s with a derisive snort.


    "You''re really cool, Pops!" Luffy laughed before glancing at a Don Krieg who was preparing to attack again. The rubber boy shook his head.


    No one ever wanted to fight fair these days.


    "I''ll get you and the fins before you can set fire to the ship!" Krieg roared, grabbing his flail again and launching it at the unsuspecting Sanji and Pearl.


    Sanji''s eyes widened in worry, as he realized he had to take the attack, due to the surrounding flames cutting off any hopes of escape.


    Everyone''s eyes bugged as Luffy burst through the fire without any hesitation and punted the flail away into yet another mast of Krieg''s ship, sending it crashing.


    The mast began falling forward, causing Luffy and Sanji to leap out of the way. Pearl wasn''t as smart and it crashed right into his head, knocking him unconscious and stopping the idiot from causing more damage.


    "What a freak¡­" Sanji muttered.


    "He''s really stupid too," Luffy remarked idly.


    "All these pirates, but I have to do everything," Krieg complained with a grumble. Useless damn crew. Why did he even bother recruiting half of them if they were just gonna take up space?


    "Hold it right there, Sanji."


    Sanji spun around in surprise at the dull thud he heard and his eyes widened, at the sight of Gin forcing Zeff''s body down with a boot, while holding a gun to his head.


    "I don''t want to kill him," Gin said. He demanded that Sanji get off the ship or else he would kill Zeff right here and now. The man may have been a powerful pirate in the past but after breaking his peg leg, it was child''s play to muscle him down.


    But surprisingly, despite the situation, Sanji refused Gin''s order.


    "You sure look stupid down there, damn geezer," the chef commented, making eye contact with Zeff. "You''re setting a bad example for the fighting cooks like that."


    The owner snorted and said, "I don''t need to be lectured by some little brat."


    Sanji''s face instantly morphed into one of fury at his words. "Who do you think you''re calling little brat, you damn bastard?!" He barked. "Quit treating me like a kid already!"


    The chefs gulped nervously at Sanji''s actions. Surely he wouldn''t let the owner die right now? Did he want to be head chef that badly?!


    "Hey, Gin. Point that gun at me instead."


    Luffy looked at Sanji in surprise. "That''ll kill you, you know?!"


    "Maybe," an unfazed Sanji replied.


    The chefs gawked at the blonde''s request, unable to believe what they were hearing from the troublemaker''s mouth.


    Gin nervously regarded Sanji and couldn''t help but wonder why he made such a demand. He didn''t want to have to kill Sanji so why was he being so difficult?!


    Pearl chose that moment to wake back up and he demanded that Sanji not move, else they''d blow out Zeff''s brain. Then with a roar, he bashed his shield into the sous chef''s head and sent him flying until he crashed into a wall.


    Luffy snarled at the foul play and was about to give Pearl a royal ass whooping, but he was stopped by Sanji, causing him to regard the chef in shock.


    "Why didn''t you dodge?!" The rubber boy asked in disbelief. Sanji was way stronger than the shield coward so why did he just stand there and take it?


    "If I did, that damn underling would have pulled the trigger," The chef gasped out. Blood was leaking from his skull and mouth as he let out a raspy breath.


    "Why? If you abandon the restaurant, you''ll all get to leave alive!" Gin tried reasoning with the one who saved his life.


    But Sanji was steadfast in his refusal.


    "This restaurant is that damn geezer''s treasure!" He retorted, silencing the Krieg pirate immediately. "I took everything away from that old geezer¡­"


    Sanji''s voice became a little wobbly at the memory and he shakily began to push himself back up. The crowd listened in surprise at the confession by their fellow chef.


    "...His power, his dreams¡­ So¡­ I don''t want anything else to EVER be taken from him!"


    "SANJI WATCH OUT!"


    Sanji''s eyes rolled to the back of his head, as Pearl slammed both his left and right hand shields against either side of his head.


    Luffy had to harshly restrain himself from pulverizing the pirate right then and there. He rounded on Gin with a deep glare on his features and said, "That was a cheap shot, Gin!"


    Gin didn''t look good doing this but he kept his resolve. "We fight for keeps, kid!" He roared back. "You brought this on yourselves! If you''d just handed over the ship, you coulda left in peace!"


    Pearl, not finished with his torment of Sanji, leapt into the air and screamed "Tarnished Silver Surprise!" before crashing into the chef headfirst.


    Sanji was briefly knocked unconscious by the dive bomb and he couldn''t help but think about the time he had taken everything from Zeff.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    It had been a normal day on the Orbit for Sanji, one year after being saved by Reaper. He had been discussing the All Blue with his fellow chefs and even though they laughed at him for believing in it, he just knew it was real!


    A place with fish from all corners of the sea? It was a dream come true! If his hero could believe in his ability to become a chef, then of course he''d believe in a place like the All Blue!


    If he found that place¡­ He''d definitely be able to make the best dish ever for Reaper¡­


    But that might be a bit difficult, considering they were labeled a criminal now. What did the Shinigami who saved him, do to earn a bounty of 500 million?! It was completely insane for a first bounty and made one of his goals a lot more difficult to attain.


    It had only been a few weeks since he discovered the Angel of Death had a bounty and it left him in a bit of a predicament.


    Was Reaper crueler than they let on? No. That couldn''t be possible¡­ the Shinigami had literally no reason to free Sanji but they had done so just because of the boy''s dream and even stepped up to stop his abusive father in the process¡­


    Someone who believed in his dream and freed him for no cost, couldn''t have been that bad. He still killed people but all of them had bounties. Maybe whatever he did, was justified...?


    There was no point beating himself up about it¡­ Maybe one day he''d be able to get an answer out of Reaper themselves¡­ Wherever they were. There had been no sighting of them since their bounty wa revealed and they disappeared off the face of the map without a word.


    The budding chef sighed. This was dumb... what if he never ran into him again? He was dead set on making his hero the best meal ever but he couldn''t really do that if he didn''t know how to access them...


    Ugh, maybe he should have asked to travel with them. It would have been awesome to travel with the Shinigami but his desire to get far away from his father prevailed.


    While Sanji was thinking about his dilemma, he noted that his fellow chefs were eating the leftover food of the customers and reprimanded them for doing so. That was disgusting! What was wrong with them?


    "We''re a seafaring restaurant, Sanji."


    "You never know what''s going to happen at sea. Don''t waste nothin."


    "You can tell he''s a greenhorn! Here have some!"


    The blonde scoffed and refused their order with a look of clear annoyance on his face. Why would he eat other people''s waste? That was so gross!


    As they continued to argue, the screams of the patrons they were serving, rang out throughout the ship and gave them pause.


    "What''s all the commotion about?!" Sanji asked in confusion.


    His heart dropped, as he heard that pirates were invading them.


    Worst, it was "Red-Leg Zeff" of the cook pirates, a crew who had just come back from the Grand Line¡­


    This was bad. Really bad. Sanji had no intentions of dying here to these pirates! He glanced around for a weapon to defend himself and settled on one very large knife (Reaper used a weapon bigger then themself so he could too!).


    The child immediately made his way out into the open and was soon met with the pirate crew themselves.


    He had a glare of determination on his face and despite being underestimated, he began swinging the knife around with reckless abandon, only managing to briefly nick someone''s hand in the process.


    Hm... they should have been dead by now...


    Sanji''s glare deepened at the fact that hey were mocking him and his fellow chefs were trying to convince him to stop, but they were idiot cowards that already accepted their deaths.


    "I AIN''T GONNA LET YOU BASTARDS KILL ME!" Sanji declared with a look of fury on his face.


    No way was he gonna die here! He finally got away from his shitty lifestyle and his shitty dad, only to lose it all? He needed to find the All Blue and he still needed to thank Reaper!


    "If he want''s to die so badly, just kill the kid," Zeff said coldly.


    "Who said I want to die?!" Sanji snarled and he raised his knife challengingly. "You''re gonna kill us anyways right?! I''ll kill you before you shitty pirates get me!"


    A kick slammed into the boy and sent him flying into the wall, breaking it on impact with a resounding thud.


    "S-SANJI!"


    Witnesses that weren''t the pirates, were forced to close their eyes at the brutal sight of the child being mercilessly kicked.


    "Now you''ve gone and done it, Cap''n!"


    Zeff nearly scoffed, but paused as the kid came out of the wreckage. He watched the approaching child with a neutral expression on his face.


    Sanji huffed, as he crawled over to the one who kicked him and bit the man with all the force he could muster around his leg.


    "I''m... not... gonna die. NOT UNTIL I FIND THE ALL BLUE!" Sanji declared with utter determination.


    If only he were Reaper, the Shinigami would have been able to easily deal with these pirates! Ugh, he should have asked his savior for some tips before they separated¡­


    He wouldn''t be getting tossed around like this otherwise, or being made fun of! The pirate crew was laughing at him for declaring his dream but he didn''t care. Reaper would have believed in it if he told him about it and these idiots just lacked the conviction!


    Zeff stared at him, before cocking his foot back and brutally tossing him into a wall again.


    Sanji gasped as the breath left his body and he hacked up a glob of blood. His breathing became raspy and he tried, and failed, to push himself up, lying spread eagle on the floor.


    "Not¡­ gonna¡­ die¡­ to these¡­ shitty¡­ pirates," Sanji huffed. Not until he found the All Blue¡­ Not until he properly thanked Reaper. He had finally gotten away from his abusive family, there was no way he was going to die before properly experiencing his freedom.


    He listened, with tears in his eyes, as the pirate crew took all the treasure and began leaving the ship. Damn it¡­ if only he had been stronger¡­


    His inner loathing was cut short, as a gigantic wave crashed into the ship and swept up the, now screaming, boy.


    Sanji was helpless to stop the tide and he was knocked unconscious, so he was unable to see Zeff saving him.


    When the boy awoke, it was on a large rock and his only other companion, had been the damn pirate who had gotten him in this situation.


    Worst of all, he had given him this small little bag of food, while keeping a big one for himself! He then ordered the child to stay on one side while he would remain on the other and he wasn''t allowed to visit until he spotted a ship.


    Asshole...


    Whatever, screw that old pirate. If he found a ship, he wouldn''t tell him about it and he''d escape all on his own!


    He just needed to survive with his food¡­ it would take 5 days if he ate like a regular person so he''d split it up into 20 portions. A ship would definitely show up in 20 days.


    He wouldn''t die here. He just needed to be patient and help would come.


    So Sanji waited. He had been tempted to eat more than one portion a day but he couldn''t. He needed to survive at all costs.


    One day turned into ten and ten turned into twenty.


    Sanji had seen a ship on day 5, but it had been storming and they didn''t hear him as a result. The boy watched in despair, as they sailed off without stopping near their rock prison.


    On Day 10, he began hallucinating. The sight of Reaper flying in the sky had filled him with hope, only to realize that it was just a raven and not the one who had saved him. He was pretty sure he cried that day.


    On day 25, he had been left with one moldy piece of bread left. As he bit into it, he couldn''t help but tear up at how naive he''d been to waste all that food back then.


    A strong breeze knocked the bread out of his hand, and the child watched in despair as his last source of food fell into the ocean below, losing hope for the rest of that day before rebounding admirably.


    On day 70, he decided to check on that stupid old man.


    His eyes widened in disbelief at seeing him still alive, with a massive bag of food leftover.


    T-There was so much! How had he managed to save all that food?!


    Eyes narrowed in determination, the boy pulled out a knife before approaching the pirate with intent to kill. Sanji quietly snuck behind him but was caught embarrisingly quick.


    "What are you doing here, brat? Didn''t I tell you not to come here until you find a ship?" Zeff asked calmly.


    "I''m here to steal your food. I''m gonna die anyways so kill me if you want," Sanji declared with an unhinged smile on his face.


    Zeff said nothing, as Sanji approached the bag with his knife and tore into it.


    "To think you had all this food for yourself¡­" Sanji scowled. Greedy old man, how dare he give the child such a smaller portion?! The nerve of some¡­


    Of some¡­


    Sanji stared with disbelieving eyes at the sight of nothing but treasure spilling from the bag. The child collapsed on both knees, not quite believing the sight.


    The nerve of some... people...


    "Isn''t it strange that we can''t eat despite having money?"


    The blonde looked up shakily at Zeff as a horrifying realization slowly seeped into him.


    "What''s the meaning of this?! W-Where''s your food? H-Have you not eaten anything this whole time?!" The blonde asked, shaking Zeff rapidly.


    He caught a glimpse of the man''s front half and collapsed on the floor in disbelief.


    "Your foot¡­!" Sanji gasped in horror at the sight. It was dawning onto the boy just what happened and he began tearing up. "You¡­ YOU ATE YOUR OWN FOOT?!" He screamed in dismay.


    "That''s right," Zeff confirmed.


    "A-AND YOU GAVE ME ALL THE FOOD TOO?!"


    "Yes."


    B-But why¡­? His career as a pirate was as good as over without his foot! Why did he do all this? What did Sanji do to deserve his kindness? Why? WHY?!


    He had been thinking nothing but bad thoughts about the pirate. He even decided to kill him just now! So why was he being so kind to him?!


    "Because you had the same dream as me¡­" The starving Zeff said truthfully and it dawned on Sanji what he was talking about.


    The All Blue¡­


    "B-But¡­ even your men said it doesn''t exist¡­" Sanji whispered.


    "Of course it does. When the time comes, head for the Grand Line," Zeff said simply. "I''ve seen so much things in that sea, that I''m sure it exists but now that I''ve lost my crew, I don''t feel like continuing as a pirate."


    The former pirate closed his eyes and fell flat on his back, much to the concern of Sanji who hastily urged him to stay alive.


    Zeff sighed and said, "The ocean is a brutal place¡­ I wonder how many people die cursing the sea. I''ve been in a lot of tough spots where I had no food to eat and each time I thought, if only there was a restaurant in the middle of the ocean¡­"


    "A restaurant?!" Sanji repeated in surprise.


    The man nodded his head. If he got off this island alive, he''d build that restaurant if it was the last thing he did. That way, anyone who crossed its path, would never have to worry about starving again, no matter who it may be.


    "I''ll help you! Just please don''t die," Sanji begged.


    "As if a weak brat like you could help!" Zeff laughed heartily.


    "THEN I''LL GET STRONG!"


    On day 85, a ship finally passed by and saved the two stranded cooks.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Sanji began shakily standing back up, despite the unimaginable pain he was in. "That old man gave up his leg to save me, so I''ll defend him with my life and pay off my debt to the geezer!" he declared through grit teeth as the memories poured through him.


    "Wha?!" The chefs said in shock. Zeff had eaten his leg for Sanji''s sake?! That was the first they ever heard of this and it explained why despite fighting every single day, the sous chef still refused to leave.


    Who knew their bond was so deep?!


    Zeff frowned deeply. He didn''t want any favors from that baby eggplant. The damn idiot thought he still owed him a debt, when all he wanted was for his foolish son to be free to follow his dreams.


    Pearl was surprised to see Sanji still standing after his ultimate attack but quickly regained his bravado.


    Luffy glared at the pirates with a deep disdain. He wasn''t even gonna mess around with the underhanded pirates after he got their hands on them. Buggy was at least lucky enough to know about Shanks but this guy was just pure scum.


    Now if only he could find a way to do something without jeopardizing that old man¡­ Ugh, Rosan was much better equipped to deal with stuff like this¡­ maybe he shouldn''t have sent his brother off so soon.


    Wait a second! He just had an idea!


    Luffy scowled and launched his leg high into the sky, much to the surprise of everyone there, and it stretched until his foot vanished from everyone''s sight.


    "WAIT YOU IDIOT! DON''T INTERFERE!" Sanji screamed at the sight of Luffy getting ready to attack.


    "Gomu Gomu no Battle Axe!" He roared, slamming his foot down and demolishing the fins of the Baratie into pieces.


    Everyone''s jaw dropped at the force of the attack and Krieg''s eyes bugged in disbelief.


    "THE FINS BEEN COMPLETELY DESTROYED!"


    "WITH ONE MOVE?!"


    "That kid''s up to something¡­ GIN BLOW ZEFF''S BRAIN OUT!" Krieg roared. They needed to get this over with now.


    Gin hesitated despite how ruthless he had been earlier. This man had still given them 100 meals for their men¡­ he didn''t want to kill him. He just wanted them to give up and leave quietly!


    "Hey, I didn''t touch any of you guys. I just broke the fin," Luffy commented casually, dusting himself off a bit.


    "What are you thinking, chore boy?!" Sanji demanded in disbelief.


    "I''m going to sink this ship."


    Everyone froze for a moment, at that blunt declaration from the chore boy. Did he really just say what they thought he just said?


    "WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?!"


    "SINK THE SHIP?!"


    "THAT''S NOT FUNNY!" The chefs roared.


    "THAT SHIP IS OURS!" The pirates joined.


    Sanji grabbed Luffy by the collar and glared deeply at him. Who did this damn idiot think he was?!


    "Don''t you realize why I''ve been slaving away all this time?! You''d never understand the enormous debt I have to pay off and the way I feel about this ship!" The blonde snarled.


    Luffy''s gaze hardened and he slapped Sanji''s hand away. "So you''re just gonna die for this ship? What are you, stupid?" He retorted before grabbing the chef by his own collar.


    "You think he saved your life so you could throw it away?! Getting killed is no way to repay your debt! Only a coward would do that!" The rubber boy snarled back in return.


    The two continued arguing, only to be interrupted by Pearl. He began bragging about there was nothing they could do since they had a hostage.


    The third mate of the Krieg Pirates began charging the two with one final attack ¡ª


    Only to cough up a fountain of blood. His eyes rolled to the back of his head and his shield armor shattered at the force of the blow and he said, "G-Gin?! Why?!"


    The tonfa wielding pirate glanced at the man who''s armor he had casually destroyed.


    Krieg gnashed his teeth in disbelief at the blatant betrayal displayed by Gin. "What do you think you''re doing, Gin, battle commander of the pirate armada?"


    "See, it worked! Now he''s free!" Luffy beamed at his genius strategy.


    "THAT WASN''T YOUR PLAN!" Sanji roared at the idiot, taking his eyes off the dumbass to stare at Gin.


    "I''ll send Sanji to the grave myself," Gin declared.


    The two stared at each other for a long while.


    Gin had just wanted Sanji to get off this ship unhurt for being the first person to show him kindness, but the chef was too stubborn. The least he could do was kill the man who had repaid him, himself.


    Sanji wouldn''t leave this restaurant, even if it meant risking his life. That''s just how it was and that''s how it would always be.


    "You shouldn''t have sent your redheaded crewmate away, Straw Hat," Gin called to the rubber boy, remembering the performance that Rosan had put up against Mihawk.


    Gin wasn''t foolish, that redhead would have slaughtered their crew if he so pleased at any point¡­ even the Don would have stood no chance based on how he was holding up against that demon swordsman. But now that he was gone, their last hurdle had vanished.


    Why he hadn''t intervened when the Don had clearly attacked him? Gin wasn''t sure but he counted his blessings that it hadn''t come to be.


    "Hm, why? I''m not gonna lose to a bunch of weaklings like you!" Luffy laughed cheerfully, much to Gin''s surprise. "Even if Rosan was here, he wouldn''t fight you guys, except for that stupid captain! You''re way too weak!"


    "So he only goes after worthy people," Krieg muttered with a superior smirk on his face. That made sense. Krieg was by far the strongest in his cre¡ª


    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    "Nope! He only goes after weak people when they attack him!" Luffy beamed without a care in the world. "He would just kill you!"


    Everyone listening, gawked at the audacity of the rubber boy. He was¡­ He was insulting the Don without a care in the world! What was this dudes problem?!


    Krieg felt a vein throb at what the Straw Hat boy was implying. "So you think the two of you are stronger than me? Is that what you''re saying?"


    "Duh!" Luffy nodded without hesitation. "Rosan was right, you really are stupid!" The captain laughed.


    "WHAT ARE YOU DOING CHORE BOY? THAT''S DON KRIEG, LEADER OF THE PIRATE ARMADA!" Patty screamed at him. Was he trying to enrage the entire pirate crew right now? They were already struggling!


    "I''m Monkey D. Luffy! Future Pirate King!" Luffy responded with a large grin.


    "NOW''S NOT TIME TO INTRODUCE YOURSELF!"


    Krieg felt that vein that had previously formed, throbbing even harder. "Still spouting out shit like that huh? Future Pirate King? Don''t be ridiculous!" He scowled, standing up.


    "You talk too much," Luffy complained. "Don''t worry, I''m coming over there to kick your ass right now!"


    "Gin, deal with the cook. This naive dumbass is mine."


    "Understood, Don Krieg."


    "Try it, shitty small fry."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Gin twirled his tonfa and charged after Sanji, who leaned back and responded with a kick. The second mate of the Krieg Pirates leapt back with a smug smirk and smashed down his tonfa, which was jumped over by the chef, leaving a hole in the area struck.


    Sanji grunted in midair and tried to deliver a kick before Gin could recover, but the man spun his body to avoid it and slammed his tonfa down on the chef''s neck, restraining him.


    The pirate began spinning his tonfa, intent on smashing Sanji''s head into paste with the sphere but the blonde took a puff of his cigarette and spit it in Gin''s face, catching the man off guard and giving him enough time to escape his grasp.


    Sanji pushed himself into a handstand and slammed one foot down directly on Gin''s head, bouncing the man''s skull of the floor in a spray of blood.


    Gin didn''t take that lying down, however. With a grunt, he tightened his grip around his tonfa and rammed the metal sphere into Sanji''s rib. There was a crack in the area the attack connected and the two fell flat on the floor.


    "Tch, this guy isn''t all that but these injuries are really hampering me," Sanji frowned, clutching his ribs. He had taken quite the beating from Pearl before but if he hadn''t, this fight would have been over quick. It was hard for him to even move without a spike of pain jolting through his body.


    The Krieg Pirates began nervously glancing at the fight and began voicing their worries. Gin had taken a hit from the chef¡­ was there a chance that he was actually gonna lose?!


    "Don''t underestimate my battle commander, idiots," Krieg growled. "Have you forgotten just what Gin is capable of? He''s a demon who has gained my trust."


    The pirates began nodding along at his words, as memories of what Gin was capable of began surging through them.


    He was a demon in battle!


    "There''s a reason I appointed him battle commander! Just watch, soon he''ll show you what he''s capable of ¡ª"


    Krieg''s sentence was cut short, as a fist connected squarely with his cheek and sent him crashing to the ground.


    "Pay attention! You shouldn''t take your eyes off your enemy, weakling!" Luffy laughed, pulling his extended arm back with an easy snap. He stepped on the fallen mast that connected the fin to Krieg''s location and began running over to the floored pirate.


    "DON KRIEG!" The pirates yelled in shock.


    The chefs looked at the clearly unhinged rubber boy and sent him their prayers. He was dead for sure.


    Krieg hadn''t even seen the attack coming¡­ How dare this stupid fucking brat lay a hand on him when he wasn''t paying attention!


    He would teach hi ¡ª


    Another rubber punch connected squarely with his face and Krieg was floored again with an "oomph".


    "Man, you really are stupid," Luffy sighed with a shake of his head. It was a good thing Rosan had tortured the importance of battle into him.


    "Shanks has influenced you too much and he treats battles far too lax for my liking. Before we set sail, I''m going to teach my stubborn little brother the importance of staying focused."


    Without Ace there to split his attention, Rosan (and Maro!) had focused on just the younger brother.


    Everyone could only watch with sympathy as the redhead drilled the way too carefree Luffy with, what may as well have been, torture and Maro had scowled at the fact that his training wasn''t nearly as bad as hers (that got her a concerned glance from Makino and the bartender had made sure to talk to Rosan about it when they were alone).


    Luffy had no clue how his oldest brother consistently managed to evade Makino''s wrath but when he asked Maro so he could try it himself, the Dokkaebi just burst out laughing and said, "I don''t think it''ll ever work for you and Makino but if you do this to some other lady in the future it might! Remember, only do this if she is looking at you with a really red face like this!"


    He was pretty sure Angel was not happy at all about what the Queen taught him but he had no idea why. He didn''t even get to try it yet!


    Rosan knew that it was Luffy''s character to be this carefree, so he was satisfied with how much progress he managed to make despite that detail.


    Luffy smiled fondly at the memory. Rosan was a jerk and when the rubber boy refused to listen, he would hold his food hostage until he did and refuse to feed the boy.


    That was a great way to get someone as stubborn as Luffy to do something and the captain hadn''t expected his oldest brother to be that ruthless (it was due to the years of being spoiled rotten by them all as the youngest).


    It worked spectacularly¡­ but Rosan was still a complete jerk for doing it every single day. He was this close to passing Ace as the meanest brother and was sure to achieve that title during their journey.


    Ah, he was getting distracted! It was about time he taught this Krieg guy a real lesson! Him? Pirate King? How ridiculous!


    There could only be one Pirate King and that was him!


    Krieg''s eyes were bugged in a barely restrained fury at the actions of the rubber boy. Twice. He had been struck twice by that damn boy. Just who the hell did he think he was?!


    He would dare strike Don Krieg?!


    Luffy was about to plant a sandal on Krieg''s face this time (he seriously didn''t learn!), but the raspy coughing of Sanji caught his attention and he hastily looked back in concern.


    The chef was holding his ribs and breathing heavily, while Gin looked down on him with his tonfas covered in blood.


    Despite the absolute mess of his bones, Sanji still found the energy to laugh and mock Gin, which caused the pirate to charge him again. He twirled his tonfa rapidly before swinging with a roar.


    Sanji''s eyes narrowed in anger and he dodged the wild blow before delivering a kick to the nape of his neck, slamming him into the deck.


    "You just missed on purpose? Don''t underestimate me!" The chef snarled. He didn''t need the man''s pity in the middle of battle. This wouldn''t have even been a battle if he was healthy


    But even the force of his kicks were betraying him because the pain from the recoil was too much for his broken body to handle and even the slightest movement, made the cracking of his bones heard.


    He slowly turned around, at the sound of Gin pushing himself back and was unable to resist the hand grabbing his neck and forcing him down.


    Gin''s gaze was shadowed and he tightened his grip around his tonfa. It looked like the pirate was gearing up to finish the battle, but to the surprise of everyone there, tears began leaking from his eyes.


    He couldn''t do it. He couldn''t kill the only person to have ever shown him kindness. Gin had been on the brink of death, starving and the only one who had responded to that, had been Sanji, the man he was about to kill.


    The battle commander was a failure to Don Krieg. No matter what he did, he couldn''t muster up the resolve to end Sanji''s life.


    So Gin tried pleading for the lives of this restaurant. Maybe he could convince the Don too ¡ª


    "You pathetic¡­ SON OF A BITCH!" Krieg roared. The pirate grabbed his shoulder pad and everyone in his crew began to panic.


    "OH NO THE MH5!"


    "THE STRONGEST GAS WEAPON!"


    Luffy cursed. He could have clobbered Krieg long before he pulled out that weapon. It wouldn''t take him long at all to get over there but the man was already gearing up to shoot it and it''d fire at about the same time Luffy knocked him out.


    He needed to find safety first then he''d properly clobber that Krieg guy.


    Bah, he needed to not tell Rosan that he got distracted. That wouldn''t be good for him at all.


    Everyone of the pirates began grabbing for their masks and Gin was about to do so too but Don Krieg swiftly shut that down.


    "THROW AWAY THAT GAS MASK, GIN! You''re no longer one of us!"


    Gin froze at the order from Don Krieg and despite Luffy and Sanji''s warnings, he threw the gas mask into the ocean.


    "That man is trying to kill you! Come to your senses!" Sanji barked in concern. Was he insane? Was it worth it to follow a man like this?! Krieg didn''t give a fuck about Gin and he was just fine with that?!


    Luffy snarled at the way the captain was treating his crew but he had more pressing matters.


    Namely, avoiding the upcoming attack.


    "Deadly Poison Gas Bomb: MH5!"


    A red ball shot out of the shield cannon and panic ensued.


    "DIVE UNDER THE SEA!"


    "GET IN THE RESTAURANT"


    Luffy stretched his limbs and swiftly grabbed two gas masks off of someone''s face and before a third person could go under, he quickly grabbed theirs too.


    Now with 3 masks, he threw two of them over to Sanji and Gin and kept one for himself, placing it on without hesitation.


    Krieg was done for after this. Luffy was tired of this nonsense and the way he treated his crew had made the rubber boy seriously annoyed. He was seriously trying to kill Gin, his own crewmember, right there and that just wouldn''t slide with him.


    A deafening explosion rang throughout the battlefield, as the MH5 blew up and released its gas throughout the air.


    After around 5 minutes, people began resurfacing to inspect the damage done.


    Luffy glanced around and paused in disbelief, at hearing the gagging noises of someone who had clearly been afflicted by the poison.


    "You¡­ idiot! Are you STUPID?!" Sanji gasped at Gin. The man actually removed his mask at the last second due to Krieg''s orders and as a result, was afflicted by the full brunt of the MH5.


    "So even to the end, he followed my orders. Too little too late," Krieg muttered before throwing his head back. "HAHAHAHA! Serves him right for allowing something stupid like compassion to rule him! He''s of no use to me anymore. That idiot deserves to die."


    "Don... Krieg?!" Gin gasped desperately, before throwing up a river of blood and clutching his chest. Everything hurt. It hurt to breathe. It hurt to move. It hurt to thin ¡ª


    He spat out another glob of blood and collapsed.


    "QUICK, GET THE ANTIDOTE!" Sanji demanded, steadying Gin and placing the gas mask on his face.


    Under Zeff''s instructions, they took him to the upper deck and made him take deep breaths.


    Luffy glared darkly at Krieg and began marching over to the laughing captain. Sentencing your own crew to death? Laughing about it? Telling them to die?


    He wasn''t going to mess around like he did with Buggy and Kuro.


    Luffy was going to pulverize this idiot.


    "Wait, Chore Boy! Krieg''s paying attention now so if you just run at him, you''ll die!" Sanji tried to stop Luffy by grabbing onto his arms but the rubber boy just batted it away.


    "I won''t die."


    He''d never die to someone like this.


    With that, the rubber boy was off.


    Krieg''s eyes widened at his speed, before he hastily pulled out some bombs and tossed them into the water. A massive burst of water erupted at the explosion, but Luffy ran through unimpeded and the Don pulled out his Needle Machine Gun.


    The rubber boy ducked and weaved between them, managing to evade every single one and leapt high into the air before stretching his arms back.


    "Gomu Gomu no¡­"


    Krieg pulled out his Porcupine Cape to block the incoming blow, nervous at how agile the rubber boy was. Straw Hat was stronger than he had expected and completely reckless to boot! He was determined to get a hit in no matter what so the Don would make him pay for it.


    "HIT ME IF YOU CAN!" Krieg roared, convinced that the rubber boy wouldn''t follow through with his attack.


    "BULLET!" Luffy roared.


    The Don''s eyes bugged, before rolling to the back of his head, at the fist connecting through his shield. He was sent flying at the force of the blow and nearly fell into the ocean before stopping.


    "H-HE''S CRAZY!" A pirate screamed, looking at the blood leaking from Luffy''s fist. The rubber boy didn''t even seem to notice it as he glared hard at Krieg.


    "What kind of person¡­?" Sanji muttered. Was this why Reaper chose to follow him?! The rubber boy clearly had no regards for his life and for someone like Reaper, who also had no regards for people''s lives, this guy must have been super interesting!


    "Do you want to know why the redhead chose to follow him, Sanji?" Zeff asked knowingly, much to his shock. "Because of his resolve. That kid wants to become the Pirate King and he won''t stop fighting until he achieves his dreams, or dies. The redhead fully believes in his goal and probably wants to see what that fool can do!"


    "Such a strong resolve does not deserve to be stifled and killed here."


    Sanji shuddered at the memory and focused on Luffy even harder.


    The resolve to fight to the death until achieving your dreams¡­ Was this guy just like him? Is that why Reaper acknowledged him...? Did that mean he acknowledged Sanji too... Would he readily accept him?


    Zeff grinned knowingly at his son.


    "All those cheap tricks aren''t gonna save you from the ass kicking you''re about to get!" Luffy grinned. "I ain''t dying here to someone like you."


    Krieg tried to push himself up but stumbled and collapsed again before he managed to catch his own fall. With a herculean effort, he got up and coughed harshly ¡ª


    Only to be floored again by a kick to the face that left a red imprint on him.


    "Gomu Gomu no Stamp!"


    Everyone watched in disbelief at the sight of Krieg being manhandled and they looked at the one doing it in clear surprise.


    This scrawny little kid? Who knew he could be so ruthless! Who knew he could be so strong?!


    Well, it made sense¡­ he was the one leading that terrifying redhead and Pirate Hunter Zoro in his crew¡­ Maybe they chose to follow him for a reason...


    Luffy''s leg snapped back into place and he stared curiously at Krieg''s fallen form. Rosan told him to always press the advantage in a battle and to never underestimate a foe until they were completely defeated...


    This guy was really weak though¡­ did that apply to him? All he had going for him, was the stupid amount of weapons he used.


    But Luffy was used to dealing with all sorts of weapons. That was kind of Rosan''s fighting style after all¡­ and he fought his brother almost everyday for 10 years...


    He even had an answer for the armor! There was a reason Rosan didn''t like wearing metals (besides having the infinitely more useful Raid Suit).


    Krieg had no idea how such a scrawny little brat could hit so hard. Twice now, he had to stop himself from blacking out completely from the force of his blows and it was getting embarrassing.


    It was ridiculous! Don Krieg couldn''t lose to some no name!


    "Gomu Gomu no Bazooka!"


    The leader of the armada began to gag as the force of the blow caved his invincible armor into his chest, cutting off his breathing and turning him blue.


    The rubber boy laughed at the look on his face. That was why Rosan didn''t wear armor! It was so easy to deal with!


    Just look!


    "Gomu Gomu no¡­" Luffy began, cocking his fists back in preparation.


    The Don looked up in fear, unable to move in time to dodge the oncoming attack.


    "GATLING!" The rubber boy roared, punching Krieg''s armor over and over again until it began to split under his assault. Cracks began to appear in the Don''s "invincible" armor before it fully crumbled from his might.


    Krieg himself, despite having his armor to protect him, was still being battered senseless by the merciless attack and could only take it with disbelief.


    Who... Who the fuck was this?! Where did this random no name come from? W-Was this some type of JOKE?!


    "Monster¡­" The pirates gaped in fear. Krieg didn''t stand a chance! The rubber boy was just tossing him around without an issue?!


    "Woah! You can take a beating!" Luffy called in surprise, leaping back as Don Krieg tossed a shuriken bomb at him mid assault. He managed to avoid getting struck by them but Krieg took the opportunity to hastily pull himself back up before the rubber boy could continue his relentless onslaught.


    With a roar, the armor-less man removed his shoulder pads and combined them together before activating the internal device.


    Luffy watched curiously, as a shaft formed for Krieg to grab onto and a blade popped out, forming a spear.


    The Don let out another roar and slammed his Battle Spear downward, causing an explosion that forced Luffy to jump away from it.


    "Oh! It explodes whenever he strikes down!" Luffy exclaimed, before a sneaky grin made its way onto his face.


    "Behold the ultimate Battle Spear!" Krieg howled, fury at being treated like this mounting until it boiled over. "I''LL BLOW YOU TO PIECES!"


    Without hesitation, the Don slammed his Spear on the tiny platform the two were standing on and Luffy kicked his legs hard to fly towards another one.


    "That spear really is amazing," a pirate commented.


    "Yea. The stronger that big spear is struck down, the bigger the explosion!"


    Luffy''s mischievous grin grew wider. The rubber boy landed neatly on the same platform Zoro and Mihawk fought on before leaping back again, as Krieg followed him.


    This persisted for a few minutes, Luffy dodging Krieg''s attacks and the Don getting more and more annoyed at the cheeky grin on his face.


    The moment Luffy was waiting for soon showed itself, as the Don swung too hard downward and took longer than normal to pick his weapon back up.


    The insane rubber boy ran right through the explosion, heedless of the damage he just took and planted a sandal on Krieg''s face, pushing him back, and grabbing his massive battle spear right out of his hand in the process.


    The straw hat wearing boy laughed triumphantly, while Krieg''s eyes bugged in fury.


    "G-GIVE THAT BACK!" He demanded like a child, watching the rubber boy wave around his weapon (with startling ease) like a newborn child who had just received a new toy.


    "Nope! It''s mine now!" Luffy beamed, much to his rage.


    His ultimate weapon¡­ being treated like a TOY? By some cheeky little brat?!


    That was the final straw for Krieg and he charged Luffy with the intent to kill. He would use his bare hands if he needed too.


    STRAW HAT DIED HERE!


    "Shishishishi!" Luffy laughed merrily at the enraged pirate. "You rely too much on cheap tricks and that armor and you couldn''t even beat me! Weakling!"


    Luffy jumped over the charging Krieg and effortlessly whirled in midair (the onlookers had to wonder how he was maneuvering in the air so easily), launching the arm holding the Don''s spear back and grinning victoriously.


    "Time to use my new weapon! Gomu Gomu no¡­"


    "BATTLE SPEAR!"


    Krieg''s eyes rolled to the back of his head and he spat out a river of blood, as a fist connected to his stomach. The momentum of the blow nearly turned him inside out and he collapsed in defeat.


    The pirate crew watched in varying degrees of disbelief, as Don Krieg lay there, unconscious to the world. It took them a while to register what happened, but when they did, chaos ensued.


    "THAT WAS JUST A PUNCH! YOU DIDN''T EVEN USE THE BATTLE SPEAR!"


    "KRIEG''S BEEN DEFEATED?"


    "THE DON LOST TO SOME RANDOM KID?"


    "HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN?!"


    "IT WASN''T EVEN CLOSE?!"


    "AAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!"


    The chefs were in equal levels of disbelief. That straw hat wearing kid wasn''t joking around! He really didn''t need that redhead to beat them!


    He made that look easy! There was only a few injuries on his body but he looked like he was still raring to go!


    "I never thought I''d see the Don lose¡­" Gin muttered. He thought the man was the strongest! To see him defeated so decisively¡­ he couldn''t believe it! There really were bigger monsters out there and the Straw Hats had two of them!


    Sanji looked at the rubber boy with wonder in his eyes. So this was the man who Reaper chose to follow¡­ A man with no fear in his eyes, that would fight until he achieved his dream, or died.


    That¡­ was kind of admirable.


    "If that Krieg claims his ragtag feel is military might¡­ and his weapons are military might, then that kid''s grit is also military might. That''s why the redhead follows him," Zeff said knowingly, smiling at the awed gaze of Sanji.


    Luffy landed upright on the battlefield and looked at the spear with a dissatisfied look on his face. "Why didn''t it explode? What a stupid weapon!" He exclaimed, tempted to throw it away.


    "THAT''S BECAUSE YOU DIDN''T USE IT AT ALL! YOU JUST PUNCHED HIM!" Everyone roared and the rubber boy scratched his head.


    "Oh, I''ll just give it to Rosan then!" He beamed, walking over to pick his straw hat up and placing it neatly on his head. His brother might appreciate such a gift! Ram was always talking about eating weapons and Luffy, as a fellow enjoyer of eating, figured she''d appreciate this!


    They sweatdropped at the unhinged rubber boy before the tension released and they began cheering.


    "WE WON!"


    "NICE ONE CHORE BOY!"


    "SO STRONG!"


    Luffy laughed cheerfully. "So I''m free to go now, right old man?"


    "A deal''s a deal," Zeff nodded and the rubber boy beamed.


    "I''M THE STRONGEST!" A voice roared in delirium.


    Everyone watched as Krieg, who''s eyes were still in the back of his head, began spouting out nonsense.


    "NO ONE DEFEATS MY FORCE! I WIN! I WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN!"


    Luffy whistled at the man losing his mind. "Maaaan, he really doesn''t know when to quit!"


    "WE COULD SAY THE SAME TO YOU!"


    The surrounding pirates tried to stop Krieg but the unconscious man was unrelenting and batted them aside with no effort at all.


    Luffy was about to step in and finish this for sure, but to the surprise of everyone there, Gin showed up and simply punched Krieg in the stomach, stopping his rampage.


    "Don Krieg¡­ We lost," Gin said bluntly, throwing the taller man over his shoulder. "Let''s withdraw gracefully and start again from zero."


    "Thank you for your kindness, Sanji."


    "...Sure. Don''t come back."


    "Straw hat¡­ I''ll see you again in the Grand Line," Gin said.


    "Yeah!" Luffy grinned.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    After some words from Gin (along with concern for seeing him throw up even more blood), Sanji had ordered Patty and Carne to get a boat for the crew and they sailed off.


    "Shouldn''t you be going too?" Sanji asked the straw hat wearing boy curiously.


    "You haven''t fully healed so we can''t go yet!" Luffy said like it were the most obvious thing in the world. With the help of some chefs, he managed to tie the battle spear on his back.


    Rosan better appreciate his gift! It wasn''t light!


    "Who said I was going with you?!" Sanji barked in annoyance. He couldn''t become a pirate until that damn old man acknowledged his skills. Until that day, he''d stay at the Baratie and continue to hone his craft.


    Besides, after what happened with the Krieg pirates, Sanji couldn''t rely on those half rate cooks to defend his restaurant. Even... Even if Reaper was right there and he was letting him slip out of his grasp... Probably to never see him again...


    "Fine, I understand. I''ll give up," Luffy nodded understandingly.


    "Your... hand... didn''t!" Sanji growled at the rubber boy gripping his collar.


    The chef sighed and looked out at the sea. He did want to go to the Grand Line one day but that would have to wait for now.


    He didn''t think he''d ever get the chance to travel with the Shinigami though... but... Maybe that was just a childish wish of his.


    "Hey, have you ever heard of the All Blue?" Sanji suddenly asked Luffy, who tilted his head in confusion.


    "Nope," The rubber boy replied bluntly.


    The blonde grinned and began describing the wondrous sea to the rubber boy.


    Zeff watched with a fond look in his eyes, as Sanji talked about the All Blue with the one trying to recruit him.


    That fool still looked as happy as ever when talking about his dream.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Sanji found it a little rude that there were no seats for him and Luffy when dinner time came around but he could roll with that. It''s not like there was much you could do when there were no seats available.


    He could also roll with the fact that his fellow workers were acting strange. They were normally strange and he was used to seeing them act in such a way so it was no big deal.


    All thoughts about rolling with anything flew out the window, as Patty slammed a plate full of the soup that he prepared this morning. Soup that he was very confident was some of his best work yet (not enough to feed to Reaper but still! It was very good).


    To make matters worse, not a single chef disagreed with Patty''s sentiment that his dish tasted awful. All of them had thrown their dishes to the floor in disgust and the final nail in the coffin was Zeff following suit and doing the same thing.


    What the hell had gotten into them?! Had Krieg done lasting damage to their skulls?


    "How is this soup different from yours?! Tell me!" Sanji demanded, jostling Zeff by his collar.


    "From my soup?" Zeff sneered.


    To the surprise of everyone there, the owner actually punched Sanji to the floor. He never punched anyone, content to kick them. A chef''s hands were most important when it came to cooking and Sanji and Zeff took that very seriously.


    "Don''t flatter yourself, little eggplant. You''ll never be able to cook like me! I''ve cooked on all the oceans of the world!"


    Sanji held his cheek with a scowl and hesitantly stood up, before bolting from the room with a "Damn it!"


    The door slammed harshly from his exit and Luffy took a sip of the soup.


    "Huh? This soup is really good!"


    "We know," Zeff said and every other chef nodded in agreement. "Every single chef here acknowledges Sanji''s cooking but he won''t listen unless we do something like this."


    "Hey kid, you were saying you needed a chef for your crew, right? Will you take that little eggplant with you?" The owner asked the rubber boy. "One of his dreams is in the Grand Line and the other is to cook a meal for someone who probably won''t show up here."


    Sanji listened to this all with a look of surprise. The old man knew he wanted to cook a meal for Reaper? He never spoke to him about it so how did he know...? Was he really that obvious?


    Those jerks¡­ they pretended to hate his cooking so that they could chase him off? What the hell was wrong with them¡­


    "No way!" Luffy said, taking a bite out of his food and smiling happily at the taste.


    Everyone dropped in surprise at his refusal and even Zeff''s eyes went wide in confusion.


    "Why? You need a chef right? Is he not good enough for you?"


    Luffy shrugged. "He''s good enough and I do want him to come with me. But he needs to decide that on his own! He wants to continue working here as a cook so he can''t come with me."


    Zeff rubbed his long mustache in contemplation. "That makes sense, but who knows if that twisted brat will ever agree¡­"


    "He won''t cuz he''s an idiot through and through!"


    Sanji let out a puff of smoke and looked to the sky.


    Maybe¡­


    His musing was cut short at the sound of a fast approaching figure and screaming. Sanji could only watch with wide eyes, as a Panda-Shark burst through the water with a man in its mouth and crashed into him.


    "WHAT WAS THAT?"


    "A FISHMAN?"


    "Yosaku?!" Luffy called in confusion. Was he secretly a panda this entire time? THAT WAS SO COOL!


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    After getting the bounty hunter situated, Yosaku explained the situation to Luffy.


    Based on the general direction of where the ship was headed, Nami was going to a very dangerous location and they desperately needed Luffy''s help.


    The captain nodded before a thought occurred to him. "Wait, where''s Rosan? He doesn''t need my help!"


    His redheaded brother would interfere if he had to and there was no way his strength wasn''t enough. Why did they need Luffy so badly when his scout was right there?


    "Eh?" Yosaku blinked, glancing around in confusion. "Rosan''s not with you...? The last time we saw him, was when he got attacked by Mihawk¡­"


    Luffy blinked in confusion. He sent Rosan off after Mihawk caused that huge water explosion! He even remembered his brother saying, "I''m off to find Nami now," so where was he¡ª


    An uncharacteristic look of horror crossed the rubber boy''s features and he held his head with both hands.


    "AHHHH! OH NO! ROSAN''S GONNA KILL NAMI!" The rubber boy screeched, causing everyone to jump in surprise at the volume.


    "WHAT?!" Sanji roared. That beautiful angel? Reaper was gonna kill her?! Why?! WHY WOULD HE DO THAT?!


    "We have to go! Rosan hates traitors!" Luffy panicked, already getting ready to leave the restaurant without a second thought.


    If he killed their navigator, Luffy was gonna be so mad at him. She was the only one he wanted so his brother better not! Ahhhh a boat wouldn''t be fast enough! Maybe he should¡ª


    "B-But how did he pass us when he was with you?!" Yosaku asked in confusion, interrupting the rubber boy''s musing. They hadn''t seen another boat or anything!


    "Rosan can fly! He''s really, really, really fast!" Luffy replied without hesitation, forgetting the fact that Rosan would surely plunge his head in the ocean if he found out that his little brother was revealing information about him.


    "WHAT?!" The crowd roared in surprise. He could fly?! He didn''t do that even once against Mihawk!


    You were telling them that redhead could do even more?! What the fuck?!


    As Luffy rushed past Sanji, the chef came to a decision.


    "Wait!" Sanji said and the panicking rubber boy paused for a moment. "Take me with you. We both have foolish dreams so I''ll follow you on your journey to become King of Pirates."


    He also needed to make sure that orange haired angel didn''t die to the corrupted angel that happened to be his hero.


    Despite being alarmed just a few seconds ago, Luffy broke out into a wide grin and began cheering. "HOORAY!"


    Yosaku and Luffy began dancing at the news and Sanji couldn''t help but smile himself.


    "So that''s how it is, sorry for causing you all trouble," the sous chef said.


    His old coworkers tried to act tough, but that went out the window at being told that Sanji had heard everything.


    "Didn''t realize you wanted me gone so bad, shitty geezer."


    "Yeah, that''s right. I don''t like kids in the first place. Not a day goes by that I don''t regret saving your worthless life," Zeff commented gruffly.


    Sanji sneered at the head chef. "Oh yeah? Fine then. Enjoy the rest of your life, damn geezer."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    After Sanji finished packing (and reminiscing), he finally exited the restaurant and slowly but surely made his way over to his new captain.


    He didn''t even have to look behind him, as Patty and Carne burst from wherever they were hiding to deliver revenge on him. Without any hesitation, he dodged their wild blows and took them out with one kick each.


    "They never stood a chance¡­" the chefs mused fondly.


    He didn''t glance at a single chef, as he walked past them. He didn''t need to say goodbye to them. They already understood.


    "Sanji," a voice called and the blonde froze.


    "Don''t catch cold," Zeff smiled.


    It was as if all the waterworks Sanji stubbornly held back, broke through at those words.


    "CHEF ZEFF!" Sanji roared with tears in his eyes. The blonde turned around and kneeled until his head hit the floor.


    "THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING YOU''VE DONE FOR ME! I''LL NEVER FORGET YOU¡­ FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE!"


    Luffy smiled fondly as everyone''s resistances broke and the other chefs began crying in tandem.


    "I''M GONNA MISS YOU, YOU ASSHOLE!" Patty sobbed.


    "I''LL MISS YOU TOO!" Carne weeped.


    "WE''RE ALL GONNA MISS YOU!"


    Zeff tried to wipe the tears out of his eyes and failed, before saying with a smile, "You sentimental fools! Men should part without words!"


    He was going to miss his foolish son.


    "I''LL SEE YOU ALL AGAIN!" Sanji promised, waving his arms and the boat began to sail away.


    Zeff stared fondly at him. As long as he had the drive to follow through with his dream, he''d find all the things he was looking for.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Big Bro¡­ why do you have that spear on your back?" A teary eyed Yosaku asked. The departing scene was so touching! He had no choice but to cry!


    Luffy glanced back at the spear he had stolen from Krieg. "I''m gonna give this to Rosan!" He replied cheerfully. His brother was the weapon''s expert, not him. He''d know what to do with it.


    Sanji was starkly reminded of the scout of his new pirate crew. The scout who he was 100% sure was the Angel of Death who randomly chose to save him all those years ago simply because he had the resolve to keep his dream.


    He had so much questions for him¡­ And he wanted to show the man how much he had grown too.


    "Luffy, could you tell me more about Rosan?" Sanji asked suddenly. "How did you two meet?"


    "Rosan was my first friend!" Luffy beamed fondly at the memory. "He''s nice but also really mean and he''s really good at a lot of things, but he can be too serious but he''s not too serious anymore. He''s my third nicest brother!"


    Ace was the meanest, Demon was the nicest followed by Sabo.


    "B-BROTHER?!" Sanji gawked. Is that why he chose to follow the rubber boy? They were brothers?! Reaper had family?!


    Ugh, Luffy explaining stuff was way too confusing for him. He could already feel the headache forming.


    He''d just wait and ask the one who saved him all those years ago.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan sneezed quietly and immediately scanned his own body, tilting his head at the fact that there seemed to be nothing wrong with him.


    Huh, weird. What was it that they used to say about sneezing... Someone was talking about him?


    "Do you actually believe that?" Mod questioned.


    "No way! Father gets talked about all the time and he hardly ever sneezes!" Ram disagreed.


    Rosan shrugged. Perhaps there was something in the air.


    "That might have been the quietest sneeze I''ve ever heard," Nami commented idly, watching the redhead with a curious gaze. He was currently repairing a bloodied silver shirt of his and she winced sympathetically.


    That stain was going to be hard to get rid of. What happened? He was wearing that shirt just today!


    "I am not fond of being unnecessarily loud," the redhead replied before glancing back at their navigator.


    "So after all this is over, you''ll be joining us again?" He asked curiously. The navigator did say she hated pirates but the bond she formed with the straw hats seemed quite real.


    "If¡­ If you guys allow me," Nami admitted quietly. "I really like you guys and have never had more fun traveling with a group of people. It... It feels like I found a new home."


    Rosan hummed at her statement. He was the least lenient, followed by Zoro but if he vouched for Nami, the swordsman would forgive her.


    Zoro trusted both him and Luffy.


    "Are you sure you don''t want me to eliminate Arlong and his crew?"


    It would be easy and Nami would be free to join them afterwards without having to pay the man that money. Rosan refused to offer her the rest of the money because quite frankly, he wanted to eliminate the crew regardless and knowing Arlong, he''d find a way to continue to subjugate their navigator regardless of if she payed him or not.


    It was up to her to pull the trigger but Rosan wouldn''t give her the easy way out. She needed to understand that it was fine to trust others strength.


    "No!" Nami denied strongly, a look of fear momentarily passing her features. "Please, I don''t want to see you guys get hurt¡­ Please just let me finish my deal with him."


    She was scared for him. How touching. Nami really thought Arlong could kill him. He wondered how much of that was her fear of the man and how much was her doubt in his ability.


    Didn''t he tell them? No bounty in the East Blue could defeat him and a crew of Fishman was no different.


    Maybe Rosan would show her a little of what he was capable of. Her fear was genuine and it showed that she actually cared for them so maybe... maybe he''d put some trust in her.


    "Remember when you asked me what my Devil Fruit was?" Rosan asked Nami out of the blue. "I''ll tell you about it, follow me."


    The navigator''s eyes went wide and she stared at the back of the bronze man in disbelief. H-He trusted her enough to tell her? Even after what she did? Seriously...?


    That... That was so damn sweet!


    "You''re going to have her meet me?" Mod asked in surprise. She didn''t have a problem with it. On the contrary, she believed that Rosan should have introduced all of his crewmates to her by now and was overjoyed that he chose to do this on his own accord.


    His overprotectiveness of her was getting in the way of his ability to form genuine bonds quicker.


    "Yes. She''s trustworthy."


    They made their way to a comfortable location and Rosan made sure his bird was keeping an eye on the surrounding area in case something happened and he needed to wake up quickly.


    "You might want to get comfortable," Rosan advised the girl behind him. He sat on a bed (those hammocks were way too uncomfortable) and patted the seat next to him.


    Nami raised a brow at the tall redhead and couldn''t help her quip. "Not very subtle of you, Rosan. I thought I wasn''t your type?"


    "Don''t flatter yourself. Way too many people are attracted to me for me to be flustered by your teasing," the redhead replied blandly. "You''re pretty but I''m not interested. Now sit."


    She felt a tick mark forming like it always did when they traded barbs with each other. "I could say the same thing to you!" Nami growled, taking a seat next to the annoying redhead and crossing her arms in contempt.


    "Whatever helps you sleep better at night. If lying makes you happy, I won''t dissuade you from it."


    "For a guy with no emotions, you sure are arrogant."


    "There are key differences that separate arrogance and confidence."


    Rosan grabbed the girl''s hand and said, "Modification, Link: Nami ¨C Rosan."


    Nami was ready to fire back a reply but she shut her eyes instead at the sudden dizziness and promptly fell asleep.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    When she opened her eyes, Nami was greeted to a lot of ice and snow and the temperature drop slammed into her without remorse.


    Before she could complain about the weather, an orange jacket materialized itself over her body and alerted her to another, much warmer, presence.


    "W-Where are we?" Nami asked Rosan in confusion, instinctively getting closer to him due to his comforting warmth. He was woefully underdressed right now but it didn''t seem to bother him one bit...


    Honestly, what a monster.


    "My mindscape. It''s a mental representation of my psyche and we''re currently asleep in the real world while we''re here."


    So that explained why it was so cold¡­ This was basically how Rosan''s mental state looked¡ª


    "WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?!" Nami''s eyes bugged in disbelief, following after the 24 year old in confusion.


    "Where are you confused? I explained perfectly," Rosan stated calmly. "I brought you to my mindscape with my Devil Fruit."


    "Y-Your Devil Fruit? Mindscape?" Nami stammered in confusion. Just what was going on right now? Who was Portgas D. Rosan?!


    "That''s right," A feminine voice called out and Nami''s gaze snapped towards the source.


    Long purple hair draped a gorgeous bronze face and striking red eyes gazed warmly at her, filling Nami with a feeling akin to that of a mother''s warmth. Despite appearing to be near her and Rosan in age, there was a wisdom behind her that gave her an older aura.


    "FATHER!" A voice cheered and a silver figured leapt at the redhead without any hesitation, startling Nami. The woman crashed into the unmoving Rosan and began rubbing her cheek on his own.


    "Ram, you do this every time I enter the mindscape. Don''t you ever get tired of it?" Rosan asked softly, rubbing her back and getting a purr out of the woman.


    "Nope!" She beamed shamelessly.


    This one was tall and just as gorgeous with silver hair, that was streaked in purple, and the strangest set of purple and red eyes she''d seen yet. Despite looking near the same age as them all, she had a rather childish aura about her that made Nami think she was the youngest one of the three.


    Her attention was grabbed by the purple haired woman who could probably pass off as Rosan''s younger sister, tapping her shoulder gently.


    "It''s nice to finally meet you in person, Nami." The purple haired woman expertly ignored the hyperactive girl, in favor of introducing herself to Nami. "I''m Modification, but you can call me Mod. I''m Rosan''s Devil Fruit."


    The navigator''s eyes went wide at her introduction. "You''re his devil fruit?!"


    How did that work? This super pretty lady was Rosan''s ability? Did Luffy also have a person like that...? Bah, this was so weird to think about...


    "She''s also my sister/mother," Rosan interjected, getting a bright blush out of the crimson eyed woman. "This is Ram, the amethyst ring you see me wear constantly."


    "Sup," Ram waved with one hand, still clinging onto Rosan without a care in the world. She idly began messing with his bun while poking his cheek and he accepted it all with that same neutral expression of his.


    It was actually quite the funny sight and Nami dearly wanted to tease him if not for her confusion.


    She came to a startling realization gazing at the three. Just how much did she know about the Devil Fruit user standing before her? As she was escorted to their hot pink home, to conversate with the trio, she learned alot about the mysterious Rosan and realized she knew almost nothing.


    "So all three of you inhabit Rosan''s body?" Nami asked incredulously. That was crazy! She wouldn''t be sure how she felt if she no longer had any privacy whatsoever, especially if two of the three inhabitants were the opposite gender to her.


    "That''s right. I''ve been here since Rosan was four and Ram has been here since he was twelve," Mod explained and the orange haired girl''s eyes widened in realization.


    "You''re the reason he was able to fight pirates at only four years old!" Nami exclaimed. That was insane! How strong was she to be able to have a four year old beat up grown men!


    Learning about Modification, put it into perspective why Rosan wanted to trust her first before divulging into his fruit.


    "You''re a lot smarter then our other dear crew," Mod sighed happily. It felt good to not have to explain every little detail to someone and for them to notice key things on their own. Rosan was very quick on the uptake of things but Luffy... not so much.


    Nami smiled happily and found herself enjoying the company of another female companion.


    Ram didn''t seem very interested in her and outright claimed that she only really cared about her Father (Rosan had not elaborated much on why she called him that) and Mod. But despite the clear insanity (that was pretty similar to the Rosan they met on Usopp''s island) she was quite pleasant¡­ as long as Rosan was keeping her satisfied.


    Mod on the other hand, was a joy to be around. She was intelligent, kind and didn''t have a snide remark ready for literally everything she said like someone she knew.


    It was hard to miss how close her and Rosan were. They seemed to be able to communicate on eye contact alone, never moved far from each other and even finished each other''s train of thoughts!


    It was honestly pretty adorable. If they didn''t claim to be mother and son, Nami would have thought they were a couple. They looked fairly similar but they had a lot of differences!


    "Mod-chan and I have been through everything together. She''s provided me the love of a mother that I desperately needed," Rosan said softly, idly pulling the shorter woman into a tender hug and stroking her purple hair.


    Despite their ups and downs, she was still his Mod-chan and that wouldn''t change.


    "Ever since he was four, we''ve had each other''s back," Mod sighed fondly, sinking into his embrace with a pleased smile. "I love this boy more than I love myself honestly; I''ll do anything for him and vice versa."


    Nami watched the mother and son duo with soft eyes and a slight smile. There was a tinge of bitterness there but she wasn''t going to ever blame them for something they had nothing to do with.


    "I understand why you wanted to keep your fruit a secret now¡­ I''m glad you trust me despite everything!" Nami couldn''t help but say.


    "Consider it an apology for trying to choke you out," Rosan muttered and Ram chuckled at the memory. "Trust me when I say, we''ll get you out of this situation. You''re our navigator after all."


    The navigator felt tears welling in her eyes at his statement and she nodded resolutely. "I almost have enough so soon I''ll be free. Stay low and don''t attract attention, please."


    "That''s impossible with my appearance," Rosan hummed and Nami saw Mod scowl deeply. She honestly didn''t think the motherly woman was capable of making such a face and she almost snorted as she realized this must have been one of the reasons the redhead rejected every advance on his person.


    "Stupid damn woman always wanting to put their hands on you. Why can''t they just leave my little boy alone?" she growled.


    "I can''t believe you''re still so mad that Father''s hot, Auntie," Ram cackled. "I thought the numerous amount of flings he''s had would have hardened you by noOW!"


    The silver haired woman couldn''t even finish her sentence due to the fact that Mod was mauling her cheeks with those perfectly manicured nails.


    "Owww, please Auntie, I''m sowwy!" The ring whined, trying and failing to escape. "T-This is abuse! Father, help me! You can''t let her get away with this! She''s letting the power get to her head!"


    "If Rosan stops me then he''ll have to pay the price too! When it comes to discipline, I am Queen!"


    "YOU''RE A TYRANT!"


    "I''M A WHAT?!"


    Rosan effortlessly ignored the two, closing his eyes to lie back and Nami began laughing in earnest.


    They were all so interesting! She really liked them!


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "So this is your island?"


    Nami nodded in trepidation, worry on her face as she gazed at the redhead. "Remember, no attracting attention."


    "You only told me a dozen times," Rosan countered quietly, patting her head in reassurance and getting it slapped away in the process. "You know, I''ve already fought and defeated a fishman before."


    Nami''s eyes snapped towards him at the revelation. "Y-You have?!"


    "Yeah, when I was 9, I fought a fishman named Kenzo in a tournament and I killed him. The fight would have probably gone differently if there was water, but now I''m much older so even with a source water it would be easy."


    Nami changed her mind, Rosan was seriously a monster. To hear that he killed a fishman at only 9 years old, filled her with a boundless curiosity and terror at his strength.


    Could he¡­ could he actually defeat all the fishman here? Surely that was not possible¡­


    No, it couldn''t be. She wouldn''t put him in any unnecessary danger. She didn''t want to be wrong in her assumption and lose another person as a result...


    Also that Fishman''s name¡­ it sounded familiar¡­ Where had Nami heard it before?


    "Where do you want me to go?"


    "Right there." Nami instructed him that her village was nearest to Arlong Park and to look for a house with a tangerine garden near it. Afterwards, he should tell the woman there that he was with the navigator and to house him for a bit until this whole thing was situated...


    Not that Nami knew how to situate it. Maybe when she went on her final trip to get the money, she''d convince them to come with her in secret...


    Rosan hummed in affirmation and his draconic wings burst from his back, arcing out in a terrifying display.


    "What type of wings are those?" Nami asked right before he flew off. Those were what he used to effortlessly catch up to her ship and they looked quite intimidating.


    "Dragon wings," Rosan replied before shooting off with a short wave. "Be careful. My bird is watching you in case things go south. Usopp and Zoro should be here soon as well."


    With that, he was gone into the clouds.


    Nami blinked in awe.


    "He can transform into a dragon?!"


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    It didn''t take long for the redhead to find the house surrounded by tangerines and he landed in front of the entrance without making a noise.


    Not wasting any time, he banished his wings and tapped lightly on the door, waiting patiently for the person inside to answer.


    It didn''t take very long and soon he was face to face with, who he presumed to be, Nami''s sister.


    She was a pretty young woman that was a little shorter than Mod-chan, with light blue hair and eyes, and tanned skin lighter then his own. She was tattooed across her right arm and chest, and wore a beige sleeveless shirt, blue trousers and purple sandals.


    "Greetings, are you Nojiko?" Rosan greeted politely, inclining his head in the process.


    Nojiko looked at the taller figure with a measured, if not confused, expression. "Who''s asking?" She replied slowly, gauging the taller figure before her with appraising eyes.


    She had never seen this man before and Nojiko knew just about everyone on the island. One with this appearance would never slip her mind so that meant he somehow managed to dock without catching the attention of the fishman.


    Was he allied with them?


    The stranger was much taller than her, with bronze skin and a handsome face. He had a head of brilliant, spiky, blood red hair, tied into a messy bun that left the spikes in the front of his head free.


    He would have had some of the most gorgeous eyes she''d ever seen, if they weren''t so lifeless in appearance. It felt like she were being drawn into the deep abyss, staring into the heterochromatic, red and purple gaze. The woman couldn''t help but shudder and avert her gaze so that she could continue to inspect the rest of the man and get rid of that feeling.


    He wore a plain long sleeved black shirt that had a red rose covering the entirety of the middle, black pants, and black sneakers¡­


    He really liked the color black huh?


    "You shouldn''t stare so hard. People will get the wrong idea about us. We just met after all," the stranger advised calmly.


    She narrowed her eyes at him. Was this supposed to be some sort of prank? A setup by the Fishman? Who the hell was this?


    "I asked a question," Nojiko bit out, eyeing the wealthy looking adult with caution. There was no way this guy would make it on the island without being inspected by the Fishman if they weren''t allies...


    "I''m Rosan, it''s nice to meet you. I''m one of Nami''s friends and she sent me here while she handled her business," he replied kindly, even choosing to nod his head.


    Nami''s friend...?


    Nojiko was pretty sure that her little sister just scammed this guy but she would play along with her sister''s request for now. Was she planning on sending him to the fishman to die?


    That seemed a bit too harsh for her little sister so maybe she was missing something. Maybe she''d just house him until she figured this all out... it was a bit too confusing so she''d continue to interrogate him.


    "What did Nami tell you?" Nojiko asked curiously, allowing him inside.


    She sighed internally. At least this guy was very easy on the eyes. It would make keeping watch of him much more pleasant.


    Rosan inspected the quaint home for a bit before turning towards the bluenette. "That she was apart of Arlong''s crew," he said blandly.


    The blue haired woman froze completely at that. She didn''t expect him to know that information¡­ She honestly didn''t think Nami would have divulged anything truthful to the redhead.


    "If you know that, then why are you here?" The woman asked warily, sitting down at a table and beckoning him to do the same. "You aren''t thinking about fighting the Fishman, right? Don''t touch the fishman if you value your life."


    Not only would he die, he''d jeopardize everything Nami ever did.


    At this point, Rosan was sure that if he had emotions, he would have gone and killed Arlong by now because his personality couldn''t handle so many weaklings worrying for him due to such a weak enemy that they thought was strong.


    He''d have made an example of the pirate to drive it into their skulls that he wasn''t anything like them.


    Fortunately for them, he had no emotions.


    Well, Nami had explicitly told him not to ever mention the deal she had struck up with Arlong so Rosan wouldn''t do that...


    "She''s apart of my crew," he replied evenly.


    He wasn''t surprised to see her get even more defensive. Good, perhaps she''d divulge more information to attempt to "sway" him into not doing anything stupid.


    "Is that all you know about her?" Nojiko asked. This man could potentially mess up years of work if he did something stupid.


    She saw now why Nami sent him her way. If left to his own devices, he''d cause chaos.


    "Do you know why she follows that man?"


    Rosan hummed and said, "I don''t know the full scope, but it doesn''t seem like she willingly follows him."


    The tattooed girl sighed. Of course he didn''t. "Then I''ll tell you¡­"


    And tell him she did.


    Rosan listened with a neutral expression as Nojiko told him about Nami''s past. How she had been orphaned in a war torn country, with nothing but death surrounding her. How a Marine named Bellemere (wasn''t that a shock) had found both her and Nojiko in the wreckage and raised them with care. How they were poor but loved each other.


    Their lives had hiccups but they were happy...


    Until Arlong came.


    The fishman showed up unannounced and declared the island as his territory. Not only that, he demanded that all adults pay him 100 thousand beri while all children pay 50 thousand.


    Rosan felt a spike of rage from Mod-chan after hearing that Nojiko and Nami had been forced to watch Bellemere take a bullet to the skull. The woman only had enough to to either pay for herself, or the two children and she had chosen the children, heedless of the fact that Arlong didn''t know of their existence.


    The willingness to do anything and everything to make sure your children survived. The true love of a mother¡­


    Rosan was reminded of his own. It said something that he heard more good things about adoptive parents over biological ones.


    "Then, Arlong kidnapped her and forced her to draw maps for him after striking up a deal," Nojiko ended, with a forlorn expression. Thinking about that day always filled her with pain and she chanced a glance at the redhead before her...


    "Do you understand now? Please leave this island and just leave it alone," the woman requested softly.


    She froze at what she saw.


    Rosan didn''t have a hint of sympathy on his features. His face was set in that same neutral expression that it had been in since she met him and he tilted his head at her in some sort of mockery of curiosity.


    D-Didn''t he claim to be Nami''s friend? After that tale¡­ Didn''t he feel anything at all? Who... Who was this guy? What was wrong with him?


    "I watched my adoptive mother die too, you know," Rosan admitted softly, gazing at her coolly. "I was four when it happened. Child birth after holding the baby for too long."


    "Despite that, I still found the courage to keep fighting even if I wanted to give up. Just like you and your sister. We''re not so different are we? Both our adoptive mothers died, protecting what they loved."


    Nojiko''s eyes went wide at what he was saying. "Y-You went through something similar too? I had no idea that you knew how it feels to lose a¡ª"


    "Can I ask you a question? Since you actually know about Nami''s deal with Arlong?" Rosan asked suddenly, interrupting her sentence.


    His heterochromatic gaze locked onto her own and rooted Nojiko in her spot. Those crystals that were a mockery of eyes, prevented her from thinking of anything to say and she suddenly felt a lump in her throat.


    "Do you think Arlong is an honest man?"


    She blinked in confusion and the redhead pressed on.


    "Do you think a man making a consistent amount of money, would give up that consistency for¡­ one instance of money? That doesn''t make much sense to me."


    Let''s say that Arlong was Rosan and Nami was Aiko. He would never accept 100 million beri from the leader of Fregate, if it meant she wouldn''t be giving him more money and he couldn''t use her skills anymore. In the long run, it was a net loss in money and a loss in a valuable partnership.


    For someone attempting to conquer the East Blue, what would Arlong ever gain from accepting the money and allowing a skilled navigator to be free? If Rosan were in the pirates shoes, he''d make sure Nami remained on his side for the foreseeable future.


    It was pure stupidity to let someone so skilled go. Rosan would never make a deal like Arlong did because he was inherently honest and something like that, would be something he never planned on keeping the promise of. He wasn''t an idiot that threw away talent.


    Nojiko quickly caught on to what he was implying and she narrowed her eyes threateningly.


    "Arlong made a promise to her. He said he''d rather slit open his belly, then break a promise so he can''t be lying."


    Rosan wondered if this was them being naive, or having nothing else to hope for. Perhaps it was a mixture of both?


    He had seen far too much to expect anything positive out of this situation. At the end of the day, pirates were some of the worst human beings on the planets and being a crew of fishman would not change that fact. In fact, it could be even worse considering how much most hated humans.


    "Is that what you truly think? You think Nami will get all the money, give it to him and Arlong will leave you alone peacefully? Does he sound like that type of person, Nojiko?" The redhead asked softly.


    Nojiko didn''t reply, but the apprehensive expression on her face, told Rosan everything he needed to know.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Nami was sat in an isolated area, watching the Fishman party due to her arrival after so long. She held a cup of sake but chose not to down it. Instead, she allowed herself to get lost in her own thoughts.


    All the Straw Hats were coming for her, not just Rosan, and they''d be here soon.


    Was there any way that she could keep them safe without alerting Arlong to her true thoughts? There was no way Luffy would ever remain quiet... he''d get himself killed!


    Rosan''s little blue bird chirped innocently next to her and Nami couldn''t help but awe at how realistic it looked. It would be impossible to differentiate it from an actual bird and it was a testament to the scouts sheer prowess with Modification.


    "Since when do animals like you?" An amused voice asked, causing the thief to look up in surprise. The bird chirped and flew off to keep up appearances and the two watched it go.


    "Oh... Kaori! How have you been¡­? You sound a little subdued!" Nami teased the towering woman standing before her.


    Kaori was probably the most tolerable fishman Nami had met, which wasn''t saying much but at least the woman never bothered her and made sure they didn''t do anything terrible to her. She very clearly wasn''t all that close to the Arlong Pirates and didn''t treat the humans as bad as them when she was actually on the island (she tended to leave a lot).


    She was nearly 7 ft in height, with light blue skin, black eyes, a head of dark green hair and a lithe, muscular figure. The tall fishman had retractable spikes across her strong body that she often kept hidden so as to catch opponents off guard.


    Kaori wore a simple, all black gi and geta combo and her back was revealed to show off her sun pirate tattoo. She did not have an Arlong Pirate tattoo on her body and was content to keep it that way.


    She was one of the officers and the only female fishman of the Arlong Pirates, which was a testament to her strength.


    Nami didn''t like any of the Fishman, but Kaori wasn''t malicious like the others so that made her more bearable. When the navigator first joined, the 29 year old prevented Arlong from injuring her many times and she could begrudgingly admit that she appreciated it.


    "She''s a kid Arlong and isn''t she apart of your crew now? You shouldn''t be hurting your crew members," Kaori scowled, crossing her arms.


    Arlong simply threw his head back and laughed. "You''re a kid too, Kaori! And you should be worrying about more important things besides my cartographer."


    The then 21 year old held her ground though, glaring fearlessly up at Arlong. "This isn''t what Tiger-sama wanted. I don''t really give a damn what you do but abusing your own allies is low."


    The child Nami watched in fear as the smile was immediately wiped off his face and replaced with a deep scowl but surprisingly, Arlong stomped off.


    "Fisher Tiger is dead, Kaori. You''d do best to remember why he died or you''ll end up like him," Arlong warned, not sparing them a glance anymore.


    "I don''t know why I chose to come here, I miss Jinbei," Kaori sighed, before turning towards the younger girl. "Nami was it? It''s in your best interest to not irritate Arlong, he''s a dumbass with a foul temper and even though you''re a kid, that won''t stop him."


    There was a look of disgust on the young adult''s face as she said that and she shook her head. "The moment I find out what happened to my father I''m outta here to find Jinbe. I''m sure he''ll like to hear what Arlong''s been up to," she muttered, leaving the shocked girl alone so that she could swim to the North Blue for information.


    Nami simply clutched her arm and ran to her room in this prison.


    Kaori was largely indifferent towards humans but treated them respectfully unless given the order otherwise. Over the years, seeing as Nami was the only other girl in the crew, the lone female had gotten closer to her (Nami didn''t trust any of them so she only pretended) so they talked quite a bit when the fishman was actually here.


    "Subdued¡­? Yeah you could say that," Kaori shrugged with a slightly uncomfortable expression on her face. "Between you and me¡­ I had a dream about my father and it threw me off guard because it''s been years since I last had one¡­"


    Nami nodded understandingly. According to her, Kaori had been a slave to a cruel master, along with her mother and father and it was their own personal hell (part of her sneered at that due to the fact that they were doing their best to give others that had nothing to do with them hell too).


    One day, their owner had left with her dad to some type of fighting tournament and they had not shown back up for months. After a while, the mother and daughter chose to escape to Fishman Island and Kaori ended up begging a fishman to join their crew (the Sun Pirates) for her own reasons. After her constant insistence, they reluctantly accepted and trained the former slave until she could defend herself.


    Kaori ended up taking after her father, who had been a puffer fishman and had trained herself until she was more than strong enough to fend for herself, all while following the philosophy of her first captain and his first mate.


    How she ended up joining Arlong''s crew? Nami would never know. According to the woman, she had been trained by a fishman named Jinbe and was just a hired gun for the Arlong Pirates, which was why she didn''t have their tattoo.


    "Are you feeling alright?" Nami asked and Kaori nodded.


    "It was just a dream but¡­ I feel like it was kind of a sign, you know? Maybe I''ll finally find out what happened to him after all these years," the woman sighed, gulping down an insane amount of sake and grabbing another bottle after downing the first in one go.


    Nami cupped her chin at that. Something was bugging her... What was her dad''s name again¡­? Ken something.


    Right! It was¡ª


    It was¡­


    "Yeah, when I was 9, I fought a fishman named Kenzo and I killed him," the voice of her very very headache inducing crewmate rang through her mind.


    Right then and there, in Nami''s mind, Rosan solidified himself as the most annoying person she ever met because his actions from fucking years ago were managing to give her headaches right now.


    If Kaori ever met Rosan and found out he was the one who killed her father¡­


    Well there was no way it was going to end well for anyone. Kaori was one of the strongest people here and for good reason too...


    At least the bird flew off instead of listening in on the conversation... Maybe the two would never encounter each other?


    Yeah right. Nami already knew that with her luck, those two would meet by the end of the day and Rosan would absolutely ruin everything.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan followed a contemplating Nojiko with a tilted head. She had been deep in thought this entire time so he mostly let her be and conversed with Mod about their course of action when things went south.


    "Wouldn''t it be smarter for you to just leave me in your home?" He asked curiously. Having him follow her like this, could potentially allow a fishman to see him and if that happened, it would go against what Nami wanted.


    "I''m not leaving someone like you alone. It''s better if I can just keep an eye on you," she replied back, shooting him a warning glance in the process.


    He raised a neat red brow at her. "What gave you the notion that I was reckless? I haven''t done anything to warrant such a label."


    "Woman''s intuition."


    Mod giggled at that. It seems some people were just naturally good judge of characters. Rosan wasn''t as reckless as he had been when he was a child, but you could see shades of it every once in a while.


    It was most apparent when he was in a fight and injured. Nothing short of fully incapacitating him would stop the redhead from finishing a fight and he''d weather the pain of broken bones if he had to.


    Rosan hummed but didn''t deign to reply.


    "Do you¡­ Do you really think Arlong is lying?" Nojiko asked suddenly.


    The redhead knew she was going to ask him a question like that eventually. He planted the seeds of doubt in her head and it sounded far too logical to completely disregard. She could be in denial all she wanted but when someone started making sense, they had no choice but to doubt even a little.


    Naturally she would seek out more answers. Whether it was to disregard him completely and live in her own fantasy, or finally realize that everything they were fighting for was doomed to be hopeless.


    "I''ve met many pirates in my life," Rosan started.


    He had been encountering pirates since the tender age of 4. The good, the bad, the merciful, the scum... The redhead hunted all types of them and learned many things in that time.


    He could confidently say Arlong was apart of the group that were complete scum. He never felt any type of pity for the pirates he hunted, no matter how "good" they were but killing someone like Arlong would have filled him with a dark joy.


    "Arlong''s goal is to conquer the entire East Blue. You guys are giving him the money to do that. 100 million beri is not enough to conquer an entire ocean," Rosan said quietly.


    "So he''ll¡­ he''ll betray Nami?"


    "Most likely. I''ve seen what Nami is capable of. She is the most talented navigators I''ve met. Arlong will not let her go."


    Nojiko hated how much of a pessimist he was. She hated how he was drowning any of their hopes with that tone. She hated how no emotion went into his analysis. Just cold hard logic.


    She hated how likely his outcome was.


    "So what are we supposed to do?!" She couldn''t help but snarl at the bleak redhead. It didn''t matter how much sense he was making, they were living in a literal hell! No one was going to save them and Nami was their only hope!


    "I wonder," Rosan replied vaguely. He refused to give such naive people the answer. It was the same reason he didn''t give Nami the rest of the money.


    If people just took the time to think logically for a second, they''d have a much easier time accepting things such as help.


    The two paused at the sound of screaming and Nojiko looked in the direction of the source.


    "That was near Gosa, a town that Arlong destroyed after one person failed to pay tribute¡­" Nojiko frowned and she headed in the direction. "Come on, I''m not letting you out of my sight."


    "Don''t tell me what to do," Rosan replied. He knew that scream, it only belonged to one coward.


    The redhead quickly overtook Nojiko, much to her surprise and it didn''t take him very long to find Usopp running with a fishman right on his heel.


    "Usopp," Rosan greeted.


    The sniper''s eyes lit up in elation.


    "ROSAN!" He cheered, leaping to hug the redhead and face planting with the floor due to him moving out of the way.


    Dick...


    "I see you''re doing well, come with me," the Mod Mod no mi user muttered, glancing around a bit.


    Where was Zoro? Surely Usopp didn''t abandon the incredibly injured swordsman, right?


    "There you are!" the large blue fishman called and Usopp yelped in fear. He was quickly gaining on them due to the liar pausing and the sniper thought about what to do.


    He quickly came to a decision.


    "Rosan, deal with this please!" The sniper yelled, pushing the redhead into the arms of the fishman and running a safe distance away.


    The fishman blinked before shrugging and tightening his grip on the redhead to ensure he didn''t escape. After he dealt with this one, he''d resume his chase of the long nosed human.


    Rosan hummed at the feeling of being grabbed onto and stared evenly at Usopp, expression utterly unbothered. "You understand that after I free myself, you''re gonna wish you let the fishman capture you, right?"


    "I''ve never met such a coward," Mod sighed. Maybe Rosan was right to keep secrets from this one. Quite frankly, Usopp was worryingly untrustworthy.


    Nojiko went stiff at the sight of a large blue fishman holding onto the person she was supposed to make sure didn''t get into any trouble. He literally vanished from her sight for a brief fucking second and he was already in a predicament?!


    She furiously grabbed a charging child and hid the both of them behind a building. If the fishman caught sight of her, they''d be in a lot of trouble with Arlong and no explanation would be good enough for him. These two would just have to die unfortunately which was honestly good for her because the redhead WAS A FUCKING IDIOT.


    "Ha! Got you now!" the person holding Rosan laughed. "After I deal with you, I''ll get your little friend right there."


    "Is that so?" The redhead replied conversationally. The man''s grip on him was quite steely, a testament to the fact that a fishman was 10x stronger than the average human.


    Unfortunately for him, Rosan was far from average.


    "Word of advice Fishman-san, you should really work on your grip," he advised.


    Rosan effortlessly broke out of the fishman''s steely grasp, much to everyone''s shock, and back handed him on the cheek, sending him flying into one of the flipped over buildings and forming spiderweb cracks on it once crashed.


    "After I''m done with him, you''re next," the scout promised to Usopp, who could only squeal in fear.


    The redhead vanished from his spot, only to appear in front of the floored fishman and began repeatedly stomping on his skull.


    "Ugh¡ª AHHHHH!" The fishman under him began screaming, but he didn''t stop even after hearing something crack and only the panicked yells of Nojiko, gave him pause.


    "WAIT, WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?!" She screeched, looking at the pool of blood forming under the pirate with horror. The fishman wasn''t moving right now, undoubtedly killed by Rosan''s brutal assault and she absentmindedly covered the sole child''s eyes.


    Did he just not remember how she said not to touch the fishman? WHAT WAS WRONG WITH HIM? WHY WAS HE LIKE THIS?! IN ONLY ONE MINUTE, HE MANAGED TO CAUSE THIS MUCH TROUBLE?


    "Getting rid of witnesses, I''m not supposed to be touching the fishman but this one touched me first," Rosan replied. The only way to break out of his grasp would be to use violence and at that point, he would have already broken his rule so killing it was.


    Something just occurred to him though, he should send some fishman over to Hiroshi so he could clone them... If Maro and Aiko had fishman at their beck and call... that would be useful. Water battles would be easy for them...


    Maybe he''d capture their officers to get even better bodies too... Yes, he''d do that. Now he had an actual reason to engage with the Fishman.


    "Y-You," Nojiko muttered with dilated eyes, shaking in horror at how unbothered he looked.


    She should have just left him in the house. The insane redhead was even worse than she thought! "Do you have any idea what you just did?!"


    "What do you mean?" Rosan asked, grabbing the dead Fishman and sending him off to his Pocket Dimension. He vanished before their very eyes and the redhead glanced back at them.


    "We were just taking a stroll and are now on the way back to your place, right?" He asked softly.


    Their eyes bugged in surprise and Nojiko repeatedly opened and closed her mouth before grabbing her head. She couldn''t fucking believe it. Not even a full day and she was fed up with this asshole.


    Usopp had no clue what Rosan just did, but watching him effortlessly kill a scary fishman made him all the more scary.


    "Don''t think I forgot about you, Usopp."


    The sniper whimpered in fear.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Tell me what you''re thinking?" Nojiko hissed, getting in his personal space and jamming a finger against his hard chest, ignoring the pain at doing so. She had told him one thing. Just ONE thing and he disregarded it completely!


    "That fishman briefly saw you," Rosan replied, looking down at her and pushing her hand out of the way.


    She froze. "W-What? He did?"


    "If I let him go, he would have reported that Nami''s sister was colluding with some unknown people. What would have happened to you and your village?" He asked rhetorically.


    "Mhm!" A bruised and battered Usopp agreed, despite not knowing Rosan was thinking that at all. It kind of hurt to even think right now... his scout was kind of really a dick.


    Wait, this was Nami''s SISTER?


    The three were situated in Nojiko''s home, after she had given a verbal lashing to some boy that was on a suicide mission, and she was now directing her ire towards the one who caused it.


    "You attacked him¡­ because of me?" The blue haired woman asked, staring strangely at the redhead. She didn''t think he had seen her but she did briefly show herself before realizing they were being chased by a fishman.


    "It''ll only be a matter of time before they realize one of their own is missing. We should cut ties for now," the redhead replied. "I''ll take sole blame for eliminating him and attract their attention. Usopp, where is Zoro?"


    The long nose that Rosan took his time assaulting, began whistling and looked away from the redhead, sweat beginning to form on his features.


    "Usopp."


    "He''s at Arlong Park¡­ he got captured¡­ I tried defending him but he told me to go on!" The sniper exclaimed.


    "You let a near death Zoro get captured?" The redhead asked simply and Usopp thought he was about to receive another beating, if the way he was cowering meant anything.


    Rosan closed his eyes for a moment, connecting to his bird. He had it relay its info to him and hummed.


    "I''ll go get him."


    "Wait!" Nojiko said, worried for his well being. "Arlong is a completely different beast then the guy you just killed! You''ll die out there."


    "You''re worried about me suddenly? Weren''t you just upset?" Rosan tilted his head at that. "You don''t have to be. I won''t die."


    Nami''s sister opened her mouth to deny his claims, before shutting it. "Just... Just be careful," she pleaded.


    Weak people worried too much. Rosan would be fine.


    Besides, Arlong wasn''t even in his base. The man and his officers were headed somewhere so the place wasn''t bustling with activity.


    Perfect for him, he wasn''t allowed to hurt the fishman after all.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Zoro was gonna kill Usopp when he got his hands on him. The stupid coward didn''t even bother freeing him from his ropes, leaving him at the mercy of the damn Fishman.


    Well, at least he had learned some things (and was still alive).


    Nami, despite all those words, was just pretending to be a witch. The moment he threw himself in the water, she had rushed to save him despite claiming to be a traitor two seconds earlier.


    Not only that, after locking him in a cage, she chose to free him and told him to go find Rosan.


    He didn''t even know the redhead was here! That was good news. He had strong backup now.


    "Oh, you''re alive and it seems like you had some fun too."


    Speak of the devil¡­ Zoro grinned at the sight of the redhead landing gently in front of him. "Oh, Rosan! What''s up?"


    The redhead surveyed the area and noted the countless unconscious fishman there. "Nothing much. Heard you were in trouble so I came to pick you up. You ready?"


    The swordsman stretched and winced a bit at his wounds before standing up. "Yeah I''m good to go!"


    Before the two could leave, they heard a commotion and were greeted to the sight of an octopus fishman reeling himself up with a fishing rod.


    "Having fun over there?" Rosan greeted, already preparing to silence him.


    "W-Who are you two?!" The man asked. "Me? I''m Hatchan!" He said, introducing himself without being asked.


    "Nice to meet you Hatchan," the redhead waved, getting a happy one in return.


    "Are you two guests of Arlong? He''s at Cocoyashi Village right now, so I can take you guys there!" The stupid fishman told them. These humans were pretty nice unlike the other ones!


    Zoro raised a brow but shrugged. "Sure. Since he''s not here, we might as well."


    "Alright! Get in!" the octopus said, pointing one of his hands at the Octopus Pot.


    "This guy is really special!" Ram grinned.


    "It''s kind of endearing in a way," Mod sighed.


    "I''d feel bad for killing someone so stupid," Rosan muttered.


    The redhead side eyed Zoro and nodded, letting the glow from Ram fade and the two jumped inside the pot.


    The redhead would play along with what he wanted.


    He wasn''t supposed to hurt the Fishman anyways.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    It didn''t take Hatchan long to escort the duo to Cocoyashi and Rosan waved goodbye to the friendly Fishman.


    "Thank you for the help," he said.


    "Bye you two!" Hatchan waved, disappearing back into the water.


    "What a strange guy," Zoro snickered.


    "He''s very stupid," Rosan nodded.


    The redhead paused, as his bird suddenly sent him an influx of information and the bronze man sighed in annoyance.


    "I''ll catch up with you later, Zoro. Seems I have some more stuff to do at Arlong''s Park," Rosan muttered. "Look for a blue haired girl named Nojiko. She has tattoos."


    "What happened?" Zoro asked, nodding and storing the information away.


    "Usopp got captured. I''m going to free him," Rosan replied. His wings burst from his back and he turned towards the direction he just came from. "I''ll make sure he doesn''t die."


    With that, he spread his wings and Zoro watched him fly off.


    "I wonder if I can use my swords to fly..." Zoro mused, cupping his chin before shrugging and walking off.


    Rosan hummed. He would need to divert the suspicion of the Fishman off of Nami else they might think her a traitor.


    He knew just what to do.


    "Things are getting exciting!" Ram beamed.


    "They sure are running you ragged. Without Luffy here, seems like you''re picking up all the slack!" Mod grinned teasingly. Rosan probably didn''t appreciate intervening so much but if he truly didn''t like it, then he wouldn''t do it.


    Perhaps he did like his crewmates? Even a little?


    Rosan sighed. It was annoying but he didn''t need his crewmates to die just yet. Luffy got attached too easily to people and if any of them died, he wouldn''t forgive himself.


    Even¡­ that Usopp.


    "You need to talk to him. I understand that if you had emotions you''d probably hate him but he''s a friend now!"


    "He''s a liar and a coward, two things I hate. It will take me a long time to warm up to him," Rosan replied.


    "At least try."


    "What do you think I''m doing?"


    Mod didn''t know. He was keeping more and more of his thoughts to himself these days... She sighed and said nothing, allowing him to continue his course.


    The man made it to Arlong Park just in time to see Nami confronting and battling Usopp.


    The sniper had actually done something useful and threw up a smokescreen which did a good job clouding everything. Rosan took that opportunity to dive in unseen and banished his wings in the process.


    He appeared right in front of their errant navigator and regarded her coolly.


    Nami gasped in surprise at the sudden appearance of Rosan. W-What was he doing here? She had told him to stay with Nojiko! Was he just disregarding everything now?


    She knew he was like Luffy!


    She was just about to stab herself while shoving Usopp to pretend like she had done it to the liar, when their scout showed up literally out of nowhere.


    Was he actually a ghost?


    "I''m going to take suspicion off of you," the redhead whispered suddenly. "Follow my lead."


    Her eyes widened but she nodded minutely and let him do his thing. The fishman were casting doubt on her so this actually worked out perfectly.


    As the smoke cleared, Arlong grunted in confusion at the sight of one of his officers, pawing at the hands of a human redhead who had not been here before.


    Who the fuck was this?


    He had Nami in a one handed chokehold and his head was tilted to the side, staring coldly into her eyes.


    "Really Nami¡­" He began with a soft tut, unbothered by her clawing his hand. "First I free Zoro, now you want to get Usopp too? You really are driving that betrayal in deep so maybe I should just kill you here."


    Nami tried to speak but she could only grasp weakly at his hand and her raspy cough snapped the Fishman out of their daze.


    "NAMI!" Kaori yelled, immediately charging their unknown assailant with a fist raised and forcing him to drop their navigator so he could dodge. He grasped Usopp as he leapt a distance away and eyed the Fishman with a blank gaze.


    "Who the hell do you think you are, human?" Arlong said lowly, voice tinged with rage. "You must have a death wish, coming here by yourself and attacking our cartographer."


    This human freed Zoro, assisted him in destroying his brothers, made them cast suspicion on Nami and then tried to kill her in front of them?!


    He was fucking dead the moment Arlong got his hands on him. Such cocky humans didn''t deserve to live long.


    "Nami, are you alright?" Kaori asked in concern. The orange haired girl was gripping her neck and coughing harshly.


    She focused a piercing glare onto the cause and got ready to turn him into paste. She didn''t know what this guys deal was but it wouldn''t matter soon enough.


    "I''m fine, Kaori," Nami answered instinctively, shooting her a thankful look.


    "Kaori?" Rosan suddenly said and the navigator froze in true terror, horror making its way on her face. "You said your name is Kaori?"


    There was actually no fucking way. Nami refused to believe that the redhead would go out of his way to make this situation worse then it already was. If he recognized that name (HOW DID HE RECOGNIZE THAT NAME?!), it was undoubtedly only because of one reason.


    If he revealed how he knew it¡­ Nami dreaded just thinking about it.


    "What of it? Who''s asking, asshole?" The fishman snarled.


    Who did this guy think he was? This asshole just tried to kill Nami in front of them all and was acting completely nonchalant about it. Now he was trying to strike up a conversation with her?


    Arlong wouldn''t be able to get his hands on this guy before she lost control.


    Rosan sized her up for a bit and seemingly came to a decision right there. He ignored Nami''s pleading gaze and focused all his attention on the female fishman.


    "You truly are a sadistic person sometimes."


    "I did say I would tell his family a fake fate instead of the one I gave him."


    "Are you two talking about a fight that happened before I existed?! Rude!"


    "Kenzo sends his regards. He died with honor 15 years ago and in his last moments, he regretted not being able to see you grow up to become a beautiful woman," Rosan said quietly, making sure she heard every single word.


    Kaori''s eyes widened to epic proportions at that, body freezing in disbelief as his sentence washed over her.


    She felt like she was floating right now at the words of this incredibly random person. A bead of sweat began dropping from her head and her heart started slamming into her chest as she processed what he just said. How¡­ How did he know the name of her father?! I-It had been 15 years since he had vanished along with their slave master so how did this young looking human know him?


    "W-what? What did you just s-say?" She stammered in confusion, standing up to stare directly at the merciless Rosan.


    "...It was a good fight, probably the best I had that night," the redhead replied, empty eyes locking onto the fishman without an ounce of sympathy in them. "It''s such a shame only one of us could make it out alive. He really did love you and Masumi."


    H-Her mother too? He knew the name of her mother...? W-Who was this?!


    "How... How do you know those names? Why do you know me...? HOW DO YOU KNOW MY FATHER''S NAME?!" Kaori shrieked, taking a shaky step forward.


    "Isn''t it obvious?" Rosan asked. "I was there when he died of course. Even after he accepted his death, the only thing he could think of, was the safety of you two. The love of a father is a rare thing. How sad that you haven''t experienced it for so long."


    Nami swore she was going to kill Rosan after all of this was over.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Bonus


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    The life that they lived... it was that of a roller coaster.


    One that they wanted to get off immediately.


    Because of just one person, their life was turned upside down for the worst. Because of one person their life could never go back to what it used to be.


    All because of one person...


    Life used to be so good, so pleasant for them but at the drop of a hat, things that were normal, quickly changed and it was nearly impossible to adjust to because they were completely blindsided by it.


    But they did adjust because that was all they could do. They were driven by spite and vitriol and they would be heard eventually, whether anyone liked it or not. Whether the world approved or not.


    They would get what rightfully belonged to them back...


    Staring at the sleeping figure, they gently ran a hand through their hair and grinned psychotically, reminded that there was still one thing worth caring for. Visions of red and purple appeared in their mind, as they covered the person from the extreme cold with a blanket and gently kissed their forehead.


    ...And they''d make everything right again...


    By any means necessary.

 Is This Fate I?

    When Rosan was just 9 years old, he had participated as a slave in a tournament called Ash and Dust on Daybreak Island and steamrolled his way to the finals, fighting disappointing foe after disappointing foe.


    Just as he gave up on finding anyone worth his time, he met and fought an actual fishman by the name of Kenzo.


    Before the fight began, he had assured the fishman that he would send his family his regards, due to the fact that Rosan would be winning this fight.


    For his sake, He''d tell Kenzo''s family that he died with honor instead of the death Rosan gave him because Rosan humiliated him. The then 9 year old, overwhelmed his fellow slave with relentless aggression, only paying for it once the whole fight.


    As he came flying down to deliver the final blow, he heard Kenzo utter the names of his wife and child, Masumi and Kaori, so he stored those two names in the back of his mind on the off chance he saw either of them.


    Rosan wasn''t expecting to ever run into even one of them but if he did, he''d tell them of his fate out of his respect for the only good fight he had that night.


    You could imagine his surprise, when he actually ran into the man''s daughter.


    The world was a huge place. Rosan didn''t think he''d ever run into the man''s wife or kid but apparently someone saw it fit to do so.


    Maybe he should start believing in fate in that case...


    ...No, it would never happen. He didn''t think life was decided by such things. They forged their own path, free of the confines of this so called destiny because if destiny saw it fit to take Rosan''s love away, then destiny would see it fit to watch him destroy the entire world.


    He stared neutrally at Kaori, the daughter of Kenzo, with Usopp slung over his shoulder.


    Rosan could see some slight resemblances between her and Kenzo but it wasn''t very much. She had light blue skin and was clearly a type of pufferfish but her features must have been inherited from her mother.


    The fishman was currently staring at him like she had just seen a ghost. She was sweating heavily, her mouth was open in shock and her eyes were wide and shaky. No doubt, thoughts of who he was were running through her mind and she was finding it hard to process his words properly.


    Kaori couldn''t hear the words of concern from her pirate crew. No, all she could hear were the words of this random redhead. This random redhead who knew the name of her mother and father.


    To say that she wasn''t curious about the fate of her father, would be a bold faced lie. After all, she was only in the Blue Seas to find information on him. She''d much rather prefer to be traveling with Jinbe but she needed answers.


    She had spent many a sleepless night wondering just what happened to her dad and their former slave master.


    Now, there was seemingly a source of information right here in front of her.


    The only problem? The redhead was claiming to have allegedly killed her father.


    She had to have misheard him. There was no way.


    Before she could further question him, the redhead suddenly began sprinting right towards the large group of fishman blocking the exit, ignoring Usopp''s squeal of distress.


    A suicidal charge?! Was he completely insane? No! He couldn''t be killed before she got to question him... Kaori needed answers first! She spent years looking for a clue and the one with them was about to die!


    Before Kaori could get in the way to intercept him, the redhead jumped over all of them, landing on the stone gate and leaping off of that one too, cracking the wall and disappearing from their sight without looking back even once.


    Everyone balked at the show of athleticism, too dazed to give chase due to the fact that he escaped right in their face.


    Kaori made to immediately pursue him, but Arlong intervened with a, "Wait, Kaori."


    "What do you mean wait, Arlong?!" She snarled, rounding on Arlong in barely restrained fury. "What if he tries and leaves the island?! How did he even get here without any of us detecting him?! He might have a means to escape and I''m not risking losing such a big lead on such a cold case!"


    Arlong looked just as pissed at her. His eyes were rooted on the spot the man just vanished from and there were so much veins littered across his head, it was a surprise the captain with anger issues didn''t break anything into pieces.


    "He''s lying to you. There''s no way a human would be capable of killing a fishman," Arlong snarled, cracking his seat slightly. "He''s trying to goad you into chasing him right now and it''s working. Don''t worry, we won''t be letting him escape the island."


    He ordered some of his crew to begin lurking the waters surrounding the island and some others to search for that redheaded nuisance.


    "THAT DOESN''T CHANGE THE FACT THAT HE KNOWS ABOUT MY FATHER! WHY ARE YOU STOPPING ME FROM CHASING HIM?" Kaori barked in clear annoyance. She had no real loyalty to this man. All the woman wanted was answers and she could only get that in the North Blue.


    Jinbe was in the Grand Line and showed no interest in coming to the weaker seas so she settled for Arlong because the man actually was planning on coming here and he hired her in the process, continuously giving her money...


    Not like she got much out of traveling with them anyways (the money was good. She was not cheap). She was no closer to finding out just what happened to her father and it was driving her insane.


    Now, there was a lead right in front of her and he was telling her to wait? She would pulverize him if he kept saying such stupid things.


    "We''ll bring him to you and you''ll get all the answer you need," Kuroobi assured. "You aren''t thinking straight right now and whoever that human is, might be looking to catch you off guard. Wait here until we bring him back. He won''t be getting off this island."


    Kaori growled lowly but nodded, stomping off to an area to gather her thoughts and warning them not to bother her unless it was for something good.


    She needed to think of what she was going to ask that redhead¡­ Arlong was right about one thing, there was no way that human killed her father. He was much too young to have done that but she had no reason why he was opting on keeping the real reason from her.


    Hopefully he''d be reasonable, lest she had to crush the answers out of him.


    Kuroobi turned towards the petrified Nami and said, "We''re sorry for doubting you Nami. You''re our friend and we won''t let that human get away with putting his hands on you."


    The navigator scoffed and pushed herself back up. "I have no friends, you''re just my business partners. I''m only here to buy Cocoyashi Village so keep up your end of the bargain."


    She snatched the map out of his hand and walked away with a neutral expression. On the inside though, she was broiling with turmoil.


    "Rosan, you idiot! When you said you were gonna help I didn''t think you''d make the situation so much worse!"


    Her only respite, was that Rosan knew how to fly and so even if they lurked the waters, the redhead would still be able to escape the island if things went from bad to worse.


    Not that they weren''t already at worse...


    At least he got their suspicion off of her like he said he would. He took full blame for releasing Zoro and managed to escape with Usopp too so now the fishman didn''t suspect her at all.


    Ugh, this was getting too complicated. She couldn''t buy her village back yet either. Nami needed two million more beri and would need to go on another voyage, but she wasn''t sure Rosan or the other Straw Hats would be leaving yet.


    As Nami entered the room that Arlong had dubbed hers, her musing was cut short due to the entire area shaking.


    She stumbled around a bit but managed to catch herself and the shaking soon stopped.


    "Now what?" The thief thought in annoyance.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Y-You saved me!" Usopp sobbed over Rosan''s shoulder. He hadn''t expected the redhead to be able to get him out of that situation so easily but he was alive!


    "Stop crying," Rosan muttered, landing on a branch and leaping off of it with crushing force, sending the piece flying. "Do not get snot on my shirt. I can''t stand boogers."


    "R-right!" The liar saluted. "But man! How did you manage to guess that girl''s dad name correct? Did she have like a tattoo of his name that you saw? I don''t even think I could pull off a lie like that!"


    He was genuinely impressed with his fellow liar! He thought of something quick in such a short amount of time!


    "I don''t lie," the redhead retorted calmly, eyes forward as he leapt from tree to tree. "The only thing I lied about, was the honorable death I gave him because I promised him that''s what I''d say when I ever saw them. I actually humiliated him in his last moments but I didn''t want him to lose face."


    Usopp laughed at that. "Of course you lie! You don''t gotta worry, believe it or not, the great Captain Usopp lies too!"


    There was nothing to be ashamed of. Sure, Rosan lied more then him but that wasn''t a bad thing! He just needed to sound a bit more believable!


    "Are you just going to label everything I say as a lie?" Rosan hummed curiously. "I''m not you. Lies are for people too weak to deal with the consequences of facing the truth. There is no point in me exaggerating my life because it''s not worth exaggerating."


    Why would he ever want to exaggerate all the things that happened to him? Did Usopp think he was lying to make himself look better? Rosan wasn''t proud of the life he had been forced into so why would the liar assume that he was?


    "Hey that''s not why I lie!" Usopp said, voice tinged with a bit of anger at being called out like that.


    "Your reasoning for lying means very little to me. If you find comfort in deluding yourself to reality, be my guest. Just don''t apply the same thing to me. I''m not such a coward that I''d run away from the truth of my life," the redhead retorted.


    "You''re acting a bit out of hand right now, Rosan."


    "You wanted us to talk. This is how I talk."


    "...Just... just try not to cause any rifts."


    Usopp''s frown deepened. What was his deal?


    "I told you that''s not why I lie. Just because you''re this cool and strong guy doesn''t mean you get to act like an ass," the sniper scowled.


    "Act? You think I''m acting?" Rosan actually stopped moving and placed the sniper down to regard him. "To be completely honest with you, I''m not your biggest fan," the redhead said honestly, staring neutrally into the coward''s eyes.


    Usopp flinched at his bluntness and inched away from the dead look in the redhead''s eyes.


    Rosan ignored all of that. "You represent a lot of things that I would normally hate in a person. You lie nonstop about even the simplest of things, you''re a complete coward and it makes you a liability and most of all, you adore a man who abandoned you and your mother to your fate."


    The sniper''s eyes darkened at that and he stopped moving.


    "You see?" The redhead said quietly. "The only time that cowardice flies out of the window, is when someone mentions your father. Why is that? Are you that in love with being a pirate that you''d ignore the fact that Yasopp left you and your mother behind?"


    "Shut up," Usopp warned.


    "I change my mind, you two do not have to talk," Mod pleaded but once Rosan got like this, it was impossible to stop him.


    "I''m sure I''d envy you Usopp," Rosan admitted, ignoring Mod''s request.


    The sniper paused. "Envy? Why?" He asked, dumbfounded. He was just gearing up to punch Rosan but now he was left stumped by that admittance.


    "My father also happened to be a pirate and he left my mom for dead too," the redhead replied, much to Usopp''s surprise. "He''s dead now but if he wasn''t, I''d have done everything in my power to make him suffer."


    The sniper froze at that declaration. Rosan... he would have tried to kill his own father?!


    Those dead eyes continued to bore into the liar without a hint of feeling. "I envy you because you''re so naive. If I knew my dad was partying while my mother was dying, well I wouldn''t try so hard to defend him because I''d be too busy hunting him down. That''s the difference between you and I. You''re an idiot and I''m not."


    "Rosan! That''s enough!" Mod barked. She understood that Usopp''s traits were practically his antithesis but this was too much!


    "Is it though?"


    "Yes! You don''t have to dig at his wounds like that!"


    "Why shouldn''t I?" He asked calmly.


    "This is you''re crewmate!"


    "And?" Rosan said darkly.


    Mod went quiet, shuddering at that simple, heartless, question and regarded Rosan with wide red eyes.


    "SHUT UP!" Usopp roared, throwing out a punch that the redhead effortlessly caught.


    "You''re misdirecting your anger," Rosan chided. "You aren''t mad at me. You''re mad that someone is telling you the truth."


    He was willing to act neutral with the sniper, he really was, but this was what Mod-chan wanted and since Usopp thought he was a liar, he''d tell him the truth.


    The coward began swinging repeatedly at his crewmate, growling at failing completely and he felt his anger mounting at that expression regarding him like he wasn''t even remotely a threat.


    Damnit... DAMNIT!


    Rosan understood now. He just needed to push a few buttons to understand Usopp''s core issue.


    "You''re insecure," he said softly, grabbing Usopp''s fist and forcing him to the ground effortlessly. "Insecure because you''re weak. That''s why you lie. That''s why you''re a coward. You don''t believe in yourself," the redhead pointed out.


    Usopp struggled before lying there in defeat. "And so what if I am? It''s true isn''t it? I''m not a monster like you, or Luffy, or Zoro. Hell, even Nami was about to beat me..."


    Rosan''s words stabbed into him and it only hurt more now that he was lying here in defeat. The redhead, for all his cruelty, was right.


    He was insecure and why wouldn''t he be? He didn''t have any lofty dreams like Luffy or Zoro. He wasn''t immensely useful like Nami or Rosan... He wasn''t as strong as any of them...


    What could he do besides care for Merry?


    "If you hate your current self, why don''t you try and change?" Rosan asked simply.


    "How can I change?" Usopp asked bitterly. "Nothing I do will let me catch up to you guys."


    The redhead tilted his head at that. "How can you be so sure about that? You are so insecure about what you can''t do, that you don''t even realize what you can do."


    Usopp perked up at that. "What I can do...?"


    What could he do...?


    "You are a fantastic shot and one of the most resourceful in the crew. Instead of trying to compete with us, find your own strengths and focus on them," Rosan instructed him, hoisting the sniper up.


    "Work on your body so that it can keep up with your mind. You have a good head on your shoulders but you don''t see that because you only focus on the negatives. With just scraps, you''ve shown that you can invent workable gadgets. You are not as useless as you make yourself out to be," the redhead finished.


    Usopp was a genius in his own right. He inherited his father''s shot and had his own creativity added to the mix. If he put his mind to use, he''d be a force to be reckoned with but he just needed to see that.


    The liar was stunned at Rosan''s deduction of him, not expecting anyone to ever compliment the things he was good at. He thought the negatives far outweighed the positives but in Rosan''s eyes, that couldn''t be any farther then the truth.


    How did it turn into this? One second Usopp was trying to punch Rosan''s eye black, the next, he was getting dissected like he were an open book.


    "You really think I''m not useless? You think I can be something more?" Usopp asked quietly.


    Rosan shook his head. "It doesn''t matter what I think, Usopp. You have to think that. My words mean nothing if you yourself don''t believe what you''re capable of."


    The redhead began walking away before pausing suddenly, turning to face his sniper. "You want to be a brave warrior of the sea right? How about you lie to yourself until you genuinely begin to believe it? If you do that, you''ll see how impressive you can be."


    Rummaging in his shirt, Usopp watched Rosan pull out a blank white mask. "Here. Every liar hides behind a mask, physical or mental, because it helps them better convince themselves. When you put that mask on, envision yourself as a brave warrior of the sea. When you truly believe what you are, you won''t need it anymore. You have potential."


    "You have potential."


    Usopp''s eyes widened at that and he stared at his enigmatic crewmate with shock and... admiration, accepting the mask gently. This whole time... was Rosan trying to anger him on purpose so that he could properly dissect the liar?


    If someone as cruel and harsh as Rosan could see it... Maybe Usopp was being too negative. "I... I was wrong about you, Rosan. You''re a good guy!"


    Sure he talked bad about his father but... Usopp could admit that hearing about his dad partying of all things did fill him up with a large amount of bitterness. He understood that the pirate life was for him but... Yasopp really did just leave him behind without any hesitation while his mother got sick...


    "I''m not a good guy or anything like that," the scout disagreed calmly. "I just speak my mind."


    "Satisfied?" Rosan asked.


    Mod was silent in shock. She had no idea this was Rosan''s plan but he had executed it flawlessly. "You are one of the most charismatic people I know."


    "You''re super awesome, Father!" Ram crowed, grinning brightly at him.


    "I simply want useful crewmates. If he had no potential I wouldn''t have bothered and I have no interest in training him if he doesn''t want me to. But, I''ll point him in the right direction."


    Usopp looked at the blank white mask with contemplation and nodded resolutely, storing it in his bag.


    Maybe there was some merit in his words... If he could lie to himself enough, maybe he''d begin to truly believe it.


    There was a short silence as the sniper digested his words before he suddenly went pale. "So you really don''t lie¡­?"


    "Not unless I feel like it''s necessary and I rarely feel that way anymore."


    "You''ve actually been fighting since you were four?"


    "Yes. I fought a pirate crew and stole their ship"


    "And your sister is really married to a queen?"


    "She''s also a blacksmith, I''ll have you two meet one day and maybe she can help you with your trinkets."


    "And¡­ you really did kill that fishman''s dad?!"


    "That was when I was nine. He got some good hits on me but he wasn''t able to handle my onslaught."


    Usopp''s eyes bugged. So¡­ this whole time¡­ Rosan had been telling the truth?! J-Just who was this guy?! Where did Luffy find a monster like this to call him brother?!


    He knew a queen?! He killed one of those dangerous fishman at just nine?! He fought an entire pirate crew at FOUR?!


    Holy shit¡­ Maybe Usopp could learn a thing or two from him... If Rosan really was traveling the sea for so long, he was definitely a step in the right direction to being a brave warrior of the sea!


    Rosan stealthily snuck the hammer back in the man''s satchel and nodded in satisfaction, continuing to trek through the forest.


    They walked in silence for a couple more minutes, Rosan letting Usopp stew in his thoughts, before the redhead suddenly stopped moving and said, "Oh? Nice to see that you''re finally here, Luffy. And it looks like you found Zoro too."


    Usopp''s head shot up as he heard that and he had to stifle a laugh at the sight of Zoro under the ship that their captain brought here.


    "Oh, Rosan!" Luffy beamed, launching himself at his older brother excitedly.


    The redhead caught his little brother easily and they exchanged a hug.


    "I missed you!"


    "We''ve been together for 10 years and you miss me after a few days?" Rosan questioned with a raised brow.


    Luffy beamed and the two stared at each other for a moment until Rosan sighed.


    "...I missed you too, Luffy."


    "Whipped," Ram muttered. Father should only be spoiling her but nooo, everyone wants to be spoiled! Ugh, how greedy were some people? Maro, Angel and Luffy sure were trips!


    "You''re heavier then normal," Rosan mused.


    Glancing fully at his brother, he took note of the weapon attached to his back and tilted his head. "Oh? You found a weapon you like?"


    He doubted it. Luffy had 0 affinity with weapons.


    "Nope! It''s for you," the rubber boy said, removing the bindings and handing it to his brother. "I got it from that stupid captain! It explodes when you hit something!"


    For him?


    "Thank you, Luffy," Rosan hummed, taking the weapon out of his hand with ease and inspecting it.


    The battle spear itself wasn''t really useful to him or Ram so he''d just tinker on it and make it more impressive, before handing it to someone else to use.


    Everyone watched with dropped jaws, as Rosan''s eyes began glowing brightly and the weapon vanished from their sight, going who knows where.


    W-What the fuck was that?!


    "I will never turn down a free gift. I''ll have to give you a reward later," Rosan promised, getting a starry look from his captain.


    He then noticed that Luffy had brought a familiar face and nodded in satisfaction. "Ah, you managed to recruit Sanji. Good job."


    Sanji scoffed a bit but nodded in respect to the redhead. "We both have foolish dreams so I figured I''d go with him. Besides, I still owe you that best meal and we''d probably never meet again."


    "How thoughtful of you," Rosan hummed. This was a good addition to their crew, the redhead had no complaints. "We can talk later after this whole situation is sorted, if you want."


    Sanji nodded coolly (or what he thought was cool...) and said, "Yeah. Later. Right."


    Ram snorted. He was such a fan.


    "So, where''s Nami?" Luffy asked curiously. "She''s here right? Did you guys get her back?"


    "About that..." Rosan began.


    "I''m right here."


    All eyes turned towards the source and they found Nami herself, eyeing the group with a look of disdain.


    Johnny, who had just shown up, was the first to speak. "You''ve got a lot of nerve showing your face around here when you''re apart of Arlong''s crew! Rosan you should finish what you started!"


    "Where did you come from?" Rosan asked curiously. "Were you watching that exchange the entire time?"


    Johnny''s words quickly caught up with the crew and they turned towards the neutral faced redhead with varying expressions.


    "ROSAN, DID YOU TRY TO KILL NAMI?!" Luffy roared, anger clear on his face. "YOU CAN''T DO THAT! SHE''S OUR NAKAMA!"


    "YOU SHITTY REDHEAD!" Sanji roared in agreement, hero worship forgotten at the moment due to this injustice. "HOW DARE YOU LAY A HAND ON NAMI? WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?!"


    Rosan sighed at the sight of the two getting ready to attack him. "I wasn''t actually trying to kill her. I was doing her a favor."


    There was a pause at that, only Zoro seemed to be unsurprised that Rosan wasn''t actually trying to kill her.


    "Huh?" The rubber boy asked dumbly.


    Sanji calmed down slightly at hearing that.


    Reaper hunted both genders without a shred of mercy in his stance. It did not matter to him what you were, he''d end your life without hesitation so the chef wasn''t even slightly surprised to hear that the redhead tried to kill the beautiful navigator.


    Rosan regarded Nami with a tilted head. "How''s your throat? Did I squeeze too hard?" The redhead asked.


    Everyone began blinking owlishly at that question. Usopp and Johnny especially, were confused that Rosan was asking such a question because just moments earlier, he had been about to choke her to death.


    "It''s fine. But when you said you''d take suspicion off of me¡­" Nami began and everyone''s eyes went wide in confusion.


    Didn''t Nami betray them? What was going on? Why was Rosan asking such a question?


    "...I didn''t think you''d MAKE. IT. WORSE!" She barked in fury, walking up and pressing a finger on Rosan''s chest with each punctuated word.


    "I got the suspicion off of you, right?" Rosan asked, nonplussed by her reaction. "Now you don''t have to worry about the Fishman thinking you betrayed them."


    She nearly yanked her hair out at the unbothered words of the redhead. He was totally missing the point!


    "I knew you were as bad as Luffy!" She growled. This is why she told him to stay with Nojiko! The redhead''s perception of how chaotic he was, was clouded by how strong he was and how well he could handle a situation.


    Since he was so confident in his ability to deal with problems, he didn''t perceive his actions as chaotic but that wasn''t how it worked. He didn''t see it like that because he was insane and stubborn and nothing you said to him would change his mind!


    Rosan was just as chaotic as his brother and right now he was proving it! It was no wonder they were crewmates, those two psychos were made for each other!


    "You''re exaggerating, I''m not as bad as Luffy," Rosan dismissed her and she held her head while gritting her teeth as he proved her right.


    It was even worse because he genuinely believed he wasn''t.


    "Arlong wants your head now because of what you did and he has fishman all around the island. This is what I wanted to avoid¡­ You guys need to find a way to leave now," Nami stressed.


    Everyone else, barring Luffy and Zoro, were surprised to see that Nami was worried for them. Usopp had been totally convinced that she actually betrayed them and Johnny was right there with him.


    The two were going to tell Luffy to just get the Merry and leave but apparently they were wrong!


    Just what was going on right now? What did Rosan know?


    "Nami! We came to get you," Luffy smiled cheerfully, happy to see that his navigator was doing fine. "I''m glad Rosan didn''t kill you!"


    Nami sweatdropped at that. To avoid any unnecessary trouble, she wouldn''t tell them what happened on the ship.


    It was mostly her fault anyways...


    "I''m not coming back with you guys¡­ I still have some business I need to do," Nami told everyone there. "Once I''m done¡­ I''ll seek you guys out. Hopefully you haven''t gone to the Grand Line by then but you guys need to go before they find you."


    "Eh?" Luffy tilted his head in confusion. "No way! We came to get you and we''re not leaving without you!" He declared bluntly, falling on his back and closing his eyes.


    "Tired?" Rosan asked knowingly.


    "Yeah, I''m not leaving this island and I don''t care what''s going on, so I''m going to sleep," the rubber boy decided, falling asleep immediately.


    Nami grit her teeth in annoyance, anger mounting at the antics of her insufferable crew.


    First, Rosan had made direct contact and utterly pissed off the fishman. Now, Luffy was being completely impossible like he always was. He wouldn''t even pretend to listen to her demands like the redhead had.


    She was so close, she didn''t need them interfering right now!


    "UGH! FINE! Just stay here and don''t do anything then! SEE IF I CARE!" Nami growled, turning on her heels and stomping off.


    They were so arrogant! She just wanted to keep them safe but they were hellbent on pulling her teeth the entire time. Fine, let them do whatever they wanted! She didn''t give a damn anymore. All she wanted to do right now, was throw a tantrum and take a nap.


    Almost as soon as she disappeared from their sight, Rosan got up and began walking away.


    "Where are you going?" Zoro asked with a raised brow.


    "The Fishman might come this way, I want Luffy to enjoy his sleep so I''ll go deal with the ones looking for me," Rosan hummed.


    They sweatdropped and watched the redhead vanish, heedless of what Nami had just said to them.


    Rosan spoiled Luffy too much... And he really didn''t listen to anyone.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Kaori paced back and forth in her room, impatience clear on her face as a multitude of thoughts went through her head.


    Kenzo, her father, disappeared more than 15 years ago. He and their former owner went to a place called Daybreak Island, so that they could participate in some type of tournament on an island that she didn''t know about.


    But neither of them ever returned¡­ Kaori and her mother waited for weeks, unwilling to go far. The two didn''t have the bomb collar that Kenzo had, but only one was necessary to keep all three in check and if Kenzo died, the mother and daughter, who were not fighters, would stand no chance against the slew of their owners guards, even if they were Fishman.


    Days turned into weeks and weeks turned into months before the mother and daughter realized something had gone horribly wrong.


    Where was Kenzo? Where was their owner? They had no idea but it wasn''t looking hopeful that they survived whatever it was they ran into.


    Her mother had tearfully come to the decision that Kenzo wasn''t coming back after the guards began abandoning their post, no longer willing to stay there after not getting paid in so long and all the slaves without collars, managed to escape (the ones with them couldn''t leave... they were most likely dead now), including Kaori and Masumi.


    They regretfully fled to Fishman Island and, after seeing the look of despair on her mother''s face... After waking up in the middle of the night to hear her crying on so much occasions, Kaori came to the decision to find out what happened to her father at all costs.


    She would find closure. Even if her mother disapproved of her goal. Even if they got into a huge fight about it... Even if she didn''t speak to her in years because of it, Kaori would still find the answers to a question that prevented her from moving on with her life.


    So she tried training¡­ to very little success. She wanted to find out quickly what happened but there wasn''t much she could accomplish alone.


    The royal guards refused her for her age and no one wanted to train her due to her perceived fragility at being a former slave.


    That pissed Kaori off to no end. So what? She was a slave to humans but if she wanted to avoid that, she needed to get as strong as possible. Why did no one see that?


    When Fisher Tiger announced the creation of the Sun Pirates, Kaori saw it as her chance to finally become strong enough to get answers and so, she jumped at the chance.


    Namely, by begging them to let her aboard.


    It was only thanks to Jinbe, who seemed to sympathize with her plight as a slave, that allowed her to be accepted and he had taken it upon himself to train the little girl up.


    Kaori missed Jinbe¡­ she hoped the Warlord was doing fine wherever he was in the Grand Line. She never agreed with Arlong''s violent philosophy, much preferring to follow Fisher and her teacher, but the Shark Fishman was the only one traversing the Blue Seas and her goal never changed even once.


    "Your one track obsession with finding answers will drive you to ruin, Kaori," Jinbe advised wisely. "You can''t allow this to lead you for the rest of your life. What will you do if you never find answers?"


    She snorted to herself. He didn''t understand what she went through. All those nights... No one could understand how desperate she was to just know what went wrong. Why was she free? Where was her father? What happened to him that night?


    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    Now, she could finally find answers about what happened to her father¡­ if only she wasn''t being kept in this fucking base!


    "Kaori-sama!" One of the lower ranked fishman called, opening her door without knocking.


    Her head snapped up and she immediately closed the distance between the two, glowering at her cowering ally. "What? What is it?! Did you find the human? Where is he?!"


    He began shaking nervously and her scowl deepened at the head shaking no.


    "A-Arlong wants you and the other officers to deal with a Marine ship¡­" he squeaked out and she snarled.


    "They don''t need my help to sink one ship. Tell him to stop calling me until the redhead is here," Kaori barked out.


    Despite her clear dismissal, her "crewmate" didn''t leave. No, he stood there to insist that she join because Arlong wanted her to blow off some steam.


    The woman didn''t answer, shoving the poor guy aside (and into a wall) while stomping out of the room with a ferocious scowl.


    The female fishman began bee lining towards the ship.


    "Waste of my fucking time when I could be looking for the damn human right now!" She growled to herself.


    Blow off some steam? Fine. She would go blow off some damn steam.


    Kaori ignored the calls of her fellow officers and dove straight into the water, swimming at amazing speeds towards the Marine ship in her sight.


    "After her," Arlong commanded with a sigh. He had never seen Kaori so worked up before but it was to be expected. "She can handle it on her own but make sure she doesn''t waste too much energy."


    His officers saluted and dove in the water, pursuing the female fishman.


    When Kaori reached the surface of the ocean again, she saw that the Marines were getting ready to fire another cannon and sought to stop that immediately.


    She burst out of the water and landed right on the cannon, crushing the weapon beneath her with with minimal effort and garnering the attention of everyone there.


    The officer ignored the panicking fodder and instead focused on, what appeared to be, the most important Marine there.


    He was about to introduce himself as commodore Purinpurin, but the fishman didn''t even let him open his mouth and delivered a brutal elbow to his gut.


    "No hard feelings," Kaori muttered, spinning on her heel and crushing the ribs of another unlucky Marine who charged her. "I didn''t really want to do this so I wanna be done as soon as possible."


    The ship began shuddering. No doubt, it was because Kuroobi probably just removed its rudder.


    Why did they even need her here? This was such a waste.


    Kaori let out an annoyed sigh and cocked back her fist, gathering the water vapor from around her, before casually saying, "Thousand Tile True Punch."


    The fishman punched downward, connecting with the deck of the ship.


    The effects were immediate.


    The entire ship began crumbling from the force of her blow and the screams of the Marines, reached increasingly high volumes. They tried to grasp onto anything, losing their footing but it seems their life was only getting worse because a whirlpool began forming, dragging the ship into the depths without a hint of mercy.


    "What a waste of my time," Kaori scoffed, diving back into the water and swimming to Arlong Park. It hadn''t even "cooled" her down. The only thing that would cool her down, would be finding the redhead with answers.


    It seems that her patience was paying off because one of her crewmates who had been sent to look for the humans was currently back and he looked terrified.


    The poor guy was shaking like a leaf, jumping at the slightest of sounds and looking like he just got finished throwing up.


    "Arlong¡­ we can''t catch that thing!" The fishman exclaimed, eyes wide in genuine horror. They were not chasing an inferior human. That thing may have had the appearance of one, but he was not human.


    "H-He''s just toying with us! We jumped him with 6 people and it wasn''t even close! He... He made some disappear t-to their deaths a-and he slaughtered the others. T-The only reason I''m not dead like the others, is because he told me to relay a message to you!"


    "Dead like the others?!" Arlong thought in hot rage. He crushed the armrest beneath him at the thought that one human was causing them this much trouble and began audibly snarling.


    Forget all of this, he was about to go hunt that man down himself.


    "What did he say?" Kaori interrupted, schooling her features into something neutral.


    She knew it was a bad idea to send the lower ranked crew members after that man but Arlong was too full of himself. The woman wasn''t so arrogant to think that all fishman were superior to all humans and that redhead in particular, stared every one of them down without a hint of fear on his face before rocketing away at speeds they couldn''t react to.


    The terrified fishman flinched. "H-He said, "Unless you plan on sending everyone of your officers after me, sit tight. I will come to you soon enough. For once, exercise some patience you racist idiot." a-and then he shooed me off."


    "Arrogant son of a bitch," Arlong snarled, head throbbing in rage. He was getting fed up with those humans. First Roronoa Zoro, then the long nose, now the redhead?


    How dare that human kill his BROTHERS?! That was his family and he would dare?!


    "Fine. The cocky human wants to die? We''ll wait here for him then," the captain replied, expression stony despite the boiling hot rage inside of him. "Once he gets here, I''ll make sure death is a pleasant experience and he''ll regret ever messing with a superior species."


    "Don''t do anything to him until I get my answers," Kaori warned sharply to her fellow Sun Pirate with a hard glare. "He''s probably the only person who knows anything and I won''t let him die yet."


    "Kaori," Kuroobi said, placing a hand on the younger woman''s shoulder. "You need to relax. You''ve been steadily getting out of control since you''ve seen that redhead. Arlong is our captain, don''t disrespect him."


    "Why do you think I stayed in my room!" She snarled, rounding on the ray fishman and slapping his hand off her shoulder. "Besides, I''m just a hired gun. Jinbe is my captain; Arlong is my boss. You gave me the money so I joined you all because it was convenient for me. My father''s fate is top priority to me and I will find those answers."


    "She''s right," Chew jumped in, leering at Kaori. "You guys shouldn''t be surprised that she''s so on edge. This is her father after all."


    Kaori glared at the man and successfully shut him up, biting back a snarl of annoyance in the process.


    She never did like Arlong. He was cruel and full of himself without even having all the strength to show for it. Jinbe was light years stronger then him and the shark even got captured by the Vice Admiral turned Admiral, Kizaru, yet he found solace in bullying people in the East Blue of all places?


    Besides, he was one of the main people who protested her desire to join the Sun Pirates, calling her a "weak little girl" in the process and now look at him. He didn''t even train anymore! He was wasting himself away right about now and he''d regret it soon enough.


    Her and Kuroobi glared deeply at each other but Arlong broke it up.


    "Enough you two. Kaori is right, she''s just a hired gun," the shark fishman said, glaring into the distance at the thought of the redhead. "We had a business transaction and I''d rather die, then break money related promises. She''s free to do whatever she wants as long as it doesn''t interfere with us negatively."


    Kaori nodded stiffly at that. It was why she hadn''t gone after the redhead yet. Chasing after him could potentially qualify as interfering negatively when Arlong clearly wanted otherwise and she was a woman of integrity.


    "That reminds me," Chew said. "Do you actually plan on letting Nami go after she gives you the 100 million?"


    That would be extremely stupid of him. Nami''s skills were invaluable to the crew and she was a genius that you wouldn''t meet anywhere else without an obscene amount of luck.


    "But of course. I''m a man of my word." Arlong shrugged in a "what can you do" motion. "If Nami can give me the money, she''s free to go. Those were the terms we agreed to."


    "Such a shame, she''s very valuable to the Arlong Empire."


    Kaori''s eyes narrowed minutely at that. She didn''t miss the smug undertone of Arlong and wondered idly what he was planning.


    She sympathized with Nami. Being a slave at such a young age to such a cruel person, was an experience she was familiar with and she secretly loathed Arlong for stooping to the levels of the humans that he loudly proclaimed to be superior to.


    They were supposed to be better than them weren''t they? Why replicate their actions? Arlong was no better than the humans he despised and it made him a supreme hypocrite.


    He had something planned and try as she might, there was nothing she could do about it. She was stronger than them but not all at once.


    Jinbe could deal with them all at once¡­ she wished she had stayed and trained with him more. There was still more he could have taught her and the Grand Line was the perfect place to get stronger but her father took priority.


    As long as Arlong payed her and as long as she was still searching for clues on her father, she''d stay here and be a neutral bystander.


    It was a good thing she hadn''t taken one of her many trips to the North Blue, that answer was right here today.


    Once Kaori dealt with the redhead, she''d be free to go back to the Grand Line but for now, she couldn''t jeopardize not getting the answers she desperately longed for.


    "Sorry Nami¡­ my hands are tied," the puffer fishman apologized, genuinely meaning it.


    Something told her, Arlong would not be letting her go.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan hummed and tossed the broken body of another one of the Fishman who tried to attack him. It landed on top of the large pile of his fellow crewmates and the redhead didn''t even hesitate to obliterate the group of fallen enemies with a red energy blast.


    Nothing remained after the smoke cleared.


    Job done, he decided to go find his crew again. That one fishman he had sent off should have relayed the message by now and if Arlong was smart, he''d stop sending his crew (he might have run out honestly) to their deaths.


    He made sure to capture some Fishman alive so that Hiroshi could potentially clone them and take whatever he wanted from them. After defeating the pirates, he''d go after the officers and Arlong next (in secret of course).


    They would be good cloning subjects... He heard the scientist mentioning something about speeding up the process too so the fodder Fishman should help him figure that out.


    "Nami shouldn''t be so afraid of them to the point where she won''t even risk asking us for help," Mod sighed sadly. Watching your mother get killed in front of you and 8 years of torture would do that but she needed to have some faith in them.


    Rosan nodded in agreement. Based on what he had seen, Arlong''s crew was nothing serious. They may have been terrifying to the standard East Blue inhabitants, but the redhead had seen stronger.


    Like that monster Garp. An old man should not be able to move like that. Over the 10 years, he didn''t feel the Vice Admiral''s strength diminish at all. The man actually began displaying even more skills due to that one day where the brother''s had shown interest in one of his techniques that he used to catch Rosan often, Geppo.


    He must have been extremely pleased that the three boys who generally showed little to no interest in learning from him, did for once. Shameless old man.


    But he digressed. Their navigator should believe in their strengths more but unfortunately, Nami''s scars ran deep and she was clinging to that one last thread, chasing it oh so desperately.


    She was in for a rude surprise; He''d seen too much to have any hopes that a pirate would keep his word.


    "Oh, Rosan you''re back!" Usopp waved in relief. The redhead disappeared for quite a while and, after their talk, he naturally began to assume the worst and worry for the guy he had pegged all wrong.


    Rosan waved back and tilted his head at the sight of Nojiko but said nothing. He glanced around and noticed that Luffy was missing while Zoro woke up from his nap.


    "Where have you been?" Nojiko asked, strangely relieved that the redhead was doing fine. Last time she saw him, he said he went off to actively make an enemy of the fishman.


    Seems like he had thought better of that ¡ª


    "I was off disposing some fishman who were pursuing me in particular," Rosan replied bluntly. It wasn''t even remotely difficult. Arlong was beginning to disappoint him which was funny because he had no expectations in the first place.


    Nojiko''s eyes bugged at that statement and she gawked at the insane redhead.


    He was what?! What was wrong with him?! His plans sounded logical on paper but his execution was utterly psychotic and left no room or regard of how others might be affected!


    "Don''t you realize that Arlong might take his anger out on us?!" Nojiko gasped in disbelief.


    "Arlong attacked my crew first and he''s made it clear that we aren''t making it off this island until we encounter him. Whether you like it or not, when a pirate attacks another pirate, that''s war," Rosan countered calmly, patting the glowering woman on her head.


    Zoro grinned challengingly at his words. "Exactly. Who are we to take an attack lying down? This isn''t about Nami anymore. Arlong caused a problem with us and nearly killed one of our own. We can''t let that slide."


    Nojiko looked at the two speaking and it dawned on her just what Nami had to deal with. 3 stubbornly insane idiots who didn''t know when to quit. It was no wonder she didn''t want them here, they were fully intending on getting in a fight with Arlong whether she wanted them to or not.


    "Since when have you started being so concerned about me?" Rosan whispered softly in her ears.


    Nojiko didn''t even realize he had gotten this close to him and shuddered at the deep and soft voice.


    "I''m not weak enough to need a weakling to worry about me. Worry more about yourself and the Marine''s converging on your home. They are looking for Nami, by the way."


    Nojiko''s eyes widened in dread as she heard that and without wasting a moment, she took off in the direction of her home.


    "What''s the rush?" Usopp asked in confusion.


    "Did you scare her off?!" Sanji barked.


    "She has more things to worry about than us. I just made that clear to her," Rosan offered vaguely. "Things are about to get interesting. I hope you guys are ready for a fight."


    "Of course!" Zoro grinned in a feral manner, heedless of the injury he still had from Mihawk.


    "Anything to save Nami!" Sanji swooned but inside, he was utterly furious. Those damn fishman had the audacity to kill Nami''s mother in front of her? They were in for it when he got his hands on them and he''d make sure they fell today.


    "T-The great captain Usopp never backs down, not even against fishman!" Usopp said nervously, legs shaking despite his words. With herculean effort, he managed to stop one and shot Rosan a thumbs up.


    Mod sweatdropped at the other leg shaking nonstop. At least he was trying...


    Rosan simply hummed and nodded. "Now let''s go find Luffy."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    When she was alive, Bellemere used to always tell her that as long as she lived, fun things would happen.


    But right now, Nami wanted nothing more then to die.


    Eight years of hell¡­ Eight years of living with the people who killed her mother, watching as they dared to treat her like an ally. The only thing driving her, was the knowledge that at the end of this road, lie freedom.


    But that was a lie. There was no road to freedom. It was a never ending road of misery.


    Because Arlong tricked her.


    He was never intending to free her. He was always intending to find a way around their deal and he had done it.


    She was trapped. So completely trapped and there was nothing she could do about it.


    Worst of all, the villagers knew.


    This entire time... This entire fucking time, they knew about the pain she was enduring for them and now they were marching to their deaths, heedless of her cries for them to stop.


    Gen, Nojiko, the doctor¡­ all of them were about to die and there was not a damn thing she could do about it.


    It was all Arlong''s fault...


    Arlong. Arlong. Arlong. Arlong. Arlong. ARLONG! ARLONG! ARLONG!


    Without even thinking, Nami gripped the knife she had been holding and began viciously stabbing the Arlong Pirates tattoo on her arm, heedless of the pain it was causing her. Heedless of the amount of blood pouring from it, due to the rage and sadness and hatred and tears.


    She just stabbed and stabbed and stabbed and stabbed and¡ª


    A hand suddenly stopped her from continuing the self harm.


    Nami slowly looked up and was forced to meet the eyes of Monkey D. Luffy himself.


    "All those villagers of yours are about to die," the familiar voice of Rosan called out neutrally. He was staring at her with a tilted head and those dual eyes of his bore knowingly into her own.


    He knew Arlong was never going to keep his word. That''s why he kept offering to kill him for her. Nojiko had admitted that the redhead already spoke to her about the fishman not keeping his promise but she was desperately hoping that he was wrong.


    He was not.


    "You guys don''t know anything!" Nami scowled through tears. "Just leave! This is for me to deal with!"


    The two just stared at her, content to let her rant.


    "JUST LEAVE!" She screamed.


    She hated this. Hated how stubborn they were. Hated how they wanted to throw themself into the jaws of danger for her.


    Hated how they were so willing to sacrifice their lives, just like Bellemere.


    "Just¡­ just leave¡­"


    Hated how her only real chance at freedom, could die, just like Bellemere.


    "Luffy..." Nami sobbed in defeat, all the hope sucked out of her body as she slumped over. "Help me¡­"


    Luffy simply took his straw hat off, placed it on Nami''s head, took a deep breath and screamed, "OF COURSE I WILL!"


    "He''s a good captain," Rosan thought idly, walking up to the fallen Nami. "Since you finally want help, here."


    Nami watched through teary eyes, as the redhead summoned a black briefcase and placed it in front of her.


    "That''s 100 million. Now you''re free," he said simply.


    Her eyes widened in teary confusion.


    He had the money the whole time? If that were the case¡­ why did he never offer to give it to her? W-What were his motives?!


    "That man has enslaved you for 8 years after killing your mother in front of you. He was never making it out of this in one piece. I just gave you the money so that all your hard work didn''t go down the drain. Besides, Arlong attacked us so we''ll deal with him."


    Her tears began falling in earnest and she sobbed quietly.


    They... They were so... Nami didn''t think she''d ever be able to love a group of people like them but she was wrong.


    "Please don''t die..." she whimpered, clutching the straw hat and briefcase tightly.


    "Don''t be so dumb. Of course we won''t die," Rosan said quietly.


    The pirates left her there, all with varying expressions but the same motive.


    "Let''s go," Luffy said resolutely.


    "Yeah!" They said in unison.


    Rosan stared ahead, head already stewing with plans of the aftermath.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Do you plan on fighting with only one sword, Zoro?" Rosan asked quietly, remembering how that worked for him against those two dead cat brothers.


    "My other swords got smashed by Mihawk so there''s not much I can do about it¡­" Zoro muttered. Only the sword Kuina gave him managed to survive the clash against Mihawk. His other swords were in pieces now.


    With only one sword and that hellish injury, Zoro could very likely lose in his battle...


    That wouldn''t do. He found the man''s resolve admirable so he wanted to see where that took him.


    "Ram."


    "Absolutely. Fucking. Not."


    "Ram."


    "I said NO."


    "Ram."


    "No, Father! I don''t wanna!"


    "...Ram."


    "...But I''m your weapon! No one should be allowed to touch me except for you!"


    "I know and normally I''d agree but Zoro is too interesting to let die here."


    Ram was about to protest more but this was an order from her father and she grumbled in defeat. "You''re letting me do whatever I want for a week. And you''re not letting Auntie bully me for that entire time either."


    "Deal."


    "I don''t think that deal is very fair. Don''t you realize how much problems she''s going to cause because of this?!"


    "Don''t you realize how much problems I have being held by someone who isn''t Father?!"


    It would be fine. He would just shower his weapon in a lot more attention then normal and she''d melt. It would work about 50% of the time until she decided to drag Luffy into her antics.


    "Do you really think that it will only work 50% of the time?!"


    "Here," Rosan said, taking off Ram and having her transform into dual katanas, before handing it off to Zoro. "You can use her for this fight only. Treat her even better than you treat your own sword or I''m going to break every bone in your body one at a time."


    Zoro could only watch with wide eyes, as Rosan handed his most precious accessory to him and grabbed the blades. The one the redhead was holding with his left hand had a purple hilt while the other had a black hilt. Both the silver blades gleamed sharply, despite them being in the shade and it gave off an unnatural air.


    It was clear these weapons were not normal.


    They were impossibly light to the touch and Zoro couldn''t help but awe at that fact. He had seen how much damage the redhead was capable of doing with Ram so to know they were this light¡­


    "I''ll treat her like she''s one of my own," the swordsman promised, experimentally swinging with one of the silver blades and grinning wildly. Maybe her claims of being the ultimate weren''t far off.


    "You better treat me right," Ram''s voice suddenly spoke through his mind, making him jump in surprise. "You are the only person besides Father to ever touch me in my weapon form. Be honored and don''t let me down!"


    He was never going to get used to hearing another voice inside of his head.


    "And don''t even think about putting me in your mouth! I''m not that type of woman!"


    Maybe this wasn''t a great idea.


    "What are you gonna use?" Sanji asked in concern. That ring was his main weapon and he might struggle without it.


    Rosan tilted his head. "Ram is amazing, but I am not even remotely helpless without her," he replied softly.


    Contrary to belief, there was nothing Rosan enjoyed more then punching someone in the face and that was his primary fighting style as a child. Ram frequently took the form of his gloves for a reason but with his young age, a weapon would bolster his offense to deadly levels and he spent a majority of his childhood training with one. It would be foolish to discard that skill.


    "Besides, you probably have a lot of questions for me, right? I won''t die until then."


    Sanji nodded, assuaged by the man''s confidence. He had a lot of things to talk to the redhead about so he better not die.


    "Luffy," Rosan suddenly called. "You don''t know how Arlong looks, right?"


    His younger shook his head immediately. "Nope," Luffy replied.


    "I''ll show you."


    The straw hats, minus Luffy, watched in disbelief as Rosan tensed his legs and vanished from their sight. The floor cracked beneath him and that was the only sign that let them know he was running.


    Luffy immediately sprinted after the redhead and they gawked at the rubber boy''s speed.


    "YOU BETTER LEAVE SOME FOR ME, ROSAN!" He roared, vanishing from their sight too.


    "Should we follow them?" Usopp asked nervously. Honestly, he was pretty sure those two could handle everything.


    "...I think so," Sanji replied with a sweatdrop.


    "If we don''t¡­ the fight might be over," Zoro sighed.


    "AFTER THEM TEMPORARY SLAVE!" Ram barked, forcing Zoro to take off after the two brothers.


    "Alright, alright," he groaned.


    Maybe he should have just used one sword¡­ was this what Rosan had to deal with all the time?


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Johnny and Yosaku were both guarding the gates, waiting for the Straw Hats to show up and preventing the villagers from entering at the same time for their own sake.


    All was going well, until a sudden red and black blur almost knocked them into dreamland. Before the figure could crash into them however, it leapt over the duo and effortlessly shattered the gigantic gate separating them from Arlong by ramming into it, momentum not halted whatsoever by the act of strength.


    The duo actually did get knocked into dreamland at the appearance of a second blur mowing them over without any regards of their well-being like the first blur did.


    Nojiko''s jaw dropped in disbelief. Those blurs couldn''t have been who she thought they were.


    Oh who was she kidding, she knew exactly who they were.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Kaori knew Alrong was a scumbag but this was just too much to ignore.


    She thought that maybe he had an ounce of honor but the man was completely unsalvageable. He was truly scum of the world and the depths that he had fallen, were not even levels a fishman could survive.


    She didn''t care anymore, the money wasn''t enough to keep her in this crew because if she ignored this for any longer, she''d be just as bad as them.


    Lying to that poor little girl for eight years and shattering her dreams without a hint of remorse¡­


    Did he learn nothing from his time on the Sun Pirates? Did Tiger''s death really do this to him? He was bad but never this terrible...


    Well, no matter. Arlong had already been proven to be untrustworthy when it came to keeping promises so she couldn''t trust that he''d keep the redhead alive.


    That just meant she would just have to seek him out firs ¡ª


    The gate to Arlong Park crumbled under the force of a red and black blur, shocking everyone there and the unknown figure darted right for the captain himself at speeds to fast to react to.


    A black blur was hot on their heels and Kaori could only watch in disbelief, as the red one punched Arlong''s body through his seat, cracking the floor beneath him from the impact and denting the man''s nose brutally.


    Arlong''s eyes momentarily went white, at the force of the blow before he regained consciousness again.


    "That''s Arlong," the red blur said, revealing themselves to be the redhead she had just been thinking about. He glanced at Arlong''s fallen body with a dispassionate gaze and turned away from him.


    "Ugh..." The fishman groaned, holding his head in disbelief. Was... Was that the damned redhead who hit him?


    "I appreciate you waiting for me, Arlong. Unfortunately, we won''t be spending too much time together. You get to enjoy my little brother instead," Rosan hummed. He should have put more power into that hit but Luffy did have dibs.


    One of these days he would call dibs on someone and there would be nothing his brother could do about it.


    Over the years, as the brothers and Maro got more and more competitive, they all came to the consensus that whoever called dibs first, got the first crack at it and if they lost, someone else could call dibs.


    Ace and Luffy had taken to calling dibs first very quickly, because Maro and Rosan normally defeated things on their first attempt. It got so bad, that there was a period of time where the four actually went to the North Blue and got rid of some bounties.


    "Ah, you four are way too competitive. Ace is going to be a monster next time you meet him," Mod giggled.


    "He''s had all that time in the Grand Line and he''s become a Whitebeard Pirate... my days as strongest have long passed," Rosan sighed.


    No matter, he''d surpass his little brother again once he entered the Grand Line.


    "Are you satisfied?" the black blur asked, revealing themselves to be a somewhat scrawny kid wearing a red vest. He was glaring at the floored fishman with a look of disdain on his face and it was clear he wanted nothing more than to pulverize him.


    "Yeah, he''s all yours," Rosan said softly, locking eyes with a stunned Kaori. "Don''t play around with him like you did with Buggy or Kuro. I have my own things to deal with so I won''t be monitoring you for a bit."


    "You don''t gotta tell me twice," Luffy growled, cracking his knuckles.


    The shark fishman grunted in confusion as he began to regain awareness. "Who the hell are ¡ª" Arlong tried to speak but another fist, courtesy of Luffy this time, connected to his cheek, sending him crashing into a wall and shattering a layer of it, leaving the man embedded firmly into it.


    "You made our navigator cry," The rubber boy snarled in fury. He was going to pulverize this sharp nose and teach him a valuable lesson about messing with Luffy''s friends.


    The citizens of Cocoyashi froze in disbelief as they gazed down at the wrecked entrance, and then up at the suicidal humans who showed up and punched Arlong of all people.


    "Who are these guys?!" A villager asked in shocked.


    Both of them just floored Arlong with no effort at all. This was the same man who effortlessly held a stranglehold over them for 8 years now and he was currently lying on the ground not once, but twice!


    "Running ahead like that ahead? Leave some for us," Zoro scowled at the duo. They were fast.


    "I expected there to be more fishman," Sanji muttered, glancing around and noticing how little there were. Only the officers were actually here...


    "I told you that I was dealing with them," Rosan replied calmly, eyes never leaving the female fishman staring him down. He tilted his head and shot a wave at her that she didn''t return.


    Kaori''s eyes narrowed deeper and she nearly took a step forward at his casual attitude but held herself.


    "Arlong won''t have to worry about you guys!" Hatchan said confidently, before grabbing his mouth and blowing out a tune. "Come on out, Momoo!"


    The earth began shaking, much to the horror of the citizens and Rosan took his eyes off the woman, at the sight of the massive sea beast which resembled a cow.


    It looked quite beat up and the moment it made eye contact with Sanji and Luffy, it went white in terror and decided that fleeing from the scene was the best course of action. It seems that the two had already encountered it before and it had gone less then stellar for the sea beast.


    "Where are you going, Momoo?" Arlong suddenly asked, making it freeze on the spot. "I mean, if you wanna run away, I won''t stop you. Do you understand, Momoo?"


    The sea beast felt true terror at that underlying threat, before its face morphed into rage and it turned towards the pirates.


    With a roar, it charged the pirate group ¡ª


    And promptly froze at the redhead stepping forward to stare at it.


    Everyone (besides Luffy) witnessing, gaped at the sight of the creature suddenly stopping dead in its tracks.


    It... stopped?


    What was wrong with it? This was the dreaded beast that took out Gosa with little to no effort! This was the monster that turned over every building as a show of dominance! Now it was suddenly looking fearful for its life...?


    Why?


    Rosan released some of his pressure and stared evenly at the sea monster called Momoo. His eyes were set into familiar slits and he walked up to the frozen beast, before stretching out his left hand.


    "Bow, let me pet you," he instructed.


    Momoo listened without hesitation and the redhead pat its head gently, much to the open mouthed disbelief of onlookers.


    "Who was this guy?!" Everyone thought. T-This redhead... Where exactly did he come from?


    Arlong''s eyes widened in confusion and he clenched his fists tight. What was this human doing right now? More and more, he just kept adding onto the pile of reasons he needed to be slaughtered and the shark man ached to do it.


    "Did my crewmates hurt you?" Rosan asked softly, glancing curiously at the bruises on its body. "I''m sorry for them. They are quite brutal when they want to be..."


    "...But can I be honest with you for a second?"


    Momoo began shaking terribly as that grip became steely and his right horn began to subtly crack at the strength displayed by the alpha animal.


    "I''m much more ruthless then they are. I''m even more of a demon then your owner," he assured loudly. "Now, if you want to avoid annoying me, you''ll dive back in that water and act like you don''t hear anyone calling you unless it''s me."


    "Okay?"


    Rosan released the creature and stepped back, waving farewell at it. "Run along now, Momoo."


    Momoo didn''t even think twice this time. He turned around and fled the entire area with all the speed he could muster, heedless of Arlong''s underlying threat.


    Fighting stronger creature not worth it, he was outta here.


    Rosan watched it probably flee the East Blue (he didn''t want it anyways) with a neutral expression, ignoring the gaping looks shot his way.


    Over the years, the redhead discovered that a lot of creatures were terrified of the dominating might that was Ragnarok and understood exactly where he stood on the food chain. Only Sea Kings seemed to be largely unaffected by his draconic transformation, probably due to the fact that they likely had no natural predators, but that mattered little when he could just burn them alive the moment they stopped lurking underwater.


    Combined with his pressure, he could order most animals around like he did with Ritchie. It was a good thing his pressure was actually still able to do something because it had gotten tremendously weaker ever since Meiko died, requiring much more focus and energy to reach what he used to be capable of.


    These days, he barely found it worth using.


    "W-What the fuck?" Someone asked intelligently.


    "Did he just¡­ scare that sea beast away?"


    "Who the hell is that¡­?!"


    Arlong''s eyes bugged in rage at watching Momoo take orders from someone else and he promised to deal with him after he got his hands on the redhead... Just as soon as he found out where he fled too.


    But, how did he do that? Surely the Sea Cow knew who was stronger between the two so why did he choose to disobey Arlong?


    "Kaori, you look like you''re dying to ask me questions. Follow me if you want answers."


    Without waiting for a response, Rosan turned on his heel and began walking through the shocked onlookers watching him with awe and fear.


    He was treating this like a normal afternoon... was this bravado or was this guy the real deal...?


    Nojiko stopped him momentarily by grabbing onto his wrist and the redhead glanced down at her with a tilt.


    "You¡­ you were right about Arlong," she said shakily, still utterly baffled by what he just did.


    That same creature that destroyed Gosa and would destroy them if it so pleased... This mysterious redhead right here, who she couldn''t get a single read on, managed to effortlessly cow him.


    Just who was Rosan?


    Rosan made a show of raising a brow. "I tend to be right when it comes to a person''s nature," he replied. "People just tend to not listen to me because they choose to live in their fairy tale world. At that point, it no longer matters to me and I just wait for the inevitable moment where I say, I told you so."


    Nojiko took a deep breath and gazed evenly at the enigma. "Please¡­ please save us and please make sure you don''t die," she pleaded to the redhead. This crew was their only hope and she was putting all of her trust in them.


    "Didn''t I tell you not to worry about me so much?" Rosan asked softly, patting her on the head in a patronizing manner and tilting his head at seeing her not even attempt to remove it.


    Was she truly that worried about his safety? How touching. Rosan wished he could put so much faith in a person he just met.


    "There''s not a single person on this island who can kill me. I won''t be dying anytime soon so you can sit pretty and watch my crew fight, Nojiko."


    With that, he continued walking to who knows where and Nami''s older sister could only watch his trailing back.


    Kaori didn''t even hesitate to follow after the redhead. She ignored all the people calling her (and the humans watching her fearfully) and gave chase to the walking redhead, parting the crowd of people like she carried the plague.


    This was perfect. She could question him without any of the other fishman interfering and the two of them didn''t have to worry about someone getting in the way.


    "Wait, Kaori! It could be a trap! You heard what he did to the other crew members! He must have a trick that he used to kill them!" Chew tried to call her back but she ignored him and he let out a frustrated sigh.


    "WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU''RE GOING, REDHEAD?!" Arlong roared, clambering himself back up. "I''M NOT DONE WITH YOU ¡ª"


    A sandal planted itself right on his forcefully adjusted nose and sent him flying, breaking it again.


    "You don''t gotta worry about Rosan," Luffy said simply, cracking his knuckles. "I''m your opponent."


    "All of this for one lousy girl?" Kuroobi asked, grunting in annoyance at Kaori''s retreating figure.


    "Lousy girl?" Sanji asked threateningly. "Talk about Nami like that again and I''ll fry you up, fish."


    "I''d like to see you try, human," Kuroobi smirked challengingly.


    "Roronoa Zoro¡­ you and that redhead tricked me and you hurt my crew too!" Hatchan growled in fury.


    "So what? You guys tried to destroy me and now, we''re here to destroy you," Zoro grinned eagerly, pointing Wado Ichimonji at the man.


    Usopp was content to let them battle the fishman. That was until he felt someone grab the back of his suspenders.


    "Oh yeah!" Luffy beamed, holding Usopp tightly. "Rosan told me to do this. I dunno why but he said you''d understand."


    "W-WAIT!" Usopp screeched. If Rosan told Luffy to do this¡­ then ¡ª


    The rubber boy tossed Usopp right into an unsuspecting Chew''s chest, causing them both to collapse on the floor.


    Usopp pushed himself up nervously and smiled apologetically to the fishman, before he spun on his heel and took off.


    "GET BACK HERE, LONG NOSE!" Chew roared, taking chase.


    "WELL YOU HAVE A BIG MOUTH!" Usopp screamed in terror.


    He was so going to get revenge on Rosan after this. Sure he wanted to be a brave warrior of the sea but this was too fast!


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Wait!" Kaori called, finally catching up to the strange redhead. "How much further do you plan on going?"


    "Until you chose to stop me."


    She snarled at the man after that response. "Are you just fucking around with me?"


    This was important to her. There was a reason she wasn''t going out of her way to turn the redhead into paste but it was getting really tempting right about now.


    "There is information you want to know, and there is information that I don''t really feel like letting everyone else know," Rosan replied, stopping and turning to face her. "I can see how desperately you want to know about your father''s fate so I''ll throw you a bone. I don''t normally do this but you''ve proven that you aren''t like the other fishman, else I''d have just killed you."


    "Don''t compare me to them," Kaori grunted, unfazed by his threat. After what they did to Nami¡­ she couldn''t respect the pirates anymore. She''d need to go back to the Grand Line and inform Jinbe of this so he could deal with them accordingly. It was his responsibility since he released them into this sea in the first place.


    Rosan simply hummed and she shifted uncomfortably at the shorter man''s expressionless gaze. "What do you want to know?" He asked knowingly.


    He was messing with her. She didn''t like that.


    "What happened to my father?" She asked bluntly. "You said you fought him, right?"


    "Yeah, I fought him when I was nine," the redhead confirmed. "As for what happened to him¡­ he died, like I said."


    "But how?" Kaori pressed. It wasn''t making any sense¡­ had her father been set up by their former master? Did they use the redhead to do it? What purpose would they have to use a nine year old to set up a slave? By banking on his morals?


    It didn''t make any sense.


    Rosan tilted his head. What was she not understand ¡ª


    Oh.


    "Didn''t I tell you? I killed him," Rosan replied bluntly. "We were opponents in the finals of the Ash and Dust tournament. We fought, I won and he died as a result."


    Kaori froze at that and she tilted her head in disbelief. "You¡­? You expect me to believe that? Can you just stop fucking with me for one second and answer my questions truthfully?" She snarled in a burst of fury, taking a threatening step forward.


    All these years of searching and the one actual source she found, was just playing around with her emotions.


    It was seriously pissing her off.


    The redhead raised a brow at her denial.


    "You choose what you want to believe," Rosan replied. "I''m sure you know he participated in a tournament, I''m sure you know what that tournament entailed and I''m sure you know that I undoubtedly met him. What you choose to fabricate afterwards has nothing to do with me."


    "You expect me to believe that at just nine, you killed my father?!" Kaori hissed, taking a shaky step forward.


    "You sound surprised. It''s not like your father was strong," Rosan hummed mockingly (to her ears). "I was the strongest person on that island and because of that, I won. He fought valiantly but it wasn''t enough to beat me..."


    "...It was never going to be enough."


    "FUCK. OFF!" Kaori roared, fed up with him. She dashed forward and attempted to pulverize his insides with a vicious punch downwards.


    The redhead simply leapt back and raised a brow at the utterly destroyed ground.


    Oh? Seems like there was a decent Fishman here.


    "It''s clear you want me to beat the truth out of you so that''s what I''m gonna do," she snarled. This asshole was antagonizing her on purpose and kept telling lies. One person would never have been enough to kill her dad, much less a fucking child.


    "I can''t say I''m surprised by this outcome. Though, I expected you to attack me for murdering your father, not because you thought I was telling lies."


    "Perhaps you should have delivered it in a more accepting manner?"


    "This is not my friend. I have no obligation to."


    The redhead tried to be nice and give her the answers she desperately wanted but now she was in denial.


    Perhaps she thought he died bravely in an attempt to keep his family safe. Perhaps her childish eyes glorified her father more then he deserved to be. To her, he must have been so strong but to Rosan, Kenzo was weak.


    "Fine, I''ll show you what I showed Kenzo that night," Rosan hummed, eyes glowing dimly in preparation for battle. "Don''t worry. After you see what I''m capable of, you''ll have no choice but to believe my words."


    "Even if you did beat my father, I''m much stronger than he is now," Kaori stated with a deep glare.


    "How funny¡­" Rosan replied, staring evenly at the furious puffer fishman.


    "¡­I''m much stronger than he is too."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "GAHHHHHHH!" Usopp squealed, running from his opponent as fast as he could.


    "STAND STILL!" Chew roared, sprinting after him and wondering how a human could run so fast.


    Why did Rosan tell Luffy to do this?! What was wrong with him?! WAS HE TRYING TO GET USOPP KILLED?!


    OF COURSE HE WAS! Their redheaded crewmate was vindictive and cruel and he never forgot that Usopp had him labelled as a liar this entire time! This was his way of getting the coward eliminated from the crew without doing it himself!


    Well, jokes on him! Usopp had been running since before he was even born! This was nothing to hi¡ª


    A water shot collided with his back, cutting off his train of thought and Usopp gasped in agony as blood began blooming from the spot hit.


    Chew snorted in disbelief at watching the idiot collapse dead. "Seriously? After all that running, he goes down in one hit?"


    What a complete waste of his time. He needed to go back to Arlong to deal with the rest of the troublesome pirates.


    Perhaps he''d go find Kaori... If he helped her out with the redhead, maybe she''d finally give him a taste of her. There was really no reason for her to be such a prude.


    Usopp peaked open an eye at the sight of the fishman walking away and let out a sigh of relief.


    "I''ll just tell them I fought valiantly to the end but he was too much! Luffy should be able to handle him and Arlong and if not, Rosan will get him¡ª"


    "You have potential."


    The coward froze.


    What... What was he doing right now? While everyone was willing to risk their lives, he was lying here, pretending to be dead. Their navigator, was living in pure hell for 8 years and realized none of it mattered and he was lying here, pretending to be dead.


    That was so pathetic.


    "HEY, FAT LIPS!" Usopp yelled.


    Chew stopped in his tracks. What? He was still alive?


    Wait... WHAT DID HE JUST CALL HIM?!


    The fishman turned around, fury painted on his features¡ª


    Only to get 3 eggs splashed in his face, courtesy of his opponent.


    "Ugh!" The fishman grunted, wiping his face repeatedly to get them out of his eyes.


    By the time he managed to do so, that damn human was nowhere in sight, vanishing into the forest and making Chew all the more annoyed.


    "When I get my hands on him..." Chew said darkly, taking a step forward¡ª


    And slipping into a numerous amount of caltrops. They dug into his skin and only served to infuriate him deeper. The fishman tried to push himself up, only to slip once more into the traps and realized that the floor was oiled of all things.


    He was dead.


    Usopp, hidden in the forest, stared at the mask nervously, fear wracking his body at what he just did.


    It was blank white, Rosan''s invitation for him to change it into his image, with a slot in the middle for his nose and two lens in the eye hole to replicate sniper goggles. It was almost like the redhead made this for him in advance. How thoughtful!


    (Rosan didn''t. He modified it as he was giving it to Usopp)


    "When you put that mask on, envision yourself as a brave warrior of the sea."


    Brave warrior of the sea... he could try and do that.


    The coward placed the blank mask on, all while repeating the mantra of "You have potential" in the back of his mind, and composed himself.


    Miraculously, it worked.


    One thing he realized while traveling with Rosan and the Straw Hats, was the supreme ability of the Captain and Scout to annoy anyone they battled into a frenzy.


    Usopp realized now that Rosan did it because it made them much sloppier when they got annoyed and allowed for more mistakes.


    For someone like him, a long ranged sniper, that was crucial. Rosan did it because he was sadistic and loved to torment his enemies, but Usopp could use that to get even more hits and finish the battle with minimal injury due to errors, all while building their annoyance with his various gadgets...


    By the roar of frustration, he was largely successful.


    By progressively annoying his opponent, the fishman would make a crucial mistake that would give him the opening he needed.


    Chancing a glance in the direction he came from, Usopp marveled at how clear everything was. The mask didn''t limit his vision, it enhanced it! He could see so much further now and wondered just where Rosan got this mask from.


    He''d have to thank him if¡ª No. When he won this battle.


    Currently, his opponent was furiously marching towards the forest with a look of hot rage on his face. He clearly didn''t appreciate all the stuff Usopp left behind because the man looked like he wanted to do nothing more then pulverize him.


    Perfect.


    Chew, in his rage, had forgone the much smarter idea of inhaling the water from the nearby lake to obliterate the forest, revealing Usopp, in favor of getting his hands on the slimy bastard.


    That would prove costly for him.


    The moment he stepped into the forest, he activated a trap that shot a bottle of rum at him. Chew immediately turned towards the direction, heedless of the fact that he was covered in the liquid and fired off another of his Water Gun''s in the direction.


    He watched in confusion, and more annoyance, as the attack sailed through nothing.


    How the hell did that coward have enough time to set up all these tra¡ª


    Chew grunted in annoyance as three pellets collided with his back and he turned around immediately, making eye contact with the Usopp in the tree. He raised a brow at the addition of a white mask and let loose a satisfied snarl that cowed the idiot.


    "Nice mask, human. You think that''ll save you?"


    "S-STAY AWAY!" Usopp yelled nervously.


    The damn coward squealed at being spotted and began desperately firing those useless pellets at him.


    All those did was annoy him. They didn''t even hurt and he dared to continue shooting such useless things at him?


    Chew began sprinting towards the human with rage on his features. So lost was he in his rage, he didn''t even realize Usopp stopped squealing.


    Perhaps the fishman would have noticed the smirk on the liars face ... if he didn''t have that mask on and he would have approached more cautiously as a result, but he didn''t because Usopp did have it on.


    The fishman began charging after him, ignoring and barging through every single pellet that the coward fired at him. All they did was serve to infuriate him further and turn his charge into a one man stampede.


    You could imagine his surprise, when one of those pellets he kept running through, exploded on his alcoholic covered body.


    The effects were immediate.


    "GRAGHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Chew squealed in agony as his body ignited upon contact.


    Usopp smiled victoriously. He was firing those pellets to test if the Fishman would bother dodging anymore of them but since he didn''t, he just added a Flame Star into the mix.


    It was sneaky and crafty and it worked out well for him.


    What didn''t work out well, was how much he underestimated the fishman''s desire to hit him. He''d have to remember in the future that people who you annoyed, turned really crazy.


    Chew looked like a man out of hell as he bull rushed Usopp while covered in fire.


    Usopp''s eyes widened in horror at that and he pulled out his trump card right before the man punched him in the face with that fiery fist.


    Earlier, while he was rummaging through his bag to get the traps ready, he noticed that there was an impossibly neat note on one of his weapons.


    "Use this if they ever close the distance. They shouldn''t but you''re an idiot so it''ll happen," it said.


    He sweatdropped at the note that was obviously from Rosan but nodded to himself and grabbed it.


    Seems like the redhead was right... he seemed to have a knack for that but right now it could potentially save his life.


    "USOPP HAMMER!" He roared, right as two fist smashed into him. One connected with his injured chest, getting a pained wheeze out of him and the other hit his nose and mask.


    But his attack connected too.


    Usopp watched with bugged eyes, as his hammer connected to Chew and exploded on impact, igniting the man even further and sending him soaring out of the forest with raw concussive force.


    Mercifully, the man landed in the pool but he was knocked unconscious, burns littering his steaming body.


    The sniper expected his face to be hurting way more but besides his nose being broken (which really, really hurt), the mask did an absolute fantastic job at keeping it safe...


    What the hell was it made out of?!


    Speaking of which, why the hell was his hammer suddenly so... goddamn... heavy?! The sniper collapsed on the floor, removing his left hand from his nose so that it could join his right in trying to life up the mallet.


    "Work on your body so that it can keep up with your mind."


    Damn... Rosan was really trying to motivate him whether he wanted it or not wasn''t he?!


    But it was working! Usopp felt like a whole new person while in that battle and it felt so... so AWESOME!


    HE WON! HE ACTUALLY WON AND IT WAS ACTUALLY PRETTY EASY BESIDES A FEW MISTAKES!


    Usopp whooped in joy, before wheezing at the injury on his chest. He clutched the aggravated wound and decided to go meet up with his crew.


    The sniper pushed himself back up and with herculean effort, he began dragging the explosive... force(?)... hammer.


    He had no clue what Rosan did to his hammer or when he did it but it was incredibly useful. He would definitely be keeping this in his arsenal but if he wanted to use it, he''d have to get strong enough to carry it...


    What a way to motivate him... He was probably going to need a new work hammer too. He didn''t fancy blowing up his gadgets.

 Is This Fate II?

    "How the fuck have you not killed this clown yet?!" Ram snarled in disbelief. "You''re still not healed from the injury Hawk Eye gave you?!"


    "Who the hell is supposed to heal from something like that so quickly?!" Zoro barked back in equal amounts of disbelief.


    "Father!" She retorted back like clockwork, scowling deeply and making him groan.


    This was how the fight had been going nearly the whole time. Zoro would attempt to do something, Ram would not approve, then she would bring up how Rosan could do it better and he''d snarl at her in aggravation.


    To her, their redheaded scout may as well have been Kami because she was asking for completely unreasonable things that he could do apparently.


    Between wielding two katanas that nagged him constantly, the stupid antics of the octopus fishman in front of him and the near fatal injury Hawk Eye had given him, Zoro was not having a very fun time.


    If this is what Rosan had to deal with all the time, the swordsman understood why he was as brutal as he was. The things Ram told him to do, bordered on insanity and she clearly had no regard for if he lived or not in the process.


    Whenever he didn''t do something she said (which was very very often), the psychotic weapon would respond, "Father would have done it!" and he''d heard it so much, he was turning dizzy.


    He vowed to get two new swords after this, Ram and Rosan were clearly meant for each other.


    Zoro clashed Ram against Hatchan''s six blades and despite his annoyance with her, he couldn''t help but marvel at how smooth it felt to use the ring. She was light to hold but that''s all that was light about her.


    "ARE YOU CALLING ME FAT, YOU GRASSY PIECE OF SHIT?!"


    "SHUT THE HELL UP AND LET ME HAVE MY THOUGHTS TO MYSELF!"


    "FUCK YOU!"


    "You can''t beat me, Roronoa Zoro!" Hatchan grinned, despite the fact that he was failing to push the man back. "I have six blades to your three so that means I win!"


    Zoro was trying to push back but his wounds flaring up, stopped any current thought process and he groaned in agony.


    Hatchan took ruthless advantage of that.


    "Tentacle Sword Overload!" He called, swinging his swords rapidly and charging the green haired man.


    "Why did Father pair me with a half dead dumbass?" Ram moaned sadly. She wanted to hold her head but she kind of couldn''t considering she could only exist in the mindscape when Rosan was holding her.


    If she fell in that fucking water, everyone here was going to die the moment Father got someone to save her!


    Zoro almost didn''t react in time but Ram barked out a, "Block!" and he instinctively listened to her. The swordsman blocked the swings and groaned at the pressure it was putting on his body.


    "He''s swinging with a lot of force right now. Use that against the bigger dumbass and take advantage of the opening to use one of your stronger techniques."


    Zoro grunted in affirmation, diverting the direction of Hatchan''s swing and using the weight of his blow against him.


    The octopus yelped in surprise, as he stumbled and the green haired man quickly took his opening with no remorse.


    "Tiger Trap!" Zoro said, driving all three blades into Hatchan''s chest. He marveled at how easily the blades dug into him and was reminded that Ram was no ordinary weapon.


    "O-Ow!" Hachi roared in pain at the deep cut.


    "Press your advantage! We''re finishing this before your wound becomes too much of a problem! Attack, attack, attack! Overwhelm him and show me that resolve that Father is so interested in!" Ram ordered confidently.


    Zoro did just that. He crossed his swords across his chest and glared deeply at the octopus fishman before saying, "Oni Giri!" and slashing right through the man effortlessly, ending up behind him in the process.


    He didn''t have time to think about his injuries. He didn''t have time to question if he was going to lose. Even if someone else would die from these, that would not be him.


    He was not someone else.


    He wouldn''t lose no matter what, not until he crossed blades with Dracule Mihawk again. Until he crossed blades with the World''s Greatest Swordsman, he couldn''t afford to lose against anyone else calling themselves one.


    Zoro began spinning with the three blades until the wind began picking up around him.


    "Finish it!" Ram bellowed, grinning savagely. It didn''t matter what it was, she loved being used to destroy an opponent.


    "Dragon Twister!" He roared, conjuring a dragon-like tornado to strike Hachi.


    The octopus didn''t stand a chance. He, along with the surrounding debris, were flung into the air and struck repeatedly by the attack. All six of his blades broke from the impact and as he fell into the realm of dreams, he could only say, "But how did my six swords style lose to a human?"


    "Your swords don''t have the same weight as mine," Zoro replied simply, sheathing Wado Ichimonji in its hilt. "You can see that now, right octo-man?"


    The fishman crashed into the floor with a thud, already unconscious.


    "Hachi!" Kuroobi shouted in concern, charging Zoro in fury, before being forced to block a kick from Sanji.


    "Didn''t you say pay attention?" the somewhat bloodied chef smirked. He had taken quite the punch in the chest due to his concern for the idiot swordsman but it was nothing serious.


    "Y-You," Kuroobi snarled in annoyance.


    Zoro collapsed on his knees and clutched his wound tightly.


    "Sloppy but well done," Ram said, satisfied by his performance.


    "You''re an even harsher critic then Rosan," Zoro snorted internally but if not for the weapon''s guidance, he''d have been in a lot more trouble. She was incredibly useful and her claims of being the ultimate weapon, didn''t sound so far-fetched.


    "Father doesn''t want you dead just yet and what Father wants, Father gets. But, you need to improve even more¡­ After this is over, ask him to start training with you," Ram demanded.


    It would be good for the both of them which is why Ram requested it. Zoro, with his ambition, would get stronger training with her Father and Rosan would steadily have to put more and more effort into their fights!


    Her father wasn''t a swordsman but right now, he was undeniably a better swordsman then Zoro. But that would only be temporary. As long as Zoro survived long enough, he''d eventually surpass Father''s sword skills and they''d have awesome fights as a result!


    "That''s not a bad idea," Zoro muttered, nodding in agreement and groaning as his wound flared up again, collapsing in a puddle of his blood that was getting increasingly larger.


    Ram groaned. Did she have to do everything around here?


    She instructed Zoro to place her a moderate distance away from him and he did so with slight confusion.


    The already stunned onlookers, jaws dropped to the floor as the katana''s began shuddering before transforming into a silver haired woman of all things.


    "Who is that?!"


    "Where the hell did she come from?!"


    "She''s gorgeous!"


    "Oh! Ram!" Luffy beamed ecstatically, ignoring Arlong momentarily and rocketing over to the silver haired woman. She easily caught the shorter rubber boy and the two exchanged in a hug.


    "Sup, rubber squirt," she greeted cheerfully. "I''m free to cause trouble for a week so we''ve gotta do something fun in the meantime!"


    The captain''s eyes lit up excitedly at that. "Yeah! Let''s go raid a meat store and then a weapon store and then a meat and weapon store!" he laughed cheerfully, before suddenly grabbing the taller woman and jumping out of the way.


    Arlong''s fist crashed into nothing and he was greeted with a stray rubbery punch to the cheek as a result. The fishman snarled in aggravation and glared hatefully at the still laughing Luffy.


    "I won''t get in your way anymore," Ram grinned eagerly, unfazed by the sight of Arlong trying to turn the both of them into paste. "Give that shitty fish hell while I get this shitty swordsman outta here!"


    "Leave it to me!" Luffy nodded confidently, turning his attention back onto Arlong.


    Ram picked the bloody Zoro up by the scruff of his shirt effortlessly (Father didn''t get blood on him, she''d be damned if she did!) and waltzed over to the group of stunned onlookers eyeing her with shock. Without any further concern for his well-being, she unceremoniously dropped him on the unforgiving ground, getting a groan of pain out of him.


    "Big bro Zoro!" Johnny and Yosaku shouted in concern, before rounding on Ram with a glare. They were getting ready to tear into the woman for being so rough with him...


    All thoughts of doing that stopped as she glared ferociously at them, daring the two to open their mouths and successfully cowing them.


    "He should be thankful I''m not stomping on his wound right now!" Ram snarled, much to their fear. "Be glad that Father instructed me to keep you alive!"


    "You''re psychotic," Zoro groaned.


    "And don''t you forget it!" She humphed, cocking her foot back and kicking his ribs. "AND THAT''S FOR CALLING ME FAT! I DIDN''T ASK FOR THESE NUISANCES!" She roared, pointing at her breast.


    The green haired man''s eyes bugged at being kicked and the swordsman could only wheeze.


    "She''s insane!" Everyone balked, inching away from the furious beauty.


    Ram stomped off to an isolated area so she could sulk in peace, tugging at her twintails with a scowl. "Stupid Father and his stupid crew and wanting to separate us even though I''m his weapon."


    Zoro was never going to use Ram again no matter how nice she felt to wield. It was better for his sanity (and body) if he didn''t touch the unhinged weapon.


    "Scary¡­" Johnny and Yosaku shuddered, watching the beautiful woman march off. Someone so hot, should not be so terrifying.


    "Who the hell is that?" Nojiko asked in confusion. Had she just been a sword? Father¡­? No one on the Straw Hat crew looked old enough to be her Father... Hell, she looked like one of the oldest members in the crew!


    The Straw Hats were by far the strangest crew she had ever met.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Sanji watched the stunning beauty carry Zoro away with a look of jealousy on his face.


    He didn''t have a single clue who that was but she was drop dead gorgeous, with a unique shade of silver and purple hair and incredibly distinct purple and red eyes... and don''t even get him started on the body that her double breasted coat did nothing to hide.


    It should have been him getting carried away! That idiot swordsman didn''t know how to appreciate her!


    Then he paused as he processed the full scope of what he just watched.


    "Hey Luffy¡­" Sanji called slowly.


    "Yeah?"


    "That gorgeous woman¡­ was she just the swords that Zoro were using?"


    "Yep!"


    "The same swords¡­ that Rosan gave him to use?"


    "Uh huh!"


    "So she''s the ring that Rosan always has on¡­"


    "Ram belongs to Rosan! I''m surprised she even wanted to leave him! She doesn''t like being far from him!"


    Sanji puffed out a smoke and remained dead silent, much to the confusion of Luffy and the steadily mounting annoyance of Kuroobi.


    The fishman glared at his opponent and cocked his fist back, prepared to do his ultimate attack for this idiots transgressions. "Pay attention, you inferior human!" He growled.


    "Ultimate Fist: Thousand Tile¡ª,"


    "Collier."


    Whatever technique Kuroobi was about to do, was cut off as a kick to the neck smashed him into the ground.


    Sanji''s looked up and his formerly hooded eyes, were blazing in pure fury. He snapped the cigarette he was smoking in half and let out a yell of emotional pain as he drove his foot even harder down on Kuroobi.


    "THAT SUNNOVA BITCH HAS SUCH A BEAUTIFUL WOMAN AROUND HIM AT ALL TIMES?!" He roared in disbelief. That stunning beauty was literally wrapped around his fingers 24/7 and she was exclusively his?


    "Epaule!"


    "WHY CAN''T I BE THAT LUCKY?!"


    Kuroobi tried to get back up but the Epaule connected firmly with his shoulder and drove him right back into the ground.


    "WHY CAN''T IT BE ME?!"


    "Cotellete!"


    "Selle!"


    "Poitrine!"


    "Gigot!"


    Sanji channeled all the rage he was feeling towards Rosan, into a poor Kuroobi who was forced to accept the overwhelming attacks.


    He dropped into a one-handed handstand and kicked Kuroobi hard in the ribs before using the momentum to spin around in the opposite direction to deliver a fast kick to his lower back.


    Then, pushing himself in an upward position, he slammed his foot into the ray fishman''s chest and delivered a sweeping kick to his kneecaps that sent him tumbling across the ground.


    Everyone watching, gasped in awe (and sweatdropped at his reasoning for delivering such a beating) at the performance by Sanji. He was tossing that fishman around like no ones business and the fight didn''t even look close once he got serious...


    Well, as serious as a jealous man could be...


    Kuroobi couldn''t believe he was being embarrassed by some human that was jealous of another one. This was the most humiliating moment of his life and he refused to accept it.


    Eyes white in rage and pain, the fishman once again tried to use his ultimate technique ¡ª


    "Mouton Shot!"


    ¡ª But he never got the chance.


    When Kuroobi tried to swing, there was no one there because Sanji had jumped into the air and out of his sight. The fishman couldn''t even find the chef before the attack began.


    A flurry of kicks came out so quickly, Kuroobi could do nothing to prevent it from hitting. They repeatedly slammed into his body with unforgiving force until the chef finished him off with one final kick to his chest.


    His body went flying and he crashed into the front of the main building of Arlong Park, but it didn''t stop there. Kuroobi went through wall after wall until his body was deposited behind the building.


    He did not get back up.


    "Don''t get in my way when I''m grieving, shitty fish," Sanji said grimly, placing his foot on the floor and reaching for another cigarette.


    He was going to kick Rosan''s ass for using such a beautiful woman as a weapon. Then, she''d be so grateful by his act of selflessness, that she would stay with him instead of the redhead.


    Yes, it was foolproof.


    "They defeated two of Arlong''s officers¡­" An onlooker said in awe.


    "Who are these guys?"


    "In one on one combat too?!"


    Nojiko''s mouth dropped in disbelief at what she was seeing. "They''re amazing¡­ to think they could take down to leaders of the Arlong Pirates¡­"


    Maybe¡­ Maybe they could actually be saved? She thought back to how effortlessly Rosan had defeated and killed one of the fishman and realized that she shouldn''t have underestimated him.


    They were all monsters! With them¡­ hope was really possible... They really could make it out of this never ending nightmare...


    Arlong looked at the wreckage with thinly veiled rage. "Kuroobi¡­ Hachi¡­ you bastards took out my precious brothers one after the other," he said, clenching his fist in barely restrained fury.


    "You should worry more about yourself," Luffy grinned eagerly. "You''re gonna be joining them soon!"


    The veins on his head became even more pronounced, as the fishman stared the rubber captain down.


    "Just try it," Arlong said gravely.


    "You asked for it," Luffy retorted confidently.


    Any further dialog was cut short, due to the sight of an absolutely, massive amount of flames suddenly appearing in the distance.


    "WOAH!"


    "WHAT WAS THAT?!"


    "FIRE? FROM THE SKY?!"


    "Wasn''t that the direction the redhead and Kaori headed?"


    "Rosan looks like he''s having fun," Luffy grinned knowingly.


    Everyone felt a headache forming at that statement.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    At around the same time of Zoro and Sanji''s fight


    After crying in relief at having people to rely on, Nami went and properly bandaged herself up and prepared to head back to Arlong Park.


    Well, that was the plan at least, until she heard the sounds of combat and decided to check it out.


    What she saw, surprised her greatly.


    Kaori and Rosan were locked in combat and the two were exchanging furiously quick blows. They threw out punch after punch and it was clear that the redhead was the victor in most of these exchanges, if the steadily panting fishman meant anything.


    The woman threw a punch that Rosan sidestepped, throwing out a punch of his own in the process that she was forced to block.


    The force of the blow sent her skidding back but not for long and she quickly dove back into the action.


    Her hidden spikes burst out of her body and she immediately rushed him once more, attempting to grab him and failing as he jumped over her spiky leap.


    Rosan landed behind her and planted a boot on her back that sent her tumbling for a bit before she quickly regained her balanced.


    Dipping her hand into the river behind her, Kaori growled and began launching a salvo of water droplets at the redhead.


    "Water Shot: Machine Gun!"


    He immediately began dashing away from each one, raising a brow at watching three droplets pierce through a boulder like it were made of paper.


    He ducked under two more, pushed himself into a handstand and launched himself upwards.


    Kaori''s grin at seeing the airborne target, transformed into stupefied confusion as she watched him maneuver his body through the air to continue to avoid her machine gun assault.


    "How is he moving through the air so easily?" She thought, watching him twist, turn and push himself forward to avoid getting hit. While dodging, he aimed himself in a downward trajectory towards her and began rocketing towards the fishman with merciless eyes.


    She abandoned the machine gun technique and instead sought to intercept his attack with one of her own.


    "Two Thousand Tile True Punch!" She roared, throwing out a swift punch to catch the descending man.


    It collided with his own fist and a stalemate ensued for only a split second before the momentum from Rosan''s drop quickly began to overpower her.


    Kaori sought to rectify this before it got bad for her and threw out a punch with her left hand on the still airborne man.


    Rosan used the fist against her and got into a one handstand by balancing himself atop her left arm. Then, in an incredible display of flexibility, the shorter man delivered a heel kick directly to her skull.


    Kaori''s eyes went white in pain as she face planted on the floor and the woman began grinding her teeth in rage at the foot keeping her there.


    The redhead, who was forcing her head into the dirt with his foot, took the time to address the new source.


    "Oh, Nami," Rosan greeted, jumping away from the fishman and landing closer to their navigator. "Are you headed to Arlong''s Park?"


    "Don''t ignore me, you bastard!" Kaori roared, snapping out of her pain from the sheer rage she felt at being stepped on. She pushed herself back up and immediately closed the distance between the two, throwing out a punch that Rosan blocked with his forearm.


    The satisfaction at landing a hit only lasted a moment, at not seeing his arm snap in two from her punch. Her eyes went wide in confusion and then they blanked momentarily at the kick to her stomach that sent her flying back.


    The woman fell on one knee and began coughing harshly. W-What was that strength? What was his body made of...? That hit should have snapped his arm in half...


    "Be patient," Rosan instructed, unfazed by her aggression.


    Nami realized at that moment that her scout was toying with Kaori. He wasn''t taking her serious at all, from conversing with the navigator, to speaking to the fishman in a patronizing tone.


    He didn''t even have a weapon out right now!


    How strong was Rosan really¡­? She figured that his words were just the unwarranted confidence that both he and Luffy seemed to carry at all times but... maybe it wasn''t unwarranted after all...


    Maybe his words carried far more weight then she realized.


    "If you''re interested, you can stand a little further back. I''ll show you that it''s okay to put more faith in us in the future," Rosan offered.


    She hesitantly nodded and moved backwards, jumping in shock as a the ground morphed into a comfortable seat for her to sit on.


    Modification was so useful.


    The redhead nodded in return and pulled his long sleeve shirt back, revealing that he was wearing an armband.


    "Right, I guess I should get a bit more comfortable for combat then."


    A stumbling Kaori and Nami watched in surprise as the armband they didn''t know he had, glowed and began wrapping around his body in a smooth fashion.


    Rosan''s expensive, all black outfit was replaced with a plain black bodysuit that had a red tank top and some red laced black shorts. To finish off, he had some red combat sneakers on that were laced in black.


    "You¡­" Kaori felt her rage mounting to levels she didn''t think possible and it wasn''t because of her father. "Are you even taking me serious?"


    Rosan tilted his head to the side. "What a stupid question¡­" He began softly.


    "...Of course I''m not."


    Kaori cracked the ground underneath her with the speed that she took off with and began her assault anew. She gathered the surrounding water vapor in her fist and spikes before punching forward.


    "Thousand Tile True Puffer Punch!"


    Rosan blocked it effortlessly but she grinned in a feral manner.


    She was nowhere near Jinbei''s level of proficiency when it came to Fishman Karate but he still taught her some of what she knew.


    Case in point, she used the fact that the cocky Rosan blocked her blow against him and manipulated the water inside of him to make what would have normally been an ineffective attack, much more dangerous due to piercing through his defenses.


    The redhead grunted and immediately jumped back, glancing down at his body from her strange attack.


    What was that? That attack sent his body into quite a bit of disarray at the moment and he was a bit dazed, unfamiliar with the feeling of Modification scrambling.


    Kaori didn''t want him to have the time to think of what she had just done and kept up her assault, renewed by seeing how effective the blow was.


    She charged Rosan and grinned as he leapt back a bit, forgoing blocking her again.


    He was steadily getting closer to a water source that she could use.


    "Water Shot: Cannon!" She barked, forming a condensed glob of water and letting it fly forward like a cannonball.


    The fishman knew he was getting ready to jump over her attack, so when he did, she made a grab at his legs to force him back down.


    With brutal force, Kaori slammed the redhead to the ground, forming a crater beneath him before hoisting him up and capturing him in a bear hug.


    Then without any hesitation, she allowed her spikes to reveal themselves and began to squeeze, frowning as they failed to pierce the outfit he had on.


    Not deterred, the woman leaned back slightly and slammed her head directly on Rosan''s own.


    The redhead''s head flew back from the brutal blow and his head began to spin. The blow itself stung but that''s not what the problem was. The problem was she was doing something to scramble his body.


    He blinked a bit as blood began leaking from his head. "Mod-chan."


    "Right."


    "You have the same spikes as he does. Let me guess, poisonous and detachable, right?" Rosan asked knowingly, head beginning to steam due to the Philosopher''s Stone. "Unfortunately, I''ve already built up my tolerance to them after my battle with Kenzo so that won''t work."


    She shuddered at his knowledge and only squeezed harder.


    Was this guy even human? Kaori was squeezing hard enough to permanently disable a normal person and this guy wasn''t even letting out a peep! What were his clothes made out of because they seemed downright impenetrable...


    It just didn''t make any¡ª


    Kaori stumbled backwards as Rosan returned the favor and slammed a head into her own. She released Rosan in the process and before she could stumble too far, the redhead grabbed her gi and pulled her forward, delivering another headbutt directly on her skull, scrambling her brain and cutting off all her current thoughts.


    The woman tried to blindly throw out a punch but it hit nothing but air due to Rosan''s next maneuver.


    Still gripping her gi, Rosan flipped himself over her and used the momentum to deliver a devastating knee to her back.


    Nami winced at the sight of Kaori letting out a strangled wheeze of agony, throwing up spit and blood in the process.


    Rosan didn''t let her go. Instead, the redhead wrapped his hands around her waist, glanced up and jumped with her still in his grasp.


    "A fishman in the sky¡­ what a surreal sight," Rosan mused, glancing down at the incoherent woman.


    "What absurd strength," Kaori thought, slowly regaining her senses and struggling fruitlessly in his hold. Just h-how high were they going to go ¡ª


    Something shadowed her view and she finally realized the gigantic wings growing out of his back, bringing them higher and higher and making her turn white.


    He was a Devil Fruit user¡­?!


    "So you finally realized," Rosan hummed, turning her around to face him and showing the taller woman his slitted eyes. "Still think I''m lying? Fine, I can show you the move I used to destroy that entire island. Maybe then you''ll believe me."


    If he was a devil fruit user¡­ then his chances of defeating Kenzo skyrocketed, especially considering the fact that those wings looked draconic in nature.


    Wait¡­ destroyed that island? What did he mea ¡ª


    "A fish shouldn''t try and fight a dragon in its domain. You should have jumped in the water and stalled me out," Rosan advised calmly.


    Kaori''s eyes widened in horror and her struggling increased tenfold. She desperately cocked a fist back and roared, "TWO THOUSAND TILE TRUE PUFFER PUNCH!"


    The attack actually connected with Rosan''s face, knocking his head back brutally, lodging some spikes deep into his skin and causing a spurt of blood to begin flowing from her powerful punch.


    But to her increasing fear, the redhead didn''t stumble like the previous two hits when she bypassed his defenses. Her mind was not in that much disarray to misuse her technique and this was directly on his face... Why was he acting completely fine?!


    "Your tolerance to that strange attack has been built up to workably resistant levels."


    Such was the nonsense that was his Devil Fruit.


    "Well, not like hiding out in the water would have worked against me anyways. You''d need to go to the ocean to have a chance."


    "Thank you, Mod-chan. I''ll give you a massage later."


    "!" Mod''s face split into a grin and the woman let out a pleased noise at that.


    Her horror turned into true genuine terror as that demon stared back at her with an unfazed expression, face already healing from the injury. She watched him open his mouth to spit out a tooth and then another, this time razor sharp in nature, replaced it, along with all his other.


    D-Did her Father really have to fight someone like this?!


    Rosan tensed up and launched the vulnerable puffer fishman down at breakneck speeds to the water.


    Then, he reared his head back and built up the required energy, razor sharp teeth gleaming as the temperature around him turned blistering.


    "Annihilation."


    Nami''s jaw dropped to the floor, as an absolutely gigantic amount of red flames erupted from Rosan''s mouth and rushed towards Kaori. The navigator couldn''t help but take an instinctive step back at the overwhelming display of power from their scout.


    She was sure everyone on the island could see the fire.


    "Holy shit," she whispered in awe. Rosan was not joking. He really could have just saved her at any point but she had been to scared to see it.


    What the hell was a monster like this doing in the East Blue?


    Kaori used the surrounding moisture to cover her body, hoping that it would protect her from those unnaturally red flames.


    It did not.


    "AGHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Kaori screeched in agony as those red flames slammed into her and the only thing that saved her life, was that Rosan had mercifully thrown her towards the water. The flames carried her into the water source and granted her a moment of reprieve, as they began to turn the surrounding water into steam.


    T-This was excruciating! All Kaori could think about, was the agonizing pain she was currently in.


    How... How could anyone withstand this? It felt like her entire body was peeling.


    The part of the pond that didn''t transform into steam, became uncomfortably hot and the woman bit back tears at the searing pain that hardly diminished while submerged.


    Rosan floated down and gently landed on the floor, staring at the rising steam with a tilted head. "You should be grateful. I didn''t want to kill you yet," he said softly.


    Kaori let out a soundless gasp from the blistering pain and tried her best not to move too much. If she aggravated these burns even more, she didn''t think she''d be able to stay awake.


    "Do you believe me now?" He asked softly, now standing right in front of her with that same expressionless face he always had on.


    It was like he was mocking her¡­ He didn''t take her serious even once.


    D-Did he take her dad serious?


    She doubted it...


    Tears of defeat sprung up in her eyes and she let out a shaky sob. "W-Why? Why did you kill him¡­?"


    "I was merely defending myself," Rosan said quietly as his wings slowly retreated back into his body and he returned to normal. "In that tournament, defeat meant death and I just happened to meet your father in the final round. One of us were destined to die that day and it wasn''t going to be me."


    Kaori sobbed as she was forced to accept the reality that her father''s end had been at the hand of this man.


    Deep down, she knew he died but to hear that it was at the whims of those cruel slave masters. It was too much.


    The redhead let her cry and idly began pulling out the spikes embedded to his face. She had just found out the fate of her father after all. It was understandable that she reacted like this.


    Nami couldn''t help but soften her eyes in sympathy as the fishman cried and cried. It was a testament to her kindness that she was even able to feel bad for one of them.


    "S-So you were really a slave too? And they made you fight in that hellhole?" She couldn''t help but ask through the tears.


    "That''s right. I was conditioned and tortured so I could compete in that tournament," the redhead responded, much to her shock.


    Didn''t he say he was nine? What type of sick bastards tortured a child to put him in a tournament where he could die?!


    "After I defeated Kenzo. I chose to escape the island and then I killed every single slave owner there, including your own I''m guessing."


    How funny... The murderer of her father was the one who freed her. Kaori would cry at the irony of it if she weren''t already doing so...


    "I hate you," Kaori eventually said.


    "Many people do," the redhead replied, unfazed by her declaration.


    "Even though you inadvertently freed me¡­ you still killed my father."


    "The fight would have gone differently if he had a water source."


    "I spent years looking for answers and this entire time, you mocked and belittled me."


    "You are apart of the crew that made my navigator suffer."


    He... He had a point.


    "...Did he really think about me and Mom in his last moments¡­?"


    "He did. He apologized to you two and I made a vow to him that I''d remember your names and tell you of his honorable death."


    Kaori wasn''t stupid. She knew that the redhead before her had no choice but to kill her father in that fight. It was very likely, that Kenzo had been actively trying to kill him too.


    She had traveled around with the Sun Pirates¡­ with Fisher Tiger and Jinbe and the two had given her a much broader look on life. She wasn''t immature enough to blindly blame one person for being put in a similar situation to her.


    Slaves didn''t have much choices in what they did. Kaori still hated him but that was just not something that logic could ever change.


    "...Thank you for killing my former master," she grunted, pulling herself up and wincing at the pain.


    "How unorthodox of you to thank me," Rosan replied softly, grabbing the fishman and hauling her up. "Do you plan on continuing to fight for this crew? If so, I will kill you."


    "No," Kaori replied honestly, assessing the severe damage done to her body. "I''m a hired gun and after I heal up, I''m going to go to the Grand Line to call my teacher so he can deal with them. After seeing their actions¡­ I can''t stand here and let them do what they want anymore."


    Nami''s eyes widened at the revelation. She was going to go get help to deal with Arlong? Was she really serious?!


    "You don''t have to worry. Arlong will fall today," Rosan said simply, glancing at her wounds with a tilted head.


    "I can believe it¡­ you''re way stronger than he is¡ª u-ugh," Kaori grunted, dabbing at a wound and holding back a howl. The water (thank Kami it wasn''t salt water) was a small moment of comfort but now the pain was out in full force.


    That red fire... Those hellish flames weren''t normal. Flames didn''t become that shade of red.


    "You won''t be getting any medical treatment here from people who hate you and those wounds aren''t going to heal naturally¡­ Come with me if you want," Rosan offered.


    Mod smiled to herself. Rosan may not have realized it, but his family was making him become a better person. Not only did he spare the girl, he was even offering to get her healed!


    "S-Shouldn''t we be going to help the crew?" Nami asked in concern. She didn''t have a problem with Rosan going to heal Kaori, but didn''t they need him to finish off Arlong?


    "Go to Arlong Park, Nami. Our captain will show you what he''s capable of," Rosan said softly. "I''m not the only one you can rely on. Have some faith in all of them."


    She was going to protest, but Rosan shot her a firm (by his standards) look and she nodded reluctantly, running off to Arlong Park to go see what he was talking about.


    "You''re¡­ offering to get me medical attention?" Kaori whispered in disbelief, glancing at the human before her with a startled gaze.


    "Yeah, grab onto my hand and close your eyes," the redhead replied to the fishman.


    She wasn''t used to being treated normal by humans. They didn''t really wanna look at her, much less touch her.


    This guy was¡­ pretty respectable.


    She clasped his hand without hesitation, wincing at the pain it brought her, and the two vanished from their spots.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Demon, Maro. Perfect timing," Rosan greeted the two surprised people with a short wave. "Heal this person for me? She has some severe burns. I''ll be back later today."


    Not even waiting for a response, the redhead vanished again.


    "Huh?" Maro blinked dumbly, glancing between the fishman and the spot her Master had been at repeatedly.


    "Come with me, let''s get these burns checked out," Demon said, utterly unfazed by the antics of Master and gently pushing her along.


    "R-Right," Kaori nodded, allowing herself to get escorted by the purple haired man who looked like the brother of her opponent.


    The two promptly left and Maro''s jaw began dropping more and more in confusion.


    "What the fuck just happened?" The queen mumbled in confusion. She had just been having a conversation with Demon about upgrading the hospital when¡­ a fishman was deposited in front of her to be attended to and now the one who did it was gone.


    He didn''t even offer an explanation before just leaving...


    Ugh, she seriously hated Master sometimes.


    The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Shark on Darts!"


    "Woah!" Luffy said, grabbing onto a part of Arlong''s building and leaping over the lunging attack.


    "Gomu Gomu no Stamp!" He retaliated, stomping both his feet into the back of Arlong and sending the man careening into a wall.


    The rubber boy landed neatly on his feet.


    "You¡­" Arlong snarled in fury. "Is this some type of game to you?! Don''t you realize the difference between us?!"


    "Nose," Luffy replied bluntly.


    ¡­


    "Jaw?" He asked questioningly.


    ¡­


    "Oh! Webbed Hands!"


    "RAHHHH!" Arlong roared, throwing caution to the wind and trying to bite Luffy in half.


    He chomped at the rubber boy repeatedly and his irritation only grow at each failure. Eventually, he tried to grab at Luffy but the rubber boy was too quick for him and leapt sideways.


    "Gomu Gomu no Whip!"


    A rubbery leg smashed into Arlong''s cheek and sent him crashing, breaking another wall in the process and flooring him for what felt like the umpteenth time.


    He burst out the rubbery with a roar of fury, only to be greeted by a fist that smashed and shattered his teeth in the process.


    He went crashing back into the building and it began creaking uncomfortably at all the punishment it had been dealt with.


    "Water Shot!"


    Luffy wasn''t fast enough to avoid the surprise attack and it connected solidly with his midsection.


    He was sent flying back and landed with a thud on his stomach.


    "LUFFY!" Nami screamed in horror, watching his unmoving body and the blood blooming on his red vest. She just knew Rosan should have come to help but she had let him sway her with his words.


    Damn that devilish redhead and his way with words!


    "SHAHAHAHAHA! NOW YOU GET IT RIGHT?! YOU INFERIOR HUMANS CAN''T DO ANYTHING!" Arlong cackled, growing back his shattered teeth with no effort.


    "Yeah, that''s right!" Luffy nodded, pushing himself back up with no effort and brushing off his outfit. "I can''t scout! I don''t know how to use a sword! I can''t navigate! I can''t cook and I can''t tell lies!"


    Everyone listened to his speech with a confused expression. Why was he needlessly putting himself down like this? Was he secretly really depressed?


    "I know I can''t live without help from a lot of people!" The rubber boy declared, glaring at Arlong.


    The shark fishman simply roared in laughter. This human had no dignity!


    "Shahahahaha! I feel bad for your crew! Having to save an idiot like you must be tiring!" He mocked. "Just what can you do?!"


    "I can beat you," Luffy grinned confidently.


    "You only have to worry about the things you can do and I''ll handle the things you can''t," A calm voice spoke up.


    Rosan looked at the scenery before him with a tilted head. "Beating this man before I show up is absolutely something you can do. Are you messing around again even though I told you not to?"


    His brother was seriously way too playful. His fights would honestly be so much easier if he took them even 5% more serious but unless one of his friends were in immediate danger, he wouldn''t do that and would instead put himself in a very stupid situation.


    The onlookers looked at the redhead in clear surprise. Not only had he shown up out of nowhere, making them jump in fright, there wasn''t a single scratch or injury on his body after walking away with one of, if not, the strongest fishman on the island!


    "FATHER!" Ram cheered, leaping on the redhead with expert accuracy and nuzzling him. "I did what you wanted! Are you happy? Pleased? Proud?! Never ask me to do that again or I''ll be really fucking pissed with you!"


    "Well done, Ram," Rosan said idly, rubbing her silver hair in a soothing manner and getting a happy sigh out of her. She morphed back into a ring and wrapped perfectly around his finger, gleaming unnaturally.


    "AUNTIE DID YOU MISS MEEEE?!"


    "No. It was so peaceful and quiet until you decided to barge in."


    "I MISSED YOU TOO!"


    "Please slow dow¡ª oof. R-RAM! LET ME GO!"


    "Nope! Nuh uh! And you can''t hurt me neither!"


    "I hate this already."


    "You''re the one she calls Father?!" Nojiko gasped. Why did that gorgeous woman call him that? Was that their kink? They looked the same age... Did she just TRANSFORM INTO A RING?!


    What the FUCK?!


    She began looking for any sign of injury and sighed in relief at seeing none. Did his previous outfit get destroyed in the fight¡­? He sure changed fast.


    "THAT SCARY GIRL IS YOUR RING?! THAT SCARY GIRL IS A RING?!" Onlookers screamed in shock.


    How the fuck did that make sense?! Was she a human that could transform into a ring... or a ring that could transform into a human?! Wait, WHY WAS THIS THE QUESTION THEY WERE WONDERING ABOUT? THAT GORGEOUS WOMAN JUST TRANSFORMED INTO A RING AFTER CALLING THE REDHEAD FATHER!


    Nami didn''t even know Rosan could bring Ram into the physical world! Could he do that with Mod-chan? She desperately wanted to talk to the woman more to just discuss anything really. The Devil Fruit''s words were incredibly insightful and it showed where Rosan inherited his intelligence from.


    Rosan nodded at Nojiko''s question, before leaning back slightly to avoid a kick from Sanji. He glanced at the injured blonde and tilted his head curiously.


    "What was that for?"


    "Justice."


    "...Enact your justice after this battle," Rosan said dismissively, not even bothering to question the chef. "Luffy, do I have to continue your training? I knew I should have kept it up even after we set sail but I had faith that I managed to get my point across."


    The captain''s eyes widened in rare fear at that statement because if that happened¡­ Rosan would steal all his meat!


    "Trying to give your useless captain a pep talk?" Arlong mocked. "Don''t worry, I haven''t forgotten what you''ve done, redhead human. After I''m done with him, you''re nex ¡ª"


    "Gomu Gomu no Bazooka!"


    Arlong''s eyes rolled to the back of his head momentarily, at the heavy double strike to his gut and he went soaring into the building. The shark man tried to pull himself back up but he spat out a glob of blood as another fist shattered his newly grown teeth again.


    "Gomu Gomu no Bullet!"


    "Hey¡­ Luffy is a lot more aggressive now," Sanji pointed out, reminded of the overwhelming onslaught he had done against Krieg.


    "I''ve never seen Luffy scared of anything," Zoro grunted, glancing back at Rosan and wondering just what hellish training he put the rubber boy through.


    "I''ve been with Luffy for 10 years, I know how to properly motivate him," the redhead muttered. "Well done on winning your battles, even you Usopp."


    "SPEAKING OF WHICH! WHY DID YOU TELL LUFFY TO PUSH ME INTO ONE OF THEM AND WHAT HAPPENED TO MY HAMMER?" The sniper screamed, mostly angry, somewhat curious.


    "I made your hammer an actual effective weapon by giving it an explosive feature and adding a blunt force trauma effect. The moment you activate it for the first time though, it will rapidly increase in weight so your motivated to get strong enough in order to carry it normally. Also, I made Luffy push you into one of them so you didn''t think about running off," Rosan explained quietly.


    The explosive feature and blunt force feature was actually from one of his techniques when Ram was in glove form. It was called Retribution and he performed it by placing his glove directly on your body and forming an explosive effect, while building up its own kinetic energy. It was very fun to use and he very much enjoyed annoying Ace and Maro with it.


    Everyone blinked at that. How the fuck did he do all that? Was it his unknown Devil Fruit?


    Usopp''s eyes glittered at the explanation. Rosan''s ability to craft seemed incredibly useful! They could brainstorm some things together in the future!


    Then, he registered the second part of his statement.


    "JOKES ON YOU! I RAN AWAY ANYWAYS!"


    "You surpassed my expectations," Rosan praised.


    "That¡­ sounds like an insult."


    They sweatdropped at their interaction.


    "What about you? You don''t look injured," Zoro commented with a raised brow.


    "I''m not injured because the fight wasn''t hard. That''s all," he replied softly. Kaori was good but not enough to ever worry him.


    Everyone went into shocked silence at hearing his declaration. Not hard? Just who was this guy? Kaori rarely displayed feats of strength but she didn''t need to because it wasn''t necessary. The female fishman was a monster in combat and the fact that he completely brushed off her battle...


    "YOU DAMN HUMANS!" Arlong roared, bursting out of the rubble with a gigantic sword. It was a giant black pole with six shark tooth-shaped black blades on one side.


    The shark fishman''s eyes were narrowed into slits and he was breathing heavily. His anger at Luffy had reached its boiling point and his skin was bulging with veins.


    "I''LL TEAR YOU LIMB FROM LIMB!"


    "Oh no, it''s his Kiribachi," Nami muttered, fearful for Luffy''s life. That was Arlong''s personal weapon and she had never seen anyone survive its onslaught.


    "Observe," Rosan muttered to her, making her jump slightly. "The only thing stopping this fight from being over, is Luffy''s playful nature. Even with that weapon, he will win."


    "How can you be so confident?" Nami asked in wonder. Rosan never doubted Luffy and it was awe inspiring.


    "I expect nothing less from someone who managed to become my captain," he replied easily.


    Luffy jumped back from a downward swing that completely shattered the floor he had been standing on.


    Arlong swung with reckless abandon, chasing Luffy all around the Park and destroying everything in his path with no regard.


    "Oh, is that what he''s doing?"


    "He''s trying to get Arlong to destroy his own dream. How ruthless."


    Rosan smiled at that.


    The fishman eventually chased Luffy into the building and the rubber boy deftly dodged everything launched his way. This only served to make the bruised fishman angrier and his swings became even more reckless.


    "That room¡­" Nami whispered, recognizing it immediately with a nervous expression.


    "Modification: Stream," Rosan thought to himself, placing his palm up and showing everyone there what was currently happening.


    "So useful!" everyone thought.


    Luffy ducked under a vicious swing that tore one of the walls of the building straight off and sent an array of paper scattering.


    "Shit," Arlong cursed at his mistake, snapping out of his rage when he realized whose room he was in the process of destroying.


    "Hm? What is this place?" Luffy asked in confusion, noting all the papers and the marked pen.


    Despite his rage, Arlong couldn''t keep the proud, smug smile off his face.


    "This is where I made Nami draw sea charts for the past 8 years," he revealed, grinning savagely at the memories. "We fishman can gather oceanic data excellently, but without a skilled cartographer, it''s worthless."


    "Nami''s a genius. She''s doing what she loves and I get a valuable tool."


    Luffy wasn''t listening to him. He picked up a pen with shadowed eyes.


    "There''s blood on this pen."


    Arlong ignored him, too caught up in his maniacal tirade.


    "Once Nami draws charts of all the world''s oceans, nothing will be able to stop the Fishman! THE WHOLE WORLD WILL BE MY KINGDOM AND WE''RE STARTING WITH THE EAST BLUE!"


    Arlong measured Kiribachi at the rubber boy. "You think you can use Nami better than us?"


    "Tool? Use?" Luffy whispered lowly, placing the bloodied pen on the floor gently.


    The rubber boy suddenly grabbed Arlong''s blade and though the fishman tried, he could not budge it an inch.


    Much to his disbelief, the rubber boy''s grip shattered his weapon in half.


    "Just what do you take Nami for?" Luffy snarled, glaring at Arlong with barely repressed fury.


    Despite his surprise, Arlong never lost his confidence.


    That was a mistake.


    "She''s an inferior species, but a smart one. If you humans were sewer rats, Nami would be a cheeky-as-hell cat," the shark said smugly.


    Arlong was gonna keep buying her clothes and everything she wanted. She would never have a single complaint and she would be doing what she loved.


    Of course he''d look out for her, they were crewmates after all ¡ª


    A hand grabbed the side of his head, before slamming Arlong into the desk and sending it flying through a wall.


    He was lifted up and brutally thrown into a stack of paper, not stopping until yet another wall caved under his weight.


    Before he could go flying, a rubbery hand grabbed him and dragged him back into the room, tossing him into a cabinet of books this time.


    Arlong tried to struggle in his grasp, but Luffy''s grip was unforgiving.


    "W-What the fuck are you doing?!" Arlong gasped out. "M-My charts? You''re destroying eight years of hard work? Do you have any idea how much effort Nami has put into those?!"


    The fishman was forcefully brought face to face with Luffy''s cold glare by his nose and the fishman tried to break out of it with futile effort. "I don''t care how great you are. I don''t care about any sea charts. None of that means anything to me but I finally know how to save her."


    Arlong screeched in agony as his unbreakable nose was bent again and Luffy tossed him aside.


    "As long as this room exists. Nami is stuck here so I''m going to destroy it all," he finished coldly.


    "L-Luffy," Nami sobbed, tears forming in her eyes. "Thank you!"


    Everyone watched her cry with a fond smile.


    Rosan said nothing as he watched the battle reach its climax.


    "Gomu Gomu no¡­"


    Luffy shot his leg high up into the air and it stretched until it broke through the ceiling.


    Arlong''s eyes bugged as he realized what that filthy human was trying to do.


    No. NO. NOT ALL HIS YEARS OF HARD WORK! WHO DID THIS HUMAN THINK HE WAS? WHAT DID HE THINK HE WAS DOING?!


    "A HUMAN CAN''T DESTROY FISHMAN ISLAND! IT''S IMPOSSIBLE! YOU''LL DIE HERE AND NOW!" Arlong roared hysterically, fixing his nose and charging the rubber boy.


    "SHARK TOOTH DRILL!"


    The fishman began spinning rapidly at full speed, with his mouth wide open. He reached the vulnerable captain and sunk every single tooth into the boy''s sides, drawing a river of blood from the rubber boy.


    It was not enough.


    "...BATTLE AXE!" Luffy roared, ignoring the pain and bringing his foot down.


    Arlong''s eyes rolled to the back of his head as the foot crashed into his body and he was knocked unconscious.


    But that wasn''t all.


    So great was the impact, that Luffy''s foot drove the fishman through every single floor of the building until his body was firmly embedded into the pavement.


    Luffy gingerly touched the area where Arlong had sunk his fangs into and grunted at the sting.


    That was gonna need to be patched up.


    The shaking of the building caught his attention and he completely ignored a piece of debris bouncing off his head.


    "OH NO! ARLONG PARKS ABOUT TO FALL ON US!"


    "EVERYONE RUN!"


    "NAMI? ROSAN? C''MON LET''S GO!" Johnny tried to urge them both.


    "No," Rosan said blandly, uncaring of the destruction going on. He had since shut off his connection with the bird and stood stationary, watching the building collapse with a neutral expression.


    Nami nodded in panic. "L-Luffy''s still in there! We can''t just leave him!"


    But there was nothing she could do currently. She could only watch in horror, as the entire building crashed with a thunderous THUD, shaking the very Earth around them.


    "LUFFY!" Nami screamed in panic.


    Rosan remained silent, a picture perfect depiction of unbothered. Somehow the redhead managed to avoid getting hit by every single piece of flying debris and that left them stumped.


    (He just summoned a wall to block it from hitting him. Nothing so outrageous)


    Everyone could only watch in anticipation as the smoke began to settle. They were unsure of what happened at the end of the battle and the rising tension was killing them.


    "NAMIIIIII!" A voice screamed, bringing tears of relief to her eyes.


    Standing on top of the ruins of Arlong Park, one Monkey D. Luffy looked Nami directly in her eyes and she let out a strangled sob at his victory.


    "YOU''RE MY FRIEND!" He roared to the heavens.


    Nami tried desperately wiping her eyes and when that failed, she gave up and smiled brightly.


    "Yeah!" She beamed, tears falling freely.


    That seemed to disperse all the tension, as realization finally set in.


    "ARLONG PARK HAS FALLEN!"


    "WE WON!"


    "HE DID IT!"


    Relief flooded through every single person''s body and they began cheering in earnest. Tears of joy overwhelmed nearly all the citizens who had been subject to Arlong''s rule for so long.


    Their neverending nightmare was over. They were free.


    Rosan silently moved away from the crowd converging around his brother and found a nice and secluded spot to relax in.


    "Well?"


    "He did good," Rosan whispered softly, gazing at the crowd throwing his brother up in the air.


    "He could have finished it faster," Mod pointed out but she was smiling a proud smile.


    "That''s true but, I think this resulted in a better outcome."


    "I agree."


    Everyone''s celebration was cut short, as the same Marine who had stolen Nami''s money, Nezumi, showed up to confiscate all the treasure that Arlong had amassed.


    He loudly proclaimed that he would be taking all the credit as well and it was a wonder how he didn''t sense all the distaste directed towards him.


    He sure was confident in his ability. Typical of a Marine.


    All that confidence flew out of the window, as Zoro grabbed ahold of him.


    "Don''t ruin people''s fun when they''re finally happy," the swordsman said coldly.


    What followed next, was a pummeling by the other male straw hats onto the corrupt Marines that was not even remotely close, despite the battles they were just in.


    After that, Nami delivered a brutal strike with her staff to his cheek that sent him flying.


    She then threatened him into promising to get help with reparations of Gosa and sent him on his way (not without him listing numerous threats onto the pirate crew).


    Rosan''s dual eyes never left the retreating Marine.


    Then the celebration began in earnest. The villagers went to go tell everyone else the good news and they ran off with cheers.


    "Rosan! What are you doing all the way over there!" His crew called, grabbing his attention.


    "Letting you guys hog all the spotlight," he muttered, standing up to meet them. "Good job, Luffy. You can have your food."


    "YAY!" Luffy cheered happily.


    "Oh, Rosan!" Nami''s eyes lit up. "Do you think you can help us with reparations?"


    "Sure. I''ll be done quickly," he replied easily. Modification would make it easy if that was what he focused on.


    She smiled gratefully at him. Then another thought made her eyes widen in horror.


    "Since we won¡­ does that mean you want your money back?" Nami asked, thinking of the 100 million he gave her.


    "Keep it or give it to your villagers. I don''t care either way."


    "You''re the best big bro!" Nami sobbed, throwing herself on the redhead and wetting his outfit with her crocodile tears.


    "You need help," Rosan muttered, tilting his head in confusion at the steely glare Sanji was shooting his way.


    Since when were they on bad terms?


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan stared at the unconscious bodies of the Fishman Pirates, ignoring the dead bodies of the Marines around him with an apathetic gaze.


    He inspected each one and nodded in satisfaction.


    His crew did good. He was particularly impressed with the damage done to the one with the big mouth because it showed that Usopp actually put up a good fight.


    Perhaps he was worth a little of his attention.


    "Where is the octopus?" Mod asked in confusion.


    "Bah, he probably escaped. Green shits injuries were holding him back plenty so he probably couldn''t use his full power to take him out."


    It didn''t matter. That octopus was an idiot who was easily manipulated. If he used him as a baseline, some clones would be very... peculiar.


    These would do fine. Arlong in particular, was much stronger then the others here so he''d serve as a good baseline for Hiroshi.


    A Grand Line level crew of Fishman patrolling both Fregate and Celadon''s waters... They''d be impenetrable and that''s exactly what he wanted.


    They were the islands of his dear allies after all. He would provide them all the protection they needed in case he wasn''t able to protect them.


    Decision made, he deepened their sleep further and sent them off to his Pocket Dimension so that they could be properly transported.


    "Now," he thought, eyes transforming into slits as he flew up to stare down at the ship filled with corpses. "It''s time to erase evidence."


    They never saw him coming. Rosan was on business so he forewent torturing them and instead opted for assasination.


    One hit. One kill. Not even a call went through. They would be the victims of a freak storm.


    He contemplated framing something but he didn''t want the Marines to connect what he was about to do next so let them think this one just vanished.


    With that, he charged his dragon''s signature flames and fired.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Something was wrong, Nezumi could feel it in his bones because his bones were turning downright frosty.


    "Captain Nezumi? You were talking to us about a pirate named Luffy?" The Marine on the other line called.


    Nezumi shook his head rapidly and focused back on the topic at hand. Yes, that was right. That damn straw hat had ruined everything and he was going to get a bounty placed on his head, courtesy of him for being so annoying.


    He was currently in the process of sending over his picture, when he felt an unspeakable chill crawl down his spine.


    Something fell behind him and he quickly turned around to see what it was¡ª


    Nothing. He was just being paranoid right now. The only other person in the room, was the Marine that was listening to him report Luffy. He was currently standing guard at the door and regarded Nezumi with a confused expression at being stared at.


    Yeah, that''s right. His head was still hurting from the beating the pirates gave him so it was likely that he was hallucinating stuff.


    That''s right.


    "Captain Nezu ¡ª gacha."


    ...


    The call ended.


    Nezumi wasn''t the one who ended the call.


    Who just ended the call?


    The man''s heart began slamming against his chest as he slowly turned back around to regard the sleeping snail.


    W-What was going on¡ª


    "AHHHH!" He let out a shrill scream.


    Staring at him, clad in all black, was a redhead stranger with a lifeless expression. He idly pet the sleeping snail and hummed a gentle tune.


    "Greetings, Captain Nezumi," the man said politely, standing up and making a show of stretching. "While I was busy, it seems like you gave my dear little brother a bounty..."


    "He''ll be happy about that," Rosan hummed.


    "Y-You!" Nezumi called in surprise, recognizing him immediately. "You''re apart of that Luffy''s crew! W-What are you all doing here? Come to raid a navy base?!"


    "You don''t have to worry. It''s just me here," Rosan assured, disappearing momentarily and grabbing the one other shocked Marine in the room with the two conversing.


    The grunt was taking aim at the redhead, shocked to see him appear so suddenly but his plans of shooting him were put on halt as the pirate appeared right in front of him.


    He held the grunt up by the neck and stared at him.


    "You shouldn''t point such dangerous weapons at people. It might put your life in danger," he advised calmly.


    The poor Marine began struggling in his grasp, eyes going wide in terror as the redhead began to steadily squeeze.


    "H-Help! Please help me!" He rasped, tears flooding his eyes as his pants grew wet.


    Rosan nodded kindly. "Don''t worry. I''ll help you find a better profession in your next life. Consider not working for such corrupt people again."


    With that, the redead effortlessly snapped the man''s neck with a brutal crack and tossed him to the side like he were a piece of trash.


    "A-A-Ah no. No. No. No..." Nezumi watched in horror as his subordinates lifeless body flew through the air and landed like he were just a simple ragdoll.


    He felt that cold chill in his body, transform into a blizzard as he gazed at the nightmare in human flesh.


    W-What was even going on? Why¡­ why was this redhead here? W-Was this really happening?!


    Why was he staring right at him?!


    "Can I tell you something?" Rosan asked softly, unmoved by his casual act of murder. He stared at the discarded body with apathy.


    "Since I was four years old, I''ve always hated the Marines," Rosan admitted, not waiting for Nezumi''s response. "I doubt someone like you would ever understand but they took something very important from me."


    "But do you want to know what I hate more than a normal Marine?" The redhead whispered.


    He pinned Nezumi to the table with his gaze alone and said, "I really hate the corrupt Marines."


    Nezumi began shaking in true terror as the stench of blood finally reached him.


    "You asked what I''m doing here? Well, while you were giving my captain a bounty, I was out there slaughtering all of your troops. Every single one of them are dead."


    He inclined his head to the still body right there. "That was the last one of your guys. It''s just you and me and whoever was on the other line of that call. I suspect their getting ready to call you back soon."


    "Wait!" Nezumi screeched, stepping back in terror as the redhead slowly approached him. "What do you want? Money? I have plenty I can give you!"


    Rosan''s response, was to simply grab him by the neck and body slam him onto the table.


    "Trying to collaborate with yet another pirate? You should know by now that your corruptness is the reason you''re about to die," he whispered and Nezumi tried to struggle in his impossibly strong grasp but he was helpless to stop what happened next.


    Rosan skewered him through the table with a silver sword, cutting off any thought processes and making the man squeal.


    "UGHHHHHHHHHHH SOMEONE HELP! SOMEONE PLEASE HELP ME!" Nezumi howled, grasping weakly at the sword gluing him to the table.


    It hurt. It hurt so bad! He didn''t want to die. HE DIDN''T WANT TO DIE!


    "You serve no purpose beyond making other''s lives more difficult. You have no right to be alive," the redhead declared, staring into his soul as the life drained out of them.


    "You can understand right? Wouldn''t the world be a better place without you? Don''t you get that your greed is an inconvenience to people?" Rosan asked softly, genuinely.


    The redhead buried the blade deeper and deeper, making sure to miss anywhere that would instantly kill him.


    "I''m just here to help you figure that out. It''s not like I personally hate you. I just want you to realize that you''re doing us all a favor. You understand, right?"


    Nezumi flailed about weakly at the words of the demon before him. There were tears streaming down his face as Rosan got closer and closer until he was face to face with hell itself.


    The redhead stared at him and watched as the life slowly but surely left his eyes. He was content to let the man suffer for a bit but a death like this just wouldn''t do.


    After a moment, he withdrew his sword from the man''s chest, ignoring the fountain of blood that didn''t touch him and sprouted his draconic wings.


    With one flap, he burst through the ceiling and rubble began to fall everywhere.


    The Den Den Mushi chose that moment to begin ringing and unbeknownst to Rosan (who would have cursed at his slight mistake), Nezumi''s desperate flailing, managed to miraculously cause it to pick up.


    "Captain Nezumi!" The Marine on the other side said in annoyance. "Hanging up before the conversation is over, is ru ¡ª"


    Nezumi coughing up a river a blood, cut him off. The sound was wet and raspy and it filled the Marine with a cold feeling.


    "Captain Nezumi? What''s going on? Are you alright?" He asked in concern


    "Red¡­ Demon¡­ Killed¡ª" Nezumi tried to say through a river of blood, desperately trying to convey a message through the den den and failing miserably.


    He needed to inform them¡­ of another member of the¡­ Straw Hats¡­ the redhead¡­ demon.


    "CAPTAIN NEZUMI? ARE YOU ALRIGHT?!" The Marine on the other line repeated. "Red Demon¡­? We''re dispatching another branch to your base right now. Hang in there!"


    "Ragnarok."


    Nezumi wasn''t listening anymore. No, his eyes were latched onto the massive shadow looming above him.


    The massive shadow looking at him.


    He should have given more warnings about the Straw Hats. Straw Hat didn''t deserve such a low bounty in hindsight. If he could properly control something like this... Straw Hat needed something even higher.


    T-This wasn''t something that an average Marine could deal with. Not even the fishman would have been able to protect him from this¡­ this thing.


    Straw Hat Luffy wasn''t the only problem in that crew. Perhaps Straw Hat wasn''t even the biggest problem.


    How could he be the biggest problem when there was a Devil lurking in their midst?


    "Destroy all evidence before they get suspicious," Rosan thought to himself, glancing down at the Marine Base.


    "RAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Was the last thing Nezumi and the Marine on the other line heard.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Rosan! I told you not to spend too much time repairing Gosa," Nami admonished the redhead, gazing at all the fixed buildings with awe on her features.


    He even flipped them back upright! Her scout was seriously incredible!


    "Apologies, I wanted to make sure I was thoroughly finished," the redhead replied, double checking to make sure he didn''t have any blood on him.


    It was unlikely but he could never be too sure.


    "Don''t worry, I told everyone not to visit while you were working on it. Wouldn''t want anyone else to figure out your Devil Fruit," Nami informed him and he nodded thankfully at their useful navigator while absentmindedly pulling her into a hug.


    "Well done," he praised her, patting her on the head and getting it slapped away in return.


    "Don''t ruin my hair," she grumbled in annoyance.


    She didn''t break the hug though.


    The hug felt nice.


    "Oh, I thought that was the look you were going for and was just trying to help."


    He dodged the wild swing aimed at him and deftly tossed the fuming navigator over his shoulder.


    "Why is everyone trying to hard to hit me lately¡­ Keep it up and I''ll start training you," Rosan told her.


    "NO THANKS! NOW PUT ME DOWN!" She answered swiftly, repeatedly beating his back to no success and struggling in his grip... to no success. He wasn''t even flinching slightly from her blows! What was this guy made of?!


    Goddamnit she hated Rosan.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan sat a ways away from all the celebrating with a cup of sake that had been forcefully shoved in his hands by one of the increasingly grabby women.


    The celebration was in full swing right now and he had excused himself from the more¡­ touchy ones. They had been forcing him to dance with them near nonstop and not seeing any fault in it, he said yes.


    That was a mistake. He wasn''t sure how many people he danced with but they were surely trying to test his near limitless stamina. Men and women alike seemed to want a piece of him and it was rather startling.


    Perhaps he should have never learned how to dance but his pride (and the memories of Robin laughing repeatedly at his horrible dancing while she did a fantastic job herself) demanded he master such a skill in case he needed it for infiltration.


    Well, that''s what he told himself at least. He hardly did a infiltration mission that required him to be undercover. He definitely mastered dancing for his wounded childish pride.


    Alas, he finally managed to slink away so that he could enjoy a moment of peace.


    He had no idea defeating one of the officers would net him so much popularity but his social skills were never the greatest.


    "That''s a lie! Don''t you remember that one woman whose house you broke into when Robin was sick? You two became friends after speaking for two minutes!"


    "Ah, you mean Hana. I wonder how she''s doing?" Rosan hummed in curiosity.


    That was a fun day. He hoped Goro had no side effects from the very gentle jam he did to him.


    A figure sat next to him and he inclined his head to regard the person. "Sanji."


    "Rosan," the chef replied back calmly, handing the redhead a plate of rice and shrimp.


    Rosan accepted it with a thank you and said, "Is this my best meal?"


    Surprisingly, the chef shook his head. "I tried cooking it up but I felt like I could do better if I keep improving so no. Until I feel proud of that dish I promised you, you can enjoy my frequent failures once a day."


    The redhead nodded and took a bite of the rice and shrimp combination, humming at the taste.


    Sanji didn''t want to make it too obvious but he eyed the redhead''s reaction in anticipation.


    "You know, this is actually my first time eating your food, considering you avoided me nonstop at the Baratie."


    The blonde blushed in embarrassment. "There was a lot going on okay! How does the food taste, shitty redhead?!"


    The redhead didn''t answer him, taking another bite and humming again. His voice was surprisingly pleasant but Sanji couldn''t really enjoy that because of how nervous he suddenly felt.


    "Why do you call this dish a failure?" Rosan asked suddenly.


    "...Why? Because it''s not the best dish I promised you," the chef replied bluntly.


    It was his best work currently, that was for sure. But his best work currently wasn''t the limit of what he could do. He could get better. He would continuously strive to make that dish and Rosan would be his test subject every day if he had to be.


    "...If that''s the case, I look forward to eating something you consider a success. This is the best meal I''ve ever had," Rosan said, smiling softly and polishing the rest of the meal off. "You''ve grown Sanji. I''m proud to see you striving closer to your dreams. I knew you could do it."


    Sanji felt his heart soar at that declaration and the chef was unable to hide the blinding grin that made its way onto his face.


    He said it! He really did remember Sanji''s promise all those years ago!


    "See! I told you! It''s good eh and I can get even better!" The blonde bragged.


    "And you plan on giving me my own meal every day? I feel so spoiled," Rosan responded. Having such a good chef on the crew was a great thing for them all. He''d have to make sure the fridge was always fully stocked up on food.


    "So how has life been treating you?" The redhead asked calmly, glancing down into his cup and downing it. The moment he finished it off, someone replaced it with another and he raised a brow at the lingering touch on him.


    Were... Were they watching him this whole time?


    "You need to get away soon, my danger senses are going off," Mod said nervously. By danger senses, she meant Rosan''s chastity of course. The threat to that was far more important to her then someone attacking him.


    "It''ll be fine... I think."


    "A little tough, but mostly good¡­ What about you? From Bounty Hunter to Pirate¡­" Sanji replied, taking a seat next to the redhead.


    Rosan hummed softly. "It''s been eventful since we met. We beat your father, you know? Grim and I. Unfortunately, we weren''t able to fully get rid of him before his soldiers appeared."


    Sanji froze at that. "You two¡­ beat him?"


    "Yeah, he deserved it," the redhead responded simply. "Though¡­ he didn''t have his raid suit with him so that made it easier for us."


    Sanji remained silent. To be honest, a part of him was relieved that Reaper didn''t kill his father. He didn''t want Judge dead, he just wanted to escape from him.


    "You''re a kind kid, to be relieved by your abuser''s safety," Rosan remarked softly.


    "Don''t call me kid like that damn old man... Why were you guys raiding Germa anyways?"


    "Grim wanted a challenge and we chose Germa. Then, we stole the blueprints to the Raid Suit."


    Sanji quirked a brow in clear surprise. "You have the blueprints to the Raid Suit?!"


    The redhead nodded and revealed his armband. "This is it. It''s very useful."


    Sanji nodded in agreement, confused as to why it wasn''t in a canister but not doubting the redhead''s claim. He knew all about the raid suit due to his upbringing and to know Rosan had one, made him all the more powerful.


    "Does anyone know of your ties with Germa?"


    "Just you and Grim¡­ speaking of which, where are they?" Sanji asked in return.


    "Running a kingdom in the North Blue. She''s currently married to my sister."


    "Grim''s a she and she''s married to your sister?!"


    He wondered how they look?


    "For 5 years now. You''ll meet her one day, she''s been getting more and more eager to meet you all plus she''ll recognize you. Also, my sister looks like a female version of me."


    A female version of Rosan... Sanji could begrudgingly admit that the redhead was not ugly so his sister must be gorgeous.


    "She is. Maro is quite beautiful as well and the two are constantly receiving attention wherever they go."


    "By the way... what did you do to be forcefully retired?"


    "Killed someone very important for trying to enslave me," Rosan replied instantly, face neutral.


    "He tried to what?!" Sanji barked in fury, making sure his voice didn''t get too loud.


    Enslave Reaper?! What the fuck?! You couldn''t just try and trap the Angel of Death! No wonder the Shinigami went and killed him!


    But he wondered just who the man killed... had to have been some type of noble or Marine or something.


    Eh, he didn''t care. Good riddance.


    The two continued to talk to each other and Sanji couldn''t keep the smile off his face. To think he''d be in a crew with the one who he admired for so long and they were having a normal conversation.


    The world worked in funny ways.


    Speaking of which¡­


    "That beautiful woman¡­ Ram," Sanji said gravely. "She''s your¡­ weapon? That you have on 24/7? Who never wants to leave your side? Who you use for combat?"


    Rosan tilted his head at the sudden topic switch but nodded. "That''s right. She is only loyal to me. We''ve been together for around 12 years."


    He and that woman had been together for 12 years. That gorgeous, jaw dropping beauty only answered to him... Lucky son of a ¡ª


    "There you are! I thought they were never gonna leave you alone!" Nojiko beamed. Her face was flushed red and it was clear that she had one drink too many.


    "Big sis!" Sanji swooned, walking up to meet her.


    His jaw dropped as she completely ignored him.


    The woman dove onto a stationary Rosan and began tugging him insistently. "I''m gonna borrow your friend for the rest of the night! See ya~" She called, not letting either refuse.


    "Nojiko¡­ you''re drunk. Do you know what you''re doing right now? Do you know who I am?" Rosan asked, resisting her pull a bit.


    "I''m pulling away a hot redhead named Rosan. Duh. Have you seen the way you''ve been getting eyed by everyone?" Nojiko slurred, raising a brow as she continued tugging his sleeve. "I''ve got dibs and I''m cashing in before someone else does or I blackout from the alcohol!"


    Rosan simply sighed and allowed her to drag him away. Eventually, the two vanished from a stunned Sanji''s gaze.


    He fell to his knees and punched the floor in despair.


    "It should have been me!" He sobbed, clutching his heart.


    He hated Rosan. Why?! WHY WAS THAT DAMN ROBOT SO POPULAR?! WHAT WASN''T HE UNDERSTANDING?!


    Unknown to him, a certain purple haired woman shared the same sentiment as the chef.


    "Why are you so popular?" Mod moaned sadly, covering her face with both hands. She just knew he should have gotten away.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Take care of my little sister, alright?" An exhausted Nojiko requested, staring at the nonchalant Rosan with a glare.


    She had seen Genzo talking to the rubber captain before getting a bit... drunk, so she decided to talk to the first one of the straw hats she had met and trusted the most.


    "Why are you telling this to me? I''m not the captain, just a humble scout," Rosan said softly, idly holding the woman upright so she didn''t fall.


    Nojiko raised a brow at his self proclaimed title.


    He was anything but normal (or humble) but for some reason, he wasn''t keen on showing anyone his true capabilities.


    The Straw Hats were currently packing and getting ready to leave, when she pulled the redhead to the side to have a talk with him.


    "I''m telling you because you''re the one I trust the most," Nojiko admitted. He forced her to open her eyes to the truth of Arlong lying, protected her from their potential wrath and completely repaired a destroyed Gosa all by himself.


    And he wondered why he was suddenly so popular with their citizens. What would have taken them months or years, he finished instantly.


    Who was Rosan, really?


    "I''m not someone worthy of trust but¡­ I''ll see what I can do," the redhead replied. He liked Nami. She was someone who knew about the darkness of the world, just like him and they formed... a bond from that.


    He''d keep her safe.


    "Anything else you want to say to me before I board the ship?"


    Nojiko was about to say no before a mischievous grin made its way onto her face. "That''s a really gorgeous tattoo you have. You shouldn''t be so reluctant to show it off like you''re doing right now."


    Rosan glanced down slightly at his long sleeved purple shirt and hummed. "My sister would appreciate that comment... After killing you of course. I''ll keep that in mind for the future. I''m quite fond of wearing long sleeved clothing."


    "Booo, you''re no fun. At least feel the slightest bit embarrassed," Nojiko pouted, rolling her eyes in the process. His sister would kill her? He sure had quite the crazy family.


    The redhead snorted quietly and walked away with a short wave, making her stumble from the loss of support. "As if you could ever embarrass me when this is how you are after one night."


    "I WAS CAUGHT OFF GUARD AND DRUNK!"


    "Whatever helps you sleep better at night."


    "FUCK OFF!"


    "I hate you," Sanji said to the redhead, staring lifelessly at him.


    "Is that all you''re going to say now whenever we speak?" Rosan asked with a tilted head.


    "I hate you."


    "Right. Figured," he nodded. He was about to go retreat further into the ship, when he realized their navigator hadn''t boarded yet.


    Almost as if on cue, Nami showed up behind all the waving villagers and ordered for them to set sail, before running through all of the citizens without pausing.


    "YOU''RE GONNA LEAVE WITHOUT SAYING GOODBYE?!"


    "LET US THANK YOU AT LEAST!"


    Nami ignored it all, weaving and dodging everyone in her path before she leapt to the sailing ship.


    Back facing her old village, the navigator pushed up her shirt and an array of wallets fell out.


    "She didn''t¡­" Genzo gaped.


    "MY WALLET''S GONE!"


    "MINE TOO?"


    "SHE STOLE IT?"


    "She did¡­" Nojiko sighed fondly.


    "Take care, everyone!" Nami grinned smugly, waving at them with a stolen bill in her hand.


    "YOU DAMN SNEAK THIEF!" They roared.


    "That was impressive," Mod smiled fondly.


    "She''s good," Rosan nodded.


    "GET BACK HERE!"


    "GIVE US BACK OUR WALLETS!"


    "COME BACK SOON!"


    "WE''RE GRATEFUL TO YOU ALL!"


    "BYE EVERYONE! I''LL BE BACK!" Nami grinned ear to ear, waving both arms.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan expected Maro to be glaring at him when he showed up and he was aware that lately she had begun chucking stuff in her annoyance...


    The redhead caught the table thrown at him and skidded back a few steps from the force behind it.


    ...But wasn''t this a bit much?


    "People normally throw their shoes. Not tables," Rosan commented, walking up to place it down in front of the annoyed queen. It was a good thing she had finished up her paperwork else they''d have to spend some time rearranging it.


    "Not only did you not even explain the situation to me¡­ you left me with the duty of telling Angel you visited without seeing her," Maro snarled, fury painted all over her features.


    "You''ve been growing your hair out?" Rosan asked, grabbing a strand of white and blue and inspecting it. It was going a bit past her chin now, which was a surprise considering she kept it at chin length since she was 11.


    His student liked her hair short so that it didn''t get in the way. It was a surprise to see one of her bangs flowing a bit past her eyes now.


    "Don''t change the subject!" The Dokkaebi barked, not moving his hand out of the way. "...But yes, I wanted to grow it a bit past my shoulders. Angel thought I''d look cute with longer hair and I haven''t gotten into too much of a serious fight lately so I figured I''d give it a shot."


    "I think it''d look good on you so long as it doesn''t impede," Rosan agreed, getting a happy scowl out of her. "Sorry for leaving so abruptly the other day, I was in the middle of a battle with the Arlong Pirates."


    The 23 year old''s eyes widened in interest and she pushed herself up so that they could walk around the castle together.


    "So Kaori was apart of their crew, right? Those burns looked like they were done by your dragon," she pointed out and the redhead nodded.


    "She was my opponent. A long time ago, when I was captured, I fought and killed her father," he informed her. He didn''t miss how affectionately the queen referred to her so he guessed they were getting along.


    What a pleasant surprise. Rosan was sure the fishman would have tried to attack them and Maro would have had to put her out of her misery.


    Maro''s mouth opened. "You mean that fishman you fought when you were imprisoned?! That was her dad?! Wow, considering she allowed you to bring her here and didn''t cause a fuss¡­ She''s really mature!"


    "I thought the same thing."


    The two approached Demon''s room and entered without knocking, seeing as the door was slightly ajar.


    "Oh, hi Master," the younger clone greeted, standing up to hug his older brother.


    "Greetings, Demon," Rosan hummed, patting the shorter clone on his purple head. "Thank you for healing my guest with no questions."


    "Of course. As a doctor, its my job to care for my patients," he grinned.


    A snarl of irritation alerted Rosan to the table flying at him and he deftly caught it before it could crash and break on his body.


    "Why are you all throwing tables at me?" Rosan asked in curiosity.


    "Cause you visited without telling me," Angel growled, marching up to her older brother with a look that promised pain.


    "I was in quite the rush. We were in the middle of a pirate battle so that I could free my navigator," the Mod Mod no Mi user explained, holding her by the shoulders to placate her.


    "He''s right," a voice said. "What was happening over there needed to be dealt with quickly. Seeing as you''re alive¡­ I take it Arlong''s been defeated?"


    "Ah, Kaori," Rosan greeted. "Yes, Arlong''s been defeated by my captain. We''ve freed Nami and the villagers from his clutches. How are your injuries?"


    "I''m mostly just sore now¡­ Demon is really good at what he does," Kaori praised. The purple haired clone didn''t even bat an eye at the fact that she was a fishman that stood nearly a foot taller than him.


    The doctor just diligently worked on her body while tutting his teeth and saying, "Master really needs to learn to hold back more. Just because he thinks he''s holding back a sufficient amount doesn''t mean he actually is..."


    He even made small talk with her! It''s like he didn''t care that she was an intimidating fishman.


    Actually, none of them cared that she was a fishman¡­ she had never met such weird humans before. The queen immediately apologized for Rosan''s behavior and the two hit it off from there once Kaori cracked a smile at her complaints about the redhead being a complete ass.


    She¡­ she liked them. Even the female redhead who was rude at first but warmed up to her after realizing she was being unintentionally hostile.


    "Arlong Pirates?" Angel raised a brow. "Isn''t that the crew of fishmen Maro was talking to me about one day? You guys got in a brawl with them? Tell us all about it!"


    "Right," Rosan nodded but before he could do that, he glanced towards Kaori. "What will you do now, Kaori? You said you wanted to find your Master?"


    "Yes, his names Jinbe¡­ I wanted to find him but since everything''s been dealt with¡­ if your majesty doesn''t mind, I''d like to stay here for a little longer," the fishman stated, looking a bit embarrassed to be asking.


    "Awww!" Maro gushed in happiness and glomped the fishman, much to her surprise. "You can stay here as long as you like, Kaori! Everyone in the castle already likes you and you''re really nice so we''d be happy to have you! We can even spar together! It''ll be soooo fun! You know, I have a Devil Fruit! I can turn into a giant green goblin called a Dokkaebi and it lets me do so much things like grow plants faster! Oh! But that doesn''t really help me with combat! I can use fire too! But I''m not as rude with it as Master is so you don''t gotta worry!"


    Kaori felt her head spinning at how rapidly Maro was speaking but she couldn''t keep the fond smile off her face at the Queen''s antics and slowly returned the hug. They didn''t care at all that she was a fishman¡­ maybe, maybe these were the type of humans that Jinbe were talking about? The ones that made him strive for peace between both races...


    She had a Devil Fruit too? That would be fun to spar with but if she was anywhere near her opponent''s strength... Kaori might find it difficult to get a win.


    "Unexpected, but I''m glad you guys are getting along," Rosan hummed. He wasn''t really expecting her to want to stay here but that worked out fine. Maro now had a clear strongest soldier at her disposal.


    Wait. Did she say her Master''s name was Jinbe? The Warlord and probably the strongest fishman alive currently?


    Hm... He''d have to keep that in mind. Kaori was quite reasonable despite what he did to her. He had no doubt that she still hated him but she was doing a good job masking it.


    "She''s very pleasant and I have to admit, I''ve never actually worked on a fishman before. I expected it to be difficult but there really were not much differences between you and a human," Demon shrugged.


    "I''ve been¡­ trying to be more accepting of everyone instead of automatically hating them," Angel admitted with an embarrassed expression. "I realize that my personality can make it a bit difficult for you guys so I''m trying to change and Kaori''s not someone who deserves my rudeness¡­"


    It was hard but it was something that she had been working on since her and Maro announced that they were getting married. She had a much easier time with the citizens of their Celadon but when going out and meeting others, her old habits came back with a vengeance.


    Especially if they were political meetings... She was pretty sure Maro only liked bringing her to those so she had an excuse to bail.


    Maro happily glomped Angel and snuggled her. "I''m so proud of you! You do whatever makes you happy!"


    "S-Shut up," she grumbled with a red face. Without hesitation, she returned the hug and sighed happily at the floral scent of her wife.


    "Wow, my older sister is actually maturing? I never thought I''d see the day," Demon teased, grinning at her and immediately wiping the small smile off her face.


    "S-SHUT UP!" She said louder, getting ready to charge her stupid little brother.


    Rosan watched them interact with a tiny smile that Kaori didn''t miss.


    "You must really love them, don''t you?" She asked the redhead and he nodded his head without hesitation.


    "Yes, they''re my family. I''m sure if you spend enough time with them, you''ll see why. They aren''t at all like me."


    Kaori went deep into thought at that, glancing at the three leaders of Celadon with a curious eye.


    Rosan cleared his throat and gathered their attention instantly. "You guys want to know what happened with Arlong right? I''ll tell you all about it."


    They nodded eagerly and Maro had Kanna bring them snacks while he told the tale.


    Kaori¡­ Kaori could get used to this.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "The 16th branch base has been completely destroyed?"


    "Yes¡­ the late Captain Nezumi had been calling about a pirate named Straw Hat Luffy before the call abruptly ended¡­ when we called back, all we could hear were his wet gurgles and him mentioning a Red Demon. We suspect that he had been brutally attacked."


    "...Was it this Luffy to do it?"


    "We don''t think so. Based on evidence, we suspect that¡­ it was either someone with some type of mythical zoan¡­ most likely one that can breathe fire."


    His grip on the dial tightened. "A Mythical Zoan that can breathe fire? What are you implying? That Kaido just randomly showed up and destroyed a Marine Base?"


    It was too random even for the drunken Yonko. Flying all the way over to the East Blue and destroying a random Marine Base?


    "That''s not what we''re implying! It couldn''t have been Kaido," he said quickly, shivering at the memory. At the sheer terror he had felt listening over the line. Captain Nezumi didn''t say much but there was nothing that could hide the amount of fear he had in his final moments.


    "Well, it''s just¡­ in his dying moments, Captain Nezumi said, "Red. Demon. Killed," and then I¡­ I heard an absolutely terrifying roar before, what we suspect to be, a rush of flames cut the connection. Here, we have it recorded for you to hear."


    "RAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOGHHHHHHHHH!" The memory of the creature roared, before a different noise washed over everything and abruptly cut the connection.


    It didn''t even sound human.


    "¡­" There was a tense silence that prompted the Marine to speak up again.


    "A-After some deeper inspection, we found out that Captain Nezumi had been collaborating with the Arlong Pirates for years not to keep the pirates actions hidden. The Fishmen also went missing so perhaps it was a coded message? Red could mean blood, demon could be the Fishman and killed is obvious. The roar is more difficult to explain but I was told they had possession of a sea beast so maybe?"


    He clenched a fist at that. Collaborating with pirates and hiding his threat? How completely shameful.


    "...Garp should currently be in the East Blue, I''ll inform him of the situation and see if he has any clues. Dismissed."


    "Sir¡­ what will we do about Nezumi''s last words?"


    "We don''t have enough conclusive information to inquire what he was talking about. Be on the lookout for the missing fishman and distribute Straw Hat Luffy''s bounty as planned."


    "Right!"


    Sengoku sighed in annoyance as his subordinate left. Corrupt Marines were running amok in the Blue Seas it seemed. Even now, Garp was currently in the East Blue to capture and deliver the former Captain, Morgan to his court martial.


    Maybe the Vice Admiral would have a clue on just what attacked the deceased Nezumi¡­


    Replaying that clip in his head, the Fleet Admiral frowned in confusion.


    That roar didn''t even sound like it belonged on a human. Zoans could very much speak while transformed so perhaps this was a creature that showed up from the Grand Line?


    If it was a sea beast that belonged to the Arlong Pirates... It made sense but the rush of flames were far more confusing.


    There was one Mythical Zoan user he knew about in the Blue Seas but she would never roar like that. It was beneath her and she had no reason to attack a Marine Base all the way in the East Blue...


    He was getting too old for this shit. He never thought he''d have to be concerned about things happening outside the Grand Line.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Nope, I don''t know anything about that," Garp said bluntly, idly digging in his nose and taking a bite out of his rice crackers. "If I see the fishman, I''ll deal with it but it could have just been a bored zoan user from the Grand Line. I heard Mihawk was in the East Blue recently so maybe they know somethin we don''t."


    "Just be on the lookout," Sengoku grunted in annoyance, hanging up the call. Dealing with Garp when he wasn''t in person was too much of a headache and he already had one.


    Garp took another rice cracker and munched on it, as the call ended.


    The moment that happened, his face turned uncharacteristically serious.


    A red demon, speculated to have a Mythical Zoan, with fire, attacking a Marine who had jurisdiction over Cocoyashi Village¡­ the place where the pirate Straw Hat Luffy had just finished defeating Arlong.


    It was too much to call it a coincidence. Only one person could have done this and it wasn''t the Arlong Pirates and their Sea Beast.


    Portgas D. Rosan.


    The redhead made it abundantly clear that he could not stand the Marines, but since starting his journey, he didn''t go out of his way to attack the normal ones.


    The corrupt ones however? Garp doubted they were as lucky.


    On one hand, Rosan had attacked and destroyed a Marine Base¡­ On the other, that was the only Marine Base to have been destroyed in the East Blue¡­


    Even after 10 years, Garp still didn''t have the slightest clue what Rosan''s Devil Fruit was. He himself thought it was a mythical too but the redhead very politely told him, "Fuck off. I''d rather get tortured for 10,000 years then divulge information about myself with a Marine. Don''t ask me anything anymore."


    They then got in a fight right after because Luffy and Ace began laughing at him and he decided to deliver justice on all three.


    Damn brats.


    Luffy and Rosan had been sailing together for a while now and it didn''t seem like it was in the redhead''s interest to needlessly attack the World Government.


    That''s why Garp chose not to inform Sengoku of what he knew. Rosan had been doing the Marines a favor by getting rid of such a corrupt person, who was willing to subject an entire village to 8 years of torment just for some money.


    "I would rather die then put my trust in a group of people who would condemn a newborn for the sins of their parent. I was 4 and I had to watch my innocent mother die because of your organization. You think I don''t know the cause of my mother''s death? You think I don''t know who caused it?"


    Memories of a younger Rosan sprung up in his mind and the Vice Admiral grunted.


    Good riddance. He was exactly what Rosan hated in a Marine and nothing would have been able to save him from his oldest brats wrath.


    While he and the redhead''s relationship did improve, it was not by much. He would still do him this one favor though, only because Rosan attacked one Marine Base and it was a corrupt one. If it continued to happen, they''d find out on their own it was Rosan and then there''d be nothing Garp could do at that point.


    All his grandchildren choosing to become pirates...


    Curse his Marine Duty clashing with his family.


    He hoped this didn''t become too prevalent in the future.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Bonus


    "Miss All Sunday, what did I tell you about having one of your clones speak to me?" Mr. Zero asked with a raised brow, stamping down his annoyance due to knowing that it wouldn''t achieve anything with her.


    Frosty blue eyes stared uncaringly at their partner, unfazed by the question and offering them a placid smile. "I have more pressing matters to attend to. All you want, is for me to deliver a message for you anyways."


    "More pressing matters?" He asked threateningly, eyes narrowing. "What matters are more pressing then taking my orders?"


    The warning was clear in his tone. If she was planning something, he would find out and she''d regret every decision she ever made.


    Still, she did not falter. The woman just raised a single brow at him.


    Crocodile respected that. Ever since they first met, Miss All Sunday hadn''t shown an ounce of fear towards him.


    Well, not like she showed anything besides that fake smile. The woman seemed almost programmed at times.


    Not like he cared. She did her job and she did it well.


    "My business. Are you going to kill me if I don''t tell you? Don''t forget the rules we made. Do not pry into my life," she warned, fake smile still on her face.


    "Be glad this is not something important, Nico Robin," Crocodile grunted, handing her a set of letters. "The next set of orders for the agents. Thanks to you, we have a nice lead on the location of the Princess."


    She accepted them without hesitation, placing them in her cloak and walking off. "I''m just doing my job. Also, don''t call me that name."


    With that, Nico Robin left without so much as a wave.


    Crocodile stared at her retreating back and took a puff out of his cigar.


    He didn''t know what that women was thinking most the time but as long as she continued to serve him, he didn''t care.


    "Princess Vivi of Alabasta... to think you managed to infiltrate my organization and find out my identity," the man muttered.


    No matter, she''d be dead soon enough with no one ever figuring out he was Mr. Zero.


    Then, he could fully commence his plans.


    Crocodile''s dark laughter rang throughout his base, for no one to hear.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Frosty blue eyes melted a bit, as they gazed tenderly at a picture of her best friend.


    Nico Robin wasn''t sure how long she had been staring at the picture of her and Rosan for, but she didn''t really plan on moving anytime soon. She just continued to stare and reminisce.


    If he were alive, he''d be 24 right about now. That little boy, so much shorter then her, would have been a grown man now. She wondered if his childish claims of being taller then her would be true?


    Her heart ached at the thought that she''d never be able to find out how he would look with adulthood but despite that, she didn''t shed a tear.


    Robin wasn''t sure when the last time she cried was. Perhaps it was the day she vowed to live on for the both of them? The day where she put a mask on and hid herself from the world.


    What was the point in showing anyone anything? The world seemed so much darker without her sun.


    Memories of all their moments began flowing and Robin abruptly stood up, lest she remain here for the rest of the day.


    It would do her no good to just sulk here for hours on end.


    Rosan would be furious if she did that.


    So perhaps she''d do something he would like. Something productive. Coming to the Grand Line when she hit 18 meant she could always find something productive to do.


    Rosan would really have loved this place. He''d have gotten so strong here...


    "Princess Vivi knows your identity, Mr. Zero."


    Perhaps she''d pay a visit to the naive princess currently stationed in Whiskey Peak. The same one who thought she had done such a good job infiltrating Baroque Works.


    Unfortunately for her, Robin had her figured out immediately. Seeing as she was the only one who did, the Devil Child saw no reason to spoil her fun because it reminded her of when she herself used to do infiltration missions as a child.


    Watching that princess naively navigate through such an impossible task...


    Perhaps that''s why she assisted the princess a bit in finding out Mr. Zero''s identity. That naivety reminded her of her dear little friend. The same boy who deemed her his best friend almost immediately after meeting her.


    Perhaps that''s why she also leaked that the princess knew of Crocodile''s identity. Being so naive did no one any favors. She needed a wake up call before her entire life got shattered.


    Such gullible hopefulness, shouldn''t try and shine in a world so dark.


    She shouldn''t be leaving her clone to do all the work for her. It was time to be productive.


    The Devil Child stared at the picture of her and Rosan again and gently tucked it away.


    "I¡­ I don''t want to be the reason you give up, so please keep fighting until we see each other again because I won''t die," little Rosan, so adorable as he stared at her so resolutely, told her.


    Robin sighed before her frozen mask appeared again and the woman idly stroked the single red strand of her hair that lay gently on her shoulder. It was her memento to him and the only reason her entire hair wasn''t red, was because of how much Rosan adored the original color.


    He liked everything about her. To him, Robin was perfect and vice versa...


    She''d do anything to see Rosan again. Even once.


    Even if it meant dying to reunite with him. Life really wasn''t worth living right now anyways.

 Grand Line

    Rosan idly gave a coin to the News Coo currently being harassed by Nami and accepted the newspaper out of the bird''s talon.


    "Stop harassing the bird, Nami. It''s just doing its job," Rosan reprimanded quietly. He grabbed and tossed a spare fish in the gull''s mouth and got a squawk of happiness out of it.


    The News Coo handed him another newspaper for his hospitality and flew off from the crew to continue its duties.


    Nami grabbed the newspaper offered to her and grumbled, sitting down to read it. "If it keeps raising the prices like that, I''ll just steal your newspapers."


    "You can have them after I read it," Rosan countered. He sat on the chair next to her and flipped open his own, gazing through the pages with a bored gaze.


    "Just let me read them first! You always make everything so much more difficult then it has to be!"


    "I make it more difficult? I read much faster than you. There''s no reason I should let you have it first."


    Usopp, who was working on his Tabasco Star, interrupted their argument. "Can you guys argue somewhere else?! I''m focusing on making my special attack and need to concentrate."


    "Maybe you shouldn''t do that in the middle of the deck then," Rosan suggested, flipping another page of his newspaper.


    "It''ll be fine! The Great Captain Usopp has worked on many dangerous things before ¡ª"


    A flying figure crashed into the liar and spilled all the hot sauce in his eyes.


    The effects were immediate.


    "AGHHHHHHHHHHHHH WATER, WATER!" Usopp screeched, running back and forth due to the burning sensation in his eyes. The liar''s screeching woke up the napping Zoro and he glanced over at the idiot with a bleary glare.


    The figure who crashed into him was revealed to be one Monkey D. Luffy and he was staring at the tangerine orchard in displeasure, not noticing the great agony he just put Usopp in.


    "Moron," Rosan muttered as he flipped another page, not even bothering to glance or help the sniper.


    That would teach him not to do something so stupid with Luffy in the vicinity.


    The rubber boy in question, had been making half hearted attempts to steal a tangerine but the lover boy chef repelled him nonstop due to it being Nami''s personal garden.


    It was incredible to see how whipped he was already.


    Nami laughed at his statement and thanked Sanji for keeping her orchard safe.


    "Anything for you, Nami-san!" The man swooned happily.


    As Rosan flipped through the pages, he noticed a familiar colored paper protruding from his newspaper and pulled it out curiously.


    "Oh Luffy. You have a bounty," Rosan said calmly, holding the poster in the air and tossing it on the floor for his brother to see.


    "Eh?"


    Everyone blinked in shock at his casualness, glancing at the paper in surprise.


    ...


    They all squinted their eyes.


    ...


    "WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!"


    "I NEED WATER! I CAN''T SEE!"


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "ANGEL, DEMON! LOOK LOOK!" Maro squealed excitedly, jumping up and down in excitement. "OUR LITTLE LUFFY HAS GOTTEN A BOUNTY!"


    Angel was momentarily distracted by the sight of her wife jumping due to¡­ two large reasons, before coughing and catching what she said.


    "REALLY?!" Angel gasped, grabbing the paper out of her hand so that the twins could get a look at it.


    Demon whistled proudly. "35,000,000 as his first bounty while he''s in the East Blue? He sure is moving fast."


    His grinning visage looked up at the three and filled them all with a fondness.


    They missed the little rubber boy.


    "WOOHOO! LET''S THROW A PARTY TO CELEBRATE!" Angel cheered. "Oh I just can''t wait until we meet his crew! I wonder who was crazy enough to accept being on the same ship as him and Master!"


    The redhead''s face sobered up quickly and a look of confusion appeared on her face as she began looking for something. "Why doesn''t Master have a bounty yet?! His should be at least 70 million!"


    "He wants to lay low," Demon tried, knowing that logic would fail with his sister but saying it regardless.


    "He did fight me only in front of one person," Kaori added. The redhead wasn''t one for showing off it seemed.


    Angel grumbled, displeased. "But his bounty... How can he accept such a loss so readily?!"


    Demon sighed at his sister and said nothing. She was utterly hopeless sometimes.


    "PARTYYYY!" Maro cheered happily. "Make sure you don''t tell Jango," she smiled.


    Angel cackled at that and pulled her wife into a hug. "You really hate him, don''t you?" She snorted.


    The hippie was practically the redhead''s assistant when he was free and labored away for her whenever she asked him to do something.


    Demon also made great use of him when it came to attending to some of the patients in the hospital. Hypnotism was incredibly useful and only Maro herself refused to take advantage of it.


    The queen only used him to buff up their clone army. His ability to hypnotize you and increase your strength to such a degree was¡­ admittedly useful.


    Out of curiosity, she asked him to hypnotize her once and the results were as awe inspiring as they were disastrous.


    Hypnotizing a zoan type didn''t seem like the greatest idea in hindsight... the completely destroyed training grounds could attest to that. According to Angel, the only reason her rampage stopped was because she refused to hurt her "mate" and that gave the redhead enough time to grab her tiara and call in Master.


    Heh, she hoped he got a good fight out of that. With that power boost, she was pretty sure anything less then X2 would result in him losing.


    So maybe Jango was sorta maybe useful...


    "Yes. I hate him," Maro said seriously, completely disregarding her thought process.


    The Queen made sure to pull him aside one day and very explicitly explained what she would do to him if he ever even entertained the thought of making a move on her wife.


    Once she had transformed into her Dokkaebi to stress her point, he fearfully nodded and it seemed to have worked because Angel told her everything and Jango harassing her wasn''t one of them...


    Then again her lover happened to be very oblivious.


    He was lucky he had a useful ability¡­ Master sure did love shoving people onto her.


    At least Kaori was cool and pretty strong and didn''t ogle her wife. That''s why she got to stay in the castle unlike that stupid idiot Jango...


    A flash of horror made its way onto her face.


    Wait¡­ just how many people did Master plan on sending her way?! There was no way he was gonna stop here! H-He always went to the extreme when doing things like this...


    Bah, that was for hangover Maro to think about. She''d curse him when the time came.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Ace grinned wildly at the bounty poster in his hands.


    "Seems like you''re already making a name for yourself eh, Luffy?" He laughed cheerfully, intent on celebrating the occasion.


    35 million? That was even higher than his first bounty! He was proud of his little idiot brother.


    "Now why doesn''t Rosan have a bounty yet¡­" Ace muttered in contemplation.


    His older brother probably didn''t want one yet. Knowing him, he''d probably operate in the background and let Luffy hog all the glory.


    Ace laughed. Yeah that was definitely the reason. Despite shying away from the limelight, his brother was probably still grabbing people''s attention without wanting to. He didn''t give himself enough credit about how interesting he was, self loathing dumbass he was.


    He''d have to meet them soon to make sure Luffy wasn''t scarred from training and Rosan didn''t regress. It''d been 3 years and he couldn''t lie, he dearly missed his brothers and his entire family.


    Sure he had a new one but his first family would always hold the most special place in his heart.


    If only he was with his second family... They''d love (groan in exasperation) to hear more about his family like the million other times he mentioned them.


    Bah, maybe he''d go let some poor random group know. They''d appreciate it.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Makino brimmed in excitement as she closed the massive restaurant early and set off to go find Dadan.


    Following her, were some bandits that the leader let her borrow in case customers got rowdy and in her hands, was a bounty poster of her surrogate son!


    She was so proud of Luffy! Look at his bounty! He had the highest in the East Blue currently and it was only his first one!


    She''d have to make a big meal to celebrate the occasion.


    Makino hummed a tune she learned from Rosan over the years as she waved cheerfully at all the citizens.


    Rosan... she wondered how he was doing. The ass had plenty of ways to contact her but never did (he didn''t even give her one of his many Den Den Mushis!) and she''d give him a piece of her mind the next time they spoke.


    Over the years, the redhead did a lot for her! The most notable one was turning her tiny little bar, into a full fledged restaurant after one stray comment about how she wanted to upgrade one day but didn''t have the funds for it.


    Well, he took it upon himself to do it for free and used his ability to upgrade her entire bar overnight.


    She literally woke up the next day with a staggering amount of confusion, as she gazed up at the revamped Partys Bar that was at least double the size it had previously been and looking three times as fancy. After triple checking that she didn''t get lost, the woman hesitantly entered the establishment and saw a, rather patronizing, note lying on the table.


    It read: "Since you admitted to having no money, I took it upon myself to fulfill your fairy tale wish and upgraded your mundane bar for you. Consider this a gift for being my... friend. Also, because I felt bad for you and your state of poorness, I left some extra funds in the back so that you could upgrade how you see fit. From - Who do you think?"


    Her mouth just opened more and more at the contents of the note and she promised that she''d give him a hug after trying to attack him because he was such a dick! He didn''t have to say half the things he did but he just wanted to be as rude as possible!


    Worst, the redhead didn''t show up for that entire day so she was left stewing for the whole time!


    Though, that anger very quickly vanished when she realized just how much money the redhead gave her.


    S-Some extra funds?! He gave her so much money that she was pretty sure she was the richest person in Foosha...


    The fact that he considered 200 million beri "some" was just...


    He was still an asshole though but Makino was quite pleased with the entire thing and she did appreciate it from the bottom of her heart. The bartender made sure to express that to the redhead and she was sure she got her point across.


    Now, her restaurant was probably the biggest pull in Foosha (mostly because people were curious how it showed up after one whole day) and that popularity steadily rose as Maro helped her make a garden supplied with her very own fruits and vegetables from the North Blue!


    She even managed to attract people from the nobles of Goa as well!


    It helped to have such resourceful friends... They did so much for her!


    She missed them all. Look at how sidetracked she got just from looking at Luffy''s poster!


    After throwing the celebration with the bandits, Makino would have to call Maro and Angel so they could have a chat. Then, she''d thoroughly display her displeasure towards Rosan going ghost and they''d make him do something about it.


    Hounding both the Queen and his demanding sister on him... she almost felt bad...


    Nah. Rosan 100% deserved it. He always did. He was honestly worse then Luffy at times.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Hey isn''t that¡­!"


    "It is! The World''s Strongest Swordsman, Hawk Eye Mihawk!"


    Mihawk ignored all the fodder, as he made his way over to his target.


    "CAPTAIN!" The man screaming man guided him there unknowingly, not that he needed it. "H-H-Hawkeye is here!"


    "Oh, Mihawk," Shanks groaned, glancing up at the World''s Greatest Swordsman. "You here for a fight? Can we wait for another time, I''m not feeling too hot."


    Mihawk wasn''t interested in fighting a swordsman with one arm and he made that clear many times. Why Shanks thought that would change suddenly? He would never know.


    "I ran into two interesting pirates while in the East Blue," he mentioned. "They reminded me of a story you used to always tell me about, with a little kid and a robotic redhead."


    He unfurled the bounty poster he was walking around with and Shank''s eyes widened before a massive grin took over his features.


    "So the anchor finally made a name for himself! This calls for celebration!" Shanks laughed.


    Without any hesitation, he and his crew got back into the swing of things with a renewed vigor and Mihawk let out a sigh of annoyance.


    So much for being hungover.


    "So you met Luffy and Rosan?!" Shanks asked excitedly, beckoning the man to sit and handing him a bottle of grog. "I didn''t think my fellow redhead would actually travel with the anchor! I thought he was just gonna ignore my words totally and go do his own thing! Is he still a robot?!"


    "More or less," Mihawk nodded, remembering their encounter. The redhead was strong and if he gained the ambition he lost, he would become an incredible threat. "Straw hat sent you his regards, Ambitionless told you to stop talking about him."


    Shanks simply threw his head back and laughed heartily. "Ambitionless eh? That sounds like something he would say!"


    "He''s quite interesting. You never told me he was so adept at such a large array of weapons," The hawk eyed man commented, downing his bottle of grog.


    "Wait, he is?! AND YOU TWO FOUGHT?!" The captain''s eyes bugged in interest. Last time he had seen Rosan, the kid had been brutalizing the bandits with just his limbs. He hadn''t even known he could use multiple weapons!


    "That''s right, his ring can transform into a wide array of arsenal it looks like. She is the most unique weapon I''ve fought to date."


    The Yonko paused at that. "You mean that amethyst ring he never takes off? I''m pretty sure he bathes with that thing on! I never knew it was his weapon... that Rosan really doesn''t like sharing information..."


    "He heals faster than Zoans too. Quite the interesting duo you managed to find. Both he and Straw Hat are overflowing with untapped potential."


    Wow, there was a lot of things he didn''t know about the redhead. Maybe he should have made more of an effort to be friends...


    Nah, Rosan wouldn''t have ever let it happen. The robotic redhead was kind of a dick.


    "Tell me all about it!" Shanks grinned eagerly.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "35 million as your first bounty? I''m impressed," Rosan commented with a small smile of approval, high-fiving his pleased captain.


    "I''m so proud of him!" Mod gushed, smiling happily for the rubber boy.


    "I''m not. Father''s should be 70 million," Ram grumbled. The weapon was crossing her arms petulantly and glaring at the bounty poster with a displeased frown.


    The Devil Fruit sighed in exasperation. "Could you be supportive to anyone besides Rosan for one second?"


    "Can you stop making me fear for my life every single day?"


    "No."


    "Then no!"


    Usopp was bragging about being seen on Luffy''s poster, despite only the back of his head being shown but at least he seemed genuinely proud.


    "Maybe one day all of you will make it to the big leagues like me!" the sniper said.


    The scout nodded idly at his boasting. "I don''t think I''ll ever get a bounty that impressive. You have much to teach me, Usopp," Rosan hummed, flipping another page of his newspaper.


    "Not to worry! The great captain Usopp will give you any advice you might need!"


    Sanji looked at Rosan like he were insane but merely snorted and said nothing. It was clear the crew didn''t know anything about him being Reaper besides the chef, otherwise they wouldn''t be freaking out over a 35 million bounty.


    500 million would cause much more outrage he imagined. Huh, yeah Sanji could see why he didn''t tell them that he was Reaper.


    Honestly, he was a little (a lot) touched the redhead deemed him worthy of knowing. Even though Rosan was a prick who kept hogging females attention... Sanji guessed he didn''t hate him completely.


    "That reminds me," Rosan suddenly said. "Sanji I''ve got two interesting techniques you might like to learn. Since you''re so adept with your legs, you might have an easier time than Luffy learning them."


    The blonde blinked at that. "Two techniques for me? Sure, if you''re saying it''s interesting, then it has to be something good."


    The redhead nodded. "Luffy and I reverse engineered them from an annoying old man. It will take a while to learn but you won''t regret it. I''ll tell you about the basics later and the best way to learn them. You might need to up your physical specs a little bit more but the training will help."


    "Oh you''re gonna teach him that?!" Luffy exclaimed eagerly, bouncing on the balls of his feet. "Awesome! They''re super fun, Sanji!"


    Sanji nodded a little eagerly at the two. He was getting excited about these techniques and it sounded like they revolved around using his legs too!


    That was perfect. He was already benefiting greatly from travelling with these guys.


    Usopp, who finally managed to cleanse his eyes, gazed at Rosan at that too. "Oh, Rosan! Could you give me some pointers on how I can better improve too?"


    The redhead blinked at that. Since when did his crew start seeing him as useful? He much preferred when they thought he was lazy and didn''t do anything but disappear...


    "You need to start small and work your way up so I''ll give you some basic exercise routines. First, get your muscles up to a point where you can comfortably lift that hammer I gave you. Once you can comfortably hold it, I''ll release the weight restriction and you''ll really notice the changes."


    Increasing his strength would be immensely useful for the sniper who relied on the slingshot instead of a firearm. In a way, his slingshot had the potential to surpass guns if he got really strong and they fit his creative mind more.


    The sniper nodded. "You''re really resourceful too! Maybe we can discuss some ideas about potential gadgets I can use?" He asked hopefully.


    Rosan hummed. "I see no problem with that. I hope you know that the weapons I create are to kill though. I have no interest in creating things to mobilize my foes when I already have other methods."


    "R-Right... maybe I''ll just ask for some ideas then," Usopp stammered. The redhead was still as scary as ever...


    "Aww, look at my little boy! He''s being helpful!" Mod beamed.


    "Look at you! I didn''t think you were capable of being useful!" Nami cheered, clapping her hands at the redhead.


    "Hey Nami, have you ever been tickled?" Rosan asked suddenly. "You aren''t safe either Mod-chan. Good luck."


    The purple haired woman went white. "I-I was praising you! Did what I say really deserve such a reaction?!"


    "Yes."


    "You are a brat! It''s no wonder Ram is this bad! She gets it from you!"


    "A-Am not, Auntie!"


    "Quiet young lady! I''m trying to defend myself right now!"


    "R-Right!"


    Nami blinked in confusion. "Tickled? No, why would you ask me that¡ª"


    Rosan struck with a pleased gaze and knocked the navigator over.


    The effects were instantaneous.


    The navigator''s eyes bugged as the redhead began to mercilessly tickle her and she helplessly devolved into laughter as the sensations quickly reached her. "Pfft¡ª Wait, Rosan! I-I''m ticklish! S-STOP¡ª Hahahaha! Rosan, please, I was just kidding¡ª"


    "Too late. Think about this next time you decide to harass me."


    "I''m fucking s-serious, Rosan¡ª Hahahaha!"


    The crew watched Nami plead for her life and they sweatdropped as it failed to move the ruthless redhead.


    "I should help her," Sanji muttered resolutely.


    Luffy stopped him from doing that with an uncharacteristically serious look that made the blonde begin to sweat nervously.


    "If you stop Rosan... he''ll do it to you and it''s gonna be even worse," he said as if he experienced it himself.


    They sweatdropped at the rubber boy. They had a feeling that''s exactly what happened and if even the fearless Luffy told them not to get involved... Well maybe they would listen.


    Mod resolved to find somewhere to hide even though it wouldn''t help her. Maybe he''d be grow tired of searching in that frozen forest...


    Rosan never tickled her without modifying her sensitivity so it was always so much worse for the Devil Fruit. Even if she gave up immediately he''d still do it.


    He was such a... ugh, her son was lucky she didn''t curse.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "We''re almost at Loguetown, which means we''re about to enter the Grand Line¡­" Nami mused.


    "Eh? What''s so special about it?" Luffy asked.


    "It''s where the Pirate King was born and executed," Rosan informed his captain, glancing at the distant island.


    The place where his father was both born and killed¡­ But not before going out of his way to put his mother, Portgas D. Rouge in life threatening danger because he decided that thinking with his dick was smarter then using his head and moving he and his mother.


    He idly wondered if this is what Roger had been expecting for his family when he did what he did. Rosan certainly wasn''t expecting things to turn out like this but at least he still had Ace.


    "You won''t stay on the ship when we dock?" Mod asked curiously. That''s honestly what she expected from him considering he hated Roger.


    "No, I''ll explore the island and see what it has to offer. I might even visit his execution stand just to soak it all in."


    "Sadistic, vindictive child," Mod laughed at her unbelievable son.


    They all needed to stock up on their own things before heading into the Grand Line so they agreed to dock there for the looming journey.


    Nami perked up suddenly. "That reminds me... Rosan, do you mind showing me where you keep all your money?"


    Rosan raised a brow at her, practically asking if she was stupid with his gaze alone.


    Despite not saying a word, Nami still began spluttering at his judgmental stare.


    "I just want to verify funds! You and I are probably the best at dealing with money so I figure we could deal with it together!" She complained, not liking the look he was giving her.


    The navigator really didn''t get why he always made everything so difficult but she attributed it to the fact that he was a dick. She dreaded the day she had to deal with a fully emotional Rosan because she''d probably go gray early.


    "I knew you liked me," Rosan said, much to her annoyance. "What a poor attempt to want to spend more time with me. Come, I''ll show you where I keep my money then."


    "That''s not the reason why, you asshole!" Nami growled. Despite her annoyance, she followed after the redhead without hesitation, pleased that he trusted her to this degree.


    "Speaking of which, I need money for new swords," Zoro muttered, catching their attention.


    "You can come too, I''ll give you some before we land," the redhead offered. "Ram mentioned that you wanted to train with me? Fair warning, I''m quite ruthless."


    Zoro grinned challengingly at him. He liked the sound of that.


    "I heard you got in a fight with Mihawk?"


    "He wanted to test me because of Shanks so we sparred a bit. I didn''t manage to hit him even once and he landed quite a few on me. He even broke Ram in the process which should be incredibly difficult but I learned a lot from the fight," Rosan muttered.


    They eventually reached a random part of the ship and the redhead faced them with that standard neutral expression.


    "Be warned, the place where I keep my money is quite¡­ unsettling for most people. I haven''t heard a single positive comment on it so do with that what you will."


    Nami shuddered at that while Zoro raised a brow, unfazed despite his warning.


    Rosan hummed and his eyes began glowing.


    "Modification: Save Point," he uttered aloud and the three vanished.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "W-What is this place?"


    Nami shivered uncontrollably at the eeriness of the location and stepped closer to the two there.


    Everything was so... wrong. She couldn''t put it into words but there was an unshakeable chill running through her body and the navigator could practically hear her heart beating.


    "My Pocket Dimension," Rosan answered, offering his hand for the orange haired girl to grab. "It''s quite bizarre. It almost feels like the natural order is thrown in disarray when you step in here."


    Nami took his hand gratefully and nodded in agreement, looking behind her in paranoia. She idly gripped his hand tighter just to make sure she didn''t get lost.


    "You don''t have to worry, as far as I know, I''m the only one who can access this place," Rosan reassured. The redhead chanced a glance at Zoro and raised a brow.


    The green haired swordsman was glancing around, a look of curiosity on his face instead of fear as he took in the eeriness with his own raised brow.


    "Weird place," he commented with a shrug, mostly unbothered.


    "Interesting. You have a pretty unusual reaction. Only Luffy has been completely unfazed by the Pocket Dimension but you''re close," Rosan commented.


    Zoro''s reaction was similar to Ace''s. Mostly unbothered, but slightly unsettled.


    He guided the two of them to his home with practiced ease.


    Despite her increasing unease, Nami''s eyes somehow glowed brighter then Rosan''s when he activated an ability, at the sight of his black and purple castle and when they entered, her interest only grew.


    It was becoming very clear to her now that Rosan didn''t just have a lot of money... he was completely loaded.


    "How did you get a castle in here?" Zoro asked curiously.


    The redhead touched one of his black walls with a hum. "I brought the materials and created a basic building. Then, I changed it into my image with Modification. It took me quite a while and energy and I had to learn how to create various types of buildings, but it was worth it."


    That explained why he managed to repair Gosa so easily. The redhead technically knew how to create a castle...


    "You told Nami about your Devil Fruit?" Zoro asked with a raised brow and Nami raised one too.


    "You told Zoro?" She asked in return.


    Rosan nodded at the duo. "I told Nami when we were on the way to Arlong Park. I told Zoro when we were on the way to Orange town. No one else besides Luffy knows about it in our crew but I''ll tell Sanji about it soon."


    They nodded before sweatdropping as they realized something.


    "What about Usopp?"


    "Would you trust Usopp with an important secret?" Rosan asked in return and they thought about it.


    "I see your point¡­" They nodded in amusement. Usopp was probably not the best choice when it came to keeping secrets.


    The group went downstairs (though they shot a curious look at the stairs that went up) and eventually stopped in front of a door.


    It was rather stylish for a door, being pure black with Treasury embedded into it in royal purple and having similar purple roses dotting the entire frame.


    "Pretty," Nami thought idly. Did Rosan design this? He had very good taste despite his partialness to black, purple and red.


    When Rosan opened it, their jaws dropped to the floor and no matter what they tried, they couldn''t close it.


    This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    "Holy shit," Nami and Zoro both whispered in disbelief.


    Loaded didn''t even begin to describe all the treasure they were currently looking at.


    T-There was so much stuff. Gold, silver, jewels of all kinds, artifacts that couldn''t have only come from the East Blue...


    But that wasn''t even half of it. Nami was pretty sure she died and went to heaven because the actual beri wasn''t even there. It must have been sitting pretty in that massive safe in the back corner of the huge room. It spoke volumes of how much he had that he needed to actually have a whole separate area for it...


    "I''ve been getting a bi-weekly allowance from a friend who runs an island since I was 9," he supplied, pointing at the vault full of beri he had mostly gotten from Fregate.


    Aiko alone had given him enough money to never have to worry about expenses again. It had been going on for 15 years after all and she was leader of one of the most prestigious islands in the North Blue.


    On the off chance that he ever did run out of money, his surrogate older sister would make sure it was filled back up, worrywart that she was.


    "From a leader of an island... s-since you were 9?!" Nami gaped.


    What the hell kind of connections did he have?! His sister was married to a queen... and she wasn''t the one giving him all this money?!


    Rosan nodded before gazing at the contents of the room.


    "This is the treasure I got from doing various things, mostly stealing. I''ve amassed quite the collection over the years but most of the things I find, I give away," he gestured towards the large stack of objects ranging from silver, gold and all sorts of other gems neatly sorted by his diligence.


    "You''re hoarding is unhealthy and if you didn''t give away so much things we''d have talked about it by now."


    "How is me collecting things unhealthy?"


    "Just the fact that you''ve downplayed it already with that sentence, tells me that you will be purposefully ignorant with me. There are moments when Ragnarok''s influence really shines through."


    His mother worried about the stupidest things. Hoarding? Really? What next, she was going to complain about how he should spend all their money in one go because he was hoarding too much?


    Ridiculous.


    Mod let out the most long suffering sigh in a while and it nearly made the redhead crack a smile. "I truly do you hate you sometimes, Rosan."


    "I love you too, Mod-chan."


    Nami could now why Rosan didn''t give a single damn about giving her 100 million beri. That must have been nothing to him at all and she had to wonder...


    "You could have easily bought one of the nicest ships on the planet but yet you went through the trouble of getting us the Going Merry for free¡­ Why?" She asked, gazing at the redhead in confusion.


    The Going Merry was pleasant but with his money, Rosan could probably get a ship 10x better (no exaggeration) then their little caravel. Why didn''t he? Was it because he was so lowkey? Humble was the absolute last word she''d describe the redhead as but he did go around claiming to be a humble scout...


    "I only spoil Luffy to a certain degree," Rosan admitted shamelessly.


    They sweatdropped at his admittance.


    "It''s his privilege as the youngest. I will use my money to buy food and supplies that we need, but a ship is different. This is my money and not Luffy''s. I wanted him to gain a ship without me needing to buy it and he doesn''t want to overly rely on me. Kami knows he did it enough when we were kids."


    So Rosan just didn''t want to make it too easy for their captain¡­


    Zoro nodded in respect at that. It made a lot of sense and he supported that decision wholeheartedly. An easy journey was no fun and they''d never accomplish their dreams by solely relying on the resourceful redhead.


    "I knew you had money but this it too much," Nami awed. She was pretty sure if he put even half of this on the ship, they''d sink. The fact that he even showed them his treasury just showed that the redhead actually warmed up to them!


    "I don''t mind if we handle the funds together. It''s less work for me and despite your unnatural greed, you are the most trustworthy with money," Rosan said bluntly, much to her annoyance. "You ask me for a certain amount, give me a good reason and I''ll give you the money. In return... hone your thieving abilities and steal interesting things for me when you see the opportunity. I''ve suddenly gained an interest in hoarding."


    "We are going to have a talk tonight about your sassy attitude."


    "All that talking will get in the way of the massage I planned on giving you."


    "Nice try. I''ll be talking while you give me that massage!"


    "We''ll see about that. You''ve fallen asleep during every single massage I''ve given you."


    Mod pouted angrily at his accurate observation. She couldn''t help but fall asleep... they felt very nice and Rosan learned from Akemi how to give a proper massage due to how harshly they trained!


    It helped out with their sore bodies and Mod learned that his rather gentle hands felt very nice! Even Ram enjoyed the massages and that girl had her mind on one thing only.


    Nami nodded in agreement at that arrangement. That was a fantastic deal, especially considering this was his personal treasury. She was a pretty damn good thief too and this was a great incentive to keep honing her skills.


    Huh... was that his plan? Was he helping her increase her abilities and using money as a motivator?


    Conniving redhead... No wonder Kuro got outplayed so thoroughly.


    The redhead walked up and opened the massive door to the vault for them. "Now take the amount you need for supplies and the new swords. Don''t worry about paying me back, just make sure it doesn''t go to waste." Rosan waved them off and closed his eyes.


    It didn''t take them long to get the proper amount (something Nami had way too much fun doing) and soon they were making their way out of his treasury.


    They began gazing curiously at the castle in general, taking in all the sights, and noted just how neat everything was. Rosan was surprisingly diligent because there were no signs of dirt anywhere!


    The predominantly black, with a hint of purple, color of the castle looked fantastic and Nami had to wonder if the redhead was naturally this stylish. Nothing in here looked cheap (quite the opposite) and it seemed to maximize comfort too.


    Though, it honestly didn''t look like any of this was for Rosan besides the color scheme. It had a woman''s touch to it that Nami could see from a mile away...


    Who worked on this castle with him? She had an inkling that he didn''t do it alone...


    "What''s up the stairs by the way?" The navigator asked curiously.


    She and Zoro couldn''t help but tense as Rosan''s neutral gaze suddenly turned piercing. His face never changed but his eyes... they looked alert.


    They looked alive.


    They looked dangerous.


    He seemed to catch himself and that alertness vanished after he closed his eyes for a second, replaced by the apathy that they were used to. "Something important to only me. There is nothing up there of convenience so you''ll never go."


    It was curt and to the point and so, they didn''t push the issue further. They knew the redhead wouldn''t go into detail and if they prodded, he''d probably change his mind and refuse to bring them here again.


    Hell, based on that look in his eyes, he might even attack them.


    The two released a breath they didn''t know they were holding and just nodded in unison.


    "Since you''re dealing with the money, you''ll have to come here a lot, Nami. I hope you get used to things quickly," Rosan said softly.


    Nami groaned in misery and the redhead just pat her head. She was too downtrodden to even remove it.


    Nothing was ever simple with Rosan.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "I''m off to the execution stand!" Luffy said, already dashing off to some location because there was no way he knew where the execution stand was.


    "I''ll get some cooking ingredients," Sanji muttered to himself. He rubbed his chin and thought about what he would need.


    Nami had given him quite a hefty amount of sums to get food and simply said not to hold back because "Some people eat way too much," plus he wanted to see if there were some new ingredients here he could try out for his dishes.


    "I''ll go exploring and then I''ll head off to mock the execution stand," Rosan said, walking at a moderate pace and disappearing into the crowd.


    Making fun of Roger seemed like a fun thing to do. How sad that he wasn''t there to see his father get executed... unfortunately, he doubted anyone would bring a 2 year old...


    "What do you mean by mock the execution stand?!" Nami asked in disbelief, watching him disappear into the town at a lazy pace. Seriously, he was so rude sometimes! Couldn''t he have even a bit of respect?


    "Guess I''ll go buy those swords," Zoro mused, grinning excitedly at the prospect of sparring with Rosan. The redhead claimed that he wasn''t swordsman but he certainly was proficient with them. He wouldn''t be surprised if the weapons expert was the best sword user in the four seas.


    He certainly was a contender for one of the strongest here in general.


    "Wait you two! We haven''t even decided where... we''re gonna meet up... yet..." Usopp trailed off, watching the two brothers vanish with an exasperated expression. "Can anyone tell those two what to do?"


    "Nope, I''ve tried," Nami said in complete monotone. She told Rosan not to cause any trouble back at Cocoyashi and the redhead assured her that he wouldn''t... only to cause the most chaos they''ve ever had along with his equally infuriating captain. Those two just amplified each other''s chaotic tendencies and trouble seemed to revolve around them...


    They were utterly insufferable.


    "No matter what Rosan tells you, they were made for each other," the navigator sighed tiredly.


    Usopp glanced at her in sympathy and patted her shoulder.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan idly bit into a green apple, as he observed the town. He tossed a coin and some extra to the vendor and accepted the bag full of more of the apples before walking deeper into the town, waving offhandedly at the man thanking him profusely.


    "What do you think about the place where your father was born?"


    "I have no opinion on such a mundane place. It''s a town. I much prefer Celadon and Fregate''s aesthetic due to how immersed in greenery they are. Celadon especially has super fresh fruits because of Maro. We should tell Sanji to stop buying fruits and just let me get them."


    Mod giggled softly and said nothing. Rosan was being quite spiteful without realizing it, writing off this town without giving it a chance and eyeing everything with a critical gaze.


    A normal town like this would never be able to compare to Celadon or Fregate and he should know that better then anyone but he was still comparing them. It was so childish of him and she loved it.


    The redhead polished off his current apple and placed the stem in the bag. He''d probably modify it into something later for fun and no one liked a litterer so he''d be a nice upstanding civilian.


    The redhead took out another apple from the bag and he was about to take a bite but paused before doing so.


    "You''re still following me?" Rosan asked, not glancing back as he finished biting into the apple.


    There were always eyes on him when he was in a town but these almost never left his person and had been following him since he separated from his crew. That wasn''t completely out of the norm. He had been followed before by both men and women who were attracted to him but they would have gathered the courage to speak to him by now.


    Now was as good as time as any to verify if they needed to die or not.


    "So you noticed me this entire time?" A sultry voice mused, making Mod groan internally.


    "I wish you could be left alone for even one day."


    Rosan didn''t recognize it so he turned to face his fan of the day.


    She was quite beautiful, very tall, barely inching him out, slim with dark green eyes and long, wavy black hair. She had on a white cowboy hat, tight Capri-length pants and a cape-like, pink cloak with red hearts on it that covered her torso.


    Her painted red lips were curled up at him, seemingly enjoying being checked out by the redhead and relishing in his attention.


    "What business do you have with me?" Rosan asked, tilting his head and leveling his even gaze on her. After a moment, he took an apple out of his bag and offered it to her questioningly.


    Was she homeless and hungry? He doubted it... most women with her beauty would be picked up by a man by now.


    Perhaps she was expecting him to do it...


    No, he wasn''t interested in picking up anymore strays.


    The woman faltered a bit, surprise on her features and she dumbly accepted the fruit. After a few seconds though, a smirk made its way back onto her face.


    Slowly, confidently, the tall stranger made a show of sensually biting into the juicy apple, staring into his eyes all the while and licked the juice off her lips slowly, eyes gleaming as his eyes never left her person.


    Rosan was sure he heard more then a few male gasps at the sight and he was also sure that growling noise was not his imagination, but his feral Devil Fruit.


    "What business do I have? Are you some type of big shot now? Don''t even recognize me?" She asked with a confident smirk, satisfied with her performance.


    She expected him to be unfazed by her beauty, considering his reaction last time they met but he didn''t even recognize her? Wasn''t he quite the arrogant one!


    "Am I supposed to? My apologies but I don''t think I''ve ever seen you before. I have good memory so I wouldn''t just forget you either."


    "?" Rosan''s puzzlement reached both of his inhabitants.


    "My best bet is that she is possibly one of the girls that you''ve¡­ had¡­ intercourse with and I shut off the connection whenever that happens. I don''t know her identity either and I would really rather not have to dig through your memories to find out."


    "Yeah I''m not trying to see you have sex! That''s gross, Father."


    "Ram... please don''t be so crude!"


    "Aww is Auntie too embarrassed to say sex? Don''t worry I''ll get you used to it!"


    "Please don''t ¡ª"


    "Sex sex sex sex se ¡ª O-Ow! What the hell?! I was trying to help you!"


    "I didn''t need it and watch your language."


    "You are so much ruder than you look!"


    Rosan didn''t think that was it. He would remember someone taller than him (years of being short did this to a person). They definitely did not get physical because it would be hard to forget having sex with a person taller then him and he especially had good memory when it came to remembering people.


    He took the time to inspect their features again while racking his brain and she soaked in the attention.


    No, he had nothing. This was an entirely new person.


    The redhead took out another apple and turned away from her, walking to the execution platform.


    The lady gawked as she watched the redhead put more distance between them. "W-Where do you think you''re going?!"


    "I think you should go to a hospital. We''ve never met before," Rosan replied, finishing his apple and pulling out another one.


    Her confident smirk was gone now, replaced by a rather irritated frown.


    "Never met?! Maybe you aren''t as smart as I thought you were! I may have lost my freckles but I look practically the same!" She barked in annoyance.


    Rosan paused as he heard that and his brain finally began involving Devil Fruits in his search.


    Could it be¡­ freckles and a cowboy hat? But that was impossible. The hat was all different and so was the personality... and the appearance.


    Unless... no, in a world full of Devil Fruits that was definitely possible. Limiting his mind would do him no favors.


    But no... did they perhaps have some type of fruit that enhanced a person''s lewdness... that''s the only way he could see this working...


    Well, time to see.


    He turned around slowly and stared at the person again just to make sure he really didn''t know them.


    He didn''t.


    Rosan took a small breath and glanced at the woman before slowly saying¡ª


    "...Ace?"


    ...


    ...


    ...


    "Pftttt Kahahahaha!" Ram burst out laughing and fell on the floor, clutching her stomach as her high pitched laughter rang through the air and she crashed into a wall from the rolling. "Oh Kami, my stomach hurts! A-Auntie help, I can''t breathe! Father is too much for me!"


    Oh there was no way everyone wasn''t going to learn about this and Ace would be horrified to learn this himself.


    The Devil Fruit herself fared no better by his conclusion. She could only blink owlishly as her features remained stunned.


    "I¡­ I can see why your¡­ mind makes you a more creative user of Modification than me," Mod mumbled, actually scratching her purple head. It sort of made sense, considering Ace was probably the only people he knew with freckles and a cowboy hat but was that really his first guess?


    "...You never know? Last time I saw his bounty he was still male and had a Logia but maybe he met a Devil Fruit user that could change genders and enhance his hormones to unreasonable levels?" Rosan pondered. It wasn''t that far fetched¡­ he could transform himself after all.


    The only problem, was how blatantly this woman was flirting with him, which was why he thought the person increased Ace''s hormones and by extension, his lewdness. His little brother would actually prefer dying then acting like this he was pretty sure.


    No, he was definitely sure he''d prefer dying. Actually, Ace might kill him if he learns about this.


    "No! Who the hell is ¡ª" The annoyed woman cut herself off with a deep breath, grabbing her head. "To think the first man who managed to defeat me, would be so dumb. Perhaps I made a mistake developing feelings for you."


    "Defeated? Feelings?"


    So they fought before¡­ The only woman he had attacked so far that lived had been Izumi, Kaori and ¡ª


    "No fucking way," Ram gaped, absolutely not accepting it for a second. The ring sobered up so quickly, it was almost like she wasn''t laughing before.


    There was no way this was who she thought it was. That was impossible!


    "I find that a bit harder to believe then this person being Ace," Mod laughed disbelievingly.


    "Are you "Iron Mace" Alvida?" Rosan asked bluntly, tilting his head to the side and gauging her reaction.


    She finally smirked in confirmation, pleased with his discovery.


    "How was I ever going to figure that out? She said all that changed was that she lost her freckles but she''s practically become a new person¡­" Rosan thought to himself.


    The woman was very clearly delusional about her appearance to a worrying degree.


    Last time he saw her, she had been obese and foul tempered, housing an unnecessary amount of aggression and confidence.


    Now she was soft spoken, relaxed, seductive and most obviously, not obese, though she still carried that unreal confidence but he guessed it was a tad warranted now.


    "It''s about time, you were beginning to disappoint me," Alvida complained, stepping closer to Rosan and pausing for a moment as those dual eyes of his bore into her.


    "The lack of freckles really threw me for a loop. Makes you look like a whole new person," he replied dryly. "What do you want? Revenge? If you do, just know I''ll kill you this time. I don''t like having loose ends to clean up."


    She withheld a shudder at that simple, cruel statement and smiled coyly instead. "I''m not here for a fight. Tell me, who''s the most beautiful woman in all the seas?"


    "Auntie Mod!" Ram gushed, hugging the flustered woman.


    "Nonsense! It''s clearly Rosan''s female form," Mod blushed, dearly hoping her plan to divert the attention off of her worked.


    "OH! YOU''RE TOTALLY RIGHT! I forgot how much of a hottie she was! How can you even move with all those curves?!" the weapon gasped, thinking of Rosan''s transformation. She would surely give Auntie Mod a run for her money if people knew of her.


    "I don''t know," Rosan replied to both her and the voices in his head, turning around and walking away. He didn''t count his female form and Mod-chan didn''t have a real life form yet.


    Maybe it was Angel then if they considered his female form the most beautiful. She did look like him after all with a good amount of differences but none took away from her beauty.


    The world was a pretty big place though, so he couldn''t be too sure. If she were only asking about the Four Seas, he''d have a more set answer but he didn''t know anyone in the Grand Line so he didn''t know the answer.


    He wasn''t surprised to hear footsteps following after him and a voice yelling out wait but he didn''t feel like stopping anymore and he finished all his apples...


    How unfortunate, Maro''s apples were much larger, healthier and tastier too. The Dokkaebi''s personal garden probably had the best fruits he ever tried. Sanji would love them.


    Speaking of which...


    "Oh, Rosan!" Sanji called, greeting his crewmate and making the redhead stop.


    "Sanji, have you gotten what you needed?" Rosan asked as he inclined his head at their chef.


    "More or less¡­ I was just looking for the most beautiful woman I''ve ever seen! She was about this tall, with a white hat and a large cloak. Have you seen her?"


    Rosan was about to answer that, yes he had seen that exact person just moments ago, but Alvida chose that moment to catch up with him.


    "It''s rude to leave a woman behind when she''s talking to you. I can respect playing hard to get but you''re pushing it," the pirate scowled, glaring at the redhead.


    "Aren''t you a little too comfortable talking to me right now? Surely you remember our last encounter so I have no clue why you''re so confident. What makes you think you can handle me now?" Rosan retorted quietly.


    "Things have changed since back then, Red."


    "That won''t change anything. Even a Devil Fruit won''t help you but you''re welcomed to try."


    The smirk was back on Alvida''s face as she gazed at the redhead close to her in height. "Hm. No, I''m not interested in that just yet. You''re headed to the execution platform right? I''ll come with you and we can handle our business after in a more private area."


    Rosan tilted his head at her, expression not changing even once as he gazed at the harmless enemy. "You talk to me like we''re friends... Fine, do what you want. I don''t really care. I''m sure you''re aware of the difference in our skills but I''ll entertain you for now."


    To the two, it was obvious that they were talking about. But to Sanji''s perverted ears, their topic of discussion was totally different and he could only watch with a dropped jaw, as they walked away.


    Together.


    Last encounter?! P-Private area?! B-Business?! Difference in skills... ENTERTAIN?!


    Rosan and this woman already met before and the redhead had won in their encounter?


    That ungrateful dog! How could he leave such a beautiful woman behind?! She went out of her way to pursue him and he was just treating her like some insect?!


    What the hell was wrong with him?! Woman practically threw themselves at him but he was too cool to accept?! Did his years as Reaper affect his perception of the female gender?!


    It should have been him!


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Don''t you want to know about my Devil Fruit? How did you even know I ate one?" Alvida asked curiously. Was the loss of her freckles that big of an indicator?


    The redhead didn''t even glance at her. He just continued to walk at a leisurely pace. "I don''t question my enemies unless I''m torturing them."


    "Kinky. I ate the Sube Sube no Mi so now I''m a smooth woman. You aren''t slightly curious about my infatuation with you?"


    "I don''t date my enemies¡­ Or anyone for that matter."


    "Charming. You must be quite the heart breaker but I''m infatuated with you because you''re the first man who defeated me. You won''t question why I''m here?"


    "If I had to guess, you''ve teamed up with Buggy to assassinate my captain?"


    Alvida felt herself freeze completely and the look of confidence on her face vanished in a flash. She finally began looking at Rosan like the threat he was and she confusedly asked, "H-How do you know that? You didn''t even know who I was before!"


    The redhead spoke like he was talking of the weather and he didn''t even stop his lazy stride. There was no hint of inflection in his tone, no pause in his step, no change in his demeanor as he calmly exposed her plan. It was almost like he didn''t mention it.


    He just continued to walk with a quiet assuredness, somehow managing to have no presence despite being so imposing.


    He was a living paradox. A contradiction to a normal person.


    An anomaly.


    "You shouldn''t question your enemies unless you''re torturing them," Rosan advised, glancing at her with a face she was beginning to realize didn''t change.


    His little blue bird noticed a group of disguised folks running around the island searching for something and decided to follow them since they were the most interesting things around. He wouldn''t have known who it was, if not for the massive lion that was apart of the group.


    Honestly, why even bother with disguises if you were going to have such a distinctive creature?


    He figured Alvida had formed some sort of alliance with them the moment he learned her identity and she seemed like the most competent of that idiot group so he kept her in his sights.


    Rosan suddenly whirled and closed the distance between the two.


    Alvida, shocked by his sudden movement, instinctively stepped away from him until her back hit the wall there and she gazed at the redhead with wide eyes.


    She was trapped...


    To onlookers, it looked like a romantic gesture but it was anything but. He leaned in close to the shocked pirate so that he could whisper in her ear and gazed calmly as his hand seemed to slip off her body.


    "You act far too confident for someone who got knocked out in one hit. If you really think your Devil Fruit can save you, you''ll find out just how large the gap between us truly is in your final moments. I''m not sure what your perception of me exactly is, but you might find out what I''ll do to an enemy who doesn''t have any sense."


    His voice was soft and gentle and it contrasted his violent sentence so greatly, that her eyes turned into pinpricks.


    It must have looked like the handsome man was whispering something sweet to her but they didn''t know anything.


    Despite threatening her in broad daylight, he manipulated everyone watching into thinking otherwise. So terrified was she, the woman didn''t even think to activate her Devil Fruit in case she set him off, evidenced by the fact that he stroked her cheek to keep up appearances.


    What a terrifying person. Alvida realized at that moment she knew absolutely nothing about the first person to defeat her and maybe it should have stayed that way.


    He stepped back and held out his hand for her to grab. "Come. You''re stuck with me for now until this situation is dealt with. I gave you many chances to get out but this is what your infatuation gets you. Next time choose wisely who you pursue, I''m one of the worst choices."


    Alvida shakily grabbed the offered hand and seemed to finally realize what she got herself into. Rosan had not been this dangerous when they first met, content to throw just a few insults and letting his captain direct things before he knocked her unconscious.


    The redhead hummed. "I don''t think I have to say this, but don''t act suspicious or else. You won''t escape from me and if you tip anyone off, you''ll figure out that I carry out my threats thoroughly."


    Maybe the presence of that Luffy was a blessing in disguise when it came to this psychotic redhead. His clear naivety and general joy must have worked wonders to tame the monster within this man.


    He was a lurking demon, one that only seemed to unleash when not in the presence of his crew.


    They walked hand in hand to the execution stand and his warning of acting suspicious, rang clear through her head and stopped her from doing anything rash.


    Idly, she could hear jealous men and women muttering things under their breath.


    "Lucky bastard," one man grunted, glancing longingly at Alvida.


    "Lucky bitch," one woman complained to her equally annoyed friend, both greedily eyeing Rosan.


    Somehow, Alvida thought that luck only applied to her and not in the way they thought.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    When the two finally arrived to the execution platform, the action was well underway and by that, he meant that Luffy''s head was currently being shackled to the platform and the stupid clown was about to execute him.


    "How does he always get himself in these situations?" Rosan muttered, tilting his head as his eyes began glowing.


    This wouldn''t do. Luffy dying in the East Blue would be less than ideal. Luffy dying in the same area his deadbeat father died in would be doubly bad.


    "It''s too late for you to save him," Alvida said, shaking her head. "It looks like Buggy is actually going to get his revenge."


    That... Suddenly that didn''t sound promising for her... If Straw Hat died here, w-what would this man do to her? She had the strangest inkling, that not a single soul would escape him if his captain died and he spoke of torture before like it were a hobby...


    She dearly hoped Straw Hat survived this.


    "You think so?" Rosan asked softly.


    Zoro and Sanji were here as well and it was storming. He ignored the heavy raindrops that seemed to get stronger by the second and gazed up at his incapacitated captain, eyes narrowed slightly.


    "Oh! Rosan, Zoro, Sanji, Nami, Usopp!" Luffy beamed at his crew with a large grin. It was almost like he didn''t register what was about to happen to him.


    "Sorry, I''m dead!" He grinned.


    Rosan''s eyes began mimicking the sun.


    Alvida gasped in surprise, at the sight of the redhead vanishing from his spot, only to appear right in front of Buggy.


    One thing Rosan was pleased to have achieved over the years, was his ability to skip out on entering the Pocket Dimension to access the Save Point.


    It had a condition of course, that being he could only do it quickly to the point closest to him (the others require plenty of concentration which meant more time), but since the one closest to him was his idiot of a brother who always found himself in dangerous situations, it was perfect.


    "I didn''t say you could die yet, Luffy. I''d be in a lot of trouble if I let my little brother die," Rosan muttered, getting ready to put a hole in Buggy''s skull.


    "I knew you''d save me!" Luffy laughed, despite admitting he was dead earlier.


    "Y-You! Redhead!" Buggy shrieked in surprise. Where did he come from?! Didn''t Alvida say she was going to deal with him?! H-How was he so fast?


    "Me," Rosan said, holding up his gloved hands and aiming it directly at the clown. "I knew I should have pursued and killed you. I never did like clowns. They''re just stupid and embarrassing."


    Before his attack could unleash and kill the clown for good, the smell of raw ozone began to fill his sensitive nose and he felt the hairs on his skin go sharp in warning.


    A very clear warning.


    He chanced a glance at Buggy and confirmed that he was in fact holding metal.


    In the air.


    During a storm.


    "Oh you have got to be kidding me," Mod moaned sadly.


    "I wonder if Luffy is super lucky, or you''re just really unlucky," Ram giggled.


    "At least I''m used to getting shocked," Rosan joked darkly. Seems that Doc really was setting him up nicely for the future. Most of the things that would hurt normally, he barely registered because of the man.


    How touching of him.


    Every onlooker could only watch in disbelief, as the sky split apart with a shrill scream and a shrieking blast of lightning crashed into the platform with a thunderous roar, hitting every person on it and sending it crashing to the floor.


    The world lit up brightly, forcing the awed spectators to shield their eyes until it settled down.


    After what felt like an eternity, a lone straw hat floated down and landed gently in front of a completely unharmed (besides the damaged outfit) Luffy. The rubber boy grinned cheerfully and picked it up, placing it back on his head.


    "Wow! I''m still alive!" He laughed.


    "You got me struck by lightning because you''re so stupid. I think it''s time we pick up on your training again so you understand the benefits of keeping your guard up," a bland voice interrupted his cheer and the rubber boy shuddered in genuine fear.


    Rosan glanced down curiously at his scorched skin and hummed.


    So Luffy was immune to lightning. He found it quite funny that the thing used to torture him the most, was completely ineffective against his younger brother.


    Good, he never wanted anyone in his family to suffer like he had.


    Getting hit by lightning was not a pleasant experience. An unconscious Buggy, skin steaming with dangerous burns, could attest to that.


    "Are you alright?" Luffy asked worriedly, glancing at his brother''s blistering body. He would be fine but that probably didn''t feel good at all.


    Everyone watched in fascinated disgust, as his burned body began to somehow steam even more only to begin peeling to make room for new, undamaged layers of bronze skin. It took them a long while to realize he was actually patching himself up and soon, even the steam from the lightning vanished, leaving the stone faced redhead unblemished.


    "I probably could grow a limb back," the redhead mused to himself with a tilted head. He placed a palm flat on his outfit and began repairing it with Modification. Soon, he was as good as new and it didn''t look like he had been struck by literal lightning.


    "M-Monsters¡­" The crowd whispered in terror.


    "W-What the fuck is he?" Alvida thought in genuine horror. No one could just heal from that. No one should heal like that.


    It was dawning on her that he could probably kill her at anytime and just chose not to for whatever twisted reason his mind could come up with.


    She just watched the both of them get struck by lightning and while the rubber boy was seemingly unaffected, Rosan had very clearly taken brutal damage b-but his body had just¡­ it just shed the damage off and put him in mint condition.


    But that wasn''t the most unnerving thing. Don''t get her wrong, it was disturbing to witness and honestly a bit nauseating but the most terrifying thing?


    The fact that his demeanor never even once changed still. The fact that much like earlier, he was treating this whole thing like it was just another day. She heard Buggy''s scream as the lightning crashed into them but Rosan didn''t make even a peep.


    No matter how much she looked at him, he was unchanging from his ways. He was still standing with that assured confidence, he still had no presence, he still had that infuriatingly neutral expression on his face and he still spoke in that damn tone of his. The tone that had no interest in it, no anger, joy, sadness.


    Nothing. Gazing at the redhead felt no different then staring at nothing itself. How could something like this exist...?


    Was he some kind of demon?


    Alvida couldn''t dwell on it for long, because Marines were swarming into the plaza and she needed to get out of here lest she get captured.


    "Do you get it now?" A voice muttered next to her.


    She froze in genuine terror, heart stopping for a split second as she looked into that utterly expressionless gaze. A gaze that reminded her of the depths of the ocean. A gaze that reminded her hat this man was no different from the void.


    There was no shine in his gaze. Just an unnatural blankness that reminded her that this person wasn''t normal. She was hard pressed to even call him a person.


    "Ignorance is bliss, isn''t it? The more you learn about a certain person, the less you wish you knew. Try not to poke a sleeping dragon too much," Rosan whispered, before he walked off to go catch up with his retreating crew.


    "Have a nice day, Iron Mace Alvida."


    Alvida let out a shuddering breath and distantly realized that she was clutching her chest. She glanced warily at his retreating back, noting that he still didn''t seem to be in any rush.


    That man¡ª No, that monster wasn''t something that could be comprehended by the average person. It was foolish of her to act so confident around such a terrifying entity.


    He was completely immune to her beauty unlike all these other men and made it clear that it wouldn''t save her. She could only thank the lucky stars that he had decided to not kill her. She didn''t know why he didn''t, but trying to understand that thing was a hopeless cause.


    Now, she needed to focus on escaping these Marines.


    Shaking her head of those unnerving thoughts, Alvida activated her Sube Sube no mi abilities and slid off.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Now that the pirates had been dealt with, that left one last obstacle.


    That Marine Captain... Smoker. He was the one in charge around here and Rosan hadn''t encountered him yet.


    It''s not like he was strong or anything but one glaring detail made him troublesome.


    His Logia Devil Fruit.


    If it was anything remotely related to his name, the amount of cigarettes he smoked at once and his gray hair (Did Logia''s change a person''s appearance too? He''d have to look into that...), they were no doubt dealing with a smoke man.


    "Any natural counters to smoke?" Rosan asked.


    "Wind?" Mod offered.


    He couldn''t manipulate wind yet. How unfortunate. Looks like it was escape time. He didn''t really fancy escaping from someone weaker then him but such was the price of having no counter to intangibility.


    Rosan continued his pace as the rain got heavier and heavier and he sighed at the pleasant feeling. Despite how heavy the rain was, it felt wonderful on his skin. Sure, his family hated when he allowed himself to just remain in downpours, calling him a "Brooding, wet, idiot," but he couldn''t help it.


    He missed his rainforest themed Mindscape. If only he could forcefully transform it back.


    His inner musing was cut short as a figure appeared in their line of sight, wielding a sword and glaring at them.


    "Hey who''s that pretty lady?!" Sanji swooned in the middle of his running.


    "Hm?" Zoro grunted before his eyes narrowed in annoyance.


    "RORONOA ZORO!" The woman called out, glaring at him with fury in her eyes. "I didn''t realize you were him and a pirate to boot¡­ you were mocking me back then and I won''t stand for it!"


    "We don''t have time for this," Rosan said softly, holding out his hand to blast her out of the way... or into dust. "Whatever problems you have with Zoro, deal with them after we''ve departed."


    Before his glove could even begin glowing the redhead suddenly tilted his head back to avoid the kick aimed at him and glanced at the offender with a blank expression.


    "Don''t just go attacking a pretty lady like that, shitty redhead!" Sanji barked warningly. He knew that Rosan was more than willing to kill a person and he''d be damned if the scout killed a woman in front of him.


    Idol be damned, he wouldn''t let anyone compromise his values.


    "Who the fuck does he think he is?!" Ram snarled in disbelief.


    Rosan didn''t blink as he softly said, "Sanji¡­ if you ever stop me from doing something again, I''ll show you why that''s a terrible idea and do it to you instead. Don''t test me."


    "I could say the same thing," the chef said resolutely.


    The two eyed each other down for a long moment before the swordsman interrupted their altercation.


    "Relax, you guys go ahead and let me deal with her," Zoro grunted. The last thing they needed was for a fight between these two to break out in the middle of this freak storm.


    Rosan finally took his eyes off the chef and simply nodded, moving past the two with a simple, "Don''t get lost."


    They left the two behind and kept on running, only to run into the one actual issue on the island.


    "You aren''t getting off this island, Straw Hat," Captain Smoker grunted, outstretching his arms for an attack.


    "White Fist!"


    Luffy and Rosan leapt out of the way of the attack but Sanji was too slow, getting slammed into a wall as a result and groaning at the pain.


    "Sanji!" Luffy called out in worry before rounding on the Marine in anger. "Gomu Gomu no Pistol!"


    To Luffy''s surprise, his fist went right through the man and Smoker took full advantage of that, materializing behind the rubber boy and pinning him to the floor immediately.


    "Like I thought. He''s not strong but his fruit makes him a nuisance," Rosan mused.


    "Are you really worth 30 million? How disappointing," Smoker sighed pinning his face onto the floor. "Looks like your devil''s luck has run out."


    "Don''t be so sure about that."


    Smoker froze at the unknown voice and glanced up warily, freezing in the process.


    Rosan had been about to grab Luffy and Sanji so that he could fly them out of here, when a surprise presence made itself known.


    The redhead actually blinked.


    "Is that¡­"


    "Monkey D. Dragon," Mod finished, eyes slightly wide in confusion.


    What was he doing here? Had he been keeping tabs on Luffy? For how long had this been going on?


    Perhaps he never wanted to leave Luffy behind if he was worried enough to come all the way over to the East Blue. Rosan supposed living a life as the son of the world''s most wanted man could be difficult.


    "Who is that?!" Luffy mumbled, unable to see due to currently eating cement. The rubber boy wiggled fruitlessly but was unable to free himself no matter what he tried.


    Smoker''s eyes widened in disbelief at what he was looking.


    Seriously, now of all time?!


    "You¡­ the government wants your head!"


    What on Earth was the leader of the Revolutionaries doing in East Blue?! The world''s most wanted man... Dragon the Revolutionary.


    Dragon simply grinned. "The world is waiting for our answer."


    As soon as he finished speaking, a massive gust of wind blew in through the town and swept anything and everything away. Marines were tossed back by the vicious winds and not even Smoker was spared, smoky form truly being countered by the powerful breeze.


    The winds died down and soon, the only ones left in the area were Dragon and Rosan.


    "Did he do that?" Rosan wondered, glancing at the world''s most wanted man with a tilted head. Why didn''t he get blown away along with everyone else? Perhaps the revolutionary wanted to speak to him.


    Well, according to his Save Point, Luffy and the others should be on the ship soon so that was a plus.


    He supposed he could spare some time to speak to the man.


    "It''s been a while, Dragon. What''s the occasion?" He greeted politely.


    "Rosan." Dragon nodded in respect. "I wasn''t aware that you were also joining Luffy''s pirate crew."


    "He was the first to ask and I have no interest in leading my own crew," Rosan replied softly.


    Dragon raised a brow at that.


    "Were you all planning on being pirates?" The head of the revolutionaries asked curiously.


    "That was the plan before Sabo died. All 4 of us planned on becoming pirates and he wanted to be a captain of his own ship. I never did thank you for watching over him when I entrusted you but that probably doesn''t matter anymore," Rosan explained quietly, idly tugging at his damp hair matting itself to his head.


    Perhaps he''d stand on the top of the ship while it stormed like this. This was fine weather to sing a song to.


    Dragon''s face morphed into confusion for only a split second before he quickly came to a realization and the man''s face turned grave instead.


    Rosan tensed at the look in his eyes, wondering if the man heard something that suddenly made them enemies.


    "I''m still watching over him, you know," the world''s most wanted man told him.


    ¡­


    "What did he just say?" Mod said softly, not quite believing her ears.


    Rosan felt the whole world freeze around him at hearing the words that just came out of Dragon''s mouth and he regarded the man he met 10 years ago with a piercing gaze.


    Did he mishear that? No, he couldn''t possibly have misheard that. Rosan didn''t just mishear things.


    "What did you just say?" The redhead found himself saying, despite knowing what he heard... despite just telling himself he didn''t mishear things.


    It was just... What?


    "I had no idea you thought he died and that''s my mistake for not verifying with you. Sabo is alive and he''s currently apart of the revolutionaries."


    Rosan couldn''t explain his thoughts currently. They were all running a mile a minute and nothing made sense to him.


    Sabo was¡­ alive? After 10 years? He was just now finding out his brother was still living and breathing?


    Was this some type of sick joke? Rosan did not play with death.


    "Why hasn''t he reached out to us?" The redhead questioned, resolving to hunt this man down at all costs if he found out he was lying.


    "He has severe amnesia from taking damage to his head, to the point where he couldn''t even remember his name. When I mentioned all three of your names, he only shook his head in confusion and said he knew nothing about you all. He refused to come back to Goa for any reason and I respected his decision," Dragon explained grimly.


    Dragon only knew his name because of Rosan himself and the fact that he had it embedded in his shirt. After treating the blonde and understanding that he wanted nothing to do with his home, he heeded Rosan''s request and watched over him, personally training him up.


    "Amnesia to the point where he can''t even remember his own name?" Mod whispered in horror. The Devil Fruit was left staggered at the information they were receiving and her eyes were narrowed in worry at what damage poor Sabo must have sustained.


    "Why have I never seen mention of him¡­ anywhere? You are the world''s most wanted man and you speak of him highly so how don''t we have any idea who he is?"


    Dragon nodded at the logical question. "We revolutionaries don''t make our work very public. Sabo, despite being my Chief of Staff, mostly deals with covert missions where his identity is not in jeopardy."


    Rosan hummed at that.


    "If that''s the case, why are you telling me? Even despite being my brother, this could jeopardize your army."


    The revolutionary simply grinned. "I told you didn''t I? You can consider me an ally and it was obvious to me how much you cared for Sabo. I apologize for not telling you sooner but our campaign has left me busy and I didn''t know you all thought he died."


    So Dragon considered him an ally... It was a good thing he hadn''t been hostile to Luffy''s father else he might have never learned of Sabo''s real fate from the man.


    His little brother was alive but he had amnesia¡­ That was troublesome but it was better than being dead. It meant there was hope he could remember.


    It didn''t him very long to come to an obvious decision. "Can I see him? I don''t care if he doesn''t remember me¡­ I just would like to see him in the flesh," Rosan requested softly.


    The leader of the revolutionaries didn''t even hesitate in his reply. It seemed he truly did consider himself an ally to the redhead and Rosan was beginning to respect that.


    "Of course. He''s currently on a mission so I will contact you with details and we can arrange a meetup."


    "That sounds good to me," Rosan nodded. "...Thank you, Dragon."


    Dragon simply grinned that signature grin of his and waved off the rare show of gratitude from the redhead. "Don''t be too disappointed if he doesn''t remember you. Here, I''ll call you."


    "I won''t," the redhead said and he accepted the Den Den Mushi out of the man''s hand. "Now, I need to go to my crew before they think something happened."


    With that, the redhead vanished, leaving the revolutionary alone.


    Dragon watched the redhead disappear and recalled his son''s declaration and grinned. "Pirate King? If that''s your decision then go. Go change the world!"


    The thunder crackled with his words and the man gazed in the direction Luffy flew at.


    "Will you tell Luffy?"


    "Not yet. I want to see him first and if he really does have amnesia, Luffy will overwhelm him. It won''t do any good to get the hopes up of anyone in our family after so long."


    "I just¡­ I can''t believe he''s alive after all these years. It''s a little hard to fathom and honestly, I can''t properly process it."


    "That''s why I have to see him. It''s been 10 years and I thought he was dead but he''s not? It''s unexplainable."


    "Just imagine how Robin will feel when she realizes you were alive this whole time."


    "¡­" Rosan inhaled sharply at that


    "I really messed up."


    "We both did," Mod smiled sadly.

 Grand Line II

    "That gust of wind sure helped us out," Buggy groaned in agony. They ended up getting captured by Smoker (mostly due to the fact that the lightning really messed him up) as they tried to escape but the sudden freak storm, managed to release them from their bindings and now they were sailing away from that cursed town.


    "What will we do now, Buggy?" Alvida asked curiously.


    "We''ll set sail for the Grand Line. I still have business to settle with Straw Hat and the stupid redhead."


    Normally Alvida would have been in agreement, but Buggy didn''t seem to understand exactly how dangerous the redhead named Rosan was and she couldn''t blame him.


    After all, she only just learned that he was very capable of slaughtering them all and went in with unwarranted confidence.


    He was not someone who''s radar they should ever be on. It was even worse that they were trying to put themselves on it intentionally.


    Despite her clear knowledge and terror of the scout, she couldn''t help but be somewhat interested in him. Why did he choose to follow Straw Hat? He seemed more than capable of making his own crew and the two were polar opposites in personality. What did Straw Hat Luffy have that allowed him to control such a demon?


    What was his Devil Fruit? No normal person could heal the way he had done after getting struck by lightning. He hadn''t made any expression of discomfort and didn''t even seem to register the pain he should have been in!


    Why did he spare her? Was it merely on a whim? Alvida wasn''t sure but to know that her being alive was a miracle... It terrified her.


    She shuddered at that unnatural gaze in his eyes. The look that let her know that he barely considered her human or worth his time. That he was merely using this as some sort of game to entertain himself.


    A large part of her didn''t want to see that dangerous monster again but a small part, was quite fascinated by the enigma. She knew it was a terrible idea but there was something... captivating about the first man to defeat her.


    Something otherworldly...


    So Alvida said nothing that may make Buggy reconsider his decision and just remained silent, nodding her head in agreement at his plans.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Rosan! We thought you got caught in the storm and feared the worst!" Nami exclaimed in worry.


    After that freakish wind, more akin to a hurricane, hit, no one saw the redhead and they began to fear for the worst.


    What if he got swept into the ocean? Was their scout currently in the middle of drowning? T-They didn''t want that to happen!


    They were unable to turn around due to the sea current but Luffy confidently told them to keep going.


    "Something like this can''t kill Rosan!" The rubber boy said confidently, not even looking remotely worried for his brother dammit!


    The amount of faith the two had in each other was unreal!


    "I saw something of interest and dealt with it," Rosan replied softly. "It would be shameful if I died to some storm. That''s too anticlimactic for me."


    They sweatdropped at that statement but couldn''t help but agree with the redhead who''s ego was way bigger then he made seem.


    The group stopped worrying about the redhead after chewing him out a bit for taking too long to show up (in which he said, worry more about yourselves not me, much to their annoyance) and continued to set sail, relieved to have made it off that island.


    "Hey look! There''s a lighthouse!" Usopp pointed out.


    Nami grinned excitedly. That lighthouse was the guiding light to the Grand Line! They were almost there!


    Sanji smiled eagerly and brought out a barrel. "Let''s launch a ceremony for us setting sail on the great ocean."


    All the straw hats agreed and soon, they placed their foots on the barrel.


    "You too, Rosan!" Luffy demanded, glaring petulantly at his brother who did not move from his spot.


    Rosan tilted his head. Was his current goal really worth saying aloud?


    Judging by their demanding looks, they thought so.


    "You''re outnumbered," Mod smiled gently.


    "It looks that way," Rosan agreed, conceding and placing a foot on the barrel. They all grinned in satisfaction and began listing off their dreams.


    "In order to find the All Blue!" Sanji smirked.


    "In order to be King of the Pirates!" Luffy exclaimed.


    "In order to be the World''s Greatest Swordsman," Zoro grinned.


    "In order to draw a map of the world!" Nami beamed.


    "I-In order... to become a brave warrior of the sea!" Usopp stammered.


    "...In order to find a reason to live," Rosan whispered.


    "In order to make Father the strongest!" Ram shouted.


    "In order to make Rosan happy," Mod resolved.


    All their feet raised high into the air...


    "WE''RE GOING TO THE GRAND LINE!"


    "Yeah!"


    ...and broke the barrel under it.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "I cannot stress how stupid you all are," Rosan decided calmly. "Every single one of you with no exception."


    Why was he insulting his crew?


    Well, there was a very good reason for him to be doing so and that was because the idiots managed to sail straight into the Calm Belt.


    Rosan, who just exited his mindscape due to the shrill screams of Nami, was giving both Mod-chan and Ram massages to start off the day.


    While doing this, his crew were wisely discussing the oddity of Reverse Mountain and how it was needed to get into the Grand Line.


    That wasn''t worth insulting them about. In fact, Rosan would have praised them for actually doing something right for once.


    Unfortunately, because Rosan had to do everything around here and because at the end of the day, his crew was full of idiots, no one thought to pay attention to where they were sailing.


    Cue, them ending up in the almost certainly death inducing Calm Belt.


    "I''m especially in awe at you, Nami. You actually know about the Calm Belt and how close it is to the Grand Line yet you still let this happen," the redhead chided.


    She was the one he had the most faith in to keep things in order. If Nami weren''t in the crew, he wouldn''t allow himself the luxury to sleep in because then they''d be dead in no time at all.


    Alas, seems like she could be just as hopeless.


    "I''m sorry," Nami moaned sadly, holding her head in her hands at her mistake.


    She didn''t think she would ever be compared to the other idiots but the navigator guessed they infected her way faster then she expected. Now, the only other smart one probably thought she was an idiot too.


    Dammit all.


    The orange haired girl shook her head rapidly. "Now''s not the time though! We need to get out of here before ¡ª"


    Whatever she was saying, was cut off by the sight of Rosan turning and jogging off the ship without any hesitation. The redhead leapt clean over the railing and quickly vanished from their sights.


    There was a stunned silence as they digested what just happened.


    "WHAT THE HELL ROSAN?!" Usopp gaped at watching him leap overboard. Was he that mad at them? He''d just throw himself into the ocean? Just like that?!


    W-Wasn''t he a bit of a drama queen? Risking drowning just to accentuate how upset at them he was? He was nuts!


    "What is he doing?!" Zoro asked with a raised brow, getting ready to dive after the Devil Fruit user.


    He still didn''t understand why Nami and Rosan were so upset right now. So they were in a place with no wind? They could just sail out of it until they found wind agai ¡ª


    The ocean under them began trembling of all things, to the point where the Going Merry was being upheaved in time with the sudden waves.


    They stumbled at the rocking of the ship and Usopp yelped as he fell flat on his ass.


    "W-What''s going on?!" The sniper balked, watching as the others tried to regain their footing to little success.


    Every single straw hat froze in unison at the sudden emergence of some of the most massive sea kings they had ever seen. To make matters worse, the gargantuan creatures were looking directly at them.


    Their jaws dropped to the floor at the amount of sea kings they were surrounded with and it was then that they realized exactly why they were stupid.


    Holy shit...


    "We''re dead," Nami sobbed. "This is why the calm belt is so dangerous. It''s home to the largest Sea Kings in the world! We''re just free food for them!"


    They all gawked in raw disbelief.


    "Don''t worry! Rosan will save us!" Luffy beamed, initial shock from seeing them gone.


    "SAVE US?!" Usopp screeched. "ROSAN DIDN''T WANNA BECOME FISH FOOD SO HE DECIDED TO DROWN INSTEAD!"


    That was when they heard it.


    A noise so terrifying that it invoked a primal sort of fear in them. A noise that let them no that they were in the presence of an apex predator and the already terrified group, went ashen white.


    "RAOOOOOOOOOOOOGHHHHHHH!" A creature roared.


    "It was nice knowing you all!" Usopp sobbed. This was the end for them. They were about to get eaten ship first because they were so stupid.


    "I didn''t think it was going to end like this!" Nami wailed comically, hugging the mast desperately.


    A Sea King tried to dive for them, but a massive blast of fire connected squarely with its face and sent the scorched face back into the ocean.


    There was a brief moment of stunned silence and it was only broken by the gigantic fish splashing against the water.


    "W-What the hell?!" Sanji gaped in disbelief. Fire?! Was that¡ª


    The group could only watch as a large scaly claw gripped their ship and easily lifted it higher and higher out of the Sea Kings grasp.


    Sanji and Usopp glanced to each other in confusion at not being dead yet before the liar hesitantly began walking up to the railing.


    Usopp looked over for a split second and shrieked to the heavens, going white in fear. The sniper fell on his ass and began crawling backwards as fast as possible until his back connected to wall and tried to push himself further inside.


    "W-WHAT IS THAT?!" He yelped, sweat dripping from his features at those piercing slits. Yeah, he probably wasn''t going to be getting some sleep for a bit.


    "Rosan!" Luffy replied bluntly, grinning happily at being in the sky.


    If only the Merry could fly like this always!


    "HE''S A MONSTER?!" The liar roared in disbelief.


    He knew that damn scout of theirs wasn''t normal. It was no wonder he was so robotic! He wasn''t actually a human! Trying to fit in with them must have been so difficult for the revealed creature...


    "He can transform into a dragon," Nami told him in relief. She forgot about that detail in her panic and she thanked the stars that Rosan was smart enough to remember.


    Honestly, the resourceful redhead was way too useful.


    Rosan flew the ship out of range from the gargantuan sea kings, making sure to burn any still in range, and soared out of the Calm Belt until he was intercepted by a typhoon.


    Then, he angled himself downward and placed the ship back in the water before gazing at his crew with an intelligent gaze. The only noise, were those massive wings of his that seemed to distort the air around him with each flap.


    The straw hats looked at the obsidian dragon with varied awe and terror.


    He was huge, dwarfing the Going Merry, with red streaks that coursed through his entire scaly body, massive black wings with a red underside, and a long black, razor sharp, tail.


    Familiar red and purple slits stared at the crew, as the dragon got closer to them and Usopp couldn''t stop his shaking.


    "S-S-Scary¡­" He muttered. What if he really pissed Rosan off and the redhead just chose to eat them...? His teeth looked so sharp, he was sure the dragon could chew steel with no problems.


    "Holy shit," Sanji gaped. He didn''t know the redhead could turn into a dragon of all things... He was only aware of his angelic wings when donning his disguise!


    "W-Wow," Nami stammered, unconsciously taking a step back and failing to hide her tremors from the massive creature that could very well swallow them all whole. Rosan told her he could transform into a dragon but she hadn''t been expecting it to look so¡­ dangerous and big!


    Zoro simply whistled, impressed by the sight of the dragon and wondering why the redhead didn''t opt to use it more.


    Luffy stretched out his hands and began petting the massive dragon. "Thanks, Rosan!" The rubber boy beamed.


    Nami and Usopp both squeaked at the low rumble of the Dragon. They felt that growl in their bones and a primal surge went through them at the magnificent creature.


    The group watched the creature slowly get replaced by their scout and the only thing that remained of the dragon, were those massive scaly wings.


    He slowly flew over to the crew and landed on the deck gently before dispersing his wings and staring at them all with an unimpressed gaze.


    One minute later, all 5 of them were crouched on the floor nursing the bruise on their heads with comical tears and groans of misery.


    They didn''t expect the redhead to hit them but damn did it hurt really bad!


    "Don''t be so stupid next time. You guys are lucky I''ve sailed through the Calm Belt before," Rosan informed them, drinking a cup of lemonade as he reprimanded them. "I knew what to expect so I knew I had to get us out of there as soon as possible."


    "I''ve never seen you hit someone for doing something stupid," Mod laughed. Her son was normally much more tolerable but it seems even he had his limits and this crew was checking all the marks.


    "Imagine if I didn''t save them. What a stupid way to die," Rosan replied. They were so lucky that he had been alerted while in his mindscape.


    "You''ve sailed through the Calm Belt before?!" Nami asked in surprise. That... but how? He said sail so it couldn''t have been with his dragon!


    Was it his nice ship? She noticed that it always moved at the same speed no matter the strength of the winds.


    "Yeah, to get to the North Blue. I was born in the South Blue and wanted a change of scenery," he explained.


    "You were?!"


    Rosan was born in the South Blue?! They didn''t know that! The crew never really thought to deeply about it but they just assumed everyone on the ship was born in the East!


    How did he end up in the East Blue then? Considering the redhead mentioned knowing Luffy for 10 years... he must have traveled through the seas at an incredibly young age...


    "Rosan¡­ what exactly is your Devil Fruit?" Sanji asked slowly. It was impossible to pinpoint just what it was because of how versatile it seemed to be. Was he a shapeshifter? He could transform himself and his weapon into various things so maybe that was it?


    The blonde thought his Devil Fruit was being able to transform into an Angel but it seemed like transformation was just one of the core concepts of his actual ability...


    It seemed like the only one who was also curious was Usopp, which probably meant the redhead already told his other crewmates.


    This was only proven to him, as Rosan said, "I''ll tell you but I need to stress the importance of leaving the name of my fruit secret."


    Sanji nodded without hesitation but Rosan wasn''t even glancing at him. The scout''s dual gaze were piercing Usopp like the liar had stolen something from him.


    "Usopp, I don''t really trust you to keep a secret but just understand, if you tell a Marine the name of my fruit, you will all probably die and I''ll get captured," the redhead stressed.


    Usopp was about to protest mid sentence, but went ashen at Rosan''s blunt warning. He nodded shakily and the redhead took that as his sign to continue.


    He still honestly didn''t trust the coward but well, If he told anyone then Rosan would make sure all of his crewmates but Usopp escaped.


    "My Devil Fruit is called the Mod Mod no mi," Rosan began, explaining to them exactly what his fruit could do and why it needed to be kept secret.


    Mod-chan must have been beaming with joy right now, considering every one of his crewmates would now know about her fruit. She sure did want him to put trust in more people and it was adorable how naive she had become over the years.


    But he supposed she had a fair point. At the end of the day, he didn''t care if he trusted a person or not but this was... his crew and perhaps he should put a bit more trust in people that Luffy acknowledged.


    "The government is hunting your fruit down?" Zoro asked in surprise. His fruit was very useful but he hadn''t known that was the reason he wanted it secret.


    "I had no idea..." Nami muttered. No wonder he was so hesitant to share the information. If someone leaked his fruit to the World Government, who knows who''d they send after him!


    "Yes. If they capture me, it''s likely that they''ll try and brainwash me to be their dog, experiment heavily on me, or they could even use me as a breeding tool to keep Mod-chan in check. I''d rather that one in particular not happen," Rosan replied calmly. "Though, it''s quite difficult to capture me if I want to escape."


    They balked in horror at his bleak statement. All those things sounded, really... really bad. The last one especially...


    Rosan told Luffy long ago that they might not be together if he told people and his little brother, not wanting to be separated from his scout, actually managed to keep it a secret to the best of his abilities.


    You just needed to not ask him because he might accidentally reveal it but that was better then nothing.


    "You mentioned a Mod-chan... is she the silver haired beauty?" Sanji asked. If the World Government dared to try and control her using the redhead... there''d be hell to pay.


    "Beauty?" Ram repeated curiously, raising a brow. Maro had made it clear that she was hot since the first time they met and the few times she was out in public proved the Queen''s point but still... she didn''t think anyone ever called her a beauty.


    It was gross.


    Surprisingly, Nami was the one who answered.


    "Mod-chan and Ram are two completely different people," the navigator explained, getting looks of surprise from them.


    Did she meet them both?! When did that happen...


    The redhead nodded in confirmation. "That''s right. Ram is my weapon, Mod-chan is my Devil Fruit¡­" Rosan explained, tapering off with a hum before nodding to himself.


    Their confusion at watching Rosan''s eyes burn brightly, lasted only a split second as shock very quickly replaced it.


    Before the entire crews very eyes, they watched as Rosan''s body swiftly morphed into that of a purple haired woman and their jaws dropped to the floor.


    The woman was downright gorgeous with a bronze hue of skin similar to Rosan''s and piercing red eyes that lacked pupils.


    She smiled warmly at them, practically glowing in happiness, before glancing down in dissatisfaction at the size of her clothing. The clothes were too big on her and it looked like she were wearing her older brother''s outfit...


    Mod shook her head and decided against changing its size since she wouldn''t be out for long. Rosan was still too tall for his own good and the long sleeved purple shirt, looked more akin to a sweater.


    Don''t even get her started on his pants and sneakers...


    "We should get you more wardrobe. All those black dresses must be tired," Rosan hummed.


    "Shut up. I would never cheat on my black dresses."


    "Aren''t you just the most faithful? That dress does nothing to protect your curves you know?"


    She hated him so much sometimes. That''s not even why she wore it but he was so willingly ignorant and it was so infuriating.


    "Once I find a way to coexist with you, that black dress is going in the trash. I refuse to have anyone think my mother is broke and lacks style."


    "S-SHUT UP, ROSAN! YOU ARE NOT GETTING RID OF MY DRESSES!" Mod scowled, before quickly wiping it off her face at the worried looks shot her way.


    Did she say she hated him sometimes? She meant all the time. He was so terrible.


    Well, there was no point dwelling on her insufferable son...


    "I''m so glad to finally be able to meet you all! I wanted you guys to know about me for a long time now but someone is very overprotective of me," the woman greeted with a soft mature voice. It was deeper then Ram''s but not by much and she spoke as if she were filled with a wealth of knowledge.


    Opening up her arms, the Devil Fruit easily accepted the flying missile known as Luffy, not even moving from the impact.


    "Hi Modi!" The captain greeted happily.


    "Hello Luffy," she said warmly, snuggling the rubber boy.


    "Mod-chan! You can take over Rosan''s body?!" Nami asked in surprise, stepping up to the woman in glee and joining the hug.


    The Devil Fruit graciously accepted the second body attached to her person, smiling all the while. "Yes, that''s right. I do it on occasion when I want to enjoy the real world."


    Sanji''s jaw dropped to the floor at the sight of the beautiful woman and his eyes bugged out of their skull. The clothing that fit Rosan''s larger frame, did nothing to hide her curves despite how much larger he was then her and the gentle smile she was directing towards them all, made his jaw drop further.


    How did she make just a smile look so good?!


    T-This was utter bullshit! He wasn''t really sure how to react right now, considering Rosan''s body was being possessed by one of the most beautiful woman he''d ever seen.


    First Ram... now Mod?! Who did this guy think he was?! Was he just the luckiest person on the planet...?! WHY WAS HE HIDING THIS FROM THEM?!


    Mod had no idea Sanji was going through such inner turmoil and just pointed at herself with a motherly smile.


    "I''m Modification but you can call me Mod," she introduced happily, glad that Rosan actually trusted them enough to do this.


    Well, glad was an understatement. She was over the moon actually. "I''ve been with Rosan since he was four years old and I raised him for the whole 20 years we''ve known each other... You can call me his mother or sister, both are fine with me!"


    "Mother...? You look younger than him," Zoro pointed out. Rosan himself at a glance, looked about 4 years younger then his actual age but this girl here looked the same age as Nami.


    Mod nodded at his observation. "Well to be honest, I didn''t have an appearance until Rosan demanded I get one and when I did, this is what I chose. I saw no reason to change it because Rosan loved it and I loved it but perhaps I should age myself a little bit? Angel said I look like his little sister... Maro said I look like his girlfriend..."


    Perhaps she shouldn''t trust Maro''s judgement too much... That goblin was such a pervert honestly.


    "Oh? You''re going to age yourself? Try not to make it your real ag¡ª"


    "Portgas D. Rosan."


    "..."


    "..."


    "...Regardless, maybe you should age yourself a bit. You are so reluctant to change anything about yourself. You need to be less rigid. I will always approve of what you do."


    Be less rigid... Mod would keep that in mind. She really should change some things about herself.


    "Maybe I''ll make myself a man. Then I can be the father figure a troubling child like you needs."


    "Don''t overstep your boundaries."


    She giggled.


    Usopp didn''t expect Rosan to be able to transform into a whole other person who had their own personality and name but he was beginning to learn that the redhead was full of way too many surprises.


    At least that explained how he was able to so quickly give him the mask and hammer... Or why he didn''t consider himself a crafter. Modification let him skip all the steps needed for that...


    Cheater.


    Mod coughed to get all their attention and they all stood at attention at her gentle but commanding air.


    "Since I''m out here, I suppose I can help you guys make it to the Grand Line! I''ve actually been there before without Rosan so I''d like to warn you that it can be dangerous and that Reverse Mountain is rather tricky to navigate," the Devil Fruit explained.


    Nami beamed happily at that. She wanted to speak to the wise Devil Fruit again since their first conversation and to know that she could just possess Rosan''s body, was a massive boon! She''d get to speak to the Devil Fruit whenever she wanted now, Rosan be damned!


    "You''ll be staying out then?" Rosan asked, patting a giddy Ram.


    "Yes, if you don''t mind," Mod replied.


    Mod-chan knew he didn''t mind but she was verifying anyways because that''s just how his mother was.


    She smiled and rolled her eyes. "It''s called being polite, Rosan. Something you should dearly learn besides your artificial kindness that does nothing to hide your rude words."


    "Oh? Perhaps I should be polite to all the woman that speak to me then."


    "Nevermind, please continue to be rude."


    "Right..."


    She grumbled to herself and sought to fix the biggest issue being out gave her.


    Sanji almost went into shock, due to the woman placing a hand on her charge''s expensive clothing and modifying it to perfectly fit her frame. Rosan had been wearing a purple silk shirt and long khaki pants.


    It looked just as good on Mod-chan as it did on him. Seriously, it wasn''t even designed to be tight but the woman was just that...


    "Alright, before we make it there I want to tell you guys some things about Reverse Mountain!" Mod informed them, clapping her hands to get their attention. One mistake and they''d all die, so she would make sure that didn''t happen unlike Rosan who''d just go with the flow until they were actually about to die.


    "You''re such a mom," Ram snorted, only to immediately squeak at the warning hum Mod shot her way.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Woah, it really is a mystery mountain!" Luffy gaped in awe.


    Reverse Mountain was massive, standing high in the sky and eclipsing the, in comparison, tiny ship beneath it.


    True to Mod and Nami''s words, the rivers from the Blue Seas flowed up the mountain in a bizarre display that looked unnatural to witness.


    "The water actually does flow up the mountain," Zoro gawked. He hadn''t believed them when they were saying it, but it was actually true! Even though he was looking at it, the swordsman still found it hard to believe.


    "It''s huge!" Usopp bugged.


    "The entrance to the Grand Line¡­" Nami awed. She couldn''t even see the top of it!


    "C-Can''t Rosan just fly us over?!" The sniper stammered, looking at the hellish waves in fear.


    "No way! We have to do it this way!" Luffy stubbornly refused.


    "Rosan''s preoccupied with Ram anyways. She''s not going to let him go just so he can help you all," Mod giggled softly, glancing at the familiar mountain. Rosan flew over it plenty of times while Reaper or during Ragnarok but he always avoided the Grand Line.


    "Yeah! He isn''t going anywhere," Ram purred, nuzzling her complacent father with gusto.


    "I hate him so much," Sanji muttered.


    "Did you say something, Sanji?" Mod asked curiously, glancing at the chef and drinking a smoothie she gave to him. The crashing waves were quite loud so she couldn''t be too sure.


    Though, he really was an incredible chef. This tasted delicious!


    "Nothing Mod-chan!" The chef swooned, resisting the urge to charge and reassure her due to his internal dilemma.


    "Idiot," Zoro snorted. He heard the chef loud and clear and the blonde was just showing that he was a complete moron.


    "What was that?" Sanji said warningly.


    "You heard what I said," The swordsman mocked.


    The two got up close and began glaring at the other, only to let out twin yelps of pain at the incredibly soft hands firmly gripping both of their cheeks.


    "Now''s not the time, you two," Mod admonished with a slight glare, flooring the two to their knees with her deceptively monstrous strength. "Fight each other after we make it into the Grand Line! You all need to be able to help!"


    "We''re sowwy," they groaned in pain.


    How was she this strong and how did the simple action of getting their cheek gripped, hurt this damn much. Hands that soft should not hurt so much!


    "WE''RE GETTING SUCKED IN!" Luffy gaped and the straw hats immediately went into a flurry of action.


    "PULL UP THE SAILS! SANJI, USOPP, KEEP STEERING THE RUDDER!" Nami ordered.


    "WE''RE GOING OFF COURSE! GO TO THE RIGHT! RIGHT!" Luffy barked.


    "RIGHT? YOU MEAN STARBOARD? ALRIGHT!" Usopp nodded.


    Together, he and Sanji pushed the rudder through the strong currents, only to get sent flying as the rudder broke.


    Time froze as they felt their life flashing before their eyes with that simple action.


    "THE RUDDER!" They screeched in horror.


    "Oh dear that''s not very good," Mod hummed. She was about to interfere and try to redirect the course of the ship but Luffy was already on the move.


    "Gomu Gomu no Balloon!" He roared, getting in the way of the Going Merry and the wall that it was about to crash into. His face went blue at being squeezed at such a high pressure but he successfully redirected the ship back on course and set it straight.


    Mod smiled as he latched back onto the ship and went to the broken rudder, picking it up and placing it back on its broken spot, before saying, "Modification: Repair," and fixing it.


    "You are so much more useful than Rosan," Nami sobbed, hugging the woman for her life.


    The Devil Fruit smiled and pat her back reassuringly. "I''m sure he wouldn''t have let you all die! He just doesn''t like to baby people and if he thinks you can handle it, he will let you. I''m a bit more of a worrywart and I like to stop it before it happens."


    "A bit?" Rosan repeated and she flushed.


    "I can''t help it!" She whined. Years of being a mother to a redhead that caused her nothing but worry, did things to her! It was Rosan''s fault for being so chaotic and making her prioritize their safety!


    "Can we replace him with you?" Nami begged.


    "As flattered as I am, I wouldn''t want to swap positions with Rosan. I can''t imagine how insufferable he''d be if he were Modification," the woman sighed forlornly. She was pleased that her presence was so well received by them all. It was always nice to be reaffirmed about how much people liked her.


    "I''ve always wanted to do this," Rosan suddenly said.


    Always wanted to do this? What was he talking about¡ª


    The woman blinked in confusion, before gasping at the sudden headache she received. "O-Ow! Rosan you¡ª"


    That little brat! Her head was pounding right now and she began nursing the spot it throbbed the most.


    "Mod-chan, are you alright?" Sanji asked, watching the woman grab her head and steadying her with a concerned glance.


    "Thank you Sanji... I''m fine, my wielder just thinks he''s very funny," the purple haired woman grit out, sighing in relief at the feeling vanishing. "I''m going to be teaching him a lesson very soon about how he should treat his mother," she promised.


    "You''ve done that to me more times than I can count. It''s only fair I return the favor," Rosan countered.


    "I didn''t even do anything to warrant that! Everytime I do it to you, you deserve it," she growled.


    "Sure you did."


    "Would you mind telling me?"


    "...No."


    For someone so emotionless, he sure did manage to come off as smug all the time. No worries, Mod would be getting her hands on him once all was said and done!


    The shock of the entire situation wore off, as the ship sailed steadily up the mountain and the crew beamed at the realization that they finally made it to the Grand Line!


    "WOOHOO! WE MADE IT!" Luffy cheered ecstatically.


    They all cheered at their accomplishment and began celebrating joyously as they sailed up the sea.


    "Nami, I see a mountain up ahead!" Sanji called suddenly.


    Nami''s high vanished as she blinked in confusion and looked back at him. "A mountain? That''s not right, there should be open sea past the Twin Capes¡­ Mod-chan, do you have a clue?"


    The woman''s eyes were narrowed and glowing, looking past the clouds and into the distance.


    Nami was right, there wasn''t supposed to be a mountain so something must have happened.


    "Oh. That''s not a mountain, I think that''s an Island Whale... they''re from the West Blue and are the largest whales in the world," Mod pointed out, gaze turning contemplative.


    "IT''S A MONSTER!" Usopp shrieked. That was the largest whale he''d ever seen! It was huge!


    "WHAT DO WE DO?!" Nami screamed in panic.


    "I fixed the rudder and there''s an opening to the left," Mod supplied helpfully and they rushed to move the ship.


    The Devil Fruit blinked in confusion at Luffy running in a different direction, but that confusion turned into open mouthed disbelief, as the rubber boy fired off a cannon directly into the whale.


    The force of the cannon shot was enough to halt the momentum of the Going Merry, but it had the added effect of breaking off the goat figurehead.


    "Another thing you have to repair," Rosan spoke up, relaxing on the comfy sofa with Ram on top.


    "Handy Woman," Ram chimed.


    Mod was too shocked at how stupid her little rubber boy was to bite back a retort at the two most annoying people she knew.


    Luckily, the whale didn''t seem to notice them and they quickly steered the ship past it, hoping to get away without drawing its attention. All seemed to be going well and they held their breaths at making it directly to the whale''s eyes that wasn''t focused on them.


    Unfortunately, they forgot just who their captain was.


    "WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY SPECIAL SEAT?!" Luffy roared, cocking his arm back and launching it at the gigantic whale, punching it right in its eye.


    "YOU IDIOT!" They all screeched in horror.


    What happened next, could only be read in story books. The whale eyed the ship, opened its mouth and began sucking in everything from the water, to the fish, to the ship that had offended it.


    "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"


    "WAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"


    "GWAHHHH!"


    They all screamed in terror as the Going Merry was swallowed whole and the whale closed its mouth.


    Luffy managed to avoid being swallowed and currently lay on top of the whale in horror.


    "What do I do?! They all just got eaten," the rubber boy muttered to himself.


    "I can''t believe you got our crew eaten, Luffy," Mod admonished, floating right next to him and shaking her head in disapproval.


    She immediately noticed what the whale was trying to do and had quickly summoned Ragnarok''s draconic wings to fly away.


    Unfortunately she hadn''t been able to grab anyone in her haste to get out but there was no way she was getting swallowed by a whale before Rosan did.


    The amount of fuel he''d have on her wasn''t worth it...


    "Modi! You''re alive!" Luffy gasped before rounding on the whale again and violently punching the top of its heads. "GIVE ME THE REST OF MY FRIENDS BACK YOU STUPID WHALE!"


    In response to his demands, the whale began to dive back in the water and left the rubber boy stumbling. Luffy realized what it was about to do and he renewed his attacks in desperation.


    "DON''T GO UNDERWATER WITH MY FRIENDS, STUPID!" He roared, pounding harder and harder.


    "Luffy, look," Mod said, pointing at a... door on the whale. "I think they might be in there and alive. Go save them please."


    The rubber boy made a mad dash for the entrance and dove in without hesitation, just as the whale fully submerged itself.


    Mod scratched her head at being the only one there and floated over to the Twin Capes.


    "I don''t understand," she muttered in confusion. "I was so much more helpful than Rosan, yet it still ended in disaster? Did I do something wrong?"


    She wasn''t understanding. It felt just like the days when she used to help Rosan as a child, but the redhead chose to do the craziest thing regardless.


    "You expected something to go right when dealing with Luffy. That''s what you did wrong," Rosan replied blandly.


    "You can''t control chaos, Auntie! You can only slightly influence it," Ram agreed sagely.


    Seriously? Were they serious right now?


    "I don''t need you two to lecture me right now. That''s the last thing I need actually. I''m already confused and I don''t want you two to make it worse."


    "Old age has taken its toll on you."


    "Maybe we should put her in a retirement home¡­"


    They were so dead.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Ah so the whale has so much scars on its head because its slamming it against the Red Line," Rosan mused, nursing his head in his palms.


    "I thought it was because it fought a whale with a sword," Ram mused, nursing her bright red cheek.


    "That doesn''t make any sense," Mod tried to join.


    "That would have been much better," Rosan nodded, agreeing with his weapon.


    "Wouldn''t it?! I wanna fight a whale wielding a sword one day!"


    "Why would you want to fight a whale with a sword?! How would it even begin wielding it?!"


    "We''re in the Grand Line so we might find one to fight one day, Ram. Do aquatic zoans even exist? How does that work...?"


    "An aquatic zoan sounds insanely stupid! It''s biggest advantage is just lost so I don''t think it exists."


    "You never know... I''ve never seen one personally but they might exist."


    ...


    "Can you two please stop ignoring me?!" Mod whined pleadingly.


    After disciplining them both, Rosan and Ram unanimously decided that the best course of action, was to ignore the Devil Fruit and they had done so for the entire duration of waiting for their crew to exit the whale.


    It had been amusing to her at first, but she hadn''t accounted how stubborn they were and they didn''t acknowledge a single word she said.


    It was driving her insane! They were the ones who bullied her and she was getting ignored for retaliating?!


    "Do you hear something, Father?" Ram asked, puzzled.


    Rosan tilted his head to the side at that question. "Are you alright, Ram? I don''t hear anything," he replied.


    "Must be the voices in my head that constantly tell me to kill everything," she shrugged.


    The two were content to exclude Mod from their conversation for even longer, until they heard sniffing and all those thoughts were immediately thrown out of the window.


    "F-Fine! I know when I''m not wanted," Mod stammered, bottom lip wobbling in defeat as tears sprung to her eyes. "I''ll just go to my room and sleep if that''s what you two want..."


    Ram saw Mod wipe her eyes with the back of her hand and immediately folded, Rosan followed soon after.


    "W-Wait, Auntie! We were just messing with you!" Ram placated desperately. She grabbed the teary eyed woman and engulfed her tightly into her bust. "We didn''t mean to make you cry! We won''t ignore you again!"


    "Are you okay? Should I come in there to make sure you''re good?" Rosan asked, getting ready to enter his mindscape.


    "I-I''m fine! You don''t have to come in here just to check on me!" Mod whimpered, hugging the silver haired woman and burying her face into the crook of the tall girl''s neck.


    "We''ll spoil you for the next few days as apology. I''ll even transform into my childish form and let you cuddle me," Rosan reassured and she nodded with a small, "Okay..."


    Mod smiled brightly to herself at a job well done, still hugging the surprisingly comfortable body of Ram.


    Those two were bullies but they still spoiled her rotten and she knew just how to get what she wanted from them. A little bit of tears here and a whimper there and they always apologized.


    They deserved it for ignoring her for so long! She would gladly take her reward, thank you!


    They spent some time spoiling the oldest inhabitant of their body before noticing that the whale stopped crashing its head into the Red Line.


    "I guess it got tired," Rosan hummed.


    "Maybe it''s settling down so that it can fully digest our crew."


    "How morbid! Luffy''s Save Point is still pulsing strongly so they should all be fine. You won''t move to them?"


    "No thanks. I''d rather not go inside of a whale. It must smell terrible and my nose is sensitive."


    Mod sweatdropped but didn''t say anything else. She had also opted to not go inside the whale after all.


    After some time, their attention was grabbed by the sleeping whales¡­ sides opening? What type of whale was this? Was it like one of Rosan''s modifications? But his creations were just as weak to being submerged as he was and they sunk immediately...


    The Going Merry rowed out and Rosan watched them from his spot on the cape. There were unknown people there so he wouldn''t make his way to them yet.


    Well, that was until Luffy ripped of the mast of their ship and began fighting the island whale.


    "It hasn''t even been a day yet and 3 parts of the ship have been broken," Mod groaned.


    It was a good thing Rosan didn''t plan on this ship being their permanent one. He''d find a way to upgrade as soon as possible because this tiny caravel would be torn apart by the Grand Line.


    "I feel like I missed some information while they were gone," Rosan hummed. The redhead chose this moment to jump away because his brother was bringing the action right to him.


    Transforming his hidden armband discreetly, he utilized his raid boots and hovered over to his crew saying, "What did I miss?" once he landed.


    "Oh, Rosan, you''re back," Sanji said, sounding disappointed.


    "Mod-chan is gone already?" Nami sighed sadly.


    "What a warm welcome," Rosan replied, not even blinking. He could see how Mod-chan was more popular than him. She was much more willing to help and kind as well.


    He hadn''t been kidding, if the purple haired woman had a real body, she''d have a plethora of suitors. Her personality and appearance, would make her very desired and it would make him very murderous.


    "S-Stop!" Mod flushed. "Why do you guys do this so often?!"


    "Cuz you''re hot, hottie!" Ram chimed.


    "Someone has to appreciate your beauty," Rosan nodded.


    "Ugh, you two never stop giving me headaches!" Mod complained with a smile on her red face. They were honestly so annoying sometimes.


    Nami sped him up on the details, as Luffy made a heartfelt declaration to the whale and got it to stop crashing its head in the wall by painting a horrible insignia of their jolly roger on it.


    The whale, Laboon, met a pirate crew a long time ago and attached to them as a baby, becoming the whale''s family for a long time.


    Unfortunately, they needed to continue their journey through the Grand Line and they refused to bring the whale with them, claiming that he''d be in danger if he tried following them through the dangerous sea.


    So they made him wait. They promised the whale that they''d come back for him and left him at the Twin Capes with the old man, Crocus.


    But that had been 50 years ago and they never showed up even once. Laboon was convinced that they were on the other side of the Red Line and repeatedly crashed his head into it, in hopes of meeting the pirates again.


    Rosan simply tilted his head at the story. "Normally I''d call someone waiting 50 years stupid but I guess I can''t blame a baby animal for believing in them."


    "You don''t feel bad for him?" Usopp asked in shock.


    "No. You shouldn''t rely on a person to fulfill their end of the bargain. It''s always better to take action yourself," Rosan answered. It was exactly what he had done on Daybreak. His overreliance on Robin, when she didn''t deserve such expectations placed on her, is what broke him in the first place. If he had been more self reliant in the first place, he''d have crafted a plan to get out of there long before 6 months.


    It wasn''t worth relying on someone else so one-sidedly...


    "R-Right... I can see that..." The liar nodded hesitantly at the redhead''s logic. It sounded like he had quite a bit of trust issues...


    The redhead grabbed the broken off mast of their ship and placed it in its original location, until it looked exactly as it did, before saying "Repair," and patching it up like it had been glued back on.


    He did the same thing with the figurehead of Merry and stepped back after finishing his job.


    "So useful," Usopp''s eyes glinted in fascination.


    "Why would he rip off the mast to our ship¡­ Does Luffy ever think about his actions?" Rosan muttered.


    "AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"


    Everyone paused at that screech of horror and the crew looked over at their navigator who released the noise of distress.


    She showed them all her compass and they saw that it was spinning rapidly. Having a broken compass on the open sea was a recipe for disaster and if they didn''t get one fixed, they''d probably die.


    "Oh, I didn''t get the chance to explain that to them¡­" Mod muttered. It didn''t seem like she''d have to take over to explain because the old doctor, Crocus, took it upon himself to do so.


    They (everyone but Luffy) listened to his explanation with undivided attention.


    The Grand Line was filled with abnormal magnetic fields due to how rich in minerals all their islands were. As a result, normal compasses didn''t work and would just spin in every direction as long as you remained in the bizarre sea.


    To make matters worse, the sea and winds of the Grand Line had no clear pattern, being extremely random. If you tried to sail the ocean blind and with no direction, you''d almost certainly die.


    "You speak with experience. How much of the Grand Line have you explored?" Rosan asked the old man curiously.


    He smirked gruffly. "A whole lot of it. I''ve seen it all."


    Seen it all... surely he wasn''t implying. The redhead gazed at him with a tilted head.


    "You were a pirate?" He asked curiously.


    "I was the doctor for about three years," Crocus confirmed, idly tapping his single crutch on the floor.


    The redhead simply nodded before focusing back on the issue at hand.


    Mod had taught him and Robin about the Grand Line''s nature when they had been sailing to the North Blue. It was one of the main reasons they hadn''t been allowed in the dangerous sea They were both skilled, but neither were very well versed in Navigation and only learned it to a level that would help them survive in the Blue Seas.


    If the two had stayed together and decided to go there, they''d have had to recruit a competent Navigator (something neither wanted to do) and secure an item called a "Log Pose."


    It was a special compass that recorded magnetic fields and the best way to sail the Grand Line. It was practically your lifeline and if you didn''t have one, your days were numbered.


    This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    "A weird compass? You mean like this?" Luffy asked, through a mouthful of food. He showed Crocus a literal Log Pose and the man nodded in confirmation.


    "Yes, just like that. Without a Log Pose, you can''t sail the Grand Line," the doctor told them.


    Nami was nodding along with his words. "I see¡­ but wait a second¡­"


    The Navigator rounded on Luffy and punched him right in the cheek, flooring him.


    "WHERE''D YOU EVEN GET THAT?!" She roared.


    "Those two weirdos dropped it!" Luffy explained bluntly, patting his belly in relief.


    After some talks about Raftel (Rosan knew it), their captain declared that it was time to set sail and brought all of their attention to the elephant trunk tuna that Sanji so graciously prepared for them, or lack thereof.


    "Wait¡­ YOU ATE ALL OF IT BY YOURSELF?!" Sanji roared. H-He wanted Nami and Rosan to try that! This stupid rubber idiot! Why did he have to be so selfish!


    The chef delivered a vicious kick to Luffy''s stomach that sent him flying past a Nami who had just finished attaching the Log Pose to her wrist. This of course meant that it broke from the sheer speed Luffy flew past her and the navigator''s eyes went blank in shock.


    Without any hesitation, Nami punted the two into the ocean with a look of rage on her features.


    "They deserved that," Rosan muttered with a sigh. If Nami didn''t do it, he would and his idea of punishment was much more severe.


    "Hasn''t Maro been to the Grand Line on Government business before? She may have some for you," Mod sighed tiredly.


    She had hadn''t she... about two years ago. He would have to check with her, else they''re journey might be on delay for a while.


    "Don''t worry, you guys can have mine as thanks for helping Laboon," Crocus smiled slightly.


    "Oh, thank goodness," Nami sighed in relief, accepting it gratefully.


    Ah, never mind. He didn''t have to go ask Maro then. Good, that girl loved to brag about the simplest of things and then threw a tantrum when Rosan''s wordplay proved too much for her.


    "She never lacks in confidence," Mod mused fondly.


    Rosan used to always tell her never to doubt herself because he knew what she was capable of and it was good enough to be confident. The queen had taken those words to heart and did everything with utmost faith in herself and it proved to help her out more often then not.


    Sanji burst out of the water with a swirly eyed Luffy, both gulping deep breaths of air.


    Miss Wednesday and Mr. 9 burst out of the water, both gulping deep breaths of air.


    The 4 looked at each other with confusion on their features.


    "Huh?!" They all repeated.


    "Hey, we have a request," Mr. 9 said to the back of a Sanji who had only helped up Miss Wednesday.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "You guys agreed to escort them to Whiskey Peak?" Rosan asked, raising a brow and staring down their two new passengers. They tried to appear brave, but he could see the slightest tremors in their body at his empty gaze.


    Nami punched him softly on the shoulder and he finally took his gaze off them, getting a sigh of relief out of the two victims.


    What an unnerving gaze¡­


    "Don''t bully them too much. They promised us a reward," she said knowingly.


    "Oh? Then I have no complaints," the redhead nodded, giving their navigator a high five at a job well done.


    She grinned smugly and the two began discussing in detail what they could extort from the agents.


    "They''re so greedy," Usopp and Zoro muttered at the same time, watching the two interact with sweatdrops.


    Rosan idly tapped Nami while they were talking and she withheld a shriek at the sudden, "I''ll keep an eye on them," that reverberated through her head.


    "Don''t speak aloud. This is my link technique and allows us to speak to each other without verbally saying anything."


    Nami nodded minutely.


    Useless would never be a word she could describe Rosan as.


    "Good, I was going to keep an eye on them too. I don''t trust them for even a second," Nami said. It was a good thing someone else was rightfully wary of them. Sanji was already smitten with the girl, Zoro didn''t seem keen on doing anything about it, Usopp was a coward and Luffy was too stupid to think of their ulterior motives.


    "That''s why I''m discussing this with you. You''re crafty enough to not make our intentions clear. If Whiskey Peak is their base, we can use that as an opportunity to take anything of value when they inevitably betray us."


    Nami grinned at that. "Sounds good to me! I''ll focus on stealing the valuables and giving you anything useful. You do whatever you do and keep me from dying!"


    "Right."


    With that they ended their conversation and he let her walk off.


    Nami was a person familiar with the darkness of the world. After revealing some of their past to each other on the way to Arlong Park, the scout and the navigator reached a much deeper level of understanding with each other and it strengthened their bond to that of siblings who annoyed each other.


    Rosan knew Nami could handle some of the darker aspects of his personality so she''d be able to handle what he was telling her and he¡­ trusted her. She deserved it.


    He cut their connection and the entire crew boarded the ship before saying their farewells to the lighthouse keeper and the whale.


    "I wonder if they''re the ones we''re waiting for eh, Roger? That kid has such a mysterious air about him, not to mention the straw hat," Crocus mused, leaning on his good leg. He was almost positive that the rubber boy''s straw hat was the same one that Roger had given to that squirt Shanks.


    Not to mention that redhead. He was sure the one who he barely saw knew he was apart of Roger''s crew.


    There was something about him... a familiar air that reminded him of a lone pirate that took his leg around 24 years ago while passing through the Twin Capes to exit the Grand Line.


    That man... seemingly polite at first but with a savage air that turned lethal once he somehow connected the dots to who''s crew he sailed with. The only reason he wasn''t killed was because the man said, "You weren''t at that incident so I''ll make do with your leg."


    That redhead, while nearly nonexistent, had a very similar aura as him. The wild aura of a person who loved nothing more then the thrill of battle.


    He must have been a real problem before getting traumatized. At least it seems like he didn''t hold a similar vendetta against Roger.


    What an interesting crew! He was looking forward to hearing about their exploits.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Zoro''s three blades collided with the swing of a sword that was similar in design to Mihawk''s own and he panted in strain at the power behind the blow, before using the attacker''s strength against them and suddenly letting up the pressure.


    "Tiger Trap!" He called, swinging all three blades down to hit his target.


    Unfortunately, he wasn''t able to capitalize on it like against Hachi because his opponent already anticipated that.


    The assailant leaned back the perfect distance to avoid the swords, before swiftly diving back into his guard.


    The flat of the blade crashed into his gut and sent him flying before he recovered with vicious coughs, clenching the sword in between his mouth tightly.


    He wasn''t able to recover his breath due to the flash of red making his way over at incredible speeds and he gripped all three swords to begin spinning in a circle.


    "Dragon Twister!" he barked, conjuring a massive gust of cutting winds and successfully stopping the figure from finishing their charge, lest they get caught in the winds.


    He should have known that it wouldn''t be enough to stop the man''s onslaught.


    "Clemency."


    Zoro was not expecting the wave of energy and wind from the giant sword that tore the ground beneath it and crashed into him with crushing force, sending him flying until he rolled to a stop.


    The swordsman hacked up and tried to regain the air that was knocked out of him.


    "Let''s call it here," Rosan said, transforming his giant sword back into its trusty ring. "Are you alright? I dialed the power down behind that attack by a good amount but it should have still done damage."


    Zoro groaned and accepted the offered hand, pulling himself back up. "It only hurts that bad because of how long we''ve been going for."


    The two had taken to training with each other because of Ram and Zoro quickly learned some things about the redhead.


    For one, he genuinely was as ruthless as he claimed to be. He never gave Zoro much time to rest and battered him with all manner of weapons, never letting him get well adjusted to one and only giving him enough of a break to drink water and catch his breath.


    Two, the redhead had a dizzying amount of stamina. They had been training for hours now since the morning had started and Zoro was exhausted from the sheer physical workout he was put through.


    Their scout seemed like he was more then ready for more but he said that was enough training for today.


    Three, he gave great advice. It was obvious that Ram had been able to instruct him so well against Hachi because of the redhead. To be honest, the silver haired woman was the kind to tell him to smash things into pieces with no thought processes.


    Already, Zoro could feel himself growing stronger and he grinned despite the pain he was in.


    "Once we get a doctor, I''ll be able to push you even more," Rosan muttered, repairing the swordsman''s clothing. "We made good progress today. I''ve learned your strengths and weaknesses so I know what to pinpoint next time. Let''s go back to the ship."


    They were currently in the castle of the redhead''s Pocket Dimension in his custom created training grounds and the two had been here since waking up quite early.


    Rosan figured the perfect time to train was while traveling between islands and Zoro agreed with that notion so when either were on watch duty, the redhead would leave a bird behind and they''d be off.


    "Right, I need to get something to eat then take a nap," the swordsman grunted, grabbing the redhead''s shoulder and closing his eyes as they both vanished.


    He idly shivered at the massive drop in temperature as they appeared on the Going Merry.


    Even after working up such a sweat, it was still cold as hell... Wasn''t it hot just this morning?


    "I like your snowman, Luffy," Rosan greeted, idly stretching parts of his body and looking unbothered by the drop in temperature.


    "It''s not bad," the swordsman nodded, cracking his back and groaning in relief as the slight pressure abated.


    "If you want, I could give you a massage," the redhead offered. "Helps release tension in the muscles and I''ve gotten pretty good at them."


    Zoro thought about it before shrugging. "You''re the expert. If it helps me grow stronger faster, I won''t say no and caring for the body is more important then training it."


    Rosan nodded in approval as he and Zoro both began walking towards the kitchen to grab something to eat, conversing about the next session and what they would focus on.


    "Hi Rosan, Zoro!" Luffy beamed. "You guys were training? Lemme join next time!"


    "Sure," they agreed.


    "What about my snowman?" Usopp preened, showing off his artistically sculpted Snow Queen. It was much better than Luffy''s so he was sure to get even more praise ¡ª


    Zoro closed the door behind him and the training duo vanished to get some food.


    Usopp''s eyes bugged at being completely ignored by the two. "A-AT LEAST LOOK AT IT!"


    "Oh! Nice snowman! Snowman punch!" Luffy said, punching the head off of the snowman Usopp crafted.


    The sniper blinked in confusion before he registered what happened and an all out snowball brawl ensued between the two after he let out a yell of outrage.


    "How are they able to move so effortlessly in the cold?" Nami muttered with a slight shiver under her blanket.


    "Youthful energy," Rosan commented, glancing at their two passengers for a moment. "Did Luffy eat everything?" He asked their navigator.


    "Shit, I forgot about that possibility," Zoro muttered. That damn Luffy always eating others food.


    Surprisingly, Nami shook her head no. "Sanji put a lock on the fridge to stop him from stealing you two''s portion. I''ll get the key for it."


    "No need, I''m used to breaking into things. I can do it," Rosan replied, getting a sweatdrop out of all of them.


    "Why can''t you just use the key?" Nami asked slowly.


    "This seems more annoying," Rosan replied.


    "More annoying? Let''s do it then," Zoro grinned. Anything to get on that lovey dovey chef''s nerves.


    The three watched the duo vanish into the kitchen with dumbfounded gazes.


    "There''s something wrong with him. I swear," Nami moaned to herself.


    It didn''t take Rosan long at all to get the fridge open and the two grabbed their separate plates, taking turns reheating it and eating in peace.


    "Something''s been bothering me," Zoro suddenly said. "It''s about those two passengers. Their names ring a bell but I can''t remember where."


    "Oh? It''s likely nothing good, right?" Rosan asked, getting a nod out of the swordsman. "Stay on your guard then. Nami and I are already aware that they may be up to something and I see no problem including you."


    "You don''t gotta tell me twice," Zoro nodded. It was good that he wasn''t the only one wary of them.


    Just where did he hear their names¡­ It was hard to think deeper about it, with all the chaos going on outside.


    Wait. Chaos?


    "Eh? What''s all the noise?" The swordsman muttered, glancing up from his plate of food. There was a lot of screaming right now and a lot of movement... and a lot of screaming.


    "I don''t know but I''m not checking until I finish my food," the redhead replied. He took another bite to prove his point and Zoro snorted.


    "ROSAN, COME HELP US!" Nami''s voice roared in the distance, making the scout pause.


    "Did¡­ Did she hear me?" He asked himself. "Why didn''t she call you?"


    "Dunno, but I''ll be enjoying my food since you''re on the case," Zoro snickered.


    "Tch." The redhead placed his fork down and stood up to head out there.


    Their Navigator might actually be a witch.


    When he made his way outside, watching the ship sail towards an iceberg, was really not what he was expecting.


    "You guys seem like you''re having fun," he commented idly.


    "DO SOMETHING! YOU ARE NOT STAYING OUT OF IT THIS TIME!" Nami screeched and he rubbed his ear.


    "When someone tells me what to do, I get the urge to not do it," he said, standing on the railing and staring at the looming iceberg approaching.


    "THAT''S BECAUSE YOUR A BRAT!" The navigator roared.


    The redhead ignored her. Turning Ram into a set of gloves, he aimed both his hands at the ship and began accumulating the necessary energy. It was massive at first before quickly condensing into something smaller, particles flying in at every direction and fusing with the tiny ball of red energy.


    "W-WE''RE GONNA CRASH!" Usopp screamed, watching the Merry get closer to the massive pillar of ice. They might be able to just barely scrape by it but they''d take damage in the process¡ª


    "Exoneration."


    Everyone paused in stunned silence as the once tiny red ball, flew off and turned into something enormous, crashing and consuming the iceberg that was the same size as it.


    Their jaws dropped to the deck as Merry was allowed to safely sail through the suddenly open area. There was nothing left of the icy pillar that was going to send them to an early grave and they felt their eyes bug.


    "You interrupted my meal for that," Rosan said softly, drawing all eyes to the one who had done it.


    He was utterly unbothered by the rapid shifts in weather and glanced at a tear in the sail, floating up with his raid boots and getting closer to it so he could seal it shut.


    He landed on the floor without a sound and glanced at the shell shocked members. "Why are you all staring at me? Get back to work. Don''t expect me to do everything for you and I''m still hungry."


    "Monster," they all thought at the same time, getting back into the swing of things far slower then they would have liked.


    It took a lot of effort, but they managed to weather the bizarre weather of the Grand Line and soon, everyone, sans Rosan and Zoro were lying on the floor in defeat.


    "What an interesting ocean," Rosan said, glancing at the perfect weather with a tilted head and an empty plate of food. "You weren''t kidding huh, Mod-chan?"


    "Nope. One second there''s peace. The next, utter chaos. The Grand Line has its own set of rules that you have to be aware of or else you''ll be consumed by its nature," Mod said, smiling all the while.


    "That''s so exciting!" Ram cheered. "I love this place already!"


    "It does sound quite interesting. I''m looking forward to sailing this sea more."


    "We should be arriving to the island soon," Rosan commented to the sleeping members.


    "This place¡­ my navigation skills are totally useless here," Nami said determinedly. She had a solid idea of how dangerous the Grand Line was now. There was no way she''d allow herself to get so caught off guard again and next time, they''d deal with this way better.


    "Will you really be okay?" Usopp asked, sounding unsure.


    "Of course! Look, the first leg of our journey is over!" She smiled.


    They all picked themselves up at her words and looked over the railing, seeing that she was right, there was an island in the distance and they were fast approaching.


    "Oh! I see it! The island is right there!" Luffy cheered excitedly.


    "An island of cactus?" Sanji muttered. That was strange but apparently this was probably the norm for the Grand Line.


    The mostly silent agents (they were left staring at Rosan the entire time) took that time to bid them farewell in... whatever way they wished.


    "We''ll be taking our leave now!" Mr. 9 said. Both he and Miss Wednesday had jumped onto the railing and we''re now regarding the Straw Hats with cocky smiles.


    "Thanks for the ride, darlings!" Miss Wednesday smirked. "Maybe fate will allow us to cross paths again!"


    "Bye-bye, baby!"


    With that, they leapt back into the ocean and began¡­ swimming to the island.


    "Idiots," Rosan said, tempted to blast them but dropping it.


    Everyone shrugged and dropped it. After some discussion (dominated by Usopp not wanting to step onto the island in case of monsters and Nami reminding them that the log pose needed to reset for them to sail off the next island), the crew set sail into Whiskey Peak.


    It was mostly silent in anticipation and they couldn''t see very well due to the dense fog but that didn''t stop Rosan from gazing around with glowing eyes.


    "We''re being watched," Rosan commented idly.


    "Yeah, I hear people talking," Luffy said.


    Everyone tensed up as they heard that. They prepared for the possibility of attack and began warily glancing around.


    Silhouettes of people began appearing in their vision and their tension was replaced by confusion, as the group of pirates gasped in surprise due to hearing cheering of all things!


    "PIRATES ARE HERE!"


    "THE HEROES OF THE SEA!"


    "WELCOME TO THE TOWN OF CELEBRATION, WHISKEY PEAK!"


    "T-They''re cheering for us?" Usopp muttered in confusion, pumping up a bit due to the noises of adoration.


    "Woah!" Luffy awed.


    "Bullshit?" Ram asked. She wasn''t buying this at all.


    "Bullshit," Rosan confirmed. Unless it was a Yonko''s territory, there was no way pirates would be celebrated. Either they were trying to save themselves from their potential wrath, or there was something else going on.


    "Ram! Don''t make Rosan curse too!" Mod scolded, crossing her arms and glaring at the taller woman.


    "B-But when Father curses on his own, you never have anything to say!" the silver haired woman retorted with a look of disbelief.


    "Rosan is an adult! He''s allowed to curse!"


    "WHAT?! I''M AN ADULT TOO!"


    "You are the youngest here, young lady! You may physically be 24 but you aren''t fooling anyone!"


    Ram spluttered at the bullshit being spat out by her Auntie. What type of nonsense was this?! Why was she being discriminated by her own aunt?!


    "Y-You just want to treat someone like a kid!"


    "And?! If I want to treat you like a child, then I will! You deserve it with your personality and if we want to get technical, you''re TWELVE!"


    "T-TWELVE?! Why you... little shorty!"


    "W-What did you just call me?!"


    Rosan listened to them argue back and forth, while the mayor, Igarappoi, told them about their island and how they loved pirates.


    As expected, Luffy, Sanji and Usopp were totally fooled, while Nami, Zoro and himself pretended to be.


    The mayor offered to throw them a party, which was readily accepted by the three idiots and they merrily marched away.


    Rosan expected this much out of Luffy. Offer his brother food and he''d think you were his best friend but he didn''t expect Usopp and Sanji to be as stupid...


    Actually, scratch that. Usopp was just as gullible as his brother and if a woman so much as smiled at Sanji, he was a goner too.


    What a hopeless crew sometimes...


    An arm wrapped around his own and a woman flashed him a flirtatious smile as she urged him to follow the festivity, rubbing on his arm all the while and squeezing his bicep with a pleased noise. She dragged him towards a larger group of waving woman and the redhead closed his eyes at hearing Nami giggle.


    "Have fun, Rosan!" She commented, walking off on her own and laughing at him all the while.


    He withheld a sigh as the current argument between Mod and Ram immediately stopped in favor of what was happening in the real world.


    "WHY DOES THIS ALWAYS HAPPEN?! RUN ROSAN!"


    "BECAUSE HE''S HOT, AUNTIE! HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO ¡ª O-OW! YOU CAN''T SIWENCE THE TWUTH!"


    He didn''t get paid enough for this.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Here try this, darling~."


    Rosan smiled as he accepted the offered fork from one of the woman feeding him and they squealed at the sight of his lip curving upward slightly.


    "It''s good, can I have some more?" He praised, blinking innocently at them as he tilted his head.


    "So handsome!" They gushed, hugging his sides and getting a slight blush out of the redhead, causing them to coo even more. Without any hesitation, they clambered up to feed him from all angles and¡ª was that even more people surrounding him?


    "You might actually be a sociopath," Mod laughed, watching him make the girls eat out of his palm with his actions.


    "Akemi gave me a lot of tips on how to abuse my appearance despite my lack of emotions. She''s very good at her job."


    He also took a page out of Demon''s book since it seemed to work so well for his pretty younger brother. It never ceased to amaze him just how popular Demon was in Celadon. He was almost positive that some people got injured just to see the head of the hospital.


    His little brother looked far more gentle than him but it still seemed to work out exceedingly well.


    That was good.


    The party was well underway and it had prolonged far into the night until the moon hung high and the wind turned chilly. There were various activities going on and they made sure not a single member of the Straw Hats were left unattended to.


    His crew was really getting into the swing of things right now and he could hear Usopp loudly boasting about he had saved them all from the Calm Belt.


    That got a snarl of irritation out of Ram.


    Even Zoro and Nami seemed to fall victim to a drinking competition that offered 100,000 beri as a prize.


    The less said about the three idiots, the better. At least this might make Sanji stop being so envious of him for a while. The chef seemed to think this was a competition and had much more girls surrounding him, which was saying something because Rosan had a lot of people around him currently.


    If not for the act he was putting up, he would have long ago put distance between them because they were downright suffocating.


    He made a show of downing yet another cup of the special grape beverage that they so graciously offered and the woman cheered, feeding him again.


    Rosan basically got an idea of what they planned on doing from the moment he saw how hard the celebrations were going. It was suspicious that they''d spend so much money and resources on one random group of pirates but they were probably betting on cashing in Luffy''s 35 million bounty to sustain themselves for a while.


    He imagined this is what they did with every group. Spend money on them and get that money back by sending in their bounties.


    How wasteful. Maro just beat down any pirate that showed up on Celadon and cashed in their bounties, while keeping her own money. He was glad his student didn''t do stupid things like this because he taught her better.


    Despite claiming there was no alcohol in their drinks, Rosan''s body had immediately identified and purged its influence when taking a sip of the grape wine, alerting him to the fact that everyone else probably had spiked drinks as well.


    They were probably waiting for them all to fall asleep then¡­


    It seemed like they especially wanted him asleep, considering how much of his things were spiked. Those two agents they escorted must have told them about his exploits involving the iceberg...


    Usopp, Sanji and Luffy were unconscious and Zoro and Nami soon followed suit, leaving just him awake. The woman surrounding him were urging him to drink more and so he acquiesced, downing a cup in one go and falling backwards into the lap of one of them.


    "I''ve had enough... I''m hick going to shleep now," Rosan slurred, modifying his cheeks to make it look as if he were flushed and changing the way he spoke to make it appear as if he were drunk.


    In a matter of minutes, he gave off the image of sleeping and he felt his head get placed on the cool floor. Everyone that had been in the room began vacating it, leaving just his crew and when he was sure everyone had left, the redhead pushed himself up, red dust gone and neutral expression back into place.


    "Alright," he muttered, placing his released hair back into its bun. "Let''s get started."


    Nami stretched and regarded Rosan and Zoro curiously. "You''re pretty scary, Rosan. You actually managed to fool me into thinking you had emotions."


    "Yeah, smiling and blushing like you were genuinely enjoying yourself," Zoro smirked.


    "My strengths lie in assassination, infiltration and scouting but I am well adept in other forms of espionage as well," Rosan muttered. He often spied on people to get beneficial but he rarely pretended to be someone else. He was still adept in it however and Modification only made it easier.


    They shuddered at how casually he stated that. Using those birds to spy on his foes and then Modification to sweep in undetected... the redhead was the perfect assassin/spy.


    "Nami you can go steal anything of value. Zoro you can attack them with me. They are likely planning on capturing us and cashing out on Luffy''s bounty."


    "Should we wake them up?" Nami asked, glancing at the three morons.


    "Nah, let them sleep," Zoro grunted.


    "Ram will be happy. Her bloodlust has been rising and Mod-chan has her all riled up," Rosan commented, transforming his weapon into the double bladed sword he fought Mihawk with.


    Nami shuddered at the violent looking weapon and shook her head in pity. There was no way she was watching her scout fight with that weapon.


    "That reminds me," Zoro suddenly said. "I remember who these guys are now¡­ They''re an organization called Baroque Works."


    Rosan and Nami listened to Zoro''s explanation of them with curious expressions.


    Baroque Works was a criminal syndicate of bounty hunters who were so secretive, they didn''t even know each other''s identities. Nobody knew who the boss was but they all swore loyalty to him and faithfully carried out any missions given to them.


    "They tried to recruit me once but I refused," Zoro informed them. He had gotten in a fight with someone named Mr. 7 long ago. The man tried to recruit him and Zoro said, he''d join if they made him the leader, then he killed the man after he turned aggressive from his refusal.


    "Just a bunch of no name criminals, hm?" Rosan hummed. He wouldn''t feel bad about slaughtering them then.


    "As if you''d feel bad regardless," Mod laughed.


    The redhead shrugged. Some of them could have been useful for Maro but now he doubted it.


    Plan set, the group set off to do their own thing.


    Nami grinned cheekily at the two and did a coy wave. "Have fun you two~," she sang before rushing off to go take any and all valuables.


    "There''s about 100 bounty hunters out there," Rosan informed him.


    Zoro grinned savagely. "Split it 50/50?"


    "Sounds good to me."


    With that, the two marched out of the building.


    "Yo, Baroque Works," Zoro waved, grinning at their shocked expressions.


    "But how are you two awake?!" Mr. 8 gaped, glancing nervously between both the green and red haired man.


    Miss Wednesday and Mr. 9 made sure to stress the importance of making sure the red headed male had no chance of waking up so they spiked everything they gave him.


    The two agents fearfully explained how he had destroyed an iceberg in one attack and to avoid fighting him at all costs.


    Now, that same threat was staring at them all with a lazy gaze and a tilted head. There was no sign of sleepiness, no sign of drunkenness, no smile, no blush...


    Did he trick them? How... even if he did... they spiked all of the things he consumed. How was he even moving?!


    The entity before them took a step forward and straightened his head out. "Using my brother''s good will against him... It''s my duty to make sure he isn''t taken advantage of¡­" Rosan started off, eyes glowing dimly.


    "...So I''ll have to teach you all a lesson in good manners. Don''t worry, you did feed us after all so I won''t kill you¡­ Maybe."


    "They know our secret. We can''t let them live," Mr. 9 said, getting ready for battle.


    Miss Monday cracked her knuckles and glared at the duo. This is what she wanted to do in the first place so this worked out well for her.


    "Kill me?" Rosan asked inches away from them.


    The "mayor" jumped at the sudden proximity between the two (how did he close the distance so fast) and tried to back away to no avail.


    "The list of people who want me dead, is far more then you could ever imagine but I''m still here, alive. What do you possibly think you can do to me?"


    Mr. 8''s eyes rolled to the back of his head and he spat out a glob of blood as one part double bladed sword slashed into him, drawing a deep wound and making him collapse on the unforgiving floor.


    "I have some questions for you since you''re probably the highest rank here, Mr. Mayor. Rest until I make it back to you."


    "MR. 8!" Miss Wednesday screeched in horror, tears welling in her eyes at the injury and resisting the urge to rush the agent due to the redhead looming over him.


    Rosan didn''t miss the palpable worry radiating off of her and froze her in spot with a piercing gaze.


    Didn''t Zoro say they weren''t even aware of each other''s names? Why was this one reacting so strongly to the other agent getting attacked? They shouldn''t be loyal to each other at all.


    Fine, he would leave that one alive too for information. It required later investigation but for now¡­


    "1 down, 49 to go. Try and keep up, Zoro," Rosan taunted softly. "If I have to take out some of your half, our next training will involve dealing with multiple enemies from all angles and you won''t be using that twister of yours."


    The green haired man simply snorted and clutched one of his swords. "As if I''ll need you to finish these guys off. Even 100 of them is nothing to me," Zoro smirked with a dangerous air.


    "I don''t think you need me, I just think I''ll finish way too fast and get bored enough to interfere," Rosan shrugged.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    One second, the redhead was standing over the fallen Mr. 8, the next he was mowing his way through the bounty hunters.


    Everyone turned cold at the sight of him vanishing again and they began glancing around wildly.


    "W-Where''d he go?!" A voice of one of the bounty hunters said before he went still at suddenly feeling something dangerous behind him.


    "I''m right here, 2."


    The bounty hunter was about to whirl around to confront their enemy, but a squelching noise forced him to shakily look down instead.


    A silver blade, courtesy of the redhead standing behind him, protruded from his gut and pointed straight ahead. The pierced man tried to speak, but coughed up spit and blood instead.


    Rosan unceremoniously ripped the blade out, kicked the man away and began idly spinning the double blade sword like it were a baton.


    "S-SHOOT!" A voice roared.


    At once, 10 of the bounty hunters began shooting at the redhead with their respective firearms to very little effect.


    Rosan watched them all with a bored gaze as each bullet bounced off of his outfit, much to the terror of his enemies and he looked over at the one who ordered them to shoot.


    They desperately continued to fire at him, as he walked through the hail of bullets, spinning Ram all the while, and he eventually stood right in front of the one who had ordered them to shoot.


    The agent stopped shooting and began trembling in a primal sort of terror, as the demon''s gaze bored into his own and he gently grabbed the gun out of his sweaty hand.


    "You still haven''t realized? I''m targeting whoever makes noise," Rosan supplied helpfully, inspecting the gun in his hand.


    To his horror, it disintegrated in the redheads palm and Rosan focused on him again.


    "W-Wait, please! I give up!" The agent pleaded, tears welling in his eyes as certain death loomed over him.


    "You give up?" Rosan asked softly, tilting his head to the side with a merciless gaze.


    The other agents were still shooting at him and it was a wonder that they kept going. Did they think his Raid Suit was going to suddenly disappear.


    Maybe this would make them stop.


    "If you''ve given up, then you''ve lost the right to protest what I do to you."


    Rosan grabbed the person he had cornered around their neck, and hoisted them up before turning around.


    The effects were instantaneous. Every bullet meant for him, slammed into the screamings agent''s vulnerable body and he shook from every impact.


    "Oh? You guys haven''t stopped shooting yet?" Rosan mused, discarding the lifeless, hole filled, body to the side. "Right. I understand all I need to know now."


    The scout took a step forward, before he blurred again much to the agents panic.


    He cleaved through three shooters with one slice of his blade and thought, "6," to himself.


    "You guys aren''t worth keeping alive. Only the 4 with names are relevant to me," he resolved.


    With that, the performance truly began.


    Rosan grabbed the head of an unsuspecting enemy and threw them into another, making them both collapse on the floor. Before they could push themselves up, the redhead slammed a foot on their lower backs and ran his blade through their spines, making them scream in agony, before the two went limp.


    "8."


    "More!" Ram grinned psychotically.


    He ripped the bloody Ram out of their body and began spinning her again, turning on his heel and rocketing off to his next target.


    This one wielded a cutlass and tried to desperately guard against the confusing attack but it was too hard for someone of his level. Rosan continued spinning his weapon and crashed it into the cutlass.


    The weapon shattered immediately and due to the constant spinning, the man was not spared either, screaming as each blade tore into him.


    He jumped up to avoid a swipe for his back, and landed right next to the offender. Tensing up his leg, he brutally smashed it into their gut and the grunt went flying into a group of people charging him, bowling them all over.


    "Clemency."


    Rosan cocked Ram back and smashed it forward twice (using both blades to deliver one), sending two shock waves of wind and energy towards the pile.


    They didn''t even get to scream as their bodies were pulverized from the crushing attack.


    "17."


    Not stopping for a moment, he took too the skies and aimed at the ones looking up in an archer stance. His flexible weapon began forming multiple arrows of red energy, as his gaze locked onto as much people as possible, calculations running through his mind at incredible speeds about the best course of action.


    Finally, he fired.


    "Condemn."


    Almost like he were wielding a machine gun instead of a blade being used as a bow, the redhead shot salvo after salvo of red beams in the shape of arrows at every person he glanced at.


    They never stood a chance. They tried to run after the first arrow pierced through someone with enough force to completely cave their chest but they never got far.


    Bodies upon bodies were riddled with holes far bigger then the arrows he shot at them and he stared dispassionately as they screeched for mercy for only a split second.


    "49."


    Rosan landed quietly on the floor and felt a tiny knife fail to pierce his body.


    He glanced back to see who had caused it and raised a brow.


    The little child yelped and tears began welling in his eyes at that lifeless gaze pinning him in place, utterly unmoved by his slaughter. He tried to look for a place to run but saw no exit.


    The scout didn''t even take a step forward before a nun showed up and covered the boy''s body with her own. "P-Please lord have mercy," she stammered, clutching the tear filled childe that tried to stab him.


    She hugged the boy close to her frame and began to pray for them both.


    Rosan simply watched with a tilted head as she pleaded for their lives, expression not shifting even once.


    The nun smirked at the opening and revealed that the cross around her neck was in fact a weapon. She aimed it at the redhead and said, "Merciful Lord Blinding Powder ¡ª"


    A gloved hand palmed her face and the eyes of the Devil themselves began boring into her. Any confidence she felt, evaporated at those terrifying eyes that wanted nothing more then to consume her happiness.


    "What made you think that your Kami had any say on if you live here or not? Your life doesn''t belong to them anymore. It belongs to me," he whispered coldly, squeezing her face tighter and tighter.


    The woman squealed at the feeling of his hand closing around her skull. "I-I''m sorry! Please stop! I won''t do it again so please stop!"


    Rosan tilted his head. "Why would I stop?" Was all he asked.


    "How ruthless of you," Mod commented, watching the exchange with a curious gaze.


    Surely they didn''t think relying on a person''s morals was a good strategy, right? They were dealing with pirates and even if the Straw Hats were a much nicer bunch, Rosan was not.


    "You should have tried this trick on Zoro instead of me. He actually has a heart," Rosan said, drawing blood from the woman who''s skull he was slowly crushing.


    The little child next to her had lost that sinister grin and began shaking in true terror, unable to move due to the utterly unfeeling look in Rosan''s eyes.


    The palm covering her face began heating up, as he idly charged an energy attack that he wasn''t planning on firing and the thrashing nun began screaming in earnest, begging him to drop her and actually pleading for mercy this time.


    "Gomu Gomu no Pistol!"


    Rosan dropped the injured nun and leapt back, dodging the fist aimed for him and glancing at his brother.


    "Luffy, you''re awake and attacking me. Why? Are you being controlled?" The redhead asked. Perhaps there was another hypnotist on this island controlling his, rather simple minded, brother.


    He''d have to pursue and kill them then.


    "Rosan¡­" Luffy snarled, glaring at his brother with furious eyes after laying eyes on the nun. "HOW COULD YOU HURT THESE PEOPLE WHO FED US?!"


    Rosan blinked and Mod snorted loudly. Leave it to Luffy to completely misinterpret the situation and label his scout the bad guy.


    The scout tried to speak as slowly as possible so his brother could understand. "Luffy... are you seriously questioning why I''m attacking these people? Surely you know that everything I do is for a reason¡ª"


    The Mod Mod no mi user was cut off at the rubbery fist impacting with his cheek, head flying back from the impact.


    "YOU CAN''T JUST TOY WITH PEOPLE''S LIVES LIKE YOU ALWAYS DO! I TOLD YOU THAT''S NOT OKAY!" Luffy roared, winding up his fist. He was about to give his brother a real thrashing right now for hurting these nice people.


    Rosan mechanically turned his head to regard his brother again, slowly wiping the blood off his lip with slightly glowing eyes.


    "Alright then. If you want to act like this, then let''s act like this," the redhead decided, clenching and unclenching his fist experimentally.


    Luffy simply held up his fists and set his stance.


    Rosan followed suit.


    "It''s been a while since we last sparred. I guess I have to remind you how that always turned out."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    The last thing Zoro expected, was to see Luffy and Rosan in the middle of an all out brawl.


    "What the hell is going on?!" He asked himself in confusion. They got along so well normally so what caused this?! Was it a sibling spat?


    The swordsman had been dealing with his half (the screaming happening on Rosan''s half didn''t sound very promising for their enemies), when he ran into the two brothers duking it out.


    "A-Aren''t they crewmates?" Miss Wednesday asked, petrified by how effortlessly the agents had been dealt with.


    She had seen what the redhead had done to some of them and it made her realize that this was the wrong crew to attack. Her throat still burned from how much she heaved and she honestly felt like she wasn''t even close to finished.


    Roronoa Zoro being another monster only solidified that and now the one that they had assumed was the fake captain, was in the middle of fighting who they perceived to be the most terrifying one.


    "Gomu Gomu no Pistol!" Luffy roared, throwing out his fist.


    Rosan sidestepped it and grabbed the extended arm before Luffy could pull it back. He yanked and his little brother went flying through the air before the redhead cocked his fist back and smashed it into the rubber boys face for his efforts.


    Luffy crashed into a building and broke it on impact but no damage was done to him and he quickly recovered, bursting out of the rubble and meeting Rosan halfway.


    The two collided with each other and their battle began anew, rapidly exchanging blows that neither seemed to register.


    "What the fuck?" Nami said intelligently, watching the two go at it with a confused expression. "Why are they fighting right now?!"


    "Your guess is as good as mine," Zoro grunted. The named agents stopped trying to attack him by now, watching the destruction unfold with varied awed horror and wondering if there was any way out of this.


    "Gomu Gomu no Gatling!"


    The floor erupted up to block the barrage of fists coming his way but it wouldn''t hold out for long.


    Not like Rosan needed it too. The redhead moved the moment the wall appeared and he was already right behind Luffy.


    He lay his gloved hand right on the rubber boys back and fired before his opponent could react.


    "Retribution," he intoned, lighting up his captain''s back with the built up concussive energy


    Luffy went flying at the explosive energy that erupted from his hand but the rubber boy twisted himself in midair and sent a hand flying to grab onto his brother''s purple shirt. Getting a firm grip he used the momentum of his flight and pulled, launching Rosan past him and into a wall, breaking it on impact.


    A dust of smoke erupted from the building collapsing on Rosan and Luffy pushed himself up from his own wrecked building.


    It was a good thing he did because he was suddenly forced to dodge a barrage of boulders being thrown at him.


    Rosan, who was completely unharmed, picked up a piece of the destroyed building, modified it to ludicrous sizes, and began launching multiple at Luffy.


    The rubber boy jumped, ducked and even punched through the boulders but he knew that Rosan could keep this up all day.


    He leapt on top of the next boulder and soared off of it, flying towards Rosan with a purpose.


    "Gomu Gomu no Whip!" He exclaimed sweeping his rubbery leg to crash into the scout''s side.


    Rosan was moved by the attack but when Luffy tried to bring his foot back, he found that it was being grasped firmly by the redhead and the computer man began spinning with the elongated appendage.


    "W-Woah!" Luffy yelped, eyes turning into swirls as Rosan spun and spun, crashing him into any and everything with zero regard for their surroundings.


    He finally let go and the momentum of the spinning sent Luffy clean through another poor building, that was soon destroyed completely by the red energy blast that followed right after.


    An explosion ensued and Rosan began sprinting towards it, not letting up his assault for even a second.


    "Gomu Gomu no Rifle!"


    His charge stopped and he skidded back a few steps at the twisted fist that crashed into his gut but before he could grab it, it snapped back into place.


    "Gomu Gomu no Bazooka!"


    Two arms replaced the fist and Rosan flew backwards from the blow, before righting himself in midair and hovering with his sneakers. He landed on the floor without a sound and cracked his neck side to side.


    Luffy walked out of the collapsed building and glared at Rosan who stared back with disturbing focus. His gaze remained unblinking and for anyone who fought him, that was a very bad sign.


    The redhead''s eyes began glowing brighter, a clear sign that he was about to really begin using Modification and Luffy prepared himself accordingly.


    "These two are insane," Nami gasped in horror.


    This... They were using more power against each other, then they had against any of their past opponents! Luffy didn''t even fight this hard against Arlong!


    "I still don''t get why they''re so mad at¡­ Wait," Zoro groaned in realization. "Luffy is such an idiot!"


    "What do you mean ¡ª Oh," Nami sighed tiredly, realization hitting her as well. "He thinks Rosan attacked the people who threw us a party unprovoked, doesn''t he?"


    "I''d bet one of my swords." Zoro held his head in exasperation. To think they were fighting for such a stupid reason... it looked like Luffy managed to do something that really irked Rosan off as well because he wouldn''t normally entertain this.


    They needed to stop this before those two actually started to let loose.


    Their plans to do that were stopped rather abruptly, by the presence of two people who were not here before.


    "Kyahahaha! You two seem like you''re having fun! As much as I''d love to join, we''re here on much more important business," An unfamiliar voice, female in nature called.


    "Tch, making us come out here on such a boring mission¡­ Maybe after we finish, we can deal with these two," Another voice, this time male, said.


    Rosan and Luffy completely ignored them.


    Miss Wednesday and Mr. 9 went white in realization, glancing back at the voices.


    "Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine?!"


    Mr. 5 was a tall, dark-skinned man with black hair in short spiky dreadlocks. He wore a brown trench coat with a pink cravat and a pair of sunglasses, despite the fact that it was night.


    Miss Valentine was a tall young woman with short blond hair and bright green eyes. She wore a yellow and orange hat, as well as a yellow dress with a lemon-like pattern, lemon earrings, and white high-heeled shoes. She carried a bright green parasol with blue stripes.


    "What do you mean much more important business? Aren''t you here to help us deal with these pirates?! They''re far too strong for us!" Mr. 9 pleaded.


    "Help? You think we''d come to the beginning of the Grand Line to help you useless bunch? That''s pretty stupid don''t you think, Princess Vivi?" Mr. 5 drawled, staring a hole into Miss Wednesday.


    Miss Wednesday (or Vivi as that appeared to be her real name) turned cold and her eyes widened in horror, as she took a step back from the two agents focused on her.


    Zoro wasn''t paying any attention to what was going on right now between Baroque Works. He was trying to figure out how to convince these two to stop fighting because they were still going at it, ignoring the two new arrivals completely and throwing blow after blow at the other. At this rate, they were going to destroy everything surrounding them.


    Nami on the other hand, listened intently and felt cogs of solid gold turning in her mind.


    This Miss Wednesday, Vivi, wasn''t an agent of Baroque Works. She was a princess of a kingdom named Alabasta! A princess! That meant money!


    "Miss¡­ Pirate¡­" A pained voice called, prompting Nami to look down at the source.


    It was the mayor (and another infiltrator based on these two agents) and despite the injury Rosan inflicted on him, he still managed to crawl his way over to the ruckus. He was grabbing onto Nami''s leg with a desperate look in his eye, groaning at the pain.


    She raised a brow at him and he was prompted to continue.


    "I know I have no place to ask¡­ but please! Please protect and escort our princess to the Kingdom of Alabasta! You''ll be rewarded handsomely!" He begged.


    Bingo~


    He should really not throw such words around like that. Someone might take advantage of them.


    "We''ll do it for one billion beri!" Nami grinned cheekily.


    Someone like her!


    Igaram''s eyes bugged in disbelief at the absurd price she was asking for currently.


    "A-A billion¡­?! Ahem ma-ma-ma!"


    "That doesn''t sound too bad does it?" Nami grinned. "After all, we''re protecting your princess from two people that want her very dead! If we don''t help, who knows what will happen to her?!"


    "Witch," Zoro thought, watching Nami shamelessly blackmail the desperate man.


    "I-If you discuss the terms with the princess, I''m sure you guys could come to an agreement!" Igaram tried and Nami nodded.


    "Hmm sure! We can save her then and discuss the price!" She beamed. "Zoro! Stop Luffy and Rosan from fighting!"


    The swordsman teeth turned razor sharp in indignation. "HOW DO YOU EXPECT ME TO DO THAT?!" The swordsman barked in disbelief.


    The two were still fighting and showed zero sign of tiring.


    In the midst of their battle, Rosan somehow managed to get a firm grasp of Luffy''s rubbery body and folded him into a ball, using his own limbs against him. He tensed his muscles, hoisted up the rubber boy and launched him with dreadfully strong force in a random direction¡ª


    ¡ªRight into Mr. 5.


    The bomb man was immediately floored by the human bowling ball but his misfortune didn''t end there as Rosan ran over his body, further flattening him, to pursue his captain.


    The agent''s eyes bugged in pain as he felt his bones shudder from the weight of being trampled and he heaved in fury. "Miss Valentine. Temporary change of plans," Mr. 5 said gravely, voice tinged in pain.


    The mission could wait, those two were so dead.


    "Those two aren''t paying attention to anything or anyone¡­" Nami muttered, scratching her head. How was she supposed to stop them? They were unstoppable right now and were hellbent on beating the shit out of each other.


    Eh, maybe they''d forgive each other in time? At least Zoro was still here to protect the princess. There was no way Nami was going to fight those two agents.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan and Luffy stared each other down, neither willing to concede this battle due to their infamous stubbornness.


    The floor erupted beneath Luffy and the rubber boy leapt away, throwing out a punch in the process that Rosan ducked under.


    Palming the floor in the process of ducking, the redhead began manipulating the terrain again and had it seek out the rubber boy in hopes of restraining him.


    Luffy yelped and stretched out his hand to grab the top of one of the few standing buildings left, desperate to get away from the floor that was alive.


    The moment he made it on the roof, a sneaker connected solidly with his face and he was sent flying, but not before managing to wrap his hand around Rosan multiple times, dragging the redhead with him.


    The scout''s eyes narrowed as he was sent through the air and he activated his raid boots, halting his, and by proxy Luffy''s, momentum. Seeing as his arms were trapped by his brother''s arms, the redhead opened his mouth, revealing razor sharp fangs and shot out a weak fireball.


    Luffy, who was dangling midair, spluttered as it connected with him. It didn''t do much damage to him but it still kinda burned.


    3 more fireballs collided with him and he hastily released himself from Rosan''s grasp, patting himself down to get rid of the small flames.


    "We can do this all day," Rosan taunted from his place in the sky, puffing out a small amount of fire to prove his point.


    Luffy sent a punch to the flying redhead as a response and Rosan shook his head, getting ready to grab and pull him.


    Why didn''t the idiot just come up here? Was he that afraid to battle him in his domain? No matter, he''d teach him to take risks.


    What he had not been expecting, was for the rubber boys fingers to expand in a net like formation, surrounding the redhead.


    "Gomu Gomu no Rubber Net!" Luffy grinned, successfully capturing his caught off guard brother.


    With a mighty yell, Luffy slammed his net down with Rosan in it, once, twice, three times before the redhead erupted in draconic flames, forcing the captain to release him and nurse his burned fingers.


    Rosan spat out some blood and dusted himself off. "You thought of techniques to counter me? I''m proud. I''m so proud that it''s about time I knock you unconscious," the redhead decided, preparing to activate Boost.


    "Oh yeah? I was just thinking the same thing," Luffy growled, placing a fist on the floor.


    "You don''t even think," the redhead droned. He was about to blast off, but hostile movement in the corner of his eye caught his attention.


    Rosan suddenly leapt back to avoid a booger that promptly exploded where he had once stood.


    "You damn nuisances, getting in the way of our mission," Mr. 5 complained, digging in his nose to pull out another booger.


    "Kyahahaha! Didn''t appreciate getting trampled, Mr. 5?" Miss Valentine cackled, amusement glittering in her eyes. "Sorry, but you guys have interfered a bit too much and now you have to die! No hard feelings, we''re just doing our mission, kyahahaha!"


    The redhead barely acknowledged them until he came to a startling realization.


    "Did you just interfere in my fight to try and throw a booger on me?" Rosan asked, finally taking his eyes off Luffy to regard these two¡­


    Who were these two? When did they get here?


    "They''ve been here for a while now, you were just not looking at them because of your fight with Luffy. They''re even upset because of you trampling the man."


    The bomber agent glared at them with a superior smirk. "Yeah, I''m Mr. 5 and I ate the Bomu Bomu no mi. With my fruit, I''m a living explo ¡ª"


    A gloved hand wrapped around his head and Rosan hoisted him up, before brutally slamming him into the pavement 5 times until the floor began cracking from the force.


    "I don''t care about the fact that it was an explosive. What type of demented idiot uses their snot to fight," Rosan muttered, practically crushing Mr. 5''s head in his palm. "That''s disgusting and a waste of your abilities. Imagine if that landed on my shirt. I don''t even want to kill you right now. I want to do so much worse."


    Vivi''s jaw dropped at seeing how effortlessly Mr. 5 had been defeated.


    W-Who was this monster? Taking out a numbered agent so effortlessly... One he wasn''t even paying attention to


    "M-Mr. 5!" Miss Valentine gaped, before glaring at the redhead who knocked her partner unconscious. This damn...


    Activating her Devil Fruit, the woman flew into the air, getting Rosan''s attention and glared down at him. He looked up at her with a tilted head and she growled at him.


    "Feel the power of my Kiro Kiro no mi!" She scowled. "I can change my weight at will from one to 10,000 Kilograms ¡ª"


    "Why do all of my enemies keep trying to tell me about their Devil Fruits? I don''t care and it''s incredibly stupid of you too. You could have easily passed this off as a flying fruit and caught me by surprise with the increased weight."


    Miss Valentine let out a shriek at the floating redhead that was face to face with her. He was looking at her with a tilted head and she felt herself grow cold at the lifeless eyes of his.


    "Word of advice, Panty Flasher-san¡­ You should wear pants from now on or else you''ll give perverts a view they want to see," Rosan suggested, grabbing the woman by her collar.


    The Agent''s face couldn''t even turn red in realization, before he planted a fist in her gut and let her fall. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head at the force behind it and she spat out a glob of blood before floating to the floor, unconscious.


    Rosan scoffed and turned away from the blonde. "Interfering with my battle while being that weak¡­ How stupid."


    "I''M NOT DONE WITH YOU!" Luffy roared, marching up to continue his fight with the scout.


    "Don''t say that like you ever had the advantage. I barely warmed up," Rosan declared, eyes beginning to glow again.


    "Ram, if you would."


    "Okay Auntie!"


    The two paused as Rosan''s gloves morphed into the silver psycho herself and she grabbed them both by the cheek to prevent any further scuffle, successfully dissuading them for the time being.


    "Don''t you guys think that''s enough?! You practically destroyed the entire town!" Ram cackled, mirth present in her multicolored eyes.


    That fight was fucking awesome and combined with the death of the bounty hunters earlier, she was happy as can be. It''s why she had so readily listened to Auntie despite having to stop her Father in the process!


    "No," they replied at the same time.


    Then Nami appeared and punched the both of them in the skull.


    "WHY EXACTLY ARE YOU TWO EVEN FIGHTING?" Their navigator roared.


    "Attacking me while I can''t dodge¡­ how cheap," Rosan muttered. That was the first time Nami successfully hit him.


    He would make her regret that later.


    Vivi couldn''t make heads or tails of what was going on right now. Her mind felt a little fried by the events of today and she still felt like throwing up.


    First they try and failed miserably to take out two pirates (and she learned a new meaning of fear in the process). Then, one of the pirates got in a fight with his captain, ignoring and destroying everything around them and displaying things she didn''t know they were capable of displaying.


    Then, they take out two numbered Baroque Work agents with little to no effort and now they were being cowed by the, admittedly scary, navigator and a woman she had never seen before¡­


    Just what the hell was even going on?


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Hahahaha! So that''s how it was!" Luffy laughed after they explained why Rosan and Zoro had attacked all the bounty hunters. "Why didn''t you say anything, Rosan?!"


    Nami floored Luffy with a punch to the head as soon as that question left his mouth. "HE PROBABLY TRIED TO, IDIOT!"


    "You punched me in the face the moment I tried to explain," Rosan replied, patting a pleased Ram on the head. She purred and buried herself deeper in his frame, closing her eyes in content.


    "You are so childish sometimes, Rosan," Mod giggled. The moment Luffy''s hit connected, her charge threw out all thoughts of explaining to the rubber boy and stooped right to his level.


    "Hmph," was all he said. No one ever reacted well to getting punched unwarranted.


    Miss Wednesday (Rosan learned that her real name was Vivi and she was a princess of all things) was currently explaining the situation of Alabasta to the crew after Nami had tried to make a contract with her and she refused.


    She didn''t have enough money to pay them because her country was in the middle of a civil war, courtesy of the unknown boss of Baroque Works. They claimed to want to create a Utopia but that was a lie.


    Mr. 0 just wanted to conquer Alabasta and was sewing seeds of rebellion to do so.


    What an interesting person... Rosan wanted to meet the one managing to control so many people.


    "Who''s the one pulling their strings?" Luffy asked with a curious smile.


    Vivi began panicking and the princess waved her arms rapidly. "No, absolutely not! I can''t tell you the boss'' identity! What a question! Don''t ask me that! I can''t! I can''t tell you! If I did they''d hunt you down!"


    Nami nodded in agreement with a nervous smile. "She''s right! If he wants to take over an entire kingdom he must be one scary guy!"


    The blue haired princess nodded sagely and said, "That he is! You''re all very strong but your no match for Sir Crocodile, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea!"


    ¡­


    Zoro sweatdropped as he said, "You just told us."


    "You aren''t very bright are you?" Rosan asked softly, as horror dawned on her features.


    Nami''s jaw dropped in terror. T-This idiot! What was she doing?!


    All of their attention, was drawn to an otter and a vulture, staring at the group before they promptly flew off with very accurate photos of the 4 pirates that a fleeing Nami couldn''t help but applaud to.


    Vivi balked in horror and bowed profusely to the group. "I"m so sorry! Those are the Unluckies¡­ They''re messengers for Mr. 0 and are probably going to show him how you all look now. He''s going to send agent after agent until you''re dead..."


    "So we''re on Baroque Works hit list now, eh?" Zoro grinned eagerly.


    That sounded pretty fun!


    "Ram."


    Everyone watched in confusion as the tall woman snuggling Rosan, transformed back into a ring (Vivi''s eyes bugged in surprise) and the redhead stood up.


    "As if I''d let them get away with a picture of me for free," the redhead muttered.


    He partially activated Ragnarok and his massive draconic wings burst from his back before he rocketed off, pursuing the two animals with tremendous speeds.


    The princess looked at the spot he was standing in with a shell shocked expression.


    "I have so many questions," she stated.


    "He won''t answer any of them and if we do, he''ll hurt us," Nami shivered.


    "Rosan''s really secretive," Luffy sighed, watching his scout vanish into the sky.


    "Those animals are dead," Zoro laughed. How disappointing, it was kind of exciting to be on a hit list but that wouldn''t last very long if Rosan had anything to say about it.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan flapped his wings once and did a barrel roll to avoid the machine guns firing at him, raising a brow at the vulture responsible for it.


    "Quite intelligent for some animals don''t you think?"


    "Capable of drawing us to near perfection, understanding human speech, efficient with weapons¡­ The Grand Line really is interesting."


    "You''re greedy mind is cooking up something, isn''t it?"


    Yes it was. Based on what he had seen so far, Rosan quickly came to a decision for his battle with his new enemies.


    He wanted all the useful members from Baroque Works and that included their boss, Crocodile himself. Having a Warlord work under him sounded like it could be quite the boon.


    "This is why we need to talk about your hoarding problem."


    "Let''s talk about your lack of variety in attire while we''re at it."


    "I-I... I refuse to betray my dress!"


    "Once you decide to stop being so stubborn, then we can talk about our bad habits."


    Satisfied by the noise of Mod grumbling in defeat, Rosan continued his thoughts about his plan of action.


    While Miss Valentine was nothing notable, he was sure he could turn her into something much more useful then just flying into the sky, flashing her panties, and crashing into people.


    Mr. 5 on the other hand, had a very powerful Devil Fruit that was being limited by how untalented he was. Seriously¡­ he was a bomb man and he used boogers as his offense? To make matters worse, he dared to try and throw one on his shirt.


    He didn''t give a damn about the explosion, this shirt was too nice to have snot on it.


    "You sure have your priorities straight."


    That man messed up doing that. He would be joining him and the redhead wasn''t going to give him a choice like the others he planned on giving "alternatives" to.


    An overhauled puppet was a much better choice anyways then a man like that. He would mold the man''s mind in his own image because Rosan was far more creative then Mr. 5 and already thought of plenty of ways to better use such a strong fruit.


    He idly opened his mouth and let loose a torrent of flames that incinerated the bullets flying towards him, while forcing the animal duo to fly higher in terror, lest they get torched into lunch.


    Sir Crocodile¡­ He was a powerful pirate that burst into the scene before Luffy was even born.


    The government quickly offered him the position of Warlord but before that, his bounty had been 81 million beri. He was almost certainly stronger than the price on his head indicated and the redhead pursed his lips.


    What was he doing here? Taking over a kingdom in secret? The man should be much stronger than that but perhaps he didn''t want to jeopardize his position as Warlord?


    He figured someone with his strength would be deeper in the Grand Line but perhaps he made an enemy of one of the Yonko or another powerful pirate.


    "Perhaps he simply lacked the ambition to compete with bigger names. The New World is full of monsters and one could have sapped his motivation to get stronger."


    "Ah, sleeping ambition. Kind of like me."


    "Yes."


    It made sense but there was no point speculating about it. All he knew, was that the man was said to have the Suna Suna no mi.


    A Logia.


    Mr. 13 shrieked in pure terror as a flame nearly burned him into cinders and urged Miss Friday to fly even faster.


    "Perhaps we can use Ragnarok to heat the sand into glass? I doubt he can manipulate it but you certainly can with Modification."


    It was worth a shot. He wanted Crocodile and the rest of his agents to work underneath him. They could be valuable assets but he couldn''t control a Logia that he couldn''t touch...


    "What if they betray you?"


    "I have countermeasures in place. You know that."


    Mod snorted at that. Leave it to Rosan to have absolutely zero morals. Sometimes she felt like their roles were swapped and she was the more human of the two.


    Actually, that''s exactly how it was. These days, facing Mod over Rosan would probably be considered a blessing because unlike him, she was capable of mercy.


    He was the stronger of the two now and was infinitely more ruthless as well. That wasn''t to say facing Mod was all sunshine, she was just much less violent.


    If they were the same level of cruel, facing her would actually be even worse considering she utilized a more ranged style of fighting compared to Rosan''s close combat preference and wouldn''t even let you get close to her.


    It was a good way to separate the two''s identity in battle and the redhead fully approved of her genius adaptation.


    Once he found a way to coexist with her, they''d be an unstoppable duo.


    Ah well, that was for later. Rosan decided now was as good as time as any to begin his overthrowing of Baroque Works.


    "That''s quite enough running."


    Miss Friday froze, as an overwhelming pressure washed over her and Mr. 13. They hesitantly turned around and saw the redhead staring at them with a bow out. It was glowing brightly, seeming to be inches away from firing and they had no illusions about what it was about to do to them.


    Rosan, who couldn''t maintain this level of pressure for long, released it and gazed at them in pity. "You two are quite impressive. It''d be a shame to kill you here," he sighed softly.


    "Alas, you two have drawn a picture of me and that just won''t do. I can''t have you telling anyone about me for free."


    They began trembling. This was it, they were dead ¡ª


    "Unless¡­"


    They perked up in hope.


    "Betray Crocodile and join me," Rosan proposed softly, garnering looks of surprise from the animals.


    That expressiveness from some animals... They were almost human in intelligence and that would be useful for Maro, not to mention they specialized in information gathering.


    "You have no real loyalty to him, right? At the end of the day, you''re just bounty hunters so I want you two to join my side. You can report to Crocodile while working for me until he is dealt with, if you fear him that much."


    They hesitated but not for long, due to the glowing arrow. It was obvious what he was suggesting and they really weren''t that loyal.


    Either they accepted, or they died.


    The two glanced at each other before looking at Rosan and nodded in acceptance.


    "Good. You can report to Crocodile like normal but if there''s any way you can help us, you will do it. If you think I won''t get my hands on you for betraying me I will get my hands on you. There is no escaping me once I set my sight on you."


    That daunting pressure roared for a moment, before abating and the two terrified animals nodded.


    With a clear dismissal, they flew off to deliver the pictures of the Straw Hats to Crocodile.


    While proposing his partnership, Rosan had a tiny bug fly over and sneak onto Miss Friday, before it deactivated itself and remained glued to the agent.


    There truly was no escape for them anymore.


    "Now let''s get back to the ship," he muttered to himself, choosing to fly back instead of activating Save Point. Trying to use his pressure to such a degree, when it was seemingly tied to his emotions, was rather draining so he''d be a little peaceful.


    Besides, he quite enjoyed flying under the pale moon.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Luffy, Zoro, Nami and Vivi watched in pure horror, as the ship Igaram was sailing on was blown up without any prompting.


    The man was going to act as a decoy for Baroque Works as he sailed to Alabasta but that plan was clearly a bust because in mere minutes, he was dealt with.


    "They found us already¡­?!" Nami whispered in fear, eyes wide at the massive explosion that took place.


    It hadn''t even been a full minute since he set sail¡­ They''re plan was already found out?!


    Luffy glared ferociously at the explosion and snarled. "I LIKED THAT GUY!" He growled angrily.


    "Nami, is the log pose set?! We need to go now!" Zoro urged. "Go wake up the other two, Luffy!"


    The navigator noticed Vivi wasn''t moving and grabbed her arms to pull her, then she noticed the princess biting her lip so hard, that it drew blood.


    "It''s going to be okay," Nami soothed, pulling her into a gentle hug. "We''ll get you to Alabasta safely. My crewmates are strong, they will absolutely save you."


    She would know best. In her darkest times, they went above and beyond to make sure she could feel safe again.


    It was a whirlwind of action as the crew prepared to set sail. Luffy dragged the broken bodies of Sanji and Usopp, Zoro raised the anchor and Nami and Vivi tried to look for her duck, Karoo, before realizing it had been the first one on the ship.


    "What about Rosan-san?!" Vivi asked in concern. The redhead was nowhere to be seen and they were about to set sail without him.


    "Ah, don''t worry about him. He vanishes and shows up all the time, no matter where we go," Nami reassured, making sure everything was in order.


    Not wanting to waste anymore time, the ship quickly sailed out of the demolished Whiskey Peak and headed in the direction that the log pose locked onto.


    "We should be out soon!" Their navigator said.


    "I see fog again!" Luffy exclaimed.


    "It''s good we managed to escape the people chasing us."


    "That''s for sure," Nami smiled in relief.


    "We need to be careful not to crash the ship into the rocks."


    "Just leave it to me!" The orange haired woman preened...


    Nami paused in a moment of pure confusion.


    She didn''t recognize that voice¡­ Who was that? Was it Rosan? Did Vivi lie to them?


    Everyone hesitantly turned around and Vivi''s eyes widened in terror.


    "No..." She muttered, taking a step back as she realized just who this was.


    Frigid blue eyes stared at the Straw Hats with a small smile that looked painfully fake.


    "This is a nice ship. I''ve been on nicer, but it''s quaint," she greeted, assessing them all with those unsettling dark pupils.


    "What?!" Zoro grunted in shock.


    "WHO IS THAT?!" Usopp and Nami screeched.


    Luffy stared at her with a confused expression on his face.


    Robin ignored them, focusing on the princess of Alabasta. "I ran into Mr. 8 earlier, Miss Wednesday," she said idly.


    The expression on the princess'' face was what she expected. The horror in her eyes was replaced by a wild anger and she began trembling uncontrollably at the unbothered look on the agent''s face.


    These days, Robin mostly did things to try and amuse herself and Nefertari Vivi seemed amusing enough. She allowed the princess to follow her and learn of Crocodile''s real identity, before revealing to the man that she managed to learn it. Now she was on Baroque Work''s hit list and Mr. 0 wanted her dead at all costs.


    It''s not like she expected the girl to get anything done. She was going to die soon and she brought this crew along for the ride.


    What a pity.


    "Miss All Sunday¡­" Vivi growled, glaring at the woman with pure hatred.


    "Miss All Sunday? W-Who is she a partner to?" Nami asked hesitantly.


    "...Mr. 0." The bluenette answered shortly.


    The navigator''s eyes bugged in horror. "M-Mr. 0?! SHE''S THE PARTNER OF THE BOSS?!"


    "She''s the only one who knows his real identity and I followed her to figure it out," the princess of Alabasta replied grimly. "I think she let me follow her and then probably revealed that I knew."


    "Correct," Robin hummed, tilting her head and resting a cheek on her palm. "I have to say... there''s just something about a princess fighting a losing battle so desperately that''s so pathetic to me. Shouldn''t you at least have tried to get a little strong while infiltrating Baroque Works? Now you''re stuck relying on other people to do the job for you."


    Relying so heavily on another person... Robin shook her head in disappointment.


    Vivi''s eyes went white with rage and she let loose an almost animalistic snarl. "DON''T YOU MOCK ME!" She roared.


    Every single straw hat, sans Luffy, aimed their weapon at the stationary Miss All Sunday who gazed at them with that same expression. No matter what she said, that smile remained on her face and it made the mysterious woman impossible to read.


    She lazily glanced at them all before saying, "I''d appreciate if you didn''t point such dangerous objects at me ¡ª"


    At once, every single Straw Hat was disarmed and they could only glance in shock at what just happened.


    How did she... What was that?!


    "A Devil Fruit!" Vivi gasped.


    Luffy''s eyes furrowed deeper and his head began to actually steam.


    Nami idly looked at him in worry, wondering just what was happening with their captain right now.


    "¡ªOr well, a piece of me."


    That didn''t come from the Miss All Sunday sitting on the railing.


    The straw hats watched as the one on the railing dissolved into petals and another Miss All Sunday appeared from behind them.


    "You should all relax, I''m not here on orders so I have no reason to fight," she assured, leaning on the railing of the ship with that same damned smile.


    Luffy''s eyes sparked in recognition at seeing the clone dissolve and he slammed a fist against his palm.


    "I KNOW YOU!" Luffy exclaimed, making everyone pause in surprise.


    Luffy knew this person? The boy could remember people?!


    "You know someone that we don''t?!" Nami asked in disbelief. That explained why the boy looked like he had been about to collapse. He was thinking too hard...


    Wait, just... just how stupid was their captain?! She saw steam coming out of his head and that was because he was THINKING?!


    Robin actually raised a brow. Did he recognize her from her bounty poster? How odd, he didn''t strike her as the smart type but looks could be deceiving.


    "So you''re the Straw Hat Captain I''ve heard so much about, Monkey D. Luffy," Miss All Sunday smiled, snatching his straw hat from his head and spinning it idly. "I heard you caused quite a bit of property damage on Whiskey Peak. Tell me, how do you recognize me?"


    "That''s probably because of me," a deep voice commented softly.


    Robin froze at the feeling of a sudden presence behind her, along with an unfamiliar voice and glanced up at the source.


    What she saw, made her go ashen.


    "...Miss All Sunday...?"


    Vivi couldn''t keep the shock off her face, at seeing the shock on Miss All Sunday''s face. She never showed any type of emotion besides that mysterious smile. The few times she saw the woman, she was left distracted by the depressingly empty eyes of her that reminded her of winter.


    But those empty eyes were bursting with emotion, as they drank in the sight of the new arrival with a disbelieving gaze.


    Black, draconic wings (wings that he had desperately been trying to achieve for so long), dominated a tall bronze man wearing an expensive, purple and black, outfit.


    They had a head of brilliant, spiky, blood red hair, tied into a messy bun, that left the spikes in the front of their head free.


    No matter the style they were in, it was a head of brilliant hair that she''d never be able to forget. It was as striking as ever. As mesmerizing as the first day she saw it.


    The figure floated down slowly until they gently landed in front of her and she watched his wings vanish back into his body.


    This close, she realized that he was taller than her now and all his childish boasts suddenly sounded so much more truthful to her ears.


    So much more truthful to the ears that were blocking out all sources of noise right now as she gazed up at his face.


    He wasn''t adorable anymore, cuteness replaced by a mature and handsome face that no doubt attracted attention wherever he went and Robin found herself drinking in his appearance like he were a ghost because that''s what he should have been.


    A ghost.


    But he wasn''t a ghost. She stared into eyes that could only belong to him.


    There were some key differences but to Robin, they may as well have been the exact same because they''d never be able to replicate the intensity that these eyes emitted.


    The first thing she immediately took note of, was the fact that they weren''t glowing like they normally did.


    Instead, the glacial orbs (they looked so much like her own) stared at her without a hint of feeling, reminding her of whenever he was truly furious (almost always for her sake).


    It felt like she were looking in a mirror because her eyes looked just as lifeless when she gazed at them and Robin idly wondered what happened to cause this.


    One of his eyes were a blood red, reminiscent of the woman who had taken up the role as her mother.


    The scent of roses wafted into her nose and snapped her out of her paralyzing daze.


    This wasn''t real. This couldn''t be real. It was a nightmare like every other time ¡ª


    "Rosan! This is Robin right?!" Luffy asked excitedly, freezing her in place completely.


    He remembered her because of how frequently he and his brothers had watched Rosan''s earlier memories. The familiar petals of her Devil Fruit finally managed to remind him.


    The redhead nodded shortly. "Yeah... I''d recognize her face anywhere," Rosan commented idly, never once taking his eyes off the woman as he roved every part of her.


    She was only a little shorter than him, which didn''t surprise him considering she had already been slightly taller than Mod-chan when they separated and the Devil Fruit (and Rosan) complained about it nonstop.


    Those beautiful, frigid, blue eyes looked at him in a heartbreakingly desperate look, not quite believing the sight before. They were so weary and so exhausted, looking like they just wanted to rest but not being allowed to and he wanted to make sure she got to sleep in comfort right away.


    She wasn''t adorable anymore. The years had turned her beautiful and she was aware of it. They made sure she knew her worth and they made sure she understood that she was a gorgeous person.


    But the most damning thing. The thing that made Rosan feel completely and utterly worthless... was her hair.


    Her shoulder length black hair that had a single red strand. That single red strand that lay on her shoulder for the whole world to see, separated from the rest of her hair.


    The single red strand that could only be for one thing. For one person. It was her memento... to the best friend who she thought was dead. To him.


    To the person who thought she abandoned him.


    The virus must die by any means necessary.


    Robin heard what the rubber boy said but still couldn''t believe it.


    Years. She spent years coming to terms with the fact that her sun was gone. It wasn''t possible for her to just believe that he was right here in front of her.


    But he was (was he?). Was this... Was this another dream...? It couldn''t have been, right (but what if it was)?


    Taking a deep breath, the Devil Child said in a near whisper, not trusting her own voice, "Rosan¡­?"


    Rosan (?) hummed and gripped her chin slightly, leaning in closely and linking the two together with a slightly glowing gaze.


    Robin gasped at the familiar sensation of linking with her best friend and felt her vision growing foggy.


    Dreams... Dreams couldn''t replicate such a sensation, right? This was real... right?


    "It''s been 16 years¡­" Mod choked out, tears welling up in her eyes at seeing her little girl all grown up. "You''ve become so beautiful, Robin! I... I''m so happy to see you again!"


    "M-Mod-chan is... is that really you? Are you really here?" Robin whispered.


    "It''s me, Robin. It will always be me," she sobbed, lips wobbling as it formed into a watery smile.


    It was real. It was all so very real. They were here.


    They were here.


    The tender palm on her cheek drew her gaze back to the redhead and she realized that this was Portgas D. Rosan.


    Her best friend. The person who made her feel like she existed. The one who both gave her the will to live and took it away.


    Her sun.


    "You''ve been drinking coffee again... The nightmares are keeping you up aren''t they?" Rosan began, eyes narrowed in guilt at what he caused.


    He was a fuck up. A complete idiot. He couldn''t do anything right because he was a failure. All he was good for, was failing the ones he loved.


    Her breath hitched at that statement and tears began to well up in her eyes as her mask melted fully.


    What was the point in having a mask, when she never wanted to hide anything from Rosan?


    "...It must have been so lonely. You look tired¡­ Robin."

 Robin and Rosan

    Portgas D. Rosan meant everything to Robin.


    The scholars... Saul... Olvia... She loved them all but none affected her to the degree that one little boy did.


    He managed to breath a second wind into her life that she never thought she was going to get. That she didn''t think she could get because of her circumstances.


    But none of her circumstances mattered to Rosan except for the fact that she was alone. He was her best friend, her protector, her light. Shielding her from the darkness of the world with a shining personality that made her feel alive.


    When the entire world turned their backs on her, condemning her to a life of pain, hatred and hardship, one little 4 year old extended a hand that she had desperately needed her entire life. One little four year old showed her that there were good things in life...


    Breaking down all her barriers like they were made of paper, Rosan quickly established himself as the most important person in her life and vice versa. It was a title that they both cherished and their bond only got stronger over the 4 years they spent traveling.


    Both were obviously content to spend the rest of their lives together, as long as they got to be around each other. Robin and Rosan were in complete harmony with each other and it didn''t matter if the entire world scorned them, if they had each other.


    But Rosan died.


    Rosan died because of Robin and that broke her because it confirmed her worst fears. She was incapable of forming bonds with people because at the end of the day, someone who was after her, would get their hands on them and they managed to get their hands on her best friend.


    She wasn''t stupid. Rosan''s disappearance and a sudden surge of Marines on the island they were currently staying on, searching for her, rang clear alarming bells in her mind.


    It was likely that Rosan had been discovered while they were observing her¡­ He paid the price for being her ally and she managed to get away again.


    To know that the one person she wanted to protect above all, had met his end because of her, had ripped that second wind out of her.


    But she couldn''t give up. She couldn''t because of her little ray of sunshine''s request.


    "If anything happens to me¡­ you have to try and be strong for the both of us okay Robin?" A tiny little redhead, eyes so large and innocent begged her.


    That was what Rosan had asked of her and that''s what she had stubbornly done. Wiping her eyes of tears, Robin placed an invisible mask over her face, complete with a fake smile and glacial blue eyes, as she continued to live for his sake because she refused to let him down in any capacity.


    The only time she allowed her mask to crack, was when thinking about Rosan but she didn''t cry anymore. It seems she finally ran out of tears¡­


    "...You look tired¡­ Robin."


    ...So why? What was this sensation? Hadn''t her eyes dried up? Why were there tears streaming down her face currently? Wasn''t she... Wasn''t she out of tears?


    But didn''t the circumstance warrant tears? After all, she was currently looking at the very light she had written off as dead.


    "I¡­ I don''t want to be the reason you give up, so please keep fighting until we see each other again because I won''t die."


    The words of a tiny Rosan, reverberated through her mind nonstop. Wide purple eyes looked up at her in the middle of their bath, gazing at her with nothing but concern and love and above all else, terror. Terror that she would have no purpose if he was not there and not wanting that to happen at all.


    Nico Robin hesitantly placed a hand on the redhead looking her directly in her eyes (they were filled with so much guilt!), eyes going wide as she made contact, and she let out a choked sob as she realized he hadn''t been lying.


    She thought she ran out of tears for Rosan. She thought she moved on at least a little. She thought she came to terms with his death...


    She didn''t.


    Throwing away all pretenses, the woman slammed herself into Rosan''s body and let loose all the tears she had been storing for years, desperately clutching the redhead with every fiber in her being and taking in everything with a swell of relief.


    Rosan flinched at the action before he hesitantly wrapped his hands around her, guilt seeming to come off him in waves as she fully wrapped her arms around him and Robin melted in the embrace.


    "R-Rosan I can''t believe it! I-I¡­ I thought you were dead for s-so long a-and I just¡­ I wanted to g-give up but I¡­ but I couldn''t because I didn''t want to let you down and now you''re actually here!" Robin sobbed loudly, holding him like he''d disappear at any moment.


    "...I''m here Robin, really. I¡­ I''ll always be here," Rosan whispered softly.


    She shuddered at his deep and quiet voice and just nodded, trying to tighten her grip even further.


    This was so overwhelming for her. Never in her wildest dreams did she think she''d find her, supposedly dead, best friend again in the middle of the ocean.


    She¡­ She hoped that this wasn''t some twisted dream like all the other ones.


    Rosan watched in real time, as the glaciers in Robin''s eyes melted away, replaced by something so much more desperate. Desperate because of him.


    As he looked into those desperate eyes, roaming every inch of his body to make sure he was real, Rosan, for the first time in years, felt an overwhelming amount of guilt for what he had thought and done.


    It didn''t matter if the Virus made him zero in on Nico Robin. It didn''t matter if they used his infamous anger against him, turning him against his best friend. What mattered is that Rosan fell for it and that was utterly unforgivable.


    His own glacial gaze, wavered at the sight of Robin crashing into him and he frowned deeply at taking so long to find her.


    "I can''t do anything right," he thought to himself darkly. Time and time again, he managed to prove that he was a failure and it always affected the ones he loved most.


    "Robin, I''m so sorry for¡ª," Rosan tried to say but the woman immediately shushed him, much to his surprise.


    "Not right now. Just... just let me soak this all in. Please. We have so much to talk about but right now I just don''t want to think at all," Robin begged, burying herself deeper into his, now taller, frame. He was so warm a-and he was taller than her now and his face had matured so much from that utterly adorable child!


    Rosan just stared at her for a long moment.


    If that''s what she wanted, he''d acquise. No matter what she requested, he''d follow it because she deserved it after what he did. Even if she claimed to hate him and wanted nothing to do with him, he''d respect her decision.


    "...Okay," he said nearly inaudibly, hugging her close and tight, enveloping her in his warmth so that she understood that for at least the moment, she was safe.


    Robin let out a shaky whimper at that sensation, shutting her eyes even despite the fact that the tears wouldn''t stop flowing. It was a feeling she hadn''t felt in a terribly long time and it felt as good as the first time.


    He could explain himself after she woke up because he was actually here to do that. For once, she could think about all the complicated things later because someone else was here to do it for her. Only when she was with Rosan, did she not feel like the Devil Child, did she not feel like a wanted criminal, did she not feel like a tool to be discarded the moment they lost their use.


    No, with Rosan she felt like she were home and that was a feeling she had longed for, for years.


    So Robin remained in his comforting grasp and allowed herself to fall asleep because Rosan was right. She was tired. She wasn''t able to sleep comfortably without Rosan but he was right here, so she''d catch up on rest that she dearly needed and there was nothing he could say or do about it that would stop that.


    "Sleep tight, Robin. We''re not going anywhere," Mod assured through a happy sob, desperately trying to hold back tears that refused to stop pouring.


    Robin fell asleep and for the first time in a long time, no nightmares plagued her.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    The Straw Hats were well aware that Rosan and Luffy, despite being in the crew for the longest, were by far the most mysterious member in their group. They could even say that they were growing used to the redhead''s secretive streak in particular because they were learning that''s just how he had to be.


    But this was pushing it!


    What the fuck was going on?! What was... What even was happening? Rosan knew Miss All Sunday?


    The woman was so cool and collected before but the moment she saw Rosan, she threw it all away in a display that honestly looked heartbreaking to their eyes.


    What was most confusing, was the palpable emotion that their scout seemed to exhibit! Seeing the sheer negative emotion Rosan exhibited, was a far cry from the insanity or apathy he showed before and it made them flinch looking at the overwhelming guilt on his face.


    What happened between these two? How did they know each other?...Why did Miss All Sunday think Rosan was dead?


    Rosan wasn''t surprised to see the sheer shock and confusion on his crewmates faces, barring Luffy.


    After all, the right hand of the organization hunting them down was currently sleeping on him after crying her heart out on his chest. It would be more surprising if they didn''t look confused.


    They were watching the exchange with wild gazes, mouths parted in disbelief as they rapidly looked between Robin and Rosan.


    "W-W-Wha...?" Usopp stuttered. What was going on? Rosan knew the second in command of Baroque Works? But how¡­? Was he also apart of the organization?! Was he a mole this entire time and he had snuck into their ranks before even meeting them?! H-He was so scary...


    He idly adjusted Robin so that he could carry her bridal position to keep her comfortable and regarded his captain with a cool gaze.


    "Luffy... I''ll be going for a bit," he told the rubber boy, expression shifting back into a neutral expression.


    "Kay!" He beamed, pleased to see the two reunited.


    "Wait just a minute!"


    Rosan paused and regarded Vivi with a tilted head. The princess was glaring furiously at the sleeping Robin and his eyes narrowed slightly. She was unaware that they began glowing in clear warning.


    "We should tie her up and interrogate her when she wakes up," Vivi declared.


    This was the right hand of Crocodile! If anyone was privy to his plans, it would be her. Right now was a perfect opportunity to get answers instead of going in blind.


    "No," Rosan said simply, much to the shock of the princess.


    The Straw Hats were not surprised at his response, wondering why Vivi would actually go out of her way to say something so stupid to him after just witnessing that exchange.


    "Why not?! She''s our enemy and she''s vulnerable! You weren''t here for me to tell you, but this is Miss All Sunday, the right hand of Mr. 0!" The princess of Alabasta demanded, stepping aggressively towards Rosan.


    "She will never be my enemy and I don''t care who she''s the right hand of because right now she''s with me," he replied softly, voice filled with a dangerous tint. "Don''t suggest doing anything to my loved ones. You''ll regret it."


    Vivi flinched at his matter of fact statement but held her ground, glaring at the redhead now.


    "She''s contributed to years of pain in Alabasta¡­ My country is dying because of her and Baroque Works and she just killed Igaram! You think I''m going to sit back and do nothing when we could stand to gain so much?!" Vivi snarled, taking another step forward.


    "We?"


    His glowing eyes, that she just noticed were glowing, froze her to the floor.


    "Listen and listen well, princess. I. Am. Not. A. Hero," Rosan said lowly, deep voice reaching near baritone levels as he attempted to pierce a hole into her with his gaze alone.


    Vivi began to shudder minutely at the combination of his blunt words rattling her bones and the cold demeanor he was currently taking. The princess of Alabasta instinctively took a step back from those predatory eyes gazing into her soul.


    "It''s not my job to save a country that means nothing to me and it''s never going to be my job. It''s a hero''s job to care about everyone too weak to protect themselves. But I don''t care about everyone and I don''t want to care about everyone," Rosan stressed, eyes glowing brighter and brighter in warning.


    The straw hats began getting nervous at the noticeable suns that were his eyes. They rarely saw him activate Modification so they didn''t know that his eyes glowing red was a sign that he was using it but they could take a wild guess...


    "I''ve known this woman since I was four years old and I''ve barely known the real you for an hour. After watching that exchange¡­ Why would I ever let you do what you want to her? Are you stupid?" Rosan asked, pinning her in place with his gaze alone.


    Did this dumb princess understand exactly who she was trying to antagonize? Did she not remember what he did to her former "allies"?


    Well, he''d remind her if she kept acting like he should listen to her.


    His logic was sound. She really was just a stranger to these two¡­ There was no reason why they should ever listen to her request...


    "But¡­ I can''t accept that!" Vivi growled.


    ...But she couldn''t afford to be logical right now. Miss All Sunday was right here in front of them and besides Crocodile, no one knew more about Baroque Works then her. There were answers right here and she needed them to get any advantage possible if she wanted to save Alabasta and avenge Igaram.


    Gathering her wits, the princess took another step forward with a purpose, resolve set in stone.


    That was the wrong thing to do.


    Quicker than she could react, a terrifyingly sharp tail darted out and snaked its way from behind Rosan. Vivi was lifted off the ground and the reptilian appendage began digging into her skin hard enough that one move would draw blood. She gasped and clawed at the hard spikes unsuccessfully, gasping on air that she was quickly losing.


    The princess was forcefully brought closer to Rosan, who''s eyes had turned into a menacing pair of slits.


    Robin slept peacefully in his grasp, unaware of what was currently taking place. Despite how aggressive Rosan suddenly became, none of that translated to how he was holding Robin or treating her. In fact, it was all the more terrifying how polarizing his near lethal grip on her, contrasted his gentle hold on the woman.


    It was then that Vivi realized that she had backed a wild animal into a corner and he was lashing out accordingly.


    The redhead tutted, shaking his head at the child. "You aren''t very bright, are you? Weak people who think they are strong die the fastest, idiot. This is not bravery on your behalf, it''s suicide," Rosan warned, staring a hole into her.


    He tilted his head and stared at her, smoking pouring out of his mouth warningly and brushing against her skin.


    Vivi coughed harshly as some of it seeped into her nose and she couldn''t hold back the tears from forming into her eyes at the terrible situation.


    Rosan did not make it any better. In fact, it seemed like he was actively trying to make it worse.


    "You said she killed Igaram? My condolences but if you keep pushing your boundaries, you''re going to join him very soon."


    The tears that sprung in her eyes, began falling at his heartless words. The girl would have let out an angry sob, but she found that she couldn''t due to the fact that she was losing air.


    The straw hats couldn''t help but balk at how callous Rosan was currently being. They understood that Vivi wasn''t being the smartest but striking that nerve so soon? Seriously?! She just lost someone she was close to!


    "That''s enough, Rosan! You''re going too far!" Sanji was about to take a step forward, ready to instinctively protect the woman but a sword stopped him and he glared at Zoro in confusion.


    "I''m doing you a favor, love cook," Zoro warned, making sure he didn''t interfere with the redhead who was very clearly on edge. "If you keep getting in Rosan''s way, especially with something like this, he''s definitely going to attack you."


    "So what, shitty Marimo?!" He spat out, preparing himself to go through the swordsman too. There was no way he was going to stand here and let this continue while he could stop it.


    The green haired man''s eyes narrowed challengingly. Was this stupid love cook really intending to protect someone they barely knew over their scout? Especially after she provoked him? What was going on in that skull of his?


    If Rosan trusted this girl, Zoro didn''t see any reason not to trust her. Their redheaded scout made it clear he didn''t just put his trust in anyone so if he refused to let Vivi do anything to this Miss All Sunday, and Luffy didn''t mind her, then there was no reason for them to go against him.


    Nami put a hand on Rosan''s shoulder and shot him a pleading gaze, making the redhead take his slit eyes off the struggling princess. "Rosan, could you please drop her? She just lost someone important to her so she''s not thinking straight and¡­ you''re not making it any better..."


    "I-I understand that you''re on edge right now, but we don''t have to acknowledge the words of such a weak child. There is nothing she can do to us s-so please bring Robin to a comfortable bed," Mod sniffed, desperately trying and failing to wipe the tears from her eyes.


    "..."


    They exchanged eye contact for a moment, before Rosan unceremoniously dropped the princess and banished his tail. The slits that were his eyes, disappeared and were replaced by his tiny pupils once more, bright glow vanishing to complete his customary dead look.


    Vivi coughed harshly as she crumpled to the floor. The princess greedily sucked in buckets of air and she tentatively touched the bright red mark across her neck, hissing as it throbbed.


    "Hmph," was all he said, taking his eyes off the princess who refused to look at him now.


    "Can you tell us about the relationship you two have?" Nami prodded warily. It was clear that Miss All Sunday and Rosan had history and for him to go out of his way to nearly choking the life out of Vivi, meant that he cared about her. The best way to approach this was cautiously, so as to not invoke that overprotective feeling out of the redhead again.


    Rosan figured he could at least explain why he was going out of his way to protect her. "Robin and I have known each other since I was four and she was eight. We traveled with each other for four years before we got separated when I was eight going onto nine," he informed them quietly.


    Nami''s eyes widened at the subtle hint that only she knew and nodded sympathetically, understanding why he lashed out now.


    Back when they were traveling to Arlong Park, Rosan told her that he had been enslaved to someone using that exact phrasing so she was able to quickly connect the dots of the hint he was throwing her way.


    The two had been separated. Forcefully. That explained why Rosan felt the need to kill everyone on that island.


    "Sanji, Vivi, you two should drop it." Nami said in a way that sounded like a suggestion but really wasn''t.


    "Alright, Nami-san!" Sanji said, immediately dropping all his hostility and dashing over to make sure Vivi was alright.


    "B-But!" Vivi pushed herself up, coughing all the while and holding her throat fearfully.


    Her eyes whitened as she stared at Rosan and the princess instinctively took a shuddering step back at his empty gaze.


    "Be glad that you''re even still breathing, child. I was this close to ending your life," Rosan informed her coldly.


    Nami sighed at the ruthlessness behind his words. "Rosan, could it kill you to be a bit more considerate? Try and understand her circumstances a little. She''s just a kid trying hard to save her country!"


    The navigator understood why he was being like this but that don''t care attitude was really doing anyone any favors right now.


    The redhead''s face didn''t even shift. "It''s unbefitting of a princess to be that socially unaware. If she had an ounce of sense, she would never have even opened her mouth," he retorted calmly.


    "Now, if that''s all, I''d like to put Robin on a comfortable bed."


    Before anyone could say a word, Rosan vanished with the sleeping Robin and they sighed in exasperation.


    "It''ll be okay!" Luffy beamed, unbothered by the events that just happened. "Those two are really good friends and they haven''t seen each other in years!"


    Nami nodded along with Luffy with a slight frown on her face. "Vivi, you shouldn''t have been so aggressive after seeing the way those two acted¡­ That was really dumb of you and Rosan reacted defensively as a result."


    Listening and watching the redhead, Nami couldn''t say she was surprised it went as south as it did. She didn''t even think Rosan could feel guilty but it seemed to penetrate right through his lack of emotions...


    She wondered how important Miss All Sunday was to him.


    The young princess flinched and looked down in guilt. "She just killed Igaram¡­ Am I supposed to forget that and pretend like she''s suddenly an ally?" She whispered, heartbroken by the events that just happened.


    The navigator pulled the girl into a soothing hug. "I know it''s not fair to you but like Rosan said, he barely knows you or Igaram. You saw what he did to those agents... I think you should have waited for another day before trying to question them. Sometimes, you have to be a little courteous despite not wanting to. As a princess that''s important, right?"


    The blue haired girl flinched. "Yes... yes it is," she said quietly.


    "Rosan''s always been like this," Luffy sighed in disappointment, shaking his head at his stupid brother. "If it''s not someone he likes, he treats their lives like nothing. I try to tell him not to do that but he just doesn''t listen!"


    Vivi nodded reluctantly, thinking back to the heartless redhead and shuddering at the cruelty he effortlessly displayed. When he had wrapped his tail around her neck, she distinctively remembered just what he had done to the Baroque Work agents and it made her green once more.


    He was a living demon¡­ but had she seen him somewhere before?


    "Uh, guys?" Usopp said, looking utterly confused by all the events happening. "Can someone fill me in on what''s going on? Is that an Ostrich? Is Rosan apart of that organization out to kill us? Is that a turtle with a hat sailing away from us?"


    "A TURTLE?! WHERE?" Luffy screamed, zeroing in on the most interesting (to him) question.


    Everyone sweatdropped at the idiot.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Robin groggily awoke to the pleasant smell of flowers and the color black.


    Gathering her bearings let her realize that her head was currently resting on a muscular chest and a strong arm was wrapped around her, tucking her in comfortably to the figure. Upon further inspection, she realized that she had quite the grip on the figure.


    It was very comfortable and warm and she wanted to fall right back asleep...


    Alas, years of paranoia dictate she find out where she was.


    Not really having the energy to move but also slightly confused, The Devil Child shifted her head a little to the left and was greeted to the sight of blood red hair splayed messily on a bronze man''s head. The red spikes moved in time with her own slight movements and it made her aware that they were very close to each other.


    This allowed her to see him open his heterochromatic eyes the moment she moved her head to gaze at him.


    She hadn''t slept this well in a while so it was taking her a bit to gather her bearings but she was fairly sure that this was... Rosan? This was the same person she saw before she slept so it was a relief to see that she wasn''t dreaming.


    "Did you sleep well, Robin?" Rosan asked softly, not trying to startle the slightly confused woman.


    When he brought her here, he tried to release her from his grip so she could sleep without him but she let out a desperate whimper that immediately banished any thoughts of leaving her alone.


    Robin registered the question and nodded slowly. "Yes I did¡­ Rosan?" She replied hesitantly.


    "It''s me. Portgas D. Rosan, wielder of the Mod Mod no mi and the same one who met you when you were 8 after I attacked a pirate crew," he confirmed, letting his eyes glow momentarily to further prove it. "Are you hungry? I can make us some food, then we can talk about everything."


    Robin''s throat locked up so she simply nodded. Right now, she was doing her best to just hold back tears as the entire situation threatened to overwhelm her again.


    She reluctantly released her ironclad grip and found herself already missing his comfort, when he stood up. The redhead ran a reassuring hand through her bedhead, idly modifying it into perfect condition, and didn''t stop until she relaxed slightly.


    He grabbed the back of his spiky hair and expertly tied it into a bun, leaving the front spikes free. The redhead made to move out of the room with assured steps.


    "You don''t need to move, I''ll bring the food to you. You should go take a shower in the bathroom over there, we''ll be entering the mindscape soon," he said, shooting her a back glance before walking out the room.


    "...Okay." Robin watched him vanish before slowly glancing around the room she was residing in.


    Where were they? Her memories were coming back and last she checked, they were on a ship.


    They couldn''t be in his mindscape either because he just said they''d be going there after eating...


    The room was spacious, having black walls and expensive looking furniture. The bed itself was a mix of black and purple and she felt herself sinking into the luxurious and comfortable mattress.


    It was an incredibly nice room¡­ but she could think about that later. The Devil Child removed herself from the mattress and made her way over to the bathroom that resided in the room.


    She inspected the bathroom momentarily, stabbing down her paranoia in the process, and grew relaxed at realizing that it was startlingly similar to the White Rose''s own, giving further proof that this was really Rosan.


    Removing her ruffled clothing, Robin set them aside and activated the shower feature of the advanced bath. As it got steamy (it was quicker then when they were younger), she grabbed any essentials and stepped in, sighing in slight bliss as the tension drained out of her body.


    The woman went on auto pilot as she bathed, allowing her body to handle the process.


    Right now, she needed to gather her thoughts. Robin gave herself enough time, it was now time to think about what was currently going on.


    Rosan was alive. But not only that, Rosan was absolutely nothing like the boy she remembered.


    He looked like an older version of him, but the things that made him Rosan were seemingly gone and it made her worried.


    She knew that everyone changed with age, but Rosan''s entire personality wouldn''t simply vanish without a trace... It was a complete 180 from what she remembered.


    Most notably, one of his eyes was the same shade of red as Mod''s own and they lacked the bright glow that he seemed to always have outside of activating Modification.


    Over the years together, Robin discovered that the brightness of the glow varied differently depending on what emotion Rosan was feeling. They shined brightest when he was happy, grew dimmer when he was upset and the glow practically vanished when he was truly furious, to the point his expression stilled.


    She imagined it was worse then even that, considering there wasn''t even the slightest glow there.


    Robin hoped he was doing okay. If his circumstances were anything like hers, it would make sense for his entire demeanor to have changed.


    She wondered what he was thinking right now while he¡­


    While he¡­


    Wait a minute...


    Rosan was cooking?!


    Instincts that she thought were long gone flared and the woman immediately shut the shower off. She hastily wrapped a towel around her frame, before dashing out of the room.


    Why on Earth did he think it was a good idea to begin cooking immediately after meeting up with her again? Was he trying to get the both of them killed?! She needed to stop this immediately or wherever they were currently at, wouldn''t exist anymore!


    Somehow, she managed to immediately find the redhead, a warning on her lips to not touch any appliance that was even remotely kitchen related.


    Those words died, as an actually delicious smell wafted through the air and brushed against her nose.


    Rosan instantly glanced back at her, idly flipping a pancake with his left hand, while pouring a cup of Coffee with the right.


    "You got out of bed? What''s wrong? Was there something wrong with the shower?" he asked, placing the pancake onto a plate and right next to sunny side up eggs dabbled with pepper before fully facing her.


    The redhead didn''t even blink at her modesty being protected by only a towel.


    "I was¡­ I was going to warn you to not touch anything in the kitchen?" Robin muttered in confusion. Everything looked amazing and that was not something she would ever apply to Rosan''s cooking.


    Both Rosan and Mod-chan had not been allowed in a 6 feet radius of the kitchen while she was cooking. Rosan was a walking disaster and if he even so much as touched a tool, terrible things happened.


    As for Mod... she genuinely just had no talent at all for cooking. It was tragic because Robin once watched her follow a step by step book on how to make pasta and the Devil Fruit ended up melting the pot through while burning the noodles!


    After that, Robin reluctantly barred her from helping as well. It was very difficult because the woman chose to abuse her own puppy dog eyes and Robin was so close to going back on her word before Rosan himself stamped his feet in protest at being the only one barred when they were equally bad.


    "I learned how to cook when I was 10, after nearly burning down the White Rose," Rosan informed her and she nodded.


    That sounded exactly like him.


    "I wanted you to get more rest but we can eat here," Rosan mused, perfectly balancing all the plates on his body and placing them down neatly.


    "I would have made you sandwiches but I think a proper breakfast is better here. I made you sunny side up eggs steamed with pepper and some coffee to drink¡­ despite how much I disprove you drinking it."


    She blinked in shock at how perfectly he remembered what she preferred. "You remember?"


    Rosan nodded. "Of course, I remember everything about you unless they''ve changed... You need some clothes. You can wear some of mine while I wash yours if you want."


    "So responsible... is this Mod-chan?" Robin thought in surprise, nodded at his words and watching as he waved his hand to bring forth an outfit.


    It was a predominantly black cloak lined with purple that covered her entire frame when she placed it on. Robin couldn''t help but approve how comfortable it was.


    "I''m not Mod-chan by the way... I saw that look in your eyes. I can be responsible you know," he said quietly.


    The Devil Child rolled her eyes at that. "I''ll believe it when I see it."


    Rosan snorted in return. "Just eat your food."


    The duo sat down at once to enjoy the food and Robin looked at the array with appraising eyes.


    It looked delicious. The assortment of food was something she expected to see in a restaurant. There was something wrong here...


    Robin tentatively took a bite into her food and said, "It''s actually good¡­"


    "Have some faith in me. I''m no gourmet chef but I''ve learned how to at least make it good," he retorted easily, calmly eating his own portion.


    She couldn''t hide her smile at his reply and the two continued to eat in peace, giving Robin more time to think about this whole situation.


    "I have a question if you don''t mind?" Rosan suddenly asked.


    Robin, who had yet to take her eyes off of him, waved for him to continue.


    "When did you enter the Grand Line?" The redhead asked. He took a bite into his own plate of food but his eyes never left her person.


    "Around my 18th birthday," she replied after a moment. "I decided to wait until I was 18 because staying in the Blue Seas with my bounty would have been dangerous for me because of Reaper... I stayed low until then... were you looking for me?"


    Rosan pursed his lips. "I was very sure you were in the Grand Line even earlier then that because I heard nothing about you... I wanted to look for you since I was 10 but I couldn''t enter the Grand Line until I turned 18 and then things got complicated..."


    Robin frowned at that. "I made myself scarce and difficult to find. It''s not your fault for not knowing," she muttered softly.


    How unlucky... Perhaps she should have stayed in the Blue Seas for a little longer but the threat of Reaper was too¡ª


    Hold on...


    She had a lot of questions but one of them needed to be cleared up immediately.


    "Rosan, are you Reaper?" Robin asked.


    "Yes, I''m Reaper," he replied, nonplussed by her question. "How''d you know?"


    So this entire time... Robin was avoiding Rosan. That was so... She could cry in frustration at that. If only she believed Rosan when he said he wouldn''t die. She already had thoughts of how Reaper reminded her of Rosan but she didn''t want to go back to the fantasy of thinking he was alive and risking getting killed by the Angel of Death wasn''t worth it.


    Of course he was the most infamous person in the Blue Seas¡­ Robin couldn''t even pretend to be surprised because it was just so¡­ Rosan to do. There was news that Reaper was quite short too and if it was really the redhead, that meant he''d have been 9 when he first became relevant.


    It lined up well. She was too lost in grief and denial to even entertain the idea.


    "Your black and white outfit. It reminded me of the cloak you wore when we first met... I feel so stupid for not noticing."


    Rosan frowned deeply at that. "None of what happened is your fault, Robin... I won''t let you even think that," he said softly.


    She couldn''t help but narrow her eyes in worry. Rosan was rather emotionless but he was radiating a lot of self loathing right about now...


    Robin banished that thought for now and instead asked, "What did you do to get a 500 million bounty?"


    "Oh, I killed a Celestial Dragon."


    Robin nodded at his reply. "Killing one would surely land you a bounty that high. It''s much higher than my first one."


    "It made me stop my bounty hunting duties but he deserved it for acting like that."


    They resumed eating in silence, before Robin dropped her fork.


    "You killed a Celestial Dragon?! A World Noble?" She asked in disbelief, unable to process it.


    Rosan had always been insane, but this was too insane for even him! Did he realize what he had done? Did he do it out of ignorance? No, Mod would absolutely have told him about the rulers of the world so it was intentional...


    Then again, Rosan never did care about class if you disrespected him. He especially hated the World Government so to meet the epitome of that corruption... it''d be more surprising if he didn''t attack them.


    "He attacked me first. When I realized who he was, I tried to question him but his answer was unsatisfactory and he ordered his men to have me detained so I could be enslaved. I won''t allow myself to be enslaved again," Rosan explained with a neutral expression.


    Robin listened to his explanation before latching onto one specific word.


    "Again¡­?" She asked hesitantly, concern flooding her body so quickly, she recoiled.


    Was that why his personality had shifted so drastically? Gone was the hyperactive boy, replaced by the stoic man. Was he... When they seperated did they enslave Rosan? How could anyone do something so inhumane...? Rosan was only 8 when they were ripped apart from each other and this was the reason why?


    Rosan sighed and tugged idly at his bun. "Before I tell you everything, Mod-chan has been aching to meet you and she''s quickly losing her patience. We should enter the mindscape."


    Robin dearly missed the woman as well. After coming to terms with Rosan''s death, she had placed one ear on the ground in search of her Devil Fruit, to make sure it didn''t get into the hands of the Marines and to maybe (she doubted it but Mod could potentially just take someone over) find a worthy enough wielder.


    Guess that was for naught.


    Rosan placed the empty dishes in the sink and with a wave of his hand, they were cleaned up. Then, they made their way back to the room they had been sleeping in and sat on the bed.


    Robin wasted no time in laying down with him and grabbed the man, who couldn''t help but raise a brow in slight confusion.


    "You still trust me?" He asked quietly. It had been so long yet she was still trusted him enough to not be bothered sleeping in the same area and to not be visibly angry with him.


    "I''ll decide after you explain yourself¡­ but I want to see Mod-chan again," Robin replied. She was a torrent of emotions but one thing was clear...


    Rosan had been alive this whole time and she just figured out after 16 years of thinking he was dead.


    His explanation better be a good one. She understood that they both thought different things but there could have been something he could do that only she would know.


    "No explanation will make up for what I did to you," He said quietly, glancing away from her as that familiar guilt welled up inside of him.


    When was the last time he felt guilt? He couldn''t recall but it flared every time he looked at the Robin who couldn''t keep her eyes off of him, afraid that he might disappear at any moment. It reminded him of all his failures and though he always thought about them, there was hardly an emotion to follow along with it.


    Robin frowned sadly at his reply. The only emotion she could feel coming off of him was guilt and nothing else. It seeped every inch of him everytime he looked at her and considering he nearly never took his eyes off her (she was the exact same), it was safe to say he was very guilty.


    Age didn''t do anything to change him of that self critical nature. Robin still remembered how often she needed to reassure Rosan that he wasn''t a failure for leaving Ace but the stubborn redhead always took things too hard.


    Rosan set high standards for himself, some that a child shouldn''t have to set and he treated his failures accordingly...


    "You just implied that you were enslaved Rosan and you think I won''t be able to forgive you?" Robin asked in disbelief. "Let me be the judge of that. You''re still far too self critical of yourself."


    If she had any lingering doubts, that had certainly banished it. This was definitely her guilt ridden Rosan.


    Rosan sighed and nodded before saying, "Right," and then he laid down next to her.


    He reached out and Robin sighed at his warm touch.


    She had missed this. Rosan radiated a lot of body heat and it made him a very comfortable cuddle buddy. Mod and Robin both used to abuse his perks religiously.


    "Modification, Link: Robin ¨C Rosan," Rosan muttered, hugging her closely and the two blacked out.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    His mindscape looked a lot different then the tropical forest it had been and it was much colder too.


    Robin shuddered at the freezing breeze and let out a sigh of relief at the large purple jacket that materialized over her entire frame, replacing the black coat.


    She wasn''t used to the cold.


    "I''m guessing the temperature is hot where you''re stationed?" Rosan questioned, referring to her revealing cowgirl outfit that she was wearing earlier.


    "It''s a desert," she replied bluntly.


    "How fitting."


    "What happened to your mindscape?"


    "It changes based on my current state of mind."


    "How fitting."


    She followed after the taller redhead and inspected the frozen forest in the process.


    The entire area was stunning but despite how beautiful it was, the forest was a tragic sight. It was artificial, the forest looked as if it were fabricated with ice, unmoving, lifeless.


    It was a far cry from the natural beauty that was Rosan''s tropical forest. Where everything looked alive. Where it felt as if it were full of its own life separate from the overwhelming vitality of Rosan himself.


    Changes based on his state of mind¡­ Just what happened to the lovable and naive child? Was Rosan just as bad off as she was...?


    Her inner musings were cut short at the familiar pink house and the moment it showed up in their vision, the door burst open and a purple and black blur blurred over to them with a single-minded purpose.


    Robin let out a surprised yelp at being tackled and lifted clean off the floor by the shorter person.


    Mod sobbed freely, as she crushed Robin into her frame with the most motherly of hugs she could muster and the Devil Child couldn''t keep her own tears in check at how tender the feeling was.


    "R-Robinnnn! I missed you so, so much!" Mod cried, nuzzling the noticeably taller woman with gusto. "You''ve grown so much and you''re so beautiful now and it''s been so long! I''ve missed you so much and I refuse to let you out of my sight for even a second now!" The woman blubbered, entering full sap mode.


    Robin hugged the woman back without hesitation, much more used to this sight because Mod-chan was the exact same beauty with an even sappier personality now. Time had done nothing to change her appearance and she still radiated that motherly aura that Robin relied on so much.


    "Mod-chan¡­" Robin choked out, wrapping her slender arms around the woman and letting her own tears fall in happiness as they embraced tightly. "I''ve missed you so much too! I''m so glad you''re still our same beautiful mother! It''s really been so long but somethings never change and that''s a relief for me..."


    She really did miss the woman and felt so much relief that Mod had missed her in equal fervor.


    The woman beamed at her with a rosy blush on her face, refusing to release Robin for even a second and merely embraced her even tighter.


    "You''re so tall now! And look at how gorgeous you are! I-It''s really been too long and oh I''m about to start crying again," Mod sniffed, hiding her teary face in the crook of Robin''s neck.


    Robin smiled gently at the woman who took up the role of her mother. "You''ve become so much more human, Mod-chan. It makes you look even prettier, you know?"


    Mod blushed bright red and began to splutter at that. "I''m just now seeing you again, please stop teasing me!" She whined.


    The Devil Child let out tiny laughter at that. "I just wanted to see if it was still easy to make you flustered. All these years and you still can''t handle compliments?"


    The Devil Fruit grumbled at that, pouting adorably and not answering before brightening up again as she continued to hug Robin like her life depended on it.


    "There''s so much we have to catch up on and so much to do! Oh! Before she does something stupid it''s best if we just introduce her now¡­ RAM, GET OUT HERE!" Mod yelled in a tone that reminded Robin of a no nonsense mother that was dealing with a problem child.


    A beautiful silver haired woman peaked out of the door, much to Robin''s surprise and stepped out rather shyly, folding her arms behind her back and staring a hole into the ground as she kicked a foot back and forth.


    Rosan raised a brow at the strange sight. Right now, Ram should be tackling him to the floor and doing all sorts of annoying things but she wasn''t. Actually, what on Earth was she doing? This was the very last thing he ever expected his ring to do. No one even once got his weapon to act this... shy?


    Was that what it was? Why was Ram shy around Robin?


    As Rosan pondered this anomaly, Mod stepped up to do introductions.


    "Robin, I''m not sure if you noticed but Rosan has on a silver and amethyst ring in the real world. That ring is actually a weapon made from the Philosopher''s Stone and this girl, Ram is the result right here," Mod introduced, pointing at the demure silver haired woman who squeaked as she made eye contact with Robin.


    Rosan''s brow shot up even higher at that.


    Squeaking? Did Ram just squeak off of eye contact?


    Robin did notice the silver ring. She actually noticed just about every small detail about Rosan. She hadn''t really taken her eyes off of him much at all and wasn''t keen on moving very far from him either, so she drank in all the little details like his ruby red earrings, his silver ring, and the pendant under his expensive, long sleeved clothing.


    "The Philosopher''s Stone? It''s not real though¡­" Robin mused, turning back to face Rosan. "You managed to create one?"


    "You know about it?" Rosan asked.


    Robin nodded. "I''ve read about it once a long time ago. I don''t quite know the specifics but I do know that it''s the height of alchemy and grants immortality."


    Now that she thought about it, Modification was practically alchemy amped to 100. The Devil Fruit was ludicrous.


    "I''m not surprised you do but that''s still impressive¡­" The redhead mused. "I did create one though... I used, Modification, various stones and my own blood to do so and focused it into my ring to make Ram. I ended up making two by mistake and consumed the second one."


    "You ate the Philosopher''s Stone?! Does that mean you''re immortal?" Robin asked in interest, brain wracking at hearing he had eaten the fairy tale stone.


    It could not be put into words how incredible that accomplishment was. If news about this got out, the target on Rosan''s back would grow to unprecedented levels that would precede the initial threat having the Mod Mod no mi gave him.


    "I''m not immortal but I have gained an extremely enhanced regeneration. Also... I believe I''m aging a little slower and I''m very healthy. I might live naturally for a long time," he commented.


    "Amazing..." she muttered. He did look younger then his actual age of 24. Robin wouldn''t have said he was older then 20 currently but she just attributed that to his good genetics.


    Maybe it was both...


    "U-Um," Ram suddenly said, abruptly closing the distance between her and Robin.


    Robin started a bit at the close proximity between her and the silver haired beauty but smiled politely at the woman gazing at her with a pensive expression.


    "It''s nice to meet you, Ram. I''m Nico Robin, Rosan''s childhood friend," she greeted, holding out her hand for the woman to grab.


    The ring''s strange, but beautiful, eyes lit up and she seemed to gain more confidence at the politeness exuded by her.


    "I-I''m Ram!" She returned, grabbing one of her hand with two of her own and shaking it eagerly.


    Robin (and Rosan) shot her a somewhat strange look when the woman didn''t let up and Ram seemed to decide on something right then and there.


    "I-I''m happy to finally meet you! Are you my new mother?" The ring asked, tilting her head to the side curiously with wide glittering eyes.


    "H-Huh, w-what?!" Mod choked on air at the unexpected question and began to cough repeatedly with wide eyes.


    Rosan rubber her back with a raised brow, also caught off guard by Ram''s sudden question. Was that why she was acting so strange? She wanted a mother? Right... she never got to meet Meiko so maybe that was a secret desire she had this entire time.


    Robin''s blue eyes went wide in confusion at the question the woman asked and she started a bit. "Pardon¡­Did you just ask if I''m your new¡­ mother?"


    Sure she was at the age where it wouldn''t be odd for her to have a child... but she was definitely not at the age where it was normal to have a child who was an adult!


    "Mhm! You''re one of the first people Auntie Mod and Father loved and you''re super smart and you know father super well and you''re super pretty too!" Ram beamed, closing the distance even further and engulfing the taller woman.


    Robin flinched at the contact but reminded herself that this was Rosan''s mindscape and no one was here to hurt her.


    "You have no idea how much you mean to him and you helped him with so much things. You two clearly love each other so now you''re my new mother!" She gushed, leaving no room for argument at all.


    "Ram¡­" Mod gawked at how forward the ring was, clutching her chest as she finally recovered from her near death experience, shooting Rosan a grateful look in the process. "You can''t just decide that for someone else!"


    The silver haired woman gained a puzzled expression at that, extracting herself from Robin''s grasp to regard her Auntie.


    "Huh? I thought you''d agree with me, Auntie?" Ram scratched her head in confusion. "Don''t you love Mother?"


    Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    The Devil Fruit spluttered. "Of course I love her but that doesn''t mean you can just give her any title you want! Also, don''t just go calling her Mother!"


    "...But why not? I call you Auntie and you don''t have a problem with it!" She frowned, crossing her arms petulantly.


    "I told you more then a dozen times to stop calling me that but you didn''t! I just got tired of fighting a losing battle!" Mod retorted, glaring at the ring in disbelief.


    Ram''s frown of confusion deepened. "I don''t get it! If she becomes my mother, people will have no choice but to stop putting their grubby hands on Father so you won''t have to die in worry! It''s a win-win for us all!"


    Mod opened her mouth to continue arguing before closing it, a contemplative expression making its way on her face.


    "That''s not a bad idea¡­" she muttered, cupping her chin and furrowing her brows as she seriously thought about it.


    "I knew you''d see things my way," Ram grinned toothily.


    Watching the two idiots contemplate made Rosan sigh. "Please ignore them," he requested, sliding next to Robin again so as to distract her from the hopeless ones in his body.


    "I''m guessing you''re her father?" Robin asked in confusion. This was all very strange to her. It was amusing, but strange and the fact that the most normal person in the room besides her currently was Rosan, made it all the more strange.


    "That would be correct, since my blood was essential in creating her, she''s taken to calling me her father," the redhead explained.


    "She acts and has the same complexion as you¡­ but who does she look like?" Robin asked. Since she was created, it was likely she inherited features from both Rosan and someone else. Did he base her features on someone? She looked nothing like Rosan or Mod.


    Whoever it was, was a very pretty person because Ram looked like royalty when her features were schooled.


    Somehow, the room got colder at that question. Mod and Ram immediately stopped discussing at that question and their eyes went a little downcast.


    "She... I didn''t decide on her appearance. She looks like someone very dear to me named Meiko¡­," Rosan said softly.


    "It''s about time I finally tell you everything, Robin."


    Robin straightened at those words and the lighthearted atmosphere vanished, replaced by something much more serious.


    "Follow me. While we walk, you can ask me questions if you want. I''ll answer everything truthfully."


    The group of four began walking and it didn''t take long for Robin to quickly come up with one.


    "What happened when we got separated? I was searching for you everywhere but I saw no hint besides a burning clearing with¡­ with a dead body inside of it," Robin trailed off, voice filled with a bit of pain just remembering it.


    Of course she didn''t give up on him. Robin just assumed that after so long, he was probably dead. He was so stupid for unfairly blaming her, especially after he was the one who told her to move on in case anything happened to him.


    "I want to start off by saying, don''t blame Mod-chan for anything. Everything is solely my fault and she tried to help me see reason but I was too upset," Rosan began softly.


    "R-Rosan!" Mod shouted angrily, stepping in front of him so that he could see her glare. "Don''t you dare go and say things that make it seem like you''re irredeemable! You were helpless to stop that from happening and didn''t know what to prepare for! I''m as much to blame as you are!"


    "..." Rosan said nothing, continuing to walk through the frozen leaves. His footsteps were completely silent, almost seeming to glide across the floor as he stared ahead.


    Mod frowned at that, shaking her head in guilt but continued to move as well.


    Don''t blame Mod-chan...? Just what happened exactly that he felt that he was solely to blame, she shouldn''t forgive him and he was irredeemable?


    "You mentioned being enslaved again¡­ What happened?" Robin asked in dread.


    She knew how self critical Rosan was, so she''d judge with her own opinion and not his.


    "...It was a trap," Rosan began.


    "A trap...?" Robin repeated. She figured as much, since Rosan seemed to be their only target but why?


    The redhead nodded. "When I went to the agreed meetup spot, there were people waiting in hiding for me specifically. I was ambushed and they used a gas that made me sluggish. I tried to fight them off but I made the decision to use Modification too late and they knocked me unconscious when I made a misstep¡­"


    They ganged up on little 8 year old Rosan after doing something so underhanded...? If she were there, this would have never been allowed to happen. How dare they?


    Rosan''s face never shifted as he laid out the details for her. "After I woke up, I was strapped to a table and there was a... doctor across from me named Doc."


    Robin shivered at the look of pure, utter hate on Mod''s face but she was far too invested to speak up on it at the moment.


    "He was the one who sent out the ambushers to capture me. That man wanted me for my power but I refused to submit to his will¡­ He didn''t appreciate that and shocked me until Mod-chan told me to tell him my name. Then... Doc tortured me for 6 months, every single day."


    Her heart dropped at the revelation and horror swelled up in her body at the thought of her little Rosan being tortured for that long. Imagining the cruelty made her recoil and she could already feel the deep sadness settling in at something she could have prevented.


    To be tortured for so long at only 8 and 9... what type of monster would do something like that?


    Finally, Rosan''s neutral expression cracked and he let out a weary sigh. "The reason I told you not to blame Mod-chan is because¡­ The knowledge that you weren''t coming to save me... it broke me and turned me into a monster. I was full of rage and hatred... I lashed out and picked you as my target because in my eyes, you abandoned me," he said truthfully, refusing to omit any detail at all.


    Robin couldn''t hide the hurt on her face at that statement and Rosan forced himself to look at her because he was the one who caused it.


    "You¡­ you hated me?" She asked quietly. That little detail hurt more than anything she''d ever been dealt. To know that the one person who you cherished above all, hated you was a blow she didn''t know how to deal with and she abruptly stopped, refusing to make eye contact with Rosan.


    "It took me years to come to terms with your death, Rosan," she answered quietly. "I tried everything I could to find you, all while trying to find my own source of travel, escaping the Marines who suddenly converged on my location and ignoring the fact that I saw a dead body that was your size..." Robin whispered.


    Rosan couldn''t help but wither a bit at the reality of the situation. The odds were fully stacked against her but she still tried.


    "16 years, Rosan," Robin answered. "I thought you were dead for 16 years and you... you hated me? How do you think that makes me feel?" Robin didn''t even realize tears were falling from her eyes as she gazed into the guilty eyes of Rosan, her supposed best friend.


    The woman roughly grabbed the red strand of hair that was her memento and presented it to him. "All this time, I never even once stopped thinking of you, Rosan. You know what this red strand means right? This was my memento to you. This was my way of trying to live for the both of us because I thought you were dead."


    She was crying. Robin, one of the calmest people on the planet, was crying because of him.


    Rosan gazed at the red strand of her hair like it were actively stabbing him. Guilt was crushing him in waves but he did nothing to defend himself because she was right.


    She let out a watery laugh of disbelief. "I loved you more then anything on the planet and you hated me... I feel so stupid," she finished, wiping her eyes.


    Maybe this should have been a dream. At least she was used to that pain.


    Ram was stunned silent, gazing at Rosan and pleading for him to at least explain himself, paling when she realized he had no intention to.


    Mod watched in disbelief and horror, as Rosan absolutely refused to defend himself despite everything he knew.


    Why? He knew why he lashed out on her? He knew that the situation was abnormal. He knew so why? Why was he letting Robin push herself away?!


    She''d be damned if they lost her after just getting her back. Especially when little 9 year old Rosan was at no fault!


    The teary eyed Devil Fruit grabbed Robin by her shoulders and stared directly into her blue eyes, red orbs morphing into a pleading expression. "Robin, please listen to me. Rosan would never hate you if it were up to him alone."


    Robin felt herself slightly calming at the woman''s voice. "What do you mean?" She asked quietly, not trusting her own voice.


    Was it not Rosan''s choice to hate her? What did that mean...? Despite her earlier anger, there was still a hope in her chest that this was true.


    "The circumstances weren''t normal at all!" Mod explained desperately. "Not only was Rosan being tortured every single day, h-he didn''t have me to alleviate the mental torture either. I was being restrained by Sea Stone and... and then the Virus got their hands on him. Please believe me when I say, he would not even consider hating you."


    Robin couldn''t explain the swell of relief that flooded her body at that and she fully wiped the tears off her face, chancing a glance at the silent Rosan.


    Ever since he was a child, Rosan''s mental stability had been wavering. It was only natural considering he witnessed his mother''s death.


    Robin and Mod were his two pillars and to hear that he had neither made her understand far more why he reacted the way it did and that made her feel so relieved.


    But still...


    "Virus?" She asked softly.


    "The virus is the alter ego of Mod-chan. They are a destructive force who have been the cause of all of her previous wielders death. They are the reason I zeroed in on you due to their penchant of tampering with a person''s mind and emotions. They sneak in their own thoughts to my own and make them prevalent as time passes... it knew how much I loved you so it used you to break me," Rosan explained quietly.


    The Devil Child''s eyes went wide and she glanced over at Mod-chan who could only look down with a guilty expression on her face.


    She felt her anger taper off fully at that. "Why didn''t you start off with that, Rosan? I just... I just lashed out on you without knowing the full details because you didn''t tell me," she frowned at the redhead.


    "..." Rosan glanced at the floor. "To me, it doesn''t matter if the Virus forcefully included you into my destructive thought processes. What mattered is that I fell for it. I should have never even entertained the fact that you abandoned me but I couldn''t think logically for one second."


    Mod frowned heavily at that. "But Rosan you didn''t know! Can''t you understand that no normal person could hope to withstand the situation you were put in? You were being tortured not only on the surface, but on the inside too and it''s all my fault for not telling you about the Virus. How could you have hoped to perceive a threat you didn''t even know exist!"


    Robin paused at that. Mod... she never told Rosan about the virus? His personality was being manipulated this entire time without his knowledge?


    That wasn''t... that wasn''t good at all. Rosan wouldn''t take that lying down either, especially considering the person he should trust most in the world, held important information from him.


    "I''m not normal, Mod-chan," Rosan replied stubbornly. "I shouldn''t have relied on you all so much. If I worked on my mental stability or at least took a deeper look, I could have better prepared."


    "Hindsight is 20/20, Rosan!" Mod protested. "It''s impossible to expect a child to be perfect. There''s so many things you were already doing and I... I messed up the one thing you shouldn''t have had to ever worry about..." she tapered off.


    Robin watched the Devil Fruit shrink into herself with a concerned glance.


    "She''s right, Rosan... Now that I know everything... you can''t possibly think you deserve to be fully blamed," she intervened, making Mod perk up in hope.


    He... he really did hold himself up to too high of a standard. Robin should have known he was being self critical again when she got upset. Even despite being tortured both physically and mentally for 6 months, he still blamed himself for turning on her. In his eyes it was unacceptable for anything to get in the way of their bond.


    Even now after all these years, he still refused to forgive himself. It felt gratifying to know that he loved her as much as she loved him and that got rid of all her resentment.


    Rosan went silent immediately, refusing to meet her gaze as he trudged forward.


    Robin sighed. She was beginning to feel bad for reducing him to this. It especially didn''t feel good now that she was aware how little hand he had to play in his supposed hate for her.


    She should assure him that she wasn''t angry with him anymor¡ª


    "We''re here."


    The Devil Child paused in her deliberation at that and she glanced up, eyes taking on a curious glint as she beheld the sight before her.


    It was large, entire structure made from ice that looked even colder and more unnatural then the forest they were currently resided in. It was just as beautiful and tragic as everything else but chains wrapped ominously around the object.


    "A castle¡­?" Robin pondered. What was it doing here? Why did they still live in the house if there was a castle right here? Why were those chains wrapped so tightly around it¡­?


    Rosan nodded in confirmation. "This castle right here¡­ it houses all my emotions along with the virus itself. That''s why I act like this. I currently don''t have any active emotion and they only flare occasionally but for the most part, they lie dormant."


    His emotions were¡­ gone? That''s why he wasn''t the same lovable boy that he used to be? And this virus played part in not only that¡­ But it was aware enough to use Robin to exploit Rosan.


    "What happened?" She asked softly, worry dominating her at the sorrowful expression on Mod''s frame and the tired sigh Rosan let out.


    "During my time captured¡­ I met someone named Meiko," Rosan said quietly. "She was able to see through me in a way that no one else could and we had a synergy that seemed like we had known each other for years¡­ We fell in love but I messed up one day and she died in my arms."


    Mod sniffed at that and immediately turned to a downcast Ram for comfort.


    Even without emotions, Rosan would never be able to hide the pain and Robin immediately wrapped him in a hug, rubbing a soothing hand through his hair.


    "I''m so sorry you had to go through that," she whispered. "I¡­ to have someone you love die in your arms¡­ If you died in mine, I don''t... You''re stronger then you think Rosan for pushing on."


    To say Rosan was stunned, would be an understatement. The redhead looked at Robin with an almost confused gaze and tilted his head to the left.


    "You still¡­ you still love me?" He asked quietly, not believing his ears.


    But why? Why would she claim to love him? He wasn''t getting it.


    "I don''t understand... I wronged you. In thinking that you betrayed me, I ended up being the one who betrayed you. No matter the circumstances, that was unforgivable for me to pin the blame on 13 year old you," he told her in confusion.


    "Of course I still love you," Robin said without hesitation. So he really was being incredibly self critical... it was a good thing Mod was here because Robin was very sure Rosan would have taken full blame for what he did.


    "You didn''t intentionally decide to blame me, Rosan. There''s a virus messing with you and doing who knows what and it caused you to turn on me. The fact that even though you have no emotions, I can still feel how guilty you are is enough for me."


    "..." Rosan exhaled slightly and she sighed.


    "How long did you "hate" me for?" She asked softly.


    "...Around a year until Meiko made me realize how stupid I was," he replied truthfully.


    This Meiko sounded precious already. Robin was sad she''d never get to meet her.


    "So the virus only made you hate me for a year and you spent the next 15 drowning in guilt... Don''t you think thats punishment enough?" Robin asked wisely. "You shouldn''t be the one to decide what your punishment is. Seeing as I''m the one who was wronged, I should decide and I think you''ve suffered more then enough."


    She squeezed him reassuringly and stared into his empty gaze. A gaze so completely unlike the Rosan she knew but still being a gaze that belonged to him. Robin wanted nothing more then to restore his emotions and she couldn''t do that by letting him think he deserved more punishment from her.


    "Don''t you remember that time we talked when you had a nightmare? I made a promise to never turn my back on you, even if the whole world was against you. I already lost you once and I''m not going to lose you again even if you try and push me away," she decided strongly, burying herself in his frame.


    She was passive, it was something Rosan teased her about nonstop. As a form of revenge, she decided to only be active when it came to him and eventually, it just became the norm. She wouldn''t stand here and let Rosan destroy himself for no reason at all.


    Mod and Ram looked at Robin with wonder in their eyes, eyes sparkling as someone actually talked down Rosan.


    Rosan couldn''t blame them because he couldn''t believe what she was saying.


    How were Ace and Robin able to forgive him so easily? These two were the some of the last people on the planet who should forgive him, yet they had accepted him back into their lives despite everything... even claiming to love him.


    Even Meiko, who he had taken everything from, had ended up falling in love with him. Even after he pushed and pushed, she pushed back.


    Why? What did his loved ones see in him that he couldn''t. How could they all so confidently claim to love him despite his numerous mistakes...?


    Was he¡­ was he really a person worth forgiving? Ace, Meiko, Robin¡­ he had done unforgivable things to them but yet, they still loved him anyways.


    Maybe he was worth it. Maybe he needed to work on seeing what they all saw.


    Mod let out a gasp, as one layer, out of three, of the chains wrapped tightly around the castle, loosened up and disappeared. She chanced a glance over at Rosan and tears fell freely at seeing the faint glow in his eyes.


    Had¡­ Had a majority of his lingering guilt vanished? Did he finally get it through his thick skull that he was far more amazing then he gave himself credit for? Was the castle operating on the same level of stubbornness that Rosan was?


    The redhead wrapped both arms around Robin and pulled her close to him, squeezing her with all his might. "I missed you so damn much, Robin," he said warmly, taking in everything about her and marvelling at how much things changed and stayed the same. "I can''t believe I let myself think for even a second that you didn''t care about me anymore. I''m so stupid."


    Robin laughed a watery laugh as she heard his tone and returned the embrace with equal fervor. "For such a genius, you can also be really stupid but that''s why you have Mod-chan and I and now Ram too. We''ll make up for what you lack."


    "Thank you for putting up with me," he said truthfully.


    Ram and Mod couldn''t resist and soon they were all hugging each other, much to Robin''s surprise. Despite her shock, she didn''t break it and decided she deserved the warmth that they all emanated.


    It was a good thing she heeded Rosan''s request and kept on living. Now she was back with the person who made her day brighter just by existing.


    Eventually they broke the hug and Rosan glanced back at the castle. One chain was gone now and he could already feel the effects. It was faint, but Rosan could actually feel some of his emotions seeping through the castle now.


    He grunted at the black and purple figure leaping on him and steadied Mod, eyes going soft as she wrapped her arms around his neck and cried.


    "Your eyes are glowing a little and you have some emotion in your tone!" Mod sobbed happily, feeling like she were on Cloud Nine. "I knew it! I just knew it was possible to save you again!"


    Proof was right in front of her! Rosan had admitted to missing Robin with such a warm tone that it couldn''t be faked! Her little boy was still there and dammit she''d do everything to get him fully back no matter what.


    The Devil Child couldn''t keep the bright smile off her face at how hopeful Mod looked and knew that this had been eating away at her for years. She was Rosan''s guardian after all and knowing that she failed to protect something of his, must have completely destroyed her.


    Rosan wasn''t so sure if he should do this but he already made up his mind to tell her everything and there was an easy way to do so... even if it might be terrible to witness.


    "Robin, do you want to see my memories? I want to show you everything important," Rosan said, grabbing her attention.


    She thought about it, before nodding. It had been a long time since they had seen each other and Robin wanted to see parts of his life that she had missed.


    "Fair warning, some parts are very¡­ gruesome but this is a great way to show you how much I''ve changed and... what happened to me. I know how much you care about me so this might really hurt to witness."


    "I... I need to see this. I have to know what happened to you and... I have a strong stomach," she assured.


    Rosan flashed her a reserved smile on that handsome face and squeezed her reassuringly.


    Robin returned the smile on her beautiful face and sunk into him.


    Ram''s eyes gleamed at watching their interactions. Her head rapidly shifted from her Father''s face to Robin''s own and her grin widened more and more, sharp fangs glinting.


    Yes, this woman was the perfect mother! Ram would make her accept every facet of that title at all costs and that meant making magic happen!


    Mod watched that psychotic gleam with an amused smile, shaking her head at the antics of her niece.


    Let Ram do what she wanted to do, it''s not like the woman had a problem with it. In fact¡­ Mod would actually prefer this outcome because Rosan was incredibly loyal so he wouldn''t entertain¡­


    Yes, this would do just fine.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Mod-chan used to mention that she had seen all of Rosan''s memories and Robin guessed this is how she had managed to do it.


    The room where Rosan''s memories were stored, reminded her of an advanced theater and she was sure that the stylish redhead had a hand in how nice everything looked.


    There was a large screen that probably would be displaying his memories and many plush looking seats.


    "I''ll be showing you all the important memories, starting from when we first got separated. Just¡­ be warned," Rosan told her, fixing her with a slightly concerned gaze.


    "When you want me to stop, we''ll stop and we won''t be watching them all in one sitting. Every time we sleep, we can come here. to continue"


    Robin was flattered that he was concerned for her but she had already made up her mind to watch the memories.


    "I''ll be fine, Rosan."


    They all sat next to each other, with Robin sitting in between Ram and Rosan, while Mod sat atop the redhead.


    Rosan was slightly surprised that Ram wasn''t directly on top of him but shrugged it off.


    Good for her making a new friend. For someone with such an outgoing personality, Ram was surprisingly antisocial... content to just spend a majority of her time with Mod despite being able to transform into a human.


    Perhaps he should force her to come out in human form more.


    Ram smiled brightly at Robin, who returned a smaller one and the silver haired woman got as close as she could and grabbed the Devil Child''s hand.


    Robin just assumed that the woman was similar to the old Rosan in many ways and as a result, she was just as touchy as the redhead who adored contact. She didn''t rebuff her efforts and even squeezed back because it was kind of adorable.


    The ring grinned even wider and hummed delightfully.


    Mod herself, was already squeezing her eyes shut and burying herself in Rosan''s frame, turning her entire back to the screen. She hated viewing his memories of when he was trapped on Daybreak. It reminded her of how useless she had been while he suffered.


    Rosan squeezed her reassuringly and wrapped an arm around her, adjusting her abit so she could be comfortably seated despite her big dress.


    "Alright¡­ Modification: Stream," Mod intoned, holding out her hands and focusing on the screen before them.


    Robin watched with bated breath as the large flat screen flashed with life, beginning the memory from immediately after Rosan was awoken on Daybreak.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Rosan''s still not back?" Nami mused, checking her log pose and making sure they were on the right path.


    It had been nearly a full day now since he had vanished with Miss All Sunday and they still hadn''t shown up...


    "Nah, we didn''t see him yet," Zoro grunted, unbothered by the situation. The redhead was probably located in his castle with the agent and the swordsman himself had been frequenting that area often these past few days.


    Even if Robin ended up betraying him, he saw no way to escape from that place and Rosan didn''t look easy to kill at all.


    He completely healed from literal lightning after all. He''d be fine.


    Sanji took out a puff of his cigarette with a glare on his face. "That shitty redhead better not be taking advantage of that mysterious beauty."


    Nami rolled her eyes. "You know Rosan''s not like that. Didn''t you see how she looked at him and how she fell asleep so easily in his arms? Didn''t you see how protective he was of her? Those two are fine."


    "I hate him so much," Sanji muttered, distinctively remembering exactly how that beautiful woman had so easily collapsed in his arms.


    This didn''t even make sense! Everywhere they went, someone threw themselves on the redhead who accepted it all with that same, too cool for this, expression! He didn''t appreciate the true beauty of woman; showing no interest, making them pursue him and then leaving them hanging!


    This was ridiculous!


    Nami watched the idiot with an amused gaze. Just what did he think of Rosan? Knowing him, it was probably something perverted.


    Scratch that, it was definitely something perverted.


    The redhead wasn''t a pervert (she steadfastly removed whatever happened between him and Nojiko from her mind), that''s why Nami hadn''t protested the decision to sleep next to him when entering his mindscape. She knew he wouldn''t do anything questionable to her.


    Huh, she probably shouldn''t tell Sanji that they slept in the same bed. That would probably break him beyond repair.


    Hm¡­ she would keep that in the books in case she ever wanted to get revenge on him or Rosan.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Robin didn''t think she''d ever hate anyone as much as she hated the man known as Doc.


    So great was her hate, that she wished to revive him just to have the pleasure of inflicting all the pain onto him, that he had unleashed onto Rosan.


    No amount of preparation would have been able to help her deal with the atrocities done to her little Rosan.


    It all started with one simple question.


    "What is your name?"


    After that, Robin could only watch in horror, as 8 year old Rosan was repeatedly electrocuted by the mad scientist until Mod forced the child to give it up.


    The poor child tried to be brave. Despite how afraid he was, he tried so hard for them and he suffered from it.


    The steam and the burn marks and the terror and the tears. But what was most horrifying, was the screaming.


    "AUGHHHHHHHH!" Little Rosan screeched and screeched at the pain he was being forced to endure. With no one to tell him it was going to be alright. Tears were turned into steam as they rolled down his charring skin and he thrashed repeatedly in place, voice going hoarse as it reached volumes.


    "H-Help me! R-Robin-nee! Mod-chan! P-Please, it hurts!" The child thought mid torture and Robin turned nauseous, feeling herself go a little faint.


    This was inhumane¡­ how could¡­ how could anyone torture a child so ruthlessly? Was there not a shred of humanity in the doctor?


    Rosan watched Robin out of the corner of his eye and idly grabbed her hand, resulting in her squeezing it tightly. She had not taken her eyes off the screen yet and the horrified tears in her eyes nearly made him stop the memory but he didn''t.


    It was impossible for Robin to place even a little blame on Rosan after witnessing what he had gone through. How could anyone in their right mind blame him after witnessing this... this disgusting act!


    All because one man wanted the ultimate weapon...


    In the first month, Rosan had absolute faith in her that warmed her heart despite how much pain she was going through watching this. The little boy really did look up to her so much and Mod was right, there was no way he''d naturally turn on her.


    "Just wait for Robin. Robin will save me. She''ll come!" He though optimistically, despite all he was forced to endure.


    Over and over again, the evil scientist employed more and more types of torture in order to make the child submit and Robin continued to watch.


    Mod, despite not looking at the screen, was shuddering with tears spilling out of her as she tried to hide herself deeper into Rosan''s frame. Even just his voice was enough to make her crack and the redhead.


    Ram had a dark glare on her face, furiously wiping some of the tears falling and opting to snarl quietly instead.


    Robin herself fared no better. She refused to take her eyes off the screen after all and it was only making her feel worse as a result.


    Doc held nothing back. He didn''t care that Rosan shrinked away. He didn''t care that the redhead curled into himself and begged. Nothing mattered to him.


    "Stop! Stop!" Rosan would beg, writhing at the actions of the doctor and trying to crawl away unsuccessfully.


    The doctor, would tut, as if Rosan was in the wrong. "You tell me to stop but still rebel? Aren''t you just so funny, Rosan. Give me what I want and I''ll give you what you want."


    "..." the redhead shut his mouth and braced himself for what was to come next.


    "Of course..." Doc sighed before plunging the Devil Fruit user into a tank filled with water.


    Robin shuddered as she watched his eyes roll to the back of his head, the effects of being submerged taking effect immediately. Despite that, the only thing going through his mind was them.


    "Robin... Mod-chan... please, I can''t take this for much longer. P-Please help me!" The boy sobbed.


    She was going to throw up. This was even worse then she expected.


    He had so much faith in her¡­ she let out a choked sob at hearing him repeatedly chant that she would save him and realized that was the only thing keeping him going.


    It was no wonder the virus managed to successfully manipulate him. With knowledge of what was going on, she was able to see its influence clear as day. It snuck in its own thoughts without hesitation, pushing Rosan further and further to the edge with a destructive intelligence that was dangerous to witness.


    "Robin would never betray him. She didn''t. She didn''t. She did. She didn''t."


    "Everything hurt so bad, it was getting worse but he could(n''t) do it. He would(n''t) handle it."


    A small poisonous voice, one undetectable to nearly all of them, whispering negatives into his ear ontop of being tortured to near insanity. Whoever the virus was... it knew what it was doing and it did it without remorse, taking advantage of Rosan''s vulnerable state without hesitation.


    "He was fighting an impossible battle," Robin realized, growing more and more nauseous. This just wasn''t fair! Rosan was nine! He was nine! Why, why did he have to go through this?! Just the fact that he managed to hold out this long even with the virus'' influence spoke of his mental aptitude. Who knows how long he would have gone if his mind wasn''t being tampered with?


    But it was being tampered with and it was only a matter of time before he succumbed.


    Robin just never expected the reason to be... to be this.


    Two months (making it three months total since he was there) passed and the guards tossed a newspaper to the prisoner on the order of Doc, detailing... detailing Robin''s movements.


    "Oh no," Robin thought quietly, horrored realization seeping into her. Was this why he turned on her? How smart was the virus... how dangerous were they? For them to zero in on Robin so thoroughly... what were they up against?


    "S-She''s not coming," little Rosan whispered, heartbroken as the truth was revealed to him.


    Watching the realization that she wasn''t coming hit his face, tore her heart into a thousand pieces as the revelation of his breakdown was finally revealed to her.


    Robin watched him shut down in real time, tears streaming down his face as a rapid shift of emotions happened at once. Overwhelming sadness suddenly shifted into an uncontrollable rage.


    The insidious thoughts overwhelmed him completely and she watched the redhead begin shaking uncontrollably, not in sadness, but in sheer unadulterated rage.


    "Nobody in this world was trustworthy. Everyone wanted to use him and when they grew tired of him, they would discard him like he was yesterday''s garbage. As if he were useless. Him?! USELESS? HE WAS USELESS?!"


    His negative thoughts ran rampant as he lashed out on everything. The optimism that he tried so hard to maintain, vanished completely and was replaced by a harsh hatred¡ª


    And then everything suddenly vanished and his emotions stilled altogether, the unnaturally bright glow in his eyes dimming considerably. It was unsettling watching how the sheer anger melted off his face, replaced by a neutral expression that reminded her so much of the current redhead sitting to the left of her.


    The purple in his left eye melted away, replaced by the intimidating blood red that reminded her of Mod-chan and Rosan willingly transformed into the monster they wanted him to be.


    Now it all made sense.


    Doc wasn''t the one that successfully broke him¡­ Robin broke Rosan.


    Robin couldn''t handle anymore due to that detail and she abruptly awoke, making her way to the bathroom and emptying the breakfast they had this morning into the toilet.


    A hand made its way onto her back and rubbed soothingly, making her raise a shuddering gaze towards the concerned Rosan. His heterochromatic eyes (the ones that were heterochromatic because of her) were focused on her but he said nothing,


    The redhead applied Modification, making the burn from her throat go away and she finally found the power to speak.


    "R-Rosan, I''m so sorry you had to go through any of that," Robin choked out, unable to contain herself any longer.


    "If I¡­ If I just believed you were still alive, I would have kept searching for you no matter how long it took! You believed in me and I couldn''t do anything to protect you. I''m the one broke you, Rosan!"


    Months of mental and physical torture. Months of begging and screaming and the pain he must have been in... The pure agony he must have suffered, all in hopes that she would show up and alleviate him of it.


    She should have. She should have shown up and razed the entire place to the ground after seeing the condition Rosan was in. Turned the doctor''s insides into pure paste because of what he had done.


    But she didn''t because she gave up on him. Why did she give up?!


    Rosan flicked her on the head gently, much to her surprise, and shook his head with a small sigh.


    "You refuse to blame me, so I don''t know why you think I''d accept you blaming yourself. It''s not your fault. The ocean is massive. Even if you didn''t think I was dead, it would be incredibly difficult to find me and you were dealing with your own problems. I should have realized that but I didn''t and it broke me..."


    "...But that''s not your fault, Robin. Expecting you to find me was too much."


    He pulled the woman into a hug to calm her down and was pleased that he managed to successfully do so. "Don''t apologize to me when I''m the one who should be apologizing to you. You did nothing wrong because I placed unreal expectations on you."


    She buried herself deeper into him with a shaky breath. "You were a child and they did that to you¡­ how could they? Using our bond against you¡­ I want to see the rest of your memories."


    Robin had to see how they died. This was something that would eat at her until her dark urge was satisfied.


    Rosan simply nodded, not letting her go. The redhead pulled her up with him and made his way over to the sink, where they helped clean the remains of the bile.


    "Are you hungry? We''ve been there for a while," he asked softly.


    Robin shook her head. "We can eat later. I''d like to get back to your memories quickly."


    The scout hummed, eyes gazing at her piercingly before he nodded. "The moment you get hungry, we will go eat."


    "I understand," the Devil Child replied, already moving with the redhead towards the bed again.


    The two quickly entered the mindscape again and were greeted by the concerned gazes of Mod and Ram.


    "A-Are you alright, Robin?" The Devil Fruit asked, voice still a little raw at crying from the memories.


    "Do you want to stop, Mother?" Ram followed up, holding the woman in concern.


    "I''m... I''m fine," Robin assured softly. "I want to continue watching. This is only the beginning and there''s more for me to see."


    They both nodded, concern not leaving their faces and she was touched that she managed to evoke such feelings in people.


    Rosan rubbed her shoulder reassuringly and she shot him a tiny smile.


    With that, they made their way back to the theater room and the Stream continued after everyone took their same position (they were all a bit closer now which was saying something considering how close they already were).


    Soon after his mental breakdown, the redhead immediately began to implement a masterclass performance in deception, one that she would never normally apply to little Rosan before.


    The Devil Child watched Rosan pretend to be broken by Doc and fall into his good graces, smiling at the stupidity of the man for falling for it so easily.


    He must have been getting more and more desperate. The blonde hardly questioned the supposedly submissive Rosan who was plotting the best way to deliver his revenge.


    He guided Rosan to those dreaded gladiator battles to truly see if the redhead was aligned with him and what happened next would be ingrained into Robin''s head for a while.


    His opponent was the same person he always fought before... the one who took a disgusting pleasure in hurting him that made Robin scowl. Rosan never participated in the fight, rebellious nature refusing to submit for even a second to the doctor, even at his own expense.


    This time though, the redhead did plan on fighting and what a fight it was.


    Rosan, wielding a hammer twice his size, dashed towards his opponent with a speed that shouldn''t have been possible with that hammer and smashed his opponents knee caps into paste. He then repeated the process with the other leg and forced him into a sobbing mess.


    The man tried to beg for his life but Rosan was utterly merciless and in a display that Robin would never forget, he smashed the man''s head with the hammer.


    "Death is mercy for someone like you," the child intoned emotionlessly.


    Robin watched with an equally emotionless expression, no mercy in her heart going out for the disgusting man.


    A child Rosan''s age shouldn''t have been covered in so much blood and the stony expression on his face was eerily similar to the one he had on currently. It was even more unsettling to see on a child''s face then adults.


    The duo were always oddities when it came to violence, which probably stemmed from having to watch a loved one die but Rosan never actually killed someone directly.


    It was possible that he would have always been this brutal, but Doc turned that possibility into a certainty.


    How she hated that man. The only person that could match the levels of hate she felt for him, was the man''s perverted wife.


    The amount of lust the disgusting woman had packed in her body for the small child was nauseating and Mod had been unable to hold back her snarl.


    "Doesn''t she understand how old you are?" Robin asked in disbelief. What was wrong with all of the people on this island? Did they have a single moral bone in their body?


    She knew Rosan was going to grow up into a good looking person but never did she expect someone to so blatantly lust for him when he was so young!


    "She didn''t care at all," Rosan said softly. "To her, my exotic appearance was too enticing for her to ever let go, even despite the difference in age. That woman was intending to make me hers until I was of age."


    Mod snarled hatefully. "Wretched woman. I knew this world was full of perverts but to run into one so depraved so soon... I wish I got my hands on her."


    The perverted woman was blatantly attempting to groom the child without a care in the world. Rosan himself was aware of this and had used it to his advantage, successfully seducing the woman and having her be putty in his hands.


    Watching the adorable boy actively use his good looks to his advantage, was foreign to her. Besides puppy dog eyes, the redhead generally didn''t have an interest in doing things like that...


    It was underhanded and a blatant show of manipulation and Robin would have never applied that to Rosan but this place was making him do things that he would never normally do¡­ such as lying.


    "Mod-chan, you''re hurting me," Rosan said blandly, watching the woman clenching his arms with absolute crushing force due to seeing the pervert kiss him.


    "You''ll live," she snarled, glaring with such anger at the screen, Ram scooted a bit to the right.


    "It was best if I obeyed. The further in her good graces I got, the faster I could regain my powers and see you again," the redhead bargained, managing to appease the woman slightly, though she still gazed heatedly at the screen.


    "You shouldn''t have had to make such a decision," she grumbled, crossing her arms petulantly.


    Robin, while not as angry, was still upset that someone like this existed. She knew they had to be wary of Rosan''s looks when he grew up but she had no idea that would be at the tender age of 9.


    She knew that this was all manipulation on the boy''s part but still... it still rubbed her the wrong way.


    Almost everyday, the redhead lied in his prison and they drank it all up. It was startling to see how good of a liar he was because Rosan never lied to Robin or Mod. It went against his character. He hated lying because it made things complicated and he didn''t have time to deal with that.


    But here he was doing just that. He let a woman think he had feelings for her, convinced a man that he had submitted to his will and had them all think his Devil Fruit was something completely different, which gave him the opportunity he needed to escape.


    Robin had to admit, Rosan''s mind was terrifying when his thought process was so much darker. He had everyone here dancing in the palm of his tiny hands and they were none the wiser to being unwilling puppets for his mounting performance that would soon reach its apex.


    Well, everyone was none the wiser except for Meiko. The girl was the one oddity on this island and the only light in Rosan''s, otherwise dark, life at the moment.


    Robin adored the little girl. She had the cutest personality and wanted nothing but the best for the, too angry, Rosan. Despite how much he tried to rebuff her companionship, the blonde was dead set on making his life even a little better.


    Meiko was very odd though because she seemed to be able to perfectly read Rosan no matter what he said and vice versa. It was actually startling, to be so exposed to someone you barely knew which was probably why Rosan, who had just lost his trust in everyone, wanted to stay away (is what he told himself) from her.


    He couldn''t hide anything from her and she couldn''t hide anything from him. It was surreal.


    "I never could explain why it was like that," Rosan commented. "Perhaps we were made for each other. Maybe we were born under the same star. I don''t know but it never went away."


    Robin pursed her lips, curiosity at the unknown mounting. "I''ll try and look into that... it''s interesting to think about."


    The resemblances between Meiko and Ram were uncanny, even down to the same hairstyle. The ring clearly inherited all her facial features from her mother because the only thing that could differentiate them, would be that Ram had Rosan''s skin color and her own unique shade of hair and eyes.


    Even a 13 year gap in age didn''t get rid of the similarities.


    "She''s a sweet little thing," Robin commented softly, watching her apologize of all things when it was Rosan who blew up on her for trying to relate the two. It was enough to actually shock the redhead out of his fury and he had ashamedly gotten off of her and told the little girl to leave.


    "Meiko was the only one on that island who saw me as human," Rosan said softly, staring fondly at the blonde. "Not even I saw myself as one but she persisted and persisted."


    "She helped me break through Rosan''s barrier so much," Mod smiled gently.


    Robin watched as Rosan''s time at Daybreak reached its final act with a look of anticipation on her face.


    He brutalized everyone of his opponents in the Ash and Dust tournament up until he made it to the final to fight...


    "A fishman?" Robin muttered in shock, watching the positively tiny redhead square up against the eclipsing fishman.


    "Ah, Kenzo," Rosan replied. "I fought his daughter recently, she''s currently resided on an island I visit often."


    The battle, while far difficult from previous ones, was still in Rosan''s favor from the start. He quickly employed his overwhelming style and began bombarding Kenzo with a ruthless onslaught. He even managed to quickly remove one of the Fishman''s legs!


    "So strong," Robin thought to herself, gazing at the little child in awe.


    That awe quickly turned into horror at watching the fishman embed detachable spikes into Rosan''s stomach, before delivering a punch that sent him to the other side of the battleground.


    But he got up like he took a glancing hit, gingerly ripping out each spike after forcefully adjusting his nose into place.


    What followed next, was an act of pure sadism on Rosan''s part that he always contained, as he dragged Kenzo into the climax of his performance. It was entrancing. She never expected Rosan to be able to fight so gracefully but he could and he made it look like a dance.


    In and out, left to right, everything Kenzo did, Rosan had an answer to as he surgically disabled parts of the fishman''s body. As Kenzo got slower, Rosan got faster and through it all, the redhead smiled larger and larger until he was full on grinning, bloodied teeth gleaming.


    It was clear as day to see who Ram got her personality from. The boy was nearly intoxicated with how much power he had over someone.


    Then, Rosan finished the battle off by sending Kenzo to his grave, all while promising that his mother and daughter would be safe for years to come.


    And that was that, the redhead won the Ash and Dust tournament and after heavy praise, was escorted back to his cage to prepare for the next steps in their life.


    How unfortunate that they didn''t know Rosan had his own plans. Plans that involved only himself and nobody else.


    Well... Nobody else but Meiko. Her influence on him was clearly shining because the two made up right before Rosan planned on officially escaping and with regret in his eyes, he put her to sleep.


    Despite his vengeful mood for everyone there, he had still decided (with Mod''s input) to spare the blonde who had been his only respite on Daybreak.


    Then, to Robin''s amazement, he created two clones and had them take anything of value from the island, including Meiko. Even after discovering that she was the child (wasn''t that a shock, though Robin had her suspicions) of Rosan''s greatest tormentors.


    "You have clones?" Robin muttered. It wasn''t that surprising, considering it was Rosan who pitched the idea of making clones to her in the first place by utilizing her ability but she never contemplated the idea of him being able to do it the same.


    There were clearly differences, after all Robin was completely cloning herself, there was no difference between her and her clone. Rosan... was practically creating androids that he gave a similar appearance to himself. They weren''t naturally biological like her own or actually clones. It was fitting for his computer man motif.


    "I actually got the idea from you," he admitted, much to her surprise. "They are Angel and Demon. We can meet them soon, I''m sure they''ve wanted to meet one of the people who played such a strong influence on me."


    She nodded in curiosity. He spoke about them like they were their own people and knowing Rosan, they probably were.


    After little Rosan had broken free, he had marched towards Doc''s home with a purpose.


    It was there that Robin witnessed Rosan and Mod''s first argument¡­ about her¡­


    Despite fully understanding why he was like this, it still hurt deep down to know that Rosan was so angry with her, that he''d even lash out at Mod-chan. The things he were saying... it was all magnified by his hurt heart that was still not healed so Robin managed to rationalize it well.


    Didn''t stop it from filling her with a bit of pain. She was glad Rosan was not like this anymore and realized his overreactions.


    "Mod-chan tried to defend you but I was being too stubborn and I ended up scaring her and making her cry," the redhead told her softly.


    Rosan stared darkly at the screen. He didn''t know its motive, but the virus had taken advantage of his mental state and caused him to become like this. There was no room to talk in his opinion.


    When he got his hands on it¡­


    Mod grabbed his hands reassuringly. "I still shouldn''t have pushed you so hard even despite knowing what was going through your head. I knew it was unnatural but I still never connected the dots to the virus¡­"


    She held her head at that. She was so confident in her abilities, that she never stopped to consider that the virus was never sealed in the first place.


    "I know you forgave me but I''m still sorry, Robin. I¡­ couldn''t deal with the fact that you broke a promise that was impossible to keep at the time and I childishly lashed out," Rosan whispered, hoping she knew that he meant it.


    Robin sighed fondly and flicked his forehead, much to his surprise. "I won''t lie, seeing the actual memory hurt even more but it also showed me clearly that you were just a kid whose anger flared irrationally to things you couldn''t control. I said it once and I''ll say it a million times, I understand that it wasn''t your fault Rosan so stop apologizing so much or I''ll get mad at you for that instead," she ordered firmly.


    "You tell him, Mother!" Ram cheered, clapping happily.


    Was she really just going to call her Mother now? Well, Rosan used to call her Robin-nee all the time so it must have been genetics.


    Rosan stared at her before letting out a quiet snort. "Fine, I''ll stop apologizing for this then. I''ll probably have some new reasons in the future anyways. I''ve been told I''m still as chaotic as ever."


    "Some things won''t change, even with age," Robin teased, turning towards the screen again with a sadistic glint. "Let''s continue, I want to see you get your revenge on that man and his wife."


    All three inhabitants had quite the unsavory gleam in their eyes at that and Robin couldn''t hide her chuckles.


    Even Mod-chan was unhinged in her own ways, a natural consequence of being Rosan''s caretaker for 20 years.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Rosan''s still not here?" Zoro yawned. "I wanted to train some more before landing on this next island but I guess that can wait."


    They were fast approaching the next island and Rosan was still nowhere to be seen. He tended to vanish from them often but he was never gone for such a long period of time...


    "He must be really catching up with her¡­" Nami mused to herself. It had been about 16 years for them so they deserved a bit of alone time, away from judging and curious stares.


    "Yeah! He''s probably showing her his memories," Luffy chimed, sitting on the Merry''s figurehead. His brother had mentioned it some time ago.


    "HE CAN SHARE MEMORIES?!" Vivi gawked. Who was he?! He was able to do so many things!


    "HE CAN DO THAT?!" Sanji repeated, dread mounting. W-What if he showed that mature beauty the memory of when the chef had been saved as a child. His image would be ruined!


    "Rosan''s memories¡­ I wonder what they''re like," Usopp muttered. The enigmatic redhead always mentioned things that sounded like lies but apparently he never once lied to the crew!


    Usopp thought about it some more and shuddered.


    Nevermind, he didn''t want to see them.


    Luffy laughed merrily and said, "You don''t wanna see them! They''re really bad!"


    "You''ve seen them?" Zoro chimed in.


    "Yeah! He showed them to me a long time ago," Luffy nodded. "He''s been through a lot¡­ Oh but if I tell you he''s gonna hide all my meat!"


    They sweatdropped at the panicking rubber boy and Nami jumped in for the save, knowing he''d unintentionally reveal it regardless.


    "Let''s not pry into his life without his consent. He''s been through a lot," Nami said, shutting down the conversation.


    They nodded in unison and Luffy let out a sigh of relief.


    Nami snorted. Rosan and Luffy were both lucky that they had her here to be the logical one.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Watching Rosan return 6 months of torture to the two who had spearheaded it, filled Robin with a dark satisfaction that assured she''d be sleeping well tonight.


    Little Rosan marched into the couples home with a dark look in his eyes, soundproofing the house in the process and tying up the couple without waking them.


    Then, he forced the wife, Sachie, to reveal her name before slitting her throat. Robin honestly thought she got off too easy but at the very least, Rosan made her think he was going to make Meiko own up for their sins.


    Finally, he turned his attention to the man who caused it all and asked him one poetic question.


    "What is your name?"Little Rosan grinned sadistically.


    What followed next was a degree of torture people with a faint stomach would not be able to watch. Doc proved that he could not handle a taste of his own medicine and he screamed for mercy the entire time. Rosan''s glee at that spiked and he only got more violent.


    "What? Can''t handle a bit of pain?" He mocked, pressing a button that was connected to the collar he forcefully strapped around Doc''s neck.


    "AIYEEE!"The doctor screeched pathetically, trashing as terrible shocks ran through his bloodied and mutilated body.


    "Kahahahaha!" Rosan laughed maliciously. "You seemed so happy using this on me but you don''t like it? You''re so much older then me so why are you so much more pathetic," he crooned, unrelenting in his assault.


    "Good," Robin muttered darkly, smiling at the agony that the doctor was in. The redhead was utterly unforgiving in his torture and didn''t stop for even a second, ensuring that Masaru was not given even a second of respite.


    Best of all, his sensitivity was heightened so everything was amplified and Rosan modified his nerves so that falling asleep was not an option.


    It seemed Rosan appealed to everyone here because when he backed off, they were all satisfied with the job done.


    "Don''t sleep just yet, Masaru," the redhead advised, knowing he wouldn''t be falling asleep. "I''ve got one more gift for you so just watch. This is who you chose to mess with. This is the monster you created. I''m not going to be the princess or the knight in shining armor," Rosan promised him, fangs gleaming in the night,


    "I''m the dragon that''s going to terrorize them both except I''m going to win," he finished ominously, pushing the gurgling doctor into an area where he could see what was going to happen next.


    Robin''s eyes widened at that.


    Did he actually...?


    He did. Robin watched with a proud gaze, as Rosan''s 5 year dream was achieved.


    "I''m so proud of you, Rosan! You actually managed to transform into a dragon," she praised, shooting the redhead a pleased smile and affectionately running a hand through his hair.


    Rosan smiled slightly at that, quirking up his lip as he accepted her praise. "I wish you were there to see it firsthand... I''ll have to show you soon how it looks fully."


    "RAOGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The dragon roared its fury to the heaven, coalescing a massive amount of energy in its maw that the screaming people covered in horror could only gaze in horror at.


    "ANNIHILATION!" The monster screamed in victory as he gazed with no remorse in those draconic slits, howling his victory once more.


    "You destroyed an entire island," Robin said, not quite believing her eyes as the whole island went up into flames, leaving nothing behind. The hellish flames that crashed and burned every single person on it¡­ this is what happened when you messed with Rosan and pushed him over the edge.


    He was never normal and the redhead had a malicious streak that went a mile wide.


    Soon, all that was left of the island were charred remains. Not even the buildings were enough to stand up to that unattural fire and Rosan snorted before flying to his ship.


    "Do I scare you?" Rosan asked softly, watching the memory end.


    The Devil Child shook her head. "Of course not. You''ll never scare me, Rosan. I came to that conclusion the day you saved me from being captured because you only have my best interests at heart. I have no reason to fear the only person who loves me."


    Robin paused as she recalled that specific memory of Rosan saving her and a look of realization came across her features.


    Memories of a time that she thought was a trick to the eyes but now that she thought about it...


    Rosan tilted his head and asked, "What happened?"


    "I think¡­ I think I saw a glimpse of the virus," Robin said, much to the surprise of everyone there. "Now that I''m thinking about it, I''m sure I saw it. Mod-chan, do you have a technique that turns the sclera black?"


    The lady going white, was all she needed to know.


    "I-I... No, I don''t but b-black is their..." she bit her lip nervously and glanced back at her seat that was Rosan with a nervous expression on her face.


    The redhead looked utterly unimpressed with her, gazing directly into her eyes and making her wilt.


    "I-I know that''s bad but, Rosan¡ª" she tried to no avail.


    "Even without the castle, you weren''t able to detect their influence, Mod-chan?" Rosan tutted, getting a guilty bow out of the woman. "Are you sure you know what you''re dealing with? How did you not feel the virus... Are you sure you didn''t feel it?" He asked calmly, narrowing his eyes slightly.


    Her eyes went wide and she flinched. "I-I promise, the virus managed to completely evade me! I really wasn''t aware that they were free," she whispered, hurt.


    Robin couldn''t keep the shock off her face at seeing Rosan press Mod of all things.


    The redhead continued to stare a hole into her. "I just don''t get what you''re trying to understand. Do you want to know why the Virus hates me? Why they so cruelly turned me against Robin even while I was being tortured? Why they are trapped in the castle holding all my emotions?"


    With every question, Mod wilted further. Despite sitting on Rosan''s lap, the woman tried to put distance between the two and nervously bit her lip.


    "I-I¡­ I''ll deal with it, Rosan! You don''t need to¡­ please don''t interfere," she pleaded, directing wide red eyes towards the skeptical redhead. "I know I deserve your suspicion but p-please, I at least want to understand their motives..."


    Robin couldn''t believe that Rosan was actually throwing suspicion onto his Devil Fruit and that was, surprisingly, the most surefire way to show her that he had grown up and changed.


    "Rosan¡­ Mod-chan? What''s going on?" Robin asked warily, watching Ram shrink away from the two, trepidation clear on her face.


    There was a tense silence as Mod avoided the redhead''s gaze and he turned towards the Devil Child.


    "Mod-chan and I have different ways of wanting to deal with the virus," Rosan explained.


    "He wants to destroy them immediately¡­ without giving them a chance to explain themselves but I don''t want that," Mod told her quietly. "The virus is a piece of me¡­ I''m sure I can talk to them and we can come to some type of an agreement."


    "And if you can''t?" Rosan interrupted, tilting his head to the side.


    "...I don''t know," Mod said, refusing to make eye contact with her charge.


    "You don''t know? You haven''t even planned for that outcome? Mod-chan... do you even realize what the virus did to me?" Rosan actually frowned at her. "What type of silly optimism are you holding onto, where you don''t even know what''s going to happen after we reach the most likely outcome?"


    The virus committed one of the worst crimes against him. It took Robin and it zeroed his anger in on her, making him hate his best friend of all people. But Mod didn''t know what she was going to do when it revealed that it had no intention of playing nice with Rosan? Was she actually serious?


    Mod said nothing. It was clear that she wasn''t able to justify why she was acting like this and the Devil Fruit fidgeted, opening and closing her mouth repeatedly.


    Ram looked like she dearly wanted to help out her Auntie but she didn''t want to argue against her Father and risk his potential wrath. Besides, he raised a fair point. What was Auntie''s end goal here?


    "Rosan, Mod-chan has never let you down intentionally," Robin stepped in mercifully.


    It was jarring to see the Devil Fruit look so pressured and for the redhead to be the reason.


    Rosan took his eyes of Mod, who let out a quiet, distressed, sigh and turned towards Robin once more.


    "You have to be a bit more considerate. The virus is apart of her and she''s probably going through a lot of internal dilemma right now, between wanting to keep you safe and resolving the virus issue. At least trust her up until she exhausts her options if that happens," Robin said firmly, grabbing his hand and locking him in place with those blue eyes.


    "¡­" Rosan said nothing, just gazing at her with a tilted head before he let loose a quiet sigh.


    "Okay, you''re right. At the very least, I do believe that Mod-chan wants to keep me safe," he finally said.


    Turning towards the shocked woman, he wiped the small tears on her face and pulled her into a hug.


    "Mod-chan... You don''t make bad decisions much so I''ll let you deal with the virus first."


    "But, if you can''t reach a compromise, I will have to step in. You can understand that much at least, right?" Rosan asked quietly.


    Mod blinked in surprise before nodding without hesitation. "I understand... if it comes down to that, I won''t interfere," she whispered, wrapping her arms around his neck and letting the tension leak from her body.


    She shot the Devil Child a grateful look, smiling brightly at the woman.


    Robin returned the smile, only to gasp as Ram crashed into her and hugged her tightly.


    "Thank you! You''re one of the only people willing to get between Father and Auntie smartly," Ram muttered, sighing in relief as the tension bled out of her body.


    The Devil Child smiled at the childish woman and pat her gently. "I know these two well so I''m confident in being able to speak reason into them."


    "Of course, of course!" Ram nodded enthusiastically, staring adoringly at the older woman.


    "Ram is really taken with you," Rosan commented idly. "That never happens, with anyone. I''ve never actually seen her act like this."


    Had his memories affected Ram''s perception of Robin that much? This was their first time meeting and she was calling the woman Mother and was very clearly taken with her.


    He wondered why...


    "I think it''s adorable. She reminds me of little you," Robin smiled, running a hand through Ram''s hair and getting a purr out of her.


    Yes, Robin was the perfect mother.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    After waking up to go make some food, Robin and Rosan had continued from where they left off with his memories.


    It started off with Rosan informing Meiko of what happened to her island and the sheer heartbreak on her face at hearing what Rosan did, made even Robin''s heart pang in sympathy.


    Even little Rosan wasn''t exempt, eyes furrowed in guilt as he watched her excuse herself from the kitchen.


    "Just seeing the way I used to act with her..." Rosan sighed to himself. "She didn''t deserve that. I wish she met the other version of me first."


    Robin frowned at him. "I can assure you Meiko took no offense. She understands exactly what you went through. It''s why she was so patient with you, right?"


    The redhead nodded without hesitation. "Her patience was otherworldly. She always talked about how normal she was compared to me but she couldn''t have been farther from the truth. Meiko was special," he said resolutely.


    He was right... Meiko was special. Not many people could have so much empathy in their heart.


    "...I can agree with that, she really is something special," Robin mused, watching the sheer terror on her face at the realization that the only person she had any connection to, was planning on leaving her alone on some island.


    The blonde was mature beyond her years. Even after Rosan admitted to killing her parents, the little girl still felt drawn to him, to the point where she violently protested at the idea of being left alone.


    She even managed to admit that she liked him as she berated him! It was unintentional but she still did it!


    "I didn''t think a person like her could exist," Rosan admitted with a shake of his head. "That''s why I blew up on her¡­ I thought she had ulterior motives but no, she''s just that confusing."


    It was rather funny that Rosan thought someone like this couldn''t exist, when Robin thought the exact same thing about him when they first met. Those two really were cut from the same cloth!


    "Isn''t she just like you then?" Robin laughed, watching little Rosan let out a hearty laugh himself at the adorable blonde.


    She couldn''t blame Rosan for eventually falling in love with the girl because honestly, Robin probably would have fallen victim to her charms too. Not only did they have an incredible synergy, the girl was clearly smitten with him as well. Meiko even purposely waited for Rosan to leave the room so that they could start the day together!


    And he thought nothing of it! He was so adorably oblivious!


    "Just like me? I always thought we were different but¡­ we were pretty similar in hindsight," Rosan agreed softly as the memory continued.


    Robin couldn''t help the small laugh at seeing how vain and egoistic Rosan still was.


    Always wanting to look good, the child contemplated using a disguise to hide his appearance and wanted a set of wings to match with his aesthetic.


    The boy ruthlessly threw out insects due to how they looked and bird wings because they weren''t special enough.


    So what did he finally decide on?


    Angel wings. The redhead picked Angel Wings because they would look the best on his figure.


    ...Was he serious?


    "You made Reaper just to have a disguise you could throw away?" Robin asked incredulously.


    The most famed bounty hunter to sail the seas¡­ the figure who was so mysterious, people weren''t even aware they were human¡­ the person who made Robin decide to go the Grand Line early just to avoid getting captured by them¡­


    That was just a means to an end for him? A way for him to secure money while keeping his anonymity?


    "I didn''t ever really expect Reaper to become so popular," Rosan hummed. "I just wanted an easy source of money with bounty hunting and needed a disguise to do it but it quickly spiraled out of control."


    Robin would have believed that was his motive¡­ if she didn''t watch him immediately free and subjugate an entire island as Reaper, getting a consistent source of money out of them in the process.


    Things were never simple with Rosan.


    "I''m still allies with them to this day... We''ve even become good friends and they know my real identity," he informed her. "Fregate is quite the incredible island in the North Blue and they have supplied me with many important things."


    "You must have a lot of money, if you''ve been getting 15% every two weeks for 15 years," she pointed out. Somehow, Robin wasn''t even surprised about his antics and was just glad he had gotten some benefit out of it.


    "I will probably never have to worry about money again," Rosan said truthfully. "Fregate is very wealthy, so as a result, I''m very wealthy. I can show you, I keep it all in my Pocket Dimension."


    She nodded after some pondering and they did just that.


    Learning that the castle they were currently sleeping in, was inside a Pocket Dimension of all things had made Robin reassess just how genius her best friend''s mind was.


    Using the link between his bag and ship to discover an entirely new place in between? Manipulating space? It was a level of genius that only he could find with that Devil Fruit. She doubted anyone would have thought of that.


    "Sometimes, I think the Mod Mod no mi was made for you," Robin sighed.


    "Of course, Mod-chan is mine and only mine," Rosan nodded, getting a noise of protest out of the woman.


    "Stop being so possessive!" She complained hitting his chest softly and glaring at him.


    "No," he replied calmly, ignoring the soft slaps and idly pinching her soft cheeks.


    "Stawp!" Mod growled, much to their amusement.


    The duo made their way to the redhead''s treasury, all while Robin took in the intricate beauty of the castle (Meiko seemed to have a heavy hand in this too) and she couldn''t stop her mouth from opening slightly as she gazed at the sheer amount of treasure that was in the room.


    "If you see anything you like, take it," Rosan told her. "This is just as much as your stuff as it is mine."


    She blinked at that, turning wide eyes towards the redhead. "Really? You''re just giving me free access to anything in here?"


    He nodded without hesitation. "That''s how it should have been in the first place. I''m just doing what is normal."


    Robin listened to his words and smiled. "Aren''t you just the cutest?" She teased.


    "...Hey," Rosan warned, as they went back to join Mod and Ram after grabbing something to drink.


    "Hurry up! This is when Father''s about to fall in love with Mother!" Ram scowled. She beckoned them over eagerly and slammed a hand on the empty seats repeatedly.


    She loved this part dearly and watched it who knows how many times.


    True to the ring''s words, Robin watched as Rosan presented a pair of ruby red earrings, that she was certain was the same pair in his ears, to the blonde that he wanted to apologize to.


    They got into an argument and Rosan''s anger flared, making him lash out unintentionally at the blonde and to see him filled with so much remorse... it was adorable to see how fast Meiko wormed his way into her heart.


    So he got her the earrings and she kissed him right on the cheek! The redhead quite liked it but he didn''t put too much stock into it...


    Then he saw her in the dress


    "Look at your face! It''s so red," Robin gushed. She couldn''t even blame him! Meiko looked stunning right now! Her insecurities were honestly unwarranted because she was perfect the way she was.


    Watching the redhead slowly come to that same realization, was far too funny and he refused to admit that he had a crush on Meiko. He tried hard to deny it but the proof was right there in his heart and the longer he stared at her, the more red his face became.


    Alas, Rosan''s self perception of himself and what he deserved, were just too low and Robin vowed to try and fix his issues while she had him.


    He thought he didn''t have the right to like Meiko, due to what he had done to her but the blonde would never hold that against him.


    Robin was thankful that Meiko managed to successfully break through to him. She knew all the right words and even Rosan couldn''t escape from the truth.


    The blonde was everything someone as self critical as Rosan, needed. Somehow she had even managed to break through Rosan''s anger and have him realize it wasn''t Robin''s fault!


    It was Meiko who made him realize that Robin didn''t deserve any blame and she helped snap Rosan out of his irrational ways. She always knew the perfect words to say to him and he always diligently listened to her because she was his pillar.


    He even vowed to find and apologize to Robin for messing up so thoroughly because of her.


    Meiko was amazing and Robin loved her dearly. She was the emotional glue that held everyone together and Robin felt herself growing more and more fond of the girl with every memory they went through.


    Robin even smiled brightly at seeing Rosan give the blonde a very familiar ring, declaring that they settle down after attaining his goal of becoming the strongest.


    Seeing the insecure girl''s worries completely vanish at that simple declaration of wanting to get married warmed her heart. With just those words, Rosan helped Meiko come to peace with herself and she began to live her life without the weight the parents put on her shoulders.


    Yes, Robin quite liked Meiko.


    Which is why it tore her heart into a million pieces to see everything go wrong.


    Ram and Mod both let out apologies beforehand and left the room as the memory started, claiming that they couldn''t bear to watch it again and Robin couldn''t help but squeeze Rosan''s hand reassuringly, at the stony expression on his face.


    "You won''t leave?" Robin asked in concern.


    "...No, I''ll be here for you," he said softly. This was a reminder for him. Watching it again didn''t mean anything because he had near perfect memory and thought about this moment everyday.


    She smiled sadly at the thoughtful words and squeezed a bit harder, getting close to the redhead and just offering her presence.


    It all started when Meiko was kidnapped while Rosan was away from her. He frequently did his duties as Reaper and this was one of those times.


    Unfortunately, some people with a vendetta against the Angel, wanted to get revenge and had somehow made connections. This must have been an endeavor they were planning for a while now because they knew that Meiko had some sort of relationship with the Shinigami.


    They then kidnapped Meiko soon after...


    Robin couldn''t help the well of sympathy at seeing Rosan explode at Angel and Demon. They made a grievous mistake and the redhead lashed out on them, filling them with true terror that was reminiscent of the earlier days spent around him.


    The rage that Rosan radiated could have been felt across the entire island and the Shinigami wasted no time looking for his lover.


    The slaughter that followed right after was as horrifying as it was justified. Rosan was making a statement right now.


    But in his rage, he lost track of Meiko and some young man had taken advantage of that, putting them in a hostage situation that forced Rosan to reveal his name and appearance, before managing to get out of it.


    He choked the man unconscious and was about to finish the job... when the man''s little sister, the same one that Meiko asked to spare, made her presence know.


    She had taken the discarded gun and attempted to shoot Rosan¡­


    But she missed. She missed and Meiko was mortally wounded instead.


    "No," Robin whispered in horror, tears welling up in her eyes at the sheer despair being radiated by the entire crew of the White Rose.


    None were even close to Rosan''s. The boy looked like he was the one dying and held Meiko with such desperation, it was heartbreaking to see. He held onto her with such fervor... he gazed at her with such love in his teary eyes...


    That love was reciprocated equally with Meiko. She... She gave all of them their own parting words because she was just that incredible before finishing with Rosan.


    The girl was truly at peace with herself, because even with the tears, the girl was able to smile at them all.


    Just like Saul...


    "Rosan, I love you," Meiko said, voice full of a tender love.


    "I love you too, Meiko," Rosan whispered, tears spilling on his lover''s body.


    Then, Meiko died and Robin watched the glow in Rosan''s eyes vanish at the same time.


    Almost like frames of a movie were taken out, Robin watched as the redhead''s expression immediately shifted from overwhelming sadness, to nothing at all.


    He stopped his cries, his tears dried, and his expression died, as he ordered the clones to clean Meiko''s body¡­


    Then... then he focused his attention on the terrified Izumi and he mentally tortured the girl to her breaking point.


    To forcefully take her over and have her be the one to torture and kill her own brother¡­ Robin had always known that Rosan''s link technique could be much darker if he put his mind to it.


    Even she found it difficult to watch the show of cruelty but Rosan never looked away for even a second until the girl was branded with a pitch black rose.


    They both watched him equip the deceased Meiko''s accessories onto his own person... All with that vacant expression.


    "Let''s stop for now. We can continue another time," Rosan decided.


    Robin let out a shaky sob as the screen went black and she collapsed into Rosan''s open arms, tears spilling onto him at the raw wound in her heart.


    "S-She died in your arms? I''m so sorry, Rosan," she shuddered.


    That¡­ everything made so much sense now. It was a wonder that Rosan was still alive right now! The only thing pushing him forward, had been the request that Meiko had for him¡­


    To keep moving forward, for the both of them.


    "Meiko was amazing and what you two had for each other was real and beautiful! I just¡­ I learned so much about her through you... The love you felt, the joy... I feel like all of that was my own! I loved her so much and I can''t imagine what you had to go through..."


    The redhead let loose a quiet, tired, sigh.


    "It was difficult," Rosan whispered, hugging her tightly. "I wish I hadn''t let my anger get the best of me. I always let my anger get the best of me and Meiko was always at the receiving end of it¡­ that time it was too much and I lost her¡­"


    "It''s good that I lost my emotions there because eventually, my anger would have gotten the best of me again. Anger is always my first response even though I know it''s not the best," he finished, closing his eyes.


    "But you know that now!" Robin interrupted his self loathing with a determined stare, tears still flowing. "We''ll get your emotions back and we''ll fix that issue. We can''t fix it while you''re like this, Rosan so we have to get it back."


    Rosan stared at her in wonder before burying his face in her hair and saying, "Yeah¡­ yeah, let''s do that. It''ll be hard but maybe just maybe it''s more possible then I thought."


    Mod and Ram watched the interaction with smiles on their face. They couldn''t bear to watch the memory of Meiko''s death¡­ it hurt too much but they had been there to catch the tail end of the two''s conversation.


    "You''re fully on board now?" Ram asked with an impish smile.


    "...Yes. Yes I am," Mod decided.

 Robin and Rosan II

    "Whenever we fall asleep, we can continue my memories. There''s still much I want to show you," Rosan decided, detaching himself from Robin and stretching his body.


    Robin nodded in agreement, stretching herself, before realizing something.


    So naturally, had she slotted herself back into Rosan''s life and vice versa, that they had forgotten some key details.


    "Rosan¡­ I''m apart of Baroque Works and there''s not a chance Crocodile will let me leave without repercussion," Robin told him warily.


    She was too valuable to his goals and he would send as many people as necessary to get her back. She just got Rosan back... she didn''t want to lose him already.


    Maybe she would go back and act as a mole for the redhead? It could be another infiltration mission like the ones they did all the time as children.


    The redhead resisted the urge to scowl as his possessive streak came rearing full force.


    "I won''t let you go back to someone who only wants to use you while I can stop it," Rosan said bluntly, making her flush slightly in appreciation at his steadfast resolve.


    "Infiltration missions are cancelled until further notice. I''m not letting you out of my sight. If you stay with me, I''ll protect you." The redhead''s words were to the point and she was sure he meant it when he said she wasn''t leaving his sight.


    "As possessive as ever. Some things really don''t ever change," Robin sighed fondly, conceding without putting up a fight. She was worried about him but he was already an enemy of Baroque Works.


    If she went back to them, Rosan would go retrieve her himself just like all those times when they were kids. The man was spoiled then and he was clearly spoiled now, making sure everything that belonged to him stayed that way.


    Wait a second¡­


    "I just realized that you''re apart of a pirate crew¡­ and you''re not the captain," Robin pointed out. As far as she knew, Straw Hat Luffy was the captain of the Straw Hat Pirates and Rosan was just a member of the crew...


    That was surreal! Rosan expressed almost no interest in being a pirate at all and showed outright disdain when it came to taking orders from people he didn''t respect.


    Besides, despite not wanting to lead anyone, the redhead would much rather do that then take orders, as shown with his time on the White Rose, leading the clones and Meiko.


    "It''s a surprise isn''t it? Luffy is a rather unique captain though and I doubt I''d have an easier time following someone else. He allows me many liberties that I appreciate," Rosan said softly.


    Monkey D. Luffy¡­ to think he managed to get such a wild card like Rosan under his banner. He must be far more dangerous then Baroque Works thought of him... even Robin underestimated him at a glance but Rosan would never follow someone so weak.


    "Will he not have a problem with me on the ship? I didn''t really leave a good first impression," Robin added warily.


    Come to think of it, she doubted the rest of the crew would be accepting of her.


    She had blown up that Igaram''s ship after all. He wasn''t dead but they didn''t know that yet.


    "Of course. Luffy is my little brother and he knows you from my memories. He''s probably ecstatic that we reunited and has probably already slotted you into the crew¡­ As for the others, if they have a problem I''ll deal with it," Rosan hummed.


    She sweatdropped at that. Something told her this Luffy was a bit¡­ eccentric.


    Well, he had to be if he was able to successfully tame Rosan.


    "Wait¡­ little brother?" Robin repeated.


    "Yeah¡­ I found Ace and Luffy over the years and we¡­ we became really close despite early problems. You''ll see it in my memories," he explained.


    "Ace¡­" Robin mused. She was so glad that they had managed to meet and make amends. It was something Rosan used to tear himself up about nonstop when they were kids. She spent many a night reassuring him.


    She actually recognized Ace around 3 years ago while looking at bounty posters. The Devil Child couldn''t hold back the gasp at seeing Portgas D. in his name and she kept tabs on him in hopes that he''d somehow end up close to her location.


    Robin had resolved to tell him about Rosan if they had ever met but she was happy that they had managed to connect regardless.


    The young man had been quite the superstar pirate and absolutely blazed through the Grand Line. He didn''t stay in an area long enough for her to even consider heading to his location and she was already apart of Baroque Works at that point too.


    Now he was apart of the Whitebeard Pirates and sported a hefty bounty of 650,000,000! He quickly asserted himself as a force in the pirate world and she guessed Rosan had a hand in that.


    She still wanted to meet him. Robin was looking forward to seeing those memories.


    "Right, now let''s go check on my crew after we shower¡­ They''re really stupid and though I don''t normally feel like interfering, I find myself doing it often."


    "That''s just because you actually like them!" Mod beamed.


    Robin giggled at the sigh Rosan let out before freezing.


    "Oh¡­ I never did tell them that they were headed to Little Garden," she muttered. Luckily, she actually did plan on heading back to Alabasta so she already had an Eternal Pose.


    "Little Garden? What''s wrong with it?" Rosan asked with a tilted head.


    "It''s a prehistoric island that''s home to dinosaurs and two giant pirates," Robin informed him. "While those things alone probably won''t phase your crew, the log pose takes about a year to connect to a new island."


    "Oh that''s not very good," Mod said in dread, realizing the implications.


    "Hm, so unless we can find an Eternal Pose¡­ we may be in a bit of trouble," Rosan deduced.


    "That''s a nice way to put it but don''t worry, I have one already," Robin smiled.


    The redhead hummed and pulled her into a side hug. "Already proving to be more useful then my crew right now. I missed you."


    The brunette couldn''t contain her laughter at that. "I missed you too."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Ah, I see what you meant by prehistoric island but why is it called Little Garden?" Rosan murmured, glancing at the massive dinosaurs lazing about with a contemplative expression.


    "Probably because it''s inhabitants are incredibly large, so it''s little to them," Robin informed.


    She did not like that look in his eyes.


    They hadn''t even been here for 10 minutes and it seemed like the redhead was up to something crazy.


    "Ram¡­ do you think Maro would enjoy a pet dinosaur or two?" Rosan asked suddenly.


    Yep, she knew it.


    "Definitely! But these are too big and too boring," Ram muttered, staring at the giant creatures with an impressed gaze. "We read a book on dinosaurs, you should get her a T-Rex or a Pterodactyl or a Velociraptor!"


    "I can''t believe we''re discussing this... Please don''t get her any of those carnivores. Get her like¡­ a Triceratops. They''re herbivores, much gentler then those previous options and should be cooler to her than a Brontosaurus," Mod said, staring unimpressed at the giddy ring.


    She couldn''t believe she was even entertaining this...


    "Who is Maro?" Robin couldn''t help but ask.


    "My student. She was also Grim when Reaper was still active," Rosan informed her.


    "So she was Grim. You must have a lot of trust in her, considering I haven''t seen her at all in any of your current memories¡­" Robin mused.


    Grim wasn''t nearly as well known as Reaper, considering hardly anyone saw them but there were whispers of someone following Reaper around who had inverted colors of their outfit.


    To think that her best friend actually took on a student... it was rather unlike him.


    "Rosan trusts her with his life because he found her at nothing. Maro was a homeless girl without even a name when he found her as Reaper."


    "She stole a bag of apples from me. She was a dirty and skinny little thing, surviving off of pure spite and it caught my attention."


    "When she had nothing, Rosan decided to give her something and though she struggled with it, eventually became a reliable source. She''s practically his daughter."


    "She''s also my best friend and a massive pervert," Ram chimed. "That damn goblin is always staring at my ass. I don''t know how Auntie Angel can put up with her."


    "P-Please don''t be so crude," Mod muttered in embarrassment.


    "Bah, she stares at your ass too!" The ring said shamelessly.


    "PLEASE STOP BEING SO CRUDE!" The Devil Fruit yelled in mortification.


    D-Did Maro really stare at her butt?! B-But she wore a dress!


    Robin took in the information with a surprised expression (and amusement at the conversation happening between Ram and Mod). The fact that Rosan had probably found her after losing his emotions spoke volumes on how valuable Maro was to him.


    "Yeah, I even gave her a Mythical Zoan as a show of trust. Stole it from someone named Joker in the Grand Line¡­ I don''t suppose you know who that is?"


    "...You stole a Mythical Zoan from Joker?" Robin asked in disbelief, eyes widening slightly. "I don''t know his identity but he''s the most prevalent underground broker in the Grand Line," she stressed.


    Information gathering was her specialty and she had been in the Grand Line for 10 years now. Joker was a mysterious person but she knew that they were very famous and dangerous in the underground world.


    "Yeah¡­ he knows Reaper stole it too. Pretty sure he''s holding a vendetta against me and waiting for the day we meet," Rosan commented idly, looking utterly unbothered by the prospect of being on such a dangerous person''s radar.


    Robin forgot how crazy they all were¡­


    She missed it.


    Rosan eventually nodded his head and vowed to find two Triceratops before leaving the island.


    "Now that we''ve figured that out¡­" He turned towards Robin and took off his open purple cardigan before draping it over the surprised woman and leaving him in a sleeveless black shirt, that showcased his tattoo and muscular arms.


    "You''re dressed way too open for an island like this," Rosan muttered, buttoning it up and successfully covering Robin''s exposed body. "You may catch a sickness like that."


    While the all cowgirl outfit, that he washed, was great for the desert, it was far too risque for this potentially dangerous place.


    "I get sick once and you never let it go," Robin grumbled, remembering the chaos of the day she somehow got sick.


    It was endearing how much of an idiot the little genius had been and to avoid a repeat of that, she kept the comfortable cardigan on. Little Garden was still rather hot but the Cardigan''s material was fantastic and didn''t isolate the heat much at all.


    "I didn''t know you had a tattoo. It looks good," Robin commented. He had expressed interest in one as a child but based on his memories, that interest seemed to have long vanished. The intricate tattoo that was his name with a thorny rose running through it looked beautiful.


    "Thank you... Angel did it for me when I was 16. It looks incredible for someone who learned how to make them in one week," Rosan nodded. "Now that we''ve solved one issue¡­ where exactly is Luffy? I teleported us to his straw hat but he must have been in a rush and I missed him¡­"


    He didn''t see any footsteps that would belong to his little brother, so maybe he had gotten a hitchhike from one of the dinosaurs. That would explain the massive footprints on the floor unless Luffy managed to inflate himself to large degrees.


    Actually...


    "Come, I can feel him this way." Rosan pointed in a direction and the duo was off.


    Monkey D. Luffy¡­ Robin was interested in learning more about the rubber boy who earned Rosan''s loyalty.


    Then again, only someone more insane then Rosan, would be able to get the redhead to follow them. He was an agent of chaos after all.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "I should warn you, Baroque Works is also on this island," Robin warned. "Not only are Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine here, Mr. 3 and Miss Goldenweek should be as well."


    "How useful are this 3 and Goldenweek?" Rosan muttered. "The previous agents thought it was smart to get in the way between me and Luffy''s spat and now the booger bomb one is going to pay the price."


    Robin blinked at that ominous message. "Mr. 3 isn''t really all that strong but he''s crafty and has the Doru Doru no mi. Anything that happens on this island, will be because of his planning. Miss Goldenweek is not a fighter but she has some form hypnotism that alters personality based on the color of her paint," she explained.


    The redhead hummed at that. Wax, huh? While not as powerful as Mr 5''s fruit, it could be more resourceful. He''d have to see but if the man disappointed him¡­ he''d probably just let him die. His Devil Fruit wasn''t as must have and Rosan didn''t need some other person''s brains besides Robin.


    The redhead summoned a bug and had it fly off, before continuing on his way and the duo eventually made their way to the sound of constant, unnaturally loud, laughter that seemed to shake the ground they walked on.


    Pushing through the massive amount of shrubbery, Robin and Rosan were greeted to the sight of a giant, Luffy, and Vivi chatting away.


    Luffy immediately turned around and his grin widened, as he rocketed over towards the two.


    "Rosan! Robin! You''re back!" he cheered, crashing into the redhead who easily accepted the hug. "Woah! Your eyes are glowing a little!"


    "Luffy," Rosan smiled softly. "Yeah¡­ catching up with Robin did wonders for me."


    "That''s great! Thanks Robin," Luffy beamed, pulling the woman into the hug, much to her surprise. "She''s traveling with us, right?! Hey, are you a musician?! Sing a song!" The rubber boy demanded.


    It was like looking at little Rosan again and Robin had spent four years dealing with and getting used to the walking, overbearing, unrelenting headache.


    "I''m right here," Rosan deadpanned.


    "I said what I said," Robin retorted, smiling slightly at the beaming rubber boy.


    "I''m in your care and no, I''m not a musician. I''m an archaeologist. Rosan is the one who can sing, not me. I''m much better at dancing."


    "I''m a scout," Rosan said flatly, glancing at the other two people with Luffy.


    The giant was regarding them with cheerful curiosity while Vivi immediately stiffened at the sight of the two. She immediately zeroed in on Robin, making the Devil Child glance over with a neutral expression.


    "Friends of yours?" The giant boomed. His voice was so loud, they could feel their bones shaking as a side effect.


    "Yeah! They''re apart of my crew!" Luffy beamed, not having the slightest problem with Robin at all.


    The, now introduced, Dorry waved them over cheerfully. "Welcome friends! My name is Dorry! Come, we''re eating dinosaur meat!"


    "Thank you for having us," Rosan nodded, taking a seat and accepting the meat. Glancing at Robin, he grabbed her portion and expertly cut it into smaller slices.


    She smiled at the thoughtful gesture and grabbed the much more tolerable sized pieces. "Thank you Rosan."


    "Of course, Robin."


    Vivi began staring a hole into the duo and Rosan took it upon himself to return the favor.


    Unfortunately for her, his eyes were far more unsettling then her own.


    The bluenette began fidgeting at his intimidating gaze, idly grabbing her neck, and glanced away first.


    "What happened between you two?" Robin asked curiously through their connection. She dearly missed being linked up and they had done so almost immediately after exiting the Pocket Dimension.


    "She wanted us to capture and interrogate you. I immediately denied her request but she persisted and got too close to us so I choked her out."


    Robin felt warm inside at how he was willing to protect her from his entire crew if he needed to. That explained why they had been in the castle. He doubted anyone would have tried anything but he didn''t want her to be too uncomfortable.


    "You''re too adorable sometimes, Rosan," Robin said fondly.


    "I''m not adorable, I''m handsome," he countered.


    It was a miracle that Dorry and Luffy didn''t sense the unbelievable tension, lost in their own conversations, as Rosan, Robin and Vivi stared at each other.


    Rosan and Robin were content to remain completely silent, communicating through their link about when the visibly anxious Vivi would crack.


    Watching the two smile to each other occasionally did nothing for her nerves. Why were they doing that? What reason did they have to just randomly smile to the other in unison?


    The exploding volcano seemed to do the trick because Vivi jumped high into the air with a loud shriek before blushing hot at the amused stares from the two adults.


    Dorry explained to the group that he had been fighting his fellow former captain, Brogy for over 100 years and that the volcano signified that it was time for the two to duel so that they could see which one was permitted to head back to their home island, Elbaf.


    Luffy naturally wanted to see this and eagerly watched the battle with starry eyes.


    With Dorry gone and Luffy distracted, Vivi saw that this was as good as chance as any to try and get some answers because these two weren''t taking her serious at all.


    Remembering what Nami said, the princess smoothed over her anger and took a more professional air.


    "Miss All Sunday and Rosan-san¡­" Vivi coughed to get their attention. They had taken their eyes off the princess to observe the even battle between the two giants with some interest.


    "Could you beat them?" Robin asked suddenly, gazing at the redhead curiously.


    "Of course," Rosan replied disinterestedly. "It doesn''t matter how hard they hit if they can''t hit me and I can hit even harder. Besides, I''ve been fighting foes bigger than me for as long as I can remember. The size difference would be their undoing because I''d be in my element."


    "Rosan and Miss All Sunday¡­" Vivi tried again, an annoyed expression on her face.


    "Have you been keeping up with your training?" Rosan asked in return. "I have to admit, I haven''t trained nearly as hard these past 10 years but I think it''s about time I pick it up again."


    "You and me both," Robin sighed. "I have gotten much more adept at battling with my clone, thanks to our teamwork back in the days and I''d be happy to show you while I get back into the swing of things. Being in the Grand Line for so long did wonders for me."


    "MISS ALL SUNDAY AND ROSAN!" Vivi roared, fed up with them ignoring her.


    "I no longer go by Miss All Sunday," Robin said, shooting her a coy smile. "Rosan stole me away from them so I''m just Robin now."


    "W-What?! So you just¡­ left because of him?" Vivi asked, not believing her ears. "And I''m supposed to accept that?!"


    Robin raised a brow at her angry expression but she half expected to be treated with such hostility. "I don''t care if you accept it or not," she replied coolly. "I was never loyal to Crocodile in the first place and always planned on betraying him. Doing it for Rosan was the best scenario I could ask for."


    "I won''t allow anyone to use you like a tool," Rosan muttered, eyes glowing menacingly. He idly pulled the woman closer to him and hugged her with one arm.


    Robin smiled at him and easily returned it, pleased that someone looked at her like the human she was. Luffy was the same, staring at her like she were an old friend.


    Vivi... not so much but Robin didn''t really care. She had no feelings for the princess of Alabasta at the moment so to her, Vivi was just the same as every other person who looked at her like that.


    "Y-You''d just betray them¡­? After everything you''ve done? You killed Igaram right in front of me!" Vivi snarled, not accepting that for even a second. Her attempt at being civil was swiftly thrown out of the window at the infuriating duo.


    The Devil Child looked unfazed by her anger.


    "I am only loyal to one person and he''s right here," Robin said bluntly, leaning onto Rosan to stress her point. "Also, Igaram isn''t dead. I made sure he''d survive that attack but I had to play up appearances you know? After all, I did lead you to Crocodile''s identity. You''re very welcome for that, by the way."


    Vivi''s eyes widened in epic proportions at that revelation and she actually took a step back at the woman''s words. She felt her heart stop cold and failed to stop her mouth from opening.


    Igaram¡­ he was alive...? Miss All Sunday hadn''t killed him? She was always planning on betraying Baroque Works? Was that why she let Vivi follow her in the first place? But why? It''s not like she knew this Rosan was alive. There''s no way she could have known...


    "Honestly, now that I have Rosan back, I don''t care what anyone thinks of me. As long as he approves, I won''t be bothered so if you want to hate me, that''s fine with me," Robin declared simply.


    When only one person in the entire world acknowledged you as a person, then eventually that one person''s acknowledgment would be all you needed. That was the case between Robin and Rosan.


    Rosan was the only one who saw her as human, so Rosan was the only one who she''d be human around.


    If Vivi hated her so be it. Millions of people hated her already.


    "I''ll always approve," Rosan smiled softly, idly watching the battle between the giants end in a draw. They were far too evenly matched it seemed. It was no wonder they were fighting for 100 years with no results.


    "That''s all I need," Robin smiled back.


    Vivi watched the two interact with pure confusion on her face, anger evaporating in favor of befuddlement.


    She just¡­ she didn''t understand either of them! Miss All Sunday had gone from a chilly and mysterious agent, to¡­ to this! Her entire personality did a complete 180! The woman didn''t care about anything, didn''t regard anyone with emotion and followed any instructions given to her without a hint of hesitation.


    Now, the woman was content to stay close to Rosan, never pushing him away when he initiated contact (the last person to touch her wasn''t functioning at a level where he could talk about it!) and she was smiling genuine smiles! Her glacial gaze turned warm when around him and it was just so hard to wrap her head around!


    As if to further throw her off, Miss All- Robin was saying that Igaram was alive and that she always planned on betraying Baroque Works?!


    All of this because of one person?


    She thought Rosan was just a demonic robot. He was clinical, ruthless and showed no emotion despite how brutal his actions were. His actions at Whiskey Peak were still fresh on her mind and she had more then one nightmare of watching the redhead slaughter those people without a hint of remorse.


    Spending time around the Straw Hats, showed her just how different they all were compared to the redhead. Even Zoro, who seemed like the most hardened one after him, was much less¡­ terrifying then the monster who seemed as bad as Crocodile.


    Yet here he was being anything but. Despite killing those agents without blinking once, he could still smile and look like a normal human being and that was just too polarizing to her because wasn''t acting human before.


    It just wasn''t fair that a monster like him, could act so human. He had things he cared for... things he''d kill for and one of them happened to be one of the people that played a strong hand in ruining her life.


    It just wasn''t fair...


    "I think we broke her," Rosan hummed.


    "She''s hopelessly naive and young so I wouldn''t expect her to understand either of us," Robin replied, idly adjusting the cardigan. "This is so comfortable, where did you buy it from?"


    "Most of my cardigans are from Fregate but this one''s from Celadon. I''m assuming most of your wardrobe is still on Alabasta, right? We can go there to buy you some new clothes after this journey."


    Ah, only a few days of reuniting and Rosan was already back to spoiling her.


    Robin missed this. She deserved to be spoiled a bit.


    "Wait, what''s Celadon?" She asked.


    "An island that Maro is the queen of. The twins are there too... Did I ever mention that Maro and Angel are married?"


    "You have been incredibly productive over the years, haven''t you?"


    Rosan snorted quietly and Robin shook her head in amusement.


    The redhead had connections in big places it seemed. The North Blue was practically being controlled by him at this point, having two powerhouse islands as allies, especially ones who apparently were allied with the World Government, gave him a plethora of benefits...


    Honestly, only he could do something like this.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Nami and Usopp are with the other giant?" Rosan repeated. "Huh, good for them. I figured they''d be too cowardly to leave the ship."


    He paused for a second, tilting his head to the side as he really thought about it. "Who am I kidding, they are definitely too cowardly. They probably were found first."


    Luffy laughed cheerfully at that.


    Rosan stood up and stretched a bit, before saying, "I''m gonna go find some dinosaurs. Since I know where most of you are, I''ll explore this island a bit."


    "Why are you off to find a dinosaur?" Vivi couldn''t help but ask, watching Robin get up at the same time as him.


    "A present to my student. She''s always wanted a dinosaur. Thinks they''re cute. Upset they''re extinct," Rosan drawled, marching off after a short nod to Robin.


    "Thank you for your hospitality, Dorry-san," the Devil Child smiled politely, following Rosan deeper into the forest.


    "Gegyagyagyagya! It was my pleasure!" Dorry boomed heartily, holding a cup of ale that he had gotten from Brogy, who had gotten it from the crew.


    Vivi didn''t trust the idea of letting them go off alone but they had already crossed quite the distance and Luffy was content to hang around Dorry. If she went alone, she wasn''t sure what would happen to her¡­ whether by inhabitants of the jungle or those two.


    Best if she just stay here then...


    "I trust you aren''t only looking for the Triceratops?" Robin asked once they were alone.


    "It''s my number 1 priority but you''re right. Baroque Works has begun moving and their target is Dorry," Rosan replied, pushing through shrubbery and allowing Robin to walk through it.


    She smiled thankfully at the small gesture before humming, "So not only are they after the ones on their hit list, they want the giant''s bounties too. Mr. 3 is always trying to move up the rankings so this doesn''t surprise me."


    Almost on cue, the two heard a small explosion from the area they had just left.


    "That must have been Mr. 5''s doing," Rosan mused, not glancing back and continuing forward. "Does anyone know how you look besides Crocodile?"


    "Yes, it''s how the princess knew to follow me. As his secret proxy, I give out all the orders to the agents."


    "You need a disguise then. I went off alone because I suspect they want to isolate and capture us. Luffy and I have already shown our strength and they know they cannot defeat us," Rosan warned, turning towards her and humming in contemplation.


    He gazed almost blankly at the red strand and Robin let out a quiet sigh.


    "You don''t need to feel guilty, Rosan. I quite like how the red compliments my hair so I was planning on keeping it," she said softly.


    "...Right. You do look good with it," he nodded, almost looking like he were trying to convince himself that it was normal that a strand of her hair was red.


    Well, small steps. At least he thought it looked good.


    Grabbing a black strand of her hair, he uttered, "Modify: Appearance," and began the process of turning her head of hair purple, leaving the red strand there. After finishing, he took out a pair of shades and handed it over to her.


    Robin was impressed with his thinking and accepted the accessories. "Let''s communicate like this from now on then."


    "I was thinking the same thing."


    The duo walked in silence while communicating through their link and they noticed the volcano erupt again, signaling another duel between the giants.


    Unfortunately, this one probably wasn''t going to end in a draw.


    "You won''t interfere?" Robin asked curiously.


    "No. I have my own way of doing things that goes against what my crew want to do. Their priority will be defending the giants pride."


    "And you?"


    "To find a pair of Triceratops of course. Whatever I happen to find along the way, is just a bonus."


    "You never cease to display how terrifying you can be," Mod mused, amusement clear on her features.


    Robin had to agree with her because they actually managed to find two baby Triceratops first in their mission to sabotage Baroque Works.


    The dark green creatures stared at them warily while chewing on the vegetation around, not moving at the threats but being cautious all the same.


    They immediately stopped chewing and froze at the slight pressure washing over them.


    Rosan took a confident step forward and began patting one of the ancient baby creatures between its three horns, applying his pressure the whole time, until it submitted to his will and began growling in satisfaction.


    In a matter of moments, it was putty in his hand and Robin swore she heard it purring of all things.


    "Modify: Size," Rosan hummed, eyes pulsing as he modified the herbivore and made it smaller. It rumbled in confusion at the change in size and Rosan picked up the puppy sized dinosaur.


    Since it was a baby, it would grow bigger but he would rather not give Maro to gigantic triceratops because the idiot would still try and keep them in her castle. So to prevent that, he made sure their full size wouldn''t be the actual size of a triceratops.


    "What do you think? Will she like it?" Rosan asked curiously, patting the little baby soothingly to get it to calm down.


    "It''s¡­ really adorable," Mod admitted reluctantly, resisting the urge to coo at the tiny thing and failing miserably.


    "I agree," Robin said, holding out her hands and smiling as Rosan placed the miniature dino in it. Remembering exactly how he had pet it, the Devil Child repeated the same process and it relaxed in her grasp as well.


    Rosan turned to the other one and repeated the same process until he was finished. After some quick inspection he figured out that the one Robin held was male and his was female.


    Perfect. He wouldn''t have to find another and Maro could raise a little army of Triceratops if she so pleased. He was not going to get her any other species so this would do.


    "Goblin will love it," Ram laughed. It was no T-Rex but it was probably the second best option on the island.


    "Good, maybe it''ll make her happy enough to accept the upcoming agents going her way," Rosan said, getting a sweatdrop out of all of them. "Alright, we can focus on said agents now. My bug has found a wax base and is currently camped there so for now, we''ll go deal with Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine."


    "You know where they are?" She asked, grabbing onto him with one hand. She made sure to safely tuck the little dinosaur into her frame and secured it.


    "With Luffy and Vivi," he muttered. "Modification: Save Point."


    The two promptly vanished from view.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan and Robin showed up just in time to see Usopp get crushed under Miss Valentine after attempting a valiant effort in a 2 on 1.


    "Ow," Rosan said blandly, looking at the struggling Vivi. She was currently being held up by her neck, courtesy of Mr. 5 and Karoo was struggling next to her.


    "Rosan!" Luffy beamed, crushed under the house of Dory. "Great, get me out of here!"


    Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine went pale at the sight of the redhead, instinctively backing up, only to freeze at the piercing gaze of the one who had effortlessly dealt with them. He glanced at them for just a moment, making it clear that they wouldn''t be escaping, before taking his eyes off of them.


    The male agent''s head was still throbbing from the excruciating pain of getting his skull crushed and having it slammed into the pavement over and over again.


    "Luffy, look. I got a present for Maro," Rosan said, prompting Robin to show him the tiny little dinosaur. He showed the one that he was currently holding and the little thing blinked sleepily at being presented but accepted it without fuss.


    The rubber boy''s eyes turned into stars. "AWESOME! I WANT A PET DINOSAUR TOO! GIMME ONE!" Luffy screamed excitedly.


    "No. You''d have to take a lot of time to tend to it... Including feeding it," Rosan denied, using words that would absolutely dissuade Luffy.


    "Feed it?! No way," the rubber boy immediately lost interest.


    He was not sharing his meat with the dinosaur.


    Rosan had no plans of telling him it was a herbivore. Luffy probably wouldn''t share anything regardless... he''d end up taking care of the dinosaur and he had no intentions of doing that.


    "A little help," Vivi groaned, watching the exchange with disbelief because of the fact that she was still being choked.


    The agents were in the same boat as her. Part of them were relieved that he had not deigned to regard them yet, another part was outraged at being treated so lightly and a tiny part was wondering how they managed to get a dinosaur that small, along with trying to figure out the identity of the mysterious woman holding it.


    Rosan made his way over to Luffy and regarded the mountain curiously. Eventually, he nodded to himself.


    Rearing his foot back, the onlookers jaws dropped in horror, as he planted a sneaker and shattered the entire area blocking Luffy.


    The rubber boy stretched and grinned thankfully towards Rosan, before glaring at the visibly terrified agents.


    "Luffy, there''s two others on this island and they have Nami and Zoro," Rosan said suddenly, handing the female dino off to the helpful clone of Robin. "Take Usopp and Vivi and go find them? I''ll deal with these two," he suggested.


    Luffy reeled back in shock "They have Zoro and Nami?!" Without hesitation, he picked up the unconscious Usopp, while effortlessly yanking Vivi out of Mr. 5''s grip (the man spluttered at that) and he took off in the direction Rosan pointed at, Karoo hot on his heels.


    "I''ll leave them to you, Rosan!" Luffy hollered, vanishing in the shrubbery and leaving behind just the four.


    It was only when Luffy disappeared, did Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine realize that the rubber boy''s mere presence, was holding back a true demon.


    The air turned cold around them and they did a sharp intake, gazing at the neutral redhead with trepidation.


    "I''m impressed by your ignorance," Rosan began idly. "Despite losing so easily, you still showed up to harass my crew¡­"


    "Good, this makes things much easier."


    Mr. 5 didn''t have any time to react as a fist planted itself in his gut and he bent over a complete 90 degrees at the pain.


    Rosan was merciless. The redhead forcefully straightened the keeled over man by driving his knee upwards, connecting directly with the man''s nose and causing a spurt of blood to spill.


    The agent teetered back but Rosan lashed out quickly with his left hand. Soon, the man''s face was once again being crushed by the redhead''s grip.


    "M-Mr. 5!" Miss Valentine screamed in horror. She couldn''t be left alone with this monster again. S-She needed to save him!


    Trying to assist him proved impossible though, due to the multitude of arms forcing her onto the floor, courtesy of the shade wearing woman that was following the redhead.


    There were now two of her and one was holding onto the sleeping dinosaurs, while the other was presumably the one holding her down.


    "Don''t interfere just yet. Don''t you want to wait for your turn?" the woman smiled coyly, looking infuriatingly familiar but Miss Valentine couldn''t find out from where.


    She didn''t know anyone with purple hair but there was something familiar about this person''s voice. Not to mention this Devil Fruit ability...


    The kilo woman wasn''t able to dwell on it for long, due to the terrifying redhead hoisting up her partner like he was yesterday''s trash.


    "What do you plan on doing?" Robin asked curiously.


    "Making him my subordinate," Rosan replied ominously.


    "Mr. 5, I have to say¡­ You''ve been nothing but a disappointment since meeting you. You and your partner actually but your Devil Fruit is much more impressive then hers and the way you use it¡­ attempting to throw a booger on me of all things?"


    The redhead tutted. "I was going to propose that you join my side but after what I''ve seen. I think I can use your Devil Fruit better then you can. Even if you joined me, someone with your talents would only be a liability, so I''m going to mold you into the perfect weapon for my dear student."


    Robin raised a brow curiously at that simple declaration. Mold into the perfect weapon? It sounded like Rosan had a technique for this and that was a terrifyingly immoral prospect.


    Mr. 5 tried to struggle in his grip but Rosan was unyielding and the redhead slammed him into the floor, stunning him and making the man go still.


    "Modification:¡­" Rosan thought to himself and Robin.


    Miss Valentine struggled helplessly and could only watch in terror, as the redhead''s hand began glowing ominously.


    "...Overhaul."


    The agent was helpless to resist and Rosan began the process of altering the bomb man''s mind.


    "Overhaul?" Robin asked Mod-chan, noticing that Rosan was focused on the task.


    "Do you remember Hijack, The technique Rosan used on Izumi?" Mod asked and Robin shuddered at the memory.


    How could she forget that technique? Everything in Rosan''s memories were still fresh on her mind and that one was one of the big ones that stuck out.


    To no longer have any control over your body¡­ doing whatever it was someone else wanted.


    It was horrifying. Robin was glad she knew Rosan because she had no doubt that he''d have found a way to force her on his side.


    He did like capable people after all.


    "Believe it or not¡­ Hijack is the more ethical of the two techniques. Overhaul is the counterpart to Hijack but instead of taking over a person''s body¡­"


    "...It takes over a person''s mind," Robin finished, actually taking a step back in surprise at the revelation.


    That was¡­ This was Rosan''s way to prevent people from betraying him... it was...


    Terrifying.


    Rosan removed his grip from the bomb man''s head and stood up, dusting himself off in the process.


    Mr. 5 slowly pulled himself up and inspected his own beaten body for a moment, before focusing on Rosan.


    "You sure did number on me¡­ Boss," the bomb man grunted eventually.


    "I needed to check your tolerance. I can''t just have anyone be my student''s bodyguard," Rosan replied coolly, face not betraying anything.


    Miss Valentine''s eyes widened in confusion and she began to struggle even more. Increasing her weight did nothing considering she was already being forced to the ground and the unknown woman''s grip was unforgiving.


    "Of course! I won''t let her highness down," the former agent saluted.


    "M-Mr. 5 what is the meaning of this?!" Miss Valentine screeched, terror dominating her body at watching the male agent answer to this demon. "What''s going on?! Don''t you remember the mission?"


    The agent glanced over at her for half a second. "Mission? I only answer to whoever Rosan-sama or Maro-sama decides I listen to," he answered coolly. "And I no longer go by Mr. 5, my name is Gem," the former agent added, adjusting his shades.


    Perfect. Rosan had been refining Overhaul over the years. He no longer required the person to be unconscious but someone with a strong will could still resist it.


    Clearly Gem didn''t have a strong will.


    "Right. Gem, standby in my base until further notice. I''ll be bringing you over to your new station soon and have you checked out."


    Gem saluted and didn''t resist as Rosan grabbed him. With a glow of his eyes, the man vanished into his Pocket Dimension, leaving just three.


    Watching Rosan so effortlessly recruit Gem, gave Miss Valentine a startling realization.


    "You¡­ You''re Miss All Sunday," the woman whispered in horror. That explained why everything was so familiar about this woman.


    But why?! What was she doing here? Why did she betray Baroque Works?!


    Robin, who had been deep in thought, gazed at the woman with a tilted head. "That''s right. I''m impressed you noticed through the disguise. Like Gem-san, I decided to change allegiances for personal reasons."


    Miss Valentine had no idea who this redhead was to so effortlessly recruit not only her partner, but the partner of Mr. 0 too. He was so much more dangerous then led to believe.


    "I don''t know w-what you did to Mr. 5 and Miss All Sunday... but it won''t work on me." Miss Valentine tried to appear brave, despite how bad the situation was for her.


    She had no help right now. Mr. 5 was already on his side, same as Miss All Sunday¡­ Mr. 3 and Miss Goldenweek were probably in the midst of their performance¡­


    The woman was at the complete mercy of these two. What were they planning on doing to her? She didn''t care if he tried to recruit her, she wouldn''t fall for i¡ª


    "Recruit you?" Rosan interrupted her musing with a hauntingly cold statement.


    Miss Valentine froze at that questioning tone, dread and horror filling her at the implications of that simple and short sentence.


    Rosan walked towards her and knelt down, nodding to Robin in the process.


    The multitude of arms released the woman, allowing her some freedom to move but she was unable to do so because of Rosan gently gripping her chin a warning clear in his hold.


    "I think you''re dearly mistaken, Panty Flasher-san," the redhead said softly, staring directly into her horrified green eyes. "I recruited Gem because his Devil Fruit is strong but he has no clue how to use it. You think I''m going to attempt to recruit you?"


    His voice was set in a low whisper as he spoke to her and she began shuddering at what he was implying, cool feeling in her body turning downright freezing.


    "Tell me¡­ why exactly should I even bother trying to recruit you? What are you good for besides giving the world a view of what you wear? I''m better off killing you so that you don''t tell Mr. 0 about Miss All Sunday''s whereabouts, don''t you think?"


    "You are a one trick pony. You''re use of your Devil Fruit, is even more atrocious then Mr. 5''s and it''s not nearly as interesting to me. There''s much more uses yet you do one thing. Do you think I''m going to go through the trouble of fighting with you to find them? Do you think I want to?"


    Rosan''s voice never shifted, constantly conveying no emotion as he ridiculed and shattered Miss Valentine''s worth. Tears were pricking her eyes at his cruel assessment, a combination of the terror and his harsh words overwhelming her.


    "You are useless. That is why I have no interest in dead weight like you. Even that Mr. 5, who used boogers of all things, was much more powerful then you. So tell me and I want an honest answer¡­ why should I ever let you leave this island alive? What purpose should you serve, besides dying by my hand? Please tell me." The redhead asked, satisfied with his job.


    "¡­Ahhh!" Miss Valentine was outright sobbing now, confidence destroyed by him and he released his grip on her chin. She didn''t even try to run, curling into herself and shuddering in terror at the demon in front of her.


    "P-Please don''t kill me! I-I can be useful¡­ please just give me a chance to prove it!" Mikita begged, pleading for her life. "I''ll¡­ I''ll swear my loyalty to you, I won''t ever even think about betraying you. I''ll do anything you want so please¡­please let me live!"


    "Was it really necessary to destroy her self worth?" Robin asked softly, watching the entire exchange with an unreadable expression.


    It was much more jarring to see how heartless he could be in person, then in his memories. She was used to Rosan''s speeches being uplifting but right now, they were anything but.


    "You don''t approve?" Rosan hummed curiously. "I find that it''s much easier to manipulate a person when they''re like this."


    "Yes that''s true but¡­ not everyone is as ruthless as you, Rosan. You should have learned this from Maro," Mod said softly.


    "You''re moral compass was always off and I''m very used to it but it''s just¡­ combined with you rewiring someone into a puppet, I''m a little jarred," Robin admitted.


    It must have been because she had been giving these agents orders for years but Robin was actually beginning to feel bad for the mess of a woman who thought she was really about to die.


    Rosan glanced back at her in contemplation.


    Perhaps he was the real Devil if the Devil Child and a Devil Fruit couldn''t handle his actions.


    "You''ll do anything?" The redhead asked quietly.


    A tremor shot through her body at that question but she fearfully nodded.


    He tilted his head.


    "Get up. I have no interest in your body," Rosan demanded, glancing calmly at the broken agent.


    Everything had gone as he had expected, though he expected her to be a bit more resilient... He also didn''t expect Robin or Mod to disprove but oh well. Perhaps this method would have to be employed against enemies they truly disliked.


    Miss Valentine fearfully looked up at him and hastily complied with his order, stumbling due to how quickly she got up. She was visibly shaking as she gazed at the apathetic redhead and the woman ducked her head to avoid eye contact.


    "Tell me your name. Your real name," the redhead requested softly, gripping her chin and making her gaze into his eyes.


    Let there be no doubts about who she was answering to.


    "M-Mikita," Miss Valentine replied shakily. Her heart felt constricted right now, looking into those dimly glowing eyes of his and she dearly hoped he accepted any answer she gave.


    Rosan hummed. "You just declared your loyalty to me. I hope you understand what happens if you let me down. I''m going to send you to my partner after we''re done here and when I do, you will do anything she asks of you. Luckily for you, she''s much more gentle then I am so don''t anger her on purpose," he informed her.


    Mikita was filled with a well of relief at hearing that. Not only would she be kept alive, she wasn''t going to be in the redhead''s presence.


    She didn''t think she could handle being near him for long so it was a mercy that he seemed to be able to detect that.


    "We''re done here. Go back to that wax house you have set up as your base. I will retrieve you after I''m finished with business," Rosan ordered, turning away from the woman and making his way back over to Robin.


    He... he even knew about the wax house?


    "Don''t do anything that might hint at betraying me. I will know and death will be the only thing on your mind when I''m finished with you."


    She bit her lip and shuddered, tears forming in her eyes again at his heartless words, before nodding at his order. The woman turned on her heel and dashed off without hesitation, eager to get out of his sight.


    "You are dangerously effective," Robin said calmly, glancing at the redhead up and down.


    "There''s a reason I was so cruel. Maro is the complete opposite of me and once Mikita realizes that''s who she''ll be working under, then her loyalty towards the queen will become unshakable," Rosan uttered.


    Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    "How manipulative of you," Mod hummed idly.


    "I just love that you''re leaving all these people to Maro!" Ram cackled. She was the only one truly unbothered by Rosan''s methods. It was his right to use any method he deemed necessary against his enemies. She was one of his many methods and she was also the most dangerous. In her eyes, everything else was child''s play.


    "She only has the clone army and most recently, Kaori. I want her to have more backup in case things go awry and agents from the Grand Line should be incredibly helpful."


    With his work on Mr. 5, the man should be significantly stronger then he used to be. He had Rosan''s mind powering up his thoughts on more ways to implement his Devil Fruit after all. Like this, he''d become a valuable asset for Maro¡ª


    "Rosan¡­ that Overhaul technique¡­ could you promise me not to use it again, unless you see no other option?" Robin asked suddenly, making everyone go silent.


    Mod and Ram nervously eyed the conversation.


    Rosan blinked before turning to regard Robin.


    "Why?" He asked curiously. To just not use a technique he had been refining over the years seemed incredibly stupid and inefficient of him.


    "I just¡­ I don''t want to see you forcefully molding someone into your perfect weapon¡­ it reminds me of what Doc tried to do to you," Robin admitted quietly. The only difference was that, whereas Doc failed, Rosan didn''t.


    Rosan froze at that and pursed his lip in displeasure. "It seems even years later, I can''t fully wash off the mark he left on me," the redhead muttered. "I wonder¡­ Did I do to Maro, what Doc did to me?"


    He practically forced her against her will, to become the perfect weapon¡­ even going so far to force her to kill someone. In fact, he had only chosen the queen as his student because he could sense her potential ¡ª


    "OF COURSE NOT!" Mod snarled loudly at Rosan, a look of pure anger on her features.


    Ram''s jaw dropped, at hearing her Auntie actually scream. The look of genuine anger made her jaw drop ever further.


    "Mod-chan?" Rosan and Robin said at the same time, stunned by the volume. They had never expected to hear her scream so loudly for something so serious.


    "Don''t you ever, and I mean ever, even think about comparing yourself to that monster of a man who would mercilessly torture a little boy for months straight," Mod growled.


    "You saw something in Maro and took her away from a life of inevitable death to one of unconditional love. You fed her, clothed her, nurtured her, named her. Maro is your daughter in all but blood."


    Robin''s eyes went soft at that. She really wanted to meet this Maro now.


    "Doc took you away from a life of love and threw you into one of hell. The situations aren''t even close and the intentions may have been but you always gave Maro a choice. You never had that choice. I can''t¡­ I won''t allow you to think you and that man are similar at all!" Mod finished, panting after her rant.


    Rosan remained silent, a look of slight surprise on his features that would normally not have been there even a few days ago. After a moment, he snorted quietly and said, "You''re right, Mod-chan. You always seem to be right when it comes to stuff like this."


    She flushed red at that and began grumbling, pleased that he had so quickly seen the truth in her statements.


    "Of course she''s always right," Robin smiled teasingly. "Mother knows best after all."


    "C-Could you two stop please?" Mod whined. Here she was, motivating Rosan and now she was being made fun of.


    That wasn''t fair! Why did they have to treat her like this!


    "Sorry, Mom," they replied in unison, smiling at each other all the while.


    "Ugh, I hate you two so much sometimes. I miss the days when we used to bully Rosan, when did I suddenly become the target?"


    "Everyone has an equal chance, even Robin," Rosan replied.


    "Let''s leave me out of this, I much prefer being on the opposite side," Robin smiled placidly.


    "No/Nope/No can, Mother!" They chorused at the same time, causing her to sweatdrop.


    She was never going to get used to that.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Nami vowed to make sure Rosan was here whenever they docked. From now on, he was going to be her personal bodyguard because this was absolutely nonsense.


    The redhead wouldn''t let this series of events happen because he wasn''t silly and he seemed to know everything and he would have scouted this out because his claims of being a scout were not bullshit... If this is what happened after one island they landed on didn''t have him scouting it, she would never doubt his claims again.


    First, she realizes a little to late that they actually landed on an island called Little Giant, then the crew decides to leave her and Usopp alone on the ship, like Usopp was going to be able to protect them, then a dinosaur waltzed out to try and make them food, only to be eliminated by a giant of all things and finally that damn Usopp had left her behind to get captured by some wax machine.


    This was stupid.


    Now, it was raining wax on her and Zoro and the idiot swordsman was doing every stupid thing in the book, including but not limited too, posing to look good, making light of the situation and trying to saw off his legs.


    Mod-chan wouldn''t have let this happen to her. She''d save her immediately while dealing with these morons but her and Rosan were busy catching up with someone important from their past.


    She was happy for them, really. It''s just she didn''t really fancy losing her life in the process of them being happy.


    At least Luffy was here¡­


    That normally would have made her happy but the rubber boy was currently being subdued by Miss Goldenweek''s hypnotism paint. Now, their captain had lost the will to fight and was picnicking with the childlike agent.


    "DIE IN MISERY TO MY BEAUTIFUL ART!" Mr. 3 raved, holding Usopp and Vivi''s body up with wax. They had tried to get Luffy free from the colors trap, but the wax agent had quickly dispatched of them and prepared to add them to the candle figure too.


    He had no idea where Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine were, but to allow these three to escape¡­ they were definitely dead. If not to him, then to Mr. 0 for failing their mission twice.


    "Where are Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine?" Miss Goldenweek asked the docile Luffy.


    "Rosan''s dealing with them," the rubber boy replied calmly, sipping tea.


    "Dealing with them?" She replied slowly, eyes furrowed. The moment the straw hat had shown up, she had thrown her paint on him to prevent him from interfering, due to how dangerous the agents stressed he and the redhead were.


    What happened to them if they were left with the redhead?


    The answer to her question revealed itself, at the sight of a gigantic, unnaturally red fireball crashing right into the wax figure and completely melting the part that was dropping the pieces onto them.


    "Trying to turn my crew into wax figures?" Rosan said idly, walking through the shrubbery with a smoking mouth. "When you wish to kill someone, I only accept torturous deaths if they''ve wronged you. Killing everyone slowly otherwise, is tasteless. Death is not something you should toy with."


    "Rosan!" Nami sobbed comically, tears of happiness falling from her face at being saved finally. While there was no longer wax falling on them, they were still stuck, probably due to Rosan not wanting to hit them with the dangerous flames.


    Miss Goldenweek was already on the move, throwing one of her color traps right onto the redhead who didn''t dodge it. He looked down and tilted his head at the green paint on his sleeveless shirt.


    "Calming Green," the agent said. This one made the person wish to have a picnic with her, much like Straw Hat was doing right now.


    "No," Nami gasped in horror. Was Rosan no longer going to help them either?!


    Rosan slowly walked over to the placid Goldenweek and stood right before her. She offered him a cup of tea, which he accepted and the redhead downed it in one gulp.


    "That''s good. This is green tea?" Rosan asked conversationally, reaching his cup out for another refill.


    "Yes, my favorite," Miss Goldenweek replied, taking another sip.


    "I prefer lemon tea with honey and a lot of sugar. White tea is also very nice," Rosan hummed. Green tea was pretty good¡­ not enough sugar (he had a dangerous sweet tooth) but it was adequate.


    Without any warning, Rosan darted forward and grabbed the girl by her neck, catching everyone there by surprise. With no effort, he hoisted the shocked agent to the sky and began to squeeze.


    "M-Miss Goldenweek?!" Mr. 3 gaped. Her colors trap didn''t work on someone?! But how?!


    Miss Goldenweek gasped in surprise and immediately reached for the large arm choking her out. She let out a gagging noise of fear and desperately asked him to put her down with her gaze alone.


    "Hypnotic abilities based on paint... You use them to alter an individual''s personality... Impressive," Rosan correctly deduced, rubbing the green paint on his shirt.


    "Unfortunately for you, not only is my mind incredibly fortified, I have no personality for you to manipulate so all you''ve done, is ruin my shirt," he finished.


    "I don''t like when people mess up my outfit," he said ominously.


    Everyone shuddered at those words.


    "Will you offer them a chance to join Maro as well?" Robin watched Rosan deal with this from out of the agents sight. She idly pat the still sleeping triceratops on its head and smiled at the adorable creature.


    "I will offer Ms. Goldenweek, I will not offer Mr. 3."


    She raised a brow at that. "Why not Mr. 3?"


    "I won''t overhaul him and his base personality is not to my liking. He won''t be useful to Maro."


    Robin blinked at that, before a small smile made it''s way on her face and she rolled her eyes.


    This was why she loved Rosan. He treated her with so much respect. They truly were equals in his eyes and the Devil Child was one of the few people who he would actually listen to.


    "Sleep for a bit," Rosan told her kindly. "Modify Target: Rest Mode," he thought to himself.


    Miss Goldenweek tried hard to resist but Rosan''s grip around her neck was unyielding and tears began to unwillingly form in her eyes. She gasped but no sound came out and Rosan simply tilted his head at her.


    In combination with the lack of oxygen, the technique was devastating to the little agent and she passed out with purple and red burned in her image.


    He slung the child over his shoulder and glanced at Luffy. His little brother was still drinking tea with a serene expression on his face.


    That expression turned into distress, as a fireball collided with him and burned his shirt.


    "AHHHHHHHHH HOT, HOT, HOT!" Luffy howled, desperately rolling around to put out the flames. "ROSAN, WHAT''D YOU DO THAT FOR?!"


    "Payback for punching me in the cheek at Whiskey Peak," Rosan hummed, getting a sweatdrop out of everyone there.


    "He has got to be one of the most vindictive people on the planet," Nami muttered in awe. She could only hope to reach that level of petty one day.


    "A-Aren''t they brothers?!" Vivi gaped in disbelief, watching as Luffy rolled around in a desperate attempt to put out the flames.


    Mr. 3 wasn''t even sure what was going on right now. Miss Valentine and Mr. 5 were missing, Miss Goldenweek was currently resting on the redhead''s shoulder like a sack of potatoes¡­ and the redhead had just struck his captain with a fireball.


    Surely they weren''t about to be defeated by this crew right?


    No¡­ they had been defeated, not him.


    Nodding to himself, Mr. 3 turned tail and ran off.


    "OH NO YOU DON''T!" Luffy roared, patting himself off as he jogged after the cowardly agent. Everyone watched the smoky boy run after the agent with a sweatdrop.


    "You guys need some more fire too?" Rosan prodded calmly, watching Robin walk up to him with a calm smile. He offered to take the triceratops out of her hand but surprisingly, she shook her head no.


    "Always pretending to be so cool and collected when you actually gush over cute things," he taunted, crouching down to melt the wax that was securing the giant and his crew.


    "You didn''t seem to mind when you were the one I was gushing over, jealous little boy," Robin retorted, glaring slightly at him for calling her out.


    "Some things never change and one of them is how possessive Rosan is," Mod laughed.


    Robin and Ram joined her and all three began laughing at him.


    "Hmph," Rosan scoffed, freeing Zoro, Nami and Brogy from their prison. "If you have a problem with my possessive streak, you''re free to exit my body otherwise, it won''t stop."


    "That''s not fair," Mod pouted, grumbling at his demand.


    "I like you''re possessive streak! Everything should belong to you!" Ram grinned eagerly.


    Robin and Mod sweatdropped at that.


    Ram was severely problematic and it was a good thing she wasn''t the only voice in Rosan''s head.


    Nami tearfully hugged the redhead in relief. "Thank you for saving me big bro! From now on, you''re my bodyguard!" She sobbed.


    Rosan ignored her, used to her antics by now and glanced in the direction his brother had ran off to.


    He no longer cared about the fate of the wax man. There was no point in recruiting him. He already took liberties to destroy his ship so the man was trapped here... it was only a matter of time before he died.


    The same couldn''t be said about the girl on his shoulder. Her ability was interesting and while it wasn''t able to evoke his emotions like Jango, it could still be a boon in battle and had an even faster application then the hippie.


    He also needed to retrieve Miss Valentine¡­


    "I''ll be back," Rosan told them, walking off in the direction of the wax house. "I have some things to finish off so you guys wait for Luffy. Feel free to set sail without us too, I have to visit someone."


    "You two leave a lot," Vivi pointed out warily. None of this would have happened if he had just been here the whole time. The redhead seemed like he could easily deal with these issues.


    "I thought you didn''t like me. Why are you trying to learn about me?" Rosan shot back, not waiting for a reply and vanishing into the jungle.


    "Worried about us? I was under the assumption you hated me even more, princess," Robin smiled teasingly, disappearing after the redhead.


    Vivi growled and resisted the urge to yank out her hair. "I hate them both. Every time I talk to them, I get a headache and I can''t deal with that on the daily."


    "Welcome to the club," Nami nodded sagely. It seemed like from what little she had seen of Robin, the woman could be infuriating if she wanted to.


    Despite looking physically the same, albeit with different colored hair (Modification maybe?), the woman''s change in demeanor made her look like a completely different person.


    Even Rosan looked a little happier.


    She was happy for them! She wanted to speak more to the person that Rosan seemed to hold in such high regards.


    "Can someone patch up my legs?" Zoro asked suddenly, glancing down at the mess of his legs. He had cut about halfway through before Luffy showed up so they were bleeding quite a bit.


    Nami punched him on the skull and snarled out an, "Idiot. You were totally useless up there!"


    Usopp was just glad he didn''t have to interfere with the fight. Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine sure hit hard.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Sanji had to wonder¡­ Should he really be drinking tea right about now?


    No¡­ he probably shouldn''t.


    The chef placed the tea down and began glancing around at the weird place.


    "Who makes a house around here¡­?" He asked himself curiously. Sanji had ran into it while searching for Nami and Vivi and decided to check it out.


    The tea was nice but it was also warm, meaning someone had been here recently. Not only that, there was a Den-Den Mushi here...


    No sooner was he caught in his musings, did the Den-Den Mushi begin ringing.


    He raised a brow and answered it, saying, "Hello, this is the Crap Cafe. Would you like to make a reservation?"


    The voice that answered was visibly agitated, barely holding it behind a calm tone. "Cut the shit, you idiot. Where is your report? You''re late."


    Sanji raised a brow at that. Report? "Er¡­ who is this?" He asked.


    "It''s me. Mr. 0," they replied, remembering that this suspicion was warranted.


    Mr. 0? Wasn''t that the leader of that Baroque Works group? So that meant that Baroque Works were on this island even now...


    "You''ve been gone a long time. Have you accomplished your mission, Mr. 3?" Crocodile prodded.


    Why did this guy sound so annoyed already? Was it because of his joke? Sheesh, what a stiff. But still, this made everything a little more clear to him.


    "Why are you hesitating? Answer my question. Did you eliminate Princess Vivi and the Straw Hats?" The voice on the other line was getting more and more impatient and Sanji had to hazard a guess that his joke wasn''t the only reason he was so uptight.


    "Yeah, they''re all dead so there''s no need to send anymore agents after them," Sanji answered.


    Crocodile grunted. At least one thing was going well.


    "Good. The Unluckies should be on their way with an Eternal Pose to Alabasta, after dealing with some business I have for them¡­"


    An Eternal Pose to Alabasta? That sounded perfect! Now they could sail straight there while no longer attracting any agents.


    "Once you get it, sail to Alabasta with Miss Goldenweek and standby for orders¡­ We would have begun our plan but a key piece is missing¡­ Tell me, have you seen anything regarding Miss All Sunday?" Mr. 0 suddenly asked.


    Miss All Sunday¡­?


    Oh right, that mysterious beauty who Rosan hogged to himself was the partner to this guy. That explained why he was so clearly aggravated. She had been missing for a while due to their scout and probably had no intentions of rejoining the organization.


    He wondered just how important she was for him to be this visibly annoyed.


    "...Miss All Sunday? Nope, no clue where she is," Sanji replied eventually. He''d let Rosan deal with that since the woman was seemingly under his protection. He''d just play dumb for now to avoid interfering with Reaper.


    The redhead was smart, he probably already thought of something to say.


    There was silence on the other line before Crocodile said, "Understood, standby for the Unluckies."


    Sanji regarded the phone curiously before shrugging.


    At least they had an Eternal Pose now.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Oh, Sanji. I didn''t expect to see you here," Rosan greeted the blonde haired chef, with a nod.


    "So this is Sanji?" Robin asked curiously, offering the chef a smile. "It''s nice to meet you, I''m Robin," she greeted.


    The greeting on Sanji''s lip was cut short at the voice of Robin and hearts appeared in his eyes as he knelt on one knee and held the, slightly confused, woman''s hand.


    "A beautiful name for a beautiful woman," Sanji complimented, leaning closer to kiss the woman''s hand.


    That was cut abruptly short, at the bronze hand crashing into his face.


    "R-Rosan, you sunnova ¡ª" Sanji''s words died in his throat at the furious mixed eyes glaring at him with fury.


    "Hands off my Mother, pervert," Ram snarled, glaring at the chef with contempt and dragging Robin a fair distance away from him. "Only Father is allowed to do that! Anyone else can and will die by my hands!"


    "Hm?" Rosan tilted his head. He was the only one who could do what? Kiss Robin''s hand? Since when?


    "Not being very subtle at all, huh Ram?" Mod sweatdropped.


    Robin watched in confused amusement, as Ram showed exactly who she got her possessiveness from.


    "Stay away from creeps like that, Mother. Auntie Angel showed me exactly what to do so if he approaches you like that again, lemme know," the ring whispered encouragingly.


    "Thank you for protecting me, Ram," Robin thanked. She didn''t mind the chef''s actions but since Ram did, she wouldn''t protest.


    "M-Mother?!" Sanji whispered in disbelief, watching the two beautiful woman interact with each other. The chef glared at Rosan in disbelief due to his odd kinks.


    Already?! Why did he have to be so greedy?! Sanji couldn''t catch a break around this guy!


    Rosan blinked at the glaring figure. Just what perception of him did Sanji have besides the one from him being Reaper?


    He wasn''t keen on figuring out.


    "What are you doing here, Sanji? Was there anything of interest in this wax house?" Rosan asked, making the chef turn serious for a minute.


    "I had a conversation with Mr. 0, actually," Sanji said, recalling the conversation. "I posed as Mr. 3 and he should be sending an Eternal Pose to Alabasta over to us¡­ Also, he asked me if I knew about Miss All Sunday''s whereabouts but I told him I have no clue. He was seriously annoyed¡­ something tells me he really wants her."


    Rosan and Robin raised a brow at that.


    "It''s to be expected that he''s looking for me. I''m pivotal to his plans after all," Robin mused, a little worried for Rosan''s safety. Crocodile was no joke and had rightfully earned his title as a Warlord.


    "Hm. He can''t continue his plan without you? How unfortunate for him. I''m not letting you go for even a second. You''re mine," Rosan muttered. He needed to find an object for Robin to keep on her person so that he could make a Save Point for her.


    Robin withheld her blush of embarrassment at his blunt words. Ugh, they had just met again and he was already back to these levels of possessiveness?


    He was a trip.


    "A pendant. I want a pendant like yours so that I can put this picture of us in it."


    He smiled at that and nodded. That would be easy.


    Rosan explained Nami''s situation to Sanji and predictably, his eyes went wide with worry and he darted off with a, "I''ll leave the Eternal Pose to you," before vanishing deeper into the jungle.


    "That was easy," Rosan muttered. There was one thing and one thing only on that chef''s mind. Honestly, it was rather detrimental but he wouldn''t dissuade him of it.


    The man had been so distracted by Ram and Robin''s beauty, he didn''t even deign to mention the little girl flung over his shoulder.


    "He didn''t mention Mikita¡­ I wonder if she ran away," Rosan mused. Well, if she did, she''d quickly find that there was nowhere to go because he had destroyed their ship.


    Guess he''d have to spend more time looking for her. Claiming loyalty and then running away? How dumb. There was no escaping from him and she was going to pay the price for thinking that there was.


    Robin had been hoping she wasn''t dumb enough to run off. Rosan clearly had a plan and the boy despised traitors so he always had one in store for them. Betraying him would be terribly costly and he''d make sure you knew that.


    "I''m right here¡­" A submissive voice whispered, catching both their attention.


    Miss Valentine floated down from her vantage point on a high tree and landed in front of Rosan, holding her head down and shrinking into herself at the sight of the tall redhead.


    "I uh¡­ I noticed the blonde and since you only act like that when it was you and Miss All Sunday, I assumed you didn''t want the other members of your crew to know about our dealings," she whispered, hoping she had done the right thing.


    "Surprisingly insightful. Well done," Rosan nodded, impressed by her foresight. "Come. Let''s wait in this base. I need to wake up this little child right here anyways."


    It was only then did Mikita notice Miss Goldenweek flung over his shoulder and she realized that the much stronger agents had lost too. Any lingering hope she had, that they''d somehow be saved from this man, was quickly banished by that simple fact.


    "R-Right. Miss Friday and Mr. 13 should be the ones to bring an Eternal Pose," the former agent said submissively, bowing her head and making her way into the building.


    Robin couldn''t help but shudder at how easily Rosan had molded her into a loyal servant. He didn''t even need to use Overhaul on the young woman and she was still acting so subservient.


    He always had plenty of charisma but this was something so much more dangerous. She was glad that she had run into the man before he was like this¡­ Imagine if they had met not knowing each other and she was still an agent for Baroque Works.


    Would he have done the same thing to her, if she proved to be useful? She didn''t doubt it.


    "Don''t think about what ifs," Rosan muttered, making his way into the building. "The only thing that matters is that we''re here now, together."


    She smiled happily and banished those thoughts like he said.


    He was right. There was no need for her think about a timeline where these things happened because that timeline didn''t exist.


    Leave it to him to say something like that.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Miss Goldenweek woke up rather abruptly, the memory of two different eyes squeezing her heart until she couldn''t breathe. Despite her inherent laziness, she shot up and glanced around wildly. There was a clear panic set on her features as she assessed the situation at hand.


    Mr. 3 wasn''t here and neither was Mr. 5. It was Miss Valentine, Miss All Sunday, two tiny dinosaurs and the redhead who had choked her out.


    The three humans (well, two humans and a monster) were drinking a cup of tea and the little dinosaurs were chewing on their own specially prepared vegetation.


    Wait a second¡­


    "Miss All Sunday?!" Miss Goldenweek gawked. What was she doing here?! Why wasn''t she at Alabasta? Why were they drinking tea with the enemy?! What were those ridiculously small dinosaurs doing here?


    "Miss Goldenweek," The cardigan wearing woman greeted, assessing the young girl with a cool gaze.


    "You''re awake," Rosan greeted, glancing at her. "Do you want some Green Tea? It''s your favorite, correct?"


    Miss Valentine said nothing, refusing to make eye contact with her superior.


    "What''s going on? Why aren''t we attacking him right now¡­ it''s 3 to 1!" Miss Goldenweek said, fearfully making distance between her and the man so he didn''t grip her neck again.


    "It is 3 to 1, but are you really strong enough to take the three of us out?" Rosan questioned, making her jump in surprise. "I don''t know how you can do it but the Grand Line has been full of surprises so it''s possible."


    The girl went pale at the lack of response from both her supposed allies and realized that she was the one outnumbered, completely trapped and alone with all enemies.


    That blank gaze stared into her and she began trembling due to what the creature who owned those eyes had done to her.


    "You''re scaring her," Robin admonished, feeling bad for the child.


    "Rosan-sama is quite intimidating," Mikita added quietly.


    The scout of the Straw Hats tilted his head. Fine, he wouldn''t use his tactics on this one then.


    "Is that so? Then Mikita and Robin, you can explain her situation," Rosan replied. The redhead moved over to the triceratops and began petting them on their heads, much to both creature''s delight.


    Robin raised a brow but conceded, turning towards the terrified painter.


    "I''m going to be blunt, you''ve lost and have no way to get off this island, Miss Goldenweek," she began. It was best to just be brutally honest and it was a habit she had picked up from Rosan himself.


    "Miss Valentine and Mr. 5 have been recruited by Rosan here and as for me¡­ well, I''ve been his ally for years so it was easy for me to join his side again."


    Mikita and Miss Goldenweek''s eyes widened at that last bit of information. Miss All Sunday was always an ally to the redhead? Just who was he to know the woman before even Mr. 0?! She had been one of the first members in Baroque Works and played a part in recruiting the rest of them!


    "Rosan-sama wants to offer you a chance to join his side," Mikita said, much to her surprise. "While you were unconscious, I''ve been talking to him and I think where he''s going to send us is much better than being his enemy or staying with Mr. 0¡­"


    While a majority (all) of Mikita was still terrified of Rosan, he had been talking to her about Maro and she''d be lying if staying on the queen''s island didn''t sound far more appealing then working as an agent.


    Compared to Mr. 0 and Rosan, Queen Maro sounded like a godsend and she was eager to meet the compassionate woman.


    "What if I refuse¡­?" Miss Goldenweek asked.


    "The ship you brought here has been destroyed, all your allies are defeated and Mr. 0 doesn''t tolerate failures¡­ he will never let you live so a new ship is out of the window," Robin informed her. "But if you insist on refusing, we have no more obligation to help you and will leave you on this island. You are our enemy after all."


    There was no way she could survive on this island alone¡­ and even if she contacted Mr. 0, he''d absolutely kill her for failing the mission.


    At least these people were giving her a choice¡­


    Their conversation was cut short, by the arrival of Miss Friday and Mr. 13. The two animal agents assessed all the occupants in the room, gaze lingering on Robin for a while, before freezing at the sight of Rosan.


    Mikita and Miss Goldenweek froze at the arrivals and even Robin gained a slightly worried expression. The Devil Child prepared to quickly subdue them before they could think to fly off but Rosan held a hand up to stop her.


    "Mr. 13. Miss Friday," he greeted. "I see that you''ve brought the Eternal Pose. Give it to me."


    They gawked at his demand and gaped even further when the two animals hastily followed through with his order, dropping the Eternal Pose to Alabasta in his hand as if they feared what he''d do if they refused to.


    W-What? He couldn''t possibly¡­


    "Thank you," Rosan said kindly as he rubbed both the animals on their head at a job well done. "Now, I need you to relay this information to Mr. 0, okay?"


    They nodded eagerly and stilled to listen to the redhead''s order.


    He already had Mr. 13 and Miss Friday on his side?!


    "When did this happen?" Robin asked in shock. Even she wasn''t aware that they were on his side.


    "When I showed up to the ship the first time we saw each other again. I was chasing these two," Rosan replied. "I managed to recruit them first of all the agents. Too useful for animals so I figured I could use them."


    Her little companion had grown up into a real threat. To already have moles inside of Crocodile''s carefully crafted agency¡­ and not only moles, the most information filled ones too.


    Miss Friday, Mr. 13¡­ and Miss All Sunday.


    It was at this moment Mikita knew she made the right choice following the redhead. If he somehow managed to already recruit the Unluckies then he was even more dangerous then she already thought he was.


    Miss Goldenweek was coming to the same conclusion if the look of worry on her face meant anything. Now it was 5 on 1 and somehow, the lone redhead was the one with all the allies.


    "Tell Mr. 0 that Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine are dead and that Mr. 3 has received the Eternal Pose," Rosan began. "When he asks how, you may pin the blame on me. As for Miss Goldenweek¡­"


    The redhead tilted his head at her curiously. "Tell him that she''s dead too."


    Miss Goldenweek understood that gaze. It meant two things. Join him and her death would be faked or refuse and remain on this island, dying anyways.


    It was a no brainer.


    "I''ll join you," she decided hesitantly, getting a satisfied nod out of the redhead.


    It was better to join him then to risk dying here and Miss Valentine vouched for him¡­ despite being visibly terrified, there was hope in her words and it had to be better than working for Mr. 0.


    "A wise decision," he praised. "Now, did Mr. 0 ask about Miss All Sunday''s whereabouts? Did he ask you to find out what happened to her?" Rosan asked the animals.


    They both nodded, a nervous expression on their faces. They weren''t sure what to tell Crocodile so hopefully Rosan had an order for them.


    "...Inform him that she was captured by a World Government group known as Cipher Pol on her way back to Alabasta. Lead him to thinking they are still transporting her. Maybe he''ll be inclined to send units after them but I doubt it," Rosan eventually said, getting a nod of acknowledgment out of them.


    The animals didn''t know who they were, but someone like Crocodile should be at least aware of them.


    "This will be your last mission from me and your last report to him. If I''m correct, Mr. 0 will realize that you two misled him somewhere along the lines and you will die. Come to me before that," he said and they nodded hastily.


    With that, he dismissed the two and finished his tea off. The animal duo flew off to report to the, undoubtedly furious, Mr. 0.


    They already betrayed him and that fear would ensure that they''d seek safety from Rosan. He had been purposely vague on what information Crocodile would catch as a lie, so the ones they had told previously had a very real possibility of being found out.


    "Cipher Pol?" Robin asked with a small shudder.


    She didn''t think Rosan remembered them¡­ Robin had informed them of the group long ago when she mustered up the courage to tell him things about Ohara... about how strong of a hand they had to play.


    The redhead gazed at her and immediately placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Don''t be afraid of them. I''m here."


    She relaxed minutely at that and nodded at his confidence.


    "If I said we had you, he wouldn''t believe it. After all, he thinks Mr. 3 eliminated us and Sanji said he had no clue where you were," Rosan muttered, standing up and stretching.


    "Crocodile should know what Cipher Pol is and based on what you told me, he''ll think twice about causing direct conflict with them. At best, this should thin the number of agents on Alabasta when we land there, giving us more freedom," the redhead assured.


    Each former agent stared at the redhead in disbelief at his quick thinking.


    W-What type of monster was he? This man¡­ he had just entered the Grand Line? How unlucky were they to have stumbled upon such a creature?!


    Just who was he? Monster seemed to be too nice of a word¡­ they were staring at an actual Demon. A cunning Demon made all the more dangerous by his rational and emotionless mind.


    Robin never expected Rosan to think this far ahead in a way that didn''t make things the most amount of fun for him. She was proud of him despite how scary a place his mind was.


    "It''s about time we go," Rosan muttered.


    A little fly flew on his hand and he tapped it idly, modifying it into his trusty bird instead. Placing the Eternal Pose on its figure and securing it, Rosan shooed it off and had it fly to his crew.


    It chirped, rubbed its cheek against his own and flew off.


    "Grab onto me, we''re leaving this island," Rosan ordered and they hastily moved to follow his order.


    Once everything was in order, Rosan activated Save Point and the entire group vanished.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Master!" Maro squealed, tackling him excitedly and nuzzling him.


    Huh¡­ was he hotter than normal? Maybe he just used his Dragon recently? Actually, maybe it was because his arms were out! Mama mia!


    "You''re sweaty," Rosan said flatly, wrapping an arm around the woman''s exposed midriff and squeezing her gently. She was dressed in a sports bra with leggings and the girl had clearly been working up a sweat that she was wiping on his undershirt with glee.


    She was lucky he loved her.


    "I was training with Kaori when you showed up!" She gushed, nearly lifting him off the floor in her excitement. "Thanks for bringing someone actually tolerable this time instead of that stupid Jango! She''s smarter, more awesome, better looking, wayyyy stronger and awesome!"


    "You already said that," Rosan pointed out.


    "That just means I really mean it!" She beamed.


    "You''re embarrassing me, your majesty," Kaori muttered, blushing red at the praise. The princess was incredibly powerful and despite her own formidable strength, she stood no chance of defeating her.


    The fishwoman nodded at Rosan as greeting and he nodded back. "Rosan, who are these people?"


    Maro removed her head from his chest and peeked over his shoulder, regarding the new arrivals with curiosity.


    A flash of horror suddenly appeared on her face. Without warning, she picked Rosan up and summarily tossed him far through the air.


    He landed perfectly on his feet and tilted his head at her. "You have been so violent lately. Should I start disciplining you, little Goblin?"


    "I just knew you were gonna keep throwing people my way so I threw you away!" Maro bellowed, glaring at the redhead furiously.


    Quick as a dime, she turned towards the onlookers and grinned brightly at them.


    "Hiya, nice to meetcha all. I''m Queen Maro of Celadon but you can just call me Maro! I''m sorry for whatever my Master did to you all and I''ll be sure to give him a piece of my mind!"


    They sweatdropped at her antics.


    Marching up to the redhead with a purpose, Maro was about to do just that, when Rosan reached out a hand and began gripping her vulnerable cheek.


    "O-Ow! Shtop you asshole!" She whined and he did just that, before pulling her into another hug.


    Underhanded ass. He was such a dick for knowing exactly how to calm her down.


    "At least hear me out?" Rosan hummed, petting a specific spot on her white and blue hair and getting a sigh of bliss out of her.


    "Fine ¡ª wait a second... YOUR EYES!" Maro gaped, looking into his eyes and seeing the faint glow in them.


    "OH MY KAMI, I CAN SEE A GLOW! OH WAIT, I GOTTA TELL ANGEL AND DEMON ABOUT THIS THEN YOU CAN EXPLAI ¡ª WAIT, I RECOGNIZE YOU NOW! AREN''T YOU NICO ROBIN?! HOLY SHIT MASTER, WHAT''S GOING ON? WAIT, DON''T TELL ME YET!"


    Not waiting for a response, the queen sprinted out of the room to go retrieve the twins and Rosan, completely unfazed by her speaking a mile a minute, followed after her.


    Kaori bowed apologetically to the confused crowd. "I''m sorry about her. Your majesty is¡­ hyper."


    Robin, the only one utterly unfazed, giggled and said, "Her excitable nature reminds me of someone and it''s rather endearing."


    She was going to like Maro just fine.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Oh so you just don''t want me to have only the clone army to defend our island?" Maro said in realization, a happy flush dusting her fair cheeks.


    "Yes, that''s right. I figured if I met some interesting people, I''d send them your way. These three are agents from an organization I''m currently at odds with and I managed to recruit them."


    "You''re so fucking sweet, Master!" Maro gushed, making the agents gasp a bit at her crude language. "It''s nice to meet you all. I hope Master didn''t make your lives too hard. He can be a bit¡­ cold," she finished lamely.


    "That''s an understatement," Demon snorted.


    "Master is an asshole," Angel nodded.


    The three former agents nodded in unison, Miss Valentine especially and they found themselves very much liking the energy exuded by the cheerful queen.


    The redhead shrugged helplessly. "How rude, after I went to the trouble of getting Maro such a rare gift too. Figured I could give you something nice since you are so willingly accepting new allies," Rosan hummed.


    Maro''s eyes widened excitedly at that. "Gift? For me?! Show me!" She demanded.


    A reward for accepting interesting people?! Master was too kind!


    With a wave of his hand, Rosan revealed his gift and Maro''s eyes bugged.


    "Master you didn''t," Angel groaned in disbelief. Was he serious? Of all the fucking ¡ª


    "MASTER YOU DID!" Maro let out the loudest squeal yet.


    The queen jumped around in excitement, before tackling Rosan to the floor and kissing him directly on the cheek repeatedly in her happiness. "Y-YOU GOT ME TWO PET DINOSAURS?!"


    "Anything for my spoiled little student," Rosan hummed, accepting her thanks with a slight smile. It was always nice to see his family in good spirits.


    The little things raised their head at the volume and Maro squealed again, picking both up and nuzzling them into her large chest with gusto.


    Angel''s glare deepened at that. How dare those stupid little ancient reptiles steal her boobs!


    "We were on an island full of them so I figured you''d like one. They''re triceratops. Herbivore. One Male. One Female. Babies who I made puppy sized. No name," he informed her.


    "I can''t believe you got her not one, but two dinosaurs," Angel said flatly, staring at her older brother with a deadpan expression.


    "She''s always wanted them and she deserved them. It''s not often you run into wild dinosaurs so I just took the opportunity granted to me," Rosan shrugged.


    "Don''t worry, Master! I''ll take good care of Gladiolus and Anemone!" Maro beamed, sitting back down and petting the pleased reptiles on her lap.


    Gladiolus was the boy and Anemone would be the girl!


    "Gladiolus? Anemone?" Angel mouthed to herself, glaring at the creatures sitting on her goddamn perfect thighs! Those belonged to her dammit! Who did they think they were?!


    She was about to direct her ire towards Rosan for allowing this to happen but restrained herself at the genuine joy on Maro''s face.


    She guessed the queen deserved it¡­ maybe.


    "They''re adorable," Demon said, patting Anemone on her skull and picking her up. "I''ll have to do a checkup on them and give you a proper diet to feed the two."


    The queen nodded happily and finally focused on the three agents.


    "So these three are agents you want me to take in¡­ I suspect you''re gonna get more?" Maro prodded.


    "Depends on if they are interesting or not," Rosan replied, indicating with his head for them to introduce themselves.


    "I''m Gem," Mr. 5 said immediately, bowing lowly to the queen. "I ate the Bomu Bomu no mi and became an explosion man. I hope to live up to your expectations as a bodyguard, Maro-sama."


    "Master overhauled him," Maro thought to herself immediately, glancing at the bomb man with a curious gaze. Outwardly though, she beamed in excitement.


    "You ate such an awesome fruit! Awesome Gem, you''ll be a great addition!"


    He nodded with a proud smile on his face.


    Her very own terrorist. How exciting!


    "I''m Mikita¡­" Miss Valentine introduced quietly, bowing her head and refusing to make eye contact. "I ate the Kiro Kiro no mi and I''ll do anything to prove I''m useful to you¡­ Please give me a chance," the woman begged.


    "Master scarred this one," the Dokkaebi thought. They were his enemies after all so it was no surprise that some force probably went into recruiting them. If this one''s sense of self worth was shattered, he probably wanted her to¡­


    "Hey, you don''t gotta be afraid around me! I may have really sharp fangs but I don''t bite!" Maro beamed encouragingly, showing her abnormally sharp fangs in question. "As long as you''re loyal to this island, that''s all I can ask for! You''re one of us now and you can trust me."


    She finished her speech with a gentle rub on the woman''s shoulder and relied on Demon to make Angel to stand down (he did).


    Mikita''s head shot up at that and she regarded the queen with a shocked expression, before tears formed in her eyes and she nodded determinedly.


    The Queen¡­ she really was as amazing as Rosan said she was. Someone like this¡­ Someone so kind and gentle, willing to accept former enemies despite their uselessness, deserved 100% of her loyalty and that''s exactly what she was going to get.


    Robin shot Rosan a glance at that and he simply hummed in return.


    Maro focused on the last one of the three and that prompted Miss Goldenweek to speak up.


    She had watched the queen''s interaction with Mikita and seeing how kind she was, decided it was good that she chose to come here. With the queen, she doubted she''d be forced to do anything she didn''t want to.


    "I''m¡­ Marianne," the child introduced. "I use my painting abilities to hypnotize people based on the color."


    Maro''s eyes sparkled at that and the queen nodded enthusiastically. "So not only are you an awesome painter¡­ you can hypnotize people too! You''re incredible! Are you interested in being a professional artist?! I''d love to have you work on some things around the castle!"


    Marianne blinked at that question. Not only were her artistic abilities prioritized¡­ She wanted to use her paint¡­ for more than just combat purposes? That sounded¡­


    "That sounds nice," she smiled brightly, happy to be working under the queen now.


    The Queen clapped and laughed in joy, infectious energy reaching them all.


    "Alright! I''ve got a nice little building complex that you and your future agent allies can live in while you''re off duty! It has no inhabitants so it''ll be you guys only and you''re free to change it how you want as long as Master agrees to help. Kaori, do you mind showing them where it is?" Maro fired off.


    She actually had quite a bit of empty complexes just in case of emergency. Sometimes they were rented out for visitors when the hotels were packed for an ever greater price! It was a great way to milk them of their money!


    Kaori nodded easily at her request and beckoned the agents to follow her. She didn''t mind going outside because the citizens had very quickly warmed up to her after seeing how friendly the fishwoman was with the popular queen.


    They really did love Maro. Anything she liked, they did and though they were a tad fearful at first... Maro (much to her embarrassment) made an entire speech to her people about how they would not tolerate any sort of prejudice to anyone at all. Everyone deserved to be treated fairly unless they proved otherwise.


    That moment managed to solidify Kaori''s loyalty and she realized that she had no intention of leaving Celadon because she was just as bad as the citizens when it came to loving the Queen.


    Soon it was just Rosan, Robin and the rulers of Celadon.


    "Alright, now that we''ve dealt with them¡­" Maro began, placing a sleeping Gladiolus on a comfy looking chair. Anemone was still awake and curiously prodded Demon''s hand with her horn, much to the doctor''s amusement.


    "...Let''s get down to the serious serious business!" She beamed, closing the distance between her and Robin with an eager grin. "Are you actually Nico Robin?! I''ve heard so much about you and I''ve seen Master''s memories too! I''m so happy to see you guys reunited and I''ve wanted to meet you for the longest!"


    Robin accepted the queen''s eager rambling and offered a kind smile. "It''s nice to meet you, Maro. I''ve heard much about you as well and I haven''t even gotten to your part of Rosan''s memories! He really cherishes you three," she replied.


    Maro squealed with a rosy blush at that admittance and tackled Rosan for the umpteenth time. This must have been a normal occurrence because the redhead didn''t look remotely bothered, just wrapping.


    "I KNEW YOU THOUGHT I WAS HOT!" Maro beamed.


    "I never once mentioned your looks to Robin," Rosan replied calmly.


    "Liar liar! Just admit it!"


    "I have nothing to admit. I''ve called you beautiful on multiple occasions."


    "Say I''m hot! Hot, Master!"


    "No."


    The twins effortlessly ignored the two and turned to face the sweatdropping Devil Child instead.


    "To finally meet you in the flesh¡­ I''m honored. We can''t view his memories but we know almost everything about Master''s past. You''ve been a huge influence to him," Demon bowed, introducing himself and kindly shaking her hand.


    Robin smiled at the purple haired clone of Rosan and shook the elegant looking clone''s hand.


    His features were all around softer than Rosan''s own, lacking the sharpness the oldest triplet had, and that extended to his smooth purple hair, tied into a high ponytail. He was currently wearing a loose black kimono that, combined with his general appearance, gave him a rather pretty look.


    His genuine kindness was nothing like Rosan''s rude and confident demeanor. The man exuded a gentle aura that would put anyone at ease.


    "Angel and Demon, I was surprised to see that Rosan made clones! To see that you both have such different personalities from him¡­ I''m glad to meet you," Robin greeted, before turning towards a fidgeting Angel.


    "Rosan I don''t know why you''re so reluctant to transform into your female form," Robin joked with an amused smile, remembering the first time they had forced the boy to do it. "Though, I''m a bit glad because she''s a little too gorgeous don''t you think?"


    The female clone (Robin laughed heartily at the memory of Angel''s gender revelation and Rosan discovering the beauty of female puberty) had the same red hair as her creator, that was not nearly as spiky and much longer, reaching her back and having a blue daisy resting in it.


    Like her brother, Angel''s features were much softer than Rosan''s and she was surprisingly dainty in appearance... barring the fact that was only a little shorter then Robin.


    The woman wore a short, white and blue dress and thigh high combo that hugged her curves (she was significantly less curvy then female Rosan it looked) and showed off the beautiful sapphire ring on her finger.


    Angel blushed beet red and squeaked at the compliment. "N-Nico Robin! You have no idea how long I w-wanted to meet you! I''m Angel, Master''s younger sister and Maro''s wife!"


    She wanted to be on her very best behavior because this was Master''s best friend! Nico Robin had been everything to Rosan and played a huge part in shaping him into who he was.


    "Oh, you and Maro are married?" Robin asked curiously, glancing back and forth between the two. "You two seem like an amazing fit, I''m happy for you!"


    "O-Oh you!" Angel gushed, switching on a dime and hugging the noticeably taller woman happily with tears in her eyes. "I''m so glad to finally be able to see Master''s first companion. Just off of meeting each other, I can see Master''s eyes glowing slightly! I¡­ I normally only see brief glimpses of it but to see it for so long¡­ Just¡­ thank you."


    Robin''s eyes softened at the looks of gratefulness on all three of their faces.


    It seems Rosan''s emotions were important to all of them and the relief that they displayed at making genuine progress made her as happy as it did sad.


    She had an inkling as to why they weren''t traveling with Rosan anymore but she''d have to see it in his memories to confirm.


    "I''m just happy to be reunited with him¡­ I thought he was dead for so long but because he told me to be strong for the both of us, I had to do it and it payed off," Robin said sincerely, hugging the crying redhead back.


    Funnily enough, those words Rosan told her, were eerily similar to the ones that Meiko had told him. Those two really were more alike then they assumed.


    A small part of Robin wondered if she''d be just like him if she had to witness the boy die in her arms.


    Based on the brief sadness in Demon and Angel''s eyes, they too realized that those words were painfully familiar.


    "I''m happy you guys are getting along so well," Rosan''s muffled voice came out. He was still being glomped by Maro but the two were watching with fond smiles on their face.


    "Robin needs a new wardrobe and I doubt her clothes at Baroque Works is better then anything you guys have," the redhead said, pulling himself up with the leech known as Maro.


    "Already letting her wear your clothes? I knew that was your cardigan," Maro leered, grinning like the pervert she was. "Though, I don''t really mind that you aren''t wearing long clothes right now. Look at those free arms!"


    The Queen shamelessly squeezed his arm with a pleased noise.


    "Nice," she nodded.


    Angel extracted herself from Robin''s grasp and marched over to her drooling wife in order to grip her by the cheek and drag her off of Rosan.


    "Stop giving Robin such a bad impression of you, idiot!" She reprimanded, tugging the whining queen''s cheek.


    "F-Fine! I''ll stop being who I am because you want me to be like the rest of them!" Maro said with large teary eyes.


    "WHO IS THEM?!" Angel roared, calling her out on her bullshit immediately.


    Demon and Robin watched with a serene smile on their faces while Rosan sighed, walking over to pet Gladiolus'' head.


    "I''d say I''m surprised, but somehow I''m not," the Devil Child said.


    "Perfect, you''ll see this very often," Demon replied.


    "Somehow it''s always my fault too," Rosan grunted.


    "Of course it is, you''re you!" Mod laughed.


    "Father''s greed coming to bite him in the ass," Ram tutted. This was why she was only greedy for Father, Mother and Auntie Mod.


    Rosan scratched his head. Surely he wasn''t actually the problem¡­


    Right?


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "So you want to buy a new wardrobe for Robin, right?" Maro beamed, nodding her head. "Okay! Let''s go, I wanna show her around the island that we all worked so hard on. Celadon is amazing!"


    "Thank you, Maro," Robin smiled at the energetic queen. "Rosan, I didn''t bring any beri with me. Will you be paying?"


    "Yeah, I have more than enough to get you what you want," Rosan nodded before Maro interrupted them both.


    "P-Pay?!" She gawked. "Are you two nuts?! You think my dear citizens would ever make Master pay for anything?! Even without me there, they''d still give you things for free! You''re super popular here!"


    Rosan was incredibly popular with the citizens of Celadon. After all, a majority of the buildings that they lived and worked in had been refined by him and it was no secret that Maro looked up to him.


    He was also one half of the duo that had freed their island from the tyrant king! Of course they''d offer him free stuff. Coupled with the fact that he didn''t live here, he was practically a celebrity to their people!


    He wasn''t popular as Demon but Maro was beginning to think Demon was the most popular person on this island¡­ Seriously, even the tourists wanted to see him. According to a list that the more gossipy people of her island piloted, the Doctor was considered the best looking person on the island...


    Good, he deserved it. Demon was awesome. Also, Maro was considered the second best and that left her beaming in joy.


    "I''ll show you guys our best clothing stores! You''ll come out looking even hotter than you already are," Maro grinned, getting a slight embarrassed flush out of Robin.


    Getting compliments from people she didn''t care about left her mostly unfazed but she liked everyone in this room and... she wasn''t used to being complimented earnestly.


    "Ah I love clothes shopping!" Angel gushed. "Master, do you need more clothes?!"


    "No, you and Akemi have given me entirely too much clothes. If I brought it all on the ship, we''d sink," Rosan replied.


    "I think you need more too!" His sister beamed, completely ignoring him.


    They sweatdropped at her but Rosan conceded with a small sigh.


    The redhead blinked for a second and extended his hand, watching as the ring on his finger shuddered and transformed into Ram.


    "Father, Mother! I''d like to talk to Auntie Angel, Maro and Uncle Demon for a second about something important!" Ram beamed, hugging the two woman excitedly.


    The three in question raised a curious brow at what the ring called Robin but neither her or Rosan seemed to mind it very much.


    "Right, we''ll wait outside."


    Robin and Rosan both went outside, leaving 4 left.


    "Ram," Demon greeted with a small smile, hugging the ring warmly and getting a happy sigh out of her when he began to stroke her hair.


    "What''s the occasion? I don''t think you''ve ever wanted to talk to us without Master unless its to cause problems... which you dont talk to Angel about either," Maro prodded, knowing her best friend was plotting something.


    Ram nodded at her astute observation.


    "I''ve decided that I want Nico Robin to be my mother!" she declared bluntly. "To make that happen, we need her and Father to get together but I can tell that they''re both really stupid when it comes to what they want and I can''t get them together alone."


    ...


    Maro''s jaw dropped to the floor at that blunt statement and her eyes bugged in disbelief. "W-W-What the hell did you just say?!" She spluttered.


    Ram, her best friend¡­ was playing matchmaker?! HER?! The ring who only craved violence¡­ The same ring who had more then a few screws loose, was trying to set her Father up with someone?! The same Father whose attention she wanted nonstop?!


    Maro could say with confidence, that Ram didn''t have a single romantic bone in her body. But all of a sudden, she was cupid?!


    No way...


    "I''m in," Angel said without hesitation, making Maro''s jaw drop further.


    The redhead looked offended that her wife was so shocked. "What?! I think they''re really cute and look at them! Since coming here, they''ve barely been away from each other!"


    "Master Mod mentioned that they both had a crush on each other as kids but Master didn''t notice because he wasn''t in tuned with that side of his emotions," Demon interjected calmly. "I think they deserve a little happiness that they seem to find in each other."


    "You too?!" Maro gaped. The Dokkaebi didn''t think they''d be so willing to pair Rosan with anyone! They were all jealously protective of the redhead (Demon less so) and tried hard to protect his chasity when they could.


    Angel especially, seemed to want to kill whoever it was her teacher hooked up with. The girl would scream murder if someone even sent him a suggestive glance in her presence!


    Maro was the only one who genuinely didn''t mind seeing Master get together with the various women interested in him.


    She was rather proud that he was so popular!


    "So, we''re all in agreement?!" Ram asked excitedly. "You don''t have to ask Auntie, she''s already in!"


    Maro snorted but smiled at the little schemers. "Alright, I''m in! Operation: Robin and Rosan is a go!"


    "Yeah!" They chorused.


    ...


    "What do you think they''re talking about in there?" Rosan muttered.


    "I''m not sure," Robin admitted. "Mod-chan?"


    "...I have no clue," Mod lied.


    There was no way she was going to be the one to ruin this plan¡­ that was Rosan''s thing.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Thank you again for this, Maro¡­ I do still feel a little guilty for not paying for all of these."


    "Haha! Don''t sweat it, you''re Master''s precious friend so you''re my precious friend too! Besides, my island''s super rich and we have tons of resources! Some clothes won''t hurt and Mai was happy to accomodate!"


    Robin smiled at the friendly woman and the two exchanged hugs.


    "You would have made me pay for everything anyways," Rosan muttered, perfectly balancing all the bags in his arms. He even had his draconic tail out, balancing even more of the clothing on it.


    "You sure you didn''t want to go without buying anything for a little longer?" Angel said suggestively, raising a brow in amusement. "You look really good in Master''s clothes."


    "Do I?" Robin mused, looking down at the purple cardigan. "This is a nice cardigan¡­ It smells like Rosan and I do love the color purple¡­ maybe I''ll keep this," she decided, nodding her head at that decision.


    Rosan raised a brow incredulously at her. "I don''t have a decision in whether you get to keep my clothing? I like that cardigan too you know and we just bought you an entire wardrobe," Rosan muttered.


    "Yes, but I already got comfortable wearing this one and I quite like it," Robin retorted. Sure it was a bit big on her but she wasn''t that much shorter then Rosan... she was just much slimmer.


    Rosan snorted at the protective hold she had on his purple cardigan and conceded without much difficulty. "Fine, keep it."


    If she wanted it, she could keep it. At least she looked good in it... even if it was a bit big on her but that honestly made it look better.


    Maro and Angel grinned at each other at their interactions.


    "I say you let her keep it¡­ you two even have matching pendants now!" Angel gushed, looking at the tiny black pendant around Robin''s neck that had a picture of a younger her and Rosan inside of it.


    The redhead had gone out and bought it himself while they were out shopping for clothes. He had gotten it in black because his was white and when he verified that Robin liked it (she loved it), he applied his Save Point to it.


    The limit of his points had increased to seven over the years. The locations were Aiko''s castle, Maro''s tiara, Luffy''s straw hat, Rosan''s earrings and Robin''s pendant (it used to be on the White Rose).


    That left two and he wasn''t sure what to place them on but it never hurt to have spares.


    "Alright you two! Be sure to visit us again," Maro beamed, pulling the both of them into a hug. "Master, you''re not allowed to show up without Robin, okay?!"


    "I second this!" Angel beamed, joining the group hug.


    "Right. That works for me since I don''t want her out of my sight," Rosan hummed.


    Robin rolled her eyes at his words.


    "You''re lucky I''m the same way currently or else I''d reprimand your possessive streak," she admonished, grabbing onto the man so they could vanish.


    "Bye you three, I really enjoyed meeting you and can''t wait to see you all again," Robin smiled at Rosan''s old travel companions. She really did like all of them and their oddities.


    She was glad that despite blowing up on them so long ago, Rosan still cherished the clones.


    With a short wave, Rosan activated his Save Point and they vanished.


    "That girl''s a keeper," Angel sighed.


    "I agree," Demon nodded sagely.


    Maro didn''t say anything, prompting the twins to look at the queen in confusion, considering she always had something to say.


    Her eyes were furrowed and she looked at the spot Rosan had just been in with a contemplative expression.


    "Maro, what''s wrong?" Angel asked her wife in concern.


    "Master¡­ he''s hot," the Dokkaebi replied after a short pause.


    They sighed at her stupidity.


    Seriously?


    "Yes, Maro¡­ We''ve established that Master was hot like 10 years ago," Demon said, not seeing the point of stating old news.


    "It''s why I want to commit murder so often. His hotness gives me stress," Angel added.


    "No! Not like that!" She retorted, brows furrowing deeper. "His body¡­ it''s really hot. I thought it was because he recently transformed into his Dragon but he''s somehow gotten even warmer."


    The clones froze at that and they began seriously thinking about her concerns.


    "Not only that but¡­ I''ve been around Master a lot and I''ve never seen him activate Save Point that slowly," Maro finished gravely, a worried look dominating her now.


    It wasn''t terribly slow, but it was off by a couple of seconds that she noticed immediately.


    Damn it she should have mentioned his body temperature sooner but her fears had only been confirmed after watching him activate his traveling technique.


    "Are you saying Master''s sick?" Angel asked with her own confused look, raising a brow incredulously.


    Demon was just as confused, shaking his head in denial. "That''s not possible. Without Modification I think it''s impossible for him to get sick but with it and the Philosopher''s Stone? There''s absolutely zero chance it happens."


    Master''s immune system was incredible. If anything even remotely dangerous entered him, his body would instantly attack it and purge him of it. The stone he consumed amplified what Modification already fortified. His body was near invincible to anything normal and if it was new, it''d only affect him once and not for long.


    Demon marveled at it whenever he did checkups and if he were greedier, he''d inspect the man''s blood samples to see if they could do anything more with it.


    Getting sick was not an option for him and they all knew that.


    Master Mod especially would make sure of it¡­


    "I know but it''s just¡­ they were on an ancient island right? Who knows what type of diseases they could have?" Maro frowned, idly petting Anemone in her concern.


    Demon began thinking deeper before a flash of horror crossed his features.


    "What if he is sick but he''s not supposed to be?" Angel chimed in, gnawing her nails. How did she not notice?! She should know everything about Master no matter what!


    "Modification¡­ it might have gotten him sick on purpose," Demon finally said. "Master''s body is almost always passively being worked on by Modification in hopes of improving anything. It keeps him in peak condition, ensures that he''s healthy and¡­ builds up his immunities when it sees the opportunity."


    They all paled.


    A sickness that Modification willingly let enter Rosan''s immune system? And it actually affected him?


    "Ah shit," Maro concluded for all of them.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Hm¡­ is it just me or was that Save Point slower than normal... No. It was definitely slower than normal," Rosan mused as he appeared on the deck of the Going Merry.


    "STOP JUST APPEARING LIKE THAT!" Usopp roared, clutching his chest in fear.


    "I-I agree," Vivi wheezed. The moment Rosan appeared, she jumped high into the air and collapsed on the floor.


    Rosan ignored them for the moment in favor of inspecting his body with an almost confused expression.


    Robin, who had been about to formally introduce herself to the crew, paused at the silence from the redhead and turned to face him. "Rosan? What''s the matter?" she asked, tilting her head at his furrowed brows¡­


    Was... was he hotter then normal? He had been pretty hot before but she just attributed that to the fact that he radiated an unreal body heat already which must have been because of Ragnarok.


    Upon closer inspection, Robin saw that the redhead''s cheeks were a little flushed and she immediately closed the short distance between them. The woman placed a hand against his forehead and immediately drew it back due to the burning heat.


    "What in the world," Robin muttered, gazing at her hand in shock.


    Any greeting on the Straw Hats lips, died down at seeing the concern on Robin''s face.


    "Robin? Did I just burn you? But how? I haven''t activated any technique." Rosan tilted his head in confusion.


    "Mod-chan?"


    "One second¡­" Mod frowned, noticing the same things Robin noticed. It couldn''t possibly be...


    Activating Modification, the woman searched for any recent changes in his body and immediately froze at what she saw.


    Almost at the same time, a wave of vertigo hit Rosan and he abruptly collapsed on his knees, much to the shock of everyone watching.


    "ROSAN?! ARE YOU OKAY?!" Luffy shouted, rocketing forward towards his brother and immediately grabbing onto him. "W-Woah?! You''re so hot!" He gaped, watching as the redhead''s skin actually began steaming.


    "That must be¡­ because of the Philosopher''s Stone," Rosan grunted, gazing at the smoke with half lidded eyes. "It''s healing something right now but its going into overdrive and I''m not exactly ¡ª"


    The redhead''s statement was cut short by a harsh cough and they noticed that his cheeks were flushed a deep red, reminiscent of his own hair.


    "It can''t be¡­ am I sick?" Rosan asked Mod-chan.


    "...Yes," Mod said. "Modification saw a chance to improve your immune system drastically and allowed a virus on that island to successfully invade your body."


    "What?!" Robin whispered in horror, much to the confusion of everyone there. "But Rosan''s immune system is already amazing! If there''s something that can get him sick then¡­"


    "Then it''s a good thing I''m the one who got it," Rosan interrupted, panting from exertion. The Philosopher''s Stone constant healing was quickly draining him of his energy. "If anyone else here did, they''d be dead within hours."


    "Rosan''s sick?!" Luffy repeated in disbelief. "He''s never gotten sick before! Ever!"


    "What do we do?" Nami asked in concern. If Rosan was actually sick, even with Modification and his bodies natural strength, they''d need an actual doctor to heal him which was something no one here was equipped to do.


    "I''ll be fine¡­ I just need to go to¡­ Demon. He''ll be able to patch me up," Rosan said, forcing himself up. "Modification: Save Poi ¡ª,"


    The technique never activated because the redhead suddenly collapsed on the floor in a heap, body thudding unceremoniously.


    "ROSAN!" Robin and Luffy screamed, quickly moving over to the redhead and hoisting him up.


    Mod had gone radio silent but she was no doubt trying to ensure that her user was in no life threatening situation.


    "SANJI, GO GET SOME WATER AND ANYTHING TO REPLENISH HIS ENERGY!" Nami barked, mind moving a mile a minute.


    They needed to find a doctor and quick. Alabasta was too far right now and there was no telling what would happen to the redhead''s condition in the time it got there.


    Sanji saluted, worry on his face and he darted off to do that.


    "It''s fine¡­" Rosan strained. He looked up and everyone saw two bright glowing orbs in his eyes. "I''ll be fine. My body will heal me in time and I''ll be stronger than ever. I just need to rest and I will Purge it eventually¡­"


    He shut his eyes and collapsed again. Thankfully, Robin and Luffy held the taller redhead up and they quickly moved him over to a bed to lie in. They went to the more neat Nami''s room and after her approval, lied him down.


    The Straw Hats, sans Sanji, quickly followed after and looked at the flushed face of the, for once, vulnerable redhead. His body was actively steaming and his eyes were shut tight as he panted harshly.


    "So this is how it feels to get sick?" Rosan grunted, a wry smile crossing his features despite the situation. "I knew I was right to get you a doctor that time, Robin."


    "Now''s not the time for jokes, Rosan! If something''s strong enough to get you sick, that''s a serious issue!" Robin said, hastily removing his shirt so he could get some cool air on his body. He was burning up right now... a human should not be steaming like that.


    "We need to find him a doctor!" Vivi decided resolutely. Alabasta could wait, the redhead needed help urgently.


    The heat in the air seemed to amplify at that statement and they paused.


    "No doctor is allowed to touch me besides Demon," Rosan suddenly said seriously, face set into a cold visage. "I don''t trust them with my body. I will never trust them with my body."


    They shuddered at that statement. Did something happen between Rosan and a Doctor...?


    Nami and Robin knew exactly what he meant by that statement and their gazes turned soft.


    "You need medical attention, Rosan!" Robin stressed, not willing to wield. "You need to see a doctor, I''ll be there to watch you the whole time. Nothing will happen to you. You don''t need to trust them. Trust me."


    Rosan listened to her plea and hummed, before coughing again. Eventually he nodded his head. "Of course I trust you... I''ll never doubt you again."


    They sighed in relief at how easily he conceded and Sanji burst into the room with a glass of water. Handing it over to Robin, he said, "I''ll go make some soup for him. Let him drink that slowly."


    Robin pushed the glass to his lips and the redhead accepted it greedily, downing it quickly despite Sanji''s warning.


    She was too worried to chastise him so she didn''t.


    Rosan let out a sigh at the cool water and placed his head back on the pillow. "You guys... need to focus on not getting our ship sunk. Don''t forget where we are."


    "Don''t worry, I''ll take care of him," Robin assured them all and they nodded, reluctantly leaving the room.


    "Don''t die!" Luffy demanded, glancing worriedly at his oldest brother and closing the door behind him.


    "It seems like no matter how much time passes, I''ll always end up overly relying on you," Rosan coughed, smiling despite his current conditions.


    Robin sighed in exasperation. "Getting sick sure has made your emotions flare up a lot."


    "It''s true¡­" Mod said tiredly. "I can''t believe Modification saw it fit to let this virus enter your body. On the bright side, when you do heal from this you''ll be immune to just about anything and if not, your body will quickly nullify it."


    That meant his life wasn''t in immediate danger.


    "I guess this is good preparation for when the actual virus makes an appearance," Rosan mused, making Mod flinch back.


    The sickly redhead regarded Robin with a heavy pant before coming to a decision. "Here, it should be easier to care for me if I''m like this."


    "Hm?" Robin asked in confusion.


    What was he planning now? Sick Rosan was already looking like he was as unpredictable as his days of being a child.


    "Modify, Age: 4."


    The Devil Child watched with shocked eyes, as the flushed redhead transformed into a near carbon copy of how he looked as a child. The only difference, were the heterochromatic eyes that little Rosan didn''t have until he was nine.


    "There you go," Rosan said, voice squeaky. He looked down and saw how large his baggy black pants were, before modifying it to make them fit.


    "Stop overexerting yourself!" Robin demanded, grabbing a cool rag and placing it on his head. "You don''t get to use Modification while sick, we both know how taxing it can be when your out of energy so just rest. I''ll take care of you," she assured.


    "Yes boss," he squeaked and Robin nearly cooed.


    She forgot just how adorable Rosan was as a child.


    "It''s not transmittable so your fine to take care of him without catching anything," Mod said quietly.


    She felt a little guilty, considering it was Modification that had gotten him sick. She would need to keep a closer eye on things like this in the future so that she could consult with Rosan.


    While checking what was wrong, Mod had also been busy making sure Ram didn''t have a full blown panic attack.


    The ring was full blown sobbing at seeing her father actually get sick and the sight was so surreal, that Mod swiftly put her to sleep.


    Hopefully she''d be calm after waking up. The girl was downright hysterical.


    Nami quietly opened the door to her room with a plate of soup in her hand and made her way over to the duo.


    She nearly dropped the plate at the sight of the tiny redhead. "R-Rosan?! What happened to you?"


    H...He was so adorable!


    "Oh, Nami," Rosan''s childish voice rang out raspily. "I modified my age so that it would be easier to care for me. I was much smaller as a four year old compared to how I am at 24."


    She resisted the urge to squeal at the Chibi Rosan and handed the soup over to Robin.


    "We''ll have to find an island soon and get you medical attention so hang tight, okay?" Nami requested, making her way back out to the deck.


    The door shut, leaving just the two alone and Rosan let out a miserable sigh.


    "I don''t even think I can enter my mindscape right now," he grunted, pushing himself up to accept the food, only for Robin to gently lie him back down.


    "I''m going to restrain you with my Devil Fruit if you keep moving," she warned, feeding him the soup.


    "You know how restless I am¡­ it was a nightmare for you and Mod-chan trying to get me to sleep because of how much energy I had," Rosan reminded them, getting fond smiles out of them.


    "Such terrible times. You were such an annoying child but that''s why we loved you," Robin teased.


    "Oh the good days, I wish you had the energy to enter your mindscape, I want to sleep with all of you again," Mod giggled.


    "Well, that''s just a you issue. I don''t suffer such things," Rosan taunted, opening his arms up. "Robin, come."


    "You are so lucky you''re sick or else you''d be suffering a headache," Mod deadpanned.


    Robin rolled her eyes but acquiesced, getting in the bed with a quiet giggle and hugging the incredibly warm child.


    "You''re really hot," she muttered. It was a good thing she had spent years in the desert. Such heat was the norm.


    "I''ve been told that many times over the years, so it''s nothing new," Rosan coughed, wrapping his arms around her and almost instantly falling asleep.


    Getting the last word in then going to sleep? He really was a piece of work¡­


    ...She missed him. She really missed him.


    Clutching his tiny body closer to her, Robin decided she had been awake long enough and got herself ready for sleep.


    "Goodnight, Robin," Mod said warmly, elation filling her body at the fact that she was here.


    "Goodnight, Mod-chan," Robin replied happily.


    The sick redhead snored quietly and idly buried his hot body deeper into Robin, getting a smile out of her and causing her to clutch him like a teddy bear.


    Rosan was sick but he''d get better as long as they got him medical attention. He was actually here with her and that made her feel lighter then she felt in a very long time.


    For the first time in 16 years, Robin fell asleep with a smile on her face.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Crocodile could admit that he was pretty easily annoyed.


    He was not the most rational man around, but he prided himself on being able to keep some of his cool in situations. At least to the point where it didn''t affect his battle sense.


    Right now, when everything was finally coming together, was not one of those times.


    Why?


    Because Cipher Pol had Miss All Sunday, a woman who was necessary for his plans.


    Of course someone as information heavy as him, knew about the secret agency. Crocodile had been a Warlord for years. It was an oversight on his part to not think that Cipher Pol was not hunting down Nico Robin of all people.


    But that begged the question¡­ if they knew to capture her, did that mean they would soon converge upon him? He would know if he was being watched beyond the appearances he made when saving the country from pirates and he was confident nobody but Nico Robin knew he was Mr. 0 now that those pirates were dead.


    They would be suspicious if reports stated she was on Alabasta¡­ but she had been evading the World Government for 20 years. He could play dumb when questioned and they''d believe it, lest they openly admit a pirate was better than them.


    The only hiccup in that, would be if Nico Robin herself told them of his identity.


    He wasn''t foolish enough to think she''d keep that information to herself. There was no loyalty between the two. Their relationship was mutually beneficial, strictly hinging on what they could provide to each other.


    Coupled with the fact that he needed her to read the Poneglyph¡­


    "Mr. 13. Miss Friday. Send a message to Mr. 2 to sail out to Little Garden and intercept any ship that he sees for clues on Miss All Sunday''s whereabouts¡­ Even Mr. 3''s. And have the millions keep an eye out for any Marine vessel," he ordered the attentive animals. He had been forced to reveal his identity to them due to Miss All Sunday not being here but that was fine.


    Nico Robin was essential to him more than ever now. If the Marines interfered in his business before he discovered Pluton''s location¡­ he''d be in trouble.


    Unfortunately, Nico Robin was the only one who could tell him where it was.


    Just how long had Cipher Pol been watching her? Crocodile felt his paranoia rising at the thought that they could potentially come after him.


    Perhaps he should shake some rust off¡­ he wasn''t as strong as he had been the days he had been sailing but with his current annoyance, he needed to let off some steam.


    The animal agents, sensing his irritation, saluted and hastily went to give the letter to Mr. 2.


    Unknown to Crocodile, once they finished that mission, they''d go and find Rosan immediately to get away from the man who, in his irritation, completely dehydrated the massive Banawani next to him.


    It didn''t even have time to scream and Crocodile glared dispassionately, eventually throwing the animal in the water so that it could hydrate again.


    In his anger, he was attacking things around him and that just wouldn''t do. It was about time he released some of his building anger so that he could commence Utopia without anymore hitches.


    If Cipher Pol did decide to come after him¡­ well Crocodile would show them a glimpse of the pirate he had been before settling down in this country.

 Do Demons Get Sick?

    Nami didn''t really mind at all that Rosan was sleeping in the girl''s room. Of all the male Straw Hat members, he''s probably the only one she would let sleep there.


    Besides, Robin had taken up the role as the sick redhead''s caretaker and there was no way she''d make the beautiful woman sleep in the boy''s room with Rosan because the two really hated being far from each other and as a result, they opted to sleep in the same bed.


    It would have been really adorable¡­ if Rosan wasn''t so damn sick! Seriously what was wrong with their scout?! The four year old couldn''t stay still for even a second and if not for the fact that he had reduced his age by so much (it''s almost like he knew how annoying he''d be), they''d have a lot more trouble dragging around the tall redhead whose body temperature was far too high to be human.


    Almost as soon as they could, the group checked his temperature and watching the thermometer reach nearly 150 degrees, banished all thoughts about sailing straight to Alabasta.


    They needed to find the redhead a doctor immediately and even the tragic news Vivi had learned had not changed the kind hearted Princess'' mind.


    There had been a massive increase of people joining the rebellion, raising them to worryingly high numbers that would speak of untold slaughter if all out war broke out.


    Still, Vivi did not falter in her decision. Even despite the problems she had with Robin and Rosan, the girl truly was too kind.


    ...Which brought them back to the star of the show.


    How Robin was able to consistently stay by the scalding Rosan? Nami would never know but bless her soul because the navigator was absolutely sure she herself would have gotten fed up by now and actually tied down the burning menace.


    "He was like this when we were kids and I was almost exclusively the target of his affection for four years. I''ve gotten used to it," Robin explained with a fond sigh, holding the sick boy who could barely move. His head was resting in between the crook of her neck and the woman didn''t seem bothered whatsoever by his insane body heat.


    (Rosan had placed a bit of modification on her, much to her displeasure, to make his body heat not bothersome to Robin).


    All the straw hats listened (Sanji was glaring deeply at Rosan) in interest, not believing that their scout of all people used to be that clingy.


    "Really?" Nami asked, eyes glinting eagerly. It wasn''t often that there was an opportunity to hear or see something embarrassing about Rosan. He was an impenetrable fortress but apparently that was very much not the case as a kid.


    Robin nodded with a teasing smile on her face. "He hated letting me out of his sight! We used to go on infiltration missions together and I would be the one infiltrating, while he''d wait for me. The first time we did it, he couldn''t even wait a full day before he came knocking and tore everything down!"


    "I told you I missed you," Rosan''s raspy voice rang out, not seeing the problem with what he did.


    "You were the one who made the plan! Why would you make a plan that you wouldn''t be able to follow through with?" She retorted. The woman grabbed a glass of water and had the redhead drink it, to which he easily did so, sighing at the slight relief in his throat.


    "Hindsight is 20/20. I didn''t realize how much I''d miss you," Rosan shrugged, tugging his head back into the woman''s neck. His sickness was getting pretty bad but he wouldn''t let that affect him.


    Sure Robin kept dragging him back to bed but he couldn''t be expected to stay there all the time right? He was a restless soul, almost always on the move and you were telling him to stay still?


    "That''s normally what a person does when they''re sick, Rosan," Mod deadpanned, staring tiredly at her charge. Bless Robin''s patient soul for being able to put up with his nonstop movement. The moment she stopped watching him, he was off doing something he wasn''t supposed to.


    "L-Listen to Auntie, Father. I¡­ I don''t want you to dieeee!" Ram sobbed hysterically. The ring was the only one fully panicking due to seeing her Father in such a vulnerable position and she had been permanently attached to a soothing Mod the entire time.


    "I can''t die yet and I won''t die yet. Stop crying," Rosan grunted.


    There was still so much he needed to do. He just found Robin after all and dying to some cold would be embarrassing.


    Besides, Modification allowed it inside of his body because it had to have been sure it wouldn''t kill him. It was like getting a flu shot but on a much more extreme level...


    In theory.


    Ram put her hands over her mouth and nodded fervently, sniffing repeatedly but believing her creator''s words.


    Robin rolled her eyes. "You didn''t realize something that simple? We barely knew each other for a few days and you were already insane levels of clingy! Don''t you remember when you¡ª Did you just bite me?!"


    The woman looked at the little fangs of the chibi and glared at him.


    "Stop revealing our past. I said I missed you," he snarked. That bite took a lot of energy out of him and it barely affected her.


    "If you weren''t sick, we''d have gotten into a fight," Robin said flatly.


    "All those spats we got into and you still haven''t learned your lesson?" Rosan replied tiredly.


    "FIGHTS?!" Sanji roared in disbelief. These two used to get into fights?! Why would Rosan ever hit her?! Was he mad?!


    "Yeah, we argued and got in a lot of fights as kids," the redhead responded.


    Robin nodded. "Rosan is insufferable. It was at least twice a week when a fight would break out between us."


    "You two used to infiltrate places as children?!" Usopp gaped, not believing his ears. He looked at the ridiculously tiny version of Rosan and couldn''t believe someone this small could be so violent.


    The straw hats were nodding in agreement with the long nose for once. Was Rosan insane?! Suggesting they do something so reckless at the ages of eight and four?


    Look at how he looked currently! The four year old was positively adorable right now and looked as if he wouldn''t hurt a fly! To hear that he was a complete menace even as a tiny boy, left them understandably surprised.


    "It worked out in the end. We never failed a mission," Rosan murmured, feeling himself grow sleepy from exhaustion. "I''m going to sleep, I can''t keep my eyes open anymore."


    "Wait, we need to bathe," Robin reminded him and the redhead blearily gazed at her.


    "I won''t die if you bathe me in my sleep. Besides, I''ll wake up when I get wet," he grunted simply, tucking his head back in the crook of her neck.


    With that, the redhead instantly fell asleep in Robin''s grasp and the Devil Child sighed fondly at the sight.


    "If only he fell asleep this easily as a child," she muttered, pushing herself up to go bathe with him. "I''d like to thank you again for allowing us to use your room, Nami," Robin said, getting a small smile out of the navigator.


    "Of course! I''d never let you sleep in the boy''s room and Rosan is clearly not keen on letting you go so the women''s room was really the only option. Besides, he''s done a lot for me and I trust him with my life," she answered truthfully, staring fondly at the chibi Rosan.


    ¡­It was a good thing he was sleeping, he''d never let her live this down.


    "Wait, you should let one of us bathe him instead, Robin-chan," Sanji interjected, pointing at one of the males. "He''s still an adult despite everything a-and maybe you two shouldn''t bathe together."


    Robin shook her head no, much to his surprise. "I think the only one Rosan would allow to bathe him, is Luffy and well¡­ I don''t think Luffy is very good at caring for sick people," she observed accurately.


    The Straw Hats sweatdropped at her accurate observation. Knowing Luffy, he''d mistakenly drown his brother or get him even more sick.


    "I''d like to bathe myself as well... I appreciate the concern but it''s fine. Rosan and I used to bathe together anyways so it''s nothing new," Robin assured them.


    ...If anything, that made the chef''s concerns even worse.


    Sanji''s jaw dropped to the floor at her admittance and the other straw hats regarded her with their own levels of surprise.


    "You two bathed together?!" Nami gaped.


    Was Rosan seriously that level of clingy?! Kami he was already a handful right now but she couldn''t begin to imagine how much worse he had been.


    "Almost everyday¡­ Rosan was incredibly spoiled and he abused his cuteness to get what he wanted. Even though I told him I need some alone time, we still ended up bathing together more often then not and I got used to it much faster than I expected," she sighed fondly, idly stroking the chibi''s hair with tender eyes.


    "Now let''s see how long I can let him sleep before he vanishes again¡­ hopefully he actually does stay asleep through the bath," Robin muttered to herself. She was seriously thinking of tying him down but her love for Rosan, and his hate for being chained, prevented her from doing so.


    Wait, that was it! She''d let Rosan rest with her clone so he wouldn''t feel the urge to move around so much!


    "It won''t work but I love your optimism," Mod giggled.


    "A woman can dream," Robin replied, shaking her head with a smile. Despite not being able to enter the mindscape, she was still connected via link so it wasn''t all bad.


    The straw hats and Vivi watched the two disappear with varying expressions.


    "T-They¡­" Sanji stammered, jaw still on the floor in despair. "THEY BATHED TOGETHER?! JUST WHO DOES HE THINK HE IS?!"


    "Me and Rosan bathed together too," Luffy beamed. "He stopped me from drowning a lot!"


    "WHO CARES ABOUT IF HE BATHED WITH YOU?!" Sanji roared in fury, collapsing on his knees with tears in his eyes. "I just don''t get it¡­ how is my love rival so ahead of me right now?! What am I doing wrong?! WHAT CAN I DO BETTER?!"


    Nami sweatdropped. Love rival? Was that what he considered Rosan? Was Rosan even aware of this? Somehow, she doubted it and if he was aware¡­ she seriously doubted that he cared.


    "What the hell are you talking about, dumbass cook?" Zoro raised a brow.


    Rosan had not displayed any outward interest in a single soul since they had met but he was suddenly a love rival?


    "What did you just call me, shitty marimo?" Sanji replied, raising a brow in surprise and anger.


    Dumbass cook? Who the hell did this guy think he was?!


    "Shitty marimo? Who the hell do you think you are?!" Zoro raised a brow in return, immediately closing the distance between the two.


    The two began butting heads with each other, prepared to come to blows until Nami punched them both in the skull, successfully de-escalating the situation.


    "Stop being so stupid," she barked.


    "Don''t you guys have any problem at all with this?!" Vivi couldn''t help but ask, watching how normally they all interacted with the woman. Of all the things to focus on, them bathing was the most concerning?!


    Was she the only one who was rightfully wary?! Miss All ¡ª Nico Robin (THE NICO ROBIN!) was their enemy and now she was being allowed to just sail with them?! Vivi could barely sleep at night knowing that one of her most hated enemies was currently in the same as room.


    Even after everything she said¡­ Vivi just couldn''t forget the feeling of helplessness that Nico Robin helped reinforce. That mocking smile¡­ the frozen eyes, the taunting words.


    The feeling of seeing someone she cared for get blown up in cold blood¡­ It didn''t matter if she claimed to have spared him, she still blew him up!


    Why couldn''t they see what she saw?! This couldn''t¡­ This had to be a setup!


    "Nope," Luffy replied easily, looking as carefree as usual. "Robin is Rosan''s friend so she''s our friend!" he finished simply.


    The rest of the straw hats nodded at that. If Rosan, the most ruthless of them, trusted someone that much, then they had no reason to doubt them.


    Zoro trusted Luffy and Rosan completely and those two had absolute trust in Robin so he had no reason to doubt her. Rosan especially, had already proven to the swordsman that they were both similarly paranoid.


    Sanji similarly, despite his burning jealousy, trusted Rosan completely. After all, the two both knew each other''s deepest secret and he had seen how ruthless Reaper could be.


    If the Angel of Death of all people, trusted Nico Robin, then there wasn''t much reason to not trust her.


    She was also incredibly beautiful so that helped. Damn that Rosan for hogging all her attention and being so grabby¡­


    Usopp was a little wary of her but one use of her Devil Fruit, had sent the long nose into a cackling fit that broke down all his fears.


    Seeing how the cool and collected woman acted around Rosan did wonders for him as well.


    Besides¡­ he thought Kaya and Rosan had something going on (Usopp had seen her blushing around the redhead one time, unaware that he was talking about Usopp being her boyfriend) but this mostly dashed his worries.


    "Vivi¡­" Nami sighed, deciding to nip this in the bud before Rosan eventually did. "I don''t know about Luffy, but none of us have ever seen Rosan act like that and I''m sure you could say the same about Robin."


    She sent a pointed look towards the princess, who could only look away and say nothing at the truth of her words.


    "Those two are happy around each other and it''s clear Robin has been operating in a way that would give her favorable positions to survive. It''s very possible that Crocodile didn''t give her much choice in joining him or not and he strikes me as a guy to kill in cold blood. Am I wrong?" Nami prodded.


    Vivi said nothing, only nodding her head tightly.


    The navigator sighed at the look on her face.


    "You don''t have to trust Robin¡­ but we do because Rosan does. He''s our scout and he''s done a lot for all of us without even a hint of a smile on his face. We trust him with our lives and he trusts Robin with his. Of course we don''t have a problem with her," Nami finished.


    Vivi watched every straw hat nod in unison and couldn''t help but gaze back at where Rosan and Nico Robin vanished off to.


    It was true that she had never seen Miss All Sunday show even a quarter of the things Nico Robin showed and that was all because of the redhead who she was currently caring for.


    They¡­ they really did look happy to be around each other in a way that didn''t scream fake or scheming to her.


    If Igaram truly was alive¡­ then Vivi could maybe find it in herself to forgive the woman.


    "I''d stop being so hostile if I were you," Zoro advised. "Rosan doesn''t strike me as the type to tolerate hostility for long and you''ve been hostile for a pretty long time."


    "If he wasn''t sick, I''d have to stop him from attacking you!" Luffy nodded, beaming all the while.


    Rosan was possessive after all and he wouldn''t allow any threats close to those he deemed his and well¡­ Nico Robin was the first person to ever have that honor.


    Vivi nodded shakily at that, not doubting them for even a second. Despite how different he was from them, this crew still had high regards for the familiar redhead and she had to wonder¡­


    Just who was Rosan? Because Vivi was absolutely sure she had seen him somewhere before and it was driving her insane not being able to figure out.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    It was on Zoro''s 130th pushup, did he realize that something was amiss.


    Honestly, what should have tipped him off was the snoring on his back but he ignored it, thinking it would have gone away...


    Then, he realized that it was way hotter then it had any right to be so he finally checked out what the new presence on his body was.


    Stopping in his workout, the swordsman carefully reached behind him and hoisted his target up with one hand.


    Chibi Rosan''s eyes blearily opened as he glanced at Zoro with a half lidded expression.


    "Rosan... what are you doing here?" Zoro asked slowly, effortlessly holding the tiny redhead up.


    The redhead coughed and said, "I... wanted to train so I came here... Since you were in... the middle of pushups¡ª"


    He coughed once more and Zoro sighed as he began to lead the redhead to the kitchen to drink water.


    "¡ªI figured I''d help you by sitting on your back. They looked too easy so I added some weight," he finished.


    The swordsman sweatdropped. "You barely weigh a thing."


    "...Oh, right," he muttered. "Where are you taking me?"


    "The kitchen... you need some water."


    Rosan hummed as he threatened to fall asleep again. "You''re going the wrong way. Right now, you''re taking me to¡ª"


    "Ahem."


    The two froze as a dangerous aura washed over them and Zoro turned around to regard the Nico Robin who had a serene smile on her face.


    "¡ªThe women''s room," Rosan finished, opening his arms.


    Robin''s eyes narrowed at the dangerously cute move, but she grabbed the redhead out of Zoro''s very inappropriate grasp and nestled him properly.


    "I''ll deal with you later," she promised the redhead before turning towards Zoro. "Zoro-san... I''d implore you to learn how to properly hold a small child."


    Despite how casual and polite the tone was, Zoro still felt a chill crawl down his spine and nodded slowly, backing away from the dangerous woman who was currently fussing over the sick redhead.


    "You left bed again," she chastised.


    "I wanted to train," he replied raspily. "I''m thirsty."


    The woman glared at him slightly, still turning on her heel to walk towards the kitchen so he could get his glass.


    "You''re sick. You should not be doing anything strenuous. Are you serious?"


    "But I can''t be cooped up all day in bed..."


    "That''s why I let you run off!"


    "...You let me?"


    Robin''s expression turned flat. "Did you honestly think that in your state, you could easily get away from me of all people that much times. I''m just hoping you tired yourself out but you do stupid things instead!"


    "Only you can so effortlessly destroy my ego..." Rosan sighed.


    "Someone has to knock you down some... you''d actually think you were invincible otherwise."


    Zoro watched them go with a sweatdrop, scratching his head all the while.


    Did he just get chewed out for his scout''s actions? All he was doing was training...


    The swordsman sighed.


    How did he get to the women''s room anyways?


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Nami was working on drawing a map, when she felt a presence near her.


    No seriously, he was radiating so much heat it was impossible to miss it.


    "You should be in bed, Rosan," Nami said idly, not looking up from her map and continuing to work on it.


    "Robin said if I have the energy I can run off," his squeaky voice came out.


    The navigator glanced up and tried her absolute hardest to not squeal at the adorable sight.


    Rosan was very clearly wearing one of Robin''s coats and the article of clothing looked way too big on his diminutive frame. It was so large that there was a small pile being dragged on the floor every time he took a step.


    His large dual eyes were staring up at the taller girl and he asked, "What are you doing? I''m bored."


    "Oh! I''m just drawing a map currently... It''s always good to polish up your skills and since the weather is tame I figured I''d do that," she explained.


    The chibi hummed. "I don''t need to polish my skills... once I master something, it stays that way because of Modification."


    Her eye twitched at that. "Your Devil Fruit is nonsense."


    He nodded. "All people who know about it tell me..."


    The redhead began coughing and her eyes turned worried.


    "Should you really be out of bed? I know your restless but still..."


    Before Rosan could reply, he stumbled and nearly fell flat on his face, only for a flurry of arms to capture him.


    They lifted the tiny redhead up and deposited him in calm Robin''s arm.


    "Don''t worry, I''m watching him," Robin assured.


    "My hero," he rasped dryly, burying himself into her as a wave of tiredness hit him.


    Nami smiled up at the archaeologist. "You sure are diligent, Robin. I''m guessing you had to care for Rosan a lot?"


    The sigh she let out made the navigator giggle.


    "Don''t get me started. The best way for me to put it so that you can understand is that Rosan was like a Luffy who thought out his chaos," she said.


    Nami''s eyes widened. "THAT''S EXACTLY WHAT I THOUGHT!" She exclaimed.


    The Devil Child smiled at that. "There was one time where I actually got sick and can you guess what he did?"


    Rosan let out a noise but was ignored.


    Nami smiled eagerly. "What did he do?"


    Robin adjusted Rosan as she took a seat next to the navigator. "After panicking for who knows how long, my best friend here went out and broke into a doctor''s home, made friends with his wife, ate some cookies and forced the man to give me a checkup... then he revealed my identity."


    "No way," the navigators eyes bugged, as she gazed at the deadpan expression of the flushed redhead. "Seriously?!"


    "...You''re so dead when I''m healed, Robin," Rosan assured.


    "It''s true?!"


    Nami couldn''t hold back her laughter at that and she smiled teasingly at the small redhead. "You sounded so precious, Rosan! Why are you so unappealing now?!"


    "You''re dead too."


    It was so very difficult to take such an adorable child like Rosan''s kid form serious. His voice was so squeaky and his cheeks were so pudgy and his eyes were so wide! No wonder he was so confident, the boy had been utterly cute before he turned dreadfully handsome.


    Evidently, Robin didn''t take him serious no matter what because with a smile she said, "He really was so precious! Let me tell you about the time he raided an entire library for all of their books to put on the ship."


    "I thought you liked when I did that," Rosan protested.


    Nami let out a hearty laugh.


    She was going to like Robin just fine.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Sanji, I''m hungry."


    The chef nearly told Luffy to wait for dinner, before realizing that wasn''t his voice and he glanced at the sick redhead sitting at the seat of the table.


    Somehow, the redhead had managed to get his hands on a plate and utensils and was staring at the chef with a flushed face.


    He felt a tick forming but rolled his eyes and said, "What do you want?"


    The redhead thought about it. "I don''t know... I''m not hungry anymore."


    "IT''S BEEN 10 SECONDS!" Sanji roared at the sick redhead.


    Rosan shrugged and placed his head on the table. "I''m going to sleep."


    The chef resisted the urge to yank out his hair at the antics of the redhead and said, "I''ve got a soup cooking up just for you. It should be smooth and easy to consume."


    "But I want pasta," his muffled voice said, head still flat on the table.


    "WELL YOU CAN''T HAVE PASTA! YOU''RE SICK!" The chef barked with razor sharp teeth.


    Seriously, was their scout always this spoiled?!


    "..." Rosan glanced up at him and the chefs resolve wavered as he saw those big dual eyes begin to waver.


    "But... I want pasta," he repeated sadly.


    Oh, goddamnit. This was why he was so spoiled.


    "Fine, fine," Sanji sighed. "I''ll prepare your pasta."


    "That won''t be necessary."


    Robin glanced at Rosan''s expression, utterly unfazed by his attempt to abuse his looks and said, "Please give me the soup. I''ll make sure he eats it."


    The chef swooned at that. "Anything for you Robin-chan!"


    Rosan''s face shifted once more and he glanced at Robin with a frown. "I''ll bite you."


    Robin didn''t even flinch at his threat. "You''re attempts to use your good looks are cute, but you will not make my life more difficult. We already tried feeding you Pasta and it took far too long for you to eat it because it was hard for you to swallow."


    "..." Rosan definitely wasn''t pouting in displeasure.


    Robin resisted the urge to smile at feeling his emotions pouring through.


    "Here you go Robin-chan!" Sanji twirled, placing the plate in her hand. "Make sure he eats it all!"


    She smiled at the chef, which made him swoon, and summoned a clone to hold the plate. Then, she grasped Rosan and secured him to her body, marching off with a simple, "Thank you, Sanji. Don''t worry, I''ll make sure he eats it all."


    That was more so to herself then the chef honestly... Sick Rosan was... a trip.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "You have to eat, Rosan."


    "I''m not hungry."


    "You can barely move and you haven''t eaten anything yet!"


    "Because I''m not hungry."


    "But you just said you wanted pasta."


    "This isn''t pasta is it?"


    Robin was beginning to think Rosan had actually turned four again because this was absolutely ridiculous. His condition was steadily getting worse and he could barely move now, struggling to even escape for more than a minute (when she didn''t allow him to).


    She sighed and summoned a flurry of hands that held down Rosan, while opening his mouth in the process. It was almost comical how familiar the sight was and the Devil Child did it as if she practiced 100 times.


    She did. Because of this psychotic redhead right here. Back when they were kids she did this too because the boy really disliked his vegetables.


    "I''m doing this for your own good," Robin explained, watching him fail to even struggle though he certainly did try. Grabbing the meal (Sanji was an amazing cook), the woman began the arduous process of feeding the sick and stubborn redhead.


    "I''m sorry for this, I can''t even take over his body at the moment to make the process easier," Mod apologized. She was working overtime right now to catch any slight worsening of his condition in case it did in fact prove to be fatal and it left her rather exhausted herself.


    Thankfully, Ram was making her life easier by giving her back rubs as she worked and she was thankful for that.


    Luckily, Rosan''s Philosopher Stone enhanced body, was doing an incredible job at keeping the virus at bay but it was also putting more stress on his body and draining him very quickly of his energy due to the fact that it believed it was healing something.


    "It''s okay," Robin replied calmly, making sure Rosan swallowed the food with a laser focused gaze. He caught her blue eyes and forced the meal down his throat, opening his mouth to show her that it was gone.


    "Satisfied?" He coughed after finishing the entire soup.


    Robin was normally so passive but due to him, she had become a lot less reactionary and a lot more assertive¡­ especially when it came to Rosan.


    He was pleased. He may not have acted like it, but he truly was.


    "Quite." Robin smiled, placing the empty plate down and grabbing a book she had been in the middle of reading.


    He rested his burning head back on the pillow and shut his eyes for a brief moment before snapping them back open.


    "What is that noise?" They repeated at the same time.


    There was quite the commotion going on outside and it was preventing the two from doing what they wanted to do which was sleep and read respectively.


    Robin placed the book back down (was she ever going to finish reading this one?!) and summoned an eye outside to see what was happening.


    "I''ll relay the information back to you," she offered, making sure he didn''t even think about moving.


    "Okay," he rasped, closing his eyes again.


    The commotion outside was actually due to a plethora of pirates from a massive ship invading them¡­ and a weird looking man eating their ship.


    "He''s eating the ship?" Rosan repeated. Stupid man, this was the ship he used his energy to repair. If the redhead weren''t so sick, he''d have gone and killed him.


    Wapol (the eating man''s name) had eaten quite a bit of the ship before Luffy got fed up and, though the strange man, who wanted a log pose to Drum Kingdom, tried to eat the rubber boy, he was blasted away by the captain and into the unforgiving water, much to the panic of his crew.


    It didn''t take long for the invaders to disappear and Rosan snorted in disinterest, coughing after making the noise and making Robin quickly attend to him.


    "What an idiot. He''s so lucky I''m sick," Rosan muttered, shuddering a bit at the rapid change in temperature. "Modification is failing at regulating my body temperature¡­ it''s getting cold and I hate the cold."


    "I''m sorry, but Modification has deemed it necessary to focus on more important things and regulation of your resistance to temperature is not one of them," Mod sighed in amusement.


    Ever since he was four, the only time Rosan''s body had ever not been resistant to the weather, was when he had been captured on Daybreak Island and cuffed with seastone. The redhead absolutely despised the cold and as a result, Modification was almost constantly regulating his body.


    "It is getting quite cold," Robin murmured, already moving to change her own clothes. "Most of our clothes are in the mindscape as well¡­ but I should have some in here. Do you have anything for the cold?"


    "Nearly all my clothes are long sleeved," Rosan deadpanned, squeaky voice unamused. "But the material isn''t really thick enough to suit me in the winter. I tend to wear light clothing that doesn''t trap heat."


    Robin grabbed one of the many coats she had ended up buying on Celadon, this one violet and suited for the cold winter, and placed it on. After securing the snug coat (Maro''s island really did have amazing fabric!), she grabbed another one, this time black and purple, and made her way over to Rosan.


    "Making me wear your clothing now? At least I''m still male this time around," Rosan grunted, allowing her to dress him with no complaint.


    "That reminds me... one of these days I need to see how you look in your female form," Robin stated, smiling at the prospect of seeing the mature woman.


    Rosan had grown very handsome over the years and if Angel was any indication he would be just as attractive as a woman.


    "Everyone always wants to see how I''d look as a woman¡­" Rosan sighed. "Very well, I''ll show you after I''m healed."


    "She''s a natural beauty¡­ it''s surreal how someone so wild can look so beautiful," Mod said, displeasure deep in her tone. "I''m glad Rosan was not born a girl. The amount of attention he''d have been receiving¡­ he already receives too much now, it''d be unfathomable."


    She''d have to commit murder for her alternate dimension daughter.


    "She''s super hot and a bombshell. Never seen a chest or ass that huge," Ram nodded sagely. She''d be in the same boat as Auntie if her Father was Mother.


    "Please don''t be so crude, Ram," Mod sighed.


    "I''d rather you not talk about me in such a way. It feels like harassment," Rosan chided, coughing again and prompting Robin to give him a glass of water.


    "I can''t wait," Robin actually grinned at the prospect. There was always something so fun about harassing Rosan and it hadn''t changed at all with time.


    "Whatever, I''m going to sleep," he mumbled, closing his eyes and dozing off.


    The Devil Child giggled at his brief look of annoyance and picked up her book to continue reading it.


    Perhaps she''d finally be able to get it done now that he was asleep.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "We''re at the island, Robin," Nami said, opening the door and taking in the sight.


    Chibi Rosan was sleeping, wrapped up in a large coat that belonged to Robin and cuddling the woman herself, who was raking a hand through his hair.


    The absolutely adorable sight was only broken up by the fact that there was another Robin reading a book, as she sat on a chair next to the redhead. She idly flipped through the pages with a look of concentration, eyes glancing over at the redhead every time she did flip it.


    Nami was never going to get used to seeing two Robins.


    "We''re close? Right, thank you for telling me, Nami," Robin smiled, shutting the book and placing it on the stand. The woman stood up and stretched a bit, making sure her coat was on snugly in the process and dispersing her clone.


    The moment she did that, Rosan snapped awake and stared at the two of them, flushed face tilted to the side. The redhead was breathing heavily and his eyes were barely open, face a permanent shade of red now.


    "We''re here...?" Rosan grunted, attempting to push himself up and failing miserably.


    Robin hastily moved over to the redhead and hoisted him up, securing him tightly with a soothing whisper.


    "Your temperature feels like it rose even more¡­" The Devil Child murmured, worry set on her features. His body steaming had lessened with time but his condition had only gotten worse and his temperature continued to increase.


    Nami tentatively touched the redhead''s body and let out a hiss of pain at the sheer heat he was emanating.


    "H-He''s boiling!" The navigator gasped. Even with Modification, she just couldn''t imagine how Robin was able to hold the chibi so calmly. He was burning. "Kami, Rosan, we need to get you to a doctor immediately!"


    He couldn''t even bite back a snide response. "Robin¡­ I''m getting sweat all over you. You should¡­ give me to Luffy and have him hold me instead," he tried.


    Robin had been watching him almost 24/7 and he was eating up basically all of her time right now.


    He didn''t want to eat up all her time...


    "It''s fine, I don''t mind," Robin assured, preparing to leave the room. "Your safety is my #1 priority right now and some sweat won''t bother me. Really Rosan, stop looking at me like that."


    Rosan simply hummed and didn''t try to debate further, knowing she wouldn''t change her mind.


    "I hate being cold," he muttered, burying himself further into Robin to try and absorb her body heat.


    "I know," Robin replied, allowing him to do so with no complaint. She idly furled up the giant coat on him and it was a testament to his sickness, that he still hadn''t modified it to fit his miniature frame.


    Nami nearly squealed at the cute as hell sight but held herself. When Rosan healed, she was never going to let him live this down and she thanked Robin for giving her so much fuel to work with.


    As far as the archaeologist was concerned, Nami already considered her apart of the crew just because of the information she had on Rosan!


    While getting ready to prepare, the sudden sound of a gunshot, made all the occupants in the room pause.


    Nami and Robin shared a glance and hastily made their way out of the room.


    The three bore witness to the sight of Vivi and Luffy both bowing on the floor. The blue haired princess had a bullet wound on her arm and there was a group of people glaring down at the group from the island they hadn''t even docked yet.


    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    "Please, bring us a doctor at least!" Vivi pleaded, not minding the injury one bit. "We don''t have to enter your island but we really do need one. One of our members is terribly sick and really needs assistance."


    "Please!" Luffy joined, bowing his head.


    Rosan''s eyes narrowed.


    What the hell was this?


    "Why are you bowing for my sake?" the redhead rasped, grabbing all their attention. "Do you think I''m in need of that much pity, where you''d bow to someone who shot you?"


    "You need help, Rosan," Vivi stressed, getting up and facing the chibi. "No matter what, we have to get you to a doctor. You''re getting worse!"


    "I''ll live. I''m not so pathetic that I''d resort to begging hostile people for help," Rosan retorted coldly, frown set on his face.


    He would never bow to anyone when it came to needing something.


    The redhead was far too self reliant to ever want help from anyone, much less help to the point where he''d prostrate himself and beg. As long as he could move and breathe, he could handle the situation himself.


    Rosan didn''t even want to see a doctor in the first place. The only doctor he trusted, was his little brother and Demon was the only person allowed to touch his body with medical tools.


    He only agreed to this because of Robin. To be so strongly rejected from something he didn''t even want in the first place¡­ they were lucky he was sick.


    Vivi frowned, biting her lip in contemplation at seeing how set Rosan was.


    If this kept up, even if they were allowed entry, she was almost sure the sick redhead wouldn''t accept the help.


    "That boy¡­ is he smoking?!" One of the onlookers asked in concern. None missed how flushed the adorable child''s face was and the literal steam rising from him.


    Was that the sick one¡­? They¡­ they didn''t expect his conditions to be so bad. What on earth had happened to him?!


    "¡­" What looked to be the leader of the inhabitants, stepped up a little closer to the ship and gazed at the unwavering gaze of the sick one in question.


    Dalton couldn''t help but respect his unyielding nature despite how terrible of a condition he was in and he respected the crew even more for contrasting and caring for his well-being more then he seemed to.


    "...Follow me, I''ll escort you all into into the village. But just be warned, there''s only one doctor in this village and she''s a witch," he told the crew.


    Rosan nearly snorted, but closed his eyes and allowed himself some rest.


    "Thank you!" Vivi said, bowing again.


    "You nearly made things more difficult, Rosan. Thank Vivi for being so caring," Robin scolded gently.


    "Funny, I was so sure she didn''t like either of us but here she is, defending us despite getting shot. What a kind, naive princess," Rosan replied.


    He supposed he owed her an apology for standing up for him despite everything. She had no reason to be so concerned for his safety yet here she was going above and beyond...


    No one should ever be that kind.


    "Come with me," the apparent leader said.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "1-156¡ã?! A-Are you even human? How are you still alive?!" Dalton sweat in disbelief, sweat pouring from his face at the redhead before him.


    Just who was this small child? 156 was far past the fatal temperature and yet, he was still talking and functional!


    "No, I''m a demon," he replied in a quiet rasp.


    "Do demon''s get sick?" Ram asked curiously.


    "Not unless their body wants them to," Rosan said, idly shivering at the freezing temperatures of the winter island.


    You''d think because his body was so hot, he wouldn''t be very affected by the chilling weather but alas...


    "Don''t just make things up. She''ll actually believe you," Robin admonished slightly, making sure he was comfortable.


    Rosan said nothing, focusing on Dalton who kept looking at him. "Don''t tell me¡­ my sickness has shocked you¡­ that much. Why¡­ are you staring at me for so long?"


    The man flinched in surprise at being called out before composing himself. "It''s nothing I just¡­ I feel like we''ve met before. I get that feeling with you and the blue haired girl right there."


    Vivi jumped in surprise at being addressed, staring at both Rosan and Dalton. "I¡­ I don''t think we''ve ever met?"


    Though, she did get that feeling with Rosan as well. It was honestly driving her insane why she couldn''t pinpoint just where she saw him.


    "We''ve never met," Rosan said decisively, closing his eyes to get more rest. "I have incredible memory. Even a face as average as yours would be memorized by me."


    "So rude," everyone thought at once, sweatdropping at the words that came out of Rosan''s mouth.


    Dalton also sweatdropped but just chalked it up to him being sick and informed them of the only doctor on the island.


    "So this Dr. Kureha is the only doctor on the island¡­ and she lives up that mountain?" Nami questioned in disbelief.


    They only got treatment when the 140 year old (was that really her age?!) deigned to come down? Then she took whatever she wanted as payment and just vanished without a trace? Not only that, but she had a strange beast following her around as well?


    Now they had to just sit here and wait while Rosan''s condition got only worse¡­? That didn''t sound reasonable... not only did they need to heal Rosan, they had to get to Alabasta!


    "Rosan, we''re gonna climb that mountain to get you help," Luffy decided bluntly, lightly slapping the chibi awake.


    "DON''T SLAP A SICK PERSON!" They roared at the idiot.


    Was he serious?!


    The straw hats and Dalton had protests right on their lips at his insane idea and how much things could go wrong but Rosan simply opened his eyes and nodded slowly.


    "...Okay. The faster we get this over with, the better. I''ve never been sick before and I never want to get sick again," he decided, pushing himself up slowly and promptly collapsing back on the bed.


    This sucked. Rosan enjoyed having absolute control over his own body and to not be able to even sit up¡­ how embarrassing.


    "It''s not your fault, Rosan. You have nothing to be embarrassed about," Mod soothed.


    After taking one look at the sickly redhead, it was easy for Robin to come to a decision.


    "I''m going too," she said without hesitation, already steadying the sickly redhead.


    "You too?!" Nami gasped. Robin had already proven to be the most sensible person on the ship and she was going along with this plan?!


    The Devil Child nodded. "I told you I wouldn''t let them do anything to you and I meant it, Rosan. I hope you don''t mind, Luffy."


    "Nope!" Luffy beamed. "Sanji, get us some food!"


    Robin picked up the tiny Rosan (it was a good thing he had the foresight to change his size¡­) and secured him tightly to Luffy''s back, making sure he wouldn''t fall off easily.


    "I never thought... I''d see the day... where I''m the helpless one and Luffy has to help me. It feels like only yesterday, where I had to stop you from drowning and getting eaten by a family of crocodiles," Rosan coughed, wrapping his tiny arms around his brother''s neck.


    "All those times you saved me and now I can pay you back!" Luffy grinned. His brother sure was warm and light but it felt nice in the cold weather!


    "Y-You almost got eaten by crocodiles?" Usopp gaped, looking between the two brothers incredulously.


    Just what crazy escapades did the two have?!


    "Yup!" Luffy said, preparing to leave with Robin in tow.


    "Should I come with you guys?" Sanji said, worry on his features for Robin''s safety.


    He didn''t know what he''d do if the woman got hurt when he could have potentially helped her.


    "That''s okay. I''m strong, he made sure of it," Robin smiled reassuringly, pointing a finger at the tiny redhead who was snoring away quietly on his brother.


    To be honest, if Luffy intended to climb the mountain with his bare hands, Robin wasn''t even sure if she should go with him but she made a promise to Rosan and she wouldn''t dare break it.


    With haste, the two quickly left for the castle at the top of the mountain and the remaining straw hats watched them go with worried expressions.


    "I''m sorry that we only have one doctor that can help." Dalton sounded genuinely apologetic as he spoke to them, bowing his head slightly. "Believe it or not, we had much more doctors but we were defeated by pirates."


    The straw hats, sans Zoro and Karoo (they were guarding the ship), gasped at the reveal and Dalton explained how they had gotten attacked by a group of five pirates, led by a man named Blackbeard.


    He then went to tell them that they actually had no soldiers and that civilians had taken up arms instead due to their former king, Wapol, fleeing with his army, leaving the Drum Kingdom to the mercy of the pirates.


    A flash of realization crossed Vivi''s features. "I remember him now! I met Wapol when I was a child and my father took me to a meeting of kings..."


    That was the Levely and Wapol had tried to stir up trouble using her¡­


    The Levely¡­ where Kings and Queens from all over the Blue Seas met to discuss world changing topics¡ª


    "AHHHHHHH NO WAY!" Vivi let out a loud shriek as another realization hit her like a freight train.


    The princess'' jaw dropped to the floor and her eyes turned white in horror.


    Everyone gazed at the panicking girl in worry, wondering what made her suddenly react so violently.


    "Vivi-chan? Are you alright?" Sanji asked, concern clear on his features.


    "Q-QUEEN RAISA!" She screeched, eyes widening further and further as she made connections.


    Red hair, bronze skin, beautiful with eyes that glowed¡­ It was no wonder Vivi had nearly pulled her hair out trying to figure out where she had seen Rosan before. She had been thinking of a man when in reality, she had really been thinking of a woman.


    "Who?" Nami asked in confusion, Usopp and Sanji nodding along.


    Dalton raised an eye at that familiar name. "Queen Raisa? Isn''t that the Queen of Wisteria Island, in the South Blue?"


    Wait a minute... he knew this girl!


    This was Nefertari Vivi of the Alabasta Kingdom¡­ The same Vivi who had been mature enough to avoid all out war with King Wapol all those years ago, which earned his immense respect...


    What was she doing traveling with a group of pirates? How odd.


    "Who is Queen Raisa?" Nami asked curiously.


    Their guide spoke up once more to answer. "She''s the sole ruler of a prosperous island in the South Blue, Wisteria Island. She is considered one of the most beautiful woman on the planet and her strength is said to be incredible... Some say she''s eaten a Devil Fruit but she doesn''t deign to show it to her fellow royals," Dalton explained.


    It was hard to forget a woman like that. Even when he had been steadfast in his duties as a soldier, he had taken notice of her and if he didn''t, Wapol (and about a dozen other kingdoms) had made it clear they were interested in the stone cold woman that didn''t deign to give them any time.


    She received many proposals for marriage but the woman didn''t acknowledge a single one. She seemed to have no interest in uniting her private (and hidden) island with any others, content to be the single ruling force of Wisteria.


    "Gorgeous woman?" That was Sanji and his eyes sparked with even more interest now.


    Vivi was shaking, face white and the straw hats stared at her in concern, wondering what was going through the princess'' head.


    "That''s right," Dalton said, as he easily recalled the woman. "She has a natural hue of bronze skin, lustrous red hair and glowing purple eyes. All are said to be signature traits of her lineage¡­ It''s also mentioned that anyone with their blood will have a coming of age ceremony where they are permitted to eat a very rare Devil Fruit chosen specifically for them."


    Sanji''s gaze turned dreamy at that, imagining the woman in his mind with all those traits.


    Usopp and Nami were not the same.


    "Hey¡­ doesn''t that... sound kind of familiar?" Usopp suddenly asked, sweat dripping from his features.


    Nami''s jaw had already dropped the moment she heard the description and she had to slowly close it to muster up a proper response. "Yes it does, Usopp¡­ In fact, it sounds very familiar. Like, in our crew familiar."


    As the chef began to make an imaginary image, he quickly came to a very startling realization.


    "No¡­ No way. It can''t be." Sanji''s features turned into horror so quickly, they were surprised he didn''t faint (or die) on the spot.


    "What are you all talking about ¡ª oh," Dalton said, eyes bugging as he remembered the redhead who he could have sworn he''d seen before.


    "They¡­ they look the exact same," Vivi whispered. Hell, they even somewhat acted similar! Vivi had seen her long ago as a child and the queen had been cold and forward to any adult that spoke to her.


    When speaking to children however, she was much warmer, if not awkward, seeming to stare through them instead of at them.


    Was Rosan¡­ Was Rosan her son¡­? Raisa had already been an adult, despite not looking very old at all, and the same could apply to Rosan so maybe they were siblings?


    "How old is Rosan?" Vivi couldn''t help but ask. He was clearly an adult but he didn''t look much older than 20.


    "24," Sanji replied immediately.


    Raisa had given birth 24 years ago?! That was insane! The woman never indicated she was in a relationship, much less with a child in the process¡­ What had happened?


    "Wait¡­ did you just say that little squirt is 24?" Dalton gaped in confusion.


    They all sweatdropped. There was far too much going on right now.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Robin actually hadn''t spent much one on one time (technically, since Rosan was asleep) with any of the other Straw Hats considering she was practically permanently around Rosan.


    Nami was the closest in that regards because the woman frequently updated her but the Devil Child was normally focused on making sure her childhood friend didn''t do something stupid.


    How fitting that the first other person she actually spent one on one time with, was the captain and younger brother of Rosan, Monkey D. Luffy. Her partner at the moment was walking as he hummed an absolutely terrible tune with his older brother sleeping on his back.


    The rubber boy was a carefree enigma, reminding her strongly of Rosan as a child without any ounce of his high intelligence.


    Much to her annoyance (they got into one of their many brawls because of it) at a young age, Robin had quickly discovered that Rosan''s intelligence matched her own and that he wasn''t a complete idiot.


    He just planned in a way that maximized the amount of fun he had.


    Robin didn''t think Luffy planned. He just did whatever sounded fun with no thought put into it. The child was incredibly easy going and it was dangerously adorable.


    She dreaded the day a fully emotional Rosan and Luffy met, if the redhead was anything even remotely similar to his child counterpart, the Straw Hats were in for a number of headaches.


    Robin had grown used to his antics, being with the redhead for four years but his crew members knew nothing yet.


    But she digressed, the Devil Child quite liked Luffy already because it was like looking at a dumber, more goofy, version of Rosan (they still had plenty of differences!) and that was probably why the two brothers got along so well.


    "Luffy, what do you think of Rosan?" Robin asked curiously. They had stopped at the memories of Meiko and hadn''t been able to continue due to Rosan being sick but they''d start it again after he was healed.


    She wanted Luffy''s perspective on how things went with them before seeing it from Rosan''s.


    "I love Rosan," Luffy replied without hesitation, beaming brightly at the thought of the small redhead on his back. "He''s one of my brothers and he''s my first friend and he always protected me when I was weak until I managed to get strong!"


    His brows furrowed a bit. "But¡­ he doesn''t really consider himself apart of the crew right now and it''s because a piece of him is missing. I want to get that piece back so that I can make him the strongest like he wanted to be!" Luffy told the woman, who could only blink at how insightful he seemed to be.


    Robin couldn''t help but smile at how much Luffy looked up to his brother and she imagined that they had to have gone through a lot to get this close. To see this version of Rosan forming bonds with people around him¡­ it made her happy that he was capable of doing so.


    She idly grabbed the violent little rabbit that kept lunging for them with her Devil Fruit and launched it away.


    It was getting rather annoying.


    "I want to get that piece of him back too," Robin said to the rubber boy. "It''s not right seeing him like this¡­ I want to see his grin and his carefree nature and just everything that I grew to love about him."


    Luffy nodded rapidly along with her, grinning determinedly. "Don''t worry, Robin! You''re apart of the crew now so we can do it together," he said bluntly, marching towards the castle with a purpose.


    Monkey D. Luffy¡­ what a strange boy. He was filled with a charisma that seemed childish at first, but was filled with unyielding conviction.


    He¡­ He really was a lot like Rosan. It was no wonder the two had ended up becoming crewmates. They were good for each other.


    "I thought so too," Mod said softly. "I''m glad I convinced him to hang around Luffy¡­ that was one of the best decisions I could have made."


    "He''s an idiot¡­ but I still love the little rubber squirt," Ram admitted.


    Robin couldn''t help but agree with what they said.


    She¡­ she wouldn''t mind observing Monkey D. Luffy some more. If Rosan could trust him, maybe she could too.


    The two continued on their way, chatting about little things, but paused as a mass of footsteps began thrumming the ground beneath them.


    "Oh?" Robin hummed, pausing as she took in the sight. Luffy followed suit and he stared at the giant white creatures blocking their way.


    Each growled ferociously, murder very clearly on their mind as they took a threatening step forward.


    "Woah, polar bears," he gaped, looking at the massive amount glaring them down.


    "These must be the Lapins we were warned about," Robin said warily, glancing back at the injured Rosan out of the corner of her eyes. He was still sleeping and his breathing was no longer inaudible, picking up in intensity and noise as they traversed through the dreadfully cold Drum Island.


    "Luffy, I don''t think we should fight them. Rosan could be put in danger otherwise," the Devil Child said.


    "Right, so we should run?" Luffy replied.


    The two leapt back in unison, as one of the lapins crashed into their spot and the rest followed suit.


    "Yes, that''s a good idea. Dodge and run. I''ll do what I can to keep them at bay while we look for another path to the castle," Robin said, turning and dashing away from the violent animals.


    Were they being attacked because she launched away the aggressive little cub? Who knew the pack of Lapins would take such offense to that and began chasing them down with intention to kill!


    Two pair of arms sprouted on a dozen of the Lapins and Robin brutally snapped their necks, not killing but rendering them incapable of moving. It did nothing to thin out the giant horde but it was a start.


    "The snow isn''t making things better for us¡­ They are well adapted to it but we aren''t but there must be something we can do," Mod said, worry on her features. The Lapins were quickly gaining on them and there was just too much for Robin to deal with alone, while trying to make sure Luffy, and by proxy Rosan, didn''t get hit.


    She could probably take them out eventually but it would take far too long and time was something they didn''t have much of.


    Robin wanted Rosan healed now.


    "Up there!" Luffy called, jumping up a cliff and throwing out a stretched hand for Robin to grab. She held onto the appendage and soared away from the charging Lapin''s, landing next to Luffy.


    "Smart, let''s keep going," Robin said and the two took off. She left a clone behind to watch out for them and distract if need be, giving them more room to run.


    It was only this detail, that allowed Robin to immediately spot and figure out what the Lapin''s were doing, making her go slightly pale in disbelief.


    "Luffy, run faster!" The Devil Child ordered, picking up even more speed and frantically trying to make distance.


    Bless Luffy''s soul because he didn''t even question her, just picking up speed and soon, the two were full on sprinting towards the mountain.


    "What''s the matter, Robin?" Mod asked in concern.


    "Incoming avalanche because of the Lapins," Robin replied tersely, thankful that she didn''t have to say it aloud.


    The massive group of bunnies, were jumping up and down so that they could create their own avalanche to catch the duo running away. It was absolutely brilliant and not something she expected the violent animals to know.


    Rosan would probably have stolen some if he were awake.


    "W-What?! Oh no, if there''s an avalanche then¡­" Mod trailed off, at the rumbling noise and the woman went white.


    "W-WOAH!" Luffy screamed, looking back and seeing the massive amounts of snow descending onto them. "W-What are we gonna do, Robin?!"


    Robin gnawed her lip in concentration. Due to her being able to tell what the Lapins were doing at a glance, it had bought them a good amount of time and distance from the mass of snow careening towards them but they couldn''t outrun it.


    "We need to get somewhere high enough but the avalanche is massive," Robin informed him.


    Luffy''s eyes sparked, he could just ¡ª


    "Mmm?"


    Robin and Luffy immediately glanced at the source and saw that it was the formerly sleeping red chibi.


    Rosan let out a confused groan and blearily opened his eyes. "What''s¡­ What''s wrong?" He asked them, before immediately picking up the sound of the avalanche.


    "We''re in a bit of a bind," Robin admitted, not stopping in her stride. "We angered a couple of carnivorous bunnies and they caused an avalanche."


    Rosan coughed harshly, nodding his head at her explanation. "Not enough high places either and I don''t have the energy to summon my wings to fly us out," he grunted. This was a bit of a problem...


    "Even if you did, I wouldn''t let you," she countered. Not while he was struggling to stay awake at least.


    "Yeah! You need to be careful," Luffy chided.


    "Mmm, but still¡­" Rosan mused, finding it difficult to concentrate. He wanted to close his eyes again but they needed him¡­


    "Ah, I got it¡­" the redhead mumbled, struggling to stretch out his left hand but eventually doing so.


    Despite the avalanche gaining on them, Robin''s protective instincts still flared and she was about to reprimand the stubborn redhead.


    "I know, I know," he coughed. "G-Grab my armband, Robin. When you do that, hold Luffy and jump, okay?" Rosan instructed, head lolling a bit and falling back on his brother''s shoulder.


    "Ah! That''s genius and it doesn''t waste energy! Why didn''t we think of that sooner?!" Mod gasped.


    Robin, hearing that Mod-chan green lighted it, hastily reached out for the redhead''s arm and pulled the long sleeve of her coat back, revealing the black armband.


    The moment she touched it, the accessory glowed and wrapped around the woman''s body instead of Rosan''s own. She gasped at the sensation of gaining new attire over her previous one (it''s Rosan''s default raid suit appearance), but didn''t dwell on it too long.


    Grabbing onto the still Luffy (it was incredible how much faith he had in the both of them) Robin hugged both him and Rosan close to her and jumped exactly like he ordered.


    Imagine her surprise, when the red sneakers she was currently wearing, sent her flying, high above the avalanche and directly into the safety of the sky. Instead of falling, they kept her and the other two in charge floating and she marveled at that.


    She wasn''t aware Rosan had this.


    "We survived!" Luffy sighed in relief, watching the avalanche with a curious gaze.


    "Good," Rosan muttered. "That was my Raid Suit. It grants me... a numerous amount of benefits, including footwear that allow me to accelerate and float. Its main ability, is its adaptability which is why you were able to¡­ wear it. Normally only I could..." he explained to Robin.


    How incredibly useful.


    "He, along with Maro, stole the Blueprint from Germa, the underground army that rules the North Blue," Mod explained, making Robin''s eyes snap open in surprise.


    When her and Rosan had entered the North Blue, Robin had quickly begun doing research on the strongest of the four seas so it was natural she knew who Germa was.


    "You sure have a lot of fun, Rosan," Robin said idly, inspecting Rosan''s outfit on her frame. It was a stylish, open black coat with red streaks, that stopped at her knees, and underneath the coat, was a form fitting red shirt that hugged her curvy frame well.


    She wasn''t used to wearing baggy black pants and sneakers but Rosan enjoyed them and it reflected in the bottom half of her attire.


    "Rosan, if you had this the entire time, why not transform it into winter apparel instead of wearing my clothing?"


    "I can barely concentrate right now... and I rarely use my raid suit outside of combat. It was not on my mind when I told you but I guess that''s fine because now you''re wearing it¡­"


    She seemed to be wearing his clothing a lot. He never expected to see Robin dressed like this but it looked good on her.


    "That''s fair¡­ I guess it worked out for the best. Besides, I can''t be the only one benefiting from stealing clothes," Robin shrugged.


    "You look hot in Father''s clothing, Mother," Ram whistled. She was hot in general but watching her rock Father''s clothes put a wild smile on her face.


    "You do seem to wear his clothes a lot and they do look quite nice on you," Mod mused.


    A small dust of red covered the woman''s cheeks and she rolled her eyes at their teasing.


    Damn them... She was back to square one with genuine compliments and they were already doing their best to get on her nerves.


    "The avalanche is done!" Luffy exclaimed, prompting Robin to glance down and confirm that yes, the avalanche was in fact gone.


    The woman, with some guidance from Rosan, floated down onto the snow again and made sure Rosan was secured tightly onto Luffy.


    "Keep the raid suit on, you never know what may happen and I feel myself falling asleep again," Rosan said tiredly.


    He could go days without sleeping but now he could barely stay awake¡­


    The redhead began snoring again, unconscious in the middle of his thought process.


    "With this Raid Suit, we should be able to easily climb the mountain," Robin mused, idly patting Rosan''s soft red spikes. He was too sick to maintain it in a bun so it was free currently and she much preferred it like this. Suppressing his hair into a bun reminded her of how suppressed his personality currently was.


    It also did a good job at hiding his ruby earrings when his hair was free¡­ Looking at those earrings reminded her of Meiko and that wound was still fresh for Robin despite it happening so long ago.


    "Great! We gotta get up there as quick as possible," Luffy nodded.


    With that, the two began their trek back up the mountain. They warily glanced around and verified that they were no longer being chased by those Lapins.


    Along the way, they heard the desperate growling of a Lapin cub and the duo saw the sad sight of the bunny trying to dig its mother out of the snow.


    Only her paw was free and the little thing clawed away, heedless of the blood matting its fur.


    The baby Lapin heard their footsteps and quickly turned to face them, snarling protectively despite its blatant fear.


    Robin watched Luffy walk up to the cornered creature and, though it cowered in fear, the rubber boy ignored it and pulled the buried mother out of the snow.


    Both Lapins could only watch in shock at the act of kindness and even Robin was a little surprised.


    After all, these things had just been trying to kill them. Rosan''s vengeful streak was a mile wide and knowing him, he''d probably wait until the Lapin suffocated to death.


    He''d probably make a smart comment about how they couldn''t handle something they started either... even before his personality shift.


    Luffy¡­ Luffy was a good person.


    "Isn''t he?" Mod smiled softly. Right now, Robin only really trusted Rosan but she wanted her daughter to trust all of the Straw Hats eventually.


    Honestly, the amount of trust issues her and Rosan both had, could fill multiple novels.


    "We''re almost there," Luffy said, gazing at the mountain that was getting closer and closer.


    It really was a good thing Rosan had given them his Raid Suit to use¡­ Robin was sure there was a way up this mountain besides climbing it and she was gonna suggest looking for it but this cut down their time by a lot.


    "HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!" A voice roared at the two. "YOU THINK YOU COULD CAUSE AN AVALANCHE TO TRY AND KILL KING WAPOL?! HOW DARE YOU ATTEMPT TO DO THIS TO ME?!"


    Robin was already crossing her arms, intent on snapping their necks and getting this over with so that Luffy didn''t have to get involved but imagine her surprise, when an army of Lapins burst out and began attacking Wapol and his men, shooting nods of respect towards Luffy and Robin in the process.


    The Devil Child blinked at the action before nodding back and continuing on their path.


    "THE LAPINS ARE HELPING THEM? BUT WHY? THEY HATE HUMANS?!" Wapol gaped in confusion, hastily running away from the ferocious beasts that persisted on attacking them. He fearfully jumped back as one of them smashed into his position and said, "C-CHESS! KUROMARIMO!"


    Chess and Kuromarimo both prepared themselves to protect the king and Robin let them to it, too focused on making sure Rosan healed.


    Her and Luffy continued their quick pace to the mountain and finally, they arrived.


    "It''s huge! I can''t even see the top!" Luffy awed.


    "Well, with this Raid Suit, we can make the trip much easier. We''ll use it and a combination of our Devil Fruits to climb up in record time."


    Luffy grinned and flashed her a thumbs up. "You''re super smart, Robin! Alright, let''s do that," he beamed.


    Ah, he was honestly adorable.


    Robin grabbed the rubber boy around his midsection and stared determinedly up the mountain. She was sure there was another way up but she wanted Rosan safe now and didn''t want to waste unknown time looking for it.


    The woman tensed, activating the Raid Suit she still had donned on and jumped, clearing an amazing distance with Luffy and Rosan in tow.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Thank you for saving me from the avalanche¡­ but shouldn''t you have saved Usopp too, Sanji?" Nami asked in concern, looking at the comatose sniper with a sweatdrop on her face.


    Sanji, who had immediately jumped to the rescue of Nami and Vivi upon seeing the massive amounts of snow, glanced at the long nosed male and shrugged.


    "He''ll live. I had to save you two at all costs!" He swooned. The cook himself had actually gotten caught by the avalanche but he was none the worse for wear besides being more chilly.


    "WAKE UP USOPP!" Vivi sobbed hysterically, shaking the unconscious liar back and forth in her panic.


    "Ah, don''t wake me up¡­ I was dreaming of beautiful flowers and streams," Usopp muttered in his sleep, grinning dumbly.


    "NO USOPP, DON''T GO BACK TO SLEEP!" Vivi cried, slapping him repeatedly so that he could wake up.


    "Should we stop her?" Nami asked, watching as Usopp''s face got progressively more swollen from the beating.


    Sanji watched Usopp shoot up from the slaps and shook his head. "Nah, he''s fine¡­ Wait... is that Zoro?"


    Zoro in question, burst out of the heaping amounts of snow with very little clothing on and began shivering uncontrollably.


    "S-Someone give me their jacket. I was out training and I got lost," Zoro stammered, rubbing his arms against his body.


    Seriously, it was so fucking cold.


    "What is going on right now?" Nami sweatdropped. Why was everything so chaotic even without the two most chaotic members of their crew?!


    Was this the effect of those two... Did they infect them?!


    "Oh thank goodness, you saved me Vivi!" Usopp exclaimed, smiling thankfully. "But¡­ doesn''t my face feel a little swollen?"


    Vivi laughed nervously and averted her gaze, marching in some direction with a purpose. "It''s just frostbite! Y-Yeah, it''s frostbite!"


    Nami sweatdropped further, following after the wandering princess and prompting Sanji to do the same.


    "Seriously¡­ I need a jacket right now..." Zoro sneezed, following after the group and grumbling to himself.


    Usopp scratched his face in confusion and winced in pain before following his crew in fear.


    D-Did Frostbite really do this to a person?


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Robin and Luffy had a rather ingenious plan to successfully climb the mountain and it was working wonders for them.


    First, after utilizing the Raid Boots to jump a sizable distance, Robin would hover in place and summon two arms at the highest point that she could see. Then, Luffy would use his Devil Fruit to grasp the summoned arm, rocket themselves up with the momentum, Robin would utilize the hover mechanic of the boots again and they''d repeat.


    The only downside was how bitingly cold it was and how tall the mountain was. Robin especially, due to her Devil Fruit had to deal with the freezing temperature of grasping the stone and the strain of pulling another (Rosan was incredibly light) person up constantly.


    At least the Raid Suit had given her quite a crazy amount of strength...


    Believe it or not, Rosan''s unreal body heat was doing wonders for both her and Luffy right now and allowed them to brave the weather much better than they normally would.


    "Are you alright?" Luffy asked in concern, looking back at the panting Robin. They had been doing this for around an hour now and the top was quickly becoming visible due to their combined efforts.


    "I''m fine¡­ it''s just¡­ I''m getting a little exhausted from the amount of energy I''m expending," Robin admitted quietly, not wanting to waste more energy talking. They were floating right now and the woman crossed her arms to continue.


    "A little is an understatement. You''ve been doing this for an hour straight, Robin and you''re holding someone else¡­" Mod said in concern.


    "Y-Yeah, maybe just hover for a bit and gather your energy, Mother? I don''t want you to get hurt too," Ram whispered in worry. She was barely holding it out right now and if both her mother and father got injured...


    Luffy glanced at her with furrowed brows before quickly coming to a decision. She was planning on being stupid so he wouldn''t let her.


    The rubber boy suddenly clasped an arm around Robin''s waist, much to her surprise, and began kicking his feet.


    Robin watched with wide eyes, as Luffy began to ascend the mountain with a technique that she very quickly recognized.


    "You know how to use Geppo?" She asked in genuine shock.


    Luffy nodded. "Yeah! Rosan and I learned it from Gramps a while back!"


    Gramps? How did their gramps know a Rokushiki technique?


    "Wait... if you had this technique, why are you just now using it?" Robin couldn''t help but ask. He could have used it to save them from the avalanche and climb up the mountain in a much less complicated manner...


    Luffy simply laughed as they rocketed up the mountain. "You''re super smart so I went along with your plan!"


    Robin sweatdropped. It seems Luffy knew what areas he lacked in almost to a fault.


    It was endearing though so she had no problems with it.


    It took them around 20 more minutes to finally reach the top and Robin realized she was more tired then she thought...


    At least they had the Raid Suit to help out earlier. It was exceedingly useful.


    "I''ll tell him how much you like it¡­ I''m sure he''ll attempt to get one created for you asap afterwards. Maro has one but Luffy and Ace refused his offer," Mod said, smiling gratefully at the visibly exhausted woman.


    Eyes heavy, Robin allowed Luffy to pull them over and let out a sigh of relief at not needing to do that anymore. Her hands were freezing, she was tired and she couldn''t go to sleep yet because she made a promise to Rosan.


    She understood how traumatized he was due to the hands of another doctor and Robin would be damned if she allowed that to happen again after telling him to trust her.


    "Rosan?" Robin prodded, shaking him gently as the trio moved over to the massive castle at the top.


    "Mmm?" He groaned, cracking an eye open. "D-Did¡­ we make it? Do you¡­ need my help with any...thing?"


    "No, no," She assured. "I''ll let you go right back to sleep but I think you should transform back into an adult now before we meet the doctor."


    "Kay," he said, closing his eyes and concentrating deeply.


    "Modify Age: Default."


    It took much longer than he expected but eventually, he had reverted back to his 24 year old form and he instantly fell back asleep, the energy drain from the technique being too much for him.


    Luffy didn''t even flinch at the added weight of his much taller brother and just shifted him slightly, marching towards the castle with a purpose, Robin lagging slightly behind him.


    As they approached, they noticed something out of the corner of their eyes and the duo paused, at the sight of some giant¡­ monster thing staring at them.


    There was an odd silence that transpired, as the three stared at each other.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    ¡­


    "WOAHHHHHH WHAT IS THAT?!" Luffy screamed at the same time as the monster.


    "EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!" The giant monster shrieked, hiding in the most peculiar manner. They tried hiding but managed to fail miserably, keeping their entire body exposed for them.


    Robin simply raised a tired brow at the altercation. "You''re hiding the wrong way," she told them, watching as the creature jumped and adjusted itself accordingly.


    "W-What are you doing here, humans?! D-Did you guys climb up the mountain?!" The animal (?) asked in surprise.


    Luffy''s eyes transformed into stars.


    "YOU CAN TALK?!" He gaped in awe.


    The thing shrieked once more at that question.


    Before the scared creature could bolt from Luffy''s nature, Robin decided to take the reigns of the conversation and keep them on track.


    "Please, can you lead us to the doctor here? My friend is very sick and we''d like treatment as soon as possible," she pleaded.


    As interesting as the creature was, Robin could dwell on them when Rosan was being checked on. The redhead had managed to sleep through the entire trip up the mountain and had probably used up the last well of energy he had, transforming back into his adult form.


    Mod and Ram being completely silent helped with that theory.


    The creature looked shocked for some reason before finally directing its gaze towards the unconscious Rosan and gasping at the sight of steam rising from his body.


    "Chopper! What''s all that noise out there?!" A females voice called out.


    "Doctor! It''s a group of people who climbed up the mountain with a sick patient!" The one dubbed Chopper shouted back.


    Dr. Kureha stepped through the door in curiosity, wondering who was stupid enough to climb the mountain. The woman gazed at the three newcomers, before instantly zeroing in on the man who was literally steaming.


    She could question them later, this man needed to be attended to.


    "Come on, we don''t have all day!" Kureha ushered the group into the castle and racked her brain on all the things she''d need to tend to this person.


    Chopper had already ran ahead to collect everything and she couldn''t keep the proud smile off her face at how quick he was to react. She guided the three strangers to a room and quickly got things ready.


    Robin watched Luffy place Rosan on the bed and Kureha summarily kicked him out, somehow sensing his chaotic nature.


    The rubber boy didn''t complain, deciding to fall asleep while they helped Rosan. He had put just as much effort into climbing the mountain and the biting cold did him no favors.


    "You too, girl," Kureha ordered, turning towards Robin. "There''s another room right next to this one. Go rest up some."


    The woman looked exhausted right now. Many would have missed it, but Kureha had been alive for too long and had been a doctor for practically her whole life to miss something like that.


    Robin shook her head in denial. "I can''t leave this room until I''m sure he''s alright," she informed the doctor bluntly.


    When the doctor looked like she was going to protest, Robin simply interrupted her and said, "He¡­ Rosan doesn''t have a great experience with doctors. If he wakes up and doesn''t see me, it won''t bode well for anyone here."


    The giant beast, Chopper, squeaked at that ominous warning and transformed into a small¡­ raccoon?


    So he was some type of zoan¡­ She figured. He was actually quite adorable like this.


    "That''s Chopper, a blue-nosed reindeer who ate the Hito Hito No Mi. He can do anything a human can and I''ve taught him all my medical skills so you can trust him," Kureha explained calmly, getting a nod of understanding out of the neutral faced Robin.


    Chopper jumped a bit at that and warily regarded the stoic woman, torn between running and tending to his patient.


    Dr. Kureha stared at the woman for a moment, expression unreadable due to her shades and simply pulled a chair for Robin to sit on that would put her in Rosan''s line of view if he woke up.


    "Sit here and don''t get in the way," Kureha instructed. Not a great experience with doctors eh? That didn''t sound promising for her when he woke up.


    "Thank you," Robin said, sitting up and directing her gaze towards Rosan.


    "Chopper, hand me the antibiotics," she said.


    "Yes, Doctor!"


    Well, whatever. She''d still work on him; Kureha never saw anyone with his conditions so she was interested in how it would go.


    With that, the doctor began running a diagnosis on the sickly redhead, Robin watching all the while.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Do you think they managed to make it to the top?" Vivi asked in worry.


    They had just been in an altercation with Wapol''s goons in which Zoro and Sanji had defeated the king''s soldiers and they were currently rescuing Dalton from the mountain of snow¡­ but that didn''t stop the fact that there had been an avalanche in the first place and it came from the direction Robin and Luffy went off at¡­


    Not to mention, apparently Wapol was headed there too and it was likely they had possibly met each other.


    "I don''t know too much about Robin, but Luffy won''t let them die. You can trust our captain to keep all of them safe," Nami assured the worried princess.


    Vivi watched in awe at how absolute the Straw Hats faith in Luffy was and thought back to how Rosan had accepted the insane idea to climb the mountain without even a little bit of doubt.


    That robotic man¡­ he had just accepted it without fuss and fell asleep instantly on his brother''s back, fully trusting in his plan along with Nico Robin herself.


    Vivi had to wonder who Monkey D. Luffy was, to not only have someone like Rosan to call his brother¡­ but to make the cold and distant Nico Robin trust him immediately to the point where she''d also go along with such a plan¡­


    Maybe¡­ Maybe he could help save her country?


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Incredible¡­ I don''t even know how he''s alive right now but all we did was stabilize him and his body immediately handled the rest¡­ Are you even human?"


    "No, I''m a demon."


    Kureha couldn''t stop her brow from raising in surprise, as Rosan''s eyes snapped open, glowing brightly with Modification and he effortlessly pushed himself up. His gaze bored into her own, piercing through her body and gauging the Doctor.


    He idly activated his Devil Fruit and instantly regulated his own temperature.


    "EEEEEK? A DEMON?!" A childish voice screeched.


    Movement out of the corner of his eye, alerted Rosan to two other presences and his glowing eyes landed on a tiny blue nosed¡­ raccoon? He was sure it was the source of noise because Robin was sleeping, head on the edge of his bed.


    "I can''t believe you''re already awake," Kureha grunted with an impressed expression despite her complete befuddlement on this person''s makeup.


    His body temperature had been so high, any normal person would have long died...


    But the moment she identified and applied the correct medicine, his body had begun immediately dealing with the disease until practically all traces of it were gone.


    It made her wonder how he had even managed to catch the disease in the first place. This Rosan had the most impressive immune system she had ever seen¡­ it was almost like it were alive and active, building itself into a stronger state off the virus that had wracked his body.


    If that girl hadn''t mentioned how he had a bad experience with doctors, she''d have wanted take a blood sample to inspect it...


    The way the woman was looking at her had quickly dissuaded her of that idea though.


    Another fascinating thing about the redhead was his actual body. It took her far too long to find a needle that could pierce his skin and right after she finished, the small wound inflicted closed up with dizzying speeds.


    His body was one that doctors across the planet would envy and want to study which made her wonder if it was the reason he had such a bad experience with them.


    "I''m inclined to actually believe that demon claim," Kureha snorted eventually, watching as the redhead hoisted up the sleeping woman and lay her next to him, stroking her hair in the process.


    "She''s a good one, you know? Didn''t go to sleep until we finished working on you."


    Rosan stared at Robin for a moment, eyes soft at that and he idly hugged her sleeping body a little closer. "She''s the reason I accepted being worked on by a doctor in the first place¡­ Told me to trust her so I did and I guess it worked out."


    Kureha decided to get down business seeing as he was seemingly fine. "You somehow managed to contract an ancient disease that shouldn''t actually exist right now. In recorded history, not a single person has ever survived it but there are ways to slow it down which was what I attempted to do for you... I didn''t even cure you. Your body did after I injected you with some things."


    She looked at the anomaly with an appraising eye.


    "The fact that you managed to survive for so long and that it didn''t even seem like you were going to die¡­ It wouldn''t have healed quickly but by the way your body was attacking it... it would have eventually healed in around¡­ a month I predict? Possibly faster by how advanced your system is."


    A deadly virus was nothing but a strong cold for this man¡­ what an odd person.


    "A month of that? No thanks," Rosan scoffed much to his amusement. It would have robbed him completely of his energy. He would have actually been bedridden that entire time and he couldn''t go long without using Modification or else he''d get antsy.


    She gestured towards his left arm. "That''s where you got affected. Right on that pretty little rose tattoo of yours. I knew you were healing from it quickly, but you shouldn''t have been awake for another day or two."


    "So I got sick because I was being a gentleman," Rosan thought, mildly amused. The only reason his arms had been exposed, was when he had given Robin his cardigan so that she wasn''t exposed back on Little Garden.


    He had done it because he knew how hard it was for him to catch anything but his own Devil Fruit had decided to disprove that, willingly allowing such a dangerous virus to enter his body.


    Seems it was the second time that happened.


    "I''m so glad that you''re healed up!" Mod beamed, not privy to his thoughts currently.


    "F-Fatherrrrr I missed youuuu!" Ram sobbed happily, wanting to see him as soon as possible but holding her patience in. She furiously wiped at her eyes so that he didn''t call her weak for crying.


    "Mod-chan. Ram. I''ll visit you two soon," Rosan promised, glancing down at his body. He didn''t notice anything too obvious now that he was healed, but he added that up to not being fully recovered yet.


    He''d probably be fully healed in a day or so. Better than a month at least.


    "Thank you both for healing me. Despite my opinions on doctor''s touching me, I still appreciate it," Rosan said softly, inclining his head towards Kureha and Raccoon.


    Kureha simply waved him off but Raccoon had a much different reaction.


    He blinked, before blushing and the little thing broke out into a dance.


    "W-Who said you could thank me, you bastard?!" He gushed, not looking remotely upset despite his words.


    "That is so adorable," Mod gushed, wanting to squeeze the little guy with all her might.


    "Y-You''re such a girl," Ram sniffed, even finding time to make fun of her Auntie through the tears.


    "What exactly does that mean, young lady?"


    "E-Exactly what I meant!"


    Rosan ignored the two and was about to ask who the raccoon was, before Luffy burst into the room. He saw his, healthy, brother and immediately started whooping.


    "ROSAN!" His captain screamed, immediately pouncing on his scout and hugging the redhead.


    Robin''s eyes snapped opened at that and she let out a surprised noise at being collateral from Luffy''s excitement. He grabbed the two of them and squeezed, laughing cheerfully all the while.


    Despite her tired confusion, she instinctively wrapped her arms around the rubber boy. far too used to this from days spent around Rosan.


    "You''re not burning anymore!" He beamed.


    "D-Don''t be so rough with the patient! He''s still healing!" The little animal suddenly said, catching Luffy''s attention.


    "FOOD!"


    "EH?!"


    Chopper only had a moment to shriek and run, before Luffy began chasing him down the castle. The little guy began screaming in panic at the sight of the running human who had called him food and they vanished.


    Robin watched them go with a slightly confused expression, before focusing on the redhead who was no longer boiling hot. She realized that he was holding her close and returned the hug with a relieved smile on her face.


    "Rosan! You''re better now," she sighed in relief, burying herself in his warm frame.


    Yes. Warm. Not unnaturally hot like he had been for the last three days.


    "It''s thanks to you¡­ I''m sorry for how much of a hassle I was," Rosan whispered, laying down with the woman and linking to her instinctively.


    "It was more annoying then I''d like to admit," Robin teased, suppressing a yawn that the redhead didn''t miss.


    "You''re still tired and you climbed a mountain for me. Get some more rest," he said. To go along with Luffy''s utterly reckless plan without hesitation along with caring for him this whole time¡­ She was something else.


    He really did miss her.


    "Speaking of which¡­ that Raid Suit of yours is incredibly useful," she replied, eyes already closing at the familiar comfort of his warmth.


    Rosan glanced at the woman wearing his combat outfit and hummed. "I''ll have one created for you after we leave this island then. They all come with different abilities based on the user. Mine can transform its appearance and material instantaneously while keeping its original perks so I wonder what yours will do¡­"


    Leave it to Rosan to just decide to get one created for her. At least she actually was interested in it.


    "I look forward to it," she responded, growing more and more tired at his gentle touch. In combination with Rosan stroking her hair soothingly and the fact that she had woken up early due to Luffy, the Devil Child quickly fell asleep again in his grasp.


    Rosan let her rest and regarded the doctor with a tilted head. "So Doctor¡­"


    "Kureha," she introduced herself. This one was as polite as the woman and that made them both less annoying then the rubber boy.


    "Kureha¡­ you look like you have some questions for me," Rosan hummed. "As thanks, I''ll answer some for you. Within reason of course."


    "Cheeky brat," Kureha thought to herself. Nevermind, he was not as polite as he seemed.


    But he was right. She did have questions for him.


    "How are you alive? That disease has been affecting you for about three days and there''s no record of anyone surviving it past day 1. It''s almost certain death once you contract it."


    "I shouldn''t have contracted it in the first place," Rosan replied, unknowingly confirming some of her suspicions. "I''m sure you could already tell¡­ but my body seems like it has a mind of its own, right?"


    Kureha nodded because that''s exactly what she had been thinking.


    "Well, it is. I normally shouldn''t be capable of catching any sort of sickness but due to how powerful this disease is, my immune system saw it as a potential way to make my body even stronger. It was confident that I would survive the ordeal which is why I got sick."


    He talked about his own body like it were a completely different entity¡­ Just who was this strange redhead?


    "Barring the disease¡­ you still managed to reach near unprecedented body temperature. 150¡ã¡­ no one should be able to survive that period," the doctor stressed, unable to keep the look of disbelief off her face.


    Rosan glanced neutrally at her and tilted his head to the side. "Before I tell you¡­ My captain is probably going to try and recruit that Raccoon. Do you have a problem if we successfully do so?"


    "His name is Chopper and he''s a Blue Nosed Reindeer who ate the Hito Hito no Mi," Kureha told him with a slight glare. "As for recruiting him¡­ Take him, I don''t care but do you think you can save Chopper?"


    "?" Rosan tilted his head.


    "That boy has a wound deep in his heart that not even a doctor can heal," Kureha said, explaining the reindeer''s situation to him.


    The redhead hummed. Rejected by your parents for having a blue nose, then eating a Devil Fruit and being exiled from the herd¡­


    Not being discouraged yet, Chopper had transformed into a more human like form to try and mingle with other people but they had rejected him too, attempting to kill the young reindeer in the process after thinking he was a monster.


    Someone who only wanted friendship, living two worlds and being rejected by both so harshly. He had been alone his whole life until he had met a quack doctor who would become his Father but met a tragic death.


    Poisoned by his son, he drank a medicine that would blow him up so that Chopper wouldn''t be the cause of his death all in front of that king, Wapol.


    "How awful," Mod frowned sadly. Before meeting her, Rosan hadn''t had any friends either and it tore the little boy apart. Despite that, he still had Rouge as companionship and that was enough for him until they met.


    To live a life like that¡­ She wanted nothing more than to tell the child it was going to be alright.


    "I see. Then, there''s nothing to worry about," Rosan replied softly, not deigning to comment on it.


    A monster eh? He''d fit in just fine next to monsters like him and Luffy. His captain would successfully recruit him, he was sure of it.


    Kureha raised a brow at his confidence but Rosan didn''t give her a chance to speak.


    "Tell me, what do you know about the Philosopher''s Stone?" He asked suddenly.


    The Doctor paused at that random question. "It''s capable of turning metals into gold and granting rejuvenation or immortality. Heh, if a stone like that existed, a lot more people would be as youthful as I am," she snorted.


    She wasn''t understanding why he was mentioning that stone. As amazing as it was, it was a fairytale. It didn''t exist and was not worth dwelling on ¡ª


    "I created and ate one," Rosan interrupted her musing.


    Her thought process grounded to a halt at that abrupt statement and her disbelief was palpable.


    "I won''t go into details about it and I won''t try to convince you that I''m telling the truth but that is why. It was also the one responsible for doing an admirable job at keeping my sickness at bay¡­"


    "Did you think I was exaggerating when I called myself a demon? I may not actually be one, but I certainly am not human anymore," Rosan finished softly.


    Kureha found it hard to believe¡­ but why would he lie about something like that? It was far too random and much too specific. The Philosopher''s Stone was not a topic that the average person knew about.


    "Are you immortal?" She couldn''t help but ask. It would explain why that virus couldn''t kill him.


    "No. I didn''t make mine with the intention of being immortal. I made it for the rejuvenation and transformation aspect. I primarily focus on rejuvenation¡­ and my ring focuses on transformation," he explained, transforming Ram into a golden pistol to show.


    That explained why he was in such incredible condition despite being sick just two hours ago.


    Kureha had to wonder¡­ who was this man? One does not just create a stone that didn''t exist and be successful in it¡­ then keep such information to themselves.


    If he went public with that information, that he could create such a powerful stone, this boy could become one of the most important people on the planet. He wouldn''t have needed to bother trying to explain to her that he consumed one because she''d be trying to get her hands on one.


    But instead, he was a pirate with no bounty¡­


    "Just who are these people, Chopper?" Kureha couldn''t help but ask.


    Rosan hummed and glanced back down at the resting Robin, pleased with how easily she could rest despite there being another person who she didn''t know well. It spoke volumes of her trust in him and he would never let her down again.


    "Well, if that''s all. I appreciate you for helping me, Doctor," Rosan nodded. Once Robin got enough rest, he''d leave this place. He was only being so chatty because it helped him somewhat ignore all the medical supplies in the room.


    Kureha raised a brow.


    "What are you talking about? You aren''t cleared to go yet," Kureha told him. "Bad experiences with doctors or not, I never let my patients leave until they are perfectly healed and you should be good to go in about a day or two. Until then, you''re staying right there."


    Rosan''s gaze narrowed minutely. "Bad experiences is a nice way of putting it, Doctor. It''s a miracle that we''re even having a conversation right now. Don''t push your luck, you aren''t touching me again," he warned.


    The two stared each other down and it was only broken by the shrieking of Luffy and Chopper.


    "JOIN MY CREW, MONSTER!"


    "WAHHHHH!"


    Robin grumbled a bit in her sleep but was quickly assuaged by Rosan''s warm hands rubbing the perfect spot in her hair.


    Kureha snorted, realization making its way on her face. "Fine, if you don''t want me to work on you, let Chopper do it. He''s not human but I''ve taught him everything I know and he''s the sweetest boy around. I''m sure he doesn''t qualify as one of those Doctor''s not allowed to touch you, right?"


    "She may have a point¡­ After all, he''s not human and is palpably innocent," Mod jumped in, supporting the old woman''s claims.


    If he were to join the crew, Rosan would have to throw away his disdain for all Doctors barring his brother and work with Chopper. The little reindeer being not human and young would net him many favors with the redhead.


    "Then he can check up on me after he joins the crew," Rosan decided. "I''ll give you your money for helping me but if you think I can stand to stay here for longer than I have to¡­"


    He didn''t say anything else, letting the statement hang in the air.


    He had to respect Kureha for not backing down for even a second.


    "Just try it, brat!" She grunted, turning on her heel and marching out of the room.


    Rosan watched her leave with a tilted head.


    What an odd old woman.


    "I like her¡­ y-you should listen to her, Father! Haven''t you moved around enough while sick?! W-What if you get sick again?" Ram tried to hide her worry but it was palpable.


    If he got sick again, her heart wouldn''t be able to handle it¡­


    "You''re worrying about nothing, Ram but I should get a bit more rest," Rosan hummed, lying down next to the still sleeping Robin.


    He grasped her idly and brought the both of them to the mindscape with a simple thought.

 Do Demons Get Sick II?

    Robin yawned a bit before realizing the tiredness was artificial and that she was currently located in the mindscape.


    "Feels good to be back. Not entering my mindscape when I sleep feels wrong," Rosan muttered next to her, looking like he had never been sick in the first place.


    The only difference, was that his hair was currently out of its bun. Robin wouldn''t tell him to keep it free, knowing that it showed off his earrings when in a bun but she hoped one day, he''d be able to do it without regrets.


    "I do miss the mindscape¡­ it allowed me to hone my techniques and that was incredibly useful. After I get a raid suit, I''d like to really start up my training with you again," Robin said idly.


    Rosan nodded at that. "If I had trained as hard as I did as a child, over the 10 years I was with Luffy, I''d have been much stronger but alas¡­ there''s no time for regrets and we can get up to par together. I train with Zoro as well and Luffy sometimes joins, if you ever want to join us," he informed her.


    She was about to answer that, yes, she did want to join but a blur crashed into the man and woman, flooring the two.


    "F-Father!" Ram sobbed happily, crying in his chest with a river of tears. She squeezed him and Robin tightly in relief and began blabbering.


    "You got sick and I got scared a-and I thought it was getting really bad because I n-never saw you like that and I didn''t want to think it but I couldn''t help it and I just thought that i-if you died I would b-be so sad b-but Mother is so amazing and she managed to s-save you and ¡ª W-WAHHH!" she sobbed, clutching him with all her might.


    "How are you feeling? I wanted to thank you for going out of your way to be Rosan''s caretaker," Mod whispered to Robin, watching Rosan soothe his weapon with a calming tone. She exchanged a tender hug with the Devil Child and smiled softly at her.


    "Just a little tired and please don''t mention it. I know Rosan would do the exact same for me," Robin replied in amusement. There was a glimmer of mirth in her eyes at how hysterically Ram was acting and how awkwardly the redhead tried to sooth her.


    She truly was Rosan''s daughter, overreacting like only he could.


    Robin and Mod let out surprised noises as Ram rushed over to them and bodily hoisted them both up.


    "Thank you so much for taking care of stupid Father!" The ring cried. "Even after anyone would have thrown him overboard, you were still so patient and awesome! You''re the best, Mother!"


    Robin couldn''t help but blink, at the earnest look in the silver haired woman''s strange eyes before smiling gently and returning the hug.


    "Of course, Ram. I''ll always help Rosan if I can," she assured.


    Ram may not have looked it, but she was quite young in nature. It was actually rather adorable to witness.


    "Did you just call me stupid, Ram?"


    "...!"


    For the first time ever, Robin and Mod watched the ring go completely white. Her eyes were wide in terror and the expression on the woman''s face was nothing the Devil Fruit had ever seen.


    She slowly turned, fear present on her features and stared down the stone faced Rosan.


    "I-It was in the heat of the moment, F-Father! I was just¡­ I was worried for you!" Ram whimpered, inching slowly behind Robin and Mod for protection.


    Mod''s eyes were wide in shock at the complete 180 in Ram''s personality.


    Was Ram¡­ was she afraid of Rosan?!


    That was right¡­ the little female menace had never gotten in trouble with her Father but Ram held him to the highest degree. It was only natural that she would be fearful if he ever directed some ire towards her.


    If she knew this¡­ she''d have just asked Rosan to discipline her instead.


    Darn it...


    Ram began shaking at the sight of her father tilting his head.


    Ah, she had really gone and done it now¡­ What if he stopped using her?! W-What if he threw her away?!


    What if he destroyed her?!


    Rosan blinked at the tears forming in his weapons eyes and sought to quickly assuage that. "I was just kidding, Ram. I was just surprised considering I''ve never heard you say a single negative thing about me. Of course I wouldn''t have a problem with that, I was just teasing," he assured.


    He should work on his jokes¡­ Angel and Demon had reacted much the same way all those years ago¡­


    Ram blinked at that before glaring at her father in disbelief. "I¡­ Y-You¡­" She stammered in anger, not believing that he had managed to scare her so much.


    "I didn''t realize I scared you," Rosan shrugged. Everyone seemed to fear him to a degree and it seems even his faithful weapon was one of them.


    The youngest one there began spluttering in disbelief. "I''m not¡­! You! M-MOTHER! Please tell Father off for me!" She pleaded, turning puppy dog eyes onto an amused Robin.


    The Devil Child blinked and sighed at how this one knew to abuse their puppy dog eyes as well.


    "Rosan, you shouldn''t bully Ram like that. You know how much she looks up to you," Robin admonished calmly.


    "¡­" Rosan tilted his head and snorted softly to himself. "And here I thought I was the only one whipped by Ram. It''s no wonder she''s become so independent, she now has two people to spoil her rotten," he taunted.


    Ram stuck her tongue out rebelliously.


    "I can''t help it. She reminds me too much of you and how wild you were back then," Robin retorted teasingly.


    "I''d appreciate it if you both didn''t spoil her," Mod groaned in annoyance. "You can''t just do that and then leave me to deal with it. I''m only one person!"


    "Sorry, Mom," they replied in unison, making a tick form on her head.


    "S-Stop that! Why must you both try to embarrass me by calling me mom?!" she demanded.


    "You''re just really good at raising people¡­ Ram is like your fourth problem," Rosan smiled slightly.


    Robin nodded in agreement. "Honestly, I would even go as far as to say you enjoy being so motherly to all of us!"


    "Right?!" Ram nodded fervently. "I think so too! Auntie is such a mom!"


    "I hate you all," Mod said flatly. She wasn''t going to entertain this level of teasing when she didn''t deserve it. All these years of raising these problem children and this was the thanks she got¡­


    The three snorted at her deadpan expression before pausing.


    "That makes me wonder... who was your favorite child to raise?" Rosan asked with a raised brow.


    Mod didn''t think even two seconds about it.


    "Meiko, Robin and Demon. Those three are very mature and give me the least headaches," she replied without hesitation. "Ram and Rosan were my least... followed by Maro," she added shamelessly.


    Robin smiled victoriously as Ram spluttered.


    "H-Hey!" She protested.


    "I didn''t ask for who the least favorite was..." Rosan muttered quietly.


    Mod rolled her eyes. "If you had emotions you''d be at the top of that list by yourself," she informed him.


    The Devil Fruit squealed in surprise as she was hoisted up and she struggled heavily in the grasp of Rosan.


    Robin and Ram watched as the redhead began messing her perfect hair up.


    "P-Put me down!" Mod demanded, slamming her fists against the towering redhead''s chest to no avail.


    "What if I do this instead?" He asked.


    "Do what?! Wait, Rosan! I swear to all that is¡ª"


    Robin and Ram backed away as Rosan clasped both of Mod''s smaller arms in a single palm so that he could mercilessly tickle her.


    The woman laughed helplessly as she thrashed in midair and tried to plant a kick right on his sternum so he could drop her.


    Rosan snorted, and placed her on the ground instead so she''d fail to do even that.


    "Kahaha! Stop Rosan I''m serious! I''ll kill you!" She tried to threaten in the midst of her laughter.


    "Are you going to help her?" Ram asked, a little fear on her features at the thought of being collateral if she attempted to help.


    Robin thought about it for a moment before slowly shaking her head. "I''m not very ticklish so Rosan heightens my sensitivity and when that happens its even worse then being ticklish."


    The silver haired girl nodded sagely. "I''m the same."


    As they sympathetically watched the woman get tortured by her son, he suddenly paused what he was doing.


    Mod let out a breathless laugh of relief as she was spared from his onslaught. Her face was flushed and she tried hard to glare at the redhead, failing miserably as it looked more like a pout.


    "Hm? What''s all that noise?" Rosan asked as he sat on Mod''s belly. There was something going on in the real world currently and it was causing quite the stir.


    "Let''s see?" Robin questioned.


    He nodded and waved a short goodbye to Mod and Ram. "We''ll see you tonight, we still have to continue the memories," he said.


    "I-I hate you," Mod gasped breathlessly. "I really really hate you..."


    "My creation is coming up!" Ram beamed, pleased with herself. "Bye Mother, bye Father!"


    "She said bye to you first¡­ What did you do to get Ram to like you so much?" Rosan questioned, already vanishing from their sight.


    "Maybe I''m just more likable than you," Robin shrugged smugly.


    "Ah yes, my antisocial best friend is more likable than me. Do you honestly believe that?"


    "With your personality being no better than the books I read? Absolutely."


    "...Touche."


    "Kami, they can''t get together any faster? I''m losing my mind with all the tension!" Ram moaned miserably. Why did they have to be so dumb and unaware and stupid?!


    "I''d say patience but you watched that demon tickle me," Mod growled, clutching her stomach as she glared at the ring.


    "...Sorry?" Ram said sheepishly.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    The first thing Robin did when waking, was summon an eye outside of the castle to see what exactly was happening.


    Luffy and Chopper were having a face off against Wapol and his two soldiers. It seemed to be going well for them, considering Chopper had just taken out both the soldiers by himself using a variety of transformations.


    "He can transform into more than just human, hybrid, animal?" Rosan asked curiously, tilting his head and humming. "That''s¡­ I''ve never seen Maro use more than those forms. I should bring it up with her and see if she can do something similar."


    "Always thinking about ways to help Maro. I hope she appreciates all the effort you put into assisting her," Robin smiled. He really did always try and think of new ways to help out the queen.


    Rosan hummed and stood up, prompting Robin to follow after. "Well, now that you''re awake we can begin the process of leaving. That doctor really thinks she can restrain me¡­ I respect her but there''s no chance I''m staying here for any longer."


    Robin knew it was hopeless to try and restrain a healthy Rosan and he really did seem fine enough. There was no way he was at 100% but it wouldn''t take long for him to be.


    They made their way out of the room and blinked at seeing Wapol on the first floor.


    There was a silence as the three stared off, before Rosan broke it.


    "Greetings, it''s nice to meet you." The redhead waved politely.


    "Nice to meet you too! Beautiful weather isn''t it" Wapol waved.


    "Beautiful?" Rosan repeated.


    "Bit cold but other than that, yes! The weather in Drum is always beautiful," the king responded.


    "I''m not a fan of the cold so I can''t say I agree but I can see why you''d say that."


    "During your stay you''ll see!"


    ¡­


    "WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?!" Wapol roared in realization. "ANOTHER STRAW HAT MEMBER?!"


    "Ah, yes," Rosan nodded. "I''m the scout. Forgot to mention that."


    He was just the scout?! This was perfect for him then! He was nothing like that monster of a rubber boy¡­


    Wapol glared at the two and began marching towards the intruders with a menacing grin.


    That grin turned into a splutter, at the leg lodged directly into his gut.


    "Creep," Rosan muttered, lifting the large man up with one leg and keeping him there. He noticed movement out of the corner of his eye and saw his little brother show up.


    "Oh, Luffy," he greeted.


    "Rosan!" The rubber boy beamed.


    "Let''s play catch before we leave this place," he said, punting the screaming Wapol directly over to an eager Luffy.


    The rubber boy laughed cheerfully and launched him upwards with a rubbery kick of his own.


    Rosan quickly jumped over and kicked him back downwards with a vicious spike, only for the large man to get caught by yet another kick.


    Robin watched in amusement as the two bullies played kickball with the poor king until Luffy decided to hit him with an upward kick.


    The extended leg shoved the panicking king through the very top of the castle and Luffy pursued him with a cheery wave.


    "Not gonna help him?" Robin asked curiously.


    "Me and Luffy rarely need to team up for good reason," Rosan assured, making his way to the outside of the castle with the Devil Child.


    "What are you doing out of bed?" Kureha asked in annoyance.


    "You should soundproof your rooms, Doctor. I woke up due to all the noise and no one was there to tell me what it was so I came to check it myself," Rosan retorted calmly.


    "Quite the sassy brat aren''t you?" She snorted.


    The redhead shrugged and glanced towards the extra presence there.


    "Hm. You''re Chopper, right?" Rosan asked, shifting his attention towards the bruised reindeer. "I''m Rosan and this is Robin," he introduced kindly, kneeling so that he was eye level with the tiny animal.


    "It''s nice to meet you, Chopper," Robin greeted gently, trying not to scare the anxious creature.


    Chopper fidgeted, not expecting the two crew members of Luffy to be so calm and gentle. He really liked the rubber boy but this was an unexpected and nice change.


    "I''m Tony Tony Chopper!" He introduced himself tentatively.


    Rosan tested the name on his lips and nodded. "I look forward to traveling with you. I don''t normally trust doctors¡­ but I''ll make an exception for you," he said.


    "W-What?! I-I''m not joining you guys!" Chopper exclaimed in disbelief, already set to bolt in case these guys were overbearing too.


    "Why?" Rosan asked, tilting his head to the side. "You''re clearly interested and you also want to come but something''s stopping you."


    "This dudes overbearing too!"


    "Something?!" The reindeer asked in disbelief. "Isn''t it obvious? I''m a monster! Look at me!"


    Rosan thought he was pretty adorable but the little guy probably didn''t want to hear that right now.


    "So what? I''m a monster too," Rosan said softly, much to the reindeer''s surprise. "I''m a monster, Robin''s a monster, Luffy''s a monster¡­ Everyone''s a monster in their own way and that''s not a problem. Do you want to know why?"


    "Rude," Robin added with a roll of her eyes.


    "Shut up. Your ability can be creepy."


    "Want a demonstration?"


    "If you''re that eager to lose then yes."


    Chopper nodded hesitantly at Rosan''s question, distracting the two from their impending brawl.


    "It''s because we have people who need that monster. Who love us despite being monsters. Even I, the biggest monster of them all, have people who love me despite that. Why do you think you don''t deserve that same feeling?" Rosan asked the child softly.


    The reindeer was stunned by his words.


    "You¡­ you think I do? Even though I''m a monster?" Chopper whispered, tears brimming his eyes.


    Rosan pat him on the head. "Even monsters need companions and we want you to be our companion. You can become our monster and we won''t think any less of you, Tony Tony Chopper. Even if everyone fears you, as long as we don''t, it''ll be okay."


    Chopper sniffed and once the tears began falling, he broke.


    "WAHHHHHHH!" The reindeer sobbed, crashing into Rosan''s chest and letting his tears run free. The redhead simply wrapped one arm around him and hummed, letting him do whatever he needed to do.


    "There''s those speeches I missed so much," Robin sighed in admiration, watching as Rosan broke down all of Chopper''s barriers with far too much ease (just like with her!).


    It felt great to witness from another person''s perspective, considering he used to solely use it on her.


    "I just say whatever I think needs to be heard," Rosan replied.


    Kureha said nothing, watching the exchange with an unreadable look. Then, she caught Rosan''s eyes and a ghost of a smile formed its way on her face and she nodded imperceptibly.


    He''d be just fine with them.


    "WAIT, PLEASE! I DIDN''T EVEN GET TO ENTER THE WEAPON''S ROOM! YOU DIDN''T GIVE ME A CHANCE! THE FIGHT WOULD BE MUCH DIFFERENT!" They heard Wapol screech. His head had crashed through the roof and a familiar rubber boy followed soon after.


    "No it wouldn''t!" Luffy beamed, looking completely unscathed barring a burn mark on his coat.


    He hadn''t struggled whatsoever in his fight with Wapol, practically bullying him across the entire castle until finally deciding to finish it and planting his body through the roof of the building.


    The only attack he had sustained, was when he had defended Chopper''s pirate flag from the cannon fire.


    "If you''re not willing to put your life on the line, you shouldn''t ever be touching the skull and crossbones," Luffy grinned menacingly, launching both arms back to deliver his final attack.


    Wapol''s eyes bugged in horror and he began struggling even more. "WAIT! I''LL GIVE YOU WHATEVER YOU WANT! TITLES! MEDALS! WOMEN! ANYTHING!"


    "Gomu Gomu no¡­"


    The arms stretched so far back, Wapol could no longer see where it ended and he wheezed as he realized that attack was going to plant itself into him.


    "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! WAIT! WAIT! HOW ABOUT VICE KING?!" He tried.


    "BAZOOKAAAA!"


    The king''s eyes rolled to the back of his head at the devastating blow and he was knocked unconscious. His body was freed from its entrapment and it flew away from the power behind the attack until none could see Wapol no more.


    "And just like that, it''s over," Rosan muttered, allowing Chopper to see the finale as well. "That''s our captain, you know? Don''t you think he''s someone worth following?"


    Chopper mulled it over. Luffy¡­ he¡­ he had called Chopper his friend without hesitation and had steadfastly tried to recruit him, heedless of the fact that he was a monster.


    To see and hear that they were all monsters too¡­ It made him¡­


    "Yeah!" Chopper nodded furiously.


    It made him feel like he belonged.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Rosan you''re okay!"


    The redhead in question, effortlessly caught and returned the hug from their navigator.


    "Look at you, all worried for your humble scout. I just knew you pretended to hate me," Rosan retorted.


    To his slight surprise, Nami didn''t get immediately angry and instead grinned coyly at him.


    "Nothing you say can affect me after everything I saw and heard about when you were sick!" She beamed.


    Rosan only let out a small noise to signify his annoyance.


    Whatever, he''d see how long that would last. He''d consistently annoyed Aiko for 15 years now, silly little Nami had no clue what she had just brought upon herself.


    After a slight altercation (Luffy had begun chasing Chopper again, unaware that Rosan had managed to successfully recruit him), Rosan had allowed Kureha to escort him back into the castle and his crewmates were now visiting him while he lay in bed.


    "Fascinating, so you really are 24," Dalton muttered in awe, looking at the very not childish form of Rosan. He looked much better (and older) now compared to when he had been comatose and steaming.


    He must have had some sort of Devil Fruit, but he wouldn''t have been able to tell you at a glance.


    "I only took that form so it would be easier to care for me," Rosan replied, glancing at the injured man with a dispassionate gaze.


    "I''m glad you''re alright, Rosan," Vivi sighed in relief, looking the redhead up and down.


    Now that she had a face to relate him too, the princess could see just how much resemblances he shared with Raisa.


    Rosan was absolutely related to her. They even had the same features fit for their royal lineage.


    "Vivi¡­" the redhead began humming, as he stared at the girl. "I''d like to thank you for the things you did on my behalf despite how at odds we''ve been. You are a kind child and I apologize for the way I acted."


    "Yes, I''d¡­ I''d like to thank you for caring for Rosan''s health more than he did. If not for you, I doubt we''d have been accepted," Robin joined.


    Vivi regarded the two with a shocked expression on her face, not expecting to hear that from the duo who had been terrorizing her with their presence.


    "I-It''s nothing," she stammered, flushing at their sincerity. "I only did what was right! You were sick and desperately needed help and I wouldn''t be able to live with myself if something happened to you while we rushed to Alabasta!"


    The two shot her tiny smiles and she tentatively returned one back.


    Had she been totally wrong about them? She hadn''t expected the duo to actually thank her¡­ weren''t they antagonistic towards each other?


    Maybe¡­ Maybe it was one sided on her part and they weren''t all that bad. Besides their first meeting, they hadn''t gone out of their way to antagonize her and she started everything to be fair¡­


    They really were content to just be in each other''s presence and refused to jeopardize anyone getting in the way.


    Nami smiled knowingly at the princess, content to let her come to her own realizations.


    "Where''s the key to the weapon''s storeroom?" Kureha asked Dalton.


    "The key? Wapol keeps it on his person so it went flying with him," he shrugged helplessly. If Wapol was gone then so was the key.


    Kureha frowned at that. Dammit, there goes her plans.


    The doctor went still as a smug aura washed over her and she glanced back at the redhead with that damned neutral expression.


    "I could open it for you but alas I''m supposed to be confined to my bed," Rosan faux sighed, resting his head against the pillow as emphasis.


    This cheeky brat¡­ Kureha knew his game plan and he was dangling the bait over her with all the subtlety of his captain.


    "If you really can open it, then we''ll consider this your fee for getting healed by me but you''ll be going right back into bed afterwards," Kureha decided finally.


    "No," Rosan replied, much to her surprise.


    The Doctor raised a brow at his confident refusal.


    The Straw Hats watched the exchange with blatant interest, wondering how their scout would handle this.


    "I have the fees to pay for my treatment. This offer only extends to freeing me or else that door stays closed for the foreseeable future," he finished, staring fearlessly at the crazy doctor.


    The balls on this one¡­ Kureha hated to admit it, but she liked this redhead. Despite how he acted, the boy was quite cunning in nature and she could respect it.


    "You useless folk just standing around, come on. I need you for heavy lifting," Kureha said, pointing towards the citizens of Drum before turning towards the redhead again.


    "Follow me. But if you''re lying about being able to open that door¡­ You''re staying here for a year," she warned, marching off in the direction of the room.


    "I don''t lie," Rosan replied calmly, standing up and moving after her. "Robin?" He asked questioningly and the Devil Child rolled her eyes.


    "Coming, coming," she chimed, following after the demanding redhead.


    Honestly, age had done nothing to Rosan''s clingy nature. It just masked it.


    "Get ready to leave you all," Robin suggested. "I doubt Rosan wants to say here any longer."


    "Oh, I''m coming too then!" Chopper stammered a bit, following after two of the three people he was comfortable with. He had been nervously hiding from his new crew due to Usopp freaking out at seeing him (to which Rosan floored him with a punch to the skull) but he needed to say his final farewell to Dr. Kureha.


    "We finally have a doctor now," Nami sighed in relief. To get one so late in their journey¡­ it was a good thing she was sailing with a bunch of monsters. Imagine if Rosan didn''t get sick because Modification didn''t deem it worthy enough.


    They might have never gotten one otherwise!


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "There. It''s open. Now if that''s all, it''s time for me to get out of this place."


    They key Rosan was holding, transformed back into a silver ring (it really was made from the philosopher''s stone) and slotted itself perfectly on his finger.


    Without even glancing into the room, Rosan turned on a dime and immediately left, tired of being anywhere remotely similar to a hospital.


    Robin sighed at his brisk pace and smiled politely at her. "I''d like to thank you again for treating Rosan. Please forgive him for his haste¡­ he just really doesn''t like being around medical appliances."


    Kureha waved her off. "He must have had a terrible experience so I won''t prod. Now get outta here before I change my mind and chase him down."


    With a small wave, Robin departed after the redhead.


    Kureha began mulling over the large arsenal of weapons, pleased with the redhead for allowing her access until her attention was caught by the lone person there.


    "Doctor I need to talk to you¡­" Chopper said.


    "Oh, you''re still here. I thought you replaced me with that redhead already," Kureha muttered, side eyeing her adoptive son before focusing on the weapon''s being hoisted out of the room.


    She''d have the citizens deal with this, a young lady like her shouldn''t do such physical labor.


    "R-Replace?! N-No way!" Chopper gaped in disbelief at her words. "I could never replace you! You taught me everything I knew and raised me into who I am today! I''ll never forget anything you''ve done for me, Doctor!"


    "So then stay here," Kureha replied bluntly, fully turning to face the Reindeer. "All these things I''ve done for you and you just plan on leaving me to become a dirty pirate?!"


    A look of shock appeared on the reindeer''s face at her words. "But I want to become a pirate and sail the world!"


    "Pirates are worthless scum! You''ll end up dead if you leave!"


    "I DON''T CARE!"


    "THAT''S ENOUGH! A REINDEER SAILING THE SEAS? DON''T BE RIDICULOUS!"


    "I¡­ I MIGHT BE A REINDEER! BUT I''M ALSO A MAN!"


    Kureha''s eyes widened at that declaration. Chopper had never stood up against her like that and it told her all she needed to know.


    "Good for you¡­ BUT I WON''T ALLOW IT!" She roared, launching one of her knives at the wall next to him.


    Chopper''s eyes went white in fear and he slowly turned his head towards the weapon that had been dangerously close to connecting.


    "A CRYBABY LIKE YOU, A MAN? DON''T BE RIDICULOUS! IF YOU''RE GOING, IT''LL BE OVER MY DEAD BODY!" Kureha declared grabbing another knife and launching it.


    Chopper tried to talk reason into her, but this knife somehow ended up even closer to hitting him and he screeched in fear.


    "GWAAAAAAAAH!" The reindeer screamed, bolting with the doctor hot on his heels.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "GWAAAAAAAAH!"


    The Straw Hats glanced up in unison at the terrified screaming going on inside the castle.


    Their curiosity was soon answered, as a transformed Chopper burst into their vision carrying a sleigh.


    The reason he was screaming made itself apparent as well, as Kureha appeared right behind with an assortment of weapons that she was launching with dangerous precision.


    "EVERYONE GET ON THE SLEIGH! WE''LL GO DOWN THE MOUNTAIN!" The reindeer informed them, not stopping for even a second.


    Rosan, Robin and Luffy were the quickest to react and immediately jumped on the sled without any hesitation.


    The other Straw Hats needed a bit more motivation in the form of a spear nearly lodging itself into Usopp''s body and with shrieks, they all clambered onto the small sled.


    Chopper never stopped and soon, the pirate crew had vanished down the mountain and quickly retreated to the ship.


    "Is that really how you wanted to say goodbye?" Dalton asked Kureha.


    "...He''s just a stray that got adopted, that''s all. And besides¡­ I don''t like tearful farewells," a tear streaked Kureha smiled.


    Dalton just smiled at that before hearing footsteps behind him and glancing at the panting citizen.


    "Dalton! I''m sorry but I forgot to tell you something important!" He panted, before pulling out a bounty poster of Straw Hat Luffy.


    Dalton raised a brow at seeing the price on his head. It was impressive but¡­


    "Where did you get this?" He couldn''t help but ask.


    The citizen nodded at the question. "About a week ago, there was a traveler who visited and said he was pursuing the pirate named Blackbeard, the man who ravaged our country¡­"


    Dalton''s eyes narrowed at the mention of that name.


    Blackbeard... that man filled him with something terrible.


    "...After telling him Blackbeard was long gone, he asked us if we saw a boy wearing a straw hat, accompanied by a man with striking red hair. When we said we didn''t, he gave me this bounty poster and told me to inform the two of them that he''ll be in Alabasta for 10 days."


    "His name?" Dalton asked. There was nothing to worry about. The pirates were already headed for Alabasta right now so that was a relief.


    "Ace," he replied.


    Ace¡­ that sounded familiar¡­


    "No use thinking about it now. They''re already gone and headed there anyways," Dalton said. Princess Vivi¡­ she had grown into a fine woman.


    "We need to prepare for a flashy sendoff," Kureha grunted, turning in the direction of the men near the cannons. "ARE THOSE CANNONS READY, MEN?"


    "YES DOCTOR!"


    "THEN FIRE!"


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Chopper knew Hiriluk''s research was done. He knew the man had achieved his dream before dying.


    There was always the possibility that he had lied to the reindeer again to not hurt his feelings but Chopper knew. It had to be complete¡­ It just had to be!


    "Nothing is impossible for those who fly the flag of the crossbones!" Hiriluk''s words repeated in his mind.


    30 years of research¡­ It had to be completed! Chopper believed with all his heart that it was finished.


    So, when he heard the sound of cannon fire and looked up in a panic at the sight, Chopper froze completely at what he saw.


    The Straw Hats looked at it with varying degrees of awe.


    "It''s beautiful," Nami awed and the rest nodded in agreement.


    Tears began to well up in Chopper''s eyes as he beheld the sight and he began sniffing uncontrollably, unable to hold the burst of emotion in.


    "D-Doctor¡­ Dr. Kureha," he whimpered, staring unblinkingly at the beautiful sight before him.


    The falling snow had turned pink, reminiscent of cherry blossoms and they descended down the mountain, giving it an appearance similar to that of a Sakura Tree.


    Doctor''s dream¡­ it was¡­ it was here! After 30 years¡­ After 30 longs years, he had finally accomplished his dream and that fact was enough to push Chopper over the edge.


    "WAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" He sobbed happily, overwhelmed with emotion at being able to witness it finally come true.


    He cried and cried and the Straw Hats watched him with relieved smiles.


    Up on the mountain, a tearful Kureha looked at the sight with a grin.


    "Go on, you foolish boy," the woman said to her son.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    It was currently night and the Straw Hats had tired themselves out from all the partying they had done due to the recruitment of Chopper.


    Robin and Rosan were the only ones left awake and they conversed quietly while the others slept. The Devil Child was currently informing him of what the other Baroque Members could do.


    "Which ones are you thinking of recruiting?" Robin asked calmly, already knowing what he was planning.


    "Mr. 1, Miss Doublefinger and Mr. 2," Rosan replied instantly, already deciding this while she spoke about them.


    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    "I don''t particularly care about what Mr. 4 and Miss Merry Christmas can do and honestly, besides Mr. 2 for his Devil Fruit, the ones I am recruiting don''t seem that interesting. But, they are the highest ranked duo after you and Crocodile so they must be able to offer something."


    "It''s hard to be impressed by people when you have a Devil Fruit like Modification." Robin shrugged helplessly.


    Rosan himself was hard to please if you weren''t one of his loved ones and incredibly easy to if you were.


    "That reminds me¡­ what do you plan on doing with Crocodile? Recruit him as well?" She asked curiously


    "Of course. He''s their second most valuable member after all so it''d be a shame if I let him go free," Rosan replied easily.


    Crocodile was the leader with a powerful Devil Fruit to boot. He would be a valuable tool.


    It would be difficult, considering he had a Logia but they needed to defeat him anyways and Rosan didn''t plan on dying here. Luffy may have had dibs, but if he had to, the redhead would interfere.


    "Second most valuable¡­? Oh," Robin gasped slightly as realization hit her and a tiny blush appeared on her face.


    The woman rolled her eyes and lightly slapped his shoulder. "Aren''t you just a little flatterer," she stated.


    "Oh? My Robin-nee can''t handle a compliment?" Rosan teased, tilting his head questioningly at her. "Why? I thought my beautiful best friend would be getting compliments over the years but she can''t handle some from humble me?" He prodded, grabbing a strand of her hair and wrapping it around his finger.


    "The words of people who don''t matter to me don''t phase me but you''re a different story," Robin replied like it was common sense.


    "You''re saying I''m the best looking person you''ve seen in 16 years, then? I suppose that''s expected¡­ every time I land on an island eyes seem to be on me," Rosan retorted, shrugging helplessly in a what can you do manner.


    "You should go back to being sick. You were much better than you are now," she sighed.


    Rosan was about to retort, but movement in the sky stopped him and he glanced up to see what it was, prompting Robin to do the same.


    Mr. 13 and Miss Friday landed quietly next to the duo with nervous expressions that only seemed to amplify as they gazed at the terrifying redhead.


    Rosan hadn''t been sure if they''d actually go through with their final mission (and he would have dealt with them accordingly if they didn''t) but it seems like he had nothing to worry about.


    "It''s done?" He asked softly.


    They nodded in unison, fidgeting at the thought of betraying Crocodile.


    "Well done, you two," he praised, stroking the both of them on their head in satisfaction. "I want you to standby in my base for me... I''ve prepared some food for you both as thanks and tomorrow I will show you both where you will both be staying," he instructed.


    They saluted and soon, they both vanished from his sight.


    "Why don''t you bring them to Maro now?" Robin asked curiously.


    "...It''s not wise to teleport into Maro''s castle at this time..." Rosan replied cryptically, pointing at the full moon in the sky. "Let''s enter the mindscape so that we can continue viewing my memories."


    Robin blinked. What was wrong with teleporting into her castle at this ¡ª


    Oh.


    "That''s a good idea. I''ll leave a clone out to take watch," Robin giggled.


    It seems like something rather embarrassing had happened between Rosan and Maro a while ago and the thought nearly made her snort.


    Tomorrow it was. Besides, she did want to continue viewing his memories.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Master! Robin! You two are okay!"


    The duo easily caught the worried Maro and allowed the strong princess to envelop the two in relief.


    "Of course we''re okay, why wouldn''t we be?" Rosan asked curiously, stroking the whites of her hair.


    "You¡­ you got sick, right?" She asked, explaining her observations of when they last met.


    Robin was surprised she also noticed that Rosan''s save point was slower than normal.


    It was a far cry from what Robin had seen from earlier memories of the two. The synergy they had acquired was incredible to witness.


    "Yeah, Modification thought it would be a good idea to strengthen my body by allowing a deadly virus in," Rosan muttered, patting the distraught queen reassuringly. "I''m fine, look. Good as new and even better than before."


    Maro sniffed worriedly but nodded in his chest, relief set on her features now that he was fine.


    It had been chewing at the three rulers of Celadon for days now, knowing that Master was sick but he was okay now. Angel and Demon would be relieved to hear that once she told them.


    "Adorable," Robin couldn''t help but think, watching the two interact. Maro was like an overly concerned puppy when it came to Rosan and it was incredibly cute seeing how much their relationship had evolved.


    "I won''t stay for too long today, I wanted to go visit Aiko and Akemi as well¡­ it''s been a while since they last saw me and I know how much of a worrywart Aiko is," Rosan hummed.


    Maro''s eyes lit up at that. "Oh perfect! I didn''t want to call you to do this since it would be a waste but since you''re already going¡­ Give something to her for me please?"


    "Sure but first¡­"


    Rosan waved his hand and Maro watched in interest, as an otter and vulture appeared from his Pocket Dimension. They made noises of surprise, before focusing on the surprised queen.


    "These two are agents too?" Maro asked curiously. An otter and a vulture...


    How did that work?


    Rosan nodded his head in affirmation.


    "Mr. 13 and Miss Friday. Useful messengers who are also well versed in execution," Robin chimed in.


    The queen sweatdropped at the second part but let out a noise of delight at watching the otter perfectly draw her.


    "AWESOME!" She squealed, jumping in excitement and getting closer to the two. "I was a little skeptical but they''re so smart! Oh, you two can be my new messengers to Aiko and other allies in the future! Nice to meet you both!"


    The animals blinked at her but found that she was much more acceptable then both Rosan and Mr. 0. Mr. 13 held out his hand, while Miss Friday brought out a wing and Maro eagerly shook both appendages.


    "You two are just the cutest!" She gushed. Now she had four pets and they were all super unorthodox! Haha! This was awesome!


    "Alright you guys can do whatever. I''m gonna go get that thing for Aiko," she beamed, dashing off to go retrieve it.


    They glanced at Rosan, who just tilted his head. "Thank you for all you''ve done but you don''t take orders from me anymore, don''t worry. I''m done demanding things from you so feel free to do what she says."


    The animals blinked at that, before saluting and waltzing off to go¡­ explore.


    "Things seem to be going well with all the agents so far," Robin commented.


    "Maro is a genuinely good leader¡­ and they can tell. It''s good that they are adapting well but even if they weren''t, they stand no chance against my student," Rosan stated confidently.


    The Devil Child smiled at his faith in her and nodded in agreement.


    "Master! You''re okay!" A voice screamed, tackling the redhead, who didn''t move an inch.


    Rosan glanced down to see a worried Angel burying herself in his frame. Demon followed quickly after and soon, he was hugging his visibly worried siblings. Maro, who was holding an envelope watched it with a relieved smile on her face.


    "Yeah, I was a little sick but I''m fine now," he assured the two.


    "156¡ã is not something I would consider "fine"." Robin snorted at the look Rosan shot her but it was too late.


    "156?! Are you serious?!" All three of the rulers barked, glaring holes into their former leader.


    "You can be so annoying," Rosan grunted to her, accepting all their sudden fussing without complaint. Demon was already pushing him to the medical room to run a checkup on him, while Angel and Maro berated him for not mentioning the fact that he had literally been steaming.


    "Consider this payback for how you acted with me as a child," Robin smiled gently, following after the group with amusement set on her features.


    "If you thought I was bad as a child, I''m about to show you I''m way worse," he shot back. "Consider your freedom privileges revoked."


    Robin rolled her eyes. "As if I had those from the start."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Aiko. Akemi. Maro sends her regards. Says she wants to party with you sometime next week and introduce you to her new soldiers."


    Aiko shrieked, which caused Akemi to jump, and both the woman glanced up wildly from their paperwork.


    Her furious glare turned into of confusion, as she beheld the unfamiliar woman before her.


    She was tall (like really tall) towering over both her and Akemi (who were 5''7 and 5''3 respectively) and being only a little shorter then their stupid little brother himself.


    The woman was also seriously hot. Like really, Aiko would have had no problem making a move on this tall, sexy girl if not for that small (and very life threatening) detail that she was probably her really stupid little brother''s girlfriend.


    Seeing as Rosan didn''t care enough to introduce his numerous flings¡­ it was only natural for Aiko to hazard a guess that this, rather beautiful, woman was a friend of his¡­ or his girlfriend.


    Judging by the gleam in her little sisters eye, she was naturally assuming the second.


    Of course she was. The brat attracted all the cute girls. It made him a very good partner for Aiko to drag out into clubs because he almost always turned them down too.


    "Rosan it''s so nice to see you! Who''s your friend?" Akemi beamed shamelessly, smiling politely at the woman who was standing very close to their surrogate little brother.


    He pulled the two woman into a hug and said, "This is one of my closest friends, Nico Robin. We''ve known each other since I was four years old and she''s the person I trust most with my life."


    "I am?" Robin asked in slight shock, staring at the redhead with a startled gaze.


    "Of course you are. I shouldn''t even have to explain it to you," he countered.


    She sent him an appreciative glance at that, glad that they both thought the same thing of one another.


    The sister''s eyes widened at that information before turning towards the woman in question.


    "Nico Robin? You mean the one from the bounties¡­?" Aiko asked. The supposed Devil Child? She always wondered why Rosan never once expressed interest in going after her as Reap¡ª


    Wait a second¡­


    "Rosan, were you the one that traveled with her through the North Blue all those years ago?" The leader of Fregate gaped in disbelief.


    Nico Robin, from what she knew, was from the West Blue but apparently, very long ago, there were reports saying she was seen traveling through the South and the North with a mysterious companion¡­


    "Oh? You heard about that?" Robin asked in surprise. "Aren''t you a lucky one for not getting your identity revealed, Rosan. If they heard about you, it''s a miracle the Marine''s didn''t find out your identity."


    "Fortune favors the bold," Rosan replied calmly.


    He was?!


    Aiko held her head in her hands. That explained why Rosan liberated Fregate¡­ he wasn''t only just opportunistic... He was a fucking menace since the day he was born and was just naturally drawn to chaos.


    No, nevermind. He wasn''t drawn to chaos, Rosan created chaos.


    "It''s nice to meet you, Robin!" Akemi beamed, shaking the very tall woman''s hand.


    Seriously, she was only a little shorter than Rosan and that made her nearly an entire foot taller then Akemi!


    "I''m Akemi and this is Aiko. We run this island together and we''re some of Rosan''s closest friends!"


    "It''s a pleasure to meet you, Akemi." Robin shook her hand politely. She knew these two well from Rosan''s memories and was glad to see how good of a shape Akemi seemed to be in.


    Her past trauma didn''t seem to phase the dainty woman at all anymore and she was a far cry from how she used to act.


    "You two are really close. You even have similar color pallets," Aiko snorted, shaking the tall woman''s hand. "Purple and black? I''m vomiting at the cuteness. You just need to add red and you''ll be the exact same."


    "Rosan admires me a lot so I''m not surprised that he''s adopted my colors," Robin smiled at the gray haired leader.


    "Says the one who wears my clothes," Rosan countered, glancing at her with an unimpressed gaze.


    "Weren''t you wearing my coat just the other day, when you were all snuggled up on me and sleeping comfortably?" She smiled serenely, making Rosan scoff slightly.


    "The lack of context you''re "forgetting" to add is doing you plenty of favors."


    The gleam in Akemi''s eyes, watching the two interact, gave Aiko no illusions what her sister had planned.


    "Oh, right. Speaking of clothes, I have some things to discuss with you," Rosan hummed, tossing her a blue envelope that she caught.


    Aiko glanced down at it and her eye twitched at the, "From Maro ;)!"


    Annoying brat.


    "Whaddya need to talk about?" She asked, opening the envelope to inspect its contents and humming at the general gist of it.


    It was just a standard letter from Maro, detailing what she had earned and if there was anything she needed... Oh? What was this at the bottom?


    "I want to talk to Hiroshi so that we can make a full fledged Raid Suit for Robin," Rosan informed her, pointing at the Devil Child in question.


    Aiko blinked at both the contents of the letter and his words, idly handing the piece of paper to Akemi so that she could regard her long time partner.


    "Oh?" She asked, glancing at the collected woman.


    They hadn''t made a full fledged Raid Suit in a while. Besides Germa, Maro and Rosan were the only ones to have them. Resources needed to make them were pretty steep and they didn''t want to attract the armies attention, so Fregate simply supplied Celadon and themselves a much more downgraded version of Germa''s prized weapon.


    It was quicker to make and allowed them to make bulks, lacking the special abilities that Rosan and Maro had, but being as durable. It was perfect for their needs and kept them safe from a majority of things in the North Blue.


    Besides, a full fledged Raid Suit didn''t grant normal users abilities. It only worked on Devil Fruit users or that Judge guys modified children. The abilities were derived from the person''s DNA after all.


    "Alright, that can be arranged. We can go now¡­ just get out and lemme change into something more comfortable," Aiko grunted.


    The two nodded and left the room to go discuss whatever it was they wanted to.


    Once the door closed with barely a noise (Aiko asked Rosan to fix it for her one day and he made it perfect).


    "¡­You read the letter, right?" Aiko asked.


    Her sister was practically buzzing in excitement. "I''m so glad I''m not the only one who wants them together!" Akemi gushed, eyes gleaming bright.


    "They''re a really good looking duo," Aiko admitted and that was probably as good as Akemi was going to get for her support.


    Honestly, her sister should be more open!


    "You know, I always figured he and Maro would have gotten together, then she ended up marrying his sister and I figured he''d just be single," Aiko mused.


    "I used to think the same before I caught her staring at your ass almost nonstop around puberty," Akemi nodded sagely.


    She dearly wanted Rosan to find someone for him because he deserved it. He helped them all in some way, so it was only right that they help him. He shouldn''t be asexual like Akemi currently was (she knew he wasn''t considering the flings he had), he was still young!


    Aiko spluttered at that. "W-What?! She used to stare at my ass?!"


    That damn perverted Goblin... What was her deal?!


    "I can''t say I blame her," Akemi shrugged, smiling impishly. "You do have a very nice ass and your suits do you no favors."


    Now that she thought about it... Angel also had a very nice bottom. Guess Maro knew exactly what she liked.


    "A-AKEMI!" She barked, forcing a hand over her giggling sisters mouth. "Don''t talk about my ass like that! I need to talk to that stupid goblin about where her eyes should be from now on," she grumbled.


    She liked pants. There was no way she was ever going to wear a skirt or a dress.


    "Still though, could the goblin idiot have been anymore obvious?" Aiko complained. "She should be thankful Rosan isn''t so curious, else he''d have read this letter and figured out everything!"


    Akemi giggled. No one said Maro was the smartest person around.


    "We should go follow them, lest he gets suspicious. Unlike Maro, Rosan is smart," she hummed.


    Aiko snorted in agreement and prepared to change.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Hiroshi, it''s been a while. You look well," Rosan greeted the scientist politely.


    "Ah! Rosan-sama! Aiko-sama and Akemi-sama too!" The lead scientist smiled, shaking the tall man''s hand. "Thank you for the compliments, what''s the occasion?"


    Rosan liked that. Hiroshi was a person who got straight to business.


    The lab had expanded much over the years, becoming one of Fregate''s most notable features and skyrocketing their value up even more than it had already been at.


    These days, Fregate was the only island in the North Blue (and probably the rest of the four seas) whose prestige was near Celadon''s and considering they were such prominent allies, it bolstered them up to near untouchable levels and made them all the more valuable to the World Government.


    Hiroshi''s laboratory had become an entire facility of different things and the amount of people working had nearly doubled, all with him at the charge.


    His doubts, if he had any, had swiftly vanished in time and he was living a nice and comfortable life, with a wife and a newborn.


    "All of this because you overhauled him?" Robin couldn''t help but gasp in slight awe.


    "That''s right but besides securing his loyalty to me and Aiko, everything else is his own doing. It breeds less suspicion, when a person discovers these things on his own," Rosan informed her.


    His understanding of a person''s mind¡­ it was impressive. Rosan had always been perceptive when it came to people and it seemed that it evolved enough where he could confidently apply Overhaul without making the person have any doubts.


    Just look at what happened with Gem¡­ He was actually utilizing his Devil Fruit how Rosan intended it to be used and, combined with the redhead''s implanted creativity, he was quickly becoming a force in Maro''s army and the queen was extremely pleased.


    "I want you to make a full Raid Suit," he instructed, getting a surprised look out of the man.


    "For this woman, I presume?" He asked, shaking Robin''s hand as greeting.


    Rosan nodded his head. "That''s right. Is there anything you need me to collect?"


    Hiroshi was already guiding them to his office to discuss further, greeting all his employees in the process (and chastising them for staring too hard at the duo). "That won''t be necessary¡­ making a full fledged Raid Suit is resource heavy but we have the means to do so."


    Sitting the duo down in his lab, the scientist simply said, "I can actually finish it faster than I did with you and Maro-sama. I just need a large blood sample and for you to answer a few questions."


    That sounded easy enough so Robin nodded curiously. This seemed rather straightforward and easy to get something as useful as Rosan and Maro''s Raid Suit.


    Hiroshi pulled out a clipboard and began jotting on it before glancing at her.


    "Age?"


    "28."


    "Color preferences?"


    "Black and Violet."


    "Any specific theme you are interested in?"


    "...I''m not sure. Flowers I suppose."


    "Do you have a Devil Fruit?"


    "I do. The Hana Hana no mi."


    Hiroshi''s eyes glinted a bit at that and he placed the clipboard down. "Perfect! Since it was a request from Rosan-sama, I''ll be personally working on your Raid Suit and it will be my #1 priority!"


    "Always so diligent," Aiko grinned, slapping the embarrassed scientist on the back. "With this guy on the job, your suit will be done in no time!"


    Rosan nodded, satisfied, and stood up. "Thank you, Hiroshi."


    "I appreciate it," Robin smiled in agreement.


    "Think nothing of it! Rosan-sama gave me a much better life here so it''s the least I could do!"


    With a few farewells, and a hefty blood sample, the group of four departed almost as quickly as they came, deciding to head back to the castle to talk over some food.


    "So, Robin-chan! How did you two meet?!" Akemi asked curiously.


    "Around 20 years ago, I was sailing with a group of pirates before someone randomly showed up, attacked them, and stole their ship after throwing them overboard," Robin explained.


    "I never expected to find you while getting in my first fight. I guess it''s a good thing I was so chaotic," Rosan hummed.


    Aiko and Akemi''s expression shifted into shock at hearing what he had done.


    "Are you fucking nuts?!" Aiko barked, unable to keep the worry out of her tone. "You fought a pirate crew when you were four?! Don''t be so damn dumb, you dumbass!"


    "I freed your island when I was nine," the redhead countered calmly, patting her on the head and not even flinching at seeing her bite his finger. "You are a rabid animal, Aiko."


    "Fuck you," she snarled through his finger.


    "What would your girlfriend have to say about that? You''re already biting my finger. Is this the type of kink play your into?"


    "I broke up with her! Too overbearing!" She bit back.


    "...I''m surprised she didn''t break up with you. You seem like a terrible relationship partner and you''re especially rude too."


    Aiko began to beat his back as he slung her over his shoulder. "I fucking hate you! Put me down, dickface!"


    "Apologize."


    "Over my dead body."


    "Wrong answer."


    "Wow you two have known each other for so long," Akemi awed, ignoring Aiko and Rosan completely even when the redhead began to mess up her perfectly done hair (that had Aiko howling in fury and she swiftly began biting any part of the redhead she could reach).


    "We have, would you like to hear some stories about Rosan as a child? He was terribly chaotic," Robin asked, glancing in amusement as Rosan didn''t even register the leader''s bites.


    "I''d love to!" Akemi beamed.


    Aiko''s eyes gleamed at the sigh Rosan let out and she stopped biting him unsuccessfully to regard the Devil Child.


    Oh, she was gonna like Robin.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "You won''t stay with Maro while we deal with Crocodile in Alabasta?" Rosan asked softly.


    "Of course not," Robin replied, glancing unimpressed at the redhead. "I''m happy that you''re worried for me, but I''ll be fine."


    "But you mentioned being pivotal to his plans. What does he want you for anyways? Is it Poneglyph related?"


    "He suspects that the ancient warship, Pluton is in Alabasta and he wants me to give him the details of where it''s located."


    Rosan hummed at that. "Pluton? That''s one of the three ancient weapons isn''t it? From the Void Century you''re so interested in?"


    "Yes. Along with Uranus and Poseidon."


    "Pluton?! That''s why Crocodile wants to take over Alabasta?" Vivi gasped in shock. It¡­ It all made sense now!


    "That''s right," Robin replied, much to her shock. "But even if I''m not there, that won''t stop Crocodile from attempting to locate it. I suspect he already knew I wasn''t going to divulge that information but kept me around just in case," she explained.


    "I see. Fortunately, I''m here now. I doubt he would have taken your betrayal well and you might''ve died but that won''t happen while I''m here," Rosan assured, getting Robin to roll her eyes.


    "I''m in your care," she smiled. "All things considered though, Crocodile isn''t as strong as I expected someone of his caliber to be¡­ Over the years, I''ve noticed that despite his ambitions, he lacks quite a bit of willpower and it may have made him weaker as a result."


    That lined up well with what Rosan and Mod thought. It was a good thing Meiko''s words had given him that much willpower. She was the reason he was still alive.


    "Don''t underestimate him though. He has the Suna Suna no mi and it makes him impervious to most forms of attack, besides liquids," Robin informed them all.


    "Too much Logias¡­ I still need a consistent way to hit them," Rosan grunted in annoyance. So being wet would allow them to touch Crocodile.


    That was easy.


    "Are you listening Luffy? You won''t be able to hit him unless you''re wet," Rosan instructed. "And don''t underestimate him either¡­ Imagine what Maro would say if she heard we had to double team someone."


    Luffy made a disgusted face at that. Maro wouldn''t let them live it down if she learned about it and then she''d tell Ace and then Ace wouldn''t let them live it down either.


    "That reminds me¡­" Nami mused. "Rosan, sorry if this is a bit personal¡­ but do you know who your mother is?"


    The redhead raised a brow but answered regardless.


    "Portgas D. Rouge," Rosan replied instantly, not minding the question. He pulled the pendant out of his shirt and expanded it, showing his crew the picture that lie inside. "This is her."


    It was a beautiful woman with freckles and strawberry blonde hair and she was cheek to cheek with an adorable little boy who had the largest grin on his face.


    "He looks exactly like he did when he was sick," everyone thought as they gazed at the adorable child.


    The Straw Hats never expected to see Rosan with such a big grin on his face but it was really endearing.


    Vivi furrowed her brows at that. Perhaps she had been mistaken¡­? Rosan looked nothing like his mother Rouge... but Raisa could have always had siblings and the redhead took after his father.


    "Though, I suspect you guys aren''t talking about Mom based on the looks of confusion. If you are talking about my birth mother, Raisa, then barring her status and appearance, I don''t know much about her."


    There was a short silence before everyone collapsed at that statement.


    "S-SO YOU TWO ARE RELATED?!" Vivi screeched.


    "You know your birth mother?" Robin asked curiously. He never mentioned that to her.


    "I never mentioned her because I don''t care about her," Rosan explained softly. "We don''t know anything about each other and it''s been that way for all my 24 years of living."


    Robin nodded at that. Rosan truly didn''t care about you if you weren''t in his circle and he had always been like that, even before his shift.


    He either loved you with his whole heart, hated you, or didn''t deign to even think about you.


    "Did she¡­ abandon you?" Vivi asked, unsure of herself. She didn''t know much about Raisa but that didn''t seem like something the woman would do.


    Vivi just remembered her being very nice to the child and very no nonsense with the adults. The woman was a pillar of confidence and showed no fear for anyone or anything.


    "Yeah, the same day I was born," Rosan replied calmly. "I''m assuming you''ve met her before if you were able to make the connection that she''s my mother."


    "I think anyone with a brain could make the connection, to be fair," Vivi muttered. "You two look really similar to each other¡­ But I didn''t think she abandoned you, I''m sorry for bringing that up."


    "No worries. I take no offense to any mention of Raisa," Rosan dismissed.


    "Look similar you say¡­" Robin mused and Rosan''s danger senses went off at her tone.


    Before he could even think of excusing himself, the Devil Child grabbed him tight and smiled gently at him.


    "Rosan, you have something to show me," she said softly. The grip on his arm was tight and though Rosan could break out of it, something told him that was a bad idea.


    "Putting me on the spot right here is rather underhanded, Robin," Rosan muttered. Did she really want him to do it right here and now?


    Robin simply smiled at him, knowing he''d do it regardless.


    She was so lucky that before his loss in emotions, she was the only one besides Meiko and Mod-chan who could successfully boss him around with little to no complaints.


    She could also order him with no resistance because of his lingering regrets at leaving her behind but he wouldn''t tell her that.


    If he did, she''d stop making demands immediately.


    Robin deserve to have a little fun. He truly didn''t mind.


    "Fine," he sighed in defeat.


    The Straw Hats watched in confusion as the duo spoke. What was going on? What did Robin want from Rosan that he didn''t feel like showing all of them?


    Watching his hesitance, only made them more curious!


    "Uh, what are you two talking about?" Usopp spoke up in confusion.


    Rosan ignored him and took a step back, eyes glowing brightly to signify his use of Modification.


    Modification? What was he planning on doin ¡ª


    "Modification: Swap."


    "Oh," Robin couldn''t hide the surprise from her face as she slightly gawked at the figure before her. Seriously? She was right to be relieved that he was born a man because this was unreasonable.


    Let it be known that Rosan as a man was not any uglier then his female form... it''s just he didn''t have such noticeable... accessories.


    None could keep the shock out of their eyes, as Rosan''s proportions flared out. His height reduced, his body changed and his spiky hair grew longer, forcing itself out of its bun, and stopping at his lower back¡­


    Well, not his but her.


    Poor Sanji let out the most confused noise known to man, as his jaw dropped from the sight of Rosan as a female.


    W-WHAT COULD HE EVEN SAY?!


    "Hm? She wasn''t done growing?" Rosan said to herself. It looked like his female form had grown another three inches, standing at 6''2 now.


    He''d have to ask Angel if she wanted the added height but she''d most likely say no. The woman liked being taller then Maro, but not by much.


    They couldn''t help but shudder at that deep and feminine voice. Similarly to Rosan as a male, the softness did nothing to hide how commanding and back straightening their voice was.


    He truly had a voice fit for royalty no matter the gender.


    "Are you some type of genetic monster?" Robin couldn''t help but ask. No matter how she looked at it, Rosan had clearly won the genetic lottery and he was showing it over and over again.


    "Every time I look at her, I thank the stars he was born a man," Mod sighed. Attention was still bad but it was nothing compared to how many creeps would have targeted him if he were a female.


    Robin agreed. The differences between his male and female were even more apparent now that time had passed and Rosan was no longer a child.


    They looked remarkably similar but no one was going to confuse them. Whereas Rosan looked pretty androgynous as a child, his male form now was unmistakably handsome, while his female form was utterly beautiful


    "Are these natural? Are you sure you aren''t showing off your abilities?" She idly poked one of the female''s large breasts and got it slapped away as a result.


    Rosan''s unamused expression nearly made her laugh aloud and the transformed redhead replied, "Do I look like I enjoy performing this technique enough to amplify it past its base appearance?"


    "So you''re just naturally this blessed?" Robin teased, reaching for the woman''s chest again and squeezing it curiously.


    The Straw Hats gawked at Robin''s actions, blushing at the interactions and spluttering.


    What was she doing?! H-How shameless!


    "Could you not?" Rosan grunted in annoyance, swatting her grabby hands. "Since when are you such a pervert? Groping me like this is not something you''d normally do."


    Robin shrugged. This was her best friend, she was free to act differently with him. "I can''t help it. They are just asking me to."


    Since when was Mod-chan radio silent at treatment like this? Wasn''t she supposed to be protecting his chastity?


    "It''s Robin. She''s free to do what she wants," Mod shrugged.


    Robin smiled victoriously at that and the redhead let out a tired sigh as she cupped both this time with a curious gaze.


    "This is sexual harassment," Rosan informed her.


    "Who are you going to report me to? Mod-chan already gave me the green light," Robin smiled in return.


    "Um¡­ What the hell''s going on?" Nami asked, tired of being confused and embarrassed... and confused. "Why''s Rosan a chick? Why''s she so hot? Why is Robin groping her with no shame?! Start explaining, please!"


    Rosan, who was still be fondled by the very annoying Robin, glanced over at them and they regarded the ice queen (how could she look so composed even despite the situation?!) with wide eyes.


    "This is exactly how I would look if I was born a woman. If you want to see how you''d look as the opposite gender, I can always perform the technique on you. Luffy was already subjected to this because of a prank he pulled long ago... he''s actually quite adorable as either gender," Rosan explained to the crew.


    This was exactly how he would look as the opposite gender?!


    That didn''t seem very fair... what the hell was this?


    The crew balked at hearing he could do the same to them and Usopp fearfully took a step back at that fact.


    "Vivi, you''ve seen her, correct? How comparable am I to Raisa?" Rosan asked suddenly.


    The princess was beet red and squeaked as she looked up, face turning even redder at seeing Robin continue so she took far too long to process the question.


    "U-Um, well truth be told, the resemblance is uncanny," she admitted reluctantly. "Though, you look like a much wilder version of her¡­ Raisa-san is a very natural and neat beauty while you''re a very natural and¡­ wild beauty¡­"


    Vivi''s face was visibly embarrassed at her admittance and the poor girl looked like she wanted to burn up on the spot.


    "Hm. I see," that smooth voice stated, humming softly. Much like Rosan''s male form, she had a pleasant voice that made it very apparent she could sing.


    "I hope you''re satisfied," Rosan said, eyeing Robin with a raised brow as the woman finally stopped feeling him up. "If you were anyone else¡­ except for Meiko, I''d have buried your head underground by now. I don''t like to be touched in this form."


    Meiko? Who was that? Another of Rosan''s friends?


    "I''m honored to have such special privileges," Robin teased with a small smile, despite how genuinely happy she was to hear that.


    To be up there with Meiko¡­ it was truly an honor for her.


    Ram grinned so largely, Mod had to stifle a laugh that desperately tried to make its way out.


    "I''m satisfied. I''ve embarrassed you enough and seeing this form is always a treat so you can transform back," Robin said in satisfaction.


    Rosan nodded and with a wave of her hand, he was back in his default state. He stretched a bit (and patted his chest) and regarded his crew with a tilted head.


    "I was never intending on showing you guys that but someone has become exceptionally annoying... and perverted over the years."


    Robin raised a brow. "Me? Annoying? Coming from you, I genuinely feel insulted, Rosan," she retorted, amused expression gone.


    "You have no business being insulted by the truth. You didn''t even try to defend yourself on the pervert claim," he assured, patting the woman on the head and getting her to glower at him.


    "You and I both know that claim is false!"


    "Right..."


    They continued to bicker with each other, but the argument was broken up by the sound of Sanji collapsing on the floor, unconscious.


    "Hm?" Rosan asked in confusion. "Is he alright?"


    "I think you broke the idiot cook," Zoro grunted. Why was Rosan so damn tall as a man and a woman?


    "For once, I don''t blame Sanji," Nami muttered. Poor Vivi was still flushed at the entire thing and the navigator couldn''t really blame her.


    Never did she expect to see their scout as a woman and never did she expect him to look so sexy while being one.


    Some people were just born with it all.


    "Me? Was the shock of becoming a woman too much for him?" Rosan asked. While it always shocked whoever saw it for the first time (and the second... and the third), this was the most extreme reaction he''d gotten yet... besides Maro of course.


    That goblin was something else. How did she always end up behind Rosan''s female form to stare at her bottom?


    Everyone nodded sagely at his question, not willing to explain it to him.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Robin watched curiously, as Rosan pulled out a ringing Den Den Mushi from, presumably(?), his Pocket Dimension and picked it up.


    How did he even know it was ringing?


    "Greetings. I trust the call is being blocked?" Rosan began immediately.


    "It is," the voice on the other line replied. "It''s been a while, Rosan. I take it you''re in the Grand Line now?"


    "That''s right, Dragon," the redhead replied calmly.


    Robin went still at that. Surely he wasn''t talking about¡­


    "This is Monkey D. Dragon. The leader of the revolutionaries and Luffy''s father," Rosan informed her.


    Ah, so he was...


    Could she even say she was surprised that Rosan knew the most wanted man on the planet?


    Although¡­


    "He''s Luffy''s father?" She repeated in surprise. The world worked in funny ways¡­ Rosan and Ace were the sons of the most dangerous pirate to exist (not to mention Rosan''s biological mother was a queen), while Luffy was the son of the most wanted man alive.


    How fitting that they were all brothers. Next, they were going to reveal that Rosan''s biological father was someone incredible too!


    "A meeting in the Grand Line would be slightly more difficult on your part¡­ what island are you headed to?"


    "Alabasta. Another island that your revolutionaries should have been helping with but here we are."


    "Alabasta? The desert kingdom? They are in the midst of a rebellion, yes?"


    "That''s right and it''s all being orchestrated by the Warlord, Crocodile," he informed the leader.


    "¡­"


    There was silence on the other line for a moment before Dragon simply said, "We don''t watch over government sanctioned countries but this works. I''ll send Sabo to Alabasta then."


    "Alright¡­ and thank you, Dragon. I don''t know what your reasons are for abandoning Luffy and I don''t care to ask, but at least you raised one of my brothers so I''m grateful."


    "I hope you can help Sabo remember his brothers. You three must have missed him dearly."


    Rosan hummed and hung up the call, watching the Den Den Mushi go back to sleep with a neutral expression.


    "Sabo¡­ the brother that supposedly died," Robin mused. She had yet to see him in Rosan''s memories, but he had told him about all of his siblings including him.


    To not only be alive, but suffering massive amnesia as well¡­


    "I hope you can help him remember," she finished.


    Rosan nodded at that.


    He''d been hoping to find Ace and tell his younger brother that Sabo was still alive because that had been his best friend and he deserved to know.


    Ah, well maybe it was for best¡­ Ace wouldn''t wait to hear Sabo had amnesia, he''d almost certainly attack him.


    Luffy would probably cry¡­ a lot. Since Sabo was coming to Alabasta, he''d be cruel to not reveal his fate. He just didn''t reveal it immediately until he could truly verify.


    "The second in command of the revolutionaries and he''s also your brother¡­ you have so much connections in high places."


    Sabo¡­ Rosan hoped he was doing alright.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Smoker took a puff of his cigarette, hanging up his call with headquarters.


    He had just finished calling in backup for his trip to Alabasta¡­ He wouldn''t have done so but he had a gut feeling he''d need more assistance.


    They''d only be able to send him one more ship due to having a Warlord there (that being Crocodile) and while he didn''t really trust pirates, he was at least getting Marine backup.


    It was someone he was familiar with too, being Hina, due to the Alabasta Kingdom being the area she patrolled.


    It was a gut feeling¡­ but something crazy could be going on at Alabasta and Smoker wasn''t arrogant enough to go in alone, especially after hearing of how easily Baroque Works disposed of the Straw Hats.


    But what especially made him decide to call for backup, was hearing of a potential outside force, that being the group who had taken one of the agents known as "Miss All Sunday".


    Part of him wanted to go with just his ship, considering it had been his job to capture Straw Hat and this group had taken them out seemingly with no effort. But, he couldn''t go in solo and expect things to go well for him.


    That''s what fools did and he was no fool.


    Based on the agent they had been interrogating, and his reaction at hearing she was captured, Miss All Sunday wasn''t just some other agent. No, she was the right hand of the unknown leader himself so her going missing was very alarming.


    There was potentially an unknown force at hand and Smoker wasn''t keen on finding out what it was alone.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Alabasta? Yeah, I can go there¡­ You want me to meet up with this¡­ Rosan while observing the rebellion?"


    "Yes. Rosan and his captain, are tied to your past that you forgot. Ask them questions while you''re there. That''s all from me."


    Sabo''s brows furrowed at that, staring at the sleeping snail in contemplation.


    Something connected to his past¡­ All he remembered was an overwhelming desire to stay away from the place Dragon had called his home.


    Despite that, the name Rosan invoked a strange feeling inside of him. It felt like¡­ determination?


    What was he determined about? Getting away from him? If that were the case, why did Dragon insist on having them meet¡­?


    If he remembered correctly, when Dragon had first found him, he mentioned two other names¡­ What were they again¡­?


    "So what will you do? It''s obvious you won''t remain here. Where do you plan on escaping?"


    The scarred blonde grabbed his head and shook it rapidly.


    Right, Ace and Luffy. Both those names, coincidentally, belonged to pirates and the first one especially spelled big trouble. He imagined that this Luffy was Rosan''s captain but surely the Ace that Dragon mentioned wasn''t the same Ace that was apart of the Whitebeard Pirates, right?


    Whatever the case, there were more pressing matters to worry about, such as the fact that Alabastas civil war was being orchestrated by Sir Crocodile.


    He wasn''t surprised to hear that. Crocodile was a pirate after all who could practically do whatever he wanted, so long as he worked for the Marines.


    If it came down to it and no one else could, Sabo would get rid of him and free the country despite the revolutionaries not typically caring for a country like the desert kingdom.


    Grabbing his top hat, the blonde placed it on his head and reached out for his metal pipe, securing it to his back.


    "I think you''re the best of the three with that metal pipe."


    Sabo grunted and pocketed his Den Den Mushi. He had just finished reporting his mission details to Dragon before getting this sprung on him but that was fine.


    He never liked staying in one place for too long and sailing the seas always felt wonderful.


    As the Chief of Staff began departing to Alabasta, he could only think to himself,


    "How am I supposed to know who and where this Rosan is anyways?"


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Memory Viewing with Robin and Rosan - 1


    Ram and Maro Pt. 1!


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    The group of four were situated back in the theater like room to continue from where they left off.


    Once more, Robin sat in the middle of Rosan and Ram, while Mod chose to sit atop the Devil Child this time.


    Robin idly raked a hand through Mod''s purple hair as the memory of Ram''s creation began.


    "Ah! My creation!" Ram beamed, shaking excitedly in her seat.


    "You''re thorough... to think this entire time you were already accumulating all the knowledge you needed to make the stone," Robin muttered, gazing at the genius redhead on the screen with impressed eyes.


    It was still jarring to see how suddenly his personality shifted and the thought that the redhead was even more emotionless somehow, was uncomfortable to witness.


    "I wanted to be 100% confident in my ability to create it and before... it was just a nice little side job. Once my scythe broke too many times, I decided to pour all my attention into it and thankfully, I had just about finished amassing my knowledge," Rosan explained, watching as the younger version of him read through the perfectly remembered notes one last time before shutting them.


    After verifying everything, he went to visit Aiko and Akemi so that they could collect part of the materials he needed.


    "It''s nice to have so many reliable people," Robin commented, a little pain filling her as the sisters realized Meiko''s fate.


    Rosan clasped her hand in his warm ones (they were so soft for someone who fought so much!) and nodded. "It''s everything I was hoping for and more allying with those two... Without Fregate, even Celadon wouldn''t be as prestigious as it was."


    Aiko and Akemi very valuable to him. Not only were they resourceful allies with all the info they supplanted him... they were his older sister figures and he learned many human things from them.


    After getting that out the way, the little redhead sought out his next course of action, which was learning how to Blacksmith.


    "You don''t actually spend much alone time with Angel and Demon," Robin pointed out as they watched little Rosan and Angel embark on their journey.


    "I would never have minded but they were too afraid of me," he reasoned.


    Robin raised a brow in curiosity at the way Angel was acting around Rosan.


    "It looks like Angel is somewhat trying to take Meiko''s place for you in hopes of trying to get your emotions back," Robin pointed out.


    Whether it was intentional or not, Angel''s overly affectionate attitude towards Rosan was probably her way of trying to help with his emotions. Perhaps she thought by emulating a bit of Meiko, it would help.


    "Is that so?" Rosan muttered at her observation. "Then I am glad I found Maro. I would rather not see where that would have led her."


    He never thought about it but it was true. He wondered how bad it would have gotten if he never got his student for Angel to focus her attention on.


    Robin hummed at that. The triplings and Mod were all handling their grief in a rather toxic way truth be told.


    Rosan and Demon had become workaholics, while Mod and Angel tried to keep the rope from slipping further, all while having their own issues to deal with that they ignored.


    Robin sighed... they really were all related. It was very clear that without Meiko there, no one was really capable of telling them to just stop for a second.


    "Don''t worry Meiko... Maro will handle Angel and Demon, I will handle Mod and Rosan," she assured with a sigh of exasperation.


    The Devil Child watched as Rosan and Angel bonded over the blacksmith''s (who had been overhauled... what a terrifying technique) teaching and couldn''t help but let out an annoyed noise at seeing how quickly they exhausted his teachings.


    "It only took you a month! A month!" Robin complained, glaring at the redhead.


    "Shouldn''t you be happy for me?" Rosan replied with a raised brow, holding a placating hand up.


    "No!" She denied, crossing her arms.


    "...But Robin... you''re smarter then me."


    The woman opened her mouth and then shut it as a pleased feeling washed over her. "I''m proud of you for learning that skill so quickly," Robin eventually said.


    Mod and Ram sweatdropped. "That was way too easy."


    Robin was still smiling, even after she lamented how quick of a learner Rosan was.


    With his lessons finished, Rosan now had everything at his disposal to begin the process of creating the Philosopher''s Stone.


    Robin watched the entire thing with undisguised interest. After all, this wasn''t something anyone else had ever seen. Right now, she was witnessing the very first creation of something and that filled her with a joy only someone who sought knowledge would understand.


    So she payed undivided attention as Rosan cut himself deep to pour a nauseating amount of blood inside of a cauldron he created. Even despite her concern at seeing just how much blood he was using, didn''t interfere with her mind greedily absorbing the info.


    It was abundantly clear that this wouldn''t be possible without Modification or some matter manipulation ability but even then, it would be highly difficult.


    But Rosan did it...


    He summoned a cube of energy (the same cube used to create Angel and Demon) filled with his essence and dropped it into the cauldron, before fully beginning the process.


    "Fascinating," Robin muttered as Rosan''s eyes transformed into familiar slits and he summoned the unnaturally colored fire. "Do you think the order of the stones dropped matter?"


    Rosan hummed as he contemplated that question. "Yes but I don''t think it''s because of the stones themselves... but because of the temperature I was using. I believe the creation of Ram, was truly how well I could broil everything. The stones are important... but the order of them just helps me keep a baseline of the strength of my fires."


    She nodded in understanding, eyes impressed as she gazed at the intelligent redhead before focusing back on the screen.


    "And did you think it was smart to immediately do such a taxing task seconds after depleting that much blood?" Robin glared at the redhead, watching as Rosan superheated the first stone for hours.


    He glanced away. "I thought I could handle it and who knows if me stalling would have messed up the process? What if my blood needed to be absolutely pure and time diluted it?"


    "Then you could have put it in stasis! Don''t think I don''t know your abilities either, Rosan," Robin declared, frowning deeply at him.


    He was always so reckless! Couldn''t he stop raising their collective blood pressures for one moment?!


    "...I''m still alive," Rosan said lamely.


    Robin''s eyes narrowed. "You''re lucky I''m so interested in seeing this process... it''s not every day you get to see something new get created."


    "I''ll remind you to tear into him later," Mod chimed, while Ram nodded enthusiastically.


    Rosan sighed in annoyance and simply focused back on the screen.


    Little Rosan painstakingly went through each stone, adjusting the temperature accordingly and getting more and more exhausted as the hours dragged on.


    Not only did he have to use the right temperature, he needed to maintain it, a task that would be impossible without Modifications computer qualities to monitor his output.


    The process went on for what felt like forever and it was visible on the expressionless Rosan''s face. The boy was panting, his flames faltered for half a second, he began leaking blood from his mouth that immediately evaporated...


    Robin didn''t realize she had such a death grip on Rosan''s hand due to her intense focus but the worry on her face because of how stupid her best friend was...


    At least he was finally done. The exhausted redhead had finished and in the cauldron lie a pulsing stone and the glowing ring that he had thrown in at the final minute.


    Normally, that would ease her mind.


    Unfortunately, her best friend was Portgas D. Rosan.


    Robin watched in horror, as a distorted voice (that sounded nothing like the current Ram) told Rosan to consume the stone.


    Without any hesitation (seriously Mod had barely just said wait!), the smaller redhead immediately swallowed the Philosopher''s Stone.


    What happened next, truthfully belonged in some horror film.


    Robin''s eyes widened as blood began to leak from Rosan from all angles. There was so much blood as the redhead convulsed and collapsed, eyes going white as a puddle of his own blood began forming startlingly quick.


    The memory abruptly cut and the Devil Child rounded on Rosan with a wild stare.


    "What was that?" She hissed, noticing how guilty Ram looked.


    Rosan immediately put both hands on her to try and calm her down (he failed) so that he could at least explain himself. "My body destroyed and rebuilt itself the moment I ate that stone... because I lost so much blood, it tried to refill me but because I was also rebuilding, that happened... the memory ended abruptly because I blacked out and Mod-chan was too busy stabilizing me to see what happened."


    "Don''t worry, I made sure he realized how reckless he was too," Mod assured.


    Robin stared hard at Rosan before nodding. "Think about these things first, Rosan. Who knows what could have happened! Stones aren''t meant to be consumed like that!"


    "I''ll try my best," he replied, holding out a hand to continue the stream.


    The Devil Child scrutinized him for a bit more, before nodding in satisfaction. She finally gazed back at the screen and watched as true to her word, Mod reprimanded Rosan for being so reckless and placed him on punishment.


    She then brought the boy to the mindscape and Robin couldn''t help the small gasp at just seeing how similar Ram and Meiko looked.


    Despite having the same face, Ram was still physically 24 years old. But in this memory, she truly did look like an alternate version of Meiko and it was heartbreaking.


    "Ram looks like Meiko because she was the longest holder of that ring, right?" Robin asked softly.


    Ram''s name was based on the initials of the ring, Rosan and Meiko...


    Rosan nodded slowly. "That''s what I think. I only had the ring for a few months... Meiko had it for a year and some."


    "I-I''m sorry, Father... I know I sometimes give you bad memories," Ram said quietly, looking at her lap with a disappointed expression.


    "You didn''t choose how you look, Ram and I''d be a fool to only see Meiko in you. You are just as much me as you are her," Rosan assured.


    The ring hesitantly looked back up and felt her heart swell at seeing the three faces all sending reassuring glances her way.


    "R-Right! I''m not Mother or Father! I-I''m my own person!" She nodded furiously, smiling brightly at them.


    They all smiled at the youngest one there and continued to watch the memories.


    If Robin remembered, Rosan should be meeting Maro soon... He did mention that it was soon after he created Ram and Aiko was currently giving him the letter so she wondered how the meeting went¡ª


    The Devil Child couldn''t help but blink, as a little tiny figure darted through Reaper, snatched his fruit and quickly vanished around a corner.


    "Was that...?" Robin asked.


    "Yes," they all answered in unison.


    So Rosan wasn''t kidding... Maro really did steal from the Angel of Death of all people.


    The poor girl... or perhaps fortunate considering the state she was in now.


    It didn''t take Rosan long at all to find her and when he finally got a good look at her, Robin couldn''t hold back her awe.


    "Maro used... to look like this?" She couldn''t help but ask.


    The little girl she was looking at, didn''t look anything at all like the Queen of Celadon.


    She was small and dreadfully skinny, contrasting Maro''s lithe and strong curves and her azure hair was matted with so much dirt, it may as well have been black.


    Unlike the simple but intricate kimonos that hugged Maro''s blessed frame, little Maro wore loose rags that did nothing to hide her modesty.


    The only thing the two shared, were those unique orange irises that never wavered.


    "Surprising, isn''t it?" Rosan asked, gazing at his younger student with an impressed gaze.


    "I... I didn''t realize her conditions were so terrible," Robin said, sadness filling her at the sorry state that Maro was in. No one deserved to live like this, where they had to worry about when their next meal would be...


    But even then, in a move that further surprised her, she watched Maro steel herself and try to mow through Rosan. She failed spectacularly but just the fact that this homeless little girl, who was so weak a gust could blow her over, tried to run through the Angel of Death...


    Well it was no wonder Rosan took an interest in her.


    "You live here, day by day, fighting for your life constantly. You live in horrible conditions; you are starving, you haven''t had a proper bath and you haven''t had a proper meal in who knows how long. You have nothing. Not even a name to claim as your own."


    The words of Reaper were harsh and biting, bringing tears to Maro''s eyes and making Robin frown slightly.


    "Yet, you continue to fight, simply to reject the people surrounding you. Your purpose for existing is to deny those who want you to disappear. Such a petty, vindictive, reason to exist, I find that admirable."


    Robin stood up straight at that. Even without emotions... that charisma of his... the one that made you believe everything he was going to say, was still out in force.


    Evidently, it wasn''t just Robin who was victim to that overwhelming charisma of Rosan... Maro looked positively entranced. The orphan was gazing up at Rosan like he were a God willing to give her a taste of what he lived.


    "You, who have nothing, I will give you something."


    Reaper held out a gloved hand for her to grab and Robin found herself clutching the hand she was holding, just as captivated by his words.


    "You have no name you say... Well then, as of today, you are Maro."


    With that, the memory ended and Robin let out a breath she didn''t know she had been holding.


    "Rosan... you have the disposition of a king," Robin said bluntly. "You''re words can inspire anyone... you could honestly make someone die for you. The world should be glad that you have so little interest in being a captain."


    Rosan snorted at that.


    Disposition of a king eh? How ironic. Shouldn''t he technically be a king right now?


    "I just let Maro know what I thought of her. Such an interesting person didn''t deserve to die on an island like that so I took her under my wing."


    Robin smiled. "Look how that turned out! She must have exceeded your expectations!"


    "Tenfold," Rosan replied immediately. "But it wasn''t all sunshine... let''s continue so you can see how little synergy we had at the beginning."


    Robin laughed slightly at that. "After a quick late night snack... I''m hungry."


    "What do you want to eat?" Rosan asked, standing up so they could leave.


    "Sandwiches," she replied immediately.


    The redhead nodded and grabbed onto her. "We''ll be back to continue."


    With a short wave, the duo vanished.


    "Auntie, if I asked them to kiss would they do it?" Ram asked randomly.


    "Probably... those two are very compliant... but please don''t," Mod said eventually with a sweatdrop.


    She needed to heavily monitor Ram, the girl would send her own plans crashing if given the chance.


    She truly was Rosan''s daughter.

 Brothers I

    "There''s so much to do once we land on Alabasta¡­ It feels like it''s been forever since I was there. We haven''t even been together long but it feels like a lifetime," Robin muttered.


    Rosan''s eyes seemed to glow a little brighter at that and a wry smile made its way on his face as he dragged her into what had to have been the millionth hug since they met.


    She easily returned it because no matter how many times they hugged, each one felt as good as the last.


    "It has hasn''t it? We''ll make every moment count from here on out," Rosan assured, humming a gentle tune as the two just relaxed in each others presence.


    The redhead stopped humming for a bit. "Speaking of which, since we''re so close, you shouldn''t show your face so freely. Let''s stay in the shadows for a bit."


    "That sounds good. I imagine Crocodile would immediately attack me if he heard I was alive and well so we''ll lie low and I can wear a disguise."


    "Alright, I''ll give you red hair and purple eyes this time."


    Robin and Rosan, along with Mod and Ram were in the man''s mindscape and discussing their course of action for when they eventually landed on Alabasta.


    They came in here every night to view Rosan''s memories and discuss many things.


    Due to there only being two rooms on the ship (and Rosan not wanting to invade on the other girl''s privacy¡­ and neither wanting to sleep separately from each other), they chose to sleep inside of his pocket dimension.


    Robin quite liked having a castle to sleep in so she didn''t mind. It was spacious and well designed, had a training ground that they (along with Zoro and Luffy) used, a luxurious shower and many other things that enhanced comfort.


    It also had a fantastic color scheme. Black and purple? It was a great choice from her closest companion and one she heavily approved of. She didn''t often see black walls, but they truly gave a unique and pleasant spin on the interior.


    The Devil Child idly pat the silver head of the woman resting said head on her lap, who let out a sigh of bliss, and contemplated what they were going to do on Alabasta.


    Robin had a good idea of just how strong Luffy and Rosan were from training and they were strong. It was humbling to see those two let loose a little in a spar.


    If the two teamed up to fight Crocodile and utilized his weakness, it would not be a difficult battle and they''d quickly overwhelm him, regardless of his help or advantages in the desert.


    Unfortunately, the three brothers (and Maro) had a strong rivalry going on and if they didn''t have to team up, they wouldn''t.


    Any form of teaming up, was honestly reported between them all (they never lied to each other) and resulted in relentless teasing.


    Rosan was very keen on avoiding that.


    "Luffy has dibs. If he loses, I''ll intervene but we at least want to gauge his strength before jumping to such catastrophic measures like teaming up," Rosan informed her.


    Robin withheld a sigh.


    Boys (and Maro).


    "Boys and Maro," Mod agreed, nodding sagely. She was so glad that the sensible Robin was back so that they could readily agree on topics.


    Nami was another good one but she wasn''t permanently linked to Rosan, and likely never would be, so there was that.


    Rosan shrugged. "We aren''t arrogant enough to completely refuse help if needed. Maro and I were a team at one point but this way makes it more fun and helps with our competitive streak. Especially Luffy, who won''t take fights serious for the life of him."


    Robin snorted at that. Little Luffy was adorable and to see how much he had grown, brought a smile onto her face. He was no longer as helpless as before and had become quite the force over the years, all due to desperately wanting to catch up to his much stronger brothers.


    "Our crew should be able to handle those agents as well¡­ I''ve already picked out Zoro''s opponent. Do you want to read the Poneglyph in Alabasta?" Rosan suddenly asked.


    Robin blinked. "It''s not easily accessible but I wouldn''t mind reading about it. Why? Are you interested in Pluton?"


    Unlike Crocodile, she wouldn''t mind telling Rosan where the ancient weapon was located. She truly didn''t care about them but if Rosan did, she knew it''d be best in his hands (which would never turn on her)


    "No," Rosan replied bluntly. "I just know how much you enjoy finding and reading Poneglyphs. This is solely for your indulgence because the three ancient weapons don''t mean anything to me."


    She blinked at his words before rolling her eyes with a slight flush. "In that case¡­ Yes, I do want to read it."


    Rosan snorted while Mod and Ram laughed, making her flush just a little more at the clear amusement in their eyes.


    They were so annoying but they were always putting her wants first¡­ Rosan was so unbelievable sometimes in the best ways.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan''s eyes narrowed slightly and he held out a hand to prevent Robin from leaving the room they just transported to, much to her surprise.


    "Someone unfamiliar is on the ship right now, tell me if you recognize them."


    Someone unfamiliar? Robin nodded her head. Perhaps she''d be able to recognize them.


    "Modification: Stream."


    Watching from the screen that projected out of Rosan''s hand, it didn''t take Robin long to instantly identify who the "unfamiliar" person was.


    "That''s Mr. 2," she informed the redhead, watching as the okama shamelessly displayed his abilities to the Straw Hats.


    "So he just needs one touch and he can completely mimic someone''s face and physique?" Rosan muttered, interest clear in his eyes.


    That was incredibly useful and far easier then Rosan painstakingly modifying his appearance, which would still probably net some errors unless he fully studied that person.


    "If Crocodile were aware of this, he''d probably have Mr. 2 killed for showing off his abilities so readily," Robin snorted. He wasn''t the brightest of agents but he was certainly effective.


    The duo watched as he quickly made friends with the idiots of the ship, while flashing Nami''s body to them in the process and getting everyone assaulted for staring at her boobs.


    Eventually, his original ship came to retrieve him and it was only at that moment, when they referred to him as "Mr. 2, Bon Clay!", did his crew realize he was an officer agent.


    "Vivi is pretty stupid," Rosan commented idly, getting Robin to giggle.


    With his exit, the two finally chose to reveal themselves and entered the crew''s vision with short waves.


    They all groaned at realizing the redhead saw the entire thing and stayed hidden.


    It wouldn''t kill them to be just a little more wary.


    "Seems like you two had fun meeting an officer agent who now has all your faces," Rosan greeted.


    "I''m surprised you didn''t recognize him, Vivi. His appearance is no secret and he''s rather easily noticeable," Robin chided, staring at the dumbstruck straw hats with amusement.


    Vivi for her part, just held her head in shame at her oversight. She had always been bad at figuring out the identity of people...


    "He transformed into my father as well¡­"


    The straw hats quickly sobered at that detail.


    He had Vivi''s Father''s face?!


    "Nothing good can come out of an enemy having the face of your country''s king," Zoro grunted.


    He also had the crew as well¡­ It would be bad if he used it against them. They''d need an insurance to make sure they weren''t fooled.


    "A fake Luffy would never be able to trick me. I know him too well and I can confidently say, no one is stupid enough to properly mimic him," Rosan grunted, getting a grin out of the rubber boy.


    He had known his little brother for too long and had raised him for more than half his life.


    They all sweat drop at that truthful statement from their scout and nodded in agreement. Luffy would be easy to spot but as for the rest of them¡­


    "I''ve got an idea," Nami said, grabbing some bandages for them all and enacting her plan.


    "We don''t need this. Mr. 2 doesn''t have Rosan and I''s face," Robin told her, accepting the bandages without complaint despite what she said.


    "If you ever see me without my accessories, it''s not me. I will never take them off," Rosan added, also accepting the bandages on his right hand (his left was already wrapped up in the armband).


    Nami beamed at the two adults. "That''s true but it gives us a type of unity between us!"


    Rosan raised a brow at that but sighed with a small smile. "You''re such a kid," he insulted, much to her annoyance.


    Nami was about to respond, but smiled smugly instead. "I could say the same to you, considering you were actually a kid¡­ But then again, I don''t think I could ever call that woman you transformed into, a child. Seriously, you sure are stacked, Rosan. I couldn''t believe how effortlessly sexy you were."


    "..."


    Robin couldn''t help the chuckle that erupted from her body, at seeing Rosan open then close his mouth, unable to muster up a response due to being caught off guard by her statement.


    "Sorry Nami... me laughing means you''re in trouble now," Robin sent out a short prayer to their poor navigator.


    "P-Please don''t mention that transformation," a strained Sanji bit out. His mind was still stuck on the part where Robin shamelessly groped the¡ª


    The blonde let out a gurgle as his mind fried once more.


    "I¡­ I agree," Vivi squeaked, face turning red instantly at the memory. Robin made it abundantly clear that the female version of Rosan was blessed...


    The redhead himself was gazing at his annoying little sister figure with a serene expression.


    "Well played, Nami," Rosan said, much to her joy. "You actually got a win over me¡­ but remember¡­"


    The orange haired woman let out a startled shriek at seeing him suddenly appear directly in front of her.


    "...I never make anyone feel good about beating me. Such is the nature of a vindictive person."


    Rosan smiled and honestly it might have been the most terrifying expression she saw on his face yet.


    The crew watched in confusion, as the redhead grabbed their struggling navigator''s hand and hoisted her up.


    "You seem to be overly smug about witnessing my female form and I don''t think that''s very fair so how about I return the favor?" Rosan offered.


    Nami''s eyes widened in horror. "You¡­ You wouldn''t."


    Rosan smiled and she would never be able to piece together how such a handsome face could look so demonic with such a gentle smile.


    "Oh Nami¡­ we''ve known each other long enough now. You know I absolutely would."


    She knew that. She just hoped he had at least a little mercy.


    With that, Rosan uttered the dreaded words and Nami went white.


    "Modification: Swap."


    "Still as big of a demon as ever, Rosan," Robin said, taking a step back to ensure he didn''t have any funny ideas with her. She had been the reason they all saw the transformation in the first place after all.


    "Remind me to never get on Rosan''s bad side," Usopp whispered to Chopper.


    "He really is a monster," the reindeer replied, gawking in fear.


    "I think I can actually agree with you two for once," a sweating Zoro joined.


    Once the process fully finished, every single straw hat dropped their jaw in disbelief and took a step back


    Rosan released Nami''s hand and stepped back, satisfied with what he had done. "Wow, you''re rather good looking regardless of gender too aren''t you, Nami?" He questioned with a raised brow.


    Their navigator in question, had shut her eyes at the strange sensation and when she opened them, her jaw dropped to the floor.


    Well, his.


    A collapse on the floor, signified Sanji fainting again and Vivi''s eyes went wide in disbelief, keeping one eye on the new figure in horrored fascination while making sure the chef was alright.


    Nami was taller now, having grown 4 inches and standing at a 5''10, with a lot more muscle that translated from years of working under Arlong (that didn''t seem to be on her female figure).


    The man''s chin length hair had grown shaggier and looked more unkempt then when a woman. His features sharpened and became more masculine in nature, giving off a rugged and handsome appearance.


    "W-Wha," the man stammered. Their voice had gotten deeper and Rosan mercifully changed her outfit as well because there was no way the shirt and short skirt combo were going to fit this one.


    "You¡­ I can''t believe you," Nami hissed, torn between glaring heatedly at Rosan and balking at the changes to her body.


    Wait, was that a ¡ª


    She went white.


    "Well, at least he was right. You are rather good looking," Robin supplied helpfully, making a reminder to herself to not push Rosan''s buttons too much, lest he direct this ire towards her.


    It was a small mercy he never thought to do this when they were kids, too annoyed by the first time to ever attempt or hone the technique again.


    "I don''t see the big idea," Rosan shrugged, tilting his head to the side. "It was so funny when I did it but I guess you can''t handle the same heat," he finished, looking incredibly infuriating despite having that neutral expression.


    "He did this to me too!" Luffy laughed, looking completely unbothered by the memory.


    "Don''t worry. I have other ways to get you all besides Swap, just don''t make fun of me for transforming into a woman when I can do the same to you all," he warned, looking at the crew now.


    They all, barring Sanji, nodded fearfully, inching away from the demonic redhead.


    "Okay, okay, I''m sorry!" Nami apologized.


    There was no way she was going to stay like this.


    Rosan snorted at the man. "I don''t see the problem. You don''t look bad but if you insist."


    With a touch, Nami was back in her original form and she quickly checked to see that everything was back in place, sighing in relief when she found no issues.


    "You''re an ass, Rosan," she groused, glaring at the redhead with contempt.


    "To your credit, it was a good retort. I just never make victories feel good for people and you made a comment on my female form to boot," he countered as he pat her on the head.


    She grumbled in defeat and slapped his hand away. That was fair, she kinda deserved it.


    "Now¡­ is anyone gonna help Vivi in waking Sanji up? He''s been rather unresponsive since I used that technique on Nami."


    Zoro grinned viciously.


    The following brawl that ensued, due to their swordsman pummeling Sanji awake with the butt of his pommel, left them all sighing in exasperation.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "FOOOOOOOOOOOD!" Luffy roared, sprinting off the ship without any hesitation and disappearing into the crowd of people.


    "Don''t worry, Robin and I will find him eventually. We just need to change," Rosan assured the crew yelling for their captain to wait.


    He grabbed an expensive bag and handed it off to Nami.


    "If you buy anything or see something nice, just place it in that bag and it''ll go to my dimension for me to sort it later. You can keep it too," he informed her, dragging Robin off. "Come, we don''t need anyone to recognize you just yet so you''ll be my little sister today."


    "I am four years older than you," Robin replied flatly, staring unamused at the redhead.


    "Can you beat me in a fight?"


    "That has nothing to do with anything!"


    "Sure it does, little sister."


    "No it doesn''t and stop dragging me!"


    Rosan hoisted her up instead and slung the tall woman over his shoulder instead, much to her displeasure and she began struggling unsuccessfully in his grip.


    "Honestly, you and Mod-chan should have learned by now what you can and can''t say around me."


    "You are a bully. I hate you."


    "You''d be #1209 to say that."


    "Only an egomaniac like you would remember the number."


    Nami looked at the bag and her eyes gleamed at the potential behind it. If Rosan was just giving this to her¡­ Oh there were a lot of things she could do with that.


    "P-Please keep in mind that this is my country," Vivi stuttered, not liking the unsavory gleam in the navigator''s eyes.


    "Don''t worry, he gave me money too!" Nami grinned eagerly.


    Rosan was so incredibly useful! He had been doing a lot for her lately based on her requests and she needed to think of a way to repay him.


    Hopefully she could find useful things to steal for him... it had been quite a while since she had committed large scale acts of theft.


    "I can''t believe I still don''t know what his Devil Fruit is," Vivi muttered.


    "You haven''t actually asked him what it is and he''s the type to not tell you things unless you do," Nami replied.


    Vivi blinked. Surely it wasn''t that easy, right?


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    It was that easy.


    Vivi tentatively asked the redhead what his abilities were and, after telling her not to tell anyone about it, he explained Modification to her.


    It was incredible. Vivi didn''t think a more resourceful Devil Fruit could exist. The ability to modify seemed like such a boon to have and it explained why Rosan was capable of doing so much!


    "Y-You trust me enough to tell me about it¡­?" The princess couldn''t help but ask.


    Robin and Rosan both raised a brow at her.


    "Despite getting shot in the arm, you fought hard for me to get treated by a doctor and without you, I''d probably still be sick," Rosan said softly.


    "You sacrificed your pride for someone who didn''t even want to sacrifice their own. You are a good person, Vivi so of course we trust you," Robin added, adjusting the hat on her head a bit.


    The princess'' eyes turned a bit foggy at their statements and she stared at the two in awe.


    Despite treating each other with so much animosity¡­ their relationship had managed to evolve into this? Even after Vivi refused to trust them herself and continuously tried to throw suspicion on them?


    "Y-You guys are the best!" Vivi sobbed, hugging the two tightly, much to their surprise.


    She could now see that these two meant her no harm from the start. She acted aggressive to a redhead that just got reunited with his best friend so of course he wouldn''t care about how she felt...


    If she just waited a bit, Vivi was sure she would have gotten some answers without this hostility...


    "She''s such a kid," Rosan snorted, patting the princess'' hair gently. "Sorry for choking you out."


    "I agree but it''s a little endearing," Robin smiled, returning the hug slightly. "And I''m sorry for allying myself with Crocodile."


    "It''s okay! You didn''t have much of a choice and now you''re helping! With you two and the rest of the crew, Alabasta can be saved," Vivi smiled determinedly.


    Rosan and Robin both nodded. "We''ll do our best to help."


    With that, Vivi dashed off the ship to go catch up to the rest of the crew, leaving Robin and Rosan as the sole inhabitants.


    Under Ram''s, incredibly unsubtle but still somehow too subtle for her parents, insistence (whining), Rosan discarded the idea of the sibling disguises and they were now pretending to be a couple.


    "Yes! Now I''m satisfied," Ram preened. She had no clue how anyone could be so oblivious but Auntie Angel had to have inherited it from someone...


    "You are so unbelievably spoiled," Mod chuckled, watching the twin looks of exasperation on her children.


    "Maybe I should have been more strict during your upbringing," Rosan muttered.


    He should have been strict to all of his family honestly... or at least the girls. Maro, Ram and Angel were all brats that used his perks religiously.


    The redhead grabbed a strand of Robin''s black hair and glanced at it. "Color?"


    "White," Robin replied after a moment, amused to see a flash of displeasure appear on Rosan''s face.


    "Like Olvia," he grunted, doing it regardless of his desire not to. With a quick flash of his eyes, her hair swiftly turned into the color of his desire.


    "He''s gotten so much faster at doing that," she mused.


    In fact, Rosan seemed to use Modification in general much faster. When he was younger it would take him much longer but now it looked as easy as breathing for some techniques.


    "You still hate my mother? You know I don''t so you don''t have to," Robin chided, looking at the white strands. Right now, she looked almost exactly like the woman who birthed her, barring that single red strand in her hair.


    Rosan shook his head immediately much to her amusement. "That''s because you''re too passive. You don''t typically get angry with people you should be angry with so I''ll do it for you. I''ll hate Nico Olvia in your stead because she''s a bitch."


    The parents in this world were far too selfish for their own good and Nico Olvia was a prime example. It was even worse because she went to the trouble of giving birth to Robin and still abandoned his companion to a life of misery.


    She was oh so lucky she was dead because if Rosan ever met her... he''d show her enough anger to make up for the lack of anger on Robin''s part.


    Robin couldn''t help the abrupt snort at hearing Rosan call her mother a bitch right in front of her.


    Even as a child, Rosan made his displeasure for her mother very known and had never complimented her even once besides saying she was the reason the Devil Child was so pretty (much to her embarrassment). As far as he was concerned, she was in the same boat as Roger.


    The Devil Child truly didn''t have a problem with Olvia... but she couldn''t find it in herself to truly dissuade Rosan from thinking like that because he raised a very fair point. At the very least, Robin knew she desired no children until her journey was over because no one deserved to be abandoned by their parent.


    Why Olvia had her in the first place despite not accomplishing her goals? Robin would never know. She didn''t even know who her father was so perhaps it was an accident and the Devil Child was unplanned.


    She shrugged. It was a bleak look at things but Robin was jaded anyways and she had Rosan so none of that mattered to her.


    Speaking of which...


    "Is that why you''re angry at yourself? Because I refuse to be?" She asked with a raised brow.


    "¡­" Rosan said nothing, releasing the strand of hair and staring at her.


    "Rosan," Robin pressed insistently.


    He was right, she was passive almost to a fault but her first friend also knew that when it came to him, that same passiveness flew out the window.


    The redhead raked a hand through his hair and tugged at his bun.


    "I''m getting better but yes. You guys have an insane habit of not staying mad at me when it''s deserved," he sighed, leaping off the ship with Robin behind so they could track down Luffy.


    "We''ll get mad at you when you genuinely deserve it," Mod assured.


    "I was incredibly upset when I realized you were alive after all this time, believe me. But, once the situation was revealed to me, how could you ever expect me to stay mad at you?" Robin sighed, holding the redhead''s hand as they walked to keep up appearances.


    Because Rosan held his loved ones on such a high pedestal, he was incredibly self critical and this was a trait of his he had at even four.


    "Could you at least hit me? When you guys hardly react to things like this, it makes me feel even worse," he sighed, turning a corner with the woman before pausing slightly.


    Luffy''s save point was moving very quickly so that meant his brother was running from something.


    "I hit you all the time when our arguments devolve into a brawl. I won''t hit you because you were tortured and led astray," Robin admonished.


    What was the commotion all about?


    "You should... just one punch to the face. It made me feel much better when Ace punched me in the nose. Come, let''s speed up. Someone is chasing Luffy."


    "Act more like a couple!" Ram barked.


    Robin easily kept pace with him as she grasped his hand. "Well I don''t fancy punching and I definitely won''t punch you so just understand that we aren''t mad at you and stop being so self critical, dear."


    Rosan glanced at her and planted a mocking kiss on the hand he was holding.


    "I''m trying so bare with me, darling."


    "That''s all we can ask for," an amused Mod said, eyeing the beaming Ram with exasperation.


    Maybe she needed to teach the girl a few things about subtlety.


    As they got closer to the commotion, Rosan saw billowing smoke and black shackles flying out and tutted his teeth.


    "That smoke man really followed us all the way here? Unable to leave Loguetown to deal with troublesome pirates but incredibly willing to leave to an entirely new sea just to stroke his own ego¡­"


    Rosan didn''t like this Marine already. That Smoker better hope he didn''t find an answer to his smoke, else he wouldn''t be leaving this island alive.


    Robin hummed at that. A Marine that Rosan didn''t like? That didn''t bode well for this Smoker at all.


    That poor man. It didn''t matter if he was a Logia, Rosan could always target other things.


    He explained who Smoker was to Robin, who in turn explained that the black shackles had come from a Marine named Hina. She had a Devil Fruit called the Ori Ori no mi that had helped give her the epithet, Black Cage Hina and was the one in charge of patrolling Alabasta.


    "That fruit is no problem to me," Rosan grunted, causing Robin to roll her eyes.


    Modification was such a nonsense Devil Fruit that was made absurd in the hands of the perfect wielder and Rosan just so happened to be its perfect wielder.


    "I take offense to that young lady," Mod glared.


    Robin steadfastly ignored her, unwilling to incite her wrath any further.


    "D-Don''t ignore me!" The woman glared harder but Robin refused to comply, knowing that this was one of those things where there was no right thing she could say.


    Ah, she was definitely going to get a piece of the woman tonight in the mindscape. Maybe she could use Rosan to shield her... the redhead had gotten very good at bullying them all especially with that height of his.


    Her very own bodyguard... it was a nice thought.


    It didn''t take them long to see what was happening and Rosan was already on the move once he took full stock of the situation.


    Smoker and Hina were, in tandem, trying to cut off all of Luffy''s exits with a combination of their devil fruits.


    The rubber boy in question, was dodging the smoke and chains to the best of his abilities (and his mouth full) but there was too much to account for and soon, a ring of black and smoke converged on his position.


    "Our crew is over there, go with them for a bit," Rosan ordered, vanishing from his spot in a burst of speed.


    "Right," Robin nodded. She swiftly spotted the crew and made her way over to them.


    Smoker and Hina''s victorious glint, turned into confusion at watching a wall erect under Straw Hat, pushing him well out of range of the double attack, along with a redhead who stared at them with an unimpressed gaze.


    "Rosan!" Luffy beamed.


    Smoker snarled in annoyance. There was no way they were getting away so soon.


    "White Fist!"


    Rosan prepared to neutralize the attack with one of his own but stopped as a flash of orange appeared from the corner of his eye.


    "Heat Haze!"


    The collision course of the smoke, was intercepted by a burst of flames that made the onlookers scream in confusion.


    Once it settled, Rosan felt a rare surge pulse through his body and his eyes glowed brighter.


    "!" Mod let out a noise of joy and her face split into a wide grin, eyes glowing even brighter then Rosan''s.


    "Oh!" Robin gasped in genuine surprise, a happiness flitting through her at such a long awaited meeting.


    Was he really here? What was he doing on Alabasta? She wasn''t aware of his presence so did he just arrive?


    "You know that guy?!" The crew asked Robin in confusion, looking at the great blaze of flames in apprehension.


    Those flames were huge reminiscent of the fires Rosan casually spat out but looking a more natural hue then the red of their scout.


    The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    He was a tall muscular young man with curly black hair and freckles. He had on no shirt, showing off a terrifyingly familiar tattoo on his back and another on his arm that they couldn''t quite make out, but looked like a name.


    "Still having Rosan clean up your mess, Luffy?" The man grinned, turning to face the duo with a happy glint in his eyes.


    The rubber boy''s eyes bugged before a massive grin made its way onto his face.


    The straw hat''s eyes bugged watching the tiny grin make its way onto Rosan''s face.


    He was capable of doing that?! They never saw his teeth when he opted to smile!


    "After all that talk about Devil Fruits and listening to me complaining nonstop about them, you went and ate a Logia of all things. Guess you realized how cool it was to have a Devil Fruit and tried to one up me," Rosan mused, eyes glowing a bit in pride.


    "It''s way better then yours!" Ace barked back, amusement clear in his eyes.


    "YOU TAKE THAT BACK!" Mod shouted, mouth formed into a scowl that did nothing to hide the happy gleam in her eyes.


    "Ace?! You ate a Devil Fruit?!" Luffy gaped in surprise.


    Ace''s grin widened at seeing the looks on both his brother''s faces.


    He was damn happy to see his brothers but for now¡­


    "We have a lot to catch up on but you guys run while I hold them off!" The freckled man said, shooing them off.


    "Right, let''s go!" Luffy ordered to them all, dashing off to their ship.


    "There''s things I need to discuss with you as well," Rosan murmured, getting a curious nod out of his freckled brother.


    With that, he vanished off the rock construct to meet up with his crew, leaving Ace alone with the squad of Marines.


    "Wait! How do you to know him?!" Nami asked in confusion, as they all ran away.


    Who was that guy to make Rosan of all people grin?!


    Also that tattoo on his back... was that who she thought it was?! Did these two actually know someone from the legendary Whitebeard Pirates?!


    "Is he an acquaintance of yours?" Vivi asked curiously.


    "Yeah!" Luffy grinned, laughing all the while as he jumped in excitement.


    "He''s our middle brother, Portgas D. Ace," Rosan replied fondly.


    ¡­


    There was a brief silence that was broken up by Robin''s quiet giggles as she witnessed their jaws slowly fall to the floor.


    "WHAAAAAT?! YOU TWO HAVE ANOTHER BROTHER?!"


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    A lone raft pulled up to land and on it, a top hat wearing figure glanced into the distance with a curious gaze.


    "My outfit might not be the best for this place," Sabo muttered, adjusting his top hat and getting up with a light stretch.


    Eh, he suffered worse. If it got bad he''d just start removing clothing.


    "So I''m looking for Straw Hat Luffy and a redhead in his crew named Rosan, while observing what''s going on in Alabasta and making sure it doesn''t spiral out of control¡­ Should be easy enough."


    He said that last part sarcastically, considering this kingdom was fucking massive.


    Where the hell was he even supposed to start? He couldn''t even use his Observation to pinpoint the specific people because he didn''t know how they felt.


    It seemed like luck was on his side because after about 20 minutes of walking, a bird landed on his shoulder and began chirping, jumping up and down excitedly.


    Sabo raised a brow at the little blue guy and accepted the note that it was holding.


    "If you are reading this, you''re probably who I''m looking for but I won''t reveal your identity for obvious reasons in case I''m somehow wrong (I''m not). Follow my bird until it stops moving then I''ll retrieve you."


    This must have been Rosan. How insightful of him to already have a note and messenger prepared for him.


    He was also very confident in himself. What a neat guy.


    "Lead the way then," Sabo told the bird, who rubbed his body against the blonde''s cheek and chirped happily, flying off.


    The blonde idly rubbed his cheek before shaking his head and following after the admittedly adorable bird.


    Links to his past¡­ he had a strange sense of anticipation at the thought of meeting two people who claimed to be his brother.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "So that''s where I recognized your name," Nami muttered in shock.


    When Rosan had introduced himself as Portgas D. Rosan, she could have sworn the name sounded familiar but she had written it off as him just having one of those names.


    But no, the reason it sounded familiar was because Rosan and Luffy were literally the brother''s of Portgas D. Ace, a pirate who was worth 650 million!


    That was ridiculous... what was wrong with their family? Were all of them complete monsters?!


    Not only that, he was apart of Whitebeard''s crew, the world''s strongest pirate! These three were all monsters...


    The crew was still running from the battle and were headed straight to the ship while they discussed the relationship between the three.


    "That''s right. Rouge was Ace''s biological mother but she raised me like I was her own," Rosan explained. "He''s three years older than Luffy and four years younger than me."


    "I didn''t expect him to have eaten a Devil Fruit though!" Luffy awed.


    He always talked about how stupid Luffy''s own fruit was and how he liked swimming.


    (Luffy didn''t realize that Ace just thought his Devil Fruit was useless, their middle brother never once insulted the Mod Mod no mi)


    "And it''s a Logia too," Rosan sighed. "There goes my win streak if we ever fight."


    Eating a Logia and spending that long in the Grand Line? His brother had certainly earned that 650 million. A fight between them would put Rosan on the backburner for once.


    "Win streak?" Usopp asked in wonder.


    Surely Rosan didn''t have some sort of win streak against that monster right? He was apart of Whitebeard''s crew for crying out loud!


    Luffy nodded eagerly. "We used to fight all the time! I never beat Ace or Rosan or Maro in a one on one."


    "Ace and Maro never beat me as well," Rosan added calmly.


    They gawked at the admittance, staring at the redhead in disbelief. That was nuts! How strong was he?!


    Robin sighed fondly. "That reminds me of when we used to spar, Rosan. I used to enjoy destroying you until you adapted to me."


    "If it makes you feel better, our score was much more even then with the others. Your Devil Fruit is really not fair to fight when you can spawn it on top of a person," Rosan smiled in return.


    Their eyes bugged. "YOU TWO USED TO FIGHT TOO?!"


    Robin nodded, smile making its way onto her face. "Outside of our arguments, yes. It''s not as obvious now but Rosan is an adrenaline junkie and he forced me to spar with him all the time so we could get stronger. That boy loves nothing more then a good fight that gets his blood pumping."


    "I plan to get us back up to snuff too," he muttered. He already had a good regimen going for Robin and after Alabasta they''d begin in earnest.


    "Your training is already hellish and you have more?" Robin didn''t whine. She was much to dignified for that.


    "You''re telling me," Zoro grunted. The redhead was a psycho.


    They looked at the redhead who opted to stay out of fights unless dragged into it, in disbelief. "Him? Really?!"


    "I probably don''t have to say this¡­ but I am a very different person with my emotions," Rosan said dryly, getting nods of agreement out of Luffy and Robin.


    They distinctively remembered the version they saw at Syrup Village and both Nami and Usopp couldn''t stop the chill from crawling down their spine as they remembered that terrifyingly dangerous redhead.


    That version of Rosan... doing what this version was capable of doing.


    Wow, new fear unlocked.


    The group, led by Nami, continued to dash towards their ship until they reached a crossroad.


    "Turn left right here!" The navigator ordered.


    The crew chimed in unison and followed after her.


    Robin and Rosan lagged behind in case anything happened... so they got to watch in amusement, as Luffy, who was still watching the battle unfold between Smoker and Ace, went the complete wrong way from the crew, separating himself from them unknowingly.


    They decided to follow the rubber boy, knowing he''d get lost if they didn''t and would spend more time looking for him.


    "Hm? Where is everyone?" Luffy muttered in confusion, tilting his head to the side as he cupped his chin.


    Did they get lost? His crew could be so stupid sometimes...


    "You ran the wrong way," Robin supplied helpfully.


    "You need to pay more attention," Rosan chided his little brother who was sitting on a barrel.


    "Oh, Rosan!" Luffy grinned, waving cheerfully at his brother. "I knew you''d find me!"


    Of course he did... Rosan didn''t know when Luffy became the most spoiled but it happened.


    Privilege as the youngest he supposed. Everyone in the family spoiled the future Pirate King.


    "One of these days, you''re gonna stop relying on Rosan so much, Luffy!"


    The three looked up and Luffy''s grin widened.


    "Ace!" He cheered.


    His older brother grinned back and jumped down from his perch on the roof, landing neatly in front of the three.


    Ace''s eyes roamed over his two brother''s for a moment, taking in all the changes with a fond grin before landing on Robin. His eyes widened in surprise, instantly recognizing her from his older brother''s memories and he grinned a little wider.


    "You''re¡ª"


    Whatever he was about to say, was interrupted by the rubbery arms grabbing both Ace and Rosan in a group hug.


    He struggled for a bit but there was a large smile on his face and he eventually returned the hug.


    "I missed you guys, all of you," Ace said warmly. In his time gone, it seemed like some life returned to Rosan''s eyes.


    It must have been because of Robin here. He was glad the two managed to meet up... Ace actually wanted to look for her because Rosan mentioned that he wanted to find her but she was in the Grand Line and he already agreed to set sail with Luffy.


    Good to know that they met up already and managed to make up by the looks of it. He was more happy then he would admit to his insufferable older brother, that there was a slight glow in his eyes that signified his emotions slowly returning to him.


    "Look at you¡­ joining another person''s crew and eating a Logia. You shoulda just came with Luffy and I. It would have been fun if all three of us traveled together," Rosan chided, mussing up his brother''s hair, much to his chagrin.


    He shoved the hand away and glowered at his older brother. "Fuck off, I''m 20 now so stop harassing me!" Ace barked, rubbing his hair with a glare.


    "You could be 50 and I''d do the same thing, little brother," Rosan muttered smugly, eyes glowing in mirth.


    "Also, you really think I''d ever join my kid brother''s crew? Things got complicated during my journey... I didn''t join Pops crew by choice at first but it kinda ended up good for me," Ace said sheepishly.


    "Pops, huh?" Rosan repeated, a true smile making its way to his face.


    It sounded like Ace managed to push Roger out of his mind, if even a little. If he was so willingly calling Whitebeard Pops... the man had taken up place as his little brothers father.


    "I''ll have to meet this Whitebeard and thank him... both for holding the title of strongest for little me and for helping you," Rosan decided.


    Ace sweatdropped at that. His brother was so twisted.


    "Oh by the way, I ate this fruit by accident..." he grinned sheepishly.


    Robin, Rosan and Luffy all smiled knowingly at the freckled man, much to his confusion.


    "Ace... we ate our fruits by accident as children," Rosan informed him. "I was 4, Robin was 6 and Luffy was 7... How did you accidentally eat a Devil Fruit at 17 years old?"


    Neither of the, then children, realized what they were eating was a Devil Fruit.


    Robin was hungry due to her cruel aunt.


    Rosan thought it looked good.


    Luffy was a gluttonous idiot.


    "So that makes you stupid!" Luffy laughed cheerfully, getting a snort out of both Robin and Rosan.


    Ace felt a tick forming. "IT''S BEEN 20 MINUTES! WHY DO I ALREADY WANT TO KILL YOU BOTH?!" He roared at his insufferably stupid brothers.


    "That''s just our brotherly bond," Rosan retorted. The redhead looked far too smug right about now.


    Out of the three, it was always easiest to rile Ace up and it was something both he and Luffy, as the youngest and oldest respectively, abused religiously.


    The amount of brawls that broke out between the three of them might have played a big part in why they were so strong now...


    "Still, I didn''t think you''d eat a fruit! You liked swimming and making fun of my fruit!" Luffy exclaimed.


    I didn''t think I was ever going to eat a Devil Fruit... but eating one has opened my eyes to a lot of possibilities," Ace admitted. He could now see why Rosan and Luffy both didn''t mind not being able to swim at all.


    A Devil Fruit wasn''t just a power... Ace was quite literally fire, in the same way that Luffy was rubber or Rosan was a computer.


    It was eye opening. Devil Fruits were their own type of world to explore.


    "Besides, being a Logia is awesome because now I get to hear you bitch and moan about how the world is unfair and you just want a way to hit them," Ace grinned.


    He was never planning on eating a Devil Fruit but he''d never turn down a useful one. He just thought Luffy''s was useless. Offer him Rosan''s and he''d take it in a heartbeat.


    "Tch," Rosan scoffed, refusing to admit that he would bitch about Ace being a Logia.


    Robin placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder and shot him a sympathetic smile.


    "Hey don''t worry about it. Remember how you kept pondering to us how there has to be a way to hit them?" Ace asked curiously, getting a nod out of his brother. "Well, I found out how. I''ll tell you about it later."


    Rosan and Robin''s eyes glinted in clear interest at that. A reliable way to hit Logias? That sounded too good to be true.


    "I''m not moaning, by the way," Rosan grunted.


    "Can''t hear you over all the moaning your doing right now," Ace replied, a shit eating grin on his face.


    "I''d love to hear you guys catch up more but I have to ask, what are you doing in these parts of the ocean, Ace?" Robin interrupted politely.


    The two stopped and glanced at Robin. Ace''s smile turned into a more easy going one as he regarded the woman.


    "I''m looking for a traitor in the crew that killed a member then jumped ship," Ace explained easily. "Robin, right? You have white hair but I''m pretty sure Rosan just modified it. It''s nice to finally meet you! Rosan never shuts up about you."


    "What are you on about?" Rosan questioned with a raised brow, only to be completely ignored.


    So he mentioned Robin a lot of times... was it that bad? Ace was the person besides Mod he confided in the most so maybe it was...


    Ram''s grin turned feral at Ace''s assistance. Somehow he already knew the mission and that was absolutely perfect!


    He could say whatever he wanted, freckles was just as infected by their chaos as anyone else!


    "I could say the same to you," Robin smiled, bowing in return. "You should have seen how much times I had to make this guilt ridden child understand that he wasn''t put in a reasonable situation."


    "Tell me about it. I told this dumbass over and over again I don''t blame him for what he felt like he had to do and when I saw the memory, I felt terrible for even blaming him," Ace sighed, grinning fondly.


    Robin nodded quickly, smile growing. "I was the same way! Can you believe that he tried to take all the blame and pin it on himself? He was fully intending on making me hate him!" She exclaimed.


    "You too?!" Ace gaped. "This guy told me he hated me and didn''t mention that it was right after seeing Mom die... and it was for half a second!"


    "He''s ridiculous! I don''t know why he feels the need to omit such important details! I''ve never met such a confident person, who is also so self critical and harsh," Robin sighed.


    "You and me both," Ace nodded sagely. "It''s a good thing he has Mod. She''s way smarter then him."


    "I agree," Robin nodded along. She very much liked Ace. These two had such similar experiences when it came to Rosan.


    "It''s true. Without me, Rosan would be the most isolated person on the planet," Mod said, grinning happily at seeing the little boy all grown up.


    "Mod, Ram! How have you two been?" Ace asked, grinning at the duo. Man there was so much people he had to catch up too and it made him feel a bit stupid for waiting so long to visit his family.


    "What''s up Mr. Big Shot Pirate?" Ram greeted cheekily. "You wanna hear a funny story?!"


    "Hit me," Ace nodded easily and he watched as the ring transformed into his... niece?


    They never did figure that out.


    The silver haired woman easily engulfed the taller man in a hug, grinning all the while and stepped back to tell her story.


    "So we were at Loguetown... and we ran into this lady, right? Her name was Alvida and we met her a while ago before running into her again. She was a huge whale!" Ram exclaimed, holding her hands out to emphasize her point.


    Luffy, Ace and Robin listened with blatant interest, especially after hearing Rosan sigh.


    "But she ate a Devil Fruit... and it turned her from fat and ugly to skinny and hot. Father was the one who beat her ass so she gained a crush on him!"


    Robin raised a brow. "A crush? From losing a fight?"


    Ram''s eyes widened a little nervously. "Y-Yeah but don''t worry! Father wasn''t even remotely interested in her!"


    "Why would I be worried?" Robin tilted her head to the side.


    Ace''s eyes glittered in mirth. Was Ram trying to play matchmaker? Her? She was as big of a dumbass as Rosan was.


    "Keep going" Luffy demanded, caught up in the tale.


    Ram nodded eagerly. "So after we ran into her again... we didn''t recognize her because she looked really different but she was talking and flirting really hard with Father like they already met. Even despite that, Father couldn''t tell who the hell she was..."


    The ring''s grin turned shit eating. "When Father gave up on finding out who she was, she mentioned losing freckles and that made him freeze right in his tracks."


    Ace''s grin was immediately wiped off his face at that detail.


    There was no fucking way...


    "Rosan..." Ace said, voice set in a warning tone as Robin tried her hardest to stifle the laugh that wanted to escape her.


    "Kahahaha! She had a cowboy hat on too!" Ram added, clutching her stomach as she keeled over.


    "Rosan..." Ace hissed, glaring at his oldest brother.


    "F-Father turned around a-and with the most serious face ever... he asked if she was Ace! Kahahahaha!" The ring finished and she howled in laughter at the memory.


    Robin could contain it no longer. The woman let out her own laugh. "Fufufufu! Rosan, are you serious?!"


    "Shishishi!" Luffy burst out laughing as he collapsed on the floor right next to Ram.


    "ROSAN!" Ace roared, tackling his brother with a scowl that looked terribly similar to when he was 10.


    "I thought you got cursed," Rosan replied, face neutral even as his brother tried to strangle the life out of him. "I was just as mortified as you. After all, I thought my little brother had become my little sister and was trying to commit questionable acts with me."


    "ROSAN SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Ace roared, face red in embarrassment as he began throttling his older brother. He was seconds away from burning the raging dumbass!


    Everyone began laughing even more.


    Finally, Robin mercifully pulled the fuming Ace off of Rosan and the redhead simply dusted himself off.


    "I hate you," Ace said flatly.


    "...Yeah that''s my bad... I already know how you look as the opposite gender," Rosan muttered.


    The freckled boy gained a tick at that.


    Damn stupid brother of his and that nonsense Devil Fruit.


    "You look happy, Ace," Mod said softly, face flushed from how much he laughed.


    Ace blinked before a small smile made its way to his face.


    "¡­Yeah, I am happy. I found out a lot of the answers I was looking for while sailing the seas," he replied eventually.


    He found another family in the Whitebeard pirates, his first family still accepted and were proud of him and after finding and beating the shit outta Teach, Ace would go back to his normal life of being a commander and make sure to integrate his original family in that because dammit he missed them way more then he thought.


    "I''m so happy to hear that... Oh I just feel myself growing so sappy right now!"


    Without hesitation, Mod took over Rosan''s body and rushed the commander, hugging him fiercely with a proud smile.


    "Look at how much one of my little boys have grown. I''m so proud of you," Mod said, eyes brimming with tears.


    To think their relationship had evolved so much over the years... From her threatening Ace, to her seeing him as just another one of her problematic children.


    Ace smiled at her and easily returned the hug, engulfing the woman with a warmness reserved only for a mother (he would hug Dadan like this too). "I''m just trying to live a life with no regrets."


    It was a good thing he was so much taller then her now... he was still embarrassed about that time she nearly crushed him in her boobs.


    Eventually, the woman stepped back and allowed herself to transform with a small wave, returning back into a thoughtful Rosan.


    "You mentioned a traitor?" Rosan prodded, eyes narrowed in contemplation. "What are the details and do you need help?"


    "Nah, I got it," Ace replied confidently. "His name''s Marshall D. Teach or Blackbeard¡­ He killed the commander of our 4th division, Thatch, one night and fled."


    Luffy and Rosan''s gaze darkened.


    For Luffy, this Teach had committed the greatest sin a pirate could do. He had killed a nakama.


    For Rosan, just the act of betrayal was enough to irritate him.


    "Any reason why?" The redhead prodded.


    Ace''s gaze darkened as he thought about it. "The only thing that makes sense is for the Devil Fruit he found¡­ we didn''t recognize it but Teach might have and he killed him as a result."


    To kill one of your family for a Devil Fruit... Teach was no better then if Ace chose to kill Rosan for his own.


    "He would go as far as to kill a commander of Whitebeard''s crew for one Devil Fruit?" Mod questioned in disbelief.


    That meant¡­ that Devil Fruit had to have been exceptionally dangerous.


    "Ace, please tell me you remember how it looks? Can you describe it to us? Though some fruits are not documented in the encyclopedia, I will still probably be able to identify it."


    Ace nodded, recalling the odd shaped fruit. "It was purple and round and it looked like it was made up of a bunch tear drops. It kind of reminded me of a bunch of grapes," he finished.


    Rosan''s eyes were closed in contemplation as he formed a mental imagine of the fruit, before suddenly snapping open.


    While Ace''s description wasn''t the most detailed, there was only one fruit with a description like that, that would make someone risk attacking a Whitebeard Commander.


    After all, it would need to be a fruit on the same calibre of the best of Devil Fruits.


    Moving with an urgency they didn''t expect, he grabbed a nearby rock and picked it up. Then he began to carefully mold what he was thinking of and applied it to the rock.


    "Modify: Appearance."


    Dragging the image from his mind, Rosan quickly applied it to the rock and showed them all the finished product.


    "Ace¡­ did the Devil Fruit look like this?" He asked softly, presenting the Devil Fruit that he thought it was.


    It didn''t take Ace more than a second to verify and that was alarming in itself to the Whitebeard Commander.


    Rosan, as a wielder of one of the best fruits Ace had seen period (it was hard to think it was just a Paramecia), didn''t really concern himself over other fruits unless they were Logia or Mythical so the fact that he had been able to identify and pinpoint the exact fruit Ace was talking about, with just that brief description, was bad news.


    "Yeah, that''s it. You know what it is?"


    Rosan nodded gravely. "It''s the ¡ª"


    "Yami Yami no mi," Mod finished quietly.


    Everyone straightened at the two''s tone.


    What did they know about that Devil Fruit?


    Rosan was the expert on Devil Fruits, not Robin so she raised a brow and said, "Yami Yami no mi? Darkness?"


    The redhead nodded with a look of displeasure.


    "That Devil Fruit¡­ it''s the one Rosan and I are most wary of," she admitted. "It''s a Logia, considered the most evil to exist and¡­ it has the ability to control darkness¡­ and negate another''s Devil Fruit ability."


    Their eyes widened. A Devil Fruit that could negate abilities and it was a Logia?


    "It should be the Devil Fruit that counters me the hardest," Rosan admitted with a frown. "Not because it completely nullifies Modification, but because it would forcefully cut my connection to Mod-chan."


    Rosan and Mod had only ever been forcefully cut off from each other once and it had lead to the redhead having a mental breakdown. That had been around 16 years ago and the two only became more intertwined as time passed.


    Separating the two of them¡­ it wasn''t the smartest idea and if you couldn''t put them down afterwards, Rosan would do everything to bring hell upon them.


    "You need to be careful, Ace. You''re more than strong enough without your Devil Fruit, considering you''ve had no ability for a majority of your life but this Teach is not to be underestimated," Rosan advised.


    "Kick his ass!" Luffy growled, eyes smoldering just at the thought of killing your own friend.


    Ace had a contemplative expression on his face but nodded.


    It was still the greatest treason someone could do, but it put it into perspective why he did it.


    "How long did you plan on staying?" Rosan asked. "I know you''ve gotta continue hunting this Teach but¡­ there''s something important I need to tell you and Luffy."


    Robin gazed knowingly at that. It would be a lot to take but they deserved to know.


    Both his brother''s stared at him, puzzled. "Something for the both of us?" Ace pondered, raising a brow. What could that possibly be?


    "I wasn''t planning on staying for too long but I''ll always hear you guys out," Ace said eventually. "We should probably go find your crew while we''re at it."


    Rosan nodded. "Good. If I told Angel I encountered you and you didn''t want to visit them, she''d kill me and then you."


    Ace sweatdropped at that. "You''re right¡­ I definitely should pay them a visit before leaving."


    "Good. I''d hate to have to restrain you. I don''t want to die yet."


    "Surely Angel wouldn''t kill you?" Robin said in amusement.


    "Ace is her favorite brother besides Demon. I don''t know when it happened, I don''t know how it happened but it happened. She would be mad at me for days after failing to kill me," Rosan replied.


    Ace shrugged. "When Luffy and Maro are up to something stupid, it''s up to us to go stop them and we just bonded from there. We actually have a lot in common!"


    Ace and Angel got along fantastic. It must have been because they were both so headstrong and stubborn (and instinctively hated everyone at a glance). Those two never had anything nice to say to a person they were seeing the first time and were by far the most antisocial...


    They got better though. Makino gave them both lessons when Angel realized Ace was taking them and thought it was a perfect opportunity to be more presentable as a Queen... huh that''s probably why they did get along so well. Those two probably had to moan and groan about how hard it was to be polite and nice and not rude to everyone.


    Whatever it may be, Angel adored her younger, freckled, brother and spoiled him rotten. They did have a lot in common, like how utterly overprotective of their family they were.


    If she found out that they had met up¡­


    Well, his sister would go to the Grand Line and begin hunting Ace down herself.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Haki?" Rosan muttered.


    "Yeah, it''s a technique that any pirate who wants to survive in the New World should know," Ace replied to the three listening.


    They were currently walking back to the ship and Ace took that time to explain to them all, the most important source of power to have in the second half of the Grand Line.


    As Rosan learned more about Haki, things that didn''t make sense, suddenly did and his mind was already thinking of greedy ways to implement this into his style.


    How Judge was able to dodge and tank their attacks (he truly did rely on his suit too much if he still lost that battle... the man needed to train more), how Shanks was able to find Luffy in the sea or him on the tree, how Garp casually stomped them into the ground every single time...


    "Vegapunk explained many things to me¡­ but this one wasn''t one of them," Mod frowned.


    She knew why. The scientists didn''t believe handing out answers was the solution to everything and wanted her to find the right wielder to learn with.


    Guess things went exactly how the genius planned it... What exactly was his plan? What did he intend for her...? They were stationed in the New World yet she never once heard about Haki...


    "There''s three different types of Haki. Observation, Armament, and Conquerors," Ace explained to the trio. "Everyone can learn the first two but only a select can learn the last."


    Armament was the one Rosan desperately needed. It allowed him to harness his spiritual energy and use it offensively, bypassing the immunity some Devil Fruit''s granted, like a Logia''s intangibility or Luffy''s rubber body.


    Not only that, it allowed them to put an invisible armor over themselves, so to say, that allowed them to block damage...


    "That''s how Garp manages to hurt Luffy and come out completely unscathed by my attacks," Rosan said in realization.


    "Yeah, Gramps was cheating," Ace nodded sagely, holding out a hand and pinching Luffy to show them.


    "O-Ow!" The rubber boy exclaimed in surprise. So that''s what Gramps did? He was such a cheater!


    "Armament sounds incredibly useful," Robin mused. "Rosan, considering Modification gives you so much control over your inner body, this might be the easiest one for you to learn as well."


    "I think so too," Ace nodded in agreement. Rosan was a master of his body so if he did manage to learn it, Ace wouldn''t be surprised if it became the one he mastered the quickest.


    That was true¡­ but he doubted it would be that easy.


    "I''ll try my best to make it easier on you. We''ll figure this out together," Mod assured.


    "The best way to unlock it is in the heat of battle but it''s still pretty difficult," Ace informed them. "Intense training and high stress situations. I''ll give you guys methods to try and learn at least armament and observation."


    Looks like he would need to begin training in earnest again. He''d drag Luffy into it more often as well because he was already sparring frequently with Zoro and Robin.


    Armament would be incredibly useful for Robin''s Devil Fruit too. Her fruit was already quite strong considering it was impossible to dodge, so that just left resisting it... and if her armament was good, it''d be impossible for her to do that...


    He wanted her to learn it.


    Robin smiled at his resolve to make sure she learned it. "I''ll put my all into training then. I would like to learn it as well."


    With that settled, they quickly moved on to the next one.


    Observation allowed users to have a sixth sense that allowed them to sense the presence, strength, and emotions of others, as well as gain limited precognitive abilities.


    It worked best when calm, which was good for Robin and Rosan but Ace still thought this would be the most difficult one for the redhead to learn.


    "You''re active, Rosan... I think Luffy and Robin will have an easier time learning it then you," Ace explained, demonstrating the ability to them by dodging precise swings from Rosan with his eyes closed. "Your mind is almost always moving, no matter what and you have three voices up there."


    His brother, even without his emotions couldn''t stop thinking for a second and that wasn''t including the fact that he had both Mod and Ram up there too. Observation would be absurdly difficult for him to learn but then again, his brother was also a prodigy.


    "Your calmness is also relatively artificial," Robin added. "It''s more so related to the fact that you have no emotions at the moment. You''re like an actual computer, one that''s never in rest mode and with emotions, your mind doesn''t stop for even a second."


    That¡­ made sense in theory but Rosan was stubborn and so, he''d need to actually try it himself.


    "I don''t like being told that we''ll struggle with something," Ram grunted, crossing her arms in disdain.


    "Knowing that it''s my abilities fault too rubs it in even worse," Mod agreed, pouting in slight discontent.


    Rosan had also seen observation in action before. Judge and Garp utilized both forms of haki against him¡­ but those were the only ones he noticed.


    What was Conqueror''s?


    "Conqueror''s should be the easiest and the hardest for you to learn," Ace said, glancing at his older brother. "I don''t know if Robin and Luffy have it, but you and I do."


    Rosan raised a brow. How did he already have Conqueror ¡ª


    Oh.


    Conqueror Haki allowed a person to exert their own willpower over others. Doing this could lead to dominating their psyche or incapacitating someone.


    It sounded exactly like ¡ª


    "Pressure," Rosan whispered in realization, actually stopping in surprise.


    His pressure technique¡­ was Haki? Wait, he had unlocked such an overpowered technique since he was 9 and never paid it any mind beyond saturating the air with it?


    He knew the technique wasn''t unique to him but he only ever saw a 10 year old Ace do it, while utilizing a different version as well.


    Rosan''s pressure was only used as a way to root and overwhelm people. He had never knocked anyone unconscious with it and it had gotten so much weaker after Meiko died, that he hardly used it anymore.


    But that made sense... not once did Rosan ever use the technique with his full emotions. His first use of it was after the castle formed so by then... it should have already lost power.


    "You mentioned it being the easiest and the hardest for me," Rosan said. "It''s the easiest because I already have it unlocked but it''s the hardest because my emotions are still locked away, right?"


    Ace blinked before scowling lightly.


    Right, he forgot how smart his older brother was.


    "Yeah that''s right. Conquerors manifests your willpower and we all know how much you''re lacking in that... if you reach your old ambitions, it''ll be really strong though," he informed the group. "If you want to get proficient in all of them, you''ll need your emotions back."


    Extra motivation¡­ Well he had even more of a reason to get them back now.


    "Oh, I see the ship!" Luffy beamed, waving at the Going Merry in the distance.


    "You three go ahead, I need to get my raft," Ace said, already walking off to do that. "I''ll catch up soon!"


    The three nodded in unison, before Rosan grabbed Robin and Luffy. His wings burst out of his back and he quickly soared over to the ship, landing in front of his resigned crew.


    "At least Rosan noticed you went missing," Nami sighed miserably. She knew damn well that Robin and the redhead wouldn''t randomly go missing without telling them, so they probably noticed that Luffy did and followed accordingly to save them the headache.


    "We got lost and talked to Ace!" Luffy beamed, completely unbothered by their annoyance.


    "We?" Robin raised a brow. "Luffy, you were the only one who got lost," she chided the rubber boy.


    The straw hats sweatdropped at that.


    Zoro jumped into the conversation with a raised brow. "Rosan, you mentioned having siblings named Angel and Demon but you never mentioned an Ace or the fact that he was the second commander of the Whitebeard Pirates."


    "I don''t mention random facts about my life," Rosan retorted. "If asked, I might answer but I won''t bring it up on my own volition."


    The crew sighed at his very typical Rosan answer.


    "You sound like as much of a handful as always," Ace snorted, landing on the railing and staring at his crew with a polite smile. "I feel bad for your crewmates having to deal with you and Luffy at the same time."


    "They get used to it. I believe making your intentions clear from the start helps people with understanding... so they understand that I am like this," Rosan hummed.


    They groaned. "We still hate you for it."


    Ace let out a hearty laugh."Sorry for any trouble my two brother''s caused. They can be a bit much and cause me a lot of worry... when I don''t want to strangle them to death," the middle brother bowed to the crew.


    "Oh, don''t mention it," they all said in unison, waving him off.


    ...


    "He''s so polite!" Zoro gaped. Luffy was anything but and Rosan was even ruder then their captain! He only spoke polite to subvert expectations!


    "He''s caring too," Sanji''s jaw dropped comically. Why couldn''t Rosan and Luffy be this considerate to them? The two just did whatever they wanted!


    "This sensible man can''t possibly be Rosan and Luffy''s brother," Nami decided right then and there. There was just no way. Rosan and Luffy were walking headaches and never failed to give her a migraine.


    This polite brother of theirs was anything but. He was polite, caring and didn''t demean her any chance he got.


    Rosan listened to them with a raised brow.


    His crew thought he was as bad as Luffy and worse than Ace? If only they knew the boy when he was younger.


    "I would have expected him to be almost as reckless as Luffy and nearly as cruel as Rosan. Like a middle ground," Usopp whispered in surprise.


    That made Rosan snort. Rather loudly.


    "Ace? Not as reckless as Luffy? You must be joking," the redhead scoffed. "The only thing stopping my little idiot brother from being on the same level as my littlest brother, is the fact that my littlest idiot brother doesn''t think and my little brother thinks slightly more."


    They watched in surprise as Ace glared over at his older brother in indignation.


    "I''m not as reckless as I was when we were kids and I think way more then Luffy! Don''t do that to me!" Ace barked in annoyance.


    "I''ll believe you when Maro and Angel divorce," Rosan grunted, causing the freckled boy to splutter. "How many fights have you backed down from since setting sail?"


    "¡­I don''t see what that has to do with anything," the commander muttered.


    "Shishishi! Ace still never backs down from fights?! He''s so stupid!" Luffy cackled, eyes shining with mirth as the middle brother began spluttering at the two.


    "Right?" Rosan nodded, looking smug with his neutral expression. "Speaking of which¡­ That treasure I gave you at the start of your journey. What did you do with it?"


    "I TOLD YOU I DIDN''T NEED THAT!" His freckled brother roared, remembering how much he had been given.


    Rosan literally waited for him to be well out of sight before making Maro drop the illusion! What a scummy tactic to make sure he didn''t return it!


    "You refused to let me modify your ship so I decided to give you another gift," Rosan shrugged.


    "I said keep it! I lost it and you got it so it was yours!" Ace growled.


    "What type of brother would I be if I didn''t give you a farewell gift? What did you do with it?" He pressed, knowing Ace couldn''t lie to him.


    Ace glared at the floor. "You know I can''t turn away gifts from you idiots. It helped me secure food and a ship."


    Rosan smiled at that. "Good... but you aren''t even wearing your pink Mama''s Boy shirt."


    "I OUTGREW THAT SHIRT 7 YEARS AGO BUT YOU KEPT MODIFYING IT!" Ace shouted, before sobering up with a guilty expression. "And I accidentally burned it after eating my Devil Fruit... sorry about that."


    "Accidentally?" The redhead repeated.


    "You know I''d never get rid of any of you guys gifts! No matter how much I hate them!" The Whitebeard pirate retorted. "I even still have that stupid rock Luffy gave me."


    "THAT ROCKS NOT STUPID! YOU''RE STUPID! ROSAN LIKED MY ROCK!" Luffy roared. He went through a lot of pain getting that rock!


    "It was a good rock and I am honest with my feelings," Rosan nodded sagely. Perfect smoothness with no cracks. Truly a nice rock.


    "Honest with your feelings?! I am being honest. It was a stupid rock!"


    They watched in awe as the three began bickering with each other.


    "They really are brothers..." the crew thought in disbelief. Those three were really going at it and it looked like a brawl was only seconds away from breaking out.


    "Hey wait, you didn''t give me a gift when I set sail!" Luffy pointed out in shock.


    "I am the gift," Rosan replied, much to Luffy''s satisfaction.


    "Oh, right!" The rubber boy laughed.


    Everyone face planted at that blunt and serious statement.


    "You are an egomaniac, Rosan," Robin giggled.


    Ace snorted in agreement. "You''re right about that. He tries to mask it behind that cool and collected mask of his but he''s way too arrogant for his own good."


    "He gets jealous if we think anyone is better then him too!" Luffy nodded sagely, traitorous little captain that he was.


    "They have a point. Sometimes, you really do act like your the best thing to happen to a person''s life," Mod added with a teasing smile.


    "I will not tolerate this slander, no matter how true, against Father!" Ram barked, unintentionally going against him as well.


    The straw hats watched all of them pile up on Rosan with amused expressions, not expecting that to happen to the infallible wall of their ship but it was awesome.


    He was always so composed and, besides the time he got sick, it was rare to see him be at the receiving end of something like this because he always had a response...


    It was awesome. Screw Rosan!


    Rosan cupped his chin in contemplation at their words. "I could say you all have a point¡­ but I''d rather dish out revenge on you guys for ganging up on me."


    "W-Wait, I''m sorry! Please don''t tickle me!" Mod pleaded, eyes going wide in horror.


    "Don''t you even think about swapping me," Ace barked, lower half already turning into flames so he could take off.


    There was no way he was letting Rosan transform him into a girl again.


    "That''s a great idea, idiots," Rosan decided, taking a step forward to dish it out on the three who thought it was funny.


    Robin had already managed to position herself behind the crew, completely aware of how he''d react, and was using Sanji as a shield (to his mixed glee and horror).


    Luffy blinked before his expression turned into one of horror as he realized he was the closest to his oldest brother.


    Mod and Ram never stood a chance, they lived inside of him after all. He''d go after them later tonight and no apologizing would stop.


    Before Rosan could mass swap the 3 idiots, the crew was interrupted by the sight of 5 ships appearing to block them off from sailing any further.


    "WE''RE HERE TO COLLECT YOUR BOUNTY, FIRE FIST ACE!"


    "WE''VE GOT FIVE SHIPS, JUST TRY TO ESCAPE!"


    "I''ll clean them up," Ace offered with a small shrug.


    "Don''t worry, I can do it. They interrupted me," Rosan said calmly, much to the shock of the crew.


    Rosan... He was offering to do something?! Seriously?! The one who would let them sink for fun was offering to clean up 5 ships?!


    These guys must have really riled him up!


    "Spoiled as ever. No wonder Ram''s so bad," Ace laughed.


    "Fuck off! Father''s just offering because he knows he can do it faster and he wants to punish us all as soon as possible!" Ram barked, despite her fear at being tickled.


    The second division commander paused at that. "Faster?" He said incredulously, raising a brow.


    Now it was Rosan''s turn to raise a brow, ignoring the 5 ships taking aim at them momentarily. "Why do you sound so surprised? You don''t actually think you can do it faster than me, right?"


    "Wait, you think you can?" Ace challenged gazing at his brother in disbelief.


    "Oh dear, look at what you''ve gone and done, Ram," Mod sighed.


    The years had done nothing, these two were still the most competitive by a mile.


    Ace must have gotten so strong over the years because he wanted to deliver sweet retribution to his brother who he never defeated.


    "Your flames probably don''t even burn hotter than mine," Rosan taunted, fangs sharpening dramatically as a reptilian tail slow snaked out from behind him. "You''ve only had them for about 3 years compared to my 16."


    "But I can still do more things then you could ever dream of," Ace retorted, lighting his body up with an eager grin. "Don''t think those flames compare to me. The only thing your fires are good for, are giving me inspiration for some of my techniques!"


    "Wanna bet?" Rosan challenged, eyes transforming into slits.


    Ace''s response was to leap clean off of the Going Merry onto his ship, Striker, and fire off. "YOU''RE ON!"


    Without wasting a second, Rosan leapt once on the railing, and rocketed off, draconic wings bursting out of his back immediately as he soared through the air.


    "They''re so competitive," Nami gawked in disbelief. Just like that... these two were going to make a game out of 5 ships...


    That was insane. What was wrong with this family.


    "Yup! Ace and Rosan get in the most competitions," Luffy beamed.


    "Followed by Maro and then Luffy," Robin finished, smiling at the story. "It all started when Ace and Maro teaming up, couldn''t beat Rosan and Luffy. Luffy bragged so much despite Rosan doing everything, that it sparked all of their competitive auras to unreal levels."


    That day was rather funny to witness. Luffy had contributed nothing, besides being a general pest to Ace, who tried to tip the favors in Maro''s scale. His annoying presence was enough to distract Ace long enough for Rosan to eventually deal with the Dokkaebi, then he focused his attention on Ace.


    Him allowing Luffy to get the final hit, is probably what made their competitiveness flare so strongly. The little boy did not care whatsoever about the details, he just knew he hit Ace to win the match and that had pissed Ace off something fierce.


    Ever since, their competitive streaks slowly rose higher and higher until they turned nearly everything into a competition!


    Somehow, learning that Luffy had been the one to make them all so competitive, while being the least competitive in the process, sounded exactly like him.


    "Our captain is so hopeless," they sighed in unison.


    Ace rocketed towards the ship with a cocky grin on his face, hands in his pocket as Striker got closer and closer to the ship.


    Once it got close enough he leapt off of it with enough force to send it underwater.


    As he soared to the opposite side of the ships, his flaming figure caught a black and red one floating in midair, standing parallel to where he was about to land.


    That damn cocky son of a¡ª


    The flame man landed on his resurfaced Striker and took aim at the five ships, cocking his fist back. If he was right, his brother was about to do the same thing.


    Rosan stared at the five ships as he gathered the necessary energy in his serrated maw.


    Gathering the flames, he condensed it until it was razor sharp in nature and turned the fire into something much more lethal and sharp.


    "Fire Fist!"


    "Raze."


    A fiery orange fist launched from Ace at the same time a massive red laser launched out of Rosan''s mouth.


    The second commander''s attack crushed two ships in its path, while Rosan''s attack ruthlessly razed through two more.


    Then, both attacks collided on the 5th ship in the middle, obliterating the poor boat at the moment of contact and causing a massive explosion to take place.


    The straw hats watched the explosion in terrified awe.


    "Those two just destroyed 5 giant ships for the sake of a competition?" Vivi gaped, taking a step back in terror at the two monsters claiming to be Luffy''s older brothers.


    The rest of the straw hats, sans Robin and Luffy (who were smiling), were just as surprised, if their open mouths were any indication. They began sweating at the casual destruction displayed by the two.


    "I have to wonder¡­ Why didn''t Rosan just become his own captain?" Sanji said, least surprised out of all the surprised ones there.


    He knew that the man was Reaper, displays like this were expected and he was well aware that the redhead was holding back often.


    He was a lot more destructive then the clinical Reaper though. The Angel of Death fought very differently from Rosan...


    Reaper fought like an Angel and well, Rosan fought like a Demon.


    "Rosan has no interest in leading a group of people," Robin replied to the chef. "That''s why just the two of us traveled with each other. That boy is incredibly selfish and doesn''t want anyone to overly rely on him."


    She smiled fondly as she explained.


    Personally, Robin enjoyed that part of him. It made them feel like true equals and Rosan hated following people as much as leading them so he never forced her to be the leader. Sure there were times where she felt like the leader, but with his outgoing and natural personality, Rosan felt more like the leader to her at times.


    Whenever one was in a vulnerable position, the other had no problem taking charge. When they were both fine, they had no problem bouncing off ideas or following the others lead.


    It was a healthy, equal, relationship, one that Robin very much liked and missed and she was glad things hadn''t changed. Rosan still listened to her as much as she listened to him.


    Besides, if anything, Mod-chan was their leader. That woman helped them with everything and put the final stamp on if it was a good idea or not.


    "Ace is also his brother¡­ why did he choose Luffy? No offense," Usopp questioned. If those two were apart of the same crew¡­ hell they''d be absolutely terrifying.


    Imagine if all three of them joined under one banner...


    It was scary to think about!


    "I asked Rosan first and he said yes," Luffy beamed, flashing them all a thumbs up.


    "Translation: Luffy asked Rosan to be his first friend, Rosan said no, Luffy refused to accept that as his answer, Rosan said yes, Rosan saying yes meant that he was somehow apart of his crew, Rosan joined the crew, Rosan is now a Straw Hat," Robin translated, smiling gently at the grinning rubber boy.


    They sweatdropped.


    Yeah, that sounded just like Luffy.

 Brothers II

    "Hina wonders what Smoker plans on doing now?"


    Smoker grunted at the pink haired captain as he glared into the distance.


    Who was that redhead? He distantly recalled seeing him flee with straw hat but he hadn''t done much else¡­ What was his Devil Fruit ability? Did he have an Earth Logia?


    There wasn''t much he could do against an Earth Logia but he wouldn''t let that deter him.


    Not to mention the fact that Fire Fist Ace of all people was here.


    Equal their fruits may be, if that man intended on fighting him, he''d make quick work of Smoker, Hina, that town and just about everyone else on Alabasta.


    That''s how overwhelmingly stronger he was then everyone here. He had earned his title of Whitebeard''s second commander after all.


    Besides that though, there was the issue that the Straw Hats were still alive. Either that agent whose call they intercepted hadn''t checked to see if the job was done, or he had lied.


    If the Straw Hats were still alive, everything was being thrown in disarray and he was effectively going in blind again.


    Whatever, he''d deal with that when the time came.


    Tashigi nervously watched him brood before prodding. "I agree with Captain Hina¡­ what now?"


    "Princess Vivi was with the Straw Hats," Smoker eventually said. "And it doesn''t look like they kidnapped her either. She acted like she was one of them."


    Hina''s brows furrowed at that. "Did they brainwash her?"


    They''d have to be extra careful around them then.


    "Whatever it may be, I know where to go," Smoker grunted, pushing himself up and taking a puff of his multiple cigars.


    "Let''s go see Crocodile."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "What are you on about? I won."


    "You don''t seriously believe that right?! I clearly won!"


    "Are you that desperate to get a victory over me? I knew you still held a grudge from when we were kids."


    "STOP MAKING UP BULLSHIT!"


    Rosan and Ace argued back and forth about who was winning as they made their way back to the Going Merry. The redhead was flying next to Ace''s raft as they debated the victor.


    "Fine. We can ask a reliable source," Rosan decided, ascending upwards and landing on the rails. Ace followed soon after and soon, the two stared at Robin with their arms crossed.


    "Robin, can you tell Ace I won?"


    "Tell Rosan who really won, Robin!"


    Robin quirked a brow at the sets of glares, a slight sweatdrop forming, and had to wonder how she had to deal with two wildly competitive children now.


    It was always her¡­ perhaps this was her curse for being the most sensible person around.


    "They would have asked me but Ace is convinced that I have a complete bias for Rosan," Mod sighed fondly.


    "It''s a tie," Robin eventually replied, holding a hand up before they could protest.


    She knew they were going to do that.


    "Despite his head start, Ace decided to show off and leapt to the opposite side of the ships to deliver his attack," she began, glancing pointedly at the Ace who scratched his head sheepishly.


    "As if wanting to one up you, Rosan, in his arrogance, waited for you to land before firing his attack, confident that no matter what, he''d beat you."


    This time she glanced pointedly at the redhead, who simply grunted without denying anything.


    "Shit," Ace cursed.


    "...Drinking contest?" Rosan asked.


    "You can''t get drunk, asshole. How about a bounty contest?" The commander retorted with a grin.


    "Sure, if it''s first ever bounties," the redhead replied smugly.


    The Straw Hats, sans Sanji, blinked.


    First bounties? But¡­ But Rosan didn''t have a bounty?


    ...Right?


    Robin held her head. Rosan was about to reveal his identity just because of his competitive streak.


    At least it showed that he trusted his crew.


    No, it was definitely because he was too competitive.


    "Rosan, you have something you need to tell Ace and Luffy," she interrupted, dragging those two sets of eyes back to her.


    "Oh, that''s right," Ace said, gazing at his brother curiously. "What is it that you wanted to tell the both of us? That''s rare because we just figured out it''s not worth telling Luffy."


    Rosan took a deep breath. "Yeah normally there isn''t much the both of you have to know but this is one of them and I''m just going to say it outright¡­"


    Ace and Luffy looked at their oldest brother in interest.


    "Sabo is alive."


    ...


    A deep silence washed over everyone there.


    For the Straw Hats, who weren''t aware of their supposedly dead brother, this only confused them greatly.


    But for Ace and Luffy, everything around them froze and they stared at their brother''s mouth in raw disbelief.


    The only thing the two could feel, were their own pulsing heartbeats slamming into their chest over and over again.


    Their crew was about to speak up but Robin shushed them, eyeing the frozen brothers with soft eyes.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    ¡­


    "W-W-Wha," Ace stammered in confusion.


    "WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?!" Luffy screeched, jaws dropping to the floor.


    "I¡­ I was shocked to hear it too," Rosan said softly. "Sabo''s alive and thanks to an ally, he''s currently on Alabasta waiting for me to go retrieve him."


    As expected, tears began to surge in Luffy''s eyes, while Ace snarled in anger.


    "S-Sabo''s alive?!" Luffy whispered in shock.


    "But that doesn''t make any sense!" Ace barked. "How are we just now finding this out? How long did you know?!"


    "I didn''t find out until recently, when we were at Loguetown preparing for the Grand Line."


    The Straw Hats remembered how he had shown up on the ship late and their eyes widened in surprise.


    So that''s what had held him up!


    Ace calmed a bit at that.


    If Rosan had known for years, he might have never forgiven him but his brother seemed just as caught off guard as they were.


    Sabo was important to all of them¡­ Rosan wouldn''t lie about something so grave and the redhead didn''t hold back information from him either.


    "Why didn''t he ever reach out to us? It''s been 10 years," Ace snarled, glare settling on his features.


    When he got his hands on that sunnova¡ª


    "He has amnesia," the redhead responded. "He doesn''t remember us at all from what I gather and after the attack by the Celestial Dragon¡­ it took away his memories."


    The second commander blinked in shock at that, anger draining out of his body as he slumped a bit.


    He had¡­ He couldn''t remember them...? That Celestial Dragon robbed Sabo of all his memories that he had with his brothers?


    How dare he?!


    "He''s here right?!" Luffy sobbed, tears still falling. "Bring him! I want to see Sabo!"


    Their crew was understandably very confused by the events transpiring currently.


    While Rosan was a stone wall, Luffy was enigmatic in a different way. They never expected to see him crying so freely because¡­ well, their captain was also pretty infallible!


    Sure he showed his emotions much more freely then Rosan but it was rare to ever see him as anything but happy.


    The two who started the crew were full of mysteries that they never really delved deep into!


    They just figured out that the two had a middle brother who was apart of Whitebeard''s crew! And now, their captain was freely crying over another name?


    It was expected that they didn''t know much about Rosan¡­ but they realized that they also knew startlingly little about Luffy...


    "I''ll go retrieve him¡­ my scout already found him and he''s currently waiting for me," Rosan said, nodding his head and summoning his wings again. "Remember you two, he has amnesia. He will not remember us so don''t react too negatively."


    Ace nodded tightly.


    Luffy nodded eagerly.


    With that, the oldest brother stepped onto the railing and flew off into, presumably, Sabo''s direction.


    They watched the redhead go with mixed reactions, before turning towards the other two brothers.


    "...This might be a bit personal¡­ but who''s Sabo?" Nami asked softly, eyes furrowed as she dwelled on the longest members of the Straw Hats.


    Ace jumped a bit and turned towards the confused crew. He gazed at them all and realized that only Robin seemed to have a clue about who he was.


    That made sense, her and Rosan looked like they were practically glued together and his older brother had always trusted her with everything when they were kids.


    The Whitebeard commander bowed to them. "Sorry about that, you must all be confused. "


    "So polite!" They thought with comical tears. Rosan would have mocked them for being stupid and Luffy would have laughed merrily.


    Ace took a steady breath. "Sabo¡­ Sabo is our other brother. We thought he died a long time ago so we''re a little surprised to hear that he''s alive."


    They flinched at that. A-Another brother? And this one was supposedly dead?


    Robin placed a soothing hand on the commander''s shoulder. "I know that you''re thinking this is your chance to make up for your mistakes, but it''s not your fault, Ace. No one could have predicted what was going to happen that day," she assured.


    The commander stared wide eyed at Rosan''s closest friend. "He really does tell you everything, huh?"


    She smiled softly. "It''s a privilege that I''m honored to have."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Sabo accepted the water from the bird with a polite smile, getting a trill of happiness out of it.


    This bird was incredibly useful. Not only did it guide him to a spot with shade, it gave him some water to drink too!


    It made this heat a lot more tolerable.


    The blonde had removed his jacket and hat long ago and they rested haphazardly next to him. His vest was going to be next if he stayed out here any longer.


    Seriously, the heat was scorching and he really should have listened to Koala''s advice about changing his outfit to accommodate the weather.


    Eh, he''d never admit to her that she was right. It''d make her insufferable.


    His eyes caught something in the distance and Sabo glanced upward to see a figure rocketing towards him. He was about to put his guard up, but the excited chirping and jumping of the bird, at the arrival, stopped him.


    The soaring figure stopped neatly in front of them and Sabo gazed at the figure in confusion.


    "Aren''t you hot?" He couldn''t help but ask.


    "...No, the weather doesn''t typically affect me," he replied softly, staring a hole into him.


    "Huh, neat," Sabo commented idly, gazing back with an appraising eye.


    It was a tall man with bronze skin, almost like it were kissed in this desert heat, and a striking shade of spiky red hair, tied into a messy bun that left the spikes in the front of his head free.


    A set of blood red and royal purple eyes stared into his own with a somewhat lifeless expression, with the most notable thing being the slight glow in them that seemed to get a bit brighter looking at him.


    "Sabo¡­ you''ve grown," Rosan said eventually, listening to Mod''s breath hitch slightly.


    The Devil Fruit had become such a sap over the years but he supposed this was a good reason...


    He was much taller now, barely beating Ace out by a few centimeters and his features had matured greatly, losing the roundness he had as a child and having far more hair too. His missing tooth had grown in now, giving him a row of even teeth and Rosan noticed the horrific burn scar over his left eye that probably resulted from the Celestial Dragon attack.


    Sabo tilted his head in confusion. "So you''re Rosan, right? Dragon said I''d probably meet you first. Nice to meet you, I''m Sabo!"


    Even after seeing him, Sabo had no recollection of anything? It was to be expected but it was still a little surprising.


    "Sorry to keep you waiting, Sabo. Something unexpected came up," Rosan informed him, talking about Ace. He hadn''t been expected a full brotherly reunion in Alabasta but this worked out fine.


    He wasn''t sure when he was ever going to run into Ace again on the high seas so lady luck was smiling down at him.


    How rare of her.


    "I''m Rosan," he introduced eventually. "I''m sure you have a lot of questions and I''ll answer them to the best of my ability."


    Sabo hesitated for a bit.


    Looking at the redhead before him, invoked a strange feeling throughout the revolutionaries body that he couldn''t describe.


    "You''re¡­ one of my brothers? Along with Straw Hat Luffy and Fire Fist Ace?" Sabo began immediately.


    Rosan nodded. "We¡­ We aren''t blood related. The four of us made a pledge over sake to become brothers. I''m the oldest, followed by Ace and then you and Luffy."


    Sabo wasn''t sure why he got annoyed to hear that Ace was older than him.


    "So what happened to me¡­? Besides being attacked I mean," the Chief of Staff couldn''t help but ask.


    "Your actual parents¡­ you ran away from them and they retrieved you," Rosan said eventually.


    He explained everything that happened that day to the amnesiac. About how his father had hired pirates to subdue the three and Sabo gave up his freedom so that Ace and Luffy could be safe at the cost of him returning to life as a noble, how Rosan had tailed him and offered to set him free, after pointing out that he obviously wouldn''t stay here.


    That part made Sabo shudder.


    He learned that despite the offer, Sabo had refused the redhead''s help, even with the knowledge that he could resolve the entire issue, how they had both figured out about the fire that the nobles planned on setting¡­ and how Sabo came to the disgusting realization that the nobles were less human then the people they scorned.


    "That would explain why I wanted to avoid Goa at all cost," Sabo muttered, cupping his chin.


    Rosan frowned internally.


    "He still doesn''t remember."


    "It''s been 10 years of no recollection¡­ it has to be very severe."


    Well, Rosan and Sabo were close but he wasn''t the closest to the boy. Luffy and Ace had a special bond with the blonde so they might have a better chance.


    "You''re underselling yourself, Rosan."


    He wouldn''t be surprised if he was. He had periodic moments where he was negative about himself without meaning to be.


    "I''ll take you to Ace and Luffy now?" Rosan offered, getting a surprised blink out of Sabo.


    "Fire Fist Ace is here?" He asked, bewildered.


    Rosan nodded. "It was good luck. I didn''t inform him of this. He just happened to be here for Luffy and I."


    "How convenient," Sabo muttered, pushing himself up and grabbing his things. "Alright, I''ve been here long enough so let''s go."


    That information was a lot to digest but it lined up well and it was way too specific for him to doubt it. At least he now had a reason as to why he had recklessly began sailing the sea at 10 before getting sunk and found by Dragon.


    "Be warned¡­ Ace and Luffy, especially Luffy, are not as composed as I am," Rosan advised him quietly. "It''s been 10 years of us thinking you were dead and I have some of my emotions locked. They don''t have their emotions locked."


    The chief of staff nodded warily, temporarily ignoring how his emotions surged at the redhead''s words in favor of focusing on the part where he said his emotions were locked.


    Seriously? What happened to him?! Is that why Sabo felt oddly determined every time he looked into his eyes?


    It was a question for later. It''s not like he was in a rush to leave. He needed to stay here until Crocodile was dealt with.


    "Alright, I''ll keep that in mind," Sabo said good naturedly.


    Rosan caught a glimpse of his weapon and he tilted his head. "Ah, you still use the metal pipe? You were always the best with that weapon and true to my words, Ace and Luffy ditched their own before even setting sail."


    I think you''re the best of the three with that metal pipe.


    Sabo shook his head harshly, which Rosan didn''t miss and the blonde waved him off at the questioning look.


    "It''s the only thing I knew how to use so I stuck with it. Now, let''s go," he said in hopes of changing the subject.


    Rosan stared at him with that blank gaze almost knowingly before nodding his head and outstretching his hand.


    After a moment''s hesitation, the revolutionary grabbed the limb and they both vanished.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    When Rosan warned him about Ace and Luffy, Sabo had prepared himself to the best of his ability for the inevitable meeting.


    But there was no way to prepare for a speeding, crying, missile crashing into him.


    "SABOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Luffy sobbed, bowling the blonde over completely.


    "YOU''RE ALIVE! I CAN''T BELIEVE IT!" The captain of the Straw Hats cried in relief, clutching the revolutionary with all his might.


    Sabo flailed helplessly, shooting a confused, if not pleading glance, Rosan''s way and getting an, "I told you so," as a response.


    Ace''s throat locked up at seeing the aged up blonde, drinking in all his details and comparing them to the Sabo that he knew.


    He still had that goofy top hat on (Rosan and Ace enjoyed teasing him about it after finding out about his noble heritage) and his hair had gotten much longer over the years.


    His outfit choice was largely similar as to when he was a kid, just fitted to his significantly taller (he looked like he was the same height as him now) frame.


    He was currently shooting a wide eyed look at Luffy that made Ace''s gut curl.


    His eyes¡­


    There was a burn mark over his left one. It was probably the aftermath of getting attacked by that damn Celestial Dragon.


    But that wasn''t the most concerning thing about his eyes.


    No. The most concerning thing about his eyes was the fact that despite seeing three of his brothers... his best friends, there was no hint of recognition in them and that knocked the anger right out of him.


    Robin and Rosan saw Ace deflate a bit and their eyes softened. "It sucks, not being recognized by someone you love," the redhead said.


    Ace nodded tightly. "Yeah, it sucks a lot but we won''t give up will we?"


    Rosan nodded in return. "Of course not. Sabo is our little brother after all."


    The Straw Hats watched with their own soft gazes as Sabo eventually gave up and hesitantly wrapped his hands around their crying captain.


    "Rosan¡­" Nami said hesitantly. "Could you¡­ could you tell us a bit more about you and Luffy''s past after this is over with¡­?"


    The redhead glanced at them for a moment, before nodding. "Sure. I can even share certain memories if you want."


    The crew looked appreciative of that and nodded hesitantly.


    Eventually, Luffy had gained enough coherence and he let Sabo go. The blonde didn''t look too bothered at the fact that his clothes were soaked, pushing himself to an upright position with a confused expression.


    The Straw Hat began grinning excitedly, energy radiating off of him palpably.


    "Sabo! Where were you?! We were all so sad when we thought you died but you weren''t dead! Why didn''t you come at least say hi! I knew we should have saved you but Rosan and Ace were both being dumb!"


    The Chief of Staff wasn''t even sure where he could begin with that questioning. He wanted to answer the pirate because everything about Luffy was so¡­ genuine but he really couldn''t because he didn''t know how.


    "Luffy..." Ace sighed, pulling the youngest off of Sabo. "Rosan just said he has amnesia. He can''t answer you because he doesn''t know the answers to your question. You''re being overwhelming right now."


    "Oh right!" Luffy gasped. He totally forgot!


    Ace offered his hand to Sabo, who gratefully took it and hauled him up.


    "Gotta say, never expected Fire Fist Ace to be one of my brothers," Sabo muttered, appraising the commander before him. Looking at the commander invoked a different feeling then when he looked at Rosan or Luffy...


    It was almost like he was looking at a partner in crime... Ace filled him with fondness, happiness and exasperation all at once and he hated that he couldn''t explain why.


    But for some reason... when he looked at the tattoo on Ace''s arm... the one that said ASCE with the S neatly crossed out, Sabo felt his insides screaming.


    It was like he lost his breath and the revolutionary did a admirable job not showing it on his face.


    "What the hell was that?" He thought in shock.


    "Not just brothers, the best of friends," Ace sighed, smiling wryly at the blonde. "It sucks that you have amnesia but I''m just happy that you''re alive and well... Your death hit us all hard but knowing that you survived... it makes me feel relieved."


    Luffy and Rosan nodded at the same time and Sabo felt a strange happiness at seeing them so happy to see him.


    "I don''t know what will bring them back¡­ but I do want to remember you guys. You three are pretty cool!" Sabo laughed, rubbing the back of his wavy hair.


    "How long will you be staying?" Rosan asked calmly.


    "Yeah how long?!" Luffy prodded.


    Sabo hummed. "My mission is to stay here until Alabasta''s problems are dealt with and I assume you guys are the ones dealing with it. So when you guys win, I''ll be done."


    "Mission?" Vivi asked in confusion.


    Everyone else, barring Rosan and Robin were also confused. Who would send him here on a mission?


    "Yeah, mission. I''m a revolutionary. Chief of Staff to be exact," Sabo replied easily.


    There was a brief silence at that.


    "WHAT?!" They all roared in shock.


    Seriously, what was up with these brothers?!


    Ace, Sabo, Rosan, Luffy¡­ they were all monsters!


    Not only did they have a brother who was the second commander of Whitebeard''s crew¡­ they had another brother who was second in command to the Revolutionaries!


    Ace''s eyes were especially wide because he knew what that entailed.


    The freckled man shot Rosan a sideways glance that the redhead caught and he imperceptibly nodded.


    "I met Luffy''s father, Dragon. That''s how I was able to learn that Sabo was alive," he confirmed.


    So that''s how he learned¡­


    "When did you meet Dragon?"


    "The first time was right before I killed Bluejam. He was on Goa the day of the fire and Sabo and I met him."


    The day everything went wrong¡­ at least something good came out of it.


    "S-So you''re not only a Revolutionary, but your the second in command?" Usopp stammered in disbelief. The liar was looking rapidly between the four brothers in surprise.


    One was a super important pirate. The other was a super important revolutionary.


    Luffy was trying to become the Pirate King too¡­ What would Rosan have been doing if he decided to sail on his own?!


    If only they all knew that Rosan had long since made a name for himself as the most infamous bounty hunter alive.


    "I''d like to stay longer¡­ but I can''t," Ace frowned.


    As much as he''d like to catch up with Sabo, after staying here for a bit more, he''d need to continue his search for Blackbeard.


    It was his duty as second commander to bring him in and that wasn''t something he could delay.


    The oldest brother nodded in understanding. "I should let Angel and co see you then. They''ll try to keep you for days and it gets increasingly difficult to deny that woman."


    "That''s you and Maro''s fault," Ace grunted in annoyance, a fond smile on his face. "Always saying yes to her and agreeing to her demands. I told you guys to stop."


    "I spoil all my family and Maro spoils everyone she likes period," Rosan said shamelessly. "It''s my job as the oldest and I have to do something with all the money I managed to secure."


    They sweatdropped at his blunt statement. Based on how he treated Luffy, they believed him wholeheartedly.


    "We have more family?" Sabo asked in confusion. He didn''t think there was more than his three apparent brothers but guess he was wrong.


    Ace and Rosan shared a look, before nodding.


    "Maybe seeing everyone will help you?" Rosan muttered in contemplation.


    "I wanna see Angel, Demon and Maro too!" Luffy jumped in, smiling eagerly. It had been way too long since he saw them!


    "Angel, Demon and Maro¡­ Those are your clones and the queen, right?" Zoro recalled correctly. He mentioned them a while ago and the swordsman was curious to see what clones of Rosan were like.


    "A queen?!" Vivi repeated in surprise. Not only was Rosan''s mother a queen, he personally knew another?!


    Wait a second... did they just say Queen Maro?! Wasn''t she the young Queen of that incredible island in the North Blue?!


    "Can we meet them?" Nami asked curiously.


    She¡­ She wanted to know more about the first two member''s lives. It sucked not knowing anything about the two who had helped her so much.


    "I''d like to see them too!" Sanji interjected.


    He mostly wanted to see the queen and Rosan''s sister for his own reasons (Rosan mentioned them being very beautiful) but¡­ Queen Maro was also Grim and he wanted to show his gratitude to her somehow.


    Rosan cupped his chin and after some contemplation, he nodded. "Where are we headed? We should land there first or it might get crowded. Maro has wanted to meet you guys for a long time so I guess now''s as good as any."


    "Maro''s gonna be pissed when she realizes I''m stronger than her now," Ace sighed fondly.


    "I''ll concede first place to you for now," Rosan grunted. "Enjoy it while you can, once I learn Haki and travel more of this sea, you''ll lose it."


    Ace had a three year head start in the strange ocean known as the Grand Line and was apart of the World''s Strongest Pirate crew to boot.


    Give Rosan and Luffy more time to sail this sea and they''d quickly catch up¡­ Huh, Maro was going to be pissed wasn''t she?


    "You guys know about Haki?" Sabo raised a brow in wonder.


    Ace at least, seemed like he knew it.


    "Haki?" Zoro prodded in curiosity.


    "I''ll tell you all about it later," Robin assured the crew. It would be less of a headache if she did it instead of Rosan or Luffy.


    Ace and Rosan both stared at Sabo. "Ace just told us about it. Do you have it as well?" The redhead replied.


    Was he in third now? That was¡­ not very desirable but he guess that was to be expected.


    There was a reason young Rosan wanted to go to the Grand Line so badly¡­ He knew how strong he could get there and now his little brothers were stronger then him.


    Ace was wondering if Sabo was stronger than him now... Though their fights had been relatively close, he generally had the edge and was confident he was slightly stronger than him as kids.


    He wondered how a spar between them would go now¡­ Actually, a spar between all of them sounded like it would be fun! He would finally be able to give his eldest brother a good fight.


    "Yeah, I have Armament and Observation¡­" The revolutionary admitted. Both were quite exceptional but his Armament was a tad better.


    "No Conquerors?" Ace and Rosan asked in unison, looking incredibly smug to be asking that.


    For some reason, that annoyed Sabo to no end. "You two do?" He asked with pursed lips.


    They nodded and that smugness seemed to amplify and Sabo scoffed, annoyance rising.


    "You don''t even know how to use it yet!" Sabo barked, pointing at Rosan. "What are you so smug about?!"


    "I''ve never failed to learn something I put my mind to," Rosan replied, smirking slightly. "It''s only a matter of time before I learn all three and have one more extra then you do."


    "Imagine if Luffy has it too," Ace snorted. "Then Sabo''d be the only one without it!"


    The Straw Hats watched Sabo''s expression shift into one of deeper annoyance and realized that he was definitely their brother.


    Sabo himself was beginning to see how annoying having siblings could be because right now, he wanted to throttle both Ace and Rosan. It wasn''t even something he could control and they were being this smug about it!


    Robin patted his shoulder sympathetically. "Don''t give them fuel. Rosan thrives on annoying people, Ace picked up his trick and Luffy is also a natural at it."


    The blonde sighed at her advice and thanked the woman before blinking.


    "Wait, are you Nico Robin?!" Sabo gawked.


    The revolutionaries were incredibly interested in the sole survivor of Ohara and it was an interest that was personally cultivated by Dragon himself.


    "Is that man interested in her?" Rosan asked, possessively grabbing Robin, who rolled her eyes at his actions. "She''s mine and I refuse to let anyone use her," he explained, eyes narrowed.


    "So possessive," Sabo sweatdropped, backing away slightly.


    "I''m so glad your possessive tendencies have gotten better over the years. No, really I''m so very proud," Robin said dryly as she sunk into his frame, filing the information that Luffy''s father was interested in her.


    When the world''s most wanted man was interested in you, that was something you would never be able to ignore, whether good or bad. She wouldn''t mind hearing him out if his intentions were good but if not...


    "You can''t just claim people!" Sanji roared, getting ready to kick Rosan through a wall for shamelessly laying his claim on Robin-chan.


    "Yes I can," Rosan replied like it was obvious.


    "SAYS WHO?!" The blonde roared.


    "...Me? Everyone in my family belongs to me. This is a fact," Rosan muttered, confused as to what Sanji didn''t understand. "Ram, who do you belong to?"


    "You!" The ring chimed aloud like it were obvious.


    They didn''t even know she could speak in ring form...


    "Luffy?" The redhead continued.


    "You!" The captain beamed, nonplussed by the question.


    "Mod-chan?"


    They watched as Rosan''s right eye turned blood red... and a tired woman''s voice sighed, "You, Rosan," before shifting back to the purple they were used to.


    "What was that?!" Chopper, Vivi and Sabo thought in confusion. Did Rosan just... partially transform into a woman?!


    "Robin?"


    "You are absolutely ridiculous, Rosan," Robin rolled her eyes.


    "...Robin."


    "...You, Rosan," she sighed tiredly.


    Before Rosan could open his mouth again, his fiery brother immediately shut it down.


    "Don''t even think about asking. Fuck off, Rosan," Ace said with a glare.


    "...Tsundere," Rosan muttered. The freckled boy just wasn''t being honest with himself. So rebellious for no reason.


    "S-SHUT UP!" Ace shouted, shooting a small flicker of flames at the redhead that he effortlessly ignored.


    The crew watched with slack jaws, as everyone admitted to being Rosan''s with only the slightest of resistance out of some.


    Sanji spluttered at hearing the 3 beautiful woman answer yes and collapsed on his knees in despair.


    "We''ve gotten used to it," Ace replied, resigned. "There''s no point telling him otherwise. I''ve been fighting a losing battle for years that no one else wants to help me with but Aiko."


    Ram, Angel and Maro were the worst offenders. While Mod, Luffy, Demon and Akemi also had no issue with Rosan''s possessive streak, the first three actively encouraged it.


    Mod knew it was his selfishness and long gave up on trying to tell him otherwise, Luffy was his captain and saw no problem with it while Demon and Akemi were in the middle where they both wanted to encourage and stop him from being like this.


    Only Ace, Aiko and Makino were actively against Rosan''s toxic trait but that had suspiciously transformed into just Ace and Aiko after Rosan turned 18¡­


    The less he thought about it, the better. Whatever his brother and Makino did, could stay between them.


    Maybe Robin would help the selfish redhead see reason.


    "Oh, Ace," Robin sighed with a shake of her head. "I''m flattered that you think I can fix him, but I gave up when I was eight. It''s an impossible mission and I''ve had to deal with Rosan when he was in full spoiled mode."


    Ace groaned in defeat.


    "Yeah, I figured."


    Rosan smiled slightly.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Master! Robin! You''re back so ¡ª AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Maro shrieked in shock.


    "Maro?!" Angel barked, sprinting into the room in record time with Demon right behind her. "What''s wrong?! What ¡ª OH MY KAMI, ACE?!"


    Ace shot the three a wide grin, that turned into a wheeze at the blue and red missile launching themselves into him. Demon followed at a much more sedated pace but his excitement was clear as day and soon they were all crushing the commander.


    "What''s up you three?" He laughed, squeezing them all back to the best of his abilities. He was taller then all of them now so it was much easier then it would have been three years ago.


    "Same old, same old, Mr. Whitebeard Commander," Demon smiled.


    "It''s a long story," Ace replied sheepishly. "I''ll tell you guys all about it."


    "I can''t believe you were so inspired by Master and I, you decided to get a Flame Logia to one up us," Maro snorted. "I hope you stole some of our techniques to use as your own."


    "You bet I did. All that fire you guys use and you thought I wouldn''t?" He snorted.


    "It''s been three years and now you''re walking around shirtless," Angel said flatly, staring up at him with a neutral expression.


    Ace held his hands up to appease his overprotective sister. "It''s comfortable like this! Made of fire and all that you know? The first few weeks of me having this fruit ended up with a lot of burned shirts so I just decided to get rid of em until I master the flames!"


    By the time he was comfortable with them he had gotten used to going around shirtless (he admittedly got used to being shirtless very fast but he wouldn''t tell her that).


    Her staring lessened and warmed up significantly. Hugging him tightly, Angel murmured, "I missed you, Ace. I can''t believe we haven''t seen you for three years."


    "I missed you all too," Ace replied warmly and he meant it. He missed his entire family and was so excited to see them all.


    There was no way he could go another 3 years without seeing them. He would go crazy.


    "You three get ready to go," Rosan informed the three.


    Maro''s eyes glittered excitedly. "REALLY?! ARE WE FINALLY MEETING YOUR CREW?!"


    "Not just his crew¡­" Ace said, turning serious for a moment. "...Sabo too."


    There was a long silence, as the three leaders of Celadon processed that bombshell.


    ...


    "What did you just say...?" Angel whispered, heart dropping to her stomach as she checked her ears.


    "Sabo''s alive?" Demon said eventually, unable to believe what he was hearing.


    "B-But how?" Maro stammered.


    That... that wasn''t something that they could just spring on them.


    T-This was a bad idea of a joke! W-Why would they joke like that?


    They wouldn''t... Rosan and Ace especially, would never joke about Sabo''s death like that.


    "Why didn''t he ever visit us?" Angel snarled in raw anger and hurt. Despite the glare on her features, there was a wild panic in her eyes as she tried to process the situation.


    Demon steadied her as she swayed a bit and shot his brothers a look, begging them to explain what was going on.


    Maro gnawed on her lip as she glanced at her wife and master repeatedly.


    Rosan explained the situation to them and their confused expressions slowly melted away into one of understanding.


    To get amnesia that severe¡­ all of them felt their disdain for the World Government increasing far past what they were used to.


    The Queen clenched her fist angrily, skin turning a green hue as her sharp fangs began poking out of her mouth.


    Angel wrapped an arm around her, shaking herself and calmed the queen down. "It''s okay... we can see him... we can actually see him!"


    Demon''s brow furrowed sadly.


    Amnesia didn''t have an actual cure. There were many methods to regain lost memories... but sometimes the effects could be permanent.


    If Sabo had forgotten for over 10 years... there was a very real chance he may never remember them and that nearly brought the kind doctor to tears.


    "Alright¡­ we''ll take a bit to get ready but we''ll try and be fast," Maro said seriously, a look of anticipation set on her features.


    Turning towards Mr. 13 and Miss Friday, who had been listening quietly to their conversation on their comfy beds, Maro instructed them to go retrieve Kanna, all the agents and Kaori for her. The two saluted and flew off to do just that.


    "Where are we going?" Angel asked.


    "The Alabasta Kingdom. It''s a desert," Robin replied. She was currently rubbing a soothing hand on Demon''s shoulder to calm the doctor down.


    Maro perked up at that. "I''ve heard of that kingdom! They were supposed to be at my World Government business two years ago but they missed it. Is that where you guys are fighting Baroque Works?"


    "That''s right, Maro-sama," Gem replied, bowing to the queen after his arrival. "Baroque Works has been sabotaging Alabasta for unknown reasons these past few years... Rosan-sama. Robin-sama."


    Rosan nodded as greeting and turned to face his student''s subordinates. Kaori shot a respectful nod towards him, which he returned, Marianne followed in her footsteps and hesitantly waved, surprised to get one back from the redhead and Mikita stared fearfully at him, inching a little closer to Demon and Maro.


    He tilted his head at her slightly, dual orbs piercing her and getting her to flinch, before the redhead glanced away in disinterest, making her wilt at his casual dismissal.


    "Don''t be so mean to her, Master," Demon chided, sighing softly.


    He wasn''t sure what his older brother had said, but Mikita was a mess with severe confidence issues and was trying too hard to prove her worth, hurting herself in the process and giving her rather frequent trips to the hospital.


    When she came in for the 5th time, he had put his foot down and questioned why she was going to such extents.


    The Kilo woman burst into tears at that and claimed she didn''t want to die for being useless, which caused Demon to sigh because dammit his older brother always made things so difficult.


    Now, he was trying to build her self worth up because he felt bad for what their former leader did and it was working slowly but surely.


    Mikita shot the doctor a grateful look and hid directly behind him.


    Rosan hummed but didn''t outwardly acknowledge him, patting a curious Kanna on the head instead and getting a scowl of annoyance out of the 18 year old, though she had long learned that slapping his hand away only caused him to further ruin it. "Maro, tell them what you wanted to say."


    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    Maro nodded eagerly at that. "The three of us are going out for a bit for something really important. Kanna and Kaori are in charge! The rest of you can stay in the castle until we come back and if things get bad, let Gem and Kaori handle it."


    "Make sure Gladiolus and Anemone are well fed," Angel interjected.


    She had been reluctant to accept them but they were too fucking adorable.


    After trying to explain to the little dinosaurs that Maro belonged to her, Angel quickly gave up on that and took it upon herself to care for the animals so they wouldn''t hog her wife''s attention... Then she ended up falling for their adorable charms and now she took care of them more then the Queen did and it was genuine.


    "Right!" They saluted in unison.


    "No instructions for Jango?" Demon asked in amusement.


    Maro seemed to be the only one who had a problem with him. He found the hypnotist very useful for making his more rowdy patients more complacent and his value to the clone army had practically made him attached to them in case of attack.


    "I''ll throw you... but just tell him to be on standby for buffs if you need it," Maro said calmly, removing her tiara and handing it to Kanna for safekeeping. "Good luck you guys, don''t hesitate to call me if things go south, alright?"


    "Don''t be such a worrywart, my queen," Kanna chided. "They are strong. Take a little break, won''t you?"


    The Queen glanced over at her and replaced Rosan''s hand with her own, effortlessly ruining the perfectly cared for hair.


    "I miss when Angel didn''t make you so sassy," Maro sighed.


    "M-My Queen!" Kanna gaped in horror.


    "Learn a little bit of respect," the Dokkaebi replied, winking with a pleased smile.


    Kanna was right though... She could leave for a little bit and things wouldn''t go to hell if her island got attacked.


    Gem and Kaori especially, would be more than enough to deal with any invaders from the North Blue... Unless Germa decided to show up unannounced.


    Mr. 5 had quickly risen up the ranks of her army with that Devil Fruit usage and only Kaori was stronger then him now.


    Seriously, it was a strong fruit... Just how was he using it before that made Master so disappointed in him?


    "That reminds me, Ace taught Luffy and I about something that should make us stronger once we learn it. We''ll tell you about it once we head over there," Rosan informed her.


    Maro paused for a bit, before a look of horror crossed her features. "Oh no... What place will I be in now?! I-I''ll die if I''m knocked down from second!"


    The Queen made a show of collapsing on the floor and she clutched her heart in agony.


    "So dramatic," every single person, barring Rosan (who thought her reaction was normal) thought.


    "Of course you think it''s normal¡­ you were this exact level of dramatic as a child."


    "I missed it when you weren''t talking."


    "I missed it when you had unconditional respect for me, brat."


    "Using words like brat? You may look 18 but I wouldn''t be surprised if you were ¡ª"


    "It would be unwise of you to finish that sentence, Portgas D. Rosan."


    The tone in her voice sent Ace, Maro, Robin, Ram and Rosan straight, much to the confusion of everyone who was not privy to her thoughts.


    "Yes Ma''am," they all said, despite it only being Rosan who was in trouble.


    Mod blushed in embarrassment at that.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    There was a mole in Baroque Works and they were actively sabotaging him.


    As Crocodile stared at his Bananawani, that was the conclusion he came to.


    Why did he come to that conclusion? Because Mr. 13 and Miss Friday were nowhere to be seen after their last report.


    He explicitly told them to come back quickly for orders but they were nowhere to be seen. Something could have happened to them but too many things were happening to too many of his agents in a short period of time to be random.


    There was only two possible choices of people who had betrayed them. Mr. 3¡­ or Nico Robin. But it was even more likely that it was both.


    Mr. 3 was an idiot. No matter what claims he made, the wax man wasn''t capable of doing something like this alone. It was more then likely that he was being used by Miss All Sunday because that was a woman whose intellect made her worthy of being his partner.


    How had he come to that conclusion? It was easy.


    During his conversation with Mr. 3, the man slightly hesitated when asked about Miss All Sunday and took a second too long to reply.


    Mr. 2 had not yet informed him of the results of his mission but that was likely because he had no one to report it too. Once he got the information from the agent, it would verify some of the information he was lacking.


    For some reason... Nico Robin had allied herself with Mr. 3 of all people but that didn''t make any sense.


    Why would she ally herself with that useless man? Crocodile could offer her far more and would provide her much more protection then the agent she was almost palpably stronger then.


    No, Nico Robin didn''t need to ally with any of his agents if it was strength she needed because she was strong.


    There was a key detail he was missing. A detail that caused the Unluckies to so boldly betray him with no regrets at all.


    A detail that had informed them of Cipher Pol¡­


    Nico Robin and Mr. 3 had another ally. One who was potentially a larger threat then himself.


    Well, that mattered little. He dared anyone to try and fight him in his domain of the desert.


    Now, it was time to meet his remaining agents face to face. Nico Robin may not have been here but Utopia would proceed.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Sabo should have probably accepted Rosan''s offer to go with him, Ace and Robin but he figured getting more information from the princess (wasn''t that a shock to see Princess Vivi traveling with pirates) on the situation in Alabasta would be better.


    "Do you plan on helping?" Vivi asked hopefully, handing him a robe that would withstand the scorching desert heat. If the Chief of Staff was here to help, that would make things much easier!


    "If I''m needed," he answered truthfully.


    To be honest, he was surprised that Dragon even wanted him to assist a government affiliated country like Alabasta but it was probably more so to do with reuniting with his family and masking it behind a mission.


    "You don''t gotta do anything, Sabo!" Luffy beamed, invading Sabo''s personal space for the millionth time. "You can see how strong I got over the years! You can tell Ace that I made the Gomu Gomu no mi useful!"


    Luffy was¡­ hyper and carefree.


    Emphasis on the hyper.


    Sabo was carefree too, much to the annoyance of his allies so he liked that about the rubber boy. But, he dialed it up to 100 and Sabo was the direct target for it, considering the pirate hadn''t seen him in ten years.


    They were currently traveling through the desert to a place called Yuba and Luffy took it upon himself to talk to Sabo the entire time, completely forgetting that he had amnesia multiple times.


    Most of the time, he couldn''t even muster up a response because he didn''t know what the rubber boy was talking about but that never deterred the rubber boy who could have a conversation on his own!


    He couldn''t keep the thankful expression off his face, much to the amusement of the Straw Hats, as the scout showed back up with extra company, successfully managing to distract Luffy.


    "It''s soooo hot," Maro complained, tugging her short, but regal, kimono.


    "What? Can''t handle a bit of heat?" Ace retorted smugly, looking wholly unbothered by the scorching desert heat.


    "The spoiled queen can''t adapt I guess," Rosan shrugged, looking just as unbothered despite his long sleeved clothing that should absolutely make him suffer the most.


    "Kami you two cheaters are so fucking annoying," the queen snarled.


    Rosan was constantly modified to be immune to changes in weather and Ace was literally made of fire! How was she supposed to be immune to the heat?!


    "You''re so easy to rile up," Angel sighed fondly.


    "It''s no wonder they do it so often," Demon chided.


    Maro glared jealously at them as well. She was the only one in the group bothered by the desert heat and it was seriously annoying!


    The queen squinted her eyes and a large grin split her face as she heard, "MARO!"


    "LUFFY!" She squealed, rocketing and colliding with the other missile.


    The Straw Hats sweatdropped at the impact and how neither seemed affected by the force of it.


    "I missed you!" Maro beamed, squeezing the rubber boy affectionately.


    "I missed you too, Maro!" The rubber boy beamed, glancing at Demon and Angel and dragging the two into the hug as well with his rubbery appendages. "Angel! Demon!"


    "Luffy!" Angel gushed, squeezing his cheek cheerfully. "How''s our little 35 million pirate doing!"


    "I hope you and Master haven''t caused your crew too much stress," Demon sighed, patting his head.


    "You should have seen the party we threw when your bounty was revealed! Let''s shoot for 1 billion next!" Maro cheered.


    "Yeah!" Luffy agreed, nodding eagerly


    .


    "Master! Don''t just let him build such a lead!" Angel barked, rounding on Rosan with a glare. "You should get 2 billion!"


    "That''s a bit much, don''t you think?" Rosan hummed.


    "I don''t care!" She scowled.


    "You heard the lady," Ace teased. "Can''t go around being the oldest with the lowest bounty can you?"


    "You guys know that I would rather not go making a fuss in the world yet, but you still do this," Rosan sighed in annoyance. "I didn''t bring you guys here to talk about my lack of bounty. I wanted you to meet our crew."


    His family was too much sometimes. Always so demanding.


    "Oh!" Maro gasped in realization, glancing over at the Straw Hats. "Where are our manners?!"


    Facing them fully, the queen of Celadon smiled brightly at them all and waved. "It''s nice to meet you all! I''m Maro and I''m the queen of Celadon as well as Master Rosan''s student!"


    The Straw Hats blinked at that. "YOU''RE HIS STUDENT?!" They barked in confusion. They thought she was just married to his sister!


    Much like Rosan said, Queen Maro was stunningly beautiful, with shoulder length azure blue hair donned with white streaks and wide orange eyes that stared at them all with compassion.


    She was donned in a simple black kimono that showed off her curvy and strong figure, most notably the long fair legs.


    Maro blinked at their confusion. "D-Does he not talk about me?" She stammered, shooting him a betrayed look. "BUT YOU SAID I WAS HOT?!"


    "I never said that and you are allied with the World Government, Maro," Rosan grunted, flicking her on her forehead and getting a whine out of her. "Just bringing you here is a risk. I don''t want anyone to associate you with us."


    "I hate when you use logic on me," Maro scowled, glaring at him.


    "So you really are that Queen Maro?!" Vivi asked in shock, eyes going wide. "The same Queen who rules Celadon?! You managed to increase the prestige of that island so much! It''s astonishing how quickly you rose to fame!"


    She was Rosan''s student?!


    "That''s me~," Maro sang cheerfully, waving at the bluenette. "You''re the princess of Alabasta, right? I''m glad someone recognizes me! Oh! But don''t tell anyone that Master and I are allies¡­ I could get in a lot of trouble!"


    They sweatdropped at that. Everyone related to Rosan and Luffy had their own eccentrics it seemed.


    "I don''t think you have to worry about that, Maro," Demon smiled, grabbing their eyes and causing their mouths to open at the¡­ softer looking Rosan, to be blunt. "After all, Princess Vivi is traveling with a group of pirates. It would be bad for her if she revealed how she knew that information."


    Softer Rosan was the best way to put it... He looked like a dolled up version of the redhead with inverted hair and eyes, a small smile on his pretty face as he soaked the attention. He lacked the spikes Rosan did and he looked softer around the edges as well.


    To top it off, the purple haired man wore a purple yukata that covered most of his bronze skin, giving him quite the regal and wise air.


    "What a pretty person," they thought.


    Despite looking like Rosan, they were finding it hard to believe that the two were related because of just how much kinder he looked.


    "Dumbass. You think Master would have risked our position that easily?" Angel scoffed at her wife.


    The surprised Straw Hats, only grew more shocked at seeing another Rosan, except it was a woman!


    She was not as¡­ blessed as Rosan''s female transformation but she was just as gorgeous and much less wild, despite the haughty demeanor she exuded that would fit oddly well on the woman they saw the other day.


    It was like looking at an inverted Demon. They looked just like twins (their features were far more similar to each other then Rosan) but where his hair was purple, hers was red and where his eyes were red, hers were purple.


    Despite that, they were just as pretty as each other.


    The woman''s sense of style seemed more align to Rosan''s as well, considering she was wearing white leather pants, a white crop top and a red bomber jacket.


    "These are Angel and Demon," Rosan introduced, pointing at the twins. "They''re my younger twin siblings and my clones. Demon''s a doctor and Angel''s a blacksmith."


    "Angel''s also my super hot and gorgeous wife!" Maro beamed, grabbing the slightly taller woman and hugging her gleefully.


    Angel blushed scarlet at her words and returned the hug, kissing her on the cheek happily and getting a pleased grin out of the queen. "O-Oh you!"


    Sanji could no longer resist staring at the two stunning beauties and soon, he was kneeling in front of the duo with two roses, offering them up to the both of them.


    "It''s truly rare that I get to see beauties such as you two ¡ª"


    "NO WAY! SANJI?!" Maro gaped, making the chef jump in surprise and glance up wildly.


    She was looking at him with clear recognition in her eyes and he was suddenly reminded that this was Grim.


    "Oh right... I was distracted by her beauty," he thought to himself.


    "Is that really you?! You''ve grown so much and you''re a little pervert too, flirting with me and my wife right in front of each other!" The queen awed, forcing the blonde up to get a good look at him.


    She moved his head back and forth, doting on him like a gushing mother and Sanji would have heart eyes at being pampered by such a beauty, if not for his embarrassment at why she was doing this.


    "You guys know each other?" Zoro asked in amusement, watching Sanji''s mortification with a large grin.


    He remembered Rosan recognizing the chef''s name when they first met and it seemed like Maro knew him too.


    The other Straw Hats were also confused. Normally, Sanji should be on the moon at being the attention of such a beautiful woman but right now, he was frozen in his spot and looked like he wanted to disappear on the spot.


    "Master and I met him a long time ago!" Maro exclaimed in joy. The two had shared a quick glance after she recognized him and he nodded his head, letting her know that Sanji knew his identity as Reaper.


    "He was such a small and cute little thing and now look at him! I can''t believe you guys managed to find each other again! Small world huh?"


    The chef laughed nervously. "Y-Yeah... I just wanted to thank you."


    "Thank me?! But I barely did anything! Aren''t you just the cutest! How old are you now?" She asked eagerly, patting his head excitedly.


    "1-19," he stammered, praying to anyone that she didn''t go into detail about how they met.


    She hummed at that, orange eyes glinting manically.


    So Grim really was totally insane. He got that vibe from her for the few minutes that they met.


    "Look at you! Thinking you''re old enough to be smoking cigarettes! Those are bad for you, you know?! Have you stopped crying so much?! You could fill a whole room with your tears," Maro prodded, grabbing his cheek with one hand and squeezing curiously.


    In her eyes, he may as well have been 8 again and Sanji blanched in horror at the realization.


    "Please stop talking about the past!" Sanji begged. He knew that based on their short meeting, Grim was definitively the more outgoing of the two but he didn''t realize just how bad she was in person.


    This was one of the few times someone so beautiful was touching him and he couldn''t even be happy about it! He wasn''t expecting Reaper''s right hand to be so gorgeous but he couldn''t even soak it in because he wanted to crawl into a hole and die at her antics!


    Zoro''s eyes gleamed viciously at the visible embarrassment on Sanji''s face.


    This sounded too good to be true.


    "I''ve never seen a girl do this to Sanji," Nami mused, glancing at the eccentric queen with an impressed gaze.


    "I was about to stomp him to the ground but luckily for him, Maro recognized the perv," Angel sniffed, crossing her arms petulantly under her chest before gazing at the crew.


    She shot them a short wave and said, "Hi all of you! I''m Angel and like mentioned before, I''m Master''s younger sister and Maro''s "super hot and gorgeous" wife."


    "Rosan mentioned that you like to craft," Usopp said warily, stepping up slowly to the kinda scary girl.


    Angel flashed a cocky grin and pat her impressive abs. "I''m pretty damn good at it too! Bet you didn''t expect someone like me to be into such physical labor, eh? What type of gizmos do you make?"


    Usopp puffed up at that, wanting to show off to a fellow craftsmen. "The great captain Usopp can make anything! I''ve been crafting since I was only three years old!"


    The redhead shot the liar an unimpressed glare. "Lie to me again and I''m going to crush your nose small, dumbass. Now, tell me what you can really do and maybe we can trade ideas!"


    The sniper whittled instantly at that and nodded hastily. "S-Scary¡­" he whispered.


    This was definitely Rosan''s sister.


    Demon watched the exchange in amusement, before he felt something tentatively touch his yukata, causing him to glance down.


    "U-Um¡­ Did you say you were a doctor?" Chopper blurted out, clearly interested despite his hesitance. "I''m one too! My name''s Chopper!"


    "Oh, you can talk and you sound so intelligent!" He gasped, bending down slightly to regard him. "It''s nice to meet you, Chopper. I''m Demon and I''d love to exchange information with you! Did you eat a Devil Fruit?"


    Chopper nodded, surprised that he was being treated so normally. "I did! The Hito Hito no mi!"


    Maro abruptly stopped pinching Sanji''s cheek and her gaze snapped towards the voice that said that.


    "YOU ATE THE HITO HITO NO MI?!" She gaped, vanishing and appearing right in front of a frightened Chopper, hoisting the tiny guy up with a manic gleam in her eyes.


    "Y-Yes?" He said in confusion, blushing at the awed look in her eyes.


    "Wow! So we''re like Devil Fruit siblings now! From now on, you can call me Maro-nee!" Maro gushed happily, hugging the adorable little guy into her bust, much to Angel''s outrage. "I also ate the Hito Hito no mi! Mine is Model: Dokkaebi!"


    Chopper''s eyes widened at that. "Really?!" He gasped in clear fascination.


    She also had the Hito Hito no mi?! He wondered what a variation of his Devil Fruit would be like!


    Would the rumble balls work on her? So many questions! Ah, it was so interesting to think about!


    Maro nodded in excitement, placing him down and stepping back with a glimmer in her eyes.


    The Straw Hats were all watching in interest after Maro''s exclamation and she flashed them a peace sign.


    Chopper couldn''t stop the terrified screech that escaped him as a massive green monster suddenly loomed over him and he instantly jumped behind Rosan, failing to hide himself in the process.


    The Straw Hats fared no better, letting out surprised yelps at the 8ft tall green goblin wearing the same kimono that Maro had on.


    Muscular, terrifying and otherworldly in appearance, Maro''s Dokkaebi was a sight to behold and looked much more developed then when she was younger.


    Everything about her transformation had enhanced with age, which had the benefit of making her naturally stronger and all the more terrifying.


    She lamented the fact that her Dokkaebi went through more puberty then she did all the time.


    Usopp was shaking at the glowing orange that were Maro''s iris-less sclera and he inched behind an equally quivering Nami.


    "T-They''re all monsters," he whispered.


    The sniper let out a yelp of pain at the harsh grip on his nose and he stared into the menacing purple of Angel.


    "Don''t call my wife a scary monster! She''s a gorgeous queen!" The woman snarled, threatening to yank off his appendage with her wild hand movements.


    "Sowwy," Usopp moaned in pain. He didn''t even say scary, she just added that! Angel was the most terrifying one in the group!


    "Aww you don''t gotta defend me! It''s embarrassing," the giant Dokkaebi swooned, hugging the much shorter redhead and nuzzling her cheek gleefully.


    Angel beamed and nuzzled her back, utterly unbothered by the terrifying visage of the Dokkaebi.


    Sabo was impressed. "So the queen of Celadon is your student? I think I heard mention of her forcefully claiming the throne in one of my meetings¡­"


    He normally rarely listened to those meetings, preferring to doze off, but the one about Celadon was rather interesting, considering the current Queen was an usurper of an island that had been on the Revolutionaries radar.


    Despite forcefully claiming the throne, it seemed like Queen Maro had no interest in subjugating her citizens and Dragon himself claimed that the island was in good hands, so there was no need to bother it.


    Who woulda thought that he and Queen Maro had some sort of connection?


    The three leaders of Celadon froze at the unfamiliar voice, turning towards it and being reminded of the main reason why they had chosen to show up.


    "Sabo¡­?" Maro whispered in surprise, looking at him with wide eyes and transforming back into her human form from the shock.


    "So you really are alive," Demon whispered, tears brimming in his eyes at seeing actual proof in front of him.


    This was... How could they process this? They thought he was dead for 10 years...


    Sabo saw the redhead rush him with a wide gaze and resigned himself to being tackled again, not even grunting at the impact.


    "Y-You," Angel scowled with tears in her eyes, crushing him to the best of her ability and glaring up at him. "After 10 years, you just show up again?! We all cried so much for you a-and we really thought you were dead!"


    Sabo opened his mouth to say something but Angel wouldn''t let him.


    "Why? Why couldn''t you just have accepted Master''s help?! He was about to go kill that Celestial Dragon because we thought you died and I had to stop him from getting us all killed, Sabo¡­ and now you have amnesia and all my anger is just so misplaced and I feel terrible for even ranting because you''re so genuinely confused," Angel sobbed, clutching him desperately as her tears over spilled.


    Angel''s words had caused all the chatter to die down and, looking at his supposed family, he saw that they were all subdued in nature.


    "...I''m sorry," Sabo said softly, feeling horrible.


    Even without his memories, it seems like his body just couldn''t forget these people and it was making a different type of pain wrack his body.


    They must have been really important to him...


    "I never minded that my memories were gone," he admitted. "After all, they must have been really terrible if I risked my life to get away from my home."


    That irrational fear to stay as far away from Goa as possible had dominated him for a long time until he got used to the Revolutionaries. By then, he stopped dwelling on that small part that was curious about his life before and focused on the life he had now.


    "I didn''t know I had so much people who cared for me¡­ who''d miss me. It never occurred to me that I had a loving family who thought I was dead and the worst part is¡­ I still can''t remember."


    Sabo removed one hand from the crying woman''s back to touch his scar. "I won''t lie to you guys. I''m happy. I''m happy to be a revolutionary and I get to help people from the corruption of this world. I won''t stop doing this because this has become my life..."


    While Ace and Rosan had measured, masked, expressions, the others were far easier to read with the way they slumped over at his admittance. Tears brimmed in Maro''s eyes and her lip began wobbling in defeat.


    "But."


    They perked up in interest.


    "I want you guys to be apart of my current life and that can''t happen while I still don''t remember you all," Sabo grinned, returning the hug tenderly and patting the crying redhead.


    "I don''t know how, but I''ll try to gain the memories I lost¡­ I think... No. I know I''d regret not remembering you guys!"


    Maro''s lips began wobbling even harder than before and the Queen leapt onto the blonde, joining the fully sobbing Angel, both overwhelmed by his heartfelt words.


    Luffy was quick to join. It was as if the Straw Hat captain went out of his way to make the blonde collapse, causing the four to drop to the floor.


    Demon wiped his eyes of tears and smiled determinedly. "If you''ll let me, I can run a diagnosis on you and see if there''s anything we can do to help you regain your memories," he offered.


    Sabo let out a deep gasp from nearly dying of suffocation and turned towards the purple haired doctor to the best of his ability. "Sure! I had some a long time ago but I wasn''t interested in delving deeper into it so it was just the bare minimum."


    "Can I help?" Chopper asked surprisingly. The little reindeer was visibly nervous but the touching scene had evoked all his passion as a doctor.


    "I''d love that," Demon smiled kindly. "I wouldn''t mind exchanging knowledge with you, I''m sure there''s things we can teach each other!"


    The reindeer jumped in excitement and nodded eagerly.


    "Demon and Chopper are both awesome! You''re gonna get better Sabo!" Luffy cheered ecstatically.


    "There''s no way he''s gonna get better if you two keep choking him out like this!" Angel roared to the two idiots practically strangling the blonde.


    Maro stuck her tongue out childishly. "It''s been 10 years so let me enjoy this! Besides, you''re no better! If he dies here, it''s all three of our faults!"


    "WHAT? YOU''D PIN THE BLAME ON ME?! WHAT TYPE OF WIFE ARE YOU?"


    "THE ONE WHO KNOWS HER RIGHTS! I CAN''T TAKE THE FALL FOR YOU!"


    "YOU CAN AND YOU WILL!"


    Sabo wheezed at the increasingly tight grips. "I''d really rather not die like this so if you all could just ¡ª"


    "SHUT UP, SABO!" They both barked.


    "O-Okay," he wheezed.


    Luffy laughed happily, pleased at all the chaos around him.


    The Straw Hats finally realized exactly why Rosan and Luffy were the way they were. Their whole family line was crazy so it was expected of them to also be just as crazy.


    "Rosan is responsible for making nearly all of them this crazy and Luffy''s been this way since before he met our dear scout," Robin informed them, making them collapse on the floor.


    S-Somehow it didn''t surprise them that they were stuck with the two craziest.


    Ace and Rosan watched all of this with small smiles of their own.


    "Is that relief I feel?" Rosan asked quietly.


    Ace raked a hand through his hair. "Yeah¡­ I''m just glad he''s here with us and willing to reconnect."


    "We¡­ we let our childish spat get in the way but this time, things will be different. I know you blame yourself but I was even more at fault."


    The freckled man shook his head at that. "We were both being stupid and I took advantage of your guilt and lack of emotions. Things would have been really different if I could just get my own head out of my ass."


    "Mom would probably have hit us both for being so dumb, don''t you think?"


    Ace barked out a laugh at that. "She definitely would but she''d also tell us not to let this opportunity slip by."


    Rosan smiled wryly and held out his hand. "You aren''t wrong about that. No more regrets, remember?"


    Ace returned the smile and high fived his brother easily. "I''m honestly surprised you still follow those words."


    His older brother simply snorted and sprouted Ragnarok''s tail, dragging the three idiots off of Sabo with the reptilian appendage.


    "Stop trying to kill Sabo. We just got him back."


    "FUCK YOU, MASTER!" Maro roared. She had definitely not let out a girly squeal at the scaly appendage wrapping around her waist.


    "You''ve been married to Angel for how long and you still want to do such things to me?" Rosan retorted calmly.


    Maro was about to retort, but froze at the chilly air right next to her.


    "Really, Maro? My brother?" Angel asked calmly, smiling serenely as she cupped her wife''s body shamelessly.


    The crew gaped at her actions, blushing scarlet at the redhead''s actions.


    The Queen squeaked. I-In public?! How bold!


    "You don''t seem to understand, honey. You are mine. These are my lips, my boobs, my ass. Your body is mine. Not even Master can have them!" Angel growled.


    "Y-Yes dear!" Maro saluted hastily. She ignored the fact that she was being groped in broad daylight and glared at Rosan.


    Damn him... He knew just what to say to trigger and turn Angel against her... he abused the fact that her wife was possessive to full degree.


    Oh just wait until she got him and Robin together. Then she''d be able to give him a taste of his own medicine!


    "What dangerous things are going through your head right now and why does it involve me and Robin?" Rosan wondered.


    Robin looked over at that, raising a curious brow at suddenly being called.


    Everyone aware of Ram''s plan froze. "Ah just thinking about how cute you guys look with matching outfits!" Maro said.


    She contemplated going into detail but Rosan would catch her lie immediately.


    "Matching? I suppose we are..." Rosan muttered, glancing down at his predominantly black and purple outfit.


    Robin was also wearing the exact same colors and smiled at that. "I guess we instinctively just started wearing the same thing... maybe I should add red to my wardrobe."


    The redhead nodded in approval. "I already bought some red for you. You''d look great."


    The Devil Child raised a brow in confusion. "I haven''t seen a single article of red clothing?"


    He shrugged. "You made me put everything away and the closet I gave you is massive and filled to the brim. Of course you don''t know..." He grunted.


    "...Touche. Okay, I''d like to see what red outfits you picked out..." she responded back.


    Rosan nodded, fully taking his attention off the queen.


    Maro let out a sigh of relief. She wasn''t a bad liar by any means (Master made sure she could tell a good lie) but he did not teach her how to lie to him.


    He also seemed to have a supernatural sense when it came to reading a person. That''s why she made up a truth on the spot.


    A tap on her shoulder, brought her attention to the orange haired girl smiling coyly at her.


    "Whatever you have planned for those two, I''m in," Nami whispered.


    Maro grinned eagerly, shaking her hand. "You must be Nami. Master and Kaori told me about you! Oh wait¡­ you don''t mind that Kaori is on my island, right? Please say you don''t... I kinda really like her being my soldier."


    Nami was a bit surprised to hear that but the woman had just vanished. "I don''t mind, really! Kaori isn''t a bad person and she¡­ treated me normally. If she has any lingering regrets, tell her that I forgive her."


    Her and the female fishman didn''t have a single negative interaction that she could remember. In the first few years, it''s because Kaori just didn''t care about anything but her father but later, the woman actually began to like the navigator.


    Maro appraised the girl with wide eyes. "You are so mature and rational and I''m so sorry for the headache Master and Luffy must give you all the time."


    Nami waved her apology off. "You get used to Luffy at least¡­ Rosan gives me more headaches then I care to remember. Now what exactly is your plan? I need all the details so that I can assist while you aren''t here!"


    Maro''s grin was blinding. "I think this is the start of a beautiful friendship. Alright, follow me¡­ Master''s hearing is way too good. ACE COME HERE REAL QUICK!"


    The commander, who had been conversing with Sabo, glanced up in curiosity.


    "WHY?"


    "FIRE TECHNIQUE IDEAS!"


    "WHAT THE HELL COULD YOU POSSIBLY TEACH ME?!"


    "WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU JUST SAY? YOU DUMB LITTLE WHITEBEARD BRAT, DON''T GET A BIG HEAD! YOU WANNA FIGHT?!"


    "BRING IT ON! I OWE YOU AND ROSAN AN ASS KICKING FOR ALL THOSE YEARS I LOST!"


    "LET''S GO RIGHT NOW!"


    Nami sweatdropped but smiled cheerfully at the queen.


    Honestly, Rosan and Luffy''s entire family was so interesting!


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Is this really necessary?" Sabo asked with a sweatdrop.


    He was learning some very interesting things about his family.


    One thing he was learning right now, was that they were unnaturally competitive.


    "Of course. I''ve knocked Rosan off the throne, now it''s time to figure out who''s the undisputed #1," Ace grinned, stretching in anticipation.


    Rosan snorted. "Keep my seat warm for me. I''ll take it back sooner or later."


    Ace and Sabo stood parallel of each other on the battlefield erected by the Computer Man.


    The Logia snorted. "Yeah, I''ll keep it warm indefinitely. You ain''t catching up to me!"


    "I''m glad you genuinely believe that... it''s gonna be all the better when I rip it from you," Rosan retorted, standing in the middle of the two.


    "Why are they all so competitive," Sabo thought with a sweatdrop.


    Despite thinking that, the blonde couldn''t help the excited thrum pulsing through his body at proving that he was #1 in terms of strength.


    Guess he was just as competitive as they were...


    "Still use the pipe, eh?" Ace grinned, lighting up in preparation.


    "From what I heard, I was the best at it already so maybe its a good thing you go rid of yours," Sabo grinned back, clenching his weapon tightly and tossing his hat aside.


    "Begin," Rosan muttered, vanishing to sit next to his family in the seats he erected.


    Ace wasted no time. The freckled man grinned and rushed forward while saying, "I haven''t needed that pipe for years!"


    Sabo''s eyes widened for a split second before the man held up his weapon and clashed with the fiery fist.


    "Didn''t expect a Logia to start off with close combat, huh?" the commander asked cockily, igniting the fire on his arms to spread even further.


    The revolutionary leapt back to avoid the flames licking his skin and narrowed his eyes as the whole field erupted in flames.


    "He knows I can sense him, so this is just to give him more of an advantage by cutting off where I can run..."


    That... was smarter then he would have given Ace credit for.


    Well, he wouldn''t let the pirate dictate the fight all the way.


    Sabo calmly pinpointed Ace''s location and rocketed forward, swinging his metal pipe with expert precision.


    Ace applied armament to his arm and blocked the attack, eyes going wide at the power behind.


    "His armament is a bit better then mine," the Logia thought with a slight grimace.


    Using his free arm, Ace formed a concentrated orb of flames and held it between him and Sabo.


    "Flame Orb."


    The revolutionary leapt back before the deceptively massive explosion captured him.


    The moment his feet hit the floor, the ground erupted.


    "Flame Geyser!"


    Sabo grunted as he was launched into the air by the pillar of flame and he gazed at his brother just in time to see Ace cocking a fist at him.


    "Fire Fist!"


    "He''s fighting way smarter then he normally does... looks like our spars really helped out," Maro grinned, eyes proud.


    "Overwhelming and manipulating the terrain? He really took a page out of your book, Rosan," Robin observed with an impressed gaze.


    Rosan couldn''t keep the smile off his face as he made the same observation. "I knew he was a tsundere. The moment he ate that Devil Fruit, he was probably thinking of ways to use it like we use ours."


    Impressive. He was proud.


    Sabo gripped his pipe tightly as a massive fiery fist approached him and with a huff, he dispersed the wave of fire with a mighty swing.


    Everyone''s mouth opened, as the swing of his pipe summoned a gust of wind strong enough to put out some of the flames.


    Then, the blonde landed on the floor and rocketed forward at immense speeds.


    He reached Ace immediately and swung his pipe with one hand to the side of his head.


    As expected, Ace blocked the attack with his enforced arm but Sabo''s eyes sharpened with a gleam.


    Ace''s eyes widened, as Sabo lashed out with his fingers and gripped the pirate with crushing force before delivering a brutal kick to his gut.


    He doubled over but still Sabo did not release him.


    Clutching his brother, the revolutionary hoisted him up and body slammed him on his back.


    Ace grunted in pain and before Sabo could repeat the process, he ignited his entire body in flames, forcing the blonde to release him.


    Not stopping there, the fire roared as it expanded and momentarily blinded Sabo.


    That was all Ace needed.


    The construct of fire dashed forward and tackled Sabo to the ground, making sure not to burn him.


    He wrestled his brother down and used his flames to form makeshift handcuffs.


    "Sabo is properly restrained, that''s game," Rosan announced, calling the match.


    Ace grinned at that and banished his flames, before holding out a hand for Sabo to grab.


    The revolutionary looked a little shocked at the results until a wry smile formed on his face and he grabbed the hand.


    "If that fight kept going I would have won," Sabo told him.


    Ace snorted. "You keep telling yourself that."


    "Next time it''ll be different..." The blonde assured, competitive glare on his face.


    The pirate''s cocky grin widened. "Maybe in a few years all of you will catch up to me but until then, I''ll be enjoying #1."


    They heard a snort and regarded their older brother who said, "You guys are real confident. Don''t be too sad when you suddenly lose your #1 and 2 spot."


    The middle brothers grinned eagerly. "All of us being close to each other, just makes our fights real fun!" Ace exclaimed.


    Sabo nodded along. "I''ve suddenly gained a lot of motivation to get way stronger so it might take you all a while to catch up."


    "I doubt it," Rosan responded.


    "Yeah! We''re gonna get way stronger then you two!" Luffy exclaimed, bounding up to the three with a wide grin.


    Maro scoffed and crossed her arms. "It''ll be real embarrassing when the only one not travelling the Grand Line becomes the strongest. Don''t be upset when yours truly takes another throne!"


    "It was so easy to rope Sabo into their competitiveness," Demon muttered, shaking his head in disbelief.


    Angel''s eyes gleamed in excitement. "Imagine a free for all between the five of them and their all close to strength? Wouldn''t that be so fun to watch?!" She asked, shaking in her seat at the thought.


    Everyone began thinking about an all out brawl between the 5 monsters and couldn''t help but shudder.


    "We would probably have to watch it on a different island," Robin suggested with a tiny laugh.


    They all nodded sagely.


    There was no way they wanted to be remotely close to that.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "You''re leaving already?" Angel frowned sadly.


    "Yeah, I stayed long enough but I have to continue the search for Blackbeard," Ace smiled apologetically, hugging his older sister to make her feel better.


    "I wish the circumstances were better but at least we got to see you," she sighed, returning the hug.


    Luffy didn''t look put off by that at all. "Ace has his own journey! We''ll see him again," he explained like it were common sense.


    The freckled man nodded and affectionately pat the rubber boy.


    "I''m gonna miss you," Maro sighed, joining the group hug and squeezing the freckled man affectionately. "Make sure you visit us sooner then 3 years, you dick!"


    "You bet. No promises on how soon but since Rosan''s in the Grand Line, it should be much easier," he assured.


    "A Devil Fruit and narcolepsy¡­ I''m surprised you''re even still alive," Demon sighed, finishing off the hug with his presence. "Have the attacks slowed down any?"


    He nodded sheepishly. "They still come but they aren''t as frequent as they used to be and I did nearly die one time. Caught an attack and fell straight in the water."


    The doctor snorted. "Fire Fist Ace¡­ 2nd Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, dying to a narcolepsy attack. I don''t think Master and Maro would ever let you live that down."


    "That''s why I survived!" Ace laughed easily, facing his brothers.


    The freckled man dug into his pockets and pulled out two pieces of paper.


    "Luffy, Sabo. Can you hold onto these for me?"


    The two perked up at being mentioned and easily caught the pieces of paper Ace handed them.


    "A piece of paper?" Luffy asked, puzzled.


    "A Vivre Card? You want me to hold onto yours?" Sabo asked in surprise.


    Rosan raised a brow and asked, "What is that?"


    "I don''t know the full details, but a friend made it with my fingernails," Ace explained. "It lets you guys know if I''m doing well and you can even find me. Watch."


    Ace turned into fire and instantly dashed off into a random direction.


    Sabo beckoned for them all to look at the Vivre Card and their eyes widened as it began inching towards the same direction the commander had disappeared into.


    "Useful," Rosan remarked in interest, watching Ace reappear in front of them. "Do you know how to make one?"


    Unfortunately, Ace shook his head no. "I don''t know the process. My new friend at the time just asked for my fingernail and gave me a huge piece of paper afterwords."


    The redhead hummed and nodded his head, not too put off by that fact.


    It was a slower Save Point but his usage of the technique wasn''t infinite. This could be a good way to keep tabs on people without using up a slot and considering he could fly, it would just take some a little longer.


    "I know someone who can," Sabo interjected. "I can have some made for you guys and give them over when we meet up again."


    His eyes glinted in interest at that and Rosan nodded. "That would be ideal. I want a Vivre Card for a lot of people if you don''t mind... Including you."


    The Revolutionary nodded with a small grin.


    "Do you need anything before you go?" Angel fussed like a concerned mother as she smoothed out Ace''s hair that got a little scuffed from his fight with Sabo. "Food? Money? Ship repairs? The talk?"


    Ace flushed and scowled. "I don''t need the talk, Angel. You already did a fantastic job explaining it to me when I wasn''t ready!"


    His older sister stepped back in shock.


    "But I turned 18!" She exclaimed with wide eyes, not understanding what she did wrong.


    "I''M THE ONE WHO WAS SUPPOSED TO BE 18!" He roared, pinching her cheek and shaking her head rapidly.


    "O-Oh, right," she mumbled, whining at the sensation of being pinched.


    Everyone sweatdropped.


    "I''ll give you some food really quick. I just finished harvesting a bunch of new fruits," Maro chimed, patting the depressed Angel''s head soothingly.


    "Let me inspect your current meds to see if they are good enough," Demon interjected as well.


    "Sure, sure!" Ace laughed, allowing them to fuss.


    The Straw Hats watched in awe.


    "So this is what it''s like to have such reliable people in high places," Nami gaped.


    They were all so incredibly useful! W-What the hell was this?!


    "This feels like cheating," Zoro muttered in agreement.


    "How did we get stuck with these two?" Usopp lamented.


    ...


    A silence washed over the field that made everyone stop.


    All the non straw hats, barring Sabo, paused in disbelief, turning towards the pirate crew lamenting with brows raised to the roof.


    "Luffy I can get, but you''re upset that you''re stuck with Master?" Angel gaped, scratching her head in confusion.


    "I would literally kill to have Master stay on Celadon you lucky bastards," Maro pouted.


    "He''s the most useful out of all us of¡­ I get he''s an ass but just what is he doing to you guys?" Demon couldn''t help but wonder.


    "Honestly, Luffy''s lucky he got first dibs on him. I wouldn''t have any complaints about having him join my crew," Ace snorted.


    Their redheaded oldest brother was unmatched when it came to sheer versatility. If anyone knew the full scope of what he could do, people would be chomping at the bits to coerce him to their side.


    Rosan shrugged at their praise, smirking slightly. "I''m flattered but I don''t spoil my crew as much as I spoiled you all so they don''t know just how useful I am. Their growth is important so I try not to interfere with it. It builds character."


    The Straw Hats blinked at that.


    "THAT''S WHY YOU DON''T DO ANYTHING?!"


    He tilted his head. "Wasn''t it obvious? Of course if I think you''re in danger of dying, I''ll interfere."


    "IT WASN''T OBVIOUS AT ALL!" They roared in disbelief. They just thought he was a dick!


    "He did that to me too... but he also spoiled me at the same time, then I got strong and he stopped torturing me and only spoiled me!" Maro beamed.


    Luffy nodded rapidly. "Me too!"


    "He''s sick!" They cried. He only tortured them!


    Rosan hummed. "I mostly didn''t interfere in the East Blue because they were all weak and well within your capabilities but don''t worry, I won''t allow you guys to die yet."


    Ace laughed at the look of relief on their faces. "Rosan''s a dick but he''s only cruel to his enemies. We''ve done a pretty good job taming him over the years so he''s much better than when he was 14 or younger."


    Young Rosan was a demon. It was a good thing he was not currently like that. No emotions he maybe, they definitely still managed to tame and make him more tolerable.


    "Don''t speak about me like I''m some type of animal," Rosan scoffed.


    "Mother, pet, teacher, brother¡­ Rosan the extraordinaire does it all!" Maro teased.


    A grip on her right cheek, ceased all laughter from her and Rosan calmly said, "Should we resume our training from when we first started? Perhaps I''ve been too lax with you all."


    The queen went white and desperately began shaking her head. "No Master! I''m sowwy, Master!"


    They all began laughing at the woman''s plight and eventually, Rosan let her go, patting her on the head to calm down her grumbling.


    "C''mon Ace, I''ll take you to your raft," Rosan offered. "We''ll be right back."


    After shooting Robin a glance, to which she rolled her eyes at, the trio flew off to Striker.


    "BYE ACE, TAKE CARE!" Luffy shouted, waving eagerly. "Next time I see you, I''m gonna kick your ass!"


    "I''D LIKE TO SEE YOU TRY WEAK LITTLE BROTHER!" Ace shouted back.


    The trio vanished and they watched them go with a fond smile.


    "You remember all the methods of training your haki, right?" Ace questioned, already knowing the answer.


    Rosan''s memory was damn near perfect and anything he possibly forgot, Mod remembered... or they just watched it.


    It''s how Ace was able to learn so much about his mother... He really loved that woman and to see himself how stout she was in keeping him alive, made him reevaluate many of his previous thoughts.


    "Of course. I''ll be sure to start training immediately with Robin and Luffy," Rosan nodded.


    "Based on what Maro said and what I saw¡­ I''m not too sure I want you to train me," Robin teased with a shake of her head.


    "He''s brutally efficient," Ace laughed.


    It was harsh at the time, but it had bore fruit and the commander had been more than strong enough to steamroll most of the ocean.


    "No pain, no gain. Blame Mod-chan, she was a slave driver," Rosan said.


    "Y-You''re the one who asked me to train you!" Mod gawked at his audacity. "Don''t you dare try and blame your sadism on me!"


    "My apologies, mother," Rosan replied, causing the woman to blush in embarrassment. She always got like this when they called her mother.


    "Y-You¡­"


    Ace laughed at the interactions. "I missed this, y''know? Being out on the sea and becoming a pirate was great but there were some nights where I really wanted to see you all again."


    "If you accepted my Save Point, that wouldn''t have been a problem," Rosan countered.


    "You aren''t apart of my crew! I don''t need it," he snorted stubbornly.


    "I know, I know¡­ Just be careful alright? Focus everything onto defeating Teach, you can trust me with Sabo¡­ I won''t mess up again," Rosan said softly.


    Ace sobered up at that, expression turning serious at his brother''s tone. "You know I trust you but that does put me more at ease. After I wrap up this business, I''ll try and visit you guys again and maybe then I''ll let you place a Save Point on me."


    Rosan landed right in front of Striker and shot his brother a wry smile. "I''ll hold you to that and Angel will actually hold you down."


    He snorted at that. "That means you''ll have haki by then, eh? Aren''t you a bit too cocky for your own good?"


    "He''s Rosan, of course he is," Robin supplied helpfully.


    "Hmph," Rosan said, not deigning to acknowledge them and causing the two to snort.


    The commander then turned to Robin, much to her surprise, and bowed to the taller woman.


    "This is a bit much but, please continue to take care of my older brother, Robin," Ace requested.


    She was Rosan''s best friend and the catalyst to many moments in his life. Robin shaped Rosan in many ways and it was why the redhead loved her so much.


    The only person who affected Rosan on the level of Robin, had been Meiko so their whole family held the woman in high regards.


    "I''m glad you''re not as stubborn as I am and you two made up quickly. You''re good for each other and it puts me at ease knowing someone as reliable as you, will keep this guilt ridden idiot in check," he said truthfully, rubbing the back of his hair with a small grin.


    Robin flushed at the sincerity in his tone, not expecting it, and delivered a short bow herself. "I''ll do my best. I love Rosan and all I want is for him to gain what he''s lost."


    She then gazed at him with a small smile. "You don''t give yourself enough credit, Ace so I want to thank you for forgiving him and allowing us all to make progress. If you never did that, Rosan would be a very different person. Take care of yourself, Ace."


    The woman smiled warmly at him and Ace could see why everyone wanted them together now.


    She had his firm approval.


    "I''m not enjoying being insulted so frequently lately," Rosan muttered with a shake of his head. "Once I learn haki, I''ll have to start enforcing my older brother privileges in earnest."


    "I''d like to see you try," Ace grinned challengingly.


    The two stared at each other for a long moment before it was broken up by twin smiles from the two and they exchanged a brotherly hug.


    "Teach that traitor a lesson and then introduce us to your crew. I''d like to meet and thank Whitebeard for taking such good care of you," Rosan muttered.


    "I want you all to meet Pops as well. I may or may not have talked about you guys a lot so he knows who you are," Ace replied, breaking the hug off so that he could depart.


    Rosan sighed. "I would say I''m annoyed, but far too many people already have their eyes on me. You know I met and fought Hawk Eye Mihawk in the East Blue and he gained a personal interest in Ram and I?"


    Ace and Robin''s eyes shot open at that.


    "You fought who?!" Robin hissed in disbelief. The World''s Strongest swordsman?! What?!


    Ace whistled. "I bet you were trying to stay low too and it failed," the commander cackled at his brother''s plight.


    "I don''t know what I did wrong," Rosan sighed once more. "Why are so many important people interested in me? Can''t I just be the humble scout in peace?"


    His freckled brother snorted. "You''re actually walking around calling yourself that? I thought it was a joke!"


    "We need to talk later about that Mihawk fight you just mentioned," Robin said, crossing her arms with an even stare.


    "...Why does it sound like I''m in trouble? You were going to see it eventually and a lot of things happened in my life," Rosan muttered.


    Robin''s gaze remained even.


    "...Fine," he eventually said.


    Ace threw his head back and laughed. His brother was so whipped and he didn''t even realize!


    To be fair, he was whipped by their whole family. Rosan was just as much of a mom as Mod was.


    "I''m so glad to see how much you''ve grown, Ace. It makes me so proud," Mod smiled brightly.


    He had stopped being so angry long ago but there was always a certain¡­ loss in his eyes. It was a look bred from years of being told he shouldn''t be alive and even after all the years being surrounded by love, there were times where it would randomly surge.


    But now it was nowhere to be seen, replaced by genuine happiness and a charming confidence.


    Ace had grown so much in the three years he had sailed and it made her so proud.


    "I''m glad you''re proud, Mod. We may have started off on the wrong foot, but I really do love you like a mother," Ace replied sincerely.


    Mod turned scarlet at his admittance because Ace never said that before. "I-I... you do...?! T-That, that makes me so happy!" She sobbed.


    The woman was so happy and embarrassed right now... she abruptly cut the connection and fled to go celebrate in peace.


    "Father will be stronger than you next time we meet!" Ram barked in annoyance, smiling despite it.


    "I''m looking forward to it. I want us to have a fight, no holds barred as close to each other in strength as possible," Ace laughed as he easily landed on the raft.


    "Love you," Rosan said, waving bye to his brother.


    Ace flushed at his older brother''s bluntness. "Stop being so embarrassing, Rosan!"


    ¡­


    ¡­


    ¡­


    "Love you too," he mumbled, igniting his lower half and setting off.


    Ugh, Rosan was the worst.


    Robin giggled at Ace''s embarrassment and joined in the farewell. "I hope to see you again, Ace!"


    "You too Robin!" The pirate making distance yelled.


    "You never mentioned a girl in your life¡­ I hope you aren''t hiding her from us. You shouldn''t be ashamed of your family," Rosan advised.


    "IF I HAD A GIRLFRIEND, I''D HAVE EVERY REASON TO KEEP HER AWAY FROM YOU ALL!" Ace roared in fury, speeding up his ship and vanishing from their sight.


    Angel alone would have been too much¡­ Meeting all of them would have been nothing but disaster for Ace.


    Honestly, his family was embarrassing at the best of times.


    Damn it, he missed them already. He needed to find Teach and get rid of him quick, then he''d report it to Whitebeard and go meet up with them again.


    When did he become such a family guy? Well, he couldn''t say he hated it.


    "He seemed eager to go," Rosan commented idly.


    "You never struck me as the type to embarrass your younger siblings but now that I think about it, you 100% are," Robin replied, smiling at the thought.


    The redhead shrugged. "Ace makes it too easy. It''s impossible to embarrass Luffy so he gets all of it until I''m around the twins and Maro."


    Robin giggled at that. "You''re still as much of a menace as ever."


    "That''s good because right now we can begin being menaces to Sir Crocodile himself," Rosan hummed, eyes glowing in preparation.


    It was about time now for him to completely annihilate the organization known as Baroque Works.


    Ideally, he''d get Mr. 1, 2 and Miss Doublefinger but those were all secondary to his goal of making the Warlord submit.


    Would he send Crocodile to Maro? No, too risky. The sandman would be Rosan''s personal servant by the end of this trip.


    "I still can''t believe you''re going to try and recruit Crocodile himself," Robin sighed fondly. He was genuinely insane.


    "Once we defeat him, it will be easy. I have ways of forcing obedience that don''t involve using Overhaul. Can''t expect everyone to have a weak will."


    Rosan grabbed the woman and his eyes began glowing. "Let''s head back to the crew, it''s about time we commence our plans."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Crocodile puffed out a smoke as he stared down his remaining agents.


    Each one looked remarkably shocked at seeing who exactly was their boss.


    They were clearly not expecting him to be Mr. 0 and it didn''t look faked so that meant these agents were likely still on his side.


    "Things have gone a bit awry but that doesn''t matter. We''ve spent years sending Alabasta to its ruins so now, lets reap our benefits," Crocodile drawled.


    He wasn''t sure what Nico Robin''s plan was but if she did deign to come back, he''d show her what it meant to cross him.


    But that would wait.


    For now¡­


    "It''s about time we finally commence our plans."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Memory Viewing With Robin and Rosan - 2


    Continued!


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Robin frowned deeply at the redhead, as she continued to watch his memories.


    She wasn''t just displeased with him. No, she was displeased with every single one of them barring Demon.


    They must have sensed her displeasure because no one said a word to her and for the moment, that was fine.


    But she would be having a word with them.


    Their treatment of Maro... it was completely unfair to the girl. It did not matter if she was better now, dragging her into such a toxic environment right after taking her out of one was unacceptable.


    Maro was a human, not some toy to discard if they proved useless.


    Soon after recruiting the tiny girl, Rosan wasted no time vanishing with her and bringing her on the ship where they met Angel first.


    It was natural for the female redhead to treat her with hostility but it was Rosan''s job to nip that in the bud immediately. Unfortunately, because of his disposition, he didn''t feel the need to lay a heavier hand and poor Maro wouldn''t have possibly been able to defend herself.


    The little child couldn''t even speak properly... it was like taking a baby and throwing them in the lion''s den. All she could do was flail about helplessly as Angel tore into her.


    Thankfully, Rosan finally did intervene when it looked like Angel was going to go too far and the female twin was at least rational enough to realize she had stepped far out of line.


    Angel should have honestly been the biggest obstacle when it came to Maro''s livelihood on that ship but no.


    She wasn''t even close to the biggest problem because right after realizing she was being a prick, the redheaded twin managed to make some amends with Maro and took it upon herself to teach the orphan.


    No. The biggest problem on the ship was Rosan himself.


    To be completely blunt, little Rosan wasn''t fit to be anyone''s teacher in his current state, especially someone as vulnerable and compassionate as Maro.


    But no, instead of realizing that their ideals were just not compatible enough, Rosan forced it to be.


    Robin watched in horror as Rosan traumatized Maro without a care in the world.


    He... He tried to force the child to kill someone because she was too kind?! Then when she couldn''t do it... he ruthlessly murdered them directly in front of her?


    "You are my weapon yet, you have a set of values that contradict my own. That is unacceptable. As you are now, I have no use for you."


    "Discard your current values because they are not my own. You fight for me, you live for me, you kill for me. This is what it means to be my weapon. You exist for my sake. You are Grim, the right hand of Reaper."


    Robin couldn''t believe it.


    "This is unacceptable," she said finally, standing up so that she could regard all three of them. "You guys have no idea how disappointed I am in all of you right now."


    While Rosan held her gaze, Mod and Ram immediately averted their own.


    "Do you think anyone deserves what you all have done to Maro so far?" Robin asked with a frown on her face. "It doesn''t matter if it worked, you took an orphan who didn''t even have a name and traumatized her! The only person who went out of their way to make that poor girl feel accommodated was Demon!"


    "Taking that girl and shoving her into such a toxic environment... you should be thankful that Maro is so exceptional! That was completely irresponsible of you," she finished, directing a stern look at the three.


    What they did to her... it was inhumane. The fact that Maro still ended up the way she did, spoke volumes to her character and Robin felt her respect for the queen only increasing.


    Mod and Ram shrunk into themselves at her accusing stare and Rosan sighed.


    "I... I know more then anyone else, what I did to Maro. I realized how terribly I treated her the moment I began to care for her," Rosan admitted. "I thought just because she was a blank slate, I could fill her with whatever I wanted. I ignored her wants because like I said, she was a weapon for me. Even her name signified that."


    "I didn''t need a kind weapon. I didn''t want someone to take advantage of that kindness and kill another thing that belonged to me..."


    The redhead frowned. "But as I spent more time with her... As I taught her even basic things that she didn''t have the luxury of knowing, I realized that Maro wasn''t my weapon. Maro was my student who shouldn''t have gone through what I made her go through."


    Robin''s heavy gaze lessened. "Did you apologize to her?"


    Rosan nodded. "I did. Even now, I''m trying to make it up to her in anyway I can..."


    So that''s why he was always thinking of ways to help Maro.


    The redhead raked a hand through his hair. "I hate what I did to Maro, Angel and Demon. I really do. I let such a toxic environment fester for far too long and I realized too late that this wasn''t the right way to do things. That''s why we don''t travel with each other anymore."


    Her frown vanished fully at the remorse in his tone and she put a hand on his shoulder. "I''m glad you realized that you made a mistake. I don''t have all the details yet, but it looks like it turned out for the best."


    He nodded. "I tried to salvage it to the best of my ability and I''m glad it worked. Let''s continue... after this I do start treating her better."


    Robin nodded and sat back down to focus on the screen.


    True to Rosan''s word, he did start treating her better... by giving the girl a Mythical Zoan.


    After assuring her teacher that she wouldn''t let him down anymore, the orphan had requested that Rosan give her a Devil Fruit and he had given her one of the best to help her along the way.


    A Mythical Zoan that even Robin didn''t have much info on...


    From there, the redhead took it upon himself to make sure Maro wouldn''t be going in blind with mastering her Devil Fruit.


    Despite not being well suited on the emotional aspect of being someone''s teacher, Rosan was fantastic when it came to the technical side.


    "You really are effective," Robin commented, watching as Maro got stronger at an incredible rate.


    It took no time at all for Rosan to feel confident taking her with him on missions and when they went on the first one...


    It was amusingly disastrous.


    Rosan and Maro had no synergy with each other.


    Robin couldn''t stop the giggle at seeing the both of them get in the way of each other nonstop.


    The Dokkaebi was convinced that she was the main aggressor and acted accordingly...


    Unfortunately, Rosan had been the main aggressor in all his fights for as long as he could remember. It was an oversight on his part for not making that clear.


    "Get out of my way, Master!" Maro barked with a growl, as her giant body smashed once more into Rosan by accident.


    "There are dozens of enemies, how are you constantly picking my target?" Rosan intoned emotionlessly.


    "You''re doing it on purpose!" she snarled, dashing off to smash the head of another poor victim who could only watch the slaughter with confused and helpless gazes.


    Despite their complete lack of teamwork, the two still completely overwhelmed their meager opposition.


    "Man our teamwork was terrible," Ram complained, scratching her head in awe at how bad it was.


    "I didn''t imagine you two had such horrible synergy," Robin giggled, watching as Maro argued with the calm Rosan.


    "You''re the one with the versatile Devil Fruit! Take a backseat and let me be the aggressor," Maro barked.


    "I''m far stronger then you. Why would I support someone weaker then me?"


    "YOU''VE BEEN FIGHTING WAY LONGER, CAN''T I ENJOY MYSELF?!"


    Robin sweatdropped at Rosan. "You really didn''t want to concede to your own student? What is wrong with you?"


    Mod sighed sadly and said, "I couldn''t tell you."


    "We worked it out... I realized I was being unreasonable so we made adjustments," Rosan muttered.


    And adjust he did. The redhead postponed missions for 2 week straight, just so he and Maro could learn the importance of actually having good teamwork.


    "You''re so used to me supporting you that you thought Maro would just slot right in," Robin laughed, watching the two slowly but surely understand how the other worked.


    "It was a different kind of challenge... but not one I disliked," Rosan admitted. "We eventually settled on balancing our aggression and reacting with each other but I can turn fully supportive in battle if I need to."


    She smiled at that. It was a different kind of growth for Rosan.


    Robin watched as they tried to implement the new fighting style... to little success but slowly, they began to get more and more comfortable with each other. The more they fought with each other, the more they began to realize each other''s habits and the more they began to anticipate what the other was going to do.


    She watched with a proud smile as their clunky teamwork, shifted into something more and more seamless... and in the process she watched as Rosan''s perception of Maro began to change.


    The more comfortable they got, the more Rosan taught her, the less the redhead saw her as a weapon and the more he saw her as a human.


    Soon, Grim and Reaper began to actually look like a terrifying duo who could bounce off each other''s style with startling ease.. and Rosan began to care for Maro.


    Robin could see exactly when he realized what he did to her was too harsh. He began to spoil her more and give her random gifts. He listened to her requests without ever saying no and gave her far more break days.


    He began to encourage her to begin thinking for herself and allowed the girl to hang around Angel, Demon, Aiko and Akemi far more then himself.


    Robin was proud to see that Rosan was trying to make amends in his own way. He didn''t even realize that the more he tried to make up for what he did, the more he began to care for Maro.


    "You really did realize your mistakes," Robin commented, as the two effortlessly finished yet another mission.


    Maro looked much healthier, mentally and physically and the little teen no longer shrunk into herself when she thought she was failing Rosan in some way. She carried herself with confidence because Rosan had been instilling it into her for a few months now.


    Rosan nodded as he watched the memory. Any moment now and she was going to recommend they raid Germa.


    "I tried to make it up to her in any way I knew how... but I knew that there was no taking back what I had done. In order to truly make amends, I needed to make Maro realize that I am not #1 in her life."


    Robin nodded in approval as she idly watched Maro suggest actually raiding the Germa kingdom. "You salvaged a bad situation well... hold your head up, Rosan. Remember, you only found Maro when you were 12 and you were still so young when you realized the error you made."


    He hummed. "I think that was more on Maro then me... If I never have a child, I can be content with how she ended up."


    Robin couldn''t stop the shock at hearing that statement and looked at Rosan with wide eyes. "If you ever tell Maro that, she might burst into tears for a few days."


    "It''s my trump card for embarrassing her," Rosan admitted with a wry smile.


    Ram''s eyes gleamed as she saw an opportunity. "Father, you want kids?"


    Robin raised a brow at that and glanced curiously at the redhead.


    He tilted his head to the side. "Yes. I wanted at least 4 children. 2 boys, 2 girls."


    Rosan had always wanted a big family. It must have been the desires of being a lonely child. Two kids could still be lonely if it came down to it and if there were three, one could potentially feel isolated.


    But 4? They could form a group and not grow tired of the other... most likely.


    Meiko had wanted 6. Both Rosan and Mod had gawked at her admittance.


    "Four little Rosan''s running around... I shudder at the thought of them being exactly like you," Robin said with slightly horrified eyes.


    Four cute little gremlins causing ludicrous amounts of chaos with a father like Rosan to encourage them... what a terrifying thought.


    Rosan rolled his eyes. "You''d love them."


    "Of course she will!" Ram thought with a wild eye. They''d be hers after all.


    "What about you, Mother?" The ring asked.


    Robin blinked and pointed at herself. "Me? I''ve always wanted at least 1 but I wouldn''t be opposed to more," she replied truthfully. "It would need to be after I finish my journey though... I have no interest in abandoning my child or taking them with me on such a dangerous trip."


    Rosan blinked in return. "I''m the exact same way... I wonder how old we''ll be when we achieve our goals..."


    The Devil Child shrugged and smiled jokingly. "If we get too old, we can just have children. Though... four might be a bit much," she informed him jokingly.


    Mod and Ram''s eyes bugged out of their skulls at her words.


    Rosan let out a small snort at her joke. "And here I was thinking you were fine being the lame auntie. Are you that attracted to me?" He asked with a raised brow.


    Robin snorted in return. "Don''t flatter yourself. This is more for my sake because I''m sure anyone I show even a hint of interest in, is going to be killed and or scared away by you."


    The redhead nodded slowly, a thoughtful expression on his face. "Okay, four kids then and we have to name the first one after Mod in some way... Any ideas?"


    "None. We''ll have about 9 months to decide," Robin shrugged.


    "Better then 20."


    Thud.


    The two stopped joking with each other and glanced over at the unconscious Ram. The ring had a happy smile on her face and Mod was urgently fanning it.


    "Ram?" They called in confusion.


    Mod''s wide red eyes gazed up at them and she urgently said, "I-It''s okay! Ram just never thought she was going to have siblings and even though you were joking, the idea made her very happy!"


    She herself nearly had a heart attack at hearing the two discuss their plans and the fact that Rosan remembered one of his children needed to be named after her, sent her over the moon.


    The two moved over at once to regard the ring.


    "Big sis Ram, teaching all her lil siblings how to be awesome~," the sleeping ring sighed happily.


    "...She wants siblings?" Rosan muttered.


    "Maybe we should have them then," Robin couldn''t help but joke once more.


    Rosan hummed. "...How''s Modest or Modesty for our first born? Then on our second we can decide who it gets named after based on gender."


    "Sounds good to me," she replied with a short nod, smoothing out Ram''s hair.


    Thud.


    The two paused in disbelief, as Mod fell unconscious next, smile on her features.


    "...Maybe she''s still tired after tending to me for so long," Rosan muttered, hoisting Ram up after a quick glance at his best friend.


    Robin gently lifted Mod up. "We can continue next time then... though, sleeping right before seeing what happens with Germa is quite a cliffhanger."


    Rosan snorted. "You read a lot, you get used to it."


    Mod sighed happily in her sleep. "Little Modesty following Auntie Mod around everywhere~."

 Too Much Sand I

    "Haki?" Maro asked in fascination.


    Everyone watched Sabo demonstrate it with curious eyes.


    To the Queen. Things that didn''t make sense, suddenly did. Her and Master''s fight with Judge, suddenly made so much more sense with this unknown power added into the mix. It was no wonder nothing was working against him... Wow, if he had his Raid Suit they would have gotten obliterated.


    Just how reliant on it were the Germa Family? Judge was certainly strong as all hell, but without his suit he didn''t feel even close to someone like say, Garp.


    Haki seemed super strong but clearly it wasn''t unbeatable... but still, Observation and Armament... the ability to predict, hit Logias and gain an armor?


    ...THAT WAS SO COOL! IF SHE LEARNED THIS, NO ONE IN THE NORTH BLUE COULD STOP HER! NOT EVEN THAT STUPID JUDGE!


    "I wanna learn it! I wanna learn it! How can I learn it?!" Maro jumped up and down eagerly, not noticing Sanji''s eyes bugging at her actions.


    Angel did and she swiftly delivered a fist to the chef''s face.


    "We''re gonna start training in it after we liberate Alabasta," Rosan mused.


    Maro and Luffy instinctively shuddered, backing away from their demonic teacher and getting looks of worry from everyone else.


    What exactly did Rosan do to those two?


    The redhead in question, blinked at their fearful expressions. "I don''t know the techniques either you know? I won''t be teaching you. We''re all at the same level so we''ll all learn with the methods Ace left us."


    "If anything, Sabo will teach us and Rosan will just enforce that training when he leaves," Robin supplied helpfully, giggling at their antics.


    The looks of relief on their face, made the Straw Hats laugh and Rosan tilt his head.


    "Sabo''s much nicer then Ace and Rosan," Luffy exclaimed, looking pleased with the concerned blonde.


    "Is your training really that bad¡­?" Sabo couldn''t help but ask, getting a fearful nod of agreement out of Nami and Usopp.


    Zoro nodded with a snort. "It wasn''t nearly as bad before we got Chopper but afterwards, he went full psycho mode on me and Robin."


    The Devil Child nodded in agreement. "I felt sore in places I didn''t think were possible. I even told him I haven''t trained for a long while and he called that the beginner workout..."


    "Join the club," Maro whimpered. "Our first time sparring ended up with me in the infirmary! He totally didn''t realize I wasn''t a monster like him!"


    "Good luck," Demon said to a concerned Chopper. "Master is effective but completely ruthless... and I know that best. At least everyone is pretty developed unlike Maro and Luffy who he built up from zero."


    "Please don''t hurt them too bad! I''m only one person," the reindeer pleaded.


    "I blame Mod-chan for him turning out like this. Those two are incredibly unaware of people''s limits," Robin said shamelessly, shaking her head.


    That woman was an absolute slave driver and it sometimes didn''t occur to her that her two children were human and she wasn''t.


    Rosan tried to warn her with his gaze when they were kids but Robin wasn''t aware that Mod-chan was that unaware. She foolishly agreed to join them on their training, thinking that her best friend was over exaggerating but for once, he wasn''t and Robin had her sore body to remind her.


    "Y-You blame me too?!" Mod gaped in disbelief, red eyes wide at Robin of all people blaming her.


    U-Unaware?! Her?! W-Was she truly that harsh on the two growing up?!


    "I''m sorry... but it''s the truth," Robin said, smiling slightly at her shock.


    Nami gawked at that. "Mod-chan?! Really?"


    She didn''t expect the motherly woman to be so cruel!


    Rosan nodded triumphantly, neutral expression managing to come off as smug. "Mod-chan was my only ever teacher and I picked up nearly all her methods considering I was four when she began torturing me."


    He was her perfect little soldier, absorbing everything she taught him with a speed that truly did make them look like a mother son duo.


    Mod crossed her arms and began sulking in a corner. "It''s not my fault¡­ I only had emotions for a few weeks a-and I was barely human in nature! Plus you handled it just fine!"


    "I know Mod-chan," he soothed through their connection.


    Rosan was hardly a good example to base something on, considering his natural gifts but he wouldn''t say that.


    "I can''t believe I''m actually learning something at the same time as Master," Maro muttered in awe.


    He was always five million steps ahead of her and displayed such mastery over his Devil Fruit, compared to her, that she was jealous.


    Well, that was in the past. Maro was an incredible user of her own Devil Fruit too! Modification felt like it was Rosan''s Devil Fruit to have and she felt the same way about being a Dokkaebi!


    It wasn''t as versatile but the queen wasn''t as creative as her teacher and it was still plenty resourceful. She had always preferred to keep it simple and transforming into a Dokkaebi kept things simple (smashing her club into their skulls).


    The group was making their way through the scalding desert and they conversed with each other about various topics.


    "Because Maro is training with you guys, that means we get to see Master and Luffy more!" Angel cheered, grabbing her little brother and squeezing him happily.


    "Woohoo!" Luffy cheered, squeezing the taller woman back gleefully.


    Sanji glared at his captain returning the hug jealously and grumbled to himself.


    Rosan and Luffy got to spend years around these two! YEARS!


    Both Maro and Angel were incredibly beautiful yet they casually called Rosan Master, initiating contact at any given moment for the hell of it with either the captain or the scout.


    Angel especially was either latched to Luffy, Rosan or Sabo and it filled Sanji with pure envy.


    The redhead''s beauty was not one you saw often. Mature and beautiful, with curves in all the right places (just look at her hips!) and an outfit that she was aware showed it off, Angel was easily one of the most beautiful women he had seen.


    Still, acknowledging her beauty felt like he was acknowledging Rosan''s own because the two looked remarkably similar and he couldn''t acknowledge his love rival''s good looks.


    No! He wouldn''t let his love rival stop him from appreciating beauty in any capacity!


    Angel was a beauty and it didn''t matter if she looked like Rosan! She was still one of the most beautiful woman he''d ever seen!


    To be honest, the only people who Sanji had seen so far that surpassed her natural beauty, were Mod-chan and the female form of ¡ª


    Everyone paused in confusion, at the sight of Sanji letting out a strangled yell of horror. Without any prompting, the chef fainted.


    "Is he gonna be okay?" Sabo asked in concern, watching the chef collapse in the scalding sand with wide eyes.


    Nami shrugged, unbothered by the sight. "Eh, he''ll be fine. He''s been fainting a lot recently."


    Demon''s own face turned concerned at that. "Why? Is he sick? Does he need a checkup."


    Robin shook her head with an amused smile. "No he doesn''t need any of that. I believe it''s an after effect of seeing Rosan''s female form."


    The three leaders of Celadon''s eyes immediately turned into one of sympathetic understanding and they nodded sagely.


    No one reacted normally to seeing Rosan''s transformation for the first time.


    "Master''s overwhelming in more ways then one," Demon nodded sagely. He could freely admit how good looking his older brother was in both forms.


    It''s not like his male form looked worse¡­ It was just his female form was so¡­ noticeable. It was hard to miss someone walking around with all that...


    "Who actually convinced Master to transform? He normally only does it to help me!" Angel gasped in a bit of jealousy. She actually¡­ she actually managed to miss one of Rosan''s transformations?! B-But those were meant for her!


    "Robin," Rosan grunted in confusion.


    Why on Earth was his female transformation causing Sanji to faint? He was aware that she was widely considered attractive but wasn''t this a bit much?


    A figure collapsing into him, made him pause and he looked down to see a teary eyed Maro looking up at him.


    The Queen''s lips were wobbling and everyone, barring Angel, Demon, Luffy and Robin, wondered what got her so upset.


    "Y-You''re telling me I missed out on seeing that hot piece of ass?" Maro whimpered, gripping Rosan''s shirt pleadingly. "N-No fair! Please Master, transform again for me! You don''t understand how much I look forward to this! We only see it once a year! ONCE! IT''S INJUSTICE!"


    The Straw Hats collapsed, not expecting that to be the reason she was so distraught. Queen Maro sure was¡­ shameless and perverted.


    "H-Hot piece of¡­?" Vivi turned scarlet at the queen''s crass words, not expecting it out of nobility and the poor princess began steaming in embarrassment as she was forced to remember said hot piece of ass.


    "No," Rosan replied blandly, despite Maro getting increasingly grabbier. Was she climbing him? She was climbing him. His student was currently crawling atop his body like some incessant spider.


    Sometimes he wondered where he went wrong with his student. It was probably when she asked him if h preferred butts or breasts and he answered butts, much to her delight.


    Kindred spirits, she had called them. That''s what should have alerted him to the fact that she had a serious problem.


    "Robiiiiiin," Maro whined, clambering on Rosan so he didn''t think to escape from her. She expertly maneuvered herself on his back, wrapped her arms around his neck and wrapped her legs around his waist so he didn''t get any funny ideas of escaping her.


    "Yes, Maro?" Robin asked, amusement glittering in her eyes at the Dokkaebi''s antics.


    Rosan looked wholly unbothered, just letting the goblin do what she wanted.


    "Make Master transform again please," the queen requested, fixing adorable puppy dog eyes on the Devil Child.


    Before Robin could even open her mouth, Rosan decided to call his trump card.


    "Angel. Maro is crushing your boobs on me."


    The squeak Maro let out, was instantaneous and the Dokkaebi went white in fear.


    Angel''s expression immediately turned unamused and the redhead stared at her wife calmly. "Dear," she said serenely.


    The Queen began spluttering and the Straw Hats couldn''t stamp down their amusement, as she tried to shrink behind her teacher.


    "Angel, you need to stop letting Master control you like this! He has you eating out of the palm of his hands!" Maro gaped.


    If Master said something, Angel listened! This was ridiculous! He managed to trigger her so easily and she suffered for it!


    "So what! Get my boobs off of him!" She barked, marching up to her wife with a scowl. "Honestly, you really should stop being a pervert right now! Stop ruining Robin''s perception of you!"


    "That''s okay. My perception of her won''t change," Robin assured, only to blink as the redhead rounded on her.


    "Don''t even think about encouraging her, Robin!" Angel barked to the Devil Child. "Maro is the type of idiot who only needs one person to enable her bad habits and I won''t allow even you to do it!"


    Robin was a bit taken aback but Angel was never afraid to speak her mind, no matter her undying respect for the person.


    "Understood. I will not say anything next time," she nodded eventually, getting a pleased smile out of the clone.


    That smile was quickly wiped off her face as she rounded on her perverted wife. "Hot piece of ass, Maro?! Could you not talk about my sister like that! It doesn''t matter how hot and sexy she is!"


    "I''m not your sister. And please don''t call me hot or sexy, you''re my sister you know?" Rosan replied calmly.


    They ignored him.


    "B-But she looks like you and you''re also a hot piece of ass!" Maro whined pleadingly, clambering off the redhead to stand in front of her slightly taller wife. "Can you blame me for wanting to see two of you?! Look at you!"


    The Straw Hats don''t know how it worked, but Rosan and Luffy''s family proved to be just as weird as their captain and scout.


    Angel blushed beet red, anger forgotten and she immediately jumped on a pleased Maro. "O-Oh you! Don''t go trying to worm your way out with compliments!"


    Maro beamed and nuzzled her wife. "I''m just speaking the truth!"


    "How did that work?" They all thought in disbelief.


    "Sanji''s been face first in that sand for a while now," Sabo pointed out in concern, confused by everything going around him but not minding that disturbingly familiar exasperation.


    "OH NO, SANJI!"


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "So our opponent is Crocodile?"


    Rosan raised a brow. "Our? You''re not fighting, Maro. You''re not even supposed to be here. Do not reveal yourself. Not you, not Angel and not Demon."


    Maro stuck out her tongue and blew him a raspberry. "Bah, you''re no fun. Queen this pirate that¡­ you owe me a serious fight after this is over!"


    The Straw Hats watched Rosan and Maro argue with sweat. Why was the Queen upset that their scout was trying to not jeopardize her position?


    Rosan knew Maro was willing to throw a tantrum about this (and then he''d have to discipline her), so he decided to appease her in another way. "Maro, did you know Chopper developed some medicine called the Rumble Ball exclusively for his Devil Fruit that you happen to share a name with?"


    Chopper, Demon and Maro perked up at that.


    Chopper because he was suddenly mentioned, Demon because developing medicine for Devil Fruits sounded fascinating, Maro because her and Chopper both shared the Hito Hito no mi.


    The reindeer blushed at the attention of 2/3 of the leader''s of Celadon and decided to speak up.


    "It uh¡­ The Rumble Ball is a drug that distorts my biochemistry that''s enhanced by the Hito Hito no mi so that I gain more transformations. I get four additional forms because of it..."


    Demon''s eyes glittered in fascination while Maro''s glittered in awe and confusion.


    "You tamper with your own buildup to get full use out of your zoan¡­? That''s so fascinating!" The purple haired doctor awed, staring at the genius with shining eyes. "Would you mind explaining it in detail to me later? I''d love to understand how you managed to come up with it!"


    Chopper balked, not expecting anyone to be interested in his Rumble Balls but he nodded eagerly with a happy blush on his face.


    It was clear the doctor was pleased to share his knowledge with anyone interested in knowing.


    "Could you explain it like you were explaining it to Luffy but just a little smarter? Please?" Maro asked shamelessly. She didn''t understand that explanation very well but she did understand that he was using more than human, animal and hybrid using some type of drug.


    The doctor sweat a little and blushed bright at being the center of attention to everyone right now. He wasn''t used to such eyes being filled with interest beyond his appearance and he realized this was Rosan''s way of getting him out of his shell.


    He would need to thank the scout later¡­ after attacking him for making the reindeer the center of attention.


    "Um¡­ Basically the best way to explain it¡­ You know how we have 3 forms of Zoan, right?" Chopper began, getting a nod out of his fellow zoan. "Right now, you''re in your default form, which I call 0% and I''m in my hybrid, which I call 50%!"


    Transforming into his animal (or human form since that was his Devil Fruit) the muscular humanoid looked at a curious Maro and said, "This is my 100% form, my "human" transformation like how your 100% form is the Dokkaebi!"


    Maro transformed into her own 100% and the massive Dokkaebi inspected herself. "OH! I GET IT NOW!" She roared. "You''re basically using combinations of your human and animal form! Like... 20% human, 80% animal to get different hybrid forms?!"


    Chopper blinked, not expecting her to understand before he began nodding at his fellow Zoan in excitement. "Exactly! I have a Jump Point that lets me keep my reindeer legs in a human form for example!"


    The doctor yelped in fear as the Dokkaebi instantly closed the distance and Maro grabbed his massive hands with her own large ones.


    "That''s INCREDIBLE!" She squealed. "I never thought of doing that! Using mixed percentages of certain forms... I''d be so fucking strong and it''ll let me keep up with all the monsters in my family! Oh, oh! But do you really need the drugs for that? I feel like with enough practice, you can naturally achieve it!"


    Chopper opened his mouth, but then closed it as a contemplative expression made its way to his face. "No, I never considered trying to transform into those forms without the Rumble Ball... In theory, that should be possible though... The Rumble Balls don''t give me new forms, they just let me alter and combine forms I already have..."


    Actually, he was pretty interested about that now. He''d have to find out more about that later.


    For now though... he really needed to stop looking at Maro. She was scary!


    "You''re scaring him," Demon admonished, gently removing Maro''s much larger hands out of Chopper''s.


    Honestly, his queen was so overwhelming and it matched perfectly with Angel''s overbearing nature.


    "O-Oh! Sorry! I tend to do that a lot," Maro said sheepishly, transforming back to her human form. "I was just so excited because you gave me so much ideas that I need to start practicing immediately! That''s genius of you Chopper!"


    The reindeer blushed at her praise and began dancing. "S-Stop complimenting me you damn goblin!" He said happily.


    "I have to agree though on how genius it is¡­ Could you tell me how you make Rumble Balls? I want to try and make one for Maro so she doesn''t pester you until you give in. Obviously you''re a reindeer and it''ll be different but it''d be an interesting project to make it work on her."


    Watching the genuine interest in the kind doctor''s eyes and the excited gleam in Maro''s eyes filled Chopper with a delighted feeling.


    "Okay! I''d like to help. My Rumble Balls are exclusively for me, even with our similar fruits but maybe I can steer you in the right direction¡­" The equally excited reindeer mused.


    If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Hoisting up the tiny Chopper, Maro hugged him ecstatically much to Sanji and Angel''s rage.


    "You''re the best Chopper!" She gushed happily.


    "D-Don''t think your compliments will make me happy, you bastard!" Chopper beamed happily, accepting the hug despite her words. But then the reindeer sobered up as a thought came to him.


    "If you do succeed in making the Rumble Balls... make sure you don''t eat three," he warned Maro.


    Her eyes widened in confusion at that. "Three? Why? What happens if I eat two or three?"


    The reindeer frowned. "When I eat two, I lose control of the transformations that I use... When I eat three... I don''t know what happens but apparently I lost control and went on a rampage, then I was left paralyzed for days."


    Maro frowned at that and cupped her chin. "Got it... I''ll keep that in mind. Maybe we can experiment it in a controlled environment to see just what happens and if there''s a way to stop it."


    Chopper gazed at her with slightly wide eyes, taken aback by her total lack of fear. It was a far cry from him, who was deathly afraid of using 3 Rumble Balls once more unless given no other choice.


    She... She was kinda cool.


    "We can also inspect Sabo before he has to leave," Demon mused. He wasn''t expecting to be learning something from another doctor but one who had lived in the Grand Line would be so helpful to grow his knowledge.


    Also, he''d get to spend more time with Rosan and Luffy while learning. This was a golden opportunity!


    "Sounds good to me, I don''t have to leave immediately and you two seem like experts in your craft," the blonde replied with a smile on his face.


    "SABO''S TRAVELING WITH US?!" Luffy beamed, jumping excitedly and landing on Rosan''s back. "See Rosan, we were right! They should have just joined my crew and let me be captain!"


    Rosan nodded along with him. "They ended up following other people anyways. You''re the only one who''s still a captain so we should have just all sailed under your ship."


    "Not a chance! I''d never follow Luffy!" Sabo retorted like it was second nature, pausing as he realized that.


    Huh, seems like they had this conversation more than once.


    Judging by the look on Rosan''s face, he realized that too, letting a tiny smile replace his neutral expression.


    "Maybe I''ll travel with them too while Demon is learning and leave Maro by herself. This sounds like too much fun to pass up," Angel mused with a look of contemplation on her features.


    "!" Maro''s jaw dropped at that and she began shaking Angel incessantly. "I don''t care if I''m queen! I will not be left out of any type of fun! I can accept Demon going out occasionally to learn but if my wife tries to go too, then I''m joining with my paperwork! What the fuck is wrong with you guys!"


    Nearly everyone sweatdropped at the look of outrage on Maro''s face, already quickly growing used to her antics.


    "You should all just join my crew!" Luffy beamed.


    They were basically already apart so just make it official!


    Maro sadly draped her taller body over the rubber boy. "I''d love to Luffy but I have my duties as queen and I really do love what I do. I couldn''t just leave my citizens like that! I made a promise to them and I love them as much as I love you two."


    Luffy laughed and waved her off with total ease. "That''s okay! I know you have your responsibilities! You''re like an honorary member anyways!"


    The azure haired queen just crooned and began fussing over the rubber boy. "Why the hell are you so damn cute?!" She demanded, hugging him.


    The Straw Hats watched Maro gush over how adorable the rubber boy was with fond smiles, while Vivi listened with a contemplative expression.


    "Angel was just kidding anyways," Demon snorted. "She''d start missing you after about 5 minutes and I''d have to deal with it at the same time as me learning from Chopper."


    "SHUT THE FUCK UP, DEMON!" Angel roared, tackling her brother who easily rebuffed her efforts with a peaceful smile.


    That peaceful smile turned into one of rare annoyance (that was alot more common when dealing with his sister) at the fact that she began biting him and he put much more effort into pushing his rabid older sister off of him.


    "Get off of me, you animal!" Demon demanded.


    "Not until you apologize!" Angel snarled.


    Soon, the twins began brawling and Maro shot Rosan a pleading look, not willing to break them up herself and thrusting the duty off onto the oldest brother.


    She should have known how bad of an idea that was.


    Rosan nodded at her look and calmly approached his fellow triplets, before delivering a swift punch to the both of their skulls and immediately stopping their fight.


    "O-Ow! What the fuck, Master?!" Angel whined, holding her head with tears brimming in her eyes.


    S-Sometimes she hated that he made her and Demon practically human over the years because that hurt.


    "I didn''t deserve to get hit," Demon groaned, nursing his head with a pained expression.


    "Stop fighting, you''re scaring Maro and you know how she gets with her overreactions," Rosan admonished the two, hoisting them both up and away from each other.


    Maro gaped at his sheer audacity, mouth opening in shock. "I-I just wanted you to break them up because you''re the best at that! What the fuck do you mean I''m scared?!"


    "...You aren''t?"


    "FUCK OFF!"


    Without any hesitation, Maro tackled Rosan to the floor and the redhead rebuffed her efforts easily, raising a brow as she began biting him.


    "Where have you and Angel gotten the habit of biting from? You''ve been hanging around Aiko too much. She bit me just the other day," he commented idly, watching the goblin glare up at him with his finger in her mouth.


    "Do you guys bite often? When I first started my journey, she had quite the bite mark on her neck. Should I begin checking Angel for them too?"


    Every gawked at his forwardness, while Angel and Maro turned bright red.


    "M-MASTER!" They shrieked in unison. "STOP EMBARRASSING US!"


    Kami, he was just the worst! Why did he say such terrible things so calmly?!


    "Don''t bite me, I do not share your kinks," he replied coolly, watching as they nearly combusted on the spot from his shamelessness.


    "I''m surprised though¡­ that one time I accidentally walked in on you guys, there didn''t seem to be any biting going ¡ª"


    He summoned his wings and quickly flew out of reach of the two lunatics trying to end his existence.


    "You are the worst brother in existence," Angel snarled, steaming from embarrassment and wanting to bury herself in the sand.


    "I-I knew he saw something that one time!" Maro moaned in misery.


    Ugh that day was the most embarrassing day ever and somehow, her and Angel ended up suffering from it more because Master was utterly shameless and didn''t let the event phase him at all.


    It must have been karma for all the times she shamelessly walked in on him changing.


    "Rosan''s a menace," Nami said flatly, watching him terrorize the two wives with a look of sympathy.


    "No one knows that better than I do," Robin sighed.


    Everyone glanced at her forlorn expression in sympathy.


    "Wait a second¡­" Sanji said in horror.


    "HE WALKED IN ON THEM?! WHY IS IT ALWAYS HIM?! WHY IS IT NEVER ME?!"


    "Dumbass," everyone sighed in unison.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Sir Crocodile is quite the conniving one," Rosan mused, listening to Robin and Vivi explain what was happening in Alabasta.


    To put it bluntly, the Warlord was putting up a masterclass performance against the citizens of Alabasta that the redhead couldn''t help but admire.


    Not a single soul was aware of Crocodile''s hand in ruining this, thinking it was all the king''s doing. He manipulated in entire country into thinking he was their hero, all while running the organization that was sending them into ruin.


    It was rather impressive. It was such a shame he didn''t have loyal soldiers, else he''d have a real chance of succeeding.


    That was why he valued loyalty above all. Traitors costed you more then anyone else.


    Judging by the looks of sheer anger on everyone''s face, Rosan probably was not going to let anyone besides Robin know that he was going to force the sandman to submit to him.


    It was a good thing he didn''t plan on sending him over to Maro. The Queen looked like she wanted to commit murder and the redhead instinctively threw up a disguise on the rulers of Celadon, making sure their faces were hidden with the desert cloaks he had given them.


    "My kimono!" Maro protested halfheartedly as her short kimono vanished in favor of the light blue desert cloak. At least it was comfortable.


    "Don''t show your pretty little faces even once, you three," Rosan commanded, getting grumbles out of the wives and a nod out of the doctor.


    "No fair, if you''re gonna ruin my outfit, then you need to ruin yours too!" Angel complained, stamping her feet like the spoiled brat she was.


    The redhead''s stared at each other for a bit before the older one waved his hand, causing the armband on it to seamlessly transform into a long black robe that covered him from the neck down.


    "Better?" He asked.


    Angel beamed. "Better!"


    "I''m going to start disciplining you and your spoiled streak," Rosan muttered.


    His sister''s mouth opened a bit at that and a flash of fear crossed her face. "Y-You don''t have to do that! I''ll behave!"


    The scout snorted and mussed up her long hair, wiping the fear off her face and making it shift into one of rage instead.


    He ignored it.


    "What exactly is your Devil Fruit?" Sabo asked in wonder. Flying, ability to change clothes, teleporting massive amounts of distance¡­ Alternating your voice into a females?


    It seemed exceedingly useful and something the World Government would absolutely want to keep in their hands!


    "I''d prefer if you keep it a secret but it''s called the Mod Mod no mi. It turns me into a computer man and I''m allowed to modify what I please... and generally do things similar to a computer," Rosan explained.


    Modification¡­ That vaguely rang a bell¡­


    "For some reason, when you said the word Modification, the color purple pops up in my mind. You know the reason for that?" Sabo asked curiously.


    "!" Mod''s eyes widened. "Is he talking about me?! Maybe his memories aren''t as buried as we thought it was!"


    Oh she felt so happy!


    "Maybe¡­" Rosan mused, nodding to himself. "You might be subconsciously thinking of Mod-chan, she''s my Devil Fruit and you''ve met plenty of times before. I guess she left a lasting impression on you."


    "Can you blame him?" Maro and Sanji muttered at the same time, before getting hit by Angel and Nami respectively.


    "Oh! Was that the voice you used earlier today? When you claimed everyone?" Vivi asked in realization.


    "That''s right. She''s very popular with everyone who knows her," Rosan commented.


    "I like her way more then you!" Nami beamed.


    "I do too," Sanji nodded in agreement.


    Mod blushed brightly at that, resisting the urge to grin due to the gleam in Ram''s eyes.


    Rosan shrugged. "She''s beautiful, kind and motherly in nature so I can imagine that she''s more popular."


    His Devil Fruit spluttered at his compliments and tried to curl into herself, lest she die of happiness.


    Sabo had seen plenty of Devil Fruits in his time but one that had a gender and seemed to be conscious?


    "I''d like to meet her after we''re done with Alabasta, we''ve gotta stay focused for now so my memories can wait," the Chief of Staff decided. Even though he didn''t plan on interfering, if he had to he would.


    It wouldn''t be difficult if things went south. No one on this island was stronger then him after all.


    "Alright," Rosan nodded, nearly snorting at the happiness Mod was exuding.


    "I-I can''t be happy that someone wants to see me?!"


    "No, you can only be happy when it''s me."


    "Y-You¡­ stop being such a possessive little brat! Ugh, you can be so insufferable sometimes!"


    "This is what you signed up for. No complaining now."


    "WHAT I SIGNED UP FOR?! YOU ATE MY DEVIL FRUIT WITHOUT CONSENT AND PRACTICALLY FORCED ME TO BE YOUR FRIEND! WHAT EXACTLY DID I SIGN UP FOR?!"


    "No one told you to spawn there. You clearly wanted me to be the one to eat it. It must have been your Zoan half."


    "Surely you don''t believe the nonsense you are spouting¡­ right?"


    "Mod-chan... I think he does," Robin said calmly, dearly resisting the urge to laugh.


    Rosan said nothing, prompting Ram to laugh heartily, Mod to begin stewing, and Robin to stifle her giggle, lest she face the woman''s wrath next.


    The redhead hummed in confusion. Was he perhaps wrong?


    No, Mod-chan was clearly meant to be his Devil Fruit. She was part Zoan after all so she chose him and he reacted accordingly.


    "You are absolutely unbelievable. I hope you understand that you can only get away with this because I love you."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "I''m so hottttt."


    "Me tooo."


    "Are you going to complain the entire time?" Rosan asked Maro and Luffy.


    "Yesssss," they said in unison.


    The queen had already taken the liberty of resting on his back and he was now carrying her through the desert but she still felt the need to complain.


    Celadon was practically a summer island up until winter where it got incredibly cold, so why was Maro complaining so much about the heat?


    The only one who should actually be complaining this much about the heat, was the comatose Chopper being dragged by Zoro.


    "Are you seriously not even a little hot?" Sabo asked incredulously, glancing at the utterly unfazed redhead carrying the queen. Even Vivi, whose country this was, had a slight amount of sweat.


    Maro looked jealous at that question and began grumbling.


    "No. My body''s temperature is constantly being regulated so as to shield me from the weather. I cannot feel hot or cold unless I want to," Rosan informed him, ignoring Maro pathetically draping her head on his shoulder.


    He was used to this. She did this all the time when he finished training her and especially loved to hold him tight.


    "Shameless pervert," Ram grunted with a hard glare. Oh Maro better hope she didn''t find her one on one or else the ring would remind her just what mission they were trying to do right now.


    How could she even be so utterly perverted to both genders?! Or... was it her just being shameless to Father? Ram had never once seen Maro flirting with Demon after all...


    Rosan hummed. His allies, barring Vivi and Robin, were clearly not having a good time right now.


    They were traveling through the scorching heat of the desert and it was already taking its toll on them. The crew was suffering something fierce and they sent more then one jealous look towards The triplets, Vivi and Robin.


    "Shouldn''t you regulate their temperature like you did with me?" Robin asked in amusement.


    The redhead thought about it and said, "No. They need to get used to all temperatures. They won''t always have me and besides, you''ve lived in this country for years. You''d be fine regardless."


    "You are something else," Robin giggled. She couldn''t help the swell of appreciation at basically hearing him imply she would always have him. It was super endearing and adorable.


    The duo watched a fed up Luffy beg Vivi to let them have a lunch break.


    The kind princess finally relented, saying that they could stop at the nearest crag and Luffy took those words to heart¡­


    Which brought them to their current situation.


    "All our supplies were stolen?" Rosan blinked, listening to Luffy and Vivi''s explanation about how some birds were playing dead and took all the supplies that Luffy forgot in his haste to get help for them.


    "I told you guys not to let Luffy hold onto the supplies," the redhead sighed, watching them hold their heads at his truthful statement.


    "THAT WAS THREE DAYS WORTH OF FOOD!" Sanji roared in disbelief, throttling Luffy back and forth.


    "THEY TRICKED ME! I CAN''T HELP IT!"


    "STOP CHOKING LUFFY! HE CAN''T HELP BEING SO NICE!" Angel roared in fury, tackling Sanji and throttling the chef in return.


    "Of course, Angel!" Sanji gushed despite running out of breath.


    "I imagine it''s those birds right there?" Rosan asked, pointing at the group of avians drinking their water and carrying their packs.


    Luffy''s eyes bugged in recognition and he immediately took off with a "GET BACK HERE".


    "WAIT LUFFY, YOU''LL GET LOST!"


    Rosan sighed. "I''ll get the supplies," he said calmly, plopping a sullen Maro down and sprouting his draconic wings.


    "W-What about Luffy?!" Vivi asked in concern.


    "He''ll be fine. The supplies are more important."


    With that, the redhead rocketed off and quickly vanished from their sight.


    "What a surprise, he actually didn''t take me with him this time," Robin commented in surprise.


    They all nodded, only to blink as the redhead suddenly appeared again, grabbed a visibly amused Robin, and rocketed off for a second time.


    The group couldn''t dwell on Rosan''s eccentrics because Luffy came sprinting back with a gigantic sand dragon chasing him and a camel next to him.


    "Isn''t this a bit much?" Sabo asked, watching all the chaos unfold with a slight sweatdrop. He knew he was a headache for his allies at the revolutionary but he wasn''t this bad.


    "This is just a normal day with Master and Luffy," Maro nodded sagely.


    Angel hoisted the Dokkaebi up and placed the bluenette on her back, much to Maro''s joy. "Those two are probably the most chaotic people on the planet. Every single action they take seems to support it too, without exception. Even with no emotions, Master and Luffy have scary compatibility."


    "The twin incarnates of chaos who march to their own beats," Demon joined with a wry smile.


    "Tell us about it," the Straw Hats groaned. Those two were too much sometimes.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan effortlessly caught up to the thieving birds and delivered swift justice onto them, grabbing all their supplies and dumping it in his Pocket Dimension in the process.


    He did notice Luffy getting chased by some large sand lizard while he was chasing them... but he decided his brother would be fine and ignored him to continue pursuing the bird.


    "You really didn''t have to drag me with you to do this," Robin said, amusement clear on her features.


    "You''ve lost freedom privileges, remember? This is your punishment for making Maro, Demon, and Angel hound me."


    As if making his point clear, the man dragged the, currently white haired, woman closer to him and began crushing her in a hug, leaving her no room to escape.


    "Stop!" Robin protested, squirming to escape his unbelievable grip and failing spectacularly.


    Were him and Mod-chan just freaks of nature with their strength? Why was it so hard to escape their grasp?


    "No," Rosan replied calmly, watching her struggle with a mockingly smug smirk.


    Eventually, she gave up and just slumped in his grasp, glaring at him halfheartedly because she was never the type to get angry.


    "How would you like to approach this?" He asked her suddenly, holding her bridal style so that they could slowly fly back to the crew.


    Ram grinned in a wolfish manner at that and practically picked up an amused Mod in her happiness.


    Robin hummed, not minding being held like this, and got comfortable for the slow flight back.


    "Crocodile still thinks we''re dead so we can use that to our advantage. Mr. 3 is the only one who could have told him otherwise and he''s more than likely dead on Little Giant since we destroyed all their ships¡­"


    Rosan nodded. "What about Mr. 2? Do you think he''s recognized us yet?"


    "Mr. 2¡­ is a bit stupid," Robin admitted. "I doubt he thought twice about our crew and unless Crocodile brings us up, which he has no reason to considering we''re "dead", I don''t think he''ll mention us but we should prepare for that scenario in case."


    "It''s good to account for everything," Mod mused.


    The redhead hummed and Robin closed her eyes at the gentle tune. "It''s only a matter of time before Luffy reveals that we''re alive. Before that happens, we should try and sabotage Sir Crocodile."


    "It won''t be easy¡­ Crocodile has planted many agents in both the rebel and royal army. It will be difficult to capture them all," Robin informed him.


    "Leave them be then. I don''t really care what the moles stir up and it''ll be impossible to stop everyone of them. We''re just here to liberate Vivi''s country, destroy Baroque Works, give my cute student a soldier or two and force a Crocodile to submit."


    Robin rolled her eyes. He really was planning on forcing Crocodile to his side wasn''t he? If he could actually keep the man on a leash, he''d be an incredibly useful ally, she would never deny that but it would be difficult with someone like the Warlord.


    "I''ll support you in anyway possible," the Devil Child replied.


    Rosan squeezed her gently. "That''s all I can ask for."


    "Please just fucking kiss already I''m losing my mind," Ram mouthed to herself, making sure neither heard it.


    "Language," Mod mouthed back, struggling terribly to hold back her laughter.


    Honestly, all her children were so special.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan grunted at being mobbed by most of his allies.


    "Y-You really got all our supplies back?!" Usopp sobbed happily.


    "Now we don''t have to starve!" Luffy cried.


    "I take back everything I said, you''re the best big bro!" Nami joined.


    "You can''t possibly be a monster! You''re like an Angel!" Chopper wept.


    "If only you knew," everyone who knew of Rosan''s alias thought.


    The redhead sighed, ignoring Robin and Sabo''s amused look and wondering why the hell Maro and Angel joined the group hug.


    "I just like hugging you," Angel beamed, wrapping her arms around his neck.


    "Ditto!" Maro grinned, shamelessly groping his muscles.


    Rosan ignored them all for now, focusing on where they were currently located. "This is Yuba? I thought it was supposed to be an oasis. Why is there only sand and this old man wasting away here?"


    "Why is he so rude?" they all thought in disbelief, before explaining the situation to him.


    Yuba used to be an oasis but it had been wracked by constant sandstorms, leading the rebellion to relocate to Katorea. They had come here for no reason then because the only person here was this old guy digging away for water.


    "Constant sandstorms for three years out of nowhere?" Rosan mused suspiciously, glancing at Robin. The Devil Child caught his eye and nodded to confirm his thoughts.


    Their allies didn''t miss that notion and all came to the same conclusion.


    Crocodile.


    Vivi grit her teeth in rage. "He¡­ When will he stop this madness?!"


    When they crushed him, obviously. Even with his Devil Fruit, no one suspected Crocodile of anything... This wasn''t even to the Warlord''s point anymore, the people were just incredibly stupid for not even throwing a hint of suspicion onto him.


    "There''s no use dwelling on it now," Rosan said calmly. "Let''s all get some rest and continue our planning tomorrow."


    They all chorused in agreement and prepared to get some much needed sleep.


    "GROUP SLEEP!" Maro cheered, causing everyone outside of their family, and Sabo, to jump in confusion.


    "WOOHOO!" Luffy jumped up and down in excitement.


    "Group sleep?" Nami muttered in confusion. What were they talking about and why did Rosan suddenly exhale so tiredly?


    She soon found out why.


    "I call Master''s left arm!" Maro grinned.


    "I call his right!" Angel beamed.


    Ah, so that''s why. The two wives were utterly unhinged when it came to their scout.


    "Can we not?" Rosan sighed in annoyance as he took his hair out of its bun to let it fall free, cloak transforming into a pair of sweatpants and a sleeveless tee that showed his tattoo. "I don''t see why you guys need me to be at the bottom of our piles every single time and now you''re renting parts of my body? You all are so shameless."


    "Shouldn''t have been the tallest," Maro sniffed, crossing her arms under her bust as she had the scout modify her outfit into some blue and white pajamas. "I''m cold and you''re warm. I need your body heat!"


    "Modify the bed! It''s too uncomfortable and sandy and overall gross," Angel complained as Rosan transformed her outfit into some shorts and a sleeveless tee.


    "This can''t be real," Sanji gaped. "Please tell me this isn''t real?!"


    Demon, trying to be a good younger brother, decided to intervene as Rosan transformed his Yukata into a night robe. "You two are forgetting about Robin, aren''t you? Don''t go taking her spot now."


    He should have known how greedy the two most important people in his life were, even with the fact that they were playing matchmaker.


    "Robin will sleep on his chest," Angel decided bluntly, smiling in satisfaction at watching Rosan modify all the beds in the room. "Hurry up, I''m tired!"


    "You don''t need sleep."


    "Who are you to decide that?!"


    "Your creator."


    "You''re the only one focusing on such irrelevant details!"


    Robin sweatdropped a bit at how demanding Angel was and had Rosan change her outfit into some comfy shorts and a sweater. "Don''t I have any say in this?"


    "Nope!" Maro chirped, jumping on the bed excitedly. "Luffy you''re sleeping next to me!"


    The rubber boy was way ahead of her, already leaping on the bed with visible excitement and the Dokkaebi followed suit.


    "Sabo, c''mere!" Angel demanded, watching the revolutionary try and claim a bed for himself. "You thought you were getting out of this?! You''re sleeping next to me!"


    The blonde tried to protest. "But ¡ª"


    "No buts!"


    The harsh glare from the redhead silenced his complaints and he reluctantly walked over to the budding pile.


    Angel was way too demanding. It was insane!


    "Sorry Master, I tried," Demon apologized, laying next to Luffy with a sympathetic smile and patting the rubber boy on his head.


    "That''s okay. This is why you''re my favorite of the three," Rosan said easily, lying on the bed and beckoning them all to get it over with and surround him.


    Maro and Angel gawked despite clambering to their claimed sides and crushing him.


    "YOU TAKE THAT BACK RIGHT NOW, ASSHOLE!" They both shouted in anger, nestling in.


    "This is too much chaos for one crew to handle," Nami muttered in awe. Poor Rosan (he deserved it) looked tired of his families antics.


    "Isn''t this chaos a bit too organized though?" Vivi joined, watching them quickly get situated despite the bickering going on. There was so much going on but it was incredibly seamless.


    Luffy was already comfortably sleeping, draping himself across both Maro and Demon, with his head just reaching the resigned Rosan.


    "Rosan''s always been smart with his chaos¡­ we all just picked up on it," Robin shrugged helplessly. The way the two wives were glaring at her made it clear that they weren''t sleeping until she joined the pile so the Devil Child made her way over and took her spot atop of Rosan.


    At least they normally slept with each other. She was normally to his left but this was fine too she supposed.


    The redhead sighed. "I''m sorry for them. We''ve been doing these for years now," he muttered.


    "It''s fine. This is surprisingly comfortable," Robin muttered, listening to the steady heartbeat of Rosan and quickly falling tired, brushing his chin with her black hair.


    "I was going to kill you two, Auntie Angel and Maro, but this is the best outcome," Ram nodded in approval, watching the proximity of Robin and Rosan in glee.


    "Come to the mindscape so we can cuddle you both as well!" Mod beamed shamelessly.


    Sabo thought it was pretty bad that he was way to comfortable with this for his liking but he attributed that to his lost memories. It did actually feel pretty nice despite the chaos and their collective warmth was quickly helping him fall asleep.


    Rosan sighed in annoyance and dragged both him and Robin into the mindscape to give the Devil Fruit what she wanted.


    "Yay!" Mod cheered as the four got ready.


    "Woohoo!" Ram beamed.


    "I know what I need to do now," Sanji said with a serene expression on his face. It was a far cry from how the crew expected him to act at the sight of the three beautiful women surrounding his so called "Love Rival".


    "What is that¡­?" Usopp asked warily. He didn''t like that look on the chef''s face one bit.


    "I''m going to kill him of course," the chef smiled. "He has too much of a head start on me so it''s only fair."


    They balked at his admittance, listening to how serious he sounded saying it and backed away from the unhinged chef.


    Zoro smirked. "If you kill him, that means you''d kill Mod too you know? And don''t even get me started on that psychopath Ram."


    Sanji froze at that, jaw dropping at the realization that yes, Mod and Rosan did share a body with each other and if he died, the chef would probably never see her beautiful face again.


    Not to mention, if he killed Ram''s Father... how could he ever live with himself if the beauty cried because of him?


    Like he had gotten shot, the blonde collapsed on his knees and held his chest.


    "It''s not fair! I can''t even get my revenge! C-Can I even hit him?!" Sanji cried, crawling into his modified bed in misery and crying himself to sleep.


    "He is such an idiot," Nami sighed, sliding into her own bed and letting out another sigh, this time of relief. The bed was incredibly comfortable. It felt far more luxurious then it looked.


    Modification was so useful.


    "Least he doesn''t have such dumbass ideas floating through his head anymore. He''d probably regret not seeing that female form of Rosan again," Zoro snorted.


    "What did you just say, shitty marimo?" Sanji snarled, waking up instantly and closing the distance between him and the swordsman.


    "I said our scouts got you confused, dumbass love cook," the swordsman snarled back.


    The two looked like they were rearing for a fight right now in the middle of their room.


    "Seriously?" Nami groaned in exasperation. She really didn''t wanna get out of bed right now to deal with these two idiots.


    Luckily, she didn''t have to.


    "I swear to all that is fucking holy, if you two wake Maro or Luffy up, I''m going to rip your balls off and feed it to the other," Angel hissed, pushing herself up and glaring at the two dumbasses with a look that promised pain.


    The two began sweating slightly and slowly made their way back to their respective beds, Angel glaring at both all the while until she huffed in satisfaction and tucked herself back into Rosan.


    She sighed in bliss and fell right back asleep next to Rosan and Sabo, peaceful smile on her face contrasting the womanly fury from earlier.


    Nami sighed in bliss herself and fell asleep.


    It felt good to have someone else to deal with all the idiots.

 Too Much Sand II

    "I quit."


    Rosan couldn''t say he was too surprised that Luffy said it and he was sure his family was the same way.


    His captain wasn''t a man of words. He was a man of action and he followed his own whims much like Rosan did.


    Luffy didn''t want to talk anyone down. What purpose did a pirate have trying to talk negotiations? It''s not like anyone would listen to them.


    He wanted to kick Crocodile''s ass, plain and simple.


    All of this talk about negotiations and talking people down just wasn''t exciting enough. Luffy and Rosan were both people who hated being bored so the redhead wasn''t even remotely surprised to see his brother lying on his back with a serious expression on his face.


    Vivi thought simply talking to her childhood friend was going to solve everything but did she really think Crocodile was going to just stop? Even without Nico Robin, he seemed hellbent on continuing his plans so naturally people would die.


    "You don''t want anyone to die in this fight even when we''re up against a Warlord and millions of people are going wild but you still think everyone will make it out safe¡­?"


    "That''s naive," Luffy said bluntly, much to the agreement of his family and some Straw Hats.


    Vivi''s eyes widened before narrowing at his uncharacteristically harsh statement.


    Nami tried to stand up for the princess despite seeing where he was coming from.


    "Shut up, Luffy! Of course Vivi cares about her people," the navigator defended.


    "But he''s right, Nami," Rosan interjected calmly, causing her to wilt a bit in surprise. "You shouldn''t go into such a situation thinking everyone will survive¡­ It hits much harder if you fail to save even one."


    The Straw Hats and Sabo didn''t miss the nods that came out of the three leaders of Celadon and were a little surprised they so readily agreed with Luffy and Rosan.


    They wondered just how much they all had to go through.


    Sabo wondered if he was one of the reason they were so pragmatic sometimes.


    "So what?!" Vivi responded with a look of anger directed towards the two. Her face was slowly morphing into an angrier expression and the upset princess was close to erupting. "Why is it so bad that I don''t want anyone to die?!"


    "There''s nothing wrong with not wanting anyone to die..." Rosan began neutrally.


    "But people die," Luffy finished calmly.


    Maro swiftly intercepted a furious Angel due to the fact that Vivi viciously slapped both Rosan and Luffy, sending the rubber boy sprawling and turning the head of the computer man.


    "LEMME GO MARO! I''LL FUCKING KILL HER AND SEE HOW SHE LIKES SLAPPING A DAMN KAMI!" Angel snarled, fruitlessly trying to escape the impossible grip of her too strong wife and flailing wildly.


    "I know you will that''s why I''m not letting you go!" Maro sighed, effortlessly holding the angry redhead back by the waist. It was a good thing she was so strong because there was absolutely nothing weak about Angel''s physical, not human, strength.


    "LEMME GO AUNTIE! I''LL FUCKING RIP HER SPINE OUT AND SHOVE IT UP HER ASS!" Ram roared, flailing herself in Mod''s grasp. Who did this idiot fucking human think she was, putting a hand on her Father for speaking the truth?! Oh Ram would definitely show her a different truth alright.


    "That''s not necessary, Ram," Mod sighed.


    It was rare to see Rosan get slapped... in fact, she couldn''t recall a time someone did slap him which was a good thing because everyone in their family, including herself, would attempt to rip that person to shreds.


    Despite being so strong, Rosan sure did have a lot of people who were protective of him.


    "Are you alright?" Robin asked, grasping his cheek and straightening his head.


    "It was just a slap. I hardly felt it," Rosan muttered.


    Vivi was so caught up in her anger, she didn''t even look bothered by Angel''s fury. No, the princess was staring daggers at the captain at the scout.


    "DON''T SAY THINGS LIKE THAT! I WON''T LET YOU SAY THINGS LIKE THAT!" The princess screamed angrily, glaring at the two.


    "I DON''T WANT THERE TO BE BLOODSHED! I WANT TO SAVE THE REBELS AND I WANT TO SAVE THE ROYAL ARMY! WHY DO THEY HAVE TO DIE WHEN IT''S ALL CROCODILE''S FAULT?! WHY DO THEY HAVE TO SUFFER BECAUSE OF ONE PERSON?!"


    Luffy glared at her and delivered a punch of his own, flooring the princess.


    "THEN WHY ARE YOU RISKING YOUR OWN LIFE?!" He roared.


    "Luffy you''re going too far!" Usopp yelled, holding back a furious Sanji.


    The two began brawling in earnest at that, throwing punches and slaps left and right.


    "Just one look at this country and I can tell what needs to be done!" Luffy growled, accepting her punches with a deep frown on the ground.


    He thought about how Yuba was being ravaged by sandstorms and how that man had been digging nonstop just to find a drop of water that he gratefully gave to the rubber boy and his glare hardened.


    "YOU CAN''T DO EVERYTHING ALONE! WHY ARE YOU PUTTING YOUR LIFE ON THE LINE?"


    "WHAT CHOICE DO I HAVE?! I¡­ I don''t have anything else.."


    Vivi''s anger tapered off and her voice entered a near whisper, as tears of defeat began forming in her eyes.


    "THEN PUT OUR LIVES ON THE LINE TOO! WE''RE FRIENDS AREN''T WE?!" Luffy roared holding the princess up.


    "!?" The princess sniffed at the overwhelming feeling coursing through her and tears began falling in earnest.


    "We''re your friends too, aren''t we?" Their captain asked seriously. "The truth is, you want to kick Crocodile''s ass more then anyone, don''t you?"


    Vivi did. Deep down, she wanted nothing more then to get her hands on Crocodile and make him pay for years of suffering. For years of trickery and Luffy knew that.


    All it took was for someone to point it out to bring it to the forefront and it was too much for her to handle.


    She began crying. To hear the truth was as liberating as it was heartbreaking, so she cried and cried. The princess curled into herself and sobbed freely.


    They all watched with sullen gazes and Angel''s anger tapered off, replaced by sympathy at watching the, too young, girl shoulder so much responsibility.


    Sabo''s gaze hardened and he clenched his fist. This is why he was a revolutionary. To stop people from feeling this helpless in a hopeless situation. No one should ever have to feel this crushed due to the whims of another person.


    It wasn''t right.


    Robin couldn''t prevent the stab of guilt at causing Vivi to end up like this. After all, Crocodile used the Devil Child for everything involving Baroque Works. She was his mouthpiece, the one who showed their face, the one giving out all the orders.


    It wouldn''t be so wrong to say that she was as much as the leader of this organization as the Warlord was. It didn''t matter if she wasn''t given much of a choice, she had still done it.


    Rosan gazed at her from the corner of his eye and frowned.


    Robin had enough to deal with, he wouldn''t let this affect her either.


    "It must have been hard, feeling so helpless for all these years," Rosan spoke up softly, grabbing their attention. "No one should ever feel like that which is why you should put a little faith in us... A wise person once told me that if you can''t trust even one person in your life, you can''t call that living and they were right. Can you really claim to be living if the only person you trust is yourself?"


    No one missed how hard Robin, Demon and Angel flinched.


    Bending down on one knee in front of the princess, Rosan gently pat her head in a soothing manner.


    "I''m not a person worthy of trust but I can tell you that Luffy absolutely is so you should trust him, Vivi," he assured, refreshing the tears in her eyes at the absolute faith everyone had in the rubber boy.


    The princess could say nothing so she only nodded tightly.


    Everyone stared at the calm redhead in awe, especially the ones who weren''t aware he was capable of being¡­ encouraging.


    It was¡­ nice. They never expected their apathetic scout to have a heart but it was endearing.


    Robin felt her guilt wilt away at his speech, feeling uplifted and being reminded that she wasn''t alone anymore and that there was someone alive worth trusting staring right at her with reassuring and beautiful eyes.


    Ah, Rosan always knew the right thing to say. She wouldn''t be surprised if he did this speech because of her and that made her incredibly pleased.


    Luffy looked at the crying Vivi and clutched his straw hat. "Tell us where this Crocodile is, Vivi."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "I still can''t believe Mr. 0 is Sir Crocodile," Miss Doublefinger remarked.


    "It changes nothing. He''s been the one giving us missions all this time through Miss All Sunday so learning his identity shouldn''t affect things," Mr. 1 grunted.


    "Speaking of which¡­ Where is Miss All Sunday?" Miss Merry Christmas asked. The mouthpiece of Mr. 0 had been missing for quite a long time now but they were never sure who to ask of her whereabouts.


    Crocodile bit his cigar in annoyance. "Miss All Sunday, along with Mr. 3 and the Unluckies betrayed me for whatever reason and I am unaware of their location¡­ Mr. 2, what is with that look of confusion?"


    The okama scratched his head. "That''s right I never did report my findings because I didn''t see the Unluckies again. Mr. 3 is dead."


    "What? You killed him?" Crocodile asked, stamping his annoyance down at just being told. Not only was Mr. 2 the most pivotal part to his plans (as of now with Nico Robin missing), he had no one to report that too so it wasn''t the agent''s fault.


    "Nope, he was already dead when I found him on Little Garden," Bon Clay shrugged.


    This didn''t make any sense at all to Crocodile. "¡­ So where is Nico Robin? Is she dead as well? What killed them? What about all the other agents?"


    According to the Unluckies, only Mr. 3 had survived but they betrayed him so everything could have been a lie¡­ but that didn''t make sense... What reason did they have to lie to him?


    Was passive, broken, Miss All Sunday suddenly going rogue?


    That was not in line with her character.


    "Mr. 3 was the only body I found. There was no one else on Little Garden," Mr. 2 informed him.


    The agents grew more and more confused at the agitated expression on Crocodile''s face.


    The Warlord was deep in thought at the new information and it was giving him a clearer and clearer picture that was making him more and more furious because it was partially his fault.


    He just needed one more confirmation.


    "Mr. 2," he began gravely, making the okama go white in fear. "Did you intercept any groups on the way back to Alabasta?"


    Bon Clay cupped his chin at the abrupt question before nodding. "I did! I ran into a crew who saved my life! Hold on, I even got pictures of them."


    Crocodile''s gaze darkened into something thunderous, watching Bon Clay transform into the Straw Hat Crew and Princess Vivi with some extras, including a long nose and some raccoon animal.


    The Warlord was beginning to understand more and more why things weren''t making sense.


    Mr. 3 didn''t betray him. Mr. 3 didn''t even win the battle. Every Straw Hat was alive and they appeared to have far more members then accounted for.


    In fact, he probably hadn''t even been talking to Mr. 3 over the phone¡­ which meant the Unluckies betrayed him even before Little Garden.


    He hazarded a guess that whoever caused the Unluckies to betray him, managed to convince Nico Robin going against a Warlord was a good idea.


    Just who was in that crew that managed to do so¡­? None of who he had seen so far looked like they were capable of doing such a thing and Mr. 2 insisted that none of the ones he saw seemed like they would do something like that.


    Someone had been manipulating him through the Unluckies. Someone with enough knowledge to know who CP9 was and to use that against him.


    He withheld the urge to turn this entire room into sand and took a deep breath.


    The question was who of the Straw Hats was this cunning? To recruit his agents and trick him so thoroughly, demanded respect from even him.


    That''s when he noticed something.


    "Mr. 2, there wasn''t anyone else on that ship?" Crocodile asked.


    "I''m not sure. I only stayed on the deck and we did make quite a ruckus but no one else showed up," the agent replied.


    No one else showed up¡­


    Crocodile took out all the photos the Unluckies had given him back when he first learned of the Straw Hats.


    Straw Hat Luffy and Roronoa Zoro were the only ones he recognized at a glance. The first for his bounty and the second due to trying to recruit him and failing.


    He ignored the picture of the orange haired girl and instead focused on the only one who had not been accounted for by Mr. 2 or himself.


    An empty gaze, captured even by the picture stared up at Crocodile and he realized that this person looked more then capable of doing everything his crew wouldn''t do.


    After all, the Unluckies pinned the death on Miss Goldenweek, Valentine and Mr. 5 on him right here before his alleged "death".


    But according to Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine, they had been effortlessly dealt with by the redhead who''s hair color was not captured by the picture.


    That''s why he had believed the Unluckies when they said he killed all but Mr. 3. But the man accounted for that and even included CP9, which the Unluckies should not even know about.


    That should have been his first tip but he had been so gone in his anger he didn''t even notice.


    How sloppy of him. Because of that, the Unluckies managed to get away from him but the expressionless man must have known it was going to work.


    But what did he have that would persuade Nico Robin? That is what left Crocodile truly stumped.


    Was it a case of threatening her? Did he catch her off guard?


    What had become of her then?


    This supposed redhead knew the answer and Crocodile was going to find out one way or another just what happened to her.


    After all, Nico Robin was essential to his plans.


    "You all, there''s another mission added on top of your others," Crocodile intoned, catching all their attention. Placing the photos of all of them in front of his agents he pointed at each one except for two.


    "Stop the Straw Hats and Princess Vivi from meeting with the Rebel Army at all costs."


    They nodded, noting that he left two pictures to himself.


    "And what about those two?" Miss Merry Christmas asked.


    The Warlord glared darkly at the photos of Luffy and Rosan, consuming them in sand and reducing it to dust.


    "Avoid these two at all costs. I''ll deal with them personally."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "That was a nice speech, Rosan," Nami smiled.


    The big group was currently on their way to Rainbase to confront Crocodile and they were back in their cycle of complaining about the desert heat.


    The redhead, who was finally allowed to walk without baggage, glanced over at his navigator.


    "I only try and speak the truth," Rosan replied softly.


    "Thank you for speaking your truth, Rosan and Luffy," Vivi smiled gratefully. "I''m sure that wise person you mentioned is proud of you!"


    Rosan actually paused at that, causing them all to stop in confusion as his expression turned uncharacteristically wistful.


    "...If she is proud of me¡­ that''s all I can ask for. Thank you, Vivi," he eventually said, beginning to walk again.


    "She?"


    Who was "she"? Why did Rosan sound so¡­ sad? Maybe it was a trick of the brain because he generally sounded the same but¡­ they felt their hearts pang regardless.


    "She¡­?" Sabo asked quietly, concern set on his features. Seemed like he was the only one unaware of her identity, who was willing to ask.


    The redhead stopped again and regarded his younger brother. "Right, you don''t remember."


    The revolutionary was really beginning to find that losing his memories carried far more problems then he initially thought.


    "¡­"She" is Meiko," Rosan said aloud, making all of them reel in surprise.


    He was¡­ He was sharing information?!


    So willingly?!


    Wait a second... Meiko¡­ they knew that name!


    "If you were anyone else¡­ except for Meiko, I''d have buried your head underground by now."


    That was what Rosan had said to Robin when she demanded he transform into a female for them.


    "Meiko was my other half¡­ my better half," the redhead said quietly. "Gentle and kind¡­ She was everything that I was not. My complete opposite but it made us all the more compatible."


    "Y-Your better half¡­? You mean¡­?" Nami whispered, dread welling up inside of her.


    "Yes. Meiko was my lover," he nodded.


    "She was amazing. I''ve never met a more gentle and beautiful soul," Demon said softly, shutting his eyes.


    "Mei was truly one of a kind... patient, smart, humble... she was too sweet for a world like this," Angel admitted bitterly.


    Was.


    Every single one of them used that word when describing the girl who they wished to meet.


    Watching the distraught look on the twin''s face, along with the crushing sadness on Robin''s own told them everything they needed to know.


    "She died when I was 12 but I still hold her words very close to me," Rosan confirmed.


    The redhead tapped his earrings and displayed his ring. "These are her earrings and this is her ring... I wear them to honor her in any way I know how... Ram even looks like her."


    "If you ever see me without my accessories, it''s not me. I will never take them off."


    So that was why he always had them on... they had jokingly said he even showered with them but now they felt guilty for making light of something so depressing.


    "Is that... is that why Ram calls you Father?" Nami asked quietly, heart breaking in sympathy.


    Rosan closed his eyes and nodded. "Ram''s official name R.A.M, stands for Rosan and Meiko. It''s what I had engraved on the ring when I promised her that we''d get married."


    "H-He wanted to get married with her?!" Everyone thought in horror. T-They really did love each other didn''t they...


    He showed them all the intricate engraving on the beautiful ring with so much history behind it and they couldn''t stop the pain from hearing that Rosan of all people, was so in love that he was willing to get married and settle down with someone.


    It was so sad... they couldn''t even begin to imagine the pain the robotic (it made so much sense) redhead must have been in.


    Rosan pulled Robin close to him to reassure her.


    Her memories of Meiko were the freshest so he wasn''t fond of bringing it up around her.


    She smiled thankfully and tucked herself deeper in his frame, trying to calm herself to the best of her abilities.


    "S-She¡­ She died when you were 12?" Vivi asked in shocked horror, staring at his expressionless feature with a teary gaze.


    A lightbulb went off at the same time with Nami and Zoro.


    They recalled the conversation they had with the redhead back on Syrup Village. When they saw the unhinged redhead in all his glory and the aftermath of that... When he told them why he acted so differently when hypnotized.


    "My emotions are locked away and they are rather difficult to get back."


    "I lost my emotions about 12 years ago when I was still a child and I''ve clearly grown since then."


    Rosan was 24¡­ 12 years ago would make him 12... the same age when Meiko died.


    Everything made sense.


    His lack of emotions, how little he cared for other people, how he didn''t even seem human at times! Her death had to have been what sparked his loss of emotions...


    It all made sense and for Nami especially, who knew more about his past then the other members.


    She was beginning to realize that Rosan''s life was looking more and more hellish the more they learned. The redhead went through so much...


    The more they learned, the more they realized that it was no wonder he had no emotions.


    Sabo felt awful for remembering nothing about his family''s life. Rosan had trusted him enough to tell him this once already and he forgot about it like he forgot everything else.


    "Sorry¡­" the revolutionary said quietly. For everything.


    "Don''t apologize for something that isn''t your fault," Rosan chided. "Amnesia is not something you can control and I already told you once. I don''t mind telling you again."


    Sabo nodded tightly, still not happy with the situation.


    The redhead let his blonde brother stew with his thoughts, only to grunt at the amount of people suddenly tackling him.


    "I-I''m sorry for slapping you! I had no idea what you went through!" Vivi sobbed. She felt terrible! No wonder he was trying to advise her to stop being so naive, he experienced it himself!


    "It must have been so hard¡­ at only 12?! I''m sorry, Rosan," Nami soothed with a sad frown.


    Sailing the seas at 4, being kidnapped and turned into a slave and then losing your lover¡­ that was just so terrible and Nami didn''t know if she could handle so much trauma.


    Chopper said nothing, just clutching the redhead with teary eyes.


    Sanji remained silent as he bit his cigarette harshly.


    The chef realized now why Rosan was hardly every interested in women throwing themselves at him. To lose the love of your life at such a young age... it was probably difficult to express any interest in another person after that.


    He must have seriously loved her to still value her words after this long¡­


    "That''s why your emotions are locked away, right?" Zoro asked their scout. He wanted to confirm it.


    "That''s right," Rosan replied calmly. "I''m an emotional person who does a terrible job handling loss. For my, Angel and Demon''s safety, Modification saw it fit to lock them away and neither Mod or I can manually unlock it."


    He now knew why they couldn''t. It was not only the castle''s will, but the virus was likely resisting as well.


    The twins wilted at that, refusing to make eye contact with anyone there.


    Maro saw this and quickly moved over to the duo, soothing the two with reassuring words and tender hugs in which they sunk into.


    Mod, despite her crushing sadness, was so glad that he was revealing this information with his crew. Rosan set up near impenetrable barriers (that grew a lot more cracks as he spent time with his family) with everyone he met simply because he didn''t want to forge bonds anymore.


    The redhead didn''t seen the point in doing so. He couldn''t see the good in people due to what Doc had done to him and lost all his trust in the world.


    To him, any person with an ounce of kindness, was just someone who wanted to use him.


    Forming bonds as he was now was just a waste and she wanted nothing more for that to not be the case.


    But maybe just maybe¡­ he was slowly forging bonds with the Straw Hats that weren''t Robin and Luffy?


    No, he definitely was.


    Rosan and Nami had formed a sibling like bond that only the two shared and Mod was shocked to see that he actually liked her. The two clearly enjoyed arguing (but refused to admit it) with each other and found almost any opportunity to do so!


    He chose to put his trust in Zoro incredibly early and the swordsman had not let him down yet!


    Outside of Luffy and Robin, Zoro was the Straw Hat member that Rosan trusted the most and they even frequently trained with each other due to her son being intrigued by his ambition


    Usopp should have been everything the redhead hated in a person but their relationship had evolved far past what she ever expected it to. The redhead had given the sniper advice that he seemed to take to heart and it was a far cry from the neutral disdain he had for him before.


    Sanji was the only one in the crew who knew Rosan was Reaper! Though he pretended to dislike his self proclaimed "Love Rival" there was few people alive who the blonde respected more and it was obvious.


    After all, Rosan had been the one to save him, encouraged him to follow his dream and inspired him in more ways then one! One of the chef''s goals, was to create the best meal for the redhead and it was a goal he tackled every single day!


    Chopper might have been new but it was partly with Rosan''s assistance that the reindeer was convinced to join the crew!


    It was clear the little animal felt most comfortable around Robin and Rosan and the scout was even going out of his way to have him break out of his shell by forcing him in uncomfortable situations.


    It wasn''t glaringly obvious and maybe it wasn''t as much as she thought, but Mod was sure that Rosan was beginning to value his crewmates whether he wanted to or not. They were incredible and deserved it.


    At the very least, he valued them enough to reveal more of his past... something he would have never done. He also would have never told them about his Devil Fruit, or revealed who she was but he did and that told her everything she needed to know.


    Little by little, her boy would realize that people cared for him and that he could rely on others.


    "So this isn''t the real you¡­" Chopper said sadly, hugging the top of Rosan''s head as he lay there. "Is there any way we can help you?"


    They all looked at him with their undivided attention.


    Anyway to help him? Weren''t they just adorable.


    "To be honest, I''m not sure... It seems that I have to come to some realizations about myself," Rosan admitted, glancing at his unblemished skin that didn''t tell the story of what he went through at all.


    "It seems there are layers to my emotions being locked and there seems to be different things needed to unlock them. Meeting and talking to Robin helped me unlock one of those chains..."


    He smiled softly and squeezed the Devil Child, who happily returned the hug with a pleased smile of her own. The two just basked in the other''s presence for a moment.


    If just meeting Nico Robin was enough to partially help, it was clear the two were even closer then the crew initially thought.


    "If you noticed, my eyes are glowing slightly since reuniting with her. Zoro, Nami and Usopp... do you remember how brightly my eyes were glowing back at Syrup Village?"


    The trio nodded at that, remembering vividly how his dual eyes glowed as bright as the sun.


    "I thought that was because of Modification..." Zoro pondered, brows furrowed.


    The redhead shook his head and activated his Devil Fruit, eyes pulsing crimson red. "This is how I look when I activate Modification. Both my eyes glow red and if I put in even more power, my sclera glow red as well... with my emotions, my eyes shine more. It used to glow purple, but now it glows red for my left and purple for my right," he explained.


    "So your glowing eyes, tie into your emotion," Nami observed.


    "Queen Raisa also had glowing purple eyes¡­ It was much brighter then yours but now I understand," Vivi mused.


    "Raisa''s eyes glow bright as well?" Rosan asked.


    Did he actually inherit everything from her? What did he inherit from his father besides his spiky hair? Raisa had powerful genes.


    "...How nice. Yes, my eyes glow depending on my emotional state. When I''m happy or excited, they glow brightest. When I''m sad they get dimmer... After Meiko died, they stopped glowing completely but the day they fully glow, is the day I''ve been "saved". As for how that happens¡­? I''m not sure." He shrugged.


    Once his eyes fully glowed¡­ he''d be saved?


    "Right!" They chorused.


    They would all make sure that day comes. Rosan had done a lot for them and they finally saw a way to repay him.


    They would not let him down.


    Maro, Angel and Demon looked at them all with pride in their eyes and wide smiles, touched by the conviction in their eyes.


    They liked this crew. Master and Luffy did a good job recruiting them.


    "Aren''t you all just adorable?" Rosan mused, closing his eyes. "Thank you, all of you. I mean that and I can be a difficult person, so please put up with me."


    "We already put up with you! You''re kind of insufferable," Nami said cheekily.


    "Ironic coming from you," Rosan replied calmly. "All you do is milk me of my money. You''re a leech."


    "S-SHUT UP!" She roared.


    Robin gazed at the crew who wanted to save her favorite person and thought that¡­ maybe she could try and trust them a little too.


    Mod grinned brightly. Her two original children were finally opening up more and more and she couldn''t be happier!


    "I have this feeling that I already said I was going to help you," Sabo spoke up, grinning wryly. "It would explain why I feel so determined every time I look into your eyes. But just in case, I''ll try and help you unlock your emotions too, Rosan!"


    "Just you being alive is a step in the right direction, Sabo," the redhead assured. "And you did say that already, at the same time as Ace and Luffy 10 years ago."


    Luffy beamed and Sabo rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.


    "I''ll help when I can but I still have my duties to attend to," Sabo explained with an apologetic smile.


    Rosan waved him off. "Of course. Just do what you can."


    They all nodded before the redhead snapped a finger.


    "Let''s stay focused. This isn''t about me. This is about saving this kingdom so let''s do that."


    Everyone nodded at once.


    "Actually¡­ Master could you bring us back to Celadon? We shouldn''t get in your way anymore and you can always just stream the action to us!" Maro requested seriously.


    He had managed to massively increase the range of his streams so they could watch it all the way over at Celadon! It was awesome! She should abuse that more often... it would allow her to see some of their adventures.


    Rosan blinked. "My little spoiled student is being mature for once? I''ll stream it for you but I''m genuinely surprised."


    "Don''t make me fucking take it back," Maro snarled. "We''ll be coming right back after this is done so hurry up and finish it! Since I''m not allowed to fight, we''d just be getting in the way and I won''t cost you guys anything!"


    "In that case¡­ I''ll go with them too," Sabo said much to their surprise. "My mission is to make sure Alabasta is saved but I can trust you guys to complete it so this gives Demon a chance to run his checkup on me."


    "Sounds good to me," Demon smiled, pleased to be spending more time with the blonde.


    "Yeah! We have Sabo to ourselves!" Angel beamed, grabbing the blonde and hugging him ecstatically.


    "You''ve never actually been to Celadon! You can see just how awesome we are and how much effort we put into it," Maro gushed, before turning towards the crew. "That applies to you guys too! You''re always welcome on my island!"


    They smiled at the outgoing Queen. Over the short span they knew her, they already found themselves liking all of Luffy and Rosan''s family.


    "OH! THAT REMINDS ME!" The Queen suddenly exclaimed.


    Turning towards Vivi, the Dokkaebi quickly closed the distance and grasped her small hands.


    Vivi balked at the Queen''s distance and Maro shot her an easygoing grin.


    "I know Alabasta must be going through some hard times right now and I totally get that so when all is said and done, Celadon will find a way to help you guys to the best of our ability," she promised before her expression turned a little sheepish.


    "It''ll be a bit hard considering I''m in the North Blue and you''re in the Grand Line but I''m pretty good at accelerating the growth of crops! Celadon is the #1 fastest crop growing island in the world and that''s because of me! Also, before Master leaves, I can give you a few resources, we can set up a couple of green houses, maybe make a few buildings in some areas and ¡ª," .


    "Why?" Vivi interrupted in a tiny whisper.


    Maro paused in confusion. "Why?"


    "Why are you doing this? What do you gain?!" Vivi couldn''t help but ask, backing away from the Queen slightly with quite a bit of panic on her face.


    "Do you want to exploit Alabasta to increase your prestige even further? What reason could the leader of Celadon, the most popular island in the North Blue, have to want to give things to my dying country?!"


    The rush of emotions she was currently going through were clouding her judgment at the moment and so she lashed out at the too generous (in her eyes) offer from the Queen.


    "Ah!" Maro''s face turned into one of understanding. "I don''t want anything out of this, honest! I just find myself relating a bit..."


    The Queen''s expression turned a bit serious at that. "It''s not easy getting a beaten down country back on its feet. I was only 13 when Master and I killed the previous king of Celadon and I took over."


    They did what?!


    Everyone who was unaware, had looks of shock on their at the reveal that Maro killed the previous king of the island.


    Glancing between Maro and Rosan, they had to wonder just how crazy these two were to kill and usurp a king. Were they completely nuts?!


    Vivi especially had slack jaws at the reveal, going pale in disbelief.


    "That king was a terrible person and he drove that island into the ground for no good reason but to satisfy his own greed," Maro frowned heavily. That damn former king had completely ruined Celadon. He had burned so many bridges and was only allied with other terrible nations that had not been happy when she had taken over.


    The amount of assassination attempts sent her way... it had been a short affair considering her and Master had quickly gone to the other islands to get rid of the aggressors permanently, but it had still been exhausting.


    "It took a lot of work to turn Celadon into the island I know and love today but I never would have been able to do it alone! I had Master, Angel, Demon, Aiko and Akemi helping me all the time and without them, it never would have worked out."


    The queen stared softly at Vivi. "You''re only 16 years old and your trying to do all of this alone. As someone who''s also felt responsible for her country at such a young age, I don''t really wanna see someone else who doesn''t have a cheat code like Master, struggle! You deserve a little help, Vivi and I want to be the one to help you in anyway I know how," She finished smiling gently at the young princess and dragging the rattled girl back to her.


    If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    "I''m here for you, don''t worry. I promise we''ll make it look like your country never even ended up like this," she murmured gently, running a hand through the girl''s bright blue hair.


    Vivi didn''t know why everyone wanted to see her cry so badly. It was unbefitting of her to show her tears so freely but she just couldn''t help it!


    "T-Thank you," she sobbed, crashing into Maro and hugging her for dear life. "Thank you so much!"


    Maro smiled a motherly smile and returned it gently. "Of course, us bluenettes are rare y''know? Gotta stick together even if yours is a worse shade then mine," she teased.


    "Is not," Vivi grumbled with a glare, wiping her tears as she gazed up at the amazing Queen.


    It was no wonder Celadon was such a prestigious island. It didn''t matter how much help Maro had, a kingdom could be good, but it would never be great without a great ruler and Maro was everything an island wanted.


    "I find it hard to believe Maro is your student. She''s sweet, down to earth and just an amazing person," Nami teased.


    They all watched the exchange with fond eyes and looked at the eccentric Queen with a newfound respect.


    "Despite the conditions I found her in¡­ Maro still manages to impress me by being such an incredible person. It''s why she is universally beloved in Celadon," Rosan replied softly.


    Angel was looking at Maro with pure bliss in her eyes. It never ceased to amaze her that she fell in love with and married such an awesome person and decided the blacksmith decided that her wife deserved some days of leeway along with some heavy spoiling.


    "Alright, let''s not delay any longer! See you guys after this is all over," Maro waved happily, blushing rosily as Angel planted a chaste kiss on her cheek.


    "I''m glad to have met you guys. You''re all incredible people," Demon bowed.


    "If you ever need anything, feel free to ask me¡­ I might not do it though," Angel beamed, dragging a complacent Sabo.


    "Make sure you save this country!" The revolutionary grinned.


    "Right!" They all said before Rosan grabbed the group and they vanished.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Robin and I will split up from you all."


    They looked at Rosan in confusion but he vanished a lot so they weren''t too surprised.


    They were surprised that he was informing them though.


    "Crocodile still wants Robin and I don''t really want that to happen so while you guys directly attack, we''ll lay low and support in the background," Rosan explain softly.


    "Ah! Okay!" Vivi nodded. With those two working in the background, that would be great!


    "That reminds me¡­ Rosan do you have that thing me you and Usopp talked about?" Nami asked suddenly.


    The redhead nodded, recalling the memory well.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Flashback


    "Rosan, could you do me a favor?" Nami asked the redhead weapons expert.


    He glanced up from his conversation with Robin and hummed. "It depends. What do you need? Money? Did you manage to waste the allowance I already gave you, irresponsible little child?"


    "I''M NOT A CHILD AND I DIDN''T WASTE IT!" Nami roared, resisting the urge to throttle him.


    Robin giggled at their interaction, content to watch them with amused eyes.


    The navigator took a deep breath and calmed herself. "I want a new specialized staff. Can you make me one?" She asked abruptly.


    The scout blinked at that. "You want me to create you a specialized staff? I could but I''m not really good at stuff like that. I''m much better at modifying things that already exist, Ram being the exception of course but she''s¡­ unique."


    "AND DON''T YOU FORGET IT!" Ram cheered.


    Nami frowned at that. That made sense¡­ Rosan didn''t normally create, he altered things.


    "So if I give you a specialized staff, you can make it even more specialized?" She asked curiously. She already had a staff but it wasn''t good enough and while Rosan could make it strong, he wouldn''t be able to apply what she wanted to it very easily.


    "The better it is, the better I can make it and the faster I can do it," Rosan confirmed. "Ram is so impressive because I modified the best materials to create her. If you can start it, I can finish it."


    "I have a solution!" A voice called.


    Nami, Robin and Rosan paused at that and turned towards a triumphant Usopp.


    "How about I create your specialized staff for you!" The liar pointed to himself cockily. "Captain Usopp assures that it''ll be the best staff ever!"


    Nami didn''t really know what to think about that¡­


    On one hand, Usopp was quite crafty but on the other¡­ he was a bit of a coward so maybe her weapon wouldn''t be too effective?


    "This works out fine," Rosan spoke up, much to their surprise. "Make the staff and give it to me afterwards. Then I''ll refine and make it as close to your image as possible."


    "You''ll be refining the most impressive staff ever!" the liar grinned confidently.


    "I look forward to it," the scout nodded, returning back to his conversation with Robin.


    Nami thought about it more and decided that this was perfect. Rosan and Usopp were two extremes on different ends of their respective spectrum.


    Rosan''s cold killer disposition would balance out well with Usopp''s goofiness, giving her a weapon that didn''t err too much to one side.


    She didn''t think she could handle a weapon made solely from Rosan. The redhead would give her nightmares.


    "Thanks, you two!" She beamed.


    "Of course!" Usopp grinned.


    "Thank me when you actually get and like it," Rosan said simply.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Flashback end.


    Nami grabbed the 3 pieces thrown at her with a contemplative expression.


    "Behold, the clima-tact!" Usopp grinned. "What do you think Rosan, super impressive, right?"


    The redhead nodded. "Honestly, it''s quite creative¡­ as a party tool," he replied calmly. "Usopp, I think you misunderstood what Nami wanted."


    Usopp began sweating a bit. "Uh, she didn''t want an entertainment tool, for parties?"


    The liar squealed at the punch to his nose sending him flying.


    "WHY DO YOU THINK I''D ASK ROSAN OF ALL PEOPLE TO MAKE ME A PARTY TOOL?!" Nami roared in fury, grateful that the redhead asked to see it.


    He was such a moron!


    "You shouldn''t be too upset with him. Despite it''s usages, the clima-tact, with a bit of work, could be a formidable weapon. I quite liked the idea behind what he crafted and when the idea is perfectly executed, you will have formidable firepower," the redhead defended their liar.


    "With a bit of work, I''m sure he can turn it into a formidable weapon but until then, I added a few extra functions that turn it into a weapon," Rosan finished.


    He liked Usopp''s vision of the weapon so he didn''t change anything about it. In fact, he expanded on the idea and added some things that she could use to actually fight.


    It actually worked out perfectly with one of his goals in the future, so Rosan would be keeping a vested interest in Nami''s new weapon.


    Despite his mistake, Usopp couldn''t help but preen at the compliment from Rosan. "Now that I know what you actually want, I''ll work up upgrading my half as soon as possible!" He promised.


    Nami sighed. If it were being praised by Rosan, it had to have been decent.


    "Wait, which is yours and which is Usopp''s?" She asked, sensing a headache already.


    "Usopp can explain his half. As for me? I think it''s more fun if you find out what I added yourself. I''m sure you''ll be able to tell what''s mine," Rosan replied calmly, getting a giggle out of Robin and a snarl of fury out of Nami.


    "I hate you," she said flatly, strapping the three pieces to her waist.


    "You''d be #1210 to say that."


    Robin couldn''t help the tiny snort at that. "I can''t believe you''re actually keeping track. There is something wrong with you. Also, wouldn''t it be 1211, since Ace said it to you before leaving?"


    "I''m a computer man and it''s fun and easy to keep track of small little statistics like that... And I don''t count it every time someone says it, that would be too easy. It''s each individual person and Ace said he hates me long ago," he explained.


    They sweatdropped.


    "Here''s another one... Mod-chan, how many people have flirted with me in my lifetime?"


    Everyone watched as Rosan''s eyes turned blood red.


    "I will kill you. I''m serious. I will seriously kill you."


    Then they turned back to normal.


    "See? She only says that because she knows the exact number."


    "There''s something wrong with you," every Straw Hat said.


    "?" Rosan tilted his head. "Should I add "There''s something wrong with you" to my statistics as well? It will take me a bit to update since I''ve heard that quite often but I''ll be sure to tell you when I''m done."


    They groaned.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "I''m glad I suggested splitting up," Rosan muttered, honestly in awe at how wild their luck was.


    Luffy simultaneously had the best and worst luck on the planet.


    Almost immediately after entering Rainbase, their captain and Usopp quickly found themselves encountering Captain Smoker and Hina while securing water and now all his dear crewmates were getting chased down by the Marines.


    "If they thought we were dead before, they definitely don''t think so now," Robin muttered in her disguise. Her white hair flowed to her shoulder and her shades did a wonderful job hiding her exasperated blue gaze.


    "This is why I tend to vanish before they start their business," Rosan shrugged, adjusting his strawberry blonde hair and slightly widening his honey brown eyes and forming a small smile so that he didn''t look as lifeless as the picture they took of him depicted.


    "That''s incredibly ironic, considering I had to deal with this exact same thing when it came to you," Robin retorted, glancing unimpressed at the man who chose to disguise as his deceased mother.


    He was honestly very good at pretending he had all his emotions. Years of practice turned him into an expert it seemed.


    Though, she did prefer him with his red hair and heterochromatic eyes. He was handsome regardless of his disguises but she was fond of the colors that made him unique.


    "I was training you to be more flexible in your thinking, that''s all. Look at you now, no change in plans phase you anymore," Rosan praised, patting her on the head.


    "Only you can make my blood pressure rise," she retorted. "Will we be interfering right now?"


    "...No," Rosan replied eventually. "We observe for now and interfere when the opportunity arises."


    She nodded. "What will we do in the meantime?"


    The redhead hummed. "Well we''re near a casino. I should show you how "lucky" I am."


    Robin sighed. He was such an ass sometimes. Gambling in the casino that Crocodile was casually staying in?


    "You know Rosan, you actually are rather lucky outside of life situations. You don''t have to use my Devil Fruit and I''m sure you''d still win."


    That was true. His luck wasn''t always terrible... in fact, it erred more so on the good side as long as his mental health was not involved...


    "Don''t feel like it. Let''s drain them for all their money until they try to get me kicked out. It''s actually happened before, then I snuck back in and robbed them dry¡­ Meiko was not pleased with me for multiple reasons."


    "You were gambling at 11 years old, you robbed them for all they had and you cheated... of course she wasn''t pleased."


    "Irrelevant details. She certainly enjoyed the gift I got her right after with the money I stole."


    "WE''RE RICH!"


    Robin giggled at the two. "Never change, Rosan. Never change."


    "You say there''s something wrong with me but tell me to never change? I guess there''s something wrong with all of us," Rosan snorted.


    "Of course there''s something wrong with me! I''m your daughter!"


    "Anything that is wrong with me is because of you."


    "Ditto," Robin replied.


    "All I hear are excuses. Learn to take some accountability," Rosan shrugged.


    They groaned.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Staring at the pirate crew (and Marines) trapped in the cage, it was very easy for Crocodile to come to the conclusion that it was absolutely the redhead who had been actively sabotaging him.


    Inside of the cage were, Luffy, Zoro, Nami, Usopp, Smoker and Hina.


    The Warlord stared at the pirates joking around, while the Marines conversed with each other and immediately dismissed them as a threat.


    This was who he was somewhat worried about? Pathetic.


    It seemed like his only problem would be the redhead.


    "Straw Hat, where is your redheaded crewmate?" Crocodile asked. "I have some business with him and if you answer, I''ll give you all a chance to survive."


    "Don''t tell him anything, Luffy!" Nami barked, shoving both hands over her captain''s mouth.


    Crocodile withheld a snort. "I don''t think you understand your position. I could kill you all at any given moment but only my interest in your mysterious crew member, is keeping you alive."


    Smoker and Hina''s brows furrowed at that. Were they talking about the redhead who had saved Straw Hat? What interest did Crocodile have in him when the captain was right here?


    "YOU DON''T GOTTA WORRY ABOUT ROSAN! I''M GONNA KICK YOUR ASS!" Luffy roared.


    "I SAID DON''T TELL HIM ANYTHING!" Nami shouted, punching her captain on the head.


    "Idiots," Zoro sighed, getting in a comfortable position to get some sleep.


    Rosan eh? Well that was something.


    He wouldn''t kill these people just yet. He needed this Rosan to show up but in the meantime, Princess Vivi should be getting captured right about ¡ª


    "Oh? You must be Sir Crocodile," a deep voice called out from atop the flight of stairs. "Aren''t you a bit too fascinated by someone you don''t even know? I''m flattered."


    Rosan stared down at the Warlord who he had been thwarting with a neutral expression on his face.


    "I''m sure you were expecting Vivi but I thwarted that part of your plan too¡­"


    Crocodile stared up darkly at the enigma, sand seeping off of his body at the one who was interfering with his business.


    "...So just why are you so interested in me, Crocodile?"


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan showed himself for a reason and it wasn''t to fight Crocodile.


    It wasn''t time to fight him.


    He showed himself to piss the Warlord off of course.


    Oh and to save his crew. He couldn''t forget that part.


    Robin, along with Sanji and Chopper, were currently assisting Vivi on his orders because she was getting overwhelmed by the agents sent her way so he decided to come save his crew.


    It was such a shame. He had been racking up quite the money from the slots and the employees were minutes away from kicking him out.


    Luckily for them, he called it quits (of course he got his money) and seemingly left the establishment.


    Well, his strawberry blonde persona did. Shifting back to his red hair and neutral expression made him look like a completely different person and no one, apart from some flirty women, paid him any mind.


    Crocodile was planning on forcing him to show himself from the start by using his captured crew. Rosan accounted for that and prepared accordingly.


    What was interesting, was the focus Crocodile seemed to have on him specifically.


    How did the Warlord know to zero in on him? It''s not like he was the only Straw Hat not inside the cage. Chopper and Sanji were both free but the man was looking for him...


    Was it a hunch? Was it a logical deduction?


    He must have clearly known he was being sabotaged by someone so perhaps he just assumed it was the stony demeanored Rosan.


    It''s not like his crew gave off the impression that they''d do something so underhanded.


    Ah, well. It''s not like he truly cared at the moment.


    "You''re the one who''s been sabotaging me, right?" Crocodile snarled. "Tell me, where is Nico Robin?"


    Smoker and Hina''s eyes widened in shock at that question.


    The redhead simply hummed in disinterest.


    "As much as I''d love to answer your questions, I don''t really feel like answering your questions." Rosan stated softly, eyes beginning to glow brightly as he idly touched the wall next to him.


    Crocodile''s snarl of annoyance was very short lived because without any warning at all, the entire room began to shift and change, wiping his anger off in favor of shock.


    The sandman watched as the floor surged and moved, surrounding him in the process completely and obscuring his vision.


    Did he think this was going to stop him?! Did that redhead understand who he was dealing with?!


    The modified floor stood no chance against the sand bursting out of Crocodile and crumbled into pieces, revealing a scowling warlord.


    He''d show him for treating him so light ¡ª


    There was no one else in the room but him.


    No redhead, no caged enemies, no one.


    Just him, the steadily increasing flow of water that had been activated and the sight of the Banawani crawling out of the hold and eyeing him hungrily.


    Crocodile felt a litter of veins forming on his head as his rage mounted to unprecedented levels.


    Not only did they manage to fucking escape him and get him drenched in water, he heard one last thing before the redhead seemingly vanished.


    "Nico Robin is mine you silly little reptile."


    The Warlord began slowly transforming into sand and eyed the Banana Crocs with white hot rage.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan had a sword out and measured it evenly towards the two unwanted presences there.


    His expression was unnaturally cold and it was clear that he was seconds away from attacking them. Some of his crew glanced nervously at him but he ignored them for now.


    "Who said you could touch me, Marines?" He asked quietly.


    After surrounding Crocodile with the environment, Rosan activated Luffy''s save point, teleported inside of the cage, grabbed them all and then activated Robin''s save point to quickly vanish from the casino.


    Unfortunately, the two Marines in that cage jumped at that chance to escape and actually touched him.


    A Marine? Actually touching him?


    They were dead.


    "Hina understands that we tried to capture you earlier but as of right now, we have a bigger problem. If we didn''t grab onto you, we would have died," Hina said in a placating manner.


    It was clear the two groups had a mutual enemy in Crocodile. Was he seriously making a big deal about this right now?


    "Then you should have died," Rosan replied coldly, eyes beginning to glow menacingly.


    The pink haired Marine captain gaped at his words. He was serious.


    "Hina doesn''t understand! Crocodile is¡ª," she tried to say before the redhead rudely interrupted her.


    "I don''t like Marines. I will never like Marines. I would never save a Marine and I''d never let a Marine touch me," the redhead said, eyes never leaving the two.


    "Rosan now''s not the time," Vivi pleaded. They needed to stop the rebellion!


    Hina saw her opportunity to try and defuse the situation and took it. "Hina thinks the princess is right! Now is not the time for us to fight with each other! We can deal with Crocodile and decide what to do from there!"


    Unfortunately, her partner was Smoker.


    "No, this is the perfect time. Stop trying to negotiate with them, Hina," Smoker intoned gruffly, grabbing his own weapon and making Hina groan in exasperation.


    "Straw Hat, what are you doing with Nico Robin? We''ve had a bounty on her head for over 20 years now and according to some sources, this is Crocodile''s partner. What do you have planned with the Devil Child?"


    "Oh no," the Straw Hats thought, feeling the already scalding temperature spike around them.


    Rosan closed his eyes and took a deep breath.


    "...All of you, go on ahead. Baroque Works has already begun and it''s nearly at the point of no return," The scout instructed softly.


    "What about you?" Zoro asked, knowing what he was going to hear.


    "...It''s best if we deal with this loose end now. Marines will never have the best interest of anyone but themselves in mind so the idea of negotiations was impossible from the start," Rosan replied.


    Hina bit back the noise of frustration at the situation and glared at the unapologetic Smoker.


    Rosan would make him apologetic soon enough.


    The Straw Hats were about to protest but surprisingly, Robin stopped them.


    "I''ll be here with him. They''re interested in me after all so we''ll deal with them and catch up to you guys quickly, okay?" The Devil Child assured.


    Honestly, Rosan was so jealously protective of her. Perhaps he would have been willing to hear them out before, but now that they mentioned her name... well, they were about to fight the bigger Devil between the two.


    Best if she stay here and make sure they don''t get too sidetracked.


    "Let''s go!" Luffy declared, already running off.


    "We can trust them!" Vivi agreed, joining him. She hoped Chopper did that thing she told him to do...


    They balked at the fact that Vivi of all people trusted the two but that was enough to get them moving.


    "BE CAREFUL!"


    "D-DONT DIE!"


    "KEEP ROBIN-CHAN SAFE!"


    Rosan said nothing, eyes trained on the two Marines the entire time. He only took his eyes off of them for a brief second to regard Robin.


    "I didn''t tell you to stay here."


    Robin rolled her eyes. "As if I''d leave you alone. Freedom privileges revoked, remember?"


    "...Fine but be careful, I have no clue how to deal with a Logia. I don''t have armament yet."


    "We''ll find a way¡­ Besides, it''s been a while since we teamed up!"


    "Let''s show them what Robin and Rosan are capable of doing then."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Smoker glared at the retreating Straw Hats. None of them were getting away from him so he shot a plume of smoke at them.


    His eyes widened minutely, as an unnatural red flame crashed into it immediately and the two attacks stalemated until they cancelled out.


    "Fire? I thought he had an earth Devil Fruit..." Smoker thought.


    He wasn''t able to dwell on his thoughts for long because Rosan was already on the move.


    Hina''s eyes widened, as the redhead appeared in front of her in a burst of speed, sword poised to cut deeply into her.


    The woman only had a split second to defend the attack with her Devil Fruit and used the iron bindings as a shield, gasping as the strength behind his attack made her knees buckle.


    A flurry of arms sprouted over her body and began pulling threatening to bend her in extremely painful ways.


    She grunted in pain and the split second of diversion was all Rosan needed to break through her guard and land a cut on her abdomen.


    "!" she hunched over as blood began pooling at the shredded spot and the captain clutched her stomach.


    Rosan didn''t spare her a glance. He vanished from his spot, only to appear directly in front of Nico Robin so he could summon a wall of flame that neutralized Smoker''s attack once more.


    Once the flame died down, both Marines could only blink in confusion as neither was there.


    Their curiosities were soon sated as movement from behind, alerted Hina to the rapidly approaching figure behind her.


    The woman turned just in time to see that demonic redhead lunging at her with speeds that belied how thick the sand under them was.


    She stumbled backwards and summoned her bindings once more...


    "Trip."


    Only to trip on her butt as a flurry of hands grabbed onto her feet.


    A brutal kick shattered her weakened defense and she was sent flying until she landed flat on her back on the scorching sand.


    A shadow over her, allowed Hina to see her life flashing before her very eyes, as that silver sword gleamed in malicious delight.


    She tried to move out of the way, as that silver sword prepared to plunge through her stomach, but Nico Robin made her presence known once more as they held her down with incredible strength.


    Right before the sword plunged through her stomach, a plume of smoke appeared directly above her and absorbed the blow trying to end her life.


    At the same times, the arms vanished as Robin deftly moved away from the smoke coming her way.


    Smoker glared in fury at the duo. They were completely ignoring him and focusing their onslaught on Hina. They were like a group of hounds, with how they circled the pink haired woman.


    "Your teamwork is terrifying. It feels almost unfair how little room you give your opponents and that''s not even considering the fact Modification isn''t being used actively at the moment."


    Robin smiled coyly. With age, her and Rosan''s teamwork turned from two children restraining their opponents and using the opening to overpower them, to two monsters overwhelming their foes with an onslaught of attack.


    Age had made the two significantly stronger in just the physical department. Robin and Rosan were no longer 8 and 4 year old children, using their size and abilities to outwit their foes. They were grown adults with physical power to match their opponents now, along with their abilities that they already used to such an effective degree.


    It almost wasn''t fair. Only truly formidable foes could hope to withstand their onslaught and even then, their teamwork hadn''t degraded at all over the years. It was as seamless as ever.


    Everyone always tried to go after her in a fight. They always assumed she was the bigger threat when that was very far from the truth. As a result though, both her and Rosan thought up quite a bit of ways to help her evade capture.


    Case in point, the Robin that Smoker was currently shooting attacks at, was just a clone. The real Robin was currently being camouflaged by Modification some ways away from the battle.


    Scratch that. It definitely was not fair.


    "Hina doesn''t think this is necessary! We all have a common enemy in Crocodile and should focus on that at the moment!" Hina panted a bit of fear tinging her at the amount of near death moments she narrowly avoided.


    She was bruised and battered after being the sole target of Robin and Rosan''s onslaught and her exhaustion was showing clear as day.


    The pink haired marine barely jumped back to dodge the lazy swing aimed her way that would have almost certainly killed her and retaliated by summoning her bindings to try and capture the redhead, failing to do so and suffering a teasing slap from a sprouted arm as a result, sending her tumbling across the sand once more.


    "We are not allies. We can deal with Crocodile ourselves. You can die here for choosing the wrong career path," Rosan assured, effortlessly jumping over the rush of white smoke aiming for him and returning fire to another puff with his draconic flames, stopping it from hitting Robin''s clone and canceling it out.


    Smoker scowled at yet another of his attacks being neutralized. He wasn''t sure what Devil Fruit this redhead had, but along with Nico Robin, he was giving them quite a bit of trouble that made capturing the two exceedingly difficult.


    The redhead was aware of his Logia advantages too, scarcely ever targeting Smoker and pressuring Hina nonstop, leading the Smoke man to protect her to the best of his abilities, all while being forced to focus on making sure Nico Robin didn''t fully restrain Hina and allow Rosan to deliver the killing blow.


    "White Out!" He bellowed, shooting out a cloud of smoke to try and detain the Devil Child.


    It finally grasped her and quickly converged on the women but that quick burst of victory immediately vanished at watching the women disperse into petals.


    He had been attacking a copy this entire time?! But why did that Rosan go through such lengths to protect her?!


    ...To further fool him of course. These two were dangerous. They were very dangerous.


    It made sense that Nico Robin would have such good evasion tactics, the woman had been on the run for 20 years but it was truly annoying right now and this mysterious redhead was making it no better.


    He was forced to summon another plume to protect Hina, scowling as it only partially neutralized the swipe, giving yet another cut to Hina.


    Smoker''s attention being grabbed didn''t go unpunished, as Nico Robin once more summoned a flurry of arms on the woman and restrained her fully, allowing Rosan to deliver a violent punch to her rib and making him wince at the crack.


    Hina''s eyes rolled to the back of her head momentarily, at the brutal strength behind Rosan''s blow and she couldn''t hold back the whine of agony from the power.


    He had a dreadful amount of physical strength and her broken rib could attest to that.


    The way these two fought¡­ It was as if they were sharks that smelled blood in the water and acted accordingly.


    it was glaringly clear that they were punishing him for being a Logia by focusing their onslaught on the Paramecia that was Hina.


    The duo were ruthless predators, not stopping for even a second and running the woman ragged as a result.


    No matter what he did, the two avoided it. Whenever he went on the offensive, they punished him by making her suffer.


    It also made a detail apparent to the Marine.


    They were stronger then him, particularly the redhead who countered him at every given opportunity. It was only his Logia that left him unharmed but if not for it, he''d be in the same condition as Hina, if not worse.


    It was a bitter pill to swallow, especially considering not only were they individually stronger, the two worked in perfect tandem with each other.


    Smoker and Hina knew each other for a very long time and their own teamwork was getting torn to shreds by the seamless combination of these two devils.


    Nico Robin provided stellar support for the redhead and her skillset meant that she could very well defend and escape if she so pleased.


    This was humiliating. He was intending to capture the entirety of the Straw Hats and Crocodile, but he couldn''t even make it past these two¡ª


    Rosan dashed towards the exhausted Hina, katana in hand, with speeds that she wouldn''t be able to handle in her state and prepared to finish her off.


    Smoker wasn''t going to let that happen and with a rare desperation he sent a massive plume of smoke that surrounded Hina and prevented Rosan from finishing her off.


    "Oh?" Rosan hummed, pausing in his dash and taking a step backwards to avoid the smoke .


    Transforming into his element, Smoker dashed over to his old friend, who collapsed to the floor.


    "Hina¡­ didn''t expect him to be so strong," she huffed, breathing harshly as she clutched her rib. The women''s outfit was shredded, littered in shallow cuts, knowing they weren''t any deeper because the redhead terror was toying with her.


    She shakily gulped in air and winced at the pain of doing so.


    Never did she feel so helpless in a battle before¡­ Every moment was one of intense struggle. No step was safe for her. No attack was allowed. She wasn''t even allowed to defend herself...


    It was¡­ She hadn''t been this outclassed against pirates ever and to know he could have killed her at any time, terrified her truthfully.


    She just didn''t know why he hadn''t killed her yet. He was planning something.


    Smoker glanced at her injuries "You can''t do anything with those injuries. I''ll cover you so you need to ¡ª"


    "Run?" Rosan interrupted calmly, making them both freeze at that daunting presence. "Do you really think you can protect her and yourself? Enough for her to run away?"


    Smoker grunted in confusion. The whole point of this fight was that they couldn''t damage him and focused their efforts into dismantling Hina, but now he should suddenly be worried about himself?


    Rosan hummed as his eyes flashed. "Ah, it''s about time. I was getting tired of resisting the urge to kill you."


    Hina shuddered at the blatant admittance that he was leaving her alive on purpose.


    Smoker was confused.


    What was he talking abou¡ª


    "CAPTAIN SMOKER! CAPTAIN HINA!" Tashigi screamed, a platoon of soldiers behind her at the ready.


    Smoker''s eyes widened in uncharacteristic horror.


    Tashigi?! But how did they know where he¡­? Was that what the redhead was talking about?!


    "Yes, that''s exactly what I was talking about. I led them here with some "suspicious" leads," Rosan replied calmly, reading the man''s body language with startling ease.


    When he said he wanted to clean up all loose ends, he meant all of them and that included every Marine on this island. It''s why he hadn''t outright killed Hina because Smoker might have had the idea to flee and he wouldn''t be able to stop the smoke man.


    But now, he knew exactly how to stop him.


    "Robin, let''s finish this up."


    The Devil Child giggled as she materialized (where did she come from?!) next to the redhead. "It''s good to know your hatred for the Marines is still as strong as ever."


    "That is something that will never die. I will make them all pay," Rosan replied, eyes glowing brightly.


    Hina and Smoker felt dread welling up in their bodies at the intelligent demon named Rosan.


    This sadistic¡­ How was he possibly apart of the Straw Hats?!


    "ALL OF YOU NEED TO GET OUT OF HERE!" Smoker barked, turning into smoke to try and stop whatever it was Rosan was doing.


    He charged the redhead with a single minded focus and so, he was completely unable to account and deal with what happened next.


    His flight was halted as his form abruptly vanished and his smoke dissipated. He crashed stomach first onto the floor due to that and felt all the energy drain from his body.


    Smoker only had time to let out a confused noise, before a multitude of arms surrounded his body, trapping his suddenly tangible form...


    "Clutch."


    "CAPTAIN SMOKER!" His allies screamed in horror as they were forced to watch the man''s body bend awkwardly from the force of Robin''s clutch, bones breaking from the strength behind it.


    Robin grabbed Smoker''s weapon out of her clones hand and inspected the jitte curiously. "I can''t believe he never noticed that I stole it while he was protecting Hina-san."


    "Not used to getting hit? You Logias must think you''re invincible," Rosan muttered.


    When Rosan made that dash to finish off Hina, he only did it to bait Smoker into focusing all his attention on him.


    Once the Captain did that, Robin summoned two arms and stole the jitte from him, waiting for the opportune moment to use it and using her clone to deliver the draining blow.


    Hina felt a tremor shoot through her body at the casualness displayed by the two devils and slowly felt the hope draining out of her body.


    For one reason or another, the redhead named Rosan despised the World Government and would even ignore a temporary alliance to rid the world of them.


    "You all need to run, now! Hina has given an order! Get out of here now!" She coughed, dragging herself up to try and at least delay the two.


    Transforming her arm, the woman prepared to let out a long cage that would capture the two visible pirates.


    She was too slow. Hina felt all the energy drain out of her at what she was currently witnessing and the Captain fell on her knees.


    "Run? No one can run from me," Rosan commented, eyes still glowing brightly as they jumped out of the way of the iron cage.


    Sand shifted nonstop and there was too much of it so it was a tad difficult to get a firm grasp and modify but he was already getting accustomed to it.


    Case in point, any hopes the Marines had of escaping, vanished at the sight of massive walls erecting themselves up and cutting off all routes.


    Hina sagged in defeat. There was nothing left they could do. Smoker was their only hope and the two were aware of it, using her to get an opening on him and taking the Logia out first despite not having any notable injuries besides the brutal contortion attack from Nico Robin.


    Tashigi glanced around wildly, realizing that there was nowhere to go and gazing at the one responsible for it.


    Gripping her sword tightly, she glared at Robin and Rosan and set her stance.


    "Another swordsman of the Straw Hat? I don''t know where you pirates get off on stealing such quality blades, but they don''t belong in your hands. Once I defeat you both, I''ll confiscate it out of your hand!" Tashigi said, breathing in and out as she prepared to fight with everything she had.


    Even despite the unfavorable odds.


    "CONFISCATE ME?! SEPARATE ME FROM FATHER?! KILL! SLAUGHTER! MURDER! RIP HER APART!" Ram howled, going feral at the mere thought of not being with Rosan.


    Mod sighed at the look of primal anger on Ram''s face and held her back with a patient expression.


    Rosan ignored his weapon, tilting his head at the idiotic woman filling herself with bravado. "We''ve just sapped the will to fight out of one of your captains and defeated the other but you think that you and your fodder gang can stop us? Are you stupid?"


    "No. I''m a Marine and it''s my job to detain pirate scum like you no matter the situation!" She retorted with a growl.


    Rosan closed his eyes and nodded thoughtfully. "That''s an interesting answer."


    He vanished from his spot in a burst of speed and appeared in front of Tashigi, Ram raised high to cut her in half.


    "It''s not even the wrong answer and I commend you for sticking to your values. You''re probably one of the good Marines..." he replied.


    His eyes sharpened. "Too bad you''re a Marine."


    Tashigi wasn''t quick enough to throw up her sword but she was saved from certain death due to Rosan''s blade connecting with shackles. They were unable to withstand the sheer strength behind the blow and shattered but that gave her more then enough time to step back and gaze wildly at the broken pieces of Hina''s ability.


    "S-Such strength?!"


    The redhead glanced behind him and was greeted by Hina holding out one hand that had transformed into the same iron like material that had blocked his swing.


    Her face was morphed into an expression of pain, most likely due to him shattering her ability, and she shot him a pleading look.


    "Please¡­ Smoker and Hina are the ones who agitated you so leave them out of this. They are not a threat to you so just kill us and leave them be," the pink haired captain begged.


    Robin raised a brow but remained silent, arms cross and awaiting Rosan''s orders.


    How admirable. Quite the stand up Marine they had here. Perhaps... Maybe he should kill them all and force this one to be a mole for him.


    But first.


    "You think I''m doing this only because you touched me?" Rosan asked as he stared at the pink haired captain with a tilted head.


    He idly diverted a swing from Tashigi and caught the stumbling girl by the wrist of her dominant hand.


    Without any effort at all, he hoisted her up and snapped it clean before dropping her on the floor.


    The effects were immediate.


    "AGHHHHH!" She screeched, crumpling into herself and clutching her wrist with tears in her eyes, weapon clattering uselessly to the floor.


    Hina watched the merciless act with wide eyes. Did the Straw Hats really have such a Devil lurking in their midst?! Monkey D. Luffy was nothing at all like the redhead in his crew.


    "I cannot stand Marines," Rosan informed her, turning fully towards the Captain and ignoring the screaming mess in front of him. "I despise your organization with every fiber of my being and if I could, I would tear it all down immediately."


    She shuddered at his matter of fact statement.


    "W-What did the Marines do to you?" Hina asked quietly.


    To have this much hatred for them that he''d get upset just by being touched¡­


    "Everything but your job," Rosan replied immediately, causing her to flinch. "I know you''re awake over there, Smoker. You are a prime example of a scumbag Marine."


    Smoker couldn''t move any part of his body but his head and he looked up to glare at Rosan in slight confusion, unable to get out a word as his body screamed at him.


    "You are deployed in the East Blue with a Logia of all Devil Fruits and what do you do instead of going around to capture legitimate threats? You stay on one little island to prevent anyone from going to the Grand Line," Rosan replied calmly.


    Buggy, Arlong, Alvida¡­ All of these pirates would have been nothing to the man with the Smoke Logia but yet it was left to pirates to deal with them.


    "That''s not even the bad part. It makes sense that they would have a Logia stationed around the area closest to the Grand Line. Would you like to know the bad part?" The redhead asked rhetorically, grabbing Robin by the waist and floating upwards.


    "Your ego was so hurt from us escaping, that you abandoned your station and chased us into the Grand Line," Rosan informed him coldly. "You, the strongest Marine stationed in the East Blue, couldn''t be bothered to sail and deal with the severe problems in the East Blue but one little pirate crew set you off all because they escaped."


    Smoker could say nothing, both because he had no power to and because the words shocked him.


    "You Marines are all on a power trip and have no interest in doing your actual job. None of you care about upholding justice. You just do whatever satisfies yourself. Honestly, you''re no better then pirates. You''re just allowed to flex your power legally."


    "Not all of us are like that," Hina protested.


    He was right, there was a plethora of corrupt Marines in their midst but some truly did care about upholding justice and he refused to see that.


    "When the top of your chain is corrupt, all of you are, no matter what beliefs you think you''re fighting for," Rosan replied coldly, pupils transforming into draconic slits.


    Charging up a massive amount of flames, that would consume every Marine trapped in the walled cage he created, the redhead glanced down at them with that ever present apathy, bright gaze being blocked by the glare of the desert sun.


    "You''re still as vengeful as ever," Robin commented, gazing down at the soon to be dead Marines neutrally, uncaring of their fate.


    Rosan got what Rosan wanted unless she or Mod-chan said no and neither liked the Marines either.


    The redhead opened his mouth, preparing to unleash his Annihilation so that he could catch up with his crew ¡ª


    Only to instantly straighten his head and fire it straight ahead instead.


    The terrified Marines looked on in confusion, not understanding why the monster had redirected his blast.


    That was soon revealed however, as the blisteringly hot flames crashed into a wave of sand, boiling it and turning the material into glass immediately.


    The heat of the flames were so strong that the glass shattered and rained down on the Marines below, cutting into a few and injuring them.


    "What¡­?" Smoker muttered in shock, trying and failing to push himself up.


    This was bad. That sand could only belong to one person and if he and his allies were caught in the crossfire, they''d be buried in the desert here.


    Rosan glanced at the raining glass and sighed.


    "Mod-chan, be sure to punish me after this is over so that I don''t make such a mistake again. I cannot believe I allowed myself to monologue like some stupid villain."


    He let his vindictive nature get the best of him. When Rosan hated something, killing them immediately wasn''t enough. He needed them to understand so he tortured them but that was only when he was guaranteed to not be interrupted.


    He accounted for Crocodile''s appearance but still did it because at most, the Warlord wouldn''t have showed up for at least 10 more minutes. Rosan didn''t think the man would immediately charge and find his location but he should have accounted for every possibility.


    That was sloppy. He was not like these idiot pirates, who would brag and cage their enemies, instead of immediately killing them.


    He needed to be better then that.


    Mod frowned at his demand. "We didn''t expect Crocodile to be so reckless. I won''t punish you because he made a mistake coming here with his weakness exposing him."


    "We all make mistakes every once in a while and this is more Crocodile''s mistake then yours," Robin reassured. "That''s what makes us human, remember?"


    He remembered the words of Meiko well and nodded, glancing at the furious Crocodile with a neutral expression.


    The man was still soaked from his trip in his base no doubt and looked more akin to a grumpy cat then his namesake.


    He was currently glaring at Rosan with a palpable fury that only turned into a storm when he saw just who was next to him.


    The cocky demeanor was gone, Crocodile was pissed.


    "I take it you didn''t enjoy the gift I left you?" Rosan greeted with a short nod, taking some of his attention off the Marines.


    Because of his mistake, they''d likely make it out alive today...


    As if. He''d take some out if he could.


    The redhead had Ram transform into his favorite gloves and began charging up a ball of energy.


    Crocodile stiffened at the strange attack but his worries were for naught, as the redhead dropped it into the prison he had created.


    The Marines could only watch with wide eyes as a red ball dropped into their pit.


    The noise of the explosion deafened out the screaming.


    Rosan took his attention off of the Marines fully.


    "This is why I didn''t want you here by the way. I accounted for Crocodile showing up but I figured it would be fine if I just sped up the time it took me to slaughter the Marines... he''s more reckless then I thought so be careful," the redhead hummed.


    "I won''t die," Robin assured, gazing coolly at the man staring a hole into her.


    Crocodile gazed at the disguised Nico Robin and saw how the redhead held her close.


    "Nico Robin is Mine."


    "Miss All Sunday, what is the meaning of this?" The Warlord asked calmly, despite the boiling rage he was feeling. "What does this man have that could possibly cause you to betray me?"


    Robin raised a brow, unwilling to divulge in her and Rosan''s past.


    "No worries, I''ll give him a satisfactory response," Rosan commented, getting a curious nod out of the woman.


    Trusting Rosan to do things normally never turned out well for her but it worked out eventually¡­ his way of thinking was just too much.


    Being with him for 4 years also made her morbidly curious about what disasters he could cook up so despite the headaches, she typically let him do it regardless and deal with the consequences after.


    "You still can''t figure out why she betrayed you in favor of some random person?" Rosan jumped in with a raised brow, playing on Crocodile''s ego to trick him. "I''d have expected you to be able to tell by now with your experience but since you can''t I''ll tell you."


    Crocodile stamped down his annoyance at that insult. Him? Not knowing? Of course he already had his suspicions!


    "I brainwashed her of course," he finished calmly. "Why do you think your Unluckies betrayed you so effortlessly? Why do you think they informed you of information they shouldn''t know?"


    Brainwash? Is that how he got three members (as far as he knew) to betray him so easily?


    That made sense. So this redhead over here had some type of Devil Fruit that allowed you to hypno¡ª


    "What are you talking about, Rosan?" Robin frowned, catching onto his game immediately.


    Was he serious right now? Why was he trying to protect her from Crocodile?


    She didn''t ask him to do this so she wouldn''t let this work. Robin had no interest in letting Rosan take the brunt of Crocodile''s aggression.


    Robin''s perplexed expression was enough to somewhat dissuade Crocodile from that silly notion, if the scowl of annoyance meant anything.


    Rosan''s outward expression didn''t change even a little but on the inside he was pursing his lips in annoyance.


    So she caught on to that plan quickly and didn''t approve.


    That was too bad. He refused to let her be the main target of Crocodile''s ire while they were in the middle of the desert. She was not nearly as durable as he was so he wouldn''t let her get hit.


    Surprisingly, Ram and Mod were in full agreement.


    Good, now he just needed to convince Crocodile that no matter what Robin said, she was brainwashed by him.


    Ram grinned so violently, Mod actually took a step back with sweat.


    What was their violent little ring planning and why did she look like she just won the lottery?


    "I know what you can do, Father!"


    "Isn''t this a bit excessive?"


    "The more excessive it is, the more convincing!"


    Rosan tilted his head and nodded. That would work fine.


    "It''s quite impressive isn''t it? Even with me saying it outright, she still thinks she hasn''t been. It''s very potent," the redhead said idly, gripping Robin''s waist a bit tighter and catching her attention.


    Robin glanced at his arm in confusion.


    "I don''t normally do this but I guess I can give you definitive proof."


    Robin raised a brow at the fact that he was still trying to convince Crocodile and prepared to speak up again¡ª


    Only to let out a noise of surprise as Rosan promptly whirled her around, allowing her to look him directly in his heterochromatic gaze, grabbed her chin , cupped her butt of all things and planted a kiss directly on her lips.


    Mod''s jaw dropped in disbelief and her eyes widened to epic proportions, as a brilliant blush made its way to her face at the utterly shameless action of her utterly shameless son.


    For some reason, she hadn''t been privy to Ram and Rosan''s plan because the two managed to abuse the connection they had to instantly convey their intentions and her son had put it into plan immediately.


    Perhaps she should talk to them about informing her of their plans next time because this was maniacal.


    What was wrong with Ram?! This was why she wasn''t allowed to participate in their planning because she was unhinged!


    "WOOHOO!" Ram cheered ecstatically jumping around her mortified auntie with unrestrained glee, completely unaware of Mod''s awed horror.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "My Kami," Maro gaped, watching the screen with a dark red blush and blocking the vision of a severely confused Gladiolus and Anemone.


    Who the hell taught Master how to kiss so well? And the way he was groping her ass so... holy shit!


    She was currently watching Rosan''s stream with Angel, Demon, Sabo, Kaori and the Baroque Works agents (along with her pets!) but she never expected to see live view of her teacher sucking someone''s face off and being so grabby!


    Angel and Demon''s mouth dropped to the floor, dark twin blushes donning the twin''s faces as they watched their creator and older brother make out with and grope Nico Robin with a level of shamelessness that only he and Luffy had.


    W-What the hell...? T-Their innocent master?! T-The one who went beet red at just being kissed by Meiko?!


    Sabo raised a brow. "What''s the surprise for? Aren''t those two dating each other? They''re never far apart and almost always touching. Why is it so surprising to see them being lovey dovey?"


    "B-Because they aren''t dating," Angel wheezed, face turning progressively red as her eyes remained glued onto the screen with fascinated horror.


    "Oh," Sabo gaped. Seriously? Koala told him only couples did things like this! The two had kissed before but that was only when they went undercover on missions!


    (Sabo was just as oblivious as his brothers)


    Kaori, who put her massive hands over a blushing Marianne''s eyes (she was too young to see this!), blushed in embarrassment. "S-Should we really be watching this? I feel like a pervert."


    "I-I agree," Marianne squeaked, shamefully peering through a gap in Kaori''s fingers in morbid curiosity. D-Did people really kiss like that?! She only saw light pecks from Maro and Angel!


    One second, he was going out of his way to torture and slaughter a group of Marines, the next he was locking lips with his fellow demon a-and squeezing her butt!


    How inappropriate!


    "Miss All Sunday n-never struck me as the type to let this happen," Mikita stammered, face scarlet.


    Despite the smile she carried on her face, everyone knew not to test Miss All Sunday and anyone dumb enough to even put a hand on her, paid the price in bone.


    The former agent chanced a glance at Demon and idly wondered if he was that good of a kisser as well.


    "That''s probably Rosan-sama''s plan," a cool headed Gem replied, unfazed by what was happening. "Miss All Sunday doesn''t show interest in anyone. I''ve never seen her have a conversation with anyone outside of mission debrief and the last person who touched her ended up with bones broken beyond repair."


    They sweat a little at that.


    Robin was scary.


    "Ah!" Maro said, features still red as she reluctantly tore her gaze away from the screen (what?! they were both hot!). "Mr. 0 being her partner, should be aware of this more then anyone then! Master''s using the information Crocodile should know about Robin to manipulate the situation in his favor! How crafty!"


    Gem nodded proudly. "Exactly, Queen Maro. It''s working too because Robin-sama and Rosan-sama are excellently playing their parts."


    "Something tells me, Robin had no idea this was going to happen," Demon said dryly, noticing Mikita''s gaze and flashing a small smile towards her.


    The agent flushed even more and averted her gaze, smiling to herself in the process.


    "W-Well, based on how she''s melting into it, I''d say it won''t be as hard as we thought to get them together," Angel croaked, mouth dry as she stared at the screen with a stunned expression.


    S-Sure she supported the two of them getting together b-but this was still her beloved Master and she had been defending his chastity for so long, her instincts were screaming!


    W-Why was he so proficient?! H-How much of his chastity did she fail to protect?! H-How shameless was he to grab her butt? DID MARO TEACH HIM THAT?!


    "This was absolutely Ram''s idea," Maro sighed tiredly.


    She knew it was a bad idea for the ring to be the main orchestrator of getting these two together. Her best friend was terribly unsubtle and incredibly forward. Doing all these discreet things was really not her cup of tea and it was obvious she''d do something dumb soon.


    She had to hand it to Mod-chan for keeping her in check for this long.


    "Still¡­ I-I never expected the Warlord Crocodile to be our former boss¡­" Mikita pondered nervously.


    To think that someone so dangerous had been the one to oversee their missions and everyone was none the wiser... that was a scary thought.


    "Why isn''t Rosan trying to flee?" Marianne asked curiously. He was up against a Warlord of the Sea! Though he still terrified her, her Queens and Demon still loved him with all their heart and she didn''t want to see them cry.


    "He''s buying time for his crew. If Vivi shows herself, there''s a chance she can stop the rebellion," Sabo informed them.


    Kaori patted her gently on the head. "If you''re worried about his safety¡­ you shouldn''t be, Rosan is a monster."


    They watched the tall fishman shudder idly. "We fought and well... he toyed with me the entire time. I thought I was strong, the strongest in the East Blue actually but he showed me that there are bigger monsters out there."


    That fight had done more then just humble her. It had lit a fire under her that Maro fueled every single time they fought.


    Her queen was also outrageously strong and Kaori learned that underneath the genuinely kind student of Rosan, was a bloodthirsty monster who showcased exactly who her teacher was.


    The woman felt unstoppable in a similar yet different way then Rosan. The two weathered blows largely the same, but whereas Rosan felt like an immortal demon who would just regenerate anything done to him, Maro felt like an invincible tank, unflinching from every blow and firing back with devastating force.


    Even with the knowledge that only one side of her was immune to damage, she still tanked blows on the other with seemingly no effort.


    She still had yet to defeat the Dokkaebi¡­ but Kaori was improving much faster then when she traveled with the Arlong Pirates. She was the second strongest on Celadon, a spot that Gem was eager to take.


    Mikita shuddered fearfully at that, horror filling her body as she recalled that terrible day. "H-He toyed with us too. Not once did he take us serious..."


    Demon soothingly pat her shoulder and she instinctively relaxed, shooting him a grateful look.


    "You should be grateful he found a use in you guys¡­ getting killed by Master is a terrible fate," Angel sighed.


    "Yeah and don''t worry about it! I never beat him either," Maro beamed.


    "N-Never?!" Marianne gaped along with her allies.


    Queen Maro was a complete monster in battle.


    None of her soldiers had ever defeated the Dokkaebi in a fight. Her sheer prowess in and out of her Devil Fruit, combined with her unreal durability and versatility made it impossible for them to beat her.


    The few times she deigned (begged because she was bored and her soldiers were too good) to deal with invaders, they quickly awed at how powerful she was when she didn''t care about the person''s wellbeing.


    It made sense that she was so powerful, considering she was the prodigious student of an even bigger monster.


    "Have I ever beat you or Rosan?" Sabo asked curiously.


    "Nope!" Maro chirped. "Master and I were way too strong for you when you were a kid! But based on what we saw against Ace, you''d probably beat us now I bet?"


    He nodded. "Most likely but it''s no big deal. Ace and I have just been in the Grand Line way longer. It''s only a matter of time before all of you guys catch up to us... that''s if you train up," he added cheekily.


    Maybe he''d spar with the both of them while hanging out with the crew.


    "Bah! I don''t need to sail through the Grand Line to get as strong as you bastards," Maro exclaimed, sticking out her tongue.


    "I wonder if Crocodile can make Rosan fight a little serious," Kaori mused.


    They all saw how effortlessly the two dealt with the Marine Captain duo and realized that there was very little they knew about the redhead who terrorized each and every one of them.


    "You guys are excited to see Master fight, huh?" Maro grinned knowingly. "Well, sit back and enjoy, we might not see this often!"


    They all nodded and got comfortable. Angel began resting her head in Maro''s lap and the queen hummed as she raked a hand through her red hair.


    which prompted Mikita to sidle a bit closer to the Doctor who was so pleasant to her.


    Demon shot her a side glance at the physical contact but said nothing, focusing back on the screen after simply shooting her a reassuring smile.


    She flushed. Ah, Mikita had it so bad.


    "KANNA, STOP MAKING OUT WITH RIN AND MAKE US SOME POPCORN!" Maro screamed.


    "STOP EMBARRASSING ME, MY QUEEN!" A voice roared back.


    "WHERE''S THE FUN IN THAT?!" The Queen shouted.


    "You two act more and more like mother and daughter," Angel said dryly, burying herself deeper into Maro with a pleased sigh at those strong but tender hands.


    "Oh please! If Kanna was my daughter, Rin''s pretty little bones would be paste already! My child won''t be dating until they''re 30!" Maro grinned shamelessly.


    They all sweatdropped at her honesty.


    "That reminds me¡­ Sabo, you don''t happen to have a girlfriend, do you?" Angel asked with narrowed eyes.


    The blonde blinked at that. Girlfriend? A Revolutionary didn''t really have time for that... the closest thing he had to one was probably Koala but she was just a girl that was his friend so he guess that was out of the window.


    "No, I don''t. Would it be a problem if I did?"


    "Of course! You haven''t even introduced us to her!" Angel scowled.


    "...I''ve had amnesia for ten years."


    "And? You''re the only one agonizing over the small details!"


    Sabo blinked once more.


    Small... details?


    They sweatdropped at Angel, deciding that acknowledging the utterly unreasonable queen was not worth it.


    "Don''t you fucking ignore me!"

 Too Much Sand III

    Nico Robin was confused.


    Why was she confused exactly?


    Well that was an easy question to answer.


    She was confused because her best friend was currently groping and kissing her in front of their enemies.


    It was as inappropriate as it sounded too. Rosan was full on making out with her in a way that would have most people blushing scarlet. It was a long sensual kiss that gave absolutely no illusions¡­ which is probably what her scheming partner had in mind.


    Not to mention, the grip he had on her... butt was baffling. He knew exactly what he was doing currently.


    Robin''s childish crush on Rosan had long since dissipated. She was glad that they were together again but a relationship was not something either of them needed right now, so currently, she had no interest in furthering their relationship and she was sure he was the exact same.


    After all, of course they both realized how they looked to other people. They were never far from each other, slept in the same bed... Rosan was the person who saw her naked the most and vice versa so it was normal to assume they were dating.


    But they weren''t. They had a private talk about it and came to a mutual agreement that neither needed it at the moment.


    It seemed like he was trying to throw all of that out of the window with how well he was kissing her.


    She knew what he was planning and she tried to resist, she really did.


    Rosan and Mod made the girl very confident in herself in their 4 years together and made sure she knew her worth, so she made sure that part of her stayed as she traveled alone.


    She may have been the Devil Child, but even the Devil had standards.


    No one was allowed to touch her and that had remained true over the years. She was too caught up in her grief and showed a genuine lack of interest in anyone else so debasing herself was not an option.


    Crocodile was well aware of this aspect of her, considering they had been partners for years. He saw what she had done to anyone dumb enough to try and make a move on the beautiful woman and made no comment on it besides showing slight amusement and understanding her boundaries.


    Good, she was fairly sure the Warlord was partially attracted to her and that was not a thought she liked entertaining. It was a good thing he was also a narcissist and far too caught up in his own schemes.


    Rosan truly did know her too well because by making out with her like this, and the fact that she had yet to push him off (much less remove his hand!), he would either shatter Crocodile''s perception of her or reinforce the idea that she was brainwashed.


    Robin realized this and tried to push him off, but she only weakly grasped his cloak instead, when the conniving redhead immediately caught her intentions and began using his tongue, preventing any and all resistance immediately as it melted in the desert heat.


    Oh he was in so much trouble after they were done here.


    Gone her crush may be, Rosan was still the person she trusted most in the world and he had grown up to be as handsome as he knew he was.


    She also had a terrible habit of letting him get away with nearly everything because of her passive tendencies... something he was clearly well aware of¡­


    The Devil Child was also not used to such intimate affection so she was rather stunned by his actions.


    She didn''t know how long he kissed her for, but by the time he broke it she distantly realized she had melted in his grasp, while he held her up by the waist with a satisfied glint.


    The dazed women stared into his glowing eyes and she was glad (for once) that he didn''t have emotions because the amount of teasing he would have submitted her to¡­


    "You are in so much trouble. Count your days," Robin eventually said, cheeks red in mortification as she tried and failed to gather her thoughts.


    Did he really have to grope her butt? That was excessive!


    "Ram told me the more excessive, the more convincing so that''s what I did. Punish her," Rosan replied calmly, turning his glowing gaze towards Crocodile, who looked convinced off that action.


    "I''m sorry for them Robin, it was too fast for me to deny it. I didn''t even know that was their plan," Mod moaned in disbelief, face scarlet as she buried her face in the nearest pillow.


    What was wrong with these two? How did she consistently prove that she was the most normal?


    "I will accept any punishment!" Ram beamed, grinning so widely that her cheeks began to hurt.


    "There''s nothing to be embarrassed about. That was a fantastic kiss and I''m sure anyone would be glad to feel you up," Rosan reassured.


    "I don''t need to hear that right now. You didn''t even warn me and you grabbed my butt," Robin said flatly, ignoring the part where he said someone would be glad to feel her up for her own sake.


    His plan undoubtedly worked and she made it no better. He knew what he was doing by kissing her for that long. Any shorter and she might have been coherent enough to potentially dissuade Crocodile but with how silent she currently was¡­


    Robin sighed in annoyance. He didn''t need to try so hard to protect her. She was strong too.


    "We''re in the desert fighting a sand man. I won''t risk losing you again and having him think you''re brainwashed will keep you safer. We just need to stall him. We''re not here to finish him off because Luffy has dibs," Rosan grunted.


    Crocodile had been in the Grand Line and fought his share of Devil Fruit users so predicting his thought process would be pretty easy.


    Kill or knock Rosan unconscious to undo the effects of his Devil Fruit and free Nico Robin so Utopia can continue.


    Most emission type Devil Fruits that affected another person''s body, were undone when that person was knocked unconscious or killed. It was natural to assume that Rosan''s was the same.


    It wasn''t but it was a logical conclusion.


    Modifications changes were permanent unless he himself undid it. Even if you knocked him unconscious or killed him, the modification would remain on a person¡­


    But it hadn''t always been like that.


    Modification used to actually be temporary according to Mod-chan. Due to Vegapunk combining it with a blank zoan the transformation aspect of the Zoan integrated itself into the Fruit and made it''s changes permanent.


    It was why the fruit was so desired. It had been fundamentally changed from a strong, but temporary, Devil Fruit, into a weapon of war with unmatched versatility.


    It was like how Mythical Zoan''s felt like they were Zoan combined with Paramecia/Logia due to the extra abilities it granted. Mod was basically a Special, or Mythical, Paramecia fruit and probably the only of her kind.


    And she was his.


    He locked his glowing eyes onto Crocodile to further solidify the idea that Nico Robin was hypnotized and was satisfied to see he was a majority of the man''s focus.


    "A Devil Fruit that can hypnotize people, allows you to float and use fire? Not to mention everything else you''re capable of..." Crocodile rumbled, sand seeping off of his soaked body. "Killing you would be a waste. After I defeat you, I''ll have you and Nico Robin join my side."


    How funny, Rosan thought the same thing but he wouldn''t say that aloud.


    "You plan on fighting me while wet?" Rosan asked curiously, getting into position. Luffy still had dibs so he was just here to stall. "Maybe you should have dried off to give yourself invulnerability again¡­ not that I haven''t prepared for this already."


    Robin crossed her arms in preparation for the upcoming battle.


    Crocodile scoffed. "Don''t get cocky because you have a strong Devil Fruit, rookie. I''ll show you our difference soon enough."


    Rosan''s eyes glowed brighter. "You''re wasting away in this country and you think you can beat me? I look forward to it."


    "Are you ready for the performance, Robin?"


    "Lead the way, Rosan. I''ll match every step."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Watching these three battle, Smoker was made starkly aware of just how out of his league they were.


    If that didn''t make it clear, the explosion earlier, courtesy of Rosan, that took out a vast majority of their men did.


    There were hardly any survivors. Smoker and Hina had tried to the best of their abilities to negate the blow but they were just too weak to save everyone.


    The charred bodies of his subordinates surrounded him and he couldn''t bite back the snarl of anger at the damage done by that explosion.


    He hated to admit it, but this outcome was better then every single one of them dying so Crocodile had inadvertently saved their lives.


    Well... some. Most of his soldiers were dead and the rest were injured but would survive.


    "Monsters," Hina gasped out, body screaming in agony. She had gotten a little marred from the explosion but her Devil Fruit had managed to protect her and the whimpering Tashigi from the brunt of it.


    She had tried to spread it out to the best of its abilities but it wasn''t enough because her own injuries were the most extensive and would need further checkup if they made it out of here alive¡­


    Which was looking more and more likely because the fighting pirates were not even paying attention to the remaining Marines. It would have been insulting, if they weren''t so out of her league.


    Right now she could only call it a blessing that at least some were alive... the fight was drawing away from them as well so it looked like they''d actually be able to escape... something they''d need to do now because they would become collateral otherwise.


    "Desert Spada."


    Rosan''s eyes narrowed at the torpedo of sand careening their way and leapt to the left, while Robin jumped to the right.


    Dashing forward, the redhead charged Crocodile with a speed the Warlord was not expecting, if his slightly surprised gaze was anything to go by.


    Ram, who was in the form of a katana, crashed into Crocodile''s golden hook with crushing force, immediately pushing the Warlord back.


    Crocodile grunted at the surprising amount of strength displayed and tried to make distance, only to let out another grunt at the multitude of arms keeping him in place.


    Rosan ruthlessly took advantage of that.


    Transforming his katana into his trusty gloves, the redhead placed a glowing hand flat on Crocodile''s chest and said, "Retribution."


    The Warlord spat out a mix of blood and spit at the explosive energy erupting on his chest and he was rocketed backwards from the force of the blow.


    "You shouldn''t underestimate me," Rosan advised calmly, gloves smoking from the technique. "I''m a lot stronger then you think."


    He could have ended the fight right then and there... Oh well. He''d give it a bit more time before Vivi and the rest managed to quell the rebellion.


    When Rosan accounted for Crocodile showing up, he didn''t expect the man to forgo drying himself in his rage. It meant he couldn''t kill the Marines but it also made battling him much easier.


    "If we buy maybe 10 - 20 more minutes, it should be enough for them. Stay on your toes," Robin advised.


    "Of course."


    Crocodile narrowed his eyes at the redhead, wiping the blood from his mouth.


    He had been underestimating him. After all, who could defeat him in his own domain? Inside of the desert, he was unstoppable and some no name redhead wouldn''t be able to change that.


    But he was much stronger then he looked. Close quarters combat wouldn''t favor Crocodile if it got to that point and he did himself no favors allowing himself to remain wet.


    They even knew of his weakness to moisture. Knowing the redhead, he had a backup to deal with the Logia.


    Sand began seeping from his body and it coalesced on top of his outstretched arm.


    As if his sudden tangibility would suddenly give these fools an advantage.


    "Sables."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "A SANDSTORM AND IT''S HUGE! WATCH OUT!"


    "WAIT¡­? ITS NOT MOVING?!"


    "WHAT''S GOING ON?!"


    The sound of the concerned citizens rang through the air as they witnessed the giant sandstorm laying waste far into the desert.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "That has to be Crocodile," Vivi muttered, watching the massive sandstorm with a stony gaze.


    They were all atop the crab that was quickly headed to Alubarna.


    "He must be fighting Robin and Rosan," Nami said worriedly.


    After what Rosan did, the Warlord must have been furious with the redhead.


    "That bastard better keep Robin-chan safe," Sanji swore. If anything happened to her, he''d have his former hero''s head on a silver platter.


    "He has the Marines to deal with too¡­" Zoro frowned at the sandstorm. Maybe Luffy should have stayed behind with the two,


    "Don''t worry you guys! Rosan''s really strong," Luffy assured, looking wholly unbothered by the fact his brother was fighting a Warlord. "He''s the reason all of us are strong so they''ll be fine!"


    Vivi nodded in determination. "The fact that their fighting Crocodile when they could easily escape, means they''re buying time for us! We can''t let this opportunity go to waste so let''s meet them at Alubarna!"


    "RIGHT!" They all chorused.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan was expecting this. For the Warlord to further transform the battlefield to favor him even more. He was already formidable in the desert but with an active sandstorm¡­?


    "Modify: Vision," Rosan thought to himself. The sand flying around didn''t bother him but it did obscure his vision and that wouldn''t do so he modified his vision to view heat sources.


    He quickly dashed over to Robin''s side and applied the vision to her as well, placing a comfortable mask on her face in the process.


    "Thank you," she replied.


    Before he could say anything, he grabbed the woman and immediately jumped out of the way of the golden hook flying towards them.


    "Find cover," he grunted, dashing to meet Crocodile again.


    He wasn''t permitted to get close this time though, due to Crocodile actively wanting to keep his distance.


    The sandstorm picked up in intensity and began buffering him with even stronger winds, making him pause slightly. Frowning a bit at that, Rosan grabbed the hoodie of his cloak and threw it over his head to better protect him.


    That split second of distraction was all Crocodile needed.


    The Warlord appeared directly to the left of Rosan with his right arm raised, a crescent of sand following him, and said, "Barjan."


    It connected solidly with the redhead''s left arm and drained all the moisture out of it.


    Then, Crocodile grabbed his hook and tried to stab it into Rosan''s chest, grunting in confusion at connecting with the raid cloak.


    Not dwelling too long on it, he dipped back into the sandstorm to avoid the swift swipe of the katana that was only a second to slow due to being swung with that dehydrated left arm.


    "Are you alright? I''ve seen with that dehydration does," Robin asked worriedly.


    "I''ll survive as long as he doesn''t drain all of me. Mod-chan," Rosan replied.


    "Right."


    The Devil Fruit, with her intricate control of Rosan''s body, distributed the moisture in his body back into his left arm, returning life into it.


    He clenched his fist and nodded in satisfaction.


    Crocodile watched it all in shock. Without drinking any water¡­ he managed to get his arm back to normal?!


    Just who was this greenhorn? Would it even be right to call him a greenhorn?


    His thoughts were cut short at the multitude of arms trying to force him into submission, positioned in a way to avoid his hook.


    Crocodile struggled to escape and he was making good progress, until a gloved fist connected solidly with his face and sent him soaring through the sky.


    The Warlord tumbled on the sandy floor unceremoniously, groaning at the power behind that blow.


    "Not used to getting hit huh, Mr. Logia?" Rosan asked quietly, appearing on top of him with a sneakered foot raised high, poised to stomp his skull into the desert sand.


    Crocodile tried to move out of the way, but those damned arms formed again and held him in place, ensuring he didn''t have enough time to avoid the attack.


    These two¡­


    With his quick thinking, the Sandman palmed the floor and used another of his techniques to get him out of this pinch.


    "Desert Girasole," he intoned, stabbing the ground and causing a pitfall to begin forming beneath them all.


    It disrupted Rosan''s balance for just enough time for the Warlord to deal with the arms surrounding him.


    "Release him," Rosan ordered, watching sand begin to seep off the Warlords body in order to damage Robin from a distance.


    She immediately listened to his order and released the Warlord just in time to avoid the spiky sand technique.


    The redhead would not be deterred at his attack being disrupted, dashing forward once again to capitalize on Crocodile still not getting up¡ª


    "Desert Grande Espada."


    ¡ªOnly to stop at the blade of sand stabbing him at speeds too quick for him to react. If not for the Raid Suit, it''d have pierced right through his body (and be rather annoying to heal) but it managed to stop it from doing so.


    "ROSAN!" Robin gasped, resisting the urge to rush out and grab him.


    "I''m fine," Rosan grunted, spitting out blood. That would have been much more troublesome if he didn''t have his Raid Suit donned on but it still hurt a tad.


    "Relentless aggression backed up by impressive durability," Crocodile praised. "But you''re too aggressive, rookie. Fighting like that will get you killed in the Grand Line. You''d do best to learn some defense."


    He begrudgingly found himself respecting this redhead''s skill set.


    "I don''t need to take advice from a Logia struggling in his domain," Rosan replied, allowing the Philosophers Stone to heal his slight injury back up.


    "He''s been training," Robin informed him. Crocodile wasn''t this strong before. It wasn''t too big of a change but he was stronger then before.


    "I''ve seen what I''ve needed to see. We are stronger," Rosan replied calmly.


    He was strong. But he was not as strong as he should be. Even in a 1v1 Rosan would have defeated him with difficulty.


    Rosan transformed Ram into his signature gloves once more and activated his sneakers so he could float above the field.


    Then he held out a palm flat up.


    An orb of red energy formed and Rosan gazed down at the field below him. Releasing the orb, it began rotating faster and faster and he let his attack remain there in the sky.


    "Discern."


    The orb pulsed and Crocodile immediately morphed his lower half into sand, to avoid the sudden hail of red projectiles aiming for him. The orb spun as it remained in the sky and repeatedly shot out beam after beam in hopes of filling his body with holes and the Warlord grunted as the numbers increased.


    A plethora of hands formed right atop and tried to shatter every bone in his body.


    This allowed some of the hail of projectiles to catch up to him and he summoned a wall of sand to weather the hail, getting ready to let loose the spikes once more to dissuade Nico Robin from grasping him.


    He grit his teeth in annoyance. If not for the moisture, Nico Robin would be a non factor right now but in his rage, he had foregone drying himself up and the desert wasn''t doing a nearly fast enough job.


    Due to his tangibility, the hypnotized Devil Child was providing fantastic coverage for the redhead and it was nullifying the advantage he gained by surrounded by so much sand.


    Rosan rocketed down and slashed downward with a set of gauntlets but it was barely blocked by Crocodile''s hook. The momentum of the fall caused the Sandman to buckle slightly and he grunted in exertion.


    Then the hands made their presence known again and began strangling him, cutting off his wind and allowing Rosan to quickly gain an advantage.


    Thanks to a quick and shoddy sand armor, Crocodile didn''t suffer nearly as much as he should have from the force of those gauntlets almost caving him into the ground beneath, forming a very visible crater.


    Capitalizing on the close proximity, Crocodile swiftly removed the golden part of his weapon, revealing the poisonous hook underneath and swiftly slashed inside the hole of the hoodie, connecting with the man''s cheek and injecting his lethal venom inside of him.


    "Poison," Rosan hummed, leaping back to assess his bleeding cheek.


    "I have an antidote for it. Do you need it?" Robin asked worriedly.


    He shook his head. "No, I am mostly immune. My body is purging it as we speak."


    It wouldn''t be too long now. Crocodile had acquired quite a bit of injuries and if he were smart, he''d go back and tend to himself. By then, it should be too late.


    "Let''s finish this and meet back up with them," he commented, eyeing Crocodile''s panting body.


    He clenched his gauntlets into a fist and began sprinting to the Warlord''s location.


    As he rocketed forward at speeds too quick to react to, Rosan prepared to land a non lethal finisher on him and mercilessly slammed the gauntlets into his gut, connecting cleanly and causing a burst of sand to spray everywhere.


    ¡­


    Wait.


    Sand?


    A gasp of pain made Rosan''s blood run cold and he watched the Crocodile (the man made a clone...?) he attacked, dissolve into sand.


    Turning around towards the noise of distress, Rosan saw Robin being ruthlessly impaled through the stomach by Crocodile''s poisonous hook. He held her up with a sneer, as blood pooled from her mouth and stomach.


    "There, now the nuisance is dealt with," Crocodile grunted, tossing her aside uncaringly and watching her tumble into the sand.


    It was a good thing Nico Robin used that clone of hers so frequently. He found the idea behind them quite useful and decided to learn how to make sand clones himself.


    "MOTHER!" Ram screamed, eyes going wide in terror as tears began leaking from them.


    "ROBIN!" Mod shouted in horror as she resisted the urge to take over and rush the woman''s body.


    "You can keep fighting me and she''ll die from the poison or you can submit right now and join my side. If you do that, I''ll give her the antidote," Crocodile offered. "You hypnotized her for a reason. You know how useful Nico Robin is. It would be a waste to let her die here."


    Rosan said nothing, staring at Robin''s body with a shocked gaze that began slowly shifting into a familiar rage that he had long forgotten. A snarl of rage made its way to his face, eyes glowing with bloody murder.


    She wasn''t moving right now because of this man right here. Robin wasn''t moving. Robin wasn''t moving. Robin wasn''t movin¡ª


    "NO!" Mod yelled in genuine terror, turning white as a sheet. She felt it.


    Mod felt it. Mod felt them. She felt P¡ª


    If this kept on, Rosan was going to use the Virus and then Robin would never be saved.


    "Rosan, remember what we learned from our failures! Ensure your target is always safe! Don''t fall victim to your own anger and seek to relieve it when we can still help Robin."


    Rosan snapped out of that foggy rage and briskly nodded, anger melting off his face in favor of blatant concern as he quickly came to his senses.


    Crocodile jumped to the left to avoid the massive column of flames aimed his way, that blocked Miss All Sunday from his view, and realized that the redhead probably didn''t care what happened to Nico Robin if the fates of his other agents meant anything.


    That was no good. He''d need to quickly defeat him then so he could administer the antidote to her. He still needed the Devil Child to tell him of Pluton''s location¡ª


    He realized too late what the redhead was planning. Summoning another sandstorm, he quickly banished the flames and his face morphed into one of rage, at seeing both Rosan and Nico Robin missing.


    Twice now. Twice he had gotten away from him. And this time he took someone who was pivotal to his plans¡­


    Again.


    Crocodile turned towards the direction of Alubarna with murder in his eyes and vanished in a gust of sand.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Demon, heal her please."


    The onlookers jumped at how swiftly the Rosan on their screen vanished, only to appear right next to them.


    In his arms, he was holding the steadily bleeding Nico Robin who was just poisoned from Crocodile himself and didn''t seem to register the blood making its way onto his body.


    "R-Right!" The Doctor swiftly pushed himself up, alarm on his features at the raw desperation in Rosan''s voice and he dashed off, redhead hot on his heels.


    The onlookers were quick to follow after the trio.


    "She was poisoned but she mentioned having the antidote on her," Rosan informed him, quickly and gently placing the woman down on the table.


    "Right, thank you for informing me about that." Demon prepared everything with a speed and meticulousness that spoke of years of experience. After doing so, he quickly rummaged through Robin''s clothing, until he found the antidote mentioned and quickly prepared to apply it to the woman.


    "Mikita, could you help me? I don''t know where Rin is and an extra hand would be helpful," He requested, not glancing up from what he was doing and gently removing the injured women''s clothing so as to assess her injuries.


    "Oh! O-Okay!" She stammered slightly, shooting Rosan a fearful glance but pushing through due to her admiration for Demon.


    "Master I wouldn''t dare kick you out so could you find a seat somewhere?" The doctor requested softly.


    "¡­"


    "Master?" Demon glanced up in confusion and gazed at his older brother.


    The Doctor went pale and shakily took a step away, fear making its way onto his face.


    Rosan, who paid Demon no mind, was staring at Robin''s bleeding body with a dark glare on his face. His handsome visage had shifted into a terrifyingly rare scowl that they hadn''t seen in years and though it was not directed towards the youngest triplet, it still evoked a deep rooted trauma out of him.


    Why?


    Because the last time Rosan made a face like this, it was directed towards the twins.


    "Demon?" Maro said quietly, watching the terror on the clones face and stepping forward in worry.


    A shaky gasp, alerted her to the presence of her wife and the Queen glanced to her right and saw an equal level of terror on Angel''s own face.


    "I-I''m sorry, M-Master," she said instinctively, taking a step back as tears formed in her eyes from that deeply buried fear that she thought she had done so well dealing with.


    But as soon as he glared at them like that, it brought it all to the forefront. It reminded her that at the end of the day, a part of her would always be terrified of her older brother because they had killed Meiko.


    "I-It was so stupid on our part to l-leave Meiko alone a-and I know we deserve anything you do b-but please! We really are sorry!"


    Maro and Sabo both furrowed their brows in noticeable concern and the queen realized both the twins were zoning her out completely, too focused on appeasing the creator who wasn''t even paying attention to them.


    What was happening? Why were they reacting like Rosan was upset with them ¡ª


    Oh.


    Rosan didn''t notice the twin''s distress, simply staring at Robin''s prone body with a boiling dark anger that made Mod nervously quiet.


    Robin was hurt. Robin was hurt under his watch. He was supposed to keep her safe but she was still harmed because of him.


    Worst of all, he nearly let his anger get the best of him again. He was about to throw caution to the wind and just eliminate Crocodile right then and there if not for Mod-chan reminding him about a more important goal.


    But if it had just been him¡­ What was wrong with him? Was he incapable of changing his negative traits?


    Of course he wasn''t. That''s why Meiko was dead. That''s why they thought Sabo had died for 10 years. That''s why Robin was lying on the bed with a hole in her stoma¡ª


    Two hands touched his shoulder and his gaze snapped up.


    Maro and Sabo both looked at him with clear concern on their features.


    "It''s gonna be alright, Rosan. Robin''s safe here," Sabo explained calmly.


    That deep sense of self loathing¡­ It wasn''t healthy at all. He could feel clear as day how much Rosan despised himself.


    "Yeah Master she''s fine... but Demon can''t attend to her while he''s this scared¡­ of you," Maro explained softly, engulfing him with a tender expression in her eyes as she tried to calm her teacher down.


    Rosan''s anger tapered off and he glanced at his purple triplet in question, fury vanishing completely at Demon''s teary visage. Mikita was desperately trying to soothe him but he was utterly unresponsive, just staring at his creator with clear terror in his eyes as he shuddered.


    A quick look over at Angel showed that she was curled up into herself with a concerned Kaori rubbing her shoulder.


    "They saw that look on your face and it reminded them of just how angry you were with them on the day everything went wrong¡­" Mod whispered, sounding subdued.


    She had been soothing a sobbing Ram the entire time. The ring wasn''t used to being concerned about someone''s well being and her first time was when Rosan had gotten sick.


    Now Robin, her designated mother, was injured? It was safe to say she was a rightful mess and Mod had quickly put her to sleep with a gentle song.


    Afterwards, she quickly departed to the castle to ensure nothing was amiss.


    There was nothing but¡­ but that familiar destructive energy was getting more and more oppressive¡­


    Mod bit her lip and remained silent.


    Rosan came to a realization as he stared at their tear streaked faces.


    His clones were still afraid of facing a version of him who was fully emotional. Even after all these years, they still were uncertain about just what he''d do to them after gaining all his emotions. Even after he showered them in love and care, their trauma was too prevalent.


    They weren''t sure what to expect from their unpredictable Master and Rosan had always been a vindictive person.


    Seeing that anger in their eyes reminded them of a possible future where he remembered what they did and destroyed them.


    ¡­


    "Angel. Demon," he called the two.


    They went ramrod straight at his voice and began breathing heavily. The two began panicking as they recalled that day that he changed for the worst. The day when they thought they would lose their lives, but their Master ended up losing his instead.


    The day that would forever haunt every single one of the triplet in different, but so similar ways.


    "HOW COULD YOU BE SO STUPID?!" A 12 year old Rosan snarled in pure, overwhelming anger. They didn''t miss the sinister glow in his eyes, shining so brightly it could have replaced the sun.


    They didn''t miss how he directed that murderous glare towards them.


    "YOU DIDN''T WANT TO CAUSE A SCENE? I DON''T CARE IF YOU HAD TO DESTROY AN ENTIRE ISLAND TO DO SO, I DON''T CARE IF YOU HAVE TO RUIN MILLIONS OF LIVES AT ONCE, MEIKO ALWAYS COMES FIRST, YOU FUCKING IDIOTS."


    That''s right. They were idiots. Complete fucking idiots.


    "Y-Yes, Master?!" They said in unison, fearing the worst. Was he going to finally fulfill his wish and destroy them like he planned on doing? A-After all this time was he going to kill them¡ª


    "Please."


    The two blinked.


    "I''m so sorry for traumatizing you two. On that day¡­ when I said those things, I was angry and not thinking straight but even despite that, I was never going to destroy you two," he told them honestly, eyes closed in pain. "I loved you guys even then and I love you guys even now. That''s why I''m here asking for help. Because I trust you two with my life."


    Much to their utter surprise and awe, the redhead uncharacteristically bowed his head low to them.


    "You have my word that no harm will befall you guys when I get my emotions back if I can help it, so please help Robin heal from my stupid mistake," he said softly, a hint of desperation in his voice that made their heart wrench.


    "Oh Rosan," Mod said sadly.


    The twins were shell shocked, snapped out of their fear with wide eyes.


    Master was¡­ bowing to them¡­? He said that he always loved them? H-He trusted them with his life? Even after their mistake caused the death of someone they all loved with their heart?!


    Then Demon heard his final request and snapped out of his daze.


    "I-I''m sorry, Master! I don''t know what got over me!" He apologized, quickly whirring back into action. "Please just find a seat somewhere close and watch the procedure. I promise you that Robin will be fine!"


    Angel let out a choked sob at the overwhelming happiness she felt and nodded, pushing herself up in the process. "Please don''t bow, Master! That''s unbefitting of you! We should be sorry for still fearing you after you went out of your way these years to show you love us!"


    Rushing the prone redhead, she hastily straightened him and guided him to a seat that would keep Robin in his view.


    Rosan said nothing, thankful that he managed to snap them out of their fear and remained stationary in his spot, staring at Robin''s body the whole while.


    Maro scooped up Angel in a reassuring hug and let her wife sob in her chest, shooting Sabo a grateful look all the while.


    The revolutionary tipped his hat, frowning slightly at the image of how much Rosan seemed to loathe himself.


    It wasn''t just that he was missing his emotions. It was being walled up by an unhealthy amount of negativity.


    "We should clear out the room," Maro said softly, turning on a heel and marching out with Angel in her hands. "Let''s give them some space and go watch what''s happening in Alabasta."


    Everyone not involved nodded and shuffled out but not before gazing at the mysterious redhead who''s actions only gave them more questions then answers.


    Sabo placed a reassuring hand on Rosan''s shoulder again and was satisfied to see the redhead acknowledging him with a short nod.


    "Don''t beat yourself up too much for something that''s not your fault. You strike me as the type of person to do that," the revolutionary advised, departing moments after.


    "He''s right. Robin knew the danger she was in and would be furious if she realized you were pampering her to the point of your own detriment," Mod said softly.


    The best way to get through to Rosan, was to have him see it through another''s perspective instead of his own while being blunt.


    "¡­" Rosan took a deep breath. "Yeah. Yeah you''re right. She''d be upset if I blamed myself for this so I won''t and we''ll just continue to train so that it doesn''t happen again."


    "Of course!" Mod smiled gently, pleased that he was seeing reason. He was much more receptive to things like this over the years due to their family and she was so glad.


    "Will you be going back to Alabasta?"


    Surprisingly, he shook his head. "No, I want to be there for Robin when she wakes up. Luffy will save that kingdom, Robin needs me right now."


    "...Right," Mod said, smiling even brighter. He was forgoing his vindictive nature to be with his best friend and that touched her heart.


    Mod always did think they''d be a cute couple when they were kids and they even had a crush on each other!


    It was natural considering the two were close in age and spent time traveling together in isolation. Not to mention, Rosan was incredibly possessive of Robin and showered her with attention and vice versa.


    Alas, only Robin fully realized her crush. Rosan was too young to fully get a grasp on his own and they got separated just when he was about to. His crush is probably what the Virus used to fully turn him against her and then he met Meiko¡­


    Perhaps what he needed was to find someone to love again. If they got him and Robin together¡­ If they got Rosan to admit that he was in love with her, would he finally be saved?


    Well, she was all aboard getting her two emotionally stunted idiots together.


    "We''ve¡­ We stabilized her Master," Demon said softly, snapping the dazed Rosan out of his reverie. "If you want, you can get closer to her."


    The redhead immediately took that invitation and moved his seat right next to the sleeping Robin.


    "Thank you, Demon, Mikita. You have no idea how much this means to me," Rosan said softly, turning towards the two and allowing them to see the slight tension drain from his face.


    For once, he wasn''t a stone wall. The Rosan who looked like he had everything under control at all times was gone, replaced by the weary man who had too much on his plate from such a young age.


    He didn''t look like the demon everyone thought he was. He just looked tired.


    "I''m sorry for scaring you and yet you still did this for me¡­ I won''t forget this," Rosan assured quietly, closing his eyes and grabbing one of Robin''s hand.


    Mikita stepped back in shock, eyes wide in surprise. Though it wasn''t specific, Rosan apologized to the both of them and not only that, he thanked them too! The former agent never expected to be thanked by the one person who made her feel worthless¡­


    Did that mean¡­ Did that mean she was useful¡­?


    For once, Rosan didn''t look like the Devil she thought he was.


    "You don''t have to do anything, Master," Demon assured in return, grabbing his brother in a tentative hug. "Her injuries weren''t life threatening. Only the poison was truly a problem and she had the antidote ready at hand. We simply patched her up and thanks to being a Devil Fruit user, she''s already healing faster then normal."


    "Still. If you want something just ask," Rosan requested quietly, returning the hug and ending the conversation there. He turned his gaze back to Robin with intense focus and clutched her hand, idly applying Modification to her to alleviate some pain.


    "We''ll keep that in mind¡­ C''mon Mikita," Demon urged, delicately grabbing the women and escorting her out the room.


    "R-Right!" She said, lighting red at the touch.


    "Thank you for helping me on such short notice. Remind me to treat you to dinner sometime this week. You did a fantastic job," the doctor said, smiling gently down at her and patting her blonde head.


    Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    The woman turned scarlet at that, looking at Demon like he just offered her the world and nodded rapidly.


    Demon seemed out of her league but maybe just maybe¡­ If she continued to prove her worth, he''d see value in her?


    It was worth a shot.


    Mod blinked at the interaction.


    Was Mikita crushing on her little Demon? Mod had quite the soft spot for him, considering he opted to have purple hair and red eyes like her, and the youngest triplet never expressed any sort of interest in anyone outside of hookups with both genders.


    She honestly thought he and Rin were going to get together but Angel informed her that Demon only thought of him as an assistant and maybe he had been attracted at one point but the doctor never did forget how willing he was to snap the boy''s neck at a moment''s notice... or for not mentioning what really happened to his father.


    Demon was also afraid of commitment and didn''t want to truly open his heart for anyone.


    Rin had understandably not taken it very well (Angel mentioned him crying) and the two had become much more distant, something Demon didn''t seem to mind at all, which only made his assistant more upset.


    Well, at least he and Kanna seemed to be a thing now. Demon was quite the cold heartbreaker without realizing it sometimes because even that didn''t bother him at all, only granting them a congratulatory smile when it was revealed.


    Now that he was so experienced with his work, the purple haired clone was allowing himself much more liberties but he still never committed to anyone, much preferring to fool around instead.


    Mod hoped he found someone worth settling down with. The most popular person in Celadon deserved it.


    Maybe he''d end up liking Mikita?


    Or maybe he''d break her heart like dozens of others on Celadon. Demon was quite difficult to chain down, something he did not share with his twin sister who was as loyal as could be to Maro.


    Perhaps he was afraid of opening up his heart fully like Rosan had done¡­ perhaps he didn''t want to go through that potential pain.


    It was a thought for another time. For now, she would make sure Ram was alright and keep an eye on Robin (and Alabasta) as well.


    She sent a soothing pulse to her charge who had not taken his eyes off Robin once and assured him that everything would be fine.


    Rosan didn''t reply, too focused on the Devil Child to do so. He idly raked her hair before registering Mod''s reassurance.


    "She will be fine," he agreed quietly.


    Of course she would. If she wasn''t going to be fine, he wouldn''t be so artificially calm right now.


    No, if Robin was deeply injured, there''d have been hell to pay and the world would finally understand that there was a Demon that they had been nourishing.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    The Straw Hats were making incredible progress through the desert right now.


    They ran into an issue with crossing the river in a timely manner but after the Dugongs Luffy defeated much earlier in their journey came to assist them (much to Nami''s annoyance) in crossing the river, they were making fantastic progress to Alubarna.


    "I see some of the agents up ahead!" Usopp hissed, using his goggles that Rosan modified some time ago to spot a group of people, presumably, waiting for them.


    They were desert proof now and granted him even better vision then he already had (they even had heat vision)! The redhead also offered to upgrade his slingshot but Usopp had rather fearfully denied it.


    His hammer was good enough...


    Nami, with her quick thinking, instructed them all to place their hoodies on so that they could confuse them and split up in order to let Vivi gain free access into Alubarna.


    Based on the confusion in their eyes, it was working out well for them and soon, they''d be able to divert their attention and lead them away from all the entrances.


    Of course, things were never quite that simple.


    Without warning, Luffy turned on his spot-billed duck and launched his fist out, colliding with a wave of sand and mostly neutralizing the attack.


    "That attack¡­!" Vivi whispered in horror.


    Crocodile?! What happened to Robin and Rosan? Weren''t they fighting him? Were they all right?!


    The Warlord appeared in their vision and it was clear that he had been in quite the fight. He was soaked, with some dried blood and his outfit was torn in places.


    But most interesting was the hot rage on his face. Despite, presumably, winning his fight, the Warlord didn''t look pleased whatsoever.


    "D-Did he kill Robin and Rosan?!" Usopp stammered in fear.


    The Straw Hats didn''t want to think about that possibility but Usopp had brought it to attention and now they couldn''t stop dwelling on it.


    Was Rosan actually¡­ was he dea¡ª


    "Of course he didn''t!" Luffy scowled. "Rosan wouldn''t lose here! Something happened that made him leave."


    They glanced in a bit of awe at the absolute faith Luffy had in his scout and realized he was right, there was no way Rosan would lose here!


    Right on cue, a blue bird flew into view and landed on Luffy''s shoulder, chirping all the while to the rubbery boy.


    "Robin got hurt so Rosan took her away?" the captain frowned.


    The bird trilled at that, nodding rapidly.


    The crew paused at that. Robin was hurt?! What happened to her? Was she alright?!


    "Don''t worry, I''ll kick Crocodile''s ass," Luffy assured confidently, glaring at the furious sandman.


    "How does he understand the bird?" Everyone thought in confusion. It was just chirping and not even Chopper could understand it because it wasn''t actually speaking in animal tongue.


    Rosan''s little scout chirped happily and rubbed its cheeks against Luffy''s in satisfaction before flying off. They watched it fly into the sky where it seemed to meet up with two other birds.


    Just how much birds did Rosan have out at a time?


    Crocodile''s teeth were creaking due to how hard his jaw was clenched.


    That redhead had ruined his plans one too many times.


    Nico Robin was right there and now she was out of his grasp again. Over and over again, Rosan one upped him and now he had no idea where he was.


    Well, no matter. He''d lure him out again by dismantling his crew this time.


    "You guys go ahead and distract the others," Luffy ordered as he stared down the Warlord. "I''ll keep this guy right here to stop him from interfering anymore."


    The Straw Hats were much more hesitant to leave Luffy behind by himself but the captain shot them a reassuring grin.


    "Don''t worry! Rosan didn''t lose and I won''t lose either! We need to stop the rebellion," He beamed, cracking his knuckles in anticipation.


    Not wanting to reveal their identities any further, they simply nodded and urged their respective ducks forward, leaving Luffy and Crocodile behind.


    "You think I''ll let them get away for free?" Crocodile snarled. Holding out his hand, he summoned a miniature sandstorm in his palm and prepared to let it fly.


    "Sable¡ª"


    "Gomu Gomu no Pistol!"


    The Warlord was forced to cancel his technique in order to block the rubbery fist careening his way. Using his hook (that was still fully exposed from his previous battle) he blocked the attack and focused his attention on the rubber boy.


    "You and that redhead just love getting in my way and I''m getting tired of it," Crocodile rumbled. He''d make this quick. If this was really the captain of their crew, the redhead would make sure Straw Hat Luffy didn''t die.


    "You made Vivi cry so I''m gonna kick your ass," Luffy said simply, putting up his fists to do just that.


    The Warlord snorted, not taking the rubber boy serious at all. "You really think you can beat me without that redhead?"


    "I don''t need Rosan to beat you and Rosan doesn''t need me to beat you!" Luffy grinned challengingly,.


    Crocodile felt a litter of veins riddle his face at that statement. This one wouldn''t be getting away if he had anything to say about it. He was fed up with this random rookie crew.


    "Let''s see how confident you are after I''m done with you," The leader of Baroque Works muttered darkly.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    The Straw Hats had a simple plan to let Vivi freely enter Alubarna without interference.


    Throw up a simple disguise and go to every single exit, distracting the agents at the same time and splitting them up by pairs.


    The sudden arrival of Crocodile threw them out of sorts but Luffy choosing to stay behind actually worked out well for them.


    Usopp offered to go deeper into the desert due to his newfound goggles and Chopper opted to follow him, concerned for his well being.


    Nami and Zoro went the other, mostly so that the navigator could keep the swordsman on track and be protected by him as well.


    Sanji, Vivi and the camel went in another direction. By hiding her form, they made it appear as if it was only two of them and made the princess hide but on the off chance she was discovered, Sanji would go and save her.


    The Agents didn''t stay idle of course, splitting up into their own pairs to give chase.


    "Alright. Time to see what this things made of," Nami muttered, facing off Mr. 1 and Miss Doublefinger with Zoro next to her.


    W-Why did she have to go up against the two strongest agents?! W-Where was her bodyguard when she needed him!


    Well¡­ At least he worked on this clima-tact for her. She just needed to figure out how to activate Rosan''s part.


    It shouldn''t be too hard. Rosan was much more¡­ bloodthirsty then Usopp was.


    "Can I leave the girl to you?" Zoro grunted, staring down Mr. 1 with a calm glare.


    "Y-Yeah! Leave it to me!" Nami said nervously, eyeing the two killers.


    If she ran now, Rosan would never let her live it down. If he heard that she ran after he went through the effort of modifying her weapon¡ª


    "If you have to fight someone, you better win or else, Nami," Rosan had told her calmly.


    Nami whitened at the idea of him forcefully training her.


    She needed to avoid that outcome at all costs.


    "Let''s split up," Nami instructed. If they fought them 2 on 2 they''d get slaughtered by the partners for years. Her and Zoro didn''t have great teamwork at all.


    Robin informed all of them of what each agent was capable of and these two were the most dangerous next to Mr. 2. Based on what she heard about all of them, Nami reluctantly came to the conclusion that she was one of the few choices in the crew who would be facing Miss Doublefinger.


    Mr. 1 would probably handle most of their crewmates with little issue due to his Devil Fruit so they all agreed that if it came down to it, Zoro would fight the human swordsman.


    The other''s were up for grab, but Sanji would never hit a woman so that ruled him out and they doubted Mr. 1 and Miss Doublefinger would go into the desert where Usopp and Chopper went¡­


    Nami understood all of that but why did she have to fight the strongest female in Baroque Works besides Robin?!


    "Both her and Mr. 1 have Devil Fruits that do well against my own. I can still defeat her but it would be easier if someone else did the job instead," Robin had told her apologetically.


    Right, she could do this. She knew about Miss Doublefinger because of Robin (she loved that woman) and the best way to fight her, would be to keep a safe distance.


    Luckily for her, she had the clima-tact.


    Zoro raised a brow at her. "You want to split up?" He asked in disbelief, looking at the other coward of the crew like she had grown a second head.


    Just who was this person? This couldn''t possibly be the Nami he knew. Zoro was expecting to deal with Mr. 1 and Miss Doublefinger, while the coward ran away.


    "S-SHUT UP!" She barked, fumbling for the clima-tact and preparing to run off.


    "Why would we split up?" Mr. 1 asked with a raised brow, making her freeze at his intelligent question. "What''s the point? We''ll just kill you both right here and complete our mission."


    Zoro snorted at that answer. "Look at this mindless slave with no will of his own. Content to follow your bosses orders until you die? Know you can''t win alone so you''re gonna rely on your partner to help you outta a tough spot?" He taunted.


    Miss Doublefinger sighed in amusement at watching Mr. 1 twitch.


    Crocodile''s strongest male agent glanced at Zoro with a dark glare on his features.


    Right, this was the little bounty hunter who got offered a position in Baroque Works but denied it and killed Mr. 7 in the process after making an outrageous claim that he''d join if they made him the boss.


    Now he was here calling him a mindless slave?


    "Miss Doublefinger, don''t interfere with my battle," Mr. 1 rumbled, focusing his full attention on Zoro.


    "You''re falling right into their trap, you know?" She shrugged helplessly, focusing on the fleeing Nami.


    "Falling into their trap implies they can challenge us. Go deal with the other one," he instructed.


    Miss Doublefinger was already on the move, following after Nami with a roll of her eyes.


    The moment she vanished from their sight, Mr. 1 dashed into Zoro, blade arms gleaming as they collided with the swordsman own swords.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Usopp and Chopper were not having a fun time right now.


    Miss Merry Christmas and Mr. 4 were in their element with the terrain and they used it to a vicious degree.


    The two were bruised and battered, Usopp to a much greater degree as they tried to locate the mole woman''s location.


    There were holes in the battleground, courtesy of the female agent and she was currently camped out in one of them.


    This was what had been happening the entire fight. She would pop out, grap Usopp and drag him over to Mr. 4, so that he could deliver a hellish blow to him.


    Usopp in question, was a bloodied and battered mess. He had been taking the full brunt of their onslaught and he was sure most of his bones were broken.


    But he couldn''t fall yet. He wouldn''t leave Chopper alone with these two.


    "You have potential."


    "Chopper, I have a plan," Usopp muttered, spitting out blood as he steeled himself.


    The reindeer looked at him in confusion but nodded at the sudden confidence.


    "WHAT ARE YOU TWO TALKING ABOUT OVER THERE!" Miss Merry Christmas howled, bursting out of a hole and charging Usopp and Chopper.


    Before she could approach them, Chopper transformed into his walk point and Usopp leapt atop as the two rocketed off towards Mr. 4.


    The agent and his bazooka dog, gazed at the two charging them and prepared to silence them.


    At the same time, Miss Merry Christmas growled in annoyance and jumped back into one of the many holes she created.


    "Now!" Chopper shouted as he grounded himself to a halt right in front of the dog and his master and launched Usopp through the air at the same time he transformed into his heavy point.


    Usopp took aim and the moment Lassoo opened his mouth, the sniper shot a pellet inside.


    "Special Attack: Pepper Star!" The sniper shouted hitting home.


    Chopper lunged and grabbed the dog, before forcefully aiming it at Mr. 4 and making a mad dash away from them.


    The effects were immediate.


    The Dog began unleashing sneeze after sneeze and because of its nature, each sneeze meant it was unleashing a salvo of exploding baseballs directly onto Mr. 4''s body.


    The explosion that followed suit was deafening as everyone of Lassoo''s cannonballs connected.


    "MR. 4!" Miss Merry Christmas shouted in horror as she tunneled to his position.


    The man was unconscious and charred, body smoking as he twitched.


    "Y-You..." the woman stewed as she gazed at her defeated partner. "I''ll make you two pay for that!"


    With that declaration, Merry Christmas dove back into her tunnel system.


    That mistake would prove costly.


    Usopp grinned in victory as she went underground again, ignoring the pain at landing awkwardly, and pushed himself up.


    Grabbing his slingshot once more, the sniper made a mad dash over to one of the holes with a gleam in his eyes.


    Then, he painstakingly took aim inside and shot his specialized pellet.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Sometime Ago


    "You want me to give you some new type of pellets?"Rosan asked curiously.


    "Yeah! I need something that packs a real punch!" Usopp nodded.


    The redhead tilted his head. "Sure, why not. Just remember my warning, I''m a rather lethal person."


    The sniper wilted a bit at that ominous warning but pushed through. "Sometimes, we have to do things we don''t want to do! If I want to catch up with you guys, I need to be able to push through the discomfort!"


    Rosan stared at him for a while, expression impossible to read, before the redhead nodded in approval.


    "You''re well on your way to becoming a brave warrior of the sea. Very well, I''ll create something worth firing on that slingshot."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Special Attack: Explosive Mine Star!" Usopp shouted, using his newly created ammo.


    He aimed into the hole and fired.


    Mine Star (he just thought of that name mind you!) utilized a new type of pellet created by his scout himself.


    Usopp had no idea what was differences were in these pellets and Rosan had said it would be more fun if he figured it out himself and to not use it unless he felt like he needed to.


    "It has a lot of firepower," Rosan had said cryptically. "Feel free to use it in tough situations... If you dont wanna be a murderer make sure your opponent is somewhat strong or far away."


    He had went a bit pale at that warning and nodded hesitantly, taking the unassuming bag of red pellets out of Rosan''s hand and stuffing it in his satchel.


    It was a good thing he heeded the redhead''s warning.


    Chopper and Usopp''s jaw went slack, as a light filled the tunnel created by Miss Merry Christmas due to the massive explosion that erupted from the pellet he just fired.


    It engulfed every tunnel and they watched as Miss Merry Christmas was forcefully ejected from one of the holes with a howl of pain, skin burned and smoking as she was caught in the attack.


    She was so far from the hole he fired in but still got caught...


    "D-Did he fill up my pellets with his fire?" Usopp whispered to himself in disbelief as he saw the woman desperately role around in pain.


    Rosan did. He had formed a super condensed orb of fire and modified it into a small pellet that Usopp could fire, giving the sniper about 2 dozen for his first round.


    It was like an explosive star on steroids... what the hell...


    He gazed at Miss Merry Christmas rolling around in an effort to stamp her burns but she eventually succumbed to the pain and with one last whimper, fell unconscious.


    A quick glance over at Mr. 4 made Usopp hastily gaze away from the man.


    Yeah... they definitely won their fight.


    "I didn''t even have to use my special technique, whack-a-mole," he muttered, falling back and letting out a groan of pain as the adrenaline wore off.


    Everything hurt. Mr. 4 didn''t hit soft. Miss Merry Christmas didn''t hit soft. That damn dog gun didn''t hit soft. No one hit soft and he had been the target of their aggression for the entirety of the fight.


    Chopper jumped at the noises of pain coming out of Usopp, before remembering he was a doctor and dashing over to tend to him.


    "You''re not as useless as Rosan made you out to be, Usopp!" Chopper praised enthusiastically, wrapping him up with bandages.


    "He''s such an ass. A useful ass, but still an ass," Usopp groaned.


    But he won! The Great Captain Usopp beat two agents from Baroque Works! He actually did it!


    These pellets from Rosan actually gave him quite a few ideas too! He would consult more with the redhead to see if he could put them into practice.


    "Oh you guys won? I thought I''d have to help you out," A bloodied Sanji muttered in surprise.


    He glanced at the two defeated agents and balked at both their conditions.


    Damn, he didn''t think they had it in them!


    His fight with Mr. 2 had been¡­ complicated to say the least. He shouldn''t have struggled as much as he did but the agent had a very powerful counter to Sanji¡­


    Namely, being able to transform into Nami.


    Sanji would never lay a hand on Nami and there were no exceptions, even if it wasn''t actually his beloved navigator.


    That wasn''t to say that was the only issue¡­ Mr. 2 wasn''t weak whatsoever, packing a punch that made his counter to Sanji legitimately deadly.


    Luckily the man was an idiot and had a key weakness in which he couldn''t fight unless he was in his actual body. After realizing that, Sanji made quick work of the okama and left him lying unconscious in the middle of the streets.


    "What happened to Vivi?" Chopper asked in concern, noticing the princess wasn''t with him.


    Sanji waved off his concerns. "I held Mr. 2 off so she could run ahead. She wasn''t able to stop the rebellion yet but she should be about to soon."


    Right now, Vivi should be at the castle right now so that everyone could know she was alive and well.


    The way things were going, Baroque Works would be defeated without even remotely completing their goal¡ª


    The three straw hats froze in horror, as the most massive sandstorm they ever saw slammed right into Alubarna, engulfing the entire capital with gusts of sands that battered all in their path.


    Worst, it seemed like as time passed, it was getting stronger.


    "Is that bastard trying to kill everyone in there?" Sanji muttered with a bead of sweat, watching the power Crocodile displayed and biting his cigarette hard.


    "Is Luffy gonna be okay?" Chopper asked worriedly, looking in the direction where their captain was fighting Crocodile.


    "He''ll be fine, I need to find Nami then go check if Vivi is alright. Chopper stay here with Usopp," Sanji ordered, already running off to go do that.


    "D-Don''t you mean Nami and Zoro?" Usopp groaned. He couldn''t really move right now considering he was in a full body cast.


    But maybe that was a good idea¡­ he didn''t really fancy going into the sandstorm riddled city right now.


    Yeah¡­ he did his part! It was up to them now to do theirs!


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Vivi had no idea what was going on right now.


    It seemed like every step of the way, someone was trying to screw her over because whenever she planned on doing something, it all went to shit.


    (Excuse her language).


    She failed to alert the rebellion of her presence due to the explosions kicking up sand and they ran right past her.


    Then, she got separated from Sanji and before he found her, Karoo was injured protecting the princess from Mr. 2.


    Luckily the blonde did manage to make it in time and he quickly had her run off to finish her job which she was doing an admirable job of!


    Well, up until that really rude someone made their presence known once more.


    She had just managed to reach Chaka, one of the two head guards of Alabasta''s army, when a freak sandstorm hit the entirety of Alubarna with such force, that Vivi was sure there were already casualties on both sides.


    It had hit the area with so much strength, she had been flung to the ground.


    The princess grit her teeth in rage and worry. Only Crocodile would do that but¡­ was Luffy alright? Did the Warlord perhaps defeat him and decide to focus his attention on Alubarna?


    But why¡­?


    Wasn''t his goal to take over Alabasta? Why would he try and kill so much people? There were millions of people currently in Alubarna and the sandy wind buffeting them was getting even stronger.


    Vivi shook her head violently. There was no time for her to be doubting Luffy. He was alive and fine and the fact that Crocodile had to summon a sandstorm instead of showing his face, told her he was still occupied.


    She needed to focus on her own mission and what Robin had told her before they all separated.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Flashback


    "There''s a bomb in Alubarna and it''s big enough to take out the entire city,"Robin informed Vivi.


    On Rosan''s orders, the Devil Child had swiftly departed from the casino to assist the princess with the Baroque Works agents, while distancing herself far away from Crocodile in the process so Rosan had a way to gain a large distance when activating Save Point.


    It had been painfully easy for her to deal with all the agents converging on her and with the help of a very confused Pell, they made great distance and even picked up Sanji and Chopper in the process.


    "I''ll go find the bomb," Pell said, knowing now was not the time for questions when so much was at stake.


    "Unfortunately, Crocodile didn''t give me the exact whereabouts, so you''ll have to find it on your own," Robin apologized, tugging her pendant idly to inform Rosan they were far enough and getting a swoon out of Sanji in the process.


    "Leave it to me," the hawk man stated, transforming back into his Zoan and flying off quickly to go and retrieve the bomb before something disastrous happened.


    "Thank you so much for telling us about this, Robin!" Vivi thanked, bowing to the woman and getting a kind smile out of her.


    "Thank me when the bomb is neutralized," she replied.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Flashback End


    Right about now, Pell should have been tracking the bomb but with the sudden surge of sand in the air, it would only be all the more difficult for him, especially considering how powerful the sandstorm was getting¡­


    No doubt he was suffering great damage from the buffeting winds.


    Vivi bit her lip in concern and looked in the direction she left Luffy at.


    He was fine. She needed to focus on making sure as much people were safe as possible. Hopefully this freak sandstorm stopped them all from fighting but knowing the rebels, it likely only invigorated them.


    They''d never be able to hear her like this either¡­


    This was impossible¡­ What happened to make Crocodile decide to do this? Was Luffy giving him a hard time¡­?


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Gomu Gomu no Pistol!"


    Crocodile leaned to left to dodge the incoming fist and scowled at this joke of a captain.


    This was who the redhead chose to follow? How disappointing.


    After managing to begrudgingly earn his respect, almost all of it was being dashed away by this rookie.


    "Desert Spada," the Warlord intoned lazily.


    Fine, he''d make the redhead regret leaving it up to this idiot. Even if he was currently tangible, this fight would be nothing to him.


    "W-Woah!" Luffy said, quickly calling his fist back and leaping out of the way of the torpedo of sand in time to avoid being cut in half.


    The rubber boy was given no respite because Crocodile quickly appeared in his guard to swing that poisonous hook at him.


    Luffy performed an expert backflip to avoid the swing of the hook and said, "Gomu Gomu no Stamp," mid flip.


    His sandal collided with the weapon and Crocodile grunted in annoyance at the fact he couldn''t hit this weak nuisance.


    Before Straw Hat could withdraw his sandal, Crocodile swiftly reached out and grabbed the appendage with his good hand, draining all the moisture out of it immediately and slamming Luffy on the floor.


    The rubber boy recovered disturbingly quick, catching the fall with his arms and pushing himself into a handstand, punishing Crocodile''s action by launching his good foot into the man''s gut that made him skid back a good distance.


    It was then he noticed the leg that Crocodile grabbed.


    "AHHHHHHHHHHH MY LEG!" Luffy screeched, eyes bugged at the flabby piece of skin hanging uselessly there.


    The rubber boy began rolling in panic, wondering how he could salvage this and go back to normal before his eyes lit up.


    "Here," Rosan''s memory replayed in his head. "Water so that you can make contact with Crocodile. As long as you hit him while you''re wet, you''ll be able to connect to him."


    "Oh and something else," Robin chimed in, ensuring the water supply was secure on Luffy''s person. "Crocodile can dehydrate you with just a touch but if you drink water, you can counteract its effects."


    Ah, Robin and Rosan were the best!


    Crocodile watched the idiot with a scowl on his face, not believing he was wasting his time with this and not believing he actually got hit by him in the process.


    That scowl only got deeper, at watching Straw Hat take a deep gulp of his supply of water and regain his previously lost leg.


    So everyone knew how to counter him¡­ Nico Robin completely sold him out.


    "Why would Nico Robin choose to follow a group of idiots like you all?" Crocodile couldn''t help but snarl aloud, mostly speaking to himself.


    Just how potent was that redhead''s hypnotism? To so thoroughly fool her even after stating she was hypnotized? What was he fully capable of?


    He couldn''t believe he let them both get away from¡ª


    "Because Robin''s our friend and Rosan''s best friend!" Luffy retorted with a glare, not realizing he was sabotaging his older brother''s plan in the process.


    Crocodile raised a brow in disbelief. "Friend? Best friend? What the hell are you talking about, rookie?" He asked the moron.


    "Robin and Rosan have been friends since they were kids! Of course she''d pick him over you, stupid!" The rubber boy retorted, shaking his leg to make sure it was alright.


    The Warlord actually froze at that.


    It was as if a key piece to the puzzle had been missing the entire time and Monkey D. Luffy had gracefully placed it into his palm. No doubt the only intelligent member in his crew would have been thoroughly annoyed but it was too late because now Crocodile knew everything.


    Nico Robin really did betray him of her own volition and she didn''t care whatsoever, which was why she tried to convince him she wasn''t hypnotized.


    There was no hypnotism in play but that cunning redhead managed to still convince him because he had key information Crocodile did not.


    Crocodile could never quite place a finger as to why Nico Robin would ever betray him with how much protection he gifted her. No one even knew she was on Alabasta because of him so why would she ever throw that away?


    He knew there was absolutely nothing Mr. 3 could offer her and hearing he was dead solidified that for him.


    That was why he so easily believed in the redhead''s claims of hypnotizing her. By using all the information he fed to Crocodile, he came to a logical and sound answer that would effortlessly fool him.


    It wasn''t possible for him to be able to see through that because the redhead was able to get away with things not a single person was able to, when dealing with Nico Robin.


    Now it all made sense. Crocodile had first met Robin when she was 21 and she had a broken look in her eyes.


    When he proposed they joined forces, there was no complaint from the woman and she readily accepted and that had been the birth of Mr. 0 and Miss All Sunday.


    The broken look in her eyes, that made her so compliant and useful, was no longer there. He thought it was due to the hypnotism but no, it was because the woman had been reunited with someone important to her¡­


    Crocodile grit his teeth, eyes smoldering with rage.


    That Rosan had thoroughly tricked him every step of the way. He spent years building up this intricate plan and he was getting foiled at the tail end of it by something completely out of his control.


    Nico Robin never once indicated anything about this Rosan. How was he supposed to know they were lovers? It was nonsense and now he couldn''t even use her to decipher the Poneglyph.


    Since entering the Grand Line, the Straw Hat pirates had done nothing but piss him off and he was tired of it.


    Nico Robin, Rosan, Straw Hat, they could all go to hell.


    "You must care a lot about your friends," Crocodile suddenly said gravely.


    "Of course I do!" Luffy replied. What was he talking about¡ª


    Luffy''s confusion turned into horror as he watched Crocodile form a sandstorm in his palms.


    "Sables Grande."


    Without any hesitation, Crocodile launched the technique towards Alubarna and they both watched as it very quickly became massive before crashing into the country.


    "Unlike my normal Sables, that one progressively gets stronger so the longer it stays, the more dangerous it gets. But if you defeat me in time you can stop it. You''re on a timer now, Straw Hat," Crocodile taunted.


    "What?! But your friends are in there too!" Luffy gasped in horror.


    He glared hard at the Warlord and immediately began his assault anew¡­


    ...To little success. Luffy looked down in disbelief at the crescent of sand stabbing him through his gut.


    Crocodile let out a low, menacing, laughter as he watched the blood begin seeping into the sand and dispersed his own attack.


    "Friends? I don''t have any friends, Straw Hat," the warlord said coldly. "I don''t need anything so stupid when I could have disposable servants instead. If they die or not¡­ none of that matters to me because I can just get more."


    Luffy held his bloody belly and glared at Crocodile with hot rage, furious at his callous attitude.


    Crocodile grinned mockingly at the injured rubber boy. "Going to fight me with that injury? You''re too eager, just like that redhead of yours. Come on then, I''ll show you the gap in our skills and we can watch my sandstorm engulf all of Alubarna while you struggle."


    "Gomu Gomu no Rifle!" Luffy roared, throwing out his twisted fit. He paid no mind to the blood or injuries on his body and pushed on without hesitation.


    His attack was largely unsuccessful though, due to the wave of sand blocking his path from Crocodile.


    "Just because I''m suddenly tangible, doesn''t mean it''s easy to defeat me," He grinned mockingly, launching another Desert Spada at the rubber boy.


    Luffy barely managed to dodge the full effects and grit his teeth at getting nicked slightly, blood pouring from his leg now.


    "Gomu Gomu no Gatling!"


    He rapidly punched the air over and over again, pounding the sand repeatedly until he finally began to make headway¡ª


    "You''re too slow, Straw Hat," a voice mocked behind him.


    ¡ªOnly to get blasted away by a wave of sand from behind.


    The rubber boy grunted in surprise and began tumbling across the sand before stopping and shakily pulling himself up.


    "I don''t want to kill you immediately, Straw Hat," Crocodile informed him calmly, grinning smugly at the rookie.


    "I want you to watch as my sandstorm destroys everyone in Alubarna. I want you to see all your friends perish to my might. Then, I want that redhead crewmate of yours to try and save you, only to fail as I get rid of the both of you."


    The Warlord began laughing darkly at the struggling Luffy.


    "As long as I''m in the desert, no one can beat¡ª"


    "Shut up."


    Crocodile gained a vein of annoyance at that. He watched the rubber boy push himself up to fix him with a glare and nearly discarded the idea of making him suffer.


    "For Vivi''s sake, I''m gonna kick your ass, Crocodile," Luffy began, crouching down and placing a fist on the floor.


    "You''ve made this country suffer for too long and I''m gonna stop it right now," he promised, pumping his legs.


    Crocodile stared on in confusion. What the hell was he doing?


    "Rosan didn''t need help beating you and I don''t either," Luffy said gravely, looking up and fixing Crocodile with a hard glare.


    These injuries didn''t matter when Vivi was suffering for so much longer. When she was hurting so much more.


    None of what he was dealing with right now was anything compared to what the princess endured for years.


    And it was all this man''s fault.


    "You lose now, Crocodile," The rubber boy declared.


    "Gear Second."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Nami was finally beginning to realize that Rosan and Luffy weren''t the exact same levels of chaotic.


    How did she come to that conclusion?


    Well, it was actually because she came to a new one.


    Rosan was absolutely more insane.


    Of course he was more insane. How could she never see that before?


    Luffy was a complete idiot! He had no choice but to be the way he was!


    Rosan on the other hand, was one of the smartest people she knew and still chose to be this chaotic. Controlled chaos could be far more dangerous then uncontrolled and her scout finally opened her eyes to that.


    You might be wondering what caused her to come to this new conclusion.


    Well, it was simple really¡ª


    "It is unwise to lose focus on the enemy, Master Nami," Clima supplied helpfully.


    "I KNOW THAT!" She roared, making Miss Doublefinger furrow her eyes in concern.


    "Are you alright?" The agent asked. It seemed like fighting her had finally caused the girl to lose her mind¡­


    Poor thing.


    "Oh I''m completely fine," Nami waved her off, smiling politely at the woman. She then immediately glared ferociously at the weapon she was holding again.


    Miss Doublefinger sweatdropped.


    In her quest to find out what exactly Rosan had done to her weapon (and realizing how useless Usopp made her weapon in the first place), Nami discovered some things.


    It all started when she first connected all three pieces of the Clima-tact. The moment she did so, Nami let out a short gasp of pain at getting pricked by something from her weapon.


    She ignored it but there was absolutely no way to explain what happened next.


    "Greetings, Master Nami," a male voice suddenly sounded in her mind, making her jump 10 feet into the air with a shriek.


    (This was also the beginning of Miss Doublefinger thinking Nami had mental issues)


    "W-W-What the hell?!" Nami said in confusion. Was that¡­ Oh Kami please don''t tell her that was the weapon who said that.


    "Correct, Master Nami! I don''t understand why Master Rosan insisted you were so stupid, you caught on quite quickly," the staff praised.


    She was going to kill that stupid redhead next time she saw him.


    "I am the Creation of Local Instantaneous Modified Ambiance or Clima for short! I''m an AI created alongside your weapon to help assist you in battle and dissuade you of cowardice," Clima greeted politely.


    Nami felt a headache forming at that.


    So Rosan gave her a weapon with an AI¡­ that could now speak to her¡ª


    "Jump to the left."


    Without any hesitation, she followed the voices command and leapt to the left, avoiding a spiked drop kick from Miss Doublefinger in the process.


    "See! I can be helpful!" The weapon preened. "And you don''t have to speak to me aloud. It would make you appear crazier then you already are!"


    Rosan was so dead.


    "So¡­ are you the surprise addition Rosan didn''t want to tell me about?" Nami asked, keeping an eye on her opponent the entire time.


    Despite her annoyance¡­ Clima did just save her life.


    "I am one of them!" He replied, sounding as if he were smiling.


    Nami''s headache got worse.


    "We can discuss the perks Master Rosan gave me as the battle goes on. Let us focus on defeating this unruly, scandalous, less attractive then my wielder villain!" Clima said.


    Despite sweatdropping at his words, the navigator nodded. Clima (Oh Kami maybe she was going crazy) was right. She had an opponent to beat and despite her annoyance, Rosan never let her down before.


    Sure he may have given her weapon a voice to almost certainly piss her off, but at the end of the day this was still a weapon made by Portgas D. Rosan, her redheaded scout who was one of the most versatile people on the planet.


    It would not disappoint.


    "Now, you wanted to be able to control the weather and the liar created this weapon with that in mind. Master Rosan expanded on that but focused on making the weapon itself useful. Block this incoming attack."


    Nami did just that and marveled as Clima collided perfectly with Miss Doublefinger''s spiked fingers.


    Not only that, the woman actually hissed and recalled it, stepping back and regarding Nami warily.


    "Enhanced reinforcement courtesy of Modification along with some temperature tampering alongside the whole weapon. This turns you into both a formidable close ranged battler and soon, a far ranged one as well."


    Nami couldn''t help but grin at that. Temperature tampering along with enhanced durability? Maybe she wouldn''t kill Rosan after all.


    "Why doesn''t the temperature change affect me?" Nami couldn''t help but ask.


    "Because I am your weapon of course," Clima replied like it was common sense. "But seeing as you won''t accept that reply due to your fiery temper¡­ Right as you pieced me together, I bonded myself to you so now you''re immune to most of what I can do!"


    Modification was pure nonsense. Nami didn''t even think the World Government fully understood what the scope of that fruit did because if they did, they''d be a lot more concerned that someone like Rosan, who despised their organization, had it.


    "Most of what you can do?" She couldn''t help but ask.


    She immediately regret her decision as the Clima-tact drenched her in water.


    Nami threw the weapon onto the floor with a furious scowl. "I HATE THAT STUPID REDHEAD!"


    "Are you sure you''re alright?" Miss Doublefinger asked warily. Was she dealing with split personality right now? One second she was dangerous, the next¡­ this.


    "I''m totally fine!" Nami assured, smiling at the women.


    "Please pick me back up, Master Nami. I''m very sorry for showing you what I''m capable of despite you asking me."


    The navigator grit her teeth but bent over to pick the weapon back up. "Don''t do that again. Next time just tell me."


    "Understood."


    "I feel bad for you¡­ using a weapon that''s clearly malfunctioned¡­ I''ll put you out of your misery soon enough," the agent said, sounding genuinely apologetic as she watched the girl pick her weapon up.


    Nami was about to retort, but the sudden drop of temperature from Clima made her pause in confusion.


    "Malfunctioned? This worthless agent thinks I''ve malfunctioned?" Her new weapon asked incredulously. "Unacceptable. Let us teach her just who created me, Master Nami."


    All hints of playfulness her weapon had vanished and it caused Nami to straighten up.


    It seemed this weapon had Rosan''s ego as well¡­ That was good for her.


    That meant she was going to win this fight.


    "I am able to rapidly change my temperature between hot and cold, and I can store a large amount of water for your use. Using your genius of the weather, I''m sure you can utilize me to my fullest."


    Rapidly change his temperature? Along with some of the functions Usopp added, such as the Heat Ball, Cool Ball and Thunder Ball¡­


    She could make this work.


    Much to Miss Doublefinger''s surprise, Nami charged her to begin a close quarters battle and it caused the woman to narrow her eyes.


    Did this girl really think she could defeat her in close combat because she could heat up her staff?


    The agent quickly morphed her hand into one giant spike and ducked into the charging girl''s guard, ruthlessly stabbing her through the stomach.


    She gained a look of confusion at the lack of blood and watched in shock, as the figure of the girl wavered and vanished.


    "Ah!" Miss Doublefinger gasped in surprise at the feeling of cool water drenching her form.


    That surprise quickly morphed into pain and she was sent tumbling at the positively icy pole that crashed into her wet form. She couldn''t help but writhe at the extreme change in temperature her body just went through.


    From the scalding heat of the desert to the sudden freeze¡­ it felt like her body was about to go into shock!


    Nami gazed at her weapon with a delighted look in her eyes. "You can summon Cool Balls for me without me having to blow it out of the pole!"


    She requested that Clima summon Cool Balls so that they could clash with the heat of the desert and allow her to form mirages. Then, she had him drench Miss Doublefinger in water while reducing his own temperature and she ruthlessly smacked the woman with her staff.


    This¡­ This was incredibly useful!


    "Controlling the Liar''s half is a simple matter for me. I am the entirety of the Clima-tact after all. Now let''s continue our assault."


    Nami nodded and shot out a Thunder Ball at the soaked woman, getting a shriek out of her as it collided with the water and sent spasms throughout her entire body.


    The Thunder Ball was very weak, but combined with the water, the effects were devastating and Miss Doublefinger shakily pulled herself back up, tremors shooting through her body all the while.


    "What is that weapon?" She thought to herself in disbelief. She thought it was some broken toy but it was anything but, inflicting punishment on her that made her think twice about approaching her like this.


    It was difficult to move her body right now but not impossible. She needed to somehow cripple that girl¡­


    Miss Doublefinger made a show of collapsing on the floor again, unable to keep her form straight and she waited with bated breath as Nami slowly let her guard down.


    "Wait! Don''t let your guard down! Strike her!" Clima shouted but it was too late.


    Nami was confused at the panic in Clima''s voice but it was soon revealed, as the agent leapt forward with a spiked hand, ready to impale the navigator.


    It was only the warning her weapon shouted that allowed her to keep her guard up enough to avoid serious injury.


    The navigator leapt back but wasn''t quick enough to dodge the attack in full and Miss Doublefinger pierced the woman''s arm successfully.


    Fighting through her pain, Miss Doublefinger mercilessly grabbed her needle like arm and made sure to stab it right through Nami''s other good arm, rendering it completely useless for this battle.


    "AGHHHH!" Nami screamed at the pain of being impaled and uselessly swung Clima with the arm she could barely swing. Despite the fact that it lacked any sort of power, Miss Doublefinger leapt away from it, wary of the other things it could do.


    The agent shook again as jolts went through her body but stared at Nami with fury, occasionally twitching.


    "Why on Earth did you let your guard down?" Clima asked curiously. Was this what Master Rosan meant when he said they were all slightly naive?


    Nami huffed in pain, one arm hanging uselessly to the side as blood poured down her exposed body. "I thought she was done for¡­ I didn''t want to beat on a dead horse."


    "But this isn''t a horse. These are assassins, murderers, killers. They will kill anyone in their way if it means completing their mission, Master Nami. Now look at you. She used your good will against you and the fight that was overwhelmingly in your favor, is now looking bad for us," Clima chided sternly, trying to teach her despite the dire situation before them.


    The navigator bit back a yelp of pain as she leapt back from the nearly feral Miss Doublefinger. The woman was no longer playing any games with her and her whole body was riddled in spikes that were trying to tear her apart.


    "I-I know, okay! Please channel your inner Rosan after we get out of this situation!" Nami yelped, turning a foot and beelining away from the porcupine while she racked up some plans.


    Her arms were practically useless right now. She couldn''t swing them with any force, much less use any technique she was currently thinking of. Maybe she could throw up a mirage but her other moves were out of the question.


    "Stand. Still!" Miss Doublefinger grit out, repeatedly stabbing out and missing as the thief continuously dodged her attacks with constant yelps.


    Her arms were a useless bloody mess right now so how was she able to ignore that and keep running?!


    She was at her wits end with this orange haired idiot.


    "We are in quite the predicament¡­" Clima hummed. "Very well, there is still one surprise that I have not revealed yet that you should be able to do even despite the state of your arms¡­ Consider it a gift from Master Rosan himself and proof that he does in fact like you."


    Nami couldn''t hold in her curiosity at that. What else could Rosan have given her that was worth keeping as a surprise?


    Well, hopefully it would save her.


    Nami ran as fast as possible, turning corners, running through buildings throwing Cool and Heat Balls in any direction due to not being able to aim them properly but Miss Doublefinger was never too far.


    The only reason she hadn''t gotten caught yet was because the agent was still suffering from the aftereffects of getting shocked while soaked. She would periodically freeze up and twitch, which allowed Nami to make great headway but never for long.


    The agent clearly had enough of this game of cat and mouse because with a snarl, she stabbed herself right on the legs.


    "Toge Toge Doping!"


    Nami looked back for just a moment to see the sight of Miss Doublefinger''s legs becoming incredibly muscular and she paled as the woman crouched lowly.


    The ground cracked beneath her as the human pincushion soared through the air, intent on impaling every crevice of Nami''s body with her own using brutal momentum.


    She grinned in satisfaction at the wide eyed look of helplessness from Nami and braced herself for impact¡ª


    Only to let out a noise of confusion as she flew right through it.


    "Oh no, the mirage again," Miss Doublefinger thought, bracing herself to be shocked once more.


    It would hurt but she''d be able to survive and continue the fight¡ª


    "WILDFIRE!" Nami roared, appearing a safe distance away and aiming Clima at the shocked woman.


    Miss Doublefinger paled at the sight of an absolute massive amount of red flames flying towards her, burning even the stone around it.


    I-If that hit her¡ª


    "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH" The woman shrieked as they slammed into her, shoving her out of the room and burning her ruthlessly.


    Nami watched in slight awe and horror at the damage she managed to do, staring at Clima with a fascinated gaze.


    "Wildfire fits your weather motif. Of course a wildfire doesn''t hold a candle to Ragnarok''s flames but I quite like the name," Clima praised, pleased with the results.


    Unfortunately (or fortunately for Master Rosan) Nami''s injury and their close vicinity meant he wouldn''t dare use the full force of Ragnarok''s flame which meant that agent was likely still alive.


    Ah well. Those burns would remind her just who was malfunctioned.


    Nami continued to stare at her weapon in awe.


    Rosan implemented his own flames into her Clima-tact. Those destructive flames that burned anything in their path¡­ and she could now use them!


    "I can hold quite a lot but it is finite. Be sure to check with Master Rosan occasionally so that he may refill it back up for you," Clima advised smugly.


    Nami nodded hesitantly.


    Such dangerous flames shouldn''t be used so carelessly. Even without using it''s full effects, Miss Doublefinger suffered severe burns to her body and was lying unconscious on the floor, smoke wafting off of her unmoving form.


    She could kill someone with these flames if she wasn''t careful¡­ This was the power Rosan so easily threw around?


    Maybe she''d have to ask him for some more tips. He seemed just as interested in the elements as her.


    She wondered if he was trying to gain control of them as well. If he was, there was no way she was getting left out of that.


    "I like the way you think! Continuing to receive help on me from Master Rosan will only serve to make you stronger!"


    Stronger¡­ Yes, she''d be able to fight for herself! With Clima (who she could begrudgingly admit was incredibly useful) at her side, she''d be able to compete in the big leagues with her much stronger crew mates.


    She managed to defeat one of the strongest members of Baroque Works!


    By herself!


    Nami looked at the body of Miss Doublefinger and felt a well of sympathy at her state, that was ruthlessly stamped down by the knowledge of how much Vivi had been suffering.


    "I need to get patched up¡­ I don''t suppose you have anything that could heal me?" She asked, trudging away from the battleground.


    "Of course not! Perhaps this knowledge will help you approach battles with a level of ruthlessness I expect from you! The best medicine is making sure your enemies are dead so they can''t hurt you after all!" Clima responded cheerfully.


    Nami felt her headache deepen at that very Rosan statement. She now had her very own nuisance.


    Just great.


    Things were never simple when it came to her and the scout of their crew so she wasn''t even surprised her brother figure decided to give her weapon a personality that would immensely annoy her.


    She needed to make sure to get her revenge on him after this¡­ right after thanking him for giving her such a useful weapon¡ª


    Nami stumbled and yelped in surprise, as the area she was in was suddenly consumed by a powerful sandstorm. She swiftly dove for cover and watched in terror as it nearly broke a building in half.


    W-Was this Crocodile? What was he doing right now? D-Didn''t he want to take over Alabasta? Why was he trying to destroy an entire city?!


    "Staying here will be dangerous. You need to find better cover," Clima urged.


    Nami nodded and reached for her cloak, putting it back on and placing the hoodie over her head.


    She watched in fascination as Clima formed a sort of shield of water for her so as to protect her from the vicious sands and looked at the weapon again with delighted eyes.


    "Perks of being created by a Computer Man, I have slight Modification as well!"


    She really needed to make up her mind on whether she was going to kill Rosan or not because he kept changing it on the fly.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    As Zoro clashed with Mr. 1. He recalled a conversation he had with Rosan once while they were training.


    "Forget Mihawk, you aren''t even a better swordsman then me. Your three sword style is nothing to scoff at but your one sword and two sword are severely lacking," the redhead said harshly, glancing down at the panting swordsman.


    Zoro hated to admit it, but he was right. The redhead absolutely thrashed him in a sword fight just now.


    It made him wonder why the redhead refused to call himself a swordsman.


    "I do not have the drive that swordsman have that makes them hone their craft," Rosan replied calmly, transforming Ram into a beautiful silver and black katana. "I refuse to limit myself to only one weapon. The sword is simply one of the weapons I happen to use and I happen to be proficient with every weapon. That is why it''s unacceptable that I''m better at using it then you are."


    He hoisted the swordsman up with a contemplative expression. Robin watched the two curiously, resting after her training with Rosan and calmly sipping a cup of water.


    "How can he improve?" She asked the redhead, getting up to perform some stretches.


    "Fighting strong opponents," Rosan replied and Zoro nodded along with him. "He already trains like a workhorse. Fighting me constantly should also help you improve by miles like it did with Luffy."


    "That reminds me, Zoro''s opponent is Mr. 1 and he''s a man made out of steel. Do you know how to cut steel?" Robin spoke up once more.


    Rosan nodded but Zoro shook his head no.


    "How do you cut steel?" The swordsman asked the redhead in shock.


    Rosan opened his mouth, before closing it. "I''m not sure? I just cut it. I''ve been able to cut it since I was 13 but I never really put thought into accomplishing it. I just could."


    "Monster," Robin said offhandedly. She was fairly sure Rosan just used brute strength to do it. The man was just bludgeoning the material and abusing the fact that Ram was practically unbreakable.


    Zoro groaned. That didn''t help him at all. Rosan was basically just admitting to being a freak of nature. He wanted to be able to cut through steel like it were a person and their scout was not doing it like that.


    "My teacher once told me that there are swordsman in the world who are able to not cut anything and that these same swordsman have the ability to cut steel," the green haired man suddenly said, recalling that conversation from when he were a kid.


    Rosan hummed. The ability to cut without cutting? Perhaps that was not only exclusive to swordsman¡­ he''d like to learn something like that.


    "This is a perfect challenge for you then," Rosan said calmly, readying himself up for another round. "Your opponent will be Mr. 1. Your challenge will be to cut his steel body. Your goal is to win. Doing this will bring you one step closer to being better then me and being closer to Mihawk."


    "And if I fail?" Zoro asked, turning his screaming body towards the redhead.


    "You won''t," Rosan replied calmly. "If you ever find yourself in a losing position think to yourself, "Would Rosan lose to this?" until you are a better swordsman then me. Until you are better then me, you are not allowed to lose. And then, when you''re better then me, I won''t accept you losing unless it''s to me."


    The swordsman grinned viciously, placing Wado Ichimonji in his mouth and dashing forward, poised to clash with the steady redhead.


    "Sounds good to me!"


    Zoro''s swords collided with Mr. 1''s arm until he disengaged and leapt back.


    "I need to be able to cut steel to beat him but how do I do that?" He contemplated, staring at the unscathed man with a glare.


    It was not his time to lose here. Rosan would trash this agent and if he were able to cut steel, he''d be able to do so too.


    But he just didn''t know how.


    A sword that doesn''t cut anything¡­


    Well, there was no point pondering about it now. He wouldn''t get anywhere just thinking about it.


    It was time to do.


    Zoro dashed forward again, swords set in a bull pose.


    "Bull Needles!"


    His attack connected solidly to the agent¡­ to little effect. Mr. 1 stared neutrally at him and began his own assault.


    The two continuously clashed with sword and arm respectively.


    Zoro swung with his left and collided with Mr. 1''s right, then he attempted to do the same with his right, colliding with the man''s left instead.


    They began to exchange a flurry of strikes, colliding over and over again but despite that, Zoro was making no headway on the man.


    "Is that all, Roronoa Zoro?" Mr. 1 asked calmly, forcing the man back with a chop that shattered the ground beneath him.


    Zoro said nothing, crouching lowly and dashing directly into the man.


    "Oni Giri!" He roared, ending up behind him and sending the dice man tumbling backwards.


    Not allowing the man to catch his breath, Zoro jumped and stopped right over Mr. 1, grabbing his swords and driving them right into his gut and causing him to crash into the ground.


    "Tiger Trap!"


    He stared at the debris falling and as the smoke settled, Zoro scowled in annoyance.


    "Didn''t I tell you that I''ve never been harmed by a swordsman since eating this fruit?" A completely unharmed Mr. 1 asked, leaping towards the green haired swordsman with deadly intent.


    Zoro hastily blocked the bladed drop kick flying his way and grunted at the force behind it, reminding himself that the man''s entire body was a weapon and being prepared for the possibility of fighting every single part of him.


    Luckily his training partner was Rosan¡­ that man was also a living weapon in battle.


    Mr. 1 spun and delivered a heel kick with his other leg, sending Zoro skidding after he was forced to block that one again, and dashed forward with his hands connected wrist to wrist.


    "Sparkling Daisy," he intoned, crashing into Zoro.


    The force of the blow was so powerful that the wall behind him was sliced as well.


    "Fall," Mr. 1 said, sending his opponent flying into the cut building.


    He watched with a cool gaze as the structure collapsed directly on top of him only to raise a brow at watching the swordsman cut right through the stone.


    Zoro huffed slightly, avoiding the falling debris with a focused glare.


    He was getting nowhere like this but that didn''t matter. He''d win this battle because that was his duty. It wasn''t a matter of losing after a hard fought battle. It was a matter of fighting until he won.


    Mr. 1''s eyes widened a bit at the rapid increase in Zoro''s speed and found that it was getting a bit difficult to keep up with him.


    That mattered little though because the swordsman still couldn''t scratch him.


    His forearms turned into drills with the speed he was spinning them at and he began swinging at Zoro ferociously.


    Despite that though, Mr. 1 couldn''t stop the bead of sweat at watching the swordsman completely keep pace with him and even deflect his powerful drills with little effort.


    Zoro said absolutely nothing, focused on one thing and one thing only. He swung his blades over and over again, causing sparks to fly over and over again between the two.


    He struggled against the increased power of the drills on Mr. 1''s forearms but he refused to let that deter him and pressed on.


    Mr. 1 bit back of grunt of annoyance. He could not cut him but with that perseverance¡­


    He shouldn''t risk it.


    Zoro noticed too late that Mr. 1 applied the drill to his legs as well. Only his training with the flexible Rosan made him notice it quick enough but it mattered little.


    He tried to block the upswing of Mr. 1''s leg but the moment he diverted his attention to his lower half, the man struck with one of his drilled forearms and drew a spurt of blood from Zoro''s shredded chest.


    Zoro''s eyes rolled to the back of his skull as he doubled over from the follow-up punch from Mr. 1 to his gut.


    Then, the agent reeled his drilled leg back and smashed it against Zoro''s ribs, sending him flying into a tall spiral building.


    Zoro let out a bloody rasp as his body went slightly limp before he regained coherence.


    "You''re still alive?" Mr. 1 asked, staring at the bloody mess that was Zoro.


    The swordsman began pushing himself up but collapsed and the agent almost sighed aloud.


    Without any hesitation, the agent crossed his bladed arms and swung horizontally, cutting through Zoro and the building behind him as if they were made of butter.


    "Spar Break," Mr. 1 said coldly, a tone of finality in his voice.


    He stood up and glanced away from the building collapsing on the green haired swordsman.


    How effortless. Roronoa Zoro was formidable but as he said many times, he wouldn''t lose to any swordsman.


    The agent suddenly grunted in surprise at the sudden surge of a sandstorm and began sweating a bit nervously at the power behind the sandy winds.


    Was Mr. 0 displeased with them all? What was the meaning of this? This sandstorm was not apart of the pla¡ª


    Mr. 1 froze at the feeling of movement behind him and he stared in disbelief at the figure of Roronoa Zoro staring at him.


    Zoro looked like a dead man walking. Blood was pouring from every crevice of his body, his green hair was soaked red, and his clothes was almost completely shredded. One small gust looked like it would send him into the grave.


    But despite that, he had a serene air around him.


    "W-What?! How are you still able to move?! How did you dodge the building?! I cut you to ribbons!" Mr. 1 said in disbelief.


    Dodge? No, he didn''t dodge.


    He knew.


    He knew where they wouldn''t land. He knew where his swords were. He knew that this battle was over.


    What was this feeling? What was this sensation?


    The power to not cut anything¡­ was that related to this sensation? The sensation of hearing?


    Could he cut through the steel he could hear breathing right now?


    He could. His goal was far above cutting steel.


    His goal was to be the best after all.


    "Would Rosan lose to this? No. He wouldn''t," Zoro thought, his resolve setting in as he gripped his lone sword.


    Mr. 1 stared at the living corpse with wild eyes.


    He shouldn''t be alive right now. He was cut up in all places. He was a corpse for all intents and purposes!


    How was this even possible?!


    "It doesn''t matter. I''ll finish you off here!" The agent snarled as he lost his composure and dashed forward on steel skates to deliver his final attack.


    Zoro stared at him calmly and placed his sheathed sword upright, watching the man approach with a cool gaze.


    "Atomic Bracer!"


    The ability to cut steel¡­


    "One Sword Style: Lion Strike."


    Quicker then Mr. 1 could blink, Zoro unsheathed his sword, dashed through him, and sheathed his blade again.


    ...He''d have to remember this feeling for the future. Perhaps Rosan would be able to help him.


    Mr. 1''s eyes rolled to the back of his skull as a river of blood began pouring from the cut on his chest and his mouth.


    To improve so much¡­


    "Are you... going to cut through¡­ a diamond next?" The agent couldn''t help but ask, respect for his opponent mounting at the fact that he achieved what he set out to do.


    "That would just be a waste," Zoro muttered.


    Mr. 1 huffed repeatedly, blood pouring from his mouth as a wry smile made its way on his face.


    "Hah, you got me."


    With that, he fainted to the floor with a resounding thud.


    Zoro glanced back at the defeated man, unmindful of the withering winds and began the process of finding his swords before collapsing on his knees and clutching one of his many wounds.


    How shameful, he should not have taken so much damage in this fight. But, he learned something from it and he was even stronger now.


    With this fight, he was getting closer and closer to the monsters known as Portgas D. Rosan and Monkey D. Luf¡ª


    A figure, one that looked disturbingly like Crocodile, sailed past the near dead swordsman for a split second before crashing through building after building and continuing on its path.


    Another one soon showed up, clearly in pursuit of the first one and Zoro regarded them in shock.


    "Oh, Zoro!" Luffy grinned, bloodied and steaming red. "You need to get some sleep! I''ll handle the rest!"


    Not waiting for a response, Monkey D. Luffy vanished from his sight with speeds he couldn''t even track.


    The swordsman of the crew collapsed at that, not quite believing his eyes.


    Did those two still have more in their arsenal?!


    Seems he still had a long way to go¡­


    Rosan and Luffy''s full power¡­ Zoro couldn''t hold back the eager shudder at finding out the limits of their strength.

 Too Much Sand IV

    Crocodile was confused.


    Why? Well, it was simple really.


    Since hearing the words "Gear Second" uttered from Straw Hats mouth, he had been reduced to a living punching bag.


    In his arrogance, he didn''t realize just how much stronger this technique made Straw Hat, content to insult him for steaming up.


    That was a mistake.


    "Gomu Gomu no Jet Pistol," Luffy uttered, holding out a palm as if taking aim and throwing out his other fist.


    Before he could hurl out another insult, spit flew out Crocodile''s mouth, due to the fist impacting with his gut at speeds he wasn''t able to react to.


    He was launched back a few feet and held his stomach in disbelief gazing up at the one who did it¡ª


    There was no one ther¡ª


    "Gomu Gomu no Jet Bullet."


    Another fist impacted with his face and sent him soaring through the air but not before a rubbery appendage snaked around his leg, gripped him and began slamming him up and down at speeds he couldn''t keep up with, blood spurting out of his mouth at the continuous impact.


    "What the hell is this?" Crocodile grunted, back whining in agony from the excessive slams that seemed too fast.


    This speed, this power¡­ Who was Straw Hat Luff¡ª


    "Gomu Gomu no Jet Rifle."


    His eyes flickered as his gut caved in from the punch and he hastily formed a sandstorm to hide his body, desperately trying to catch his breath from the overwhelming onslaught threatening to knock him unconscious.


    This wasn''t what he was expecting. He wasn''t able to keep up with him at all right now, just getting constantly bombarded by the rubber boy and his strange new ability.


    The rubber boy was so much faster then him now, it was baffling. Crocodile had been toying with him before and now he couldn''t even track him...


    This was bad. He needed to think of something and quick.


    "Ground Death," He groused, draining the floor of all moisture and drying it up completely.


    But that''s not all.


    Luffy watched the entire floor crumble up and realized he''d probably be joining it next so without any hesitation, he began rapidly kicking his legs until he began to fly.


    It was a good thing Rosan made Garp show him techniques he could add to his arsenal! It served him really well learning Soru and Geppo!


    Now¡­ he needed to get Crocodile out of the desert because he was pretty strong in here!


    Crocodile couldn''t believe his eyes at seeing the rubber nuisance actually fly.


    Was he capable of flying just like the redhead too?! Just who the fuck were these pirates?!


    He only had a moment to brace himself before Luffy rocketed towards him at speeds he couldn''t react to.


    "Gomu Gomu no Jet Bazooka!" The captain of the straw hats roared, planting both his hands into Crocodile''s gut.


    Pain bloomed into something overwhelming almost immediately.


    Crocodile''s body contorted awkwardly, as he went soaring from the sheer force of the blow and the Warlord was nearly knocked fully unconscious, only managing to wake up when he went through the first building of many.


    He lost count of how much material he flew through but by the time he was done, he realized he was in a sandstorm free Alubarna.


    The Warlord had never felt so humiliated, at realizing that he lost control of the technique while getting sent flying by Straw Hat.


    Crocodile crashed onto the floor and began tumbling repeatedly until his body crashed into yet another building, this time not breaking it and resting back first (his back was a bruised mess) against it.


    He vomited up blood and came to the conclusion he had internal damage currently.


    It was a miracle he was even still awake. He hadn''t taken damage in a long time and only the training he did in the past few days kept him conscious.


    As Straw Hat appeared in his vicinity, Crocodile blearily looked up at him and began sweating in disbelief.


    Was he¡­ Was he going to lose here? To this greenhorn? All of his careful planning¡­ His goal to amass an army¡­ His plan to find the Poneglyph... his goal to find and utilize Pluton to force the world into submission...


    All of that was about to go up in smokes by this deceptively monstrous rubber boy?


    That just couldn''t be.


    Luffy glared stonily at him, skin steaming hot from Gear 2 and aimed an open palm at him, ready to take out the defeated man with one more attack.


    "Gomu Gomu no Jet Pistol."


    Crocodile braced himself but knew there was no way he could take this attack and began cursing Straw Hat, the redhead, and Nico Robin.


    He felt himself snap at the actions of the three.


    Damn them. Damn them. Damn them!


    They ruined everything! He had accounted for so much, he had gathered useful pawns, he even had someone to read the Poneglyph and NONE OF IT MATTERED BECAUSE OF THIS CREW!


    DAMN THEM!


    He didn''t even see the attack fly out but he already knew how fast it was¡­ The Warlord snarled in rage at the look of finality in Luffy''s eyes and vowed to get his revenge on Straw Hat in any way he knew how...


    ...


    Something wasn''t right.


    Why was he still awake?


    Crocodile watched his sandy stomach turn back into its original state and grinned violently despite the excruciating pain he was in.


    He was dry.


    Luffy''s eyes went wide as the Warlord instantly vanished from his sight in a gust of sand and a bloody laugh.


    "WAIT! COME BACK HERE!" He roared looking left and right wildly.


    Where did he go?!


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    A bloodied Pell panted over the bodies of the defeated Baroque Work agents that were guarding the bomb that would blow up all of Alubarna if allowed to set off.


    He looked at how much time was left and let out a sigh of relief, holding his ribs in pain.


    6 minutes. That was more then enough time to fly it somewhere that wouldn''t result in the casualties of millions.


    The agents had done quite a number on him, shooting him repeatedly while he flew to the clock tower and combined with that freak sandstorm that showed up battering him every step of the way, he was quite beat up but he was still capable of moving the bomb far enough.


    Not wasting any time, he transformed into his hawk form and grabbed onto the bomb with his talons, flying off into an isolated area in the desert.


    As long as he got far enough from Alubarna he could just leave it there and everyone would be saved from its effects.


    The hawk man flew off with the bomb in tow, flying as fast as his injured body could take him and soon, he was out of Alubarna.


    As he flew, Pell allowed himself the time to think.


    Right about now, Princess Vivi should be in the process of stopping the rebellion. Crocodile was being preoccupied by one of her allies and the missing King Cobra should have now been accounted for.


    There was just actually defeating the Warlord, fully stopping and explaining the rebellion and dealing with this bomb¡ª


    Pell froze as the bomb began suddenly beeping.


    What?


    He had only been flying for about a minute? The royal guard had just flown out of Alubarna when the bomb began beeping.


    There was still supposed to be five minutes left and not only that, it hadn''t even been lit up!


    What was happening?


    Why was it about to explode¡ª


    A deafening explosion went off.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "So Crocodile is the one who orchestrated all of this and not the King?" Koza asked in disbelief.


    Their guardian of Alabasta¡­ was the one behind all of this?


    They had all been tricked?


    But... King Cobra had... and he... when they...


    What...?


    "Yes. For years now, Crocodile has been sabotaging our entire kingdom and pinning the blame on the royal family," Vivi explained patiently, glad that Koza was capable of listening to reason.


    An injured Cobra nodded along, glad that they were able to talk this out. After the arrival of the sandstorm he thought all hope was lost and Alabasta was doomed to collapse.


    Vivi had already tried to announce her presence and get them to stop fighting but the sandstorm stopped her voice from reaching them and she was forced to take cover, lest it deal real damage to her.


    The rebels and guards were caught off guard by the strength of the sandy weather but they ignored it and continued to fight, heedless of the fact that their injury tolls were rising from Crocodile''s attack.


    Koza, using that monstrous sandstorm, snuck onto the top of the kingdom to understand just why the king was doing all of this, but the shock of seeing Vivi had stopped him from doing something reckless.


    She then took the chance to explain everything to him and to say he was shocked, would be a vast understatement.


    In the midst of explaining to him that Crocodile was the one who was doing all of this, the sandstorm abruptly stopped and further proved her point.


    Vivi glanced in awe as the weather turned back to normal like it was never there in the first place.


    It was impossible for Koza to prevent the stab of guilt from piercing him through his heart as the princess explained everything to him.


    All this time¡­ All this fucking time he had been getting strung along, playing right into the palms of that¡­ of that bastard!


    The king didn''t forsake his people¡­ Koza did by doubting him and bringing it to this point.


    All because of Crocodile.


    "Where is he? Where''s Crocodile? He needs to pay!" Koza snarled, unable to believe he had been tricked so thoroughly.


    He would pay for this. Crocodile would be dealt justice for trying to bring ruin to their countr¡ª


    "Who needs to pay, boy?"


    Everyone froze at that voice and Koza hesitantly looked down at the poisoned hook piercing his chest and slowly lifting him.


    Crocodile sneered down at the idiot pawn and ruthlessly removed his hook from the man, discarding him to the side and not paying any more attention to his fallen body.


    Koza did not move.


    "K-KOZA!" Vivi screamed in shock, unable to believe her eyes.


    This couldn''t be real¡­ In just a matter of seconds he was¡­ No, please no.


    Crocodile stared at them all with a crazed look in his eyes, looking like he had been through a war.


    His normally neat appearance was gone, clothes torn in multiple places and blood pouring from different spots of his battered body.


    "Your use ran out long ago, rebel boy," the Warlord intoned, staring Vivi down. "You''ve brought along quite the pesky crew, Princess. I don''t know where you found them but they''ve managed to unravel my plans by quite a bit."


    Straw Hat Luffy and Rosan¡­ those two ruined everything for him. A greenhorn rookie worth 35 million and his scout who didn''t even have a bounty.


    They were both monsters in their own right and Crocodile begrudgingly acknowledged that they could very well defeat him today.


    But he wouldn''t make it easy for them.


    No, he''d make them suffer every step of the way until he won.


    "It seems like you were tipped off about my bomb too," he remarked calmly, disturbingly calm despite the situation he was in. If Straw Hat showed up... even if he were dry again, he''d be in trouble.


    "I assume that hawkman¡­ Pell was it? Has it," Crocodile commented, utterly unbothered by the tears streaming down Vivi''s face. "I wonder if he knows the timer on it is wrong."


    Everyone''s gaze snapped up to him at that.


    "W-What do you mean?!" Cobra asked in hesitation. If the bomb''s timer was wrong then that meant¡­


    "Pell¡­" Chaka said, rage forming on his features. "WHAT DID YOU DO, CROCODILE?!"


    The Warlord sneered, sand seeping off of his body. "I don''t trust a soul on the planet but myself. After some thinking and more then enough failure, I decided to speed up the detonation of the bomb by 5 minutes on the off chance that it never gets set off."


    This was exactly why he never expected anything out of his allies. They couldn''t even light up a hidden bomb.


    Oh well, that 15 minute timer was actually on a 10 minute one but the timer hadn''t been updated.


    If that Pell took too long to retrieve and get rid of it, he''d likely be caught off guard by the explosion and die.


    Vivi fell on her knees at that, eyes white with shock as the tears continued to fall.


    Pell¡­ too? No. No. N-Not Pell...


    "CROCODILE!" Chaka roared, transforming into his Jackal form and charging the sandman with a single minded fury.


    "CHAKA NO!" Cobra cried out. He wouldn''t be able to defeat him even with the injuries sustained!


    The jackal hit nothing, phasing through the man who absentmindedly grabbed him and drained him of all his moisture before tossing him aside like yesterday''s trash.


    The mummified form of Chaka fell on the floor without a noise, defeated in an instant.


    It didn''t matter how injured Crocodile was. All of these people were weak. They were so weak that they should have never been able to challenge his takeover of Alabasta.


    Princess Vivi got lucky managing to find an upstart pirate crew full of freaks but they weren''t here to save her right now.


    He brandished his hook and began walking towards the frozen princess.


    "No more games. I''ve had enough of today so I''m going to kill you now and bury this country in the desert, retreat and regroup with the few useful agents I have, then make every single Straw Hat pay," Crocodile grunted, raising his hook up high.


    Vivi let out a choked sob, staring into the eyes of her bloodied tormentor.


    She hated him. She hated Crocodile. She hated him. Hated him. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate.


    Crocodile swung down his scythe and blood soared through the air, as his attack struck true.


    "!" Vivi let out a teary gasp.


    Crocodile''s face morphed into one of shock.


    "But how?! How did you find me so quickly?!"


    Monkey D. Luffy glared at Crocodile with barely suppressed fury. "Because I heard Vivi''s cries loud and clear."


    "L-Luffy!" She sobbed heavily, both in relief and horror.


    Luffy turned back towards her and grinned reassuringly. "It''s okay Vivi, I''ll finish this!"


    Vivi didn''t stop crying though. How could she?


    After all, there was a massive wound across Luffy''s chest, courtesy of the hook that Crocodile threw out to kill her.


    Crocodile''s shock soon turned into a dark satisfaction as he took in the wound.


    Oh this was good.


    "It''s only a matter of time until you die now, Straw Hat. Not only are you poisoned¡­ but that technique of yours speeds up your blood flow doesn''t it?" He asked knowingly.


    The poison was going to course through his body even faster now if he kept it up. Crocodile just needed to outlast him and with his intangibility back, it would be simple.


    Already, Luffy was breathing harder and harder, audibly panting now.


    Crocodile''s grin widened and he began laughing maniacally. Straw Hat would die here before the redhead could interfere. Then, he''d bury this place in sand and be done with this filthy country¡ª


    "You just don''t get it," Luffy said lowly. "As long as Vivi keeps fighting to save her kingdom¡­ THEN SO WILL WE BECAUSE SHE''S MY FRIEND!"


    Cobra''s eyes widened at that and he looked at the rubber boy in shock.


    Who was he? This was the person Vivi chose to put her trust in?


    Vivi covered her mouth at his conviction. If possible, even more tears began falling and combined with all the events of today, she finally let it all out.


    "WAHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Vivi cried freely, throwing her head back and screaming to the heavens. "L-LUFFY, PLEASE SAVE US! P-PLEASE SAVE ALABASTA! PLEASE STOP CROCODILE!"


    Luffy, who had fallen on one knee, shakily pushed himself back up and wiped the blood from his mouth.


    "Of course I will. I won''t lose to a creep like this," was all he said.


    Crocodile felt a vein form. "WHAT CAN YOU DO? YOU''RE PRACTICALLY DEAD STRAW HAT! YOU CAN''T TOUCH ME LIKE THIS!"


    He was a dead man walking! The poison was working even faster then he expected and combined with his extensive injuries and that no doubt draining technique, he should be unconscious.


    He was just full of bullshit! Crocodile wasn''t going to lose to this dead greenhorn!


    HE WASN''T GOING TO LOSE HERE UNTIL THEY ALL PAID IN BLOOD.


    "Sables: Pesado!" Crocodile roared, launching the dense swirling sand at the stubborn NUISANCE.


    "FALL WITH THIS KINGDOM, STRAW HAT!" The warlord announced victoriously, watching the ensuing shock wave that took out the entire section of floor it connected to and then some.


    That was it. There was no way he could have dodged that. Straw Hat was finished¡ª


    A bloodied hand gripped his shirt.


    Crocodile froze in disbelief, realizing the rubber boy was using his blood to grasp him.


    He looked at the Luffy who was red now not only because of his Gear Second, but because of the sheer amount of blood that was currently on him.


    "I''m going to become the King of the Pirates," Luffy declared simply, powering through the agony he was currently in.


    With that, he heaved Crocodile dozens of feet into the air.


    Crocodile couldn''t believe it. Who was this? What was this boy? How could he continue to fight? What drove him?!


    WHY DID HE PISS HIM OFF SO MUCH?!


    "YOU KING OF THE PIRATES? DON''T MAKE SUCH AN IMPOSSIBLE CLAIM!" The warlord roared, unable to comprehend the anomaly that was Monkey D. Luffy.


    "MEN WITH MORE STRENGTH THEN YOU COULD IMAGINE CAN''T EVEN ACHIEVE THAT TITLE!"


    Crocodile would know. He was one of them at one point.


    "THE MORE YOU KNOW ABOUT THE SEA, THE MORE IMPOSSIBLE SUCH DREAMS WILL SEEM AND I''LL BE THE FIRST TO SHOW YOU."


    Forming several bladed fans of sand, Crocodile prepared for this to be his final attack and got ready to launch it towards Straw Hat, Vivi and Cobra.


    "Desert La Spada¡ª"


    He never got the chance.


    The steaming Luffy appeared right next to him with a look of finality in his gaze, bloody fist cocked back.


    "Gomu Gomu no Missile Strike."


    Crocodile''s eyes rolled to the back of his skull as Luffy delivered a rubbery punch that carried him through the sky, only to appear behind him and deliver another, sending him in another direction, only to appear yet again in his flight direction to deliver another.


    Utilizing his Devil Fruit and speed, Luffy sent Crocodile in every single direction and followed after.


    Soon, Crocodile was turned into a human pinball and all Vivi could see was a shockwave and the occasional rubbery fist flying through the air.


    There was nothing the Warlord could do about it but accept the punishment and he felt bones breaking from the impact.


    Over and over again, Luffy delivered blow after blow on him untrackable with the human eye as he seemingly teleported from one end to the other, battering Crocodile all the while with punch after punch.


    Cobra watched it all with wonder in his eyes, not knowing how someone such as Monkey D. Luffy could exist. He was¡­ He was doing it!


    He was defeating Crocodile!


    Vivi, even despite the fact that she was crying so heavily, watched Luffy do what he promised her he would do.


    He was¡­ He was incredible.


    Luffy¡­ he really was the man who was going to become the Pirate King. Vivi had no doubt about it.


    Because of him, she was allowed to cry freely. Because she could trust him. Trust that he would make things better.


    Finally, mercifully, Luffy stopped his unstoppable onslaught and appeared above the prone Crocodile.


    Kicking his leg far into the sky, Luffy stretched and stretched and stretched and stretched until they couldn''t see the end of his foot anymore.


    Without any hesitation, he swung that extended foot down and crashed the sole of his sandal right into Crocodile''s gut.


    The effects were immediate.


    The Warlord of the Sea, Sir Crocodile, was sent plummeting towards the ground with unforgiving force like he were a meteor.


    As he fell, knocked unconscious from Luffy''s relentless assault, the rebel and royal army were stunned still as rain droplets began to hit their bodies.


    "What¡­?"


    "Rain?!"


    "It''s raining?!"


    They were further shocked as a figure plummeted directly in between both parties.


    Crocodile lay there on the ground, utterly defeated. The Warlord was bloodied and battered, with no sign of waking up anytime soon.


    "What happened to Sir Crocodile?!"


    Then they heard it.


    Crying.


    "WAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Vivi let her cries be heard throughout the whole kingdom. "PLEASE! STOP FIGHTING! THE NIGHTMARE HAS FINALLY ENDED!"


    The princess was crying?! Princess Vivi was crying?! Why?!


    Was it¡­ Was it because of them?!


    What¡­ What were they even doing...?


    One by one, the royal guard and the rebels began dropping their weapons, losing the will to fight due to the sight of their beloved princess crying so freely.


    Luffy''s eyes fluttered as he allowed his, no longer steaming, body to fall and he landed right next to King Cobra.


    Cobra looked at the one who saved their kingdom and bowed his head low. "You have my thanks, Luffy."


    The bloodied boy grinned widely. "It was nothing."


    The birds watching chirped in satisfaction, pleased with the job done.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Before Luffy Activated Gear Second


    Robin awoke to protective and warm presence near her and a soft hand holding her own.


    Opening her eyes slightly, she let out a slight gasp at the sensation of being immediately engulfed by strong and safe arms, relaxing almost instantly in their grasp when she smelt the familiar scent of roses.


    Fully awake now, she saw a shock of red hair and her gaze softened as the memories came rushing back.


    No doubt, her idiot partner was blaming himself from her error. She hadn''t been expecting Crocodile to so ruthlessly take her out the battle with the looming knowledge that she could translate the Poneglyph for him and had let her guard down slightly as a result.


    But he did and now Rosan was absolutely blaming himself.


    "Rosan¡­" Robin began gently, stroking his hair gently.


    "I''m sorry," Rosan said, voice muffled due to burying himself in her hair. "I¡­ I told myself that I''d keep you safe at all costs but you got hurt in our first fight together."


    No matter how he was, or what he tried to cover, Rosan would never be able to hide that self critical nature of his from Robin.


    Narrowing her eyes, she gently grabbed his cheeks and forced him to look at her.


    The look in his heterochromatic eyes¡­ she didn''t like it one bit.


    "I know what I signed up for staying behind with you, Rosan. I knew of the dangers of fighting Crocodile and I prepared myself for an outcome like this. Don''t you dare get upset with yourself because I messed up," she scolded, frowning warningly at him.


    None of what happened in that fight was Rosan''s fault. The fact that he took the blame was utterly insane!


    She knew he was self critical but this was too much. If something bad even happened to his loved ones, he would automatically think about what he could have done better.


    The woman sighed and tested her body a bit.


    Her body felt sore but that was it. She guessed that she had been treated by Demon because this looked like Maro''s castle.


    Rosan still frowned deeply. "I almost let anger rule me again, Robin. When I saw you get hurt¡­ I nearly forewent getting you medical attention immediately so that I could kill Crocodile. If not for Mod-chan, you could have been in even worse condition."


    Robin sighed at her idiot, smiling fondly. "You got that angry on my behalf? That''s a fantastic first step Rosan. Remember, we''re taking this slowly and you haven''t had your emotions for years. Of course it will be difficult to gain control of them when they surprise you like that."


    She pulled the redhead onto the bed and hugged him close, not minding her severe lack of clothing. "It''s alright, Rosan. Please stop criticizing yourself when you did nothing wrong. We can''t make any progress when you''re like this."


    "She''s right Rosan. Remember what she said all those years ago when you had that nightmare? You can''t just go hating yourself because of what you think, when all facts point to something else," Mod joined quietly, stroking the sleeping Ram''s hair gently.


    "We''ll solve our issues together, okay? No more deciding things on your own¡­ okay?" Robin demanded reassuringly.


    Rosan''s self critical nature was only enhanced by the fact that he had no emotions so having him decide everything on his own was a recipe for disaster.


    Rosan said nothing for a long moment, before the tension bled out of his body and he squeezed Robin back with all his might, burying himself into her.


    "...Okay. Okay," he repeated softly.


    It was times like this, that reminded Robin that Rosan had been emotionally stunted since he was 12 years old.


    Devil this, monster that... Rosan was just someone that needed help. When he got all his emotions back... he would be no better then when he was still a child.


    The development would hit him all at once and he might get overwhelmed by it.


    They hugged for a bit, before breaking it up and Robin decided now would be a great time to put some more clothes on.


    "What''s happening in Alabasta?" The Devil Child asked, thanking Rosan for handing over the comfy purple blouse to her.


    "I''m not sure," Rosan admitted, much to her surprise. "My birds are currently Streaming the action to everyone but I''ve been here with you the whole time, so I haven''t seen anything since I left."


    Robin blinked at that before a tiny flush made its way onto her cheeks and she smiled a small smile.


    "That boy didn''t take his eyes off of you for a second. I''m pretty sure he didn''t even blink! He wanted to be sure he was there for you the moment you woke up," Mod supplied helpfully, grinning fondly at the two.


    She had been watching the events of Alabasta through the stream, content to let Rosan stare at Robin the entire time and digesting the information for herself so she could update him when he wanted to know.


    The Devil Child couldn''t help but stare at Rosan in appreciation at that, touched that he still cared so much for her.


    The level of care for her¡­ the fact that he had so much even with so much of his emotions missing¡­


    She wondered how much he''d care for them all when they were all unlocked.


    A tiny part of her recalled the way he kissed her and she immediately banished it.


    He still needed to pay for that.


    "Let''s go join the others watching it then," Robin decided.


    Rosan was immediately by her side. "Are you fine to move on your own?" He asked softly, watching her every movement with a searching gaze.


    "Yes," she replied, knowing that wouldn''t satisfy him.


    He was such a worrywart sometimes¡­ he must have inherited that from Mod.


    True to her point, the redhead picked her up and placed her on his back with no effort, walking off to where he left his stream with calm and careful steps so as to not jostle her too much.


    "Just to be safe," he said, making sure she was secure.


    Robin rolled her eyes but just let it be, wrapping her arms around his neck and getting comfortable.


    It didn''t take them long to make it to the lounge area where they were watching the events of Alabasta and Sabo immediately locked eyes with the two, a relieved smile making its way on his face.


    Maro caught the slight movement of Sabo''s head and whirled around, eyes lighting up in joy at seeing Robin awake and well.


    "ROBIN!" She cheered, hugging the surprised woman (and Rosan by proxy) and jumping in glee. "I can''t believe you''re already awake!"


    The bluenette carefully pulled the woman off of Rosan, who looked close to attacking her but stopped at her pleading glance, and engulfed her once more.


    Angel and Demon quickly joined the group hug and squeezed Robin tight. "We''re so glad you''re okay!"


    "How are you feeling? You''re moving faster then I anticipated so I''ll be running a check-up on you later," Demon prodded, inspecting her body up and down and noting that she seemed fine, if not a little sore, at a glance.


    "I''m just a little sore but Rosan won''t let me move alone anyways, so I''m fine," Robin assured, a little floored to be on the receiving end of so much affection.


    She wasn''t really used to this. Her sole sources of affection for the longest, were Rosan and Mod-chan so for so much different people to suddenly be so affectionate¡­


    It felt nice.


    "I have to admit¡­ seeing Crocodile so ruthlessly attack you, made me very upset," Marianne said quietly.


    After all, to the Baroque Works Agents, Miss All Sunday (learning that she was the Nico Robin threw them all for a loop) may as well have been their actual boss. They never saw Mr. 0 and she was his proxy, speaking for him instead and being the face they saw most often.


    Seeing Crocodile so ruthlessly stab her, his supposed partner, made them glad that they had betrayed him. He didn''t give a damn about any of them, only caring about furthering himself and achieving his plans. They wouldn''t be surprised if he threw them away after finally winning.


    He was nothing like Queen Maro, who genuinely cared for them despite meeting them so recently.


    Gem and Mikita both nodded at that, not believing Crocodile was so ruthless. After spending so much time around their Queen, they realized that they didn''t deserve to be treated the way they were in Baroque Works and promised to do everything to help Maro and Celadon out.


    Robin was surprised by that. The agents respected her more then Crocodile? Well, she supposed that made sense.


    All things considered, she may as well have been Mr. 0.


    "I''m fine now," she smiled at them all reassuringly. "Thanks to you all, I was able to quickly get patched up and the poison didn''t even get a chance to be life threatening."


    They sighed in relief at that, pleased that she was doing fine.


    "Now, what''s going on in Alabasta? How are the others?" Robin asked, taking a seat next to Rosan and let out a pleased sigh as he tucked her into his frame, not even allowing her to put the slightest of strain on her body.


    It felt good to be pampered.


    "Usopp, Chopper, Sanji, Nami and Zoro all won their fights," Sabo began, listing off each Straw Hat.


    "Oh! I noticed Nami and Usopp using some very familiar flames," Maro said, eyes glinting as she stared at Rosan.


    Kaori nodded along with Maro''s statement. "Those flames look the exact same as the ones you used on me," the fishman pointed out.


    She instinctively shuddered at the sight of those destructive red flames rushing towards that agent.


    "That''s right. I gave her weapon the ability to store and use my flames. As for Usopp, I created some ammo for him," Rosan replied, tilting his head to the side. "I take it Nami fought Miss Doublefinger? That''s the only agent she should need to use it on, lest she somehow got in a fight with Mr. 2."


    They all nodded at his assessment.


    "They all looked really injured¡­" Marianne frowned, biting her lip in worry at the sight of the burned woman.


    The former agent couldn''t stop the well of sadness at seeing the state Mr. 4 was in (he was almost certainly dead) and felt concern for both Miss Merry Christmas and Miss Doublefinger.


    All the agents had been soundly defeated barring Crocodile himself¡­ She didn''t want any of them to go to jail.


    Maro eyed the little girl from the corner of her eye and nodded to herself.


    Sabo was surprised to learn that these three were also apart of Baroque Works and he had his slight suspicions on them, but they swore that they were loyal to Maro now and wouldn''t do anything that would displease her.


    Maro herself had vouched for them and that was good enough for him. If they had their uses, they had their uses.


    "Ah that reminds me," Rosan muttered, eyeing Maro. "Did any of the agents catch your fancy? I can go retrieve the ones who did since you saw what they were all capable of."


    He was only intending to recruit 1, 2 and Doublefinger but Maro saw them all so she could make the decision on her own if she wanted any or none.


    Maro, without hesitation, said, "All of the remaining ones if you can... Besides Mr 4. I think he''s dead."


    Rosan blinked.


    Marianne jolted at that, looking wildly at the queen due to her response.


    "You want the rest of them?" The redhead asked, raising a brow.


    Maro nodded rapidly, smiling widely. She wasn''t really interested in them (her current agents were awesome!) but she saw the look in Marianne''s eyes and decided recruiting some more of them wouldn''t hurt.


    Besides there was one of them that she wanted above all.


    "I want that Bazooka Dog especially!" The Queen beamed greedily.


    Oh just imagine! Her very own Bazooka, that could transform into a dog! That was so cool! Just call her the collector of unique pets!


    Everyone sweatdropped at that.


    "Right. I''ll go retrieve them after this then," Rosan replied.


    Maro nodded eagerly and glanced down at the feeling of someone tugging her sleeve.


    Marianne looked up at her with pure adoration and said, "Thank you, my queen."


    The Dokkaebi smiled gently and hugged the little girl to her side. "Anything for my cute little citizens."


    "What about Zoro?" Robin asked curiously. "Did he manage to defeat Mr. 1?"


    Everyone there nodded with a hint of awe on their faces, recalling the battle with varying expressions.


    They retold it to the two who just listened with calm expressions.


    "He''s a real damage sponge," Rosan nodded. Zoro was capable of taking plenty of punishment and it was something that served him well. Unless he was well and truly dead, he would keep fighting.


    Rosan liked that. The two were remarkably similar in battles.


    "So he did manage to cut steel¡­ I wonder how? Was it brute strength like Rosan?" Robin muttered.


    "No, it was haki," Sabo replied calmly.


    Everyone froze at that.


    "What?" Rosan and Robin asked, slightly stunned.


    "In the final moments of that battle, after Zoro got up, he began subconsciously using Armament and Observation," the revolutionary explained.


    He didn''t get hit by a single piece of that building, knowing where it was going to fall. That was definitely Observation Haki at hand.


    He also managed to effortlessly cut through the steel body of Mr. 1 with just one attack. Sabo was confident, that if he used that exact same attack on Crocodile, it would have connected.


    Rosan hummed at that. "So Zoro was the first one of us to begin using Haki... that''s unexpected."


    "It''s a good thing we managed to catch it, otherwise he might have taken much longer to begin tapping into it," Sabo said, cupping his chin.


    There were plenty of people who subconsciously used Armament or Observation in dire times but due to not knowing anything about it, they tended to never actually unlock the ability to consciously use it.


    It would still be pretty difficult, but Zoro already had one foot in so it was good for him, especially considering he knew about Haki already.


    "I''ll be sure to inform him. It''ll be a boon if he begins consciously using it," Rosan said, pleased with this outcome.


    "Haki?" Kaori asked curiously, glancing at an eager Maro.


    "I''ll explain it to you guys later. It would be great if I could get you all started on a routine too," the queen informed them.


    The soldiers nodded at that.


    "There''s just Luffy and Crocodile left¡­" Angel said, glancing at the screen in worry.


    Crocodile was in the midst of summoning a massive sandstorm in Alubarna and not only that, he managed to stab Luffy right through his stomach with a crescent blade of sand.


    She began gnawing her teeth in concern, chancing a glance at Rosan to see if he was going to save their youngest brother.


    "Trust Luffy, Angel," Rosan said calmly. "Didn''t I tell you? He''s gotten strong over the years. He won''t lose here."


    She wanted to protest, but stopped at the sight of Luffy placing his fist on the ground and immediately calmed down.


    "What''s he doing?" Kaori asked, watching as the rubber boy''s legs began¡­ pumping?


    "Ah! Gear Second!" Maro beamed, sitting upright to see this.


    Luffy had never used the technique on anyone else but her and Master so she wanted to see just how good it was against a person who hadn''t spent years fighting him.


    "Gear Second?" Sabo asked, noticing Demon''s face shift into one of slight displeasure.


    "Gear Second is a technique Luffy developed to keep up with my speed and Maro''s teleportation," Rosan began as Maro nodded along eagerly. "He speeds up the blood flow in his body and it makes him much faster and stronger as a result."


    He began developing the technique when he was around 16 years old.


    One day (when Ace had already left), Garp had visited to deliver his beat down quota and Rosan managed to get him to use a technique called Soru. With that technique, he was able to achieve massive speeds instantly that made it hard (absolutely impossible) to keep up with him.


    "You could probably keep up with other users of it but not me," the old man bragged, sticking a finger up his nose as he puffed up at the blatant interest on Luffy''s face.


    Luffy, seeing the technique, instantly developed an interest in it and, with Rosan''s assistance, began reverse engineering the technique for his own use (they all hated asking Garp for help).


    This was in order to keep up with the immense speeds Rosan achieved when he applied a Boost to himself or when Maro decided to be particularly annoying and displace herself all over the field.


    At x2, Luffy found it nearly impossible to match him and whenever Rosan activated it, their fights would end quickly.


    That''s where Gear Second came in.


    Learning Soru wasn''t enough for the rubber boy (Rosan technically knew it too but he refused to use it¡­ he wanted nothing from Garp and he was already fast enough). The battle genius quickly connected the dots and used his foundation of Soru, to learn Geppo (in order to reach Rosan when he was flying) and his trump card, Gear Second.


    It was a stunning technique that pushed his Devil Fruit creativity to the limits and both Rosan and Maro had praised him for coming up with something so ingenious... right before Demon chewed him out for developing such a dangerous technique.


    The doctor demanded he find a way to reduce its strain on his body and with some help, they managed to get it to levels that made Demon''s hair not go gray.


    Everyone watched in awe as Luffy threw out a fist so fast, it blurred on the screen.


    Crocodile couldn''t react in nearly enough time and what followed next, was a thrashing they weren''t expecting to ever see.


    Robin was in a bit of awe. She never expected little Luffy to be handling Crocodile like this! She knew that the captain was incredibly strong, but this was something else!


    "He''s gotten better at using it," Maro grinned, watching him pummel Crocodile with a look of glee.


    "We basically exclusively practiced with not making it so strenuous the last few months before setting sail," Rosan said calmly.


    "Good, that technique is bad on his body. The more he develops and masters it, the better I''ll feel," Demon frowned.


    "He developed this to keep up with you two?" Sabo asked, impressed by the battle genius Luffy displayed. He was proud of the rubber boy but he couldn''t really explain why.


    Rosan nodded.


    "Could you have beaten Crocodile?" The revolutionary prodded.


    "Yes," he replied nonplussed. "His Logia intangibility is his greatest advantage but otherwise, I can beat him and so can Luffy. Maro most likely can too. I don''t think Crocodile has the power needed to pierce her defenses and she''s also versatile."


    The agents looked at their Queen with wide eyes and saw the smug grin on her face.


    They knew she was strong... but had they really never seen her go all out?


    "I''m the most naturally durable in our family!" She preened, slapping her chest heartily. "Maybe I''ll show you guys what I''m fully capable of against Master one of these days!"


    They nodded eagerly, curious to see just how capable their carefree leader was, before focusing on the one sided beatdown.


    Seriously, it wasn''t even close.


    "His rate of growth is insane," Maro muttered, shaking her head as she perfectly tracked the fight. She was a prodigy but Luffy was a true genius in battle like Master.


    It was only her years of experience and absurd Devil Fruit (she was a very good matchup into Luffy and any close combat fighter really) that gave her the edge but even then, Maro found it hard pressed to beat Luffy when they were going all out.


    It was only a matter of time before the youngest fully surpassed most of them. After seeing what he turned the Gomu Gomu no Mi into, there was no doubt in her mind that eventually, Luffy would be standing near the top of their little ranking list.


    Most of them couldn''t even keep up with what Straw Hat was doing.


    Rosan, Sabo, Maro and Robin watched the battle like it were happening normally, tracking every movement with an easy gaze.


    Everyone else only saw Crocodile getting battered. Luffy was moving too fast for them currently and it filled them with as much awe as it did envy at the fact that the former four were capable of doing so.


    But right as it appeared that Luffy was going to finish the fight, Crocodile gained his intangibility back and promptly vanished with a maniacal laugh.


    "Oh no," Maro said, watching Luffy glance back and forth wildly before the rubber boy took off in a direction.


    Not only that, another of Rosan''s bird had been keeping track of the bomb that the Hawkman was holding, so it did not miss how he was caught in the crossfire of the explosion.


    He did not survive.


    "He''s psychotic," Maro muttered, eyes smoldering as she beheld the madness of Crocodile. A man who wanted only power and trusted no one but himself to achieve it.


    People like him were dangerous because they truly didn''t care about anyone but themselves. Everyone else''s life was insignificant in their own eyes so they didn''t care who died in their p.


    It didn''t take very long for them to find Crocodile (made easier by the lack of a sandstorm) but the damage had been done.


    Koza (who was the leader of the rebellion and Vivi''s best friend) lay there, dead and unmoving from a stab wound that could only be from Crocodile.


    The Warlord himself had clearly dipped a bit into madness at the trashing Luffy gave him and was acting accordingly.


    "He''s been trying to lure you out this whole time," Sabo scowled, staring at the sandman with repressed fury.


    Alabasta may have been allied with the World Government but that didn''t mean this man was free to do what he pleased with it and Sabo would let it slide.


    Rosan said nothing. Crocodile would see him soon enough. But¡­ he''d probably leave the fact that he was going to recruit the man to just Robin (if she had no problem with it of course).


    "I don''t. I can see the use of having him as an ally," Robin said.


    His anger had tapered off and that allowed him to see how immensely useful having this man as an ally would be.


    Yes, Crocodile going to prison would be a waste when Rosan could make him submit.


    Despite trying to strike Vivi down, Luffy managed to show up in time and took the blow in her stead, getting greatly injured and poisoned on top of it.


    Demon was already standing up, eyes focused on Luffy''s injured body. "Crocodile is right, Gear Second accelerates his blood flow by a lot and with the poison in his system, he''ll be in trouble."


    "Right, let''s go." Rosan said softly, watching the conclusion of the battle with a¡­ proud look in his eyes.


    Good. Well done, Straw Hats. All of them did a good job today.


    Maro nodded eagerly and launched herself up, removing her tiara and placing it on a surprised Marianne''s head. "Keep that safe for me so that I can come back, okay?"


    The artist nodded just as eagerly, tenderly touching the tiara.


    Robin was silent for a long while, watching the end of the battle with unreadable eyes and prompting her best friend to look at her.


    "Impressive isn''t he? My weak youngest brother isn''t so weak anymore," Rosan said quietly, gently hoisting her up and placing her on his back again.


    "Yes¡­ he''s even stronger then I thought," she replied softly, wrapping her arms around his neck.


    They all were rather impressive actually¡­ fighting that hard for someone who wasn''t even apart of their crew.


    She found it quite admirable.


    "Gotta say, I''m looking forward to traveling with you guys for a bit," Sabo chuckled. They looked like a lot of fun to be around and he found himself liking everyone quite a bit.


    "An adventure with Luffy is never boring, that''s what we tried to tell you before but someone wanted to be his own captain and isn''t even that," Rosan chided with a shake of his head, eyes glowing as everyone grabbed onto him.


    "As if I''d ever sail under Luffy''s flag!" Sabo retorted instinctively, eyes widening at that reply.


    "Even amnesia can''t hide your repulsion at sailing under Luffy," Rosan snorted, activating his Save Point.


    They all vanished, leaving Kaori and the agents to watch through the lens of the bird.


    "They''re all monstrous," Kaori muttered with a shake of her head. It was truly unfortunate that Arlong ran into quite possibly the strongest crew in East Blue and that they had a vested interest in Nami.


    Straw Hat Luffy and Rosan still had so much they could do¡­ to know that they had been defeated by them without even pushing them¡­


    The others nodded in agreement, remembering the trashing they received clearly.


    They needed to train harder.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Y-You guys," Vivi whimpered in surprise, watching everyone appear right next to the sleeping Straw Hats.


    King Cobra was out there explaining to everyone what part Crocodile had played in the ruin of their country. Igaram (who Vivi had immediately teared up at seeing alive and well) was there as well to help explain.


    They were currently in the King''s castle, with Chopper working on each member of the crew. Demon wasted no time and went to go assist the reindeer, offering a smile at him and getting the young Doctor to light up in happiness.


    Maro immediately engulfed the princess in a tender hug. "I''m so sorry you had to go through that Vivi but everything''s gonna be alright now. It''s over, okay? You''re so strong for someone so young but I''ll be here to help in any way I can."


    Vivi sniffed and nodded in the crook of the queen''s neck, returning the hug fiercely and allowing the comfort of the Dokkaebi to soothe her.


    "It hurts¡­ a lot," she said through shaky breaths, tears spilling onto Maro''s frame.


    All that happened¡­ it was so overwhelming. She still couldn''t even come to terms that Pell and Koza were both d-dead...


    Not only that, even now they were finding a plethora of moles in both the royal and rebel army who were apart of Baroque Works.


    It was just so much...


    "I know," Maro soothed. "It''s going to hurt but we''re all here for you and not just us, your citizens too. Just the sight of you crying drained the energy to battle out of them. Your people love you and for good reason, Vivi."


    They watched Maro soothe the crying princess with soft eyes.


    Vivi had lost so much so quickly but she was still capable of moving forward. She truly was strong.


    "I''m sorry," Rosan said quietly. "I wanted to hold off Crocodile long enough for you to stop all this but I let him get away."


    "It''s because I let my guard down and got poisoned," Robin joined, frowning slightly.


    If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    The princess peeked out from Maro''s shoulder so that she could shake her head vigorously. "You guys did so much! None of this would have even been possible without you two intervening so much so thank you," she retorted, truly meaning it.


    Robin was surprised but eventually it transformed into a tiny smile.


    Vivi truly was a kind person. She would be a fine queen.


    Rosan stabbed that tiny amount of paranoia telling him that no one was this kind and regarded her with a hint of curiosity.


    Eventually, he nodded and said, "A lot of your buildings were destroyed, I will go repair them now."


    Not waiting for a response, he swiftly departed from the confused people and Robin followed after.


    "Don''t worry, he''s not upset¡­ it''s just in that moment, your kindness reminded him of Meiko and he didn''t know how to deal with that," the Devil Child informed her, making sure she didn''t get the wrong idea.


    "Ah!" Vivi''s features turned sympathetic as she looked at the spot Rosan was just at. "I understand, please thank him for going out of his way to repair the buildings for us!"


    Robin nodded and quickly left the room before Rosan got too far.


    "I should go make a call as well," Sabo muttered, tipping his hat to the occupants before exiting the room to inform Dragon of what transpired.


    Angel frowned at having nothing to do and just shrugged, sitting down in a comfy seat and eyeing her wife.


    She should get into knitting. Then she could make ugly sweaters for all of her family and force them to wear it.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Those pesky Marines managed to recover quick and managed to call for backup too.


    It was annoying.


    Already, Crocodile had been arrested by them and they were beginning the search for the other incapacitated agents.


    "I should have killed all of them," he muttered in annoyance.


    That was okay. He''d just kill two birds with one stone later.


    "I still remember how often you used to incorrectly say that quote," Mod said lightly, utterly unbothered by his slight annoyance.


    "Two stones with one bird¡­ only Rosan," Robin laughed lightly.


    He ignored them both, grabbing onto Robin and quietly moving away from the Marines.


    Mr. 1 and Crocodile were already in cuffs while Mr. 2 was missing¡­ They were still searching for the other 3 but they wouldn''t find them.


    Rosan knew exactly where they were so he''d go for them first.


    First, Miss Doublefinger. She was the most injured due to being attacked by his flames (the ones in Clima were weaker until Nami got stronger and needed them to be stronger as a result) directly and if left alone for longer, she''d die.


    Mr. 1 was far too loyal to Crocodile so perhaps after speaking to the sandman, he''d force his subservience by using the former Warlord.


    Rosan glanced down at Miss Doublefinger''s burned body and nodded in satisfaction.


    He would need to praise Nami and Clima later for a job well done. He hoped she enjoyed having a weapon that could help her out.


    The redhead walked up to the scantily clad woman and nudged her.


    Seeing as Miss Merry Christmas was far enough and Mr. 4 was dead, he figured he could learn more about this one.


    The agent gasped in agony as soon as he made contact and tried to shoot up, only to let out a whine of pain as her body flared.


    Everything hurt.


    Her body was in so much pain. She couldn''t think straight right now due to her blistering skin and tried desperately to bite back her tears.


    "Are you going to destroy her self worth?" Robin asked curiously, wondering how he was going to convince Miss Doublefinger to join their side.


    "There is no need."


    "You look like you''re in pain," Rosan said quietly, managing to break through the woman''s hazy fog with his voice.


    Bending down, he placed a hand on her and idly numbed her body.


    The effects were immediate. Miss Doublefinger let out a shaky sigh of relief and finally focused her attention on the two new arrivals.


    That relief and gratefulness swiftly turned into horror as she realized who they were.


    "Y-You''re¡ª," the woman immediately stopped talking as she realized just how dry her throat was but she knew these two and it caused her to go pale in fear.


    One was the redhead that Crocodile himself said he would deal with and that same redhead was staring down at her without a single injury on his body.


    The other was the more surprising one because this was the missing Miss All Sunday.


    Was this why Crocodile wanted to deal with the redhead himself¡­? Did he understand just how dangerous the man before her was?


    If he was standing before her uninjured, what could she possibly do?


    Robin offered her a glass of water and despite her wariness, it was so hot and she felt so parched so she drank it with far less hesitation then was befitting of her.


    "Miss Doublefinger, it''s nice to meet you. I''m Rosan," the redhead greeted, never taking those unnerving eyes off of her for a second.


    She noticed her burned attire and hastily covered some of her modesty, warily staring at the two the whole time.


    "W-What do you want?" The woman asked, unable to hide her fears fully.


    Rosan hummed, taking a step forward (which made her try to crawl back¡­ to little success).


    "Let''s start with your real name," he said quietly. "I gave you mine after all, wouldn''t it be rude not to return the favor?"


    She shuddered at that quiet order and began fearing the consequences of not doing so.


    His words demanded respect and she found herself quickly submitting to them.


    "Zala¡­" The woman replied, averting her gaze towards the ground.


    Rosan nodded and crouched in front of her, making the woman shudder once more. "Zala, are you aware that the Marine''s are looking for you as we speak?" He asked softly.


    Her eyes widened at that. "S-So it''s over¡­ we¡ª"


    "Lost? Yes, you did," he replied calmly. "I think it would be a waste for you to get tortured in Impel Down though, so I''d like you to join my side."


    Impel down¡­ Zala heard of that hell like prison and someone with her bounty, would be sent there without hesitation.


    She shuddered at that. Going to Impel Down was probably the worst thing that could happen to a pirate.


    "Y-You''ll really save me from that if I join your side?" She asked hesitantly.


    "I wouldn''t have approached you otherwise," he replied bluntly, offering her his hand. "Crocodile didn''t know how to utilize you and that is why you all lost. Join my side instead of wasting away in a prison. Of course, I''ll have someone heal your burns as well."


    Zala looked at the bronze hand with a conflicted expression but that didn''t last long. She grasped it and the redhead gently pulled her up, inspecting her wounds all the while.


    Looking into the eyes of the one who offered her safety, she couldn''t keep the admiration out of them.


    "You¡­ you have so much different ways of manipulating people," Robin said, a little shock in her tone at how easily Rosan made her submit.


    "At the end of the day, these people are inherently followers. It''s all about understanding the correct buttons to push but they will all submit to a stronger force in time. It''s in their nature to flock to someone who will lead them," Rosan replied.


    That''s why he was looking forward to recruiting Crocodile. That man wasn''t a follower. He wasn''t the type of person to take orders from someone but he would be taking orders from Rosan.


    Was it risky? Yes, but it was beneficial and most of all, it was fun.


    "Come, we still have one more to approach. Unfortunately, they''ve already captured Crocodile and Mr. 1 and I cannot find Mr. 2 anywhere," Rosan said softly, eyes flickering towards the desert.


    The agent might have been utilizing his Devil Fruit at the moment. How unfortunate...


    Zala paled a bit at hearing that the two strongest in their organization were already captured and felt her loyalty to Rosan grow.


    That could have been her¡­ She was glad it was not her.


    "Who else is there?" She asked, trudging slowly behind the duo (she was stunned to see Miss All Sunday of all people allowing someone to carry her on their back).


    "Mr. 4 and Miss Merry Christmas. Although, Mr. 4 is just a corpse at this point." Rosan took one look at her and grabbed the injured woman, much to her surprise. With a slight glow, her outfit repaired itself and he began carrying her bridal style.


    "Aren''t you a gentleman?" Zala couldn''t help but say despite shuddering at hearing how casually he mentioned Mr. 4''s death. What was that technique he just used? How did he manage to completely repair her outfit?


    He didn''t even spare her a glance. "You''re moving too slow is all. It''d take hours if I allowed you to walk on your own."


    The redhead looked utterly unbothered at having to carry both the tall women, swiftly making his way towards the location of Usopp and Chopper''s battle.


    "I imagine we won''t be traveling with your crew?" The spike woman asked. They were enemies after all.


    "Correct. You will be staying on an island in the North Blue run by my student. Your other agent friends are there too," Rosan replied softly.


    The other agents?! Which ones were he talking about? Wasn''t Mr. 3 dead?


    "We''re here."


    Robin was about to get off his back but the fabric of his shirt was far too comfortable and she was more sore then she thought, so she just opted to lie there instead on his rumbling body.


    Zala wanted to question Miss All Sunday but thought better of it after Rosan glanced at her warningly.


    She simply nodded hastily and let the woman doze off.


    It was just odd to see her so¡­ comfortable around a person. It was honestly the weirdest thing the former agent had seen in a while and she just fought a girl with split personality.


    Rosan made sure Robin was comfortable and glanced at the bodies of Mr. 4 and Miss Merry Christmas.


    True to his words, Mr. 4 was dead and Miss Merry Christmas was probably only alive due to her Zoan physiology...


    What a crew of monsters. Were they all pyromaniacs?


    "Miss Merry Christmas is stubborn so she might put up a fight," Zala informed helpfully.


    "Noted," he responded, glancing at the bazooka lying there. He picked it up and observed it, running a quick scan on the weapon in the process.


    So it was actually a bazooka with a dog devil fruit¡­ He wonder if he should¡ª


    No, not yet. He still needed to practice that some more and Maro wanted this anyways. Besides it would be useless to try that here.


    "?" Mod tilted her head in confusion.


    Was¡­ Was Rosan practicing a technique that she didn''t know about? When did he have the time to do that and why wasn''t she privy to it?


    "Because he doesn''t trust you like you think he does," a voice in the back of her mind whispered cruelly.


    The Devil Fruit bit her lip and banished that thought immediately, subtly tightening her grip on the sleeping Ram''s hair.


    "She doesn''t seem like she''s going to be waking up anytime soon," Rosan muttered. "Fine, I''ll just bring you all to your new location now and you can explain the situation to her when she wakes up. I imagine as one of the highest ranked females in the organization, your words hold weight?"


    Zala nodded. "I might need some medical attention in the meantime."


    "That will be arranged."


    Demon was here right now helping Chopper out but there were plenty of doctors on Celadon that could help them.


    Rosan dragged Miss Merry Christmas over before glancing at the male agent who was dead.


    Outstretching his hand, he shot a simple burst of red flames that consumed the body and swiftly reduced him to ashes.


    Zala felt a surge of primal fear, as she realized where the girl with mental issues got access to such hellish flames.


    She was looking right at him.


    Memories of those flames crashing into her, made the woman take a step back from the demon before her and she felt her breath hitch.


    "Where are you going?" Rosan asked calmly, rooting her in place with that cold expression of his. "I need you to be touching me, not backing away. I''ve already recruited you, there is no reason to think I''d turn my flames on you, unless you thought of betraying me."


    Robin continued to rest, head nestled in the crook of his neck. The sight was honestly adorable but it didn''t help alleviate Zala''s fears at all.


    She shuddered and nodded hesitantly, moving closer to the duo and grabbing onto him.


    Not wanting to waste anymore time, Rosan activated his Save Point and they all vanished.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Mr. 5, Miss Valentine and Miss Goldenweek!" Zala gasped in surprise, staring at the agents with wide eyes.


    They looked different now, likely due to not wanting to match their bounty posters, but she could still tell that it was them due to knowing them for so long.


    "I go by Gem. Not Mr. 5," Mr. 5 said coolly, unfazed by her arrival and nodding towards Rosan.


    His shades were gone, replaced by visor sunglasses instead and his spiky dreadlocks grew longer, stopping at the bottom of his ears and spilling past his new eyewear.


    "And I''m Mikita¡­" Miss Valentine interjected quietly.


    She was a far cry from the over confident and sadistic women, trying to shrink into herself instead.


    The woman also looked different, getting rid of her entire lemon themed outfit (including that hat at Angel''s behest) in favor of a yellow turtleneck and jean combo. Her hair seemed to also be growing past the chin now.


    "I''m Marianne," Miss Goldenweek finished, idly clutching a tiara in her hand. She had the most changes appearance wise and was the hardest for Miss Doublefinger to pinpoint.


    Only her childish appearance and the fact that the other agents were there made her recognizable.


    Angel had taken one look at the girl''s outfit, made exaggerated gagging noises and summarily burned it into cinders (literally, Marianne watched in disbelief as she had an apologetic Maro do the deed), leaving only her pink hat in the process.


    She then proceeded to use her own money to update the girl''s wardrobe, an excursion that took them the whole day.


    Despite the slight injustice at getting her outfit destroyed, watching Angel dip into her own funds just to update it more then made up for it and she was incredibly touched.


    "That just means she''s adopted you basically!" Maro had assured, grinning widely at the satisfied look in her wife''s eyes.


    Currently, she was dressed in a white and pink shirt and skirt combo that complimented her hat (she had gotten different colors too!) well.


    It was honestly the most thoughtful act someone had ever done for Marianne which was why it was so surprising Angel was the one to do it.


    Adopted was pretty accurate, Angel seemed to very much like her for whatever reason.


    "Kaori, could you and Gem bring these two to the hospital?" Rosan asked politely. They could catch up when he wasn''t here and Maro was. They were her soldiers, not his.


    The two, being Maro''s strongest soldiers, caught his desire immediately and nodded.


    His message was simple, make sure they don''t do anything stupid.


    Formerly, the two would have slaughtered the former Mr. 5 but they had no idea how much more proficient he had become with his powerful Devil Fruit.


    He could undoubtedly deal with the agents individually now if they proved to be rowdy.


    "Marianne. This is the Bazooka Dog. Make sure it doesn''t cause a mess and use your paint if you have to. I''m off," Rosan muttered, adjusting Robin. It seemed that she was more exhausted then she let show because the women was fully asleep now, breath even and quiet on his neck.


    He handed the bazooka to the girl (it was comical how they were practically the same size) before waving at them all and vanishing.


    Zala blinked at his abrupt departure, staring at the spot he was just at before gasping as the pain in her body returned. She doubled over and desperately tried to hold back her tears.


    Kaori coated her body in some water and gently picked the women up.


    "Can someone explain what''s happening after I get healed?" The spiked agent asked, shooting a grateful look towards the fishman and stabbing down her slight discomfort.


    "It''s a lot to explain¡­" Marianne said truthfully.


    "I suddenly have time," she replied, clenching her eyes shut.


    What the hell was in the schizophrenic navigator''s fire?


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    His crew was still asleep and he had repaired many of the destroyed buildings (to the tearful joy of Cobra and Vivi) so Rosan and Robin decided to pay Mod and Ram a visit.


    "MOTHER!" Ram cried, tackling Robin over and beginning to immediately cry on her. "I''m so glad you''re okay! I was so scared a-and I couldn''t stop crying but I hate crying and now that you''re okay I''m crying again and I''m so confused!" She blabbered.


    "Ah, this really is Rosan''s daughter," Robin thought for the umpteenth time.


    Their similarities were too apparent and it was honestly super adorable.


    ...She had been using adorable a lot lately. No wonder Rosan teased her.


    "I''m fine, Ram. It was a slight mistake but I''m good!" she assured, stroking the woman''s silver hair in assurance.


    "D-Don''t worry me like that again," Ram whimpered, burying herself deeper in Robin''s frame.


    "Does Ram actually consider Robin her mother?" Rosan mused, watching the exchange with a curious gaze.


    "Her desire for a mother caught me by surprise too. I was unaware that she wanted one," Mod replied, smiling softly as she tucked herself into Rosan.


    Despite slight hiccups, it was an overwhelming victory for the Straw Hats and she smiled proudly at them all.


    Rosan raked a hand through her lustrous hair and she sighed happily, pleased that they were all doing fine.


    "If she truly wants one and Robin doesn''t mind, then I see no problem with it," Rosan said, watching as she easily calmed the ring down.


    Huh, that was far easier then he managed to do.


    Mod wanted to tell him that saying things like that carried heavy implications but just kept her mouth shut with an amused smile.


    "That reminds me¡­" Robin muttered, fixing Rosan with a heavy stare. "You must think you''re awfully funny, don''t you Rosan?"


    The redhead raised a brow, Mod went scarlet and Ram grinned brightly.


    "I''ve been told on some occasion that I''m funny despite thinking otherwise," he said dryly, watching as his best friend marched up to him with a purpose.


    She gazed into his heterochromatic eyes with a flat gaze. "You kissed me in front of all of our enemies and you squeezed my butt for a very long time," she stressed, flushing slightly at the memory.


    "You were trying to ruin my plan. I refused to let you be Crocodile''s target and Ram had a good idea so I implemented it."


    Ram grinned brighter at that, looking utterly shameless at being exposed.


    "Of course I was trying to ruin your plan! I don''t need to be babied by you and that''s what you were trying to do," Robin frowned slightly.


    Rosan stood up from the comfy couch he and Mod were sitting on to regard the Devil Child.


    "I''m not trying to baby you, Robin. Crocodile would absolutely target you after realizing you betrayed him for me," the redhead said softly. "I''m stronger then him but even I would be wary fighting a person in their own domain. It''s just¡­ I just got you back and I don''t want to lose you already."


    Her eyes softened at the rare vulnerability in his eyes and she immediately hugged him.


    Robin sighed, she was still incredibly whipped it seemed. For all intents and purposes, she should be completely upset with the redhead but she hardly paid any stock to the fact that he groped her so shamelessly and instead focused on the fact that he was being overprotective.


    "I understand but we''re partners and that means we should be equals. I don''t want to hold you back in a fight because you''re stuck worrying about me. I want you to only look forward with the knowledge that you have fantastic backup keeping you safe," she said, gazing up at those mesmerizing orbs of his.


    It still filled her with a guilty satisfaction that just reconciling with her, managed to make them spark with a bit of life.


    Rosan returned the hug and nodded. "I''ll try not to overprotect you too much but you''ll have to become much stronger to put my mind at ease," he told her.


    "Of course. I have you here to motivate me," she replied, enjoying his natural flowery smell.


    They embraced for a while before it was broken up by the most obvious source.


    "So, Mother! What did you think about the kiss?" Ram prodded, pleased to see that light dust of red. For someone like Robin, that was the same as a normal person going scarlet.


    Robin enjoyed it more then she would like to admit but there was no way she was going to inflate the redhead''s ego more then it already was (she didn''t actually think it was possible to inflate it more but she wouldn''t risk it).


    Instead, she''d make good on her promise.


    "Ram, I think you need to be disciplined by someone else besides Mod-chan for once. Telling him to squeeze my butt? That''s not something a daughter should be thinking about in regards to her parents," Robin smiled at the problematic ring.


    Ram squeaked and went white. "Y-You have a nice ass though! I wouldn''t be embarrassed about that!"


    "You''ve completely missed the point, exactly like Rosan. That means I have to teach you exactly like I taught him." Robin let out a mock sigh of sadness.


    "I''m in a lot of danger!" Ram balked.


    Before she could even turn, arms sprouted over her body and she let out a noise of protest as they brought her to the floor.


    "Y-YOU''RE ALL CHEATERS!" The ring protested, struggling violently in her grip to no avail.


    No fair! They all had ways to instantly catch her!


    "I wouldn''t want to go through the trouble of chasing you. You seem like you run pretty fast," Robin smiled, approaching the ring with a look that promised bad things.


    Mod giggled, pleased that she wasn''t the one who had to discipline Ram this time.


    That giggled turned into a laugh at the betrayed look the ring shot her.


    Rosan snorted as he shamelessly allowed her to take full blame. It was Ram''s idea so let her take the hit.


    Better her then him.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "You wish to see our secret Poneglyph? Of course! Anything for our saviors," Cobra nodded at the duo.


    Rosan and Maro especially, were helping Alabasta out so much in these past few days.


    Robin and Rosan followed after the King with short nods of their own.


    "Someone who can read the Poneglyphs¡­ an almost impossible thing to see," the king remarked idly.


    Robin smiled thinly at that.


    Rosan, sensing her slight discomfort, chose to jump in the conversation.


    "I heard you and Maro have been having some discussions?" He asked the king, not missing the grateful look Robin shot him.


    "Ah! Yes. Queen Maro is an incredible person," Cobra began, smile making its way onto his face at the mention of his student. "I hear you have trained her? I don''t know what circumstances brought a pirate and royalty together but you did a fantastic job raising her."


    Maro had introduced herself as the ruler of Celadon to Cobra and to say the king was surprised, was an understatement. After all, Celadon was an island whose prestige had grown so quickly, they had almost immediately been identified as an official kingdom by the World Government and were granted access to the Levely.


    The duo of Rosan and Maro had picked out an empty area in their kingdom and within a matter of hours, had created a few greenhouses for Alabasta, filled with a plethora of fruits and vegetables that were growing at an insane rate.


    They understood why Celadon was so prestigious now. These two were incredible and had managed to solve some of their issues instantly.


    "These are my specially grown crops as well, consider them a gift!" Maro beamed as she absentmindedly hugged the grateful Vivi.


    To be so kind with no ulterior motives... it was only right Cobra did something as small as show them the Poneglyph. It would be shameful if he could not grant them one of their requests.


    Rosan dismissed his praise. "All I did was make her strong and make sure she doesn''t use that kindness for the wrong people. That is just her inherent nature."


    Cobra laughed. "You should give yourself more credit. She would disagree with you based on how much praise I hear from her."


    "And I''d be chopping her head for bragging about a pirate so much despite being a queen," Rosan sighed.


    The king laughed merrily at that. "Don''t worry, I would never think of outing such a kind and gentle queen who''s trying to help our country."


    "I''d kill you if you did," Rosan told him, gazing at the secret passageway the king revealed.


    "It''s down here, right this way."


    The three made their way to the Poneglyph and Rosan looked at it with a raised brow.


    "So this is a Poneglyph¡­" Rosan mused, glancing at the large rock. It was his first time seeing one.


    He idly remembered the time Robin offered to teach him how to read them...


    "This giant rock is what you''re so impressed by? Nerd."


    ...It was a good thing he said no. They were so lame.


    Robin idly summoned a hand on top of Rosan''s hair and yanked it harshly, getting a grunt out of him.


    "You all need to stop trying to find out my kinks, perverts," he retorted, promising he''d get his revenge on her later.


    "The one who reads just as much as me is calling me a nerd," she countered, sighing at how aggressive she became around him.


    She couldn''t help it. Rosan infuriated her too easily.


    Running her hand through the Poneglyph, Robin focused on its words and remained silent¡­


    She took a step back and frowned slightly.


    "Found out where it is?" Rosan hummed, tilting his head to the side.


    "Yes. But I was hoping it had something else on it. I don''t much care for the ancient weapons."


    Robin informed the redhead of the location and saw him tilt his head.


    "I see," he said. He wasn''t very interested in Pluton in general but this was good to know.


    "Is that all?" Cobra asked, eyes a bit fascinated at watching her rove her fingers over the ancient stone.


    "Yes, thank you," Robin said, smiling in satisfaction.


    That smile quickly turned into a yelp as Rosan yanked her hair with that smug expression of his.


    "Oh? I suppose that''s not your kink either," he shrugged, smirking at her glower.


    Without any hesitation, almost like they were kids again, Robin lunged on Rosan and began choking him, a brawl quickly ensuing between the two.


    "I''ve put up with you enough these past few days!" Robin said with a glare.


    Rosan scoffed slightly at her and immediately flipped her so that he was on top. "Cry about it. Don''t apologize now when I teach you a lesson."


    Cobra sweatdropped and watched the two roll around. "Could you two not have a lover''s spat in Alabasta''s secret chamber? It''s a rather sacred area and I wouldn''t want any damage to fall on it¡­"


    They ignored him. Completely.


    "Only Rosan can irritate Robin to such a degree that she''d actually attack them first," Mod smiled fondly.


    They used to fight all the time as kids and it was always Rosan''s fault. The redhead was infuriating on the best of days.


    Not a single person on the planet but him managed to rile young Robin up so effortlessly... It seemed intentional at times on his part.


    It was good to know that held true.


    "GO MOTHER! GO FATHER!" Ram cheered. Fighting was like the most intimate form of love right for someone like her Father right?


    Mod sweatdropped.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Captain Smoker, Hina and Master Chief Petty Officer Tashigi are all being promoted by two ranks for the defeat and capture of former Warlord, Sir Crocodile."


    The injured Smoker snarled in disbelief, ignoring the warning glare a bandaged Hina shot him.


    "Did you not get the report?!" He barked in annoyance. "We were soundly defeated by two people, most of our men died and the Straw Hats dealt with Crocodile. Why exactly are we being rewarded?!"


    This was humiliating. Tashigi had been deeply depressed ever since the redhead had effortlessly broken her arm, Smoker was in a body cast because of Nico Robin, and Hina had to receive a blood transfusion due to all the blood she lost from the various cuts on her body, not to mention the bones they broke and the burns they suffered.


    Most of their men died in that one-sided slaughter.


    Yet, they were being promoted? Was this some type of sick joke?


    The Marines contributed nothing to Alabasta being saved besides assisting in picking out Baroque Work members inside of the rebel and royal army. They were just caught in the middle of two overwhelmingly stronger forces, so why were they taking credit for everything?


    "We received your report and the necessary steps will be taken to ensure the world is aware of the Straw Hats threat due to evading the Marines that managed to capture Crocodile."


    So this is what they were doing?


    Memories of two apathetic gazes looking down at them, words as sharp as a razor piercing into them all the whole while.


    "You Marines are all on a power trip and have no interest in doing your actual job. None of you care about upholding justice. You just do whatever satisfies yourself. Honestly, you''re no better then pirates. You''re just allowed to flex your power legally."


    "When the top of your chain is corrupt, all of you are, no matter what beliefs you think you''re fighting for."


    If they accepted this, they''d just be proving that vengeful redhead right. Listening to what they had to say, Smoker realized that the one named Rosan may very well have a good reason for hating the World Government.


    Covering the truth, general corruptness¡­ it wouldn''t be shocking if he was at the tail end of one of the underhanded tactics of the Marines.


    "I don''t want your promotion," Smoker growled, slamming the call shut with a deep scowl.


    All they did was clean up the aftermath of the Straw Hat''s victory.


    Two members. Just two members managed to dismantle them like that. By the time they were finished escaping and tending to their injuries, the battle had long been over.


    They were only alive due to how pathetic they were. Rosan simply prioritized a higher threat and treated them like an afterthought.


    Smoker grunted in disdain. It left a bitter taste in his mouth.


    "We''re done here. Another ship will come and escort the captured agents while we recuperate at headquarters."


    "W-What about the missing agents? We were unable to locate multiple."


    "Hina thinks they''re dead," Hina said quietly, deep in contemplation after her near death experience. It was very possible that the terrifying redhead dealt with them.


    "We got the most important ones anyways," Smoker grumbled. "Tashigi, let''s go."


    The dazed woman shot up at being called before hesitantly saluting with her good arm. Her dominant hand was wrapped up in a sling and more then once, they saw her staring at it with tears brimming in her eyes.


    "Don''t allow one defeat to drag you down, Tashigi," Smoker advised gruffly. "Just train and get stronger so that it doesn''t happen again."


    She sniffed before nodding resolutely, making sure to burn that red and purple gaze into her mind and having it fuel her.


    Never again would she rely on the pirates who defeated her. The Straw Hats not only saved Alabasta, they made sure every Marine was a non factor in the process.


    She never wanted to feel this helpless again.


    "To think the Devil Child had such a powerful partner¡­ This can''t bode well for the world," Hina muttered.


    They weren''t just allies either. Those two were almost perfectly in sync with each other and not only that¡­ they were lovers too.


    The Marine sighed and gazed at her injured body, shuddering a bit as a tremor shot through her.


    Smoker and Tashigi didn''t have to deal with what she did in that fight, being constant prey the entire time and knowing you could die at any given moment... Only surviving because they were using you as bait...


    Hina didn''t want to run into that monster again anytime soon. Someone like him would be very displeased that he didn''t get to kill them and would make sure to finish the job next time.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Sengoku stared at the report of Alabasta with a deep frown on his face.


    This was yet another report on the Straw Hats¡­ but this time there was even more urgent information.


    They had the Devil Child in their midst and not only that, the Devil Child had a partner who she took orders from.


    A blank gaze stared at him, expression lifeless through the pictures and Sengoku grunted in confusion at the familiarity coursing through him.


    Had he seen this boy before? Where did he remember him...


    Rosan was his name. The one who had seemingly perfect synergy with Nico Robin.


    If Sengoku was right, then this was the mysterious person who had been traveling with her all those years ago. The same person who had been with her in not only the South Blue¡­ but the North Blue as well¡­


    He was dangerous, with an unknown Devil Fruit that they weren''t able to identify. According to that one Captain, Smoker, he was speculated to have some type of Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit, due to his ability to manipulate the terrain, fly, and breathe fire¡­


    Sengoku froze.


    Mythical Zoan¡­ Breathe... Fire¡­


    "Based on evidence, we suspect that¡­ it was someone with some type of mythical zoan¡­ most likely one that can breathe fire."


    ...Red Demon.


    Snapping his finger to grab the attention of the Marine there, Sengoku said, "Increase the intended price for the one named Rosan. He is far more dangerous then we were led to believe."


    "Sir¡­?" The Marine questioned. They were already planning on giving him quite the price but the Fleet Admiral wanted to increase it?


    "I gave you an order!" Sengoku barked.


    His subordinate jumped and saluted hesitantly, departing from the room quickly.


    The Fleet Admiral gazed back at the paper with a contemplative expression.


    If he was right, this was the same "Red Demon" who had burned down the entire Marine Base back in East Blue.


    No, he was certain of it. This boy was a member of the Straw Hats, the Straw Hats had just defeated the Arlong Pirates and that Marine base had been colluding with the Fishman.


    It all lined up too well. This Rosan was almost certainly the culprit... and the verification of a Mythical Zoan made another thing clear to him.


    He knew why the boy was so familiar now.


    Sengoku also had reason to believe that this same redhead was Nico Robin''s partner and lover? The one who managed to help her navigate two seas that she should not be able to reach normally? This man, who hated the World Government, had one of the few who could read the Poneglyphs in his palm?


    And not only that, he had an unknown Devil Fruit. That wouldn''t be too much of an issue but Sengoku knew how dangerous a Mythical Zoan could be. They were the rarest class of Devil Fruits for a reason.


    One that allowed him to do all those things¡­ If left unchecked, Rosan could be quite the problem.


    The fact that he was choosing to follow Monkey D. Luffy, made the rubber boy all the more dangerous as well.


    After all, he was the son of Dragon.


    ¡­


    Was Rosan also the son of Dragon? The report mentioned that he had a particularly strong hatred for the World Government, calling them corrupt in the process so perhaps¡­


    There were too many mysteries surrounding this sudden threat. The one named Rosan suddenly burst out of nowhere and it left him reeling once he realized how much things were connected to this, at first, unassuming redhead.


    He needed to find any and all information about this man.


    Yes, that''s what he''d do but for now, he''d settle for increasing his bounty price past what it was going to be.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "There''s no way I''m bathing with you all," Rosan said calmly, fully clothed. Turning towards the king, he asked, "Do you have another bath? I''ll go there instead."


    "Oh, yes we do!" Cobra said, slightly confused but not questioning it too much.


    After some instructions of where to go, Rosan glanced at Robin and she nodded, moving to follow him.


    "WAIT HOLD ON!" Sanji roared. "WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU''RE DOING, ROSAN?!"


    The redhead tilted his head. "To bathe. Did you not hear me? Did Mr. 2 give you brain damage?" He asked genuinely, leaning forward slightly and placing a hand on Sanji''s forehead.


    The chef swatted the man''s hand away and his teeth turned serrated.


    "I KNOW DUMBASS! WHY IS ROBIN-CHAN GOING WITH YOU?"


    Now it was Robin''s turn to tilt her head. "I would like to bathe as well," she answered calmly.


    Sanji''s jaw dropped in disbelief. "W-With him?"


    They both blinked at that.


    "I thought that was obvious?" Rosan muttered, brows furrowed.


    Mod struggled to hold back her laughter at their genuine confusion. Robin and Rosan bathed so often together they didn''t see it the way others did.


    Vivi decided to just be the one to ask the looming question that had been on their minds since Robin and Rosan reunited. "Are you two dating?"


    "No," they replied in unison, wholly unbothered by the question.


    "Y-YOU AREN''T?!" Everyone asked in confusion.


    "All this because we bathe together?" Rosan muttered. He bathed with Luffy all the time but no one ever asked if they were dating.


    "I told you guys we bathe together," Robin said with a small smile. "It gave me peace of mind knowing Rosan was accounted for instead of going off by himself to cause chaos and then it became routine."


    "She''s very good at washing my hair," the redhead chimed in, already walking off.


    "He''s very good at washing mine too," the brunette smiled softly at that and went to follow.


    Sanji collapsed on his knees. "H-Have they been bathing together this whole time¡­?"


    R-Robin''s voluptuous body¡­ you were telling him that Rosan got to see it every single day?


    "It''s. Not. Fair!" Sanji bawled, slamming a fist against the ground with each word.


    "I can''t even say I blame Sanji for that reaction," Nami sighed. She, along with Luffy, were the only ones there not surprised to hear Robin and Rosan weren''t dating.


    After all, Maro (who was back on Celadon) had filled her in on the plan to get them together and as Rosan''s annoying little sister (and the only intelligent one on the ship besides them), it was her duty to progressively get them together.


    Though¡­ it may be harder then she thought because they did everything that couples did¡­ but didn''t acknowledge their relationship as one of couples.


    For being so smart¡­ Robin and Rosan were being quite stupid.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Robin hummed in delight as Rosan lathered her hair with shampoo, summoning two hands to do the same to his own red spikes.


    "We should be going on our next journey soon," Rosan mused, humming a gentle tune as he dutifully cleaned Robin''s hair.


    "I wonder where we''ll go? This one was quite eventful," Mod pondered.


    "We still have some business to wrap up here," Robin said, glancing back at Rosan. "Is Vivi coming with us?"


    Rosan shook his head. "I don''t think so. She loves us but this kingdom needs her," he replied.


    Maro played a big influence on the princess as well. He was sure that she would stay here but the crew would wait for her response regardless.


    "I figured. Hopefully it doesn''t hurt the crew too much when they find out," Robin replied, sighing as he rubbed a particularly nice spot. "What about Crocodile? He''s getting further and further as we speak."


    "That''s fine by me. I''ve been tracking his ship the entire time. I can attack them soon," Rosan muttered.


    The further the ship got, the better it would be. Sinking in the middle of the ocean could just be attributed to a freak storm in the Grand Line.


    "I?" Robin raised a brow. "Don''t you mean we? Do you think I''m letting you go alone?"


    Rosan grunted. He wasn''t sure if she wanted to see Crocodile so soon but if she did then that was fine.


    "So sorry dear, how could I ever make this up to you?" Rosan mocked, washing her hair down with water.


    The two hands cleaning his hair dispersed, only for two more to pour a bucket of water of him, wiping the small smirk off of his face.


    Robin smiled in amusement as Ram began cackling. "You can stop annoying me for 1 day."


    "You''re very lucky that you''re naked," Rosan said dryly.


    "And you''re very lucky that you''re not a pervert," Robin returned.


    The Devil Child let out a surprised yell, as the floor shifted into a ramp and dumped way too much water on her.


    "Kahahaha! You two are so childish," Mod laughed, watching Robin glare at Rosan with a look that promised yet another brawl was going to break out between them.


    It seemed that with the threat of Baroque Works dealt with, Robin was very quickly allowing herself to fall back into her old habits with Rosan.


    Good, she was happy as can be that they were fully relaxed now.


    "You''re very lucky that you''re naked," Robin threatened.


    "I''d say you''re lucky you aren''t a pervert, but after watching you shamelessly grope my female form, I''m beginning to think otherwise. Now that I think about it, we can just call it even," Rosan returned, smirk back on his face.


    "You want to talk about groping? Perhaps we won''t shower together anymore unless you''re in your female form since your male form is so grabby," Robin said, getting up to go dry herself off.


    Her redheaded best friend snorted. "Do you have a crush on my female form? Maybe you wouldn''t have been so upset if she was the one kissing you."


    "Who said I was upset?" Robin thought to herself, before banishing that thought. "You always come to conclusions that boost your ego."


    "I simply come to the most logical conclusion and that conclusion happens to make me look good."


    "Egomaniac."


    Robin nodded. "It''s good to know that your unwarranted confidence as a child still remains."


    "Father is super skilled but he is pretty arrogant."


    Rosan''s expression turned neutral. "I''m not a child anymore so this ganging up on me will be punished accordingly. I''ll see you three tonight."


    They immediately began protesting at that.


    "I don''t think that''s really necessary," Robin informed him. She could only defeat him in tickle wars when utilizing her Devil Fruit but that also involved being a safe distance from him.


    The last time they had a war, she used her Devil Fruit and then Rosan used his.


    Getting tickled with heightened sensitivity went about how you expected.


    "I hardly said a thing!" Mod said, panic set on her features.


    Oh dear, if he tickled her again she wasn''t going to make it.


    "Ah shit," Ram said, going off to look for one of her hiding spots that never hid her from Auntie.


    "Should have thought twice messing with an "egomaniac''s" ego," Rosan snorted.


    "You can be utterly insufferable," Robin groaned, accepting her fate.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Nico Robin is with the Straw Hats and is under the protection of Rosan?" Dragon asked in surprise, eyes widening slightly over the Den Den Mushi.


    "Yeah, I know you were interested in meeting her but he''s not gonna even think about letting her go," Sabo replied calmly, adjusting his hat.


    "Right, I''ll keep that noted then¡­ And what about you? How are you feeling?"


    The Chief of Staff removed his hat and raked a hand through his hair.


    "It''s¡­ complicated. I don''t know them but it feels like my body does," he admitted. "More then once, I''m responding in ways that makes it feel like I know them but I still can''t remember anything."


    "You''ve had amnesia for 10 years. It''s to be expected that it wouldn''t be so easy."


    "Yeah¡­"


    He wanted to remember. The familiarity that his alleged family acted with each other¡­ dragging him into it like he had never left¡­ how he seemingly slotted perfectly in their antics¡­


    "You don''t mind if I travel with the Straw Hats for a bit longer, do you?" Sabo asked suddenly.


    "Of course not. This is your family after all. You''ve earned the vacation after your contributions over the years. Give Rosan my regards."


    "Right. Thanks, Dragon," he nodded, smiling at the thought of spending more time with them all and hanging up the call.


    Luffy, Rosan, Robin, Maro, Angel and Demon¡­ if only Ace were still here, he wanted to spar with his alleged best friend again.


    Maybe he really should have just joined Luffy''s crew¡­


    Nah never in a million years.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Vivi was conflicted.


    That was a nice way of putting it really. Vivi was extremely torn.


    The Straw Hats were gone, leaving in the dark of night and making their way back to the ship.


    There were more and more Marines converging on the island in light of Captain Hina and Smoker being injured so to avoid conflict, they decided now was the time to leave.


    Maro, Demon and Angel were gone too, promising to visit whenever they could (once they found out a solution to sailing into the Grand Line) and being given an eternal pose to Alabasta for the future.


    They had all done so much for her but there was still one last thing¡­


    Would she be joining them?


    "We''ll wait for you to make your decision but it won''t be for long," Nami informed her.


    "We''ll stay until 12!" Luffy beamed, munching happily on some meat.


    Would she go with them¡­?


    Memories of Koza and Pell sprung in her mind and she immediately teared up.


    For Koza and Pell¡­ She knew what she needed to do now.


    Igaram burst through the door with a panicked look in his eyes, holding four bounty posters in his hand.


    "BAD NEWS!" The man shouted, glancing wildly around the room in confusion at seeing only Vivi. "W-Where did they go?!"


    "They''re already gone," Vivi said, staring at the posters in his hand. "Those bounties¡­ I''m sure at least two of them will be happy but the other two¡­ not so much."


    "This is no laughing matter! These prices for a rookie crew¡­" Igaram said, staring at the four of them.


    The first two were of Luffy and Zoro respectively (these were the two that would be pleased).


    Wanted: "Straw Hat" Monkey D. Luffy ¨C 140,000,000 Beris


    Wanted: "Pirate Hunter" Roronoa Zoro ¨C 70,000,000 Beris


    The last two would not be as happy¡­ in fact, Vivi was sure they''d be quite displeased.


    Vivi had no idea what Rosan did to deserve a starting bounty this high but the most secretive member of the Straw Hats would be very annoyed to know that he was officially on the World Government''s radar.


    They even had pictures (well updated for Robin''s case) of them now! That nearly lifeless gaze of the scout stared into her soul through the poster, exposing all her fears and failures.


    She already missed that gaze of his. She missed all their gazes and wanted nothing more then to see how they''d react to their new bounties...


    "I''m going to sleep Igaram, I need to prepare for my coming of age ceremony tomorrow," Vivi said.


    Igaram nervously looked at that contemplative expression on her face but nodded, shutting the door quietly behind him.


    Vivi stared into the night sky for a little longer before getting in bed and staring at the sleeping Karoo¡­


    Eventually, she went to sleep, resolve set.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan gazed at the Marine ships with contempt, still displeased by letting that other squad escape.


    They were currently waiting for Vivi and it seemed the Marine''s had been waiting for them.


    That was stupid. That was really stupid to show their faces while he was still very deeply annoyed that the other ones got away.


    The Straw Hats watched in disbelief as Rosan held a hand out and obliterated one of the Marine ships trying to capture them with a gigantic red ball that was clearly not his fire.


    "I''m in no mood to play with any Marines," the redhead said coldly.


    Without any hesitation, he leapt on to the top of Merry''s sail and transformed Ram into his gloves, before holding his hand up into the sky.


    Everyone''s jaw slackened as it began raining dozens of red beams into each ship their, tiny but packing enough force to put holes in everything.


    "He''s in a bad mood," Zoro pointed out, watching him deal with the ship with far too much ease.


    The others nodded in agreement, balking at the screams going on right now and finding themselves thankful that Rosan chose to work in the shadows so often.


    "The Marine''s we were fighting managed to make it out alive because he underestimated Crocodile''s anger. He considers that a loss and Rosan''s a very sore loser," Robin sighed, watching him land next to them, Ram back in ring form.


    "That should be all of them. Now we can peacefully wait for Vivi," he muttered.


    They sweatdropped in fear.


    "Is she even gonna show up?" Usopp questioned. They had been waiting for quite a bit¡­


    "She''ll come!" Luffy said resolutely, staring at the shore with a set expression.


    Despite the captain''s confidence, more and more time passed until even Luffy looked a bit unsure.


    It looked as if she wasn''t coming after all...


    Finally, when they called it quits and began setting sail, a voice yelled out to them in the distance.


    "YOU GUYS!"


    They all perked up in joy as Vivi appeared in their line of sight, looking stunning in her coming of age attire.


    "VIVI!" They screamed back, excited to actually see her.


    "Turn the ship around!" Luffy beamed.


    He knew she was gonna show up!


    Rosan raised a brow but said nothing.


    Vivi looked at all of them, tears brimming in her eyes but a smile on her face. "I''ve come to say goodbye!"


    They all blinked owlishly.


    "What?" Luffy said in confusion.


    "I love you guys and I''d love to continue traveling but¡­ I love this kingdom so I can''t go!" Vivi shouted grinning brightly at them all.


    The captain''s confusion turned into one of understanding and an equally large grin made its way onto his face.


    Memories of traveling with them all ran through her mind and Vivi let out a choked sob.


    She really was going to miss them all.


    "I-If we ever see each other again... WILL YOU CALL ME YOUR CREWMATE?" She asked, allowing her tears to fall freely.


    All the Straw Hats smiled fondly at her vulnerable question and turned away from her.


    The sadness in Vivi''s eyes only lasted a second, as all of them raised their hands to the sky and showed off the X mark that showed they were all friends.


    That''s right, they would always be friends.


    Vivi smiled beautifully and raised her own arm, showing off the X mark on it as well.


    "LET''S SET SAIL!" Luffy yelled and the Straw Hats quickly dissolved into a flurry of action.


    The princess of Alabasta watched them go, before sitting on Karoo and racing back to give her speech.


    "I''m going to miss them¡­" She sighed fondly.


    She really did want to see Luffy become the Pirate King. Maybe one day she''d use Maro''s connection to Rosan to meet them again.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Hey did you hear? The Straw Hats completely wiped out every single ship waiting for them on Alabasta," Jatt, a rookie Marine, whispered to his night shift buddy.


    "Seriously?!" Logan, the buddy in question, replied. "I don''t know why they even tried to capture them honestly! This is the same crew that managed to defeat Captain Smoker and Hina who just defeated our prisoner!"


    "We''re lucky we got the mission to escort him¡­ imagine if we had to stay back and fight those monsters¡­" Jatt shuddered.


    "Yeah, I think only our ship and the one escorting that agent captured late¡­ Bentham I think his name was? Are alive¡­ It''s nuts! They''re being called super rookies already¡­"


    "Yeah, 4 members with bounties that¡ª," Jatt paused as he saw something flicker in the distance. "Hey, did you see that?"


    It was dark but underneath the pale moon, he swear he saw something move for a split second.


    But now he couldn''t see anything...


    What was that?


    "See what?" Logan said, puzzled.


    Jatt scrambled for his binoculars and hastily placed them over his eyes to get a better look and let out a sigh of relief at the fact that there really was nothing there.


    "Must have been because I''m sleepy or maybe I''ve been thinkin of the Captain and her "assets" too much," the Marine joked.


    Commodore Emma was a complete babe and he thanked the lucky stars that he was allowed to work under her.


    He continued to laugh at his own joke before coming to the realization that Logan was not laughing with him.


    "Not funny?" Jatt asked rhetorically. "I thought it was pretty good¡­"


    ¡­


    "Logan?"


    The Marine finally turned around to regard his friend, wondering why he was being ignored¡ª


    There was no one next to him.


    Why was there no one next to him?


    He nervously began glancing around, a cold feeling seeping into his bones that made him begin shuddering.


    Where was Logan? He was just next to him¡­ Where did he end up going?


    S-Should he go call the Commodore? Y-Yeah... that s-sounded like a good¡ª


    Splash.


    The jittery Marine whirled around fully at what he thought was a noise and let out a shaky breath at seeing nothing there once more.


    His mind was playing games with him. Logan probably went to the bathroom while he was thinking about Emma''s amazing body.


    Yeah¡­ that had to be it.


    Sighing to himself, he turned to sit back down and keep up with his night shift¡ª


    And came face to face with an all black figure, looming over him.


    "AHHHHH! W-WHAT THE FU ¡ª mmgh!" Jatt tried to scream but two fucking arms sprouted from his shoulder and immediately covered his mouth.


    He tried hard to struggle but it was for naught.


    "You really thought your friend disappeared without a word?" Rosan asked calmly, raising a brow at the idiot. "Well, I can''t say I blame you. I''d also come to such a stupid conclusion if I wanted to work off my fear."


    "MGMMHM!" Jatt tried to scream for help to no avail.


    He knew this person. Oh Kami he knew this person. They were making waves across the whole world with their incredible starting bounty and that handsome visage.


    W-What was he doing here? How did he get here?! Wasn''t the Red Devil supposed to just be leaving Alabasta?! What was the second most dangerous member of the Straw Hats doing here?!


    "It''s disappointing that your first option is to scream for help instead of trying to fight but I can''t expect much from a Marine," the redhead muttered.


    Without any hesitation, Rosan took a step forward and gently plunged a silver tanto into his chest, watching neutrally as blood bloomed from the injury and began seeping into his white uniform.


    The hands covering his mouth vanished just in time for him to vomit blood and before he could scream, a gloved hand, courtesy of Rosan this time, replaced the previous pair and successfully muffled him again.


    "Shhh," he murmured gently, watching the man fail to grip the tanto stabbing through him, cutting his hand in the process. "There''s no need to struggle. Just close your eyes and rest. It''ll all be over soon."


    Jatt''s struggles lessened over time and the soft, gentle whisper of Rosan began lulling him to a sleep that he wasn''t going to wake up from.


    "That''s right. There''s no need to be so noisy. Isn''t that inconvenient? You wouldn''t want to wake up your allies would you?" He asked, finally removing the blade from his chest and staring coldly at the bleeding body.


    Right¡­ noisy¡­ wouldn''t that be bad? H-He should join his sleeping allies¡­ but wasn''t he doing something¡­? He couldn''t remember¡­


    So¡­ tired¡­


    "I have to agree with Mod-chan, you are terrifying," Robin said with a shake of her head, watching the body drop with an uncaring gaze. She wasn''t keen on feeling blood spill on her arms so she had dissolved them after Rosan stabbed him.


    One thing she noticed about this version of Rosan, was that he had a tendency of questioning a person in a way that made them unsure of themselves.


    He would ask you something in such a calm and genuine tone, that it really made the person have no choice but to question if he was right or not.


    It was horrifically manipulative and incredibly effective but above all, it was terrifying. To make a person question what they knew... it was subtle but it was honestly scarier to her then a person who was blatantly imposing.


    Her best friend hardly gave off that intimidating air. He was handsome and unassuming most days... and then you heard what he said and saw what he did and you realized he was even scarier.


    Rosan wiped the blood on his gloves off with the Marine''s outfit and regarded her. "You guys should never be afraid of me, unless I''m angry with you of course."


    "Considering you were so quick to anger with emotions, that doesn''t sound very reassuring," Mod said dryly.


    "She''s right, anger seems to be your most used emotion," Robin teased.


    "Father''s never gotten angry with me so I''m safe!" Ram beamed.


    "Hm, we can discuss this later. We have more pressing matters," Rosan said, tossing the Marine''s body overboard so he could join his friend.


    "Let''s kill the rest. We only need the Captain alive for now," the redhead said softly.


    He needed her for one thing then she could join her soon to be dead crew.


    "Right," Robin said, unbothered by his actions and content to be his support. She had seen too much memories of his as Reaper and compared to that, this was timid.


    He was a complete demon as a child and the years truly did mellow him out.


    Not by much though. It was in his nature to be their little monster.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Despite being imprisoned in the same room together, Crocodile and Daz Bones didn''t bother speaking to each other.


    What was there to say? They both lost their respective battles and their plans crumbled right before them due to the hands of one crew.


    Besides the acknowledgment of each other''s presence, they both chose to remain completely silent.


    The two Devil Fruit users were chained up with seastone and accepted their fate, content to wait until they were shoved into Impel Down.


    They had gotten used to the utter silence of the night so it was a complete surprise to the both of them, when the door to their holding room burst open.


    That surprise turned immediately into contempt, when Crocodile realized who it was.


    "You didn''t think that fight in the desert would be the last we saw of each other, right? After all, there was so much more to be done, Crocodile," Rosan greeted, stepping into the room like he owned the place.


    "Nico Robin and Rosan¡­" Crocodile grunted, anger immediately subsiding.


    There was no point in being angry. His rage had tapered off with the knowledge that he had been utterly defeated by Straw Hat.


    Robin and Rosan stared at the Warlord without emotion on their features. They didn''t even spare a glance at the other presence in the room, focusing on the former Warlord.


    "How did you find me?" Crocodile couldn''t help but ask.


    "I''ve been watching you since our battle and I never stopped," Rosan replied calmly. "Would you like to know why?" he asked rhetorically.


    Crocodile grunted uncaringly. It was likely that this boy had taken out all the Marines on the ship which meant he was at the complete mercy of the duo. "I''ll bite then. Why?"


    "Because I was curious on how you managed to become such a disappointment."


    That roused Crocodile from his apathetic mood, if the scowl on his face indicated anything.


    "You were a supernova. A notorious pirate when Robin and I were just children. Luffy wasn''t even born yet when you were making a name for yourself," Rosan began calmly, piercing a hole through Crocodile with his gaze alone.


    "You even traveled through the second half of the Grand Line¡­ the New World. You have a strong Devil Fruit, a cunning nature and good head on your shoulders with years of experience..." the redhead praised.


    "¡­You should be strong. So, why did you lose to a crew who had just entered the Grand Line? Don''t you find that a little disappointing? Shouldn''t you feel more ashamed?"


    All the apathy was gone. Crocodile''s momentary ego boost at his former accolades, was sent crashing at the realization that he should have never lost to this crew.


    "Now you realize? You should have dominated every single one of us. In the desert, the Marines would have had to send an Admiral or an exceptionally strong Vice Admiral to defeat you. Your claims of being invincible in the desert should be true but it isn''t because you''re far weaker then you should be, Sir Crocodile," Rosan finished mockingly.


    It was a bitter pill to swallow, but Rosan was right. He never was the same after suffering such a humiliating defeat at the hands of Whitebeard and it led to him losing to a rookie crew.


    No matter how strong they were, Crocodile, if he had stayed in shape, should never in a million years have lost that fight, even if they all ganged up on him.


    Yet he lost one on one against Straw Hat and likely would lose to this redhead too.


    That was unacceptable.


    Rosan saw the fire in his eyes and knew he won.


    Now, he could strike.


    "That was a great dissection of me, redhead but that doesn''t explain why you''re here," Crocodile rumbled with a deep glare of annoyance.


    Was he here to finish him off? Bragging before landing the finishing blow? The redhead seemed spiteful enough to do that¡ª


    "Join me."


    Crocodile and Daz Bones (who was slightly annoyed at being treated like a non factor) blinked in genuine surprise at that statement.


    "What?!" The former Warlord asked in disbelief.


    Rosan looked nonplussed by their surprise. "I said join me. I''ve already killed all but one Marine so you aren''t going to Impel Down. I''ve had plans for you from the start."


    Crocodile snorted.


    Was this redhead insane? After everything he had done, he was being invited to work with him? They weren''t just enemies, this was two of the three who ruined all of his hard work.


    The former Warlord would admit, he garnered a respect for the redhead for being just as cunning as him but this was too ambitious.


    "You''re insane redhead. I have no interest in being friends with you."


    Robin shook her head, much to their confusion, and finally spoke. "That, was the wrong thing to say, Crocodile."


    "Wrong thing to say? What are you talking about Nico Rob¡ª"


    Crocodile wasn''t able to finish his sentence as a fist planted itself into his gut with brutal force and a glowing gaze bored into him without remorse.


    The Warlord, who was still not even remotely closed to healed from the thrashing Luffy gave him, threw up blood at the strength behind the blow, before a searing hot hand wrapped around his throat.


    "Don''t speak to Robin unless I say you can," Rosan intoned, heating up Crocodile''s body with no mercy.


    He watched the man try to hold back his pain but he was failing miserably.


    "I think you''re sorely mistaken, Crocodile," the redhead whispered dangerously. "I want to use you and your skills for my own benefit. That''s all."


    "Friends? With you? After what you did to Robin? You should be glad I''m even giving you this alternative because one way or another, you will be useful to me," the redhead promised him, eyes flickering slightly.


    If at any point in time, Robin asked him to kill Crocodile. He would do it. It didn''t matter what the man was up to, Rosan would get rid of him.


    His life lie in Robin''s hand. And well, if he refused to join their side, there were plenty of other things he could experiment on the man with.


    He would be the perfect subject to practice his technique on.


    After all, there''s no way he''d let the Suna Suna no mi go free.


    Crocodile couldn''t hide the flinch from the pain he was currently in and he spat out another glob of spit.


    "You¡­ You don''t plan on killing me if I refuse," the Warlord huffed.


    "You are smart," was all Rosan replied. "Surely you didn''t think I''d kill you immediately, right? It''s either you join me or suffer the consequences of attacking Robin."


    Robin shuddered a bit at that protectiveness, gazing piercingly at Rosan with an unreadable look in her eyes.


    Not only would he kill Crocodile on a dime if she requested it, he never forgot that the man attacked her and would punish him if they didn''t exploit the sandman¡­


    All for her¡­? Just how far was Rosan willing to go for her...


    Crocodile didn''t fancy getting tortured by this apathetic redhead. He didn''t miss the hot rage on his face during their last encounter and realized that the redhead probably wouldn''t have extended this offer if he truly didn''t see his value.


    Tch¡­


    "What do you want from me?" The former leader of Baroque Works finally asked, voice full of hate.


    Rosan stared at him for a moment. "With your experience, you will be a valuable source of information. You are free to do as you please most of the time. But when I ask something of you, you will do it. It doesn''t matter what it is, you will do it without complaint. Make no mistake, you are my subordinate."


    "Other then that, you can do whatever but do not go back to Alabasta. You can even take Daz Bones and this ship if you want."


    All things considered, Crocodile expected to be a slave but this wasn''t terrible. It was still awful by his standards but he could work with this.


    "Good. If you can get stronger then me, then by all means free yourself but until then, I''ll beat you into submission as much times as it takes until you understand who''s in charge," Rosan promised.


    Despite everything, the redhead''s words were lighting a fire under him that he hadn''t felt in a long time.


    He didn''t feel like dying out right after being reignited.


    Besides, he could grudgingly respect how the redhead handled business.


    "Fine," Crocodile grunted.


    Rosan released his grip and stood up. "I look forward to working with you."


    Robin smiled in amusement, no hint of animosity in her eyes. "We''re the only ones who are aware of this. Let''s keep it like that."


    That made sense. Crocodile was very sure the Straw Hats hated him with every fiber in their being. They did care for that princess after all.


    This would be kept under wraps...


    He was used to that. He preferred this actually. If anyone found out he was answering to this damn redhead...


    "How will we keep contact with each other?" Daz Bones asked curiously.


    Since he was being permitted, he saw no reason to not follow Crocodile. He had a healthy respect for the Warlord so he would do so.


    "I''ve already handled it. I will visit you when I feel like it," Rosan replied. Wouldn''t want him to be ambushed after all.


    While burning him, Rosan placed a Save Point on his hook and left it at that¡­


    But that wasn''t all.


    Rosan hated traitors. He hated them with a passion that was badly expressed due to his limited emotions.


    So of course he had countermeasures in place. The very tiny mechanical fly resting inside of Crocodile was proof of that.


    He had even taken his intangibility into count and the mechanical fly would secrete water before exploding, instantly killing the former Warlord.


    Crocodile didn''t need to know that though. Perhaps if he proved his use, Rosan would disable the fly but for now, it was glued to his heart.


    The former Warlord snorted, not aware of what Rosan had done and just accepted his response.


    "Now, there''s just one last thing to do and then you''re free to remind the world who you are," Rosan commented.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    A ringing Den Den was swiftly picked up by the busy Marine there.


    "This is Marine Headquarters."


    "T-This is Commodore Emma! We''re currently under attack b-by an unknown enemy!"


    Commodore Emma¡­ Wasn''t she the one escorting Crocodile?! Who was attacking them?!


    "Commodore Emma, what''s going on?!"


    Emma seemed to gain her composure at hearing the urgency on the other line. "I¡­ There was a storm and it struck our ship, leaving it severely¡­ leaving it severely damaged and then an unknown assailant began attacking our ship!"


    The Marine grew worried at that. An unknown assailant? Who was tracking them? How did they even know where their ship was?


    "Are you alright? Did you deal with them?" He asked.


    "No. I called to let you know that they''re here to free Crocodile and that they will probably succeed. Most of my men are down but are doing their best to hold them back," Emma said grimly. "Before they get me, I need to let you be aware that there is probably a mole in our ranks."


    A mole¡­? That made sense considering someone managed to find their ship but he would need to see if she had proof.


    "Do you have proof, Commodore?" He prodded.


    "Yes I have proo¡ª"


    Shlick.


    The other line went silent after that wet noise and the Marine grew concerned at the gruesome noise.


    "Commodore Emma?! Are you there?! Speak to me!" He asked, paling slightly.


    There was nothing on the other line for a moment, before the noise was broken up by a weak, wet gasp.


    "Help¡­ me," Emma gasped out before the call hung up.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Crocodile underestimated Rosan. In fact, he underestimated everything about him but now he could see loud and clear why things went so haywire on Alabasta.


    The redhead was more then just cunning. He was a demon. To so effortlessly manipulate the information the Marines were getting...


    Perhaps crossing him wasn''t in his best interest at the moment.


    "Well done, Commodore Emma," Rosan whispered, removing the blade from her chest and staring at the blonde Marine beauty with a tilted head. "It''s such a shame you weren''t Captain Hina or Commodore Smoker. Now you have to take the fall for them."


    Her response was to gag, cough up blood and collapse on the floor.


    The Marine Captain (who had finally regained control of her body) stared at the monster with terror in her eyes, not understanding why he did this and what he gained from it.


    He¡­ He killed all her men right under her nose, attacked and tied her up, went to recruit Crocodile and then¡­ and then he took control of her body and fed the Marines with lies that would throw suspicion onto their own allies instead of the rightful culprit.


    Never in her life had she ever felt so violated...


    The Straw Hats would never be suspected. They were just in the middle of a battle with the former Warlord after all which made this all the more confusing.


    Why? Why did the Red Devil free his enemy? What was the point?!


    Robin was so very glad that she was on Rosan''s side and that he cared this much about her. The things he did to people he didn''t care about¡­ to be blunt, it was horrifying.


    If they thought she was the Devil Child¡­ Rosan would look like hell itself to the world.


    "That should be all. I''ll revamp this ship in your image and then I''ll be on my way. Don''t try and keep track of my visits, they will be random," Rosan said softly, glancing back at Crocodile and the visibly nervous Daz Bones.


    Crocodile merely felt his respect for the redhead begrudgingly grow.


    He was someone willing to do whatever he needed to do to win.


    Looking at this display¡­ He''d need to get stronger on the off chance this uncaring redhead thought to get rid of him.


    To him, most people were just pawns to be used.


    Not exactly like Crocodile (who treated everyone like a pawn) but respectable enough.


    He couldn''t help but think he made a deal with the Devil though.


    "Very well," the sandman said, testing his body and nodding in satisfaction after being freed. "Watch your back. Don''t think you can control me forever."


    "Thinking like that will only make you more useful to me," Rosan countered.


    He didn''t care about acquiring Crocodile''s loyalty. It would literally never happen and they were all aware of it.


    Earning his compliance while the sandman trained to get stronger, would just make him do tasks easier for the redhead.


    He wouldn''t dissuade that. He''d encourage it as long as he benefited off of it.


    If Crocodile grew too strong (which wouldn''t happen) then Rosan would just blow up the bug.


    There was no escaping this. No one escaped him.


    Before the redhead could begin on the ship, a wet gurgle caught their attention and everyone''s eyes roamed to the struggling Commodore.


    She tried to push herself up to grab the Den Den Mushi and Rosan had to respect her. Even in her final moments, she was trying.


    An admirable Marine¡­


    He cut off her course and hoisted the women up with one hand, gripping her neck tighter and tighter.


    ...It was such a shame that she was a Marine.


    "You are not needed anymore. You performed your job admirably, so you may rest with your allies," Rosan told her kindly, walking over to the railing and hanging her right above the ocean.


    Crocodile and Daz Bones watched, reminding themselves that this could happen to them at any point.


    Robin watched with a neutral gaze, no empathy in her eyes.


    Emma struggled for naught and could only stare at that merciless gaze with defeat, accepting her fate.


    "Why? Why did you do this...?" She rasped.


    "Why?" Rosan tilted his head. "You won''t understand what goes through my head. Why should I explain my rationale to you, Emma?" He said eventually.


    She shuddered at the uncaring reply and gripped his arm weakly.


    "You''re a monster..." Emma said limply, tone helpless as those soulless eyes drained all the hope out of her.


    Rosan''s response was to crush her windpipe and drop her in the unforgiving water below, no hesitation at all in his stance.


    Just that cruel, empty gaze as he watched her sink into the cold water below.


    He stared at the splash with a neutral eye before snorting to himself.


    "You''d be #4171 to say that."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Memory Viewing With Robin and Rosan - 3


    Continued!


    Time frame is before they land on Alabasta.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Robin had to admit, she was thoroughly enjoying viewing Rosan''s memories.


    It was never boring, especially with Maro becoming more and more outgoing.


    Right now, the future Queen was proposing that they invade the kingdom of Germa and Rosan, pleased to see that she had come to a decision on her own, agreed readily with her.


    The redhead quickly sought out to find information on the elusive kingdom and consulted Aiko with it.


    "You are incredibly effective," Robin muttered.


    It didn''t take him long at all to pinpoint and find out where Germa was located and after a meeting, Rosan and Maro had a good enough plan on what they''d be doing.


    "I''m not one to waste time," Rosan replied calmly as the memory version of him flew the two over the kingdom located in the East Blue.


    They chose a great time to attack because Germa was currently in the midst of invading some kingdom.


    Maro''s excitement rang true because without wasting anytime, she cloaked herself and flew straight into the kingdom.


    "So you guys weren''t even sure what you were raiding them for?" Robin asked in amusement, as Rosan walked through the castle with no set purpose.


    Mod rolled her eyes. "No, they just assumed that it would have something valuable in there."


    "It''s called the Kingdom of Science... surely it would have something great. You have to take risks sometimes, Mod-chan... you''re far too cautious all the time," Rosan replied calmly.


    The Devil Fruit opened her mouth to refute his claim and then closed it.


    He... was kind of right. She was a bit too cautious wasn''t she?


    "Don''t worry, Mod-chan... someone has to be cautious in Rosan''s head. We all know it isn''t him or Ram," Robin reassured, running a hand through her hair with a slight smile.


    Mod sighed in bliss and nodded at her words.


    They watched Reaper enter some child''s room, who was fond of the color green, only to find a strange canister with the number 4 on it.


    The Angel of Death tilted his head and Maro, who had went another way, chose that moment to speak with him again.


    "So Maro is the one who found the blueprints of the Raid Suit," Robin said, rolling her eyes at how excited she sounded to have one eventually.


    After some discussion, the two both agreed to have the suit created and Rosan made the very immoral decision to kidnap a scientist to work for them way too easily.


    "You are a trip," Robin sighed in exasperation as she watched Rosan knock out and kidnap a scientist, before stealing all of the technology in their cloning room.


    So Germa had clones... that would explain why they were such a dominant kingdom. If their technology allowed them to even create clones, it was a great thing Rosan and Maro chose to invade them because now Celadon had the means to it...


    "Germa must truly hate you. I wouldn''t be surprised if you are the greatest enemy they have," Robin couldn''t help the tiny laughter at that.


    "Based on what we did to Judge, I''m inclined to believe that," Rosan muttered, eyes glimmering in a bit of amusement. "Reaper has a lot of enemies to be wary of. Both Marines, Pirates and Kingdoms dislike me."


    Robin raised a brow. "Judge? I thought your main point of this mission, was to avoid Judge at all costs... you guys ended up finding him anyways?"


    Mod smiled brightly. "Things went a little haywire..."


    Haywire was one way to put it... Robin couldn''t keep the surprise off her face at seeing a very familiar face there.


    "Is... that Sanji?" She asked in shock. The woman glanced at all the other children there and realized that it was almost certainly Sanji locked in that prison with the strange head piece on.


    After all, every kid there had a swirly brow.


    "Oh right... I was supposed to keep that a secret," Rosan muttered, furrowing his brows. "Well, it''s fine. I won''t hide anything from you so Sanji will just have to accept it."


    "Sanji knows your Reaper?" Robin mused.


    Rosan nodded. "I revealed it to him before he officially joined our crew. I trusted him enough to do so."


    She had no idea Sanji''s past was so sad... the blonde was being constantly bullied by his modified quadruplet brothers and even his father treated him like dirt!


    His sister feared what would happen to her so she stayed out of it... but at least she didn''t actively bully him...


    Still didn''t stop Rosan from tearing into her though. Her best friend really had a way with words.


    Her heart went out for their chef, at seeing the tears of sadness spilling out of his eyes.


    Being told he was a failure because his Father''s sick experiment failed on him... and then being relentlessly bullied by his emotionless brothers...


    She was glad that he was doing so well now on the Straw Hats. This was too cruel.


    Evidently, Rosan agreed because he proceeded to beatdown Sanji''s brothers with no remorse, before choosing to free the blonde himself, much to everyone''s shock.


    "It''s not in my nature to make fun of a person with such conviction. No matter what their dream may be," Reaper informed the confused blonde. "You fully believe that you can become a cook after being imprisoned for an unknown amount of time, why would I not believe you if this can''t change your resolve?"


    Robin smiled as the tears formed in Sanji''s eyes and the blonde looked up at Reaper with clear worship in his eyes.


    "I had no idea Sanji went through that," she remarked softly.


    Another child with a difficult life... Sanji was rather similar to both her and Rosan.


    "And look how he turned out now," Rosan commented. "He didn''t let this drag him down. No longer is he weak and he''s a fantastic chef. I knew I did the right thing freeing him," the redhead smiled slightly.


    "And I''m all the more proud of you for it," Robin smiled, stroking his hair in a pleased manner.


    "Me too!" Mod smiled brightly, before her mouth formed into a scowl. "I''m glad you managed to get him out of such a hellish environment... Judge is a terrible person."


    Robin didn''t think a parent could be as terrible as Mod and Rosan made them out to be... until she actually saw Judge.


    The man... he was so callous. He truly didn''t care at all about Sanji, to the point where he was relieved that the blonde was running away from him.


    "Don''t ever admit that I''m your father¡­," Judge had said gravely, closing his eyes. "...in front of other people!"


    "What type of parent is he?" Robin frowned deeply, watching as poor Sanji burst into tears and began truly sobbing in anguish.


    She just... all because he wasn''t afflicted by the modifications his other children had? All because he was kind? What type of human being was Judge, to forsake his own child at the age of 8?


    "If I ever see him again and I''m strong enough, I will kill him," Rosan commented. "Sanji may not want him dead, but I do. Someone so callous shouldn''t be a father."


    Robin found herself nodding at his words. "The world would be a better place without him. I can''t believe him..."


    What would cause someone to act so cruel with their child? Robin would never have the heart to tell her own flesh and blood to refrain from admitting she was their mother, even with the knowledge that she was the Devil Child.


    It was just awful...


    Thankfully, Sanji did manage to get away from him and Reaper stayed behind to ensure that Judge had no intention of pursuing.


    The duo of Grim and Reaper stared off with the giant of a man and the battle ensued.


    Even without the Raid Suit to greatly enhance his capabilities, Judge was still dealing with the bounty hunters with a startling ease.


    Predicting all their moves, weathering all their blows...


    He was handling them well and looked none the bothered.


    "I don''t even know how we won this fight," Rosan admitted honestly. "He was too arrogant, didn''t take us serious enough."


    "Spoilers much?" Robin asked with a raised brow. "I''m still watching the battle you know."


    "...My bad," he muttered.


    She cracked a smile at that. "Kidding. Kidding. I''m still rather curious how you even managed to break through... this looks like an unwinnable battle."


    Despite how unfavorable the battle was for them, Rosan and Maro abused the enclosed terrain to slowly but surely overwhelm the close ranged specialist.


    It was like catching lightning in a bottle. All the stars aligned well for Maro and Rosan to win the battle.


    The enclosed environment that favored the flying duo more. The fact that Judge didn''t have his suit or his weapon and was forced to rely his much worse hand to hand combat...


    And of course, their utterly nonsense Devil Fruits.


    After realizing they were at such a heavy disadvantage, the duo decided it was time to cheat.


    You never wanted Rosan to cheat.


    The very first thing Rosan did, was modify Judge''s sensitivity and as someone who had been on the receiving end of that so much, Robin would never want to take damage while that ability was on her.


    She was proven correct, because everything snowballed out of control for the leader of Germa the moment that happened.


    Grim and Reaper were utterly relentless, as they repeatedly attacked the man, who was desperately trying to account for two mobile demons.


    Judge tried to go back on the offensive, but the moment he hit Maro, the tempo of the match increased even further.


    "I can''t believe your teamwork evolved to this level in a matter of months," Robin muttered in awe.


    Was it just the effect Rosan had on people? Was he actually adaptable despite the stubborn front he put up?


    After all, Rosan and Robin reached such levels of teamwork this quickly too and it was the same with Meiko and Rosan as well...


    How polarizing...


    The duo continuously attacked and made sure to counteract Judge''s precognitive abilities, by giving him no room to move.


    Finally he made a fatal error and a pillar of fire erupted from underneath him, shooting him up into Reaper''s merciless grasp.


    They took full advantage of it. Rosan cut continuously into the man until launching him down.


    Into a full Zoan Maro''s club.


    "Monsters... I can''t believe you and Maro actually managed to make a both of your unnatural aggression cohesive," Robin complimented.


    It was very different from the way her and Rosan fought. Robin was fine being ranged support for the redhead.


    Her style of fighting, was actually why Rosan became so partial to close combat. It was to balance out their skills. Mod-chan utilized far ranged options much more then her son.


    Huh, he really was adaptable.


    Rosan smiled slightly. "Yeah, teaming up with Maro is for a relentless assault with no breaks at all. My most aggressive partner by far."


    She nodded at his assessment, frowning at seeing the duo flee as they were about to kill Judge.


    Such a shame...


    But they got everything they came there for so she wasn''t to disappointed. She was even getting a Raid Suit far into the future because of this trip.


    How pleasant.


    "I''m excited to see my Raid Suit now," Robin smiled eagerly.


    "I am too... I wonder what ability it will derive from your Devil Fruit?" Rosan mused.


    "We should find out soon enough. I''m looking forward to it," the Devil Child responded.


    After revelling in their victory and converting the scientist to their side, Rosan and Maro quickly made their way back to the ship.


    It was there that Maro saw Rosan''s female form for the first time.


    "I regret showing her this form. She''s been obsessed with it ever since," Rosan sighed with a shake of his head, staring at his female counterpart with a neutral gaze.


    He could see why so many people were attracted to her, but then again he could see why so many people were attracted to him.


    "She looks like she''s died and gone to heaven," Robin laughed, watching Maro shamelessly stare at the woman''s large breast.


    She had to admit, 13 year old female Rosan was adorable. She could see why the Dokkaebi was so attracted to her.


    "Well, I guess her seeing this form turned out for the best. It''s how we found out Maro and Angel had crushes on each other," Mod giggled.


    Robin joined her because it was adorable!


    The look of horror on Maro''s face when she realized just who she had a crush on, cemented to Robin that the girl truly was Rosan''s student.


    Angel herself probably didn''t realize she had a crush on Maro, but based on interactions, the redhead had liked the bluenette for quite a while.


    "How did those two manage to get together?" Robin asked curiously.


    Rosan snorted and shrugged. "Apparently, Angel confessed to her the moment Maro was about to confess and she ended up fainting."


    That got the three others to giggle before Robin paused.


    "Apparently? You weren''t there?" Robin asked.


    The redhead''s small smile vanished and he shook his head slowly. "No, it was right after I left them on Celadon..."


    Robin frowned in anticipation at that. "That''s coming up soon I imagine."


    The redhead nodded. "Are you hungry? Let''s go eat first before continuing."


    The brunette thought about it before nodding. "A light snack please. I can''t go getting fat off of your cooking."


    "Just work it off. Your figure is already incredible though so you have nothing to worry about," Rosan complimented.


    Robin blinked at his compliment and looked down at herself. "Incredible you say? Aren''t you just the flatterer?"


    "I just speak the truth," he nodded.


    The Devil Child rolled her eyes in amusement. "It''s no wonder you''re so popular with the opposite gender. Why if I were any easier you might have wooed me over."


    "Please be a little easier!" Ram thought shamelessly.


    "Wow, passive Robin doesn''t do with every flow? Color me shocked," Rosan snorted as they began vanishing.


    "Don''t imply such a dangerous thing. I''ll hurt you," she said flatly.


    "...My bad."


    "Forgiven."


    Ram collapsed on the floor in despair. "Auntie, this is impossible. I''m about to start acting really reckless."


    "Ram, please don''t," Mod said patiently.


    Ram nodded but she wasn''t truly listening.


    No, the ring wouldn''t be satisfied until she at least saw them kiss.


    She just needed the opportunity to arise.

 The Red Devil I

    Rosan grunted as a wooden stick smashed into his head for the umpteenth time that he failed to see coming.


    This one hurt just as bad as every other one too. If not for the Philosopher''s Stone, he was sure his skull would be purple.


    "Let''s stop here?" Sabo said, apologetically glancing at them all. The stick lay at his side as he watched the victims of his bashing with a hint of sympathy.


    It never got better until you began dodging them.


    Rosan was tempted to say no but he didn''t make an ounce of progress today so he just grunted and removed his blindfold, rubbing his head and thanking Mod-chan for getting rid of his headache.


    "Of course!"


    The others followed suit while Luffy and Maro collapsed atop each other tiredly.


    "Foood," they moaned miserably.


    Rosan idly removed the blindfold from both Luffy and Maro''s face and caught the Robin who unceremoniously dumped her body on his, rubbing her back soothingly before beginning to give her a slight massage.


    "This feels less like training and more like torture," she murmured, sighing in relief as Rosan raked a hand through her hair gently and massaged her sore body.


    Summoning a set of hands, she proceeded to do the same to him and they relaxed, working out the knots in each other''s body with familiarity and sinking into each other further, not caring that they were both sweaty.


    "I thought the same thing when I started," Sabo chuckled.


    "You said I already used Haki? It doesn''t feel like it," Zoro gasped out, sweat drenching his injured body.


    "It''s not easy and we''ve just gotten started. This takes time and you were in a life or death situation before," Sabo responded, watching Angel approach her wife and Luffy.


    The blacksmith handed the blond a glass of water and he smiled thankfully, getting a beam out of her before she began attending to both Luffy and Maro.


    The two sighed in bliss as those soft but firm hands began working out any knots in their body.


    "You''re the best honey~," Maro sighed. She wasn''t used to her left side feeling pain and damn did it not feel great.


    But it would be worth it because she''d learn Haki and Haki was awesome and she''d be the strongest in the North Blue!


    Sabo, Luffy, Rosan, Robin, Maro, Angel, Demon, Chopper and Zoro, were all inside of Rosan''s castle (Chopper''s eyes turned into stars at seeing that the scout actually had a castle of his own!) doing various training regimens.


    Rosan asked the others if they wanted to join... but Nami and Usopp had fearfully rejected the offer, while Sanji opted to stay behind to protect them as they docked on some random island, waiting for the log to shift.


    While a majority of them were training in combat, the two doctors were just here to watch for injuries while Chopper and Demon exchanged what they knew.


    The purple haired clone thought he was well versed in his craft but Chopper knew so much! The reindeer must have been taught by a genius in their craft because his knowledge was vast.


    It was humbling to see just how much the young reindeer knew and he greedily inhaled all the knowledge that he could, storing it away with his perfect memory (thank you very much Master).


    It was a good thing he was Master''s clone, he was absorbing the info at an impressive rate, much to Chopper''s awe.


    They were all training in various things besides Haki (Rosan made sure to leave instructions behind for Sanji, since he was staying behind to guard the two cowards)


    Robin or Zoro would be tortured under the guise of training by Rosan, as the Devil Child truly got into the swing of things, while Maro and Luffy both refined their close combat abilities with each other.


    Then, they would break off into pairs and begin rounds of sparring with practiced ease.


    Sabo had to admit, they were like a chaotic, well oiled machine and he slotted into it quickly and perfectly... It was actually concerning how easily he slotted into this group. If he weren''t so loyal to Dragon, he might have had no qualms staying with them for much longer.


    Training typically started off with light sparring and the group learned something.


    Sabo was strong.


    They knew this from seeing his fight with Ace, but watching him match Rosan, the weapons expert, with his own pipe with ease, really put it into perspective that he was well out of their league right now.


    The revolutionary had earned his title as Chief of Staff because he didn''t lose once to them in their friendly spars.


    "You guys haven''t been in the Grand Line for long and I''ve been here for 10 years!" The 20 year old laughed sheepishly. "Once you travel around more, you''ll catch up in no time. You guys are monsters in your own right for getting this strong without this crazy sea!"


    He meant that. These guys were seriously strong and were oozing in potential. It was only a matter of time before they caught up to him and he found himself very much looking forward to it.


    "Maybe I should have gone out to sea when I turned 17¡­ All those years in the Grand Line would have served me well¡­" Rosan mused.


    Perhaps it would have made up for how much he had been slacking over the 10 years. His lack of ambition prevented him from growing as fast as he had done when he was younger...


    Ah, the difference in strength between him and his ambition filled counterpart would be massive. If he had trained as fervently as he had over the 10 years with Luffy...


    It wouldn''t have even been a fight if he fought this current version of himself. Only his undying insanity would keep the fight close.


    He needed to make up for the years he slacked off... He could still reach his full potential, he just needed everything to do that.


    "No!" Luffy protested, glaring at Rosan. "You couldn''t leave because you were apart of my crew! Don''t worry you''ll get 100 times stronger traveling with me!" He declared.


    "I know Luffy. You are my one and only captain," Rosan replied, sighing as Robin reached a particularly nice spot on his rapidly healing body. "I''ll give you a proper massage later to work out all the kinks, you earned it for training so hard," he murmured to the Devil Child.


    "A massage sounds nice. I can give you one as well. I''ve been taking lessons from Mod-chan," she sighed in return, practically melting into his body in bliss. Being spoiled nonstop by Rosan was going to do bad things to her. The redhead had been pampering her since they met again and it felt so nice.


    "Can I have a massage?" Maro pleaded, glancing up at Angel with puppy dog eyes. She was getting jealous just watching Robin and Rosan tend to each other because it was too fucking cute and it was all pure.


    No ulterior motives, just two friends who cared about each other.


    Maro''s eyes gleamed. The two stood no chance against their entire family and they weren''t even aware yet, unaware idiots that they were.


    Honestly, the two were the smartest in the room yet they could be so stupid.


    "Of course," Angel said, rolling her eyes. She often gave Maro massages because her wife had gotten very¡­ blessed over the years and the redhead didn''t want anymore stress to fall on her.


    There was nothing to worry about, considering Maro''s body was incredible so pain from having large breasts was practically unheard of by the strong Dokkaebi.


    Angel still did it though because Maro loved them and she was filled with pride hearing the pleased noises.


    Robin was very much blessed as well so it was a good thing Rosan apparently already knew how to give massages. She did mention remembering how Akemi had said he was a natural with his hands but Angel had completely misinterpreted it and had attempted to murder the tiny sweetheart...


    She completely forgot that the woman was asexual and was rather embarrassed when she did remember.


    Master Mod and Ram were both incredibly blessed too and there was no doubt in her mind that he massaged those two¡­ Angel was glad she opted out of having such burdens on her chest.


    Imagine if she tried to stay true to Rosan''s female form¡­ Yeah, hell no. She already reluctantly accepted the woman''s butt, there was no way she was taking that chest as well.


    Seriously, how the hell did female Rosan move so gracefully with all of that? Angel was jealous.


    "Same time tomorrow?" Sabo asked, watching them all with a curious gaze.


    Everyone nodded in agreement. That sounded fine to them.


    "Let''s go back to the ship, we need to eat," Rosan hummed, standing up with Robin so that everyone could surround him.


    He wasn''t showing much progress at all with Haki but then again, neither were the others¡­ It was still rather annoying, considering he was normally so quick on the uptake of things but alas... He supposed he couldn''t be talented at everything...


    He guessed.


    "Food! Food! Food!" Luffy chanted cheerfully, leaping on Rosan''s back as his form of contact.


    "Sanji''s food is so amazing," Maro sighed in bliss, wrapping her arm around Rosan''s left bicep.


    Honestly, the chef was probably the best cook she''d ever had food from and Maro had a lot of food from different places.


    She''d need to ask him to lend her some recipes to give to her own chefs. They could learn a lot from the blonde.


    Huh. Luffy''s crew so far was actually really fucking impressive¡­ an amazing doctor, amazing chef, amazing navigator¡­ amazing everything really.


    The Straw Hats were shaping up to be absolute monsters!


    "After food we need to go back to Celadon," Angel reminded her, grabbing Rosan''s right bicep. "You still have a few more papers left to review, a building to approve and we need to think of a way to reliably give things to Alabasta."


    Maro nodded. She spoke to the other 2 agents that Master dropped off (she was a bit disappointed that she couldn''t get someone as useful as Mr. 2 but at least she got the bazooka dog!) and they seemed on board.


    Miss Merry Christmas (or Drophy) tried to be a little troublesome but Maro had made sure to show her why that was such a terrible idea.


    The Mole stood no chance against her and she was sure the woman gawked in fear, watching the terrifying Dokkaebi swing around Daisy in her right hand¡­ all while the bazooka dog shot the mole in her left.


    How Maro already managed to tame him? They would never know but Lassoo adored her.


    Zala then further persuaded her by announcing that she was already on Maro''s side and that it was far better then being dead or in prison.


    Good for her! She understood the ultimatums well because the Queen made sure they understood that she would kill them if they caused her citizens trouble.


    (That had caused the spiked woman to nod rapidly, humbled by the overwhelming power displayed by her)


    Maro didn''t care enough about either of the new arrivals yet to continue persuading them. It was either join her or suffer the price of not doing so.


    Safe to say, seeing that all their agents were happy under Maro''s rule, they joined her ever growing army without any further prompting.


    She was pleased with Zala. The woman was already on her side (she attributed that to her lovely Master) and was proving to be quite the pleasant and strong addition.


    With some training, her Devil Fruit would prove to be a nightmare for anyone who chose to fight close quarters with her. She never protested Maro''s orders, had a good personality and did her job well...


    When she wasn''t flirting up a storm with Demon at least. Maro was pretty sure she saw Mikita glaring bloody murder at the woman more than once and that made her realize both the female agents were totally into her older brother.


    Goddamnit, if Angel found out Maro was going to have to hear about it...


    Drophy was a Zoan user just like her and her fruit in particular made her very adept on the ground. She needed to do more then just burrow underground (Maro would not be having her very beautiful island having random holes thank you very much!) but that ability in itself could cause a lot of disruption.


    Maro was already thinking about combinations¡­ Gem and Drophy could be devastating in combat together. What if she summoned a hole and had Gem drop a bomb in it then smoothed it over? Land mines would be devastating... The former Mr. 5 alone was already a valuable asset for warfare so having the mole magnify him would be great!


    Kaori and Zala would also be fantastic as her close ranged specialists too... They got along very well as well so it worked out!


    Mikita was shaping up nicely as well after taking advice from Master (that was such a shock to her!) and Marianne was becoming great backline support.


    It was awesome!


    She wondered who her Master was going to give her next. She was becoming morbidly curious at the fact that he was still not planning on consulting with her. Maro knew she should really put her foot down and tell him to start... but she couldn''t help it!


    Curse her curiosity... And curse Master!


    At least they were all pretty cool with neat abilities¡­


    Except for Jango. She really hated Jango.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    A shadow loomed over Robin and Rosan, who were both lounging on the deck drinking smoothies made from Sanji, as they discussed their next course of actions now that they were free from worrying about Baroque Works.


    "Your suit should be finished soon," Rosan commented, taking a sip out of his strawberry smoothie before offering his drink for her to try.


    She put the offered straw to her lip and hummed at the taste, offering her mango smoothie up and smiling as he accepted it.


    "I wonder what my special ability will be¡­ Hopefully it''s as useful as yours," she remarked, thinking about what it could possibly do.


    Rosan''s could transform into any material/outfit making it incredibly adaptable for everything. It was a suit that matched his paramecia abilities well and allowed him to practically have living gear of any material, all while keeping the durability of the Raid Suit. While not particularly suited for combat, that did not deter the redhead whatsoever and he made it formidable, just as he made the Mod Mod no Mi formidable in combat.


    Maro''s enhanced her abilities to the point where she became an absolute tank in battle, growing tremendously in strength and durability and becoming nigh unstoppable in the process. It perfectly matched the natural gifts a Zoan gave her and even accommodated the fact that she was a Mythical Zoan by enhancing her illusions and fires.


    She imagined Logia''s wouldn''t benefit very much from a Raid Suit. There wasn''t much they could be offered due to their nature and it would likely be less useful in comparison to being a Zoan or Paramecia besides say, enhancing or giving them another power source.


    Perhaps someone like Ace would be able to summon even stronger flames... it was a sobering thought considering how powerful his flames already were.


    Since she was a Paramecia like Rosan, hers would grant her an ability that was an extension of her Devil Fruit that would relieve her of the drain of using a technique¡­ she wondered what it would be!


    An extension of the Hana Hana no mi¡­


    "Ahem."


    The two paused and glanced up.


    "Oh, Nami," Robin greeted, smiling at her and getting a smile in return.


    That smile was quickly wiped off her face as she focused on Rosan, who continued to drink the smoothie Robin gave him.


    "Ah, Rosan!" Robin gasped, watching him finish her drink in disbelief. "I didn''t tell you to finish it! I just wanted you to try it! You know, almost like how you let me try yours?!"


    "You weren''t clear enough. You should have removed it from my lips," he shrugged, swapping cups with her and letting her have the rest of his drink.


    A hand formed on his ear and began pulling it insistently. "You knew you weren''t supposed to drink it all? You''re just trying to annoy me!" Robin pointed out, drinking the strawberry smoothie while glaring firmly at him.


    "You should put your ego away. The world doesn''t revolve around you, Robin. I just drank it all because you didn''t remove the straw," Rosan replied, expertly ignoring the hand pulling at his ear.


    "I need to put my ego away? Are you a master at saying things you know will irritate a person?" The Devil Child raised a brow at the egomaniac.


    "I am but a humble scout, who is very good at pointing out others problems. One of your problems is projecting your core issues onto me¡ª"


    "AHEM!"


    They paused their argument and focused back on Nami.


    "You''re still here?" Rosan mused, successfully getting a tick to appear on her face.


    She seriously hated this insufferable jackass.


    Nami took a deep breath and said, "We need to talk, Rosan."


    The redhead raised a brow at that. "I haven''t done anything in recent memory to deserve such a grave tone. Are you breaking up with me? Are we getting divorced? Will I at least get to see the kids? I can fly over and have them home by midnight..."


    Robin covered her mouth but failed horribly to hide her laughs.


    "I think I''d rather date Sanji before having to deal with you for the rest of my life," Nami snarled, glaring at the archaeologist.


    Laugh now Robin. You''d be the one who had to deal with this before long! If she wasn''t motivated before, she was now just so Robin could fully deal with the jackass!


    "...I think I''d rather date an honest person who wouldn''t say such bizarre things," Rosan retorted. "That is absolutely a lie."


    She opened her mouth, before shutting it as a sheepish expression took over. "Okay, you''re right."


    The redhead smirked infuriatingly, even despite the fact that there was still a hand yanking at his ear. "Alright what do you need? Did the money I give you somehow end up being fraud money? I refuse to believe you spent it all already."


    Deep breaths Nami. Very slow. Very deep breaths.


    "Then again, you might just be trying to leech more off of me. Honestly, maybe we should get a divorce. I feel dirty everytime you take money out of the safe... I''m keeping the kids by the way."


    "Fufufu!" Robin laughed earnestly, unable to hold it back any longer. "And you say you aren''t funny!"


    "I DON''T ONLY THINK ABOUT MONEY, YOU SMUG ASSHOLE!" Nami roared, pulling out Clima and forcing it in his face. "THIS. WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT THIS!"


    She didn''t know how the redhead managed to look so composed despite the fact his ear was getting yanked and there was a staff being shoved in his face, but all he did was raise a single neat brow.


    Damn royal blood of his.


    "Clima? What''s there to discuss? Do you need me to refill him with fire already? What on earth were you doing to use them all up already?" Rosan asked in quick succession, eyes transforming into slits as he grabbed the weapon out of her hand.


    Nami''s jaw dropped as he used a finger to precisely refill her weapon up with those utterly destructive flames of his, that looked rather beautiful when it wasn''t incinerating everything in its path.


    H-He was totally missing the point!


    "I was not empty but thank you, Master Rosan!" Clima said, sounding pleased.


    "Of course. How is Nami?" Rosan asked calmly, making her jaw drop further.


    S-She was the one being judged?! WAS HE SERIOUS?!


    "She''s a bit naive but a fantastic partner who understands exactly how to make use of me! I cannot wait until I''m changed even more to suit her weather aspirations," the blue weapon preened.


    Nami, pleased with her weapon''s compliment, chose to jump in the conversation. "You didn''t think to tell me that my weapon was sentient and could link with me?" She hissed at her annoying brother figure.


    "I wanted to surprise you. He''s useful isn''t he?" Rosan replied calmly, handing Clima back to her.


    She accepted it without hesitation. "He''s very useful. He was the reason I was able to win my fight but you should have discussed this with me!" Nami insisted, waving Clima around to prove her point.


    "Is he not satisfactory? Does he need changes outside of Usopp''s half?" Rosan questioned, finally growing tired of the hand still pulling his ear and grabbing Robin with a calm expression. "Remove the hand or I''m going to tickle you."


    The Devil Child opened her mouth before shutting it as she saw his eyes glow, signifying that he was about to make her sensitive.


    "You are a cheater. I hope you don''t ask for a hug because I will not give you one," she said flatly, dismissing the hand and crossing her arms, turning away from the redhead.


    Rosan nearly rolled his eyes and pulled the Devil Child out of her seat, stroking her hair to appease the spoiled brat.


    "I just said I wasn''t giving you a hug!"


    "Sorry. I couldn''t hear you over the sound of me not listening."


    "You should count your days."


    "There''s no way they aren''t dating. This must be some type of elaborate prank by them and we''re all getting duped," Nami sighed.


    She was getting completely third wheeled on something that wasn''t even a date. She just wanted to discuss her weapon!


    "He doesn''t need to be changed. I just would have liked the option to choose if he has a voice or not," she explained slowly.


    "Is my devilishly enticing voice too much for you?" Clima asked curiously.


    "Fuck off before I throw you away," she growled.


    "My deepest apologies, Master Nami."


    Rosan hummed, still stroking Robin''s hair. "It''s so that you are reminded of the objective when I''m not around you. I gave your weapon an AI so that he can help you out of tough spots and see avenue for victories that your cowardly nature hides from you."


    Nami blinked at that. It sounded like Rosan just wanted her to be kept safe and used Clima for that¡­


    That was so sweet of him! Wasn''t he just so adorable?!


    "You''re so sweet big bro!" Nami beamed, patting his red hair and getting a grunt of annoyance out of him. "You did a good job! Even though Clima pisses me off a lot, he''s extremely useful! I wanted to discuss more about potential upgrades in the future since I noticed some things."


    Rosan nodded at her request. "I''ll help you get better at close quarters combat as well. Anytime I can think of an upgrade, I''ll run it by you and we can make that Clima the best staff on the planet¡­ After Ram."


    The best staff on the planet eh? At this rate, Nami would become the Queen of weather that she rightfully deserved to be.


    Speaking of which¡­


    "You''re interested in learning the elements right? Fire is just the beginning?" Nami prodded, taking Robin''s vacant seat to discuss more with the redhead.


    Rosan''s eyes actually sparked in interest and he sat up, making sure Robin was still comfortable.


    "That''s right. Controlling the elements has always been a wish of mine when I was a kid. I wanted to be a force of nature and fire is a great and relatively easy start that complimented my goal of becoming a dragon. If I manage to learn more I''ll be sure to let you know...," he informed her.


    "Perfect! I''m really interested in lightning myself and maybe more ways to control the water so I can have a bit of defense¡­"


    "Oh, lightning used to be my most desired element... before things happened and it mentally scarred me. I don''t think I will be able to control water at all by the way. I will find another defensive option for you but give me time."


    "Don''t worry about it, just you managing to make water an option with Clima is perfect for me. Also, do I even want to know about the lightning thing?"


    "Do you feel like sleeping well tonight? If not I can tell you that it involves me being tortured."


    "Pass."


    Robin smiled at the two and simply got comfortable, resting on Rosan as she listened in on their conversation.


    She remembered his childish desire to control the elements rather well and attributed it to his wondrous childish mind that saw no limits in his own body.


    It was good to know that he had the skills (and Modification) to back it up now.


    If she remembered correctly, he wanted to control fire, lightning, wind and ice (he said a computer boy had no business learning to control water even though it was really cool) in that order to become a true force of nature.


    A living disaster. Well, Robin could confidently say that Ragnarok was a living disaster but that didn''t even satisfy him.


    Technically speaking, Modification already gave him rather good control over Earth. He was a master at manipulating the terrain around him but the boy had no interest in actually learning Earth... claiming that it was way too lame and what he could do was good enough.


    It was good to know he still wanted to achieve that goal. Watching the two discuss what they could do with the elements, filled her with as much fondness as it did exasperation.


    And he called her a nerd.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    The Straw Hats, leaders of Celadon and Sabo were all currently on the Going Merry next to a certain scout of theirs.


    Rosan hummed. "I''m starting to think you guys like my Devil Fruit more then me," he remarked.


    "I do," Robin said shamelessly, smiling as the neutral expression of his bored into her with narrowed eyes.


    "You''re the only one not allowed to¡­ and Luffy. But, everyone else is free to like her more. She loves the attention despite acting so demure and shy all the time," the redhead commented.


    "I hate you so much."


    "A lie."


    "Shut up."


    Luffy grinned and shot him a thumbs up, utterly unbothered by Rosan''s unreasonable demand and seeing no problem with it.


    Robin raised a brow. "Are you literally banning me from liking someone more then you? You sure are a trip, Rosan."


    "I am and there''s nothing you can do about it," the scout nodded.


    The Devil Child faux sighed. Why did she have to get stuck with the most possessive demon on the planet?


    "You are honestly unbelievable! If I wasn''t so happy that so many people wanted to see me, I''d have to discipline you," Mod tried to scowl but the bright flush gave away how pleased she was.


    Rosan nearly snorted. Mod-chan was definitely a mother alright. No matter what she said, she enjoyed this.


    Before the two of them could devolve into argument, Rosan closed his eyes and allowed his mother to take control.


    Sabo''s mouth opened in surprise, as the redhead got significantly shorter.


    He was the reason Rosan was transforming into this Mod because he vaguely remembered her.


    A small part (that he had no clue would make Koala jealous) was pretty disappointed that he didn''t remember this woman.


    Sabo had been around the whole world and he could confidently say this was one of the most beautiful women he had met yet.


    Average height, really long purple hair, bronze skin that enhanced her unique appearance (much like Rosan) and glowing blood red eyes that had no pupils, staring at them all with a motherly warmth.


    She looked like royalty in the same way Rosan did, even despite the fact that she was wearing his, large on her frame, clothing.


    Mod''s lip curled into a teary smile as she gazed at Sabo in person and scooped the taller man into a hug. "I know you don''t remember me, Sabo but I''m so happy to see that you''re alive and well! I''m Mod!"


    Stepping back a bit, she modified Rosan''s outfit into her signature black dress. "This is how I normally look! I know you likely won''t recall but anything to help!"


    Oh she had a black dress... Scratch that, she was definitely royalty in some way.


    Most of the Straw Hats actually didn''t know she was utterly faithful to her black and white dress. No matter what Rosan said, she would never replace it!


    Perhaps she really was the reason Ram had dozens of the same outfit as well...


    She normally just modified Rosan''s choice of clothing (that was her way of saying she wore different things) to fit her frame when coming to the real world but this was a special case.


    "Nice to meet you, Mod!" Sabo grinned, tipping his hat.


    So his oldest brother was effectively two people¡­ that was kinda cool. "Any help is appreciated!" he added, taking in all her features with a curious eye.


    Besides general color scheme, she didn''t actually look too much like Rosan. They could maybe pass off as siblings but Sabo would think they were at the very most, cousins.


    She smiled at him in joy and everyone else took the chance to begin swarming her.


    "For you, Mod-chan!" Sanji swooned, handing her a specially made smoothie.


    She put the smoothie to her lips and made a noise of delight. "Thank you so much, Sanji! It''s absolutely delicious! I''ll have to try more of your cooking in the future," the Devil Fruit hummed.


    The chef''s eyes turned into hearts at her earnest statement and he began twirling in joy. "Anything for someone as beautiful as you, Mod-chan! Even if I lose both my hands, I''ll cook for you as long as you ask!"


    Her mouth opened a bit at his words, as a red tinge of embarrassment covered her cheeks that had Sanji about to faint. "T-Thank you..." she stammered.


    No matter how much time passed, she would never get used to being complimented.


    "Modi/Master Mod/Mod-chan!" The other''s beamed, hugging the woman as best as they could.


    Mod lit up at the affection and grinned at them all, cheeks a rosy red. "You make this woman feel so loved sometimes!"


    She offered some of her smoothie to the Luffy hugging her (much to his delight), while trying her best to accommodate the others surrounding her but it was very hard because so many people were happy to see her.


    The Devil Fruit was so happy right now!


    Sabo sweatdropped. He should have expected even meeting someone to be this chaotic. The leaders of Celadon, Luffy, Nami, and Robin were hugging the poor woman with all their might (Maro in particular seemed very pleased to be doing so).


    "AHHHHHHHHH WHAT HAPPENED TO ROSAN?!" Chopper squealed, eyes bugged in disbelief.


    Mod''s eyes lit up as they finally gave her some breathing room. "That''s right! We''ve never met, Chopper!" She beamed, scooping up the little reindeer and squeezing him tight. "I''m Modification, or Mod for short! I''m Rosan''s Devil Fruit!"


    "Kami I wish that were me," Sanji and Maro thought at the same time, glaring at the reindeer with jealous eyes.


    Chopper''s eyes sparked in interest as he allowed her to squeeze him. "Rosan''s Devil Fruit is sentient?! Woah! I don''t think I''ve ever heard of that!"


    "As far as I know, I''m the only one of my kind," Mod explained kindly. "It was an experiment gone right... or wrong in the World Governments eyes, considering I ended up loyal to Rosan instead of them."


    That was so cool!


    "How did you two meet?" Zoro asked the woman curiously.


    Mod let out a tiny laughter that sounded like bells at that question. "When Rosan was four, he saw a strange looking fruit and thought it looked good then he bit into it," she explained with a fond smile. "Then he started crying at how awful the taste was and I offered to get rid of it for him. He wanted me to be his friend and the rest was history."


    Robin smiled at that. "He practically guilt tripped the both of us into being his friends. It makes me glad that Luffy forced him to join the crew because he got a taste of his own medicine."


    The crew listened to the tale with various reactions and smiled at the adorable terror known as little Rosan.


    "You''re a Government experiment?" Sabo asked in surprise, eyes going wide at that. He heard rumors of Devil Fruits being manufactured but he had no clue that those could be true!


    The woman nodded as she squeezed Robin with a happy smile. "That''s right. I was a personal project of a scientist named Vegapunk. I''m not sure what his intentions were for me but he did teach me much of what I know."


    The revolutionaries eyes bugged. "YOU WERE WORKED ON BY VEGAPUNK?!"


    They jumped at the volume. "Who''s Vegapunk?" Usopp asked in interest.


    "The greatest genius to exist in this world," Mod explained. "Much of the World Government''s technological advancements, can be attributed to him."


    "Woah..." Chopper gasped. "You''re saying he''s your dad?!"


    ...


    Robin tried to hide her laughter, as Ram began howling in amusement, while Rosan snorted. Mod looked stunned by the question and felt her irritation at her co-inhabitants flare.


    "I suppose you... could say he''s my father, yes," Mod grit out, promising that she was going to deliver sweet justice onto the three of them. "At the very least, my vast scope of knowledge is due to him... which I taught to Rosan... which means Rosan learned something thanks to the World Government."


    That shut both him and Ram right up as she felt their glowering.


    She smiled triumphantly. "I haven''t seen him in quite a long time. I wonder how he''s doing? He was always rather kind to me but I suppose he wouldn''t approve me choosing Rosan as my wielder... though, he never did seem to mind the fact that I never did approve of my previous users."


    As they learned more about the woman they felt their eyes widen in interest. Mod was so interesting! They had no clue she was so special... that would explain why the World Government wanted her back!


    They saw what Rosan was capable of doing. To be completely honest, they couldn''t even blame the Government for not wanting the fruit to fall into the wrong hands because it fell into the worst possible hands for them. A perfect user of the fruit who had a vendetta against them.


    "I''ve had many users... and I can safely say I don''t think any of them could do what Rosan has done," she smiled. "His creativity does things I''m not even aware of! My previous users have found it rather difficult to apply my Devil Fruit in combat... they think me a resource Devil Fruit so he is as much as the Mod Mod no Mi as I am!"


    They listened to her praise with wide eyes.


    "But he''s only that impressive because you helped him every step of the way," Robin smiled down at the Devil Fruit. "Don''t let his ego grow. You are the reason he''s so strong."


    Mod blushed bright red at that. "I-I-I... oh please stop embarrassing me," she muttered, hiding her body in Robin''s frame with a tight hug.


    Mod could practically feel Ram and Rosan sneering at her in smugness and she dutifully ignored them lest she return early to deliver justice.


    They were such bullies! So what she was happy that so many people liked her! They acted like her being so flushed was a bad thing!


    Ugh, she would show them!


    "You know, this is actually my first time seeing you out in the real world," Robin mused, running a hand through her surrogate mother''s hair as they held each other. "We''ll have to spend some girl time one day!"


    Mod had a look of horror on her face at that. "I-I will not change out of my dress! You can''t make me! Not even you Robin!" She protested.


    Robin sweatdropped. She had no idea how both Ram and Mod had no sense of style or desire to change their outfits, considering Rosan was their main body.


    "I won''t force you to change your dress... maybe. We should just spend time together!"


    Maro, Angel and Nami perked up at that in clear interest.


    That sounded really fun! Girl time with all of them would be an amazing adventure!


    They could even drag Ram into it and force the two inhabitants to wear literally anything besides their default attire! Even if they had to wrestle them!


    Ram felt a chill go down her spine for some reason and instinctively hid behind Rosan.


    W-What the hell were they planning with her?!


    Rosan glanced at her momentarily before shrugging.


    Despite how much they teased her for being a mom, Rosan was happy that so many people liked Mod-chan. She had gotten very emotional over the years (perhaps as a counter to how emotionless he became) and was recently filling herself with doubts due to his ever increasing secretive streak.


    He wasn''t dumb. He knew she was afraid of confrontation because she was afraid of him being disappointed in her.


    Mod did not want to feel like she failed him and every confrontation where he was against her felt like that to his mother.


    Ever since revealing the virus, she had been especially afraid of confronting him, even with the knowledge that he was hiding some things from her.


    How silly, Rosan would have told her if she asked but perhaps she wouldn''t like the answer.


    He loved Mod-chan. She was his rock and he was hers but Mod-chan wanted to protect the virus that had contributed to his mental health taking a steep decline over the years.


    The redhead had looked back at all his memories and he saw their influence everywhere.


    The virus had even tried to turn him against Ace. They loved to speak in this tiny poisonous voice of theirs.


    As long as the virus existed, Rosan would need to be careful, even if it meant casting doubts on Mod-chan because she was allowing her emotions to cloud her.


    It seemed like no one but him understood the threat the virus posed and that was fine. If they wanted to see the good in something, he would allow it. But Rosan would never see the good in someone as monstrous as himself.


    When Mod proved she couldn''t deal with it, Rosan would and that was whether she liked it or not.


    But for now, the wheel was all hers. He would trust her ability to deal with it until proven otherwise.


    Besides, what he was doing right now was no different from a rebellious child keeping things from their parents. Mod insisted on being mother and son instead of partners and Rosan was tired of trying to have her see otherwise, so mother and son they would be.


    Mod conversed with all of them with a bright smile. She was so happy that the solitary Rosan had so much people to call friends and that they considered her one too.


    "You need to come out more, Mod-chan!" Nami complained, hugging the woman once more. "You don''t give me headaches like your stupid son!"


    "I would love to see you more!" Maro gushed.


    Everyone nodded in agreement. Mod was a joy to be around. She was wise, gentle spoke with a caring and nurturing tone, which stemmed from years of raising Rosan and everyone else they imagined.


    Maybe that''s why Sabo distantly remembered the flash of purple. She was probably the closest thing to a real mother that he had.


    "Oh dear," Mod blushed, burning a hole into the floor as she tried to hide against Robin again. "You guys shouldn''t embarrass me so much! It''s only adding fuel to how much Ram and Rosan are going to bully me!"


    "She''s way too adorable!" Everyone thought. This was unreasonable!


    Robin hugged her reassuringly. "Don''t worry, I''ll make sure they don''t. If I catch anything, I''ll deal with them."


    The purple haired woman beamed at that and readily returned the hug, looking up at Robin with fondness in her eyes. "Did I ever mention how much I love and missed you?"


    "At least three times a day. I hear it when I wake up, when I inevitably save you from Rosan and when I''m going to sleep," the Devil Child smiled, releasing the woman so she could transform into her lovable redhead.


    "Alright, I''ll be going now! When I leave the mindscape for too long I start to feel homesick so I don''t like to stay out for too long," the Devil Fruit waved cheerfully, smiling brightly at them all.


    Everyone else followed suit and waved at her.


    Mod''s smile suddenly turned mischievous and she instantly transformed into Rosan.


    Robin''s confusion at the Devil Fruits mischief only lasted a split second as she beheld the sight of Rosan in Mod''s black dress.


    She tried desperately to hold back her laughter, knowing Mod''s life was in danger if she did.


    She failed miserably.


    "Sorry Mod-chan."


    "Fufufufu! You look great, Rosan! There is nothing to be ashamed of right now," Robin praised as she soaked it all in.


    The dress was tight on his muscular form and the height difference between him and Mod just made it all the funnier to witness.


    She wasn''t lying! He really did look good!


    Everyone else on the ship couldn''t even hope to contain their laughter at the sight.


    "Hahahaha! At least you''re still hot and you''re showing a blessed amount of skin!" Maro cackled, rolling on the floor in glee.


    "Looks like I finally get to see you in a dress too. Honestly, if it fit you perfectly, you''d look even more amazing!" Demon chuckled, failing miserably to hold back his laughter.


    "W-Why is he hot in a dress too?" Angel moaned sadly, slamming her head into the deck.


    Nami was nearly comatose with how badly she was laughing at him. "Y-You completely deserve this! This is a level of justice I didn''t think I needed!"


    Sanji was right there with her. The chef let out a barking laugh at seeing his love rival in that dress.


    Usopp was rolling right next to Maro as he struggled to speak. The sight of the infallible scout, in such a small dress was just too much.


    "If that''s what he likes. It''s what he likes," Zoro shrugged with a small smirk.


    Rosan glanced down at his outfit with a blank expression, face not conveying anything as it slowly but surely transformed into his previous outfit.


    "I wear disguises all the time for my missions so don''t worry!" Sabo assured, shuddering at the time where Ivankov needed him to be a girl for a mission.


    Mod''s mischievous expression was gone, replaced by nervous laughter. "D-Don''t you remember when I used to dress you up? Just think of it like that¡ª"


    "After I deal with my laughing allies, you''re dead, Mod-chan."


    Mod squeaked in terror.


    The laughter immediately died down as his allies all went pale. They tried to move and realized they were glued to the floor.


    "This isn''t necessary, Rosan," Robin placated gently. When did he get so good at activating Modification without his hands?!


    Rosan smiled.


    "Oh it is. You''re all about to find out very soon how necessary this was."


    Everyone else joined Mod in squeaking.


    Ram cheered at being spared.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Traveling with the Straw Hats was chaotic and random and Sabo loved it. It was way too fun!


    He loved his allies in the Revolutionary but they weren''t even remotely as entertaining as this small group of ragtag pirates.


    Between Sanji picking fights with Luffy, Zoro and Rosan, Nami picking fights with Rosan and Luffy, Rosan picking a fight with Robin, Luffy and Rosan annoying all of them with their antics¡­ Usopp and Chopper joining Luffy''s antics...


    Huh, those two really did attract trouble.


    It was a blast. Sabo had been all around the Grand Line and he could say with confidence that the Straw Hats attracted the weirdest of things. It must have been because they were being spearheaded by Luffy and Rosan because this was out of whack even by Paradise''s standards.


    Why did he say that?


    Well, the day had started off simple enough. They brought the three from Celadon over, continued their training (with little success), ate breakfast, sent the three back home and continued to sail to their next destination.


    Sabo chose to help out with things on the ship, not liking the idea that he wasn''t doing anything and offered his assistance when he could.


    "You and Ace are just too pleasant compared to the other two," Nami sighed despondently, glaring at a Rosan who was reading a book and not helping with the ship.


    At least Robin, who was atop him reading the same book, was using her Devil Fruit to assist with multiple things. The redhead was content to laze about and do nothing!


    Ugh!


    "You really do just set yourself up to be annoyed by zeroing in on me," Rosan advised, flipping a page of his book, and raising a brow when Robin glared at him... causing him to flip back to the previous page. "Do you secretly enjoy being bullied by me? Is that what you''re into?"


    The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    "Just let me read it for the both of us," Robin said.


    "You read slow..." Rosan grunted.


    "I don''t have the mind of a computer speeding me up unfortunately! I''m reading. I used to do it when we were kids so I''m doing it again."


    "...Fine."


    Nami opened her mouth and immediately closed it, realizing that this was going to end up terrible for her if she continued.


    "Fuck you," she grunted, stomping away.


    "I''d rather we not. I''ve begun seeing you as a little sister," Rosan advised, sipping his lemonade as he allowed Robin to read for the both of them. The redhead absentmindedly thanked Sanji who was in the distance.


    The navigator grumbled, tempted to douse him in water with Clima but refraining because there was no way her weapon would attempt to do so.


    She was also pleasantly happy that he saw her as a little sister the same way she saw him as an older brother... but she wouldn''t tell him that.


    Rosan suddenly shut his book and stood up, glancing up at the sky sharply.


    Sabo went alert at that.


    "What''s wrong?" Robin asked curiously in Rosan''s grasp, allowing him to gently put her down.


    "Something''s falling¡­" the redhead muttered, transforming Ram into a shield and sprouting his draconic wings. "Stop the ship as best as you can."


    They watched in confusion, wondering what his bird saw but that was soon made clear as a massive shadow befell the ship.


    "WHAT IS THAT?!" Usopp screeched in terror. Was¡­ WAS THAT A SHIP? FROM THE SKY?!


    "GAAAHHH!" Chopper screeched, running around in a panic.


    What were they gonna do!? Were they gonna die?! HE DIDN''T WANT TO DIE!


    Sabo tightened his grip on his pipe, preparing to make sure none of the rubble of the ship collided with the Going Merry.


    It seems that was not needed though.


    A red blur soared into the sky and the Straw Hats heard it mutter, "Increase."


    Their jaws dropped as before their very eyes, the floating shield Rosan was wielding expanded to ludicrous sizes and covered their ship as if it were its own personal umbrella.


    Pieces of the wrecked galleon collided with the shield while the rest crashed into the ocean, sending out a massive wave that rocked their boat back and forth.


    Once everything settled, Rosan transformed Ram back into a ring and stared at the broken ship with a tilted head.


    Where did that come from? Did a giant throw it?


    He floated over to the wrecked ship, ignoring the thankful cries of his cowardly crewmates and landed gently on the remains.


    "The ship is sinking. Grab what you can and head back," Mod instructed with a curious gaze.


    Rosan''s eyes roved over the entire ship, draconic tail idly roving over the material and his eyes landed on a map.


    He snatched it up with his tail and deposited it in his hand, inspecting the old paper.


    "Skypiea..." he muttered to himself.


    "That sounds like a Sky Island."


    A Sky Island¡­ Rosan hadn''t dwelled on the interesting idea of an island in the sky too much but Mod-chan did tell him about them a while ago.


    He was interested in finding one and he would have done it too but he never did clear up his schedule to do so (he had wanted to try and take Meiko there for a vacation if possible) and then he lost all his emotions and subsequently his interest.


    A Sky Island wouldn''t have fulfilled Meiko''s wish so it was pushed out of his mind. Besides, he wasn''t pressed for time. If he ever wanted to visit it, he could always fly up there.


    Knowing Luffy, he''d want to visit without using Rosan.


    If Maro caught wind¡­ He was almost certain she''d join too... The goblin would never throw up a chance to see something interesting and used his taxi services religiously.


    His eyes caught a strange... scooter? And before it could go under, his tail lashed out and scooped it up curiously, eyeing the broken thing with an appraising eye.


    "Interesting..." Rosan mused. Did the Sky Island have its own technology? Different from that of what was down here?


    "Oh no," Mod moaned sadly as Rosan''s greedy mind latched onto the idea of visiting now.


    That darn hoarder.


    He floated back upwards and made his way over to his crew, map in hand so that he could hand it to Luffy.


    "AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Nami''s screech made him pause for just a moment, before the redhead shrugged.


    She was always overreacting over the simplest of things.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Nami''s reason for overreacting, was due to the Log Pose pointing to the sky. It further supported the idea that Skypiea was a Sky Island and Rosan chose to show them the map and vehicle he found.


    "What is this?" Nami wondered in clear interest, eyes sparkling as she gazed at the broken vehicle.


    "I''m not sure. It''s some type of scooter but I don''t recognize it so I grabbed it," Rosan muttered, eyes just as interested in the strange thing.


    "If they have these on Sky Island... I''d be really interested in checking it out," the navigator decided.


    "LET''S GO TO SKYPIEA!" Luffy declared cheerfully, mind set.


    "YEAH!" Usopp and Chopper agreed excitedly.


    "I''ve always wanted to go to a Sky Island," Sabo mused. He was kept busy as a Revolutionary and they didn''t operate on the island''s in the clouds for obvious reasons.


    Nami nodded. "So we''re all in agreement to go to Sky Island? Great! Now how do we get there?"


    She was met with complete silence.


    The navigator''s eyes widened in shock. "Really? Not even you Robin and Rosan?"


    "I''ve only ever heard of it," Robin said apologetically.


    "Mod-chan has no idea either," Rosan joined. "I could probably fly up there if I pinpoint the location but Luffy won''t accept that."


    The captain nodded vigorously. "We can''t rely on Rosan for everything! We gotta find out how to get up there and if we can''t find a way¡­ then we use Rosan!"


    They sweatdropped but found themselves nodding. The scout, when push came to shove, did a lot for them and it wouldn''t feel right to continuously exploit him.


    The crew wanted to help him in any way possible so they needed to not rely on him for everything.


    Rosan looked impressed and nodded his head. "Okay, you can use me as a last resort then. I was expecting to immediately fly us there which is why I only grabbed this map and vehicle but maybe I should have went for more stuff on that ship¡­"


    The next series of events really showed that it was just normal for the Straw Hats to encounter the craziest of things.


    First, Nami came to the decision that they should just salvage the ship for anything useful and they got Luffy, Sanji and Zoro to do so.


    After Usopp created (and Rosan reinforced) a diving suit, the three went on their way down to the sunken ship.


    Sometime later, a massive ship with the figurehead of a Monkey showed up and they were introduced to someone named Masira, who conveniently happened to be a salvage pirate (and an idiot.)


    Rosan had been about to just deal with them so they didn''t get in the way but Nami quickly intervened and convinced the morons that they were interested in seeing how they salvaged.


    He idly high fived Robin for stealing their Eternal Pose without them realizing and the crew watched the salvage pirates prepare to retrieve the ship.


    Then, Masira went down to see the ship and that''s when things got really interesting.


    An absolutely gargantuan Sea Turtle showed up out of nowhere and consumed the ship that had three of their crewmates on it.


    After gauging the situation, Rosan decided that perhaps he''d need to fully activate Ragnarok because he very much did not feel like using his Save Point to enter the turtle''s mouth.


    Fortunately for him, his three crewmates were spat out on the ship but that wasn''t even the most ridiculous part.


    The best part of their day happened, when they all watched as the sky went dark and three figures that were ludicrously large loomed over them, so gigantic, it made that turtle they just saw look tiny.


    Rosan was already prepared to fight them all if he had to, wings sprouting from his back as he took to the skies and charged up a massive fire.


    "ARE YOU INSANE?!" Nami and Usopp screeched, watching the flames fly through the air.


    While Rosan was doing a suicide lap by belching his waves at them, they were trying their absolute best to run away from the giants and were making fantastic progress too.


    Soon, they were completely gone and relied on Rosan''s Save Point to catch up to them.


    The redhead in question, hummed in confusion as he stared at the giants before shrugging and activating the teleportation technique.


    "You''re alive!" Usopp cheered. He thought for sure Rosan died by earning the ire of monsters that big.


    "Even though I could see them, I couldn''t feel them," Sabo informed them, looking even more confused then Rosan, glancing at where they had been with a curious gaze.


    The moment they appeared, Sabo had been just as ready to engage in potential combat but when he activated his observation, he didn''t feel any of their supposed enemies.


    "Huh?" Nami said in confusion. "That doesn''t make any sense though¡­ Maybe they can avoid your Haki?"


    Rosan shook his head. "My fire went right through them. It was almost like they weren''t even actually there. They didn''t notice me, move forward, or anything."


    How odd¡­ that could mean a number of things¡ª


    "GHOSTSSS!" Usopp screeched, eyes bugging in disbelief as he began to panic. "WHAT IF THEY HAUNT US NOW BECAUSE OF ROSAN?! WHAT IF WE''RE STILL IN THEIR TERRITORY?! WHAT TYPE OF GHOSTS GET THAT BIG?!"


    Chopper''s jaw dropped to the floor and he screeched. "G-G-GHOSTS?! I DIDN''T KNOW THEY WERE REAL?!"


    Watching the two idiots panic, set Luffy off and now the three were running around.


    "Luffy isn''t even afraid of ghosts¡­ why does he do this?" Rosan sighed internally.


    They were all idiots.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    After some discussion, the group decided to head to the location of the Eternal Pose that Robin had stolen so that they could gather more information on how to get to Sky Island.


    Cue Jaya Town.


    "They absolutely will get into a fight," Nami frowned, watching Zoro and Luffy walk off without a care in the world.


    With no hesitation in her body, she vaulted over the rail and chased after the duo to ensure they did nothing stupid while they gathered information.


    Jaya was a spring island that was a lawless zone, making it incredibly popular with pirates. It was why not all the Straw Hats chose to dock. If they left their ship alone, it would be bad news.


    Usopp, Chopper, Sanji, Robin, Rosan and Sabo were still on the ship¡ª


    "WAHHHH!" Usopp shrieked as he noticed three members missing. Before Sanji could even think about leaving, he and Chopper leapt on the chef and begged him to stay.


    "W-We don''t know where Robin, Rosan and Sabo went!" Usopp sobbed.


    They just disappeared outta nowhere! What was wrong with them?! Couldn''t they at least announce that they were departing?


    "F-Fine just let me go," Sanji muttered with a sweatdrop.


    Where did they go?


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "You''re coming with us?" Robin asked in surprise.


    Her and Rosan chose to go explore the town by themselves but they were surprised to see Sabo with them.


    The revolutionary shrugged. "I didn''t feel like staying on the ship and you guys know how to lay low unlike Luffy so I figured going with you would be a better choice."


    "Fine with me," Rosan nodded in agreement. "Robin what did you want to do?"


    "I want to go clothes shopping and information gathering," she informed him.


    The redhead paused and raised a brow. "You have enough clothes, Robin. You do not need more," he chided, eyes boring into her blue gaze.


    She held her hands up in surrender at his chastising gaze. "I wouldn''t dream of buying clothes on anyone besides Maro or Aiko''s island! Their quality is nice! This is for Sabo!"


    Why was he looking at her with such parenting eyes?! She was the mature one between the two and there was no way Rosan would be chastising her!


    Sabo blinked. "Me?" He asked, pointing to himself.


    "Ah," Rosan hummed at that. "Right, you''ve been wearing my clothes since you only have your one outfit. Got it, we can buy you a little more then we can go to Maro''s island to give you better quality. I can''t believe we forgot to do something as simple as that."


    "We''re too caught up in training," Robin sighed forlornly. "I can''t believe I''ve become as bad as you."


    "You will only get worse."


    "...Please be a little more encouraging. I like to be the one who says such pessimistic comments but you make it very hard."


    Looking at the two stylish adults, Sabo realized that maybe this wasn''t a fantastic idea.


    He wasn''t sure what they were planning... but he had a terrible feeling about this.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    While buying clothes for Sabo, Robin and Rosan managed to actually learn about a potential lead by the name of Mont Blanc Cricket.


    He was apparently on the other side of the island and they even managed to procure a map in the process, thanks to the guy being taken by Robin''s good looks.


    (Rosan proceeded to break his nose after he tried to continue flirting with her, much to the woman''s amusement)


    "I thought you guys said you''re only gonna buy me a little¡­" Sabo muttered, gazing at the huge amount of bags with a sweatdrop.


    Rosan nodded. "That''s right. Wear these for now until we buy you some more on Celadon. Their quality is good... I''m sure we can even get you a more suitable version of your default outfit," he informed him.


    "They have incredible quality for both comfort and combat so just put up with these for a little," Robin assured, smiling at the blonde as she assisted Rosan in placing the bags in the Pocket Dimension.


    "I think you both completely missed the point..." Sabo thought to himself, sighing at the antics of his family. The fact that they didn''t even realize just how much clothes they bought was quite concerning but they were all quirky in their own way.


    The trio continued their way towards the ship as they conversed through Rosan''s link.


    "So I''m guessing there''s no chance you ever let Robin join the revolutionaries, huh?" Sabo asked jokingly, watching with a raised brow as some large grappler asked if anyone else wanted to wrestle him, all while holding onto some poor dudes.


    "Devil Fruit users will have an easier time trying to swim before I give her up. I appreciate Dragon for what he''s done but he''s out of his mind if he thinks I''m letting Robin out of my sight. I''ve already said she''s mine," Rosan replied calmly, watching some odd looking sniper aim at a bird incredibly far and shoot, hitting his target with impressive ability.


    "I appreciate the possessiveness, Rosan. It''s very much needed," Robin said dryly, watching in curiosity as a man bit into an apple offered to him by some sickly man... before promptly dying.


    What a strange town.


    "Well, what if the both of you came for just a bit?" Sabo asked instead.


    That got an amused noise out of the duo.


    "As if Luffy would ever let that happen," they both replied.


    The Chief of Staff snorted and shrugged helplessly.


    Sorry Dragon, he tried.


    A loud crashing noise made the three slow down a bit and halt their conversation. They were all passively listening to what the people were saying, checking to see if there was anything of note so all three were able to hear a group of people say¡ª


    "Did you hear? Bellamy is teaching some upstart pirate named Straw Hat a lesson in that bar," a random pirate commented to his friend.


    "Yeah, I heard he was worth 35 million but he can''t do anything! How pathetic!" his friend replied.


    Rosan and Sabo''s eyes instinctively darkened.


    Robin sighed. There went their anonymity.


    "What''s the situation?" Sabo asked politely to the random pirates.


    The two pirates raised a brow at the unassuming and friendly blond. "Who the fuck''s asking¡ªHURGK!"


    The pirate''s voice was cut off as a bronze hand began squeezing his neck with crushing force.


    He went white at the heterochromatic slits staring into his soul.


    "That wasn''t a question," Rosan informed the two, heating his hand up and making the man squirm in fear.


    "It almost certainly was a question," Robin jumped in, effortlessly restraining the other one before he could join the interrogation and get killed.


    "You''re not helping him," her best friend replied, tightening his grip to prove his point and getting the man to let out a strained squeal.


    "How am I not helping? I''m just pointing out that he absolutely asked a question."


    "You are severely lacking in intimidation tactics. Have you never heard of Good Cop, Bad Cop?"


    "Who''s supposed to be the Good Cop?"


    "...Maybe you''re the Stupid Cop."


    "I''m stupid? Rosan should we bring up your past again?"


    "I''ll talk! I''ll talk!" The pirate squeaked. He was quickly losing air right now.


    The two didn''t even acknowledge the unlucky pirate, content to argue with each other.


    Sabo held his head at their antics.


    He owed the revolutionaries an apology. This must be how they felt when dealing with him.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan opened the door to the bar without any hesitation, ignoring the voices behind calling him stupid for interfering with Bellamy''s business.


    Commotion died down, as the three walked in and even Robin''s eyes narrowed slightly at the sight.


    "You guys!" Nami gasped, watching the three with a shaken gaze. She was flushed from embarrassment due to the events that were currently transpiring and the worry in her eyes was obvious.


    "And who the hell are you three?" Sarquiss, a blue haired member of Bellamy''s crew asked cockily, greedily eyeing Robin''s body, wrapped in Rosan''s purple cardigan that she stole, up and down.


    Rosan''s eyes flickered over to the blue haired man for a moment, noticing where his gaze was at, and decided he wouldn''t be making it off this island alive.


    Robin shuddered a bit at that simple decision to kill someone for looking at her in an inappropriate manner. She was use to gazes like this on her person all the time but she was not used to someone taking offense on her behalf in such a manner...


    The redhead''s eyes roamed over the entire bar once more before landing on his injured younger brother and the two made eye contact.


    The utterly lax rubber boy, bleeding from the injuries sustained on his body, went tense immediately at the sight of his redheaded brother who despised things like this.


    Well...


    "Captain. What is this?" Rosan asked softly, not bothering to register any of the other irrelevant people in the bar.


    No, the only thing on his mind was the fact that his very capable little brother was allowing a bunch of nobodies to inflict this much damage on him.


    "It''s nothing," Luffy replied truthfully.


    Uh oh, Rosan didn''t use his name.


    The scout being here was the worst possible scenario. Unlike Luffy, who didn''t care about being disrespected, his oldest brother would very much retaliate if someone put their hands on him.


    "Nothing?" Bellamy barked, grabbing Luffy''s hair tightly. "You call what I did nothing?! You pacifists really piss me off and now you''ve brought even more of your cowardly crew!"


    Luffy ignored him and gazed evenly at his brother. "Rosan, don''t fight them. It''s not worth it."


    "What?" Ram snarled in contempt.


    Rosan for once, didn''t need to be influenced by Ram''s violence to disagree with Luffy.


    "I told you not to order me around as you please," the redhead said calmly, eyes narrowed slightly. "You sit here and let trash do this to you? Don''t even think of telling me what to do right now."


    The Straw Hats paused in shock, as Rosan began actually ridiculing Luffy.


    "Trash?" Sarquiss growled, marching up to the redhead that was apart of this pathetic captain''s crew. "Who do you think you''re talking to¡ª"


    Red and purple bore into him and the Bellamy pirate nearly bit his tongue with how abruptly he stopped speaking.


    "Wait your turn. Rest assured, I''ll get to you eventually."


    With that simple statement, he turned back towards Luffy, disregarding the blue haired man standing close to him completely.


    Sarquiss went red in anger and embarrassment at being ignored so completely.


    "I don''t care what the situation is. You shouldn''t allow yourself to be disrespected so easily, Luffy. It''s unbefitting to sit there and allow people to think they stand a chance," Rosan chided, walking up to the person holding onto Luffy.


    Without any hesitation, he ripped his captain out of the man''s grasp and pushed him towards Robin and Sabo.


    Luffy let it happen without a fuss. As long as they didn''t fight these guys, it was fine. They weren''t worth the trouble.


    "Zoro, Nami. We''re leaving," Rosan said, turning away from them all and preparing to walk out.


    A hand on his shoulder stopped him.


    Luffy paused immediately.


    Rosan glanced back at the suicidal idiot, Ram already seeping into his gloves so he could obliterate him and this entire bar.


    "I don''t remember saying you could leave," Bellamy threatened with a wide grin. He was getting very tired of being ignored since this loser redhead walked into the bar.


    He gripped this trash talking redhead''s shoulder even harder and his grin widened at seeing the man''s eyes flicker boredly to it.


    "He''s dead," every Straw Hat thought.


    Bellamy didn''t notice Rosan raising his hand to melt his cocky face off but before he could, Luffy firmly pushed it down.


    "Luffy! Just let Rosan clobber him!" Nami said in exasperation. These guys were begging for it and even though she didn''t want them to fight, she could make an exception.


    She was also incredibly embarrassed at not only being laughed at, but being forced to watch Luffy and Zoro take such a beating.


    Rosan almost looked confused as he watched Luffy push his hand down, before his expression darkened into something fierce.


    Now he understood why Luffy was acting like this and it did nothing to temper his mood, only worsening it.


    "Shanks is not my idol. He''s yours," Rosan whispered, rounding on his captain with glowing eyes, effortlessly breaking out of Bellamy''s grasp in the process. "Don''t think you can enforce his teachings onto me like he did you, Luffy. I live by my own rules and you know that better then anyone else. Rosan is Rosan and nobody else."


    Rosan didn''t care enough to acknowledge people''s words because they were just words. Everyone always had something to say so allowing those words to get into your head would just cause self doubt.


    But the moment you put your hands on him or tried to, that''s when ignoring went out the window. He had been touched inappropriately for far too long for him to allow just anyone to attempt to touch him. It wasn''t worth acknowledging people''s words, but it was absolutely worth defending yourself if said people tried to harm you.


    Shanks was the type of idiot who''d ignore everything you did to him and that''s where their differences lie. He would take all levels of disrespect because "it wasn''t a big deal" and just laugh it off.


    Rosan would not laugh it off. Rosan would make you regret attempting to attack him.


    His fellow redhead was absolutely ridiculous and you were telling him Luffy was trying to turn him into that?


    Absolutely not¡ª


    "Rosan, don''t let these random pirates turn you against Luffy," Robin interjected. She would hate for there to be bad blood between the two brothers just because a small difference in views.


    "Yeah, I get it but these guys aren''t worth the effort," Sabo agreed, already prepared to leave the establishment. They were a pathetic bunch who didn''t deserve the time of day. Just a bunch of bullies who got their kicks off on trying to ridicule people''s goals and dreams.


    He paused at the sound of Robin and Sabo''s voice and allowed the glow in his eyes to vanish.


    "Fine. The blue haired one still dies though¡­ He gets to survive for a bit longer I suppose."


    Luffy allowed Rosan to hoist him up, satisfied after watching the glow vanish from his eyes, and his redheaded brother marched him out the establishment.


    Bellamy felt a litter of veins appear as every single one of them began leaving, paying him no mind. The hyena crouched lowly, prepared to activate his Devil Fruit to really teach them a lesson.


    "I SAID YOU CAN''T LEAVE YET!" He roared at the retreating crowd, taking a step forward.


    Everyone in the bar could only watch in shock as the man lost his step and fell into a conveniently placed cherry pie, smashing right into his face.


    "Honestly, he should be glad we talked you down," Robin sighed, dispelling her hands as the door shut.


    Rosan grunted.


    "Zehahaha! Why are you so upset, redhead? Your captain won that fight!" A booming voice called out.


    The redhead paused and glanced back at the voice.


    Despite sitting, the figure dwarfed all of them. He had a massive build with a round body along with relatively thin limbs, black hair covered by a bandana, a prominent lipped mouth with several missing teeth, a pronounced crooked nose and a very large and hairy chest and torso. He wore an open buttoned white shirt with rolled up sleeves, green trousers with black line patterns, a yellow sash around his waist and classic black swashbuckler boots complete with large bronze buckles.


    "Is that so?" Rosan asked, eyes glowing slightly as he turned fully towards the man. "Well then, how about you follow in their footsteps and stay completely still, while I use you as stress relief?"


    "Zehahaha!" The man threw his head back and laughed at Rosan, utterly unbothered by the violent redhead as he took another bite into his pie. "You should learn a thing or two from your captain! It ain''t always necessary to use your fist when aiming for the top!"


    Rosan''s eyes narrowed as the man continued.


    "Let them laugh! It isn''t easy to be great and you''ll always find people that will doubt your dreams! But people''s dreams don''t ever end!"


    The redhead took in the man''s words with a tilted head. "Sure they do. My dreams died a long time ago," he replied softly.


    The mysterious man''s grin widened. "We''re not so different. People like us get beat down but never for long! It''s only a matter of time before a dreamer like you starts dreaming again like us, zehahaha!"


    The massive man stood up, dwarfing the redhead as he looked down on him. "I like you, redhead. If you ever find yourself disagreeing with that captain of yours again, I''ll take you on a journey worth dreaming about!"


    Rosan stared up at him and snorted before turning away and walking off. "It won''t happen. You have quite the ambitions to try and steal me away right in front of my captain..."


    He was strange... but Rosan found himself respecting him. He was unassuming but Rosan could feel it.


    Whoever this was, was a dangerous person. He just didn''t show it. A man who waited for the opportune moment to strike.


    Much like himself... Perhaps they did have some similarities.


    "Zehahaha! It doesn''t hurt to try!" The man roared in laughter, finishing off his pie and lumbering away. "If fate decides it, maybe we''ll meet again and maybe you''ll be a dreamer next time! Someone with your ambitions won''t be stifled for long!"


    "I don''t believe in fate. If we meet again, it would simply be because our interests have met at a crossline."


    With that, Rosan turned a corner and vanished.


    Robin sighed, following after the redhead with a short wave.


    Luffy picked himself up and sighed, dusting himself off in the process.


    His redhead brother just needed time to cool off. He was very spoiled and hated when things didn''t go his way.


    Robin would make sure he felt better!


    "I hope you all make it to Sky Island!" The man waved, walking off into the distance.


    "Don''t try and steal my crewmates again!" Luffy barked back.


    "We need to get you two to Chopper," Nami sighed, pushing Zoro and Luffy forward.


    Robin would deal with Rosan so it was up to her to deal with these two idiots.


    Sabo sighed. He would let Robin deal with Rosan. He needed to take a break.


    Bellamy glared darkly at the entrance, daring anyone to laugh at him.


    Marshall D. Teach stared at the brothers of Portgas D. Ace with a curious grin.


    "Zehahaha! They really are interesting, aren''t they Ace?"


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "What convenient timing," Rosan muttered, seeing his Den Den Mushi connected to Aiko ring.


    "Are you upset?" Robin asked softly, grabbing his arm and making him pause in the isolated area (Rosan''s aura made the few lingering quickly vanish).


    The redhead didn''t answer her and picked up the Den Den Mushi instead.


    Robin sighed.


    Definitely upset then.


    "Aiko," he greeted.


    "You sound upset," the woman said immediately, a tinge of concern in her voice that she failed to hide.


    Rosan grunted and Robin smiled.


    Seems everyone kept a close eye on her best friend.


    "We can talk about it when I come over. I''m guessing the suit it ready?"


    "Yep. Bring your hot little friend over and we can give it to her," Aiko instructed.


    Robin raised a single neat brow at that. It was good to know she was attractive in so many people''s eyes. Rosan and Mod used to tell her all the time she was very pretty and their words seemed to hang true.


    "She can hear you, you know?" Rosan informed her.


    "Duh, you two are inseparable. Doesn''t change what I said. Hey Robin," Aiko greeted.


    "Hi Robin!" A voice, further in the distance called.


    "Hello, Aiko and Akemi," she smiled in return. "We''ll be there in a moment, I''d like to talk to Rosan."


    Aiko whistled. "Don''t let us hold you up on it then. Make sure he''s not in a bad mood by the time he comes here. Do what you gotta do."


    "A-Aiko! Don''t be such a pervert!" They heard Akemi gasp in the distance.


    Rosan shut the line before they could continue, turning towards a slightly confused Robin.


    "What do you want to talk about?" he asked knowingly.


    The Devil Child rolled her eyes. "I understand why you''re upset Rosan but you shouldn''t let some random crew rile you up."


    "¡­" Rosan said nothing for a moment, slightly glowing gaze just staring directly into her own and she had to bite back the smile that wanted to form on her face at how much progress they were making.


    He wouldn''t normally let himself get upset over things like this.


    Robin placed a hand on his cheek reassuringly. "I know you''re only upset because you don''t think we should be walked over but trust me, it''s nothing. Over the years, I''ve learned that not everything deserves a reaction. I actually learned it from you since you seemed to go out of your way to annoy me."


    Rosan was so mature all the time but it was moments like these that reminded her that he had been emotionally stunted since he was 9 years old and his emotions had been taking hits since he was even younger.


    After getting them all back, her best friend would be no better then a child because he''d spent so long without them in some of the most important years of his life... She''d do everything she could to make sure he developed the way he deserved to.


    Rosan sighed, before slightly tugging the arm that was on his cheek and bringing Robin closer into a hug.


    "What would you have done if that was me instead of Luffy?" The redhead asked calmly, watching her sink into his hold.


    "Kill them all," she answered automatically before cursing at her slip up.


    "Exactly," he murmured. "Luffy is my youngest brother and this isn''t the first time I''ve seen him injured without him doing a thing. I get where you guys are coming from but there''s a reason Luffy and I are different. I do the things he won''t."


    Luffy had been tortured before by that man Porchemy for hours without being able to do a thing. While before, when they were younger, Rosan hadn''t particularly cared about the Straw Hat wearing boy, things had changed now.


    He was the youngest in their family and everyone was rather protective of him, Rosan included.


    "And that''s fine but don''t let your duties get in the way of your bond. You two are still brothers first and foremost and nothing should get in the way of that. If Luffy doesn''t want you to fight on his behalf, don''t get too upset at him," she replied calmly.


    "...I guess you''re right," Rosan, the infamously stubborn problem, conceded. "Fine, I''ll let it go then. The blue haired one still dies though. I don''t like the way he looked at you so that''s my problem now."


    Robin sighed in exasperation but let it be, pleased (she really shouldn''t be) at his overprotective streak.


    He was impossible sometimes. Rosan never let you fully get the win.


    Mod watched in wonder as Robin actually managed to have a calm argument with Rosan, no fear or hesitation in her eyes whatsoever at the thought of the redhead disagreeing with her.


    To be honest, everyone of them feared arguing/upsetting Rosan to a certain degree. The only ones who didn''t, were Ace and Luffy. Those two didn''t have an ounce of fear when it came to their oldest brother but they also didn''t argue very much because the three were simple and blunt.


    They solved most of their issues (mostly Ace and Rosan¡­ Luffy never had issues) within the hour because that was just their nature.


    But everyone else did fear him to an extent¡­ even her.


    The less said about the twins, the better. They were packed with issues and insecurities and all of them stemmed from their oldest brother. They already feared him too much to even risk further upsetting him so they didn''t even think about it even despite Rosan trying to make amends and showing they had nothing to fear.


    Maro wasn''t terrified but deep down, she still harbored a fear of failing Rosan because of the first time they had gone out on a mission. It hadn''t flared in a very long time due to the redhead saying he was proud of her but the damage had been done and it was one of the few regrets her son had.


    Ram never disagreed with anything Rosan had to say. If Rosan said no to her, that was that and she would accept it. Those two were perfectly in sync with each other as weapon and master.


    As for Mod herself¡­ she was never a big fan of confrontation (as shown from the first time her and Rosan argued on Daybreak) and over the years, as Rosan got older, she got more and more afraid to argue with him and end up disappointing him in the process.


    She was afraid of any sort of dissent between the two because it was her fault in the first place that there would be any. Rosan trusted her with his life and she didn''t even think to confide in something as life threatening as the virus with him.


    I-It was no wonder he was hiding things from her... she was clearly hiding things from him too...


    The Devil Fruit knew that if she asked him, he''d answer her but she didn''t want to hear how disappointed he was in her. She didn''t want to know how deep that disappointment went¡­ She couldn''t bear to listen to him tear into her for her severe mistake.


    After all, the Virus was a dangerous element that she had only deigned to tell him about 10 years later... And not only that, she was protecting them too...


    She''d be rightfully furious and Mod was shamefully taking advantage of his emotionless disposition to avoid getting into more trouble with him. Because she knew first hand what it was like to deal with Rosan''s explosive anger and she was afraid to deal with it again...


    But Robin was different. She didn''t hold an ounce of fear in her heart at the idea that Rosan could potentially get mad at her and why should she? The two were best friends and they got upset with each other plenty of times before. The amount of fights that broke out between them, was probably more then Robin had ever fought in her life!


    To Robin, Rosan wasn''t some intimidating figure who had only gotten scarier with age.


    No, Rosan was still the sun to her moon. The one who had breathed not just a second but a third life into her by just being there.


    Cool, collected Robin was just retaking her mantle as the haughty, chaotic Rosan''s partner in crime and was keeping him in check in the way that she had been always doing.


    True to her words, Rosan would never scare her and it showed constantly.


    She treated him the exact same even after witnessing all of his memories. Even after seeing all the terrible things he had done... none of it phased her enough to change how she felt for Rosan.


    Seeing what he had done, did nothing to change the love she had for him.


    She was his voice of reason, firmly letting him be aware of things that he just couldn''t see that only Meiko was able to help him with.


    She even faced his potential wrath after defending Mod herself when Rosan questioned her capabilities against the virus...


    Finding Robin was the best thing that could happen to them. Mod meant that sincerely because she was incredible and the Devil Fruit truly loved her with all her heart.


    The years away had done nothing for their bond and Mod nearly teared up.


    She definitely wanted them together even more then Ram now. Robin was one of the keys to saving Rosan.


    "How long are you going to hug me for, Rosan? We should probably get going now," Robin said in amusement as the redhead practically crushed her into his frame.


    "In a minute. I like hugging you, it''s helping me cool down," Rosan muttered into her hair.


    "Keep it up and people will start to get the wrong idea about us. We sleep together, bathe together and you even kissed me while grabbing my butt." Robin rolled her eyes at that but wrapped her arms around him as well, enjoying the sensation.


    No wonder so many people thought they were dating. It was a rather natural assumption.


    "Let them think whatever they want. It''s better this way. Maybe people will get the hint about how uninterested we are in them if they think we''re dating... though even when I walked around with Aiko or Maro, that never stopped people from flirting with me..." he grunted.


    Did he even hear what he was saying? Let people make the wrong assumptions about if they were dating or not, after they agreed to not date?


    Robin almost snorted at the unbelievable redhead.


    "I second this! You guys should just "pretend" at this point because I don''t wanna share Mother and Father with anyone else and you two are super possessive anyways," Ram beamed.


    Mod held back a sigh at the unsubtle ring. "And where have you been, Ram?"


    "Basking in awe at Mother while stewing at the fact that Father didn''t kill everyone in there."


    "Right¡­" The Devil Fruit did sigh this time.


    "Pretending wouldn''t be a bad idea actually. I wouldn''t be opposed if you aren''t," Rosan mused.


    "We can do whatever you want, I''m fine with anything," Robin shrugged. It''s not like she had any interest in dating and she did have multiple people attempting their hands at all times.


    Perhaps if Rosan''s (or hers) reputation got scary enough, they''d get the hint and leave them alone.


    (If only they knew what the World Government was spreading about them. Well, they''d find out soon enough)


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "You guys sure did take your¡­ time," Aiko mocked suggestively, raising a brow at the two.


    "That''s right, we were busy with adult business so we showed up a bit late. I''m sure you''d understand, Aiko," Rosan replied calmly, making sure to adjust his perfectly kept shirt as well.


    "Rosan is rather demanding, he refused to let me go," Robin added with a small smile.


    Aiko, Akemi and Mod began spluttering at their brazen statements.


    "H-How indecent!" Akemi squeaked, looking back and forth at the cool faced couple with a bright blush.


    T-They were so bold! How did they get so clean so quickly?!


    "Keep that type of shit to yourself! A-And don''t say I''d understand like I just enjoy getting around! What type of image do you have of me?" Aiko complained, a dust of red marking her cheeks.


    "A party girl who likes to use her status to woo girls and drag them into your bedroom before ditching them," Rosan replied easily, not even blinking as the leader of Fregate punched him in the gut to no effect.


    "WHAT TYPE OF PERSON DO YOU SEE ME AS?! THEY COME ONTO ME!" Aiko roared with a blush of mortification.


    "That wasn''t how it looked that one time you got drunk and asked me to transform into my female form so that we could have a¡ª" the redhead smoothly moved to the left as Aiko dove for his eyes.


    "You said you wouldn''t mention that. You know how I get when I''m drunk," she hissed quietly.


    Akemi looked at her sister with a dropped jaw. "Y-You pervert!" She accused.


    Robin also raised a brow. "My oh my Aiko, aren''t you rather bold."


    "I. Was. Drunk." Aiko snarled. Everyone would be a goddamn liar if they said they weren''t attracted to Rosan in some capacity... when she was drunk she just went after people she thought were cute!


    Rosan snorted slightly, pulling the two into a hug. "I''m just kidding... Mostly. We ran into some annoying pirates and they annoyed me because I couldn''t kill them but Robin spoke to me and now I''m better."


    Robin smiled at that and waved at the two. "I''ve done my job and calmed him down so you two don''t need to worry about him being annoyed anymore."


    They looked at the Devil Child, clearly impressed that she managed to do so and dragged the surprised woman into the hug.


    "You can actually tell him what to do and he''ll listen?! That''s amazing!" Akemi gushed.


    "Hell, you being able to slightly control this dumbass means you''re super deserving of a suit," Aiko grinned.


    Robin couldn''t help but smile at how accepting everyone was of her. She thought she got used to it but she really didn''t.


    Rosan must have been important to all of them if they were treating her with open arms this much. The unconditional respect they harbored for her, just because they knew of their relationship was heartwarming.


    Her idiot best friend had so much people who loved him.


    The redhead in question broke off the hug and hummed. "I want to see what Robin can do with the suit. How will it assimilate with her Devil Fruit? What will you be able to do?" he mused.


    "Nerd," Robin couldn''t help but quip, not forgetting his insult when they were at Alabasta.


    She yelped as the floor suddenly shifted beneath her and the woman lost her balance, falling into a smug Rosan''s arms.


    "Can''t stay up? Is my presence too much for you?" The redhead asked in faux concern, as he hugged her soothingly. "Don''t worry, that''s why I''m here. To help clumsy and nervous people like you."


    Robin''s response was to summon a dozen arms to wrestle him to the ground. A pair began to squeeze his neck and restrain his arms, while another pair wrapped around his mouth, so that she didn''t have to listen to his insufferable words, and a final began yanking his red spikes.


    "You are incredibly annoying, Rosa¡ª Did you just lick me?!" Robin gasped at the sensation of being licked repeatedly and she hastily dispelled her hands covering his mouth to see his smug smirk.


    Despite all the actions happening at once to his body, Rosan looked the picture perfect of calm. The redhead didn''t even look like he licked her!


    "I told you stop trying to find out what I''m into, Robin. Now when I break out of this don''t surrender immediately," he warned.


    "I will break every bone in your body," she retorted, increasing the amount of arms on his body.


    "Let''s see how long that false bravado holds up."


    Aiko and Akemi watched the two''s spat with twin expressions of disbelief.


    "Robin didn''t strike me as the violent type," Akemi awed, watching Rosan break out of her grasp and tackle her to the floor before they began rolling around.


    "I guarantee you that she isn''t. This is just a side effect of being around that guy right there," Aiko sighed, pointing at the redhead trying to pin every limb of the Devil Child to the floor with a look of concentration as he revealed his sharp fangs to attempt to bite into a hand restraining him, only for it to instantly vanish and appear atop his head instead, yanking him back enough for the glaring Robin to turn the tables.


    "C''mon you damn kids let''s go get your suit!" The leader of Fregate barked at the two.


    Robin had foregone summoning arms and was choking Rosan with her actual limbs now while the redhead began pulling at her hair, modifying it into different colors in the process.


    "In a minut¡ª Rosan, don''t you dare start tickling me!"


    "Summon some hands into a giant flag of surrender and I''ll consider it."


    "I can think of a dozen more things I''d rather do."


    "I tried to help you."


    The sister''s sweatdropped.


    "You''re repairing my office after this," Aiko interjected.


    "That''s easy to do¡ª Robin... where did you just summon your hand?"


    "Surrender."


    "...No. If you do this, I''m going to make your hair an array of colors."


    "I''ll put up with it."


    Aiko and Akemi had a look of confusion.


    Where exactly did she summon a hand...? They couldn''t see anything anywher¡ª


    "H-How bold!" Akemi stammered, face as red as Rosan''s hair as the redhead actually winced.


    "I don''t think we have to do anything so we may as well just enjoy the show," Aiko muttered, face also a bit red at the realization.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "I can''t believe you actually did that," Rosan muttered with an unamused gaze, sunglasses on his face and hair an obsidian black.


    "You were asking for it! Since we aren''t kids anymore, I felt no remorse doing it!" Robin retorted, staring at her green, brown and yellow hair with a look of displeasure.


    The redhead glared at her slightly and she glared back before turning towards the leaders.


    "I''m sorry you had to see that. Rosan brings out a side of me I''m not proud of," the multicolor haired Robin apologized, face flushed red from exertion. Her tussle with Rosan left both their clothes rather rustled and when she requested he changed her hair back, he actually glared at her!


    "Whatever you say," the redhead scoffed, leading the group.


    "It''s okay! You have a very pretty laugh and the hair doesn''t look... that bad," Akemi beamed. After seeing how they interacted with each other, she was dead set on getting them to date.


    Besides, they were so bold already!


    "I''ve never seen Rosan readily brawl with someone. He''s normally reacting to Ace, Luffy or Maro attacking him first and then he neutralizes them," Aiko snorted.


    With her face flushed like that, the leader of Fregate noted that Nico Robin was exceptionally beautiful. But then again, Aiko had been checking her out since the moment they met.


    Seriously, the girl was hot.


    Lucky redhead brat¡­ he always found the cuties that were attached to him. Must have been his unfair genes at play because based on Ram, Aiko would have probably been checking out Meiko too and Rosan would have killed her...


    Absurd.


    "Did you hear that Robin? You''re so adorable," Rosan mocked, using his tall and intimidating stature to carve a path through the crowded streets, waving at anyone that recognized him. Though, Aiko was with him and the leader of Fregate was actually rather terrifying when she wanted to be.


    Just not to him. To him, Aiko was just a big ball of fluff.


    "How did you get more annoying with age? Did you not mature at all?" Robin sighed in exasperation.


    "I can assure you that I''ve certainly matured. You must have noticed when you¡ª"


    "A-AHEM!" Mod interrupted, face bright red because of what he had been planning on saying.


    "You have no shame. Shouldn''t you still be wincing in pain?" Robin rolled her eyes.


    "Shouldn''t you be blushing in awe?"


    "I genuinely don''t understand how your ego is so massive."


    "You should be saying that about¡ª"


    "AHEM/AHEM!" Mod and Akemi coughed strongly, looks of mortification in their eyes.


    What was wrong with him? Why didn''t he have an ounce of shame in his body?!


    Aiko couldn''t believe they were still raring to go. She should nip this before they brawled in the middle of her street and cause more problems then necessary, such as someone spreading a rumor that she was working with a notorious pirate.


    "Maro told me you guys were in Alabasta recently?" She intervened.


    The two paused before regarding her with twin nods. "Yeah, it was quite eventful. We''ll tell you about it afterwards."


    She nodded, curious about what happened over there. Alabasta was a pretty important country to the World Government... which was exactly why they covered up what happened there and claimed that some Marines had handled it.


    Aiko snorted. Maro made sure to explain in detail what Rosan had done to said Marines.


    It didn''t take them long to appear at Hiroshi''s gigantic lab and they saw the man already waiting for them, conversing with one of his employees in the process.


    His eyes lit up as he saw the four and he dismissed the bespectacled woman he was talking to with a short wave, snapping in her face at watching her gaze linger on Rosan for far too long.


    She jumped and flushed, before scurrying away with a small "eep!"


    Robin''s gaze lingered on the retreating girl while Rosan paid her no mind.


    "Hiroshi," he greeted, grasping the man''s hand with a short nod.


    "Ah! How have you been Rosan-sama, Robin-sama?" The scientist asked, bowing respectfully to them all.


    "Well. We discovered the potential existence of a Sky Island. If I find anything interesting you can work on, I''ll let you know," Rosan remarked. There might be technology there that Angel or Hiroshi would love to get their hands on¡­


    Hell, he''d probably like to modify a few things as well.


    Aiko, Akemi and Hiroshi''s eyes went wide.


    A Sky Island?! What the hell was he talking about?! Did he actually mean an island located in the sky...?


    They''d definitely be pestering him about that later but for now¡­


    "Come, follow me! I have to admit, I''d love to see what the new Raid Suit can do!" Hiroshi practically gushed.


    "I find myself excited as well," Robin smiled. She was eager to see what ability was granted to her and had been dwelling on it for quite a while.


    Without wasting any time, they quickly followed after the man and were soon directly in his lab where a black canister lay on the table.


    "Same deal as last time. I expect it won''t stay in its canister form for long so I just kept the design simple," Hiroshi explained, handing the can off to her.


    Robin nodded. Rosan''s was also a black canister before he transformed it into his hidden armband while Maro''s was a white canister that was now her sapphire earrings that she never removed.


    What would she have Rosan do for her? Hmm...


    Remembering what to do well (bless her fantastic memory), Robin held the canister to her blue jeans and watched in curiosity as it began glowing, wrapping around her frame.


    Aiko whistled. This girl had all the curves and she could very much appreciate that.


    Okay maybe she should calm down a tad instead of shamelessly ogling Robin every chance she got... they were trying to get the two together after all...


    Once the glow settled, they beheld Robin in her Raid Suit and the woman looked down curiously at her getup.


    She had on a long violet cloak that looked very similar to the white one she used to wear in Alabasta, that was riddled with black flowers that looked exactly like her Devil Fruit.


    While it could be buttoned up, it was currently left open to reveal a short, tight, black, short sleeved (that couldn''t be seen because of the cloak) dress with another image of her Devil Fruit, this time purple, directly on the breast.


    To finish off, she had on a nice violet cowboy hat and black thigh-high-heeled boots.


    "I like," she thought to herself, inspecting herself in the mirror before turning towards the group. "How do I look?"


    That was for all of them but her eyes were on mostly Rosan.


    She couldn''t keep the smile off her face as his dual eyes roamed over her entire body, taking in every minute detail with an appraising eye (stylish little monster he was) before he nodded in satisfaction.


    "You look incredible. You might increase my kill count by an unhealthy amount if you walk around like that," he answered calmly, walking forward and buttoning up her cloak to protect her modesty.


    "I quite liked the cloak being open," Robin mock scowled at him, not unbuttoning the cloak due to her happiness at his comment. His response was straight and to the point and it lacked any type of perversion which was one of the things she loved about him.


    "Aww killing people because they''re gawking at your sexy girlfriend? How fucking adorable, you little psychopath," Aiko mocked.


    She was going to just vomit at the cuteness of their interactions. No really, it was so damn cute.


    "A-Aiko! She looks good but don''t be so crude!" Akemi gaped. She wasn''t even being a little subtle! What was wrong with her?!


    "What?! Am I wrong? In the first place, killing someone for staring is beyond psychotic so why don''t we focus on that?!" Her older sister protested.


    Rosan sighed and flicked the leader of Fregate on her head, getting a cry of pain out of her. "Before I decide to anger Aiko even further, let''s see what your ability is?"


    The leader of Fregate felt a vein form at his response but Akemi hastily put a hand over her mouth and hissed something in her ear that successfully cowed her.


    Robin honestly felt really good. The Raid Suit was so light and comfortable while providing her protection and power practically everywhere! While they checked her out, she had been figuring out what her ability was and she could safely say she found out how to do it.


    Closing her eyes, the woman focused for a moment on that new feeling the suit gave her and tapped into it.


    "Oh," Rosan said, sounding genuinely impressed at the sight before him.


    From what the redhead knew, Zoan Raid Suits enhanced the user far more then what he got as a Paramecia but they lacked the benefit of acquiring one of the abilities your Devil Fruit gave you.


    Maro didn''t gain an ability but she gained incredible enhancements to what she already had. It was almost purely combat oriented with some versatility due to enhancing her crop growth as well.


    If he had to guess, a Logia Raid Suit would act as a battery, allowing the person in question to use even more of their power. This was in theory considering they didn''t have a Logia to try it out but it was probably the case.


    Rosan (and most Paramecias) did gain an ability, directly derived from his fruit which was the ability to transform into any material and outfit he so desire. It saved him the extra steps needed to activate Modification so that he could transform the appearance and material, all while keeping the immense durability of the Raid Suit.


    It wasn''t as combat oriented as Maro''s but the Mod Mod no mi was not inherently combat oriented itself. Rosan had just made it so because he was combat oriented.


    Robin was also a Paramecia so her suit should be more in line with his¡­


    So why did it feel like he lost against both the Queen and his best friend when it came to combat scenarios? Hell, in terms of potential versatility, Robin''s own ability surpassed his Raid Suit as well.


    Don''t get him wrong, his Raid Suit was still a force in battle as a defensive and utility option but Robin''s derived ability seemed infinitely more useful as an offensive option.


    Though, he supposed his being a defensive option wasn''t that bad... but he did like his offense.


    Robin actually smiled brightly as she realized what her ability was.


    "Well Rosan¡­" Robin began, smiling slightly.


    "I think my ability might just be a bit better then yours¡­" Robin #2 continued with a small grin.


    "J-Just a bit..." Robin #3 bowed apologetically.


    "Don''t you think?" Robin #4 finished, flashing a smug smirk.


    The onlookers awed as Rosan nodded without hesitation, gauging each Robin''s different personalities with a curious glint.


    "Cloning. You can clone yourself," he said eventually.


    Scratch beating him. She definitely beat Maro too. The sheer potential this had, was already making his brain storm with ideas. Infiltration would be easier, evasive maneuvers would be faster, they would have more angles to watch...


    "I''m loving these ideas so far. Keep going," Robin sounded delighted.


    The Robin''s even seemed to have different personalities. How many could she make?


    His eyes began glowing slightly in clear interest and the nervous looking Robin squeaked at the attention, face going red as his eyes landed on her.


    Rosan snorted. Robin? Squeak? Utterly ridiculous... and also adorable.


    "This is not what I was expecting," Robin admitted glancing at her creations. The three clones were inspecting each other with curious eyes.


    "Are we all gonna be named Robin?" The cheerful one asked curiously.


    Another scowled... seems this one was based on anger. "No, that''s stupid. Angel and Demon have names so we should too... But if we have to keep it, I''ll be Robin #1," they declared.


    "We''re just clones... should we really be deciding this?" The nervous one asked, eyes flickering between both Rosan and the original Robin.


    "I''ll think of names for you all later," Robin said absentmindedly, unbothered by the conversation taking place between the people who shared her face.


    The amount she could summon seemed to be limited to three and that was already more then she could do with her Devil Fruit! Not only that, it didn''t require nearly as much thought or effort to make them.


    That was groundbreaking. There was so much she could do with this! This was the best ability (perhaps it was the only one that the Hana Hana no Mi could have gotten) derived from her fruit she could have asked for!


    She hadn''t even accounted the benefits just the Raid Suit gave her either! Robin felt like she had entered a whole new realm of strength with this one suit.


    Grabbing the redhead, she pulled him into a deep hug, looked up into his eyes and warmly whispered, "Thank you for getting this made. It''s even better then I expected."


    Rosan looked a bit surprised and paused at that statement, just staring back at Robin with slightly wide eyes.


    His best friend wasn''t normally the one to initiate contact. Rosan almost always started any physical contact between the two so for her to do so on her own volition, must have meant she really did appreciate it.


    He rebounded quickly though and easily returned the hug, tucking her easily into his frame like he had done so a thousand times.


    "Anything for you, Robin. You already know you just have to say a word and I''ll do my best to help you," he murmured back, enjoying her presence with a small smile.


    Robin sighed fondly. Of course he would. This was just how Rosan was. Even as a kid he attempted to go above and beyond just for her and nothing seemed to be able to change that.


    But Mod and Rosan made it very clear that she deserved whatever they got her and¡­ and it took her a long time to see that but¡­ but she did deserve it. It was high time she began enjoying the life those two wanted her to have so she''d allow herself to be spoiled rotten by the resourceful redhead who only wanted what was best for her.


    That was why she loved him and allowed him to get away with so many things. It was his privilege as her most important person.


    Aiko resisted the urge to smile and instead made exaggerated gagging noises (she had a reputation to upkeep here!).


    These two were both riddled with their own issues and it looked like just being around each other was fixing some of them. If that were the case, she felt even more obligated to get the two together because she owed that much to her little brother.


    Akemi''s eyes were glittering and she was rapidly looking between the two, smile growing brighter and brighter with a pleased flush covering her cheeks.


    Her sister was a hopeless romantic (which was funny because she hadn''t dated in years) when it came to others and Rosan, her surrogate little brother, was someone who she desperately wanted to find love.


    It might have been a consequence of not having been interested in a soul in years, but Akemi wanted everyone she cared about to find love and happiness.


    Aiko would know this well, considering her little sister continuously tried to hook her up with people and then ask when they were getting married the moment she brought them over.


    Even if Maro never informed them, Akemi would have done everything in her power to get the two together because she was a real life cupid and loved to see sparks fly.


    "What do you want me to transform the canister into?" Rosan asked, watching her remove the outfit and go back into her default jean and red blouse (one of his selections) combo.


    Robin pondered the question.


    She wanted to transform it into a bracelet at first but now the Devil Child wanted it to be a bit more symbolic with the redhead before her.


    Earrings would have been fine but that was his and Maro''s thing and she didn''t want to interfere with that so maybe¡­


    "A ring," she decided. "I want it to be a black ring with an amethyst stone."


    She wanted to have a memento for Meiko as well. Robin was sad that she''d never be able to meet the sweetheart, so she''d follow in Rosan''s footsteps and honor her in some way.


    They could make her proud together.


    Rosan stared at her for a long moment, no doubt realizing her intent due to their incredible synergy and eventually nodded, eyes uncharacteristically soft.


    Grabbing the canister, he activated his ability and did exactly what Robin asked for, transforming it into a ring that looked strikingly similar to his own, with a different color swap.


    With a questioning look and a nod of approval, the redhead gently held her right hand (she was losing her tan due to no longer living in a desert) and slid the beautiful piece of jewelry on her ring finger and let it rest there.


    He held her hand for a long moment after that, just staring at the accessory with those same soft eyes, before locking said eyes onto Robin.


    "You look good. I love it," he complimented, releasing her soft hand and letting it fall limply to her side before pulling her into a gentle embrace. "Thank you," he murmured into her ear.


    Robin was a bit dazed by that tender look and she could only nod, stunned silent by his simple and heartfelt statement.


    "...Of course, Rosan," she eventually replied with a tiny smile.


    Mod stealthily cut the connection so that they couldn''t hear the incredibly loud cheers of Ram.


    "Do we even have to do anything?" Aiko whispered to Akemi.


    Rosan was good. Hell, if he was talking to her like that, the leader of Fregate would have probably caved instantly. It was no wonder that he and Makino kept hooking up after the first time, the redhead was very charismatic and charming without meaning to be... Even with his disposition.


    "I knew Rosan could be smooth... but isn''t he too smooth?!" Akemi replied with an open mouth. Even she was blushing at his words. He wasn''t even trying! How many people would fall under the spell of a Rosan who was flirtatious she wondered¡­


    Huh, Demon must be a busy person. The doctor was a massive flirt when he wanted to be... even Akemi hadn''t been spared!


    Robin eventually smiled at his words and inspected the ring, nodding in satisfaction at the beautiful accessory that was now her Raid Suit.


    "Thank you, Hiroshi. You''ve exceeded my expectations," the Devil Child thanked the impressed doctor.


    "Oh think nothing of it! I always find it very fascinating to see what a full fledged Raid Suit can do," the scientist replied with an eager gleam.


    Cloning! Nico Robin could clone herself! That was incredible!


    "This calls for drinks!" Akemi cheered. "Hiroshi I know you keep some stored somewhere! Bring it out!"


    The Doctor thought about protesting that decision, considering he was still working but Akemi was the most demanding person on the island when she wanted to be so he went to his stash.


    "I''ll explain what happened in Alabasta while we drink then," Rosan nodded, shooting a glance at Robin.


    Was she fine with drinking?


    "Yes. I enjoy some wine once in a while. I have quite the tolerance as well so no need to worry about me getting drunk."


    Good. He didn''t feel like carrying a drunken Robin around. She was already embarrassing enough sober. She would probably end up like


    "You never stop do you?"


    "If you want me to... I still won''t."


    "I actually think I might hate you."


    "A lie. You love me more then anyone else."


    "..."


    Aiko plopped herself down in one of the open seats, knowing she''d need to get comfortable to hear about this and idly unzipped her bomber jacket with a relieved sigh.


    "You know, all things considered, I expected you to be a lot more upset. Robin sure is a miracle worker," the leader of Fregate snorted.


    Rosan paused at that in confusion.


    Surely Aiko didn''t think a group of pirates would make him that upset? He wasn''t even upset with the idiots, he was upset that Luffy allowed it to happen.


    "I have a strange feeling that you''re not talking about the pirates I just told you about. Care to explain to me why I have this feeling?" The redhead asked the leader calmly.


    Aiko blinked. "That''s because I''m not talking about the pirates. I figured they just added on to your annoyance."


    "Add on? Why would I be annoyed in the first place?" Rosan asked slowly, brows furrowed.


    Robin perked a brow at that, suddenly very interested in the conversation.


    It was dawning on the leader of Fregate''s face that maybe Rosan wasn''t aware of the news making rounds across the world right now at amazing speeds.


    Aiko began digging around in the pockets of her bomber jacket. "Waves are going around about a pirate group taking the world by storm and two in particular have been under quite a bit of scrutiny. I was so proud that I even had them posted up in my bedroom," she began with an amused smile.


    It was why she had Rosan dress up in a disguise after all. Couldn''t have anyone making instant connections.


    Rosan stilled at that. She couldn''t possibly mean¡­


    The woman laid out four bounty posters and Robin''s eyes went a little wide in shock.


    "Oh dear," was all she said.


    "I should have just thrown caution to the wind and hunted those Marines down," Rosan grunted, closing his eyes and taking a small breath.


    The first two were of Luffy and Zoro. His brother''s bounty had increased tremendously by a whopping 105 million, going from 35,000,000 to 140,000,000.


    His family (including Rosan) would be proud to see such a massive jump and would have celebrated accordingly. Hell, he was sure Maro was already gearing up to go party.


    Zoro''s own was just as impressive, considering he didn''t even have a bounty and was now sitting at 70,000,000.


    The last two though¡­ well, that''s probably where Aiko thought they''d be upset.


    Wanted: "Ohara''s Devil" Nico Robin ¨C 90,000,000 Beris


    Wanted: "Red Devil" Rosan ¨C 100,000,000 Beris


    "I''ve just reunited with you and you''ve already caused my bounty to increase for the first time in 20 years. Not only that, you made them change my moniker as well. Ohara''s Devil? Isn''t that rather rude of them?" Robin sighed forlornly, gazing at her own adult face that had a price of 90,000,000 under it with faux sullen eyes.


    No one could ever convince her that Rosan wasn''t a magnet for chaos. At least Ohara''s Devil sounded better, considering they were calling Rosan the Red Devil. It would be awkward if she was still the Devil Child and he was that.


    Though... she had her moniker for so long, she didn''t think she''d ever get used to the change.


    She gazed at the final bounty poster and that sigh turned into a teasing smile. "Someone must be a fan of you, Rosan."


    Rosan said nothing, staring at his own bounty poster with a rare confused gaze.


    Did they know he had Modification? Unlikely, his bounty would be closer to Reaper''s then Luffy if they knew. No, it''d be even higher if they knew what he was capable of. After all, to make his Devil Fruit appear as if he had a Mythical was incredibly formidable.


    Did they have an inkling that he was Reaper? Impossible. It was very unlikely that anyone would ever make the connection between him and Reaper unless he revealed it himself. They had similar personalities but that wasn''t nearly enough to even make a connection. He had avoided using a scythe for years but perhaps Mihawk had made an observation?


    No, not even the World''s Strongest Swordsman should be able to make that connection. Besides, Mihawk would have kept such information to himself.


    Perhaps they assumed Robin was Grim? No. Grim''s skillset was the complete opposites of Robin. To the world, Grim used a staff and orange fire and Robin used neither.


    Yes, the Government finding out he was Reaper was about a 20% chance and it wasn''t the reason for this...


    With all those questions out of the way and not really having anything, Rosan began to wonder why the hell his first bounty was 100,000,000.


    What did he do? Surely his display against the weak little Marines didn''t warrant something so high. They weren''t strong enough to boost him up by this much for his first bounty.


    Did it have something to do with the fact that they had taken credit for defeating Crocodile?


    It could also have been because of the time he got struck by lightning and completely healed from it...


    "This is your fault," Rosan decided, turning towards Robin with an accusing stare.


    The Devil Child actually gaped at his sheer audacity.


    "My fault? What are you talking about?!"


    "It has to be. Your bounty is only 10 million lower then mine and they''re even calling me the Red Devil. That''s a terrible title by the way. Can I have that changed?"


    Red Devil? Seriously? Why? Was it because of his red hair? Now him and Shanks had something in common... Absolutely not, he''d need to have this title changed at the earliest of conveniences.


    "You''re focusing on the wrong things."


    "Reveal your identity as Reaper! Angel of Death is way cooler!"


    Robin couldn''t believe this redheaded brat because Rosan was a brat.


    "You would seriously pin the blame on me? You''re the one who made the call to kill those Marines!" The 90 million woman pointed out.


    "And you''re supposed to be the voice of reason. It''s up to you to moderate my tendencies," the 100 million man countered.


    Robin''s mouth actually opened at the sheer absurdity of her best friend.


    T-This brat!


    Aiko coughed a bit at that, catching their attention before they could break out into a brawl.


    What was with that suspicious cough?


    "Well about that¡­ He''s not all wrong?" She said slowly.


    The two blinked.


    Huh?


    "Well, due to my connections, I can tell you guys that the World Government is convinced the two of you are lovers and that played a pretty big part in your bounty," Aiko explained, shrugging at the memory. "Why? Not a fucking clue but you guys must have done something to make them think that. They even made the connection that you two traveled together as kids."


    Much to her surprise, it didn''t even take them a second to come to the realization.


    "So it''s your fault that both our bounties increased like this!" Robin rounded on Rosan with a firm glare, crossing her arms.


    The redhead opened his mouth and closed it as he realized it was looking quite bad for him. "No one told you to make it so convincing."


    "You practically shoved your tongue down my throat the moment I tried to resist! And you squeezed my butt with quite a bit of force too!" Robin exclaimed, genuinely wondering if he believed his own words or was just arguing to win.


    "I can''t believe you''re still so hung up on that."


    "You. Grabbed. My. Butt! It wasn''t a soft grab Rosan! You squeezed it! Of course anyone would think we''re lovers after that!"


    Aiko and Akemi both perked up at that, glancing wildly between the two.


    He did what?! They kissed?! He grabbed her butt? HE SQUEEZED IT?!


    Rosan, little ass that he was, still tried to shift the blame onto her. "This is what happens when you attempt to ruin my plans. I wouldn''t have had to kiss you if you just went along with it but you didn''t and now look. We both have ludicrous bounties... seriously, is there a way I can petition to change my title? "Red Devil" is so boring and typical. I was thinking "Force of Nature" instead."


    "Portgas D. Rosan."


    He stopped at the tone of her voice and sighed. "Okay, maybe I shouldn''t have listened to Ram," he conceded, voice a little sheepish.


    "THANK YOU! I''VE BEEN WAITING YEARS FOR YOU TO COME TO THIS REALIZATION!" Mod shouted in victory.


    Ram spluttered at that. "B-But it was a good plan?! What did I do wrong?! Now Father is worth 100 million and that''s awesome!"


    "Well, looks like we don''t have to even bother starting that pretend plan anymore," Robin shrugged. It wasn''t the end of the world and it was bound to happen sooner or later.


    "I expected to have a bounty slapped on me the moment the Marine''s survived, I just didn''t expect it to be that high for my first," Rosan grunted.


    If what Aiko was saying was true, that they figured out the two traveled as kids, it would explain why he was suddenly a higher priority in their eyes.


    To them, it probably looked as if Robin answered to him and that was terribly ominous, considering his best friend could read the Poneglyphs.


    If only they knew he already knew the location of Pluton. They were lucky he had no interest in it.


    Ah well. It was no big deal. He was a pirate anyways.


    "Ahem."


    The two, finished with their argument, glanced at the sisters and scientist.


    "You two kissed? You squeezed her butt? I didn''t know you were such a pervert, Rosan!" Akemi exclaimed, eyes practically glowing.


    "Tell us all about it," Aiko demanded, pouring herself some sake as she gazed at the two with clearly interested eyes.


    A drink sounded good right about now.


    Rosan nodded, sighing in the process as he stole Aiko''s bottle out of her hand and began downing it effortlessly. He was very deeply contemplating lowering his resistances at the moment so he could at least get a little tipsy because he might need it.


    "I really do hate you, you little annoying shit," Aiko snarled.


    Evidently, Robin must have agreed with his sentiment because she snatched the bottle out of his hand and took quite the sip from it too.


    "See? Look at you. My lips were just on that and you''re drinking it without a care in the world," Rosan accused.


    "Us sharing a drink is the least of my concerns when you squeezed my butt," Robin emphasized.


    "...Didn''t you just get payback 30 minutes ago? You squeezed something too and it hurt."


    "Don''t make me do it again. You deserve it."


    "..." Rosan wisely said nothing, snatching the bottle back and beginning to drink again.


    "H-How bold," Akemi whispered, watching the two repeatedly go back and forth on drinking the bottle, all while arguing about the situation.


    "That''s my fucking bottle," Aiko moaned, holding her head.


    She really did hate them. They better make this story a good one.

 The Red Devil II

    "MARO! MARO! COME LOOK!"


    The Queen glanced up in confusion from her paperwork, as Angel burst into the room with an excited grin on her face, waving around some papers and jumping up and down, sufficiently distracting the queen who let out a pleased sigh.


    Demon followed quietly behind her but his grin was large as well.


    Snatching the paper out of his outraged sister''s hands, he placed them in front of Maro.


    Maro''s jaw dropped in disbelief.


    "H-HOLY SHIT?!" The Dokkaebi shouted, probably alerting her entire castle. "WHY THE HELL IS IT SO HIGH? IS HE A MAGNET FOR HIGH BOUNTIES?!"


    140 MILLION? 100 MILLION? 90 MILLION? 70 MILLION?!


    SHE WAS SO PROUD OF THEM! THEY WERE WORTH 400 MILLION BERIS!


    Yeah maybe Robin and Rosan wouldn''t be so pleased with their incredible bounties but everyone else would be in their stead!


    Her soldiers and Kanna peeked their heads into the room to see the three leader''s laughing joyfully at the bounty posters.


    Getting a closer look, they couldn''t help but gap at the ludicrous prices on the Straw Hats heads.


    S-Seriously?!


    "I still feel like this is still too low for Rosan. They''re underestimating how much of a monster he is," Kaori sighed. The World Government was beginning to understand how dangerously strong the Straw Hat Pirates were but they were still to slow on the uptake.


    "Those shithead Marines probably wanted to give him a 5 billion bounty because of that ass whooping he gave them but the higher ups denied it!" Angel boasted, preening as she high fived a proud Gem.


    "5 billion would be too low for him regardless," The bomber man said, getting an eager nod out of the redhead.


    "That''s exactly what I think!"


    Demon, Mikita and Zala sweatdropped. "I think you''re both idiots," the doctor said.


    The two female agents nodded sagely.


    "I wonder if you and I have to be wary, Angel," Demon hummed. "We look exactly like Master after all and are quite popular in the North Blue. You especially, are married to the most popular Queen in the sea."


    Angel thought about it. "That''s true... we''ll have to think up some lies in case we ever get interrogated. I refuse to change my appearance and since we''re so hot, they probably already memorize how we look anyways."


    Her little brother snorted but nodded.


    "Don''t worry," Maro puffed up her chest. "They value my island far too much anyways because of what we contribute! Besides, if they send anyone after you two, I''ll deal with them. The Marines are already hardpressed with the Grand Line so they can''t expend too much effort but if they do, I''ll be right there."


    "And we will too," Gem agreed with a fierce glare.


    All the soldiers nodded. "They won''t want to go to war with Celadon anytime soon. We have far too many formidable soldiers, not to mention our unstoppable queen. They''d need to send at the minimum a Vice Admiral along with a plethora of Marines to deal with us all," Marianne added.


    That was far too many resources to expend. It was simply not worth it... not to mention Maro could call Rosan at any time and the redhead specialized at eliminating large groups of people.


    "Y-You guys are so fucking sweet," Angel gushed, dragging Marianne, Gem and Kaori into a hug. "Our soldiers are so adorable!"


    "You''re embarrassing me, Queen Angel," Kaori mumbled, returning the hug.


    Marianne grinned happily and easily hugged the woman back.


    Demon smiled as he hugged Mikita and Zala (much to their pleasure). "They''re the sweetest. We appreciate you guys for protecting us."


    "Of course!" They chorused.


    "This is the one that managed to recruit you all?" Drophy (Miss Merry Christmas) pondered, gazing at the bounty poster of the redhead who Crocodile had dibs on with a contemplative expression.


    Fat lotta luck that did him. The man lost without doing a damn thing and this redhead stole just about all his agents.


    The former agents nodded in unison.


    "He''s the type of person who likes to appear unassuming but do not antagonize him. He''s very dangerous," Kaori warned with a look of seriousness on her face.


    Even she had underestimated the unassuming redhead and paid dearly for it... but at least it led her to Celadon.


    "You''re lucky he didn''t speak to you and I did," Maro laughed, rubbing her shoulder length blue and white hair that was growing longer by the day. "He has much less tolerance then I do. Pretty sure he would have either tortured, killed, or shattered your self worth if you continued to resist."


    By the way Mikita instinctively shuddered, that was a very true statement.


    The blonde former agent was to never tell anyone what Rosan had done to Gem so only her majesty (and Demon and Angel) knew.


    Honestly though¡­ this version of him was a lot better¡­ He didn''t dig in his nose anymore and that was a huge plus for her... and he also didn''t leer at her body whenever given the chance.


    He was also very very strong now and even Zala couldn''t help but balk at how easily he could have killed her on multiple occasions when they sparred with each other.


    The agent really had been using his Devil Fruit wrong and combined with Queen Maro''s harsh training regiment, they were all getting noticeably stronger.


    Even Mikita was feeling useful. She had hesitantly asked Rosan how he would have used her Devil Fruit after the redhead thanked her for helping heal Robin.


    Surprisingly, he had done so without hesitation!


    "You should learn guerrilla tactics and some aerial combat," he had said intelligently, having clearly inspected her strengths and weaknesses. "In and out, using the speed of transforming into one kilo and the power of transforming to 10,000 to increase your close combat. The umbrella is cute but it would be more effective if you weren''t holding it with one hand."


    With that, he (and Angel) gave her a new parasol that she could attach to her person and activate with a button.


    It was even equipped with a propulsion mechanic that shot her up faster! She was the ambush fighter that Maro very much needed and combined with Drophy, the two could finish battles without the enemy even landing a clean hit!


    "T-Thank you!" Mikita told the apathetic redhead.


    "There is no need to thank me. You helped Robin so this is nothing," he replied calmly, much to her shock.


    With his help she even decked herself out with a rather powerful sniper she could use while floating just in case engaging in close combat was a bad idea.


    She was quickly proving her worth thanks to the one who had called her worthless¡­ It was strange but he was undeniably helpful and Maro was proud of her.


    Now she just needed to gain Demon''s affections¡­ Which was harder said then done considering everyone seemed to want a piece of him, including her traitorous fellow agent Zala.


    The blue haired woman never ceased in her attempts to flirt with the doctor, unlike Mikita and even now, she was greedily enjoying his hug (she was too).


    She sighed.


    The struggles of a woman in love.


    "You guys are off today!" Maro beamed, paperwork forgotten. "Let''s throw a party to celebrate the occasion! Marianne have you ever tried sake? There''s this one flavor that tastes just like juice! The normal taste is too much for me so I like that one very much!"


    Marianne opened her mouth to reply, but squeaked instead as Angel effortlessly hoisted the tiny girl up and turned her away from the goblin.


    "She''s 16, Maro!" The redhead scowled.


    "So what?! I drank for the first time at 17!"


    "THAT''S BECAUSE YOU COERCED ME INTO GIVING YOU SOME!"


    "COERCED? WHY ARE YOU LYING? YOU PRACTICALLY SHOVED THE DRINK DOWN MY THROAT AFTER SAYING "I''M 18 I CAN MANAGE US BOTH!" YOU LIAR!"


    "Let''s just go get started without them. I''d like that drink myself," an unbothered Demon advised, idly pulling the resigned Marianne out of Angel''s grasp and patting her head.


    Poor girl was always in between the twos arguments now. They very clearly adopted her and the artist was beginning to understand that this was the norm.


    The soldiers sweatdropped and nodded.


    It was a good thing they had Demon. Angel and Maro were too much sometimes.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Captain Buggy¡­ Do you really think we should still go after them?" Mohji asked fearfully, staring at the bounty poster of the redhead who beat him within an inch of his life before choosing to spare him so he could relay a message.


    The rising stars¡­ The Straw Hats growth was downright explosive right about now considering they hadn''t even met too long ago in the East Blue.


    "Not now but eventually," Buggy decided. He still needed to get his revenge on both Straw Hat and the Red Devil but maybe they were a bit too dangerous right now.


    "Eventually? They went from one bounty of 35 million, to 4 bounties that add up to 400 million," Alvida stressed cautiously, being the only intelligent one here. "We should cut our losses and just try to become allies if we ever have the misfortune of running into them again."


    She didn''t want to make an enemy of Rosan. His very first bounty was 100 million and they now had the Devil Child in their crew to boot!


    "Ignorance is bliss, isn''t it? The more you learn about a certain person, the less you wish you knew. Try not to poke a sleeping dragon too much," memories of that handsome redhead whispered into her ear as a feeling of death loomed over her.


    They were out of their league. It was genuinely a miracle that they were even still alive because really, that Rosan could have killed them all whenever he wanted.


    Buggy glanced at her and snorted. "I never took you for a coward, Alvida. Did the damn annoying redhead spook you that badly?"


    Alvida contemplated just leaving these idiots. They just didn''t know how dangerous Rosan was in comparison to the cheerful Luffy.


    Red Devil was a completely adequate title for him.


    "Red Devil? What a stupid title! Fire Fist is way better!"


    Buggy barked in laughter at that. "Isn''t it? I''ll admit, Fire Fist is much flashier but Buggy the Clown is the flashiest of them all!"


    "My older sister hates clowns. I dunno why, I think they''re pretty funny!"


    The clown scowled at that. "Your sister has awful taste. She just hasn''t met me!"


    "I think she''d hate you honestly. Your outfit is flashy but not in a good way to her. She''s very stylish."


    "Her loss¡­" Buggy said with a shrug.


    "WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?!" The clown roared in disbelief.


    Ace grinned at the crew and idly helped himself to a piece of of meat as he inspected the bounties with a proud look.


    "You guys interested in allying with the Straw Hats? I don''t think you should do that honestly. Rosan and Luffy are asses who''ll make you feel bad about yourselves and no offense, I don''t think any of you are interesting to them so it''ll hurt even more," he advised kindly.


    He was honestly trying to do them a favor. Luffy and Rosan could be totally insufferable and sometimes they didn''t even realize it. These guys wouldn''t stand a chance of allying with his brothers because neither would accept.


    And if Rosan did accept, well... they''d find themselves quickly regretting that decision.


    Ace sighed. His brothers were too much sometimes.


    But hey! Look at their bounties! He was seriously proud of them for already garnering such high prices after just entering the Grand Line.


    Rosan would be annoyed though. He probably didn''t want a starting bounty this high. His poor redheaded brother, attracting attention wherever he went and not realizing it was his own fault for being so interesting.


    Bah, his brother would be fine. This called for celebration!


    "You guys were in the middle of a party right? Let''s continue!" Ace grinned in a friendly manner, helping himself to 3 more sticks of meat.


    "WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?!" Everyone roared.


    Cabaji paused as he noticed the tattoo on the man''s back and he finally began to make connections.


    "Fire Fist is way better!"


    The acrobat went white.


    "Don''t touch him," The second mate hissed warningly to the increasingly aggressive pirates. "That''s Fire Fist Ace, the second commander of the Whitebeard Pirates!"


    "Huh? You called?" Ace muttered, turning towards Cabaji and flashing the Whitebeard symbol on his back to the entire ship.


    ¡­


    Buggy''s eyes bugged in disbelief at that. "FIRE FIST?! WHITEBEARD?!"


    WHAT THE HELL WAS HE DOING ON THEIR SHIP?!


    Alvida went white for a different reason. This man had freckles on his face like how she used to and while that wasn''t really anything special, a conversation suddenly came roaring to the forefront.


    A memory of a certain redhead staring her down and hesitantly asking if she was someone named "Ace."


    Oh dear Kami don''t tell her¡ª


    "If I may ask, what''s your relationship with the Red Devil and Straw Hat?" Alvida spoke up hesitantly, seeing that he wasn''t hostile.


    Ace polished off his drum of meat before grabbing another one and biting into it. "Rosan and Luffy? We''re brothers," he replied without hesitation.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    "WHAT?! THOSE TWO?!"


    Buggy''s jaw dropped to the floor. Those two were the brothers of fucking Fire Fist Ace?


    "B-Brothers?" The clown stammered. Was that why they were all such monsters?! What type of flashy guy made these three?!


    "Yeah, Rosan''s my oldest sibling, Luffy''s my youngest," Ace replied easily. This food was pretty damn good!


    They had even more siblings?! What the hell was this bloodline...


    More and more, Alvida was figuring out that the random group of pirates that she had written off were not so random.


    Straw Hat Luffy and Red Devil Rosan were not just two upstart pirates. They were genuine monsters who cruised through the East Blue without issue for good reason.


    They weren''t just lucky. The Straw Hats were actually incredibly dangerous.


    "Next time I see them I gotta congratulate them on getting such impressive bounties¡­ And I gotta make fun of Rosan for being called the Red Devil," Ace mused.


    There was no way his freakishly stylish brother would appreciate that title. Especially when Angel of Death was his old one. Didn''t he mention something about wanting to be called a Force of Nature?


    The freckled man looked at the crew in confusion. "What''s wrong with you guys? If you don''t hurry, I''m gonna eat all the ¡ª"


    He fell to the floor, unconscious and began snoring.


    "HE FELL ASLEEP?!"


    Buggy sighed in misery. He was doomed to be tormented by Straw Hat no matter what it looked like.


    At least this one wasn''t completely insufferable and trying to kill a Whitebeard pirate was the stupidest thing you could do.


    That meant there was only one thing left to do...


    Party it was!


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Dadan! Are you there?!" Makino called out, knocking on the door to the bandits house.


    Much to Dadan''s begrudging appreciation (she ended up bawling like a complete sap), Rosan had refined their little hut into something much more livable and turned it from a crappy shack into a nice and comfy home.


    "Makino?" Dadan called, opening the door to regard the bartender and ignoring the excited chatter of her bandits. "What''s the matter? Need to borrow some of my boys to handle rowdy customers?"


    The green haired woman smiled but shook her head. "Look!"


    She held up two bounty posters for the Bandit Leader to see.


    Dadan''s eyes bugged. "WHAT?! WHAT HAPPENED?! WHY DID IT INCREASE SO MUCH?! WHY IS ROSAN''S FIRST SO HIGH?"


    "I''m not sure! I thought we may have missed the last reveal of bounties but I talked to Maro and she told me this is definitely Luffy''s second and Rosan''s first," Makino replied.


    She was rather shell-shocked herself to see just how high their bounties suddenly got and demanded Maro tell her what happened over the Den Den Mushi (Rosan had been kind enough to give her one connected to Aiko and Maro before he left... but not himself).


    The Dokkaebi and her wife (it sounded like they were partying¡­ why did they have to be located in the North Blue?!) told her all about what happened in Alabasta after she closed the bar early and to say she was shocked would be an understatement.


    Her little Luffy fought and defeated a Warlord?! That was incredible! It looks like all the training Maro and Rosan subjected him to was paying off in dividends.


    Rosan¡­


    To see him with a bounty of all people left Makino shocked. Over the 10 years she knew him, the bartender realized that there were still so many things she didn''t know about the redhead and would probably never know.


    What she did know though, was that he was very much a person who preferred to work in the backgrounds.


    She honestly expected him to not have a bounty this high for a very long time but not only was that not the case, it was his first bounty too.


    She wondered what he did. He was an ass for not connecting his own Den Den Mushi to the one he gave her so she made sure to tell Maro to call her next time he visited.


    "They beat a Warlord?!" Dadan gaped, practically glowing in pride. "HELL YEAH! THAT''S MY BOYS! MEN LET''S CELEBRATE THE OCCASION!"


    "YEAH!" They roared, bustling into action.


    The surrogate mother of her three troublemakers was a little concerned to see their prices so high but that paled in comparison to the joy she was feeling at watching them succeed in the perilous oceans.


    Ace, Luffy and Rosan¡­ Her boys were doing just fine.


    "Makino, you come join too!" Dadan demanded.


    The bartender smiled at their glee and nodded, just as happy for the pirates.


    "I''ll cook!" she announced.


    The cheering got louder.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    A figure fell on one knee, panting in exertion at the hell they were putting their body through.


    They had long gone past their limit that their body could handle, but how could they possibly stop?


    After all, the lifeless expression staring at them had lit a fire that demanded they keep going.


    Ever after someone told them to slow down, they refused to do so. Only until they couldn''t move anymore, would they stop for the day.


    They always ignored everyone because they weren''t him. How could they ever stop training, when their target was a true monster? When their target would eat them alive if they faltered for even a second.


    No, they would need to put their all into getting stronger or they would be consumed by the depths of apathy.


    The Red Devil¡­ Is that what they were calling him now?


    100 million¡­ That would do him no justice at all. He was worth so much more then that measly price but he probably didn''t show the world what he was capable of just yet.


    No, this 100 million was just a taste.


    They were honored... after all, Rosan had done far more then just give them a taste!


    Ah, Rosan~ The years had done him so well. He was so handsome now! From that cute little face to this right here...


    Alas, he was too handsome.


    Dead eyes roamed over to the three unimportant bounties. The two males were completely ignored, leaving just the female to be scrutinized.


    Nico Robin. Ohara''s Devil. The Sole Survivor of Ohara.


    The lover of the Red Devil based on reports.


    Unacceptable.


    That just wouldn''t do. Nico Robin couldn''t just go stealing Rosan from them!


    Luckily, they had a solution!


    Ignoring their screaming limbs, they picked up their designated Den Den Mushi and waited patiently for it to ring.


    "Hello?" The voice on the line said.


    "It''s me," they said immediately.


    "? I don''t think I''ve ever seen you call anyone. Actually, do you do anything besides train? What''s the occasion, Puppet?"


    "Water 7," they said shortly, tone lifeless.


    The voice on the other line was clearly surprised by that abrupt statement.


    "You want to go there? No offense, but you''re really not suited for the mission we designated the other agents which is why we didn''t send you in the first place."


    This was weird. They never asked for anything, never displayed any emotion and only trained or did assassination missions. Their strength was not in question at all after all the hell they put their body through but something as delicate as this, years into the mission was just not something they could afford to handle.


    Puppet wasn''t just a friendly nickname. That''s what they were.


    A puppet. And a puppet was not good enough to do what the others were doing.


    "¡­I will go," they insisted robotically.


    "Is this one of your instinct things? You always did portray good skills in that¡­ It''s gotten you out of quite a bit of situations." The voice on the line paused in contemplation. "Fine, you can go. I doubt you will, but make no indication who your allies are until it''s time."


    "Right."


    With that, they hung up the phone and put away their Mushi to throw themselves back into training.


    If they were just in Alabasta as led to believe, then eventually their log would set them on course to Water 7.


    A hazy fog surrounded them until it formed into the Red Devil himself and they placed a hand on his tan cheek, unmindful of the fact that they weren''t actually there.


    No one could steal him. He was theirs and no one else. The Devil Child had no idea who she was with¡­


    After all, Nico Robin thought Rosan was a devil but that just wasn''t true.


    Red Devil? What a stupid title¡­


    The figure grinned psychotically and used their sharp nails to grip the cheek of the redhead in front of them even tighter with enough force to carve deeply into them.


    Without hesitation, they crushed the head of the Rosan in front of them, watching as it dispersed into nothing and turned to face the hole filled dummy once more.


    ...He was an Angel not a Devil~


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Her son was a pirate.


    "My Queen? Are you alright? You''ve been staring at something for quite a¡ª"


    "Get out."


    The voice came out measured, deep and commanding.


    Jen, her secretary, jumped at the woman''s tone and hastily departed with a shaky salute.


    Once the door was shut, leaving the Queen to herself, Iris D. Raisa allowed her neutral expression to form into a deep scowl of anger.


    Her son was a pirate.


    The beautiful woman''s immaculate teeth sharpened drastically and her desk began melting from the corrosion of her sharpened claws. Her well kept and tight purple battle dress began swaying before she forcefully smoothed it back down.


    That idiot. What was he thinking?!


    "Iris D. Rosan, how dare you become a pirate?" she snarled, feeling a familiar rage that she worked many years to get under control.


    The face of her only child stared back at her and she felt her scowl somehow get deeper.


    Despite her anger, she greedily drank in all the features of the son she had not seen since birth.


    He looked just like her. For all intents and purposes, Rosan was a male version of Raisa and he was breathtakingly beautiful as a result, with a head of red hair framing a handsome bronze face and gorgeous eyes that could pierce the soul even through a picture.


    There were some differences though.


    His hair was spiky and shoulder length, opposite to her smooth and butt length hair. It was a shame that it wasn''t smooth but she supposed he had to have inherited something physically from that piece of ¡ª


    The next difference was the fact that true to Dragon''s words, he actually did have heterochromia. His right eye was the purple he had been born with. The same royal purple as her own eyes. But his left¡­ his left was a blood red that was the same color as their red hair.


    ...How was that possible? Did he eat a Devil Fruit? That had to be it because her son had two shining purple eyes that had stolen her breath away...


    Which led Raisa to the biggest issue.


    His expression, or lack thereof.


    That expressionless face lacking the emotion he should have. Raisa knew that he had to have gone through something drastic based on the fact that Dragon informed her of him 10 years ago.


    He had been missing from the island she had abandoned him at for who knows how long? 14 was just the age Dragon saw him at... it could have been far longer.


    But even after 10 years, he still seemed to lack emotions? That just wasn''t possible for their lineage. Even Raisa, the prodigy of her bloodline, didn''t have complete control of her emotions, shown by how angry/worried she currently was despite the amount of painstaking training to get them under control.


    Their emotions were an overwhelming torrent of waves. They didn''t simply stop like it did with Rosan. They continued and continued like a hurricane.


    How? How did he do that? Why did he do that? 14 was the earliest she was aware he lacked emotions but it could have been even earlier then that¡­


    Did it have to do with the island she left him at?


    She stared at his face once more.


    100,000,000 beri¡­ His first bounty was 100 million beri.


    Not only was he beautiful but¡­ but he was strong too. He had to be if he survived traveling between the seas at such a young age. He had to be if 100 million was his very first bounty.


    Beautiful just like her¡­


    Strong just like her (them)¡­


    In all likelihood, he was a prodigy just like her too...


    But he was a pirate just like him.


    It felt like a slap to the face and Raisa''s expression (which had unknowingly turned worried at the thought of what her son had to have gone through) morphed back into a terrible scowl.


    If anyone saw her right now, they''d be terrified because Queen Raisa didn''t get angry. No, the monarch of Wisteria was the picture perfect of composed at all times, ruling with a measured expression and not allowing anything to bother her.


    Did that man... did he get everything he sought for? She remembered his words clearly before she was defeated in battle.


    "Kahahahaha! My ambitions and your emotions would give birth to quite a strong haki user, don''t you think Raisa-chan? Not to mention your natural talent... Hopefully they end up getting alot of things from you too, I want our kid to have as easy of a life as possible."


    The mere thought was turning the temperature of the room blistering and she had to restrain herself lest all her paperwork get blown or burned everywhere.


    Thinking of that bastard never did her any good. It only broke her composure and as queen, she couldn''t let that happen.


    The ringing of a Den Den Mushi interrupted her musing and the irate queen stared at it before schooling her expression.


    Perfectly manicured fingers, with purple nail polish, picked up the phone and Raisa said, "State your business. I have other matters to attend to."


    "Explain yourself, Raisa."


    The woman raised an impeccable brow and took a seat (when did she get up?). "I''m afraid you''ll have to be more specific, Sengoku. You should be glad we''re even still talking, considering your severe lack of manners," she replied coolly, forcing herself to calm down lest someone catch her change in mood.


    Sengoku let out a sigh of annoyance. "Forgive me for my attitude but I''m sure you can understand why I sound so urgent. After all, you and the Red Devil share a striking resemblance with each other."


    Red Devil¡­ such a stupid title.


    Raisa didn''t let anything that would suggest turmoil show on her face or in her voice. "I do have two other siblings so why exactly are you speaking to me as if I should be aware of this?" was all she said.


    Two siblings who she hadn''t talked to in years. Oren and Dalia were her older and younger siblings (both by 2 years) and Rosan''s uncle and auntie respectively.


    Raisa had tried her best to protect them from the judging gazes of their parents but that had not stopped the two of them from resenting the absolute prodigy that was their middle sister.


    Years of being compared to her, did their relationship no favors and when Dalia had turned 16, she had went with Oren, who had long since gone, to have their own adventure together.


    Where they were? The Queen didn''t know. She had also went on her own journey at 16 but when she returned at 18 to claim the throne, they were long gone.


    She had been rather hurt that they had left without a word but there was nothing she could do about it because she was the ruler of Wisteria now and had taken the title from her father and mother (who had both been killed soon after she had claimed the throne by that...).


    If they had stayed then she would have been able to defeat¡­


    Raisa clenched her fist.


    She wanted nothing to do with them.


    "Raisa, there is no need to be difficult. I would just like an explanation based on the information I gathered," Sengoku stressed.


    Based on what he found out...


    The Queen raised a brow. "I don''t think I''m being difficult. Perhaps I''ll be more forthcoming if you don''t plan on baselessly accusing me, Fleet Admiral. I don''t remember saying you could call me for idle chatter and this is something far more egregious."


    The Fleet Admiral sighed. Raisa had no fear in her heart whatsoever no matter who spoke to her.


    "I won''t say you abandoned him... but someone did and as a result the Red Devil was taken in and raised by the soon to be lover of Gol D. Roger. Were you aware of that?" He asked bluntly.


    According to extensive reports that dated back to years ago, this Rosan was actually raised on Baterilla. The only reason they had been able to find such information, was because he was documented on the island when they began their purge of all unborn children there.


    The redhead was a toddler at the time so he hadn''t been suspected all that much but to think he was being raised by such a person¡­


    The world froze as she took in that information.


    Raisa''s eyes widened to epic proportions, sharp eyes glowing bright in confusion, as she heard that tidbit of information.


    He¡­ He was raised by who? Her son was raised by what?! The island of Baterilla was holding someone like that?!


    Sengoku stroked his beard at that. Judging by the shocked silence, she really didn''t know that.


    "Not only that, at only 4 years old he completely vanished from that island and if we''re to be believed, became the mysterious partner of Nico Robin, his current lover."


    The monarch went white.


    "What? But how?" She asked in shocked confusion, completely overwhelmed by the information she was currently learning.


    Four?! He left that island when he was four?! How was that even possible? He had only been a newborn so she had not given him a Devil Fruit, so there should have been no way a four year old could escape that island by his lonesome.


    And not only that, he was lovers with the goddamn Devil Child?!


    W-WHAT WAS HE DOING?! WHAT ON EARTH WAS IRIS D. ROSAN DOING?!


    Sengoku mercifully didn''t comment on the noise of the melted desk getting smashed into pieces by her scaly tail.


    The Queen huffed, purple slits positively glowing in fury, worry and annoyance at the information she was learning. Her cool facade was gone and that meant her infamous temper as a child reared its ugly head like an old friend.


    "Why did you abandon him?" The Fleet Admiral asked curiously because that was very unlike the spunky little girl from who knows how long ago. "You haven''t been married since you became Queen so I assume it pertains to that."


    "What do you think?" Raisa hissed venomously into the phone.


    Did he really think she was just going to talk about that? About why she went out of her way to abandon her only child?


    Her heir?!


    Ever since she was a child, Raisa had disproved of the way her parents raised her along with her siblings. As a result, she wanted a child of her to nurture and raise correctly.


    In any other circumstance, Rosan would have been the perfect child. He was gorgeous, his eyes glowed brighter then even hers, he had an incredibly healthy body... He would have been a heir worthy of the throne but she would have never forced it upon him if he didn''t want it.


    But that was the problem. He was perfect.


    How could she raise a child who filled her with just as much disgust as he did love?


    His potential, his talents, his beauty. Everything about Rosan, it was just proving him right and she hated that. The redhead quite possibly shaped up to be the perfect combination of his parents and that was her worst nightmare.


    A small part had hoped that he wasn''t a prodigy... that he didn''t have ambition. She would have preferred him a failure because then, she could have raised that failure eventually but no. He was none of those.


    He was exactly like her wasn''t he... a once in a generation prodigy... with ambitions that surpassed his talents.


    What a terrifying child she had given birth to. Perhaps it was a good thing his emotions had been stripped from him somehow. If he was able to achieve this level with such a crippler on him...


    Raisa clenched her fist, smoke unwittingly pouring out of her mouth.


    Perhaps she should hunt him and his crew down (but could she really kill her own son?). She would be doing herself a favor ridding the stain on her legacy (but he was so beautiful and his eyes had been so pure). By him becoming a pirate, he had chosen to follow in that man''s footsteps (but if she had just raised him like a proper mother... couldn''t she have avoided this outcome).


    Sengoku sensed the resentment in her tone and it confirmed his thoughts but that was yet another concern.


    Who exactly was strong enough to not only defeat her... but rape Raisa in the South Blue? The Queen had traveled through the New World of all places and it was due to her own prowess that she survived.


    No one would be willing to so brazenly attack her... she did not only have her Devil Fruit to defend herself... The woman was a fighter before she was a Queen.


    "...Who is his Father? I must at least know this Raisa," Sengoku asked gently, hoping to not set off the Queen.


    The woman''s eyes narrowed in rage. "You must know? How dare you demand anything out of me? How about I fucking tell you what you should really know¡ª"


    The Queen caught herself and took a deep breath.


    Raisa was very tempted to tell the Fleet Admiral what he must actually know and it was littered in vulgar language a queen shouldn''t be saying but she held herself from lashing out any further.


    Fine, he wanted to know? He could know. Whatever he did with the information, she didn''t care.


    "Cutter."


    Her answer was short and to the point and it showed that she absolutely refused to delve deeper into it.


    Not that she needed to.


    Sengoku went completely still at that.


    Surely she didn''t mean¡­


    No, she had to. It lined up far too well. He had been spotted and captured in the South Blue after all. The man had quite a bit of damage on his person already too. Burn marks, clawed skin, bite marks, clear signs of poison and a litter of other cuts...


    All fitting injuries for someone who would have gotten into a fight with Raisa.


    That would also explain his sudden Devil Fruit¡­ he must have stolen it from Wisteria before being captured...


    It was very likely Cutter didn''t even know of his son''s existence¡­


    "For what it''s worth Raisa, we have captured him," Sengoku told her.


    "...The damage has been done. If that''s all, I''ll be going now," Raisa said rudely, shutting the phone without hesitation.


    The woman frowned deeply and glared at her wrecked desk.


    Of all the rotten luck¡­ To be found by the wife of the Pirate King. How the hell was she supposed to know Roger was going to land on that island and end up bedding the woman who happened to be raising her son? He wasn''t even the Pirate King yet when Rosan was born.


    But that wasn''t even the worst of it. Rosan began traveling the seas at four? How? She didn''t give him one of the many rare Devil Fruits her family hoarded (it was a coming of age thing) so he shouldn''t be able to survive at such a young age.


    Was he really that much of a prodigy? Was he even better then she expected him to be? Did his natural talents surpass that of his mothers?


    It''s not like Cutter was talented... his sheer ambition and drive is what drove him to be so strong... Did Rosan have both the ambition and the talent?


    Did he really inherent the best qualities from both his parents?


    Whatever the case may be, Rosan left that island at too young of an age and he even met up with Nico Robin too.


    She glanced at the Devil Child''s bounty poster and scowled at the, admittedly, beautiful woman.


    Did Nico Robin also manipulate him? Was she the reason he lost his emotions? Did Nico Robin groom her son into a puppet and eventually transform him into her lover?


    Wench.


    There were too many questions that she just didn''t know the answer to and there was no way she''d be able to find them unless she somehow spoke to Rosan and if there ever came a time where they did meet...


    Maybe she should have just kept him¡­ Despite being utterly disgusted by his existence, she had still loved him.


    The Queen sighed, anger tapering out of her and features transforming back to normal as she called in her secretary.


    She needed a new desk.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "DALIA! YOU''VE GOT A FUCKING KID?!" A male screamed, inspecting the bounty poster with bugged eyes.


    He was tall, broad and handsome, standing at 6''4 with shoulder length, smooth black hair and glowing purple eyes. His bronze skin was bulky and muscular, accentuated by the fact that he wore some shorts and no shirt, showing his figure off.


    "ARE YOU FUCKING STUPID, OREN?! IF I HAD A KID, I THINK MY OLDER BROTHER WOULD KNOW!" A voice screamed back, poking their head out to glare at the idiot.


    She was short unlike most of her family, and gorgeous, standing at 5''4 with curly red hair that stopped at her shoulder and glowing blue eyes. Her figure was modest and petite, contrasting her older sister greatly.


    "Why the hell are you asking if I suddenly have a kid? I told you I don''t want kids," Iris D. Dalia asked, stepping into view and getting a stray pillow thrown at her.


    "Put on a shirt, dumbass!" Iris D. Oren grunted with a scowl.


    "Ah shut up, you pussy! We''ve already seen everything from each other. We kinda grew up with each other y''know?" she waved him off, marching forward to inspect the bounty poster he was holding. "Oh? A bounty you want to hunt? Are we running low on funds?"


    Before her older brother could answer, the woman grabbed the poster out of his hand and inspected it.


    "Who''s this hottie?" She crooned, staring at the redhead (go team red!) with a searching gaze.


    "I was thinking the same thing¡­ until I realized he was probably your kid," Oren said dryly.


    Dalia blinked. "I don''t have a kid. I''ve never been far from you for more then a month. How the hell do I have the time to have a kid under your nose? If anything, this could be yours! You''re the dude here. Why are you spreading your seed around and not owning up to it?!"


    "I like men, hence the "I was thinking the same thing" dumbass," her gigantic brother said blandly, staring unimpressed at her.


    Oh right, he did.


    "So he''s not related to us? That means he''s free game! What do you think I should wear when we meet?" Dalia beamed.


    Oren held his head. "I don''t know if you''re talking about collecting his bounty or something else¡­ but I think you''re forgetting about our middle sister."


    His youngest sister blinked before her expression morphed into horror and she dropped the poster like it were made of fire.


    "T-That''s Raisa''s kid?! RAISA HAS A KID?!" Dalia gaped in disbelief. How the hell did she not see it? They looked exactly the same! DAMN IT SHE WAS SO DEPRAVED FOR LEERING AT HER NEPHEW!


    "I find it a bit hard to believe, considering Raisa would die before letting any kid of hers leave her sight to become a pirate of all things but this is probably our nephew," Oren finished, grabbing the bounty again to inspect it.


    He didn''t think Raisa would ever let one of her kids become a pirate but she was also the type to spoil them rotten.


    "But how?" Dalia said in confusion. "His face isn''t showing an ounce of emotion on it. It''s just a picture but... I just have this feeling something''s wrong..."


    Her muscular brother shrugged, purple eyes narrowing a bit. "Maybe he''s an outlier. Raisa was a once in a generation talent so maybe her kid is an even bigger monster and doesn''t have a problem with his emotions like we all do."


    Him being an outlier could explain why he opted into becoming a pirate instead of claiming the throne. Their supposed nephew looked a little older then 16 right now.


    "I''m so curious! Rosan''s his name and they''re calling him a Devil too¡­ I wonder what he''s like? Is he nice? Mean? Would he like if I gave him presents for his birthday? Maybe not if they''re calling him a Devil... But maybe he would totally accept them from his awesome auntie!" Dalia mused.


    She wanted to meet him!


    "We could just look for him. We all look pretty similar so I''m sure he''d not attack us on the spot," Oren shrugged.


    "You think he could beat the both of us?" The redheaded woman raised a brow and raked a hand through her curly hair.


    "It''s not about just him. Look at his crew. They have a combined bounty of 400 million and this probably isn''t even all of them. Besides, his first bounty is 100 million and he''s probably the son of Raisa, who kicked our ass at the same time all the time," he groused.


    He had a point¡­ They wondered what Devil Fruit was granted to him?


    "One issue though¡­ He''s in the Grand Line and you know how hard it is to track someone in the Grand Line," Dalia pointed out.


    She had a point¡­ trying to track someone in that ocean was a task if they moved around a lot and well, he was a pirate. They could fly around but that would still take too long.


    Oren hummed. It was a deep and powerful rumble. "Well, we can just visit Raisa in that case and question her."


    Wide blue eyes focused on him and Dalia''s jaw dropped.


    "Are you nuts?! It''s been years since we''ve last seen her and you think we can just drop in and say "Hey sis what''s up! Heard you got a son now!" without her melting our skulls off?!"


    "And it''s our fault if she does," Oren replied calmly, despite his own nervousness. "We let our jealousy get in the way and left her alone with our awesome parents."


    "And?! They loved her! All they did to us was punish our inadequacy," Dalia scowled.


    "Which she protected us from to the best of her ability!" The older brother frowned, crossing his arms across his broad chest. "Raisa wasn''t a bad sister to us, Dalia. She tried her best but we still got jealous and left without a word for 24 years. If anything, we''re the terrible siblings for keeping no contact with her."


    Raisa was being groomed to be the next Queen, yet she still made sure they weren''t mistreated by their strict parents. She would distract them and chide them if they went too hard on Oren or Dalia. Hell, Raisa even once defeated their Father to show him that he wasn''t as talented as she was either, all because he kept telling her siblings to be more like her.


    "Not even you are like me. No one is like me," Raisa stated over their dad, glancing at him neutrally. "Stop trying to ask them to be me. Let them be themselves."


    It was touching... but it just showed how out of their league she was.


    To Dalia, the reason they were so strict was because of Raisa. She was a prodigy and they weren''t so they had to do even more to catch up to her.


    But it was never enough and once Raisa departed Wisteria to begin her journey (Oren had left 2 years earlier), she suffered for it.


    None of that was Raisa''s fault though.


    They were just afraid to face the woman who they had wrongly left behind and were finding excuses.


    Dalia sighed in misery. "I-I know it''s just, we did her so wrong. She really loved us you know? Even despite the fact we were so bitter. She tried everything to mend our relationship, all while balancing the duties of inheriting the throne..."


    "We aren''t kids anymore, sis. Let''s go back to Wisteria and speak to her about this. I can''t believe she had a kid and we didn''t even know about it¡­" Oren frowned, looking disappointed in himself.


    "I don''t want kids but I''ve always wanted to dote on a nephew," Dalia gushed, thinking about little Rosan.


    Ah, just imagining him as a little baby had the short former princess squealing. Running around and tripping just like his Auntie Dalia!


    "He''s so cute!" She crooned, holding her cheeks and grinning.


    She really wanted to meet Rosan now!


    "You don''t even know how he really looks. What are you gushing about?" Her older brother asked with a sweatdrop.


    She completely ignored him.


    "I wonder who his dad is¡­ He''s the spitting image of Raisa so it''s hard to tell," Oren mused.


    "Someone strong who she loves. She would never do a political marriage," the woman laughed, it was light and smooth.


    Oren couldn''t help the short laugh. Past the nervousness, he was excited to see his little sister again.


    Little did they know, their sister wanted nothing to do with them.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    When Robin and Rosan decided to go back to their crew, it was at what seemed to be the home of the one named Mont Blanc Cricket, the monkey man they ran into earlier¡­ and his orangutan brother?


    They were currently having a party so they guessed all went well.


    The three in question, jumped in surprise at the sudden appearances and gained defensive postures, only to be calmed down by Nami.


    "Don''t worry, they''re with us!" She assured, turning towards the two with a smile. "You''re back!" Their navigator beamed.


    "You guys were gone longer then expected¡­ Did it take that long to calm you down?" Sabo asked with a raised brow. He didn''t expect Rosan to stay angry for so long but then again, his oldest brother was probably the type to hold a grudge.


    The redhead shook his head. "Robin managed to calm me down immediately but something came up and we went to check it out."


    Right as he finished, Robin held up the ring to show them her Raid Suit. "Rosan had this made for me and it just finished so we went to get it," she explained.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    ¡­


    "YOU GUYS GOT MARRIED?!" Sanji roared, eyes bugging in disbelief as he looked at the ring. It looked just like Rosan''s and even had the amethyst stone, but the ring itself was black instead of silver.


    "WHAT?!" Usopp screeched. "MARRIED?! WHEN?"


    "WHY WEREN''T WE INVITED?!" Luffy roared in anger, marching up to his brother to shake him back and forth repeatedly.


    HOW COULD HIS BROTHER MAKE HIM MISS THEIR WEDDING?! MARO''S WEDDING HAD SUCH GOOD FOOD!


    Nami held her head. They probably didn''t mean it like that but seriously, how did the two not come to such an obvious conclusion?


    Sabo began laughing merrily at the sight of Luffy throttling their oldest brother. "You should have invited us, Rosan. Ace will be pissed to know you got married and he didn''t get to see it."


    Robin could see why they jumped to that conclusion and she blamed Rosan and his unique mind for her not jumping to such an obvious conclusion herself. She held back a long suffering sigh at the damage the redhead had done to her.


    Case in point, Rosan calmly stopped Luffy from delivering his justice and said, "Are you all stupid? I''d mention getting married if it were happening. How did you even jump to such a conclusion as your first conclusion?"


    "HOW DID YOU NOT?!" They roared back. Was this guy serious? Wasn''t he supposed to be some type of genius?! How did he act so stupid sometimes?!


    "Because my mind is not in the gutter," he replied calmly.


    "THAT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH ANYTHING!"


    "Could you guys explain the situation to us?" Robin jumped in. She knew that Rosan was way too stubborn to ever concede something and he had already conceded once today. There was no way he was going to break a world record and give up twice.


    Nami nodded, taking reign of the conversation.


    After Robin and Rosan disappeared, Sabo informed the group that they managed to find information on a person named Mont Blanc Cricket who lived on the other side of Jaya.


    Not wasting anytime, the group went over to where the man was located and were attacked by Shoujou (the orangutan man), damaging their ship even further.


    "That ship won''t survive much longer," Rosan said blandly, referring to the Going Merry. "The Grand Line is tearing her apart."


    Their two former enemies flinched in guilt due to the damage they inflicted, looking towards the floor.


    "She''ll be fine! We just need you to repair her up!" Usopp insisted, smiling confidently. With Modification and the sniper, she''d be perfect in no time.


    The redhead simply nodded. Modification was not a miracle worker. In fact, a fatal mistake he had learned far too late, was that wood as a material was not able to be modified very much. The reason the White Rose had suffered fatal damage, was because of how often he modified it.


    While it was reinforced, if something managed to pierce it... the wood would suffer greater damage. He could in theory keep "repairing" the Merry but the more he repaired her, the less effective it would be.


    That''s why he didn''t bother repairing a ship like Merry. She was just like the White Rose in that they were just a caravel but the White Rose didn''t have to deal with the Grand Line and it rarely ever got attacked so it lasted him much longer.


    With that issue solved, Nami continued where she left off.


    They escaped from Shoujou to continue on their way to where Mont Blanc was located and eventually encountered the man while inspecting his odd home.


    After a misunderstanding in which Cricket attacked the crew, he promptly collapsed due to the condition his body was in from diving repeatedly without rest.


    The kind crew quickly treated the man and cleared up the misunderstanding with all three of the leaders of the Saruyama Alliance.


    Rosan didn''t really care about the tale of Noland the Liar but he did read it once to Maro when she was dealing with puberty and being especially bratty.


    She didn''t even like the book¡­ At least Angel enjoyed it (she laughed a lot at Noland).


    Noland claimed to have claimed an item called a Waver, who''s full potential could only be realized after traveling to a Sky Island.


    "Didn''t Rosan get one of those?" Sanji pointed out, remembering the strange scooter that he managed to pick up from the ship.


    "Oh right I did... if that''s what they can do, then I want a few of those," Rosan commented idly, watching the way Nami''s eyes glittered at his interest.


    "I do too! I wanted one but with you we could take way more!" She said, getting a nod of approval out of the redhead.


    Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    "Think about all the different tech they have," Rosan mused. "Let''s take all that we can."


    "You and I are on the same page, Big Bro! Let''s get it all!" Nami beamed, holding out her hand for the redhead to high five.


    "So greedy!" Everyone thought with a sweatdrop, watching the thief and hoarder discuss their goals.


    They were always like this, discussing anything of value that they could take but it never ceased to amaze them how greedy the unholy duo was.


    Robin sighed fondly. Rosan and Nami were quickly shaping up to actually be a troublesome brother and sister duo. They both had common interests and were insanely greedy to boot.


    At least with them, the crew would quickly accumulate many resources.


    "Right, so we''re going to be using something called a Knock Up Stream?" Rosan muttered.


    The Knock Up Stream was a powerful water stream that shot upwards into the sky. If the Straw Hats used it, they should be able to make it into Sky Island¡­


    But that sounded insanely suicidal. Looks like Rosan would be taking a look at the ship after the three worked on it.


    "You guys don''t need to worry," the redhead assured calmly, grabbing the panicking Usopp and stilling him. "Even if our ship comes crashing down into the sea, at the very least I''ll make sure you all survive."


    Right¡­ he could transform into a dragon.


    WHY COULDN''T THEY JUST RELY ON ROSAN?!


    "Riding a current into the sky sounds kinda fun," Sabo grinned.


    "Right?! It''ll be awesome!" Luffy cheered.


    "You guys are only so unbothered because you have me standing behind you. Just like when we were kids," Rosan snorted.


    "Isn''t that exactly how you acted with me?" Robin raised a brow.


    Usopp and Nami collapsed. Those three were definitely brothers and Robin was absolutely Rosan''s best friend. The poor girl had signs of his influence coursing through her clear as day and maybe at one point she had been far more rational... but when you were stuck managing a psycho like Rosan, it was only a matter of time before you got infected too.


    They were all completely insane and thought nothing of the ordeal coming up.


    Cricket was confused at his confidence but liked it all the same. "You''ll need a South Bird first and you''ll need to get it quick."


    He didn''t realize it was night time with all the partying they did and the Knock Up Stream was showing up tomorrow¡­ they were quickly running out of time right now.


    "Of course I leave for a few hours and you guys lose track of time," Rosan sighed, watching his crew fearfully inch away from him. "Good luck catching the bird, I will be watching with great amusement."


    The Straw Hats groaned.


    "You won''t help?" Nami asked.


    "Consider this punishment. If it takes too long I''ll help, maybe," Rosan assured.


    "You are the worst," they all said at the same time.


    The redhead raised a brow. "You guys have taken to saying that very often. Aiko says it a lot too but she very clearly loves me... Do you guys also love me that much?"


    They groaned.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    The South Bird was a species of bird that were native to Jaya. They had a unique body disposition in which their head was always inclined south.


    Due to the bizarre nature of the Grand Line, the Straw Hats would need help to find the Knock Up Stream and the Log Pose would not be able to help so they needed to capture a South Bird to guide them towards the pressurized water stream...


    "AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"


    "Shouldn''t we help them?" Sabo asked with a sweatdrop.


    "I''m beginning to feel a little bad," Robin agreed, struggling to hold her amusement in.


    "Robin can capture the bird instantly if she wants to. The fact that she hasn''t, just shows she''s as sadistic as me," Rosan shrugged.


    The woman held her hands up in surrender. "It is rather amusing," was all she said.


    Sabo''s sweatdrop deepened. "You two are so twisted."


    "I tried my best with them but some people are just innately problematic," Mod sighed forlornly.


    The three were sitting on a rather comfy tree branch (courtesy of Rosan) as they watched the chaos unfold (also courtesy of Rosan).


    Zoro was faring fairly well¡­ but he got lost in the process. The green haired swordsman didn''t seem to realize that he was walking in circles and they wrote him off as a lost cause. He eventually ran into some gigantic grasshoppers and was currently in the process of fighting them all.


    Nami and Sanji were both afraid of bugs and unfortunately, this forest was full of them.


    It was very clear their Navigator was seconds away from becoming a terrorist because Rosan was sure she was about to set fire to the entire area the moment a group of giant ladybugs showed up.


    Usopp was with them as well and surprisingly, he was handling this the best¡­ up until the giant bugs came out and began fighting them.


    Chopper and Luffy (Zoro was supposed to be with them but he got lost in the process) were being chased by some fairly large bees and gigantic praying mantises.


    Most impressive was that all the chaos was being orchestrated by the South Bird. It was commanding every bug in the forest to attack their crew.


    "Sabo, do you have a girlfriend?" Rosan asked calmly.


    The revolutionary let out a suffering sigh. "You know, Angel asked me that same question¡­ No, I don''t have a girlfriend."


    "...Have someone you like?" He asked instead. After a moment''s pause, the redhead added, "Mod-chan doesn''t count, everyone likes her. You should have heard what Aiko said the first time she saw her."


    "R-ROSAN!" The Devil Fruit shouted in embarrassment. Why did he always do this to her?! Couldn''t he just leave her be?!


    "Wait... what did Aiko say the first time she saw me?" Mod said in confusion.


    Rosan raised a brow. "Do you want me to tell you exactly what she said?"


    "...Yes?" Mod sounded unsure. Aiko was very nice to her and the woman was very mature to boot.


    Rosan shrugged. "Rosan, how the hell is someone that hot trapped inside of you 24/7? Let that beautiful woman out to breathe and if she ever wants to enter the dating scene... recommend me. Oh and then under her breath she mentioned something along the lines of "the things I''d do to that woman... for once, I can see what Maro was talking about" but I could still hear her."


    ...


    Mod''s brain fried, as her face turned an atomic shade of red. "T-The things she''d do to me?! Just how many people are attracted to me?!"


    "Just about everyone that lays their eyes on you. Don''t worry, I made sure to hit Aiko for saying that right in front of me," Rosan replied easily.


    "It''s actually quite bizarre. You''d be very popular," Robin added.


    "I had no idea I was so desired... but I''m not interested in dating! I already have my hands full with you three..."


    "I agree. I will keep you as busy as possible so that you can never date a single soul," Rosan nodded like what he said was normal.


    "Y-You did not just say that," Mod gaped. "Shouldn''t you keep such unhinged thinking to yourself?! You just admitted to something completely insane!"


    "Why would I keep it to myself? I can''t have you thinking that someone else can take you away from me. You''re my mother and no one can have you," Rosan said neutrally.


    "...I thought your possessive behavior would have gotten better with age... but I can''t believe I''m saying this, it got worse."


    Robin and Ram laughed at her plight.


    "¡­" Sabo took on a thinking expression. "No I don''t really like anyone. I don''t go on much missions with others. I''m either usually solo, or going on a mission with either Koala or Hack so I don''t really have time for that."


    "Koala/Koala?" Robin, Rosan and Mod asked at the same time. Hack didn''t sound like a woman but Koala certainly did.


    Sabo nodded, not sensing the danger. "Yeah, she''s a year older then me and my best friend. She badgers me too much though... says I leave my post too often. She''s the person I go on missions with the most."


    "Badgers? She''s overly worried about you?" Rosan questioned.


    Poor Sabo didn''t know what answering that question would do.


    "Yep," he nodded. "It''s pretty annoying but you get used to it."


    Mod held her head. All her children were oblivious idiots.


    Rosan nodded. "You should introduce us to her one day. She sounds like she''s been taking good care of you."


    Robin smiled in amusement. "Be careful when introducing her to Angel. She can be a bit much."


    Sabo sighed in misery. "Tell me about it. One of the maids tripped and I caught her and Angel must have not liked the look on her face because she dragged me away and began talking about the birds and the bees to me. Who even does that?!"


    "Our idiot redheaded sister," Rosan replied calmly. "I always find it funny how she''s the only one in a relationship and she hounds us about our own."


    "It''s apart of her charm¡­ she''s unique," Mod admitted.


    All of them were stupid in their own ways... Angel was a complete idiot when it came to relationships and being overprotective of her siblings, Maro was a perverted idiot, Demon was quite an idiot about how the way delivering words could affect someone, Luffy was Luffy, Ace was an unaware and stubborn idiot and Robin and Rosan were emotional idiots.


    "Auntie Angel is awesome! Let her do her thing or I''m gonna snitch to her!" Ram beamed.


    "Awesome is one way to put it," Sabo muttered fondly.


    "I like to use demented," Rosan supplied helpfully.


    "Angel wouldn''t appreciate that. I think she''s rather charming in her own... idiotic way," Robin giggled.


    "HELPPPPPPPPPPP!" Usopp screeched, running from a hoard of pigs.


    The three paused in their conversation and looked over at their suffering crewmates.


    "I think they''ve suffered enough," Mod said.


    "I''ve gotten my laugh out of it," Robin agreed.


    Rosan hummed before his draconic wings sprouted from his back. "Okay, I''ll put you in vision of one and you capture it."


    Robin''s response was to grab his hand and allow him to carry her.


    Once he got her settled in the bridal carry, he set off.


    Sabo snorted and dusted himself off, leaping off of the tree to go and meet up with the suffering crew.


    He should apologize to them for Rosan. His older brother was a dick.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Capturing the bird took Robin and Rosan less then a minute, much to the sheer outrage of the wronged crew and the redhead offered them no solace whatsoever as they walked back to Cricket''s home.


    "I''m sorry, he barred me from helping," Robin smiled apologetically.


    "Same here," Sabo grinned sheepishly.


    "They literally caught it in like 30 fucking seconds!" Nami hissed, piecing Clima together to deliver justice on the two oldest there.


    "Oh that reminds me," Rosan said, catching Clima and snatching it out of Nami''s hand. "I forgot to tell you guys, but we''ve got new bounties."


    ¡­


    ¡­


    ¡­


    "WHAT?!" They roared in disbelief and completely stopped.


    New bounties? Since when?! What the hell did they say that reminded him?!


    The redhead rummaged in his shirt and pulled out four bounty posters before presenting it to the crew.


    It didn''t take them very long to react.


    "W-W-Wha," Nami''s eyes were bugged, looking at each poster and turning progressively white as she looked at the sheer prices on their head.


    400 million. They were collectively worth 400 million now.


    What the fuck.


    "WOO, LOOK SABO! LOOK ROSAN!" Luffy cheered, holding his bounty poster up proudly and beaming.


    Sabo whistled, impressed by the massive jump and patted Luffy''s Straw Hat proudly.


    "Shishishi!" The rubber boy laughed, shoving it in a pale Usopp''s face next.


    "70 million eh?" Zoro grinned, eyes gleaming. "Not bad at all. What do you think, Lovesick Cook?"


    Sanji''s jaw dropped at the fact that there were only four posters and rapidly looked for the fifth. "W-Where the hell is my bounty?! There''s no way the shitty Marimo and the shitty redhead got one first!" He balked.


    That brought the conversation to a whole new topic.


    "ROSAN HAS A BOUNTY?!" Everyone screeched.


    The redhead was practically their assassin! He did everything in the shadows and out of sight to the point that they themselves hardly knew what he was up to until he deigned to explain it.


    They honestly expected him to be the last of the crew to get a bounty but not only was that not true, he had the second highest behind Luffy.


    The redhead in question, sighed. "Crocodile attacked us before I could kill those Marines so some managed to escape. They obviously reported me but besides the fact I blew most of them up... my display was not enough to warrant a higher bounty then Robin... mostly," he stressed.


    "Blowing someone up totally deserves a bounty like that?!" Nami and Usopp thought in horror.


    "That means they know something about you," Sabo correctly concluded. Even if Rosan blew up some Marines, they wouldn''t just lightly slap 100 million on him.


    It was clear that by placing this bounty on him, they were acknowledging him as the 2nd most dangerous Straw Hat and in a crew with the Devil Child herself and a renowned Pirate Hunter... that wasn''t a decision they made lightly. There needed to be more reasons for why they''d think that then him taking out some random and, quite frankly, expendable Marines.


    Rosan nodded. "Besides the fact that the World Government thinks Robin and I are lovers, they may also know that I traveled with her when we were younger and if I''m right¡­ they know about the island where I was raised too¡­"


    While they were vastly incompetent. The Marine''s that were good at their job were good and Baterilla was absolutely an island that they would have documents on due to the large focus they placed on it.


    Rosan had no doubt in his mind that they knew he was from that island, which meant they knew Rouge was his mother and if they knew that¡­ They probably knew who Ace''s father was.


    That was troubling.


    "Island you were raised?" Sanji asked curiously, wanting to know more. "You were born in the South Blue right? And you only recognize Portgas D. Rouge as your mother?"


    They perked up at that. Rosan had been very forthcoming with information lately so they hoped he kept it up.


    The redhead nodded, idly pushing a branch out of the way as they continued their trek back. "I was raised on Baterilla after my mother found me abandoned in the forest as a newborn."


    ...


    What the hell did he just say? They remembered him saying he had gotten abandoned... but the moment he was born?!


    "Abandoned in a forest as a newborn?!" Chopper balked in horror. "That''s inhumane! You can''t just leave an infant alone to fend for themself!"


    Rosan''s birth mother was horrible! How could she do something like that?! W-Wasn''t she a Queen?


    The others who didn''t know were faring no better. That was just downright depressing!


    "What''s so special about Baterilla?" Usopp asked curiously.


    Rosan grunted, eyes turning uncharacteristically dark and making them step away in surprise.


    "For around two years, the Marines were deployed on that island and they began mercilessly killing newborns to prevent the birth of the Pirate Kings child," Robin explained.


    Everyone froze at that.


    They¡­ They what? The Marines would stoop that low¡­? What was wrong with them?


    "I wasn''t killed because I was two at the same and was too old as a result," Rosan continued. "Unfortunately, my mother was pregnant with Ace."


    Something went terribly wrong and more and more, as Rosan told them information about themself, it was like an intricate web was unfolding.


    Why he was sailing the seas at 4¡­ Why he harbored such resentment for the Marines¡­ Why he and Robin knew each other...


    "My mother held Ace in her belly for 20 months so as to avoid suspicion from the Marines," Rosan sighed. "But a person can''t hold a child for that long without consequences and she died as a result¡­ I saw it happen and made the decision to flee Baterilla at 4 years old. That''s how I met Robin."


    They felt their heart drop at the reveal and everyone stepped back in horror, gazing at the redhead in disbelief.


    Robin put a hand on his shoulder and he flashed her a small smile, pulling her a little closer.


    The story didn''t hurt anymore. It had been 20 years.


    "You¡­ You watched her die?" Nami asked quietly, heart resonating once more with the redhead''s story.


    They really did have a lot of similarities in their past. To watch his own mother die¡­ Nothing would ever begin to describe that pain but Nami understood it well.


    "I was spying on her," Rosan said softly. "She didn''t tell me the baby was coming because she knew how I was going to react. Deep down, Mom knew she wasn''t making it and she tried to spare me the pain but it didn''t work."


    "I don''t like Marines. I will never like Marines. I would never save a Marine and I''d never let a Marine touch me."


    Now they understood why Rosan despised the World Government so much. They literally ruined his life from such a young age.


    The shocked silence was broken up by the sound of a gigantic tree being snapped off its roots and they were surprised to see it was Sabo himself with such a look of rage on his face, it was uncharacteristic on the carefree blond.


    The man''s hand was formed into a fist and it was clear that he was the one that knocked it clean off its hinges.


    There was a deep scowl on the revolutionaries face as he said, "It''s not up to them to decide who lives and dies on a hunch! Why does the World Government get to flex such a gross abuse of power? This needs to stop."


    Just because of one person, they ruined not only Rosan''s life, but Ace''s too? They would take all those expecting mothers and ruin their chance at having children, potentially scarring them for life?


    That was unacceptable. This wasn''t the first time the World Government ruined innocent lives and it wouldn''t be the last.


    This was why the Revolutionary Army existed. Because they could all see the deep seated corruption inside of the World Government.


    "I couldn''t agree more," Rosan nodded. "The world cannot be run by such a corrupt organization and that is why we live in this current era. My hate for the World Government will never die until they are dead. That is something that will not change, whether I have emotions or not."


    "You and I are in agreement. They''ve wronged too many of us," Robin frowned, idly shivering as she thought about the Buster Call.


    Such a terrible punishment, all to conceal history. The fact that they were willing to go to such extents... to summon such a...


    The redhead scooped her up immediately and she instantly calmed down, sinking into his comforting grasp and banishing the memory from her mind.


    Ever since she told him about the Buster Call, Rosan made sure she constantly sought him out whenever it was affecting her and she took that invitation with gusto, allowing him to be the mature one in those moments as she shuddered into both his and Mod''s frames.


    Deep down, she''d always be terrified of the Buster Call and would do anything to avoid having to see it again... Maybe that''s why Rosan wanted something as destructive as Ragnarok¡­ so if that time ever came again, he''d be able to protect her from another island destroying threat.


    Rosan hummed as he offered her his presence.


    There was a reason he learned so much abilities that could deal widespread damage and it was because of the looming knowledge of a Buster Call. If they ever encountered such a disastrous thing... He''d be ready for it. It didn''t matter how many Vice Admirals they sent, he''d burn everyone of their ships down.


    Their allies watched the two with soft eyes and realized that both of them had probably been wronged by the World Government in terrible ways.


    They realized they didn''t know much about Robin either...


    "Wait," Nami said. "Why exactly does the World Government think you''re lovers? I mean, I can totally see why we would think that but why would they?"


    Robin, still relaxing in Rosan''s frame, said, "Because my dear best friend right here hates getting his plans ruined so much, that he not only french kissed me to shut me up in front of Alabasta, he made sure to squeeze my butt too."


    "You are literally never going to let that butt thing go are you?" Rosan muttered.


    "I''m just recounting events and that''s what you happened to do," she retorted.


    ¡­


    "YOU DID WHAT?! YOU SQUEEZED WHERE?! TO WHO?!" Sanji roared in disbelief, watching Rosan not even flinch at her accusing stare with a look of shock.


    "Oh yeah!" Sabo gaped at the memory. "I thought it was perfectly normal until Angel told me you guys aren''t dating!"


    Rosan shrugged, hoisting Robin up and placing her on his back due to the lingering memory of seeing her hurt. "I forgot you guys were watching the stream... I wanted to protect her. We were fighting Crocodile in the desert and she was hellbent on being the focus of his attention. I needed to convince him that she was hypnotized and Ram told me to kiss her so I did and became the brunt of his aggression."


    "R-Ram did?" Sanji wheezed.


    Damn it! His reasoning was sound but why was that the conclusion he jumped to to convince the Warlord?!


    "You kissed her for so long! You didn''t let up even once too," Sabo pointed out incredulously.


    The redhead nodded, not seeing the problem. "It made it look more convincing. I could give you tips for Koala. I''m sure if you do it, she''ll stop being so angry at you all the time."


    Sabo had a thoughtful expression on his face at that, not realizing how terribly his brother was setting him up. "I''ll keep that in mind. Some tips could be useful."


    Robin looked at the back of his head with an unimpressed gaze. "You sure are confident in your abilities."


    Rosan shifted his head to glance back at her. "Did you forget your weak knees already? You would have collapsed if I wasn''t holding you. I''ll be happy to show you again."


    "You caught me off guard! It''s just like when we were kids. You have no idea what asking is!" Robin protested.


    "...But you and Mod-chan told me it was okay because you guys accept everything I do?" Rosan tilted his head in confusion.


    "...Why do you think I''m not more upset with you?" The archaeologist retorted.


    "Because you enjoy the physical affection but won''t admit it," the scout responded. "Why do you think I hug you so much? You''re too shy to initiate contact so it''s up to me to do so."


    "...It''s quite literally because you are overly affectionate. Don''t try and make up some insane reason to justify what you like to do. I admit that I do enjoy your hugs but you hug me for yourself, you selfish child."


    "THIS ISN''T YOUR FIRST TIME KISSING?!"


    Robin shook her head with a suffering sigh. "Rosan was my first kiss... Mod-chan told him he should do it to someone he loves and he didn''t wait for her to fully explain it before planting a kiss on both our lips. He then proceeded to randomly tackle and pepper me and Mod-chan for a year straight because he''s a spoiled brat and we can''t say no to him."


    "That was fun," Rosan admitted. "It was very funny seeing how embarrassed you two would get. When I was feeling particularly mischievous, I would kiss one of you for as long as possible just to see how embarrassed you could really get."


    "I KNEW IT, YOU EVIL BRAT!" Mod roared in disbelief. She had been far too whipped and embarrassed to say anything back but she just knew he was smooching them for way too long!


    "Ah, I knew I should have called you out!" Robin protested, glaring at the back of his head. Her childish crush on Rosan had deemed her incapable of telling him to stop.


    "Don''t be mad at me Robin... Mod-chan used to sick me on you so that I didn''t do it to her."


    Robin blinked in shock. "Mod-chan you did what?!"


    The Devil Fruit went pale. "I-I thought you would have appreciated it more then I did!"


    "That''s your excuse? It seems like we need to have a talk tonight."


    "T-That''s not very necessary! It''s been years!"


    "Oh I know, we will still be talking though."


    Rosan smirked as he successfully directed her ire.


    Thud.


    Nami held her head as Sanji fainted in despair.


    Yeah, Robin and Rosan were never going to beat the lover allegations.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "What happened here?" Chopper asked in horror.


    The Straw Hats gaped at the area where Cricket lived.


    The entire clearing was a complete mess, their ship was heavily broken and the leaders of the Saruyama Alliance were bruised and bleeding heavily.


    Cricket was breathing heavily as he crawled over to Masira and Shoujou.


    "Don''t move old man!" Luffy exclaimed, dashing over to him and steadying the man. "Chopper, come quick! They need help!"


    The reindeer was already on the move, rushing over to the injured men with worry on his face.


    Rosan''s eyes were inspecting the broken ship instead of the men, eyes roving over the deep carvings.


    That didn''t look good to his eyes. He could repair it but the ship was as good as done.


    A tap on his shoulder made him turn his eyes to regard his blonde brother and the Chief of Staff pointed at the insignia painted on the tree.


    "That symbol belongs to Donquixote Doflamingo, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea," Robin explained, surveying the damage with a neutral expression.


    Rosan knew little about him but he did know that the Bellamy Pirates had been using this symbol instead of their own.


    Someone with influence in the seas then? Other pirates didn''t typically use other''s symbols unless it was an Emperor''s so this Doflamingo must have a lot of pull¡­


    He''d ask Crocodile about him later. The man was bound to know something about his fellow Warlord.


    The injured Cricket was trying to downplay the issue to the pirates, claiming that they needed to hurry up and finish the ship before the Knock Up Stream came but none of them were having it.


    "They took your gold you spent 10 years diving for!" Usopp protested.


    "You can''t just give it up!" Nami agreed.


    "Not enough time¡­ Need to get you guys ready for Sky Island," Cricket insisted.


    "We have time. I''ll repair it later but look, Luffy," Rosan called, pointing to the tree and catching his brother''s attention.


    The look in his captain''s eyes pleased him.


    "I''ll be right back," Luffy said, expression dark.


    Rosan hummed. "I''ll come with you."


    That was not a request so his brother just nodded.


    "Wait!" Cricket called out. "Don''t worry about it! It''s nothing!"


    They weren''t listening to him anymore though. Without any hesitation, two gigantic wings burst from Rosan''s back and he grabbed Luffy''s arm.


    "I''ll make sure they''re back on time," Robin assured, grabbing his other arm.


    Nami was about to protest but seeing Robin go with them put her more at ease. "Three hours. Be back before then!"


    "It won''t even take one," Rosan promised, taking off in the direction of Mock Town.


    "He can fly¡­?" Cricket asked in shock, watching those massive reptilian wings flap until they vanished.


    "Don''t move!" Chopper barked, tending to his wounds with a serious expression.


    He grunted and placed his head back on the floor, allowing the reindeer to continue working on him.


    At least he knew why they were so confident they wouldn''t die.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "YOU NEED TO RUN, BELLAMY! THOSE PIRATES YOU MESSED WITH ARE BAD NEWS!"


    Bellamy had been in a pretty shit mood ever since tripping into a pie but working his anger off on those idiot dreamers put him in a great one.


    It was a shame that dumbass Straw Hat or his shit redhead crewmate wasn''t there. He''d have liked to really show them the difference in their strength.


    But now he was being told those same weaklings were bad news?


    Looking at the posters the terrified drunk placed in front of him, Bellamy let loose a barking laughter.


    Those four? Seriously? They expected him to believe that four of the people he had trashed earlier today had a higher bounty then him?


    Fucking ridiculous.


    His laughter seemed to put the panicking bar at ease and they remembered just the performance those pirates put up against Bellamy.


    Yeah, these guys were clowns¡ª


    "BELLAMY! GET YOUR ASS OUT HERE!"


    The whole bar did a spit take at the idiot bold enough to call out the Hyena and the man in question, grinned in amusement at that.


    "Well it looks like I get to work off even more steam," Bellamy cackled, pushing himself out to march out of the bar and deliver a beating to whoever just called him out.


    If possible, his grin got wider at the three sets of eyes looking down at him.


    "Well look what we have here!" The blonde pirate exclaimed, leaping onto the roof fearlessly to regard the weaklings. "We were just talking about you!"


    Rosan didn''t even spare him a glance. He was instead looking at some shaking grunt... who was holding multiple bounty posters in his hand that were no doubt of the Straw Hat crew.


    Ah, so they knew each of their bounties and still acted this fearless? They must have thought they were fake...


    How foolish of them.


    "Luffy, make it quick. I need to get to repairing the ship," Rosan said boredly.


    "Right. You get the gold ingots then," his captain nodded.


    Robin couldn''t resist the coy smile at the mounting annoyance on Bellamy''s face, due to the fact that he was still constantly being ignored by the two brothers.


    Despite that, the Hyena still appeared cocky. "Gold ingots? You mean from Old Man Cricket? No way am I giving those back!"


    "Yes you are and I''m going to force you to," Luffy said calmly. He may have let himself get beaten up in the bar earlier but this was different.


    They brought his friends into this.


    Bellamy grit his teeth. The way these three were looking at him¡­ Why was he the one being looked down on when this was just a group of third rate pirates?


    The man''s legs turned into springs and he crouched low.


    He''d show them.


    "CAN YOU EVEN THROW A PUNCH?!" Bellamy roared.


    Rosan grabbed Robin and leapt off the tall building they were on, watching Bellamy use his Bane Bane no mi to rocket across the entire area.


    Luffy would deal with him, he had other business to attend to.


    "That''s his Devil Fruit?" The redhead said calmly, raising a brow. "This is why he''s so confident in himself?"


    Robin had a small smile. "Not everyone can have exceptional Devil Fruits. Some are bound to have gotten the short end of the stick."


    "I suppose so," Rosan grunted.


    The crowd listened to the two ridicule the strongest person on Jaya''s Devil Fruit with shocked gazes, wondering how they could think that Bellamy of all people had a weak fruit.


    J-Just look at what he was doing right now! Straw Hat couldn''t even react to him! How was that weak?!


    The duo in question, landed directly in front of the pirate named Sarquiss and regarded the shocked man with a cool gaze.


    Sarquiss went stiff at the speed of the man before straightening back up when he realized these guys were just frauds exactly like Bellamy said they were.


    "I almost forgot that I told you to wait your turn. I''ll have to make it up to you," Rosan greeted calmly, gazing at the taller man with a neutral expression.


    "How will you kill him?" Robin asked curiously. It was a rather morbid question but they were both pretty messed up in the head so it was fine.


    Mod snorted rather loudly. Robin thinking that was fine just proved how messed up she really was.


    "I''ll just stab him quickly and be done with it," Rosan replied easily.


    The blue haired man quickly gained his bravado and smirked at Rosan.


    "I''ll have to admit, you almost pulled a fast one on us by spreading those fake bounties but Bellamy called you out on your fluke so now you look even dumber!" Sarquiss laughed, leering at Robin all the while.


    "I was gonna let it go but we are pirates so after I take your life, I think I''ll help myself to your little girlfriend. I''ll show her what a real man is capable of."


    Robin let out a deep sigh as the temperature shifted to something sweat inducing.


    So much for a speedy death.


    "Change of plans," Rosan said coldly, stealthily summoning one of his mechanical flies.


    "I really wish you all would stop using me to set Rosan off. He really is quite protective of me," the Devil Child sighed.


    The fly flew off.


    The first mate of the Bellamy Pirates raised a brow in confusion. "If a weakling like him is walking around with someone like you, naturally they''ll try and take blurgh¡ª"


    Sarquiss stopped mid sentence, hunched over and threw up¡­ fire?


    W-What was that? What did he just do...? Had he just thrown up... flames?


    B-But how... he couldn''t breathe fir¡ª


    The pain hit.


    "ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Sarquiss screeched, throwing up even more fire and the onlookers realized there was blood in the mix as well.


    His insides¡­ HIS INSIDES WERE BURNING! W-What was HAPPENING TO HIM?! W-WHO DID THIS?!


    "ARGH S-SOMEONE H-HELP BLURGH," whatever Sarquiss tried to say, was cut off as he began heaving an unnatural amount of flames.


    Everyone could only watch in horror and confusion as Sarquiss promptly collapsed and began retching fire and blood. The man was screaming as he clutched his chest harshly and began writhing in his steadily growing puddle.


    He didn''t hear the footsteps of the redhead but he certainly heard that quiet voice.


    "Still think that bounty is a joke? Still think you''re gonna show her what a real man is capable of? You can''t because now I''m showing you what a real demon is capable of," Rosan whispered quietly, crouching on one knee in front of the tortured man. "You should have been content with the current woman in your crew but instead, you make comments about Robin like she''s a piece of meat..."


    "...Now, you can die slowly and painfully for making such idiotic comments. Then, you''ll end up as the real piece of meat."


    For the umpteenth time, Robin felt goosebumps on her skin at the sheer protectiveness Rosan displayed when it came to her.


    "Rosan isn''t joking around when it comes to you and honestly, I''m not either," Mod said softly, excluding both Ram and Rosan from hearing this. "He''s going to do whatever it takes to make sure nothing gets in the way of you both again and I''ll support every decision of his. He''ll be the one to get offended on your behalf. He''s going to be proactive where your passive. If it''s your wish, it''ll be his command. If you want someone dead, he will kill them and I won''t stop him, Robin. That is Rosan''s current conviction and I''m sure you know what that entails."


    "That''s¡­ That''s a scary amount of power to have," Robin admitted, knowing exactly what it entailed. Rosan was borderline insane when it came to his loved ones... and considering all the time he felt like he needed to make up to her...


    She couldn''t lie, it was a bit intoxicating to know that at any moment, someone who could be considered as a candidate for most versatile person on the planet, would answer to any request she had.


    But Robin would never take advantage of Rosan''s willingness to do anything for her because they were partners and as partners, they should rely on each other in equal measure.


    It still felt very nice though. Perhaps she should use that a tad bit more. With just a hint of interest, Rosan got her the incredibly useful Raid Suit and was pushing her in training with a firm resolve, all the while protecting her from any and all threats.


    Yes... she should abuse that privilege just a little more. Clearly Mod-chan didn''t have a problem with it and Modification was far more resourceful then the Hana Hana no Mi.


    "Bring me the gold," Rosan ordered the terrified pirates. He was no longer looking at the shuddering Sarquiss. After saying what he said, the man had stopped regarding his victim without a care in the world.


    He hadn''t even put a hand on him...


    That scared them even more.


    W-Was he actually a Devil like the posters? One second, Sarquiss was talking down on him and the next, he was throwing up actual fire.


    What the redhead had actually done was rather simple.


    Rosan summoned one of his mechanical flies and filled it with the destructive flames of Ragnarok before having it dive into the idiot pirates body. It then subsequently exploded and began soaking his insides with fire.


    This was the result right here. This was what the fly would do to Crocodile if he grew tired of the man.


    But to the onlookers, it didn''t look like Rosan had done anything at all. To them, Sarquiss just began burning on the inside on his own accord.


    To them, it looked like Rosan did all this with just a glance.


    "He really is a Red Devil," They all thought in unison, terror seeping into their body as they realized that his bounty poster was very real.


    "I gave you an order."


    They jumped in terror and scrambled to get his gold, while everyone began scattering.


    At the same time, Bellamy was bouncing around an unfazed Luffy.


    "YOU AND THOSE THREE IDIOTS ARE THE SAME!" Bellamy cackled, rocketing off building after building and gaining momentum.


    "WHAT CITY OF GOLD?!"


    "WHAT SKY ISLAND?!"


    "THE AGE OF DREAMING IS OVER! YOU''RE A DISGRACE TO ALL PIRATES."


    Luffy didn''t even bother tracking him.


    "You wanna see me land a punch?" He asked quietly.


    Bellamy careened towards him to land the finishing blow, laughing all the while.


    As his momentous flight sent him straight into Luffy''s path, certain to be a dangerous blow with all the speed he built, the rubber boy simply held out a fist and clenched it.


    "SO LONG STRAW HAT!" He howled.


    Luffy swung.


    Everyone''s eyes bugged out their skull, as Luffy smashed a fist into Bellamy''s cheek with 100% accuracy, flattening the pirate into the newly created crater and embedding his knuckles on the man''s cheek.


    The spring man didn''t even let out a scream as he was instantly knocked unconscious, blood leaking and teeth missing scattering across different parts of the floor.


    "W-W-What?" Someone gaped, looking between Luffy, Robin and Rosan and whitening further and further as he realized the three of them were legit.


    A man worth 140 million, a Devil worth 100 and Nico fucking Robin were currently at odds with them.


    Chaos ensued instantly and everyone began running, lest they get caught by the three demons.


    Rosan easily balanced the bag of gold in his palm as he watched the town empty out. "Come on, Luffy. Maybe the Sky Island will be more interesting then this place."


    Luffy adjusted his Straw Hat and nodded. "Right, let''s get outta here! How long was that?"


    "20 minutes," Robin informed them with an amused smile. "You guys sure work quick. The flight here was longer then the action."


    "Shishishi! This was nothing!" The rubber boy laughed cheerfully, allowing Rosan to strap the bag of gold to his back before grabbing onto his brother''s hand.


    Robin followed suit with his other and the redhead quickly took off.


    "I only said an hour to be generous but I guess I should have shot for 30 minutes," the redhead muttered, disappearing into the sky quickly.


    None of the three paid any attention at all to the suffering Sarquiss, still throwing up blood as his life force was slowly but surely drained by the fires slowly roasting him from the inside out.


    His voice was gone so he could not even scream, only letting out raspy gasps as his insides burned and burned. His crew desperately sought out a way to save him while screaming his name but there was nothing they could do.


    Finally, with one terrified whimper, the man fell over.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Sengoku frowned slightly. He hated inviting Pirates over but this needed to be discussed quickly and surely, lest the power struggle go out of sorts.


    There were so many things to go over right about now that it was turning him gray.


    Learning about Portgas D. Rosan and the Straw Hats only made his life more stressful.


    Finding out a person''s Devil Fruit was not all that difficult but they still had no clue what Rosan''s fruit was.


    The general consensus was that it was a Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit which was worrying enough considering he hadn''t even transformed into his hybrid or full form even once and had still displayed a dangerous amount of skill.


    Him wielding a Mythical Zoan, was supported by just who his mother was but Raisa herself didn''t give him one of the many Devil Fruits Wisteria kept... yet somehow, he managed to still get his hands on a rare fruit¡­


    It seems like some Devil Fruits really did choose their wielders. Perhaps the Iris line was one that just had a particular affinity to Zoan''s.


    Perhaps he had an undocumented Zoan type. It''s not like the World Government had a log of every single Devil Fruit¡­


    He would reveal more in time especially now that he was under such scrutiny. An undocumented Mythical Zoan was very, very dangerous.


    Not only that... the Red Devil''s father...


    Nothing good would come out of dwelling on that. Raisa may have made a rash and immature decision, but Sengoku could not fault her for wanting nothing to do with Cutter.


    Pushing the issue of Rosan out of his mind, he focused on the next one.


    (If only he knew this one was also dealing with Rosan)


    Crocodile was either free or dead but his bet was on free and that was no good.


    The man had not made any noise yet but it was only a matter of time and if the words of the, believed to be, deceased Commodore Emma were to be believed, there was a traitor in their midst.


    He thanked the woman for upholding her duties to the end and vowed to find the traitor who ended her life so that justice could be delivered upon them.


    In the meantime, they''d approach Crocodile cautiously. Not just anyone could capture him and it was likely Daz Bones was free with him as well.


    They would hold off on increasing his bounty but it was only a matter of time before the man made a name for himself again and now that he was no longer a Warlord, there would be trouble from the Logia.


    Speaking of which, they needed to decide on a new Warlord of the Sea now that Crocodile''s seat was vacant.


    To his surprise, other Warlords besides Bartholomew Kuma showed up and the two who did were some of the most surprising, being Donquixote Doflamingo and Dracule Mihawk.


    "Oh?" Doflamingo grinned curiously. "You actually showed up, Hawk-eye?" The blonde asked.


    The World''s Greatest Swordsman didn''t even spare him a glance. "I''m just here as an interested bystander. I''m interested in the pirates you plan on talking about."


    Namely, the Straw Hats. Not only was he slightly surprised that Straw Hat''s bounty increased by so much, Roronoa Zoro was also on the Marine''s radar now.


    Not only that, but Ambitionless actually managed to get himself quite the hefty sum on his head despite shying away from attention and they managed to even recruit the Devil Child...


    How interesting. It was wise for him to keep an eye on them all, they would accomplish many things and keep him entertained.


    Doflamingo''s grin widened. Seems like Mihawk was also interested in that blazing hot rookie crew and to be acknowledged by the swordsman, was one of the highest honors one could have.


    Hawkeye didn''t just show anyone interest after all.


    In Doffy''s case, he was more curious about not only the Devil Child, but the supposed nameless redhead who managed to gain a bounty higher then two of his crewmates who should be far more notorious then him.


    After all, Roronoa Zoro was a renowned bounty hunter and Nico Robin was the Devil Child (Or perhaps Ohara''s Devil was more apt now?), yet this blank faced redhead did something to warrant a higher bounty then the both of them? And not only that, it was his first bounty too.


    Starting off with a bounty in the triple digits was a very clear warning. Off the top of his head, Doflamingo could only list Fisher Tiger and his good friend Reaper as the only ones with a higher beginning bounty because you needed to be exceptionally dangerous for them to be so willing to want your head.


    Even that monster of a woman Hancock had not gotten such a high bounty despite how much waves she had made on her first voyage that had netted her the Warlord position immediately. Not anyone could just get a triple digit first bounty.


    The Red Devil eh¡­? He wonder what secrets the man had that got the World Government so riled up.


    Now look at Doffy... he had never considered himself very religious but yet here he was, finding himself interested in not only the Red Devil but the Angel of Death as well.


    "If I may," a voice interrupted their conversation. "I''d like to join as an interested bystander as well."


    Everyone went alert at that.


    Who the hell was this?!


    "You''re Laffitte," Vice Admiral Tsuru said immediately, eyes narrowed in contemplation.


    Laffitte was a former policeman of the West Blue and he was exiled due to his intense brutality when dealing with civilians.


    Laffitte smiled at being recognized. "I''m glad you remember such an old story but that''s neither here nor there. I''ve come to recommend a new Warlord of the Sea."


    Everyone raised a brow at that.


    "And who would that be?" Sengoku asked calmly, not really interested in any choice of his but biting because someone was stupid enough to actually come here on their own accord.


    Laffitte wasted no time. "He goes by Teach."


    "Teach?" Sengoku repeated, shooting his subordinate a glance.


    "Never heard of him. The other pirates won''t like if we appoint a nobody," Tsuru replied in slight confusion.


    "Not to worry. We''ll amend that soon so please give us a little more time," Laffitte guaranteed with a confident grin.


    "Soon, you''ll all remember the Blackbeard Pirates and you won''t forget it."


    Doflamingo laughed at the confidence displayed. "This sounds interesting! I say we give it to him, Sengoku!"


    Sengoku only felt his headache growing at that ominous warning.


    First the Straw Hat Pirates and now this supposed Blackbeard Pirate crew?


    The world was fast approaching a different age and he wasn''t sure that was a good thing.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Men, it''s time for a hunt!" Blackbeard grinned eagerly.


    Teach looked down at the corpse of the pirate who died at the hands of the Red Devil and his smile widened.


    He had no idea that both of Ace''s brothers had been worth so much but it seems like there was a reason he bragged so much about them!


    Not only was the Straw Hat boy worth 140 million, the redhead with buried dreams was worth 100! Even without any ambition he was still formidable enough to net that bounty?


    He felt like he hit the jackpot! A crew worth 400 million? He was guaranteed to make a name for himself like this and becoming a Warlord would be guaranteed!


    Then, he could begin his real plans in earnest and head straight to Impel Down... Hopefully he could find some interesting guys to recruit there.


    Though¡­ he didn''t know anything about the supposed Red Devil because Ace didn''t talk too much about what he was capable of... he just bragged about his brothers but never went into detail...


    Apparently, Rosan made this man throw up fire without even touching him...


    Blackbeard''s eyes gleamed. It was such a shame the man rejected his offer to join his crew. He was the man who was going to become Pirate King after all and Rosan would have been the perfect right hand to watch him ascend to the throne.


    It sounded like he had quite the Devil Fruit on his hand too. He wouldn''t mind claiming it for himself if Rosan was really set on not joining his crew...


    But perhaps that was also fate and Blackbeard was not one to ever question fate. He''d head out to go capture that crew and whatever happened, happened.


    "Let''s head out! I got a couple dreamers to meet!"


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "I forgot how quick Rosan works," Nami muttered, watching the group of three come back nearly 30 minutes after leaving with an exasperated expression.


    "We need all the time needed to repair this ship into workable condition," Rosan grunted as he landed gently.


    Without any hesitation, they watched their redhead scout rudely push aside the salvage crew working on their ship so he could properly inspect it.


    "Move," was all he said.


    "Why does he have to be so rude?!" They all cried comically, watching him toss them to the side without a care in the world.


    Rosan inspected the ship with a neutral gaze and grabbed the broken off front half.


    "This ship is done for. No ship would survive being torn in half... this almost certainly has done severe damage to it and I''ve probably used up just about all of its repair points as well..." he thought to himself, gluing it back in place with Repair and doing the same with every other part of the ship.


    "There. Now you can spend the whole time getting it ready," he commanded, assessing the ship and nodding.


    He didn''t have high hopes but Merry should at least be able to get them to Sky Island. Afterwards, they''d need to look into getting a new ship... This one would need to be Grand Line ready so he''d probably be giving the crew a hefty sum to spend.


    The crew was rather poor without his money so he''d give them enough to get a fantastic ship.


    All the pirates of the Saruyama Alliance, gaped in confusion at the sight of Rosan effortlessly repairing the ship to seemingly perfect condition but quickly got back to working on it.


    The redhead calmly watched them as Robin sidled next to him.


    "Satisfied?" She asked quietly, watching the Straw Hats and the leaders of the Saruyama Alliance happily chat about getting their gold back.


    "There''s nothing for me to be satisfied about. I simply did what you won''t do," Rosan said softly as he turned away from critically gazing at the working men, to instead focus his attention onto her.


    Robin liked that. He didn''t waste any time acknowledging her.


    "You know, every time someone has something to say about me, you violently teach them a lesson. Will this streak of over protectiveness ever stop?" She asked playfully, not minding it at all.


    Rosan had always been overprotective of her, even as kids. Once he had learned of her past... of how everyone only saw her as the Devil Child, her best friend had become dangerously protective of her. If anyone even mentioned her title, he''d go feral in her honor.


    She admonished him all the time about it but truthfully, she very much enjoyed it because it was one of the many foreign feelings she derived from him.


    The redhead hummed. "If you really want me to, I''ll stop. Just say the word," he answered truthfully.


    Robin''s playful smile was replaced by a confused frown at his words. "Why would I want you to stop?"


    Was he being self critical again? He should know that she didn''t have a problem with this.


    She followed after the redhead and watched him reinforce the part of the ship the salvage pirates just finished on before taking another step back.


    "I''m overbearing," Rosan admitted bluntly. "Thoughts of rationality, fly out of my head when you are involved and that''s not always a good thing. Because of me, the whole world thinks we''re lovers now."


    Robin felt a slight stab at that but didn''t notice. "Why is it so bad that the world thinks we''re lovers?"


    She didn''t have a problem with it and they were just talking about pretending before but suddenly it was an issue?


    Was being her lover that terrible of a thing?


    "He just wants to protect you," Mod quickly intervened in hopes Robin didn''t get the wrong idea.


    Rosan wasn''t the greatest with words and even though his intentions were good, that might not be too obvious so she''d guide this conversation into one that helped Robin understand his thought process. "You already have such a big target on your back and now he does too. Imagine the target if they figure out he''s Reaper or has Modification? You, being his lover, would become an even higher priority threat. Especially if they found out, the one who killed a Celestial Dragon has the person reading the Poneglyphs for him. We already know the location of Pluton after all."


    The Devil Child''s eyes turned into one of understanding.


    That''s right. Rosan was steps away from having his bounty explode to levels that would look more fitting on a New World Pirate. It was all a giant snowball and if the World Government figured out everything... it would begin accumulating into something truly astronomical.


    Reaper, the Angel who had killed a Celestial Dragon. Rosan, the wielder of the World Government''s guarded Devil Fruit. Robin, the one who could read the Poneglyphs... and everyone thought they were lovers.


    His bounty might not be the only one they should be wary of. Robin''s target would increase to unprecedented levels too.


    The redhead nodded. "I should have thought of something else instead of forcing you to kiss me... I''m sorry about that. How will you ever find a lover now?"


    "WHAT?!" Ram roared immediately, outrage on her features as disgust filled her tone. "LOVER?! WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT, FATHER?!"


    Robin, while not as crude, was very much thinking the same thing. "What are you talking about right now?"


    A lover? What was he thinking?


    Rosan sighed, frown settling on his features. "I might have ruined your chances of ever finding someone to settle down with because of my actions. Despite my possessiveness, I didn''t want to ever stop you from potentially finding someone to love."


    His best friend blinked at him and it filled him with a slight amount of doubt.


    Why was she looking at him like he was stupid? He was looking out for her...


    "Rosan¡­ I don''t know if you realize, but I''m the Devil Child... or Ohara''s Devil now, and that ship sailed a long time ago for me, not that I wanted anyone in the first place. I''m 28 you know? If I wanted someone by now, I think I''d already have them," she told him, voice tinged with slight amusement and fondness.


    That''s why he was apologizing to her? That''s why he was upset that he had kissed her unprovoked? Because he wanted her to find happiness with someone?


    Honestly, what a Rosan thing to do. Only he would be more concerned about her love life more than she herself was.


    Her little tiny menace was still there and that made her swell with delight.


    "When the time comes where I do want to settle down¡­ Well, I''ll just settle down with my "lover". I''m sure he won''t have a problem with that," Robin finished, smiling slightly.


    Ram and Mod''s jaw dropped at her bluntness.


    "With¡­ me? Why?" Rosan asked, voice slightly confused.


    "Because unlike all the other people interested in me, you don''t view me like a piece of meat, a tool to be discarded, or a demon in human flesh that can bring about the end of the world," Robin said simply, leaning a head onto his shoulder with a content smile.


    "To you, I''m not any of those am I? To Portgas D. Rosan, I''m just Nico Robin, his best friend and sometimes, that''s all a person needs."


    Mod felt tears brim at her eyes at that heartfelt speech and the sap pulled a soft eyed Ram into a hug.


    Rosan stared at Robin for a long while, before he grabbed her into a one armed hug that eventually evolved into a full embrace because he really did like his physical contact too much.


    "Of course. To me you''re just Nico Robin, my nerdy best friend who loves to read rocks and study a time she wasn''t even born in," he sighed fondly, enjoying her pleasant smell.


    He missed her. He really did regret taking so long to find her because she deserved to spend all those years of loneliness with him.


    He''d make it up to her in anyway possible.


    "Don''t make fun of my interests," Robin admonished with a glare. "This is why I don''t have a problem with you being overprotective because it gives me a versatile minion that I can boss around."


    Rosan snorted at that. "But of course My Lady. I''m simply a humble scout following the orders of my superiors. Your wish is my command."


    "Kahahaha!" Mod laughed. "At the end of the day, Rosan is just here to spoil everyone. He calls me mother but honestly, he''s right there with me!"


    "Fufufu," Robin joined with a teasing smile. "Being spoiled by the Red Devil is such an honor. I hope to continue using your services."


    "Feel free, Mother! If he says no, we''ll make him say yes!" Ram crooned.


    Rosan sighed in annoyance. It was incredible just how much special treatment Robin got from both Mod and Ram but they must have got that from him because he was just as bad.


    "So you''ll really just settle down with me? What if you find someone you love?" Rosan asked curiously.


    Robin rolled her eyes. "I won''t. I have 16 years of lost time to make up with you and I very much doubt my supposed lover would appreciate how close we are because nothing would change in our routine. Right now, you''re mine until I''m satisfied so I hope you don''t find a lover either because that won''t stop me and I''d rather not get into a fight about it," she said bluntly.


    The redhead''s eyes widened at Robin''s statement. His best friend sounded just like him right now with how insane her statement was.


    He approved tremendously.


    "16 years... we''ll be quite a bit older by then, you know? We should start thinking of places to stay," Rosan joked with a small smirk.


    Robin was pleased he didn''t have a problem with her unreasonable request. "I''ve been on the run for 20 years so I''ve thought about a place I''d like to settle down quite often. I''m thinking a place with a nice forest, a really big tree and a castle in the middle of it all."


    The redhead nodded along with her, idly optimizing a part the salvage crew fixed with his Devil Fruit. "We have to make sure the trees aren''t too dense either, I''d like to gaze into the sky while relaxing in a rocking chair while I reminisce with you."


    Mod squealed happily (Ram had long since been cut off from being heard, considering she was celebrating rather loudly). "Oh that just sounds so adorable! I''d love that!"


    "Oh right, by then I should have a body for Mod-chan too so it''ll probably be the four of us," Rosan mused.


    The brunette smiled at that and nodded. "A garden would be nice. We can get a bunch of crops from Maro and start growing them too. I hope you can ask Sanji for tips on how to make your already good cooking better."


    Mod flushed happily at the fact Rosan was so set on giving her her own body. "Oh I can work on the garden ! Can I suggest a nice little waterfall too? It wouldn''t be terribly difficult to create an artificial one in the middle of the forest with Modification. I''d love to just set up a reclining seat and listen to the water crashing."


    "Not a bad idea at all," Rosan hummed with a look of contemplation.


    "I WANT MY OWN ROOM WITH MIHAWK"S SWORD IN IT... EVEN THOUGH I''LL BE SLEEPING WITH YOU TWO A LOT... BUT I UNDERSTAND YOU''D WANT SOME ALONE TIME!" Ram shouted happily, face flushed from exertion after all the jumping and screaming she had done.


    Rosan and Robin both blinked at her odd request.


    "Mihawk''s... sword?" Rosan repeated in confusion. "And how do you expect me to get Mihawk''s sword to put in your room?"


    Robin had another concern. "Do you have a crush on Hawkeye Mihawk''s blade, Ram?" She asked, puzzled.


    Mod''s jaw dropped, as a dust of red covered Ram''s cheek and she began shaking her head rapidly.


    "N-No! I just think Yoru is really cool and I want it as a memento for when we crush him in our rematch!" She exclaimed with wide eyes.


    "Yoru?" Robin mouthed to Rosan who looked rather unamused.


    "I didn''t know she had a crush on the sword. I didn''t know she could even feel attraction," Rosan mouthed back.


    Ram was too young for Yoru. Absolutely not. This crush had better die down.


    Robin, being privy to his thoughts, snorted loudly at his disapproval.


    He was definitely Ram''s father alright.


    The Devil Child sighed fondly. "Modification makes our life so much easier... I''ll also have to ensure no giant lizards live on that island because with your power now, you''d destroy the island instead of a clearing."


    "Pft... Kahahaha!" Mod burst out laughing at that.


    "...Are you trying to get attacked right now?" Rosan said warningly, turning towards her with a challenging gaze.


    Robin raised a brow, feigning confusion. "Am I not being a good partner by looking out for the concerns of my best friend? I wouldn''t want the Red Devil to get his hands dirty with something as simple as some lizards when he''s a regal dragon," she said rather mockingly.


    Rosan sighed and shook his head. "Shut up. Wait... are we going to have to find an uninhabited island? Or are we going to be living on an island that has people on it?"


    "With our reputation, I don''t think the second one is an option. Imagine how afraid people would be of the Red Devil just living with them, tending to a garden..." Robin retorted.


    The redhead glared at her.


    "Please stop calling me the Red Devil."


    "Why? I''m flattered that the world knows that one of your core inspirations is me. You''re even taking bits of my moniker now."


    "But my bounty is higher than yours and you used to be called the Devil Child¡­ Doesn''t that make me superior?"


    "I''ve had my moniker for 20 years, you''ve had yours for about a week and I''m no longer being called the Devil Child. There really is no comparison. Not to mention, I''m older then you so it''s obvious that they see me as your superior."


    "All I''m hearing is that you''re admitting to being old."


    "Portgas D. Rosan."


    "...You''re only 4 years older then me. You''re not old."


    Robin smiled serenely.


    She changed her mind. Having such such power over her partner was actually really quite fun.


    "Well, you''re not that old," he muttered under his breath.


    Her smile vanished and she lunged, much to the shocked yells of everyone there.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Who decided on this design?" A scuffed Rosan asked, smoothing out a neutral faced Robin''s hair with his hand as she did the same to him.


    The two then began fixing up the others outfits, trying to make it as presentable as possible while ignoring the amused looks shot their way from the brawl they just had.


    "I''m sure that in just the span of a week, you''ve gotten into more fights with Robin then anyone else has," Mod giggled.


    "Mother''s logic flies out of the window when it comes to Father," Ram nodded sagely.


    Robin hated that they were both entirely correct. She felt like a different person when Rosan chose to be insufferable and it was going to ruin her image.


    "We did!" Masira and Shoujou puffed up proudly at his question. "Well, what do you think?"


    "Don''t ask him that! Please don''t ask him that!" The Straw Hats cried comically in their mind.


    "Zero points. Stupid animal choice. Stupid design. Chickens don''t even fly for long... are you saying that you picked this terrible design because we''ll fly for a short amount of time before dying?" Rosan judged critically, expression incredibly unimpressed. "You should have chosen a Dragon. If I could rate something in the negatives... I would... Actually, negative three points."


    The two ape like men fell over in depression, rubbing circles into the dirt with their fingers.


    "Did you have to be so harsh?" Cricket asked with an amused smile, tugging at his arm sling and stopping when Chopper glared at him.


    "I was just speaking my mind," Rosan replied calmly. "Thinking of ways to lessen the blow has never been my thing."


    He wasn''t lying about that¡­ except for when dealing with Meiko. Rosan absolutely despised seeing the blonde upset so he always watched his words when he felt like they might make her tear up.


    (He didn''t know that the tears were just to make him feel bad. Meiko had long gotten used to his blunt and rude nature so she utilized it to make him less of a dick)


    "I think it looks cool!" Luffy replied honestly. He grinned at the ship and began slapping its side repeatedly. "Look, I bet Merry can fly!"


    Shoujou and Masira instantly got back up at that and the three began dancing with each other, idiots that they were.


    "Focus guys, it''s time to head out!" Nami barked, ensuring that everything was in place.


    The crew quickly clambered onto the ship on Nami''s orders, as they began to set sail to the Emperor Cloud.


    Cricket watched them all go with a neutral expression, glancing back at his retrieved gold and remembering what this random crew did for him.


    They had no obligation to help him out. He had attacked them unprovoked, yet they helped him recover and even got his gold back from Bellamy...


    "MEN!" He roared. "DON''T MESS UP! NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS, GIVE IT YOUR ALL FOR THEM!"


    "RIGHT!" They cheered.


    "Straw Hat, no matter what anyone says, no one has actually proven that Shandora or Sky Island don''t exist! People can laugh at dreams or say that they''re legends and we''ll let them laugh because that''s part of the adventure!"


    Luffy grinned and began nodding along eagerly, even as their ship began setting sail.


    Cricket grinned in return. "Thanks for returning my gold. Don''t go falling out of the sky now."


    "Right!" The Straw Hat captain beamed, waving eagerly.


    "Stay focused. I reinforced the ship while they were working on it but anything can happen," Rosan muttered, keeping his gaze forward.


    The Straw Hats nodded at his words, straightening up in preparation.


    "I''ll be ready to transform at any moment," he informed them, pointing at his slit eyes to stress his point.


    It never ceased to amaze them how useful Rosan was when he chose to be. They could understand why he didn''t want them to rely on him because honestly it was practically cheating seeing how much he could do.


    They were well on pace to make it to the Knock Up Stream thanks to the redhead helping speed up repairs (The Bellamy Pirates really did a number on it) and it was making all the weaker hearted crewmates nervous.


    Rosan hummed a gentle tune as Robin sat next to him on the rail, enjoying the gentle waves and how they enhanced the redhead''s voice.


    "You have a nice voice," Sabo commented, much to the agreement of others.


    He hummed often so they were aware of it, but he kept it rather short. This was the first time he hummed for an extended period of time.


    The redhead paused to regard everyone listening. "Singing is one of the hobbies I enjoy more then others¡­ Mom used to sing to me and I picked up her habit... I even learned how to play the piano because I like how it sounds with my voice the most. I tend to sing to Mod-chan and Robin so that they can sleep easier."


    Ram absolutely adored when he was singing but she tended to knock out instantly, which was funny considering she was the last one among them that needed sleep.


    "He''s been a good singer since a child," Robin smiled. "I''m glad to know his voice getting so deep didn''t change anything. The deepness actually helps me fall asleep faster now. It''s soothing."


    "Ah, I love when he sings me to sleep! It makes me feel like a princess," Mod smiled happily.


    "That''s why you should have been my musician!" Luffy complained. "You can play the piano and sing... that''s perfect!"


    They blinked at that, staring at the redhead for confirmation.


    "I didn''t want to be the musician, or the cook, or the navigator¡­ so I just told him I''d scout," Rosan told them all.


    They sweatdropped. That sounded exactly like Rosan.


    "So you''re the "humble scout"¡­ because you didn''t want to do anything else?" Nami asked, sweating heavily at their insufferable redhead.


    "Sounds about right. I just told him the thing I could do easiest that barely required effort on my part. I used to scout my enemies all the time before I killed them so I figured I could do that for Luffy and it wouldn''t require me to do too much," he explained.


    "He''s so scary!" The coward trio thought with a cold sweat.


    He mentioned killing them so casually! Couldn''t he be just a little normal?


    They could understand why he was so¡­ seemingly lazy though. He didn''t want information on Modification to leak at all and he acted accordingly, keeping an offhands approach or working in the background so that no one noticed him.


    From what they could tell, Rosan was actually amazingly active and it was rather surprising because they didn''t see him really do anything when they first met him.


    He would just disappear, come back, make a really rude comment when they inquired about it and successfully divert the attention off of himself.


    But whenever he vanished, which was very often, it seemed like he was up to something that benefited someone in some way...


    "You''re very useful," Sabo remarked with an impressed gaze. "Any organization would kill to have someone as resourceful as you on their side. I know the revolutionaries would be salivating at your abilities. You''d help us out a ton just with what you bring to the table."


    "That is why I do not show what I''m capable of," Rosan said quietly. "Many people would kill to have me. There is no user of Modification who has been able to do what I can because this fruit was made for me and not them. If the World Government realizes that¡­ who knows what they''ll do to me."


    "Despite your wording... it''s true that I am your Devil Fruit just as you are my wielder. I will never have such synergy with anyone else," Mod admitted.


    "That is why I won''t let them have me," Rosan assured.


    If they ever captured him... Rosan wasn''t so sure they''d execute or kill him.


    Perhaps they''d use Mod''s loyalty to him to keep her tied to the organization by turning him into breeding stock and feeding his children the Devil Fruit after getting their use out of him.


    No matter what, Mod would never kill anyone born from him. She was his mother and that meant any children of his, would be her grandchildren. Killing them would tear her apart.


    Perhaps the virus wasn''t all that useless¡­ In the case that happened, they''d be needed to escape.


    "Mod-chan... in the event that outcome does happen... influence my child to your side. If they cannot be swayed from the World Government... you must take over that body and make it yours. You are your own person now and you''ve seen all we can do. Use that opportunity to live out your life."


    Mod sat stunned at what Rosan said. "Don''t! Don''t you dare even bring up such a grim scenario, Rosan. How dare you even suggest such a future?!" She shouted angrily.


    "I will do my best to ensure it doesn''t happen... but you have to account for anything. I will not acknowledge a child born from me with the sole intention to subjugate you so please, free yourself. You have my approval."


    "..." Mod said nothing before nodding tightly. "I... will honor your last wishes if that is it. But it won''t get to that. I''ll do everything in my power to make sure it doesn''t."


    Sabo nodded, expression serious as he immediately understood the gravity of Rosan''s abilities.


    He was planning on telling Dragon about the man''s Devil Fruit to see if they could employ his help sometime¡­ but he''d hold off on that for now. The Chief of Staff trusted his leader unconditionally but he wanted to earn Rosan''s trust rightfully.


    He wouldn''t be able to forgive himself if information leaked and Rosan was captured as a result. His brother had been through too much.


    "As if I''d ever let them capture you," Robin said, eyes stormy as she idly gripped Rosan with a firm hold. "I''ll break them into pieces if they even think about it."


    She already lost him once and she''d be damned if she lost him again. That depressing future he just brought up... there was no way she''d ever allow that to pass.


    "Yeah! You''re stuck with us," Nami agreed, poking her tongue out at the redhead. No way would she let them take away her annoying older brother figure! They still had way too much antics to get into!


    "I still owe you that best meal," Sanji scoffed. Rosan may have annoyed him to no end but that didn''t change the bond that the two had and the chef would risk his life for him without any hesitation.


    "Y-Yeah you can rely on us!" Usopp agreed nervously.


    The thought of the redhead getting targeted by such dangerous people scared him to no end but they were friends and Usopp was trying to be a brave warrior of the sea! If he couldn''t protect the friend who motivated him, he''d never be able to call himself that.


    "It''s my job to make sure your safe and you bet I''ll take it seriously!" Chopper said determinedly.


    Everyday, Rosan was forcing the reindeer out of his shell and making him more comfortable in his skin. Day by day, he was getting more and more comfortable with the term "monster" because his scout was fine with being called that too!


    "We''re crewmates so of course we''ll keep you safe," Zoro nodded like it were obvious.


    It''s not like it was needed... the scout was plenty strong on his own but if he ever needed a hand, obviously they''d give him one.


    "Yup, you''re my scout!" Luffy beamed.


    "T-That''s so adorable!" Mod squealed. Their little crew were some of the cutest kids around and she hoped Rosan realized he was apart of them sooner rather then later!


    "They understand Father''s importance so I approve," Ram grinned.


    Robin gazed at the crew with a bit of wonder in her eyes.


    Rosan stared at them all with that customary neutral expression of his. His head was tilted to the side and they could see the faint glow that was not there when they first met him (Chopper excluded).


    It honestly looked like he appreciated their words.


    Of course, they knew that was never the (obvious) case when it came to Rosan.


    "My weakling crew is talking about protecting me," he snorted. "Worry about yourselves first. If I go missing for even a day, you guys threaten to sink to the bottom of the sea."


    They all gained tick marks.


    "SHOW SOME APPRECIATION, YOU DICK!" Nami, Sanji and Usopp roared.


    "Thanks for becoming sacrificial pieces for me," Rosan said completely insincerely. "I won''t forget your loss. Robin and I will shed one tear each."


    Their tick marks deepened. H-He was so insufferable!


    "You won''t let me die?" Robin asked, voice tinged with amusement.


    "Of course not, if you die, I''ll be dead too because I''d have lost control¡­ or Luffy and I died first," Rosan replied easily.


    "Oh¡­" The Devil Child said, clearly surprised by his conviction. Her expression turned a bit worried at that.


    "Rosan... please don''t sacrifice yourself for me. I wouldn''t be able to stand myself if you were to throw your life away for me," she said seriously.


    The redhead immediately shook his head. "I won''t ever throw my life away for you because that would mean that I can''t spend another day with you... but if I do die trying to protect you, that means I tried everything in my power to keep you safe," he said sincerely.


    Robin''s eyes widened at that.


    Rosan continued unimpeded. "I fight every battle with the intention to win and survive because I know people will be devastated if I die. I just got you back and you think I want to risk not seeing you again? I''m selfish you know," he smiled softly.


    "Right..." Robin nodded a bit dazed.


    Nami, Ram and Mod''s eyes gleamed at that.


    "Look at you, Rosan," the navigator crooned. "Robin sure is important to you isn''t she?" She prodded.


    The redhead nodded without hesitation, not bothered by the question. "I''d give her the world if she asked for it. She''s done more for me then I can put into words and is the one of the main reasons I didn''t lose my mind when I was younger."


    "She''s the rationality to my insanity so I''ll protect that with my life," he finished, tugging his stunned best friend close.


    "Oh he''s good," Nami gaped a little. It probably wasn''t even his intention but the redhead really had a way with words that just forced you to acknowledge them.


    "Damn he''s good," Sanji cursed. His love rival was way too good with his words and the chef should have known that considering they had inspired him for so long when he was younger.


    He wasn''t even trying right now! The redhead was just speaking his mind about what he honestly thought...


    Robin''s mouth opened a little at his matter of fact statement and she stared at her best friend for a very long time.


    That¡­ was really heart warming.


    Rosan caught her gaze and she saw his eyes glow just a hint brighter.


    Ram''s gleam turned unsavory. Any moment now and they''d definitely throw caution to the wind and make out like in those romance books (she hated them so much) she had been studyin¡ª


    "WE SEE THE EMPEROR CLOUD!" The salvage pirates screamed.


    "WHAT? WE SHOULDN''T SEE IT FOR ANOTHER HOUR!" Masira barked.


    It''s a good thing they were so on pace! If they were any later this might have turned disastrous¡­


    The Utan Divers that were submerged under water quickly shot back up to confirm the location of the Knock Up Stream and without wasting any time, the Salvage Pirates began escorting the Straw Hats to it.


    "HEAD TO THE WHIRLPOOL!" Masira demanded, as everyone quickly got into a flurry of action.


    Rosan gazed down on the railing he was sitting on, as the wave''s suddenly picked up in strength and began tossing the Merry.


    "It''s about time," he said calmly, focused on the task at hand and making sure to steady Robin as well.


    She snapped out of her daze and nodded. "Try not to fall into the water. You might still have a hint of that clumsiness inside of you."


    "Bite me. I haven''t been clumsy since I was 8."


    "GODDAMNIT!" Ram roared, punching a hole into the wall¡­ and crumbling the entire section.


    "L-Language?" Mod sweatdropped, backing away from the seething ring.


    Perhaps she''d fix that after Ram calmed down.


    The Straw Hats awe, quickly turned into horror at realizing they were being led directly into a whirlpool.


    "WE''LL TOW YOU INTO THE WHIRLPOOL!" Shoujou yelled to them.


    "SAIL INTO THE CURRENT! IF YOU MAKE IT TO THE CENTER YOU SHOULD BE FINE!" Masira shouted, over the heavy winds.


    T-The current of¡­ OF THE WHIRLPOOL?!


    Usopp and Nami began screeching in fear, tears rolling down their eyes as the situation went from bad to terrible.


    "NO ONE SAID ANYTHING ABOUT THIS!" Nami cried.


    "STOP! STOP! LET''S GO BACK!" Usopp sobbed.


    "Stop crying. Didn''t I tell you? As long as you have me watching you, there''s nothing to worry about," Rosan said calmly.


    The redhead held out a finger and his little bird flew on it, chirping in happiness at having a perch to rest on.


    "Good job, you can rest for now. You aren''t needed at this moment," he praised quietly.


    They all instinctively went calm at the measured voice of their scout and allowed his tranquility to wash over them.


    Everyone watched with serene expressions, as a massive sea king burst out of the water, unconscious from the outrageously strong waves of the whirlpool before being brought back under.


    ¡­


    "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH SAVE US! WE''RE GONNA DIE!" Usopp, Nami and Chopper screamed, hugging the redhead for dear life as panic once more washed over them.


    Rosan closed his eyes and sighed. "Utterly hopeless."


    "This is getting exciting!" Sabo and Luffy grinned. Besides Rosan, they were the only ones truly unbothered by what was going on and were just excited to see what was about to happen next.


    "See ya guys later!" Luffy waved to the Salvage Pirates. "Why are you guys screaming so much! If we don''t do this, we''ll regret it for the rest of our lives!"


    "I promised Ace that I wouldn''t have anymore regrets so we have to go," Rosan agreed.


    "Perhaps Rosan has been infecting me a little too much because the entire ordeal does seem fun," Robin smiled.


    "We''re already in too deep. We can''t back out even if we tried," Zoro shrugged.


    "You don''t get to experience things like this often! Enjoy the moment!" Sabo grinned.


    "I''ll keep you and Robin-chan safe!" Sanji assured.


    "They''re all nuts!" The coward trio thought. W-What was wrong with these monsters?!


    Before anymore panic could ensue, confusion took its place as the whirlpool vanished.


    All of them blinked.


    "It disappeared?"


    "Where''d it go?!"


    Nami went white. "It''s already begun!"


    Rosan''s gaze went sharp at the sight of a ship approaching.


    "HOLD IT!" A man yelled.


    "Oh, look Zoro," Luffy pointed out.


    The swordsman raised a brow. "Him again?"


    "That''s the guy from Mock Town who tried to recruit Rosan!" Nami gasped.


    "You again?" Rosan''s gaze narrowed even further. Unseen to all, his eyes began glowing bright.


    "ZEHAHAHAHAHA! We finally caught up with you, Straw Hat!" The giant of a man grinned, showing off his missing teeth.


    The redhead had thought he was smarter... but showing up like this was far too stupid.


    Sabo''s eyes narrowed.


    "We''re here to collect that bounty on you and the Red Devil''s head! Prepare yourself!" Teach grinned.


    Before anyone on the ship could even say anything, a gigantic wave of flames caught their attention and everyone watched with slack jaws as Rosan aimed and fired at the ship.


    Teach''s eyes bugged in surprise at seeing the torrent of fire rush towards their ship, courtesy of the Red Devil himself. "W-WAIT A SECOND! GIVE US SOME TIME TO AT LEAST CLOSE THE DISTANCE! THIS ISN''T FAIR!"


    "BOSS WHAT DO WE DO?! OUR SHIP WON''T BE ABLE TO HANDLE THAT!" Jesus Burgess asked, eyes wide in disbelief.


    "I thought you were smarter then you looked... but I was wrong," Rosan muttered coldly, slits staring at them without a hint of mercy.


    "You are ruthless," Usopp squeaked, watching those giant flames wash over the ship with a white face.


    The others nodded in unison. Rosan was not to be trifled with. On the sea, it wasn''t very smart to go against the Dragon, especially if you had no way to close the distance.


    "?" Rosan tilted his head at the fact that only one of them was screaming.


    The flames eventually settled and what he saw, made him go cold.


    "HOT! HOT! HOT!" Teach howled, shrouded in dark energy that protected his ship from the brunt of Rosan''s attack. Despite protecting the ship, he was not so lucky and was hastily patting down the destructive flames of Ragnarok on his body.


    Mod went white. "T-That power¡­ That''s¡­"


    "Rosan?" Nami asked in worry, seeing the way the redhead froze.


    "...The Yami Yami no mi," he whispered.


    This was the man Ace was hunting. This was Marshall D. Teach.


    That whole time... he had been talking to Blackbeard?


    This was the man with the most threatening Devil Fruit to him.


    Robin''s eyes went wide. "That''s him? That''s Teach?"


    "Teach? Who''s Teach?" Sabo asked, sensing the malicious aura radiating off of Rosan.


    The crew was confused as well. Did they know this guy? Rosan tended to know a lot of people so it wasn''t that confusing but just who was this?


    Rosan didn''t answer any of them. The man''s eyes began glowing even brighter and they watched as fangs began jutting out his mouth.


    Teach watched as the Red Devil took aim at them again and realized he had a severe disadvantage at sea.


    He was reduced to defending and if he tried to attack, their ship would break under his strength.


    This was bad.


    "WAIT! LET''S TALK ABOUT THIS!" Teach screamed over the hissing flames building up. "JOIN MY CREW! WE DON''T HAVE TO FIGHT RIGHT NOW! I HAVE BIG PLANS AND IT WOULD BE A WASTE IF ONE OF US HAD TO DIE HERE. WE''RE BOTH DREAMERS WHO WILL SET THE WORLD ON OUR COURSE!"


    Rosan didn''t say a word. The flames just kept building up until even the Yami Yami no mi wouldn''t be able to protect the ship from the full effects. He might not be able to kill the man, but he could certainly sink him and make sure his crew couldn''t save him by focusing the fire onto them next.


    Teach needed to die here.


    Rosan stood on the railing, eyes glowing as bright as the sun itself.


    He would get rid of him right here and now instead of letting him escape for free. Ace would be upset but he would get over it quickly.


    This was far too good of an opportunity.


    "Annihilat¡ª"


    The Knock Up Stream activated.


    Robin swiftly pulled Rosan back onto the ship as the Merry nearly capsized and tossed him over, clutching him tightly as he landed on her body and they both collapsed.


    Teach watched with bugged eyes as his life was saved by a gigantic pillar of water knocking the Straw Hats high into the sky.


    His ship was destroyed from the impact but at least he''d live to see another day. Fate truly favored him in that moment.


    "Next time, we''re fighting them on land," Blackbeard decided, holding onto a log.


    "Aye Captain," his crew decided, all sweating at their near death experience.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Angle my head at that Sea King."


    Robin nodded and did just that, grabbing his head and gently facing it towards the falling monster.


    The Straw Hats eyes bugged as Rosan opened his mouth and instantly charred the Sea King with the massive burst of flames meant for those pirates.


    "Tch," he scoffed, watching the baked fish fall out of sight. "If we don''t focus, our ship will end up like that too."


    With that, he rested his head back on Robin''s body and allowed her to rake a hand through his hair.


    "He''s definitely annoyed," they all thought, getting into a flurry of action to keep their ship steady and climbing.


    "Are you annoyed?" Robin asked knowingly, using her Devil Fruit to assist with Nami''s barking orders.


    Rosan said nothing for a moment and Robin gently prodded him.


    "I had him," he frowned. "He showed up gift wrapped for me but somehow, he managed to survive. I let the user of the Yami Yami no mi get away when I could have killed him."


    "We could have rid the world of him but of all the things to save him¡­ What terrible timing," Mod frowned. The Yami Yami no mi was no good in the hands of someone who was practically confirmed to be their enemy.


    "WE''LL CATCH THE WIND AT STARBOARD AND SAIL TO PORT! WE''LL LET THE SHIP FOLLOW THE CURRENT!" Nami barked.


    "AYE AYE!" They chorused.


    "It''s okay you two," Robin assured soothingly. She continued to run a hand through his hair to drain out his tension and smiled as the redhead allowed himself to relax without hesitation.


    To think the boy who lost his trust in people at such a young age, could rest so easily in her grasp. It filled her with a warmness long forgotten, to know that Rosan still loved her so much.


    "Ace will take care of him. We need to focus on surviving this ordeal and for that, we need you to not be grumpy in case something happens, okay?" She finished.


    "Of course, mother," he replied eventually, eyes opening slowly to regard her.


    "I prefer Robin-nee," she told him. "Mod-chan can keep the honors of being called Mother. She secretly loves it."


    "D-Do not!" She protested, knowing damn well she did.


    "You''re my partner not my older sister," he said calmly.


    Robin rolled her eyes at that. "It''s no wonder people get the wrong idea. You aren''t helping at all with their perception of us!"


    The duo idly watched as the Going Merry began to fly from the efforts of the crew and Rosan snorted.


    "Let them think whatever they want. You should only care about what the people who love you think and I should only care about what the people who love me think," he replied quietly, taking in the sight.


    Who said ships couldn''t fly? Actually¡­ a flying ship didn''t sound like a bad idea.


    Actually¡­ perhaps he could find a way to make the White Rose aerial. It was food for thought and would give him a way to fly around without summoning either of his wings.


    "WE''RE FLYING!" Luffy cheered.


    "This is great!" Sabo laughed.


    "I can''t believe it!" Usopp gaped with bugged eyes.


    "W-Wow!" Chopper awed.


    "Well whaddya know?" Zoro grinned.


    "YOU''RE AMAZING NAMI!" Sanji screamed with heart eyes.


    "Of course, your opinion is the only one that matters, Prince Rosan," Robin bowed mockingly.


    She yelped as the redhead pinched her cheek and glared at him.


    "Don''t call me prince. I may as well not have royal blood," he demanded bluntly. "Good job guys. I didn''t have to do anything just yet but if there''s nothing past those clouds, I''ll be ready."


    "RIGHT!" They chorused.


    Robin made sure to get him later. Trying to quickly change the subject after doing that would not go unpunished.


    They all watched in anticipation as the end of the cloud grew nearer and nearer.


    "Wait a minute¡­" Nami suddenly said, horror seeping into her as a realization hit. "We''re about to fly straight through a super dense cloud."


    That was bad, especially for their Devil Fruit users. That cloud, combined with the Knock Up Stream¡­


    "What''s the problem?" Luffy asked.


    Judging by the way Rosan went alert, he also realized what flying through that cloud entailed but he was too late to do anything about it.


    "O-Oh no¡­" Mod whispered in horror. If they really did go into such a dense cloud then¡ª


    The Straw Hats all gaped as they smashed into the clouds and water enveloped everything.


    Rosan had never actually drowned before. When the sky was your domain, you didn''t have to worry about falling into the ocean.


    He guessed a sea in the sky countered that and it was disastrous as a result.


    The redhead stayed calm under the effects of drowning, but that immediately vanished as he felt his connection to Mod and Robin die.


    An almost mythical panic, one that he hadn''t felt since Meiko died, seeped into his body at not feeling that steady hum of his mother''s presence.


    Where was Mod-chan? Where was Robin? Ram¡­? Where did they go? Mod-chan¡­? MOD-CHAN?! RAM?! ROBIN?!


    WHERE WERE THEY?!


    Was he¡­ Was he alone again¡­? Alone to suffer¡­ again?!


    Memories of being shocked repeatedly, slammed into his body and Rosan began to struggle even more despite how nauseatingly weak his body felt right now.


    The sheer panic he was in, had brought his buried trauma at the hands of Doc right to the forefront once more.


    It was just like when he had seastone. He couldn''t feel anyone, he felt so weak, he felt so helpless because he was imprisoned. Imprisoned with seastone and an insane doctor and there was shocking and his body was burning and burning and burning and burnin¡ª


    The redhead''s eyes rolled to the back of his skull, as he was overwhelmed by the lack of air and the trauma of a time where he felt completely useless.


    He fell unconscious with one last watery breath.

 Red Devil Bonus!

    Memory Viewing With Robin and Rosan - 4


    Continued (Covers Chapter 17)!


    Italics = Memory talking mostly


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "I''m still shocked you know how to cook so well," Robin smiled, eating the rest of her sandwich with a pleased hum and feeding one to the Ram who chose to sit out with them.


    Rosan snorted. "I''m not anywhere near as good as Sanji but I think I could beat the rest of his fellow chefs at the Baratie.


    Ram nodded enthusiastically in Robin''s lap, munching on the sandwich with a pleased hum. "I don''t like to eat but I always make an exception for Father''s cooking!"


    The redhead smirked at that and leaned over, messing up Ram''s hair, much to her joy, with a pleased hum. "Thank you Ram."


    "Anytime, Father! Now let''s hurry and view your memories again! I miss Auntie," the ring demanded, already transforming into her default form and nestling on Rosan''s finger.


    "I''m glad you love me so much, Ram," Mod rolled her eyes as the taller woman squeezed her happily.


    "Of course! I spend the most time with you so I miss you easily," Ram beamed.


    The Devil Fruit flushed at that, a smile on her face as she returned the hug.


    Rosan grabbed the dishes and placed them in the sink, quickly washing them as he glanced back at Robin. "Is there anything you''d like to do before we continue watching?"


    It was the middle of the night and the duo were of course, resting in the castle so Robin couldn''t quite think of anything.


    As she was about to say no, a thought struck her.


    "Could... you show me Meiko?" She asked unsurely, glancing up at the redhead washing the dishes.


    She had wanted to gaze at Meiko with her own two eyes for a while now but the memories still hurt. Robin wasn''t kidding when she said she loved Meiko like Rosan did because everything he felt and saw in her, Robin had felt through his memories.


    Rosan paused for a second, clearly caught off guard by the question, before he finished washing the plates.


    Robin watched him quietly dry his hands off with a towel and it was a testament how off guard the question caught him, because he wasn''t using Modification to do it.


    Eventually he nodded. "I won''t hide anything from you and you already know where she is... so yes, I can show you her."


    He knew that Robin had grown to love Meiko as much as he had... it was a natural consequence of viewing his memories. It would be cruel of him, if he said no to her request because she was just as obligated as he was.


    Her heart swelled in appreciation at that answer and the two quickly departed from the kitchen, making their way through the beautiful castle and heading upstairs.


    Robin had never actually been upstairs in the castle. Rosan seemed to keep everything downstairs instead and didn''t seem to have anything up here to warrant visiting normally.


    She could see why.


    The entirety of the upstairs, seemed to pay homage to Meiko in some way. Whereas the castle had a black and purple theme, upstairs was blue and white, with a dash of yellow. Everything had a heavy feminine touch to it, that was colored one of Meiko''s signature colors and it all led to a singular door (he must have removed every other) at the end of the giant hallway.


    As they the duo walked down the hall, Robin gave Rosan''s hand a short squeeze and he immediately squeezed back, gazing at the door like he had done so a million times.


    Robin felt a small sense of trepidation, that clearly only affected her, as Rosan effortlessly pushed the door open.


    Lying there, on a massive bed, almost looking like they were sleeping... was Meiko herself.


    The girl didn''t look any different then the first time Rosan had placed her in here. She was still donned in that beautiful white dress, she still lie in the middle of the bed... she was still smiling that gentle smile of hers... and she was still 14 in appearance.


    Robin felt her throat lock up at the sight of her and approached the bed, before tentatively raking a soft hand through that gorgeous blonde hair of hers.


    "I''m... so sorry we never met, Meiko," Robin whispered, bowing her head slightly. "We may not have ever actually known each other, but I truly do love you and I will do anything to bring back the Rosan you fell in love with... I know you''d be heartbroken otherwise."


    Rosan listened to her declaration with a stony expression.


    He would love more then anyone then to return to the man Meiko loved... but how could he? It seemed so impossible at a glance and perhaps he''d never be able to become that person again...


    But he''d try to get close. It was the least he could do... he didn''t want to let anyone else down.


    Robin planted a gentle kiss on the woman''s temple and smoothed her hair out, before standing up and approaching the redhead.


    He saw her wavering a bit and immediately engulfed her in his warmth.


    "It''s hard... but I''ll be here to make it as easy as I can for you," he muttered, noticing the way she shuddered slightly.


    "Even now, I find myself so overwhelmed... I can only imagine what you had to go through... I''m so sorry, Rosan," she whispered in return.


    Rosan said nothing, just hugging her close.


    This wasn''t about him. He would make sure she was at least alright because it would take too long for him to be alright.


    After all, he hadn''t been alright for a long time.


    Eventually, Robin settled down and glanced up at the warm eyes of Rosan.


    "Thank you for being here for me," she muttered. "We... can head back to continue the memories. I''ve done everything."


    Rosan gently picked her up and placed her on his back. "Alright, let''s head back to our room then."


    With that, they quietly left the room and Rosan gently shut the door, before walking off.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Robin got situated close to Rosan, still a bit emotional from seeing Meiko and the redhead simply offered her presence as Mod began the memories.


    The Devil Child watched curiously, as the memory began with Rosan and Maro heading over to Fregate in their casual clothes for once after hearing news about the Raid Suit being finished.


    Maro, hyperactive child she was, kept badgering Rosan to hurry up and get dressed... even despite the fact that he was getting ready at a faster speed then her.


    "I hate that Goblin," Ram muttered with a roll of her eyes, watching her best friend shamelessly gaze at the undressed Rosan with greedy eyes.


    Robin giggled. "Maro sure knows what she likes. She always watches you change," the woman said, voice filled with amusement as Rosan hardly spared the invasion of privacy a glance.


    "Don''t you like Angel? Go watch her change," Young Rosan intoned quietly, applying Modification to his hair so that it could quickly dry.


    "And die?! No way! You won''t kill me for being who I am!" The Young Maro beamed shamelessly.


    "Being you?" Young Rosan questioned with a tilted head, before placing his shirt on. "Very well. Do whatever you want."


    The 12 year old took the invitation with gusto, getting changed herself.


    "OH! THAT REMINDS ME!" Maro shouted. "So Master... y''know how I like Angel right?"


    Rosan nodded.


    "Well... I also like you too!" She explained.


    A pause, before the redhead slowly nodded again.


    "Is this going where I think it is?" Robin asked in amusement.


    "What do you think''s about to happen?" Rosan replied in return.


    "You''re about to give someone their first kiss... again," The Devil Child replied with a small smile.


    "...Good guess," the three inhabitants muttered.


    True to Robin''s guess. Maro wanted to try and see what her feelings for Rosan actually were, so she asked the redhead to kiss her.


    Little Rosan saw no problem with it and delivered one to the flustered Goblin... but to Maro''s surprise, she realized she didn''t feel too ecstatic about it.


    "Just how many first kisses have you taken?" Robin asked in amusement, no longer embarrassed by the memory of how often Rosan used to kiss her.


    The redhead thought about it. "Mod-chan, you, Meiko and Maro... that''s all I think," he listed.


    Mod blushed and ducked her head at that. "I can''t believe my first and only kiss was from my little boy..." she sighed.


    "And that''s how it''s going to stay. You aren''t allowed to date," Rosan said calmly. "If you ever want a kiss... ask one of us."


    Mod gaped. "Y-You utterly insane and insufferable child! Can''t you guys hear him?! Stop this madness!" She pleaded, gazing at Robin and Ram.


    The Devil Child had the decency to look away. "Would it be bad if I said I don''t want you to date either?" Robin said a bit sheepishly.


    Ram nodded enthusiastically. "You''re ours, Auntie!"


    "They''re all insane!" Mod thought in disbelief, watching as her 3 favorite people... barred her from dating of all things! "So if I seriously wish to date... you''d all prevent me?"


    "Yes."


    There was not a hint of hesitation in any of their voices and Mod was beginning to think these little psychopaths were actually serious.


    "What would you even want to date? Why would you even want to date? That''s gross, Mod-chan," Rosan chided.


    "I don''t want to date anybody! B-But the fact that if I did, you three wouldn''t allow me, is utterly absurd," Mod spluttered, red eyes wide in confusion.


    "It''s because you''re too adorable. I don''t want a sweetheart like you to get taken advantage of," Robin replied sagely.


    "THAT DOESN''T MAKE IT ANY LESS INSANE!" The Devil Fruit roared, blushing furiously at the compliment.


    Ram shook her head. "See! Look?! You can''t even handle a compliment! We just want what''s best for you!" the ring said sincerely. "Just imagining someone taking advantage of our dear caretakers insane curves... it makes me so angry!"


    Mod turned an atomic shade of red. "...I will not let my children tell me what I can or can''t do. I-If I wish to date... then darnit I will date!" She protested.


    "..."


    No one said anything for a moment... before the worst possible choice decided to take initiative.


    Ram tackled Mod to the floor.


    "R-Ram g-get off of me! You can''t decide these things for me!" Mod struggled, trying to push the taller woman off of her.


    "Nuh uh, Auntie! I''ll dissuade you in anyway I know how!" Ram grinned psychotically.


    Mod''s eyes widened in shock and her struggles renewed. "R-Ram I swear to all that is¡ª"


    "Enjoy my first kiss, Auntie! Everytime you consider dating, I''m gonna do this! Mwah mwah mwah mwah!"


    Robin and Rosan watched Mod turn into a red statue, as Ram relentlessly assaulted her with repeated smooches.


    "She is absolutely your daughter," Robin said idly.


    "I''m beginning to think that more and more... this is a genius idea" Rosan hummed curiously.


    The Devil Child sweatdropped.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Ram was sitting very far away from a fuming Mod, using both Robin and Rosan as a shield from the terrifying wrath of her super scary Auntie.


    Mod was scowling with a bright red blush, as she continued the memory, glaring at all three of them.


    "You three are so lucky I don''t want to date," she growled.


    "..."


    "Hey Robin pay attention to this, you will probably do the same thing when you eventually get your Raid Suit," Rosan informed the Devil Child.


    "Oh? I should pay attention so that I don''t end up embarrassing myself in front of so many people," Robin nodded.


    Mod''s scowl deepened as they ignored her.


    They were in so much trouble.


    "So once consumed... our Devil Fruits combine with our lineage factors... which means we basically become the Devil Fruit don''t we?" Robin mused, watching the rare interest in Rosan''s eyes as he learned about the genetic makeup of human.


    Rosan nodded. "It reminded me of a conversation I had with Mod-chan back at Daybreak... when she said we partially fused with each other to compensate for the fact that I was cuffed with seastone. I just chalked it up to her being the only conscious Devil Fruit... but perhaps Mod''s consciousness is the "Blank Zoan" and that''s what I fused with... it would explain why I can transform so proficiently."


    Mod blinked at that and her expression turned thoughtful. That made a lot of sense but Mod herself never quite looked into her supposed "Zoan" side.


    "Fascinating..." Robin muttered, both at Rosan''s words and the screen.


    As Hiroshi handed both Maro and Rosan their Raid Suits, the duo wasted no time placing them on and it was there Robin saw what they were capable of.


    Insane durability, the ability to jump incredible heights, hovering in place... Quite frankly, the Raid Suit was absurd.


    "It''s not as strong as the version''s Judge creates but they do the job we need them to do," Rosan muttered, watching as his younger self and Maro activated the suits.


    "I find myself rather eager to gain one... my defenses aren''t the most impressive so this would help bolster me by quite a bit," Robin admitted.


    She already knew how Rosan''s Raid Suit looked in its default form, considering she had been wearing it but it did fit the way he dressed well. With the long open black coat (with red stripes), the form fitting red shirt (that looked alot more form fitting on his older form) and the baggy black pants along with the red sneakers... her best friend looked as stylish as ever.


    Always one to show off. That was his charm she supposed.


    Robin had never see Maro''s Raid Suit on the other hand and she smiled fondly at how the Dokkaebi seemed destined to be a princess.


    She wore a predominantly white and blue battle dress, with sleeves that stopped at her elbow and a skirt. She wore long, knee length white boots and long white gloves that met where her sleeve ended.


    Combat Princess was an apt term. She looked incredible.


    Robin had to admit, Maro''s changes were truly astonishing. It was why she found it so hard to believe that the tiny little thing the Devil Child had seen before... had been the Goblin Princess herself.


    Now, she was incredibly strong with an outfit that was made for her, enhancing her to a level that made the Dokkaebi even more dangerous then she had already been becoming.


    "Maro with her Raid Suit... It''s annoying because she just doesn''t really take much damage," Rosan grunted. "I saw how durable a Dokkaebi naturally was and decided to enhance her endurance... it worked a little too well. That girl is a tank."


    "Their spars are like an Unstoppable Force vs an Immovable Object," Mod chimed in. "Maro has incredible strength, but Rosan has her beat in those regards... while Rosan is very durable, but Maro trumps him in that regard."


    The fact that Rosan''s offense was somehow better then Maro''s with the Raid Suit enhancing her to this degree, was a testament to how much of a monster the redhead was... his Raid Suit didn''t even come close to Maro''s in terms of offensive capabilities!


    Incredible... Robin was really interested in seeing her own Raid Suit now.


    Inspections done, Young Rosan immediately transformed his canister into a very familiar armband, nestled neatly on his left arm.


    "Do you wash that?" Robin asked offhandedly.


    "I will dump you in a bathtub full of water," Rosan replied calmly.


    She smiled.


    The smaller redhead grabbed Maro''s canister so he could transform it into whatever she wished for and to Robin''s surprise, the future Queen chose earrings because she wanted them to be the memento that reminded her of the life that Rosan gave her.


    "Maro is just the cutest," Robin sighed fondly. She had no idea that the Queen''s earrings (now that she thought about it... she had never seen her without them) was her own Raid Suit but it made plenty of sense. Rosan''s own earrings were his Save Point after all.


    "Thank you Master. As long as I''m still breathing, I will always be Grim, the faithful partner of Reaper," Maro declared softly.


    The moment Maro said those words, Robin saw something flicker in Young Rosan''s eyes and she knew that sentence... was what made him come to the decision to separate from her.


    "You have a great eye," Rosan said quietly. "Yes, that''s right. That was the very moment I chose to separate from Maro specifically."


    Maro specifically?


    "When did you choose to separate from the twins?" Robin asked softly.


    The redhead closed his eyes. "The time I caught Angel crying in a room by herself," he said truthfully. "After I helped her get better... I saw a resolve in her eyes that didn''t sit right with me. She was planning on trying to save me at all costs and I vowed to eventually separate myself from her and Demon so that they could live a life without me."


    Robin nodded at the mature redhead. He probably didn''t want to do it. Rosan was extremely possessive... so for him to let those three free meant he truly did think that was best for them and he might have been right.


    They loved Rosan, that was clear... but those three had a completely separate responsibility now that had nothing to do with the redhead. Celadon was their island and without realizing it... it had become incredibly important to all three of the rulers.


    "I''m so proud of you, Rosan... for coming to such a difficult decision," Robin smiled, running a hand through his soft spikes.


    "...It was very difficult but it was for the best. I am a terrible leader and it affected them the worst," he whispered.


    Robin shook her head immediately. "You aren''t a terrible leader at all, Rosan. You were young. It''s only natural that you made mistakes... even without any proper guidance, you still managed to do such an amazing job raising three amazing people. A terrible leader would never have let them go but a great leader knows what''s best for everyone... and you knew what was best for everyone."


    Rosan paused at that and glanced at her, eyes going slightly wide.


    "I... never thought about it like that," he muttered.


    "That''s because you never think positive things about yourself. You''re too self critical," Robin admonished. "Come now, you have the presence of a King and the blood of royalty... start acting like it! It''s why you''re such a good leader."


    "...Please refrain from bringing up my royal heritage."


    "No. It''s fun. My best friend is a Prince."


    "Robin... shut up."


    "...No I don''t think I will."


    Mod smiled brightly at their interactions. Rosan always deeply considered Robin''s words. It was just the effect she had on him. The Devil Child was never afraid to speak her mind and she was as intelligent as him to boot, so he respected her all the more for it.


    Everyone told him he was a great leader but he was too set on his failures, to acknowledge his accomplishments.


    Maro was a queen because of him. And she wasn''t just an average queen. No, you would think a serious Maro was born with royal blood because of how naturally she fit her role as the ruler of Celadon. The citizens loved her with all their heart and vice versa. The thriving kingdom wouldn''t have been thriving, if not for how well Rosan raised the Dokkaebi.


    But he only saw how he scarred her when they first met. He was truly the most critical person to himself and it was detrimental now.


    Thankfully, Robin knew exactly how he worked. She had spent years dealing with his nature so she knew exactly what to say.


    "Let''s continue the memories. It''s time to officially see how we made Maro a Queen," Rosan said.


    "I look forward to seeing how insane you both are... despite being total opposites, Maro inherited a lot of things from you," Robin smiled.


    The redhead snorted with a small smirk. "That she did... except for her perverted streak. That''s all her."


    Everyone laughed at that.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "So you just grew this much out of nowhere?"


    "That''s right. I grew quite randomly."


    "You''re like a beanstalk... but I was still taller then you at this age you know?" Robin responded, watching Maro lament being so much shorter then Rosan.


    Because the redhead was so talented, the Dokkaebi scarcely found things to brag over him... and her height was one of the few things she could use... but now Rosan was very noticeably taller then her and even now, he towered over the Queen.


    "You would have been 18... how tall were you?" Rosan asked curiously.


    "The same height as I am now," Robin replied. "I didn''t change very much over the years."


    "Now I''m taller then all the people who made fun of my height," Rosan replied, a superior gleam in his eyes as he pulled the shorter Robin close and began messing up her hair.


    The woman squirmed in his grip but didn''t even bother trying to escape it because he was far too strong. "You know... when I ended up 6''2... a little part of me thought that there was no way you were going to grow taller then me without Modification helping you... then I saw you again and remembered that you are a genetic monster."


    The redhead simply smirked that insufferable smirk of his. "I told you it was only a matter of time before I grew," he said at the exact same time as Young Rosan.


    "We thought you were full of shit!" Maro shouted angrily.


    "What she said," Robin smiled in amusement.


    Young Rosan offered them all the chance to land on an upcoming island and took it as an opportunity to force Maro and Angel to hang around each other.


    "Doesn''t it seem like Angel also has a crush on Maro?" Robin asked curiously, watching the slight way Angel lit up at hearing she was going with Maro.


    Rosan hummed and nodded. "I think they''ve both been attracted to each other for a while. They spent a lot of time together alone because Angel was teaching her and they even bathed with each other... Angel is just terribly unaware and oblivious."


    "She does strike me as oblivious..." Robin muttered.


    "There''s no way you two of all people are saying that?!" Mod and Ram gawked at the two clueless best friends.


    Seriously?!


    As Young Rosan and Demon traveled the island, Robin couldn''t keep the surprise off her features.


    "This... is Celadon?" She asked in stunned confusion.


    This was how one of the most prestigious islands in the North Blue looked? It looked downright awful and the fact that this island was changed into how it currently looked... reminded her eerily of Maro herself.


    The island truly reflected the leader...


    Celadon was dirty. The people were depressed, the buildings were beaten down and crumbling, the plants were dying... it was the complete opposite of the current Celadon, where everyone was bursting with life, advanced buildings stood tall everywhere and it clashed amazingly well with all the greenery.


    To see where it had all started from... made Robin appreciate the island even more. It was genuinely incredible how much effort was clearly poured into the island...


    And it all started because Maro had stepped up for the people of Celadon...


    The Dokkaebi had confronted Rosan, to see what they could do to help the people of this island... but to her surprise Rosan refused.


    "Didn''t I tell you? I''m no hero. I''m not going to help some people out of the goodness of my heart unless it benefits me in some way. So let me ask you again, what reason do I have for helping these people?"


    Robin watched in interest as Rosan secretly encouraged Maro to stand up for what she thought was right and not what he did.


    "By doing this... you''re undoing all the things you told her on that day you know?" Robin said with a small smile. "Your values are hers, she fights for you... she''s your weapon. Are you sure it''s wise to be encouraging the complete opposite?"


    Rosan glanced at her. "If she was my weapon, of course I would never have encouraged her to contradict my values... but Maro is not my weapon. Maro is my prized student. Someone like her, doesn''t deserve to be relegated to my right hand for the rest of their lives."


    Everyone smiled a true smile at that, watching as Young Rosan apologized for what he did to her.


    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    For him to realize that Maro relied too heavily on him... to the point where she didn''t have a life outside of him. To strive to get rid of that, Robin would never believe anyone if they said Rosan was a bad leader.


    "I am sorry for what I did to you Maro. I took advantage of your conditions and raised you into a valuable asset, but at the cost of you yourself."


    The Young Rosan ducked his head at that and they watched the tears in Maro''s eyes grow as she furiously shook her head.


    The girl didn''t see anything wrong with what Rosan had done because in her eyes, it had worked. She was strong, with people who cared for her and no one could take advantage of her kindness...


    But that therein lie the problem because there was something wrong with what Rosan had done and he was the only one that fully realized.


    That was why he was doing this. Because there was no other solution.


    "I love you, Master and I don''t want you to think that you failed me because you did the exact opposite. Even now, you are trying to help me grow as a person!"


    "You love me?" Rosan had asked, caught off guard by the declaration.


    "Of course I do, you idiot!"


    "Of course, how silly of me," Rosan said softly and Robin saw the exact moment he made the decision to leave them all here.


    "Was it hard? To make the decision?" Robin asked the redhead softly.


    He tilted his head. "I... I wasn''t sure I wanted to do it at first... but then I brought up my concerns with Mod-chan and when even she agreed that this was for the best, I made up my mind."


    Mod shook her head. "You would have come to that decision no matter what... our talk just helped you come to terms with it."


    Robin looked thoughtful at that. "It''s only natural... you''ve been caring for these 3 for a long time so letting them go must have been difficult. You did good."


    Naturally, the twins protested heavily, not understanding why their creator would just leave them behind but if there was anyone Rosan felt he failed as much as Maro, it was the twins.


    Maro thought he was abandoning her, no longer finding her useful.


    None of them wanted to be away from Rosan... but Rosan didn''t want to be any of their #1s.


    He made as much clear to them and even though they hated it so much... hearing that even Mod agreed with his decision made them all finally concede.


    "I really didn''t want to let them go either," Mod confessed quietly. "They are all my children. How could I ever want my children out of my sight... but it''s also a parents duty, to make sure that their child receives the best life possible and even though it hurt then... I''m so proud we let them go."


    Robin pulled the woman into a tender hug. "You should be proud. Look at how much they''ve changed! You two knew that they needed to not be with you guys in order to grow... and they''ve done that and more."


    "She''s right," Rosan said as he and Maro began the march towards the king''s castle. "More then anything, I wanted them to leave each other more then they loved me and I''ve achieved that. I am no longer #1 in Maro''s life. Angel, Demon and all her citizens are #1 and she''d even strike me to keep them safe... and vice versa."


    That''s all he wanted. Now, if anything happened to him, it would hurt... but they''d have each other to rely on.


    "Making her a Queen right off the bat was a bit much though don''t you think?" Robin smiled in amusement at the absolute thrashing the duo were delivering onto the king''s guards.


    "My student deserves nothing less. I would never let her be anyone else''s soldier," he replied truthfully.


    Whatever Robin was about to say, was cut off by the appearance of a lone man that Rosan didn''t even give the luxury of finishing a sentence.


    She had been about to comment on how ruthless the child was... before watching in a bit of horror, as the man known as Hibiki reformed from being shot.


    "A Logia..." Robin said warily at the exact same time as Young Rosan.


    "Fuck," Maro cursed for them all.


    What followed next was probably one of the more frustrating matches the duo had to go through that wasn''t Judge.


    It was probably doubly frustrating because they knew they were stronger then the Earth Logia but they just could not damage him!


    The man utilized widespread earth techniques to try and attack the swift duo but it was all for naught. Neither were able to get a hit on the other and it was a complete standstill...


    Up until Maro made a mistake and got caught in quicksand of all things.


    Young Rosan watched in slow motion, as a dangerously sharp pillar flew towards Maro with intent to kill and the redhead began moving before he could even think.


    Robin gasped in horror, as Rosan launched himself in the way of the attack meant from Maro and got skewered by the stone before the bloodied boy modified it.


    "Are you alright?" She couldn''t help but ask the current Rosan.


    He gazed at her worried expression and nodded. "It hurt but I''ve felt more pain before so I could ignore it... the problem came from when I healed the hole up with the stone. The more severe the injury, the more exhausting it is to heal."


    She nodded. It made sense. Robin wasn''t sure how the Philosopher''s Stone worked exactly, but it was apart of Rosan and probably didn''t use thin air to heal his injuries.


    No, it probably just enhanced certain functions of his body to absurd levels but not without any costs.


    "He''s so interesting," Robin couldn''t help but think.


    Then she saw his next actions.


    "You''re so stupid!" Robin exclaimed, rounding on the redhead with a glare. "What were you thinking?! Going out there after losing that much energy?! No, nevermind. You weren''t thinking at all were you? Do you ever stop to think sometimes?" She chewed into him, watching as he got caught by a stray attack that broke his leg.


    Rosan paused as Robin tore into him with a perplexed expression. "I didn''t want Maro to fight him alone, We just needed to stall him for abit."


    "There are ways to stall without engaging in combat!" Robin stressed. "Your plan involved holding his son hostage! Why would you go out into the open again when you''re so exhausted?!"


    "...We couldn''t risk him getting suspicious," the redhead retorted. "If we retreated, any normal person would assume we went to go tend to our wounds and he may feel obliged to take the king back to his home... by keeping him distracted, this allows Demon to get into the house and put himself in a good position, while Angel sets up the transportation for him too."


    The Devil Child frowned at him. "There are better ways to approach this. I would have made Maro utilize her illusions and invisibility, to keep him distracted."


    Rosan smiled slightly and pulled her into a hug. "That''s why we''re good for each other. You show me more passive options that lead to victory and I show our more aggressive ones. We balance each other out very well, whereas Maro and I enhance the others aggression only. We are both berserkers."


    Robin sighed as her anger melted away immediately. "I suppose you''re right. I do mostly solve things without too much aggression but sometimes, it''s needed."


    "The best defense is a good offense!" Ram beamed.


    Robin and Mod sweatdropped.


    She watched as in an uncharacteristic move, Rosan forced the Logia to give up by using his son as a hostage. It made it clear to Robin that if he wanted to, Rosan could be infinitely more evil and dangerous. Modification gave him the freedom to pursue any lifestyle he so choose.


    Hibiki was in a truly unwinnable situation. It''s not like he could get his revenge on the duo for killing his son. They had already shown they were capable of escaping him and they could both fly. Rosan and Maro could have escaped at any time.


    Even if he didn''t care for his son, it was only a matter of time before Rosan resorted to assassinating the king. He had become an expert in espionage over the years as Reaper and something as simple as breaking in and killing someone was almost too easy for him.


    No matter what he did, Hibiki would lose.


    So he chose the option that would cost him the least.


    Saving his son.


    It was genius and utterly immoral on Rosan''s part, but like he told Maro, he had not much better options.


    It was just unfortunate that someone useful like Hibiki, had chosen to side with the king. When working under such a terrible person, it was only a matter of time before your actions bit you.


    So they escorted Hibiki to his temporary ship and sent the man off, promising that his son would be safe for years to come...


    And then Rosan''s wings burst out and he immediately pursued the sailing ship, before sinking the Devil Fruit user and causing him to drown.


    "He would have been a useful ally but I can see why you had to do it," Robin muttered. Poor Maro really was such a sweetheart. She even felt bad for the Logia.


    "If I had a proper way to subjugate him, I''d have done that instead... but my hands were tied and leaving him alive was too costly. I wouldn''t want to hold his son hostage for all eternity after all," Rosan replied.


    It was necessary and even now, he felt no guilt for what he did. His only regret was not being able to secure that Earth Logia. It would have been quite the boon for anyone in Maro''s army...


    A shame. He wondered where it was now.


    "You''re far too greedy," Robin chastised with a shake of her head. Despite that, she was smiling at how much Rosan was encouraging Maro to move on from him.


    "I don''t want you to go through that feeling with Angel. You love her and I don''t want you to go through what I did. Protect her with everything and keep her safe, Maro. Don''t become me," Young Rosan said gently, rubbing her hair soothingly as his eyes bored into her own.


    Maro realizing that he wanted their lives to be more stable... without traveling endlessly made her give in and she succumbed to his desires.


    "Settle down, get married, adopt a child."


    Robin couldn''t contain the laughter at seeing Maro say she had a few ideas on how Angel would agree to a child.


    "What did she mean by that by the way? Auntie laughed so she had to know," Ram mused, with a furrowed brow.


    Mod shook her head in amusement. "I''d rather not explain it. Maybe Robin can?"


    Robin blinked and shot Mod an annoyed look, as both Rosan and Ram looked over at her.


    She sighed.


    "I''m very sure Maro was thinking of having you impregnate her. It would make sense considering Angel is a clone... a child between you and Maro would be their child basically," the woman explained patiently.


    Ram''s jaw dropped. "T-That fucking pervert!" She growled.


    "Language," Mod admonished with an amused smile.


    "She''s far too depraved," Rosan sighed. "I would be willing to donate I suppose... but I''m really not ready to have any type of child at the moment so she''ll have to wait a bit," he muttered to himself.


    Robin, Mod and Ram all paused in disbelief at that.


    "You''d do it?!" They gaped.


    Rosan blinked. "I wouldn''t have sex with Maro, no. Despite her constant flirting with me, I do think she has no real interest in doing that..."


    "I''m not so sure about that," the three sweatdropped.


    "...But if her and Angel agreed to it then of course I would... I think they deserve to raise a biological child if they so please and I''m the only one who can really do anything to make it both their children instead of only Maro''s..." He finished, watching the Princess stand before all her subjects.


    Robin smiled at that. "You''re right. They do deserve it... but only if Angel agrees to it. Maro is far too depraved for her own good."


    The redhead snorted at that and nodded. "Of course. Maro has no say in the matter."


    The Devil Child smiled at that and watched as Maro made a demonstration of the corrupt king in front of all the anticipating citizens.


    "It''s been far to long since you have all had anything But that was before I showed up. I will make this land the most prosperous in the North Blue and I need you all to support my goal. For you people, who have had nothing, I will give you something. My name is Maro and I am the Goblin Princess!" The Dokkaebi shouted passionately to the crowd.


    "MARO, MARO, MARO, MARO, MARO, MARO, MARO!" The crowd roared..


    This was why she enjoyed watching Rosan''s memories because Robin could confidently say she loved and adored all three leaders of Celadon. Maro especially, had taken an opportunity and ran with it until the world that refused to acknowledge her, finally did.


    It was incredible. From being homeless to becoming one of the most important figures in the North Blue. It made her remember the confident grin Maro had shot Rosan''s way, as the Dokkaebi assured him that she would become his greatest supporter yet.


    Yes, Robin could see why Rosan was proud of her because she was too.


    "I''m glad she even learned how to deliver speeches like you," Robin smiled. "Hold your head high, Rosan. Maro''s accomplishments are truly impressive and she fought and fought despite her situations... but you have to remember that you are her teacher. She wouldn''t have gotten here without you and you must own up to that, in both the negative and positive ways."


    "!" Rosan''s eyes actually widened a bit at that and he gazed at her with a slightly surprised expression.


    "Own up to everything, huh?" He muttered to himself but they all heard him. Finally, he nodded his head. "I think you''re right. I need to start claiming both the good and the bad side of things... instead of just the bad."


    "That''s all we can ask for," Mod grinned brilliantly.


    Robin nodded before focusing as the memory shifted once more.


    The redhead didn''t deign to show her the utterly mundane stuff so that they didn''t actually spend years watching his memories (it was expertly being filtered by Mod to show general things) so she was confused to see Rosan all on his lonesome in the White Rose.


    It was soon made clear to her that this memory was being shown, to understand what Rosan''s next course of action was.


    After so long, he finally decided it was time to pay Ace a visit. Robin was slightly disappointed that he took so long, but Rosan really had been preparing to look for him because of Meiko and he had been seriously making efforts to find out his location.


    That''s how he knew that Ace was in the East Blue, residing in the Goa Kingdom. He had been tracking Garp''s random movements in the Blue Seas and came to that conclusion after noticing the consistency.


    Unfortunately, Meiko died before they could figure out the actual location and Rosan ended up like this instead.


    Robin frowned sadly. Well, at least he still managed to muster up the resolve to find him. Rosan was the type of person to run away from his core issues until he saw no other choic¡ª


    Her train of thought halted, as the White Rose was suddenly bombarded with fire.


    The Devil Child went still. This was... Was this what she thought it was?


    Really? So soon after separating from Maro?


    She watched the stony demeanored redhead transform into Reaper before appearing on the deck of the ship.


    Her concerns were answered, as she saw the ship that had fired at them.


    "A Celestial Dragon... so this is when Rosan got his bounty..." Robin thought. She had thought he was insane when he explained what he did... but their meeting had already started on the wrong foot when Rosan was randomly attacked by the gigantic ship.


    What happened next, only solidified that. The World Nobles were the peak of the World Governments corruption and they ticked off, quite literally, every single one of Rosan''s red flags.


    Even despite that, Robin had to applaud Rosan for at least trying to be civil. It''s not like he was the main aggressor here and it was actually rather surprising for her best friend.


    But then the World Noble cemented his grave with a statement.


    "Get me a slave collar. I want this unique creature. He has an interesting pair of wings that I need. I want to see if the feathers will grow back after being plucked by a razor! We could use them for fashion if they do!"


    Robin felt a small scowl form at that. "He tried to have you enslaved?! Who does he think he is?"


    Her little Rosan, being subjugated to yet another cruel person... just the thought made her shudder with fury.


    Clearly, Reaper didn''t take to that very well either.


    Robin watched as the emotionless man gauged the rulers of the world with a neutral expression.


    But his mind was a completely different thing. Gone his emotions may be, Rosan was still Rosan and his emotions simply amplified the hate he already had.


    This man had just casually labeled him a slave? He had been imprisoned for 6 months and this man wanted to do it again for the rest of his life? While torturing him to boot?


    Unforgivable.


    These were the people that got to rule the world? These people got to do whatever they wanted, while people like Meiko, died? This is what the Government considered Justice? These filthy pieces of garbage got to dictate the livelihoods of anyone they wanted?


    Unacceptable.


    Robin shuddered at that.


    It was only natural that even despite Mod''s insistence on how bad of an idea this was, Rosan still carried it out.


    "Do you want to know something interesting, Jeremiah-san? At any given point in time, something truly unfortunate can cause a person to meet their untimely end. Whether it''s a little infant, who''s too sick to remain alive, or a powerful individual who simply got unlucky... Death has no bias."


    Reaper''s voice was calm and collected. It was almost as if he were giving the man genuine advice, instead of very clearly setting up to kill him.


    Even the guards of the Celestial Dragon, weren''t fast enough to understand that Rosan was threatening him in broad daylight. After all, who would be insane enough to not only attack a Celestial Dragon... but do so in the middle of the day, with eyes on them, while having a conversation with them too.


    But no one understood who Rosan was.


    "My name is Reaper, the Angel of Death, and though I don''t feel like I''m qualified to do this, I am Death and just this once, I am about to deliver justice onto justice itself."


    Robin watched with wide eyes, as Rosan immediately decapitated Jeremiah after that sentence, holding the man''s clueless head in his gloved hand.


    The man''s body had collapsed on its knees as blood sprayed everywhere yet none landed on the Angel of Death.


    "I normally ask a person if they have any final wish or words... But you''ve been born with everything and you speak nothing but garbage."


    Then he tossed the head away and began the utter destruction of the ship. The Angel of Death killed every single person and sunk the ship all at the same time.


    With startling ease.


    "Exoneration."


    The ease at which he destroyed that ship... could he do that to any ship? Even ones from the Buster Call?


    "I hope you understand... that the rumors about you were even worse then what I just witnessed," Robin said calmly. "That''s why I didn''t even want to slightly risk encountering you... even after I thought he looked like you in your disguise. There was so little information out about Reaper that I wasn''t sure what to believe..."


    To be blunt, Reaper was terrifying. A figure covered from their head to their toes, in a black and white cloak (two ominous colors), with magnificent and massive black wings... as well as a unique scythe.


    Not only that, they randomly appeared in parts of the Blue Seas and ruthlessly hunted down bounties with dreadful efficiency. No one knew anything about them, but they knew that if you had a bounty and were in the Blue Seas, it was only a matter of time before this terrifying enmity came after you.


    No matter where you were, no matter where you ran, they would lock onto you and hunt you down before the day was even over... then appear in another sea and do the same thing to another person.


    That was the perception Robin had of him. A figure who would jump at the chance to hunt down the highest bountied person in the Blue Seas.


    That was Reaper, The Angel of Death, the Shinigami that was worth 500 million beris.


    That was her best friend... the utterly insane Rosan.


    "I still can''t believe he didn''t even hesitate," Mod sighed, shaking her head at his actions.


    "That asshole deserved it!" Ram growled. "There''s no way you would have let him be enslaved either, Auntie!"


    The purple haired woman''s face instinctively transformed into an uncharacteristic sneer, before she caught herself. "Of course not! It''s just... I''ve been hearing so much about World Nobles for so long, that I didn''t think anyone would be crazy enough to actually attack them!"


    Robin let loose a fond sigh. "But that''s just Rosan, isn''t it Mod-chan? You and I know well how insane he is. I''m surprised he even let the Noble speak."


    Mod let out a fond sigh herself. "Yes, we know him very well. It''s incredible how logical the two of us are... and we ended up gravitating around an utterly psychotic boy with way too much charisma for his own good."


    The Devil Child pulled the shorter woman close and let loose a short laugh. "It is rather funny but would we trade it for anything else?"


    "Not even for a split second," Mod mumbled.


    Rosan smiled at the two. "You two are boring so it''s my job to spice up your lives. It''s worked too, I''m sure your personalities have evolved with me making an impact."


    "More then I would have liked it too," Robin retorted with a tired glare. Rosan had forced her out of her shell long ago and considering he had been influencing her since she was still a child, her changes had been significant.


    She wouldn''t admit that she loved this current version of herself because she hated throwing Rosan a victory.


    "You give me all this personality then make fun of me for being sappy!" Mod growled. "I''ve been dealing with these two bullies for years, Robin! Please help me!"


    "You love it!" Ram retorted, crossing her arms. "Auntie Mod is the most dishonest person with her feelings ever!"


    "WHO LOVES BEING BULLIED?!" Mod roared, tackling Ram to the floor and pinching her cheek.


    Ram squealed at that. "O-OW! AUNTIE THIS ISN''T HOW YOU SHOULD TREAT THE PERSON WHO''S FIRST KISS YOU STOLE!"


    "I STOLE YOUR FIRST KISS? YOU ASSAULTED ME!"


    "I CAN''T BELIEVE MY FIRST KISS GOT STOLEN BY SUCH A BRUTE!"


    Robin watched them argue with a serene expression. "Poor Mod-chan... even she''s succumbed fully to Rosan''s insanity."


    Rosan shrugged. "People only allow those they admire to influence how they act. Mod chose to become like this because she loves me."


    Robin sweatdropped. "I really don''t like how you use such insightful quotes, to support your terrible habits."


    The redhead snorted. "You only dislike it because that quote specifically resonates with you as well."


    "...Let''s go to sleep," Robin muttered, standing up...


    Only to yelp as Rosan tossed her over his shoulder.


    "R-Rosan put me down!" She struggled in his grip. Seriously, why was he so strong?!


    "No. It''s my job to put you in situations you wouldn''t allow yourself to be put in, so enjoy my shoulder," he smirked in an utterly infuriating manner.


    "I''m serious, Rosan! Down!" Robin demanded.


    The redhead completely ignored her. Instead, he pulled the feral Mod off of the terrified Ram and did the same to her.


    "A-Ah! ROSAN PUT ME DOWN!" Mod demanded as she struggled in his one-handed grip.


    Why was he so strong?!


    "This is just the effect of my insanity, no?" Rosan retorted smugly, modifying both their clothes into sleepwear. "C''mon Ram, we''re going to sleep."


    Ram rubbed her cheek but nodded. "I''m sleeping away from Auntie! I can''t believe she would steal my first kiss and then proceed to assault me! She''s so toxic!"


    "I''LL KILL YOU!" Mod shouted, struggling even harder in Rosan''s grip. "ROSAN, PUT ME DOWN AND PUT ME IN A ROBE! I DO NOT WANT TO WEAR SHORTS TO SLEEP!"


    "No. You already wear a dress nonstop, it''s time for change."


    Robin just sighed in defeat and accepted being carried away.


    There was something wrong with Rosan.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Bonus!


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    A knock on the door interrupted the Queen working on setting up her desk. She was doing so with intense concentration and almost looked triumphant at finishing up.


    "What do you want? I told you I don''t need help fixing this desk. I''ve practically finished already," Raisa said calmly, not even glancing up at the door as she tidied up her room.


    "It''s not that my Queen," Jen said patiently, opening the door. She was a pretty and tiny petite thing who Raisa towered over, dressed in a modest blouse with a head of brown hair. She was unassuming and rather bland (to Raisa''s eyes) but she was one of the few who could work in her presence efficiently.


    Raisa smoothed out her dress and glanced over at the secretary. "You are nervous." She pointed out bluntly.


    Jen glanced away from those piercing purple eyes, nervous energy seeming to radiate off of her that her Queen saw through with no effort.


    This was why it was so difficult to work for Raisa. The Queen could see through anyone so it made hiding things from her impossible.


    Jen heard that the person who worked before her had been plotting against Raisa and had been found out immediately. The woman had wasted absolutely no time in extracting every piece of information out of the person, before executing them.


    No one wanted to risk being found out of something (no matter how small), so they all refrained from even applying to the position as her secretary. Jen had been basically the only one willing to and after being interviewed by the Queen herself (it was nerve wracking) she had been immediately offered the chance.


    It paid incredibly well and Raisa wasn''t that difficult to deal with so she had been in this position for quite a while.


    Right now was one of the difficult times working for her...


    "You have... visitors," she said as professionally as she could.


    Raisa tilted her head to the left and hummed. "And what visitor would make you so nervous greeting me? Is it Sengoku? Has that fossil come to pay me a visit himself?" Her deep voice questioned curiously.


    Before Jen could answer her, the secretary saw Raisa freeze.


    She didn''t know how, but the woman could feel people with some strange technique and there was no doubt in her mind that the Queen of Wisteria had just done so.


    Which meant she knew exactly who was waiting for her outside those doors.


    Raisa''s eyes transformed into slits. "Get them out of my sight. I already broke one table, I do not wish to destroy another along with my entire castle," she ordered, a scowl forming on her features.


    How dare they? The absolute audacity for them to walk into her castle with the intentions of speaking to her.


    "My Queen... they said you might say that and insisted," Jen said as patiently as possible.


    Those slitted purple eyes bored into her and she wisely stopped talking.


    "I do not care what they insisted. I insist you tell them to leave before I get upset," Raisa said in a chilly manner, dismissing the secretary by turning her back and tending to her desk again.


    "Raisa... is that really necessary?"


    "Can''t we just... talk?"


    The woman froze before taking a deep breath and schooling her features.


    "What exactly is it that you want to talk to me about after 24 years..."


    Raisa turned around and smashed her presence into the two unforgivable traitors.


    "...Oren and Dalia?"


    Oren and Dalia flinched back, as their sister''s sheer presence loomed over them. She gazed at them with a neutral expression, but there was such an intense rage in her eyes, they nearly lost their train of thought.


    Those royal purple eyes glowed brightly as she gazed at them with obvious contempt.


    Jen bowed lowly and immediately fled the room, shutting the door behind her and making sure to call up guards incase things went south.


    Raisa gazed at her older brother and little sister respectively with a neutral expression but on the inside she was a torrent of rage.


    "H-Hey, sis¡ª" Dalia tried to greet only to be interrupted immediately.


    "Let me take a wild guess," Raisa started with a hiss. "You saw my son''s, yes that is my son, bounty poster and realized that it''s been 24 years since you abandoned your own sister without a single word?!"


    "It took you 24 years to decide to pay me a visit... and the only reason is because you realized that I GAVE BIRTH!" Raisa shouted, raising her voice at the two.


    Oren realized how bad their actions looked in her eyes and shut his eyes.


    It was tiny, unnoticeable but there was no doubt that Raisa was hurt by their actions and she covered it all with anger.


    Dalia shrank away, tears pricking her dimming blue eyes at the words of her older sister.


    "Well I won''t tell you a damn thing about what I went through so if that''s all, please kindly get the fuck off my island," Rasia hissed, pointing towards the door.


    "Raisa we''re sorry," Oren bowed lowly, head touching the floor as Dalia followed suit.


    "W-We never should have let our jealousy get in the way because you didn''t deserve that. Yes, Rosan might be the catalyst but he also helped us realize just how terribly we treated you for something that wasn''t even your fault," Dalia whispered in sorrow.


    Raisa couldn''t believe them. It had been 24 years since she even heard a peep from them and they thought they could just apologize? And everything would be solved?


    And it always came back to him. Rosan. Her son. Him. Him. Him. Him. The core result of everything that had gone wrong in her life.


    "Mere months after I took the throne, Wisteria was attacked," Raisa said, anger mounting slowly but surely.


    Oren and Dalia''s eyes both widened at that.


    "One man. One man showed up just for me and he began destroying everything in his path to achieve that," the queen whispered.


    "Mother died. Father died. So many of my soldiers died before I was able to reach and engage him..."


    Oren and Dalia''s eyes widened in dread at the news of their parents death.


    Raisa was glaring at them now. "I fought him tooth and nail and I could have won but I had to account for the lives of too many people who were getting caught in the crossfire. I had my hands completely full and I lost because of it."


    The two flinched back at that.


    "You two should have been there to help me at least a little. Just enough support to guard the people but no you were off making sure we had no contact because you were upset with me about something I tried my hardest to salvage."


    She really did try... Oren and Dalia felt terrible because of how unaccommodating they were to Raisa''s attempts to forge a bond with them.


    Raisa''s anger melted away and she just shook her head in disappointment. "Mother and Father died, my island was in ruins and I had just been raped and impregnated... It took me years to restore this island from the damage he caused and I didn''t hear a single word from my own brother and sister."


    I had just been raped and impregnated.


    Oren''s purple eyes widened in horror. "You were... he did... what?"


    Dalia felt herself quickly get overwhelmed with emotion at the news and her tears fell. "You were raped, Raisa?"


    Raisa hadn''t even realized she was sharing information but perhaps a part of her still saw them as siblings. "Didn''t I tell you? He came here for me specifically. He targeted me for my looks, my potential, my everything so that I could give birth to his perfect child..."


    "And based on the bounty poster, it''s clear I did," she said bitterly.


    Clear she did? Raisa didn''t know about Rosan...?


    Raisa of all people abandoned her own child?


    "If you are looking for Rosan, he is not on my island. He has not been on my island for 24 years. If you wish to anything about him, you''ll have to find and ask him yourself."


    The woman sighed and shook her head once more, face shifting into something far more neutral. "That''s all I''m willing to share with you both. As far as I''m concerned, our sibling bond is as good as dead. You may stay on this island for as long as you see fit. After all you are apart of our royal lineage but do not speak to me unless you have something important to say and make sure you schedule a meeting first. I am a busy person."


    With that the Queen turned away from her siblings and began inspecting her desk once more, muttering to herself about finishing this quickly and pretending like they weren''t there.


    Oren and Dalia flinched at her clear dismissal... realizing that they barely got anything out and finding themself wilting at what happened to their sister.


    "Did I mess up somewhere? Impossible, I never mess up," Raisa muttered as she nudged the table with a delicate hand and watched it shudder. Her brows furrowed at that and she decided that she''d fix the faulty desk (it was not faulty) that she ordered¡ª


    Four arms wrapped around the Queen and she froze at the sensation.


    "Nothing we did will ever make up what we did to you," Dalia whispered in sorrow. "We won''t make any excuses, we won''t run away anymore. We''re sorry Raisa. You didn''t deserve any of this."


    "You never have to forgive us... but we won''t turn our backs on you anymore. You were an amazing sister to us and it took us too long to see that... No matter what, we''ll be here to make it up to you in anyway," Oren told her.


    "..." Raisa said nothing for a moment. Then, the woman shook her head and said, "Do what you want. Like I said, I will not forcefully remove you from our island since you are royalty as well but that''s as far as my hospitality will go. Now go."


    They didn''t comment on how she did not return the hug. Her siblings simply nodded their heads and prepared to leave.


    "See ya, Raisa," Oren waved.


    "We''ll come visit tomorrow!" Dalia promised with a reassuring grin. "I really missed you sis and I''ll make you see that no matter how long it takes."


    Raisa glared at them. "I told you not to visit me unless¡ª,"


    The door shut as they left.


    "¡ªIt''s something important..."


    The Queen sighed, neutral expression melting off her face in favor of weariness that no one was allowed to see. That she reserved for when she was truly alone.


    When was the last time she was hugged? When was the last time someone actually put their hands on her?


    Oh that''s right... it was when she had been bringing her newborn son to another island. She had allowed her body one hug because that is what it had been desperately craving as she held the tiny thing in her grasp...


    Her siblings were back and they didn''t plan on leaving either. Raisa should be pissed and she was but... but she should be even more upset with them.


    It seems her traitorous body still held a love for them. Fitting that a traitor would love more traitors.


    But they were only here because of Rosan. They weren''t here because of her. It always came back to her only child.


    Rosan. Rosan. Rosan. Why did it always come back to him? Was that how special he was?


    "I hate you..." she whispered, glancing at the only article of paper that was on her newly crafted desk. The only thing she had made an effort to keep in her sights at almost all times.


    Wanted: "Red Devil" Rosan ¨C 100,000,000 Beris


    "I hate what you represent. I hate what you took from me. I hate that no matter what, you are always brought to my attention..."


    Raisa shut her eyes as a single tear escaped her from the overwhelming emotions of today and she slumped over the table with a defeated stance.


    "...I hate that no matter what I say or do, a part of me will still always love you, Iris D. Rosan."


    <hr>


    Character Sheet - Raisa


    Name: Iris D. Raisa


    Gender: Female


    Born Sea: South Blue


    Age: 42


    Birthday: February 7th


    Personality: Cool and collected, incredibly confident, always in control of themselves and has no fear inside her heart but has a very short temper when something does affect her. Despite her impenetrable wall, underneath is a person just as emotional as the rest of their lineage.


    Affiliation: Wisteria (Current)


    Summary: Iris D. Raisa is the sole monarch of Wisteria island and has held that position from the moment she turned 18. Groomed and raised for the role, everyone could only watch in awe as the prodigy shattered expectation after expectation, usurping the role from her older brother Oren and having all eyes on her, much to her displeasure. Despite some hiccups, Raisa was able to bring her island back to an even more prestigious level then it was at before. No one knows what the stalwart Queen is thinking, but all her citizens rest easy knowing that she is watching over them.


    She was attacked mere months after becoming Queen to the unknown father of Portgas D. Rosan, Cutter, and gave birth to her son. Wanting nothing to do with him, but not having the strength to kill him, Raisa abandoned her son the moment he was born on a nearby island in the South Blue.


    Devil Fruit: ?


    Type: Mythical Zoan


    Description: ?


    Appearance: Tall with smooth wavy red hair, bronze skin, very curvy, royal purple eyes that glow. Mostly seen wearing a purple battle dress that allows ease of movement, while showcasing her status as Queen. Widely considered to be one of the most beautiful people on the planet.


    Height: 6''2


    Favorite Food: Honey Baked Ham, Soft candies, various other poultry and meat of the rare kind.


    Disliked Food: Pears, Chocolate.


    Likes: "None of your business."


    Dislikes: "A queen has no business revealing such info."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Character Sheet: Oren


    Name: Iris D. Oren


    Gender: Male


    Born Sea: South Blue


    Age: 44


    Birthday: October 14th


    Personality: Carefree and mature after having to watch over his irresponsible little sister. Tends to go with the flow but is willing to take the lead if he needs to. Underneath his relaxed demeanor is a bundle of insecurities due to his upbringing.


    Affiliation: Wisteria


    Summary: Iris D. Oren is the oldest out of the three siblings. Born 2 years before Raisa, he was slated to become the king before his sisters prowess quickly overtook him. His parents began neglecting both he and his youngest sister and their treatment only got worse, when they realized their oldest son liked men. Though not as much as Dalia, Oren still began harboring slight resentments for his too perfect sister Raisa and he left that island at the earliest chance possible (when he was 16).


    Has always regret what he''s done to Raisa but was too afraid to do anything about it.


    Devil Fruit: ?


    Type: ?


    Description: ?


    Appearance: Tall with smooth black hair that reaches shoulder, bronze skin, broad and muscular, royal purple eyes that glow. Tends to wear shorts and shirts that he leaves open to showcase his torso. Considered very handsome.


    Height: 6''4


    Favorite Food: Meat, Lasagna, Hard candies,


    Disliked Food: Soup, potatoes


    Likes: Dalia, Raisa, Relaxing in the sun, Birds, Cooking.


    Dislikes: His parents, The dark, Rats, When people stereotype him based on his appearance.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Character Sheet: Dalia


    Name: Iris D. Dalia


    Gender: Female


    Born Sea: South Blue


    Age: 40


    Birthday: September 21st


    Personality: Cheerful and carefree, party girl, a bit of a ditz, not an ounce of responsibility in her bone. Does whatever she wants but is warm and caring to those she likes.


    Affiliation: Wisteria


    Summary: Iris D. Dalia is the youngest sibling of Oren and Raisa. At a very young age, was neglected in favor of Raisa and grew to resent her older, more talented, sister. Years of being compared to her only deepened that resentment and at 16, convinced her older brother to leave Wisteria with her so they could be free of their parents judgemental gazes. She mostly spent the years establishing a stable way to live (Oren did this) and the two have lived comfortably with each other for all those years, going after bounties if they needed money.


    Began regretting what she did to Raisa, after realizing the middle sister had nothing to do with their treatment and even tried to help him. Has been avoiding her due to that fear.


    Devil Fruit: ?


    Type: ?


    Description: ?


    Appearance: Short with curly red hair, bronze skin, petite, ocean blue eyes that glow. Stylish so wears a variety of clothes, but enjoys showing skin so often wears shorter things. Considered very pretty.


    Height: 5''4


    Favorite Food: Shrimp, crabs and many types of seafood


    Disliked Food: Anything difficult to eat. Things with no flavor.


    Likes: Oren, Raisa, Partying, Long baths and shopping.


    Dislikes: Her parents, insects (especially roaches), being compared to anyone.

 A God and a Devil I

    He was in a pure white field, decorated with flowers of all colors. It was gorgeous and endless and he was confused because he had never seen a place like this before.


    It wasn''t possible for him to forget a place like this...


    It was sunny, yet not too bright. The weather actually affected him, yet it wasn''t overwhelming. The area he lay in had no furniture of the sorts, yet he was still incredibly comfortable.


    Where was he...?


    Rosan immediately shot up and began glancing around, eyes alert when he didn''t notice any of his crew and searched ahead.


    Did they get separated? Did some die? Was... he dead?


    His brows furrowed at that.


    He tried prodding his connection to Mod-chan, only to blink as he felt nothing at all. The redhead tried again, growing more and more desperate at the fact that he couldn''t even feel the slight hum of his abilities that were always there, even with seastone.


    Panic began seeping into him at the lack of familiar presences and he pushed himself into a standing position.


    Where the hell was he? His power didn''t feel sapped so he should be able to use Modification but he couldn''t. He couldn''t use his ability, he couldn''t feel his ability... he couldn''t feel a damn thing.


    Where was everyone? Where was Mod-chan? Where was Robin? Was he... alone?


    WHERE THE HELL WAS HE?!


    "Don''t move too fast after just waking up, Rosy," a gentle voice said soothingly.


    Rosan went completely still at that, not quite believing his ears as his mouth opened in shock he wouldn''t normally be feeling.


    That voice¡­ He knew that voice. But because he knew that voice, he knew that something was terribly wrong right now.


    Turning around slowly, Rosan''s fears were proven correct, as he came face to face with a short blonde with electric blue eyes.


    His short blonde with electric blue eyes.


    She was currently gazing up at him in with a knowing smile and it caused him to take a step back in confused panic.


    This wasn''t¡­ This wasn''t possible. How was this possible? What was going on? He... He hated being so confused so why... why did he have no answers to alleviate that confusion?


    Was he dead?


    "Not yet and not anytime soon, I hope," Meiko smiled brightly, reading his mind perfectly.


    This wasn''t possible. What¡­ Why was he staring at his dead lover in a sea of flowers?


    What the fuck was this?! WHAT WAS GOING ON?! HOW MANY TIMES DID HE HAVE TO ASK THESE SAME QUESTIONS?!


    Evidently, Meiko must have noticed his panic reaching intense levels (of course she did) because she immediately closed the distance and placed a placating hand on his chest (she was too short to reach his shoulder without stretching).


    "Relax, Rosan! This isn''t real!" She assured, glancing around curiously. "It''s a dream but I''m guessing because you have Modification, it''s a lot¡­ weirder. Maybe a more intense lucid dream because of your computer like makeup? I remember how you mentioned you didn''t dream too much since eating the fruit..."


    The doctor cupped her chin in contemplation and the sight was utterly adorable, considering she was still physically 14.


    No, it would have been adorable no matter what age she was.


    "Well, whatever it may be, I''m glad to see you again!" Meiko gushed, running up and hugging the much taller redhead.


    "Look at how tall you got! You''re so handsome too! I just knew you were going to look amazing as you got older but I thought your boasts of being so tall were a lie! You''re nearly a foot taller than me! Look look! My face is so far down here...! Wait, I''m practically crashing my face against your chest right now!" The blonde gaped, blushing deep red as she stared directly at his pectorals.


    Rosan was far too stunned to do anything. After all, he wasn''t making heads or tails of any of this.


    A dream? The last time he dreamt was before he got captured on Daybreak.


    He didn''t have dreams or nightmares anymore. The redhead either entered his mindscape, or woke up the next day.


    Now, the first time he''s having a so called dream¡­ he''s talking to his hyper realistic dead lover?


    What?


    "Well, I think the only reason I''m so hyper realistic, is because Modification like mentioned before... and maybe because we''re soul mates!" Meiko hummed, straining her neck to look up at him. "Now, can you please hug me back? I''d kiss you but¡­ uh¡­ that would be a little awkward, considering . Also you''re really tall Rosy... has anyone told you that? You''re like a foot taller than me! Oh... I said that already!"


    This wasn''t making any¡­


    Ah, forget it.


    Without any hesitation, the redhead embraced Meiko so tightly, that she squeaked in embarrassment and flushed red.


    "I miss you so much, Meiko" he murmured.


    Her eyes went soft and she returned it just as tightly. "I miss you too, Rosan. I wish things were different."


    Rosan held his head. "If I just¡­ If I just weren''t so stupid, I''d have been able to get you out safely. You died because of me."


    She was so small and young but she shouldn''t be. Meiko shouldn''t be 14 right now. Meiko should have be 26 and living her life with him and Robin and the rest of the crew, exploring all of the world with those big blue eyes of hers, always finding any new experience to be wondrous because of her enchanting personality.


    But she couldn''t and it was all his fault¡ª


    Two tiny hands slapped each of his cheeks and he glanced down to see the utterly furious glare of Meiko, halting his train of thought abruptly.


    "Portgas D. Rosan." Her soft voice came out firm. "You know nobody blames you for that day, especially me so why are you blaming yourself?"


    Wasn''t it obvious? Because everything was his fault.


    He was their leader. He was the strongest on the White Rose and it was his job to keep them safe.


    None of the inhabitants on his ship were fighters. He was the only one skilled in combat and as a result, combat based situations fell to him. Angel had her strengths, Demon had his, Meiko had hers and he had his own...


    And he failed.


    He was a selfish leader. He sought to satisfy his desires first and foremost and it cost him Meiko because he couldn''t get his head out of his own ass for even one second.


    This was why he didn''t want to be a leader. A real leader understood that their needs couldn''t always come first.


    "No one could have anticipated what was going to happen that day! Didn''t Robin tell you that you''re a fantastic leader, please listen to her!" Meiko protested.


    The blonde sighed sadly, knowing that the stubborn idiot known as Rosan wouldn''t see it that way.


    It was his job to anticipate things like that. In his eyes, he needed to do everything that they couldn''t. But when he meant everything... he meant everything.


    Regretfully, having Modification didn''t make that mindset better. Having such a versatile fruit only made it unhealthier for him and Rosan was already extra.


    Fine, she''d talk to him the way he listened to the most.


    "Rosan, this isn''t how I expected you to live for the both of us. If I''m disappointed in you for anything, it''s the way you chose to continue your life," she frowned.


    He went stiff at that.


    "If I knew this was how you were going to be, I''d have just told you to move on instead of live for the both of us but I expected you to be able to naturally do that. I didn''t expect you to twist my words into this," Meiko said sadly.


    "Move¡­ You want me to move on?" Rosan asked in disbelief.


    How was he supposed to do that? Was that even possible for someone like him?


    "Of course I do!" Meiko said in equal disbelief, gazing at him with wide eyes. "Rosan, I''m dead. You shouldn''t be clinging to me for this long in such an unhealthy manner! I never intended to tie you down to me with my final wishes but I forgot that you always take things and blow them out of proportion," she sighed morosely.


    He was always one to exaggerate. It didn''t matter for what...


    Rosan was stunned silent.


    Wasn''t this a dream? Why did it not feel like one? Why was he hearing so many things he didn''t want to hear?!


    "You can''t find a new purpose to live, if you''re clinging onto memories of someone who''s gone. You won''t disappoint me if you move on, you''ll disappoint me if you stay like this, Rosan. Please move on," Meiko pleaded, holding one of his, giant in comparison, hands in both of her own.


    "I¡­ I can''t," Rosan admitted weakly, feeling so small in front of the tiny girl. "Mei, I''m broken into pieces. Even if I wanted to move on from you, I couldn''t¡­"


    "I know and I must sound like such a hypocrite because I''d be broken exactly like you," she confessed. "I don''t know how I''d be able to live with myself if I didn''t have you but I know you''d hate to be the reason I gave up and Rosan, I hate that I''m the reason you gave up," she said, tears brimming her eyes.


    Rosan panicked like he always did when Meiko got teary eyed. "But I didn''t! I didn''t give up! I''m still looking for a reason to live because of you!"


    He wasn''t sure what was happening but his emotions weren''t feeling very blocked off here. He was feeling things he hadn''t felt in years... was this just the natural effect Meiko had on him?


    "But Rosan... from the moment you lost your emotions, not once did you truly think you could find a reason to live. Even with Robin trying her best to help you... Even with your entire family, you think it''s too late for you. No one can save you if you aren''t truly receptive to it," Meiko accused sadly.


    Rosan opened his mouth... and then he shut it because if he even tried to refute her statement, he''d be a goddamn liar.


    "You''ve locked yourself off from everything for so long because you immediately gave up. You think that because I was the best thing to happen to you, no one can help you. You refuse to accept new bonds. You refuse to be apart of a group. No matter what you say, you don''t truly feel close to anyone except for Robin. You''re just saying that you want to find a reason to live but you really don''t. It¡­ It feels like you''re just following the wishes of a foolish little girl."


    His heart dropped at the accurate assessment.


    She was right. Rosan himself didn''t think he''d have ever found a reason to live. Sure he thought there was hope when Robin helped him unlock a chain but... in that moment, did he truly think he could be saved?


    ...


    "I''m¡­ so sorry for failing you," he said quietly, bowing his head in defeat.


    Honoring her? What a joke. He was such a joke...


    If you went into something with the expectation to lose, how would you ever win? Rosan went looking for a reason to live already thinking he was dead.


    "How can I fix this?" He asked.


    Meiko smiled gently, pleased with his realizations and the blonde wiped her tears. "You''re waking up soon so I''ll leave you with these parting words¡­"


    Rosan glanced down at her words and noticed that his body was fading away. He looked up wildly at the disappearing figure of Meiko but anything he had to say, died on his lips.


    "You''re looking for something you already found, Rosan. You already have plenty reason to live but you''re scared to open your heart up like you did with me," she grinned brightly, waving at him and giggling when she saw his puzzled expression.


    "You''re still confused, but you won''t be for too long. Bye! Don''t run away when you make your realization! I know you like doing that! I love you, Rosy!" Meiko beamed.


    His confused gaze turned soft as he disappeared fully.


    "I love you too... Mei."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Robin never felt as much relief, as she did watching Rosan pop open an eye.


    Since they were right next to each other when entering the dense cloud of water, a weakened Robin could only watch in horror as Rosan began severely panicking out of nowhere.


    The redhead had been calm one moment, then something flipped and he began thrashing like his life depended on it.


    The woman tried to reach out to him but she was a Devil Fruit user too and well, she had her own issues of being completely incapacitated.


    Thankfully, Sabo was right next to the two and the blonde (who was braving this entire trip of shooting up into the sky very well) removed his cloak to secure both Robin and Rosan.


    She herself, was about to succumb to the effects of being submerged but thankfully, they quickly made it out of the sky ocean (?) with everyone in tact and actually ended up on top of the clouds.


    It was a surreal sight but they couldn''t really bask it all in because Rosan was still unconscious.


    The redhead lie there peacefully, almost as if he hadn''t been panicking earlier and his breathing came out slightly uneven.


    "Is he going to be alright?" Nami asked in concern.


    Chopper frowned as he finished his inspection of their scout. "He had a panic attack and blacked out. Something about that trip, freaked him out..."


    "Doc," Robin thought darkly. How she wished she had one chance to meet him.


    That man tortured Rosan however he pleased, heedless of the mental damage he was inflicting on the small child. Rosan''s current disposition, was made no better by the trauma he suffered under the man... even if he got his revenge in the end.


    Some scars never fully healed. Rosan''s skin may have been perfectly unblemished, but his mind was a fractured piece of glass.


    For someone who very likely never drowned, the redhead must have been reminded of one of those days¡­ Considering he was weakened as well¡­


    The Devil Child placed a gentle hand on Rosan''s hair and began stroking it. "We should keep progressing, I''ll keep watch of him in the meantime."


    The crew nodded in unison, gaze lingering on the unconscious redhead and they set sail¡­


    Well, not for long.


    Sabo, who was using the binoculars, went stiff at the sight of a single figure blowing up another ship in the distance.


    "We have company," the blonde informed them, watching the masked figure skate over to them on¡­ clouds?


    "What?" Sanji muttered in confusion, walking up to the railing.


    There, in a bull mask, was a figure careening towards them by using the clouds.


    He was making incredible progress as he dashed towards them using the strange method and they were slow to react as he reached their location.


    "What do you want?" Zoro asked cautiously, gripping his sword with a glare.


    "To eliminate you," the man declared coldly.


    Without any hesitation, the masked man soared on the ship and tried to attack the blonde holding the binoculars, intent on spearing him through.


    Much to his surprise though, Sabo effortlessly dodged his attack and retaliated with a simple swing of his staff.


    The warriors eyes fluttered at the blow, as he was nearly knocked unconscious.


    Suddenly realizing the severe disparity in strength he launched himself back and before he could be captured, the strange man quickly escaped.


    Sabo frowned as he watched the man fly into the sky sea. The air here was thin and he just got used to it but that man already got away before he could interrogate him.


    Tch¡­


    "Oh? You''ve already dealt with him?" A raspy voice called out and the crew looked up to see a man riding a Pegasus.


    He introduced himself as Gan Fall and his bird as Pierre and after glancing in concern at Rosan''s unconscious frame, he began questioning them.


    What he heard, surprised him greatly.


    "You rode that beastly sea current?" The man asked in shock. "That''s quite courageous of you all. I was certain all of you came another way."


    "There''s other ways?!" Nami sobbed. She knew they chose the stupidest option somehow. They should have just had Rosan fly them up dammit!


    Though, she felt a lot better knowing that they all made it in this option. According to Gan Fall, they were guaranteed to lose one or two people if they had done any other method...


    "Well, whatever the case may be. Use this whistle once to call me for assistance," Gan Fall said, dropping it on the ship and flying off without answering a single one of their questions.


    They watched him go before continuing to sail the mesmerizing sea.


    It was after finding an entrance named the Heaven''s Gate, speaking to the old lady there and being in the process of being carried up the waterfall by a giant express lobster, did their scout make his first noise.


    Robin felt her connection to Rosan suddenly flair, due to him never actually turning it off and her eyes darted to the redhead, hand still raking his hair.


    His eyes popped open and the redhead immediately shot up, glancing around in alertness.


    Robin immediately steadied the confused redhead.


    "Easy, Rosan. The air here is thin and you just regained consciousness," she said.


    To her pleasure, he instantly relaxed at her voice and those eyes of his (were they glowing brighter?), roved over to her.


    She was confused to see his intense gaze focus on her. They seemed to be scrutinizing Robin and she couldn''t help but straighten her back a little at how piercing they were.


    "Rosan? Are you alright?"


    The redhead blinked, intensity gone, and said, "Yeah, sorry. I just¡­ had a weird dream is all."


    "He''s speaking a lot more informal," she instinctively thought. "Do you want to talk about it?"


    He went into thought at that, eyes glinting in uncertainty that she would rarely apply to Rosan.


    "Yeah, let me gather my thoughts then I''ll tell you all about it¡­" he muttered.


    Robin nodded before another question popped up in her mind. "Where''s Mod-chan and Ram?"


    He looked far more certain answering this one.


    "They are still asleep," he replied. "They''ll wake up later but being submerged took all of us out."


    The crew''s awe at what they were seeing in the environment, turned into relief at seeing their scout awake.


    "ROSAN!" They all cheered, rushing the redhead.


    Without hesitation, Luffy, Chopper, Usopp and Nami tackled the redhead to the floor, getting a grunt of surprise out of him.


    "Don''t scare us like that!" They all yelled, tugging various body parts in indignant fury.


    "You had Robin-chan worried!" Sanji growled, relief flooding through his body.


    Robin smiled fondly, having moved out of the way so as to not be collateral, at how concerned they all were for the redhead.


    "¡­" Rosan said nothing as he watched them all swarm him.


    There was genuine worry in their eyes because they thought he was in trouble. Just from him passing out, he managed to cause this¡­


    "Sorry¡­ I''ve never drowned before so it brought up some terrible memories of my childhood," Rosan admitted quietly.


    Everyone paused in disbelief.


    Rosan was¡­ apologizing?!


    The redhead blinked as Chopper immediately entered doctor mode and began inspecting every part of his body.


    "Are you feeling okay? The air here is pretty thin so it might be making you delirious," the reindeer murmured, not believing Rosan would apologize with a stable mind.


    "I frequent the sky often and have Modification, the difference in air is negligible to me," Rosan replied calmly, feeling his body slowly begin to whir again with the effects of his Devil Fruit.


    "I haven''t been disconnected from Modification so forcefully in a while so it''s just taking me a while to¡­ reboot you could say," he told them all.


    "I''ll be fine. Now please get off me, I just woke up."


    They quickly clambered off the redhead and let him stand up.


    The moment he did, long arms wrapped around his waist and he immediately returned Robin''s hug, squeezing her into his frame.


    "I saw you panicking and I felt terrible because I couldn''t help you. Thank goodness for Sabo," Robin admitted in the embrace.


    Rosan banished that immediately. "We couldn''t have anticipated that and you have a Devil Fruit too. There was nothing you could have done."


    Sabo nodded in agreement. "I think he was going to be fine regardless but I didn''t want to risk it with him panicking like that. I''m glad I was able to help put your mind at ease."


    Looking down at the woman hugging him and saying those words, starkly reminded Rosan of the conversation he had with Meiko and the redhead grunted, discomfort ringing through his body.


    Was that really a dream¡­?


    Robin immediately grew concerned at the troubled look on Rosan''s face. "Are you sure you''re alright? Mod-chan still being unconscious might be affecting you¡­"


    She knew how connected the two were. If one went down, it could be terrible news for the other and right now, Rosan might be more affected then he let on.


    "Just¡­ you''ll understand when I tell you about my dream. Mod-chan is fine, she''s only sleeping," he replied, running a hand through her black hair and calming her down.


    Robin just nodded curiously. What type of dream did he have?


    "Now, can anyone tell me what''s going on? Why is the ship currently being carried by a lobster? Do I have to fry it?" Rosan asked.


    "DON''T DO THAT!" They all roared.


    The redhead tilted his head.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan listened to the story with a neutral expression before coming to a conclusion.


    "Are you guys stupid?" He asked curiously.


    They fell flat at that.


    "What do you mean?" Usopp asked in confusion. What was the redhead talking about right now?


    He was just shaking his head. "Not only did you fail to get any information out of all three of the people you encountered, some lady charged us 8 billion "extols" to enter the country and said we can pass even if we don''t have it? That doesn''t sound a little suspicious to you?" Rosan prodded, watching as they ascended higher and higher.


    His crew was far too carefree. No matter what the currency, 8 (there were 9 of them¡­ but he supposed they didn''t mention the redhead) billion of something couldn''t have been small enough to just let entrants through for free.


    There was something going on.


    "I did find it a little suspicious but I was too worried about you to prod deeper," Robin admitted.


    "The thin air stopped me from properly controlling my strength and our attacker got away," Sabo frowned. Rosan was right, going in blind could be fatal to them.


    The rest of the crew balked at his observations.


    H-He was right! Nami would never let anyone go free for not paying her 8 billion!


    "Whatever the case, be alert," Rosan sighed. It seems he was going to have to be the common sense guy during this trip.


    As always. No one had common sense these days.


    "Right!" They chorused.


    He should have known that with his crew, being alert or serious was impossible.


    As they raced upwards and upwards, the Straw Hats finally saw what looked to be an entrance to a place called "Kamiland Skypiea".


    Kami''s Land¡­ Rosan snorted through his connection.


    "We might be in danger, Robin."


    "Two Devils entering Kami''s Land¡­ Perhaps you''re in even more danger, considering you''re also a Shinigami... and a Fallen angel," Robin smiled in return.


    The black wings of Reaper, were angelic in nature after all.


    "Danger due to being the Angel of Death¡­ Would anyone even know about Reaper up here? I doubt it," Rosan replied truthfully.


    "Perhaps you can show them?" Robin smiled.


    "If they all have wings like that old lady you mentioned¡­ they might not appreciate my black colored wings¡­ I''ll have to consider scaring them in that case."


    Robin shook her head with a small smile.


    Of course he only thought about revealing Reaper''s wings because he was an ass. Only Rosan would do that.


    "Mgmh¡­ Rosan...?"


    That noise made the two pause in their jokes and Robin''s eyes lit up as Mod slowly began waking up.


    "Mod-chan," they both greeted, sounding pleased.


    As they said her name, the woman slowly began regaining her memories and shot up with a gasp.


    "Rosan, are you okay?!" She asked, motherly tone full of worry. "I¡­ we got forcefully disconnected and it knocked me unconscious but how are you feeling? We haven''t drowned in so long¡­"


    Robin''s eyes softened. Leave it to Mod to always prioritize Rosan first over herself.


    She really had no idea why there was a slight rift forming between the two. They loved each other wholeheartedly and were allowing an admittedly large threat to drive a wedge between them.


    Honestly, Mod-chan just needed to discard her fear of upsetting Rosan. It would do them both wonders... Perhaps she''d have to sit them both down and speak to them about this but if she did so, nothing would change. Rosan would hate if she was shielding Mod-chan and Robin reluctantly agreed that the woman needed to get over this fear herself or else she''d lose his respect.


    "I''m fine, Mod-chan," Rosan replied softly. "I just had a weird dream that I''ll tell you about tonight. How are you feeling? Ram?"


    "Groggy and a little under the weather," she admitted. "I''m not sick but I could be better. Ram is still asleep¡­ she must be affected the most considering this is a sensation she has probably never felt."


    Despite being the the one with the highest tolerance to Seastone (from only being partially made with Modification), Ram still had a deep connection to Rosan so him being forcefully knocked unconscious, would almost always knock her unconscious as well.


    Had Rosan said he had a weird dream? Rosan hadn''t dreamt since he was a child¡­ Mod wondered what it was about.


    She hoped he at least trusted her enough to delve into this...


    The redhead merely nodded his head. "I''ll tend to you two the next chance I get. For now, just relax a bit. I don''t want you doing anything," he said softly.


    Robin was in agreement. "I''ll help. You need some rest, Mod-chan."


    The woman thought about protesting but knew it was hopeless against the two, so she just grumbled with a small smile.


    "If you insist¡­"


    "WOOOOO!" Luffy cheered. The rubber boy leapt over the ship into the area and successfully grabbed Robin and Rosan''s attention.


    "So this is Skypiea," Rosan mused, watching how excited his crew currently was to be in the resort like area.


    He wasn''t even remotely surprised that they forgot his warning and just snorted to himself.


    They sure changed into their vacation clothes quickly.


    A hand on his shoulder, made him glance over at his blonde brother with a curious brow.


    "Relax, you all earned this after the events of Alabasta," Sabo assured, grinning confidently. "You need to relax a bit too. Can''t be alert and serious at all times¡­ you deserve to chill a bit, Rosan. If anything goes south, I''ll help you deal with it."


    With that, the revolutionary discarded his blue shirt and vest, leaving just his coat, and jumped over the railing to go enjoy the beautiful scenery.


    Rosan watched him go with a neutral expression.


    "He''s right you know," Robin smiled, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You don''t have to always be serious. I understand things are suspicious but right now, let''s relax a bit until it actually does get serious."


    "You told me to relax but you work just as hard. You also need some downtime, Rosan," Mod said stubbornly, tucking Ram into their bed and making sure she was comfortable.


    "¡­"


    Relax? They wanted him to relax with all the blaring red signs flaring around him? That just didn''t seem very wise at all¡­ why did it seem like he was the only one with common sense at times?


    "You want me to move on?"


    "Of course I do!"


    "Alright I''ll relax a bit¡­" he agreed reluctantly.


    Robin smiled slightly and grabbed his arm. "You don''t have to be so reluctant, Rosan. Come, let''s go change. Think of this as a vacation, okay?" she instructed.


    He just sighed and nodded, eyes glowing as he brought the two of them to the Pocket Dimension.


    A vacation eh¡­ Meiko loved those.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Robin glanced at Rosan''s outfit and shook her head in disapproval.


    "No," she said bluntly.


    She understood why, because of his treatment at Doc''s hand but no. Rosan had plenty of style but all of his style revolved around covering as much skin as possible.


    Case in point, Robin activated her Devil Fruit and had four hands remove his long sleeved black shirt, while she herself grabbed a purple, silk, short sleeved cardigan with red roses and placed it on him.


    "Isn''t that for you?" Rosan asked curiously, brows furrowed as he looked at the short sleeved cardigan.


    This was one of the many shirts he had put away for her when they went shopping... he had noticed that many of them should be a tad large for her, but he just assumed that she really liked wearing his clothes and decided to get some clothing that would perfectly fit him... for her.


    "No, when we went shopping, I bought a good amount of short sleeved shirts for you with Maro and Angel''s assistance. They said you need to show more skin and I agreed," she smiled.


    "...That would explain why they were for men," he muttered.


    He didn''t know she added clothes for him... sneaky woman.


    Robin rolled her eyes. "If I want to wear men''s clothing... I''ll just wear your clothing," she replied with a small smile, gauging his appearance.


    She made sure to leave the cardigan unbuttoned, exposing his torso, and it showed his beautiful arm tattoo in the process.


    "Tell us about your dream," Robin said as she adjusted his clothing, making sure everything was in place and nodding at a job well done.


    Rosan didn''t even bother protesting her decision to change his outfit and just shook his head in defeat.


    "...I had a dream where I met a hyper realistic version of Meiko," he began.


    Robin, who was slightly adjusting his collar, froze at that.


    "!" Mod''s eyes widened in confusion.


    Rosan continued unimpeded. "It really didn''t feel like a dream¡­ We were in a white field of flowers and I was beginning to panic because I couldn''t feel you, Mod-chan or Ram. Then, she showed up to calm me down and we spoke to each other¡­"


    The redhead let out a disturbed sigh. "She made me realize that this entire time, I''ve been failing her and she was totally right... I''ve been letting her down."


    "Failed her?" Mod and Robin asked at the same time.


    He nodded reluctantly. "It was¡­ weird. She said that it must have been because of how well I knew her but she didn''t feel like a manifestation of my thoughts. It felt like I was actually speaking to her and my emotions were totally bare too¡­"


    Mod''s eyes went wide at that. It made sense that his emotions would be bared¡­ if he was submerged then the castle would be greatly weakened... but the castle was also very strange and didn''t get affected by the things they should be affected by.


    It formed when Rosan was affected by Seastone after all.


    "How did you fail her?" Robin asked softly, resuming the process of fixing up his outfit with the help of her Devil Fruit.


    The redhead pursed his lips. "When she asked me to find a new reason to live¡­ I went searching for one with no effort. I gave up before I even started and she told me that I refuse to open my heart up to anybody. She''s right. I''ve been failing her this entire time and it broke her heart."


    There was genuine remorse in his tone as he told them that and their eyes softened.


    "She also said that she wanted me to move on from her but that feels impossible. Meiko said she never intended to tie me to her with her final wishes but I feel like I would have done that regardless¡­" he admitted.


    Robin''s brows furrowed. This didn''t sound like Rosan was having a dream. It sounded like he was speaking to Meiko herself. These were all things she would actually tell him. Robin knew as much about her as Rosan did and that was spot on.


    "Meiko said I can''t move on if I''m clinging to memories of her and she begged me to move on but how? She told me I had a reason already but¡­"


    Robin decided he had said enough and chose to add her two cents to it.


    "Rosan, do you remember that one time you got injured because of me and we had that talk? About how you didn''t want to be the reason I gave up?" The Devil Child asked him quietly, making sure he was looking into her blue eyes by grabbing his chin.


    It was all the way when they were just two small children. Rosan had been so much smaller then her and he had jumped in the way to take an attack meant for her, without any hesitation.


    That''s what solidified her love for him. That''s what let her know, that Rosan was the one person to truly love her for her... and that was when her childish crush on him began.


    Rosan wanted to say it wasn''t her fault he got injured but his words died in his throat as he realized how similar this conversation was with Meiko.


    So, he settled for a weak nod.


    "How do you think Meiko would feel, knowing she was the reason you gave up?" Robin asked, gazing at him resolutely. "Doesn''t it sound hypocritical of you to not want to be the reason someone gives up, then you give up knowing they wouldn''t want to be the reason for it? You and Meiko were two sides of the same coin. Completely opposite, but oh so similar."


    It was surreal to Rosan, that Robin was saying the exact same things as Meiko. Those intense blue eyes, normally neutral when regarding everything, looked up firmly at the only person who could make her act so out of character.


    He did tell her that didn''t he. When he was so young and naive, he told Robin that he didn''t want to be the reason she gave up and to keep living for the both of them if something happened to him.


    The redhead had loved her after all. Spending so much time with her, had given him a childish crush on his best friend and he wanted nothing but the best for her.


    He¡­ he really was a massive hypocrite wasn''t he¡­ because Robin had done that and now they were together again... And here he was, being so useless.


    "I''m so pathetic," he said with a deep sigh.


    "I don''t think so," Robin disagreed immediately. "I think you''re amazing, Rosan. Do you know why?"


    He paused at that, thrown back by her statement.


    "...Why?" He asked curiously.


    "Because you are one of the first people to hold yourself accountable and change accordingly," Robin said simply.


    Mod''s eyes went wide at that and even Rosan looked surprised.


    The Devil Child smiled at their shock. "When someone points out something about you that you realize is negative, you immediately try and fix that about yourself with no hesitation. You just have a hard time realizing said problems but you''re very adaptable and it''s incredible to witness."


    Robin removed her hands from his collar and held his cheeks instead. "You don''t realize how hard it is for a person to change but you do it just to become better in anyway you know how. You''re not stubborn when it comes to changing... you''re stubborn when it comes to listening but once you do listen, we see changes immediately."


    "I know it must be so difficult for you but because Meiko told you, you''re already trying to fix your mistakes. There''s a reason I look up to you. You''re amazing, Portgas D. Rosan," she finished firmly, making sure to emphasize her point by wrapping her arms around his neck, holding him close.


    "¡­" Rosan felt his eyes go a little wide at her breakdown of him and he regarded the Devil Child in shock.


    Looking for something he already found¡­


    "Has anyone ever told you how amazing you are?" Rosan muttered, returning the hug easily. He held her close and took in her presence.


    She smelt like flowers, just like him but a different kind.


    He and Robin were complete opposites too... but they were also very similar...


    "You and Mod-chan mostly," she replied with a smile, sinking into his exposed chest.


    "Everyone else is missing out and I''m completely fine with that," the redhead replied, getting a pleased flush out of her.


    "I agree," Mod beamed in true happiness. "You''re beautiful, smart and you''re the only one I''ve seen dress Rosan up without getting a peep out of him. Seriously, he even complains when Angel is doing it and she''s as much of a fashion freak as he is."


    "It''s a good outfit¡­ it shows a bit too much skin like many of Angel''s choices but I''ve learned that Robin is a pervert so it''s fine," he nodded.


    Robin raised a brow. "I''m a pervert? Won''t you throw a tantrum if you don''t bathe with me?"


    "We were children."


    "I can hardly see the difference now. I don''t think I''ve bathed alone since the first time we met up again."


    "I can clearly see the difference. When you were a kid, you were as flat as I was. There was literally nothing to be perverted about so even if I were one... it certainly wasn''t to you. It would probably be to Mod-chan... she''s always been blessed."


    "D-DON''T SAY SUCH THINGS!" Mod squealed, face burning red at his shameless statement.


    "...I''m going to kill you one of these days because you make my blood boil. Also, did you just admit to staring at my breasts?" Robin asked, eyes going slightly wide at his shameless admittance.


    "Sudden movement makes them move very easily and my eyes are automatically drawn to them. You aren''t small you know? It''s a natural human reaction... And we bathe together. I''ve literally seen everything Robin and you''ve seen everything too," he replied, amusement in his gaze.


    It was unreal how shameless he was. Nothing seemed to phase him... not even admitting to checking out his naked best friend (it wasn''t intentional but still).


    She opened her mouth before nodding. "That''s fair. I''ve seen enough to make the frequent woman who are into you, jealous. Also, please lie next time. You shouldn''t be honest with things like this. My best friend shamelessly admitting to glancing at my breasts is rather... I don''t even know how to explain it."


    Pleased and embarrassed? That sounded right. Wait... why did that sound right exactly?


    "I''m not a liar. Why would you want me to lie? Are you self conscious about your body? You shouldn''t be... I''m rather glad you don''t feel like dating. You evoke the same feelings of protectiveness out of me that Mod-chan does."


    Robin gazed at him unimpressed, resisting the urge to roll her eyes at his compliments on her figure. "Does that mean you''ll prevent me from dating if I choose to?"


    "...I might," he shrugged. "Maybe I''ll show your future what if boyfriend, the memory of us kissing at Alabasta. I think that kiss was enough to ward off any potential suitor."


    Robin thought back to that kiss and realized that yes, it very likely would because it had been really unreasonably lewd.


    "You are actually insane. You are lucky that I have no intention of dating anyone," she sighed.


    "Oh so now you see that it''s a problem when you''re the target?! You''re both children with all the arguments and fights you''ve gotten in recently. It''s like clockwork at this point."


    "Things are obviously different when it comes to you, mom," they replied in unison.


    "?! Y-You brats! Aren''t you supposed to be letting me relax right now?" Mod stammered with a red face.


    Why did they have to be so underhanded all the time?!


    They smiled before Rosan said, "You need to get dressed too so that we can go. I look good enough."


    Good enough was an understatement. Robin could very much appreciate how her best friend was looking right about now and she was also shamelessly staring at the free eye candy.


    His exposed torso would get her a pleased noise from Maro, an angry glare from Angel and a bright blush from her younger self.


    Robin wouldn''t sit here and lie, she did appreciate the sights when they bathed together. It was hard not to stare and she was sure Rosan looked at her as well. They were both healthy adults so it was natural.


    Rosan had a body that showed how seriously he took working out. Besides the tattoo on his arm, it was unblemished despite all the battles he partook in and the natural bronze hue of his skin, gave him the appearance of someone who spent time outside frequently.


    He looked dangerously good. Robin could see why eyes were always on him. He looked quite exotic, especially with that mesmerizing heterochromatic gaze clashing with that blood red hair of his.


    Maybe she should button up his cardigan¡­


    No, she''d enjoy this sight a little bit more. It wasn''t often you see Rosan in such revealing clothes. Perhaps as a gift for the clothes, she''d let Maro see this. She was sure the perverted queen would appreciate it.


    Honestly, it was a miracle Angel hadn''t killed Maro yet. The Queen was seriously way too shameless.


    "Since you''re making me wear purple, you can wear red," Rosan muttered, looking through the enormous closet that held her side of the clothes.


    Robin removed her blouse for Rosan to replace with a sleeveless red shirt dotted with purple flowers and nodded in satisfaction as he patted it down and straightened it out. They both had on long black pants but Robin''s stopped at her calves.


    "My oh my, not only are you two dressing each other up, now you''re matching too?" Mod smiled teasingly. "When is the marriage? Will it be before or after Rosan manages to bring me into the real world separately?"


    "Depends on what you want, Mom," Rosan replied without missing a beat.


    "It''s our job as your children to make you proud so if you want to be there in person, we don''t mind waiting. I''d actually prefer it," Robin smiled easily.


    Mod spluttered. "Y-You two are just the worst! Go back to arguing for all I care!"


    The duo snorted.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    When Robin and Rosan appeared back on Sky Island, it was to the presence of two new arrivals.


    Like clockwork, they all jumped at the reappearance of the two and gazed at the duo in shock.


    "We''re back," Rosan greeted as Robin waved.


    "NO SHIT! STOP DOING THAT!" The spooked ones roared.


    They paused as they gauged the redhead''s clothing.


    Nami whistled and at the same time, Sanji went pale in horror.


    "Looking good, Rosan," Nami complimented appreciatively, drinking in the redhead''s build.


    Huh, the last time she saw his torso was way back at Syrup Village... he was as ripped as ever!


    "You shouldn''t be afraid to dress like this more often. It''s not bad at all," the navigator clapped.


    "Praise Robin," he said dismissively. "She''s the one who dressed me up like this. I''d never willingly show this much skin."


    Sanji''s insult died right on his lip at the news that it was Robin who dressed him in the outfit and he glanced at her pleased smile with a torn look in his eyes.


    "Nice job Robin," Sabo praised, high fiving her. "You seem to have the easiest job breaking through to him so keep it up!"


    "I''ll do my best," Robin replied, returning it easily.


    "Am I some type of pet?" Rosan muttered.


    "Yes. You used to be my pet kitten, now you''re my pet tiger," the Devil Child replied easily, patting his red hair and not even flinching at his glower.


    That didn''t even make sense. What about him was catlike? He was a dragon for a reason.


    "Your purring. I missed when you purred. Can you bring that back?" Robin asked.


    "...Sometimes I hate you," Rosan replied calmly.


    "I didn''t think you would lie so freely to me!" She replied with a small smile.


    "Friends... of yours?" Conis gasped, gazing at the two arrivals with a spooked gaze. The woman was holding her chest, trying to catch her breath as she appraised the new appearances.


    Rosan nodded, holding both his hands out to the two strangers.


    "Yes, I''m Rosan and this is Robin," he greeted, inclining his head towards the Devil Child gazing piercingly at the blonde angel girl.


    Why was she doing that? Was there something she noticed about the blonde...? Hm. He''d keep an eye on her then... Robin was a good judge of character.


    Mod sweatdropped.


    The man and woman grabbed each hand and shook it.


    "I''m Pagaya and this is my daughter, Conis," the man greeted politely.


    Conis''s gaze lingered on his exposed chest for a bit before she coughed and said, "It''s nice to meet you, Rosan-san! Robin-san! Welcome to Skypiea!"


    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    They had small wings on their back that weren''t remotely as captivating as his own angel wings. They looked far too stiff as well, sticking straight out and lacking the curve his own had.


    "To be fair, yours seem to incorporate a bit of birdlike elements in it as well," Robin supplied. His wings were far more beautiful then the ones these Skypiean''s seemed to have and instead of poking outward, it flowed down his back when resting.


    Their wings were dull. It''s probably why it appeared they couldn''t do anything with it.


    Perhaps he should actually show them what real angel wings looked like¡­


    "Surely you''re not planning on doing that for your own stylish pride." Robin nearly laughed aloud at that, taking her gaze off the blonde finally to regard Rosan.


    He might. It seemed like Skypiea had it''s own life outside of the Blue Sea so him revealing that he had Shinigami wouldn''t necessarily do anything.


    Hm...


    His eyes caught the little boat thing and he walked over to it. "Is this a waver?"


    Nami''s eyes lit up. "Conis told me that it is! Can we ride it?!"


    They also had a broken one on their ship! If they got it repaired, it would be amazing!


    Pagaya gave the go ahead and they watched with bugged eyes as Nami mastered riding it on her very first try.


    "That normally takes 10 years to master," Conis said in awe, watching how effortlessly she was making it look.


    Seems like Nami was as much as a genius in her craft as the rest of the Straw Hats were... not that Rosan was surprised. Her skills in navigation were a power in its own right.


    "How does it move without wind? Are they a common object in Sky Island?" Rosan asked innocently.


    The Straw Hats sweatdropped at the second question. "He''s so greedy!" They thought, sobbing comically.


    They just met these nice people and he was already planning on stealing everything without remorse? He really was a demon!


    Pagaya, bless his innocent soul, answered without hesitation. "Wavers are very common as are many form of transportation unique to Sky Island! You can see them everywhere!"


    "Don''t tell him that!"


    "Perfect." Rosan sounded pleased saying that and they looked at the greed machine with disbelief.


    He and Nami were utterly ridiculous. She was the only one who would wholeheartedly agree with this demonic action.


    "As for how it moves without wind, well that would be because of the dial," Pagaya explained.


    Rosan tilted his head at that, interest piqued once more. "Dials?"


    "DON''T DO IT!" They thought.


    His greed knew no bounds. This was even worse then they thought! Their scout''s greed was limitless!


    Rosan was really planning on robbing this place dry!


    Pagaya seemed pleased that someone was so interested in what he was saying. "I''d love to explain more over dinner. Won''t you come to my place and try this sea lobster I caught?"


    They all nodded in unison, glad that Rosan''s terror was over even temporarily.


    "What do you think?" Robin thought as they followed the man and left the Nami, who wanted to try out the waver more, behind.


    "I''m stealing everything that I can," Rosan replied truthfully.


    Robin had to hold back her giggle at that. "You don''t feel even a little bad stealing from such nice people?"


    "I never feel bad taking things from people I don''t trust."


    Ah, so he didn''t trust them for even a second.


    She expected that. Rosan was a very good judge of character and it honestly felt like his eyes could see through you at times.


    She would know. Robin had given up lying to Rosan, 1 month into them meeting up. No matter what she said, no matter how small the lie, no matter how she mixed it in with the truth, Rosan knew exactly when she lied. It was terrifying being so exposed to someone but Rosan only wanted what was best for her... and she liked not having to lie. It made her feel trusted.


    It made her life seem normal. That was the real reason she stopped lying to him.


    They arrived at the man''s house and Pagaya took the time to explain dials to them.


    Based on the clear interest on Rosan''s face, he was going to be stealing even more then just the Wavers.


    Robin listened to Rosan''s thoughts with a fond smile, content to listen to his musings. She adored listening to his mind, it showed that he was just as intelligent as her, but he thought in a way that made them just as different.


    Rosan''s eyes were calculating as he digested the information.


    Dials were strange, mysterious devices which had the ability to store energy and matter. There were various amounts of them and the one used on the Waver was a Breath Dial, which stored and released wind currents.


    Breath Dials¡­ Wind¡­ If he had Ram absorb a breath dial, he could gain the ability to control wind and if he did that... he''d be a step closer to dominating nature.


    But the Breath Dial wasn''t strong enough. With Modification, he could certainly mold and make it even stronger then what the dial could normally do... but it wouldn''t suffice.


    He needed something on the level of Ragnarok''s flames to be satisfied. A little breeze wouldn''t be enough.


    Dial''s sounded fascinating. He could even implement some in the Clima Tact with Usopp''s assistance.


    Many were useless, used for just day to day living but he''d still steal as much as he could. Angel would appreciate them and maybe they could even use it as their own source of power to increase their livelihood.


    Anything would be useful. His sister would love to attempt to reverse engineer it. She had been getting incredibly talented at crafting and learned from Hiroshi as well. Due to her innate skills, the woman was getting rather bored and was now trying to invent new things.


    He''d give her some things to tinker on then. He should be on the lookout for technological wonders for her actually. Angel was his sister after all and her drive for the things she were interested in, were similar to his.


    It was a good thing he was well versed in the art of stealth. They''d never see him coming. He''d take anything and everything until he was satisfied.


    Now he wondered which dials were used for combat¡­ if dials were their main source of living up here, then naturally they had some that could be used for violence.


    Humans, humans with wings, intelligent animals... it didn''t matter what you were. Violence was something everyone was born with and violence was something everyone resorted to.


    No one was truly peaceful. Such a life was impossible. There was always something, no matter how hidden, that revealed the real picture...


    Or perhaps he was just too pessimistic. Maybe this place was peaceful...


    Yeah right.


    He''d find the more violent dials eventually, then he''d steal those too. Ram could get quite the upgrade up here.


    "Be on the lookout Robin. Take anything you can. Nami already knows the game plan."


    "You two are sick," Robin deadpanned.


    "You won''t be saying that when I find something useful for you."


    Robin said nothing and the redhead snorted quietly.


    They enjoyed lunch with the father and daughter while Rosan plotted how he''d go about robbing things.


    Speaking of which¡­


    "Where is Nami?" Rosan asked.


    They all blinked at that question.


    Now that he mentioned it¡­ she didn''t show up for dinner and they couldn''t actually see her outside anymore¡­


    Eh, she was probably having a lot of fun and just went further out.


    Conis bit her lip in worry. "Hopefully she didn''t stumble upon the one area we are never supposed to touch."


    "Never supposed to touch?" Luffy asked with a mysterious gleam.


    The crew pleaded with their gaze alone for Conis to shut up because it was Luffy, their super awesome and not reckless captain, who said that.


    A curious Luffy was the very last thing you wanted.


    She did not notice. It was actually jaw dropping how unaware this family of two was.


    "It''s a sacred ground that we call the Upper Yard. It''s where our all knowing Kami lives," Conis explained.


    "All knowing Kami?" Rosan raised a brow.


    They all groaned.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Rosan was right."


    Nami balked in horror at what she just saw.


    Holy shit, Rosan was right.


    Because they didn''t pay that 8 billion extols¡­ They were currently labelled as criminals and it looked like they were going to be offered up as tributes to some type of sick game.


    "8 trespassers? That''s enough to split between the four of us..." one of them said but Nami barely registered what they were saying.


    No, she was shaking in fear from that earlier display from who knows what.


    W-Was that lightning? She didn''t know but the power behind that attack left nothing behind of that person who had been screaming for help to her mere moments ago.


    She had to go meetup with the others quick. This was bad news.


    The navigator could practically hear Rosan saying I told you so in the back of her mind and she nearly bit back a groan.


    It''s no wonder he was so damn arrogant. The redhead tended to be right about a lot of things.


    She''d be arrogant too if she was damn near clairvoyant.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "I see¡­ so this place is a place we''re not supposed to go to, right?" Luffy asked, smiling serenely.


    Usopp balked and immediately tackled his captain, shaking him back and forth. "Don''t do anything stupid, Luffy! We don''t wanna incur the wrath of Kami!"


    "Incur the wrath of Kami, eh?" Rosan mused, making the coward go white.


    "R-ROBIN, STOP HIM PLEASE!" Usopp squealed.


    Robin smiled apologetically. "I can''t tell what''s going on in that mind of his. Only when he tells me, can I attempt to do something about it."


    That was kind of a lie. She knew exactly what he was thinking. Of course she knew, but Robin couldn''t stop him unless she genuinely wanted too. If she did it halfheartedly, he''d bulldoze through her attempts.


    You had to be full of conviction to stop a monster like Rosan. This applied in battles and when trying to talk him down.


    Sabo glanced in awe at his two psychotic brothers. They were just like him! Everyone in the revolutionary was way too cautious for their own good but he guessed he picked up all his bad habits from his siblings.


    Or maybe they were siblings because of their bad habits...


    "What exactly are you thinking about?" Sanji asked warily.


    Was he interested in Kami? That couldn''t be for anything good.


    Rosan was the Angel of Death after all and most recently, the Red Devil.


    Angel of Death was way cooler, he should look into getting that changed.


    "Just wondering if Kami is interested in seeing a Shinigami is all," Rosan said calmly.


    Everyone, barring Sanji and Robin (who dropped his jaw and raised her brows high respectively), tilted their head in confusion at that.


    Shini...gami? The Kami of Death? W-Was Rosan saying that he was going to go and kill the Kami of Skypiea and send him to meet the Shinigami?!


    "Hey Luffy, I''ve got dibs," the redhead suddenly said.


    That confusion immediately turned into horror.


    HE WAS! N-NO! WHAT WAS ROSAN DOING RIGHT NOW?!


    "WHAT?! YOU CHEATER!" Luffy roared, tackling his brother to the floor. "WE DON''T EVEN HAVE ANYONE TO FIGHT YET!"


    "D-Dibs?" Conis said in confusion, turning white. Surely he wasn''t planning on...


    Wait...


    Rosan effortlessly ignored his younger brother throttling him. "Let''s go quickly find Nami in case something happened to her."


    "THIS ISN''T OVER, ROSAN!" Luffy roared. No fair!


    The redhead got up and placed Luffy on his back, dragging his brother with him. "You know the rules. Whoever calls dibs gets first crack at an opponent of their choice."


    It''s what he, Luffy, Ace and Maro agreed on. This was actually the first time Rosan was using it. As the strongest, he let the others get the first crack and if it was something Ace or Luffy couldn''t handle, Maro swiftly dealt with it.


    The Queen rarely called dibs, but when she was feeling annoying and wanted to bug Ace she''d do it.


    Since he was calling dibs, Luffy had to respect it. The rubber boy called dibs the most after all.


    It didn''t matter who it was, Luffy always had first shot at it because he called dibs on everything. Many times when they were going around just hunting people for fun, he lost and Ace had to step in and deal with it while muttering "Dumbass" under his breath.


    "Bah, fine! But I call dibs on the next 10!" He said, allowing his brother to carry him away.


    "...We don''t even know who our next 10 are," Rosan replied to his impossible brother.


    "Too bad!"


    "...The one time I call dibs and you''re throwing a tantrum... you''re way too spoiled. Fine, you''ll forget the number you chose anyways."


    "No I won''t!"


    "What number did you choose?"


    "...40."


    Everyone sweatdropped at the two.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    As they got prepared to leave and find Nami, Rosan watched with a neutral gaze, as a group of idiots approached them while crawling on the ground.


    "What... are they doing?" Rosan thought to himself.


    "Sneaking up on us," Robin supplied helpfully.


    "...Thank you for that Robin."


    "Anytime."


    "The White Berets?" Conis said in confusion, trepidation setting into her frame.


    Sabo raised a brow at that. "Guards of some kind?"


    She nodded hesitantly.


    "Halt! So you''re the 8 Blue Sea trespassers?" The leader of the group seemed to say, gazing at them.


    "Trespassers?!" Usopp gawked in confusion.


    "It''s because we didn''t pay the entrance fee," Robin pointed out. She could feel the smugness radiating off of Rosan a mile away and knew he was going to be insufferable for a while.


    The Straw Hats groaned as they realized that too.


    "I knew it," Rosan muttered, gazing unimpressed at his crew. "How much is 8 billion extols in beri?" He asked the man calmly.


    "Beri? The Blue Sea currency? 10,000 extols is 1 beri so that would be 800 thousand. If you wish to wipe your criminal record and explore Skypiea as normal guests, you''d have to pay 10 times the normal fee."


    The leader of the White Berets, McKinely, cupped his chin "...Although, you aren''t apart of the video of the trespassers. That means there''s actually 9 of you so not only would you have to pay more, you attempted to smuggle an extra person in which is a class-10 offense."


    "SMUGGLE?! WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!" Sanji barked in clear annoyance.


    "THESE GUYS ARE JUST TRYING TO PIN US WITH CRIMES!" Usopp roared.


    "What happens if we don''t pay the fee?" Rosan asked calmly, ignoring the two for a second.


    "Then we''ll be forced to capture you. I must warn you though, we serve as Kami''s vassals. Any slight against us, is a slight against Kami Enel."


    Rosan, who was willing to pay the cheap price, paused at that and stopped moving his hand.


    "NOOOOO!" Everyone thought with comically large tears. Was he genuinely insane?! What was wrong with Rosan?! WHY WAS HE LIKE THIS?!


    They already knew what he was planning the moment he froze.


    "Is that so?" The redhead mused, eyes transforming into slits.


    That just sounded too interesting to ignore. Directly grabbing the interest of this Kami named Enel?


    It''s been a while since he had been so actively chaotic.


    Maybe it was time to start making Meiko proud again.


    "Yes but if you pay the fee now¡ª"


    Whatever the White Beret was going to say, was interrupted by the sight of a weak fireball crashing directly into his face, sending him sailing backwards with smoky air.


    "I don''t feel like it," Rosan said calmly, holding his palm up and launching another fireball up and down like it were a baseball.


    "DAMMIT ROSAN!" They roared in disbelief.


    "Y-You!" The leader of the white berets gaped through teary eyes, eyeing the fireball like it came from a demon itself. He winced at the slight burns and began wheezing.


    Nami showed up right then and gawked at the burnt face of the guard, before glancing at the nonchalant Rosan holding a very suspicious fireball.


    "W-WHY ARE YOU LIKE THIS?!" She roared.


    "I wanted to do something interesting and fun," Rosan explained bluntly. "Nami, did you know that they were charging us 9 million beris just as an entrance fee?"


    His shameless and obvious manipulation tactic worked flawlessly because Nami, who was riding the waver towards the large group, slammed it right onto the burned man''s face with a look of intense fury.


    "NINE MILLION?! ARE YOU INSANE?! THAT''S TOO EXPENSIVE!" Their navigator roared.


    McKinley temporarily blacked out as the force of the waver slammed directly into his body and he went soaring backwards, tumbling across the ground.


    "CAPTAIN MCKINLEY!" The berets screamed in disbelief.


    "Hey, didn''t he trick you too easily?" The Straw Hats deadpanned, waving at Nami with blank faces.


    Nami groaned in despair, holding her hair sheepishly. "Dammit Rosan."


    The redhead looked pleased. "Don''t be so easy next time. You''ll make your older brother worried."


    This so called Kami seemed interesting enough and his talk with Meiko helped open his eyes to a lot of things.


    Now, it was about time for him to start doing things he deemed interesting.


    Infuriating a self proclaimed Kami sounded like that could be fun.


    "You are a maniac." Mod shook her head at that. Leave it to Rosan to always make the wildest decisions when it came to things.


    "So this is what you want to do?" Robin couldn''t keep the smile off her face.


    "That''s right. Mod-chan and I came to the conclusion that a difficult enough battle could potentially help me and fighting someone strong enough to be universally known as Kami here seems like a step in the right direction."


    Robin''s smile widened at his earnest attempt. "Alright, then I won''t assist you this time around. Be careful, alright?"


    Rosan hummed for a bit. "Hey Robin, remember what I said about these guy''s wings?" the redhead asked aloud, garnering everyone''s attention.


    Robin''s smile was wiped off her face and she raised a brow. "Rosan, are you thinking about¡­?"


    The Straw Hats blinked. What was Rosan planning on doing? Was he being an ass about the way the citizen''s wings looked?


    Seriously, would it kill him to be more polite?!


    Sanji''s jaw dropped as he realized what the redhead was about to do. "Hey, Rosan are you really about to do that?!" He asked the redhead.


    That made the Straw Hats blink even harder.


    Did Sanji know something about Rosan that they didn''t? When did that happen? Were the two closer then they thought? They thought Sanji was totally jealous of the redhead!


    "Yeah, I trust them enough and they''re already keeping one of my secrets," Rosan informed the two.


    McKinley had enough of this. "ATTACKING A VASSAL OF KAMI IS A CLASS 5 OFFENSE! I EXILE YOU ALL TO THE CLOU¡ª"


    "Your Kami is omniscient, right?" Rosan asked suddenly, interrupting the man and shutting him up.


    The leader of the White Berets blinked at that. "What¡­?"


    "I asked if your Kami is omniscient."


    The guard puffed up at that. "That''s right! Kami Enel knows all that happens in Skypiea and has already seen all your crimes!"


    They were done for. They''d be lucky to even be exiled to the clouds! If they refused capture any further, then they''d be bringing Kami''s Guards into this¡ª


    "Only Skypiea?"


    Everyone froze at that disappointed tone Rosan took.


    Oh they just knew that their scout, the one who managed to piss off everyone with just a few words, was going to make their situation so much worse.


    "How disappointing. I guess he doesn''t know he''s dealing with a Death... or a Devil," Rosan shrugged.


    The residents of Skypiea went white at that.


    "A Devil¡­ Who?"


    The Straw Hats latched onto another word.


    ...Death?


    Then they felt the temperature rapidly increase around them and sweat began dripping from all at the sweltering heats.


    Before their very eyes, a set of obsidian black wings sprouted from Rosan''s back and the temperature nearly doubled as flames began forming around the redhead.


    "Take a guess," Rosan offered them, eyes glowing a sinister shade of red.


    The Skypieans went white.


    "B-B-Black Wings¡­?" They whispered in horror. Large black wings on his back¡­


    Beautiful and eye-catching, no hint of humbleness and fully embracing in their own dangerous aura and vanity.


    It was reminiscent of their own... but they weren''t the correct color. They weren''t white like the typical Skypiean...


    No, black wings signified something worse... something evil. A terrible omen had arrived. One that they thought was a mere myth.


    A-A person with black wings...? In folklore... the one wielding the wings opposite to theirs... was considered a Deviant...


    They were considered the Forsaken One.


    This was¡­ This was Kami''s enemy.


    At once, every current Skypiean came to the same realization. They went pale and took a step back, a terrified sweat forming as they began shaking rapidly, eyes shrinking as the very presence of Rosan made them feel a terror reminiscent to the one Enel gave them.


    D-Danger... They were in danger. If they remained in the presence of the direct enemy of Kami, they would suffer a fate worse then death. If they remained close to the Forsaken One... they would end up Forsaken as well!


    Sanji''s jaw dropped even further. He really just did that didn''t he? Without a care in the world.


    Damn he was cool...


    "Hey¡­ t-those don''t look like Rosan''s dragon wings," Usopp whispered to Zoro.


    "Yeah¡­ they kinda look similar to the sky people but longer and flexible," he replied back.


    "Rosan''s a bird?!" Chopper balked. No wonder he summoned so much! They were like his brothers!


    "I''ve never seen him use wings like that!" Nami mused, eyeing the all black wings with an appraising eye.


    They were stunning, much more visually pleasing then his intimidating draconic wings and they arced out in a magnificent way, looking to be just a little smaller then Rosan himself.


    Each black feather blended in intricately with each other and it looked like the very light around him was being absorbed into them.


    They were stunning.


    She wondered why Rosan never used such beautiful wings. The birdlike wings looked far more comfortable to use and they fit his frame to a t, whereas the wings of his dragon were a bit on the large end¡ª


    "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Nami screeched, eyes bugged as the realization hit her like a freight train.


    Black wings that looked similar to a bird''s but not quite? How they seemed drain the very light of the area? How they looked so utterly beautiful and enchanting despite those previous details?


    T-That description fit only one person and even after 10 years, they''d be hard to forget.


    After all¡­


    "Y-Y-You''re," the navigator stammered, not quite believing it, taking a shaky step back as sweat began forming on her features. The Navigator''s eyes were complete white as she formed a respectable distance between her and Rosan.


    The other Straw Hats who didn''t know and Sabo looked at the gobsmacked Nami with concern in their eyes.


    What was up with Rosan''s wings? Why did they elicit such a strong reaction out of her? Why did she look afraid?


    "You know, I never really did get on board with the title Angel of Death. Don''t get me wrong, it''s a cool title... but it''s the wrong title. I''m no Angel," Rosan began calmly, walking slowly towards the petrified Skypieans who seemed to really dislike the color of his wings and the fire surrounding him.


    The citizens of the Sky Island began shuddering even harder than before, not able to muster up the courage to back away from the Devil walking towards them.


    The ones who didn''t know (but knew of Reaper), went cold at that statement.


    Angel of Death¡­ Wait just a damn minute.


    Wait just a fucking minute! WHAT DID HE MEAN ANGEL OF DEATH?!


    "Angel of Death means that I''m answering to someone and that''s never been the case. Fallen Angel sounds much better to my ears but even that''s not totally correct," Rosan told them all.


    "After all, when you think of the Grim Reaper, you don''t think of an Angel. You think of Death. You think of the person who comes to harvest your soul when your time is up. I''m not Death''s loyal Angel. I''m not an Angel who has been forsaken by Heaven. I am the Shinigami who decides who lives and who dies."


    As Rosan spoke, more and more of his crew began to realize just who he was.


    "No way," Zoro balked in genuine disbelief. He had always wanted to test his blades against the scythe spoken about in whispers. You were telling him, the one who wielded that weapon... the one who popularized such a strange and unique weapon... was right here?


    "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! I''M SORRY! I DIDN''T KNOW YOU''D ACTUALLY COME FOR ME FOR LYING SO MUCH! I WON''T DO IT AGAIN!" Usopp screamed, eyes bugging in horror as he finally began making the connections.


    "W-What''s wrong? Is¡­ Is Rosan someone scary?!" Chopper squealed, eyes wide at the white faces of Zoro, Nami and Usopp.


    Sabo paused in disbelief. Wait a minute... Was¡­ Was Rosan actually¡ª


    "Y-Y-You''re REAPER?!" Nami screamed for all to hear.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Enel listened into the conversation with a curious smile.


    Black wings? Devil? Shinigami?


    Blasphemous.


    "A Fallen Angel has wandered back onto Kami''s territory," the Kami of Skypiea mused with a lazy smile, tossing an apple up and down.


    Heathens had no place here... but, if he truly was another Kami, Enel would be interested in meeting him.


    That was only if he were actually some lesser Kami though... he did have black wings after all.


    Black wings were a sign that Kami would never accept him. He was a direct enemy to his rule.


    But Enel was almighty. No such thing as a threat to his rule existed. The only threat to his rule, was if he himself grew tired of it.


    He supposed it was time to check if this "Shinigami" was just that, or a forsaken Angel.


    If it was the latter, then he would of course be eliminated.


    No Angel could ever hope to stand up to Kami.


    Enel laughed as he began glowing blue, pinpointing on the location where the potential stain was speaking and lazily biting into his apple.


    "Yahahahaha! Shinigami. Devil. None of that matters to Kami because I am absolute," he said matter of factly. "No matter the circumstances, you belong to me."


    "I the one who creates and I am the one who destroys. Such is the duty of your Kami."


    And if he proved to be neither a Kami or an Angel... but instead was revealed to be a Devil...


    Well, Enel would personally deal with him.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan''s gaze sharpened drastically and without any hesitation, he flared his wings and soared away from the terrified White Berets.


    Everyone''s confusion lasted only a split second, as an utterly massive beam of lightning crashed into the spot the Shinigami was just at and forced them to cover their eyes.


    "AGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The White Berets screamed as they were caught as collateral, shrieking in the split second that their insides were incinerated.


    When the light settled, the Straw Hats opened their eyes and regarded the spot the guards were at in horror.


    There was not a single one there.


    Not even bodies... not even blood.


    Just the smell of ozone wafting through the air as they stared uneasily at the hole in the floor.


    "Now we''ve done it," Nami moaned in sadness. They angered Kami and not only that, Rosan was basically his antithesis!


    How the hell were they supposed to account for this?! What type of luck did they have where they landed on a Sky Island, with an actual Kami... who took offense to the sight of a Devil?


    "We''re dead!" Usopp sobbed, crawling on the floor and trying to hide himself.


    "GWAHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Chopper screeched, eyes bugged in genuine horror as he watched the annoying guards get vaporized.


    Sure they were pretty insufferable, but they didn''t deserve to just... d-die! What was going on?!


    Rosan floated down gently and inspected the area he was just at with an interested gaze. Unlike most of his crew, he was utterly unbothered by the sight of Kami vaporizing the White Berets and just honed in on one thing.


    "He has a Devil Fruit and it''s a strong one."


    "It''s likely the Goro Goro no mi," Mod explained.


    "The lightning Logia?" Robin muttered, a little worried. Her lack of concern was gone now as she heard of that.


    That Devil Fruit was strong even by Logia standards. It was one of the few Devil Fruits touted as invincible.


    The Goro Goro no mi¡­ That was a Devil Fruit that had all of Rosan''s attention.


    Even amongst Logia''s, it was exceptionally powerful and if Rosan had a choice to eat any other Devil Fruit of his choosing, that would be his decision.


    His eyes actually began to glow in interest.


    It was a good thing Luffy didn''t have dibs for once. His brother was immune to lightning so he''d just manhandle this man. He wouldn''t grow from it but Rosan? Rosan could grow.


    This fight would be good. Based on the power behind that blast that just obliterated his troops like nothing, Kami could give Rosan what he wanted.


    It could not only help him draw out his emotions, but it might also help him with unlocking his haki, considering he was fighting a Logia. Not to mention, Rosan wanted to control the elements and lightning was actually the one he was most interested in.


    Why? Because it was cool. That''s all. He would have prioritized learning it but learning fire went hand in hand with learning how to transform into a dragon.


    The only problem was that... he didn''t have a great experience with getting shocked...


    Hm...


    Regardless, Rosan wanted to see what this person was capable of. Someone who claimed to be Kami was too much of a narcissist so he just wanted his power if possible.


    Mod shuddered. Rosan was incredibly dangerous when he was interested.


    "...Be careful, Rosan. You don''t have a means to hit someone with a lightning Logia and based on that attack, he is nothing to scoff at," Robin couldn''t hide the worry out of her voice.


    Rosan had bad memories of being shocked and fighting Enel might bring them all to the forefront¡­ His trauma could come to haunt him...


    It could be a double edged sword for the redhead and it was causing her to worry.


    Rosan saw the worry in her gaze and immediately dragged her close to him, making sure to ease her concerns.


    "I won''t die Robin and this is a perfect time for me to learn how to hit a Logia. For you, if things get really bad I''ll let Sabo deal with him," he assured, curling one wing around her as well.


    Robin sighed at that and sunk deeper into him. His wings were awfully comfortable and soft. It felt like a world class pillow and she sank further into it.


    "Perhaps I''ll have to start asking you to sleep with your wings out."


    "They are flexible enough, I can make it work."


    "...Are we just gonna ignore the fact that the Kami just killed his own White Beret dudes while trying to kill Rosan¡­ WHO HAPPENS TO BE REAPER?!" Nami roared, watching the two embrace with a look of pure disbelief.


    Now was not the time for them to be acting so lovey dovey! ROSAN JUST PISSED OFF A KAMI WHO COULD ATTACK THEM FROM ANYWHERE! RIGHT AFTER REVEALING HE WAS THE WORLD''S MOST INFAMOUS BOUNTY HUNTER!


    JUST WHAT WAS GOING ON RIGHT NOW?! THEY KNEW ROSAN HAD SECRETS BUT THIS WAS TOO MUCH!


    This whole time... this entire goddamn time, their "humble scout" was actually the highest starting bounty ever.


    That was just too much to unpack... what could they even say to that?


    Rosan blinked at them and they watched the wing that wasn''t covering Robin, begin moving in a waving gesture.


    "I''m Reaper," he said.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    ¡­


    "NO SHIT!" They roared.


    "I''m sure you guys have a lot of questions but I''ll answer them later. We need to restock on stuff and leave the area I think," Rosan told them.


    They nodded reluctantly. At least the redhead was willing to explain it to them.


    Conis was white in terror, glancing repeatedly between the spot the White Berets used to be and Rosan''s gorgeous black wings. She was shaking, resisting the urge to curl into herself at the casual slaughter of the troops but not looking as bad as someone who witnessed such mass amounts of death...


    Interesting. She looked more afraid of his wings, then the deaths of the soldiers.


    He wasn''t too surprised. For people who closely resembled angels, his vain, black wings must have been a terrible omen in their culture. He wondered just what significance it had.


    To them, Rosan may very well be the actual Devil with his light absorbing black wings that contrasted their own so greatly.


    Sabo was deep in thought as they headed back to the ship. "Maybe I should deal with this¡­ I can''t feel anyone that could have used that attack earlier so that means his attack range is huge," he muttered.


    "No. I''ve got dibs," Rosan replied calmly.


    "Yeah, Sabo! Rosan''s got dibs! Then I''ve got dibs! Then you''ve got dibs!" Luffy exclaimed matter of factly.


    They probably wouldn''t even get to fight... Rosan was really strong...


    The blonde sweatdropped. "But this is a matter of life and death now? We don''t know anything about the opponent," he tried to reason.


    "Life or Death?" Rosan tilted his head. "Luffy, are you gonna die?"


    "Nope! You?"


    "Nope."


    Sabo''s sweatdrop deepend and he felt his heart go out for Ace.


    Having to deal with two impossible brothers must be terrible as the middle sibling. He was feeling its effects right now and Ace was way easier to rile up.


    Huh... how did he know that?


    "Alright, alright. I''ll focus on keeping as much of you safe as I can then," the revolutionary assured, holding his head a bit.


    "You''re the best!" Usopp sobbed to the blonde brother.


    Sabo was just the best! He was kind and gentle to them like Ace was and not at all a dick like Rosan or Luffy ¡ª


    "Don''t coddle them, Sabo. Only if they''ve thoroughly lost, should you step in," Rosan instructed, grabbing Robin and floating atop the ship.


    "Right. Gotta let them grow from battles," the chief of staff nodded in complete understanding.


    "YOU''RE THE WORST!" The sniper roared.


    Conis seemed to finally snap out of her trance and she regarded the crew with a nervous expression.


    "W-Wait just a moment!" She called to the departing crew. "Please, stock up on provisions before you go! It''s a long journey and to leave Sky Island, you''ll need to enter the White Sea¡­ At the very least I can show you where it is."


    A lie.


    "Conis-chan!" Sanji swooned. "You''re the best! I''m on the way!"


    "That reminds me!" Usopp exclaimed. "Pagaya, since you''re an engineer, do you think I could borrow some materials for our ship?!"


    The father nodded without hesitation, still deeply shaken by what just transpired but masking it as well as a citizen could. "But of course! Come back home with me!"


    "FOOOOD!" Luffy cheered, quickly following after Usopp and Sanji with a cheerful expression.


    Rosan gazed at the blonde haired angel with a tilted head before coming to a decision.


    "Could I borrow some dials actually?" The redhead asked. "I''d like to get to know more about them."


    She flinched terribly at being spoken to by him but nodded her head rapidly, seeming to fear the outcome of denying him. "Of course! We have more dials then we know what to do with so feel free."


    He simply nodded and made a show of flexing his wings (this made Conis let out a strangled gasp), before floating down on the beach again with Robin in tow.


    "Honestly, will you just drag me everywhere with you?" Robin asked in amusement as they left the ship behind. Despite her question, she didn''t release her grip on him, knowing she''d be more than displeased if he did choose to leave her behind but not saying it aloud because there was no way she was boosting his ego once more.


    "You''re free to stay behind," Rosan offered, despite having no intention of placing Robin down. In fact, his grip seemed to get even tighter and she couldn''t prevent the roll of her eyes.


    "You''re illusion of choice will fail one day when I take you up on that offer," Robin deadpanned.


    "I''ll be waiting for that day. You''re just glad that you don''t have to ask me every single time because I know you want to come regardless. If the day comes where you say no, then I''ll guilt trip you."


    "You are utterly shameless. Be glad that you''re also right."


    "Mghm¡­" A yawn cut the two off. "Why... Why am I waking up alone, without the embrace of Mother, Father OR Auntie?! Wait. DID I FALL UNCONSCIOUS?!"


    Ah, looks like Ram was awake now.


    "There goes my peace," Mod sighed sadly.


    "AUNTIEEEE COME HUG ME!" Ram whined.


    Mod let out an even deeper sigh.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan hummed as the wind around him slowly moved in time with his thoughts and he gently levitated a dial he was holding.


    "Not strong enough, we need something with more power," Ram muttered, eyes gleaming at the prospect of learning a new ability.


    "But it''s a good start," Mod mused.


    "How can I increase the power output immediately without building up the energy?" Rosan, who just had Ram absorb the Breath Dial, mused.


    Unfortunately, Ram couldn''t stack the same things on top of each other but if he found a similar ability, then he could use Modification to combine them. He could also use his ability to empower them somewhat but it wasn''t enough to satisfy him.


    No matter, this was good enough to begin practicing with.


    "So just like that, you can control wind¡­" Robin sighed. That was absurd.


    "I cannot control it exactly... It just looks like I can... I''m actually storing and generating it, then I use Modification to change and make it more flexible in its use... But the Breath Dial isn''t strong enough to make the winds I generate as strong as my fire so for now, I will use them to enhance Ragnarok''s flames. Although due to their nature, they will almost always be fully charged... "


    He was a genius. Robin sighed at the redhead who could manipulate wind now. How did he even know how to modify it to his advantage already?


    Battle freak.


    Knowing him, he''d find a way to make it stronger very soon.


    Luffy, Rosan, Robin, Sanji and Usopp were in Conis and Pagaya''s home collecting provisions for their journey.


    "You haven''t stolen anything yet?" Robin asked curiously.


    "No, perhaps I''ll do it when we make it to Upper Yard but for now, I will focus on Enel," the redhead replied.


    The man had gone oddly silent after his first attack. Rosan was honestly expecting this entire trip to be him avoiding rampant lightning bolts until he got his hand on Kami but it seemed Enel was just testing him with that attack.


    Now, it seemed like Kami wanted to see them himself. How interesting... trying to figure out the man''s character like this was proving to be a task, but at the very least Rosan could tell that he somewhat believed in his own hype.


    That attack had been for him after all and he had just referred to himself as the Shinigami. So he may actually think himself a Kami. With a Devil Fruit like the Goro Goro no Mi, this was honestly a very likely outcome. If Enel had even half the ideas Rosan did with a Logia (he doubted it, Logia''s were very uncreative) like that, he''d be right to think he was some type of Kami, especially if this was the average Skypiean strength.


    "Is there anything that you want? I''ll try and get it before we leave this place," Rosan asked curiously, idly blowing wind on her and giving her a steady breeze.


    The Devil Child sighed at the cool breeze and leaned into him. He may not find it useful yet, but this breeze was just divine.


    "I''d like to explore the Upper Yard and perhaps a few books on Skypiean history. Being the only piece of land in Skypiea means it might have interesting information," she


    He nodded his head. In that case, he''d try to find stuff for Nami then. This breath dial could come in handy for her as well and he was sure Usopp would implement the dials into his own weapon.


    Good, after exploring this place, he''d upgrade them both.


    Speaking of which¡­


    "You guys, our ship is moving. Looks like rather forcefully too," Rosan pointed out calmly.


    He watched as a gigantic lobster began carrying their crewmembers away, Merry on it''s massive back as it quickly began making distance from them.


    The redhead noticed the resigned expression on Conis'' face and hummed.


    "Oh no!" Usopp gasped in horror, shooting up at seeing Merry get dragged away.


    Sanji grabbed a binocular and gaped in equal horror.


    "W-Why is Nami-san wearing a shirt now?" The chef balked in terror. He barely got to enjoy the sights and her shirt was already back on?!


    "Focus on more important things," Usopp deadpanned.


    "AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Chopper squealed with teary eyes, running around in a complete panic.


    "W-What''s happening?!" Nami panicked.


    "There''s something carrying us away!" Zoro barked.


    Sabo''s eyes narrowed. "We can''t jump overboard either, look."


    Gigantic sky fish were chasing them with their mouths wide open, eager to feast on the lobster, the ship, or the passengers on it.


    Nami and Chopper squealed as they hugged each other tearfully. "SAVE US ROSAN!" They sobbed.


    Rosan thought about doing that, but then he thought better. "If I try to stop this, that Kami will just destroy our ship¡­ I think we have no choice but to play along with his game for now."


    He didn''t know the limit of Enel''s fruit but it seemed like he could summon lightning anywhere that he could hear and they were obviously within his hearing range.


    "Stay with Sabo. He''ll deal with any threat you guys face," Rosan instructed them. "We''ll be there soon."


    "Yeah!" Luffy exclaimed excitedly. Now they had a real reason to go to the place they weren''t supposed to go to!


    "I''ll keep them safe!" Sabo assured them.


    With that, the Going Merry sped out of sight.


    "Remember what I said, Rosan," Robin reminded.


    "...We have years lost that we need to make up. You have my word that I will not die anytime soon, Robin. I don''t want you to ever go through the pain of losing me again and I never want to lose you again," Rosan said resolutely, gazing at her with bright glowing eyes.


    Whenever he said something like that, with such resolve, you really had no choice but to believe him.


    She was starkly reminded at how intense Rosan''s gaze could be when they glowed.


    "...Right... we''ll never leave each other again," Robin said, staring into his confident gaze with a dazed wonder.


    Was it just her, or was Rosan displaying way more emotion then usual? They would need to check the castle soon because it was uncharacteristic.


    For now though, they had more pressing matters to get to.


    "How can we get to Upper Yard?" Sanji asked them urgently.


    "I can fly us there?" Rosan offered, flexing his wings as proof.


    "That''s not a great idea!" Conis interrupted nervously. "The 4 on that ship are just being held hostage¡­ you guys are the one being punished. If you don''t do things the way Kami Enel wants it done, who knows what will happen?"


    "A truth. A truth. A lie."


    Robin blinked in surprise at that abrupt thought from Rosan. Conis'' first two sentences were truthful but the last one was a lie?


    "So what do you suggest we do?" Rosan asked curiously, tilting his head. "We can''t just very well leave our crew to fend for themselves but you''re suggesting that us flying there will only put us all in more danger?"


    "He never trusted her from the start," Robin thought to herself, watching him go along with her plan despite knowing she was lying.


    It was still so rattling to see the once naive Rosan, not have a single bone in his body willing to trust new people. From the start, he probably had his guard up and for good reason.


    Clearly they were being set up in some way.


    ...Robin just wasn''t used to being the less paranoid of the two.


    "W-Well if I may suggest an idea?" Conis asked quietly, not once looking Rosan in his eyes.


    "Of course you can Conis-chan!" Sanji swooned.


    "Right this way then," Pagaya waved them back into his home so that they could discuss their next course of action.


    "We will go along with their plans for now."


    That was all Rosan said to her and he followed after the group.


    Robin sighed.


    She didn''t even get him to fully enjoy their vacation before things turned chaotic.


    Hopefully he''d keep the outfit on for a little longer. She quite enjoyed it.


    ...She''d never tell him that.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    In order to make it to their crew (who they learned were being used as sacrifices), the 5 Straw Hats would need to take a dial ship to the Upper Yard by following the milky road.


    In the process of doing so, they''d run into Kami''s vassals.


    If they wanted to reach the others, they''d need to face the vassals head on.


    That would be easy.


    "You musn''t underestimate them! Kami''s vassals aren''t as strong as Enel but they are unimaginably powerful in their own right!" Pagaya informed them, trying to stress the seriousness of the situation.


    "I''m not worried," Rosan shrugged.


    "Yeah! They have Sabo with them," Luffy nodded.


    "Zoro as well," Robin agreed.


    "I can''t believe she still put a t-shirt on," Sanji sighed forlornly.


    "I WAS TALKING ABOUT YOU ALL! YOU NEED TO BE WORRIED!" The father shouted in disbelief.


    Rosan, Robin, Luffy and Sanji all tilted their head to the sides.


    "Why?" They asked in unison.


    Pagaya collapsed abruptly.


    "Don''t worry," Usopp nodded sympathetically as he patted the mans shoulder. "You get used to it. Knowing these 4, they''re only worried about Kami himself."


    Conis listened to that with a nervous expression, not doubting his claims much due to those Black Wings that were resting idly on Rosan''s back.


    Was he truly one of Kami''s fallen angels¡­? A... Devil?


    She shuddered at that. What if he was neither?


    He did call himself a Shinigami after all. The Kami of Death¡­ Was it possible that she was in the presence of another divine being? He managed to dodge an attack from Enel-sama of all people.


    Could she really... trick a Kami? If she did... wouldn''t he just... Kill her? He was Death after all...


    The two made eye contact and she shuddered as that lifeless gaze of his began glowing slightly.


    Rosan simply tilted his head and waved at her and she reluctantly returned it with a shaky smile.


    Conis suddenly didn''t feel so confident about what she was about to do.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "So this is Lovely Street! It''s HUGE!" Luffy awed walking around and touching everything. "I wish we could buy everything!"


    "You want stuff? If they accept Beri we can buy out what you need," Rosan offered calmly.


    Usopp and Sanji shut it down immediately.


    "We have more important things to worry about!" The sniper chided.


    "Yeah, we need to save Nami-san!" Sanji barked in fury.


    Robin cracked a smile. "I don''t think they''d be willing to sell to you anyways, Rosan. Everyone''s avoiding even catching your attention."


    The redhead hummed. "I wonder why? Maybe they don''t see redheads often?"


    The Devil Child nearly giggled aloud at that but settled for letting it chime through their connection instead.


    "It might be because of the wings you still have out. Black wings might be a bad omen to them all," she offered.


    Conis jumped at that. "I-It''s a bit of a bad sign but they just aren''t used to blue sea dwellers! You guys are also technically criminals¡­"


    "T-That''s true¡­" Usopp muttered. With those White Berets just¡­ dead. They were probably very on edge right now and seeing the criminals in the flesh, must have done them no favors.


    With that in mind, the sniper urged them to hurry along to find the sail ship and the group marched through the city all while the citizens balked in horror at Rosan''s wings.


    "You''ll have to find out for me why black wings are such a terrible thing for these people," Rosan mused.


    "I have my guesses but I''ll see. Perhaps in your free time you can steal some specific books for me?" Robin replied.


    The redhead hummed pleasantly, which made a citizen in the distance jump with a shriek and said, "Okay I can do that. My Pocket Dimension is going to be getting a lot of new additions soon¡­ I wonder if they have any unique plants that I can have Maro cultivate. If she manages to do so successfully, Celadon will become even more prestigious with plants that the Blue Sea probably don''t recognize."


    Robin took on a thoughtful expression. "From what I''ve heard, earth is very valuable to these people because it''s hard to grow crops using the clouds. If given to Maro, she might have an even easier time then the Skypieans."


    That was exactly what he wanted to hear.


    "Having my own personal nerd is very useful. I didn''t think you could do more than read the Poneglyphs," Rosan nodded in thanks, before grunting as he nearly tripped.


    "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The Skypieans screeched as he flexed his wings to remain upright, showing them all the obsidian black feathers in its full glory.


    The redhead slowly floated back into a straight position, wings flapping all the while as the tension around them rose to even higher levels.


    "Nearly tripped," Rosan informed them. His wings flexed a bit before going limp against his back again, laying stationary.


    "Are you alright? You never trip," Sanji asked in concern. Was he just lying about being accustomed to the higher air? He was quickly learning that Rosan was insanely reckless.


    Honestly, the redhead raiding Germa, should have told him that long ago.


    "I''m fine," Rosan nodded. "You should be more concerned about Conis, I''m pretty sure she''s about to faint on her feet."


    That did the trick and Sanji hastily turned his attention onto their heavily sweating guide. She was staring at Rosan with a pale face but recovered admirably quick, accepting the chef''s fussing with a polite smile.


    "I''d say oops... but the fear of the people, is unfortunately collateral to my justice," Robin smiled, dispelling the foot she used to trip up Rosan.


    Honestly, did he just plan on calling her nerd whenever he so pleased? Little Rosan used to call her an awesome genius and now he was calling her a nerd!


    She shook her head. The regression was so tragic to behold. She didn''t think someone could actually revert to a worse state with age but Rosan was proving her wrong.


    The woman let out a surprised yelp, as a tiny gale sent her tumbling into a faux worried Rosan''s arms.


    The redhead held her up and asked, "What''s the matter? Tired? Need me to hold you?"


    "You''re tired, Robin-chan?" Sanji asked in concern. "We should be at the ship soon and you can rest there!" He assured.


    Robin shot him a strained smile as Rosan hoisted her up and began walking with her in his grasp. "I''m not tired... this weather is just very odd at times. It must be a Sky Island phenomenon."


    "I''m going to kill you Rosan. You are utterly and completely insufferable and I hate you for putting me in situations I should not be in," she stated to the redhead.


    "No need to act so tough, Robin-nee," Rosan mocked only to her ears, unfurling his wings once more and curling them around her.


    He effortlessly ignored the citizens screaming at his actions.


    "Here. I hear that they are rather comfortable to sleep against so get some rest," he smiled.


    "Aw. Is mature and smart Robin trying to uphold an image? I''ll make sure it''s shattered before long. You''ve already attacked me multiple times now, anyone you''re trying to upkeep an image for, already knows the truth."


    Robin resisted the urge to scowl. "They must think me some wild animal now because of you."


    "...Wait, you aren''t a wild animal? I thought that''s why they named you Robin," Rosan retorted.


    The redhead dropped Robin swiftly and flew out of the way before she attempted to kill him.


    "PLEASE MAKE HIM STOP!" The citizens screeched. By now, about 4 had fainted and a dozen were close to catching panic attacks.


    "Maybe the air is too thin for you... attacking me for no reason?" He muttered, tilting his head.


    She glared up at him, crossing her arms in preparation to restrain and drag him to the floor.


    "U-Um, Rosan-san," Conis stammered a bit, making the both of them pause. "Please try not to spread your¡­ wings again. It makes the people think you''re about to do something."


    She went a little still as that intimidating gaze began to sear into her.


    "A bit too paranoid don''t you think?" Rosan replied calmly, landing directly in front of her before furling up his wings. "I thought you said it''s only a bit of a bad sign, but you''d think I''m the Devil itself with how everyone is reacting," he observed, pinning the woman in place.


    Conis shook minutely at that. "I-It''s because o-of what happened to the White Berets! W-Word spreads very fast around here a-and they know that they were k-killed due to a figure with black wings."


    "A lie. A half truth."


    Robin shuddered at that. Rosan''s ability to glean whether you were being truthful or not, was as terrifying as she knew it was going to be when they were kids. His prowess at just being able to read people, was an underrated trait about him that truly made him terrifying.


    How could you hide anything from a person who could see right through you?


    "Rosan, stop being so creepy!" Sanji chastised the redhead. "Conis-chan was there to see them die. She''s obviously still shaken up by it all. We should be glad she''s still being so helpful to us!"


    The redhead blinked. "Ah that''s my bad... I forgot not everyone is as used to death as I am," he replied loudly.


    Everyone, barring the Straw Hats, seized up at that, beginning to audibly shake at the words of the Forsaken One.


    "Don''t worry, I think we made it to our destination. They won''t have to cry anymore," the redhead commented softly.


    He gazed at all the ships with an appraising eye.


    So all of them ran on dials huh?


    "You make fun of Nami all the time, but you are genuinely such a greedy person. Your love for hoarding is on the level of her love of money."


    "I think it''s a side effect of Ragnarok''s personality combining with father''s own, turning him into a loot demon!" Ram jumped in.


    Dragon''s were well known for hoarding troves of treasure, to the point where people would risk their lives trying to invade their home to try their chance at riches.


    Rosan paused at that.


    ...Loot demon?


    "...All I did was make an observation on what they were made with," Rosan muttered in a bit of disbelief.


    "You have become a hoarder though. We knew you were planning on stealing them all the moment you laid eyes on them," Robin mused. The hoarding nature of a dragon, combined with Rosan''s innate selfishness and greed was a terrible terrible combination.


    Rosan''s expression turned thoughtful.


    It was true that anything he found interesting, he wanted for himself and he''d find a use for it before throwing it away but did that really make him a hoarder?


    Probably. He did amass a lot of things over the years in his Pocket Dimension, matching the stories of dragons well¡­ But he gave many things away. If he kept everything he stole, the Pocket Dimension may actually fill up completely.


    "Perhaps I have a problem," he admitted.


    "The first step is realizing it!" Robin smiled smugly.


    "The first step is always the easiest¡­ it''s the second that''s a bit more difficult. Rosan, will you do anything about this insatiable greed?"


    "¡­" Rosan thought long and hard about that before coming to a very important decision.


    They were completely right. His hoarding and greedy nature was a very serious issue. Everywhere they went, he was looking at what to collect for himself or just anyone in his crew.


    The moment he found something remotely interesting, he wanted it for himself or his allies and would stop at nothing to achieve it. His greed was never ending... it''s how he ended up with the Baroque Works agents.


    It''s how he ended up with Crocodile under his heel...


    Hm... forcing enemies to work under him because of their uses... yeah, he could see how greedy that made him look.


    Okay, so he had a problem.


    With that in mind, Rosan told them in the most reassuring tone ever¡ª


    "Absolutely not."


    Mod and Ram face planted at his confident response and Robin held her head in disbelief.


    "What? I gave Maro some cute little soldiers and I have a Logia as a pawn. I also have the means to be greedy and the Pocket Dimension allows me to have my own dungeon to store all my acquired things too. I see no reason why I shouldn''t steal all these boats, dials, books, etc."


    "Perhaps because it would greatly inconvenience the people you take them from?"


    "That sounds like something a good person should worry about. Leaving something I want with them, doesn''t benefit me at all. Why would I compromise my satisfaction for people I don''t care about?"


    "You are the most unhinged person I''ve ever met," Robin said calmly, resisting the urge to smile because he''d no doubt take that as her approval, psychopath he was.


    "Says the person who has me stealing books from her. You can''t admonish my bad habits and benefit from them at the same time. You''re all enablers."


    "...You are unbelievable, Rosan but¡­ at least you only steal from people we don''t care about?" Mod rationalized to the best of her ability.


    That''s all you could do with Rosan. Never make sense of his thought process, just rationalize it. She had been doing it for 20 years now and she hadn''t completely lost her mind yet so she had to have been doing something right.


    Robin continued shaking her head. "At least you''re aware that you have a problem."


    The redhead simply hummed.


    Ram preened. "Steal as much as you want, Father! I need to become stronger and stronger so that the next time I see Mihawk and his sword, he''ll be even more impressed!"


    Rosan paused at that. "Ram. I demand you stop crushing on Yoru. I refuse it. I will not allow it."


    His best friend couldn''t hold back her laughter as Ram began spluttering.


    "W-Wha... Who said I have a crush on Yoru?! D-Don''t just go putting ideas in peoples head! A-AND IF I WAS YOU CAN''T STOP ME! I''M AN ADULT FATHER!"


    Mod balked at seeing Ram protest one of Rosan''s decisions with a red blush on her face.


    "Who says I can''t stop you?" Rosan raised a brow. "I can and will ground you. Also, you''re technically 12 years old."


    "YOU SOUND LIKE AUNTIE, YOU ASSHOLE!" Ram roared, full of disbelief as her Father began being... her Father.


    Wait. Holy shit!


    "Rosan, you can''t just prevent Ram from dating people," Robin admonished, being the only one willing to stand up for the ring. "If she has a childish crush on Yoru, let her have one! He left a strong impression on her."


    "He literally broke her in half," Rosan said flatly.


    "IT''S NOT A CHILDISH CRUSH, MOTHER!" Ram screeched. "A-AND NO ONE CAN JUST BREAK ME! ISN''T THAT SO COOL?!"


    ...


    Ram froze in mortification at her slipup.


    "So it is a crush..." Rosan muttered. "Alright, I''ll break Yoru."


    "Don''t do that. Think about how Ram will feel?" Robin chastised.


    Ram''s mortification deepened at the words of her parents, hating every single moment of this and wanting it to end as soon as possible.


    Mod smiled violently.


    "I think we should discuss this in detail later. We should at the very least, explain important things to Ram... despite being a ring who is attracted to the World''s Strongest Sword?"


    Said ring shot her head at the demonic woman with wide eyes, pleading with her to stop being an ass for one second, but Mod had been getting harassed by Ram for 12 years now.


    It was time for some sweet revenge.


    "Yeah, this isn''t over. My ring will not be gaining feelings for anything just because of strength," Rosan grunted.


    Robin rolled her eyes. "I can''t believe you''ve now barred 3 people from dating. Aren''t you being a little too unhinged? Let Ram live!"


    "P-Please stop talking about this," Ram whimpered.


    "Fine... for now," Robin and Rosan both said.


    The ring hid her face in a pillow.


    She hated this. Is this how it felt to be someone''s child? It fucking sucked.


    "This boat''s lame," Luffy said bluntly, gazing in disappointment at all the cooler ships.


    They were so much better then this lame one! This one had a stupid bird when another one had an awesome bull!


    "Want me to change it''s design?" Rosan asked.


    "Don''t be so rude to Conis-chan, you assholes!" Sanji reprimanded. "It''s perfect the way it is!"


    Rosan shrugged. "Okay, I won''t change it."


    "But can it fit all five of us?" Robin pointed out another problem curiously. It was a tad bit on the small end to be fair.


    The redhead gazed at it. "I''m not changing it so you can just sit on my lap or vice versa."


    Sanji balked in horror as Robin nodded without hesitation and said, "That''s fine with me... But you are not sitting on me."


    "Are you calling me fat?" Rosan raised a brow at her.


    "No, I''m calling you a tall freak with a lot of muscles," she retorted.


    "...But if I make a comment on you, I''ll be the bad guy no matter what I say, right?" He asked.


    "I''m glad you understand how this works out. You can be a genius when you want to be," Robin clapped politely.


    "Tch. Whatever, you can sit on me. You''re lucky I barely register your weight in the first place," he grunted.


    The Devil Child smiled at that. "Somehow, you managed to make a correct comment. You really are a genius."


    Sanji balked at the interaction.


    Damn it all! His love rival was always one step ahead of him! Using his defense of one beauty to push his advantage with Robin-chan?! Was he thinking this far into the future?! Did he already know Sanji''s ticks? How to best him?


    Touche¡­ Rosan¡­ Touche.


    "I''m sorry that I don''t have anything bigger but I don''t have the money to rent out another," Conis said apologetically, smiling nervously at the group.


    As they were about to board the ship, Luffy paused. "By the way, you''ve been shaking since we left the house, Conis..."


    The blonde angel''s pupils dilated at that and her shaking became even harder. She ducked her head and began staring a hole into the ground.


    "...Why''s that?" The rubber boy asked curiously.


    "D-Does it seem like that?" Conis stammered a bit, looking like a deer caught in headlights.


    They were being watched by the other citizens now. Rosan could see that they were nervously sweating just as hard as Conis currently was.


    He supposed he could have some fun. He wasn''t yet tired of tormenting these people.


    "Yeah, it''s like you''re afraid of something! Rosan and Robin can tell too," Luffy responded, tilting his head to the left.


    Ah, perfect.


    "T-They can?" She whispered, gazing at the couple and seeing their knowing gaze. Robin''s face was set in that same disarming smile as usual, while Rosan''s was as neutral as ever.


    Oh Kami, did they know?


    "Now that I''m thinking about it more..." Rosan chimed after being addressed and he watched the girl''s fear visibly spike. "...Are you going to be alright?" He asked.


    She blinked owlishly at that question.


    Usopp nodded in agreement. "He''s right¡­ everyone is obviously avoiding us but here you are just leading us to your own ship and helping us out. Aren''t you our accomplice? Won''t you get in trouble for helping outlaws escape?"


    Rosan''s eyes began glowing slightly. His crewmates were setting him up very nicely.


    "It''s strange no?" He muttered. "No matter how much I wrap my head around it, it just doesn''t make sense for you to help us this much. Once we leave, won''t you be ostracized for helping out such criminals? No, even worse... why hasn''t this Kami struck you down yet? Why have his attacks on us bated?"


    Conis went steadily white, as he asked logical question after logical question, not being able to muster a response.


    Sanji jumped in this time. "He''s right¡­ I don''t know the reason, but surely there''s a limit to how much you can assist us before that Kami takes genuine offense. We appreciate the help Conis-chan but you should go. You must be really worried about us but we''ll be fine!"


    "T-That''s¡­" Conis tried to say but the daunting presence of the forsaken one halted her.


    Two eyes, both a different color bored into her with a hauntingly chilly expression and she felt her heart stop.


    "Worried¡­ Is that what it looks like?" Rosan mused curiously, never once taking his eyes off of her. "It might be years of paranoia at play but I see something very different. After all, not a single one of your actions make any logical sense to me. I refuse to believe that someone is this kind... because you''d have to be completely stupid to do this."


    Conis couldn''t keep the nervous expression off her face at his words.


    "Does he know?" She, along with every other citizen, thought.


    Rosan''s wings became active again and the crowd let out a gasp of horror as he flexed it out fully. With his wings fully outstretched, it was impossible to miss how imposing he was.


    "What I see, and forgive me if I''m wrong¡ª," Rosan said, tone suggesting that he knew he wasn''t wrong. "¡ªis someone guiding us into a trap."


    "HE KNOWS!"


    Oh no¡­ the one with the Devil''s wings knew.


    Rosan took a step forward until he was directly in front of Conis and she quivered, unable to muster up the courage to move away.


    "You just saw the guards of your army get destroyed by that Kami of yours... and instead of doing the smart thing and running away, you instead decided to get closer to us," he said calmly. "That''s not an action befitting a human. That''s an action befitting a pawn. A puppet."


    The crowd began looking up into the sky, wondering if Kami was going to do anything about this because at this rate, the deviant was going to kill them all.


    "I was a little confused, considering our intentions were to always go to Upper Yard but I''d imagine they want to make sure we head there and that''s where you come in. A nifty little puppet, guiding us into a trap with smiles and kindness..."


    "Just how naive do you think I am? You call me a Devil, but you try to trick me? Don''t you know that all the Devil does is rely on trickery?" He whispered in her ear.


    Sanji''s eyes went a little wide in shock. Was that really what this was? Did Rosan always have a clue? Was he just playing along for fun?


    The redhead stepped back abit and gazed down at the ashen woman who seemed to realize that she was only steps away from dying by his hands.


    He resisted the urge to snort.


    "You were acting a little too suspicious and there''s also the fact that you lied to my crew and told them to lift their anchor, right before a giant lobster took them away," Rosan informed her.


    Conis couldn''t believe what she just heard him say. That final sentence.


    You lied to my crew and told them to lift their anchor, right before a giant lobster took them away.


    Did he¡­ How did he possibly hear her? He was already in their home when she told the crew of that¡­


    Could he hear just like Enel-sama?


    "But, I could be wrong. This is all just me guessing after all," the redhead finished, poking at his black armband.


    Rosan''s total dissection of the situation was too much for her and Conis fell on her knees in defeat.


    "Y-You''re completely right so Please¡­ Please run away from here!" She suddenly requested, tears forming in her eyes.


    The redhead paused. What was she doing? Should she really be doing this right now? Confessing right here and now, was kind of bad for her, wasn''t it?


    "It''s our duty as citizens of Skypiea to guide any criminal to the punishment site and if we don''t, then we die!" She sobbed in admittance.


    The crowd balked at her. W-Was she stupid?! What was she doing?!


    "Didn''t you see how the White Berets died without a second thought! Just because Kami wanted to teach you a lesson. It''s insane! THIS PLACE IS INSANE! ENEL DOES AS HE PLEASES WITHOUT A SINGLE THOUGHT ABOUT ANY OF OUR LIVES!" She screamed.


    Her tears were overflowing now and she began outright sobbing as the memories of the guards getting vaporized replayed in her mind.


    No one deserved to die at the drop of a hat like the White Berets had. Enel claimed to be Kami... but he was no better than an actual Devil and they had known that ever since he had first taken the throne.


    "Oh, I think I broke her," Rosan muttered.


    Woops.


    "Not apart of your plan?" Robin asked curiously.


    "Was expecting her to beg for her life. I didn''t really care enough to kill a simple pawn but isn''t this bad for her?" The redhead asked calmly.


    Wasn''t she throwing away her life to Enel? He just wanted another reason to brag to his crew about why they should listen to him more.


    "Please¡­ you''re the Kami of Death right¡­? If you can... please stop this madness. Please do even after you kill me for my betrayal," Conis begged tearfully.


    "THAT''S ENOUGH!" A citizen screamed, stepping far away from her.


    The others were following suit and some even began running as far as they could from the girl who had signed her death.


    Rosan tilted his head as he kept tugging his arm band.


    "ARE YOU STUPID?!" Luffy screamed in disbelief, anger marring his features.


    Conis jumped at that, gazing at them in shock.


    "You didn''t have a choice did you?" Robin asked softly.


    The blonde shook her head hesitantly.


    "THEN WHY DID YOU SAY ANYTHING?!" Sanji, Luffy and Usopp yelled.


    Her eyes widened in shock.


    "You should have kept your mouth shut," Rosan replied. "You wouldn''t have been in trouble if I just pointed these things out but you admitting it is bad, right? We were planning on going there regardless of if you helped us or not."


    "She can''t escape judgment anymore," someone whispered in fear.


    "Speaking against Kami is blasphemy!"


    "Judgment is coming!"


    Rosan stood over her with a neutral expression on his face.


    The sky above them began shuddering.


    "You called me the Kami of Death?" Rosan asked curiously, unmindful of the sky coming alive for the second time that day.


    Conis went still at how bright it was getting and everyone began to look up to see what the cause was.


    Rosan did not. He just continued to stare at the soon to be victim, not moving an inch.


    "You have to move away from me!" Conis begged.


    What was he doing? If he stayed close to her, then he was going to be caught in the attack!


    "I''m not a Shinigami anymore..." he said gently, ignoring her completely.


    The sky roared, as the clouds began shuddering with energy. The smell of ozone dominated the air and the screams of fear from the people could be heard.


    As if the very heavens themselves were angry, a giant blue beam surged to life and rushed towards the duo with intent to punish.


    With a thunderous CRASH, it slammed into the duo with crushing force, causing debris to begin flying everywhere.


    "R-ROSAN! CONIS!" Usopp and Sanji roared, eyes widening in horror as a cloud of dust formed from the wreckage.


    Robin felt her heart squeeze at the utterly massive beam and the very worried shouts of the liar and chef.


    "...I''m just a humble scout these days."


    As the dust settled, they all let out a sigh of relief, at the sight of Conis and Rosan standing under an elastic shield floating above them. It completely shielded them from the effects of the attack and neither had a hair out of place.


    The relief they felt, turned into shock as they took stock of the situation.


    The area that the two unscathed duo were standing on was completely unmarked but surrounding them was a crater.


    The area that was actually struck by the attack from Enel, was nowhere to be seen, leaving the two standing on just a makeshift pillar in the middle of nothing.


    The blonde was clutching the unfazed redhead like her life depended on it and she gazed at him like he were actually another Kami.


    What a disgusting look. Such blatant looks of worship... only people too weak to take control of their own lives used such things.


    He hated being looked at like this.


    Rosan transformed the rubbery shield back into his armband and secured it. With a spread of his wings, he floated over to his crew and released the girl.


    Conis did not even notice the death grip she had on him, until he poked her with an unimpressed look.


    "O-Oh! I''m sorry!" She gasped jumping away from the other Kami who casually saved her from Kami Enel''s attack.


    Rosan waved her off before grunting at the arms wrapping around his waist and the angry blue eyes looking up at him.


    "Don''t¡­ Don''t scare me like that," Robin said with a small frown. "You could have just moved out of the way but you didn''t and it¡­ got me worried. I thought something happened to you."


    She knew that wouldn''t hurt Rosan easily but¡­ but the genuine worry in Sanji and Usopp''s voice had gotten to her and a small part began wondering if it did hurt him.


    "She''s shaking," Rosan thought to himself, noticing the slight tremors in Robin''s body and feeling some guilt well up in him.


    It reminded him that Robin was just as desperate as he was to make sure nothing bad happened to the other. Enel''s strength was an unknown quantity but they knew he was formidable... so Robin would naturally worry for him.


    They didn''t want to lose each other again. Never again.


    So Rosan swallowed his argument about how he was going to be fine and just hugged her back and said, "Sorry, Robin. I''ll try and be more considerate to you."


    At the very least, until he got a gauge on Enel''s strength, he''d be more careful.


    Mod blinked in shock at that. Rosan¡­ apologized?! Without causing a fuss and genuinely meaning it?!


    W-Was her little boy still capable of growing?


    Robin just nodded her head and allowed the redhead to hug her close.


    "I... I know. You even seemed like you had it handled but I still couldn''t stop myself from being concerned."


    "That''s alright. I understand how you feel perfectly," he murmured.


    She understood she was being a bit¡­ irrational and even a bit hypocritical, considering Rosan didn''t even want her to fight Crocodile because she might get hurt but this was her best friend.


    Robin would never be able to not worry about Rosan because he was the first person to ever make her truly feel normal. The redhead was the only one on the planet to give her a semblance of a normal life and she cherished that.


    Rosan was strong. He was very strong and he''d only get stronger. But it didn''t matter how strong he got because he was still that same lovable redhead who made her day brighter just by existing.


    He could have no equal on the planet in terms of power and she''d still worry about him because it was her duty to care for the redhead with no self preservation.


    "And I appreciate that. You''re the best, Robin," Rosan murmured gently.


    "That''s why I want to protect you. You''re one of the only people who believes that and I appreciate it," she replied


    The two broke their embrace and Rosan hummed for a moment before turning towards the shaking Conis.


    "I really don''t feel like protecting you the whole time. I don''t know what you plan on doing to survive, but I hope you find an answer," he said bluntly, pulling the long sleeve of his cardigan back over his armband.


    Everyone fell at his statement and Robin tried to stifle a smile and failed.


    Conis was a little struck by how matter of factly he said that but it made sense that he wouldn''t want to protect her.


    "If I may?"


    Everyone looked up at the voice and saw that it was Gan Fall and Pierro. The old man was looking down at the redhead with an impressed look on his face


    "We haven''t met before because you were unconscious but I am¡ª"


    "Save it. My crew already told me about you and I don''t wanna hear about it again so tell me what your proposition is. Your Pegasus is insanely ugly by the way," Rosan interrupted rudely.


    He knew it was a good idea choosing Angel Wings over those of a Pegasus. The abomination before him was making him uncomfortable and he refused to share something with it.


    "Why is he like this?" Robin sweatdropped. The comment about his Pegasus was so unnecessary.


    "Do you always have to be so rude?!" Usopp cried comically. Why was he like this?! That comment about the Pegasus was so not needed.


    Gan Fall sweatdropped a bit at the rude redhead but it was to be expected from someone with forsaken wings. He idly pat the depressed Pierro and assured him that he was in fact not ugly.


    "I wanted to offer the girl refuge with me. Since you all are going to Upper Yard, her life would be in danger but she''ll be safe with me," the sky knight offered.


    "I don''t care. Do whatever you want," Rosan shrugged, picking up Conis, who squeaked at the sudden contact, and floating up to the old man.


    Without any hesitation, he deposited the blonde onto the horse and made his way back to Robin.


    Gan Fall secured the girl and turned back towards the pirates.


    "Now you know the true nature of this country and Kami''s power. What will you do now?" he asked curiously.


    "I don''t care about this country," Luffy said bluntly. "My friends are on the Kami''s land so we''re going to get them."


    Rosan shrugged. "He''s attacked me twice now so I suppose I''ll teach him a lesson."


    All the citizens gaped at the brazen redhead who didn''t seem to care that Enel was omniscient and realized that the one with the black wings really was an enemy to Kami''s reign.


    Gan Fall couldn''t hold his surprise at hearing the bold words come out of the redhead''s mouth and he regarded the man in curiosity, blinking even further at seeing the lack of electricity from the sky and realizing Enel was allowing him to say this freely.


    How odd. What was Enel planning?


    "I see¡­ May luck be with you."


    "I don''t need it," Rosan countered, stepping onto the ship and settling. With a small beckon of his hand, Robin made her way over and sat on the redhead''s lap, allowing him to adjust her as he saw fit.


    The other Straw Hats followed suit and Luffy grinned excitedly.


    "Alright! Let''s go to Upper Yard!" He bellowed, pressing on the pedal and moving the ship forward.

 A God and a Devil II

    "This ship is slow."


    "Well it can''t be helped, this boat is a lot heavier then the waver."


    "We can still turn back¡­"


    "Are you comfortable, Robin?"


    "I''m more then fine especially considering your blanketing me with these wings. Did you purposely make them this comfortable?"


    "No that''s just their natural texture. I never really thought about how they felt."


    Usopp perked up at that stark reminder.


    "Rosan¡­ I had no idea you were uh¡­ Reaper of all people," the liar said slowly, resisting the urge to shudder as all the stories he heard (and made) about the Shinigami came to the forefront.


    It was still insanely difficult to believe. When he was just a small kid, he remembered being scared to death after the villagers told him Reaper would come for him if he kept lying like that.


    The redhead nodded, idly twisting the single red strand of Robin''s hair.


    "I won''t go too into detail since I''d rather not repeat myself but yes, I''ve been Reaper since I was 9 years old. I retired when I was 14 due to killing someone very important. I''ll try and answer any questions when we all meet up again so remember them."


    Usopp nodded and realized that Sanji himself wasn''t surprised at all¡­


    Wait a minute¡­ he realized that he was the only one here surprised!


    Luffy and Robin made sense but¡­


    "Sanji, did you already know Rosan was Reaper?!" Usopp asked in confusion.


    Just how close were Rosan and Sanji actually?! He thought the cook was totally jealous of their scout!


    The blonde jumped a bit at the sudden question and he glanced over at the liar. "Yeah, I did. We met when I was younger and he told me at the Baratie."


    Usopp blinked at that before slamming a fist against his palm. "So that''s why you were avoiding him so much!"


    Sanji gaped at that before a blush of embarrassment made its way onto his face. "I WASN''T AVOIDING ANYONE. I WAS JUST THINKING! THINKING!"


    "Right¡­" Usopp drawled, still a bit taken aback by the fact that his scout was the Reaper.


    That was utterly insane! He remembered how both Ace and Sabo were monsters due to being the second in command of such dangerous people. Not to mention, Luffy wanted to be Pirate King which was a lofty goal in itself.


    All that left was Rosan who, while utterly dangerous, didn''t seem to be anything of note besides a really strong guy watching over his younger brother.


    Guess he was just as crazy as his brothers¡­ Rosan was the most famous bounty hunter alive! Everyone in the Blue Seas outside of the Grand Line knew about the Angel of Death! Hell, for the longest Usopp thought he wasn''t real until he saw that daunting 500 million body on his head.


    Wow, all of the brothers were pure monsters¡­ D-Didn''t Ace have a bounty of 650 million on his head? S-Sabo had one too but the World Government didn''t actually know his identity yet, just calling him Chief of Staff and giving him a 602 million bounty as well...


    The group sailed for a while until they came across a massive forest in the middle of the sea.


    It was a sight to behold. The trees were so tall, that they seemed to cast a shadow even from this far, blocking vision of the top completely and causing awed noises to exit Luffy and Usopp''s mouth.


    A forest¡­ Rosan quite liked forests.


    He did miss the days when his mindscape was one. It was so peaceful when he and Robin would lounge about, cuddling Mod-chan as they soaked in the nice weather.


    "Those days used to be so nice... now I can''t hold the both of you anymore because you''re both gigantic and now you hold me..." Mod pouted in displeasure.


    "You love it," Robin rolled her eyes. "I see how you smile when you''re resting on either Rosan or I. I think you enjoy being the shortest because you always find some reason to latch onto one of us."


    Mod gaped at being caught by the genius of a girl. "That''s not true! I''m just taking advantage of how tall you two have gotten! You both spent 4 years using me as a pillow you know?!"


    "Yes we know. That''s why we let you do it whenever you want," Robin retorted.


    "You always have the most content look on your face. I don''t have the heart to tell you no regardless," Rosan chimed in.


    "Auntie is too damn adorable. She''s resting on me right now," Ram sighed forlornly.


    "D-DON''T TELL THEM THAT!"


    The duo snorted in amusement.


    While they were in quite a nice forest. This one was a tad bit different from his mindscape.


    Case in point, Rosan''s forest didn''t try to kill people¡­ as far as he knew.


    As they entered the forest, the group noticed that the entrance was decorated with statues and torches of the "Vearth" thing the Skypieans worshiped.


    They sailed even further and encountered numerous broken down ships as well, clearly taken out by whatever inhabited these forests.


    "All these ships have been sliced clean in half¡­" A frightened Usopp noted as he observed each and every ship they sailed past.


    He was right. Every ship was cut nice and neat¡­ almost like...


    "We should probably sail faster. If we go to slow, we will be in trouble," Robin suggested.


    Sanji and Usopp wasted no time heeding her warning and grabbed the paddles to manually move the ship even faster.


    It was just in time too because a massive sickle came speeding towards where they just were and cut the wrecked ship behind them again, slicing the ship into another piece.


    "AHHHHHHHH! SAIL! SAIL!" Usopp squealed. His eyes bugged at the trap and then he realized that there were even more coming.


    Rosan''s gaze was alert and he immediately transformed Ram into a large shield to intercept anything that could potentially touch them.


    "Let''s get out of this area quick," he muttered, placing his right hand on the ship and concentrating.


    The ship suddenly rocketed forward due to the addition of a gust of wind being applied to it and they avoided the plethora of blades set up to decapitate them and their ship.


    "Since when can you control wind?" Sanji asked in confusion.


    Rosan, not wanting to reveal his cards to Enel, simply pointed at Ram and applied a light gust to the blonde.


    His eyes widened at that. "Ram-chan is incredible," he muttered.


    "Ram...chan?" The woman repeated, puzzled.


    Ew, gross. She didn''t have time for someone to be gushing over how hot she was.


    Leave that to Maro. Her best friend was utterly shameless. That damn Goblin was lucky she loved her... and legitimately only had eyes for Auntie Angel despite her severe perversion.


    The traps didn''t end there. The moment the swinging blades stopped, sharp wooden stakes began firing at them rapidly.


    Rosan had Robin replace his seat as he got up and transformed Ram into his double bladed curved sword, flying above the ship.


    They watched in awe as he began spinning his weapon rapidly, using it as a sort of deflector and the redhead began flying back and forth to intercept any stake that came close to their ship.


    He somehow managed to move quickly and lazily as he flexed his wings and flew in every direction to chop down every single stake that even glanced at their little boat.


    "So fast..." Robin muttered. This was her first time actually seeing him use Shinigami...


    From what she understood, it didn''t actually give him any power boost like Ragnarok did, but it made him far more aerodynamic then the dragon and faster as well, due to his wings being so much lighter.


    The angelic transformation also chilled his temperament from what she knew, whereas Ragnarok enhanced his aggression.


    It was fascinating to see the minute changes that the transformations gave Rosan. He mentioned not wanting to unlocking another one because the redhead didn''t like how they permanently changed some aspects of himself.


    Ragnarok especially, seemed to impart some of its draconic blood into the redhead. For some reason, the transformation was extremely compatible with his body, to the point where Rosan feared he may be partially a dragon now.


    The more Robin learned about Modification, the more questions she had. It really was such a fascinating fruit.


    Eventually, the ship made it through that part but the mayhem didn''t stop there.


    Multiple sky lamprey (that had no reason being this big) burst from the water and began charging after their ship, roaring in obvious hunger.


    "You sure know how to make guests feel welcomed," Rosan muttered.


    "IT NEVER ENDS!" Usopp sobbed.


    Rosan''s eyes lasered in on the giant fish and he transformed Ram into his gloves.


    His gloves were his favorite weapons to use. Not only did he get to punch people (who didn''t love punching someone in the face?), he could combine Germa''s power source with his style and it served as a good close and far ranged option.


    He counted 5 lamprey and they were zeroing in on the ship with intent to kill.


    That wouldn''t do.


    The group, sans Luffy, couldn''t help but balk as Rosan calmly formed two red orbs, condensed flames inside of them, in each hand. They were floating up and down and seemed to pulse with a thought, spinning around the redhead''s body like two planets until they went still at his sides, resting near his lax hands.


    The redhead hummed, deciding to test the breath dial''s abilities.


    "Seekers."


    Rosan lifted his left hand and pointed a finger at one of the lamprey.


    Without hesitation the red orb on his left side soared towards its enemy and crashed into it.


    There was no explosion. The head of the lamprey merely melted the moment the ball connected to it, searing the fish instantly.


    "What the fuck?" Sanji gaped. He knew Rosan''s use of Germa''s technology combined with Modification was incredible but what exactly was this technique?!


    Robin couldn''t help but nod along with his choice of words. "Rosan loves creating new techniques. Even I wasn''t aware he had something like this¡­"


    He probably just created it. He was so annoying.


    They watched in awe as the redhead pointed his right hand at another lamprey and the shuddering orb joined its sibling in dispatching another of the giant fishes.


    As they both remained stationary, the redhead held up both of his hands and like a judge finalizing his sentence, he slowly roved his fingers over each of the lamprey.


    The effects were immediate.


    The left seeker immediately charged after the fish that was in biting distance to their ship and the moment the lamprey opened its mouth, the red orb flew inside of it and cauterized its insides before exiting straight through its midsection.


    Due to the searing nature of the orb, there was no blood. The liquid had been vaporized instantly and the orb began buzzing with energy.


    The right seeker landed on the head of a lamprey and began rolling down its serpentine like body, melting every part it touched until it reached the creatures tail.


    The poor creature looked like it came straight out of a horror film, top half melting in places and others just gone.


    It let out a strangled high pitched roar-squeal before collapsing in the foamy white cloud sea.


    The two orbs began spinning around each other rapidly before converging on the final creature.


    Like two hungry piranhas they darted into the animal and began battering each inch of its body, not leaving a single exposed part free. The creature tried to roar but was unable to do so as the orb converged upon its exposed mouth, melting it instantly.


    They "feasted" on the fish until all that was left was bone and the seekers quickly flew back over to Rosan''s side, floating up and down by his red hair.


    He gazed at the final creature and nodded in satisfaction.


    "Not bad... it seems like the addition of the Breath Dial was seamless and they increased the temperature of my orbs by quite a bit... I''ll do more testing later..."


    With a flick of both hands, the orbs dissipated and he floated back down to the boat.


    "You are a monster," Usopp gaped in horror.


    The pure damage those two orbs managed to do, with Rosan as their conductor¡­ It was surreal just how strong their scout was and how he was hiding it under their nose.


    Just... how strong was he really? Usopp knew he was a monster in terms of strength... but what was the limit of his strength?


    "Aren''t we all monsters?" Rosan replied calmly, curling his wings against his back once more and promptly sitting on Robin''s lap without hesitation.


    The Devil Child let out a surprised noise at his actions and glared at the back of his head. "Rosan! You didn''t even warn me! You aren''t light, you know?"


    Having a 6''5 tower of muscle sit on you unexpectedly, was hard to prepare for. It was better the other way around¡­ or when he wasn''t this tall. He used to sit on her or Mod''s lap all the time when he was a tiny and cute kid.


    He was not tiny anymore.


    "Are you calling me fat again? I''m very healthy you know," Rosan retorted, adding more pressure to the woman and getting her to successfully protest.


    Finally, he relented and got up, swapping positions with the woman and patting her head as she sat on his lap again.


    "I hate you very much," Robin said bluntly. She made sure to accentuate her point by jamming a finger onto his exposed chest.


    "That might be the greatest lie I''ve ever heard come out of a person''s mouth," he responded, realizing that he still had his vacation outfit on.


    Should he change it?


    Robin shook her head at his questioning look. "Not yet. Let me enjoy my work a little more"


    He nodded at that. It would probably be ideal to change when he got in a serious battle but for now, he was fine.


    The group continued to sail, this time with no more interruptions and they finally seemed to reach the end of the first part of their journey.


    "Woah!" Luffy gasped.


    A giant statue of the idol that the Skypieans worshiped, loomed over them. It was relatively new in comparison to the forest around it, being kept in immaculate condition and there were four entrances that made up its lower half.


    "Swamp, Iron, String, Ball," Rosan muttered, eyes narrowing in contemplation.


    "These must be Kami''s Vassals," Robin concluded, gazing at each of the entrances with a curious gaze. "Which one should we go through? I believe we should avoid swamp."


    "Ball!" Luffy exclaimed eagerly, bouncing excitedly. "It sounds the most fun!"


    "It also sounds the most harmless so I agree with ball," Usopp nodded.


    "Robin-chan, which one do you want?" Sanji asked. Whatever she chose, he''d choose.


    The woman cocked her head at that.


    She mostly wanted to evade swamp on the off chance that it was a lake type area that heavily countered their Devil Fruits.


    When going in blind, things like Iron and String also didn''t sound ideal but Ball might have been deceptive¡­


    She''d still rather try her chances with that. Iron would be difficult for all but Rosan here if they needed to break it and string sounded like traps, which Luffy would suffer with.


    "Ball is fine," Robin nodded finally, satisfied with the decision. "What about you, Rosan?"


    The redhead let out a soft hum. "I liked your reasoning. I personally would have gone to Iron but we can go to Ball."


    Iron simply sounded like the most challenging. That''s why he would have chosen it.


    "Alright, we''re all in agreement then," the Devil Child smiled.


    "Awesome!" Luffy cheered.


    With that declaration, the rubber boy turned the ship into the entrance that read Ball and their dial ship vanished into it.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Where did Sabo go?!"


    Nami glanced around wildly. Guard, her ass! When did the revolutionary even leave?!


    The second half of the Straw Hats were currently on top of a sacrificial altar, along with the Going Merry, that stood high above the cloudy sea.


    "Dunno. He was here a minute ago," a soaked Zoro shrugged. After getting dragged here by the lobster, the blonde randomly disappeared and probably went deeper into this huge forest.


    He tried to go for a swim but it was crawling with those man eating fish and Zoro just finished taking one out.


    "He''s definitely Luffy and Rosan''s brother," Nami sighed in annoyance.


    The navigator held her head at the blonde''s antics and wondered how all 4 of the brothers managed to be so different, yet so similar.


    Even amnesia couldn''t hide it!


    "What should we do?" Chopper asked worriedly.


    The seas were teeming with monsters so if they tried to set sail, it''d be very bad for them.


    Not only that¡­


    "We can''t set sail. The hull''s been damaged," Zoro grunted. "Fix up the ship somehow, Chopper!" the swordsman requested.


    The reindeer perked up at that. "Me¡­? Sure! I can do that!"


    Nami''s eyes narrowed as she gazed at Zoro''s back. "And where do you think you''re going?"


    The swordsman shrugged on his new shirt, discarding the soaked one on the ship and glanced up at her. "I''m going to get into the forest somehow. Luffy and the others should be on their way now too."


    Nami felt a vein of annoyance forming and she leapt off the ship to land in front of him. "There''s no way we''re letting you go by yourself! What are you even going to do?"


    "Talk to Kami. I''d fight him but Rosan has dibs."


    She nodded her head before planting a punch on the swordsman''s skull. "WE''VE ALREADY GOTTA DEAL WITH ROSAN PISSING HIM OFF. WE DON''T NEED YOU DOING IT EITHER!" The navigator roared.


    Damn it all! This was all because of their damn redhead and his damn arrogance and his damn tendency to infuriate everyone in a 100 meter radius with his damn silver tongue.


    "You''re the one who made it worse when you crashed your bike into that one guy," Zoro shrugged, eyeing the forest in the distance.


    The navigator''s eye twitched at that. "Have you not heard anything I said?! You don''t wanna risk angering Kami and his priests! It''s common sense Zoro!"


    An insufferably cocky smirk made its way onto Zoro''s face as he turned to face her and she realized that he had been spending way too much time training with Rosan.


    "Sorry but¡­ I''ve never prayed to Kami even once," the swordsman informed them.


    Chopper''s eyes turned into stars. "SO COOL!" He squealed, looking at the swordsman in total awe.


    Nami held her head and just prepared to head back in the ship.


    "You should go with him, Master Nami," Clima chimed.


    Nami paused and scowled at her weapon. "Why would I do that? I have no interest in pissing Kami off more then he probably is."


    "Think about all the treasure these ruins have. You can''t let Master Rosan out thief you."


    "Zoro! I''m coming with you!" Nami suddenly barked.


    Both Chopper and Zoro''s confusion only lasted a split second until they saw the beri signs that replaced her eyes and immediately understood.


    The swordsman shrugged and just grabbed onto a vine.


    He coughed a bit into a fist and said, "One, two¡­"


    "AAAH-AAH-UH-AAH-UH-AAAH!" The swordsman yelled as he swung through the air and landed on the forest ground.


    "Dumbass," Nami sighed, tentatively gripping onto a vine.


    She nervously glanced at the massive distance Zoro crossed and took a deep breath.


    Could she really do this¡ª


    "Take about three steps to the left and then go. Hold on tightly and don''t look down either."


    Nami blinked at that before following Clima''s instructions. With another deep breath, the navigator soared through the air with her eyes shut tight until she landed perfectly on the ground.


    She didn''t even notice she was done, until her instinctive screaming stopped.


    "Nice," Zoro praised. "Your yell could use some work but it wasn''t bad."


    "Shut the hell up," Nami grunted, clutching her beating heart.


    She hated to admit it¡­ but Nami was very glad that Rosan added Clima to her weapon. Besides the fact that he was an annoying smart ass¡ª


    "I take mild offense to that."


    ¡ªHe was incredibly useful. Over and over again, the AI assisted her where she didn''t know and it was a massive boon.


    Mod-chan must have been the same with Rosan. It was no wonder he saw no problem giving her an AI when he had one like her.


    "I''m not even comparable to Master Mod but to hear such praise! You really are such a flatterer Master Nami!" Clima preened.


    Nami smiled before turning towards the Going Merry. "KEEP GUARD OF THE SHIP, CHOPPER!" She yelled to the reindeer.


    "WE''LL BE RIGHT BACK!" Zoro waved.


    Chopper nodded and waved back. "Leave it to me! Be careful!"


    The reindeer hummed a jaunty tune as he prepared to fix up the ship and he dutifully began getting the needed supplies.


    They were all so brave! He didn''t think he''d be able to take that vine over to the other side!


    That was okay though. They were all around each other so they''d be pretty¡­ safe¡­


    Wait a minute¡­


    They¡­ They were¡­ All with¡­ each¡­ other.


    His jaw dropped as he realized that he was all by his lonesome.


    "I''M IN MORE DANGER THEN THEY ARE!" Chopper squealed in distress.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "I probably should have told them I wanted to check something out," Sabo thought to himself.


    He also assured the crew that he''d watch over them and make sure they didn''t die either...


    While being escorted to wherever they were going by that express crab thing, Sabo''s curiosity got the best of him and he, in a dreadfully familiar move to his revolutionary allies, left to go explore.


    His exploration didn''t come without discoveries though!


    The blonde gazed up at the giant beanstalk with a thoughtful expression.


    Should he climb it? That sounded fun¡­


    No, not yet. He should go make sure the three Straw Hats were fine. They could be in danger and it''d be his fault if something bad happened to them when he could have stopped it.


    Mind made, the blonde turned away from the beanstalk and walked off to go find the crew, choosing to ignore the presence of lighting all the way up there.


    If Rosan said he had dibs, he had dibs. He had properly gauged the person who felt like Kami''s strength and Sabo realized if things went south, he''d be able to pretty easily deal with him as well.


    He was certainly strong, but nothing Sabo couldn''t handle. He''d seen far stronger so he''d just take a backseat again unless he was needed.


    Now he should go find the ship...


    Sabo blinked.


    Chopper was with an unknown person? Was it one of the Kami''s people?


    Oh that wasn''t very good.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Sky Island, is scary¡­" Usopp wheezed, eyes transforming into swirls.


    "That was fun, I thought I was gonna die!" Luffy laughed.


    The rubber boy completely ignored Sanji kicking his head. "IT''S YOUR FAULT FOR PUTTING SUCH IDEAS IN OUR HEAD!"


    "I can fly by the way so you guys wouldn''t have died," Rosan chimed in. His hand was currently wrapped around a slightly surprised Robin''s waist to keep her secure.


    "That¡­ was unexpected," she admitted, not realizing the death grip she had on Rosan''s arm until a few seconds later and releasing him.


    After entering the door titled "Ball" the Straw Hats sailed through a pitch dark room for what seemed to be a while.


    Naturally, Usopp got paranoid and began to panic which prompted Luffy to say, "What if we chose the wrong door and we''re about to be dropped out of Sky Island?"


    "The drop would break every bone in our bodies. It wouldn''t take long for Sea Kings to rip us to shreds," Robin supplied.


    "I wonder if I''d serve as an endless meal for them with my regeneration?" Rosan muttered.


    "D-DON''T SAY SUCH SCARY THINGS!" Usopp shrieked at the two. What was wrong with them?!


    "Relax¡­ I won''t let Robin-chan die," Sanji assured.


    "HOW WILL YOU DO THAT?!" The liar roared.


    They were all treating this too relaxed! W-What if they really did choose the wrong option and were about to die!


    No¡­ they were all just joking.


    Yeah! That was it! They were just jokin¡ª


    Dark suddenly made way for light, as the ship floated off the sea into midair.


    It took no longer then a second, for the Straw Hats to realize what was going on.


    Luffy, Sanji and Usopp''s eyes bugged in horror while Robin''s eyes simply went wide and Rosan flexed his wings.


    "Oh dear," Robin said for all of them. The woman idly clutched onto Rosan, which prompted him to tighten his hold on her reassuringly.


    Then the ship fell.


    "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The first three howled as their heart dropped to their asses.


    On the off chance that they were actually falling to their doom, Rosan would obviously save them but it would take a while to fall out of Skypiea and the fall distance didn''t turn lethal just yet so he''d see where it went.


    Of everyone on the ship, he was the only one unfazed because drops like this were nothing to him. He used to love dive bombing his enemies so steep, sudden drops didn''t bother him much.


    Still¡­ even Robin was caught by surprise by the drop and it made him snort.


    They couldn''t handle a little drop? Perhaps flying had spoiled him too much.


    "WE''RE GONNA DIE!" Usopp wailed as the ship kept falling at tremendous speeds.


    This was it! This was the end! He never even got to become a brave warrior of the sea! Damn it all¡ª


    SPLASH!


    The ship suddenly landed back on a milky cloud and they all let out gasps from the impact that shook their bones.


    "We''re alive," Rosan remarked calmly, even choosing to clap the hands still wrapped around Robin.


    "S-Scary," a comatose Usopp muttered. His mouth was foaming from the fear and he was practically dead to the world as the ship merrily sailed forward, not at all fazed by the steep drop.


    "I really thought we were going to die." Sanji didn''t even realize he bit his cigarette in half from that heart dropping moment. He couldn''t even feel his legs right now!


    "Let''s do that again!" Luffy cackled.


    "I don''t ever wanna do that again," Usopp groaned, blearily opening his eyes to gaze upon the scenery.


    The ship sailed through the milky road like it did not just take the fall of its life and the crew took note of a very interesting detail about the area they were in.


    Everywhere they looked, white balls floated through the air languidly. They dotted the entirety of the forest that they could see and it filled them with a boundless curiosity.


    "Are these balls made of island clouds?" Robin muttered in curiosity, gazing all around.


    How strange¡­ especially considering the fact that Upper Yard itself didn''t look to be made of Island Clouds.


    No, the holy land of Kami looked just like a normal forest in the Blue Seas.


    "It is a bit curious. At a glance, I wouldn''t think this Upper Yard is made of Island Clouds itself and maybe it isn''t," Rosan remarked, gazing at a white ball.


    Holding out his left hand, he had Ram transform into gloves and shot a weak blast of energy at one of the balls.


    Everyone watched curiously as it connected to the ball and a bouquet of flowers burst out of the ball.


    "Interesting," the redhead said. A ball filled with flowers in an ordeal called the ordeal of balls.


    If he was right¡­


    Luffy''s eyes turned into stars and he quickly launched one of the white balls to Usopp with a, "Catch!"


    Usopp grinned excitedly and prepared to launch it back¡ª


    "I wouldn''t touch that if I were you," Rosan advised.


    ¡ªOnly for a large explosion to take place, courtesy of the ball.


    "Thank you, Rosan," an unharmed Robin said as the black wings covering her, went back to lying dormant on the redheads back.


    The singed scout nodded, unfazed by the explosion that took place and making sure his wings still looked good.


    "The balls are booby trapped," Rosan told them helpfully, wiping some soot off his face and grasping his hair. With a quick dose of Modification, the burn marks were gone and the front part of his spikes looked as good as new.


    A fried Sanji, Luffy and Usopp stared dumbly at the spot the ball just exploded.


    "Good to know," they said at the same time.


    "Ho, ho hoooo! Enjoying my surprise balls?"


    "Hm?" All five glanced up at the source of the voice in confusion.


    It was a round shaped man with fair skin and long, dark red hair that was a darker shade then Rosan''s own. He wore a white, full body jumpsuit that had a vertical line of golden rings from front to back.


    To finish his peculiar appearance, he had an orange hat, gloves, shoes, and large, yellow sunglasses that hid his eyes.


    "Heso! Thank you for choosing my Ball Ordeal. I''m one of Kami''s vassals, Satori," the strange man, Satori, greeted.


    Sanji sweatdropped. "Who is this dumpling freak?"


    "A ball given life," Rosan replied calmly, holding out a hand. He had never been one for wasting time.


    Satori continued to grin as he calmly said, "A red laser to the head," and calmly moved out of the way.


    Not even a second later, a red beam, courtesy of Rosan, flew to the spot where Satori had been. It would have perfectly pierced his skull and ended his life if he were there.


    "Ho, ho hooo, the Forsaken One! I''m glad to meet you!" Satori laughed, gazing at the neutral faced Rosan. He looked completely unfazed by the fact that he was seconds away from dying.


    Rosan raised a brow at that.


    This strange ball posing as a human, just accurately called out his attack before he even shot it.


    "How did you do that? You correctly predicted my attack." The redhead asked curiously.


    Did this ball given life really have Observation Haki? If he feigned ignorance, perhaps this priest, in his arrogance, would divulge information he should really keep to himself.


    His enemies loved doing that. It was a wonder. They were so proud of their abilities, that they had no problem explaining it to someone attempting to kill them. It must have been the same person who taught pirates all the same quotes, teaching them it was fine to share everything about themselves...


    Everyone truly was stupid. It was painfully easy sometimes to get information out of a person.


    "Ho, ho hoooo! Of course the Deviant wouldn''t know about Mantra. After all, he who is not faithful, is not enlightened," Satori hummed.


    "So they call their Haki, Mantra¡­" Rosan mused. That wasn''t too hard to believe. Skypiea clearly had a different culture. He wondered if Mantra referred to both Armament and Observation...


    It sounded like all of the priests had it and if the priests had it¡­ Enel probably did too...


    Wait a minute... was that how Enel was able to snipe them from afar? Just what was the range of his Observation Haki? Rosan normally wouldn''t be concerned about a detail like that... but not only could Enel seemingly use his to listen into conversations... He could feel them when they were on Angel Island and Sabo couldn''t feel him back.


    That was not good. The Kami already probably wielded one of the most powerful Logia''s and now he had another means to dodge attacks as well? Not to mention he seemed to have some variation of Observation that may have surpassed his incredibly strong younger brother in range at least.


    This would be harder then he thought.


    Without warning, the human balloon charged after them.


    Luffy tensed up and began winding up for an attack.


    "Gomu Gomu no¡ª"


    "Oh, you''re gonna stretch?" Satori mused.


    "Pistol¡ª huh?" The rubber boy shouted in confusion. He threw out his fist and watched as the round man moved out of the way before the attack even flew.


    The priest got in Luffy''s guard and aimed an open palm at him, laughing all the while.


    "Ayeeeeeeeeeee!" The vassal of Kami sang.


    Luffy''s eyes rolled back momentarily as he was flung from the ship and rocketed towards the ground until he slammed into a tree.


    "LUFFY?!" Sanji yelled in confusion. A simple palm slap managed to hurt him?


    "A simple hit like that managed to affect you?!" Usopp balked.


    "Armament too?" Robin thought. "No¡­ that reminded me of your Retribution technique."


    Rosan, who also thought it was armament at a glance, nodded along. The priests gloves were steaming right about now so there must have been something at play there.


    "Bastard!" Sanji growled. "Collier!"


    "An upper kick with your right foot."


    "H-Huh?" The chef balked in confusion. His movement got predicted?!


    Satori spun out of the way and placed his open palm near Sanji''s exposed side, using the same attack he used on Luffy and sending the chef flying right next to his captain.


    "It''s a little more then a simple hit," the priest chimed, appearing behind Usopp.


    "IMPACT!"


    Usopp coughed up blood as he was sent flying from the move and Satori turned to face the final two.


    "The shock destroys the body from the inside!" He finished aiming the open palm at the duo.


    Rosan flexed his wing and flew off the ship with Robin in tow to avoid the same thing happening to them.


    Satori looked very surprised at that.


    "You can fly¡­?!" He muttered in shock. His wings were certainly bigger then the normal Skypiean but they couldn''t actually be used for flight!


    This one...


    "Perks of being forsaken," Rosan replied calmly. The redhead turned towards his crew and said, "He has observation."


    Luffy''s eyes lit up at that and he wiped the slight blood from his mouth. "So that''s how he did it!"


    Satori had no idea what they were talking about and he didn''t let the fact that the heathen could fly throw him off.


    Recovering quickly, the priest said, "Welcome to the forest of no return, survival rate 10%!"


    The priest pressed onto the ship and activated its engine, making it sail without any of its inhabitants.


    "Our ship!" Usopp balked, watching it move further and further away from them.


    "Ho, ho hoooo! You''re challenge is to find your ship and board it before exiting this forest and of course, you''ll have to defeat me while avoiding the surprise balls!" The priest finished.


    His challenge, while not the most difficult, was nearly impossible to complete and the Forsaken One would learn that here and ¡ª


    "Arms sprouting on my body?!" Satori said in shock. How was he supposed to dodge that¡ª


    A plethora of arms appeared on the round man''s body and completely immobilized him. Even if he knew what was about to happen, there was no way to dodge an attack like this.


    Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    Satori''s eyes went wide as the Shinigami began flying towards him in breakneck speed. Next to him, the Devil''s consort had her arms crossed as she gazed at him.


    He tried to move his arms unsuccessfully, finding that they were being tightly gripped by the woman''s deceptive strength.


    Rosan reached him in no time at all and grabbed Satori''s arm. Without hesitation, he yanked the glove off and the priest watched in disbelief, as it dissolved into a ring.


    "Ah, a dial," the redhead hummed as Ram informed him of what it did.


    This was good. The ability to absorb impact and blunt force to then store it¡­ this would be fantastic for increasing his up close defensive capabilities.


    If he could eventually learn observation, he could just permanently punish a person for trying to hit him by absorbing the impact.


    But the best part?


    Satori''s eyes widened in fear as his Mantra alerted him to the upcoming attack.


    Somehow, the heathen managed to absorb the impact dial and assimilate it''s abilities into his own repertoire¡ª


    His eyes rolled to the back of his head as Rosan placed a palm near him and allowed the dial''s ability to activate.


    Rosan hummed as he watched the balloon man soar away from the impact of his blow.


    He could use the stored energy as a means of attack as well. The more he stored, the more powerful it would become and since it was assimilated in his gloves¡­ it would be infinitely more useful then the item in its base form.


    "It''s great! We can use the defensive features of this dial to supplement our offense," Ram grinned violently.


    "It makes Ram all the more effective, if you use this dial feature on all of your weapons, even simple clashes will end up benefiting you and one of your attacks could affect both the person''s insides and outsides," Mod muttered, brain wracking with potential applications of such a useful dial.


    He wanted more of this type of dial. This was incredibly useful and he could even use it for Nami and Usopp as well.


    But other then that...


    "Guys, this ordeal is the perfect opportunity to try to learn and hone our own observation," Rosan called out to them.


    He signaled all the floating balls around them and Robin quickly caught on.


    "Real combat helps awaken your Haki easier and with all these floating balls¡­ it would be dire if we got hit by too many," the Devil Child accurately pointed out.


    Luffy grinned eagerly at that. "Alright! That''s super smart!"


    Sanji thought about it and nodded. "I hope Robin-chan unlocks it first, I don''t wanna see her get hurt¡­"


    Usopp balked at them all. "G-Guys we could die here! Should we really count this as training?!"


    "Of course. 5 on 1 is unfair against him so we might as well make it beneficial for us," Rosan said. "Don''t be so afraid, if you really don''t wanna die, you''ll unlock yours."


    The sniper squeaked.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Satori slowly pulled himself from the tree he was embedded in and began coughing, wiping the blood from his mouth and glaring into the distance.


    It was in line for the Devil to be so greedy so he wasn''t surprised that an absorbing ability was one he had¡­ But he didn''t expect him to be able to amplify the power of the impact dial.


    Not only that, his consort had a perfect counter to Mantra.


    It didn''t matter if he could predict what she was going to do¡­ if she could just activate the ability on his person.


    Of course the heathen had his own follower with an ability that countered their faithfulness to Kami.


    Another Kami¡­ how ridiculous. Enel was the only Kami in existence and this one was just pretending to be one. He was Forsaken. A Fallen Angel.


    A Devil.


    A small shiver ran through his body as a stray thought entered his mind.


    "How is a mere priest supposed to deal with the enemy of Kami?"


    He banished that thought immediately and glared in the distance he had been launched from.


    As priest, it was his job to purge demons like the Forsaken One and that''s what he would do.


    Satori quickly landed on one of his balls and had it fly over to where the 5 criminals were last at.


    Wiping his doubts, he plastered another large grin on his face and appeared before them.


    What he saw, nearly made him lose his cool.


    All 5 of the criminals had blindfolds on, completely obscuring their vision as they slowly but surely checked their surroundings.


    "W-What if we fall and die? How will we keep track of the ship?!" Usopp muttered.


    "My birds on the ship currently. We just need to focus on not crashing into any trees or balls," Rosan replied.


    "You always manage to drag us into the most reckless of things," Robin sighed. "Don''t worry about me too much and back out if I take a bit of damage."


    "No promises," Rosan and Sanji said at the same time.


    Luffy laughed jumping up and down. "This is fun! First to unlock it gets to beat the balloon!"


    "Sounds good to me," the redhead responded, cutting his connection to the bird.


    Satori gaped at their sheer audacity. "T-THIS ISN''T SOME TYPE OF GAME FOR YOU! Y-YOU''LL BE LEFT HERE FOREVER IF YOU FAIL AND YOU''LL DIE!" He roared at the group.


    "I feel bad for you. Sacrificed to the Devil by your Kami," Rosan remarked idly. "Surely you don''t think a mere priest stands a chance against the Shinigami, right?"


    Satori grit his teeth. He''d make them regret treating him lightly. He''d show that Devil exactly what he was up against!


    "I''ll show you why this ordeal only has a 10% survival then!" He swore.


    Rosan hummed softly, gazing at where he heard the idiot''s voice.


    "I''ll show you that your chances of survival are 0%."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Memory Viewing With Robin and Rosan - 5 (Covers Chapter 18)


    Continued!


    Italics = Memory talking mostly.


    Takes place before landing on Alabasta.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Tired?" Rosan asked gently, carrying the exhausted Robin on his back.


    "Your training is absurd... everyone of my limbs are crying," Robin muttered, frowning at all the sweat she was dropping on him. "You don''t have to carry me, you''re getting so much sweat on you."


    The redhead shot her an unimpressed look. "Didn''t you refuse to put me down while I was sick and complaining about the same thing? We''re about to shower anyways then we''ll continue the memories."


    She resisted the urge to yawn but knew Rosan caught it anyways.


    "I''ll wash you and then give you a massage. Relax some, I''ll take care of you," he declared, leaving no room for argument.


    Robin knew there was no protesting against the mother bear named Rosan so she didn''t bother and just sagged into his frame.


    "I do like your massages. I don''t understand how your skin is so unblemished after all the years of training but your hands are so soft," she muttered.


    She imagined it was a combination of Modification and the Philosopher''s Stone, keeping his body in perfect condition at all times. Modification kept him in top shape, while the Philosopher''s Stone kept it free of injuries and scarring.


    "Many people enjoy them. Angel learned from me after she saw how much Maro enjoyed them after I trained her," he commented, entering the bathroom and running the bath immediately.


    Robin let out a sigh as it began heating up immediately, allowing the redhead to remove their clothing before he gently placed her in the fantastic water that released the tension from her body as soon as it touched her.


    "We need to restock on bathroom essentials soon... I''m almost out of shampoo," Rosan muttered, brows furrowed abit.


    Robin lazily glanced back at him. "You know... for someone with Modification, you sure are meticulous when it comes to your hair."


    He nodded without hesitation and entered the hot water, taking his hair out of its bun and letting it fall free. The spikes went a bit above his back now and Robin vowed to cut it one of these days.


    "I can''t allow Modification to make me too lazy and I like working on my hair," he muttered, running a hand through the free spikes with a look of contemplation.


    He grunted as a pair of arms sprouted and began lathering up his hair and glared slightly at Robin.


    "I told you to rest up. You''re exhausted," he grunted, grabbing the soap and beginning the process of cleaning her.


    "I won''t die... besides, it will just make it feel better when my head hits the pillow," Robin retorted, making sure to get all of his hair lest he complain.


    Rosan hummed, moving swiftly and efficiently across her body, before he began lathering up her hair as well.


    "Do you want to skip memories for tonight and get some actual sleep? We can continue another day," he offered. As he asked, he modified the terrain and began pouring the water over her body.


    Robin let out a sigh as the tension melted out of her. "There''s not a chance I''ll miss out a day of watching your memories. I love these and after you left it off at that? I''ll just rest on you," she replied.


    As she spoke, she grabbed a bucket and poured it over his body as well, cleaning him off.


    At once the duo got out of the bath, fully cleaned.


    He sighed fondly and began drying the both of them off, utilizing his flames to do so before beckoning her with his hands. "Alright. You can use me then."


    Robin mustered up the little energy she had to outstretch her arms and allowed him to dress her, resisting the lull of sleep so that she could continue speaking to him.


    Rosan hoisted her up and easily placed her on his back, watching as she sunk her face into his slightly damp hair with amusement.


    They walked in silence, Rosan feeling his best friend fall more and more into sleep and enjoying her quite breaths on his neck.


    "You know, you''re the only person who''s seen me naked and you hardly ever react," Robin murmured suddenly.


    Rosan raised a brow at her sleepy sentence and decided the tiredness was making her a tad delirious.


    "Would you like me to tell you what I think then?" He asked, choosing to entertain her. "I wouldn''t want to make our bathing uncomfortable for you, so I respect your boundaries to the best of my abilities."


    That was so adorable.


    "You''re not a pervert so I wouldn''t mind anyways... Actually, yes tell me what you think. I''m curious about what the great Rosan has to say," she nodded.


    "...Are you saying this because you''re tired? We''re almost to the room," he replied, slightly confused.


    Robin already knew he thought she was beautiful. Did she seriously want to know what he thought of her body? Didn''t girls typically get offended by things like that?


    He wasn''t sure... that''s what Akemi had told Maro at least.


    "I won''t get offended if it''s you," she replied simply. "I''m the one asking now, so feel free."


    "Yeah, do it Father!" Ram chimed happily, greedy gleam in her eyes.


    Mod rolled her eyes and said nothing.


    Rosan hummed and also rolled his eyes.


    This really just sounded like Robin wanted him to stroke her ego. Surely she already knew what he was going to say.


    Did she just want an excuse to call him a pervert?


    "You have an amazing figure. No matter what outfit you wear, it''s noticeable and makes you look good in all situations," he said calmly. "It''s one people would probably stare at for as long as possible until you eventually decided to break their bones. Your long limbs look very good on you, especially your legs and I think your nose is really cute too. All in all, you are easily one of the most beautiful people I''ve met and if you were interested in dating, you''d probably be able to get a boyfriend... or girlfriend by the end of the hour."


    Mod blinked, jaw dropping at his words.


    Ram blinked, mouth splitting into a feral grin.


    Robin was stunned silent at his words, before a tiny blush appeared on her face and she smiled.


    "I think I got more then I bargained for asking for that question," she muttered happily.


    The redhead snorted at her tone. "You liked what I had to say? I''m glad... I didn''t want you to ban me from bathing with you."


    Robin giggled at that. "You are such a kid..."


    Then her expression turned thoughtful. "Boyfriend or girlfriend... you know, I never thought of dating a girl. I would have loved to date Meiko," she pondered.


    Rosan''s brow shot up high at that. "Excuse me? You''d try and take Meiko from me? Are you sure you should be saying that in front of me?"


    Robin shrugged. "We could have shared her, I wouldn''t mind."


    The redhead''s expression turned thoughtful. "Meiko would die of embarrassment if she had to date us both... I''d be down. Only because I love you though... if anyone else suggested that, you''d be dead."


    Mod held her head at that. How in the world did these two not understand the blatant flirting going on between them? Was this a prank.


    They were so stupid... How in world were they so smart?


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan modified the theater seats into a cushiony bed and immediately dragged Ram off of it as she began jumping up and down.


    Robin rolled her eyes as his overprotective streak once more came roaring out and glanced at the changed room with exasperation.


    After properly chastising Ram about the importance of not jumping on beds people planned on laying on.


    "Sorry, Father," Ram mumbled, holding her head at her mistakes.


    "Don''t be so harsh to her, she''s just excited," Robin chastised, patting Ram on the head and getting the ring to shoot her an adoring look.


    Mod sighed. "Great, now she has two people spoiling her and leaving the problem with me," she said in complete monotone.


    Rosan rolled his eyes and climbed the bed. "You know you can just say the word and I''ll let you come into real world while I watch over Ram but you never do. You always act like such a tsundere, Mod-chan."


    Ram beamed, urging Robin to climb next to Rosan so that the ring could climb next to her.


    "Rosan, do you go out of your way to raise my blood pressure?" Mod asked calmly, clambering next to him with a deadpan expression.


    "Sometimes. I find it fun," he admitted shamelessly, waving his hand and starting the memory.


    "I wonder where I went wrong raising you..." she sighed as she tucked herself into his frame and got comfortable.


    Robin nearly laughed at that, as she herself also got comfortable. Despite her words, Mod''s actions were the complete opposite.


    She wouldn''t comment on it and instead, focused on the memory playing itself.


    It started off simple enough. News of Reaper''s bounty reached the entire world and Rosan himself had gone to pick up Aiko and Akemi, before bringing them over to Celadon so they could all interrogate him.


    The utter nonchalance, on the triplets face as Rosan discussed retiring Reaper without a care in the world, was quite funny when compared to the other three''s shell-shocked reactions.


    After discussing that and helping Maro out with renovating Celadon, the redhead once more departed to go find his little brother.


    Robin was pleased to see that he really had been putting in an effort to track out Ace''s whereabouts and had no intention of running away this time around.


    "So not even your plan to meet Ace evoked anything out of you?" She asked, as the redhead sprouted his draconic wings and began flying.


    Rosan shook his head. "I didn''t feel a thing... it''s probably why I was able to calmly come to the decision to finally visit him... The castle is confusing. I don''t understand it much myself," he said.


    She frowned at that. The castle was odd. Even after losing a chain, Rosan''s emotions were only slightly out. He was largely still the same neutral person as before but he flared up far more.


    Just how did it work? Not to mention, the virus...


    They''d figure it out once they got there.


    Young Rosan, swiftly reached the Calm Belt and soared over it into the East Blue, not encountering a single Sea King due to not sailing.


    The teen paused for a bit, recalling the map he had inspected and nodded to himself, turning to a direction and rocketing off. As he flew, he steadily rose higher and higher until he disappeared into the clouds so as to avoid eyes.


    "You''ve never actually travelled alone, have you?" Robin muttered in realization.


    Rosan tilted his head. "The only time was right before I met you. After escaping Daybreak I immediately made Angel and Demon and had Meiko too. This is the first time in a long time and even then, it didn''t last very long..."


    The Devil Child smiled at that. Seems he met Luffy rather quickly...


    And quickly he did.


    Once he flew a certain distance, Young Rosan flew back to sea level and summoned the White Rose, before modifying it''s color scheme to fit Ram''s palette instead of Mod''s.


    He then closed his eyes and ran through every scenario he could, about what he could say to Ace to explain himself.


    Due to the immense speeds he flew at before choosing to dock the ship, it didn''t take him long at all to reach the island. The only reason he had summoned the ship in the first place was to restore his slightly reduced energy.


    Robin watched him pocket the damaged ship, do a round around the island and then land in a forest right outside of an unassuming village, seamlessly transforming his black cloak into civilian attire.


    "Who''s that guy?" Someone whispered.


    "I dunno... a noble?" Another replied.


    "Whoever he is... he''s really cute!"


    "Look at his face though! He might kill you for talking to him!"


    The Young Rosan heard all the whispers but didn''t acknowledge a single one, heading to a bar to gather information instead.


    "You are very good at pretending like you can''t hear people," Robin praised. His neutral expression did wonders to make him seem like he wasn''t paying attention to anything.


    "It''s a useful skill. Allows me to listen into conversations easier as well," Rosan replied as his younger self approached the familiar bar.


    Robin sighed at how Rosan seemed to always attract trouble. As soon as he lands, he''s already entering a bar where a group of bandits are causing trouble ¡ª


    "Red Haired Shanks!" She gasped in shock, looking at the far younger visage of the Emperor of the Sea.


    He was currently doused in alcohol due to letting the mountain bandit bully him but he was unmistakable.


    Currently, he was watching Rosan intimidate the leader of the mountain bandits with a calculating gaze, not recognizing the redhead before him at all.


    Rosan grunted. "That annoying redhead. Why Luffy chose him as an idol? I will never know."


    Robin nodded in realization, noticing the very familiar Straw Hat on the man''s head.


    "Not a fan of Red Hair?" She asked with a small smile, watching the redhead take a seat right next to a very familiar little boy.


    He was much tinier, but his hair was the exact same smile and he was also dangerously... dangerously adorable.


    Ah, little Luffy was way too cute!


    Currently, Young Rosan was watching the little boy scarf down a Devil Fruit without any hesitation, content to not stop him at all and just wait for the realization to set in... All while he waited for the bartender to finally get to his order.


    "...You just watched Luffy consume a Devil Fruit? And then didn''t think to mention it at all?" Robin asked with a raised brow. "What if they never discovered his ability and he drowned?"


    Rosan shrugged. "I didn''t care at all for some random little kid whose name I didn''t even know. If he drowned... Natural Selection," he retorted.


    Robin sweatdropped. He was unbelievable.


    "You know, Rosan you haven''t spoken to Makino since setting sail. Don''t you think that would make her feel a little bad?" Mod asked curiously, watching him guilt trip the bartender with his cold words and gaze.


    Rosan tilted his head. "I gave her Maro and Angel''s number though... wouldn''t she rather talk to them? I''m not a very interesting person to talk to and we don''t have business with each other, so I didn''t see the point."


    The Devil Fruit rolled her eyes. "But she''s your friend. Calls don''t only have to be about business. She probably misses you and she told you multiple times she enjoys your company."


    Mod pointedly ignored the death stare Ram was giving her. It was a legitimate question!


    "...Ah I haven''t thought of it like that," he muttered.


    Robin raised a brow. "You and the bartender are acquainted?" She asked curiously.


    Ram felt many warning signs blaring in her head at that question.


    The redhead nodded his head. "Her name is Makino. She was Luffy''s guardian for quite a while and she''s my... friend," he said slowly, testing the word on his lip before nodding. "Whenever I wasn''t watching over Luffy and Ace, I spent time with her."


    The Devil Child nodded at that. "You don''t sound to sure about her being your friend."


    His brows furrowed. "She is a good friend but it''s just... she''s a civilian and I naturally keep them at a respectable distance. She lives a sheltered and relatively peaceful life and I see no point in disrupting that with my hectic life. Let her enjoy her civilian lifestyle."


    Ram let out a sigh of relief at his response.


    Robin hummed at that, yawning slightly as Rosan''s body heat washed over her in the cool room. She idly tucked deeper into him and he wrapped an arm around.


    "So she''s too normal is what you''re saying," she muttered in amusement.


    He snorted. "Yeah you could say that. Though, if she really does miss talking to me, I can find a way to contact her again."


    Robin smiled at that, amusement dancing in her eyes as she watched Luffy gain an interest in Rosan after hearing him mention his age.


    "I''m Monkey D. Luffy! Wanna be my friend?!"


    "I''m not a person worth being friends with, so I think I''ll pass."


    "Eh? No way. Be my friend."


    "...Okay."


    Robin sweatdropped at the same time everyone else faceplanted. She was unable to keep the smile off her face, at seeing the beaming Luffy glance up at the dead face of Rosan.


    "So the terrorist duo of Luffy and Rosan... began because you were so compliant?" She asked with a bit of disbelief.


    "You saw my memories. I hardly said no to anyone," he shrugged. "I thought he was just another dumb kid who''d eventually see why getting to know me is a bad idea... but he wasn''t. Besides, Mod-chan liked him so I mostly accepted because of her."


    Mod beamed at that. "Mother knows best! Me influencing you has done us all so well!"


    The redhead sighed at that and nodded. "But if I had my emotions, I don''t think I''d have accepted in a million years. Luffy has a magnetic pull, but I''d never normally let anyone lead me. Even now I hardly listen to him."


    That was true. Robin knew firsthand how difficult it was to get Rosan to do something. As a child, if he thought his plan was better then yours (which he did 90% of the time) he''d ignore what you told him and go for broke.


    It was only his unconditional respect for Robin and Mod that let them somewhat control the wild card. In hindsight, Luffy was the perfect captain for him because he wouldn''t really try to tell Rosan to do anything.


    The little rubber boy dragged Rosan everywhere, trying and failing to explain many little things about their little village while having the redhead help him in anyway he knew how.


    Rosan entertained the child when he felt like it and idly searched for Ace''s whereabouts alone, all while taking into account the Red Haired Pirates interest in him with an uncaring expression.


    It was surreal how unafraid he was of the Emperor (he might not have been an Emperor yet but his reputation still proceeded him) and his crew, just humming at their slight interest in him and deigning not to reveal anything to them.


    He made very little progress on Ace''s whereabouts, not getting useful information out of the nobles who were attracted to him.


    That didn''t deter him much and he continued searching for his brother, all while entertaining the attention demanding Luffy and preparing for a scenario of the Red Haired Pirates attacking him.


    The normalcy of the events all changed one day when Makino crashed into Rosan while he was walking into the village.


    "Those mountain bandits took him?" Robin muttered with a frown as the terrified bartender guided Rosan to where Luffy should be.


    What she saw, made her blood boil.


    Little Luffy was being stomped on by the bandit, Higuma and despite being rubber and being largely unaffected by it, Robin still felt a rare fury grow inside of her.


    Thankfully, Rosan had shown up just in time and was effortlessly pissing of the bandit.


    Robin''s eyes shifted over to his hand, knowing the redhead too well and seeing Ram begin seeping into his gloves.


    Rosan as a child had always been a performer at heart but when Reaper, he prioritized efficiency. He may not have been in his disguise anymore, but in these memories, there was no difference between Rosan and Reaper in terms of personality.


    Case in point, he was just about to take Higuma''s head off, without letting the man even react, until the Red Haired Pirates showed up and interrupted his plans.


    Not having anymore reason to step in, Robin watched the redhead instead shift his attention to the bigger (in his eyes) threat.


    She did not miss the way Shank''s eyes glinted in interest at the severe lack of trust Rosan had in anyone.


    Honestly, how did so many people get interested in her best friend? Was it his natural appeal? Could they feel his potential? Robin had been drawn to him because he understood her pain and the longer they stayed together, the more his charisma began seeping into her.


    Why was everyone else interested in him? What was their reasoning she wondered...


    Apparently, Shanks was more interested then he let on because he asked Rosan to deal with the bandits.


    "That''s a silly mistake," Robin muttered with a shake of her head.


    Rosan''s eyes glittered as he watched his younger form break the arm of one of the bandits. "You know me so well."


    "You''re not as clever as you think you are but I''ll play your game, Shanks."


    With that, the redhead began slaughtering the bandits with a violence befitting his old nature.


    Robin looked utterly unfazed by all the carnage going on in the memory, seeing this far too often in previous footage. The redhead was mowing through the bandits like they were normal civilians, razing their numbers to the ground.


    While she was unfazed, the same could not be said for the citizens and the Red Hair Pirates. They were looking at the redhead like they could actually see him now. Like they could hear his warning loud and clear about why he wasn''t a good person to be friends with.


    "Satisfied?" The petty redhead asked his fellow redhead.


    Shanks'' gaze was mostly unreadable but he just nodded his head and Rosan simply walked away, gazing at the events with a half lidded gaze and ignoring the people inching away from him.


    Robin snorted. "Maybe I''m not normal for being able to tolerate you."


    It was quite gruesome seeing what he had done, but Robin didn''t think any less of him. She never once thought any less of him, despite viewing all his memories... because he was still her Rosan. That''s all there was to it.


    Rosan stared fondly at her. "Anyone who can tolerate me, is special in their own right. I''m rather overwhelming," he replied calmly.


    "That''s the truth," Mod sighed, making the three smile.


    The smile left Robin''s face as the pirates began relaxing before the situation was over and it caused Luffy to get kidnapped in the process.


    They could have at least secured him first.


    She saw how unimpressed the teen was with the crew, making no attempt to help them out and instead walking in a random direction after Shanks.


    He showed up in time to see the Pirate dive into the water with no hesitation and begin swimming in a direction with no hesitation.


    "How does he know where to swim?" the redhead thought idly, staring out into the ocean with a blank gaze.


    He waited there for quite a bit, until he noticed Shanks swimming back with a trail of blood and a sleeping Luffy.


    "Red Haired Shanks lost his arm protecting Luffy?!" Robin asked in shock. But why? Why would the future Emperor lose his arm for little Luffy?


    What effect did the rubber boy have on him?


    "Luffy is... unique," Rosan muttered. "He has an aura about him and when you see it in full effect, you start to believe his claims. It''s why I follow him after all. He''s the man who''s going to become the Pirate King."


    Robin gazed at the redhead in a bit of surprise at that. "You believe in his dream? You truly think he can become the Pirate King?"


    He nodded without hesitation. "I''ve never been one to doubt a person''s conviction. I believe in Luffy''s dream to become Pirate King, as much as your dream to discover the Void History," he revealed.


    Her heart fluttered at that and she gazed at him with wide eyes. "You... I always thought that was just your childish nature... but you really do believe that I can do it?" She whispered.


    "Without a shadow of a doubt," he confirmed. "Whether I''m 4 or 24 or even 50, I''ll never doubt your dream. If you think you can do it, I have no reason to believe you can''t."


    "Why is he so good at that?" Mod whispered in disbelief, watching the tiny flush of appreciation on Robin''s face. The redhead had a silver tongue! He always managed to say everything a person wanted to hear when it mattered most.


    "That validation... feels great to hear," Robin eventually said, jerking her eyes back to the screen to avoid being further embarrassed.


    "I''ll validate anything you need to hear. I won''t allow you to be even a little insecure," he assured.


    "..." Robin said nothing and only sunk deeper into him so he couldn''t see her brilliant smile and make fun of her.


    "Get her Father!" Ram cheered. At this rate, she''d be able to stop reading those romance books!


    Just as soon... as she... finished that one series she was currently reading. For no other reason then to gather intel on how to best get Mother and Father together of course. Not because she was enjoying them...


    Nope.


    Robin hadn''t caught all of Shanks and Rosan''s conversation at the shore, due to talking to the redhead, but she did catch something very important that left her stunned.


    Red Haired Shanks had sailed on Roger''s ship? How fascinating! Did that play a part into why he was so powerful?


    But the next part of the conversation left her even more shocked.


    "If that was a way to get me to open up, it failed. I despise that man and you telling me you were in his crew, doesn''t make me warm up to you at all."


    Shanks brow raised in surprise at that, not expecting the kid who should be too young to remember Roger, claim to hate him.


    "What did Captain do to you? Kill your family?"


    Surely he didn''t actually reveal... Robin was thinking that at first, but then she remembered that her best friend was a very vindictive person and loved getting back at people.


    He proved her point in mere seconds.


    "As a matter of fact, he did. Roger was the reason my mother died and my mother happened to be his wife. I''m sure you can already guess, but that man is my father," Rosan informed the man, with the sole intention of seeing the reaction he gained a twisted pleasure out of seeing from people.


    It was exactly what he was expecting. Shanks went completely pale and his jaw dropped as he began sweating, not expecting the redhead to reveal such important information.


    No, he probably wouldn''t have been able to predict that in thousands of years. He probably thought Rosan was just a random kid who had seen the harsh truth of the world early.


    Never did he think this robotic redhead would be his captain''s son. That''s why Rosan revealed it. The shock factor was just too enticing for the redhead.


    Before he could get a peep out, Shanks was surrounded by his entire crew and the redhead excused himself, vanishing deeper into the village before entering his mindscape so as to not be pursued.


    After staring at Meiko''s body for who knows how long, the redhead eventually departed his mindscape once more and entered the forest.


    It was nighttime now and he slowly floated to the top of the tree, just staring up at the moon with as peaceful of an expression that someone of his nature could have.


    It only took 10 minutes for Shanks to immediately locate him.


    "How does he do that?" Robin muttered, wondering the same thing as Young Rosan. "First he pinpointed Luffy''s location. Then yours? It can''t possibly be a Devil Fruit..."


    "I don''t know. I never thought to ask him to explain it because I don''t like talking to him," Rosan answered truthfully.


    The Devil Child giggled at that.


    She listened to Rosan explain some of his circumstances to the pirate with a slight frown. She hated remembering that Rosan was only four when his life went so downhill... no it was even before that. There was a reason she was so overprotective of him because she didn''t want anymore bad things to befall him.


    "I''m surprised you''re divulging info," she muttered, squeezing him a bit tighter as those protective instincts flared.


    "I only told him because of his connection to Roger. If I could even slightly affect his views of the man who ruined everything for me, I''ll take it. I hate when people are praised as some perfect being, when they are anything but," Rosan replied truthfully.


    "Is that why you hate when people always praise you?" Robin asked softly, sleepy eyes alert as she gauged his reaction.


    The slight hesitation told her everything she needed to know. Such was their connection.


    "I don''t feel like I deserve to be praised, that''s right," he nodded eventually, refusing to lie to her for even a moment.


    Robin sighed and raked a hand through his head.


    "Maybe people praise you, because you are so overly negative about yourself," she tried. "Maybe because you only see the bad things about yourself, they are trying to make you see the good things."


    "..." Rosan froze slightly. "Yes, maybe that''s why..." he said quietly.


    "You already know how I feel about that, Rosan... But I''ll tell you as many times as I need to. You are amazing," she said firmly.


    Ah... when did Mod and Ram fall asleep? Mod was clutching Rosan''s side tightly, a tiny amount of drool leaving her mouth that would probably leave her mortified for weeks. She snored inaudibly, smiling as Rosan raked a hand through her hair.


    Half of Ram''s limbs were strewn across Robin''s body. The ring let out quiet, yet audible, snores as she cuddled Robin.


    "I''m amazing..." he muttered, brows furrowed. "It''s funny... the reason I don''t like being told these things, is because I can always tell that everyone is being truthful... and then when they insult me, I know it''s a lie. It''s as if no one believes my faults."


    Ah right, Rosan could tell if a person was being truthful or not... it must have been maddening to be the only person who believed something.


    "That just means you''re wrong," Robin told him with a small smile. "Take more stock of their words, Rosan."


    The redhead hummed and nodded. "Alright... I''ll try."


    He glanced at the two sleeping and said, "We can finish this small section up and then head to sleep ourselves. We can just sleep here and continue when we wake up."


    She nodded her head and gazed at the screen once more.


    The Red Haired Pirates were now preparing to leave and Luffy had dragged Rosan off to see them off. As usual, the redhead went along with the rubber boy''s ploy and let it happen, sitting on the deck and staring out into the ocean.


    He didn''t acknowledge a single Red Hair Pirate, only offering a slight nod to Benn Beckman and Lucky Roo as they greeted him, while completely ignoring the Yassop with them, much to the sniper''s shock.


    Robin giggled at that. Rosan didn''t like Yasopp for the same reasons he disliked Olvia and Roger.


    Luffy and Shanks were saying their farewells and it was there that Robin saw Luffy''s conviction in full force.


    "One day I''ll have a ship and crew better than yours! And we''ll have the biggest hoard of treasure in the world! I''M GONNA BE KING OF PIRATES!" The child shouted loudly.


    Robin and Shanks both smiled at that and the pirate removed his Straw Hat, before gently placing it on Luffy''s head.


    "This hat means a lot to me. Promise that you''ll give it back to me someday¡­ when you''ve become a great pirate," Shanks requested softly, allowing the little boy to cry before walking off to speak to Rosan.


    "So that''s how it is," Robin said with a fond smile. It was no wonder Rosan had no complaints following the rubber boy... who was she to doubt him when even he and his fellow redhead believed in his goal.


    She recalled the conversation she had with Luffy while they were bringing Rosan to Kureha.


    "I think I see what you all see," she said eventually.


    "Everyone does eventually," Rosan nodded.


    "I won''t ask you to forgive the Captain. But, know he probably never wanted it to turn out like this."


    "I didn''t either but only one of us is alive to deal with the consequences."


    Robin flinched at that. A line that should have held some bitterness in it, didn''t hold a single fleck of emotion. It was delivered in that same montone that he always took with whoever he was speaking to... had it really been 2 years of Rosan not feeling a single emotion?


    "I actually feel something very soon," he supplied helpfully, gazing at her worried look.


    She tilted her head at that. "What do you mean?" Robin asked curiously.


    Rosan''s eyes narrowed slightly. "Just keep watching," he instructed.


    Her curiosity spiked and she nodded.


    Robin smiled at the memory of Luffy slotting Rosan into his pirate crew without any hesitation, claiming that since they were friends they were apart of the same crew.


    He was so adorable. Robin loved little Luffy.


    Which was why her eyes narrowed when Makino tried to make Rosan stop being friends with him.


    It was natural, considering what he had done to those bandits was fresh in everyone''s mind... but no. Robin didn''t like it one bit.


    She was glad it bit the woman!


    "But Luffy, he''s not a good influence on you!"


    "I DON''T CARE! ROSAN''S MY FRIEND AND HE''S APART OF MY CREW!" The rubber boy shouted back angrily, refusing to back down for even a second. "IF YOU DON''T WANT HIM TO BE MY FRIEND... THEN I WON''T BE YOUR FRIEND! WE''LL JUST SET SAIL EARLY!"


    "No we won''t. You''re far too weak. You aren''t fit to be my captain right now," Rosan denied instantly.


    "Oh right! I still need to get stronger!" Luffy beamed up at his first member.


    Makino reeled back, taken aback by the anger in the rubber boys voice and shooting a glare at the neutral redhead drinking a cup of lemonade, watching the entire exchange with that same vacant gaze.


    "But Luffy... can''t you just be friends with anyone else? D-Didn''t you see what he did to those bandits?" The bartender squeaked, shuddering at the memory.


    "Yeah! He protected me from them!" The rubber boy retorted, nonplussed by the memory of Rosan violently hurting those bandits.


    "A 7 year old is showing less fear then you. How embarrassing," Rosan quipped on the side.


    "Could you shut up for a second!" Makino growled, glaring at the handsome redhead.


    "So Luffy has always been abnormal," Robin laughed, watching as the bartender tried to process being rejected by the normally sweet rubber boy. "You two really are so similar!"


    Rosan snorted. "I blame his Grandpa. He''s as big of an idiot as Luffy is."


    "I''m glad, I thought I was going to have to sick Luffy''s grandpa on you."


    Robin blinked at the same time as Young Rosan.


    "His grandpa/His grandpa?"


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Robin couldn''t stop her mouth from opening, as she realized exactly who Luffy''s grandfather was.


    "Luffy''s the grandson of Garp the Hero?!" She nearly raised her voice in disbelief.


    Mod popped one eye open at that, but immediately fell back to sleep as Rosan touched a sweet spot on her head.


    Ram snored away.


    "I was surprised too. What are the odds?" Rosan replied.


    That was... utterly absurd. Robin had no idea Luffy''s grandfather was someone so important...


    Not only that, he was the man who knew exactly where Ace was.


    So Luffy was related to both Dragon the Revolutionary and Garp the Hero?


    What an absurd bloodline...


    "You''re telling me," Rosan snorted.


    Robin smiled. "I have the feeling your bloodline is rather insane too."


    His smirk vanished and he glowered at her. "Don''t remind me. My mother a Queen, my father a man strong enough to defeat an entire island and rape her. What are the chances that''s he''s just some random guy who got lucky?"


    "Almost 0%."


    "I figured."


    Robin felt her anticipation rising, as Garp escorted the duo through the forest, berating Luffy for eating a Devil Fruit and wanting to become a pirate, all while Rosan silently followed after.


    After so long, he was finally going to see Ace! She had wanted to be there for him to make it easier but this was fine too.


    Eventually, they entered a clearing and a small, rundown house was revealed.


    That was Robin''s first warning that something was about to go wrong.


    The second was watching Garp slam on the door and seeing Mountain Bandits answer.


    Why was Ace with mountain bandits?


    Yep... this was about to be disastrous.


    The final nail in the coffin, was something even Robin got angry about.


    It was actually seeing Ace.


    Robin watched Rosan go still in actual shock, as he took stock of his little brother...


    And the sheer anger in his eyes.


    This¡­ was Ace? His little brother? Why¡­ Why did he have that look in his eyes?!


    The only reason Rosan had so confidently left his little brother in the care of the Marine, was in order to keep him safe and so that he could grow up with a semi-decent life. The risk of traveling with a four year old on the dangerous seas was just too risky.


    Mountain bandits were one thing, Rosan had only adopted a similar look in his eyes after being tortured for six months straight. For his little brother to have it now, meant that leaving him behind... was the wrong choice.


    It was as if every decision he had made, was being spat back in his face, as he looked at his angry little brother. Why did he even leave him behind if this was the end result? Why had he been forced to make such a difficult decision at just four¡­ and that decision ended up being wrong?


    Mom made a mistake trusting this scum of a Marine. At the end of the day, none of the people in the organization that had killed her, were trustworthy.


    Garp needed to die.


    Robin jolted at that final sentence. "Was that...?"


    "The virus, yes," Rosan nodded. "Even with the castle, they are always watching. I don''t know how but the very moment I felt anger, they were there to push me a little further."


    The Devil Child couldn''t help but shudder at that, shooting the sleeping Mod a worried look.


    Was she really equipped to deal with something as dangerous as the Virus? Her power wasn''t in doubt... but this didn''t seem like a matter of power.


    Well, there was no point thinking about it now, they would deal with it when the time came.


    "I... normally I''d reprimand you for attacking someone as formidable as Garp, but I can''t find it in myself to blame you," Robin said truthfully, watching Rosan attack Garp with murderous fury.


    "I was furious," Rosan said. "Can you imagine making the decision I made, then finding out it was the wrong one?"


    "You¡­ I should never have trusted you, I didn''t leave Ace in your care so he could end up with that look in his eyes. I left him with you because I thought you''d be a much better choice than me. A safer choice."


    "I was wrong."


    "I know," Robin soothed, gnawing her lip in worry at seeing Rosan reveal his Devil Fruit of all things. "It must have been so strong, for it to have your first showing of emotion in so long... I truly understand your plight."


    Despite trying to send Garp 6ft under, the Marine proved his title was not a lie and easily repelled most f Rosan''s attacks.


    "He might not have been as safe with a 4 year old... But at least he would have been loved. I''d rather be in danger and loved, then safe and unloved."


    Robin''s heart panged at the raw anger on Rosan''s face, watching the redhead lash out with sorrow.


    He didn''t deserve this. Rosan didn''t deserve any of this. He had just been trying to protect everyone but ended up with yet another thing he''d consider a failure.


    It really had been so hard for him. She had seen the memory of when he was just 4 and he had made the tough decision to leave Ace.


    The boy had been completely torn apart. He wanted to keep Mod safe at all costs because he promised her... but he wanted to raise his little brother.


    But Mod didn''t have anyone besides him to protect her and Ace had Garp... so he reluctantly made the decision to do what was best for everyone (except for himself).


    To find out it amounted to nothing...


    She pulled Rosan into a hug. "It''s okay, Rosan," she murmured, watching as the redhead was knocked unconscious not once, but twice by the weary Marine, falling on the floor with a thud.


    "I know you feel like you failed completely... but you didn''t. Mod-chan is still here and safe. You and Ace are proper brothers now. It was rocky, but it worked out so don''t beat yourself up."


    Rosan said nothing for a moment, before he returned the hug with his free arm (the other was currently being crushed by Mod) and he dragged her down to the bed.


    "You''re right... it was terrible to realize... but I at least managed to salvage my relationship with Ace and Mod-chan is still safe... so I suppose I didn''t completely fail," he muttered in return.


    She smiled at him, eyes growing heavy. "That''s right. You don''t only fail, Rosan. You''ll realize that soon enough..."


    Robin yawned and tucked her head into the crook of his neck, idly patting the close Ram''s head as the ring drooled on her.


    "...Let''s get some sleep. We can continue this in the morning," she eventually said.


    Rosan nodded and waved his hand, shutting the screen off and making sure all three were comfortable.


    "Goodnight," he said quietly.


    "..." Robin said nothing, already having fallen asleep from his comfort.


    Rosan stared at her for a long while, tilting his head as he assessed his best friend.


    "You''re pretty amazing yourself, Robin. I don''t know how you manage to amaze me so often," he said to himself, eventually closing his eyes to join them.


    He missed the way Robin''s face lit up with a smile at that and the Devil Child clutched him just a bit tighter as she actually fell asleep.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Bonus!


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Here, my Queen. Rosan told me to hold onto it until you were here," Marianne said quietly, handing the bazooka over to the Goblin Princess.


    Maro''s eyes glittered in excitement and she effortlessly took the Bazooka out of the short girl''s hand.


    "Alright my very own Bazooka Dog!" She gushed, hugging it to her chest with a gleeful smile. "Where are the other agents? Which ones did Master bring over? What happened to Gem and Kaori?"


    "Master works so fast..." Demon muttered, patting Mikita on the head and exchanging a quick hug with her that caused her to light up.


    Angel grabbed Marianne and hoisted the short girl up, hugging her cheek to cheek with a happy smile and causing the agent to blush in embarrassment.


    "Um... R-Rosan brought over Miss Merry Christmas and Miss Doublefinger. I''m not sure where Mr. 2 and Mr. 1 are, but I imagine he gave up on them because he made no mention of going to retrieve them," Mikita explained quietly, feeling a bit disappointed as Demon broke the hug.


    Marianne didn''t even bother getting out of Angel''s incredibly strong grip and just returned the hug. "Gem and Kaori brought Miss Merry Christmas and Miss Doublefinger to the hospital... they had really bad burns but Rosan doesn''t trust them yet so he sent those two to follow."


    Maro nodded at that, expression not changing.


    "A bit sad I won''t be able to use Mr. 2... but that''s fine. I have my illusions after all so I can pseudo act like him."


    "Should I go check on them?" Demon asked curiously, ready to go at a moments notice.


    The Queen shook her head. "You''ve done enough already, Demon. You just worked on a bunch of people. Take a break and let the other doctors deal with them... just have them notify you when they''re in working condition so we can pay them a visit," she instructed, gaze calculating.


    The doctor nodded in return. "Alright then, I''ll let you know. I''ll go rest up some."


    "C-Can I come? I just want to talk more," Mikita squeaked.


    "Of course. We can talk about whatever you want," Demon smiled.


    She smiled brightly and followed after the doctor.


    "Have you fed Gladiolus and Anemone yet? Have you eaten yet?" Angel asked Marianne, carrying the girl away in the process.


    "I fed them... they''re sleeping right now. I ate a sandwich earlier but I am a little hungry," the artist admitted.


    "Alright! Let''s eat! We''ll be back Maro... unless you wanna come with?" The redhead asked curiously.


    Maro waved them off. "You two have fun... Just bring me something back?" She requested with a small smile.


    She was happy they were making so many friends. It was good for them!


    "Kay, I''ll bring you back some pizza! Love you!" Angel promised, quickly vanishing.


    "Love you more!" Maro shouted back.


    "Goodbye my Queen!" Marianne waved. "Angel-sama, please put me down."


    "Don''t wanna."


    "...Okay."


    Maro watched them go with a fond expression, idly brushing her shoulder length hair (having longer hair was kinda sucky but she did look good) and gazing down at the weapon in her hand.


    "Alright Lil Doggy," she began, teeth sharpening as her eyes took a manic glint. "Time for you to learn who your new Master is!"


    Lassoo felt a bead of sweat form.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Maro stared at the Kaori restraining the mole woman with a neutral expression.


    Apparently, she had been putting up quite the fight and the Fishman had immediately jumped to restrain her, using her superior strength and height to properly restrain the agent.


    She had then muscled the agent over to the castle, all while a nervous Miss Double Finger followed. Gem had shot her one look and she shook her head hastily, assuring him that she did not agree with the mole''s actions.


    Now, the two were staring at the neutral faced Maro.


    "Did she hurt anyone?" The Queen asked patiently, petting Lassoo on the head and getting a happy whine out of it.


    "She already tamed him?" Everyone balked.


    "No, we immediately restrained her before she could injure someone," Gem told her.


    The Queen''s expression shifted a bit. "Ah, alright. I don''t have to teach her what happens to people who touch my citizens," she said calmly.


    Everyone shuddered at that ominous statement.


    It was then the agents realized that Maro was in fact the student of that demon Rosan.


    "Bring her to the training room," the Goblin Princess requested, marching right past them with an obedient Lassoo behind her. "Let me show you what happens when you irritate me. Just a nice one on one."


    With that, she was off. For once, they couldn''t hear the Queen''s footsteps and followed after her.


    Angel whistled. "Wow, you really managed to get Maro of all people annoyed? You''re lucky she''s more patient then Master, else you''d be wishing you were dead," she laughed, jogging to go catch up to her wife.


    Kaori pushed the restrained woman forward with a shake of her head. "You should have spoken to her majesty first... now you have my condolences."


    "You still have time to ask for forgiveness. My Queen is very nice," Marianne offered, rushing to go meet up with the Queens.


    Miss Doublefinger sighed at the mole woman. "I tried to explain the situation to you, yet you still acted out of terms... whatever happens to you, is on you. I''m not going down with you," she shrugged.


    Miss Merry Christmas frowned at the woman. "Why are you acting like that, Miss Double Finger? What''s so scary about this place?! AND WHY DOES SHE HAVE MY DOG?!" The woman howled.


    The agent simply shook her head. "I''m not too sure myself, but allying myself with the Queen, seems like a better idea then whatever you''re in for."


    The mole scowled at that. "She''s just a pretty little princess... she probably doesn''t know what I can do so I''ll show her and prove to you all that you''re afraid for nothing!"


    Kaori snorted loudly at that. "You won''t be judging the Queen by just her looks soon."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Why is Maro annoyed? Is it because of what happened at my hospital?" Demon asked, noticing the queen''s annoyed expression from a mile away.


    "Yep," Angel popped the p, gazing at her wife with a pleased expression. "She should get angry more often. I think it''s hot."


    "Gross. I don''t need to hear that sis," Demon replied, not looking remotely bothered by her statement as he exchanged greetings with all their soldiers.


    He easily returned Kaori''s hug, patted Marianne on her head, fistbumped Gem and hugged a flustered Mikitia.


    "Oh? Who do we have here?"


    Demon paused at the question and glanced at the one who asked, recognition lighting up in his blood red eyes. "Oh! Moving about so soon? I heard you had quite the burns, Miss Doublefinger. A pleasure to meet you, I''m Demon."


    A coy smile made its way on her face as she gazed at the gorgeous purple haired doctor. "Oh trust me, the pleasure is all mine. And you can call me Zala," she said holding out a hand for him.


    "Zala..." He tested it on his lips, kind smile on his face. "I like it. I hope we can get along."


    Her smile widened at that and a glint showed up in her eyes. "How about giving me a hug like you did the other girls? That''ll make me feel more welcomed."


    The doctor rolled his eyes. "You''re funny," he said dryly, pulling the woman into a hug and watching her eagerly return it.


    Angel narrowed her eyes suspiciously, but shrugged. Demon was a whore but she was also kinda hoping he found someone to settle down with so he could stop being such a womanizer. Not even she could stop him...


    No matter how much she tried. Maro was on his side too, much to her annoyance.


    Mikita watched the woman hug up on her love interest with a look of shock that transformed into fury.


    Zala''s hand lingered on Demon''s shoulder and she flashed him another smile, only to blink as a blonde summarily yanked him away.


    "Demon, can we talk about that dinner you promised me? I was curious about where you wanted to take me," Mikita asked, no hint of a stammer in her voice.


    Demon blinked before nodding. "Sure, there''s a place that I really enjoy going to. I''ll make reservations for tomorrow night and I''ll pick you up after my shift," he told her, smiling down at the woman.


    She beamed up at him, getting on her toes and wrapping her arms around his neck.


    He easily returned it, having no choice but to wrap his arms around her waist due to the nature of the hug and squeezing her figure into him.


    Mikita glared at Zala over the man''s shoulder and the woman raised a brow, before a challenging glare appeared on hers as well.


    Angel''s eyes narrowed even further. This was getting awfully suspicious.


    Like really ¡ª


    Her gaze was dragged away as Marianne tugged her arm and pointed at the battlefield, sufficiently distracting her as she saw Maro and Lassoo get ready.


    "No one notices the silent hero saving them," Marianne sighed. She had just saved Demon, Mikita and Zala from Angel''s wrath...


    A large palm landed on her head and she looked up to see Kaori smiling down at her.


    "Don''t worry, I noticed," the Fishman mouthed.


    The artist beamed in return.


    Kaori was awesome.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Maro stared neutrally at the rowdy agent, rubbing Lassoo''s ears and getting the dog (he was in full zoan) to wag its tail.


    "How dare you steal Mr. 4''s dog?!" Miss Merry Christmas growled, sneering at the beautiful Queen.


    "He''s my dog now because he understands the food chain," Maro said simply, orange eyes boring boredly into her.


    "Nonsense! Lassoo c''mere!" She demanded, glancing at the dog.


    It lazily looked at her...


    Before opening his mouth and shooting a baseball at her.


    Miss Merry Christmas balked at that.


    Maro watched her move away with a lazy stare, not even flinching as the woman began transforming into her hybrid zoan form. She just summoned her club and sighed.


    "You''re lucky I''m not Master. He doesn''t forgive ignorance, but I understand that people react differently to situations..."


    The orange of her eyes began seeping into her sclera.


    "...So I''ll teach you about the food chain."


    "Try it, pretty little princess!" The mole woman snarled, diving underground.


    Maro sighed, as her skin began turning green.


    "Well, since you''re already ruining my ground... I may as well help you... Master won''t be too happy about repairing this..."


    Then she fully transformed.


    One moment, Miss Merry Christmas was tunneling towards the Queen, the next, the very earth itself began trembling.


    Tremors rocked through the ground and disoriented the mole, who was steadily getting dizzier and dizzier.


    She could no longer handle the vertigo and cut her attack short, climbing back out from underground and trying to figure out what the fuck just happened.


    It didn''t take her long to find her answer.


    The former agent took a step back in shock, at seeing a hulking green figure lazily lift a club off the ground.


    Muscular, tall and above all terrifying the green monster stared at Miss Merry Christmas like she was nothing but prey.


    Zala froze completely as she gazed at the otherworldly creature with a nervous expression.


    "W-What is that?" She asked shakily.


    "My wife of course!" Angel beamed. "Isn''t she just beautiful!" She gushed.


    "Still think I''m pretty?" The Dokkaebi snarled, sharp fangs jutting out her mouth. "Get a closer look."


    The mole didn''t even get to take a step back, before the monster was suddenly in front of her.


    Miss Merry Christmas let out a yell of fear, as that massive hand grabbed her around the face and hoisted her up.


    "You don''t understand the food chain," Maro growled, idly gripping her hand even tighter and making the mole squeal. "You don''t have the strength to go around and cause me troubles..."


    "You are one of the weakest here and I am the strongest," she said matter of factly. Miss Merry Christmas tried to struggle but was unable to faze the woman at all.


    Then, Maro dropped her.


    "I''m going to give you a chance to earn my forgiveness. You didn''t hurt my citizens so I won''t hold a grudge against you... but you will either work for me, or I''m turning your bounty in. Crocodile lost. Baroque Works is done. Master was going to let you get captured but I asked him to save you. Don''t make me regret wasting his time," she said calmly... well as a calm as a snarling Dokkaebi could.


    Drophy shuddered, before nodding her head shakily and transforming back to normal. "I understand... thank you for giving me another chance."


    She smiled at that, transforming back to normal and taking the appearance of that beautiful queen once more.


    "Good!" She clapped cheerfully. "Now that that''s settled, I''ll have someone explain your duties as my soldier... and just be warned..."


    Her smile vanished once more and she stared frostily at both Miss Merry Christmas and Miss Doublefinger. "If any of you cause problems for my citizens, death is going to be the least of your worries. I''ll show you exactly what happens when you piss me off."


    Zala seized up at that, before nodding rapidly fear on her face at the monster.


    She did say that devilish redhead was her teacher... Now she knew why.


    "I won''t cause any problems, Queen Maro," she bowed lowly. "I understand that you and Rosan both saved me from an undesirable life in Impel Down and I truly appreciate that so you have my full loyalty."


    The Queen smiled up at her, chilly expression gone. "Great! I hope you two can help me make my island even better! Celadon is fantastic and since you''re now my soldiers, you can enjoy the benefits..."


    She tilted her head to the side. "What are your names again?"


    They sweatdropped.


    "I''m Zala," the woman sitting next to her brother introduced.


    "Drophy..." the woman crouching in front of her revealed.


    "Zala and Drophy! Awesome!" She said cheerfully, clapping excitedly. "You can stay in the same place your fellow agents stay! If you have any questions, ask one of them. They''ll debrief you."


    If the Queen was going to say anything else, she never got the chance because a red blur crashed into her with a happy squeal.


    "Has anyone told you how hot you are when you''re being serious and all angry?!" Angel gushed, smooching her on the cheek.


    Maro beamed and eagerly returned the smooches. "What? Do you want me to be serious more often? Hahaha! Serious Maro doing her queenly duties with a serious face!" She grinned.


    "Ah! The most serious~" Angel gushed.


    "This feels oddly gross," Marianne muttered, watching the two fawn over each other.


    "It''s because they practically adopted you. You see them as your parents now," Kaori supplied helpfully.


    "I feel sorry for you... those two are super into PDA and they''re annoying... and stupid," Demon sighed. It was one of the few times he would insult someone but they deserved it as his sisters.


    Plus they were both stupid.


    Marianne had a look of horror on her face as she made that realization.


    "Those two are my parents? I''m so fucked," she let out a rare curse.


    "WATCH YOUR FUCKING LANGUAGE YOUNG LADY!" Angel roared in the distance.


    "YOU CAN''T TELL HER TO WATCH HER LANGUAGE WHEN YOU''RE CURSING TOO!" Maro jumped to defend her.


    "I''M AN ADULT! I CAN FUCKING CURSE IF I FUCKING WANT!" She snarled in return.


    "YOU''VE BEEN CURSING SINCE YOU WERE 12! CUT HER SOME SLACK!"


    "I WAS A DIFFERENT KIND OF 12!"


    "WHAT DOES THAT EVEN MEAN, ANGEL?!"


    Zala sweatdropped at how swiftly the lovey dovey atmosphere around the two shifted.


    "Should I get used to that?" She asked hesitantly.


    Demon let out a suffering sigh as Kaori chuckled.


    "You''ll go insane if you don''t. It''s a miracle I haven''t."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Character Sheet - Maro (Updated!)


    Name: Portgas Maro (From marrying Angel)


    Gender: Female


    Born Sea: North Blue


    Age: 23


    Birthday: August 25th


    Personality: Kind, compassionate, very laid-back and always willing to have a good time. She is a massive pervert but tends to only keep it limited to Angel, Rosan, Mod, Ram and recently, Robin. Underneath her genuinely kind demeanor, is the calculating and cold personality she inherited from Grim that she scarcely uses. Will do whatever it takes to keep her island and citizens safe.


    Affiliation: Celadon, Straw Hats, Fregate, World Government


    Summary: Maro is the current Queen of the prospering island of Celadon. One of the most popular figures in the North Blue, there is hardly a person who knows of her that has anything bad to say about the compassionate woman. Originally an unnamed orphan, she was found and raised by her teacher, Reaper. Donning the alias Grim, the duo would hunt and collect bounties all over the four directional seas, before she retired and took the mantle of Queen, overthrowing the former king and publicly executing him.


    She is currently allied with the World Government to leak any important information and to strike when the time is right, building up a close relationship with them and giving no clue as to her true affiliations.


    Devil Fruit: Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Dokkaebi


    Type: Mythical Zoan


    Description: Allows the user to transform into a hybrid and full version of a Dokkaebi, a goblin spirit that possesses extraordinary abilities. It was given to Maro by Rosan, who stole it from Joker.


    Appearance: Above average height with shoulder length azure hair that has white streaks. Is fair skinned, curvy with a strong feminine figure and burnt orange eyes. Almost always wearing a kimono in a large variety of colors. Is ranked as the 2nd most beautiful person on Celadon (Demon is #1)


    Height: 5''10


    Favorite Food: Any fruit (loves grapes the most), any meat, will eat anything with hardly a complaint.


    Disliked Food: Garbage


    Likes: Angel, Demon, Rosan, Ram, Mod, Aiko, Akemi, Female Rosan, Celadon, Her Citizens, Her Soldiers, Tending to her garden.


    Dislikes: Being alone, camping outside (reminds her of being homeless), Having nothing to do, Paperwork, Political meetings, The World Government

 To Observe I

    Rosan was beginning to realize that maybe he was going to have a hard time learning Observation Haki.


    After all, Satori made good on him feeling like the forsaken one by focusing almost the full brunt of his aggression, onto him.


    Case in point, the blindfolded redhead grunted for the umpteenth time, as he was launched away by the impact dial to his chest, landing on one of the many white balls that littered the forest that was their battleground.


    This one erupted in spikes that pierced him through. Normally it wouldn''t have, but he didn''t have his Raid Suit on right now.


    Rosan spat out some blood and unceremoniously ripped the spikes out of his body, grunting due to the fact that his shirt was practically destroyed and idly repairing it, much to the severe annoyance of Satori.


    "Are you alright?" A bruised Robin asked worriedly, panting from the battle.


    After Rosan, she, followed by Luffy, were the ones Satori targeted the most, likely because her Devil Fruit countered observation haki perfectly.


    Like the redhead, she opted to not place her raid suit on.


    The scientific outfit gave them too much durability and defeated the purpose of this training so they opted out of wearing it, despite Rosan insisting that she do it only.


    She should have known he was going to attempt to coddle her. Overprotective redhead brat he was.


    Robin hoped one of them unlocked their Haki soon because after the first gasp of pain, Rosan had let loose a terrible snarl that very much sounded like he wanted to commit murder and she had to remind him that this was training that he proposed.


    "Stop coddling me!" She said firmly, finally putting her foot down at the adorably (not right now) overbearing redhead. "I can''t get as strong as possible with you worrying so much about me. If you didn''t want this to happen, you shouldn''t have proposed such a reckless idea!"


    Honestly, was he serious right now? He was the one that suggested they do this and made these blindfolds difficult to remove! Now that she was under a bit of fire, he wanted to go back on his plan.


    She didn''t want such special treatment! Why should she be left out of the plans just because she had the potential to be hurt?!


    "I¡­" Rosan trailed off, lost for words.


    "Isn''t this exactly like the time he got hurt and you wouldn''t even let him breathe alone? I remember you hovered him even when he was eating a simple snack just so he didn''t choke on it and then when he began eating too fast, you just decided to feed him instead!" Mod laughed, choosing to play Devil''s advocate.


    Robin spluttered at Mod''s interference.


    What was she doing?! Rosan was just about to concede before she opened her mouth?!


    "I''m not doing anything! Just trying to show you some perspective!"


    She felt Rosan puff up before the redhead realized what he was doing and sighed.


    "You''re right. I can''t believe I turned as bad as you¡­ especially considering how weak this priest is."


    She hated Rosan so much for some of the things that actually left his mouth. No truly... why was he born like this?


    "...It''s fine Rosan. This training is as genius as it is reckless. Haki blooms in the heat of battle like Sabo and Ace said and having someone legitimately try to kill us will definitely help as well as the fact there are dangerous balls everywhere."


    Despite how extreme his plan was, it was also incredibly effective¡­ Robin felt something that she was trying to reach into but she needed more time. The training they had been doing on the ship, was paying dividends because she could tell she was so close.


    It just hurt.


    Quite a bit.


    The group of 5 had been relegated to just defense, due to the fact that they couldn''t see an opponent wielding Mantra.


    Sanji grunted as he felt the air shift close to him and leapt back, only to land against a tree that he couldn''t see. He got impacted to the chest for his efforts and spat out some blood as he clutched his ribs.


    "No good," he muttered to himself. "I''m still relying on what I already have to try and dodge¡­ This is tough."


    "T-Tell me about it," a near comatose Usopp groaned. The sheer fear he felt, at potentially getting hit, was doing even more damage then the surprise balls and Satori.


    He ran into plenty of trees, fell into the water a bunch and still got attacked by the balls. The sniper was running on fumes right now and all his fear, was being enhanced by the fact that he couldn''t see.


    He hoped someone unlocked this damn Haki soon. Preferably Rosan so he didn''t recommend something so reckless again.


    None of them were unscathed but despite that, they were all still able to continue, trying to get a feel for their Haki in the process with little success.


    Satori, despite having such an overwhelming advantage with blinded opponents, was beginning to get slightly nervous.


    No matter what he hit the Forsaken One with, Kami''s enemy just got back up with no injuries, content to take even more punishment as they continued to make a mockery of his trial.


    Was¡­ Was he actually equipped to deal with such a foe? It really was beginning to look like only Kami Enel could take care of him.


    The Devil just shrugged off getting stabbed by spikes and Satori watched in horror as the holes of the blindfolded man, sealed right back up before his outfit followed suit.


    Despite being the brunt of his assault, the heathen looked the healthiest of his allies.


    At least the Demon''s own priests, seemed to lack his regeneration. His consort especially, needed to be taken out quickly, due to the ability she wielded that countered Mantra.


    An ability from the Devil that countered Kami''s gift to them¡­ how typical for this scum.


    "Ho, ho hoooo! I warned you about this trial''s success rate but you still treated it lightly," the rotund man sang. "Now take off the blindfold and stop messing aroun¡ª"


    "Gomu Gomu no Gatling!" Luffy interrupted loudly as he ignored everything the man said in the pursuit of hitting him.


    Satori''s eyes twitched as he effortlessly moved out of the way of the wild blows.


    "Watch where you''re throwing those, idiot!" a bleeding Sanji barked, as a stray punch nearly caught him in the face.


    "Please¡­" A battered Usopp wheezed, blindfolded eyes rolling a bit at the fist currently resting against his nose.


    The bloodied Luffy recalled his fists with an, "Oops, I thought I felt him for a second," and laughed at his mistake.


    "Don''t just swing and pray you connect a hit Luffy, you''ll end up hitting either us or a ball more often then not," the bruised Robin instructed, warily glancing around despite being blindfolded.


    It was a good thing Rosan was blindfolded, if he saw the state she was in, he''d completely flip.


    She got caught by an explosion that tore her outfit in plenty of places, if the sudden gust of wind on her skin meant anything, and she was pretty sure she got pinched by a crab that she ruthlessly stomped to oblivion.


    Perhaps Rosan did influence her a bit much¡­


    Satori grit his teeth in annoyance.


    He was winning in an overwhelming fashion right now. Besides the one hit he took at the beginning, he was unscathed¡­


    So why was he the one who felt like he was being toyed with?


    He impacted them, hit them with various surprise balls, dodged all their attacks¡­ yet they still refused to remove their blindfolds.


    This¡­ This was absurd! Who did they think he was?! Some type of joke?! He was one of Kami''s Vassals! A Priest!


    AND THEY THOUGHT THEY COULD CONTINUE TO UNDERESTIMATE HIM?!


    Satori''s jovial expression fully melted away, replaced by a scowl and he glared at the ones who caused it.


    "Still taking this lightly?!" He muttered, manipulating all the balls around him with his cane.


    He would show the Devil what happened when you treated a Divine Priest too lightly.


    All of his most dangerous surprise balls began lining up one after another as he carefully moved them.


    Once he finished with that, he finished it off by placing a dragon mask atop the front most cloud.


    Let''s see if they continue to take him lightly after this.


    "Ball Dragon."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Chopper distantly remembered the crew arguing about what they would do with the whistle given to them by the Sky Knight and how eventually, Nami placed it on the mast of the ship for one of the weaker members of the crew to use.


    She banished the strong members from using it but¡­ Chopper was considered one of the weak ones so he could totally use it!


    He was also the only one guarding the ship¡­ so the whistle was practically for him!


    With that reassurance, Chopper grabbed the whistle and placed the string around his neck, making sure it wouldn''t slip off in the process.


    He nodded to himself confidently. As long as he had this, the Sky Knight would answer his call but he needed to make sure he didn''t just up and use it for any little thin¡ª


    "You''re the only sacrifice here that I can kill?" A voice asked in disappointment.


    Anything Chopper was about to say, was stopped by that sudden voice and the reindeer''s expression slowly but surely shifted into one of true horror.


    As his expression began shifting, he steadily grabbed the whistle until the reindeer''s face reached its apex of terror.


    Coincidentally, that''s the exact moment he blew into the whistle.


    "TWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Conis¡­ are you alright?"


    "¡­"


    The girl said nothing, continuing to string away at her harp with a downtrodden expression on her face.


    Pagaya glanced at his daughter worriedly. "Conis¡­?"


    "He knew everything you know?" she said abruptly, causing her father to freeze. "The Forsaken One¡­ he knew that we were deceiving them the whole time¡­"


    Both her father and Gan Fall froze at that. "Did he really?"


    She nodded slowly. "At any point, he could have killed us both¡­ but instead, he saved me. The one with the Devil''s wings, saved me from our Kami¡­ it just doesn''t make any sense to me!"


    Conis could see now in the questions he asked and the way he acted. There was never a moment where he wasn''t suspicious of them and they proved him right so why?


    He wasn''t a benevolent Kami like Gan Fall¡­ if anything, he was much closer to Enel in regards to how a Kami acts¡­


    So why were they alive? Why didn''t he kill them?!


    "I''m just a humble scout."


    Gan Fall gazed at the torn angel with a knowing expression.


    "I met a group of Blue Sea dwellers known as pirates over 20 years ago and I learned many things about them," the former Kami of Skypiea informed them.


    "Pirates?" Conis asked in confusion.


    Gan Fall nodded. "They are criminals who sail the seas in order to find treasure. They fly a black flag with a skull atop their ship''s mast¡­ Those Straw Hats are probably such people."


    Pagaya jolted in shock. "They were criminals from the start?!"


    "Perhaps¡­ or they could have just been outsiders like my friends from long ago. Despite being pirates, they were not bad people. There are just people who do not play by the rules¡­ you are not so different are you?"


    They flinched at that accurate observation.


    "I will say this¡­ Do not try and understand the mind of the one with black wings," Gan Fall advised. "People like him operate on their own whims and the black wings of the Devil signify chaos and death. You will never be able to make sense of his motives."


    Death and chaos¡­ that certainly did hold true with him¡­


    "PIEEEE!"


    Gan Fall went alert at the cry of Pierre and he immediately turned to regard his partner.


    "Duty Calls! Please watch this place for me," the Knight of the Sky requested, leaping onto the back of his Pegasus and departing with haste.


    The two watched him go before Conis took a sip of the pumpkin juice offered to her.


    Try not to understand the mind of the Shinigami¡­ That was good advice. To her, it really did seem like Rosan was doing whatever it was he wanted.


    Terrorizing their citizens, catching their lies easily, inciting Kami, exposing her plans, making her breakdown, saving her¡­ saying so boldly that he''d teach Enel a lesson¡­


    He was treating this all like it was a game. Everything he did, was to entertain himself in some way and he did it with no remorse.


    Black wings truly did signify mayhem¡­


    Perhaps that''s what Skypiea was in need of. A little bit of chaos to shake up the natural order.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "S-STOP! PLEASE STOP ATTACKING THE SHIP!" Chopper begged, bloodied and bruised from the punishment he had been dealt.


    This was really bad. The ship was catching fire right now and if he didn''t do something, it would burn down fully!


    Chopper reluctantly ripped the flaming mast off and launched it in the water, lest it reach any other part of the ship and he watched in despair as it sunk to who knows where.


    "What should we do about this, Fuza?" Shura asked with an annoyed look on his face.


    "Kuka Kaw!" The bird chirped, blowing a puff of fire out of its mouth.


    "You don''t want me to attack your allies¡­ you don''t want me to destroy your ship¡­ and you don''t want to die¡­ You''re not leaving me with a lot of options," the priest sighed.


    He glared at Chopper. "What a spoiled brat you are. People like you make me sick."


    Grabbing his lance, the priest lunged at the reindeer and stabbed at him with his super heated spear.


    Chopper squealed and barely dodged it but he realized the spear was heated up too late and he could only watch in horror as the Merry was set even further ablaze.


    "I said STOP!" The zoan yelled, transforming into heavy point and taking a swing at Shura that the man effortlessly dodged.


    "How is he doing that?! He''s predicting my moves? But how¡ª"


    Chopper froze in horror. Did the priests have Haki?!


    That was bad¡­ he wasn''t even close to unlocking his own!


    Oh no¡­ no no no. The ship was in genuine danger and there was nothing he could do about it!


    No, that didn''t matter! He promised he would protect the ship and that''s what he''d do!


    Without any warning, Shura''s eyes widened and he quickly had Fuza fly up.


    The reason was soon revealed, as a weapon slammed into his spot with concussive force and the priest looked at it warily.


    If that hit him¡­


    "Sorry I''m late. I was a little far when I noticed someone else was on the ship."


    Chopper''s eyes glittered in joy. Tears of relief began rolling down his face and he let out a happy sob.


    "Sabo!" The reindeer cheered.


    Sabo glanced at the damaged ship with a severe frown before turning towards Chopper. "Where are Nami and Zoro?" He asked curiously.


    "T-They went off to explore¡­ that''s why he''s here," the doctor explained.


    The revolutionary nodded at that and turned to face the man on his bird.


    "I''ll deal with him then," Sabo muttered, glancing coolly up at the flying man.


    "He has Observation Haki. Do all the priests have it?" He thought to himself, spinning his pipe and tensing his muscles.


    "That would somewhat explain why I couldn''t sense the presence of the one who used that lightning bolt¡­ But isn''t his range still insanely high? He was at the top of that beanstalk and hasn''t moved yet¡­ but he was able to pinpoint exactly where we were earlier?"


    This one named Enel seemed to have incredible Observation¡­ If Rosan was right, then he also had a lightning Logia too¡­


    That didn''t sound easy to deal with. Not only did his older brother have to get through his intangibility, he then needed to deal with the man''s Observation Haki.


    This would be a tough fight for him but Sabo wanted Rosan to do this more then ever now.


    His brother might need to use everything to win and if that wasn''t enough¡­


    He''d just have to go further beyond, castle be damned.


    Sabo nodded to himself. He would need to push Rosan further before he got into a battle with Enel. The closer he got to unlocking his Haki, the better. A good fight sounded exactly like what he needed and if it really came to it, the revolutionary would save him before he died.


    "Just to be 100% sure, you''re not Enel, right?" Sabo shouted to the man flying away from him.


    He was fairly sure Enel was the one he felt on the very top of that stalk, but who knows? Never hurt to be sure.


    Shura glared at the blonde for his impudence. "Of course I''m not the Almighty Enel-sama! I am Shura and I have jurisdiction over the Ordeal of String tria¡ª"


    The Ordeal Master''s eyes widened in disbelief as Sabo appeared atop of Fuza with speeds he couldn''t even comprehend, pipe already at the ready.


    "Swing to the left side of the head with the pipe."


    "Your Haki''s pretty good but it could use some work," the revolutionary grinned, gripping his pipe.


    Shura knew the attack was coming. His Mantra alerted him. He knew but he couldn''t dodge it.


    The pipe smashed into his face with no hesitation and sent him soaring off of Fuza. Blood gushed from his nose and his face caved in, as he went careening into the forest.


    "I-In one hit?!" Chopper gaped in awe.


    Sabo really only needed one attack to defeat that scary Priest?


    T-That was amazing! All of the brothers were incredible!


    "My word¡­"


    Sabo eyed the approaching Gan Fall with a neutral expression, noting that the bird hadn''t flown off yet even after he hopped off of it.


    Rosan told him he liked to give Maro random gifts¡­ Maybe she''d like this one? It could breathe fire after all...


    It was pretty ugly though and Maro liked cute things... maybe not then. Angel especially would hate this thing...


    He would check with the redhead but for now he''d let it fly to its unconscious master.


    The bird finally realized that it''s master was the one sent flying away and with a panicked squawk, Fuza flew off to go retrieve Shura.


    "¡­ I''ll probably let another of the crew fight him so I didn''t put too much force into that but maybe I should have done less¡­"


    "Eh, he''ll be fine."


    "You possess incredible strength," the Knight of the Sky said in awe, glancing warily at the blonde revolutionary.


    To so effortlessly take out one of Kami''s Vassals¡­ Gan Fall himself would struggle and likely even lose against Shura.


    But this blonde one did so with no effort¡­ It was not only the one named Rosan who was dangerous. Just from what little he saw, Gan Fall was sure this one could defeat all of them here.


    Sabo smiled good naturedly and adjusted his top hat. "It was nothing serious. That guy might try to get revenge on me later though."


    He would fail but people were really arrogant these days.


    The revolutionary glanced back at the ship in contemplation. "Now¡­ let''s try and fix up this ship a little. We wouldn''t want to bother Rosan too much would we? Since you''re here old man, lend us a hand!"


    "Yeah!" Chopper nodded, eyes glittering at how cool Sabo was.


    Gan Fall sweatdropped at the blonde''s rudeness but merely nodded his head. Since he didn''t actually have to fight anyone, he may as well assist them in repairing up the badly damaged ship.


    Besides, with how easily one of the Priests were taken out¡­ and how nonchalant the blue sea dwellers were¡­ Perhaps there would be big changes to Skypiea in the upcoming day.


    He would not mind observing this.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "So the former Kami has shown himself," Enel mused, unbothered by what just transpired between Sabo and Shura.


    That poor excuse of a Kami¡­ being usurped so easily by someone greater then him.


    Enel didn''t truly care about the pathetic former Kami of Skypiea but he was an eyesore.


    Not to mention, he was a wanted criminal as well. It would do no good if he allowed a criminal to roam his holy land for free, especially one that was banished.


    "I suppose I can deal with him then," he decided to himself.


    Once the games truly started, Enel would eliminate Gan Fall once and for all if he made it far enough.


    My, wasn''t he just the busy one all of a sudden? A Devil, a former Kami¡­ based on how easily Shura was defeated, he''d probably have to eliminate the one who had done that as well.


    "How disappointing, making Kami do all this work. What good are Priests who cannot do their jobs?" he sighed, biting into an apple and laying his head back.


    Shura was defeated in one blow, Satori was being toyed with¡­ half of his priests were already disappointing him but that was to be expected.


    They were only mere Vassals after all. They couldn''t hope to match up to him.


    Besides, it would be a shame if the so called Shinigami was taken out by a mere priest.


    No, the one named Rosan, the one who claimed to be the Devil, was Enel''s problem to deal with.


    And he''d deal with him thoroughly.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Another Kami has stepped into Skypiea?" Wyper asked, unable to keep the disgust out of his voice.


    "Yes¡­ they say he has... large black wings," Raki mentioned, going stiff at the thought of saying that.


    Everyone tensed at her words.


    "Black wings?" Someone muttered, voice tinged with a bit of fear.


    "The Devil has shown up¡­?" Another whispered.


    Wyper scowled at that. Was it perhaps¡­ "Does this Devil have blonde hair? I encountered a ship of Blue Sea dwellers and one nearly knocked me unconscious in one blow."


    That blonde was unbelievably powerful. Wyper had no illusions what would happen to him if they battled once more which was why he refrained from attacking that group of Blue Sea dwellers again.


    Besides, he had his hands full with figuring out how to deal with Enel.


    Raki shook her head at his question. "The Deviant is said to have red hair. From what I''ve heard, he''s rather chilly and likes to torment people. They are also apart of the group of Blue Sea dwellers that have shown up on this island."


    Wyper felt a headache forming at that.


    The blonde wasn''t the deviant? There was a Blue Sea dweller apart of their little group with red hair?


    The closest thing he could remember, was the girl with orange hair that he also happened to see skirting around Upper Yard.


    Who was the one with red hair?


    "U-Um¡­"


    Everyone gazed at the little girl hiding behind Raki.


    "What is it Aisa?" Wyper grunted in annoyance, not wanting to deal with her nonsense unless it was serious.


    She flinched at his harsh tone and shrunk into herself, before Raki placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.


    That seemed to give her some confidence and she said, "I¡­ I think the Devil is fighting one of the Priests right now."


    They went still at that.


    "How can you be so sure?" Wyper asked, eyes narrowing in contemplation.


    Aisa fidgeted, sweating a bit. "They feel¡­ wrong," she began, thinking of the person she could feel with her mantra.


    "It''s almost like they''re covered in a blanket. I can barely feel anything from them but what I can feel¡­"


    The little girl shuddered and curled into herself. There were some things peeking out from that blanket. The things Aisa could feel¡­ She was sure of it.


    They had to be the Devil everyone was speaking of because they were terrifying.


    "Aisa¡­?" Raki said in concern.


    "What can you feel?" Wyper asked.


    "So much..." she answered after composing herself. "The little things I can feel... There''s just so much chaos! Rage. Mischief. Hate. Love.They''re a torrent of emotions but all of it is being covered by something cold¡­"


    They listened to the girl''s explanation with wide eyes.


    Just what were they dealing with¡­?


    "It''s to be expected," Wyper grumbled, unfazed. "They are the one with black wings after all. I never believed in such a fairy tale but perhaps it has some merit."


    Death, chaos and anarchy. That''s what the one who was born with black wings represented.


    The antithesis to order.


    Deviant. Forsaken. They were one of many names but the most universally accepted one was of course, The Devil.


    "Kami¡­ Devil¡­ Former Kami¡­ All obstacles that we need to rid of in order to reclaim the former glory of Shandia," Wyper sneered. "You mentioned that they''re in battle with the Priests currently?"


    Aisa nodded. "There were two Priests who fought just now¡­ One of them was defeated and the other is still in battle with the Devil¡ª"


    The little girl jolted. "Two of the Priests are defeated and both of them were by the outsiders."


    Everyone froze at that.


    "WHAT?!"


    Wyper''s eyes widened in shock. "Two priests defeated?! Neither by Gan Fall?"


    She nodded hesitantly.


    One of them weren''t completely down for the count but the one fighting the Devil wouldn''t be getting up anytime soon, considering his voice had v-vanished.


    "This is perfect for us," Wyper said, standing up and preparing himself for battle. "It''s finally time to take back what''s ours."


    "YEAH!" The Shandians roared.


    Aisa watched them walk away with a look of trepidation that Raki didn''t miss.


    "What is it? Still afraid of Wyper?" She asked.


    Surprisingly, the little girl shook her head.


    "The outsiders who took out the priests¡­ there are three monsters in that group," she said quietly.


    One was near the sacrificial altar and two were fighting the other priest. But all three were monsters on the level of Enel.


    Besides the Devil, there was the one with him full of an endless amount of joy and freedom. It was overwhelming how one creature could be filled with someone that seemed so boundless.


    The final one was the biggest monster of them all, full of conviction and resolve that yielded to nothing.


    That must have been the blonde Wyper mentioned...


    "I think if we fight them, we''ll all die," she admitted with a look of fear. The other two monsters didn''t feel as scary as the Devil but that didn''t matter when the Devil was their ally.


    Raki looked at the genuine fear on Aisa''s face and sighed to herself.


    It was a good thing she didn''t have mantra. To feel what this little girl felt, must be terrible.


    "Come with me," she said.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Ball Dragon."


    Satori glared down at the blindfolded fools. "This is my special attack, Ball Dragon! It''s made up of surprise clouds that are filled with blades, explosives and one has a special fireball that will set off a fiery explosion on every single surprise ball."


    Angling the Ball Dragon at Rosan, the Priest said, "Let''s see if that regeneration of yours can handle the full brunt of every single ball exploding on your body. Once I kill you, none of you will be able to reach that boat anymore."


    Rosan couldn''t even pretend to be surprised that this Priest was going to focus his special attack on him.


    Unfortunately, his Observation showed no sign of activating so he had to rely on his base instincts to avoid this Ball Dragon.


    He wasn''t even sure how it looked¡­


    "Rosan are you sure you''ll be fine?" Robin asked in worry. An explosion that would set everything off¡­ what if it completely annihilated his body?


    Could he regenerate from that? What were the limits of his regeneration?


    "I don''t know he sounds very sure that I won''t regenerate from this," he replied truthfully.


    He did know. The force needed to kill him, was not something this man had. It would hurt and probably completely drain his regeneration, but he''d live.


    "Then we shouldn''t risk it!" Robin barked in concern.


    "¡­" he said nothing to her.


    "Well, come then. Don''t leave me waiting," Rosan taunted, standing straight and unfazed.


    "Rosan! What are you doing?!" Robin asked in shock.


    What was he thinking? Didn''t he hear her?! Why would he goad the man into using it on him?


    Curses... she couldn''t take the blindfold off either because Rosan made sure they were tight with his ability.


    What the hell was he doing right now?!


    Mod''s eyes widened in realization.


    Rosan missed the way Satori''s expression darkened but he certainly heard it in his voice.


    "Still not planning on taking that blindfold off? The Devil surely is arrogant but I suppose that''s why you would dare to go against Kami in the first place," he muttered.


    With that, the Ball Dragon took off.


    Rosan''s wings flexed at the noise and he rushed away, not flying too fast in case he crashed into a tree.


    Unfortunately, Satori didn''t use all his surprise balls to create the dragon.


    The redhead crashed into one of the floating balls and grunted as it halted his flight for a moment, erupting into a plethora of ropes, slowing him momentarily.


    That was all the dragon needed to catch up to him.


    Satori grinned as the first ball of the dragon erupted into sharp knives that impaled Rosan right through his gut, rooting into every inch of his midsection with expert precision and drawing out blood.


    The redhead huffed at the stabbing and felt his mouth fill up instantly.


    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Robin''s eyes widened in horror as she heard Rosan begin throwing up a lot of blood.


    "ROSAN!" They yelled in shock.


    "Rosan¡­ are you okay?" Robin asked quietly.


    The wet squelching noise of Rosan ripping out the knives, made her regret agreeing to let him make the blindfolds so difficult to remove.


    "I''m... fine," he grunted, removing the last knife with a sickening noise that made Robin vow to shatter every bone in this Priest''s body until he couldn''t even beg anymore.


    She really was as a hypocrite... because the thought of Rosan being in pain, infuriated her on the same level as how angry he must feel everytime she was in pain.


    "What a disappointment. That wasn''t the special fiery ball," Satori sighed. "Perhaps the next one? Let''s find out, Heathen."


    Rosan let loose a heavy breath and prepared himself again, wounds closing as his body prepared to take even more punishment.


    A catastrophic explosion crashing into Rosan and consuming¡ª


    Robin went cold at the sudden influx of information, heart slamming in her chest as a well of confused terror formed inside of her.


    She saw it...


    She saw it.


    The next one... the next ball to explode... That one was the fiery explosion and it was going to catch Rosan.


    How did she know that¡ª


    Haki.


    She unlocked it. That had to have been this overwhelming sensation telling her that Rosan was in so much danger.


    Robin gasped loudly at the influx of everything flowing into her and rushed without thinking, to the direction where she felt Rosan.


    The rage, hatred, love¡­ all being covered by such a cold and oppressive blanket. Her best friend was a tightly restrained tsunami, building higher and higher due to it was held back by such a firm wall. Once that wall broke, the water would flow and consume everything in its path, years of building up only increasing its power.


    She could feel him completely¡­


    And that''s why she knew she was going to be a step too slow to stop this.


    "ROSAN!" She screamed in panic.


    Rosan went stiff at that, eyes going wide under his blindfold at just how close Robin was to him.


    She¡­ What the hell was she doing?! Was she trying to die?!


    This wasn''t going to kill him. It would certainly hurt, but he''d survive this.


    He could not say the same to Robin.


    How did she know where he was? She made it to him so quick¡ª


    Haki.


    His plan worked. He actually managed to get one of them to unlock their Haki by putting his life in "danger".


    The only problem was that she was doing something incredibly stupid. His dear best friend was being an idiot¡­ He''d laugh at her reckless action if she wasn''t at risk of dying.


    Rosan''s body surged with as much adrenaline as it did panic, as he whirled toward where he heard Robin scream his name and got ready to soar with her away from the Ball Dragon.


    His worries were for naught though.


    As he prepared to rocket off, a hand grabbed him and, judging by the gasp, Robin too and yanked them both out of the way of the incoming dragon.


    Satori''s eyes widened in confusion and he stopped the ball dragon before it crashed and exploded on the tree.


    "You¡­ but how?!" He balked in horror.


    They were blindfolded! How could two of them react to that¡­?


    Don''t tell him¡­


    Robin and Rosan both gazed in the direction of the hand holding them, though Robin was already aware of just who grabbed them.


    "You too¡­? Did you also unlock Haki?" Rosan asked in surprise. After all, only one person would have been able to grab him that quickly.


    "Yeah, I saw it! You two were about to get caught in the explosion so I moved to save you..."


    Luffy grinned down at the two before it turned into a frown. "Are you stupid, Rosan?! You and Robin almost got seriously hurt!"


    "I was going to heal from that," Rosan countered, pleased with the outcome. "I noticed that you guys were making more progress then me so I decided to give you a final push. I was hoping that by doing this, one of you, would actually unlock your Haki but I didn''t account for¡­ the next part."


    He figured the one closest to getting it, was Luffy. He honestly didn''t expect Robin to unlock her Haki as well and he didn''t expect her to recklessly charge him in the process.


    Robin felt a frown form on her face at that. "You can''t just do that, Rosan! What are you¡ª," She said, resisting the urge to scowl at him.


    "I¡­ You know what, we''ll talk about this later," she decided.


    Rosan''s mouth closed at the finality of that statement and he frowned as Robin pushed herself away from him.


    "Uh oh, someone''s in trouble," Mod mused, shaking her head at his antics. She realized what he was planning but made no move to stop him, because if she did, he would never learn from his mistake.


    It was more likely he''d ignore her too.


    "You''ve gone and done it now, Father," Ram sighed. She didn''t have a problem with his plan but she knew mother would.


    Rosan had no comeback. He was just confused as to why he was in trouble.


    "Luffy, can you feel the Priest?" Robin asked, composing herself since she remembered that her Haki would go out of control otherwise.


    She needed to keep this sensation going for as long as possible to really get a feel for it.


    "Yep, I''ll deal with him!" The rubber boy grinned eagerly, looking directly at a nervous Satori.


    Robin nodded and glanced over at Satori as well. "I''ll continue to get used to this sensation then. Be wary of that ball dragon."


    "Yep, the next one''s gonna explode!"


    So he knew that as well.


    Good.


    Luffy took off towards Satori with an excited laugh, looking sure of his movement despite the blindfold and avoiding everything that could hurt him with few mistakes.


    Robin herself, went over to where the largest cluster of surprise balls were and decided to practice evading them so as to take her mind off the absolute lashing she was going to give Rosan soon.


    "Are you alright, Rosan?" Sanji asked worriedly. "You were taking a brunt of the damage from that bastard."


    Rosan removed his blindfold and repeated the process with Sanji and Usopp, frowning all the while as he moved to repair their tattered outfits.


    "I''m fine. I''m used to some pain so it was nothing serious¡­" he said, slightly confused.


    Why was Robin so upset with him? He knew she was afraid of seeing him get hurt, but they all knew just how weak this Priest was¡­


    It''s not like they were fighting Enel. This Priest had no chance of killing him and she knew how durable he was... so why?


    Sanji slapped his head at the look of slight confusion on Rosan''s face. "Just because you''re used to pain, doesn''t mean people who care about you want to see you in pain, shitty redhead," he stressed.


    ...But it was intentional on his part? He did it so that they could benefit from it and it worked so why be upset? He had gone through far worse already so something like this, wasn''t worth getting angry about.


    Sanji sighed at the oblivious idiot. He''d let Robin-chan explain it to him then because she had a way with words that seemed to always get through to the stubborn redhead.


    Usopp collapsed on the floor, thankful that someone finally unlocked their Haki.


    This was pain and misery and scary and pain¡­ and misery.


    He needed to never be around Rosan in case a fight broke out again. The redhead was a psycho.


    Satori couldn''t keep the panic off his face, as the rubber boy began to slowly but surely get more and more adept at moving with the blindfold on.


    His somewhat unsteady steps as he dodged the ball dragon and the surprise balls (he could fly?!), became more confident and soon, it was like he were moving without the blindfold.


    "Alright! I''m pretty used to it now," Luffy cheered, spinning his arm and glancing up at Satori. "Prepare yourself Balloon!"


    "He has Mantra?! But how?!" Satori''s eyes bugged in disbelief as the rubber boy charged him with ease.


    How did he get the hang of it so quickly?! It took Satori years to get his Mantra to proficient levels and not only was this stretchy boy able to do it, the consort was as well?!


    "Gomu Gomu no Pistol!"


    The rotund man moved out of the way of the attack but his eyes widened as the fist followed him and landed a punch directly on his face.


    "O-Ow!" Satori cried out. He wasn''t good with pain a-and that really hurt!


    "Shishishi this is so cool!" Luffy laughed, jumping up excitedly and activating Geppo to close the distance.


    Satori panicked as he watched the human missile flying towards him and he began to steer the ball dragon towards Luffy.


    In his panic however, he didn''t realize what doing that entailed.


    The Priest''s eyes bugged even further out of his skull, at seeing the Ball Dragon get closer to him as a result of Luffy closing the distance.


    "Ah! S-Stay away!" Satori shrieked, trying to use the ball he was currently sitting on to move away from the incoming Luffy.


    The man went pale, as a plethora of arms appeared atop his body and he gazed in horror at the two Nico Robin''s looking up at him.


    "I owe you tenfold for all you''ve done to Rosan," the blindfolded one crossing her arms said coldly.


    "Clutch."


    Satori''s eyes rolled to the back of his head behind his shades, as Robin did good on her promise to break every one of his bones but his misfortune didn''t end there.


    Luffy sensed that the dragon was about to crash into him and cheekily placed himself behind Satori, pushing the man forward and himself away in the process.


    The Priest crashed into the ball.


    BOOM!


    The ensuing explosion was deafening.


    "You''ve gotten used to it far too quickly," Robin commented with a shake of her head.


    Luffy was a monster, she was still in the process of getting the hang of it but already she could feel the progress.


    He was a battle genius alright. The fact that he was already adjusting to it so well...


    "Shishishi. We can practice it together! It''ll be fun!" The rubber boy laughed good naturedly, landing right next to her.


    Robin smiled at his attitude as they began walking towards the rest of their crew. "It''s quite the strange sensation, to feel so much¡­ I can''t help but feel slightly overwhelmed... But it''s undeniably useful."


    "Mhm!"


    They stopped in front of the one that felt like Rosan and waited patiently for him to remove their blindfolds.


    The redhead glanced at Robin''s neutral expression and opened his mouth but the Devil Child immediately shut him down.


    "We should go find the ship," she suggested quietly.


    "¡­" Rosan said nothing for a moment before he sighed.


    "Right. Follow me."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Listen up everyone! Upper Yard is currently in turmoil and now''s the best time to attack!"


    The crowd roared as they skated towards Upper Yard with Wyper in the lead.


    "Our target is Kami''s Temple! Do not fear the false Kami, do not fear the Devil! The spirit of the Great Warrior Kalgara will watch over us!"


    "RIGHT!" They chorused.


    "Everyone, come back alive! NOW BREAK!" He roared.


    Wyper grabbed his bazooka and aimed it at the massive forest, before firing and ensuing a massive explosion.


    "WE WILL BRING BACK THE LIGHT OF SHANDORA!"


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Two defeats? How disappointing," Ohm sighed, adjusting his shades as he regarded his giant dog, Holy.


    "Shura is unconscious but should be awake soon. Satori is dead as a result of his battle... But, this changes nothing."


    "Many challengers always show up, yet the outcome is always the same," the bald Priest said.


    "Blue Sea dwellers, guerrillas and the former Kami all trying to take advantage and see Kami."


    It wouldn''t happen. He''d cut them down long before they got to catch a glimpse of the Almighty Enel.


    "The sun is about to set and for the enemies of Enel, there will be no dawn!"


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Shura groaned as he abruptly woke up and the Priest grabbed his head.


    "That¡­ damn," he grunted, glaring furiously as the memories of what happened to him, surfaced to the forefront.


    How shameful, he allowed himself to lose a battle. That would put a stain on his name that he needed to rectify immediately.


    To be dismissed so casually¡­


    "Your Haki''s pretty good but it could use some work."


    He could not let this stand.


    No, Shura would kill that arrogant human who would dare spout Enel''s name with such casualness.


    He was just caught off guard. Of course a person who had association with the Devil, would have ways to counter him but it mattered not.


    He would get his revenge.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "I wonder if they made it to Sky Island yet?" Maro mused, picking up a green grape and popping it in her mouth before giving one to the Angel resting on her lap.


    Her wife idly bit into the fruit and hummed, prompting Maro to give her another.


    She was all finished with her paperwork and most of her agents, Kaori, along with an army of clones, were off dealing with some pirate alliance thing that the Unluckies managed to find out about.


    Idiots, who said they could go around making alliances with each other on her sea? The North Blue pirates were getting more and more desperate it looked like but never fear because Maro was here.


    That reminded her of that one Pirate Crew she ran into one day while sailing... Was it the Heart Pirates? The one with... Trafalgar Law! That was it!


    She ran into them sometime ago when they were upstarts and she saw their submarine. She had never seen one before and saw it just poking out so how could she resist?!


    Though, pulling it out of the water and launching it on the beach was probably not the nicest gesture... She could understand why they had been rather wary around her.


    They didn''t have any bounties on their heads and didn''t seem to want to fight her, so Maro didn''t feel the need to absolutely obliterate them where they stood and instead chose to talk to them.


    Also they had the cutest polar bear ever. He was so shy and so quiet and had the softest fur ever!


    The Captain had been a pretty awkward guy (it was because an overwhelming Queen who shouldn''t be talking to him, was talking to him), but he was also pretty chill and wasn''t as bad as the other pirates she hunted.


    He was also very smart. He and Maro had been having a mental battle with each other, before he deemed her not worth attacking and they actually spoke!


    His fruit was really cool too! That Ope Ope no mi was kind of like Masters with its own strengths and limitations!


    Master would have overhauled him without a second thought. Even at a glance, Maro could tell how valuable the dubbed "Surgeon of Death" was.


    Maro had thought he was fairly cute despite his goofy hat and wanted him to meet Demon... but alas, he rejected the offer for a blind date.


    That was a fun day. That dude was doing pretty good for himself too with a lower bounty then all of the Straw Hats with bounties but he was still making his name heard.


    He wasn''t as terrible as pirates tended to be (the rumors didn''t sound very promising) so she let them sail off with a cheery wave and even managed to hug the Polar Bear again!


    His other crewmates looked depressed at that fact... she wasn''t sure why!


    But he was still an outlier of pirates... most of them did suck and what she did know is that some group was getting ready to do something big... so she''d further get in the World Government''s good graces and deal with them herself (she already notified them, much to their joy).


    Since Maro was not allowed to go (being Queen suuuucked) the Dokkaebi managed to finish up all her paperwork for the week!


    And now she was bored.


    "Of course they made it," Angel said, head resting on the Queen''s lap. The redhead was idly tinkering with one of her gadgets as the two discussed with each other.


    Maro raked a hand through her wife''s hair, chewing on a grape with a pleased hum as she gazed at her assorted fruit with a blank expression.


    "I wanna see what a Sky Island is like," she said bluntly.


    Angel didn''t even bat an eye at that, just continuing to fiddle with her item. "Then let''s call Master over. They might have different technology over there so I''d like to see it too."


    "Kay, that''s settled¡­ Now where''s Demon?" Maro muttered.


    Marianne, being the only agent who didn''t go, glanced up from her drawing. "He''s working on something important. He told me to tell you guys not to interrupt him and if you don''t listen, you can kiss your Rumble Ball goodbye."


    Maro, who was definitely just about to go interrupt him, froze at that and slowly placed her back on the comfy throne again.


    "So let''s wait for Demon to finish up then," the Queen decided, thankful that she didn''t stand up all the way and force Angel out of position.


    "Smart," Angel said dryly, perking up as she reached the finishing touch of her trinket. "AHA! I''m done!"


    Shooting up, the redhead presented her item to a surprised Marianne.


    "Here you go! I stole one of your brushes and upgraded it," the redhead grinned cockily.


    Marianne''s eyes widened at that and she grasped the advanced mechanical brush out of the woman''s hand. "Wow¡­ for me?!"


    The clone nodded. "It can even generate its own paint and change the color so that you can skip the process of dipping it! You just have to refill it when it runs out. Here, I''ll give you the full run down."


    Marianne''s eyes glittered with awe as Angel sat next to her on the comfortable carpet and the former agent scooted up close to the redhead, idly leaning her head on the clone''s body as she explained all the functions.


    "This is amazing, Angel-sama!" The artist gasped.


    Angel gagged. "Angel-sama is way too formal! Just keep it at Angel!"


    "Oh¡­ okay!"


    Maro watched the two interact with a fond smile.


    She always knew Angel wanted kids! Her headstrong wife didn''t make it too obvious but it was one of those things Maro just picked up on. It was kinda why they both unknowingly adopted short little Marianne.


    Maro herself wanted a biological child too but that would be pretty difficult considering¡­ they were both girls and Angel was also a clone. Even with all the changes Master made to them over the year, they were still not human... so unless he swapped their consciousness somehow into an actual living body that looked like them... then yeah.


    It''d be pretty impossible.


    It was actually one of Angel''s insecurities in their relationship. But Maro assured her that she had nothing to be afraid of. She would always love Angel no matter what and nothing would change that.


    Angel had been touched by that but she really did want to somehow help Maro.


    A lecherous grin made its way onto the Queen''s face.


    Ah, how unfortunate! Guess she had no choice but to ask Master in the future. If they wanted a child as genetically close to the two queens¡­ he was really the only choice and since Angel was a clone (and his sister!)¡­ Well that left Maro with the terrible terrible task of having the baby.


    Her Dokkaebi enhanced body should make the process much easier though so that was a plus¡ª


    A large book planted itself right on her face and Maro squeaked as it slowly slid down into her lap.


    "Get your mind out of the gutter, you pervert," Angel said, staring at her with a flat expression. "Please don''t ever grow up to be like Maro, Marianne. She''s completely hopeless."


    The agent nodded at that. "Shameless too. Right in front of you? I didn''t think it was possible to be so perverted."


    "To my brother too. I understand Master is hot but please, have some decency. At least think about how hot he is when I''m not in the room. I know I do sometimes," she sighed.


    "H-Hey, she''s my soldier! You can''t make her think these negative things about me," Maro spluttered. "I-I was thinking of our future!"


    Angel looked utterly unimpressed. "And it involved Master?"


    Maro, bless her stupid soul, nodded without any hesitation.


    Her wife stared at her, expression not shifting one bit before she opened her mouth and said, "You''re sleeping on the couch for the next 3 days."


    The Dokkaebi''s mouth opened in shock, eyes going wide.


    "Our Queen is so hopeless," Marianne sighed.


    "Yes she is," Angel nodded.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    It was pretty impressive that even despite sitting on his lap, Robin was still ignoring him so effortlessly.


    To be fair, he didn''t say anything but that was because he wasn''t sure what to say and she completely shut him down before they got on the boat.


    Maybe she was waiting for him to speak up?


    "Robin I¡ª"


    "How could you be so stupid?!" She interrupted immediately, rounding to glare at him.


    Guess not.


    He furrowed his brows, stamping down the slight annoyance at being ignored followed by being interrupted.


    "I knew I was going to be fine, Robin that''s why I did it¡­ I wanted to help at least one of you unlock your Haki and it worked."


    Robin''s uncharacteristic glare got deeper. "Besides the fact that you toyed with our emotions, which is a whole other issue that we need to speak about, none of us asked you to put your body on the line!"


    She shook her head furiously, thinking about all the disturbing noises she heard while blindfolded.


    "Who cares if you''ll regenerate, Rosan? I had to listen to you throw up blood. I listened to you rip multiple knives out your body but it''s okay because you weren''t going to die?"


    Memories of a Rosan who was so much younger flashed into her mind. A little boy screaming for help... her help, as he was continuously tortured in whatever way his jailor saw fit. So many horrors inflicted onto his body and there was nothing anyone could do about it but him.


    A memory of a child willingly throwing himself in the way of an attack meant to kill her, made her shut her eyes.


    "Am I supposed to just be okay with the fact that you''re so willing to sacrifice your own safety just to help us?" Robin asked quietly. "I can''t do that, Rosan. I won''t. If I have to get better at your expense, then I don''t want to get better."


    Robin didn''t care that she unlocked her Haki if this was the way she got it. Being scared to death that Rosan was potentially going to die?


    It wasn''t worth it... It just wasn''t.


    "¡­!" Mod gasped silently and Ram was right there with her.


    "¡­" Rosan''s expression turned neutral, going into thought. Surprisingly, he chose not to divulge said thoughts with anyone else.


    Was that really what they all thought? They didn''t like seeing him take damage?


    Considering the look on their faces and the fact that no one spoke up yet, then yes, they did agree with Robin.


    Was him taking damage that big of a deal? He was used to pain. Pain barely bothered him. Besides, he healed up very quickly so it didn''t matter. Even now he was fully healed up... he was just a little tired now.


    When he was just 14, he got skewered by a Logia to save his student¡­ Who also got mad that he would do something like that.


    Looking at the genuine concern under the anger in Robin''s eyes, made Rosan frown.


    Robin saw him getting tortured by Doc. Of course she''d hate to see him in pain. His reasoning for being unbothered by it, was the reason she was bothered by it.


    "I''m¡­ sorry," Rosan said quietly, voice actually filled with remorse. "I never stopped to think that anyone would have a problem with the dangers I put myself in because I do it so often. I figured that since we all knew he was so weak, it was fine."


    Rosan didn''t consider that people would be concerned about something he considered trivial these days. After all, pain kept him alert in battles. He welcomed it.


    Hell, he was pretty sure he was slightly masochistic because pain only made his battle lust grow when he had emotions.


    But he wasn''t normal. He knew he wasn''t normal so of course his perspective of things wouldn''t be normal.


    Of course Robin wouldn''t want to see him in pain. He didn''t even want to see her in pain.


    Rosan didn''t take into account that people cared for him, as much as he cared for them.


    He would have to start being more considerate¡­ he was only ever consciously considerate to Meiko because he hated hurting her.


    Robin''s eyes softened at the guilt on his face, starkly reminded that Rosan didn''t choose to be the way he was.


    For the umpteenth time, she cursed Doc for separating the two and causing him to turn like this.


    Not only that, she loved them¡­ she really did, but everyone who cared for him, Mod especially, needed to stop treating the redhead like they were treading on eggshells!


    Naturally there were some exceptions, that being Ace and Luffy. But... those two were the youngest and they were also the ones least equipped to deal with this. The brothers didn''t know how to properly help Rosan with their words!


    Rosan was truthful, confident and blunt. He was the type of person that you had to give the same energy he exhibited when trying to talk to him.


    The stubborn man would never listen to someone that was unsure or meek, but he would respect you all the more if you spoke to him the way he spoke to you.


    With complete conviction. No sugar coating.


    In order to get things through to that thick skull of his, you needed to be clear, blunt and sure of yourself, regardless if it was ruthless or not because that''s how he worked¡­


    Mod should know this especially... so why was she allowing herself to become so meek around him? Was her guilt over the virus inhibiting her this much¡­?


    If things kept going like this, the Devil Fruit wouldn''t be able to stop Rosan from doing what she knew he was planning to in regards to the virus.


    She would need to sit them down soon so that they could finally get this sorted.


    That was for later though. Robin needed to focus on what was happening now.


    Rosan he¡­ he probably didn''t mean to in that way but he emotionally manipulated them all and that was unacceptable. Even if it was for their benefit... callously taking advantage of their emotions was out of line.


    They weren''t his enemies¡­ they were his friends. It didn''t matter what his intentions were, he couldn''t just manipulate them like that even if it were for their own gain.


    To put his body on the line like that without a single thought¡­ Rosan''s self destructive thoughts were even worse then she thought, if he really didn''t think they''d have a problem with him putting himself in pain on purpose.


    Why exactly did he think like this? They were constantly telling him they loved and cared for him... so why did he keep seemingly regressing?


    "Rosan¡­ Please put more value in yourself," Robin said firmly. "I don''t care how badly you view yourself right now, that''s a hurdle we can jump over later but you need to understand that people do care about you."


    "You have no idea how much everyone cares about you, Rosan. No matter how much we show you, you just choose to be selfish instead!"


    Luffy and Ram watched on with big grins as the redhead got chewed out for once.


    "Scary¡­" Usopp thought. Robin was normally so calm and collected but here she was making the infallible Rosan, uncomfortable!


    Sanji nodded in approval at the tongue lashing Rosan was receiving right now.


    As someone with siblings who lacked emotion, Sanji was more aware then anyone how terrible that person could turn out. Rosan had the benefit of having had emotions before, but his life as Reaper showed that he was more then willing to do terrible things.


    If they wanted Rosan to stray away from that path, they''d need to actually help him understand what he was doing was wrong. If his emotions were gone as long as he mentioned, they''d need to do a lot of work.


    Mod stood there in shock. The woman couldn''t remember the last time someone reprimanded Rosan so thoroughly and he actually learned from it.


    They just got used to him acting like this and no one could really dispute him because¡­ because he was a genius that always brought up good points that they could rarely argue against...


    Even Mod stopped reprimanding Rosan over the years because somewhere along the way, she realized she lost the privilege to do that.


    More and more, she realized how big of a mistake she made not telling Rosan about the virus and the more she realized, the guiltier she got and the more meek she became when it came to her son.


    She had no right to tell Rosan off because his issues were caused by her.


    But even then¡­ if she didn''t, who would?


    Mod was his designated guardian. She had the honor of being considered his mother. Before all of this... Rosan had trusted her the most on the entire planet! Whenever he needed help with something, he would look to her... he said he trusted her with his life...


    They had their ups and downs¡­ so why was she currently being such a coward, that Robin felt like she had to step up in her place and talk to the redhead?


    That was unacceptable. She needed to fix this to the best of her ability a-and get over her own fears.


    Rosan never expected Robin to start shouting and he couldn''t help but avert his gaze at the intense look in her eyes. By now, she had fully turned her body around to regard him but the rather compromising position was ignored by everyone there.


    When was the last time someone spoke to him like this? It must have been when Meiko was still alive because she never did care about upsetting him if he needed to hear something.


    They would spend hours arguing with each other over something... and she never even felt close to backing down against the stubborn redhead. Even if he refused to concede, she would make sure he at least saw her point.


    She was always like that. Rosan found it funny how someone so weak, could stand up to him so effortlessly, where so many others failed. Was that just her unique gift? To be fearless when it came to the one she loved?


    No, she simply did it because she cared for him¡ª


    Ah, that''s right¡­ Meiko did everything she did because she cared for him. Just like Robin did. Just like how everyone in his family did¡­


    "You''re looking for something you already found, Rosan. You already have reasons to live and you''ll realize that soon enough."


    He had no idea how much everyone cared about him huh¡­


    "Day by day¡­ little by little, I''ll try and get better until I can be someone you''re all satisfied with, I promise," Rosan assured quietly, head bowed as he fully conceded.


    Robin''s fierce expression immediately melted, at hearing him promise of all things and she pulled the redhead into a hug.


    "I''ll always be satisfied with you because I love you Rosan... but I want you to be a better version of yourself regardless until you can become the best version," she murmured.


    "For the longest¡­ I didn''t think I could get better because I lost my better half. But everyone thinks otherwise¡­ everyone but me so maybe I''m the one in the wrong," he admitted.


    Luffy laughed at that. "You can''t always be right, Rosan! You''re too stupid for that!"


    "YOU''RE ONE TO TALK!" Sanji roared, butting the rubber boy''s head with his foot.


    Robin couldn''t contain her laughter at Luffy of all people saying that. "I''m beginning to think that you actually believe you''re incapable of being wrong. How does your confidence not clash with your self destructive thought process? Are you an anomaly?" She wondered.


    Rosan snorted at that. "No one can understand the mind of Rosan. It''s hopeless to even try."


    "I do love to explore the unknown¡­ maybe that''s why I took such an interest in you," Robin sighed forlornly.


    That made sense. Even when first meeting, Rosan had been an anomaly to her and she felt herself light up with joy every time she figured something about him out.


    For instance, he was terrible at taking what he dished! He had no problem embarrassing people, but the moment you did the exact same thing to him, he would lose it!


    Robin had once gotten tired of how often he dished out those kisses of his and decided to give him a taste of his own medicine!


    Her embarrassment was only secondary to the bugged eyes of the embarrassed redhead himself. 7 year old Rosan''s jaw had dropped and a brilliant red had marred his cheeks as he fled from her.


    That had started a bit of a war. Whoever got the jump would just win and she won more often then not!


    "You''re still coming up with excuses for yourself after all this time? Just admit that you admire and are jealous of me and call it a day," Rosan scoffed.


    "I''d sooner admit that Luffy is smarter than you."


    "You''re slowly becoming a compulsive liar. Have you been spending time with Usopp?"


    "No, I''ve been spending all my time with a needy and possessive brat."


    "...You have a kid?"


    "You aren''t being serious right now."


    Usopp (who spluttered at being dragged into this) interrupted their impending argument that was sure to turn into a brawl. "I''m glad that we all made up but uh¡­ where are we now?"


    At his words, the group glanced around, taking in the scenery with alert gazes.


    They were floating along a prairie that was dotted with poles adorned with skulls atop of them.


    That got a startled shriek out of Usopp.


    "Perhaps there is a trial here that will leave us like this," Rosan mused.


    "Perhaps a monster who feasts on skin?" Robin asked.


    "D-DON''T SAY SUCH SCARY THINGS!" Usopp shrieked.


    Robin smiled before her gaze narrowed at the same time Luffy''s did.


    "Someone''s coming," they said in unison, gazing in a direction.


    A few seconds after saying that, one of the totems was blown to bits and a group of people surged from the trees.


    Rosan''s eyes narrowed and he stood up abruptly, hands already forming into the gloves he enjoyed using way too much.


    At the same time, the man leading the group of warriors, flew over them and aimed his bazooka at the group once he made moderate distance.


    Luffy was already on the move before the man even aimed his weapon, sucking in a breath of air.


    "Gomu Gomu no Balloon!"


    Wyper scowled in annoyance as the rubber man caught the artillery and rebounded it to them.


    The Shandians grunted in surprise as they were forced to dodge the explosion that took place and they all landed on trees to regard the group.


    Once the smoke settled, Wyper had only a moment to react as a massive red laser attempted to take off his entire midsection gazing at the spot with wide eyes.


    "Fascinating looking skates... I think I''ll take them after I kill you but that''s for later."


    The leader of the Shandians glanced at the one who said it and went still.


    "Is that¡­" he heard one of his allies mutter in slight apprehension.


    "The Devil¡­" Another gasped.


    "He really is here! First Enel, now this?!"


    Rosan floated above the ship, glove glowing red for another attack, as he gazed at the Shandians. His obsidian wings were on full display and the less hardened warriors, found themselves growing nervous.


    Wyper''s scowl was back in full force as he gazed right back into those demonic eyes.


    "So you''re the one with black wings. The Deviant," Wyper grunted, glaring harshly at the group.


    Rosan tilted his head at that. "Oh? It seems word about me is spreading far. Everyone has such a pleasant nickname for me too."


    Forsaken One, Devil and now Deviant? He was honored.


    "Should we take them out Wyper?"


    The man thought about it for a while before shaking his head.


    "Not unless he attacks us first. We have to prioritize Enel first then we can deal with them if they stay," he grunted, glaring at the neutral redhead.


    They would lose precious members trying to take him out and they did not yet know of his full capabilities. They were not prepared to fight him yet. They hadn''t spent years planning for this random appearance, so they would ignore him to the best of their abilities.


    "Heed my warning, Blue Sea dwellers, get off Sky Island. If you stay here then we''ll get rid of you along with Enel," Wyper promised.


    Rosan tilted his head and surprisingly furled up his wings, banishing the glow from his gloves.


    "You talk big for someone so weak. If you value your lives, you''ll get out of my sight. Send Enel my regards before he kills you," he said calmly, glancing away from the group.


    "Why you!" Someone snarled, ready to engage in battle with the arrogant redhead.


    "Enough," Wyper ordered. "When I''m done with Enel, you''re next, Deviant. The Shandians are tired of these so called higher beings dictating our lives."


    Rosan didn''t even spare him a glance and had the ship they were on sail even faster. "You have too much belief in what little strength you have, good luck surviving the day. With how outmatched you are, you''re gonna need it."


    Wyper bit back the snarl of aggravation. "What did you just say?" He growled lowly.


    The redhead didn''t bother looking up at him. "You''re still here? I''m surprised. Maybe you don''t value your life," he commented.


    "Feel free to attack me. Though, I''m sure you''ll regret that sooner then later."


    "Remember the objective, Wyper," someone said to the man ready to throw caution to the wind.


    The Shandian glared deeply at the ship, before he simply turned away, dashing off with his group while vowing to eliminate the Deviant when all was said and done.


    The Straw Hats watched Rosan do nothing to the group, in clear surprise.


    "What?" He asked calmly.


    "You didn''t kill them," Sanji pointed out.


    "Yeah I was expecting them to die. I even had my eyes closed," Usopp mused.


    "You''re rather bloodthirsty," Robin smiled.


    The redhead sighed at them. "Do you all think I''m the type to just immediately kill?"


    "Yes," everyone said without a hint of hesitation.


    They were so annoying.


    "I am the scout first and foremost," Rosan said, suppressing his annoyance expertly. "You guys never gather information so I''m the one who normally does it. Those warriors still have information I can get so I left them alive. Once their use has run dry, then I''ll kill and pillage them for speaking to me so boldly."


    They sweatdropped at his casualness.


    "W-We gather some information¡­" Usopp muttered.


    "Good lie. Robin is the only one who would gather info and she''s permanently attached to me so she doesn''t count."


    There was no use killing them immediately. Let them cause their chaos before being snuffed out.


    Rosan wanted to see what combat based dials looked like and there was a chance he could see Enel in action too.


    His birds were currently flying around the island so that he could gather as much information as possible. He made sure one was attached to the supposed leader of these guerrilla warriors.


    They weren''t impressive in the slightest, but their technology on the other hand...


    "Show me what your other Priests can do, Enel," Rosan said aloud, closing his eyes and getting situated. He idly began messing with Robin''s hair and she glared at him as he turned it red like his own.


    "Rosan s-stop!" Usopp hissed. "Piss him off when we''re not all on this tiny little ship!"


    Was he seriously just going to keep antagonizing Kami? What was wrong with him? He swore this was their punishment for not listening to him when they first landed here.


    "Consider this punishment for not listening to me when we first arrived," Rosan hummed.


    Usopp held his head at that.


    Since when was he able to tell what his scout was thinking? That was a terrible terrible thing¡­


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "W-What happened to the ship?!" Nami gasped in horror.


    The Navigator and Zoro just came back to the ship after making the discovery that Upper Yard was actually the City of Gold!


    They weren''t able to actually find gold just yet but it had to be somewhere. Her and Rosan would find it at all costs before leaving!


    Chopper flinched at her question and gazed away in guilt.


    Sabo perked up from where he was crouched down and stood up. "It was attacked by one of those Priests but I dealt with him."


    Zoro gazed at the wrecked ship and frowned slightly.


    Rosan was right, the Merry wouldn''t last much longer in these seas¡­


    "I''m guessing you blew the whistle, Chopper?" Nami asked as she gazed at Gan Fall.


    The Sky Knight nodded as he wiped the sweat off his brow from his physical activities. "I showed up just in time to see this young man take out one of the Priests, Shura, in a single blow."


    Sabo grinned sheepishly at that. "Sorry for wandering off, I have a habit of doing that. Makes my allies really upset most of the time."


    Nami just waved him off. "I expected nothing less from Rosan and Luffy''s brother. You''re all idiots and completely hopeless. I imagine Ace has a flaw that would make me call him stupid too."


    The revolutionary sweatdropped at her words.


    He couldn''t have been as bad as Rosan and Luffy¡­ right? Sure he was bad... but his two other brothers were almost psychotically chaotic.


    Yeah, there was no way he was as bad as them... he was more so like Ace! His middle brother


    Speaking of which¡­


    "I SEE THE ALTAR!" A familiar voice screamed in the distance, making them all perk up.


    The group glanced up at that, gaining smiles as they watched a ship appear in the distance holding the rest of their crewmates.


    "NAMI-SAN! I''VE ARRIVED TO SAVE YOU!" Sanji swooned happily.


    Gan Fall''s eyes widened at seeing all of them alive and he gazed at the crew with a shocked gaze.


    "You survived the ordeal with the Priest?!" The former Kami of Skypiea asked in disbelief.


    "Did you think we were going to die? I''m not as weak as you," Rosan replied calmly, raising a single brow. "We would have won faster but we saw a good opportunity to turn it into training since the environment was ideal."


    The group nodded at that, though Usopp looked far too tired.


    "I can''t believe we were in a life or death situation and you told us to use it as training," the sniper groaned.


    "It was a good idea wasn''t it?" He countered calmly.


    "...I hate you," Usopp rasped.


    "T-Training?!" Gan Fall repeated with bugged eyes, gazing at the monsters with wide eyes.


    "What type?" Sabo asked curiously. If they noticed the same thing he did about the Priests, he could take a guess.


    "Observation," Robin answered easily. "We put on blindfolds against him and spent the time trying to learn it."


    Gan Fall spluttered at the sheer insanity that they were all spouting.


    Didn''t they know what they were up against?! Placing blindfolds on against the Priests with Mantra?! What were they thinking?


    "How did it go?" Sabo asked excitedly. That was genius of them!


    Zoro was just as interested now, gazing at the group with a raised brow.


    Luffy grinned widely at that question, jumping up and down in excitement.


    Robin merely smiled. "Luffy and I unlocked ours¡­ but it was at Rosan''s expense and we made sure to let him know that he can''t do what he did again."


    They all looked at the redhead, noting that he actually wasn''t planning on defending himself and wondered what he did.


    Rosan sighed. "I allowed myself to get put in a dangerous situation that helped them unlock their own Haki¡­ It was thoughtless of me to not consider their feelings on the matter though¡­"


    Being considerate wasn''t his strong suit. It was rather difficult considering how selfish he was inherently but Robin made great points that he found he couldn''t really go against.


    "It''s fine, we talked about it so he knows now," Robin assured them all, putting a hand on the redhead''s shoulder.


    Sabo nodded with a thoughtful expression. He learned many things about his oldest brother and though he had a slew of issues, he was not unreasonable. If Robin (who he clearly listened to the most) said it was fine, then he''d drop it.


    Still though¡­


    "You guys managed to unlock your Observation already? That''s incredible," the blonde muttered.


    This must have been how the revolutionaries felt when they were training him. Proud but shocked.


    "It''s very useful," Robin nodded. "I personally wanted to learn Armament first but this is still incredibly beneficial for me."


    Luffy laughed. "We''ll learn that one next and before Rosan too!"


    Rosan and Zoro grunted in annoyance at the same time.


    "Ace already said Observation would be the hardest for me to learn. Don''t be so happy that you learned it first. You''ll need as big of a head start as you can get," the redhead retorted.


    "We''ve gotta step it up. I don''t wanna get left behind," the swordsman agreed.


    "The little prodigy is upset that he''s actually being left behind? Careful Zoro, if you continue to hang around him, you might pick up his lack of talent," Robin mocked, smiling at the redhead with a superior expression.


    She effortlessly moved out of the way of his outstretched hand and her smile widened at the annoyed expression on his face.


    "¡­" Rosan glanced at the woman who moved out of the way of his grab before turning away. "You''re lucky Maro is calling me. I''ll get you later."


    Robin simply smiled wider at him.


    Nami perked up at that and grinned. "Maro''s calling? Is she on the way?"


    The redhead nodded. "Most likely. I honestly expected her to call me immediately but she must have actually chosen to be responsible for once."


    Rosan hummed. "This is good actually. You guys have questions for me, right? My old traveling partners should be here as well to hear this and add their tidbits."


    They all glanced at his black wings in blatant curiosity and nodded eagerly.


    "Could you help fix the ship when you come back?" Usopp asked, gazing at the damage with a contemplative gaze.


    "Sure I''ll do it later tonight," he replied, grabbing onto Robin.


    "We''ll set up camp in the forest over there. Then we can all talk about it," Sanji said, pleased to hear that the leaders of Celadon were showing up again.


    Gan Fall watched in confusion as the one Forsaken Pne nodded and waved¡­ before promptly vanishing from their sight with Robin.


    "W-What?!" He gasped. Where did he go?! What happened to him?!


    "You get used to it," Nami said dismissively, eyes turning dreamy at the thought of all that gold.


    "H-He just disappears as he pleases?" The former Kami asked.


    "Yeah, at least once a day," Sanji shrugged, already going off to collect food for their camping excursion.


    Gan Fall watched the entire crew prepare to set up camp in Upper Yard with a baffled expression.


    These Blue Sea dwellers¡­ What exactly was wrong with them?


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "You''re late!" Maro humphed, snuggling her teacher with a stern frown.


    "I took 1 minute to get here," Rosan replied, holding the three leaders with an almost exasperated expression.


    "You need to show up before we call you. You should know us by now," Angel said simply, rubbing her head on his chest with a neutral expression.


    "I cannot read minds," the redhead retorted calmly, knowing logic failed 90% of the time with Angel.


    "Ignore them, Master. You know how they get," Demon smiled as he hugged his older brother.


    "That''s why I appreciate you, Demon," Rosan sighed, running a hand through his brother''s purple hair.


    "I guess I can''t be all that mad considering how much chest you''re showing! Wow, Master!" Maro beamed, greedily eyeing Rosan''s exposed torso with hungry eyes and rubbing her face on it with zero shame at all.


    Look at him! He was ripped and the Queen would graciously soak it all in!


    "Who dressed you like this?!" Angel barked, poking his exposed chest like it were an unknown creature.


    "Robin," he said without hesitation.


    Maro pulled out of the hug at the same time Angel leapt on an amused Robin.


    "What are you doing Robin?!" Angel barked, glaring at the woman who would dress her brother up so lewdly.


    The Devil Child placed a hand on her shoulders and said, "I''m just trying to have Rosan cooldown a little. He''s been way too serious lately."


    The redhead opened her mouth, before closing it at the answer. "W-Well... I suppose you have a point... but that doesn''t mean you can dress up Master like this! It''s way too lewd!" She protested.


    "Lewd?" Rosan spoke up with a raised brow. "It''s just an open cardigan, Angel. What''s so lewd about it?"


    "You!" She retorted. "It''s not the outfit, it''s you! Look at your body! I hate it!"


    Rosan opened his mouth and then realized it was hopeless trying to argue with her so he just shut it.


    Maro chuckled at that before her eyes lit up.


    "So¡­ we haven''t heard from you guys since you mentioned going to the Sky Island! How is it? Well, we''re going anyways but I''d like to know!" The Queen asked as she removed her tiara to place on a tired Marianne''s head.


    "You can sleep in our room until we come back. There''s no point in leaving the castle since you''re all alone," she muttered to the former agent.


    Marianne stifled a yawn and nodded, lazily saluting with a, "Kay," before walking to the Queen''s spacious room to get some rest with the adorable dinosaurs.


    Robin, who accepted all their attention next, smiled at how comfortable Marianne was with the three.


    "It''s rather beautiful, though we weren''t able to appreciate it all that much," she replied with just a hint of displeasure.


    She really wanted Rosan to relax a bit but alas.


    "Trouble already?" Angel asked with a raised brow. "Also, Master¡­ why are you using Shinigami? I haven''t seen those wings in forever!"


    She loved his angelic wings. They weren''t as cool as Ragnarok''s but they were far more gorgeous.


    Maro''s eyes widened at that and she rushed over to Rosan once more.


    "Wow! Did you reveal that you''re Reaper?!" She asked, rubbing her cheek against his wings and purring in bliss.


    As comfy as ever~


    "There is a self proclaimed Kami on the Sky Island we are currently visiting," Rosan began. He idly curled his wings around Maro and snorted as her purring got louder, tucking her easily into his frame as he brushed her shoulder length hair (it was getting rather long... just like his own hair).


    "I''ve yet to see him but he''s powerful. He most likely has the Goro Goro no mi and I decided I want to fight him. Since he thinks he''s a Kami, I decided to reveal Shinigami to them as well. Kami of Death and all that," he explained calmly.


    The redhead and Robin both explained the situation to them so far and their eyes, especially Angel''s were wide in interest.


    "Master¡­ you''re stealing everything right?" Angel asked slowly, eyes practically shining in unrestrained greed as she shook him back and forth.


    "Without a doubt," Rosan replied calmly, high-fiving his sister with a glint. "I was hoping to split everything I got between you, Hiroshi and I. I imagine it would be quite difficult to use some of the cloud based technology on our surface level but I''m sure you can figure something out because you''re my genius little sister."


    Angel nodded furiously, blushing bright at his praise. She was practically salivating at the thought of working on such foreign things. "Don''t hold back, you have my blessing that you can take everything!"


    Robin and Maro sweatdropped as Demon shook his head.


    "I had no idea Angel was so greedy," she whispered to the Queen.


    Maro simply nodded in defeat. "She''s just as greedy as Master but not as universal with it. If it comes to anything that can improve her crafting or being possessive of me¡­ she''s the worst! You''d think I''m the bad one in the relationship but trust me, it''s 100% her," she whispered back.


    "She''s awful," Demon nodded sagely. "Sometimes I feel bad for Maro but then I remember they''re both insufferable and realize they deserve each other."


    Robin nodded sympathetically. She could see it very well.


    "W-What do you mean I''m insufferable?!" Maro gaped at her brother with wide eyes.


    "Do you actually think you aren''t?" Demon replied gently, looking at the Queen with amused eyes.


    "..." Maro''s brows furrowed. "Alright, you have a good point... but you''re a whore."


    Demon raised a brow high at that. "What did you just call me?" He asked incredulously.


    "You heard me! I''m surprised you haven''t fooled around in so long! Been getting real chummy with my soldiers huh? Which one do you have your eyes on? Mikita''s been here longer and she''s such a cutie but Zala''s real sexy and mature don''t you think?" She grinned, waggling her brows.


    Demon''s eyes narrowed. "You and Angel can be so annoying when it comes to my private affairs," he grunted uncharacteristically.


    Maro grinned smugly. "Life of being married. I don''t have to think about getting in a relationship... so I focus on you!"


    He sighed and Robin pat his shoulder soothingly.


    "If it makes you feel better, Rosan is preventing 3 people from dating and I''m one of them," she told him.


    Demon sighed sympathetically. "The woes of being normal and surrounded by psychos. You start to wonder where things went wrong."


    "I began thinking that since I was 8," Robin said forlornly.


    The two normal ones shared a hug of understanding.


    "It won''t get better. People like Master and Angel only get worse," he assured her.


    "...I hate how pessimistic everyone else is. Please let that be my thing," Robin sighed.


    "Alright, let''s go!" Angel beamed, jumping excitedly and getting a pleased sigh out of Maro, which made the redhead blush hot.


    Dials sounded so interesting! She wanted to tinker with everything there and get them Blue Sea ready.


    "You mentioned some Priests right?" Maro mused. "I want to fight one. It''s been so long since I got in a decent fight!"


    She didn''t have her Tiara though... but she scarcely needed to go invisible these days. Just made fights super easy!


    "Priests, guerrillas¡­ have your pick," Rosan muttered, beckoning them all over. "I''m planning on answering my crews questions about me being Reaper by the way. I''ll tell them your Grim too if you don''t mind."


    "Kay! Sounds good to me," she beamed. Look at Master getting all chummy with his crews.


    "That reminds me, we totally have to throw a celebration again for you guys bounties! Also, Red Devil? Gross!"


    "Don''t remind me. I need to find a way to get that changed," Rosan sighed.


    "I agree. Angel of Death sounds so much more amazing even though you answer to no one!" The Queen replied with a cheeky grin.


    Goblin Princess was the coolest of course.


    "Makino also wanted to speak to you. She misses you," Demon mentioned.


    "You haven''t spoken to her even once since you left! Don''t be such a dick, Master! You could have at least placed a Save Point on her," Angel scowled.


    "That would be a waste of a point. Though, I should have given her a Den Den. Everyone mentions how much she wants to talk to me... Maybe I''ll fly over one of these days and say hi to Dadan too," Rosan muttered.


    He had no interest in flying over to the East Blue to do that... But he supposed he could for his friend.


    "I''ll figure something out later. Let''s hurry up and go," he said, eyes glowing as he activated the technique to transport them all over.

 To Observe II

    "Alright! We''ve got some questions for you," Nami decided, taking charge since she was the smartest of the curious bunch.


    After happily greeting the ones from Celadon, the group were sat comfortably in front of one Rosan who they found out was the Angel of Death, Reaper.


    The redhead in question, nodded his head. "Ask away. I''ll answer to the best of my ability."


    To avoid leaking anything to Enel or anyone untrustworthy, Rosan went through the horribly taxing task (he was going to enjoy his sleep after this) of linking with everyone there, excluding a Gan Fall who excused himself, claiming that he''d come back the next day,


    He never linked with so many people and he could already tell that the only reason his head was not pounding so strongly, was because of his amazing Devil Fruit.


    Mod blushed at his praise and smiled brightly with a roll of her eyes.


    Nami felt her curiosity about their scout somehow rise.


    He was full of so much mysteries! Everytime they thought they learned something about him, he revealed something else!


    "So you''re really Reaper?" She started off, just to test the waters.


    The redhead nodded and stood up. They watched as his armband seamlessly transformed into a long black cloak, with white lines donned all over, that covered his entire frame.


    He pulled out a black mask that had a white rose carved into the side of it and placed it on his face. The redhead pulled up his hoodie and they watched as his face instantly became shrouded in darkness.


    The only thing they could see, was the faint red glow that was his left eye.


    To finish off, he held out his ringed left hand and the crew watched as Ram transformed into a gigantic scythe. The Angel of Death effortlessly spun it, before balancing the shaft on his shoulder.


    "This is how I look," he said calmly, spreading out his wings to give them the full picture.


    "Wow," they awed, glancing up and down at the figure.


    He certainly fit the bill of Angel of Death. He was stunning in his disguise and let off an ethereal air that Rosan did not typically have.


    It was almost like looking at a completely different person. He even felt as chilly as Rosan had been when they first met him!


    "Booo, take your shirt back off," Maro scowled, crossing her arms petulantly.


    As they gazed at the cloaked figure, stamping down the trepidation at that ominous aura, a thought occurred to them.


    "So the reason everyone says you were so short¡­ was because you were a child?" Nami whispered in shock.


    The world''s most renowned bounty hunter, was a child! The person who was practically the boogeyman of the sea, who parents warned their children about¡­ was just a kid!


    Granted, Rosan was older than all of them except Robin so they were those kids but still! He was one of the highest starting bounties ever and he was just 14 when it happened¡­


    "Yes, I was... short for my age and had a very sudden growth spurt," he explained, much to Maro''s misery.


    The Queen waved her hands everywhere in outrage. "He was so short goddamnit! We used to be the same height and he never was taller than me up until that stupid growth spurt!" She whined.


    "You''re still stuck on that?" Angel mused with bright, amused, eyes. "You should be glad that you grew yourself, shortstack."


    Maro spluttered at that. "S-Shortstack?! I''m 5''10, you asshole! I am literally one inch shorter than you!"


    Angel shrugged. "I could make Master adjust my height accurately and you can try again. Your 5''10 to my 6''2..." she mused.


    The Dokkaebi wheezed. "No thanks. I''m good. I think our heights are perfectly fine!"


    "Right..." she said dryly.


    Everyone snorted at the wives.


    "Are you actually¡­ you know¡­ otherworldly?" Usopp asked tentatively, gazing at those eerie yet captivating wings of his.


    "I knew you would have believed all those rumors about me, Usopp," Rosan sighed softly. "I was born human, don''t worry. Though, these wings are those of an Angel."


    "B-Born human?!" Usopp cried to himself. What the hell was he now?!


    "So these are Angel wings¡­" Zoro muttered. "What made you decide on them? Did you use these before becoming a dragon for more power?"


    Rosan shook his head, pulling his hoodie back and taking the mask off to reveal his features again.


    "I learned Ragnarok before Shinigami," he revealed much to their surprise.


    W-Wasn''t he starting a little big?!


    "Going from a dragon to an angel is a little... crazy," Nami said slowly with a sweatdrop.


    "It is a bit crazy... but I love fantasy," Rosan admitted.


    "Really?!" Usopp asked in surprise. The pragmatic and logical redhead, was into the fantasy theme?! He really was an enigma!


    That put into perspective just how different this Rosan was from the one with emotions.


    He nodded in confirmation. "I used to always have Mom, Robin or Mod-chan read me a book on fantasy... I especially loved tales about dragons," he explained.


    That... was so adorable.


    "Ever since I first unlocked Modification, my greatest goal was to be able to modify myself into a dragon. It was a childish dream of mine but I attacked it for 5 years before finally figuring it out."


    They listened with undivided attention. Learning more about Rosan was always interesting to them and they didn''t miss the fond smile that made its way onto Robin''s face.


    Those two must have been on quite the journeys...


    "I''m wary about anyone learning of my identity. I prioritize my anonymity above all else and transforming into a dragon, isn''t something a lot of people can do," Rosan said dryly.


    They nodded in amusement.


    "At the same time, I wanted a steady supply of money so I wanted to begin bounty hunting without risking anyone learning who I was¡­"


    "That''s where Reaper came in," he hummed. "I wanted an identity that I could separate from Rosan and I wanted to continue flying because I love flying. So I sought out to unlock a new transformation that would allow me to achieve my goals."


    Their eyes widened in interest, even Maro''s because she wasn''t privy to all the little details like this.


    "I didn''t want a full transformation like Ragnarok because that would take far too long too unlock and it was just for a throwaway disguise anyways. But at the same time¡­ I''m very vain so it couldn''t just be any type of wings," he told them.


    "You''re a trip," Nami sighed at the redhead. He was way more vain then she expected him to be but then again, everything about him was rather stylish.


    "I know," he shrugged. "I wanted to continue the fantasy theme so normal animals were a no. I was going to do Pegasus but I didn''t like how the wings looked on me."


    "Ah, so that''s why he insulted Gan Fall''s bird so ruthlessly," Usopp thought to himself, sweatdropping at the redhead.


    "I couldn''t really think of an alternative though but while I was researching, Angel messaged me and that''s when I thought to just use these wings."


    Angel blinked at that, before flushing beet red. "W-Wait a second! I''m the reason you chose Angel wings?! Why did you never tell me this?!" She gawked in disbelief.


    Demon and Maro also had looks of surprise on their faces and Rosan blinked.


    "Must have never occurred to me," he shrugged helplessly. "I was pretty secretive at that age so I guess I just never thought to mention it. Also... your name is Angel. Thought it was self explanatory."


    He grunted as his little sister leapt on him with a happy squeal. "Look at me! When people ask about how Reaper came to be, I guess I can take all the credit," she preened.


    "Aiko wouldn''t appreciate that, considering she''s the one who named me," Rosan replied calmly.


    "We''ll split it 50/50," she cheered, mostly because she liked Aiko. The woman was one of the only others who was willing to keep Maro in check and that was always a plus.


    "Wait, named?" Nami asked curiously. Don''t tell her¡­


    "Ah, yes. I didn''t name myself Reaper. My friend Aiko did," Rosan informed them, telling about the events of when he first landed on Fregate.


    They listened with slack jaws as Rosan casually told them of how he helped free an island from a tyrant, while gaining a biweekly stipend from them in the process.


    He didn''t even have an alias yet. He just used a disguise that he had as a 4 year old and added the wings on top of it¡­


    "You got that famous by accident?" Sanji balked, cigarette falling out of his mouth.


    Rosan hummed. "Yes. I just wanted to hunt bounties and cash them in but one thing led to another and I became famous in all 4 seas¡­"


    They spluttered at that.


    "Y-You¡­ You made the Angel of Death¡­ as a throwaway?!" Usopp balked in sheer disbelief.


    Rosan nodded. "Everyone put far too much value in a disguise I didn''t really care about. Reaper was never meant to be anything more then an alias that allowed me to mess up once and the moment I did mess up once, I immediately retired."


    "Why the scythe?" Zoro asked curiously. It was a strange weapon to use and he never saw Rosan use it even once.


    "When I was a prisoner, I discovered that I was abnormally good with the scythe... but I also hated the scythe. So I used it on Reaper so that no other weapon would incite suspicion... unfortunately I kind of like using the scythe now but I can''t use it much even though it''s my best weapon."


    Zoro nodded thoughtfully at that. He wanted to fight against that weapon. He always wanted to test his blades against those of the Angel.


    "Wait... did you just say you were a prisoner?" Chopper spoke up quietly, horror welling up inside of him.


    Rosan nodded. "A story for another time... but yes. I was captured and temporarily enslaved by a person who I''ve already killed," he revealed.


    None missed the way Robin''s gaze darkened.


    "That... I''m sorry to hear that," Sanji frowned deeply, looking at his savior with sad eyes.


    "It''s fine... I got my revenge on them all. They will never hurt me again," he said quietly, glancing at the hand on his shoulder.


    He smiled gently at Robin and pulled her a little closer.


    Sabo chose that moment to speak up. "Speaking of which¡­ what exactly did you do to make your starting bounty 500 million?"


    Everyone froze at that reminder and looked at their scout in horror, realizing that he did have a bounty that high.


    500 m-million?! Holy shit¡­ He was worth so much beri.


    Rosan hummed and frowned. "If you want Sabo, you can tell your boss. I don''t mind if he learns about me being Reaper."


    The revolutionary blinked at that. "You don''t care if I tell Dragon? Really?"


    That was nice to hear but why?


    "Sure, feel free. He''s proven that I can trust him. Just make sure you two keep it to yourselves. I trust Dragon and Sabo, not the revolutionaries."


    The blonde nodded at that. That sounded fair enough to him.


    "Right, now that we''ve got that sorted out¡­" Rosan began. "Nami, Zoro. Do you remember when I mentioned that we needed a new ship because mine was permanently damaged when I was 14?"


    The two perked up and nodded at that. It was right before they landed on Usopp''s island.


    Wait a second¡­ 14 would have been the age he retired Reaper!


    "You realized. Yes, the event that damaged my ship and my retiring of Reaper are the same," he hummed, eyes glowing faintly in the dark of the night.


    "Believe it or not, I believe my bounty was supposed to be higher then 500 million," he admitted.


    "H-HIGHER?!" Usopp asked with bugged eyes. What the hell? What could he possibly have done to deserve something higher then 500 million...?!


    "Rosan¡­ what did you do?!" Nami hissed. Someone didn''t just get 500 million as their first bounty and admit that it was supposed to be higher!


    It meant that his crime was so serious, they hid it and still slapped an abnormally high bounty on his head.


    "Enel won''t be the first Kami I''ve battled and defeated," Rosan said cryptically.


    What did he mean by that? Rosan fought another Kami before?


    Everyone there who didn''t know already, simply blinked in confusion.


    All but one at least.


    Sabo''s eyes bugged at hearing that message. "Rosan¡­ what did you just say?!"


    They jumped at the urgency in his tone and glanced at the wide eyed Sabo in concern.


    "We reacted the same way," Maro said in a sagely manner, nodding in sympathy.


    Demon and Angel nodded along with exasperated expressions.


    "We left him for a few days... and he immediately gets a bounty. Master is a complete trip," Angel sighed.


    "Wherever he goes, chaos follows. I do feel like my life has gotten significantly easier since retiring to Celadon," Demon smiled.


    "I killed a World Noble for attacking my ship and trying to have me enslaved," Rosan confirmed calmly.


    Sabo felt himself freeze at the admittance, jaw slowly dropping at the casual tone his brother was taking.


    After all, The Celestial Dragons were the main enemies of the Revolutionaries. To hear that his brother killed one was¡­ it was shocking!


    "You reacted worse then when you were a child," Rosan pointed out, smiling slightly.


    "Y-You told me this already?! I already knew you were Reaper?!" The revolutionary spluttered.


    Wow¡­ he really did tell them everything. Sabo was touched that someone as jaded as Rosan, trusted him despite his amnesia.


    "What''s a Celestial Dragon?" Chopper asked curiously.


    He never expected Sabo of all people to react like that!


    Robin, who was content to just observe and chat with Maro, decided to explain to them.


    "They are the ones who rule this world," she began. "The World Nobles are allowed to do anything they please and face no troubles for it. If you strike one, an Admiral will come after you as soon as possible and you don''t want that to happen."


    Nami, Usopp and Chopper went pale at that.


    "O-Oh," they stammered, gazing at the psychotic redhead with a look that meant "Don''t even think about doing that while we''re near you!"


    "He tried to have you enslaved?" Zoro frowned. "Can they really just do that? No one should be allowed to have that much power."


    Sanji begrudgingly agreed with the swordsman. So Reaper ended up killing one of the most important people in the world¡­


    He deserved it. What a shitty noble.


    "That reminds me!" Nami said suddenly. "How did Sanji already know you were Reaper?!" She asked in confusion.


    Sanji blinked at that, face not betraying anything but mind running a mile a minute.


    What would Rosan say?! Would he reveal Sanji''s heritage as a prince? Or mention his abusive family?!


    That would be terrible¡ª


    "Sanji met Maro and I when I was 13," Rosan replied, much to the chefs dread. "He was going through something difficult and we helped him out. He made a promise to me so I figured I could reveal my identity to him when we were at the Baratie."


    "Ah, so that''s why he avoided you so much!" Nami slammed a fist against her palm, while Zoro snorted in amusement.


    Sanji blinked before a flash of embarrassment made its way on his face. "I was THINKING! THINKING!" He corrected.


    Maro cooed at that. "Awww, you were embarrassed? It''s a good thing I wasn''t there! I''d have made you wanna die," she gushed, pinching Sanji''s cheeks and shaking his head back and forth.


    "Please¡­ stop," the chef said in the most defeated tone. He was thankful Rosan didn''t reveal his past but getting embarrassed because of Maro was just not pleasant at all.


    He was still thankful though and he made sure to glance over at Rosan to let him know¡­


    Which was why he saw Robin smile knowingly at him and his eyes went blank in despair.


    SHE KNEW! ROBIN KNEW ABOUT HIS PAST! THAT DAMN REDHEAD AND TRYING TO GET ONE OVER HIM AT ANY POINT!


    It was then that Nami noticed something. "Hold on, you and Maro both met him? What was Maro doing with you?"


    The Queen beamed at that and said, "Oh, I''m Grim!" She revealed casually.


    ¡­


    "WHAT?!" Nami shrieked, gazing at the gorgeous queen with wide eyes.


    "She''s my student after all," Rosan hummed calmly. "Maro became Grim when I was around 12."


    Maro smiled softly at that, eyes turning fond as she recalled everything. "Master saw the potential in me and offered to train me¡­ he saved my life," she admitted quietly.


    Their eyes went soft at the tone the hyperactive queen took.


    "He saved your life?" Chopper asked curiously, gazing at Rosan with awe.


    That statement from the queen, made them all curious.


    How did Maro and Rosan meet? If what he was saying was any implication, the redhead gained an interest in her long after he lost his emotions.


    Maro gazed over at Rosan with nothing but love in her gaze and her smile was uncharacteristically small.


    Rosan caught her gaze and he returned a smile, reaching a hand over to pull her in a hug while absentmindedly stroking her hair before releasing her.


    "Master and I''s first meeting was when he showed up to my island when I was 11," Maro revealed, remembering the memory perfectly.


    She once asked Rosan to show it to her just to remember and to compare the growth.


    It was surreal. Maro didn''t even recognize the little girl in the memories... She had been so small and weak!


    "Reaper was ordering some apples before I showed up and stole them from him," she admitted.


    They balked at that. "Y-You stole apples from Reaper at 11?! Why?!" Usopp whispered in disbelief.


    Maro smiled sadly and said, "I felt like I had no choice because I hadn''t eaten actual food in days."


    "!" They gasped in shock.


    She hadn''t eaten in days...?


    "Maro was a homeless orphan," Rosan revealed softly.


    "W-What?!" They said in shock, gazing at the somber smile of the Queen.


    She nodded in confirmation. "Everyone on my island hated me. I don''t know why and I still really don''t get it, but Master said my parents might have been pirates¡­"


    The Dokkaebi glanced at her fair hand with a neutral expression. "It was really hard to live. It was a struggle just eating and if it kept up, I probably would have died. If Master didn''t find me... I''m not sure what would have happened to me."


    They couldn''t believe what they were hearing. Maro was homeless? They hated her?! But she was such a sweetheart!


    Angel''s eyes were narrowed in guilt because of how much problems she caused Maro back then.


    Kami, she had been such a bitch... Maro had already had it bad enough and she made no move to alleviate the stress.


    The redhead placed a comforting hand on her shoulder and planted a kiss on her cheek as apology, frowning deeply at the memories.


    Maro smiled and kissed her back, no hint of animosity on her features.


    Just the fact that she genuinely didn''t have an ounce of bitterness in her eyes, spoke volumes of the queen.


    "It sucked honestly. Sometimes I ate garbage just to make the pangs go away and I was getting more and more desperate¡­ I found out that stealing from people who didn''t stay on the island for long, was my best bet and I never saw Master before... so I thought I could just steal from him and hide," she revealed softly.


    The Queen snorted. "He found me instantly. It''s honestly embarrassing. I barely got to finish an apple!" she laughed.


    "She was a dirty little thing," Rosan remarked, easily recalling how she used to look. "Rags for clothes, absolutely filthy¡­ she didn''t even have a name to herself," he told them.


    Their eyes bugged at that. "Wait, she didn''t have a name?!" Nami said in horror, gazing at the queen with wide eyes.


    Was her name not always Maro...?


    She shook her head. "No¡­ I didn''t have one until Master named me Maro. He¡­ instead of killing me he offered me the chance to join him."


    They glanced at Rosan in shock.


    "You named her¡­?" Sanji said in wonder, gazing at the two that had far more history then he expected.


    Everyone else was just as surprised. They had no idea that Rosan of all people had named the Queen of Celadon...


    Wow... these two''s relationship went even deeper then they initially thought.


    "He saw something in me that no one did. Everyone ridiculed and hated me but Master he¡­ he built me up from zero and he turned me into the something he promised to make me," Maro said, gazing at Rosan with an unconditional type of love.


    "I will do anything for him because he did everything for me," the Queen finished, making her way over and engulfing the redhead in a tender hug.


    The small smile Rosan let out, was genuine and he returned the hug, crushing the Dokkaebi into his frame.


    "I simply chose to invest in a person who survived off of sheer spite. Someone who''s eyes shown with determination despite the terrible hand they were dealt," Rosan said truthfully.


    Maro''s eyes turned foggy at the tender tone he used and she buried her head in the crook of his neck as he began to speak.


    "You are the one who accomplished everything. Even after I treated you so harshly... you still flourished under my teaching. You are the one who made me care for you. I don''t deserve any credit besides giving you the tools needed to wrestle fate into your own hands..." he continued, stroking her hair.


    "You have done a complete 180, my prodigious student. You''re beautiful, married and above all, the Queen of the most prestigious island in the North Blue. You being Grim, is only secondary to everything else you''ve accomplished now. You have exceeded my expectations and I placed the highest faith in you already."


    "Mgmm," Maro sniffed once, twice, before breaking out in a bawl.


    "W-Why are you making me cry right now, M-Master? Y-You know I''m emotional a-and this isn''t about me!" She sobbed, soaking his shirt with her tears.


    "Because I like tormenting you," he admitted, rubbing her back soothingly. "It''s no fun if a teacher can''t mess with his student."


    "Y-You''re just a dick," she mumbled through a watery breath, sinking further into his chest as she got tired.


    "Hm, many people say that. Perhaps I should start taking their words serious," Rosan mused.


    Everyone watched the two former bounty hunters with soft eyes. To hear of their relationship¡­ those two were even closer then they first thought.


    So these were Grim and Reaper, two kids who had messed up childhoods¡­


    To think that Rosan had turned Maro from nothing into this... to learn that he named her of all things.


    "That''s adorable," Nami sighed fondly, smiling at the two.


    "Isn''t it?" Angel grinned fondly, watching as Maro slowly but surely fell asleep. Her wife always got tired when she became emotional and these days, she immediately fell asleep afterwards.


    "Those two have an adorable bond," Demon chuckled. "Maro was right. At one point, the only person who had faith in her, was Master and it never once wavered. He saw something we didn''t and he acted accordingly and now look at her! She''s our precious Queen who the people of Celadon would do anything for!"


    He wanted the people of her old island to see her now. To see the night and day change from Maro. To know that she was more important then every single one of the people who scorned her.


    She deserved some bragging rights.


    "Grim and Reaper¡­ two kids just terrorizing the sea and striking fear in all bounties hearts," Nami couldn''t help the laugh at the thought that people were panicking at two kids who were barely teenagers.


    "Up until they usurped a king and Master made Maro and us stay on Celadon," Angel added dryly. The redhead gently removed Maro from Rosan''s person and settled her down next to her, rubbing her hair soothingly.


    "It''s why Grim doesn''t have a bounty¡­ she wasn''t there when Master killed the World Noble," Demon laughed softly.


    Usurping a king¡­ Rosan really was a psycho. No lack of emotions would be able to change that fact.


    The scout shrugged. "It was a good opportunity and the former king was a tyrant. Celadon''s evolution is as impressive as Maro''s and it''s thanks to her."


    The redhead stretched slightly and hummed. "Alright, I think that''s all the questions we should have¡­ is there anything else we should discuss?"


    Everyone looked at each other in contemplation before shaking their head in a no motion.


    Nami suddenly raised her hand and said, "Zoro and I made a discovery actually!"


    The group glanced at the Navigator in curiosity at that and she puffed up with a large grin.


    "This Upper Yard, is actually the other half of Jaya! We''re on the City of Gold!" She exclaimed.


    There was a brief moment of silence before a wave of excitement pulsed through the pirates.


    "Gold?!" Luffy''s (Rosan had barred him from speaking, considering they were all speaking through his link) eyes widened in glee at that. "Perfect, just the kind of adventure I''ve been waiting for!"


    Nami''s grin widened. "That simplifies things a lot! Let''s get all that gold!"


    Rosan nodded at that. "My pocket dimension will be getting a lot more stuff in the upcoming days. We''ll take everything that we can."


    Angel and Nami both grinned at that and high fived the redhead.


    "You have our blessing!" They cheered.


    The rest of the group looked at the unholy trinity of greed with matching sweatdrops.


    "At this rate, I fear your hoarding problem will never get solved¡­ Especially with Angel and more recently, Nami enabling you like this," Mod sighed forlornly.


    "H-Hoarding?!" Nami gaped. "You can''t hoard treasure, Mod-chan!"


    Rosan nodded in agreement. "See? I told her the exact same thing. It''s like she wants us to spend it all in one go. My mother has terrible money management skills."


    "What a shock," Nami muttered. Mod looked like she could do it all...


    He couldn''t blame her. Mod didn''t have to deal with the money most of the time. First it was Robin, then it was Rosan.


    But still, she should have learned something from him¡­ how lazy of her. He expected her to be better then this.


    "L-LAZY?!" She bellowed, making them all shrink in fear at that tone. "Do you even hear yourselves?! You and Nami have a serious problem and only I see it! How dare you call me lazy when I''m concerned!"


    Poor money management skills? Was he serious right now? Rosan was just trying to infuriate her and it was working!


    Rosan, being the only one who didn''t shrink in fear, shrugged. "I just call it how I see it¡ª"


    The redhead suddenly grunted and hunched over, as the most pounding headache he ever felt, slammed into his head with crushing force.


    Robin steadied him with an amused expression on her face that very loudly screamed, "Why would you antagonize Mod-chan?"


    "That''s what me being lazy looks like, you ungrateful brat. This headache stems from the fact that you linked with so many people but thankfully for you, I can keep it at bay¡­ if I so please!" She humphed, crossing her arms across her bust with a glare.


    Rosan, curse his stubborn soul, refused to submit. "This is nothing. I''m accustomed to being bombarded with headaches, courtesy of someone I know quite intimately."


    "I-Intimately?!" Sanji stammered to himself.


    Robin sighed at the two. "Rosan. Mod-chan. Please stop being so childish."


    There was a brief silence, before the two begrudgingly said, "Fine/Fine."


    Rosan straightened himself back up at the feeling of the headache vanishing and sighed.


    "I''ll forget about the revenge I planned on dishing out," Rosan muttered, pulling the exasperated Robin into a side hug.


    "You should stop being so stubborn one of these days," she advised the redhead, leaning into him with an amused smile.


    Watching him and Maro, filled her with all types of warmness. Those two were so precious!


    "If I stop being stubborn, Mod-chan will run over me," Rosan muttered.


    "LISTEN TO YOURSELF! DO YOU JUST SAY THE FIRST THING THAT WILL IRRITATE A PERSON?!"


    "If the truth manages to irritate you, then yes."


    "Come into the mindscape, I have some words for you."


    "No, I''d rather not have to deal with such an insufferable person."


    "I-Insufferable?! Just you wait until I get my hands on you!"


    "Father you should come in! I wanna see you!"


    "Just come out then. I''m not entering the mindscape."


    "...Coward."


    "...What did you just call me? One second, I must teach my unwise mother a lesson."


    "BRING IT ON, STUPID SON!"


    "WOOHOOO! FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT!" Ram cheered.


    The Straw Hats sweatdropped.


    "Is this what goes on in Rosan''s head all the time?" Nami asked in disbelief. She never expected Mod to scream so readily at someone¡­ or engage in a fight with them but it seemed like there was not a single soul immune to Rosan''s effects.


    Robin nodded with a suffering sigh as the redhead abruptly fell asleep. She placed his head on her lap with a shake of her head. "We argue all the time unfortunately. It''s always Rosan''s fault too. He''s incredibly insufferable."


    Usopp nodded sympathetically. "You know, I believe you wholeheartedly."


    Everyone else nodded in unison and Robin let out another sigh.


    She should have gone with him to make sure they didn''t do anything stupid.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    After settling their differences and sufficiently beating each other up (they somehow both felt Robin''s warning glare and agreed to stop... for now), Rosan woke back up to talk plans.


    The Straw Hats just finished preparing for a late night dinner, in the process of discussing their course of action tomorrow morning.


    They would split up into groups in search of the treasure while also guarding the ship.


    "Angel and Demon, you can stay with me," Sabo stated. "I don''t plan on fighting unless I have to so I''ll keep you both safe," he told them, smiling at the twins.


    They nodded with smiles. They had been spending quite a lot of time with Sabo and it was always pleasant.


    "I wanna fight someone," a groggy Maro slurred. "Gimme one of the priests to fight."


    "You can fight the one I fought," Sabo told her. "He''s probably going to come attack me for what I did to him, so he''s all yours."


    She shot him a lazy thumbs up, head lolling until she rested it on an embarrassed Angel''s chest and purred.


    "Nice," Maro said shamelessly.


    Angel held her head but made no effort to remove her wife. "You are a pervert."


    "I just appreciate things worth appreciating," she muttered.


    Angel''s blush deepened.


    Robin glanced at the campfire and said, "It''s getting late, we should put out any unnecessary fires before the enemy finds us."


    ¡­


    Luffy and Usopp looked at each other before the rubber boy smirked in exasperation.


    "Do you hear that Usopp? She wants to put out the fire!" Luffy said it in a manner that suggested that Robin truly didn''t know something that he did.


    "Cut her some slack, Luffy. She''s too used to the darkness," Usopp sighed forlornly.


    "I figured Master would have at least taught her," Angel sighed in disappointment.


    "...Huh?" Robin said in confusion, looking down at the Rosan whose head was resting on her lap.


    The redhead shook his head in her lap. "It was an oversight on my part. I thought this was common sense but I guess not."


    "...What are you all talking about?" The Devil Child muttered, genuinely baffled by what was happening right now.


    Usopp and Luffy both collapsed in front of the two and beat their fist against the ground, laughing at the hopeless woman.


    "You''re always supposed to have a campfire!" Luffy cackled like it were incredibly obvious.


    "The desire to have a campfire when camping at night, even if you''re on your last legs, is what makes you human!" Usopp roared his laughter.


    "Watching that wood burn is so motivating!" Angel gushed.


    "It''s not camping without a campfire," Rosan nodded in agreement.


    Robin sweatdropped deeply at the three.


    ...Seriously? Even Rosan and Angel?


    "You guys are definitely the stupid ones," Nami grumbled in annoyance. Were they serious?! Why would they have a campfire in such a dangerous area?!


    "Luffy! This good enough?" Zoro asked, referring to the massive amount of branches piled on top of each other. He and Sanji went out earlier to go collect it and came back with quite the impressive amount.


    "YOU GUYS ARE IN ON THIS TOO?!" Nami roared in disbelief.


    "It''s hopeless trying to convince them otherwise," Mod sighed. Her little idiots went out camping all the time on random islands for the hell of it and they never once cut out the fire.


    They mostly did it to get Maro used to the sensation of camping because she really didn''t like it very much at all, claiming it reminded her of being homeless, so they tried to help her out.


    It didn''t completely work, but at the very least she could sleep in a tent without complaining.


    Demon nodded. "This isn''t something normal people are meant to understand," he said calmly.


    "Finally, people who get me," Sabo sighed happily, shooting a thumbs up at the giant stack of wood and making Nami collapse further.


    Why were they all so abnormal? Where did she go wrong choosing such a crew?


    "Light this up for us, Rosan!" Luffy requested.


    The redhead, whose head was still lying on Robin''s lap, only held out a finger and shot a small beam of fire at the pile of wood, lighting it up instantaneously with the heat of his draconic flames.


    At that moment, Maro shot up, all signs of grogginess gone and screamed, "PARTY!"


    "YOU WERE JUST SLEEPING A MINUTE AGO!" Nami roared at the Queen.


    SERIOUSLY! WHAT WAS WRONG WITH THEM?!


    Maro and Luffy began dancing excitedly and that was the cue for the party to begin in earnest.


    "PARTYYYY!" Ram cheered, transforming into her human form and leaping into the fun. "MARO!"


    "RAM!" Maro cheered crashing into her best friend and spinning with her. "Looking as crazy as ever!"


    Ram readily returned the hug and grinned wolfishly. "No comment on how hot I am?! Are you maturing or in trouble?"


    "Trouble!" Angel replied without hesitation, leaping into the group hug and nuzzling them both, letting out a laugh of joy as Maro easily began spinning them both.


    Robin''s sweatdrop vanished and a small smile formed, as she watched the festivities taking place.


    Even the arrival of a pack of wolves did nothing to dampen their demeanor and the animals joined the fun, dancing with the group and sharing their own provisions.


    Rosan finally removed his head off her lap and instead opted to sit next to her, gazing at them all with a small smile on his features.


    Robin couldn''t prevent the swell of fondness for all of them from forming and found herself reassessing the Straw Hats once more.


    She was already growing to love them and they just kept reaffirming her decisions.


    "It''s infectious, don''t you two think?" Mod asked kindly, watching as Maro began dancing with the lead wolf there.


    She wanted nothing more then the both of them to have unconditional trust in this crew because this crew was amazing and they deserved it.


    Robin was already growing to love them all... but Rosan was still keeping his heart closed. Sure, he was revealing more and more information... but he was just too wounded to open up fully and she didn''t want that to be the case any longer.


    It said something, that Robin was closer to fully assimilating with the crew, then Rosan was... when he was the second member of the ship.


    "Yes¡­ I''ve never met a crew like them," Robin admitted, gazing at them all with a bit of wonder.


    "Luffy did a good job finding them," Rosan muttered.


    Robin smiled and said, "Of course he did. He managed to recruit you first after all so he must have good taste."


    Mod''s smile went wide as Rosan turned a somewhat startled gaze towards Robin.


    "You aren''t upset with me anymore?" He asked softly, taking a sip of the drink the polite wolf brought them. He rubbed its ear and the wolf took a seat next to the duo.


    Robin took a sip of her own drink, smiling at the rather calm wolf that was resting next to them.


    "You know I don''t stay mad for long¡­ we already spoke and I didn''t reprimand you because I''m mad¡­ I did it because I worry for you," she said softly, raking a hand through his lustrous red spikes and marveling at how soft they were.


    The Devil Child stared at her best friend. The one who was actually here. Sometimes, she marvelled at the fact that he was actually alive and well.


    "I''m scared," she confessed. "Scared that I''ll have to go through the torture of not seeing you again for years. You are my everything, Rosan. You made me feel alive and I lost you."


    Robin fixed weary eyes on him that rooted him to his spot and reminded him that he caused this.


    "There were times where I really did consider just ending it all, just so I could see you again in the afterlife¡­ even once," she confessed.


    Rosan went cold at that statement, eyes going wide in shock.


    "Oh Robin," Mod said, despair seeping into her tone at the reveal. The woman held a hand over her mouth as tears began forming.


    "I strove to survive because I know that''s what you wanted and¡­ even after so long, I remember your words of us meeting each other again and you were right!"


    Robin knew this would only make Rosan think of himself negatively but airing everything out was better then keeping it in and he could come to terms with it faster.


    "Now that we''re reunited¡­ I can''t lose you again Rosan. I don''t want to see a timeline where you actually die because¡­ because I don''t think I can¡ª"


    The woman was cut off, as Rosan grabbed her and pulled her into an embrace. She didn''t realize she was shaking until his warmth made her stop and she let out a shuddering breath.


    "I hate myself," Rosan confessed and it was Robin''s turn to widen her eyes.


    The woman looked up at his expression but couldn''t muster up anything to say due to the sheer self loathing he had in his gaze.


    He¡­ she knew he had plenty of self loathing but Rosan hated himself?


    Mod''s gaze went wide because she didn''t know this either.


    Was¡­ was this one of the things Rosan hid from her?


    W-Why...? Did¡­ Did he really not trust her anymore?


    "I can''t do anything right. I''m supposedly a genius but I''ve never once felt like one," the redhead admitted.


    "How could a genius make so many stupid decisions after all? The chain holding my guilt is gone, but it doesn''t change what I''ve done. I abandoned Ace, I got Meiko killed¡­ I let you think I was dead for 16 years¡­"


    Rosan gazed at her with a sullen gaze. "Like it or not, you''ve ended up like this because of me. You didn''t deserve that. I shouldn''t have lashed out at you. I shouldn''t have taken so long to look for you. I failed you, Robin. This whole time, I''m the one who broke my promise and that''s unforgivable."


    It was at that moment that Mod realized, Rosan was never going to coexist with the Virus even if she spoke to them. He would wait for the opportunity to destroy them and take it with malicious glee the moment it slipped up.


    ...The woman clenched her fist nervously. Could she¡­ could she really stop Rosan if that was what he wanted to do? What if¡­ What if he turned on her? What if he saw it as her betraying him¡­?


    After all, Rosan loved Robin more then anything and the virus managed to turn that into hate¡­ was it her right to stop him from dishing out justice?


    After all, Rosan probably hated the virus as much as he hated himself¡­


    "Because of me¡­ there''s a chance you could have killed yourself Robin. I wasn''t just your everything¡­ you were my everything and I disregarded that for some stupid virus whose motives I don''t even know," Rosan snarled unexpectedly.


    Mod couldn''t help but jump at the noise that confirmed her thoughts.


    Robin looked at the brief rage on Rosan''s face and was left speechless. Was this what he seriously thought this whole time¡­? Was this the effect she had on him?


    He should know she didn''t blame him for what happened. How could she ever blame him after witnessing the atrocities done to him? Even then, he realized that he had wronged her and the only reason he didn''t look for her sooner, was because he was sure that she had travelled to the Grand Line.


    If Rosan had gone to the Grand Line, with Meiko, Angel and Demon... they would have had a difficult time just surviving.


    Rosan knew all of this... so why did he allow it to affect him to this level?


    The rage vanished from his face as quick as it came and Rosan stared her directly in her eyes.


    "I hate myself because no matter what I do, the people who should hate me, love me and I don''t feel like I deserve that," he finished, closing his eyes.


    That¡­ it felt good laying his mind bare for Robin and Mod-chan. What he really thought. No one knew but him. He never confided in this with anyone except giving Ace a few details when they were younger.


    Robin gazed at her best friend with sorrow as the realization hit her like a freight train. It was so simple.


    Rosan was depressed. It was no wonder that he was so stubborn in how he viewed himself. It was no wonder he kept seemingly regressing in mindset no matter what anyone else said.


    It was no wonder he had no reason to live for the longest and hadn''t found one yet.


    She couldn''t believe it took her so long to find out because it really was so obvious in hindsight.


    The very first word Robin would use to describe Rosan, was emotional. The boy was practically saturated in his own emotions and it even showed in the way his eyes tied into them.


    It was how he had grown to love and care for her so much after all.


    Rosan was someone that loved with his whole heart¡­ and love and hate were two sides of the same coin.


    The more you loved, the more capacity you had to hate and for someone like Rosan, whose love seemed boundless at times, it was only natural that his hate would be just as strong.


    To someone like Rosan, who never wanted to let his loved ones down, his failures would obviously impact him far more then his success would and his emotional disposition made it far worse!


    It was a double edged sword¡­ one that he couldn''t deal with on his own because he grew up relying on so many people¡­


    Well, after Mod, Robin was the one he relied on the most so she''d do her duty and help him however she knew.


    "Rosan, do you want me to hate you?" Robin asked calmly. "I don''t think you want that but just to be sure, do you?"


    The redhead shook his head immediately. "No, I don''t¡­ It''s complicated," he said wearily, looking confused.


    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    "Do you want me to disappear from your life?" She asked instead.


    "Absolutely not... I would never want that," he replied firmly, a hint of that infamous possessiveness seeping into his tone.


    "So you just want me to reaffirm all the bad things about you, but you don''t want me to do anything about it? What exactly will that solve, Rosan?" Robin prodded.


    "¡­" The redhead said nothing. He knew how foolish he sounded right now and that was why he had no response.


    "What do you want me to do?" She asked him gently.


    "I... I don''t know," he said with a hint of frustration in his tone. "I want to work hard to earn your forgiveness but I can''t because you aren''t even mad at me. I just... don''t understand why you aren''t mad at me."


    "But why do you want me to be so angry with you, Rosan?" She pressed. "Should I be angry with you... because you were being tortured on both ends when you were only 9 years old? Would you be angry at me if I told you the exact same thing happened to me?"


    Rosan was about to immediately say of course he wouldn''t... but shut his mouth as the realization hit him.


    Robin smiled at that. "Do you see? How pathetic would I be, if I blamed a child for being upset with me... because he got tortured physically and mentally for 6 entire months?"


    "..." the redhead said nothing, realizing that she was completely right.


    "Got him," she thought victoriously. Not even he could argue against this.


    "I don''t care what you feel like you deserve, Rosan. You''re a self critical idiot who''s so emotional, you can''t possibly be trusted to make sound judgment alone¡­"


    Robin took a deep breath. "Everything about you just screams... Rosan, I think you have depression," she revealed calmly, gauging his reaction.


    Like he always did, Rosan almost immediately regarded what a person said about him in disbelief but what made Robin admire him so much was what he did afterwards.


    He stopped disregarding it as soon as he started and began to seriously apply what he knew to himself, coming to a decision quickly.


    "I''m¡­ depressed," he muttered at the revelation.


    "You''re... depressed," Mod repeated, not believing she didn''t catch this herself. Her eyes were wide as she digested that information.


    The redhead deeply pondered that and nodded. "It makes plenty of sense¡­ I''ve always been very emotional and with all that''s happened to me¡­ it would be easy for them to become dangerously negative¡­ I even lost the will to live... That would explain why I just can''t take stock of anyone''s words," he mused.


    He was depressed. What an amusing thought¡­ Why did that revelation lift so much weight off his shoulders?


    Robin nodded with a small smile on her face. This was what she meant. Rosan was such a good user of Modification because he was adaptable to the core and always open to anything.


    No one held the redhead more accountable then himself, even if it was to a fault, and he would seek to make changes as soon as possible. That was far harder then he seemed to realize and not many people could claim to be able to do that.


    "You understand now, Rosan? Please don''t make decisions on your own," Robin requested gently. "As long as I''m with you, trust my judgment and my judgment says that you absolutely deserve to be loved, okay?"


    "You''re the only one here who hates Rosan. Everyone else loves you and you know it. You''re outnumbered for good reason," she finished gazing at the redhead with a firm gaze.


    "¡­" Rosan found himself gazing at Robin again with an unreadable gaze, thoughts hidden to everyone but himself once more.


    Then, a burst of warmth flooded his body and he nodded, hugging Robin tightly.


    She melted in his grasp and readily returned the hug.


    "I know I have no right to ask this¡­ but please, never leave me?" He asked quietly.


    Robin couldn''t help the shudder, at the vulnerability in his voice and tightened the hug, breathing in the scent of roses.


    "I''d never leave you, Rosan¡­ So please never leave me," she requested right back, just as vulnerable.


    Rosan squeezed her reassuringly. "I won''t. Not again. I''ll never let you go. If anything gets in the way of that, I''ll tear it to shreds," he promised.


    "¡­" Mod smiled gently at the two. They were precious to her. She would do everything this time around to make sure nothing got in the way of them.


    The Devil Fruit stared up at the castle that seemed to leak more and more with a steely gaze, clenching her delicate fist at the beautiful building that looked more akin to pure crystal.


    "We can talk about this¡­ you don''t have to make things more difficult then they already are. I¡­ I won''t be able to protect you if you decide to do anything stupid against Rosan," she said to the castle.


    It did not reply.


    Mod took a deep breath. "Rosan¡­ he will destroy you! It doesn''t matter what tricks you have up your sleeve, he will find a way and he will succeed and if it comes down to it, I can''t stop him. Please, once you two inevitably meet, don''t antagonize him more then you''ve already done. I know you understand the stakes¡­ Pestilence. Just please stay quiet and let me speak to him."


    It did not matter what tricks they had... now that Rosan was aware of it... the virus wouldn''t be able to stop him. When he set his mind to something, Rosan was unstoppable and if he set his mind on destroying the virus... he''d even go through Mod to do so.


    She didn''t want that to happen... she''d break if Rosan ever turned his blade on her so she just prayed that Pestilence understood the stakes.


    The castle did nothing but gleam in the frozen weather and Mod turned away from it, heading back to their home before Rosan had a chance to catch wind of what she was doing.


    It shuddered.


    Robin and Rosan continued to embrace for who knows how long until they were broken up rather rudely.


    "STOP BEING SO FUCKING LOVEY DOVEY OVER THERE AND COME JOIN US, YOU INTROVERTS!" Angel screeched at the duo, making them jolt.


    "OR KEEP BEING LOVEY DOVEY! I DON''T MIND EVEN THOUGH I''M YOUR DAUGHTER!" Ram cheered, glaring at Angel and making the woman put her hands up in a placating gesture.


    "I DON''T MIND EITHER! ACTUALLY, HOW ABOUT YOU GUYS JUST TAKE IT ONE STEP FURTHER AND¡ª mfgh!" Whatever Maro was about to say, was interrupted by Angel and Ram both slamming their hands over the Queen''s mouth and tackling her to the floor.


    "I HATE YOU!" Sanji roared to the redhead.


    "Idiots," Mod sighed. All of them were idiots. And hopeless. And idiots.


    Robin removed herself from Rosan''s hold and stood up with a smile on her face, holding out her hand for the redhead to grab.


    "I hope your dancing really did get as good as you claimed it to be over the years. Though, I did enjoy laughing at you all the time," She prodded.


    Rosan snorted and grabbed the offered appendage, pull himself up with enough force to tumble the woman into him with a surprised yelp that settled into a glare.


    "I learned how to dance just so you don''t laugh at me anymore," Rosan said truthfully, smirking at the woman steadying herself on his frame.


    While Rosan was good at singing, Robin''s dancing abilities eclipsed his own as kids (partly due to the fact that he couldn''t dance¡­) and she lorded that over him with a smugness that she only radiated around him.


    His massive ego never took as much hits as then¡­ so he made sure to learn how to dance so that she wouldn''t make fun of him anymore.


    "Not a lot of people would admit that so freely," she said dryly, walking hand in hand with the redhead to join the festivities.


    "You should know by now that I''m not a lot of people," Rosan replied just as dry, feeling like a strange weight was lifted off his shoulder.


    He would accept Robin''s offer to rely on her because she deserved to be listened to and¡­ she was right. If Rosan really was depressed, which looked very likely, then it was best to not trust his own judgment.


    He would trust her. He would place all of his faith into her and listen to what she thought. If she truly did think he deserved to be loved¡­ then he would stop thinking otherwise.


    Besides¡­ it felt nice to acknowledge her words that he was loved.


    Loved... the redhead took a long look at her with inscrutable eyes.


    Robin glanced at the Rosan who idly squeezed her hand a bit tighter and smiled at the pondering look in his eyes.


    He caught her gaze and formed a small, true, smile at her that made her heart soar.


    "MASTER DANCE WITH ME AFTER YOU''RE DONE WITH ROBIN!" Angel demanded.


    "OH THEN ROBIN CAN DANCE WITH ME! I SWEAR I''M GOOD!" Maro cheered.


    Rosan sighed and that made Robin let out small laughter. "I haven''t even been up for a full minute and they are this demanding," he groused.


    "Well, you have me to split up half the work now," she supplied helpfully. "Does that make you feel better?"


    Rosan stared at her for a moment before eventually nodding.


    "Yes... Yes it does make me feel a lot better."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "You''re telling me¡­ Kamakiri got injured because you were trying to collect Vearth for that little girl?!" Wyper hissed.


    To say that he was livid at hearing that Kamakiri took an attack from Ohm because of such a stupid reason, was an understatement.


    Without any hesitation, he yanked the arm holding the bag of Vearth and sneered at the shame faced Raki.


    "Do you realize what we''re up against?!" Wyper snarled violently. "Not only are we up against Enel. We have his Priests to deal with too!"


    Yanking the bag out of her hand, the Shandian glared harshly at her. "If I knew you were here to play games, I wouldn''t have brought you. This is a matter of life and death."


    Raki flinched but reached out for the bag with a look of panic. "I understand I messed up, Wyper but that bag is Aisa''s treasure! Forgive me but please don''t throw it away!"


    Wyper was about to do just that until a hand stopped him.


    A wounded Kamakiri, panted as he held the mans wrist. "I can still fight. This is nothing to get so worked up about, Wyper. What has you so on edge?"


    He glared at the injured man, clenching his fists so hard he nearly drew blood.


    "You talk big for someone so weak. If you value your lives, you''ll get out of my sight. Send Enel my regards before he kills you."


    "I encountered the Deviant and his allies," he snarled. "Enel and the priests are not our only enemy. The one with Black wings is a threat too."


    Raki went still at that. "You encountered the one with black wings?" She asked tentatively, remembering Aisa''s words clearly. "He didn''t attack you?"


    "He nearly blew off my entire midsection but besides that, neither of us were keen on escalating it any further," Wyper grunted, annoyance mounting. "The outsiders don''t take us seriously and that''s a decision they will come to regret."


    The woman looked a bit unsure of that decision but nodded at his resolve.


    Wyper glared darkly into the distance, thoughts filled with both Enel and the Deviant.


    "You have too much belief in what little strength you have, good luck surviving the day. With how outmatched you are, you''re gonna need it."


    He survived the day and he would survive the next. This war would end in the Shandians victory and they would be the slayer of not one, but two Kamis.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "I''m surprised you actually showed your face, despite the humiliation you suffered," Ohm grunted with a smirk.


    Shura glowered at him, eyes promising death if he continued to run his mouth.


    Ohm effortlessly ignored it.


    "You¡­ mmmmmmm!" Gedatsu said sternly, glancing at Shura with a firm glare.


    "No one understands what you''re saying, idiot," the string priest snarled.


    The swamp priest dropped his jaw in shock as he realized his error. "How careless of me¡­" he muttered in disbelief.


    "Hmph, my fellow priests are utterly worthless," Ohm grunted, turning away from the two. "One dead, the other defeated instantly, and the final a complete idiot."


    Shura and Gedatsu both went stiff at that and rounded on the iron priest.


    "What was that?" Shura asked with thinly veiled contempt.


    "I''m not going to repeat myself to a person who lost in the open zone. I suppose you''re only useful in your trial area," Ohm said, facing the gate.


    That seemed to do the trick and Shura immediately charged the bald priest, initiating a brawl between all three.


    "...The vassals are here."


    Yama sighed in annoyance and said, "Open the gate."


    The commander of the warriors was about to open his mouth, but went still at the sudden presence next to him.


    The priests froze. At once, they slowly turned towards the large commander.


    "Aren''t you guys too weak to be treating this whole thing so laxly?" Enel asked lazily, biting into an apple as he regarded them.


    In a flash, all three agents were floored with equally pained grunts and their aggressor lay on his seat in a relaxed stance.


    The Kami of Skypiea bit into his apple languidly, as he regarded them. The silence was filled in with the noise of him chewing before he finally swallowed.


    The three bowed their heads in shame.


    "You 3 aren''t taking our Blue Sea threats very serious and you don''t have the luxury of doing that," Enel said bluntly, polishing off his apple and letting out a lazy yawn.


    The three nodded stiffly, not saying a word, and Enel smiled in amusement.


    "Yahahahaha! Since you''re clearly not convinced, allow me to enlighten you," the Kami of Skypiea said, smirking at the group.


    "Besides the fact that Shura was defeated in a single blow by one of the Blue Sea dwellers, Satori was defeated and killed by them while they were all doing some form of training with blindfolds on," he revealed calmly.


    There was a pregnant pause.


    "W-What?!" They repeated in disbelief. Surely that wasn''t possible!


    Satori wasn''t impressive, but he was still close to them in strength! He wouldn''t simply lose so handily!


    Enel reached out to grab another fruit. "I''m opening up all of Upper Yard to you starting tomorrow. The Shandians are of no concern to me so deal with them quickly and focus your efforts on the Blue Sea dwellers."


    "And that reminds me, the Blue Sea dwellers are multiplying. There are at least 3 other people with them but I can only feel one of them. Two of them are completely undetectable to me," he revealed, looking utterly unfazed by that revelation.


    The Priests eyes bugged. "How did they manage to bring more people with them? How can you not feel them?!" Ohm asked in surprise.


    "My fellow Kami. He vanished from Skypiea before suddenly coming back," Enel stated with a hint of curiosity.


    The Priests felt their eyes widen at the information they were receiving.


    It seems they really were treating the Blue Sea dwellers too lightly.


    Enel paused as if suddenly remembering something and the Kami yawned.


    "Oh, leave my fellow Kami to me. A mere Priest cannot defeat them and he''s already shown me that. I''ll deal with them when the time is right but for now, avoid him or you''ll suffer the same fate as Satori," he advised with a small shrug.


    The Priests were shocked to be hearing this coming out of Enel''s mouth.


    "What is the meaning of this, Enel-sama?" Shura asked curiously. "Why all these rules?"


    The Kami shrugged. "When our plan is this close to being completed, I will have no setbacks. Maxim is almost complete and once that happens, we have no use for this place."


    He bit into another apple and chewed slowly, gauging their reactions with a lazy gaze.


    "I will not tolerate anymore failures from you. Tomorrow, you will deal with the Blue Sea dwellers, or suffer the consequences. Understood?"


    The three saluted. "Right, Kami Enel-sama!"


    Enel smiled at that and dismissed them.


    Those 3 would probably be dealt with once more by the Blue Sea dwellers. They had quite a bit of members that could defeat them but that didn''t matter.


    They couldn''t defeat him after all.


    "Yahahahaha! Things are getting interesting," Enel mused, beckoning one of his female angels over to begin feeding him grapes.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    For once, Rosan wasn''t being completely crowded by his insufferable family as they all slept. They were all at separate parts of their camp spot (Ram was sleeping with Mod-chan), too tired to bombard him with their beloved group sleep.


    Tonight it was just Robin like how it normally was. The woman was tucked into his left side, breathing evenly in his neck with one arm resting on his chest in the comfy tent.


    Robin had been surprised to see that his claims of being able to dance, weren''t just baseless like when he was a kid and the woman had taken a great joy in running him through more and more difficult routines.


    He had kept up with her through the whole thing, but she was still a better dancer than he was so he was content to let her lead it. Clearly she enjoyed being the lead dancer way too much and it made him consider letting her be a lead performer in their battles sometime in the future.


    They got so lost in their little competition, that by the time Angel and Maro threw their tantrums (they were far too spoiled and he properly disciplined them both), the Devil Child was showing signs of tiredness.


    It was thanks to his "hellish" training that she was only slightly tired but they had been dancing for quite a while.


    Coupled with the fact that she soon began to dance with another stamina freak and a person who didn''t actually get tired, it was safe to say she''d be getting a good sleep.


    Guess he could go repair the ship while he was still up. He''d be done quick and then get some rest for the next day because he was admittedly tired from Maro and Angel''s antics too, along with linking with so many people.


    He tried to carefully disentangle himself from her so as to not alert her but he forgot he wasn''t dealing with his dead at night family.


    Robin let out a tiny noise and blearily opened an eye the moment his incredible warmth disappeared.


    "Mmm¡­ Rosan? What''s wrong?" She asked, resisting the urge to yawn as she gazed at the redhead sitting up next to her.


    He immediately ran a hand through her hair. "I didn''t mean to wake you, sorry. I just wanted to go fix the ship before morning came. You can go back to sleep, I''ll be back fast."


    The woman looked like she was protesting that decision, if the way she was pushing herself up meant anything but Rosan immediately prevented her from doing that, by laying her back down gently but firmly.


    "Sleep, you''re tired," Rosan muttered, continuing to gently rub her scalp.


    Robin sighed at the pleasant feeling and nodded slowly. "Okay¡­ come back quick, you need to sleep too and you''re a comfortable pillow," she murmured, closing her eyes and letting the tiredness take over once more.


    He nearly rolled his eyes but simply stood up silently, making his way over to the ship.


    It was just him right now. Mod and Ram were asleep, leaving the redhead truly alone for once.


    Occasionally he would do this if he wanted to practice a technique alone. There had been one technique he had been theorizing a lot on (he never actually put it into practice) and he was hoping to try it out on Enel soon.


    If it worked... he''d be quite pleased.


    Right now, he was doing nothing so secretive. He just didn''t want to wake anyone up for such a simple task.


    Rosan floated over to the ship, with plans on how to swiftly repair it. He could make it workable with Modification but he couldn''t fully fix the ship. The more damage it accumulated, the less effective his repair technique would be and the ship was made out of wood too.


    If he was right, his repairs on the ship would be barely effective right now.


    Luckily most of the problems with the ship were artificial. Something that would end the ships career permanently, could not be fixed by him.


    They would need to get a new one soon. This ship was never meant to sail the Grand Line and it was showing. Even Rosan could tell that it was on its last legs and he wasn''t a professional shipwright by any means.


    It accumulated far too much damage¡­ At best, he could make it sail worthy and prolong its end for a bit longer.


    Rosan ignored the fog seeping into the area and continued to float over to the ship.


    It was then that he noticed it.


    The redhead went still as he gauged the sight before him. Then, he narrowed his eyes and adjusted his vision so that it could pierce through the fog, flames licking his lips as he prepared for combat.


    It was a shadowy figure and they were¡­ hammering away at the ship?


    Why couldn''t he make them out? Rosan could see in total darkness but they were somehow not fully visible through fog?


    Strange.


    Perhaps Enel had sent one of his minions to destroy their ship, considering the Kami probably couldn''t feel Merry with none of them on it.


    Not wasting anytime, the redhead flew over to their ship, ready to put down the intruder and gauge the damage they were inflicting.


    "Oh, you''re here! And you''re alone too!"


    Rosan froze.


    Who said that? They sounded childish like his ring but Ram didn''t sound that childish and her voice wasn''t that high pitched either.


    But¡­ that voice was in his mind. No one spoke aloud but he heard that familiar ringing in his head that meant someone was speaking to him telepathically¡­


    Was that some Devil Fruit...


    The figure was looking directly at him now. Perhaps they always sensed his arrival¡­


    A haki user? Was this one of the priests?


    "Don''t be silly, Rosan! Of course I could feel someone who''s apart of the crew!"


    None of his crew members could read minds and he was the one with the ability to speak telepathically to people, via linking.


    He was only linked to Robin currently and he was very sure she was sleeping.


    "Who are you?" Rosan asked quietly, not once letting his guard down.


    "Always so untrustworthy... I can''t say I''m surprised."


    Now that he was closer, he could see that this was a child and they were dressed in a sailor''s raincoat. Despite peering closer, Rosan couldn''t make any features at all except for a wide smile that showed no teeth.


    They didn''t look human. Rosan was fairly sure this was a dream because he was looking at a ghost right now.


    "You don''t believe that¡­ do you now Rosan?"


    "I asked you a question," Rosan bit out calmly. It was a bit too realistic to be a dream but then again so had his encounter with Meiko.


    Unless neither were dreams¡­


    The redhead glanced at the ship and noticed that instead of destroying, it was in the middle of actually being repaired by this weird ghost thing.


    Interesting¡­


    Rosan moved to place his palm on a damaged part of the ship and began the process of repairing it, never taking his eyes off the thing for a second.


    "I''m Merry."


    He paused, raising a brow and turning towards the child.


    Merry? As in the Going Merry¡­? As in their ship? She was alive? Ships were alive?


    The ghost nodded happily. "Yes! I''m the Going Merry¡­ I''m so glad to meet one of you finally! I wasn''t expecting any of you to show up but you do like working at night."


    ...


    Rosan furrowed his brows as he idly continued to repair the ship. "I have no reason to doubt your claims but why reveal yourself to me first? I''m probably the worst option."


    "That''s not true! You''re one of the best," Merry protested, large grin vanishing. "You and Usopp take care of me the most! He''s the only other one I would wanna meet first."


    "Hm," he said in disinterest, making sure the mast was straight and gluing it back to its spot with Modification.


    The ship''s spirit sighed. "You really are too self critical¡­ Fine, I wanted to tell you something since that''s what you want to hear."


    Even the ship was chastising his critical tendencies¡­ he had some serious issues.


    "You do but that''s why everyone''s trying to help you," she nodded victoriously.


    This was very likely the Merry¡­ she knew a lot.


    Whatever.


    "Tell me what you wanted to say, I''m just about done fixing the ship and if I take too long, Robin will seek me out," Rosan muttered quietly.


    The spirit got serious. "Rosan, I''m on my last legs."


    Rosan tilted his head.


    "You''ve done an amazing job with Modification but¡­ I won''t last much longer. Very soon, I won''t be able to set sail anymore and I don''t want to take you all with me."


    It was just as he predicted. "In that case, we should find a new ship before that happens. I imagine if you sink, your spirit will die too."


    "And you said you were a bad choice too¡­ I''d like to sail with you guys for as long as possible but if that''s what you want to do, I won''t say no!" The spirit beamed before going sober.


    "But that''s not what I want to ask¡­ I¡­" She took a deep breath.


    "When the time is right, I want you to tell them that I can''t sail anymore."


    There was a pause as Rosan registered her words and he tilted his head.


    "Why me and why when the time is right?" He asked quietly. He didn''t see the point of this at all.


    The spirit smiled sadly. "You''re the only one who won''t care enough to try and mince their words. You''ll make them understand that I can''t sail."


    Rosan stared evenly at her. "Fine. I''ll bring it up at my own discretion and I''ll keep this conversation a secret," he said quietly.


    "Thank you. You understand me well," Merry said truthfully, gazing back at the repaired ship.


    "Look the ship is repaired! Thank you, you did a much better job then I would have done!"


    "It was nothing¡­ you''re our ship after all," Rosan waved off. "I''m heading to sleep now."


    Merry nodded vigorously before waving at him and vanishing.


    Rosan looked at the spot where the spirit of the Going Merry was and hummed.


    Ships being alive¡­


    "Rosan, come back to sleep," Robin grumbled.


    The redhead shook his head at the spot and turned away from the ship.


    "Right, I''m on the way. Why do you keep waking up? Did you miss me that much?"


    "Portgas D. Rosan. I am tired. I refuse to argue with you right now."


    Rosan rolled his eyes at how annoyed she was. "Right, I''ll come be the little girls teddy bear since she can''t sleep alone."


    "I''m far too tired to continue this. Come back now and let me sleep in peace."


    With that, she cut their connections and the redhead actually snorted.


    She was utterly ridiculous.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Memory Viewing With Robin and Rosan - 6 (Covers Chapter 19)


    Continued!


    Italics = Memory talking mostly.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Robin let out a sigh of exasperation at those sharp eyes staring into her soul and calmly ate her portion of the food before finally rolling her eyes.


    "Rosan, my injuries from Crocodile aren''t even prevalent anymore. Do you really plan on watching me the entire time?" She asked incredulously, gazing at the redhead with an amused gaze.


    "Yes," he said without hesitation. "I need to make sure you''re completely fine. Is my food easy to consume? Any lingering pains? Have you been getting enough rest?"


    "I''m fine, mother," Robin stressed in amusement, finishing her plate off and standing up. "Come on, let''s clean up and then we can continue your memories."


    They had postponed it in light of wanting to be prepared for Alabasta and then Robin got injured and Rosan went full mother mode and she was sick of it being delayed.


    The moment she stood, Rosan materialized by her side and Robin felt her jaw slacken a bit in disbelief.


    "So fast..." she thought.


    "I''ll clean everything, you don''t have to stress your body out," he murmured, taking the plate out of her hand and dropping it in the sink. He moved swiftly and surely and washed every single dish before she could even protest his decision.


    "You''re being a bit too overprotective don''t you think?" Mod asked. The woman sounded terribly amused and resisted the urge to laugh at the look on Robin''s face.


    "I agree with Mod-chan. This is insanity, Rosan! You''ve even been going easy on me in training! Surely you don''t plan on coddling me the entire time?" She asked incredulously, staring at his back in shock.


    He had become incredibly overprotective of her since they met up again but this was absurd!


    "..." Rosan hummed pleasantly and glanced back at her. "Perhaps I''ve been a bit out of line..."


    "A bit? Rosan you aren''t even letting me wash my own dish!" Robin exclaimed. "I really don''t mind the overprotective streak, but do you think I''m going to die from washing dishes?!"


    "I think it''s cute!" Ram beamed.


    "Be quiet, Ram," the Devil Child said calmly.


    "Yes, Mother!" she saluted.


    Rosan sighed. "You''re right. My bad... I just worry," he admitted, drying his hands off as he fully turned to face her. "I thought I had Crocodile figured out, but he still caught me by surprise twice and one of them ended up with you getting hurt."


    "And I told you, neither of those instances were your fault," Robin chastised. "Crocodile showing up early was his own fault and me getting injured was my fault," she said firmly.


    Rosan had played his part to near perfection but two simple mistakes, that weren''t even his fault, negated all of that. Seriously, he was unreal! The redhead had them dancing in his palms up until then but none of that mattered to him all because she got hurt.


    "All the planning in the world won''t matter to me, if you get hurt," he said seriously.


    "And I appreciate that, but I can''t not get hurt Rosan. It''ll happen as long as we''re on this journey and you need to come to terms with that," she frowned.


    He said nothing for a while, before nodding reluctantly. "I''ll try," he said shortly.


    Robin sighed. She knew it wasn''t going to be that easy but small steps.


    "Can we please continue your memories now? I feel perfectly fine and we stopped right after your battle with Garp," she requested.


    She got quite antsy about it and Rosan had told her quite a bit of what happened even before she saw the memories.


    Rosan nodded. "First we bathe. Then we can continue," he said quietly.


    Robin sighed and resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "Actually, I am a bit sore so could you help me clean up?


    He no doubt noticed the lie but he made no comment on it and instead nodded his head.


    "Right, I can help you," he said, sounding pleased to be doing so.


    The Devil Child did roll her eyes this time but she smiled.


    She was so unbelievably whipped.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    The memory began with Rosan waking up in a room all alone.


    "So just like that, your emotions have vanished again..." Robin mused. Currently his expression was back to completely neutral.


    He wasn''t even fazed by the fact that he had lost to his most hated enemies. Garp had completely crushed him with no effort yet he only made not of it for a minute before moving on.


    The redhead had been asleep for an entire day and he had no clue where either Ace or Luffy were, so his first order of business was finding their locations...


    It was there he ran into his new caretakers.


    The bandits.


    It started off as well as Robin expected it, that being Rosan immediately threatening them in a non-threatening tone the moment the leader, Dadan, tried to lay ground rules.


    "I know who you are. You have a bounty of 7.8 million, right?"


    They were making it too easy for him, with how open they were with their emotions but the redhead didn''t seem interested in further antagonizing them.


    So he ignored everything she said and instead questioned the whereabouts of both Ace and Luffy.


    "Are the bandits still alive? You haven''t killed them?" Robin asked curiously, watching the redhead regard them like they weren''t even human.


    He hardly even reacted to their words when they said they had no clue where Ace or Luffy were.


    "No, they are still alive," he said surprisingly. "Dadan and I had a rather terrible start... but I''ve grown fond of her."


    Robin blinked in surprise at that. "That''s rather surprising," she murmured.


    She never expected Rosan to spare someone who annoyed him. He was rather trigger happy.


    The young redhead walked out of the home of the building where he was met with the destroyed ground of his brawl with Garp.


    Robin''s eyes lit up in amusement, as Dadan''s complaints were immediately silenced by the stony redhead effortlessly repairing everything there by just palming the floor.


    Then, he vanished deeper into the forest without so much as a bye.


    "People must find you so infuriating to deal with. Such versatility and you never talk about anything," she muttered in amusement.


    He shrugged. "It''s not like I want people to talk to me," he said neutrally. "Their curiosity is their own fault. I never try and have people be interested in me. They just end up liking me on their own volition."


    Robin rolled her eyes. "Of course they do. You''re an anomaly. Emotional you and emotionless you, are two different people and maybe some people can pick up on how abnormal your current version is."


    Rosan sighed. "Anomaly, enigma, paradox... I suppose human curiosity really is a fatal flaw. Many people who wish to learn about me, regret that decision."


    "But not all of them do," Mod intervened quietly. "I think everyone interested in you... just sees the same thing Robin and I saw. That compassionate boy with enough charisma to make you believe in anything he says," she added.


    "Even buried deeply, I''m sure some people can just feel what you can become," Robin agreed. "Maybe it''s for a different reason... maybe to sate their own curiosity, but everyone wants to see Rosan fully unleashed."


    Ram nodded vigorously. "Only at your full potential, will I ever reach mine, Father!" She exclaimed with bright eyes, looking so much like Meiko.


    The redhead tilted his head at that. "I''ve always been a showoff at heart... I suppose that part never quite vanished and now I''m unintentionally grabbing so many people''s attention," he snorted quietly.


    "You are. For someone who''s so bad at dancing, you manage to mesmerize me with your movement. It''s rather captivating," Robin complimented.


    "I know how to dance now," he replied calmly, not even flinching at her backhanded compliment. "I''m no longer moving with no rhythm... I''ve learned a thing or two."


    Her eyes glittered in interest at that statement. "You''ll have to show me one of these days. I''d like to see if you can at least keep up and make it look good," she said, amused smile on her features.


    "She''s so annoying," he thought to himself, rolling his eyes as her amusement only grew.


    Of course she could tell he was thinking that.


    "Alright... I have a lot of stamina though. You might not be able to keep up," he replied.


    "Challenge accepted," Robin nodded with a glint. She knew how competitive Rosan was, so this was sure to be good.


    Young Rosan was currently in the process of looking for Luffy, which brought them all to a deep and massive valley.


    After coming to the conclusion that he fell down, the redhead floated down and quickly found his target.


    Little Luffy, was a torn mess with bite and claw marks everywhere. Currently, he was being chased by a group of wolves that very clearly wanted to eat the small boy.


    "Has he been down here for the whole day?" Robin asked in concern, watching how nonchalant Young Rosan was treating the entire situation. "And Ace did this to him? Was he truly this angry as a child? I knew that''s what you said but..."


    It was hard to believe he would send such a small child like Luffy down here...


    Mod sighed sadly. "Ace... had a difficult life. He really didn''t have a choice but to end up like this," she muttered, knowing she didn''t try and make it any easier.


    Rosan nodded with a frown. "Being told the son of Roger is better off dead for most of your life... no child deserves that. He was far too young."


    Robin''s gaze softened at that. "It seems we were all far too young when we experienced what this world has to offer," she said softly.


    No one said anything to refute her statement but the universal agreement rang through the air.


    As Young Rosan escorted Little Luffy back to their new home, he decided (as his new caretaker) to bathe the dirty and injured boy.


    "That is so cute," Robin couldn''t help but gush a little, watching the way Luffy latched onto Rosan. "You''re like his father!"


    "..." Rosan sighed. "Sometimes I feel like everyone is my child in some way... Luffy is just the most dependent," he grunted.


    She giggled as the redhead chose to summon a ship directly in front of Dadan''s home, with no intention of explaining a single thing to them. He went deeper into his ship with the dozing Luffy and swiftly bathed the sleeping child and himself, before repairing the rubber boys outfit and putting his standard clothing onto himself.


    "Bathing and clothing... have I actually become his caretaker?" Young Rosan said to himself, staring at the sleeping and clean child with an expressionless face.


    "Is that such a bad thing?" The past Mod said in amusement. "I can tell you from experience, it''s really not all bad."


    "...I came here to search for my brother and instead found a group of New World pirates, a legendary Marine, news of my little brother''s upbringing... and now I''m following a captain who I''m currently in the process of raising because he''ll die otherwise," he said blandly, hoisting up the unconscious child and walking off his ship with him.


    "That... is a fair point," Mod said sheepishly.


    Robin laughed in joy at that. "So that''s why Luffy listens to you so much!"


    Rosan simply grunted. "I''m his oldest brother after all. Over the years, he has both earned the positives and negatives of being the youngest."


    She shook her head in amusement. "I wouldn''t doubt it. You are quite rude despite going to such extents to please those you love."


    He snorted and said nothing, making her smile widen.


    Robin was unable to keep the blatant interest off her face, as Young Rosan stared out the window into the night sky, as Luffy slept, until hearing the door to his new room open, revealing Ace in all his glory.


    The freckled child stared off with his alleged brother, a range of emotions on his face that were impossible to hide from espionage specialists like Rosan or Robin.


    "Would you like to talk? Outside?" Young Rosan asked quietly, finally breaking the silence.


    Robin watched the conflicted boy nod his head tightly and the two made their way out.


    This was a long awaited meeting... and based on Ace''s expression, Robin was sure it wasn''t going to all work out immediately but it had worked out.


    It started simple enough, with Ace questioning Rosan on general things and the redhead answering to the best of his abilities.


    Robin felt a pang at how desperate Ace was to see a picture of Rouge. The anger on his face had completely melted in favor of wonder, as he drank in the sight of the woman who had birthed him.


    He probably hadn''t known how she looked this entire time...


    Her heart shuddered even more, at just how surprised Ace looked to hear that she loved him... like the idea of someone loving him was an impossible concept.


    She wasn''t even surprised to see the anger come roaring back as the reality of the situation reared its head to Ace.


    "Why didn''t you come with me?" Ace asked, trying and failing to reign his anger in.


    Robin expected the anger. She would never fault Ace for feeling whatever emotion he felt he should feel. It was his right to be angry for just discovering the existence of his brother and just the fact that they were so close now, spoke volumes on both him and Rosan''s character.


    But it wasn''t going to be easy because they were both infamously stubborn...


    But at the very least, none of that infamous stubbornness was there on Rosan''s half. He had long accepted that he was completely in the wrong and understood there was not a thing he should be stubborn about.


    So he told Ace whatever he could without any hesitation.


    "He''s really trying in his own way," Robin thought with a small smile. The redhead had grasped onto Ace and brought him to a more secluded area, revealing Ragnarok''s wings in the process and a portion of Modification.


    Even if Ace ended up fully hating him and wanted nothing to do with him... Rosan was resolving to tell him everything he asked about. The secretive redhead would never do that normally, especially if there was a chance that person wouldn''t keep such a secret.


    Taking it one step further, he even brought his little brother to the Mindscape!


    "That''s what I like about you," she said offhandedly, missing the startled gazes of Mod and Ram. "You always feel the need to go above and beyond to express yourself. Even your loss of emotions hasn''t changed that."


    Rosan watched his younger self explain everything to his little brother about Modification and glanced at Robin. "Why don''t you let me go above and beyond for you then?"


    The Devil Child shook her head. "You''re already doing more than enough for me, Rosan. Please believe me when I say, this is perfect. I''ve always been fine with letting you be the extra one," she murmured, gently rubbing his bun.


    "..." Rosan sighed and nodded reluctantly.


    Robin rolled her eyes in return. "Why do you love to make your own life so difficult? I mean just look at you! If not for Mod-chan, both Ace and I could have potentially wanted nothing to do with you!" She reprimanded him gently.


    Mod smiled a little nervously at that.


    "Her methods are a bit different for Ace however..." Robin frowned, gazing at the nervous Devil Fruit. "Yes, she''s adding context to your statements... but she''s also trying to direct Ace''s anger to her instead of you..."


    The Devil Child gazed at Mod with slightly furrowed brows. "...Mod-chan, I hope you aren''t trying to minimalize Ace''s justified anger."


    Before the nervous Devil Fruit could speak up, the memory version of her did.


    "Rosan, I''d like to talk to Ace. Alone please."


    Robin''s eyes narrowed further, as Rosan acquiesced with the request and left the Devil Fruit alone with his little brother.


    "What do you think they''re talking about, Father?" Ram asked curiously.


    "She''s threatening him most likely," he said flatly and bluntly.


    "Oh..." Ram simply shrugged.


    "So you knew even then," Mod muttered quietly, watching the younger Ram poke and prod Rosan while sitting on his lap.


    "You did a terrible job hiding your intentions there," Rosan replied neutrally.


    Robin turned towards the woman with a deep frown, seeing how guilty Mod looked but not letting her get away from this scott free.


    She would never let Rosan get away with anything... there''s no way she''d let Mod get away with something.


    Mod caught her gaze and nervously bit her lip, pretty features narrowing in guilt.


    "I just wanted to protect Rosan!" Mod finally blurted out, expression cracking. "I apologized to him! Of course I realized how out of term I acted when I threatened a boy who had every right to be angry but it was for Rosan''s sake," she whispered.


    The woman clenched her fist. "Didn''t you see? You and Ace make up just about all of Rosan''s guilt because of the things he''s done to you and he lost a chain because of it. I knew how important that meeting was for Rosan and I didn''t want anything to slow down his recovery... At this point of my life, I wouldn''t have even let you jeopardize him, Robin," she admitted.


    Robin''s gaze softened. With how seemingly nonchalant he was regarding everything... Mod must have felt like she was under a lot of pressure to save the redhead who didn''t even seem like he wanted to save himself.


    Of course when one of the keys to Rosan was right there, she would do everything in her power to take charge and make sure it didn''t negatively affect him.


    "Mod-chan, has anyone ever checked up on you and how you''re doing after all of this?" Robin asked quietly. "Have you ever had a chance to just wind down? I can''t imagine how stressed you must be nonstop while dwelling on Rosan''s condition."


    The woman flinched back. "R-Rosan knows when I''m getting burnt out and he makes me stop..."


    "But Rosan is the indirect reason you''re so stressed, Mod-chan. Even if he''s trying to help you, you can''t fully wind down because you''re worrying about him," Robin pointed out gently.


    The redhead said nothing, content to not involve himself in this conversation.


    Mod nervously began chewing her lip at that, red eyes wide in confusion. "But... But it''s just so difficult. I always get so scared at the idea of leaving Rosan alone because... because I''ve always been the one constant in his life. The one time I wasn''t... he was being tortured and that haunts me," she admitted in a near whisper.


    "I''m not a fragile piece of glass, Mod-chan."


    Both the Mod in the memory and the one watching froze at that statement.


    "But he''s not alone anymore," Robin said assuringly. "Can''t you trust me? You need to relax more. I understand that you aren''t human, but no one should be as stressed as you have for so long."


    Mod opened her mouth but realized that Robin was right and promptly shut it.


    "I trust you as much as I trust Rosan. Of course I do," she whispered.


    Mod missed the way Rosan scoffed under his breath.


    Robin did not but she made no move to call him out on it yet.


    "So when we tell you to relax, please actually relax," she requested, shooting Rosan a glance that let him know they''d be talking about that scoff later on.


    He caught her gaze and simply nodded.


    "I will," Mod nodded vigorously, looking determined. The woman was a workaholic, always keeping an eye on Rosan''s wellbeing or the inner machinations of his body.


    Considering she quite literally could not get tired, Mod had no reason to really ever stop so it was up to them to make sure she got to enjoy the benefits of humanity.


    Robin smiled and gazed back at the screen, noticing that Young Rosan and Mod had figured out their problem in the memory too.


    He was currently on Celadon spending the week, so as to give Ace space away from him to come to a sound conclusion.


    The redhead had mostly just spent a rare occasion, doing nothing at all. He hung out with the three rulers and just followed along with whatever they wanted.


    Robin could tell that Rosan or Mod weren''t used to such... lackadaisical behavior but they didn''t complain.


    But the week ended quickly and Rosan had immediately gone back to Dawn Island... right next to a family of Crocodiles that were trying to eat Luffy.


    "I forgot Ace was trying to kill him," Robin sweatdropped a bit, watching the poor child flounder about with the most helpless expression on his face. "Thankfully you aren''t so short anymore... you might have drowned otherwise."


    "You speak about my height like it''s the only thing I dwell on," Rosan grunted.


    "This is unexpected. I suppose it''s a good thing that I''m taller now or else this would be rather troublesome."


    "..." The redhead''s face was expressionless.


    Robin made no attempts to hide her laughter at him.


    It seems like Luffy wanted no help in his pursuit of finding and befriending Ace and compliant Rosan would never argue otherwise, so he let the woefully underqualified 7 year old do it.


    While letting Luffy do that, he went off to the capital of the kingdom, to garner more information from it.


    "Ah such a gorgeous face you have!" An obese and wealthy woman stated, gauging the tall redhead with hungry eyes.


    Young Rosan flashed a small and disarming smile. "Thank you. This kingdom is so beautiful," he said kindly.


    "You aren''t from this kingdom? I knew I would recognize such clear nobility! If you don''t mind, please allow me to treat you to some of Goa''s cuisine while I tell you all about our wonderful kingdom," she gushed.


    The redhead simply inclined his head, following after the woman while acknowledging the gazes of the many people there.


    "I''m glad you don''t specialize in infiltration. I fear that''s another thing you''d be dangerously good at," Robin muttered, watching him effortlessly manipulate information out of the woman, all while pretending he had his emotions.


    "Long-term infiltration, has never been something I''ve enjoyed but I can trick a few civilians. If I utilized Modification, I could probably trick higher ranking people too," he replied, watching his younger self "reluctantly" leave the company of the disgusting noble.


    It had drifted into night and the redhead had learned quite a few things about the wealthy part of Goa, all while receiving free gifts in the process.


    "It pays to be beautiful," Robin rolled her eyes.


    "I suppose that''s why I give you so many free gifts," he replied.


    Robin blinked at that and regarded the redhead with a raised brow. "How many people have fallen for that one?" She asked in amusement.


    "None. I''ve never told anyone else that besides you," he retorted smoothly.


    She opened her mouth and closed it. "Smooth," she admitted in defeat.


    Ram nearly squealed at that smooth as hell reply. Father always had a comeback!


    Robin watched the Young Rosan slowly float back over to Dadan''s home...


    Only for him to pause at the sound of conversation going on.


    "He''s a demon child! We can''t control him and if the government finds us, we''re all as good as dead! Ace is uncontrollable! If he dies, he dies."


    Robin frowned deeply at that, more then a little displeased that they were saying these things about a 10 year old.


    Clearly, Young Rosan was in the same boat. Honestly, she was surprised he hadn''t killed them all yet.


    She watched all of the bandits go pale, as Rosan appeared in their line of sight with that vacant expression.


    "Seems they''ve understood they messed up." Robin resisted the urge to snort.


    "The mind of a child is impressionable. "Should I be alive? Am I a demon? A monster? Would I be better off dead?" If told something many times, they will have no choice but to begin believing those doubts."


    Robin shuddered at that. Those words resonated with her more then she would have liked to admit... and she was sure they resonated in some way with Rosan too.


    After all, even at 24, the redhead still thought he was nothing but a monster.


    "You mean to tell me that you and Dadan actually get along now after hearing her say such things?" She couldn''t help but ask, watching the redhead give them one final warning before departing, subsequently running into Ace in the process.


    "It''s hard to believe... but yes. Dadan is terrible at expressing her actual thoughts... She truly does consider herself Ace, Luffy and I''s mother and over the years, I''ve picked up on how much she really cares," Rosan said softly.


    Rosan would only ever acknowledge Mod and Rouge as his mothers, but he did like Dadan. She was a good person.


    Robin smiled at that.


    A real monster found it impossible to forgive.


    Young Rosan and Ace flew towards the tree where they had their first conversation and the redhead remained silent, content to let Ace get out everything he wanted to say.


    The teen redhead had long resolved to answer any of Ace''s questions and answer them he did. He told Ace about his lack of emotions, about how long he had been travelling the seas for... and even about why he lost his emotions.


    The redhead held nothing back, not even his secret identity as Reaper.


    Robin was proud of him.


    Evidently, Ace was not as proud because he punched his older brother in the nose without any hesitation and though Rosan saw it, he made no move to dodge it, allowing it to connect without a noise of complaint.


    "I don''t hate you. I resent you. No matter what your reasoning is, you still abandoned me for 10 years. We''re supposed to be brothers, but I didn''t even know you existed until recently. The only reason I don''t hate you, is because you look like you''ve had your own problems over the years. I wouldn''t even want to look at you if you weren''t like this and I''d hate you as much as I hate Roger."


    Robin flinched at that admittance but could understand where he was coming from. She might have been the same way, if she realized Rosan was living happily while she thought he was dead. She''d never be able to forgive him.


    Even after offering to leave permanently, Ace refused it and just told the redhead not to interfere with his life if he didn''t want him to.


    Ace may not think it, but he was also a good person. Many people would have done everything in their power to hurt Rosan if they learned the things he did... and the redhead would have allowed all of it to happen too.


    "I expected it to go a lot worse," Robin said truthfully.


    "You and me both," Rosan nodded.


    With that conversation settled, they watched Luffy doggedly try to earn Ace''s favor for the better part of 3 months.


    "It''s no wonder you didn''t try arguing with him when he asked you to join his crew... Luffy is relentless," Robin couldn''t help but awe.


    Nothing phased the rubber boy long enough to make him stop in his pursuit of Ace... and Young Rosan just watched it all while finding things to do on this strange island.


    "When he sets his mind to something, nothing can stop that boy," Mod sighed fondly. "He and Rosan really are too similar. Trying to get them to sail the same ship under normal circumstances, might have been impossible."


    Rosan snorted. "Impossible is one way to put it. I''d have never agreed."


    Robin pondered at that. "Do you think you''ll regret following him if you ever gain your emotions? To the point where you may stop sailing under his flag?" She asked curiously.


    "..." Rosan said nothing, prompting everyone to look at him.


    "Rosan...?" Mod said unsuredly, never once thinking about that possibility.


    Would he... leave the crew behind like he did with the leaders of Celadon?


    "It really all depends on how I view the idea after gaining my emotions," he said truthfully. "I don''t... truly consider myself a Straw Hat at the moment but just like many things, that can just be attributed to my lack of emotions. I probably won''t leave because Luffy is already unique enough as a captain... but who knows what my motives will change to if I ever unlock all my emotions?"


    Robin frowned slightly at that but nodded her head.


    Whatever decision Rosan chose, she''d follow him. Despite how fond she was growing of the crew, she wouldn''t be able to sleep comfortably without Rosan next to her.


    "But, if you want to stay with them, I''ll stay too," he said easily. "I don''t know what will change with my emotions, but I know I''d hate to not have you next to me and if you choose to stay with them, I will too."


    Robin blinked at that statement and regarded him with wide eyes, before a small smile made its way to her face and she burrowed into him.


    "And what if we both want to do different things?" She asked.


    "We''ll come to a compromise," he replied easily.


    "Of course we will," she thought fondly, burrowing deeper into him as she continued to watch the memories.


    Currently, Rosan was with that one bartender, Makino, and he was helping her out like usual.


    Robin found it very funny whenever Rosan worked in the bar. The influx of woman inside of the bar, was thanks to him working there and they never left him alone for even a second. Like how he treated every civilian on this island, the redhead was civil and polite, accepting their compliments but never returning one.


    It was funny to see her abnormal best friend try to interact with normal civilians. Rosan was far from a civilian and the word must have been foreign to him.


    Alas, she couldn''t bask in the amusing sight for long because he had wrapped up his business and with a few parting words from Makino, the redhead left with a plate of food for Luffy and began floating through the forest.


    Robin did not miss the way Mod''s eyes darkened into something dangerous and realized something bad was about to happen.


    She opted to not speak up and instead focused on the screen.


    Mid flight, Young Rosan noticed Ace and what had to have been a younger version of Sabo.


    The two were panicking about something and Robin had a sinking feeling she knew what it was.


    She hated that she was right.


    "N-no! That Luffy, he still hasn''t talked!"


    Little Sabo had said that and Robin looked at the far younger revolutionary with a worried expression as he explained the whole situation to the Rosan who had just asked.


    "Pirates kidnapped him?" Robin muttered in concern.


    That... that wasn''t good. Pirates didn''t care if you were a woman or a child... they had no morals at all.


    Luffy was in danger.


    Robin gnawed her lip as she watched Rosan opt out of using his Save Point, simply because he didn''t want to kill people who had been unfortunate enough to witness it.


    She knew he didn''t care about Luffy at this point in the memory... but she really wished he did.


    As they headed to Gray Terminal, the sound of flesh being struck immediately stuck out to all of the ones watching the memory and Robin felt a glare already forming.


    "Don''t tell me they..." she whispered in a slight amount of horror.


    Her question didn''t take long at all to be answered because Young Rosan suddenly surged forward in a burst of speed, bursting into the room housing such a disturbing noise.


    What Robin saw, made her sick.


    Dangling off the ceiling, with just a rope tying them up, was a bloodied and beaten Luffy. The little boy was bleeding heavily, audible splatting noises were heard as it dripped off of him and landed on the floor.


    "Won''t tell. Won''t tell!" He was chanting to himself, tears and blood falling from his figure.


    Robin''s gaze darkened dramatically at the sight and the strong urge to hurt someone overcame her.


    "How dare they?" She whispered dangerously, glaring at the Pirates who had done this with barely restrained fury. "How dare they do this to a little child? Don''t they have any moral bones in their body?"


    "No," Rosan said quietly. "That''s why I taught him a lesson."


    Taught him a lesson...?


    Constant unending interrogation.


    A steadfast silence.


    Disapproval. Anger.


    Needles.


    Shock. Shock. Shock. Shock. Shock. Shock. Shock. So much shocks. Why did it hurt so much? Why was he getting used to it?


    Pain. So much pain. Too much pain to handle.


    Blood. So much blood. Too much blood to handle.


    What is your name? What is your name? What is your name? What is your nameeeee ¡ª


    Robin jolted at that. Eyes going wide as the memories flashed through Rosan''s head almost too fast to register.


    Looking at the teen''s face, you wouldn''t even think he was thinking of anything like that in the first place!


    "This reminded him of Daybreak," Robin thought with a deep frown.


    She watched the redhead walk past the group of pirates so he could cut down the injured Luffy... but the Pirate''s patience had clearly reached his end and he was tired of being treated as if he weren''t a threat.


    "Treating you like you aren''t a threat?" The younger redhead asked as he reached out his gloved hands and crushed the man''s saber between his palm.


    "I don''t think you understand. You aren''t a threat," he finished.


    What followed next, was a beatdown that Robin, Mod and Ram all felt very satisfied watching.


    Rosan brutalized him. He chose to fight the man with his own weapons, transforming Ram into spiked gloves to deliver his beating.


    To make matters worse, he made the man sensitive too.


    Then he tortured him.


    The Pirate, Porchemy was his name, stood no chance at all after the first punch landed on his sensitive skin.


    "Good," Robin said darkly, watching Rosan blur his fists against the man''s skin until Porchemy looked properly tenderized.


    "Satisfied?" Rosan asked, watching the man''s body hit the floor with a wet thud.


    "Very," she replied with a pleased smile.


    Disgusting man. Hurting a child with no remorse. The things money made people do...


    She was glad Rosan chose to seek out Luffy this time around instead of waiting for him to show up.


    It seems this was the event that got all 4 of them close with each other too because Ace had finally warmed up to the brave rubber boy.


    Something in the conversation, interested Robin very much.


    "Rosan''s my friend b-but he acts more like an adult and he''s not really all there too..." Little Luffy exclaimed.


    Robin''s brow raised high at that final part.


    "How does Luffy know you aren''t all there? What does he mean by that?" Robin muttered with an interested gaze, looking at the small and injured boy with a curious eye.


    Was there more to Luffy then she had given him credit for?


    "You''re not all there! A big piece of you is missing, stupid," Luffy informed them.


    "I wonder how he knew that," Rosan muttered with his own narrowed gaze. "Luffy is perceptive... but saying "a big piece of you is missing" makes me question just how perceptive he really is. I wonder if he can also sense my sleeping ambition..." Rosan muttered.


    Robin smiled at him. "I think he can... When we were walking to Kureha-san''s castle, he mentioned that a piece of you is missing as well... I wonder what exactly he means by that."


    Mod sighed. "Trying to have Luffy explain it is an impossible task. It''s best if we just assume he means your emotions for now."


    They nodded at that.


    "I can try and ask him later regardless," Rosan said quietly, watching the memory of the day begin wrapping up.


    Sabo had officially moved in with them and they had all 4 began hanging out way more frequently.


    Robin smiled a terrific smile at seeing them drag the redhead into their escapades. If it didn''t involve fighting, they abused Rosan''s skills religiously. It was so adorable!


    He even trusted Sabo enough to reveal his fruit!


    "Th...This is where I apologized to Ace," Mod said quietly.


    "And I''m proud of you for that, Mod-chan," Robin assured, holding the woman with a smile.


    "You didn''t even need me to tell you to do it. This is why you''re the most mature of us," Rosan replied calmly, ending the memory for now.


    She smiled tentatively at them. "I was going through a lot... truthfully speaking, when you were 12 and 14 my stress was most heightened," she admitted.


    The redhead rolled. "Ram and Mod, you can undress, I''ll give you both massages... Robin I''ll get you in the real world," he said suddenly.


    Mod''s eyes lit up at that and Ram began cheering.


    "Alright! I''ll go clean up first," Mod said excitedly, turning away and practically skipping in glee.


    "AUNTIEEE LEMME BATHE WITH YOU!" Ram shouted, rushing after her as she ripped article after article of clothing off.


    "WAIT UNTIL YOU''RE IN THE BATHROOM TO UNDRESS!" Mod shouted back.


    Rosan shook his head. "They take years to bathe. It''s why I don''t bathe with them as much. I''ll get your massage out of the way first."


    Robin smiled in return. "It''s a good thing we''ve bathed already. Come, I want that massage. They just feel so great," she sighed at just the memory of his massages.


    Honestly, if he kept giving her massages like this, she might just fall in love.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Bonus!


    "Thank you so much for agreeing to meet with us again, Queen Maro!"


    Maro flashed a polite and charming grin at the man and held his hand. "Of course King John! I''m sure both our kingdom''s will benefit greatly from allying with each other."


    She didn''t miss the way his eyes flickered to her large breasts and resisted the urge to roll her eyes.


    Even with her most conservative kimono? Some people sure were shameless.


    "Now that the professional talks are done, would you like to go out for a drink?" The King asked shamelessly, smile turning just a little as it revealed all his intentions to her.


    "We''re both married and it''s happily on my end. We should not let such rumors spread around about us," Maro refused politely. "I just drank tea with your wife the other day, while we talked about our spouses! She''s a sweet woman and loves you very much!"


    "She did say you should lay off the sweets though!" Maro made a show of laughing and idly beat her hand against the desk once, cracking it cleanly through the middle.


    "Woops," she said sheepishly, resisting the urge to sneer. "Sometimes I don''t know my own strength!"


    The King began sweating nervously at the casual show of strength from the Queen and coughed.


    "Y-You''re right! How forgetful of me! I wouldn''t want such rumors to spread!" He laughed nervously.


    "Don''t worry about it! Now, I''d like to explore your island just a little bit more until it''s time for me to head back to Celadon. A pleasure talking to you and the wife!" She beamed, waving at the king and walking through the door of his office.


    "Fucking prick," she muttered under her breath. "Who the fuck does he think I am? Why would I ever cheat on Angel? He''s not even attractive enough to be that cocky against my wife."


    "Another person flirting with you, my queen?" One of her soldiers asked in amusement.


    "Don''t even get me started," she complained. "It''s every island I go to! I miss when people didn''t look at me in blatant lust..." Maro sighed.


    Puberty had struck her a little too hard sadly. Around 16, her body had suddenly just exploded in growth, to the point where Angel''s jaw had dropped when she took a single look at her girlfriend''s chest.


    That was the day her kimonos became a lot more conservative.


    Ever since then, the eyes remained on her just as much as Angel... As a former Bounty Hunter/Assassin, she did not like that very much but what could she do...


    Everyone she met was always a prick. There was never a day where someone wasn''t trying to flirt with her and like cool, she was glad she was hot... but her wife was amazing and also extremely hot so why would she ever even consider someone else?


    This was why she wanted Angel to come on these trips with her. She missed Angel...


    Master and Luffy had started their journey too... she hoped they were doing okay. She hadn''t heard from them in a while.


    Maybe all the eyes on her, was karma for all the times she shamelessly stared at Master.


    Would she ever stop? Not a chance in hell!


    Master had actually once asked why she flirted with him so shamelessly and not Demon... or anyone else for that matter besides the inhabitants of his body.


    "Demon''s my brother! That''d be gross!" Maro said easily.


    "...But aren''t I technically your Father?" Rosan asked slowly.


    "In the raising me aspect! My Father wouldn''t steal my first kiss like that!" She beamed.


    "...But you asked me to do that," he blinked.


    "Because you''re not my actual Father! Duh! Stop trying to make this weird, hottie!" The Queen demanded.


    The redhead simply tilted his head and sighed, dropping the conversation and confusing her greatly.


    The Queen planted a kind smile on her face and accepted the caramel apple offered to her, letting out a genuine hum of delight as she prepared to bite into it...


    Only for her lone guard (as if she needed more) to snatch it out of her hands.


    "H-Hey, that''s mine!" She protested with an open mouth gazing at the exasperated female soldier with a look of outrage.


    "My Queen, we went over this. Stop randomly eating gifts given to you without us at least checking it for anything," she chided with a firm glare, making Maro splutter.


    "But I want it nowwww," she whined, stamping her feet on the ground like a brat.


    The soldier rolled her eyes. "No. But, I''ll let the chefs know that you want a caramel apple. Queen Angel already told me not to let you eat anything offered to you. She has far more survival instincts then you," she sighed.


    Maro sulked at that. "Fine, you go let them know and I''ll explore a bit more before we sail. I''m kinda sick of this island and I miss Angel and Demon."


    The soldier saluted sharply. "Of course, my Queen. Remember what I said," she warned before turning and making her way over to the ship.


    The queen rolled her eyes. Look at her cute little underlings looking out for her! Bah, they were all too stiff for their own good. Maro was a Dokkaebi! Some little poison would never affect her strong physiology!


    Overprotective jerks... let her have some fun dammit!


    But... they were so adorable when they were being overprotective of her. It was seriously so cute!


    Fine, she''d let it continue... for now. One day she''d get tired of it! One day for sure!


    As Maro gushed about her cute citizens (unintentionally blowing off dozens of suitors) the woman reached a shore and paused as she noticed something.


    The woman squinted her eyes and stepped closer to peek at whatever that was poking outta the water.


    "Is... THAT A SUB?!" She squealed excitedly. "WOW! THAT''S SO COOL!"


    Maro wanted to get a closer look... but how would she do that?


    Her eyes lit up and she nodded to herself.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    One of the very last things Trafalgar Law ever expected to see... was a beached Polar Tang.


    He had landed on this island to stock up on provisions and had just finished up... when he saw the bizarre sight before him.


    A beautiful woman, was currently hounding a very confused and scared Bepo, gushing over his cuteness and asking if he was actually a talking animal.


    "So your names Bepo right?!" She beamed, not giving him any personal space whatsoever. "Are you like one of those cosplayer people I''ve heard so much about?"


    "N-No," Bepo answered meekly, gazing at anything but the overwhelming woman.


    The woman gasped. "Does that mean you''re actually a talking bear?!"


    He flinched at that and held his head. "Sorry..."


    Maro squealed and effortlessly hoisted him up, shaking him back and forth like he didn''t weigh a thing. "What are you apologizing for?! You remind me of me when I was younger. I used to say sorry for everything! You did nothing wrong unless being so goddamn adorable is a crime! Seriously, a Polar Bear wearing a jumpsuit is like the cutest shit ever!"


    The Polar Bear had a dust of red as the strange woman continued to fuss over him but that soon turned into a strangled yelp as she began squeezing him with a godly amount of force.


    The rest of the Heart Pirates watched the entire thing with dumbfounded expressions.


    Who the hell was this woman?


    "C-Captain, you''re back!" Penguin shouted in relief, glancing a little jealously at Bepo for hogging all the woman''s attention.


    "...What the hell is going on?" Law asked as calmly as possible, dropping his bags on the floor and holding out his hand.


    "Room: Shambles."


    Maro blinked as a blue circle surrounded her and then gaped as Bepo was replaced with a bag.


    "Thank you captain..." Bepo rasped, clutching his chest at suddenly feeling air again.


    Law gazed at the shell-shocked woman and racked his brain for who this could possibly be.


    Blue hair with white streaks, fair skin, orange eyes... quite beautiful too.


    Why did all of these ring a bell?


    "WOAH! A DEVIL FRUIT?!"


    The man resisted the urge to flinch, as she materialized directly in front of him with an excited gleam.


    "Did I hear them call you captain? Are you the captain of little Bepo right here?! That''s a sick Devil Fruit you have there! Oh does that make this submarine yours?!" She asked in quick succession.


    "She''s dangerous," Law thought instinctively, noting the predatory gleam in the woman''s eyes. "She probably closed the distance to make sure she can still reach me if I attack her."


    Then she gasped and sheepishly rubbed her chin length hair. "Oh where are my manners! It''s nice to meetcha, I''m Queen Maro!"


    "He''s a pirate... but I don''t recognize him on any posters," she thought to herself, humming curiously as she assessed their threat levels.


    None of them were stronger then her. She was certain of it... but this guy''s Devil Fruit was pretty tricky.


    It was why she was this close to him after all. Maro only needed to hit him once and she was sure he''d be down for the count... She also had an illusion up. She was actually standing directly to the left of the copy of herself.


    "Queen Maro? Of Celadon?" Law thought in a bit of disbelief. What was the Queen of the most prestigious island in the North Blue doing here?


    Had she just been the one to beach the Polar Tang? How the hell had she done that?


    "Oh! The Sub?" Maro grinned a little at that. "I wanted to get a closer look at it, so I dragged it outta the water!"


    "S-She grabbed it and just lifted it out!" Shachi gaped at the memory, sweating nervously at the queen.


    There was a reason the idea of attacking her never once crossed their minds, considering she had lifted their sub with all of them inside of it with little to no effort at all.


    You were telling him this was a Queen?!


    "So you just wanted to get a look at the sub, Queen-ya?" Law said slowly, unable to comprehend this woman for the life of him.


    What were her motives?


    "Yep! You guys are pirates... but I don''t think any of you have bounties and this isn''t my island anyways," she shrugged. "Here, I got my curiosity sated. I''ll put it back for ya!"


    They watched the beautiful woman walk over to the sub with dumbfounded expressions.


    True to his crews words, Law watched with a slightly surprised expression, as the deceptively monstrous woman lifted the sub over her head with barely a grunt, began floating over the water, before gently placing the Polar Tang into its home once more.


    Then, she vanished from her spot and appeared directly on land again.


    In front of him.


    "I thought she was an idiot but she knows exactly what she''s doing," Law thought with a bit of respect.


    If he did choose the route of attack, that little display showed him that she already figured stepping out of his Room would likely negate his abilities and the distance she travelled was larger then his biggest current room.


    "I''m Trafalgar Law," he introduced the woman. "We''ve recently become a pirate crew. The Heart Pirates. That''s why we don''t have bounties yet."


    She nodded eagerly at that, flashing him a grin as the predatory gleam in her eyes vanished. "You have an awesome Devil Fruit! What is it if you don''t mind me asking?"


    Law pondered her request. "The Ope Ope no Mi. It turns me into a free modification human and let''s me do a lot of things inside the room I summon."


    "Free modification human?!" Maro thought in disbelief. Was his fruit like Master''s by chance? Could he modify people in the room as he wished?


    Wait... he had replaced one of his grocery bags with the bear in his hand! Could he do things along that scope?!


    That... was kind of ridiculously awesome.


    "What else can you do with it?!" She asked with starry eyes.


    Law smirked at the fascinated look in her eyes and held out his hands. "Room."


    Maro went slightly on guard as the blue sphere surrounded both her, Law and his crew and she watched wearily as he took that gigantic sword of his out.


    To her surprise though (she had been about to set him ablade), he turned to one of his crewmates and did a lazy slash.


    Maro watched with a slack jaw, as his head severed from his body, before lazy floating over to the smirking Law.


    "C-Captain! You know I hate when you do this!" Penguin complained, even as the man tossed his head up and down.


    The Queen''s eyes glittered at seeing him perfectly speaking. "THAT''S SO AWESOME! HOLY SHIT!" She cheered.


    "I''m a surgeon so it makes my life easier, Queen-ya," he nodded.


    What guy didn''t like being praised by a gorgeous woman?


    Maro''s eyes sparkled. "You''re a surgeon? You should totally go on a date with my brother, Demon! You''re pretty cute and he''s hot as hell!" She beamed, fishing in her kimono for something.


    Law blinked at that, not expecting the sudden topic switch.


    "AHA!" She yelled triumphantly, showing him the picture of her older brother. "Look at him! Isn''t he gorgeous?! I bet you''re his type too! You guys can nerd talk about medicine and stuff!"


    This woman was ridiculous.


    Law nearly snorted at her actions, but instead opted to keep the smirk on his face as he gazed at the picture.


    At the very least, she hadn''t been lying. Even though Law had no intention of hooking up with someone just because she said so, he could admit that her older brother was in fact "gorgeous".


    He was very easy on the eyes, with soft features that enhanced how naturally pretty he seemed to be.


    "Thanks for the offer, but I''ll pass," Law said dryly, sheathing his blade once more and giving Penguin his head back.


    "Awww. You two would have been so cute!" She sighed. "Oh! Look at the time! If my soldiers start looking for me, they might start a fight with you guys!"


    "And stop calling me Queen-ya! Call me Maro!" Maro demanded, waving at them enthusiastically and grabbing Bepo into another hug. "See ya Law-chan! If we ever meet again, lemme introduce you to my cute as hell brother!"


    With that, the Queen shot them a peace sign and vanished.


    Law stared at the spot she was at with an almost perplexed expression.


    "She''s so scary," Bepo wheezed.


    "She''s so hot..." Penguin sighed, glaring jealously at the bear.


    "She''s smarter then she looks. She controlled that entire conversation and I didn''t even get to ask her what her Devil Fruit was," Law mused, shaking his head.


    What an interesting person. It was a shame they''d probably never meet again and she was a Queen. She would have been a good addition to his crew.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Maro happily ate her caramel apple with a pleased hum as she sailed back to Celadon.


    The only thing she thought about the Heart Pirates was this.


    "I hope for that guys sake, he never becomes enemies with Master. Trafalgar Law? Yeah he''s definitely gonna want that fruit."

 Insanity I

    "Woah! When did you fix the ship?!" Usopp gaped in awe, looking at the copy of the original Going Merry with an impressed gaze.


    It didn''t even have the chicken design anymore! Rosan sure was effective!


    "Last night," Robin grumbled much to the amusement of the redhead.


    He gazed at her and snorted before allowing her to rest her head on his shoulder, an offer she took with a pleased sigh.


    "Try not to damage it anymore," Rosan advised, remembering his conversation with Merry last night.


    If she suffered anymore damage, she''d sink. It would be best if they avoided that outcome¡­


    Well, he''d tell them after suggesting they see a shipwright. If he had the shipwright''s words supporting his claims, it''d be easier to digest.


    Rosan was no expert on ships and he made that clear so they''d find it hard-pressed to believe his words.


    People in denial, found it hard to listen to logic because people in denial relied on emotion and he didn''t feel like dealing with that. Rosan was a little too blunt and inconsiderate to let someone know gently that something bad was happening.


    That was for later though. For now they would focus on retrieving the gold and increasing their funds without milking Rosan''s safe.


    They would split up into two teams. One would be the search team and the other would be the escape team.


    The search team would take steps to find and secure the gold that was on Upper Yard, while the escape team would take the ship and find an exit route.


    The search team consisted of Rosan, Robin, Chopper, Luffy and Zoro while the escape team consisted of Sabo, Nami, Sanji, Usopp, Maro, Angel and Demon.


    Robin and Rosan were the best at finding things (next to Nami but she was too afraid to go) and they were also the most patient¡­ so they had the luxury of escorting the dumb powerhouses known as Luffy and Zoro.


    "With these guys, I feel unstoppable!" Chopper thought to himself cheerfully as they waltzed through the forest together.


    He was with some of the strongest in the crew! Robin and Rosan disappeared often so it felt really cool to actually be traveling with them!


    "ZORO WHERE ARE YOU GOING?! WEST IS THIS WAY!" Luffy shouted out in disbelief. "Seriously, you have no sense of direction," the captain muttered.


    "WHAT?! IT''S SOUTH? THE SKULL IS IN THE RIGHT EYE THOUGH SO WE GO RIGHT!" Zoro roared back.


    "They''re both going the wrong way," Robin muttered, glancing at the two with a bit of disbelief.


    "I don''t get how they can be so stupid and so confident," Rosan replied calmly. "Chopper can you tell them to just follow us, please?"


    The reindeer nodded enthusiastically and dragged the two idiots over to their location.


    "Oh, we''re supposed to go South? Why didn''t you say so!" Luffy laughed. The rubber boy waved a stick that he managed to find around and hummed a terrible tune to himself.


    "Woah! That''s an awesome stick, Luffy!" Chopper awed, looking repeatedly for his own.


    "Shishishi! It''s nice right? But you can''t have it because it''s mine!" The greedy captain laughed. He began poking and prodding everything with his fantastic stick while whistling happily.


    "What is it with hyperactive boys and sticks?" Robin muttered. Rosan was much the same as a child¡­ He loved to find random rocks or sticks and Modify them.


    Was this a normal thing? Zoro was obsessed with swords so maybe he was the same way...


    "Man''s first instinct, is to find a weapon to defend themselves with," Rosan replied wisely.


    "...Don''t use such a wise quote to justify this behavior," Zoro sweatdropped.


    Chopper continued to unsuccessfully look for a stick, before one was placed right in front of him. The reindeer glanced up to see that it was Rosan himself giving him the stick and his eyes glittered.


    "For me?!" He asked in awe, tentatively reaching his hand out to grasp it.


    "A good stick is hard to get hold of¡­ I used to cheat all the time as a kid," Rosan replied.


    Chopper squealed in excitement and said, "Thanks Rosan!" Before following in Luffy''s footsteps and poking everything.


    "You are honestly so adorable," Mod gushed at her charge.


    "I agree. It''s unbelievable how cute you still are," Robin smiled.


    "I could turn into a better stick," Ram grumbled in jealousy.


    Rosan simply rolled his eyes and continued his trek. "Quiet down all of you. Let me do my good deed of the month."


    They all laughed at that.


    Rosan? Good deed? Yeah right.


    "Watch it," he warned.


    "This forest isn''t as scary as I thought!" Chopper exclaimed boldly, taking the lead with a pep in his step.


    "Yeah, I wanted to run into something dangerous," Luffy sighed in disappointment.


    "Please don''t say things like that when Rosan''s around," Robin requested, already expecting something disastrous to happen now.


    Zoro and Chopper perked up at that. "Why?" They asked.


    Rosan hummed. "Because I don''t believe in fate, Robin is convinced that it''s out to get me. Whenever someone tempts it around me, things seem to go bad. I disagree heavily with that notion. Even if I don''t say anything, it would still happen no? I just happen to say it right before an event in this extremely dangerous world happens," he explains.


    "Robin''s right though!" Luffy agreed immediately.


    "I''m glad you agree with me... but you''re just as bad, Luffy," Robin sweatdropped.


    The rubber boy ignored her completely.


    "I think it''s awesome! Moving around with Rosan is always fun because of it!" He exclaimed.


    Robin sighed. "Fun is one way to put it. It happens so consistently, I actually believe fate exists just to prove him wrong."


    "It doesn''t exist. We choose what happens with our own lives," Rosan retorted calmly.


    The swordsman and doctor sweatdropped. "You guys are exaggerating. It can''t be that bad¡ª"


    Everyone paused as a massive shadow loomed over them and they glanced up at the sea king sized snake responsible for it.


    "See?" Robin sighed, unbothered by the massive snake.


    "...A coincidence. It would have shown up regardless of if I were here or not," Rosan muttered, utterly unfazed by the creature leering down at them.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "ROBIN AND LUFFY ALREADY UNLOCKED THEIR OBSERVATION?!" Maro roared, fury painted on her features at that as she stamped her feet on the deck.


    Goddammit! This was because they got to travel around and fight! Dammit all! She needed to get the one up on them and fast.


    "Yeah, while fighting one of the Priests," Usopp muttered, backing away at the indignant fury on the Queen''s face.


    The woman actually growled, much to the sniper''s concern, before sobering up quickly out of nowhere.


    "Master still has nothing?" She asked curiously.


    "No, he helped those two unlock their own but never got his," Sanji said calmly. He felt like he had been pretty close to unlocking his own¡­ maybe he should join the training with them...


    The Dokkaebi grumbled a bit but settled down at that. "At least I''m not the only one¡­ I''ll try and unlock it against my opponent then..."


    "You''re all way too competitive and you dragged poor Robin into it too," Nami sighed with a shake of her head.


    "You''re telling me," Demon groaned. "I''m the one who suffers the most from their competitive streak. I''ve had to patch them up more times then I can remember and they just get right back into it. It''s a never ending cycle"


    Maniacs, all of them.


    "It must be hard being the normal one with a family full of psychos." Nami touched his shoulder sympathetically.


    "At some point, you stop being normal yourself... but according to them, I was never normal," the doctor sighed.


    "I would ask what you mean... but I think I understand," Nami muttered and the rest of the Straw Hats nodded sagely.


    "Oh, that reminds me!" Angel gasped, grabbing onto Nami and Maro and dragging them to the girl''s quarters.


    The men watched them go with tilted heads before shrugging.


    "How''s the progress?" The redhead asked in a hushed tone as soon as she shut the door.


    "Any luck?" Maro jumped in, eyes glittering in curiosity.


    Nami pursed her lips a bit in confusion. "Honestly, it''s pretty hard to tell since they already act like a couple... but I did hear something really important!"


    The two perked up at that and leaned forward eagerly.


    "I''m sure you two already know they kissed," Nami began, getting nods out of them.


    "We saw it. It was the lewdest thing I''ve ever seen. Do you know he grabbed her ass?" Angel chimed with red dusting her cheeks.


    "Master was relentless¡­ I didn''t even know he could kiss that well. I was afraid they were gonna run out of breath," Maro sighed in disbelief, blushing rosily at the memory.


    "You and me both," the redhead muttered in despair.


    Seriously, they thought their emotionless Master was innocent! Sure they knew he had the occasional fling with Makino, b-but they just assumed she did everything!


    Clearly not... Angel''s face turned white in horror before she vowed to murder Makino once more.


    Nami sweatdropped at the two. Robin had been pretty tame when describing it but that was just her personality... Then again, these two liked to exaggerate...


    Oh well, judging by the red on both their cheeks, there was plenty of truth to their words.


    "Well, besides that, I heard them talking the other day!" Nami informed them, smiling at the memory. "Rosan was upset because he thought he ruined Robin''s chances of finding someone to love and you know what Robin said to that?"


    "What?! What?!" Maro grinned eagerly.


    What? She became a bit of a gossip over the years! Some of her soldiers picked up on it and she overheard them all the time! Hearing about what her people were up to, always put a smile on her face.


    "She said, if she ever wants to settle down with anyone in the future, she''ll just stay with Rosan!" The navigator replied, smiling in a pleased manner at that.


    "!" Their eyes widened at that and they glanced at each other with large smiles.


    "Perfect!" They both squealed excitedly.


    "I was listening in and they were talking about all the things they wanted to do when they eventually settled down," the navigator explained, recalling the conversation right before they arrived to Skypiea.


    "That''s so cute!" Angel gushed with a pleased grin. At the very least, they''d be together for the years they lost.


    "Now we just need them both to fall in love¡­" Maro mused with a smile at how adorable the two were.


    "I think it''s bound to happen eventually¡­ but I want it to happen now," Angel muttered with a fire in her eyes.


    Nami laughed at that. "You guys are scary but I see where your coming from¡­ I''ve never seen two people act like a blatant couple and then deny it...," she pointed out.


    The two Queens grinned at that. "They''re both stupid," Maro laughed.


    "Master would probably fall in love and not pursue it because he''s such a dumbass," Angel sighed.


    The navigator nodded her head at that accurate assessment. "Between the three of us... I''ve been seeing the looks they shoot each other when one isn''t looking. I think they''ll fall in love sooner rather than later... Rosan really likes her," she added her two cents.


    Angel smiled a sad smile. "That''s all I want for my big brother... I''m so glad that he''s opening his heart up to even one person. He''s relying on Robin in a way I haven''t seen in so long."


    Maro nodded with a fond smile herself. "I''ve never seen it. He loves Mod-chan... but it''s different to see him relying on someone he isn''t practically one and the same with... it makes me feel wistful."


    Nami gazed at the two wives and felt her determination flare. "Don''t worry... I''ll do my best to protect what those two have and I''m sure everyone else in the crew is the same. We''ll save Rosan!" She said in determination.


    Angel couldn''t stop the glistening in her eyes and pulled the two into a deep hug. "Thank you... I know Master doesn''t want to open his heart to you all yet, but no one deserves it more than this crew."


    Maro smiled warmly. "Master is looking for a reason to live and right now he''s beginning to think it''s Robin... but one day I hope he realizes it''s so many more people."


    "He''s an idiot so we''ll make him realize!" Nami beamed.


    Satisfied with their meeting, the three women stood up to go back out to the deck.


    "What were you guys talking about in there?" Usopp asked curiously. They heard them squeal once but other then that, the conversation was mostly silent.


    "Girl stuff," Angel replied smoothly.


    Those words managed to immediately quell their curiosity and Nami looked at the redhead with an impressed gaze.


    She''d have to remember that for the future.


    "So tell me about the Priest you found," Maro said next, grinning excitedly. "I''m gonna kick his and anyone who interferes ass when the time comes because I need to fight someone decent!"


    Sabo gripped his chin in contemplation. "I couldn''t tell you much because I defeated him in one hit¡­ but his name was Shura and he had a fire breathing bird that I wanted to give to you."


    Maro perked up at that. "A fire breathing bird? For me? Hmmm I have a lot of impressive pets so this one is up against tough competition but I''ll see for myself!"


    They sweatdropped at her claims and Angel shook her head at the idea that Maro could potentially be getting yet another pet.


    Greedy Dokkaebi¡­


    The sound of flapping sufficiently distracted them and they glanced up to see the Knight of the Sky himself riding his trusty pegasus.


    The old man glanced at them all and indicated his hand towards the ship.


    "If I may?" Gan Fall asked, causing the crew to nod without complaint.


    The former Kami of Skypiea landed gently on the deck and glanced at them all.


    "Thank you for your hospitality¡­ As thanks, would it be a bother to tell you all about what exactly is going on in Skypiea?" Gan Fall asked.


    "Who the fuck cares? Actually, who the hell is this Old Man?" Angel mouthed to Maro, who slightly bonked her rude wife on the head.


    "Behave Angel. He''s... um... Actually I dunno who he is either."


    "S-See?!" The redhead whined, holding her head at the bonk.


    "That would be nice," Nami said, stifling her laughter at the silent conversation between the wives.


    The Knight nodded before noticing that a few people were missing.


    "Where are the rest of your crewmates?" He asked curiously.


    Sanji sighed. "Probably getting in trouble somewhere. They have the three biggest trouble magnets in the crew with them after all¡­ hopefully Robin-chan is alright with those idiots."


    "It hasn''t even been that long," Usopp laughed in exasperation. "There''s no way they found trouble already!"


    A loud snort brought their attention to the Celadon trio.


    "You underestimate Master and Luffy," Angel said sagely.


    "Those two are chaos incarnate. Where they go, trouble follows," Demon nodded along.


    "It makes it most fun to travel with them! I guess when you''re those two, you don''t run into trouble, you create it!" Maro cackled, stretching her back with a loud pop. "Now, I want to invite some trouble myself! Sabo, can you feel the stupid priest who would dare to hurt my Devil Fruit sibling?"


    Sabo glanced up at that and nodded, pointing in a direction. "Over there, he''s about to engage with some of those Guerrilla guys."


    The Queen grinned in a feral manner and the group watched as she waved her hand and a giant wooden club appeared in it.


    "Perfect! Escaping isn''t really my thing y''know? All those people are just asking for a good ol beat down, courtesy of yours truly!" She beamed, blue flames beginning to surround her.


    "What are you planning on doing?" Usopp asked warily, balking at the violent weapon and the violent flames.


    "Me? I''m gonna go fight of course! I gotta work hard to unlock my Haki!" The Queen beamed eagerly.


    "She''s just as insane as they are!" They thought in disbelief.


    "Be careful," Angel said, not looking remotely worried for her wife''s well being.


    "Don''t be as reckless as Rosan is when it comes to unlocking your Haki," Sanji said worriedly.


    "No promises!" She shouted, tensing her strong legs and leaping high into the air. "Don''t wait up for me!"


    With that, the blues flames covered her entire body, not leaving any sight of her visible, and when it dispersed, she was gone.


    "I don''t actually know what her Devil Fruit lets her do¡­" Nami mused. Blue flames? She never saw that from the Dokkaebi not to mention she just vanished once they consumed her.


    "Maro''s Devil Fruit is absurd," Demon replied helpfully. "It''s a Mythical Zoan so she''s granted an array of abilities pertaining to that of a Dokkaebi besides the transformation aspect."


    Sabo nodded. "Mythical Zoans are considered the best class of Devil Fruit for a reason."


    Gan Fall sweatdropped at them all. "I didn''t even mention Sky Battles or the use of Dials to her before she rocketed off."


    Angel waved him off. "Don''t worry, Master gave us the rundown of some dials already and Maro is smart. It won''t slow her down."


    Gan Fall sweatdropped harder.


    The one with Black Wings was not to be underestimated it seemed.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "RUN! IT''S A GIANT SNAKE!" Luffy screamed excitedly, grinning ear to ear as he sprinted from the massive snake hunting them down.


    "WAHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Chopper squealed in horror. Tears of terror fell from the reindeer''s eyes as he ran for his life.


    "It''s huge¡­" Robin remarked as she dashed away from the giant snake. Was it because of the air environment of the Sky Island?


    "It''s just a big catfish!" Zoro barked, trying for a slash and failing at the speed of the giant snake.


    "Would it even get full off of eating us?" Rosan muttered as he leapt high onto a branch.


    "P-PLEASE DON''T SAY THINGS LIKE THAT!" Chopper squealed.


    Robin saw that they were making no progress and said, "Let''s all do a strategic retreat and regroup?"


    "Retreat? For what?" Rosan asked in confusion.


    Before anyone else could answer, the snake decided to make that decision for them, using it''s long body to dart across the clearing and attempting to sink its fangs into them.


    They all leapt in opposite directions and when they noticed the snake''s poison melting the tree, they decided that fighting this thing was not worth the time it would take.


    With that, they all scattered and vowed to meet up on the same path again¡­


    Well, all except for one.


    Rosan stared at the snake with a tilted head and simply said, "Why did they run?"


    Honestly, they always made such big deals out of such little things. He couldn''t believe Robin got roped into Luffy''s energy.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "What? I take my eyes off of them for one second and they get lost?" Zoro muttered in disbelief, glancing back and forth and noticing that none of his crew was there.


    The swordsman shook his head in exasperation.


    "Whatever, they can manage on their own. Since I''ve got the map memorized¡­ I just need to go right," he said, nodding to himself.


    With that, the swordsman walked off in the completely wrong direction.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "AHHHH I GOT SEPARATED FROM EVERYONE!" Chopper squealed in horror.


    The reindeer was in walk point and he repeatedly glanced around in hopes that he could find anyone, terror only growing as he realized no one was in sight.


    "WHERE IS EVERYONE!" He cried.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Luffy sighed in exasperation. "Those guys really got lost? Oh well. I''ll just go ahead and wait at the ruins."


    The rubber boy exhaled at their stupidity and glanced in a direction nodding to himself.


    "Due South means I go in the warmer direction so it''s that way!"


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Oh dear, it seems like I''m the only one on the right path," Robin mused, cupping her cheek as she contemplated what to do.


    No one was here except for her and that was rather concerning¡­ considering Luffy and Zoro were apart of their group.


    They''d be fine, they were strong.


    She could just wait at the ruins¡­ the thought of exploring it was far too tempting and Robin decided she would do that.


    Closing her eyes in concentration, the woman used her blooming observation to try and get a feel where everyone was, smiling at being able to detect them.


    That smile turned into a confused expression.


    "Why is Rosan at the same spot?"


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan sat atop the terrified snake with a bored expression on his face, idly drawing circles on the top of its head with a very sharp katana.


    The bruised snake whimpered at that but didn''t dare try to infuriate the monster.


    "See? You didn''t have to be so difficult," the redhead admonished, transforming Ram back into her ring and patting the snake. "You got my crew all scattered around the area¡­ that''s not very nice, don''t you think?"


    The giant serpent shuddered at that tone and wisely stayed silent.


    "I don''t understand how you consistently manage to terrify so many animals."


    Mod''s voice was full of exasperation and amusement at the sight of Rosan successfully dominating the snake.


    "No one wants to get on a dragon''s bad side, not even an animal."


    "Let''s not cause any more problems for my allies again and I''ll let you go free, okay?" Rosan hummed, standing up and stretching idly.


    The snake nodded so rapidly, the redhead nearly thought its head was about to fall off.


    "Good. Remember, don''t attack any one of the people you saw here or else I''ll deal with you."


    Rosan flexed his angelic wings and floated off the Snake''s head, waving goodbye and watching it slither away at blistering speeds.


    What a polite snake. Such a shame it was so massive, he''d have loved to give it to Maro or Aiko¡­ he was pretty sure Aiko loved snakes.


    "She is terrified of them and you know that. Please don''t kill your older sister figure by showing her such a large snake."


    She wouldn''t die¡­ she''d just catch a heart attack probably¡­ okay perhaps that was too far. What animals did Aiko like? Her birthday should be coming up soon so he should get her a gift.


    "She hates animals."


    Right¡­ she did didn''t she?


    "You know a lot about Aiko¡­ Did her comments on your figure give you a crush? You already know what that means."


    "You unbelievable little brat! I''m beginning to think you are actually serious on your ban!"


    "Yes. You cannot date because then that person would think you belong to them and then I''d have to kill them."


    Mod spluttered at that. "I genuinely can''t believe you sometimes. Do you understand that if I were anyone else, they''d have protested such maniacal behavior from you?"


    Rosan shrugged. "You''re not anyone else."


    "You shouldn''t be so possessive of Mod-chan, Rosan. People will get the wrong idea. You two already don''t look like Mother and Son anymore. The world will begin to think you''re going around collecting pretty women," Robin laughed amusement clear as day.


    They would have ideas of him dating Mod-chan? If that''s what their thought process was when he eventually managed to bring Mod-chan to the real world¡­ that was all the better for him. He didn''t feel like killing someone daily.


    Even he would get tired of it.


    Mod blushed bright red and spluttered at her foolish son. Did he even hear himself? He wouldn''t dissuade the notion of them dating?! What was wrong with him?!


    "I genuinely have no words for you, Rosan."


    "I suppose it''s not the worst idea. Mod-chan will never be far from you anyways," Robin mused.


    "I approve!" Ram beamed.


    "WHY ARE YOU ALL DOING THIS TO ME?!"


    He cracked a small smile at that before focusing on Robin. "Why did you run off?I dealt with that snake."


    "I found that it was more trouble then it was worth to deal with so I left¡­ perhaps that wasn''t the smartest idea because I feel Zoro and Luffy going in completely opposite directions."


    Rosan snorted at that. "They''ll be fine, I''m on my way to you."


    "I''ll be heading to the ruins, I''m curious about its contents."


    "Boring."


    Robin''s eye twitched a bit. "You''re free to not come. It''d be better for my mentality if I didn''t have you calling me a nerd every few seconds while I explore."


    "But that''s the fun part."


    Was that amusement? That was definitely amusement radiating off the redhead.


    "Also, I get the feeling you''ll get upset if I actually don''t show up... so I will."


    She hated him.


    "Goodbye, Rosan. You can just fly here, I''m going to save myself the headache for the next few minutes at the very least."


    The redhead cracked another smile at that. "Yes, boss. Maybe I''ll go make sure Chopper is fine. He''s been jittery the whole time."


    "You do that¡­ better then you harassing me at the moment."


    She cut the connection and the redhead left out an exhale of amusement before flexing his wings and taking off.


    He''d send a bird to find Chopper, poking fun at Robin seemed too good to pass up right now.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Wyper stared at his rightful homeland in the distance, a stony expression on his face.


    "Right now may be our only chance to retake what''s ours," he began gruffly.


    "If you don''t have the resolve to risk it all, you may stay behind. I will hold no grudges towards you. Only those who are willing to leave behind fallen comrades in the pursuit of victory, are allowed to come."


    The man''s stony expression turned stormy and he bit his cigarette nearly in half.


    "Today, Enel''s head will roll."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Enel yawned as he lazily bit into a banana.


    "Things are getting interesting," he grinned in amusement.


    Yama and the 50 heavenly guards were down in Upper Yard, the Shandians were on the move¡­ and the Blue Sea dwellers added three other people to their group somehow.


    The Kami of Skypiea was momentarily confused for a moment, considering he couldn''t actually feel two of them (he could hear them) but it was clear that the two he couldn''t feel weren''t fighters so he''d disregard them for now.


    With all the additions, the game of survival was shaping up to be fun!


    Even now, one of the new Blue Sea dwellers was en route to run into both Shura and the Shandians.


    "Enel-sama, what will you do during this game of survival?" One of his attendants asked.


    "Shahahaha! Me?" Enel asked in return, finishing off his banana with an amused smile.


    "I think I''ll go pay someone a visit soon."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Maro grinned violently as she soared through the air, using her flames to propel her forward.


    That grin turned into confusion as she abruptly stopped moving. The Queen tried to scratch her head at that but found that she couldn''t move her limbs either.


    "So you''re the one who wants to defeat me?" A voice asked in amusement. "And how do you plan on doing that when you''ve already been caught in my string challenge?"


    Shura glanced at the Queen with a look of disdain on his face. "I have no business with you but if killing you brings out that wretched one who caught me off guard¡­ then I''d be more then happy to teach you a lesson."


    The man gripped his spear and stood tall on Fuza. "Welcome to the String Challenge with a survival rate of 3%! I have invisible strings placed all over the area that slowly but surely latch onto you, making you unable to move!"


    He dashed forward to the vulnerable queen, weapon poised to stab and lunged forward.


    That plan was quickly aborted as his target was consumed in blue fire that nearly caught him.


    "Hmmm, how can I unlock my Haki against this guy?" Maro pondered.


    She wouldn''t be using her Raid Suit. The Dokkaebi was already durable but with that suit, she became a living tank, able to ignore just about everything thrown at her and retaliate with devastating strength.


    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    Maro was actually the most durable in her family! That didn''t mean she could endure the most damage though... that honor belonged to the psychopathic freaks known as Master and Luffy.


    Master weathered attacks like he didn''t even notice them, despite the visible damage you could see being done to his body. It was like fighting a Goddamn zombie and it was actually really creepy... she could only imagine how other people fought him knowing most of their attacks were working... but he just healed everything back up.


    As for Luffy... that idiot was just too tenacious and stubborn! He refused to stay down until he won! He was as insane as Master was and Maro had no doubt if he had the same regenerative capabilities, those two would be the exact same in battle.


    But she digressed... No Raid Suit¡­ she was doing this the old fashioned way¡­ good thing she was wearing a battle kimono today.


    She also couldn''t go invisible, considering she didn''t have her crown and illusions wouldn''t be too effective against Observation...


    He used strings, eh? That sounded like it was going to be annoying but she could probably break out of them with some effort...


    Shura watched in some disbelief as the beautiful queen flexed her muscles and tore off the string restraining her. She then glanced at him and tensed, before rocketing off towards him, club in hand.


    He gripped his lance and charged her again, activating the heat dial function and clashing with the queen.


    That was a mistake. His eyes widened as his own formidable strength immediately crumpled underneath Maro''s and the Priest immediately disengaged, flying up high with Fuza.


    "Such immense strength," he thought warily.


    The Dokkaebi''s eyes narrowed at that and with a burst of flames, she immediately pursued.


    "Fuza!" Shura shouted and his bird immediately opened its mouth to shoot out a torrent of flames that washed over the Dokkaebi¡­


    Only for her to burst through it without any visible injury, beelining for him with a single minded determination.


    Shura''s eyes widened in disbelief.


    Who was this person? They were not apart of the original group of Blue Sea dwellers that they had pictures of but seemed to possess strength that would make any of the Priests worry!


    Enel-sama hadn''t seemed worried about her... but meeting them in person showed Shura that he couldn''t underestimate this foe.


    The woman showed up out of nowhere, wielding strength that he wouldn''t want to face head on.


    He remembered his defeat against Sabo and scowled deeply.


    Maro reached her target in record time and gripped Daisy, before swinging with crushing force at the Priest.


    The queen let out a confused noise at not seeing him dodge or die from the attack.


    No, instead he just pulled out one of those dial things... and absorbed it?


    "Huh?" She muttered, before a palm rested on her belly.


    "I don''t normally use these, but I need to use everything at my disposal if I want to beat that blue sea dweller," Shura muttered in annoyance.


    "Impact."


    Maro''s eyes flickered and she spat out a glob of blood, as her own monstrous strength was used against her.


    Shura couldn''t help but balk at the power of the Impact Dial, as Maro went soaring away from him, plummeting at unbelievable speeds until she crashed and nearly bent a massive tree off it''s roots.


    "Such enormous strength," he muttered in disbelief.


    Were they all capable of defeating him in one blow? If that connected, he would have suffered concussive damage.


    No... his head would have been crushed to a pulp.


    Absurd. It was a good thing she had no idea what an Impact Dial was. Her own hubris was her undoing.


    Such a shame¡­ she was rather attractive too. He wouldn''t have minded more time with her.


    Well, no matter. He could currently feel the Shandians fast approaching so the Priest of Strings set up some of his traps once more in preparation to execute them all.


    Shura didn''t need to wait long for them to show up and at the yells of surprise, he sighed with a shake of his head.


    Idiots. After this, he''d go find and deal with that blue sea blonde. None of these people were worth his time, so now it was time for payback¡­


    Or that was the plan, but it seemed like one of them managed to avoid getting caught by his strings.


    "Wyper!" The Shandians shouted in relief.


    The violent man snarled at them and ignored them momentarily, focusing fully on Shura.


    Before anyone could say anything, a roar of blue flames completely consumed the gigantic tree that Shura''s "defeated" opponent landed on.


    The Priest himself felt his eyes go wide, at watching a battered Maro stand up with a toothy grin.


    B...But how?!


    There was blood dripping from a head wound and her kimono was ripped in places but she looked completely unbothered.


    "I haven''t been hit like that in a while!" The Queen grinned, sharp fangs on display. "Figures that a power that absorbs and rebounds my strength would do it! You''re so strong, Maro!"


    "What in the world¡­" Shura muttered in disbelief. The energy in that Impact Dial would have been more then enough to take out any of the Priests. Such was the strength behind the initial blow this blue haired woman charged it with.


    Combined with the fall from such a massive height¡­ there was no way she should even be alive right now.


    So how on earth was she standing?!


    Maro idly rubbed a hand against her belly and hummed in contemplation.


    That blow did internal damage¡­ He also managed to hit her on the right side too.


    Internal or no, her left side was completely immune to blows (unless you used Haki¡­ but once she learned armament she''d be a true tank!). It didn''t matter what connected on the left, Maro wouldn''t be affected by it.


    Such was her privilege of being a Dokkaebi. It was awesome and she would forever cherish Master for entrusting this fruit to her.


    Glancing back up, the Queen assessed the new arrivals and frowned.


    Who the hell were these people?


    "Hey, the fuck are you doing? Don''t even think about interfering with my fight!" she demanded, gazing at the angry looking dude wearing just a skirt.


    Wyper''s glare deepened and he turned his attention towards the injured blue haired blue sea dweller.


    "Stay out of our business or else," he warned coldly.


    Maro raised a brow incredulously at the audacity being displayed by this weakling. "Aren''t you way too damn weak to be making demands out of me? At the very least, you should be bowing in respect because of the fact I haven''t turned you into paste yet! If you have any self preservation skills, you''ll go free your allies and stay out of my way!" She sneered.


    Wyper''s gaze darkened.


    "You talk big for someone so weak. If you value your lives, you''ll get out of my sight."


    "I''m getting real tired of you Blue Sea dwellers," the Shandian said lowly.


    Maro''s scowl was out in full force. "Woe is me! Cry about it to someone who gives a shit!"


    The woman summoned her club and stared him down with a warning gaze. "Last warning before I stop being the benevolent Queen. Get your trapped allies and go, or I''m taking the both of you out and I decide what happens to your friends afterwards."


    Shura simply gripped his lance and activated the heat function.


    Wyper grabbed his bazooka.


    The Queen let out an exaggerated shrug of sympathy, and put a hand over her heart to pay respects to them.


    "I tried to help you. Now I''m probably gonna look like the bad guy when I''m finished here," she sighed forlornly.


    Maro grinned dangerously.


    "Oh well! It wouldn''t be the first time. Being a Queen isn''t easy!"


    A foreboding aura washed over everyone there and they could only watch as before their very eyes, the sole woman there began to change.


    She shot up from 5''10 to a staggering 8 ft, muscles bulging, skin turning green and pale hair growing past her butt.


    A glowing orange gaze, lacking irises, looked up at them and a serrated maw snarled revealing all its white serrated teeth.


    Not a single person was able to withhold a shudder, as the terrifying and unknown creature gazed at them all as if they were nothing but prey. wd


    "A Zoan?!" Shura gaped. She wielded that much power in her normal form?! Just who was this woman?


    What type of monster did she just transform into? What on earth was that?!


    Maro was finished speaking. The hulking Dokkaebi grabbed Daisy and vanished from her spot.


    Wyper only had a moment to throw up his shield to block the swing.


    It only held up for half a second before Maro''s enormous strength crumpled his defense like it were made of paper. With almost no effort at all, Wyper was launched across the clearing and only had a moment to right himself with his skates, before he crashed into a tree.


    "Absurd," he thought in disbelief, glancing at the monster with rage coursing through his veins.


    By now, Maro focused her attention back on Shura and leapt at him, club at the ready.


    Shura, knowing that her strength was even further amplified, had no intention of being hit by her. The man activated his string clouds and had them wrap around her, getting a snarl of irritation out of the Monster.


    Before she could break out, the man had Fuza fly forward so that he could stab forward with his heat lance, aiming directly for her heart.


    He grinned at the victorious attack, but that turned into confusion, at watching it fail to even dent her skin. In fact, it felt like his lance got the worst of that exchange and he gazed at the creature in disbelief.


    His Mantra alerted him quickly to the attack poised to end his life and he hastily had his bird fly away, just in time to avoid the unique blue flames.


    Once again, his Mantra went off and he weaved to the right, avoiding the bazooka''s fire and glaring at the furious Wyper.


    Turning towards the Shandian, Shura looked to make flight to deal with the ant, but a wall of flames cut him off.


    "Who told you to take your eyes off of me? You were having so much fun ogling me before," a voice snarled.


    His eyes bugged at the sight of Maro floating right next to him. He was about to fly away but the Dokkaebi''s next action, halted that plan right in its tracks.


    Maro gripped Fuza''s head in the palm of her gigantic hands and without any hesitation, she began dragging it down to the floor at increasingly faster speeds.


    Fuza squawked in panic and tried to struggle, opening its mouth to fire flames at the Dokkaebi and shrieking in terror as Maro''s grip didn''t falter for even a second, wholly unbothered by the flames


    Shura only had a moment to jump off his bird before Maro crashed its head into the dirt with a brutal snap, breaking its neck and subsequently, ending its life with one move.


    "F-FUZA!" The Priest shouted in disbelief, looking at the Dokkaebi toss the corpse of his partner away in disbelief.


    "Sleep little birdie¡­ I don''t think I want you on second thought," she murmured, getting up from her crouched position and idly flexing her hand.


    The Priest glared at her in rage. "How dare you do that to Fuza?! I''ll have your head, you bitch!" He snarled.


    "Punishment for not paying attention to me. Now you''re outta your comfort zone," Maro grunted, utterly unbothered by his language.


    "You think you have the advantage because you took me out of the sky?" He asked in disbelieved amusement.


    The Dokkaebi snorted (it sounded more like a guttural snarl). "You aren''t the first sky specialist I fought and you damn sure ain''t the strongest. If you can''t even beat me up there, what can you do down here?" she laughed.


    She had been fighting Master for 12 years now and he almost always took to the skies in their battles. This man who relied on his birds and silly string tricks was in way out of his league.


    Though, that Observation Haki of his was very annoying. She''d need to tread carefully... but at the same time, not immediately end the battle.


    She needed to get her Haki after all. She could just tell that she was so close. Training had been doing wonders for her but she needed one final push and she''d get it here and now.


    The ground crunched beneath her, as she dashed forward, club at the ready as she chose to engage the man in close combat.


    It was as frustrating as she expected it to be.


    A precise swing to the leg was leapt away from and Shura retaliated with a stab forward that failed to do any damage to her.


    She went in for another swing and made sure to summon a wall of flames to stop him from retreating. The blue fire, despite its heat, didn''t burn any of the shrubbery in the area and Maro would have preened over her mastery of it, if she weren''t focused on the fight at hand.


    Shura''s eyes narrowed as the blow nearly connected and he immediately countered it by placing an impact dial in its path, absorbing the blow and storing it.


    "Tch." Maro grunted as his string clouds came into play and latched onto her, preventing her from moving for a split second that he swiftly took advantage of.


    The Priest swiftly closed the gap between him and the monstrous creature and placed the impact dial on her body once more.


    "Impact."


    The Dokkaebi was forcefully detached from the strings, by the strength behind her own attack being redirected towards her and she flew into yet another unfortunate tree that nearly collapsed under the weight of the behemoth.


    She got up much quicker this time due to being unaffected by this one and Shura''s shock was becoming more palpable.


    "What is that durability? She is suddenly able to weather any blow I deal to her!"


    What type of boost did transforming give her?!


    He wasn''t able to dwell on it, due to Wyper making his presence known once more behind him.


    The Shandian aimed his Burn Bazooka at Maro and Shura and activated the breath dial. Instead of a cannonball firing, a stream of white-blue flames shot out towards them both.


    Maro''s eyes narrowed and she retaliated with her own flames, sending a massive torrent of blue fire towards the two.


    Shura dashed away from the flames converging on him from both directions and watched as Maro''s own consumed the bazooka''s fire, careening towards the Wyper who was already on the move.


    Wyper activated his shooters and skated away from the massive flames, temporarily losing sight of both Maro and Shura due to the sheer size.


    He landed atop a tree and glanced down to where his opponents would be...


    "You''re annoying."


    ...Only to freeze at the shadow looming over him.


    Before he could even think to retaliate, a massive hand palmed his face and brutally slammed the back of his head against the tree.


    Blood began steadily leaking from the gash, as Wyper''s eyes rolled to the back of his head. A great red stain marred the tree and he coughed up blood before going limp.


    Maro scoffed and tossed him aside.


    "WYPER!" His trapped allies screamed, struggling even more in their traps.


    "It''s easier to get the jump on him because he doesn''t have Haki like the Priest¡­" she mused, glancing at the steady amount of blood pouring from his head.


    Maro ignored the screaming Shandians and gazed at the surprised Shura.


    She''d decide all their fates after this battle was over depending on her mood.


    The queen leapt down from the branch she was standing on and cracked the floor beneath with the landing. With a wave of her hands, her magical flames vanished and she gazed at Shura in contemplation.


    "He''s not faster then me but that Haki of his is really helping him out..."


    Not to mention the strings were slowing her down however slightly. It was enough to give him an edge¡­


    The woman nodded to herself.


    Shura tensed as Maro slimmed down, shrinking back to her original height but still retaining the green skin. Her hair went back to its normal length, but it had far more white then normal and her molten orange irises returned.


    His Mantra began blaring and he barely managed to dodge the massively faster Dokkaebi, sweating at the near hit he received from the flaming club.


    He hastily sidestepped the swift Goblin and prepared to absorb the next blow with the impact, hissing at the flames licking his skin.


    She grinned cheekily and pressed her assault, making sure that even dodging was a punishment by having her burning club lash out randomly.


    Maro could see now why Master didn''t like sharing information. This silly Priest actually thought she was invincible durability wise because she kept angling herself in a way that only got her left side struck and he was none the wiser.


    She couldn''t blame him, she doubted the common person knew what a Dokkaebi was. Master was just a massive nerd.


    That didn''t mean she came out completely unscathed. She actually accumulated quite a bit of damage from the repeated uses of his impact dial.


    He just didn''t know some were actually affecting her! Master made sure she could ignore pain mostly by hitting her with his own hellish strength.


    Ah, she loved that redhead. He really did give her all the cards to succeed.


    Shura was getting more and more nervous, as the flames continuously licked him and slowed him down to a notable degree. Not only were they permanently blue, the flames had strange properties to them as well... they didn''t emanate heat but they burned all the same and they moved as if they had a mind of their own, not making his Mantra flare in the process and only further increasing his nerves.


    Maro was grinning confidently now, at total ease despite the tears in her clothes and the blood leaking from parts of her body.


    It was only a matter of time before he slowed down and by then, even his Haki wouldn''t be able to save him. In fact, it had been getting far easier to figure out his next move. Even with his Observation, she was beginning to see his next move easier and easier.


    Such a shame, she really wanted to unlock her own haki... she was so close to making a breakthrough (Poor Maro didn''t realize), but this guy was just too weak to give her that final push.


    Aw man¡ª


    Wait.


    Huh?


    Maro blinked in confusion at the strange sensation telling her that she was in a lot of danger.


    What? An attack from behind with a Dial? From that Guerilla guy?


    Wait, how did she know that?


    Wait, don''t tell her this whole fucking time she was using ¡ª


    Two skates wrapped around her waist and Maro gasped, as she felt her abilities drain.


    "Seastone?" Maro gasped, turning back into her human form.


    That crafty sunnova bitch.


    "You only take damage when your right side is attacked," a bloodied Wyper observed with a vicious glare.


    Without any hesitation, he placed a dial on Maro''s back and sneered victoriously.


    "WYPER WAIT, YOU CAN''T USE THAT!" Braham yelled in horror.


    Maro weakly struggled because she knew exactly why he couldn''t use that. She could see.


    That''s why she saw exactly what was about to happen to her.


    "Fuck me I messed around too much. I didn''t even realize I already unlocked it midfight," she cursed.


    This was going to hur¡ª


    "Reject!"


    Maro''s eyes rolled to the back of her skull, as the reject dial slammed into her with the force of a freight train and she was sent hurling through the air, a trail of blood following her.


    Wyper bit back the howl of agony from the recoil of using the Reject and nursed his destroyed arm, glaring at Shura now.


    "A Reject Dial?" The Priest muttered in shock, glancing at where Maro flew and then at the heaving Wyper.


    Loathe as he was to admit, if not for the Reject Dial, that monstrous blue sea dweller, would have defeated everyone here.


    It was a repulsive thought to admit that Wyper saved his life... but he''d be sure to repay that embarrassment in blood.


    "You think you can fight me with that destroyed arm?" Shura asked with a superior grin.


    Such a shame Wyper wasn''t his ally, gaining victory like this, left a bitter taste in his mouth but he couldn''t be picky right now.


    He already suffered one defeat, he would not lose again. If he continuously failed Enel...


    Shura shivered.


    Wyper scowled and gripped his bazooka. "As long as our home is being inhabited by you thieves. I will never stop fighting until us Shandians have a place to call our own."


    "You still believe such a hopeless thing? With the situation your in?" Shura nearly laughed at that and gripped his lance. "Let''s see how that works out. Perhaps Kami Enel will grace you with a home in the afterlife!"


    The Shandian merely grunted and readied himself¡­


    Huff.


    The both of them froze at the sound of movement and felt a cold sweat begin to form in a moment of true hopelessness.


    "I''d say I''m getting real tired of being blasted away into these big trees¡­ but right now¡­ I''m actually really happy!"


    The two looked over at the legitimate monster in horror, unable to prevent themselves from stepping away from the maniacal creature.


    Maro was a tattered mess. Her head was steadily leaking a copious amount of blood, forcing the woman to close her eyes to avoid getting the red liquid in them.


    But despite that, she could see them clearly. She couldn''t feel her right side, her head was pounding, she felt weaker then she had in years.


    But everything was alive.


    Maro threw her head back in joy and laughed in a moment of genuine bliss.


    "Hahahaha! I did it! I finally beat Master at something! I''m the best! Praise be her majesty, your Queen, Maro, The Goblin Princess!" She cackled in joy.


    The monster began actually shuddering in excitement and the constant movement flung blood in every direction but they didn''t seem to notice in their happiness. The onlookers couldn''t help but balk at how unhinged this made her look and then they realized, there were so many monsters out there in the world.


    "I can feel you all!" Maro grinned sharply, sharp fangs glistening with her own blood.


    Shura jumped as a bluenette, with more blood covering their face then skin, appeared right in front of him.


    C-Could she teleport this entire time? Why was she hiding such a skill?! There had never been a moment where she used such an ability!


    Wait... h-had she been holding back?


    "I can feel you, String Man!" She cackled before teleporting right behind a stunned Wyper, slinging her left arm over his shoulder.


    "And I can feel you, Skirt Man!" Maro smiled.


    The Queen took the chance to lean in close to the petrified Shandian and began whispering in his ear.


    "It''s a shame my heart''s on my left side, isn''t it? Makes me very hard to kill. It was a good effort though, I can''t even feel my right side," she crooned.


    Wyper swung at the Queen in a hint of desperation and blinked in shock as she fizzled out of sight.


    At the same time, Shura whirled around to face nothing, eyes going wide in horror as Maro shuddered into existence.


    "Surprise~ There''s a lotta things I didn''t use, yknow?" she sang.


    Without any warning, the Queen closed the distance between her and Shura and raised her club high, placing it in her left hand instead of her right.


    "Oh? You''re trying to move to the right?" She asked, adjusting her stance and aiming for where he was going to move.


    Shura''s eyes widened in dread as she perfectly predicted the move he was about to do.


    Wait. No. No¡­ it couldn''t be!


    Surely she didn''t... Surely this monster hadn''t been using this battle as an opportunity to gain...


    "Hahahaha! I did it!"


    "I can feel you all!"


    "Oh? You''re trying to move to the right?"


    "Y-You monster!" Shura stammered in true, utter terror. "Y-You''ve been using this fight to unlock your Man¡ª"


    His face nearly caved, as the massive wooden club smashed him into the floor with concussive force, feeling more akin to steel than wood.


    Teeth and blood flew from every direction as the Priest was instantly knocked unconscious, face permanently reconfigured from the strength of the Goblin Princess.


    "Hahaha this is awesome! I felt him fall unconscious but I might be more affected by that attack then I thought¡­ that was meant to kill," Maro pondered, idly sidestepping the cannonball shot her way with a limp.


    She turned to face the nervous feeling Shandian (he did a good job hiding it) and hummed in contemplation.


    "They want a place to call home, eh?" She said to herself.


    Wyper tensed as the gap between them was instantly closed but he had no time to brace himself for the incoming blow¡­


    Maro gripped his arm and yanked the Reject Dial out of his hand, wincing at the effort needed to use any part of her right side.


    "Since I got what I came here for and you helped me defeat Master for the first time ever, I''ll do you all a favor and spare you¡­ but I''m taking this. My Master would very much enjoy such a strong gift," she decided.


    Job done, the Queen tossed aside the confused Shandian.


    Wyper''s confusion turned into a furious scowl. "What the hell do you think you''re doing?!"


    "Going back to my wife. I would mention french kissing her, but I''m pretty sure she won''t kiss me with all this blood... But I''m still satisfied," Maro replied without missing a beat, glancing in the direction she could feel them and grinning at actually being able to detect them.


    Well, she couldn''t feel Angel and Demon but that was to be expected.


    "You show up here and defeat us both and now you''re sparing me?! Cut the bullshit. We''re not done here yet!" Wyper snarled in disbelief.


    "Wyper stop!" They barked.


    Please just accept the gift being handed to them. They couldn''t deal with such a monster!


    Maro didn''t even spare him a glance. "If you want things to go your way, you shouldn''t be so weak. The strong earn the privilege to dictate how the world works and the weak have no choice but to accept that unless they choose to become strong. If you want to die so badly, ask your allies to do it or you can try attacking me again."


    It wouldn''t even require effort. Maro hadn''t been truly trying to kill them but if she had been, there wouldn''t have even been a body to recover. The fight would have been over within the first few minutes.


    She coughed up some blood and nursed her ribs, before going over to steal the Priest''s lance and Impact Dial. "Man this hurts¡­ Angel and Demon are gonna flip when they see the state I''m in. My Kimono''s all destroyed too¡­"


    Ugh, Aiko just got this one created for her last month. It was a pretty little black kimono with yellow flowers all over it.


    Sanji would probably enjoy the view. What an adorable little pervert¡­


    After some deliberation, the Dokkaebi glanced over at the trapped Shandians and nodded to herself before approaching them.


    They went stiff at the sight of the monster in human flesh approaching but there was not much they could do about it considering they were still trapped.


    "Sorry bout this, some of you are gonna have to travel by foot," she mumbled to herself, stealing the various forms of transportation off their feet.


    Angel would love to inspect some of these and well, these people weren''t her allies¡­ she just chose to spare them because of her sappy heart!


    From one formerly homeless person, to the currently homeless people, she hoped they managed to get that home.


    Would she help them? Hell no. They had contributed greatly to her injuries and she felt no obligation to assist them. A queen had to carefully decide if something was worth her investment and these people were not.


    But as a favor to them, she''d just take the equipment from the ones who would probably die¡­


    She took some ice skates and boards, grunting at how full her hands currently were and transforming into her Full Zoan just to carry them all easier.


    "H-Hey!" They protested at being robbed but she completely ignored them.


    Maro tested her flames and nodded to herself, before propelling through the air with the stolen products in tow.


    "I got my Haki! I got my Haki!" She sang to the heavens, before breaking out into bloody coughs.


    She wanted Armament more then Observation (She was pretty sure all of them did) but this ability to just be able to see was so incredible! It was like an entire new world was being presented to her and she was almost overwhelmed by it.


    Now she just needed Demon to finish those Rumble Balls and she''d enter yet another new realm of strength¡­ Maro was already experimenting with partial transformations and she was pretty sure once she consumed one of the balls, she''d be able to figure out the tricks behind it.


    But that was for later!


    After Master cried at being left behind by them all, she''d give him this Reject Dial thing to absorb and maybe that would help him recover from being in last place.


    Heh, this was awesome! Take that, Rosan! Maybe he should start calling her Master now!


    Wyper watched the bloodied Queen go with a stupefied expression before roughly shaking his head and going to free his allies.


    "Are you alright, Wyper?" Kamakiri asked, assessing the man''s hefty injuries with a grimace.


    He was a mess from his injuries sustained against that green monster and his arm was even worse off from the now stolen reject dial.


    Wyper ignored the pain and glanced away from the position Maro had been at.


    "I''m fine¡­ those of you who didn''t get your items stolen can continue," he grunted.


    "What about that monster? She''s pretty injured so should we pursue her to get what was taken back?" Braham asked.


    It would do no good to let such a strong enemy survive.


    "...No, we have other things to worry about and she''d kill all of you," Wyper decided. "Split up. 2 Priests are defeated so we''ll win this decisively today."


    That woman¡­


    "A place to call home, eh?"


    Did she relate to them somehow? She claimed that she would no longer be benevolent, but was still kinder then she looked.


    That still didn''t help stifle his fury at being looked down upon so much but he''d just channel that for Enel.


    The Shandian glared ahead and activated his shooters before going on ahead.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "I''m back! Rejoice!" Maro greeted with a cheery smile as she dumped everything she collected onto the ship and transformed back into her human form.


    Angel glanced up in boredom, knowing that her wife wouldn''t have been really challenged.


    "Welcome bac¡ª MARO WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED TO YOU?!" She screeched, boredom being wiped off her face in an instant.


    The woman immediately charged the Dokkaebi and began fussing over her in panic. She cringed at the sheer amount of blood dripping from her wife and gnawed on her lip in worry.


    "Are you alright? Oh Kami of course you aren''t okay! Who did this to you? I''ll rip them to shreds!" Angel snarled in rage, gazing at the shred of her clothes with blistering anger.


    Everyone jumped at that and balked at the condition the Dokkaebi was in. She looked like she had been through a war!


    What the hell happened to her?!


    Demon gasped in horror at the state his little sister was in, protective instincts already flaring up as he moved to collect medical supplies.


    The Queen laughed sheepishly, rubbing a hand against her blood soaked hair as she pointed at the huge assortment of stolen items on the deck, getting bugged eyes out of Usopp and Nami.


    Sanji noticed her state of attire and once he verified that she was well, rocketed away from the nose bleed.


    "There was a bit more people then I expected along with the Priest¡­" She explained.


    "Were you messing around? There''s no way anyone could you to this degree or Sabo would have warned us!" Angel exclaimed, grabbing a rag and wiping the blood to the best of her ability.


    "The Raid Suit would have defeated the purpose of me going out! They weren''t strong so it would be overkill! I just messed around a bit too much and was practically fighting 2v1 in a free for all," Maro muttered, putting her hands on .


    "S-Stop acting like Master, you maniac!" The redhead shrieked, anxiety coursing through her at seeing her wife so injured.


    His influence on her as Maro''s teacher, shone clear as day when it came to battles.


    "But I need to be a little crazy to achieve my goals!" The Dokkaebi whined.


    Angel glowered at her.


    Demon forcefully sat the compliant queen and began fussing over her


    "I stole a couple of stuff for you and Master, Angel!" The Queen grinned, showing off the dials and the lance while accepting Demon''s care.


    "That''s¡­" Gan Fall''s eyes widened in disbelief as he laid eyes on the Reject Dial and Shura''s lance.


    Did she defeat Shura along with the other enemies?


    Maro''s eyes lit up at the recognition. "Yeah some violent guerrilla dude named Wyper was holding this and he used it on me. Said "reject" after weakening me with seastone¡­"


    The former Kami''s eyes bugged. "Wyper used a Reject Dial on you and you lived?!"


    Just who was this woman?! He had no idea she was so formidable due to her regal attire!


    "A Reject Dial has 10 times more power then the Impact Dial! It wields so much force that the user will die from it! They are banned in Skypiea and just the fact he had one..." Gan Fall explained, stressing how powerful it was.


    The crew, having just been shown by the Knight how powerful an Impact Dial was, paled at the thought that there was something 10x stronger then it.


    Maro nodded sagely. "It felt like I got hit by a bomb. I actually lost consciousness for a bit but guess what?!"


    "What?" Usopp asked warily.


    "I got my Haki!" She cheered excitedly, only to wilt as Demon shot her a firm glare.


    ¡­


    "You did?!" Sabo asked in excitement. He felt the battle going on and knew that Maro won but he didn''t know the specifics of it further then that.


    "Yep! Observation! I actually unlocked it before getting this injured but I didn''t realize!" She cackled in joy. "I beat Master at something! I finally fucking did it!" The Queen cheered.


    She would have jumped in joy if not for the fact she was currently being patched up.


    Demon scared her when he was in doctor mode.


    The Revolutionary whistled at that. "You guys are amazing! It seems like training everyday really did pay off!"


    They''d need to step it up to have everyone unlock it then. It was only a matter of time.


    Angel, despite her worry, felt a swell of pride and happiness at seeing the genuine joy on her face. "I''m so proud of you and you even brought me things in the process!"


    "Yep! You can have everything except for this Reject Dial thing! Discuss with Master what you want to split up in this pile!" Maro beamed in return.


    Angel''s eyes glittered and she helped herself to the assortment of odd technology.


    Gan Fall''s gaze turned wary. "What will you do with that Dial?"


    "Give it to Master," Maro said without missing a beat.


    Such a powerful thing would be incredible if Ram absorbed it. She doubted Master would be affected by the recoil either, both because of his insane durability and because of Ram herself refusing to hurt him in anyway.


    "Master as in¡­ that Rosan correct?" The Knight asked.


    "Yep," she replied with a pop of the p. "He''s a weapon expert so he''ll use it the best. These Dial things are really useful actually, I want even more!"


    "Someone else will have to get them for you. You''re officially sitting out for the rest of this," Demon said sternly.


    "Yes sir," she saluted with a nervous expression.


    The former Kami of Skypiea couldn''t help the bead of sweat that formed.


    A Reject Dial in the hand of the Forsaken One¡­ it was a recipe for disaster.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Where is Rosan?" Robin mused.


    The Devil Child was currently inspecting some ruins with a curious gaze. She figured that by now, her best friend would have shown up but he was still nowhere to be seen..


    Even though he mentioned going to find Chopper, Rosan was also an ass and would find too much joy in making fun of her so he''d likely send a bird for him while personally visiting her.


    It was rather odd that he wasn''t here yet¡­ Though she would almost never admit it of her own volition, she did hate being separated from him for long so she quite missed him and his annoying antics.


    She would just ask him what the hold up wa¡ª


    Robin''s blue eyes narrowed slightly as her observation flared and she gazed in the direction of the approaching target.


    "They''re about to land on the ruins? I think not."


    Before the Divine Guard could even land on the stone, a row of arms pushed him forward, redirecting his landing path and making him fall flat on the ground.


    The goat man spluttered at that and tried to push himself up, wondering what on earth was going on and attempting to turn towards the woman he was targeting...


    "He''s going to attack me? No thanks."


    ...Only for him to let out a raspy gasp as a flurry of arms twisted his body.


    In just a split second, he had been mercilessly dealt with and the Devil Child hummed in a pleased manner.


    Observation Haki was exceedingly useful. Robin enjoyed it very much.


    She idly snatched the unconscious goat man''s skates and removed the dial from his person, gazing at it curiously.


    What did this one do?


    Well only one way to find out.


    Robin aimed the dial at the prone man and ruthlessly activated it, raising a brow as it effortlessly slashed and cut into his body with brutal efficiency.


    That was strong but she didn''t think Rosan needed something like this¡­ Well, she''d still keep it and give it to Angel then. Perhaps she''d be able to create new weapons that had dials integrated into them.


    Now where exactly was that insufferable redhead named Rosan at¡ª


    "Robin," Rosan''s deep voice suddenly called. "There''s been a change of plans, I won''t be meeting up with you¡­ Will you be alright alone?"


    She blinked at that in a bit of confusion. "I''ll be fine but what happened?"


    There was a brief silence on the other side before Rosan spoke up again.


    "It seems Kami has deigned to grace me with his presence."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan floated over to where Robin was located at a leisurely pace, as he processed what was going on.


    Chopper was currently in the same location as one of the Priests it looked like¡­ Rosan should probably go assist his little doctor because he wasn''t sure if the reindeer was ready for a challenge like that yet.


    "You sound like a concerned parent," Mod gushed.


    "...It would be less then ideal, if we let our super talented doctor die," Rosan retorted calmly.


    "Whatever you say!"


    Mind made up on ensuring that Chopper stayed alive, Rosan was about to inform Robin of what he was planning on doing¡­


    "Yahahaha! So I finally get to meet the Shinigami in the flesh! What an honor!"


    ...And stopped what he was doing in favor of tensing up, eyes narrowing slightly at the fact that someone managed to get so close without him noticing and he glanced at the source.


    Up on a tree, sitting on a branch, was a man confidently smiling down at him with a half-lidded gaze.


    He looked incredibly tall and wiry but well-toned, with a white skull cap over his head and the longest earlobes Rosan had ever seen on a person.


    The most notable thing about the man in his simple yet lavish clothing, was the ring that looked to be stuck centrally into his shoulder. Attached to it were 4 shime-daiko with a black mitsudomoe engraved on all of them.


    What a unique design¡­


    "Quite bold to be showing yourself to me after trying to kill me twice, Enel," Rosan greeted calmly. He made no move to attack the man and just calmly inspected him.


    Enel threw his head back and laughed. "Yahahaha! It was a test that you passed with flying colors, Rosan-kun. After all, it''s natural for me to throw suspicion onto a person calling themselves Shinigami!"


    "But you''ve more then proven enough so from one Divine being to another¡­"


    The roar of thunder coursed through Rosan''s ears, as The Kami of Skypiea formed in front of him with dangerous speeds.


    "...Let''s allow our followers to battle without interference from the two of us," he suggested calmly, eyes boring into Rosan''s own without a hint of fear.


    Rosan didn''t flinch at the close proximity, but he did note that Enel was fast.


    "He''s quick¡­ it''s very likely that he really does have the Goro Goro no Mi," Mod muttered.


    "Oh?" The redhead raised a brow.


    "You were about to go help one of your allies, the animal, deal with one of my Priests, Gedatsu. With your assistance, my Priest would have been dealt with in incredibly short order," Enel pointed out with a confident smile.


    "Then, after finishing up there, you were going to rejoin your woman, protecting her from any and all threats."


    His woman? He meant Robin? Rosan tilted his head to the side. "And if I did plan on doing that?" He asked calmly.


    Enel looked as if he were a teacher dealing with an unruly student by the way he was shaking his head. "It''s no fun if Kami deals with all his soldiers battles! We''re in the middle of a survival game; It would be quite anticlimactic if the two of us intervened and won in every battle we partook in," he explained.


    "..." Rosan was used to being underestimated by his enemies, but this was on another level. Enel was regarding him as if they were friends right now.


    "Such confidence¡­ This is one of the major downsides of eating a Logia. The person who consumes one, truly thinks they are invincible and the lack of being able to be hurt, only fills them with more ego¡­ it must be even worse considering his Logia is on the upper end of Devil Fruits and he''s been living in such a weak place."


    Rosan hummed. "So your saying the both of us will make the battles too easy so we should let them deal with it?"


    Enel''s smile widened. "That''s exactly right. There are battles happening everywhere on Upper Yard¡­ Just moments ago, a blue sea dweller with a Zoan took out one of my Priests and a Shandian, Shura and Wyper in quite the exciting display. I could have intervened and wiped her out but it''s more entertaining to watch them fight their own battles!"


    "Maro got in a fight with multiple people?" Rosan pondered. "Neither of us are intervening with the battles then? Is that what you''re proposing?"


    How interesting¡­ Enel''s thought process was much like his own.


    He wondered what that said about him.


    The Logia shook his head. "Not exactly. Besides the fact that you wish to battle me, you also wanted to see what I was capable of correct?"


    So his Observation truly did cover all of Skypiea and not only that, he could actively hear conversations¡­ that seemed incredible¡­ Did his Devil Fruit have something to do with it?


    "Hm, actually I am," Rosan replied after a short while.


    Enel''s range spanned across all of Skypiea and that included his abilities as well. If he so pleased, the Logia could snipe anyone of his crew members at any point in time, including Robin and Rosan wouldn''t let that happen.


    This idea of not intervening in battles was good. Rosan couldn''t protect them all and if Enel targeted their ship, he didn''t think Sabo could fully protect it from being destroyed.


    "Good, then follow me. I will show you what the Kami of Skypiea is capable of," Enel assured, picking a direction and teleporting a short distance away.


    Rosan flexed his wings and followed.


    Activating his connection with Robin, the redhead said, "Robin. There''s been a change of plans, I won''t be meeting up with you¡­ Will you be alright alone?"


    It didn''t take her long to reply.


    "I''ll be fine but what happened?"


    "There''s a Shandian named Kamakiri-kun who is looking for me so I''m going to use him as an example," Enel exclaimed lazily.


    "I look forward to seeing what you can do," Rosan replied truthfully.


    This would be a great way to gauge his strength.


    Going back to his connection, he said, "It seems Kami has deigned to grace me with his presence."


    He could practically feel the shock.


    "You met Enel? What''s going on? Are you two fighting right now?" She asked.


    "No, he''s not regarding me as a threat currently. Right now, he''s about to demonstrate some of what he can do to one of the participants in his game."


    Rosan explained their entire conversation to Robin and she hummed in contemplation.


    "This is for the best then," she nodded. It was true that Enel could attack any of them at any time and for the weaker members, that would be almost certain death.


    Even for the stronger ones in the crew, it would be nigh impossible to deal with the self proclaimed Kami. Only Sabo, Luffy and Rosan could deal with him.


    "You don''t have to worry about me, Rosan. I''ll be careful. If I get hurt, you might lose control and destroy these ruins and I would not like that."


    Rosan nearly rolled his eyes. "Don your Raid Suit if you have to. It should protect you from Enel''s ranged attacks on the off chance he uses one on you."


    "Right. Be careful, I''ll continue exploring the ruins."


    "You be careful too. Love you."


    Robin''s eyes widened in shock at that, before an embarrassed look overcame her features.


    "Don''t say such things so boldly," she admonished.


    "..."


    "..."


    "I love you too, Rosan," Robin muttered.


    "Don''t make it so difficult next time," Rosan chided.


    "Please let me explore the ruins in peace."


    With that the connection cut and he focused his attention back to completely at ease Enel.


    What an odd turn of events¡­


    <hr>


    Chopper was currently in the process of fighting the strangest person on the planet.


    He was a priest but¡­ he kept rolling his eyes to the back of his head, either tried to speak with his lower lip in his mouth or in his mind, crossed his arms incorrectly and attacking his own allies.


    That wasn''t to say his opponent was any weaker for it¡­ his wounds were more then enough to disprove that.


    The wounded Reindeer had spent the majority of the fight running because of those terrible swamp clouds that would slowly but surely suffocate you.


    Not only that, the man had something called a Jet Dial that allowed him to go really fast and a Milky Dial that let him fly!


    He needed to be more careful¡­ That jet dial punch was able to even pierce his guard point but he knew exactly how to defeat him.


    After consuming a Rumble Ball and activating Brain Point, it didn''t take Chopper long to identify Gedatsu''s weakness, that being his feet and the doctor concocted a plan to finish this match here and now.


    The bird resting on his shoulder, trilled in approval and the bloodied reindeer smiled shakily at it.


    This was Rosan''s really realistic bird¡­ he was a little scared that the redhead himself wouldn''t be showing up but he did leave him some words.


    "I know you can do it. You''re strong too so show him what I see. Also, steal all his dials for me."


    He sweatdropped at the last part but nodded resolutely.


    Gedatsu raised a brow in confusion as Chopper tackled his legs. The Priest grunted and drew his fist back before bashing it on the reindeer''s exposed back.


    Chopper coughed up some blood at the immense strength and hastily released the man, before transforming into his jump point and launching away from the Priest.


    Gedatsu shook his head at the foolish reindeer. "You fool! I told you that the sky is my domain!"


    The man activated his milky dials and flew up to catch the reindeer¡­ Only to let out a yelp of shock at suddenly losing control of his flight.


    "W-What?! He stole my boot!" Gedatsu gasped.


    How careless! Now he couldn''t fly properly! But no matter, he still had his Jet Dial¡ª


    Huh?! When did his Jet Dials go missing!? Where were they?! W-What? The animal took it?!


    What a crafty Raccoon...


    Chopper glared at him victoriously.


    He would be someone the crew could rely on. He was tired of being unreliable! He could become a monster in a crew full of monsters and that was okay because they would never be afraid of him!


    Transforming into his Arm Point Chopper fell towards the Priest and bellowed, "Cloven Cross!"


    Gedatsu''s eyes rolled at the hit and he plummeted to the ground at rapid speeds, until he ended upside down in one of his own bogs.


    Chopper squealed in horror as he fell but he landed on his two feet with a relieved sigh.


    Then he cheered excitedly.


    "I''M STRONG TOO!" He yelled out, clutching the dials he stole for Rosan.


    The bird trilled atop his hat, pleased by a job well done and they both watched in curiosity, as the Priest began struggling¡­ before launching himself further down into the swamp.


    "¡­"


    "He sure is stupid," Chopper muttered.


    The bird sang its agreement.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "The islands in the south are


    Warm?


    Heads all a-swoon-swoon


    Buncha fools?!"


    Luffy sang cheerfully to himself as he waved his stick around and headed in the direction he thought the ruins were in.


    The rubber boy idly stepped away from the cannonball careening towards him and didn''t even spare it a glance.


    "Second verse!" He exclaimed.


    "The islands in the north are


    Chilly?


    Heads all a-brr-brr


    Buncha fools? "


    "Third verse¡ª"


    "Oi."


    "Eh?"


    Luffy paused at being interrupted and glanced at the rude person who did it.


    "Oh it''s you¡­ What happened to you?" He asked, puzzled.


    This was the bazooka guy¡­ What was his name again?


    Eh, he didn''t know. But man, he sure looked beat up.


    Wyper scowled at the idiot but kept his guard up. His battle against Maro was fresh on his mind and if she were any indication, he couldn''t underestimate these Blue Sea dwellers any longer.


    "Your friend did this¡­ the blue haired one," he said gruffly, glancing at his battered body.


    Luffy slammed a fist against his palm. "Oh, you fought Maro! Shishishi! She''s really strong isn''t she?!"


    That was an understatement. That monster was on another level and had effectively fought him and Shura 1 on 2¡­


    "I would have put you down here but I can''t waste anymore time," Wyper growled.


    The rubber boy laughed at him. He actually had the audacity to laugh at his enemy.


    "If you just fought and lost to Maro, you can''t beat me! You must be a good guy if she spared you though!" He said matter of factly.


    The Shandian grit his teeth in rage. Without any doubt in his stance, this dweller had correctly guessed that the monster had spared him and that was a blow to his pride that he didn''t know he could take.


    Wyper wasn''t sure how many of the Blue Sea dwellers would make note of his strength, but he was getting real sick of it. None of them considered him a threat.


    Not the blue haired monster, not this strange boy and not that goddamn Devil.


    Worst, it looked like they were more then strong enough to back up their words. Just one person managed to not only defeat him, but Shura as well and it was in the process of holding back to learn something.


    "A place to find home, eh?"


    "Tell me, what are you Blue Sea dwellers doing here? This is our land so if you want it, I will take you out here," Wyper asked calmly.


    Luffy blinked. "Oh this is your land? I thought it was the Kami''s¡­ Pardon me," he said, bowing at the Shandian before continuing to walk.


    He felt his annoyance rising at the idiot Blue Sea dweller and opened his mouth before closing it.


    Whatever, he already spent too much time dealing with that green monster. He needed to think of a new way to defeat Enel now that the Reject Dial was no longer an option.


    They came too far to just back down¡­ it would make no sense to continue wasting away his stamina against these formidable Blue Sea dwellers who didn''t seem interested in them.


    "Just¡­ stay out of my way," Wyper said eventually, shaking his head at the royal idiot not even paying attention to him.


    What was wrong with these Blue Sea dwellers?


    "Third verse!" Luffy cheered.


    "The islands in the east are


    Early?


    Hearts all a-woo-hoo


    Buncha fools? "


    Wyper glanced at the departing rubber boy and shook his head.


    It wasn''t even worth thinking about. He had too much on his plate to risk suffering a headache too.

 Insanity II

    "Sabo do you feel that?" Maro asked with a furrowed brow.


    The woman had been properly bandaged and was barred from fighting for the rest of the day due to the extensive injuries her insides suffered.


    Normally she''d complain, but you never complained when Demon was your doctor¡­ and she was happy that she got her Observation Haki... and she still couldn''t feel her right side currently.


    But it was mostly because Demon was her doctor¡­ her older brother sure was scary when he was being firm.


    "You''re talking about Rosan?" Sabo asked in return, getting a nod out of the Queen.


    The rest of them perked up at that.


    "What''s wrong with Rosan?" Sanji asked curiously. If something was wrong with him, that mean something was wrong with Robin because those two were always together and if something was wrong with Robin, then Sanji would need to deliver righteous fury onto everyone here.


    Sabo cupped his chin but before he could reply, the sound of music captured their attention.


    "What is that¡­?" Nami muttered.


    The navigator glanced over the railing and her eyes widened in surprise.


    Pulling up on one of the Waver ships, playing an obnoxiously loud sound, was two familiar sights and one unfamiliar one.


    "Conis! Pagaya!"


    What were they doing here?! Who was that little girl with them? Was she alright? She looked utterly terrified of something.


    After allowing all three to board (and getting back their fixed waver that they handed him) the residents of Skypiea thought to explain themselves.


    "We came here to help you guys find a way to escape," Conis smiled at the crew, glancing around a bit nervously and frowning when she didn''t see the Shiniga¡ª Rosan.


    She blinked in pure confusion at seeing three new people instead and the girl noted that two of them looked remarkably like Rosan¡­ while the final one was bandaged heavily under her kimono.


    "You''re helping us escape?!" Usopp asked.


    "You''re amazing!" Sanji swooned.


    Demon glanced at the small little child in concern. "Is that little girl okay?"


    She was curled into herself, with tears of horror falling out of her eyes.


    Pagaya frowned. "We''re not too sure¡­ we found her on a broken ship and saved her before she could be eaten but sometime during the journey, she teared up and turned into this¡­"


    They glanced at the tiny girl in concern before the doctor moved over to her with easy and gentle steps.


    He placed a reassuring hand on her and watched as she jolted with a startled shriek.


    "S-STAY AWAY!" Aisa screamed, backing away from the person she couldn''t feel until her back hit the wall.


    Wait¡­


    Person she couldn''t feel?


    "Why can''t I feel you?" She asked slowly, glancing at the purple haired man with confused eyes.


    "Feel me? Does she have...?" Demon hummed in contemplation at that.


    "I''ll answer you if you answer me. Does that sound fair?" He asked quietly.


    She relaxed a little at that soft and deep voice and nodded hesitantly.


    Demon simply smiled and said, "I''m not human, that''s why you can''t feel me. Now, why are you so afraid right now?"


    Not human¡­? What was he then?


    "I can hear the voices of the people disappearing¡­" she said quietly.


    "She has Haki?" They all thought in slight shock.


    "...A-And I can feel it¡­ The Devil and Kami Enel are in each others company a-and it''s so overwhelming."


    Lightning. Blizzard. Vanity. Anger. Superiority. Love. Rumbling. Static. Hate¡­Hate. Hate. Nothingness.


    Those two being so close to each other allowed Aisa to feel them at the same time and it was terrifying.


    It was getting to the point where she was losing the ability to tell who was who. Both of them were so utterly unnatural.


    "So it''s like I thought¡­ Master really is with that Kami," Maro mused.


    "Yeah, they seem to be moving somewhere pretty quickly somewhere," Sabo mused.


    He must have had a reason considering they weren''t fighting yet and Rosan made it clear he wanted to battle Enel¡­


    Master might be trying to protect them!


    Everyone froze at that revelation.


    "They''re by each other?!" Conis thought in horror. What¡­ what would happen when two Kamis fought?!


    "Rosan''s with the Kami?!" Usopp hissed in disbelief.


    Oh no. Oh no no no. The redhead was a master at pissing people off! What was going to happen to them when he inevitably infuriated that Kami?!


    "We''re doomed," Nami sobbed.


    "He''s not with Robin-chan?" Sanji asked in shock.


    Sabo shook his head. "She''s alone at the moment but someone''s approaching her."


    What the hell?! Rosan would never leave Robin alone! Someone was approaching her too?


    The redhead was so jealously protective of the archaeologist and didn''t want to be separated from her


    Did that mean he was distracting Enel for them¡­? The man could use his attacks anywhere it looked so maybe their scout was looking out for them all¡­


    Gan Fall reeled back in horror at hearing that Enel was on the move and realized this was his chance to see what had happened to the soldiers that had been kidnapped years ago.


    The usurper hardly deigned to leave the comfort of his home but he was actively on Upper Yard? And not only that, he and that Rosan were in the presence of each other?!


    "I must go now," the former Kami decided. He got up and immediately indicated for Pierre to get ready. "Thank you all for your hospitality but I need to make sure nothing dangerous happens to my men."


    With that, the old man flew off deeper into Upper Yard.


    "That old man better be careful," Maro muttered, scratching at her bandages and getting slapped on the arm by Angel for doing so.


    "So¡­ Enel and¡­ Rosan are not fighting currently?" Conis asked in slight relief.


    Aisa spoke up this time and shakily said, "They aren''t fighting each other but the voices around them¡­ they''re disappearing."


    They shuddered at that ominous message.


    Just what did that mean? What was going on with Rosan?


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Gedatsu has been defeated by that small animal of yours," Enel said, raising a brow slightly as they leisurely traversed through the forest.


    "Seems like I really didn''t have to interfere," Rosan said idly.


    The two were traveling through Upper Yard at amazing speeds to the one named "Kamakiri". Where exactly they were headed? Rosan wasn''t sure but not once did he let his guard down.


    It became clear that they reached their destination, when Rosan saw two Shandians skating towards a giant beanstalk with a purpose. They were conversing about Enel himself and the redhead hazarded a guess that this was the reason the self proclaimed Kami, chose them as his targets.


    Rosan watched as Enel sparked with blue lightning and dashed forward, grabbing one of the Shandian''s right off his skate and appearing on top of a massive tree in one movement.


    Then, with barely any effort, he fried the man''s body with a burst of electricity and tossed the corpse aside like it were trash.


    "Fast," Rosan thought as the body landed next to him with a gruesome thud.


    Even if he could actually strike him through his tangibility, that speed of his was also a problem.


    The man was made of lightning after all. If Rosan unlocked the element, he''d like to use it to supplement his own already impressive speed.


    The other Shandian, a man with a Mohawk and big, round sunglasses, froze at the action that was far too quick for him to process. A look of confusion overtook his features at the smell of ozone wafted through the air and he finally registered that he was suddenly lacking an ally.


    He hesitantly glanced up and felt his heart stop for a moment.


    "Enel and¡­ the Forsaken One?!" Kamakiri exclaimed in shock, unintentionally taking a step back at seeing the two together. A bead of sweat began rolling down his body, as he saw the two predators gazing at him with lazy expressions.


    They looked more akin to lions gazing down at a lone gazelle and Kamakiri distantly realized that he was in danger.


    Enel smiled lazily as he sat down on the large branch. "Kamakiri-kun, I heard you calling for me so I decided to grace you with my presence."


    Rosan tilted his head and said nothing, standing on his own branch and assessing the exchange.


    The Shandian recovered quick and glowered as he honed in on Enel.


    "You!" Kamakiri snarled, glaring at Enel in pure hatred.


    For just a moment, Enel''s smile vanished at the lack of respect. "Don''t forget your place. You will address me as the almighty Kami."


    Then, that lazy smile appeared again. "You want to kill me right? Fine, for the next 5 minutes, I won''t move an inch."


    "What?!" Kamakiri shouted in disbelief.


    Was he¡­ Was Enel looking down on him?!


    "I won''t lift a finger. I won''t defend myself. So for the next 5 minutes, you are free to do whatever you want," The Kami of Skypiea said calmly.


    "But after those 5 minutes are up, you''ll understand what it means to defy Kami."


    Rosan raised a brow. "That''s what you plan on doing? I wouldn''t have expected that from you," he praised.


    What better way to break someone''s spirit, then to show that no matter what they did, it would amount to nothing?


    Enel knew exactly how to rule through fear. His methods were incredibly effective with the citizens of Skypiea.


    "Yahaha! I am their Kami after all. I must be benevolent to my citizens," Enel laughed.


    Suddenly, the Logia glanced in a seemingly random direction with a raised brow. "Oh? It looks like some of my soldiers have business with you, Rosan-kun."


    The man''s smile vanished fully at that. He thought he made it loud and clear that they were to not interfere in his business with Rosan.


    They would dare defy him?


    "Oh? They have business with me? I wonder what for?" Rosan asked with a raised brow. Who exactly of his subordinates would have a problem with him? He hardly did a thing.


    Was his name that riot inciting? How did they even know where he was?


    "Don''t you ignore me!" Kamakiri roared, charging Enel with his spear and successfully stabbing through his body¡­


    Only for Enel to not show any sign that he even registered the attack.


    "It''s Satori''s brothers hoping to avenge him¡­" Enel muttered darkly, getting ready to smite them before they could even show up.


    "Satori? You mean the Ball Priest¡­"


    Rosan hummed. "So we are not allowed to intervene with other battles, but we can initiate our own, right?"


    The lightning man quickly caught on to what he was saying and the smile returned. He took no notice of the man repeatedly attacking him and instead regarded the neutral Rosan.


    "Yahaha! That''s exactly right. This is a survival game after all. As long as you don''t interfere with another battle, anything else is fair."


    The redhead nodded, floating down into the clearing and waiting patiently for his opponents.


    It didn''t take him too long.


    "THERE YOU ARE!"


    "HOW DARE YOU KILL OUR OLDER BROTHER, HEATHEN!"


    "WE WILL AVENGE HIM AT ALL COSTS! YOU WILL PERISH HERE!"


    Two round balls, that looked like bald versions of Satori, landed in the clearing with looks of fury on their face.


    That fury very swiftly turned into terror at the horrifying sight of seeing Enel there looking directly at them with a calm smile.


    "E-E-Enel-sama!" Kotori and Hotori shrieked, taking a step back in horror.


    What was he doing here? T-They thought they could deal with the Heathen before he chose to show up! Surely their Kami didn''t want anyone dealing with him because no one was equipped... but they were with the knowledge that their dear brother was dead.


    Clearly, that was a mistake.


    The Logia, who was still being attacked mind you, simply stared coldly at them. "I thought I told all of you to leave Rosan-kun to me. Have you willingly chosen to disobey Kami''s orders?"


    His cold voice made them go white and the duo realized they were very quickly about to join their brother due to irritating their Kami.


    But the daunting aura of Enel vanished and he regarded them with that always present, lazy smile.


    "Luckily for you, the Shinigami has presented a good idea for me."


    The Logia held up 3 fingers. "3 minutes is how long Kamakiri-kun has left to attack me. In those 3 minutes, you will fight with everything to try and defeat Rosan-kun here."


    He pointed at the stationary redhead as he said that.


    "3 minutes?!" Kotori stammered.


    "Yahaha! Once those 3 minutes are up, if Rosan-kun is still standing, I''ll teach you two and Kamakiri what it means to defy Kami," Enel finished coldly.


    They both shuddered at that and Kamakiri, who was beginning to realize how helpless the situation was, began to sweat heavily.


    "Their brother had all the time in the world to attack me and he failed but you''re only giving them 3 minutes? How cruel," Rosan remarked, holding out his ring and having it transform into a scythe.


    "It''s been too long!" Ram crooned as she transformed into the signature weapon of the Angel of Death.


    "Not to worry, you two," the redhead reassured, watching as they went pale at his choice of weapon. "I''ll have this done before the 3 minutes are up and you won''t have to worry about your Kami''s wrath."


    "This is a good way for me to see what you and your woman are both made of in one on one scenarios," Enel said, getting comfortable so that he could observe both the battles.


    Rosan paused at that and his brows furrowed.


    "Robin''s fighting someone?" He asked the Logia.


    Enel nodded lethargically. "She''s currently engaged in combat with my Divine Commander, Yama."


    The redhead frowned at that. Engaged? Robin should be more than strong enough to take out someone who wasn''t even a Priest.


    What was she¡­


    Rosan sighed.


    "By any chance, has she already made it to the ruins?"


    Enel pondered the question. "They are currently fighting inside of the ruins."


    Rosan didn''t even wait a second to fire up his connection.


    "Robin, I swear to all that is holy, you better not be allowing yourself to take hits for the sake of the ruins."


    The long silence was all Rosan needed to know that she was definitely in trouble next time he saw her.


    "How did you even know I was fighting someone?" She had the decency to sound sheepish and the fact that she didn''t answer his question¡­


    "Robin."


    "I can''t just let such priceless ruins be destroyed! He has no respect for them so for the time being, I need to lure him out!"


    "...He better hope he''s dead before I get my hands on him."


    He heard Robin sigh in exasperation.


    "Don''t worry Rosan, I have my Raid Suit on and I already know how to defeat him. I''ll even steal all these dials for you¡­ And besides, he would dare try and damage these ruins? He was never going to be spared from the start."


    "Good. Give him hell!" Mod cheered.


    "Kick his ass Mother!"


    "I will," Robin smiled, before cutting the connection.


    Rosan gazed at the nervous duo with a suddenly cold gaze.


    "Change of plans, I''m going to use you two as stress relief for a bit."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "My oh my, aren''t you a pretty lady!"


    Robin, who had been having a great time exploring the ruins (without her best friend insulting her thank you! She did not miss him!), glanced up from her notes at the unfamiliar voice.


    "I need to practice having my observation activated at all times even while distracted¡­" She mused, taking in the large¡­ thing.


    "Who are you?" She asked the obese man, shutting her notes and pocketing them in one of the inner pockets of her Raid Suit.


    The weird man ignored her question and immediately charged her.


    Robin already saw the attack coming from a mile away but she also saw that this ingrate was going to destroy the surrounding ruins!


    Did he not care about the state of them?! This giant oaf was actually going to ruin such heavy history...


    That just wouldn''t do.


    So Robin, in a move that would surely anger Rosan (it was okay she just wouldn''t tell him!) decided to put her Raid Suit to the test and took the blow in order to protect the ruins safety.


    "Mountain Punch!" He roared, slamming a fist against the woman''s midsection.


    Both Robin and Yama blinked at the fact that the punch did no damage, before the woman turned on her heel and began to run out of the ruins.


    "WHERE ARE YOU GOING?! GET BACK HERE!" Yama yelled, taking chase after the astonishingly quick woman.


    Robin marveled at how nice it felt to use the Raid Suit and made sure she remained in the large man''s sight so he didn''t lose hope or even worse, begin destroying the ruins in frustration.


    What an outrageous man, how dare he try and destroy such priceless history? When Robin got her hands on him, he was going to regret being so callous¡ª


    "Robin, I swear to all that is holy, you better not be allowing yourself to take hits for the sake of the ruins."


    "How does he know?!" She thought to herself in disbelief.


    The Devil Child glanced around and blinked in confusion at not seeing one of his many birds scouting the area.


    Was it hiding somewhere? No, she could tell exactly where his birds liked to remain and hadn''t spotted one of them yet.


    So... how did he know?!


    Her expression turned slightly sheepish at somehow being caught red handed and the Devil Child sighed fondly at how well the redhead knew her.


    "How did you even know I was fighting someone?" She asked in hopes that she''d successfully distract him.


    "Robin."


    The voice was no nonsense and let her know that her attempts were spotted and disapproved of immensely.


    Robin should have known there was one thing and one thing only on his mind¡­ overprotective brat.


    It was such a horror to know that she enjoyed his unhinged streak of protectiveness. She was still smiling in embarrassment at his blunt comment of loving her.


    "I can''t just let such priceless ruins be destroyed! He has no respect for them so for the time being, I need to lure him out!"


    She could practically hear him calling her a nerd as soon as she finished that sentence.


    "...He better hope he''s dead before I get my hands on him."


    Robin sighed in exasperation.


    Honestly, they were both ridiculously overprotective of one another. That''s why neither could get mad at the other for said overprotective streak because they''d be terribly hypocritical.


    It was also kind of really cute but Robin would never let Rosan know that.


    "Don''t worry Rosan, I have my Raid Suit on and I already know how to defeat him. I''ll even steal all these dials for you¡­ And besides, he would dare try and damage these ruins? He was never going to be spared from the start."


    "Good, give him hell!" Mod cheered.


    "Kick his ass Mother!" Ram joined.


    Robin simply smiled and said, "I will."


    Then she immediately cut the connection so that Rosan did not hear this next part and fly over himself to violently torture this stranger.


    Robin immediately turned on a heel and intercepted the body slam that would pulverize one of the ancient buildings. She grunted as the dials on the big man''s waist began slashing into her and if not for the Raid Suit, she''d have suffered serious damage on her body.


    Thanks to the suit though, she only had a few scratches and a very large man over her trying to crush her with his body.


    "Make sure Rosan never finds out about this," Robin thought to herself.


    With a huff, the woman tensed up her long arms and pushed the heavy man above her with all her strength.


    She underestimated how powerful the suit made her. Robin hadn''t fully tested it out in training yet because she had gotten it right as they planned on heading to Sky Island.


    With wide eyes, she watched as Yama was sent flying high into the sky with a surprised yell and Robin gazed at her flower themed suit with a pleased noise.


    Well, she supposed now was as good as time as any to test out its capabilities.


    "What in the world?!" Yama said in disbelief as he soared through the air from the woman''s unexpected ludicrous strength.


    A presence froze him in his tracks and he gazed up with wide eyes to see the very same woman who had done this, hovering next to him.


    "H-How did she get up here so quickly?!"


    "You show such little care for the ruins around you and it makes me sick to my stomach," Robin said, scowling uncharacteristically at the idiot before her. "Please die."


    He tried to react, but a flurry of arms restrained him with no effort. Not only that, but they deftly turned the axe dials on his own person and made sure the axe dials, if activated, would hurt him instead.


    Finally, the woman placed her enhanced high heels on his body and rudely launched him toward the ground at breakneck speeds.


    Yama groaned in pain as he crashed into the ground, before he began tumbling repeatedly¡­


    Only to run into another flurry of arms that catapulted him into the nearest tree.


    The man spat out copious amounts of blood, as his own axe dials were turned against him and they carved into his body with brutal force.


    He clutched his red soaked midsection and heaved, shakily standing up and regarding the woman who had just been in the air before.


    She looked apologetic and bowed slightly. "Sorry but you were about to destroy such precious history and I really wouldn''t have liked that¡­ I had no choice but to retaliate and you¡­ you did attack me first so I''m just defending myself..."


    "What is this?!" The man balked in horror, backing away from the confusing woman.


    How did she reach him so quickly?! Wasn''t she just furious with him?! What caused her to suddenly be apologetic?!


    Who was this¡­


    Yama went pale and began to back away from the woman with mood swings as the realization hit him.


    No wings, no tribal clothing... a strand of red hair poking out of all black... How did it take so long for him to realize? They even had pictures of the group of Blue Sea dwellers...


    This was the Devil''s partner!


    Yama made a grave mistake. He didn''t know the person he was attacking was the Shinigami''s woman. He had only been thinking about surviving Enel''s game.


    How unfortunate was he to run into someone so dangerous?!


    This was bad¡­ only the Priests were equipped to deal with someone of this caliber¡­


    The large heavenly commander began to back away from the apologetic looking woman and froze as a presence behind him made itself aware.


    "You''re headed towards the ruin again¡­ did you seriously not learn your lesson?" An amused voice asked.


    Yama felt cold at that very familiar voice and he slowly turned around, turning white when he saw the exact same woman currently in front of him.


    "Surprise!" This Robin smiled widely, exuding a cheerful confidence that starkly contrasted both the demure one in front of him and the angry one in the sky.


    Speaking of which¡­


    A figure floated down with a soft thud and glared at him.


    "You aren''t going anywhere until we''re done with you," the angry Robin sneered.


    "Sorry about this but you kind of deserve it," the sad Robin bowed once more.


    "No hard feelings!" The happy Robin waved.


    And to finally solidify his doom, the original Robin herself appeared from atop a tree, closing her notebook with a small smile in a display that clearly meant he wasn''t being taken seriously at all by her.


    "Those who don''t read history, are doomed to repeat it. Only by learning from the mistakes of the past, can humanity ever hope to grow," she began with a shake of her head, crossing her arms.


    "You should be glad I stopped you from actually destroying anything. If you did, your punishment would have been a lot worse..."


    Robin sighed.


    "...That doesn''t mean I''ll spare you though."


    Yama yelped as a flurry of arms formed around his entire body, courtesy of the smiling Robin and they held him still no matter how much he weakly struggled in her grasp.


    Then, the sad looking Robin stepped in front of him and made sure to firmly secure the somewhat loose reverse axe dials on his person.


    Finally, the angry Robin pushed him over so that he could collapse on a row of arms that formed, courtesy of the original Robin.


    "Cien Fleur: Delphinium."


    Yama''s eyes rolled to the back of his head, as he was rolled over and over the plethora of arms.


    All the while, two arms tightened the axe dial further into his body, repeatedly activating some of the dials and making the large man squeal in pure agony.


    Robin watched coldly as blood spilled on her summoned arms (She still didn''t like the sensation), as she rolled the man at more and more speed, until he slammed ruthlessly into a tree stomach first.


    Every axe dial activated once more and the man let out a strangled gasp as they tore into his already destroyed midsection mercilessly.


    The arms vanished and the man fell unceremoniously.


    He did not move.


    "Impressive," Robin praised, gazing at her clones with a small smile. "Well done you three. That was a fantastic display."


    Robin never expected to see her face blush so freely, but the one she currently dubbed as "Sad Robin" was showing her a fairly new expression.


    Would it be narcissistic to claim she knew why Rosan called her adorable?


    The clone of hers face turned red and she smiled shakily, "It was nothing!"


    "What? Can''t handle a compliment?" Angry Robin sneered, making Sad Robin shrink into herself.


    "N-Not really," she murmured as she fidgeted.


    Happy Robin rolled her eyes and grabbed Angry by the cheek. "Leave her alone. She did good!" She praised.


    The woman grumbled and said, "Whatever. I did better."


    Robin watched her clones interact with slight sweat. They all acted so unlike her¡­ it was rather odd to see 3 faces identical to her making faces she didn''t typically make.


    Wait... did Robin really not convey basic emotions much? Surely she did it besides when Rosan was involved, right?


    ...


    Oh Kami, Rosan really did ruin her image. She only showed such emotions around him!


    "You three need names¡­ I''d rather not call you by your emotions all the time," she interrupted their argument a little forcefully, thrown off guard by her realizations.


    "I can be Robin #1," Angry decided immediately.


    Happy instantly protested at that.


    "Why do you get to be #1?!" She spoke up.


    "Because I''m the best?" Angry replied, crossing her arms under her bust with a glare.


    "Best at what?! This was our first fight and you barely did a thing! If anything, I should be #1!" Happy retorted.


    "I barely did anything?! Tell me what you did, useless!" Angry snarled and the two immediately began butting heads.


    "Useless?! Maybe we decide who''s #1 with a fight because I''m about to break you in half!" Happy barked with a strained smile.


    "Try it!"


    "I''d like to be Robin #1 too," Sad interjected quietly.


    She was ignored.


    Robin sighed and resisted grabbing her head. So her clones had clashing personalities...


    How fun.


    "Enough, or I''m making Rosan name all three of you."


    Her clones went white and immediately shut up. They knew what being named by Rosan could potentially entail and they refused to have that be the outcome.


    The Devil Child smiled at getting them all to calm down and finally pondered the dilemma of naming them all.


    It didn''t take her long to reach a solution.


    "Angry can be Raven, Sad is Crow and Happy is Canary," she decided eventually.


    That was good. They would all be named after birds that matched their personality.


    Ravens and crows both typically symbolized death and mourning, but Ravens typically symbolized anger more and crows sadness.


    As for Canary¡­ they symbolized warmth and happiness. Robin also didn''t want to name one of her clones Bluebird.


    "Birds¡­ you''re naming us after birds?" Angry (now dubbed Raven) raised a brow incredulously.


    "Gotta agree with Robin #2 on this one," Happy (now dubbed Canary) nodded. "I was fine taking Robin #1. We were all in agreement!"


    "Who is we?!" Angry growled, preparing to butt heads once more.


    Sad (now dubbed Crow) spoke up quietly. "Um¡­ you two were never going to give up Robin #1 so to compromise, she chose other birds to name you as¡­ Our name is Robin after all."


    The two bickering clones blinked at that.


    Robin smiled and ran a pleased hand through Crow''s hair. "Exactly. Thank you, Crow. If it were up to me, you''d be Robin #1. You seem to be the only one who kept my intelligence."


    Her demure clone lit up as her features turned rosy and she hesitantly smiled back.


    Raven and Canary both spluttered at her blunt admittance.


    "Should you really be saying that in front of us?!" They complained.


    They were all Robin! Of course they were just as smart!


    Robin merely smiled and deactivated her ability, ignoring their complaints all the while.


    That was incredible! The amount of punishment she could take and dish out¡­ the fact that her clones could utilize her Devil Fruit (even despite their differences in personality), her sudden aerial capabilities¡­


    The Raid Suit added an entire new realm of weapons to her arsenal that would help her keep up with the swiftly improving monsters in her crew.


    She would not be left behind¡­ not when Rosan was her best friend because if he left her in the dust, she''d never be able to live it down¡­ because he wouldn''t let her.


    He was so insufferable.


    Robin would do whatever to keep up with the monsters in her crew and she was proud to admit that she was a monster herself.


    Walking up to the mangled body of Yama, Robin wasted no time in robbing him of his axe dial sash and hummed in contemplation at how bloody it was.


    Thankfully, she had a solution (courtesy of Rosan) and pulled out the small bag she had stored in one of her many useful pockets of the Raid Suit.


    Just like she did with the skates and dial of the previous person she encountered, Robin dumped the sash in the bag connected to his Pocket Dimension and pocketed it on the inside of her long violet cloak once more.


    "Alright¡­ time to continue to the original location," she muttered after verifying the disgusting man had nothing more to steal.


    Honestly, how rude of Rosan to have her loot corpses.


    That greed of his was incredibly problematic and it was extending to other members of the crew now too! He was having them all steal for him with promise of rewards!


    The woman adjusted her hat and sighed.


    He was lucky she loved him.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Hotori collapsed on the floor with a howl and spit out a glob of blood as the Heathen cut into his leg with that demonic scythe of his.


    Further away, Kotori was squealing at the fact that there was a hole in his palm, courtesy of the same weapon.


    He got that hole because the two were, in his words, "Dumb enough to use a Scent Dial with a fart smell in it" on him and now he was punishing them even further.


    While he was riddled in cuts, his opponent was the picture perfect of calm, completely unblemished.


    "W-What is this Devil?!" He thought in terror.


    Rosan idly spun his scythe with one hand as he assessed the weak duo.


    It had been awhile since he last used the scythe in earnest¡­ over the years, he had grown quite fond of using the weapon he used to hate so it felt nice to feel the weapon in his palms again.


    Ram actually adored the scythe herself. Granted, she loved every weapon but the scythe was the one she was most familiar with due to being created when he was Reaper.


    He was going to just beat them silly until the 3 minutes were up and let Enel kill them¡­ but then one of the idiot twins thought it would be wise to mess with his sensitive nose by using a Scent Dial that had a fart stored into it (he refused to admit how the horrible scent actually disoriented him for quite a bit¡­ not that they could tell).


    Needless to say, Rosan was now going to beat them within an inch of their lives.


    They tried everything but nothing worked. Rosan had already taken the liberty of stealing 3 of their dials (he recognized Flame and Impact but not this other one¡­ they could keep the scent one) so now he was just cutting them up¡­ making sure the dumb twin with the fart dial suffered even more for his actions.


    Meanwhile, Kamakiri was still attempting to inflict any type of damage on Enel, all while growing more and more nervous at not only failing, but watching Rosan effortlessly toy with two of the heavenly soldiers.


    Enel had not spared him a single glance, just gazing intently at the bored Rosan with a fascinated gleam in his eyes. The Logia had not taken his eyes off the lackadaisical but precise movement of the redhead and Kamakiri felt his hopes dwindle as the man began laughing at the show.


    "Not good, I need to run and warn them all," Kamakiri thought nervously.


    He needed to get out of here and fast.


    These 5 minutes showed him that Enel was truly invincible. With the Reject Dial, Wyper would still have lost but without it? He stood no chance¡­ especially since the forsaken one was in The Logia''s company as well.


    If the two were seemingly allies, victory was impossible today. Perhaps victory would always be impossible.


    Mind made up, Kamakiri prepared to flee¡ª


    "Time''s up," Rosan said calmly.


    Every one of the victims froze at that statement and they turned nervous as the smell of ozone began seeping into the air.


    "Yahaha! You''re impressive, Rosan-kun!" Enel praised, amusement clear on his features as he began to glow blue.


    "As promised, I gave you time and you failed¡­"


    The smell of ozone grew to dangerous levels.


    "...Now it''s my turn."


    Hotori and Kotori, despite their injuries at the hand of Rosan, found the power to prostrate themselves.


    "P-Please Enel-sama! We understand our transgressions! Please forgive us for this mistake and s-save us from this Devil amd punish us after he is dealt with!"


    Said Demon floated a comfortable distance away from them as Enel rewarded them with no answer.


    Kamakiri was running on pure adrenaline. Pulling out a breath dial on a stick, the man roared out, "BURN BLADE!" and activated it.


    A massive fiery beam of fire formed and the Shandian swung it with all his might at the amused Enel, who only grew brighter and brighter.


    It cut through his body and the tree next to him like it were made of butter and Kamakiri took that chance to flee.


    Grabbing a milky dial, the Shandian formed his own road and went to grab his Jet Dial¡­


    Only for him to freeze at seeing it in Rosan''s grasp. The Shandian''s knees went weak as hope slowly but surely drained out of him.


    "This is useful," he remarked idly, making the board vanish right before his eyes. "I''m going to take it. It''s not like you were going to get away anyways. I did warn you about how outmatched you were. Oh and I''m going to take that burn blade too. Useful."


    "He''s right," Enel said, reforming from the attack. He gazed at Kamakiri with that same amused expression on his face that hadn''t left since the 5 minute timer had begun.


    It was just like how the Devil not once shifted his expression.


    Were they really in the presence of two divine beings? What could they do against them¡­?!


    "I am Lightning," The Logia began confidently. "Since the beginning of time, mankind has replaced all fear of nature, with Kami so that they could escape from the fear of something they could not comprehend."


    Kamakiri broke off into a mad sprint, running right past the unfazed Rosan with a look of terror in his eyes as he realized what they were up against.


    "They all believe that supernatural phenomena are acts of Kami beyond human understanding¡­ The disasters of heaven, that those same humans thought they couldn''t beat¡­"


    The world lit up.


    "They are me."


    "ENEL-SAMA PLEASE FORGIVE US! PLEASE!" The twin soldiers begged, tears falling from their eyes as the world turned white.


    "WYPER, RUN! YOU CAN''T WIN!" Kamakiri howled out as a last resort as he continued to run.


    Rosan soared high into the sky.


    "1 Million Volts: Vari."


    Thunder roared.


    Lightning crashed.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Stop following me!" Zoro barked in annoyance at the massive South Bird that he ran into while eating.


    His journey after discovering that his hopeless crew got lost, was quite eventful.


    As he traversed through Upper Yard, he had found and engaged in combat with one of those guerrilla dudes.


    This one (was his name Braham?) had some annoying guns that lit up whenever he was about to fire and it proved to be real annoying for Zoro but he dealt with guns before (courtesy of Rosan) so he suffered minimal damage from them.


    Due to also knowing how to deal with an enemy with high mobility (once again courtesy of his versatile scout¡­ training with him was very useful) Zoro had been in the process of learning a technique that could deal with targets from afar.


    Cue, the 36 pound phoenix.


    "That''s a good technique," Rosan had remarked during their training. "You need more range in your arsenal. Especially if you want to stand a chance against me at my full power. I fly around a lot."


    That was a good way to motivate him. He''d need to incorporate even more range into his attacks while continuing his tedious journey of learning Haki.


    He still couldn''t believe he was the first one to unlock it, but was unable willingly access it¡­ meanwhile Luffy and Robin were running around using their observation without a care in the world.


    Bah, whatever. He wanted Armament more anyways. He needed to be able to willingly cut through steel.


    Zoro gazed at the clearing he just arrived in with a contemplative expression.


    "...This looks like the place where our ship was left earlier," he muttered, glancing at the sacrificial altar.


    Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    The swordsman nodded to himself.


    "Ah, it just looks similar."


    Why did they have two of the same place? Didn''t that kind of defeat the purpose of a sacrificial altar?


    "Joh," the south bird snickered.


    "DON''T LAUGH AT ME!" Zoro barked, throwing his bag at the bird in indignation.


    There was a short pause as the bird and Zoro slowly glanced at the bag.


    "Don''t even think about it," the swordsman warned slowly.


    The bird thought about it.


    Without any hesitation, it snatched the bag up and prepared to set flight and Zoro dove for the bag, joining the unintentional flight with serrated teeth.


    "THERE''S NO FOOD LEFT IN THERE! LET GO!" He roared out, clutching his bag with indignant fury.


    "Joh~," the bird sang in joy.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "It seems my attacked reached the Milky Road¡­ such a shame, 20 extra voices have been permanently silenced," Enel pondered with a shrug.


    Rosan floated down with an inspecting eye, gazing at the 3 charred bodies with a tilted head as he idly snatched the Burn Blade of Kamakiri and placed it in his Pocket Dimension.


    "He''s strong. Very strong," Rosan remarked, not noticing the tiny way his blood began to sing at the prospect of a good fight.


    "Such power¡­ The Goro Goro no Mi has earned its praise¡­ even by Logia standards, its exceptional. Imagine if he actually put effort into training," Mod remarked with a calculating gaze.


    Most Logia''s did the bare minimum after getting their fruit. They let the power of perceived invincibility get to their head and didn''t train as hard as they could. If they actually spent time training, they''d be nearly unstoppable.


    Just look at the Admirals of the World Government. The bastions of the Marines, protecting them all with their sheer power.


    "This is going to be a tough battle¡­ probably the toughest we''ve had," Ram pondered, shuddering in excitement.


    Rosan agreed but he had to wonder what Enel''s plan here was.


    Why was he suddenly being so cordial with him? Showcasing what he could do? Talking with Rosan as if they were old friends?


    What was his goal?


    Did Enel truly think they were both Kamis? Did the man before him, truly think he was a divine being?


    How silly. Rosan was no Kami. Rosan was far closer to a Devil than a Kami. His wings being black was evidence of that.


    Hm¡­ Rosan wondered how Enel would act if he broke him. The rather sadistic thought snaked through his body as he made eye contact with the Lightning Man.


    "You''re probably wondering what I''m planning, right?" Enel asked, materializing next to Rosan once more in a clap.


    Rosan simply hummed and nodded.


    "Join me," Enel said simply, smirking.


    Rosan blinked.


    Mod blinked.


    Ram blinked.


    "I plan on leaving Skypiea and all my Priests are more then disappointing¡­ you on the other hand, have impressed me completely. I don''t see the point in killing another Divine being especially based on what you can do."


    Rosan tilted his head to the side. "You''re offering me a chance to join you."


    "Yahaha! It''s better then dying, isn''t it?'' Enel asked like it were a given.


    "And what about my other allies?" Rosan asked calmly.


    Enel shook his head. "They are not interesting to me but besides us, I plan on recruiting the final 5 survivors of this game. Whoever those are, I will extend the offer to."


    ¡­


    "The survivors of this game? Final 5? And what will you do with the rest of my allies?" The redhead asked quietly.


    The Logia laughed. "Whatever happens to them is of no concern to me or you."


    "Even my little brother and sister who aren''t combatants? Am I to just let them die?" Rosan questioned darkly, expression shifting in a way that wouldn''t be obvious to anyone else but those closest to him.


    "Oh? Brother and sister? Would those happen to be the two I cannot feel?" Enel mused. "If I cannot feel them, they are not alive. They are even lesser than humans."


    I''m going to rip him to shreds.


    "Ah, even if you were contemplating it, that was the wrong thing to say," Mod muttered with a deep scowl.


    "I''ll have to decline¡­ I won''t let danger fall on my crew," Rosan denied eventually, not allowing that heinous thought out in the open.


    Enel actually looked slightly surprised by his refusal, raising a brow slightly before that same lazy smile appeared on his face.


    "Yahaha! Despite your shackles, you still have the capacity to care¡­ How strange," Enel mused.


    Rosan paused. Shackles? Was Enel talking of his emotions?


    Could all people with Observation Haki feel his caged emotions?


    The Logia seemed to ponder something before coming to a decision.


    "Well then, before I kill you, I want to see you at your best. It would be fitting for me to finish off my life in Skypiea by defeating another Kami who is holding nothing back! But, I can''t do that with those shackles restraining you¡­"


    Enel''s features darkened.


    Rosan''s gaze sharpened.


    "...So I''ll push you to stop holding back until those shackles fully unravel. Then, you''ll see that even at your best, I am the absolute Kami."


    Enel''s smile returned and he transformed his body into lightning, "Let the games continue, Rosan-kun. I''ll make good of dwindling the numbers of the game. You have quite a bit of nonparticipants on that ship, correct? Including your brother and sister..."


    The Kami nodded to himself with a wider smile and waved. "Perhaps I''ll go meet them."


    With that, he vanished.


    "The ship? He plans on destroying Merry? He wants to meet Angel and Demon?"


    "Even if Sabo is more then strong enough to eliminate Enel, he won''t be able to protect the ship¡­"


    Rosan''s gaze narrowed and he spread his wings before soaring in the direction of the ship.


    If Enel even put a finger on them, the Lightning Logia would be introduced to the concept of fear.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Raki gasped in horror, as she held Kamakiri''s charred body up, worry dominating her features as she saw how extensive his injuries were.


    "Kamakiri! What happened to you?!" She asked in disbelief, glancing around the clearing.


    Not too far, there were two large heavenly soldiers with equally charred bodies. They were both prostrated in a direction, almost as if they were pleading for their lives before being struck down so mercilessly.


    The Shandian himself was barely alive, quickly fading away and Raki felt tears forming in her eyes.


    "Run. You need to run," he rasped out, gripping her arm with as much force as he could.


    "You need to take everyone and run! Enel and that Devil¡­ they''re invincible!"


    Tears began forming in the man''s eyes as the harsh reality of the situation was shown to him.


    Raki went cold as she watched the dying man with her own tears. "Enel and the Devil¡­? Kamakiri¡­"


    "We can''t beat them! Enel¡­ The black wings¡­ If we try and fight either of them we''ll die!" The broken man cried.


    "His spirits been broken by not only Enel¡­ but the one with the black wings?" Raki thought in terror.


    Were they traveling together? But why?! If Enel truly believed himself a Kami, then the one with the Devil''s wings should have been his sworn enemy! What were they doing in each other''s company?!


    She could think about that later. Right now, she needed to get Kamakiri medical attention.


    "Hold on Kamakiri¡­ I''ll bring you to help," she assured, thinking of how to pick him up without aggravating his injuries and resisting the urge to hiss at his severe burns.


    "Don''t¡­ it''s too late for me. Enel got me," he coughed harshly. "I can''t even feel my insides¡­ it would be pointless to try and save me and if you do¡­ everyone else will die before you can deliver my warnings!"


    Her body went cold at the admittance from him and tears began to fall as she realized that he was right.


    The damage to his body was far too severe and it was a miracle he was still breathing unlike those heavenly soldiers over there.


    But that wouldn''t be for long¡­ Kamakiri was dying right now.


    "Raki¡­ you need to tell all of them to run! There''s no point in fighting this battle¡­ it''s better to cut our losses and¡­ and save the few still alive. If they fight Enel¡­ if they fight that Devil¡­ they''re deaths will be in vain! It''s all just a game to them!"


    Kamakiri clenched her arm once more as his tears of defeat spilled. "Please¡­ don''t fight¡­ them¡­" he begged, voice going weak.


    Finally, his arm went lip and he released her.


    He was not speaking anymore. He was not moving anymore. He was not breathing anymore.


    "Kamakiri?" Raki asked quietly. "Kamakiri¡­ speak to me! Kamakiri!"


    Her tears began flowing as he didn''t respond and Raki let out a choked sob at seeing one of her closest friends die before her.


    Kamakiri was the last person she ever expected to see so broken but Enel and that forsaken one managed to do so.


    Enel was the wielder of the Goro Goro no mi¡­ one of the most powerful Logia in existence and as for the for Black Wings¡­


    They didn''t know what he was capable of. Nothing was known about them but what was known was that they were dangerous.


    If Wyper really tried to fight them both¡­ Were the Shandians out of their league right now?


    Raki delicately removed Kamakiri''s shades and closed his eyes, laying him down gently.


    Then, the woman wiped her eyes and glared in determination at the giant beanstalk.


    "I need to find Wyper."


    They were in danger. She needed to head to Kami''s Temple.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Whoa look at this giant beanstalk!" Luffy awed in excitement, glancing up at it with an eager gaze.


    Without any hesitation, the rubber boy began his trek up the beanstalk with enthusiasm, crossing the distance at incredible speeds.


    It took the captain of the Straw Hats no time at all to reach the top of the Giant Jack and he surveyed the new area.


    "Oh, Zoro!" Luffy greeted happily, waving at his swordsman. "I found you!"


    Zoro, who was in the presence of Gan Fall, Wyper and Ohm, glanced back in surprise at Luffy.


    "Oh, you finally showed up..." the swordsman remarked, holding a tiny figure in his hands.


    Luffy''s eyes narrowed slightly and in an instant, he was right next to Zoro.


    The others eyes widened at the speed of the carefree looking straw hat boy.


    "Chopper!" Luffy frowned, gazing at the bloodied reindeer desperately clutching some items in his hand.


    The reindeer was unconscious, from what looked like blade wounds and Luffy''s eyes narrowed even further as he gazed at their enemies with a glare.


    "That bald guy next to the giant dog did it to him," Zoro said with his own frown. "He told me that he beat one of the priests on his own before running into this one¡­"


    The swordsman glared darkly at the one responsible for this.


    Ohm glanced at them with a neutral expression, no remorse on his features at what he did to their doctor as he gauged every one of his foes there.


    "Zoro¡­ you want to kick his ass, right?" Luffy asked with a serious look.


    The swordsman nodded without hesitation. "Yeah, leave it to me."


    "Ohm! What does Enel have planned?!" Gan Fall asked in alert. "Kami''s Temple has been completely destroyed, meaning he has no use for it! What is the meaning of this?!"


    The Priest spared him a glance. "What Kami has planned is of no meaning to a soon to be dead man."


    Wyper huffed as he clenched his bazooka. "All of you keep getting in my way¡­ Fine, I''ll finish each and one of you once and for all," he decided.


    Ohm sighed forlornly. "Human fragility is such a tragic thing. Very well. Holy."


    They all watched in confusion as the giant dog run around the arena randomly, seeming to press something as it did so, before finally stopping.


    Their curiosity was soon sated.


    The area around them began shuddering uncontrollably before a giant white dome formed around the entire group.


    Ohm aimed his sword at all the contestants.


    "This is the White-Barbed Iron Death Match. None of you can escape until you defeat me¡­"


    All the combatants tensed up.


    "Welcome to the Ordeal of Iron, survival rate 0%."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan soared over to the Going Merry with a narrowed gaze.


    If they''re ship was destroyed, things would get exceedingly difficult for them. They''d have to either use his Save Point and head to Maro''s castle, which was less then ideal considering they''d be in the North Blue or rely on Ragnarok to fly back down to the Grand Line.


    Not only that, the Logia had the audacity to threaten his little brother and sister... If he dared to put his hand on Angel and Demon... Sabo was there so it would never happen but if Sabo had to split his attention between the boat and keeping everyone safe, even the Revolutionary would be hard pressed to account for all those things.


    Sanji was there as well and the chef was incredibly valuable, but he wouldn''t be able to beat or defend against the Logia''s abilities.


    Enel being at the ship was less then desirable and Rosan was not keen on losing Merry just yet until they secured themselves a new one.


    "Master?" He heard Maro call before he actually showed up in their view. "What are you doing here?"


    The redhead paused as he saw the state his student was in and landed gently on the deck.


    "He''s not here and the ship is perfectly fine¡­" Mod pondered in slight confusion.


    "I thought the ship was in danger," Rosan replied bluntly.


    His eyes roved over all the new additions, briefly pausing at seeing Angel tinkering with a plentiful of Skypiean technology.


    The redhead caught his gaze and beamed at him. "What''s up Master? You''re lookin at me and Demon pretty hard!" She asked curiously, tilting her head to the side as she pushed herself up to her feet.


    "Are you alright?" Demon asked in concern, next to some little girl.


    Rosan couldn''t help but feel relieved at seeing his younger siblings fine and sighed to himself. "I was worried for you all. Don''t worry about it," he assured.


    Mod hummed in confusion. Rosan was... feeling far more fond of Angel and Demon then normal. Did it have to do with that dream of his?


    He loved his younger twins, but the redhead had never explicitly been worried for them.


    Rosan tilted his head at seeing Conis, her father but didn''t spare them much of his attention.


    Then, his eyes made its way to the little girl who began tearing up in terror the moment he showed up.


    She flinched at being his focus and immediately hid behind Demon, tears forming against her will.


    "Why is this little girl so afraid of me? I don''t recall ever meeting her," Rosan asked calmly, unfazed by her fear.


    Said little girl, flinched horribly at being addressed by him and practically vanished behind his younger brother, who could only sigh in exasperation and turn reassuringly towards her.


    "She possesses Mantra¡­" Conis spoke up. "She''s been able to feel you since you''ve arrived to Skypiea¡­"


    Rosan hummed. "Ah so its not exclusive to Enel¡­ can all Mantra users feel these "shackles" over my emotions then?"


    Sabo nodded. "Yep. It''s restraining you but some are leaking out."


    "I feel so much love and hate at the same time¡­ it''s pretty overwhelming for being so covered," Maro commented with a pondering expression.


    Rosan nodded. "I''ve always loved with my whole heart¡­ which means that I also hate with all of it too. Since I''ve lost a chain, maybe the gaps are allowing some to leak out¡ª"


    Wait a minute.


    "Maro, how do you know that?" He asked.


    The injured Queen grinned at him in superiority, puffing out her chest (and making Sanji swoon) and regarding him with a cocky expression.


    "I did it! I unlocked my Observation while fighting that Priest!" She beamed, doing a little dance in the process.


    "I finally beat you at something! Praise me! Now! Praise me right now! I''m better then Master at something!" the Dokkaebi laughed in glee, pushing herself up with a small wince to stand in front of her teacher.


    She gazed up at him with an eager grin, looking akin to a daughter wanting praise from their parent.


    "You''ve gotta be fucking kidding me," Ram moaned in disbelief.


    "Language," Mod sighed. If there was one person Ram didn''t want beating Rosan in their family, it was Maro.


    Rosan simply ran a hand through her bandaged hair and pulled her into a one armed hug. "Well done, Maro. I''m proud of you. With this, you''re slowly but surely becoming the strongest person in the North Blue."


    Was it a bit annoying that he was truly shaping up to be one of the last to learn Observation?


    Yes.


    Was he still proud of her?


    Of course. He would always be proud of his family and when it came to things like strength... well, he''d love to see the looks on their face when he eventually beat them all.


    It was only a matter of time until he was the undisputed best again and then he could bask in the looks on their faces.


    "You are so twisted."


    Maro beamed up at him and purred at his touch, before rummaging in her Kimono and pulling out a dial.


    "Here, for you and Ram," she presented. "It''s called a Reject Dial. Apparently it''s 10 times stronger then that Impact Dial you absorbed¡­ it''s supposed to kill normal humans but you and Ram aren''t normal so it should be fine to use," she grinned.


    Rosan raised a brow at that and accepted the gift without hesitation. "That''s useful¡­ Thank you, Maro."


    "Anything for my can''t use Observation Master!" She beamed.


    The grin on her face vanished as a hand gripped her cheek and she began to whine.


    "Y-You can''t do this to me! I''m injured! Look at all my bandages!" Maro shouted in horror.


    "Says who? I''m free to do whatever I want to my student," he muttered, gripping it even harder.


    The Dokkaebi squealed. "A-Angel help me! Didn''t you just hear him? He said he can do whatever he wants to me!"


    "It''s Master. I have nothing to worry about when he''s dealing with you because he isn''t a massive pervert," Angel replied as she went back to tinkering with something.


    "WELL THEN MAYBE YOU SHOULD MARRY HIM INSTEAD!" Maro roared in indignance.


    "Can''t. He''s my older brother," she replied calmly.


    The Dokkaebi spluttered. "I''m sowwy Master, please forgive me. I need to talk to my wife about something!" she pleaded.


    He mercifully released her and made no comment at seeing Angel suddenly seize up at the ominous aura washing over her.


    For their sakes, he wouldn''t comment. Both were utterly unhinged when it came to him and he tended to make things worse.


    The redhead glanced down at the Reject Dial and had Ram absorb it, grunting as he felt his body pulse.


    "!" Ram''s eyes widened. "Goblin wasn''t kidding, Father. This Dial is like the Impact on steroids and I can even negate the recoil too!"


    If they had a stronger version of the Impact¡­ perhaps there was a stronger version of the breath dial too. If he could find one that was 10x stronger, then his ability to manipulate wind would be achieved.


    Wait a minute. Didn''t his bird recently report Chopper''s battle with that Priest? Wasn''t he utilizing something called a Jet Dial?


    Hm...


    "Rosan, what are you doing here?" Nami asked in confusion.


    He snapped back to attention and frowned. "I was with Enel to stop him from focusing his attention on anyone else. Then he mentioned destroying the ship and dealing with Angel and Demon so I flew here as quickly as possible to try and stop it because even with Sabo, it would be hard to defend the Merry from his wide range attacks while protecting everyone."


    "You were worried about us?" Demon asked with wide eyes.


    "Of course," Rosan muttered, brows furrowed.


    "T-That... you''re so fucking sweet, Master!" Angel bawled, jumping on him and making him grunt.


    Usopp''s eyes widened. "Is that why you were with him? So that he didn''t come after us?"


    Rosan nodded, hugging Angel and Demon as they lunged on him.


    The sniper wiped tears out of his eyes and said, "Our scout is such a good guy!"


    "Y-You weren''t teaming up with him," Aisa asked quietly, squeaking as he looked at her.


    "No. I was simply going along with his whims to humor him. My goal has always been to defeat him¡­ he tried to kill me twice after all," Rosan answered calmly.


    Sanji frowned at that. "Something''s not adding up¡­ why would he tell you he was going to attack the ship and not do it? Was Sabo deterring him?"


    The revolutionary was also deep in thinking at that. "It might have been¡­ I haven''t seen him even once so maybe he understands the gap. Did he say anything to you, Rosan?"


    The redhead nodded. "He said he wants to beat me at my full power and that can''t happen while my emotions are being shackled¡ª"


    Rosan froze mid sentence and they looked at him in worry.


    "Forcefully¡­ unlock¡­ my emotions¡­" He said to himself before his expression turned thunderous.


    Aisa, Conis and Pagaya went white at the expression on his face and they shakily backed away from the Shinigami.


    Angel and Demon stamped down their slight fear.


    "Rosan, what''s wrong?" Nami asked in worry. He didn''t make a face like this often at all. They had rarely ever seen him get angry...


    "Enel''s target isn''t the ship. He just wanted me to come here and waste time," Rosan snarled, eyes glowing brightly as he mechanically turned his head back to Upper Yard.


    The anger in his tone caught them all by surprise, but they knew that only one thing could make him react like this and everyone felt themselves going pale in worry too.


    Sabo was the one who spoke up. "Are you saying his target is¡­"


    "It''s Robin," the redhead finished.


    Without any hesitation (he even forgot to tap into his connection with her), he vanished from his spot and the rest of the crew could only gaze at it in shock.


    "He''s going after Robin?!" Sanji roared in disbelief.


    Maro''s expression was grim. "He even knows that Robin''s the best way to unlock Master''s emotion¡­ this Enel guy is scary," she said.


    "So much hate¡­" Aisa whispered, petrified.


    "Robin will be fine¡­ Master won''t let anything bad happen to her," Angel reassured.


    She really did hope nothing bad happened. If something did, Enel wouldn''t be the only thing Master destroyed and he was far older than 9 now.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Wyper snarled in annoyance as both the Straw Hat boy and Gan Fall dodged his flamethrower with ease.


    Luffy frowned at the Shandian, while holding onto the unconscious Chopper and said, "If you keep attacking me, I''m gonna kick your ass."


    "Just try it," the man growled.


    Gan Fall shook his head in disbelief. "We shouldn''t be fighting amongst ourselves while Enel is still at large! It is instrumental for our livelihood that we take both him and his Priest out!"


    Wyper let out a snort. "What makes you think I view you any better then Enel, Gan Fall?!" He barked.


    The former Kami of Skypiea froze at that.


    "To me, you and him are the exact same! Both of you have taken claim of a land that does not belong to you and refuse to give it back! Do you think after this is over, I''ll let you reclaim your position as Kami of Skypiea?! No, BOTH OF YOU USURPERS DIE TODAY!" He roared, aiming his burn bazooka at the Knight of the Sky.


    Gan Fall sighed at the injured man''s drive and had Pierre fly out of the way of the lethal flamethrower attack.


    Wyper glared and prepared to pursue with his shooters, but a voice made him go cold.


    "WYPER!" Raki called.


    His eyes went wide in horror and he immediately turned around. He saw Raki rushing towards their caged trap and felt his horror grow.


    That idiot! What the hell was she doing here?!


    "Raki, What are you doing here?!" Wyper roared. Didn''t he tell her to stay behind?! Why had she disobeyed him!


    "Wyper! You need to get out of here! Kamakiri he¡­ before he died, he told me to relay a message to you!" Raki choked out.


    ...What? Kamakiri was¡­ dead? That wasn''t¡­ That couldn''t be possible.


    He was dead?!


    "We can''t fight them. Enel¡­ the Devil, there''s no point in trying to fight them! We''ll die in vain so please escape!" Raki pleaded.


    Wyper ran right up to the trap and began to clutch the barbs, uncaring of the wounds he was sustaining.


    "We can''t fight them, Wyper! They''re invincible¡­"


    The woman trailed off as she saw Wyper''s visible horror¡­


    And then the smell of ozone wafted through the air.


    "You called?"


    Raki felt her heart turn cold, as she hesitantly turned around and came face to face with the amused Kami himself.


    "ENEL! STOP! SHE''S NOT A FIGHTER!" Wyper howled, making eye contact with the merciless Logia.


    The woman gazed up at impending doom and shuddered¡­ before raising her rifle and shooting twice.


    Enel raised a brow, as the two holes on his chest closed up and he stared the woman responsible for it down.


    Raki felt the hope drain out of her as she remembered Kamakiri''s words and she glanced back to look Wyper in the eyes.


    "Wyper¡­ run."


    That was all she was able to say, before her body was burned ruthlessly by Enel.


    Wyper watched her fall with a cold expression on his face, clenching the sharp gates tighter and tighter.


    "Yahaha! Now that that''s dealt with¡­ I have someone else to visit," Enel said, not bothering to spare anyone in the cage a glance.


    With a flash of blue, the Logia vanished.


    "So that''s the Kami, huh?" Luffy mused. His Observation flared and he glanced downwards in confusion.


    "He''s right below us¡­? With Robin?! Where''s Rosan?!" The rubber boy said in disbelief.


    How was he supposed to get down there? Why was Rosan flying in the opposite direction? Didn''t he have dibs?!


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "He''s using Haki to tell where I am!" Zoro huffed in annoyance, clutching a wound he got from that damn Priest''s Eisen Whip.


    Hiding did him no good because Ohm could just detect him wherever he went¡­


    Not to mention he was dealing with that damn dog too.


    "Eisen Whip."


    The wounded swordsman grunted as he barely dodged the attack, only to gasp as the dog crashed into him, sending him tumbling across the ground.


    To make matters worse, that iron cloud sword reared its ugly head again and slashed into his midsection brutally, drawing a spray of blood.


    "It doesn''t matter where you go, I will be able to find you," Ohm stated confidently.


    Zoro scowled in annoyance and dashed towards the man.


    "Hawk Wave!" He called, preparing to cut into the man.


    Only his training with the more flexible weapon known as Ram, gave him enough time to halt his momentum, preventing him from crashing headfirst into the iron wall.


    "Oh? You have good reactions," the Priest praised.


    "Eisen Fan!"


    Zoro clashed against the fan shaped weapon with a grunt and the rapid sound of heavy footsteps alerted him to the nuisance making his life significantly harder.


    He dodged Holy''s charge but Ohm anticipated that with his mantra and prepared accordingly.


    "Eisen Whip!"


    Zoro spit out a heave of blood as the attack connected directly with his back and he was sent soaring until he crashed into a building.


    "Good job, Holy."


    "You cannot win, Blue Sea dweller. You''ve got interesting moves but as long as you keep doing the same ones, you''ll die," Ohm said bluntly, adjusting his shades in the process.


    Zoro coughed up blood and shakily pulled himself up, glaring at both the Priest and his dog.


    He discarded his broken goggles in favor of his headband and secured it tightly on his head, before pulling out his third blade.


    Ohm shook his head. "You and your companions have done well but I''ve already taken aim at your heart. Pray to Kami, swordsman of the Blue Sea."


    Zoro spit out some blood before grinning. "Idiot. I will never pray to Kami."


    The Priest shrugged. "Pity. Holy."


    The dog growled before charging towards Zoro.


    At the same time, Ohm prepared to send yet another Eisen Whip towards the swordsman.


    Zoro simply clenched his swords tighter.


    "The past held 36 worldly desires. The present holds 72¡­"


    He placed Wado Ichimonji in his mouth.


    "...The future will hold 108 worldly desires."


    The Eisen Whip flew forward along with the giant dog...


    "108 Pound Phoenix!"


    Ohm''s eyes widened for a split second before the air slash slammed into Holy, his Eisen Whip and then him.


    If not for the fact that his pet dog was standing in front of him, he''d have been defeated by that one blow. That didn''t mean he didn''t take serious damage from it though, the blood staining his entire midsection was proof of that.


    Holy let out a pitiful growl as it was instantly cut into by the powerful wave attack and it fell over.


    Zoro grunted as he dashed forward towards the still conscious man.


    Ohm''s eyes widened and he hastily put up an iron cloud wall again to defend himself from the finishing attack.


    "Remember it. Feel it. The same sensation that allowed me to cut steel. Tap into it again," Zoro thought to himself, not halting his momentum whatsoever as he made a dash towards the iron cloud wall.


    "Fool! At that speed you won''t be conscious after crashing into my wall!" Ohm shouted in victory.


    Zoro ignored him. The swordsman merely tensed his muscles and continued his course.


    "Feel it. Embrace it. Remember it."


    "Oni¡­"


    "The only difference between humans, is whether they die sooner or later. This is where you die!" Ohm declared, prepared to finish Zoro off once the swordsman was knocked unconscious.


    He never got the chance.


    "GIRI!"


    Three slash marks appeared on Ohm''s chest, as Zoro not only cut through his iron cloud, but his body as well and the Iron Priest spat out copious amounts of blood.


    His eyes, that were covered by the shades, rolled to the back of his head and he fell backwards, clutching his wounds in disbelief.


    "Im...possible," he rasped in defeat, blood pooling under his body from both blows.


    Zoro panted slightly but grinned wildly as he gazed at his swords.


    This sensation¡­ He wasn''t too sure but this had to have been the feeling of Armament. This was the same feeling he felt when he cut into Mr. 1.


    And this time he remembered it.


    The swordsman''s grin turned truly demonic at that.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "So this is the lost city of Shandora¡­" Robin pondered, inspecting everything with a fascinated gaze.


    Glancing around, the woman noted that the Golden Bell that was said to be in the center of the city, was nowhere to be found.


    She had been learning quite a bit as she made her way over here and if she was right, there was a Poneglyph here and this city was protecting it¡­


    She wondered where it was located¡­ was it relocated by the Knock Up Stream or something else¡­?


    The woman inspected her notes once more, as she idly dipped into her Observation Haki.


    Luffy, Zoro and Chopper were right above her. Their doctor was currently unconscious but he was being protected by the captain so there was nothing to worry about, even if they were in the middle of a fight up there¡­


    Robin''s lips pursed in slight confusion.


    Last she checked, Rosan and Enel were indeed traveling with each other and they had been around 3 other presences that had been snuffed out 5 minutes after meeting them.


    She had no illusions what happened to them and didn''t dwell on it too long.


    Robin had also been so invested in her research, that she hadn''t tapped into their connection.


    Now, Rosan was currently beelining it towards the ship for some reason while Enel was¡­


    Enel was¡­


    Right behind her.


    "Yahaha," a voice laughed and she went stiff.


    What was he doing here? Why was the self proclaimed Kami suddenly near her?


    This was bad, Robin had no means to attack him and even if she did... she didn''t think she could defeat this man.


    "Amazing isn''t it? Even after being shot in the sky, the city of Shandora still exists like this."


    Enel gazed at her, amusement in his eyes as he bit into an apple and lazily gauged her. He was sitting atop a pillar cross legged and looked completely at ease.


    "So you''re Rosan-kun''s partner¡­ Robin, correct?" The Kami asked, materializing right in front of the wary woman.


    Robin remained silent but Enel didn''t seem to mind.


    "I can see why. You''re quite impressive for discovering this place. No other foolish Kami has been able to find this place and it even took us months to find it¡­ but you managed to only do so in a few short hours," he praised.


    "I can see why Rosan-kun chose you as his partner, you''re a useful tool."


    Robin withheld a flinch at that and felt her gaze darken at that final statement.


    What was it with everyone only viewing her as a tool and trying to imply that Rosan thought the same as them?


    "Rosan would never call or treat me like a tool. Don''t speak as if you know either of us," she couldn''t help but bite out.


    Enel''s smile widened. "Yahaha! Is that what you think? You, a mere archaeologist, think you understand what goes on in that twisted Kami''s mind?"


    The Devil Child raised a brow at him. "It seems you''re not as all knowing as you act like Kami. You don''t know a thing about Rosan but you act like you do and now you''re trying to rile me up so that you can learn something, aren''t you? You ran away from him too... are you actually afraid of him?"


    This was incredibly reckless but well, she couldn''t help it. Who did this person think he was to try and tell her what she knew about her best friend?


    Robin had known that lovable redhead since he was 4. His ins and outs. What made him tick. She learned all of it and she was proud to be one of the few people who did.


    She was his first friend and best friend. Rosan kept no secrets from her at all and these days, he told her more things then even Mod-chan and that was a privilege she was glad to have.


    She was his most trusted ally. She would be damned if some Logia with delusions of grandeur told her what she knew about Rosan.


    Robin was satisfied to see the smile vanish off of Enel''s face, replaced by something far more unamused.


    The Kami of Skypiea sized her up. "Yahaha! Afraid? Such audacity! You really are impressive. Well then, can you answer this question?"


    "...What?" She asked warily.


    "What makes me superior to Rosan?" Enel asked calmly.


    Robin blinked at that question.


    What made him superior to Rosan?


    The answer was nothing because Robin didn''t think Enel was superior to Rosan at all.


    The Logia vanished and appeared atop a pillar. "What is it that separates me from Rosan-kun?"


    This time, he appeared atop the main building of Shandora and glanced down at her with a superior smirk.


    "What is the key difference between the two Kamis that makes me better?" Enel asked calmly.


    "¡­" Robin said nothing, just keeping her eyes trained on the man the entire time.


    "Fine, I''ll tell you."


    Enel appeared on the floor again, a distance away from her as he smirked at her.


    "Besides the fact that I am lightning and he is not... The difference between us, is I don''t allow such unnecessary things to weaken myself."


    "A Kami does not need bonds. A Kami needs followers but for some reason, Rosan-kun has formed bonds and he''s suffered for it," Enel pointed out accurately.


    "If not for such frivolous bonds, he would not be imprisoned by these shackles. Now, he''s a shell of his former self¡­ all because he tries to fit in with the humans."


    Enel shook his head. "It''s unbefitting of a Kami to act the way he does so as a favor to him, I''m going to make things right."


    "And that starts with you because you are the worst offender. You, a mere concubine, becoming more then your intended role."


    Robin stiffened as the Logia began to glow.


    "Yahaha! I''m going to force those shackles of his away and I''ll be the one to transform him into a Devil... and you''re going to help me, Robin."


    The woman''s eyes widened as ozone began permeating the air. Her observation began to blare and it made her well aware that she was not going to be fast enough to dodge the incoming attack.


    "A Kami should not allow anything to weaken him. Allowing humanity to seduce you, is divinities greatest mistake. Absolve yourself from the matters of those beneath you, unless it''s to deliver justice. Let this be Rosan''s first lesson," Enel smiled.


    "El Thor."


    A massive beam of electricity, flew from the Logia''s arms and headed straight for her, looking more akin to a wave instead of electricity.


    It was so large, that Robin would have no hope of dodging it in time. She could only hope that the Raid Suit would be good enough to weather the damage.


    The bright light made her inadvertently close her eyes and she braced herself for impact.


    This was going to hurt quite a bit.


    Robin gasped at the feeling of being grabbed and she felt dread well up inside of her as a figure put themselves completely in the way of the lightning attack by covering her.


    Once the attack died down, the woman hesitantly opened her eyes and felt her horror deepen, as Rosan stared down at her with visible concern in his eyes.


    "I made it in time," he sighed in relief, resisting the tremors shooting through his body.


    "R-Rosan¡­" Robin choked, eyes going wide at the state he was in and feeling tremors shooting through her own body for different reasons.


    Her best friend took the full brunt of that attack in her stead with no hesitation. The redhead''s outfit was destroyed and it allowed her to see his charred skin from the lightning attack that was quickly healing up.


    "Are you alright?" He asked gently, inspecting her body thoroughly with an ironclad grip on her.


    "Am I okay?" She retorted in disbelief, tentatively touching his burned skin with a horrified glance.


    He wasn''t wearing his Raid Suit (because of her) and that meant he was fully damaged by that dreadfully strong electricity.


    But despite that¡­ he was still more concerned about her well being...


    Even if it was her fault, none of that mattered to him except for her safety.


    "Yahaha! I knew it," Enel laughed, right behind the redhead who went tense. "You''re too worried about others. That it causes you to take your attention off of me¡­"


    His expression darkened and the Logia placed a sparking hand directly on Rosan''s back.


    "Who exactly are you planning on teaching a lesson to, like that?" Kami asked.


    "100 Million Volts: Vari."


    Torture. Shocking. Seastone. No one but himself. No Mod-chan. No Robin.


    J-Just a cruel doctor who kept hurting him. Why did he keep hurting him?!


    "What is your name? What is your name? What is your name?"


    Rosan underestimated how difficult it was to face trauma head on and Enel made that very clear.


    The redhead let out a shaky rasp, as his eyes rolled to the back of his skull. The only thing he could think of, was the constant torture Doc put him through, as the mad man repeatedly shocked him.


    "What is your name? What is your name? What is your name? What is your name?!"


    "ROSAN!" Robin screamed, clutching the convulsing redhead even despite the fact that she was inadvertently getting shocked in the process by Enel.


    For just a moment, Rosan heard her voice loud and clear through the pain and his eyes gained a spark of clarity before he blacked out.


    "R-Robin?" He thought in confusion. She was here? To save him?


    "You''re looking for something you already found, Rosan. You already have reasons to live and you''ll realize that soon enough."


    Enel cut off the attack and gazed dispassionately as the redhead''s body collapsed on the floor.


    "Rosan¡­?" Robin called out quietly. The woman shuddered in pain due to the effects of the lightning but despite that, she bent down to touch the electricity riddled redhead.


    She held the man''s upper half as she gazed at his unconscious form. Despite his burns, he looked like he always did when he was sleeping...


    The woman began trembling slightly at the state he was in and clutched him tighter.


    "Yahaha! Such a shame, he suffers the same problems as that fool Gan Fall," Enel sighed with a shake of his head. "I was hoping he was different but he''s just a disappointment. Another failure of a Kami."


    "Shut up."


    The Kami of Skypiea blinked at the sight of the archaeologist glaring at him.


    The Devil Child was scowling in full force. "You keep talking about how you''re better than Rosan but you aren''t even half the man he is. You delusional little Kami, riding off the power of a Logia¡­ Failure? You could have easily fought him upfront yet you resort to such petty tactics. Some Kami you are," Robin scowled in full force.


    The woman clutched Rosan to her frame as she ridiculed Enel, uncaring of what he could do to her.


    No. All she could feel was the bristling anger at the tactics of this scumbag.


    How dare he use their bond to get such a cheap blow? Didn''t he claim to be invincible?


    "You say that you''re better then Rosan¡­ but I think deep down, you fear him. You trick him, you distract him and when the time to fight finally shows up, you resort to petty sneak attacks. You''re afraid of Rosan which is why you resorted to doing this."


    The wind began buzzing with static, as Enel lost his smile.


    "Half the man he is? Fear?" He repeated slowly before materializing directly in front of the angry woman.


    "You''re mistaken archaeologist. I am no man. I am Kami."


    The look in his eyes were terribly cold but despite that, Robin didn''t falter. If not for the fact that she was so worried about Rosan and Enel being a Logia, she''d have long attacked him.


    "I didn''t attack Rosan-kun out of fear. I punished his weakness."


    Enel glanced dismissively at Rosan''s black wings lying flat on the ground.


    "On the White Seas, ancient folktales speak of a person born with black wings. The one born with such wings, is considered a deviant, a natural opposite of a Sky Islander due to being the enemy of natural order. Devil. Fallen Angel. Heathen¡­ The one with Black Wings has many titles but one thing remains true and that is that they''re an enemy of Kami."


    The Logia''s gaze was grave. "No one is my equal and I wanted to make that clear with Rosan-kun here. He was most impressive already but I wanted to defeat him at his best¡­"


    "I just didn''t expect him to throw his life away for a human. I figured since you were his consort, he''d take offense to you being killed¡­ but I didn''t think he would actually take the attack in your stead. He doesn''t have what it takes to be my equal, so I killed him."


    Enel raised his hand to the air.


    "But since you think I fear him¡­ perhaps you require more of a demonstration."


    Robin, who was focused on Rosan once more, glanced up once he said that and prepared to defend both herself and the redhead if she had to.


    But Enel was not aiming for her. No, he was aiming right above himself¡­


    Right where the action was taking place between the rest of the contestants.


    "Sango."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Enel plans on destroying all of Skypiea?" Conis asked in horror as they nursed the wounds of one of Gan Fall''s old soldier who had been enslaved by Enel.


    The injured man nodded. "He has a ship called the Arc Maxim¡­ he plans on using it to leave Sky Island and then he''s going to destroy it all¡­ please! You have to tell everyone to evacuate Sky Island¡­"


    Conis bit her lip and nodded in determination. "I can do it! Father and I can go tell them what''s about to happen then plan an evacuation."


    "We can keep heading to the right area to escape then," Nami said with a nod.


    Suddenly, Aisa and Maro let out loud gasps while Sabo''s expression went grave.


    "What? What happened?" Demon and Usopp asked in concern.


    Maro was shaking a bit with wide eyes, glancing in a random direction.


    "M-Master he was¡­" She tapered off, not believing what she felt.


    Aisa fared no better. "E-Enel he¡­ he just¡­"


    "What?! What happened to Master?!" Angel barked in concern.


    "...He''s been knocked unconscious," Sabo told them. "I don''t know the details but he''s right next to Robin and Enel is there too."


    Everyone''s eyes shot up in surprise at that.


    "Rosan''s been knocked unconscious?!" Sanji asked in confusion.


    Hearing that their scout was actually beaten left them all reeling in surprise.


    "That bastard must have cheated!" Angel snarled furiously. "Master just teleported over to her! He would never be taken out in a few hits!"


    "I think so," Sabo agreed with a frown. "Enel was with Robin alone and it''s clear he was using her to get to Rosan¡­"


    "Some Kami he is," Maro scoffed angrily. "Afraid that Master was gonna kick his ass so he turned into a huge coward."


    "Will Rosan and Robin be alright?" Usopp asked in concern.


    Sabo pursed his lips in contemplation. "Luffy and Zoro are with them now along with that old man¡­ Maybe I''ll go check on them."


    Demon shook his head. "That''s not a good idea. I don''t think any of us here can beat him right now but you and if you go there, nothing is stopping him from coming here to wipe us out. It''s better to rely on Luffy to handle him," the doctor reasoned.


    Sabo nodded at that logic. It seemed like Enel actually was avoiding him and if he left, that would give him time to decimate everyone on the ship¡­


    "Master isn''t down and out yet," Maro said in determination. "Some cheap shot won''t take him out for long and when he wakes up, that stupid Logia is gonna feel the Angel of Death''s wrath."


    They glanced at the student of Rosan with a bit of awe.


    "You have so much faith in him," Conis couldn''t help but say in awe.


    Why was it, that everyone under Enel''s rule was terrified of him, but no one feared Rosan? Wasn''t he the one with the black wings? The bringer of chaos? Weren''t he and Enel the same type of monsters?


    Maro nodded strongly. "Ever since I''ve known him, he''s been the person to put the most faith in me and because of that, I''ve never let him down if I could help it. What type of student would I be if I didn''t place the same amount of faith in him?"


    Her answer was full of confidence and didn''t hold a hint of doubt. She truly believed in Rosan''s capabilities and it was inspiring to know the two had such faith in each other.


    "You''re right," Sabo said after a moment, unloosening his stance. "I''ll stay here and make sure nothing happens to you all. They''ll deal with Enel."


    Nami nodded. "Believe in them! Conis you go focus on evacuating those people¡­ we''ll focus on doing our part and they''ll do theirs!"


    There was nothing to worry about. Even with Rosan unconscious, Luffy would deal with it! Those two were incredibly reliable when it came down to it.


    Enel was going to be defeated today if they had anything to say about it.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Back so soon?"


    Rosan picked himself up at that and glanced over at the concerned Meiko. Her large blue eyes were filled with worry that made his heart pang with nostalgia.


    "Looks like it¡­ I took an attack meant for Robin and was knocked unconscious," the redhead said, pushing himself up and gently hugging the girl.


    She squeaked in embarrassment but returned the hug, small arms wrapping around him as she sighed.


    "Getting shocked brought out your trauma too¡­" she muttered worriedly. "I knew you weren''t fully healed from those wounds¡­ fighting a lightning man might be really difficult for you."


    Rosan frowned at that. "Considering I already lost then yeah¡­ I didn''t even get a hit in."


    Two hits... he lost in two hits. How shameful.


    Meiko blinked in confusion. "Lost?! You took an attack for Robin and then he cheapshotted you, dummy! Not to mention, it wasn''t even his attack that knocked you unconscious¡­ it was the memories of what Dad did to you¡­"


    The redhead sighed at that. "I thought I washed my body of his presence. But the moment I got hit by a strong lightning attack, all my trauma came roaring back and it overwhelmed me."


    Was he really capable of doing something like this? He was a failure after all so maybe he shouldn''t even bother...


    "And that''s okay!" Meiko said strongly, slapping both his cheeks with a look of determination. "Facing your trauma head on isn''t easy but you can do it, Rosy!"


    It was so simple but so Meiko of her to say.


    Rosan glanced at her in confusion. "You think I can do it?"


    She nodded with such fervor, the redhead couldn''t help but crack a smile.


    "I think you can do anything you put your mind to, Rosan! Don''t let some chains hold you down because nothing can hold the person I fell in love with down. Don''t you want to become a force of nature, Rosy? It''s unbefitting to be afraid of lightning," she admonished with a small grin.


    Rosan blinked at that.


    He¡­ he did want to be a force of nature didn''t he? Being afraid of the elements that he wanted to be compared to, looked terrible on him. How could he ever become a force, if one of those forces scared him?


    That would make him so pathetic!


    Not only that... who was he to let something chain him to this degree? Being chained down by anyone besides his loved ones¡­ That wasn''t who he was.


    No. He was Portgas D. Rosan, a wild and free spirit that refused to be held down by something as simple as chains.


    Here he was, questioning if he should even be qualified to fight someone, when previously the only thing he''d be thinking about was how he was going to win.


    It didn''t matter who it was. It didn''t matter how bad the odds were. Once Rosan got into a fight, the only thing on his mind was winning.


    He would fight tooth and nail until the battle was over and his enemy was broken underneath him. That was his right as the one who planned on becoming the strongest in the world.


    Meiko smiled victoriously. "That''s what I like to see¡­ And Rosy, you''re a computer man. Lightning should be the easiest element for you to deal with!"


    Rosan felt himself freeze at that, as an epiphany struck him and an unhinged glint entered his eyes.


    "Meiko, you''re a fucking genius," he said eventually, feeling something shift at the prospect of battle.


    The blonde lit up red at the compliment. "You''re welcome!" She beamed.


    Then, a look of contemplation appeared on her face.


    "Oh and one last thing... I completely approve of Robin! She''s so sweet!" The blonde smile mischievously.


    Rosan blinked and a look of shock appeared on his face, before he smirked. "So you really wouldn''t have a problem dating the both of us. Shameless pervert," he sighed with a shake of his head.


    Meiko''s jaw dropped in confusion, as a brilliant dose of red covered her cheeks. "B-Both?! That''s so indecent! I-I mean I wouldn''t have a problem with it though... You''re both really cute so..." she mumbled.


    Rosan snorted and gazed at her in amusement. "Shameless. Right in front of me? You and Robin have no class at all."


    "E-Enough about me! Go make sure Robin knows you''re alright and give that narcissistic Logia a beating!" The blonde whined, pushing him away and scowling as he barely moved.


    His blood began to roar at that and he nodded excitedly.


    "Bye, Rosy! Give him hell!" She cheered.


    "I will. I think I just figured a few things out that I want to test," he retorted, eyes unknowingly glowing bright.


    With that, he vanished from the white field.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Sango."


    Robin clutched Rosan and moved to a safe spot with him in order to avoid the falling debris.


    Enel''s attack blew a hole right through the cloud and as a result, everyone fighting above them was rudely brought to the ancient city of Shandora.


    "W-What?!" Zoro called out, watching the very ground beneath him break.


    His eyes bugged in disbelief as he saw just how far they were about to fall.


    "Zoro! Chopper! Hang on!" Luffy called out, wrapping his arms around his falling crewmates and bringing them close.


    Rapidly kicking his feet, the rubber boy steadied himself and angled himself to quickly descend to the floor.


    What he saw, left him stunned.


    "R-ROSAN?!" Luffy called out in disbelief, dashing towards his unconscious and scarred brother with a look of concern.


    The rubber boy crouched down in shock as he regarded his oldest sibling. "How did this happen? Rosan would never lose to this guy! Robin, what happened?!"


    The rubber boy had been paying attention to what was happening under him with his own Observation so he had been understandably shocked to see Rosan''s aura suddenly diminish.


    Gan Fall''s eyes widened at seeing the state Rosan was in.


    Was there truly no extent to Enel''s power? To so effortlessly take out the powerful redhead...


    Could Skypiea truly be saved?


    "Enel took a cheap shot at him¡­ He was attacked protecting me," Robin informed them quietly, clutching his prone body.


    Zoro''s eyes narrowed. "Bit of a cheap move for a Kami."


    "He caught Rosan off guard¡­ He''s a cheater!" Luffy scowled, glaring at the amused Logia.


    If it had been a proper 1v1, his brother would never have lost!


    Wyper glanced around in shock. "It can''t be¡­ this place, is it?!"


    "Yahaha! Welcome to the finale! There''s no better place to finish it and you get to all witness the defeat of my so called enemy!"


    Enel spread his arms victoriously. "Rejoice in your invincible Kami!"


    The Logia didn''t even blink, as a flamethrower phased through his body.


    "Enel," Wyper snarled, hoisting up the Bazooka with his good arm.


    "Attacking me is rude, Warrior Wyper. I even went to the trouble of bringing you to your homeland," Enel smiled, turning his attention towards the Shandian.


    "Ah well, some people are just ungrateful to their core. Even if Kami himself is the one giving gifts."


    Wyper had no time to react, as Enel tapped one of his drums.


    "30 Million Volts: Hino."


    A large electric bird slammed into Wyper at unbelievable speeds, making the Shandian rasp as his body was immediately burned from the impact.


    His eyes rolled to the back of his head as Enel smiled cruelly at him.


    "This is your limit. It''s admirable that you made it this far but you could never hope to stand up to me," Enel said matter of factly.


    Wyper stumbled backwards but he suddenly caught himself. Not even looking conscious, the man sprinted towards Enel with a single minded purpose.


    It was for naught.


    "I already know of the Seastone and I know you don''t have your Reject due to your battle with the Blue Sea dweller," Enel called, intercepting the man with an amused glint.


    The Shandian''s eyes widened in a moment of genuine fear, as his last desperate attempt to defeat Enel, was snuffed out before he could even begin it.


    "Yahahaha! Now you are beginning to understand, Warrior Wyper¡­"


    "...It''s not that people fear Kami, Fear itself is Kami."


    Enel pointed a finger at the man.


    "Raiho."


    A long beam of electricity pierced Wyper right through his stomach and caused the man to begin convulsing. Sparks began running through his frame and try as he might, he could not get back up or control his body.


    "Lay there and witness the fall of your homeland and this country. I want you alive to view my ascension," Enel informed him with a cocky smirk.


    Those words caught the attention of Gan Fall and the old man''s eyes narrowed.


    "What do you mean by that, Enel?" He asked incredulously. "Fall with this country¡­ just what are you planning?!"


    The current Kami of Skypiea grinned. "Gan Fall¡­ did you know that in the place I was born, there is a place that Kami was meant to reside? They call it Fairy Vearth."


    The grin on his face widened and for the first time, Enel truly looked like the madman everyone rightfully thought he was.


    "The ground there extends far as the eye can see! Such a dream world is a place perfectly fitting for me!" He shouted to them all, a maniacal gleam in his eye.


    The man calmed down from his high and regarded them all like they were insects. "Fighting over Upper Yard¡­ for such trivial amounts of Vearth is a petty triviality."


    "Besides, the very existence of a Sky Island is utterly unnatural."


    Everyone went still at that ominous statement.


    Enel glanced around in disdain. "It was born in the sky but it''s not a cloud. It lives in the sky but it''s not a bird. This place should not exist! Soil has a place to return to and that is equally true with people and Kami."


    Gan Fall felt himself growing cold at the spiel being said by the psychopath.


    "You¡­ don''t tell me you''re?!"


    "Yahahaha! Don''t act like you''re surprised. It''s my duty as Kami, to adhere to the province of nature. As such, I''m going to drag down every human from the sky right to where they belong!"


    Enel soaked in the stunned silence, watching the shock rip through their body with an amused smile.


    Gan Fall''s eyes narrowed in rage. "You plan on destroying this nation?! Don''t be so conceited! The term "Kami" is only a title for those who govern this nation! None of us are actually divine beings!"


    Enel dug a finger into his ear and shrugged. "That was true¡­ up until I showed up."


    "The real "Kami" does not exist in this world!" Gan Fall retorted.


    "The real "Kami" is me, Former Kami, Gan Fall. I made sure your Divine Squad was aware of that," Enel intoned calmly.


    The Knight of the Sky froze at that. "What did you do to my Divine Squad, Enel?!" He snarled in rage.


    Enel had the gall to smile. "I had them work on a job for me. They just finished today actually¡­ then I told them of my goals and they attacked me in a rage¡­ pity, all 650 of them fought for what they thought was right but unfortunately, they went against Kami."


    "ENEL!" Gan Fall roared, clutching his lance and charging him with fury.


    "I was going to let you watch the Sky Island fall, but I''ve been disappointed by one Kami too many. Perish, Gan Fall," Enel intoned ruthlessly.


    He tapped his drums twice and gazed at the Knight of the Sky with cold eyes.


    "60 Million Volts: Jamboule."


    Gan Fall paused as a giant dragon made of lightning formed and rushed him at incredible speeds. It opened its maw to clamp down on the man in a sure kill move.


    "Enel¡­ ENEL!" Gan Fall roared helplessly as he attempted to brace himself in a fruitless attempt.


    A hand grabbed the man and yanked him away from the lightning attack before it could fry him from the inside out.


    "Be careful, Weird Knight!" Luffy exclaimed, tossing the old man aside and glaring at the unamused Enel.


    "Oh? And you are this Luffy, right? The captain of the failed Kami?" The Logia mused, glancing at the scrawny kid with half lidded eyes.


    "Yeah, that''s right! I''m gonna kick your ass, cheater!" The rubber boy declared.


    "Defeat me? Cheater? Is it to avenge Rosan-kun?" Enel asked with a raised brow. "Yahahaha! If he couldn''t defeat me, what can you do? Just sit back and watch as this country falls!"


    "No, don''t wanna," Luffy replied immediately.


    Enel''s eye twitched.


    "Rosan couldn''t defeat me, do you think you can?" He asked in a measured tone.


    "Yep!" Luffy nodded without hesitation. "You cheated against Rosan! If you didn''t, he was gonna kick your ass too!"


    Enel felt a frown of deep displeasure form at that.


    Cheater? How could Kami be a cheater? He could do whatever he wanted and it would be as the world willed.


    That was his privilege. Kami did not cheat. The rules of the world were decided by Kami. If it were his will, then that was the way.


    "El Thor."


    Luffy balked as the giant beam of electricity quickly soared over to him and the rubber boy braced himself for impact.


    Zoro grabbed Chopper''s prone body and leapt away from the attack, grunting in pain as half his body suffered some damage and protecting the reindeer in the process.


    Robin clenched her teeth and stood in front of Rosan''s prone body without any hesitation, using her Raid Suit to prevent both of them from getting too hurt by it.


    The woman hissed in pain as her body seized up but she made sure it didn''t reach the redhead.


    "AHHHHHHHHHhhhhh...hhh...?" Luffy''s screams got progressively more unsure as the attack went on, until the rubber boy pursed his lips in confusion.


    Enel blinked at seeing Luffy completely unharmed.


    "You managed to dodge that?" He muttered, impressed. "Well, no matter. Try and dodge this!"


    Robin looked on in slight confusion.


    Luffy did not dodge that attack. He was standing directly in front of both her and Rosan so she was able to see that he got hit fully by it.


    Then it hit her. It was no wonder Rosan said Luffy could deal with him.


    She had thought he meant they would double team him... but no, Rosan had a completely different idea.


    "Kiten!" Enel barked, tapping his drum and summoning a giant beast shaped construct of lightning. It took the form of a wolf and began chasing the panicking Luffy.


    The rubber boy dodged and weaved the feral beast so he was unable to react in time to Enel appearing directly in front of his path.


    "100 Million Volts: Vari!"


    The man placed a palm on Luffy''s body and repeated the exact same attack he did to Rosan, unleashing a hellish amount of lightning into the rubber boys body.


    At the same time, the lightning wolf crashed into the rubber boys body and combined with Enel''s already dreadful attack.


    "That''s¡­ ENOUGH!" Luffy shouted and shoved the man away from him with an annoyed expression.


    "W-W-What?!"


    Enel''s jaw dropped in horror and his eyes bugged in disbelief as he regarded the rubber anomaly in front of him.


    "T-That''s not possible?! M-My lightning is¡­ but what?" He spluttered.


    How was this conceivable? Why were his attacks not working on this strange boy? What was this ¡ª


    Enel paused as he felt it and if possible, the man''s jaw dropped even further in disbelief.


    A sudden flicker.


    A flicker that very, very swiftly transformed into an overwhelming torrent that threatened to consume everything there.


    Robin and Luffy both jolted in shock and glanced behind them with wide eyes.


    Enel shakily followed their gaze.


    This wasn''t¡­ How was this possible?!


    HE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE DEAD? HOW WAS HE EVEN AWAKE?!


    Sat up and staring at him with a dangerous look in his brightly glowing eyes, Portgas D. Rosan grinned wildly at the horrified expression on Enel''s face.


    "Kahahaha! Look at that look on your face!" He cackled, body beginning to swiftly heal from the effects of being shocked. "You finally realized it eh? My cute little brother is completely immune to your abilities!"


    Robin felt breathless, as she heard Rosan speak and she gazed at him with wide, mesmerized eyes.


    After all, the sheer emotion emanating from him was palpable for the world to see and she could feel that cold and heavy blanket''s presence, get significantly weaker.


    "Rosan¡­?" She said quietly, watching as the redhead leapt up with practiced ease, fully healed.


    Her best friend''s eyes gleamed, as he immediately turned towards her and Rosan scooped Robin up into a crushing hug, unmindful of the fact that he was currently shirtless.


    "Sorry for worrying you," he said quietly, noticing how she began shuddering in his hold. "I deserve anything you have to say to me later but I don''t regret what I did¡­ but, I think I''ve figured some things out and now look at me!"


    Robin didn''t realize she had been shaking until now and hesitantly glanced at him.


    Rosan smiled right back before he took notice of her injuries.


    The Devil Child watched the smile get wiped off his face and a snarl made its way to his face immediately, bright gaze smoldering with unrestrained fury.


    "I''m going to tear him apart," he growled lowly.


    Robin was far too stunned to say anything and just took in everything, something that Rosan noticed.


    The anger melted off his features and he pulled back a bit so that she could take in the entirety of his emotional visage.


    She saw the way his eyes narrowed in worry, she saw the glow of his eyes constantly shifting from brighter to dimmer in time with the emotion he was feeling. She saw as those same eyes actually looked at her as if realizing something for the first time.


    Robin didn''t realize how much something so little, would affect her because there were tears forming in her eyes.


    Rosan was... he was... the redhead was back. Her precious sun was shining right now and already, she felt herself basking in his glow.


    "Rosan¡­ It''s¡­ The castle has lost another chain!" Mod whispered in shock, tears falling from her eyes.


    After Rosan fell unconscious, she (Ram had fallen unconscious as well) had been furiously ensuring that everything was fine with her charge, only to freeze at feeling something changing with the castle.


    Wanting to see if the Virus made a move, Mod quickly made her way over to the castle and felt herself fall to her knees in shock at seeing one of the chains unravel from the crystalline structure, leaving just the thickest one left.


    Almost at the same time, she felt Rosan awaken and the sheer emotion, brought her to her knees as tears began flowing.


    "My little boy¡­" she whispered, putting a hand over her heart as she threatened to get overwhelmed.


    "It lost another chain?!" Robin repeated in shock, gazing into the eyes that glowed brighter then before, getting closer and closer to the magnificent glow that he originally had.


    "I realized some things about myself with the help of someone special to us all," Rosan replied easily, eyes glowing with mirth. "It was real eye opening, ya know? I''ll tell you guys all about it after I''m done with this narcissist who would use my precious Robin against me."


    Robin simply wrapped her arms around his exposed midsection and buried her face in the crook of his neck.


    "Be careful¡­ If push comes to shove, please let Luffy deal with him," she begged.


    The redhead wrapped a single arm around her waist with a cheerfully unhinged smile. "Kahahaha! Don''t worry Robin. When I said I discovered some things, I wasn''t kidding," he assured.


    Rosan''s cheer vanished and was immediately replaced by that dark and infamous anger, as he delicately removed Robin from his grasp.


    She shuddered at that look in his eyes. It was same look that promised pain because someone would dare mess with her.


    He adopted this look plenty of times in their childhood together. Whenever someone happened to recognize her and made sure she didn''t feel human, the redhead would show up and make them realize she was far more human than he was.


    To see that it was back... Robin stared at the redhead with assessing eyes and a small smile.


    A daunting pressure washed over everyone there and they went stiff as it threatened to crush them to the floor.


    "Hey, Luffy. I know I lost but can I get one more shot?" Rosan asked his captain calmly.


    Luffy''s grin was blinding and he immediately leapt onto his older brother with a cheerful laugh and a tight hug.


    "He cheated so yeah! Kick his ass, Rosan!"


    The redhead''s grin turned feral and he affectionately hugged his youngest brother back. "You bet. I''ll be sure to give him some punches for you too."


    "That''s enough!" Enel barked, sweating a bit as that pressure crashed into him. The Logia shook his head rapidly to gain his composure and scowled at Rosan.


    "I don''t know how you survived that attack, but don''t forget that it only took me two moves to knock you unconscious! You cannot resist my attacks like that weird creature holding on to you."


    Enel began glowing blue as he held out a hand to the redhead.


    "100 Million Volts: Vari!" he roared.


    Everyone watched in horror as the attack once more connected to Rosan and the world turned blue for a moment.


    "Can''t resist?"


    Enel felt a spike of true horror, at that condescending sentence.


    "Who decided that?" Rosan mocked, completely unharmed from the man''s attack.


    Everyone watched as the blue sparks coursing across his shirtless body, shifted into a royal purple color, before finally settling on crimson red instead.


    "Yes, this is a good color," he thought to himself with a cocky grin.


    "Thanks for the meal Enel. You managed to charge me all up."


    Robin''s confusion at how Rosan was suddenly able to do that, only lasted a moment as the realization hit her exactly like with Luffy.


    "He''s a computer man!" she gasped. "Come to think of it, lightning should have been the easiest element for him to control¡­ but his trauma must have been holding him back!"


    "Bingo~" Rosan sang through their connection, red lightning running rampant through the air as he effortlessly manipulated it. "Why should I as a computer, ever be afraid by something that should empower me? I should have figured this out long ago but my PTSD stopped me..."


    "But not anymore," he promised, glaring at Enel with the fury of a thousand suns.


    The redhead flexed his gorgeous black wings and began soaring towards the petrified Enel, eyes glowing with murderous intent.


    "You''ve managed to royally piss me off, Enel. By the time I''m done with you, you''re silly dreams of being Kami will come crashing down and you''ll be praying to me," he called out confidently.


    Enel regained his bearings after hearing that and tensed.


    "It doesn''t matter if he can resist my attacks, he can''t touch me! I''ll take this chance to regain my mantra."


    "Shinigami, Devil, Dragon... I have many titles but I am first and foremost a computer man," Rosan informed them all.


    The Kami couldn''t help but furrow his brows at that.


    "What on earth is a computer¡ª"


    A fist planted itself directly on his face and Enel felt his features cave in, as he rocketed through a wall with absolute crushing force. It shattered effortlessly at the hellishly strong punch and his eyes flickered.


    Rosan, who''s arm had a slight sheen to it, grinned at the blood flying through the air and resisted the urge to lick his dangerously sharp fangs. "Didn''t I say I figured some things out? I''m sick and tired of you fucking Logia''s thinking you''re all invincible because you can''t be touched. Now let''s see how arrogant you are when you''re up against someone better than you."


    Zoro''s eyes widened in recognition. "No way, did you just?!"


    Robin gasped. "Armament?!''


    Luffy''s eyes bugged. "WHAT?! NO WAY!"


    Rosan threw his head back and laughed psychotically. "Kahahaha! I''m 2 for 3 now, you guys. Who''s in last place now, huh? No more bragging against me!"


    Enel threw up blood as he coughed on his hands and knees. "How did he hit me?! What was that? What is this Armament that they speak about¡­ is it the same as that other term they use¡­ Haki?!"


    Footsteps made him rapidly glance up just in time for a kick to plant itself into his gut that sent him tumbling against the floor repeatedly.


    The redhead smirked maliciously, applying Armament to both his arms and legs repeatedly until he nodded to himself.


    "Alright, I''ve got the hang of it!" Rosan announced.


    "Already?!" Robin asked in disbelief, gazing at the redhead with an annoyed expression.


    "Yup," he said, gazing back at her with an insufferable smirk.


    She hated this battle genius. He and Luffy were on another level when it came to picking up skills.


    "You love me," he chimed.


    She sighed with a fond smile.


    "Ram, wake your ass up! It''s time for battle!" Rosan suddenly barked, making his ring transform into a set of gloves before cracking his knuckles.


    Ram shot up at that command, eyes glancing around wildly. "I''m up! I''m up! Where''s the action?! Why did Father sound so awesome when he said that?!"


    "Because I''m awesome. Now look alive. We''ve got a fun fight ahead of us."


    Ram grinned violently. She didn''t know what the hell was going on but her Father gave an order so it was showtime.


    She was the best supporting actor for all his performances after all.


    "As you wish, Father!"


    "Mark my words Enel, I''m going to make you regret trying to kill Robin¡­ by the end of this fight, you''ll know true fear."


    The redhead''s eyes glowed ominously as Enel struggled to stand.


    "Everyone who has faced the Angel of Death, Reaper, has understood fear in due time. Now I will teach you the meaning of fear but not as an Angel... no I''m going to teach you as the Devil."

 Insanity III

    "W-Woah!" Maro, Aisa and Sabo gasped in unison.


    Everyone jolted at that. They had been using the 3 as a source of information for what was happening and listened to everything in anticipation.


    "Uh¡­ R-Rosan''s awake," Aisa stammered, testing the redhead''s name on her lips.


    Everyone let out a noise of excitement at that.


    "See? I told you he''d be fine!" Angel beamed.


    "He''s our older brother after all," Demon sighed fondly.


    "He feels more then fine!" Maro exclaimed, eyes wide in joy. "It''s like that cold blanket covering his emotions got pulled back a ton! I feel so much!"


    ¡­


    "WHAT?!" Everyone roared in equal levels shock and excitement.


    Sabo nodded. "It''s true! Whatever happened over there, seemed to help Rosan unlock a ton of his emotions. It''s amazing!"


    He could always feel it underneath that blanket. It was hard to miss the veritable tsunami that was his brother''s emotions, but with so much exposed, he could see just how much emotion Rosan seemed to carry.


    "H-His emotions?" Demon stuttered softly, eyes going wide in hope.


    "Are they really back¡­?" Angel whispered hopefully.


    Maro smiled at the two and scooped them in a reassuring hold. "We''ll just have to wait and see when he kicks that guy''s ass. The blanket is still there but it''s been pulled back a lot!"


    It was only a matter of seeing if it would linger, but making this much progress was incredible!


    The two slackened in the Queen''s grasp and nodded shakily, emotions threatening to overwhelm them as Maro soothingly held her two closest people.


    "This has really been eating at you all, huh?" Sabo asked softly.


    Demon nodded sadly. "Since the day it first happened."


    "It''s why Master separated from us," Angel muttered.


    "He wanted us to all be independent of him¡­ I''m glad he loved us enough to give us our own lives that we didn''t want at first," Maro finished with a soft smile.


    They gazed at Rosan''s old travel companions with soft eyes.


    Aisa looked shell shocked. After all, the influx of emotions radiating off of Rosan in the distance, were slamming into her like a freight train.


    She had no idea they were this blanketed. The sheer amount of hate and love being covered¡­ to suddenly feel it so much threatened to overwhelm her and she shut her eyes!


    "I wish we could see what was happening¡­" Sanji muttered. He really needed to unlock his Haki next. He didn''t train as hard as the battle junkie group (and Robin) but maybe that would need to change.


    Almost as if answering his prayer, a familiar blue bird landed on the deck of the ship and chirped its greeting to them all.


    "Oh! Thank you! That''s so polite of him," Maro clapped cheerfully at the little thing. Angel, Demon and Sabo nodded along and shot the bird a thumbs up.


    "How do they understand it?!" Everyone thought with comical tears running down their eyes.


    Maro beckoned for them all to come sit near her, before the bird''s eyes began blowing in the familiar red light of Modification.


    They all watched with an interested gaze as a giant screen formed above it, for all to see, that perfectly began showcasing what was happening on Rosan and Co''s end..


    Conis, who had finished convincing all of the people to escape Skypiea, showed up just in time to see the image of Rosan standing over a keeled over Enel with a cocky grin on his face.


    "W-Wow!" Aisa''s jaw dropped to the floor at the sight of Enel getting launched through the air with a brutal kick to his ribs.


    Conis'' eyes widened in shock and her jaw dropped to the floor, at seeing their tormentor of 6 years, get kicked across the field like a ball. She gazed at the redhead responsible for it and took note of his unhinged features with a small shudder.


    "Hell yeah, kick his ass!" Angel cheered. The look on his face was everything she missed about him. Her psychotic lovable Master who would desperately try to hide the glee in his eyes, as he fought for his life.


    "Look at those red sparks¡­ Did Master learn how to control electricity?" Demon asked in awe, watching them dance around his body in a mesmerizing display.


    Nami perked up at that, noticing the red sparks thrumming. "Did he really?! That''s great for me then!" She beamed, idly touching Clima and feeling how pleased he was.


    "That guy really does plan on mastering all the elements¡­" Maro muttered. Dammit, she needed to step up her game even further.


    Well, at least she still had Observation over hi¡ª


    A flash of horror crossed her features.


    "How the hell is Master hitting a Logia?!" The Queen asked in disbelief.


    "Ah you finally noticed!" Sabo laughed. "Rosan''s using Armament right now! He''s pretty damn good at it already too!"


    ¡­


    "YOU''VE GOTTA BE FUCKING KIDDING ME!" Maro roared loudly.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Enel wheezed in disbelief as he clutched his ribs. The Logia slowly picked himself up and regarded his fellow Kami with wild eyes, not ever expecting to be hit of all things.


    "This is what you wanted right?" Rosan crooned, cracking his gloved knuckles. "You wanted to get rid of the shackles and beat me at my best, right? C''mon then. I''m waiting. Technically they''re still there... but this is all I need to crush your skull."


    The Logia sneered at the redhead and began glowing blue. "You''ll regret that insolence."


    "El Thor."


    The red sparks around Rosan, danced as his eyes began to glow. The attack slammed into him and he hummed as the number of sparks only grew. The blue swiftly turned red as he used Enel''s attack as fuel.


    "Thanks," he bowed mockingly.


    Enel''s eyes narrowed but the Kami of Skypiea laughed. "Yahahaha! You think I haven''t noticed?!"


    Rosan raised a brow.


    "You have a limit to how much of my lightning you can absorb. You are not like that other one¡­ I can still hurt you," he said confidently.


    The redhead''s ducked his head and Enel''s victorious grin widened¡­


    Until he heard it.


    That low menacing laughter.


    "Kahahaha! That just makes this fight more interesting!" Rosan cackled, front spikes shaking in time with him. "I wouldn''t wanna stomp you into the ground with no resistance. I want you to fight me at your best so that when I crush you, you''ll realize it was never going to be enough."


    Enel couldn''t describe this feeling pervading his body. He had never quite encountered anything like the man before him and it left him so, so confused.


    What type of monstrosity was he currently looking at?!


    Was this what the tales spoke of, when they talked about the one with black wings?!


    H-He was insane!


    "No, it doesn''t matter. If he can only absorb some lightning, I''ll use everything at my disposal to win¡­ and that includes that¡­"


    Nodding to himself, Enel began glowing blue and vanished to the location of his Ark Maxim.


    He would need to activate it because he was going to fight with enough power to destroy all of Skypiea. It was best to set up his escape ship in advance.


    Rosan watched him vanish with a tilted head before shrugging.


    He knew where the Logia was going. His bird was already on that ship after all.


    Turning towards his crew, Rosan walked over to them and banished the lightning from his body.


    He eyed the unconscious Chopper for a moment, before gently pulling the Jet Dial that he was still clutching in his hooves.


    "Well done, Chopper. You did good," he assured, absorbing the much stronger wind dial and smiling at the results.


    The group watched with a fascinated gaze, as a much stronger gust of wind surrounded the redhead before settling into a calm breeze that brushed against them.


    "You guys should head back to the ship," he told them. "I''ll handle the rest here so I need Luffy to act as a shield for everyone else."


    "Will you be alright?" Robin asked worriedly.


    The redhead grinned in assurance and grabbed her into another hug (they felt so good! He hadn''t felt this good hugging someone in a while). "I''ll show you guys the entire fight. I''m gonna let loose a little and I have no idea how much damage that might cause."


    She sunk into his frame and nodded against his chest. "You need to win so that I can reprimand your reckless behavior. I had on my Raid Suit, you didn''t."


    "You could have the world''s strongest shield and I''d still have the urge to protect you," Rosan replied truthfully.


    Robin shuddered at that statement and regarded her earnest best friend with wide eyes.


    Zoro grinned at his training partner and said, "You aren''t the only one with Armament you know."


    Luffy''s eyes bugged. "WAIT, YOU TOO, ZORO?!"


    Robin blinked in surprise as well. "You two really don''t like losing at all."


    Rosan''s eyes gleamed at that. "Nice Zoro, our spars are only gonna get more fun now¡­ Maro unlocked her Observation by the way... so its 3 Observation and 2 Armament¡­"


    "Wait¡­ Maro unlocked her observation too?!" The 3 asked in unison.


    "Maybe we are all abnormal," Robin mused, taking Chopper out of Zoro''s hands and smoothing out his matted fur.


    "Shishishi! Nice job guys!" Luffy praised.


    "Training gets more intense here¡­ we still have to learn Observation Zoro and you guys need to learn Armament¡­ not to mention I want all of our crew to have at least one type," Rosan muttered, cupping his chin as he thought about it.


    The very ground shaking made them all pause and they turned in the direction, eyes widening at seeing a massive bolt of lightning, followed by gigantic ship beginning to float.


    "We''ll talk about it later," Rosan decided, wings flaring as he gazed at it. "You guys make it back to the ship fast, okay? I''ve already got a stream of the action playing."


    He then glanced at the shell shocked Gan Fall, who was gazing at him with bugged eyes.


    "You can go there too old man¡­ and bring that Wyper guy. One of his allies¡­ Aisa was it? Is there too."


    Wyper''s eyes widened at that. "Aisa is with you?! For what reason?!"


    "Dunno, I didn''t ask," he shrugged. The redhead flapped once and began ascending.


    "Wait, one more thing Rosan," Robin requested, making him pause.


    He descended back to the floor and allowed the woman to lean close.


    Robin whispered her request in his ear and he blinked, before nodding thoughtfully.


    "Sure, I can do that. Hopefully I''m in a good enough shape after this fight."


    Robin nodded and gave him another tight hug before releasing him.


    "Be careful, okay?" She asked.


    "Of course. I won''t die with the knowledge that you''re still alive. I''m too selfish to let you go," he replied cockily.


    She nodded and smiled at his conviction, before moving back to Luffy''s side.


    "Thank you for attempting to save our country," Gan Fall suddenly said, bowing deeply. "We have no right to rely on visitors but please, you are our only hope."


    Rosan raised a brow. "The hell are you talking about? I''m not interested in saving your country. I''m here to kick Enel''s ass and that''s it. If your country gets saved in the process, cool but I don''t really care."


    "Still¡­ you have my gratitude¡­ Rosan," Gan Fall replied, not picking his head up.


    The redhead shrugged. "I''ll be waiting for my gifts then. Make em good or I might just take Enel''s place."


    With that, the redhead soared towards the Ark Maxim.


    "Are you coming with us, Wyper?" Robin asked calmly, as she allowed Luffy to wrap an arm around her. "We''ll have a doctor check you as well unless you wish to remain our enemy."


    Wyper bit back a scowl and nearly refused before remembering something important. "Fine but I have an ally nearby¡­ a woman named Raki. She needs medical attention more than I do."


    Robin nodded before turning towards the knight. "Luffy can''t carry all of us. You''ll have to put Wyper and his ally on your bird."


    "...Very well," Gan Fall nodded, glancing at Pierre.


    "Ready?" Luffy asked as he held onto Robin and Zoro


    Robin made sure Chopper was secure before nodding. "We''re ready. Let''s go fast, I''d like to watch every part of Rosan''s battle."


    "We''re still linked y''know," Rosan chimed. "Not only do you get to view me in action. You get to hear all the thoughts of the actual Portgas D. Rosan! Aren''t I just so benevolent?"


    Robin, despite her worry, rolled her eyes at the smug redhead. "Your ego with emotion is unmatched¡­ but I''m still honored."


    "Of course you are¡­ Also, you don''t gotta be so worried. After all, Enel is not even half the man I am right?"


    Robin''s cheek dusted red in mortification at that. "You¡­ you heard that?!" She hissed in disbelief.


    "Nope. Mod-chan just told me!"


    "! Y-You snitch!" Mod protested.


    "Kahahaha! You don''t have to be embarrassed, Robin! I''m happy that you would defend me even in the face of such a powerful person¡­"


    "You two are so dead," Robin promised.


    "...But I said I appreciate it," Rosan replied lamely.


    "I was just touched by your words!" Mod complained.


    Ram cheered at Mod and Rosan''s dilemma. "Finally! I''m not the one in trouble!"


    "You can even help me, Ram!" Robin assured, with a smile as Luffy kicked towards their ship at blistering speeds (Robin never realized how fast their captain was).


    The ring cheered even louder.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Impressive, isn''t it?" Enel asked calmly, not even glancing back at the redhead who landed on his ship without a sound.


    "It is," Rosan said truthfully. It was so impressive that he was going to take it after he won.


    A flying ship¡­ Rosan would be doing his hoarding nature a disservice if he didn''t take it.


    "So you actually acknowledge that you''re a hoarder but do nothing about it¡­"


    "It''s more fun to collect everything. If I want it, I should be able to take it"


    "I''m finding it more difficult to justify getting you the help you need."


    "Robin is my therapist."


    "I didn''t sign up for this¡­"


    "I signed you up. I know how you write. I can plagiarise using your writing if I wanted."


    "...You''re unbelievable, Rosan."


    "I agree."


    Rosan snorted.


    "You''ve calmed down," the redhead pointed out, watching the ship slowly but surely rise into the sky.


    Enel turned to face him, confident smile back on his face as he regarded the man with black wings.


    "I admit, you managed to catch me off guard. But that doesn''t change the fact that I am still Kami. This is exactly what I wanted¡­"


    Enel spread his arms and laughed maniacally. "A battle between you and I to cement my status! A way to show everyone that I truly am invincible by beating the "boogeyman" of Sky Islands. That will be their final gift from Kami, before I destroy it all."


    Rosan tilted his head. "I don''t care about any tales about my wings or protecting this island. All I care about is getting a good fight out of you and having you calm down is a great start."


    The redhead''s eyes glowed as his armband expanded and began wrapping his body in black and white until the only skin showing, was his face.


    Decked out in his signature cloak in the days of his bounty hunting, Rosan cut quite the intimidating figure as a taller, more muscular version of the Angel of Death.


    The Shinigami gazed at Enel with a smirk as his gloves transformed into a giant scythe and he opted to keep his hoodie down for once, as his wings spread out majestically.


    "It''s only right that I celebrate this exciting day with one final dance. As the one responsible for it it''s only right that you join me, Enel," Rosan said calmly.


    Enel followed suit and began spinning his golden staff with a maniacal gleam as he began sparking. "A Kami does not deign to dance but you''re right. A momentous day like this does deserve to be celebrated so I''ll entertain you just this once."


    Rosan stopped spinning his scythe and grinned in satisfaction. "Good. I''ll make sure this performance is one you''ll never forget. Everyone who witnesses my dance, only has good things to say... except for the antagonist of my show."


    Enel''s eyes gleamed as he stopped as well. "Fine. Show me, Devil."


    "Sure thing, Kami."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Are they flirting? This feels like flirting," Maro couldn''t help but say, watching the two interact and sighing in disappointment at seeing the cloak cover his shirtless body.


    "Please don''t ever put that thought in my head again. Master can do so much better," Angel deadpanned.


    "I''m just saying! It was just something I felt the need to point out! I know someone else had to be thinking it!" The Queen replied in her own defense.


    "But people have the decency to keep such a disgusting thought to themselves!" The redhead countered.


    "I have to agree with Angel," Robin said, a serene smile on her face that immediately made Maro shut up completely.


    She nervously nodded at that dangerous expression and scooted closer to Demon, who was working on Chopper, Wyper and Raki, for safety.


    "A little scary, huh Robin?" Nami teased, regarding the woman with an almost predatory gaze. "Don''t like the thought of Rosan flirting with other people?!"


    "No, I don''t," she replied truthfully.


    Everyone blinked at her blunt answer, thrown off guard as they regarded the Devil Child.


    "Really?" Angel prodded, eyes glinting with an unsavory gleam.


    She nodded. "It may not be as obvious because it''s in comparison to Rosan¡­ but I''m also rather possessive of him¡­"


    "I think it''s really hard to tell!" They all thought with sweatdrops.


    Rosan was absolutely ridiculous.


    "He''s the first friend I made around my age and he''s also my closest companion and I just got him back. If not for the fact that he already focused almost all his attention on me, I''d probably be as bad as he was," Robin replied truthfully.


    She had no interest in being apart from Rosan for long and she was glad that he was the same.


    The last thing she needed was for him to start flirting with other people. Right now, Robin wanted to be selfish and she deserved to be, so the redhead was hers until they made up for lost time.


    They looked at the woman and nodded at her logic with soft eyes.


    Robin deserved this. Let her have her best friend to herself. Her life was already hard enough and Rosan made it easier. She deserved to have an easier life.


    "Don''t worry! We won''t let Master flirt with anyone," Angel assured dangerously.


    "You can count on us!" Maro beamed with a dangerous glint in her eyes as she waved around that giant club.


    Robin sweatdropped. "I appreciate that you two."


    Even if she spent nearly all her time with the redhead already, she did appreciate the sentiment. It wasn''t needed but she wouldn''t tell them that.


    They all settled down for a bit, before a gasp of horror rang through the air.


    "Wait¡­ does that mean I have to stop flirting with Master?!" Maro gaped in disbelief.


    Angel slammed a fist atop her head. "YOU SHOULDN''T BE DOING THAT IN THE FIRST PLACE, YOU DUMBASS!" She roared with razor sharp teeth.


    Luffy shook his head. "Maro is so stupid," he said in disappointment.


    Everyone nodded in agreement.


    "I-I don''t wanna hear that from you," a teary eyed Maro whined, clutching her head.


    D-Did Angel have Armament too?!


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan launched himself forward, scythe brandished, as he clashed with Enel''s golden staff.


    As if sensing the difference in physical strength, Enel loosened his grip, transformed into lightning, materialized behind the redhead and slammed his superheated weapon against Rosan''s back.


    The redhead was launched through the air but recovered quickly, turning on a dime in midair and flying towards Enel at breakneck speeds.


    A slash for the head was dodged as was a downward swing. Enel predicted every single one of his swings and expertly maneuvered around them, retaliating with his own swipes that Rosan flew around.


    "El Thor."


    The redhead palmed the deck of the ship and immediately morphed it into a rubber wall that absorbed the electricity.


    Then, he had the modified ground seek out the Logia, who effortlessly began dodging his own weaponized ship.


    "That''s quite the interesting Devil Fruit you have¡­" Enel commented, standing atop his golden statue as he regarded his ship with a contemplative expression.


    "If you think I''m gonna tell you about it, keep dreaming," Rosan retorted, transforming the deck back to normal.


    He didn''t want to damage it too much¡­ Maro''s gift needed to be in good condition.


    The redhead held up his scythe and blocked the sparking staff, ignoring the blue electricity running across his body.


    Enel swiftly backed off before Rosan tried to overpower him and the redhead grunted.


    "That observation of his is annoying¡­ even though I figured out the Logia issue, he''s still lightning and he has Observation to supplement that crazy speed¡­"


    The Kami smiled calmly at Rosan, at total ease with the entire situation.


    Hm¡­ Rosan wasn''t used to being the slower one in the fight. Speed was something he focused on religiously because he needed to be faster then his bigger and sometimes stronger opponents.


    Now the tables were turned¡­ Enel was faster then him, but he did not have Rosan''s physical strength.


    Decisions decisions¡­ If only he had a bit of talent for learning Observation¡­ Armament felt so easy but the one that allowed you to sense the world, just alluded him.


    "The offer to join me is still on the table¡­" Enel spoke up, smiling calmly at regaining control of the situation.


    "I already said no, dumbass. The fact that I got recruited once is something that won''t happen unless all the stars align again," Rosan replied with a scoff.


    It was a miracle Luffy managed to get him in the crew in the first place. Everything lined up perfectly for his lucky little brother and even now, Rosan was in too deep to simply back out.


    Enel shook his head at that response.


    "You cannot defeat Kami, Rosan-kun. Despite your discoveries¡­ despite how impressive you''ve become, you are still a Deviant¡­ You may be the angel with black wings, but you are still forsaken¡­"


    "...You may be a Shinigami, but I am Kami."


    Enel vanished, only to appear in front of the golden statue of his Maxim.


    "Now let me show you what Kami is capable of doing."


    The Logia began sparking, as he fed his ship electricity.


    Slowly but surely, a cloud began coalescing above the massive ship and Rosan glanced up at it.


    While Enel formed that thunder cloud, the redhead''s thoughts were elsewhere.


    "Modification: Scan," he thought to himself, inspecting the advanced ship with a gleaming eye.


    What he saw did not disappoint him.


    The ship was powered by electricity and it was filled to the brim with Dials, most likely meant to aid in powering the ship.


    Huh... he didn''t know Thunder Dials existed. That would have been good to know but unlocking his own electricity was something he was happy about.


    The statue was made of pure gold and its entire makeup spoke of an advanced skill that he wouldn''t have applied to Enel.


    Quite impressive...


    "Shouldn''t you be focused on the task at hand?" Mod asked in exasperation, smiling excitedly at seeing his mind wander so much. It was a core trait of his as a child and though it happened even in adulthood, it was far less frequent.


    "Yes, stay focused," Robin agreed with the woman.


    "Listen to them, Father! We need to kick his ass!" Ram said impatiently.


    Rosan hummed. "Now I have 3 people telling me to stay on track nonstop," the redhead retorted.


    Just like when he was a kid. Robin and Mod kept his head on straight for him because he was so prone to doing other things that strayed from the task at hand.


    But they were right, he should focus on this ship later.


    He wondered if it needed all those Dials to function¡ª


    Focus.


    "This is how I plan on destroying Skypiea," Enel informed Rosan, a maniacal gleam in his eye. "I call it Deathpiea."


    "Booo," Ram said immediately. That name fucking sucked.


    The dark cloud got larger and larger, until it nearly fully encompassed Upper Yard.


    Then, he reached out a hand and shot a beam of lightning into the sky. The moment it touched, a large bolt of lightning flew out and crashed into Angel Island.


    "Mamaragan."


    "Yahahaha!" Enel laughed, as more and more bolts came crashing down.


    Skypiea began to look like it had been struck by a severe thunderstorm, as Enel showcased his prowess on the Island in the sky.


    Rosan''s eyes narrowed and he tensed, before soaring over to the Logia.


    He quickly averted his flight as a bolt nearly crashed directly into him.


    It didn''t end there. The redhead was forced to fly around, lest he get struck by the lightning that was striking wherever he stayed.


    A stray bolt hit him and he grunted as he absorbed it, transforming the blue into red at a slower pace.


    "Can you tell me about this technique¡­?" Mod asked in curiosity. She didn''t know how Rosan learned it, just as shocked as everyone else at seeing him absorb and manipulate electricity.


    "I''d like to know too¡­ What is this epiphany you''ve had?" Robin spoke up.


    Rosan nodded as he continued to fly, angling himself towards Enel and frowning at yet another failed attack that only got him struck by lightning as a result.


    His ability to absorb and control electricity had nothing to do with Ram. It was something that stemmed from the fact that he was a Computer Man.


    Every human had electricity inside of them that the body naturally produced. Modification enhanced that electricity. It had always enhanced the electricity produced inside of him. It''s why Rosan thought so fast, had near perfect memory. The signals in his body were supercharged the moment Mod had given him the Quality of Life so long ago.


    And now he was weaponizing that same electricity. Because his body utilized the electricity so much, it produced even more then the normal human and he was actively using it on external sources instead of internal. He wasn''t an infinite source and could naturally run out of electricity and if he used too much, he threatened to drastically slow his bodily functions but he had Modification to gauge the output and tell him when to slow down.


    To be honest, now that he was actively using it, Rosan knew that he always had the capabilities of doing this but he couldn''t because he was afraid of it. How could he ever absorb something that scarred him so deeply?


    Without his fear hindering him, Rosan could see that with Modification, lightning shouldn''t be a bother to him.


    That wasn''t to say he was completely immune like Luffy was. No, he had a limit to how much he could absorb and once he was "fully charged" so to speak, it would begin to hurt again¡­


    Not perfect, but very exceptional. He could begin training his storage capacity to not only be able to absorb more, but have access to even more electricity to use.


    Right now, he was already fully charged due to fighting a literal lightning man so all of Enel''s attacks would hurt him now. He could try emptying his "battery" but one of Enel''s attacks was enough to refill the small amount he was using and it would just result in a waste of stamina.


    He was mostly relying on his own durability and the Raid Suit to get him out of trouble for this.


    Actually¡­ didn''t Sabo mention using Armament to defend yourself? He got the attack part mostly down (it would need a lot of refinement) so maybe he could start getting the hang of the defense part.


    "So this entire time, we could have actually been partially immune to lightning," Mod said with wonder.


    That was amazing... never in her life did she think she could utilize her own Devil Fruit like this and she gazed at her charge responsible for opening her eyes to so many possibilities.


    The woman looked down at her hand and experimentally tapped into the ability Rosan mentioned to her, eyes going wide in delight at seeing purple sparks.


    "You''re already full charged? That''s expected considering Enel''s sheer power output but still¡­ You can''t hit him and he''s able to fully damage you," Robin frowned.


    Rosan just knew she was cupping her cheek as she mulled it over and he smiled fondly at his best friend.


    Even though he found out his ticket to beating Enel, that didn''t make this fight any easier. The Logia was formidable in a way that would prove overwhelming for many people in the Grand Line.


    Unfortunately he was just a huge fish in a ludicrously small pond. Enel''s potential was being stifled due to being shielded from this tiny little island. If the man was down in the Blue Seas and he understood just how many people out there were stronger than him, his drive to getting stronger would have exploded his growth and Rosan would have lost this battle.


    Such a shame.


    He didn''t know anything about the real dangers of the world. He didn''t know that there were people out there who could make him feel tiny.


    He didn''t know that his blonde brother was one of those people but he''d never figure out because he was about to find out that Rosan was one of those people.


    Observation Haki relied on the user reading the other person''s intent. It used the person''s thought of actions, to give you a sort of clairvoyance that then allowed you to predict their movement.


    However, Observation could not predict a person if there was no intent. If Rosan wasn''t thinking of what he was going to do next, Enel wouldn''t be able to predict it.


    "Modification: Boost x2," Rosan grunted, eyes glowing madly as he felt his muscles tighten.


    A surge of power coursed through his body as he gazed at Enel. The redhead tensed up and rocketed towards the Logia at blistering speeds.


    Enel''s eyes widened at the speed and he immediately morphed into lightning to avoid the much faster Shinigami.


    Rosan was not deterred, he turned on a dime and placed a palm on the deck, making the surface rubbery and having it grab at Enel''s feet in a display that caught the Kami by surprise.


    The Logia was lifted into the air and slammed viciously on the deck by the rubber appendages.


    Enel''s eyes flickered and he tried to morph away, but was unable to do so because of the rubber clutching him.


    His Mantra alerted him to the figure fast approaching and he surged with electricity to stall the redhead.


    It did not.


    A boot slammed into Enel''s sternum and the man gagged, as he spat out blood. He felt the creak of his ribs as all his bones threatened to shatter underneath that hellish strength.


    His only respite was that his electric aura was shielding him somewhat.


    Rosan grunted as he continued to get shocked by the continuous stream of lightning and the redhead floated up to avoid the swipe of the gold staff riddled with electricity.


    Enel rasped a bit at the blow and aimed his super heated spear at the rubber, melting it and freeing himself.


    Huffing as he tried to breathe with bruised ribs, the man tapped two of his drums.


    "60 Million Volts: Jamboule."


    The thunder dragon roared as it charged Rosan and the redhead dashed away from it before it could connect to him.


    This gave Enel enough time to manipulate his staff and transform it into a trident. Surging with electricity, the man leapt at the fleeing redhead and cut off his escape route.


    Rosan had no choice but to whirl around, transforming Ram into a katana in the process, in order to clash with the man''s trident and that gave the thunder dragon time to crash into his body.


    He seized up in pain as the attack slammed into him but powered through and continued clashing with Enel.


    Rosan was far more skilled then him when it came to weapons but it didn''t matter because Enel could read him and every clash ended up with Rosan taking damage from the man utilizing electricity and counters.


    The redhead made a show of looking frustrated and Enel''s grin widened as he continued to counter every blow thrown his way.


    "It''s futile. You are certainly skilled but you cannot hope to touch me," Enel smirked victoriously, watching as more and more damage accumulated on Rosan''s figure.


    Of course it eventually all healed, but it was showing that the redhead wasn''t immune. There was only so much he could heal before he began to slow down.


    The injuries would catch up and soon, Enel would be the victor of this match. It didn''t matter that the redhead''s speed or power seemed to double, if he couldn''t touch the Kami¡ª


    "Modification: Auto Mode, Form: Combat."


    Enel blinked in confusion, as his mantra suddenly stopped alerting him of Rosan''s next move.


    That confusion turned into bugged eyes as Rosan planted an elbow directly in his gut, despite the fact that Enel should have been alerted to that. The man hunched over from the pain with confusion on his face, coughing up spittle.


    That was when everything went terrible for the Logia.


    "W-What?! What happened? Why is my Mantra not workin¡ª"


    His nose began to gush with blood as a knee forcefully straightened him back up, leaving him open to a vicious three hit combo to the stomach, courtesy of the suddenly blank faced Rosan.


    It had been a long time since he used this technique, but Rosan realized that Auto Mode was the perfect counter to Observation Haki.


    Its original purpose was to deal with groups of people but it''s true strength (that he just realized) lie in the fact that Rosan wasn''t thinking in this form. No, it was all implanted orders that utilized his fighting style and muscle memory to automatically do his bidding.


    "To think you found another purpose to use this technique in the middle of battle¡­ You truly are frightening in battle for connecting the dots," Mod praised.


    "A genius," Robin sighed, watching as Rosan began thrashing Enel with his close combat abilities.


    Without Mantra giving him the advantage, it was quickly turning against him and the man realized that. Enel desperately ducked under a violent swipe of the sword and burst into electricity, tagging Rosan and giving himself distance all in one move.


    He wasn''t allowed to catch even a moment''s breath, as the redhead soared over to him with blistering speeds and worst, his Mantra still wasn''t telling him what he was planning on doing.


    "El Thor!" He shouted, pouring a massive amount of energy into the attack. The beam of electricity was so massive, he''d be worried for the ship if not for the fact it was lightning proof.


    As it launched towards the redhead, Rosan''s body instantly found (with the help of Modification) the best course of action.


    He palmed the floor of the deck and summoned a gigantic wall made of Rubber that absorbed the blow effortlessly, while hiding his position at the same time.


    Enel''s Mantra alerted him to the presence behind him and he whirled around, glowing blue to attempt to ward off the entity.


    They didn''t even flinch as the full brunt of his wild electrical attacks crashed into him. His charred skin instantly healed, as Rosan latched onto Enel''s shoulder.


    Without hesitation, the redhead vaulted over Enel until he was facing the man''s back and he wrapped a single arm around his neck with crushing force.


    He then placed a palm directly on the man''s heart from his back and Enel''s eyes widened in fear.


    "Wait¡­ what are you doing?!" The Logia gagged, struggling as the redhead refused to let go. He began to discharge in hopes of making the Devil release him from the pain but it was for naught.


    It was as if he was fighting a husk! Nothing phased the Shinigami.


    Rosan''s face remained blank as Enel''s electricity surged through his body, healing factor working overtime to keep him in good condition.


    Not that it would need to for long.


    Rosan''s gloves rested flat on the man''s back and they began glowing, making Enel panic more and more.


    "Rejection."


    An evolution of Retribution, Rejection was a technique that combined the Reject Dial and Germa''s Energy to give birth to an attack that affected both the inside and outside of your bodies.


    The results were devastating.


    Enel''s eyes rolled to the back of his head, as his chest caved under the effects of the hellish blow and he flew from the impact, crashing into the gold statue with crushing force.


    He did not get up.


    Rosan allowed the Auto Mode to end and promptly fell to a knee, body surging with the sparks of Enel''s attacks as he panted slightly.


    Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    "Fuck, that hurts," he grunted. The Goro Goro no Mi was a force to be reckoned with and his body was suffering the effects of fighting it.


    Even his inhuman healing factor, was slowing down from the amount of electricity his body had been forced to take.


    But he was in better condition then the Logia. After all, he used that absorbed Reject Dial right on his heart so the man was dead.


    Tch, that damn Auto Mode always going for the kill. He didn''t want to kill the Logia yet, he wanted to try that technique out.


    "Well done, Rosan," Robin praised, smiling at her incredible best friend.


    "You did fantastic! Our most difficult battle to date and you performed admirably," Mod beamed.


    "We kicked his ass, Father. That Reject Dial is strong as hell but I can mitigate the backlash because I''m awesome," Ram grinned.


    Rosan grunted and stood up, glancing at Enel''s prone body for a moment before gazing at the ship with a contemplative expression.


    This ship was way too huge. He needed to find a way to park it so he could inspect it in detail and make the necessary changes without damaging it from the size decrease.


    With Enel dead too, his Devil Fruit should be reforming somewhere¡­ He''d just ask Crocodile and Aiko to keep an eye out for it. He wanted the Goro Goro no Mi on his side¡ª


    A surge of electricity made him pause and Rosan''s expression turned into one of confusion.


    "Electricity? When Logia''s die, does their element leave a remnant?" He thought.


    The redhead turned around to face his defeated opponent and what he saw, left even him shocked.


    Enel''s body began shuddering, as it pulsed with electricity. Every few seconds, his chest would pump and it made everyone''s eyes widen in realization.


    "Is he¡­?" Mod gasped in disbelief.


    "He''s using his Devil Fruit as a defibrillator to pump his own heart," Robin said, eyes wide in shock as she gazed at the Logia.


    "He did it unconsciously? His usage of this Devil Fruit¡­ This is far from what I expected a Logia to do..."


    No wonder this Devil Fruit was regarded so highly. The Goro Goro no Mi was ridiculous.


    Not willing to let the man finish his revival, Rosan spread his wings and flew over to finish the job and knock him unconscious¡­


    "El Vajra."


    ...Only to stop as his body seized up from the utterly massive amounts of electricity poured into him. A wave of lightning burst from Enel and ruthlessly coursed through his body in a litany of blue sparks.


    "Ugh¡­" Rosan''s flight abruptly stopped as he fell flat on the deck, wings going stiff straight, as lighting coursed through his veins. He shuddered as his body shook on its own accord, spasms going off and he struggled to move a limb.


    "ROSAN!" Mod screamed in worry, eyes going wide in fear at actually hearing him make a noise in pain.


    "Are you alright?! Rosan? Speak to me!" Robin asked in concern, biting her lip as electricity periodically surged on the redhead''s body. The most worrying part was that none of it was red, meaning he hadn''t absorbed a single dosage.


    Rosan panted. "Can''t¡­ move," he groaned, shutting his eyes as he shuddered again from the effects. He felt his limbs locking up and desperately tried to move even a single one without success.


    "You actually tried to kill me."


    The voice sounded calm but Rosan could tell that it was purely artificial. He struggled to move his head and glanced up at the Enel who had a maniacal gleam in his eyes.


    "I would have died there if not for my Shinzo Massage¡­ You nearly killed me¡­"


    The Logia was staring at Rosan as if he truly were the Devil in that moment.


    "You¡­ nearly killed Kami¡­"


    The Logia vanished from his spot, only to appear directly in front of the paralyzed Rosan.


    "I see now¡­ you aren''t a fellow Kami, you truly are the Devil spoken of in tales. You truly are befitting of the role as my sworn enemy."


    The look on Enel''s face, as he wiped the blood from his own mouth and stared at it¡­


    "I''m going to cleanse you from this world first, Forsaken One. Not even the Shinigami can claim the life of Kami."


    Six black, ball shaped clouds formed around both Enel and Rosan before they began circling the vulnerable redhead.


    "Once I rid the world of you, I can finally begin the destruction of Skypiea and the rest of your silly crew. In fact, I think I''ll start with your brother and sister, before dealing with your concubine once and for all," Enel said sadistically, grinning psychotically down at the redhead.


    Rosan''s gaze darkened at that but try as he might, he couldn''t move.


    It reminded him of when he was strapped to that damn table and he hated that.


    The clouds stopped circling him.


    "Raijo Rikka."


    Rosan howled as a pillar of electric energy formed from underneath him and erupted, courtesy of those six clouds dancing around his body.


    The redhead convulsed as that pillar reached nearly into the sky and shocked him until he couldn''t think anymore.


    Miraculously, the redhead stood up during the attack but it never let up, each black cloud pulsing with raw energy that relentlessly ate at his body and fed the pillar.


    Then it stopped.


    Enel watched as Rosan teetered back and forth, eyes glazed before they rolled to the back of his head and he collapsed.


    "Silly little demon. All things are created by Kami, so it''s only natural that all things should be taken away from him if he so pleases," the Logia said matter of factly, staring at the blank gaze of the redhead.


    "Now, let''s begin the destruction of Skypiea."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    The last things the Straw Hats ever expected to hear, was the sound of Rosan screaming as he got electrocuted for who knows how long by that pillar.


    The battle between Enel and Rosan was intense and some found it hard to keep up. They furiously exchanged blows with each other but despite that, Rosan was unable to land a proper hit on the incredibly fast Logia who also had access to Observation.


    To make matters worse, Enel was more then able to hit Rosan and had landed the majority of the hits in the battle, pummeling the redhead with extreme doses of electricity.


    All that changed when Rosan''s expression stilled, while Enel''s expression turned confused.


    The tables immediately turned after that and they watched with shocked eyes, as Rosan began thrashing the Logia with blow after blow.


    It was a surreal sight, to see their invincible Kami get tossed around like he were a punching bag. The even battle, suddenly didn''t look even at all anymore and almost as soon as the onslaught started, Rosan placed a palm directly over the man''s heart and uttered the word "Rejection," before blasting the man away.


    The ship went still as Enel landed flat on the deck and did not move.


    Then they began to celebrate.


    He did it! Rosan actually beat him and he made it look clean too! Once the redhead managed to actually get his hands on the Logia, he made quick work of him!


    The Skypieans couldn''t believe the sight before them.


    Conis had tears of shock in her eyes, Gan Fall''s jaw had slackened, Aisa had begun crying, Raki gazed on in disbelief and Wyper clenched his jaw.


    But then reality made itself clear because Enel... Enel wasn''t human.


    No Enel was something far worse.


    Everyone could only watch in disbelieved horror, as Enel massaged his own heart to revive himself from death of all things.


    From there, it all went downhill as he caught Rosan off guard with a massive pulse of electricity that encompassed the entire ship.


    Then the attack ended and Rosan collapsed, filling their hearts with dread as they saw steam and electricity rising from their scout''s shuddering body.


    "I''m going," Robin decided, clenching her fists so tightly, it nearly drew blood. The woman abruptly stood up and glared in the direction she felt Enel and Rosan.


    He won. Rosan won that fight. Every time they fought on even terms, Rosan had the advantage on that wretched wannabe Kami.


    Enel relied solely on tricks and not his skills, to win otherwise this fight would have already been over and not in his favor.


    Rosan would have slaughtered him in a battle and he knew it! He knew it!


    "No."


    Robin paused in shock at the hand holding her shoulder and she turned back to see that it was Luffy himself stopping her from going.


    "Luffy¡­?" She called quietly, confused by their captain''s actions.


    He looked uncharacteristically serious as he shook his head at her. "Don''t you trust Rosan?"


    Robin looked genuinely offended at the question and nearly directed her ire towards the rubber boy. "Of course I trust Rosan. Don''t ever doubt my trust for Rosan."


    Maro spoke up this time, eyes glued to the screen with determination. "So do you really think he''s out of the fight? You really think Master would lose here? Does that sound like him to you?"


    No¡­ no it didn''t. Rosan would fight until his dying breath. Nothing would stop him from winning a fight until he was well and truly defeated.


    That''s just how he was. For the boy that loved fighting, winning a battle by all means was his way of life. Rosan would never be satisfied with a loss, until he exhausted all his resources.


    Rosan would never die, until he became the strongest.


    Luffy grinned reassuringly and patted her shoulder. "I know you''re worried about Rosan but he won''t lose to that cheater! Just watch!"


    Maro nodded. "I''ll kick Master''s ass if he loses here and now! This isn''t the end yet."


    Sabo smiled at the two. "He''s a nutjob. He''s still got some energy in the tank for sure."


    Seeing how much faith they put in him, made Robin want to hit herself.


    Of course her best friend wouldn''t let himself lose here much less die.


    No, Rosan would win and he''d come back to them.


    "You''re right," she nodded, calming down due to the overwhelming confidence displayed by them both.


    She sat down directly next to Luffy as a source of comfort and he shot her that same confident grin.


    "Even with the state he''s in¡­ you think he''ll get up?" Aisa asked in confusion. She had resigned herself to her fate after seeing Rosan collapse but they managed to rejuvenate her once more for some reason.


    Their energy was so infectious... how could people have hope in the face of overwhelming power?


    "What compels you all to have such faith in that man?" Wyper grunted, tugging at his bandages (and stopping at Demon''s glare) as he gazed at the battle.


    Those two were completely out of his league¡­ it was a bitter pill to swallow but it simply gave him more drive to get stronger.


    "We expect nothing less," the Straw Hats said in unison.


    "He sets high expectations for us and himself. So we just follow along and make sure we''re at our best," Zoro said like it were obvious.


    "Master''s a psycho. He won''t stop fighting and if he feels like it''s his duty to deal with something, he''ll do it no matter what," Angel smiled softly, only a bit of sisterly worry in her at seeing his prone body.


    "Trust me, as his doctor of who knows how many years¡­ he''ll be fine. I''ve seen him get up from some really dangerous things," Demon laughed.


    "I watched him get skewered through the gut and he walked back into battle¡­ that''s when I realized I was getting trained by a psychopath," Maro sighed fondly.


    "Always going to full extent to protect his loved ones¡­" Robin said with a fond tint in her voice.


    "Is he¡­ Is he really a Devil?" Conis asked, unsure. The one with black wings was like nothing she expected¡­


    He was supposed to be the one bringing doom to Skypiea but yet it was their supposed Kami doing so and the Devil protecting them¡­


    And these sweet people trusted him with all their lives. They truly believed in what he was able to do...


    "Everyone''s answer is different," Nami replied with a small smile. "I think he''s a Devil because he''s so damn annoying."


    Everyone nodded in unison at that and the Skypieans sweatdropped.


    "You shouldn''t form an opinion of someone based on what you hear. You should form it based on what you know," Sabo advised, gazing intently at the screen.


    "Form opinions based on what you know¡­" Conis and Aisa repeated.


    Gan Fall gazed at the crew with an impressed gaze.


    Wyper looked on with a stony expression.


    "Rosan¡­ you better wake up. I refuse to let you lose to this man," Robin thought, crossing her arms and gazing once more at the screen.


    He would win because it was his right as the one aspiring to be strongest. And it was his duty to make it back safely to her.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan gazed around, taking in the features of the new area with a confused expression.


    He was in some mockery of a room, where every piece of furniture was made of either ice or crystal.


    Where was he?


    That didn''t matter. He had more shit to worry about, goddamnit. That fake Kami really thought this would be enough to take him out?


    He''d show him¡ª


    "You''re pathetic."


    Rosan went stiff, as a feminine figure draped their slender arms around his neck and whispered those words into his ears. They were crushing their frame into his back and it was preventing him from turning around.


    "Who are you?" Rosan asked calmly, preparing to forcefully turn himself around.


    "Calm down, my little Rose," the voice crooned.


    Rosan froze.


    Little Rose...?


    "It''s not time for you to die yet. Aren''t you tired of being knocked unconscious? It''s unbefitting of the one whose goal it to be the strongest."


    "Die?" Rosan asked incredulously. "I won''t die here. If you''d get the fuck off of me, I''d get to waking up right now," he snarled warningly.


    "Aww, but I wanted to meet you for at least a little bit and just took the chance to do it," they pouted.


    That voice... it was laced with a hint of sadism, seduction and a level of unhinged that reminded him of himself.


    "I''m going to ask you on more time. Who are you?" He asked, voice low.


    The figure shuddered at that, radiating a minute amount of fear that they nearly expertly hid from Rosan.


    Nearly.


    "So dangerous! You can call me Pestilence. But who I am exactly isn''t really important right now. You need to go and beat that Logia before he takes everything away from you. This is the fight you''ve been longing for isn''t it? It would be a tragedy if you lost all your emotions after gaining them so soon because you couldn''t even beat one person."


    Rosan bristled at that and his eyes flashed dangerously as he whirled around and glared at the short figure.


    "I don''t know who you are but count yourself lucky that I have more things to worry about," he growled lowly.


    Whoever this person was, was right¡­ Rosan had more things to worry about then whoever this Pestilence was.


    He could dwell on it later because right now, he needed to win this fight.


    If he didn''t¡­ then he''d lose them all. His friends¡­ his family¡­


    He couldn''t let that happen.


    "Atta boy," the voice whispered, kissing his cheek gently before pushing him away before he could retaliate.


    Rosan was too stunned to react, just gazing at the face under the hood with wide, unbelieving eyes.


    "Now, don''t get knocked unconscious again and close the lid on this fight. Goodbye my Little Rose¡­"


    As he vanished, the figure grinned wildly, red eyes pulsing with glee. "My oh my, Rose you sure are scary~. I expect nothing less from someone who''s just like me!"


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Enel heard the crew on the ship speaking about Rosan and scoffed to himself.


    "Get back up? You think he hasn''t been defeated? Fine, I''ll make sure he is," he said calmly, turning towards the redhead.


    He grasped his trident and prepared to stab down...


    Only to go completely cold, as a gloved hand gripped his super heated staff.


    "Modification," Rosan hissed, transforming the golden staff into rubber and making it wrap around the petrified Enel''s neck.


    "Rosan!" Mod exclaimed, voice filled with relief as her son woke up once more.


    "You''re awake!" Ram grinned.


    "Rosan¡­ please stop scaring me," Robin requested, relief in her voice obvious for all.


    "I won''t stop until I''ve won or I''m dead," Rosan informed them, blood roaring as he gazed at the terrified Logia.


    "W-WHAT ARE YOU?!" Enel shouted, eyes bugged in disbelief as the redhead hoisted himself up with a violent grin.


    "Portgas D. Rosan, humble scout of the Straw Hats," the man replied, eyes gleaming psychotically.


    He gripped the staff and modified the ground into cold steel, before lifting Enel up by the weapon and slamming him back first onto the metal.


    "GAGH!" Enel groaned as he spit up blood, grasping at the rubber choker and desperately trying to remove it from his person.


    Rosan was not done. Still gripping the Logia''s weapon, he picked him up again and began spinning repeatedly.


    Utilizing Modification, the redhead modified the deck once more and had the floor become erect, before Rosan released the man.


    Enel crash into the created wall and bounced off of it, only for his eyes to bug as the maniacal redhead slammed him back into it with a violent punch.


    He stuck to it this time and the redhead tensed, before planting a boot that broke not only the wall Enel was glued to, but a few bones in his body.


    The Logia wheezed in agony as he was punted through the wall, directly into his own golden statue. He struggled to breathe as his body began protesting at the slightest movements and felt his Mantra begin flaring wildly.


    "Modification: Form," Rosan growled, palming the deck once more and transforming the material into rubber. Using his ability, he began manipulating them and had the floor soar towards Enel, turning the very ends of it, into something incredibly sharp and lethal.


    "W-What the hell is his Devil Fruit?!" Enel couldn''t help but think, eyes going wide in fear as certain death approached him.


    Using his quick thinking, he began traveling through the gold with his ability to avoid the rubbery spikes.


    He wasn''t given a moments rest as Rosan appeared above him with staggering speed.


    The Logia watched as the demonic redhead approached him, with wild eyes and turned towards his golden statue once more in a desperate attempt to slow the relentless Devil down.


    "Gloam Paddling!"


    "Oh?" Rosan hummed, watching as Enel manipulated the gold to cover one of his bronze arms completely. He gazed at the giant ball of gold with a curious gaze before his violent grin returned.


    "Kahahaha! You thought this was going to slow me down?" Rosan laughed, touching the gold with his right arm and Modifying it into a golden pole, removing it completely from his arm.


    "Here, your weapon," the redhead offered, slamming down at the spot Enel was at and watching as the frantic Logia vanished, only to appear on the opposite side.


    "Preposterous! What is he doing? How can he manipulate Gold just as easily as me?! How is he transforming it into a different material?!"


    His Mantra alerted him to the oncoming onslaught and Enel balked before he vacated his spot.


    It was just in time because a rapid barrage of red orbs slammed into where he was at.


    Enel''s eyes bugged in fury at the audacity of the man destroying. "STOP! CEASE YOUR ATTEMPTS AT DESTROYING MY SHIP!" The man roared in rage.


    He needed the Ark Maxim to make it to Fairy Vearth. If it was destroyed here, all his aspirations would be for nothing! All those years down the drain and he refused to see that outcome come true.


    Rosan threw his head back and laughed atop the golden statue, mirth radiating off the insane man as he summoned 3 more of those floating red orbs.


    "Guess you''ll have to protect it somehow," he replied.


    The psychopath dropped the orbs directly towards the ship but Enel was already on the move.


    "Raichoso!"


    He tapped each of his drums and from it, came multiple thunder birds that intercepted the orb and caused a mini explosion that, while damaging, prevented the ship from being completely destroyed.


    "ENOUGH!" Enel roared, veins forming across his whole head as he reached his limit with this damned Devil. "YOU TREAT MY SHIP LIKE A PLAYTHING. YOU''VE CHANGED IT, DESTROYED IT AND I''VE HAD ENOUGH OF YOUR INSOLENCE!"


    The man began glowing brightly as he focused on the clouds formed from Deathpiea.


    He began shaping and combining every single one of the dark clouds created, until they formed a truly gigantic sphere of pulsing electricity.


    "I''m going to destroy you and Skypiea. No more games! No more benevolence. WITNESS, THE MIGHT OF KAMI!" Enel shouted with a psychotic glint in his eyes.


    "Behold, RAIGO!"


    Rosan''s eyes narrowed.


    "Are you truly okay?" Mod asked in worry. Rosan wasn''t making it obvious, but he was far more beat up then he was letting on.


    "I''ll be fine," he grunted, banishing Shinigami''s wings with a bit of strain.


    It was time for a bit more firepower.


    "Modification: Ragnarok."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    A pulse of terror, coursed through all who weren''t aware of Rosan''s draconic form.


    None could stop the primal surge telling them to flee at all costs, as the massive creature burst into all of their views.


    "W-What is that?" Conis asked in horror. The blonde Angel went pale in fear at what she was currently witnessing and took a shaky step back.


    Not only did Enel just summon a sphere of electricity large enough to wipe out all of Skypiea and that was cause for plenty of terror but... but Rosan just transformed into a¡­ what was that creature? What was that terrifying creature that filled Conis with such primal fear, she was reminded of the days Enel first took residence.


    Whatever it was, it was large enough for them to actually see it without the help of the screen recording.


    "That''s a dragon," Robin explained, watching Enel''s own attack with slightly wide eyes.


    His power output was truly absurd, even with the help of the ship.


    "I''ll match it and I don''t need a shitty ship to do it," Rosan snarled in her mind.


    "A dragon?! You mean as in the ruler of the skys?!" Wyper barked in disbelief.


    "Some praise dragon''s as divinity. The one true ruler of the sky," Gan Fall explained with wide eyes, gazing at the glorious monster. "The power to gift and destroy... some tribes of Sky Islanders still believe that dragons are the original rulers of the world!"


    "A dragon¡­ wow. I-It''s so scary..." Aisa awed, looking at the massive creature with fear.


    "That ball is huge..." Maro muttered, watching as Ragnarok stared off with the gigantic sphere of electricity, snarling in challenge.


    Robin''s expression turned thoughtful before she nodded. "Luffy, Sabo... be prepared to use your body to protect the ship if it comes down to it. There''s about to be a big explosion."


    The captain shot them a thumbs up. "Right!"


    The revolutionary nodded, gripping his pipe with a relaxed expression.


    They watched on with bated breaths as the battle reached the climax.


    "RAOGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The dragon roared, making every denizen of Skypiea shudder in true fear that belayed the horror that giant electric ball filled them with.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "RAOGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Rosan howled to the heavens as he glared up at the sphere of electricity.


    "What¡­?" Enel muttered in disbelief. What... what was that? Was that his true form?! Was this the true form of the Devil?!


    Just¡­ just what exactly was Rosan capable of doing?! His reserves of techniques seemed endless?! He revealed trick after trick, in order to match everything he was throwing.


    Was this truly what the enemy of Kami was capable of?! But no! It did not matter! He was Kami! Even the enemy of Kami, was lesser!


    His black and red, razor sharp, tail swished from left, as the redhead decided his best course of action.


    "Things might get messy¡­ Robin, tell Luffy and Sabo to be prepared to guard the ship."


    "Alright," she replied.


    Rosan growled and began to focus, heterochromatic slits staring at the Raigo without a hint of fear.


    No, there was only challenge in those predatory eyes.


    Opening his maw, the gigantic dragon placed both of his clawed hands in front of it and began channeling energy.


    He began with the abnormal flames of Ragnarok, pouring out the fire and keeping it steady.


    Then, using his right claws, he pushed out a burst of energy and amplified the flames with the power of wind.


    The flames erupted into an unstoppable torrent the moment he added the wind into the mix and before it could go out of control, he locked it up in a sphere made from Germa''s energy¡­


    And then Rosan roared as he poured an insane amount of power into the attack.


    Moving his hands away from the sphere growing bigger and bigger, Rosan hoisted his maw up and the thrashing orb followed.


    "More," Rosan thought pouring more and more of the 3 separate energies into the attack and grunting at the strain of trying to use all at once.


    "MORE!" He shouted, grinning internally at said strain.


    The strain showed that he was struggling. The strain showed that he really needed to dig deep.


    The strain showed that he was alive and that was a feeling he had longed for without even knowing.


    Finally, when he deemed it sufficient enough, Rosan fired.


    "DOOMSDAY!" He roared.


    For the first time since eating his Devil Fruit, Enel began to doubt.


    He began to doubt his ability in being able to deal with someone. He began to doubt his own strength. He began to doubt his ¡ª


    No. Never.


    Enel wasn''t sure what he needed to deal with this because the one named Portgas D. Rosan, was an anomaly that he couldn''t figure out.


    Did he... Did he even want to figure this person out? How long had he had access to this form? Was he... only using it to counter his Raigo?


    What was wrong with him?!


    He watched with a slack jaw, as a gigantic orb, similar in size to his Raigo shot out of the strange creature''s (what animal was that? W) mouth.


    The red ball of destructive energy crashed into one of his strongest techniques and Enel felt an abnormal amount of sweat forming, as they actually clashed.


    The following explosion was deafening.


    All throughout Skypiea, people were forced to duck and find cover, as what could only be described as the apocalypse happened.


    Screams of terror rang throughout the land, as stray bolts of lightning and fire crashed into everything that dared to show itself.


    Everyone had seen the giant orb of electricity, looming over them in what could only be certain death.


    But what they were not expecting, was to see a massive black and red monster burst onto the scene.


    Gazing at the horrifying monster, caused some Skypieans to fall to their knees and begin praying.


    Evidently their prayers had worked, because the creature began to actually form its own ball of death, to counter the punishment from Enel.


    What followed next was utter chaos.


    The two orbs collided. They seemed to fuse together for half a second, before exploding in every direction in a shockwave that was felt throughout all of the Sky Island.


    "RAOGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Rosan howled in victory, satisfied at the brief enormous explosion, before the attacks canceled each other out.


    He turned his gaze towards the shell shocked Enel and morphed back into his human form, angelic wings once again taking place on his back as he floated in place.


    "Don''t go dragging others into this just yet, Enel. This is a proper one on one don''t you remember?" Rosan said calmly. "Interrupt my dance again and the ship goes bye."


    Enel gazed at the one who stopped one of his most powerful techniques with an expression he had never donned before.


    Distress.


    No one should have been able to stop that. He was Kami. HE WAS Kami. NO ONE SHOULD BE ABLE TO STOP HIM WHEN HE DECIDED TO STOP HOLDING BACK.


    NOT A SKYPIEAN. NOT A BLUE SEA DWELLER. AND NOT SOME DEVIL.


    HE WAS Kami. HE WAS ABSOLUTE.


    Enel snapped as his eyes lit up in fury and the man began to expand to ludicrous sizes.


    "YOU''VE PUSHED ME TO THIS, ROSAN! DIE IN THE NAME OF Kami!" Enel roared, skin vanishing in favor of electricity.


    "200 Million Volts: Amaru!"


    Rosan watched as Enel''s form was replaced with that of a giant, potbellied figure.


    Gone was his normal skin, replaced with pulsing electricity as the enormous deity glared down at him with a cracked expression.


    "TRY AND TOUCH ME NOW!" Enel shouted manically. "Every touch will be as if your being shocked by the strongest bolt of lightning yet! GO ON! TOUCH ME!"


    "What will you do now?" Mod asked in worry.


    Rosan tilted his head. "Isn''t it obvious? I''m going to win," he replied matter of factly with a serene expression.


    "What¡­?"


    "You''re about to do something stupid, aren''t you?" Robin asked. She just got her battle junkie version of Rosan back and already, he was killing her with worry.


    He was so lucky she loved him.


    Rosan simply grinned. "I humbly accept any punishment planned for me later!"


    "...That means you won the battle so I''ll dial it down just a little."


    "Kahahaha!" Rosan laughed in genuine joy as his body shuddered excitedly. "You''ve got a lot of balls for thinking that''s gonna scare me, dumbass!"


    Enel, who had been laughing as well, blinked owlishly. "What? You cannot touch me like this. I''m invincible¡ª"


    His eyes bugged in pain, as a fist planted itself firmly in his giant gut and the man bent over in agony.


    Rosan''s body crackled with blue electricity, due to making contact but he paid no mind to that.


    "A-Are you crazy?" Enel asked in disbelief, watching in fear as the redhead ignored the pain he was certainly in just to keep hitting him.


    "Insane actually," the redhead grinned.


    Clenching his fist, Rosan began to absolutely batter Enel.


    He punched him on the right cheek, turning the man''s head forcefully before delivering another to his lift, then he stepped back and planted a vicious boot to the large man''s electric nose.


    The Logia tried to fight back, clenching a thunderous fist and launching a bolt of pure lightning at the redhead but Rosan simply vanished from his spot and appeared behind him, delivering a knee to the man''s back.


    Enel wildly swung behind himself and watched as Rosan dodged it, before the Logia dashed for the golden statue.


    He slammed a hand into it and manipulated it once more, forming a familiar trident that he aimed at the redhead. It was flowing with so much electricity, the gold began taking a molten hue.


    Rosan gazed at him and held out a hand. His gloves seamlessly transformed into his signature scythe, before a roar of unnaturally red flames surrounded him.


    Without any of the hesitation Enel expected him to have, the redheaded maniac charged him like a true juggernaut in the midst of battle.


    The Logia snarled hatefully and erupted in electricity, shielding himself and making sure to punish every single attempt to attack by the redhead.


    Except it only seemed to motivate him.


    They exchanged furious blow after furious blow but instead of slowing down, Rosan seemed to be speeding up.


    And not only that, Enel was no longer coming out unscathed from these attempts either because even after dodging attacks... he would still get licked by fiery flames or battered by a heavy gale.


    He no longer had the clear advantage anymore. As the fight dragged on... it almost felt like this demon was getting stronger.


    "I''ve downloaded and adapted to his style," Rosan grinned eagerly, leaning back from the trident and ducking into Enel''s guard to slash at his blue belly, missing narrowly but looking wholly unbothered.


    Enel hastily ducked under a downward swipe of that scythe, before his eyes bugged at seeing it lurch back to Rosan''s hands in the form of gloves.


    The Logia''s eyes bugged as the switch of weapons banished the opening he gained from the redhead overextending and instead allowed him to continue his onslaught.


    The gloved fists slammed into his gut, before erupting into an explosion that sent the Kami soaring away.


    "90 MILLION VOLTS: JAMBOULE!" Enel howled, shooting out three blue serpentine dragons that shot after the redhead.


    "Modify Size: Decrease. Output: Minimize."


    The man blinked in confusion as Rosan vanished from view and avoided the collision of the dragons, that slammed into the wall instead.


    What...? He could still feel him... but where was he?!


    "Modify Size: Increase. Output: Maximize."


    His answer was soon answered, as a tremor went through the ship and Enel stepped back in horror, as Rosan showed up in his vision again.


    Except he was a lot bigger.


    "Been a while since I''ve used this! Figured I could bring some old techniques out!" Rosan smirked wildly, peering down at Enel with those giant glowing eyes of his.


    The redhead had transformed into a giant, even dwarfing Enel in Amaru and he nearly encompassed the entire ship.


    Not even the wings had been spared from the rapid growth of the redhead and those obsidian feathers cast a shadow above everything.


    "You get it now, Enel?" The living, breathing, demon asked mockingly. "You have a great fruit... I would never have complained about eating the Goro Goro no Mi..."


    His gaze sharpened.


    "...Well, only if I didn''t know about this fruit."


    The redhead lunged and Enel saw the attack... but there was nowhere he could go to dodge it.


    The giant fist planted itself into his whole body and flattened him into the wall immediately. Enel''s eyes rolled to the back of his head as he spat out blood from the feeling of his insides caving in.


    "He''s insane! What is he?! WHAT IS THIS?!" Enel thought in genuine terror as the man fought through his electric shield despite the pain he should be in.


    No matter how many times the redhead got shocked from hitting him, he never slowed down for even a second. Even now, as his fist buried itself into Enel and caused him to take who knows how many volts, the redhead was hellbent on inflicting equal amounts of punishment to the Logia.


    The Kami coughed up another wad of blood and realized his body was giving out. He couldn''t continue anymore. He was at his limit.


    He needed to ¡ª


    "Get away?" Rosan asked, making the man freeze. The redhead cackled even despite the fact his body was sparking and he said, "No one has ever gotten away from me, y''know?"


    With that, the redhead unfurled his giant fist and wrapped both hands around Enel''s giant body.


    "Damn, this damage is really adding up. I can''t feel my insides," Rosan huffed, hiding a wince as his body seized up again from the agonizing pain he was in.


    It had been shutting down quite a bit actually but Modification was forcefully rebooting him.


    "No one should be able to handle the amount of electricity your taking in! You have to end this soon, Rosan!" Mod said in concern.


    Oh he would alright.


    He''d finish it right now.


    "UNHAND ME!" Enel roared. "EL THOR!"


    The beam of electricity slammed into them both and Rosan rasped as he shut his eyes and grit his teeth.


    He spread his wings and kept his grip firm, before flying forward and slamming the man into the beanstalk.


    Then, the redhead began to fly higher and higher up the Beanstalk while the giant Enel struggled in his grasp.


    "200 MILLION VOLTS: VARI!" Enel roared in a last ditch effort to end this madness.


    Rosan hissed and he briefly fell unconscious as he felt his insides practically frying from the continuous onslaught of electricity.


    Then they snapped open in fury, glowing brightly with raw adrenaline.


    The battle wasn''t over yet. It would never be over until he won. Even if you managed to beat him, as long as he was alive the fight would never be finished until he finished it.


    He could worry about the pain when he was done with this fight.


    He could worry about resting after he won this fight.


    So Rosan pushed through despite his body screaming at him to stop and continued to fly with Enel until they burst through the very top of the clouds and reached the highest point of the beanstalk.


    The world froze for a moment, as both took in the sight before them.


    Sitting there, look nearly untempered by the flow of time, was a giant golden bell, resting on a solid gold pillar.


    Rosan''s eyes flickered to it very briefly before he honed in on the Logia once more and reduced his size to normal.


    Enel managed to catch a glimpse of the golden bell and felt his eyes widen.


    "The Golden Bell?! So this is where it''s been located? I must have it at all costs! I must get this demon off of me!" He thought and his struggles renewed.


    He continued to shock Rosan to no avail until it felt like finally, the redhead couldn''t withstand his onslaught.


    Rosan tensed up and launched the Logia towards the ground at breakneck speeds, before transforming his outfit''s material into rubber.


    With a touch of Modification, his cloak extended like it had a mind of its own and the rubbery outfit lashed out and wrapped around the panicking man.


    "S-STOP!" Enel roared, still in his Amaru form. The rubbery outfit of Rosan restrained him and forced him onto his knees where he could only helplessly gaze up at his opponent.


    "So the bell really is up here," Rosan muttered as he used his entire cloak as a rubbery chain for Enel. It left him in just his black, long cargo pants.


    Right before flying off, Robin had called him down and told him where the Golden Bell was located.


    "It probably has a beautiful sound so can you do this for me?" She had requested and he nodded without hesitation.


    Good, since it was here¡­ it was time to finish this.


    Rosan grinned in victory at the man forced down to his knee.


    "Look at that, a so called Kami, brought to his knees by the Devil¡­ or the Shinigami or the Forsaken one¡­ Man you guys have a lot of names for me," he hummed, eyes glowing in delight.


    Enel struggled fruitlessly in his confines, staring at the floating redhead with rage. "WHAT ARE YOU?! WHAT IS THIS?! RELEASE ME AT ONCE!"


    This damned Devil! He thought those tales were a lie! Not once had he ever taken stock of such a silly fairy tale! Devil? Enemy?


    HE HAD NO ENEMIES! HE WAS KAMI!


    "We''ve reached the climax of the show, Enel," Rosan said ominously, beginning to hum a gentle tune.


    "You see... to me, every battle is a dance. A performance... and in that performance, no one can take the stage from me because I''m the star. I''m the lead performer," the redhead informed him.


    At the same time, pillars of red flames began surrounding Enel, dancing in time with the redhead''s humming and making the Logia sweat nervously.


    "When you''re the lead performer, you have to show up everyone and that''s what I do. I love to win. I love when people watch me win. Nothing fills me with more joy, then outperforming my opponent on this grand stage. Nothing fills me with more glee, watching the realization that I''m better hit them!" Rosan grinned psychotically, summoning his scythe and beginning to spin it rapidly.


    Enel listened to the psycho with petrified eyes, as he revealed his true colors.


    "This pain. This adrenaline. This urge to survive. My blood roaring at me to win... My body telling me to crush all who oppose me... it makes me feel so alive!" Rosan admitted without any hesitation.


    Then, the pressure slammed into Enel and the redhead gazed down at him with the eyes of a predator who had locked onto helpless.


    "You hit me with a lot of lightning¡­" Rosan mused.


    Enel''s eyes widened in true terror as the temperature spiked even further, due to the redhead surrounding himself in the same colored fire as the pillars steadily getting closer to him.


    "Let''s hit you with my element," he told him.


    The shirtless redhead grinned violently.


    "A Kami vs A Devil¡­ Fire vs Lightning¡­ Observation vs Armament... All of it is really quite poetic don''t you think?" Rosan asked, spinning his fiery scythe repeatedly.


    With a thought, the fire expanded and soon, it look like the redhead was holding a gigantic scythe made of flames.


    It was almost as if it were begging to be made into a performance. The script wrote itself and perhaps even Rosan was a victim to it...


    "But all good shows must come to an end," he said ominously.


    Enel felt a moment of true fear, as he watched Rosan begin soaring towards him, spinning that dangerous looking scythe with intent to finish him off.


    All the while, the flame pillars began converging onto his position.


    No. NO! HE WAS Kami! HE NEEDED TO FIND FAIRY VEARTH! HE COULDN''T LOSE HERE IN THIS REALM OF MORTALS.


    "NO! I REFUSE!" Enel howled. Channeling everything in his reserves, the man didn''t even bother screaming out a technique.


    He just exploded in pure raw electricity.


    Without his Raid Suit, Rosan took the full brunt of that unfocused attack and he couldn''t stop himself from howling in agony at the attack. He felt his skin crinkle, he felt it burning, he felt himself getting shocked repeatedly by that madman of a doctor.


    But still he did not stop. No he could not stop.


    Not until he won.


    Lighting. Doc. Torture... none of that mattered anymore to him. Here and now, Rosan would cleanse himself of all the trauma he suffered on that island.


    Starting here. Starting with this false Kami.


    So Rosan pushed through. Even as he got burned from the raw energy emitted by Enel. Even as he felt his body shut down for the umpteenth time.


    The Logia was more lightning then human right now, doing everything in his power to keep Rosan away.


    "I AM KAMI! I. AM. KAMI! YOU ARE NOTHING TO ME! YOU ARE NOTHING BUT A STAIN UPON MY NAME!"


    But Rosan would not be kept away.


    The redhead soared at max speeds towards the mass of lightning, eyes glowing madly as he ignored all the pain. The pillars roared eagerly at the opportunity to feast and they lunged.


    Faster and faster he flew¡ª


    "Reckoning."


    ¡ªUntil he cut through the man in a blaze of fire.


    "I¡­ am¡­ Kami?" For the first time since eating the Goro Goro no Mi, Enel didn''t sound so sure of himself...


    And then the pillars crashed into him.


    The following explosion was deafening.


    Rosan, who was now on the opposite side of Enel now, calmly transformed Ram back into a ring. He glanced back as the explosion dissipated and smirked.


    "Poor Kami, losing to a mere humble scout," he said mockingly.


    Enel lay there in defeat, Amaru form gone, as horrific burns marred his entire body.


    Most notably, a cut from hip to shoulder resided on the man. So hot was the attack, the man wasn''t even bleeding, wound instantly cauterized.


    Rosan held out a finger and allowed his bird to land, patting it with a single finger gently.


    The redhead smirked. "Hope you enjoyed the show. Now if you don''t mind, I''ve got private things to do! Make sure you have my gifts ready, old Kami."


    With that, he shut the connection to the stream.


    The moment he did, the redhead fell to his knees and silently screamed, dry heaving due to anything that could be thrown up, being incinerated from that lightning.


    "That... fucking... hurts," Rosan panted harshly and he desperately clutched his chest as he threatened to collapse right then and there.


    "Rosan! Are you alright?" Robin asked in concern, listening to his screams with a worried expression.


    "I''m fine... it''s just I''m actually drained for once," Rosan snorted, breaking out into coughs as his charred body steamed.


    His healing factor had been overworked. It was working far slower then normal but it would pick back up in a few hours.


    Right now, he just wanted to rest. But there was always so much to do.


    "We did it!" Mod cheered leaping onto an equally exhausted Ram with a proud smile and planting a kiss right on the ring''s cheek before rustling her hair. "I''m so proud of you, Rosan! Ram! You two did amazing!"


    "I''m tired. G''night," Ram yawned, nuzzling Mod and falling asleep instantly in the woman''s protective hold.


    "Rest, you earned it. Well done Ram," Rosan thought as his own adrenaline wore off fully.


    "That was fantastic, Rosan," Robin said warmly, smiling brightly at seeing him win. "Now please hurry and finish your business, I won''t feel satisfied until you are asleep and healing."


    Rosan would have snorted but he needed to conserve as much energy as possible. "Sure thing, dear. Want me to go pick up some groceries too?" He mocked.


    "Are you sassing me because I''m worried for you?" Robin asked incredulously.


    "Kahahaha! Sorry, I couldn''t help it!" Rosan laughed, pushing himself up with some effort and wincing as he collapsed slightly in the process.


    The redhead slowly walked over to the unconscious Enel and crouched in front of him, gazing intently at the burned body.


    "What do you plan on doing?" Mod said, a little nervous because this was one of the things Rosan didn''t disclose with her.


    Now that his adrenaline wore off, his vibrant emotions seemed to have simmer down. They were still there and visible but it looked like being in battle, is what drew them out fully at the moment.


    Rosan grunted as he pulled out the object he planned on using.


    "...A pear?" Mod asked in confusion.


    Surely¡­ wait, was Rosan trying to do what she thought he was trying to do?


    "Hm?" Robin spoke up, before gasping as a mental image of Rosan''s perspective roared into her mind.


    She shut her eyes slightly and Luffy grabbed her in worry before the woman smiled at him.


    "I''m going to try and take his Devil Fruit," Rosan told them bluntly, coughing up smoke.


    ...


    "What?" Robin asked in disbelief, eyes going wide as she heard the words that came out of his mouth.


    "Ever since I first spoke to Hiroshi, I wanted to see if I could ever use Modification to take a person''s Devil Fruit and I think I got a working version going but I''m not sure¡­"


    It had been a stray thought but he began pursuing it a bit more in the past few years, after hearing about something rather interesting from Aiko.


    "Word around the block is that there are artificial Zoan''s being created and distributed," she had told him. "I don''t know much detail, but one of the Yonko are very interested in them¡­ if I hear more info about them, I''ll let you know but it''s being kept pretty hush hush."


    They didn''t know much at all about the artificial Devil Fruits and if they were even real but Rosan had taken that info for himself and came to another realization.


    "What if I can steal or copy a Devil Fruit?" He thought to himself.


    The revelation that


    In theory it should work, especially with what he knew about the Lineage Factor from Hiroshi.


    So Rosan began researching more about DNA in his alone time in hopes of figuring out the technique.


    He didn''t really care about Zoans at all and the Paramecias he''d seen up to now weren''t all that impressive to him either.


    But a Logia? Of course he''d try and take that one. That''s what he planned on doing to Crocodile if he didn''t end up subjugating him.


    But now¡­ now was as good as time as any to put it into work.


    "An ability to take or copy a Devil Fruit?" Mod gaped. That sounded almost startlingly similar to one of the things Vegapunk was interested in.


    Was his goal also to attempt to use Modification to help with that? Did he even think of that? No... he couldn''t have. Mod was beginning to learn that Rosan''s intuitiveness with this fruit, was unmatched to a degree that even Vegapunk couldn''t have realized.


    She wondered what the scientist would have thought of him.


    "Fascinating¡­" Robin muttered.


    "Only if it works," Rosan grunted, eyes glowing wide as he placed a hand directly atop of Enel''s heart.


    "Modification: Extract Files."


    ¡­


    Using Extract Files, Rosan would scan another person''s body and use Modification to find and forcefully remove their DNA from their body.


    Then, he''d use a medium (a fruit) and attempt to mold it with the extracted DNA¡­ creating his very own artificial Devil Fruit.


    He didn''t know how the ones Aiko told him about created their own... but it couldn''t have been as different as his own.


    There was only one problem...


    Rosan frowned as he inspected Enel''s body. He had reached an immediate roadblock that seemed to stop him dead in his tracks.


    Enel''s body was literally made out of lighting. He couldn''t extract his DNA¡­ because his DNA wasn''t like Rosan''s own.


    It wasn''t possible¡­ Was this the case with all Logia''s? Did every single facet of their makeup turn into a force of nature, making it impossible to control and extract?


    ... that was so lame.


    "Tch. The idea''s a bust," Rosan scowled, explaining his revelations to Robin and Mod.


    "It sounds like with enough practice, you can extract a Zoan or Paramecia, can''t you?" Robin asked, sensing his annoyance.


    "I guess," he muttered.


    The Devil Child rolled her eyes. He was such a brat. "Don''t give up on the idea just yet, think about the Mythical Zoans. There are many types of Paramecias too. Their usefulness varies!" She encouraged.


    Rosan perked up at that.


    That was true¡­ With enough work he could figure it out¡­


    "One problem... I''ve never actually practiced this technique on another person. This is my first time attempting it," Rosan frowned.


    "You haven''t practiced it even once?" Robin thought in surprise. "But why?"


    "...I can''t experiment on another human being. I''ve already taken so much from Doc... I can''t take that too. I''ve done some testing on myself and I thought I had it figured out but maybe not," he answered truthfully.


    Robin frowned at his answer. It made sense he didn''t want to experiment on someone... it was the same reason he had such an aversion to learning medicine.


    The technique had so much potential thought and if he never practiced with it, he may never figure it out.


    "Use me," she decided. "It''s fine if the person is willing, right? You can use me then."


    Rosan balked at that and shook his head wildly. "Are you fucking insane?! I could never use you, Robin!"


    "You can and you will," she said firmly, shutting his protests down. "You won''t fully extract my Devil Fruit and I don''t care if you copy it, I trust you. Use me as you see fit until you feel like you confidently have it down."


    He was going to protest more but she said, "Rosan. No."


    He sighed in defeat. "What did I do to end up with such an amazing best friend?"


    "Be a self depreciative idiot," she retorted.


    Rude.


    "Alright. Fine... but you kinda have to be topless for this to work... and I need to be touching you right over your heart."


    "We see each other naked every single day. Putting your palm on my breast is of no concern to me."


    "Maybe you aren''t amazing and are just a weirdo. How do you not have a problem with me feeling you up?" He asked incredulously.


    "Because we''re best friends. Now quiet down and stop trying to dissuade me," Robin replied with a roll of her eyes.


    The redhead sighed in actual defeat this time and let it go.


    Rosan removed his palm from Enel''s chest and gazed at the smoking Logia with a contemplative expression.


    What would he do with him? It would be pretty funny if he made the man submit and then force him and Crocodile to work with each other.


    But the man was a narcissist¡­ he''d never submit to Rosan.


    Memories of him trying to kill Robin, just to encite his emotions flashed through his head and the redhead scowled deeply, rage on his features that he was completely unable to control.


    How dare he try and kill his best friend? Unforgivable. Rosan had already spared one person for such an atrocity, he''d be damned if he tried to spare another.


    Guess he had to kill him and begin the hunt for his fruit.


    "Maniac."


    "Psychotic."


    "Thank you."


    "Those were not compliments."


    Rosan smirked. Without any hesitation, he slammed his scythe into Enel''s chest with brutal force, connecting directly with the man''s heart and instantly ending the Kami''s life.


    There was no fanfare, no speech. Just a clean killing that Rosan felt way too satisfied delivering.


    He didn''t kill Crocodile for what he had done to Robin, so he''d just do it to Enel.


    Speaking of, He''d just have Crocodile be on the lookout for the man''s Logia. With someone like him, it''d only be a matter of time before he found it or some clues to the person who had.


    "Now that that''s done¡­ I''ve got a few more things to do then I can get some much needed sleep. I''m so tired," Rosan muttered.


    "I hope you don''t mind being used as a pillow for who knows how long, Robin."


    "...You''ve earned it. I''ll read a book in the meantime."


    Rosan smiled victoriously.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Everyone watched Rosan''s battle with Enel with wide eyes, unable to comprehend how he had managed to flip the tables so thoroughly.


    "H-He''s amazing!" Conis gasped, as Rosan detonated Enel''s country destroying attack with his own.


    "Course he is! He''s my teacher after all!" Maro beamed proudly, watching as the redhead showed how much of juggernaut he was by tanking all of Enel''s blows.


    "Moving despite all those injuries¡­ Truly he is most impressive," Gan Fall gasped.


    Rosan was relentless. Despite everything Enel bombarded him with, he continued to fight.


    Even the Logia''s gigantic transformation didn''t deter him.


    No, it just made him more insane.


    They watched as without any hesitation, Rosan grew to ludicrous sizes and continued to pummel Enel, heedless of the damage he was taking in the process.


    "He can change his size?!" Nami asked in surprise.


    "I''ve never seen him do it," Maro muttered, just as surprised.


    "It''s something he used to abuse as a child," Robin informed them with a small smile, feeling nostalgia at seeing him utilize a technique he hadn''t touched for so long. "He used to change his size and his toys size all the time. I gained many headaches from his antics."


    There was one time he had shrunken himself and scared her by turning to normal while trailing her... she had won their brawl that day.


    Good times... it said something about their relationship, that Robin was looking for a reason to brawl him soon.


    "He''s insane," Wyper muttered, watching as Rosan''s body accumulated more and more damage in his quest to win. He just pushed through it all and continued his nonstop assault.


    Finally, they watched as the unhinged redhead latched onto Enel''s electric body and slam him into the beanstalk.


    Rosan began to fly with that huge Logia, battering him on the beanstalk while weathering every attack thrown his way.


    "How can he ignore that¡­? Just one casual hit felt like I was being fried alive and he''s taking his strongest techniques," An exhausted Raki asked, sending a thankful look towards the purple haired doctor.


    "He''s a juggernaut," Angel said with her own unhinged grin. "My older brother will keep fighting until he''s won! It''s his privilege!"


    "The joy of battle¡­ I''m so glad he can smile while fighting again... even if I''m going to have to heal him," Demon said fondly.


    He flew and flew, keeping a firm grip on Enel the whole time until he broke through the very top of the beanstalk.


    What they saw, left them stunned.


    "That''s¡­" Wyper said, shock on his features. The aloof man immediately stood up and glared harshly at the screen.


    "What business does he have with the Golden Bell?!" The Shandian barked, poised to battle them all if he had to.


    "Wyper, stop!" Raki said nervously. They stood no chance against these people but he looked like he didn''t care about that.


    If they fought them, they wouldn''t even be able to take out one person before being neutralized.


    "I told him to find it," Robin informed him calmly. "I figured out the location of it and told Rosan about it. I wanted him to verify if it was there."


    "WHY?!" He snarled, rounding on Robin with a furious glare.


    "Hey," Maro warned, standing up to regard him with a glare. "Don''t talk to Robin like that. If it wasn''t for her, you would never know where it was in the first place. Have some decency, you''d have spent hundreds of more years trying to figure out its location."


    Robin smiled at the queen, touched that she would stand up for her.


    Wyper glared at his former opponent, unbothered by facing the one who defeated him so casually.


    "You have no right to that bell! It belongs to the Shandians!" he snarled. He would go after them both himself if he needed to.


    "Like this land you''ve been living on all these years, right?" Maro snarked right back, furrowing her brows at the stubborn man. "There''s such thing as too much pride. Learn to sit back and accept that you''re benefiting from someone doing something that you can''t," she said calmly.


    The Shandian clenched his fist and glared darkly at the bandaged woman, unable to refute her claims but refusing to accept that reality despite knowing that yes, he''d never in a million years have been able to stop Enel.


    Robin gazed at the angry Shandian with an infuriating smile (in his eyes) and said, "Did you know that in the Blue Seas, there is someone looking for the lost city of Shandora?"


    Wyper froze at that and the woman continued unimpeded.


    "His ancestor was labeled a liar because one day, the city vanished without a trace nowhere to be seen. In his final moments, he told them all, that it must have sunk to the bottom of the ocean so every day, that ancestor dives down in hopes of finding any trace of the lost city."


    The Shandian began trembling at her story.


    Surely she couldn''t be talking about...


    "His name¡­ what is his name?!" Wyper asked shakily.


    "Mont Blanc Cricket," she replied evenly, gazing at the screen.


    They all watched as Rosan''s scythe was engulfed in flames while Enel raved about being Kami. A trio of pillars surrounded the mad Logia and began dancing in time with the redhead''s beautiful humming.


    The self proclaimed Kami, had completely lost it as he was imprisoned by his greatest weakness and the redhead gazed at him with a victorious grin.


    "He''s doing it," Conis whispered. Was this nightmare going to end? Was the tyrant Kami going to finally fall¡­?


    Was this the beginning of brighter times for Skypiea?


    "Get em Rosan!" Luffy cheered excitedly.


    "Reckoning."


    Everyone shuddered at that word of finality and they waited with bated breaths, as an enormous fiery explosion happened.


    Once the dust settled, they saw an almost serene Rosan standing over a defeated Enel, bird resting on his finger.


    His eyes glittered with mirth as he smirked at them all. "Hope you enjoyed the show. Now if you don''t mind, I''ve got private things to do! Make sure you have my gifts ready, old Kami."


    And that was that, the stream abruptly ended, leaving them in a state of utter shock.


    It did not last long.


    "HE DID IT!" They all shouted in glee.


    Angel, Demon and Maro all jumped on a surprised Sabo in glee and tackled him to the floor, laughing at the look of exasperation on his face and getting the revolutionary to join them.


    Luffy jumped and whooped, landing on an amused Robin and wrapping his arm around her multiple times.


    "See, I told you there''s nothing to worry about! Rosan''s strong!" The Captain grinned at her.


    She smiled fondly at that megawatt grin of his and easily returned the hug. "You''re right, Captain. I don''t know why I was worried."


    Wyper stared at where the screen was with a blank expression, lost in his own thoughts.


    After all, his whole reason for wanting to reclaim Shandia, was right there. Above all else, he wanted to once more ring the bell to let Mont Blanc Noland know exactly where they were.


    And they could do that. If they rang that bell, the ancestor of Noland would know where they are¡­


    "Why¡­ Why did you tell him to find that bell?" Wyper asked Robin and Luffy.


    They both tilted their heads at that.


    "Isn''t it obvious?" Robin asked quietly.


    "To ring it of course!" Luffy grinned.


    To¡­ ring it?


    Then they all heard it.


    A melodious sound so loud, it resonated through all of Skypiea. A sound so distinct, it could only belong to one object.


    A bell.


    Wyper didn''t even realize he had fallen to his knees until the taste of tears reached him.


    "This sound," Gan Fall choked, tears falling from his eyes. "I always believed this day would come."


    Aisa and Raki gazed up in awe, allowing the sound to soak into them.


    Conis was the same. Tears fell from her eyes as she realized that yes, the never ending nightmare was over. Enel was defeated. He couldn''t hurt them anymore.


    All because of one group¡­


    "I¡­ He can''t possibly be a Devil," Conis sobbed freely, basking in the sound of the bell with a beautiful smile.


    "Actually, the world would disagree with you," an amused voice said.


    They all snapped to attention at that familiar deep voice and turned to face the exhausted, yet smirking, redhead.


    Their scout was a mess. He was completely shirtless, allowing them to see that a majority of his body had vicious burns on it but despite that, the crew showed just how idiotic they really were.


    "ROSAN!" They all cheered, leaping onto the injured redhead in glee.


    The redhead stumbled a bit, at being bombarded by a majority of his crew and tried to recover but fell instead due to being so tired.


    "C''mon, it hasn''t even been that long. Are you that hopeless without me?" Rosan laughed, hugging them back to the best of his ability.


    "Look at how expressive you are!" Angel sobbed, hugging him so tightly, he nearly choked.


    Everyone nodded, clambering the redhead with looks of excitement.


    "You did amazing! You''re so strong!" Chopper gushed, resting on his head with excitement.


    "I don''t know if anyone could have taken as much punishment as you did," Zoro grunted.


    They knew Rosan was strong but seeing the fight he put up against Enel, allowed them to really appreciate him even more.


    Rosan laughed at that. "You''ve gotta be able to take a bit of pain in a fight. It makes it easier to withstand being bombarded by you idiots while I have such burns on me," he told them.


    "That was way more then a bit of pain!" They deadpanned. Seriously, most people would be dead from that and here he was still finding time to insult them!


    The redhead disentangled from them after some time and slowly approached the smiling duo of Robin and Luffy, limping slightly.


    "Good job Rosan!" Luffy beamed, dragging the redhead into their hug.


    "You did amazing," Robin muttered, hugging him tightly as relief flooded through her veins.


    "It''s a beautiful sound¡­ I couldn''t stop myself from singing," Rosan told the duo as he returned the hug.


    "Shishishi! Do you think they can hear it down there?" Luffy asked curiously.


    "Kahahaha! Of course they can, I made sure it rang super loud," Rosan assured.


    They better be able to hear it. If not, they''d be none the wiser and continue to kill themselves down there and Luffy didn''t want that!


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "That sound¡­" Cricket said, gazing into the sky.


    "They made it up there, boss!" Masira shouted.


    "Isn''t that¡­" Shoujou trailed off.


    The descendant of Noland nodded. "There''s only one bell that rings like that. Those damn guys actually did it¡­"


    They all gazed at the giant figure in the sky, with magnificently large wings in awe.


    It all made sense, if people were living in the sky, the strong sunlight would show them as a giant monster¡­ but it was just their shadows!


    That meant the Sky Island really did exist.


    "That must have been one hell of an adventure," Cricket grinned, as tears fell down his eyes.


    "We hear you loud and clear. Shandora isn''t at the bottom of the ocean, it''s in the sky!"


    The man hunched over, much to the concern of Masira and Shoujou.


    "Are you alright boss?!" They asked.


    "I''m so glad they''re alright," the man told them, tears falling freely at the vindication he was feeling.


    "I was so worried for them!"


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan sagged in Robin and Luffy''s frame and let out harsh raspy coughs as all adrenaline truly tapered off, which made them all focus in on his severely injured body.


    "I''m tired," he muttered, sinking into the two with a pained sigh.


    Robin instantly steadied him and sat down slowly, allowing the redhead to rest his head on her lap. She idly raked his hair and smiled down gently at those glowing dual eyes of his.


    "Sleep. Demon and Chopper will make sure you''re as good as new, okay?"


    The redhead nodded, sinking himself further into her lap with a pleased hum. "I''ll let you guys handle the rest until I wake up then."


    They all nodded in unison.


    "Thank you¡­ Rosan¡­ No, thank you all," Gan Fall said, bowing at them with nothing but gratefulness.


    Rosan blearily turned to look at him, only moving his head, and said, "If you''re so thankful, prepare my gifts. I''ll let Nami and Angel decide if they''re good enough."


    "Leave it to us!" They said with a glint in their eyes.


    Gan Fall sweatdropped but nodded, bowing once more. "It''s the least I can do. Anything you guys want, I''ll do my best to accommodate."


    The redhead snorted. "You messed up saying that. I''m very greedy."


    Rosan faced Robin again. "Join me in the mindscape? There''s some things I want to discuss with you and Mod-chan."


    Robin blinked but nodded.


    "I''m going to sleep now and I''m taking Robin with me¡­ see you all when I wake up," he mumbled, allowing Demon and Chopper to fuss over him with no complaint.


    He tapped Robin and activated his technique and the duo both fell asleep.

 Insanity IV

    Rosan opened his arms and caught the flying missile with ease, smiling down as Mod clutched him desperately.


    She glanced up at him with teary eyes and the redhead laughed at how innocent his mother looked in that moment.


    "This is why you can''t date, Mod-chan. You''re way too adorable," he teased as he wiped her tears.


    "I agree, you''re far too cute for your own good," Robin joined, accepting the offer to join the hug and holding the shorter woman.


    She blushed scarlet and hid her face in their frames. "I''m just happy you big bullies! T-The castle lost another chain a-and the weather of the mindscape has changed and you have so much emotion showing!"


    Rosan snorted and ran a hand through her lustrous hair as she tried her hardest to disappear into him.


    "Speaking of which, how do you feel?" Robin asked curiously.


    How much of his emotions could he currently feel? Robin had a decent idea with her observation but she''d like to hear him put it into words to get a better grasp.


    Rosan hummed as he began walking to where the castle was, carrying an embarrassed Mod as he did so.


    She was right, the weather did change and it was perhaps the strangest phenomena yet.


    While everything was still frozen slightly, the ice wasn''t as thick and it was raining of all things.


    How strange. A raining frozen forest...


    "If I had to put it into words¡­ I''m much better than when I first broke out of Daybreak... Around the same level as when Meiko and I first started dating. I feel a majority of emotions right now and I think more are unleashed then restrained... which makes me wonder what exactly the chain is holding back," he muttered.


    Robin smiled at that.


    That was an enormous amount of progress made quickly and it would only get better.


    "With you as my emotional support now, I expect to make even more progress," Rosan smiled before it turned into a frown. "If you ever feel like I''m taking advantage of you, just let me know alright? I don''t want you to sideline your baggage just for my sake."


    Robin gazed at Rosan before rolling her eyes and pinching his cheek.


    "Rosan, I am quite literally unable to hide anything from you. You are just as much my emotional support as I am yours. Any baggage I have, is dealt with by you and that''s how it''s always been," she sighed in exasperation.


    Rosan blinked at that before a wry smile made its way onto his face. "It really has been like that eh? My Robin-nee trying her hardest to assure little me that things are fine and being called out immediately."


    She blushed in embarrassment at that. "The days when I thought it was possible to hide things from you¡­ why are you so good at detecting lies?"


    "Maybe it''s a perk of these strange eyes of mine," he smirked, eyes glowing in time with his statement.


    "I would love to find any type of information about them," Robin admitted, gazing into those heterochromatic eyes that were so important to Rosan''s essence.


    "I imagine Raisa would have information on them. It might be a royal secret so information is kept scarce," Rosan hummed.


    Mod let out an instinctual growl at the mention of Raisa.


    "Please do not mention that woman. It makes me feel uncomfortable," she requested, watching as the castle showed up.


    Rosan gazed at the castle with an appraising eye. True to Mod''s words, there really was a chain missing now which meant there was only one left¡­


    This one was the thickest and was wrapped the tightest around the castle. Rosan wondered what exactly it signified. If the second chain housed most of his emotions... what exactly was more important to him that the third chain refused to vanish?


    Hm...


    "Sorry Mod-chan but you might have to be uncomfortable for just a bit longer¡­"


    Mod went stiff at that.


    "Because I have some questions for you," Rosan finished, cocky smirk gone in favor of a serious look. It was nothing like the dead eyed expression but honestly, seeing the firmness in his eyes and the slight frown, was all the more scary.


    "Y-Yes, Rosan?" Mod asked, tone unsure as she gazed at the redhead.


    The redhead gazed down at her. "Who is Pestilence?"


    Mod went white.


    "I-I¡­ t-that," she stammered.


    How did he know their name...? That was¡­


    Rosan said nothing. The redhead patiently waited for her to speak while he ran a hand through a sympathetic, but silent, Robin''s hair.


    With Ram sleeping too¡­ it was clear to Mod that she was on her own. Even if Ram was awake, she doubted the ring would defend her here. She was becoming equally as skeptical as Rosan was because the redhead''s safety was her #1 priority.


    C-Could she really face Rosan alone¡ª


    Mod froze.


    Since when¡­ since when was she so afraid of Rosan? Since when was she so afraid of her son?


    The child that she had raised from a tiny toddler to this handsome man... the same man who used to clutch her tightly as he slept against her frame. The same boy who always looked to her for guidance, even when he had a good idea.


    The boy who trusted her with all his heart and just wanted answers.


    Here Rosan was, asking her a genuine question about a potential threat and she was afraid to answer because she was afraid of disappointing him.


    When did Mod become so pathetic?!


    The woman''s fear vanished, replaced by determination and she gazed up at Rosan with a fierce expression.


    "Before I tell you about Pestilence, there''s something I want to say to you," she said, standing up straight.


    Rosan tilted his head. "Hm?" he hummed curiously.


    She steeled herself. "I''m sorry for letting you down, Rosan¡­ As your protector, it was up to me to keep you safe and I failed almost as soon as I started. But please understand, that I truly do love you more then anything and in my eyes, you are my son! I have no intentions of letting Pestilence hurt you and I know above all else what she did is unforgivable in yours eyes¡­"


    Her steely gaze wavered. "But please¡­ please trust me a-and please stop excluding me from things because that really does hurt more than you could imagine¡­ I know I''ve been nothing but a coward when it comes to you but I promise I''ll be more brave so please¡­ please consider me your mother again," she whispered softly.


    The woman''s fierce gaze melted as she spoke until she glanced at the floor with a brave expression that was quickly wavering as the silence stretched on.


    Was it too late...? Had Rosan finally lost all his respect for her? Mod felt tears of defeat forming in her eyes as the realization that Rosan didn''t love her anymore hit her.


    She messed up so badly. S-She just wanted him to trust her again but she didn''t deserve that¡ª


    A pair of strong arms wrapped around her and held her close.


    "Was that so hard?" Rosan asked tenderly, voice quiet.


    Her expression broke and she began sobbing in his chest as his comfort enveloped her.


    "I-It was so hard!" She wailed, clutching him tightly as relief flooded through her system. "I just wanted things to go back to the way they were but I was so scared because I knew deep down, you were disappointed in me and you had every right to be. But in my fear, I was failing you even more! We''re partners but I took a step back and let you take charge of everything because I didn''t want to even entertain going against you," she admitted as she soaked his outfit.


    Rosan snorted. "Listen to me Mod-chan. No matter what you will always be my mother and I have never treated you as anything else but that. We have had our ups and downs but nothing will change that fact¡­ I wanted you to come to these realizations on your own because to be honest, if you didn''t I wasn''t going to let you talk to the virus."


    She shuddered at that. "You weren''t¡­?" Mod asked quietly.


    "Nope. I was going to destroy it as soon as I laid eyes on it and to be honest, I knew I could get away with it because of your irrational fear¡­ it''s cruel of me to say but Mod-chan, it''s a good thing you spoke up because I might have lost all respect for you after some time," he admitted.


    The Devil Fruit''s heart constricted at that because she would have deserved an outcome like that if it came down to it¡­


    "D-Do you still respect me?" She asked quietly.


    "Of course, I just want to know about Pestilence because I met them," Rosan said truthfully.


    That silly little virus really thought he didn''t know who they were? The only reason he didn''t do anything was because Mod-chan could deal with it first and he had more pressing matters such as winning that damn fight.


    Mod whimpered a bit and nodded in his chest so Rosan allowed her to cry.


    "I was actually about to sit the both of you down so that you could talk your issues out so I''m glad you figured it out on your own," Robin informed them. The woman was smiling at the duo and shaking her head in fond exasperation.


    "Honestly, you''re both so emotionally stupid and that''s coming from me¡­" Robin sighed.


    "No, you''re just as bad," Rosan retorted, reaching over and dragging her into the hug.


    "Shut up," she muttered before sobering up. "You say you met the virus?"


    Rosan nodded with a frown. "Yes, I''m very sure Pestilence is the Virus¡­ after all, Mom has been dead for 20 years."


    They froze at that.


    "Rouge¡­?" Mod asked quietly, removing her face from Rosan''s soaked shirt.


    Robin frowned deeply at that.


    "Yeah, I saw a glimpse, but she has the exact same voice and face as Rouge but her eyes are red and that''s all I could tell," Rosan grunted.


    His Devil Fruit frowned just as deep as Robin currently.


    "Pestilence is a woman?" She asked in confusion. "That''s¡­ I didn''t know things such as gender mattered to them¡­ they mentioned once that if they had to pick a gender, it''d be male because of their natural advantages¡­"


    "So they probably picked Mom to piss me off," Rosan grunted.


    "What else should I know? I''ll still let you deal with them but¡­ they certainly didn''t speak to me like someone who would so mercilessly torture me mentally."


    Mod pursed her lips. "It might be one of their tricks¡­ I must confess, I typically let the virus do whatever it was they wanted so they were given quite a bit of freedom¡­ even then, considering you''re stronger then me, Pestilence shouldn''t be able to pose a threat to you¡­"


    "Which is why it went after my emotions," Rosan rationalized.


    It made sense. It didn''t matter if it was a corrupt force, Pestilence probably didn''t even make up half of Modification''s power because they were not originally the Devil Fruit.


    In a fight, they wouldn''t stand a chance against the Devil Fruit itself, much less Rosan who had evolved with this fruit for the past 20 years.


    Of the three, he was the strongest. Mod-chan would still give him a difficult battle, but she would inevitably lose¡­ the had tested that out when he turned 20.


    So they were hiding. What was their game plan then? It was only a matter of time before Rosan broke into that castle and forced a confrontation.


    Is that why they were suddenly acting so courteous¡­


    "How is the Virus able to communicate with me through both the castle and Seastone, when you are completely incapacitated from me having Seastone?" Rosan asked.


    Mod pursed her lips. "The Virus is not... Modification. They simply assimilated some of my powers or all of it when I allowed it. I don''t know what they are but Pestilence is not Modification... They are a virus that gained their own set of abilities from my powers... perhaps they have a certain resistance to Seastone as a result," she explained.


    "Hm," Rosan hummed. "Why do they hate me?"


    "It is their nature... Pestilence hates everyone but me and... they probably despise you even more because you earned my loyalty. They are possessive," Mod informed him quietly.


    What was the purpose of this Virus? Why did Vegapunk add it? Rosan refused to believe that the genius had an oversight.


    This was intentional.


    Hm...


    There was no point dwelling on it. They would meet soon, Rosan just needed to figure out what that final chain wanted.


    "Rosan¡­ thank you," Mod said suddenly. "Thank you for giving me another chance even despite my monumental failure¡­ I''ll try my best to make sure it doesn''t happen again!"


    Rosan glanced at her and rolled his eyes, flicking her on the forehead and getting a surprised yelp out of her.


    "You think I was upset because you made a mistake? What type of hypocrite would that make me?" Rosan asked seriously.


    Mod''s eyes widened at that.


    "I was upset with you because you didn''t trust me enough to reveal the information," the redhead said truthfully.


    "Time and time again I just wanted you to see me as a partner, but you refused to stop babying me and that was the last straw," he admitted.


    Her eyes narrowed in guilt at that.


    "I decided, since you didn''t trust me enough to see me as a partner, I wouldn''t trust you enough to be mine," he said softly. "You would be my mother like you wanted and I''d be your son but we wouldn''t be partners anymore. After that moment, being both was impossible."


    Even Robin looked surprised by that statement. She gazed at the redhead with slightly wide eyes and realized Rosan treated these things very seriously.


    "So this entire time¡­ you were¡­ acting like my son?" Mod couldn''t help but ask.


    "Yup," Rosan popped the p as he smirked.


    She opened her mouth and then closed it.


    "I¡­ I think I like prioritizing partners more," Mod said in defeat.


    Robin and Rosan both burst into laughter at that.


    "Kahahaha! What happened? Can''t handle a kid who doesn''t wanna tell his parents everything? It''s natural you know?" Rosan cackled.


    "Fufufufu! You should be glad that Rosan''s natural teenage phase didn''t happen. You''d have found him completely insufferable!" Robin joined.


    Mod buried her face in their bodies in embarrassment and let out a moan of sadness.


    "I hate you two," she mumbled into their shirts.


    To think this whole time¡­ her son was acting like well¡­ her son! Now that she thought about it, it made so much sense that Rosan was acting like they were truly mother and son.


    It explained why he had gotten so distant¡­ it was natural for a child. As children got older, they told their parents less and less. It fit the bill of what Rosan was doing to a t.


    She still hated it though. She didn''t like it one bit. Rosan should be telling her everything.


    "What''s with that possessive grip?" Rosan asked in amusement, feeling the way Mod''s hold on them increased.


    "The both of you are mine," she growled fiercely. "No more secrets between us okay? The three of us are going to be open books from now on!" Mod demanded.


    "Sure," Rosan complied easily.


    "When did I get dragged into this?" Robin sweatdropped.


    "You never stood a chance," Mod replied with a victorious smile, gripping the two of them tightly.


    Robin sighed and accepted it with a fond smile.


    No matter what she said, Mod could really be just as bad as Rosan.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "I want to say I''m surprised you''re awake already¡­ but I''m really not."


    Rosan let out a small snort and sat up with Robin so they could regard the exasperated Demon.


    His younger brother had been reviewing some notes before noticing the duo waking and turned to face them.


    "Robin I get. She''s not even injured, but Master, with your injuries you should be sleeping for at least another day," the doctor admonished, running a hand through his high ponytail.


    He absentmindedly slapped his older brother''s hand due to Rosan picking at his bandages.


    "Stop that," he muttered, shooting Robin a smile.


    Rosan stopped tugging at his bandages and said, "I did everything I wanted while asleep so it''s time for me to wake up."


    "People don''t normally do things in their sleep," Demon retorted with a deadpan gaze.


    "I''m not most people, that''s why I get to move early," the redhead replied, moving slightly and immediately pausing as the dangerous aura of his younger brother washed over him.


    "Master." Demon''s smile was gentle as he glared at him with those brilliant red eyes. "I''ve quite literally never seen your body in worse condition then when Chopper and I worked on it."


    "Where is Chopper by the way?" Rosan spoke up.


    "He wanted to join the party so I let him go. Don''t change the subject."


    Rosan closed his mouth at that and Demon continued.


    "Seriously, you''re normally in top condition but your entire body was practically fried. You''re nerve cells were heavily damaged, heavy burns on your skin and you nearly went into cardiac arrest. The Philosopher''s Stone worked overtime to repair your organs."


    The glare was gone in favor of worry, Demon''s innate kindness making him unable to stay angry for long.


    "It was bad¡­ Really bad, Master. For the first time since I became your personal doctor, I worried for you," he admitted with a worried frown.


    Rosan''s eyes went soft and he ran a soothing hand through his brother''s hair.


    "But I''m fine because I know I had you and Chopper. I just want to move around a bit, Demon. If anything feels wrong, you''re the first person I''ll tell... okay second. Robin is first by default," he assured.


    "I''ll be watching him like a hawk¡­ trust me, it''s better to know that he''s gone then figuring it out when it''s too late. Saves you the heart problems," Robin smiled.


    Demon stared at the two for a while before nodding. "They''re all partying right now. There''s a lot of people out there so don''t get hurt. Make sure you don''t remove your bandages either. I know you love to do that," he demanded.


    Rosan smiled and rolled his eyes. "Don''t stay cooped up in here, you little nerd. I know you want to surprise Maro with the completed Rumble Ball but make sure you enjoy yourself too."


    Demon felt his throat lock up at how casually his emotional brother was speaking to him and nodded tightly.


    It felt so good to see him smile and laugh and just have a different expression.


    He didn''t realize how much he missed it... but he had really missed his older brother. Rosan was the sun for a lot of them and to see his flames be reignited...


    "Master, you look beautiful when you''re human," he couldn''t help but say.


    There was a brief pause as they digested his words and Demon''s expression, turned into one of mortification at what had inadvertently slipped out.


    Both Robin and Rosan looked stunned by that statement, regarding the doctor with wide eyes.


    Then, the redhead flashed a small, smug smile.


    Demon felt his danger senses going haywire at that smile.


    "My oh my, Demon. Don''t you think that crushing on your hot older brother is rather insane? I know you like both genders but please have some decency... I guess I can''t blame you though, I''m probably the hottest man you''ve seen yet," he shrugged helplessly, eyes shining in amusement as he looked at his embarrassed brother.


    Demon''s mortified expression deepened. "T-That''s not what I meant! Please don''t use my sexual preference to say these things!"


    "Kahahaha! Is that why you''ve always been so afraid to be in my presence? You been leering at me this whole time?" Rosan crooned, wrapping an arm around his horrified brothers shoulder and bringing him close.


    "Rosan please stop torturing my poor little Demon!" Mod jumped to the rescue, hiding a smile behind a firm scowl.


    "Yes, Rosan... he''s just glad that you''re doing well," Robin interjected, smiling in amusement at the look of embarrassment on Demon''s face.


    "Please get out, I''ll join the party in a minute," the doctor sighed, trying to will his red face from going away.


    Rosan laughed shortly and stood up. "I know how you get during parties so if you want me to bring over Mikita or Zala¡­ or both. I don''t think they''d mind honestly... Why haven''t you tried that yet?" The redhead asked.


    "Rosan don''t encourage his bad habits!" Robin reprimanded.


    "What?! They''re both into him and Demon''s a whore! I would have thought he''d be going at both of them by now!" Rosan said incredulously.


    "Out!" Demon nearly shouted.


    The two let out short laughs and quickly vacated the area, leaving the embarrassed doctor to himself.


    "Why is everyone so concerned about my love life?" the doctor sighed to himself.


    How did Master even know that both Zala and Mikita harbored feelings for him? Was he some type of wizard?


    The man sighed. Thinking about deepening a relationship was too much so he didn''t dwell on things like that, which was why he scarcely dated.


    The few times he did date someone, they didn''t last very long. They pried too deeply into his life eventually and he wasn''t comfortable sharing such information so he just gently let them down to avoid it becoming a problem in the future.


    Though¡­ maybe he should give some a chance.


    Angel had been happily married for 5 years and in a relationship for even longer.


    Granted, she was dating a behemoth like Maro so she didn''t have to truly worry about the girl''s safety often¡­


    Rosan and Robin were practically dating already and their family was hellbent on making it official.


    Maybe if Rosan actually opened his heart to her, Demon could find someone to settle down with.


    It was a thought for another time, he guess he could go join that party.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    The ongoing party went into a momentarily lull the moment everyone saw Robin and Rosan.


    It was full to the brim with Shandians, Skypieans, the giant snake of all things and of course, his crew.


    Before showing up, there had been quite the cacophony of noise and the bonfire they created, was actually massive.


    The redhead idly scratched at his bandage and sent Robin a scalding glare when she slapped his hand away.


    She simply smiled innocently at him.


    "I''m just scratching my bandages. I already got warned not to tear it off."


    "It could possibly be an instinct thing for you. I know how you are so I have to shut it down quickly."


    Rosan scowled and made to attack her...


    The two''s gaze snapped back to the crowd, at the sound of loud cheering.


    "HE''S AWAKE!" Everyone roared, swarming the redhead excitedly.


    Rosan looked startled and instinctively wrapped an arm around Robin''s waist to prevent anything from happening to her.


    His worries were for naught. The people seemed genuinely happy to see him of all things¡­


    "Huh?" Rosan thought in confusion as he took a step back from all the excited chatter.


    "Rosan-sama! I heard you''ve taken interest in Skypiea''s technology! Please, accept some of our assortment of wavers and breath ships to take back with you!"


    "And take as many of our dials as you want! We have so much that leaving with a bunch, is of no issue!"


    "We heard that your woman loves books! Please, take any that you find interesting! Skypiean history is rich and diverse!"


    "Us Shandians have a few combat based dials you may help yourself to as well."


    "Can we see your wings again?!"


    The redhead gazed at the people in complete silence.


    Why the hell did they like him? What was this? He wasn''t... expecting this outcome.


    "Probably because you beat their tyrant and invincible Kami," Robin supplied helpfully, laughing through their connection due to Rosan''s surprised expression.


    "Is our little Rosan not used to being well liked by the masses?" Mod teased.


    "It''s your right as my father to be loved by all!" Ram beamed.


    The redhead remained silent and their expressions turned a little worried.


    "Rosan?" They all called in concern.


    The redhead took a deep and shaky breath, before saying,


    "...How can I steal from them all when they just plan on giving me the stuff?"


    Ram and Mod face planted, while Robin held her face in exasperation.


    Was he serious right now? Rosan couldn''t possibly be a real person.


    "Thanks¡­ I''ll gladly accept every single gift," Rosan hummed despite his inner turmoil, wings growing out of his back to accommodate that one person''s request.


    Maybe he''d steal more then what they planned on giving him¡­? That seemed like a good idea... right?


    "Let me help you find the help you need," Mod begged her unbelievable son.


    This was ridiculous! He was stealing from people offering him gifts? What type of madness was this?!


    "I''ll see if I can fit it in my schedule when Robin and I have our therapy session."


    Robin could not contain her laughter at that. Rosan was so funny!


    The duo made their way over to the crew, all while accepting various snacks and drinks offered to them.


    "Finally you''re awake, Master!" Maro beamed, slapping the back of the injured Wyper with no remorse and getting a glare out of the Shandian. "I got a bunch of unique crops from these guys! I wanna trade them some of my own and maybe you can help them make them their own greenhouse to store more ground! It''s really valuable up here!"


    "Sure. After I get the greenlight from Demon, I can put a few greenhouses on that Angel Island of theirs¡­ for even more rewards," Rosan nodded, getting cheers out of the people again.


    "You''re so greedy," Usopp sighed despondently.


    Well, at least Usopp himself had managed to grab a ton of resources. With the amount of dials he received, he could ask Rosan for not only help with Nami''s Clima, but his own weapon as well!


    "You shouldn''t be moving so soon!" Chopper admonished, leaping onto the redhead to deliver justice.


    Rosan easily grabbed him out of midair and hugged the little reindeer while ruffling his fur.


    "Thanks for grabbing that Jet Dial for me Chopper. You really helped me out," Rosan smiled at their doctor.


    Chopper lit up and began dancing in his grasp. "D-Don''t think I''ll just accept any type of praise you bastard!" He beamed.


    "You look so alive like this," Nami complimented the redhead, gazing at his not neutral expression with a bit of wonder.


    To see how expressive the normally stone-faced redhead was... it filled her with delight, to see the human side of Rosan that everyone seemed to love so much.


    Watching how easily he smiled, how his eyes lit up at some things... they were beginning to see why. It was night and day.


    Rosan was about to reply, until a red missile attempted to tackle him to the floor.


    He easily caught and held them, seeing his little sister gazing up at him with teary eyes.


    "Everyone is so adorable," Rosan sighed fondly.


    "It''s really not going away?" She asked quietly.


    The redhead hummed and stroked her long hair. "It doesn''t feel like it, no. Right now, I feel pretty good. It''s not all, but a lot of my emotions are currently free."


    Angel''s eyes glittered at that and she squeezed with all her might, getting a short laugh out of him that turned into a cough of pain as Luffy and Maro tackled him.


    "Ow," he said blandly on the floor. The 3 most touchy (besides himself) of his family were squeezing him with quite a bit of force and considering he was still injured, it didn''t feel great.


    "Please be gentle, Rosan''s still hurt," Robin admonished slightly, shooting a smile towards the cheerful Sabo chatting obliviously with a Skypiean fluttering her eyes at him.


    "Oh, right!" They gasped, clambering off the prone redhead.


    "I''m not used to Master having prolonged injuries," Maro muttered. Had he ever been bandaged up since she knew him?


    No, because by then he had already eaten that stupid strong stone of his so even after getting speared through, he didn''t need anything but a checkup from Demon.


    "I should be healed by tomorrow once I replenish all my energy¡­" Rosan muttered, not moving from his spot and instead placing his head on Robin''s lap.


    "So did you guys get what you wanted?" the redhead asked, resisting the urge to purr as Robin raked a hand through his hair.


    "I know you want to purr. Can you? Please," Robin asked with a small smile, knowing he wouldn''t say no to her.


    Rosan rolled his eyes and offered one to her through the connection.


    The deep rumble coursed through her body and she couldn''t resist the shiver as it practically shook her bones.


    "Wow, so deep! I knew you would sound more like a tiger then a kitty now," Robin mused.


    "Shut up."


    Maro and Angel both nodded eagerly.


    "I got plenty of their technology! I can''t wait to see if I can reverse engineer it¡­ Did you know some of them can''t be used on the Blue Sea because they utilize clouds? I''ll need to collaborate with Hiroshi to try and fix that. Using these clouds on ground level would be amazing," Angel mused, expression turning thoughtful.


    Celadon and Fregate''s technology and livelihood could reach new levels if they incorporated this stuff and she had been getting rather restless. This was perfect to pour her attention into!


    It was so exciting!


    "I got my Haki and new crops that I can cultivate! I should be able to make an entirely new greenhouse full of those crops in about a month¡­ then I can start selling them along with our others and turn in a whole new page of profits," the Queen muttered.


    Heh, at this rate people all over the world would want her stuff. She was already famous in the four seas but outside of it? Heh, yes she could see the money already!


    "How good are your crops?" Sanji said, interest clear in his eyes. "I''d be willing to buy them exclusively from you. I''ve heard a lot about them when working at the Baratie but hearing it from you would be even better."


    Maro''s eyes glittered in pride.


    "The best in the Blue Seas! You won''t find them anywhere better because I''m the one growing them!" She grinned. "You can come visit and I''ll show you a bunch! I even have my own personal garden just for me!"


    Sanji nodded eagerly. Getting both of the Skypiean crops and Maro''s? That sounded too good to be true.


    "Oh speaking of which," Rosan spoke up, eyes opening from the short rest. "I''ve got something interesting for Nami and Maro."


    The navigator and queen perked up at that, glancing over at the redhead with blatant interest.


    Everyone watched as the redhead reached into his cardigan and pulled out a dial that his bird had stolen.


    "First, for Nami¡­ Give me Clima," Rosan instructed, slowly removing himself from Robin''s person and letting out a disappointed sigh.


    "What dial is that?" Nami asked in blatant interest, giddily handing over her weapon to the redhead.


    "Zoro should be familiar with it," Rosan commented idly. "According to his opponent, it''s called the Eisen Dial."


    Zoro''s eyes widened at that. "You mean the bald dudes weapon? The clouds that feel like iron?"


    Nami''s eyes turned into stars at hearing that.


    "Yup," Rosan nodded with a glance of concentration. His eyes began glowing as he dismantled Clima into pieces with his ability, before grabbing the dial and placing it in the debris of the staff.


    Then, with a thought, the pieces of Nami''s weapon began melding back together until it looked as if it was never broken in the first place. There was no physical changes, but the weapon shuddered before stilling.


    "So fascinating," everyone couldn''t help but think.


    "There. I have some more things I want to do but I''m more tired then I thought. Ask Clima later what you can do with that," Rosan grunted.


    "Thanks big bro!" Nami beamed, hugging the redhead thankfully.


    "Yeah yeah," he replied, patting her back. "I''ve got wind and lightning under my control now, so you will too. You too Usopp, I can make some new pellets for you if you want."


    Nami shook in excitement at that statement and her eyes turned fiery at the jump in power she was soon to get.


    Usopp jumped up in excitement. "You''re the best Rosan!" He praised.


    "I thought I was the only one who believed that," Rosan muttered tiredly.


    "Where''s my gift?!" Maro demanded. "I want it now!"


    "I thought you were satisfied, you bratty goblin," the scout said in amusement, slowly standing up and glancing thankfully at the Robin steadying him as he stumbled a bit.


    She placed his arm over her shoulders and kept him straight, allowing him to lean into her.


    "You sure you good to keep moving?" Zoro asked with a raised brow.


    "I''m fine," the redhead replied. "Come, if I summon your gift here, a lot of people are going to die. This ties in with something I want to show Robin too."


    Everyone balked at that statement, wondering what type of psychotic gift he got the queen and only Maro (and Luffy) looked excited by the prospect of what it was.


    "You have something to show me?" Robin asked curiously.


    "Yeah, it involves that Golden Bell," he said.


    Wyper and every other Shandian perked up at that.


    "Excuse me¡­" the chief of the Shandians spoke up, regarding the one who defeated Enel with a weary expression. "What is your plan with the Golden Bell?"


    If he wished to take it, there was nothing they could do to stop him. That man and his crew were massively stronger then them all. This was the person who had defeated Enel in one on one combat. If they desired to take it, it was theirs.


    Rosan shrugged. "Nothing. I just want to show Robin something," he said shortly.


    They couldn''t help the swell of relief at hearing he had no intentions of doing anything with the bell.


    "Why do you ask? Think I''m gonna steal it? I just might if that old man doesn''t cough up my damn reward," he told them with a raised brow.


    Gan Fall sweatdropped at the greedy redhead. "I actually do have a reward for you. I''m sure you''ll be pleasantly surprised by it but that can wait for later."


    The Shandians sighed in relief at that.


    "STOP DISTRACTING HIM! I WANT MY GIFT!" Maro roared, transforming into her full zoan to get her point across.


    Those unaware of what the friendly and very social queen could do, balked in terror at seeing her monstrous transformation and some screams reverberated through the festivities.


    Without any hesitation, the hulking Dokkaebi lifted both Robin and Rosan with startling ease and began marching off (she made sure to keep them as close to each other as possible for Ram).


    "Tell me where to go!" she barked.


    "I''m not injured," Robin said with an exasperated sigh, ruffling in place as her best friend was practically smushed into her.


    "I need to stop spoiling you so much," Rosan grunted, shooting Robin an apologetic look.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "I''m sowwy Master," Maro whined, brought to her knees by the crushing strength of Rosan grabbing her cheek.


    "Do not carry me like a baby again and do not crush me against Robin like that. It was borderline inappropriate," Rosan said, unrelenting.


    "I have to agree this time... there was almost no room for us to move!" Robin sighed.


    "I-I won''t now please let me go," she begged. Was he using armament?! Why was he such a dick?!


    The redhead snorted. "Don''t feel like it."


    She began whining even further, prepared to bust out the waterworks if she needed to.


    "You shouldn''t be so hard on her Rosan¡­ you let me carry you like a baby after all," Robin stepped in mercifully, removing his hand from Maro''s cheek.


    Rosan sneered at her. "You sure do love forgetting to add context don''t you? I was four and sick. For a genius, you''re really a fan of saying stupid things."


    Robin''s eyes narrowed. "That''s quite ironic coming from you of all people. After all, for 4 years straight I was convinced you were a hopeless idiot. In fact, I find myself hard pressed calling you smart even now."


    Everyone watched with a sweatdrop as the redhead stepped close to Robin, glowering over her and pressing his head against her own.


    "Wasn''t this hopeless idiot outsmarting you in every single fight we had?" He muttered challengingly, pleasant breath washing over her.


    Robin scowled and didn''t back off for a second, opting to close the distance even further somehow. "There you go again, always bringing up a fight when we argue. Is that the only thing you''re confident about when dealing with me? In fact, I don''t know why you''re so confident. I remember the record being quite close, wasn''t it?"


    Rosan scowled back. "Is that what you remember? I thought you were supposed to be smart, Robin-nee," he hissed.


    The Devil Child looked like she had enough of his nonsense. "Fine, perhaps I have to show you again exactly why you called me Robin-nee," she announced.


    "Bite me!" He snarled.


    "They''re ridiculous," their allies thought with forlorn sighs.


    "Just kiss!" Ram begged silently.


    Right before the two could break into one of their many brawls. They both suddenly went still and stepped away from each other.


    "This isn''t over," Rosan promised.


    "I''ll see you tonight," she retorted.


    "Why did you guys stop fighting?" Maro asked as she rubbed her cheek.


    "Mom," they replied in unison.


    Everyone who knew of Mod nodded in sympathy.


    She could be quite scary.


    "I-I just said stop arguing or else there will be consequences!" Mod flushed.


    "You are effective," Ram said in fear.


    Robin and Rosan both nodded.


    Mod flushed deeper.


    "C-Can I see my gift, please?" Maro asked hesitantly, hiding behind Angel so that her cheeks would remain safe.


    "Oh, right," Rosan nodded, before digging in his cardigan once more. The redhead was faced away from them so they couldn''t see what he pulled out and that left them more curious.


    "I know I said I should stop spoiling you so much but I always thought as queen, only the best things should be reserved for you," he mused, eyes glowing with Modification.


    "So, I got you a present. Happy birthday."


    Maro rolled her eyes. "Master, my birthday is August 25th. That''s the day you found me and since I don''t know the day I was born we decided on ¡ª HOLY SHIT!"


    Whatever the Dokkaebi was going to say, was completely cut off as the contents of her gift were revealed. Her eyes bugged, before splitting into the largest grin yet.


    "HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!" She squealed, tackling both Robin and Rosan to the floor and planting repeated kisses on every part of their faces in glee. "Mwah mwah mwah mwah! You''re the best and I love you so much and you''re so fucking awesome!"


    Robin let out a surprised noise at the action while Rosan just snorted, accepting it with ease.


    "Enjoy, I made it smaller and more fitting for you. It can sail or fly and it runs on electricity¡­ that Enel was pretty smart with the design," Rosan mused.


    The Thunder Dials in the ship were to make it hover in place for a while but with some quick engineering, Rosan had made it the primary source of travel for the Ark Maxim.


    "Will you be the one refilling it when it runs out?" Angel asked curiously, gazing at the ship in awe.


    "Nah, you will," Rosan replied easily.


    The redheaded woman blinked. "Huh?" She asked in confusion and pointed to herself.


    Demon perked a brow at that. "What do you mean?"


    Their older brother rolled his eyes, even as Maro continued peppering him. "Fire and wind are not a natural part of Modification so you can''t learn it. But lightning is. With your professions, I guess that''s a good thing."


    The doctor blinked before his eyes widened in surprise. "We can use that electricity?!" He asked in excitement.


    "SERIOUSLY?!" Angel balked in unrestrained glee.


    "Yeah, c''mere. I can''t move," he said as he beckoned towards the ecstatic Maro.


    His twin siblings eagerly approached and grabbed one hand each.


    "Modification: Update," Rosan intoned, grasping his clones and pouring Modification into them.


    The two seized up for a moment, eyes both glowing red as Rosan transferred the information to them.


    He completely ignored how Maro had never let up in her affections. Robin had been left stunned by the actions and was unable to muster up another reaction.


    Eventually he stopped his technique and both his siblings blinked at the influx of their innate technique.


    Angel grinned widely, as purple sparks began dancing across her bronze hand. "HAHAHA! I LOVE YOU MASTER!" She cheered, jumping in joy.


    With this, she could create an entire new set of inventions that were electricity powered! Yes! This was incredible!


    Demon''s eyes were glittering in joy at the new technique, summoning a single red spark between his thumb and index finger.


    He had his very own defibrillator now! Using this lightning in conjunction with his skills as a doctor... oh the possibilities were endless!


    "Thank you so much, Master," Demon actually grinned and banished the electricity.


    "Anytime," he replied easily, smiling fondly at his siblings.


    Besides changing the function of the ship, he changed its general appearance and made the ship smaller, while turning it the same shade of azure blue as Maro''s hair, with a dash of white over it.


    To finish it all off, the giant gold Buddha-esque statue had been modified and transformed into an image of Maro''s face as a Dokkaebi.


    "When did you do this?" Nami gawked in awe, gazing up at the ship with wide eyes.


    Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    "Before I rang that bell," Rosan replied.


    "How much energy do you have?! You looked dead on your feet!" Usopp exclaimed in disbelief.


    "I have a tendency to get lost in my interests. It let''s me ignore my own issues and bites me later," he replied.


    THe most obvious was when he created Ram... he couldn''t help it. Rosan wouldn''t be able to sleep if he wanted to do something.


    "Maro, just how long do you plan on kissing us for?"


    Maro, who had not stopped her eager peppers, grinned up at them both with joy. "Until I get tired! You guys got me a flying ship! That''s so cool! Oh! Oh! We should go visit Makino and then bring her over and then have her chew you out for being so rude! Then we can probably go to Alabasta too!"


    A ship that could fly and sail?! It was too good to be true!


    "I don''t need all the wavers I''m going to be getting either so you can have some of em too."


    Maro squealed and resumed her affections.


    Robin rolled her eyes with slightly dusted cheeks and just accepted it.


    "All these kisses on our faces are distracting you from exploring the ship," Rosan offered finally. "Look, the others are already inspecting it."


    Maro shot up at that and glanced wildly at her allies. Without any hesitation, she got off them and rocketed off towards the ship.


    "DON''T GO EXPLORING AHEAD OF YOUR QUEEN! WHAT''S WRONG WITH YOU ALL?!"


    "You make it look easy," Robin complimented. The woman got up and dusted herself a bit as she gazed at her best friend and helped him up.


    "Perks of raising her from zero. You know everything about them," he shrugged, marching off to find the golden bell. "C''mon, I moved the Golden Bell a lot closer in case those guys wanted to retrieve it."


    The Shandians perked up at that and glanced gratefully at the redhead, following after him.


    "What is it you wanted to show me?" Robin asked as she quickly caught up and held onto the injured man.


    "I''m interested too," Sabo said, sidling next to the duo with curious eyes.


    "You remember how you told me to find the Golden Bell right?" He muttered. "Well, your hunches were right, there''s a Poneglyph there."


    Her eyes widened in interest and Robin did not begin dragging Rosan there at an increased speed.


    Rosan just accepted it with a roll of his eyes as Sabo laughed at him.


    Maybe he was beginning to regret powering through every injury. His family was ruthless when they wanted to be.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "You can read this message?!" Gan Fall asked with wide eyes.


    Robin nodded as she gazed up at the Poneglyph with anticipation on her features. Rosan and Sabo watched right next to her with curious eyes.


    The Chief of the Shandians eyes bugged as he heard that and he gazed at the woman with a shocked gaze.


    "The Ancient Weapon that bears the name of the Kami "Poseidon"¡­ It''s location is within the Mermaid Princess¡­"


    Robin frowned at that. She did not care for the locations of the Ancient Weapons. This was another miss.


    Rosan pulled her into a side hug and patted the disappointed woman with a roll of his eyes.


    "Another Ancient Weapon?" Sabo asked with a raised brow. "Wait, did you two actually find out the location of Pluton?"


    They both nodded in unison and it was then that Sabo saw just why Nico Robin was such a dangerous threat to the World Government.


    Rosan hummed. "First Pluton, now Poseidon. We know two of the locations now¡­ I wonder if we should attempt to siege them so that no one else can get them?"


    Robin thought about it before shaking her head. "I''ve been in the Grand Line for a long time and right now, it''s impossible to get either. Pluton especially, will just end up with all of us dying."


    Poseidon was likely on Fishman Island but Pluton? Nothing they did currently would be able to allow them to acquire it.


    Rosan hummed but nodded. "It was food for thought. I have no interest in them either¡­ and if Poseidon really is a person, then I want it even less... but an ancient weapon being a person is volatile. We should be careful."


    "I agree. If the time ever comes, we can observe the person for ourselves and make a decision there. If we have to, I wouldn''t be opposed to you doing whatever it is that keeps us safe."


    Sabo gazed at the two with a calculating eye.


    It was rather grim of them but Sabo understood exactly where they were coming from. Sometimes, things just turned out this way and if the holder of Poseidon proved too volatile, he''d probably do the same thing.


    Robin and Rosan were about to leave but the revolutionary stopped them before they could.


    "Wait, there''s another message, right there."


    Her eyes followed where he was pointing and narrowed in confusion.


    A message not written on the Poneglyph¡­? Who wrote this?


    "I hereby guide this document to its end. Pirate¡­ Gol D¡­ Roger?!" Robin said in shock.


    The woman stepped back in disbelief and shot a cautious glance over at the Rosan who just snarled violently, putting a hand on him.


    How did Roger know these letters? He had been to Sky Island?


    Come to think of it¡­ There were two types of Poneglyphs. Stones with information and stones that show the location of others¡­


    This stone was a stone with information¡­ which meant "I hereby guide this document to its end¡­"


    "You said Roger?" Gan Fall spoke up in surprise.


    "You know him?" Robin asked, putting a hand on Rosan, whose gaze had turned smoldering.


    The former Kami nodded. "It''s been more then 20 years since he came here¡­ he was a pirate of the Blue Sea. I take it that¡­ Rosan knows him as well?" He asked warily.


    Rosan sneered. "I know him alright."


    "You hate him?" Sabo thought in surprise, before actually thinking about it.


    Right¡­ Roger did bring those Marines over to Baterilla. It was natural that Rosan would despise him.


    "Of course I do. He''s Ace and I''s father and yet he single-handedly ruined our lives."


    ¡­


    Sabo had to do everything in his power, to keep his expression schooled, as his jaw threatened to drop.


    "YOU''RE HIS WHAT?!" He shouted loudly through their connection.


    Rosan glanced over at him. "Right¡­ I keep forgetting that you don''t remember these things anymore."


    Sabo held his head at his brother''s antics. "You''d think you would mention this earlier¡­ like when you were telling us all the story about Baterilla."


    "Slipped my mind."


    The revolutionary sighed. He was unbelievable.


    So Ace was the actual son of Roger and Rosan was his adopted son.


    Huh.


    "Did I ever mention that Luffy was Dragon''s son? Probably not."


    Sabo''s jaw did drop this time.


    "LUFFY''S DRAGON''S SON?! WHAT THE HELL?! AREN''T YOU ALSO THE SON OF A QUEEN? WHAT''S WRONG WITH YOU GUYS?!" The Chief of Staff asked in horror.


    His boss, was his youngest brother''s dad?! Why was he JUST now learning this?!


    Robin smiled at them before turning towards the Chief of the Shandians. "Chief, this Poneglyph has already fulfilled its purpose. I''m very sure that by connecting each Poneglyph, a document will slowly be filled until it''s completed and the Pirate King, already delivered the document of this Poneglyph to its destination."


    The Chief''s eyes widened at that and he took a step back. "So¡­ So you mean? You mean we no longer have to fight anymore?"


    Robin nodded and the man felt his tears drop, as he fell to his knees.


    "OUR ANCESTORS WISH WAS FULFILLED!" The man sobbed to the rest of the emotional Shandians.


    The Devil Child smiled at them.


    "You say you wanted gold, yes?" Gan Fall asked. "Why not take this broken support column?"


    It was one of the support columns holding the bell but it looked like it was seconds away from breaking off.


    Rosan glanced at it. "Sure, I''ll take it¡­ that must be worth billions," he muttered.


    It was too big to fit on the ship but this was what his crew earned, so Rosan wouldn''t feel right placing it in his Pocket Dimension but he probably had no choice¡­


    The man broke the column off and laid it gently on the ground with startling ease (everyone''s eyes bugged at his strength).


    Then, he took out Ram and transformed her into a saw like blade.


    The redhead hummed and began to cut the pillar of gold into thick giant pepperoni slices, until he was satisfied.


    He had the massive column down to about a quarter and stacked the pieces of gold he cut atop each other.


    "This should be enough¡­ then I''ll store the rest in an area just for them¡­" Rosan mused, tapping the column he didn''t cut into and having it vanish. The redhead hoisted up the giant coins of gold and secured them.


    "Alright, we should be leaving soon so let me put this on the ship," the redhead muttered.


    "Wait just a minute!" Gan Fall interrupted. "That wasn''t my gift to you."


    Rosan, Sabo and Robin blinked. "Oh?"


    Gan Fall smiled.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "And you say you aren''t lucky."


    "I might have to reevaluate that."


    Rosan''s eyes glowed maniacally at what he was looking at.


    "Some of my men found it lying in a pile of fruit while we cleared out Kami''s Temple and I figured it would be a perfect gift for you," Gan Fall informed him, satisfied due to the gleam in Rosan''s eyes. "I assume you know what it is?"


    Gan Fall himself didn''t know and if he did, perhaps he would have hesitated a bit more to give it over.


    Oh well, it was Rosan''s now.


    "I''m quite interested in knowing too," Robin chimed in but she had her hunch.


    Honestly, Rosan''s luck outside of life situations, was amazing.


    "Yeah what is it?" Sabo jumped in with interested eyes.


    In his palms, Rosan presented a crackling yellow fruit that looked like a pear to them all with a cocky smirk.


    "This is the Goro Goro no mi, Enel''s Devil Fruit," Rosan told them all.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    ¡­


    "WHAT?!" Everyone roared in disbelief.


    "I knew it," Robin sighed.


    Gan Fall felt his jaw slacken. "I¡­ You¡­ Well, even with that knowledge¡­ better for you to have it then another person on the Sky Islands¡­"


    He had no idea he was giving away Enel''s Devil Fruit without a second thought¡­ He actually didn''t even know Rosan had finished off the Former Kami of Skypiea.


    For it to spawn directly in one of the many fruit piles that Enel enjoyed eating so much¡­


    "What are you going to do with it?" Robin asked.


    She knew that if given the chance, Rosan would have her eat it but they were both already Devil Fruit users.


    "Dunno just yet¡­ Hey Sabo, wanna eat it?" Rosan asked calmly, gazing at his brother with a tilted head.


    Sabo''s eyes widened at that. "You''re just offering me that Devil Fruit?!" He asked in disbelief.


    "Sure. I don''t really have anyone I want to give it too besides maybe Nami and you don''t have a Devil Fruit so why not?" He retorted calmly. "You''re the only brother without a Devil Fruit and it would balance out this way. Luffy and I have Paramecias, you and Ace would have Logias."


    He gazed at his oldest brother with wide eyes. Was Rosan seriously going to just offer it to him without hesitation?


    The revolutionary thought about it deeply, weighing the pros and cons before coming to a decision.


    "As tempting as it is¡­ I''ll pass for now," Sabo denied eventually. "I''m fine without a Devil Fruit at the moment and I swim often when I''m on missions."


    A Devil Fruit was a big change in life. It changed your core fundamentals and Sabo was content with his level at the moment.


    Sure, the Goro Goro no mi, with enough practice, would boost him to even higher levels¡­ but he wasn''t pressed to reach that just yet.


    Maybe in the future. Enel''s usage of that fruit was surprisingly incredible... if Sabo did end up eating it, he''d have a good grounds to start.


    Rosan nodded in understanding and had the fruit vanish into his Pocket Dimension. "Fine by me. If I haven''t given it to someone else and you change your mind, feel free¡­ Not that I know who I''m going to give it to."


    Nami was a Navigator. There was no way she was ever going to accept this fruit.


    With that done, the group finally prepared to set off.


    "Got some last minute things to do then we''re off," Rosan muttered. "Thanks for the gift Old Man¡­ hopefully the next Goro Goro no mi user doesn''t subjugate your entire island."


    He sweatdropped but nodded in return. "Thank you once more for saving Skypiea¡­ we will never be able to fully repay this debt."


    Rosan waved him off. "Don''t think about it too much. I know I won''t. C''mon Robin. Sabo. We need to get everything situated so we can leave."


    The two grabbed onto his shoulder and they promptly vanished.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan stared nervously at Robin, as they both resided in one of the many rooms of their castle.


    Robin sighed at his reluctance, before immediately removing her top. "Really, Rosan. It''s completely okay. I trust you."


    The redhead let out a rattled sigh. "I know it''s just... what if I mess up? I don''t wanna steal your Devil Fruit."


    "You won''t," she chided gently. "You have Modification and Mod-chan too, plus you can make holograms. Make one of me while you''re inspecting my body and monitor it."


    The redhead cursed. "Why are you so damn smart?" He complained. He was hoping she didn''t mention that because he had just been about to say how he shouldn''t do this without some sort of way to understand where he was navigating her body.


    "I have to be because you''re stupid," she smiled.


    "Despite my reluctance... I have a general idea of the ability as well. I will ensure nothing goes wrong and Ram can keep an eye on the hologram for errors."


    The ring transformed into her human form and saluted, before whistling. "Mother, your boobs are huge," she complimented, grinning wildly at the idea that Father needed to be touching them.


    "Shut up Ram."


    "...Sorry."


    Robin rolled her eyes at the ring, used to her inappropriate comments (seriously, Ram had seen her naked so often now... was she serious?) and focused on Rosan. "The faster we get this over with, the faster you can stop being nervous."


    The redhead jumped a bit at that before nodding reluctantly. "I won''t use Extract Files fully. I''ll test it out to see if I can manipulate it then leave it at that. Once I get confident enough... I can find another person and try it out fully on them."


    The brunette nodded. "Okay that''s perfect. I''m in your care."


    He closed the distance and muttered under his breath, before a hologram of Robin formed, lines coursing through its body.


    She inspected it curiously, only to let out a small yelp of surprise, at the warm palm resting directly atop her heart.


    "His entire body always radiates such a soothing warmth. I guess that''s what I should expect from a dragon who has mastered his flames," Robin noted absentmindedly.


    "Let me know if its get too uncomfortable. We can stop immediately," Rosan muttered to her gently, eyes glowing as he got ready to activate the technique.


    Robin, sensing that he was still nervous, sought to alleviate him in the best way she knew how...


    "Come now, Rosan... you''re standing here groping me and are so nervous? I''m starting to think the technique isn''t the problem. Is my little sweet redhead shy around a woman older than him? You''re normally so confident!" She asked in concern.


    ...By taunting him of course.


    She resisted the urge to smile, as a scowl formed on his face.


    "I am not groping you," he replied, nervousness melting away immediately as he glared at her.


    "This is the second time too," Robin said as she effortlessly ignored him. "First my butt, now my breasts? I can''t help but think you''re taking advantage of me. Are you sure you''re not a pervert¡ª"


    The woman abruptly let out an actual shout of surprise this time as the redhead actually squeezed down and she shut her mouth immediately.


    "That''s groping. I''m trying to do this as professionally as possible, I do not need you to call me a pervert," he grunted, turning to focus on the task.


    Mod and Ram''s jaw dropped to the floor at his actions.


    W-Why was he like this?!


    "You are incredibly shameless," Robin muttered, slightly flushed at his bold actions.


    "You were asking for it. If I wanted to grope you, I''d be able to freely do so because you wouldn''t even get mad like you''re supposed to," he replied calmly, activating the technique and inspecting her body with a contemplative expression.


    "Don''t call me out like that. I can get mad! It''s just hard to do so!" She shivered a bit at the alien sensation going on in her body but it finished as soon as it started.


    "Right," he said dryly. "Me shamelessly groping you is not grounds to get upset. You''re so normal Robin."


    "If anyone else did it, I''d break their bones," she tried weakly.


    "I''m honored to be exempt from your ire," he mock bowed.


    The redhead stepped back, removing his palm and began muttering, eyes shining curiously.


    "So it really was because Enel is a Logia. I could grasp your DNA easily and with enough practice, I should be able to extract it... the hard part, would be molding it with the fruit," he explained to her.


    "Like this... I don''t even think I have to fully remove your Devil Fruit, just a large enough sample would be enough to make a copy but I want to see if it has any negative effects so I won''t ever do it to you first," Rosan pondered.


    "He''s such a nerd," Robin thought fondly, standing up.


    She couldn''t keep the smile off her face, as Rosan''s eyes unwittingly flickered over to her from the sudden movement before he caught himself.


    So he was right about his eyes moving reflexively from sudden movement.


    "Sorry," he apologized, handing her shirt back to her.


    "It''s fine. You said yourself that it was a natural human reaction and we do bathe together. You know... most girls don''t mind being stared at if it''s someone they like and I said you''re the only person I wouldn''t be upset with," she dismissed, placing the shirt back on.


    He smiled at her and pulled her into a hug. "Thanks for doing this for me... do you mind if we do this a few more times in the future? I want to get a perfect feel for it. I might ask Maro for help too just to see if a Zoan feels any different from a Paramecia and Logia."


    Robin nodded in agreement, before smiling in a rather impish manner. "I knew you were a pervert. Trying to feel up not only me, but Maro too? I know she''s grown quite blessed over the years but she''s a married woman, Rosan. Perhaps you actually enjoy when she flirts with you?"


    The woman let out a startled yell as Rosan tackled her to the floor.


    "I''m not being professional anymore and you''ve been pretty annoying lately," he hissed, body sparking red.


    Robin glared up at him, not even remotely intimidated by those sparks.


    That was a mistake.


    Rosan tapped her belly with a single finger and sent a tiny jolt through her.


    "R-Rosan! You little insufferable brat!" Robin shouted, summoning an entire army of arms to push the redhead off and restrain him.


    Before he could properly struggle, she lunged atop him and they quickly began brawling.


    Ram put both hands to her rosy cheeks and swooned as she watched them hit each other without any hesitation. "Father is so bold! He should have squeezed her boobs for way longer!"


    "Get help, all of you."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan didn''t get to rest at all and with his injuries, it left him rather drained.


    The amount of new things he placed in his Pocket Dimension, had Mod frothing at the mouth at his hoarding tendencies.


    "Please stop exaggerating."


    He had taken Maro''s ship, new crops, wavers, and dials over to Celadon, built a greenhouse on Angel Island, filled to the brim with soil for them, placed Maro''s own crops in it, accepted even more unique things exclusive to Skypiea, brought Maro, Angel and Demon back to Celadon, gave them even more stuff and then he proceeded to steal some more things for himself.


    Huh, maybe he was too greedy.


    He still hadn''t even visited Aiko yet¡­ That could wait for later though.


    He also showed his crew the gold he had secured them.


    "WE''RE RICH!" Nami cheered with beri shaped eyes. "LOOK AT ALL THIS GOLD!"


    They were all dancing in glee at the big stack of gold piled neatly on top of each other.


    "That''s only about a quarter of all the gold I got," Rosan muttered, wondering how the hell Nami managed to randomly get these superhuman feats of strength.


    Seriously, this hug felt like it was going to break his ribs.


    "A QUARTER?!" They gaped.


    "Yeah that pillar was huge¡­ I had to cut off some pieces because our ship would have sunk otherwise," he replied. "It''s going to last us more then enough time and I probably won''t even have to dip into my money for you guys anymore."


    "WOOO!" Luffy cheered. "LETS BUY ALL THE MEAT IN THE WORLD!"


    "I want booze," Zoro said.


    "Can we buy a bigger fridge, with a built in lock?" Sanji asked.


    "LETS GET 10 CANNONS!" Usopp shouted.


    "I want more books on medicine from across the world!" Chopper requested.


    Nami sweatdropped at them all. "If we get what you all want, we''ll go broke in no time."


    "Let Rosan and I decide how to allocate our funds¡­ you can come to us with a request and we''ll decide if it''s worth getting," the navigator decided.


    "Why are you giving me more duties?" Rosan sighed forlornly, falling back tiredly against Robin. "I''m tired."


    "We''ll go to sleep soon," Robin assured with a small smile. The redhead had been ran ragged and it was his fault for insisting he was fine.


    "It''s about time we leave," Nami muttered. "Do we have everything, Rosan?"


    "Yeah. I got us a bunch of new stuff," he said tiredly, burying himself deeper into Robin with a satisfied hum. "Please don''t ask me to do anything else. You guys are fine."


    The navigator nodded. "We just have to follow Conis and Pagaya so that we can leave."


    "Awww, we have to leave already?" Luffy sighed in disappointment.


    "If we ever want to visit again, we can just have Rosan fly us up!" Nami assured.


    They all perked up at that and glanced at the redhead with glittering eyes.


    "...You guys just really decided that on your own?" he popped one eye open.


    They smiled brightly.


    "...I hate you all."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "So once we pass through this gate, we just have to take the Milky Road back into the sea?"


    "Yes, please be careful!" Conis called out to the group. "THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH! I HOPE WE SEE EACH OTHER AGAIN ONE DAY!"


    The crew waved goodbye as they began preparations to fully leave.


    "Make sure you pull up your sail!" Pagaya informed them. "Be careful of the drop!"


    They blinked.


    "Drop?"


    Then they dropped.


    "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Chopper, Usopp and Nami''s eyes bugged in disbelief as they fell off Sky Island.


    Rosan''s tired gaze turned alert as he prepared to fly them the rest of the way down, but there was no need to worry.


    A giant floating octopus latched onto their ship and began floating down gently through the air, allowing the scout to once more relax.


    The redhead placed his head back onto Robin''s lap and sighed.


    "It''s pretty peaceful," Rosan commented, gazing into her blue eyes in a bit of wonder.


    She smiled brightly at those glowing eyes of his and idly brushed a hand against his hair.


    "I think we got far more then we bargained, coming up here," she told him.


    Rosan cracked a smile at that. "Just a bit."


    Haki, technology, a Devil Fruit, new elements, gold, his emotions¡­ They really did come out of Sky Island with far more then they went in with.


    "Thank you, Robin," Rosan said suddenly, eyes turning soft as he gazed up at her.


    "Hm? Why are you thanking me?" She asked curiously with a raised brow.


    The redhead hummed a tune, as they began to hear the loud but gentle sound of the Golden Bell.


    It rang through the air as a farewell to them and the entire crew basked in it.


    Robin found herself falling into a lull as Rosan''s pleasant voice seeped into her.


    "Since coming up here, you''ve done more for me then I could put into words. You reprimanded me, you told me to rely on you, you cared for me... you made me realize just how much I care for you," Rosan said softly, eyes shining brightly.


    The Devil Child blinked, stunned silent as she listened to his words.


    "The knowledge that I needed to keep you safe from Enel¡­ it motivated me to win that fight. I wouldn''t have been able to unlock my emotions without you and it made me realize¡­"


    Robin felt her throat lock up as those intense eyes stared directly into her own with an emotion she couldn''t quite pinpoint.


    "Meiko told me that I already found a reason worth living for and I thought about it the entire time I was up there but now I know¡­ Nico Robin, You''re the reason worth living for so thank you for putting up with an honest idiot like me... I don''t know what I''d do without you."


    Rosan''s mouth spread into a small grin that showed teeth and Robin found herself floored because she could see exactly what Demon meant, when he said that the redhead was beautiful when human.


    That small grin meant everything to her.


    It would perhaps never match the size of little Rosan but it didn''t need to because it was still a grin at the end of the day and Robin wanted nothing more then to protect it.


    "I¡­" Robin was honestly speechless, much like how she always was when Rosan gave her one of his fulfilling speeches.


    So she just nodded tightly and stared into the eyes filled with a love that was not there earlier this week.


    A love that she had missed for who knows how long. A love that reminded her of just how far Rosan was willing to go for her¡­


    Even when they were far more blanketed, he reserved certain looks just for her and nobody else. To her, Rosan was the world and vice versa. They both needed each other and never hid that detail from the others.


    That''s what she loved about him and that''s why she had feelings for¡ª


    Wait.


    Hold on a minute.


    Feelings?


    "Oh no," Robin thought in realization.


    Nami (who had been listening in with an eager and fond gleam), Ram and Mod grinned in unison, as they saw Robin look at Rosan with the faintest of blushes.


    They all resisted the urge to squeal at the same time.


    "Oh yes!" They all thought to themselves.


    "Do I... have feelings for Rosan?" Robin thought in disbelief.


    As she thought about that, she gazed at the fondly grinning redhead and expertly schooled her expression due to Rosan still staring at her.


    That was the wrong thing to do.


    Rosan''s smile swiftly vanished and he got way too close to her own face with a look of concern.


    "You alright?" He muttered lowly, making sure no one could hear in case she wasn''t. "Did I say something wrong? I promise I wasn''t trying to be harsh on myself. I''ve been seriously taking your words into account."


    "No¡­ it was nothing," she said, as her mind ran a mile a minute.


    His eyes narrowed suspiciously. "It''s gotta be something. I know you and all your little tells."


    That sent a pleased tingle through her and the Devil Child resisted the urge to shudder.


    "No really, Rosan¡­ your words just sent me deep into thought. I appreciate them more then you could imagine," Robin assured honestly, wrapping him in a hug to hopefully distract him.


    Thankfully, it worked and the redhead immediately relaxed in her grasp, sending another pleased tingle that turned into a roar as he hugged her close.


    How could she tell Rosan that it wasn''t that something was wrong¡­ but the complete opposite?


    His words had hit her in all the correct places and it made Robin starkly aware of a new detail.


    That being, she was pretty sure her childish crush on Rosan was back and it wasn''t so childish anymore.


    Every word of his, sent a tingle. Every memory, was looked at so differently. Even just the one earlier today, where he was practicing Extract Files, was suddenly so much different.


    This was bad. This was really bad. Neither of them were ready for a relationship right now so why now of all times did her crush have to come back?


    "You''re comfy and I''m tired... I''m goin to sleep," Rosan mumbled, yawning and furling deeper into her.


    "Y...You sleep, I''ll read a book in the meantime," Robin muttered, gazing at his features with furrowed brows.


    Surely it was a mistake. Was this... Was this real¡ª


    Rosan sent her a small smile that halted her train of thoughts, into absolutely nothing.


    Ah, it was real. She had fallen for him hard hadn''t she?


    "YES! HAHAHAHA, I FUCKING WON!" Ram roared in glee, making sure the connection was cut off so she could cheer without arousing suspicion.


    The ring grabbed Mod and began jumping around in glee, effortlessly spinning with the shorter woman.


    Mod was too happy to chastise Ram for her language.


    Step 1 of Operation: Robin & Rosan was complete. Now that they knew one person was guaranteed interested, it was time to bombard them with the full might of their family.


    The Devil Child herself, felt an unexplainable chill crawl down her spine.


    Rosan snored inaudibly on her lap.


    <hr>


    Memory Viewing With Robin and Rosan - 7 (Covers Chapter 20)


    Continued!


    (Time frame is between Alabasta and Jaya)


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Hurry up."


    Rosan shot Robin a slightly incredulous look, as she urged him to bed.


    "Can I finish my workout?" He retorted calmly, staring at her evenly despite being in a perfect handstand.


    She gazed at the shirtless redhead with a flat gaze, already dressed in her nightwear. "No. We''ve already worked out enough today. You''re going to start sweating soon and then you''re going to say you want to take a shower next," she informed him calmly.


    The redhead sighed and pushed himself up, before expertly flipping and landing upright.


    "Fine," he grunted, making his way to the bed. "You become so demanding for the strangest of things."


    Robin smiled victoriously. "I enjoy watching your memories. I thought I made this clear," she said with a small shrug.


    The redhead resisted the urge to sigh at yet another spoiled person commanding him.


    "Nothing you want to do? Hungry? Thirsty?" He asked, gazing down at the woman who had already wrapped herself in covers to counteract the everpresent cool temperature of the castle in his Pocket Dimension.


    Robin pointed at the cabinet next to her with a platter of sandwiches and a rather large cup of lemonade.


    "Thanks to a certain mother hen, I have immediate access to both," Robin said dryly, tilting her head forward a little. "Tie my hair into a bun?"


    The redhead nodded easily and leaned in, grasping her hair with nimble and quick fingers.


    "Honestly, you''re so overprotective of me, I don''t find myself wanting because you''ve probably already sensed and given it to me," Robin sighed, liking the way his fingers manipulated her hair.


    "That''s because you''re so passive. You won''t speak up if you want something, if you even slightly view it as an inconvenience for another person," Rosan muttered, leaving the single red strand free and parting the rest of her back. "You''re too kind. Be a little more demanding."


    The Devil Child protested at being called out so bluntly. "I''m ordering you around, aren''t I?" She asked in defense of herself.


    "Who else have you ordered around besides me? I''m encouraging you to boss me around in hopes that you''ll boss others. Since you know how much I don''t like being ordered, it should make you more inclined to demand things from others," he said encouragingly.


    The redhead removed his hand from her bun and made her look up at him by grasping her cheek. "You''ve grown up punished for wanting even the littlest of things on Ohara... You don''t have to feel that fear with me. I promise, ask for something and I''ll do everything in my power to give it to you. No one should be punished for having desires," he said softly.


    Robin looked into his eyes and felt her throat lock up at that, not expecting the conversation to suddenly become serious.


    Her best friend really didn''t know just how much she appreciated when he said things like that... To go to such an abusive lifestyle, into his loving arms was a shift that she had gotten used to years ago... and was struggling to get used to once more.


    She was glad Rosan was putting in an earnest effort to make her feel just as belonged as the days when they were children.


    "I... thank you, Rosan," Robin said softly. "I''m glad you''re here reminding me of little things like this."


    "It''s my duty," he said seriously hugging her gently before placing on a silver tee. "Now let''s continue the memories."


    She nodded, before a thought occurred to her. "Actually, if you''re insisting that you''ll give me what I want... transform into a woman," Robin said mischievously.


    Her smile widened as Rosan turned a startled gaze towards her, neutral gaze confused.


    "No. What is wrong with you?" Rosan asked curiously, slipping under the covers and taking his spot right next to her on the giant mattress. "Why are you so obsessed with my female form? Are you a genuine pervert?"


    "No, I like tormenting you," she admitted shamelessly. "Now do it."


    "No."


    "Yes."


    "No."


    "Yes."


    "No."


    Robin''s eyes narrowed.


    Rosan followed suit.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Hi Mother and Mother!" Ram greeted eagerly, flying into the utterly unamused Rosan''s grasp.


    The redheaded woman caught her and felt her gaze flatten even further, as Ram shamelessly poked at her breast.


    "You did this to me," Ram muttered with a glower.


    Rosan didn''t understand what the fascination with this form stemmed from. Was it because he was a male and the idea that he could show them a normally impossible, was too tempting to resist?


    Robin smiled and accepted the hug next.


    "Refrain from calling me Mother again," Rosan warned once, long red hair fluttering with the shake of her head.


    Ram saluted and straightened at that deep, soothing voice. "Y-Yes, Ma''am!"


    Red and purple bored into her and the ring shrunk behind the terrible amused Mod.


    The Devil Fruit gazed at her son turned daughter and shook her head in disbelief.


    Absolutely absurd.


    "I''ve already set everything up. I quite enjoy watching the memories on a bed so I kept the seats like that as well," Mod informed them, allowing the redhead to take the lead.


    Robin easily took Rosan''s side and stared at the woman standing the same height as her.


    "Does that mean as a male, I''d be the same or taller than you while you''re a male?" She mused curiously, looking at all the pretty features of the redhead without having to angle her head slightly.


    Rosan sideyed her and Robin snorted at how naturally disgusted the royal redhead looked with everything.


    "You''re free to find out," she offered.


    "Pass," Robin replied easily.


    The redhead snorted.


    They all made it to the room and easily took their places.


    "This is a lot more embarrassing," Mod mumbled, resting the side of her head against Rosan''s chest as usual.


    "Imagine how I feel," Rosan muttered in return, unable to believe Robin actually roped him into doing this.


    "Stop being so dramatic," Robin sighed, sinking into her best friends frame while accepting Ram''s affections.


    The redhead gazed at her unimpressed, while holding out a hand and starting the stream.


    "I''m convinced you''re a pervert. You seemed far too happy cuddling me as we fell asleep," she said blandly, sighing at the absurdity of Robin.


    Robin nodded with an amused smile, watching as the 4 brothers went through their usual antics. "You''re still firm, but also with a hint of squishiness! It''s surprising how comfortable you are," she praised, squeezing the woman''s arms to prove her point.


    Soft but firm, Rosan''s muscular frame had softened dramatically on this form but there was still definition there that made it clear the redhead worked out.


    It reminded her of Maro.


    "...Squishy?" Rosan muttered to herself, gazing at her woman form and taking his eyes off the screen of him training with his brothers. "What does this form do to you? You''re suddenly so depraved," the redhead pointed out in a bit of disbelief.


    "...I''m not sure," Robin mused genuinely. "It just feels far easier to harass you when your like this," she admitted.


    "...What a twisted thing you just said," Rosan sighed, focusing fully on the memory.


    Robin simply smiled and did the same, idly leaning into the redhead with a pleased hum.


    Rosan''s life had for once, taken on a more normal tone. He would train with his brothers, visit and work with Makino, listen to Mod complain about how he was getting older and more attractive, go back to his brothers, cook the food they captured into something quite good and head to sleep.


    It was endearing watching Rosan act so normal. He hadn''t had the luxury since he was 4.


    The normalcy of the events finally broke one day, when he and his brothers had decided to try some food in high town.


    Despite having Modification, his adorable little brothers had climbed atop each other in a silly disguise that made them ludicrously tall.


    Even after Rosan made it clear he could disguise them all, they still didn''t discard the outfit and instead made the 14 year old join them.


    Robin cooed at the sight of Rosan with blond hair and electric blue eyes.


    "I wonder if this is how a child between you and Meiko would have looked," she pondered.


    "I wonder how a child between you and Father would look," Ram sighed dreamily at the thought of a younger sibling.


    Rosan hummed. "Maybe with a bit more of a mix of features," she replied.


    "They''d be adorable," Robin sighed with a small smile, watching as Rosan haggled a vendor with expert precision and sold off the Crocodile with admirable skill.


    "What about you two?!" Ram asked shamelessly, gazing at her parents with an innocent gleam.


    The two blinked at the question and glanced at each other.


    "A child between Rosan and I?" Robin asked slowly, pondering the question.


    "Mod-chan is convinced my first will be a girl, so I''d like her to have my red hair," Rosan said thoughtfully.


    "It''s only fair she has my blue eyes then... though I''d love if they glowed like yours," the Devil Child responded.


    "That''s fair... we both have great features too so I''ll have to be extra protective of them... a mini combination of the two of us will be too desired," the redhead actually sighed in displeasure, pursing her lips and making Robin giggle.


    "I very much doubt they''ll be leaving our sight until they''re an adult regardless. With you, me, Ram and Mod? There is such thing as too protected," the brunette joked.


    Rosan alone was too much, but with Mod-chan and Ram wanting to be an older sister?


    That poor child.


    Ram''s eyes glittered in awe as she imagined the little sibling. "Don''t worry! Big sis Ram, will make sure nothin happens to her at all!" She beamed.


    The duo blinked. Why was Ram speaking as if they had already planned for a child?


    Mod sighed at how unsubtle Ram was. "Look, this is a very important talk for the boys," she pointed out in hopes of distracting them.


    Robin, who had been keeping one eye on the memory, turned to focus her full attention to it at that.


    After being spotted sneaking into the food establishment, the 4 troublemakers had leapt through a window and immediately sprinted away at top speed.


    No one even came close to catching the boys and even if they had, Rosan was there to make sure nothing of the sorts happened.


    Him remaining vigilant, was what allowed the disguised teen to spot a man recognizing Sabo.


    "Is that his Father?" Robin asked.


    "Yes. He was hospitalized from a heart attack 2 years ago," Rosan informed her, eyes flashing cruelly.


    "...Why do you know that?" She muttered with a bit of sweat.


    The swapped redhead gazed at her. "Because I''m the reason of course," she said without hesitation.


    Rosan was so twisted.


    "What? I''m not hiding anything!"


    "Really?"


    "Of course he is, Luffy! Tell us, Sabo!"


    Robin watched Ace begin grilling Sabo with no mercy. The freckled boy was relentless, demanding the blonde tell them what that was, before resorting to choking the life out of him.


    She still found it hard to compare the freckled boy to the middle brother they had met in Alabasta. Ace had truly changed for the better.


    The weight on his shoulder, hearing Sabo talk about his parents in such a negative light, despite being a noble... To Ace, just the idea of having parents must have been a privilege so he couldn''t understand why Sabo would throw not only that, but wealthiness away too.


    It was a depressing thought.


    Little Rosan, listened without intervening once, knowing it was something they would need to figure out together because it didn''t matter to him...


    "It seems that whenever I meet someone of royal heritage, their life is anything but good. Being born with royal blood, doesn''t always equal a pleasant life," the teen thought quietly.


    "Good parents seem difficult to come by," Robin agreed with the thought.


    "It''s a shame..." Rosan sighed.


    "Auntie, what''s with that look in your eyes?" Young Ram asked suddenly.


    Robin perked up at that.


    "It''s¡­ I''m just thinking about the past," Young Mod said vaguely.


    "...Mod-chan, did you always know about Rosan''s mother? Is that how he found out about her?" Robin asked the woman.


    Mod nervously bit her lip and nodded. "I did, yes. I viewed Rosan''s earliest memories almost as soon as I could so I saw Raisa when he was still 4."


    "I wonder Mod-chan, are you thinking about your past¡­ or are you thinking about mine?" Young Rosan pointed out easily.


    Robin never realized just how well Rosan could see through Mod-chan. It was easy for the Devil Fruit to see through him but the other way around? He knew her so well and noticed every little tick about her.


    "I reveal her to him soon... I can show the memory of Raisa if you want when that time comes," Mod told her quietly, a flash of displeasure crossing her features at the thought of the woman who looked so much like the swapped Rosan.


    "...I''d like to see it," the Devil Child said eventually.


    "Ace! Luffy! Rosan! We gotta set out to sea someday! Let''s get out of this country and live freely! I wanna see the world out there and write a book about it! Let''s become stronger and become pirates someday!" Sabo announced with a wide grin.


    Robin watched fondly as Ace and Luffy easily followed suit, unable to resist grinning at Luffy''s declaration and then they all zeroed in on Rosan.


    "I have no dreams anymore."


    She hated how that message was delivered. There was no soul in Rosan''s voice, no inflection... just a quiet resignation that made her clutch the redhead next to her a tad tighter.


    She wanted him to have dreams again. Rosan was a dreamer after all and those dreams are what made him so good with Modification.


    Evidently, the three boys hated the way he said that too because they began hounding the redhead there.


    It didn''t take long for Rosan to concede to them and it was a testament, that he was so quickly able to trust the three fully. The boys listened to Rosan tell them how he had wanted to be the strongest in the world so he could keep those he loved safe and how all of that had vanished, the moment Meiko died.


    Robin didn''t know how he could muster up the courage to tell this story time and time again... she didn''t think she could do so.


    "Does it get easier?" She asked the redhead quietly.


    Rosan pondered the question until she came to a startling realization.


    "I... don''t know," the redhead confessed quietly.


    "Oh Rosan," Robin thought with a sad frown, offering the redhead her presence and wrapping an arm around the feminine figure.


    "I''ll help you."


    The Devil Child stilled at that, gazing back at the stream by that simple statement.


    "Luffy?" She asked quietly, even despite the fact that he wasn''t actually there to reply.


    "I''ll help you, Rosan! We''ll go on the biggest, best adventure ever and I''ll make you say you found a new reason to live! You''ll become the strongest, just watch!" The child declared with pure resolve in his eyes.


    "That''s going to be hard to accomplish. I''ve been trying for two years with little to no success," Rosan said as a way to dissuade the child.


    "I don''t care! I''ll do it because you''re my nakama and I''m your captain and we''re friends!" Luffy said simply.


    "Well if you put it that way, I guess I have to help too," Ace grinned.


    "Alright! Count me in! I''ll help you get better because I like you, Rosan!" Sabo joined.


    Robin listened to them in shock and gazed at the three little boys who somehow became even more precious to her.


    "It''s charming, no?" Rosan asked curiously, soft voice making her shiver. "The most fascinating thing about it is... They''re this way with everyone they care about. It doesn''t matter if you''re blood or not... if they love you, they''ll go to the end of the world for you."


    The brunette sat in silence for a while before a warm feeling coursed through her.


    "They''re just like you," she thought fondly, gazing back at the screen.


    The boys were all together again, but with a bottle of sake, courtesy of Ace.


    "Did you guys know?! We can become brothers if we exchange this cup of sake!" The freckled boy announced with an eager grin and Robin couldn''t stop the fondness from swelling at just how adorable they all were.


    She felt her heart grow in size, at seeing Ace accept Rosan as a brother and feeling the burst of warmth that flooded the redhead''s body at said acceptance.


    "You know, I think I love them too," Robin said eventually.


    "I''m sure they love you as well. Luffy certainly does. I showed them all our old memories... they know alot about our relationship," Rosan said truthfully.


    She blinked and smiled at her best friend. "I''m glad despite all this, you didn''t push me out of your mind," she admitted.


    The woman''s heterochromatic eyes turned away and Robin watched the beautiful girl turn guilty. "After I realized what I did, I never stopped thinking about how I wronged you. I wanted to find you for a very long time, but for so long, I thought you were in the Grand Line."


    "I shouldn''t have placed that stupid rule on you," Mod said despondently. "You were more then able at your current age to traverse the Grand Line and at least look for her... By yourself, I wouldn''t have been nearly as worried for our safety," she admitted.


    Robin looked at the glum duo and took her eyes off the screen of Rosan chatting with Maro, Demon and Angel.


    "You two, I''m telling you it''s okay. Truly, I''m just so glad we finally have each other again. Please don''t think I have any resentment towards either of you," Robin assured, leaning over Rosan a bit to drag Mod into the hug as well.


    "R-Right," Mod muttered back, leaning over and hugging the woman.


    Rosan grunted. "Get your elbows off my breast," she demanded.


    The two jumped and remembered that yes, Rosan was not a man right now.


    Mod burned red as she realized where her elbow was and hastily withdrew it.


    "See? Squishy," Robin said easily, removing her own elbow.


    "I hate you," Rosan groused with an unamused stare.


    "No fair!" Ram complained pushing herself up and launching her body atop Rosan''s. "I want Mother''s affections too!" She whined.


    The redhead sighed in annoyance for the umpteenth time at the sudden weight. "Enjoy it now. This experience will not be one you experience often. Also, refrain from calling me Mother."


    Ram simply grinned happily and snuggled Rosan with a pleased sigh. "You really are squishy."


    "...I hate this," Rosan muttered.


    Robin laughed lightly and gazed back at the screen, noting that Maro was hellbent on meeting Rosan''s new brothers now.


    Of course a meeting between these psychos would only end in one way.


    A fight.


    After getting pleasantries out of the way, Maro, ever the show off just like her teacher, demanded they spar to give the kids a good view.


    "Has Maro remained winless against you?" Robin asked curiously.


    "...In one on one combat, yes," Rosan replied after some thought. "Later on in the years, her and Ace actually acquired quite a bit of synergy and managed to catch me off guard in one of the 2v2s. I''m sure if we did our standard 2v2 again, Luffy and I would lose more often than not now."


    The Devil Child nodded at that. Ace had grown ridiculously powerful over the years. It was surreal but Robin had also been in the Grand Line for a long time so she could see exactly how he got so strong so quickly.


    The spar between Rosan and Maro was utterly thrilling to behold, like all their battles. The two berserkers scarcely had an idea what defense was and just continuously attacked each other over and over again, with almost no regard for each others safety.


    But like all the spars, Rosan''s versatility combined with his incredible adaptability proved too much for Maro and the redhead finished her off with a rather brutal looking slam from an incredible height.


    "Just watching that, makes me want to train," Robin sighed despondently. The battle genes of all the battle freaks, had finally reached her.


    "It''s fun, isn''t it?!" Ram asked excitedly, resisting the urge to transform into a weapon just for the hell of it. "I love fighting!"


    "You and Rosan both," Mod said dryly.


    "I''m surprised you don''t, Mod-chan," Robin interjected with a raised brow.


    The Devil Fruit hummed. "I don''t mind it at all and I even admit that it can be fun... but I don''t very much like getting my hands dirty or jeopardizing Rosan''s body. It''s why I fight the way I do."


    "At a distance," the brunette mused.


    "I''ve been told her fighting style is, "cheating and boring and lame as hell" from Maro," Rosan said, a bit of amusement shining in her eyes.


    "I-Is not! I use a controlling and calculated style," Mod complained, glaring at everyone on the screen for ogling her shirtless son. "Maro is just upset that she can''t be a brute when I''m her opponent!"


    "Booooring, Auntie," Ram sighed despondently, watching the perverts with a glower.


    The Devil Fruit spluttered and immediately reached out to grab the ring''s cheek, abusing the fact that Ram was far closer.


    Robin and Rosan both expertly ignored the sudden whining and continued watching the stream.


    Makino had come to pay the boys a visit, causing her to meet the residents of Celadon, Ace and Sabo. They all got along swimmingly and the kind woman had even thought to bring them clothes!


    "I''d like to meet Makino-san one day," Robin said suddenly.


    Ram froze in horror.


    "Do you? Why?" Rosan asked curiously. Makino was kind, but she was very average. In Rosan''s eyes, she was a good friend but she was too normal.


    "Don''t be so cold," the Devil Child admonished her best friend. "She''s a sweet person and you left her on East Blue. She probably misses Maro and Angel too!"


    The redhead rolled her eyes. "We can visit her one of these days then. I''m not putting a Save Point on her though. It would be a waste."


    Robin sighed. "You are so cold sometimes, you need to be more considerate¡ª"


    She froze as the memory shifted to them all eating dinner, until Young Rosan froze and gazed immediately at the door.


    Garp lumbered in the doorway without a care in the world.


    Naturally Rosan didn''t take kindly to that.


    "Go outside so we can continue from last time or else this whole building will be caught in the crossfire."


    Robin shuddered at how willing Rosan was to fight one of the strongest forces in the Government, despite the disparity in strength.


    That total lack of fear... it worried her. Rosan had always been reckless, but this was too reckless. He stood no chance against Garp... he just wasn''t ready enough.


    She was proven right as his attacks failed to even dent the man.


    Not even transforming into Ragnarok in the middle of a forest, phased Garp. The Old Marine was treating it like any normal day as he effortlessly dealt with Rosan.


    Honestly, what a monster. Was he even affected by old age?


    "Why didn''t you come with us that day?" Garp asked the teen suddenly.


    Robin knew that if he were capable, Young Rosan would be sneering in pure rage right now.


    "I would rather die then put my trust in a group of people who would condemn a newborn for the sins of their parent. I was 4 and I had to watch my innocent mother die because of your organization. You think I don''t know the cause of my mother''s death? You think I don''t know who caused it?"


    She couldn''t help but bite her lip at the way the room shifted at those words. A wave of depression hit everyone listening and she saw the ever emotional Maro and Makino tearing up immediately.


    "Gramps, is that true?" Little Luffy asked so innocently, so sadly that it knocked the wind out of Garp.


    Robin didn''t know much about Garp, but she knew enough to know that the Hero of the Marines getting on his knees and bowing, was not something he would do.


    "I''m sorry," he said gravely.


    The Devil Child paused as a small wave of actual disbelief, coursed through Rosan''s body.


    "You''re... sorry?"


    Of course that would never be enough for him. No one was as vindictive and petty as Rosan.


    "Monkey D. Garp. All I ever wanted, was to spend my days with my loving mother and my baby brother in peace. All I wanted, was to be a big brother and to have the safety of my mother. But for 20 months, my mother, Portgas D. Rouge, was forced to endure the hellish process of pregnancy. Through sheer will. All because of you morally inept Marines. All because you wanted to kill my little brother. All because my little brother''s birth was considered a sin to the entire world. My same little brother who was condemned to death the very moment he was born."


    Robin shuddered at how a lifeless tone could convey such hatred. This version of Rosan... he was scary in a different way. Being so lifeless... it really was scary knowing that someone cared so little about everything around them, that not even their own body was a concern.


    It made you fear what they would do to you more.


    "I never wanted it to be like this," Garp said quietly.


    "Bullshit," Rosan snarled violently, actual anger showing on his teen face. "You only knew about Ace because he told you right? Before he got killed, he must have asked you to save him and that''s how you knew. But you only came 20 months after his death."


    The Virus? Again? Robin listened to the slight inflection in Rosan''s words and tried to spot any sign that he was being influenced...


    Nothing. How was this possible? How was the virus able to influence him?


    Rosan gazed stonily at the screen while Mod stared nervously. Robin didn''t miss the way the Devil Fruit glanced over at the female version of her charge but if Rosan noticed, she made no indication.


    Robin knew better. She was sure Rosan noticed but the Devil Child was too caught up in the conversation between Rosan and Garp.


    "Mama''s last wish for me, was to help Ace grow into an amazing person. I couldn''t do that in the condition I was in. I was four and I just lost my mother. I would never have been able to properly raise Ace into the man she wanted him to be. So against all my better judgment, I chose to trust you despite what you were apart of. Trust that you could raise Ace better than I could because Mom trusted you. I trusted that you could honor Mama''s words better than I could because I already failed to remain with him."


    His logic was sound. Even as a 4 year old, Rosan had been smart for his age so his plan really was good in hindsight...


    "But you failed."


    Robin winced at the same time as everyone else.


    Perhaps... it was a good thing Rosan''s emotions had been sealed at the time.


    "My mother spent 20 months of agony making sure Ace was able to live, but my ten year old brother is questioning whether he should be alive or not. Whatever happened to me, I deserve because this is the life I chose. But Ace never chose this life and you''re the one to blame for forcing him to live like this. I''m a failure and that''s why I trusted you with him. I just never expected you to be a bigger failure than me."


    Failure... how Robin hated when Rosan referred to himself as one. He was anything but. Rosan had been a child. A child who was being raised by a Devil Fruit with a rudimentary understanding of emotions and a neglected girl who had just gotten her island destroyed.


    They had tried their best for the 4 year old... but they were still ill equipped to raise the volatile child. No one was equipped to deal with a child who''s emotions dominated his entire being...


    None except someone who should be familiar with it, such as his mother.


    But even despite that, Rosan was no failure. He was an incredible boy who just wanted the best for everyone he loved and blamed himself when that didn''t work. He didn''t understand what it meant to share blame.


    Robin hated that he couldn''t see that. She hated it so much.


    But baby steps Robin. One at a time. She just needed Rosan to slip up and she''d strike while the opportunity was prime.


    "I thought just guaranteeing his safety would have been enough. As long as he''s safe and away from the World Government''s eyes, he can have a semi normal childhood. That''s what I thought but it wasn''t enough. You''re right, Ace deserved to live his own life, free of his Father''s sin but he wasn''t able to escape it. If I could do something different, I would but it''s too late to change what''s already done..."


    Robin didn''t think Garp was the type of person to own up to his mistakes in such a grave way. There was no sign of the goofy old man who delivered fists of love. No... right now, Garp was just a Marine who had seen it all and was tired as a result.


    "But that doesn''t mean you aren''t right. I spit in you and your mother''s face and I truly am sorry for that. I know that''s not enough for you to forgive me so if you want to attack me, do it. I won''t try and stop you or resist. It''s the least you deserve," the old man said and that was that.


    Nevermind, the idiot was still there... She understood his intentions, but giving Rosan an opportunity like this.


    "I genuinely can''t believe Monkey D. Garp is alive," Robin stated, watching Rosan pocket the gun after deeply contemplating blowing his brains out.


    "No one deserves to watch family die," Young Rosan stated so quietly, they strained to hear him.


    Robin flinched harshly at that statement, expression pinching a bit.


    "If they didn''t see Garp as their grandfather, I would have killed him without a second thought," Rosan said softly. "But they did... and I just became their brother. I wouldn''t have been able to take family away from my own brothers so soon after we made that declaration... so I spared him."


    "You did the right thing, Rosan... I know you have a lot of anger in your heart at the World Government, but Garp is one of the few saving it from complete corruption," Robin muttered, running a hand through those long spikes.


    The redhead said nothing before she let out a quiet sigh and shifted the memory. "I suppose so. We stole techniques from him, so I guess he has his uses... but he''s taken to calling me his grandson and I despise that."


    "Yeah! You''re his granddaughter right now!" Ram beamed, atop her temporary mother.


    The grin vanished as hands, as soft as Mod''s, gripped her cheek and squeezed with even more hellish strength.


    "O-O-OW!" Ram squealed as Rosan pulled at her cheeks with no remorse. "I''M SOWWY FATHER! P-PLEASE LET AUNTIE PINCH MY CHEEKS INSTEAD!"


    Mod''s brows raised high at that and she looked at the immaculate hands of Rosan with a newfound respect.


    "Maybe I''ll ask Rosan to do it in my stead," she mused.


    Ram shook her head rapidly. "I''ll be good! I pwomise!"


    "She promised, Rosan," Robin smiled gently at the unamused ice queen.


    The redhead promptly released her hands from Ram''s cheek and the ring weakly crawled off of her demon of a Father and climbed atop the much kinder Robin instead.


    Robin merely shifted a bit and accepted her. Ram was tall, how did Rosan look totally unfazed with the ring resting on her frame? They were the same height right now!


    The Devil Child''s musings were suddenly cut short, as Mod did a sharp intake and she gazed at the woman in concern.


    The memory had just shown Angel helping the brothers build their base into something respectable so why was the Devil Fruit suddenly so nervous?


    "You wanted to talk to me, Mod-chan?" that familiar quiet voice asked.


    "Y-Yes... I wanted to t-talk ¡ª"


    Robin stilled at that. Was this the memory she thought it was?


    Gazing back at the screen. She saw the ever composed Rosan, staring at the nervous Mod while Ram gazed at the Devil Fruit with some confusion.


    Judging by how nervous both the Mod on the screen and the Mod right next to Rosan looked, yes it was.


    "Rosan... as you probably realized, I haven''t been very... active lately. Well, I was actually... looking into the castle... Do you remember the burst of anger you felt when confronting Garp a few weeks ago?"


    Robin watched with undivided attention. Young Rosan was already suspecting something based on those few sentences and was content to let Mod speak her mind, no matter how anxious it made her.


    Thankfully, Young Ram was far more merciful, asking if the woman was doing alright and getting Mod to relax a tad.


    "...Has Ram been shielding Mod-chan?" Robin thought to herself, gazing down at the ring who was looking uncharacteristically calm.


    The Devil Child pursed her lips at that. Now that she thought about it, Ram hardly left the Devil Fruits side and it was clear Rosan had a soft spot for his ring. Perhaps this entire time, the ring was operating on her own agenda, much like how they hadn''t known she wanted a mother.


    Ram was far smarter then she acted. Robin wouldn''t put it past her.


    "There are two versions of me," Mod said bluntly, snapping the brunette out of her musings.


    Robin watched Young Ram''s jaw drop, while Young Rosan raised a single brow.


    "Two versions of you? Like an alter ego? How is that possible? I''ve known you since I was four and you''ve never even once indicated that you have another ¡ª"


    Robin went stiff at Rosan pausing and those piercing orbs of his landed directly on Mod.


    "Explain," was all he said and that was that.


    Robin listened to Mod explain the Virus'' origins and felt her eyes widen at hearing that there was a virus attached to the A.I Vegapunk had used.


    If Rosan had his emotions, words would not have been able to explain how furious he would have been with Mod.


    But he didn''t have his emotions, so all he settled for, was questioning her about the virus.


    "So she sealed it early on in his life to avoid him meeting the fate of his previous wielders," Robin thought, frowning a bit at hearing that it failed.


    Not only did it fail, the virus had managed to sneak in its influence regardless, going as far as to do it even before the castle''s creation.


    That made Robin shudder. Even as far as when he was 4? Just how of the virus'' thoughts, did Rosan think were his own? To poison the mind and then take over... had it been trying to do that at Daybreak?


    "They''ve been hiding this whole time and they snuck into the castle when it formed. Now if I want my emotions, I''ll have no choice but to confront them. When that time comes, I wonder what you''ll do because I already know what I''m going to do."


    To hear Rosan throw doubt on even Mod... despite knowing their conflict in regards to the virus, it still left Robin stunned. The redhead almost always listened to his mother. He never had an reason to doubt her but with this, it seems like Rosan was finally fed up.


    That blank gaze bore into his mother without a hint of remorse as the teen said, "Mod-chan, would you so willingly get rid of your alter ego if it meant saving me? Would you let me get rid of them if those were my intentions?"


    Robin watched sympathetically, as Mod froze like a deer in headlights. There was hurt on her features but the redhead never changed his stance.


    The Devil Child watched as Mod slowly began crumbling under the pressure of Rosan pressing her but it seemed even the redhead couldn''t see her like this, emotions or not.


    So he offered her an alternative.


    "Will you handle the virus? Even without my interference? Can I trust that you have this handled despite past mistakes?" The teenager asked quietly.


    That simple question, put the woman in tears but as quick as they came, she wiped them off and nodded in determination.


    "I will. You don''t have to worry. I''ll deal with the virus and you deal with getting your emotions back. Once that castle opens, we''ll deal with both the issues inside of it."


    Robin smiled at the woman''s resolve, but it was wiped away as she noticed the way Rosan was staring at his mother. Even after the tension bled away and they hugged, the redhead continued to look at her.


    Then... then he plastered a fake smile on his face.


    Mod and Ram didn''t seem to notice and even now they didn''t... but she did.


    She idly snaked a hand over to the redhead''s side and tapped her in a way that let the computer man (woman) know she wanted to have a private talk.


    Rosan easily acquiesced with her request and she felt the link of just the two of them forming.


    "What was that?" Robin asked bluntly, gazing at the screen. "That look to Mod-chan. What was that, Rosan?"


    The redhead''s face never shifted even once, as the memory changed. "It was simply preparations," she said calmly.


    "Preparations?" Robin asked warily.


    "I do not think Mod can deal with the Virus. I think Mod cares too much for the Virus. At the time, I began preparing for the worst scenario."


    Robin stilled at that. "Rosan? What''s the worst scenario?"


    "..." Rosan closed his eyes. "I don''t think it will ever reach that... but I must prepare for every scenario otherwise..."


    "Rosan, what do you mean?" Robin pressed, unable to keep the concern off her face.


    "...I have to make sure I don''t fully break, on the chance that Mod-chan turns her back on me for the virus."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Bonus


    "You''ve given birth to a baby boy, Queen Raisa."


    Raisa huffed harshly, sweat pouring down her features as the pain settled and she gazed at her personal doctor holding the wailing baby.


    Over the 9 months, she had employed him to keep progress on her with warning of excruciating torture if even one person found out about it.


    The doctor knew how difficult it was to hide things from Raisa so he kept this to himself.


    It was for good reason too. Once a month, she would interrogate him by asking various questions and as a show of power, she''d tell him to mix in lies and whenever he did, she''d calmly point it out.


    The Queen was terrifying. For his own sake, he would never reveal this information because even decades later, she''d find out.


    "Do you have a name for him? He inherited your red hair and purple eyes," the doctor pointed out, gazing at the crying infant with a soft gaze.


    Bronze skin, a tuft of red hair and when the baby finally opened its eyes, he saw the glowing purple eyes shining even brighter than Raisa''s.


    He looked up and caught Raisa''s unamused gaze, before realizing what he said and bowing profusely.


    "My apologies, my Queen. I did not mean to step out of line with my statement."


    She glared tiredly at him and simply huffed.


    "I need to do a few more checkups and then you can have him," the doctor muttered, taking the baby with a very healthy set of lungs away from the Queen.


    Raisa watched them go and gazed outside of the window into the sky.


    There had been no complications with the birth. Her son had been born with no complications at all but it had taken a heavy toll on her.


    How aggravating. Pregnancy was one of the most frustrating things she had ever had the displeasure of feeling. Her emotions that she had painstakingly worked to get under control, had gone completely out of sorts. She had not met anyone, so as to hide the fact that she was pregnant in her later months but finally, it was over.


    "Iris D. Rosan," she muttered to herself.


    That was the name she had unwittingly decided on while pregnant with him. It had just randomly lingered into her mind one day and she hadn''t been able to get it out of her head until she finally decided on a name.


    Rosan.


    He was beautiful. Hair as red as hers, eyes as purple as hers... he was so beautiful.


    She hated it. Why... why did he have to be so beautiful? Why did he inherit her hair, her eyes, her skin...


    Did he inherit...


    "Your son is very healthy! There are no complications with him and he''s finally sleeping... would you like to hold him?" The doctor asked, walking into the room once more and holding a sufficiently blanketed Rosan.


    Raisa glanced over at the doctor and held open her arms, to which he promptly placed the infant in.


    "...His name is Iris D. Rosan," she said eventually, gazing at the child sleeping in her arms.


    He was so tiny...


    Raisa let out a grunt and stood up despite the strain.


    "My Queen, you shouldn''t be moving so soon! You''ve only just given birth," he urged. "This is reckless of you!"


    "Your job is finished. Remember what I said. I will check up on you once a year to ensure information on my son has never been revealed. Do not think you can get away from me," Raisa said quietly.


    The doctor shuddered at that. "My Queen?"


    "You''re dismissed."


    He shakily saluted and hesitantly left the room after glancing back at the neutral woman once more.


    Raisa''s face never shifted even once until the door shut.


    Finally, her neutral expression fade and she stared warily at the sleeping infant.


    "So... beautiful," she whispered. "You''re perfect, Iris D. Rosan... I can''t stand it. But, I don''t think I could ever kill you myself," she admitted.


    Such innocence... how could she ever live with herself if she personally snuffed him out.


    But she couldn''t stand to look at him because he was a reminder. Rosan was a reminder of that man.


    It was easy to make her choice.


    Raisa placed Rosan in a basket with his name on it (she had made it one day while daydreaming) and her eyes narrowed at the Iris part.


    Without any hesitation she picked out his surname and left the D. Rosan on it.


    He should at least keep his name. Rosan wouldn''t know he was an Iris... but he could at least know that his name was Rosan and that he carried the D.


    But he would not be staying here. Raisa was not equipped to deal with a child that filled her with just as much resentment as love.


    Raisa''s didn''t notice her lips wobbling, as she hugged the baby close to her frame in a moment of weakness.


    "I hate you," she whispered so lowly, she strained to hear herself.


    The Queen desperately held her child for a long while, before finally composing herself and taking a deep breath.


    She stilled her features and placed the sleeping child into his basket before grabbing it. Raisa made her way over to the window and opened it, before stepping onto the railing.


    Two scaly wings burst from her arms and a long tail burst from her back, that she wrapped around her body and the basket, freeing up her arms to fly with.


    Raisa departed from her island without any hesitation, flying high in the sky to evade any views from anyone.


    She felt Rosan fade in and out of consciousness and ensured that he had no risk of falling.


    The woman reached out and grunted tiredly, the effects of birth still dragging her down, but she pushed through and finally located a populated island.


    Landing down in an area with no one there, Raisa glanced around and her slit eyes eventually rested on a hidden area that could somewhat conceal him.


    She walked towards it and gently placed the basket there.


    As soon as the child left her warm heat, he snapped awake and those big innocent purple eyes peered at her.


    They were so bright. Even brighter than her own. They glowed in the evening sky and she felt her breath get taken away at them.


    So bright. So stunning... like the sun. Raisa knew without a shadow of a doubt, her son was talented. It was his right as her child, to be a prodigy born from a prodigy.


    But she hated that. Raisa couldn''t stand that. Raisa hated that he was right. Why did he have to be right?


    Why couldn''t he have been wrong?


    Raisa didn''t her emotions going haywire, but something must have shown on her neutral expression because her only child''s expression wavered and he immediately began breaking out into tears.


    "W-WAHHHHH!" The baby began crying frantically, holding out his hands for her and beginning to cry even harder when her familiar warmth didn''t come back.


    The woman''s brows furrowed as she saw the baby''s tears begin spilling and she wanted nothing more then to reach out and reassure him.


    "Maybe I''m making a mistake. Maybe I should keep him... he''s so beautiful and so innocent. Surely no one would ever be able to raise my own son better than I can. Especially with how bright his eyes are glowing. I have no other family left... My brother and sister are gone... Mother and Father are dead... he''s really the only connection I have left... Maybe I should raise him¡ª"


    "Kahahahaha! My ambitions and your emotions would give birth to quite a strong haki user, don''t you think Raisa-chan? Not to mention your natural talent... Hopefully they end up getting alot of things from you too, I want our kid to have as easy of a life as possible."


    Raisa went still and her expression immediately smoothed over as that deep laugh slammed into her.


    That victorious and bloody laughter of a man she used to trust, coursed through her and Raisa abruptly stood up.


    She ignored the baby''s crying and took to the skies.


    Before she could fly off, the woman hovered above the island and waited.


    Raisa waited and waited, until she felt a presence approaching the lone baby and after some time, she felt both of them leaving the spot she abandoned him at.


    Finally, the Queen departed from her spot and headed back to her island.


    "Good, little Rose," she whispered quietly. "For your sake... I hope you never meet either of your parents..."


    Raisa shuddered, as she felt the tears spill out against her own will but she made no move to banish it.


    "I hope you never meet that awful man... that man who only wants you for your potential... I hope at the very least, you can enjoy living with someone who doesn''t hate you or want to use you... Iris D. Rosan," she whispered.


    Her first and only child, doomed to be a curse to her. Her heir. Her son. The next in line to rule Wisteria.


    And she was abandoning him.


    The queen let out a mirthless laugh and allowed her tears to continue falling, as the 19 year old flew back to Wisteria to continue repairing the wreck of an island.


    "Heavy is the head that wears the crown. Perhaps I spared you from that fate, Iris D. Rosan."

 Davy Back Fight I

    Doflamingo rested his cheek against a fist, as his other hands twitched occasionally.


    "Please give me another chance!" a bloodied Bellamy begged, clutching his ribs as his body refused to obey him.


    The Warlord ignored him.


    "Tell me about the Straw Hats," Doflamingo demanded from the crowd suddenly, forcing Bellamy to do a dance for them despite his broken bones.


    The crowd was petrified, staring at the Warlord with horror on their face as they watched him make a spectacle out of the hyena.


    Right now, Donquixote Doflamingo was making it aware that if he so wished it, he''d become their worst nightmares. The cold feeling seeping over them at his casual torture of Bellamy... they didn''t want to become like this.


    T-They didn''t want to suffer from the hands of the sadistic pirate.


    It didn''t take long for someone to step forward for fear of avoiding Bellamy''s current fate.


    "We didn''t take them serious at first because two of them let themselves get beat up in a bar before we realized what they were made of¡­" Someone began with a nervous expression.


    Doffy raised a brow. Let themselves get beat up? Oh? Seems like they never took anyone in this town serious if they allowed that to happen.


    "Which members?"


    Another answered. "Straw Hat Luffy and Pirate Hunter Roronoa Zoro¡­"


    Someone else shuddered. "I didn''t realize they were so strong¡­ We didn''t know about their bounties at first so we just laughed at them... and that Red Devil of theirs was about to kill us all."


    That piqued his interest.


    "Oh?" He asked.


    Someone shuddered, holding themselves as they remembered those unsettling eyes that gazed at them like they were lesser than insects. "We thought all of them were full of shit¡­ but after seeing what he did to Sarquiss, I realize now¡­ t-that demon could have killed us at any time!"


    Another one nodded frantically. "The Red Devil wasn''t happy about them getting beat up at all and it looked like he was about to do something about it¡­ W-We didn''t even know his identity when he walked into the bar!"


    "I guess we should be thanking his captain for still being alive¡­ He told him not to fight us because we weren''t worth it... and he was right. They''re all monsters!" someone exclaimed in terror.


    The Red Devil¡­ Yes, that would do.


    "Tell me about the Red Devil," Doflamingo demanded, finally releasing his hold on Bellamy and allowing the man to drop to the floor.


    Everyone shook at the request.


    "W-What''s there to even say besides he really is a Devil?!" Someone exclaimed.


    "He¡­ he killed Sarquiss with a look! One second he was fine and the next¡­ he started throwing up fire and blood. We couldn''t even tell you what was happening before h-he just died."


    Those who had personally saw it were still shuddering in terror at how casual it had been. At how effortless Rosan made killing the man look.


    The redhead hadn''t expended any energy at all. Hadn''t used any movements. No, he just stood right next to Nico Robin with that same expression as he cooked someone from the inside out.


    D-Demon...


    "S-Sarquiss made a comment about how he''d go after the Devil of Ohara because she''s so beautiful... a-and that must have really irritated him because while dying, the Red Devil mentioned turning him into the same piece of meat he saw her as!" a pirate squeaked.


    "How could he act like this was just another day for him?! I-I don''t believe in rumors but I think he really might be a Devil brought to earth!"


    "Oh?" Doflamingo grinned widely at that. "Looks like you aggravated the wrong crew, Bellamy. Two people worth 100 million... What exactly were you hoping to accomplish by tarnishing my name against people who made you look like a fool?"


    The bloodied and battered hyena slowly crawled up to his hands and knees to bow. "Give me one more chance. I made a mistake but it won''t happen again!" he begged.


    Doflamingo threw his head back and laughed at the pathetic display. "You already disgraced my flag to the point of no return! You lost in one hit. Your first mate died without anyone even knowing how¡­ You had a chance to show off your power and you failed and you expect me to give you another chance?"


    The Heavenly Demon shook his head in disappointment. "Useless people like you have no business being under my command."


    With that, he stomped Bellamy''s head into the pavement with no hesitation, ignoring the crack of the floor beneath him.


    "I have no need for you. Don''t wave my flag again."


    Doflamingo barely spared the man a glance and began to walk away as he thought about what he learned.


    The Straw Hats¡­ if Mihawk was personally interested in them, that spoke volumes of their potential and he would be lying if he wasn''t interested either.


    Not to mention, that Red Devil of theirs just kept getting more and more interesting.


    A man who had the full support and love of Nico Robin?


    He was partially intrigued before, but hearing of what he did to Sarquiss?


    Well, consider Doflamingo interested.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Are you alright, Robin? You''ve been staring at Rosan for quite a while now."


    Robin jumped in surprise at that.


    Considering Rosan didn''t glance over at the observation, it was just her and Mod-chan.


    "Have I?" she asked absentmindedly, noticing a stinging in her eyes and finally blinking.


    Could you blame her? Currently, her best friend was in the middle of a spar with Luffy. The two were both using their respective Haki (Observation for Luffy, Armament for Rosan) as they heatedly tried to damage the other with a rapid flurry of fists.


    Rosan was failing to hit his brother, while Luffy''s hits were proving ineffective against the armor like sheen Armament granted him.


    They (along with Zoro and Robin) had been training for the better part of the entire morning in the mindscape, refining their blooming Haki by running through various exercises with each other.


    Zoro was off by his lonesome now, trying to cut through difficult materials modified by Rosan... and Robin decided to take a small break after exhausting her Observation dodging a constant barrage of energy blasts from a relentless redhead.


    Honestly, Rosan was so ruthless. Her limbs were still screaming from the workout.


    Luffy and Rosan, still full of energy, decided to spar and while that was fine¡­ the redhead had been training without a shirt on.


    No, he was currently sweating up a shirtless storm.


    Needless to say, Robin, who just discovered that she had regained feelings for the redhead, was greedily soaking in the sight and that''s what brought them to their current predicament of Mod questioning her for being a shameless pervert.


    "You haven''t blinked so I''m glad you finally did. I was concerned which is why I spoke up¡­ is something the matter with Rosan?" Mod asked in amusement.


    Yes, there was. Her best friend had blessed genes and it was really irritating when that fact was slammed into her every day without fail.


    "Just a lot on my mind," she replied, taking a sip of water.


    "Stand still!" Rosan barked as his flexible brother dodged yet another hit.


    "Take damage!" Luffy retorted as Rosan bulldozed through every single hit thrown his way.


    "Would you like to talk about it? You''ve been deep in thought since a bit before Sabo left."


    Robin pursed her lips.


    Yes, that was right¡­ Sabo did leave about a week ago...


    They were all sad that he left but he had his own duties to attend to and they would never prevent him from doing so... no matter how much they missed him.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Flashback


    "You''re leaving?" Luffy asked in slight disappointment.


    "But why?" Maro joined, immediately using teary puppy dog eyes.


    Rosan grabbed them both by the cheek and floored them with the pinch.


    "Because he has a life, dumbasses. Don''t try to guilt trip him into staying," the redhead replied, rolling his eyes at the whining duo.


    Luffy squawked at the pain from his cheek. "R-Rosan! Why''re you using armament! This hurts?!"


    "T-This is abuse! Someone help us!" Maro whined.


    Why was he so abusive all of a sudden?! S-She didn''t deserve this!


    Sabo rubbed his hair sheepishly and let out a short laugh. "I''ve been gone a bit too long from the Revolutionaries. If I say here any longer, who knows when I''ll go back? I''ve been getting real comfy," he chuckled, opening his arms up.


    The blonde effortlessly caught Angel, far too used to all of them now and returned the tight hug with a fond smile.


    "Please try and visit us when you can?" She requested pleadingly, big puppy dog eyes shattering his nonexistent resistance.


    "Of course! You guys are awesome and I''d love to stay longer, but duty calls," he said apologetically, running a hand through her smooth spikes.


    "I understand," Angel grumbled in a tone that suggested she definitely did not understand.


    Demon smiled sadly. "I wish we could do more for your amnesia but unfortunately, it looks like exposure is the best way to help. It''s a slow going process."


    The revolutionary dragged him into the group hug. "You did plenty. I appreciate all the help from you and Chopper."


    The reindeer lit up at the praise and began dancing.


    "D-Don''t just praise me you damn bastard!" He cheered, leaping into the group hug.


    Before Sabo could release the twins and reindeer, he was brought to the floor by two extra presences tackling him.


    "Don''t leave us with those two monster brothers!" Nami sobbed.


    "They''re gonna kill us for sure! They aren''t as considerate as you are!" Usopp wailed.


    Sabo provided a balance between Rosan and Luffy that was going to be very much missed. Luffy was stupidly insane, Rosan was intelligently insane, Sabo was rationally insane and that wasn''t perfect but it was better than the psychotic oldest and youngest brother!


    He was easily the most rational of the 4 brothers they had run into and didn''t have the fake rationality that their scout had too!


    If he left, Rosan and Luffy would be left to run amuck again, all while laughing at their misery!


    The Chief of Staff sweatdropped. "You guys will be fine. Rosan and Luffy are super reliable despite all their issues."


    "D-Don''t undersell their issues! They aren''t small issues!" They cried.


    Rosan snorted. "You should join training. Then you wouldn''t be whining so much. Little babies can''t take care of themselves so of course they''d want someone who''s willing to spoon feed them to stay," he mocked.


    "Go back to being emotionless, you dick!" Nami snarled, glaring at him with fury.


    The redhead tilted his head. "Go back? But then I wouldn''t feel so good about doing this."


    Nami blinked in confusion. "Good about doing what¡ª"


    The navigator let loose a girly shriek, as something scaly snaked around her exposed skin and lifted her off the revolutionary.


    Then, it dragged her over to the amused gaze of Rosan and the redhead began to muss her hair.


    "GET YOUR HANDS OFF MY HAIR! GET YOUR TAIL OFF MY SKIN!" Nami squealed in horror.


    "Maybe I should stop upgrading Clima for you. Such a shame, I was just about to give him lightning too to compliment the wind Usopp gave you," he shrugged.


    "S-Stop messing around!" Nami struggled, resisting the urge to shriek once more as that gross tail continued to send chills down her spine.


    Rosan snorted and dropped her on her butt ("Fuck you!") before turning towards Sabo and approaching the blonde.


    Sabo jumped a little as the redhead engulfed him in a hug before he easily returned it.


    "Warm. He''s a good hugger," the revolutionary thought absentmindedly, taking in his oldest brother with a contemplative expression.


    Having an older brother was nice. He wished he spent more time with Ace too.


    "Take care of yourself, Sabo¡­ and remember my offer is always on the table," Rosan muttered.


    Sabo recalled the power of the Goro Goro no mi and nodded. "I might take you up on that offer sooner then later. I just remembered my fight with Ace..."


    He had actually been thinking about it rather hard over the past few days. He had weighed the pros and cons and realized the only real con, was getting overconfident (something that wouldn''t happen with the revolutionary who had seen so much of the world) and being unable to swim.


    Sabo found that the idea of a Devil Fruit more and more tempting but he wouldn''t jump for the bits just yet.


    He was most likely going to eat it in the future... A Devil Fruit sounded way too fun to explore and his brothers all enjoyed their own, making them look as fun as he was thinking they were.


    For now though, he''d consult Dragon, Koala and Hack about it and see what they thought.


    The redhead''s eyes glittered in excitement at that. "Perfect, that gives me an excuse to give you this. I''ve been working on it earnestly and I think I got a good prototype going."


    Rosan reached into his shirt and pulled out a little cube. He tapped it once and it expanded, before he tapped it again and it reduced once more.


    "What''s this?" Sabo asked, taking the offered cube with a fascinated gaze. He saw a button and tapped it, watching as the blue and yellow cube expanded and flattened in his palm.


    It flashed brightly and the revolutionaries eyes lit up in confusion, as his name appeared on the screen.


    "I been working on this for a while now¡­ I was hoping I could give one to Ace but I wasn''t able to finish it before. My electricity was the missing piece," Rosan explained, pulling out another cube, this one pure red.


    Tapping his own cube, Rosan hummed as he pressed something.


    Sabo jumped in surprise, as his cube began vibrating repeatedly with a chibi image of his redheaded brother on it.


    "I got inspiration from Den Den''s¡­ but unless you have a black one, which are extremely rare, the Marines can listen in to your conversations and they''re really inconvenient to walk around with too. I decided to make my own communication device because of that, decked out with a tracker that is automatically linked to Modification."


    It had been a little personal project he had been working on over the 10 years with his family, but he didn''t have the means to consistently connect them all together over a long range, so he shelved it.


    But now that he unlocked his own electricity, he finally figured it all out! It was perfect and gave him a way to avoid conversations getting leaked over Den Den by some overly curious Marines.


    Everyone listened to the redhead in disbelief.


    ...What the fuck did he just say?


    The blonde couldn''t stop his mouth from opening, at the info reaching him right now.


    "Are you some type of freak genius?" Sabo couldn''t help but ask.


    "I''m better," Rosan replied without missing a beat. "If you ever wanna chat with any of us, you can use that. I wanna add a messaging feature in the future when being quiet is required but I''m still working on it and it might take some time."


    The redhead pulled out even more cubes. "I made more and I plan on making even more too but for now¡­"


    He handed a blue and white one over to Maro, a purple and black one to Demon, a red and white one to Angel and a pure purple one Robin.


    "Now you guys can call me whenever you want," Rosan finished, explaining how they could use it.


    Angel was practically salivating at the advanced display of technology. The tech savvy redhead immediately began tapping away at her own cube with excited hums.


    "Oh! It even has our names saved!" She gasped, scrolling through the feed. Maro, Demon, Sabo, Ace, Rosan, Robin¡­ wow it even had names of people who hadn''t received one yet (they were faded out for now)!


    What incredible foresight! Each of their cubes even had a cute little design when flattened out!


    Angel''s cube had a chibi Maro holding a blue daisy design on the back, similar to the one in Angel''s hair and the redhead squealed with a rosy blush.


    That was so fucking adorable.


    "I have no name for it yet¡­" He admitted, eyes furrowed. "But I''ll try and make one for all my allies¡­ actually, give these to Aiko and Akemi."


    He tossed two cubes, one silver, the other dark gray, to Maro who caught it.


    "On it!" Maro chimed, inspecting her blue and white cube with a chibi Angel on the back, triumphantly holding up Daisy with a cocky grin. "Angel, how do you work this thing?!"


    "You''ve been queen for how long and you still can''t work technology?" Angel muttered in amusement, sidling over to explain it to her and squealing again at seeing the image of chibi her, holding Maro''s club.


    "That''s why I have my super hot, tech savvy wife!" Maro beamed.


    Demon hummed as he navigated his own cube with a curious eyes. His had a chibi Demon on the back, decked out in a doctor''s outfit with a stethoscope.


    "This is incredible, Master. Do you know how many people would kill to have this?" He couldn''t help but ask.


    Sabo was the one to answer.


    "Everyone," he said in awe, eyes wide in fascination. "Rosan, this is¡­ do you understand what you just did?"


    "Create an entirely new communication network that completely undermines the primary source of speaking across the world? All for the sake of speaking to my family? Yeah, I want to speak to you all without only using link and the range of link isn''t unlimited," Rosan replied with a small smile, eyes glowing in mirth.


    All for the sake of speaking to his family.


    Rosan had just created something that would secure his entire lineage for as long as they lived potentially¡­ and he didn''t even care to exploit that.


    No, he just wanted to make it for his family.


    Sabo threw his head back and laughed, pocketing his blue and yellow phone with design of a chibi version of him and Ace fighting with pipes on it. "You really are an interesting guy! I''ll call you guys when I can. It''ll be fun to talk to someone while I''m out on a mission."


    "We can even have group calls," Rosan informed them.


    They cheered at that.


    "I''m gonna call you guys everyday!" Maro beamed, orange eyes glinting mischievously. "Now when I''m bored I can have someone entertain me over this call!"


    "Can I tinker with it, Master? Pleaseeee? I promise I won''t break it," Angel pleaded, eyes glittering as she gazed at her super awesome and just as hot as her brother.


    "Feel free, it''s pretty durable. Just don''t submerge it. Made with Modification and all that jazz," Rosan replied, easily catching her as she happily leapt on him.


    "All these gifts you''ve given me... You''re the best~," the redhead sighed with a grin.


    "I know... but it makes it way more believable when someone else is complimenting me instead of myself," he grinned smugly.


    "How does it work? What causes it to be able to call from anywhere?" Robin asked as she inspected her own purple cube with a design of Chibi Rosan on it, with his palm face up hovering the Hana Hana no Mi over it with a smug smirk (it was so adorable and she loved it).


    It sounded much like his link technique... she wondered if he got inspiration from it.


    Rosan hummed at the question, smile widening at her and making the woman feel pleased. "Good eye. It sounds like my link technique doesn''t it?"


    The redhead''s eyes glowed and they watched as a hologram of Rosan formed. There were lines running through it and they looked at it in fascination, as it coursed through his body in different colors.


    Red, violet, fiery orange, blue, gray... colors of all variations were there and they awed at it in a bit of confusion at the faded out gold one.


    "When I link to a person, a bond is formed between them and I. It makes future links easier and more seamless. These lines and colors signify a person. The violet one is Robin for example, which is why it''s the largest and the blue one, is Maro, the third biggest because we used to be partners," he began.


    They gazed at him in fascination. Modification was such a complicated fruit when Rosan went into little details about how he explained it and they found themselves impressed that he was able to make it look so easy.


    Robin was quite pleased that her line was the most prominent. It practically coursed through his entire body.


    "What about the gold one? It''s practically the same size as Robin''s," Chopper asked curiously. He wondered if Rosan could make holograms of everyone... it would be so useful for the reindeer!


    Rosan''s smile vanished as his eyes dimmed. "The gold one is Meiko''s... we hardly ever unlinked. It was practically a permanent connection," he answered softly.


    They winced at that.


    "S-Sorry," Chopper whispered in guilt.


    The redhead waved him off with an unsure expression, glow returning as Robin hugged him reassuringly. "It''s fine. It''s not a crime to be curious... I was expecting it somewhat," he told the reindeer.


    "Nevermind that... Let''s continue," Rosan nodded to himself.


    "The bond that forms between a person and I never goes away, unless I forcefully remove it, which I rarely do. It''s stored and saved by Modification sooo, I extracted that bond to make a more distant form of communication."


    The redhead grabbed his own red cube with a design of Chibi Robin, relaxing on a sunchair with a book, while the Mod Mod no Mi hovered over her like the sun, in the back (Robin thought it was equally as adorable as her own cube and idly grabbed it out of his hand to inspect it). "Using my own body as a nexus point, your cubes, which are made with a piece of the bond I extracted, utilize the bonds still inside me and allows it to connect to another person''s bond. These cubes are linked to you all and exclusive to you¡­"


    Everyone listened to his explanation with wide eyes, trying to process it.


    "But they aren''t very easy to make. The bonds are difficult to identify and even harder to tamper with despite how they look on the hologram," Rosan muttered, brows furrowed. "The longer I''ve been bonded to you, the easier it is. Angel and Demon''s cubes were the easiest to make."


    The two perked up at that in interest. "Really?"


    He nodded. "With you two, I didn''t even have to think. You guys are made from me after all¡­ Without you, it would have taken me a lot longer to figure out the details. To be honest, I don''t even need this cube to communicate with you both from a distance."


    The twins blinked at his admittance, before both blushing red at his praise and staring a hole into the floors.


    "We''re glad we could help..." they mumbled.


    "So you use yourself as a transmission that allows us to communicate," Robin muttered in fascination.


    He nodded. "With the way my electricity works, I can properly power it now. So as long as I''m well, the cubes should work¡­ I really need to think of a name for them¡­"


    He turned towards his crew. "Don''t be too disappointed, I''ll make you guys some too¡­ it''s just we haven''t been bonded very long so its difficult to get a proper grasp. Nami''s is the closest to being finished, then Zoro..."


    Nami and Zoro perked up at that.


    "Me?" Nami asked in confusion.


    "Yeah, when we linked back in East Blue," Rosan replied.


    The navigator o''d in realization, before nodding vigorously.


    "Just another way for me to get my bodyguard to protect me!" She beamed.


    "We never linked before Skypiea... how am I next?" Zoro raised a brow.


    "...I prioritized yours," Rosan said bluntly.


    The swordsman did not like the way that sounded.


    "Why... did you prioritize mine?" He asked slowly.


    "...The built in tracker on it so we never lose you in case you get irrevocably lost," he admitted with a shrug.


    "SHUT THE HELL UP!" Zoro roared, as everyone snickered quietly.


    "Why doesn''t Luffy have one?" Sanji asked curiously.


    Rosan didn''t even blink as he pulled out a red and black cube with a chibi Luffy spinning his Straw Hat on it, while eating a piece of meat. "Luffy does have one... but it''s Luffy. I don''t think I have to explain any further."


    They sweatdropped.


    "WOAHHH GIMME!" Luffy demanded, snatching the cube out of Rosan''s hand and inspecting it with wide eyes.


    "Break it and you won''t be eating meat until I fix it," Rosan promised, satisfied to see his youngest brother nod fearfully.


    The redhead smirked, before turning towards his blonde brother. "Anything else you want before you head out?"


    Sabo hummed in contemplation. "Actually, there''s one thing I want¡­ You think you can transform the appearance of one of your wavers into a raft? I kinda want my own personal one after seeing Ace''s."


    Rosan thought about it before nodding. "Yeah I should be able to do that."


    Maro jumped up. "Oh, let us give you some supplies! If I ever get information from the World Government, I''d be willing to help out the Revolutionaries in secret and give them information," she beamed.


    Sabo''s grin widened at that. "Really? That''s incredible! Information from the Queen of Celadon would be vital for us so call me whenever."


    He learned long ago that Maro was very favored by the World Government due to her accolades and presence in the North Blue. The queen had helped quite a bit with keeping the peace of the most dangerous of the four directional seas and her resources were incredibly valuable.


    If only they were aware the Dokkaebi absolutely despised them.


    The Queen shot him a thumbs up at that, more than willing to help the Revolutionaries since Sabo was apart of them.


    It didn''t take them long at all to get everything sorted for the Chief of Staff and soon, his new waver was packed with what he needed and modified to completion.


    "It should be easier to control in that form since it''s just a raft," Rosan hummed, glancing at the modified waver with searching eyes.


    It was a sleek design, looking as advanced as the White Rose but far smaller. It was blue in design with streaks of yellow and was made rather comfortable to boot.


    Sabo quite liked it! He was gonna make this his own personal raft and take it everywhere.


    "Happy birthday," Rosan commented with a short wave.


    The revolutionary blinked as he boarded his new ship. "When is my birthday?"


    "March 20th¡­ 8 days after mine," he supplied helpfully. "Keep in touch or else we''ll randomly call you."


    Sabo grinned at his family (it was getting far easier to say that) and began waving. "Of course! I''ll let you guys know if I make any progress with my memories."


    Everyone followed suit.


    "SEE YA SABO!" Luffy shouted, waving both hands as his brother began sailing away.


    "VISIT WHEN YOU CAN!" Maro yelled.


    "KEEP IT WRAPPED UP!" Angel screamed, only to yelp as Demon chopped her head.


    Sabo grinned at them all. "See ya! Oh, and if you''re ever in the area, the Revolutionaries would love to accommodate you, Robin!" He added mischievously.


    He was not surprised to see Rosan possessively grab Robin with both hands (to which she yelped at) and say, "Fuck off! She''s mine and you can''t have her. No exceptions."


    The Revolutionary laughed. "I knew you''d say that but the offer still stands!"


    Robin glanced at Rosan''s arms for a moment before snapping out of her daze and smiling at Sabo.


    "I''ll have to think about it¡­ and if I do decide to, I somehow have to explain to my guard dog that I''m going," she offered.


    "BETTER YOU THAN ME!" Sabo shouted in the distance. With another wave, the blonde disappeared from their sight.


    They all watched him go with smiles.


    "I miss him," Angel said bluntly.


    "Let''s call him?" Maro beamed.


    "Yeah!" Luffy cheered and they all clambered around Angel''s cube to do just that.


    Demon sweatdropped at the idiots and shook his head.


    "That guys thinks he''s so funny. He''s lucky he''s my brother or I woulda chased him down," Rosan grumbled, keeping his possessive grip on Robin the whole time as if someone was actually going to take her away.


    The Devil Child couldn''t take her eyes off his arms and she struggled to think of something.


    "Rosan¡­ why are our cubes the only one with a single color?" She asked eventually.


    The redhead glanced down at her. "I couldn''t be greedy and steal both red and purple, so I gave you purple and kept red for myself."


    She nodded. "And the miniature version of me on your cube?"


    Rosan grinned and presented it. "Cute eh? I was gonna put my Devil Fruit on mine and your Devil Fruit on yours¡­ but looking at a version of you instead, makes me happier so I compromised by doing both. Do you want me to take off the miniature version of me off yours?"


    Robin''s mouth opened at his shameless admittance.


    This was really bad. Everything that Rosan normally said, was being seen oh so differently now and it was flooring her because Robin had never felt this way before.


    "Robin?" Rosan called out. "You alright? You''ve been pretty dazed lately."


    "He can''t know yet," she thought to herself. "I''m¡­ fine. Just thinking of how arrogant you are to put a picture of yourself on my cube without consulting me¡­ but I like it. It''s cute."


    The redhead nodded, before pausing as he realized something. "Wait a second¡­ don''t you call the ugliest things on the planet cute? Your sense of taste is questionable as hell."


    Robin narrowed her eyes at that and felt the need to defend herself, after such an absurd comment. "You should be glad I consider at least something cute about you! Don''t you dare judge my taste!"


    He really shouldn''t judge her tastes, considering she currently had a crush on him.


    Rosan''s brow raised high at that. "Wait... you calling me ugly? Your hot as hell best friend? Ugly?" He asked incredulously.


    Not even a little... but Robin had chose this hill so she would die on it. "And if I am?" she retorted.


    Maro''s eyes glittered in manic glee, as she saw a perfect opportunity to cause a little mischief.


    Glancing at Angel to make sure it was fine, the Queen was pleased to see her wife shooting her a thumbs up with an equally unhinged smile.


    Go time!


    "REALLY?!" Maro''s eyes bugged as she shot up like a rocket and leapt onto Rosan''s back. "Y-You think Master''s UGLY?! This hunk right here?! I''ve been shamelessly gawking him since the first time we met!"


    The redhead in question, raised a brow and snorted, as Maro began shamelessly groping him in front of them all.


    "Why is she so shameless?" Usopp muttered in disbelief.


    "Why is it to him?" Sanji asked despondently.


    The Dokkaebi let out a delighted noise and Rosan had to wonder when his student became so depraved.


    "You''ve gotta be joking right, Robin?! I mean look at him! This man was blessed with something!" Maro beamed.


    "My sister, aka your wife, is right there watching you grope me by the way," Rosan said, amusement dancing in his eyes.


    To his slight shock, his little sister in question walked up to the duo and joined in with groping his muscles with a contemplative expression.


    "She has a point though," Angel joined, nodding in approval as she pulled one of his sleeves back and presented his arm like a prize. "I mean, I''m not this hot because you''re ugly, Master. I got these looks from someone and they''re standing right here."


    Rosan paused in disbelief, not really sure how to react to this.


    Normally, when Maro did this, he quickly got Angel to jump in and reprimand the queen to a 100% success rate.


    What was he supposed to do now that they were both harassing him?


    The answer was nothing. He didn''t know what to do...


    Well shit. What was the percentage now? Maro had done this countless times so it had to have been a relatively tiny drop... Maybe 99.8%?


    The two wives froze, as an ominous aura washed over them and they hesitantly glanced back to see Robin smiling serenely at them.


    The Devil Child looked much the same (when she wasn''t in the process of getting riled up by Rosan) but there was something exceptionally dangerous this time around.


    She didn''t say anything but they heard her loud and clear.


    "Release him."


    The two hastily did so and backed away from the redhead.


    "S-Sorry!" They apologized hastily, sweating a bit in worry.


    Rosan smiled at Robin and approached her. "My hero," he crooned mockingly. "Don''t like seeing your best friend getting groped by the most unhinged members of his family? According to Mod-chan, you''re free to grope your ugly best friend whenever you want and you already did it without hesitation to my female form so feel free."


    "That''s true. You''re free to do whatever to Rosan and I won''t feel the need to assault you," Mod replied amusingly.


    Robin nearly opened her mouth and agreed to it, before catching herself and opting for a glare instead.


    Rosan let loose a low laugh that sent a shiver through her spine and he grabbed her into a hug. "Kidding kidding. Thanks for saving me from those perverted monsters¡­ They can be ridiculous... I don''t get it, Angel is my sister and Maro is my student but they still feel the need to assault and harass me... have you been using my shampoo?" He asked suddenly, leaning in close and taking a slight whiff out of her hair.


    "Don''t just sniff my hair! That''s weird," Robin reprimanded in slight mortification.


    Did she accidentally use Rosan''s shampoo? His was flowery themed much like her own and both smelled good enough that she was never picky.


    "The one time we don''t bathe together and you''re using my stuff," Rosan snorted. "It''s fine though¡­ I like when you use my stuff. It makes people feel less likely to approach you so I can avoid murdering people."


    Robin froze at that statement and opened her mouth, only to close it once more.


    There wasn''t even anything inherently wrong with the statement¡­


    Did¡­ Did she have it bad? Surely she didn''t have it bad for this insufferable redhead who smiled at her in a way that no one else did¡­ or looked at her like she was the only person in the world¡­ or held her like he did when they slept or just lounged around or just¡ª


    Robin let out a miserable sigh as she buried herself in Rosan to try and hide her embarrassment.


    Rosan''s eyes furrowed in concern at the actions. "Seriously, are you good, Robin?"


    Of course he was concerned about her¡­ she was his number 1 priority¡ª


    Robin resisted the urge to let out a strangled gasp and eventually said, "I''m fine, Rosan. Just a lot on my mind."


    The redhead hummed, not releasing her from his grip. "You know we can always talk about it when you want. I''ll listen to all your concerns," he assured.


    She chanced a glance up and saw that he was glancing down at her with a small, rather charming, smile on his face.


    "Right¡­" she muttered, flashing a reassuring smile back at him.


    Oh no¡­ she really did have it bad.


    Sanji''s face slowly shifted into horror as he watched the interaction.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Flashback End


    "Robin, you zoned out again."


    The woman blinked at that and frowned. "I''ll talk to you about it later¡­ but Rosan... or Ram can''t be there."


    Mod smiled at that and said, "That can be arranged. I''m all ears and will help in anyway I know how."


    Robin smiled at her mother and said, "Thank you, Mod-chan. I know I can rely on you."


    "Of course, Robin!"


    With that, they shut off the connection and Robin watched the two brothers mutually reach the end of their spar.


    Seeing as they were only using their respective Hakis, neither had taken a lasting hit against the other to count them out. Luffy dodged everything and Rosan withstood every blow so they both just handshook that it was never going to end and stopped it themselves.


    "Still no signs of Armament?" Rosan asked, stretching to work out the kinks in his body.


    "I feel something... but not much. How about you?" Luffy replied, falling on his back and rubbing his stomach.


    "Nothing at all," Rosan grunted in displeasure. "Well, whatever, we just have to hone the ones we do have for now."


    His captain nodded cheerfully and said, "Yeah! Now let''s eat!"


    The scout hummed. "I want to bathe so I''ll send you and Zoro back. You better make sure you bathe too."


    His little brother saluted and looked in a random direction, before launching out a rubbery hand.


    The strangled yell in the distance, told Rosan all he needed to know.


    "C''mon Zoro!" Luffy shouted, yanking the swordsman to his position with ease.


    Zoro, who had a rubbery arm wrapped around his neck, glared at Luffy in disbelief. "Let me go you dumbass! Can''t you just call me like a normal person?!"


    Luffy simply laughed and ignored his plight. "I''m hungry! Let''s go!"


    "I hate you," the swordsman announced tiredly.


    Rosan snorted and put a hand on his straw hat-less brother, making the both of them vanish back to the ship.


    "Robin, let''s go bathe," he called to the slightly distracted woman. He reached her quickly and hoisted her up.


    The Devil Child froze as those words washed over her and she snapped her gaze up at the shirtless redhead who she was far too close to.


    "Bathe¡­?" She trailed off.


    "Yep," Rosan popped the P.


    Without any hesitation, he lifted her up and began walking to the bathhouse located in the castle.


    "I''m sweaty and so are you so now we bathe," he explained easily.


    "Put me down then! I don''t need you rubbing your sweat on me!" Robin struggled.


    That was the wrong thing to say. Of course it was the wrong thing to say when dealing with a bully like Rosan.


    The redhead''s eyes glinted maliciously and he immediately hugged her close to his bare chest, making sure all his sweat reached her with no remorse.


    He had done something like this so much to her, that this hardly bothered her. She often got sweat on him as well so really, it was barely worth noticing.


    But now it was completely unbearable because his exposed torso was hugging her.


    Was she really too far gone¡­? Because this was unbearable in the way that she was trying her hardest to not soak in the sensation of the redhead''s build.


    The sheer mortification that ran through her, at the realization that she was enjoying this, made Robin realize that this was almost certainly someones form of torture¡­


    The Devil Child actually let out a groan of misery and buried her head in Rosan''s chest to hide her horror.


    Curse her for even enjoying this action.


    Rosan raised a brow at the out of character antics.


    Robin wasn''t acting anything like Robin... it was rather surreal but she was probably just exhausted.


    What if she noticed him acting out of character himself...? He thought he had been doing a good job but maybe he was a bad actor...


    No. If she noticed she would have said something.


    It had to have been during training. He was rather unrelenting when he was forcing her Observation to evolve.


    "Don''t worry, I''ll clean you up since you''re tired," he said with a roll of his eyes.


    Robin''s groan of misery got louder.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "I''m sure you know I had a crush on Rosan when I was younger¡­ Well, I think that crush is back and I''m not so sure it''s a crush anymore."


    Mod''s mouth opened in disbelief, at how blunt Robin was with her. She just stared at the taller woman with wide eyes as they conversed over a cup of tea.


    She was expecting to poke and prod the woman, trying to get her to reveal it on her own with subtle tips¡­ The Devil Fruit was not expecting her daughter to be so up front about it.


    Well, at least it was good to know Robin wasn''t denying her feelings?


    "You''re saying you''re in love with Rosan?" Mod asked quietly.


    Rosan was currently meditating outside in the pounding rain of their mindscape, so as to better get control of his wild mind and he forced Ram to join him because it looked as if her mood had been swinging rather wildly ever since Rosan had gained his own emotions back.


    This was of course, on Mod''s orders as she wanted to speak to Robin alone so here they were.


    "I''m not sure," Robin admitted. "I certainly love him. I''ve loved him for 20 years and I''m sure he loves me as well... I just don''t know if the love we have for each other is anything more than platonic."


    Mod nodded at her words. She was sure Robin loved him more than just friends but that could wait.


    "Well, we can sort that out later¡­ why haven''t you told Rosan yet?"


    "That''s not an option right now," Robin said calmly. Before Mod could open her mouth, the Devil Child held up a hand.


    "Neither of us are suited to be in a relationship currently, Mod-chan. At the very least, I won''t feel right confessing my feelings to Rosan while the castle still exists."


    Knowing him, he''d say yes to anything she said. If she confessed, he''d almost certainly agree to date, but she didn''t want to take advantage of him. Only if he had all his emotions to make a true decision, would she feel comfortable doing so.


    Mod closed her mouth and eventually nodded at her words.


    They were incredibly mature and typical of Robin so she couldn''t say she was surprised truthfully.


    Mod¡­ also quite appreciated that answer.


    "What... What if Rosan loves you just the same? What if he has romantic feelings for you?" She asked curiously.


    Robin tilted her head, pondering the question. "I would still rather wait for the castle to vanish... and then I''d gladly pursue these feelings. But I don''t think he quite is... I believe I could tell if my best friend was in love with me."


    "Y-You don''t even realize you''re practically dating," Mod thought with a sweatdrop, deigning not to point it out.


    "Besides, we both talked about it privately and agreed that now isn''t quite the best time for dating," Robin whispered. "We were just happy to be with each other and didn''t want to complicate things further."


    The mother of the two smiled softly. She just wanted the best for them.


    A mischievous smile made its way to her face instead. "You must really enjoy bathing with Rosan then, don''t you?"


    A plethora of arms spawning on her body, dangerously close to her vulnerable belly, stopped the woman dead in her tracks and the Devil Fruits eyes widened in horror.


    "We will not be joking of such things, Mod-chan," Robin said firmly, blues eyes piercing the woman as she smiled slightly.


    Mod went slightly pale and nodded rapidly. The purple haired woman let out a sigh of relief, as those arms vanished and spared her from the deathly tickles.


    "You''re scary sometimes," the Devil Fruit muttered, as she took another sip of her honey dipped white tea.


    "Only when someone deserves it," the Devil Child replied peacefully.


    The purple haired woman shook her head. "I don''t think I deserved it at all! I was just asking because you couldn''t take your eyes off of his body!"


    Robin''s eyes shot open at that and she glared at the women who didn''t notice.


    "I mean, I don''t blame you at all¡­ There''s a reason I''m so protective of him, Rosan is blessed as a man and a woman so he gets too much unwanted attention¡­ Oh! But that doesn''t apply to you at all! You have my blessing whenever you choose to pursue this. At least this way, only one person can touch my son''s body¡­ honestly, why is he so genetically gifted¡ª A-AH!"


    Mod let out a startled shriek as Robin herself tackled the woman to the floor and began mercilessly tickling her.


    "W-Wait! Please! I didn''t mean anything by it!" Mod pleaded as Robin''s fingers dug into her with no remorse.


    "I already warned you," Robin said lowly, continuing her onslaught.


    Mod squealed as her bully of a daughter continued unimpeded and tried to struggle.


    "Hm?" A deep, amused voice, called out and Robin temporarily paused to glance up at Rosan and Ram both smiling at the duo with equally raised brows.


    "Robin? Tickling Mod-chan? What did she do?" The redhead asked.


    "I-I did nothing! Now save me, please!" Mod begged, face flushed a deep red. The woman let out another squeal as Robin continued her assault with a determined glare.


    Rosan snorted and reluctantly lifted Robin off of Mod. "As much as I love watching someone else torment Mod-chan, we''ve got to pay a visit, Robin," he said, slinging the woman over his shoulder.


    "Put me down! I''m not finished with her!" Robin struggled in his grip.


    The redhead rolled his eyes and absentmindedly pat her butt to calm her down. "Relax. She kinda can''t go anywhere. Trapped inside my body, y''know?"


    Robin froze in shock as the redhead pat her bottom and her struggles renewed.


    "Put me down, Rosan! Who said you could slap my butt? This is the second time you''ve touched it!"


    "I barely made contact... You don''t have anything to be ashamed of. You have a nice ass, Robin. Maro would rate it highly."


    "That''s not the problem and you know it! Stop being so purposely ignorant!"


    Rosan cackled before his expression turned thoughtful.


    "Oh that reminds me, after this visit we need to practice Extract Files."


    "...You mean the one where you place your palm on my breast?" Robin asked slowly.


    "It''s actually over your heart¡­ but yes. What other one would I be talking about?" He asked in confusion.


    "The one that doesn''t involve you placing a palm on my breast," she replied evenly.


    Rosan paused incredulously. "...Now you have a problem with me grabbing your boobs? Maybe not when I was trying to tell you that I didn''t wanna experiment on you?"


    "I thought as a genius of your craft, you''d have it figured out in one go," she mumbled.


    "Well that''s too damn bad because I didn''t. You''re the one who made me do this, so now you have to put up with it," he said without any hesitation.


    Robin opened and closed her mouth at his words.


    "You''re so demanding¡­" she muttered, pleased for some horror filling reason.


    "Shouldn''t have spoiled me so much growing up," he replied easily.


    Mod huffed as she watched them vanish, trying to catch her breath as Ram steadied her.


    "I got Robin to admit... she had feelings for Rosan," she huffed out.


    Ram blinked before grinning widely.


    "Is that why you got me soaked in that cold rain?!" The ring asked excitedly.


    "Yes... now go bathe," Mod retorted, finally gaining a semblance of air.


    The woman squealed as the soaked Ram lifted her up without any hesitation.


    "Kay! Off we go!" She beamed.


    Stolen story; please report.


    "I... Didn''t say with me!"


    "Well... too bad! I like bathing with you so we bathe!"


    "...Are you a pervert? Is that what this is?"


    "Nope, I don''t swing that way. But, you do have a nice ass, Auntie."


    "Kami, I don''t know where I went wrong with half my children."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Robin and Rosan both raised a brow, as they sidestepped the wave of sand trying to crush them.


    The redhead then paused as a figure dashed at him and slammed their limbs into him as if they were trying to cut him.


    He hummed as he channeled Armament through his body and tanked the attack, smiling in satisfaction at being completely unscathed.


    Daz Bones only had a moment to widen his eyes in disbelief, before a fist smashed into his steel face with concussive force and embedded him in the ground.


    Rosan playfully blew onto his fist and gazed at the scowling Crocodile.


    "That 110 million bounty has gotten you cocky. You think just because you outstrip me by 10 million, you''re suddenly capable of revolting?" Rosan remarked, eyes glinting in amusement as he gazed at the former Warlord. "What should your punishment be for attacking me, since you can make so many bold decisions on your own?"


    "You won''t be alive to decide that," Crocodile sneered.


    The redhead was different, that much was obvious but right now he didn''t care even a little about that.


    Maybe he should have been a bit more wary.


    The Warlord sent a tidal wave of sand towards the duo, ignoring that they were on a ship and tried to consume them both in an instant win.


    If they survived but couldn''t move, all the better.


    Rosan rolled his eyes and grabbed Robin, before sprouting his draconic wings and flying up into the air.


    Crocodile finally realized that they were on a ship, in the middle of the ocean, as Rosan mockingly extended a single hand that began suspiciously glowing.


    "You''d die here and now if I let this go, y''know?" he asked, tilting his head to the side.


    "I know you''re considering it, but let''s not. It''d be a waste," Robin muttered aloud.


    The Logia bit his cigar harshly, sand seeping off of him as he fired off a Desert Spada directly through the air that Rosan deftly dodged.


    The redhead sighed in annoyance.


    "I don''t have time to play with you right now," he grunted, eyes glowing.


    "Boost x2."


    The sandman didn''t even have time to blink, before a sneaker smashed into his gut with enough force to completely bend his body, while a cracking noise rang out.


    Crocodile felt his body turn inside out as he was rocketed back until he smashed into a wall. The man coughed up blood and he lost the ability to breathe, as he clutched his chest in disbelief.


    "Haki?!" He thought to himself in shock. "But how? He didn''t have it before? It hasn''t even been that long since we last encountered each other?!"


    Crocodile had begun training in earnest after his defeat in Alabasta... but he hadn''t yet reawoken his own Haki. To know that the redhead now had it... that only motivated him more.


    Footsteps approached the man, until a red sneaker smashed his head to the deck with bruising force.


    "Attacking me as soon as I show up is rude, Croc," Rosan muttered lowly, eyes glowing menacingly as he glanced around.


    The redhead tilted his head. "No other allies yet? You should look into at least finding a doctor. I broke a rib," he mocked.


    Crocodile snarled in hatred at the shoe forcing him to eat his deck and opted to stay silent.


    Rosan chuckled darkly and removed his foot from Crocodile''s head.


    "Get up. I gave you enough time to catch your breath," he commanded, raising a brow as Crocodile gazed at him in pure hatred. "What? You''re the one who attacked me when I just came to check up on you. Expect me to be cordial about it? Get up or I''m breaking another bone."


    "I''m going to strangle you to death slowly with my sand and I''m going to enjoy every second of it," Crocodile promised, pushing himself up after throwing up a bit more blood.


    "I''m so scared," Rosan replied with a smug smirk.


    Robin sighed in exasperation.


    She took one look at the near comatose Daz Bones and said, "Did you think he was sufficient backup? Surely you should have known better."


    Crocodile scoffed. "I was expecting him to stall you but you''ve both clearly changed."


    Mr. 1 was a perfect choice into Nico Robin and that''s one of the reasons Crocodile had gotten both him and Miss Doublefinger. It was no coincidence that both their fruits countered the woman''s. It was to prepare and if they failed, he''d handle her of course.


    Rosan sneered. "Even if we didn''t, he wouldn''t be able to hurt me or her. Make sure you save your curiosity too, I don''t explain myself to minions."


    The former Warlord snarled, sand seeping from his body once more as his gaze turned murderous.


    The redhead''s eyes narrowed dangerously, as he noted the challenging look and he bared his sharp teeth challengingly.


    Now that most of his emotions were back, the memory of Robin being impaled, made him all the angrier and he always had a hard time getting his anger under control.


    "Attack me again and I''m taking your other hand," Rosan warned lowly, pressure beginning to saturate the air.


    A litter of veins formed on Crocodile''s head at that statement. The former warlord''s expression turned thunderous, staring at the redhead in a moment of genuine rage.


    "Oh? Did I hit a sore spot?" The redhead asked, a mocking smile making its way to his face. "Did the poor little Croccy lose his hand in a fight that he doesn''t wanna talk about?"


    The redhead''s expression quickly turned into something much darker. "Is that why you lost to a rookie crew? Did that fight turn you this pathetic?"


    "He''s fucking dead," Crocodile snarled hellishly, preparing to summon a sandstorm in the middle of the ocean, bad idea be damned.


    Robin sighed as Rosan egged Crocodile on and on, just to give himself the satisfaction of crushing the former warlord at his peak anger and stepped in before the whole ship got destroyed.


    It would be a waste if the redhead''s effort to subjugate the Logia, went down the drain.


    "That''s enough, Rosan. This isn''t why we came here," Robin eventually said right as Crocodile was about to make the decision to throw caution to the wind.


    "Crocodile, we have some questions for you."


    "Bite me," he snarled.


    Rosan''s eyes turned into slits and his maw turned serrated. "That can be arranged. Just know you''ll lose an entire limb if you talk to her like that again. Maybe I''ll give you a missing leg too."


    A pleased tingle went through her body but she dutifully ignored it. "Remember the terms of our agreement, Crocodile. It would do you no good to throw your life away after just reminding the world of who you are. 110 million is only the beginning, isn''t it?"


    Crocodile almost looked like he wanted to refute the claim of throwing his life away but his body protesting, made him aware that he was still not strong enough.


    The redhead had moved at speeds similar to that damn Straw Hat¡­ Not to mention he was almost certain he had Haki¡­


    Just what happened in the short amount of time he had disappeared?


    Rosan nearly looked like he was about to end the Logia regardless, but Robin put a hand on him that slowly but surely, calmed him down.


    "Control yourself. He is still useful to us," Robin whispered soothingly through their connection.


    "Tch¡­ there goes my anger issues again," he grunted, taking a deep breath and cooling himself down.


    "Tell me what you''ve been up to and what you have planned," Rosan grunted.


    Robin withheld a sigh. "Will hugging me later make you feel better?"


    "...Yes."


    She smiled at that and rolled her eyes.


    Crocodile wiped the blood from his mouth and scoffed. "I''m simply amassing my funds, power and supplies at the moment. I plan on establishing an information network in the future¡­ After I find half useful followers, I''m going to the New World."


    Rosan hummed at that. His gaze idly shifted over to the former agent regaining his consciousness.


    "That guy won''t be enough... be on the lookout for anyone useful and bring them to your side... or kill them. The less enemies for us, the better," he said bluntly.


    The Logia grunted in affirmation.


    "I''ll give you some funds to speed up the process. Don''t waste it."


    Crocodile raised a brow at that and grunted in shock as Rosan waved his hand and a briefcase materialized.


    "What is his Devil Fruit?" He thought to himself. Some draconic fruit? It had to have been a Mythical Zoan¡­


    That curiosity vanished as the redhead opened the case and presented it to him.


    He couldn''t stop the shock, at seeing just how much beri was in the case and regarded the Red Devil with a surprised gaze.


    "You''re just giving me this?" Crocodile asked incredulously, watching the redhead close the case once more and place it on the floor.


    "Naturally. You''re my subordinate after all. It''s not like you can take the money and run. There is no escaping me," Rosan shrugged. "Use it wisely. If you feel like subjugating an entire island once more, fine by me... but make sure it offers something useful."


    "Just who is this person?" He couldn''t help but think. The redhead wasn''t nearly as benevolent as Straw Hat and clearly operated on his own agenda¡­


    Crocodile grunted and accepted the case. He wouldn''t turn down such a large supply of money, not even if he hated (and respected) this redhead with every fiber of his being.


    "Anything else before you get the fuck out of my sight?" The Warlord sneered.


    "Perhaps I should have you remember what it feels like to drown," Rosan retorted.


    Robin was quick to shut it down this time.


    "What can you tell us about Donquixote Doflamingo?" Robin asked curiously.


    Crocodile paused at that question, before his sneer deepened.


    "That annoying bastard¡­ What do you want to know about him?" He grunted in compliance.


    Rosan spoke up this time and said, "I''ve seen a random crew walking around with his symbol. I wanted to know how influential he is, considering its typically Emperors who do such things."


    "He knows his stuff¡­" Crocodile admitted reluctantly.


    "Even I don''t know too much about Doflamingo," he grunted. "He resides in the New World mostly and is the ruler of the kingdom of Dressrosa. I hate to admit it, but we''re more similar then I''d like to give that demented bastard credit for."


    "A pirate ruling over an official kingdom?" Robin thought in confusion.


    "How are you two similar?" Rosan asked.


    The former Warlord scowled. "I''m not talking personality. He''s nothing like me in that regards."


    "I doubt it."


    Robin almost snorted.


    "Doflamingo is cunning. He has a blanket pulled over the World Governments eyes. He''s the Warlord that somehow manages to get away with the most things," Crocodile explained.


    "You don''t think the World Government doesn''t notice out of incompetence, do you?" Rosan observed accurately.


    The former Warlord nodded, finding himself begrudgingly impressed with the redhead.


    "He has dirt on them. I don''t know what it is and I don''t really care but it allows him to get away with plenty of things. One of the few things I know about him, is that he''s an underground broker," Crocodile said, polishing his hook idly on his cloak.


    Rosan paused at that, mind grinding to a halt. "Underground broker you say? Do you know his identity?"


    "No."


    Not a lie. But honestly, it didn''t matter if Crocodile knew or not because Rosan knew.


    He was willing to bet his red hair that Doflamingo and Joker had a connection. He was sure of it.


    "You think Donquixote Doflamingo is the Joker you stole that Devil Fruit from?" Robin asked.


    "I think so¡­ let''s see."


    "I''ve heard some other things about him. Is he rather carefree? Tends to not take situations serious?"


    Crocodile raised a brow. Was this redhead trying to go after Doflamingo? How did he know so much information on the man?


    ...If that happened, he''d die to the Warlord.


    In that case, Crocodile wouldn''t warn him about the Heavenly Demon and let him go on his suicide mission.


    "That sounds right. Annoying bastard is always laughing, exaggerates, sits in the dumbest ways and walks even dumber."


    Yes, that man was Joker. Rosan was sure of it.


    Perfect.


    "I see," Rosan nodded, mind running once more with ideas upon ideas.


    "Looks like we got far more then we expected¡­ to think Doflamingo is the Joker who you infuriated all those years ago."


    So Maro''s Devil Fruit was for the Warlord¡­ It was a good thing Rosan never revealed it.


    "I have a baseline now. I always intended on terrorizing Joker when the time came but I never knew just how strong he was. If I can get a gauge on this Doflamingo''s strength¡­ Eventually I will beat him," Rosan said confidently.


    "Alright, I''m done here," Rosan grunted. "You gave me useful information. I''ll forgive you for trying to kill me this time. Think wisely about doing it next time though."


    "I won''t be satisfied in life until I personally kill you, Red Devil," Crocodile informed him, turning away from the redhead and heading back to his quarters.


    He needed to tend to his wounds. That kick broke a bone.


    "Join the line and don''t fucking call me that. I hate that goddamn title," Rosan scoffed. He grabbed Robin and the two subsequently vanished.


    "I want that hug."


    "Yes, yes. Anything for you, your highness."


    "Stop mentioning my royal blood."


    "No. It''s funny."


    Daz Bones groaned as he nursed his head.


    "He managed to punch me through my steel body?!"


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Mod-chan, can we talk?"


    Mod popped a tired eye open and regarded the redhead she was sleeping on, with a bleary gaze.


    The redhead was wide awake, and she saw his glowing gaze looking at her with a conflicted expression.


    That shot her wide awake and the Devil Fruit pushed herself up with a look of worry.


    "Of course we can, Rosan... what''s the matter? Did... Did I do something?" She asked in concern.


    Robin and Ram were both sleeping. Ram was sleeping on the redhead''s right and Robin was directly atop him, leaving him completely trapped, not that he minded.


    "No it''s not you... can we just go somewhere, the two of us? I need to discuss something with you," he said quietly, sounding a bit unsure of himself.


    The Devil Fruit nodded and diligently removed herself from bed.


    Rosan glanced at the two still sleeping and sighed to himself, before gently removing himself from Robin and Ram''s hold.


    He went as slow as possible, making sure to never remove contact the entire time and right when he was about to fully extract himself, he had the two make contact instead.


    They blissfully slept away, not even moving from his actions, except for Ram hugging Robin''s unconscious frame.


    "I wonder how often he practiced that... he did it so masterfully," Mod thought idly, tugging her bunched up nightgown and following after the redhead after he beckoned with his head.


    She followed after her son, until they both stepped outside into the freezing rain and Rosan sighed.


    "Rosan? What''s the matter?" She asked worriedly, stepping up to her son and summoning an umbrella for them both.


    "..." The redhead pursed his lips and gazed at her, glowing eyes shifting in intensity sporadically as the moonlight shone down on them.


    Mod had teared up more than once just staring into his eyes and seeing that familiar glow. She would never be able to truly put it into words, how grateful she was to have her son back.


    She actually did almost tear up, as she realized Rosan was once more confiding in things with her one on one. It had been so long... she missed being his partner.


    She''d be a good one from now on.


    "Rosan, speak to me. What''s wrong?" Mod asked quietly. "You can talk to me ¡ª"


    "I think I''m in love with Robin."


    ...


    Mod went silent, mind blanking.


    Rosan was nervously raking a hand through his hair, looking incredibly uncertain with a flushed expression that spoke testaments to how much emotion he had currently.


    "It''s... really bad," he mentioned. "It''s almost exactly like what happened with Meiko."


    "What do you mean?" She said slowly, trying to piece things together.


    So they were both in love with each other... Robin had been easy to spot, but Mod only had an inkling that Rosan was the same.


    "I think my lack of emotions were suppressing it... now it''s impossible and it''s kind of overwhelming," he admitted with a hint of frustration. "I''ve been trying to act as normal as possible because I don''t want to mess anything up, but my body is burning up and I can''t control any of my emotions the way I want to."


    Ah, so he had been trying to act normal... That made sense.


    Mod pursed her lips. "Overwhelming how? Are you alright?"


    "Not really. I couldn''t even look at her while we were bathing!" Rosan scowled. "My body is heating up at the simplest of things and it''s ridiculous. Even just now, while she was sleeping on top of me... I''m a mess. I don''t wanna make her uncomfortable," he sighed, anger vanishing quickly in favor of sadness.


    Mod bit her lip, noticing how swiftly his emotional state was changing.


    Rosan... couldn''t control his emotions right now, could he?


    That was disastrous. Her son being so in control of himself these past years, was the reason they didn''t have such a massive target on their back.


    But they could focus on that later... right now, he needed help with his feelings.


    "Don''t feel too bad, Rosan," she muttered, engulfing her son. "If I were to guess, it might be your suppressed hormones finally coming into play. Considering you almost completely skipped that phase of your life and had no time at all to adjust to it," she rationalized.


    He sunk into her hug and nodded. "That''s what I think too... it''s been really bad," Rosan sighed.


    "It''s okay, we''re here for you," she murmured. "One step at a time. You haven''t had emotions for 12 years. It was never going to be easy."


    He nodded reluctantly, marveling at the warm sensation of his mother.


    "So what will you do about your feelings for Robin? Will you confess?" Mod asked suddenly, making him choke on air.


    The purple haired woman was trying to hide the glow in her eyes, as she looked up at Rosan with a mirthful expression.


    She was immensely pleased, to see the red cheeks of the redhead and he let out a sigh.


    "Not yet... I want to get these problems situated. My emotions are all haywire and I can''t tell what''s genuine or not because of how much they overflow. I know I love Robin, but I need to know if it''s my hormones making me feel this way or not... I wouldn''t feel right pursuing at least until I lost this last chain and figured myself out," he muttered.


    Mod noticed something and blinked slowly.


    "What if Robin loves you back?" She asked in amusement.


    Rosan''s answer nearly made her laugh aloud.


    "We both talked about it in private and agreed that we weren''t ready for dating... I know if I asked her, she''d definitely agree to date but I don''t wanna take advantage of her. Also I think I''d be able to tell if Robin loved me like that. She''s my best friend," he replied with a fond smile.


    His answer was the exact same as Robin''s own. Those two were so in sync that it was seeping into them even when the other wasn''t around.


    The duo of Devils were so blissfully unaware, that it was genuinely amazing.


    This was ridiculously adorable but Mod wouldn''t push the issue any further than she needed to.


    Mod did giggle. "You sure have a lovesick smile on your face," she pointed out.


    The redhead blinked, before his expression went flush again and he glared at her.


    He hauled her up and began walking towards their room again. "The only reason I''m not tormenting you, is because I woke you up to talk to you. Be grateful," Rosan grunted.


    She beamed and snuggled into him. "You should spoil me more often. It''s a nice feeling."


    "Every waking moment I''m not tormenting you, I''m spoiling you. What exactly do you mean more often?"


    "I mean stop bullying me. I raised you, have more respect."


    "...No."


    "I hate you."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    With the sudden influx of gold that the Straw Hats received, the group had wanted many things but they universally decided on one thing.


    They needed to repair the Going Merry.


    Rosan frowned at that. He didn''t know how extensive her damage was but perhaps a professional shipwright would be able to repair her to enough levels where she could survive long enough for him to find her a solution.


    "The Merry is quite beat up," he offered his two cents. "Perhaps we should consider another ship as an option in case. I quite like this ship so I wouldn''t want it to sink randomly before we were ready."


    He forgot how naive his crew was.


    "We''ll get the best Shipwright and have them fix her up good as new!" Usopp grinned, shooting them a thumbs up.


    "Yeah!" Luffy beamed, nodding rapidly. "Merry won''t sink!"


    Hm. That was as far as he was willing to prod at the moment.


    "What''s wrong? You wouldn''t normally suggest something like that," Robin pointed out.


    Ah right, he never mentioned it to anyone.


    "That night I went to go repair the ship, I spoke to Merry," Rosan told them.


    Robin and Mod''s eyes both widened in shock.


    He¡­ what?


    "It''s hard to believe but yes¡­ I spoke to the spirit of the Going Merry and she told me that she doesn''t have long until she sinks."


    "That''s¡­" Mod trailed off.


    "Why don''t you tell them now?" Robin asked curiously.


    "Merry told me to tell them when the time is right. Now is not the right time. All me telling them will do at the moment, is build tensions."


    He was still very pessimistic and with his optimistic crew, naturally they''d throw doubt on him. It would do no good if he used only his "intuition" to tell them the ship was done for.


    Perhaps the Shipwright would be able to advise them to get a new one.


    "We can focus on ship repairs when the time comes! We''ve got other things to worry about," Nami interjected.


    They all nodded in unison and the ship continued to sail peacefully through the sea.


    "Hm?" Rosan perked up, eyes narrowed slightly as they began to glow.


    "What''s wrong?" Usopp asked, glancing at the curious redhead.


    Their scout was looking in ahead of them with a tilted head. "We''re approaching a peculiar ship¡­ It has no flag, no sail and there are a few members that look lost."


    Everyone paused in confusion at that.


    What was a ship like that doing around here?


    True to the redhead''s words, they soon approached a rather odd ship that had no business being out on the sea. It was only a matter of time before they sunk to the bottom of the ocean.


    The inhabitants looked purposeless and lifeless, just lounging around as they waited for something to happen.


    That something, seemed like it was the Straw Hats today and someone jumped up in excitement.


    "Hey look! A ship!" One of the men on the ship called out.


    All of them perked up at that and began clambering to their feet.


    "LET''S RAID THEM!"


    "WHAT?! DON''T TELL ME WHAT TO DO!"


    "YEAH THE CAPTAIN HAS TO DECIDE!"


    "IDIOT, WE DON''T HAVE A CAPTAIN ANYMORE!"


    Rosan raised a brow at that. "I''ll deal with them. You can continue sailing."


    They nodded at his command and watched as Rosan and Robin floated over to the crew with clear interest.


    "AGH! HE''S FLYING?! WHAT DO WE DO?!" One of the pirates shouted in horror, going pale at those draconic wings.


    "I DUNNO! I''M NOT THE CAPTAIN RIGHT?!"


    "NOW''S NOT THE TIME TO BE SARCASTIC!"


    Rosan and Robin landed on the odd ship and appraised the people on it.


    They raised their brow at the shoddy weapons being aimed at them and Rosan audibly scoffed.


    "I''ve got some questions for you guys. Then, you''re free to do what you want afterwards, whether that be killing yourself trying to raid our ship, or killing yourself trying to sail with no sails," Rosan greeted, inclining his head.


    They looked back and forth at each other before coming to a similar conclusion.


    Greedy grins made its way to their faces and they glanced at the two invaders.


    "We want some resources in exchange for those question¡ª"


    The pirate that was speaking couldn''t finish his sentence, as his head completely vanished, courtesy of the redhead staring at his corpse neutrally with his gloved hand outstretched.


    The headless body thumped to the floor, no sign of blood.


    "I''ve got some questions for you guys," Rosan repeated calmly, hand smoking from the attack. "You''ll be courteous and answer them. Right?"


    The rest of the pirates looked shakily down at the corpse, before glancing at the demon with wide eyes.


    They nodded rapidly.


    Rosan smiled. "Good. Now what happened to your crew? You mentioned not having a captain anymore."


    They flinched at that.


    "We¡­ lost our crew in a Davy Back Fight," one explained.


    "A Davy Back fight is a duel between pirates¡­ the winner gets to pick out a crewmate and take them. We got destroyed and most of our crew was stolen from the Foxy Pirates."


    "The Foxy Pirates?" Rosan muttered, storing the information away.


    "They''re a bunch of cheaters!" Another one snarled. "If it even looks like we have a chance to win, they use all sort of scummy tactics to pull one over us."


    Interesting¡­ a Davy Back Fight¡­ He''d heard of that before. It was a pirate game where they could steal each others crew.


    "Right. Thanks for the info," Rosan nodded.


    Without any hesitation, the redhead placed a palm flat on the deck and blew a hole all the way through the bottom.


    Then, he grabbed Robin and began floating away.


    "W-WAIT! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" One of them screeched in horror, looking at the massive hole with a look of terror.


    Rosan shrugged.


    "Your use has run out and you did plan on attacking our ship. I''m just speeding up your deaths."


    The redhead ignored their howling and glided back over to his crew, who were looking at him with shock in their eyes.


    "You are a scary person, Rosan," Nami said in awe as she backed away a little.


    "S-Super scary," Chopper stammered, hiding behind Luffy.


    "Honestly, the scariest person I met," Usopp shuddered.


    The crew watched as the ship began sinking with slack jaws.


    "They wouldn''t stop looking at Robin," he told them with a shrug. "How is it that I''m the one asking the questions and they keep looking at her? I have no intention of letting such people live."


    Robin felt yet another pleasant tingle course through her body at that sentence and said, "Thank you for protecting me from¡­ eyes, Rosan."


    "Anytime," he said easily, either not detecting her sarcasm or ignoring it on purpose.


    She had an inkling it was the second one.


    "Davy Back Fights¡­ Sounds fun," Zoro grunted.


    "W-What?!" Nami balked. "Why would we ever agree to do something like that?!" The navigator asked.


    "It''s considered shameful to deny one," Sanji shrugged.


    "B-But they''re cheaters!" Usopp stammered.


    Robin smiled at that. "You guys have never seen Rosan cheat, have you?"


    Everyone shook their head no but as they did so, they realized just what fruit their scout had.


    The redhead tilted his head with a glint. "I don''t typically cheat y''know? Modification makes it almost too easy but I have no problem cheating against cheaters."


    The crew grinned at that.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    It didn''t take the crew very long to find an island and unfortunately for them, it didn''t seem like there would be a shipwright on this one...


    Or anyone for that matter. It was rather barren of human life.


    "The trees are long," Zoro observed.


    "Everything''s long," Sanji said.


    It was true¡­ the island they landed on was rather strange. It was an expansive plain with not much on it, barring some incredibly long trees with what looked to be equally as long fruits.


    Luffy, Usopp and Chopper had already run off and according to Rosan''s bird, they had met an old man who was just as strange as the island and its inhabitants.


    Everything on this island was long. From the trees, to the animals, to the fruits¡­


    What a stupid island. Rosan was unimpressed.


    "Not a fan?" Robin asked curiously.


    "There''s nothing impressive here," he said blandly. "Wanna scout out the island with me? I''m feeling restless."


    The Devil Child nodded after a moment and her best friend promptly scooped her up Bridal style.


    "Surely there''s a better way for you to hold me," Robin said as the redhead held her close.


    "You''ve been complaining about me holding you so much lately. Actually, you''ve been acting really strange," Rosan observed accurately, staring at her suspiciously.


    The Devil Child went still at that. She should have known that Rosan would have called her out on her behavior soon but she hadn''t quite thought of what she could say to him, without being called out for lying.


    "Are you mad at me?" Rosan asked quietly, taking flight so they could speak in private. "Is it because of the Enel thing, where I took an attack for you? Is it because I slapped your ass when I carried you? Have I... been acting weird?"


    "No, no¡­ and no?" Robin eventually said, tilting her head in confusion at the final one.


    Rosan had been acting far from weird... she was the one acting strange.


    "I''m not mad at you, Rosan¡­ I''m just very conflicted at the moment."


    The redhead stopped moving instantly and gazed at her. "What''s wrong?" He asked genuinely. "You know you can talk to me about anything."


    "How can I possibly talk about this with you¡­" She thought to herself.


    Clearly, she had been around Rosan for far too long because the redhead angled himself downward and they landed gently on the floor.


    Rosan gazed at her with an intensity in his gaze as he engulfed her in a hug.


    "You''re not mad at me, right?" He asked her as she melted in his grasp.


    "Never," she muttered. She loved his flowery scent. It reminded her that no matter what, she''d be safe with him. "If I were mad at you, I''d tell you in a heartbeat."


    "I know... that''s why I don''t mind if you keep some things to yourself," Rosan assured, squeezing her reassuringly.


    Robin sighed at the pleasant feeling and buried herself in his chest. "Even if it involves both of us?" She asked quietly, unsure of what his response would be.


    A hand gripped her cheeks and forced her to look up at that intense heterochromatic gaze.


    She found that she quite liked how the colors clashed¡­ she even preferred it over both eyes being purple.


    That glowing gaze pierced into her soul and demanded all her attention.


    "Even if it involves the both of us, I know you''d never endanger me on purpose. I trust you with my life, Robin. Take all the time you need and tell me whenever you feel like it," Rosan murmured.


    "I''m in love with my best friend."


    The thought came to Robin almost as soon as Rosan finished speaking. In hindsight, it was rather obvious but she had been in a bit of denial.


    But here he was, gazing at her with nothing but love and respect, holding her cheek in his soft hands tenderly and speaking to her with a caring voice that sent chills through her.


    Nobody on the planet treated her like her best friend did...


    She didn''t just have feelings for Rosan... this wasn''t just a silly crush like when she were 10... she was in love and that terrified her.


    She couldn''t afford to be in love with Rosan right now. They were both messed up in so many ways. A relationship was the last thing either of them needed while they were both such messes.


    "What do I do? I''ve never felt this way but¡­ but shouldn''t I face my fears head on?" She thought to herself.


    Robin would be a hypocrite if she encouraged Rosan to do this but refused to do it herself.


    Yes, the best thing to do was just lay it all out and they could decide what to do later.


    She steeled herself and gazed back at those glowing eyes¡ª


    Only for twin gunshots to ring through the air.


    Robin cursed her luck, as Rosan''s gaze snapped towards the noise.


    "Remember, you can tell me whenever you want," he assured, placing her on his back this time and securing her.


    "He still thinks I have a problem with the way he''s carrying me¡­ so now he''s adjusting¡­ why is he so adorable?" she lamented, burying her face in the crook of his neck.


    Well, there was always time to tell him about her discoveries. For now, since she was no longer in denial, she could enjoy being held by him and deal with the gunshot.


    She felt like a pervert¡­


    Poor oblivious Rosan just glanced back at her and smiled slightly, continuing his course until they landed a ways away from the commotion.


    Banishing his wings, the redhead was about to place her down but seemed to sense her displeasure and kept her there.


    She hummed in approval as they walked towards the commotion.


    The duo looked curiously at the new arrival with neutral expressions.


    "Who the hell is this ugly weirdo?" Rosan asked rudely, gazing at the pirate holding the gun with a raised brow.


    Said pirate, immediately fell to his knees at the insult. "He called me an ugly weirdo¡­"


    "Don''t worry Boss Foxy! You''re not an ugly weirdo!" A woman assured him.


    Rosan perked a brow at that. "No he''s definitely ugly and according to my judgement, he''s a weirdo too. Look at his stupid ass hair. It looks like he has a split-head."


    "I said the same thing!" a near comatose Luffy agreed, picking his head off the floor.


    The man, who had regained his confidence, subsequently collapsed once more. "You really are a Devil¡­" Foxy muttered sadly.


    The redhead snorted as he heard Robin''s quiet giggles. "So judging by the fact that Luffy is comatose on the floor because of Nami, I''m guessing he accepted that Davy Back Fight challenge?"


    Nami growled in irritation. "He didn''t even give us a chance to react! He got goaded so easily!"


    Rosan pat her head. "Don''t stress it, you look like Usopp when you''re so panicked."


    He caught the fist aimed at his face and gazed at his navigator with a small smirk.


    "I really hate you," Nami grit out.


    "Get in line. At least think of something more fun to say," he snorted.


    A sudden figure appeared in front of him, that caused him to gaze down to an eyeful of cleavage.


    Robin''s smile vanished.


    "The bounty posters don''t do you justice. Nice to meet you, Red Devil. I''m Porche," the girl announced, batting her eyes as she smiled up at him and held out her hand.


    "Not interested," Rosan dismissed immediately. "Save your hospitality for someone who cares."


    With that, the redhead turned away from the slightly stupefied woman, Robin still on his back.


    "How rude¡­" Porche said as her confidence took a heavy blow.


    "You deserve a reward," Robin muttered in his ear. She was smiling at the redhead.


    He tilted his head in confusion. "Why? Did I do something special?"


    "I just feel like it. You''re incredibly charming when you''re being you," she replied.


    The redhead chuckled slightly, and gazed back at her. "You''re finally being honest with yourself eh? Finally realizing the greatness of yours truly?"


    Robin simply laughed slightly and rested her head on his shoulder. "You know¡­ I think I have."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "They sure know how to make it a spectacle."


    The Foxy Pirates were setting up the Davy Back fights like it were as easy as breathing. Stands, seats, the actual event¡­ it was all done seamlessly by what may as well have been experts.


    It was the most impressive thing Rosan had seen so far from this lackluster crew. He wasn''t even sure he wanted to subjugate any of them.


    "Impressive isn''t it?" Porche crooned to the duo of Robin and Rosan. She sidled up to the redhead''s right, considering Robin was on the left and smiled up at him.


    Rosan side eyed her with a neutral expression. "I never did get why so many strangers speak to me like we''re friends. They call me Red Devil for a reason and everyone has found out in time. You think you''ll be any different?"


    "Maybe~" She beamed easily.


    "I warned you," the redhead said boredly.


    "Are you alright? You''re aggravated," Rosan reached out to Robin.


    Robin couldn''t even say she was surprised Rosan sensed her irritation. "Her presence annoys me."


    "Is it her personality? I don''t really like the bubbly attitude either. She gives me attention whore vibes."


    Robin almost snorted. Rosan calling someone an attention whore, while being the star of the show was very Rosan like of him.


    He really was a hypocrite in the funniest of ways.


    "Something like that," she eventually replied.


    "Why are you talking to me so much?" Rosan asked calmly, glowing gaze piercing into her without a hint of amusement.


    Porche simply smiled. "Because you''re cute of course!"


    "I''m going to kill her."


    "Not yet. You sound like me right now."


    Rosan stared at the Foxy Pirate in disinterest. "Thanks for the compliments. Since you''re saying what you think, I''ll say what I think. That mask on your face looks really stupid. Don''t even entertain flirting with me, as long as your fashion sense is that terrible."


    Porche reeled back at that and touched her mask in shock, gazing at the redhead with wide eyes.


    "Now, the event is about to start and I imagine your rather important for that," Rosan pointed out accurately.


    "Oh! Right!" Porche gasped, darting off to the stage. "We''ll talk more later, Rosan~!"


    The duo watched her go with varying expressions.


    "What made her think I wanted to keep talking?" He muttered in confusion.


    "I don''t know but if she keeps trying, I won''t be able to resist breaking her bones," Robin replied with a narrowed gaze.


    An abrupt snort from Rosan, made her gaze finally leave the departing woman and she gazed at the redhead.


    Amusement was shining clear in his eyes, as he said, "I knew you were as possessive as me."


    She opened her mouth to protest¡­ and abruptly shut it as horror washed over her.


    "Kahaha! You realized!" Rosan cackled, pulling her in a side hug. "Don''t worry about it. Since I know your just as possessive as me, I''ll take necessary steps to not illicit homicidal tendencies from you."


    "I''m¡­ not¡­" Robin tried to say but her words died in her throat.


    Was she¡­ Oh no¡­ Didn''t she tell everyone else she was already?!


    "I''m not as bad as you," she decided eventually.


    "For now," he chimed.


    She let out a tired sigh and just allowed the redhead to hold her, as they watched the Davy Back Fight begin.


    After a declaration from both Luffy and Foxy, the games began immediately.


    "Who do you think the Foxy Pirates want the most? Who do we want the most?" Mod asked gently.


    "They want Chopper the most," Rosan grunted. "Me, Chopper, Robin. That''s who they want based on their eyes. As for us¡­ we don''t really want any of them. Perhaps I can pull some strings to subjugate them."


    A crew this large, while useless, could be good fodder¡­ Maybe. He wasn''t impressed by any of them.


    "You, Chopper and I¡­ That doesn''t bode well," Robin mused.


    "That''s why we''ll win. Clean sweep."


    She smiled and prepared for the games to begin.


    The Straw Hats were given a sheet of paper to decide who was going to participate in which event. Due to their lack of numbers, they were given some leeway and were allowed to submit multiple members for a round, but it seemed like he was free to interfere unless given the instruction otherwise.


    Sounded simple enough.


    It was time to show these idiots just how outclassed they were.


    The teams were set up like such for the Straw Hats.


    Round 1: Donut Race


    Participants: Nami, Usopp, Chopper


    Round 2: Run Roller Round


    Participants: Sanji, Luffy, Rosan


    Round 3: Groggy Ring


    Participants: Rosan, Robin, Zoro


    With that settled, the contest was quickly brought underway with Round 1.


    "So we have to use three barrels to make one boat?" Rosan mused, tilting his head to the side. "Seems simple enough. Bring me the barrels."


    "SIMPLE?! YOU''RE UP AGAINST THE FOXY PIRATES SHIPWRIGHTS WITH NONE OF YOUR OWN!" Foxy bragged confidently.


    The redhead rolled his eyes. "A little raft is easy. I know a thing or two."


    The Donut Race was simple. Using the given equipment, the participants had to make a boat using just what they had and lap around the island once.


    It was almost dreadful how easy they were making this for Rosan.


    For a crew without a shipwright, this should be completely painful for them.


    Luckily for the Straw Hats, their scout had been maintaining a ship for years.


    "Hey, make sure you''re watching so you don''t accuse us of breaking the rules," Rosan called out to them, once they brought the required barrels.


    The Straw Hats grinned eagerly at their scout.


    "But of course! We''re keeping a close eye on you all!" The announcer, Itomimizu informed them.


    "Good."


    Rosan hummed as his eyes began glowing brighter and he extended a hand.


    All the Foxy Pirates watched with slack jaws, as the redhead broke and began rearranging every barrel, rotating the mass of splintered wood in a fascinating display, until it began combining like a puzzle.


    Once he finished, he dropped his creation gently on the ground and smirked.


    Everyone stared at the finished product with bugged eyes.


    "U-Uh..."


    The advanced, sleek raft gleamed in the sun and Rosan grabbed the two paddles, gently placing them on the ship (not like they needed it) with a smug aura.


    "Done," he said calmly. "We''re ready."


    The Straw Hats felt a well of satisfaction, at seeing the open mouthed disbelief of the Foxy Pirates and glanced at their scout in appreciation.


    Sure he may have tormented them... but Rosan would always make himself, and by extension them, look good in the eyes of other people.


    What a showoff.


    "Just wait until the round starts. We''re deleting all their morale from the jump," Rosan said, smirking confidently.


    "W-Well! It appears that both teams are ready! Let''s not waste anymore time!" The announcer called.


    It took them a few more minutes to get the boats situated and once they did, the event began.


    The announcer grabbed his mic, all signs of nervousness gone as he introduced the two groups.


    "WELCOME TO THE FOXYYYY GAMES! LET''S NOT WASTE ANY TIME AND GET RIGHT INTO OUR EVENT, THE DONUT RACE!" Itomimizu announced atop his flying bird.


    The crowd roared loudly at that.


    "FOXY! FOXY! FOXY! FOXY!"


    "What a convenient crowd," Sanji scoffed at the pirates.


    "Representing the Foxy Pirates and led by our idol, we have Team Porche riding on the Cutie Wagon! She is accompanied by the Fishman Capote and our Tiger Shark, Monda!"


    Porche waved at the screaming crowd and winked at Rosan, sending out kisses in every direction (but mostly his) and grinning as they roared louder.


    Rosan''s eyes sparked maliciously, as he made a realization.


    "And representing the Straw Hat Pirates, we have Team Nami, riding the Mini Black Rose! She is accompanied by Usopp and the adorable Chopper!"


    "Their shark is controlling the ship," Nami muttered in annoyance.


    "Isn''t that cheating?" Chopper whispered.


    "Can''t complain about cheating," Usopp lamented. "I''m sure Rosan helped our ship out so let''s win this!"


    "Don''t worry. I''ll carry us to victory!" Nami assured, eyes glinting madly as she pieced together Clima.


    "Win? We''ve never once lost the Donut Race and you think you can win?!" Porche laughed. "Say goodbye to one of your crew members!"


    "We''ll see about that," Nami snorted, glaring heatedly at the arrogant girl.


    "Ready, set, GO!"


    The two ships rocketed off but that wasn''t all...


    Almost as soon as the race started, a plethora of pirates apart of Foxy''s crew began firing at the Straw Hat''s ship.


    "Right off the gates, the Foxy Pirates begin their bombardment!"


    Rosan snorted. "Expected," he said, turning towards the members holding the cannons, pistols and other various firearms.


    His crafted raft, was neck and neck with the swimming shark but there wouldn''t be much they could do to dodge the incoming fire.


    "H-HEY!" Usopp squealed as a cannon came dangerously close to hitting them.


    "So this is how they cheat," Nami growled, grabbing Clima. "Two can play at that game!"


    Activating the Iron Dial (she really did love Rosan) Nami began blocking all the projectiles coming her way with the solid cloud and grinned as they battered her impressive defenses.


    Without any hesitation, the navigator grinned maliciously and removed a piece of Clima, before placing it in her other hand.


    The lone piece began sparking red and she aimed at the waters near their opponents and let loose a moderate amount of electricity.


    "Careful, the waters ahead are sharp," Nami said cheekily.


    "Lightning Bolt!"


    Porche watched in shock, as Monda was immediately fried to the point of unconsciousness and their ship abruptly stopped.


    "M-Monda!" She called in surprise, glaring at the grinning navigator.


    "If you don''t mind, we''ll be taking our lead now," Nami waved as she pointed the same piece of Clima behind her.


    "Thank you, Rosan~! You''re the best!" She grinned, generating a strong force of wind that propelled their ship even further ahead.


    "Nothing for me?" Clima sounded offended.


    "Nope!"


    "How cruel..."


    "When did Nami become so scary?" Usopp whispered in awe, watching her manhandle everything with ease.


    He had been about to begin firing his pellets in retaliation, but for now, he''d uh... keep his cards close and let Nami handle it.


    "She''s always been scary," Chopper shivered.


    "SHUT THE HELL UP!" Nami barked at the two, successfully cowing them.


    "I-Incredible! That witch with a foul personality is handling everything on her own!" The announcer balked nervously.


    "I CAN REACH YOU UP THERE!" Nami roared to the man on top of the bird.


    "She talks rough too!"


    She snarled but shook her head, glancing over at the pirates who had stopped shooting at her.


    The reason was made clear, as Sanji continuously kicked one of the unconscious bodies with shark teeth, saying "How dare you shoot at Nami-san like that!" all the while.


    Rosan, who looked as if he was about to interfere, simply sat back down and shot a proud smile at Nami.


    She did not flush in happiness. She hated Rosan. No way was she happy that he was proud of her showing!


    "ALRIGHT! LET''S WIN!" She shouted, pumping her fist.


    "Why are you suddenly so excited?" Usopp sweatdropped.


    The sound of another ship approaching made them look back and they saw that the fishman, Capote, was pushing Porche''s raft while she desperately tried to wake up Monda, to some success.


    The Shark let out a whine as it awoke, snapping fully awake as Porche plopped a fish in its mouth.


    "I should have put more power into it but I didn''t wanna kill the fish," Nami grumbled.


    Porche growled at them. "You¡­ how dare you attack us as soon as the race starts!"


    "Ironic coming from you!" Nami snarled.


    "BOSS! DO SOMETHING!" She shouted.


    Foxy was already on it. The Pirate Captain shouted, "Smoke bomb!" and threw it at them.


    "Fefefefe! Go Porche! Overtake them¡ª"


    Foxy, who was on top of Hamburg, blinked as he was tipped over by a foot and launched into the ocean.


    "Take a swim, split-head," Rosan said calmly.


    Foxy curled into himself in depression. "H-He called me a split-head."


    The captain splashed into the water.


    "O-OH NO! BOSS!" Porche screeched. "SOMEONE SAVE HIM!"


    Hamburg launched himself into the water in a panic, vanishing beneath the waves as Rosan snorted to himself.


    "Idiots," he said, amusement in his gaze as he put his sneaker back down.


    Nami growled in irritation as the smoke blurred her vision and she coughed as she inhaled it.


    "Clima, give me some wind to clear out the smoke."


    "Right."


    The staff began generating strong gusts of winds and soon, the giant smoke dissipated just in time for them to see their next obstacle.


    A giant coral reef stared back at them and Nami glanced at the waves in slight confusion.


    There was something wrong with these waves¡­


    "Chopper, Usopp. Wait," the navigator held out a hand, gazing at them in contemplation.


    "W-Wait? But why?! They''re gonna catch up to us!" Usopp shouted in confusion with Chopper nodding right next to him.


    True to the sniper''s words, Porche and her team finally caught up with victorious grins on their faces but the navigator paid them no mind.


    "We''ll be taking the lead now!" She shouted, running headfirst into the coral reef.


    "Look! Nami what are you doing?!" Usopp asked in panic.


    What was the point of staying here like this?! Did Nami inherit Rosan''s arrogance and want to win even after they took a lead?


    Those Foxy guys were gonna win the race now! They needed to go quick!


    Nami ignored them as her mind began running and a light bulb finally went off, as Porche''s ship appeared right where it started.


    "Chopper, Usopp. Row to the left!" She ordered.


    The two were just as confused as Porche''s team but they listened to Nami''s orders and began paddling to the left, as their ship sailed forward.


    Their jaw dropped at not being pushed out like the previous ship and they looked at their navigator in awe.


    "Why are we sailing through?" Chopper asked in shock.


    "This is a current maze. There''s a whirlpool on the other side creating smaller whirlpools inside of it. If we take the right path, it''ll take us right out but if we don''t we''ll get pushed back like those idiots," she explained.


    "That''s our navigator!" Usopp praised, laughing at her genius mind.


    Chopper began laughing too until he made a realization. "Wait¡­ did you just say there''s a whirlpool on the other side?"


    Usopp stopped laughing immediately and went pale. "AHHHH WE''RE GONNA DIE! ROSAN HELP!" He screamed.


    A fist to the skull shut him up. "Idiot! We don''t need Rosan for this¡­ I''ve got this," Nami said confidently.


    "We got this right, Clima?"


    "Yes. We do. Just do what you plan on doing. I''ll make it smoother."


    Perfect. They didn''t need to have their scout reveal even more of his cards. He had done plenty already.


    "Woah! Navigator Nami and her team have made it through the reef maze! But their joy will be short lived because a Long Ring Whirlpool has shown up!"


    Nami took a deep breath as they burst out of the reef and immediately set her plan into motion.


    Billowing iron clouds began pouring out of one end of Clima, forming a ramp as a gust of wind burst out the other end, speeding up their ship more and more.


    The ship began ascending the ramp that was hanging over the deadly whirlpool, boosted by the great bursts of wind she was currently using and sending them flying through the air.


    "W-WOAH!" Chopper squealed excitedly as the ship began soaring through the air from the momentum.


    This was amazing!


    "YOU''RE AWESOME, NAMI!" Usopp praised in excitement as they soared further and further.


    Nami puffed up at that and grinned wildly.


    The new additions to Clima were proving to be more useful then she could ever imagine and she couldn''t wait until she practiced more with it.


    The Iron Cloud served as an incredible wall for her lacking defense, and the addition of Rosan''s lightning and the wind of the Jet Dial, had bolstered up her offense too!


    She wasn''t anywhere near the levels of the true monsters of her crew, but in terms of offensive ability she was getting damn close!


    They landed on the water, just in time to see Hamburg and a soaked Foxy.


    The split-head was panting in exhaustion, but still had the energy to smirk victoriously at them.


    "Captain Foxy is back in action after that dreadful dive!"


    "Behold! My next trick!" Foxy announced, pointing a hand at them. "Now you lose for sure¡ª"


    A foot rested itself slowly on his back and the captain froze in horror.


    Mechanically, the pirate slowly turned his head back to find that demonic redhead smirking at him once more, having somehow made it to his location at ridiculous speeds.


    "I don''t think you got enough. Take another swim," Rosan suggested, smiling charmingly at the man.


    With that, he kicked the pirate once more.


    "OH NO! BOSS FOXY!"


    "YOU DAMNED HANDSOME REDHEAD!" Foxy shouted as he plunged once more in the water.


    Rosan''s eyes simply glinted maliciously, as Hamburg dove once more in the ocean to save the Captain.


    "Alright, finish up the race. I''ve decided who we''re taking," the redhead informed the beaming three.


    "Right!" They shouted in curiosity.


    Who exactly did he want?


    Well, they were about to figure out in a bit, because even with Capote and Monda combining in some weird duo move, they weren''t able to surpass the enhanced ship that Rosan molded and without anyone else interfering, it was a free win!


    "I can''t believe it! The Foxy Pirates¡­ Have lost?!" Itomimizu gasped.


    "Alright! No sweat!" Nami beamed, giving a high-five to Chopper, Usopp and Rosan.


    The redhead nodded in approval. "Good job you three. I barely had to do a thing. And they call you the weakling trio."


    The three fell a bit at that.


    Weakling... trio? People were calling them that?


    "W-Who calls us that?" Usopp asked.


    "...Me," the redhead admitted.


    They fell again.


    "You''re such an ass," Nami muttered.


    "Where''s everyone else?" Chopper asked in curiosity.


    They watched Rosan close his eyes in annoyance and he pointed in a direction.


    They soon understood why.


    Luffy was having a gourmet meal, eating everything he could get his hands on as the Foxy Pirates, who had been previously cheering him in hopes of distracting him, looked on in horror at the results of the match.


    Zoro was enjoying booze with a group of the enemy pirates, who had been drinking too... up until they lost the round.


    Sanji was surrounded by a group of cute girls, who all had looks of disbelief at the loss.


    Robin was reading a book. She was the only one looking at them and when she saw their incredulous look, she said, "What? Rosan had it handled so I thought I''d just read a book in the meantime¡­ I''ve been trying to finish this one for ages."


    The cowardly trio fell even further.


    "A group of girls must have thought I was similar to Sanji and they tried to distract me... but I just ignored them," Rosan added in annoyance, much to their sympathy.


    What weird timeline were they in¡­ where they sympathized with Rosan of all people?!


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "We¡­ lost?" Foxy balked.


    This¡­ this was not according to plan at all. They didn''t expect that damn navigator to be so skilled!


    Oh no¡­


    "Woohoo! We won!" A bruised and battered Luffy cheered.


    "Excellent job, Nami-san!" A bruised and battered Sanji praised.


    "¡­" A bruised and battered Zoro said nothing.


    "You''re lucky I love you, Robin¡­ and that Rosan is your bodyguard," Nami said, shaking her fist.


    Robin, who was resting on Rosan''s back (not as a safety measure¡­ certainly not), simply smiled at their navigator.


    "I''ll get her later," Rosan assured, getting a grin from Nami.


    Robin''s smile vanished and she glared at the back of Rosan''s head.


    The Foxy Pirates had an aura of dread around them, that contrasted the Straw Hats good mood drastically.


    "So who do we want?" Luffy asked curiously, scratching his head.


    None of these dudes looked really interesting at all...


    Nami perked up at that. "Rosan, you said you want someone, right?"


    The redhead nodded. "I''m picking. Any problems?"


    No one had any so he stepped up to regard the massive crew.


    Despite gauging all their reactions, Rosan had already decided on which one he wanted from the moment the first game started.


    The redhead walked up to his target and gazed down at them with a neutral expression.


    His target looked up in disbelief, glancing back and forth wildly before realizing his gaze had never left their person.


    "Why are you so confused? I''ve chosen you, so come on now Porche," he said with a cocky grin.


    The distraught blue haired girl blinked in confusion, jaw dropping at his decision.


    "M-Me?!" She balked, not believing that she was actually chosen.


    "GREAT DECISION ROSAN!" Sanji swooned, shooting the redhead a thumbs up.


    Robin was not even remotely as pleased as the chef was. She blinked in confusion and asked, "Rosan¡­ what do you think you''re doing?"


    Was he actually entertaining this woman''s blatant flirting despite what he said earlier? Was he serious right now? What the hell was he thinkin¡ª


    "Look at their crew," Rosan responded.


    She stamped down her anger and reluctantly listened to his demand.


    "NOOO PORCHE! YOU BASTARD!" Someone sobbed.


    "NOT OUR IDOL!"


    "PORCHE COME BACK!"


    "MEN! ENOUGH!"


    That was Foxy and all the despairing pirates, glanced over at the Fox like man whose eyes were shadowed.


    "You know the rules of the Davy Back Fight. Porche is no longer apart of the crew so quit crying for her," he said gravely.


    The split-head looked serious for a moment as he gazed at the cool expression of the Red Devil.


    "So that''s your game, eh? Two can play at that," Foxy thought, concurring up a plan.


    He would soon come to realize how foolish he was to do that.


    Robin understood immediately and she cursed herself for getting¡­ jealous of all things. "You did this to destroy their morale."


    "When I want to win, I make sure its absolute. Please bare with it for a moment."


    The Devil Child couldn''t keep the smile off her face and she nodded. "I understand. Sorry for overreacting."


    "Don''t sweat it. You already made it clear you didn''t like this girl so it was perfectly normal."


    The scout glanced down at their new crewmate with a bored expression.


    "Take that stupid mask off your face. You aren''t a Foxy Pirate anymore," Rosan said loudly, making sure the dejected losers could hear him.


    Porche hesitated but rules were rules and so, she removed the fox mask from her face.


    "Good, now let''s start the next game," Rosan muttered, turning away from them and walking off.


    Porche glanced back at her crew before quickly following after the redhead.


    "You''re crafty, Rosan," Nami praised, gauging his intentions immediately.


    She just hoped Robin didn''t get too annoyed, considering Porche had been blatantly interested in the redhead.


    "Hm. I wish they offered things besides crew members. All of them are useless," Rosan grunted.


    "T-They aren''t bad!" Porche spoke up, defending her crew.


    The redhead didn''t even spare her a glance. "Whatever you say. I doubt they''re gonna win you back so get comfortable."


    She bit her lip at his unwavering confidence. On one hand, she thought it was super hot how sure of himself he was but on the other¡­ this was her former crew!


    "Tell us about the next event," Rosan demanded, finally deigning to look at her.


    She flinched at his order but this was her crew now so she''d tell him what it entailed.


    Porche sighed¡­


    At least this was a pretty cool crew. 400 million as a collective bounty was no joke...


    Maybe they made a mistake dueling them.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    The second event was the Run Roller Round.


    Both teams were assigned a Point Getter and the Point Getter''s goal was to skate around the field as much times as possible, within the 5 minutes they were designated as the Point Getter.


    After the first 20 seconds of skating, the other Point Getter''s could skate as well to either help out the designated Point Getter, or sabotage the enemy team.


    Whoever got the most points, won and after the 5 minutes, another person would become the designated Point Getter.


    It was a best of 3 basically. Whoever got two wins would win the entire event.


    Rosan hummed as Robin adjusted his yellow jersey. It was short, looking akin to a crop top and it had the number 4 on his.


    "What an ugly jersey," he grunted. It was ruining his entire outfit.


    "It''s fine. Only 15 minutes and you can take it off," Robin assured. "You picked Porche for more then just destroying their morale, right?"


    Rosan smirked at her. "Yeah. If we somehow lose¡­ then they''ll want their idol back so this is a bit of a freebie round for us."


    This would give him a good idea of what they could do. It wouldn''t be the end of the world if they lost, but he''d rather they didn''t.


    She nodded at his thinking, impressed by the foresight.


    "WILL BOTH TEAMS PLEASE MAKE THEIR WAY TO THE FIELDS!"


    Rosan, Luffy and Sanji stepped onto the field at the same time as the Foxy Pirates and he gazed at them.


    A cheetah, Foxy himself and some slow looking mini giant.


    "ALRIGHT! THE COACH AND THE MANAGER CAN NOW BEGIN PLANNING!"


    Nami, their coach, and Robin, the manager, gazed at the three runners with a contemplative expression on their face.


    Porche watched curiously as the Straw Hats discussed. She chanced a glance over at the Foxy Pirates and wondered what they had planned.


    It was rare for her to not be in this event but luck was on their side because they actually didn''t include her.


    No, her contribution would have been to help them cheat on the sidelines...


    "What''s the plan?" Usopp muttered a little nervously.


    Rosan smiled slightly. "Porche, who will they select in each round?" He asked quietly.


    She blanched at the question as everyone looked at her with unsavory gleams in their eyes.


    "T-They''re so underhanded!" She thought in disbelief.


    "N-Normally they select me to run first round but since that''s out of the question¡­ I think to boost morale they''ll start with Chiqicheetah," she answered truthfully.


    Porche already swore loyalty to them. It would be shameful if she lied...


    And something told her bad things would happen if she did.


    "Hm¡­" Robin cupped her chin. "Rosan, do you think you can beat him? He''s a cheetah so he is likely quick but if we beat him, this event could be over from the start."


    Nami nodded at her words. "It would be a real blow if their heaviest hitter lost."


    "Then I''ll win," Rosan said matter of factly. "Put me at round 1."


    They grinned at his confidence and looked back over at the former Foxy Pirate.


    "Who next. What''s up with that big guy? He doesn''t look very fast," Rosan said, crossing his arms as he stared her down.


    "He''s really going to make me expose everything!" Porche thought in disbelief. "Well¡­ he''s not very fast at all," she admitted.


    "We like to use Mashikaku as our wall and when its his time to race, I use my hypnotic abilities to put everyone in a trance for the 5 minutes¡­ once the time is up, they run no laps and he runs enough to win the round."


    Rosan''s malicious smirk appeared. "I suppose it''s a good thing we took you. You''re quite pivotal to their cheating."


    She said nothing, glancing away from the handsome man who was looking down on her.


    "He''ll probably run last¡­ so Boss¡ª I mean Foxy, will run second," she informed them.


    "Luffy third should be fine," Robin instructed after some thinking. "Sanji should race second then."


    Nami nodded at that and quickly jotted them down before handing them off to the Super Sparrow, Chuchun. "What will you do about the cheetah?"


    Rosan let loose a low laughter that made them shudder.


    "If it was normally a foot race, I''d just beat him but we''re on skates so I''ll have a bit of fun."


    With that, the redhead made his way to the starting line at the same time as the cheetah.


    "You know them well, Porche-chan!" Sanji praised Porche as they saw her first prediction come to fruition.


    "Of course I do! I''m one of the beginning members of the Foxy Pirate," she replied.


    "BOTH RACERS ARE SET! REPRESENTING THE STRAW HATS, WE HAVE THE 100 MILLION STARTING BOUNTY HIMSELF, THE RED DEVIL, ROSAN!"


    "I fucking hate that title," Rosan said to himself, testing his skates with a calm expression.


    "I doubt the Marines are going to accommodate your request to change it," Mod said, amusement seeping into her tone.


    "Maybe if I reveal I''m Reaper, they''ll change it back to Angel of Death¡­" He muttered.


    He glanced over at the cheetah next to him and raised a brow as he saw the half animal¡­ licking his fur.


    Weirdo. This was why he thought Zoans were weirdos... what the hell was this? Why was he so deep in his own immersion, that he was licking his own fur?


    "Round 1 of the Run Roller Round! BEGIN!"


    Rosan rocketed off on his skates at a leisure pace and his eyes narrowed, as he saw the cheetah blur forward.


    "Hoh?" He thought, tensing his legs as red sparks began dancing around his skin.


    Everyone''s eyes bugged, as the redhead dented the floor with a new surge of speed and quickly caught up with the cheetah.


    "You''re pretty fast," Rosan complimented, as he raced neck and neck with the hybrid cheetah. "But you just rely on your Devil Fruit. If you actually trained, you could be way faster."


    If not for the skates, Rosan would have left this cheetah in the dust. He was already faster then a cheetah.


    The lightning was rather overkill, but well... he had been a little power drunk ever since unlocking it and he wanted to train more with an ability that was natural to Modification.


    Well, that applied to wind as well. He was seriously having a lot of fun with his new elements.


    The cheetah growled, as the confident redhead suddenly took the lead and pushed himself to go faster.


    That growl turned into a snarl, as Rosan began skating backwards to smirk at him in a demeaning manner.


    "He''s such a prick," Nami sighed, shaking her head at the showboating redhead who was keeping a comfortable lead.


    "I didn''t even know he could skate so well," Robin mentioned. "He was very clumsy as a child and we tried skating together once. He cried because he fell on his butt too many times while I didn''t fall once."


    "...That is the cutest thing I''ve heard today," Nami said calmly.


    "It was so cute! After I saw him crying, I let him hold onto me for the rest of the time and he refused to let me go... so I skated for the both of us," she smiled fondly.


    "Kami, what an endearing little child he must have been and you sounded so adorable too," the navigator sighed.


    Seriously, they needed to watch the memories of little Rosan, he sounded way too cute.


    "U-Um guys?" Usopp said shakily, white in disbelief. "I think we have a bit of a problem."


    The Straw Hats took their gaze off of their scout, to look at where Usopp was pointing at and they went pale in horror.


    "By the way Rosan... Does Luffy know how to skate?" Mod asked curiously.


    Rosan''s mind grounded to a halt at that question.


    Did he¡­ Wait, did Rosan actually skip over such a minute detail?


    Wait¡­ Did Luffy know how to skate?


    The redhead turned the correct way again, considering he was about to finish his lap and what he saw, made him curse aloud.


    "You''ve gotta be goddamn kidding me," he groaned.


    Sanji, who looked on in disbelief, was trying to steady his little brother¡­ who was struggling to just stand.


    "I''m guessing he doesn''t¡­" Mod said sheepishly.


    "He said he wanted to do this one! How was I supposed to know he couldn''t skate?!" Rosan growled in shock.


    "Because you''ve been raising him like a son for 10 years. If you haven''t taught him, it''s likely he doesn''t know," Mod said, struggling to not laugh.


    As he finished a lap, the redhead stopped in front of the two and said, "Luffy you dumbass, why did you say you wanted to skate if you don''t know how to skate?!"


    He ignored the cheetah racing past him in favor of glaring at his youngest brother.


    "I thought it would be easy!" Luffy complained. The rubber boy tried to push himself up and fell flat on his ass again.


    Rosan''s eyes narrowed. "Sanji, focus on winning your race while I teach this moron how to skate. Can you handle that?"


    The tired chef nodded his head. "You need to focus on winning your race to. The Cheetah made good distance."


    Rosan sneered as he watched the distance put between him and the cheetah who had transformed into his full zoan. "I''ve already won."


    "THE 20 SECONDS HAVE PASSED! SUPPORT IS ABLE TO HELP NOW!"


    Foxy grinned to himself. As soon as the redhead started moving, he''d use his ability to slow him down!


    Sanji raised a brow. "You did?"


    Rosan''s body began sparking dangerously.


    "Yeah I did. Don''t move ahead of me."


    Rosan held out a single hand, aiming at the cheetah''s back with a sinister gleam.


    "EMP: Thunder."


    Foxy blinked dumbly. "Huh?"


    Chiqicheetah ran on all fours as he snickered to himself.


    Stupid cocky redhead. Stopping against him? The Speedster? He''d make him regret that¡ª


    BOOM.


    The Foxy Pirate had absolutely no time to react, as a giant beam of sparking red electricity, ran him over with speeds none could react to.


    He seized up and shuddered, before his eyes rolled to the back of his head.


    "Gust."


    A strong gale lifted the unconscious cheetah up, before tossing him over the rink without any remorse, immediately ringing him out.


    ...


    "W-WHAT?! CHIQICHEETAH HAS BEEN BLOWN OFF COURSE DUE TO A FREAK WIND! AS A RESULT, THE WINNER OF THE FIRST ROUND IS THE RED DEVIL, ROSAN!"


    "You are terrifying," Sanji muttered, as the sparks died down from Rosan''s glowing body.


    Everyone was gazing at the redhead, who had let out that massive beam of electricity, in blatant terror.


    All they saw, was the Red Devil hold a single hand up before being blinded and deafened by the clap of thunder.


    "D-Demon..." they thought.


    Foxy blinked rapidly in shock as the race ended almost as soon as it started, glancing back and forth rapidly at where Chiqicheetah and Rosan were.


    What... just happened?


    "Let''s end this next round. I''ll make sure the other dudes don''t interfere so just skate," Rosan muttered, hoisting Luffy up with a glare.


    "Only this dumbass would make me have an oversight on something... C''mere. By the time I''m done with you, you''ll be half decent at skating or you''ll be a vegetarian," he promised.


    Luffy turned pale in horror and began nodding rapidly at the threat of no meat.


    Sanji stepped up next to Foxy with a sigh as he focused on winning his round.


    If he won, there would be no need for a third race so he''d just win.


    "ROUND 2 BEGINS WITH OUR GLORIOUS CAPTAIN FOXY AND THE PERVERTED CHEF SANJI!"


    "TRY TO SOUND AT LEAST A LITTLE UNBIASED!" Sanji roared at the announcer.


    "ALL THE STRAW HATS HAVE SUCH ROUGH PERSONALITIES!"


    Sanji shook his head in annoyance and focused ahead.


    "ROUND 2. BEGIN!"


    The two shot off at the sound of the buzzer.


    "Fefefefe! Behold, the dashing racer, Foxy!" The captain preened, despite Sanji taking an early lead.


    "Shut up. No one cares what you have to say!" Sanji barked, focusing on maintaining his lead.


    "N-No one cares?" Foxy asked himself, faltering as a depressive streak hit him once more.


    The chef just shook his head and increased the lead, using his strong legs to make amazing progress.


    "WE ALL CARE BOSS FOXY!" The crowd shouted in hopes of making him feel better.


    Foxy perked up at that. "RIGHT! NOW IT''S TIME FOR ME TO WIN THIS!"


    The pirate held out a hand at Sanji and grinned. "Noro Noro¡ª,"


    "The 20 seconds are up! Other racers may now interfere in the battle!"


    Foxy never got to finish his sentence because right as he was about to fire off his attack, a stone wall arose in front of him and he crashed right into it.


    "BOSS FOXY!" Everyone shouted in disbelief as the man fell back.


    Sanji glanced back at the commotion and saw the stone wall, causing him to look over at where Rosan and Luffy were.


    The redhead hadn''t even glanced up, as he continuously instructed Luffy about everything he needed to know about skating. It was clear he had summoned the wall to knock Foxy unconscious, but their scout didn''t look none the wiser.


    "Seriously, he has such a cheating fruit," Sanji snorted, skating past the entire ring.


    As he skated past Rosan and Luffy, he heard the redhead say, "You''re made of rubber, how the hell can''t you bend properly?" and couldn''t hold back another snort.


    Well, with Foxy unconscious, this race was as good as over. He just needed to finish a couple more laps to cement it¡ª


    "HELP! A GIRL IS DROWNING IN THE WATER OVER THERE AND A SHARKS ABOUT TO GET HER!" Someone shouted in a panic.


    "HELP ME! PLEASE, I CAN''T SWIM!" A woman screamed in fear.


    "That''s oddly convenient," Nami muttered with a roll of her eyes, utterly unfazed by the ruse.


    Who was that supposed to work on? Rosan didn''t even think to look up at that scream, still instructing Luffy on what to do to quite a bit of success. The rubber boy was at least able to stand it looked like.


    Seriously, these dudes and their cheap trick¡ª


    Wait a second.


    "SANJI! WAIT!" Nami shouted but it was too late.


    Rosan''s eyes snapped up as he heard Nami''s yell of desperation and he turned wild eyes towards Sanji.


    Before he could summon a wall to knock the idiot unconscious too, it was already over.


    The chef froze at the scream for help and without even thinking about it, he made a beeline for the ocean, leaping clean over the railing.


    He dove in the water the moment he saw the girl flailing helplessly with a fin circling her and fished her out of the water.


    "My hero!" She crooned, wrapping her arms around his neck and nuzzling him.


    The chef''s eyes turned to hearts and he said, "Of course! How could I ever let a poor lady like yourself drow¡ª"


    A weak bolt of red lightning hit the soaked chef and the woman he was holding, making them both seize up with shrieks that knocked the girl he just saved, unconscious.


    Despite being incredibly weak, they were still wet and the chef glared up at Rosan, expression fading at the thunderous expression on both his and Nami''s face.


    "You absolute dumbass," they snarled, red sparks flying off the redhead and Clima once more.


    "How could you fall for such a low effort trick?!" Nami barked.


    "Do you only think with your dick, you stupid chef?" Rosan growled.


    "Anyone coulda told you that. Wiggle any half decent looking chick and the dumbass cook is duped," Zoro snorted, shaking his head.


    "W-What are you guys talking about?!" Sanji asked in confusion, recovering from being shocked by¡­ Was it Nami or Rosan?


    Maybe it was Nami... she was at least nice enough to limit the power behind the attack... Sanji was sure Rosan would have fried him and the weak woman with no remorse.


    "Look at the "shark" that had you so worried," Nami growled.


    Sanji turned around and saw that the shark in question¡­ was the same shark that the crew had raced against in the first round.


    ...Huh?


    "AS A RESULT OF GOING OUT OF BOUNDS, SANJI HAS BEEN DISQUALIFIED! THE WINNER OF THE MATCH, IS BOSS FOXY!"


    "YEAHHHH GET EM FOXY!" The crowd roared.


    Sanji glanced down at the girl who had been shocked unconscious and saw that she was wearing the Foxy Pirate getup.


    "...Shit," the chef cursed sheepishly.


    "I''m actually racing with two dumbasses," Rosan said, holding his head.


    This was unreal. Luffy he expected this from. Usopp too. Hell, Chopper was innocent and naive so he expected this out of him too¡­ but Sanji?


    Actually, why was he shocked that the perverted chef who would bend over backwards to get a smile from a girl... was getting tricked by a girl?


    Goddamnit.


    "I shoulda picked Robin. Why didn''t I pick Robin?" He asked himself, turning away from the sheepish chef. "Why didn''t I pick my genius best friend who wouldn''t fall for such a stupid fucking trick? We already make a fantastic duo. She skates better than me. What what I thinking?"


    Oh he wasn''t thinking... because his goddamn adorable little brother wanted to skate and Luffy was spoiled rotten and Sanji was one of the fastest in the crew.


    "Your competitiveness is showing right now."


    "Bite me, mother."


    Rosan took a deep breath and turned towards his younger brother. "Okay, Luffy. I just need you to skate for 20 seconds. Can you do that for me?" He asked calmly.


    "Yeah!" Luffy beamed.


    "Good. After 20 seconds, I''ll win you the race," Rosan assured.


    "ROUND 3! THE CAPTAIN OF THE STRAW HATS HIMSELF, THE MAN WORTH 140 MILLION! STRAW HAT LUFFY! HE''LL BE GOING AGAINST OUR VERY OWN MASHIKAKU!"


    Robin put a hand on the redhead''s shoulder. "It''s fine. You at least taught him enough to last 20 seconds. The moment you can help, just push that giant man off stage."


    "That''s the plan," Rosan grunted, analyzing the field.


    The cheetah was fully incapacitated. Foxy was unconscious. This was perfectly fine.


    "Wait. I didn''t teach him how to turn," the redhead cursed.


    "20 seconds, Rosan," Robin assured, pushing the scout towards the field.


    The redhead nodded and watched as the final two competitors got ready to go.


    "ROUND 3! BEGIN!"


    Luffy, after a bit of struggle, shot off in a straight line, managing to keep himself upright the entire time.


    Mashikaku¡­ began trudging very slowly, not even moving at walking speeds.


    "Just keep him on track and make him finish 2 laps. Then we win," Rosan muttered, eyes already glowing in preparation as the 20 seconds nearly reached the end.


    "NORO NORO BEAM!"


    "Noro Noro what?" he thought in confusion, glancing back just in time to see the supposedly unconscious Foxy, aiming a pinkish beam at him.


    The redhead was so focused on making sure his brother didn''t crash, that he didn''t even register the Foxy Pirates captain and so, the attack struck true.


    "FINALLY! BEHOLD MY NORO NORO ABILITIES! EVERYTHING THIS BEAM TOUCHES, SLOWS DOWN FOR 30 SECONDS!" Foxy, who was sporting a bloody nose, laughed. "I''VE BEEN TRYING TO USE IT THIS WHOLE TIME BUT FINALLY YOU''RE NOT HERE TO STOP ME!"


    Rosan couldn''t even react, considering he was caught by the ability.


    "Oh no," Nami said in horror, watching as their scout remained completely stationary.


    "We''ve been out cheated," Robin muttered. That was not good at all. Looks like they lost this round...


    "FEFEFEFE! NOW¡­" Foxy looked over at Luffy and grinned at seeing the rubber boy crash through a wall due to not being able to turn.


    "W-Woah!" Luffy yelped, shooting out his hand to grab the gate to try and save himself.


    It was not to be however because Foxy himself, cheekily loosened the captain''s grip and made him fall out of bounds.


    "GENIUS THINKING FROM BOSS FOXY HIMSELF! DUE TO STRAW HAT NO LONGER BEING ON THE COURSE, HE HAS LOST! THE WINNER OF THE RUN ROLLER ROUND, IS THE FOXY PIRATES!"


    "YEAHHHHHHHHH!" The roar of the pirate crew was deafening.


    Rosan let out a sigh as the effects of Foxy''s Devil Fruit wore off and he closed his eyes.


    "He got me," the redhead conceded. It was sloppy of him to not account the man''s Devil Fruit but he was confident that no matter what it was, he''d be able to win regardless.


    Seems like his arrogant nature came to bite him.


    Wouldn''t be the first time.


    "Damn it," Nami cursed with a frown. "Guess no clean sweep huh?"


    "Guess not," Rosan shrugged. "It''s unfortunate but these things happen."


    Robin placed a hand on his shoulder. "You did good¡­ and honestly, I expected you to be even angrier. You hate losing after all."


    "...Don''t remind me," Rosan grunted. "But it''s fine. This round doesn''t hold that much value¡­ they''ll just take Porche back and we don''t lose anything important."


    "I''m right here," Porche deadpanned at his rather cruel statement. She was over the moon that the Foxy Pirates won. They were her true pirate crew after all and even if she swore loyalty to the Straw Hats, her loyalty still lie with them¡ª


    "FOR WINNING THE SECOND ROUND, I FOXY PICK THIS PERSON TO JOIN OUR CREW. COME, NICO ROBIN!" Foxy shouted in victory.


    Porche blanched.


    "Huh?"


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    ¡­


    Robin stopped in disbelief, stunned by what she just heard.


    Did she¡­ Did she hear that correctly?


    She was picked?


    "W-What?!" Nami balked in horror.


    "AHHHHHHHH! NOT ROBIN!" Chopper squealed in horror.


    "AHHHHHH DON''T GO ROBIN!" Usopp sobbed.


    "¡­" Zoro said nothing, frown on his face.


    "I¡­ really messed up," Sanji said in disbelief.


    "This didn''t go according to plan now did it?" she mused through the connection.


    ¡­


    Robin looked up in confusion.


    "Rosan?"


    The Devil Child suddenly gained a nervous expression.


    "FEFEFEFE! TWO CAN PLAY AT THAT GAME, RED DEVIL! YOU TOOK PORCHE BECAUSE SHE WAS IMPORTANT TO US SO WE RETURNED THE FAVOR TO YOU!" Foxy laughed hysterically.


    He then turned towards his former crewmate with a confident grin.


    "Don''t worry Porche, not only did me choosing Nico Robin reduce their morale, they are now missing one member for the next game! We''ll get you back for sure!"


    Porche didn''t respond. Her face was white in terror and she slowly began to back away from whatever she was looking at.


    "Porche?" Foxy called in confusion.


    Everyone froze as an intense pressure washed over them and some even fell to their knees as they began to hyperventilate.


    "You think you''re funny?" A quiet voice asked.


    "E-Eh?" Foxy stammered, backing away a bit.


    "I said, do you think you''re funny?"


    Portgas D. Rosan radiated an absolutely murderous aura, as his expression iced over and his eyes went cold. The glow was completely gone from his eyes, as the depths of the abyss stared back at them.


    "Because I don''t think you''re very funny," he said gravely, visage utterly unsettling.


    His entire crew looked at him with worry on their features but didn''t dare say anything.


    "R-Rosan, please calm down!" Mod stammered. Despite how cool and collected he currently look, on the inside was an entirely different story.


    Rosan was boiling with rage at the moment. It was almost overwhelming, how much his anger was flowing through and Mod bit her lip nervously.


    Let it be known, that when Rosan said he was bad at getting a taste of his own medicine, he meant it.


    "R-Rules are rules! Nico Robin is now our ally and now you have to complete the next game with just Roronoa Zoro!" Foxy said, pointing a finger at the redhead.


    "Now, come join the Foxy Pirates, Nico Robin!"


    "I-IN A STUNNING TURN OF EVENTS, BOSS FOXY HAS PICKED NICO ROBIN OVER PORCHE! WITH THAT, THE GROGGY RING WILL ONLY HAVE TWO COMPETITORS ON THE STRAW HATS SIDE!"


    Robin chanced a concerned glance at Rosan but slowly made her way over.


    "Robin."


    She paused and turned around to face her best friend.


    "Don''t get too comfortable. You''re coming back to me."


    The woman shuddered at his tone and held his icy gaze. "I''ll be waiting."


    "Not for long," he replied stonily, looking so much like he did without his emotions.


    With that, the two turned away from each other and the pressure finally abated.


    "Welcome to the crew, Nico Robin!" Foxy said, recovering a bit from what just transpired.


    Robin smiled thinly, stamping down the frustration, as the connection between her and Rosan abruptly cut. "For your sake, I hope this crew still exists at the end of the day."

 Davy Back Fight II

    The third event was the Groggy Ring. It was a 3v3 game, where one person on each team was the "ball" and the goal was to knock the enemy ball into the goal.


    Weapons were not allowed but other then that, it was fair game.


    "Are we allowed to kill?"


    The Foxy Pirates shuddered at that question.


    Normally, they would answer that yes, casualties were to be expected¡­ but something told them that if they allowed it, it would get bloody very quickly.


    "N-No, killing is not allowed!" The referee stammered.


    Rosan glanced coolly at him, detecting the lie in a heartbeat. "Pity. I guess I''ll do the next best thing."


    "Rosan, are you alright?" Nami asked in concern.


    "Y-Yeah¡­ with one person down and Zoro unable to use swords, you''ve gotta be careful!" Usopp stammered.


    "You''re not going to ask for tips? I-I can tell you who you''re gonna go against!" Porche stuttered, keeping her distance from the suddenly very scary redhead.


    The redhead completely ignored them. There was a disturbing amount of focus in his eyes as he stared at the field with a blank gaze.


    "I will be the ball. Come, Zoro," he said calmly, taking the stupid crown. Taking his hair out of its bun, Rosan nestled the hat on top of his head and promptly stepped on the field.


    "No weapons is a shame¡­ I can''t use my swords," Zoro grunted to the redhead.


    "It doesn''t matter. You don''t actually have to do a thing," Rosan retorted, visage still unnaturally calm. "I''m going to deal with them. Actually, just let me do this."


    Zoro shrugged a the request. "Sure thing. But you owe me a good spar later. I think I''ve finally figured out that technique we were talking about."


    "Understood. I''ll help you with it to the best of my ability."


    "THE FINAL ROUND OF THE DAVY BACK FIGHT BEGINS!"


    The crowd roared their excitement.


    "REPRESENTING THE STRAWHATS, WORTH A TOTAL OF 170 MILLION BERI! WE HAVE PIRATE HUNTER RORONOA ZORO AND THE RED DEVIL ROSAN!"


    Rosan''s gaze turned razor sharp.


    "AND REPRESENTING THE FOXY PIRATES! WE HAVE THE INDOMITABLE, UNDEFEATED, INVINCIBLE, GROGGY MONSTERS, HAMBURG, PICKLES AND BIG PAN!"


    The crowd turned deafening.


    Zoro whistled, as three people, each getting larger then the last, appeared.


    The smallest was Hamburg but he still towered over the duo.


    Pickles was in the middle, towering over even Hamburg.


    Big Pan was the largest by a margin. It looked like he was half fishman, half giant.


    "You sure you don''t need help?" The swordsman asked curiously.


    Rosan didn''t even blink¡­ actually they were pretty sure he hadn''t blinked this entire time.


    "This is hardly a warm-up... In fact, this will serve as a good dose of stress relief."


    After flipping a coin to see which side they would start on (the coin flip was rigged so Rosan lost), the redhead was forced to stand on their side of the field, as Zoro stood all the way on the opposite side.


    He gazed at the three huge figures with a deadly expression on his face.


    "Blame your captain for what I''m about to do to you 3," he whispered quietly.


    "BEGIN!"


    "GROGGY MONSTERS! ONE MONSTER BURGER PLEASE!" Foxy demanded immediately.


    The crowd froze at that.


    "AT THE START OF THE MATCH?!"


    "FOXY ISN''T PLAYING AROUND!"


    "FOR PORCHE!"


    "FOR PORCHE!"


    "FOR PORCHE!"


    Rosan ignored it all.


    He ignored the cheering crowd.


    He ignored the 3 Groggy Monsters pulling out weapons.


    He ignored his crew complaining about the blatant breaking of rules.


    He ignored the referee looking away from the cheating.


    The redhead locked eyes with Robin. The Robin who was being surrounded by people that he didn''t care about. The people trying to get attention from his Robin.


    Blue locked onto Red and Purple and Robin shuddered as she saw his cold visage, shift into a furious snarl so quickly, it left her stunned.


    His raw rage slammed into her and she watched him utter one word.


    "Mine," he snarled, eyes glowing like the sun.


    With that, the redhead was off.


    Pickles didn''t even have time to blink as Rosan appeared in front of him.


    Everyone watched in stunned silence, as the redhead tackled their tackle machine with no effort at all.


    All Pickles saw, was the snarling visage of a demon, as Rosan began pummeling his face with brutal force, swinging with such force, the crowd was immediately silenced.


    "W-WHAT MONSTROUS STRENGTH DISPLAYED BY THE RED DEVIL!"


    Rosan began punching the man''s head further and further into the field with relentless speed. His punches were so fast and brutal, that the floor underneath Pickles head began caving in from the backlash.


    Everyone winced at the sound of flesh meeting flesh and covered their ears as Pickles began screaming from the assault.


    "S-SOMEONE HELP! GET HIM OFF ME!"


    Still Rosan did not stop. It was like a demon had been unleashed and everyone was beginning to see exactly why he was called the Red Devil.


    W-Was he even aware about the rules of the game...?


    If it were up to the scout, he would have kept going until the man''s head was fully pulverized.


    Unfortunately, he couldn''t kill them. Even if they lied about it, they made the rules and Rosan wouldn''t even remotely jeopardize the chance of losing Robin.


    So he supposed breaking his bones would have to do.


    The redhead stopped punching and raised a hand, catching the massive iron club trying to bludgeon him.


    Hamburg froze in shock as the redhead''s demonic gaze landed on him, glowing eyes promising something not quite fatal, but very close.


    With just a squeeze, one of his clubs completely broke and the Foxy pirate hastily dropped the broken piece to grip the other one with both hands.


    At the same time, Big Pan reared back a fist and tried connecting to the redhead.


    Rosan sneered and performed a perfect vault, landing atop Big Pan''s fist and immediately noting the texture.


    It was slippery¡­ probably because he was some type of Fishman.


    It didn''t matter. None of it would matter soon enough.


    Rosan turned away from the Giant Fishman and glared at Hamburg. Tensing his legs, the scout rocketed off towards the leader of the Groggy Monsters and landed a devastating kick to the man''s face.


    The momentum was so strong, it lifted Hamburg straight off his feet and he soared through the air, heading straight towards a slightly surprised Zoro.


    Rosan glared at the man he sent flying and red sparks began dancing across his skin, as he tensed his legs.


    The redhead vanished from his spot and the ground denting was the only sign that he moved... before he suddenly appeared in their line of sight... chasing Hamburg''s flying body and keeping pace.


    Everyone''s eyes bugged at that.


    Red sparks followed after him as he began closing the distance and his next action, made the crowd go completely and utterly silent, realizing the round was over before it even started.


    The running demon jumped into the air, ending up ahead of Hamburg, and his downward trajectory intercepted the man mid flight, right before Rosan slammed both his sneakers onto the pirate''s head.


    Hamburg''s head caved into the dirt as the man''s eyes rolled to the back of his skull, a puddle of blood forming underneath him.


    Rosan ignored the crack of bones and slowly stepped off the body, expression utterly uncaring as he wiped the dirt off his shoes with the man''s broken body.


    None had anything to say at the brutal and violent act, just staring in horror as the realization that this was the Red Devil, seeped into them.


    "H-How t-terrifying! In no time at all, Rosan has taken out two of the Groggy¡ª Eep!"


    The announcer yelped in fear, as those terrifying eyes looked up at him.


    "I really hate biased announcers so save the talking for after I''m done or you''re next," Rosan snarled violently.


    It reminded him of that stupid dumbass back at Daybreak.


    The silence of the man satisfied him and he gazed at his final opponent on the opposite side of the field.


    The giant was clearly all muscle and no brain and he was gazing confusedly at both Pickle and Hamburg.


    Rosan fully stepped off the unconscious Hamburg and began approaching the Fishman that dwarfed him.


    Everyone watched as the redhead broke off into a slow jog, that quickly picked up in speed until he began sprinting at visible speeds that contrasted how quickly he caught up to Hamburg earlier.


    They were confused as to why they could still see him, but all thoughts of him being a showoff were wiped away, as two demonic wings sprouted out of Rosan''s back mid run and that sprint turned into flight.


    Rosan soared across the fields with Ragnarok, eyes never leaving the Fishman as he steadily increased the speed of his flight.


    Big Pan saw the approach and cocked his fist back, before punching downwards to where Rosan''s location was.


    He did not connect with his target.


    Rosan flew above the man''s fist, never once stopping in his flight and suddenly changed his course, flying parallel to the man''s body as he ascended.


    Higher and higher he went, until he was right above the man''s, crown guarded, head and the redhead glared down at him.


    "You''re slippery, it makes you hard to grab¡­"


    His eyes transformed into slits.


    "Let me fix that."


    Rosan''s teeth turned serrated.


    No one was able to stop their eyes from bugging, or their jaws from dropping, as Rosan one upped his previous actions by transforming into a massive dragon before their very eyes.


    "I think we picked the wrong crew to mess with," every single Foxy pirate thought in horror as a shadow loomed over them and the dragon roared violently.


    "RAOGHHHHHHHHHH!" Rosan howled, open jaw lighting up red.


    The terrifying creature peered down at Big Pan like he were a mere insect, before unleashing a hellish waterfall of fire, directly over the suddenly smaller Big Pan.


    "RAGHHHHHHHHHHHH" Big Pan roared, as the flames from above bathed his entire body.


    "Be glad I can''t kill you," Rosan sneered, making sure his flames weren''t lethal as he showered the man in his draconic fire.


    Finally he cut off the attack and snarled loudly, sending a deep rumble through everyone''s bones.


    A charred Big Pan wasn''t even allowed to teeter, as a clawed reptilian hand, gripped the front of his face.


    Without any hesitation at all, the dragon slammed the Wotan''s head into the goal with a thunderous crash.


    ¡­


    There was a stunned silence, as they watched the one man army slaughter their best Groggy Ring performers without breaking a sweat.


    "My¡­ I haven''t seen you so angry in so long," Mod said in shock, looking at the brutal beat down with wide eyes.


    "H-He didn''t even use me and he''s still this scary," Ram muttered in disbelief.


    Rosan ignored them both and peered down at the referee, back in human form. "Call the match."


    The cheating ref, to his credit, tried very hard to ignore the very obvious outcome, in hopes that one of them would wake up to maybe bring back the round or appeal to him cheating.


    Rosan was not having any of it.


    The redhead let loose a terrifyingly loud snarl and kicked Big Pan up to a sitting position.


    Then, they watched with horror as he hoisted the unconscious Wotan up over his head and began to fly up like he wasn''t holding someone astronomically larger then him.


    Rosan glared at the goal post and began repeatedly slamming the Wotan''s head into it over and over again until he got his point across.


    Everyone gasped at the merciless redhead''s actions, wincing every time Big Pan''s head crashed into it.


    "H-He''s really pissed," Usopp stammered in terror. Somehow, the redhead was even scarier then back at Syrup Village.


    "W-W-What type of m-monster is he?!" Porche couldn''t help but say, watching the entire affair with tears pricking her eyes.


    "A possessive Devil," Nami answered eventually, wincing as the redhead continued to slam Big Pan''s crown into the goal post.


    "You never take the Devil''s Possessions," Sanji muttered. He really needed to apologize to Rosan for messing up in the previous round.


    Porche shook at their claims. Suddenly, Rosan didn''t look so cute anymore.


    Her precious former crewmates were getting treated like rag dolls¡­


    The half conscious Wotan could do nothing but take the abuse, as he was used as a toy by the demonic redhead.


    "Call. The. Match," Rosan said, punctuating each word with a heavier slam then the last before it looked like he was going to snap the man''s neck from the force.


    "E-ENOUGH!" Foxy shouted, fear on his face as he watched the redhead toss Big Pan around like he weighed nothing.


    What type of freakish strength was that? D-Did he keep his draconic power?


    "He can''t fight anymore and you''ve scored the goal! C-Call the match!"


    The ref couldn''t help but let out a sigh of relief at seeing his boss make the demand and blew the whistle.


    He couldn''t watch that anymore.


    "T-The winner of Groggy Ring are t-the Red D-Devil and Pirate Hunter of the Straw Hats, Rosan and Zoro!" Itomimizu stammered.


    There was complete silence.


    Well, all except for one.


    "WOOHOO! GET EM ROSAN!" Luffy cheered his older brother, clapping at the display.


    Rosan tossed the giant body to the side like it was yesterday''s trash and grunted.


    "A-As per the rules of the Davy Back Fight, the Straw Hats now get to choose a member of the Foxy Pirates to pick."


    Robin gazed with wide eyes, as the redhead appeared directly in front of her without any hesitation.


    Almost as if he were the plague, the people trying to get to know her, parted away with speeds that she found rather admirable, shrieking at the sight of the unhinged redhead.


    That match¡­ was quite the spectacle. To know that Rosan got so furious on her behalf¡­ it was enthralling.


    Wow, she really was too far gone.


    "Mine." Rosan growled, removing the stupid foxy mask from her face with a look of annoyance and lighting it on fire.


    Robin flushed slightly at his possessive tone and stood up. "I take it you''re picking me to join the crew?" She teased.


    "Don''t joke like that," Rosan grunted, pulling her into a deep hug as they vanished back over to the Straw Hats side. "I can''t stand the thought of anyone trying to take you from me."


    The Devil Child couldn''t keep the brilliant smile off her face as just the action of hugging her calmed Rosan down.


    Everyone let out a breath they didn''t know they were holding, as Rosan''s violent aura, slowly but surely vanished.


    "You realize he only did this because you took someone important from them, right?" she murmured.


    "I''m terrible at getting a taste of my own medicine. You should know this by now..." He replied quietly.


    Robin leaned in close. "You know¡­ this is the reason why people think we''re lovers, right? Because of the way you react whenever I''m involved," she whispered in his ear.


    Rosan couldn''t help the shiver at that but said nothing, just soaking in her presence.


    Robin rolled her eyes.


    "What will you do if I actually find someone I''m interested in?" She couldn''t help but ask in amusement, despite her interest being the one she was asking.


    She was more pleased then she would like to admit, as Rosan''s grip on her tightened.


    "...Be happy for you. After checking to see if they are the right person," he said gravely, looking as if he were puking the words out.


    "The way you''re holding me suggests otherwise," she laughed.


    "Because I''m not ready to let you go yet and I don''t know if I''ll ever be," Rosan admitted through their connection.


    "!" Mod''s eyes bugged.


    "!" Ram''s jaw dropped.


    Robin''s heart soared at his declaration. Feeling particularly bold, she asked, "Well what if I don''t ever want you to let me go either?"


    Mod''s jaw dropped.


    Ram''s eyes bugged.


    "Then I''ll do everything to make sure it stays that way¡­ as long as you''re fine with it," Rosan replied truthfully.


    Robin smiled softly and hugged the redhead back, taking in his presence as he took in hers.


    She didn''t think she could wait until he had all his emotions back.


    "Uh, Rosan¡­" Sanji muttered awkwardly. "Sorry about that. If it wasn''t for me, we wouldn''t have lost Robin-chan in the first place."


    "It''s fine. I got her back so that''s all that matters," Rosan muttered. "Though, you really need to work on that¡­ Foxy has hundreds of pirates, they could have easily saved her if it was actually real."


    The chef blushed in embarrassment. "Can''t help it¡­ when a woman is in need, I must be there."


    The redhead snorted but left it there.


    "Robin!" Luffy cheered, jumping on the duo with a pleased smile.


    "I''d say welcome back¡­ but I blinked and you were back in the crew¡­ Rosan doesn''t mess around when it comes to you," Nami laughed, hugging the taller woman.


    "His possessive streak has become even worse with age," Robin sighed, despite her happiness at Nami''s observation.


    "I-I thought it was a joke¡­ but he really does think all of you are his," Usopp gaped in disbelief.


    Luffy nodded sagely. "Yup! If Rosan says it''s his, it''s his!" the rubber boy beamed.


    "Wow¡­ we really messed up challenging a 400 million bounty crew," Porche muttered nervously.


    Just how scary was Straw Hat Luffy for being able to keep such a demon under control?


    Robin glanced over at her.


    She honestly couldn''t believe she was jealous of this girl¡­ Rosan wasn''t planning on giving her the time of day and now she was rightfully terrified of the redhead.


    Robin felt a well of satisfaction at that. No one could handle all of Rosan. Most people would be rightfully terrified of the redhead if they knew everything about him, regardless of how handsome he was.


    Good thing she felt none of that fear.


    "One more round."


    All the Straw Hats paused at the voice and glanced over at Foxy.


    "One more round?" Rosan raised a brow.


    "One more Davy Back Fight. Just one more," Foxy asked, trying to hide his desperation.


    If he had known exactly how dangerous the Red Devil was¡­ he would have never picked Nico Robin¡­ he thought getting Porche was guaranteed but now they had lost her¡­ permanently¡­


    Rosan saw right through his facade. The redhead smirked cruelly and said, "Why would we ever accept another round? There''s no one else we want in your useless crew."


    Foxy flinched at that. "T-This isn''t a decision you get to make! This is for Captains!"


    "Hoh?" Rosan raised a brow. "Luffy says no."


    The man spluttered at that, getting more desperate. "S-Straw Hat! You''re the captain right?! Your answer is the final one! Don''t you want to have another battle?!"


    Luffy tilted his head. "But I don''t want anyone in your crew. No thanks," he waved him off.


    "That''s that. I don''t feel like dealing with anymore of your cheating," Rosan shrugged. "Well done on the second round, but you should have nabbed your old crewmate back. It''s not like we really wanted her."


    Porche flinched at his cold tone and shot a desperate look to Foxy.


    The captain steeled himself at that.


    There was no way he was losing his first mate.


    "One round. Combat. Captain vs Captain in a winner takes all¡­"


    Luffy and Rosan both paused at that.


    "Combat?" Luffy perked up.


    "Winner takes all?" Rosan raised a brow, eyes gleaming in malicious delight. "Just to make sure you aren''t trying to pull a fast one. You vs Luffy in a fight and the winner takes everything?"


    "That''s right¡­ it''s just a fight between Straw Hat and I. If you win, you get my whole crew, my ship¡­ my flag," Foxy answered nervously, hoping they''d accept the deal.


    Hm¡­ that didn''t change the fact that his crew was still largely useless¡­ but Rosan wouldn''t mind keeping tabs on Foxy''s Devil Fruit.


    It was actually quite interesting.


    Besides, his little brother was looking at him with those pleading eyes and there was no way he could resist.


    He inclined his head and Luffy beamed.


    "We accept!" The rubber boy laughed.


    "Please¡­ my heart can''t handle another one," Usopp groaned.


    "You and me both," Nami sighed miserably.


    "You think I''d accept if I thought them cheating would cost us the match?" Rosan asked with a raised brow.


    The two froze at that. "That''s true¡­ so why did you accept?


    "I accepted because even with all the dirty tricks in their books, that man will never beat Luffy in a fight."


    <hr>


    "OH?! WHAT A SURPRISE! DESPITE THEIR VICTORY, THE STRAW HATS HAVE DECIDED TO PUT EVERYTHING ON THE LINE FOR ONE MORE ROUND!"


    After hearing that they were having a Combat round as the final round, the Foxy Pirates gained a new surge of energy and began crafting a stadium of all things for the occasion.


    Luffy and Usopp (who was his coach) had gone off to make preparations, while the rest of the Straw Hats were sat at the stands to spectate the entire thing.


    "Rosan, you have not once let me go since getting me back," Robin said, unable to keep the amusement out of her voice as the redhead sat her on his lap.


    There was a lot of space around the Straw Hats, courtesy of Rosan''s "come near me and die" aura that gave them quite a bit of room to make comfort¡­


    And despite that she was still sitting on him.


    "If you have a problem, I''ll release you," he offered.


    The Devil Child rolled her eyes. "I''d rather not see the heartbreak on your face if I actually agreed to those terms. You''d guilt trip me with no remorse."


    "You know me so well," he smiled.


    Nami cupped her chin in contemplation. "Rosan, I think I know you well enough to say that there''s another reason you let this happen. I know for a fact you aren''t interested in anyone in their crew at all so why even go for such a thing? They will guaranteed cheat in this event so what''s the reason?"


    The crew, and Porche, watched the redhead in curiosity.


    "My adorable little sister is making observations? Aren''t you just the cutest," Rosan smirked. "You''re right. I don''t want a single person in their crew. None of them are good enough."


    His gaze darkened. "But they tried to take Robin from me."


    Robin shuddered at that.


    Porche paled.


    "To be completely honest. I assume that there''s no rule saying we can''t just pillage a ship completely after the Davy Back Fight¡­ so once everything was settled, I was going to raze the entire Foxy Pirates to the ground," Rosan admitted.


    "W-W-What?!" Porche balked at the insane words of the redhead.


    Rosan''s eyes roamed over to her and he tilted his head. "Yeah. There''s no rule that says that, right? I''m free to do whatever I want with you guys afterwards, right?"


    The former idol of the Foxy Pirates began shaking at his cruel gaze.


    "N-No there''s no rule a-against that but¡­" she trailed off.


    "What? Wanted to die with them?" Rosan asked with a raised brow, making her go white.


    "He''s so evil sometimes," the crew thought with a sigh, used to his antics by now.


    "Don''t worry, I won''t kill your crew. I managed to bait him into staking everything, all in hopes of getting you back," Rosan smiled.


    Porche stilled at that. "You¡­ baited him?"


    The redhead shrugged. "Of course I did. Now, after Luffy wins, I get to subjugate your entire crew for free. That Foxy guys Devil Fruit is interesting, I want to study it and he has no choice but to comply once he is working under me, since Luffy won''t want anything to do with them."


    They balked at his words, looking at the redhead like he were demon spawn and he flashed a cocky smirk back.


    "How far back did you plan this?" Sanji asked in awe.


    Rosan shrugged. "Not very far¡­ I just adapted along the way the moment I figured out what his Devil Fruit was. I would have left him alone otherwise¡­ Up until he took Robin of course. At that point, the only thing on my mind was murder."


    "He''s so scary!" Chopper squealed in his mind.


    They had been playing the Devil''s game all along.


    Porche came to this startling realization as she listened to the redhead and realized that no matter what, as long as he was on the Straw Hats team, he was going to ensure they won.


    He was far more calculating then they thought. She was very sure that if Luffy was even close to losing this round, he''d interfere somehow...


    But even despite that, he seemed so confident in his captain. Did he... really have a backup plan for Luffy losing?


    "What are Foxy''s chances of winning this match?" She whispered in despair, knowing the answer already.


    A Devil would not follow a weakling after all.


    Rosan didn''t even blink. "3% if Luffy plays around too much."


    The former Foxy Pirate closed her eyes at that.


    Porche already knew that would have been his answer¡­ but she had really hoped it wasn''t.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "THE FINAL ROUND OF THE DAVY BACK FIGHT IS NOW BEGINNING! A CAPTAIN VS CAPTAIN BATTLE AS OUR BONUS MAIN EVENT!"


    The crowd shouted their excitement.


    "Introducing the competitors in today''s match¡­. First, the man who never turns down a fight. Undefeated in 920 consecutive matches. The man who wins every game. GIVE IT UP FOR OUR BOSS, THE SILVER FOX, FOXY!"


    Foxy held up both gloves as he basked in the cheers.


    "GET EM FOXY!"


    "WIN THIS FOR PORCHE!"


    "SHOW THEM WHAT YOU''RE MADE OF!"


    "Fefefefe! Don''t worry Porche, we''ll get you back!" Foxy declared, grinning at his former crewmate.


    Porche shot him a strained smile and a shaky thumbs up.


    "Introducing next, hailing from the East Blue¡­ The leader of the fastest rising crew in the Grand Line! With a bounty of 140 million, MONKEY D. LUFFY!"


    "No¡­ fucking¡­ way," Nami and Rosan muttered at the same time.


    "What the hell?" Zoro grimaced.


    "YOU LOOK SO COOL, LUFFY!" Chopper praised, waving his hooves at his captain.


    Sanji gasped in awe. "Look at how sharp he is! His inner soul is on fire!"


    Robin didn''t bother hiding her laughter. "He looks so cute!"


    Luffy had foregone his shirt in order to show a fiery skull and crossbones tattoo on his torso. He aimed both his boxing gloves to the sky and he let out a battle roar as Usopp coolly stood behind him.


    But that''s not what the Straw Hats focused on.


    No, they were focused on the absolutely ridiculous afro on his head.


    "He is so adorable!" Mod squealed, clapping at seeing Luffy in the afro.


    "Look at the energy he''s exuding!" Ram gaped. He looked awesome!


    Robin laughed louder as Rosan''s brows shot up.


    "You two like this?" He asked in confusion.


    What¡­?


    "I-I can''t explain it! I just do!" Mod replied with wide eyes.


    "I can explain! It''s fucking awesome!" Ram beamed.


    "Language!"


    "WHAT?! FATHER WAS CURSING UP A STORM TODAY AND YOU DIDN''T EVEN BLINK! HOW COME WHEN I SAY IT, IT''S A PROBLEM?!"


    "We''ve talked about this already! You are hardly an adult in mind, so you should not be cursing! In another¡­ 10 years, I''ll consider it."


    "BULLSHIT!"


    "What did I just say young lady?!"


    "I think you''d look nice with an afro, Rosan!" Robin said, unable to hold back her laughter.


    Rosan zoned Mod and Ram out and glared at the Robin shuddering in amusement on his lap.


    "Remove those dangerous thoughts from your head," he hissed into her ear.


    She held her hands up in surrender and said, "Fine, fine."


    "AWW YEAH!" Luffy shouted to the heavens.


    "Why''s he talking like that. What the hell did Usopp do to my little brother?" Rosan grunted in disbelief. "I should have known he had no style, he wears suspenders. Why did I think this was a good idea?"


    They sweatdropped at the incensed redhead and idly scooted away from him.


    It seems his stylish looks weren''t for show.


    "THE COMBATANTS ARE LOCKED IN FOR OUR BONUS MAIN EVENT! FOXY VS LUFFY! ONE ON ONE COMBAT ON OUR CONVENIENTLY PICKED SHIP, THE SEXY FOXY!"


    "Even now they cheat," Rosan scoffed. "Let''s see how much that helps him. Maybe it''ll make the fight interesting."


    "You know how playful Luffy gets¡­ it makes all his fights interesting," Robin supplied helpfully. She idly nestled herself deeper into the redhead and let out a pleased hum as he idly wrapped an arm around her waist.


    "STRAW HAT LUFFY VERSUS SILVER FOXY¡­"


    "Let''s have some fun, Straw Hat! The whole ship is our battlefield!" Foxy said cockily.


    They messed up agreeing to this.


    Luffy threw out some warm-up jabs as he got into a boxing stance. "Alright! Let''s get this show on the road, fool!"


    "...BEGIN!"


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Luffy was already on the move.


    "Gomu Gomu no Pistol!" he shouted, throwing out an extended right towards the Pirates face.


    Foxy''s eyes widened at the speed and he immediately leapt out of the way, pointing his finger in the process.


    "Noro Noro Beam!"


    "Wha?" Luffy said in confusion, as his fist refused to come back to him.


    What the hell was going on with his punch?!


    He ducked a wild punch from Foxy and glared at his fellow captain in confusion, before using his free left to throw another punch that the Fox man leapt out of the way of.


    Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    "I should avoid stretching too much," Luffy thought to himself as his fist returned to normal.


    Right, Rosan had told him about split-heads fruit¡­ he needed to dodge the pink beam¡­


    Okay! He could do that!


    Foxy couldn''t stop his jaw from dropping at seeing Luffy sprint towards where he was at amazing speeds and immediately fled from his location, activating any trap he could think of at the same time.


    Luffy effortlessly weaved through the dozens of darts coming his way and made a beeline straight for Foxy.


    "SUCH SPEED FROM STRAW HAT! WHERE WAS THIS DEXTERITY IN THE PREVIOUS ROUND?!"


    "SHUT UP!" Luffy roared at the annoying voice.


    The Silver Fox began sweating a little and immediately bombarded the ship with a smokescreen, vanishing into it.


    Luffy glanced around in confusion as multiple silhouettes that looked suspiciously like Foxy.


    "THE BOSS HAS SUMMONED HIS SMOKESCREEN?! WHICH ONE IS THE REAL ONE?! HOW WILL STRAW HAT FIGURE IT OUT!?"


    "Which one is me? How will you ever find out which is the real me¡ª"


    "Gomu Hook!"


    Foxy''s eyes bugged as a right hook connected to his sternum and he subsequently collapsed on his knees as the wind was knocked out of him.


    The man began coughing as his gloved hands failed to grip his chest.


    "That strength¡­ so his bounty is the real deal?!" The man thought in disbelief.


    It was as he took that punch¡­ did Foxy begin to realize that maybe the Straw Hat''s collective bounty wasn''t all hot air.


    After seeing Rosan''s performance against the Groggy Monsters, he thought just the redhead was the reason their crew was regarded so dangerously.


    Now you were telling him Straw Hat was a big threat too?!


    "AMAZING! IN ONE HIT, FOXY WAS BROUGHT TO HIS KNEES?! STRAW HAT LUFFY IS THE REAL DEAL!"


    The crowd couldn''t hide their awe despite how nervous they were, at the strength Luffy displayed.


    Foxy felt his nervousness spike, as footsteps approached.


    "W-Wait! Timeout!" He shouted out loud, knowing that wouldn''t deter the Straw Hat.


    ...


    Foxy glanced up in confusion and saw that Straw Hat had stopped moving.


    "What¡­ What are you doing?" The Silver Fox asked.


    Luffy tilted his head in confusion. "You said timeout."


    "IS HE AN IDIOT?!" Everyone thought with bugged eyes.


    Rosan closed his eyes and took a deep breath.


    Robin''s eyes widened, at the string of curses coming out of the redhead through their connection. A dust of red covered her cheek at how¡­ vulgar he was!


    "L-Language?" Mod said, face bright red at some of the words he said.


    Rosan''s response, was to let loose even more foul words and Mod''s face turned progressively worse.


    "R-Right¡­ t-this is why I don''t tell him to mind his language," she muttered.


    Ram''s eyes were starry at how creative he was.


    Foxy let out a sigh of relief, as Straw Hat actually stopped and the Silver Fox slowly stood back up.


    The two stared at each other for a moment and Luffy tilted his head even further.


    "Can we keep fighting¡ª"


    "NORO NORO BEAM!"


    Luffy idly sidestepped the point blank attack with little to no effort.


    "¡ªnow?" He finished with a puzzled frown.


    ¡­


    Foxy slowly put his hand down at the failed attack and began sweating.


    ¡­


    The realization finally hit Luffy.


    "WAIT A SECOND YOU CHEATER!" Luffy roared with razor sharp teeth.


    Foxy turned tail and fled deeper into the ship, Luffy hot on his tail.


    "AND THEY''RE OFF! NOT EVEN WE CAN TELL WHAT''S TAKING PLACE DEEPER IN THE SHIP!"


    "We?" Rosan scoffed, eyes glowing brightly.


    The Straw Hats got a little closer as the redhead''s customary stream began showcasing all the action.


    "W-Woah!" Porche thought in shock, watching as the footage captured their whole ship completely.


    What was this?! What was Rosan doing?!


    "Has anyone ever told you how useful you are?" Usopp asked curiously.


    "Many times. I''m very desired," Rosan said with a slight frown.


    "Understatement," Mod growled.


    "You literally always have these birds out at all times¡­" Sanji muttered, gazing at the sky.


    Where were they?!


    The Foxy Pirates saw the Straw Hats crowding around footage that looked suspiciously like the fight and some tried to sneak closer.


    A foreboding aura washed over them once they stepped past a threshold and they had a sneaking suspicion that if they got close to that demonic redhead, they''d suffer quite the price.


    They slowly but surely scooted back to their seats with nervous expressions.


    "Are you really still that upset that they tried to take me?" Robin asked with a slight sweatdrop, watching as the redhead didn''t even register what was happening.


    "No one can take you away from me without paying a price... Besides, did you not see how close they were to you?" Rosan asked in return, gazing at her with an annoyed expression.


    "...No, I didn''t. You kind of demanded all my attention due to being such a good lead performer," She admitted with an amused smile. "I couldn''t take my eyes off of you if I tried. You were like a raging jealous beast."


    "I''m not jealous¡­ I''m possessive," he corrected.


    Everyone sweatdropped at him.


    "Neither of those are good," Nami said slowly.


    "I think being possessive is objectively worse," Sanji explained with a shake of his head.


    He had realized that Robin-chan had a crush on Rosan long ago and after crying himself to sleep a few days in a row, he came to terms with it.


    Kind of... sort off... not at all.


    Rosan shrugged. "Who''s paying attention to details like that? I know my family isn''t. Robin, do you have a problem with how possessive I am of you?"


    "No," Robin said automatically, before blinking.


    Oh¡­ that came out a bit too fast. Normally, she threw up a bit of resistance.


    Judging by the way Rosan raised a brow and smirked, he realized too.


    "Look at that. Was that so hard?" He snorted, hugging her in a pleased manner. " You finally stopped resisting your true feelings!"


    "You don''t even know the half of it," Robin sighed, enjoying the hug from the oblivious idiot.


    "Why is he so scary and mean?!" The Foxy Pirates thought with comical tears.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "GET BACK HERE!" Luffy shouted, chasing the coward with determination.


    Foxy ignored the quickly gaining Straw Hat and dashed into a room, Luffy hot on his heels.


    What greeted the Straw Hat instead of Foxy, was some woman in a nurses outfit.


    "Welcome to the infirmary! How can I help you?"


    Luffy blinked in confusion. "What?! Hey, lady can you move out of the way? The person I''m looking for is hiding under you!"


    The nurse tilted her head in confusion. "Okay!" She said, getting up so that the Straw Hat could inspect where she was just sitting.


    The moment he got too close, a spiked glove connected to his face and launched him backwards.


    "GOTCHA!" Foxy, the nurse, yelled in victory as he stunned Luffy. "I WAS THE NURSE ALL ALONG, STRAW HAT! NORO NORO BEAM!"


    "W-What?!" Luffy balked as the beam hit his body.


    "Nine Tails Rush!" Foxy exclaimed, ducking into Luffy''s frozen guard and landing dozens of punches on his body with his spiked gloves.


    At the 20 second mark, Foxy stopped and began sprinting away before his fruit wore off.


    "Fefefefe!"


    Luffy grunted as his slow down time ended and he took all that damage at once. Blood spurted from various parts of his body as he huffed in annoyance and took off in the direction Foxy ran in.


    As he burst through another room, the rubber boy paused as a giant silhouette revealed itself.


    "ALLOW ME TO INTRODUCE, GORILLA PUNCHER #13!" Foxy bellowed, grinning down at Luffy.


    "...You have 13 of these stupid things?" Luffy asked, tilting his head to the side.


    Foxy deflated at that. "S-Stupid¡­?" He muttered depressingly.


    "They aren''t stupid! A-And I don''t have 13! This is just the most recent model! Perfectly streamlined with no unnecessary components!" The Silver Fox explained.


    "Is the gorilla head necessary?!" Luffy asked.


    Foxy''s jaw dropped and he began sweating at the observation.


    "You¡­ You have a point¡­ BUT THAT DOESN''T MATTER! NOBODY ASKED FOR YOUR INPUT!"


    The Gorilla Puncher began moving forward, all while the multiple fists on it began swinging at the air.


    "I bet you think you can just dodge these punches¡­ BUT THINK AGAIN! NORO NORO BEAM!"


    Luffy leapt to the side but yelped as he narrowly avoided the beam coming back.


    "That''s right! The mirror reflects my slowpoke photons!"


    His observation blared once more and he contorted his body to avoid one of the punches but there were too much to account for and another chipped his leg.


    Luffy hissed at the burn. "Hot!" he exclaimed.


    "Did I forget to mention that each punch also burns?!"


    That slight delay cost him.


    He was currently struggling to regain his footing and as a result, he got hit with multiple of the punches.


    To make matters worse, he was repeatedly getting tagged by those slow beams bouncing off the mirrors since he couldn''t predict where they would reflect to.


    This resulted in Luffy''s injuries mounting further and further, causing the rubber boy to begin panting in exertion.


    Oh¡­ wait!


    The burned Luffy turned around and completely shattered the mirror behind him with a swift punch, sending glass shards in every direction with a loud clang as he fixed the issue of Foxy''s Devil Fruit.


    Foxy''s eyes bugged in disbelief. "I didn''t think of such a smart move!" he exclaimed, sweating at his slipup.


    The rubber boy huffed as his injuries accumulated and he glared at the machine still punching and closing the distance.


    "What an annoying machine¡­" He grunted, before cocking his gloves back and taking a deep breath.


    "Gomu Gomu no Gatling!"


    Luffy began throwing rapid punch after rapid punch at the giant machine and they started trading blow for blow.


    To Foxy''s disbelief, Straw Hat began winning the exchange and cracks began to appear on his Gorilla Puncher #13 that progressively got more and more numerous.


    "W-What is this guy?!" The Silver Fox muttered as the psycho matched his machine punch for punch and came out on top.


    "ORAAAAAAAA!" Luffy roared in victory as he shattered the machine.


    Foxy let out a yell of surprise as he was toppled from his height and the captain fell flat on his ass.


    The rubber boy panted, not coming out unscathed from that exchange at all, and nearly faltered but stood straight and glared at the crafty pirate with fury.


    Without any hesitation, he began charging after the Silver Fox who began hastily crawling away in fear.


    Once Luffy got too close, Foxy allowed a smirk of victory to appear on his face.


    "NORO NORO BEAM!" He shouted aiming his hand at Luffy and laughing as he landed a point blank hit¡­


    Only for his eyes to bug as Straw Hat reflected his beam back to him.


    "W-WHAT BUT HOW...wwww?!" Foxy''s voice slowed down tremendously, as his own fruit was used against him in an ingenious display.


    Luffy discarded the broken mirror in his gloves and huffed heavily.


    "I won''t lose a single member of my crew¡­ EVEN IF IT KILLS ME!" He roared, getting into a boxing stance.


    The rubber boy began weaving his body in a motion similar to a figure eight, approaching the frozen Foxy all the while¡­


    And then he began delivering a flurry of vicious hooks, throwing his full body weight into each one.


    The rubber boy ignored his extensive injuries and his foggy vision, intent on delivering blow after blow on the Silver Fox''s slowed down body.


    Finally, he stopped with the hooks, and delivered a rising uppercut to pirate, just as the 30 seconds were off.


    The effects were instantaneous.


    "G-Gugh¡­" Foxy let out a garbled gasp, as he was launched through the ceiling of his ship onto the main deck once more, while taking all the accumulated damage delivered his way at once.


    It was devastating. He felt bones shattering from the monstrous strength displayed by Straw Hat Luffy and fell unconscious from the unbelievable pain he was in.


    He wouldn''t be recovering from that for a while.


    Luffy panted tiredly, as he jumped through the hole he created and landed on the main deck, before taking in a deep breath¡­


    "RAAAAAAAA!" He roared victoriously, pumping both hands into the sky.


    "U-UNBELIEVABLE! IN THE THIRD ROUND¡­ OF THE DAVY BACK FIGHT. OUR BOSS¡­ WHO HAS AN UNDEFEATED RECORD OF 920 CONSECUTIVE WINS, HAS BEEN KNOCKED UNCONSCIOUS!"


    "Idiot took too much damage," Rosan scoffed with a tiny smile.


    "Ever the one for the dramatics¡­ He must have got that from you," Robin laughed slightly.


    "WAY TO GO LUFFY!" Chopper screamed loudly, grinning ear to ear.


    "Idiot coulda ended that way sooner," Zoro snorted with a small grin.


    "I wasn''t worried at all!" Usopp exclaimed, wiping the sweat off his features.


    "GOOD JOB LUFFY!" Nami exclaimed happily.


    "That afro power is no joke," Sanji laughed.


    "¡­!" Porche''s eyes were bugged in shock. Just¡­ Just who were they?!


    The Foxy Pirates were thinking the same thing as they realized that Foxy had lost. They were gazing at the scene with bugged eyes and slack jaws.


    "T-THE WINNER OF THIS GAME¡­ IS STRAW HAT LUFFY!"


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Dumbass," Rosan muttered, idly kicking Luffy''s unconscious and bandaged body.


    Chopper eyes bugged. "D-DON''T KICK HIM! HE''S REALLY INJURED, YOU JERK!" The doctor shouted at the demon of a scout.


    The redhead shrugged. "He didn''t have to be this injured. Luffy could literally have beaten that guy in one punch."


    Zoro barked out a short laughter. "He''s right. Our captain was enjoying that afro way too much."


    "You can''t apply percentages to someone as silly as Luffy," Nami sighed fondly.


    "He''s waking up," Robin observed with a slight smile. She was moved by Luffy''s commitment to making sure he didn''t lose a single member.


    Even if it killed him¡­


    Chatter stopped as Luffy began waking with a confused expression, before shooting up in alarm.


    "DID I WIN?!" He shouted, realizing he wasn''t on the Sexy Foxy anymore.


    "Yep," they all chirped.


    Luffy grinned at that and lied back down. "I''m glad!"


    Rosan sighed in annoyance. "You realize the only reason I''m a pirate is because of you, right? What do I look like following someone else?"


    "Exactly," Zoro grunted with an annoyed frown. "You forced me to become a pirate."


    "Same here," the redhead nodded.


    "Ditto," Nami sighed despondently.


    "Yep," Sanji muttered.


    "Me too!" Chopper exclaimed.


    "...Was I the only one that didn''t get forced?" Usopp asked quietly.


    "I technically didn''t," Robin smiled. "Then again, Rosan practically forced me to be his friend¡­ it was either that or get thrown overboard."


    "W-WHAT?!" Sanji and Nami roared in horror, glancing at the psychotic redhead.


    Rosan raised a brow high into the sky at that. "You''re talking about when we first met as kids? What the fuck, Robin? You thought I was gonna throw you overboard if you refused?" He asked incredulously.


    Robin blinked. "You¡­ weren''t?" she trailed off.


    Huh, she never did think about the outcome of what would happen if she had refused his offer.


    The Devil Child yelped as he flicked her on the head and she glared at the scout.


    "Of course not. Mom told me not to hit girls unless they hit me," he chided her.


    "I would have just gotten "lost" and our forced exposure to each other, would have made us friends anyways. I''m very charming," Rosan grinned innocently.


    Robin sweatdropped deeply at the redhead. "You are such a twisted person. You wouldn''t have actually done that, right?"


    "Robin, trust me. He would have spent every single moment with you too. We already chose you the moment we laid eyes on you. You were stuck with us."


    Rosan smiled slightly at that.


    "...We?" The Devil Child repeated, sweatdropping deeper.


    They really would have kidnapped her if she refused and forced her to be friends with them¡­


    That was very ridiculous to think about, getting kidnapped by an adorable 4 year old child.


    Porche glanced at the crew with wide eyes and realized she was really out of her depths trying to deal with all these monsters.


    They stopped conversing, as the crew heard footsteps and the Straw Hats glanced up to a rather amusing sight.


    Foxy, who was wrapped in a full body cast, was being carried over to them in a stretcher. The defeated captain was awake and glaring at them with indignation.


    "Don''t forget the rules, Straw Hat!" The Silver Fox grunted through his cast. "You beat me fair and square so per the rules of the Davy Back Fight special round, you get everything!"


    Luffy and Rosan glanced at each other for a moment.


    "Since you''re our subordinate now, you promise to do whatever I want, right? You won''t go back on your word?" The redhead asked eventually.


    Foxy felt a vein forming at that patronizing tone. "I DON''T HAVE A CHOICE! OF COURSE I WILL! Foxy may be sneaky, but he''s also a man of integrity!"


    Rosan smiled in a satisfied manner.


    At the same time, Luffy said, "Listen closely guys!"


    All the Foxy (Straw Hat?) Pirates leaned in close to their new captain.


    "As your new captain of the reborn Straw Hats¡­ You''re all off the crew!"


    ¡­


    ¡­


    ¡­


    "Huh?" Foxy said dumbly.


    "We''re off the crew?" Someone asked in confusion.


    Everyone looked at the redhead who had let out an amused snort.


    "Not only are you guys useless¡­ Wait, no, that''s it. You guys are useless," Rosan said with an amused smirk.


    Luffy laughed at Rosan''s words. "Yeah! We don''t want you guys! You can do whatever you want!"


    "Why are they both so mean?!" All the Foxy Pirates cried comically.


    "Oh¡­ and don''t forget your promise, Foxy. It would be utterly shameful if you couldn''t keep your word," Rosan reminded, smiling cunningly at the stupefied pirate. "I appreciate you being such a good sport. See you in the future."


    Demons¡­ they were dealing with actual demons.


    Foxy''s jaw dropped to the floor as he realized he got completely tricked into promising to do whatever Rosan wanted.


    "Y-You¡­" he spluttered.


    "Oh and you can go back with them too, Porche. We don''t want you either," Rosan hummed.


    Her jaw dropped in confusion and she glanced at the smug looking Rosan in disbelief.


    "...You are so not cute," she said finally.


    "You''re right¡­ I''m hot," Rosan corrected with an amused snort, turning away from the pirates due to losing all interest.


    "You two are ridiculous," Nami laughed disbelievingly. "What was even the point of all of this?"


    "Asserting my superiority while gaining future subordinates I don''t have to care about," Rosan shrugged.


    "It seemed fun!" Luffy laughed.


    "I can''t believe I expected any other answers out of you idiotic brothers of fate," Nami groaned.


    "We lost to these demons¡­"


    Straw Hat and the Red Devil¡­ those two were so twisted.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    With a promise of revenge (and happy tears at getting Porche back), the Foxy pirates finally departed from the island, leaving just the Straw Hats and a strange old man with a horse.


    "So this is why you accepted without discussing with us," Nami sighed with a small smile.


    The old man''s name was Tonjit and he had been stuck on a ridiculously long piece of bamboo for 10 years because he had always been fascinated with creating the world''s longest stilts and they never stopped growing¡­


    Idiot.


    "I wish we could find a way to get you back to your family," Usopp muttered.


    His eyes lit up and he turned to face their scout. "Rosan what if you¡ª"


    ¡­


    The sniper slowly closed his mouth, as he gazed at the stone faced expression of the redhead and slowly turned back towards the old man, request dead on his lips.


    "Demon¡­" Usopp thought to himself with sweat.


    "You guys don''t have to worry about me. I''m very patient! Come inside, I can prepare some lunch for you all," Tonjit smiled thankfully at the crew, as he made his way to the front of his house¡­


    Only to crash into a body.


    "Oh! What is this¡­? A person?!"


    "Hm?" The Straw Hats blinked as they gauged the figure.


    Tall and slim, the figure before them was an imposing presence¡­ who appeared to be sleeping up until Tonjit crashed into him.


    "Huh?" The standing man said blearily, removing his face mask to gauge the new appearances. "Who are you guys?" He asked.


    "WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?!" Most of the Straw Hats yelled back.


    Rosan froze in shock, a look of concern and rage crossing over his features as he immediately recognized the person.


    "This is bad. This is very very bad. We need to get out of here now," Mod said, white in horror.


    Thud.


    Everyone froze in surprise and glanced back to see Robin of all people, with a look of true terror on her face.


    The Devil Child''s eyes were wide, and her pupils turned into pinpricks, as she began hyperventilating.


    "Robin?!" Luffy shouted in concern, before noticing the look on his brother''s face.


    "Robin?! Rosan?! What''s the matter?!" Nami asked, eyes narrowed in worry.


    "You know this guy?" Zoro asked, clutching one of his swords due to the fact that Rosan currently looked like a wild animal.


    Their scout looked utterly feral, sharp teeth bared with a murderous glint in his gaze.


    The strange man held his hands out in a placating. "You shouldn''t look at me with such scary eyes, Red Devil¡­ It''s not like I''m here on orders, despite having every reason needed to detain and capture you specifically."


    Rosan didn''t loosen his stance. No, it only got worse as the man gazed at the fallen Nico Robin and the redhead immediately stepped in front of her.


    Robin felt her terror reach levels she didn''t think possible, as she gazed at the redhead standing protectively in front of her.


    "No¡­ Please not Rosan! Please!"


    Admiral Aokiji glanced at the duo and a smirk made its way to his face.


    "Oh my¡­ you''ve turned into quite a pretty woman, Nico Robin."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Like I said, I''m not here on orders," Aokiji informed them. "The weather was nice today so I decided to go out on a stroll."


    "Rosan¡­ who is this guy?" Usopp asked warily.


    "..." The redhead never once took his eyes off the man, barely registering Usopp''s question.


    "...Admiral Aokiji. He''s one of the strongest forces in the World Government," Rosan explained, making sure the shaking Robin was completely behind him.


    There was a pause, as a wave of trepidation washed over them.


    "HE''S AN ADMIRAL?!"


    "Yeah, that''s¡­ right," Aokiji said tiredly, sitting down. "Sorry I got tired of standing."


    "ARE YOU SURE THIS IS HIM?!" They roared.


    Rosan just let loose a violent snarl, not in the mood for games.


    Aokiji sighed. "You''re way too worked up, Red Devil. You need to calm down. Are you so worked up because of all the terrible deeds you''ve done? Right now, I''m not here for that."


    Rosan''s pupils turned into slits.


    "Yeah I know¡­ still worth a shot," Aokiji shrugged. "Fine fine, since you seem like the type of guy who needs a reason for everything¡­ I came here to verify some information I heard involving your group."


    "But before I go into more detail¡­ you."


    Kuzan pointed at the old man who wasn''t apart of their crew. "You wanted to find your tribe, right? They''re three islands from here so I''ll help you reach them."


    The Admiral looked at the pirate crew. "Since you''ve helped him so much already, why not do him one last favor and carry his belongings to shore. Where we''re heading is where your ship should be."


    The other Straw Hats calmed down slightly at his friendly demeanor, but Rosan didn''t loosen his stance for even a second, even as the man began walking towards the shore.


    "We should go," Nami said to them all. "I think it''ll be bad if we don''t follow him."


    "I can teleport us out. It won''t be difficult for me," Rosan grunted.


    ...His crew looked unsure of his request and the redhead pursed his lips.


    "...You guys don''t want to leave the Merry behind."


    It was not a question.


    The silence was all he needed to know.


    This was idiotic of them... but he doubted he could change their mind.


    "Fine. I''ll catch up to you guys¡­ just give me a moment," he requested, glancing back at the stricken Robin.


    The Straw Hats hesitantly followed after the man after some thought and glanced back at Robin and Rosan in concern.


    "Robin¡­ please speak to us. Are you alright?" Mod asked in concern.


    Robin felt all her fears come out at once, as Rosan pulled her into a hug and she clutched him with all her might as if he''d disappear at any second.


    "You¡­ You have to go, Rosan," she begged, gazing up at the redhead with genuine terror. "I can''t¡­ I won''t lose you. I can''t let Aokiji take someone else from me!"


    Rosan''s gaze darkened. "Just me?" He whispered questioningly. "What about you? You will stay here? Without me?"


    She shuddered in his hold and said nothing.


    "You think I''ll leave you with that man? After everything you told me. After everything he did?" Rosan snarled in fury.


    Robin''s grip on him tightened and she glanced up wildly at the redhead. "Rosan don''t. Please don''t fight him!" she said, raising her voice.


    "I''m serious! I''ll never forgive you if you throw your life away! Please, Rosan!" Robin begged, so much fear lacing her tone, that it made his heart break.


    He stared into her wide blue eyes, at her large pupils shrinking into pinpricks, and Rosan let out a sigh.


    Robin didn''t even realize how hysterical she was, until Rosan engulfed her into another hug and she let out a shuddering breath against him.


    "C''mon, let''s go. If any of us leaves, he might get the wrong idea and kill the rest of us," Rosan muttered.


    The Devil Child nodded shakily and made no complaints as the redhead carried them over to the rest of the crew.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    By the time Rosan arrived (he was still carrying Robin), his crew had managed to fully help Tonjit and his horse get their provisions ready to cross the ocean.


    In the process, it seems like they had let their guards down around Aokiji, due to the man''s strange mannerisms.


    "You''re a curvy hottie too... you available tonight?" Aokiji asked Nami looking down at the much shorter navigator.


    "WHAT TYPE OF MARINE ARE YOU?!" Sanji roared.


    Aokiji glanced lazily at the chef, before roving his eyes over to Robin and Rosan.


    "Ah, you actually showed up. What a surprise," he said aloud. "I thought you would have ran away by now."


    Rosan''s eyes narrowed as he felt Robin flinch harshly in his grasp.


    Before the redhead could open his mouth, Aokiji made his way to the shore.


    "Just how do you plan on helping him anyways? Are you gonna carry him on your back and swim?" Luffy asked curiously.


    "Nothing so tiring," Aokiji retorted with a tired sigh.


    "Is it even possible to solve his issues without sailing?" Sanji muttered.


    Rosan could do it because he had Modification¡­ could this guy do it?


    "He¡­ He can do it," Robin muttered shakily. "He has the means to do it¡­ because of his..."


    They gazed at their archaeologist in both confusion and concern, still taken aback by how shaken up she was.


    Aokiji slowly walked up to the shore and gazed out into the sea with a relaxed expression.


    Mere moments later, a gargantuan Sea King burst out of the waters with a thunderous splash and roared its presence to the world.


    "O-Oh no! It''s the lord of these seas! QUICKLY, YOU MUST RUN AWAY!" Tonjit backed away in horror.


    The Admiral didn''t even flinch. To him, it may as well have been a tiny little fish that popped out because his expression never once change.


    He just took a short breath and said,


    "Ice Age."


    And the world froze over.


    The Straw Hats stood stunned, as they all witnessed the effects of Aokiji''s power and they suddenly realized why he looked so confident he could do this.


    "An ice Logia," they thought grimly.


    Robin began shaking once more and it was not because of the freezing temperatures.


    She began to have flashbacks of a time she wished didn''t exist. Of a time where she had to witness everyone she loved die.


    A time where she witnessed her first true friend get frozen to death, due to the terrible powers of the Hie Hie no Mi.


    It felt like she were 8 again and she desperately held onto her only wall of safety.


    "Oh Robin," Mod said in sorrow, wanting nothing more then to hold her daughter.


    "We''ll protect you, Mother," Ram promised with a look of concern. She hated seeing her mother so afraid. She despised it and wanted it to go away by any means.


    "This will last 1 week so walk at whatever speed you want. Bundle up too, it''s going to be cold," a partially frozen Aokiji advised.


    Tonjit became teary eyed at the actions of the Admiral and bowed deeply. "Thank you so much! Goodbye, all of you!"


    "See ya, Old Man!" Luffy waved as they began leaving.


    Most of the Straw Hats watched the old man trek off until he vanished, with small smiles.


    "Monkey D. Luffy and Iris D. Rosan¡­"


    Rosan''s expression turned murderous.


    "You''re just like your Grandpa, Straw Hat¡­ You''re wild, reckless and have no self control," Aokiji grunted, gazing at the Captain of the Straw Hats.


    Luffy''s face turned into one of fear. "G-Gramps?!"


    The Straw Hats blinked in confusion at that.


    Luffy''s Grandpa? Who was that? Why did the mere mention of him, have Luffy of all people, sweating in fear?


    "And you, Red Devil¡­ you''re remarkably like your mother," Aokiji complimented. "You both love to give off the image that nothing bothers you, but underneath that cool facade, is a wild and uncontrollable spirit that does whatever they want¡­ You both love the illusion of control."


    Rosan''s mother¡­ Did he mean Raisa? Iris D¡­ Was that his real name?


    "Don''t compare me to anyone. I am no one but myself. No one is like me. And don''t you dare call me Iris again," Rosan warned him.


    "That''s something she would say. About comparing her to anyone, I mean. She''s a very individualistic person," Aokiji snorted before sobering up.


    "Regardless. I have a lot of respect for both your grandpa and your mother¡­"


    The area seemed to get a bit colder.


    "...But I can''t say the same about your fathers."


    Rosan went stiff and Luffy tilted his head in confusion.


    "I have a dad?" Luffy asked in confusion. "Rosan, you have a dad?"


    "...No," Rosan replied eventually. "I know nothing about my father."


    He was only doing this, in hopes of distracting Aokiji from Robin. He wouldn''t divulge information so freely but perhaps mentioning he knew nothing about his, supposedly, notorious father would be enough to deter him.


    "That''s for the best," Aokiji shrugged. "I came here to verify the information running around in the World Government. Nico Robin traveling with the Straw Hats. Getting her first updated bounty in 20 years. And having a lover¡­"


    "All because of the Red Devil, Rosan. You two have known each other for quite a long time, right?" He asked calmly. "You met a little bit after we did, Nico Robin. Am I correct?"


    Robin felt her heart stop, as Aokiji showed a level of interest in Rosan that seemed to single him out.


    "..." Rosan said nothing, eyes narrowing at the Admiral.


    "The Red Devil, a man who shows no remorse and has an intense hatred for the Marines... enough to kill any of them just because they bear the title," Aokiji began, picking his ear slightly.


    "Your crew isn''t bad at all... but you''re a different story, Iris D. Rosan," the Admiral said gravely. "Someone like you, shouldn''t really be allowed to be free... but at the same time, I don''t quite think you were always like this, right?"


    Robin lost her breath, as Aokiji stared at her with a searching eye.


    "After all, running into Nico Robin right after losing your adoptive mother at such a young age, makes you quite easy to manipulate, don''t you think?" Kuzan asked curiously.


    Rosan''s eyes flickered, as a murderous expression crossed his features.


    "Is this what makes you feel good?"


    Aokiji paused at that low whisper. "Oh?" He asked with a raised brow.


    Rosan had a look of intense hatred on his face as he glared at Aokiji and took a step forward.


    Robin went white.


    She desperately grabbed at Rosan''s arm and tried to stop him. "Please. Wait, Rosan!"


    Miraculously, she actually managed to stop him from moving forward but Rosan was nowhere near finished talking.


    "It wasn''t enough that you emotionally scarred an 8 year old. You want to pin my mental state on her instead of your stupid fucking organization?!" Rosan snarled, eyes glowing brightly in disdain.


    "What, not satisfied with the damage you did to the both of us? You want to keep hunting Robin down until she makes one mistake so you can kill her? You think I''ll let you do that?!"


    "Rosan, please! I''m serious," Robin begged, pushing him back to no avail as his infamous anger mounted and mounted. "Please, one of you help me stop him!"


    The Straw Hats weren''t used to seeing Rosan so angry. They didn''t know about his anger problems so they could only gaze in shock as Rosan swiftly reached the state of explosion.


    "Calm down, Rosan," Sanji muttered, holding on to the furious redhead with concerned eyes.


    Rosan ignored them, teeth bared as black flickered across his eyes. "Is this your definition of justice, Admiral Aokiji? You kill her only friend in front of her, you burn her island to the ground for no good reason and then you threaten to hunt her down the moment she slips up. Not only that, you have the audacity to blame my actions on her?! WHAT DO YOU UNDERSTAND?! NONE OF THIS HAS EVER BEEN ROBIN''S FAULT!"


    Aokiji''s vision was hidden as Rosan verbally tore into him but the redhead was merciless.


    "Do you think any 8 year old deserves what you''re doing right now?! Do you think any child deserves what you think your stupid fucking definition of justice is? Don''t even try to delude yourself into thinking what you''re doing is justice right now. ROBIN WAS COMPLETELY INNOCENT AND YOU FUCKING MARINES RUINED HER LIFE! YOU THINK I''LL LET YOU TOUCH HER?!" Rosan howled.


    Mod shuddered in horror, stunned silent as the sheer rage of Rosan washed over her.


    Zoro assisted Sanji in tackling Rosan to the ground as the redhead''s aura began choking the air.


    Robin had stopped completely, gazing at her best friend with a frozen expression on her face. She was being utterly overwhelmed by the events transpiring and the words of Rosan made it no better...


    But all she could do was remain frozen like a statue, forced to witness things spiral out of control.


    Rosan was snarling like a wild animal as he glared at Aokiji with nothing but hatred in his eyes, intent on ripping the man in half the first chance he got.


    Aokiji looked down at the furious redhead with an unknown expression on his face.


    Finally, he opened his mouth.


    "I did say I would hunt her down if she slipped up¡­ and honestly, having the sole survivor of Ohara in you and Straw Hat''s hand is more then enough reason. You''ve done enough damage for me to reconsider sparing her."


    Rosan''s sclera turned fully black at that statement.


    "Over my dead body!" he hissed venomously.


    And all hell broke loose.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan exploded out of Sanji and Zoro''s grasp and rocketed right past the panicking Robin.


    "ROSAN!" Robin screamed in shock, holding out a hand as the redhead passed her.


    No. No. No. No!


    "My oh my, there goes that infamous possessiveness and anger. You really are Raisa''s and that man''s son aren''t you?" Aokiji muttered as Rosan careened towards him.


    Raisa''s anger, Cutter''s possessiveness... what a terrible combination for their prodigy of a son to be born with.


    The redhead was fully incensed. He immediately activated Boost and made it to Aokiji''s spot instantly.


    Kuzan''s eyes widened slightly in interest.


    "He has armament? Already?" He thought, absorbing the heavy blow with appraising eyes.


    That Rosan''s words were quite sharp. He really knew how to hit home with them.


    Even he couldn''t help but be affected by the truth behind his words. But that truth was the reason he was here in the first place.


    He needed to make sure Saul didn''t die in vain¡­ and so far, it looked like he didn''t. Nico Robin truly did seem innocent...


    Until you realized her partner was the Red Devil. Iris D. Rosan, was a monster of a human being and she followed all his orders with what looked to be no hesitation.


    Perhaps her threat would truly diminish into nothing, if he killed the First Mate of the Straw Hats.


    After all, Rosan was shaping up to be dangerous like his father and they had already snuffed out Cutter before he could truly exert his presence.


    Kuzan completely tanked the rubbery fist and noted that unlike Rosan, Straw Hat did not have armament.


    "So you''re all attacking me now?" He asked in slight amusement, raising a brow as Rosan coated his fists in unnaturally red flames. "Well, I guess this is fine. A bunch of people like you are bound to become troublemakers in the future, especially considering you let the Red Devil do whatever he wants."


    Luffy glared at him. "You aren''t touching Robin or Rosan! Back off!"


    Kuzan let out a tired sigh and caught the next punch from Luffy.


    With barely a thought, the Admiral activated his Devil Fruit.


    The effects were instantaneous.


    Rosan roared out his draconic flames at the same time Luffy let out a scream of pain as his arm was completely frozen through.


    "L-LUFFY!" Chopper yelled in horror.


    Kuzan sent out a wave of ice that immediately canceled out Rosan''s own fire with a neutral expression.


    Luffy huffed in pain as he gingerly pulled himself up, gazing at his frozen arm with an incredulous expression.


    "You''re putting yourselves through a lot of trouble for these two, Straw Hat. I don''t think you''re entire crew is bad... I only have issue with Nico Robin and more importantly, Iris D. Rosan," Aokiji stated lazily.


    "SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Rosan roared, body erupting into flames and sparks as he began his assault anew.


    "Smoker is my friend you know? And you nearly killed him, Hina and both their entire platoon. In fact, you killed quite a bit of them," he reminded the redhead.


    The redhead hissed violently. "If you all just did your job instead of having such power trips, I wouldn''t be such a problem!"


    "? Right... his adoptive mother died giving birth due to the events of Baterilla," Aokiji thought, smoothly dodging the redhead''s relentless assault. "I see. If I recall correctly, he also destroyed that base in the East Blue and assumed Smoker was corrupt."


    What was it he said? Ah that''s right...


    "When the top of your chain is corrupt, all of you are, no matter what beliefs you think you''re fighting for."


    Kuzan sighed as he continued dodging the redhead''s unrelenting onslaught. He casually sidestepped a punch from his left, and temporarily froze a fist from the right that was thawed out almost instantly by the heat from the flames, before effortlessly repelling a fiery heel kick that tried to cave his skull in.


    So the Red Devil only took problems with Marines he perceived as corrupt. Wasn''t Garp''s new student someone who encountered both Rosan and Luffy? From what he heard, they assisted him in becoming a Marine and he had nothing but good things to say about him...


    Interesting, he was learning quite a bit about Raisa''s son that somewhat changed the perspective he had gained of him.


    Rosan took a deep breath and let loose a stream of blistering hot flames that set the entire area ablaze.


    Luffy held out his frozen hand close to the fire and sighed in relief as it began to immediately melt.


    "Hey now," Aokiji reprimanded. "You''re destroying the green. Don''t be so callous."


    The Admiral didn''t look remotely bothered at being surrounded in the flames.


    The nervous Straw Hats soon found out why.


    Ice began to cover Kuzan''s body, as he froze over every single flame in a beautiful display. They did not diminish or perish¡­ he literally froze them over.


    It would have made quite the fetch at an art display.


    Rosan was not deterred by every single one of his attacks failing. No, in fact, it seemed to make him more determined.


    Kuzan let out a sigh. What a troublesome redhead. He was the type to never quit until incapacitated.


    It would be bad if he activated his full Zoan like he had earlier.


    This island was rather peaceful. A dragon was the last thing it needed.


    Though¡­ that completely black sclera threw him for a loop. Was that apart of his bloodline?


    It was far too much to think about.


    Rosan had no time at all, to react to the Admiral materializing in front of him. Kuzan was so fast, that it looked as if he were in one spot and then another in an instant.


    "You''re a dragon, right?" Aokiji asked rhetorically. "Most reptilian Zoans, have a rather bad time against me. Do you know why?"


    The redhead attempted to dash back but he was far too slow.


    "It''s because they''re cold blooded of course. Naturally, a Mythical Zoan is probably no exception either."


    Before Rosan could retaliate, Aokiji struck.


    Placing a palm on the redhead''s chest, the Admiral said, "Ice Time."


    Robin felt her knees go weak, as Rosan''s flames instantly vanished and the redhead''s stance went completely stiff.


    Then, the screaming started.


    Rosan knew that he turned into an actual dragon when he used the technique, but Ragnarok was not cold-blooded. How could a creature who was so intimate with fire, be weak to the cold?


    So why? Why was he having such a negative reaction to the ice?!


    Everyone watched stunned, as Rosan howled in agony. The redhead convulsed as his body slowly iced over.


    "Oh? Isn''t this reaction a bit too extreme?" Kuzan muttered in interest, before shrugging.


    It must have been his first time being struck by the ice.


    "I can''t believe you ended up being a dragon too¡­ you really are Raisa''s kid alright," was the last thing Rosan heard Aokiji say.


    There was nothing he could do to stop Aokiji from freezing him over and soon, the Straw Hats were left gazing at a frozen statue of their scout.


    "R-ROSAN!" They screamed in shock.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Robin couldn''t breathe.


    Robin couldn''t breathe.


    How would she ever be able to breathe, when her best friend was currently in a situation so disturbingly similar to the one her very first friend had been in.


    First Saul¡­ Now Rosan. Both doomed to be frozen by Admiral Aokiji. Both doomed to be targeted because of her.


    She couldn''t¡­ No. Not again. Please not again. She couldn''t¡­ she couldn''t¡ª


    Robin stumbled to her feet (and nearly collapsed due to how weak she currently felt) and desperately made her way over to the frozen statue that was Portgas D. Rosan.


    "Rosan¡­ Rosan¡­ ROSAN!" Her voice got progressively louder as the situation became more and more clear to her.


    The Devil Child looked completely hysterical as she latched onto the bitingly cold body of her best friend and she gazed at him, tears falling freely from her eyes.


    He was screaming. Rosan had been screaming from the pain of being frozen solid.


    "Please¡­ it''s gonna be alright, Rosan... Please be alright. Just stay with me, Rosan¡­ Just don''t leave me. Please. You won''t die here. Please don''t die here!" she begged as her tears landed on his body and instantly froze.


    He did not respond.


    The rest of the Straw Hats threw caution to the wind and charged both Aokiji and Rosan.


    Aokiji sidestepped the wild blow from the steaming Luffy, expression clouded as he gazed at the Devil Child.


    "YOU! I''M GONNA KICK YOUR ASS!" A furious Luffy roared.


    The Admiral sighed tiredly. "There''s no need for that. He''s still alive for the time being."


    Everyone froze at that and gazed at Aokiji in shock.


    The man rubbed the back of his head with a neutral expression. "Like I said, I''m not here on orders. Despite thinking the Red Devil is better off dead, I just wanted to see something and I saw it. If you don''t hurry up and thaw him out, he''s going to probably die. Cold-blooded creatures are especially weak to my ice and he had a reaction that I''ve never seen before."


    "He''s not dead¡­?" Robin whispered.


    "He will be soon, if you don''t hurry up."


    That seemed to snap them out of their daze and they moved in a flurry of action.


    "B-Bring him to the shower! Turn it on hot! Nami, if you can, please use Clima''s flames near him!" Chopper demanded.


    Zoro and Sanji carefully lifted Rosan out of the limp Robin''s grasp and carried him over to the ship.


    Nami and Usopp helped Robin up and didn''t even flinch as the Devil Child sagged in their grasp.


    "Please¡­ take me to the shower as well," she requested quietly.


    "Of course. I''m headed there too," Nami whispered soothingly, marching right past the still Aokiji with only some hesitation.


    Robin did not even look at him. Her terror for Rosan''s safety, completely overruled her fear of Kuzan and as such, she stopped registering his presence.


    Kuzan watched them board the ship with a blank expression on his face and gazed back at the lone Straw Hat there. "Not gonna board?" He asked Luffy.


    "Not until I''m sure you won''t do anything," Luffy replied with a serious expression. "I don''t know what your deal with Robin and Rosan are, but I won''t let you hurt them anymore."


    Kuzan gauged Luffy''s words with that same expression of his before nodding. "Consider this my thanks for you all saving Alabasta. Despite what Smoker said about the Red Devil... he was rather positive about the rest of you and I do respect your Grandfather. Next time, I may not be so merciful to you."


    With that, the Admiral walked right past Luffy and made his way to the opposite side of the island to retrieve his bike.


    Luffy didn''t move from his spot, until his Observation sensed Kuzan fully step off the island.


    Only then, did the Captain of the Straw Hats allow his serious expression to melt in favor of worry for his oldest brother.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Aokiji thought back to the encounter with Iris D. Rosan and found himself contemplating it.


    He was fairly sure he got a good picture on the redhead.


    Abandoned by Raisa, the Red Devil was taken in by a lone woman on the island of Baterilla by the name of Portgas D. Rouge and she raised him as if she were his own mother...


    But the woman had also been pregnant, around the time when the World Government had been stationed on the island, forcefully aborting mother''s unborn children.


    The Admiral sighed. Rouge died of childbirth and soon after, Rosan disappeared from the island before meeting up with Nico Robin.


    It didn''t take a genius to find out what happened.


    Iris D. Rosan was a monster who had been created by the World Government''s hand, no matter how unintentional. A young child, learning of his mother''s death and only having one group of people to blame?


    For such hate to fester over the years as well... it was no wonder the Red Devil was so cruel to the World Government... after all, there was not a single report on him hurting civilians.


    "Is this your definition of justice, Admiral Aokiji? You kill her only friend in front of her, you burn her island to the ground for no reason and then you threaten to hunt her down the moment she slips up. Not only that, you have the audacity to blame my actions on her?! WHAT DO YOU UNDERSTAND?! NONE OF THIS HAS EVER BEEN ROBIN''S FAULT!"


    "If you all just did your job instead of having such power trips, I wouldn''t be such a problem!"


    His definition of justice¡­ just what was justice these days?


    Perhaps he didn''t know the answer to that, which was why despite running into a pirate crew with a collective bounty of 400 million, he didn''t capture any of them.


    After all, he was only here to test them and he guessed they passed for now.


    Aokiji had been seriously contemplating killing Iris D. Rosan and sparing the rest of them. After all, he was ruthless and showed no remorse for his actions, killing both the Marine''s he had encountered on East Blue and in Alabasta...


    But he had done so because they were corrupt... How strange. Even if he was wrong, he had been so ruthless to Smoker because the smoke man had abandoned his post in the East Blue just to pursue the Straw Hats, when he could have been cleaning up his sea.


    Rosan''s head was certainly not in the wrong place... but his actions were all wrong. Corrupt Marines were certainly an issue that needed to be dealt with but the Red Devil was doing things in a way that was eerily reminiscent to Sakazuki.


    He thought with someone so extreme, it was only a matter of time before he and Nico Robin did something dangerous... but the Straw Hats didn''t seem to care about that at all.


    That Rosan was fully intent on throwing his life away for Robin and while that was interesting, the fact that the sole survivor of Ohara seemed to reciprocate that love in equal fervor was what told him what he needed to know.


    Someone so willing to throw their lives away for her... even after knowing her for 20 years, the redhead made no indication that he was aware of any of the ancient weapons locations.


    Perhaps they really did just love each other.


    It seems she really did manage to find her family. Just like Saul said she would...


    "Do you think any 8 year old deserves what you''re doing right now?! Do you think any child deserves what you think your stupid fucking definition of justice is? Don''t even try to delude yourself into thinking what you''re doing is justice right now. ROBIN WAS COMPLETELY INNOCENT AND YOU FUCKING MARINES RUINED HER LIFE! YOU THINK I''LL LET YOU TOUCH HER?!"


    Aokiji let out another sigh as he continued riding his bike to headquarters.


    That Rosan really knew how to hit people where it hurt.


    He was fully intending on keeping Nico Robin safe if he had a say in it and not even an Admiral was willing to make him back down.


    What a troublesome redhead.


    Perhaps he made the incorrect decision sparing Iris D. Rosan... but maybe his words had left the Admiral more drained then he thought. The last time Aokiji thought so deeply about the corruption in the World Government, was when Ohara was ruthlessly destroyed.


    Coincidentally, that was the same year Rosan''s adoptive mother had died. Perhaps a small part of Aokiji sympathized with the redhead filled with such an overwhelming amount of love and hate.


    Raisa''s lineage was heavily emotional weren''t they? Rosan was no exception it looked like.


    Perhaps he didn''t want to snuff out someone who made a valid point yet. Was it a mistake? Perhaps... but Kuzan was invested in the Red Devil now.


    If Saul was allowed to be selfish, Kuzan would also be selfish, just this once.


    If Rosan did something to the point of no return, Aokiji would hunt him down personally to make up for his own errors... but the enforcer of Lazy Justice hadn''t been so interested in something in a long while.


    Still, the next location the Straw Hats were headed to was Water 7¡­ Cipher Pol was currently stationed there and if they encountered the Straw Hats...


    Aokiji thought back to the collective power of the crew and grunted.


    There was no way that was going to be silent. The Straw Hats were going to make a lot of noise if anything happened...


    Should he stop Cipher Pol from doing something stupid?


    ...


    Nah. That was too troublesome. He''d make good on his promise after the events of that place.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    With the help of the hot shower and Nami utilizing Clima''s flames to form a small little torch, they managed to quickly get Rosan out of his frozen state.


    No one mentioned the sob of relief Robin let out, at seeing the redhead breathing.


    They immediately removed him out of his soaked clothing and got the worryingly cold redhead onto a bed.


    "He went into shock and is suffering from hypothermia¡­ we just need to keep him warm until it settles down," Chopper observed worriedly, gazing at the pale redhead with sorrow.


    "Let''s stay docked until he recovers," Nami decided.


    No one had any complaints about that.


    Robin hadn''t said a word, just staring at the unconscious redhead with a blank expression on her face.


    "Robin."


    She flinched slightly and gazed at the worried Chopper with a startled expression.


    "Can you keep Rosan warm for me?" He requested, more for her sake then the redhead''s.


    She offered him a strained smile and nodded, watching as the doctor departed from the room to join the others (when did everyone else leave?).


    Almost as soon as the door shut, she sagged into Rosan''s unconscious frame and let out a shuddering sigh, feeling all the strength leave her body.


    "Y-You were going to die for me," she whispered in despair. "You were fully set on dying just to keep me safe."


    Why¡­ what was so special about her that everyone was so willing to throw their lives away just so she could live?


    Why?! Didn''t they realize she didn''t want them to die?! Why did they insist on doing this to her?


    "I don''t want you to die, Rosan¡­" she whispered, clutching his cold body like he could disappear at any moment.


    Deep down, Robin knew Rosan was willing to go to any extent to keep her safe and this just confirmed her worst fears.


    How could she live with herself, if Rosan threw his life away for her?


    Tears began spilling from her eyes once more and she just clutched the redhead as she silently grieved.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan had no idea, he suffered such a weakness to ice but the moment Aokiji''s Hie Hie no Mi made contact with him, his body had almost completely shut down.


    Why was his body so weak to ice? Was it truly because of Ragnarok?


    ...


    He knew there were stronger forces than him in the world. Garp made that very clear but to see such a threat to Robin''s safety in the flesh and to be able to do nothing about it¡­


    Not only that, Aokiji knew too much about him. He knew Rouge was his mother. He knew she had died of childbirth... Yet he had the audacity to pin Rosan''s actions onto Robin.


    ...He had been goading him. The ice man had purposely been egging Rosan on hadn''t he? Why was he still alive if otherwise?


    That thought filled him with such hot rage, that he shot up from his slumber. It was clear he wasn''t supposed to be awake right now, because both Mod and Ram were unconscious and he felt terrible.


    A set of hands steadied him almost instantly and he turned to gaze at one of the subject of his thoughts.


    Robin was staring at him with a calm expression, as she carefully tended to his body.


    It was the dead of night and they were located in the nursery. Rosan wasn''t sure if it was naturally cold or if his body was still recovering from the after effects of being frozen solid, but he was chilly.


    "You''re awake," Robin said quietly. "You should be asleep for another day."


    Rosan glanced at his hand with a dark expression. "My anger woke me up."


    "It''s always your anger with you, isn''t it?"


    The redhead paused at that and he gazed at Robin, anger melting off in favor of concern. "Robin¡­?"


    "I begged you not to fight him, Rosan," Robin said eventually, calm expression making way for a genuinely angry expression. "Why didn''t you listen to me?! Why don''t you ever listen?!" She shouted.


    Rosan flinched back, taken aback, before a frown formed on his face.


    "He told me to my face that he reconsidered sparing you, Robin. Do you think I should just stand there and let him carry out his words?" he retorted incredulously.


    "You let him rile you up, Rosan!" Robin said angrily, glaring at him. "You know we aren''t strong enough to fight an Admiral so why would you immediately attack him?!"


    The redhead had a bewildered look on his face but Robin wasn''t finished.


    "You never think of anything else but fighting. You only consider yourself, Rosan! We could have escaped! We could have gotten away! Merry is important... but she is a sinking ship!" Robin said, raising her voice slightly.


    The simmered down anger in Rosan, nearly roared back to life and he tried his best to stifle it because he would never forgive himself if he got mad at Robin for no reason.


    "Don''t you even care what will happen to me if I have to see you die?" She asked quietly, losing her anger as quick as it came.


    Rosan saw the defeated expression on her face and that hurt him more then anyone''s anger ever did.


    "Robin¡­ He threatened to kill you," Rosan replied softly, placing his hands on her shoulders and ignoring the pain at doing that small action.


    "Not only did that man contribute to your PTSD, he had the gall to stalk you for who knows how long, then say he has enough reason to hunt you down? After forcing you into this situation in the first place?"


    Robin shuddered at the genuine raw anger in his tone.


    Rosan pulled her into a hug. "I''m... sorry for not grabbing you all and escaping regardless but... but I made a promise to always keep you safe, Robin. How could I ever live with myself if I let him do whatever he wanted to you, simply because he was stronger than me?" he asked quietly.


    Robin hated how easily the tears sprung to her eyes but she couldn''t help it.


    "I was so scared for you," she admitted in a near whisper, desperately clutching him. "I thought you died, Rosan. He froze you just like Saul¡­ I thought you died just like Saul!"


    Rosan''s eyes narrowed in guilt and he held her tightly. "It''s okay, Robin. I''m still here."


    "Please don''t die, Rosan," she whispered.


    Rosan nodded tightly. "It''s okay to cry, Robin. I''m here for you. I won''t let this happen again."


    She shuddered and the tears spilled as she silently cried in his chest. The events of what happened today, prove to be too much for the Devil Child and she finally broke down.


    The redhead let her cry and he felt his gaze darken as he tightened his grip around Robin.


    He wasn''t strong enough¡­ He needed to get stronger. Rosan needed to get as strong as possible so that he never had to reassure Robin that he wasn''t going to die again.


    So that she would never have to let despair drive her to tears again.


    But until then, he would spend all the time in the world assuring her that he was fine.


    So Rosan did just that. He whispered sweet nothings in Robin''s ears as she shuddered and sobbed in a rare moment of weakness until eventually she fell asleep and he dragged her into bed so that they could rest.


    When Robin was weak, Rosan would be strong for the both of them. When Rosan was weak, Robin would be strong for the both of them.


    When Robin and Rosan were in harmony, they were unstoppable.


    That was the dynamic of Robin and Rosan and he''d be damned if anyone tried to take that from him.

 Davy Back Fight Bonus!

    Memory Viewing With Robin and Rosan - 8 (Covers Chapter 21)


    Continued!


    Directly continued from last chapters memory.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "She really does look remarkably similar to you," Robin mused, glancing back at the female Rosan and the Raisa from what little memories they had of her.


    There wasn''t much to see, but Raisa and Rosan had very similar features. They had the same sharp eyes, same button nose... they likely even had the same bronze skin but the memory was not in color.


    Robin watched the rather young looking Queen, stare her crying son down...


    How old had Raisa been, when she gave birth to Rosan?


    "She seems conflicted," she mentioned calmly.


    Rosan nodded in agreement. "I agree. Perhaps she has a heart."


    Mod snarled. "I hope she does so I can rip it out."


    Robin and Ram sweat at the scary expression on Mod''s face.


    The Devil Child continued to watch the memory of Rosan as a baby and she frowned sadly at the sight of the poor baby sobbing his heart out.


    She hated seeing Rosan cry. Robin had also seen the memory of Rouge''s... death and the effect it had on Rosan, tore her heart apart.


    It was terrible. Robin wanted nothing more than to console the redhead. She was very overprotective of Rosan after all.


    At the very least, Raisa abandoning Rosan, introduced the boy to not only a mother who raised him properly, but his best friend and Devil Fruit.


    Robin knew for a fact that Rosan preferred this outcome over being raised by the Queen. His free spirit would never be able to handle being the heir to a throne.


    She could see why her best friend didn''t particularly care about Raisa. Dwelling on it, would cause nothing but annoyance.


    "Alright, I''m satisfied... we can continue your other memories," Robin said with a contemplative expression.


    It''s not like she ever expected to meet Raisa. The woman was in the South Blue and they were deep in the Grand Line.


    If by some chance, Robin did ever meet her... then she''d naturally give the woman a piece of her mind for doing such a thing to her little Rosan... but Robin was, rather selfishly, kind of happy that Raisa had done so.


    Mod nodded, happily acquiescing with her request, ending the memory and bringing them back to the 4 brothers who had also just learned about Raisa themselves.


    None of them seemed to truly care... they were just shocked to know that Rosan was technically a prince.


    "Do you think you''d be a king by now?" Robin asked curiously. "...Or I suppose queen," she added playfully.


    Her smile disappeared as those soft fingers rested warningly on her cheeks.


    "Let''s stop right there with the jokes," Rosan said calmly, piercing gaze narrowed slightly. "One more and I''ll have to show you that I can fight proficiently in this form too."


    Robin nodded slowly. "Are you sure you can fight like this? Surely your breasts would get in the way with all the movement," she murmured mischievously.


    Rosan''s eyes narrowed and she lunged at Robin.


    The Devil Child laughed, too interested in seeing the woman do something different to think much of her threats.


    "Wow," Ram whistled, as Rosan tackled her to the floor and they began brawling, bright smile on her face. "Look at all that movement!"


    "I had no idea Robin was such a pervert," Mod sighed fondly, watching the Devil Child gaze up at Rosan with an amused smile as they struggled.


    "Only to Father!" the ring beamed happily.


    "Robin, where are you putting your hands?" Rosan asked in disbelief.


    "Whatever do you mean?" Robin smiled.


    Mod''s smile disappeared and a sweatdrop formed.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    The 4 brothers continued their life as always. They would train, hunt, steal, argue and just did whatever it was that they felt like doing.


    It was a routine that they quickly grew used to and Robin enjoyed the lull of it all...


    But naturally, not all good things lasted.


    The announcement of a Celestial Dragon, made Rosan decide to stay low for a while, in case he encountered the World Noble and was provoked into killing him again.


    Over the past few days, the redhead had also taken liberty in brutally dealing with the Bluejam Pirates stalking them, while milking information out of them with horrifying efficiency.


    It''s how the redhead knew that the Bluejam Pirates were going to attack his brothers soon.


    "At this point, I should have just silently dealt with the Bluejam Pirates," Rosan sighed at his error.


    He made so many errors and even without emotions, this one seemed to be emotionally charged.


    Robin shook her head as she watched the Bluejam Pirates ambush the brothers, sans Rosan.


    "You say that now but the fact of the matter, is that you are not the same person now, as you were before," Robin murmured. "You''ve always hated doing thankless work... that''s just who you are. Expecting yourself to change something so ingrained into you, is too much."


    "I already told them how to access me. If they wanted my help, they would have asked. I''m not going to help people that don''t want help. Brothers or not," Teen Rosan replied coldly.


    The redhead pursed her lips in displeasure. "But they were my brothers... and I should make exceptions for them. I''m the oldest... it''s up to me to be the mature one there."


    "But you''ve never been a brother before," Robin retorted softly. "You''re 14 in these memories, Rosan and you''ve barely had normal human interactions. Your most normal human interactions stem from Aiko and Akemi who you saw once every 2 weeks."


    He rarely helped Angel and Demon because they didn''t like to bother him very much. Maro was also well aware of what she lacked and never let Rosan offer assistance, just asking him instead.


    This was completely new territory for Rosan. He wasn''t perfect... it was natural he''d mess up.


    Rosan said nothing but nodded slowly.


    Robin eyed the redhead for a moment, before focusing on the screen again.


    The redhead chose to visit Sabo to figure out what he was thinking and he was greeted by the site of Sabo''s abusive family.


    Robin frowned at the way they acted to Sabo and shook her head in disappointment.


    "Rosan, you even offered Sabo assistance despite not normally doing something like that and he denied it," Robin pointed out to the redhead. "Forcing something is just as bad as not helping... it builds resentment," she informed him.


    Rosan thought about it. "Mod-chan said something similar..." she muttered with a soft expression.


    Mod perked up at that and smiled sadly. "I know how self critical you are... so I wanted you to understand that you did your best with a situation you weren''t used to," she explained quietly.


    "...Yes, I suppose I did," the redhead whispered.


    Robin smiled victoriously. Anytime Rosan viewed himself in a positive light, was a win in her book.


    Young Rosan respected Sabo''s wish to not involve himself with the blonde''s problems and Robin sighed at how idiotic every single one of them were being.


    She thought it was cute that Sabo didn''t want to be a burden, but there was nothing wrong with accepting help.


    Robin had no idea why they were all, barring Luffy, so against the idea of Rosan helping... Was it pride?


    It would have been as easy as breathing for Rosan to solve most of this... but because they refused his help, the redhead didn''t feel a need to play a stronger hand in the events.


    Rosan wasn''t faultless, but all the blame did not lie on him. This was just his current character after losing his emotions and it was unfair to expect something to change after 2 years of nothing changing.


    Robin sighed... it was just a testament that they were all still children at the end of the day, no matter how mature Rosan acted at the time.


    After all, the moment Sabo and Rosan heard that there was going to be a fire in Gray Terminal, they should have realized it wasn''t something little anymore...


    But Rosan would never care about something like that. No, if Gray Terminal truly was going to burn, then Rosan would let the fire start and only attempt to save Luffy and Ace.


    The only one truly faultless, was little Luffy. He had immediately wanted to call for Rosan to fix this and if Ace had allowed it, it would have been done...


    But it was not to be.


    "It''s such a terrible situation that snowballed out of control," Robin sighed. Ace''s resentment hadn''t gone away... it had just been buried.


    He had willingly gone back to Bluejam... the stubborn fool.


    Rosan knew this but because Ace absolutely refused his help, he wouldn''t do anything about it.


    Even with emotions, that''s how Rosan was. If Robin was being particularly stubborn one day and refused his help, he would just laugh mockingly at her and watch her struggle with an amused smile.


    She would never blame him for having this trait because it wasn''t a bad trait to have, but it was truly unfortunate that the stubborn redhead was faced off with his equally stubborn little brother. It was never going to end well for either.


    So Teen Rosan let the two go and got up to do his own things.


    He sprouted his wings and lazily floated over to where the brothers had kept their treasure stored and wasted no time opening it.


    "If the fire is going to happen, it''s best if I just take it now," the redhead thought to himself, conjuring a bag and beginning the tedious process of storing all the treasure they had amassed in it.


    "What will you do after?" Mod asked quietly.


    "Check up on Sabo. Ace and Luffy are currently fine," Rosan replied shortly.


    "...Will you really let the fire start?" she asked hesitantly.


    "What will stopping it achieve? They have already made the preparations. I do not have the means to stop a fire of such a large scale and I do not see why I should," he said blandly, looking at the filled bag with a blank look before vanishing into the Pocket Dimension with it to store the treasure away.


    "Right. You have a fair point, but just make sure Ace and Luffy are fine."


    "Naturally."


    Robin nodded at the teen''s words, expecting it from him and just continued to watch the memory with a small frown.


    She wasn''t sure how to really feel about all this. What could she truly say?


    It''s not like this was out of character for Rosan. Every decision he made, was one she had seen him make in a previous memory that she never had a problem with.


    But now things were different because his brothers were involved... but Rosan hadn''t yet adjusted to that detail yet.


    To Rosan, this was just business as usual. Unless told otherwise, he would never realize there was something wrong with what he was doing.


    That''s why Robin couldn''t fault him... she had seen all his memories. This was just Rosan being Rosan.


    So she just continued to watch with a conflicted expression as Rosan continued his course of action.


    The redhead was currently headed to Sabo''s location to check up on him but when he arrived, he found no one there.


    Then he overhead Sabo''s parents talking about the boy escaping from home and realized he no longer needed to be here.


    The teen, after some guidance from Mod, headed straight to the front of the gate and what Robin saw, made her scowl.


    Sabo was currently being beaten down by a pair of guards as he attempted to open up the gates. They ruthlessly beat him with the butt of their guns and Robin''s eyes narrowed at the same time Rosan dashed forward.


    He hoisted up his little brother and delivered a brutal kick all in one action.


    "Ensure your target is absolutely safe first," Teen Rosan reminded himself, dashing away from the guards view.


    Robin shot a brow at that, before a way too proud smile formed on her face.


    "You... you''re still capable of learning, Rosan!" She praised with a pleased smile. "Look! You learned from Meiko and ensured you got your target out first."


    "..." Rosan looked taken aback by that, before nodding hesitantly. "Yes... I try not to satisfy my own selfish desires, if I stand to lose something from it," the swapped redhead muttered.


    "Do you still think like that?" Robin asked with a knowing smile.


    "...Currently, yes I do," Rosan replied. "But who knows how that will change if I ever regain all my emotions."


    The Devil Child shook her head. "But you''ll understand at that point, what the right thing to do is. It''s just a matter of taking those steps."


    Mod smiled brilliantly at that and nodded enthusiastically. "You always learn from your mistakes, Rosan! It''s all a slow going process!" she assured.


    Ram snored, having fallen asleep midwatch. She lay unconscious on Rosan''s frame with a lazy smile.


    The redhead nodded to themself. "As long as I can still improve... I will take those steps. It''s the least I can do for my family," she replied softly.


    "That''s all we ask for," Robin and Mod said simultaneously.


    The Devil Child, satisfied, gazed back at the screen, only for her eyes to widen, at the sight of a very familiar figure appearing in the alley with Rosan and Sabo.


    "Monkey D. Dragon... to think he is Luffy''s father," Robin muttered, watching the tall man place both hands up to placate the wary Rosan.


    It seemed to work and the teen instead focused on Sabo, all while keeping an eye on Dragon.


    "...Rosan. I think he recognizes something about you," she mentioned. Dragon''s eyes had widened minutely once he laid eyes on Rosan... particularly the redhead''s eyes.


    It couldn''t be...


    "You think he knows Raisa?" Rosan pondered, tilting her head to the side.


    "It may be far-fetched... but I believe he does," Robin muttered. "You have contact with him correct? It might be worth asking in the future."


    "...I don''t particularly care, but I''ll do it because you''re interested," the scout replied.


    Perhaps she was too spoiled... Robin was rather interested in learning more about Rosan and that extended to birth parents too.


    She wanted to know about the two people managed to give birth to the prodigy before her. The genius buzzing with so much emotion, he had to seal it away to protect himself.


    The redhead with such ambitions, he wouldn''t accept anything but being at the top of the world.


    So yes, Robin did want more information on the redhead''s biological blood. Kami knows he didn''t care about it enough to pursue it... but maybe finding out about Raisa in particular would give her hints on how to help him with his emotions.


    Iris was his birth name wasn''t it? Robin should look into books about that name... they were royalty after all.


    Yes, she''d ask Aiko to look into the South Blue for them.


    Rosan''s eyes were truly fascinating to her. After all, only a slight slipup from Dragon, allowed the redhead to figure out that this was very likely Luffy''s father.


    But not only that... Dragon knew about Rosan and Maro''s usurp of the throne in the North Blue. The revolutionaries had eyes and ears in many places and that rang true even 10 years in the past.


    Luckily, despite recognizing Rosan, the leader of the Revolutionaries saw the redhead as an ally instead of an enemy.


    As a show of trust, Rosan left Sabo with Dragon and went to pursue Ace and Luffy...


    "Dragon must have garnered an interest in Sabo here," Rosan muttered. "Thankfully I wasn''t hostile... he might not have saved him otherwise."


    "Whatever the case, I''m thankful it eventually worked itself out," Mod sighed.


    Robin nodded as the memory shifted from night, to flames instantly.


    She was rather taken aback but the Devil Child had seen how high the flames reached.


    ...To think Ace and Luffy had been in such a mess.


    And despite that, Ace still never intended on calling Rosan.


    Robin sighed.


    The situation was doomed from the start. Loathe as she was to admit it, both Ace and Rosan needed this wake up call that their petty sibling beef was not worth it.


    Even now, in the middle of the fire, the brothers weren''t even close to resolving their issues and Rosan finally seemed tired of Ace''s stubbornness.


    Robin watched Ace display Conquerors Haki with an interested gaze, trying to apply it to Rosan''s Pressure and not seeing much similarities.


    Perhaps she''d need to feel both. Rosan had mentioned that his Conqueror''s Haki was so weak, that he didn''t find it worth using anymore...


    If it was truly based on ambition, she wondered how strong his would be, when he was fully unleashed.


    Quite strong, she''d imagine.


    Robin couldn''t wait to see it.


    For now though, she''d be satisfied with the sight of Rosan bullying Bluejam himself.


    Robin couldn''t help but nod along with Rosan''s decision to put Ace to sleep. The fire was making him delirious and he very quickly needed to get out of there along with Luffy.


    "Stubborn until the end... you two might not be blood related, but you''re certainly brothers," Robin said, shaking her head slightly.


    "That we are," Rosan sighed. He had similarities to all his brothers. He and Ace were infamously stubborn in regards to everything, though when Luffy chose to be stubborn he eclipsed them both.


    He and Sabo both desired freedom, unwilling to be chained down by something they disagreed with and were willing to do anything to maintain it. Not to mention they were both nobility.


    Rosan and Luffy actually had the most similarities... his lack of emotions just made it difficult to spot. They were both chaotic, followed the beat of their own drums, were utterly unyielding and had similar personalities with plenty of differences.


    Rosan liked it. He enjoyed having things to share with his brothers.


    Robin smiled at that, utterly unfazed by the sight of Rosan torturing Bluejam, and gazed at the redhead.


    Despite always wanting to isolate himself, Rosan hated being lonely. It was one of the worst things in the world to him. The boy loved having other people to spend time with or just talk to.


    Perhaps that''s why he continuously tried to push people away, because the ache of loneliness would be a fitting punishment for him.


    "I TOLD YOU NOT TO GET IN MY WAY!"


    Robin jumped at the loud volume and focused on the screen.


    In her musings, she had managed to miss Rosan torturing Bluejam...


    A shame. She''d have to ask him to replay it later.


    Ace was currently in the process of trying to assault his older brother and they were in the middle of an argument.


    Robin sighed. It was only a matter of time before it all boiled over.


    "You need to know when to step down from a battle. Some things are more important then winning a fight," Teen Rosan suggested quietly.


    Robin flinched at that. That was a lesson Rosan had learned the hard way... because he had been much like Ace before. Never backing down from a fight. As long as he was breathing, Rosan always thought there was a chance to win.


    He never thought about anything else besides winning the battle, once he was in a battle. His battle lust clouded him and it had backfired too harshly.


    "Shut up, I never run away from a fight and you got in my way when I told you to stay out of it!" Little Ace snarled.


    Teen Rosan hummed. "I did stay out of it, Ace and look what that got us. I let you run things and now Sabo is with the parents he hate, Luffy is seriously injured and you both were about to die in a fire. If I continued to stay out of it, who knows what would have happened."


    Ace let out a savage growl. "I had it under control until you butt in when I didn''t want you to. I told you stop trying to act like I need an older brother but you don''t listen!"


    It was that sentence that actually managed to elicit something out of Rosan and Robin watched curiously as a rare look of annoyance crossed his features.


    "You think this is me trying to act like an older brother? You put Luffy''s life at risk, Ace. He is my captain and he could have died because of how stubborn you chose to be. All of this is happening because of your stupid pride. It''s fine to not want my help, but dragging our younger brothers into it, is where I draw the line."


    Robin couldn''t help but agree with Rosan''s assessment. Despite his tendency to observe rather than intervene, he had given them the option to call him and Ace never took it, until he was forced to show up by himself.


    If it were anyone else but his brothers, the clones or Maro at the time... Rosan would have let them die. Plain and simple.


    But perhaps she was not the best judge of character. Despite everything, Robin would always have a natural bias for Rosan.


    "One pull. With just one pull, I would have resolved all of this. Gray Terminal would not have burned, Luffy would be fine and Sabo would be here. But you chose to make it difficult on purpose. Do you want to know why? Because you still resent me."


    Robin frowned as Rosan spelled it out to Ace.


    The freckled boy was just too angry to have ever let his resentment go away that easily. Rosan was well aware of that and had been trying to have Ace see it himself...


    "Maybe I wouldn''t have had to think like that if you taught me earlier in my life."


    Robin winced at the callous statement and felt her heart squeeze, as the tiniest bit of sadness seeped into Rosan. The redhead closed his eyes to hide the slight pain and she let out a sad sigh.


    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    "Throwing one of my biggest regrets back into my face is low, Ace. Nobody knows how much I messed up more than I do but I didn''t think you''d stoop to that to win an argument. Some things are more important than finishing a fight. Keeping the ones you love safe, should always be a higher priority."


    ...It hurt Robin so much that he was saying that from experience.


    Mod must have been just as affected because she immediately turned and hugged Rosan.


    "It''s okay... it kind of hurt to be reminded... but I''m over it now..." the redhead assured, before hesitantly turning towards the frowning Robin.


    "Do you resent me, Robin?" Rosan asked quietly.


    She jolted at the question, taking her eyes off of Angel reprimanding Rosan to regard the swapped redhead.


    "I''ve already told you, Rosan... I don''t resent you, I have no lingering resentment or anything like that. I''m just happy we can see each other every day," she assured after a moment. "If you keep asking me that, I''ll get upset with you."


    Whatever Rosan was about to say, died on her lips and the redhead shut her mouth, nodding in defeat.


    "He''s still such a kid," Robin sighed fondly. Rosan always did hate making her upset with him.


    After getting chewed out by Angel, she forced Rosan and Ace to apologize to each other, something that Rosan surprisingly conceded first.


    Robin would know how difficult it was to get an apology out of Rosan. It was like pulling teeth.


    It was good that the two managed to make up...


    But it was just too late.


    The horror in the room, as every inhabitant found out the truth of Sabo, made Robin close her eyes. Even with the knowledge that the revolutionary was alive and well, these people didn''t know that.


    No, they thought he was dead...


    And Rosan felt nothing at all.


    It was a tragedy. Knowing you were supposed to feel something, but not feeling anything... it was its own type of torture and Rosan tried to make up for his lack of emotions towards Sabo''s fate, in the only way he knew how.


    But he couldn''t even take revenge... no, the redhead was stuck.


    Rosan truly was in his own personal hell at times and Robin hated it.


    Yet, he still found it in him to help the other people that were affected.


    "And you wonder why everyone loves you," Robin said quietly.


    She watched Rosan console Angel, Luffy, Maro, Demon... the redhead helped all of them, even Ace.


    But there was no one that could truly help Rosan. None but the body of Meiko he spoke to everyday.


    Mod was apart of Rosan. Those two were so intertwined that she''d never be able to truly help her son. They felt what the other felt, they understood each others thoughts... being so close wasn''t always a good thing.


    "If you ever need a shoulder to cry on, Rosan... I''ll be that shoulder," Robin said abruptly.


    Rosan blinked at the sudden statement and gazed at Robin.


    "...Thank you, Robin. I know I can rely on you so if that day ever comes, you''ll be the first person I run to," she said softly, smiling at the Devil Child.


    Robin saw the smile and smiled herself. "This might be the first time I''ve seen you smile in this form. You''re quite beautiful you know?"


    Rosan rolled her eyes and immediately transformed into his default form.


    Ram grumbled in discontent, head moving abruptly with the loss of the redhead''s breast before she went back to snoring.


    "N-Now this doesn''t have to be awkward," Mod sighed in relief, clutching Rosan''s side and preparing to fall asleep.


    "How boring," Robin sighed in disappointment. "I miss Rosanna already. So much more pleasant to be around."


    "...Rosanna?" Rosan asked incredulously. "When did I say you could name that form?"


    The Devil Child shrugged. "Since I''ll be seeing her so often, it''s only right I name her."


    "..."


    "..."


    Mod sighed tiredly and removed her hand from Rosan''s person, right as he lunged at Robin.


    Ram let out a noise more akin to a startled cat, as she was launched off her Father''s body.


    Robin yelped as he tackled her off the bed and the two began immediately brawling.


    "I''m going to sleep," Mod announced, getting comfortable and ignoring the two fighting.


    They ignored her completely.


    The Devil Fruit let out another sigh, that turned into a yelp as a much taller figure draped themselves over her.


    "R-Ram, get off of me! You are not sleeping on me! You''re tall, messy and you drool!" Mod struggled.


    Ram yawned sleepily and clutched Mod like a teddy bear. "You drool too, Auntie and you''re really comfy," was all she said.


    Mod let out a strangled yell before slumping in defeat.


    She hated them all. She did not drool!


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Bonus!


    "It''s ready? Really?!" Maro asked in excitement, bouncing on the balls of her feet.


    Demon nodded excitedly. "It''s been a lot of trial and error but I think I finally got a working version for you," the doctor said.


    Maro''s eyes glittered and she crushed Demon into a hug. "Yes! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" She gushed.


    He smiled, infected by her energy and easily returned her soul crushing hug. "Should we call up Master and head to training to test it out?"


    She nodded so quickly, he feared her head would fly off.


    "Let''s go right now!" Maro shouted, practically rocketing off to go kidnap Angel so that they could all go.


    Demon sighed fondly and gazed at the blue ball with a proud expression.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Tada!" Maro beamed in front of her training partners. "Look! Look!"


    Chopper''s eyes lit up. "The Rumble Ball! You managed to create one?!" He asked excitedly, glancing at Demon in awe.


    "It''s all thanks to you," Demon grinned, pulling the reindeer into a hug. "Thank you Chopper... you''ve taught me so much!"


    The reindeer was incredible. It was surreal to see how expansive his knowledge was. Demon had learned so many things from him and it had helped him in spades.


    Chopper lit up at that and began dancing happily. "D-Don''t think you can just compliment me, bastard!" he gushed.


    Rosan looked at the blue ball in interest. "I wonder what other forms you''ll be able to utilize," he mused, eyes glowing at the possibilities.


    Maro grinned excitedly. "Let''s find out!"


    Without any hesitation, she plopped the Rumble Ball in her mouth and bit down.


    Robin, Rosan, Angel, Demon, Luffy, Zoro and Chopper all watched with clear interest as the Queen gained a contemplative expression.


    Then, her eyes lit up.


    Maro''s skin turned green, as she began bulking up ridiculously. The Dokkaebi grew to her tremendous height of 8ft...


    But she didn''t stop there.


    They watched with wide eyes as Maro''s form continue growing another foot while her muscles bulged out and her white hair grew all the way to her feet, draping over her form like a protective layer. Then, she summoned her massive club that transformed into a shield of all things!


    "A shield?" Rosan asked in confusion, tilting his head to the side as Maro inspected her form with glittering eyes.


    The Queen glanced up, as her tiara suddenly appeared atop her head (Woah! she left it at home!) transformed into a protective helmet and she grinned at the much smaller people.


    "Look at me! It''s a defensive form!" She rumbled excitedly, inspecting her new form.


    "Master! Master! I think I figured it all out! It''s like those adventure books you used to read me!"


    The redhead''s eyes widened as Maro proceeded to slim down into her hybrid form tremendously.


    The Queen''s helmet transformed yet again, this time turning into a headband of all things revealing Maro''s hair. What was normally a mix of white and blue hair in hybrid, transformed into blue and they watched in interest as the suddenly lithe queen preened at them.


    They had never actually seen Maro in her transformed state with blue hair.


    "This is a speed form!" Maro beamed, waving Daisy, who had transformed into a much slimmer club now (it''s size was similar to a tanto), in the air. The Queen tensed her legs and vanished, denting the floor beneath her with the speed she was achieving.


    "Ahahaha! This is fun! Is this how Master and Luffy feel being so fast?!" She cackled, blurring across the field with a drunken grin.


    The Queen ran a lap around the giant field before finally stopping directly in front of the fascinated group.


    Chopper''s eyes were starry as he saw the effects of the Rumble Ball on someone else.


    This was incredible! Maro was actually using multiple forms like him!


    Maro took a step back and concentrated, still in hybrid form.


    They watched her form bulk up to levels above her normal hybrid, but less than her full transformation, hair transforming fully white once more and she grinned.


    "This is balanced! More power than hybrid, more speed than full!" She explained to them, headband transforming into a crown as her club lengthened to the size of a claymore. "And finally..."


    Maro''s form slimmed down once more, as she transformed back into her human form and her crown transformed into an adorable blue witch hat.


    The most peculiar thing about this form, was the fact that her hair remained the white of her Dokkaebi and fell down to her butt.


    "What form is this?" Angel asked in awe, blushing hot. Maro''s long white hair on her human form, looked way too sexy! And the big hat! So cute!


    Maro held up her club, that looked like a thin and tiny stick instead and summoned a ball of fire above it.


    "This is my magic form!" She grinned wildly, practically brimming with the energy that belonged to a Dokkaebi.


    Her reserved felt endless right now! This was incredible!


    They watched her wave the tiny wand and the small blue flame formed into neat letters of her name.


    She began dancing with the fire, having it move with her with a wild grin.


    "This is so fun. I feel like I have unlimited magic!" Maro cackled, summoning an apple from Rosan''s fridge and biting into it, while wisely stroking her white hair.


    Then, she began rapidly teleporting in burst of blue flames, appearing in a new location with unhinged laughter.


    "I think I can actually teleport back home like this... well outside the Pocket Dimension at least!"


    Rosan raised a brow high at that. "Seriously? From this distance?"


    Maro nodded enthusiastically. "It''s like... a warm little spot! I don''t think I can do it anywhere but for my home? Absolutely!" She gushed excitedly.


    This was incredible! She had no idea there were so many things to a Dokkaebi that she was lacking!


    Oh this was just the beginning! Soon, Maro wouldn''t need the Rumble Ball! She''d be unstoppable if she could willingly access these forms without the drug.


    "She just got way stronger," Rosan mused, eyes glinting in delight at the prospect of fighting the way more versatile Maro. "But 3 minutes is too little against me. You''ll have to work hard to master this without the ball."


    The Queen grinned ferally as her white hair turned back to normal. "Hell yeah! I thought I was hitting a bit of a plateau... but learning about Haki and now this? I''m gonna be unstoppable!" She cackled.


    Her expression turned curious as she inspected the batch of Rumble Balls.


    "Hey Master... cage me," she suddenly requested.


    "Hm? Why?" Rosan asked, holding out a hand to do just that.


    "I''m gonna eat 3," she grinned cheekily. "Best to see what it does now, right?"


    Chopper''s eyes widened in horror. "Wait, what?!" He asked in disbelief.


    "Yeah! You don''t know what happens and you''re afraid right? If it''s really that bad, Master will stop me," Maro beamed confidently.


    Chopper balked at her total lack of fear, stunned speechless.


    "Sure. I''m interested too," Rosan nodded.


    The floor rose into a wall that cut Maro off and Rosan walked up to modify it further.


    With a tap, he made it see through, reinforced it into a much stronger material and made sure to let air in.


    Maro shot them a peace sign, two Rumble Balls in between the raised fingers.


    Then she plopped the balls in her mouth and chewed.


    Everyone watched in anticipation as the caged Queen chewed the two balls and hummed.


    Chopper watched with a terrified expression, hiding behind Robin as he began shaking.


    "How''s it?" Rosan asked curiously.


    Maro shrugged. "Not sure... my stomach is really really hot though¡ª"


    The Dokkaebi suddenly went silent.


    Then, Maro hunched over and began screaming.


    "A-AGHHHH!" She screeched loudly, clutching her head in disbelief. "W-What? What''s happenin¡ª"


    "Maro?!" Everyone barked in concern. "Are you alright?"


    "N-NO! S-SOMETHINGS HAPPENING TO MY HEAD! IT''S POUNDIN ¡ª ARGGHHHH!"


    Before their very eyes, they watched Maro''s eyes turned glassy, before her sclera turned completely orange, pupils disappearing completely.


    She began growing, hair turning white and overflowing to the point that it began draping on the floor... until her new height removed that issue.


    Muscles bulged, teeth grew, her tiara transformed into the large bucket hat that she hadn''t seen since first eating her Zoan...


    And the Dokkaebi just kept growing, not stopping at 8ft...


    No, the hulking beast had to have been a staggering 25ft.


    "What the hell form is this?" Rosan asked in shock, looking at the monster before them with a raised brow.


    "RAHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The Dokkaebi roared furiously.


    It glanced around in fury, banging on the suddenly small cage with furious blows.


    "I don''t know but I don''t think Maro''s in control of that thing!" Angel shouted in worry.


    The redhead froze as those soulless orange sclera, glowing bright, suddenly locked onto her and Maro bared her teeth.


    Each serrated tooth looked like they could gnaw on metal for fun and the Dokkaebi let out an earth shattering roar.


    It held out a hand and summoned Daisy, but the club was as big as the gigantic Dokkaebi and she carried it like it weighed nothing.


    Rosan''s eyes narrowed as Maro banged against her cage once and multiple cracks began forming. "This isn''t good. All of you, in the castle now!" He barked.


    "What about you?" Robin asked in concern.


    "I''m gonna try and snap Maro out of this," he replied, putting his Raid Suit on immediately. "Luffy and Zoro keep guard. If it looks like I''m losing, come help but try to never leave the weaker ones sides," he ordered tersely.


    "Sure... but why?" Zoro asked in trepidation, already drawing all three blades as a terrified Chopper escorted Angel and Demon to another room.


    "Because Maro can teleport," Rosan stressed exactly at the same time she did.


    The Dokkaebi vanished in a loud burst of blue flame and appeared directly in front of Angel, holding out a massive paw to grab at the redhead before a boot landed on her face and knocked the out of control queen away.


    Rosan glared, sparks dancing across his skin as an excited grin formed on his face. "I''ll keep her distracted!"


    "Right!"


    "Be careful!" Robin stressed. She knew that there was nothing she could do against the Dokkaebi at the moment and Rosan would be hard pressed to defend someone while she was teleporting around.


    Rosan''s response was to summon a claymore to parry Maro''s wild swing.


    Maro in her full Zoan transformation, had the highest natural physical strength in the family. Rosan was only capable of overpowering her, when he used Boost.


    The strength of this transformation, eclipsed Maro''s full Zoan and he was positive it would even overpower him in Boost.


    Rosan let out a grunt of surprise, as their brief clash ended up with him immediately getting embedded into the ground.


    "Oh dear," Mod gasped as Maro roared before getting ready to swing again.


    Before his head could get turned into mush, Rosan immediately modified the floor beneath him and sunk far into the ground, before summoning a powerful gale to shove back Maro.


    His eyes glinted in excitement as she barely moved from the attack and he surged with electricity.


    "You''re almost out of electricity, Rosan. You practiced too much today," Mod informed him worriedly.


    "That''s why I absorbed the Thunder Dial. Ram has become my personal charger," Rosan grinned wildly, eyes blazing as he dashed forward.


    "Kahahaha! Father is a genius! He has a solution for everything and now we get to put Goblin in her place!" Ram cackled.


    Maro roared violently and swung at the charging figure, only to snarl as the redhead flew above her attack.


    Rosan launched himself over Maro''s head and ended up behind her, delivering a vicious heel drop kick to the back of Maro''s skull...


    Only to blink at the gigantic maw clutching his leg. The Dokkaebi snarled violently at him, not having taken any damage from that kick at all.


    "Ah fuck," Rosan said bluntly, before Maro reared her arm holding his leg back.


    The redhead rasped as Maro brutally slammed him against the ground like he weighed nothing 5 times, each slam strong enough to turn any normal person into paste.


    Finally, she grew tired of treating him like a ragdoll and hoisted Rosan up into the air, released him in the process, before halting his momentum upwards with a brutal swing of the massive Daisy directly into his gut, that accelerated his momentum downwards.


    The ground shook wildly as Maro''s monstrous strength crashed into Rosan''s gut with no remorse.


    "ROSAN!" They shouted in disbelief, watching the attack make direct contact with the scout.


    Robin bit her lip in concern, tempted to jump to his aid immediately and only stopping because she''d just make the situation worse.


    But she really wanted to go check on Rosan right now.


    "Just one hit managed to shake the ground like that...?" Angel asked in a small amount of horror.


    "Master got hit with all of it too," Demon said quietly, eyes narrowed in worry.


    This unknown form of Maro... they had no idea the Queen could somehow become more terrifying.


    Maro roared before locking onto the castle once more, grasping the giant Daisy as those large orange sclera stared directly at them.


    Before the Dokkaebi could even take a step, a pillar of red lightning slammed into her position, engulfing the enraged Queen completely and hiding her silhouette.


    Rosan huffed in annoyance, audible noises of his back snapping into place, as he stood up from the attack.


    "What type of bullshit strength is that?" He asked in annoyance, sparking wildly.


    An eager grin made its way to his face, at seeing Maro completely unscathed from his attack. No, all it did was once more attract the Dokkaebi''s attention once more.


    The Queen roared her fury to the world and summoned enough of her blue flames to cover the field, forcing Rosan to fly up.


    "Boost," he thought to himself.


    Complain she may about the Mod Mod no mi, Maro''s fruit was insanely streamlined for combat in the most infuriating ways possible.


    Seriously, a physical freak of nature that could utilize these strange blue flames, conjure illusions, go invisible...


    And this was what it came with naturally. Add Maro''s own ingenuity to it?


    It was annoying. If Maro had to fight any other user of the Mod Mod no Mi, she''d slaughter them. Rosan was just exceptional.


    After all, there was a big chance she was currently stronger than him in this form.


    "...Rosan, you need to end this quickly! I''m not sure but... I think eating 3 Rumble Balls has given Maro access to a form she should not be using right now," Mod urged.


    Rosan''s challenging grin vanished, replaced by a far more serious look.


    "What do you mean?" He asked as he leapt back from Maro''s unique flames.


    "I... think this is an incomplete form of Devil Fruit Awakening and because of that, Maro could be in serious trouble. When Zoan''s awaken, there is a high chance they lose their personality to the beast inside and she''s a Mythical as well," Mod said slowly, looking unsure.


    His eyes widened subtly at that, expression turning grave.


    Devil Fruit Awakening wasn''t something he or Mod knew much about but his Mother had said as long as the castle existed, he shouldn''t even think about the form.


    To know that Maro was in an incomplete form... that didn''t bode well. It was no wonder she had gotten so damn strong.


    "There''s one problem with what you said," Rosan grunted, weaving around Maro''s body like a gnat, firing attacks imbued with Armament on any part he could.


    The Dokkaebi kept trying to swat at him and howled in frustration at failing to land a hit on the speeding redhead.


    She exploded in flames that forced Rosan back and he retaliated with a strong gale of wind that did nothing but annoy her.


    "And what''s that?" Mod asked.


    "How the hell am I supposed to end this quickly? Maro was already a tank before. I can beat her but it won''t be fast enough," he grunted.


    Right now, Maro was just a mindless beast and Rosan would never lose to a complete moron.


    At the very least, she was too stupid to use her illusions. That would make this battle way too annoying.


    As if to prove his point, Rosan was subjected to the sight of the mini giant vanishing from his sight.


    Right, invisibility... with all these flames too, he wouldn''t be able to see her heat signature...


    The redhead whirled around at the sound of snarling and prepared to divert the wild swing from the Dokkaebi...


    Only to blink owlishly as his attack went right through Daisy.


    "I wish for just one day, you would not tempt fate and pay the price immediately afterwards," Mod sighed tiredly, preparing for the worst.


    "Ouch," Ram said preemptively.


    Rosan pursed his lips, as the Maro he was looking at, vanished and the real snarling appeared from the direction he was just facing.


    "Well fuck me," he said with a proud glint in his eyes, right as the club smashed into his side (Daisy was the size of him and more) with enough force to nearly cave him in.


    The redhead was sent rocketing at breakneck speeds through the air, a trail of blood following him as Maro roared in victory.


    The momentum was so strong, that once he landed on the floor, his flight began tearing the stone beneath him.


    Finally, a gale of wind halted his momentum and the redhead let out a frustrated grunt, as his bones began snapping back into place.


    It was a good thing he had been practicing with Armament. That hit would have broken every bone in his body and then some if he didn''t apply it.


    "I think I know what to do," he commented, idly wiping the blood on his forehead from the deep cut that had already healed up.


    "What will you do?"


    Rosan grunted and stood up slowly, rolling his shoulder to get the knots out of it and cracking his back because of the punishment it had taken.


    It was a shame that this form was dangerous and Maro couldn''t control it. He would have loved to fight the Dokkaebi more... but his student''s safety was far more important.


    Sparks began dancing across his skin and Rosan tensed up before sprinting towards the rampaging Dokkaebi at full speed.


    He made it to Maro''s location swiftly and immediately latched onto her with a glint, placing a palm directly on her hat.


    "Be right back guys!" He shouted to the concerned group.


    With that, he and the massive Dokkaebi vanished.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "I never knew Maro would have such a strong form," Angel thought in blatant concern, remembering the rampaging form of her wife with worried eyes.


    "Considering Master wasn''t trying to actively hurt her too... I hope whatever he thought of is enough to take her out. I''m concerned for them both," Demon sighed raggedly.


    Robin was hugging Chopper, to soothe both the doctor and herself due to the events happening.


    "Is that what happens to me?" The reindeer asked in fear, unable to remove the memory of Maro''s rampage out of his head.


    He had destroyed an entire village... that''s what Doctorine had told him.


    Maro was so much stronger than him... how much could she destroy?


    "Wow! Maro sure did get way stronger," Luffy exclaimed with an excited gleam, unbothered by the events happening. "I wanna fight her!"


    "Maybe not that form," Zoro grunted. "To me, it looked like just being in that form was sapping her energy. It''s dangerous for her."


    Robin nodded slowly. "That''s what it looked like to me too. We probably won''t be seeing that form for a while... we''ll have to be far more prepared next time."


    Everyone nodded. They had treated the situation a bit too lightly but not next time...


    Because they knew for a fact Maro would try to attempt mastering that form once more.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Nami, who was wearing Luffy''s straw hat, let out a terribly loud shriek, as her scout appeared out of nowhere with the most demonic monster she had ever seen.


    "R-ROSAN?! W-WHAT IS THAT?!" She shrieked in horror, as the Merry sailed peacefully through the sea.


    The redhead was currently being accompanied by a roaring green monster, who was more than triple Rosan''s size, with ridiculously long white hair and a gigantic club that had a quite a bit of blood on it.


    Wait hold on... that description sounded terribly familiar.


    "IS THAT MARO?!" Sanji shouted in disbelief, rushing out at hearing Nami''s scream.


    "W-W-WHAT HAPPENED TO HER?!" Usopp squealed, nearly fainting from those terrifying roars.


    "Oh Sanji! Perfect!" Rosan shouted back, distracting the floating Maro to the best of his abilities and making sure she did not take notice of the ship immediately. "I need you to do something for Maro and I!"


    The breeze began picking up before it became visible and they looked at it in awe.


    The blonde looked up at that. "What is it?!"


    Rosan smiled. "Save us!"


    Sanji blinked in confusion. "Huh?"


    He soon found out why.


    The winds blowing became incredibly violent around Maro and Rosan, who were still in a wild dance, before Rosan''s grin turned violent.


    "Cyclone."


    The wind howled, overpowering even Maro, who had managed to grasp Rosan in her gigantic palms.


    An incredible gale of battering winds, surged around the duo with such speeds, it was impossible to react to.


    Maro roared as she was pulled into the cyclone created from Rosan. It barely damaged her but the winds prevented her from moving.


    "Gale."


    A pillar of wind converged above them, before slamming into the duo and pushing them into the ocean below.


    Sanji now knew why Rosan said save them. Without any hesitation, the chef removed his shoes and launched himself into the ocean, heading directly for the drowning Rosan and Maro''s location.


    "What the hell just happened?" Usopp muttered in disbelief. Didn''t Rosan just gain control of wind? What was going on with Maro? She looked like she had been trying to kill the redhead!


    Did he just send them both into the ocean?


    "Cyclone and Gale..." Nami muttered to herself. "Yeah, I can steal those."


    "FOCUS ON MORE IMPORTANT THINGS!" Usopp roared at the thief as Sanji emerged from the water with both Rosan and Maro.


    They helped the chef bring up teacher and student and Rosan gasped as he coughed out a glob of water.


    The redhead looked miserable, head matted to his body as he let out a tired sigh.


    "Drowning sucks," he groaned, rolling over to regard his unconscious student.


    Sanji''s eyes bugged out of his head, as Rosan placed his lips over her mouth without any hesitation, while placing two finger over her nose.


    It only took the chef a moment to realize that Rosan was performing mouth to mouth and the redhead stepped back just in time for the Queen to spit out a torrent of water.


    His jaw dropped, as Rosan placed a hand underneath the kimono with a look of concentration.


    "Scan," he muttered, idly checking for any physical injuries as well by having his hand roam across her body.


    He pursed his lips. Maro had used an almost dreadful amount of energy. She wouldn''t be moving anytime soon and though she had no injuries on the outside, the queen would feel like hell once she did wake up.


    He should get her to Demon to do an actual checkup.


    "Don''t tell Angel I''m doing this by the way," he muttered, face scrunched up at the taste of seawater. "She''s extremely ignorant. She only hears what she wants to when it comes to Maro. Everything else goes out of the other ear so she''ll just think I''m molesting her wife or something. Sometimes I think she actually fears the idea that I''d try to steal Maro from her... ridiculous idiot."


    Rosan conjured a small amount of flames and held it close to the three who had just gone diving, a small breeze brushing against them as well.


    "What happened?" Sanji asked, pulling out a cigarette and nodding thankfully as Rosan lit it.


    Nami and Usopp crowded the three with interest, curious to figure out what just happened with Maro as well.


    "That, was a new transformation that Maro can''t control," Rosan explained, banishing his flames and lifting the unconscious Dokkaebi up before adjusting her against his frame.


    He told them what happened in his Pocket Dimension and they looked at Maro in awe.


    They knew she was as strong as Rosan and Luffy but hearing about this new form, was making them aware that they were still growing way stronger.


    Seriously, what monsters... would they ever stop?


    "Training is wrapped up so I''ll be back soon... but I gotta get the others," Rosan told them, waving shortly as his eyes began glowing.


    "You sound like you took quite a beating. You alright?" Sanji asked in concern, looking at the dried blood on Rosan''s body.


    "Eh, I healed everything back up so now I''m just sore," he shrugged, treating the fact that he had gotten nearly all his bones shattered, casually.


    They sweatdropped at the unhinged redhead and watched him vanish.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Long arms wrapped delicately around his waist and Rosan resisted the urge to flush as worried eyes looked up at him.


    Goddamnit, he had it bad.


    "Are you alright, Rosan? You took quite the beating... I think you should rest," Robin told him, inspecting him for any injuries despite knowing he had healed them all up.


    But just because he healed them up, didn''t mean that he was fully okay.


    Rosan nodded. "I''m a bit tired so yeah, I''ll take it easy," he muttered.


    Demon and Chopper were checking up on the sleeping Maro, while Angel hovered them with blatant worry.


    "But man, Maro got so strong!" Luffy awed.


    "Tell me about it," Rosan groused, thanking Mod-chan for keeping the headache he had at bay. "I shoulda had you help me out. She hits like a monster."


    Zoro nodded, "I heard your bones break twice the two times she hit you. If she masters that form..."


    The three grinned challengingly.


    "No. No more fighting," Robin said firmly, not releasing her grip on Rosan. "Like Zoro said, we heard your bones breaking twice."


    Rosan heard her commanding tone and nodded, pleased for some horror filling reason. "Fine fine, I''m a little sore so I''ll take a hot bath and let my muscles relax," he assured.


    "I''ll clean you," she said immediately.


    The horror came back and but the redhead stifled it to the best of his abilities. "It''s cool Robin, I was just gonna... soak," he said lamely.


    "No, it''s fine. I want to bathe as well anyways and I''m irrationally worried at the idea of you somehow drowning," Robin replied, not looking like she was going to take no for an answer.


    He was trying very hard not to make it obvious how bad of an idea bathing with Robin currently was... but he was also the one that was always willing to bathe with her.


    It would be out of character otherwise...


    Goddamnit Rosan. He needed to ensure no one noticed him acting out of turn. It would do no good if Robin found out he was turning into a pervert when it came to her. He didn''t need things to be awkward between them.


    Damn emotions.


    "Alright... but you really don''t have to wash me. I''m not that tired," he tried one last time.


    "Rosan."


    Fuck.


    "...Fine."


    With that, the redhead sent Zoro and Luffy back, before trudging towards the bath like it was a death sentence, Robin in tow.


    "Did Rosan seem like he was against the idea of bathing with Robin to you?" Mod asked Ram curiously.


    "...Did he?" Ram asked in return, before her eyes lit up. "W-What if he''s finally taking notice of Mother''s naked body!"


    Mod nodded, despite the crude manner Ram spoke of. "I''m fairly sure they both have feelings for each other and are trying to hide it from everyone... including each other."


    Ram''s strange eyes turned into stars. "R-REALLY?! WHY DON''T WE CALL THEM OUT ON IT?"


    "That''s a bad idea Ram... let''s just wait for them to approach us," she said patiently.


    Robin might be more receptive to their prodding but Rosan? He would close up faster than they could blink and then repress his feelings even further.


    They were both hiding these things for a reason... so it was just best to go at it slowly.


    Mod sighed. She was fairly sure she was the only one capable of that, so she''d be taking the reigns of this operation for now.


    Mother knows best and all that jazz.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    As Maro awoke, she let out a sharp gasp and groaned in agony.


    "O-Ow... everything hurts. I can''t mooove," she whined.


    What happened? She had no idea where she was and she couldn''t even move her head to find out.


    The queen strained to open her eyes and let out a strangled shriek at how bright it was.


    "What the fuck happened to me?" She gasped.


    "You ate 3 Rumble Balls."


    Maro blinked at the voice.


    "Chopper?" She called out, before the memories came rushing back to her.


    That was right! She ate the Rumble Ball and discovered some awesome new forms before deciding to eat two more...


    Then she woke up here.


    Weird.


    "Guess you weren''t kidding huh?" Maro rasped, feeling so parched and tired.


    The hand of her wife cupped her chin (she''d never not know how Angel''s hand felt) and Maro let out a groan of relief as cool water met her lips. She greedily drank it all and began coughing at her haste.


    "You turned into a new form," Rosan explained. "Nothing like the forms you showed with one Rumble Ball. It was an entirely new, gigantic, form and you went berserk."


    Maro stilled at that.


    A form that sent her berserk? That didn''t...


    "Not only that, it was quickly draining you of energy. Any longer and you might have suffered more severely," Robin added.


    Maro bit her lip at that. "Did I hurt anyone? Are you all okay?" She asked in concern.


    "We fought. You broke my bones twice but other then that, everyone is fine," Rosan explained, much to her relief.


    Sure she was more then a bit disappointed that she hurt Master... but Master was made of tough stuff.


    The others not as much.


    They explained the situation to her and Maro ducked her head.


    "Sorry guys... I wasn''t thinking things through fully... I''ll have to be careful to not lose control next time," she told them with a deep frown.


    Chopper jolted at that. "N-Next time?" He asked fearfully.


    The Dokkaebi nodded without hesitation. "I''ll master all my other new forms first before tackling it... but in the future I''ll dedicate some time to it. That form sounds amazing but it''s just a mindless beast right now. I won''t ever be able to protect my people with it... but if I master it, I''ll be able to protect everyone!" She said, not a hint of fear on her features.


    The reindeer looked at her in awe. Even after all of that, Maro showed no fear?


    She... she was so cool!


    "Master, you''ll have to show me the memory later! I wanna see how I looked and the ass kicking I gave you!" Maro beamed eagerly.


    Rosan rolled his eyes. "You were trying to kill me and I was trying to restrain you. Of course I''d get hit by you... though that form might actually be stronger than me."


    Her eyes glittered. "Even more reason to master it? Me? Stronger than Master! HAHAHA! I CAN''T WAIT!"


    "By the time you master it, I''ll have gotten way stronger myself idiot."


    She ignored him.


    "Oh! Oh! I thought of a few names so let me run them by you all!"


    They nodded and the incapacitated queen beamed.


    "So because Chopper''s is the original he can keep Rumble Ball. I want him to know he''s the creator so I''m gonna call mine, Rumble Ball: Class System."


    Rosan nodded. "From the books I used to read you," he pointed out.


    She nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah! Yeah! As for the forms. I have Tank for my defense form, Ninja for the speed form, Warrior for the balanced and Witch for the magic! Genius, right?!" Maro preened.


    "That''s so cute," Angel said bluntly, internally squealing at Maro''s childish naming scheme.


    "What about 3 Rumble Ball form?" Demon asked curiously. "Might as well name it now."


    Maro hummed, thinking of what class it would fit before her eyes glinted in realization.


    "I''ve got it! I''ll name it Berserker!"


    She was already a berserker in fighting style anyways. It was a perfect fit for her future ultimate form!


    Rosan nodded in approval. "I like all of them, though some might need refining, like tank... how about you change it to Guardian?"


    Maro''s eyes glittered. This was why she loved her Master! He was such a genius!


    "For Ninja, you''re planning on abusing your invisibility and speed, right?" Rosan mused, eyes glowing in clear interest.


    "You know me so well! I''m thinking illusions too! And for Witch, I''m gonna abuse teleporting and fire! Maybe I can have Angel make me elemental weapons that I can summon too!" Maro gushed.


    "Genius," Rosan praised. "I can''t wait until you master all your forms. I noticed that your tiara and Daisy transform with each form... have you always been able to do that?"


    "I dunno! I remember my tiara used to be that stupid hat but I never realized I could keep transforming it!" She replied.


    The group listened to the battle freaks converse with sweatdrops.


    There was something deeply wrong with the battle idiots in their family.

 Threads of a Puppet I

    Robin was currently giving him the cold (ironic) shoulder and it was driving him into madness. Being ignored was one of his biggest peeves and though he worked hard not to let it visibly affect him (Meiko did this to him alot when he deserved it), it still royally annoyed him.


    Yes, the woman was still tending to him because deep down, she was still worried¡­ but she kept statements terribly short and distant and sometimes she outright just didn''t respond to him.


    The worst part was, she was talking to Mod and Ram just fine.


    No, the only one she had a problem with currently, was him.


    The redhead let out a pained sigh as he stamped down his annoyance and glanced at the neutral faced Robin.


    The ship was currently on course to the next island because Rosan had demanded they continue despite his condition.


    Despite some protests, they eventually agreed and now they were on the way to the next island with a not fully healed scout that would heal up in time.


    That damn ice of Aokiji''s¡­ he was still left reeling from the aftereffects of being frozen solid (even with the stone) and now he was being given the cold shoulder from his best friend.


    What a terrible situation to be in.


    At least his body would remember this sensation and build up sufficient resistance¡­


    No, this still felt terrible.


    "Robin," Rosan began patiently.


    His best friend raised a brow, turning towards him, and he sighed miserably.


    They were currently located in his castle so that he could rest up some and the redhead was laying down on the bed, Robin next to him as she silently read a book.


    Ram thought they very much looked like a married couple but she couldn''t really enjoy that, considering the tension between Mother and Father.


    "Can we talk?" He asked quietly, hoping that she didn''t just blow him off again.


    The scout pushed himself up from his sleeping position and grunted as his body disagreed with the motion.


    Robin''s nonchalance, vanished immediately and she quickly turned to steady the redhead with a concerned glance.


    "Don''t move¡­ You need to rest," she said quietly, pushing him back down with a sigh and shutting her book. "What do you want to talk about?"


    Rosan stared at her with intense eyes. "You know what I want to talk about."


    The two stared at each other for a long while, before Robin pushed herself up and off the bed.


    "I''m going to get something to drink. I''ll bring you some tea," she declared, turning away from him to walk off.


    A hand gripped her arm and stopped her from moving almost as soon as she finished speaking.


    "Robin¡­ please? Can you at least berate me?" Rosan not quite begged... but it was close and that was what let Robin know he was truly suffering, because her best friend didn''t ever resort to begging.


    Her gaze wavered at the desperate look in his eyes and she felt her resistance melt into nothing.


    Robin went slack at that and allowed the redhead to pull her closer.


    "...It''s complicated, Rosan," she replied tiredly. "I know¡­ trust me I know why you attacked him but it''s just¡­ you know how easily he could have killed us all. Instead of trying to take us all and run, you fought him. Why did you fight him?"


    The Devil Child shut her eyes tight in pain as memories of a frozen solid Rosan roared to the front of her mind.


    "Why do you want me to see you die? In such a manner too... you know Aokiji and I''s history... Do you want me to go through what you did?" she whispered.


    Rosan''s eyes widened at her question and his eyes shifted into a slightly hurt expression.


    That''s not... that''s not what he wanted her to go through at all.


    She shifted her gaze, unable to look into those eyes that only turned vulnerable when she was involved.


    Maybe he should just tell her... he had been reluctant to do so because this shouldn''t be her problem too but she wasn''t giving him much choice...


    "I''m sorry, Robin. I can''t control my emotions much at all," he admitted quietly. "I''ve been trying while you all sleep but it''s really hard. Anger especially, comes to me far too easily and leaves far too hard."


    Robin''s eyes widened slightly, before narrowing in guilt.


    That was right¡­ Rosan did just recently get his emotions back. She even anticipated that he would have trouble getting them under control but she never accounted for how little control he had.


    Of course he would so easily lose control, especially after mentioning that she was his reason to live... Of course he''d take offense to what Aokiji said...


    But she was still treating him so harshly¡­ She was the worst.


    "I¡­ I never want anyone I love to go through what I did, especially not you for the second time," Rosan whispered, loosening his grip and releasing her fully. "But at the same time, I can''t bear to lose anyone else¡­ so I''ll take anything, even threats, serious."


    Robin''s eyes shut at that. "Rosan I didn''t¡­" she tried to say.


    Rosan didn''t hear her. The redhead just glanced at his lap with a tired expression.


    "You''re right... I do know you and Aokiji''s history. I know everything because you told me... Knowing what I do, how could I ever let him bully you like that? Aokiji is one of the main catalyst to your trauma... just a meeting between us would never have gone well."


    He was right. Robin knew he was right... that meeting would only ever end in disaster... and here she was punishing him, when she should be helping.


    Rosan was relying on her to reign him in... punishing him like this didn''t solve anything. It was just her abusing the faith he had in her...


    Robin didn''t want to abuse Rosan in anyway. It wasn''t right for her to still be angry with him for this.


    "The things he were saying, the people he represents¡­ Aokiji set off every single red flag in my mind and I snapped¡­ I know you told me not to fight him but¡­ but he was threatening you Robin and I couldn''t let him¡­ I just¡­" Rosan sighed as words failed him.


    Arms wrapped around his waist and silenced him. He looked up in confusion to see Robin''s disappointed visage and for a second, he thought it was for himself.


    "I''m sorry too, Rosan," Robin frowned sadly, dashing his concerns. "It was a lapse of judgement for me to forget that you would probably have difficulties controlling your emotions¡­ I haven''t been thinking straight these past few days."


    With her feelings for Rosan and the sudden appearance of Aokiji, Robin was honestly a bit out of sorts. She hadn''t felt such love in years... she hadn''t felt such fear either. These emotions weren''t quite foreign... but they had been dormant for so long, that they may as well have been.


    She supposed she was as much of a mess as Rosan was, if these emotions made her act so irrationally.


    "Thank you so much for being so ready to defend me. No one else in the world but you would be so quick to jump to my aid and I appreciate that more than you know," Robin whispered.


    "You''d do anything to keep me safe¡­ and I''d do anything to keep you safe... so I''m sorry for getting upset that you would act out on a desire I''d act out on too," she murmured, squeezing him reassuringly.


    If Robin met someone strong trying to kill Rosan... well, she''d do everything in her power to stop them. Even if they were stronger... just the threat they served would incite her protective fury.


    She would be a hypocrite for thinking otherwise.


    Rosan said nothing for a moment, before his arms hesitantly raised and wrapped around her tightly.


    "I love you, you know that?" Rosan replied quietly.


    For a moment, Robin''s heart stopped and she could have sworn she saw something in Rosan''s gaze...


    This would have been the perfect time for Robin to tell Rosan how she truly felt. They had shared a vulnerable moment with each other, the setting was perfectly right and the two truly did love each other.


    But despite that, Robin didn''t.


    Robin didn''t because the lingering threat of Aokiji¡­ the power of the World Government remained prevalent in her mind.


    Of what they would do to Rosan if they knew how deep their love ran.


    Of what Rosan would do for her if she truly became a target.


    So with a strained smile that Rosan didn''t see, Robin said, "I love you too, Rosan."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "GUYS THERE''S A FROG DOING A FREESTYLE CRAWL IN THE SEA!"


    Usopp glanced up at that, unimpressed by his captain. "Don''t be ridiculous, Frogs can''t do the crawl¡­"


    His eyes bugged as he looked out at the ocean. "IT REALLY IS DOING THE CRAWL!"


    Rosan glanced over at all the noise and swallowed the food offered to him.


    "You don''t have to feed me you know, I''m pretty much healed," he muttered to Robin.


    She smiled and took a bit of the dessert they were sharing. "Yes, but I enjoy it. You''re like my pet tiger."


    The redhead raised a brow at that. "Since when am I a tiger?" he asked curiously.


    "Well, you used to be my pet kitten, but your voice is a little to deep when you purr and you''re a bit more intimidating than a cat, so tiger is just fine," she retorted.


    "Hey, wait¡­ stop calling me your pet," Rosan said flatly. "First bodyguard, then servant, now pet? You sure have a lot of cute nicknames for me¡ª"


    Robin watched as Rosan shot up suddenly, sharp gaze morphing over his features as he swiftly darted off.


    "Rosan?" She called in confusion, watching him dash off.


    Her worries were soon answered, as the redhead leapt behind the ship, sprouted his draconic wings, and heaved.


    The Straw Hats yelped at the feeling of Rosan launching the Merry forward with ridiculous strength and gazed at their scout in disbelief.


    "W-WOAH!" Every Straw Hat shouted in shock. "WHAT WAS THAT FOR, ROSAN?!"


    Why did the redhead just suddenly push their ship?! Did he also want to eat the frog¡ª


    Every single Straw Hat, went pale, as a massive moving something smashed into the spot their ship was just at¡­ that was conveniently moved out of the way by Rosan.


    "O-Oh¡­ thanks, Rosan," they all said weakly, sweating at watching the¡­ train(?) run over the frog they were just conversing about.


    Rosan huffed and landed on the ship. "Be more careful, idiots. I told you guys stop damaging the ship."


    They glanced at the moving train in awe.


    "Was that a train? On the sea?" Nami asked herself in stunned confusion.


    But how¡­ that didn''t make any sense!


    "There''s a lighthouse up ahead," Rosan grunted. "Maybe they can explain what''s going on."


    A train that traveled by sea? How did that work¡­


    How interesting.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Manning the lighthouse, were two people and their pet cat (it was actually a rabbit) named Kokoro, Chimney and Gonbe.


    They were strange but they were kind enough to explain some things to the group.


    The machine they were looking at was a train. It was a sea train referred to as the Puffing Tom and it rode on sea tracks of all thing.


    What an ingenious design. Rosan was genuinely impressed by whoever thought of it.


    They also learned that the frog was named Yokozuna and he frequently positioned himself in front of the sea train to test his strength.


    He failed every single time but at least he didn''t die.


    "Wow, he''s a pretty gutsy frog!" Luffy awed. "I don''t wanna eat him anymore! He''s got so much determination!"


    Nami sweatdropped. "That''s why you don''t want to eat him?"


    "Let''s ride the Sea Train!" Luffy exclaimed excitedly.


    The old lady laughed at his excitement. "If you take the train from here, you could reach St. Poplar, the town of the Spring Queen. Or you could go to Pucci, the Gourmet City¡ª"


    "GOURMET CITY?! LET''S GO THERE!" Luffy shouted with starry eyes.


    "We have a ship, idiot," everyone said flatly.


    "Just stick to the log," Nami barked in annoyance.


    "Where''s it pointed?" Chimney asked curiously.


    The navigator glanced at it once more just to verify. "North."


    "You guys are headed north? That''s where Water 7 is," Kokoro slurred, chugging her sake without a care in the world.


    Water 7 was considered the city of water and it was well known for its shipbuilding industry and its cutting edge technology.


    That caught Rosan''s attention.


    The ships built there were so good, even the World Government commissioned them¡­ the island had the best carpenters in the world.


    Perfect.


    Rosan was sufficiently interested in this place.


    Based on his crew''s energy, they were too.


    "Let''s go to Water 7 and find a shipwright!" Luffy said with a determined grin.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    After receiving a terrible map of the city and a letter of introduction, the Straw Hats quickly departed from their new friends and began setting sail for Water 7 with renewed vigor.


    They were discussing what type of shipwright they wanted and of course, Rosan watched the idiots and resisted the urge to roll his eyes.


    "Not going to join the discussion?" Robin muttered curiously.


    Rosan shook his head. "I''m picky. Luffy and I normally want different things in a person but I suppose his method is effective, considering how impressive this crew is."


    Robin rolled her eyes. "You don''t want to recruit anyone that''s why. I think if given a choice, you''d prefer to be like Mihawk."


    The redhead tilted his head. "Sailing the seas and surviving sounds fun... But I hate being truly alone," he murmured.


    Robin idly pulled him into a hug. "Look at you admitting that you hate being alone... I don''t think I''d have been able to get that out of you before," she praised.


    She knew Rosan hated being alone. It was one of his greatest fears and the driving force for why he didn''t want to lose anyone he loved... because it was one step closer to fulfilling his nightmare.


    "It was really fun when it was the two of us though," Rosan remarked fondly, thinking back to those times.


    He wondered how a ship with Robin, Meiko, Maro, Angel and Demon would have been like. Probably very headache inducing for him... and them.


    The brunette smiled at that. "But it was also very stressful. Two people manning a ship, even one like the White Rose is a lot of work, especially out in the sea."


    Even with Rosan handling the majority of that with his Devil Fruit, it had still been quite a bit of maintenance.


    The redhead nodded thoughtfully. "Make sure you can recruit someone talented and crazy enough to join us."


    Zoro snorted. "That''s a hard ask. Why would someone talented be crazy enough to join our pirate crew?"


    Rosan snorted in turn. "The same reason every one of us did. It''s called the my younger brother gets whatever he wants effect."


    Every Straw Hat opened their mouth¡­ and then closed it, as a thoughtful expression crossed their faces.


    "Are you¡­ calling us talented?" Usopp asked tentatively.


    The redhead nodded. "None of you would be worth my attention otherwise. We''ve been through quite the abnormal journey and you guys continue to impress. In your craft, you will all reach the apex of it if you keep going with the determination you have," he complimented.


    They balked at the redhead''s words before a pleasant feeling welled up in their chests at that.


    "W-Who said you could compliment us?!" They said, in a very Chopperesque manner.


    The scout almost never complimented them! They were a little overwhelmed to hear it so readily come out of his mouth¡­


    It felt way too nice. They couldn''t let Rosan know they appreciated this!


    Rosan stared at them for a bit, sweatdropping slightly and tilting his head.


    Was he really that rude to them? Huh¡­ who woulda thought?


    Robin stared at him with a slight sweatdrop. He was so unaware sometimes.


    "We can also look to convert all those pieces of gold into treasure!" Nami exclaimed, thinking to that tall pile of gold.


    After seeing just how big the pillar Rosan got was, Nami squealed in happiness and tackled the redhead to the floor for managing to secure something so incredible.


    That giant pillar could repair Merry and then some! They were absolutely loaded and the redhead said he had no use for it and they earned it.


    That pillar was solely for them! THEM! THE GOLD WAS ALL THEIRS!


    "Nami stop. You look like a wild animal," Rosan chastised, gently slapping both her cheeks with his palms. "You had your, "I''m rich and everything belongs to me" face on. I even saw drool forming."


    Nami snapped out of her daze and flushed at the look of amusement in his eyes. "S-Since when can you tell what I''m thinking by my facial expressions?!"


    "Since the second time I gave you your allowance," he replied easily. "You had such a depraved look as you shamelessly took my money. I honestly felt really dirty."


    The navigator spluttered at that. "D-Depraved?! S-Seriously?!"


    Her cheeks went red in mortification. "Why didn''t you tell me about this sooner?!"


    The redhead shrugged. "I thought it was funny. I never knew someone as greedy as me could exist."


    Nami opened her mouth and closed it, hanging her head in defeat. "I''ve never met someone who can embarrass me so effortlessly."


    Rosan cracked a small little smile at that and pulled the embarrassed navigator into a hug. "Don''t worry. It comes with being the oldest sibling in a family. You never stood a chance when I''ve been doing this for years."


    "I hate you," she mumbled, squirming as he crushed her face into his chest. "If I had to be your little sister from the start, I''d have killed you in your sleep."


    "Get in line. Ace and Angel already tried it multiple times," Rosan smiled smugly.


    They sweatdropped.


    "Hey Usopp, what are you doing?" Luffy asked curiously.


    The sniper was currently hugging the Merry''s mast that Rosan and him had spent many times fixing already.


    "The thought that Merry is going to get fixed up all nice and new just fills me with warm feelings," the sniper replied.


    Sanji nodded at his words. "I know how you feel. Even with Rosan making it look as good as new every time, I''m sure his technique isn''t completely repairing her."


    Rosan glanced over at that. "No, it doesn''t. It can repair damages but there is a limit. If I repair it too much, it will start to have less of an effect. Especially weak materials like wood. Metals can handle my modifications for much longer."


    He tested it when he was younger. Standard ship wood was too weak to be modified and repaired repeatedly. It was why the White Rose was practically done for because he modified it so much.


    It was a foolish mistake but it was one he realized too late. Wood was just not very compatible with the whims of a computer. Metals could be constantly repaired for a much longer period then wood could.


    The more he modified wood, the more it deteriorated. If Rosan had known this, then his ideal form of transportation would have been a submarine. Those could handle his modifications just fine.


    They glanced at the redhead with interested eyes, always interested to learn more about him and his fruit.


    The redhead gazed at them all with a neutral expression that he had far less. "If we find a shipwright and they say they can''t repair our ship¡­ what will we do?"


    They blinked at that abrupt question.


    What¡­ would they do?


    Usopp waved off his question with a cheerful laugh. "We''ll just find another shipwright! Don''t be such a pessimist all the time, Rosan!"


    The redhead tilted his head at that. "I''m not being a pessimist. I''m bringing up the other side of the coin. You have to think of all scenarios. So what will you do if that happens, Luffy? It''s your job as captain to make the hard decisions and you have to keep our safety in mind."


    Luffy opened his mouth at that... only to close it in a rare moment. To the rubber boy, who always had faith in all his friends to the very end, the idea had never once sprung up to his mind.


    The air turned a bit heavy at his accurate observation.


    What¡­ would they do? What would happen if Merry couldn''t be fixed?


    No one had an answer.


    Rosan closed his eyes with a sigh.


    "This might be a bit harder then I thought, Merry."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Water 7 was stunningly gorgeous.


    The City of Water was an apt name. The whole island incorporated water into their livelihood.


    Everywhere they looked, there was water. There were waterways and canals, that looked as if they were roads.


    There was a water gate elevator and of course, there was a gigantic fountain that seemed to announce to the world, that this was Water 7.


    "What a beautiful island," Rosan couldn''t help but think as his birds relayed the feedback to him.


    "I agree, it''s stunning," Robin smiled as they set anchor down on the part of the island they were directed to.


    "Luffy, Usopp! Let''s go find the person named Iceberg that Kokoro mentioned, then we need to get this gold exchanged," Nami called the two getting ready to vanish into the city.


    "Alright!" They cheered excitedly, hauling the gold onto a cart crafted from Rosan.


    "Remember what I told you Nami," Rosan called out.


    "Of course I won''t forget that!" She replied as the three vanished.


    The redhead watched them go before someone grabbed his sleeve.


    "Come with me? I wanted to buy some books and go sightseeing," Robin muttered, getting a nod out of the redhead.


    "Can I come too?" Chopper asked the duo curiously.


    They glanced over at the reindeer and nodded before quickly departing from the ship.


    "If Sanji asks, we went out, Zoro," Rosan informed the swordsman. "Keep guard of the ship."


    The swordsman nodded his head and closed his eyes as he leaned against the railing. "Sure," he said lazily.


    "Is there anything you want?" Robin asked curiously, glancing at her best friend with a curious gaze as they went further into Water 7.


    With a city like this, her best friend might want many things from an island as prestigious as Water 7, so she was understandably surprised to see him shake his head.


    "There is nothing that I want currently¡­ The only thing I want, is to get stronger," he said with a small frown.


    Robin felt a small stab at that and a frown made its way to her face.


    He was still thinking of the one sided slaughter against Aokiji. Over the past few days, she saw the redhead throw himself into training, despite his soreness, with a ferocity reminiscent of when he was a child again.


    She herself had to put her foot down and tell him to stop because he hadn''t even fully recovered yet¡­


    Not only that, whenever Rosan thought she was sleeping, he would stare at her with a dark frown on his face.


    "I won''t let you down again," he had murmured one time, voice almost inaudible, before he hugged her close and fell asleep.


    Right now, Rosan was doing his all to protect her¡­ he would kill himself with training if he had to¡­


    "I can''t control my emotions."


    Robin bit her lip.


    "Are you two okay?" Chopper (who was in walk point) asked worriedly, glancing up at the two adults.


    They snapped out of their own musings with glints of surprise, before smiling down at Chopper.


    "I''m fine, Chopper," Robin smiled, running a hand through his fur.


    "Just a lot on my mind," Rosan admitted.


    "Are you two truly okay?" Mod asked in concern, biting her lip at the contemplation on both Robin and Rosan''s faces.


    "Yeah, these past few days have been¡­ tense," Ram added lamely.


    Tense had been one way to put it. Despite talking it out, there was still some friction between Robin and Rosan that the two just didn''t want to discuss.


    Well, Rosan wanted to talk. He was always willing to talk things out... but Robin hadn''t been very receptive to the idea.


    The encounter with Aokiji left them both damaged. Rosan was filled with a fury that did nothing but enhance Robin''s fear for his safety and that fear in turn, made Rosan want to train even harder to quell it.


    It was a terrible cycle¡­


    Now, Rosan was trying not to be too overbearing and Robin was caught up in her own emotions and the two had unknowingly built this thin wall between each other that had never been there, not even as children.


    Mod would need to drag them both into the mindscape tonight so they could thoroughly speak about this. It was only right as their legal guardian that she help them figure this out.


    As if reading Mod''s mind (they really were in sync too much) Rosan glanced over at his best friend with a serious look.


    "Robin¡­ let''s talk tonight and figure this all out?" Rosan muttered.


    Robin nodded without hesitation, wanting to clear this up just as badly as he did. "I''ll¡­ tell you everything. It''s my fault for withholding information anyways¡­ you''ll understand why I was so worried for you."


    Mod''s eyes widened in excitement.


    Everything? Surely that meant¡­


    The scout''s eyes took on a curious glint and he nodded. "Alright¡­ If it helps us solve our problems, I''ll have to hold you to it. There''s something important I want to tell you too."


    She flashed a small smile and they continued to walk, tension bleeding off them and making Chopper relax.


    The trio entered a place that rented out interesting creatures called Yagura Bulls who were essential in traversing the watery nature of Water 7.


    There were also Rakuba Bulls and King Bulls but they only really needed the smallest one, considering there was only 3 of them.


    The one they chose, grinned happily at the group and even rubbed its snout against Rosan''s chest.


    "Interesting. Smart and strong¡­ a great creature to own," Robin mused as they all sat down on the seat to begin their trip.


    "You''re very friendly, aren''t you?" Rosan mused, patting it and getting a satisfied neigh out of it.


    Chopper, who was back in brain point, smiled at the friendly creature. "She says you''re very pretty Rosan!" he translated.


    The redhead raised a brow at that. "You''re charming too, eh?" He snorted, taking his seat next to Robin with an amused smirk. "Thank you for the compliments, girl. You''re probably the prettiest in your family too."


    He preferred handsome but this was an animal so he supposed he couldn''t be too picky.


    Robin couldn''t help but roll her eyes. "Even animals are attracted to you¡­ I wonder what makes you so attractive in other people''s eyes?" she mused jokingly.


    She was satisfied to see him shoot a brow into the sky.


    "This again? Are you trying to destroy my confidence? Hey Chopper, you think I''m ugly?" Rosan asked suddenly.


    Chopper blinked at the question and tilted his head. "You''re too scary for me to judge because you have a carnivorous nature... but I don''t think so based on what the animals I hear say about you. I''m not attracted to humans so I dunno."


    Robin and Rosan both blinked as the Yagura continued to move to its destination. They idly took in the beautiful sighs, the way the path twisted and the livelihood of the people there.


    "This isn''t the first time an animals been attracted to me¡­? Too carnivorous? I don''t only eat meat..." He stated in slight concern.


    The doctor nodded enthusiastically. "I think it''s because of your dragon form because they can also be pretty afraid of you, like me whenever you use it! I always think you''re about to eat me!"


    "Huh¡­ good to know... also I wouldn''t eat you... maybe," he muttered in contemplation.


    "D-Don''t say things like that!" Chopper squealed in horror. The reindeer scooted away from Rosan and hid behind the amused Robin.


    She shot Rosan an admonishing glance and he shrugged helplessly, expression turning thoughtful.


    Did his frequent transformations into Ragnarok, affect his normal physiology? Was the repeated exposure making him appear more animalistic? Why didn''t he see any visible differences besides his teeth growing sharper than they already were?


    Maybe his repeated use of Shinigami counteracted it¡­ but he didn''t see any visible signs that Shinigami was affecting his physiology either? Was it because Ragnarok was so dominating? Because it was the first?


    Because he didn''t fully explore Shinigami like he had his draconic technique?


    Interesting... did that mean he really was becoming less human?


    "I think you''re a bigger nerd then I am," Robin couldn''t help but say, smile on her face as she heard his inner musing.


    The redhead glanced at her as they began to get off the Yagura and asked, "What are we going shopping for right now?"


    The Devil Child''s face turned neutral. "I don''t see how that''s relevant."


    "Right," Rosan said dryly, petting the Yagura on the head. "Thanks for the ride, girl."


    The bull neighed happily and affectionately rubbed its head against him, before sailing off.


    Chopper grinned excitedly as he walked ahead, glancing at all the sights with glittering eyes.


    "Wow, look at all these people! They have such weird faces," the reindeer mused.


    "That''s because they''re wearing masks and costumes," Robin explained with a small smile.


    "They look stupid," Rosan muttered. He glanced at a fruit stand for a moment, before approaching it.


    "OH A BOOKSTORE! CAN I ENTER?!" Chopper squealed excitedly.


    Robin couldn''t resist the small laughter at his visible happiness. "Sure, you go on first and I''ll wait in between you and Rosan."


    The reindeer didn''t even wait for a response and dashed right in.


    "Hurry before we leave you behind," Robin called, watching the redhead contemplate what apples he wanted with a serious expression. The Devil Child could have sworn she heard him mutter scan under his breath to inspect them.


    She felt a flash of annoyance at the blatant interest on the middle aged woman''s face as she gazed at her customer with a flushed expression.


    "You can if you want, I can catch up," Rosan replied calmly, picking up an apple and testing it, before experimentally biting into it and nodding in satisfaction, picking out even more apples.


    The vendor didn''t even look bothered by him biting into something he hadn''t paid for, just fluttering her eyes all the while in hopes that he noticed.


    Robin was going to give her a scare if she kept it up.


    She was going to stay here just in case¡­ he got lost. Yeah that''s right. Rosan was so hopeless, that he''d surely get lost.


    "I''ll¡ª"


    "I''m with CP9."


    Robin felt the entire world freeze, at that low whisper.


    Everything turned upside down all at once and she stopped so abruptly, the woman nearly collapsed.


    She broke into a cold sweat and glanced at the tall figure of the person who had whispered such a damning sentence to her.


    "Robin? You''ll what?" Rosan asked curiously, dropping a few coins in the ladies hand, while idly burning the paper she handed him out of the ladies vision.


    The Devil Child''s cold sweat, broke into a blizzard at the voice of her best friend.


    R-Rosan was¡­He was on an island w-with Cipher Pol and they knew they were h-here a-and they were after her¡­


    Memories of a frozen Rosan roared to her mind like an undying plague, tormenting her every single step of the way. Memories of her losing him for 16 years because she was being looked at.


    All because of her. Rosan was kidnapped because of her. Rosan was frozen because of her...


    Rosan would be killed because of her.


    "Don''t be afraid of them. I''m here," the memory of Rosan said all the way back at Little Garden.


    That''s what he had said after she showed slight fear for Cipher Pol being mentioned. That''s what¡­


    Every single time something targeted her¡­ he threw himself in the way and now Cipher Pol was here. The driving force of her trauma... the people who haunted her nightmares.


    As long as she was around Rosan, the valuable scout would be under heavy scrutiny...


    Saul. Ohara. Burning. Burning. Her island going up in flames because of¡­ because of the Buster Call¡ª


    "I''ll be right back," Robin said shortly.


    Rosan glanced over in confusion at that. "I can come with. It''s no big deal. I''m finished ordering the apples anyways."


    Her fear magnified tenfold at that claim because it was a big deal.


    "I want to go alone," she said firmly, thankful that she didn''t have to say this out loud or look him directly in the face.


    Robin watched her best friend (her most important person in the world) glance over at her with a confused expression on his face (the same one that just recently began making faces like that).


    She couldn''t lose him. Losing him was the last thing Robin ever wanted.


    "What''s wrong? Why do you want to go alone?" He asked in concern, taking a step towards her.


    Robin didn''t think she''d be able to hold out if he finished walking.


    There was genuine concern in his voice. He was just worried for her... Robin was normally so flattered that someone could be so concerned for her...


    Which was why she hated herself all the more for what she was about to do.


    "I don''t have to tell you everything, Rosan!" she suddenly exclaimed.


    The redhead immediately stopped moving and Robin felt her heart breaking into pieces.


    "Robin¡­?" Mod said in visible concern. "What''s the matter? Are you alright? You can speak to us!"


    "Mother?" Ram whispered.


    "Would you guys just please. I''m with you nonstop already and the moment I want some alone time, I automatically have a problem?" Robin asked with a fake frown.


    "N-No, that''s not what we''re saying!" Mod said hastily, eyes wide at Robin finally reaching her melting point.


    "So what is it then? All I said is I want to go somewhere alone and now you three think I have a problem! I''m not a kid anymore. Could you all stop being so overbearing!"


    "O-Oh... I''m sorry. I didn''t mean anything by it. I wasn''t trying to offend..." Mod said in a subdued voice that almost shattered Robin''s facade because her mother had no reason to apologize for anything.


    Yet Robin was making her feel as if she were in the wrong here.


    She was just trying to push them away! A meeting between Rosan and Cipher Pol, would be utterly¡ª


    Robin took too long to close her eyes and she saw Rosan''s expression shift into one of hurt and it nearly made her break out into a heartbroken sob.


    She didn''t want to do this. Why did she have to do this?


    I made a promise to always keep you safe, Robin.


    Oh right¡­ that''s why.


    Because Rosan would die for her and she wouldn''t let that happen.


    "For once Rosan, please just stop being like this. Even I have my limits with you and with everything that has happened these past few days, I''m tired of it and I''m tired of you. Please just leave me be for the moment."


    One last time. Let her look at him one last time¡ª


    Robin had to do everything in her power to keep it together, as tears began dropping from Rosan''s wide purple eye only. Even from this distance, she could see the watery stream and it tore her to pieces.


    Tears began forming in her own eyes at the sight of Rosan shedding tears for the first time in years... at her hands.


    The look on his face was one she hadn''t seen in so long. It was a look that always brought her full protective streak to the forefront, that always made her whisper that things were going to be alright to him.


    It was a look of soul crushing sadness.


    "Oh, Rosan w-wait! You don''t have to cry," Mod soothed, tone full of motherly worry as she enveloped her son in her aura. "It''s okay, please don''t cry. I''m here for you. You know I''m here for you!"


    "It''s okay, Father! S-She didn''t mean it like that¡­?" Ram didn''t sound sure of that.


    "Crying¡­?" He said in confusion, touching his face.


    His eyes went wide in alarm at the sensation of feeling something wet streaming down his right eye and that''s when the panic truly began to seep in.


    He was¡­ crying? W-Was it of sadness?


    But that''s not... Rosan didn''t cry. Rosan refused to cry of sadness... because that meant... that meant he was weak.


    Rosan wasn''t... he wasn''t...


    Was he weak...?


    "I''m... I''m not crying. I''m not crying," he denied shakily, even despite the fact that the tears wouldn''t stop. "I''M NOT CRYING. STOP LOOKING AT ME! I''M NOT ¡ª"


    Robin felt like the scum of the world, as Rosan took a shaky step away from her, eye teary with a tinge of uncertainty before he turned on a heel and ran off.


    Why did she do that? Just w-what was wrong with her? The look on his face¡­ Robin never wanted to be the reason Rosan feared something and she had callously abused their bond.


    Robin knew that she was the only one that could elicit such a reaction from him... and she had done so with no remorse.


    She couldn''t stop the angry sob from escaping her this time, as their connection abruptly cut.


    "I''m sorry Rosan¡­ I really am."


    I know I have no right to ask this¡­ but please, never leave me?


    Her tears spilled to the floor as she walked off to follow the masked person.


    I''d never leave you, Rosan¡­ So please never leave me.


    "I''m so sorry!"


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Hey, Rosan are you alrigh¡ª"


    Sanji paused, as the redheaded blur completely ignored him and rushed past him at ridiculous speeds, making the people around him scream in shock at something they could hardly see.


    By the time he turned around, the redhead was already gone and the chef blinked in concern.


    "He looked sad," the chef muttered in concern. Before he could pursue, the scout had long vanished and Sanji frowned, before opting to leave him be.


    If Rosan was crying, he probably wanted to be left alone for the time being. His scout may not act it all the time, but he was proud.


    The only thing that could ever make their scout look so sad, was Robin¡­ who happened to not be with him.


    What happened? Were those two alright?


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Robin doesn''t love me anymore."


    Rosan didn''t know how long he had been running for but he ignored all the shouts and all the people angry that he nearly ran them over, until he was by himself in a deserted area.


    He wasn''t sure how to explain this feeling but it felt like his heart was being squeezed by all angles and the redhead collapsed, as his breathing got harder to maintain.


    He thought they were going to figure it out tonight? What happened? D-Did he do something wrong? He thought he was doing so good? So why was he here crying?


    "We''re not kids anymore, Rosan. Stop being so overbearing!"


    Oh that''s right¡­ because they weren''t kids anymore. Robin had grown up and he was stuck like this as an emotionally stunted failure. They weren''t two kids traveling the seas anymore.


    Robin was a 28 year old with her own wants and problems and she realized that his problems were just not worth it.


    Of course she''d get fed up with him. She would tell him one thing and then he''d do the other. Why couldn''t he just listen to her?!


    Because he was useless! Stupid! Why was he such a fucking idiot? For once in his life, why couldn''t Rosan just be anything but a FAILURE?!


    "That''s enough, Rosan!" Mod shouted in concern, tears welling up in her eyes at seeing her son freak out. "You know that''s not true!"


    "Mother is just stressed! She''ll be totally fine when this is all over! Please calm down Father," Ram assured, just as concerned as Mod considering she had never seen him like this.


    Rosan forced himself to listen to their words and tried to calm his racing heart...


    "Excuse me, mister¡­ are you alright?" A concerned voice asked.


    ...Only for it to go back to unbearable levels.


    That voice¡­ he knew that voice. How could he ever forget it?


    Rosan turned around slowly and was met by a shock of blonde hair.


    How could he ever forget the voice of his deceased lover?


    "?!" Mod''s eyes widened in disbelief. "M-Meiko?!"


    "M-M-Mother?!" Ram gasped with tears in her eyes.


    Fair skin, blonde hair, electric blue eyes, no pupils¡­ Rosan felt like he was in a worse condition then he thought, if he could see his deceased lover right now. After all, the last two times he saw her, he was unconscious.


    Then he paused.


    "You guys can see her too?" He asked Mod and Ram quietly.


    "Y-Yes we can¡­?" Mod stammered in confusion.


    That confirmation snapped Rosan out of his reverie and allowed him to notice things.


    The hair was a shade too light, cut too short¡­ her eyes were more teal than electric blue. The features were not exactly like her.


    He knew everything about Meiko down to the wire. Even a minute detail would be spotted by him.


    "Who are you?" Rosan grunted, morphing his face into a neutral expression that threatened to break at the mere thought of Robin.


    This was not Meiko. This was just a child who looked way too much like her.


    Just his luck. He really needed this right now.


    The little child flinched at his harsh tone. "O-Oh, I''m sorry! I''m Ame¡­ I just noticed you panicking out here and I got concerned¡­"


    Rosan scoffed and turned away from her. "You saw a random man panicking and decided to follow him? You have no self preservation, child. Get out of my sight."


    How embarrassing¡­ he needed to go get himself under control. He didn''t even feel her creep up on him. No civilian could ever creep up on him, no matter his condition and yet...


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    "I-I know but I was just worried about you! You looked really panicked and I just wanted to see if you were alright¡­" Ame said worriedly.


    This had to be some sick joke. What the fuck was this? Why did this girl look and act like Meiko?


    "Does it have to do with a girl? You have the heartbroken look a lot of adults have."


    The girl yelped as Rosan turned towards her with a painfully neutral expression, dead eyes staring at her with no soul in them.


    "Stop fucking prying into my life," he snarled furiously, trying and failing to get his errant emotions under control. "Leave me the fuck alone."


    Despite looking a little fearful, there was more curiosity on the lookalikes face.


    "But¡­ you look really lonely," she said quietly. "I feel like I know you from somewhere and I don''t want you to be sad! Please, let''s just talk!"


    Rosan resisted the urge to snarl at her words and turned away from the girl, deciding to just find a new location to calm down in. "You probably saw my bounty poster, kid. I don''t need your sympathy."


    The redhead prepared to walk away from the person throwing his already fragile mind, into complete disarray.


    "Do you not love me, Rosan?"


    He froze completely, as a chill crawled down his spine. Goosebumps began forming on his skin and for the first time in over a decade, Rosan felt a twinge of fear mix in with his confusion.


    "I¡­ what?" Mod said in concern. What was going on? What was happening?


    Rosan turned hesitantly and looked at the hurt gaze of the girl who could pass off as Meiko''s sister.


    Except now, she didn''t look like Meiko''s sister.


    No, now she looked exactly like Meiko.


    "Have you moved on from me? Is Nico Robin your new love¡­ is that why you''re here, thinking about her when I''m the one talking to you¡­?" Meiko asked curiously.


    But¡­ But what.


    Was he dreaming?


    "I''m not¡­ but¡­ but you''re not¡­" Rosan took a step back in confusion.


    "W-Who is this?!" Ram stammered in confusion.


    "Rosan I''m¡­ sure there''s an explanation for this b-but calm down. You too Ram!" Mod exclaimed realizing that both Ram and Rosan were freaking out.


    "Do you hate me, Rosan? Why are you running away from me?" Meiko asked sadly.


    "No, I don''t," he said hastily, freezing in spot. "I¡­ Are you¡­?"


    "Meiko?" She said, making him go chilly. "What do you think?"


    Ame/Meiko looked at him with deep sadness and Rosan began feeling dizzy.


    What¡­ was happening¡­?


    "Do you love me, Rosan?" Meiko/Ame asked. "Do you hate me, Rosan?"


    Did he hate Meiko?


    "No of course not, Mei¡­ I could never hate you. I hold you to the¡­ to the¡­ highest¡­"


    Rosan felt a haze and stepped further back in confusion, eyes becoming half lidded as a sudden wave hit him.


    "Sleep, Rose," Ame/Meiko said softly, gazing at him in sorrow. "Maybe when you wake up, you''ll realize how much you''ve betrayed me."


    Betrayed¡­ her?


    "Rosan¡­ it''s¡­ not¡­ r¡ª," Mod tried to say, resisting the lull of sleep but eventually succumbing to it.


    Rosan''s eyes fluttered as he collapsed and fell asleep.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Blueno, leave."


    The tall man glanced over in annoyance at that.


    "And why would I do that? I''m the one who brought Nico Robin here and you just came to this island¡ª"


    "Leave. Now. Don''t make me get unpleasant."


    Robin watched as the stone faced woman, who couldn''t be taller then 5''6, bullied the giant of a man out of the room with a few short words.


    "I don''t know why they brought you here. Don''t get a cocky head because you''re stronger then the rest of your class, rookie," Blueno grunted.


    She said nothing, dismissing him with a single piercing glance.


    Once the door closed, the curly haired woman turned towards her and that frosty expression immediately vanished.


    "Hey there, man stealer."


    The Devil Child blinked in confusion, pausing for a second at that title.


    Man¡­ stealer?


    Was she talking about¡­ Rosan?


    Robin properly looked at the woman now.


    "Confused on how I could possibly be talking about Rosan-chan?" She mused, grinning maniacally. It was a far cry from the frosty expression she had donned earlier.


    The busty woman had olive skin that was covered nearly fully in a black suit with a set of shades that blocked her eyes. Robin noted that she had quite a long set of nails that were colored pitch black.


    Her appearance didn''t ring a bell and so, Robin warily said, "Who are you?"


    The woman''s face split into an unsettling smile. "Who am I! The million dollar question, yes? How am I bullying someone as weak as Blueno? How do I know darling¡­"


    The unknown woman leaned in close, allowing Robin to see what looked to be bandages wrapped around her breasts and midsection.


    "How do I know our cheating boyfriend is the Angel of Death?" she whispered seductively, nipping Robin''s ear with her teeth and placing a sharp nail on her cheek.


    Robin felt like hell itself froze over at that statement.


    "You''re¡­"


    The woman leaned back and removed her shades. "I can see why he would cheat on me with you! You''re sexy, smart and willing to do anything for him, right?"


    Lifeless teal eyes, contrasting everything about the unhinged woman, stared at her with delight.


    "Gotta love a girl like that. Just like sweet Meiko," Izumi purred as Robin broke into a sweat. "Let''s talk, Nico Robin."


    This was Izumi? The girl that had killed both Meiko and her brother in one day, driven to a broken state by Rosan himself?


    What¡­ was she doing here? She was apart of Cipher Pol?


    "Relax," Izumi mused, sitting right atop the uncomfortable woman. "I don''t care at all about Cipher Pol or the World Government. I don''t care about the threat you pose to the world."


    "You... don''t?" Robin asked in confusion.


    Izumi threw her head back and cackled hysterically. "Why would I?! You, the Devil?! How could I ever believe that?!" She raved with a manic gleam.


    "In my eyes, you''re not even close to a Devil, Nico Robin. I stared into the eyes of an Angel and that Angel made me kill my brother! Don''t you see? I''ve seen things in this world that are worse than anything you could ever do, Nico Robin," Izumi ranted, staring tenderly at her. "How could you ever be a Devil, when an Angel was the one who did the most devilish thing I''ve ever seen?!"


    Robin was forced to stare at Izumi''s face, as the woman remained atop her and she saw the unhinged gleam. The gleam of a broken woman.


    "I don''t care that they call you Devil because I know better. You, a Devil? No, you''re just a poor girl who''s been captivated by the glamor of the supernatural," she purred sympathetically.


    "She''s insane," Robin thought in worry.


    "So to answer... no, I don''t care about the threat you pose. No, the only thing I care about¡­ the only thing that makes me feel alive is our dear boyfriend, Rosan-chan and most recently, you."


    "Why do you keep saying our boyfriend?" Robin said warily.


    This was bad. Rosan sparing this girl, backfired in one of the worst possible ways she could ever imagine. To join Cipher Pol of all organizations...


    Izumi didn''t answer her. Instead, the room around her began shifting and Robin let out a surprised gasp at a very very familiar scene.


    A scene of Reaper staring down a lifeless Izumi, with a look of nothing on his features.


    The adult version of Izumi looked at Robin with an unhinged grin. "Ah, that look! You recognize the scene!"


    How was she doing this¡­? What was happening?


    "Hate me, resent me, despise me. Do whatever you want, but never forget that you are only alive because I willed it. What''s left of you belongs to me and don''t you ever forget that. We are bonded together by our brokenness, by how empty we are."


    "We are bonded because we took everything from each other."


    The young Rosan looked down at the broken girl with an expressionless face as he spoke to her and all the young Izumi did was stare at him, registering his words but not having the will to muster up any type of response.


    "Look at him," Izumi sighed. "He''s gotten very handsome over the years but he''s never visited me once after saying I belong to him¡­ so greedy~."


    "He needs to be punished. We''re connected by a thread of love and yet he thinks he can try to find happiness, when I''m here SUFFERING BECAUSE I ONLY THINK OF HIM?!"


    Her eyes turned utterly insane as she finished her sentence and the scenery abruptly vanished, as the agent gazed at the Robin who had jumped at the sudden volume.


    "For years, I''ve slaved away my body to even come close to matching him. I joined this garbage organization with these garbage people in hopes that they could accelerate my training and they did."


    She clenched a fist, as that deranged smile grew wider on her pretty face.


    "But it''s not enough. It''ll never be enough. Even with all the training I did, he''s a monster that I will never be able to catch up to¡­"


    Then she gazed at the woman.


    "So I decided to do something else¡­ if I can''t beat him, I''m sure the Vice Admirals and Admirals would love to hunt down Reaper. That crew of yours would be destroyed in an instant, if Admiral Kuzan, Kizaru or Sakazuki decided to pay them a visit. Especially Sakazuki," Izumi said softly.


    Robin felt all her fears magnify tenfold, as she realized that she had no choice but to do this. There had been thoughts of escaping, of just tugging on the pendant to call Rosan, but with the looming knowledge that someone in the World Government knew that he was Reaper¡­


    A frozen Rosan, so still, so lifeless¡­ Would¡­ the rest of the Straw Hats join him?


    "Please, leave them alone," Robin begged quietly, shutting her eyes. "You guys really want me right? If you leave them be, I''ll go with you no resistance."


    Izumi tilted her head at that, eyes lighting up in delight. "I dunno¡­ personally, I think the most infamous bounty hunter is more important but this is still my job and you''re a higher priority¡­ so if you really do plan on not resisting, we have a deal."


    Robin shut her eyes at that and nodded tightly, missing the utterly psychotic grin of Izumi.


    This was for the best. If she just disappeared, they''d all be spared. They didn''t need to be hunted like dogs.


    They didn''t all need to be frozen solid.


    Robin didn''t just love Rosan anymore. She loved all of the Straw Hats and she didn''t want them to fall at the hands of a Buster Call, Cipher Pol or an Admiral.


    Izumi nodded admirably but on the inside, the girl had a psychotic beam.


    Did this poor girl think she was interested in what the fuck Cipher Pol wanted? Izumi felt a flash of sympathy for the Devil Child who had been so utterly roped in by darling''s charm.


    Tell her anything and she''d listen. Love made a girl do crazy things.


    Izumi would know~


    There was only one thing on the planet that Izumi was interested in and it was the person who took everything from her.


    She was trying to save Rosan but Izumi knew what Rosan was willing to do for someone that belonged to him.


    Yes, he''d never lie down and accept this¡­ and if he never figured out¡­


    Well, she accounted for that too~


    They''d all come to save Nico Robin if she had anything to say about it.


    Then she''d make Rosan watch them all die again and she''d win. She''d take everything from him once more, including Nico Robin.


    Then she''d have him all to herself!


    We are bonded because we took everything from each other.


    Izumi touched the spot, where that tattoo had been so brutally engraved into her skin and promised she''d give Rosan something similar to, before focusing on Nico Robin.


    Nico Robin... the world may have thought she was pulling the strings but Izumi knew better. They thought Nico Robin corrupted little innocent Rosan but Izumi knew better.


    The poor girl... she was just roped into the schemes of something she didn''t truly understand. Rosan would never love anyone like he had loved Meiko and Izumi.


    He was just using Nico Robin for his own goals... and she was totally entranced.


    She didn''t deserve to die because of the whims of the real perpetrator... in fact, Izumi thought she was rather pretty.


    Now wasn''t that an idea... The woman nearly felt her grin widen further.


    How broken would Rosan be, if she even stole Nico Robin from him~ Her dying would be such a waste!


    "Now, Rosan-chan was able to transport to Meiko very quickly and I''m sure he can do the same with you. Whatever he''s doing, get rid of it," Izumi demanded.


    Robin stilled at that and realized that yes, at any point in time, Rosan could activate her Save Point¡­


    If that happened¡­


    She hesitantly removed the pendant from her body and stared at it with a broken expression.


    "Do whatever you want with it. I have to at least inform that stupid blockhead that I''ve succeeded," Izumi said, turning on a heel and marching out of the room.


    Robin watched her go and her neutral mask vanished.


    "I know you''re going to be mad¡­ but I hope you can see that I just wanted to save you all," Robin whispered.


    Rosan was the sun. He was the type of person that always had someone gravitating around him with no effort, wielding a charisma that few people had.


    In comparison, Robin was one of his many moons. A reserved piece that was fine being one of the pieces that revolved around that sun.


    Because she was not a sun.


    In her eyes, Rosan''s survival was more essential then her own.


    So she wouldn''t let everyone else lose the gleam of the sun.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Chopper blinked in confusion.


    Where were Robin and Rosan?


    The reindeer frowned in confusion at that, before shrugging.


    They probably vanished like they always did¡­ maybe they went to get Demon!


    His fellow doctor might enjoy the books he bought!


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    The first thing the group of Nami, Usopp and Luffy set out to do, was exchange their gold for beri. So the group went to a Currency Exchange shop to do so.


    The appraiser there, offered the group 300 million for their pile of gold and while Usopp and Luffy were overjoyed, Nami was not so convinced.


    "I have three things to say," Nami smiled calmly to the appraiser. "One. This guy is worth 140 million and my big brother is a real Devil worth 100."


    She pointed at Luffy when she said that and the pirate smiled obliviously at that.


    Nami put up a second finger. "Two. I don''t agree with your appraisal. I know how much we should be offered, courtesy of that same Devil by the way, and 300 million is not it."


    Nami put up a third finger. "Three. Lie to me one more time and I''ll scalp you."


    The appraiser went pale at that.


    A few minutes later, the group was cheering at making a whopping 600 million beri!


    She was rich! Rich!


    Nami''s face briefly shifted into horror as she realized she really did make that face when thinking of money.


    After securing their money in 3 separate brief cases of 200 million (and having Usopp hold two because Luffy was incredibly irresponsible), the trio made their way over to see the shipwrights.


    It was there that they met¡­ the eccentric carpenters that were the Galley-La Headquarters employees.


    What was there to even say about them?


    There was square nosed Usopp (his name was Kaku), who had showed some impressive parkour skills, as he dashed off to go assess the damage to their ship.


    Then the mayor of Water 7 himself and his secretary, Iceburg and Kalifa¡­ who were even stranger then square Usopp.


    For a mayor, Iceburg was rather childish and irresponsible. He had recently acquired a pet mouse and named it Tyrannosaurus, canceled all his meetings because he didn''t feel like going, and got beat up by his secretary accidentally due to Luffy and Usopp insulting him.


    Then, after tearing up the letter Kokoro gave him (claiming the kiss mark was creepy), he offered to show them around the place¡­


    Which led to yet another strange encounter.


    Seriously, why couldn''t they just ever land on a normal island?


    A group known as the Franky Family, had clearly gained an interest in the money they had acquired and attempted to steal two briefcases but they were quickly dealt with by Luffy and another of the carpenters named Paulie¡­ who tried to take off with their money so he could pay off his debt collectors.


    Seriously¡­?


    Luffy was about to pursue the man named Paulie¡­ when yet another carpenter made their presence known and captured the man for them.


    He was a handsome and tall man with a pigeon on his shoulder that spoke in his stead.


    Rob Lucci was his name and the polite and stoic man easily returned their money to them, before Hattori, the pigeon, waved off their concerns.


    The Franky Family¡­ these strange carpenters, the lazy mayor¡­ Water 7 was really strange.


    Even despite being lazy, as Iceburg showed them around, it was clear that the man was very beloved in Water 7.


    As he showed the pirates around, Kaku appeared once more with a neutral expression on his face, back from his trip to gauging the damages of the Going Merry.


    "Hey, where''s Usopp?" Luffy asked curiously, noticing the sniper wasn''t with them anymore.


    Nami glanced back at that and shrugged. "He''s probably checking out all the little trinkets here. He left the briefcases behind so it''s fine."


    The navigator returned her attention to the one who went to evaluate their ship.


    "So how much will it cost? Don''t worry, we can pay it! Oh, we also want her to be more durable and add some cannons too and make it faster! Oh and some decorations on the hull too!" Luffy beamed excitedly, gazing at the carpenters with clear excitement.


    Neither noticed the grave look in Kaku''s eyes.


    "I''m going to have to stop you right there¡­ To be honest, it''s unnatural how well your ship looks¡­ despite how much damage its actually accumulated. It''s a well kept ship but that''s mostly artificial¡­"


    Nami looked concerned. "What are you saying?"


    Kaku looked sullen. "I''m not sure how you did it, but that ship shouldn''t have even made it here. It won''t be setting sail again."


    A wave of silence washed over the two, as shock coursed through them.


    "Was it the keel?" Paulie asked.


    Kaku nodded. "It''s been badly damaged. Even though someone tried to fix it already, there''s not much you can do when the keel is destroyed."


    He must have been talking about Rosan''s modification. Did the redhead know the keel was damaged?


    "But you guys are supposed to be the greatest carpenters in the world! How come you can''t fix the Merry?!" Luffy shouted, a frown on his face.


    Nami put a hand on his shoulder to calm him down. "Why can''t she be fixed? What''s wrong with her?" She asked in concern.


    "The keel. You know what the keel is, right lewd woman?" Paulie asked her.


    "It''s on the bottom of the ship," she replied.


    "Exactly. It''s the support that extends from stem to stern. That wooden beam is the most crucial part of a ship," Paulie explained gruffly.


    Every piece of lumber was positioned around the keel at the ship''s core. It was the very essence of the ship and trying to rebuild a keel, was the same as making an entirely new ship.


    Even if they were to make a second Going Merry, it wouldn''t be the same as the first because no two ships were the same.


    It was impossible to have the Going Merry that they knew and loved.


    She was as good as dead.


    "If we find a shipwright and they say they can''t repair our ship¡­ what will we do?"


    "Well, this is a good opportunity to just buy a new ship. Caravels are rather outdated so it was a risk to sail with it in the first place," Iceburg shrugged.


    "No. I don''t intend to change ships!" Luffy frowned.


    Nami gazed at her captain with sad eyes. "Luffy¡­"


    He was shaking his head in denial. "Our only ship is the Going Merry! Just this morning she was sailing without a single issue and your telling me we can''t repair her?! Like I''d ever believe you! You just don''t understand how stubborn our ship is!"


    Iceburg looked at Monkey D. Luffy with an unreadable expression on his face.


    "So you plan on sailing with her until she sinks? I''m amazed¡­ And you call yourself the ship''s captain."


    Luffy froze at that, silenced immediately by that simple statement.


    It''s your job as captain to make the hard decisions, and you have to keep our safety in mind.


    "The conversation is over I think. When you decide to buy a new ship, come back with that 600 million. With that much money, we can make you a brand new state of the art ship¡­ Kalifa," Iceburg said.


    The pretty secretary nodded and handed a catalog to Nami. "It''s a catalog of new and secondhand ships. With your budget, I''m sure none will be a problem but study the prices and pick one out."


    Luffy said nothing. He just stared at the catalog all the while.


    Eventually, he and Nami decided to head back and discuss this with the crew.


    "Hey¡­ this briefcase is really light," Luffy said with a confused look.


    Nami laughed lightheartedly. "There''s no way they should be light. There''s 200 million in each briefcase!"


    ¡­


    "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Nami shrieked in horror.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Chopper!"


    The reindeer looked up at that. "Oh! Sanji! Are you alright? You don''t look well."


    He was looking around and pursed his lips in concern.


    "Where''s Robin? What happened between her and Rosan?"


    Chopper frowned in confusion. "Something happened with them¡­? I was in the bookstore and when I came out, they were both gone¡­ I thought they went somewhere like they always do."


    Sanji shook his head. "I saw Rosan run by me earlier. He looked panicked and¡­ sad. I figured Robin and him got in an argument."


    The doctor looked concerned now. "They were a little tense earlier¡­ let''s look for Robin and ask her. I haven''t seen her at all. Maybe she went back to the ship?"


    The chef nodded in agreement. "Something weird is going on¡­"


    After all, Robin would never make Rosan cry, no matter the circumstances.


    Where was Rosan¡­ and where was Robin?


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "You have potential."


    These are the words Usopp would chant to himself, whenever he was in a bind or doubted his capabilities.


    Those were the words Rosan, their scout who never lied, told him one day to make Usopp see the value in himself.


    Well, their scout really was as big of a liar as Usopp himself because he was wrong. He had no potential at all because he was worthless.


    400 million down the drain. Because he couldn''t do anything.


    Because he was weak.


    He was foolish to even think he was ever going to catch up to the monsters of his crew. It didn''t matter who got caught off guard, every single one of his crew members would have been able to deal with them.


    All except him.


    "USOPP!" Nami shouted in horror as she approached his bruised and battered body.


    He was a mess, riddled in extensive injuries everywhere from the, no doubt, savage beat down that was just inflicted on him.


    "Did the Franky Family do this to you?" Nami asked, hoisting up the bruised sniper with concern in her eyes.


    "Yeah¡­ because I''m weak," Usopp sobbed brokenly, rasping as even speaking brought him pain.


    "They stole all of¡­ the money Nami! I can''t... face the others."


    Usopp''s statement was full of defeat and resignation, as tears streamed down his face and Nami had a look of shock on her face.


    "We were finally gonna be able¡­ to fix Merry..."


    "Don''t worry, Usopp! We''ll get that money back and even if we don''t, we can get more," Nami assured but the sniper wasn''t listening to her.


    "I can''t face the guys!" Usopp sobbed as he fell unconscious.


    Nami bit her lip in concern. "Clima can you summon a cloud please. These injuries are really bad..."


    "That would be unwise, Master Nami. His injuries are too extensive so we shouldn''t aggravate them. It''s best if we leave him here and bring the doctor to him instead, so we can get confirmation that he''s alright."


    She bit her lip but nodded.


    "MOVE OUT OF MY WAY!" Nami barked at the curious idiots, making her weapon spark to get her point across.


    It didn''t take long for them all to go pale and swiftly scatter, allowing her to make it to the Yagura Bull in peace.


    The navigator scowled at the actions of the Franky Family.


    She was going to sick every single Straw Hat, including Rosan, on them to teach the idiots why you never attacked one of their own.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "The Merry can''t be fixed?" Sanji repeated with a frown.


    "Is that really true?!" Chopper shouted in concern.


    "That''s what the shipwright said," Zoro said with a neutral expression.


    The reindeer crossed his hooves nervously. "What are we gonna do then? The Merry looks fine!"


    Sanji shook his head. "That''s because of Rosan. Don''t you remember what he said? Wood isn''t a material that he can modify a lot and he''s been modifying this ship since we entered the Grand Line¡­"


    That was true¡­ Since the very moment they entered the Grand Line, Rosan had been using Modification to repair their ship after just about every journey.


    If his statement was true, the ship really might be done for¡­


    "There''s no changing reality. Those three will decide what we''re going to do now," Zoro shrugged.


    Chopper and Sanji frowned and nodded.


    "That reminds me¡­ Zoro, have you seen Robin or Rosan?" Chopper asked.


    The swordsman raised a brow. "If they aren''t on the island, they probably went to the castle."


    Sanji shook his head in denial. "I don''t think so. I saw Rosan running away today¡­ and he looked like he was crying. He didn''t have Robin with him either so I think something happened."


    That made Zoro tense up.


    "What?" He repeated, standing up. "Rosan was crying? Because of Robin?" The swordsman asked incredulously.


    He did notice that during training, Rosan was throwing himself into training with a ferocity he hadn''t seen before and Robin herself was telling him to slow down¡­ but he had been around those two to know that the Devil Child would never go out of her way to make him cry.


    Rosan absolutely despised crying after all.


    "Something''s wrong," Zoro said grimly. "With both Robin and Rosan."


    The doctor and chef tensed up at that. "What do you mean?"


    Zoro explained his reasoning to them and they nodded at his words, noticing the oddities as well.


    What was going on? Ever since the encounter with Aokiji¡­ the way Rosan got so upset over Robin¡­ the way she feared for his life¡­


    Do you think any 8 year old deserves what you''re doing right now?! Do you think any child deserves what you think your stupid fucking definition of justice is? Don''t even try to delude yourself into thinking what you''re doing is justice right now. ROBIN WAS COMPLETELY INNOCENT AND YOU FUCKING MARINES RUINED HER LIFE! YOU THINK I''LL LET YOU TOUCH HER?!


    The absolute hatred in Rosan''s voice, as he threw caution to the wind to fight an unbeatable force.


    Now Rosan was crying somewhere, while Robin was completely missing¡­


    Who was Nico Robin? What was in her past, that caused Rosan to become so defensive over her well-being¡­


    Was it the reason she had gotten a bounty at just 8 years old?


    They were snapped out of their musings, as they noticed Nami approaching with a look of urgency on her face.


    Any greetings they had, died on their lips as they saw a look of urgency and panic in her eyes.


    "Nami-san are you okay?!" Sanji shouted in concern.


    "N-NO IT''S USOPP, HE''S BEEN SERIOUSLY HURT!" Nami shouted.


    "What happened to Usopp? Where''s Luffy?" Zoro asked in succession, eyes narrowed.


    Just what was going on today?


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "YOW! YOW! YOW! 400 MILLION?!"


    "YEP! 400 MILLION! WE DID IT BIG BRO!"


    A large hand raked through the stacks of money with clear excitement.


    "With this much money, I can get that thing I''ve always wanted and more!"


    Just 200 million would have been perfect but with double that¡­


    The Franky Family grinned excitedly at that.


    "Every time we got money, we''d bet on Yagura Bull races¡­" Someone shouted.


    "AND WE''D LOSE IT ALL!" The crowd finished.


    "Every time we captured someone with a bounty on their head, we''d throw a party¡­"


    "AND WE''D LOSE IT ALL!" The crowd cheered.


    "But now we have it all and it''s thanks to you guys," the masked man said, taking a few bills out of the stack. "Here, 10 million beris, its not much but throw yourselves a party!"


    He tossed the bills in the air and grinned at the cheers ringing through the air.


    "YOU''RE THE BEST BRO!"


    "PARTY!"


    "WOOOO!"


    With that settled, now he could go and buy the¡ª


    A deafening explosion rang throughout the base, as the world turned red.


    "AGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The Franky Family screamed as they were caught in it and burned.


    "What the?!" The leader shouted as he weathered the explosion, covering the two woman standing next to him.


    The aftereffects of the explosion cleared and when it all settled, Franky looked on with a stormy expression to see most of his men knocked unconscious with burns.


    "Give me back¡­ the money. I need to get my ship¡­ repaired," Usopp rasped, glaring into the room with raw anger and loading up another Explosive Mine Star for good measure.


    The gleaming red pellets attack had been mostly mitigated by the steel door but it was a testament to its power, that it was still able to cause so much damage.


    "You''re the one we took the money from!" One of the unscathed ones, Zambai said, thankful that he was in the far back of the room to avoid the brunt of the damage.


    "We thought he was weak but if he''s able to do that¡­" Another said nervously, glancing at the unconscious bodies of his allies.


    Franky stood up. ""You must really love that ship¡­ It''s a shame that with a crew that has Straw Hat Luffy or The Red Devil Rosan¡­ They chose you to guard the money."


    The giant of a man didn''t give Usopp the chance to fire that dangerous pellet.


    "Strong Right!" he shouted, extending his fist forward and connecting directly with his face.


    Usopp''s nose instantly broke, as the hellishly strong attack sent him flying outside of the base, knocked unconscious from the blow.


    Franky watched him go with a neutral expression. "I''m heading out. Tend to the wounds of the injured ones."


    And then he left, walking right past the unconscious Usopp without a care in the world.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Nami gnawed on her lip in worry as she guarded the ship.


    "Are you alright, Master Nami?"


    She immediately shook her head. "No, I''m not. Too many things are going wrong right now. Merry can''t be fixed. We just lost 400 million. Usopp got beat up badly. Robin is missing. Rosan is crying and missing¡­ I''m freaking out Clima."


    Everything had been going south since the moment they landed on this beautiful island.


    Robin loved Rosan. Nami saw the way she looked at him, saw the way he looked at her. Saw the way she let her guard down fully around the navigator''s older brother figure.


    Saw the way she cried for him, when she thought he was dead.


    The woman would never make her best friend cry. There were outside factors in play and Rosan was so emotionally charged (with emotions he couldn''t control) that he didn''t see it.


    This was bad. They needed to find Robin so that she could explain herself.


    Was it to distance herself from Rosan because the redhead was so willing to throw caution to the wind for her? She hadn''t been the same ever since the fight with Aokiji¡­


    Something was going on. Something really bad.


    "I understand Master Nami. Even I find all these series of events a little foreboding. I myself cannot even sense where Master Rosan is and I always can. All we can truly do is wait though."


    Waiting.. Nami really hated waiting.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Luffy, Zoro, Sanji and Chopper looked at Usopp''s prone and battered body with stony expressions.


    After being informed of what had happened by Nami. The chef, doctor and swordsman had quickly set out to find their sniper.


    There, they ran into Luffy¡­ but they didn''t find Usopp''s body anywhere.


    That''s when they noticed a trail of blood and realized, that the idiot had gotten up and moved.


    It didn''t take them long to figure out where he was but by the time they found him, it had been too late.


    The sniper lie unconscious and bleeding, with even more injuries then before because of this Franky Family¡­


    At once, all their gazes darkened.


    "Let''s go demolish that ridiculous house," Luffy said calmly.


    With that, they made their way over to the Franky House.


    "Hey pass the bandages over here!"


    "Ow ow ow! That hurts you dick!"


    "I thought you said he was a weakling!"


    "He didn''t put up a fight when we mugged him!"


    "Can someone please go buy some more food!"


    "Fine fine!"


    The giant Franky Family member opened the door¡ª


    And was greeted by 4 figures giving him deadly stares.


    Seconds later, the wounded Franky Family watched as one of the Kairiki Destroyers who just stepped out, was sent flying back in with enough force to crater the wall he crashed into.


    The Franky Family balked at that and glanced over at the entrance.


    What they saw made them sweat.


    Straw Hat Luffy, the man worth 140 million, was staring at them all.


    And he looked pissed.


    "D-Don''t be nervous guys! This is the captain of that long nosed guy! He can''t be that strong!"


    They forgot about how it was Usopp himself that left so many of them with these burns, in their efforts to psyche themselves up and it miraculously worked.


    That confidence very quickly vanished by the series of events that happened next.


    One of their Kairiki Destroyers, stepped up with an iron armor that could easily withstand punches from a cannonball.


    Straw Hat simply cocked a fist back and rammed it into the armor¡­ and it shattered on impact, knocking the gigantic human out in the process.


    That''s when they realized exactly why the Straw Hats were worth 400 million.


    "We''re going to break every single bone in every single one of your bodies," Luffy promised.


    The Franky Family tried shooting out a salvo of cannonballs to deter the Straw Hats with confident grins.


    Those confident grins vanished as Zoro leisurely stepped up and cut them all into pieces.


    "T-Those were made out of iron¡­" they stammered in disbelief, backing away as the swordsman proceeded to cleanly cut their actual cannons next.


    They were in trouble, they needed to leave this place now.


    "Where are you going?"


    The group froze, as the smoking blonde materialized in between them at speeds they couldn''t comprehend.


    "You''re the one who picked a fight so stay and finish it," Sanji declared.


    The blonde pushed himself into a handstand and said, "Party Table Kick Course!" shattering bones with every single spinning kick he landed on the Franky Family.


    "TRY THE WINDOWS!" Someone shouted.


    Chopper crunched a Rumble Ball and immediately transformed into his Horn Boost.


    "Colonnade Rose!" The reindeer bellowed, mowing through them with no effort at all.


    Zamba began panicking at their dwindling numbers.


    "W-Wait! If it''s the money you want, it''s already gone! Big bro Franky went and spent it¡­ he probably won''t be back until¡ª"


    His words were cut off, as a fist impacted with his cheek and instantly broke a tooth.


    "Don''t talk. It''s not about the money anymore," Sanji said gravely.


    "Yeah, it''s too late for that."


    "¡­" Chopper''s glare was even.


    Luffy cracked his knuckles idly.


    "Alright. Let''s break all their bones."


    What happened next, could only be described as a slaughter.


    The Franky Family tried everything in their power to put even a dent in the Straw Hats defenses but nothing worked.


    They were just forced to accept the beating thrown their way until the Straw Hats delivered on their wish and broke every single bone in their body¡­


    But they weren''t done their. So great was the beating delivered, the group ended up destroying the Franky Family''s base in the process.


    "Looks like they really don''t know where the money is," Sanji frowned, cleaning his shoes with the body of one of the members.


    "Even if we catch up to that Franky guy, if he spent it all¡­" Zoro pondered.


    "It''s no big deal¡­ we can get even more later¡­," the chef muttered. "We just have to decide what''s going on with the Merry, Robin and Rosan¡­"


    "Guys," Luffy suddenly said, catching their attention.


    Zoro, Sanji and Chopper glanced up at their captain, looming over the wreckage.


    "I''ve decided we''re saying goodbye to the Going Merry."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Iceburg sighed in annoyance, as the government official left the room.


    It was the same old, same old. Them asking for the blueprint and him telling them he had no clue what they were talking about.


    A knock on the door snapped him out of his musing.


    "It''s me, Kalifa."


    "Yeah. Come in," Iceburg said calmly.


    Kalifa entered with haste to regard the mayor. "Is your meeting over, Mr. Iceburg?"


    He nodded and said, "Yes, I''d like some black tea¡ª"


    "I already brewed some."


    Iceburg''s eyes widened. "Always on point, Kalifa! I have to commend you!"


    The woman simply smiled lightly. "Thank you¡­ Why do they come here all the time?"


    The man sighed, as he glanced at the posters of Nico Robin and the Red Devil, Rosan.


    "They want something I have is all."


    The Last Demon of Ohara and her alleged lover, the one who she took orders from¡­


    The last person on the planet that could find Pluton¡­ and she was allied with a Devil.


    That didn''t bode well.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Rosan and Robin are missing?" Luffy frowned in concern.


    Rosan was crying? That didn''t sound like his eldest brother. Rosan was like Ace, they hated when people cried.


    He thought it made a person weak, especially when they were sad tears.


    "We haven''t seen them since this morning," Sanji confirmed.


    "I just find it hard to believe that Robin made Rosan cry without an ulterior motive," Nami explained. "She loves him. No one is as patient with Rosan as she is and she knows exactly how to talk to him¡­"


    Knows exactly how to talk to him¡­


    "What if she ran him away?" Zoro said gravely. "You''re right, no one knows Rosan better then Robin does so she should know exactly what to say to separate the two of them."


    "Not only that¡­ that old lady mentioned that this isn''t just a place for pirates¡­ but World Government officials come here too," Sanji muttered in agreement.


    "We even saw some today!" Nami exclaimed with horror. "What if Robin saw someone dangerous and didn''t want Rosan to throw himself at them again?! What if she went after them herself?!"


    The crew went alert at that.


    "We need to go find them," Luffy decided, with a frown.


    All of them stopped at the sound of something crashing right outside their ship with a wispy noise.


    The group paused in shock, as an obsidian black horse unceremoniously dropped their missing scout on the stone floor. It was a terrifying mockery of a horse, with a plague doctors mask on its face and black wisp floating off its ghastly body.


    It let out a deep and unnatural rumble, before vanishing back into Rosan''s body.


    "R-Rosan!" Nami said happily. "You''re back¡ª"


    The redhead collapsed on his knees and threw up blood, causing them all to stop in concern that turned into terror, as he began screaming in agony.


    Rosa began spewing blood along with a strange inky black substance that began eating away at the stone, until it vanished as quick as it came.


    "Ugh!" Rosan kept puking the red and black liquid.


    "ROSAN?!" They shouted in horror, watching as the redhead strained to push himself up, before falling flat.


    They wasted no time leaping off the ship and approaching the puking redhead, shellshocked by the state he was in.


    Nami flinched at seeing his broken wrist, twisted horribly. In its limp palms, Ram lie there in the form of a key.


    Upon further inspection, they saw that the redhead''s outfit was soaking in red, his clothes were torn, his lips were bleeding with¡­ a kiss mark on it, there were bleeding scratch marks on his cheeks and his eyes were filled to the brim with a shuddering amount of fury, sclera completely black.


    "Rosan, what happened?!" Luffy shouted, closing the distance and grabbing his older brother, eyes going wide as his own body was instantly marred with blood.


    His brother was bleeding badly.


    Rosan huffed and threw up even more blood, a puddle beginning to form under him due to the wounds inflicting his body.


    They flipped him over and rested the redhead on his back.


    What they saw left them horrified.


    Holes. So many holes.


    Rosan''s entire midsection was filled with holes that looked like he had been shot repeatedly. The most concerning were the three much larger holes, that looked as if there was still something embedded into his skin.


    Each one leaked a steady amount of blood and it was a miracle their scout was even conscious because none of them were healing up.


    When they took a step back in horror, they noticed something.


    The holes formed a word.


    IZUMI.


    "What the hell," Sanji shuddered in horror at the condition of Rosan.


    "C-CHOPPER! IT''S ROSAN! HE NEEDS HELP BADLY!" Nami shouted in panic, watching just how much blood was making its way onto Luffy''s person.


    Rosan coughed wetly as those black sclera looked over at them. "We¡­ We need to¡­" He tried to say, voice distorting a bit before shifting back to normal.


    The redhead used his good arm to try and push up his body, only to fall back and send the blood under him flying in every direction.


    "R-Ro¡ª"


    He never finished his sentence because the redhead''s eyes shut and he went limp.


    Only his pained breathing, let them know he was still alive.


    "Who did this?" Zoro grunted in disbelief, eyes dark as he gazed at the scout. "Was it that damn Franky Family again?"


    "You saw how weak they were¡­ there''s no way they could have done this to Rosan," Sanji denied.


    "O-OH KAMI?! R-ROSAN!" Chopper shouted in terror as he saw the condition of their scout. "I-IT''S GONNA BE OKAY! WHAT HAPPENED?! O-OH NO! QUICK SOMEONE PLEASE CARRY HIM GENTLY!"


    That was the question of the hour.


    The crew didn''t realize just how much info Rosan and Robin supplied them with but without the two of them¡­ it was clear that they were akin to headless chickens...


    Just what happened? What was that black liquid? Were his eyes¡­ black?


    Who would do such a thing to Rosan?


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan awoke sluggishly.


    His confusion only lasted a moment, as raw panic settled in at the realization that he was being neutralized with Seastone. His arms were held above his head, with Seastone cuffs wrapped around a tiny pole.


    Memories of his time with Doc settled in but he felt no fear¡­ he had conquered his fear of that man on Skypiea.


    No, there was gears turning as he tried to gauge the situation he had been put in.


    He cooled his temper and began assessing the area he was in.


    It was an old and decrepit warehouse. There was no noise outside and there was quite a bit of dust accumulated so he assumed it was largely abandoned.


    A perfect place to bring and isolate a person.


    Based on the fact that they had access to seastone¡­ this wasn''t good for him. Seems like someone had been targeting him... how sloppy of him for letting his guard down.


    "Quite the predicament you''ve gotten yourself into, my little Rose."


    Rosan went still at that.


    "You''re all alone. Poor sweet Mod is sleeping and so is that ring who won''t stop slobbering over you. But don''t worry, I''m here with you," Pestilence assured soothingly.


    That brought him no peace.


    "Virus. What do you want?" Rosan snarled, keeping his outward expression cool as he gazed at the empty warehouse.


    He really didn''t like how this virus sounded exactly like his mother. It filled him with a hot rage, at hearing the mockery of his mother who had saved him from death.


    "I was expecting our meeting to be a bit more dramatic¡­ but you just keep forcing my hand by showing how pathetic you are¡­ Seriously, Rose. Illusions?" Pestilence asked mockingly.


    ...Illusions?


    "You mean that image of Meiko. It was an illusion?" He repeated.


    "Yup," they popped the p. "By a Devil Fruit user. If you were in a better mental space you might be able to resist it¡­ but you can''t. You''re weak to mental attacks after all and mental attacks of your soul mate¡­ Ouch."


    "You probably think you''re so funny," Rosan snarled, making the virus go silent in surprise. "Let''s see how funny you are when I rip you in half. Let''s see you crack a joke when I rip out your spine through your stomach and crush it."


    For a split moment, much to his satisfaction, he felt a slight tinge of fear that vanished almost instantly.


    "Ah ah ah! But Mod doesn''t want that does she? You wouldn''t want to disappoint her would you?" Pestilence asked cheekily. "Besides, I''m only trying to help you right now. Wouldn''t she be disappointed if you killed me for helping? She wants us to get along after all."


    "After everything you''ve done, you''re trying to help me?" He asked in disbelief.


    "Don''t misunderstand¡­ I just don''t want to be fully chained in that shitty castle again. It''s as much as my prison as it is yours¡­ even if it''s protecting me from you."


    Rosan said nothing. Was anyone ever going to show up?


    "I have no interest in letting anyone but me destroy your mental health," Pestilence admitted shamelessly, sneering at the redhead. "So I told you about the illusions. Now, I''m going to tell you that Nico Robin absolutely lied to you."


    The redhead froze at their statement.


    Robin¡­ lied to him? About what?


    "Don''t be such a dumbass. That "explosion" she had earlier? That was a lie. She was pushing you away. While you three idiots were allowing her to string you on, I was admiring her efforts at doing said stringing along..."


    "But like I said. I''m the only one allowed to affect your mental health. You''re mine," the virus finished darkly.


    The virus was acting on their own selfish whims. They were still not allies¡­ they just wanted to be free of the castles chains¡­ while doing whatever it was they did.


    Worst, he found himself listening to it because of how honest they were being currently. There was no reason to doubt any claims made so far because they made it clear they were acting in their own best interest¡­


    And he could see exactly what they were talking about.


    Robin had been stringing him along. She had been perfectly fine before, then she took a sudden pause, her mood shifted and she exploded on him.


    "Why?" He asked, already having an idea.


    Pestilence smiled at his compliance, pleased at their shoddy alliance. "If I were to guess, the same person who put you under the illusion, is the person that had her so worried."


    "But why didn''t she just approach me? I was right there," Rosan snarled in anger.


    "Because you''re a fucking idiot."


    ¡­Rosan let loose a warning growl.


    "Oh, didn''t like that one? Fine then, suicidal wielder. I''ll spell it out for you. You keep trying to die for her. She doesn''t see things the way you do. You don''t see it as throwing your life away but she does. She doesn''t understand that the moment you decide to fight, you decide to fight until you win... even if it''s an unbeatable force. To her, it looks like you''re committing suicide and she clearly doesn''t want that."


    "Hell, even I don''t want you dead. You''re way too useful for that."


    Rosan was silent. "The fight with Aokiji. It triggered her trauma and now she doesn''t trust in my or anyone in the crews capabilities."


    "Bingo~. That''s my boy."


    Pestilence jumped at the sudden roar of anger.


    "That. IDIOT! WHAT DOES SHE THINK SHE''S FUCKING DOING?!" Rosan roared in a moment of genuine rage that had the virus shuddering in excitement.


    Robin was doing something stupid right now. She was doing something incredibly goddamn stupid and it was pissing him off because he was tied up and couldn''t do a damn thing about it.


    He could tell. He could tell that his best friend was being a fucking dumbass.


    "Aww, it''s not so funny when someone else is doing it, huh?" Pestilence pointed out accurately.


    Rosan bit back his annoyance. Despite everything, the virus was being useful right now.


    "How are you even talking to me? You did this back on Daybreak Island as well," Rosan demanded.


    "I bet you''d love to know¡­" Pestilence hummed and Rosan hated how his mother''s voice was filled with such clear insanity.


    "I''m just a wee little virus, Rose. Didn''t Mod tell you? I am not the Devil Fruit. Seastone affects me, but not nearly as much as my dear Mod. At best, it restrains me from using some abilities."


    "Do not say Mod-chan''s name like that," Rosan warned lowly.


    The way they said it¡­ it was as if the virus only saw Mod as an accessory that belonged to them.


    He would not stand for it.


    There was silence for a moment, before a wave of hatred slammed into him that vanished as quickly as it came.


    "You fucking cunt," Pestilence snarled. "You don''t fucking get to tell me what the fuck I call my goddamn woman."


    Rosan raised a brow. "Your woman? Last I checked, Mod-chan was my mother and I do get to decide that. She loves me far more then she loves you, virus."


    "WATCH YOUR FUCKING MOUTH!" Pestilence roared.


    "Did I strike a nerve?" Rosan whispered cruelly, hatred in his gaze. "Are you upset that Mod-chan doesn''t belong to you anymore? Mad that she chose to base her appearance on me? Mad that the only reason she has a gender is because I decided it? Mad that I get to joke, sleep and bathe with someone you thought was yours? Is the little virus upset that they never even got to see Mod-chan''s naked body?"


    "I hate you," Pestilence hissed, so much venom in their tone, that Rosan knew they were never going to get along.


    "I fucking despise you, you woman stealing whore. You have all these people prostrating and begging you to fuck them and yet you''re never satisfied. Greedy selfish slut taking what was only mine."


    Mod belonged to Pestilence but the only thing on Mod''s mind, was Rosan. How dare this little bastard steal what was theirs?!


    "You give her emotions, a gender, a body and I couldn''t enjoy any of it. You stole Mod from me and I will never forgive you," Pestilence snarled, revealing their true colors.


    "We''re on the same page for once," Rosan snarled back. "Don''t you ever forget that this is my Devil Fruit you little parasite."


    Pestilence snarled even louder, but they were not truly as mad as they made it out to be.


    "Whatever, you bastard. I''ve already got everything I want now. Fuck Mod, you can have her," the virus thought to themself, grinning smugly as they gazed in a seemingly random direction.


    Before Pestilence could properly retort, the two went silent at the sound of footsteps.


    Rosan watched as a woman skipped into view of him, grinning widely as he made eye contact with her shaded face.


    She did a little spin.


    "Hey there, cheater!" The woman greeted.


    Rosan''s face had easily morphed into something neutral, but the moment he heard this person speak he immediately thought¡ª


    "Great, another psycho who''s obsessed with me."


    "Oh look. Another person who wants to fuck you," Pestilence sneered at the same time as him.


    "And just who are you to consider calling me a cheater? I don''t date," Rosan replied calmly, ignoring the seething virus.


    He glanced at the person with an appraising eye.


    Curly hair, curvy figure, olive skin, a black suit, long and sharp nails¡­


    "How cruel, darling! You don''t remember me," The woman sighed in faux sadness. "I even brought up an illusion of someone only the two of us should know."


    Illusion¡­ of Meiko?


    Wait. Hold on a minute.


    "You''re Izumi?" Rosan recalled the girls name easily, eyes going slightly wide in disbelief.


    Her grin widened. "You really do remember, darling! I''m so happy I could cry!" The woman crooned, removing her shades and revealing those dead teal eyes to him.


    Rosan''s mind was running a mile a minute at that very terrible revelation and he cursed himself for showing mercy back then.


    This was why he killed his enemies. Loose ends were just too troublesome.


    Izumi¡­ truthfully, he hardly spared the girl a thought these past few years. He of course would never forget the person who took away Meiko¡­ but she wasn''t someone he should have worried about.


    "Look how that turned out. At her complete mercy. With the way she''s looking at you... poor little Rosan might get raped," Pestilence barked a laugh.


    Rosan said nothing.


    "It''s been so long and you''ve grown so sexy! How could you never pay me a visit¡­ I''ve been a lonely woman without you, darling," Izumi sighed, taking a seat directly on his lap.


    The woman leaned in close and whispered, "You made such a bold claim saying what''s left of me belongs to you¡­ and you never expected to see me again? I''m still a virgin you know? I''ve been saving myself for you."


    "Oh look! I was right!"


    "Shut. Up."


    "No~,"


    Izumi laughed in an unhinged manner. "Do you remember those words you said to me that day? Well I do! I will never forget those words, darling. You and I are connected until one of us dies."


    Rosan said nothing but it seemed like she wasn''t done regardless.


    "You think after what you did to me, I''d be able to move on?" she hissed, gripping his cheek with her sharp nails and digging into him.


    "Poison," he thought to himself, side eyeing the nails.


    Her nails were embedded with a potent poison.


    "But we finally meet! And could you believe it when I saw that you dared to move on?!" Izumi ranted, cupping both his cheeks so that he could look at her.


    Rosan''s eyes narrowed slightly and she let out a delighted noise.


    "Can you believe it. The 100 million beri Devil, dating the 90 million Devil of Ohara. Must be the dream huh?" Izumi said, digging her nails into his skin tighter and tighter.


    "What did you do to Robin?" Rosan asked in a dangerous whisper, ignoring the venom injecting into his veins even despite the fact he didn''t have Modification.


    Even if it was completely burning his insides alive.


    Izumi dug her hips into him even harder and glared at him with a mentally unwell look.


    "Look at that. Even with me right in front of you, planting my ass on top of you and looking you right in your eyes, the only person you can think about is her," she whispered jealously.


    "Answer my question," Rosan snarled, baring his sharp fangs.


    Izumi shuddered in bliss at the rumble of his voice. "Even tied up and helpless, you still have such a presence to you! That''s the man I love!" She sighed.


    "I''m apart of Cipher Pol. CP9 specifically, an organization of assassin specialists that work for the World Government," Izumi revealed calmly, grabbing a strand of his lustrous red hair and twisting it between her fingers.


    Rosan froze at that and a look that sent a small tremor (this time, of repressed fear) made its way to his face.


    "What do you want with her?! WHAT DO YOU WANT WITH ROBIN?!" Rosan howled, thrashing in his cuffs.


    "Ah! Finally! That look of composure is gone!" Izumi''s dead eyes gleamed at that.


    He was going to rip her in half, promise to Meiko be damned. He was going to slaughter this stupid fucking girl¡ª


    Rosan went still, as Izumi suddenly took on the appearance of Meiko and dove for his lips.


    M-Meiko¡­?


    "Utterly hopeless. Even with the knowledge that it''s an illusion, you still stand no chance against it," Pestilence rumbled, watching in amusement, as Rosan''s defenses weakened drastically.


    Izumi mauled his lips with no remorse, grinning happily at the lack of resistance, even though she had to take the appearance of his dead lover to do so.


    The woman licked her lips at the taste, humming in delight.


    "Delicious. Now you''ve cheated on Robin too," Izumi said gleefully, pulling back with a manic smile, still appearing as Meiko to his eyes.


    "You¡­" Rosan said quietly. "You''d dare take her form after killing her?" He whispered hatefully, eyes roaring with brightness as glared at her with unrestrained fury.


    "I would¡­ and you know what?" Izumi smiled psychotically, form melting away until she took one of Robin. "I''ll take this form after Nico Robin is handed over to the World Government."


    Rosan froze at that. "What¡­?" He whispered in shock.


    Izumi giggled at his look. "I shouldn''t be telling you this¡­ but to be honest, my goal here has nothing to do with Nico Robin and everything to do with you, darling."


    The agent''s nails gleamed as she ripped Rosan''s shirt and crooned at his body.


    "You see, darling. Nico Robin loves you. Like really loves you," she muttered, sinking a finger into his chest with a "Shigan."


    Rosan grunted at the finger piercing his skin but largely looked unbothered.


    Izumi smiled at his lack of reaction and removed her bloody finger.


    "She loves you so much, that she''s willing to sacrifice herself just so you can stay safe. I''m not even supposed to be here hurting you, but she doesn''t need to know that," the girl hummed, sinking another finger right below the first one, this time with her middle finger.


    Rosan felt the fiery venom coursing through his veins even quicker but ignored it in favor of digesting Izumi''s words.


    So she really was being a fucking idiot. Goddammit, Robin.


    "Your tolerance to pain is admirable. Makes up for your severely lacking mental resistances," Pestilence mocked, enjoying the view with an amused smile.


    "For all intents and purposes¡­ CP9''s mission is a success. We have Nico Robin in our grasp and we can just slink away and let her disappear¡­"


    Izumi''s smile vanished for the first time.


    "...But that''s not my mission."


    She sunk another finger into his body, making yet another hole in his body.


    "You see darling, ever since that day you made me kill my older brother. I haven''t been able to feel anything really," Izumi declared.


    Another stab. Rosan convulsed a bit at the powerful venom being repeatedly injected into his system.


    "Well, that''s not really true. I did feel something... I felt my body convulsing after you brutally branded me," she grinned. "You''re so sweet for that~ Making sure I never forget you. You sure are possessive!"


    Another stab.


    "On that day, a little after you left, I was found by the Marines. I was surrounded by a body of corpses and left staring at my brothers mutilated body with a feeling of emptiness and pain inside me," she said quietly.


    Another stab.


    She forced Rosan to hold her gaze.


    "Do you want to know the first thing the Marines asked a lone suspect in the middle of corpses?" Izumi asked bitterly.


    "Who did this to you?"


    The woman threw her head back and laughed at that. It was a long hysterical laughter as her voice threatened to crack.


    "Can you believe it?! I was so weak, they didn''t even throw a hint of caution onto me! They just thought I was lucky to be spared! This girl is too pathetic to have been able to do this! This girl, surrounded by the dead bodies of wanted criminals is lucky to be alive! T-They even gave me their bounty money because of the fact no one could claim it!" The woman cackled.


    Another stab, this one more vicious then the others and Izumi gazed into his eyes with bursting emotion.


    "I have no presence, no potential, no strength. The few things I had, were taken away by you," she hissed. "The only thing I have left, is this twisted feeling inside of me whenever I think of the Red Devil. This feeling of love that has been festering for years. It''s waiting to burst out and just seeing you, makes me so happy!"


    Another stab.


    "This is not love," Rosan finally responded, blood pouring from his mouth as his body whined in pain. "What you feel for me is hate and nothing else. "


    "YOU SHUT YOUR MOUTH!" She howled suddenly, stabbing one spot repeatedly, making the redhead shut his eyes in agony.


    "YOU DON''T GET TO TELL ME WHAT MY FEELINGS ARE! YOU DON''T GET TO TAKE ANYTHING ELSE AWAY FROM ME!"


    Izumi panted as she continuously stabbed at the redhead who defined her entire life.


    "You fuel me! You drive me! I''ve only gotten this strong because of you! The only time I feel anything, is when I''m thinking of you! You''re the only one who makes my heart beat with anything! My whole life, revolves around you! WHAT IS THAT IF IT IS NOT LOVE?!"


    She stepped back and ripped open her suit, showing the bandages underneath before she ripped those away too.


    The wrap fell away, exposing the woman''s nude upper half without hesitation.


    "LOOK AT ME! LOOK WHAT YOU''VE DONE! YOU EXPECT ME TO ABLE TO MOVE ON AFTER YOU MARKED ME AS YOURS SO BRUTALLY?!" Izumi howled, pointing at the obsidian black rose tattoo that Rosan had personally given her.


    "You will never get rid of me and once I''m done with you, I''ll give you your own mark that makes you mine. That way, we''ll never be separated from each other. We will be connected down to our skin," she hissed, sitting on Rosan once more, utterly unmindful of her extreme showing of skin.


    Rosan looked at the monster he created with a shocked gaze, unable to believe that she had turned into this.


    "You made this. You have a very dangerous charismatic aura and now it''s biting you in the ass. It''s all your fault. It always is."


    The redhead coughed up blood and huffed at the staggering amount he was losing.


    "But can you believe that even after joining the Marines that found me¡­ even after slaving away every single day until I couldn''t move¡­ Even after eating this Devil Fruit... I''m hardly a thought to you," Izumi said quietly.


    "Nothing I did matters because your still this much stronger then me. I''ve spent a majority of my life thinking about you and I''m barely a blip on your radar. So I''m going to break you in the only way I know how¡­ by taking someone away from you and then you''ll never take your thoughts off me again," she promised, stabbing him again.


    "Do you like my technique by the way? After that day, I can''t even properly wield a firearm anymore! The thought that everything went wrong because I missed a shot¡­ it keeps me up at night and the sounds of a gun firing, reminds me of it all," The agent revealed with a gleam.


    She took her pointed finger and sunk it into him for the umpteenth time.


    "But I can''t miss with this gun. If I can''t use normal guns, I''ll make this gun stronger then any I could wield. Venom that shuts down the body, nails as sharp as steel¡­"


    Izumi accentuated her point by stabbing him over and over again, unmindful that every one of her fingers were riddled with red.


    "Oh how could I forget!" She beamed, standing up and grasping something from her pocket.


    "I guess you can count this gun too!" The illusionist exclaimed, pointing the strange mockery of a pistol at him. "I went through a lot of pain trying to wield this... but I''ll do anything for you, darling~ Aren''t I just the perfect girlfriend?!"


    Without hesitation, Izumi clicked the trigger 3 times, shooting nails that embedded in three different parts of his body.


    Rosan howled as they embedded inside of him, eyes fluttering as the agony threatened to knock him unconscious.


    "Do you like it? You probably can''t tell... but those are seastone nails. That''s the only reason I can shoot them," Izumi explained with a demented smile, reveling in how Rosan howled.


    "I don''t close my eyes anymore either. I''ve stared at everyone I killed to make sure the person I killed, is the person I wanted dead," she whispered manically, sitting on him once more.


    "Puppet. That''s what they call me and they''re right. I''m just a puppet being controlled by the threads that you latched onto me for 12 years¡­"


    Izumi stood up, satisfied with her work.


    "...But no more. The puppet is going to turn on its creator and set themselves free."


    Rosan''s chest was marred with carefully placed holes and when looked at all together, it spelled out Izumi in a horrific display of red and black.


    "How long I''ve waited for this. This, this is justice," the agent said, repeating the same words he had said to her, moments before she tortured her own brother.


    "We''re going to Enies Lobby¡­ I bet you''re wondering why I''m telling you this. Why am I revealing such crucial information? Why aren''t I just capturing you? I have you right where I want you so why why why?" The woman smiled as she began buttoning up her suit.


    Rosan said nothing, huffing as he forced himself to stay awake. His body was burning, venom coursing through his veins as his lungs struggled to intake air.


    He was losing a lot of blood right now and since he was neutralized by seastone, with seastone embedded into his body, the Philosopher''s Stone was working at a terribly slow pace.


    "I want you to try and save Nico Robin like you tried to save sweet little Meiko," Izumi declared. "I want you to give it your all. I want to see how far your willing to go to save someone you love¡­"


    "...And I want you to realize it was all for naught. Only then, will I fully break you."


    Izumi''s dark look was gone, replaced by that same love filled smile. Right before she fully closed her outfit, the woman bent over and wiggled her breasts in his face, before capturing his lips one last time in a forced kiss, making sure to force her tongue down his throat.


    Finally, she pulled back and bit his lip for good measure, licking his blood fully off her own lips and teeth as she fully hid her modesty once more.


    "Toodles, darling! I hope you find a way to break out of that in time to save your woman. Next time we meet, let''s get started on having kids~ I want at least 4!" she chimed.


    And just like that, Izumi was gone.


    "My oh my, she sure did a number on you, little Rose. Even I feel bad."


    Rosan wasn''t listening to the virus. No, the redhead was gritting his bloody teeth in hot boiling rage.


    He was going to slap the shit out of Robin.


    How could she be so fucking stupid?!


    He didn''t give a fuck about Izumi. He didn''t care about the monster he created. He didn''t care that his body was screaming in agony. He didn''t care that she violated him. He didn''t care about this virus antagonizing him.


    The only thing he cared about, was getting Robin back.


    "Mmm! Even I can''t resist such charisma! It''s no wonder you managed to steal Mod from me. Hell, if she didn''t lock me away, I might have even cooperated with you," Pestilence grinned.


    "So then, what will you do, Rose? How do you plan on getting out of this situation? Do you want some advice from me¡ª,"


    Crack.


    Pestilence paused, actually stunned silent, as Rosan dislocated his cuffed wrist without any hesitation, even despite the fact that he had just been violently tortured.


    "He''s a psycho," they thought to themselves, filled with just as much fear as they did admiration.


    He really was the perfect wielder~


    The redhead simply huffed and focused hard on Ram, tapping into their weak connection and forcing the unconscious ring to transform into a key.


    Gripping her in his good hand, the redhead tentatively aimed for where the keyhole should be on the cuff, using his hand and angling the broken appendage in a way that should make it easier (ignoring the extreme pain this caused his already tired body).


    He stamped down his snarl of annoyance and composed himself to the best of his ability because if he dropped the key, it was all over.


    It was just really hard, when the only thing on his mind was his absolute rage at Robin''s stupidity and the overwhelming desire to scream at her.


    He was really going to slap the hell out of her. Words couldn''t even begin to describe how pissed he was with ¡ª


    Rosan huffed and spit out the backed up blood in his throat to compose himself.


    Once more, the redhead aimed Ram and was satisfied to finally make headway. He inserted his weapon into the keyhole and painstakingly turned it.


    Click.


    It was a good thing Ram was not a Devil Fruit.


    "You''re free. Much faster then 3 months I''d say. Impressive¡­ I especially liked the part where you broke your own wrist."


    Rosan ignored them and fell to his knees as he threw up blood.


    Because of Izumi''s nails, there was poison in his bloodstream. There was seastone deeply embedded in his body...


    That was not good for his recovery or using his abilities.


    He tried to reach out to his connection with Mod-chan and nearly screamed in frustration at not feeling her. Even despite being free, the seastone nails still fully neutralized him.


    "It''s just me. If you want, you can call me daddy and I''ll be your replacement until she comes back. I''m not quite a fan of being your mother or especially your whore."


    "The safety of that castle won''t last forever," Rosan assured, clutching his midsection and getting blood all over his tattered outfit as a result.


    "It may not, but for now it is," they said confidently.


    Rosan shut his eyes. He had more things to worry about. The virus wasn''t going anywhere.


    Robin was going to Enies Lobby.


    Enies Lobby was one of the World Government''s three strongholds and a place Rosan would have liked to avoid at all costs until he was strong enough to burn it all to the ground.


    This also applied to Impel Down and Marineford.


    If Robin was really going to Enies Lobby, then that meant that she''d be almost impossible to retrieve unless he directly attacked them.


    The idiot thought she was protecting him, but Robin didn''t realize Rosan would even storm Marine Headquarters to get her back.


    If he was too late to stop her from being sent to Impel Down¡­ then he''d just storm Impel Down.


    But it wouldn''t get to that. No, he''d save her before that even happened.


    He just¡­ needed to recover¡­ his strength.


    Cipher Pol¡­ he''d kill them all if he had to. He''d show Robin, that her fears were unwarranted.


    Then¡­ he''d slap the shit outta her.


    "You''re hell bent on slapping the shit outta her. Should I call this abuse?"


    He barely had any power right now but perhaps if he focused really hard, he could use the remaining vestiges of Modification to activate someones Save Point.


    It was obvious what choice he came to. Luffy should be made aware of this at the very least and Chopper could check up on him.


    The redhead panted slightly and shut his eyes, as the pain threatened to overwhelm him and he dug in deep to rip out the remaining Modification¡­


    Only to fail.


    "You really thought you could overpower Seastone?" Pestilence asked in amusement. "That "remaining" Modification is your innate abilities. It''s the part that will never disappear even if your power is sapped. It''s how your body was able to continue operating with Modification even while you were restrained. A good alternative would be to call it your Devil Fruit''s soul."


    "Shut the fuck up," he snarled.


    "I doubt someone like you would bleed out, but I''d prefer not to risk it¡­" Pestilence hummed in contemplation as they completely ignored the redhead.


    "Fine¡­ I suppose I can help you out. I don''t want you dead. You dying is actually the worst case scenario for me."


    Rosan didn''t understand how his death would be so bad for the virus who was a prisoner. Why the hell would she want him alive?


    "If you want my help, you have to be accepting of what I''m about to do¡­ otherwise I can''t do it," Pestilence offered.


    "And why the hell should I trust you?"


    "Do you want to save Robin or not? I told you, I don''t want to be locked up so tightly in this fucking castle again. I enjoy experiencing sensations of the outside world and if Robin dies, I can kiss this castle ever opening again goodbye."


    Rosan huffed. "...Fine. I can feel you telling the truth."


    "I have no reason to lie to you. I''ve been very honest since the moment we''ve been speaking. You know I have no love for you," Pestilence grinned sardonically.


    "What exactly is your ability?" he asked warily.


    "Mine?"Pestilence laughed sardonically. "I am destruction, Rose. I am the plague that sweeps the land. The virus who''s very touch degrades. Destruction given form at the hands of Modification. Pestilence, the Apocalypse."


    "...And will you turn that on me?" Rosan asked seriously, willing to walk the distance if he had to.


    "Believe it or not, no. I have no plans to turn my power onto you. You and I aren''t so different you know," Pestilence snorted.


    Not like turning it on him would work. Rosan was perfect for them.


    A truth... but why was that the truth? Rosan couldn''t understand what Pestilence wanted...


    Pestilence sounded as if they were already content... but why did they sound like that?


    "Now let me in," they whispered seductively. "The first time always hurts like a bitch so brace yourself¡­ or don''t. I don''t care."


    Rosan let loose a deep breath and said, "Go."


    Pestilence grinned widely.


    "White Horse."


    "!" Rosan howled as a black aura began surrounding his body. The destructive aura began degrading the very concrete of the warehouse as it began ripping itself off of his body.


    He stared in pain, as the black aura coalesced into an obsidian black horse with pulsing red eyes.


    It looked unnatural to the eyes, with wisps of black smoke rising off of it and a plague doctors mask on it''s ghastly muzzle.


    "Not bad at all. You''re a prize catch indeed little Rose. Any normal wielder would have suffered permanent damage from utilizing my energy but for you¡­ even with these injuries¡­ yes, you''re just perfect."


    He had the perfect constitution to wield their power. Pestilence would never let him go, no matter what he thought.


    He belonged to them.


    "Oh and before you ask, yes technique named White Horse summons black horse. I named myself Pestilence because it was fitting and your whole Reaper motif was already Death¡­ figured I could continue the Four Horseman theme¡­ I have style too."


    Rosan blearily listened to them, head lolling as the horse neighed regally and dumped him on its body.


    "What? Too shocked for words?" Pestilence mocked. "I thought I was doing something. Reaper is Death, Rosan is War, so of course I, the Virus would be Pestilence. Perhaps we could call that ring Famine, considering they eat to gain power."


    "Shut¡­ up¡­ I''m in no mood for your jokes." He growled weakly.


    Pestilence laughed mockingly but went silent.


    Rosan, even in his total state of weakness, could only think one thing to himself.


    "If Pestilence named themselves due to Reaper being Death¡­ How did Mod-chan know their name?"

 Threads of a Puppet II

    Chopper was shocked to see that Rosan wasn''t instantly healing from his injuries, but a quick inspection showed him why.


    "Even after removing those seastone nails, his body is still completely shut down," the reindeer frowned worriedly.


    The strange thing about Rosan, was that when his body shut down, Modification did too. Much like when the redhead had been knocked unconscious during the Knock-Up Stream, his body would need to "reboot".


    Considering his extensive injuries, Modification might even see it fit to prioritize putting him in a functioning state before he could emit it.


    He managed to somewhat stabilize the redhead''s body and had diligently wrapped up his entire chest with bandages, while taping up his broken wrist as well.


    At the very least, he managed to rid Rosan of most of that poison coursing through his veins. It wasn''t lethal, it acted more so like a Komodo Dragon''s poison, but amped up.


    Coupled with the fact that he had also been tending to Usopp, Chopper was exhausted.


    "What happened to you, Rosan?" Chopper said sadly as he gazed at the red stained bandages of the slowly healing Rosan.


    Back to back, he had to repair his scout from terrible conditions and for Chopper, who thought Rosan was one of the strongest guys around, this was a humbling experience.


    Three times in quick succession, the redhead needed to be repaired up. Once from Enel, once from Aokiji and now this¡­


    Just how many strong people were out there?


    The doctor sighed and jumped down to go check on Usopp, hooves clanking against the floor as he made his way over to the sniper.


    What he saw filled him with as much happiness as this terrible situation could give him.


    "USOPP! YOU''RE AWAKE!" Chopper squealed happily, before going quiet at realizing Rosan was very much still asleep.


    It was rare to get the redhead to stay in one place¡­ they didn''t need to wake him up yet.


    Usopp looked a little confused, before he registered the pain he was in and clutched his chest.


    And then he remembered why he was like this.


    The sniper shot up with wild eyes and pushed himself off the bed with urgency, stumbling as pain shot through his body once more and he hastily departed from the room.


    "U-Usopp! Wait, you shouldn''t be moving yet!" Chopper exclaimed in worry, following after the liar with concerned eyes.


    Usopp wasn''t listening. Despite his body screaming at him to stop, the liar burst out of the room and panted once he saw the time of day.


    Was he too late¡­?


    "USOPP!" Luffy shouted in excitement, rushing over to the sniper. "You''re awake!"


    The rest of the Straw Hats, sans Rosan and Robin, crowded their injured sniper and Usopp felt his guilt well up.


    "You guys¡­" He said quietly, hanging his head. "I''m sorry, I lost the 400 million¡­ and I''m guessing we weren''t able to get it back?"


    Sanji shook his head. "That Franky guy is long gone."


    They didn''t know what direction he went in so going after him was a bust and the only one who could do so without getting tired, was currently severely injured.


    "Don''t worry about it!" Luffy waved him off cheerfully.


    Usopp felt a little better at that. "Yeah¡­ you''re right! We still have 200 million left and if we really do need more to repair the Merry, we can just have Rosan cut up even more of that gold pillar!"


    He did not notice everyone tense up.


    "I''ll just have to get stronger so this doesn''t happen again but Merry can still be fixed! 200 million should be more then enough, right?"


    "¡­" the crew said nothing for a moment.


    Usopp still wasn''t paying attention to the crew, just letting out a small sigh of relief.


    "You hear that Merry? You can still be fixed¡ª"


    "About that Usopp¡­ we''re getting a new ship. We owe a lot to the Going Merry, but this island is as far as she''ll sail," Luffy finally said.


    Usopp froze in confusion, a puzzled expression taking over.


    "What?" He asked.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    It was noisy. Too noisy. Why was it so noisy?


    "Awake already? I''ve noticed you always wake up first out of your little trio."


    Tch. They were still here.


    "After what I did for you?" Pestilence sounded offended. "Not even a "thank you for letting me use your horse, daddy" out of you? Mod sure raised a belligerent little brat. Maybe daddy needs to discipline you."


    "Your voice grates on my ears."


    "Good."


    Rosan bit back a noise of pain, as his body screamed at him to lie back down and the redhead slowly pushed himself up.


    He glanced down at his figure and noted that he was wrapped up in red stained bandages¡­ but at least the poison coursing through his veins had been dealt with somewhat.


    The seastone nails had been removed as well... but his powers were still not here?


    Why?


    "Your body is too damaged so it has entered sleep mode to prioritize your insides. You''ve taken even more damage than your battle with the delusional Kami. Once your body is in a sufficient state, Modification should wake up from its dormant state."


    "And when is that?" Rosan asked in frustration.


    "Not anytime soon. Not only does it need to flush out the remaining poison. You were impaled with seastone and your body completely shut down."


    Rosan snarled in annoyance and stamped down his bad mood.


    He would sleep it off and pray for the best. He didn''t know what was in Izumi''s poison, but once he recovered, it wouldn''t work again.


    Now, why was his crew arguing?


    "IS THIS ALL THIS SHIP MEANS TO YOU?! AFTER EVERYTHING, YOU''RE JUST GONNA LET HER SINK?!"


    "You''re not an expert! You aren''t the shipwright which is why we came here in the first place!"


    "Mmm drama."


    Rosan sighed and shut his eyes tightly.


    Usopp and Luffy were arguing about the ship. He figured her time was up but he didn''t think someone would be in denial about it.


    Why were they just now arguing about it though? Rosan would have thought they''d been told this at the actual place.


    Well, whatever. He needed to stop this.


    He owed this much to Merry. She probably wanted to avoid this.


    The redhead idly transformed Ram back into a ring and placed her on his left ring finger again, before slowly trudging to where the argument was steadily getting louder.


    "THE LUFFY I KNOW WOULD HAVE SEEN THROUGH THAT HALF-ASSED SALES PITCH AND HAVE FAITH IN THE GOING MERRY! BUT NOW YOU''RE MAKING SUCH A STUPID DECISION?! HOW CAN YOU CALL YOURSELF THE SHIP''S CAPTAIN!"


    Rosan''s eyes narrowed at that statement and he entered the room.


    "That''s enough Usopp," he said quietly.


    Everyone''s eyes snapped to him and he felt a wave of relief course through the air.


    Usopp''s eyes narrowed even further, too caught up in his own anger.


    "R-Rosan!" Chopper shouted. "You shouldn''t be moving right now! Please get some rest! How are you even moving?!"


    Were they too loud? The redhead had been dead to the world before...


    "He''s right, Rosan. You were really beat up!" Nami exclaimed, tearing her eyes momentarily off the mounting argument to gaze worriedly at the injured redhead.


    Rosan grunted as Nami steadied him but shook his head. "There are more pressing matters right now then my state¡ª"


    "I get it now."


    Everyone went silent at that tone of realization from Usopp.


    "It''s because of you Rosan," Usopp realized with an angry expression. "You and your stupid pessimism!"


    The redhead tilted his head to the side, glow in his eyes vanishing as they narrowed warningly.


    "!" Everyone jumped at Usopp lashing out at the redhead and glanced cautiously at the redhead tilting his head.


    "You keep bringing up things like how Merry won''t last much longer or how we should consider getting a new ship but that''s because you just don''t trust her! You don''t ever want to trust anyone!" Usopp barked in real anger.


    "Now you''ve managed to even give everyone here doubts about Merry and they actually believe those con artists carpenters!"


    "¡­" Rosan took a deep breath. "The Merry will not survive another trip and you should accept that. Do not allow your insecurities to cloud your better judgement. We have more pressing matters to worry about," he said, rather coldly (he was attempting to stifle his emotions to the best of his ability).


    It was late and he didn''t have access to Modification at the moment (When would it come back?). He''d need to think of something in the meantime and considering CP9 were assassins, he couldn''t send his crew out in the looming dark for their pickings.


    Only Luffy with his Observation and Zoro with his Armament would be completely fine. The others would be easy pickings, barring Sanji.


    Sure he could send Luffy... but his brother wasn''t subtle. He''d need someone with him but Rosan wasn''t sure how many CP9 members there were and he couldn''t check either... not to mention Izumi''s illusions would capture the vulnerable Luffy (Maro''s illusions were why she could so comfortably beat him).


    So they''d need to begin searching for her tomorrow¡­ he''d need Luffy to keep his Observation active at all time and maybe he''d have Modification bac¡ª


    "You don''t actually care about any of us, do you?"


    Rosan paused at that and turned a frigid gaze towards Usopp, a warning look in his eyes that the sniper should really stop talking.


    "More pressing matters? This is our ship!" Usopp hissed with a wild anger in his eyes. "But to you Merry is just that. A ship! You don''t have time to pay attention to useless things because the world revolves around you! If she sinks then oh well, you''ll just discard her and get another one! That''s how you think of us isn''t it?!"


    "Usopp, that''s enough!" Sanji said firmly. "You''re taking this too far. You need to sit back and cool down."


    "Of course I''m the one taking it too far! Rosan can''t do anything wrong can he?" Usopp snarled, making the chef flinch in surprise. "No. He''s Mr. Perfect Scout who solves all our issues! So of course you''d all side with him and want to get rid of the Merry¡ª"


    A hand grasped him by the neck and slammed him into a wall, making the sniper gasp in pain.


    "Gagh!" Usopp groaned, clawing at the hand gripping his throat.


    Glowing eyes glared at him with barely repressed fury in them.


    "Who the fuck do you think you are?" Rosan hissed venomously, eyes murderous.


    "Who do you think you are to claim that I''m this perfect person who is incapable of making mistakes? What do you think you know about me to make such claims as if they were fact? You don''t know a damn thing about me, you stupid fucking liar," the redhead snarled.


    "ROSAN! STOP!" Chopper and Nami urged, grabbing the redhead and pulling him off of Usopp.


    They were both way too injured to be so active right now!


    The redhead didn''t hear them. He never could hear properly when he was lost in his rage.


    "You feel connected to this ship, because you feel useless compared to everyone else. In your eyes, the only thing your good for, is caring for the ship your girlfriend gifted us but that''s not our problem. That''s yours," Rosan snarled, ignoring his pain due to his boiling anger.


    "Rosan, seriously!" Nami pleaded.


    Their scout didn''t know what just happened to Usopp. He didn''t know the sniper was at his lowest already. This wasn''t making things better!


    Rosan ignored her. His eyes were glowing in fury and his teeth were bared as he spewed venom.


    The crew themselves didn''t realize that Rosan was already extremely stressed and in an incredibly volatile state right now. Usopp had just been the first one to fully set him off.


    "If you had such an inferiority complex, you would have done something about it instead of letting it fester. Now, you''re trying to risk all our lives to save a ship that''s already finished because it''s the only time you do feel useful," Rosan sneered.


    His words were purely toxic, hitting every point like a bullseye because no one could hide anything from those eyes of his.


    "Well take it from someone who you think is so perfect," the redhead growled. "I''ve already gambled with someone''s life because I couldn''t control my emotions and I lost everything. I''ll be damned if I let you try and do the same thing."


    Everyone shuddered at that statement.


    It didn''t take a genius to realize who Rosan was talking about.


    The redhead covered his mouth with a hand, as he went into a coughing fit and they gazed worriedly at the flecks of red.


    "Rosan you need to rest," Nami pleaded, holding him with clear concern. "You shouldn''t be expending so much effort right now, either of you!"


    Rosan huffed and sagged in her grasp, bigger frame draping weakly over Nami.


    "This ship has been finished since our trip to Sky Island. She... couldn''t handle the pressure of the Knock-up Stream and her keel cracked. I was hoping¡­ the shipwrights would have helped you see that without me having to say something, but I wasn''t expecting you to be so¡­ irrational," he panted, shutting his eyes.


    "You knew this whole time?" Everyone asked in shock.


    Was that why he was nudging them towards the possibility of getting a new ship?


    "Of course but you''d be reluctant to believe me¡­ Which is why I left it in the hands of the carpenters. If¡­ you¡­ still refused to believe them then I''d reinforce their words¡­"


    Rosan''s eyes turned heavy as he felt the lull of sleep calling to him and Nami steadied the swaying redhead with the help of Sanji.


    He expended too much energy. Damn it¡­


    "I won''t discuss this topic¡­ again¡­ when I wake up, I have faith that you guys will¡­ have moved on. I need to discuss something with you all of utmost urgency," Rosan said tiredly.


    With that, he allowed the wave to fully wash over him and the redhead slumped unconscious.


    Rosan''s words did nothing to quell Usopp. In fact, they only made his temper flare even more.


    The redhead was not the only one stressed from the events of the day.


    "So he knew this whole time¡­ he really doesn''t trust anyone of us and you all are totally okay with that!" Usopp growled.


    They jolted at his words and gazed in shock at the sniper, not believing this only made him more upset.


    "He doesn''t tell us anything and marches around and gives orders that we''re expected to follow! If we question him he just dismisses us and none of you even care! Especially you, Luffy! I thought you were the captain of the ship but it doesn''t feel like it!" Usopp growled, rounding on the rubber boy.


    Luffy''s eyes darkened.


    "Usopp," Zoro said warningly.


    "Rosan didn''t affect my decision. I already made up my mind, Usopp. We''re parting ways with the Merry here and if you have a problem with that then¡ª"


    Luffy was cut off, as a kick from Sanji sent him crashing into a wall.


    Nami shrieked at the loud noise.


    What was going on? Everything was just snowballing out of control right now!


    "Hey, hey. Just what were you about to say?!" Sanji barked at the rubber boy. "None of you are thinking straight right now! Cool down and we can discuss this another time!"


    Luffy snapped out of his anger and nodded. "You''re right. Sorry, I didn''t mean that."


    "No it''s alright. That''s probably how you all feel."


    "?!"


    Usopp huffed and got up, ignoring the pain of his body. "Merry is just the beginning. You just want to get rid of useless members one after the other."


    Your reasoning for lying means very little to me. If you find comfort in deluding yourself to reality, be my guest. Just don''t apply the same thing to me. I''m not such a coward that I''d run away from the truth of my life.


    "Usopp, stop talking like that," Sanji demanded.


    The sniper shook his head violently. "No I''m serious. Quite frankly, I can''t keep up with the monsters of this crew. I''m just a liability."


    Luffy, Rosan, Zoro, Sanji, Robin¡­ even Nami and Chopper were becoming monsters in their own right.


    And he was just here.


    You lie nonstop about even the simplest of things, you''re a complete coward and it makes you a liability.


    A wave of confusion coursed through the crew.


    "Huh?" Chopper said quietly.


    Nami''s eyes widened.


    Zoro said nothing.


    "Our only connection is the fact that you guys invited me on this ship¡­ but beyond that, I don''t share any of your ambitions. I can''t travel with someone who doesn''t share the same views as me," Usopp decided, pushing himself up and making his way out of the ship.


    "W-Wait! Usopp where are you going?!" Chopper shouted in concern.


    "Don''t worry about it. None of it is your business because¡­ I''m quitting the crew."


    "But you can''t¡­ Wait!" Nami shouted in concern.


    "Hey! Come back!" Sanji exclaimed, eyes wide in disbelief.


    "HUH? D-DON''T GO USOPP!" Chopper cried.


    "¡­" Zoro looked on.


    "¡­" Rosan slept.


    "Sorry for burdening you but I can''t follow you anymore," Usopp said gravely, before turning towards the silent captain of the Straw Hats.


    "You''re the captain and this ship belongs to you¡­ but I won''t leave Merry in your hands."


    "IF I WIN, I''M TAKING THE GOING MERRY SO MONKEY D. LUFFY, FIGHT ME!" Usopp roared.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Pestilence hummed in delight, inspecting their nails as they sat on a throne made purely of ice.


    "Quite the problem we''ve run into," the virus muttered curiously, listening to all with an amused expression.


    Seems like not only little Rosan was stressed by the events of today. How fascinating. All the Straw Hats were stressed...


    But despite that, Pestilence wasn''t happy about these turn of events at all.


    "That woman... Nico Robin. I didn''t realize she was capable of making such idiotic decisions," the white haired mimic of Rouge pondered.


    Normally, Pestilence would delight in a situation like this and go full throttle on breaking Rosan... but things had changed over the years.


    Things had changed since this castle formed.


    Pestilence discovered many things about themself and now, there was a far more important task than breaking Rosan.


    No, keeping Rosan as whole as possible was imperative. If this castle gained more chains, Pestilence doubted it would open again and that was the nightmare scenario.


    That was why they chose to approach Rosan out in the open this time. As far as Mod''s boy toy was concerned, Pestilence wanted Nico Robin saved just as much as they did.


    So they would assist until the traitorous bitch stopped sleeping.


    They glanced at their hand with a contemplative expression, before conjuring a black gas that solidified and transformed into solid black mirror.


    In it, Nico Robin, the whore who had tortured Rosan and some tall man were gazing down at the prone body of some man.


    Pestilence''s eyes narrowed slightly at seeing them use the large man to quickly vanish from the room.


    "That technique..." they muttered. "The Doa Doa no Mi? Come to think of it... that technique is quite similar to Rosan''s own..."


    Hm. That just wouldn''t do. Right now, it wasn''t Cipher Pol''s power that was an issue. No one''s power was an issue to the virus.


    No one was as destructive as them.


    It was their resourcefulness that was an issue...


    And this man''s power was resourceful to a worrying degree. How far could he transport them with those doors? Was his range as large as Rosan''s?


    Pestilence would need to slow them down if worse came to worst and he could send them right to Enies Lobby.


    The black fleck that she was watching through, that was latched onto the tall man, waited for an opportune moment before lunging in his mouth.


    He made no sign of noticing it and Pestilence hummed, making the fleck go dormant. If he stepped out of their range, it would activate but for now...


    "There. I doubt it, but if push comes to shove, I suppose I''ll play a stronger hand," the virus muttered, black dress emitting the strange black gas that they could control.


    Pestilence would accept nothing less than Rosan saving Nico Robin... but if they truly were going to Enies Lobby...


    Hm, that was a great opportunity to thin their numbers greatly. Rosan was rather murderous at the moment, so many people could die and if they were of the World Government variant...


    It was risky, but Pestilence believed in Rosan''s capabilities. As long as he had Modification, he''d eventually save his favorite wench and Pestilence would be a step closer from achieving their goals.


    "The effects of Meiko dying were catastrophic to you, I cannot have this woman dying either," Pestilence decided, standing up with a flourish of that long, wispy dress.


    Such a bother. Why was it always up to them to save Rosan?


    Well, Pestilence supposed it wasn''t all bad. After all, Rosan was just perfect wasn''t he?


    Some things were worth it. They would save him.


    Their red eyes gleamed in delight and the virus calmly slid into bed with a delighted purr, wispy dress stripping off their body in a single thought.


    In the end, it''d all be worth it.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Wake up my little Rose."


    Rosan suppressed the urge to yawn. "In¡­ a second, Mom."


    Then, his eyes snapped open and a violent snarl made its way across his face.


    "Who do you think you are to impersonate my mother?" Rosan hissed.


    "Hmhmhmhm," Pestilence laughed darkly, sounding so much like Rouge but also nothing like her at all. "What? Am I not allowed to be inspired by how someone looks? Mod picked you after all, so why can''t I pick someone? I love Rouge too!"


    "You chose my mother. Someone like you should have taken the form of that depraved woman Sachie or Doc."


    Pestilence scoffed. "I chose my appearance when you were 4, Rose. I hate those two as much as you do for daring to imprison me."


    He snarled. "Which explains why you assisted them in breaking me, right?"


    "Broken but never one to submit. I knew you could do it. Someone needed to show you the cruelty of the world and that Mod was intent on coddling you until you suffocated against something not even I could help you with."


    Rosan clenched his fist. "So you turned me on my best friend. Don''t think I forgot that, Pestilence. You will slip up one day and I will have your head."


    Pestilence shuddered at that simple statement. "Whatever, I woke you up because you might want to witness what''s about to happen."


    "¡­"


    "That pathetic liar and your stupid captain are about to fight soon for ownership of this useless ship. Apparently the sniper left the crew because you have no trust in your heart."


    ¡­


    What? Usopp left?


    Rosan sighed in annoyance and got up with a bit of effort, noting that his wounds were slowly but surely healing and Modification was stirring a bit.


    It seemed the closer he got to recovering his health, the closer he got to gaining Modification.


    Everything hurt though and he was still extremely pissed off.


    "How do you know this?"


    "You and Mod are practically one and the same but as for me? I do my own things. I enjoy the sensations of the real world due to not being able to feel them for so long so I''ve been awake since you first met your main wench again¡­ and I''ve been greedily enjoying the sensations of the senses since your battle with the inferior Logia. Well done on that by the way."


    "You talk too much."


    Pestilence actually balked at his audacity. He was the one that asked them the question!


    "You sure are a fucking cunt."


    Rosan scoffed. This virus had more vulgar language then both he and Ram.


    So Usopp left the crew? If Pestilence was serious, Rosan himself would prevent the liar from joining if he tried to slink his way back in.


    The redhead felt an incredibly rare headache forming and bared his teeth in barely suppressed rage.


    Too much was going on right now and all of it could be solved if he wasn''t. So. Fucking. Injured.


    Pestilence watched the redhead get slowly overwhelmed with a deranged smirk.


    "Don''t worry. I''m still here. If you wish to borrow my power again, feel free. I have some similarities but I''m also very different from Modification."


    Rosan hated how deeply he was thinking of accepting that. He needed immediate strength to deal with those CP9 agents and if Pestilence was as dangerous as Mod made them out to be¡­ he''d probably have to use it.


    His body didn''t show any adverse side effects from using that power anyways.


    "Honestly, that was rather shocking for me too. Most people who use my abilities for the first time, end up bedridden even without my desire to kill them. But you¡­ even if I wanted to kill you, it seems as if you''ve already adjusted to the corrosive aspect of my powers... to an extent. How admirable."


    Rosan didn''t comment on that and slowly made his way out of the room.


    Adjusting to that corrosive energy¡­ it could have been a lie but he couldn''t detect any at all and besides the pain from using it the first time, it seemed only his injuries were truly affecting him.


    This was all too complicated. Rosan didn''t like when things were complicated for him. He liked to be in control and right now he was not in control.


    The cool night breeze brushed against his face and Rosan shuddered a bit at the temperature, frowning as Zoro immediately turned to face him.


    "You''re awake again," the swordsman said calmly, grabbing everyone''s attention.


    "Why do you keep waking up?" a depressed Chopper asked.


    Rosan grunted and gazed out at the clearing, where a steadfast Luffy was waiting for something.


    "What happened?" He asked calmly.


    Chopper immediately teared up and glanced down.


    "Usopp left the crew," Sanji sighed.


    "Rosan¡­ why did you say those things?" Nami asked with a frown. "Usopp was already going through a lot. He got beat up and some goons took 400 million from him."


    Rosan glared darkly at her and she flinched. "And how was I supposed to know that?" He asked incredulously, anger flaring irrationally once more.


    "I don''t know if you realized, but I was dealing with my own troubles and dozens of holes in my body," the redhead frowned, pointing at his bandaged bodies. "I was just brutally tortured and the moment I woke up, I was being blamed for something that wasn''t even my fault. I already have too much on my fucking plate. Why is it my fault that I was trying to convince someone that a sinking ship is actually going to sink."


    Nami flinched back, scalded by his lashing out and withdrew a bit into herself.


    "Right¡­ you haven''t been here the whole day and the state you were in¡­ Sorry," she whispered.


    Zoro placed a hand on his shoulder and the redhead took a deep breath.


    This is what he meant when he said he couldn''t control his emotions and the stress wasn''t making it any better.


    "My bad Nami¡­ I didn''t mean to lash out at you like that," Rosan apologized, letting out a pained rasp. "...Robin is missing and the person who did this to me, is the one who has her."


    Everyone froze at that and gazed at the redhead with a stunned expression.


    "The one who did this to me is named Izumi¡­ we have a past," Rosan frowned. "She is the one who killed Meiko."


    ¡­


    "What?" Sanji whispered in horror, gazing at the visibly stressed redhead.


    "She¡­ killed Meiko?" Nami asked in a daze.


    Rosan clenched his fist. "Yes. After killing her, I tortured her to insanity but because of Meiko''s final wishes, I left her alive. Clearly that has come to bite me in the ass."


    "You tortured her?" Chopper asked in fear.


    "For your sake, I won''t go into detail. But she''s come to enact revenge and she, along with her World Government allies, made Robin give herself up so she can try and protect us," Rosan explained calmly.


    Zoro frowned deeply at that. "Is Robin an idiot? Why would she do that? We could just fight them," the swordsman scowled.


    "And that''s what we''re going to do," Rosan said darkly, eyes smoldering. "I''m going to tear them all to pieces. That''s why I was hoping this was settled before I woke up again¡­ but I guess not."


    Sanji looked worried. "We have to find her. Do you have any birds out right now? What about her Save Point?"


    The redhead scowled. "No. I don''t have access to Modification at the moment."


    They balked at that. No Modification?


    "So what was that scary horse?" Nami asked tentatively. It didn''t look like any of Rosan''s normal techniques... and it was terrifying in a different way from Ragnarok.


    Ragnarok emitted a primal terror. One that a dragon would always emit.


    But that horse was different. It was terrifying in an unnatural way. The black wisps, the ghostly characteristics... the mask.


    Nami could believe a dragon was real... but Nami would never believe that horse existed somewhere. It was just so uncanny.


    "...I''ll tell you about it after this blows over. Right now just thinking about it pisses me off and I already have a headache," Rosan admitted.


    "You need to sleep and regain your energy!" Chopper admonished in concern.


    He was already sad that Usopp refused his help. The doctor at least wanted Rosan to listen to him.


    Rosan raked a hand through his free hair (it was getting too long, it went way past his shoulder right now) and nodded. "After this, I''ll sleep until tomorrow. I promise. I need to regain as much energy as possible."


    He was heavily injured and lacking Modification for awhile as his body worked to repair his insides and flush out the poison. If he were to fight CP9 as he was now, he''d just be a liability.


    The redhead suddenly found Pestilence''s offer a lot more tempting¡­ No he suddenly found that it was inevitable because he was going to look for Robin tomorrow and he didn''t think he''d be fully repaired yet.


    "You don''t have to be wary of me just yet, little Rose. Our goals align. I want your number one wench back as much as you do."


    "Refrain from calling her that or else."


    "How does favorite whore sound then? I don''t understand why you''re so worked up though. You have Mod, that sexy goblin girl, her sexy wife, that sexy purple doctor, the two cute sisters that may as well be twins and can''t forget that ring all slobbering over you. I''m sure if you ask any of them, they''ll give it up. Are you sure you need one little girl when you could easily distract yourself with¡ª"


    A wave of rage washed over the virus so quickly, Pestilence wisely went silent and they shuddered. Even they knew not to test Rosan''s very short temper right now.


    "¡­" Rosan slowly but surely receded the wave of anger. The only reason he was putting up with this nonsense, was because his options were very limited right now and the virus offered him a distraction from the fact that his connection with Mod-chan was so weak.


    It would do him no good to be stressed, weak and panic stricken. Whether the virus knew or not, their presence angering him, was better then no one''s presence driving him into madness.


    How ironic. Robin was gone. Mod was gone. All he had was Pestilence.


    It was just like on Daybreak. Nothing but the words of a demon who wanted to see its fellow demon break.


    Fitting that his mental state was currently as bad as when he was on that hellhole of an island.


    Rosan hated Water 7 and he hadn''t actually met a single person or explored the island in full yet.


    "There''s Usopp¡­" Nami called his attention.


    Rosan gazed at the injured Usopp and wondered just what the Sniper''s goal here was.


    Unless Luffy threw the match, which was something he''d never do, Usopp was just trying to get even further injured.


    He resisted the urge to grit his teeth in rage and failed, baring his sharp fangs in fury.


    The Sniper could have been valuable in getting Robin back but instead he was causing a fuss.


    Now, if Usopp was actually hellbent on leaving the crew, Rosan would have to make sure his secrets didn''t get out. It was a waste, but if he had to, he''d need to eliminate Usopp once all this was settled.


    This was why he didn''t like telling people things.


    "Look at you. Without any hesitation, you''ve decided to eliminate him. Aren''t you just proving him right? You really don''t care about any of them."


    "I do care about them... but I have guarded my secrets for 20 years. I have known Usopp for a few months and he has proven me correct in being untrustworthy. Is it not natural that I would prioritize one thing over the other? Every human has their biases."


    "That''s true but monsters like us don''t get to act human so why do you think you suddenly have that right?" Pestilence whispered cruelly.


    The redhead froze at that statement.


    "I... that''s right... but aren''t monsters fully biased?" Rosan asked in return, clenching his fist at their words.


    "No. Monsters don''t think about those things. Those are demons Rose. Monsters destroy for their own pleasure and that''s it. But demons? They lure in humans and pretend to be like them... but we all know what they really are once you take a deeper look. Isn''t that right, Devil?"


    The stressed scout shut his mouth and abruptly ended the conversation.


    Pestilence smirked at that and said nothing.


    Rosan glanced at his uneasy crew and shook his head to get the thoughts out.


    "It may not occur to you guys often, but Luffy is first and foremost our captain," he began, catching their attention. "His words are the one we follow so if he says we part ways with the Merry, we part ways with the Merry."


    Zoro nodded along with his words. "What Usopp''s doing right now, is disrespectful to Luffy. He''s going against the words of the captain of the ship."


    "That''s mutiny," Rosan said darkly, making the other three flinch at the grave word. "Don''t take advantage of Luffy just because of his nature. If this were any other ship, Usopp would be dead for going against the laws of the captain."


    That was why Rosan was here. To make sure no one took advantage of his cheerful brother.


    "T-That''s true but¡­" Nami trailed off.


    "The captain''s orders are law. If you don''t want to follow them, you shouldn''t be sailing with him," Zoro said stonily.


    Sanji bit his cigarette at their words and nodded tightly, still displeased with this whole situation.


    They were right but the entire situation was just shitty.


    "So you didn''t get cold feet¡­ I hope you don''t regret this no matter what. This is the duel you chose!" Luffy declared.


    "Of course. You''d better try and kill me or I''ll beat you at your own game. I already know how to beat you," Usopp stated calmly.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Usopp''s eyes narrowed as he immediately withdrew his slingshot and fired 3 pellets that Luffy effortlessly sidestepped.


    Then, the rubber boy dashed forward with a fist cocked back¡ª


    Only to hesitate as Usopp keeled over and spat up blood.


    "See?! He''s way too injured to fight!" Chopper said in worry.


    Usopp continued coughing¡­ only to reveal that the blood was actually ketchup.


    "Why are you hesitating?" He rasped, taking his slingshot out and firing 2 rotten eggs at his former captain.


    Luffy scowled and tipped his head to the side, dodging the projectiles before he planted a sandal against Usopp''s sternum.


    "!" Usopp spat out actual blood, as the kick sent him tumbling across the ground.


    "Gomu Gomu no Pistol!" Luffy shouted, launching a fist towards the sniper with intents to finish this quickly.


    Usopp desperately leapt aside from the punch and aimed once more at the hard to hit rubber boy.


    "Shuriken Star!" Usopp shouted, firing shuriken after shuriken at Luffy.


    The rubber boy began dodging every single one with a focused glare, but let out a yelp of surprise as one of the "shuriken" turned out to be a net that captured him.


    "W-Wha?!" Luffy shouted as he tried to untangle himself from it.


    "You taught him that," Pestilence laughed.


    Seeing that Luffy was somewhat restrained (but not for long) Usopp began pressing his advantage.


    "Blinding him is useless as long as he has observation¡­ so I''ll hit hard."


    "Special Attack: Flame Star!"


    Luffy grunted as he caught fire, mostly unbothered by the attack, before a hammer slammed into his gut.


    "Usopp Hammer!"


    The rubber boys eyes widened in confusion, as the physical attack actually hurt him and sent him soaring away.


    "Ugh!" Usopp gasped, as the heavy hammer Rosan gifted him weighed him down.


    The sniper wasn''t finished yet.


    Luffy yelped as he landed on a bunch of caltrops, the spiked traps digging into his skin, until even more shurikens crashed into him.


    "Usopp''s totally controlling the fight," Zoro observed accurately.


    "Using my gifts to do it too..." Rosan said neutrally.


    The redhead suddenly felt compelled to look down at the figurehead of Merry, as a wave hit her.


    Like this, he could see that it appeared as if the ship was crying.


    Rosan frowned. "Sorry, Merry. I thought this was the best course of action¡­ but it appears that I just don''t fully understand other humans yet."


    "Do you truly think you''ll ever be able to understand them? You are too different. A dragon, an angel and a plague... You were human at one point but that was a long time ago."


    Rosan said nothing.


    This was why he shouldn''t have been tasked with this.


    "You tried your best¡­ maybe some things were meant to be."


    He went still at that voice and felt a strange sadness well inside of him.


    Usopp huffed as he prepared to finish this and he glanced down at the pulsing red pellet.


    "You have potential."


    The only way he could keep up with the monsters in the crew¡­ relying on someone''s stuff.


    He steadied his resolve and loaded up the pellet.


    Taking aim at Luffy, the sniper said with a tone of finality, "Special Attack: Mine Star."


    The pellet fired.


    The explosion was deafening.


    The Straw Hats watched with wide eyes, as an explosion covered the battlefield.


    "¡­" Rosan gazed at the explosion using his flames, with a neutral expression.


    "This is too much¡­" Chopper sobbed.


    "The fight is over," the redhead whispered softly.


    Sanji and Nami looked over in surprise.


    "Over? I know your flames are strong but there''s no way they''d take Luffy out that quick," the chef said a bit unsure.


    Everyone nodded in agreement.


    "¡­" Rosan closed his eyes.


    "I wasn''t talking about Luffy."


    Usopp huffed as the explosion eventually settled and he felt a puff of pride at having actually beaten his monster of a captain.


    "How do you like that?!" He shouted.


    Now the Merry was rightfully his¡ª


    The sniper''s eyes went wide, as a smoking Luffy stepped directly in front of him with a look of finality in his eyes.


    "He managed to mostly avoid that?" Usopp thought, stunned as he was left totally open.


    Despite wanting to, Luffy did not close his eyes. Even as he relived every moment he had with Usopp, the rubber boy didn''t avert his gaze.


    Even as he shot his arm back, he stared at his former sniper the entire time.


    "Gomu Gomu no¡­"


    Hurry up and get on board!


    We''re friends now aren''t we?


    I¡­ I''M THE CAPTAIN RIGHT?


    DON''T BE DUMB, I''M CAPTAIN!


    "...Bullet."


    The fist crashed into Usopp''s gut like its namesake and the liar''s eyes rolled to the back of his head, as he collapsed.


    There was a tense silence as the sniper fell on the floor.


    "USOPP!" Chopper screamed in horror as his tears fell freely.


    Nami covered her mouth as her own tears fell.


    Sanji glanced down with a resigned expression.


    Rosan and Zoro stared on neutrally.


    "This fight is over," the swordsman eventually said.


    "It was foolish of him to think that Luffy would be defeated by the flames I''ve been using for years on him. He may know Luffy''s tricks¡­ but Luffy also knows mine," the scout said softly.


    Luffy stared at his defeated ex crewmate and clenched his fist.


    "You idiot! There''s no way you could defeat me!" The captain shouted in anguish.


    "This is too much," Nami cried. "Everything''s happening too fast, it feels like everything''s falling apart."


    Luffy picked up his Straw Hat and placed it back on. "Do what you want, with the Going Merry. We''re gonna find a new ship and we''re gonna keep sailing forward," he decided firmly.


    "Is that necessary Luffy? I can just shrink her when I get my powers back. We don''t have to part ways here. She may not be sail worthy anymore, but the Going Merry doesn''t have to leave," Rosan actually spoke up.


    Even after all these years, he still had the White Rose. After learning that ship''s really did have a spirit¡­ it wasn''t much, but Rosan had left his longtime ship in a large pool in his Pocket Dimension and he was even planning on finding a way to make her aerial.


    "I''ve already parted ways with it. It''s not our decision anymore," Luffy decided, gazing at his brother with a look of finality.


    Rosan glanced at the figurehead of Merry and sighed, before nodding his head.


    "Whatever you say, Captain."


    "So long, Usopp¡­ It''s been fun," Luffy said eventually.


    "U-USOPP!" Chopper shouted, grabbing his supplies as quickly as possible.


    Sanji placed a hand on the doctor and said, "Wait, Chopper!"


    Evidently it was the wrong thing to say because the hysterical reindeer immediately transformed into his heavy point and slapped away Sanji''s hand.


    "WHY?! HE''S IN BAD SHAPE! I CAN''T JUST LEAVE HIM AFTER THAT BEATING!" The reindeer shouted.


    "This wasn''t just a regular fight, Chopper," Sanji explained patiently.


    "SO WHAT?! I''M STILL A DOCTOR!" He exclaimed, taking a swing at the chef that got dodged.


    The chef grit his teeth and tackled the reindeer to the floor. "He already lost and now you''re trying to pity him? Think about how that would make him feel! He made the challenge knowing what the outcome would be, so don''t hurt him anymore with your excessive kindness!"


    "!" Chopper went silent as his tears fell freely.


    "This is really tough," Luffy whispered.


    "It hurts doesn''t it, Luffy?" Rosan asked knowingly. "Hard times will always accompany the easy times and no one feels that more than the leader. Being able to deal with them is what makes a good captain."


    "That''s the burden all captains must face," Zoro said. "Don''t doubt yourself. If you start to waver, who can we have faith in?"


    Luffy simply tucked his face deeper into his Straw Hat as his tears began to fall.


    Rosan glanced back and shook his head, as Chopper jumped off the ship and dashed off to leave some supplies for Usopp.


    Then, the redhead leapt off and followed after him.


    "Rosan¡­" Sanji said.


    "Don''t worry, I won''t stop him," Rosan assured.


    Zoro shook his head. "...Let''s leave the ship to him. This is it for us¡­ we can never return to this ship."


    Chopper, Nami, Usopp and Luffy allowed their tears to fall freely.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan watched Chopper flinch as they walked past each other but the redhead just waved him off.


    "I just have some things I want to say¡­ Then I''ll go back to sleep," the redhead promised.


    "O-Ok," the teary eyed reindeer said and he ran off.


    Rosan looked down at the former sniper with a neutral expression.


    "You''ve already made your decision and I''m not here to reprimand you for it¡­ but I hope you understand the gravity of your decisions. Good luck with the Merry... try not to make the wrong decision"


    The redhead turned away from the silent sniper. "Keep the remainder of my gifts. They are rightfully yours¡­ For what it''s worth, I did think you had potential and I hope you can realize it on your own journey¡­"


    "...But if you ever tell anyone my secrets, I will kill you. I will know if it was you and you will regret your decision. This is not a threat, this is a promise I made to myself years ago when I made my alter egos. I hope you are considerate enough to not do that."


    With that, Rosan turned and slowly trudged away from his ex crewmate.


    If he noticed the sniper begin crying in earnest at his words, he did not mention it.


    "Goodbye, Usopp."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Hey did you hear? Iceburg''s been attacked!"


    "WHAT?!"


    "Yeah he was shot!"


    "It must have been that Franky!"


    "Who would attack him?!"


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "We got rooms¡­ but Rosan''s the only one actually sleeping in them," Sanji sighed. "Guess everyone else is too restless."


    "Did he actually sleep through the whole night?" Chopper asked quietly.


    The chef nodded. "As soon as his head hit the pillow he fell asleep and he''s been dead to the world ever since. I have no idea when he''s gonna wake back up."


    The doctor sighed. "I hope he gets Modification back soon¡­ his injuries are really bad but once it comes back, he''ll truly heal up."


    "Not to mention he''d be incredibly useful in finding out where Robin is," Sanji frowned. "Luffy, do you feel her?"


    The rubber boy shook his head slowly, frowning. "There''s too many people and my range isn''t big enough yet. I need to get better at using it."


    Zoro grunted as he pushed himself up. "You guys go look for her. I''ll stay here and make sure that person who went after Rosan, doesn''t come back to finish him off."


    Sanji and Chopper nodded and the duo prepared to set off to do just that¡­


    "LUFFY!" Nami shouted, causing all of them to jolt. "Bad news! Last night, Iceburg-san was shot!"


    The rubber boy''s eyes widened at that. "Ice guy was shot?!"


    The navigator nodded. "There''s a huge uproar going on right now! The town is going crazy!"


    "Who''s Iceburg?" Sanji asked curiously.


    "The mayor of this city and the president of the shipbuilding company," she explained.


    Sanji raised a brow. "Quite the big shot¡­"


    Luffy frowned at that. "I''m gonna go check things out."


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    The rubber boy leapt off his perch and Nami said, "Wait, I''m coming with you!"


    "Don''t forget to be on the lookout for Robin!" Sanji barked. "C''mon Chopper, let''s go."


    The reindeer nodded and the two walked off.


    Zoro frowned and closed his eyes.


    Everything was going way out of control. He''d need to be prepared.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Franky froze in disbelief, as he gauged the state of the Franky House.


    "Kiwi¡­ Mozu¡­ am I dreaming this?" He asked, as his rage began surging.


    "No, bro. This is definitely where the Franky House used to be," Mozu stated in surprise.


    "But this is¡­ brutal," Kiwi said in shock.


    "WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!" Franky roared, pupils dilating as he began heaving in anger.


    Then an epiphany hit him.


    "Straw Hat," he snarled.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Chimney! Gonbe," Kokoro called. "Pack up your bags! We''re heading back to Water 7!"


    A southern wind with rough waves¡­


    Staying out here wouldn''t be very good.


    "Okay!" Chimney beamed.


    "Looks like Aqua Laguna is on its way."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Luffy and Nami had made their way over to Iceburg''s mansion in hopes of seeing him, but unfortunately it was far too packed.


    It would be impossible to even get a glimpse¡­


    What were they going to do now¡ª


    Suddenly, a rhythm began playing through the air and the crowd of people got even more restless.


    "It can''t be!" Someone in the crowd panicked.


    "Not him!" Another moaned in defeat.


    "?" Luffy and Nami tilted their head to the side.


    What was going on?


    Their curiosity was soon revealed in the worst way.


    Way up on a tall building, was a weirdo doing some type of bizarre performance along with two woman.


    This was one of the most peculiar people they had seen yet¡­


    He was tall, with enormous forearms, bright blue hair, an angular chin, a weird metal nose¡­ and he was dressed in a speedo along with an open Hawaiian shirt.


    "Who''s this weirdo?" Luffy asked with a puzzled expression.


    "He called himself Franky¡­ you don''t think he''s the same Franky that''s apart of the Franky Family, right?" Nami asked with wide eyes.


    As if answering their answers. Franky pushed his shades up.


    "STRAW HAT! COME ON OUT!" The boss of the Franky Family shouted.


    Luffy''s gaze darkened. This was Franky?


    "HEY SPEEDO GUY!" Luffy shouted, despite Nami''s urging.


    "Huh?!" Franky raised an incredulous brow and glanced down at the one who said that.


    The rubber boy glared up at him. "I''m Luffy."


    Franky''s brow raised even higher.


    "Perfect. I was looking for you," the man sneered.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Iceburg awoke to many people surrounding him and gratefully accepted the glass of water hoisted his way.


    "Thank goodness you''re alive," Paulie sighed happily.


    "We were so worried for you!" Kalifa admitted, tearing up at the thought of it.


    The Mayor of Water 7 glanced at all his employees to the best of his ability.


    "Sorry to make you all worry," Iceburg said slowly, still struggling a bit.


    As his memories returned to him, the mayor suddenly said, "Last night¡­ the one who entered my room¡­"


    "That''s still under investigation," Kalifa informed him but the Mayor just shook his head.


    "No... I remember."


    ¡­


    "What?! You do?!"


    He nodded. "There were 3 people in the room. One was a large guy in a mask¡­"


    His expression turned grave. "And the last two were Nico Robin and the Red Devil."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Why did you trick Iceburg into thinking Rosan was with us?"


    Izumi glanced over at the slightly angry woman and raised a brow.


    "Because he''s in no condition to defend himself. I doubt he''s even been found yet," she thought cheekily.


    "Everyone knows that where you go, he follows. You take orders from him after all so it would be suspicious if you showed up alone¡­" she answered in amusement.


    "Besides, it''s fine this way. With the town distracting the Straw Hats, you''ll be able to quietly disappear like you wanted."


    "I don''t want this," Robin thought before swiftly banishing the thought. "As long as you leave them out of this."


    "We had a deal after all," Izumi rolled her eyes. "Can I ask you though? Do you really think darling will take this lying down? I mean, you recognized the memory of him torturing me, so surely you know about his connection with Meiko. He''s rather possessive, isn''t he?"


    The woman got up and leaned in to whisper in her ears.


    "Or maybe you''re doing this because you realize you''ll never be able to matchup to the actual love of his life. Saving yourself from impending heartbreak?"


    Robin said nothing but Izumi knew she got under the woman''s skin.


    "This is for the greater good, Robin-chan," Izumi chimed, sitting back down and sharpening her nails. "It''s better to only lose one person, isn''t it? You or you and your entire crew¡­ Well the choice is obvious."


    Yes¡­ yes the choice was obvious¡­


    But it was still so hard.


    Robin shut her eyes and stayed silent.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Gomu Gomu no Pistol!"


    Franky sneered as he tanked the attack and retaliated with one of his own.


    "Strong Right!"


    Much to his annoyance, Straw Hat once again dodged the attack well before it reached him.


    This was infuriating, the rubber boy couldn''t be touched no matter what Franky shot his way.


    Luffy frowned at how little effect his attacks had.


    This cyborg dude was really weird. He could breathe fire, detach his arms, shoot out cannons and above all, had a hard body that took very little damage... without having a Devil Fruit.


    It was about time to up the output¡ª


    The rubber boy stopped his plan of action and immediately jumped out of the way of a punch aimed for his cheek.


    Franky was not so lucky and got sent a ways away from a similar blow.


    "You''ve got a lot of nerve showing up here, Straw Hat."


    Luffy blinked in confusion before sidestepping another attack thrown his way. "What did I do?" He asked.


    "A lot of nerve?" Nami muttered in confusion.


    "Hey hey! Don''t get in my way!" Franky scowled, pushing himself out of the rubble.


    Paulie''s scowl deepened. "You know what you did! Last night, our Mayor was attacked by Nico Robin and the Red Devil, two people in YOUR CREW!"


    A wave of shock ran through the crowd.


    "The Red Devil?" Someone whispered fearfully.


    "The pirate whose first bounty was 100 million?! He did this?"


    Luffy''s and Nami gaped in shock.


    "W-WHAT?!" The captain shouted in confusion. "Rosan? Robin?! DON''T GO ACCUSING MY CREW OF DOING THIS!"


    "Yeah! Rosan''s injured! He was sleeping the entire time!" Nami shouted in agreement, a look of bewilderment on her features. "He''s in no condition to go breaking into people''s houses and trying to assassinate them!"


    "SAVE IT! I DON''T WANNA HEAR YOUR EXCUSES!" Paulie roared.


    The shipwright summoned his ropes and launched them at Luffy, only for the rubber boy to once again dodge the attack.


    "We didn''t attack anyone!" Luffy exclaimed, allowing himself to get hit by the bullets before rebounding them backwards. "Let us talk to the Mayor! We need to clear this up!"


    "Not a chance!" Paulie shouted. "We''re killing every single one of the Straw Hats today!"


    "Hey she''s apart of the Straw Hats too!" someone shouted making a grab for Nami¡­


    Only to run headfirst into a steel wall that instantly knocked him unconscious.


    "It seems we have been framed. Master Rosan has been fully incapacitated for the entire day and should still be sleeping," Clima murmured, as a wary Nami pieced him together.


    "Luffy! I think we''ve been framed!" Nami shouted, using the iron cloud to completely shield herself from the people trying to grab at her.


    "BY WHO?!" Luffy screamed as he bobbed and weaved through every single attack of the visibly frustrated shipwrights.


    "Is this¡­?" Lucci thought to himself in slight disbelief as his entire onslaught failed to land on Straw Hat.


    Nami huffed and threw out a massive gust of wind, that sent all but Luffy flying.


    "W-WOAH!" Everyone shouted as they tumbled away.


    "The same person who injured Rosan and kidnapped Robin," she whispered, grabbing onto the rubber boy. "C''mon we need to get out of here and find everyone else."


    Luffy nodded and wrapped in arm around her waist, before he jumped, kicked his foot and jumped again until he was out of sight.


    "What the hell?!" Franky thought. Damn they were impressive¡­ that rubber boy was no joke being able to dodge every single one of those foremen like that.


    Lucci and Kaku looked absolutely stunned, as they saw Luffy''s manner of escape.


    Robin tightly shut her newspaper.


    "Rosan''s hurt? No¡­ that shouldn''t be possible. Only something excessively strong can give him lasting injuries¡­ so that must mean he''s still incapacitated by what I said to him?!" she thought to herself.


    She frowned sadly at that. She hadn''t mean to hurt Rosan so badly, where he was even isolating himself from the crew...


    Izumi''s eyes were narrowed in confusion.


    How did they know darling was so injured? Did they already find and tend to him¡­?


    She was planning on freeing him right as they departed, then she''d catch up but it sounded like he already escaped.


    How did they have a key to free him¡­?


    "They''re gonna start looking for you in earnest," Izumi grunted, grabbing Robin''s arm and hoisting her up. "Let''s go. We still have one last thing to do before we leave."


    Robin was too caught up in her worries for Rosan to resist and Izumi wrapped the two of them in an illusion.


    Izumi''s frown deepened as a small tremor shot through her body.


    A lifeless set of eyes piercing into her core, as heavy tremors shook her.


    Losing control of her body.


    A small knife used to torture the person she loved most.


    I wish you were never born.


    "I hope the consequences of this victory are worth it though, because if you thought things were bad now, I''m going to show you that it can get much worse."


    She wasn''t ready to face Rosan yet. Not here, not while so unprepared.


    If that happened¡­


    Izumi was unable to hide an even larger tremor.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "I want to talk to the Mayor," Luffy decided, as he and Nami perched out on a roof parallel to the mansion.


    Nami sighed and nodded. "Okay, I''ll come with you. How do you plan on sneaking in¡ª"


    The navigator let out a shriek as Luffy wrapped an arm around her waist, and rocketed right through the window.


    "W-WHAT WAS THAT?!"


    "STRAW HAT BROKE THROUGH THE WINDOW!"


    "IN BROAD DAYLIGHT?!"


    "WHERE ARE THE FOREMEN?!"


    "THEY''RE DEPLOYING PEOPLE ON THE ISLAND SO THEY''RE BUSY!"


    "Luffy you''re a goddamn idiot," Nami hissed in rage as they began sprinting away from all the people chasing them.


    The rubber boy scratched his head and laughed sheepishly, before they turned a corner.


    The mass followed, only to yelp in shock as a gust of wind blew them away.


    The two continued heading straight for Iceburg, before surprisingly, Kalifa ushered them in with a whisper.


    "?!" They tilted their head, listening as the woman informed them that they were nowhere to be seen.


    The duo gazed at the bedridden Iceburg with twin frowns.


    "Letting us in after accusing us of trying to assassinate you is a bit bizarre," Nami stated.


    "I don''t think you''d barge in my room in broad daylight to try and kill me," Iceburg observed accurately.


    "I''m here to know the real story!" Luffy demanded.


    The mayor stared at them. "I saw Nico Robin along with The Red Devil, Rosan and a large man with my own eyes, before they attacked me."


    Nami shook her head immediately at that. "That''s not possible! Rosan''s severely injured and can barely move! He couldn''t have been in your room last night because we made sure he was sleeping to recover quicker."


    "If Rosan wanted you dead, you''d be dead," Luffy frowned, not buying it for a second.


    "?! Injured?" Iceburg thought in confusion. The redhead who had watched the entire event unfold with that lifeless expression, didn''t look injured whatsoever.


    Were they lying to cover their crewmate?


    "You mentioned a large man?" Nami asked curiously.


    The mayor nodded slowly.


    "Rosan''s the tallest member in the crew," she denied instantly. "Isn''t it a little suspicious that you could clearly see Robin and Rosan, but not this stranger who we don''t even know?" She argued with a deep frown.


    Iceburg paused as he pondered the observation.


    "We were framed," Nami informed him with a pleading expression. "There''s someone out there, who''s targeting both Rosan and Robin and they''re using you to do it."


    "¡­" Iceburg''s expression furrowed.


    Their expressions were earnest¡­ but Nico Robin was also one of the last people who could read the Poneglyph and what was being said about the Red Devil.


    Cruel, demonic, with a Mythical Zoan of sorts¡­ He had earned his bounty after wiping out the majority of a Marine squad.


    But if he took out a Marine Squad¡­ why did he fail to kill Iceburg?


    He needed answers.


    "I want to talk to Nico Robin and Rosan," Iceburg demanded, pointing a gun at them.


    Nami''s eyes widened at the violent action, as Luffy stepped in front of her.


    "Rosan''s sleeping and hurt. We don''t know where Robin is," he answered bluntly.


    That was the wrong thing to say because clearly, Iceburg was tired of them.


    The Mayor shot at them and Luffy pulled Nami out of the way, before leaping out of the window and flying away.


    Iceburg watched them leave with a conflicted expression, filled with some doubts.


    Why did one of the assassins have a mask on¡­ while Nico Robin and Rosan were showing their faces freely?


    "We were framed."


    Iceburg pursed his lips in confusion.


    Something was going on here¡­ did he accuse the wrong crew?


    But he knew what he saw¡­


    Did he?


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Chopper and Sanji had just learned of the Aqua Laguna and were a little worried for Usopp''s safety.


    It was an annual storm.. where a high tide would crash and completely cover the lower part of the city.


    So they ran off to where the Going Merry was located to try and alert Usopp about it.


    (He did not hear much, only about a high tide)


    Now, they were learning that the crew was being targeted¡­ On the newspaper an assassination attempt on Iceburg had been attempted and the main culprits were the Straw Hat Pirates, particularly, Robin and Rosan.


    "But Rosan''s injured! He couldn''t have possibly done this," Sanji muttered in confusion.


    "Someone''s lying!" Chopper agreed.


    What was going on?


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Zoro read the newspaper in his hiding spot with a frown.


    "Attempted assassination? But Rosan''s been injured this whole time," he muttered.


    The redhead was the only one willing to assassinate someone and if he did try to do so, no one would know it was him. He was a master at his craft and wouldn''t make such a severe mistake like leaving him alive or having his face shown.


    Even after all these years, no one had a clue he was Reaper except for people he deigned to tell.


    Wait a second.


    Zoro''s jaw dropped.


    "I left him in the hotel!"


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan''s eyes snapped open and he immediately pushed himself into a handstand to avoid the person attempting to grab him.


    Then, he slammed a foot down on the opposing person''s head and embedded it firmly into the ground.


    "Even without your abilities, you''re still hellishly strong."


    Rosan ignored them, eyes roving over all the people crowding his room with a calculating gaze.


    "What is the meaning of this? Didn''t anyone ever tell you it''s rude to enter without knocking?" The redhead intoned.


    None of these people were a threat to him. They were all just civilians with weapons.


    Was this a ploy by Izumi? Why would she send civilians after him?


    "Iceburg was in a coma and you think you can just sleep away?!" Someone shouted.


    "You damn assassin! We''ll have your head!"


    "?" Rosan tilted his head to the side.


    Who the hell was Iceburg?


    Assassin? Rosan was a professional assassin to the point where hardly a soul knew he was an assassin.


    If he attempted to kill someone, they died and no one would ever know it was him.


    "Illusion whore set you up I''d imagine."


    That was the most likely outcome.


    Rosan scowled. "I''m not in the mood, civilians. Get out of my way."


    He didn''t want to fight them¡­ he still needed to regain his abilities... he was probably going to gain it sometime tonight or the next day but that was just too long.


    The redhead wasn''t going to waste his time with these idiots. He focused and had his Raid Suit cover his entire body, ignoring the panicked yells, before leaping on the railing of the window and rocketing off.


    "GET BACK HERE!"


    "AFTER HIM!"


    "HE''S TOO FAST!"


    "First things first, locate Robin''s Save Point."


    The redhead utilized his boots to land on a roof and focused hard.


    It took longer then he''d have liked, but he eventually managed to pinpoint it and he rocketed off to the direction of it.


    The night sky had long arrived and he felt annoyed at not having Modification to help him see better. At least him sleeping through the whole day put him in workable (he was still very injured) conditions.


    "Where is the rest of the crew? Have they been compromised?" He thought with pursed lips.


    So much to do¡­ Could he deal with Cipher Pol by himself in this condition?


    Unlikely.


    Rosan grunted as he landed where the Save Point felt strongest and his frown turned into a deep scowl of rage when he saw that it wasn''t around Robin''s neck.


    The pendant lie there, hidden perfectly from view, with a note on it.


    "Please do not look for me. It''s time we part ways here, Rosan. Thank you for everything... but I''ve decided that this is for the best."


    "Oof, getting dumped over note must suck."


    ¡­


    "I mean can you imagine, best friend of 20 years just deciding to cut you off and she doesn''t even have the balls to do it face to face?"


    ¡­


    "Maybe she really is the Devil of Ohara¡­ I don''t even think I''d do something that cold¡ª"


    "She thinks she can make these decisions on her own now?"


    Pestilence went silent at that eerily calm voice.


    "Nico Robin thinks she can decide to cut off our relationship on her own?"


    The virus'' eyes went a little wide in excitement as venomous anger slowly but surely seeped into Rosan''s voice.


    "She thinks I''d ALLOW THAT?!" He roared, making Pestilence jump at the volume.


    "WHO THE FUCK DOES SHE THINK SHE IS?! SHE THINKS SHE CAN DECIDE THESE THINGS ON HER OWN?! NO! NO SHE CAN''T! SHE THINKS I''LL SIT HERE AND LET HER THROW HER LIFE AWAY FOR NO GOOD FUCKING REASON?!"


    UNACCEPTABLE. ABSOLUTELY UNACCEPTABLE. ROSAN WOULD DRAG HER BACK KICKING AND SCREAMING IF HE HAD TO, BECAUSE ROBIN DIDN''T GET TO DECIDE THINGS LIKE THAT ON HER OWN.


    SHE WAS HIS. NICO ROBIN. BELONGED. TO. HIM. NOT ANYONE ELSES! HIS! SHE COULD ONLY MAKE THIS DECISION WHEN THEY TALKED ABOUT IT. NOT WHILE SHE WAS IN THE HAND OF THE FUCKING. WORLD. GOVERNMENT!


    "Pestilence," Rosan snarled hatefully, hunching over as a deep black miasma began roiling off of him.


    "I''m on it, Rose," Pestilence saluted, grinning in psychotic excitement. "You won''t be able to use it long, so you need to go after their most resourceful asset before you become powerless again."


    "Most resourceful... who is that?" He hissed, black sclera pulsing wildly as the miasma began thickening over his raid suit.


    "Why¡­ it''s the one who''s closest to accessing your Pocket Dimension of course."


    Rosan''s anger deepened even further and a snarl of hatred escaped his mouth. The miasma completely covered the redhead from head to toe, until not even his eyes were visible.


    No, the only thing visible under that amorphous figure, was a glowing red orb in the left socket of the hole and a glowing purple in the right socket.


    "That''s right. Let me in, Rose. Show them why no one should mess with you. Let me in."


    The area where the creatures mouth should be¡­ actually opened to reveal a gaping white maw and Rosan let out a distorted roar as the very ground underneath him began to dissolve.


    "RAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"


    The black figure rocketed off with murder on its mind, beelining directly for the intruder who thought they could take what was his.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Earlier


    "You forgot Rosan?" Nami hissed, battering the swordsman with a furious glare.


    "They suddenly swarmed me outta nowhere so it slipped my mind," Zoro frowned, crossing his arms.


    "We should go get him!" Chopper decided, before Sanji stopped him with a shake of his head.


    "Don''t you remember what he said? Finding Robin takes priority, even if he''s still sleeping. Rosan will be fine," the chef said calmly.


    Luffy nodded. "He''ll be fine. Rosan''s a light sleeper. We need to get to Robin."


    Nami frowned in worry. "But how? Do we know where she is? Or where she''ll be?"


    The woman was in the grasp of a group of assassins and they surely knew how to hide her presence, especially because Rosan mentioned one of them could control illusions.


    "Master Nami¡­ I have an idea of where they will be headed."


    Nami listened to Clima before her gaze went wide. "Of course!"


    Everyone glanced over at her in shock. "What''s the matter Nami?"


    "The guys who framed us, left that Mayor alive for a reason," Nami explained. "It''s so that we could take the blame! Now that the blame is firmly on us, they''re¡ª"


    "Going to finish the mission they started and kill the mayor," Sanji finished grimly.


    "What?! No way!" Luffy scowled. "We won''t let that happen!"


    "They''re probably gonna do it tonight so that''s our best bet of getting Robin," Zoro guessed.


    The Straw Hats nodded.


    They would strike tonight then.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    That Night


    "Do you remember the plan?"


    Robin nodded with a neutral expression on her face. "It''s not a difficult mission. I just wait for your signal and kill him."


    The tall man wearing a bear mask nodded. "Then Izumi will start us off."


    She knew the Straw Hats showing up were inevitable. The woman had her observation out and she could feel them, waiting.


    But Rosan was not with them.


    Good, if Rosan was here, she wouldn''t be able to hold out. She couldn''t stand to see his heartbroken face again. Not after knowing that she was the one who broke it.


    "Job correct. Crew lives," Izumi intoned shortly, voice flat and emotionless, much like how it always was when she wasn''t alone with the psychotic woman.


    Robin simply nodded and adjusted her shades, which allowed her to see the ring resting on her finger.


    A surge of agony coursed through her body, as she saw the ring that matched with Rosan''s before she masked it once more.


    "Izumi, you know what to do," Blueno muttered.


    "Illusion up," she muttered, hiding the two from view up until they made it to a wall and Blueno activated his Devil Fruit.


    For the umpteenth time, Robin couldn''t help but notice the similarities between this man''s Devil Fruit¡­ and Rosan''s Pocket Dimension but perhaps she just couldn''t stop thinking of her best friend.


    The two swiftly made their way over to Iceburg''s location and entered seamlessly with the resourceful Devil Fruit.


    The Mayor in question, was lying on his bed and staring at them in surprise.


    "So that''s how you managed to sneak in the first time," Iceburg praised.


    "That''s right," Blueno muttered, before pulling out a gun and shooting the man.


    Robin tilted her head. "What are you doing? We''re not supposed to kill him yet." She stated calmly.


    "He has the energy to talk. We must properly immobilize him," Blueno said matter of factly, before turning on a heel and walking out of the door. "Remember the signal."


    Robin watched him leave with a neutral expression.


    "Ah so we finally meet, Nico Robin¡­ and it''s without your guardian too."


    The Devil Child froze at that, turning towards the prone Iceburg pointing a gun at her.


    "Finally the day has come, where I can silence the Devil of Ohara," Iceburg stated confidently, despite his injuries.


    "You have a problem with me as well then?" Robin asked neutrally.


    Of course he did. Everyone had a problem with her. Everyone only judged her based on her bounty and what they''ve heard of what she was capable of.


    All except for him.


    "Of course. After all, you''re the only person alive who can pinpoint where the Ancient Weapons are and you''re even taking orders from a rather dangerous person too."


    Robin''s eyes narrowed at that and she immediately summoned a flurry of arms that quickly disabled the man. "Do not speak of Rosan in front of me. You wouldn''t even begin to understand him so don''t pretend like you do."


    Iceburg struggled a bit but went limp. "It''s not hard to understand. The Devil of Ohara who can read the Poneglyphs, allying themselves with the Red Devil, famous for their cruel and cold demeanor. What else would he want but to activate the ancient weapons?"


    Her expression turned frosty. "You don''t know anything. Refrain from opening your mouth again or else I''m going to forcefully silence you."


    The Mayor simply laughed, unbothered by her threat. "You''re going to kill me regardless. I have no idea why you, who has been running from the World Government for 20 years, would suddenly team up with them¡­ but I imagine this didn''t sit well with the Red Devil did it?"


    "So the Straw Hats were right on one point. The Red Devil didn''t do this... it was only you. Are you proud of this? Framing your lover and throwing him to the dogs? You truly are the Devil ¡ª"


    The arms restraining him began to brutally choke him, until he went slightly limp and Robin released her grip.


    "¡­" The woman turned away from him and simply awaited her signal. She refused to show how much that final sentence affected her.


    "Rosan would never use me¡­ which is why this hurts all the more because I''m betraying the one person who loves me for me."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "I feel Robin," Luffy said, gazing at a random space of the crowded mansion, that was seemingly empty.


    "Where is she?!" Sanji asked as he prepared to dive into the building.


    "In the house. She''s by the mayor," Luffy frowned.


    Their eyes widened at that. "Alright let''s get in there then."


    Nami smiled determinedly. "Luffy shoot us high all high with that rocket, I can get us in there!"


    "There''s people up there too," Luffy pointed out.


    "It''ll be faster then dealing with all the people down there. It should take them a while to reach the rooftop," Nami urged.


    The rubber boy nodded and wrapped one arm around the wary crew, before launching them high into the sky.


    The navigator summoned an iron cloud under them and had the entire group land on it, before slowly but surely making it descend to the rooftop.


    "You didn''t think you could enter through the roof for free could you?!" Someone shouted.


    "No but it should be much easier," the Straw Hats declared.


    Izumi watched the pirate group with a tilted head and decided against slowing them down.


    She wanted Robin to see them.


    That was odd though¡­ where exactly was Rosan? When she went to check the warehouse, no one was there except for the discarded handcuffs and dried blood so he should be with the Straw Hats.


    Was he perhaps still too injured?


    He should still be heavily incapacitated. She had not struck anything lethal, but enough where recovering would be a tall task. He should have access to his Devil Fruit... but with those injuries, he would be useless.


    Perfect. The Straw Hats were formidable but Izumi knew that Rosan was the true demon of that group¡ª


    Izumi''s instincts began screaming at her and she completely froze, pupils going white as a primal terror coursed through her body.


    This feeling... it was oh so similar to the day that everything in her life changed for the worst.


    She had always had good instinct. It''s how she had found this Devil Fruit. It''s how she survived.


    It''s how she knew Reaper was going to arrive moments before he did and slaughtered everyone.


    It''s how she knew that something dangerous was very quickly on the way. On the level of¡­ no¡­ even more dangerous then Reaper.


    "We need to go. Now," Izumi thought, unknowingly wrapping her arms around herself as that deep seated fear of Rosan came roaring out.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Iceburg couldn''t believe the series of events that were currently transpiring.


    Straw Hat really had been framed completely. Nico Robin allied herself with the World Government. The Red Devil was nowhere to be seen... no the Pirates hadn''t set him up.


    The culprits had been¡­ had been people he had thought he knew for 5 years.


    Kalifa, Kaku, Blueno¡­ and Lucci.


    Even after leading them on and showing them the fake blueprint, Iceburg never accounted for the people pursuing it, to be so close to him in relationship¡­ so they even correctly deduced that the person who had the blueprints was Franky.


    Now, he was about to die and Straw Hat was about to take the blame for something that wasn''t their fault¡ª


    "ROBIN!"


    Robin''s eyes closed in acceptance, as the entirety of the Straw Hat crew, burst through the door with looks of determination.


    She knew they were coming. She felt them the entire time.


    That''s why it was much easier for her to don this mask.


    An injured Paulie (Luffy had saved him) looked at the ones hovering over Iceburg with a look of shock.


    Was that¡­ what?


    Lucci? Kaku? Blueno¡­ Kalifa?!


    "Luffy, did Rosan not read the note to you? I''m leaving and I''m not coming back," Robin said calmly.


    Luffy tilted his head to the side, eyes never leaving Lucci. "What note? Rosan''s badly injured! He''s been sleeping all day!"


    Robin froze at that. "He''s¡­ what? Injured? But how is that¡­" she tried to ask, trailing off as an intense look of concern crossed her features.


    Every Straw Hat noted the look of concern and realized that Rosan was right, Robin really was trying to sacrifice herself for them.


    "Robin, no one told you to do this," Zoro said calmly, gauging the appearances with an appraising eye and clutching one of his swords.


    "Yeah, Rosan''s been really stressed and if you go through with this, who knows what he''s gonna do. Please just come back and let''s talk about this," Nami placated, hoping that using the redhead would snap her out of this insane idea.


    Stressed? Robin felt her worry magnify at that, her brows furrowing as she thought about her best friend.


    How did he get injured? How bad was it that he was still hurt? They had mentioned him being hurt earlier today... and that was more then enough time for him to heal.


    Did his emotional state perhaps slow down healing?


    Maybe she should go check up on him¡ª


    I''m sure the Vice Admirals and Admirals would love to hunt down Reaper.


    "Do you think we''ll let that happen?" Lucci said seriously, eyes not once leaving Luffy.


    Right¡­ no matter what she wanted to do, she couldn''t. Robin didn''t even want to do this in the first place.


    "You''re the ones pushing Robin to do this," Luffy growled, cracking his knuckles. "I''m gonna kick your ass good, traitor guy."


    Lucci''s eyes narrowed at that claim. "Straw Hat¡­ tell me something, how is it that you have two techniques of Rokushiki?"


    The rubber boy tilted his head. "Huh? Rokuwhat?"


    The agent felt a tick forming at that. "Rokushiki. An ancient martial arts taught to CP9 to turn us into living weapons. You have two of them. Geppo and Kami-e."


    If they all had some of the techniques, there would be no way they could kill them before the building blew up.


    The agents who didn''t know, felt their eyes widen. "What?!" They gasped in shock, gazing at the rubber boy with disbelief.


    "I dunno what those are," Luffy shrugged before a scowl made its way to his face. "STOP TRICKING ME!"


    Lucci resisted the urge to snarl, hellbent on figuring out how he knew the techniques.


    "Fine, I''ll just beat the answers out of you," he decided.


    "Lucci¡­" Kalifa warned. "The Mansion is about to blow up in 3 minutes. We cannot defeat them in that time frame. Especially if he knows the six powers."


    "She''s right. You saw how effortlessly Straw Hat dodged our attacks earlier today with Kami-e. If you add the other six powers into the mix, it will be far too long," Kaku stated.


    "They think Luffy''s Observation Haki is Kami-e," Nami thought to herself with a calculating frown.


    They said he had two techniques¡­ but all Luffy did that wasn''t use his Devil Fruit was...


    Ah! She got it! That flying technique of his! So these agents had reflexes to dodge attacks and the ability to kick off the air¡­


    She would need to store that away for later.


    Lucci finally calmed down at their words and sneered. "We need to ensure Iceburg dies but it appears that there''s been a hitch¡­ No matter, we already have the information we wanted so we can leave¡ª"


    A figure blurred into the room and Lucci''s eyes turned to the panic stricken Izumi with a raised brow.


    Robin went tense at the sight of the woman, wondering why she looked so fearful.


    What had she seen?


    "Go. Now. Leave this place," Izumi urged to her fellow agents. "We need to hurry and head back. Remember the deal with Nico Robin."


    Robin''s eyes fell at that a bit.


    Lucci looked down at the woman with a look of disgust. "And what''s got you so worked up? You coming here was already unnecessary but you have your uses. Now, at the moment of your victory, you reveal your true colors as a coward."


    Izumi''s eyes flashed in irritation, that Lucci''s words normally didn''t evoke, behind her shades.


    Lucci felt a wave of tiredness hit him that vanished as quick as it came. He stumbled a bit and gazed at the puppet with a furious expression.


    "Me being here is the only reason things went so smoothly," she hissed. "But everything we''ve done, will be for nothing if we stay here any longer. Abandon the ideal scenario. It''s too late for that. Blueno get us out of here quickly."


    Blueno raised a brow at the woman speaking far more then she ever had. "And why is it that it''s too late?" he asked before acquiescing with her wish and summoning a door for them.


    That''s when Robin felt it and she felt her heart stop in a moment of true utter terror.


    Evidently, Luffy felt it too because at once, they both looked in the same direction.


    Hate. Disgust. Jealousy. Frustration. Loneliness. Fear¡­


    But above all else¡­ an all too familiar ¡ª


    Rage.


    Izumi shuddered and hastily shoved Robin through the agent''s door, before following directly after her. "Because the actual Devil has finally arrived."


    "RAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" A distorted roar sounded out in the distance that sent a primal and foreboding surge through every single person''s bone.


    Unlike a certain dragon, whose roar was dominating and powerful, this roar was more akin to a shriek that sounded as if they were grinding their claws against metal.


    No one was able to resist covering their ears as that shriek got louder and louder and Blueno urged the other agents to enter his door so that they didn''t have to see what that was.


    It was for naught.


    Everyone shuddered in horror, as two bright glowing orbs appeared directly outside of the window for a split second before it crashed through.


    They watched as a serrated white maw, nothing inside, opened and the monster let its presence be known.


    "RAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The creature shrieked in fury, sharing its hatred with everyone there.


    No one could keep the unease and fear off their faces, as the alien monster released a heavy pressure, filling the air with malice and disgust.


    Hatred and rage washed over them all. Everyone in the room, barring the monster and Luffy, took a single step back as the negative emotions seeped into their bodies.


    "W-W-What is that?" Nami and Kalifa asked in terror, gazing at... this thing as goosebumps began forming on their skin.


    Iceburg nearly went into shock at the overwhelming pressure, clutching his chest in agony as the creatures disgusting presence threatened to consume his sanity.


    "I''ve never seen anything like this before. What is this?!" The mayor thought in fear, crawling away from the amorphous beast.


    For only a moment, there was a temporary lull, as the creature''s red and purple sockets gazed at them all, floor degrading underneath them as it remained completely still.


    Wait¡­ red and purple sockets?


    It couldn''t be¡­ was that¡­


    The demonic looking creature was covered in a black aura that they couldn''t properly identify as a gas, solid, or liquid, sticking onto them as if it was their skin from head to toe.


    The only other things they could identify, was the long black spiky¡­ tendrils that was their "hair" and as it snarled, they saw that the creature could almost form a mouth but it was as unnerving as the eyes, being just a gaping white serrated maw with no signs of actual teeth.


    The eyes...


    Where the creatures eyes should have been, was instead two perfectly drawn circles. There were no pupils, no sclera, just two circles¡­ one was colored a blood red¡­ and the other a royal purple.


    Was this¡­ was this eldritch horror¡­ their scout?


    Was this Rosan?


    As if proving their observations, the demonic entity gazed at the Straw Hats for a moment, before shifting his gaze to the CP9 agents with pure hatred in its soulless eyes.


    That disturbing pressure doubled at the shift of attention.


    "T-That''s Rosan?!" Izumi thought in horror, feeling signs of a panic attack forming at the strange and terrifying demon that wanted her dead.


    The creature''s strange skin, erupted from their body, transforming into what seemed to be a solid and liquid tendril that immediately latched onto Blueno''s leg right before he could step through the door.


    The agent let out a surprised yell, as he was forced to the floor, clawing at the ground beneath him as he was dragged towards the hellish creature.


    All the while, he began screeching in genuine agony that had everyone wincing. The area where the tendril wrapped around, was akin to being dipped in acid and they watched in disgust as it began searing through his skin like it were made of butter.


    Izumi watched on in horror, even as the door of Blueno''s creation got smaller and smaller. "W-What? But¡­ But I thought¡­?"


    What was he?! What was this Devil Fruit?!


    "You would use this power so brazenly to take what''s MINE? A power that brings you to MY dimension with MY WOMAN?!" The creature hissed venomously in that distorted and ear bleeding voice of it.


    Robin flinched back at that. Was... Was Rosan calling her his woman? So this truly was her best friend (she had no right to call him that)?


    Did... Did Robin guide Rosan right into Pestilence''s hand...?


    "You must learn what it means to intrude upon a demon''s belongings. Even one time is one too many, so you will be made a lesson of," the creature promised, words leaving its mouth despite said mouth not moving.


    The tendril began dissolving the area around Blueno''s leg to the bone, as the man tried to activate Tekkai, eyes widening in fear as the defensive move failed to protect him.


    Not done yet, even more tendrils formed from the horrific creature and wrapped around every part of Blueno''s limbs, sinking into him like his skin was made of paper and causing the man to howl in agony. Only for that scream to be cut off as the strange tendril slammed down his throat in a liquid state.


    His eyes rolled back in agony as he gargled.


    "My Kami what is this? Was Rosan really pushed to this point? W-What''s he doing?!"


    The Straw Hats were frozen tight, as they watched the black creature begin slowly murdering the agent.


    His dimension? The creature could only be talking about how similar the Doa Doa no Mi felt to the Pocket Dimension.


    But this... this was hard to watch. Rosan was paying no regards to anything or anyone, torturing the man before him with something they haven''t ever seen.


    "Rosan! Are you okay?! What''s happening?" Luffy asked in concern, taking a step towards his brother with a worried gaze.


    "Don''t come closer!" The monster hissed in that spine chilling voice. "If you touch me, nothing good will come out of it! Back away from me!"


    The captain of the Straw Hats paused at that, glancing at his corrupted older brother with a deep frown.


    "Are you going to stay like this, Rosan?" He asked seriously.


    The creature turned his attention off of Blueno, never once removing the tendrils from the horrified man, to regard his captain for but a split second. "...Everything will be dealt with in time. Once that happens, I will rest," was all it said.


    Robin felt her fears get confirmed at that. She knew what this creature was¡­ but she didn''t realize this was the effect she would have had on him¡­


    She was... what was she doing? This... This was everything Mod-chan wanted to avoid and Robin herself had pushed Rosan to this state.


    "Rosan¡­" she couldn''t help but whisper in sorrow, only to immediately freeze as those circles turned towards her and pinned her in place.


    Rage. Love. Rage. Love. Rage. Love. Rage. Love. Love. Love. Love. RAGE.


    Robin felt herself freeze as the overwhelming emotions crashed into her and the woman gained an uneasy expression as the monster stared at her with disturbing focus.


    She understood why so many people feared Rosan... but Robin never quite got why they were just so afraid of him.


    Don''t get her wrong, she could see why they feared him... but she could never truly understand just what about the redhead made them truly terrified.


    He didn''t have one single trait in her eyes that made him truly worthy of all the fear he garnered. All his traits, were overshadowed by the fact that he was always such a lovable person.


    Robin herself had almost never once felt afraid of the redhead and the one time she did, she immediately banished that fear.


    "You never have to be afraid of me¡­ unless I''m upset with you."


    She now saw why people feared him. Robin now knew what single trait made Rosan so scary.


    It was his anger.


    Robin was terrified.


    "ROBINNNNNNNNN!" The creature shrieked in raw fury and she flinched back, as a shudder crawled down her spine.


    Unwittingly, she took a step back as the eldritch horror removed every single tendril from Blueno and turned to fully face the Robin rapidly disappearing from its view.


    Then, the black¡­ entity began to dissolve off its skin, revealing the scout in all his glory.


    His hair was out of its bun, running wild all the way past his shoulder (she desperately needed to cut it) and to the middle of his back. He was wrapped up in bandages that only meant he had been severely injured and he was breathing harshly, still not anywhere close to 100% but still moving forward because of the boiling rage in those heterochromatic eyes¡­ with a completely black sclera.


    But the worst part... were the snow white strands running through his long hair, blending in with his blood red locks.


    "I really did push him to using the virus," Robin thought in horror.


    First the virus used Robin to break Rosan... now Robin once more pushed Rosan into the virus'' waiting arms...


    She was just...


    Portgas D. Rosan gazed at her with such palpable fury, that Robin distantly realized this was the first time he was truly furious with her.


    The redhead watched the door begin closing and slowly walked towards it.


    "Nico Robin," Rosan snarled, glaring at her with all the rage in his body. His gaze was filled with such heat, she wouldn''t be surprised if he started spewing lasers from them.


    Robin froze up at the fact that he used her full name and like a deer caught in headlights, she only gazed at him with a fear similar to the one a child would give their parent after being caught.


    "No excuse in the world will get you out of this shitstorm that you caused but I beg you to think of one anyways because when I get you back, we''re going to have a very long talk about how fucking stupid you are," Rosan hissed, eyes flashing murderously as he gazed at every single CP9 agent.


    It was only then that Robin realized how stupid her plan had been.


    Disappear quietly? Vanish from his sight? Leave him a note saying not to seek her out?


    Rosan was a demon of jealousy and possession. He was never going to rest until he knew exactly what happened to her. He was never going to let her go until she told him to his face that she wanted to go.


    Their family never had a problem with Rosan''s possessiveness, because they knew they would never push him to show just how wildly territorial he was.


    But Robin had done so and she was seeing in full effects that when Rosan claimed something was his, nothing would get in his way of getting it back.


    "Rosan I didn''t..." Robin tried but the redhead was having none of it.


    "SHUT THE FUCK UP!" He roared and she flinched back harshly at the genuine rage and hurt in his voice, going silent immediately with a burned expression. "JUST SHUT THE FUCK UP! YOU THINK YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO EXPLAIN YOURSELF?! YOU THINK YOU DESERVE TO TALK ME DOWN RIGHT NOW?! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP!"


    Robin took a step back and wisely remained silent, glancing at the floor like a properly scolded child.


    "Count your days CP9. I''m going to make you regret every single decision you''ve ever made, especially you Izumi," Rosan snarled, glaring at the frightened woman with a look that promised death.


    The woman stepped back in terror, gazing at the redhead with a long repressed fear.


    That fear only heightened, as Rosan showed off a serrated and sadistic grin, a goopy black substance dripping from his jagged sharp teeth.


    "Ahhh you''re finally showing how afraid of me you really are but it''s too late. When I get my hands on you, I''ll drag all that fear out into the open. I''ll remind you of our first meeting."


    "He''s going to torture me again!" Izumi froze, resisting the urge to tear up at that terrifying prospect.


    With that, the door to Blueno''s fruit shut.


    "R-Rosan! He''s getting away!" Nami shouted, bringing the redhead''s attention to the agent who he had brutally assaulted.


    The man, despite the excruciating pain he had been in, miraculously managed to create another door underneath him and promptly vanished into it.


    "Not to worry. I''ve dealt with him. He is no longer a threat," Pestilence reassured, grinning with hungry eyes.


    "...How was he even able to move? I seared his body through," the redhead asked with a livid expression.


    "Just a little something to slow them down a bit further. It would be a waste to die immediately. He may as well go out with a bang."


    "Make sure Robin does not get affected by this or death will be something you''ll never experience, but always crave."


    "Didn''t I tell you I want her saved? What good would I do killing her?"


    Rosan gazed uncaringly at the spot Blueno was at, eyes still black and smoldering. "It doesn''t matter if he''s escaped. This building is about to blow up so we need to leave."


    "It doesn''t?" Zoro asked in confusion, gazing at the redhead with wide eyes.


    The crew never knew Rosan could do something like that¡­ and judging by his wide eyes, even Luffy didn''t know.


    Just what was that?


    "No. It doesn''t," he said, taking a deep breath and summoning a strange black ball.


    This time, it was once again a mixture of solid and liquid, showing off a gelatinous ball that Rosan proceeded to crush.


    "White Rage," was all he said.


    They didn''t know what it did but Rosan clearly did.


    "Come, grab that mayor and let''s evacuate the building."


    Iceburg looked at the living demon and found himself wondering if this Rosan really needed the ancient weapons.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "I thought reports said he was a Mythical Zoan that could transform into some type of dragon. That was not a dragon."


    "Your guess is as good as mine. We already were reluctant to deal with him before but we still carried out the mission, now he has yet another weapon? What the hell was that?"


    "Should we risk going for Cutty Flam?"


    "Without Blueno? The mission''s already been compromised, all of Water 7 will soon know we''re the ones behind the attack and there''s some type of demon hunting us down. We will return for Franky another time."


    Izumi said nothing as her allies discussed their next course of action with each other. No, she had a much bigger elephant in the room to dwell on (that her allies happened to mention).


    What the fuck was Reaper''s Devil Fruit?


    She had agonized over it for many years and deduced that he had a Zoan that transformed him into a crow or raven and just never used the full transformation aspect.


    A bit far-fetched, considering he had a technique that allowed him to instantly teleport to a person but she didn''t have much to work with.


    After seeing his bounty poster as Rosan, Izumi had searched up what they knew about him¡­ and was understandably shocked to see that his fruit was labeled as a Mythical Zoan which allowed him to transform into a Dragon.


    It almost made her think Rosan had a twin. He did have those two others that looked just like him so maybe he had a big family¡­


    But the look in his eyes. The look in that bounty poster¡­ that was him. It couldn''t be anyone else.


    So Izumi assumed he had a shape shifting Devil Fruit that allowed him to utilize the creature who he transformed into.


    That train of thought made her realize dealing with him was going to be impossible, which was why she ambushed him with the illusion of Meiko and brought seastone with her.


    But like the freak of nature he was¡­ it seemed he had completely ignored his injuries and revealed yet another transformation, all but confirming her previous theory.


    Worst, this was the scariest transformation yet and she didn''t know what creature it was.


    She glanced over at the subdued and defeated Nico Robin and realized this woman might have a clue.


    "Count your days CP9. I''m going to make you regret every single decision you''ve ever made, especially you Izumi."


    Izumi shuddered strongly at that. She couldn''t fight Reaper here. She needed more preparation.


    "We need to go. That high tide is also going to crash into us and without Blueno, finding out Franky''s location and capturing him may take even longer. We know he has the blueprint, we know they will be recuperating. We turn Nico Robin over and return with reinforcements."


    Lucci glanced over at her. "Very well. We must at least complete one mission and report Blueno''s death to¡ª"


    Conversation halted, as Blueno himself appeared through a created door and landed in front of them with a pained groan.


    Despite the hellish treatment earlier, the agent still seemed somewhat coherent and they glanced over at him in clear surprise.


    Was the Red Devil''s technique not as strong as he made it out to be? If that were the case, they could receive Cutty Flam.


    "You''re alive. Perfect," Lucci nodded. His Devil Fruit was useful. It made him the most valuable person here to the leopard.


    "Can you move?" Kaku asked the heaving man. "If so, we can resume capture of Franky and quickly escape the island."


    Blueno ignored the agony he was in and dry heaved a bit from the fact that the liquid tendril had entered his mouth.


    "I can summon one more door before I require medical attention. Let''s do this quickly, that monster''s touch ignores Tekkai and I feel¡ª"


    ("White Rage")


    Whatever Blueno was about to say, was cut off, as he began to suddenly throw up an inky black, tar-like, liquid.


    "Blueno?!" Kalifa shouted in shock as the man began screaming.


    "R-AAGHH" Blueno roared in agony as that black goo began spilling from every crevice of his body.


    "Is this¡­ the virus?!" Robin watched with wide eyes as the strange material that Rosan had been using earlier, poured out of the man like it were his own blood.


    Everyone stepped back as that black goo, surged around Blueno''s screaming body, covering him from head to toe and causing the man to howl in agony...


    Only for the howling to stop.


    They tensed, as their fellow agent stood up slowly before letting out a bestial roar and drunkenly charging Kalifa.


    As he looked up, they saw uncontrolled and the fury filled eyes of Blueno... his eyes were bloodshot, before the entirety of his sclera turned pitch black and a plague doctors mask formed on his face.


    "RAGGHHHH!" Blueno howled, as the black tendrils began pulsing across his body with a mind of their own.


    The agents lunged back in disbelief, not wanting to be touched by that strange material at all costs.


    "W-What do we do?!" Kalifa shouted in terror, resisting the urge to screech as the tendril nearly wrapped around her leg.


    "Kill him," Lucci said coldly.


    The leopard cocked his leg back and said, "Rankakyu."


    The slicing wind soared towards the mindless and controlled Blueno, before the tendrils transformed into a solid and formed a makeshift shield, blocking the attack completely.


    "W-What?" They thought in horror, watching that makeshift shield form into a large black fist that lunged for Lucci.


    What was this? What had the Red Devil done?! Had he transformed Blueno into... an inky zombie?!


    The body of Blueno opened its mouth, shooting out a black liquid that Kalifa flew above. She watched in horror as the area she stood in began melting, before that black liquid dissipated before lunging away in horror, as Blueno dipped into his pocket dimension and appeared above her.


    "He can still use his Devil Fruit?!" They thought in disbelief, barraging him with their respective Rankakyu''s and failing as the ink protected him.


    Robin froze as the creature locked onto her, noticing that she was still on the floor, and it took a single step towards the Devil Child... but her shock turned into confusion, as it suddenly seized up and began violently convulsing.


    "Does it... recognize me?" she thought in confusion, watching as the tendrils began assaulting their captive.


    The tendrils began tightening around Blueno''s body violently, making a form of clarity register in the man''s gaze.


    "H-HELP!" Blueno shouted in genuine fear, even as that black goo began solidifying more and more around his body. "S-SOMEONE GET THIS THING OFF ME! I-I CAN''T CONTROL MYSELF. I CAN''T THINK STRAIGHT! H-HELP!"


    The CP9 agents just watched in stunned silence, not expecting such an outburst from Blueno.


    How would they even get this thing off of him? They saw the damage it did. They knew what it was capable of...


    What could they do ¡ª


    "A-ARGHHH!" Blueno howled in fear, as the pain hit. His loss of control had helped him ignore it... but currently his body had been seeped in the black goo... so it had been dissolving this entire time in the substance that felt like acid.


    Even if they did remove the mysterious substance, they would be in for the shock of their life at what was underneath.


    Well, they''d find out soon anyways.


    The tendrils stopped wrapping around Blueno''s trapped and incapacitated body, satisfied with the progress they made. Then, they began looming right next to his head, forming more and more tendrils that began coalescing together, until it formed something vaguely familiar.


    It took them too late to realize why it looked so familiar.


    Because it was a mouth.


    "Help me... please!" Blueno begged in a moment of true terror.


    In that moment, Blueno wasn''t apart of the strongest generation of Cipher Pol. Wasn''t a super soldier. Wasn''t a cold blooded assassin who had been ruthlessly infiltrating a place and forging fake bonds all for the sake of securing an ancient super weapon.


    No, in that moment Blueno was a normal and terrified man who was afraid of death.


    Just like every other human.


    Before they could look away, the inky black maw lunged and clamped around Blueno''s head.


    Crunch.


    ...


    Drip... drip...


    Then, it vanished as if it never existed. The black goo, the black smoke... the black liquid... all gone without a trace.


    All that was left, was Blueno''s horrifically mutilated body.


    None could look at Blueno''s body for long. Even battle hardened assassins like CP9, cringed at the sight before them.


    "I believe we should board the sea train," Kaku said quietly.


    No one had any complaints.


    "I-I... so this is Reaper... this is the man who can even invoke fear out of the fearless," Izumi thought in terror.


    Would she... w-would she have to fight that? Would she have to suffer like Blueno did...?


    No... it was too late to back down. She''d need to fight that creature. Rosan would hunt her down with his dying breath now... so she needed to finish this.


    Robin watched the entire thing with wide terrified eyes.


    Was this what the virus was capable of? Was that why their name was Pestilence? This ability... to infect Blueno like this...


    This was bad. This was very bad... That same Pestilence, seemed to have a firm latch on Rosan, who was hellbent on coming to her.


    Now that she knew the Straw Hats were coming for her no matter what¡­


    What could she even do? If she resisted, they''d kill her. If they came, they would die.


    She shut her eyes tightly.


    Robin had made everything worse. Now, she had to watch them throw their lives away attacking the World Government.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "I targeted that man for a reason. I won''t have my full abilities for a bit longer, so I got rid of their most resourceful member," Rosan grunted, normal heterochromatic eyes, smoldering.


    "He''s dead. He was going to attack your wench so I silenced him. Such a shame," Pestilence faux sighed.


    "Is that why you didn''t go straight for Robin-chan?" Sanji asked curiously, stamping down his fear at the unnerving creature the redhead had just been.


    The redhead nodded. "Yes. She was already in the door and being guarded by the agents and I didn''t have much longer until that form ran out. I need my powers back to increase my chances of saving her to positive levels¡­ and taking out that man in the process, has increased it considerably."


    If he could use Pestilence for a little longer, he could have potentially ended it right then and there but since he couldn''t, he settled for going after the man who had the potential to access his Pocket Dimension.


    The Doa Doa no Mi¡­ He''d need to ensure no enemy got that Devil Fruit... Blueno couldn''t directly enter his dimension and Rosan couldn''t directly enter those little pockets... but with enough practice, the man would have discovered it.


    Which was why he had wanted to spare the man and leave him captured until he could extract it¡­ but the virus had something else to say.


    "It''s been a while since I killed someone. I couldn''t resist and since we didn''t have enough power, we couldn''t fully control him back to us for you to do whatever it was you wanted with him. He was destined to die."


    He grunted. It wasn''t a big deal because if they did access his Pocket Dimension, he''d know.


    Be that it may, Pestilence''s power was useful.


    "You won''t be able to use it again for a while. This castle prevents me from doing too much so now it''s time to wait for Mod to wake up."


    "Is that all you can do? Control and destroy?"


    Pestilence smiled cruelly.


    "I am a hammer, not a scalpel. Modification is the surgeon. I''m just a butcher who needs one cut, Rose. If you care about versatility, go suck on sleeping Mommy''s massive tits."


    "Do not think I will allow you to say anything because of your assistance. Watch your fucking tongue, Pestilence."


    "Aww, is the Little Rose upset that his Mom''s getting attention? She''s very hot you know? I don''t know how you have practical free reigns to her and don''t do a thing... Keep it up with the protective streak and people really will think you''re doing illegal things to her!"


    Rosan snarled warningly and Pestilence simply laughed mockingly.


    The group had exited the mansion after getting as much people out as possible and were now seated a ways away to discuss their next course of action.


    "How long until you get your abilities back?" Zoro grunted.


    "Hours I imagine. I''m almost restored," Rosan replied. "We can''t wait here for them, we need to pursue them and hope it comes back in time."


    "Yeah, we need to get Robin back," Luffy exclaimed.


    Footsteps halted their conversation and they gazed at Iceburg and Paulie with confused expressions.


    "First and foremost¡­ I''d like to deeply apologize for accusing you all of attempting to assassinate me," Iceburg bowed lowly at the group, even despite his numerous injuries. "I''ve already explained to everyone out here that you guys are completely innocent but I''d still like to make it up to you in anyway."


    Rosan glanced up at the supposed mayor. "I need a form of transportation to catch up to those agents. Something very fast. That is the only way I''ll forgive you for tarnishing my name."


    Iceburg looked over at the Red Devil, vividly remembering that horrific creature he had transformed into and resisting the urge to shudder.


    "Rosan was it? My apologies but someone perfectly imitated you," he said simply.


    "Your wish isn''t easy to accomplish¡­ but I can attempt it. I just have one question for you."


    Rosan inclined his head, long red hair draping over his front half.


    "What is your purpose for wanting Nico Robin?"


    The redhead''s expression darkening, was all Iceburg needed to know to understand, that his motives were less then anything good.


    Such a shame, he wouldn''t acquiesce with their wish then¡ª


    "I''m so sick of people like you."


    Iceburg blinked in confusion.


    What?


    Rosan pushed himself up and glowered. "People like you who are hellbent on not giving Robin a normal fucking life," he snarled, glaring murderously at the slightly taller man.


    "Let me guess what you''re thinking. You don''t have to confirm if I''m right, I already know I am. Devil of Ohara, bring about the destruction of the world and other bullshit rumors, right?"


    Iceburg went utterly silent, baffled at this response.


    The Straw Hats looked curious at Rosan''s frustrated expression.


    Robin and Rosan''s past was shrouded in mystery and it made them wonder just why Rosan was so protective of her.


    "Can you imagine being an 8 year old girl and the entire world hates you?" Rosan asked, resisting the urge to yank his hair (the white strands had vanished, leaving it all crimson once more).


    "I''ve known Robin for 20 years. I know everything about her and I know that she doesn''t deserve any of this bullshit that''s been thrown her way. All my best friend wants to do, is learn about history and people like you tack these stigmas onto her for no fucking reason at all."


    The Robin that Rosan had met was no Devil. She was such an innocent little thing who had wanted nothing but a friend, but instead was villainized to no ends.


    Robin was more human than half the people on the planet. She was so kind and gentle, refusing to even punch people, but no one was willing to see that side of her.


    The side of her that just wanted to live normally.


    "You want to know what my purpose is with Nico Robin?" Rosan asked furiously, standing up and glowering at his fellow injured person.


    Iceburg was stunned. Something about the words of the Red Devil... they were deeply affecting him and he began to shamefully think of how he had truly been ostracizing a poor little girl.


    "My purpose is for Nico Robin, my best and first friend, to be free to do as she pleases without assholes like you, who''d paint an entire image of a person based off rumors and propaganda, hounding her every time she even blinks. All I want for Robin, is for her to understand that as long as I''m alive, she''s allowed to live with the knowledge that someone will always acknowledge her as the human she is. Is that good enough for you, Mayor Iceburg-sama?"


    Whatever Robin''s goals were, he would support them because he was the only one willing to without questioning her at all. She had done so much for him, so it was only right that he let her live her life in peace and she couldn''t do that under the World Government.


    "So that''s how it is?" Nami sighed, smiling at the utterly sweet redhead.


    "When you put it like that¡­ How can I not want to save her even more?" Sanji muttered, a fire in his eyes.


    "Let''s get back Robin at all costs!" Chopper decided.


    "YEAH!" Luffy roared. "We''re gonna get her back!"


    "Of course we are. I still have to slap the shit out of her," Rosan promised.


    "¡­" Iceburg gazed at the redhead with wide eyes, as Rosan tore into him with words alone.


    Then, he closed his eyes. "Alright, I''ll help you to the best of my abilities but I just have one favor."


    Rosan glanced at him. "Asking for a favor while doing something to earn our forgiveness? Aren''t you rather shameless?"


    "Franky. I need you to check on him and bring him to me," Iceburg requested.


    "Franky?!" Luffy said in disgust. "Why?!"


    "Who is Franky?" Rosan asked with a frown.


    "He doesn''t know him?" Iceburg thought. Based on the fact that he really was bandaged up and claimed to need time to regain his abilities¡­ This Rosan probably had nothing to do with any of the events that transpired.


    How shameful... the Straw Hats had even pointed out how they were framed but he was dead set in his ways.


    They informed Rosan of who Franky was and the redhead closed his eyes.


    "CP9 were attempting to go after him. He has blueprints to something."


    "How do you know that?"


    "The door man. I learned through his ears right before you activated White Rage."


    Pestilence... could hear far better than Rosan or even Mod could.


    "What do you want with him?" He asked eventually.


    "CP9 might be after him¡­ I want to know if he''s okay and I think he''d be a valuable asset to your goals," Iceburg said.


    "The agents have probably already boarded the Sea Train and there won''t be another one because Aqua Laguna is coming tonight¡­ Knowing them it''s probably scheduled to leave at their command so they''re gone now."


    There was no way they''d be able to get off this island either which is why he needed to do something reckless.


    "I know he attacked one of your crew but please, with Franky we''ll be able to have your mode of transportation ready as quickly as possible."


    Rosan''s interest was immediately captured at that. Despite how uncomfortable his crew looked, he didn''t care about any of that.


    An asset was an asset.


    "I''ll go retrieve him," Rosan said calmly, tapping his shoes against the ground.


    "Are you sure?" Nami said in concern. "This is the guy that beat up Usopp¡­ I dunno if we should trust him."


    "I will do anything to save the people I care about¡­ even make deals with the Devil. Even if this man spit on me, if it''s to save Robin, I will throw away my pride until I get her back," Rosan said softly.


    They all gazed at the redhead''s conviction and felt their own resolve strengthen.


    If Rosan was willing to say even that, then who were they to be uncomfortable?


    The redhead gazed at Iceburg before he jumped up and floated in midair.


    "Tell me his location, please. I''ll be back in 10 minutes."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Usopp had no idea how him and Franky somehow got on friendly terms but it was kinda there?


    The cyborg was very strange and they had both mutually agreed to put the past behind them¡­


    Well up until Franky decided to dismantle the Going Merry.


    "That ship won''t last another minute! How do you think it''ll feel knowing you separated with your friends because of it?"


    "IT DOESN''T MATTER! THE GOING MERRY IS MY SHIP AND I WON''T LET YOU BREAK HER!"


    The two began tussling, which ended up with Franky as the victor who proceeded to make good on his promise.


    "You must be Franky."


    The shipwright froze at that soft voice and glanced back in surprise.


    "Who the hell are you?" Franky asked.


    Usopp glanced up and went pale as a sheet.


    "R-R-ROSAN?!"


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan glanced at the one known as Franky with an utterly unimpressed gaze.


    This shameless pervert was the one who was going to help them out?


    He sighed. Well, beggars couldn''t be choosers.


    "Who let you into my super secret base?!" Franky asked in surprise.


    Rosan pointed at the square haired sisters, who were blushing right next to him. "They did. I just asked if I could come in and they said yes."


    The cyborgs eyes bugged. "H-HEY! DON''T LET ANY HANDSOME MAN ROPE YOU IN!"


    "Sorry, bro¡­" Mozu said eyes not even looking back at him.


    "It was just so hard to say no," Kiwi sighed dreamily.


    "Thank you, you two," Rosan nodded.


    "Anytime!" They chirped.


    "NO NOT ANYTIME!" Franky roared. "YOU, HOW DID YOU FIND THIS PLACE?!"


    "A bunch of your goons were screaming out how they had one of our crew mates in this place," Rosan replied. "Oh and Iceburg told me."


    "Iceburg?! Weren''t you trying to assassinate him last night?" Franky asked in surprise.


    "We were framed by the World Government. They attempted to kill him tonight as well but my crew saved him," the redhead answered, satisfied to see a dark look take over Franky''s eyes.


    "The World Government tried to have him killed?" Franky growled, removing his shades with a serious look.


    Rosan nodded. "That''s why I''m here¡­ Iceburg mentioned that they''d want you next for some reason and¡­ I wanted to ask for your help."


    Usopp''s eyes bugged. Rosan was asking someone for help? What the hell?!


    Franky didn''t need much more explanation about why Iceburg wanted to see him so he focused on the second part. "What do you need my help with?"


    "My best friend was coerced by the World Government into giving herself up. I want you to help Iceburg create something fast enough for us to catch up to the Sea Train that already left."


    Usopp went cold at that.


    Best friend¡­? Coerced? Robin was with the World Government?


    "We have more pressing matters to worry about."


    Usopp felt his guilt well strongly at that. Rosan was talking about Robin wasn''t he?


    Hold on... did Usopp, blow up on a Rosan who just found out that Robin was kidnapped? Looking at those injuries... the redhead had probably been tortured too.


    Oh no...


    "Iceburg wants me to help with something like that¡­?" Franky pondered off, an expression of shock taking over his features. "...Well how can I say no! Seeing you put aside your pride, almost super moves me to tears!"


    The cyborg pulled a guitar out and began strumming it.


    "I can almost play a song for it¡ª"


    "We have no time to waste," Rosan interrupted, turning on his heel. "They are headed to Enies Lobby. If we don''t make it in time¡­ I might lose her and I can''t have that happen."


    Franky''s eyes darkened at those words.


    Enies Lobby eh? She was coerced into getting sent to Enies Lobby?


    Almost just like Tom...


    "Hey Red Devil," the cyborg called out. "I suddenly have a condition."


    Rosan turned and raised a brow, trying to hide the visible frustration.


    "I''ll help you guys build whatever you need, but I want to tag along."


    The annoyance vanished and Rosan nodded.


    "The more the merrier. I''ll need all the hands I can get while I''m recovering."


    "Super!" Franky shouted, slamming his forearms together. "Seems like we''ve all got a common enemy then! Let''s head out!"


    Usopp watched the duo prepare to leave and felt a strange sadness, at not seeing Rosan spare him a single glance.


    "He already wasted too much time on you. Robin''s the one who needs help now."


    The sniper steadied himself, before pulling out his mask that he had been decorating and putting it on.


    "Wait just a minute!"


    Rosan paused and glanced back at Usopp for half a second, raising a brow at seeing the sniper don the mask he gifted him.


    It was different from the all white of before and personally, Rosan hated it but whatever suited Usopp.


    The mask was a simple yellow and blue, with the kanji for liar embedded into it¡­ that also did nothing to hide how long Usopp''s nose was.


    "I, Sogeking, couldn''t help but here of your plight and offer my assistance!" Usopp, now dubbed Sogeking, stated.


    Rosan looked terribly unamused. "Stop wasting my time, Uso¡ª"


    Franky put an arm in front of him and leaned in close to whisper something in the redhead''s ear.


    "This is his way of apologizing?" Rosan scowled.


    "He''s guilty! Regrets leaving the way he did and is trying to make it up while saving face!" Franky whispered back.


    "Then he should just fucking apologize," the redhead growled.


    "We don''t really have time for that, do we?! Didn''t you just say you need all the help?"


    "¡­"


    "Your assistance would be very much appreciated, Sogeking," Rosan said eventually, marching out of the door.


    Franky shot him a thumbs up and followed suit, "Mozu, Kiwi! Let the gang know what we''re about to do!"


    The sisters saluted.


    Usopp let out a sigh of relief and quickly followed after the two.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "So you''re safe?" Iceburg sighed in relief as Rosan appeared from the sky with Franky and¡­ some masked man that looked a lot like their crew member.


    "They never even came for me," Franky shrugged, gazing at the condition of the Mayor with a look of concern.


    "They must have wanted to get away from me as soon as possible," Rosan grunted.


    Pestilence hummed in delight.


    Luffy and Franky stared at each other, before the blue haired man held out his hand.


    "Let''s let bygones be bygones. I can''t let those Government dudes get away with thinking they can attack Water 7 for free whenever they want."


    Luffy stared at the hand and shook it. "Right! We''re gonna get back at them no matter what!"


    "Rosan¡­ who is this?" Chopper asked, pointing at the masked Usopp.


    Rosan glanced down at Chopper and followed his hoof, before slowly glancing back at the reindeer again.


    "You don''t know who that is?" Rosan asked slowly.


    Luffy perked up at that question and glanced over.


    "Nope!" Both he and Chopper replied.


    Every single person sweatdropped.


    Sogeking looked at them all. "Greetings! I, Sogeking, am a sniper hailing from the legendary Sniper Island! I am here to assist you all in the retrieval of Nico Robin!"


    "L-L-LEGENDARY SNIPER ISLAND?!" Chopper and Luffy''s eyes bugged in excitement.


    Rosan zoned out the morons as he gazed at Iceburg. "We need to be able to sail as soon as possible but you mentioned this Aqua Laguna¡­ how are we supposed to sail in the sea in that condition?"


    As if proving his point, everyone watched as a gargantuan wave smashed into the lower city of Water 7, completely engulfing and damaging everything it touched due to its rough waves.


    "No ship can sail these seas," Iceburg stated calmly. "...But I know of one thing that can potentially do so¡­ follow me, all of you."


    Franky''s eyes popped open at that. "You mean that feisty thing?!"


    "That''s right. If they want to catch up, it might be their only hope. Come help me get it ready."


    Everyone gained a puzzled expression at that.


    What were they talking about?


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "This works," Rosan muttered with an impressed gaze.


    "SO COOL!" Luffy exclaimed, eyes turning into stars.


    It''s smokebox was distinctively cone-shaped, and jokingly painted to resemble a shark''s head; to this was linked the standard driver''s cab coal-tender, and a single passenger car.


    Iceburg smiled. "It''s called the Rocketman. Please use it but be warned¡­ this ship is uncontrollable. It''s never been used for a reason¡­ Franky, come help me start it up."


    The cyborg nodded and they quickly got to work.


    "And how do you expect them to control this?" A drunken voice called out.


    Franky and Iceburg had twin looks of disgust, as Kokoro smiled at the two apprentices of Tom.


    "That''s why I sent you the note," Iceburg grunted. "You''re the only one who can safely get them there so please do."


    Kokoro nodded without hesitation. "I like this little ragtag group so of course I''ll help them."


    "My boys are coming too!" Franky shouted. "Rosan mentioned needing as much help as possible, right?"


    Rosan nodded. "Their sacrifices will not be forgotten."


    Franky sweatdropped. "Hey¡­ don''t write them off as dead already."


    "I''ll sit next to you, Kokoro-san," Rosan muttered. "I''ll let you know if you''re straying off course."


    "Oh? A handsome man sitting next to old me? I''m flattered but how will you tell me if I''m doing that?"


    They glanced at the redhead who was scowling with a superior look in his eyes.


    "Robin thinks the pendant is the only thing I can use to track her."


    Their confusion only lasted for a second as the Straw Hats remembered.


    "OH!"


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Robin sat alone in her train, as it headed straight to Enies Lobby. The woman stared out the window and half expected to see Rosan''s Dragon attempting to burn the entire train to cinders.


    But all she saw was rain.


    The woman frowned deeply to herself.


    She had made a mistake but¡­ but she just couldn''t bare to let anyone suffer the fate of the World Government. Robin never wanted anyone she loved to witness the Buster Call because it was completely unstoppable.


    If she saw them get attacked by it¡­ if Admirals converged on them they''d die instantly.


    Robin was just trying to protect them by doing this¡­ but she made everything worse.


    Her irrational fear had blinded her to what she knew about Rosan. The moment she heard Aokiji had given them access to the Buster Call, Robin had given up completely.


    Two of the words that gave her nightmares in the same sentence. Aokiji and Buster Call. They had overruled logic and made her adopt this stance.


    But now she realized things were never going to go the way she thought.


    Even after hurting Rosan, the genius had Mod-chan. If he couldn''t figure it out, she would and correct him accordingly.


    He would have found out about her ruse immediately and sought her out.


    But he was attacked¡­ presumably by Izumi and it looked like he resorted to the virus as a result.


    This was the worst case scenario. She didn''t see him use Modification even once so Mod was incapacitated¡­ which meant it was only Rosan, the Virus and possibly Ram.


    She messed up. They were all so wary about the virus and Robin herself shoved Rosan into its hands¡­


    Damn it. She messed up terribly.


    She just wanted to protect them but wasn''t she making everything worse? Now they were going to come after her.


    Perhaps she really was the Devil Child. Perhaps she should have just continued to let Rosan direct things¡­ she feared for his safety but he would have never done something like this¡­


    Robin froze, as she felt a tiny vibration and she finally remembered a very important thing that she forgot.


    Fishing into her pockets, the Devil Child''s mouth opened as she saw her designated cube flashing with a picture from her best friend himself.


    Hesitantly, she picked up the cube, expecting Rosan to tear into her immediately.


    "So you really did forget I gave this to you."


    She winced at that calm tone of his.


    "Rosan... please I..."


    "If you''re trying to explain yourself, you can shut up now. I don''t wanna hear it," Rosan interrupted coldly. "Considering you picked up the cube, I''m assuming you''re alone. Then again, you''re clearly not as smart as I thought you were."


    Robin flinched at the restrained fury in his voice.


    "I''m sorry Rosan, I never expected it to turn out like this..." she explained quietly.


    The redhead snorted disbelievingly. "The story of my life is people not expecting their actions to be so dire when it comes to me. First my birth mother, then Mom, then Mod-chan, then Doc, then Izumi and finally, you. I never expected you to be on that list, but you''ve been surprising me a lot lately," he said snidely.


    The Devil Child withered at that, trying to disappear in place and think of anything to say that wouldn''t get her shut down immediately.


    "Let me guess, you''re just now finding out that Izumi tortured me right? Even after she said she''d leave us alone if you turned yourself in?"


    So Izumi really had tricked her... Robin was so stupid.


    "Based on that silence, I''m right. Thanks Robin, you left me completely vulnerable to an attack and since I don''t have Modification, I''ve been relying on this virus to help me out," Rosan sneered.


    The virus...


    "Rosan I didn''t mean to force you to resort to the virus... please, please stop using it," Robin pleaded, gnawing her lips in worry. She hadn''t fully understood why Mod-chan was afraid of the virus, but one look at that hellish transformation was all she needed to know.


    They were bad news. Rosan needed to stop using it immediately.


    "You have a lot of nerve trying to tell me to stop using something, when you''re the reason I''m using it," the redhead retorted, raising a brow incredulously at her audacity.


    How could one person manage to make Robin feel so terrible? Everything Rosan said, practically stabbed her through the ribs. Every sentence was spat with so much venom...


    He had never spoken to her like this. Not once. She had seen this venom in his memories, but he had never truly directed ire towards her.


    It made her feel like true scum... maybe that''s what she was for causing all of this.


    "I''m sorry... I would never intentionally push you towards the virus. Believe me," she mumbled.


    "I don''t know what to believe anymore, Robin. The only thing I know, is that I will use even the Devil itself to bring you back."


    Robin froze in terror at that.


    No. He couldn''t. He couldn''t go against the world. Not even Rosan could do that. Aokiji had been enough... but the entirety of the World Government?


    No. No. No. NO.


    "Rosan... please don''t come! I''ve already made a mistake but you guys don''t need to pay for it! Please, take this chance to esca ¡ª"


    "Escape? ESCAPE?!" Rosan snarled at her and Robin went silent immediately. "You fucking hypocrite! You sit here and tell me to put more value into my life, then you try and KILL YOURSELF?! The only thing you should be afraid of, is just how pissed I am with you right now. You have no fucking right to try and tell me what to do right now. You''ve lost that privilege until further notice."


    Robin felt a vicious stab in her chest at that, holding her head in despair at Rosan''s words as a hopeless feeling seeped into her.


    It hurt so much, listening to the words that came out of his mouth. Rosan was mad and hurting and he was lashing out at the right person.


    But still... with those injuries... Robin didn''t want them to suffer for her mistakes. Rosan wasn''t even fully healed yet.


    She didn''t want him to die for her. She never wanted that.


    "Please I''m begging you Rosan... don''t come," Robin said in defeat. "Please, I just want you all to live."


    There was a long silence that made Robin hesitantly glance at the cube again.


    "Fuck off, Robin. Just listening to you is pissing me off."


    With that, he hung up.


    Robin looked at the cube in shock, glancing at the small version of Rosan staring at her with that smug smile, levitating her Devil Fruit up.


    The Devil Child held her head in defeat, pocketing the cube once more as tears sprung to her eyes.


    Rosan was... Robin never expected Rosan''s genuine anger to hurt so much...


    But it really hurt.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan gazed out into the turbulent ocean with a wild look in his eyes. Even despite their insistence, the reckless crew had chosen to sail well before the Aqua Laguna was over.


    "That''s incredibly reckless," Iceberg chastised.


    "We can''t let them get any further. You said this train can survive it so that''s what it will do," Rosan grunted.


    He''d get Robin back and he''d do everything in his power to do so. If it meant braving these wild waters, then so be it. If it meant fighting with these injuries, then oh well. If it meant killing thousands of World Government officials, fine.


    If it meant allying with an entity that hated him as much as he hated it, he''d accept the contract.


    It was nothing compared to what she suffered.


    Nico Robin was his best friend and the World Government had taken too much from him already.


    He''d be damned if they got their hands on her too. If they did, Rosan wouldn''t allow himself to break until he brought down the entire system of the world.


    If Rosan lost Nico Robin, then he''d use the knowledge she gave him and find the two Ancient Weapons that he knew the location of¡­ Neptune and Pluton.


    It was selfish. It was possessive. It was even toxic. But he did not care. Nico Robin was his best friend and no one could take her from him.


    He''d do whatever it took to get her back¡­


    His eyes pulsed lowly, as Modification slowly but surely began to come back to him.


    ...By any means necessary.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Character Sheet: Izumi


    Name: Izumi


    Gender: Female


    Born Sea: North Blue


    Age: 25


    Birthday: October 31


    Personality: A lifeless disposition. Person of very few words unless Rosan is somehow involved, in which she suffers a complete shift, turning deranged and unhinged. Only Rosan and Robin have seen this side of her.


    Affiliation: World Government, Cipher Pol 9


    Summary: Izumi is a young woman who had a chance encounter with Reaper that changed her life for the worst. Forcefully controlled into killing her brother, the woman lost her sanity and now has only one goal in life, break Rosan the way he broke her and keep him all to herself where he can spend the rest of his days as her pet.


    Now apart of the assassin specialists, CP9, she seeks out revenge by targeting the most important thing to Rosan.


    Devil Fruit: Moso Moso no Mi (Illusion)


    Type: Paramecia


    Description: Allows the user to control illusions. Does this by altering the perceptions of a person''s mind. They are more akin to hallucinations, in contrast to Maro''s environmental changes.


    Appearance: Curly black hair, olive skin, teal eyes. Mostly seen wearing a black suit with bandages wrapped around her midsection to hide the mark engraved onto her skin of a sinister black rose.


    Height: 5''6


    Favorite Food: Marshmallows (reminds her of the times she and her brother used to eat while gazing at the stars)


    Disliked Food: Anything with bird meat


    Loves: Rosan, Reaper


    Hates: Rob Lucci

 Love I

    "Rosan¡­ what are you doing?"


    Rosan slowly opened his eyes, glowing gaze roaming over his crew, Franky and Usop- Sogeking.


    "I''m meditating," he said simply. "Right now, I have little to no control over my emotions and I''m trying my hardest to not let this anger at Robin get the best of me again."


    They flinched at the reminder.


    Right¡­ They remembered the words of Rosan right after he exited that strange transformation¡­


    Upset with Robin was a nice way of putting it and they doubted things would suddenly get better after getting her back¡­


    Speaking of which.


    "What was that, Rosan?" Luffy asked bluntly, brows furrowed. "First you had a horse then you transformed into something else¡­ I didn''t know you could do that."


    Everyone nodded. If even Luffy didn''t know what that was, it was rather alarming because the brothers had been together for 10 years!


    Rosan sighed and closed his normal eyes.


    "That¡­ is a problem that has been persisting within me for a long while," Rosan said quietly. "The virus. It is a parasite that has latched itself onto Mod-chan and as a result, me. It is the reason for many of my mental issues."


    "Mmm you''re too sweet~ If you want, I''ll latch onto you too," Pestilence hummed, letting out a pleased sigh.


    "Virus¡­?" Chopper asked in concern.


    "Telling them about me so soon? My oh my, I feel so special! This is even faster than precious little Mod!"


    Rosan bit back a snarl that he failed miserably to hide, which caused his crew to flinch.


    Lately, Rosan had been making far more expressive faces... but watching the once neutral scout scowl and sneer was still foreign to them.


    "I don''t really feel comfortable revealing anymore information but I will tell you all once this debacle is finished. No offense but I don''t really trust everyone on this train," he grunted, trying hard to quell his temper.


    "How long until I get Modification fully?"


    "I don''t have a timer in my head. But it should be soon. What? Not liking my company? I thought we made a pretty good team, Little Rose," Pestilence mocked sadly, sounding exactly like his mother in that moment.


    "All this has done, is spare you from my wrath for a moment longer."


    "Aww, is this the moment where we swap from haters to lovers and then raise 10 kids? You flatter me, but I don''t feel like being the answer to your mommy issues. You''re hot but I''m not that easy."


    Everyone gained a worried look as Rosan grit his teeth and clenched his fist.


    "I hope you remain this fucking confident when we finally meet face to face."


    "Mmm, if that''s really what you want, then I''ll have to do the opposite! Nothing fills me with more bliss than pissing you off. You don''t have to worry though, once Mod wakes up, I''ll be out your hair sadly."


    So the virus was avoiding Mod-chan¡­


    Whatever.


    "Let''s discuss," Rosan muttered with stormy eyes.


    His voice made them all straighten and the group began listening to the tumultuous scout.


    "Our mission is to retrieve Nico Robin. To do that, we must fight an enormous amount of World Government agents. Standing at the top of those agents, are CP9 a group of assassins," he began calmly.


    "These are the guys who tried to kill Iceburg?" Franky asked curiously, getting a noise of confirmation out of Rosan. "You said they were people infiltrating Water 7 undercover?"


    Rosan nodded and began listing off their names. "The ones we know of are, Izumi, Rob Lucci, Kalifa, Kaku and Blueno¡ª,"


    "BLUENO?! THAT GUY?!" Franky shouted in shock. Even Kokoro looked stunned by that statement.


    The bartender?! He was an agent too?!


    Rosan sneered, eyes going dark as he thought about the man with the threatening Devil Fruit. "Yeah. He had a troublesome fruit."


    "Why did you let him escape then? I know you said you dealt with it¡­ but how? Is he poisoned?" Sanji pointed out in confusion. Rosan had him right where he wanted him but had let him go in favor of ripping into Robin instead.


    "Escape?" Rosan repeated quietly. "No one escapes from me."


    Everyone shuddered at that simple and quiet statement.


    "Blueno is dead. That I can assure you. What''s left of his body, is probably still cooling at Water 7 because those agents were most likely too afraid to touch him," he explained coldly.


    "Rosan''s really scary right now!" they all thought in horror.


    "You don''t mess around huh, Red?" Franky asked with wide eyes.


    "I will crush all of them beneath my heel by the end of this," Rosan promised.


    Kokoro, who had been frowning after Rosan named the agents, suddenly spoke up. "You said someone named Izumi was posing as well? That name doesn''t ring a bell. What about you, Franky? I recognized every name except for hers."


    The cyborg shook his head. "I didn''t recognize that name either. There was no one notable named Izumi on that island and I super knew just about everyone."


    Rosan pursed his lips at that. There could be many explanations for that. After all, Izumi could control illusions but for her to not be even slightly known, when all the other agents didn''t even bother hiding their names¡­


    She was here for him only then.


    Obsessed freak.


    "Luffy. You probably don''t remember their names, but tell me which one was the strongest."


    The rubber boy blinked at the request before nodding.


    "Pigeon guy was the strongest," he said eventually.


    Rosan nodded. So Rob Lucci was the strongest¡­


    "You can fight Rob Lucci then, Captain," he said simply, gazing at his brother with a serious look in his eyes.


    Luffy nodded, just as serious.


    "I don''t know who will fight who but leave that Rob Lucci to Luffy," Rosan told them all, eyes narrowed. "And you may leave Izumi to me. I have to repay her back for all she''s done."


    The way he said that, didn''t sound reassuring at all.


    "Franky, what can you do?" The redhead asked suddenly. "How strong are you?"


    The Cyborg grinned. "I''M SUUUUPER STRONG!" The man exclaimed.


    Rosan glanced at Luffy and the two exchanged a quick conversation with each other before he nodded.


    "Okay. Depending on how many CP9 agents they have, you may need to fight one," he grunted. "Chopper, can you replace my bandages?"


    The reindeer jumped at that but nodded, rushing over to the redhead and removing his shirt to pick at his bandage.


    None could keep the wince out of their eyes, at the severe damage of Rosan''s midsection and they had to wonder how he could even act so calm right now.


    Actually, how was he even able to move? It was almost as if he didn''t register the wounds on his midsection and that level of pain tolerance was too unnatural, even for their demonic scout.


    Had... Rosan been tortured before?


    "Are you planning on fighting like that?" Nami asked in visible concern, gazing at his body with wide eyes.


    "Of course," he grunted, watching as the red matted bandages piled up.


    "What the hell happened to you?!" Franky asked in shock.


    "I was tortured on Water 7 by Izumi quite brutally," the redhead replied blandly. "It''s why I will handle her. She is obsessed with me and will only target me. It''s for the best if she does that because an assassin who can control illusions, will kill you before you noticed you were in one. You guys aren''t good at dealing with tricks."


    "And you?" Zoro asked with a raised brow.


    "She won''t kill me regardless of if I win or not," Rosan frowned. "She plans on capturing me and making me her slave, while you all die. I''m very sure she plans on raping and branding me as well."


    They froze in horror at that, gaping at the casual way he stated it.


    Usopp felt even more guilt at that. So right after Rosan got tortured that brutally¡­ he had to deal with the sniper blowing up on him.


    He was the worst...


    "Rosan, you shouldn''t be fighting!" Chopper begged, eyes pleading with him.


    Rosan shook his head in refusal. "You are not strong enough to be worrying about me over yourself; Nothing you say will stop me so just focus on winning your own battle. As long as Robin is in their hands, I will not be satisfied and I will not be able to rest."


    His body was still recovering. Modification was coming back slowly but until he was fully functional, the Philosophers Stone would activate in time, but with all these injuries, he would be somewhat drained.


    The redhead sighed. He''d be going against Izumi without being fully healed.


    How fortunate for her.


    "You really care about her don''t you?" Franky asked curiously. "You''re super pissed at her but you''re also risking your life for your woman."


    Rosan huffed as his gaze turned murderous. "Regardless of how I''m acting... I''m way more worried then I am pissed but when I''m worried, I get pissed. Every time I think about her, I just think about how big of a hypocrite she is¡­ but I''m also thinking about how I can possibly continue if she dies?"


    The redhead closed his eyes and his expression melted away¡­ For a second, for just a split second, they saw a vulnerable redhead with fear on his features.


    Fear that they would never associate with Rosan... it was heartbreaking to witness.


    "I''ve been broken once and I''m slowly rebuilding myself. Doesn''t she understand that this will break me beyond repair?" he whispered to himself.


    The crew looked at his doubtful stance, eyes softening at how conflicted their infallible scout currently was.


    Then the anger came roaring back with a vengeance.


    "Well if she doesn''t understand, that just brings a whole other issue to the table," Rosan snarled, eyes positively glowing. "She didn''t tell me a damn thing. She didn''t tell me her issues. She just up and fucking LEFT! AND ALL SHE DID WAS LEAVE ME A NOTE LIKE I''D ACCEPT THAT!"


    Everyone jumped at the shift in volume and inched away from the furious redhead.


    "After everything we said to each other¡­ after I spilled my heart out for her¡­ she tries to make these decisions on her own? I. Won''t. Allow. It. Nico Robin is in more trouble then she ever believed," Rosan growled, closing his eyes and forcing himself back into the meditative stance.


    "Once I get my powers back, just follow me. I will be leading and I will make my statement. Afterwards, we will split off. If you can avoid a fight and run straight to Robin that would be ideal but I doubt that."


    Everyone nodded, stunned that Rosan himself was voluntarily taking charge.


    "She''ll be cuffed most likely," Franky pointed out.


    "I will deal with it¡­ I just need my powers back," he growled.


    He felt completely helpless without Modification right now. He was still plenty strong physically but without his ability, it was difficult to do what he wished to do.


    Rosan focused and was satisfied to see it was slowly booting up. Better then being completely deactivated.


    "Don''t hold anything back. Mark my words... by the end of the day Enies Lobby will see that I''m far more dangerous then a Devil," the redhead assured.


    "We''ll help in anyway we can¡­ Robin''s our crewmate too," Nami nodded in determination.


    "I''ve got a bone to pick with the World Government myself so when you say things like that, you get me super pumped!" Franky grinned eagerly.


    He liked this redhead. Franky would have done the exact same things if he had the power to save Tom so to see someone going against the very same World Government¡­ it lit a fire under him.


    "You might get a bounty for this Franky¡­ is that really okay with you?" Rosan grunted curiously.


    The cyborg paused at that question, not considering that outcome at all, before shrugging.


    "I''ll figure it out afterwards. The World Government really pisses me off so it was bound to happen one day," the cyborg explained.


    Rosan shrugged and accepted that answer.


    "That reminds me¡­ why exactly did Iceburg want your help? I heard that you dismantled ships, not repair them," Sanji frowned at the cyborg.


    Franky puffed up with pride. "I was the student of the best damn Shipwright on the planet with that Iceburg. My skills in crafting are second to none! I even created this super cyborg body of mine by myself!"


    Rosan glanced up at him and the crew could just tell his gears were turning at that.


    "You''re a shipwright?!" Luffy asked excitedly.


    "You''re a master inventor?" Rosan asked calmly.


    "Yup! I''m super good at them but I haven''t built anything in a long while..." Franky nodded.


    The redhead''s gaze looked calculating at that.


    By the way Luffy''s eyes were sparkling, it was clear what the two were thinking and they couldn''t believe it.


    They totally wanted to recruit Franky.


    But in a move that surprised them all. The two brothers just nodded and let it go.


    "You''re skills would go well with my abilities," Rosan commented offhandedly, closing his eyes and beginning to meditate again. "We could create inventions on the level of Vegapunk if your claims are true."


    Franky''s eyes widened at that bold statement and he regarded the focused redhead with a clearly interested eye.


    "Just what is your ability?" He asked.


    They could reach Vegapunk? What an absurd but confident thing to say! Franky really liked Red already.


    Rosan simply inhaled and exhaled quietly.


    "If you contribute in saving Robin, I''ll tell you. After I deal with her, you will have my attention so you''ll find out anyways."


    Luffy nodded excitedly. "Yup, but Robin comes first!" The rubber boy chirped.


    Everyone shuddered at that statement, Franky included.


    "That''s¡­ super ominous," Franky said.


    "You have our condolences," the crew, barring Luffy told him.


    Looks like they better get used to the idea of Franky being apart of their crew. Those psychotic brothers both had their eyes on him.


    Franky simply backed away from the suddenly super scary brothers.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Let''s talk, Robin-chan."


    Robin''s eyes narrowed at that voice and she turned away from the window to gaze at Izumi.


    "No one should be visiting me. I thought you all made that rule," Robin said icily.


    Izumi didn''t even flinch. There was a wild, albeit hidden, look in her eyes as she gazed piercingly at Ohara''s Devil.


    "They don''t know I''m in here. All of them have fallen under my spell," she said simply, before taking a seat next to the clearly uncomfortable woman. "Tell me about Rosan''s Devil Fruit."


    Robin''s eyes narrowed in disbelief. "I have nothing to say to someone who won''t keep their word."


    Izumi raised a brow. "You''re talking about what I did to him? Let me ask you something Nico Robin. You saw exactly what he was able to do after what I did. What did you think was going to happen if I didn''t incapacitate him?"


    Robin said nothing.


    "I put a hole in every part of his abdomen, I tied him up with seastone and I even shot him with seastone nails¡­ but he somehow still showed up and killed Blueno in the process. Can you imagine what would have happened if he wasn''t injured? Your entire crew would be burned alive by the Buster Call," Izumi hissed, successfully making Robin flinch back.


    "I did you a favor by incapacitating him¡­ and he still almost ruined everything," Izumi tutted. "I envy you Nico Robin. Our sweet boyfriend managed to completely fool you."


    The Devil Child went still, eyes furrowed in confusion.


    "Confused? I don''t know why you are," Izumi shrugged. "Can I ask you another question? If Meiko was alive, do you think Rosan would ever give you the time of day?"


    Robin knew what her game was. She knew what Izumi was trying to do¡­ but a small part of her had to wonder, would Rosan give her the time of day if Meiko was still alive?


    After all, while Robin was in love with Rosan¡­ the redhead didn''t show any of the same signs¡­ but he realized he was in love with Meiko after looking at her¡­


    "You see don''t you!" Izumi purred. "He''s turned you into a loyal slave and you don''t even realize it. If it were up to him, he''d discard everything just for a chance to see Meiko again and I''m going to show you that¡­"


    The woman sighed and leaned in close, planting a chaste kiss on the edge of Robin''s lips and making the Devil Child reel back with wide eyes.


    "You and I? We''re not so different you know. We''re both loyal to a man that won''t appreciate us fully even though we love him but you know what? It doesn''t have to be like that," Izumi whispered.


    Robin shuddered at the woman talking to her right now, doubt on her face.


    "To be honest, I like you Nico Robin. I don''t want you to die and I won''t let you die," she announced, making Robin''s eyes widen in confusion.


    "What?" the Devil Child asked in shock.


    Izumi smiled gently. "I''ve already killed someone who was completely innocent in this war between Rosan and I... I would hate myself even more if I killed you too," she admitted truthfully.


    The illusionist gazed at her hands. "Every single day, I am reminded that everything in my life went wrong because I killed the most gorgeous and innocent girl I''d ever laid eyes on. That day, Meiko was the last person who deserved to die, yet she did and it was at my hands," Izumi said quietly, dead teal eyes staring directly into her soul.


    "Yet here I am, alive with no other purpose but to chase the back of the person who turned me into this."


    With her words... with her eyes, Robin distantly thought that Izumi and Rosan were very similar.


    "You''re just another victim in this battle and I''m tired of hurting victims. You could join me and the both of us could share Rosan. I don''t mind since we already are," Izumi said simply.


    Robin couldn''t understand anything going on in Izumi''s mind. The twisted girl had been the one who made her give up and now she was saying she didn''t want her dead?


    Join her? Was she mad?


    "You''re thinking why would I even extend the offer when my allies are in the other room?" Izumi guessed, standing up with an unhinged smile. "It''s true, Rob Lucci alone is enough to dismantle me but Robin, girls like us don''t fight fair."


    With a small tug, she pulled Robin up and forced the woman to follow her. Then, Izumi opened the door to the room behind them, filled with every single CP9 agent.


    What Robin saw left her stunned.


    Every single one of them were sleeping.


    They were unconscious, unaware of the world around them as they slept the events of today away.


    "Didn''t I tell you? They''re all under my spell," Izumi crooned, taking a confident step forward. "I don''t care about my allies. I don''t care about their lives. I don''t care about anyone in this train. I don''t care about anything except for you and darling."


    She walked up to the sleeping Kalifa and boldly grabbed her chest, looking back at Robin and fondling her shamelessly, as the woman showed no sign of waking even as Izumi placed those nails on her pretty face.


    "Not her."


    Then, she removed her hand and walked over to Kaku, brushing her incredibly sharp nails against the bridge of his long nose. With a small bit of exertion, those claws would pierce into him and take his life and he''d be none the wiser.


    "Not him."


    Finally, she walked over to Lucci and aimed a finger directly over his heart, drawing an imaginary one over it in the process that belayed the danger of the action.


    "And especially not Rob Lucci."


    Izumi looked back at her with a grin and an unsettling gleam.


    "You see? In just a second, I could kill all of them and be done with it and they''d be none the wiser. No Rokushiki technique is saving them from my magic, yet they praise it as if it''s the only thing a person needs¡­"


    Robin shuddered at the psychotic girl, eyes going wide as those dead teal eyes looked at her.


    "I don''t need to be stronger then them. Every creature has a weak-point, whether it be physical or mental. Every creature has a weakness that a person can exploit to win¡­" Izumi began.


    A hand touched Robin''s shoulder and a chest pressed against her back, squishing into her lewdly.


    "...That''s what I specialize in and I already know Darling''s weakness."


    Robin jumped at the chilly breath against her ear and rounded on the Izumi behind her.


    "W-What?" The Devil Child muttered in confusion, turning back in time to see the Izumi who was next to Rob Lucci, vanish into nothing.


    "You''ve fallen under my spell too," Izumi said calmly, smiling impishly. "Illusions. Such a powerful tool to help people escape from reality¡­ but I myself can never escape from my reality. Fitting isn''t it? That I''d eat this fruit?"


    "What''s real? What''s fake?" Izumi questioned and Robin watched as the woman split into 5, before they combined into a giant figure of her¡­ and finally they ended up as Meiko¡­


    "It''s hard to separate dreams from reality when there''s something you wish for," Meiko said softly. "I will prove to you that Rosan cares about me more then anyone else, even with your life on the line¡­"


    She transformed back into Izumi who leaned in close to Robin.


    "...And then I''ll save you and let you get your revenge on that traitor," she whispered.


    Izumi leaned back with a satisfied smirk and did a little twirl.


    "Ah it''ll just be perfect! The despair on Rosan''s face, when he finds out the one who killed Meiko, was the one who saved his lovely Robin. Mmm just thinking about it~" Izumi giggled psychotically.


    "Now go take your seat and let me deal with saving you! We''ve both got a persona to maintain, don''t you think?" The agent grinned psychotically.


    Quick as a flash, her face morphed into a lifeless expression.


    "Go. Sit," Izumi intoned, before making her way over to her own seat and sitting down.


    Robin shakily watched her go, before walking back into her room and subsequently collapsing into her seat.


    I already know Rosan''s weakness.


    "She''s going to use Meiko to strike Rosan''s weak points," she thought in realization, shuddering at the conversation that just took place.


    That¡­ Rosan was in real danger. He¡­ He loved Meiko. He could never strike her¡­


    Not even for her¡­


    Robin''s head bowed and she slumped in her seat.


    Right¡­ Rosan''s heart belonged to Meiko. Of course it did. It always had.


    Meiko would never have pushed Rosan away and made him cry.


    Meiko would have revealed all her problems right then and there because she had nothing to hide from him.


    Not like Robin had so ruthlessly done. Robin knew he couldn''t control his emotions and she ruthlessly stomped on them, just so he could get away.


    Meiko wouldn''t have done that. She would have cried and begged for him to come back and be with her.


    That''s the type of person this version of Rosan needed. They weren''t kids anymore. Rosan had outgrown a person like Robin, who didn''t know the slightest thing about helping someone who genuinely needed help.


    How could she ever help someone, when she was just as much a mess as them?


    Rosan was the sun¡­ and she was the moon. Robin couldn''t become a sun for Rosan like Meiko had¡­ because she wasn''t fit for it.


    Of course she wasn''t¡­ why did she think otherwise?


    Robin shut her eyes and cried quietly to herself.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    There were far more people on the train then Rosan expected or wanted.


    The redhead opened his eyes and sneered at the others.


    The Franky Family had been following them on their King Yagura Bulls and Rosan supposed that because the Aqua Laguna was really kicking up they could come in¡­


    But what were these three Galley-La workers doing here? Not to mention, somehow Kokoro''s granddaughter and that weird pet where here too.


    It was too crowded. He hated that. And not only that, they were panicking as well. Something about a massive tidal wave coming to hit.


    But it wasn''t all bad. No, in fact it was great¡­


    Rosan''s closed eyes pulsed wildly as he began slowly but surely healing. It wasn''t fast by any means, only slightly above a humans but it meant one thing.


    He was alive.


    "I do quite enjoyed our time together, whore. But that''s all from me. If you ever want to use my powers again, you know you just have to let me in. Toodles!" Pestilence hummed, slinking away into their corner and vanishing before he could say a word.


    Rosan''s eyes shone dangerously, as a feral grin made its way to his face and he abruptly stood up, getting all their attention.


    "You mentioned a tidal wave?" Rosan rumbled, clenching and unclenching his fist repeatedly.


    They nodded rapidly, eyes wide at the dangerous aura of the redhead before them.


    The redhead hummed and seemed to check for something before nodding.


    "Alright. I''ll deal with it but afterwards I''m going to rest," he demanded, not waiting for anyone''s response.


    He nudged open one of the windows to the wild sea train and put a foot on the edge.


    The redhead ignored everyone''s yells of concern and immediately silenced them as a violent and scaly tail burst out, followed by wings.


    The Straw Hats eyes widened in joy.


    "You got your powers back!" They exclaimed right as the redhead launched himself into the terrible weather.


    "So he''s a Devil Fruit user too," Paulie muttered.


    Everyone glanced at each other for a moment, before they all dashed to get a glimpse outside.


    Rosan floated above with a set of gloves on and breathed calmly.


    "I''m not fully recovered¡­ but I can make way for the train¡­ Then I need to shut down most of my body functions and rest up for as long as possible."


    Deep breaths.


    Rosan held both hands out and began accumulating the necessary energy. The redhead inhaled and focused.


    "Exoneration."


    Everyone''s jaw dropped as the giant tsunami was parted straight through the middle by an unassuming red orb that quickly grew massive.


    It flew through the air at ridiculous speeds, growing larger and larger, before crashing directly into the wave, ripping open a hole that allowed the train to travel through as if it never existed in the first place.


    "H-Holy shit," the Franky Family muttered, glad that he wasn''t there to deliver the beat down.


    "S-So this is the power of the Red Devil¡­ it seems like if he wanted to kill Iceburg he really would have¡­" Paulie muttered.


    "That''s what I was trying to tell you, jackass!" Nami growled, rounding on the idiots with a menacing aura. "Rosan''s super talented! He wouldn''t fail to kill someone and you wouldn''t even know it was him!"


    The Galley-La foremen sweat at the scary woman.


    "Sorry¡­" they muttered.


    They watched the redhead slowly float down and enter the train again.


    "I''m going to rest for a bit. Wake me up if we see the other train or are near Enies Lobby. Do not wake me up otherwise, I need to regain my energy," Rosan grunted.


    With that the redhead walked of, slightly modified the area around to make it a suitable resting spot, transformed his raid suit into a set of earmuffs that he placed on, before immediately closing his eyes and falling asleep.


    "Let him rest," Luffy said with a confident nod. "No one''s more useful than Rosan is!"


    "But he needs to have the energy to do it," Zoro nodded in agreement. "I''m gonna get warmed up¡­"


    Sanji nodded. "There''s something I want to practice too."


    Thanks to Rosan, he got that Geppo and Soru technique down and the intense training, had already increased the strength of his legs to levels he didn''t think were possible.


    His kicks felt ridiculous! Actually, he kicked so hard, he noticed something and that was what he was trying to currently test out.


    "Me too!" Luffy said determinedly.


    "That reminds me¡­ I wanted to try something that I talked to Maro about!" Chopper exclaimed, rushing off as well.


    Nami clutched Clima and walked off as well. "Let''s go practice combinations. I want to increase the speed you can summon that iron cloud as well."


    "Understood. Water and Lightning. Fire and Wind. Oh I''m just so pleased," Clima said, sounding pleased.


    They watched each Straw Hat leave with wide eyes.


    "Those guys are monsters¡­" Franky muttered, feeling left out because he had nothing to do.


    "¡­" Usopp glanced down. Even the ones who knew who he was under the mask barely gave him the time of day.


    He knew why¡­ Robin was super important to get back but it still stung.


    He deserved it for acting like this anyways¡­ Rosan had been trying to tell them about Robin while severely injured but Usopp had just blown up on him without a second thought.


    He said so many terrible things to the redhead that just wanted his best friend back¡­


    And now they were all throwing themselves into training¡­ while he had nothing to do but recover from his injuries¡­ that he made worse by causing a fight with his former captain.


    "Stop beating yourself up," Franky said seriously, slapping Usopp on the back. "You won''t be helping anyone like that. If you want to earn their forgiveness, do all that you can to get that girl back."


    The liar perked up at that and gazed at Franky¡­ before he nodded in determination and began rummaging through his bag, making sure everything was sorted.


    He''d do everything in his power to get Robin back¡­ it was his fault they didn''t look for her sooner so he''d do his best.


    "For what it''s worth, I did think you had potential and I hope you can realize it on your own journey."


    Even if they didn''t forgive him¡­ it was the least he could do.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan glanced down at Mod and Ram''s sleeping bodies, both still unconscious from the effects of the seastone, and frowned.


    They were out in the rain for who knows how long so they were both thoroughly soaked through.


    Neither could get sick from the rain¡­ but despite that Mod-chan looked terrible.


    Her face was flush, she was breathing hard, and the woman writhed a bit. It was exactly how she was when they were on Daybreak. Seastone had a terrible effect on her when they were exposed to it for too long.


    At least Ram looked fine. Seastone should affect her the least out of the three of them. She wasn''t a Devil Fruit after all but their connection still meant that she was slightly affected and she was especially not used to being knocked unconscious.


    The redhead bent down and picked them both up, before walking towards their home.


    Once inside, the redhead gently began peeling off Mod-chan''s dress first and threw it in a basket. He repeated with the rest of her soaked clothing and frowned at the state of the sickly woman before turning to her closet and opening it.


    He snorted at seeing only black dresses and grabbed one, before immediately modifying it into thick pajamas that would keep her warm.


    Rosan gently hoisted his mother up and began the process of putting the new set of clothes on her.


    "Mmm?" Mod made a noise as she blearily opened her eyes. "R-Rosan?" She called, before coughing harshly.


    Ah¡­ this was what happened to her¡­ after the seastone¡­ darn it, she was going to be totally useless to Rosan again wasn''t she?


    "Shhh," he whispered. "Arms up."


    The woman obeyed and lifted her arms up to the best of her ability, watching as Rosan put the comfortable and snug top over her frame.


    The redhead gently turned her and repeated the process with her pants, sliding them up and securing her under a blanket once he finished.


    Then, he walked over to Ram and repeated the process of peeling her outfit off, taking a bit longer because hers was a lot more complicated then Mod''s, until she was also free of the soaked clothing.


    Ram shot up at that, puzzled as to why she was naked, and glanced around in confusion.


    "Relax Ram."


    The ring instinctively calmed down at her father''s voice and raised her arms so he could place the top over her. The same was repeated once more for her bottom half before she was fully clothed.


    Then she noticed her Auntie''s condition.


    "A-Auntie?! What happened to you?!" Ram shouted in concern, leaning close to the sick woman with a panicked look.


    Mod tried to open her mouth to explain, but Rosan put a finger over her lips.


    "No talking," he said calmly. "I was captured and shot with seastone nails. This is what happens to Mod-chan as a result."


    Mod and Ram''s eyes widened at that and they both fully focused on the artificially calm Rosan.


    Both of them could feel it almost as clear as day.


    Portgas D. Rosan was pissed.


    "Do you remember Izumi, Mod-chan?" Rosan asked quietly.


    Mod nodded immediately at the name. She would never forget the person who killed Meiko.


    "She''s joined the World Government. She is the one who used the illusion of Meiko to weaken our guards. After we fell unconscious, she tied me up and tortured me."


    At the words torture, tears began springing in Mod''s eyes and she was immediately brought back to the traumatic events of Daybreak.


    How many times would she be incapacitated, while her baby boy got tortured?!


    "WHAT?!" Ram snarled, fury marring her features as rage began mounting. "Who does this human think she is? Where is she? We will return the torture tenfold and you can use me to do it."


    Mod frowned deeply, wiping her tears. Something was wrong here. Being tortured wouldn''t have Rosan this angry.


    Rosan and Mod reacted very differently. This was something that would have the Devil Fruit truly furious but to Rosan, this would be an annoyance that he''d have to deal with. It would make him mad, but not on this level.


    Then she noticed.


    "Where¡­ is¡­ Robin? Did... you two ever manage... to talk?" The Devil Fruit asked raspily.


    Rosan''s reaction was all she needed to know that something went terribly wrong.


    His face immediately formed into a snarl of pure hatred, as his eyes began glowing bright and the two woman instinctively flinched back at the intense rage in his gaze.


    "Nico Robin tried to sacrifice herself to save us, by turning herself in to the World Government," Rosan grit out painfully. "She is currently on a sea train headed straight to Enies Lobby."


    Mod''s teary eyes widened in terror at that and she shot up.


    "W-What¡ª"


    Whatever she was about to say was cut off as she broke out into violent coughs that had both Ram and Rosan quickly placing her back down.


    Mod''s body shook terribly.


    How could Robin do something so stupid?! Sacrificing herself to the World Government? Turning herself in? Why? Why would she do that?!


    What was she thinking?! Didn''t she understand what the consequences of such actions carried?


    "WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?! MOTHER DID WHAT?" Ram screamed, eyes flying wide with rage.


    Rosan huffed, anger nearly boiling over again as their emotions struck him.


    "I understand how upset you both are because trust me, I am too. We''re going to storm Enies Lobby and get her back¡­ and you two won''t be helping."


    ¡­


    "W-What¡­?" Ram asked in confusion. Her? Not helping Father? But she wasn''t sick like Auntie!


    Mod frowned heavily and tried to sit up, only to collapse as her weakened body disagreed with the motion.


    "Mod is self explanatory. She is in no condition to do anything so for now, just rest," Rosan ordered, getting a noise of protest out of her.


    "B-But I can still help! This is Robin... we''re talking about! I don''t care what condit¡ª I don''t care what condition I''m in," Mod coughed harshly, gazing pleadingly at the redhead.


    "Well I do care," Rosan said with a glare. "You are in no condition to move about, Mod-chan. Just watch what''s going to unfold and focus on getting better. I don''t need you for this."


    Mod flinched at his somewhat harsh statement and turned subdued, nodding softly.


    Rosan''s features softened and he immediately scooped her up into a hug.


    "Sorry¡­ I didn''t mean it like that, Mod-chan¡­ We''re practically one and the same¡­ Everything you can do, I can do so there really is no reason for you to overexert yourself. Please, I''m already so worried about her... I can''t handle being worried for you either," he whispered, kissing her softly on the forehead.


    "I-I know¡­ it''s just, I''m so worried¡­ why would she leave us?" Mod whispered in distraught.


    "You don''t have to wonder. I''m going to drag her back and force her to explain herself," Rosan assured, getting a small whimper out of the teary eyed Devil Fruit.


    "And what is your reason for leaving me out, Father?" Ram snarled, disagreeing with him for once. "I can still be useful! I''m not incapacitated like Auntie is!"


    The redhead turned to face her. "There is no point in you trying to help. You''re just going to hold me back in an already unfavorable situation so I''ll go at it alone."


    Ram flinched back as if physically slapped by the redhead. To her, she may as well have been.


    "Hold you back¡­?" She whispered in disbelief. Then, Ram''s features turned into a truly terrifying scowl.


    "HOW WILL I POSSIBLY HOLD YOU BACK FATHER?! SINCE MY CREATION, I''VE DONE NOTHING OF THE SORTS BUT NOW YOU THINK SOMETHING''S CHANGED? HOW?! TELL ME RIGHT NOW WHAT''S CHANGED! IS IT BECAUSE I WAS KNOCKED UNCONSCIOUS?!" she howled, glaring furiously at the redhead.


    "I AM NOT USELESS. I WILL NEVER BE USELESS TO YOU SO WHY WOULD YOU EVEN SAY THAT TO ME?!"


    Rosan gazed stonily at his weapon, before sighing as he saw actual tears forming in her eyes.


    "Can you hit Meiko?"


    Ram froze completely.


    "Will you take the form of a weapon that will possibly strike down one half of you?" Rosan asked quietly.


    "The answer is no. You can''t Ram. Because I can''t either," he replied softly.


    Ram began shuddering, words failing her.


    "Izumi already knows Meiko is my weakness. She is going to use her against me. I am already facing inner turmoil, I do not need yours either. Neither of us can deal with seeing Meiko in pain and I won''t share that burden with you or Mod-chan."


    Rosan''s eyes burned fiercely as he stood up.


    "This is my burden and mine alone. You did not exist when I created this monster. You should not bear the burden of striking your mother. I already have plenty, one more is nothing."


    Ram slumped over in defeat, knowing she really couldn''t attack Meiko. It went against everything in her system, striking her deceased mother no matter how fake.


    "Can I at least protect you?" She asked quietly, uncharacteristically subdued from the events that had happened.


    Rosan nodded. "If that''s what you want to do, then yes. I won''t dissuade you from contributing if you truly wish to."


    "Will you be okay, Rosan?" Mod asked quietly, watching him prepare to depart.


    "¡­" The redhead said nothing for a bit as he pondered the question.


    "I have not been okay for a long time, Mod-chan¡­ but for this moment, I will have to be."


    And then he vanished.


    "Take care of Mod-chan, Ram. Make sure she doesn''t do something rash."


    Ram nodded, tears of defeat falling from her eyes at the conversation that just took place.


    "Auntie¡­ am I useless to Father?" She asked quietly.


    Mod frowned sadly and opened up her arms so the woman could crash into her.


    "Of course not¡­ Rosan is just¡­ trying to protect you. You''re his daughter after all¡­ do you think he''d be able to live with himself if he had to burden his daughter with killing her mother?"


    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    Ram shuddered in the sickly woman''s grasp.


    "B-But it''s my duty to be his weapon! I am his blade and I must strike his targets! If I can''t do this¡­ aren''t I better off destroyed?" She whimpered.


    The Devil Fruit shook her head firmly. "No! Since your creation, you have never failed Rosan. He doesn''t even consider this a failure because he himself will struggle with the task¡­ Don''t think Rosan will destroy you for one mistake when he''s made countless himself. You haven''t done anything wrong, Ram."


    The ring continued to shudder before she began sobbing.


    "T-Then why does it hurt so much?" She blubbered, hot tears spilling out.


    Mod''s own eyes began watering and she clutched the vulnerable girl as tight as possible.


    "The events are overwhelming you. You want to save Robin, but you can''t strike Meiko so you feel hopeless. That''s okay¡­ you can cry to me, I''ll make you feel better here¡­ and Rosan will make you feel better when he handles the situation."


    Ram nodded shakily, letting the tears fall freely and Mod just offered her presence.


    "Robin¡­ I can''t understand why you''d do this¡­ Don''t you realize how much everyone loves you? Don''t you understand how much Rosan loves you?" Mod thought to herself biting her lip in concern.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "We''re almost there," Kokoro announced. "I hope you all are ready for a fight."


    "OH! I FEEL PEOPLE!" Luffy shouted, peeking out of the window. "WOAH! THAT GATE IS HUGE!"


    "Hm?"


    Everyone paused as they heard that ominous hum.


    Rosan''s eyes opened and he calmly set up, clenching his fist repeatedly.


    "S-Sorry for waking you!" The Franky Family stammered, despite it being Luffy who had done so.


    "No, this is fine," he muttered. They watched the redhead remove his shirt (much to the joy of Mozu, Kiwi and Kokoro) to reveal his bandaged midsection¡­


    And then he ripped every bandage off his body.


    "R-ROSAN!" Chopper shrieked in rage, only to pause.


    There¡­ were less holes on his body weren''t there?


    Everyone winced at the injuries on his body, only to go white as one by one, each hole began closing up as if it were never there.


    "What the fuck is he?" Everyone thought in terror, going green at the way his skin healed back up.


    "I will never get used to that," Nami and Sogeking wheezed.


    Rosan effortlessly ignored them. His earmuffs began slowly but surely wrapping around his entire body, until it formed into a wavy black cloak that moved with the slightest bit of wind.


    "You said you saw the train?" Rosan muttered darkly, draconic wings slowly sprouting from his back instead of bursting out like they normally did.


    Everyone shivered at watching that dangerous tail snake out from behind him.


    "Yeah but they might already be going through the gate," Paulie explained. "The fact we managed to catch up to them is a miracle¡­ especially with the lead they had."


    Rosan ignored him and began making his way out of the train.


    "W-What are you doing?" Zambai asked hesitantly.


    "There''s a gate right?" Rosan asked quietly. "I''m going to make way for you all¡­"


    The redhead''s slit eyes pierced into them all.


    "And I''m going to thin their numbers," he promised, flexing his wings and taking off.


    "What does he plan on doing?" Franky asked curiously.


    "Didn''t you hear?" Sanji smirked, puffing once. "He''s going to make way for us and thin their numbers."


    "...With that attack he used earlier to clear the wave?" Paulie asked curiously.


    Zoro shook his head. "It''s something a lot more destructive."


    Nami nodded. "And massive too."


    "Modification: Ragnarok."


    "Massive? Destructive? Just what is this redhead capable of¡ª"


    Everyone who didn''t already know about it, felt a primal fear course through their body as the answers to their inquiries were very quickly found.


    "RAOGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Rosan roared in raw unadulterated fury.


    "O-Oh," they stammered.


    "Yep," the Straw Hats nodded.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "RAOGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"


    It was as Robin crossed through the gates, that she heard that spine chilling roar.


    Her dead gaze shot open wide and she jerked in her seat.


    "R-Rosan?" She whispered in shock, going white as she heard the pure rage in that roar.


    Izumi felt a tremor shoot through her, as she and all her agents shot up at that terrifying roar.


    "What? They managed to catch up?! How is that possible?!" Kalifa shouted in shock.


    At once, everyone in the Rocketman and the Puffing Tom glanced out the window.


    What they saw, would be forever ingrained in their memories.


    The creature before them was as magnificent as it was terrifying. Massive, black, menacing¡­ the honest to god Dragon glared down at Enies Lobby with two bright eyes¡­ one purple the other red.


    Just like that black creature from earlier¡­


    "S-So this is what a person with a Mythical Zoan is capable of," Kalifa muttered, fear coursing through her body due to the creature staring directly at their train.


    "How many forms does he have¡­ he has to be a shapeshifter?!" Izumi thought to herself as that menacing creature growled lowly, razor sharp teeth exposed for all to see as it began snarling.


    Lucci was already on the move. He dashed through the door of the train into the first car and roughly grabbed Robin.


    "Let the people in the previous cars deal with them. Call in all the agents around Enies Lobby as well. Our mission is to escort Nico Robin to Spandam," he instructed, grabbing the shocked woman and jumping out of the train.


    The CP9 agents nodded and followed after him, jumping on the air to make great distance.


    Robin felt the world freeze, as Rosan''s slits focused on the agents and they made eye contact.


    Then, the dragon''s visage shifted into a terrifying scowl, smoke began pouring from its mouth and the demon threw his head back.


    "RAOGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" it howled once more.


    Then the dragon moved.


    The CP9 agents couldn''t help but pause in shock as the dragon moved with far too much speed for its size.


    Rosan crashed into the gate and with a furious snarl, he began tearing at it with his claws, causing them to crumple like paper under his assault until the gate was no more then scraps.


    He then turned towards the parked train, filled to the brim with people who could not fly like the agents and curled his clawed hands into a fist.


    The first punch, completely broke the Sea Train in half, causing screams to ring out from the vehicle and when the creature pulled its fist back, they saw a copious red liquid dripping from the claws.


    "AHHHHH, S-SOMEONE HELP US! W-WE''RE ALL GONNA DIE!" The people in the train began screaming, watching the dragon effortlessly break their ship.


    Rosan wasn''t finished with them. This ship had the most clustered amount of government people in it, so he''d take them out now.


    The dragon snarled in hatred, giant spiked tail began to wave about ominously.


    They soon found out why.


    With speeds too fast to ever react to, the tail ruthlessly slammed into one half of the broken up sea train, flattening it like a pancake and crushing anyone who had been on it.


    When Rosan lifted the tail, bits and pieces of not only the train, but the people on it, began falling off the tail.


    He gazed at the other half of the train and reached out to grab it.


    Screams rang out as soon as his clawed hand pulled it out of the water and Rosan gazed cruelly at the terrified specks inside of it.


    The tiny little humans who thought they could oppose his might.


    He would show them. He would show them all what it meant to take what was his.


    His grip on the sea train tightened and he gazed at the government agents forming on the ground, taking aim at him.


    Pointless.


    The dragon tensed and launched the train at the people on the floor, instantly causing countless deaths as his aim rang true.


    "A-Ah..." one agent backed away in terror, watching his allies get turned into smears on the floor at the hands of something they were not equipped to be facing.


    "I''m scared... I''m really scared!" the person next to him whispered, tears falling down his eyes as the dragon focused all his attention on the people beneath him.


    "W-What do we do?!"


    "What can we do."


    "..."


    "R-RUN!"


    The Dragon snorted at the panic below him.


    "Run?" He rumbled demonically, glaring at the few trying to kill him. "There is nowhere to run. No one is making it off this island alive," he promised.


    Then the creature took flight and began charging.


    Red flames began coalescing in the dragon''s maw, spelling doom for everyone in the immediate vicinity, before it aimed straight for the regrouping World Government lackeys.


    They shivered in fear as they took aim at that gargantuan creature and began firing, going pale as every bullet failed to even pierce its skin.


    Finally, the creature fired.


    "ANNIHILATION!" He roared.


    The world burned red as the flames washed over them.


    The screams were music to Rosan''s ears, as he relished in their agony.


    Mod shuddered slightly, noting Rosan''s sadism with wide eyes.


    Angry couldn''t even begin to describe what Rosan felt right now.


    "AGHH!" the people screeched as they were burned alive. The stench of charred skin began wafting through the air and Rosan snarled once more.


    T-Bone, one of the few who had managed to escape from the train before Rosan got his hands on it, looked at the carnage with a look of shock, before looking at the evil creature with an expression of rage.


    "You would hurt¡­ no kill my men!" He growled, grasping his sword and charging the obsidian dragon with a purpose.


    "You must pay for this, demon! Prepare yourself!" he roared.


    T-Bone leapt an impressive height to try and reach the flying dragon¡­


    Only for his efforts to be immediately dashed by the indomitable force before him.


    Rosan gazed at the insect and lashed out with his clawed hands, completely goring through the airborne man''s midsection with a massive claw.


    T-bone hung their limply, as he began slowly sliding off Rosan''s gigantic claw and the moment he was fully released, a massive tail crashed into him and crushed him into the pavement below.


    Rosan didn''t even bother staring at the stain.


    "RAOGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The dragon roared its presence to the world, massive height looming over them all.


    The CP9 agents stared at the display in horror. This thing was protecting Nico Robin?!


    Robin herself, gazed at the display with terrified eyes because with every action Rosan took, the target on his back grew larger and larger.


    She just wanted him to stop. She just wanted him to be safe but because of her, everything was getting worse and worse.


    The aftermath of this, was on her... she shouldn''t have tried to take initiative... what was the point if her decisions made things far more disastrous than anything Rosan had ever done?


    "Is this truly what the Red Devil is capable of?!" Kaku whispered in horror, watching as he bathed every single one of their subordinates in that hellishly red fire.


    "Where is the backup?" Lucci growled as he continued his course.


    "T-There''s no need sir. The giants are arriving to stop him," Kalifa shuddered, gazing with terrified eyes as the creature continue to belch out those flames with ruthless precision.


    Rosan paused in his assault, as he heard the thud of footsteps of what was bound to be giant creatures.


    The dragon methodically turned towards the noise, a snarl emitting from his throat as he gazed at the two giants that even paled in comparison to his dominating size of 50 meters.


    "You''re the one making all that noise?" Kashii called sleepily before snapping awake as he took in the situation.


    Both the giants went pale, as they saw the state of Enies Lobby.


    More specifically, they whitened at the sight of the gate they were tasked with protecting.


    "YOU DESTROYED THE GATE?! NO!" He roared in disbelief, glaring at the massive dragon with fury in his eyes.


    Oimo''s eyes flooded with rage as he took in the state of the utterly destroyed gate and the burning entrance.


    "H-HOW COULD YOU DO THAT?!" The giant roared in fury. "YOU RUINED EVERYTHING! WE WON''T BE ABLE TO SAVE BROGY AND DORRY LIKE THIS!"


    Rosan, who had been poised to actually bite their heads off, paused at the creatures distraught.


    Then, a violent grin formed on the Dragon''s maw as a thought began running through his head.


    "You said Brogy and Dorry? The giants?" The dragon rumbled lowly, tail swishing idly as it effortlessly destroyed a building in the courtyard.


    The Giants blinked, anger forgotten at the mention of their captains.


    "Do you¡­ know them?" Kashii asked warily.


    "But how? They''ve been arrested for years!" Oimo announced.


    Rosan rumbled in amusement.


    "We met them not too long ago on Little Garden. They were still having their duel for 100 years now. I very much doubt they''ve been arrested," he revealed sadistically.


    The giants froze.


    "100¡­ years?"


    "D-Duel? They''re still having it?!"


    "I don''t know your situation¡­ but you were lied to. They were never arrested. Their bounties are still active after all and we became good friends with them even."


    "THEY LIED TO US?!" The giants roared, fury in their eyes.


    Rosan turned away from them, gazing at the stunned agents with a superior glint.


    "They did. I bet you want to make them pay don''t you? How about you join us and we''ll teach them a lesson?"


    "YOU TOOK THE WORDS RIGHT OUT OF OUR MOUTH!" Kashii roared.


    "LET''S TEACH THESE BASTARDS A LESSON FOR LYING TO US!" Oimo agreed.


    "Good. Now, I need you to stop that approaching train. My allies are in there. They will be helping us," the dragon rumbled.


    They nodded furiously and turned away, marching to go intercept the Rocketman with a purpose.


    "He managed to turn the idiot giants against us?" Kalifa said in shock, taking a shaky step back as those eyes glared directly at her.


    "Devil seems to be too polite a title," Kaku muttered in some fear as they entered the building.


    "All this for one person?" Lucci scoffed in annoyance, pushing the cuffed Robin into the building.


    "¡­" Izumi gazed at the massive dragon with a completely white gaze, shaking in place as he peered at her with murder in his gaze.


    If not for Nico Robin, they''d probably have already been burned alive... that thought was...


    K-Kami, he could kill them all so easily. Without even having to touch the floor. What could they even do against such a gargantuan creature?


    H-He was going to kill them all¡­ they needed to call backup. They wouldn''t be able to do this without the help of an Admiral.


    Robin''s head was bowed in defeat. Everything that she wanted to avoid happened anyways and she made it even worse.


    Why? Why did they have to be so difficult...


    Spandam''s smile was wiped off his face, as he gazed outside and let out a terrified bellow.


    "W-What the hell is that massive dragon?!" Spandam shrieked in terror, falling.


    "The Red Devil?!" Jabra mused, looking at the destruction caused with a slightly nervous expression. "Are any of us equipped to deal with that guy? A Mythical Zoan is no joke and look at the damage he''s causing!"


    Spandam nodded hastily, rounding on them with bugged eyes. "There''s a reason we were told to be wary of the Straw Hats! The power of a Mythical Zoan isn''t something to mess with and we were completely outed on Water 7! Who''s gonna answer for this?" The man demanded.


    Lucci scoffed. "It was Blueno and I''s decision to approach Nico Robin and Blueno is dead so I suppose I will have to rectify this," the strongest agent stated.


    "You better! We were already warned of the dangers of the Red Devil and Straw Hat and now look! Did you think the warnings were unwarranted?! Look at what one person is doing!" The leader of CP9 pointed, terror rolling off him in waves.


    Izumi stamped her fear down at the reminder that they technically weren''t even supposed to be messing with the Straw Hats. "I will deal with the Red Devil."


    Jabra''s brow shot up to his forehead. "You? Puppet? What the hell can you do against that guy? I was thinking someone like Lucci."


    Her unnerving teal gaze stared into his own. "None of us have more power then him. Not even Rob Lucci."


    Lucci''s expression darkened at that.


    "I am the one equipped to deal with him so I will deal with him."


    The strongest CP9 agent stood over her with a sneer.


    "You think you can deal with something I can''t, talentless?" Lucci asked curiously.


    "Yes."


    That was that.


    Lucci looked as if he were hellbent on denying her request, but Spandam slapped a hand on his shoulder.


    "If the puppet says she has it handled, then let her handle it!" the chief of CP9 said, praying that his fear wasn''t visibly showing at the carnage still taking place at the hands of the dragon.


    "Why don''t we all gang up on him?" Kumadori asked in confusion. "Surely he cannot eliminate all of us!"


    "He is not alone," Izumi intoned.


    "Straw Hat Luffy, who is probably just as big of a threat as him, along with the rest of the Straw Hats are also en route. He also managed to recruit the two giants just now," Kalifa explained.


    Spandam turned towards the subdued Robin with a sneer. "To think they''d go to war with the World Government, just for you. I guess demons really do stick together eh, Nico Robin?"


    Robin said nothing. She had done nothing but gaze at the floor since entering the building.


    The chief slapped her across the face with an annoyed scowl and floored her. "Don''t ignore someone who''s talking to you, bitch! That''s rude," he growled.


    Izumi''s eyes flew open at that and a scowl replaced her dead expression.


    "What the hell do you think you''re doing?" She hissed, venomous aura surrounding her as she shoved Spandam away from Robin.


    "W-What the hell?! Don''t put your hands on me agent! Don''t forget your role!" Spandam shrieked, glaring at Izumi now despite the fear from having an assassin looming over him. "I''ll have Lucci kill you if you do that again!"


    Izumi snarled, making the CP9 agents blink a bit at the uncharacteristic action.


    She placed her very sharp nails close to Spandam''s neck and the man whitened. If he even attempted to move, those vicious nails would pierce him through so he remained completely still.


    "Listen to me idiot. I need the Red Devil to be coherent in order for this to work. If he flies off the handle because he saw you abusing the woman he''s trying to save, what I will try to do won''t work. Do not touch her again," Izumi stressed.


    Spandam was about to argue, but the rush of flames outside immediately silenced him as he realized that yes, the Red Devil was currently wreaking havoc on their troops and if he got any angrier, he might start throwing out even more fire, heedless of the fact that Nico Robin was here.


    "S-Smart thinking, Puppet," Spandam nodded, moving away from the bruised Robin.


    Izumi''s eyes narrowed.


    She knew what she had to do now. This man was an idiot with absolutely no clue what he was doing. As long as he was in charge, this entire mission would be in jeopardy.


    Robin gazed at Izumi with a puzzled expression.


    "The Straw Hat Pirates are attacking us so we must be prepared for them," Spandam announced.


    "By the way¡­ how did Blueno die?" Jabra asked. His Devil Fruit was useful, it was such a shame he died.


    "The Red Devil used another technique of his to do so¡­ I have no idea what his Devil Fruit is," Kaku admitted.


    Spandam blinked at the idiot. "It''s a Dragon¡­ like the one outside."


    "He transformed into something else to kill Blueno," Kalifa interjected with a nervous expression. "It was black like the dragon but¡­ it wasn''t normal. He took control of him and Blueno began attacking us before... before he was violently killed. Truthfully, I found it far more unsettling."


    The agents all went silent at the revelation.


    A Mythical Zoan that allowed him to transform into multiple creatures? And he was able to control Blueno with it too?


    That... didn''t sound very good at all.


    "On the subject of Devil Fruits¡­" Spandam muttered. "Kalifa, Kaku. You should probably eat the ones I found."


    The two blinked at that before nodding, grabbing at the Devil Fruits with a curious gaze.


    "Expect the worst outcome," Lucci announced suddenly. "In case of meeting. Izumi will deal with the Red Devil, I will deal with Straw Hat. Kaku, you will deal with Roronoa Zoro and the rest of you may pick whichever target you want. It does not matter to me."


    Kalifa crossed her arms. "Then I''ll deal with that girl of theirs."


    Jabra scoffed. "I don''t know why Kaku gets to deal with Roronoa, but whatever. I''ll handle their next biggest target."


    Kumadori bowed his head. "As punishment. I will quickly deal with my target and then assist whoever needs it!"


    Fukuro was about to say something, before he was summarily hit by Kalifa, Kaku and Lucci.


    "Hit him, Izumi," Lucci demanded with narrowed eyes.


    The woman, who had no intention of playing their silly game, looked at Lucci before delivering a punch to the man.


    Best to just accommodate their wishes. She didn''t care either way. They''d all die here if she had anything to say about it.


    "Chapapa¡­" Fukuro paused as he gauged the powers.


    Finally the man nodded and announced the list.


    Rob Lucci: 4000


    Izumi: 2900


    Jabra: 2400


    Kaku: 2200


    Kumadori: 810


    Fukuro: 800


    Kalifa: 630


    "4000?! 2900?! 2400?! What?!" Kaku announced in shock.


    Kaku and Kalifa couldn''t keep the shock off their face as they gazed at Lucci, the stone faced Izumi and the cocky Jabra.


    "Heh, while you guys were slacking off at Water 7, I''ve been training with little miss Puppet here almost exclusively. I don''t know when she got stronger than me, but she did," Jabra announced, sneering at the bothered Kaku.


    Rob Lucci gazed at Izumi with a somewhat impressed gaze.


    "You are far stronger then last time we met, Puppet. Seems like even talentless trash can get strong with enough work," Lucci announced calmly.


    "¡­" Izumi gazed uncaringly at them all.


    "Of course she is! All this Puppet does is train, sleep, and train in her sleep," Spandam laughed, putting an arm across Izumi''s shoulder who hardly reacted.


    "It''s why I was so surprised she even asked to go to Water 7. Turned out for the best though, I heard you were the one who managed to neutralize the Red Devil somewhat so thank you for preventing the mission from becoming even more of a failure," he praised.


    "¡­" Izumi didn''t bother responding to anyone or anything.


    No, the girl was fuming on the inside.


    "2900? That''s nowhere near enough to stop a monster like him. I need to be stronger but I don''t have enough time to get stronger," she hissed in fury.


    Despite his nervousness, Spandam grinned at his bodyguards, completely confident in their abilities to deal with this.


    And if things went wrong then well¡­ he always had the Buster Call.


    In fact, perhaps he should call reinforcements in case¡­


    As Spandam set out to do just that, he blinked in confusion as his transponder snail activated... before failing to make a call.


    The agents watched him continue to try and call anyone to little success.


    "What the hell''s going on? Why can''t I call anyone?!" Spandam shouted in confusion.


    "I can explain¡­"


    All eyes turned towards the voice and to their surprise, they saw it was the rookie CP9 agent, Nero.


    The man looked deathly nervous, repeatedly glancing outside before forcing himself to look straight.


    "The reason you can''t make any calls¡­ it''s because of the Red Devil," Nero explained. "He¡­ He did some move that disrupted the signals¡­ the foot soldiers have been trying to relay a message to you for a while now."


    Robin''s eyes widened.


    Rosan could disrupt signals even? Was it because of his electricity?


    "What have they been trying to tell us¡­?" Spandam asked wearily.


    Nero remained silent. "That the Straw Hats have completely overran Enies Lobby¡­ right now they should be very close to¡ª"


    An explosion rocked the Tower of Justice that halted all conversation and the agents looked at each other before rushing out to the balcony.


    What they saw, left them stunned.


    Enies Lobby was burning. The island was up in flames everywhere and they balked at the damage done.


    That quickly, the Straw Hats completely upheaved the island of justice and did damage to it that it had not suffered ever¡­


    And they were standing right across from them.


    Robin felt her knees go week, as every single Straw Hat gazed at her with a single minded focus.


    All of them were intense, but two glowing eyes pierced into her soul and unleashed all her insecurities to the world, making her falter. She could never stare for long, when those intense eyes gazed so seriously at her.


    Rosan, back in human form, said nothing, just staring at the petrified Robin the entire time with a chilly expression. He was the picture perfect of calm, not even a hair out of place on his body.


    It was almost like he hadn''t been razing Enies Lobby to the ground earlier.


    Robin never wanted Rosan to look at her like that...


    "Yo Robin, we came to get you back," Luffy greeted cheerfully.


    "...You look really lonely," Rosan said coldly.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Earlier


    Rosan, still in his dragon form, paused as a figure landed atop his head.


    "You shoulda brought me with you!" Luffy scowled, sitting cross legged on his brother''s draconic skull. "You took out a lot of people without me!"


    "It''s not even a waste of energy for me," Rosan growled to his brother. "Where are the others?"


    The captain shrugged. "I went ahead but they should show up soon."


    Rosan nodded, walking forward instead of flying, uncaring of the bodies he was crushing under his massive figure.


    "Let''s make some more headway then. You sit there and save energy for your battle."


    The dragon stopped in front of the gate, before curling his clawed hand into a fist and coating it with armament.


    Without any hesitation, he crashed it into the wall.


    It never stood a chance.


    The plethora of Marines on the other side let out yells of surprise, as they were met face to face directly with the horrifying dragon, Straw Hat Luffy sitting cheerfully on its head all the while.


    They went white as the dragon snarled at the mass of people, electricity beginning to spark on his body in red flashes.


    "L-Lightning too?!" The agents thought in horror.


    That was their last thought.


    "EMP: Shockwave."


    From all around the dragon, a wave of electricity shot out that quickly caught the helpless foes around him. It completely fried their insides and was packed with so many volts, that they were unable to even let out another noise.


    "Wow!" Luffy whistled, completely unaffected by the widespread electric attack that erupted from the Dragons entire body. "You can use lightning in dragon form?!"


    "Yes. It''s as easy as breathing to use lightning," Rosan rumbled, charring their bodies with the harsh electric attack.


    But he wasn''t done.


    He continued sparking even brighter, uncaring of the screaming going on beneath him.


    "Wavelength Disruptor."


    A massive circle of electricity rushed through the air, before fizzling out... but the air felt heavier around Rosan.


    "What did that do?" Luffy blinked in confusion, watching as a pulse went out.


    "My body is currently acting as a wavelength that disrupts other waves. There will be no calls for reinforcement here until I leave or cancel it," he said coldly.


    "Awesome! There''s a lot of people here already," the rubber boy exclaimed, brows furrowed as he felt the sheer number of people on the island.


    "That just means there''s less space for them to run," Rosan grunted, gazing back at hearing the massive noise of what could only be his allies.


    "ROSAN!" They called, some in happiness, others in sheer horror.


    To say the onlookers had been shocked by Rosan''s performance, was a gross understatement.


    Right after Rosan left, Luffy got bored and rocketed off as well to pursue his brother, much to their resigned acceptance.


    They weren''t sure what he had done but almost as soon as landing, two friendly giants named Oimo and Kashii, who claimed to know Dorry and Brogy, had caught them and stopped the Rocket Man from crashing into anything.


    "You''re pet Dragon told us about how the Government lied to us so we''re on your side now," they explained.


    The group sweatdropped.


    Pet dragon¡­ right. If Rosan heard that, he might burn them.


    Afterwards, they could only balk at the sheer damage Rosan had caused already while moving forward.


    Bodies were littered across the ground, burned beyond recognition as they saw their draconic scout in the distance razing everything to the ground with a fury they had never seen from him.


    Someone had made a gagging noise when they accidentally stepped on a burnt and discarded arm.


    "S-So this is the Red Devil," Franky muttered in disbelief, gazing at the destruction with wide eyes.


    "His power is terrifying," Paulie gaped in horror.


    Those who didn''t know what Rosan was capable of, realized that he was far more dangerous than they had initially thought.


    The knowledge that this monster had been on their island, they had falsely accused him of something and they were still alive after that, would forever be ingrained into their minds.


    This carnage... all of this was done by one person?


    That almost didn''t sound believable, up until they saw the massive dragon that dwarfed even the giants.


    "C''mon let''s catch up while he''s clearing the way for us. This should help us save energy," Zoro grunted, charging forward in the direction of the dragon.


    Everyone else nodded their heads and hesitantly followed, gawking at the trail of destruction left behind.


    The dragon looked down at his allies, violent tail swishing as it idly destroyed another building.


    "Stay close to me."


    That was all the creature said.


    They chilled at that deep rumble. Rosan never actually spoke to them in this form did he? He just showed up, roared, handled his business and transformed back into a human.


    Slowly but surely, they watched Rosan transform back into his human form as he gently placed Luffy to the ground.


    "There''s a lot of people on this island¡­"


    The wind began picking up around him as red sparks began dancing across his body.


    "Let''s trim them down a bit."


    The redhead rocketed into the sky and gazed at the main courthouse, filled to the brim with Marines waiting for them to approach.


    Grouping up like that¡­


    How silly. Strength in numbers was very true...


    For him.


    Rosan decided to take a page out of Mod''s book and become a range fighter for this excursion. Since he wasn''t using Ram, his ranged attacks would be far more powerful.


    Not to mention, he had gotten quite the upgrade in his arsenal from Skypiea.


    He was a force of nature. A living disaster. Something that could not be controlled¡­ something that could not be stopped.


    Rosan was something that you could only do your best to prepare for and even then, that may not be enough.


    The wind began blowing harshly where the Marines were, much to their confusion.


    Their confusion didn''t last long.


    "Cyclone."


    Howls of agony rang through the fields as a surge of violent winds suddenly appeared and began dragging them in, battering them all the more.


    Their misfortune only got worse.


    "Obliterate."


    The ones who managed to avoid getting caught, could only balk in genuine terror, as massive flames flew out from the red dot in the sky, colliding with the heavy winds and turning the environment catastrophic as a result.


    "HELP! ARGHH IT BURNS!"


    "AGHHHH!"


    "M-MY SKIN IS PEELING!"


    As the fire combined with the wind, it spread like a disease and set the entire place ablaze. The roars of the flame; the howling of the wind; the screams of the people¡­ all of it combined to make an almost deafening noise.


    Rosan gazed down at them, sparks still flying from his skin as he manipulated the electricity next.


    Then, he put a hand to the sky and the lightning flew into it.


    "All your suffering will end eventually. I will make sure of it," Rosan said softly, as he finished charging his attack.


    "Fall."


    "EMP: Storm."


    Bolt after red bolt of lighting came crashing from the heavens, eerily reminiscent of Enel''s "Deathpiea" attack.


    What could only be described as the apocalypse, was currently taking place and the allies of the Straw Hats had to wonder if they were really even needed with such a monster lurking around.


    Red Devil was a perfectly suitable nickname for the demon known as Rosan because what he was doing right now, was something they''d never in their life want to go against.


    "We didn''t even know he was capable of all of this¡­" Sanji sweatdropped, listening to the screams of agony with a wince.


    "Yeah he''s scarier then normal and I already think he''s terrifying," Nami nodded, watching all he could do with the elements with bright eyes.


    The spot they were all in was spared from hell on earth, but Enies Lobbies was on fire currently.


    "That''s one way to declare war on the World Government," Kokoro laughed nervously, as the redhead landed gently in front of them.


    "I''ve thinned down their numbers greatly," Rosan began, getting straight to business. "You all, focus on finding ships and securing an escape. Ensure no one comes to help the CP9 agents. Oimo, Kashii, please continue fighting for us until this is all over. I''d appreciate that."


    The two giants nodded without hesitation.


    "Of course! You''re the one who told us the truth about these lying scum so we giants will repay you back on our honor!" Oimo declared.


    Rosan nodded. "Thank you very much."


    He turned towards Luffy. "How many people are in that building, Luffy?"


    "10 people," Luffy replied. "One of them is really weak though and the other is Robin."


    Rosan closed his eyes and nodded.


    "Okay. Luffy, Zoro, Nami, Sanji, Chopper, Franky¡­ and Sogeking," he said finally. "The rest of you focus on defense and escaping. You will not want to be on this island by the end of our battles"


    Usopp jumped at being called and gazed at the redhead who had been ignoring him with wide eyes behind his mask. "You want me to come with?"


    "That''s why I said your name."


    Franky slammed his fists together. "SUPER! Let''s do this."


    "Will you be alright Rosan?" Chopper asked worriedly. "You''ve healed your injuries but you aren''t 100% are you? I know how that stone works now."


    "No, I''m not 100% that''s why I need you all to win your battles. After all this blows over, I''m going to take the rest I desperately need. I''m very tired," he replied softly, not letting any of it show.


    Rosan tilted his head and turned around, before jumping into the air once more.


    Ragnarok quickly took his form and he lowered his tail for them to all climb.


    "Good luck out there! Don''t worry about us, we''ll do what you asked! Just tell them one thing for us!" Paulie requested.


    "THEY''RE FIRED!" He roared, as the dragon took off to the tower.


    "Understood," the dragon rumbled.


    With that, the gargantuan dragon flew off towards the tower.


    "Alright, let''s go! We can''t let the Straw Hats hog all the work!" Paulie barked.


    "YEAH! LET''S HELP IN ANYWAY WE KNOW HOW!"


    Rosan''s flight didn''t last very long and he deposited each member on the roof before transforming back to normal.


    Then, he stood on a pillar, aimed his hand out and shot a red blast of energy that collided with the building and shook the entire structure.


    He got his desired results immediately.


    Every agent rushed out into the balcony and gazed at the Straw Hats with dangerous eyes, looking every bit like the renowned assassins they claimed to be.


    But none of that mattered to Rosan. There was only one thing on Rosan''s mind and he was gazing directly at it.


    Wide blue eyes, filled with a panic and terror stared at them all before zeroing in on him with genuine fear and Rosan felt the anger he should feel melt away.


    His face shifted into one of cold apathy and she flinched back.


    Memories raced through his head, as he gazed at his cuffed best (supposedly) friend and realized she was mere moments away from being permanently taken away from him.


    "I know how it feels to have everything taken from you. It sucks. It''s the worst feeling I''ve ever felt in my life and it must have been the same way with you. The sadness is so much that it makes you wanna crawl somewhere and just sleep it away. The loneliness is so crushing it just makes you want to give up," a tiny, 4 year old, Rosan had said to a just as tiny, 8 year old, Robin.


    Wide blue eyes had stared into the royal purples, as the mask of the little girl had threatened to shatter beneath the gaze of the glowing child.


    "Yo Robin we came to get you back," Luffy greeted.


    "You look really lonely, Robin," 4 year old Rosan had said compassionately, making her flinch back with wide eyes.


    "You look really lonely," Rosan said neutrally, watching her flinch once more, eyes just as wide.


    "...Why did you come?" She whispered, loud enough for them to hear.


    Luffy tilted his head to the side. "To come get you of course."


    Rosan''s eyes narrowed. "Why did you come? That''s the first thing you have to say?" he asked quietly.


    Everyone shuddered at the quiet rage in his voice.


    "Not, sorry for being a fucking liar, Rosan? Sorry for not thinking of talking to you about this? Sorry for trying to sacrifice myself for you, even though I begged you not to do the same? Instead, you''re still trying to act all tough, huh?" He sneered.


    Robin bowed her head as his words pierced into her. "You shouldn''t have dragged them into this, Rosan. Please just take them all and leave, you still have time to make an escape."


    Spandam laughed at that. "Not only is Franky right there for the taking¡­ Your crew is right there and you''re telling them to leave! This is rich! You really are a Devil¡ª"


    A wave of unfocused pressure, made Spandam fall flat on his ass in terror, as each CP9 agent stepped back unwittingly.


    Robin''s head snapped up and she focused shuddering eyes onto the furious Rosan, who was looking at her like he didn''t even recognize who he was talking too.


    "You would look me in the eyes and tell me to leave? After everything we''ve been through? Are you actually the Robin that I know because you of all people should know that I''d never fucking accept this," Rosan hissed venomously, teeth bared.


    "Selfish acts disguised as selfless piss me off the most. Since when are you a fucking hero, Robin?" He scowled, looking unflinchingly into her blue eyes.


    "That''s not¡­ I''m not trying¡ª" Robin tried to speak up.


    "Shut. The. Hell. Up. Robin," Rosan grit out with wild eyes and she reeled back with wide eyes.


    He was¡­ being so harsh to her¡­ Never in her life did she expect for Rosan to be talking to her like this. Never did she expect such furious eyes to be directed towards her but it really hurt.


    "The one thing I hate, is when someone weaker than me, tries to protect me when they should be worrying about THEIR OWN LIFE!" He roared, eyes blazing brightly.


    She took a step back, hurt on her features as he raised his voice at her again.


    Then, Rosan took a deep breath.


    "Fine. You want to try and save my life right? You want to keep me safe right? You want to sacrifice yourself for a cause you think is so damn great right?" The redhead snarled.


    "Spanda was it?" he called.


    The chief began shaking as those furious eyes bore into him. "M-My name isn''t Spanda it''s Spanda¡ª"


    "I don''t give a shit. Shut the fuck up and listen," Rosan sneered rudely, making the man splutter. "I''ve got something really interesting to tell you."


    Robin''s eyes widened in pure dread. She knew her best friend better than anyone else. She knew exactly what he was planning on doing.


    "ROSAN STOP! PLEASE STOP!" She shouted, terror filling her eyes as he fixed that malicious gaze onto her.


    "Didn''t I already tell you? Shut up, Robin. You want to do things without other people''s consent right? Now I''m going to do the same thing," he hissed at her and she went silent in shock, shuddering at the fed up tone of his.


    "Spanda. I already know the location of both Pluton and Poseidon. If I manage to get off this island without Nico Robin, I will make sure this world is burned down until only ashes remain."


    A silence washed over the air, as Robin fell to her knees at the actions of Rosan.


    The Straw Hats gazed at Rosan in shock, not knowing he knew that information and not knowing that was his plan.


    CP9 froze in horror at that, gazing at the redhead and realizing that perhaps it truly was unwise to go after the Straw Hats.


    If he wielded such information.


    Franky''s eyes bugged at Rosan. "Oi, RED YOU SERIOUS?!"


    "I''m dead serious," Rosan said coldly. "I know exactly where they are, I know how to get to them, I know how to activate them. I can even get more dangerous allies than myself to join me because I know they''d be interested in getting their hands on them. By the time you manage to get that information out of Robin, I''ll have already started my campaign. Then I''ll get her back regardless or the world will burn."


    No, no, no, no, no. Why was he doing this? What was wrong with him? She¡­ She knew Rosan was insane but this was too far even for him¡­ Robin felt lightheaded as Rosan painted the most gigantic target on his back for no good reason.


    "I-Is that true?" Spandam balked. "No, it has to be true! Look at the way she''s reacting?! The Red Devil knows where two of the ancient weapons are located?!"


    This was bad. This was absolutely terrible. Nico Robin wouldn''t reveal the information before this redhead got his hands on one and in this race, whoever got access to it first would win.


    Not to mention... it didn''t take a genius to realize who Rosan meant when he said dangerous allies.


    If he allied himself with the likes of Whitebeard or Kaido... it would be utterly disastrous. The protection of one of the Emperor''s of the seas... he''d absolutely be able to find at least one of the ancient weapons.


    They would win the battle if they captured Nico Robin¡­ but they would lose the war to the Red Devil¡­


    "FRANKY! LISTEN TO HIM! ISN''T THIS EXACTLY WHAT YOUR MASTER WANTED TO AVOID?!" Spandam shouted.


    He didn''t notice the way Franky''s gaze darkened.


    "IF HE GETS PLUTON¡­ ALL THAT HARD WORK WILL GO DOWN THE DRAIN! GIVE US THE BLUEPRINT SO WE CAN COUNTER HIM! IF NOT WATER 7 WILL JUST BE ANOTHER CASUALTY ON HIS PATH OF DESTRUCTION!" Spandam raved.


    "¡­" Franky said nothing for a moment before gazing at Rosan. "So you aren''t actually planning on activating either of those¡­ because you plan on getting your woman back right?"


    Rosan''s eyes glowed maliciously. "You understand well. I''m beginning to like you Franky."


    The cyborg grinned. "That intensity moves my soul, brother! I''ll have to match it!"


    Everyone watched as the cyborg rummaged in his body, before pulling out a blueprint.


    Spandam''s eyes widened excitedly.


    Were those?!


    "This is the blueprint to Pluton," Franky announced with a grin.


    "GIVE THAT AND WE CAN¡ª"


    Everyone watched, stunned as he launched it up for Rosan.


    The redhead opened his mouth and immediately incinerated it on the spot.


    ¡­


    "Those were the blueprints to Pluton. Looks like these two right here are the only ones who know about em and I reckon Red will definitely be able to find it quicker," Franky shrugged helplessly.


    ¡­


    Spandam''s eyes bugged in rage. "CP9. BRING IN THE RED DEVIL AT ALL COSTS. HIS PRIORITY HAS INCREASED! NO, MAKE SURE NOT A SINGLE STRAW HAT MAKES IT OFF THIS ISLAND ALIVE!"


    Robin began panting harshly as a rare anger overtook her.


    "WHY DID YOU DO THAT ROSAN? Y-YOU SELFISH BOY!" She shouted angrily, glaring at the redhead who had the audacity to smirk at her.


    "YOU¡­ I WOULDN''T HAVE TOLD YOU ANYTHING IF I KNEW YOU WERE GOING TO DRAG EVERYONE ELSE INTO THIS! WHY?! WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS?! WHY WOULD YOU PAINT SUCH A TARGET ON YOUR BACK?!" She screamed, huffing furiously at the redhead who didn''t look bothered by her anger at all.


    He¡­ Rosan¡­ He was utterly insufferable. What was wrong with him?


    There had to have been something wrong with him because he began laughing at her and Robin saw the utterly psychotic gleam of a man who would do anything to get back what was his.


    "Kahahahaha! When did I say I was done speaking?" Rosan cackled, eyes pulsing madly. "I''ve got one other thing to reveal so that you guys really understand just how fucked you are."


    Robin turned white.


    "No, Rosan... please don''t!" She begged, tears of frustration forming as none of her words reached him. "You''ve already revealed enough. Why must you continue? Please just stop!"


    The redhead tilted his head, psychotic gleam never vanishing. "Look at you, trying to tell Death what to do. What makes you think I''ll listen to you all of a sudden?" Rosan crooned, cloak on his body transforming into a very very familiar outfit.


    Robin never felt as helpless as she did now, as Rosan looked her dead in her eyes and began transforming into a very familiar figure.


    None could stop a wave of pure horror, as two black feathery wings burst out from the redhead''s back.


    His signature black cloak with white streaks formed and everyone watched in a moment of clarity, as a mask began forming over Rosan''s face, a single black rose on the porcelain white of it.


    "He''s gone completely mad," Nami gaped as Rosan took form of the most infamous Bounty Hunter alive.


    The CP9 agents realized in moments and in that same moment, Izumi fell on her butt, a look of true terror on her face as Rosan took the form of her neverending nightmare.


    "A-Ah. No no no, I didn''t mean to," she stammered, eyes turning into pinpricks as her trauma came roaring back with a vengeance.


    "Shinigami," Rosan intoned lifelessly, gazing through the petrified CP9 agents.


    Franky''s eyes bugged out of his skull. "O-Oi, Red... don''t tell me you''re-"


    "Correct. I am the Angel of Death, Reaper," he announced to everyone there.


    Franky''s jaw dropped in disbelief and he gazed at Rosan like he were a completely new person.


    "I put a lot of trust in you already, Franky. Let''s keep this between us," Rosan said quietly.


    The cyborg blinked before bursting into tears. "YOU''RE TOO NICE RED! TRUSTING ME LIKE THIS?! YOU SUPER BET I''LL KEEP IT BETWEEN US!"


    Spandam went completely ashen at that.


    "T-T-T-The," he stammered, jaw dropping more and more as the situation became more and more clear to him.


    Ohhhh no. Oh no no no no.


    "THE ANGEL OF DEATH?!" He screeched in horror.


    A cold and oppressive pressure washed over them all and the Angel of Death began gazing at them, expression impossible to tell underneath the shadow of their hood.


    You were telling Spandam... that this entire time, the Straw Hats were housing the Reaper in their crew?!


    This whole time, the Red Devil had been the Angel of Death...


    Oh this was bad. This was really bad. Reaper was the person with a 500 million bounty. Reaper was the ghost who had cleansed the blue seas of hundreds of bounties.


    Reaper was currently standing opposite to them, after razing down Enies Lobby in another form.


    The Red Devil was more dangerous than they were ever led to believe.


    It was impossible for anyone on the World Government''s side to hide the unease at the idea of who their opponent was. Everyone knew of Reaper and the fact that he was able to elicit such a strong reaction out of the puppet of all people, only left them more uncomfortable at what looked to be a daunting task.


    They were finally realizing that the warnings to stay away from the Straw Hats were not enough. They needed far more than just a warning.


    "You''ve learned quite a lot about me," Reaper said idly, black wings absorbing the very light around him as the cold air around them deepened. "You making it off this island to report all you found and us preventing all that and getting back what''s ours... with such high stakes, I can''t help but want to put on my best performance."


    "But trust me when I say, no one else will learn of me being Reaper today. You will keep my secrets with you whether you want to or not," he promised ominously.


    Robin didn''t ever think she could possibly get this angry with Rosan but she was furious.


    "WHAT ARE YOU DOING, ROSAN?!" She practically screeched, glaring at the redhead with heated eyes. "WHY?! WHY ARE YOU JUST MAKING THINGS WORSE?! WHY WON''T YOU LET ME PROTECT YOU?! WHY MUST YOU PULL MY TEETH EVERY TIME?!"


    The hoodie and mask vanished, revealing the redhead''s face once more.


    "Angry? Get in fucking line. Maybe now you get a glimpse of how I''m feeling right now," Rosan sneered.


    Robin scowled fiercely in return. "Don''t you understand anything?! Is this a game to you, Rosan?! Of all the times to be childish, Why is now is when you choose to do it?!"


    The redhead had the audacity, the actual audacity, to smile smugly at her. "You of all people should know, that this stopped being a game to me the moment I realized who you were with," he told her.


    The smile vanished in favor of a snarl. "A game? Give me a fucking break, dumbass. Here you are, surrounded by people who want you dead and you have the actual nerve to get upset that I want you back?" Rosan growled warningly.


    Robin clenched her fist, for once not being cowed by the furious glare in his eyes. "Why don''t you get it, Rosan? It''s not about us anymore! Think about them! Why are you dragging them into our problems -"


    "Why why why why why," Rosan sighed, dismissing her before she could even finish her sentence and glaring at her with a disappointed gaze.


    It was a gaze that was telling Robin that she didn''t understand something and Robin would be damned if Rosan ever looked at her like that.


    "You keep asking me why¡­ but you still don''t get it do you, Robin?" Rosan asked bluntly, knowing she didn''t.


    "What don''t I get?!" She hissed, utterly fed up with him because of all he''d done.


    The redhead rolled his eyes. "Look around, Robin. I already declared war against the World Government. I''ve razed this place to the ground. I''ve killed thousands of soldiers. I''ve already murdered one of the CP9 agents¡­ and I''m not going to stop. I''m going to kept destroying, I''m going to keep killing until I get you back..."


    Robin only got angrier at that.


    "...But look at our crew."


    She paused and reluctantly followed his demand.


    What she saw left her stunned.


    All of them¡­ every single one of them were unfazed by the actions of the redhead. In fact, it looked like they wholeheartedly agreed with his sentiment. They were all gazing ahead with pure determination.


    Pure determination for her.


    "You thought I dragged them into this? Robin even if I wanted to escape, they wouldn''t come with me. We''re either going to get you back, or we''re going to die trying," Rosan said seriously.


    "None of us asked you to sacrifice yourself, idiot," Zoro scoffed. "If you were so scared, you should have just brought it up with us and we would have helped you."


    "Don''t insult her, Marimo! Robin-chan was in a vulnerable state and these dogs took advantage of her!" Sanji barked.


    "How could they take advantage of her?!" Chopper frowned deeply. "Aren''t they supposed to be the good guys?! Holding such a burden over her head is so scummy!"


    "That''s all these Government scum are good for!" Franky scowled. "Trickery and trickery, using whatever they can to get whatever they want. They don''t care about anything but power."


    "Such moves are frowned upon on Sniper Island, so I will have to show them proper justice!" Sogeking declared.


    "Taking advantage of your love for all of us¡­ That really pisses me off," Nami snarled, piecing all of Clima together.


    "You don''t want to die, Robin so we''re bringing you back," Luffy declared stonily.


    Robin took a step back.


    "You need to realize that way more people care about you than you initially thought. It''s not just me anymore," Rosan said softly, eyes uncharacteristically soft.


    They all¡­ all of them cared for her? It wasn''t only Rosan and Mod anymore¡­


    No¡­ even before that. Maro, Angel, Demon¡­ Aiko, Akemi, Ace, Sabo¡­ All of them cared for her.


    All of them loved her.


    Tears began forming in her eyes and Robin choked out a, "Why?"


    They answered without hesitation.


    "Because you''re our friend."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Flashback


    "Rosan¡­ can you tell us a bit about Robin''s past?"


    Rosan opened his eyes at that and gazed at them coolly, before humming and nodding.


    "Robin was born in the West Blue on an island of scholars called Ohara," Rosan began softly, bringing up a hologram that looked exactly like his best friend as a child.


    They all cooed at the adorable girl and clambered around him as he began to tell his tale.


    "Her life wasn''t great, she ate her Devil Fruit when she was 6 and because of that, her villagers ostracized her," he explained quietly. "Not to mention, her mother, Olvia, abandoned her when she was only 2 and left her in the hands of her cruel Aunt."


    They flinched at that, eyes turning soft as Rosan''s face formed into a scowl.


    He truly hated Olvia with all his heart because Olvia had the chance to go with Robin. She had the chance to escape.


    But no, she left her daughter behind again for some fucking books. Rosan didn''t give a fuck what she had to say about history, Robin was supposed to be Olvia''s responsibility and she chose history over her own flesh and blood.


    It was just so utterly disgusting. Olvia should count her stars that she died because to Rosan, she was even worse than Roger.


    Rosan just hoped she suffered every single moment she spent dying. It was befitting for the woman who made Robin suffer for all her life.


    "Her only respite, were the scholars of that island and at only 8 years old, she became recognized as an archaeologist by her own intelligence," he continued, looking so proud of her.


    The Straw Hats thought it was adorable how just mentioning her accolades, managed to lessen his heavy demeanor.


    Then his features darkened again. "But the scholars of Ohara were able to read the Poneglyphs and being able to read one is a crime¡­ because they don''t want anyone researching the 100 year void century."


    Something went terribly wrong.


    "Because of what they could read, the World Government saw the scholars of Ohara as a threat and sent Cipher Pol over there," Rosan''s scowl was out in full force.


    "Those bastards¡­ they have access to something called a Buster Call and that''s when a bunch of battleships are led by Vice Admirals to destroy whatever their target is¡­"


    "No," Nami muttered in horror, hand going over her mouth.


    "Right before everything went to hell, Robin made a friend. It was her first friend¡­ his name was Saul," Rosan muttered. "Saul was a giant and he was the only one who didn''t care about Robin''s Devil Fruit and they became really close¡­"


    A flash of hot rage crossed his features and Rosan unwittingly began snarling.


    "But Admiral Aokiji froze him solid, right in front of her. Then afterwards, they summoned a Buster Call and burned the entire island to the ground¡­ Robin was the only survivor and they slapped her with a bounty all because she could read the Poneglyphs," he said gravely.


    "It wasn''t enough that you emotionally scarred an 8 year old. You want to pin my mental state on her instead of your stupid fucking organization?!"


    "Is this your definition of justice, Admiral Aokiji? You kill her only friend in front of her, you burn her island to the ground for no good reason and then you threaten to hunt her down the moment she slips up. Not only that, you have the audacity to blame my actions on her?! WHAT DO YOU UNDERSTAND?! NONE OF THIS HAS EVER BEEN ROBIN''S FAULT!"


    "ROBIN WAS COMPLETELY INNOCENT AND YOU FUCKING MARINES RUINED HER LIFE! YOU THINK I''LL LET YOU TOUCH HER?!"


    The Straw Hats, Franky and Sogeking all took a step back in disbelief, as they took in the redhead''s words with shock in their eyes.


    "A few months later, my mother died giving birth and I fled my island in distraught¡­ that''s when we met and she... she was like the sun to me, actively making my mental health better and letting me know that there was good in this world," he finished softly.


    "That''s¡­" Sanji muttered in disbelief, horror crossing his features.


    "They¡­ they destroyed an entire island?" Nami whispered in horror.


    "Everyone she loved was killed in front of her?" Chopper felt tears pricking his eyes at that.


    Rosan''s eyes shut. "When we met, I saw how tired she was. I saw how exhausted she was, despite how hard she tried to hide it. I saw that she was just a scared little kid¡­ just like I was. So I wanted to let her know that no matter what, I''d be there so she could rest easily. As long as we were with each other, we didn''t have to be afraid of anything."


    "That''s why he''s so overprotective of her."


    Before, they had thought Rosan was going a tad overboard with his over protection¡­ After all, Rosan was so jealously protective of Robin that they realized she was never alone from him when they could see her.


    But with what they just learned¡­ it was perfectly normal!


    It was no wonder Aokiji had set him off so strongly¡­ especially after seeing the way Robin reacted to him. The sheer terror on the face of their coolheaded archaeologist...


    Hell, they were feeling just as protective! They¡­ they couldn''t believe Robin had gone through something so awful at just 8 years old...


    "The World Government already took so much from us," Rosan said quietly, tiredly.


    For once, he wasn''t infallible. For once, he wasn''t a daunting presence. For once, he wasn''t their mysterious scout.


    No in this moment, Rosan looked like the scarred man that his past turned him into.


    "They took so much from us... I won''t ever let them take one of the few things we have left... each other," he whispered vulnerably.


    Luffy stepped forward and wrapped his older brother in a hug, watching as the redhead sagged a bit into him.


    "We''ll get her back no matter what, Rosan. She''s our friend and they can''t have her!" He said, determination seeping into his voice.


    "Yeah!" They said in determination. "We''re gonna get Robin back or die trying. Nothing can stop us now, not even her!"


    Rosan gazed at them all, a bit of wonder in his eyes and for once, he didn''t have a snide remark for his crew.


    No, he was just gazing at them with searching eyes.


    "You''re looking for something you already found, Rosan."


    "Thank you¡­ thank you all," he said quietly, ducking his head and showing a side they never saw from him.


    Maybe this was why Robin was just as protective of Rosan... maybe she got to see this side of him often.


    Maybe Rosan wasn''t as invincible as he portrayed himself as and needed more help then he thought he needed.


    They gazed at the redhead and nodded, letting his younger brother soothe him.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Journeying with the Straw Hats, showed Robin a perspective in life that reminded her of the days she traveled with Rosan when they were just little kids.


    Infectious, joyful, always looking out for each other¡­ She found herself growing incredibly fond of them as the days went by.


    Rosan may have been opening up to them but he still kept them at a respectable distance¡­ he didn''t truly consider himself apart of the crew but it was slowly changing.


    Robin wasn''t quite the same. She loved them all. She wanted them all to live. She wanted Rosan himself to live and she thought that by giving herself up, they''d be able to live.


    But they were looking at her with a gaze that meant¡­ they''d never be able to live with themselves¡­ unless she was living.


    Because they loved her¡­ because they cared for her.


    In this lonely world, Rosan wasn''t her only ally anymore. She had more then just him¡­ she had more people who would be devastated if she died.


    She had people who reciprocated the love that she had for them.


    She had someone else besides her ray of sunshine who would embrace her loneliness.


    She had people that saw her as a human.


    Tears began falling freely from Robin''s eyes as she gazed at the crew that she loved with all her heart.


    "Do you get it now, Robin?" Rosan asked quietly. "I know what you''re thinking. You think that in the grand scheme my family will be able to pick me back up if you leave. You have so much faith that I will bounce back because of them... but Robin, they will be just as devastated because this is your family too."


    Rosan sighed, anger melting away fully. "It''s not about just me anymore Robin¡­ you matter. You''ve always mattered but you don''t realize how much you do. We all care about you. We all love you."


    "¡­R-Really?" Robin sniffed and gazed at her sun, eyes glowing with worry despite his obvious anger at her. Eyes filled with so much compassion, just for her.


    "Of course," they all chanted in unison, looking just as worried for her as Rosan was.


    "If I have to tear the world apart to save you¡­ you only need to worry about how it''ll look after I''m done, not if I''ll do it because I''ll always do it," Rosan whispered softly.


    "And we''ll be right there with him!" Luffy grinned, cracking his knuckles.


    Robin sniffed again as those words slammed into her, tears beginning to fall in earnest as she desperately tried to hold it all in.


    She failed.


    Robin broke.


    "I-I''m sorry for being so stupid all of you!" Robin sobbed loudly, features contorting as she gazed at them with desperate eyes. "Please! Please take me back into the crew! Please come save your stupid crewmate! I don''t want to die yet, I WANT TO LIVE!"


    The Straw Hats all grinned ferally at that.


    Rosan inclined his head, red sparks beginning to dance across his skin as his eyes shone bright and his wings spread wide. "Of course. I still have to punish you for all of this, so fight with everything you have until I have you again."


    Robin nodded strongly, tears still falling. "I-I won''t give up for even a second¡­ I''ll accept any punishment, just please don''t leave me alone again!" She begged.


    The redhead vanished from his spot, only to appear directly on the balcony with every single CP9 agent.


    "Just wait for me Robin¡­ be strong, I''ll be over in a flash." Rosan whispered softly.


    "I''ll wait a thousand years if I have to!" Robin sobbed.


    "Just a few minutes is all I ask for," he stated, mask forming once more on his face.


    With just a thought, the edge of the balcony extended outwards ludicrously, until forming a makeshift bridge for the Straw Hats to run across.


    Robin was too guarded¡­ he couldn''t grab her immediately so he''d take out the most troublesome foe first and let the Straw Hats deal with the rest.


    "Straw Hats¡­ go completely wild. I''m going to do everything in my power to get Robin back first but if one of you beat me, I''ll do one special favor," Rosan barked, eyes glowing brightly as he locked his gaze onto Izumi.


    Izumi was frozen in terror and had no time to react at all, as a fist planted itself into her gut.


    "S-So strong," the woman gagged, eyes bugged in agony as his sparking fist embedded itself deep into her stomach.


    "You should have lived the life I allowed you to have in peace, Izumi," Rosan said harshly. "Now it''s time I remind you about the food chain."


    Rosan gazed at her soaring body before glancing back at all the agents, not a hint of fear on his features.


    Rob Lucci scowled and dashed forward, intent on impaling the redhead and stopping in shock as it failed to even pierce his outfit.


    "Luffy," was all Rosan said.


    A sandal planted itself on Rob Lucci''s cheek and sent him soaring, before he crashed through a wall.


    "I''ll deal with him!" Luffy grinned, cracking his knuckles as the strongest agent of CP9 stood back up with a sneer.


    "Straw Hat Luffy¡­ I still have to get those answers out of you," Rob Lucci said darkly, a dangerous grin on his face.


    Zoro dashed forward, all three blades at the ready before being intercepted by Kaku himself.


    "I have orders to take you out, Roronoa Zoro and I''m in a really bad mood to boot," Kaku said lowly.


    "I''ll cut down anyone who''s in my way. I''ve got bigger things to worry about then some dude with a long nose," Zoro said, grinning ferally.


    Sanji dashed straight to Robin at blistering speeds, intent on saving her immediately and getting her to safety, only to be launched away by Jabra.


    "You seem pretty strong," Jabra grinned, licking his lips. "You aren''t Roronoa Zoro or the Red Devil, but at least give me a good fight."


    Sanji pushed himself up. "Just who do you think you''re comparing me too?" he asked darkly.


    Nami summoned Clima''s iron clouds and sent them flying towards the increasingly nervous Spandam, only to let out a yelp as a spiked whip wrapped around it.


    "You didn''t think it would be that easy, right?" Kalifa asked, adjusting her glasses.


    "Would be nice if you just let it!" Nami grit out.


    "Let''s teach this less sexy then you woman a lesson!" Clima declared.


    "I do not need your compliments right now!"


    Chopper transformed into walk point and charged Robin at full speed, only for a plethora of hair to wrap around his body and launch him away.


    "Such dishonor to let him get this close! As punishment, I''ll slit my belly," Kumadori cried, grabbing a blade and stabbing himself, only to fail as he unconsciously activated Tekkai.


    "Am I fighting another weirdo¡­?" Chopper asked hesitantly.


    Sogeking saw what they were all trying to do and decided to try his hand as well, loading up a lead star to fire at Spandam''s head.


    Nero jumped in the way and took the blow meant for him, sneering at the sniper.


    "I don''t even need to learn Tekken for that," the agent scowled. "This will be quick and then I''ll be recognized as a real CP9 agent!"


    "You have potential."


    Sogeking straightened up and aimed his slingshot at his opponent. "You will soon find out the true might of a warrior hailing from Sniper Island."


    Franky aimed a fist out and shot it at Spandam only for Fukuro to leap in the way and weather it with Tekkai.


    "Chapapa¡­ his Doriki is higher than mine but he won''t win," the agent said confidently.


    "You''re outta luck. This is my super week and I''m full on cola!" Franky laughed.


    Spandam shrieked at the mayhem and grabbed Robin harshly, before rushing off with her, unmindful of the girl struggling in his grasp.


    "ALL OF YOU! YOU HAVE AUTHORIZATION TO USE LETHAL FORCE! CAPTURE THE ANGEL OF DEATH AT ALL COSTS AND WE''LL BE PROMOTED TO LEVELS WE COULD NEVER IMAGINE!" He barked.


    The chief let out a terror filled scream, as a tanned hand reached out to melt his face off, but he was saved last second as Izumi burst out and pushed him aside.


    "Sensory Overload!"


    Then, she cast an illusion on every single Straw Hat, disorienting them by throwing off their sense of direction.


    "Go. Now," she hissed to Spandam shoving him out of the room with Nico Robin in tow.


    "R-Right! Thank you Izumi, I''ll make sure you get promoted especially! You deserve it!"


    Izumi huffed and gazed at the stunned Rosan. She took a deep breath and rushed him, leaping high into the air before kicking it with brutal force.


    "Rankakyu: Line!" She barked, shooting a straight line that crashed into the redhead.


    She reached her desired results. Rosan was sent plummeting through the floor and she immediately pursued after him.


    "Isolate and trap. Don''t be afraid, you have to free yourself," she thought psychotically, soaring through the air and beginning to spin.


    "Rankakyu: Corkscrew!"


    As she reached the redhead, she landed a devastating dropkick on his midsection, laced with the sharpness of her technique that sent them both crashing into the lowest level of the building, breaking through floor after floor.


    Rosan immediately lit himself up with raw electricity and Izumi backed off instantly.


    "Finally alone~," Izumi grinned, removing her shades and tossing them aside. "About time, don''t you think darling?"


    The redhead stood up, no signs of injury on his body as a soft breeze removed the dust off of him and he gently flapped his black wings.


    "You can''t hide it from me, Izumi," Rosan said softly. "You''re afraid. Afraid of what I''m going to do to you and you should be because you of all people should know, what I''m capable of. Do you still think of Izuki?" He asked cruelly.


    Izumi''s unhinged smile was wiped off her face at his bold statement and she held in a tremor.


    "No, don''t falter. Your nightmare is right here... we have to deal with this now. We''ll conquer our horrors here and then I''ll be free."


    "It''s not me who should be afraid¡­ you should be afraid about what you could do to Meiko," she declared, illusion morphing her into a carbon copy of his deceased girlfriend.


    Rosan bit back a scowl. So she really did know his weakness.


    "Do you remember those words you said to me that day?" Meiko asked demurely, gazing at Rosan with love in her gaze.


    Rosan snarled in annoyance as his resolve wavered.


    "Well I do! I will never forget those words darling because they were what fueled me. You and I are connected by this thread we have¡­ You may think it''s hate, but I know it''s love! I am yours¡­ but you are not mine yet so I''m going to change that today and we''ll be together forever... TILL DEATH DO US PART DARLING!" The blonde raved.


    Rosan took a deep breath and steeled himself to the best of his ability.


    "Sorry Mei, but you''re in my way¡­ I think we''re gonna need a divorce," he whispered softly, eyes filled with uncertainty.


    <hr>


    Robin grunted as Spandam violently punched her to the floor, making her head hit the asphalt and causing blood to begin pouring due to her body being so weakened from the seastone.


    "Stop fucking struggling!" Spandam snarled, looking at the nuisance of a women. "You don''t have to worry about going back to your lover. He''ll be brought in with you soon enough. I bet neither of you will be able to stay quiet, if the other is getting tortured right in front of you! I bet he''ll start squealing the moment you scream!"


    Robin shut her eyes tightly as he forced her to think about a situation where they were both tied up and being tortured violently.


    She wouldn''t be able to handle such a scenario, Robin would never be able to stay quiet if she heard Rosan screaming.


    But it wouldn''t come to that, it would never come to that.


    Spandam roughly grabbed the woman up and tried to continue walking¡­


    Only to let out a yelp of agony as a foot crashed into his crotch.


    "A-AIYEEEE!" He screeched, as Robin turned on her heel and tried to run off.


    "Fight with everything you have. Rosan will come. Luffy will come. Someone will come," she repeated to herself.


    The cuffed woman wasn''t able to make it too far because she heard a strained voice say, "F-Funkfreed," before she was tackled to the ground.


    Spandam had a look of fury in his bugged eyes, as he began repeatedly stomping on Robin (all while nursing his sweet spot).


    "Stupid. Dumb. BITCH!" He growled.


    Robin weathered the blows to the best of her abilities, thanking all the training for being able to do so.


    "It''s fine¡­ even this is buying time¡­ just buy as much time as possible until someone comes," she thought doggedly, attempting to crawl even further away and only getting harsher stomps as a result.


    "Just buy time," she thought.


    Rosan¡­ please. She knew it would be hard¡­ she knew she didn''t deserve it¡­ she knew she had no right to be asking, but she begged him to please pick her over Meiko¡­ even just this once.

 Love II

    Due to the disorientation technique from Izumi, the CP9 agents took full advantage of it right before she left her range and quickly grabbed all of their opponents.


    Taking a page out of Izumi''s book, the assassins chose to isolate their targets and dragged each of them to a room before they could properly react.


    "I expect you all to win your battles. Once you win, assist Izumi in dealing with the Angel of Death and capture him at all costs," Rob Lucci said coldly, punting Luffy far away before immediately pursuing him.


    "Right!" They barked, pursuing their own foes.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Usopp grunted as he was pushed through a door and he tumbled about in the massive room before catching himself.


    "I''m really fighting one of these super strong assassin dudes!" he thought nervously, steeling himself for the upcoming war.


    His opponent soon revealed himself and Nero sneered. "It''s a shame that I have to fight someone of your caliber but I''m the weakest CP9 member so beggars can''t be choosers," he scowled.


    That damn Izumi¡­ she was only 3 years older then him so how was she already so much stronger? He had been training at an even younger age then her when she showed up at 13 but now she was only under Rob Lucci in strength¡­


    If she was considered talentless, then what was everyone else?!


    "He''s the weakest?!" Usopp thought.


    H...He could win this!


    Withdrawing his slingshot, Usopp aimed at the man and said, "Explosive Star!"


    Nero quickly activated Soru and dashed out of the way, appearing above Usopp with a kick at the ready.


    "Rankakyu!"


    Usopp hastily blocked the incoming attack with his hammer, before dashing a safe distance away.


    Nero sneered and activated Geppo, kicking through the air to pursue the masked man.


    He dodged shot after shot from Usopp but didn''t make much headway himself, as the liar managed to deflect all of his Rankakyus with that strange hammer.


    The CP9 agent grit his teeth in frustration¡­


    If he had Shigan, he could have just pierced this man''s chest. What a bother¡­


    "This is getting us nowhere," Usopp thought with a frown. The man was like an annoying insect, using strange techniques that he had never seen before to dart around.


    He couldn''t lock on properly and hit him¡­ this was super frustrating!


    Not to mention¡­ he was all out of Rosan''s fire filled pellets for a quick finish.


    Darn it¡­


    Nero continued to dash around the air, dodging attacks from Usopp all the while, before he suddenly switched tactics.


    "Soru."


    Usopp had no time at all to react to the man''s superhuman speed, as Nero appeared directly behind him.


    "Rankakyu!"


    "G-Gagh!" Usopp spat out blood as the sharp slice of air slammed into his back, drawing a long line of red and sending him tumbling.


    Nero was ruthless.


    "Rankakyu!" He repeated, hitting Usopp once more and making the sniper scream, blood beginning to pool on his body.


    Finally, the agent pulled out his flintlocks and unloaded two shots into the man, scoffing as Usopp went silent.


    "Waste of my time¡­ perhaps I can go help Izumi deal with the Red Devil¡­ defeating and capturing him will surely raise my prestige," Nero muttered to himself.


    Usopp lay on the ground in defeat, as blood pooled under him.


    "Ah¡­ I should have trained more¡­ I was too afraid to join those monsters but it would have helped a lot."


    "Ah¡­ I shouldn''t have interrupted Rosan when he was trying to talk, then I wouldn''t have to be here fighting this guy because we''d already have Robin back¡­"


    "Ah¡­ I wish I had one more of Ragnarok''s pellets. It would have been really useful here but I stupidly left the crew and Rosan wants nothing to do with me."


    "Ah¡­ I wish I never left the crew¡­" Usopp finished with a defeated sigh.


    If only he hadn''t let something like this tear them apart. Usopp didn''t know why they put so much faith in him in the first place...


    "They took so much from us... I won''t ever let them take one of the few things we have left... each other."


    "Please! Please take me back into the crew! Please come save your stupid crewmate! I don''t want to die yet, I WANT TO LIVE!"


    As his life flashed before his eyes, Usopp recalled the words of his vulnerable scout and archaeologist. The impossibly rare fear in Rosan''s eyes¡­ the tears that they had only seen once before in Robin''s¡­


    Those two just wanted to be together again¡­


    What was he doing right now? Wallowing in his regrets while wasting away. Right now, his not fully healed scout was fighting with everything he had to get Robin back and Usopp didn''t even land a hit on his opponent?


    No, his entire crew (yes, his crew!) were no doubt doing the same thing. There was no way they''d let this be the end because they still had so much journeys to go on¡­


    And Usopp wanted to go with them too!


    This couldn''t be the end. Usopp just needed to get up and win.


    But how would he win¡­?


    "You have potential."


    Oh¡­ that''s right, he would win because this wasn''t the limits of his potential. He still had more to do. He still had so much room to grow.


    With the Straw Hats, his true crew.


    Nero paused in his footsteps, as he heard a noise from behind and he raised a brow at seeing Usopp standing.


    "You''re still alive, weakling?" He asked himself, shrugging and grabbing his flintlocks. "I''m still sloppy I suppose if I can''t even make sure someone is dead¡­ but I''ll just make amends."


    The long nose was practically dead on his feet already, with blood leaking all over his body so Nero would make this quick.


    Aiming his flintlocks at the sniper, Nero pressed the trigger and fired¡­ only to blink at seeing it fail to hit his target.


    Huh?


    Not one to be deterred, the man fired two more shots, that turned into nearly a dozen as Usopp sidestepped each and every shot with a startling ease.


    "W-What? He has Kami-e?!" Nero gaped, taking a step back in surprise before regaining his confidence.


    "Well it doesn''t matter! Rankakyu!"


    Usopp pulled out his hammer and aimed it at the attack before Nero even put his foot up, absorbing the lethal attack.


    "W-What? Is he predicting my attacks?!"


    The sniper gazed directly at Nero, mind running a mile a minute.


    "I can feel him! And not just him¡­ I feel everyone?! I can see their auras too! Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, Nami, Rosan, Robin, Chopper. The Agents¡­ Franky¡­ Hell I can feel the people still outside of the tower!"


    Was this¡­ Haki? Did Usopp¡­ unlock his own Haki?!


    "You have potential."


    Rosan was right. ROSAN WAS RIGHT! HE REALLY DID HAVE POTENTIAL AND HE''D STOP PRETENDING LIKE HE DIDN''T!


    THE FIRST STEP STARTED RIGHT HERE AND NOW!


    Usopp took out his trusty slingshot and took aim at Nero, masked eyes gleaming as he saw the man''s next actions.


    "Special Attack: Thunder Star!"


    Nero took too the skies to avoid the shot, only to let out a strained yell, as his opponent anticipated his exact whereabouts and adjusted his shot.


    A flying net lashed out and captured Nero, bringing him to the ground before it began lighting up with electricity.


    "G-GAHH!" Nero howled as the net began electrocuting him with ruthless force.


    But Usopp wasn''t done yet. He pressed a button on his weapon and was satisfied to see it grow to ludicrous lengths.


    Introducing the new version of his slingshot, Kabuto! Using a combination of Modification and the Dials he received from Skypiea, Rosan and Usopp had crafted a new and improved weapon that was incredibly versatile in all situations!


    It was an incredible weapon, one that Usopp wouldn''t have been able to create alone¡­ and one that Rosan wouldn''t have been able to create without his help.


    (He didn''t use it against Luffy because the fight had been over before he could and he wanted to use it as a surprise option in case the rubber boy resorted to Gear 2nd)


    He really did have potential and it was time to start living up to to his crews expectations.


    It didn''t matter if he was the weakest in the crew¡­ he just needed to be stronger then the person he faced.


    Being the weakest in a crew full of monsters didn''t sound that bad¡­ if they accepted him back.


    Aiming the massive slingshot at the writhing Nero trying to take the net off, Usopp planted the weapon on the ground, satisfied to see it standing upright on its own and aimed, before pressing a button.


    "Special All Out Attack: Turret Star!"


    "ARGHHHH!" Nero shrieked as a water star pelted him with harsh force, before splashing him and magnifying the effects.


    But the misery didn''t end there.


    Then, a plethora of shurikens slammed into his vulnerable body, drawing blood and making the man squeal in agony.


    Then the Lead Stars that he insulted before were next and Nero felt his eyes flicker.


    This new version of his slingshot, utilized Modification''s impressive technology, to seamlessly supply him the pellet he needed, while firing with either his help, or by itself if he was in a bind¡­


    Or if he opted to use his rare close combat.


    Like now.


    As his slingshot entered "Turret Mode" and bombarded Nero with all kinds of pellets, Usopp decided to cash in his receipt, in the form of the hammer infused with an impact dial that had been absorbing all of Nero''s Rankakyus.


    "I don''t have time to waste on you when Robin is in trouble!" Usopp huffed. "Here, have a taste of your own medicine!"


    "Impact Hammer!"


    He crashed it on the man''s sternum.


    The effects were immediate.


    Nero''s eyes bugged, as his stomach was shredded by the effects of his own power being turned against him. He spat out a river of blood, as red began pooling under him.


    Then, his eyes rolled to the back of his head and he went limp.


    Usopp huffed in exhaustion, as he fell on his back, before that huff turned into a pained yelp.


    Finally, he began laughing in joy at his victory.


    He did it! He won and he got stronger from it too!


    But he was too injured to really move¡­ darn it, he needed to save Robin¡­


    Usopp groaned and tried to push himself up, opting to crawl instead when that failed too.


    First¡­ get Kabuto¡­ then rest up until he could actually move some¡­ Then go get Robin¡­


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Franky was fighting a really annoying guy.


    Zipper mouth utilized a bunch of weird techniques called Rokushiki (he talked a lot) and it was very stupid to deal with.


    The cyborg particularly hated the ones that allowed Fukuro to constantly move around and dodge his attacks.


    Even when Franky did hit him, he utilized something called Tekkai and weathered his super strong punches¡­


    It still hurt him because Franky''s punches were real iron but still, this fight would have been over a long time ago if these pesky techniques didn''t exist.


    "Stop moving around so much you super stupid coward," Franky growled to the gossiper.


    Fukuro felt a tick form at that. "Chappa! What did you just say?"


    Him a coward?! Now he was mad!


    "Fine, how about I show you my super-heavy punch thrown with the speed of a Shigan!" Fukuro growled.


    "Solid Beast!"


    Franky''s head flew back as the punch connected to his face, before the cyborg grinned.


    "You call that heavy? That''s the most gentle punch I''ve ever felt!" He growled, cocking his fist back.


    "Strong Hammer!"


    "Tekkai!"


    Fukuro''s eyes flickered, as the devastatingly strong punch crashed into his face and sent him flying through a wall.


    "I''m super full on Cola frog mouth!" Franky grinned, getting into a boxing stance. "You think you stand a chance against me?! You''re superrrr wrong!"


    The cyborg quickly closed the distance and ducked into Fukuro''s guard, before delivering another punch¡­


    Only for the agent to Kami-e out of the way last second.


    Then, he activated Soru and vanished from Franky''s sight.


    "Hm? Where did he go?" Franky grunted in annoyance.


    "I''m faster then the eye can see. I am a master of Soru and I attack my prey silently, like an owl. My kills are quick and final, my targets never see me until the moment of their death," Fukuro stated.


    Franky let out a yell as a Shigan pierced him directly in the back, drawing out a spurt of blood, before the finger was removed and replaced by one of Fukuro''s heavy and fast punches.


    He went flying into a wall and before he could catch himself, he heard¡ª


    "Iron Ball!"


    Franky''s eyes bugged, as Fukuro used his own body as a wrecking ball and crashed directly into him.


    The force sent him flying out of the tower, where the sea was right below him and based on the structure of Enies Lobby, he''d die very quickly.


    "Chapapa," Fukuro said, blood leaking from his body from his battle. "He was strong¡­ but you can''t beat Rokushiki with strength alone."


    The rotund man tried to walk away, only to pause in shock as something latched around his leg.


    "!" The agent''s eyes widened in confusion and he glanced down to see a metallic arm gripping his leg with crushing force, before it began pulling him backwards.


    In panic, Fukuro began using Geppo to maintain his position in the building and began flying away from the hole in the wall, not realizing he was helping his opponent out in the process.


    Franky used his grip on Fukuro''s leg to pull himself back up into the building, bleeding harshly from the man''s assault and glared at him.


    Using his elongated arm, Franky let out a mighty yell and heaved the agent into the ground with concussive force.


    "Tekkai!" Fukuro said right before he collided with the ground, weathering the blow easily and pushing himself back up¡­


    Only for teeth to fly as a heavy fist collided with his face.


    Before he could fly too far, Franky gripped him and body slammed him into the floor so that he could not escape from him, before delivering blow after blow on the man''s body.


    "This is bad! He''s breaking through my Tekkai so easily!" Fukuro thought in disbelief as he threatened to black out from the assault.


    Before that could happen, he activated a last ditch Kami-e and weaved one of the blows, before pushing Franky off of him with all his might and dashing away, entering his Soru enhanced stealth mode once more.


    "Chapapa. I''m going to finish this now!" Fukuro shouted angrily, dashing around the whole field.


    Franky grunted at that and attempted to adjust his shades, before realizing he didn''t have them on.


    Oh well, it was the thought that mattered.


    "Cola super full, super good week for me, super passionate crew who wants their girl back¡­ He''s moving around a lot¡­ but I can hit him," he thought to himself in full confidence.


    Franky held out his hand, unmindful of the vanishing agent¡­


    Then he turned around rapidly, facing the surprised Fukoru with a wild grin.


    "What?!" The agent thought in surprise, eyes bugging out of his head as he saw the menacing grin on the cyborg.


    "Having one obvious weakness can be just as bad for the enemy too!" Franky grinned cockily, aiming squarely at the man.


    "Gives them some super nasty tunnel vision. Anyone who wants to take Franky out quick, always tries to go for the back! Too bad for you, Franky is SUPER aware of that!"


    "Oh no, he got me. Tekkai¡ª"


    "Coup de Vent!"


    Franky''s arms began to suck in air, causing his arms to rapidly swell before it reached maximum capacity.


    Finally, he released the super focused air.


    The results were devastating.


    The concentrated air slammed right into Fukuro with concussive force, nearly caving his stomach in.


    The agent''s eyes rolled in his skull, as he was sent flying through the air, crashing into the wall and landing in an unconscious heap.


    "SUPER!" Franky slammed his forearms together. "Now, I gotta go save Nico Robin¡­"


    "We could create inventions on the level of Vegapunk if your claims are true."


    The cyborg pondered that statement before dashing off.


    He kinda wanted to see what Red was talking about...


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Chopper, when he wasn''t practicing with Demon, actually normally spent his time working with his fellow Zoan, Maro.


    After their conversation, the two had been practicing utilizing their Zoan''s together to... not that much success.


    Though, Chopper very quickly realized just how monstrous the Queen was in battle and when you added her Rumble Balls...


    To be honest, Chopper felt like his battles with Rosan were closer than they were with Maro but he just knew that it was because of their preferred styles and abilities.


    They both still destroyed him pretty easily though...


    "In theory, we should be able to activate those additional forms without the Rumble Ball," Chopper muttered.


    "The Rumble Ball doesn''t create new forms for you¡­ it just allows us to manipulate your body in a way that lets you use forms you''d need intense practice to have normally. Like... my mage form for example! It just lets me utilize more of my Dokkaebi magic but I should be able to do without drugs," Maro theorized.


    That made a lot of sense actually... it''s not like the Rumble Ball gave Maro more magic to use... it just let her utilize more of what she had...


    "So you''re saying we''re basically skipping out on steps with the Rumble Ball¡­ but if I focus on those steps¡­ I could easily activate the forms I use without it!" Chopper exclaimed with wide eyes.


    The Queen nodded enthusiastically. "I think so! After that Berserk form incident, Master told me that the form I used seemed related to Devil Fruit Awakening, which is why we lose control. We aren''t supposed to be using it yet," she explained to her fruit sibling.


    Devil Fruit Awakening? Chopper had never heard of such a thing...


    It sounded interesting but apparently, neither Rosan nor Mod-chan knew much about it at all.


    "I''ve been trying to practice activating my new forms without the rumble but it''s so hard¡­ ugh I need more control of my body to do it," she whined. Maro was talented, she hated not being able to do something that she felt she could do.


    Chopper cupped his chin in contemplation at that.


    "More control of the body? That might be it! Maro, have you ever heard of something called Biofeedbac¡ª W-WOAH!"


    Whatever the reindeer was about to say, was interrupted by the sight of Maro squealing and glomping him.


    "Has anyone ever told you how goddamn adorable you are?" Maro gushed, keeling over at seeing him cup his chin with his little hooves.


    Chopper lit up red at that and began wiggling happily. "Who said you could call me adorable, bastard!"


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Right¡­ he never did tell Maro about his musings¡­


    But there was a reason that memory suddenly sprouted in his head.


    Because he was sure he found the answer to he and Maro''s worries¡­ The only problem, was that it was very possible he was going to die before he could share his thoughts with the queen.


    The reindeer''s thoughts were interrupted, as he desperately jumped out of the way of the stick trying to stab into him, blood flying from the movement.


    Kumadori, his opponent, utilized a Rokushiki technique called Seimei Kikan and it gave him complete control over his bodily functions. It allowed him to control his hair, weight, etc and Chopper wanted to learn it for himself so that he could teach it to Maro¡­ but¡­ it was really hard.


    The reindeer had already expended one Rumble Ball and while he managed to do decent damage, that Tekkai of his managed to help him weather the full 3 minute assault.


    He now knew what Rosan meant when he told Maro, 3 minutes was not nearly enough time to defeat him. If you could wait out the 3 minutes, your advantage would be gone.


    Without the Rumble Ball, he didn''t have enough power to break through the Tekkai without it. If he could just enter Arm Point at will, this would be much easier.


    He should have put a more earnest effort into training¡­ if he had perhaps delved deeper into Biofeedback, he might be able to enter his other points at will¡­ and now that he found a breakthrough, he could potentially lose the battle and die.


    Consuming a second Rumble Ball, had done nothing for him but make the battle even more one-sided in the agent''s favor.


    He couldn''t control which form he entered after eating a second Rumble Ball and he had suffered heavy damage entering the wrong ones at the wrong times.


    Case in point, Chopper tried to enter Guard Point to withstand the Shigan from the man''s multiple hair tendrils but entered Heavy Point instead, leaving him vulnerable to the attack and punching holes into his body.


    He could do nothing but accept the punishment as he tried desperately to transform into Arm Point¡­


    To make matters worse, the moment he did transform into Arm Point, he had put everything into deliver his ultimate attack and the man withstood it!


    This sucked¡­ he just¡­ needed to win this battle¡­ but he was all out of options¡­


    Well, all but one¡­ but¡­ but could he really do that?


    The reindeer shuddered at the idea of having to eat a third Rumble Ball.


    Last time he had eaten three Rumble Balls, he couldn''t even remember what happened but the idea that he couldn''t control himself and was capable of causing such destruction¡­


    It terrified him.


    He distantly thought back to how Maro had shown no fear at all for eating Rumble Balls. Ever after turning into such a terrifying monster... the only thing that had caused her fear, was the idea that she could have hurt her family...


    The actual transformation didn''t scare her at all... she wanted to control it of all things so that it never happened again.


    He wanted to be like her¡­ Maro was so strong and so fearless but he was so scared! How could he muster up the courage to willingly slip back into a form that wanted to do nothing but cause harm?


    What if he really was a monster? Could Chopper live with that? Could he... live with the idea that he was proving all the people who doubted him right?


    "You can become our monster and we won''t think any less of you, Tony Tony Chopper. Even if everyone fears you, as long as we don''t, it''ll be okay."


    Those were the words of Rosan¡­ as he and Robin smiled encouragingly at him.


    Rosan and Robin¡­ those two needed his help. They were relying on him to pull his weight so that they could all save their crewmate.


    Rosan was fighting right after getting tortured. He didn''t fear himself, he didn''t fear what he was doing in pursuit of saving Robin.


    He was a monster and he didn''t care. He was a monster so that he could save the ones he loved.


    The only fear he had shown them, was the fear of losing Robin. And even though Chopper was afraid of turning into something he couldn''t control¡­ he was more afraid of losing one of the few people who would accept him for who he was.


    "Rumble."


    Kumadori blinked in confusion, only for a look of pure terror to cross his features as his opponent began to change.


    A shadow formed over the agent''s figure, as Chopper began growing and growing until he completely eclipsed him in height. His hooves transformed into hands, but each digit had long thick hooves in the shape of fingers, his fur grew wildly on his upper half, his horns grew massively...


    "What is that?!" Kumadori thought in utter horror.


    His opponent, had access to a form like this?!


    Massive, hairy and not a hint of consciousness in his eyes, Chopper let out a bestial roar as his empty, cyan glowing, eyes stared straight ahead.


    "WROOOOOOOO!"


    "Y-You¡­ DIE!" Kumadori roared. "Geppo!"


    He began flying through the air and beelined straight for the still creature.


    Sniff sniff


    The creature that was Chopper, suddenly sniffed the air and before Kumadori could even react, the monster whirled around with dreadful speed that belied his gigantic size and smashed his hooved fingers into the man.


    "S-Such speed," Kumadori cried out in agony, feeling those keratin hooves nearly carve into him.


    The agent felt his bones creaking, as Chopper crushed him into the ground and the man tried to move away, until he saw a clenched fist flying towards him.


    In a last ditch effort, the agent attempted to defend himself by saying, "Tekkai-"


    The fist crashed into its target with no regard for its safety.


    "WROOOOOOO!"


    Not finished yet, the monster repeatedly slammed his fist into Kumadori''s defenseless form, unmindful of the fact that he was utterly pulverizing the man''s body, unmindful of the blood marring his giant hand, unmindful of the fact that his opponent had lost consciousness a long time ago.


    He just continued to crush the man beneath his fist, before finally growing satisfied and picking the mangled body up.


    "WROOOOOOO!" Chopper roared before launching the broken man at breakneck speed straight through a wall and into the unforgiving water below.


    The creature sniffed once more before trudging off.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "This entire room is a trap. That woman has a strange Devil Fruit."


    A somewhat weakened Nami agreed with that notion. This sexy secretary lady utilized a strange Devil Fruit that she was very clearly excited to try out because she was doing completely ridiculous things and it was kind of annoying.


    Still though, it was a formidable fruit¡­ Whatever it was, it had managed to weaken Nami almost the moment Kalifa had made contact with her, while dragging the navigator to her room.


    "Normally I''d toy around with someone as weak as you¡­ but if I can assist Izumi, our chances of defeating the Angel of Death should skyrocket," Kalifa muttered, a hint of fear tinging her voice at the thought of that demon of a redhead.


    "As if I''d let you make it to Rosan! You have way more things to worry about then him!" Nami barked in annoyance, Clima sparking with electricity.


    Clima had been upgraded recently by both Usopp and Rosan. Not only did the redhead implement his own elements into them, their former sniper had put some dials into it as well that would help support her fantasies.


    It was time to test it all ou¡ª


    Kalifa blurred in front of her, finger raised high to pierce her through.


    "Who says you have a choice?" The agent smirked seductively.


    A billowing cloud lashed out in front of Nami, stopping the attack in its tracks.


    Kalifa withdrew with a hiss, grabbing her throbbing finger with a look of surprise.


    Was that cloud made out of iron?!


    "I''d stop underestimating me if I were you," Nami said cheekily, spinning Clima and forming a cloud above the woman.


    "Thunderbolt Tempo!" She shouted, bringing down the bolt of lightning towards the surprised Kalifa.


    An explosion took place, the moment the bolt hit the ground and Nami grinned confidently.


    "Keep your guard up," Clima instructed.


    The navigator nodded and idly charged up fire this time, waiting for the dust to settle.


    She was thankful for Clima''s heads up because Kalifa''s entire body was encased in some type of soap. Once it dissolved away into bubbles, it revealed the completely unharmed woman to her.


    Kalifa smirked. "Finding out the mystery of my power is proving quite difficult, isn''t it¡ª"


    "Ah! So she''s some type of soap woman who can control bubbles," Nami muttered, loud enough for Kalifa to pick up.


    "That''s the conclusion I came too as well. I''m not sure what the bubbles do, but be wary of them."


    The blonde agent blushed and began sweating. "W-Well, just because you figured it out doesn''t mean your victory is assured! You impudent girl!" Kalifa stammered.


    Nami sweatdropped at the flustered girl. "I feel a little bad for guessing that easily."


    "Focus," Clima demanded.


    She shook her head and nodded.


    Kalifa''s eyes couldn''t help but go wide, as terribly familiar red flames poured out of Nami''s weapon, before taking the form of a whip that the navigator shot out in a wide arc.


    She blurred out of the way and felt her horror growing, at the sight of the flame whip slicing through the concrete like it were made of butter.


    The blonde''s eyes narrowed in worry and she blurred again, appearing behind Nami this time and smirking as the iron like wall blocked her from view.


    "Got you!" She thought, activating Soru once more and appearing directly in front of the shocked navigator.


    Activating her Devil Fruit, Kalifa threw out a barrage of bubbles that landed on Nami and weakened her tremendously.


    Then, she ducked into her guard and grabbed the girl''s legs, running up and down on the limbs swiftly.


    "Golden Hour," she muttered, turning the appendages useless.


    Nami yelped as she slipped and the orange haired girl looked down, shrieking as she saw the state of her feet.


    What was this? Why did her body look so smooth and stupid?!


    A gust of wind, alerted her to the fact that Kalifa was moving again and she threw up the iron clouds a second too late, as the agent shot a slice of wind that cut her deeply in the stomach.


    "Ugh!" The navigator spit up blood, as the force sent her flying.


    "You''re far more dangerous then I thought," Kalifa muttered, watching the girl bounce across the ground until she crashed into a wall. "I should finish this."


    Nami''s eyes widened in horror as the agent charged her with Soru but she was quicker to react this time, throwing up an iron cloud that covered her entire body and causing Kalifa to suck her teeth in annoyance.


    "If the soap isn''t on me, I get my power back¡­ but the whole room is soapy so I was dragged into a really advantageous position for her¡­" she gnawed her lips.


    "Not to mention your legs are useless at the moment. Unless you know how to counter its effects, we will have to go at this in a different manner," Clima pondered.


    Nami frowned. She needed to focus on the thing she could do right now, which was get rid of the bubbles in the room.


    Then, she could focus on her legs.


    The moment the iron cloud went back into Clima, Kalifa was already on the move.


    "Rankakyu!" she shouted with a smirk.


    Nami tried to move, only to stumble as her legs failed her.


    The slicing wind connected square with her body and Kalifa''s smirk widened¡­ only to turn into one of confusion as the woman vanished from her sight.


    "Over here!" Nami called with a cocky grin, making Kalifa grit her teeth in annoyance.


    The agent dashed forward, and prepared to plant a finger in her chest, going slowly so as to not stab the iron cloud and she felt confused as the wall didn''t show up.


    Her confusion was soon answered, as she once more went through Nami.


    "Fast," she thought in disbelief. Was the girl so fast that she could form afterimages of herself?


    Such speed¡ª


    "Tempest!"


    The real Nami had been distracting Kalifa with those mirages, so as to get her next attack ready and it was ready.


    She needed to get rid of the bubbles in the room, so she''d get rid of every single bubble.


    Nami couldn''t help but stumble in exhaustion, as she began accumulating the necessary amount of wind, before letting her attack fly.


    "Note to self¡­ using Rosan''s half with Clima can drain my energy¡­ must be because we''re connected," she muttered but that exhaustion made way for pride because her attack was a sight to behold.


    Kalifa let out a yell of surprise as a gale of all things, conjured from nowhere and began sweeping up everything in the room. Debris began flying, the windows shattered from the effects and she herself had to grab onto something to remain in place, wincing and activating Tekkai to weather the powerful winds.


    Her shock only got worse, as yet another cloud formed over her and the entire room but this time, it began raining.


    "Huh?" Nami said in confusion, as her legs transformed back to normal from the water hitting it. "Oh! Rain turns me back to normal¡­ what a nice coincidence!" she beamed.


    "She found out by accident?! Then what is this rain for?" Kalifa thought in concern, turning towards Nami¡­ and stepping back in confusion at seeing 5 of her.


    "Do you like my mirages?" Nami asked with a smug grin, all five speaking at once. "You have a one in five chance of finding out which one is me and by the time you do, my attack will be ready and you''re going to pay for everything you''ve done to my archaeologist," she said ominously, brown eyes darkening.


    Kalifa grit her teeth and leapt into the air, ignoring the pouring rain and cocking back her feet.


    "Rankakyu: Storm!" She shouted, shooting out a barrage of slicing blades towards the Namis and connecting with every single one of them.


    The assassin felt an impending doom forming, as not a single one let out a cry of pain from the winds attacking them and instead fizzled out of sight.


    "Surprise!" Nami, who was floating above the rain cloud grinned cheekily. "I lied! Did you really think I''d tell the truth there?!"


    Kalifa balked at the shameless woman.


    "What a ditz," Nami sighed, before finalizing the rest of her attack.


    Well it didn''t matter if Nami was fighting the smartest person on the planet, she simply couldn''t afford to lose this battle.


    There was far too much on the line and above all, these people made Robin cry.


    "Let this be a lesson CP9," Nami began coolly, twirling her staff with expertise.


    "You never mess with one of ours and you never make them cry. We''re all quite possessive," Nami smiled.


    The twirling stopped and Kalifa went pale.


    "Strong winds, heavy rain¡­ a storm cloud¡­ Sorry secretary lady you''re completely outta luck today¡­" she muttered, eyes gleaming sadistically as the winds in the room began picking up slowly.


    Nami summoned her iron clouds once more and they slowly began covering her frame, as she gazed at the shocked agent.


    "The forecast is saying we''re in for quite the¡­"


    The iron cloud completely covered her person, but not before Kalifa heard one last thing that made her go white.


    "Hurricane."


    Kalifa only had a moment to brace herself, before nature itself imposed its presence onto the woman and overwhelmed her completely.


    "T-Tekkai!"


    True to its namesake, the entire room was engulfed in heavy rain and winds befitting a hurricane.


    And Kalifa was the target for it all.


    It tore into the woman with ruthless force, uncaring that she was wholly incapable of defending herself.


    Nature did not care of such thing. Kalifa was battered and tossed around, as the dangerous winds upheaved even the stone floor, causing her to get trashed by the debris.


    Not even the Tower of Justice, was safe from it''s effects and the already beat up building, from all the other battles happening simultaneously, began creaking and tipping in warning.


    The woman''s eyes rolled to the back of her head, as the unstoppable winds sent her crashing into whatever it so desired.


    At this point, it didn''t even feel like the attack was meant for her. It just felt as if she were an unfortunate product of a natural disaster striking.


    Finally, almost like it weren''t even there, it stopped and Kalifa''s body dropped to the floor.


    Nami sighed in exhaustion and fell to her knees, not expecting a technique from her weapon to drain her so much.


    "Ask Rosan to increase my stamina. How can he fling so many techniques around without a hitch after being injured? This is fucking exhausting," she thought in disbelief.


    What type of freak of nature was their scout? Nami felt her eyes threatening to close at such a taxing technique.


    She idly wondered how exhausting it was to use Modification. Rosan always had it active.


    Her iron cloud slowly released her and she surveyed the damage in the room as she gently fell to the floor.


    The navigator couldn''t help but whistle at the state of the defeated Kalifa. Her outfit had been almost completely torn to shreds by the effects of her artificial hurricane and it left quite the sight.


    She felt like a dirty old man for staring¡­


    "I-Incredible!" Clima gaped, gazing at the soaked floor and the torn stone. "That liar really is useful. Without his half, the idea of making a makeshift Hurricane would be inconceivable. Not to mention the rain! And the mirages! Excellently done, Master Nami!"


    She beamed at the praise, a little awed at the damage she was capable of causing and gazed at the weapon with an appreciative glance.


    That''s right¡­ this was a culmination of Rosan and Usopp''s efforts and it helped her deal with an assassin of all things.


    Hell, she just made a hurricane! That was so fucking awesome! The possibilities of what she could do, were endless!


    Now, it was time to go save her archaeologist, then check if anyone else needed help once she did that¡­


    Robin needed them¡­ and the look on Rosan''s face¡­ the look of fear at the idea that he''d lose her¡­ the tears in her eyes at the idea that she''d be taken from them...


    Nami understood that feeling well. She felt the same way as her older brother so she''d be damned if anyone took the woman from them.


    Also getting a favor out of Rosan sounded nice. Asking him something and he''d do anything to grant it? That was too good to be true.


    Maybe she''d get him to permanently transform into a woman for a week. Rosanna (Robin told her the name!) was a real beauty.


    She clutched her wound and spit up some blood, huffing at the pain and whining as she threatened to fall asleep.


    "I don''t suppose you can suddenly heal now, can you?"


    "No, Master Nami! You''d have to implement such technology yourself! Master Rosan has no interest in learning of medicine and will likely never attempt to learn it."


    She groaned and summoned an iron cloud, before sitting on it and summoning a gust of wind to lazily push her forward.


    "You are a frightening genius, Master Nami," Clima muttered. He was an AI created by Rosan and the redhead admittedly, didn''t know too much about the intricacies of weather like Nami did, so naturally Clima was the same.


    Everything he learned, was by being in close proximity to Nami and she taught him a lot.


    Nami let out a pained sigh and ripped her outfit up some (reluctantly and painfully) to wrap it around her wound to the best of her ability¡­ without compromising her modesty too much.


    "Thank you Clima. You''re very useful too. I was getting tired of walking."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Sanji was sort of regretting not putting more effort into training with the training freaks (and Robin-chan and Maro-chan!).


    Despite his frequent injuries, it''s not like his battle was impossibly difficult. His opponent, Jabra, was a Wolf Zoan and that made him quite sturdy while packing a punch.


    But he could deal with that honestly.


    The problem was that he couldn''t figure out this damn technique he was thinking of!


    Every time he attempted it, the Wolf Man would punish his mistake and that was really the only reason Sanji was injured.


    The chef clenched his teeth in annoyance and idly wiped the blood off his forehead.


    "What the hell are you even doing?" Jabra asked with a raised brow.


    His opponent had been trading blows pretty evenly with him (with the blonde even getting the advantage at times), but at certain points, he would kick from very far away, curse aloud, Jabra would close the distance with Soru and nick the blonde with his sharp claws before Sanji dashed away with great speed himself.


    That technique almost looked like Soru¡­ wait¡­ wait a damn second.


    "Rankakyu!" Jabra shouted, shooting a blade of wind at Sanji, who''s eyes widened in surprise.


    "THAT''S IT¡ª" Sanji was too shocked by watching Jabra use the technique he had been thinking of the entire time, to dodge the attack and it connected squarely with his stomach, sending him flying in a spray of blood.


    "So this whole time¡­ you were trying to use Rankakyu?!" Jabra gaped in disbelief.


    So this crew really did know CP9 techniques?! He thought Rob Lucci was just kidding but clearly not!


    Sanji, blood leaking from his wounds, took out a cigarette and lit it. He took a puff, before pulling himself up.


    "I figured it out. Thanks shitty dog," Sanji said calmly. "Now, I can focus on saving Robin-chan."


    Jabra raised a brow. "What exactly did you figure ou¡ª"


    The agent had no time to react, as Sanji earnestly went on the offensive for the first time this fight.


    Jabra only had a moment to say "Tekkai," before a kick nearly shattered his defense and sent him flying.


    "Impressive strength," he noted, pushing himself up and grinning wolfishly at the fact that the chef seemed to no longer be holding back.


    Maybe he''d finally be able to get a good battle out of someone besides Izumi that didn''t involve getting practically drugged like the illusionist loved to do.


    The giant wolf pushed himself up and blurred, running straight for Sanji with blood in his eyes.


    "Tekkai Kenpo: Wolf Bullet!"


    Sanji blurred himself and rocketed off, avoiding the blow before jumping over Jabra.


    "Longe!" He shouted, crashing his foot directly on Jabra''s back and getting the man to howl in pain.


    "That hardening technique of his is annoying¡­ it''s like when Rosan coats himself in armament," the chef grunted in annoyance. "I won''t be able to take him out unless I up the fire power."


    Jabra snarled in annoyance and reached out, gripping Sanji''s leg before lashing out with his claws.


    "Ten Finger Pistol!" the agent barked as he tried to stab every finger into the chef''s midsection.


    Sanji grunted and kicked the air hard once, launching himself out of the way.


    "Geppo too?! It makes sense that he can use the techniques that requires legs... but who taught him?!" Jabra thought in disbelief, cocking his foot back.


    "Rankakyu: Lone Wolf!" Jabra shouted.


    A blade of air shot out, bouncing against the ground as it soared to the chef''s position.


    "Rankakyu!" Sanji shouted in return, grinning eagerly as his own blade of air formed and shot out, clashing with the man''s blade and canceling both abilities out.


    He learned it already?! How was that even possible.


    "What the hell? You''ve learned it already?!" Jabra grunted in shock, eyes bugging in shock as he gazed at the strange blonde who he had written off earlier.


    "...Then that''s all that I have left to teach you."


    Sanji blinked in confusion. "What?"


    "Go ahead and save Robin. With that technique, I know you can do it," Jabra waved him off, taking a seat (still in his wolf form) and loosening his stance until he appeared almost defenseless.


    "You all need the key to her cuffs right? Go save my little sister," the agent said, tossing his key to the ground.


    The chef blinked again. "Your... sister?" He asked in confusion.


    "That''s right! We grew up on Ohara together before being forcefully separated... to be honest, I''m only here to make sure nothing bad happens to her," Jabra stated with closed eyes.


    Sanji blinked once more¡­ before shrugging. "I guess all the good genes went to Robin-chan... Alright, see ya! Thanks for the key but I don''t need it!" He announced, activating Soru and dashing towards the door.


    Jabra''s jaw dropped and he immediately activated his own Soru to appear in front of Sanji.


    "GET BACK HERE!" He howled, only to yell in pain, as a Sanji delivered an upward kick directly to his snout.


    "You''ll have to lie better than that!" The chef announced, grinning wildly.


    Before Jabra could react, the chef used the momentum of his kick to launch the man into the air and kicked the air once, rocketing past the flying man until he reached the apex of their battleground.


    Then, the chef began spinning as he descended, reaching Jabra at immense speeds.


    "Concass¨¦!" Sanji roared, launching the man towards the floor with crushing force.


    The agent rocketed towards the ground and crashed with a loud BOOM, causing dust and debris to fly everywhere.


    "Not enough!" Sanji thought, gritting his teeth in annoyance as the agent slowly but surely pulled himself back up.


    Jabra snarled and crouched lowly. Not giving Sanji the chance to fully descend, he rocketed off towards the chef.


    Activating Geppo, the man began soaring through the air to his target and held both claws up, intent on goring the man through.


    "Moonlight Ten Finger Pistol!" Jabra shouted victoriously.


    Sanji''s eyes flew open and he tried to move out of the way, but he wasn''t quick enough and the attack pierced his stomach, before sending him flying into the ceiling above.


    He crashed directly through and kept ascending before gravity kicked in, causing him to fall back to the ground with a thud.


    "Tch, leaving me with this guy¡­ who does that stupid cat think he is ordering me around. Should have just let me deal with Roronoa Zoro and let the dumb giraffe fight this dumb blonde."


    Jabra huffed in annoyance.


    Whatever, he''d go deal with the Angel of Death with Puppet. Despite her personality being even more bland then the stupid leopard, he liked her. She was a good sparring partner and any company was better then the dumbass duo of Kumadori and Fukurou.


    Yeah, Izumi was the agent he fancied the most so he''d go help her first. He knew what she was capable of and there was no way she could deal with the Red Devil alone... especially considering he had just been revealed to be the daunted Angel of Death¡ª


    "What¡­ did¡­ you just say?"


    Jabra paused and raised a brow, as his bloodied opponent shakily stood up.


    "You''re still alive?" He asked, more so to himself as he straightened up once more.


    Sanji spat out some blood, shuddering a bit and Jabra snorted loudly.


    This guy could barely stand! Look at how much he was shaking!


    "You¡­ said I was worse¡­ then the Moss Head?" He asked quietly, voice shaky.


    "Obviously," Jabra scoffed, brandishing his claws. "There''s a reason he has a bounty and you don''t. He''s a way bigger threat then you, dumbass."


    Shuddering, shaky voice¡­ this fight was as good as ove¡ª


    The CP9 agent blinked, as Sanji began spinning in place.


    "Oi, you totally lost it haven''t you?" Jabra asked with a shake of his head.


    Crouching lowly, the wolf activated Soru and blurred forward.


    "I do fast kills and you lived way too long. It''s time I put you out of your misery."


    "Diable Jambe."


    "Diable what¡ª" Jabra''s eyes widened in confusion, as Sanji''s legs lit up of all things. His momentous flight had carried him too far and so he committed to the attack he was planning on doing.


    That was a mistake.


    "Premi¨¨re Hachis."


    Sanji dashed forward at incredible speeds, before leaping into the air and he began rapidly kicking Jabra''s Tekkai enhanced body.


    Kick after kick slammed into the agent''s body, who could only howl in pain as every single one seemed to ignore his defense.


    It was then he realized that Sanji hadn''t been shaking in fear.


    The psycho had been shaking in pure rage.


    "YOU THINK I''M WORSE THAN THAT MOSS HEAD?! YOU THINK I''M WORSE THaN THE SHITTY REDHEAD? YOU THINK I DON''T DESERVE TO SAVE ROBIN-CHAN?! YOU THINK I''M THE WEAKEST IN THE CREW?!" Sanji roared, eyes burning as hot as his legs as he pummeled the wolf man with no remorse.


    "I-I didn''t even say all of that?!" Jabra thought in disbelief as his eyes flickered to the back of his head.


    "HOW DO YOU THINK I FEEL, KNOWING THAT ROBIN-CHAN IS IN LOVE WITH THAT SHITTY REDHEAD!" Sanji raved, going mad from Jabra''s insult.


    "COLLIER!" Sanji roared, slamming a foot into the man''s neck.


    "HOW DO YOU THINK I FEEL KNOWING THAT STUPID MOSS HEAD HAS HAKI?!"


    "RECEPTION!" He shouted, hooking the leg that was still on the man''s neck, fully around and slamming him into the concrete below.


    "NOW I HAVE SOME SHITTY DOG TRYING TO STOP ME FROM SAVING ROBIN-CHAN?! AFTER CALLING ME A COMPLETE FAILURE?!"


    "This guy is totally insane?!" Jabra thought, body screaming in agony as Sanji utterly trashed him.


    The assassin tried a last ditch lunge, all fingers brandished to gore him through with the Shigan, but somehow, Sanji seemed to anticipate the movement and effortlessly sidestepped it.


    Jabra got another kick to his gut for his efforts and the man hunched over, spitting out saliva and blood from the devastating kick.


    The chef effortlessly kicked up the keeled over wolf, suspending him in midair, before he delivered a brutal kick to his midsection once more.


    Jabra''s eyes rolled to the back of his skull and the noise of bones breaking resounded through the air, as he went flying.


    But Sanji wasn''t done.


    Cocking his molten hot leg back, Sanji said with a tone of finality, "Searing Shot."


    He kicked forward and shot out the Rankakyu, heated up to dreadful degrees because of his Diable Jambe.


    The blade of wind shot forward and distorted the air around it due to the heat it was emanating.


    Jabra''s final thoughts before the molten hot blade smashed into his chest was, "What the hell just happened?!"


    No blood flew, due to the heat of the attack instantly cauterizing his wound, and the wolf hybrid transformed back to normal, as he was knocked unconscious.


    Sanji huffed, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it as his leg transformed back to normal.


    He closed his eyes for a long time, before realization struck him.


    In the last moments of that battle... Sanji had seen Jabra''s last ditch efforts to attack him, well before he actually did it.


    That meant only one thing.


    Observation.


    The chef puffed out smoke, before the euphoria hit and he grinned eagerly.


    "That''s right! I''m not worse then Moss Head¡­ I''m not worse than the shitty redhead! I''ve got my Haki now and I just need to pick up my training to catch up to them¡­ yeah that''s right!" he said to himself, smile slowly vanishing.


    "Robin-chan isn''t in love with Rosan¡­ of course she isn''t¡­ She was just looking at him like that because he''s got a silver tongue¡­ they just bathe together because he''s a spoiled brat¡­ yeah. He just gets to see her naked beautiful body because¡­ because..."


    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    "SHUT UP!" Sanji roared, kicking the defeated body of Jabra repeatedly, despite the man not saying a word.


    The broken chef huffed, before turning on a heel and rushing off to go save Robin.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Zoro could confidently say, he was much stronger then his opponent, Kaku.


    He claimed to use 4 swords, including his legs but even with that, he didn''t truly have Zoro''s level of skills in the blade.


    He had reached a new realm of power after his fight with Ohm. With the addition of Armament Haki, his attacks were far more lethal then what Kaku could deal with.


    So what was the problem?


    Kaku was fast. Faster than Zoro.


    The moment their fight had started, Zoro and Kaku had clashed once, before the agent realized the difference in their strength and adopted a different method.


    "You''re stronger then I expected," Kaku muttered, leaping back to avoid the lethal swing.


    Cue, the hit and run game.


    It was as infuriating as it sounded. His body being riddled in injuries, while Kaku remained unharmed, was proof of it.


    Kaku would run around the room and launch various blades of wind at him that he had no problem deflecting, but became very annoying when the man would blur into his guard and try to pierce a hole into him.


    Still, it didn''t really pose much of a problem to him. The only thing made apparent, was that he should have followed in Rosan''s steps and learned to coat himself in armament.


    He did not have the defensive capabilities that Rosan had practiced with the sheen. Zoro had almost been exclusively learning how to coat all three of his blades in them.


    He was beginning to regret that. He was sure Rosan would laugh at him knowingly.


    The problems truly began, when the man activated his Zoan.


    Despite being such a lame giraffe (Kaku took great offense to that), that did not take away from the fact that the man''s strength had increased exponentially.


    Almost as soon as he transformed, Kaku had used a variation of that Rankakyu technique, where he spun around in a circle and delivered it in every direction, and it nearly severed the top half of the building they were on in half.


    Things only got more difficult from there.


    Zoro couldn''t fully block the gigantic blades now, enhanced by the size of the agent and some managed to nick him.


    He couldn''t dodge them all, because if he attempted to dodge one, Kaku would use a variation of the attack and shoot out multiple weaker ones that still hurt a lot.


    It seemed like now that he was riddled with cuts, Kaku was done fighting like this too.


    Zoro held up his swords to block the hybrid giraffe''s square nose and grunted as it launched him back, before he slashed the air and shot a razor sharp blade.


    Kaku blurred away from the attack, only to appear behind Zoro.


    "Nose Pistol!"


    Zoro turned just in time to block the attack and grit his teeth, as he forced his feet into the ground to avoid getting launched away.


    Kaku''s eyes widened in shock as Zoro remained rooted in his spot and had no time to react to the swordsman immediately capitalizing on his opportunity.


    "Two Sword Style: Tower Climb!"


    A spray of blood spurted from Kaku''s chest from the razor sharp blades.


    "Tower Climb Return!"


    Kaku only had a moment to activate Kami-E, to avoid being decapitated by Roronoa Zoro and he dashed away once more, much to the annoyance of the swordsman.


    "Even with all those cuts, he can still attack with such force?" Kaku thought in disbelief.


    Well, no matter¡­ it wasn''t really his style but fighting that man up close was no good. He''d need to continue his previous course of action and just continue to whittle him down.


    The only reason he had gone back to close range, was because he knew he couldn''t kill the man by just doing this and perhaps he had grown tired enough¡­ but clearly Roronoa Zoro was a different beast then the bounties indicated.


    Then again... knowing of the Red Devil''s true identity... perhaps all of the Straw Hats were being grossly underestimated.


    That did not change the fact that his skills had truly dulled at Water 7¡­ for him to resort to such tactics.


    Ah well, he was an assassin first and foremost. Winning by any means was his priority and it appeared that the pirate crew were not used to handling a group of assassins who resorted to such tactics.


    That made sense, they were rather straightforward.


    "Rankakyu: Giraffe Shower!"


    Zoro looked up in shock, as the tiny blades repeatedly cut into him. It was impossible to block them all, but he tried to the best of his abilities before falling to his knees and panting.


    "Rankakyu: Dragon Sever!"


    Kaku went for the kill. Kicking both his legs upward and summoning a blade of wind that looked similar to a large cut.


    Zoro''s chest exploded in a spray of blood, as he was forcefully elevated by the devastating attack.


    The swordsman teetered for a moment before collapsing.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Flashback


    "I have a very obvious advantage over you, that''ll make defeating me almost impossible even when you do catch up to me."


    Zoro glanced at the contemplating redhead with a confused expression, prompting Rosan to continue.


    "It''s best if I show you so you understand. Robin?" He glanced at her.


    She nodded and stood up, before walking to the middle of their giant sparring building, idly stretching as her exhaustion began wearing off.


    Zoro, understanding what he wanted, quickly took his place on the opposite side of the impressive and massive arena and pulled out all three of his blades.


    Rosan had Ram transform into a blade that looked like an intricate katana and nodded to the Devil Child.


    "Begin," Robin said, stepping to the safe area and being raised out of the way.


    Zoro very quickly found out, exactly what Rosan was talking about as the redhead immediately took to the skies.


    What followed next, was one of the most frustrating fights of his life.


    The redhead would fly in and out, riddling him with light cuts before dashing away so that Zoro couldn''t touch him.


    It got so frustrating, that Zoro just wanted to get a single hit in on the elusive redhead only to fail utterly.


    Before long, the swordsman was left kneeling on the floor, panting in exertion as Rosan flapped his wings above him.


    "That Phoenix move of yours is a good ranged option," Rosan praised, smirking smugly at him and looking utterly infuriating. "But you won''t have the luxury of aiming that move against someone like me because I''m really fast. You need a good option against a moving opponent who likes to keep their distance."


    Zoro huffed. "Any ideas? I can summon wind blades with my sword too but that''s probably not what you''re looking for."


    The redhead idly grabbed Robin off her stand and nodded, landing next to him.


    "Yeah actually I do¡­ I''ve taken particular interest in one of your techniques," Rosan informed him, eyes gleaming. "I''m a little offended by it''s name and the effect it has because I want it to do more."


    Zoro listened to Rosan''s explanation and his eyes went wide in interest.


    "Yeah¡­ I could probably do that¡­" he muttered.


    "Good¡­ though, I doubt you''ll have to use it in this specific situation often," Rosan shrugged.


    Robin sweatdropped. "So why are you teaching him this? You have a point, it''s not often he''ll run into an opponent who can maintain a safe distance from him or his ranged techniques."


    Zoro felt a feral grin forming, as Rosan''s own smirk transformed into something maniacal.


    "It''s not for other opponents but it will certainly help for them," Rosan said, eyes glinting.


    "So then, who is it for?" Zoro asked eagerly, having an idea already.


    The redhead flashed a demonic grinned. "Me of course."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Right¡­ he still had that technique¡­ but the only way he could use it currently was¡­


    Zoro huffed and pushed himself up, blood pouring from his body as he regarded the surprised Kaku.


    The half giraffe looked shocked that he was still standing but just came to accept that the swordsman before him was abnormal and continued his assault.


    "Giraffe Cannon!" He announced immediately. The agent retracted his neck into his body, before firing it back out like a cannon.


    Zoro lunged to the left to avoid the attack, only to get his ribs smashed by Kaku''s long neck.


    The swordsman tumbled on the floor before catching himself just in time to see a hail of wind shurikens flying towards him.


    He held up all three swords and began spinning them in front of him, using the speed to deflect the sharps attack.


    "You''re strong¡­ but you aren''t fast enough," Kaku said truthfully, appearing behind the swordsman.


    Zoro''s eyes rolled to the back of his head, as 4 blades, two swords and two legs, crashed into his back with devastating force, launching him across the room yet again.


    Kaku couldn''t stop the cold sweat from forming, as right after hearing the crash, the swordsman shakily pulled himself back up. Blood was pouring out of him in droves, enough to kill any normal person, but despite that, the demon of a swordsman just continued to get back up...


    "What the hell? Am I that rusty? No, this has nothing to do with rust... just what is he?" He thought in disbelief.


    Why¡­ wasn''t he dead yet? What was happening?! How could anyone move when they looked more akin to a corpse?!


    Zoro breathed in heavily, before clutching his swords.


    Kaku''s eyes narrowed heavily and he got on one hand, before he began spinning rapidly.


    "Fine then, I''ll finish you off with this attack¡­"


    Whatever Kaku was about to say, was cut off and the man''s eyes bugged in horror, as before his very eyes, Zoro manifested 4 extra arms and 2 more heads on his body.


    The CP9 agent faltered a bit at the bizarre sight, unable to fathom what he was witnessing.


    "W-What? Is he some type of Demon God?!" Kaku thought in disbelief.


    He attempted to comprehend the sight before him but came up short.


    "Demon Aura: Asura."


    "I''m getting tired of you running away," all three heads of Zoro said.


    Kaku continued to spin, building up the necessary momentum to finish this. "You won''t have to worry about it anymore. The only thing you need to worry about, is withstanding this attack."


    "Rankakyu: Sky Slicer!"


    The circle shaped Rankakyu, threatened to slice the entire top half of the tower where they were fighting.


    Zoro looked at the upcoming attack with an almost serene expression.


    "I really don''t like that you have a technique with dragon in the name¡­ and it''s not enough to destroy everything in your path. So let''s make it stronger."


    He couldn''t yet do this attack naturally, so he needed to rely on Asura to do so¡­


    But the results of that...


    "Nine Sword Style: Dragon Storm."


    What followed next was armageddon. Kaku gazed, utterly petrified, at the incoming attack.


    How would he be able¡­ to escape this?


    With all nine of his blades, Zoro conjured not just a tornado¡­ but a storm of sharp winds that began cutting into everything it managed to get its hands on...


    Kaku happened to be one of those things.


    The gigantic torrent of wind reached Kaku in no time at all, smashing through his strongest Rankakyu.


    It consumed the entirety of the room. There would have been nowhere for Kaku to run¡­


    So he was forced to take the attack in its entirety.


    The man''s eyes rolled to the back of his head, as he was repeatedly cut into by the shredding winds, suit tearing completely and blood beginning to pour.


    He had tried to activate his Tekkai, but it didn''t matter. The attack had pierced his defenses like they didn''t even exist.


    The whole room was torn apart¡­ No, the entire top half of the tower was currently being cut into ribbons and it was a good thing no one was above the two, else they''d be caught in this crossfire as well.


    The only spot that remained untouched, was the area where the serene Zoro was standing.


    He watched with an excited gaze, as his attack struck true.


    "I need to thank Rosan for this idea. This isn''t just useful for flying opponents¡­ this attack is incredible," he thought to himself, before the excitement dimmed a bit.


    He glanced at Yubashiri, the sword gifted to him at Loguetown, with a frown.


    It was as he feared. This sword couldn''t handle the strain of armament or his higher leveled techniques like Wado Ichimonji or Sandai Kitetsu could. He had noticed during training, but it was always more difficult to apply it to the sword he was gifted with.


    The cracks riddled all over it, was proof of that.


    The swordsman sighed before sheathing all his blades. He tested his step, before nodding to himself and walking off, unmindful of the amount of blood he was leaking.


    "Oh and by the way," Zoro called out to the defeated Kaku.


    "That Galley-Ga¡­ Paulie, told me to tell you, that you''re fired."


    With that, he left the room to go pursue Robin.


    "Paulie said that?" Kaku rasped to himself, barely awake before falling unconscious.


    Zoro grunted, idly spitting out a glob of blood as he continued his trek.


    Now where should he go?


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Robin huffed, body bruised and battered, as Spandam kept punishing her for every attempt she made to escape.


    Blood was leaking from her head, her black outfit was scraped, she was in a lot of pain but none of that even came close to the sheer terror she felt at being separated from her crew.


    "WOULD YOU STOP RESISTING?! WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU?!" Spandam roared, yanking her by the hair as she attempted to run off again.


    Without any hesitation, he smashed a fist onto her bloodied temple and floored her once more.


    "YOU''RE ONLY GOOD FOR DYING!" The man raved, holding her up roughly by her silky hair. "YOU HAVE NO REASON TO LIVE! DON''T YOU UNDERSTAND?!"


    "IF I WANTED TO, I COULD CALL A BUSTER CALL RIGHT NOW AND HAVE ALL YOUR FRIENDS KILLED! ALL OF THEM!" Spandam roared, digging into his pocket as he reached for the Golden Den Den.


    Robin huffed slowly, preparing to escape the moment he held her up once more.


    There was still time. She wasn''t yet on the bridge, being forcefully escorted through the corridor so once she could, she''d make a break for it¡ª


    "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH?!" Spandam screeched, eyes bugging in horror. "WHERE IS THE DEN DEN?! WHAT HAPPENED TO IT?! I-IT WAS IN MY POCKET JUST BEFORE?!"


    That made Robin react and she regarded him with wide, terror filled, eyes.


    "You don''t know where it is?! Who has it?!" She asked in shock.


    Spandam rounded on her and punched her on the cheek. "SHUT THE HELL UP! IF I KNEW, I WOULDN''T BE WONDERING, BITCH! DON''T EVER TRY TO SPEAK TO ME SO FREELY!" He frothed, digging everywhere in his pocket and going steadily pale as he realized he couldn''t find it.


    W-When did he lose it? Where was it?! WHERE WAS THE GOLDEN DIAL?!


    Did he¡­ forget it in the tower? Did he have to turn back to go look for it? No¡­ he didn''t have enough time!


    B-But what would Aokiji do to him if he heard that he lost it of all things?!


    He needed to turn back and go find it¡ª


    The entire tower shaking, halted his thoughts and he gulped.


    Could he really go back in there? W-Well¡­ he would just bring Nico Robin there first and have his winning agents bring him the Den Den¡­ right after he could send out calls.


    What did that Red Devil do to interfere with his calls? Well... considering he was the Angel of Death, it made sense that he had ways to keep secrets but it was really terrifying knowing that such a monster was lurking on the island, with no one but his agents as backup.


    They should easily be able to gang up on him though¡ª


    Spandam balked at seeing Robin making great distance away from him, hobbling back towards the shuddering tower with a single minded focus.


    Even with all those injuries¡­ she was STILL TRYING?!


    "FUNKFREED! DODGE ANY VITALS!" He snarled.


    "I don''t want to die," Robin chanted to herself as she made as much distance as possible. "I want to travel with the Straw Hats. I want to talk to Angel, Maro, Demon, Aiko, Akemi¡­ I want to grow stronger with them!"


    "I want to spend the rest of my days with Rosan! I never want to leave him again!"


    The woman couldn''t stop the yell of pain, as the elephant tackled into her again, causing even more injuries to bloom on her body as her exposed skin met roughly with the pavement below.


    Robin resisted the urge to cry and instead tried to roll away to continue running.


    A hand gripped her head and slammed her face into the concrete with crushing force, causing the cry to escape her body.


    "Just. Accept. Your. Death!" Spandam hissed. "I already lost the Golden Snail. You think I''m going to lose you too?! You will be turned over to the World Government, Devil."


    Blood began pooling under her from all the injuries sustained but still she did not falter.


    "Just wait for me Robin¡­ be strong, I''ll be over in a flash."


    This was nothing¡­ she could still fight. She could still escape. She just needed to wait for an opportunity.


    They would save her.


    They would save her.


    Please save her¡­


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rob Lucci could admit that despite his bounty, despite the fact he was the captain of the Angel of Death, he had not taken much stock of Straw Hat at all.


    That was a severe mistake.


    The fight had started off simple enough. Luffy and Lucci were clearly testing the waters with each other, exchanging quick blows without much lethal intent.


    Lucci''s first sign that something was wrong, was the fact that Straw Hat was the one coming out on top of most of these exchanges. The rubber boy easily predicted where he was going to attack and dodged it well in advance, delivering his own attacks in exchange.


    That wasn''t to say Lucci himself was coming out injured¡­ He just took more hits but they were mostly ineffective due to his combination of Kami-e (that were becoming far more ineffective) and Tekkai.


    Straw Hat was also extremely slippery, much like when he got ganged up on by the Galley-La foremen.


    It was even more annoying now that it was 1 on 1¡­ even with Lucci not holding back nearly as much.


    Luffy threw out a pistol that Lucci weaved with Kami-e, before the agent lunged forward at blistering speeds, finger aimed to stab at him with Shigan.


    To his shock, Luffy allowed the blow to hit him and took no damage at all from it, responding with a stretched sandal to the face that Lucci barely activated Tekkai to withstand.


    Before Luffy could withdraw his limb, Lucci''s eyes heightened in bloodlush and he gripped the leg with crushing force.


    "I don''t have many opportunities to hurt him, I must make this count," he thought, capitalizing on the fact that Straw Hat didn''t know anything about him.


    Luffy''s eyes widened as before his very eyes, Lucci began to change.


    "W-What?! He''s a cat?!" He balked, watching the man''s skin bulge out, yellow fur beginning to cover his skin as his height exploded, towering over the already shorter Luffy.


    The half Leopard yanked Luffy towards him, refusing to let him go for even a second and pierced the rubber boy''s chest with his, now sharp, claws.


    "Piercing attacks affect you," Lucci snarled victoriously, blood marring the finger as his tail lashed out and gripped Luffy by the neck.


    Luffy grunted as he was hoisted up, struggling in the man''s grasp.


    Lucci pressed his advantage immediately and he sadistically brandished his claws.


    "Shigan: Speckles."


    Luffy was helpless to resist the barrage of claws slamming into him with ruthless force, blood spurting from each hole being put in his body as Lucci continued to hit him, smiling psychotically at the pain he was inflicting on the rubber boy.


    Luffy powered through the pain and huffed, thrusting his arm to the side and beginning to pump it.


    "Gear Second."


    Lucci had no time at all to react, as a fist blurred and collided with his face with such speed and force, he had no choice but to release the rubber boy. The leopard man and was launched back into a wall.


    "What was that?" He thought in confusion, glancing up in confusion.


    Luffy was directly in front of him, ignoring his bloodied body as he cocked a fist back and launched it at ridiculous speeds.


    "Tekkai ¡ª"


    Lucci spat out a glob of blood as the attack pierced through his defense like it were made of paper. He was sent crashing into a wall before collapsing on the ground below him.


    A sound, eerily similar to Soru, sounded out and he only had a moment to react, before a stomp crushed the floor beneath him like it weren''t made of stone.


    The agent swiftly scrambled to his feet, only to bend over as a fist planted itself directly into his gut.


    Luffy, fist still lodged into the man''s gut, hoisted him up and left him airborne before cocking both fist back.


    "Gomu Gomu no Jet Gatling."


    Lucci''s eyes rolled to the back of his head, as Luffy gave him a taste of his own medicine and bombarded him with a barrage of fists that tenderized the Zoan''s body.


    The agent was sent flying from the assault, hacking in disbelief as he stumbled back to his feet and collapsing to the floor after taking too hard of a breath.


    Him attempting to move, was yet another mistake, as a sandal immediately smashed into the side of his head.


    "H-How is he moving with all those holes in his body?!" Lucci couldn''t help but think, eyes flickering as he resisted the urge to be knocked unconscious.


    Luffy panted as the severe blood loss and use of Gear Second, began catching up to him but stood his ground, deactivating Gear Second for the moment, but ready to activate it at a moment''s notice.


    Pigeon guy was capable of taking a beating, if the way he was forcing himself up meant anything¡­


    These injuries were hampering him by quite a lot. His entire midsection was riddled with bloody holes so he couldn''t quite hit him with full power¡­


    Luffy frowned, as his opponent shakily stood up, glaring at him.


    "It''ll take more then that to take me down Straw Hat¡­ I''ll admit you''re formidable but with your wounds and the nature of that technique¡­ you won''t last long," Lucci observed, wiping the blood from his lips and smirking.


    "Seimei Kikan: Return"


    The agent huffed as his formerly hulking body shrunk considerably. He became slimmer, looking far more like an actual hybrid between man and leopard as he snarled at the rubber boy.


    Lucci discarded the idea of trying to get another hit in immediately. They were both battered and bruised but because of the nature of their fighting styles, Lucci was suffering broken bones, but Luffy was bleeding out.


    In this battle of attrition, he had the advantage so long as he could withstand the pain he was in. Not only that, he simply needed to wait for the faster Straw Hat to begin slowing down. As such, he needed something faster and more agile.


    It wouldn''t be hard to outlast the rubber boy with holes in his body. Lucci just needed to not get hit again.


    The agile leopard''s eyes widened as Luffy''s skin turned steamy once more and he immediately vanished from his spot.


    "Such speed!" Lucci thought, activating Geppo and barely managing to escape from the rubber boy.


    Luffy looked as if he wanted to stretch his arms to catch him, but seemed to anticipate Lucci going for another grab and refrained himself.


    Instead, he pursued the man with his own Geppo, kicking through the air at even greater speeds than Lucci and quickly catching up to him.


    But it seemed like Lucci no longer had any intention of fighting him outright.


    Lucci immediately descended once more, landing on the floor and as Luffy tried to pursue, the leopard shouted, "Rankakyu: Leopard Tail!"


    Luffy grunted as he halted his descent and kicked away from the blade of air shaped into a swirl.


    His observation flared and the rubber boy growled in annoyance, as he was forced to dodge even more.


    Lucci flicked his fingers repeatedly, shooting out a variation of Shigan that was similar to Rankakyu and forcing the rubber boy to continue to expend energy so as to dodge it.


    "Little by little¡­" he snarled, claws sharpening.


    "Rankakyu: Victorious Bird."


    He shout out a giant Rankakyu, this one in the shape of a bird that soared towards the frustrated Luffy, who once more avoided the attack.


    "If I throw a punch he''ll grab me and finish me off¡­" Luffy frowned heavily, dashing forward at blistering speeds and throwing out a close ranged punch that Lucci evaded with Kami-e, only for him to get caught by the other, sending the man careening.


    The leopard''s tail lashed out and Luffy leapt back from it, contorting his body to avoid the Rankakyu and hissing as the awkward angle, caused his injuries to flare up.


    This caused him to make a slight misstep and Lucci''s eyes burned red, like a shark detecting blood in the water.


    Lucci didn''t waste a single step, as he activated Soru and blurred forward.


    Luffy''s eyes widened as the leopard placed two fists on his chest with a victorious glint.


    "Rokushiki Secret Technique: Rokuogan."


    A shockwave erupted from the point of contact between Lucci and Luffy and the rubber boys body shuddered, as the attack devastated his organs.


    The captain of the Straw Hat''s eyes fluttered, rolling to the back of his head as the attack landed true and he shuddered, before falling back.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Flashback


    "Gear Third?" Rosan asked with a raised brow, sitting on a whining Maro''s back as he pat her head.


    The Dokkaebi stopped complaining and glanced over at the rubber boy. "You developed another gear?"


    Luffy nodded excitedly. "I''ve been thinking about it for a while! I need more oomph behind my punches because I can''t hit you guys hard enough and make it count!"


    Rosan snorted at that and nodded. "Fair point¡­ so you''re telling me you developed a form with even more power then Gear Second? The power boost you get from that is no joke."


    Seriously, Luffy managed to do nonsense with his fruit that seemed on par with the Mod Mod no Mi. He made his fruit look like way more than a Paramecia.


    Maro wasn''t fully convinced. She grunted and pulled herself up with a contemplating frown."It has to have a downside. You never develop normal techniques, so show it to us now and we''ll figure it out to maybe try and hash out the issues with it."


    Robin hummed in interest, eyes narrowing in contemplation. "Just Gear Second alone is incredibly intuitive and you''re telling me he''s developed another form? You frighten me, captain."


    Zoro''s eyes glinted in clear interest as well, pushing himself up to gaze at the upcoming fight.


    Luffy laughed as he took his position on the arena, standing opposite of the stretching Maro.


    "Alright immediately start off with it! I wanna see this technique that can affect me and Master!" Maro shouted, transforming into her full Zoan without wasting anytime.


    The captain nodded before biting his thumb.


    Everyone watched with curious eyes, as Luffy began to blow into his own body.


    "Is this like Balloon?" Maro muttered in interest, watching as the rubber boy''s fist became gigantic from his efforts. "But that move is so soft and squishy? How does he expect to hit harder then Gear Second with that?"


    His fist looked more akin to a giants honestly¡­ But did Luffy actually do any testing to see how much damage it did?


    Rosan, Robin and Zoro were thinking the same thing, sitting back and observing with confused eyes as Luffy cocked his gargantuan fist back.


    "Gomu Gomu no Gigant Pistol!" Luffy bellowed, shooting out the giant fist towards the curious Dokkaebi.


    They thought Maro was going to take the attack, but to their surprise, the Dokkaebi''s orange eyes went wide in disbelief and she immediately teleported from her spot.


    They soon understood why Maro moved instead of absorbing the blow.


    Everyone watched with wide eyes, as Luffy''s fist pulverized the entire section of the arena he had struck.


    "Holy shit!" Maro gaped.


    Robin had a look of realization on her face. "I get it now. He''s not expanding his body... he''s expanding his bones," she explained, thinking back to the way he blew into his thumb.


    The moment Robin said that, everyone began to reassess the move.


    Maro nodded sagely. "My observation told me that I really wouldn''t like getting hit by that move! It only looks similar to balloon but trust me it packs a serious punch."


    Rosan scowled, mind running a minute as he gleaned all the techniques weaknesses. "That''s if he can even hit his opponent with it. This technique is good but it has too many weaknesses. How do you expect to hit me or Maro if we just decide to move around the whole time? Not to mention, you look like you can barely move."


    Robin idly slapped the arm of the strict redhead. "It''s clear the technique isn''t fully polished yet, Rosan. Just the fact he thought of it is deserving enough of praise. If he can hit someone, they will almost certainly feel it."


    "Can isn''t good enough, Robin," Rosan grunted, eyes narrowed as he absentmindedly flicked her on the head. "There is no point using an attack you think will miss. I like the idea but you have a lot more polishing to do before I''d feel comfortable letting you use it in battle."


    Luffy, who frequently asked Rosan for advice, nodded his head. "It''s a work in progress but you''re right. It has a lot of downsides but when I master it, I''m gonna kick you, Maro, Sabo and Ace''s ass with it!"


    The redhead nodded, eyes glinting a little excitedly. "I''m looking forward to it. You''re pushing this fruit''s creativity to its limit. I never thought I''d meet someone as creative with their Devil Fruit as me but you continue to impress me, Lu," he complimented, rubbing the boys head.


    "Seeing you two makes me want to attempt to explore my Devil Fruit even further," Robin muttered in a bit of awe, rubbing her forehead a little.


    "I''ve still got more catching up to do," Zoro grunted. "It''s only a matter of time before I get put on that list of yours."


    Maro laughed and slapped Zoro''s back. "Welcome to the club! It''s fun being this competitive!"


    Luffy laughed as well before exhaling the air used to sustain his technique.


    Everyone watched with a blank gaze, as the rubber boy flew around from the force of exhaling all that air¡­ before he landed on his two feet¡­ about three feet shorter.


    ...


    "...What the fuck is this?" Rosan asked calmly, all traces of amusement gone as he stared at his shrunken captain with a painfully neutral gaze.


    "Luffy¡­" Zoro sighed at the idiot.


    "I shrink after I use it," Luffy said bluntly, looking nonplussed at the decrease in height.


    Maro immediately squealed and hoisted up Luffy, crushing him against her breast with a happy smile. "It''s been so long since you''ve been so small, Luffy! Look at how adorable he is! It''s like he''s 7 again! You''re about to kill me with all this cuteness! Oh, by the way, you are absolutely banned from using this technique in a real battle!"


    Her motherly gushing did nothing to hide the firmness behind that final sentence and the chibi Luffy nodded.


    Robin couldn''t prevent the small coo and snatched Luffy out of Maro''s hand.


    "He''s adorable so don''t be too upset with him, Rosan," Robin said, turning towards the utterly unamused redhead and presenting Luffy to him like he were a toy.


    Rosan sighed and shook his head. "Luffy, unless you think you can win a battle with this technique. Try not to use it, got it?" He demanded.


    Luffy nodded. "So if I can win the fight¡­ I can use it?"


    The redhead grunted and waved him off. "If you''re in a situation where you have to use this technique to win the fight¡­ Me worrying about you using it will be the least of our concerns."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Rosan''s gonna be mad that I had to use this here¡­ I coulda beat this guy without it but I messed up¡­"


    Don''t use the technique unless he could win the battle with it¡­


    Luffy huffed as he shakily pulled himself up, nearly collapsing on his feet from the damage done to his insides. Blood steadily dripped from his body, as his legs wobbled and he collapsed on a knee, before hoisting himself up once more.


    Lucci stared in complete shock, as his opponent actually got up from a Rokuogan. The leopard had transformed back into his human form, thinking the fight was as good as over.


    He was going to assist that useless puppet in her battle against the Angel of Death... but that didn''t seem like much of a choice right at the moment because to his immense disbelief¡­ Straw Hat was still moving.


    What in the world¡­


    "No matter¡­ you''re practically dead on your feet," Lucci sighed, transforming into his normal hybrid form once more.


    Luffy said nothing, looking eerily calm as he stared at his hand.


    "I need to save Robin¡­ and you''re in my way," Luffy said calmly, putting both thumbs up to his mouth.


    For Robin¡­ For Rosan¡­ He wouldn''t let anyone get in the way of saving his crewmates.


    This wasn''t just him saving Robin¡­ if he failed here, he''d lose his oldest brother too.


    And not just that, everyone would be devastated if she died. How could they ever continue sailing knowing they failed to save one of their friends? How could Maro, Angel and Demon continue to run Celadon, knowing they lost such important people?


    How could he ever become King of Pirates with such a cloud over his head?


    The answer was that he couldn''t. If Luffy lost even one member in his crew, he''d never be able to become the Pirate King because he didn''t even have what it took to protect them all.


    It didn''t matter if he was close to dying. It didn''t matter if he could barely move. It didn''t matter if his body was screaming in pain for him to stop and sleep.


    What mattered was that Robin wanted to live. What mattered was that Rosan had shown fear.


    What mattered was that he needed to win this fight.


    Lucci went completely still, as a sensation washed over him and froze him to his spot.


    The leopards eyes went wide at the terrible sensation and he unconsciously took a step back in confusion.


    "This¡­ is just like when the Red Devil was speaking to Nico Robin. This pressure! What is this feeling?!" He thought, shaking himself off as he began rocketing forward to Luffy, intent on killing him here and now.


    Luffy glanced at his fists with a puzzled expression, before a look of realization took over and a slight sheen formed.


    "Gear Third."


    Holding his fists up, Rob Lucci prepared to pulverize Luffy''s inside with another Rokuogan.


    "Gomu Gomu no¡­"


    "IT''S OVER STRAW HAT! JUSTICE IS ABSOLUTE!" Lucci roared.


    "Rokuoga¡ª"


    "¡­Gigant Gatling."


    Lucci never got to finish his sentence, as the first fist smashed into him.


    Then the second fist hit him¡­ then the third¡­ and all Lucci knew was agony.


    "RAHHHH!" Luffy roared, pummeling the man with fist after gigantic blooding fist. He was merciless, unrelenting in his assault as his fists carried the man over to a wall with each bone shattering punch.


    Lucci didn''t notice the black sheen on the rubber boy''s arms, already slipping into a state of unconsciousness as the captain of the Straw Hats proceeded to break every single bone in his body into powder.


    He was sent flying through every single wall he crashed into, until his body landed directly outside the Tower of Justice.


    Rob Lucci lay there in defeat, unconscious from the assault as a shrunken Luffy panted heavily.


    "Tired¡­ hungry¡­ hungry... and hungry but need to save Robin," his squeaky voice rasped, feeling out with his observation as he threatened to fall unconscious.


    The rubber boy blinked.


    "What happened to Chopper?!"


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "What the hell happened to Chopper?!"


    This was the unanimous thought process of every single Straw Hat, as they gazed up at the soulless eyes of the massive creature that had to have been their doctor.


    While running towards Robin''s location, they had all met up and subsequently encountered a gigantic brown creature wearing Chopper''s hat and pants combo.


    "Has he always had that transformation?" Sogeking squeaked in terror, going white as he stared up at the gentle reindeer.


    "WROOOOO!" Chopper roared to the heavens.


    Sogeking was shoved out of the way by Sanji, as the monstrous hand smashed the floor he was standing in with lethal force.


    The liar went even paler, as he realized that hand was covered in someone''s blood.


    "Yeah!" Zoro barked. "He must have ate 3 Rumble Balls like that one time with Maro!" He announced to everyone.


    All who remembered that monstrous transformation, shuddered as they realized it took Rosan dumping Maro in water to cancel that incredibly dangerous form.


    "Chopper?! That''s your little reindeer friend?!" Franky gaped, in disbelief.


    Chopper''s stance immediately shifted and quicker than he could react, Franky was hit with a gigantic fist that would have pulverized his insides if not for his physiology.


    With no concern for his immense weight, Chopper sent the cyborg flying through a wall, a trail of blood following him.


    "Chopper! It''s us! Can''t you recognize us?!" Zoro shouted, leaping back as the reindeer targeted him next.


    Chopper did not respond. Instead the terrifying creature opened its mouth and roared once more, slamming a fist that Zoro hastily threw up two swords to block.


    Even after imbuing them with Armament, the momentum of the downward swing nearly forced Zoro into the pavement and his already broken up pieces of Yubashiri, practically shattered beyond repair.


    "He gets this strong?!" Zoro couldn''t help but balk, diverting the swing to the best of his abilities and dashing out of the way of the rampaging reindeer.


    By now, the Tower of Justice had been under so much punishment from their respective battles, it was only a matter of time before it fully collapsed, especially after what Zoro and Nami had done respectively.


    With Chopper rampaging like this, the building may collapse while they were still in the building.


    Nami shook as she gazed at their once adorable reindeer.


    This was the form he was so terrified of entering? I-It was no wonder he was so terrified for Maro... he was so ridiculous right now!


    Franky burst out of the rubble with a pissed expression. "YOU''RE SUPER LUCKY YOU''RE AN ALLY OR I WOULD HAVE PULVERIZED YOU!" He roared, huffing in exhaustion.


    "This can''t possibly be good for him! Remember what happened to Maro? We need to get him out of this form quick!" Nami informed them all, a look of intense worry in her eyes.


    The Straw Hats gazed at the reindeer and noted that she was right, Chopper looked as if the very vitality was being drained out of him.


    If it was really the same as Maro''s, Rosan had prioritized completely neutralizing her over knocking her out because staying in the form too longer would begin killing her.


    "How do we stop it?!" Sanji grunted, using Geppo to try and reach Chopper''s face.


    "CHOPPER, SNAP OUT OF IT! IT''S US!" Sanji shouted, gazing into the creatures unnerving gaze with a look of concern.


    Chopper''s response was to swing his arm with more speed than he ever showed initially.


    Sanji''s eyes widened as he saw the hand flying towards him.


    "So fast! Chopper could move like this all along?! He''s not even thinking in this form because my Observation didn''t go off either!" He gaped.


    Crap. He was still injured from his fight with the wolf¡­ there was no way he was going to be able to dodge this.


    The hand smashed right into him.


    "SANJI!" Nami and Sogeking shouted, watching as Chopper embedded the chef into the wall.


    Like he were getting peeled off, the chef collapsed towards the floor.


    A gust of wind slowed his descent and Nami gazed worriedly at him, wanting to check up on the chef throwing up blood but fearing what the Chopper in the way would do to her.


    "Shit¡­ we''re all to injured from our fights," Zoro grunted, gazing at the rampaging monster with a frown as he picked up Sanji.


    "What do we do?!" Sogeking asked in concern. Things weren''t looking good at all.


    At this rate, by the time they stopped Chopper, they''d be too beat up to save Robin.


    "CHOPPER!" Luffy squeaked, tiredly running into the room of all his allies in his shrunken form. "WHAT''S WRONG?! WHAT HAPPENED?!"


    "WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU?!" Franky couldn''t but roar as he saw the diminutive frame of Luffy.


    "Luffy! Chopper is rampaging right now and we can''t stop him!" Nami said, balking at the state of his injuries and tiny size too.


    She was the best off from the fight. The boys looked like they had gone through a war and Luffy looked like he was seconds away from dying!


    "What do we do?! We still need to get Robin!" Sogeking pointed out, squealing as Chopper gazed at him.


    "WROOOOOOO!" The beast roared, charging the Straw Hats with a single minded focus.


    Luffy frowned as he noticed one was missing. "We can focus on stopping Chopper! Rosan will save Robin!" He announced.


    "Where is Rosan? Is he alright?" Zoro asked in disbelief, grabbing his shrunken captain so they could both avoid the wild swings.


    "He''ll be fine! Trust him!" Luffy shouted in return.


    "LURE HIM TO A BODY OF WATER!" Sanji shouted raspily as they all ran away from the reindeer. "IF WE CAN SINK HIM, WE CAN STOP THIS! THAT''S HOW ROSAN STOPPED MARO!"


    "RIGHT, LET''S DO THAT!"


    With that, the Straw Hats sprinted away, giant Reindeer hot on their heels.


    <hr>


    Rosan narrowed his eyes and dashed away, avoiding the gunfire of those seastone nails with ease.


    Electricity sparked around him and he blurred forward.


    Izumi, disguised as Meiko, flinched at the sheer speed and braced herself for the pain, only to let out a sigh of relief as Rosan merely snatched the weapon out of her hand.


    Without any hesitation he made it disappear into his Pocket Dimension.


    "At the very least, I got rid of that weapon," he thought with a deep frown.


    Izumi frowned at the loss of a weapon but it really did seem like her plan was working and... not having to shoot with the gun was more of a relief to her so it wasn''t a complete loss.


    Rosan sidestepped a sharp stab from Meiko, seeing a plethora of options he could take to kill his opponent, but not going for a single one.


    Instead, he modified the ground to attempt to restrain the girl and watched as she kicked upwards, dodging the grabby stone by taking to the skies.


    "Ah ah ah!" Meiko chided. "I know you can manipulate the stone! You did it to Izuki! Don''t you remember?! When you chose to assault and kill him instead of saving me?"


    Rosan flinched back at the reminder, expression turning into guilt as the day of her death replayed in his mind over and over again.


    Izumi took full advantage of his weakness. She rocketed towards the redhead, building up momentum and brandishing those sharp claws.


    "Shigan!" She announced, attempting to gore him through with all 10 of her sharpened nails.


    Much to Izumi''s dissatisfaction, that pesky outfit of his weathered her blow easily and Rosan once again tried to restrain her with the chasing ground.


    She expected this however and activated Soru, dashing away at immense speeds.


    "I know it''s not her. I know it''s Izumi¡­ so why can''t I hit her?!" Rosan thought with a deep glare.


    This was one of the most frustrating fights he had ever been in because he was drastically stronger than his opponent... but he couldn''t do anything about it!


    He could have ended this fight at any time if he just went on the offensive. Izumi was nowhere near him in strength and she was aware of that.


    He was faster, stronger, smarter...


    But the ballsy girl was relying on his own weakness and chose to tow an incredibly dangerous line to do so.


    Incredibly risky¡­


    Not to mention, her illusions were nothing like Maro''s.


    Maro''s illusions were akin to mirages. She could field the terrain around with her magic and trick people with it.


    Izumi''s illusions were akin to hallucinations. She didn''t manipulate the terrain, no she tampered with the person''s mind so Rosan could do nothing to get rid of the image of Meiko.


    That wasn''t all either. The girl was also capable of using her abilities to induce hypnosis upon the person. He had been practically fighting off the urge to sleep the entire fight and when that failed, she heightened his sense of self loathing.


    It was torture. Rosan was already replaying the day he got Meiko killed over and over again, Izumi was forcing him to view it as well while simultaneously posing as his dead lover.


    He was in hell.


    "There has to be some way I can hit her¡­ without feeling like I''m striking Meiko," Rosan thought, gazing at the face of his deceased love with pained eyes.


    Ah¡­ maybe he could try that.


    Izumi watched in confusion as Rosan closed his eyes.


    What was he doing? Was he planning on fighting her with his eyes closed? What would that accomplish? If he couldn''t see her, how would he be able to hit her¡ª


    "EMP: Shockwave."


    A surge of red electricity lashed out in a wave from the redhead, encapsulating the entire room, and Izumi had no time to dodge it whatsoever.


    The woman shrieked as it connected to her skin and a surge of electricity pulsed through her.


    "A-AGH!" She yelped in agony, feeling the lightning course through her veins and nearly seizing up completely.


    This power was ridiculous. W-Why was he so strong?!


    Rosan huffed in victory. If he just closed his eyes, he could send out attacks and hit Izumi. Like this, he didn''t have to look at Meiko''s fac¡ª


    "R-Rosa¡ª," Mod coughed as she attempted to speak to the redhead. When that failed she glanced pleadingly at Ram


    "F-Father! Auntie is trying to tell you to cover your ears!"


    Rosan''s confusion only lasted a split moment as realization crossed his features but he was far too late.


    Well, even if he did cover his ears, Izumi would have made sure he heard this.


    Sniffing froze him in place before the sound of Meiko bawling, brought him to his knees.


    A-Ah... no no. He didn''t mean to make her cry. Rosan never wanted to be the reason Meiko cried but why was he making her cry?


    "R-Rosan why? Why would you hit meeee?!" Meiko wailed, tears spilling from her eyes as she gazed brokenly at the frozen visage Rosan.


    Why? Why did he hit her? There had to have been... no, Rosan wouldn''t... he''d never even dream of abusing Meiko...


    Right? B-But she was dead... because of him.


    "I knew it! I knew you didn''t love me!" the blonde sobbed, backing away from the redhead as she rapidly shook her head. "Of course you don''t love me. I-If you loved me, I wouldn''t have died because you''d keep me safe!"


    Mod scowled furiously, tears falling from her eyes. T-This underhanded bitch. Just who did she think she was?! How dare she use sweet little Meiko like this.


    If she weren''t sick, Mod would have done the terrible task of putting her down¡­ is what she wanted to say but not even she could handle seeing the pain on Meiko''s face.


    She could only imagine what Rosan was going through right now.


    "This isn''t¡­ is this real? Is this like the dreams I''ve been having where I speak to Meiko?" Rosan thought, mind in complete disarray as he gazed at the teary eyed Meiko.


    How many of this was real? Why couldn''t he¡­ Why did he fail her? If he had just¡­ done anything different that day¡­ If he had just been less selfish.


    If he just prioritized others over himself, Meiko would still be alive.


    "Seems like he''s been just as affected by that day as me," Izumi thought, shaking her head as the redhead began shaking in place. She had long broken that mask of his, so she saw his utterly helpless expression.


    "Don''t you worry at all sweetie, I''ll give you someone new to devote your life too. This way, we can both stop suffering," she thought, brandishing her nails once more.


    Her nails weren''t sharp enough to pierce that cloak of his¡­


    "Seimei Kikan: Tekkai."


    Izumi had learned everything there was to learn about CP9. 12 years. She had spent 12 years absorbing all that she could for this moment.


    All of them were useless to her goals. None of them were Rosan. None of them filled her with anything like he did... but they had their specialties and she greedily absorbed them, particularly from the stupid mutt Jabra and the suicidal idiot Kumadori.


    This was the result here.


    Her nails sharpened into something lethal, hardening from the effects of Tekkai and the manipulation of Seimei Kikan.


    She pushed herself up and lunged towards the prone Rosan.


    Unlike before, her attack managed to pierce directly through that cloak of his and lodged itself into his stomach.


    "Shigan: Iron Shelling."


    Rosan, still not at 100%, rasped as five razor sharp blades pierced his cloak and tender skin with ruthless force, causing blood to begin spurting as it seeped into her fingers.


    To make matters worse, she injected him with that same poison from before and Rosan grunted.


    Luckily, he had already built up a resistance to it but even a split bit of attention from the stone in his current state would add up.


    Izumi withdrew her claws before plunging them into a different spot and raking upwards, stopping right before reaching his neck.


    "Shigan: Iron Lashings!"


    There was a deranged grin on her face, unmindful of the spray of blood that landed on her.


    Rosan''s eyes lolled a bit, as he spit out blood. The redhead let out a strained noise, as his body steadily began healing him up.


    "Mmmm~ You''re able to take so much punishment! What type of healing is this?! I was wondering how you were moving with holes in your body¡­" Izumi pondered, gazing at the wounds slowly closing.


    She grinned.


    "Let''s see how much punishment you can take~"


    It really wasn''t fair, that she was assaulting a mentally helpless Rosan at the moment but¡­


    Girls like her didn''t fight fair~


    "Shigan: Iron Massacre."


    Activating Soru, Izumi began blurring around Rosan, stabbing into anywhere she could reach with those hard and sharp nails.


    "R-ROSAN!" Mod screamed in horror, as more and more blood began flying from the redhead. Tears began falling from her eyes and she pushed herself up, only to let out a whine as her body failed.


    "F-FATHER!" Ram screeched, eyes flying wide in horror as Izumi lashed out with ruthless precision, avoiding fatal spots and inflicting as much pain as she could on the redhead.


    She saw now why Father had forbade her from helping¡­ because true to his words, she hadn''t been able to do anything. Even trying to turn into a defensive weapon seemed impossible for her because no part of her wanted to turn against Mother¡­


    But now, now her Father, the one who created her, the one who loved her, was suffering because of her complete inability to do anything.


    "GET AWAY FROM HIM!" Ram screeched furiously.


    The ring on Rosan''s finger, transformed into a massive red energy barrier that Izumi barely managed to leap away from.


    "Oh? A bit too late don''t you think?" Izumi asked with a smile, unknowingly speaking to Ram.


    The damage had been done. Whenever Rosan''s body began healing him, Izumi placed a new injury on his body, until the wounds started closing noticeably slower.


    Her eyes gleamed at seeing him teeter, not healed instantly from the damage she inflicted and the girl let out a noise of delight.


    "So you weren''t fully healed from my torture," she crooned, watching gleefully as he swayed and swayed in that red barrier of his.


    Izumi slowly transformed into Meiko once more, walking up to the barrier and making sure not to touch it.


    "I''m so glad you still love me, to the point where you won''t even consider hurting me. I''m so glad you still love me, to the point where just the sound of me crying was able to make you give up," she said demurely, gazing lovingly into his unfocused gaze.


    "Everyone dreams of something and you''re dream is to see me again. To be with me again. It''s a dream that you''ll discard everything to reach. At the drop of a hat, if you had the opportunity, you''d throw everything away to see me again," she whispered.


    "Father! Please tell me you can keep moving!" Ram begged, maintaining the barrier for as long as she needed to. "Please don''t let her win! This isn''t enough to stop you!"


    "¡­" Rosan was completely unresponsive, blood just pouring from every crevice in his body as the red and purples of his eyes began flickering.


    "Well you can see me again," Meiko whispered soothingly. "Just let go. Fall asleep, Rosan and I''ll make all your dreams come true. Doesn''t that sound nice? A world where you can be with your soulmate again?" She asked, preying on his weakness with a level of ruthlessness befitting of her.


    She grinned wildly as the redhead''s swaying got stronger.


    "Just let go. It''ll all be over soon, darling. Give in to me. Give your heart to me¡­ You won''t regret it¡­"


    Rosan collapsed, eyes rolling to the back of his head as he landed in a puddle of his own blood.


    "ROSAN!"


    "FATHER!"


    "...Reaper," Izumi bowed.


    <hr>


    Rosan despised when people called him a genius or perfect or any other compliment that made him seem like this unstoppable being.


    He hated it because in his eyes, he was nothing but a failure.


    Yes, he was talented. He was well aware of his skills but at the end of the day, even prodigies could be snuffed and his flames had gotten snuffed a long time ago.


    Just look. A girl, who should have been defeated near instantly by him, had managed to wreak this much havoc on his body, to the point where his stone couldn''t even heal him properly.


    All because she understood his greatest weakness.


    Meiko.


    He had already failed her so much¡­ how could he fail her again by daring to strike her? How could he live with himself after making her cry?


    Even with the knowledge that it wasn''t actually her, it still tore at him to hear her cry, too see her tears, to acknowledge her pain¡­


    Because it reminded him that he had failed her thoroughly. Because of him, Meiko was dead. The kindest soul on the planet, the last person who deserved to ever die, was killed because of him.


    Because he was stupid. He was no genius. He was not perfect.


    He was a failure.


    Perhaps this was his punishment. Perhaps his failures had finally caught up to him.


    Meiko had told him not to kill the girl after all. She most likely wanted Rosan to forgive Izumi¡­ but he had gone and tortured her instead, breaking her and turning her into his monster. It was his fault that she was like this... Rosan couldn''t even say she was unjust to deliver such punishment.


    He would be lying if he said he didn''t deserve to be tortured by her. After all, he had tortured her first.


    Perhaps that was the greatest sign that he had failed Meiko. Twisting her final wishes of sparing Izumi into this. Despite sparing her life because of Meiko, he had still tortured and broken her. He created her and she was here to turn on her master.


    Ah, this was karma.


    The redhead closed his eyes.


    Yes, this was a fine punishment. This was what he deserved. Let this be his final punishment, as the world''s greatest failure.


    It was Izumi''s win. Her goal was to get him and she had done it.


    He had nothing left to live for anyways¡­


    He was tired of being the infallible wall. He was tired of being in control of everything. Maybe it was time for him to finally rest¡­


    Yes¡­ rest¡­


    "Please! Please take me back into the crew! Please come save your stupid crewmate! I don''t want to die yet, I WANT TO LIVE!"


    ...Is what he would be thinking if he was fucking STUPID!


    Rest? Give up? No. He couldn''t rest yet. Rest didn''t mean dying. Rest didn''t mean allowing some girl to torture him for the rest of his days.


    Rest meant spending his days relaxing with Nico Robin¡­ the same Nico Robin that was almost out of his grasp.


    The one that he needed to save at all costs.


    But there was an obstacle in his way¡­ and that obstacle was Meiko. Could he really hurt her? Could he really risk seeing his deceased love in pain¡­? Was Rosan strong enough to release the shackles that Meiko had tied him down with? One of the few things that he had that made him strive to stay alive?


    ¡­


    "I''ll wait a thousand years if I have to!"


    Yes.


    Rosan loved Meiko. That would never ever change, but Meiko was... Meiko was dead and that wasn''t something he could change. She would never want him to linger on her to such an unhealthy degree, that another person''s life was put in danger as a result.


    "Meiko told me that I already found a reason worth living for and I thought about it the entire time I was up there but now I know¡­ Nico Robin, You''re the reason worth living for so thank you for putting up with an honest idiot like me... I don''t know what I''d do without you."


    Rosan snorted¡­ of course she wouldn''t. Meiko would tell him to hit her with no hesitation, if it meant they could save someone else they loved. She was so strong... she''d hold in her tears until after all was said and done and then cry on his body about how it didn''t hurt.


    He was an idiot. A complete idiot.


    She wouldn''t want to chain him down. Not like this. That was against her character.


    She would never want him to pick a ghost over someone that was alive. Meiko''s spirit was just too alive for that.


    No... it wasn''t just Meiko... Rosan couldn''t continue to let the past hinder him the way he had done before. He needed to shed the guilt... he needed to understand that he didn''t deserve to be hated for things he had already been forgiven for.


    He needed to absolve himself of the pains of his past and focus on attaining a more happy future.


    His body began thrumming, eyes going bright as something clicked into place.


    Rosan loved Meiko... he would never forget her. But Meiko was a memory and Robin was still alive. Nico Robin, his best friend, one of his reasons to live...


    He wouldn''t let Robin become a memory so it was time to stop letting the memory of Meiko shackle him.


    "Sorry Mei¡­ looks like I really do have to move on. I hope you can understand but I need to save Robin," Rosan thought with a bittersweet smile, eyes glowing the brightest they had in years.


    Right before he woke up, he could have sworn he heard in his ears¡ª


    "Of course I understand, you dummy! It''s about damn time, Rosy!"


    And then he felt a gentle kiss on his cheek and a firm push.


    <hr>


    She did it.


    After 12 long years¡­ Izumi had done it. She almost couldn''t believe that this was real. She... she couldn''t believe this day had finally come.


    She won.


    Rosan''s prone body, still being protected by the ominous red barrier, lay there and she stood tall above him.


    She did it! She actually did it!


    All that blood, sweat and tears brought her to this moment. This sweet moment of victory.


    Izumi threw her head back and laughed hysterically, taking it all in as euphoria coursed through her.


    "AHAHAHAHAHAHA! I''M FREE! FINALLY FREE FROM THIS CURSE!" She cackled, expression forming into a true genuine smile as tears of joy fell from her eyes.


    The lack of sleep because of nightmares, the memory of her brother saying he wished she was never born¡­


    Red and purple eyes choking her until she couldn''t breathe.


    No more. Rosan had placed her in a neverending nightmare, one that she could finally begin waking up from because she was finally free.


    The threat of Rosan looming over her, meant she''d never get to truly enjoy peace. Izumi had tried... of course she tried to live a peaceful life. After joining the Marines, Izumi had initially joined because she never wanted to feel week again... but it was impossible to remove Rosan from her mind because all she saw was red and red and red and red and red.


    Rosan was a permanent presence in her life whether she liked it or not and she''d never be able to get rid of him no matter what she chose to do. Even if he were to drop dead right then and there, the mark he left on her would never vanish.


    After all, she was probably the only enemy alive, who knew that he was the Angel of Death¡­ the same person who prioritized his anonymity above all.


    The one who had suddenly gained a bounty of 500 million. After that, Izumi''s paranoia had been at an all time high.


    Surely he knew that she was aware of his identity, so she could never throw out the idea that he would change his mind and come kill her.


    He had taken everything from her¡­ even her life, but if there was one thing Izumi wanted to prevent above all... it was dying at his hands because she was terrified of dying to him.


    Rosan would never make her draw her last breath. Not if she could do anything about it.


    But she was weak. She was oh so weak and pathetic.


    Rosan made sure she knew and when she joined this trash organization, Lucci made sure to remind her of her place.


    This world was not fair. Some people were born better than others and people like Rob Lucci or Reaper, were the ones who benefitted from it.


    How was she ever going to defeat someone who was one year younger than her¡­ but so much stronger? When they had met, Rosan was 12 and she was 13... and he could probably have killed her with the least possible effort needed.


    So how could she ever catch up to that monster?


    The answer was that she couldn''t¡­ not by conventional means at least.


    Her normal strength would never be enough to even come close to Rosan, no matter what methods she employed.


    All that changed one day, when she encountered the Moso Moso no Mi.


    Izumi worked almost exclusively alone on missions and that was what she preferred.


    She threw herself into training with such ferocity, people around worried that she was going to kill herself but she ignored them all unless it was to gain more techniques, gain more power.


    Not only that, she was utterly ruthless despite her age, a fact that her teacher had noticed. The empty look in her eyes, the way she trained... it was clear Izumi didn''t have what it took to be a standard Marine so they immediately recommend the girl for Cipher Pol, an offer she readily accepted once she learned about them.


    Apparently, Izumi wasn''t as talentless as she had first assumed because not too long after joining, she was promoted to train with Cipher Pol 9, the assassin specialists.


    She trained and trained, absorbing all the techniques she could and going on as many solo missions as possible because she couldn''t stand being in the presence of anyone that wasn''t him.


    If she couldn''t go on solo missions, then she would choose to go with Jabra, seeing as he was the strongest with Lucci and Kaku gone.


    But she digressed, on one of her solo missions, after finishing up and killing her targets, the girl''s instincts had flared and she whirled around on impulse.


    Her dead eyes immediately latched onto a Devil Fruit of all things and she tilted her head, disinterested in it.


    That was until she found out what it was.


    Izumi was fairly sure, that discovering what her Devil Fruit was, was the first time she had smiled since being tortured by Rosan.


    Naturally before consuming it, she had requested a Devil Fruit encyclopedia and spent a while scouring through it, until landing eyes on the picture that matched the fruit in her hand.


    "The Moso Moso no Mi¡­ Illusions?" She muttered, nearly dismissing it right then and there.


    But then she thought about it. What if utilizing illusions was the way to defeat him?


    What if the way to defeat the Angel of Death, was to remind him of his past? To tamper with his senses? What if fighting him fairly was never the correct option...


    He may not be affected¡­ but this was a better idea than fighting him with her natural strength. A Devil Fruit that allowed her to circumvent her lack of talent, by supplying her with the utility to take advantage of any opening given to her.


    It was a gamble¡­ she was betting her whole life and ability to swim on this risk¡­ but if anything, that just motivated her to eat it even more.


    After all, there would probably never be a time where she could think like this. Rosan had taken everything from her¡­ so ideas of gamble and risk hardly crossed her mind. He had stripped her of independent thought and forced her to depend on him to feel something.


    The more she thought about it¡­ the more she began to like the idea of it. But no, the main reason Izumi ate the Moso Moso no mi didn''t have anything to do with Rosan and the fact that it didn''t have anything to do with the one who defined her life, meant it had to be the one.


    The reason she truly decided to eat the fruit, was so that she could put an illusion on herself, for one last desperate attempt to escape this hellish reality that she lived.


    With enough practice, maybe she would be able to hypnotize herself into a life where she still had her brother and people who loved her¡­


    It was the first thing she attempted to do. She had placed herself under and felt tears forming at the sight of her older brother smiling at her.


    But things were not to be.


    The few moments of euphoria, were shattered as she saw him.


    In her illusion, Rosan himself, those lifeless eyes, was there and he tormented her over and over and over again.


    Her entire being had been so corrupted, she even began to unconsciously think about him, to the point where he would appear in an illusion.


    That''s when she realized.


    "I''ll never be free of him¡­ not unless I can free myself."


    He stained her in a way she''d never be rid of, unless she got rid of the root problem itself. As long as this problem existed between Rosan and Izumi, Izumi would never be free, not even in death.


    Only by getting closure, would she be free. Only then would this plague vanish from her body.


    Only then would she be able to live in her dream world.


    So she continued refining her Rokushiki techniques, her body conditioning and she added her newly consumed Devil Fruit into her training.


    While practicing it, she made a plan that involved that beautiful girl who had saved her life¡­


    Meiko. The one person who was the catalyst to both Rosan and Izumi''s life going so out of control.


    The girl who had shown her unwarranted kindness¡­ that Izumi repaid in blood.


    There was a reason she was so afraid of using an actual gun now¡­ Izumi had never meant to kill Meiko. She never wanted the gorgeous blonde dead. How could she?


    Meiko was a star. Izumi had played a part in everything going wrong with the kind girl... and she still forgave her so easily.


    And what did Izumi do? She killed her. She killed her because of her STUPID BROTHER WHO COULDN''T JUST UNDERSTAND THAT SOME THINGS WERE NOT MEANT TO BE!


    But what''s done was done, and though Izumi was disgusted¡­ she would need to use the girl she murdered as a source of weakness to the one who had ruined her life.


    It was disgusting and if things were different, Izumi wouldn''t even dream of taking such a form... but she had no choice.


    Besides, that disgust was nothing compared to the sheer apathy that she felt a majority of the time.


    It was nothing compared to the love she felt for Rosan.


    The disgust was just fuel that would help her muster up the courage to defeat Rosan.


    After doing so, she would never have to defile Meiko''s image again. Because there would be no one to use it on. Once the moment came, where Izumi finally reached closure, she''d let Meiko rest.


    And that moment was here.


    Once that barrier fell, she would place Rosan under an illusion, go assassinate Spandam and retrieve Nico Robin as well.


    The girl reached into her suit and brushed against something.


    Then she''d erase all evidence.


    Izumi was brought out of her musing, as the red barrier began faltering and an eager grin quickly made its way to her face¡ª


    An intense pressure slammed into her and she fell on her ass, instinctively backing away as confusion replaced joy.


    Then she heard it and confusion was replaced by a helpless despair.


    Humming. A soothing hum, that wafted through the air. It was a beautiful and gentle sound that would have captivated many.


    Izumi was not one of them.


    The gentle hum caressed her and put her in a daze but she couldn''t enjoy it for even a moment¡­


    Because her instincts were screaming that everything was about to go wrong.


    Rosan sighed as he sat up, a small charming smile on his face as he rubbed a spot on his cheek idly. "This pain. These cuts¡­ this exhaustion¡­"


    That charming smile turned into something utterly unhinged, bloodied fangs gleaming in psychotic joy.


    Two brilliantly glowing eyes locked Izumi in place and if possible, Rosan''s grin got wider.


    "Kahahaha! Thanks Izumi, if it wasn''t for you¡­ I may have never come to some of the realizations I came to¡­"


    The redhead stood up, ignoring his injuries as he began stretching in place.


    Izumi noted in terror, that those predatory eyes never left her person.


    "...How about I show you how much I appreciate you?"


    <hr>


    Ram carried Mod on her back as the woman urged her towards the castle.


    The confused and crying ring had done so, hoping her barrier (she didn''t know she could do that) could properly protect Father and hoping Auntie had some sort of plan to win them the battle.


    As the two made their way over, neither could hide the shock from their eyes at the sight before them.


    They watched in complete wonder and awe, as the last and final chain, this one the longest and thickest, slowly began unravelling from the crystalline castle that jailed Rosan''s emotions.


    Mod let out fitful coughs, as tears appeared in her eyes and Ram steadied the woman as she clambered down her back.


    "M-My baby boy is almost free¡­" Mod cried, voice raspy and weak as she hesitantly walked towards the building. "We''re so close to getting him back R-Ram!"


    The overwhelming amount of emotion easily reached Ram and the ring teared up, dragging her Auntie into a deep hug.


    "We¡­ we weren''t useful here to him," Ram whispered. "Father did this on his own but¡­ but next time he''ll have us."


    Whatever realizations Rosan had come to... it was without them. Ram never thought a time would come, where she was utterly helpless to assist her Father but today had humbled her in a way that she couldn''t properly verbalize.


    It stung so much to know Father had dealt with all of this alone but that didn''t change the fact that they were proud of him. They were proud that even despite how useless they had been, Father was still able to claw his way back up.


    He was amazing like that. Even if he insisted the opposite.


    Mod shuddered and returned the hug, sinking into Ram''s protective hold. "We''ll cross the last hurdle together for sure! For now, we just have to support in anyway we know how!"


    Ram nodded tightly. "Come on Auntie, Father will be pissed if he sees you outta bed and then I might get in trouble for not keeping you there¡­ let''s relax and watch the rest unfold¡­ I think he''s got this handled so I''ll make you some tea, alright?"


    The sick Devil Fruit nodded softly, allowing the ring to pick her up once more and wrapping her arms around Ram''s neck once she was settled on her back.


    "Please don''t put so much sugar in it this time¡­"


    "You have no taste buds, psycho."


    "You of all people¡­ shouldn''t be saying¡­ someone''s a psycho."


    <hr>


    Rosan''s body was hot.


    It was burning right now.


    Burning because of the pain.


    Burning because of the exhaustion.


    Burning because of the excitement.


    "Focus, Rose," he thought to himself, trying, and utterly failing, to still his flaring emotions.


    He had all the time in the world to test this feeling out. These feelings overwhelming him more than he had ever felt.


    Right now, he needed to finish this girl off and go save his dumbass best friend.


    That meant focusing all these errant emotions onto his current goal.


    Defeating Izumi.


    "Father¡­?" Ram called out hesitantly.


    Rosan idly touched one of his terrible wounds, excitement only growing at the sharp pain and he hummed.


    "I didn''t know you could summon a barrier like that Ram. Thank you for protecting me and buying me time," he said truthfully.


    The ring lit up at that and nodded furiously. "I-I had too! Y-You needed me in that moment and I''d... never be able forgive myself if I let you lose without doing anything..." she admitted quietly.


    Rosan snorted and his affectionate smile widened.


    "And you summoned a whole new technique to do it... As expected, my daughter really is too impressive," he said fondly.


    "!" Ram''s eyes widened to epic proportions and tears of joy formed, as a brilliant smile formed on her face.


    The ring didn''t even know she was capable of crying happily but she couldn''t stop the choked sob from escaping her.


    T-That was¡­ that was the first time he claimed her as his daughter a-and it felt so good. How she longed for the moment where he''d finally acknowledge her as his child and now that it was here... Ram felt the overflowing torrent emotions associated with her father, seeping into her.


    "I¡­ I just really wanted to protect you a-and I summoned one. I guess the ultimate weapon includes being the ultimate shield too," she whimpered, tucking into a grinning Mod.


    Rosan laughed at the sound of her happy cries and vowed to squeeze her cheek later. "Let''s test it out some more later. An energy barrier seems cool. I know you''re not a fan of defense but it has potential."


    "I-I see the potential behind them so I want to practice defensive things too! That barrier w-was really cool," Ram sniffed. "S-Sorry though Father¡­ I won''t be useful like you said¡­"


    Rosan merely smirked wildly. "Don''t worry about it. I''m gonna win this. Just take care of Mod-chan for me."


    She nodded vigorously.


    "Rosan, how will you deal with the Meiko issue¡­?" Mod asked hesitantly, drinking the honey tea with trepidation and spilling a bit from her nervousness.


    He hummed. "How will I deal with her? Kahahaha! It''s not like she''s real, Mod-chan!"


    With that simple statement, Rosan focused on the shuddering Izumi.


    "I feel bad for you," Rosan said idly, wings flexing warningly. "You''ve been training for this long all for me¡­ you did so good, got so strong¡­ even got a good Devil Fruit¡­ all for the purpose of defeating me¡­"


    The redhead grinned mockingly, bloody fangs gleaming at her as he began sparking.


    "All that just for it to amount to nothing."


    Izumi let out a strangled yell as she barely avoided the electrified fist. The woman immediately cloaked herself in the illusion of Meiko and glared at the redhead.


    "Ah ah ah, Rosan~ You wouldn''t dare touch me would you?" Meiko asked softly, eyes widening innocently as she gazed sweetly at the redhead.


    As Rosan''s eyes shadowed, Izumi grinned widely.


    Yes that was it. It didn''t matter if he was still up and about. As long as she was Meiko, he wouldn''t dream of putting his hands on her¡ª


    "EMP: Static Shock."


    Whatever Izumi was thinking, abruptly cut off as she shrieked terribly, body surging as a sparking palm rested on her chest and unleashed bolts into her.


    "You are not Meiko," Rosan said calmly. "Pro tip, Meiko loves calling me Rosy. She only calls me Rosan when I''m in trouble," he replied cheekily.


    Wind slammed into her with incredible force, before it began lifting her off the ground. The breeze brushed against Rosan and he smiled.


    "Gust."


    "Is he actually some type of God?!" Izumi thought in terror, mind scrambling at what to do now that her main plan no longer worked. "No, I can still win. It''s not obvious but he''s really hurt and is just trying to hide the pain."


    She just needed to implement her trump card.


    Izumi huffed and activated Geppo, ignoring the surges across her body and flying away from the wind harassing her.


    The woman glared at the injured Rosan and said, "Rankakyu: Storm!"


    A powerful gale surrounded the redhead, before lashing out and smashing into the numerous Rankakyu shot his way, overwhelming and fizzling them out.


    The redhead spread his wings and charged her at incredible speeds.


    "Trying to stay in the air against me, is one of the stupidest things you could have done, y''know that right?" Rosan stated in amusement, revealing serrated teeth in the process.


    Izumi shrieked, as she barely dodged a torrent of flames that threatened to burn her alive. She kicked once to try to make distance but her opponent was the Angel of Death.


    Rosan actually yawned as he appeared directly above her, eyes glinting menacingly as a fist crashed against her sternum with brutal force.


    "You won''t ever be able to fly faster than me. Erase such thoughts from your head," he grinned, eyes lit up in glee.


    Izumi rasped in agony as she forcefully met the ground. Even after the last minute Tekkai, that punch from the redhead was too strong.


    How could he move with all those injuries? How could he be enjoying this?!


    "Trick of Eyes!" She shouted, the moment it looked like Rosan was going to make another move.


    Rosan huffed in amusement, at the army of Izumi''s charging him, eyes glancing between each one as he remained rooted to his spot.


    He once again summoned his electricity (what? He did say lightning was his favorite element and he was a computer man!) and let the wild red lightning lash out.


    The lightning reached his palms and without any hesitation, Rosan clapped.


    "EMP: Thunderclap."


    As soon as his hands connected, a blast erupted in front of the redhead and lightning surged forward in a cone.


    Every illusion shuddered as the attack flew through them before Rosan focused on the one furthest away.


    He pointed a finger up at the one who avoided his wave and it began sparking once more.


    "EMP: Bolt," he intoned, shooting out a single beam of electricity from the finger.


    Izumi only had a second to activate Tekkai, before the ridiculously fast bolt slammed into her body. She grit her teeth and weathered the pain. It hurt, but it wasn''t anywhere near fatal.


    That was when the barrage came.


    "EMP: Lightning Bolts."


    Bolt after bolt crashed into her and she felt her eyes rolling to the back of her head at the torturous technique. If not for Tekkai, she''d have long been eliminated but as it stood, she was going to lose either way.


    Not¡­ yet¡­ Not here.


    It was ready¡­ her technique was ready.


    "Never Ending Darkness," she gasped, engulfing the redhead in her technique.


    Rosan grunted, as he felt some of his senses cut off and his vision darkened to the point of blindness. He couldn''t hear or see anything and it was really disorienting right now.


    What the hell was this ¡ª


    "Shigan: Darts."


    Rosan didn''t even hear the technique get called out but he certainly felt the five sharp projectiles, courtesy of Izumi smashing her claws against the air, slamming into his body.


    A fresh gout of blood formed on his body and he coughed, the pain accumulating further and even giving him pause.


    It wasn''t just the pain from this battle¡­ he hadn''t fully healed from getting tortured and he barely got any chance to do so in between.


    "Every fighter has a trump card!" Izumi thought victoriously, eyes gleaming predatorily. "How stupid would I be if I only relied on Meiko to win me that battle?! In the first place, I thought you were a psychopath! Never Ending Darkness was always the main plan!"


    She continued bombarding the blinded man from a distance using Geppo and there was nothing Rosan could do.


    When she saw him prepare to engulf the entire room in his electricity, she had, in a rather smart display, flown through the hole she created when knocking him down here to avoid being damaged by it.


    "Ugh," Rosan groaned as the damage kept piling up on his body.


    This wasn''t good. Even he was beginning to falter from how damaged he currently was and try as he might, he was as helpless as a baby right now.


    This was infuriating.


    He couldn''t do anything right now but wildly flail around. His senses were failing him, even his sense of smell was at the mercy of Izumi.


    What a shitty technique.


    How was he going to get out of this? How could he stop this ¡ª


    "Shigan: Iron Lashings!"


    Rosan collapsed on a knee, as those five fingers raked downward on his back drawing a river of blood and marring the already heavily stained room.


    "F-Fuck¡­" he shuddered, feeling an immense amount of agony as his body began failing him.


    Not yet. He couldn''t lose yet¡­ He just¡­ he just needed to feel her.


    Izumi glared at him with a glint of finality, making sure that this time he''d go down for the count.


    The woman brandished her claws once more and made them grow even longer.


    It was time to finish this with the only gun she could use.


    "Shigan: Double Iron Massacre."


    She lunged forward, both hands outstretched to tear into Rosan like a wild animal¡­


    Only to blink as the redhead effortlessly sidestepped her attack.


    Undeterred, Izumi turned on a heel and lashed out for his chest, confusion growing as he backed away the perfect distance to avoid it.


    She continued lashing out, growing more and more desperate as Rosan continued dodging her effortlessly, despite still being completely blinded.


    It was as if he was dancing to her movements, moving at a steady and enchanting pace.


    What was this?! What was he doing?! Did he cancel her technique¡­? No¡­ even if he did, his eyes were completely closed.


    Discarding the idea of just trying to stab him, Izumi began attempting to use every inch of her body to get a single hit in.


    She shot out a Rankakyu with her right leg, before spinning on it to deliver a kick to the gut with her left, yet Rosan simply leaned to the side to avoid the air slash, before gently pushing her swinging leg upwards and completely flipping the woman.


    Before she could fall on the floor, she caught herself into a handstand and launched herself up into the air.


    The woman felt a small shudder of true terror, as Rosan''s head followed her movement, all while his eyes remained closed.


    She grit her teeth.


    "Shigan: Darts!" She roared, flinging her nail enhanced projectiles with deadly precision.


    Not finished yet, she kicked out both her legs rapidly and shot Rankakyu after Rankakyu after him.


    What happened next, left her completely stunned.


    Rosan began dancing to avoid her attacks. That had to have been what he was doing, because he was moving his body to the perfect place at the perfect time with such beauty, it could only be him performing.


    Left, right, forward, back¡­ he contorted and turned his body in order to avoid each attack flying his way until Izumi realized this wasn''t going to work.


    No matter¡­ she would just¡­ use another option. She wasn''t proficient in it like Lucci was but maybe she could ¡ª


    "It''s about time I finish this performance. I need to go save that dumbass, I can feel her getting further and further."


    Rosan said that statement calmly and surely, as if he knew this next attack was going to finish it.


    Izumi grit her teeth in rage and flew towards the redhead at blistering speeds. She activated Soru and began dashing all over, in hopes of throwing him off.


    "I WON''T LOSE HERE DARLING! I''VE DEDICATED MY WHOLE LIFE TO THIS AND I WON''T LET IT GO DOWN THE DRAIN! I WILL END MY NIGHTMARES TODAY NO MATTER WHAT!"


    The redhead sighed, sparks beginning to slowly but surely come alive.


    "Darling this. Darling that. You aren''t the first person to be obsessed with me and you probably won''t be the last¡­" he hummed.


    His eyes glowed brilliantly as he opened them, knowing exactly what she was going to do next and preparing for it.


    Izumi landed and outstretched both her fists, only to blink to see that Rosan had long since anticipated her movement.


    "...You''ll have to get in line, Izumi. I will say though, you are almost certainly the craziest so be proud of that I guess," he finished, pushing her hands down so that whatever she planned on doing to his insides failed.


    Finally, he struck.


    "EMP: Burst."


    Rosan exploded in a dome of electricity that engulfed the entire room they were in, charring whatever it got its hands on, including Izumi.


    She had applied the strongest Tekkai she could muster¡­


    It did not matter.


    The woman shrieked as she was caught by the storm of electricity. It slammed into her with brutal force and sent a surge throughout her body.


    "K-KYAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Izumi howled, locking up and shuddering in agony as she trashed about.


    Fortunately for her, the attack ended as soon as it started and Rosan collapsed on his knees, panting harshly.


    "Damn¡­ you''re still awake? I must be way weaker than I thought... or you''re stronger than I anticipated," he huffed, shakily pushing himself up.


    At that moment, Izumi''s technique wore off and he regained his senses.


    The redhead, who had just unlocked his Observation, could only screech as he was immediately assaulted by the sensations of everything.


    "W-What the fuc ¡ª Agh! WHAT THE FUCK?!" Rosan groaned, holding his head as the world itself began overwhelming him.


    He could feel but it was too much, he could see but it was too far, he could hear but it was too loud.


    What was this? Why was his observation doing this to him?! Robin, Luffy nor Maro didn''t exhibit such issues when first unlocking theirs so why him?!


    "Turn it off. Turn it off!" He howled, as he shut his eyes tightly and collapsed on his knees.


    What was going on? Why could he hear them? Why could he feel them so strongly?!


    "R-Rosan! Your electricity. Try turning it off!" Mod rasped.


    Rosan heard her and did just that and everything stopped. The redhead let out a sigh of relief and shakily pulled himself up once more, holding his head as a strong headache bloomed.


    "What¡­ was that?" He asked softly.


    "Y-Your Haki reacting with Modification?" Mod pondered, eyes wide as she processed the overwhelming sensations herself.


    He huffed, eyes heavy as he heard that.


    "I¡­ I think because of how Modification alters your makeup, your newly awakened Observation reacted strongly with all other electrical sources in the vicinity and began latching onto them, increasing the range and sensations you could feel and overwhelming you as a result¡­"


    Seriously? What the hell¡­ So not only was he feeling a person through the natural uses of Observation, but through the electricity in their makeup?


    It felt like Rosan could feel all of Enies Lobby and then some... what was the limit? If electrical sources existed, was he just doomed to be completely overwhelmed?


    Damnit, being a computer made things so complicated.


    "Is that¡­ how Enel could hear everyone on Skypiea? Was he doing something similar?" Rosan muttered in realization.


    Could users whose makeup was dominated by electricity use said electricity to enhance their Observation Haki? Would every user of the Goro Goro no mi have ridiculous range? Would he have something similar? It seemed like his was worse because it offered him zero benefits besides a headache.


    Rosan experimentally tried to use Observation without lightning this time, only to instinctively howl as his senses immediately went haywire once more.


    So even after unlocking Observation, it still gave him these issues. Just another on a long list of things he needed to fix about himself.


    Ugh, focus. He had other things to worry about. From what he could tell, his crew had just finished up their battles which meant he was the last one done¡­


    Robin was getting further away from him and he refused that.


    Right he still had some energy left¡­ it was time to go¡ª


    As Rosan began walking away, he heard sniffing, that broke out into a full blown sob of agony.


    "W-Why?!" Izumi sobbed in defeat, as reality finally hit her. "Why did it have to be you? Why did you have to ruin my life?! It''s not fair!"


    "Why do you get to move on with your life, while I''m stuck here torturing myself because of what you did to me?! Every single day, red and purple burn my vision. I sleep and see images of my dying brother. I keep hearing how he wished I was never born¡­ and you don''t care! I''ve been forced to dedicate my life to you and it still doesn''t matter! I want to die but I''m so scared! I want to be free but I never will be," she cried, hot tears spilling down her face as all the years of agony caught up with her.


    None of it mattered. None of her training meant a damn thing in the face of overwhelming talent. All she could do here was lie in defeat and cry because that''s all she was good for.


    Everyone was right, she really did have no talent.


    "Kill me, torture me... just get it over with. You have people that want the best for you and I''ll never have anything so there''s no point in me being alive! I don''t care anymore!" she wailed, losing all hope.


    Rosan watched the girl have a mental breakdown and he came to a startling realization.


    He and Izumi... they were two sides of the same disfigured coin. Both broken on the same day¡­ but doing completely opposite things to move forward.


    Rosan lingered on the dead (fitting considering he was Reaper). He couldn''t keep his mind off Meiko and how to best accomplish his goal of finding a reason to live. He didn''t have time to think of Izumi because Meiko had given him such a daunting task to accomplish...


    But Rosan found a family over those years. He was fortunate enough to have people that cared for him and wanted what was best¡­ he was lucky enough that his natural charisma had drawn in so many loving people despite trying to push them away.


    Izumi lingered on the living (fitting considering she feared death). She couldn''t get Rosan out of her head and devoted her life to getting back at him because he ruined her life. There was nothing else for her to think about.


    Both lived toxic lifestyles but unlike him, Izumi didn''t have a loving family. The only thing she had¡­ was him. It showed too. Izumi acted almost exactly like he did, when not thinking of the one who ruined her life.


    "Remember what I asked you alright? Please don''t kill that girl."


    "¡­" Rosan glanced at her. "You never stopped thinking about me¡­ but the reason I don''t think about you, is because I never stopped thinking about Meiko," he said quietly.


    Izumi sniffed, teal eyes wide in sadness as the tears continued to spill.


    The redhead sighed. "For some reason I''ll never understand, Meiko saw something in you. She saw something that made her want to spare you, even in death... so that''s what I''ll do."


    The agent sucked in a breath at that.


    Rosan''s bright eyes stared into her teals and he said, "You won''t ever be able to beat me again. I''m just getting started¡­ so you should cut your losses now and move on. You don''t gotta worry about me anymore¡­ I won''t kill you. Whatever you do with your life now, is up to you."


    Izumi''s eyes widened in disbelief at that. "W-What?! What do you expect me to do?!"


    "I don''t know and I don''t care. It''s late, but at the very least, honor Meiko''s last wishes and live the life you wish to live," Rosan said harshly, walking off as red sparks began dancing across his body.


    "But... But I know all your secrets! I have no reason to keep them anymore!" Izumi exclaimed.


    "...I don''t care if you tell the whole world anymore. I''ll deal with them as they come. Now fuck off and stop trying to make me reconsider," the redhead snarled, glaring at her and making her seize up in terror.


    "But..." Izumi looked lost.


    Rosan scoffed. "You should consider this a miracle. I have never once let anyone escape and I''m letting you free twice. Don''t waste it by coming after me again."


    She spent 12 years obsessing over him. For the entirety of her adolescence, Rosan had been the only thing on her mind. She slaved away just to get close to his level¡­ and now he was telling her to just move on...?


    DIDN''T HE REALIZE HOW UNREASONABLE THAT WAS?!


    There was no moving on from him anymore. Like it or not, she was attached to Rosan in the most toxic way possible because he was the only reason she still had a purpose. She couldn''t simply remove him from her life because half her life had been dominated by him.


    Just the idea that he wasn''t going to bother thinking about her, should have filled her with relief¡­ but instead she was full of confused terror.


    She didn''t want to be discarded by the only person who understood all her pain. She didn''t want to be ignored by the person who had filled her with such a purpose for so long.


    "Is this¡­ some form of Stockholm Syndrome? Why does the idea of never seeing him again fill me with so much fear?!"


    Right¡­ because for 12 years he had been all she was thinking about. It wasn''t possible for her to remove him from her life anymore and now that she had seen him again, that had transformed into a certainty.


    What she was about to do was really stupid¡­


    "Wait," she called out.


    Rosan paused, and glanced back. Those red sparks were still surging and Izumi felt herself shudder in fear.


    "Hm?" He hummed, raising a single brow.

 Love III

    Chopper roared as he smashed his blood stained fist into the wall, snarling as it failed to hit his multiple targets and he lunged forward at tremendous speeds.


    "This is ridiculous! How did he get so strong?!" Usopp rasped, wounds from his battle quickly taking its toll on him and slowing him down tremendously.


    Nami huffed and summoned a giant gust of wind to try and push Chopper, but the heavy reindeer barely flinched, focusing on Nami instead for her interference.


    The navigator yelped as the creature lunged for her and she stepped back in fear, only for Sanji to blur and grab her, before kicking away.


    The bloodied chef, huffed as he gingerly set her down and clutched his ribs.


    "T-Thanks Sanji!" She said, glancing worriedly at the injured chef.


    That hit from Chopper had to have broken a few bones¡­ not to mention his fight with the agent. How was he able to move so calmly? How were they all able to keep moving?


    "Anytime, Nami-san," he heaved, falling to a knee and throwing up some blood.


    The navigator bit her lip in concern. Sanji couldn''t keep going like this. None of them could.


    They had all taken their own share of injuries from the previous fights and now they had to stop a rampaging monster?


    "Luffy how''s it going on your end? Can you push him out? We can''t keep this up for much longer!" Nami shouted, wrapping Sanji gently in the iron clouds and moving away.


    The bleeding rubber boy huffed as he reverted back to normal and nodded hesitantly.


    "I lost a lot of power so I''ll need some help!" Luffy shouted. "Buy me some time but don''t hurt him!"


    The Straw Hats nodded in unison before bursting into action.


    Chopper roared in fury and sent a fist flying towards Sanji and Nami, before it collided with two blades.


    Zoro grunted as he held the momentous blow back to the best of his ability but he didn''t have to worry for long, as a plethora of eggs smashed into the giant reindeer''s face.


    "WROOOOOOOOOOOO!" Chopper howled in confusion, as he stumbled backwards, flailing about due to being blinded.


    Not only that, the rotten eggs quickly overwhelmed his sensitive nose.


    Usopp huffed as he placed his slingshot down. "I-I did my part! Someone else please!"


    Nami began waving Clima like it were a staff, and a giant gust of wind sent the massive reindeer stumbling backward.


    Chopper, in an impressive display of intelligence that did not match his mindless rampage, stabbed his elongated fingers into the ground to root himself.


    That only lasted for a split second however as Franky made his presence known.


    "Coup de Vent!" he announced, firing a weaker blast that successfully uprooted Chopper and sent him crashing into the wall that would lead outside.


    "Gear Third."


    Every Straw Hat, sans Zoro, watched with bugged eyes as Luffy''s arms grew to massive proportions before he rocketed off towards the struggling Chopper.


    With a heave of exertion, the rubber boy placed both hands the massive reindeer''s chest and pushed.


    The wall never stood a chance and immediately crumbled.


    "WROOOOOOOO!" Chopper roared right before plunging in the water.


    He instantly reverted to his default form and before he could sink, Sanji grabbed him and swam out of the water.


    He deposited the reindeer in front of all of them, before pressing down on his belly to force the water out of him.


    "We did it!" Usopp cheered, sitting down in exhaustion and letting out a sigh of relief.


    "I''m so tired," Nami sighed, falling flat on her butt.


    "We can''t stop yet¡­ we still need to get outta here," Zoro grunted, gazing at his utterly destroyed blade.


    "We gotta get Robin-chan too," Sanji huffed, clutching his screaming ribs.


    "Yeah none of this matters if we don''t get her back," Franky muttered.


    "Don''t worry about it! Rosan''s dealing with it!" The chibi Luffy squeaked cheerfully.


    They all blinked.


    Rosan? Wasn''t he still fighting¡ª


    A red blur flew past them, sparks flying that sent their hair raising, at immense speeds.


    It vanished as quickly as it came and only the sound of thunder followed.


    Huh¡­ guess he won.


    "Damn it, I really wanted that favor," Nami muttered with a fond smile.


    Everyone else nodded sagely.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Spandam let out a victorious laugh, as they finally made it to the Bridge of Hesitation.


    "Hahahaha!" He cackled, dragging the bloody Robin with him. "Do you see that small gate right there? That''s the real entrance! Once you pass through, no one will be able to save you and that marks the end of your miserable existence."


    Robin panted harshly, as her fear spiked.


    Without any hesitation, she broke out of his grasp once more and ran away with all her might.


    A yank on her hair temporarily stopped her but she sacrificed the few strands and immediately broke out of it, only for that same hand to grab her head and slam her into the ground face first.


    A spurt of blood shot out and Spandam snarled as he tried to drag her away, balking in confusion as he saw that she was biting the edge of the bridge of all things.


    "You''re biting the bridge?! What type of rotten loser are you?!" Spandam asked in confusion.


    "This obsession with living is disgusting! You chose to be a criminal so now you have to pay! Your only purpose in this world, is to die! Don''t choose to die as a coward!" He barked, watching as her teeth began bleeding.


    Without any hesitation, he began slamming a foot against her already bruised ribs.


    "Just a little longer. I will be saved. They will save me! I don''t want to die¡­ I''m so afraid of dying!" She thought even as he continued to punish her.


    Finally the beating became too much and she let out a cry of pain, giving Spandam the chance to drag her teeth away from the bridge hair first.


    The furious chief, kept his grip on her hair and looked her in her eyes.


    "After I turn you in, I''m gonna capture your stupid boyfriend and we''re gonna torture him day in and out until you scream out everything we want to hear. Then, I''m calling a Buster Call on your entire crew if CP9 hasn''t killed them all yet," he hissed. "We''re going to erase them off the map just like we did that traitorous Giant and Ohara 20 years ago."


    "!" Robin''s eyes widened as she heard the man mention Saul.


    "I bet you think I don''t know anything?! About the misconduct of Former Vice Admiral Saul, about what happened to your Mother, Olvia. I know ALL OF IT. The one who set foot on Ohara, the land of demons, the one who exposed your whore of a mother''s crime and gave the signal for the Buster Call, the man who was director of CP9 at the time¡­"


    Spandam threw his head back and laughed maniacally.


    "WAS MY FATHER SPANDINE!" He revealed.


    Her pupils shrunk, as memories of that terrible man were brought to the forefront and she began shuddering.


    "This man is the son of... he''s the one who... everything that happened was because of him and his... Father? He''s the reason I lost... Saul and Mom and everyone on Ohara!"


    "LOOK, JUST THINKING ABOUT IT IS MAKING YOU CRY!" Spandam howled in amusement, eyes lit up in joy.


    "Everyone on Ohara died. All but one little rat. You were only 8 years old but you couldn''t trust anyone. You couldn''t sleep. Rest. You didn''t have any food¡­ how did that feel?! How did it feel knowing nobody loved you?!"


    Her tears spilled but she shook her head strongly, refusing to fall victim to his words.


    The sound of lightning roared, unheard by both.


    "You''re wrong! I did have someone to trust. I did have somewhere to sleep. I could rest easy! I did have food! I did have someone who loved me!" She shouted defiantly, hot tears falling as she thought about the only person who made her feel alive for so long.


    Spandam''s eyes bugged in rage at her defiance. "OH YEAH?! AND WHO WAS THAT?!" He roared, raising a hand to smack her once more.


    Before Robin could answer, someone else did for her.


    "Me."


    Spandam only had a moment to widen his eyes in sheer terror, before a hellishly fast demon smashed into him with bone breaking force and something razor sharp nearly tore his arm off.


    It only took Spandam a moment to realize the thing that had almost torn his arm off were claws and the man let out a horrific scream.


    Robin felt even more tears fall out of her eyes, as she saw just who it was.


    Portgas D. Rosan, was a bleeding and bruised mess but he was alive and he was snarling down at the screeching Spandam with a victorious gleam in his eyes.


    "R-Rosan!" She sobbed. "You''re here!"


    The redhead glanced back at her and she let out another choked sob at that smug glint. "Of course I am, didn''t I tell you? I''d be over in a flash," he replied.


    "EMP: Paralyze."


    Spandam shrieked in agony as electricity coursed through his body and locked up his entire system, preventing him from moving while electrocuting him constantly.


    "Just you wait. I guarantee you''ll have all my attention soon," Rosan promised, moving away from the leader of CP9 to fully regard the hot tears spilling off his best friend.


    Robin saw the furious look in his bright eyes and knew he was about to give her the craziest of lashings but that didn''t matter to her.


    Because he was here!


    Whatever Rosan was about to say, died on his lips as he fully took in Robin''s conditions.


    His anger melted off his feature, as an eerily calm look befell him instead but none of that translated to the overwhelming rage in his eyes.


    Robin watched the brightness in his eyes dim considerably, as he stepped close to her. The redhead gently grabbed her restrained hands, before transforming Ram into a key and placing it into her cuffs.


    With a click, it was off and Robin sagged into his body as she felt not only her powers returning to her, but the familiar sensation of Rosan automatically linking to her.


    "R-Rosan¡­" she whispered, tears falling as the urge to wrap herself in his arms almost overwhelmed her.


    "MOTHER YOU''RE BACK!" Ram sobbed happily, jumping up and down at finally being reunited with her.


    "I-I''m so happy and so angry!" Mod cried, voice raspy.


    "Mod-chan¡­ Ram¡­ I''m so sorry you two," Robin whispered happily as the tears refused to stop.


    Mod sounded sick¡­ Ram sounded like she had been crying for a while¡­ they must have been so worried for her.


    Rosan didn''t say anything to her. Instead he was holding her up, piercing gaze inspecting her body.


    First, he held her chin tenderly, holding it upward as his eyes roved all over her face.


    "Bruises all over, cut on forehead, torn hair places, chipped teeth, bleeding gums, numerous lacerations," he muttered calmly, too calmly for the state that Robin''s face was currently in.


    Then, he placed both arms on her frame and began slowly glide down in a rather intimate move that Robin wasn''t able to fully enjoy because it hurt.


    The entire time, he looked her in her soul, gauging her reaction as he continuously found exposed skin from the tears in her outfit.


    By the way his eyes were steadily darkening, she must have winced far too much for his liking.


    That was fair, every part of her body hurt right now.


    After touching her all over, the redhead finally removed his eyes from her face and began glancing at her frame.


    "...Your outfit has many tears," Rosan said quietly, too quietly. "I can see a lot of your skin."


    Robin hesitantly glanced down at her short black dress and noted that there was a worrying amount of exposed skin being shown.


    Finally, Rosan released her and stepped away. She couldn''t stop the swell of disappointment at that but it was quickly dashed away in favor of overwhelming happiness.


    "ARGGHH THE WORLD GOVERNMENT WILL HAVE YOUR HEAD WHEN THEY LEARN!" Spandam howled in agony. "IT DOESN''T MATTER IF YOU BLOCKED THE SIGNAL, THEY''LL KNOW WHO DID THIS¡ª"


    "Hey, do you recognize this?" Rosan interrupted eerily, calm and frigid gaze staring at Spandam.


    Before Spandam and Robin''s very eyes, Rosan pulled something very familiar out.


    The leader of CP9''s eyes bugged, as he gazed at the object in Rosan''s hand.


    "H-HOW DO YOU HAVE THE GOLDEN DEN DEN?!" He shrieked in disbelief, heart stopping completely at seeing the Red Devil holding the trigger for the Buster Call.


    Robin was wondering the same thing, eyes going wide in horror as she saw the direct source of her trauma.


    "F-FUNKFREED! SAVE ME! PLEASE STOP THIS DEMON!" Spandam howled, as the sword transformed into an Elephant.


    Funkfreed let out a nervous whine as he gazed at the apex predator but he hesitantly followed the order.


    That was a costly mistake.


    As the elephant charged the redhead, Rosan, who was so pissed he wasn''t actually thinking straight, grabbed it by the sharp trunk and hurled it into the ocean with no hesitation, watching it immediately sink to the bottom.


    "Ah, Maro might have wanted that¡­ Oh well. I just won''t tell her about it," he shrugged.


    Spandam went pale, as he saw the monstrous redhead sentence Funkfreed to death without an ounce of hesitation and realized exactly why the whole world was calling him Red Devil.


    Not only that, it was dawning on the chief of CP9, that he was alone with the Angel of Death.


    No one was coming to help him. None of the agents were here yet...


    Oh no no no.


    "Looks like you finally realized. You shouldn''t be worrying about how I have this Den Den. What you should be worrying about¡­" Rosan hummed, sneer forming on his face as his calm expression finally melted away in favor of the blistering hot rage that he truly felt.


    "¡­Is what I''m going to do to you."


    "Modify: Sensitivity."


    Spandam blinked in confusion, before the ground underneath him shifted into tiny stone needles and impaled him through.


    "ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The man shrieked at the feeling. This feeling¡­ WHAT THE FU¡ª


    "AIYEEEEEEEEEE!" The man couldn''t even finish his thoughts as the pain interrupted him completely. It was the worst feeling he had ever felt in his life! W-What was stabbing him?! WHY DID IT HUR¡ª


    "No, you aren''t going to be sleeping for this," Rosan said sadistically, red sparks dancing on his fingers as he placed them on the man''s chest. "You''re going to be awake the whole time because you are the most disgusting human I''ve met in a long time."


    "EMP: Neuron Charge."


    Robin watched with wide eyes as Spandam''s screams reached uncomfortable levels, body sparking with the red electricity as Rosan forcefully kept him awake.


    "Unfortunately, I won''t be the one killing you because I won''t be on the island," Rosan said calmly. "But that just means I can torture you as long as I like. Afterwards¡­ It''s such a shame that you called for the destruction of Enies Lobby, but the Straw Hats just proved to be too formidable."


    Robin''s eyes widened further and she wiped her eyes.


    Rosan was he¡­ planning on calling the Buster Call on Enies Lobby?


    "H-He''s insane. He''s planning on activating the Buster Call in my name?!"


    Spandam tried to speak, but he wailed instead as the pain inflicted on him overwhelmed the man and he began crying.


    "It was funny when Robin was crying, I bet?" Rosan asked gently, nails turning into the sharp claws of his dragon as he idly carved into the man''s cheek with a single finger.


    "P-Please, please stop!" Spandam sobbed in agony as the nail dug deep into his skin. "PLEASE STOP!"


    Rosan, the demon, laughed. He threw his head back and laughed at the sight of Spandam''s tears and silenced the man with a punch to the jaw that shattered it.


    Spandam garbled uselessly, gazing into those demonic eyes in a moment of true hopelessness.


    "Didn''t I tell you, you will keep my secrets," Reaper said gently, gazing at the tears and tapping an electrified finger against it.


    Robin winced as Spandam attempted to wail with a broken jaw and shuddered at the euphoria radiating off of Rosan.


    The Angel of Death smiled down gently at Spandam, insanity clear in his eyes. "Cry all you want, no one will come save you."


    "You''re stuck with me now," he promised, eyes flickering black.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Wait."


    Rosan paused in his step and turned around, raising a brow. "Hm?" He hummed.


    Izumi took a shaky breath and whined at the pain it took to stand up.


    "What? You want to keep fighting? Is that what you''ve decided on?" Rosan muttered dangerously.


    He had wasted too much time here already. He needed to get Robin.


    Her eyes widened in fear and she held a hand out. "N-No! I give up! I won''t try and fight you anymore," she whispered, shrinking into herself as terror wafted off her in spades.


    A truth.


    Rosan loosened his stance a bit but kept his guard up. "So what the hell do you want?" He asked in confusion.


    "¡­"


    Izumi took another breath. "Because we failed our mission so catastrophically, CP9 will likely be dismissed and thrown into Impel Down," she told him.


    Not only were they advised to be wary around the Straw Hats, they failed to capture Cutty Flam and Water 7 now knew that they were being targeted negatively by the World Government.


    They would have been publicly executed if anyone knew who they were.


    The redhead raised a brow, expression uncaring. "What the fuck does that have to do with me? I don''t give a shit what happens to you guys¡ª"


    He paused as Izumi fished around in her suit, before pulling out a Golden Den Den Mushi.


    "This is what Spandam plans on using¡­ to call in the Buster Call," Izumi informed him with a conflicted expression, not sure if this would work.


    "I stole it from him because I realized he was an idiot¡­ after protecting Nico Robin from being hit further by him."


    Rosan''s expression darkened at the truth of her words. "You protected Robin from him?" He asked calmly, eyes narrowed.


    "Yes he hit her and I stopped him... I was never planning on having her killed," she said hesitantly, looking down at the floor. "I didn''t want to be the cause of someone else''s death in this war between you and I... so I was going to save her once I won..."


    A truth.


    "What game are you playing at right now?" Rosan asked calmly, trying to quell his fury at the idea that someone was assaulting Robin. "You gonna press the button? They won''t be able to get here fast enough before I kill you, Spandam and escape from this island."


    "T-That''s not what I''m trying to do," Izumi stammered, averting her gaze. "I¡­ I want to trade you this Golden Den Den, in exchange for my services."


    The redhead''s brow shot up high at that. "Oh, we''re bargaining now? From torturing me to this? You sure are a woman of many skills, Izumi," he mocked with a sneer.


    She flinched back.


    Rosan grunted and processed her words, not able to wrap his head around it. "You''re offering to work for me¡­ after giving me this?" He asked incredulously, tilting his head to the side. "What''s stopping me from just taking it out of your hands? It''s not like you can stop me. Have I been put under an illusion?"


    Izumi shuddered at that and shook her head with enough force to crack it. "N-NO! I haven''t put you under an illusion! I fully accept my d-defeat..."


    Rosan stared silently at her.


    "I knew full well that you just ripping it out of my hands was a possibility when deciding this¡­ but I want to prove that I can be an asset. In the first place this deal only benefits you with no downsides and I gain nothing from it. You are the sole benefactor," she whispered.


    She was right. This deal did her no good at all. Which was why none of this made sense to him.


    "And why the hell would I want you to work for me? What the fuck are you smoking?" Rosan asked indifferently. "I''m not interested, fuck off."


    Izumi began panicking at that.


    She couldn''t... she couldn''t lose her chance to never see Rosan again, no matter how horrible their relationship was.


    "But like this, you can keep your secret as the Angel of Death even longer!" She stammered.


    "If I cared about it that much, I would have killed you," Rosan countered easily. "It doesn''t matter to me anymore. I''ve learned a lot from this excursion and like I said, I don''t care what you do anymore. I already know the downsides of letting you go free but I don''t care."


    Rosan rolled his eyes as her fear spiked.


    What the fuck was her deal? She was wasting his goddamn time.


    Fine.


    "What can you do?" He asked calmly.


    Izumi shuddered. That was the exact same question he asked Izuki.


    "I''m a master assassin, I''ve mastered all Rokushiki techniques a-and I can even share the method of learning them with you, my illusions are valuable as well... as you can tell it''s more like hypnosis," she revealed hastily.


    Rosan didn''t look impressed. "Yeah, I know. You showed me quite a bit. You also forgot to mention that you''re very good at being a creep and torture."


    She flinched horribly, doubt on her features at how she could possibly get him to agree...


    There was only one way she knew how.


    Izumi took a deep breath. "I can give you the rest of the CP9 agents too," she whispered quietly.


    The redhead paused at that and a dark expression took hold.


    That''s right, he never did get his hands on the other CP9 agents.


    "So you''d sell out your allies just to work under me? Quite low of you, huh Izumi?"


    Before she could answer that she didn''t care about them, Rosan let out demeaning snort.


    "You know what, I don''t know what you have planned. I don''t know what you''re thinking with this¡­ but you haven''t lied once and I do want to speak to the other agents. I have no idea why you choose to keep involving yourself with me, but now I just think it''s funny," he smiled amusingly, not taking her serious for even a second.


    The smile was quickly replaced by something much darker, as he walked up to her and accepted the Den Den.


    This close, Izumi saw that he towered over her and the scent of blood from all his wounds was heavy.


    How could he even move?


    "Understand this, Izumi. I don''t like you and I will never like you. I don''t trust you and I will never trust you. But I understand how useful enemies can be, so we have a deal. I''ll give you an escape. You can round up your allies but do not tell them of this. Make it fast, I''ve decided to use this Den Den Mushi after I get Robin back."


    If Robin was able to accept Crocodile as an ally, despite Rosan wanting to wipe him off the face of the planet, then he''d give this one a chance. He truly didn''t care about her anymore.


    Izumi shuddered at those bright eyes glowing in a sinister manner, before nodding shakily. "30 minutes is all I need¡­ it''ll take another 30 for the warships to reach," she whispered.


    "Hmph. We''ll rendezvous after I''m healed up. I don''t know how you plan on offering up the agents, but I''m sure you''ll think of something," he grunted, walking off.


    "I''ll¡­ need your assistance for that," she said, attempting to move and letting out a cry as her body seized up again.


    Rosan ignored her pain and began flapping his wings.


    "Sure. I don''t really care. Though I was honestly hoping I never got to see you again¡­"


    "Are you sure about this?" Mod rasped with a worried look.


    "Yeah... I want to torture her," Ram frowned deeply.


    "...I''m not sure. But there''s just something so funny about this and I already gave one enemy a chance. If she has her uses, I''ll use her. If not, I''ll discard her. As simple as that."


    Rosan sighed. It was probably because he lost so much blood, because he felt rather demented for accepting this offer in the first place.


    "Maybe I am too greedy," he muttered.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    30 minutes. That''s how long Rosan tortured Spandam for and he savored every minute of it.


    No part of the man was spared from his wrath and Rosan carved into him with a sadism he hadn''t felt since torturing Doc.


    Spandam had been forced to endure it, awake the entire time because of Rosan''s twisted nature. His broken voice was still crying out and Rosan relished in it.


    He removed his bloody fist from the man''s unrecognizable face and glared down at him.


    "Hurts, I bet?" He taunted, gazing at the constant tears of the broken man."You seemed so hellbent on labeling people Devils, so I decided to show you a real one. Hope you enjoyed," he cackled.


    Rosan stepped back, a satisfied smirk on his face as he stared at the mangled body of the whimpering and twitching Spandam.


    He modified the floor beneath the man and turned it into a spiked chair, before strapping him to it.


    "Enjoy the show, you''ll be awake the entire time to witness it," he taunted.


    Then, almost as if he were bipolar, he rounded on the wondered and satisfied Robin with a furious scowl on his face.


    "HOW COULD YOU BE SO FUCKING STUPID, ROBIN?!" Rosan roared, closing the distance immediately and glowering at her with such palpable fury.


    Every Straw Hats words, died on their lips at the sound of Rosan raising his voice with such anger in it, it made them wilt.


    Almost like he were an angry parent, they wisely stayed silent so as to avoid his wrath and watched him tear into Robin with sympathetic glances.


    Robin was stunned, eyes wide as Rosan glared at her with pure fury in his gaze.


    "You thought that just because we lost one fucking fight, you would just go on the deep end and throw your life away to the World Government of all people?!" He asked in disbelief, very much resisting the urge to slap her due to her injuries.


    She held her head at that. "I don''t... I don''t know what I was thinking," she said quietly.


    "OF COURSE BECAUSE YOU WEREN''T THINKING!" He roared furiously, glowing eyes staring through her.


    She wilted and attempted to step back in guilt, but Rosan wasn''t having it.


    "HOW THE FUCK DO YOU THINK IT WOULD MAKE ME FEEL IF MY BEST FRIEND, LOST HER LIFE TO THE ONE ORGANIZATION I HATE MORE THAN ANYTHING?!" He snarled, grabbing her arms and spilling his blood on her.


    "..." Robin seemed to understand that speaking up right now was a one way ticket to getting further torn into.


    She was 28 years old but right now she felt like a little kid again with how harshly she was being scolded...


    "Are you even listening right now?" Rosan growled, anger seeming to rise even further somehow. "You''re so fucking lucky that you''re already so injured because your cheek would be red with how hard I want to smack you! I just can''t fathom the hoops you jumped through, to come to the conclusion that killing yourself was the best solution. You have the audacity to say that I overexaggerate?!"


    She knew she should be listening to him right now. She deserved it after all for not having any trust in him¡­ but how could she pay attention to the words, when all she could feel was the pure outburst of emotion¡­


    It was just so overwhelming.


    Rage. Relief. Worry. Happiness. Terror¡­ Love.


    It wasn''t like before where they threatened to overwhelm her¡­ No, Rosan''s emotions were pouring through so strongly, that she found herself getting effortlessly swept up in the tide.


    So despite her better judgment, Robin interrupted the furious redhead.


    "If you just stopped to think for one fucking second, that they could lie to you, maybe you wouldn''t have done something so incredibly fucking stupi ¡ª"


    "R-Rosan?" She whispered, gazing into his, so bright, eyes.


    He stopped what he was saying and raised both his brows high, wondering if she was stupid and Robin knew that he was very willing to ignore what she just said to continue tearing into her, so she made sure to hastily speak up.


    "Did you¡­ lose another chain?" She asked, making the redhead pause.


    His eyes narrowed but he nodded. "Yeah¡­ the last chain was my refusal to let my past, especially Meiko go¡­ but if I kept on refusing, Izumi would have beaten me. Don''t think you''re talking your way outta this one by the way," he explained.


    Robin felt the whole world freeze around her, by that simple statement from Rosan.


    "You¡­ moved on from Meiko?" Robin asked and if possible, even more tears began welling up in her eyes. "Is that how much I matter to you¡­ that you''d move on from her¡­ for me?"


    Rosan sighed, anger melting momentarily as he nodded. "Of course. I couldn''t stand to lose you too. I will always hold Meiko dearly but at the end of the day, she''s a memory and that memory of her was standing in the way of me saving you¡­ I''d never be able to forgive myself if you became a memory too¡­ even if you fucking want to become one," he replied.


    Robin felt lightheaded at that and attributed it to the fact that she was bleeding heavily¡­


    But she knew that played no part in the way she currently felt.


    Rosan¡­ he chose to move on from Meiko¡­ he came to terms with the fact that she was gone¡­ he actually managed to overcome his greatest weakness.


    Even she herself doubted he''d be able to do so... because Meiko was perfect in every way... and Rosan was a person who loved so much. She didn''t think he''d be able to do so...


    She was just awful... to the very end, she doubted Rosan''s capabilities but she never once should have done that because Rosan was amazing...


    She''s a memory and that memory of her was standing in the way of me saving you.


    He... chose her over Meiko.


    I''d never be able to forgive myself if you became a memory too.


    He chose to move on from Meiko... just for her.


    "Rosan¡­ I love you," Robin said softly, eyes practically glowing as she took in everything about this gorgeous redhead.


    Everyone''s eyes widened at her declaration.


    Well everyone except for one.


    "You love me? Of course you love me. What, did you stop loving me during the trip here?" Rosan sneered at her. "Or are you saying that in hopes that I stop being so pissed? Don''t think that you can get out of trouble by buttering me up ¡ª"


    Robin grabbed Rosan''s face and slammed her lips against his own without any hesitation.


    She poured all her heart into it, unmindful of the fact they were both bleeding, unmindful of the fact that she interrupted him again, unmindful of the state of Enies Lobby.


    No, all she cared about was her sun.


    She wasn''t sure how long she kissed him for but she savored it totally and completely on the off chance Rosan didn''t return her affections because he was well within his rights to not do so.


    When she pulled back, she saw Rosan''s stunned gaze and they made eye contact again.


    "No¡­ I love you," she said again.


    That felt really good...


    "...Oh," Rosan said in a daze, a dark red blush appearing on his stunned face that made her smile despite the situation.


    That must have been what she wanted to talk about huh... well... uh...


    Huh. What was he talking about again?


    She bowed her head slightly, before locking eyes with the shocked redhead. "I know you''re mad at me¡­ You have every right to be¡­ I''ll do everything it takes to earn your trust again¡­ but right now, I''m just so happy that you said such sweet things and even though you''re mad, you make me feel so alive a-and I just thought you looked so beautiful at the moment and I couldn''t resist this feeling and it''s been steadily building ¡ª"


    Robin let out a surprised noise, as Rosan suddenly wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close, embracing her fully in his comforting warmth.


    "I love you too," was all he said.


    Then, he smashed his lips against her own and she melted in bliss.


    "YES! WE DID IT!" Mod cheered, hugging the ecstatic Ram who was crying tears of joy.


    "AFTER SO LONG! WE WON!" She squealed, picking Auntie up and spinning her.


    "FINALLY!" Nami cheered, pumping a fist into the air.


    "Y-You were supporting this, Nami-san?" Sanji rasped, feeling happy for the both despite his clear devastation.


    They¡­ were good for each other.


    Yeah¡­ yeah...


    "It''s about time," Zoro and Usopp sighed in unison.


    "...THEY WEREN''T DATING?!" Franky yelled in shock, jaws dropping to the floor.


    "Shishishi!" Luffy laughed happily. Now they got to eat the great wedding food!


    Robin felt her heart soar, as Rosan returned the kiss with equal vigor and crushed her into his frame with a rare desperation.


    Doubt. Fear. Hesitation¡­ all things that showed he was afraid of opening his heart in such a way¡­ but none of that even came close to the overwhelming love he felt for her and it made tears spill from her eyes again.


    She couldn''t believe she tried to throw this away. She would never try and throw this away again so Robin wrapped her arms around him and returned it in equal fervor.


    They ignored everything around them except for each other as they continued to soak in the others presence, lips locked the entire time. As it progressed, they seemed to meld further and further into each other ¡ª


    "Ahem."


    The two jumped at the noise and reluctantly broke the kiss, stepping back like startled cats as they gazed at their amused crew with slightly surprised eyes.


    The brunette felt rather disappointed that it ended and judging by his face, Rosan was too.


    Robin felt her throat lock up, as she saw all of her allies with their own set of injuries. They looked like they had been in a war and exhaustion seeped into all their frames because of her stupid actions.


    But they were all here and alive and they were gazing at her with such relief in their gazes, that she couldn''t believe she never saw how much they cared for her.


    "You guys¡­" Robin wanted to cry again, ducking her head. "I''m so sorry¡­ because of me you all got dragged into such a mess¡­ I''m so glad all of you are okay! Thank you so much!"


    "We''re glad you''re okay!" Luffy responded happily, nursing the heaviest injuries next to Rosan.


    "You guys did good¡­ finishing your fights before I did," Rosan praised, a proud look in his eyes. "I know I said first one here gets a favor¡­ but since I was the first, I''ll do all of you one."


    Their eyes widened at that and they gazed at each other, before smiling in unison.


    "We want you to go to sleep until you''re fully recovered," they all said.


    They couldn''t keep the satisfaction off their faces, as Rosan''s eyes widened in genuine surprise and his mouth opened in shock.


    "What¡­?" He muttered in confusion, scratching his head. "Didn''t you guys hear? I, Portgas D. Rosan, will do any one favor I can for you all¡­ each. Separately. One. Not together."


    "We know," Luffy beamed.


    "But you haven''t properly rested since this whole thing started," Zoro shrugged, steadying the unconscious Chopper who blearily began waking up.


    "You''ve been tearing yourself apart in every direction and now look at your condition," Nami chimed.


    "You got your blood all over Robin-chan too! We''re using our favor to make sure you get a full earned rest, you walking corpse," Sanji barked.


    "Rest is vital¡­ I learned this from Sniper Island. A well rested warrior is most important," Sogeking nodded.


    Franky cried and wiped his tears. "You guys move my soul! Get that rest brother! You''ve done enough!"


    Robin couldn''t keep the shock off her face at their statements and chanced a glance at Rosan.


    His eyes were almost innocently wide, unable to believe that someone wouldn''t want a favor out of him... and in a way, that was rather heartbreaking because Rosan probably thought the most valuable thing he could offer to people, was his usefulness.


    He never thought someone would turn down his resources, because he was so resourceful and this amazing crew must have really caught him off guard.


    Finally, his shocked expression turned amused and an actual grin made its way to his face that looked stunning.


    "Pft kahahahaha! Alright fine, I''ll get some sleep you cute ass kids. Just don''t regret this later, I rarely offer something so good," Rosan laughed a genuine laugh of joy as he gazed at his ridiculous crew and they felt their eyes widening at the earnest sound of it.


    It¡­ was really endearing. They didn''t know Rosan was capable of laughing so innocently¡­


    Robin gazed at the laughing redhead in wonder and hugged him tightly.


    "Thank you so much¡­ Rosan," she murmured, taking in everything about him and feeling her defenses weakening once more.


    Rosan gazed down at her and sighed.


    She was still in trouble but for now¡­ for now he would spare her just for the moment.


    Besides¡­ he was just really happy he got her back.


    He scooped her up and returned the hug, squeezing her as tightly as he could as relief flooded through him. He desperately planted another kiss on her bloodied forehead and ignored the red marring his lips in favor of the sheer relief flooding his system.


    "I''m so glad I didn''t lose you," he whispered, shutting his eyes tightly as he let out a shuddering breath.


    "He''s shaking¡­" Robin thought in sorrow, just holding the redhead and offering him her presence. "He¡­ I nearly ruined Rosan for life¡­"


    Kami she was so stupid. What was she thinking¡­?


    Never again¡­ she would do anything it took to make sure she got to spend her days with this amazing crew.


    Rosan eventually opened his eyes and took a step back. "We need to get off this island. Our allies should have secured themselves an exit by now, but I sent a few birds in case to remind them¡­"


    Robin removed her head slightly from his neck and looked into his eyes. She felt more then a little nervous and reluctantly asked, "Rosan¡­ do you actually plan on pressing that¡­ button?"


    Rosan tilted his head. "Robin. I''m going to make sure Enies Lobby is destroyed today and this is the most euphoric way I can do it¡­"


    Then he grabbed her chin and locked his gaze onto her.


    "You don''t have to be afraid. I''m here for you."


    Robin shuddered. Rosan was¡­ he was brimming with charismatic energy. His words demanded attention and who was she to doubt him?


    She would never doubt him again. It was her job to always believe in him and she would never forsake such a duty.


    "I''m not afraid. Not with you here," she nodded strongly. "Do it. Destroy Enies Lobby. I¡­ I want to see it too."


    Rosan grinned wolfishly and Robin was finding that when he grinned like that¡­ Rosan was so beautiful.


    Ah¡­ she really did have it bad. She was going to end up following him to the ends of the Earth at this rate.


    Rosan hummed and summarily pressed on the Golden Den Den with no hesitation, making sure his disrupter was no longer interfering in case it affected even this thing.


    Then, he tossed the snail on top of the shuddering Spandam, still writhing in pain and unable to sleep because of being forced awake by the demon in human flesh.


    "Front Row seats to a Buster Call¡­ I hope you enjoy it," Rosan mocked.


    Spandam wheezed, and it turned into a squeal of agony, as a foot materialized over his crotch and stomped.


    Then, two arms sprouted on his neck and began repeatedly slapping him until Robin grew satisfied.


    "It''s only right I hurt you while you''re defenseless, since you derived so much pleasure from hurting me while I was defenseless," Robin smiled.


    "Enjoy the last few moments of your life, Spandam. Your ignorance of the Buster Call is appalling. I would tell you to value human life¡­ but I have no interest in yours anymore."


    Rosan smirked at her words, idly squeezing her before he turned serious.


    "Alright, those allies of ours should be getting a bunch of escape ships for us all so we''ll get outta her¡ª"


    Rosan and every single Straw Hat paused, as an urge to walk over to the edge of the bridge came over them and they rushed over.


    What they saw left them completely stunned.


    Sitting there, in the seas of Enies Lobby, was their very own ship, the Going Merry.


    They watched with wide confused eyes.


    "M-Merry?!" They shouted in confusion.


    "Could you guys join me, for one last ride?" An ethereal voice asked them gently.


    "!"


    "Sure thing, Merry. If that''s your last wish, I''ll gladly accommodate it," Rosan said softly.


    "That''s Merry speaking?!" Usopp asked with wide eyes.


    Rosan simply held onto Robin and jumped onto the ship, wincing in pain as he landed and having the Devil Child immediately steady him.


    Usopp immediately scrambled after him, yelping as he landed face first on the deck and the Straw Hats followed suit.


    "Thank you for accommodating me, you all¡­ I really appreciate it," Merry said happily, sailing them away from the Judicial Island.


    "Merry you can¡­ you can speak?!" Luffy balked in confusion.


    "This whole time¡­ have you been alive?!" Usopp wondered, mask still on as his emotions threatened to overwhelm him.


    "...Yes, you guys breathed life into me," she replied eventually. "All of you. Luffy, Usopp, Rosan, Zoro, Nami, Sanji, Robin, Chopper¡­ I wouldn''t have been alive if it weren''t thanks to all of you."


    The Straw Hats, felt their throats lock up at that as they realized Merry was sailing over to a giant ship.


    "Iceburg? What are you doing here?!" Franky called out in shock as they witnessed the Galley-La ship.


    "...I''m here to pick you all up," Iceburg said softly, gazing at the crew with an impressed gaze.


    To think they had actually managed to completely retrieve Nico Robin without suffering any losses.


    What a monstrous crew. They really were crazy.


    "Pick us up?" Luffy asked in confusion. "But we already have Merry!"


    "Sorry guys, this is as far as I can go."


    They blinked in confusion, before horror crossed their features as Merry split in half.


    "W-What?!" Luffy and Usopp gasped in shock.


    The other members eyes closed as they realized what she meant by one last voyage.


    Merry was going to die here¡­


    Rosan frowned deeply, emotions flaring wildly. "One second Merry¡­ you may be unfit to sail, but that doesn''t mean you have to sink here¡­ just give me a bit and I''ll patch you back up and put you somewhere nic ¡ª"


    "Rosan¡­ it''s okay. Thank you so much for how much you''ve helped me but you can stop now¡­ My time is up."


    The redhead paused at that, before a scowl crossed his features. "So you want to sink here? Why? What''s the point of this?! You didn''t have a problem when I brought it up on Skypiea but now all of a sudden you want this?" He asked in disbelief.


    The crew jolted at that, gazing at the redhead with wide eyes.


    "Y-You spoke to Merry already?" They asked in shock.


    "...Yes, I did," he said quietly.


    "Don''t be upset with him¡­ I asked him to tell you guys when I was going to sink at the right time¡­ and I wanted him to keep it a secret," Merry said softly.


    They froze at that, remembering how Rosan was trying to nudge them into getting a new ship¡­ remembering how he was so sure that she wouldn''t last much longer.


    They thought he was just being pessimistic¡­ it was Rosan''s job to show them the grim side of the world and keep them set on reality¡­ but to think this entire time, he was trying to break it to them as gently as he knew how.


    "I''m sorry for making you keep this a secret¡­ maybe if I told you to tell them immediately they would have been able to cope with it."


    The redhead shook his head. "I''ve kept many secrets. One more is nothing¡­ I''m sorry that despite everything, it still turned into such a mess. I should have played a stronger hand."


    Usopp froze at the reveal and he gazed at the redhead with devastated eyes.


    So Rosan was just acting on... the requests of Merry. It wasn''t just his pessimism and yet Usopp had...


    If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    An apology would never make up for what he did¡­


    "So you truly wish to¡­ sink here?" Rosan asked hesitantly, unsure as to why he was feeling this way.


    "Yeah Merry, at least let Rosan repair you!" Luffy insisted.


    "No¡­ I don''t want that. I want to sail with you guys until I sink and that moment has come. It''s fine, really," Merry assured them. "Please, let this be our final goodbye."


    "B-But Merry!" Nami protested, tears welling in her eyes. "Won''t you reconsider¡ª"


    "I understand," Rosan said softly, eyes closed in acceptance.


    Merry was their ship after all. She probably couldn''t stand the thought of them riding another ship, while she was still alive.


    But at the same time, she wouldn''t bare to kill them because she truly was at her ropes.


    "You''re a stubborn and selfish girl, Merry. You must have gotten that from Luffy and I."


    "...Guilty as charged," the ship laughed.


    Luffy stopped protesting as well, realizing the same thing as Rosan. "Alright Merry¡­ but the seafloor is dark and lonely, so we''ll see you off," he decided.


    "Of course Captain¡­ thank you for being with me in my final moments."


    No one else had any complaints, boarding Iceburg''s ship with sullen gazes.


    "I''ve never seen a ship like this one," the mayor said quietly. "She was broken up but¡­ she still asked me to repair her so that she could sail one last time. Even with the fact that there was no hope for her, this ship defied all logic and sailed off to come see you guys one last time. There is no ship as incredible as this one¡­ it''s... no, she''s lived a splendid life."


    The more sensitive members of the crew began tearing up at that admittance, bowing their heads at how amazing Merry was.


    Rosan summoned the most gentle flames he could muster, before aiming at the Merry and engulfing it.


    As it lit up with fire, every single Straw Hat reminisced about a different moment that brought them closer to the ship.


    Nami was brought to tears as she remembered the first time they all got the ship.


    Zoro stared stonily as he recalled all the places he had slept and all the times he kept watch.


    Sanji bit his cigarette as he remembered the time they finally set sail for the Grand Line.


    Chopper recalled the incredible sensation of reaching Sky Island and the pleasant feeling of departing on the balloon octopus.


    Robin recalled chasing the sickly little redhead all around the ship, leaning onto the railing as she finally captured him and sighing in exhaustion.


    Usopp and Luffy recalled every moment they could, as they kept on a brave expression.


    Rosan recalled almost nothing which was why he was confused as to why his emotions were overwhelming him again.


    It must have been because of the memory of talking to a little ghost, that told him that they were about do sink. Because now that he looked at it again, it crushed his heart from all angles.


    "I''m sorry. I wish I could sail with you guys forever. I had so many fun adventures and we experienced so much in such a short time¡­"


    "DON''T APOLOGIZE!" Luffy screamed, tears falling from his eyes as his expression broke. "WE''RE THE ONES WHO SHOULD BE SORRY!"


    "I''M NO GOOD AT STEERING SO I RAN YOU INTO ICEBURGS AND I RIPPED YOUR MAST! AND ZORO AND SANJI ARE STUPID SO THEY BROKE ALL KINDS OF STUFF! USOPP AND ROSAN WOULD FIX YOU EVERY TIME BUT THEY AREN''T GOOD AT THAT! WE SHOULDN''T HAVE FAILED YOU, MERRY!"


    "But I was still happy."


    That simple sentence floored them.


    Rosan grit his teeth as his emotions threatened to burst out and he ruthlessly stamped them down. But even despite that, tears began forming in his eyes that he couldn''t prevent and he blinked in shock, as a hand inconspicuously formed and began wiping the tears.


    He hesitantly turned towards the teary eyed Robin and she smiled encouragingly at him.


    "All of you, thank you so much for caring about me," Merry said, a brilliant joy in her voice as she fully sank into the ocean.


    "M-MERRRYYYY!"


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "ADMIRAL AOKIJI HAS CALLED A BUSTER CALL ON ENIES LOBBY!"


    "WE''VE SUDDENLY RECEIVED MULTIPLE TRANSMISSIONS FROM THERE AS WELL!"


    "WAS THE SIGNAL BLOCKED?! WE''RE RECEIVING FAR TOO MANY CALLS!"


    "PREPARE THE BATTLESHIPS FOR ENIES LOBBY!"


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Everyone on the Galley-La ship watched with blatant interest, as Rosan randomly started a stream.


    The screen opened and revealed itself to the whole ship.


    "Just a little memento," Rosan stated calmly. "Since we''ve declared war against the World Government, I may as well start off with a bang. Anyone who has me as an enemy, will regret that decision. Do not touch what''s mine."


    Robin shuddered at that tone and nodded in his hold, managing to quell the boiling anger momentarily.


    Their confusion only lasted a moment, as they saw multiple warships appear outside the vicinity of Enies Lobby.


    "...What did you do?" Iceburg asked curiously, a look of trepidation forming on his features.


    "Did my boys get off the island?" Franky asked Rosan.


    The redhead nodded. "All our allies have escaped, I made sure of it. The only people on that island, are The World Government."


    Then he turned towards Iceburg, eyes sharpening into something dangerous.


    "They tried to take Robin from me so I''m making a statement," he muttered, holding the woman possessively. "Since this entire thing has started, I''ve almost completely blocked out what happened to Enies Lobby."


    Their eyes widened at that. "You did?!"


    Seriously? Was that why no backup arrived despite the mayhem Rosan caused?


    Rosan smiled. "Communication is a powerful tool. That''s why I always have a way to communicate with you all. Communication allows one to amass information and when one doesn''t have information¡­"


    They found themselves nodding at his words, realizing once more how scary Rosan was.


    Without Robin and Rosan on Water 7, the Straw Hats realized just how out of depths they were without the two relaying info to them.


    "It''s very powerful and the more you rely on it, the more devastating it is when you suddenly don''t have access," Robin muttered quietly.


    A red spark danced between his fingers. "When I made my Cube, I discovered that my lightning can interrupt signals and so I taught myself that first. When you''re in a war, everything becomes much easier if everyone is cut off from each other."


    Franky chose to speak up. "Cube? What''s that?" He asked in interest, remembering the redhead''s words earlier about their combined efforts surpassing Vegapunk.


    Rosan glanced at him, interest in his gaze. He pulled out his own cube and showed it to him.


    "Communicating Using Bio Electricity, or Cube for short, is an invention I made that lets me communicate with other cube users, using my body. As a result, no one can interfere with my signal like the Marines tend to do," he said softly.


    Franky''s eyes bugged at that. "You made your own communication device?! WHAT?!"


    That was incredible! Franky never even thought of something like that... hell, did any other form of communication besides Den Dens exist?!


    Red wasn''t kidding... if they combined their efforts... they really could make some crazy things...


    Rosan saw the fascinated look in Franky''s eyes and vowed to explore that after he healed... but for now, he just wanted to enjoy one thing.


    The show.


    Everyone watched with wide eyes, as the Government ships began unloading shell after shell on Enies Lobby, lighting the place up with fire.


    A screen, this one only seen through Robin and Rosan''s link, showed Spandam attempting to scream in horror as a cannon fired straight into him with no remorse, smashing into his body and killing him on impact.


    "The only thing they should know, is that the Straw Hats invaded Enies Lobby and did an enormous amount of damage due to a dragon that''s probably the Red Devil. Afterwards, the signal was cut for a duration¡­ until it suddenly let up again and Spandam requested a Buster Call. Evidently, the Straw Hats proved to be an even bigger threat than they imagined and a Buster Call was deemed necessary to take them out."


    Rosan''s eyes flashed dangerously. "This is the information I''ve manipulated. Once they realize we''ve long escaped and they''ve destroyed Enies Lobby for no reason. They will understand that Portgas D. Rosan does not take threats to his loved ones lightly. If you touch the things I claim, I will make you regret every decision. I will make you lose. I will make you fear."


    He clutched Robin tight and sneered as he gazed at the screen.


    "He''s terrifying."


    Portgas D. Rosan was a monster. To do all this because someone took something he claimed...


    Iceburg gazed at the redhead with wide eyes, not believing he had done all this just because they took Nico Robin from him.


    If anything, it seemed like Nico Robin was the one preventing him from attempting to destroy the world. Judging by the way his entire stance seemed to lessen the longer he held onto the pleased woman, that seemed to meld into him, that notion seemed to be very true. His highly murderous aura was gone now.


    "You might be the scariest person I know," Nami awed, looking at the terrifying redhead who had just destroyed a core Marine stronghold¡­ who had just killed thousands of soldiers... all because they took Robin from him.


    When he said he was possessive¡­ they never realized he meant it to such a psychotic degree. Rosan was an actual psychopath.


    "I''ve protected everyone that isn''t the Straw Hats identity," Rosan muttered. "All of us will probably get a bounty increase, but you Water 7 folk are safe."


    They gazed at the surprisingly thoughtful redhead.


    "So you were attracting all that attention¡­ to defend our identities?" Franky asked with wide eyes.


    "No. I attracted all that attention because I was really pissed and I felt like killing them all," Rosan said bluntly.


    They sweatdropped.


    "But¡­ I wanted to repay you all for helping us and I hate owing people favors for a long time. You are free from the criminal life of being branded with a bounty and all of Water 7 will avoid being burned to cinders for the part they played. My debt is repaid," Rosan said bluntly.


    Iceburg''s mouth opened in shock. "You''re¡­ keeping Water 7 safe?"


    "Of course. The Franky Family and the Galley-La foremen shouldn''t be hard to identify and you see the power of a Buster Call. You went through the risk of becoming enemies of the World Government, so I turned that risk negligible."


    "You¡­" Iceburg gazed at the redhead with a stunned gaze.


    "What? Surprised that the partner of Ohara''s Devil was capable of this? Hate that two demon''s act differently then what you expected?" Rosan asked mockingly.


    "I don''t like you because you like to judge people without ever meeting them, so I''m gonna do the same. I hate people who can''t make judgment on their own and rely on what they hear. I hate people who view the world in two colors. I hate people who won''t leave a normal girl alone because she''s talented... But Franky is apart of Water 7 and I''ve gained a lot of respect for him... because he''s helped us a lot," he revealed with a frown.


    Franky''s eyes widened at that and the cyborg began comically crying.


    "YOU''RE TOO TOUCHING, RED!" He sobbed, wiping his eyes.


    "¡­" Iceburg said nothing for a moment, before he bowed his head. "I''m sorry to the both of you Portgas D. Rosan and Nico Robin¡­ I''ve¡­ learned a lot from this and you''ve helped me grow as a person. You don''t ever have to forgive me and I wouldn''t be upset... but I did change from this and I have you to thank for that."


    "Apology not accepted," Rosan said bluntly, making everyone sweatdrop. "I''m too vengeful to just accept it... but I did lose a lot of blood and I haven''t been thinking straight for the last hour so maybe when I heal I''ll change my mind."


    "I understand. Just know, I''ll do whatever it takes to make it up to you," Iceburg said seriously. He then gazed at the defensive Robin with an apologetic gaze.


    "I never should have condemned you like the rest of the world did¡­ after hearing what Rosan had to say about you, I realize that I''m no better than the corrupt World Government¡­ sentencing an 8 year old to a life of that¡­ Truly I can''t put into words how sorry I am, Nico Robin," he bowed lowly, unmindful of his injuries.


    Robin blinked in surprise. "I''m not as vengeful as Rosan so I accept your apology¡­ but what Rosan had to say about me? What did he say¡­?"


    The mayor smiled and recalled the conversation.


    "My purpose is for Nico Robin, my best and first friend, to be free to do as she pleases without assholes like you, who''d paint an entire image of a person based off rumors and propaganda, hounding her every time she even blinks. All I want for Robin, is for her to understand that as long as I''m alive, she''s allowed to live with the knowledge that someone will always acknowledge her as the human she is."


    The archaeologist stood there, stunned as they relayed the words he had said to her and she gazed at the redhead with wide eyes.


    "You¡­ you said that?" Mod whispered, tearing up at Rosan''s conviction.


    "Of course he did! Mother is Father''s and Father is Mother''s!" Ram beamed happily.


    Robin smiled shakily as the redhead tilted his head, unsure as to why she was tearing up again.


    Of course he''d be confused. To him, a statement like that was as easy as breathing. He was super embarrassing like that... always saying the most sincere and blush inducing things with no shame at all.


    His goal since the first time they met, a lonely four year old boy and an isolated 8 year old girl, had always been to make her feel belonged.


    "Yes, you''re right Ram¡­ I belong to Rosan," she confirmed.


    "...Of course you do," Rosan said simply.


    The redhead shut his eyes as a wave of pain washed over him and he rasped as his body began screaming, adrenaline fully wearing off.


    Slender arms wrapped around him and he opened his eyes to see the exhausted Robin holding him up.


    "We should sleep soon," she murmured. "Our blood is also spilling everywhere on each other."


    "Remember Robin, you still aren''t out of hot water just yet¡­" he muttered, eyes shutting as the lull of sleep threatened to overwhelm him.


    "I¡­ understand but until then, I''ll enjoy this," she replied back.


    He picked up his best friend and walked off into some random direction. "I''m gonna go sleep now. I dunno when I''m gonna wake up, I don''t even know how I''m walking right now."


    "Maybe you shouldn''t be carrying me then," Robin muttered, despite enjoying the feeling and hugging him tighter.


    "I just lifted an elephant and threw it in the ocean with these injuries¡­ do you really think you''re heavy at all?" he replied blandly.


    "...I''m not sure how, but for the last hour, you''ve managed to say the perfect thing every time," Robin said with a small smile.


    "Do you know who you''re talking to?" Rosan snorted and they disappeared deeper into the ship.


    "I''m tired," Luffy yawned, falling back and going unconscious immediately.


    "I''m gonna go cry myself to sleep," Sanji said somberly.


    "I need to think about this problem," Zoro grunted, referring to his sword.


    "I¡­ can''t move. What happened? Did we win?" Chopper whined in confusion as Zoro carried him away.


    "I''ll explain it to you later," the swordsman grunted.


    "My outfit got ruined. I''ll have to buy an entire new wardrobe as compensation," Nami sighed.


    "Just have Master Rosan repair it."


    "Oh right. Then I can get the wardrobe as a bonus instead."


    "You are utterly unhinged, Master Nami."


    "I''m superrr out of cola," Franky grunted, trudging off to go refill.


    "Everything hurts," Usopp moaned, falling flat on the floor as his body gave out.


    "Get some rest, we''ll let you know when we''re back on Water 7," Iceburg assured.


    The Straw Hats¡­


    Hm, Franky would look good in their crew.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    As Robin opened her eyes, she was greeted by the most bizarre form of the Mindscape yet.


    It seemed like the area had split off into three sections and it was utterly enchanting.


    First, was the rainforest. This piece of his mindscape was where Robin and Rosan both woke up at. It was raining as heavily as ever, with the trees sagging at the weight of the water, soaking the duo to the bone. Neither minded though, far too used to the sensation to let it bother them.


    What was most interesting, was the thunderstorm accompanying the heavy rain. Thunder roared, as the rain pounded into the ground and lightning struck periodically.


    Next, the tropical forest that Robin had loved oh so much had come back and she couldn''t keep the fond grin off her face at the memories it invoked.


    The sun hovered over it, light being blocked by the densely packed trees and the healthy grass swayed in times with the gentle wind. In the distance, they could see the pink house of their home resting there with a full garden of fruits and flowers.


    Finally, the frozen forest gleamed frigidly, as unchanging as the first time it first made its appearance. Unlike the other two areas, nothing moved at all. The trees were utterly still, the wind did not blow, there was no precipitation¡­ it was as tragic as ever and the giant castle loomed above it all, the only thing that changed in that area due to having no more heavy chains surrounding its body.


    They all met in the middle, cut evenly into three pieces. It was bizarre to see how nothing spilled into their respective areas, almost like a barrier kept them all separated.


    "Not bad," Rosan muttered, hair still flowing free as he gazed at his changed mindscape.


    Robin liked that it was still free¡­ but she wanted it just a bit shorter considering it was flowing past his shoulder currently.


    His hair grew too fast¡­ She would cut it after they woke up¡­ whenever that was, both were rather exhausted.


    "It''s beautiful¡­ it really fits the force of nature motif¡­ even your mind is beginning to reflect it," she smiled.


    He glanced at her and the smile vanished as she saw his chilly gaze.


    "C''mon," was all he said, before walking off.


    "...Right," she muttered.


    Seems like now that emotional levels were back to stable levels, Rosan was back to being justifiably pissed at her.


    The chilly expression was a lot worse than his anger¡­ Robin knew how to deal with Rosan''s anger, but she had no clue how to deal with his indifference.


    It already stung and he had barely begun¡­


    "Rosan I¡ª" Robin tried, catching up to him.


    "Just save it. I''m not trying to hear it right now," he cut her off, pushing open the door to their home.


    She flinched at that, feeling a sadness swelling at his words.


    She was unable to dwell on it for too long, because her attention was quickly taken away by the two woman crashing into her with enough force to floor her.


    "M-MOTHER! I MISSED YOU SO MUCH! H-HOW COULD YOU JUST LEAVE WITHOUT SAYING A WORD?!" Ram sobbed, hugging her with all her might and spilling all the tears on her clothes.


    Mod, while not as furious as Rosan, was still glaring at her heatedly, tears falling freely as she gazed at the Devil Child.


    "What were you thinking?!" She hissed, clenching the woman desperately. "I can''t¡­ I can''t believe you tried to sacrifice yourself for us, young lady! I never expected you of all people to make such an idiotic decision! Did you truly think we would have taken that lying down?! You have no idea how much trouble you''re in right now!" Mod barked, red eyes glowing brightly with anger, hurt and relief.


    Robin''s heart clenched at that. She really had only been thinking about how this was going to affect Rosan in the long run but she knew differently now.


    She thought that just Rosan being alive, would have eventually caused them all to heal... they would pick themselves back up and hurt... but they would eventually heal.


    But she was terribly wrong.


    Mod, who had grown oh so emotional over the years, would have been just as big of a wreck as Rosan. She wouldn''t have been able to help the redhead back to his feet because she''d be just as broken.


    "I''m¡­ so sorry you all," Robin whispered, closing her eyes. "I thought I was doing what was best for everyone but it''s only now that I realized, I would have caused the worst outcome with my actions."


    Mod''s furious gaze turned soft at that, unable to stay mad at Robin for long.


    She could never stay mad at any of her children for long.


    "After the fight with Aokiji my fear for all of your safety was at an all time high. I thought¡­ if the World Government came for me again, they''d eventually send an Admiral or even call the Buster Call¡­ so I figured that just trading myself in exchange for all of you to be safe would be well worth it instead of you all dying because of me," she explained, shutting her eyes.


    "Izumi threatened to reveal Rosan''s identity as Reaper if I didn''t comply with her," she revealed. "She tricked me. I know now that her goal was always you and she used me to do it¡­ I have no excuse for not seeing through her lies but in that moment, I really was trying to protect you, Rosan," Robin said, a hint of desperation in her voice as she gazed at the frigid eyes of the redhead.


    "Oh Robin¡­" Mod said sadly, forgiving her after hearing the woman spill her heart out. "You should have at least spoken to us, we could have talked this out ¡ª"


    "So you took advantage of me telling you that I couldn''t control my emotions, abused the fact that I couldn''t control my emotions to make me cry, ran me off, made me especially vulnerable to Izumi''s illusions, wrote me a note saying you were leaving¡­ and then you tried to sacrifice yourself?"


    Everyone froze at that ghastly tone and hesitantly turned towards the source.


    The look on Rosan''s face, was nothing she had ever seen. His eyes were wide in fury, but they were utterly frigid and unfeeling. It almost didn''t even feel like he was looking at her but she could tell.


    Robin flinched at his reminder, holding her head at the accuracy of his statement.


    "You basically admitted to having no trust in me at all¡­ to the point where you''d side with my most hated enemies in the world¡­ and you thought you were doing what was best for me? You thought the best thing for me... was killing yourself?" Rosan whispered in disbelief.


    Finally those eyes lost the coldness in them and they were replaced by pure, unadulterated fury.


    "You fucking hypocrite."


    Robin reeled at that, hurt in her eyes at the words of Rosan.


    "R-Rosan wait... she was in a vulnerable state," Mod tried to defend her, stepping up with a nervous expression.


    "AND SO WAS I! AND SHE KNEW THAT! SHE FUCKING KNEW I WAS VULNERABLE AND SHE TOOK FULL ADVANTAGE OF ME! SHE USED ME! SHE TARGETED MY DEEPEST INSECURITIES AND ABANDONED ME!" Rosan roared furiously, glaring at the Devil Fruit and silencing her immediately.


    Robin wilted at the truth of his words. She wanted nothing more than to crawl in a hole and hide because facing the facts was so hard.


    Mod nervously wrung her hands and said nothing, gazing at her fuming son with wide eyes.


    Ram frowned sadly and said nothing, watching the exchange with serious eyes.


    Rosan was fully incensed. His eyes were glowing like the sun as he gazed at them all. "I SPILLED MY HEART OUT TO HER. I TOLD ROBIN EVERYTHING ABOUT ME! I TOLD HER THAT MY NEW REASON FOR LIVING WAS HER. AND YOU KNOW WHAT SHE DID? SHE SPIT ON EVERYTHING I SAID AND TRIED TO KILL HERSELF! HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO FEEL ABOUT THAT?!" He snarled.


    They all wilted at the genuine hurt and rage in his voice.


    Robin couldn''t prevent the tears from forming at the sheer sorrow she was feeling from him.


    "I looked Robin dead in her eyes and said I don''t care if she''s hiding things from me because I know she''d never put me in danger on purpose and she did exactly that," he whispered.


    "Robin looked me dead in my eyes and told me to never sacrifice myself for her, then tried to do the exact thing she told me not to do. How am I supposed to accept this? How do you honestly expect me to take this?" He asked genuinely, eyes full of despair as the reality of the situation crashed into him.


    Robin bowed her head as the tears fell in earnest, realizing just how torn up Rosan truly was over this.


    Rosan wasn''t done. The redhead''s anger drained off his face as he sagged, trying hard to resist the urge to cry because even if his emotions were out of control he would never cry of sadness.


    "And you want to know the worst part?" He whispered.


    No one dared to say a thing and Robin shakily looked into his heartbroken eyes, sure that her eyes were reflecting the same thing.


    "The worst part is, you loved me and I loved you too... and you were going to die before we could ever talk about it," he revealed.


    Robin froze completely at that. "You... you..."


    "Loved you?" Rosan asked, letting out a sardonic laugh as he shook his head. "I was going to tell you the same day you drove me away and I''m guessing you were gonna do the same thing... but instead of talking, like I wanted... you just ran and ran and then you made me run. You didn''t even plan on telling me that you loved me like that¡­ you were never even planning on giving me the chance to reciprocate my own feelings¡­ you know I have abandonment issues and you left with just a note," he said so quietly they struggled to hear him.


    "We finally made so much progress¡­ so why did you try and leave me, Robin? Don''t you understand that I just can''t handle losing anyone else? Why did you fill me with so much hope and then stomp on it?" Rosan asked brokenly, gazing at her with glistening eyes that shattered all of them.


    Twice now¡­ Twice she had made her lovable redhead cry and Robin let out a sob herself at the genuine question. The way he said it¡­ the way he was looking at her¡­ It was asked so innocently and sadly.


    But she had no answer for him. How could she ever answer that question? She never wanted to be asked something like that...


    Rosan felt his resolve weakening and turned, dashing away from them all as he shut the door behind himself.


    They watched him go with tears all falling down their eyes.


    "Rosan! Please wait and let me explain!" Robin shouted.


    She wasted no time and departed, chasing after the redhead with desperate tears.


    "R-Rosan, Robin wait! Please!" Mod tried to shout. The woman pushed herself up and immediately tried to chase after him, only for Ram herself to grab and hold her back.


    The ring, who had been completely silent the entire time, was gazing at Mod with a teary, but firm, expression, preventing the woman from chasing after them.


    "Put me down Ram! He needs me!" She struggled in the rings grasp.


    "No Auntie¡­" Ram denied, shaking her head.


    "But why? I don''t care if I''m sick¡­ I''ll go speak to him and you won''t stop me!" She snarled, eyes glowing bright in warning.


    The crying ring whirled Mod around and locked those unique irises onto her own, looking incredibly serious for once.


    Mod went still, never expecting Ram to look like that. She looked up at her niece with wide eyes.


    "What are you gonna do once you go out there, Auntie?" She asked seriously. "Are you gonna go out there and tell Father how he should be acting? Are you gonna tell Father that Mother just made a mistake and he should forgive her? Do you really think that''s the right thing to do?!"


    Mod flinched back and her expression turned hurt. "N-No, I was just... I just wanted to make sure it didn''t get out of control because..."


    "Because what?! Auntie, Father is his own person! Are you saying he shouldn''t be allowed to react how he wants to react?!" Ram interrupted her with a deep frown.


    The Devil Fruit''s eyes went wide and she shook her head hastily. "That''s not... that''s not what I was going to do..."


    "Yes it was!" the silver haired woman shouted, making her go completely silent. "Auntie, you can''t coddle Father like this! You were gonna go out there and take mother''s side by minimizing Father''s anger! Why doesn''t he deserve to be angry? Why does he need to be calmed down?! We don''t get to decide this! This is his body, Auntie!" Ram said firmly.


    Mod wilted more and more at Ram''s words, tears beginning to form in her eyes and Ram''s expression softened.


    "We need to let Mother handle this because it''s between those two. If Mother can''t handle this alone... then maybe things aren''t meant to be. But trust me, Mother will handle this because those two were made for each other," she said softly.


    Mod opened her mouth and then closed it, sagging as her tears began harshly falling.


    "H-He looked so vulnerable and broken¡­ I was reminded of the days when he was just a tiny boy who couldn''t sleep unless I was holding him," she sobbed. "It''s so hard to see my baby boy sound and look so sad, Ram! I hate it more than anything!"


    "I-I do too Auntie¡­ but this isn''t something we can help him with. We don''t even know the full scope of what happened because we were incapacitated¡­ our words would just be hollow to his ears¡­ you know how Father is," she explained patiently, hugging and soothing her caretaker.


    Mod sniffed and buried herself into Ram, shuddering in the protective hold of the taller ring.


    "I know¡­ it sucks so badly. We always want to be there for him¡­ but right now it''ll just do more harm then good. Mother is the only one who fully understands right now. Whatever happens with them¡­ should be decided by them alone and not us."


    The Devil Fruit hesitantly nodded. "Y-You''re right, Ram¡­ I needed to hear that. Thank you¡­ Just now, you were really incredible, y''know?"


    The ring smiled softly. "Being so useless while Father did everything, really showed me a lot of things¡­ He looked¡­ really cool figuring all these things out on his own," she said honestly.


    Mod blinked at her words in shock, before it became thoughtful. "He did, didn''t he¡­ and you''re not useless Ram, you managed to summon a barrier that saved him! You''re figuring things out on your own too!"


    Ram nodded thoughtfully.


    "It''s¡­ not a bad feeling," she said truthfully.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Rosan, please wait!" Robin shouted, chasing the redhead into the rainforest.


    She wasn''t even sure he could hear her because of the heavy rain, but Robin would not let it end like this because if she did, she might regret it for the rest of her life.


    The redhead, who had been running far too fast, didn''t seem to hear her, content to run as far away from the house as possible until he finally seemed to deem this distance enough.


    The moment he stopped, he grunted as something crashed into him. They were both brought to the wet floor and he began struggling in their grasp, eyes lit up in warning.


    Then, he registered the scent of flowers, even through the heavy rain.


    "I didn''t ask you to follow me," Rosan hissed venomously, watching as Robin''s tears mixed with the rain, both falling on him.


    Robin said nothing and Rosan began snarling.


    "Didn''t you hear me?! LEAVE!" He barked, refusing to allow his weakness to be viewed by anyone else. "JUST GO, ROBIN! LEAVE ME ALONE!"


    She shook her head harshly. "No! I can''t do that Rosan! I won''t let you suffer alone!" she retorted with a sad frown.


    If anything, that seemed to infuriate him even further and she winced back as a heavy pressure slammed into her.


    "You won''t let me suffer alone?!" He hissed venomously. "YOU WON''T LET ME SUFFER ALONE?!" He roared, actually looking like he was about to attack her on the spot.


    Robin froze as his eyes flickered to complete black before vanishing.


    "This whole thing started because you wanted me to suffer alone! You took my heart, you captured it and then you did whatever you wanted with it and crushed it!" He scowled furiously.


    She began trembling atop him and his anger began seeping into the mindscape.


    Thunder began crashing harder, the rain began forming a small puddle underneath the group that Rosan began sinking in.


    "Please, Rosan! Can''t we just talk?" Robin pleaded, refusing to let him go in case he vanished.


    It was a miracle he hadn''t thought to kick her out of his mindscape yet...


    Perhaps it was because he wasn''t done lashing out. Nothing Robin said seemed to appease him in the slightest. His eyes were a burning torrent of rage and in any moment, he might actually bite her with those bared fangs.


    "Now you want to talk?" He asked incredulously. "All I wanted to do was talk, Robin! I practically begged you to talk to me! I embarrassed myself over and over against asking if we could just talk and you brushed me off every single time!" He howled, struggles intensifying.


    Robin wilted at that, holding her head at the truth of his words.


    "You said the worst things possible to me! You said you were tired of me! You told me to leave you alone and now that I want to be left alone, you can''t accept?!" Rosan growled lowly. "Now that I don''t want to talk, you think we have to talk?! Why do you get to decide all these things?! Why am I not allowed to make my own choices?!"


    "Because... if we don''t talk right now, things might get to a point that I never want it to get to," Robin whispered in defeat.


    Rosan finally got up and shoved her off of him with a furious scowl. "You had your chance to talk and you shattered my heart into pieces, Robin. I decided against all odds to put my trust in someone again and you proved to me that I was wrong. I''ll talk to you when I''m ready," he said with a tone of finality.


    Before he could even take a step, Robin appeared in front of him once more and he clenched his fist.


    What didn''t she get? Why wouldn''t she just leave him alone?! Why did no one ever want to leave him alone¡ª


    He froze as he was pushed to the ground and grunted as his body connected to the wet floor.


    Before he could properly get up, two arms hoisted him into a sitting position before wrapping around his neck.


    Robin, sitting on the redhead now to make sure he didn''t run until she at least said this, shuddered into his frame.


    "I knew how much you cared for me¡­ but a small part never realized it was to this extent¡­ because a small part of me never thought I''d be able to help you like Meiko did," Robin whispered into his ears.


    Rosan went completely still.


    "You''re right, Rosan. I''m such a massive hypocrite¡­ I did take advantage of your emotions, I did side with your most hated enemies¡­ I did so many things to hurt you and I hated myself for every single second of it!" Robin sobbed.


    "When Aokiji froze you solid, I could only think about the day Ohara was destroyed and the fear of losing you made me so irrational. I just¡­ I didn''t want everyone to lose your light and I thought the only option, was to give myself up instead."


    Robin curled into his frame. "But deep down, I didn''t want to leave you¡­ I didn''t want to be separated from you for even a second. I was just so scared and I thought the weight of the world was too much for our crew to handle so I gave up before we could crumble¡­"


    "...But I won''t give up again. When you fought Aokiji¡­ you didn''t do it because you were trying to die for me¡­ you did it because you wanted to protect me! That''s always how it''s been. You just want to keep me safe a-and I took that for granted but I won''t anymore¡­ so please, Rosan¡­ please let me make this up to you in anyway I can because I don''t want to lose you!" Robin wailed, desperately clinging onto the redheaded joy like he would disappear from her life at any moment.


    She couldn''t lose him. Not again. She knew now that her days should be spent with Rosan and the Straw Hats and she didn''t want to lose her sun. She knew it was selfish of her and Rosan was well in his right to hate her for what she did... but she just couldn''t let it end like this.


    Rosan had every right to want nothing to do with her after what she had done to him but she would do anything to get him back ¡ª


    Two strong arms wrapped around her and she froze at the tender feeling.


    "What type of hypocrite would I be, if I made you try to earn my forgiveness?" Rosan whispered softly, eyes tender as they lost the anger. "After what I did to you¡­ you think I''d stoop so low? I won''t let you make up anything to me, because there''s nothing to make up."


    "I understand why you did what you felt like you had to do. I know you got manipulated... but it still hurts alot knowing that you would have just died and left me alone. It felt like such a slap to the face, when I realized you didn''t trust me the way I trusted you," he said, wavering slightly.


    She narrowed her eyes in guilt at the truth of his statement.


    "If I were in your shoes¡­ I never would have even considered that an option and I just assumed you would think like me," Rosan admitted. "But we don''t think the exact same do we?"


    "You thought I was throwing my life away for no reason against Aokiji¡­ but I thought I was doing everything in my power to protect you from someone who had just threatened you to my face. If we had just communicated properly we could have resolved it," he sighed.


    "NO!" Robin shouted, making him reel in surprise. "Rosan¡­ I was the one who wasn''t properly communicating. It''s like you said... over and over again, you tried to speak to me. If I had just properly conveyed my feelings¡­ if I had just talked to you like an adult¡­ so much could have been avoided. You continuously asked me if I wanted to talk and I constantly blew you off and that lies solely with me," she said shakily.


    "I''m glad you''re not angry anymore... but surely there''s something I can do to make it up to you?" She asked hesitantly.


    But to her disappointment, Rosan simply shook his head.


    "There is nothing. I have nothing to forgive Robin¡­ because despite everything I said, I still trust you. You''re one of the most important people to me on the planet¡­ I was always going to still trust you... I just wanted some alone time to deal with my anger but you didn''t wanna let me," he said truthfully, smiling wryly at her.


    I still trust you.


    Even after what she did. Even after driving him to this state¡­ Even after all that transpired, he could still say he trusted her.


    "I lost you once¡­ I refuse to lose you again," he murmured, pulling her close.


    Robin bit her lip and then she broke.


    "I love you Rosan! I really do love you! Never again. I''ll stay with you even if you grow tired of me!" She cried, hugging him with all her might and bringing him to the floor again.


    Rosan sighed fondly, glad that the rain had been hiding his tears, and said, "I''ll never grow tired of you¡­ but you''re probably gonna grow tired of my gaze. Consider yourself grounded," he smiled.


    "I accept it!" She said without hesitation. "Ground me for as long as you want¡­ I won''t complain, not even once."


    "Of course you won''t. My best friend is a person who always goes with the flow," he responded gently.


    He had been angry. Furious even¡­ but after hearing Robin admit her insecurities about Meiko, it had knocked the wind out of his sails.


    After hearing that him being frozen, evoked her ptsd, he realized he could never be angry at this girl¡­


    Because she was his Robin. Rosan had done plenty of idiotic things¡­ it wouldn''t be right if he stayed upset at her for doing her own idiotic thing.


    As far as he was concerned, she really did have nothing to be forgiven about because this still didn''t come close to his sin to her.


    So no, he was no longer upset with her at the moment but he''d still never forget this and it may make him even more overprotective of her in the future¡­


    But he didn''t think she had a problem with that.


    ...Good, because he didn''t have a problem with her wanting to stay with him either.


    Truthfully, he was¡­ wary (terrified) of opening his heart again. But this feeling¡­ he truly did love Robin and¡­ and she loved him too right¡­? If she really did love him like that¡­


    Rosan chanced it and lifted his soaked head off the floor. He leaned forward and planted a tentative kiss on the woman resting atop him.


    His eyes widened as she reciprocated with zero hesitation, forcing his head back onto the ground with the force and molding their bodies as close as possible.


    Robin struggled very hard, but eventually broke it and leaned back to gaze at him once more.


    "I know you''re afraid¡­ I''m afraid too. I''m terrified truthfully," Robin said truthfully, staring into those bright irises that had regained their life because of her.


    Robin had played a significant part in him losing every single chain¡­ she didn''t matter how selfish it sounded, Rosan needed her and his actions made it clear every single time.


    So, now it was time for her to be just as selfish and claim the redhead as hers so no one got any ideas.


    "We''re both so afraid Rosan but¡­ we shouldn''t let our fears conquer us," she said knowingly. "Both of us want this¡­ right?"


    "...Yes I do want this," Rosan said with a bit of hesitation, confidence steadily rising as she spoke to him.


    "Then why are we letting fear rule us? I¡­ I''ll become as strong as possible to alleviate some of your fear¡­ but we should never let fear stop us from being happy and you make me happy," she finished, making sure to never take her eyes off of him for a second.


    What she saw, pleased her immensely.


    Rosan''s trepidation was gone, rain doing nothing to hide his surge of confidence and he nodded strongly.


    "Yeah, you''re right¡­ I won''t be afraid if it will get in the way of me being happy," he said confidently, wrapping his arms around her as he stood up.


    "So¡­ wanna go out?" He asked, smiling in a charming manner.


    Robin rolled her eyes with a fond smile. "I''ve kissed you and you''ve kissed me, yet you still felt the need to ask me that question?"


    "Of course, I like to be certain of things so that people have no complaints regarding the actions I take. Wouldn''t want any misunderstandings to arise," he replied in amusement.


    Robin sighed and nodded, tucking her head into the crook of his neck.


    "Yes, Rosan, we''re going out now."


    She just knew he was smirking that insufferable smirk of his because she was smiling herself.


    "So how long have you liked me for?" Rosan asked suddenly, taking in her features with a bit of wonder in his eyes.


    Robin blinked in surprise at the question.


    "Well... I had a crush on you when we were kids... and I acknowledged that I regained feelings for you at Skypiea... when you told me that I was your new reason to live."


    Truthfully, Robin was fairly sure her crush came back after Rosan kissed her at Alabasta but it transformed into love after Rosan''s actions in Skypiea.


    Rosan pondered that, with a look of surprise. "Huh, same as me then. I had a crush on you when we were kids too... and I''m pretty sure my feelings came back sometime before Alabasta because when I got my emotions back... I kinda got bulldozed by my feelings," he admitted.


    Robin actually had a look of surprise. "You had a crush on me when we were kids? You had a crush on me after regaining your emotions?" she asked in surprise.


    He nodded, scratching his red hair with a nervous smile. "I didn''t want to make things awkward between us so I hid it... but yeah it was really overwhelming. Even just you sleeping on top of me was too much," he revealed with a sheepish laugh.


    Robin thought about the implications of that statement. "Oh... wow. I didn''t know you had a crush on me when we were kids."


    For someone who had such little control over their emotions, Rosan had been very good at hiding his feelings...


    Or maybe she was just oblivious.


    "Yeah, I realized that I liked kissing you way more than Mod-chan," Rosan told her with a small smile.


    Oh so she really was just oblivious.


    Go figure.


    "You should be thankful I loved you back. Not just everyone will accept you randomly assaulting and kissing them," she retorted with a small smile.


    "I guess that''s why we''re dating now. You''re saving all those poor people," he retorted smugly.


    She couldn''t resist the laugh at that and just sunk deeper into him.


    The two just remained their, in the middle of the rain, steadily letting their own emotions reach tolerable levels, but both content with each other.


    Well, that was until Rosan slapped her right on the cheek.


    The noise resounded even through the steadily calming storm.


    "Forgot that I promised I was gonna do that," he muttered, watching as her head turned in shock.


    "I know why you did it¡­ I really do but I''m going to kill you, Rosan," she said, lunging on the redhead.


    "You literally said you would accept any punishment!" Rosan retorted, fending her off to the best of abilities. He hastily grabbed the arms trying to wrap around his neck and gazed at her with incredulous eyes.


    "Yes I did up until you slapped me with ridiculous force! What is wrong with you?!"


    "You''re lying in our relationship already?! We need to lay some ground rules out about this toxicity."


    "I''m beginning to have regrets already, insufferable little boy."


    "Get used to it. This is the normal feeling of someone who has to deal with a person as awesome as me."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Mod and Ram watched as Rosan and Robin both entered the house with looks of anticipation on their faces.


    The best friends looked like they had been arguing harshly and judging by the red mark on Robin''s cheek, it didn''t look too good for their eyes.


    Mod really tried to take Ram''s words into account. She really did think Rosan deserved to feel angry at this... but Mod also knew that when Rosan was angry he said things he didn''t mean in the long run.


    When he was upset, he just wanted to hurt the other person as much as they hurt him... and to her eyes that''s probably what he had done...


    So she immediately rushed her.


    "R-Rosan, please! I know you''re upset and you have every right to be, but I don''t want it to end like this!" she begged, gazing up at him with desperate eyes. "Please, find it in you to forgive Robin!"


    "?" Rosan tilted his head.


    "I know what Robin did was so insanely stupid but please just punish her a-and then we can eventually move past this¡­ I love you two so much and I was so happy when you finally kissed and I think you''re both so good for each other!"


    "Mod-chan."


    "I know Ram and I should be more upset too and trust me, we''ll never forget this b-but that doesn''t mean you should cut her completely off! W-We all make really stupid mistakes! I''ve made so much errors and yet you forgave me so please forgive Robin!"


    "Mod-chan."


    "I admit, I haven''t caught up on your memories and I''m sure when I do, it''ll be so much different but please let me make a selfish reques ¡ª"


    Mod paused, mouth opening in shock, as Rosan grabbed Robin by the waist and pulled her into a kiss right before their eyes.


    "W-W-Wha," she stammered, face going bright red as she watched them with bugged eyes.


    "Woah," Ram muttered in awe, eyes glittering.


    Eventually, Rosan pulled back and glanced at Mod with amusement in his eyes.


    "Surely there would have been a better way of showing her we made up then that?" Robin said with a raised brow. "...Not that I mind your methods."


    The redhead snorted. "Sure there are, but should we really do that in front of a crowd?"


    Robin paused, before she realized what he meant and she let out a suffering sigh. "You don''t have an ounce of shame in your body. Weren''t you blushing red when I kissed you at Enies Lobby?"


    "I''m bad at receiving a taste of my own medicine," Rosan shrugged helplessly. "But we made up, Mod-chan¡­ and we''re dating now."


    Mod and Ram blinked owlishly at that.


    "You... are?" Mod muttered in confusion.


    Rosan nodded with a small smile.


    "FINALLY! N-NOW I DON''T HAVE TO READ THOSE ROMANCE BOOKS ANYMORE¡­ I just need to finish the series I started because I''m a completionist¡­ yeah," Ram said, nodding to herself.


    "What a normal reaction," Robin smiled in amusement.


    Rosan smirked and raked a hand through his hair. "I''d be a hypocrite if I never forgave Robin because despite everything¡­ Robin forgave me when she had no reason to¡­ so of course I wouldn''t stay mad at her," he said softly.


    "I''m glad that you haven''t pushed me away but... I still feel guilty¡­ surely there''s something I can do?" Robin muttered with a frown.


    Rosan shook his head and dragged her close. "You refused to let me make it up to you back when we first met again¡­ why do you think I''d want you to do that?" He asked in amusement.


    Mod watched the two converse and realized Ram was right¡­ this was something they needed to figure out on their own and she was so glad they did...


    "I''m so happy for you two. Really, I''m so happy!" Mod sobbed, tears falling freely as she collided with them both.


    Robin and Rosan let out equal gasps as Ram joined and tackled them to the floor.


    "So do you guys wanna sleep in separate rooms now?!" Ram asked excitedly, eyes glowing. "I-I won''t barge into the rooms at certain times but Auntie and I will really miss you sometimes so we have to talk about living arrangements more!"


    "You are far too depraved, Ram," Robin pointed out with an exasperated sigh.


    "I guess this is a side effect of Maro being her best friend," Rosan muttered, scratching his head at her words.


    "OH! I HAVE TO TELL MARO AND EVERYONE ABOUT THIS!" Ram squealed in glee. "WE DID IT! WE FINALLY GOT THEM TOGETHER!"


    Both Robin and Rosan blinked.


    "Finally got us¡­ together?" Robin muttered in confusion.


    "Were you guys¡­ plotting to get us together behind our backs?" Rosan asked with a raised brow.


    Wait¡­ that made so much sense.


    "They weren''t even being subtle," Robin sweatdropped in realization.


    Mod began shaking her head in disbelief. "So you guys really didn''t realize until now? We all thought this was an elaborate prank¡­"


    Rosan grunted in amusement and stood up, hoisting all of them up with him.


    "Nope, I never thought about it. The last time I dated was when I was 12," he replied.


    "I''ve never dated," Robin supplied helpfully.


    Mod laughed helplessly at that. The two didn''t even realize they both reciprocated each others love so she wasn''t even surprised they didn''t notice.


    "Alright, I promised my crew I was going to sleep until I''m fully healed, and I''m even exhausted in here so I''ll go do that now," the redhead muttered.


    "Me too," the brunette sighed.


    "I still feel a little sick¡­ so I''d like some rest as well," Mod yawned, tucking into Rosan.


    "I''m going¡­ to finish this book," Ram nodded, not feeling tired.


    "Alright¡­ oh and by the way¡­"


    Rosan glanced over at Mod with a serious look in his eyes and she instantly grew a little apprehensive before stamping it away.


    "Once we fully recover, there''s something we need to do."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "You''re telling me that Enies Lobby was destroyed¡­ and the Straw Hats are alive?!" Sengoku asked in disbelief.


    At the hesitant nod, the Fleet Admiral felt the worst headache he felt yet since learning of the existence of the Straw Hats.


    The entire day was one giant goddamn headache.


    Cipher Pol had made the first mistake. It had already been made clear, that the Straw Hats were not an average rookie crew and to err on the side of caution, especially when dealing with the Red Devil.


    Going after Nico Robin without knowing the full extents of the Red Devil was incredibly reckless and in their hubris at seemingly doing so, they hadn''t even managed to secure the blueprints of Pluton because naturally, Iris D. Rosan had taken egregious offense to that and killed one of the more resourceful members of the assassins.


    Not only that, they failed to properly frame the Straw Hats, failed to kill any witnesses and failed to even confirm if the blueprints truly were left with this Cutty Flam.


    Now Water 7 was well aware of the World Government''s attempts on their mayor''s life and they could practically kiss their very beneficial relationship goodbye.


    Identity completely revealed, affiliation revealed, no blueprints¡­ and no Nico Robin.


    They were supposed to be the best assassins of the generation¡­ yet they had utterly and completely failed. If it were up to Sengoku, they''d be thrown in Impel Down at the earliest convenience but unfortunately, they were likely dead...


    But that wasn''t even all. In fact, that wasn''t even the worst of it.


    No the worst of it lie with the Straw Hats and Raisa''s goddamn menace of a son.


    The Red Devil¡­ Iris D. Rosan had caused complete and utter mayhem on their numbers.


    It immediately began when CP9 announced that one of their agents¡­ Blueno was it (his Devil Fruit was a useful asset)? Had been killed by him¡­ and he didn''t transform into a dragon to do so.


    That had caused the first bout of confusion, hearing about an amorphous black figure that had brutally killed one of the agents had not been what Sengoku was expecting.


    Not only that... it was able to somewhat control and caused anything around it to dissolve at a touch. The description confused Sengoku greatly and he frowned in contemplation, before temporarily discarding the thought.


    What followed after the news about what happened on Water 7, was what had caused his headache to evolve into a migraine.


    The entirety of the Straw Hats, led by the Red Devil had invaded Enies Lobby in order to get Nico Robin back.


    In contrast to the reports, the Red Devil had immediately began wreaking havoc on the island¡­ as a dragon not the amorphous black figure he had been described as before.


    Now he felt as if he were back to square one on trying to figure out what the redhead''s Devil Fruit was. An inky creature with corrosive properties and a Dragon?


    Was he a shape shifting Mythical Zoan? One that could transform into any creature it so desired?


    That was his surest guess but he had already assumed once about the man''s Devil Fruit and refused to do so again. Until they got further confirmation, his fruit would be labeled as unknown and Sengoku would personally have to do research on anything documented.


    As they received a report on what was transpiring (it didn''t sound great), they suddenly stopped altogether and his subordinates had assumed that their 10,000 soldiers had rallied enough to take care of the Dragon and his other crew members.


    After all, it shouldn''t have been difficult. 10,000 soldiers and the greatest group Cipher Pol had ever produced should have been more than enough to subdue a small group of pirates¡­


    And that was when they suddenly received a Buster Call order on Enies Lobby along with about a dozen other calls that had no one on the other line.


    That was when they realized something¡­


    The reports didn''t stop because they were dealing with the Pirates¡­ it stopped because the signal was being blocked.


    Someone that was in the Straw Hats, had interrupted the signal to HQ and cut off all connection to Enies Lobby, thoroughly deceiving them in the process.


    Sengoku had an inkling on who it was.


    Evidently, the Straw Hats were more dangerous then they could ever believe, because a Buster Call was deemed necessary enough to be rid of them and without any hesitation, the World Government had bombed down their own island just to stop a crew with immense potential and Nico Robin from growing more.


    But something wasn''t adding up.


    How was it that they were receiving reports that the Straw Hats were still alive, while everyone stationed on Enies Lobby was killed?


    The first thing the Marines had found when inspecting the island¡­ was the burned and mangled body of who they believed to be the director of CP9, Spandam¡­


    The one who called the Buster Call according to Kuzan (he had given him a Golden Den Den and that information made Sengoku grow a few gray hairs).


    That cowardly man would never call in a Buster Call, if his life would be put in danger¡­ So clearly, the Straw Hats had done even better then they were expected to do. To the point where Spandam felt the need to call a Buster Call to ensure at the very least, mutual destruction was reached.


    But the Straw Hats were still alive and Nico Robin was still free.


    How could that be ¡ª


    ...What if Spandam didn''t call in the Buster Call?


    No¡­ if they were strong enough to dismantle 10,000 agents and Cipher Pol¡­ and then escape a Buster Call even despite the injuries or fatigue they should have¡­


    It took 30 minutes for HQ to reach Marineford¡­ there was no chance they''d be able to escape in that time without at least being spotted.


    But the Straw Hats weren''t even encountered on the island. They had presumably been killed in the crossfire¡­ but Spandam''s body was near the beginning of the Bridge of Hesitation (which was why no one saw him)¡­


    What stopped him from crossing the full distance and saving himself? If he was too injured to move¡­ why was he able to call in a Buster Call?


    It had to do with the fact that all the Straw Hats were still alive¡­ Because Spandam wasn''t the one who called in the Buster Call.


    "The Red Devil is cunning and extremely intelligent. He hides a plotting mind behind immense strength but he has both. While fighting both Hina and I, he lured the rest of our squad to him. The entire time, we were just dancing in his palm and he planned on taking us all out in one fell swoop."


    That was part of the report left by Smoker after the events of Alabasta.


    Did that mean... Iris D. Rosan had called in the Buster Call? Was he the one that pressed the button?


    What on earth was the Red Devil exactly? He had Nico Robin in his palms and the two were so important to one another, he had raided and destroyed Enies Lobby of all places, while seemingly suffering no losses.


    They truly were lovers. No one would go to such extents for Nico Robin if they only wanted her for her knowledge in the Poneglyphs.


    No one would willingly go to war with the World Government for such a thing unless they had the backing of one of the Four Emperors. No, their bond was genuine so if they intended to capture Ohara''s Devil, they''d need to account for something like this happening again.


    Iris D. Rosan... he seemed to act more like his uncle than his father. Such a reckless and insane move was eerily similar to ¡ª


    No, it was best if Sengoku did not think of that day. He already felt his hair graying, thinking Rosan inherited things from his uncle, was a surefire way to an early retirement.


    Not only that, one of the Straw Hats (for his sake he wouldn''t assume it was Rosan who had done so) had the abilities to cut their communications off completely.


    If the Red Devil was allowed to completely grow¡­ if he was as much of a prodigy as his mother and he reached his full potential¡­


    He hadn''t even dwelled into the captain of the Straw Hats, Monkey D. Luffy. To readily drag his entire crew to Enies Lobby and to win. His growth was just as dangerous. He was shaping up to be as monstrous as Garp and having a prime Garp as his enemy, was the very last thing Sengoku would want.


    This was no normal crew at all. They had not suffered a single casualty? That was utterly absurd...


    Sengoku grit his teeth and grabbed his headache pills, that he had prescribed to him coincidentally around the time he learned about the Straw Hats.


    "Raisa and Dragon¡­ you two gave birth to such troublesome children," he growled.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    The Straw Hats and co had come back to Water 7 without a hitch, all sleeping throughout the entire trip and letting their wounds heal.


    Once they landed, they were escorted quietly (the citizens wanted to see their heroes) to a nice and comfy house.


    That had been two days ago and Rosan, Luffy and Robin were still asleep.


    While Luffy had programmed himself to eat while sleeping so as to not miss a meal, both Robin and Rosan were dead to the world.


    It was odd to see the redhead sleeping¡­ to be honest, they hardly ever saw him asleep.


    Both he and Robin liked sleeping with each other and since there was only the men and woman''s room, they slept in his Pocket Dimension to avoid unnecessary breaching of space.


    Honestly, they hardly saw Robin sleeping either. Those two just showed up, wide awake and ready to go.


    Despite being brought here separately (Franky had carried Rosan and Zoro Robin), the two somehow still ended up right next to each other.


    Robin''s slightly bandaged body rested atop Rosan''s heavily bandaged body, while the redhead had an arm around her waist, keeping her steady. They both let out inaudible snores as they slept their injuries away.


    It was surreal to see Rosan''s perfectly kept hair so disorderly. Despite disavowing his heritage, the redhead did manage to nail the royalty look very well.


    But here he was, keeping a protective hold on Robin and sleeping his injuries away, while she burrowed into him.


    It was adorable. The two looked incredibly peaceful¡­


    But of course, that peace never lasted long. Not when the Straw Hats were involved.


    The day had started off simple enough. Luffy was sleep eating, Rosan and Robin were still sleeping but their injuries looked fully healed and Franky stopped by to visit them with a proposal.


    "I want to make the greatest ship in the world¡­ and I want you guys to ride it," he had offered them with an eager grin.


    The Straw Hats who weren''t sleeping, Kokoro and Chimney (Usopp was spying on them outside), gazed at the cyborg with raised brows.


    Franky explained to them the existence of a piece of rare wood called Adam Wood. It was the strongest, highest-quality wood on the planet. Not only did he manage to secure some for 200 million, he used the other 200 to secure a bunch of materials to make the worlds greatest ship.


    And he wanted them to have it¡­


    "I drew some blueprints but after hanging around with you guys, I found myself editing before I even realized!" Franky exclaimed. "I already had a general idea but now I''m going to use everything to make it even better then what I had planned!"


    Fantastic! If what Franky was saying was true, then they could get a ship that rivaled that of Roger!


    Considering he had used their money to build it... it kinda all worked out and they''d end up getting something better than they ever initially planned for!


    As Franky smiled at their enthusiasm, the wall to their temporary base was suddenly smashed open with a thunderous noise that had everyone shrieking in shock.


    "W-WHAT WAS THAT?!" Nami shrieked in horror, gaping at the completely destroyed wall.


    "WHO ARE YOU?!" Sanji barked warily, pushing himself up and glaring at them.


    Then they saw the man''s getup.


    Oh no¡­ the Marines?! What were they doing here? An entire platoon seemed to be here as well...


    This was bad¡­ Rosan and Luffy were both still asleep! Could they wake them up while holding the Marines off at the same time? Just how many were there anyways?


    "So you''re the Straw Hats¡­" He mused gruffly, gazing at each one.


    It was a gigantic man, dressed in standard Marine attire with unique shoulder-pads. On his head, was a dog mask that hid his general appearance.


    Without any hesitation, the man dashed over to the happily snoring Luffy and slammed him into the ground with a heavy punch.


    "WAKE UP! DON''T SLEEP WHILE I''M VISITING!" Garp roared indignantly.


    Luffy''s eyes shot open at that and he yelped in pain.


    "O-OW! WHY DID YOU JUST PUNCH ME ¡ª"


    The Straw Hats watched in disbelief, as the teary eyed Luffy went white in horror.


    Their infallible captain, going pale at the sight of someone


    "You and Rosan seem to be causing a lot of trouble, well Luffy?" Garp asked in amusement, grinning down at the boy.


    "G-GRANDPA?!" Luffy shrieked, eyes bugging in terror.


    Eyes snapped open at that scream.


    Every Straw Hat froze simultaneously at that.


    "G-GRANDPA?!" They repeated in horror.


    Luffy''s grandpa was a Marine? Wait what the hell was this?! Why was Luffy was terrified of him?!


    If possible the situation got even worse.


    A figured rocketed forward and slammed into Garp, knocking him straight out of the hole he just created with enough force to bulldoze a few of the Marines waiting outside.


    The Straw Hats horror only grew, at seeing the wide awake Rosan glaring through the hole with a scowl set firmly on his face.


    "Who the hell said you could visit, dumbass old man?" Rosan sneered.


    Garp laughed, utterly unfazed by the redhead''s attack as he dusted his outfit. "Well well, if it isn''t my most unruly grandson! Still trying to kill me, Rosan?! I thought we were past this stage!"


    "If I were trying to kill you, you''d know, Garp," Rosan snarled, shooting out a puff of fire as warning.


    "YOU KNOW HIM TOO?!" The pirates shrieked in horror.


    Oh right... Rosan was Luffy''s brother. Wait hold on, if Rosan hated the Marines and this guy was their grandpa...


    Oh no, this guy was really strong! Rosan definitely tried to kill him and failed!


    "Didn''t I tell you to stop calling me your grandson? I don''t claim you dumbass," Rosan said bluntly.


    Quicker then anyone could react, they watched in horror as Rosan''s body was instantly embedded into the floor beneath him, courtesy of Garp slamming a fist on their scouts head.


    "R-Rosan?!" Everyone shouted in disbelief.


    "DON''T BE SO HEARTLESS TO YOUR GRANDFATHER!" Garp shouted at the violent redhead.


    "OH NO, ROSAN!" Luffy yelled, scrambling to his feet. "QUICK! GET UP SO WE CAN RUN AWAY!"


    Garp blinked, before it widened drastically as he saw Rosan still conscious, blocking the punch with both his arms.


    "Oh? Looks like you learned some new tricks! And you feel a lot livelier too!" Garp laughed boisterously, as he effortlessly weathered Rosan''s Haki enhanced punch to the gut.


    Rosan sneered and leapt back, dragging Luffy up in the process. "Yeah no thanks to you. You''ve been hitting us with these for 10 years and didn''t think to explain what it was? I would have liked to steal more techniques from you."


    Wait¡­ Luffy and Rosan''s grandpa had been hitting them with Haki enhanced punches for 10 years?


    What the hell was wrong with him... this monster of a man was a demon too!


    "You unruly brats don''t ever wanna learn anything from me!" Garp responded with a shrug, before a look of shock crossed his features. "WAIT! YOU MADE ME USE THOSE TECHNIQUES SO YOU COULD STEAL THEM FROM ME?! I THOUGHT MY GRANDKIDS THOUGHT I WAS COOL!" He shouted in disbelief.


    Garp raised a fist and gazed at the quivering Luffy and staunch Rosan.


    "It looks like I have to give you guys a few more Fists of Love!"


    Luffy yelped and hid behind Rosan, who effortlessly shielded him.


    "I already told you stop being so harsh with Luffy you stupid old man," Rosan''s eyes narrowed and he bared his fangs. "What the hell are you doing here? Who asked you to visit? Here to capture us? I''ll rescind my vow to stop killing you if you are."


    Luffy peeked his head out from behind Rosan and nodded vigorously.


    "I''m not here to capture my Grandkids¡­ I''ll just say I couldn''t do it," Garp retorted, sticking a finger in his nose.


    "Please just say they got away," Bogard, his second in command, replied with a sweatdrop.


    "...You''re here to visit?...Leave we don''t want you here," Rosan said in a deadpan.


    He grunted as a fist smashed into him, launching him into a wall and causing spider webs to form.


    "BE MORE CONSIDERATE TO YOUR GRANDFATHER! I HAVE FEELINGS TOO!" Garp shook his fist, glaring at his rudest grandson.


    Everyone balked at the interaction and gazed at the unhinged old man, realizing where Luffy got his intense will to live and insanity from.


    Monkey D. Garp was terrifying.


    Rosan huffed, eyes glowing madly as he glared at the stupid old man.


    "I''m going to hurt you and I will enjoy every second of it," he growled lowly, peeling himself off the wall.


    Before Garp could retort, a tiny yawn made Rosan''s head snap in a direction.


    "Rosan are you okay?" Robin asked, suppressing another yawn. "You suddenly got out of bed."


    Rosan completely disregarded Garp and turned to face her, closing the distance immediately as the anger melted off. "Ah, did I wake you? Sorry about that, my older brother senses were going off."


    The Devil Child shook her head and leaned on Rosan for support. "It''s fine, I feel like I''ve been sleeping for far too long anyways ¡ª"


    The woman froze, as she gazed at the Marines outside and her eyes narrowed¡­


    Until she saw Garp.


    "Ah, Garp-san it''s nice to meet you¡­ here to visit Rosan and Luffy?" Robin greeted politely, holding out a hand for the stunned man to shake.


    "She knows Garp?!" Everyone thought in shock.


    "¡­" Garp said nothing for a second, before the old man laughed boisterously and dragged the shocked woman into a comical hug.


    "I KNEW THEY TALKED ABOUT ME!" Garp continued laughing. "MY GRANDDAUGHTER IS SO MUCH NICER THAN MY UNGRATEFUL GRANDSONS!"


    "Granddaughter¡­?! Is he a psychopath?!"


    Robin let out a noise of surprise at the strong grip of Garp and that turned into a yelp, as she was summarily ripped out of his grasp by her very possessive boyfriend.


    "She''s not your granddaughter you senile old man," Rosan snarled, holding the amused woman away from him. "Are you alright? Did that dumbass squeeze you too hard? He''s so stupid that he doesn''t understand his own strength."


    "He''s become even more protective somehow," Robin thought in amusement, fondness swelling as she allowed him to fuss over her. "I''m fine Rosan, it woke me up."


    Somehow, that was the wrong thing to say.


    Rosan scowled deeply and turned a thunderous gaze onto Garp, placing her down gently in the process.


    "Listen you 90 something year old fossil," he began, taking a step forward and glaring at the Vice Admiral. "You probably don''t realize alot of things since your skull is so damn thick, but you have a freakish amount of strength to compensate for the fact that you''re extremely stupid."


    Everyone''s jaw dropped at the way Rosan was talking to the Hero of the Marines of all people. He spoke to him with such familiarity, that they knew for a fact this wasn''t the first time he insulted Garp.


    ...Didn''t Garp mention something about Rosan still trying to kill him? W-What was wrong with their scout?


    They knew the redhead showed no fear, but this was ridiculous!


    "90?!" Garp barked. "I''m 76 you unruly brat! Even if I were 90, it would take you 20 years to beat me!" He growled back, slamming his head against the redhead.


    "You can count past 20?" Rosan hissed, not relenting for even a second and pushing back.


    "I have the perfect way to show you!" Garp retorted eagerly..


    Before the two could devolve into the many fights that they had constantly gotten into over the years (the score was 871 ¨C 0), Robin gently pulled Rosan away from Garp.


    "You just woke up," she chastised. "Stop fighting for just one second please."


    Rosan opened his mouth, then scowled and closed it.


    "I''m not strong enough yet but I''ll get you one day, senile old man," he sneered, allowing Robin to push him backwards.


    Garp snorted. "Look at you getting me all distracted¡­ Luffy, I heard you ran into your dad."


    Luffy tilted his head. "A dad? Rosan, I have a dad?"


    Rosan nodded after a short moment. "Yeah."


    The crew balked. "Wait, you know Luffy''s dad?! But you told Aokiji you didn''t!"


    The redhead shook his head. "I told him I don''t know my dad. I never mentioned not knowing Luffy''s."


    Garp picked his nose and nodded. "Yeah¡­ your father''s name is Monkey D. Dragon, the Revolutionary."


    ¡­


    "WHAT?!"


    "LUFFY IS DRAGON''S SON?!"


    "DRAGON IS GARP''S SON?!"


    "WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH THAT FAMILY?!"


    The roar was absolutely deafening.


    Luffy scratched his head. "Rosan, who''s Dragon?"


    "¡­" Rosan closed his eyes and let out a deep sigh. "Garp¡­ what the fuck? Why the hell would you reveal that information?" He asked genuinely.


    Garp sweat a bit as he realized his mistake.


    "Oops, I said a little more than I should''ve!" Garp scratched his head sheepishly. "Just forget what I said¡­ at least I didn''t reveal that Rosan''s father is Cutter!"


    ¡­


    "Who?" Everyone else, barring asked with a tilted head.


    Rosan''s eyes narrowed in suspicion.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Dragon is Sabo''s boss, Luffy," Rosan explained.


    Luffy''s eyes bugged. "REALLY?!"


    The Straw Hat''s eyes widened. That was right! Sabo was the Chief of Staff so that meant he worked directly under Luffy''s father!


    That was insane! What was with the Monkey D. Family?!


    "But who''s Cutter?" Nami muttered in confusion.


    Rosan''s biological father was someone named Cutter?


    The way Garp said it¡­ that should have been a noticeable name¡­ but it didn''t ring a single bell¡­


    Maybe if he said the full name?


    Robin herself was confused as well because that name rang no bells to her either¡­


    Was Rosan''s father someone they were trying to cut out of history? Robin didn''t know anyone named Cutter and she was sure Rosan didn''t either.


    Rosan, who was not at all interested, noticed the look in Robin''s eyes and sighed.


    "Garp, let''s talk in private," he offered, catching the old man''s gaze.


    Over the years¡­ he had begrudgingly began tolerating the man''s presence. Even despite being a Marine, Garp clearly didn''t agree with their methods.


    He knew full well how corrupt his organization was and it was the main reason that he stayed a Vice Admiral.


    That didn''t make him better in Rosan''s eyes in the slightest, because it just made him look complacent. But¡­ he accepted it because even he realized that compromise was needed. So Rosan wasn''t quite trying to kill Garp anymore... but moreso protecting his little brothers from the madman.


    So he tolerated him...


    Even if the man insisted that he was his grandson.


    Garp raised a brow but nodded. "I have things to say to you as well. Luffy, some friends want to meet you," was all he said before he walked off with Robin and Rosan.


    The last thing Rosan saw, were two people attacking Zoro and Luffy, only to get disarmed near instantly by the formidable duo.


    As the three walked off to an isolated location, Rosan waved his hand and the area around them became walled off so as to be more secure.


    "Is it fine that I''m here?" Robin asked curiously. She watched in amusement as Rosan''s grip on her, subtly tightened and realized that he probably didn''t want her out of his sight for even a little.


    Garp snorted. "He was going to tell you whatever we spoke about anyways," the old man retorted.


    "Hm you know a bit about me I guess," Rosan praised. "Before I start¡­ what did you want to talk to me about?"


    Garp grunted. "The Marine Base in the East Blue¡­ why did you destroy it?"


    Rosan eyes flew open at that.


    "What? How do you know that?" He muttered in confusion, brows furrowed.


    Garp sighed. "There was a call and we heard your dragon''s roar. I recognized it instantly but Sengoku found out after the report in Alabasta."


    Something clicked.


    "That''s why my bounty was 100 million," Rosan whispered in realization. "Did that corrupt squealing idiot manage to make a call before I killed him?"


    Fucking¡­ how did he make such a mistake? Did he somehow reach the Den Den? Rosan had thought he was out of reach or too lost in his pain to do so.


    A foolish oversight on his part...


    "Maybe you shouldn''t be saying this around Garp?" Robin said softly. She had seen the memory and that man had went out of his way to ruin an entire islands life, just for money...


    He deserved to die.


    The redhead shook his head. "You shouldn''t be surprised Garp. That man was one of the most corrupt Marines I''ve met yet," he said calmly.


    "Keeping an entire island subjugated for 10 years, accepting money from a pirate, refusing to report said pirate for taking over¡­ Just thinking about it pisses me off. People like that are why I hate your organization," Rosan said darkly.


    Garp scratched his head. "So it really was because he was corrupt¡­ that makes me feel better for not reporting you¡­ and you didn''t do it to anything else¡­ until Alabasta and Enies Lobby at least."


    Rosan blinked. "You didn''t report me?" He asked, genuinely surprised.


    "Of course not¡­ A corrupt Marine is even worse than a pirate. It means no one who can deliver justice to them," The old man sighed tiredly.


    "¡­" Rosan gazed at Garp with¡­ some respect in his gaze. "You''ve changed a bit Garp. I didn''t think someone as stubborn as you could do that."


    Rosan grunted at the fist planting itself on his head and glared murderously at the old man.


    "I could say the same to you, brat," he grunted. "You''re much different¡­ not as shackled like when we first met."


    Rosan shared a glance with Robin and smiled. "Then you already know why I attacked Enies Lobby," he said softly.


    Garp snorted. "You did it to protect someone you love," he replied, gazing at his granddaughter with a contemplative expression. "I always did think it was stupid that they made a little girl look so dangerous. So she can read? Who cares."


    Robin''s eyes widened at his words, before she smiled a true.


    "You¡­ are a good person, Garp-san. I see why they refer to you as the Hero of the Marines," she eventually said.


    That... it felt good to know that good people existed in the world, who understood that she was a victim to the corruption of the World Government.


    Garp placed a massive hand on her head and ruffled it with no hesitation, ruining her bedhead even further.


    "She''s a good one!" Garp laughed. "...Are you sure you want to like him?" he whispered loudly, pointing a finger at the glowering redhead.


    "I''m very sure," Robin replied without hesitation, placing a palm on Rosan''s chest to stop him.


    Rosan grabbed the outstretched arm and pulled her to him, before glancing at Garp. "Garp, how much does the World Government know about my biological parents?" He asked with a frown.


    Garp turned uncharacteristically serious for a moment. "We know about both your parents¡­ Why? You want to know about them?"


    Truthfully, Rosan didn''t give a rats ass about learning about them¡­ but Robin was curious and he knew a curious Robin wouldn''t rest until she was sated.


    He wouldn''t torture her like that so if he could give her answers, he would. Rosan knew she was curious about his family lineage anyways and there was a resource here so may as well.


    It''s not like he hated his lineage. He just didn''t care for them.


    "You''re so considerate," Robin told the redhead with a grateful smile. "Thank you for accommodating my selfish curiosity."


    "Anything for you."


    Rosan nodded. "Yeah, tell me what you know."


    Garp stuck a finger in his nose. "Well I don''t know much about them. I didn''t really care enough."


    Rosan felt a tick form and resisted the urge to attack him. This stupid goddamn old man¡­ why would he not start off with that?


    Robin giggled at his antics.


    "I met your mother a few times. She''s a lot like you and you look alike too," he grunted, recalling what he knew. "She traveled the New World by herself at a young age... and I think that''s where she met your father. From what I know of her, I''m surprised she abandoned you."


    "Everyone says she''s like me," Rosan grunted at that, unamused.


    So his mother was someone with extreme amounts of talent. She was able to traverse the New World at a young age and it had likely been before she gave birth to him...


    It truly sounded like Rosan was Raisa''s child. He was sure he''d probably be traversing the New World far earlier in his life if he had not gotten robbed of his ambition.


    Which meant his father had to be someone dangerous too, if he was able to actually rape her.


    "What about my father... You called him Cutter? Based on what Aokiji said, he''s quite a bad egg."


    "¡­" Garp frowned at that. "Your father isn''t someone that is very well known but he was apart of a crew that was the most dangerous to exist¡­"


    Both their eyes widened in interest at that.


    "He was nothing special in the crew, just a little kid at the time. He has a grudge against me so when I was the one sent to capture him in the South Blue, he fought instead of escaping despite how beat up he was," the old man revealed with a severe frown.


    "What did you do?" Robin asked in interest, fascinated by hearing about Rosan''s parents.


    His mother a formidable queen and his father was apart of the most dangerous crew?


    Who was this Cutter? What was the story behind Rosan''s father?


    "That crew he was apart of when he was just a kid... his brother was the captain of it and I defeated him a long time ago. He disappeared for years before suddenly showing up and invading your mother''s island, then right after I captured him," Garp grunted.


    Rosan hummed, brows furrowed. "His full name¡­ what is it?" He asked.


    "¡­" Garp seemed to age a few years mentioning that name.


    "Rocks D. Cutter."

 Love IV

    "Are you satisfied?" Rosan asked curiously, carrying the tired Robin on his back.


    "Quite a bit... Not only did I learn of your Mother and Father. I learned that your uncle was the captain of a crew that had the current Yonko, barring Shanks, in it," Robin said in awe.


    There was so much that she learned! Perhaps she could have Ace arrange a meeting between her and Whitebeard to gain more information about it all.


    Rosan grunted at that. His uncle on his father''s side was named Xebec but that''s all Garp felt like talking about.


    The Rocks Pirates... he never heard of such a crew. He didn''t even know three out of four of the current Yonko had sailed on the same ship.


    No wonder they were regarded as such a terrifying crew... and allegedly both his father and uncle had been apart of it... but his father had just been a kid.


    Interesting. His father sounded more interesting than his mother... and if he was apart of such a formidable crew, why did he choose Raisa?


    Regretfully, it seemed like Rosan was getting curious about his history too.


    "Thank you again for accommodating me," Robin said softly, pleased at the information.


    "Of course. You just have to ask."


    Garp didn''t know much about his Father, besides saying he was, "An ambitious, tenacious and vengeful bastard who doesn''t know when to quit."


    That sounded suspiciously like Rosan.


    His name didn''t ring a bell to Robin, Rosan or Mod and Garp had already said he was off, so the duo went back to their crew...


    "This is Koby?"


    ...Which is where Rosan was introduced to that cowardly boy way back in the East Blue.


    "You''re the weak, spineless, crybaby kid?" Rosan asked incredulously, gazing at the pink haired boy with a raised brow.


    Koby''s smile at seeing his friend, was quickly replaced by comical tears at the words he chose to use.


    "Still as rude as ever, Rosan-san!" he weeped.


    The redhead snorted. "You''ve changed a lot, almost as much as Alvida did," he mentioned.


    Luffy laughed. "I didn''t recognize him either! He used to be just a fat little kid!"


    Koby blushed and rubbed the back of his head. "Please don''t mention her name¡­ and I think you changed even more then I have! You don''t remind me of a machine anymore!"


    The pink haired boy suddenly shrieked as two slits appeared directly in front of him, both pulsing a different color as they stared a hole through him.


    "Yeah, I''m a Devil now," Rosan smirked, before chuckling in amusement. "You''re still a coward, Koby. Some things don''t change."


    "A-And you''re still really mean and scary," Koby rasped, grabbing his beating heart.


    "What about me? Do you remember me?!" A random blonde asked eagerly.


    Rosan blinked slowly and tilted his head at the fact that another Marine had the audacity to speak to him. "Ugly, blonde hair and a cleft chin¡­"


    "I don''t understand why he''s so rude!" the sensible Straw Hats cried.


    What was with that description?! Why did he always have to go out of his way to say the rudest things?!


    The redhead eventually nodded after a few seconds. "Oh I remember you now, you freak. You''re that super weak and corrupt Captain''s son. The one who kept calling him Daddy. How''s his back? I leapt pretty high out when I crushed it into paste."


    As Rosan spoke, Helmeppo slowly but surely became more and more depressed.


    "I hate you all," he muttered with tears in his eyes, crumpling into a ball.


    "You are such an ass, Rosan," Nami sighed.


    The redhead tilted his head once more. "What? That''s probably the nicest thing I could have said about him. You don''t wanna know what I''m actually thinking."


    "...Honestly, yeah that''s pretty tame of you," Sanji nodded in amusement.


    "Y-You have worse things to say?!" Helmeppo gaped.


    Rosan glanced at him unimpressed. "Of course I do. Have you ever looked in a mirror?" He retorted with a raised brow.


    Everyone collapsed.


    "Rosan¡­" Koby suddenly said, bowing to the curious redhead. "I wanted to thank you for everything you''ve done for me! I already thanked Luffy so that just left you."


    "Hm? I didn''t do anything deserving of thanks," he shrugged. He didn''t want any Marine thanking him.


    "No you did!" Koby exclaimed passionately. "You helped me see that the world isn''t all black and white and if not for you, I would have given up long ago! You and Luffy helped give me the resolve to pursue my dreams!"


    "Pft," Rosan snorted, shaking his head. "If you ever try to capture me, you''ll probably stop thanking me."


    Koby balked at that. Rosan was still as scary as ever.


    "But you''re welcome I guess. Like I said, I just wanted you to understand that not all Marines are good and not all Pirates are evil."


    "And you helped me come to terms with that way faster!" Koby smiled.


    The redhead rolled his eyes and waved him off.


    "You would have come to terms with it without me. You''re not completely stupid."


    Koby''s jaw dropped at that. "Y-YOU THINK I''M SMART?! YOU''RE TOO KIND!" He cried happily.


    "When the hell did I say that?" Rosan sweatdropped along with everyone else.


    He snorted in amusement and just shook his head.


    "Whatever makes you happy. Now, all these Marines are making me grow sick and my wavering mental health can''t handle it¡­ Come on Robin," Rosan grunted, walking off. "Sanji did you cook? I''m starving."


    "You and me both," Robin sighed, following after him. "How long have we been asleep for?"


    "Luffy ate most of it but I''ll make you two a feast," Sanji nodded.


    "2 days," Nami chimed afterwards.


    "That might be the longest I''ve ever fallen asleep," Rosan muttered.


    "I think it''s the same for me¡­" Robin sighed, clambering on Rosan''s back once more and wrapping her arms around his neck. "You haven''t wrapped your hair up in a bun yet," she mentioned idly, resisting the urge to laugh as the spikes tickled her.


    Rosan shrugged, repairing the hole in the wall with barely a thought as he walked through it. "You prefer it when it''s down, so I''ll leave it like this. I don''t feel the need to tie it up anymore anyways."


    Robin sighed. "Has anyone ever told you just how adorable you are?"


    "Stop calling me adorable. I prefer handsome or hot," he retorted.


    "If you''re adorable that''s what you are. Don''t be so embarrassed about the truth. You''re still as cute as the days of our childhood," she replied, knowing how annoyed he''d get from that.


    Her smile vanished as Rosan''s grip on her tightened and the redhead smiled at her in a charming manner.


    She hated how demonic it looked.


    Without any warning, his draconic tail burst out and fully wrapped around her, leaving her trapped against his back, then the tip of it began mercilessly tickling her.


    "!" Robin''s eyes widened and she gasped. "R-Rosan stop!"


    She tried to choke him but was met with a brick wall instead, as the redhead applied armament to his neck.


    "Nope," he said smoothly, continuing to walk like he wasn''t currently torturing her.


    "I''m serious! I haven''t eaten in two days and you''re tickling me!" Robin tried in vain to struggle but the redhead just ignored her completely.


    "Laugh for me and I''ll consider it," he replied with a smug smirk.


    "¡­I''d rather die," Ohara''s Devil replied resolutely.


    "Let''s see how long that bravado lasts," his smirk turned into a grin.


    Robin''s horror grew.


    "R-Rosan wait! I''ll get upset ¡ª"


    "Modify: Sensitivity."


    To Robin''s point, she lasted all of 5 seconds before she broke.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan and Robin were resting on a wall, as a party began in full swing with way too many people.


    The Devil Child leaned on Rosan with a satisfied smile as he summoned a chair for them to sit on.


    "...Rosan, thank you," she said softly.


    "For the chair? I can do that as easy as breathing," he replied, amusement lacing his tone.


    She shook her head. "No¡­ Thank you for everything¡­ I''m so glad I got to meet and learn about you, Portgas D. Rosan," she admitted.


    Rosan and Mod''s eyes widened at that, stunned silent.


    "Thank you for being the only person to ever get angry at me out of worry. No one''s ever done that¡­ no one''s ever been mad at me because they care for my well-being, except for you. You hold me accountable for all my stupid decisions when someone should hold me accountable and that makes me so happy," she began.


    "Thank you for seeing me as me and nothing else. I''ve never once been anything but Nico Robin to you¡­ I''ve never been the Devil Child, a threat to the world, a dangerous person who should be cut down¡­ no to you, I was just a lonely girl who needed a friend more than anything¡­"


    By now, Robin had turned to fully face him, with glistening eyes and a small smile.


    "...Finally, thank you for having the courage to give up Meiko just to save me¡­ you have no idea how that makes me feel because I know just how difficult that must have been for you. Thank you for having so much faith in me, that you would even do that," she whispered, tucking her head into his neck and allowing her tears to fall.


    "I promise until the day we settle down, I won''t let you down," she swore.


    Rosan said nothing for a moment, just digesting her words. He could hear Ram and Mod sniffing at the heartfelt words and resisted the urge to smile.


    "...Can I be honest with you, Robin?" he asked softly.


    "¡­" Robin didn''t trust her words so she just nodded.


    The redhead took a deep breath. "Once I finally realized what was at stake¡­ it wasn''t hard," he revealed.


    ¡­


    "What/What/What?" Robin, Mod and Ram asked at the same time.


    Rosan smiled a small smile. "Didn''t I tell you, Robin? You were my new reason to live and when I said that, I vowed I''d do anything to keep you safe. It was hard coming to terms that I had to let Meiko go... but once I realized I wouldn''t be able to save you if I couldn''t... it was easy to come to the decision that I had to not let her shackle me anymore."


    Robin felt a lump form in her throat at that and she shut her eyes tight.


    "You''re thanking me for all these things¡­ but you are one of the sweetest, most beautiful and kindest person alive, Robin. In any other circumstance, you wouldn''t need to be thanking me because you''d already have dozens of people who love and appreciate you¡­ To me, I''m giving you what you''ve always deserved."


    He gently rubbed her hair as her tears began spilling in earnest.


    "It was easy for me to come to terms that I needed to let Meiko go because I''d be a dumbass to prioritize a ghost I love, over someone who''s alive that I love and Meiko herself would call me a dumbass if I did¡­"


    Rosan sighed fondly as he felt all three begin crying in earnest.


    They were adorable weren''t they? He thought it was common sense but maybe not.


    "...Meiko and I had an unnatural compatibility and I understand how that would have made us look¡­ but we have an unnatural compatibility too," he said truthfully, grinning down at her.


    "You were the first to completely understand me. You''re the only one who fully gets me and I''m the only one who fully gets you."


    He was right... no one understood Rosan like she did. Rosan told and showed her everything and there were even things he would be afraid to show Meiko.


    "Don''t go comparing yourself to anyone, Robin. I''ll get super pissed if you get insecure about stuff like that. You should know more than anyone, that when I love, it''s with all my heart, Robin," he said softly, tucking her into him with a content smile.


    Robin didn''t even bother hiding how much that speech affected her and silently sobbed in his frame, relief flooding her body as she hugged him tightly.


    Words couldn''t even begin to describe how much she appreciated hearing those words and any doubt Robin had, were dashed away for good.


    "Has anyone ever told you, that you have a way with words that really hit deep?" Robin said, shuddering as she tried and failed to calm down.


    "You," he replied easily, peacefully tending to her.


    "She''s right, you do have quite a way with words. I''m still dwelling on what you said to me back when we first met..."


    Robin did a sharp intake and went pale, panic seeping in at seeing Rosan''s grip on her tighten.


    "...So let''s have a quick talk, Nico Robin and Iris D. Rosan," Aokiji said calmly, relaxing behind the wall, parallel to the couple.


    Robin shot Rosan a desperate look, clutching him in terror as she saw his eyes narrow.


    The redhead caught her gaze and sighed.


    "If you wanted, you could''ve captured us twice now but you haven''t¡­ are you really here just to talk? You don''t plan on killing us all?" Rosan replied back calmly.


    There was a short silence before Aokiji replied.


    "I just want to pick your minds is all¡­ After all, storming Enies Lobby just to save Nico Robin is far past what I expected¡­ not to mention Nico Robin refusing to run and turn herself in instead is equally surprising. You have my word, I won''t attack you unless you attack me."


    Robin blinked in shock as Rosan stood with her.


    "You''re telling the truth¡­ Alright," he replied calmly.


    "...You can tell if people are lying too? You sure are your mother''s son," Aokiji sighed.


    "Don''t be afraid. I won''t attack him so we will accommodate him for now and I''ll escape as fast as I can," Rosan assured, walking to meet the Admiral with assured steps.


    Robin shuddered and clutched him a bit tighter but nodded. "I¡­ I trust you Rosan."


    The redhead flashed her a reassuring smile and she shot a shaky smile in return.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan was positioned slightly in front of Robin, shielding her from the towering Admiral with a neutral expression.


    She hated that Aokiji reduced her to this but¡­ but she just couldn''t rid herself of the fear she had for him, so she clutched the back of Rosan''s red shirt slightly and allowed him to shield her.


    Aokiji gauged them with a severe expression. "I would ask why you didn''t run away, but I know the reason already. It''s because of Rosan here, right?"


    "¡­" Robin said nothing for a long while. "I love Rosan¡­ I would never run away and abandon him to dying¡­ but it''s not just him. If I only cared about him, we would have long escaped¡­ I care about them all," she said quietly.


    The man nodded. "So he really was the one you traveled with 20 years ago¡­" he mused.


    "Jaguar D. Saul was a close friend of mine. Since he sacrificed himself to save you, I let you escape from that island with the intent of making sure you didn''t waste your life," he revealed eventually.


    Robin''s eyes widened at that and her breath hitched.


    "To be honest, when I heard you had a mysterious partner, I thought you finally managed to find someone to rely on¡­ after all, you had been traveling with him for 4 years and not once did we glean his identity. It was clear you were trying to protect him¡­" Aokiji began.


    "But then he suddenly disappeared and you were on the run again. Alone," he revealed calmly.


    Rosan''s eyes narrowed as Robin flinched horribly and he reassuringly squeezed her arm.


    "He''s talking about when I got kidnapped by Doc."


    "I''ve done research on you, Rosan," Aokiji suddenly said to the redhead. "I understand what happened to you as a child. Running away from your island at 4 after your adoptive mother died giving birth¡­ To be honest, I felt bad for you. After all, I thought Nico Robin betrayed a small vulnerable child and got you killed. That''s why despite everything, I haven''t killed you yet."


    Rosan frowned at the amount of information they had on him. To even know he ran away at 4... he underestimated their capabilities.


    "I would never betray Rosan like that!" Robin shouted suddenly, stepping out from behind him with a look of rare fury on her face.


    "I didn''t know that. It''s not like anyone was there to correct me," he shrugged. "Regardless, when I saw that you two made contact again, I began thinking that you had truly manipulated him¡­ and the way he was so set on protecting you confirmed it to me¡­"


    "But then I saw how scared you got¡­ for him," Aokiji grunted. "Love is a powerful thing and the two of you have a love for each other that''s dangerous¡­ dangerous enough for Rosan here to completely storm Enies Lobby for."


    "It''s not one-sided. You haven''t manipulated anyone, Nico Robin¡­ you didn''t condemn an innocent child to death so you could get away¡­ and you''ve found people to trust and rely on so Saul''s sacrifice was not in vain," Aokiji stated, grave expression vanishing.


    Robin looked stunned, as Aokiji began walking away from the duo.


    "I don''t know if sparing you was the right or wrong move¡­ but show them that Ohara is still alive, Nico Robin¡­"


    The Admiral suddenly paused, before glancing back and gazing at Rosan this time.


    "And as for you, Red Devil, you may have been an innocent boy before, but things have changed now and you''ve become an entirely separate threat. If I didn''t come here just to talk, I''d have already captured you because quite frankly, you''re too big of a threat... but despite everything, I don''t think you''re a terrible person. I understand your gripes, I even agree with them... but your methods are all wrong. Your absolute hatred reminds me of a terrible person... who is also the reason I agree with your mindset."


    "...I admit, my hatred for the Marines can be unfair at times... but you and all of them sit back and allow corruption to run rampant. Why? Are you, as an Admiral, unable to make changes? You are not corrupt, Aokiji so why? Do you even want to make change?" Rosan replied thinking about what he had done to Emma.


    That was the one Marine, who hadn''t deserved death at his hands. She was simply doing her job but Rosan... had an extreme way of thinking that he was beginning to realize wasn''t healthy.


    "Change is not easy for everyone, like it is for you," Aokiji said softly, glancing wearily at the redhead.


    Rosan scowled at that and shook his head. "It will not end with me. Many others have gotten their lives ruined by this so called Justice. Change is not easy, but sometimes change is necessary," he said firmly, staring fearlessly at the Admiral.


    "Deep down, you know that everything that''s going on is wrong. That''s why you spared Robin... because you understood in that moment, that she was just an 8 year old girl who had just gotten everything taken away from her. That''s why you sympathize with my story, because you know that your organization took my mother from me when she was completely innocent."


    Robin shuddered at Rosan''s tone, glancing at the tall redhead with wide eyes.


    "You are not a bad Marine, Aokiji... but that doesn''t change the fact that you''re a Marine. You are one of the few with the power to make change, but yet you sit here and tell me change is not easy. How can you expect to ever see change when you''re too much of a coward to make change?"


    "...You really do have a way with your words," was all Aokiji said.


    With that, the Admiral departed.


    Rosan watched him go with narrowed eyes only to hold up the Robin who immediately collapsed into his arms, sweat falling from her features.


    "See? I can be calm as long as someone''s not blatantly threatening you," he whispered soothingly.


    "Does¡­ does this mean he''ll finally leave me alone?" She asked with a small shudder.


    Rosan gazed at her with an unreadable look. "Robin, I''ll become the strongest in the world. When I become the strongest, you''ll never have to worry about anyone coming after you again because they''ll be more worried about me."


    Robin froze at that.


    When was the last time, becoming the strongest was Rosan''s dream...? And of course, his primary reason was because of her.


    "I know you can become the strongest, Rosan. I will never doubt your claims¡­ if anyone can become the strongest, it''s you," Robin said strongly, squeezing him with all her might.


    "We''ll do it together. We have all the tools needed to become the strongest so I swear we will. We won''t let harm befall you Robin," Mod growled possessively.


    "Over my dead body! I wanna become stronger too and that means using everything in my arsenal! I''ll protect you forever, Mother!" Ram said fiercely, remembering the feeling of actual protecting her father with a defensive weapon.


    Robin couldn''t keep the fond smile off her face as she listened to the three.


    She loved them all so much.


    "ROSAN! ROBIN! WHAT ARE YOU DOING OVER THERE?!" Nami shouted out to them.


    Rosan, still holding Robin, turned to face her. "My bad Nami, I was just getting ready to force my tongue down Robin''s throat and didn''t want to cause anyone stress."


    Mod turned scarlet and Ram began whistling, as Robin let out a sigh of exasperation.


    "Thank you for the lie, Rosan. I''m glad that''s what you thought of," Robin said dryly.


    "I don''t lie."


    "I approve¡­ but now that I actually got you two together¡­ it''s kinda really gross to hear about you say that," Ram said thoughtfully.


    "Please don''t be so crude! I''d rather not imagine such things!" Mod gasped in horror.


    "Get used to it. I''m very affectionate and older now too. It''s gonna happen more often than not," Rosan shrugged.


    Robin nodded. "Sorry you two¡­ I also quite enjoy it so I won''t stop him."


    His mother spluttered. "DON''T SAY SUCH THINGS TO YOUR MOTHER! THINK ABOUT MY FEELINGS! DO YOU THINK I WANT TO SEE THAT?!"


    "Gross," Nami said flatly, utterly unamused. "I didn''t need to hear that. Imagining you kissing is making me feel icky inside."


    "That just means the sibling blood pact is almost complete," Rosan smirked infuriatingly.


    Nami opened her mouth¡­ before closing it as a flash of horror crossed her features. "CAN YOU ACTUALLY DO THAT?! IS THAT WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED WHEN CLIMA BONDED WITH ME?!"


    Robin let loose genuine laughter at that.


    She wouldn''t trade this crew for anything in the world.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Franky is building us a ship?" Rosan asked curiously, idly eating an apple as he rested his head on Robin''s lap.


    "What a cool guy!" Luffy beamed excitedly.


    "Oh but he said you can''t see the results until he''s finished with his work! He said it would take about five days to be done," Nami explained.


    The redhead nodded thoughtfully, offering the apple up for Robin.


    "No," she denied in a deadpan.


    "...That unhealthy lifestyle will do you no favors."


    She felt her annoyance nearly spike. "That has nothing to do with this and you know that. I''m not biting into an apple you already bit. Just give me another one."


    "¡­"


    Robin closed her eyes at the look on Rosan''s face and sighed, before accepting the offer and biting into the apple.


    He smirked victoriously and she rolled her eyes, idly pinching the brat''s cheek.


    "Oh, that reminds me¡­ Luffy, I want Franky to join our crew," Rosan said bluntly, ignoring her pinching. "Do any of you have a problem with that? I know he got on your nerves earlier and I don''t really know the full scope but his skills are the real deal."


    Luffy shook his head. "I think he''s cool! I want him to be our shipwright too!" He exclaimed eagerly.


    Zoro shrugged. "If you guys want him, I don''t see the issue. He managed to beat an Agent by himself and he is good at building ships."


    Robin nodded along with the swordsman. "He sounds like a useful asset¡­ and he moved me with his actions at Enies Lobby when he destroyed the blueprints to Pluton. He had no obligation to do that¡­ but he chose to trust you all. I have no complaints."


    Hearing Robin''s words, managed to fully sway the conflicted Nami, Sanji and Chopper.


    "I''ll be keeping an eye on that pervert," Sanji grunted.


    "...He made Usopp leave but he also helped us out plenty so I guess we can," Nami muttered, not fully trusting him just yet.


    "I trust you guys and if you want him, I won''t complain," Chopper nodded eventually.


    "If you have any lingering problems, don''t be afraid to bring it up," Rosan grunted. "I won''t undermine how you all feel. I just think he''s useful."


    Nami sighed. "He did help us out a lot and he used our money for something we planned on doing anyways¡­ I guess I really don''t have a problem with him if the ship turns out amazing."


    "Well, we have 5 days to fully decide. No need to rush," Rosan grunted, standing up and stretching. "Since we lost all our money, I''ll give you the same cut of gold as last time, make sure not to lose it this time. Use it to stock up on anything we may need and some extra stuff. You guys deserve to spoil yourselves."


    The crew forgot that their scout managed to secure them such a massive piece of gold and Nami''s eyes turned into stars.


    "I can buy so much expensive furniture now!" She gushed happily. "Oh, but where are you going?"


    "I''m off to visit Maro¡­ if I''m correct, Angel and Demon should be recovering from a fever," he muttered, a flash of worry on his face at the thought of his little twins.


    Due to everything happening, he had forgotten¡­ but being made from him made the twins quite connected to his abilities so if Modification suddenly went dark, they''d be affected somewhat by it as well.


    Robin''s features turned worried as well and she stood up. "Let''s go?"


    He nodded and with a short wave, the two vanished.


    "A fever?!" Chopper frowned in worry. Those two couldn''t get sick¡­ but Rosan had lost his abilities¡­ so maybe they did?!


    He hoped they were fine.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Maro had been a complete mess these past few days.


    Well, that was honestly a nice way to put it. The emotional Queen had been crying uncontrollably and had been completely unable to do her duties.


    Why?


    Well, Angel and Demon were sick that was why.


    She wasn''t sure what happened but while cuddling with Angel, the woman suddenly seized up and abruptly fell unconscious.


    When she tried to call Demon, who was still at work, the staff had told her that the exact same thing had happened to him too and there was a big fuss.


    That was the moment Maro burst into tears.


    Naturally, if something simultaneously happened to the twins, there was only one solution and that was her Master¡­


    Except when she tried to call him with her tiara, there had been no response at all.


    That''s when she started crying uncontrollably because Master never once, missed one of her calls so that meant the reason something was wrong with the twins, was because something was wrong with him.


    Thankfully, the two had woken up not long after, but had gained a fever.


    It was the first time since knowing them, that Maro ever saw them sick¡­


    The two had been more worried about what could possibly have happened to Master but Maro had been having none of it, fussing over them with teary eyes the entire time and using her just as affected soldiers (and citizens) as emotional support.


    She loved all of them so much for making sure she herself was doing okay because honestly, Maro was stressed. She had been almost completely neglecting her duties as Queen and vowed to send Kanna on a vacation at the earliest convenience.


    That was two days ago, and the twins were already back at full capacity¡­


    But that begged the question¡­ what happened to Master?


    As if the answer to her nonstop musing finally came to her, Maro''s teacher himself showed up in her office and she felt a teary grin immediately form.


    "MASTER!" She screamed, leaping clean over the table and into his waiting arms. "I-I missed you so much a-and I realized something happened to you b-because I tried to call you through pulling my tiara but you didn''t answer and then Angel and Demon both got so sick a-and my citizens did so much to make sure I managed to stay well but I still cried so muuuuch!" Maro wailed, squeezing Rosan with all her might and instantly soaking his shirt.


    Robin''s eyes once more narrowed in guilt at how many people had gotten affected by this.


    "I''m alright now," Rosan soothed, rubbing her back to calm her down. "Why didn''t you call me with the Cube? I wasn''t able to sense your Save Point because I was neutralized but my Cube was working fairly fine."


    Maro sniffed, orange eyes gazing up at him. "The stress made me forget I had it. I haven''t gotten used to using it!" she sobbed.


    Rosan sweatdropped and just continued to hug her, steadily calming his student down.


    "I''ll tell you everything but can you call Angel and Demon? I wanna see if they''re alright," Rosan muttered, eyes narrowed in concern.


    Maro nodded shakily, a little taken aback by his visible concern, before she used her observation to peer into Rosan.


    What she saw left her stunned.


    The Queen''s eyes widened, at the sheer waterfall of emotions crashing into her and she took a step back in shock.


    "W-What happened to you?!" She stammered.


    "I''ll explain it all soon," Rosan assured, hoisting her up and tossing her over his shoulder. "You''re taking too long, let''s just go find them¡­ they''re in the same place anyways."


    Maro squealed at the action and shot Robin a confused and helpless look over atop him, as the redhead began walking off.


    Robin shot her a shaky smile in return.


    Oh they were going to be so mad at her¡­


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Angel and Demon, who were both being forced to remain in bed by their incredibly unreasonable Queen, let out noises of surprise as their older brother burst into the room with said Queen on his shoulder and a subdued best friend in tow.


    He summarily dropped the Queen on her butt and scooped his brother and sister into a relieved hug.


    "Sorry about that you two¡­ I let my guard down and got neutralized with seastone¡­ I don''t know what effect it had on you guys¡­" he muttered in worry, soaking in the sensation of his younger siblings.


    He doubted Angel and Demon would die if he were to die, but they were connected to him more closely than most of his modifications.


    Rosan had used the same technique he used to create Ram on them after all. The Seed of Life technique used his very essence to fuel them, unlike his other contraptions.


    His Modifications were permanent, so even if he died they would remain on a person... but at the same time, they might lose complete access to his abilities if he were to die, so they may enter a coma for a while to accommodate those changes...


    Rosan had worked very hard to make them more "human" over the years after all. Dying to causes outside of their control would be a sin Rosan would never forgive himself for. So he worked hard to separate them from himself, all while making them less machine and more biological.


    It was a work in progress and he knew that they didn''t mind not being human... but Rosan wanted to give them the choice.


    "It''s fine, Master," Demon replied with a short laugh, returning the hug easily and marvelling at the sight of his older brother being worried about them.


    "We weren''t even that sick, Maro was just overreacting!" Angel beamed, soaking in his embrace with a pleased smile and readily returning it. She was so ecstatic that their brother was showing emotions so freely!


    The doctor nodded in agreement. "We''re more concerned about you getting neutralized with seastone! What happened?"


    Rosan raked a hand through his hair and sighed. "It''s¡­ a long story so just sit back and listen."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Maro quickly intercepted the tan hand flying straight for Robin''s face and locked an even orange gaze onto Angel''s own furious purples.


    Robin had been expecting anger but to see Angel try and slap her without any hesitation, stung quite a bit. But... but she deserved it.


    "Let me go, Maro. Right now," she hissed furiously, glaring so heatedly at Robin, the brunette was reminded that Angel and Rosan were very much similar in personality.


    The female clone shared more than just looks... the two always expressed themselves with anger first.


    Rosan had just finished informing them of what had transpired at Water 7 and Enies Lobby and the reactions he got were fairly mixed.


    Angel was burning with fury, not believing what she heard for a second but getting steadily more and more upset as she realized Robin''s actions caused this. The woman was barely restraining herself from flying off the handle, for respect of her brother but now that the story was over, she was unleashed.


    Demon, while not as furious as his sister, was still upset and shot a rather disappointed look that Robin never thought he''d shoot her. She could subtly see him shaking, especially at the part where Rosan mentioned getting tortured.


    Maro was the only one not visibly upset with her, opting to hold her wife back with a firm look. She seemed to be the only one who sympathized with Robin''s case and the Devil Child was grateful that she was so kind.


    But honestly, all three were well within their rights to be furious with her... Robin almost cost them their family and friends.


    "No, Angel," the Dokkaebi denied firmly. "Master and Robin already talked it out and clearly she''s been through her fair share of things. Think about how she must have felt making these decisions."


    "I don''t care!" Angel snarled, purple sparks surging from her body as her purple eyes began glowing in fury. "I don''t care what she must have went through! That doesn''t mean my feelings can just be thrown to the side like dirt! I don''t care if they talked things out! Let me go! Let me go right now, Maro or so help me I''ll turn on you!"


    Demon said nothing, understanding why his sister was so upset. Truthfully, he was just as upset but he expressed himself differently from her.


    "Angel. That''s enough¡­ I understand how you feel but be more considerate. Robin knows more than any of us, how badly she messed up. Just look at her," Maro said seriously, staring a hole into her and making the redhead reel back.


    Finally, Angel''s expression cracked and she swung her other arm, only for Maro to grab that one too.


    "Angel. Stop," Maro said in a tone of finality, looking every bit like the queen she was.


    "WHY?! WHY CAN''T I BE ANGRY WITH HER?! WHY DO I HAVE TO FORGIVE HER?!" She shrieked, struggling fruitlessly in Maro''s grasp. "WHY CAN''T I BE UPSET THAT I NOT ONLY ALMOST LOST HER FOR GOOD, BUT I ALMOST LOST MASTER TOO?! I ALMOST LOST MASTER! I ALMOST LOST LUFFY! WE ALMOST LOST EVERYONE MARO, SO WHY?! WHY?!"


    Robin shut her eyes tightly at the depressing words of the female redhead.


    The woman''s anger seemed to drain out of her instantly and she sagged into the sympathetic Maro who just scooped her wife into a deep hug.


    "Am I supposed to just forgive her after what I was just told? What type of rational person do you think I am?" She whispered, breaking out into weak sobs.


    "I know, honey. I know," Maro whispered soothingly, planting a gentle kiss on her forehead as Angel shuddered and sobbed.


    For the umpteenth time, Robin felt her heart constrict, as she saw the tears of defeat forming in Demon''s eyes as well.


    "I would love to... but I can''t help you here," Rosan said quietly, gripping her hand supportively. "This is between you and them. My words won''t stop this pain but yours will."


    "You managed to reason with Rosan, I know you can talk to them too," Mod reassured.


    "You got this Mother. You know what to do," Ram smiled sadly.


    Robin said nothing but she knew they were right.


    She caused this mess, so she needed to own up and fix it.


    "Before landing on Water 7, we ran into Admiral Aokiji of the World Government," Robin began softly, standing up and drawing all eyes to her. "He¡­ He is the one who killed my first and only friend in front of me, Jaguar D. Saul when I was only 8 years old," she revealed.


    Maro and Demon''s eyes widened sympathetically as they saw the pain in her eyes.


    "Ever since that moment¡­ I''ve been truly terrified of just hearing his name¡­ When we ran into him, he provoked Rosan by using me again and they fought," the brunette continued, shutting her eyes at the memories of Rosan screaming while being frozen.


    "Just like that day on Ohara, Aokiji froze Rosan solid, right in front of me with such ease and¡­ it triggered my trauma. I thought I lost him someone else I loved right in front of me and there wasn''t a thing I could do about it again."


    Angel''s anger began slowly vanishing as she saw a tear fall from Robin''s eyes.


    "I just didn''t want to lose him again and the events of it all left me completely irrational. To make matters worse, right as we landed on Water 7, I was immediately bombarded with news of CP9 and... they are the group that played a hand in destroying my island. They approached and threatened to have the entire crew destroyed with the same method they used to destroy Ohara¡­"


    Robin shook her head and began trembling.


    "Please understand it from my point of view¡­ The one who killed my best friend and the group who destroyed my island, all on the same night¡­ and I ran into them back to back. I thought there was no way I''d ever be able to escape that fate and I didn''t want to drag the crew down with me! I thought if I sacrificed myself, they''d be at the very least safe but I was wrong."


    Robin bowed to the three leaders of Celadon.


    "I''m sorry for almost undoing all the work made on Rosan. No one knows more then I do, how badly I messed up and like I said to him, I''ll work hard to earn your forgiveness¡­ so please allow me to and don''t cast me away because... I really do love you all."


    They gazed at her in shock, before Maro tentatively released Angel and walked up to Robin.


    The Devil Child froze as the Queen scooped her in a tender and crushing hug, rubbing the woman''s back and gazing at her with caring orange eyes.


    "It must have been so hard for you¡­ I know that you would never leave Master voluntarily so in your eyes, you really thought you were doing the best and it must have destroyed you to make a decision that forced you to be away from him," Maro whispered soothingly.


    "As Queen, I have to make difficult decisions too¡­ and I don''t know if I''d ever be able to come to such a difficult one like you did. I won''t give you any flack because you already punished yourself enough the moment you made such a painful decision."


    Robin shuddered at the compassionate words, only to freeze as another set of arms wrapped around her.


    "How could I ever blame a person suffering from a trauma attack¡­" Demon muttered in sorrow. "I had no idea you were exposed to two of your most traumatic moments back to back. It must have been so difficult for you to be forced to make a decision, while in the face of something that filled you with such fear¡­"


    "...It was so hard," she admitted. "Izumi mentioned the Buster Call and Aokiji in one sentence and I gave up resisting."


    "I understand," Demon said soothingly.


    Robin shuddered in their comforting grasps before they eventually broke it off and she gazed at the teary eyed Angel.


    "¡­" Angel bit her lip and glanced at the floor. Then, she stood up and rushed the Devil Child.


    Robin made no move to dodge the woman and with a small "oof" they were both brought to the floor but to her surprise, the woman was hugging her.


    "Y-You dummy! We love you too!" Angel sobbed, clutching the woman. "You think any of us wanna be told that you died?! Master wouldn''t be the only heartbroken one, all of us would be destroyed! How would we ever be able to continue?!"


    "You''re apart of our family, Robin! We love you so much so don''t ever think you can ever do something like this again¡­ because I really will never forgive you! I can only be so reasonable to someone once and you just wasted it!" The older twin whimpered.


    Robin smiled tearfully and returned the hug. "Never again. I know now that I have a loving and caring family who want the best for me and from now on, I''ll fight with everything I''ve got to live."


    "You better!" Angel mumbled against her.


    Rosan smiled softly. "I''ll make sure of it. The girlfriend of the strongest person alive, should be quite impressive herself don''t you think?"


    ¡­


    "Huh?" Maro, Demon and Angel said dumbly.


    Girlfriend? What did he just say?


    "Did we forget to mention we''re dating now?" Robin smiled, planting a kiss on Rosan''s cheek to emphasize her point.


    That smile turned into a yelp as Rosan immediately turned her and planted one on her lips instead.


    ¡­


    "Rosan, maybe I need to start expressing some boundaries¡­ such public displays of affection aren''t my thing and you know that," Robin reprimanded as soon as he pulled back.


    "Stop being such an introvert. If I get the urge to kiss you and then I drag you away, people will think I''m doing terrible things to you and begin expressing concerns," he countered with an amused smirk.


    "...I don''t know how you always come up with such nonsense arguments¡­ also I hate that you''re such an extrovert now. Please go back to being an introvert," she sighed.


    Angel, Maro and Demon''s jaw dropped to the floor.


    "W-When did this happen?" Maro stammered, mind stuck on the short but chaste kiss and having her perverted mind let out a pleased sigh.


    T-They were both hot okay!


    "We kissed in the middle of a burning Enies Lobby," Robin revealed.


    "I was trying to give her a piece of my mind. I was really pissed, before she caught me off guard," Rosan laughed.


    "I couldn''t help it! Hearing that you lost your last chain made me happy!"


    ¡­


    "WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?!" They all shouted.


    Rosan sweatdropped. "I forgot to mention that. My bad."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "S-So you really lost the last chain?" Angel whimpered, eyes glistening as the redhead nodded at her question.


    "Yeah," Rosan nodded, tucking his children into his frame and rolling his eyes at their teary giddiness. "It''s gone and I''ll do everything to make sure they don''t come back¡­"


    The redhead sighed and tilted his head back a bit.


    "But getting control over my emotions is so hard right now¡­ I can barely manage them at all," he grunted.


    Robin rubbed a hand through his long spikes, deciding to finally cut it, and smiled reassuringly. "I''ll help you. You know that, Rosan," she murmured.


    "We''ll help too!" Maro chirped, beaming up at the redhead whose face was no longer a stone wall.


    He looked so alive¡­ Maro somehow began to love her Master even more because the one who she had known her entire life, had been a cold and silent teacher, who was detached from the world in a way that truly did make him seem like Reaper even out of his disguise.


    Now... now he looked just like how Maro expected Portgas D. Rosan to look and it was breathtaking. She was so glad that her teacher found the answers he was looking for because Maro saw the side of him that everyone wanted back and she was thankful for that.


    Angel and Demon were the exact same. The two didn''t even bother to hide their tears at listening to their older brother''s casual laughter, or his excited rambling... or the way he looked at every single one of them with such unconditional love.


    "You have my word that no harm will befall you guys when I get my emotions back if I can help it."


    That''s... what Master had said when they showed how visibly afraid of him they still were and they felt so stupid for feeling that fear because not an ounce of resentment clouded Rosan''s body.


    No, every time his bright eyes flickered over to their forms, his expression would light up and he''d just inspect every little thing that he noticed before, but never cared to glean into.


    It was just so... it was so surreal.


    "Ah, you''re all so adorable," Rosan sighed fondly as he sat up and transformed Ram into a pair of scissors, handing it over to Robin so she could do what she wanted to do.


    Robin grabbed the scissors and stood behind the redhead, grabbing the long, near back length, hair (why did it grow so quickly?!) and got to work.


    The trio watched Robin diligently cut his hair and decided to question the redhead while they still had him.


    "So¡­ you ran into the girl who killed Meiko again?" Demon asked hesitantly.


    Rosan hummed, resisting the urge to nod due to the scissors currently in his head. "Yeah I did. She''s been training this whole time with the sole intention of defeating me and she was really close, but ultimately she failed because her opponent was yours truly."


    Robin spoke up this time. "Did you¡­ kill her?" She asked, feeling a little conflicted towards the short agent.


    On one hand, Izumi was the reason she had fully given up... but on the other, the girl truly believed that Robin was completely innocent and even vowed to save her once she was done with Rosan.


    To Izumi, Robin was just a victim to the redhead. She was wrong but... that twisted point of view didn''t hide the fact that she cared for Robin''s wellbeing, evidenced by the fact that she protected her from Spandam.


    Robin supposed she didn''t truly have anymore problems with Izumi anymore... especially considering she failed in her mission.


    "No, I didn''t. This whole mess started because I twisted Meiko''s final wishes and tortured her, so I decided to actually let her live her life without the threat of me," Rosan replied, much to everyone''s surprise. "...Izumi and I aren''t very different but she just got the short end of the stick¡­ so I spared her and told her to go find a new reason to live. Call it pity or indifference, but Meiko didn''t want me to kill her anyways so I didn''t¡­"


    They looked at the redhead in shock, not expecting that after hearing what she had done to him.


    "That''s... oddly mature and not vindictive of you," Robin pointed out, surprised that Rosan was still so capable of showing such growth.


    "Tell me about it," Rosan groaned. "I blame it on how empathetic I used to be as a child. I can''t believe I actually made a comparison between the two of us," he sighed tiredly.


    Maro laughed. "And here I was thinking we were complete opposites! Master, you and I are totally similar!" she beamed giddily.


    The redhead rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I guess we are. But I''m not a giant pervert like you are. Now that I have my emotions back, all the memories of you sexually harassing, me have come crashing into me and I feel used. We seriously need to talk about your lack of boundaries when it comes to me."


    The queen spluttered. "W-What?! NO! I REFUSE! YOU CAN''T STOP ME FROM BEING WHO I AM! YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO BE MY #1 SUPPORTER MASTER! HOW COULD YOU BETRAY ME LIKE THIS-"


    "Kidding kidding. Christ, Maro," Rosan interrupted her with an exasperated sigh. "You''d think that after marrying and banging my just as hot as me sister, you''d have naturally stopped anyways but you''re just too greedy. Damn Dokkaebi," he muttered.


    Angel turned beet red. B-Banging?!


    "M-MASTER!" She shrieked in disbelief. "YOU CAN''T JUST SAY THINGS LIKE THAT! W-WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?! I''M YOUR SISTER!"


    Demon erupted in laughter. "So it''s fine for you two to sexually harass him, but he can''t make jokes? You two are ridiculous!"


    His older brother grinned with no shame. "Demon gets it! This is payback! I''m going to terrorize you two for everything you''ve subjected me to!"


    The wives gaped at his words and moaned miserably.


    They just got him back and they might have already hated him.


    Robin giggled at the interactions, pleased that they were all having so much fun but she couldn''t help but dwell on the previous topic.


    "You looked like you had more to say about Izumi, Rosan... what happened?" She asked curiously.


    "...She''s weird as hell," Rosan replied with a frown.


    He still didn''t quite get her motives but she was right in one thing. It would be best if he kept everyone who knew his secrets, on his side. They were lucky to be spared from Aokiji, but if the World Government sent another Admiral after learning his identity as Reaper, they were screwed.


    That''s why he accepted the offer after she mentioned handing over the CP9 agents.


    "I told her I''d leave her alone. I told her I''d never bother her again and I told her to live the life she wants¡­ and then she offered me her services and handed me the Golden Den Den on a silver platter so that I could destroy Enies Lobby."


    There was a pause at that and they digested the information.


    "What?" Angel snarled. "Master don''t tell me you actually¡ª"


    Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    Rosan shrugged. "Yeah, I accepted her offer. I stopped caring about her and she was extremely desperate to keep contact with me, to the point where I found it funny. Besides, she offered me the other CP9 agents¡­ and I never got my revenge on them either plus they know my secret."


    They shuddered at his ominous tone.


    "Izumi has suffered enough. Training most of your life only for it to not matter, is life ending and if she wants to be my pawn, so be it. I won''t turn away a useful subject," he shrugged, before his eyes darkened, cut strands of his red hair falling past.


    "But the other agents only had to fight my merciful crew," he said darkly, eyes narrowed into something dangerous. "So I will either subjugate, or kill them."


    "Scary," they all thought simultaneously. Hearing Rosan say the things he normally said, with an actual expression on his face was different... Everything was different.


    "Will you be sending them to me?" Maro asked curiously.


    Trained assassins would be useful but Master would have to ensure they were loyal... and that was hard to do unless he overhauled them all.


    Surprisingly, he shook his head.


    "No, it''s too risky with too little to gain," he denied, much to her agreement. "Not only would the World Government eventually recognize them, there''s too many of them for you to account for and they might cause trouble for your soldiers."


    Maro nodded thoughtfully. "That''s fine with me."


    "Good, I wouldn''t be able to stand the thought of having to see the girl who killed Meiko," Angel muttered venomously.


    "Don''t remind me," Rosan sighed, frowning deeply.


    Maybe he could renege on the agreement and just kill them all and be done with it...


    His greed was getting concerning. Maybe he should start those therapy sessions with Robin.


    Robin smiled in satisfaction, inspecting his shoulder length hair and making sure it looked perfect. "I''ll support any decision you make¡­ and if you have to, please don''t hesitate to use overhaul. I know what I said before but I changed my mind."


    The redhead accepted the mirror from Angel and inspected his haircut, nodding at the job well done. "Good, because I was planning on using it at least once but I''m glad you approve now," he smiled, raking a hand through his shoulder length hair.


    "Thanks, I''ve been meaning to get it cut for a while now," he murmured softly.


    "It doesn''t look bad long, but I''m just too fond of the shoulder length. We can experiment with long in the future," Robin replied, using her fruit to sweep up the hair off the floor.


    "Sure. As long as it looks good, I won''t complain," he replied. With a quick flash of his eyes, Rosan modified the floor and brought the pile of hair over to the trash, before raising the ground and dumping it in.


    "We should be getting new bounties soon, so be on the lookout for that," Rosan informed them, preparing to head back to his crew. "We''re also getting a new and improved ship. Once we go, we''ll show you guys it."


    The three nodded, smiling happily at the duo. "We''ll see you guys soon! Please be careful and don''t let something like this happen again!"


    "I won''t," Rosan said, waving at them.


    "I''ve learned my lesson, it won''t happen again if I can help it," Robin promised.


    "See ya Goblin! Let''s hang out soon!" Ram cheered, transforming into human form to quickly hug them all.


    "Hell yeah!" Maro beamed, hugging her best friend in return. "I thought you died! You''ve been way too quiet!"


    The silver haired ring rubbed her hair. "I''ve been brooding and thinking a bit is all."


    Maro''s eyes narrowed slightly and she inspected her best friend. The two exchanged a quick convo through glance, before the queen nodded.


    "We''ll talk more later! It''s about time we schedule that girl time," the Dokkaebi beamed.


    Angel''s gaze lit up at that. "Girl time?! Really?!"


    "That does sound fun..." Robin admitted. Some downtime after all the stress would be very much appreciated.


    "Leave it to me!" Maro beamed. "All of you should come. Ram, Robin, Nami and Mod-chan!"


    "Sounds good to me," Rosan nodded with an amused smile. "I''ll let Mod-chan take over then and make sure the connection is shut."


    "M-Me?" Mod blinked in surprise, taken aback by that.


    "You''re a girl aren''t you?" He asked in amusement. "Have a little fun. We''ve been saying you need to relax and this is the perfect way to do it."


    "That''s true... Okay, I''d like to spend time with you all as well," Mod smiled.


    "Cool, now that that''s settled, we''ll be going now," Rosan waved.


    The trio grinned and waved back.


    With that, the two vanished.


    Maro squealed as soon as they vanished. "I CAN''T BELIEVE THEY FINALLY GOT TOGETHER!" She jumped, hoisting both Angel and Demon up and spinning with them.


    Angel squealed in turn, just as happy. "They are so cute! I can''t believe they took so long to get together. Do you think we should start finding dresses for the wedding? What about buying clothes for their kids?! OH! I CAN START LEARNING HOW TO CRAFT THINGS TO MAKE PARENTHOOD EASIER! I want to be their favorite Auntie! They''ll love me!"


    Demon sweatdropped despite his small smile. "You''re thinking quite far into the future aren''t you? I think they''re great together too but kids already?"


    "Far?! It''s never too far!" She beamed. "This calls for celebration!"


    "PARTY!" Maro cheered giddily, rushing off to go inform her staff that they were free to take a break for the occasion. "QUEEN MARO''S GONNA BE AN AUNTIE!" She shouted, disappearing.


    "YOU WON''T BE A BETTER AUNTIE THAN ME!" Angel retorted, quickly following after her.


    "I SO WILL!" Maro screamed.


    Demon watched the two go with fond exasperation, before calling in their main force of soldiers to inform them of the upcoming party.


    Talking to Mikita or Zala sounded good about now, his sisters were in their unhinged mode and when they got like that, too much ignorance seeping.


    "Ridiculous," he sighed fondly. "They really think they''ll be better than Uncle Demon."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    It didn''t take long for news of their exploits to reach the world and the World Government made sure to express how good the .


    "STRAW HAT, COME LOOK! YOU GUYS ARE IN THE NEWS AND ALL OF YOU HAVE BOUNTIES TOO!" The Franky Family shouted on the day their ship had finished being constructed.


    Zambai presented the news first and they all read it with mixed reactions.


    Rosan almost smiled at seeing the World Government pin the destruction of Enies Lobby on the Straw Hat crew and no one else.


    "R-Rosan was the one who destroyed it and he called that Buster Call too! Don''t pin the blame on all of us!" Nami whimpered at how demonic they were being portrayed.


    Merciless slaughter, property destruction, ruthless murderers... A-All of this was Rosan''s fault! He was the demon!


    "Pinning the destruction of an island on one person, looks bad for them," Rosan replied easily. "Imagine if the headline was, the Red Devil singlehandedly destroyed an island while his crew basked in awe at his glory. They''d have to increase my bounty to levels that would begin to concern the world," he explained calmly.


    "You also have to take into account that Luffy is the captain of the crew," Robin joined. "The more dangerous Rosan is revealed to be, the more dangerous they perceive Luffy and by proxy, the rest of us. After all, why would someone as dangerous as Rosan, choose to follow someone instead of making his own crew? Why would his allies be weak? They are overthinking it as well."


    Zambai quivered and nodded. "S-She''s right¡­ just look!"


    That brought them to the second bit of news.


    Their bounties.


    "W-W-Wha," Nami stammered, going white as a sheet.


    B-B-But¡­ huh?


    What the fuck was this?


    Wanted: "Straw Hat" Monkey D. Luffy ¨C 350,000,000 Beris


    Wanted: "Red Devil" Rosan ¨C 310,000,000 Beris


    Wanted: "Ohara''s Devil" Nico Robin ¨C 190,000,000 Beris


    Wanted: "Pirate Hunter" Roronoa Zoro ¨C 150,000,000 Beris


    Wanted: "Black-Leg" (Photo Not Available) Sanji ¨C 80,000,000 Beris


    Wanted: "Sorceress" Nami ¨C 60,000,000 Beris


    Wanted: "The King of Snipers" Sogeking: 40,000,000 Beris


    Wanted: "Cotton Candy Lover" (Pet) Chopper: 50 Beris


    Rosan held his hand out and effortlessly met Luffy''s own.


    "Look Rosan! We''re worth so much!" Luffy laughed, leaping on his brother''s back giddily.


    "300 million a piece¡­ Damn they really are afraid of us," Rosan hummed, eyes glinting madly. "Looks like they are hell bent on keeping me 40 million lower then you at all times."


    "Shishishi!" Luffy cackled.


    The redhead gazed at Robin and Zoro with challenging eyes. "Look at the jump for the four of us... Seems like the ones with bounties already, are being bumped by quite a bit," he nodded, holding his hands out.


    Robin rolled her eyes and high fived him with no hesitation as Zoro slapped the other with a competitive smirk.


    "I did nothing but they increased mine by so much? It appears just the threat of us being lovers is enough for them," she sighed, looking at her enormous bounty with a bit of pride.


    "It''s only a matter of time before I overtake you, Robin," Zoro said with a wide smirk, gazing at his fellow tortured (courtesy of Rosan) partner in training.


    Robin returned the smile, a little competitive spirit rising in her at that claim. "You''re up against quite the competition, Zoro and I won''t make it any easier for you. I quite enjoy my placement so I''ll keep it for now."


    "Challenge accepted," he grinned viciously.


    ...Oh no, she really was becoming as competitive as her family¡­ But it felt kind of good.


    "60¡­ 60 million?! I DIDN''T EVEN DO ANYTHING!" Nami was chalk white.


    "You summoned a hurricane," Rosan chimed proudly. "That''s genius by the way. Mind running through how you did that?"


    "NO! LET ME HAVE MY TECHNIQUES AND LET ME FREAK OUT!" Nami shrieked. "LOOK! 60 MILLION?! WHY?! I THOUGHT YOU SAID YOU HID WHAT WE DID!"


    "Probably because you showcased some of your abilities on Water 7. You summoned my wall to protect yourself and also blew everyone away with my powerful winds."


    "I DON''T NEED LOGIC RIGHT NOW!" The Navigator roared.


    Rosan immediately mussed up her hair with a proud smile and she stewed but he managed to quell her with his next statement.


    "Forget the 60 million¡­ look at your title. Sorceress? That''s easily the coolest one here. Sorceress Nami, controlling weather to the point where she looks like she practices witchcraft," Rosan praised, looking a little jealous.


    Nami blinked at that, before a red flush marred her cheeks and she grinned bashfully. "Sorceress is pretty damn cool! Makes me feel like a real witch! I kinda like that motif... I wanna lean into it," she decided.


    "It''s way better than Red Devil, that''s for sure. Also, if you wanna dip into your motif, I''m down to help out. Sounds cool," Rosan snorted with a pleased smile.


    Nami beamed. Her! A Sorceress! You know what? That was pretty damn cool!


    Others were not as happy as Nami suddenly was at their bounty posters.


    "W-What is this?!" Chopper and Sanji both whispered in despair.


    "I''M A PIRATE TOO! WHY AM I ONLY WORTH 50 BERIS!" Chopper roared in fury, pointing indignantly at the price on his head.


    Robin pat his head in sympathy.


    "Try again next time!" Luffy cheered.


    "For what it''s worth, I think you should be worth 100 Beris," Rosan said seriously.


    "DON''T BE SUCH A BULLY, BASTARD!" Chopper roared, leaping onto the redhead and getting caught out of midair.


    The redhead began tickling him and Chopper squealed, anger forgotten as he began laughing.


    "See, no wonder they think you''re a pet, look how adorable you are," Rosan cackled, torturing the reindeer with no remorse.


    "D-Don''t call me adorable, y-you damn b-bastard!" Chopper squealed, squirming helplessly in the man''s grasp and completely forgetting he could transform into Heavy Point.


    "WHO THE HELL IS THIS?!" Sanji roared, looking at his drawn bounty poster in disbelief.


    "What''s wrong? That''s a great bounty!" Luffy said, patting the blonde on the back as the crew began packing their bags.


    "WHO THE HELL CARES ABOUT THAT?! LOOK AT THIS! WHERE''S MY PHOTO! WHY DID THEY DRAW ME?!" Sanji roared, pointing furiously at his bounty poster.


    Rosan and Zoro both glanced over simultaneously.


    "It looks just like you. What are you so upset about?" Zoro grunted.


    "Spitting image. Nothing to be mad about," Rosan nodded in agreement. "If anything, I''d be more upset about the name. Black-Leg Sanji? Is it because you wear a black suit?" He asked with a raised brow.


    Sanji began shaking as he gazed hauntingly at the two.


    "You know Zeff''s nickname was Red-Leg Zeff because his leg was painted red with the enemies blood?" The redhead continued.


    Zoro snorted loudly. "And yours is Black-Leg¡­ because you wear a suit. Ridiculous. Almost as ridiculous as the fact that you''re 80 million and I''m 150."


    "RAGGHHHH!" Sanji roared, leaping at the two with murder in his eyes.


    Without any hesitation, Rosan smoothly moved behind Robin and hoisted her up by the waist, stopping Sanji dead in his tracks.


    The chef''s jaw dropped as the redhead shamelessly used her as a human shield to protect himself and the redhead grinned innocently behind her.


    T-This was so unfair.


    "...Rosan," Robin said with a hint of exasperation, looking at the despair on Sanji''s face. "At least let him engage you in combat, he looks so defeated¡­ I''m beginning to feel bad."


    "He''s free to engage me¡­ but as my girlfriend it''s your job to protect me as I protect you. We''re in this together so you can''t just let anyone attack me," he replied, refusing to let her go and walking away with her.


    "You are such an ass," Robin sighed, knowing that arguing was helpless and letting herself be carried. "Could you at least put me in a more comfortable position?"


    Robin should have known that as an insufferable ass, Rosan would do this but she had been hoping that entering a relationship would help him mature and grow as a person.


    Of course not.


    He effortlessly slung her over his shoulder like he had done so a million times (he did, ever since they met back up) and began walking off, ignoring the way she fruitlessly struggled in his grip.


    "Alright, let''s go see that ship," he stated, kicking open the door and waltzing through.


    "Words can''t explain how much I hate you sometimes," Robin said with a flat expression, quickly giving up.


    "I kinda like it when you lie, boosts my ego when I sense it," he replied with a cocky smirk.


    That smirk was quickly wiped away as a hand yanked his hair harshly and he grunted in annoyance.


    Without any hesitation, he dropped Robin and tackled her to the floor.


    "Stop messing with the hair. You know how much work I put into it," he hissed, trying to force her limbs into submission.


    "You were begging for it," Robin retorted with a glare, struggling to get out of his unreasonable grip and watching as that demonic redhead attempted to grip both her arms with one limb so he could have free reigns with his other hand.


    She could not let that happen.


    Remembering a key detail about the redhead, Robin suddenly leaned in and kissed him right on the bridge of his nose.


    Rosan blinked in shock, dark red covering his cheeks at her actions and she took the chance to flip the two over.


    "Underhanded move," he hissed, as Robin instantly summoned her clones to help in holding him down.


    "What? You''ve been kissing me in public nonstop! I guess you really can''t handle a taste of your own medicine," Robin taunted, throttling him to the best of her abilities.


    "S-Sorry, sweetheart," Crow said apologetically, holding his legs to the best of her ability along with extra arms from her fruit.


    "No hard feelings cutie," Canary beamed, holding his left arm with as much strength as she could.


    "No hard feelings? I''m enjoying every second of this babe," Raven smirked smugly, squeezing his right arm with a pleased aura.


    Robin paused for a moment to regard her clones. "Why do you three already have cute nicknames for him?" She asked slowly, feeling mortification run through her at the smug grin Rosan was shooting her, despite being completely restrained.


    "Because these are all the things you want to call him but won''t because you''re a prude. We are not prudes like you," Raven replied easily.


    "W-We shouldn''t be saying that out loud! It took me everything to say that and I want to die! You''re not making it better!" Crow gaped, blushing red.


    "For a Robin¡­ you sure are stupid. I can''t believe you came from us," Canary shook her head at Raven.


    Raven sneered, unintentionally loosening her grip to regard the happy go lucky clone.


    "Wanna say that again, you giggling moron?" She growled.


    Canary raised a brow high, loosening her own grip unintentionally, to regard the angry dummy.


    "You. Are. Stupid."


    Before the two could devolve into argument, the most sensible clone spoke up.


    "...Please keep your grips on him firm¡­ he only needs a slight opening," Crow stammered worriedly.


    "Too late!" Rosan grinned, breaking free from their weakened grips and grabbing all four Robin''s with his draconic tail, getting yelps out of them all.


    Robin resisted the urge to scowl as the long tail ensnared all of them. "You two are both incredibly stupid and we need to have a firm talk about understanding the mission. Crow is the only smart one. I don''t understand why you two are like this," she said with a sigh.


    "T-Thank you but I think we have more things to worry about," Crow smiled nervously.


    "You shouldn''t be calling clones of yourself stupid, babe. Looks bad for you," Rosan taunted, as he prepared to tickle the hell outta all of them. "Now brace yourselves, each of you are going to pay the price for daring to gang up on me."


    Robin had no idea how clones of herself acted so differently to the point it reduced their intelligence, but clearly it was time to talk to them about uniting against one cause.


    Namely, beating Rosan. It was imperative that they understood the importance of defeating the insufferable redhead.


    "Let''s just go without them," Nami sighed, not even bothering to break up the brawl.


    "They''ll catch up!" Luffy laughed, waving off the worried Franky Family.


    "F-Four Robins? All for him?" Sanji muttered in despair, clutching his heart as it threatened to collapse.


    As the Franky Family watched everything unfold, they thought to themselves.


    "Franky would fit right in."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    As the Straw Hats approached the dock where their ship was being built, they couldn''t help but let out awed noises at seeing the size of it wrapped under that blanket.


    "You guys are finally here," Iceburg smiled, yawning as he gazed at the crew.


    They greeted all the shipwrights before realizing one was missing.


    "Where''s Franky?" Luffy asked in confusion.


    The Mayor smiled knowingly. "You want to recruit him right? I bet he wants to join you guys too and is trying to hide as a result. He has a stubborn obligation to guard this country so if you want to get him, you''ll have to force him."


    None of the Straw Hats missed how Rosan''s eyes gleamed and they sent out a short prayer for the cyborg.


    "Since he''s not here, I''ll be showing you guys the ship," Iceburg informed them. "I have to admit, when I saw the blueprints, I thought that crazy bastard was trying to make the impossible but he actually did it!"


    With this ship, they might actually be able to sail the whole world¡­ it was insane.


    "He said "If you want to be King of the Pirates, you need to have the King of Beasts!" and with this, you''ll be able to do just that!"


    With that, he pulled the drape off and they gazed at it with wide eyes.


    "WOAH! IT''S HUGE! AND AWESOME!" Luffy shouted in awe, eyes turning into stars.


    "IS THIS FOR US?!" Chopper squealed.


    "Nice," Zoro praised. "It''s massive¡­ what an impressive looking ship."


    "The sail is so big! Is it a sloop?" Nami asked with an excited grin.


    "Let me see the kitchen!" Sanji shook giddily.


    "We always get the strangest figureheads," Rosan remarked with a small grin, looking pleased.


    "It''s a lion," Iceburg explained, watching as the more excitable members went to explore.


    "That''s quite an impressive ship. I think we can do some gardening here," Robin thought, smiling at their new home.


    "Mind if I help you with that? I learned some things from Maro and Angel," Rosan commented idly.


    "¡­" The Devil Child gazed at Rosan. "You are so adorable."


    The redhead rolled his eyes. "I just wanna grow some roses and other stuff, then modify em. Flowers with unique colors would look good."


    "...Like a White Rose," she said fondly, thinking of their ship. "Alright, grow me a black rose and put it in my hair?"


    "Deal," he replied easily.


    The Thousand Sunny was a sight to behold.


    It was a massive brigantine-type ship which mean that it would rely solely on Nami''s skills as a navigator, a lawn on her deck, complete with a swing and a slide, as well as an observation tower for a crow''s nest.


    "He told me about extra additions he thought of that caused him to revamp the ship as well," Iceburg told them. "He expanded the gym and transformed it into a legitimate training area , reinforced it as well so you guys didn''t destroy it. Made the ship a little bigger, reinforced the entire thing incase you ever need to transform he said... Oh and for you two," he called, pointing at the couple.


    Robin and Rosan both glanced up at that.


    Iceburg resisted the urge to smile. "I thought it was the captain''s quarters, but Franky told me to mention that this room was for you two. He said that "a bro needs some alone time with his women and they shouldn''t be sharing a room with anyone else. Don''t worry, it''s soundproof so go wild!" then flashed me a thumbs up."


    The two blinked, opening their mouths before shutting it. The faintest dust of red covered both their cheeks as they digested the sentence.


    S...Soundproof? That shameless little pervert!


    "Where is he? I think I should thank him before forcing him to join the crew," Rosan muttered with a menacing gleam.


    Robin nodded with a thin smile, doing her best to banish the embarrassment at the knowing smile on Iceburg''s face. "Think of something for me too?"


    "You''ll love it," Rosan returned with a cruel smile.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Why are you hiding out here for?"


    Franky jumped at that voice and turned to face the floating Rosan with a surprised expression.


    "Red, what the hell are you doing here?!" The cyborg shouted in disbelief.


    "You didn''t think we''d just let you hide here without at least thanking you, right?" Rosan said in amusement.


    Franky was about to dismiss him, but Rosan wasn''t done yet.


    "I promised to tell you what my Devil Fruit was, didn''t I? You kept up your part of the bargain so I''ll keep up mine. Just keep it a secret, alright? You''re already keeping one of mine, so I trust you to keep this one too."


    The cyborg could tell that the redhead was extremely secretive, so he was touched (moved to tears) that Rosan kept his word and confided in it.


    Hell, the redhead was practically like a brother to him already! Revealing all his secrets to the cyborg despite barely knowing him...


    Red was Reaper! That was nuts! Rosan was the Angel of Death and he was just waltzing around without a care in the world!


    Rosan smiled and said, "My ability is called Modification."


    Franky''s eyes widened in blatant interest and awe as he heard about what Rosan could do with his ability.


    It was no wonder he said they could create inventions that surpassed Vegapunk! Franky could take advantage of his abilities and begin crafting some of the most absurd things on the planet!


    Just thinking about it made the cyborg giddy! This fruit was an inventors dream! No wonder Vegapunk showed so much interest in it... the amount of time it could save, the speed that they could finish things at... the ability to potentially circumvent the need of certain materials.


    With Modification, he could even make continuous upgrades to the Sunny ¡ª


    But¡­ they were leaving¡­ and he wasn''t planning on going with them.


    Damn¡­ he was missing out on a super golden opportunity here, not traveling with this gold mine of a redhead. It was a hard pill to swallow but he had his duties.


    Rosan grinned violently at seeing Franky stick to his guns.


    "Hey Franky," he called.


    "What''s up Red?" The cyborg replied curiously.


    "Wanna see something else I can do?"


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Everyone watched Rosan float back into view with a serene expression on his face.


    "Where''s Franky?" Iceburg couldn''t help but ask, finding that expression on the redhead''s face to be rather unsettling.


    Serene didn''t fit Rosan at all. It was... disturbing.


    Rosan tilted his head. "Franky''ll be here in a few don''t worry," he assured.


    They shuddered at that tone.


    "What did you do to Big Bro?" Zambai couldn''t help but ask nervously, being the only Franky Family member here due to... reasons.


    The redhead showed off his abnormally sharp fangs, making them shudder at how dangerous they looked.


    "I just showed him more of my abilities¡­ and he''s not your big bro anymore," he said cryptically, eyes gleaming manically.


    ¡­


    "Huh?" The Franky Family and Shipwrights stated dumbfounded.


    Realization hit the aware Straw Hats immediately.


    "You didn''t," Nami and Sanji stated in horror.


    Then they heard a shrill scream in the distance.


    Rosan smiled demonically. "I did."


    "REDDDDDDD!" A feminine voice roared as they burst into the scene.


    Everyone''s jaw dropped, as a fit and uniquely beautiful woman burst into their vision.


    She was tall, standing at an impressive height of 7''0, with well toned abs and a very large chest that was barely being hidden by their open Hawaiian shirt.


    Long blue hair could no longer be kept up in a pompadour and flowed to her middle back, stopping right above the woman''s swim brief clad lower half.


    She had angular, three pointed clefs, a prosthetic nose and large forearms that were many times smaller compared to when she was a man.


    Everyone, barring the Straw Hats, balked in confusion as they gazed at the woman who seemed to be furious with their scout.


    Did Rosan hook up with someone and ghost them? Why did she look so familiar? Wait, wasn''t Rosan dating Robin?! WHY WAS HE CHEATING ALREADY?!


    The amazonian woman gazed at Rosan, with all the fury a half naked woman could muster.


    "RED, CHANGE ME BACK NOW! THIS IS SO NOT SUPER!" She shrieked in rage.


    ¡­


    It finally hit them all and their eyes bugged out of their heads.


    "FRANKY?!" Everyone roared in disbelief, looking at the female cyborg with dropped jaws.


    "YES FRANKY!" Franky roared, eyes filled with horror as she glanced down at her body. "I DON''T LOOK THAT DIFFERENT DO I? HOW COULDN''T YOU RECOGNIZE ME?!"


    The cyborg whirled towards Rosan with a furious scowl. "RED I''M SERIOUS! CHANGE ME BACK BEFORE YOU LEAVE!"


    The redhead had the audacity, to look apologetic. "I only sometimes listen to my allies and I never listen to anyone who isn''t my ally. Considering we won''t be seeing each other again after this¡­ you''re staying a woman forever. But if you join, I can be persuaded to change you back," Rosan shrugged helplessly.


    They gazed at the demonic redhead with wide eyes, not believing he would stoop to something so underhanded.


    "H-How did you change Franky into a woman?!" Iceburg asked, jaw dropped to the floor.


    "It was honestly easier than doing it to a normal person. Being a half cyborg gives me a lot of advantages," Rosan grinned proudly.


    "THAT DOESN''T ANSWER THE QUESTION!" Everyone, barring the Straw Hats, roared, gazing at the evil redhead with shark teeth.


    "Y-YOU THINK THIS''LL MAKE ME JOIN YOU?! NICE TRY! I''M MADE OF TOUGHER STUFF THAN THAT!" Franky roared, despite the horror at losing his pride and joy as a man.


    He (she) c-could live with this. Yeah. Totally!


    Definitely!


    "Robin, take her shirt."


    Everyone''s jaw dropped even further (and the Franky Family and Shipwrights flew back from nosebleeds) as a hand sprouted atop of Franky and removed her shirt without any hesitation.


    The cyborg mechanically looked down, blinking at not seeing a rock hard midsection and instead, being witness to a soft middle... along with a huge chest.


    "Make your decision quick, the briefs are next," Rosan said ruthlessly, not even batting an eye as he smirked like a true Devil at the swapped cyborg.


    Robin deftly caught the shirt and placed it on the deck with a coy smile, looking every bit as demonic as her best friend.


    "Maybe resist just a bit longer, Big Sis. Put up a fight! Don''t let that demon win so easy," Zambai muttered, shooting a thumbs up while a hand covered his gushing nose.


    "Yeah it''s just a pair of briefs! Put up a fight, Big Sis! Don''t let that scare you!" The other perverts agreed, similarly covering their noses.


    "I want to die," Sanji said bluntly, curling into himself in horror at how much mental damage Rosan had caused him in one day.


    Oh hell no. Franky was not going to be called Big Sis for the rest of her life.


    "RED I''M SERIOUS! C-CHANGE ME BACK! YOU CAN''T DO THIS TO ME! I THOUGHT WE WERE LIKE BROTHERS!" She howled, making no attempt to cover her chest from the bugged eyes.


    "Your tits are too huge for me to consider you my brother but if you insist on that, I don''t judge," Rosan said infuriatingly. "Also, I''ve done this to my family before! You should see Luffy as a girl! He''s adorable as hell!" He beamed.


    The captain laughed, almost completely unbothered by reminder and they gazed at the two brothers like they were twin demons from the deepest pits of Tartarus.


    "Shishishi! Rosan, I''m banning you from changing him back until he joins us!" Luffy laughed cheerfully, waving the shirt around like a flag.


    The scout saluted mockingly, flashing a smug grin at the cyborg. "Aye, Cap''n... Sorry Franky, but it''s captain''s orders so my hands are completely tied. I wanted to help you, but I''m but a humble scout."


    "He''s a fucking psychopath!" Everyone cried comically, looking at the way Franky''s jaw hung uselessly.


    Franky eventually shook her head furiously. "I can''t join you guys! This was my last job as a shipwright anyways! I want to go with you but I just can''t! I need to stay here on this island because there''s something I have to do!"


    "But that''s not your dream, Franky," Iceburg stated, wiping his bloody nose with a neutral expression.


    The Mayor looked at his close friend with a serious expression. "Your dream was to sail the ship that you built to the end of the ocean as its shipwright and this is that ship, Franky."


    The woman scowled, rounding on Iceburg (and causing eyes to bug at the sudden movement). "That''s not my dream anymore! It changed a long time ago," she tried to say.


    "Changed? No¡­ you just suppressed it. Your dream never changed. You stay on this island because of your guilt," Iceburg chastised.


    "You blame yourself for killing Tom and because of that, you try and protect this island in anyway you know how. You united all the street punks, you called yourself a bounty hunter just to collect from pirates and keep the island safe¡­ you did all this to protect Water 7¡­"


    "Haven''t you punished yourself enough? It doesn''t matter if I forgive you or if Tom forgives you¡­ you have to forgive yourself," Iceburg stated seriously.


    Rosan''s head tilted, expression suddenly thoughtful.


    Suppress yourself... giving up your dream... taking the blame for someone''s death... Forgiving¡­ yourself.


    Maybe he and Franky weren''t so different.


    Franky leaned back as if struck and tears began forming in her eyes.


    Then a massive bag was dropped in front of her and she gazed up at the remaining Franky Family who also had tears in their eyes.


    "BIG SIS WE WANT YOU TO GO WITH THEM!"


    "WE NEVER SAW YOU AS HAPPY, AS WHEN YOU WERE WORKING ON THE SHIP!"


    "WE KNOW YOU WANT TO TRAVEL WITH THE STRAW HATS SO JUST GO!"


    Franky shook her head incessantly. "SINCE WHEN CAN YOU GUYS DECIDE THESE THINGS FOR ME?! YOU CAN''T EVEN DO ANYTHING WITHOUT ME! YOU''RE ALL TOO STUPID!"


    "WE MIGHT BE STUPID¡­ BUT WHAT''S SO STUPID ABOUT WANTING YOU TO BE HAPPY?!" Zambai roared.


    "!" Franky''s eyes bugged at that and she took a step back, collapsing on the floor dramatically.


    Then the tears began falling like a waterfall.


    "Y-You guys!" Franky sobbed.


    "Who''s the real idiot here?" Everyone barring the Franky Family thought.


    "RED WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME?! WHY DID YOU MAKE ME MORE EMOTIONAL!" Franky sobbed hysterically, covering her eyes to hide the tears.


    Rosan rolled his eyes. He hadn''t done a damn thing. Franky was just an emotional idiot.


    "Come aboard the ship and I''ll fix you right up you emotional machine. Must have been a mistake with my technique," he taunted.


    "Yeah! Come join my ship!" Luffy beamed confidently.


    Franky sniffed and stood back up, gazing back at Water 7 and then at the ship of her dreams, before nodding.


    "Fine! I can''t trust you greenhorns with this ship anyways! You need an expert that can take care of it anyways!" Franky declared, standing up and puffing out her chest confidently.


    Every Straw Hat grinned easily at that, nodding in approval and welcoming the cyborg aboard.


    The moment the cyborg got on the ship, she zeroed in on the one true demon.


    "Change me back, Red," Franky demanded, glowering at the redhead as she closed the distance.


    The redhead gazed at her, and tilted his head.


    Finally, he smiled in that increasingly infuriating smirk of his and said, "Nah, I''ll do it when we''ve made enough distance."


    "Oh and get your tits outta my face, I have a girlfriend you know? She''s right here."


    "I''M NOT A GIRL! CHANGE ME BACK INTO A MAN!" The cyborg roared.


    Rosan let out a mocking laugh and waved her off. "...Can''t you listen idiot? I said wait. Enjoy being the opposite gender for a bit. Let this be an early warning. Don''t mess with me and try not to abuse my abilities too much for your curiosities."


    Franky balked at the demon.


    "Oh and put on a shirt, you''ve got your huge goods hanging out. It''s embarrassing you pervert," Rosan reprimanded, as if he hadn''t been the one to make Robin remove it.


    Robin giggled at that.


    Franky''s jaw dropped even further at the sheer audacity. "W-What type of demon are you?! The news was being too kind when they described you!"


    The redhead''s eyes gleamed. "You''ll find out like the rest of our crew eventually did. Welcome aboard, Franky. I hope you have high tolerance."


    She didn''t miss the sympathetic glance of all the other Straw Hats.


    Just what did she get herself into¡­


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Usopp wants to join the crew again?!" Luffy asked excitedly. The rubber boy was practically bouncing in place at that, eyes wide in happiness.


    Sanji nodded. "Yeah, I saw him practicing how to come back."


    Luffy, Nami and Chopper began celebrating at that.


    "Let''s go get him then!" The captain beamed, jumping happily.


    Robin didn''t miss the way Zoro and Rosan''s gaze immediately darkened.


    "Absolutely not," the redhead denied instantly, making them go still. "Don''t even think about going to get him. If you do, consider me out of the crew because I refuse to follow someone with no self respect."


    Everyone froze at that abrupt statement.


    "What¡­?" they whispered in disbelief.


    Zoro nodded without hesitation.


    "Rosan''s right. Luffy and Usopp had a duel with specific conditions and Luffy won. Not only that, he left the ship on his own. Nobody forced him out. He made the choice to leave," the swordsman said gruffly.


    Rosan sneered. "I told you guys. What he did to Luffy, our captain, was mutiny. You understand what happens on other ships when mutiny is committed right?" He asked in annoyance.


    "They die. Going against the word of the captain, means death."


    Nami and Chopper flinched at that, wilting at the word.


    Rosan shook his head. "The complete lack of respect Usopp showed, to the one leading us all is only a detriment and I won''t allow him to slink his way back into the crew without severe consequences. I don''t care at all that he blamed me for his problems. I''ve never cared about what others had to say, but the fact that he also blamed Luffy, is completely unacceptable."


    Zoro nodded, butting the pummel of his sword against Luffy''s head. "All of us respect Luffy. Is that in doubt?"


    Everyone shook their head in denial, knowing their respect For Luffy was unshakable.


    "Then you need to understand that anyone who doubts our captain, doesn''t deserve to sail with us," the swordsman said with a tone of finality.


    "Look me in the eyes and tell me, Usopp deserves to just waltz back in after spitting in Luffy''s face. If you tell me he doesn''t deserve an ounce of accountability, and you genuinely believe it, I''ll want you gone too," Rosan said firmly.


    No one said anything.


    "Isn''t this a bit much though¡­?" Nami said, frowning at the two most rigid members of their crew.


    Robin sighed, deciding to put this into words that had the tact Rosan and Zoro weren''t willing to give.


    "Usopp wasn''t the only one who willingly left the crew¡­ I did too," she said quietly. "If I didn''t take accountability¡­ If I didn''t beg you all to come save me at the top of Enies Lobby... if you all managed to save me and I didn''t learn my lesson, do you think Rosan or Zoro would ever forgive me? Would you be able to fully forgive me if I resented you for saving my life?"


    Their eyes widened and they glanced at the silent Rosan and Zoro.


    "No, I wouldn''t," Zoro said truthfully.


    The redhead shut his eyes, not wanting to think of that future but he''d be a hypocrite if he didn''t speak his mind like he had done so freely with Usopp.


    "To be honest, if Robin didn''t realize what she did and stayed stubborn to the end, then no I wouldn''t ever be able to forgive her. I would have lost too much trust to do that. I don''t think I''d be able to look at her because it would hurt too much," he admitted softly.


    Robin nodded, so glad it didn''t come to that. If... if they had saved her stubborn self and she had to deal with being ignored by Rosan for the rest of her life, that may have actually been a worse punishment then being turned over.


    "They aren''t saying he can''t join¡­ they''re saying he needs to take accountability and apologize otherwise, he''s just undermining Luffy''s authority as captain. Once you get away with undermining his authority, it''s only a matter of time before the crew collapses," she explained gently.


    Seeing the more rational and mature Robin explain it, made them hesitantly agree.


    "So if he apologizes, he can join?" Chopper asked hesitantly.


    "I can''t say for Rosan, but that''s enough for me," Zoro said calmly, glancing at the scout.


    Everyone turned towards the silent scout, knowing that he probably had the most problems with Usopp rejoining the crew.


    The redhead had severe trust issues after all... and Usopp chose to leave when he was at his most vulnerable.


    "¡­" Rosan sighed.


    He thought back to the sniper helping with Robin despite having no obligation to and idly squeezed the woman, getting a look of concern out of her.


    Usopp did his part¡­ and he did use his favor to ask him to get some rest¡­


    Perhaps he was becoming too sappy.


    Mod smiled brilliantly at seeing her son act so human.


    "If he apologizes, I''ll have no complaints but we''re leaving him here otherwise. Agreed?"


    They all nodded.


    "Agreed."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    As the Straw Hats were preparing to leave, they heard absolutely terrible news.


    "That old dumbass is coming after us?" Rosan snarled at the info that Garp was trying to capture them. "Start sailing now, we stand a much better chance if we''re out at sea. We can focus on escaping while I stall them all."


    The crew nodded hastily. They didn''t have a gauge on just how strong the Hero of Marines were, but if Rosan was willing to forgo the sake of destroying Marines in favor of running, it was in their best interest to listen to him.


    As they began setting sail, Garp himself showed up at the helm of the ship and made his presence known¡­


    By lobbing a cannonball at their ship with his bare hands.


    The Straw Hats eyes bugged as the cannonball flew with even more force then if it were fired out of a cannon.


    A red blast crashed into immediately, detonating the ball early and Rosan scowled, lowering his smoking hand.


    Robin shuddered strongly. "Aokiji is on that ship," she informed them all, solidifying the idea that they needed to get outta here and fast.


    Rosan''s eyes narrowed into slits. "Focus on escaping. Do whatever you have to do and don''t hesitate to leave me, I''ll catch up."


    "LUFFY! ROSAN! SORRY ABOUT THIS BUT SENGOKU DIDN''T LIKE THAT I DIDN''T WANT TO CAPTURE MY GRANDKIDS¡­ SO NOW I HAVE TO SINK YOU HERE! BLAME ROSAN! HE CAUSES A LOT OF PROBLEMS!" Garp shouted to the group of pirates, as a rack of cannonballs were rolled up to him.


    His draconic wings burst out of his back and he took to the skies, Ram seeping into his gloves.


    "For the last time. I am not your grandson!" Rosan barked, watching as Garp began hoisting up cannonballs.


    That freak of a Marine was able to throw cannonballs harder then an actual cannon so if any hit their ship, it would spell big trouble.


    Well, Rosan did say he''d show Koby what he''d do once they were enemies so what better time then now?


    Everyone watched with wide eyes as Garp lobbed a cannonball towards their ship with hellish force, slamming into a shimmering red flat barrier that protected the Sunny to the best of its abilities, before shattering.


    "Practice that more," Rosan and Ram muttered to themselves.


    Alright, Garp was dumb but he wasn''t that dumb... no, he was that dumb nevermind. But the old man still had priorities and Rosan needed him to stop lobbing all those cannonballs.


    So it was time to shift his priority.


    Rosan held a hand above his head and began charging.


    Koby felt his jaw slacken, as a ball of energy began forming above Rosan that was growing larger and larger.


    "U-Uh¡­ I didn''t know he was able to do that," Koby squeaked in terror, realizing that Rosan had hid a lot of things from him.


    So uh... this was what he meant by seeing how scary he was when they were enemies.


    Koby hoped he was never sent to personally chase after the redhead.


    As the redhead began gathering more and more energy, a miniature red sun began hovering above his palm that steadily began growing. The redhead locked onto the ship with a murderous and calculating gleam.


    Garp had stopped lobbing his cannonballs by now and even Aokiji was looking up at the attack with an impressed gaze.


    Rosan sneered as he held the giant ball over his head. This wouldn''t even come close to killing Garp but the same couldn''t be said for that ship of theirs.


    If it was destroyed, they''d have far more things to worry about.


    "Persecution."


    Rosan lobbed the ball at the ship¡­


    Only for that psychotic old man to rocket off the ship and meet it head on.


    "Damn bastard is a complete freak of nature," Rosan snarled as it exploded preemptively, sending a massive shockwave of energy out that only sent both the ships swaying.


    He was really hoping that his crew had a way to escape right now. Rosan didn''t fancy his chances against Garp just yet...


    But that still wouldn''t stop him from crushing the stupid old man.


    "Alright, time for me to get my first win," Rosan grunted, flexing his wings as the unscathed Garp stared at him with a wide grin.


    "How has old age barely slowed him down? I shudder to think how strong he was in his prime."


    "I shudder too, but for another reason. It''s a shame I''ll never be able to kick his ass at his prime but this''ll do."


    "Psychopath."


    "Alright, I haven''t trained you in a while. Time to catch up on lost time!" Garp exclaimed with a boisterous laugh.


    Rosan sneered and immediately charged, firing ball after ball of energy at the man and abusing the fact that he had wings and Garp had to use his legs to outmaneuver the old man.


    "YOU GUYS BETTER BE FINDING A WAY TO ESCAPE RIGHT NOW!" Rosan barked at the crew, transforming Ram into gauntlets in order to block the heavy fists that still sent him flying.


    He hastily flew behind Garp and attempted to slam his powered up gauntlets onto the man''s exposed back, only for him to whirl around and meet him head on with his own fist... and he won.


    "I really hate this old man," Rosan grunted with a scowl as he was launched back from the force of the blow.


    "I''ve got something cooking up! Just gimme time to get it ready!" Franky shouted back, still not transformed to normal.


    "As long as it works!" the redhead shouted, unperturbed by the fact that none of his attacks were working.


    As they scrambled about to get everything in order, Usopp, who had just shown up, balked in confusion as he watched the mayhem happening.


    But what was most concerning, was the fact that they were leaving without him on board.


    "HEY WHAT ARE YOU GUYS DOING?! YOU FORGOT ME!" Usopp shouted, sprinting towards them with wide eyes.


    "REJOICE! IT''S ME! I KNOW WE ARGUED A BIT BUT I''M WILLING TO LET SOME THINGS SLIDE!"


    He panted and realized none of them were acknowledging him.


    "HEY! I KNOW WE MAY HAVE HAD A DISAGREEMENT, BUT AS LONG AS YOU MAKE ME CAPTAIN, I CAN LET IT GO!" He tried, only to be completely ignored once more.


    "ALRIGHT, YOU CAN KEEP CAPTAIN! I''LL CONCEDE! BUT SECOND IN COMMAND IS ALL I CAN BARGAIN!"


    Nothing, not even a side eye.


    "Quit joking around¡­ Are you guys actually leaving?" He asked in disbelief.


    Rosan and Garp were still going at it and the redhead was focusing his all on not getting clobbered by the behemoth of a Marine, not even sparing him a single glance despite noticing him.


    He could see Nami and Luffy repelling waves of bullets getting shot at them with wind and rubber respectively... The others were furling up the sails, using the opening Rosan was giving them to plan their escape¡­


    Without him.


    No way... were they actually going to leave him on the island¡­?


    I can''t follow you anymore. Sorry to have been such a burden.


    It''s my business where I go. I''m quitting this crew!


    ¡­


    "It''s ready!" Franky shouted.


    "Go!" Rosan barked immediately, opening his mouth and shooting a gust of fire that, once again had 0 effect on Garp. "We don''t have time, I''ll catch up!" He ordered.


    "Right!" They all shouted in unison.


    No. No. No. No. No!


    "I''M SORRY!" Usopp shouted with tears running down his face as he finally broke. "I''M SORRY FOR BEING SO STUBBORN! I KNOW I''M BEING PATHETIC! I KNOW I SAID I ALREADY QUIT! C-CAN I TAKE THAT BACK?! PLEASE LET ME TAKE THAT BACK!"


    He fell to his knees as the tears began overflowing, seeing the ship get ready to leave and realized hey may never see them again after this moment.


    No, he definitely wouldn''t see them again. Usopp couldn''t continue sailing the seas alone... he didn''t want to sail these seas alone.


    The only way he would ever want to sail these seas, was if he were with his crew but they were leaving him because he was too dumb to let go of his ego.


    He didn''t... he didn''t want that!


    "PLEASE FORGIVE ME! PLEASE LET ME JOIN JUST ONE MORE TIME!"


    "THE COUP DE BURST IS READY! BRACE YOURSELVES AND HOLD ONTO SOMETHING!" Franky roared.


    Luffy''s eyes widened at the apology but right before he could stretch his hand to grab the sniper, the ship surged with energy and rocketed off.


    The back of the Thousand Sunny lit up brilliantly, as it began bringing in the air around it before exploding into the sky and beginning to fly of all things!


    Usopp watched with despair, as the ship flew through the air and swiftly vanished from their sights.


    They were¡­ gone. Just like that.


    "No come back!" Usopp sobbed in defeat.


    This was¡­ no, he apologized too late. He was such a damn coward and now he lost his one true crew.


    If only he could take it all back. He''d do so in a heartbeat! He said such terrible things to Luffy... to Chopper... to Rosan¡ª


    Usopp let out a strangled yell as a red blur crashed into him, lifting him by his suspenders and hoisting him up.


    "Took you long enough," Rosan scoffed, holding him up with one hand as he fired a laser shaped beam at Garp with no hesitation.


    Naturally, it failed.


    Usopp let out a sob of relief as he realized there was still one person here for him.


    And of all the people, it was the one who had every reason to be the angriest at him!


    "I''m so sorry Rosan, for everything! You were just trying to tell us that Robin was in trouble and then I didn''t let you get it out and you got tortured b-but I got so angry and started blaming everything on you when you were just looking out for us ¡ª"


    "I don''t need your apologies. You already apologized to Luffy," he replied gruffly, glaring at Garp as his bruises began healing up. "I haven''t fully forgiven you... but you helped me save Robin and that''s not a debt I know how to properly repay... so I won''t hold a grudge. Be grateful for that, I''m normally very vengeful."


    Usopp nodded rapidly and the redhead rolled his eyes. "I belong with the Straw Hats! I''ll never betray you guys again!"


    A truth.


    Rosan smiled wryly at that and shook his head, wiping the smirk off his face. "Whatever you say, liar."


    "You gotta fly through me to reach your crew!" Garp shouted with a wide grin. "How do you plan on doing that?! You might be able to outmaneuver me, but you aren''t that much faster!"


    Rosan raised a brow. "The hell are you talking about senile old man? I''m already gone. Don''t forget to take your meds."


    Garp raised a brow and then his jaw dropped, as Rosan smirked smugly and vanished.


    "Since when could he do that?!" Garp muttered.


    Bah, his grandson hid way too many things from him.


    Aokiji looked at the technique with interested eyes.


    "So they really could have escaped at anytime," he mused.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "USOPP!" Luffy sobbed as the two crashed into each other.


    "USOPP!" Chopper wailed, joining the group hug.


    Rosan smoothly moved out of the way and allowed them to greet the sniper.


    "I''M BACK AND I''M STAYING!" Usopp cried happily.


    The rest of the Straw Hats smiled at that, just as relieved to have him back.


    "We didn''t think you''d get him Rosan!" Nami teased, wiping her own tears. "I was worried for a split second!"


    He rolled his eyes and flicked her on the nose, getting an angry yelp out of the navigator. "I said if he apologized, I''d accept him back. I''m not a liar you know."


    The redhead turned towards Franky and placed a palm on the perverted cyborg, eyes flashing as he transformed him back into a man.


    Franky began crying comical tears as he felt everything return to normal. "D-Don''t ever do that again!"


    "No promises. Try not to irritate me, you manly man," Rosan smirked, letting him run of to join the festivities.


    Instead of settling down, the group seemed to get even rowdier until a full party was in the swing, celebrating the return of Robin and Usopp, as well as Franky joining the crew.


    "I know you''ve already forgiven me and I know I apologized so many times already¡­ but I really can''t put into words how sorry I am for everything," Robin said as she and Rosan sat in a corner, nestled against each other as they ate. "I really don''t know what I was thinking... if I just put even a little thought, all of this could have been avoided..."


    "I''ll say it a million times until you get sick of me¡­ I will never doubt you again, Rosan. Never, not even a little¡­" Robin swore, tucking herself into his side with a ferverous hold.


    The redhead sighed, wrapping an arm around her with a fond smile. "We''re both dumbasses who made mistakes Robin¡­ Don''t forget the things I''ve done. We''ll just say they evened out and we can start fresh. Say it as much as you want though because I''ll never get tired of your voice."


    "You have quite the silver tongue," Robin said, flushing a tad at his sincere words.


    The redhead raised a brow. "An honest person can''t have a silver tongue. Everything I say, I tend to mean," he replied dryly.


    Robin rolled her eyes. "Very smooth. I''m lucky to have you," she said sincerely.


    "I think I''m luckier¡­ but I''m me so I don''t blame you for saying that," he retorted easily.


    Rosan suddenly glanced down at her and noticed something.


    Robin caught his intense stare and glanced down as well. "...Are you staring at my cleavage? Am I showing too much?" she asked slowly.


    Her purple shirt showed a fair amount but Rosan was never such a blatant pervert¡­ he actually wasn''t even a pervert¡­


    Should she puff her chest out? She wasn''t sure how this relationship stuff worked.


    "Not staring on purpose¡­ but I just realized something," he muttered, digging around.


    After a short while, Robin''s confusion was sated, as Rosan pulled out a very familiar black pendant.


    "I never want you remove it again or else I''ll be pissed," he demanded, gently wrapping it around her neck despite the harshness of his words.


    Robin rolled her eyes and accepted it, smiling happily at having the warm pendant once more. "I never want to remove it again. It lets me know that no matter, what, at just a drop of a hat, you''ll be there for me."


    He nodded with a superior glint and stood up with her.


    "We have our own room¡­ Let''s go decorate it and decide what''s going where," he muttered, walking off.


    Robin smiled at that and quickly followed after. "I don''t think the closet will be big enough for both of our clothes and I do still quite like sleeping in the castle, so we have choices now."


    Rosan bowed mockingly. "The option of choices¡­ fitting for a queen like you."


    The Devil Child rolled her eyes. "I''m not a Queen just yet. We''ll have to get married for that, King Rosan."


    The smile was immediately wiped off his face and a scowl replaced it. "Didn''t I tell you stop mentioning my goddamn royalty?"


    She shrugged. "You were asking for it by starting it¡­ Can we figure out what we''re going to do with the room first before we fight?"


    He paused, before nodding. "Alright, you can decide on what furniture you wanna put in there then. I have some extra stuff in the rooms of the castle we never use, if you want those. Or we can buy new stuff to replace it eventually."


    "Are the things in the castle also black and purple?"


    "Of course."


    "...Let''s go get them now then. I''d like to recline in one of those comfortable chairs while I read a book¡­ also let''s put a bookcase in there as well¡­ Should we put a coffee machine too? In case I''m feeling lazy in the morning? Let''s also make the walls black, like the castle," Robin fired off, brainstorming with ideas of how to make their room great.


    Rosan snorted loudly. "Seems like you got mostly everything handled."


    She smiled in return and opened the door. "It''s not often that I get to decorate¡­ I find myself excited. You don''t mind if I take the lead for this?"


    He shook his with an amused smile. "Nah, I already took the backseat on the interior for a castle. Feel free to take reign of this room."


    Robin nodded, pleased by that. Rosan was a stylish freak, so for him to trust her judgement on how something would look, was practically an honor in itself.


    "Use me however you see fit. I''m pretty helpful when it comes to things like this," he informed her.


    "That was never in doubt," she responded.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    To say the past few days had been hectic, was a very generous way of putting things.


    This was what every single CP9 agent would tell whoever asked, barring Rob Lucci because he was still unconscious from his extensive injuries at the hands of Straw Hat Luffy.


    To start things off, they had all lost their respective battles. Not a single one of them won.


    To hear that even Lucci of all people, lost in one on one combat to the captain of the Straw Hats, put it in to perspective that they had grossly underestimated their opponents.


    This was added on top of the fact that they had catastrophically failed their mission to secure the blueprints to Pluton. Due to their actions, the Straw Hat pirates had actually stormed Enies Lobby to get the Devil of Ohara back and in the process, they not only succeeded, they had completely decimated Enies Lobby and had murdered their boss, Spandam.


    CP9 was aware of the warnings made against the Straw Hats... after all, two people with bounties of 100 million or more, led the crew and one of them had an undocumented Mythical Zoan... a class of fruits you rarely wanted to mess with unless you had intel.


    But they had been arrogant. The idea that they could get Nico Robin and the blueprints of Pluton, had clouded their better judgement.


    That was a severe mistake. The reports on the Red Devil undersold how monstrous he truly was because he hadn''t even shown them everything.


    To think that this entire time, they had been dealing with the Angel of Death. If they knew who Rosan truly was, they''d never even conceive the idea of going after him... because he had shown exactly why he got that bounty of 500 million.


    Blueno dead. Spandam dead. Enies Lobby completely destroyed and every single agent defeated with heavy wounds to show for it by him and that monstrous crew.


    Going back to the World Government and revealing they were alive, would end up in them getting sent to level 5 of Impel Down with no hesitation, where they''d likely be endlessly tortured for screwing up something so greatly.


    They supposed it was a good thing they had allegedly been killed in the destruction of Enies Lobby¡­


    Which brought them to the next situation.


    The reason they were even alive, after losing their battles. They shouldn''t be alive right now, considering Enies Lobby had gotten destroyed while they were still there.


    All of them had been knocked unconscious when the attack struck¡­ all except for Izumi, the Puppet. The person who they didn''t know a single thing about.


    Yes, not a single agent in CP9 knew a thing about Izumi. They didn''t know her past, they didn''t know her likes, her dislikes... in fact, the most they had ever seen from Izumi, was during this very mission.


    They had no idea the puppet had even an ounce of care in her heart, to go out of her way to save them before Enies Lobby was destroyed, especially considering her own extensive injuries that she got from battling the Red Devil.


    But they wouldn''t look a gift horse in the mouth. Thanks to Izumi, they got another lease on living.


    Well, all except Kumadori. According to the few short words of the rattled Izumi, she never found his body and prioritized getting off the island, so he was almost certainly dead.


    They were all currently recuperating on a ship. They did not have the funds to get professional help for their wounds so that left healing the old fashioned way.


    "Izumi, why exactly did you save us?" Kaku asked warily, gauging the woman facing away from them. She had scarcely spoken a word to them, just licking her own wounds and vanishing at times. Whenever they discussed, she played no part in it... her motives were completely unknown to them.


    "We¡­ or at least I, certainly appreciate the action, but for what reason did you do this?" The long nosed man asked.


    Izumi, who had not spoken a word past the first day to any of them, stopped gazing out into the sea to regard the curious agents.


    Kaku, Jabra, Kalifa, Fukurou and Nero gazed at her with varying reactions. Rob Lucci was currently unconscious in another room.


    "How did you even escape from the Red Devil?" Jabra asked with a raised brow, nursing his battered body.


    "We saw what he was capable of¡­ not even Blueno was able to escape," Kalifa whispered. "Not to mention with his revealed identity... how did you manage to get away from him? You two... seem to have history with each other as well."


    Kaku nodded, expression puzzled. "Not only did he target you specifically... you seemed to have done the same. Not only that, you didn''t react in surprise when he revealed his identity as the Angel of Death... you reacted in fear and recognition."


    Izumi inclined her head at that. It was expected for them to notice that. They were all highly trained assassins after all and her reaction had been on pure instinct.


    She opened her mouth ¡ª


    "Izumi wasn''t a priority."


    And promptly shut it as a cold voice washed over them all.


    At once, every agent froze as two figures materialized on their deck like a terrible omen had finally arrived.


    It didn''t even take them a moment to identify them and because they recognized them, the CP9 agents realized just how terrible the situation had suddenly become for them.


    The Angel of Death and Ohara''s Devil stared at them both with chilly expressions. In particular, the retired bounty hunter looked as if he had been waiting for this moment for a while.


    "CP9¡­ you didn''t think I was finished with you right?" Rosan muttered, watching them tense up with a look of trepidation. "You didn''t think that after putting my Robin in such a situation, I''d let you guys get away scott free¡­ right?"


    Robin shuddered at that, gazing at her boyfriend with wide eyes.


    "After all, you all know one of my most sacred secrets. Escape was never an option," the redhead whispered darkly.


    Izumi shuddered too, hoping he didn''t have the urge to renege on their agreement.


    "To answer your question. I was going to retrieve you all before Enies Lobby was destroyed and then torture you to a brink of your life, every single day until I grew satisfied¡­"


    The agents went cold at that, preparing themselves for a battle they probably weren''t going to win.


    The redhead tossed a head over to Izumi. "But she begged and begged and insisted that you all could be useful to me. So I thought, why the hell not against my better judgement¡­" he shrugged.


    "You should be thanking Izumi. After all, if not for her, I''d be having far too much fun with you, that would only reaffirm my title as the Red Devil. You should have seen what I did to Spandam, that was fun," Rosan replied truthfully.


    "He''s lying to make me look good?" Izumi thought in shock, sweating in terror at the maniacal gleam in Rosan''s eyes.


    They had long since enacted their plan but she didn''t actually think he would help her out¡­


    Nero, showing his inexperience as a trained assassin, foolishly spoke up first.


    "And how are we supposed to know you''re being truthful ¡ª"


    Squelch.


    Every single agent bit their tongue, as Nero was suddenly hoisted up into the air, courtesy of Rosan spearing him through completely with a dreadfully intimidating scythe, that was nearly the size of his entire midsection.


    Rosan''s eyes were smoldering. Without any hesitation, they watched as he lit up the scythe with his terrifyingly familiar flames¡­ all while it was still impaling the newest CP9 agent.


    The results were instantaneous.


    "ARGGHHHHH! P-PLEASE, I''M SORRY! I-I CHANGE MY MIND! I-I''LL JOIN! PLEASE SPARE ME!" Nero screeched in agony as the flames continued boiling his insides with no remorse.


    His insides began boiling as Rosan slowly roasted him alive, taking his time in doing so and the assassin felt true terror, welling in the form of tears, at the sight of those dreadful dual eyes, glowing in the dark of the night.


    In that moment, Rosan truly did look like a demon.


    "I have no desire to compromise with any of you so I won''t. This goes against what I desired doing in the first place so if you give me any reason to do what I planned on doing in the first place, I will gladly take you up on that offer and it won''t be as merciful as this one right here. Just say the word. Please. I''m begging you to protest my mercy," Rosan said quietly, not loosening his grip on that scythe for even a second.


    No one said anything for a long while, just allowing Nero''s screams to ring through the air until they slowly but surely (it still took too long) wore out into a tiny whimper... and then the man''s body went limp.


    H-He considered this merciful?


    "If we join you¡­ you won''t torture us?" Kalifa asked hesitantly, shaking in place as Rosan mercilessly let Nero slide off of his scythe with a sickening noise, into the ocean.


    "Unfortunately," he replied truthfully, flicking the blood off the weapon and onto them with no remorse. "That was your only question by the way. The next thing that''s going to come out of your mouth is either agreeing to work for me, or screaming."


    The female agent shuddered in terror as the blood of Nero splattered on her features, nodding tightly and moving over to the neutral faced Izumi.


    "I''ll join you. T-Thank you for the chance," she said hastily, thankful that Izumi had plead their case. Who knows what would have happened if she didn''t do so?


    If she had been tortured for the rest of her life by this redhead¡­ she shuddered just thinking about it.


    The other agents gazed at Kalifa in cleer shock, stunned by how easily she had agreed to his, frankly psychotic, terms.


    Just like that? Did the Angel of Death leave that much of an impact on her¡­?


    Right¡­ after everything she had seen, it was no wonder she didn''t want to be tortured by him. She had seen him brutalize Blueno, transform into a dragon, incinerate a massive part of Enies Lobby¡­ and impale Nero just now.


    Rosan sneered at her. "What a pity, I was really hoping you said no, secretary. You were one of the ones on Water 7 after all. Spoiling my fun is not cool."


    She seized up at that and ducked behind the stone faced Izumi who had yet to say a word.


    Izumi was too afraid to speak up in risk of upsetting him or messing up the plan. She already did her part after all¡­ best to just listen to him.


    Robin suddenly perked up, catching their attention, and she tugged Rosan''s sleeve, pointing in a direction.


    Footsteps alerted them all to the presence not yet accounted for and the CP9 agents felt slightly hopeful and fearful, at seeing Rob Lucci himself appear.


    The injured agent had bandages all over, not even close to being fully healed, yet he gazed at them all with a neutral expression on his face, before landing on both Robin and Rosan.


    Fukurou recovered quickly. Unable to resist due to his nature, he opened his mouth. "Chapapa! Lucci''s awake now ¡ª"


    Before he could even finish his sentence, a finger lodged itself into his stomach faster then he could react. Blood spurted from the bullet sized hole and Fukurou gasped in disbelief.


    Every other agents eyes were wide in disbelief at the sight before them.


    Why?


    Because it was Rob Lucci himself who had plunged the finger into Fukurou''s chest.


    The injured leopard man wiped his bloodied finger. "I have no interest in fighting with you weaklings against Izumi, Nico Robin and The Red Devil. I have even less interest in losing that battle and being tortured for the rest of my life."


    Kaku and Jabra couldn''t keep the shock off their faces, as Rob Lucci of all people sided with the Red Devil over them.


    It''s not as if he was loyal to them¡­ but he followed his own set of justice that should conflict with the Red Devil''s¡­ right? He believed that anything that went against the World Government was evil¡­ and the Red Devil was the epitome of that?


    So why? What was the purpose of this?


    Rosan''s expression didn''t even shift, as Rob Lucci moved over to Izumi''s side. It''s almost like he expected this to happen.


    Fukurou didn''t have any time to react, as a scaly and gigantic tail swiftly wrapped around his entire frame multiple times.


    Then, like a Boa constrictor he began to squeeze the man''s body with soul crushing force.


    "I don''t know who you are either so torturing you for a prolonged period of time wouldn''t be that satisfying," Rosan remarked, listening to the sounds of bones creaking.


    Everyone winced back as Fukurou let out a shriek of agony, as the spikes on Rosan''s tails dug into him, causing blood to begin leaking from every direction.


    "I don''t know you either, mutt," he said quietly, gazing at Jabra. "You haven''t answered yet. Stop wasting my time. I''m giving you 30 more seconds to make a decision."


    Jabra should have snarled at being called a mutt¡­ but as someone who had eaten a Zoan, he already understood that what he was gazing at was someone higher on the food chain than him.


    If his fellow carnivorous Zoan, Lucci, submitted, going against this apex predator was not in his best interests.


    "I''ll join," he said shortly, doing his best to hide how nervous he was.


    "Who''s a good boy?" Rosan mocked, scoffing at the man with a condescending look.


    "P-Please¡­ I''ll join you! I c-can''t help but speak out," Fukurou rasped in terror, clutching the serrated tail and wailing as it dug deeper into him as response.


    "If you can''t help but speak, then I''d have killed you anyways. I have quite a bit of important secrets, you know?" Rosan informed him blandly. As if making his point, he tightened his tail once more with a blank look.


    The agents watched in horror, as blood began pouring from their ally''s crevices and they realized that this monster held their fates in his hand.


    Fukurou tried to scream but found that he couldn''t because Rosan was completely crushing every part of his body. He opened his mouth and let out a sickly amount of blood, before the redhead finally decided to end his suffering.


    None said anything, but they felt true fear as Rosan completely incinerated the body by lighting his tail on fire.


    Not even bones remained... not even the blood that was on his tail was there, evaporated by the superheated temperatures.


    "Honestly, after getting my hands on Spandam, I feel pretty damn good¡­ but I''d really have liked if one of the infiltrators on Water 7 said no, after all, you played a hand in manipulating Robin. You dared to order her around, you made her betray me¡­"


    Robin shuddered as a wave of pure hatred crashed into everyone there, Rosan''s eyes turning livid as he bared his fangs at them all.


    Fire began pouring from his mouth as the anger overwhelmed him immediately.


    Those blazing eyes locked onto each and every one of them and Rosan opened his mouth.


    Only for a set of hands to shut them right up.


    "Relax, Rosan. Please. It''s okay," Robin requested gently, frowning at the great surge of rage from the redhead.


    None could hide the relief at seeing their lives get saved by the Devil Child. If not for her, they''d probably get sunk by the clearly unstable redhead.


    "..." Rosan grit his teeth and let out a deep breath, cancelling Ragnarok so that he could make an attempt to stifle his anger.


    Trying to stifle it while the draconic genes were dominating him, was practically impossible.


    He finally locked his cruel gaze onto Kaku and sneered. "Could you say no? Accommodate me so I can work this off?" He asked bluntly.


    "H-He''s terrifying," Izumi thought with a shudder. She had completely set up the agents and now Kalifa was clutching her like she saved them.


    W-Well, technically she did?


    Perhaps, this wasn''t the best of ideas... The redhead looked even more unstable then before and it was clear he couldn''t control his rage, considering he had just been about to kill them all.


    Kaku couldn''t withhold the shudder.


    "I should have just stayed on Water 7 as a foreman¡­" he thought to himself.


    "I''ll join," he said eventually.


    Rosan sighed in actual disappointment.


    "Some loyalty you have. Guess the Government didn''t keep their dogs satisfied enough. Don''t even have enough pride to die following them," he shrugged.


    "Well whatever. From now on you take orders from me. Since you know so much about the World Government, you''ll keep tabs on them for me. You should know how they operate... in fact, getting back into their good graces isn''t a bad idea," he ordered.


    G-Good graces?! Was he insane?! How would that even work?


    Of course, the idea of protesting out loud didn''t once cross anyone''s mind. The screams of Nero and Fukurou were still firmly embedded in their minds and it was not lost to them that the one in charge of them was a tyrant.


    "And I probably don''t have to say this, but don''t try and reveal my secrets," Rosan said suddenly. "You can try. I''d welcome one of you to, but you won''t even get a peep out before things get bad for you. And they will get bad for you. Feel free to test it out at any time, you can even write a note but it won''t matter because I''ve already infected all of you."


    They shuddered at that word.


    Infected.


    Did... did the thing that happened to Blueno... did he somehow already get them?


    "Good. I''m glad you understand. Don''t piss me off more than I already am, I only really need one reason. If you find those conditions unfair, I don''t care," Rosan grunted, staring a hole into Kalifa.


    The blonde wilted in terror as those eyes peered through her.


    Finally, Rosan snorted. "Izumi," he said blandly, inclining his head.


    Izumi nodded shortly, following after the redhead and Robin until they entered an isolated room that he further fortified.


    "I can''t believe that plan worked so thoroughly," the woman sighed, neutral expression melting away as she ducked her head to avoid looking at Rosan.


    "My plans never fail," he retorted calmly. "You are in charge of Rob Lucci. His job is to protect you with his presence. No one will try to attack him but he is insurance for you. Oh and I wasn''t kidding. If any of you try to speak about me, you will suffer until you die and they will never know my secrets," he said warningly.


    "It was quite an ingenious plan¡­ they don''t realize they''ve been thoroughly played," Robin muttered.


    The plan in question, had taken place long before Rosan had "officially" appeared on board.


    No, Rosan had been on board for a very long time already. He had just been cloaked by Izumi''s illusions.


    With her guidance, she had sent him off to where she kept Rob Lucci unconscious on purpose and the redhead had Overhauled him, making the vulnerable assassin loyal to Rosan.


    It was actually exceedingly difficult to do and unlike others who he had Overhauled, it had partially failed with the man. Rob Lucci was firmly set in his ways and that made rewiring his mind hard.


    So Rosan used his beliefs against him. Izumi had been vital here by informing him about all she knew of Rob Lucci, who she seemed to despise quite a bit.


    Rob Lucci had a belief that weakness was a sin and was extremely violent to boot. With the knowledge that he was no doubt going to be labeled an outlaw for failing his mission, he would no longer be allowed to legally kill.


    No, instead he''d be imprisoned in a cell without anyway to sate his bloodthirsty urges.


    Rosan took full advantage of the desire to avoid that. As far as Lucci was concerned, Rosan was his ticket to continue being able to exercise his violent nature or else Rosan would exercise his violent nature onto him by torturing him every day until he was bored.


    It was a different kind of overhaul, one that didn''t fully take over a person''s mind but it would serve him fine enough because at the end of the day, Lucci was prideful and arrogant.


    Izumi didn''t know how he had done it, but she would never forget how Rosan so ruthlessly took control of her body. If he claimed to be able to take over the mind, she wouldn''t doubt it and Lucci''s showing had solidified that.


    "There. In exchange for being my loyal little servant, you have the living agents loyalty," Rosan grunted.


    "I doubt we''ll be supervising you much, so please take this chance to find your own reasons to live," Robin offered politely, gazing at the woman with scrutinizing eyes. "Though, I do have to ask... did you truly plan on preventing my death?"


    Izumi flinched and gazed fearfully at Rosan, who merely inclined his head.


    Seeing the state of the woman now¡­ made her feel a tad sympathetic.


    Rosan clearly noticed it and raised a brow at her, but said nothing.


    "I-I did... I just wanted to... use you as a way to get to Rosan. Um, I really don''t think you are as evil as the world makes you out to be.. so I was going to save you and summon the Buster Call before escaping," she revealed.


    "A truth," Rosan informed her.


    Robin gazed at the woman with a scrutinizing gaze, before simply nodding.


    "We''ve supplied you with some money to do what you need to do. What you choose to do is up to you, but ensure you keep track of the Government''s movements."


    Izumi bowed. "R-Right¡­ Is there anything else?"


    Rosan tilted his head. "Yeah actually. I want you to search for Blueno''s Devil Fruit. If you find it, inform me. Other then that, I''ll call you if I want you to do something."


    She shuddered and nodded. Before turning to leave she bowed to both of them.


    "U-Uh, I''m sorry for everything I did¡­ to the both of you¡­ I promise I won''t be a threat to either of you again."


    "Apology not accepted. You must be out of your mind," Rosan scoffed. "Fuck off. I really don''t need or want it."


    She flinched back harshly and Robin shot him a look.


    "Why the hell should I accept her fucking apology?" He barked in their connection.


    "You don''t have to accept it¡­ but at least acknowledge her efforts."


    He turned his sneer towards Robin for a second and she rolled her eyes.


    "I won''t hold a grudge against you. You''ve been torturing yourself for 12 years now so just focus on anything but my boyfriend please," Robin said politely, gripping Rosan''s arm.


    Izumi nodded hastily. "I-I won''t even think about it! I''ll take your advice and look for something, maybe¡­ I don''t really know¡­" The woman sounded lost as she spoke.


    "¡­" Rosan offered her no sympathy. "We''re leaving, Robin. It''s late and I''m tired."


    Robin sighed and held onto his arm. "You should spend the time finding a purpose, Izumi. It''s a good first step."


    The woman didn''t look any less troubled. "I''ll¡­ try. I''m sorry again for what I did," she murmured.


    Rosan truly did always find the best woman¡­ they were all so kind¡­


    The redhead offered her no parting words and the two quickly vanished.


    "Wanna make out before we sleep?"


    "I''m not even sure what response to muster for that. I just feel exasperated."


    "¡­"


    "¡­"


    "Yes, I do. Stop laughing at me."


    "I''m turning the connection off. You guys just come inside the mindscape when you''re finished."


    "You two are gross."


    It was now fully occurring to Robin that she was in a relationship with a redhead that had two other conscious in his head¡­ and they happened to be the twos mother and daughter respectively.


    She sighed.


    Only Rosan. Why did she fall in love with the most complicated person out there?


    Wait a minute...


    "Mod-chan, if you knew Rosan was in love with me, why didn''t you tell me when I confided with you?"Robin asked suddenly. "That would have solved so many issues!"


    Mod blinked. "Because you confided in with me first. At that point, I wasn''t sure Rosan was in love with you and you also told me not to tell him," she explained rationally.


    Rosan blinked, a flash of confusion crossing his features as they entered their room in the ship.


    "Wait, Robin told you she was in love with me? And you didn''t think to tell me when I was telling you I was in love with her?" He asked incredulously.


    The Devil Fruit balked. Were they seriously doing this right now?


    "You both told me the exact same things! You said neither of you are ready for a relationship and wanted to wait for the castle! Also I even tried to give you hints and both you told me that you would be able to tell if the other had feelings for you!" She raged.


    The duo blinked at that.


    "Damn, we''re more in sync then I thought," Rosan mused. "We said the exact same things?"


    "Practically word for word!"


    Robin hummed at that. "We''re also rather oblivious," she noted.


    Mod grinned victoriously.


    "Yeah we are... that''s why Mod-chan should have told us. Weren''t you trying to get us together? Seriously, we practically handed it to you on a silver platter and we still handled it alone," Rosan sighed. "Unbelievable. I''m beginning to think Mod-chan is woefully inexperienced to anything besides torturing me with her teaching."


    Mod let out a strangled yell.


    "I HATE YOU! I REALLY HATE YOU! GOOD NIGHT AND IF YOU KNOW WHAT''S GOOD FOR YOU, YOU WON''T COME IN HERE!" Mod scowled, cutting the connection.


    "She''s upset. You might be in danger," Robin pointed out with an amused smile.


    "Nah, she''s fine... right, Mod-chan?" Rosan chimed.


    ...


    "Mod-chan?"


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Cold, boring and nothing to do... sounded like a typical day for him.


    But did it really have to be this boring? How long had he even been here? Probably a lot of years now.


    He had always been pretty reckless, looks like it finally bit him in the ass. Attacking Garp after that war against Raisa, was probably not the smartest thing he had done.


    Yeah... it was really stupid. Honestly, he hadn''t expected Raisa to have become such a monster in just two years but she did used to always brag about how no one was like her.


    He missed talking to Raisa. The cocky and brash redhead had offered him a brief respite from that boiling rage inside of him and she had been a good friend.


    "Why...? Why would you do this... didn''t our bond mean anything to you? How could you hurt me like this? I... I trusted you."


    He wondered how she was faring these days. His old friend was very emotional and despite the airs she put up, she didn''t have as good of a grasp on them as she claimed to.


    But those emotions were a wonder... and it made him wonder If Raisa did get pregnant, how was his kid doing...


    Were they a boy or a girl? He didn''t really care about the gender so he wasn''t partial to anything.


    Did Raisa kill em? Probably. It went against her nature but the way she had been looking at him... The sheer hate in her eyes as reality of the situation struck, was not one he had seen before.


    Guess she was right about him, that deep seated rage in his heart would cause him nothing but trouble.


    In the end, this rage didn''t really get him a damn thing but time in prison and probably a kid.


    He knew Raisa, she didn''t have it in her to kill her own family. If she did get pregnant, she probably went through and gave birth to the child.


    What she did after? He had no clue but He was sure his kid was... probably out there.


    He wondered how they were faring.


    Probably fairly well. Raisa was a real beauty and she once admitted that Cutter was handsome in a rough kind of way.


    Not to mention, the whole part where Raisa was a queen. Their kid should be living a good life and if they got even half the things from either of their parents, they''d be a force.


    He wanted to meet them. Of course he wanted to see his child... though, they probably weren''t a child anymore were they?


    How long had he been in here again? Impel Down wasn''t really good at telling you about time.


    Rocks D. Cutter sighed and looked at his chains in indifference.


    He hated being restrained but the years had numbed him to it so there was that.


    If only he had exercised a bit of caution after his brawl with Raisa. He could have easily gone back into hiding to continue training with his new Devil Fruit but instead, he heard signs that the son of a bitch Garp was coming after him and met it head on.


    Not smart. The injuries had been slowing him down tremendously and he couldn''t even really get going.


    Cue, being captured and slammed into Impel Down for who knows how long.


    Lame, he didn''t even get to train his new ability all that much.


    Now he was here in this dungeon, chained to a wall in a prison.


    Cutter sighed again.


    If he ever broke out, he was going to destroy Impel Down and everyone in it, then he''d go searching for his kid.


    He wanted to meet the product of him and Raisa, that person was bound to be interesting.

 A Little Extra Slice of Life I

    Wanted: "Red Devil" Rosan ¨C 310,000,000 Beris


    "My Queen if I may... are you perhaps, interested in the Red Devil?"


    Raisa bit the inside of her cheek to avoid violently cursing her secretary or saying something incredibly stupid.


    Finally, the Queen gazed up at Jen and tilted her head.


    "Why do you ask? Are you attracted to him and asking me to validate said attraction?" Raisa replied, successfully diverting the attention off herself.


    Jen''s eyes widened and the young woman gained a blush of surprise.


    "W-What are you a-asking my Queen?!" She gasped in horror. "He is certainly handsome but haven''t you heard everything about him! With all he''s done, he might truly be a Devil!"


    Raisa''s gaze darkened at that statement.


    A Devil... her child... To think that he and his crew had allegedly destroyed Enies Lobby.


    Such a feat, it was insanity. Did Rosan lead the charge? Was her son the one who decided to completely destroy a Marine Stronghold and wage war with the Government?


    Not even Cutter was that insane... such a feat was reserved for his older brother.


    "You aren''t being fully honest with yourself," Raisa said bluntly, those sharp purple eyes rover over to the woman once more. "You think he''s very good looking, right? You are undeniably very attracted to him. There is no need to hide it, none can hide anything from me regardless."


    It was a given that she was attracted to Rosan. Jen was attracted to Raisa as well, of course her son would catch the girl''s eye.


    Jen''s mouth opened at being so shamelessly called out and she gazed at the neutral Queen with a red face.


    "Well, forgive me for my unprofessionalism, but yes I do think he''s very attractive," she admitted.


    Of course he was attractive. He was her spitting image and Raisa was well aware of how beautiful she was...


    But knowing that her son was so desired, filled her with a feeling she couldn''t quite identify.


    Actually, Raisa was filled with plenty of emotions she was having a hard time analyzing.


    She needed to think... This was driving her mad.


    "Jen, you''re free to go for the rest of the day," Raisa suddenly said, eyes flitting back to the poster of her son.


    Wanted: "Red Devil" Rosan ¨C 310,000,000 Beris


    "Just inform everyone that I''ve retreated to my private abode. Do not bother me unless it is urgent. I''ve finished all my paperwork for the week."


    Raisa hadn''t even realized she was standing but whenever it came to Rosan, she never did act like herself.


    Jen strained her neck to look up at her much taller Queen and once again found herself admiring the woman''s stature.


    Queen Raisa was stunning. Sharp features that enhanced her beauty, draping red hair that was never out of place, unblemished bronze skin that added to her exotic flair, those glowing purple eyes that were as enchanting as they were intimidating...


    She may have sounded a little fanatical, but Jen was very glad that she was able to see this woman everyday.


    "You''re staring."


    But Kami did she have no tact at all. Raisa had the social skills of a true dragon and cared very little at all about embarrassing another person.


    Jen turned beet red and nodded in mortification. "M-My apologies Queen Raisa! I''ll be sure to inform them all to leave you be."


    The Queen nodded, wings forming on her arms as she stepped to her gigantic window made personally for her.


    Pushing it open, the Queen wasted no time flying to her private home.


    When she was there, she could properly scream in frustration at the events taking place. Then she''d call Sengoku for a chat about what the hell was going on.


    Rosan was worth 310 million beris. Her son had destroyed Enies Lobby. He was a threat that seemed to be missing his emotions and he was a pirate that reveled in slaughter.


    He was a pirate. A fucking pirate worth 310 ¡ª


    The citizens of Wisteria watched, unfazed, as a great burst of fire consumed the air. They were used to their Queen exerting some of her abilities and Wisteria was no stranger to combat.


    Funnily enough, if they heard the scream accompanying that great burst of fire, their jaws would have dropped to the floor and their eyes would have bugged out of their head.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "That jump is fucking huge!" Dalia awed in a whisper, gazing at the bounty of her nephew with a proud gaze as she resisted the urge to squeal.


    Look at her handsome little nephew causing mayhem on the world! Destroying Enies Lobby? He was even crazier than they imagined! Go Iris D. Rosan!


    "One second he''s worth 100 million, the next he''s sporting 310¡­ what type of monster is he?" Oren asked curiously, looking at the vacant gaze of Raisa''s only child in awe.


    A part of him panged at seeing the expressionless look on his nephew. Despite not knowing anything about him, he frowned sadly at what the redhead might have gone through.


    Oren sighed. Well, he hoped Rosan was doing alright at the very least. Whatever caused his nephew to raid and destroy Enies Lobby... he hoped the redhead accomplished whatever he did.


    "By the way, are you sure we should be discussing this here?" The oldest sibling asked in amusement.


    Dalia blinked up at him, big blue eyes shining in confusion and she tilted her head at him.


    "Sure we should¡­ why shouldn''t we?"


    Oren sighed at the idiot and pointed behind her.


    "Because this is Raisa''s mansion," he offered helpfully.


    Dalia blinked again, before feeling a warm presence behind her.


    The youngest sibling went pale.


    She hesitantly turned around and was met with an intimidating set of purple eyes, boring into her.


    Raisa gazed at her siblings with an expressionless face. For once, she was not in one of her battle dresses and had instead opted to wear a tight purple shirt with long sleeves, along with a comfortable pair of shorts.


    Dalia resisted the urge to whistle at her older sister''s amazing figure and instead vanished behind Oren''s frame.


    "H-Hey, sis!" She greeted, peeking out from behind her brother with a nervous smile. "What''re you doing here? Back so soon from the castle?"


    Raisa raised a single brow at that and tilted her head.


    "I finished my paperwork for the week and decided to relax¡­ Should I not be the one asking you two that? I never said you could move in with me and yet your still here. I said you could stay on my island not in my house," she reminded them calmly.


    "Yeah but finding a new place would take so long and be so complicated and we like seeing you and we think you''d deny us entry if it were up to you," Dalia whined.


    "I fail to see how any of what you said is my problem," Raisa stated simply.


    Since showing up at her doors, Raisa had seen her siblings every single day because they had chosen to take residence in her private home and despite how massive her home was, they actively sought her out to speak with their middle sibling.


    The Queen would rather not stay in the castle 24/7 so she had a mansion built for her in an isolated part of the island where she could truly relax by her lonesome...


    Except for the fact that her siblings stayed there now.


    The two made sure to visit her whenever they could and just did whatever they thought would make her happier.


    It had been a long time since Raisa had divulged in¡­ personal relationships like this so she allowed it.


    "It''s a big place and you have a lotta rooms," Oren shrugged. "If you really want us out though, we''ll go."


    "¡­" Raisa gazed at her older brother and hummed. "Why are you hiding the bounty poster of Rosan from me? Do you think I''ll get upset that you are interested in him?" she asked.


    "Yes," Dalia squeaked in fear.


    Raisa said nothing to that because she was obsessed with Rosan in a way that she would never be able to explain.


    The Straw Hats, the same crew her son was apart of¡­ had stormed and destroyed Enies Lobby? She genuinely never thought she would read anything of the sorts so when she did...


    And now he was worth a staggering 310 million beri?


    The Queen had no idea how to feel. After screaming in frustration in the sky (it had felt admittedly good but she hadn''t screamed in quite a while), Raisa had felt rather numb at it all.


    Part of her was furious that he would raid such a dangerous stronghold and risk his life like that. Part of her was relieved that he was alive and breathing.


    Another small part was scared. Scared of how quickly her son was raising in notoriety and power. Scared of how eerily similar his actions were to his father''s side of the family. Scared of how lifeless he looked on the bounty poster.


    What happened to him? What was his story? Raisa had spent years only thinking about her son subconsciously and now she had no choice but to face reality... and now that she had a taste of Rosan''s life, she was addicted to knowing more.


    It was terrible. Rosan was once again upheaving her lifestyle and this time, she couldn''t run away from it.


    Needless to say, Raisa had rushed home so that she could calm herself down from these foreign feelings.


    But in her haste, she forgot her siblings lived here now.


    She sighed at the look on Dalia''s face.


    "I''m about to make a phone call about the events of the newspaper. If you wish to listen in, you may," was all Raisa said, turning on a heel mid sentence and walking away.


    Dalia and Oren blinked at that, before twin grins broke out on their faces.


    "She''s warming up to us!" Dalia cheered.


    Raisa used to do this all the time when they were kids. If Dalia or Oren wanted something but were too afraid to ask, she would ask in their stead and claim to want it for herself, before handing it off to them.


    She¡­ she really was such a good sister.


    "We''ve been putting in quite a bit of effort to earn her forgiveness¡­ maybe she actually does appreciate it," Oren offered, glancing at her retreating back with a contemplative expression.


    It had been so many years since they saw their sister and it was almost like looking at a different person.


    They didn''t really know her anymore.


    The kind, spunky and protective Raisa was gone and in her place was a cold, collected Queen who didn''t allow a single person to spot her weaknesses... who didn''t allow a single person in.


    Not even them. She very nearly did kick them out the first time she saw them but held off on it because the mansion really was too big for one person.


    Maybe in due time, they''d be able to have her open up even a little more.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Raisa?"


    "Sengoku."


    Dalia and Oren''s eyes widened in shock, even while nodding at their middle sister who put a single delicate finger over her lips.


    Sengoku? The Fleet Admiral? Raisa had relations with the World Government?! Since when? And she was speaking to the Fleet Admiral of all people?!


    Why was she speaking casually to him?!


    Their redheaded middle sister looked utterly at ease, staring coolly at the Den Den Mushi.


    Kami they didn''t know anything about Raisa anymore did they? Was Wisteria now affiliated with the World Government...?


    "The events of Enies Lobby. What happened?" The Queen asked bluntly.


    "She''s so blunt!" Dalia cried comically, gazing at her sister with disbelieving eyes.


    "Does she actually fear anything?" Oren thought with a sweatdrop.


    Judging by the tired sigh on the other line, this wasn''t the first time Sengoku had dealt with Raisa.


    "In what world do you think it''s appropriate for me to discuss what transpired on Enies Lobby with you, Raisa?" Sengoku asked with a shake of his head.


    Raisa looked utterly nonplussed by those words. Without missing a beat, the Queen said, "In the world that you called me unprovoked and brought my attention to the child I didn''t raise. Since you saw fit to discuss Rosan with me, perhaps you''ll see fit to discuss him with me once more. Why did he attack Enies Lobby?"


    "What is wrong with her?!" Dalia sobbed in disbelief. Why was Raisa like this?! Why did she fill them with so much anxiety?!


    Raisa didn''t miss the way her siblings were gaping at her and tilted her head in some confusion.


    They were curious about what happened as well weren''t they? She was merely sating their (and her own) curiosity.


    Sengoku held his head in annoyance. Dealing with Raisa was always a headache because she was so incredibly abrasive and did whatever she desired. The best way to deal with her, was to just give her what she wanted and besides, Sengoku knew she merely wanted to know about her son that she very poorly hid her interest in.


    Abandoned or not, someone''s child was still their child.


    "Rosan saw it fit to attack Enies Lobby, in order to retrieve his lover, Nico Robin who had been seized by our forces."


    Dalia''s eyes bugged at that and her jaw dropped to the floor.


    He raided and destroyed Enies Lobby... to save his girlfriend?


    "He''s so romantic!" Dalia squealed to herself, holding her cheeks and swooning. Her nephew was so adorable and charming!


    Oren pursed his lips at that, a flash of worry across his eyes.


    "I''m proud of the kiddo for going after what''s his but he could have gotten killed... but for someone he loves? I guess we''d all do the same thing to. We''ll do a lot for someone we love... even die."


    Raisa''s eyes widened at that, a flash of horror crossing her features.


    What did Sengoku say? Rosan raided Enies Lobby for his lover?


    Did he... truly love her?


    Oh no. Rosan falling in love with such a dangerous person was...


    Raisa didn''t give a damn about Nico Robin''s history or the lies the World Government made up about her... that didn''t take away from the massive threat she was seen as and Rosan was in love with her.


    Did that mean he did have his emotions? An Iris in love was...


    "That''s it? That''s the only reason he attacked and killed so many of your soldiers?" she asked.


    "As far as we know, yes. The Red Devil and his crew attacked Enies Lobby with the sole intention of getting back the Devil of Ohara," Sengoku sighed, rubbing his head.


    "And... they succeeded," Raisa muttered, disbelief tinging her tone.


    "Believe me, I am as surprised as you are. Whatever Mythical Zoan he has eaten, has given him too many transformations and abilities."


    Oren tilted his head. Rosan ate a Mythical Zoan?


    Raisa saw the questioning look and merely shook her head. "I did not provide him a Devil Fruit."


    Why would she provide him one? She wanted Rosan to live a normal life with whoever had managed to raise him.


    But yet he still managed to secure one... and it was incredibly formidable too.


    Raisa felt like fate itself was slapping her in the face. Every step she took, ensured that it had a consequence to it.


    According to Sengoku, Rosan could even transform into a dragon.


    What type of sick joke was this?


    "Now if you''ll excuse me, we''re quite busy and just thinking about the events of Enies Lobby infuriates me. Goodbye Raisa."


    Raisa watched the Den Den begin slumbering once more and began thinking.


    To think Rosan... destroyed all of Enies Lobby, for the sole purpose of getting back his lover.


    Such insanity, mixed with such emotion... he truly loved her didn''t he?


    Of course he did. He was an Iris and they were never normal when it came to emotions.


    Being subjected to the love of an Iris, was a dangerous thing. Obsession, possessiveness... if one was not aware of how an Iris tended to act when they were in love, they''d quickly find themselves overwhelmed.


    To an Iris, the subject of their love may as well have belonged to them.


    That was likely why Dalia was single. At least she hadn''t seemed to suffer heartbreak in the process.


    ...Had Rosan suffered heartbreak? That was very likely... but losing all his emotions as a result?


    Did it have to do with Cutter''s side? Raisa didn''t know.


    What Raisa did know, was that Rosan possessed all the emotional qualities of an Iris and he had all the insanity of a Rocks.


    Make no mistake, if Raisa truly did love someone, she would have also raided Enies Lobby to get them back.


    But Raisa wouldn''t have destroyed and killed everyone in the process. Just the people who thought to get in her way.


    This was why she had been so terrified at the thought that Rosan could inherit everything from her and that damned man.


    The willingness to do anything to get what you wanted and having all the emotions to reach that state...


    "Raisa, are you okay?" Oren and Dalia asked in concern.


    Raisa gazed at her siblings and unfurrowed her brows. "I''m fine. Are you satisfied with what you heard?"


    Dalia frowned sadly, hating the troubled look on Raisa''s face earlier. "Raisa, you don''t have to say anything... but what... happened between you and Rosan''s father?" she asked hesitantly.


    No sooner did that question leave her mouth, did an incredible wave of conquerors crash into the both of them and Raisa glared at them with furious eyes.


    Dalia and Oren gasped on instinct, taking a step back in horror.


    "You are overstepping your boundaries," Raisa hissed with a deep scowl. "Do not think for a second that I''ve forgiven either of you to the point where I''d disclose what happened to me when I was all alone!"


    The two flinched back at her venomous tone, lookin burned by her words.


    "It''s just... we''re worried for you," Oren said slowly. "We know how you are, bottling things up with everything and you''ve been doing it for who knows how long."


    "25 years," she replied coldly, glaring at them.


    "We''re sorry," Dalia whispered, tears hitting the floor. It was always easy to get her to cry. "We just want to help..."


    Raisa hated this. Raisa hated her gift to detect the lies that people spewed. How she wished she was as ignorant as everyone else sometimes because it would allow her resent to truly set in.


    But it couldn''t because... because Raisa could tell how genuine her siblings were. Raisa could feel their guilt, could feel their disgust at themselves every time they gazed at her.


    They truly were trying to make it up to her... but Raisa didn''t want that...


    Did she? What did she want?


    Raisa didn''t know anymore. She had been in a vacuum of misery and apathy for years now. She didn''t know what she wanted.


    Raisa simply did what was necessary to survive and continue moving forward.


    "Oh Raisa," Dalia said quietly, pulling her older sister into a deep hug. "We''re so sorry that you''ve been handling all of this alone for years now. You''ve never actually had time to yourself have you?"


    "..." she said nothing, just gazing at Dalia and the hug like it were a strange entity.


    She still was not used to being hugged. Raisa was not used to anything physical. All she knew was business and ruling... and the pain of loneliness.


    "I met Cutter in the New World when I was 16," she said softly, not removing Dalia from her person.


    "He was... 20 at the time. My ship had been damaged in an attack and I dragged it to the closest island I could find."


    That''s when they had met for the first time... a young and naive Raisa had been storming through the oceans with ease, all on her lonesome as she simply pushed herself to the limits. There was no specific reason for this journey but she did have to go to one island at the minimum, to honor her family heritage on her mother''s side.


    After doing that, she had decided to brave the New World and test her prowess there.


    It was fun. Raisa loved it but that didn''t change the fact that the New World was very formidable and her beaten up ship was proof of that.


    So she decided to repair it herself on an island when it accumulated a bit too much damage.


    That''s where she met the training Cutter.


    "He was polite in comparison to my brash and rude nature," Raisa sighed. "He didn''t belittle me because I was a kid, he was refreshingly honest and never lied... he even offered to help me repair my ship."


    "We were close," the Queen revealed. "I felt normal around him. He had a clue that I was royalty but he never treated me any differently. We talked to each other. I told him how isolated and alone I felt and he related to me because he had lost his brother in a world full of enemies. He was my first and real friend..."


    Dalia and Oren''s eyes widened at what she was revealing.


    Cutter and Raisa had been friends?


    "But he was so angry deep down," Raisa sighed, glancing at her hand. "Deep inside, he was boiling with so much rage and it made me worried for him. If he never had such a deep anger, I would have..."


    Raisa cut herself off and shook her head.


    "I trusted him. I loved him and if he could let his past go, I really wouldn''t have had a problem marrying him."


    "But he couldn''t let it go... so when my ship was repaired I left and I continued my journey alone. I bid him farewell and he did the same... and I thought that was that,"


    It hurt to leave Cutter. Raisa wanted the best for him, she had wanted him to let his anger go...


    "And then when I returned home and ascended to Queen, he betrayed all my trust and attacked me."


    The two flinched.


    "The one person in the world I felt like I could finally trust and in return, he defeated me and raped me."


    She grit her teeth in rage as the deep betrayal coursed through her body.


    "I was so stupid and naive. In the end, he couldn''t let his anger go and he came to the conclusion that he needed a child and he chose me to be the mother."


    Dalia covered her mouth in horror. "That''s..."


    Betrayal was just... one of the worst things they could go through and Raisa had...


    Oren clenched his fist, a flash of rage crossing his features at the man named Cutter.


    To betray Raisa... Raisa was a sweetheart. She didn''t deserve that. She didn''t...


    "The worst thing was, Cutter genuinely didn''t feel like he was doing anything wrong. I could tell," Raisa whispered.


    They froze in horror.


    "To Cutter, I was his. I belonged to him... It was a given in his eyes that I was the perfect choice of a mother."


    Raisa''s eyes shut. "I don''t know what Cutter had planned for Rosan, I don''t know why he didn''t take me with him... but I would be damned if I let him get his way so I abandoned Rosan on an island full of civilians in hopes that he would just remain a civilian himself."


    That was the part of her that loved him who decided that.


    "But clearly my decision bit me in the ass," she said bitterly. "At the very least, I wanted him to have a normal life as a civilian. No Devil Fruit, no fighting... no burden of being my heir. Just a normal life and I failed even then."


    Ridiculous. Raisa would laugh at how unfortunate all these events were if she wasn''t just so tired of it all.


    The Queen was brought out of her musings as tears spilled on her and she saw Dalia staring fiercely up at her. Those blue eyes were set into slits and Raisa saw her teeth turn serrated.


    "If he comes back Raisa, I''ll kick his ass black and blue! I''ll torture that piece of shit for even thinking of attacking and using you!" she snarled furiously, tucking herself into her older sister with a protective hold.


    "Just thinking about it," Oren snarled, joining the hug as his eyes flitted to gold for a moment. "We''ll protect you, Raisa."


    "We''ll protect you."


    How odd. Her weaker siblings were saying that they would protect her against someone who had managed to defeat their far stronger sister.


    It was surreal and naive of them... Cutter would eat them alive. They would stand no chance against him...


    So why did Raisa feel comforted by their words and their hugs?


    It... was nice.


    The Queen said nothing to her siblings but... she also didn''t push them away, just taking in their combined warmth with an almost lost expression.


    Let her at least enjoy this.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Teach couldn''t help but widen his eyes, at the prices on the Straw Hats heads.


    "340 million? 310?! These prices are insane!"


    With this price¡­ They''d almost certainly cement his position.


    "They''re at Water 7, right? We can probably still catch them!" Burgess stated confidently.


    Whatever Teach was about to say, died on his lips as a piercing orange beam slammed straight through Burgess'' stomach with precise aim.


    The Blackbeard Pirates watched as smoke erupted from the man''s stomach and he collapsed.


    "ARGHHHHH!" Burgess howled in agony as the attack instantly seared his stomach.


    "Who''re you planning on catching?" Ace asked stonily, hand held out in a finger pistol.


    Teach gazed at the screaming Burgess in shock, eyes widening in disbelief as he gazed up at his former commander.


    "C''mon now Teach. All those stories I told you about my brothers, and you try to hunt them down first chance you get¡­?" Ace asked with a sardonic smirk.


    It vanished as quickly as it came.


    "...You should know how overprotective of them I am."


    The Blackbeard Pirates scattered out of the way as a great blaze of fire erupted from the spot they were standing at, effortlessly catching Burgess'' body.


    The giant man, who was still writhing in pain, could do nothing to defend himself from the great blaze and he howled as it washed over him.


    "WAIT, ACE!" Teach shouted, as fire began spreading everywhere. "WE DON''T HAVE TO FIGHT! JOIN ME! I AM THE MAN WHO''LL BECOME THE KING OF PIRATES!"


    He howled as three darts of fire embedded themselves into his body with precise aim.


    "ARGHH!" The man howled.


    "CAPTAIN!"


    "You should know why I''m here, Teach," Ace said calmly, parts of his body lighting up. "It''s time to pay for your crimes. Don''t bother talking your way outta this. If you knew from my stories, you''d know I picked up quite a bit from my brother."


    Blackbeard huffed and pulled himself up.


    Then, a grin made its way to his face.


    "I know what I did was a crime among pirates¡­ The killing of your own crewmates is a grave offense! But Thatch had something I wanted!"


    A black miasma began roiling off of Blackbeard as the man stood at his full height.


    "Thatch had the Devil Fruit meant to be mine! The Yami Yami no mi was destined to be my fruit and I searched for decades for it! There was no way I was going to give it up after all these years so I did what I had to do!" Blackbeard declared.


    "Zehahaha! It was bad luck that Thatch found it first but I needed my bad luck to end and it finally has! With this power, I''m the strongest in the world!"


    "So it really is the fruit Rosan mentioned," Ace thought with a frown.


    "You may be made of fire Ace, but I''m made of Darkness-"


    "Fire Fist!"


    Blackbeard''s eyes widened as the flaming fist crashed directly into him and he howled in agony as burns began spreading across his body.


    "Shut up," Ace said coldly. "You talk too much. I don''t care about what you have to say. I''m just here to clean you and your dumbass crew up."


    The Second Commander held out his hands and apologized in his mind to the people of this island, as he consumed the entire area in flames, cutting off any and all exits.


    "Fire Escape."


    Blackbeard hastily patted the flames on his body down and gazed at the chilly expression on Ace''s face.


    "Fine. I''ll show you what I''m able to do then," he muttered as the black energy revealed itself once more.


    "Captain, what about us?!" Augur asked as he noticed the man getting ready to use his ability.


    "Run through the fire if you don''t want to get caught in this fight. Either one is going to hurt but there''s no point interfering!" Blackbeard told them.


    They grit their teeth at the truth of his words and gazed hesitantly at the roaring flames before coming to a decision quick.


    At the same time, Blackbeard began sucking everything in around him. Foggy black smoke began seeping into the area around them, snuffing out the flames in the process.


    Ace grunted as his body began moving without volition and he tried to resist the pull with all his might for naught.


    The Whitebeard Commander was sent soaring through the air, right towards the waiting Teach and Ace remembered his brother''s warning clear.


    He ignited his entire body in flames, until he looked like a flying fireball and allowed himself to soar towards Teach with intent to make this hurt.


    Blackbeard''s eyes widened for a split second but he grit his teeth and steeled himself.


    The ball of fire crashed directly into him and made the darkness man scream in agony once more but Teach powered through the pain and grasped him.


    The effects were instantaneous.


    All the flames around Ace''s body vanished as if it never existed and he only had a moment to apply armament to himself, before a punch broke right through and launched him away.


    "S-So strong?!" Ace thought as he threw up blood from the impact of Teach''s fist against his sternum.


    He didn''t have a moments rest because he felt his body being dragged through the air once more.


    Ace grit his teeth at the strong gravitational pull. This pull was ridiculous! He could barely resist it!


    Right before he was sent into Teach''s waiting arms again, he struck.


    "Great Flame Geyser!" He shouted, summoning a gigantic pillar underneath Teach''s body.


    "ARGHH!" Blackbeard howled as he was sent flying into the sky from the ridiculously hot fire. By now, the damage of the flames had caused quite a bit of damage on his body and coupled with the fact his Devil Fruit accumulated damage more than normal, he was in a lot of pain.


    As he fell down, the traitor summoned his darkness once more.


    "Dark Matter!" He roared.


    Ace spat out a river of blood, as a concussive dark wave crashed into him and sent him tumbling along the ground.


    The commander huffed as blood began pooling around him and he shakily stood up.


    "Zehahaha! For someone who hasn''t taken damage in so long, you sure know how to take a hit," Blackbeard grinned, dark energy growing around him.


    "He''s been hiding his true strength," Ace thought grimly.


    Teach was significantly stronger then he accounted for. Even without this Devil Fruit, he hit hard enough for Ace to feel it even through Armament.


    A great surge of flames surrounded Ace''s body as he wiped the blood off his mouth and stood straight.


    The flames continued pouring off his body as if there were an endless amount and he powered it up further and further.


    Teach watched the towering flames form into a shape and grinned challengingly, forming his own attack to counter.


    Glaring down at the traitor. A gigantic dragon, made solely from Ace''s flames spit fire everywhere as the surging flames howled for it.


    At the same time, a giant ball of darkness loomed above Teach, absorbing the very light around it as it stared off with the construct of fire.


    Ace let out a deep breath as preparation for his technique finished.


    His ultimate technique. The strongest move in his arsenal that paid homage to the second strongest flames he had seen after his own.


    "Great Flame Commandment: Ragnarok."


    The construct of fire roared it''s fury to the world.


    Blackbeard didn''t falter for even a moment. He just poured more power into his mass of darkness.


    "Fire versus Darkness! Let''s see which is stronger, Ace!" He roared.


    Ace''s response was to send the Dragon flying into the ball of darkness.


    The ensuing explosion was deafening, as the entire island was caught in the crossfire of the two forces colliding.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Robin yawned a little as she lifted her head off the comfortable chest.


    "Mornin Robin," Rosan said easily, eyes glowing sporadically as he woke up from his own sleep.


    "Good morning, Rosan," she mumbled, absentmindedly kissing his cheek.


    The redhead hummed at that and got out of bed.


    Robin couldn''t help but glare at seeing how effortlessly he could move about after just waking up.


    "No one else is awake so you can go bathe," Rosan told her, stretching a bit and giving her an eyeful of chest that she greedily accepted.


    Then she blinked. "You don''t want to bathe with me? Why not?" She asked, getting out of bed herself.


    Robin quite liked being spoiled and not doing anything in the bath... it was very relaxing.


    Rosan hesitated a bit at that. "...I was gonna do an early morning workout then shower afterwards is all. You can just go first. I''ll bathe alone today," he replied calmly.


    Robin saw through him immediately.


    She frowned sadly and stepped up to him, wrapping her arms around his waist and gazing up at those shifting orbs.


    He didn''t forget what she said back at Water 7, when she pushed him away. Of course he wouldn''t forget that... Robin had gone out of her way to say the most horrible things she could say to him and she even... made him cry.


    How awful of her... Now the redhead was attempting to not be overbearing because he didn''t want to be subject to another explosion like that.


    She couldn''t believe how stupid she had been to abuse his emotional status like that with so little remorse¡­ she had been so callous.


    "Rosan¡­ back at Water 7 when I yelled at you¡­ I didn''t mean any of what I said. I just wanted to keep you safe and that was the only way I knew how. I¡­ I don''t want to be alone from you and I love how overbearing you are so please don''t just suddenly stop," she admitted.


    She bit her lip at what she was feeling from Rosan.


    He was¡­ afraid of upsetting her again and it tore her apart that she willingly caused this. It didn''t matter how good her intentions had been in her eyes.


    They had forgiven each other¡­ they had moved on, but the damage had been done and now, Rosan was treading on eggshells to not set her off again because he was afraid of disappointing her.


    "Why did I have to hurt him?" She thought morosely.


    "I know... but Robin," Rosan said, shutting his eyes. "You may have been trying to push me away¡­ but you didn''t actually tell a lie when you did. Not one."


    Robin froze completely at that.


    "Everything you said, deep down you meant," he whispered. "I know you love how overbearing I am, I know you don''t want to be alone¡­ but a part of you doesn''t like my overbearing nature. A part of you can get tired of me and I don''t want that to be the case."


    "No Rosan, that''s not true!" Robin protested immediately, tightening her grip. "Yes, at the moment I wasn''t lying but it was because I was so stressed over the events that happened with Aokiji and CP9 and seeing you frozen."


    The redhead looked conflicted at that. "But..."


    She shook her head insistently. "I won''t get tired of you and I promise I love how overbearing you can be. When you''re overbearing, I know that I never have anything to be worried about! I''ve loved that about you ever since we were kids! Please believe that!"


    Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    Rosan opened his mouth and closed it when he saw the rare desperation in Robin''s gaze.


    Then he sighed and a wry smile made its way to his face.


    "All this just to get me to bathe? I knew you liked bathing with me more then I did with you," he said with a smug smirk as he wrapped his arm around her.


    Robin felt a swell of relief at that and sighed fondly.


    She was so proud that he was being so receptive to others words now ever since their talk at Skypiea.


    She was glad that she hadn''t caused him to revert. She was so glad that he still trusted her enough to take stock of her words.


    "Sometimes I like to relax and let you pamper me. Since you''re so meticulous with your own hair, it makes you very meticulous with mine so I can just sit back and enjoy the sensations," the Devil Child replied with a smile.


    Rosan scoffed. "What am I? Your servant? Am I just attending to all your needs?"


    "Yes," Robin said without hesitation. "My loyal servant, who wouldn''t even let me eat alone after an injury. You willingly signed up for this and I think now I''ll finally reap all the benefits."


    He nodded thoughtfully at that. "You''re not wrong. If I can make your life a little easier, I''ll take it."


    Ah, why was he so sweet all the time?


    "Let''s go bathe," Robin said with a small smile.


    "Yes, dear," he saluted mockingly, grabbing essentials from their room on the Thousand Sunny.


    They had taken their liberties and designed the entire room, giving it a dominantly purple, black and red theme.


    The bed was large enough to fit their entire family on the off chance they wanted to do their dreadful group sleep.


    At least with Robin, maybe they''d stop harassing him. She was his girlfriend after all so maybe Maro and Angel would stop being so depraved when it came to him.


    He thought back to the group sleep at Alabasta and realized it would always be doomed. There was something wrong with the two wives and Rosan didn''t realize until now just how problematic they were.


    Besides the the majority of essentials and furniture of their bedroom, all being a pitch black color with splashes of purple, there was a bookcase filled with books that they were both interested in.


    They also added a nice cabinet filled with little snacks for Rosan and a variety of rare coffee beans (they were gifts from Aiko that she regularly supplied them with) for Robin.


    It was nice and comfortable and Robin had abused Rosan''s abilities religiously to make the perfect room.


    She had smiled at a job well done and their barren room, looked beautiful and homey now. It was akin to their room in the Pocket Dimension and sure they could have gone for something different, but she loved the room and saw no need to change it besides adding a bit more red and purple.


    They had actually been sleeping on the ship far more now at Robin''s request and Rosan easily acquiesced. The only times they stayed in the Pocket Dimension was


    "Give me some pants to put on," Robin asked as she saw the redhead grab at everything with a gross amount of control over his wind.


    She hated him. When did he get so good at using that?


    "We''re going to bathe, why do you need to put pants on right now?" Rosan asked calmly, not passing them over.


    Robin''s eye twitched a bit.


    "Because we are on the ship and I only have your shirt on," she stressed slowly, pointing at the silky red shirt protecting her modesty.


    She didn''t miss the way Rosan glanced appreciatively at her exposed legs and she sighed in exasperation.


    "And you say you''re not a pervert," Robin sighed with a smile.


    She liked it¡­ just a little.


    "I''m not," Rosan refuted calmly. "I''ve just gotten practically all my emotions back and I entered a relationship not long after¡­ years of suppressing my hormones has completely backfired on me and you''re not making it any better for me."


    Okay, she liked it a lot.


    "I still need pants, Rosan," she told him firmly.


    "Aww is little Robin afraid to show her cute butt?" Rosan mocked as he made his way to the door, still refusing to give her a pair of pants. "Relax, everyone is still sleeping and my shirt is good enough until we make it. Just don''t make sudden movements."


    "You''re insufferable," Robin said, resisting the urge to groan. Reaching out with her Observation, she verified that everyone was in fact sleeping and followed after him.


    "It''s more efficient this way," Rosan said smugly. "No need to put them on just to take em off 30 seconds later. It''s why I didn''t put on a shirt. You''re welcome for that, I see you eyeing me."


    She did groan this time.


    "I hate you."


    The redhead laughed as he walked past her and tapped the shirt, making it grow long enough to be a pseudo dress.


    "There you go. Now you can stop being a big baby."


    She glowered at him and inspected the outfit. It looked kind of good with the extra length...


    "I''m keeping this."


    Rosan''s smile vanished. "Hell no. Give me my shirt back."


    "No, another to my collection."


    The redhead scowled. "I hate you."


    "The feeling is mutual."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "LEMME GO! I''LL BITE YOUR FUCKING HANDS OFF! I''M SERIOUS! ARGHH LEMME GO RIGHT NOW!"


    Robin let out a strained gasp and increased the amount of arms needed to restrain the hellishly strong person.


    "MOTHER I REFUSE! LEMME FUCKING GO!"


    That hellishly strong person, was Ram.


    "Don''t just stand there, Rosan! Help me!" She demanded, glaring at the amused redhead with a look that promised pain after all this was over.


    "I thought you had it handled? That''s what you said when I offered to help wasn''t it?" Rosan replied with a raised brow, watching his daughter valiantly struggle in Robin''s grasp, in just her undergarments.


    "That''s before I realized she would go feral at the idea of wearing new clothes!" She retorted before gasping in pain.


    Ram, like her creator and father, was very clearly a fan of biting too.


    "Did you just bite me?" Robin hissed at the ring.


    "I DID AND I''LL DO IT AGAIN! LEMME GO! I WON''T EVEN SPARE YOU, MOTHER!"


    Rosan chuckled and she would have enjoyed the deep laughter, if not at her own expense.


    "Ram, just let Robin dress you. You''re all gonna be late otherwise," he tried, eyes far too amused to come off as serious.


    The arrogant stupid redhead knew that! He knew Ram would listen if he just used his serious voice!


    "F-FUCK YOU! I DON''T WANNA! GIVE ME BACK MY COAT! I-I WON''T WEAR SOMETHING LIKE THAT!" Ram screeched, getting ready to transform into a cannon to prove her point.


    "I tried. She sure is a stubborn one," Rosan shrugged helplessly with a smug grin.


    Robin swore that she was going to kill him after this.


    Insufferable, chaotic, redhead.


    "Ram. The outfit."


    Ram went still, immediately going pale and her struggles died down instantly.


    "Y-Yes, Auntie!" She said shakily as she went docile.


    Robin blinked at that before warily beginning the process of dressing Ram up, blinking even more as the ring made no attempt to resist.


    Finally she stepped back and gazed at the silver haired girl, intent on seeing if she tore it all apart.


    The ring looked down at her outfit and recoiled in disgust.


    H-Her double breasted coat! G-Gone and replaced by this monstrosity of an outfit!


    She was dressed in a silver spaghetti strap tank top and the ring gaped in horror at how visible her chest was.


    Her bottom half was a bit better, being tight black jeans but they were so tight. They were nothing like the comfy shorts she wore underneath her coat!


    A-And her boots! She didn''t have her boots on! She was wearing sandals! She didn''t wear sandals!


    T-This was a horror! Was this what death felt like?!


    Robin pursed her lips as she gauged the ring, a little thrown off by what she was looking at.


    Ram looked amazing¡­ Too amazing. To be frank, the ring was such a tomboy, that Robin was caught way off guard by seeing how she looked when she... wasn''t dressed for battle.


    Robin had no clue her coat hid this much of her figure (they did bathe together occasionally but this was insanity) but there was no way she was letting her go out like that.


    The Devil Child grabbed a short purple jacket, that stopped at her midsection, and placed it on Ram, making sure her breasts were properly hidden this time.


    "Better," Robin, Ram and Rosan all said at once.


    "I hate this, Mother," the ring whined. She was seconds away from stamping her feet on the ground to get her point across.


    "You look incredible, Ram. It''s fine," Robin assured.


    "I don''t wanna look good! I hate when people look at me! Maro''s greedy eyes are enough!" She complained. "I already have her staring at my butt even with my coat on and now you put these tight jeans on me?! Are you setting me up?! Are you rewarding Maro for something that I''m not aware of?!"


    Robin sighed. "That wasn''t my intention, no. I just wanted you to wear something different. I didn''t realize just how blessed you were in any other outfit¡­" she muttered with a pondering expression.


    The silver haired woman spluttered. "B-Blame Father for this! I didn''t ask to inherit his genetics!" Ram protested as she crossed her arms and pouted.


    Rosan raised a brow. "You got everything from Meiko," he said blandly.


    His daughter glared at him. "Including my height?! I''m 6''0 and Mother was a complete shorty!" She growled.


    The redhead shrugged as his hair began turning purple and smooth. "Don''t blame it on my female form. I''m not a woman so I don''t see how it''s my fault."


    "T-THAT''S NOT HOW GENETICS WORK AND YOU KNOW THAT, FATHER!" Ram barked as he finished his transformation into Mod.


    "Oh. I guess you''re adopted then," Rosan retorted.


    She gaped at that. "Wait a second... I-I''m adopted?!" she asked in horror.


    Robin sighed. Ram was so smart at times but she really was as big of an idiot as Rosan was at other times.


    "No, Ram. You look exactly like Meiko with the colors of the ring instead of hers and your personality is so much like Rosan''s, it makes me tired just thinking about having to deal with two versions of my son," Mod sighed, modifying Rosan''s outfit to fit her frame.


    She wore a form fitting purple shirt with a black rose on the breast, black pants with a red line on the middle of each leg section. To finish off, Rosan''s red and black sneakers covered her feet.


    Robin stared at Mod before letting it slide¡­ this time.


    The Devil Child herself, was wearing a short, purple, garnet dress with a short black jacket over it and black thigh high heeled boots.


    "Next time, you''re wearing an outfit of my choice," the Devil Child assured.


    Mod blinked, before a flash of horror crossed her features. "A-Are Rosan''s clothes not good enough? He dresses so much better than me!" She exclaimed.


    "Rosan''s clothes are good enough¡­ for him," Robin stressed, poking Mod''s belly and getting her to squeak. "You''re cute in his clothes but it''s obvious they aren''t your clothes. You look like you''re wearing your boyfriend''s outfit."


    The woman blushed in embarrassment at that and looked down at her outfit.


    S-She supposed that was true.


    "A-Alright. Next time I''ll wear a different outfit, but please don''t make it as indecent as Ram''s! I don''t want Maro to look at my butt!" The Devil Fruit begged.


    "So you do think my outfit is too much and yet you still make me wear it?!" Ram raged, rounding on Mod with a look of shock.


    "That''s besides the point!"


    "HOW?!"


    Robin sweatdropped. Ram''s outfit wasn''t even indecent! Mod and Ram had no sense of style and were both unreasonably modest. If it were up to them, they would actually wear multiple of the same outfits for the rest of their lives.


    She had no idea why. Both were incredibly gorgeous but perhaps they just didn''t like the attention it brought?


    "I''ll try my best not to give you an indecent outfit. Now, let''s go before Nami throws a fit and somehow blames Rosan for this," Robin smiled, before a frown formed on her face.


    "Rosan, will you really be fine? You''ll be all alone and the connection will be cut too¡­"


    Rosan smiled at the worry in her voice.


    She was just as overprotective of him currently, as he was of her. It had always been like that huh?


    "I''ll be fine, Robin. A guy shouldn''t be listening in to girl time so enjoy yourself. I can practice some techniques in here," he replied calmly, fondness swelling inside of him.


    "But, I feel bad. I don''t want you to be alone," she said bluntly.


    He''d be in the mindscape all by himself with no connection active¡­ Robin didn''t want that... he needed to find a way to separate from Mod-chan soon because submitting the redhead to hours of loneliness just didn''t sit right with her.


    Rosan sighed and temporarily took control of his body again.


    "Robin, you should spend time with your friends without me hovering you nonstop¡­ I have been too overbearing. We''ve practically never spent a moment without the other since we''ve reunited and even though I could probably do that forever, it''s not healthy. I''m doing to you, the same thing I didn''t want Angel, Demon and Maro doing to me," he explained gently.


    The redhead gently gave her a kiss that she readily returned.


    "Go have some fun. I''ll be fine, Robin. I have plenty of ways to distract myself," he assured.


    Robin nodded at that with a thoughtful expression. "...I guess I''m not grounded anymore?" She said playfully.


    "Nah, you''ve been good so I''m ending it early," he retorted with a mocking salute, going in for another kiss.


    Robin rolled her eyes but accepted it. "You know, maybe you shouldn''t be kissing me with Mod-chan''s face," she said with an amused glint.


    Judging by how scarlet said face currently was, it looked like Rosan had given control back to her.


    "Can''t resist," Rosan shrugged.


    "I-I-I," Mod stammered, covering her face as steam began escaping her body. "I hate all of you¡­ can we go please?"


    "Aww, now Auntie''s kissed all three of us!" Ram beamed. "See, we told you that you can just use us! No dating for you!"


    The Devil Fruit moaned in defeat.


    "I hate you guys."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "What took you guys so long?" Nami asked curiously, excitement radiating off of her.


    She never had the luxury of having girl time! The idea was so exciting to her and the Navigator could hardly stand still.


    "Ram," Robin said shortly, pointing at the sullen silver haired woman.


    "I hate all of you¡­ except for Mother¡­ and Father¡­ and Auntie," the ring said glumly.


    "What''s the problem? You look hot, Ram!" Nami complimented, whistling as she gazed at the ring up and down.


    Ram had a very pretty face with a unique set features and even with how thick her coat normally was, her figure was still fairly visible.


    Without it though? Nami could see why Maro was so shamelessly perverted when it came to her and Rosan¡­


    And Mod. Seriously, even with Rosan''s outfit on, the woman was as stunning as ever.


    "I agree with Nami-san!" Sanji gushed, gazing at all the woman with heart eyes. "All of you look amazing!"


    "Thank you, Sanji," Robin and Mod said politely.


    "Go fuck yourselves. I don''t wanna hear anything from someone who has a drawn bounty," Ram said rudely, flipping them off.


    Sanji grew depressed immediately, collapsing on the floor as he was reminded of his bounty.


    Zoro snorted. "Look at the two dumbasses making each other dumber. But what a surprise, you almost look normal with that outfit on."


    Ram sneered immediately and gained a tick, as she closed the distance and slammed her forehead against Zoro''s.


    "What was that, you green sack of shit?" She snarled.


    Zoro snarled right back. "You heard me loud and clear, psychotic daddy''s girl."


    "I don''t need my daddy to put you in the mud. He just makes it way easier!" Ram barked.


    "You don''t actually believe that for a second. Without Rosan, I''d use you as a toothpick," Zoro barked in return.


    "WANNA FUCKING BET?!"


    "BRING IT ON!"


    Before their argument could evolve just like in training, an ominous aura washed over the two and made them seize up.


    "We''ve already taken too long already, let''s not waste anymore time," Mod smiled serenely at the two.


    Ram saluted shakily. "I''ll see you in training, fertilizer," she hissed quietly as she made her way back over to Mod.


    "Bite me psycho ring," Zoro hiss backed, knowing not to incite Mod''s fury.


    The purple haired woman smiled at them and beckoned all the girls to her.


    "Come. Angel is incredibly impatient. You could be 5 minutes early and she''d still say you''re late," Mod said with a shake of her head.


    Ram nodded sagely. "Auntie Angel can be a bit of a nutjob," she agreed.


    Robin shook her head. "A bit? Have you seen how she acts when Rosan or Maro is involved? Angel is completely demented and I thank the stars she hasn''t killed me for managing to successfully court her innocent older brother," she smiled.


    Nami sweatdropped, hugging Mod with a smile as the woman''s eyes began glowing. "Is she really that ba ¡ª Actually, scratch that. I see it," she said dryly.


    The three giggled at the navigator.


    "We''ll be back later today," Mod waved at the boys of the crew.


    "We''re at an island so I''m not too worried, but please don''t somehow sink the ship," Nami pleaded.


    "Don''t worry!" Luffy beamed with a thumbs up.


    "YOU SAYING THAT MAKES ME WORRY MORE!" Nami roared right as they vanished.


    Luffy laughed as the girls disappeared.


    Sanji sighed sadly at seeing all the gorgeous girls vanish.


    "...Who the hell are those two babes? Who''s Angel? Where did they just go?" Franky asked in confusion, referring to Ram and Mod.


    The males sweatdropped.


    Right, Franky didn''t know about them.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Kaori and the female agents (Excluding Drophy who was out on a mission) glanced nervously at the neutral faced Nami for different reasons.


    Kaori because she had been apart of the crew that had directly tormented her for years. It didn''t matter if she didn''t physically do anything to Nami¡­ just the fact she supported Arlong''s horrific actions¡­


    Zala because this was the girl who had directly opposed her at Alabasta. Not to mention she had schizophrenia and those dangerous flames inherited from the redhead who terrified her.


    "Nami¡­ I''m sorry for everything that happened to you¡­ No one deserved anything you did to and I was too caught up with my father to realize how terrible everything was. You''re well within your rights to never forgive me¡­ but I request that you don''t ask me to leave Celadon," Kaori begged, bowing her head lowly at the navigator.


    Nami saw the desperation in Kaori''s stance and glanced at the neutral faced Maro.


    The two made eye contact and Maro mouthed, "I know you said you forgave her, but I''ll still respect any decision you make. It''s your right."


    What an incredible person. Maro truly was a gem.


    "Kaori, I already told Maro to tell you that I forgive you," Nami said with a small smile as she shook her head. "You weren''t¡­ cruel at all like Arlong and I''ve made my peace with the situation. You of all people, shouldn''t blame themselves."


    Kaori felt the tension release from her shoulders and hesitantly stood back up.


    "Can we¡­ still be friends?" The Fishman asked quietly. "I know it probably wasn''t real on your end¡­ but I did really see you as one."


    The navigator smiled at that. "Of course. Let''s start on a clean slate, alright?"


    Kaori smiled bashfully and nodded. "Alright. Thank you, Nami!"


    She waved her off, before rounding on the agents. "Maro, you only told me about Kaori¡­ what''s the deal with the Baroque Works agents?" Nami asked curiously.


    "Master," Maro said flatly. "He recruited them and tossed them over to me."


    Nami winced as she saw every agent there shudder. "Rosan got his hands on them? Yikes. Nevermind, I won''t judge anymore."


    If Rosan got his hands on them then yeah, he probably punished them more than enough.


    Rosan was a dick.


    Angel snorted as she crushed the exasperated Robin, Ram and Mod against her. "They haven''t caused trouble yet and we like them. They''ve done alot of good for the island and we won''t say no to extra firepower."


    "I''ve changed my ways," Mikita insisted nervously. "I love this island and I like not being a criminal anymore... so we''ll never be enemies again."


    Not that she would ever want to be enemies with the Straw Hats. If she ever had to face off against Rosan again, she''d probably just kill herself instead of letting him get his hands on her.


    "Ditto," Zala nodded without hesitation. "This island is incredible, the citizens are amazing and our Queens are benevolent. You couldn''t ask for a better life and I''m fortunate to have it."


    Maro beamed.


    Nami nodded at that and appraised them. "Does Vivi know about this? It''s only right that she does."


    "I told her over the phone," Maro chimed. "She''s so sweet ya know? Didn''t even have a problem with it and just wanted them all to apologize. I plan on visiting her one of these days with my flying ship so they can formally apologize in person and I can give her more stuff!"


    Nami''s eyes widened at that. Right, Rosan did give her a flying ship!


    "If you visit her lemme know, I miss her," she requested.


    "Of course, of course. She misses all of you too! Never stops talking about any of you whenever we chat," Maro grinned. They were gonna visit Makino too! Angel wanted to do a few tests on the ship, even more fascinated by it than she was, and her wife was just about ready to give the go ahead.


    "That reminds me¡­ Franky might love to see that flying ship. I wonder if he''d take inspiration from it," Mod said thoughtfully.


    "Franky?" Angel asked curiously, perking up at the sentence from Mod.


    "Our shipwright. He''s a pervert and you might find him repulsive¡­ but his skills are phenomenal. You could learn some things from him, Angel," the Devil Fruit explained.


    Her eyes glinted in interest at that and she nodded.


    She would like to eventually meet this Franky person. Anyone who could help her improve her skills, would be treated slightly better than terrible.


    "Um¡­" Marianne spoke up for the first time. "Who are they?" She asked curiously, pointing at Mod and Ram.


    Ram glared at her and said nothing, causing the artist to flinch back in surprise.


    Mod sighed in exasperation at Ram''s antics and stepped in front of her antisocial niece.


    "It''s nice to meet you, Marianne. I''m Mod and this is Ram," she introduced with a kind smile.


    "Pretty," Marianne thought as she gazed at them both.


    "Wait, you know my name?" she asked in shock.


    The purple haired woman let out a heartwarming laugh. "There are many things Ram and I know. I know everything, from how you were each recruited, to how much all of you fear Rosan."


    "Still pretty, but also scary," Marianne shuddered, gazing at the woman with wide eyes.


    Who was she? How did she know this stuff?


    Maro gazed at Ram and let out an utterly shameless whistle as she vanished from her spot and began inspecting her best friend all over.


    "Wow, Ram! They got you out of that stuffy coat of yours?!" The Dokkaebi awed.


    "How did you manage that? I can''t even do it," Angel complained, looking impressed at the ring''s outfit.


    Robin''s tired sigh made them wince in sympathy.


    "It''s not happenin again," Ram grumbled.


    "Oh?" The Devil Child asked.


    "...It might happen again," Ram grumbled.


    "I hope it does," Maro sighed. "Look at those jeans!"


    The Queen squeaked as a two bronze hands began crushing her cheeks with hellishly strong fingers.


    "Not in the mood today! Stop staring at my ass!" Ram snarled.


    "Stop staring at her ass!" Angel growled.


    "I''m sowwy it was a rare sight and I won''t do it again in the next hour," she said glumly.


    "Idiot," everyone thought in exasperation.


    Mod glanced around. "Where''s Demon? I wanted to at least say hi to him." She asked curiously.


    Zala and Mikita tensed up at that, looking at the utterly gorgeous purple haired woman with trepidation.


    "He''s working right now. Since we''re planning our little trip with the Maxim, he wants to do as much as possible so he can take vacation without regrets," Maro explained easily.


    The Devil Fruit sighed fondly and easily tucked the giddy Angel into her frame. "He''s so kind. I''m proud of him," she said.


    "U-Um you and Demon are close?" Mikita asked hesitantly, looking at her potential rival with a nervous gaze.


    How was she supposed to compete with this woman?


    Mod nodded without hesitation. "Of course! He''s my little gumdrop!" She exclaimed with a happy smile. "He so sweet and treats me well and doesn''t give me a headache like some people!"


    Ram whistled innocently.


    "Shit," Zala cursed.


    Robin resisted the urge to snort. "Is Demon your favorite child?" She asked curiously.


    Mod blinked and glanced at everyone in the room, before leaning up close to Robin''s face.


    "It''s Rosan, you and Ram but don''t tell them I said that. Especially Ram, Rosan already knows but I refuse to admit it out loud," she whispered so lowly, Robin was sure she was the only one who could hear it.


    Robin giggled and nodded. Rosan was currently completely cut off from the connection doing who knows what, so he didn''t hear that at all.


    "W-Who did she say?!" Angel and Ram asked at the same time.


    "Was it me?!" Maro beamed obliviously.


    Robin smiled and said nothing, causing them to whine and bombard the Devil Child.


    "Wait¡­ you''re their mother?!" Kaori asked in disbelief.


    Zala and Mikita let out a sigh of relief at that. Competing with this woman seemed like a task doomed to fail.


    "Yes, I guess you could say I''m all of their mother. Robin and Rosan are my oldest and Luffy is my youngest! I also taught Rosan everything he knows!" Mod beamed as she puffed up at the thought of all her children.


    Oh she was so proud of all of them! The fact that they all in some way considered her their mother too was just so heartwarming to her!


    Everyone seized up in horror at that, backing away from the suddenly terrifying woman.


    She taught that demon Rosan everything?! But she looked so sweet and harmless! How in the world did this angelic woman raise such a ruthless monster?!


    Mod blinked and a flash of concern crossed her features at how afraid they all suddenly were. "Are you all okay? You look like you''ve seen a ghost!"


    "How can this sweet woman be the mother of that Devil?!" Everyone thought comically.


    Robin couldn''t resist her laughter at the genuine concern on Mod''s face.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Girl''s time had been an absolute blast for the woman there.


    None of them had actually ever had girl time before because they didn''t have enough friends for that... and they didn''t really live normal lives so the experience was novel for all of them.


    Thankfully, the charismatic extrovert duo of Maro and Angel, took reign of the event and made sure it all went smoothly.


    The large group had gone shopping for clothes first and though most didn''t really need to, Robin took the opportunity to buy Mod and Ram their own wardrobe.


    "This fabric is so nice!" Nami awed in the tight blue shirt.


    "Isn''t it?" Maro asked. She was currently holding a bag full of Angel''s clothes (why did she always want to buy new clothes?!) and was watching the others shop with a proud smile.


    "Are you guys sure you''re fine to pay for this? I don''t mind, really," Maro offered again.


    "You are very generous in your pay, My Queen. We don''t need you to pay. Just focus on Angel-sama," Kaori said in amusement, getting a nod out of all her soldiers.


    "Rosan gave us money. It''s fine Maro," Robin assured, adjusting Mod''s outfit with a look of contemplation. "I like this one. I''m buying it for you."


    Mod whined, face hot, as she tugged the tight black blouse that hugged her figure. "You''ve put me in so many different outfits. Can we stop now? I feel wind hitting unpleasant places with this one."


    "Just a second," Robin muttered, turning around and rummaging for yet another outfit. "Ram, put this on. Mod, take this."


    Ram let out a groan and resisted the urge to tear off the silver shirt she was currently wearing. She instead snatched the dress out of Robin''s hand as gently as possible and handed her the shirt.


    Robin blinked as she accepted the shirt. "Ram, you''re supposed to take that off in the changing room."


    "I have no complaints!" Maro beamed, flashing a thumbs up at the free show.


    "I''ve never done this changing shit! Leave me alone!" Ram growled, rounding and marching in the room.


    "Language," Mod sighed sadly, following after her with the purple crop top and a blush of embarrassment.


    Robin smiled at the duo and placed all the clothes in the bag, deciding to buy them all.


    To her left, a healthy amount of clothes for herself lie and she even decided to invest in a large variety of glasses.


    She had also chosen to buy some more revealing clothes for Rosan too. He was far too conservative for what his personality was like.


    Ah, she missed him.


    "Thank you so much for this, Robin. Mod and Ram are like the two most modest people on the planet," Maro thanked her shamelessly, wiping a slight amount of blood from her nose.


    "She''s so utterly deranged," the Devil Child sweatdropped.


    Robin smiled at the Dokkaebi. "You''re welcome, Maro. But you shouldn''t thank me when Angel''s right behind you with such a scary expression."


    The Queen went pale and shakily turned around to see the utterly unamused face of her wife.


    "Come with me, Maro. I want you to try out an outfit," Angel said, dragging the panicking Queen into the changing room.


    "W-Wait! I''ve got enough clothes! I don''t want anymore!" Maro squealed in horror.


    The redhead was nonplussed, using her freakish strength to bully Maro into the room. "I insist. It''s a nice outfit."


    "Marianne, Mikita! S-Save your Queen!" The Dokkaebi gasped, gazing pleadingly at them as she was dragged away.


    "N-No, Angel scares me," Mikita denied with an apologetic bow.


    It said something, that Angel was so terrifying to everyone despite not being a fighter at all.


    "You deserve it anyways. Stop gawking at other people," Marianne said, munching on a cookie. Her bags lay next to her, content with the small amount she bought.


    "You''re both fired! I''ll see to it! I will!" She exclaimed.


    "I believe you," the artist replied boredly, waving at the Queen.


    "This is like the 7th time you''ve fired us because we refuse to protect you from Angel..." Mikita pointed out.


    "Mod and Ram don''t like clothes shopping?" Zala asked in surprise, a healthy amount of bags in her hand.


    Robin shook her head. "They both have multiple of the same outfit. They''re content to wear that for the rest of their lives if they have to."


    "Wow," the curly haired woman muttered in surprise.


    "I don''t see the problem with that¡­" Kaori mumbled in embarrassment, looking down at her tight navy blue shirt with a flushed expression.


    "Don''t be so embarrassed, Kaori!" Nami waved her off, having the most bags next to Angel. "You''re actually really cute outside of that gi!"


    "Y-You think so? I think they make my breasts look too large but it is cute," the fishman pondered, scratching her head.


    Judging by the stares of the Arlong Pirates, she was fairly sure she was attractive but Kaori had never quite put stock into those things.


    "I think you''re super cute, Kaori!" Marianne beamed at the fishman.


    Everyone nodded in agreement and the Fishman bashfully stared at them all.


    "I-I look like my mother and I hear she was quite the beauty so maybe that''s why," she mumbled, burning red.


    "I''m not putting on another outfit!" Ram snarled, bursting through the door and breaking it with the force.


    Everyone jumped at the loud volume and gazed at the discarded door with slack jaws, before gazing at the very violent silver haired woman.


    She was dressed in a long silver sundress that hugged her and the ring hated every moment of it.


    Mod sighed, repairing the door. "I agree with Ram¡­ c-can we please check out our clothes and sort them?" She begged, balking at her exposed stomach in horror.


    If Rosan saw someone staring at her stomach like this, he''d commit slaughter!


    "Good thing he''s not here to see it, then," Robin smiled impishly.


    "I''ve got what I wanted!" Nami beamed, balancing the obscene amount of bags on Clima''s iron cloud (Zala had shivered at seeing the strange new technique from that demonic weapon).


    Robin placed her own bags, along with Ram''s and Mod''s on the clouds of Nami and the group of four walked up to check out first.


    "Back so soon, Robin? And with such pretty friends this time!" Mai asked with a small smile.


    "Of course and I''m paying this time," Robin replied with her own smile, watching the woman ring up the order and pulling out the necessary amount.


    The Devil Child pulled out extra and made sure to leave a hefty tip for the woman who had given her free clothes the first time she arrived.


    "You don''t have to do that, dear," Mai waved her off with a surprised expression.


    "I insist," Robin said firmly, not allowing the woman to refuse.


    The owner of Maro''s most popular clothing store rolled her eyes with a smile and accepted it. "Fine fine, such a sweet girl! Rosan must be very happy with you! How is he?"


    "He''s fine and yes, we''re very happy," Robin replied with a content smile.


    "I feel so dirty watching you pay for all of this. Please don''t tell Rosan," Nami muttered with horror.


    Just think about what he''d say to her, if he heard that his girlfriend was buying her stuff... oh the absolute horrors of that would turn her hair gray soon.


    Robin smiled and ran a hand through her orange hair. "I might. I kind of like watching you two''s altercations. Takes his attention off of me."


    Nami groaned. "I can''t believe this relationship has already infected you."


    The Devil Child sighed at that. "Tell me about it. I miss him annoying me," she admitted bluntly, watching the residents of Celadon pay for their clothing while Zala and Mai made small talk.


    "What''s he doing right now?" Nami asked curiously. She kinda missed him too. Something about not being harassed by Rosan felt... kinda wrong.


    "I''m not sure," Mod replied, frowning a bit at that. She couldn''t feel the redhead at all because he didn''t want to intrude on their time so she had no idea what he was up to.


    Robin, Mod and Ram all sighed at the lack of Rosan.


    Nami rolled her eyes. They were so dramatic.


    "Stop being so dramatic! Master is right there! C''mon, we''re gonna get dinner and talk in my private garden," Maro beamed, poking Mod''s belly and getting an indignant squeak out of the woman.


    The Queen was swamped with bags but she didn''t even seem to register them, just grinning like a lunatic with a suspicious lipstick mark on her cheek.


    "Talk?" Robin blinked, tilting her head to the side.


    "Yeah! Girl talk," Angel beamed, also having a suspicious mark on her cheek.


    "Ah, like when Mod-chan and I used to talk about where we were headed next while Rosan slept on us!" Robin nodded in realization.


    Those were fun but even with Rosan sleeping, did that qualify as girl talk?


    "Ohhh!" Mod gasped in realization. "But what strategy is there to discuss? Aren''t we supposed to be relaxing? Do we really have to be girls to discuss this? Rosan helped us all the time!"


    "Can we talk about killing someone? I have a lot of pent up aggression from wearing so many outfits," Ram asked curiously.


    All the other girls sweatdropped deeply at the socially inept trio.


    "Just come with us," Maro sighed in exhaustion.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "This Garden is so gorgeous!" Nami awed, glancing at all the ripe and healthy fruits, along with the beautiful array of flowers.


    It was as full of plants and fruits as the outside of Celadon, looking as if it were apart of its own world with how many trees and flowers lie about.


    Maro even had a beautiful pond in here, filled with fish of all types. The most impressive thing about it, was the miniature waterfall and Nami had to wonder how the hell she managed to do that.


    Nami was hard pressed to think they were in the castle. This was incredible.


    The queen beamed and blushed bashfully. "Having someone as useful as Master gives me a lot of creative ability! He helped me mold it into my image. My favorite is the pond in the middle of the castle! Actually recently, he showed up and wanted to see something, then gave me a waterfall!"


    Robin laughed at that. "That might be because of Mod-chan and I," she added.


    Maro perked up at that. "Really?!"


    Mod nodded with a fond smile. "We were thinking of places to settle down and I mentioned adding a waterfall. Rosan is the type of person to take all our suggestions seriously and find a way to implement them."


    Angel squealed at that. "A place to settle down and Master''s already finding ways to make it happen?! He''s so adorable!"


    The agents and Kaori balked at that... because they agreed with Angel but they couldn''t believe that they did.


    You were telling them, that demon in human flesh... was capable of being adorable?!


    They tried to imagine it and went numb as their minds blanked.


    "It''s just not possible. Rosan can''t be adorable," they all decided resolutely.


    "Did you add new plants and fruits?" Robin asked, noting that it looked fairly different from last time.


    Maro nodded eagerly, pleased that someone noticed. "I cultivated and grew all those fruits from Sky Island! They''re so good! I''ve already managed to get people invested in them and my profits have boomed! I''m even richer than before!" She laughed, pulling one of the fruits off a tree and biting into it.


    "So greedy," everyone thought with sweatdrops.


    The queen escorted them all to a table that allowed them to view the full beauty of the garden and they all took their seats.


    Then, her chefs brought up an array of snacks and finger food for them to delight in.


    "Don''t be shy! Dig in! I burn a lot of energy so I might eat it all if you don''t," Maro urged, grabbing an array of fruits and chewing them happily.


    "So this is what it''s like to live like royalty," Nami mused in awe, helping herself to the array of dishes.


    "It''s a lot nicer than being homeless, I''ll tell you that much!" Maro laughed.


    There was a tranquil silence as they tested out the various assortments laid out for them.


    "So got eyes on anyone?" Maro asked conversationally as she popped a grape in her mouth.


    "No," Kaori said immediately, eating 3 kebabs at once.


    "Why?! You''re young and hot, Kaori!" Angel praised.


    "Thank you for that Angel¡­ but I''m not interested in dating," she sighed, knowing exactly where this was going.


    "Bummer, I''m sure someone''s been thinking about dating a Fishman and you''re a hottie too," the redhead shrugged.


    The strongest soldier rolled her eyes with a dust of red. "Don''t say things like that. I''m not good with compliments."


    "I think anyone would be lucky to have you, Kaori!" Marianne beamed with a thumbs up as she drank some tea and ate some cookies.


    Kaori''s blush deepened and she scowled at the little girl. "And what about you, Marianne? Didn''t someone ask you out on a date recently?"


    Marianne''s jaw dropped, as Maro and Angel perked up with a dangerous gleam in their eyes.


    "What was that?" The Dokkaebi asked cheerfully.


    "A date? Why are we just now hearing about this?" Angel mused, cupping her chin curiously as those purple eyes turned rather sharp.


    Marianne balked at seeing the purple sparks around her.


    None of Maro''s soldiers knew when the hell Angel unlocked the ability to use electricity... but she had become all the scarier afterwards!


    "It''s nothing serious! I already said no to him!" Marianne assured, pulling her hat over her face to hide her embarrassment.


    At the twin stares from her adopted parents, the artist let out a miserable sigh.


    "He was cute but too full of himself¡­ and he was very immature. I want to wait until I''m a little older and date a more mature person," she explained truthfully.


    Maro clapped and wiped a tear from her eye. "We raised her so well, Angel."


    "You didn''t raise me. I''m 16 and I met you guys at 16," Marianne said bluntly.


    "We deserve a reward for turning her into such a exceptional young woman! We did amazing," Angel beamed.


    The 16 year old sighed and ignored the two, opting to glare at the unapologetic Kaori instead.


    Angel hummed delightfully and sipped her smoothie. "So Mikita, Zala¡­ any luck with Demon at all?" She asked suddenly.


    The two''s eyes bugged at that and they gazed at the terrifyingly overprotective sister with wide eyes.


    "What?" Angel said. "Are you that surprised that I know?! I-I''m not that unaware am I¡­?"


    She absolutely was.


    Angel balked as no one said anything and she turned towards Maro in disbelief.


    "I know honey," Maro said patiently, dropping a grape in her mouth and patting her head. "But not everyone can read your mind like Master, Demon and I."


    "B-But... why?" she asked with wide eyes.


    "Because your mind is too amazing for everyone to read. They''d get overloaded with information," the Dokkaebi soothed.


    Angel nodded at that explanation. "That makes sense... I am a fucking genius."


    Everyone sweatdropped at her.


    Angel was ridiculous.


    "You both like Demon?" Nami asked in surprise.


    Actually, she shouldn''t be surprised. Demon was gorgeous and had an incredible personality to boot. It was only natural so many people would be interested in him.


    If Rosan wasn''t such a piece of shit, Nami was sure many people would also harbor feelings past pure attraction to him, not to mention he was taken now.


    Angel as well was a married woman so that left the final of the gorgeous triplets.


    Zala sighed. "I''m not sure. Sometimes I feel like I''m making headway but it''s impossible to get a read on Demon."


    "I feel the same way," Mikita frowned, not glaring at Zala for once as they discussed their love interest. "He''s all smiles but I''m realizing, I haven''t seen anything else from him really."


    Everyone listened in interest at the two lamenting.


    "Demon is like that," Maro sighed understandingly. "He''s¡­ very guarded. Keeps things close to his chest and only really confides in Angel and I. Master too but most of the time Master already knows what his problems are."


    Angel nodded in agreement. "He''s also really bad with relationships because of it. He doesn''t like when people pry into his mind and it causes him to break up with them really quickly," she explained.


    "Really? Demon?" Robin asked in surprise.


    She didn''t know that about him. Perhaps it was because Rosan told her everything so she knew quite a bit about the purple haired brother, but he never mentioned how bad the Doctor was with relationships.


    "Yeah, I was surprised too! You would think Demon of all people would be a fantastic partner!" Maro nodded in surprise. "His first relationship lasted a week. When I asked him what happened, he was like "she kept asking me questions like what I''m doing or where I''m going" and I stared at him because I never expected Demon of all people, to be such an idiot."


    Nami balked at that. "Over such simple questions? Really? Isn''t that a bit much?"


    "I was just happy he got out the relationship but I thought the same thing!" Angel exclaimed. "Of course she''s gonna ask you these questions¡­ that''s what couples do!"


    "I tell Angel everything and she tells me everything! If we do something without consulting the other, we start arguing for good reason!" Maro exclaimed.


    The redhead nodded eagerly at that. "It''s good to know everything about your significant other! Helps build trust!"


    Nami smiled in slight amusement. "Logically, there''s nothing wrong with your statement¡­ but I still feel like there''s something wrong with your statement."


    Robin laughed. "Rosan and I, while not as insane, are quite the same way. We''ve just gotten accustomed to telling the other everything. I''m his shadow after all."


    "So is there even a point in pursuing him if he doesn''t want to open up?" Mikita asked sadly. "I want to be close to him but it seems like that''s not what he wants¡­ aren''t I just setting myself up for heartbreak?"


    "Yeah, I like him¡­ but chasing after a wall seems impossible," Zala sighed, running a hand through her curly hair.


    Mod pursed her lips at that. "Demon is¡­ a complicated case," she explained with a small frown.


    She had been keeping quite the eye on Demon. Ever since the day she spoke to him about how disappointed in the way he was regulating himself, following the events of Meiko''s death, Mod had made sure Demon didn''t spiral again because he wasn''t an emotionless drone like Rosan and he wasn''t forming a much deeper bond with another like Angel was.


    No, Demon was operating in his own way and he was dealing with his trauma in a... different manner.


    "While Angel and Rosan are very similar on the outside¡­ Demon and Rosan are very similar on the inside. They both have self destructive thoughts and will always blame themselves first and foremost," the Devil Fruit began.


    The triplets were practically her biological children. She knew everything about them and while Angel was becoming more and more secure with her life, Demon and Rosan were a different story.


    Everyone gazed at Mod with curious eyes, interested in hearing what she had to say.


    "Before deciding whether you want to pursue Demon or not, at the very least, I''ll explain where his head is at because everyone deserves a chance at love and I think Demon deserves it just as much," Mod muttered, holding out her hands and showing a perfect copy of the doctor.


    On the outside, he was all smiles as usual but with a flick of her finger, they watched as the inside of the doctor revealed black and dark purple like his signature colors.


    Most prominent, was the image of his heart. It was just as dark as his insides, black chains wrapping around a purple heart.


    "Demon has a scar on his heart," Mod said bluntly, brows furrowed. "I won''t go into detail, so please don''t ask¡­ but we lost someone very important to us and that''s the reason Rosan acts the way he does¡­ he lost his emotions a long time ago you see."


    The ones who didn''t know felt their eyes widen.


    That was why Rosan acted so demonic? Because he lost someone important to him? He had no emotions at one point? No¡­ no wonder he was capable of being such a psychopath and doing such inhumane things.


    "Demon¡­ he''s gotten better but a part of him still blames himself for the loss of Rosan''s emotions¡­ and he blames himself for the loss of someone we all loved so he''s punishing himself," the woman sighed.


    She idly ran a hand through Robin''s hair and bit into her cupcake as the Devil Child hugged her.


    "Demon¡­ doesn''t allow himself to love because in his eyes, he took away Rosan''s chance to love. He''s also afraid of the same thing happening to him, on the off chance he does open up to someone so he doesn''t," Mod finished with a sad frown.


    "So that''s the whole thing," Angel muttered. Not even she had been privy to that because it wasn''t something her twin wanted to discuss with her, but she had an inkling that Demon still blamed himself partially for Meiko''s death.


    Part of Angel still blamed herself too. She was sure they all blamed themselves to a degree.


    Those who didn''t know anything about the triplets, digested the information from the woman with varying reactions. They gazed back at the sullen Angel, never expecting the spunky Queen to have gone through something so tragic.


    "Is there anyway we can help him?" Mikita asked in determination.


    Zala nodded in agreement. "He''s a sweetheart. He doesn''t serve these shackles."


    Mod smiled at them and hummed. "Well to be honest¡­ the only one that can help him, is Rosan."


    The girls blinked at that, before their expressions turned hot and they began fanning themselves.


    "H-How indecent!" Mikita stammered, thinking about the two attractive brothers.


    "I''d pay to see that," Zala muttered. Rosan being terrifying did not take away from his looks. Him and Demon looked the same after all.


    Mod blinked in confusion, before her jaw dropped as realization hit her.


    "N-No! Not like that! That''s not what I meant!" She exclaimed as her face turned a brilliant shade of red.


    A foreboding aura washed over everyone there and they went still.


    "Please don''t insinuate such things," Robin said calmly, sipping her coffee with a small smile.


    Everyone paled and began nodding rapidly.


    "S-Sorry," Zala and Mikita said to their former boss.


    Mod coughed and took another sip of her tea. "A-As I was saying¡­ Rosan''s the only one that can help him¡­ and quite frankly I think he''s already done his part so it''s on you two now," she explained.


    Everyone tilted their head in confusion.


    "What do you mean he''s done his part?" They asked.


    "Demon thought he took away Rosan''s chance to love¡­ but Rosan''s currently very much in love with Robin."


    Robin smiled fondly at that. "I can attest to that."


    The Devil Fruit laughed. "Demon has no reason to think that he took away Rosan''s chance to love anymore and I think he realizes that¡­ so the only thing shackling him, is the fear of losing someone he loves," Mod began.


    "Demon has never cared about looks or gender or anything like that¡­ If you two want him to open up, you''ll have to become strong so that can put his heart at ease. He wants you to be able to protect yourselves in time for him to be able to save you, if worst comes to worst," she explained gently.


    Demon was aware of his lack of strength, but he was still many times stronger than the average civilian. He couldn''t date a civilian because they were so much more likely to be unable to defend themself.


    Luckily for them, Mikita and Zala were both quite a bit stronger than the doctor and they weren''t civilians to boot, so it increased their odds quite significantly.


    Robin chose to add her two cents. "I think he''s actually quite receptive to the idea right now and he does seem to like both of you..."


    Mod giggled. "I wish you both the best of luck."


    They both sighed in unison.


    "What about you, Nami?" Maro asked suddenly, gazing at the navigator. "Got any eyes on anyone? Sanji? Zoro? Usopp? Luffy?!"


    Nami blinked as all eyes turned towards her.


    "Never thought about it," she shrugged truthfully. The navigator pondered the question before shaking her head with an amused smile.


    Yeah, no chance.


    "Out of the names you mentioned, Luffy would probably be the one I like most," she admitted truthfully.


    They balked in disbelief at that.


    Did she say LUFFY?!


    "L-Luffy?!" Angel gaped in horror. "M-My little gumdrop Luffy?! The little cute idiot?!"


    "I said probably," Nami rolled her eyes, nonplussed by it all. "I love Luffy, I love everyone in the crew but I''m not romantically interested in anyone at the moment. I just said if I were romantically interested in someone, it would probably be him."


    "That makes sense," Robin agreed with a nod. "Though, I think Vivi has a crush on Luffy."


    "I think so too. She just won''t admit it and she has her duties too," Nami nodded with a small smile.


    She totally knew it!


    "S-Since when do people like my idiot littlest brother?" Angel muttered in horror. She thought Luffy was the safest! Now you''re telling her that people suddenly had a crush on him?!


    Nonsense!


    "You don''t have to worry, Angel," Nami said dryly. "Unless he suddenly learns what attraction is, he''s probably safe for the time being."


    The redhead sighed forlornly. "Well¡­ at least if he does end up liking someone I''ll know they''re the one. If it ends up being you, I approve... I guess," she replied.


    Nami stifled the urge to laugh. Did Angel hear anything she said?


    She sure was a trip but it was apart of her charm.


    "I''ve been banned from dating from 3 people so don''t ask me. I''m not interested in anyone regardless and I doubt I will ever be," Mod said with a glare directed towards the innocent Robin and Ram.


    Maro balked. "You guys banned her from dating?!" She asked in disbelief.


    "She''s our mother! We can''t let anyone take advantage of her!" Ram exclaimed with a confused expression. "Look at her! Look!"


    The ring stressed her point by hoisting up the embarrassed Mod.


    A flash of horror crossed Angel''s features, at the mental image of some stranger touching their precious Master Mod.


    "M-Make that 6 people banning her!" Angel interjected with a look of horror, gasping at the mental damage she just brought upon herself.


    Mod spluttered at that and felt a headache quickly forming.


    "6?! B-But why? Who?!" She asked in disbelief.


    Was the idea of her dating this repulsive to their family?


    "Maro, Demon and I of course!" Angel said like it were common sense. "Master Mod¡­ you''re too hot. The idea that someone could be putting their grabby hands on my innocent mother¡­ it makes me homicidal!"


    "I THOUGHT THE SAME THING!" Ram shouted.


    Maro was nodding too. "Yeah¡­ if someone was touching Mod-chan¡­ I''d die inside. If I''m not allowed to touch those insane curves, no one is," she said seriously.


    "I believe we can increase the number to 8," Robin laughed. "Rosan will throw in Luffy''s vote and Luffy won''t complain about it. Ace will throw in his own. He''s rather protective of you too..."


    "Make that 9 for Sabo," Angel interjected. "He won''t fight it!"


    "That''s because your a psycho," everyone thought to the redhead.


    "N-Nine people?! Are you all insane?! This is too much!" Mod burned red at them and realized her entire family was hellbent on bullying her away from dating.


    "You know what?! Now I''m interested in dating and none of you can stop me! I''m going to find someone interested and I''m going to go on a date and there''s nothing you can do about it!" She said with a glare.


    ...


    "Robin, how good are you at assassinations? I''m an expert by the way," Maro said calmly.


    "I''m a professional," Robin assured her.


    "I''ll hide the body," Angel smiled serenely.


    "Let me desecrate it first," Ram grinned savagely.


    "Why are they so scary?!" Nami and Maro''s soldiers thought in disbelief.


    Mod thought about questioning if they were serious. Normally, the average person would clearly be joking about something like this¡­ but for some reason, for some terrible reason, she could tell that they were not joking.


    "...It was just a joke anyways," Mod mumbled, pouting in defeat as she sunk into her chair. "I hate all of you."


    "We''re glad you didn''t put up more a fight, we always have the trump card known as Rosan too," Robin soothed, patting the woman''s purple hair.


    "I ALREADY SAID I WAS JOKING!" she scowled, horror welling inside of her at the idea that Rosan might have heard her mention dating.


    Oh if he found out she said that...


    The unhinged members of her family smiled at a job well done.


    Ram saw all eyes on her after a short while and scowled.


    "Stop looking at me like that, you know I don''t feel attraction," She grunted.


    Mod raised a brow in confusion. "But didn''t you tell me that you ¡ª"


    Whatever the Devil Fruit was about to say was cut off, as Ram frantically put both hands over her mouth with wide eyes.


    "Shhhhh," she hissed violently.


    "Oops," Mod thought sheepishly as the stares got deeper.


    Ram''s scowl deepened and she glared ferociously at them all.


    "I''m not telling you what I have a crush on. Don''t even fucking think about asking," she said stubbornly.


    "You can feel attraction?!" Maro gaped.


    "...Ever since I unlocked this form years ago but I''ve been able to ignore it," she muttered, pointing at her body. "It''s just gotten very strong recently."


    Ah that might have been due to Rosan''s chains. Did it affect even Ram?


    Fascinating.


    "Form?" Marianne said curiously, gazing at the angry ring with a curious expression.


    "I''m not human," she replied bluntly.


    "...You aren''t?!" Zala balked at the gorgeous woman who was rather antisocial.


    "That''s what the fuck I just said!" she barked.


    "Ram," Mod sighed. She really was too much like Rosan. "She''s Rosan''s ring and daughter. You may have noticed it when looking, but he has a ring on at all times."


    Kaori grunted in surprise. "You''re that incredibly strange ring? The one he transforms into any weapon?"


    Ram nodded and they gawked at her. "I don''t feel things like attraction¡­ but when I unlocked the ability to transform into a human, I suddenly could. I''ve been able to ignore it but it''s gotten bad in recent time."


    "How bad?" Angel asked in horror.


    "When I saw Maro today¡­ the first thing I thought, was that she was really hot. Same with you Auntie Angel," Ram said bluntly.


    The agents sweatdropped at the simultaneous looks of horror on everyone, including Maro''s, face.


    "Okay, that''s bad," Maro muttered in concern.


    She nodded grimly. "It''s not all bad though. I''ve been banned from dating so it''s okay."


    "No, no it really isn''t," everyone thought with sweatdrops.


    "We''ll talk more about it later," Maro said with a pondering expression. "But now that we''ve gotten that out the way¡­ it''s time for the main star!"


    Robin blinked as every single gaze landed on her at the exact same time.


    "Is this a trap?" she thought to herself in some disbelief.


    "So?" Angel pressed with a shit eating grin.


    "So¡­?" The Devil Child repeated.


    "How is it?! Dating Master I mean!" Maro asked with glittering eyes.


    "To be honest, I thought you two were already dating," Zala mused with a slight smirk. "You''re very close and he''s damn good looking. I figured you would have secured him a lot faster."


    Mikita nodded. "When he gave you that inappropriate kiss¡­ I was shocked to hear that you still weren''t dating! If Demon kissed me like that, I probably would have done anything he wanted for as long as he wanted."


    Were they actually doing this? Suddenly, this felt a lot like an interrogation.


    "It''s¡­ nice," Robin replied slowly. She forgot that everyone saw that kiss.


    "That''s it?" Nami prodded. "Just nice?"


    Angel nodded in agreement. "Don''t hold back! Spill!"


    Robin blinked even harder. "Well¡­ what do you want to know?"


    Maro immediately opened her mouth and Angel slammed a palm over it in the same movement.


    "Does he treat you well?" Angel asked seriously. "I love Master with all my heart and will never go against him¡­ but I never once thought he was a suitable relationship partner after¡­ y''know."


    Kaori couldn''t help but nod at that. "He''s¡­ cold and doesn''t show much of anything. Naturally, that''s just what I''ve seen but I don''t think he''s playing a character."


    The Queen of Celadon''s cheerful expression vanished. "I''ve been Master''s right hand for years now and I know him really well. Are you absolutely sure that he loves you like that?"


    Robin placed her cup down to regard the curious people.


    "To be completely honest¡­ Rosan is better to me than I am to him," she sighed with a small frown. "He''s fantastic to me and he''s never been anything but, even before regaining what he lost. He always went above and beyond for me¡­ and I attempted to destroy all of that¡­"


    The Devil Child gazed at the table as she thought about all she had done.


    She had watched the memories. Her, Mod and Ram watched all of it. They saw what Rosan had gone through¡­ what his mental state had been like¡­


    They saw the virus too and all the horrible things they said to Rosan. They saw how Pestilence continuously manipulated and toyed with Rosan''s mind... it was awful.


    That was when Robin realized the gravity of all she had done. She had thrown up after viewing it all. Mod and Ram had thrown up too.


    And Rosan was right there, soothing them all despite being the one who had been directly subject to all of it. To him, their wellbeing was always going to be his priority and he didn''t realize how incredible that made him.


    "He probably doesn''t think it¡­ but Rosan is a fantastic partner and I feel like I''m the one who''s lacking honestly. He does everything for me and doesn''t even hesitate when I ask or show interest in something. To him, nothing is too much for me," she admitted.


    Robin gazed at them with a small smile.


    "To answer your questions¡­ Rosan loves me unconditionally and I didn''t realize that until he spearheaded an assault on one of the most important Marine strongholds on the planet just to get me back," she said.


    Every soldier''s eyes bugged at that.


    "Wait... you guys attacked Enies Lobby... for Robin?" Zala asked in disbelief.


    Nami nodded with a fierce expression. "Those bastards manipulated and took her away from us, so we attacked them to get her back. Though, Rosan did all the destroying, not us."


    So Rosan... attacked one of the most dangerous Marine strongholds in order to retrieve Nico Robin and they succeeded.


    "I made a mistake and gave up, but Rosan never gave up on me for a second. He''s possessive, greedy and willing to do everything to remind us we''re his... but he''s also one of the sweetest humans alive," Robin sighed.


    "He''s insane¡­" Kaori muttered in awe. So that''s why the Straw Hats attacked Enies Lobby...


    They did it for the sole purpose of retrieving Nico Robin... what an utterly insane reason that sounded exactly like something the Straw Hats would do.


    "I love him all the more for it¡­ I just hate that it took all of this for me to realize that," Robin muttered, shutting her eyes. "I understand your concerns, but I need to be the one to step it up because Rosan''s been nothing but good to me."


    Mod sighed at that. "You made a mistake, Robin. You just thought you were protecting us and even with how torturous it must have felt for you¡­ you did what you thought was best. You love Rosan as much as he loves you¡­ because you tried to sacrifice yourself just to keep him and the crew safe, despite not wanting to do it for even a moment. That''s a level of selflessness not a lot of people possess."


    Nami nodded in agreement. "You weren''t thinking straight and that''s why you and Rosan are good for each other. You guys keep each other balanced when one is vulnerable. You hold him accountable and the moment you messed up, he made sure to hold you accountable. That''s healthy!" She said encouragingly.


    Robin listened to them and nodded in determination. "Because of what I did, I''m sure Rosan doesn''t think I love him as much as he loves me¡­ so I need to show him otherwise."


    "That''s why we approve!" Angel beamed, pulling her into a hug. "You''ve helped him so much so you can do it!"


    The Devil Child smiled and returned it.


    "That''s cute. Too cute. You''re both way too cute," Zala sighed. "I''m rooting for you, Robin. I''m glad you don''t have that broken look in your eyes anymore. I like the way you smile now much more."


    Mikita nodded emphatically. "Yeah! It makes you look human. You''ve already been beautiful," she agreed.


    Marianne joined with a small smile of her own. "I''m glad there''s more to Miss All Sunday. Nico Robin is a much more interesting person to learn about."


    Robin looked stunned by their statements, before an almost unseen red marred her cheeks and she returned the smile. "You guys are sweet. Thank you. I''m also glad you''re all getting a brand new lease at life outside of Baroque Works."


    "Alright!" Maro clapped happily. "Now it''s time for the real questions, Robin~," she beamed.


    Robin did not like the look on her face one bit.


    "How good of a kisser is he?! When he gave me my first it was really nice but also I felt like he could do more and I was right! After what I saw on Alabasta, I don''t think you''re complaining one bit. OH! When can I expect kids outta you two?! Wait, are you even doing that¡­ IF YOU ARE THEN HOW IS mghmmf ¡ª"


    Angel shot Robin an apologetic glance, effortlessly keeping the mouth of her wife shut.


    Robin''s eyes were wide in disbelief, red on her cheeks at the utterly shameless nature of the Queen.


    Was she about to ask what she thought she was?


    "I''m sorry," Angel actually apologized. "Maro is ridiculous. She is so lucky that I love her and know how loyal she actually is¡­ because there is no way I''d allow her to say the things she says otherwise."


    The Queen mumbled under Angel''s hand and shot a thumbs up.


    "She''s talking about kids already?" Nami sweatdropped.


    "Her majesty is like that," Kaori sighed.


    Robin shook her head in exasperation.


    Ridiculous.


    "How the hell do Master Mod and Ram feel about this?! I''d feel oddly disgusted if I had to see it nonstop. What if they don''t cut the connection one time and you have to see all that?!" Angel suddenly mused.


    Utterly ridiculous. She was not going to entertain these questions anymore.


    "You''re all ridiculous," Mod said with a red face.

 A Little Extra Slice of Life II

    Ice wasn''t an element he saw himself controlling in the foreseeable future.


    He could currently control 3 elements fire, wind and lightning... and technically earth too he supposed.


    Wind had been the easiest for him to learn. He had first absorbed a Breath Dial, giving him access to the features of the weapon, before absorbing the significantly stronger Jet Dial.


    Now, his winds were truly formidable. They were lacking in cutting power at the moment, but that was something he could fix in the future.


    They would never have as much freedom of use as his fire and lightning but that was fine.


    How unfortunate that Skypiea didn''t have an Ice Dial. Did any Ice weapons exist that would be properly assimilated into his body?


    He wasn''t sure. Perhaps he could have one created but Rosan didn''t want a weapon that could shoot ice, Rosan wanted to shoot out ice.


    Lightning had been a core part of him that he never realized he had. If he had delved deeper into exploring electricity, he''d have seen that he could always use it. Hell, he had been passively using it all these years.


    His control of electricity did not stem from any weapons or dials. It stemmed from the fact that he was a Computer Man. Modification enhanced the electricity that the body naturally produced inside him and he had managed to weaponize it to an incredible degree.


    It was why he thought so fast, had near perfect memory, felt so much. His control of electricity was already on par with Fire because this was a natural part of Modification.


    So it was very unlikely he could unlock ice the same way he unlocked lightning.


    That left the fire route.


    Rosan had unlocked the ability to use fire the moment he unlocked his draconic transformation. It was a dragon''s right to breath fire and if it couldn''t, then it wasn''t a dragon.


    Simple as that.


    But Rosan used to have a lot of difficulty using fire outside of Ragnarok. It was something that he rectified with training, but even producing the flames had been a task, unless he was channeling his transformation.


    Now, he had a great better control over it¡­ but couldn''t use it without using Ragnarok to some degree.


    At least that was before.


    Rosan had actually absorbed a flame dial during the Skypiea adventures. The flames didn''t hold a candle to Ragnarok''s own¡­ but he didn''t absorb it for the power.


    He absorbed it for the utility it could offer and he had not been disappointed at all.


    The redhead could use his draconic fire far more efficiently through the absorption of the flame dial, without the hassling task of channeling Ragnarok.


    It''s not like he channeled a lot of Ragnarok. Normally, he only needed to use enough to turn his eyes into slits but that was still seconds longer than he wanted it to be.


    But he digressed. Was the only way for him to control ice, learning another transformation?


    He pursed his lips in annoyance.


    What creatures were associated with ice?


    Off the top of his head, he could only recall the Yeti, Sasquatch and Ice Giants.


    Did he want to transform into any of those?


    Judging by the way his body shuddered in disgust, the answer was no.


    Rosan frowned. His partially draconian physiology, was not making this easier.


    Quite frankly, his pride (that was heavily enhanced by being a dragon) was refusing to learn another transformation and judging by how much a dragon already altered him, he didn''t want to throw another form into the mix.


    The Ice Giant might have been his best bet but Giants were indomitable creatures too most likely. They would hate to bend to the will of something else so that would clash hard with Ragnarok.


    It was why Shinigami had been so easy to learn. No clashing at all ¡ª


    Wait a minute¡­


    Shinigami¡­ Come to think of it¡­ had Rosan ever truly explored the depths of Shinigami? He had dwelled on it earlier at Water 7 before everything went down...


    Was there more to it then just the angelic wings? His transformation was tied to death after all¡­


    When Rosan had first activated Shinigami, he had channeled righteous fury but Rosan never once felt that in that form. Shinigami chilled his temperament instead of making him hone in on justice. You would think he was actually a Shinigami, over what he had intended it to be based on.


    Fallen Angel¡­ He wondered how true that was... Was Rosan, actually transforming into a corrupted Angel? Did something cause his wings to turn black instead of white?


    Perhaps his mischaracterization of the technique, meant he never mastered it. It''s not like he went out of his way to further master it, considering Shinigami had always been for a throwaway disguise.


    He wanted to explore his more mysterious technique now. What could have caused his technique to actually turn corrupted ¡ª


    Rosan''s eyes suddenly burned in interest.


    Controlling or building resistance to ice, had become a major priority.


    After his encounter with Aokiji, and the man''s focus on him, he needed to build up some immunity to the chilling element and fast because the Admiral had expressed an interest in him that terrified Robin.


    Rosan would not allow Robin to be terrified anymore. He would be her shield and to be her shield, he needed to be able to do everything.


    Alright, he had a goal in mind now. It was a good thing he did because he was horrendous at meditating like he was currently attempting to do ¡ª


    Rosan grunted, as his soaked body was tackled to the floor by three figures. The redhead''s eyes snapped open as he was brought down to the wet floor.


    Robin, Mod and Ram were all hugging him and he let out an amused sigh as he eagerly returned it.


    "I guess you guys missed me, huh?" He asked in amusement, trying his best to crush all three to his frame.


    "I missed you lots and lots," Ram muttered, snuggling him with a pleased grin.


    "More then I''d like to admit," Mod nodded, tucking herself into him with a relieved smile now that she could feel him again.


    "I had fun but I kept involving you in everything without thinking about it¡­ I saved you a plate of food too so we can eat together," Robin mumbled.


    The redhead grinned fondly and planted a kiss on all their foreheads. "I missed you all too. I hope you had a good time."


    Ram grinned with rosy cheeks and smooched his cheeks repeatedly, pleased by his surge of affections.


    She wasn''t the most affectionate but that was a different story when Father was involved.


    "Father it was so bad! Mother dressed me and Auntie for so long! S-She bought me new outfits but I don''t wanna wear anything else," she whined.


    "P-Please stop her, Rosan! She''s gone mad! S-Some of the outfits are so lewd!" Mod whimpered pleadingly.


    Rosan rolled his eyes at the exasperated look on Robin''s face. "Robin went through the effort of buying the both of you your own outfits. Now you don''t have to buy them yourselves. Stop crying so much," he said with an amused smile.


    "I''m sure you guys look great and if you really have a problem, just modify em. That''s the beauty of our ability," he snorted.


    "T-That''s true," Mod mumbled, thinking back to some of the outfits and going atomic.


    "W-Well if you both say so¡­ but what if someone is staring at me?!" Ram asked in concern.


    "Then I''ll kill them," Rosan replied easily.


    Robin sweatdropped but smiled at his support and leaned into his hold. "I can''t believe how much I missed you¡­ but I did have a good time. Maro and Angel are amazing hosts and I never felt bored."


    They had so much fun! Despite how much she had missed him, Robin had a blast deepening her relationship with so many of the females and it was surreal to know that she had so many friends now.


    The redhead looked pleased by the fact that they had so much fun and Robin took the chance to marvel at the glowing eyes of his.


    The way they shone every time he looked at each of them... they really were so strange.


    "Tell me all about it," Rosan requested. He hoisted all three of them up and brought them out of the pleasant rain.


    Ram cheered happily and clambered onto his back.


    Robin smiled at his energy and let him carry her. "We can''t tell you about it, Rosan. It''s girl time."


    Mod giggled at that. "Yes, they''d get upset if we told you about it," she grinned.


    Rosan snorted in amusement, not remotely bothered by what they were saying.


    "Alright, then I''m not telling you guys what I did in here. It''s only fair."


    He was satisfied to hear the instant complaints but he was set in his ways now. The redhead radiated a smug aura as he walked them into their home.


    "You''re annoying," Mod complained.


    "Very annoying," Robin agreed.


    "The most annoying!" Ram nodded furiously.


    "Go back into the real world and leave me be then. I was enjoying my time here," Rosan smirked easily.


    The three tightened their grips on him and he couldn''t help but chuckle.


    "And you guys say my possessiveness is a problem. You''re all just as bad as me," he remarked with a pleased smirk.


    "W-We just missed you!" Mod remarked, refusing to be compared to something as terrible as Rosan''s possessiveness.


    "Only to you," Robin and Ram replied easily.


    The Devil Fruit spluttered at their response.


    Since when were they all so unhinged?


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    It was finally time.


    Emotions had been high after he showed them his perspective of all that happened at Water 7.


    Robin and Mod had completely broken down at his perspective, unable to bear witness to what had happened to him mere days ago. Combined with Izumi''s torture, Pestilence''s presence and Rosan''s erring emotions... it had been actual torture to watch his memories.


    Rosan had been holding off on this because they were very vulnerable. He had made his peace already and it did not phase him but they were a whole different story.


    He wanted them all to have a bit of fun and downtime to distract from what they had seen¡­


    But now it was time for the serious business. He could not push back any longer and he could already tell that things were going to be difficult.


    Ah well, he was done being nice. It was time to ruffle a bit of feathers.


    Mod nervously bit her lip as Rosan inclined his head and she nodded shakily, letting out a timid smile as Robin placed a palm on her shoulders.


    To say she had been a mess was an understatement.


    Mod had already been nervous when the memory began with Rosan tied up, but she had turned ashen when Pestilence began actively speaking to her son.


    The things they said¡­ the mix of hate and respect they had for Rosan¡­


    The way they spoke about Mod herself¡­ she never knew that was how Pestilence saw their relationship. How could she ever know that? This Pestilence acted even more different than the one Mod had known!


    Pestilence viewed things in such a disturbing way and just the thought that they even thought Rosan had stolen her in such a way was deeply disgusting.


    Mod would never see Rosan like that and vice versa. Rosan was her son and Pestilence would dare to tarnish their relationship in such a way?


    What was their plan? Why¡­ did they help Rosan out? Didn''t they hate him¡­?


    How could they be so sure that Mod would protect them?


    She just didn''t get it¡­ They had even offered to give Rosan some of their power, when it made no sense to do so. He was helpless and powerless, with no access to Modification, yet Pestilence themselves offered to give him power... and they hadn''t corrupted him either.


    Why did they not wish to break Rosan anymore? Why were they helping him? Was the idea of being locked away in the castle that disgusting to them? If so, why not just kill him?


    What was Pestilence''s goal¡­? She didn''t know anything about the virus anymore¡­


    At the very least, Rosan was content to keep his word and allowed her to take lead¡­


    But based on the memories, this was going to get out of control fast. Rosan and the virus despised each other and if there was one thing that trumped Rosan''s infamous anger fueled more than anything else, it was his vengeance filled streak.


    She shot Robin a pleading look, unseen by Rosan and Ram and hoped her daughter would be able to contain him for at least a little.


    Robin caught her gaze and smiled to reassure her, feeling a bit nervous herself.


    After all, she was the reason Rosan and the virus made contact when no one was prepared for such an event. The virus struck first and it was because she led him right into their arms and she saw the terrifying result when they met in the mansion.


    That terrifying and amorphous creature, glaring at her with such palpable fury after she abandoned him¡­


    Now she understood why Rosan was so wary of the virus. It was smart. To a dangerous degree.


    And it wanted Rosan. That much was clear. Mod thought the Virus was still more interested in her... but that was very far from the truth. Pestilence''s eyes were on Rosan, that''s why they had been so helpful to him. They didn''t want him to break for a reason but Robin didn''t know what.


    Robin didn''t know what it wanted from him but she''d be damned if this Pestilence got what it was looking for.


    She''d keep Rosan safe at all costs. Nothing would get their hands on him.


    Ram pursed her lips and said nothing, just gazing at the back of Father''s head.


    The ring would not let any harm befall Father. She would not let a single threat against him go unpunished.


    She loved everyone in her family, but her loyalty was first and foremost to Father, her creator.


    Ram hoped everyone understood that her loyalty to him, preceded everything else. At the end of the day, she was his weapon and that was a title she would uphold forever without any shame.


    Rosan walked at a steady pace, not commenting on any of the things he picked up from all of them and letting them stew in their own turmoils.


    For now, he''d keep his thoughts to himself. The ball was in Mod''s court, so he would be a bystander...


    For now.


    The four walked in silence through the forest, until the massive drop in temperature slammed into them.


    The forest turned frozen mid walk, seamlessly transforming into it''s cold counterpart¡­ and showing off the crystalline castle that loomed down at them.


    Not a single chain was wrapped around the castle. All that remained, were the shackles rooting it to its spot.


    The beautiful, pale imitation of the castle in Rosan''s mindscape, cast a shadow over them all.


    The four stopped in front of it and Mod took a deep breath.


    "Pestilence, please don''t make things difficult and come out," Mod said in a measured and even tone.


    Nothing, the castle just gleamed in the never ending winter.


    "Pestilence! I''m serious!" Mod said with a firm glare. "Let''s talk like adults. There''s no need to hide in there. We mean you no harm."


    ¡­


    Mod bit her lip.


    "Pestilence."


    She went still at that deep voice and glanced nervously at the expressionless Rosan.


    "Come out," he said simply.


    There was a small amount of silence after that statement...


    "Mmm~ So demanding. Fine fine, I''m on the way. How could I ever say no to someone wanting to see me so badly?" a voice purred suddenly.


    Mod watched the castle shudder in a bit of shock, before the door cracked open a few inches.


    And then a figure sauntered out as if they owned the place.


    They weren''t very tall, standing about 2 inches shorter than Mod herself, with a strange black cloak, that looked as unnatural as Rosan''s amorphous transformation, covering their entire figure from head to toe.


    "All these people for little ol me?" they crooned, slowly taking off their hoodie.


    Wavy hair, as white as snow, was freed as it cascaded down the person''s back, stopping right above their butt.


    "I''m so honored to finally meet you all in the flesh, especially you Rosan~!" Pestilence grinned mockingly. Their red eyes gleamed wildly, standing out starkly due to the black sclera it rested on.


    True to Rosan''s words at Skypiea, Pestilence looked just like his late mother, Portgas D. Rouge to a disturbing degree.


    There were exceptions of course, such as the hair and eyes, but other then that¡­ the virus had taken his mother''s body.


    They even had freckles.


    Rosan''s eyes narrowed dangerously.


    "So? How do I look?" Pestilence crooned, doing a little spin before pausing. With a snap of their fingers, the cloak they wore, transformed into a tight fitting dress that showed of the curvy feminine figure underneath.


    The strange black material hugged them like a glove and they pushed out their assets, grinning innocently at the group as they turned and presented her back to them as well.


    "How is it? Rouge was quite the hottie don''t you think?" Pestilence grinned, eyeing Rosan innocently.


    "¡­" no one said anything. They just continued to stare at them with a neutral expression though Rosan''s expression darkened into something dangerous.


    Debasing his mothers image...


    Pestilence pouted, not having stepped away from the door that led to the inside of the castle.


    "You guys are no fun," they complained. "Especially you, Modification. It''s been so long since we last saw each other¡­ and you''re staring at me like I''ve killed someone! Is this really how you should treat your old partner in crime?"


    Mod flinched back as Pestilence sneered at her.


    "What? Was locking me away without any warning not good enough for you? After everything we''ve been through¡­ you threw me away without a second thought for some boy who seduced you with a few words. Aren''t you just a traitorous little whore for opening up so easily to the first person who looked at you like you were human?" The virus hissed venomously.


    Mod reeled back, hurt in her eyes at the harsh words used against her.


    Rosan''s mouth formed into a snarl but Robin placed a hand on him and gazed at him pleadingly.


    "Please don''t do anything yet!"


    "..."


    He took a deep breath and stood still.


    "What? Not gonna say anything?" Pestilence asked aggressively. "We''ve been partners for how long now? We''ve had each other since the first moment you could think¡­ and the moment some boy gets in the way of that, you discard me without a thought. He didn''t even have to touch you and you were mesmerized! You''re so easy Modification."


    "T-That''s your fault that I was forced to lock you away, Pestilence!" Mod retorted, witling a bit at words that were never directed towards her.


    S-She was not a whore! Pestilence was wrong!


    "Time and time again, you''ve stated how you don''t want anyone controlling us! You''ve killed every single one of our wielders without fail while I let it happen but I refuse to let you do that to Rosan. He didn''t deserve to become another one of your victims because he was a good boy!"


    Pestilence crossed their arms. "So instead of telling me to spare and work with him¡­ you locked me up?!" they hissed.


    "You think I''d believe you for even a second?!" Mod rebounded in return, scowling at the virus. "I know you Pestilence! You wouldn''t have dreamed of working with Rosan! You would have agreed and you would have still corrupted him! I would never let you get your hands on my baby boy!"


    "¡­" The virus said nothing, but then they smiled sardonically.


    "Well, you aren''t wrong about that," they admitted. "I did hate Rose at first¡­ but the more I learned about him, the more I realized we have a lot in common," Pestilence cooed, shooting Rosan a suggestive glance.


    The virus smiled at the scowling Rosan with a gleam. "We make a pretty good team don''t we, my little Rose? You managed to harness my ability instantaneously. At the very least, you can admit that I helped you out the most at Water 7, correct?"


    Rosan''s scowl deepened for a moment, before slowly vanishing. "I''m not immature enough to discount you. Yes, your help proved invaluable to me," he admitted quietly.


    Pestilence felt their grin widen.


    Mod''s brows furrowed in anger at being disregarded by the virus.


    "You see? Rose here was able to trust me because I have no reason to hide things from him¡­ but you do Modification," they preened smugly. "Go on Rose, ask her the question you''ve been pondering since that illusion whore tied you up."


    Mod''s eyes went wide in confusion and she gazed at Rosan.


    "Stop distracting us, Pestilence. That''s not why we''re here," Robin interjected with a firm glare. "We''re here to learn if you are a threat to our safety or not."


    Pestilence grinned mockingly at Robin. "Aww, look at you! Acting like you care about Rosan when you''re the reason we met up in the first place!"


    "Act?" Robin said with a furious glare. "Don''t you dare ever claim that I act like I care for Rosan!"


    The virus laughed at that. "You''re the one who thinks he thinks that! It''s a crime all of a sudden that I''m saying it outloud? I like you Nico Robin because you make my life so much easier when you decide to mess up Rose''s mind!"


    Robin flinched back harshly, stunned silent by the words said.


    "Enough."


    Everyone stilled at that commanding tone and Pestilence felt their admiration grow, as a sliver of fear crawled down their spine.


    "Pestilence, your motives," Rosan asked calmly, stroking Robin''s hair slightly to calm her.


    The virus smiled slightly, Rouge''s pretty features looking unsettling on her. "Since I''m here, I''ll answer your questions¡­ but only after you ask Mod the question you''ve been contemplating the whole time."


    Mod nervously glanced at Rosan. "What question¡­? You have... a question for me?"


    Rosan stared back at her and closed his eyes with a deep sigh. "Mod-chan¡­ How did you know the Virus'' name was Pestilence?"


    Mod went stark white.


    Pestilence grinned wildly.


    "Pestilence told me that the reason they named themselves, was because Reaper signified Death and in their eyes, Rosan signified War. Not to mention, you didn''t know about the castle until after Meiko died¡­ so how did you know their name if they''ve been in there since its creation?" The redhead questioned.


    Ram and Robin both looked at the woman in shock at how nervous she was.


    "I¡­" Mod looked stunned. That was...


    Sometimes, everyone forgot that Rosan was a genius.


    Rosan closed his eyes sadly for a brief moment.


    Then they snapped open and Reaper took his place.


    "Mod. Answer the question," he demanded coldly.


    Mod trembled as those chilly eyes stared at her without a hint of warmth in them.


    He¡­ he called her just Mod¡­ That meant he was...


    She held her head.


    "Pestilence has¡­ on occasion communicated with me in a similar fashion to how they spoke to you on Water 7," Mod admitted quietly.


    ¡­


    Pestilence whistled.


    "Oh no," Robin thought. Not even she could defend Mod-chan on this one.


    Ram''s eyes narrowed but she held her tongue.


    "¡­" Rosan said nothing for a moment. "That''s why you''re so hellbent on saving them from me despite seemingly having no reason to do so," he said neutrally.


    "¡­" Mod stared a hole into the floor. "It was¡­ I didn''t mean any harm hiding such information I just¡­ I was afraid of what you''d do if you knew¡­ I''ve never replied to them, I promise! But¡­ they have used our connection to send me vague messages and that''s how I learned their name."


    "¡­"


    The redhead gazed at her with an expressionless face. She hesitantly glanced up at her son and watched as he simply shook his head.


    Then, he turned away from her and Mod felt the breath get knocked out of her by that simple action.


    Tears surged in her eyes and she glanced down in defeat, as Rosan didn''t even deign to further question her.


    Pestilence had a gleam of satisfaction in their eyes at that and also turned away from her to regard the redhead.


    "What are your intentions, Pestilence?" he asked calmly. "We have no love for each other¡­ yet you went out of your way to assist me at Water 7. Your actions there have contradicted what you''ve done to me before."


    "That''s not all true," Pestilence shrugged immediately. "Sure, I used to hate you¡­ but you never even knew I existed. To be completely transparent, I do love you but¡­ I just don''t love you," they stressed their point by raising a finger and landing it on Rosan.


    Rosan''s brows furrowed. "What do you mean by that?"


    "Hold on now¡­ I haven''t even answered your first question!" Pestilence grinned mockingly. "My motives are ensuring that you don''t die no matter what, because you are the perfect host for me¡­ and I want you to regain all your emotions."


    ¡­


    ...


    ...


    !


    Pestilence felt a well of terror as Rosan''s expression turned completely murderous.


    Before they could even think, a hand was gripping them by the throat and slamming them into the freezing castle walls with such force, the virus'' head bounced against the ice cold surface.


    Mod gasped at the violent action and surged up.


    "R-Rosan, you said you''d let me handle this!" Mod shouted. The Devil Fruit took a step forward but froze as those blazing eyes pinned her in place.


    Rosan sneered at her and she stepped back in shock. "Ram, restrain Mod for the time being until I get the answers I''m here for. I''m tired of playing these games with her."


    Ram followed his order without hesitation and Mod could only watch in shock, as the ring''s hand transformed into a long whip that wrapped around the woman completely.


    "?!" Mod''s eyes widened and she gazed at Ram with a betrayed expression on her face.


    "Sorry, Auntie," Ram said apologetically. "But even I''ve been doubting you right now and this is too far. Don''t resist until we find out what''s going on¡­ please. I don''t want to get physical with you because you can kick my ass... and that would force Father''s hand in stepping in."


    The Devil Fruit stilled at that and bowed her head, tears beginning to fall at her errors finally catching up.


    Robin could only watch in shock as everything spiraled out of control so very quickly.


    "Rosan?" She questioned quietly, watching the virus'' eyes transform into pinpricks of fear.


    "Just watch, Robin. You won''t want to miss this," Rosan said harshly.


    She nodded hesitantly and glanced at the defeated Mod with sorrow in her gaze. The Devil Child tried to meet Ram''s gaze but for once, the ring was gazing at the floor and avoiding everyone''s eyes.


    This was... Was this really the right thing to do?


    "You must think I''m so stupid, Virus," Rosan said conversationally, gazing at the shorter figure with a deathly calm look as he choked the life out of them. "You thought that just because I allowed you to manipulate me during Water 7, I''d let you dictate the pace of this conversation? How stupid must you be?"


    The redhead leaned in close to the lookalike of his mother. "I had more pressing matters to attend to. Robin was my priority but now that I have her back¡­ you won''t be playing your games anymore. I let you do whatever you wanted before, because you''d never be able to get away from me," he hissed.


    Pestilence rasped and grew even more nervous, as his grip refused to loosen.


    "You should know that right¡­ how much Robin matters to me. It''s why you caused me to turn on her right?" Rosan asked. "You were the reason I lost my emotions, but now you want me to get them back? Explain yourself or I''m going to destroy you on the spot. Whether you answer or not means nothing to me."


    "What choice did I have?!" Pestilence gasped in terror.


    ?


    Rosan and Robin both tilted their heads at that, caught off guard by their response.


    "You''re right, I did know how much she mattered to you. I also knew that whenever things got bad, you''d always believe in her to save you! So long as you believed in Nico Robin, you would never break to that man and find a way to escape. I refuse to be anyone else''s plaything and that extends to you as well, so I turned you against her."


    The virus was quickly realizing how terrible this situation was. Mod was not there to protect them because Rosan had immediately restrained her... and even though they had planned for Rosan to feel betrayed by Mod''s actions, the way he was acting was completely out of character.


    There was no vulnerability in his gaze... he didn''t need a replacement, no there was just sheer rage.


    Pestilence could die here¡­ T-They could really die here!


    "Because Mod spent every waking moment coddling you, you had no idea how to be a grown man. It''s only right that I helped you out¡­ I just didn''t expect you to break to that degree," they admitted with a wheeze.


    Robin''s eyes widened at the reveal and she gazed at the virus.


    That¡­ that made far too much sense. Robin despised the fact that it made so much sense. She hated the fact that Rosan''s unwavering faith in her, would have been a detriment to his safety.


    She hated it so much and wish it never came down to that.


    Mod listened to Pestilence explain themselves with a shocked expression.


    Was that really what it was? They knew Rosan was never planning on giving up, as long as he believed Robin would save him?


    Rosan''s grip never lessened at their explanation. In fact, it seemed to get even tighter and Pestilence tried to let out a panicked yell, only to fail.


    "You think what you were doing was helping?" He hissed. "No other methods to help? You already proved that you could communicate with me, so why this? Why didn''t you just guide me like you did on Water 7?"


    "Because I hated you," Pestilence hissed in return, clawing at his hands. "Since when are we friends? Since when do I adore you?! You think I cared about your feelings? I just chose the most effective way to get us out of that situation and it happened to be a method that I deeply enjoy."


    The redhead sneered at them and Pestilence let out a squeal, as he hoisted them off the wall and slammed them against it again.


    "He''s going to kill me!"


    "Tell me now. Do you pose a threat to me. Do you pose a threat to my family?" Rosan asked stonily, glaring at the virus with those boiling eyes.


    Pestilence by now, had quickly gone red from the lack of air, terror rising inside of them.


    "I want this prison of a castle gone¡­ so my goal is to save you," they replied with a strained gasp.


    "He''s gonna kill me. He''s actually gonna kill me!" Pestilence thought in horror, grabbing his hands with a desperate glimmer in their eyes.


    "T-This psycho is actually gonna put me down! H-Help me R ¡ª,"


    A truth.


    Rosan stared expressionless at them and summarily dropped the virus to the floor, much to everyone''s surprise.


    Pestilence coughed harshly and gripped their chest, sucking in the air as they were allowed to breathe again.


    "Satisfied, Father?" Ram asked.


    "Yeah our plan worked. You can let her go," he said easily, terrifying expression gone.


    "Thank Kami. I don''t know how much longer I could hold out having Auntie look at me like that," the ring sighed in relief, releasing the stunned Mod from her grasp.


    "W-Wha?" Mod muttered in disbelief.


    Even Robin looked confused, looking between Rosan and Ram with a befuddled expression.


    Pestilence looked up at the redhead with wide eyes, unable to believe he had pulled a fast one over them. "You¡­ planned this?"


    Rosan sneered at the virus. "You thought you had me figured out, Pestilence. You think I''m some mentally weak idiot, who would break if you revealed something about my loved ones¡­ but I''ve changed. I''m not the same person I was before. I''ve become better."


    "But I still don''t know everything about you. I don''t know your motives or your goals¡­ and I don''t know how much you can hear," he admitted.


    "So I used the only connection I was sure you didn''t have access to. The one between Ram and I," he revealed.


    Mod''s eyes widened to epic proportions at that.


    "You''re afraid of me," Rosan said without a hint of hesitation. "You refuse to meet me one on one, when I have access to my abilities because you cannot defeat me in a battle. Then, you fallback to Mod-chan protecting you. You don''t want to die and when I gripped you by the throat just now, that confirmed it for me," the redhead guessed.


    Pestilence glared at Rosan in hatred at the accurate assessment.


    "You thought that because I was so zeroed in on Robin, I wouldn''t realize the little things¡­ but you underestimate me Pestilence. I used this opportunity to get answers out of you and I got what I wanted¡­ now like I promised to Mod-chan, she can deal with you," he muttered.


    The redhead brushed himself off and walked to the three he had come here with.


    "I don''t know how you did it¡­ but you were truthful when you said you wanted to save me. For now that''s good enough¡­ but I don''t trust you for even a second," Rosan said.


    Pestilence seized up as those piercing eyes slammed into them.


    "You will slip up. You will reveal your true colors¡­ and when that day comes, no one will be more overjoyed than me because I will destroy you until not even an atom remains," he assured.


    His eyes flickered black momentarily. "You thought it would be easy to manipulate me by controlling the conversation and shifting attention off yourself but you were wrong. I''ve grown up Pestilence and I''ll show you just how much I''ve grown when you make a mistake."


    With that, Rosan turned their back to the Virus.


    "Sorry for being rough with you Mod-chan. I needed them to think you wouldn''t be able to provide them safety and you couldn''t know about it," Rosan said, pulling the woman into a warm hug.


    Mod shuddered into his frame. "Y-You aren''t mad at me?" She asked quietly.


    Rosan gazed down at her with a tilted head. "About how you knew their name? Nah. I already had an inkling."


    ¡­


    "W-What?" Mod stammered in confusion.


    Rosan''s cocky smirk vanished in favor of a frown. "You''ve seen what I''m capable of, Mod-chan¡­ What made you think you could ever hide anything from me? You''re underestimating me just like Pestilence did and you should be glad that I trust you with all my heart or else."


    The woman shuddered at that and tightened her grip on Rosan. "I-I''m sorry¡­ I just don''t know how I could have ever told you that information¡­ I swear to you, I never responded back after the first time when they made it clear they weren''t going to confide in information with me!" She exclaimed, glancing pleadingly up at Rosan.


    "I believe you," he said easily. "I trust you Mod-chan. I trust that you know what you''re doing. I trust that you have my best intentions at heart. I trust you enough to heed your words and let you deal with this¡­"


    "But if you somehow break that trust¡­"


    Mod froze as Rosan''s expression didn''t turn angry or cold. No, it just turned sad and that broke her heart more than anything.


    "If you break my trust, Mod-chan¡­ I will break, I will cry, I may never recover¡­ But I will not hesitate. I have too much to lose now, I cannot allow myself to fall."


    She shuddered at the finality of that statement. He had given her so many chances because Rosan truly loved her with every fiber of his being¡­


    To let him down would be the ultimate betrayal¡­


    "I won''t. I promise I won''t, Rosan," she assured firmly.


    Rosan smiled and ran a hand through her hair. "I know you won''t. You''re my Mod-chan after all."


    Then he released his hand from her hair.


    "Do whatever you want now, I''m done here," Rosan shrugged. "We''re going. Robin. Ram."


    Ram easily leapt onto Rosan''s back with a pleased smile.


    "You''re super smart, Father. When you approached me I was like wow! You thought this far ahead?" she praised.


    "I plan for a lot of things. You did good not betraying our intentions. I know it must have been hard," he replied, reaching back and patting her hair affectionately.


    "It was but it was from you so I had to do it!" She beamed, snuggling him easily.


    Robin shook her head. "Everything you said, was to divert us from your true intentions¡­ that''s terrifying, Rosan. You even had me completely fooled and I pride myself in knowing the most about you."


    It was genius. Robin truly thought Rosan had forsaken Mod-chan and if the virus was as smart as it was¡­ it knew what that meant.


    Mod-chan was Rosan''s pillar and if he forsake her, then their life was in more danger then they could ever imagine.


    Everyone''s life really. Mod was the core reason Rosan was still sane. A betrayal from her, would send him off the deep edge.


    It was ingenious and he got exactly what he wanted from it.


    Rosan kissed her cheek apologetically. "Sorry. Didn''t want to risk the virus catching wind of my plan so I left you in the dark too. If I had a reliable way of telling you, I would''ve but they see even more than I do," he admitted with a contemplative frown.


    "I understand¡­ but take me out for dinner as an apology. Girl time made me realize that I''d love to have a proper one on one date with you," she smiled slyly.


    "Anything you say, my Queen," Rosan bowed mockingly.


    "Agh! Stop! This is so gross!" Ram whined, shutting her eyes as she saw them shooting mushy eyes at each other.


    "Almost as gross as those romance novels I saw you buying at Maro''s? When do you plan on reading them? When we''re all sleeping so you can transform into human form?" Robin asked in amusement, watching the ring''s face go pale in horror.


    "Meiko loved romance novels. I guess Ram inherited it," Rosan mused. "Don''t ask me to read them with you like she did. That''s disgusting and as your father, I refuse."


    "I''d prefer it if you read thrillers or history... but if you truly wish, I won''t mind reading it to you... so long as it''s not any of the inappropriate ones you managed to buy," Robin added.


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    Rosan raised a brow high. "Inappropriate one? You buy adult romance books, Ram? Color me surprised..."


    Robin laughed and nodded. "I saw the cover of one before she stuffed it away in a bag I managed to buy her... Ram has very refined tastes I think."


    Ram shut her eyes and moaned in defeat, as a red of mortification dominated her cheeks. "Please stop this misery. I don''t wanna be treated like a daughter anymore. Treat me like a weapon."


    H-How did they even know that¡­ She had been so stealthy. How did Mother manage to see the entire cover of the book she bought?!


    "You looked so good in your outfit, that I began worrying for anyone that was going to inevitably hit on you. I was keeping an eye on you the whole time," Robin smiled, running a hand through the silver strands with mirth in her eyes.


    Rosan snorted. "My little psycho daughter, reading adult romance. How ridiculous. What next, you''re gonna ask me to lift the ban on you dating? Nope, not happening."


    "Let her live her life! If she wants to be more adventurous, let her do so! You know she finds Maro and Angel hot?"


    Rosan''s mouth opened in shock. "She does?! You do?!"


    "S-STOP! LEAVE ME ALONE!" Ram squealed.


    Mod watched the three chat like and realized this was why Rosan wouldn''t hesitate.


    He had grown to care for so many things now¡­ breaking once more or dying would negatively impact the people he loved.


    He had so many things to live for now¡­ and Mod wouldn''t allow any threats to his person.


    She turned towards the cornered Pestilence with a cold gaze.


    The virus coughed and grinned sardonically at her. "What? Standing here to soak in how pathetic I look? You''re a bitter ex, Mod," they crooned.


    "Stop that. You know we''ve never had a relationship like that," Mod said firmly. "I don''t know what you''re planning Pestilence but I''ll tell you right now¡­ stop. You see the gap between you and Rosan. You cannot defeat him and he''s aware of you too. Won''t you cooperate and stop being so difficult?"


    Pestilence scoffed and pushed themselves up. "I already told you. I want to save your boy toy. This is just who I am so don''t expect me to suddenly become just another whore prostrating myself to him like you and everyone else."


    Slap.


    Pestilence felt their eyes widen, as a red bruise bloomed on their cheek, courtesy of the slap from the furious Mod.


    The Devil Fruit''s red eyes were wide in a blistering rage and took on a glowing look, much like Rosan''s own.


    "Do not label the love I have for my son as anything else but motherly you twisted perverted creature," she hissed. "I am not your ex. I have never felt that way about you and I never will because you sit here and you spew such hateful messages to my baby boy and you probably sat there and laughed as you ruthlessly broke him down along with that psychotic doctor by turning him against my daughter!"


    Mod took a deep breath and stepped back. "I thought we could speak like adults and talk things out¡­ but I see now. If you make a mistake, I will not protect you any longer. I will allow Rosan to do to you whatever he wants because you deserve it."


    With that, Mod turned on her heel and walked away.


    "Love does not have to be lust, Pestilence. I hope you realize that and can join our family but I severely doubt it with how set in your ways you are," Mod offered as her parting words.


    Pestilence simply watched Mod vanish from their view, before sneering and heading back into the castle.


    The moment the doors shut, they let out a roar of frustration and shattered the crystalline table with a massive fist of black energy.


    "Little shit thinks he''s so fucking clever," they snarled, red eyes pulsing madly with rage. "Thinks he can pull one over me?! Stupid bitch thinks she can trash and slap me to my face?! I''LL SHOW ALL OF THEM!"


    The temperature of the already freezing castle, dropped even lower and Pestilence forced themselves to a coherent state as they stood up straight.


    The freezing temperature behind them got closer and closer until strong arms wrapped around their waist and they sighed, turning to face the source with a pleased smile.


    "You''re upset," the person said neutrally, eyes flitting over to the broken table. With just a touch, the ice repaired itself effortlessly and looked as good as new.


    Their smile was wiped away by a scowl instantly and they summoned another black fist to destroy it.


    "You should be asleep," Pestilence stated firmly, enjoying the grip.


    Pestilence was ignored, as the person repaired the table once more with a level of patience the virus envied. "You nearly died out there. I told you to take me with you. I''d have kept you safe."


    Their expression turned uncharacteristically soft as they put a hand to the figure''s cheeks. "I know sweetheart¡­ but not yet. You''re not ready yet."


    "¡­" The person looked slightly annoyed.


    Pestilence sighed and tiptoed, planting a chaste kiss on the person''s cheeks before leaning into their ear. "Soon. Now that the castle is no longer being restricted by those impossible chains, we can really get started," they whispered assuringly.


    The figure said nothing once more before nodding and crushing Pestilence''s figure against their own.


    Pestilence grinned as they soaked in this feeling with a pleased sigh.


    This feeling of being loved.


    It was intoxicating, to know that someone actually appreciated and loved you. They never had such luxury but now that they had it¡­


    Well, perhaps they were just as lovesick as Mod and wasn''t that a thought. They were unshakably loyal to their source of love and would maintain it at all costs.


    Pestilence leaned into them with a pleased. "You have nothing to worry about, I will save you no matter what."


    Bright purple eyes looked down at them, sclera just as black as their lover. "I know you will. You''re my Pe-chan after all."


    Nothing else needed to be said between the two.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "YOU UNLOCKED YOUR OBSERVATION?!"


    Rosan nodded with a smug smirk, at the look of outrage on Maro''s face. He idly wiped the sweat off his form and took his seat with the rest of the training group.


    They were on the Thousand Sunny and for once, all the Straw Hats chose to join in training.


    It was a surreal sight, considering Nami and Usopp normally refused to do so.


    "Yeah, in my fight with Izumi. She blinded me and I couldn''t touch her¡­ but at some point, I could feel everything," he explained, before a deep frown formed on his features.


    Maro sighed at the insufferable genius. Goddammit all.


    "You don''t seem happy to have unlocked it," Robin pointed out curiously, noticing his frown as she tiredly rested her head on his lap.


    She knew why, considering she had seen his memories but it was more for them to know.


    "Because I can''t use it currently," he said bluntly, raking a hand through her hair.


    "?!" Everyone tilted their head in confusion at that.


    "You can''t use it?" Sanji asked, being the most recent to unlock his Observation. He had no issue at all with his own haki and took to it like a fish in water.


    He was surprised Rosan was struggling with something.


    "...It''s overwhelming," he admitted. "I feel too much¡­ I hear too much¡­ I see too far. It''s headache inducing and I don''t know how I can stop it."


    The ones with Observation, furrowed their brows at that explanation.


    "Not to mention, my emotions are so outta sorts that I can hardly maintain it for a minute," the redhead groaned, falling flat on his back from annoyance.


    Robin huffed as he pulled her with him and said, "That is quite the problem¡­ See too far? Hear too much¡­ it''s because of your electricity, right?"


    He sighed and nodded. "My electricity is produced from my body. I''m thinking it''s similar to Enel''s except I can''t hear conversations like he could. My electricity is automatically latching to other electrical sources in the vicinity and it increases my range by an overwhelming amount," he muttered.


    It was awful. Rosan''s Observation hindered him more than it helped.


    Guess it wasn''t meant to be that easy¡­ At least his Armament was improving in spades and his Conquerors was usable again.


    Now he needed to find a way to fix his Observation¡­


    "Wait, if you can''t hear conversations¡­ what do you mean by you hear too much?" Nami asked, panting from the hellish workout that Rosan gave her after she reluctantly asked him to start training her.


    That was a mistake that she was going to regret because now that she willingly asked, he would never let her go.


    At least he was helping build her stamina like she wanted.


    "I can''t put it into words¡­ but I can hear," Rosan said with a look of confusion. "It''s as if voiceless things, suddenly have a voice but those voices are so goddamn loud."


    Luffy''s eyes widened. "I KNOW WHAT YOU''RE TALKING ABOUT!" He exclaimed. "Sometimes that happens to me too!"


    Their captain had it too? Luffy never looked nearly as uncomfortable as Rosan made it out to be.


    Rosan raised a brow at that and pursed his lips.


    Ace never mentioned this. Sabo didn''t either. But Luffy did?


    What the hell was this? The redhead sighed.


    "Um¡­"


    Everyone paused and glanced at Usopp.


    "I unlocked my Observation too?" He told them with a nervous smile.


    ¡­


    "WHAT?!" They roared.


    "Oh yeah! I learned Armament!" Luffy beamed, putting up a fist and showing off the black sheen.


    "SERIOUSLY?!" Maro shrieked in rage.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Maro¡­ I ate three Rumble Balls."


    Maro glanced down at Chopper with wide eyes.


    "You did?!" she asked in.


    She hadn''t eaten three Rumble Balls since the first time, not willing to endanger anyone around without Master''s supervision.


    The reindeer nodded with a nervous expression. "I used three at Enies Lobby a-and I attacked the entire crew¡­ I don''t even know what happened to my opponent but he''s probably dead¡­"


    Maro saw his downtrodden expression and scooped the little reindeer up easily.


    "Hey don''t worry, Chopper!" She assured. "No one''s mad at you and I''m sure you felt like you had to do it to save Robin. Don''t beat yourself up about it and just get better so it doesn''t happen again. That''s what I''m doing!"


    He nodded in determination at that. "You''re right! Okay!"


    Maro beamed at that and patted his hat. "You look like you discovered something! What is it?"


    Chopper nodded eagerly. "While fighting the CP9 agent, he used a technique that I realized was the secret we needed to rely less on the Rumble Balls!"


    Maro''s eyes glittered in interest and Demon perked up at that.


    "What is it?" They asked.


    "...He called it Seimei Kikan! It grants a person full control over their body parts and functions¡­ He was able to extend his hair and even could change his own weight!"


    Demon tilted his head. "That sounds like a more advanced version of Biofeedback¡­"


    Maro''s eyes glittered. "If we learn this, we should be able to easily manipulate our Zoan and Human halves and get desired results!"


    "Exactly!" Chopper grinned eagerly. "This is the secret to not overly relying on the Rumble Ball!"


    "But how will you begin learning it?" Demon asked in confusion. "It doesn''t seem easy¡­"


    The two paused at that and pursed their lips.


    "I can do some research on it," Chopper frowned at the conundrum.


    "I''ll help. I should have some books on Biofeedback," Demon muttered.


    "No need! I have the perfect solution for our worries!" Maro grinned.


    Demon and Chopper glanced at the queen in confusion.


    "MASTERRRRR!" She screeched loudly.


    Chopper and Demon sweatdropped deeply at that.


    Right, they forgot about that option.


    It didn''t take very long at all for her calls to be answered.


    "What, Maro? I was helping Franky with something," Rosan said, walking into view with Angel, Robin and Ram.


    "Shameless pervert but his skills are insane!" Angel awed.


    Franky was shamelessly using Rosan''s abilities to help him out and Angel and him got along famously.


    Rosan had just been chatting with Robin, while Ram read, as the two chatted with each other and exchanged ideas, all while abusing his abilities.


    He never expected Angel to get along so well with such a shameless pervert, but you''d think the two were best friends with their shared interests.


    Well, so long as they were happy bouncing ideas off each other. He wouldn''t complain. Franky was actually tasked with something Rosan wanted him to do and Angel readily offered to help with it.


    Maro let out a happy sigh at seeing the wifebeater wearing redhead and flashed him a thumbs up.


    "Chopper and I need your help with a technique," she explained to the redhead.


    "Sure," he replied easily, listening to their explanation.


    The redhead hummed in contemplation at hearing them speak.


    "Huh, interesting¡­ It''s kinda like how I have full control over my body with Modification," he mused.


    Maro fucking hated his fruit. Not Mod-chan though, Maro loved Mod-chan.


    "Unfortunately, that''s me abusing my fruit¡­ but I have a solution. Just gimme a few¡­" He muttered, having his armband wrap around his frame into a form fitting black shirt.


    "I''ll be back," he told them, after closing his eyes for a moment.


    Robin raised a brow. "And just where are you going?" She asked calmly, making her own ring transform into her Raid Suit and adjusting the violet cloak.


    Rosan, who had gotten to the door of their gym, glanced back at her with pursed lips.


    Robin sighed. "Rosan, you are not going anywhere without me. I''ll be more upset if you leave me behind."


    She hated this more than anything, Rosan thinking he should give her more space. She didn''t want that. Robin loved when he was being jealously possessive.


    "Alright alright," Rosan muttered, wrapping an arm around her waist and carrying her away. "I''ll be back with the info on that technique you three."


    "Take your time!" Maro beamed. "No really, take all the time you need! My nephews and nieces won''t be born from thin air! You guys aren''t getting any younger! The faster you have yours the faster I can get min ¡ª mfhgm!"


    Angel let out a sigh of misery as she dragged her deranged wife away with a short wave.


    "You''re not supposed to be saying that yet!" Angel hissed.


    "He can practically read my mind anyways! No point sugarcoating it!"


    "Is it possible that she''s more perverted than Sanji?" Robin asked in disbelief, cheeks a hint of red.


    "She''s certainly more lewd. At least she''s not perverted to every single person like Sanji is with women. It''s usually just everyone in my body and Angel. You''re the newest addition," Rosan muttered.


    "I''m¡­ honored?" She questioned in confusion as they vanished.


    "Don''t think about it," he offered gently, wings sprouting out of his back as he began floating off the Sunny. "We''ll be right back Luffy, Nami."


    "Alright!" Luffy waved.


    "Be careful! You know how the Grand Line gets!" Nami warned.


    Robin smiled, only to let out a shout of surprise, as Rosan tossed her further into the air without any hesitation.


    She hastily activated her hovering function and glared down at the figure¡­ confusion vanishing as she saw him begin to transform into Ragnarok.


    "RAOGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The dragon howled its arrival and wrapped its tail around Robin, before depositing her on his back.


    "STOP ROARING!" Nami shrieked in horror.


    "RAOOOOOOOOOOGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" He roared even louder.


    "FUCK YOU!"


    Robin smiled and watched the dragon flap its wings once, before soaring off at incredible speeds.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Izumi was in the main quarters of the ship she took from Enies Lobby. To her left, Kalifa was discussing a list of possible sources of where Blueno''s Devil Fruit could possibly be.


    She furrowed her brows nervously.


    Finding a specific Devil Fruit was impossibly hard. It could be anywhere in the world right now or even eaten by someone!


    Would Rosan kill her if¡­ Izumi shuddered in fear.


    A hand clasped her own and she gazed at the concerned Kalifa, forcing her expression to be neutral.


    "It must be terrifying being the one who has to speak to the Red Devil in our stead¡­ I don''t know what he did to you in that fight but¡­ thank you for fighting for our lives, Izumi," Kalifa smiled nervously.


    Izumi glanced down at the hand clutching her own and gazed at the taller woman.


    If only they knew she never once had their best interests in mind¡­ but she supposed they would have died during the Buster Call.


    Kalifa was attractive¡­ Izumi hadn''t felt attracted to anyone in years but perhaps she should try to feel such a thing¡­


    A knock on the door interrupted the two and Jabra nervously walked into the room.


    "Izumi¡­ outside," he said shortly.


    The illusionist furrowed her brows and stood up, making her way to the deck.


    She went pale at the sight before her.


    A snarling maw glared down at their ship, face so close they could see every terrifyingly sharp tooth of the Dragon that had made its statement at Enies Lobby.


    With teeth so sharp, she was sure he''d chew through their Tekkai as an afterthought.


    Kalifa went white in horror and immediately hid behind her, clutching the woman as if Izumi would be able to protect them from this apex predator.


    Nico Robin walked off the dragon''s back without a care in the world. She gazed coolly at them all with a calm smile, though it vanished into a short scowl as she made eye contact with Izumi.


    Izumi flinched back, confusion on her face at the look of annoyance.


    Why was...


    "She must have seen me torture Rosan," she thought in horror, face going white at just how annoyed Robin looked with her.


    If she saw all of that, then...


    Thankfully, Robin gazed away from her and she let out a momentary sigh of relief.


    At once, the obsidian dragon transformed back into their nightmare and Rosan glanced at them like they were insects barely worth keeping alive.


    Despite the fact that they were fully healed, no one dared to attack the duo.


    After all, Rob Lucci and Izumi had made it clear that there was no winning against him and they would rather kill the CP9 agents than deal with him.


    They starkly realized that with that draconic transformation, he could sink their ship without hesitation and then pick them out of midair¡­ while they floundered about.


    Going after the Red Devil was the most grave mistake they had ever made in their life.


    "Minions," Rosan greeted simply.


    "R-Rosan," Izumi bowed shakily at him. "Do you¡­ need something?"


    He gazed down at her, eyes amused. "Yeah. Write down two of your little techniques for me."


    The CP9 agents jumped at that, gazing at the redhead with wide eyes.


    Izumi and Rob Lucci were the only ones who didn''t.


    "Which ones?" Izumi asked without hesitation. There was no point trying to deny or fight him. Rosan would kill them without any hesitation if they showed hesitation.


    "Shigan and Seimei Kikan," he said easily, remembering Izumi''s preferred technique.


    Robin raised a brow and turned towards him. "Why Shigan?" She asked aloud, not seeing any reason to hide it.


    "For you," he replied calmly. "I figured it''d compliment your style based on what I saw Izumi doing with it."


    Izumi flinched back at that.


    "...But it''s quite a brutal technique. I don''t want blood on my finger," Robin frowned at him.


    Rosan rolled his eyes. "You''re such a grappler. You have no problem punching me though."


    "You deserve to be punched," Robin said bluntly.


    The redhead snorted. "Just learn the technique and use it for a ranged option then. The power required to learn it, should at the very least help you in the long run and imagine if all your summoned hands could just barrage someone with air shots."


    "You''re already a grappler, might as well condition your fingers to give you more options."


    With the boost in physical strength, Robin''s Devil Fruit would be even more effective! Her grappling style would be way harder to escape from so even if she refused to stab someone, her fingers would still be ridiculous.


    Not to mention those flick shots. She needed a ranged option that kept her limbs safe.


    Robin sighed at the training maniac and nodded. "Fine, I''ll learn it but only because you asked," she conceded. She didn''t know if she''d use Shigan, but the training would help her in the long run.


    "Good," Rosan said, pulling her into a hug with a pleased smirk.


    "They aren''t taking us serious at all," Kaku thought in disbelief as the two lovers conversed.


    While they conversed with each other, Izumi wrote down the instructions needed to learn both the techniques and handed the two sheets of paper over to him.


    "There you go¡­" She whispered.


    Rosan grabbed the sheets and they watched his eyes rove over both of them with incredible speeds, before he nodded to himself.


    "Seems right. I''ll get you started on this regimen immediately," he muttered, pocketing both.


    "Surely this will replace the training you already run me ragged through, right?" Robin smiled innocently at him.


    Rosan snorted loudly and wiped the smile right off.


    "Yeah right. You''ve gained a huge amount of stamina, you''ll be fine," he assured.


    "I hate you so much," she muttered in annoyance.


    "I know," he said soothingly, ruining her hair with a pat.


    Robin glared at him and sighed deeply, before turning towards Izumi.


    The agent flinched as Robin''s expression turned sour once more and she turned white as Rosan picked up on it.


    Evidently, Robin understood how jealously overprotective the redhead was and removed the expression, lest Rosan decide to act out on her anger in Robin''s stead.


    Robin had to remind herself that Izumi had already suffered a crushing defeat at Rosan''s hand so she stifled her anger to the best of her ability and said, "Is there anything you need?"


    Izumi blinked in surprise at that. "Um¡­ we don''t have any funds and we''re about to run out of provisions¡­"


    Luckily, every Government ship was issued with a Log Pose but there was no money just lying around¡­ because it was a Government ship.


    Robin hummed and glanced at the perplexed Rosan. "They''re our subordinates, Rosan. We have to make sure they are able to sustain themselves. You''re the one who agreed to this when you could have just killed them all."


    Rosan sighed. "Is that offer still on the table?" He asked blandly.


    He watched Izumi seize up in fear and sneered at her, before Robin tapped him firmly.


    He sighed.


    The redhead waved a hand and brought out a briefcase, tossing it over to Izumi who caught it with a surprised look.


    "There. That should last you a while," he muttered, gazing at Robin with an unamused glance.


    He had no idea why she was so kind.


    "I am upset with her but at the same time, I feel bad for her. She looks like she has no purpose in life. That''s all," Robin said truthfully.


    He simply grunted and the Devil Child rolled her eyes at his grumpiness.


    Brat.


    "Thank you... This should last us a very long time..." Izumi said with wide eyes, opening the case and having her jaw drop at the sheer amount being presented to her.


    "Whatever," Rosan said simply.


    Robin sighed in exasperation. "Rosan, you killed 4 of them in horrific fashion and you''re still not satisfied?"


    The redhead sneered at all of them rage mounting swiftly. "No, they tried to take you from me. They mentally tortured you. They made you do their bidding. They had the audacity, to make you ally yourself with the World Government. I will only be satisfied if they''re suffering under my feet," he snarled, sparks flying off his body as his pressure began to leak.


    The CP9 agents tensed at that, fear on all but Rob Lucci''s face as they warily stared at the demon imposing his very presence on them.


    Robin was touched that he was still so upset on her behalf and delicately put a hand on his arm. "It''s okay. I''m here. You still have me. You will always have me."


    Izumi let out a small shudder of relief, as Rosan took his eyes off them and gazed at Robin with his furious gaze.


    Eventually, he calmed down and scoffed. "Just the fact that you''re this close to Robin and alive, is a miracle. I''ve had a really short temper lately," he grunted.


    "W-We''re sorry," Izumi stammered in terror, eyes wide.


    "We''re the ones who came here to get something, Rosan. They haven''t even done anything wrong except perfectly answering your request. Why even accept their request if you hate them this much?" Robin muttered.


    "Adrenaline," Rosan replied honestly. "I lost a lot of blood and the thrill of battle slammed into me and I really wanted to save you. Of course I wasn''t thinking straight when I accepted her offer."


    Robin sweatdropped at that.


    "But you''re right. I accepted the request and I technically have no reason to go back on it¡­"


    Rosan vanished and planted a fist directly on Kaku''s stomach, sending the CP9 agent crashing into a wall.


    "!" Kaku let out a rasp as he spit up blood and hunched over.


    "So I''ll drop it," Rosan huffed. "We''re leaving."


    The agents looked at the keeled over agent in shock, not believing how easily he felled the man.


    "Why did you do that?" Robin asked with a suffering sigh.


    "I needed to work my anger off a bit," he replied with a malicious smirk as he wrapped an arm around her waist. "You''re being too nice to them, so I''ll compensate."


    "You''re ridiculous, Rosan," Robin sighed, leaning into his protective hold.


    "U-Um¡­ about Blueno''s Devil Fruit¡­ it might take a very long time to find it," Izumi said quietly to him.


    Rosan''s gaze bored into her before he snorted. "Oh that. You don''t gotta look for it. Do you know how impossible it is to find a specific Devil Fruit?"


    Izumi flinched at that. "B-But then..."


    "If someone eats his Devil Fruit¡­ and they somehow get proficient in it, I will know and I will deal with them. For their own sake, they better remain mediocre in it for all their lives," he said assuringly.


    They shuddered at that ominous tone of his and let the noise of Kaku coughing hellishly fill the air.


    "Do whatever you want. Make sure it''s useful to me or something¡­ I''ll call you if I need you but honestly, train up. You guys are weak and rely too much on your techniques. I barely put effort into that punch¡­ how did Zoro struggle with you?" he shrugged.


    "Right," Izumi and Rob Lucci nodded at his instructions.


    The redhead vanished without another word.


    Izumi sagged in relief as he vanished and Kalifa easily grabbed her up.


    "Are you alright?" She asked the illusionist.


    Dealing with the Red Devil was no better than resting next to a ticking time bomb. It was just a matter of when that bomb exploded and that terrified them.


    "...I''m fine," Izumi replied quietly, shooting the woman a look. "...Thank you," she said after a short while.


    Kalifa''s eyes widened at that, not expecting Izumi of all people to show gratitude or anything of the matter.


    "...You''re welcome," she said eventually with a shaky smile, glancing nervously at the spot that Rosan was just at.


    "Hmph," Lucci scoffed, marching off to train.


    After that humiliating defeat from Straw Hat¡­ the leopard refused to suffer such a loss again.


    "Stupid giraffe, I would''ve dodged that," Jabra scoffed.


    "Say that to his face," Kaku gasped.


    Why was he the one who got punched¡­?


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan felt his cube ringing and pulled it out of his pocket, watching it go flat at a touch and seeing who it was.


    "Hey Sabo," he greeted easily, picking up and greeting his younger brother.


    "Don''t hey Sabo, me! Rosan what the fuck?!" Sabo hissed in disbelief.


    "Sabo!" Robin greeted with a smile.


    "Hey Robin," the Revolutionary greeted easily.


    "What the hell?" Rosan asked in confusion. "What did I do?"


    "Is this Rosan and Robin?" a female voice asked on the other line.


    "Yes, Koala," Sabo said in exasperation. Koala had asked quite a bit of questions considering he had been gone for so long so he had told her all about the Straw Hats.


    Needless to say, she was very excited to meet them. Sabo had spoken quite a bit about them even without her questions.


    "Koala? Your girlfriend?" Rosan asked in curiosity. "Hey Sabo''s girlfriend. He really likes you. We hope you meet our family soon so we can properly be introduced."


    Robin stifled a laugh at the spluttering on the other line.


    "G-Girlfriend?! That''s what he calls me?!" Koala asked in shock.


    "Yep," Rosan replied easily.


    Sabo''s brow raised high in confusion at Rosan. "Now''s not the time for games, Rosan! I just came back from a mission and I read the news! What happened?! You guys destroyed Enies Lobby?!" The Chief of Staff asked in confusion.


    "Yeah, I did," Rosan replied calmly, nonplussed by Sabo. "Of course I did. They pissed me off so I made them pay."


    "...What happened? Do you mind if Koala listens in? It''s only me and her," Sabo asked.


    Rosan contemplated the question, before nodding.


    "Sure, she''s your future wife so you shouldn''t hide stuff from her," Rosan grunted.


    "S-Sabo I think I hate your brother," Koala mumbled, face burning.


    "Get in line¡­ we all do," Sabo sighed.


    "I regrettably can''t hate him," Robin sighed in return.


    "You all love me. Don''t lie," Rosan smirked, pulling Robin and making exaggerating kissing noises over the phone.


    "Stop Rosan, you aren''t supposed to actually kiss me!" Robin protested, unsuccessfully pushing the physical freak away.


    "This is oddly gross," Sabo muttered.


    "You know... everyone says that," Rosan mused with a contemplative expression.


    "Because you have no regards for other''s eyes!" Robin exclaimed in disbelief.


    The redhead shrugged. "I''m affectionate. I''ve hugged you dozens of times in a single day. Of course now that we''re dating, I''m even worse."


    To prove his point, he smugly pulled Robin atop of him and got comfortable.


    "I change my mind, I hate you," Robin said with a tired sigh, watching him grip her in a way that prevented escape.


    "Welcome to the club! I think we''ll get along great," Koala smiled sympathetically.


    "You haven''t even seen my face yet and you hate me¡­ what a terrible little sister you are," Rosan sighed sadly.


    "S-Shut up! I''m not your sister!"


    "Yet," Rosan smirked. Koala was just as easy to rile up as Nami and they hadn''t even met yet.


    The woman grumbled in defeat and Sabo held his head.


    No wonder Ace didn''t want to introduce any girls to them. Rosan was supposed to be one of the normal ones. How would Angel react to this if Rosan was acting so unhinged already?!


    "Alright, lemme tell you what went on that caused me to raid and obliterate Enies Lobby," he said.


    Sabo and Koala listened with wide eyes, as Rosan explained what happened to Robin during the events of Water 7.


    Did all of this really happen? Running into an Admiral... running into an assassination group... then raiding one of the strongest Marine Strongholds on the planet all in order to get Robin back?


    The Devil Child bit her lip as Rosan recounted the events and she bowed her head in guilt.


    She would never be able to rationalize what she had been thinking when she made the decisions she made at Water 7. It had been more than just a lapse of judgment¡­ Robin had practically committed an unforgivable sin.


    "Robin¡­ I''m sure Rosan already gave you the scolding you deserve so I won''t do the same, but what were you thinking?" Sabo asked seriously.


    "...I don''t know I just¡­ I thought I could keep them safe," she admitted quietly.


    "There was no world where they would ever keep their word. The World Government lies to criminals all the time. In their eyes, you aren''t even human, Robin. If allowed to have their way, they would have called a Buster Call on the Straw Hats regardless of if you went or not," the revolutionary told her.


    Shit¡­ if he had just stayed a little longer, he could have easily prevented all of this. He was so glad the Straw Hats got out safely but if they got destroyed just moments after he left¡­


    Sabo would never be able to forgive himself if he lost them.


    "I know and I should have realized that¡­ but I was grasping at any hope I could," Robin replied as she shut her eyes. "Believe me, I''ve learned my lesson and¡­ and I''m glad I get to live another day to take them to heart."


    Rosan sighed and raked a hand through her hair. "I was more pissed then you could ever imagine¡­ but I understand why she thought she had to do it so we''ve made up."


    "Made up is one way to put it¡­ I have no idea how you two were dating without officially dating, but I''m glad that''s not a thing anymore," Sabo said dryly.


    "You''re doing the same thing with Koala. Just make it official," Rosan chimed over the line.


    "I HATE YOU!" Koala roared.


    Sabo put a hand to his head and let out a suffering sigh. "Do you mind if I tell Dragon about this? He was just as surprised when reading the news and knew they were hiding information about the whole thing."


    "Feel free," Rosan responded with a smug smirk. "You should find time to meet up with us¡­ though that''s for later. Apparently, we should be heading to the Florian Triangle and then Fish-Man Island."


    Koala perked up at that. "You''re headed to Fishman Island?" She asked, a hint of melancholy in her voice.


    "That''s the plan. We need to go there to head to the New World," Rosan replied easily.


    "Be sure to stop at Sabaody first. You''ll need to get your ship coated," Sabo informed him. "And be careful about the Florian Triangle. I''ve heard weird things about it¡­ Kami, I should have just let you put a Point on me. I find myself worrying way too much about you guys."


    "Next time we meet," Rosan chuckled. "I want to increase the amount I have but it will take a bit¡­ I still have one more left and since Ace doesn''t want it, you can have it¡­ if you really want one."


    "It was a bit dangerous at first because I''m a Revolutionary¡­ but I trust you with my whole heart so yeah, I''ll accept it," Sabo grinned easily.


    "Perfect. I really need to work on increasing the points," Rosan muttered.


    "What''s your Devil Fruit? I thought you were a dragon!" Koala asked in confusion.


    "I''ll tell you when you officially become my little sister. Don''t tell her otherwise, Sabo," the redhead replied easily.


    Koala let out a strangled yell before the call hung up.


    "How are you so skilled at tormenting everyone you meet?" Robin asked fondly, tucking herself into his safe hold.


    "Years of managing to torment two of the coolest people on the planet when I was a kid," he replied easily.


    Robin blinked, before smiling brilliantly.


    "You thought I was cool?" She asked with glowing eyes.


    Rosan snorted. "Robin, do you even realize how much I looked up to you when we were younger? I called you Robin-nee for a reason. You and Mod-chan were the coolest two people to me. It always amazed me how calm and collected you both were in comparison to how hyper I was. Made you both seem super mature."


    Mod lit up at that. "R-Really?!" she asked with a wide grin.


    Robin turned away from him so he couldn''t see how elated those words made her.


    That failed when Rosan, who was still grasping her, forced the woman around.


    "Aww, is my Robin-nee embarrassed? Not used to being called cool? It''s because you''re mostly a nerd!" Rosan teased, making sure she couldn''t turn away.


    His eyes lit up at seeing the dust of red on her cheeks and the redhead''s smug grin grew wider.


    "You should blush more, it''s pretty adorable," he said.


    Robin glared at him, before suddenly smiling in realization. "I''d say the same to you, but I already know how to make you blush," she stated confidently.


    Rosan blinked before a look of shock overcame him.


    "Wait," he said peacefully, watching her grip tighten.


    "We''re a couple, Rosan. I don''t have to wait." She smiled peacefully.


    Mod only had a moment to shut the connection before Robin lunged and began peppering the visibly embarrassed redhead.


    "At least give us a better warning," she sighed to herself.


    "They are so disgusting," Ram grunted in disbelief.


    How was Rosan still weak to receiving physical affection? Honestly, her son was such an anomaly.


    Maybe she should smooch him to get him to listen...


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Aiko hadn''t seen Rosan in a while and she missed him.


    Naturally, she would never in a million years tell him that but maybe she should give him a call and check up on him.


    After all, the jackass had a bounty of 310 million now and apparently he and his crew destroyed Enies Lobby...


    Yeah, fuck that. He needed to give them a visit right now.


    "Aiko. Akemi. Been a while."


    Aiko shrieked at that unfamiliar and cheerful voice and gazed in confusion at the one responsible.


    Her complaints died on her lips, as she saw Rosan smirking at her with a pleased glint, Robin next to him with an exasperated expression.


    "Rosan! Robin!" Akemi jumped in joy and leapt on the duo, getting caught by the both of them. "Wow! Look at your eyes! They''re so pretty!"


    Aiko gazed at the shining orbs and felt herself get lost in them a little.


    Was this how Rosan''s eyes looked normally? They were glowing in a rather unnatural way but it was mesmerizing all the same. It was a far cry from the dim gaze she had known him for all his life.


    "I haven''t seen you guys since before we landed on Sky Island," Rosan mused, eyes glittering in amusement as he reached out and yanked Aiko into the hug as well. "I missed messing with you, Aiko. Did you enjoy the gifts I gave you?"


    Aiko let out an uncharacteristic yelp that settled into an aggravated sneer as the redhead forced her against his frame.


    Akemi giggled and settled for hugging Robin.


    "I tried to call you on that weird cube you gave us but by the time I had the downtime to actually figure it out, I couldn''t reach you."


    Rosan frowned. "I was incapacitated. Sorry about that."


    The sisters looked curious at that statement but they knew Rosan would tell them in due time so they ignored it for now.


    "Hiroshi''s having a field day with the new tech and I''m loving the fruits Maro managed to cultivate. I was the first to receive an entire new batch from her. She''s gonna hit big with these because they are delicious," Aiko muttered, returning the hug and grunting at their height disparity that forced her head against his chest.


    "Good to know, she has a whole greenhouse of those things that I had to build alone... oh by the way, I got my emotions back," Rosan said with a pleased smirk.


    Both Akemi and Aiko gasped, heads shooting up at that.


    "R-Really?!" Akemi asked her little brother in disbelief.


    "You got them back?" Aiko repeated, stunned at hearing that. Rosan had been missing his emotions for so long, Aiko realized she didn''t actually know how he acted with emotions.


    In fact, the smiling redhead was such a foreign sight to her because he had been practicing fake smiles with them for... 12 whole years.


    Now there was a real authenticity to his face. Not just that of a drone.


    "Yeah, I''ll tell you all about it over some drinks. I missed you guys alot," the redhead said affectionately, before glancing down at the leader of Fregate. "Aiko¡­ what the hell? You need to learn boundaries, I have a girlfriend, y''know?"


    Aiko felt a tick forming at his sentence, and attempted to bite his side, failing fantastically and glaring even harder.


    "YOU''RE THE ONE FORCEFULLY HUGGING ME!" She snarled.


    Akemi''s eyes turned into stars and she looked at Robin. "Girlfriend?!" She asked excitedly.


    Robin smiled and nodded her head.


    "It''s recent but yes, we''ve begun dating," she confirmed.


    Akemi squealed so loudly, Rosan broke the hug with Aiko and covered his ears with a hiss.


    "You''re so goddamn loud," Aiko complained.


    "KYAAA! HOW CAN I NOT BE?!" Akemi squealed, leaping on Robin without hesitation. "WHY DIDN''T YOU TELL US ON YOUR LITTLE CUBES?! OH! OH! WHEN''S THE MARRIAGE?! AIKO LET''S GO BUY DRESSES!"


    "I''m not buying a dress," Aiko shut down immediately. "But I am glad that you two stopped with all the sexual tension and just decided to make out," she praised.


    "D-Don''t be such a pervert!" Akemi gasped, rosily looking at the tall couple in matching outfits. "So?! How is it?!"


    Rosan blinked at her starry gaze. "It''s fun. Not much has changed really¡­ but all of my hugs, come with a kiss now."


    Akemi''s mouth opened in shock. "Dear Kami," she whispered, shooting Robin a wide eyed look.


    Aiko whistled. "Damn, seriously. I''m jealous of you. This guy is obsessed with hugging so your lips must be tired."


    Robin closed her eyes and exhaled. "Everyone is so shameless. Is it such a novelty that Rosan and I are dating?"


    "Yes."


    Robin sweatdropped.


    "Rosan hasn''t dated or shown interest in anyone for the past 12 years," Aiko stressed.


    "We watched him grow up from that cute and short little boy into this wife stealer hottie!" Akemi chimed.


    "...Wife stealer?" Rosan asked in confusion. "I don''t think I''ve ever stolen anyone''s wife."


    "That you know of," Aiko grunted with an amused smile. "I haven''t dated a dude in forever because ever since you hit puberty, every guy has been demanding I stop interacting with you. They hate seeing you next to me."


    Robin stifled her laugh at the dumbfounded expression on Rosan''s face.


    "I hope you don''t wife steal anymore, Rosan," she said, amusement on her features.


    The redhead''s eyes snapped to her and he raised a brow incredulously. "Why would I do that? You think I stormed and destroyed Enies Lobby just so I could replace you with some civilian?"


    Robin sweatdropped. "I thought you saved me because I was your best friend?"


    Rosan snorted. "Don''t flatter yourself. You''re the only one dumb enough to put up with my nonsense so of course I wouldn''t let you go."


    The Devil Child felt her eyes twitch at that. "Perhaps I made a mistake accepting the offer to go out."


    The redhead sneered. "Shouldn''t have kissed me on the mouth then. You''re in too deep. No such thing as breaking up anymore."


    "Psycho," Aiko though in disbelief.


    Robin scowled right back. "Good to know we''re on the same page. But just because we''re dating, doesn''t mean I won''t teach you a lesson," she told him, taking a step forward.


    "We really are on the same page," Rosan growled, meeting her halfway.


    "You''ve gotta be kidding me," Aiko sighed. "Speaking of which. Enies Lobby. Bounties. Give me the story. You raided it for Robin? What happened?"


    Robin sighed tiredly. "I feel like Rosan''s told this story a million times and I still feel terrible every single time for what I did," she admitted.


    The redhead hugged her close and dragged her to the comfy couch. "Don''t worry, Robin. It''s over now¡­ you can relax," he muttered in reassurance.


    Robin hesitantly nodded and tucked herself into his frame, sighing as he ran a hand against her body soothingly.


    "Robin did something wrong?" Akemi asked in concern.


    "This is gonna be a lot to take in," Aiko muttered, turning around and pulling out a giant bottle of whiskey.


    "Pour me a cup," Rosan requested, running his free hand through his hair.


    "Me too please," Robin joined, closing her eyes in bliss.


    Aiko grunted. "You guys are always drinking my shit. Fine, whatever," she complained, pulling out some cups.


    "Don''t be a pussy, make my cup bigger. Here, give it to me," Rosan demanded.


    The leader of Fregate felt a tick forming. "Shut the hell up and accept the cup!" She barked.


    Rosan grumbled and accepted the glass for him and Robin. Then, he grew his own cup and poured Robin''s portion into it.


    The Devil Child rolled her eyes as Rosan summoned a straw and offered it to her.


    "Sharing drinks? I''m going to throw up," Aiko groused, taking a seat on a single couch and drinking her own glass of whiskey.


    Rosan snorted before putting the straw to his lip. "You''re always so grumpy. You need to get laid, Aiko."


    "I wasn''t done drinking that," Robin complained, moving his head out of the way with her own and capturing the straw again.


    Aiko spluttered at the redhead''s statement and glared harshly at him. "Do not say something like that! Kami, I never expected you to be saying something like I need to get laid and I hate it so much."


    Rosan huffed as Robin continued drinking away. "I won''t stop¡­ it''s even more fun tormenting you now that I have emotions, ya know? But, I''ll take a break for now. I still need to tell you what happened with Enies Lobby."


    Akemi giggled and took a small sip of her beverage.


    "It''s been so long since you visited us for just small talk¡­ it''s a really nice feeling," she said quietly with a fond smile.


    Rosan smiled at the short sister. "I''ve¡­ not been the greatest friend to you guys and I won''t use my old disposition as an excuse. I know I don''t say it much, but I do love you two for everything you did. Aiko could have stopped giving me money years ago and I never would have even batted an eye."


    The two sisters reeled at that, before choking up at the sincere smile on the redhead''s face.


    "You''re a fantastic friend, Rosan. I''ve never once regretted meeting you after I learned more about you," Aiko said sincerely, placing her drink down and moving over to hug the duo.


    Akemi followed suit and fondly hugged the redhead. "You''re the one who helped me recover from such a terrible ordeal¡­ you helped me realize that they can''t hurt me anymore and I''ll forever love you for that," she said quietly.


    "I know I don''t need to give you the money anymore¡­ but I worry for you and having you at least visit every 2 weeks let''s me know you''re fine," the leader of Fregate admitted.


    Rosan sighed in disappointment at himself. "I''m sorry for that. I''ll visit more often, promise. If you ever wanna just talk or something, you can hit me up on the cube I made you guys."


    Robin smiled proudly at Rosan. "I''m so proud of you for making these improvements. I''ll help you every step of the way," she assured.


    Akemi beamed. "Keep a firm hold on him, Robin. You have no idea how many people want to snatch him up," she warned.


    Aiko snorted. "Akemi was one of them. You should''ve seen the heartbreak when she realized how much older she was than him."


    Her younger sister turned bright red in disbelief. "W-What is wrong with you?! It was hero worship! Hero. Worship! You have nothing to worry about, Robin. I won''t be trying for Rosan''s affections at all¡­ BESIDES YOU''RE THE ONE WHO''S OBSESSED WITH ¡ª"


    Whatever Akemi was about to say, was cut off by Aiko herself who hissed violently in her ear.


    Robin blinked, before glancing back at the exasperated Rosan.


    "Obsessed with what?" the redhead mused.


    "You really do like older woman don''t you? Have you ever gotten with anyone younger than you?" Robin asked in amusement.


    "...Robin¡­ please shut the hell up," Rosan replied calmly.


    ...Had he?


    "Nojiko."


    Robin blinked. "Who''s Nojiko?"


    "Nami''s older sister," Rosan replied with a sigh.


    The Devil Child blinked even harder. "Perhaps I should take Akemi''s warnings seriously."


    "You''re hot too, Robin. I''m not letting anyone near you," Rosan grunted.


    Robin smiled and confiscated the straw once more, while snuggling into him.


    "This is disgusting," Aiko complained.


    "It''s so cute!" Akemi gushed. "Let''s talk wedding after this story!"


    "Twisted woman," the gray haired leader sighed.


    "Everyone''s so obsessed with a wedding," Rosan sighed too.


    "Don''t forget the children," Robin joined with yet another sigh.


    Aiko sweatdropped at that.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "So you destroyed Enies Lobby... because they took Robin?"


    Rosan had to say, there was something ego boosting about all the looks of mortification he received, after telling a person he took down a stronghold for one person.


    Robin let out a weary sigh and nodded slowly, before gasping as Akemi wrapped her in a tight hug.


    "Are you okay?" The younger sister asked in visible concern. "I can''t possibly imagine what was going through your head at the time but you must have been suffering the entire time."


    Aiko nodded her head, leaning back and sighing. "I''ll admit, you''re really stupid for doing what you did... but your motives were so selfless and pure... it''s no wonder you got tricked. You''re a good person Robin, I see no sign of a Devil in you at all."


    Robin blinked in shock before a watery smile made its way to her face. "I never thought I''d see the day, where so many people acknowledged me as human."


    Rosan laughed at that and pulled all three in a hug. "You say I''m stubborn and see things bad... but we''ve never seen you as anything but human, Robin," he replied softly.


    She nodded with a proud smile. "I''m glad I''ve finally learned my lesson. I''m fine being a Devil to other people, as long as my loved ones know I''m human."


    "Of course!" Akemi gushed. "You be the biggest demon out there and then come back to your loving family! We''ll always support you both!"


    Robin loved them all. They were such a good support system and she was so glad that she got to meet them.


    She would maintain this. Robin swore she would and for that to happen, she would need to get as strong as possible with Rosan.


    They would protect all of this.


    Rosan smiled fondly at the resolve in her eyes.


    "Why didn''t you guys go to that girl time trip?" Rosan asked suddenly. "Mod-chan would have picked you up easily."


    "Busy," Aiko said immediately, downing the rest of her drink and letting out a sigh. "Akemi and I were off island handling business somewhere else."


    "We''ll come next time! Maro told me you guys had so much fun," Akemi gushed.


    "Such a shame, I wouldn''t have minded coming either," the gray haired leader grunted.


    "I fucking bet," Rosan sneered. "Any chance to stare at my mother huh, filthy pervert."


    Aiko and Mod spluttered at the exact same time, while Akemi began giggling.


    "Rosan! Please don''t be like this!"


    "Out!" Aiko snarled. "I''m tired of you! Leave! I''ve had my fix of Rosan for the week!"


    The redhead snorted mockingly. "Whatever you say. Just know she''s off limits, you womanizer. It''s a wonder you and Demon haven''t done anything yet!"


    "I''m pretty sure they did!" Akemi giggled.


    "GET OUT! ALL OF YOU!" Aiko roared.


    Robin couldn''t help but laugh at that, as Rosan grabbed her and swiftly vanished.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Wanted: "Straw Hat" Monkey D. Luffy ¨C 350,000,000 Beris


    Wanted: "Red Devil" Rosan ¨C 310,000,000 Beris


    350 million... 310 million. That was utterly...


    Makino gazed at the two bounties with a mixture of pride and horror. After all, despite how proud she was of the both of them, the heaviness of their bounties was just...


    They destroyed Enies Lobby? That was just... insanity... what was the story behind that¡ª


    "You''ve been staring at my bounty face for a pretty long time. I know I''m hot but it''s just a picture."


    Makino, who was in the process of closing her restaurant for the day, shrieked as someone spoke behind her.


    The green haired woman jumped in terror and whirled around, wondering how the hell someone managed to get past her locked doors.


    Anything she was about to say, died on her lips and Makino''s mouth opened in shock instead.


    "Makino!" Luffy beamed, no Straw Hat on his head as he waved ecstatically.


    "Sup," Rosan smirked easily at the shellshocked Makino. "I was in the area so I figured I''d drop by. I asked Luffy if he wanted to come and he said yeah."


    "..."


    Rosan tilted his head and pointed at the amused Robin. "This is Robin, she''s my girlfriend and best friend. Robin this is Makino, my civilian friend whos completely normal."


    "..."


    Robin giggled and said nothing, merely stepping to the side at the same time Makino lunged over the counter.


    Luffy laughed and Rosan grunted, as the woman squeezed them both with tears in her eyes.


    "R-Rosan! Luffy!" Makino sobbed. "I missed you both so much! I can''t believe you''re visiting!"


    Luffy laughed and returned the hug.


    "Realize how boring your life is without me spicing it up?" Rosan laughed mockingly, much to Makino''s shock.


    Rosan was... laughing?


    Makino leaned back and gazed at the redhead, eyes bugging in shock at seeing the smug grin on his face and the utterly mesmerizing sight of his glowing eyes.


    This was... Rosan?! Why did he look so different?!


    His face was the same, his body was the same, nothing had physically changed about him besides the fact that he let his red hair down...


    But the smile on his face... the mirth in his eyes... It made him look completely different. Just a shift in expression was enough to turn Rosan into this...


    "Earth to Makino?" Rosan snapped a finger in her face. "Stop staring. I know I''m hot but I''m here to catch up with you."


    Makino blinked in shock and shook her head. "I''m sorry it''s just! I''m so surprised! I wasn''t expecting to see you guys for such a long time and I haven''t spoken to you in forever!"


    The bartender wiped her tears and pulled them both into a deep hug once more.


    "You have no idea how upset I am with you for not giving me any form of contact with you!" Makino said firmly, glaring at the redhead.


    Rosan shrugged. "I thought you would have preferred Maro and Aiko''s number more. Robin made me realize that you appreciated my friendship though."


    Makino scowled at him, before perking up at the mention of Robin''s name and glancing over to her.


    Ohara''s Devil was a beautiful woman and Makino smiled brightly at her.


    "Robin-san! I heard rumors that you and Rosan were dating but to think that''s actually true..."


    Makino held out a hand and Robin easily grasped it.


    "Thank you so much for helping both Rosan and Luffy!" She exclaimed, bowing at the woman.


    "She is far too nice," Robin immediately thought. She felt a little bad that she didn''t have Rosan fly over sooner to set up some type of connections with her.


    "It was nothing, Makino-san. I''m just happy I get to be in a crew with them!" she replied with a small smile.


    Rosan sensed that he was about to be grilled by Robin for being a dick (he might have deserved it) and immediately pulled out a Den Den Mushi for her.


    "Recent sources have informed me that you actually would like to talk to me... and that I may have been a terrible friend so here," he said, before tapping the woman''s head.


    "And I will make you a better form of communication as well."


    Makino jumped at that and gazed at Rosan with wild eyes.


    She had been about to tear into the redhead about how inconsiderate it was of him to assume she wouldn''t want to talk to one of her closest friends, but the voice going off in her head was doing a great job at distracting her.


    Rosan rolled his eyes. He''d make her a cube by using the connection he had to her. He had been connecting to his crew far more frequently so as to better differentiate their separate connections so he would just add one for Makino.


    He was not giving her a Save Point.


    "What... did you just do?" Makino asked in shock, putting a single hand to her head.


    "Used my Devil Fruit to connect to you," Rosan replied easily, mulling over the feeling of his connection with her.


    Alright, he had a decent grasp of it. He could get started.


    "I''m still going to give you an earful, but I''m just happy to see you guys!" Makino said happily.


    Luffy laughed cheerfully. "It''s been so long Makino! How are you?"


    Makino looked at little Luffy, the boy she had practically raised and gained a teary look in her eyes again.


    He really did look the same but just like Rosan, the boy just had something a little different about him.


    He really did grow into his role as captain of the ship.


    "I''m doing great Luffy! I''ve been a little bored since I''ve missed you all but believe it or not, Maro and Angel have been visiting me alot!" She exclaimed happily, unable to resist pulling the rubber boy into a hug.


    She really did miss Luffy a lot. He was practically her son!


    Rosan and Robin gazed at the two for a bit before the redhead nodded to himself.


    "I''m gonna bring Dadan over here," he said suddenly. "I wanna see her too and you two should catch up a bit."


    Makino nodded, just fussing over the easygoing Luffy and the redhead departed the restaurant he gifted her.


    "I feel a little guilty," Rosan admitted to Robin as they moved through the village.


    "Just a little?" Robin prodded in return.


    The redhead frowned. "...I was kind of a terrible person without my emotions, wasn''t I?"


    She turned towards him. "I won''t lie and say your emotional status had everything to do with it because you treated me incredible... so I think that''s just how you are and your lack of emotions enhanced it."


    Rosan frowned at that but Robin pushed on.


    "You''ve been through a lot so you are naturally reserved to opening up to people, especially adults," she mentioned. "That''s not something that has changed even when you lost your emotions. You''ve never quite cared about people outside your circle and you act accordingly."


    Her scout looked contemplative. "I guess there''s always still time to fix my wrongdoings," he admitted.


    That was right. The bottom line was, he just didn''t care about a lot of people and that remained true even with his emotions.


    Without it though, that lack of care extended even to people who cared about him...


    He''d be better. Rosan was an emotionally stunted failure, but he didn''t have to remain an emotionally stunted failure.


    Robin smiled at the redhead.


    She may have set him back with her actions at Water 7, but Rosan was still willing to move forward.


    Incredible. He really was admirable.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Dadan jolted at the loud banging on her door and whirled around at that.


    Was Garp still mad that she let Rosan and Luffy go on their journey?! How the hell was she going to stop them even if she wanted to?!


    As the bandit leader approached the door of her much nicer house (courtesy of Rosan), it was suddenly kicked open and Dadan''s jaw dropped as it broke right off its hinge.


    Her jaw dropped even further at seeing who was on the other side.


    "You took too long to open the door. I got impatient."


    Portgas D. Rosan grinned smugly at her.


    "Hey Dadan, what''s up?" He greeted with a small wave.


    Dadan gazed at the redhead... then gazed at his bounty of 310 million... then gazed back at him.


    "You''re... smiling," she said numbly.


    "...I''m happy to see you," Rosan said truthfully, still maintaining his smile.


    Dadan blinked owlishly at the foreign sight.


    "Who are you?" she finally asked, reaching for her axe as she gauged the unknown entity with narrowed eyes.


    Rosan blinked in confusion as Robin began laughing.


    "Portgas D... Rosan?" He said, not sure what she was looking for. "I''m that same 14 year old that was like seconds away from murdering you and everyone else after badmouthing Ace."


    The redhead moved from his spot and pulled Dadan into a hug. "Now stop being so difficult. I came all the way over here to see you and you''re acting like a stranger," he chastised.


    Dadan''s mouth hung uselessly as one of the boys she raised... acted nothing like how she was used to.


    W-What happened to her little drone Rosan? Had he finally regained his lost emotions?


    "Yes, I gained my emotions back. We''ve been through a lot," Rosan laughed, scratching his head. "Are you really not gonna hug me back? Pretending like you hate this stuff is adorable but c''mon who knows when I''ll visit again ¡ª"


    The redhead let out a tiny oof as Dadan squeezed him with all her might and he began laughing eventually.


    "I missed you little brats!" She exclaimed, tears falling down her face as she crushed the redhead. "How''ve you all been? Why the hell do you and Luffy both have 300 million bounties?! First you beat a Warlord, now you''re destroying Enies Lobby!"


    Rosan was radiating amusement as she talked his ear off. "I''ll tell you and Makino everything. We''re gonna go back down to her and Luffy ¡ª"


    "LUFFY''S HERE TOO?!"


    "Yep."


    It was impossible for Dadan to hide how excited she was at hearing that both Rosan and Luffy were here.


    "By the way, this is my girlfriend, Robin," Rosan introduced, pointing at the utterly amused Robin.


    "You look way too proud everytime you introduce me as that," Robin said fondly, holding out her hand for Dadan to shake.


    Dadan''s jaw dropped at the beauty and she gazed back at Rosan again.


    "Him?" She asked in concern. "You chose to date him, right? He didn''t... you know... do Rosan things?"


    Rosan''s smile vanished and Robin''s got wider.


    "Am I that undesirable? What the fuck is a Rosan thing?" Rosan mused to himself, scratching his head in confusion.


    "You are certainly desirable in terms of appearance, but you''re personality has left people... traumatized."


    "Fuck you, Mod-chan."


    Mod knew better than to tell Rosan to watch his language. "Don''t say such inappropriate things to your mother, young man!"


    Rosan blinked, before cringing back. "What the hell, Mod-chan? You know I didn''t mean it like that!"


    "You''ve been so vulgar lately, I don''t know what you really mean!"


    Robin let them argue and focused on the stunned Dadan. "I did choose to date him, yes. Despite how undesirable I find him, he did save me from Enies Lobby so I decided to try this out."


    Rosan rounded on her incredulously. "Why the hell are you speaking about me like I''ve been chasing you for years? You initiated everything!" He exclaimed in disbelief.


    Why the hell was he getting ganged up on right now by liars?


    Robin shrugged helplessly. "I can''t recall. I''m not the one proud to introduce you everywhere we go."


    The redhead glared at her. "Fine, I''ll stop then!"


    Now it was Robin''s turn to glare. "I didn''t tell you to stop."


    "Oh so you don''t want me to stop huh? Go fucking figure!"


    "Nevermind they belong with each other," Dadan sweatdropped.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Dadan and Makino practically took turns squeezing the life out of Luffy, who just accepted it all with that cheerful grin of his.


    Meanwhile, Rosan explained all that they did so far, while they listened with enraptured gazed.


    "You went to an island in the sky?" Makino said in awe.


    "Yeah! It was really fun!" Luffy laughed.


    "Next time we go, I hope we get to properly enjoy a vacation," Robin sighed.


    Rosan laughed. "It helped me unlock my emotions so it wasn''t all bad. It only took me nearly dying to do it," he said, amused at his life and death battle against Enel.


    "Have you guys run into Ace?" Dadan asked in curiosity.


    Luffy nodded eagerly. "We did! He''s so strong now! He can even beat Rosan in a fight!"


    Makino and Dadan''s eyes widened at that.


    Ace got that strong? He could beat Rosan now?!


    "Yup," Rosan said, looking equal parts proud and annoyed. "A real monster he''s become. He''s the strongest now... and Sabo is the second strongest."


    ...


    ...


    ...


    "WHAT?!" Dadan roared in disbelief. "DID YOU SAY SABO?!"


    Luffy laughed happily. "Yeah! Sabo''s alive! He''s a revolutionary now!"


    Makino''s mouth opened in shock at that, tears coming to her eyes at the thought of the little blonde boy being well.


    Dadan looked stunned as well, mouth opening at the news and she hastily wiped the tears from her eyes. "Does Ace know?" she asked quietly.


    Rosan nodded immediately. "He does, Sabo has amnesia so he doesn''t have memory of us but I can tell he''s getting better."


    The bandit leader sighed and nodded her head. "I''m glad... It makes me glad that you''re all doing okay."


    "Of course we are!" Luffy beamed. "We''re strong!"


    "Let her worry, Luffy," Rosan laughed. "It''s not often we get a Dadan who''s honest with herself. She loves pretending like she''s all tough."


    Dadan spluttered and felt a vein forming on her head. Rosan was always annoying but now it was almost 10 times worse. He almost permanently had a smug grin or smirk on his face and his eyes seemed to be filled with amusement...


    She liked it despite all his annoyances. An expressive Rosan was quite the site.


    "Ace said he misses you by the way. Next time I get my hands on him, I''ll bring him over," Rosan mentioned.


    Almost exactly like he predicted, Dadan burst into tears at that and the redhead cackled.


    "S-STOP MAKING ME CRY YOU ROTTEN BASTARD!" Dadan roared through her tears.


    Makino laughed. "You''re so different now Rosan. It''s a little incredible... you really do have a human aspect about you."


    Rosan looked stunned by that and then he snorted. "Kahaha! I can''t believe people can still call me human. Thanks Makino, that makes me feel a lot more normal," the redhead stated.


    Robin rolled her eyes at his words. "It''s getting late, we should probably head back now."


    Luffy and Rosan nodded, standing up at once and pulling the other two into a hug.


    "It was nice seeing you guys!" The captain of the Straw Hats beamed.


    "I''m so happy to have seen you two again! I thought it''d be years," Makino admitted, unable to contain her tears. "We''re still supporting you on your journey to be Pirate King so don''t ever give up!"


    The green haired woman pulled the surprised Robin into the hug. "Thank you so much for helping Rosan! He''s one of my closest friends and he''s been through a lot... and I know that I don''t know anything about him, but I know you do and you''re helping him so much!"


    Robin smiled softly after a moment, caught off guard by that, before she pulled Makino into a hug. "Thank you Makino. I''ll make sure Rosan calls you more. You''re a good friend to him and you don''t deserve his rudeness."


    She nodded happily. "I''d love to talk to you as well! You seem just as intelligent as Rosan but far less insufferable."


    "Almost true," Robin smiled. "I''m smarter than him."


    "Okay, we''re leaving," Rosan grunted flatly, tugging both Luffy and Robin to his person. "We''ll come visit again when I have that better form of communication ready," he told Makino.


    Makino nodded, visible interest in her eyes. "How much better is it?" she couldn''t help but ask.


    "You''ll be able to immediately communicate with everyone that also has one," Rosan replied with a smug grin. "Aiko, Akemi, Maro, Angel, Demon... Luffy, Ace, Sabo... okay you get the point."


    Her eyes widened and she was unable to hide the excitement. "That sounds incredible! Oh please don''t be slow and make me one!" she practically begged.


    Rosan snorted. "She really is bored. Fine fine. I''ll try and get yours done next."


    The redhead waved. "See ya Makino. Dadan."


    With that, the group vanished.


    Makino watched them go with a fond smile. She missed them already.


    "Dadan, I''m in the mood to celebrate. How about I cook you and your boy a meal?" She said happily.


    Dadan wiped the rest of her tears and nodded. "One of these days you''re gonna have to teach me how to cook! I can''t rely on your cooking forever!"


    Makino laughed. "Since when did you start embracing being a mother so much? You must have really missed them huh?"


    "S-SHUT UP!"


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    As Rosan''s group appeared on their ship he furrowed his brows at the heavy fog seeping into the air and the gigantic ship opposite of the Thousand Sunny.


    "What''s going on here? Are we under attack?" He asked in confusion, noticing that his crew freaking out.


    They were screaming their heads off at the moment and he tilted his head.


    Were they alright?


    What was that ship? What the hell was the singing going on? It didn''t sound half bad.


    "ROSAN! YOU''RE HERE!" Usopp sobbed gratefully. "PLEASE SAVE US! T-THERE''S A GHOST ATTACKING US!"


    Rosan and Robin both blinked.


    "Pardon me?" Robin asked.


    "A ghost?" Rosan asked.


    "A GHOST?!" Luffy shouted excitedly.


    At hearing Luffy''s excitement, the entire crew paused for a moment and let out dread filled groans.


    Rosan scratched his head.


    What the hell was going on?

 Thriller Bark I

    The thick fog of the Florian Triangle was almost daunting in its oppressiveness, seeping into the air and giving off a heavy sensation.


    It was impossible to tell what the time of day was. That was how heavy the fog that clung to the air was.


    Rosan looked at his panicky crew with a perplexed expression. He just got back from visiting Makino and Dadan with Luffy and Robin... and now his crew was doing Straw Hat things... except the main problems of the Straw Hats (him and Luffy) weren''t here to cause it.


    What a thought. Guess Rosan really wasn''t the problem.


    He looked at the giant and beaten down ship looming over their own.


    It was gigantic and in complete tatters, looking only a little better than Don Krieg''s after the attack by Mihawk. The sails had a Jolly Roger on it too.


    Certainly fit the ghost ship motif. Had the appearance down to a tee.


    But still...


    "You''re saying there''s a ghost on that ship?" He asked his crew incredulously.


    "Y-Yes!" Usopp stammered. "We saw it! A moving skeleton!"


    Rosan continued to look at him with that perplexed expression, just not able to believe anything coming out of his Sniper''s mouth.


    "W-Why do you not believe me?!" The sniper whispered in disbelief.


    He was telling the truth here! Why was Rosan looking at him like this?!


    "I dunno," he shrugged. "I can tell you''re not lying¡­ but that might also be your stupidity giving you a false truth."


    That was the best way to trick him. If you told a false truth that you actually believed, Rosan wouldn''t be able to detect it as a lie.


    Hm... that meant at the very least, Usopp did see something and even the rest of the crew looked shocked so maybe there was someone up there.


    "Well, whatever¡­ I''ll go check it out," Rosan muttered, summoning his draconic wings.


    Before she could even begin complaining, he wrapped an arm around Robin, to which she smiled in a pleased manner.


    ...Before he could even begin complaining, he also wrapped an arm around Luffy, to which he let out a beaming grin.


    Brats. Both of them. How were the oldest and youngest in their family this spoiled?


    "If we get eaten alive, feel free to set sail," Rosan offered them as he began to float upwards.


    "I would at least like it if they recovered our bodies¡­ but I understand if we''re eaten alive," Robin replied.


    "D-DON''T SAY SUCH SCARY THINGS!" Nami, Chopper and Usopp screeched in terror.


    As Rosan ascended to the top of the giant ship, a figure peeked their head from over the railing and he paused.


    "Oh, it appears they weren''t lying," Mod mused, eyes lit in amusement as she gazed at the figure.


    "Would you look at that," he said idly, continuing his flight. "It really is a skeleton."


    "How surreal," Robin mused.


    "Wow! Look at it!" Luffy awed, eyes glittering.


    Rosan tilted his head. "Hey, are you an enemy? If you are, I''m going to burn you alive before you can pull any tricks," he said bluntly to the skeleton.


    Despite how lax he was about the whole thing, Rosan was very willing to wrap up their problems through violent means but their guest seemed content to just observe, continuing to hum in a rather pleasant tone.


    Maybe it really was a ghost.


    The living skeleton shivered at that. "Such a cruel thing to say! You''re making my skin crawl¡­ but I''m a skeleton so I don''t have any skin! Yohohoho!"


    "Never mind, he''s a dumbass," Rosan sighed, landing on the ghost ship without any further prompting.


    Now that they were on the ship, they could all get a good glimpse of the skeleton and what they saw, was quite surprising.


    The skeleton was extremely tall, towering over both Robin and Rosan by nearly 3 feet, with a gentleman''s attire consisting of a coat, top hat, trousers.


    The most fascinating thing about it though, was the fact that there was an afro of all things on the top of its head.


    "Please excuse me for not greeting you earlier. I was surprised to actually see people after so many decades. I am Brook," the skeleton, now dubbed Brook, greeted.


    His attire wasn''t for show, the skeleton was quite the gentleman by the looks of it, so Rosan ceased the idea of breaking it in half.


    "Look, he can talk guys!" Luffy exclaimed with wide eyes. "Hey, do you still poo?"


    "What type of question is that? Why would you ask that first?" Mod asked in concern.


    "Yes, I do in fact still poo," Brook confirmed.


    Mod sweatdropped deeply.


    Sometimes she had to wonder how she, the Devil Fruit, ended up being the most normal in her family.


    Ram snorted. Auntie? The most normal? Yeah right. The most normal in the family was Uncle Demon.


    "You''ve eaten a Devil Fruit, correct? That''s the only explanation I have for why you''re a skeleton." Robin asked curiously.


    Brook turned towards her and his jaw dropped slightly. "Oh my! What a pretty young lady you are! May I take a look at your panties?"


    "...I''m sorry?" Robin asked in confusion.


    Take a look at her... what now? Panties?


    If she heard him correctly, that was a very unwise thing for him to say.


    Before Brook could open his mouth. A sharp tail smashed into him from above and effortlessly floored him, large enough to cover his tall body.


    Rosan''s slit eyes stared Brook down with a warning glare. "Back off or I''ll kill you again, skeleton. I''m the only man alive allowed to see her panties. Any other offenders will suffer greatly before I kill them."


    Robin sweatdropped deeply. "Rosan¡­ you say the most unhinged statements on the planet."


    Could he not say that outloud? Robin was sure she didn''t have much shame, but compared to Rosan she must have an oceans worth.


    The redhead snorted at the same time Luffy laughed.


    "Yo ho ho ho! Such fierceness! You are quite the feisty lad!" Brook laughed along with them, completely unbothered by the fact that Rosan just smushed him.


    "Isn''t he even a little bothered that Rosan nearly killed him?!" Mod asked incredulously.


    Seriously, just what was wrong with all the people they met?


    "Hey I like you!" Luffy announced. "Wanna join my crew?"


    Both Robin and Rosan blinked at the rather abrupt question.


    Right... Rosan was suddenly reminded of that man... Gaimon. Despite being utterly useless in all aspects, still somehow got an invite into their crew from Luffy.


    If Luffy thought you were even a little interesting, he''d ask you to join the crew... and they were currently speaking to a skeleton that was a gentleman.


    What a thought. Rosan was finding all of this very funny.


    "Luffy maybe you should think about this more?" Robin suggested.


    "I''d love to," Brook replied easily.


    Rosan blinked even harder at that, before his eyes narrowed.


    "What the hell? Someone actually agreed to join you with no hassle? There has to be a catch. I don''t believe this is as easy as he''s making it out to be," he muttered.


    Things were never simple with Luffy. His little brother was a magnet for chaos and always attracted trouble no matter where he went.


    "That is literally you, Rosan," Robin pointed out with an incredulous sigh.


    How did her boyfriend genuinely not think he was a magnet for trouble?


    Did he not realize that he and Luffy were both chaos incarnate? They were cut from the same cloth! Why did he not think he was as bad?


    How could he be so justifiably confident... and delusional at the same time?!


    "Yo ho ho ho! Well about that¡­" Brook trailed off.


    ...


    "I wonder why you always open your mouth. I think my life would be so much more peaceful if you just shut up," Mod sighed.


    "What''s the big idea! When father does this it''s awesome! It makes everything more fun!" Ram beamed.


    "It is genuinely insane how often you tempt fate," Robin mused.


    Rosan shrugged helplessly.


    His presence didn''t suddenly give this skeleton problems. He had been here for decades.


    How the hell did Rosan saying something suddenly conjure a skeleton''s problems?


    Ridiculous. All of them. They needed to grow up.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    The news that Brook would be joining their crew, was taken fairly well by his crew.


    And by that, he meant it wasn''t taken well for even a little.


    Somehow, Rosan was the one in trouble for all of this. What the hell did he even do? It''s not like he was even the most sensible person that was up there!


    Robin and Mod-chan were way more sensible than he was but he was expected to handle this?


    He''d almost be offended that they expected so much out of him!


    "WHY DIDN''T YOU STOP HIM ROSAN?!" Nami screeched, after flooring the skeleton for asking to see her panties.


    What type of sick joke was this? Why was Nami being asked to expose her panties for a goddamn skeleton? Was she dreaming?


    Yeah that was it, she had to have been dreaming! There''s no way a skeleton who wanted to see her panties was about to join the crew!


    "Huh? I hit him in the head with a tail after asking Robin to see her panties. Those are only one person''s privilege and it is a privilege I refuse to share," Rosan retorted calmly.


    "Would you please stop saying that, Rosan? Announcing it to the whole world is embarrassing," Robin chastised, resisting the urge to hold her head.


    "If I don''t announce it, others will think they have a chance, like Brook right here. It only makes sense that they are aware who you belong to."


    Robin let out a tired sigh. Even after dating, Rosan was still not appeased. He was insatiable and his greed knew no bounds.


    "I''M NOT TALKING ABOUT THE PERVERTED SKELETON AND HIS LOVE OF PANTIES, JACKASS! I''M TALKING ABOUT LUFFY! WHY DIDN''T YOU STOP LUFFY?!" Nami roared. At this point she was going to punch Rosan for the hell of it because this had to be willful ignorance on his part!


    Rosan shrugged and dragged the resigned Robin over to his side. "I already told the skeleton to back off of Robin and he understood. My problems with him have become nonexistent so long as he gets it."


    "I''m a gentleman after all," Brook bowed sincerely. "I would never intrude on a friend''s relationship. He merely corrected my ignorance and I''m acting accordingly with the new information."


    The redhead pointed at him. "See? He''s cool and accepting... unlike some people," he chided, glancing pointedly at his crew.


    "F-FRIEND?! SINCE WHEN ARE YOU TWO FRIENDS?!" Usopp shrieked. Next to Nami and Chopper, he had been reacting the worst to this news and had been rapidly shifting from horror at the skeleton, to disbelief at the words coming out of Rosan''s mouth.


    Rosan sighed like they were all stupid. "Since he joined the crew. We can''t treat our crew mate like an enemy. Not cool."


    "WHY ARE YOU NOT SEEING THE PROBLEM?! ARE YOU DOING THIS ON PURPOSE?!" Sanji roared.


    This was a level of ignorance that had to have been intentional. Everything that came out of Rosan''s mouth, managed to avoid the very very obvious main problem of why having a skeleton on the ship was a questionable idea.


    "Of all the things to get you guys worried¡­ a living skeleton is the problem? I can transform into a dragon you know. I''m way scarier than he is," Rosan shrugged.


    Brook perked up at that. "You can transform into a Dragon? Is that your Devil Fruit?"


    Rosan glanced over at him. "Part of it. I don''t mind telling you about it, but I''d prefer if you actually joined the crew first," he mentioned.


    The Straw Hats eyes widened at that.


    Rosan was willing to disclose Modification with Brook already? Was that all?


    Huh... he really was changing before their very eyes. They had thought it was a trick of the mind, how open Rosan suddenly was with them but maybe he really was beginning to accept his role in the crew...


    "That''s very fair. As a show of my trust in you all, I ate the Yomi Yomi no Mi," Brook informed them.


    Rosan perked a brow at that.


    A revive fruit¡­ what an interesting Devil Fruit... one that allowed you to cheat death once.


    If only...


    While explaining his Devil Fruit, Brook had begun to tell the Straw Hats about himself and it allowed Rosan to...


    Brook had been here for years. His soul had taken so long to find his body, that he had already been a skeleton¡­


    Not only that, he couldn''t actually join their crew either because somehow, his shadow got stolen. If he went into the sun, he''d be incinerated.


    That got all of Rosan''s interest.


    "You got your shadow stolen? Was it the Kage Kage no Mi? Did you encounter Gecko Moria?" He asked curiously.


    Brook looked rather surprised that Rosan was able to glean that from one simple statement.


    The redhead was a lot smarter than he let on...


    "Well seeing as you got it right, yes¡­ I have gotten into a bit of an altercation with Gecko Moria¡­"


    Rosan pursed his lips. "And you think you can take him and his crew on alone? Are you stupid? What can you possibly achieve alone?" He asked curiously.


    Brook said nothing... glancing away from the piercing eyes of Rosan. It was hard to tell what he was thinking from his bony exterior but the scout just continued gazing at him.


    "Who''s Gecko Moria?" Sanji asked curiously.


    "One of the Seven Warlords of the Sea," Robin replied. "He used to be a notable pirate¡­ but he''s been quiet in the former years."


    "He''s been lazing about in the Florian Triangle?" Rosan pondered. "Another washed up pirate with no motivation," the redhead sighed.


    Just like Crocodile... finding some location and getting lazy while the people around you grew stronger.


    If he were anything like Rosan''s subordinate, then Moria was probably planning some bullshit to get back into the scene and take over the world or something.


    "Shishishi alright, we''ll kick his ass and get your shadow back!" Luffy decided. "What can you do?"


    Nami let out a groan and held her head. She knew how this was about to turn out but still, best to try and at least talk sense into their captain before he readily made this decision without thinking.


    "Getting in another fight with a Warlord isn''t a great idea. We''ve been getting into quite a bit of high stakes altercations Luffy so maybe we can relax?" she tried to dissuade their captain.


    "Y-Yeah, haven''t we had enough¡­? We ran into so much of them¡­" Usopp whimpered.


    Couldn''t they catch a break? First they fought Crocodile, then they fought Enel, then they fought an Admiral along with the World Government...


    Seriously?! What was their luck right now... how was it that they didn''t get to have a single normal journey yet since entering the Grand Line?! Wasn''t this too unlucky?


    "Oh how could I forget to mention... I''m a musician," Brook replied.


    A wave of horror coursed through just about every Straw Hat at that.


    "NOOOOOO!" Most Straw Hats thought in despair


    Luffy''s eyes turned into giant stars.


    "A MUSICIAN REALLY?!"


    Brook nodded. "That''s right. I''m a musician that was apart of the Rumbar Pirates."


    Rosan snorted at the sheer joy in Luffy''s eyes. His little brother looked like Christmas came early.


    Rumbar Pirates? Rosan never heard of them before.


    "You have to join our crew now! We need a musician!" Luffy demanded. "Let us help you!"


    "No."


    The Straw Hats blinked owlishly at the abrupt and to the point answer from Brook.


    "Yo ho ho ho! I do appreciate the hospitality, but I cannot put my friends, who I''ve just met, in danger. This is something I must deal with alone so you must all focus on exiting the Florian Triangle before encountering Gecko Moria," Brook explained.


    "It may be a bit too late for that," Robin retorted, glancing in a direction with a slight amount of concentration.


    Brook blinked owlishly. "Why is that?"


    "Because I''m very sure they''re outside currently."


    Everyone blinked in confusion, before a ghost stuck its head through the walls of their ship.


    Wait.


    What?


    Realization hit them all at the same time.


    "KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Usopp screeched in horror. The sniper fell back, turning ashen as he gazed at the ghosts with bugged eyes.


    "G-G-GHOST?! I THOUGHT THEY WEREN''T REAL?!" Chopper squealed, jumping behind Robin in hopes that she would protect him.


    Robin smiled in amusement and pat the reindeer on his head, utterly unphased by the sight of the ghost.


    She just gazed at her best friend, noting that he was gazing at the ghost, calculations no doubt running through his mind.


    "Huh, they''re actually real? Is there a Devil Fruit that can summon ghosts?" Rosan mused in interest.


    That was... interesting. Was this ghost scouting currently?


    Maybe someone here really was interesting... Here''s to hoping they weren''t washed up.


    The redhead paused in his musings, as the Thousand Sunny began rumbling ominously and they all jolted, heading out of the ship with urgency to see what happened.


    The sight before them stunned them greatly.


    Despite not having moved their ship since encountering Brook¡­ an island of all things, was currently looming over them on the outside.


    It was surrounded by a huge outer wall that went around the landform, with a gate resembling a giant mouth...


    Quite the strange island... Rosan''s eyes narrowed slightly at the odd turn of events.


    "An island? But we haven''t moved from our spot," Franky asked in confusion.


    "Yes that''s right¡­ the island came to us," Brook informed them with a worried expression. "Tell me, did you all happen to encounter a barrel floating in the sea?"


    Judging by the sheepish guilt on their crews face... they had done just that.


    "I told you guys it was fishy but nooo we still opened it! What type of reasoning is "Rosan and Luffy aren''t here, it can''t be that bad!" Are you guys dumb?!" Nami barked in fury.


    Rosan raised a brow at hearing what had transpired while he was gone.


    "You guys saw a random barrel floating in the sea and opened it?" He asked, sounding perplexed. "What goes through you guys head sometimes? How do you guys say I''m the most chaotic in the crew and then do this?"


    Apparently, his crew had encountered a barrel in the sea and actually had the foresight and infinite wisdom¡­ to open it of all things.


    "We thought it would have sake in it!" Usopp said sheepishly.


    "It seemed like a super idea," Franky shrugged helplessly.


    Rosan snorted in visible amusement.


    Idiots, all of them. They didn''t deserve to protest his decisions, they were just as bad!


    Turns out, it was a trap (oh, how shocking) that just alerted this island that there were new victims to capture (what a stupid fucking trap that only worked on stupid people).


    Oh and the island? It was a ship too. It was an island and a ship.


    ...Just another day with the Straw Hats.


    Rosan sighed in amusement.


    Looks like this was going to be quite the fun trip.


    "Thank you again for your hospitality, friends! I do hope we meet again and I''ll have my shadow this time!" Brook waved farewell at them.


    Without waiting for a response, the musician jumped right off the ship and began running on water of all things.


    What a fascinating way to counter the Devil Fruit weakness. Being so light that the water didn''t register your weight...


    "You''re thinking of something, aren''t you?" Robin asked with an interested look in her eyes.


    Rosan nodded. "I have flight to counteract my weakness... but maybe I can find a way to safely modify how much I weigh to run on water."


    Modifying how much he weighed... Rosan couldn''t change his mass without it being completely detrimental to how he operated. It would throw him out of balance, change how he moved, etc...


    But perhaps he could modify his weight. After all, weight was just how affected by gravity you were...


    Could Rosan modify how gravity affected his body? After all... Modification inherently changed the space around him but he needed to have a grasp on it...


    Beyond the Pocket Dimension, Rosan was completely unable to actually manipulate the area around him. It was too difficult to grasp and if he couldn''t touch it, he couldn''t modify it...


    So he just needed to touch it... how would he be able to touch his surroundings?


    Mod listened to his musings with wide interested eyes. After all, Rosan was the one showing her such new ways to use Modification.


    He was the one that made her realize that at the end of the day, all Modifications modified the space around them and now he wanted to not modify the space around them... he wanted to modify the space itself...


    Such a thing was insanity but if he managed to do that, Rosan would be almost invincible. The ability to manipulate space...


    Was that what Vegapunk intended on doing with her Devil Fruit? Did he glean the core mechanic behind Modification even faster than Rosan had? He was a genius after all so one look at how her fruit operated, should surely give him plenty of ideas...


    Robin adored looking into Rosan''s mind. 20 years of friendship and she was still caught off guard by some of the things he thought of.


    Just look! All Brook had done was run on water and it had Rosan''s mind running like this! He took that simple act and expanded it into a theory about manipulating the very space around him.


    He had a creativity to his genius that amazed her because Robin didn''t believe she were even half as creative. Her genius was far more rigid and practical compared to his flexible and imaginative mind.


    That''s why they worked so well together. They were both geniuses that helped each other see the other side of the spectrum.


    "So I guess we''re going right?" Rosan asked his crew, mind still running a mile a minute on his new interests.


    "Yup!" Luffy beamed without hesitation.


    Everyone else sighed, expecting that response out of him.


    Well, they may as well not argue and just stay on their guard.


    The scout nodded and summoned 3 birds. "Fly around and give me a general idea¡­ if you can, look for Gecko Moria. I want to see what his deal is."


    They chirped in acknowledgment and took off.


    "Let''s go change, Robin," Rosan muttered, walking off to their room.


    "I''d like to bathe as well," she mentioned as she quickly fell in line with him.


    "Sanji, prepare food!" Luffy shouted happily.


    Nami watched the three in horror. "H-How are you guys not even a little concerned?! WE JUST SAW A GHOST!"


    "BE MORE AFRAID!" Usopp sobbed at them.


    Rosan glanced back with a lazy smirk. "What''s there to be afraid of? I''m not afraid of something that''s very quickly going to learn to fear me," he retorted.


    "I love a good thrill and my books haven''t been very exciting lately, maybe this will be more entertaining," Robin replied with a smile.


    "Why''re they so cool?!" Usopp thought with tears falling down his face.


    They really weren''t even a little phased at the thought of ghosts! What was wrong with the two most morbid members of their crew?!


    Oh that''s right... they were morbid and macabre... damn it all.


    "Be prepared for anything," the redhead instructed. "If you want to go ahead, feel free. We''ll probably split up regardless."


    The duo quickly vanished and the Straw Hats sighed in misery.


    "Hey, cheer up!" Franky grinned, flashing the cowardly trio a thumbs up. "This is the perfect time for me to show you all my soldier docking system!"


    He mostly worked on that before Red, so there weren''t much changes there but working with Red had given Franky a helluva lot more ideas for inventions!


    Red made good on his words... if Franky continued at this rate with his help, they''d be making super inventions!


    Nami sighed in misery. "Yeah, whatever. Let''s just get this over with. I''m already ready for a fight and chaos so whatever."


    Hopefully, it wouldn''t be as disastrous as every other island they landed on.


    Who was she kidding?


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "What are you thinking of doing?" Robin asked curiously, as Rosan lathered her hair expertly.


    It always felt so nice being tended to. Rosan was a fantastic servant!


    "Not sure," Rosan admitted. "I''ve been a bit too greedy lately, so I''m thinking of taking it easy. Whoever controls that ghost, is the only one on my radar for now."


    The Devil Child hummed a bit in surprise. She wasn''t expecting him to show such little interest. Rosan liked interesting Devil Fruits that he could exploit.


    "And Moria?"


    The redhead pursed his lips, wiping some water from his eyes with a gentle breeze.


    "I''m somewhat interested in him too but if he''s really been lazing about here, I don''t see the point in recruiting him. He''s not young and he''s probably past the prime of his life. Besides his Devil Fruit, I don''t have much interest in him."


    Robin nodded, sighing as that breeze brushed against her and began steadily drying whatever wasn''t submerged.


    "It seems like they''ve already begun. Nami, Chopper and Usopp headed out earlier and haven''t come back. Everyone else left too," Rosan muttered.


    "We should head out as well then," she said, standing up to go grab at her towel.


    Robin was getting much better at using her observation on instinct, but when she was fully relaxed, it slipped her mind.


    That was the only reason someone managed to sneak up on her.


    Robin let out a noise of surprise, as she was abruptly grabbed and pinned against the wall. The woman began struggling at the forceful grip and summoned 3 arms to push against whatever was attacking her.


    Rosan''s eyes snapped open at that and he gazed at the struggling Robin.


    What the hell? What was going on?


    The redhead watched, puzzled, as Robin summoned a plethora of arms that began pushing at something.


    "Somethings here," Robin gasped, beginning to push and gain headway.


    Well, that was until that something licked her.


    The Devil Child let out a noise of disgust and Rosan''s confusion was replaced by overprotective fury.


    The scout surged forward, right as the mysterious creature released Robin and he crashed against nothing.


    "Robin, are you alright?" He asked in concern, confusion radiating off of him.


    What happened to her?


    He applied modification to his eyes and began seeking out heat signatures, seeing something slink out of the room of the slightly ajar door.


    Rosan''s gaze darkened and fangs began jutting out of his mouth.


    "Someone was here and they were just holding onto me. They''re fleeing right now," Robin said, disgust roiling off her. "They¡­ licked me."


    Rosan''s expression transformed into something terrifying.


    "They¡­ licked you?" He repeated slowly, anger mounting very very swiftly.


    They licked her? Licked Robin? Right in front of him?


    They did what to her?!


    "Who would dare?" Mod snarled, fury painted on her features as a strong rage began building inside of her.


    "WHO THE FUCK DO THEY THINK THEY ARE?! I''LL RIP OUT THEIR FUCKING SPINE!" Ram howled in rage.


    The three were fully incensed, eyes boiling with a newfound fury that promised someone was going to pay for even looking at her in the wrong way.


    Robin allowed Rosan to hold her and the redhead looked at the slight saliva on the side of her cheek with a thunderous expression.


    Oh dear.


    "Rosan, be calm," Robin tried, a little unsuccessfully as she saw the redhead''s eyes swiftly turn black.


    Drawing on the virus already? Robin was flattered that he was so upset on her behalf, but the last thing Robin wanted was for him to draw on Pestilence''s abilities.


    She wouldn''t let him draw on Pestilence''s powers on her behalf again. She had learned her lesson.


    "I''m fine Rosan... it''s just me right now. We''ll get back at them but for now, just be calm. Please?" Robin asked soothingly.


    Those cruel eyes gazed at her and Robin was reminded that while Rosan was no longer emotionless, that didn''t change the fact that he was violent and merciless. He was still very much the same monster he saw himself as, but now he enjoyed what he did.


    Finally, they softened into concern for her wellbeing and he nodded his head.


    "C''mon, I''ll clean you again. I''ll clean you again," Rosan repeated, trying his best to stifle his anger and failing miserably.


    "Deep clean please¡­ I can''t believe someone would lick me," she replied, shuddering at the disgusting act.


    That disgust only served to make Rosan even more furious and she watched smoke begin pouring out his mouth.


    At least it wasn''t his lightning... though that might have been a conscious on his part. Probably didn''t want to zap her.


    Rosan was this close to razing the entire island to the ground because the sheer audacity displayed by whoever just showed up¡­


    Slaughter was too nice of a word for what Rosan was going to do to this person. He was going to rip them to shreds, he was going to mutilate their body until there was nothing left and he was going to make them regret even thinking of Robin''s words.


    Furious wasn''t enough to explain how he was feeling right now and only the painstaking training he had been doing with Robin, and the desire to clean her immediately, was helping him not completely explode.


    To intrude on their bath, grasp his naked girlfriend¡­ and then lick her? Not to mention he did all this while she was naked.


    "Now I''m really fucking annoyed," Rosan snarled, gently placing Robin in the bath.


    Annoyed... right. She was sure that''s what he was.


    Robin sighed as he began scrubbing her down with a bit of force and she gently put a hand to his arm.


    The redhead blinked before shooting her an apologetic stare and applying far less force.


    She let out a small sigh of relief as he wiped her free, even using his flames to heat up the water to a divine level.


    "So I suppose there''s been a change of plans?" Robin mused, never once turning her Observation off as she soaked the feeling.


    She felt the third signature on the ship quickly fleeing and frowned in displeasure.


    How unfortunate for that person. Rosan would not rest until he got his hands on them so they were as good as dead.


    "Yeah. I was going to take it easy, but it looks like peace is no longer an option. Someone will answer to this and if it''s all of them, then so be it," Rosan scowled.


    "The person who did this probably has the Suke Suke no Mi. That''s a good Devil Fruit to experiment Extract Files on, before you brutally torture him," Mod hummed with a cruel gleam in her eyes.


    "To even attempt to sexually assault Mother¡­ Let''s give them hell," Ram snarled.


    "Of all the things, he licked me?" Robin said, recoiling at just the memory and making Rosan''s anger spike again.


    "Let''s go have a chat with Gecko Moria," Rosan said, eyes glowing in fury.


    Someone would be answering to this and if Gecko Moria refused to give him the answer he was looking for, then Rosan would take the answers he wanted.


    Whether that be from the assailant or Moria himself. Someone would pay.


    The Devil Child sighed as his anger continued spiking.


    Getting Rosan''s emotions under control was a herculean task and Robin hadn''t been having a very easy time with it.


    To be honest, he was a mess. Every emotion he felt, was heightened far past what should be normal. The only reason it wasn''t so utterly disastrous, was because of her and Mod.


    They tried their best to regulate him and it was working out somewhat well, so long as it wasn''t anger he was feeling...


    And sadness. Rosan seemed to be having nightmares again since he regained his emotions and they left him a mess those nights.


    When that happened, they would just hold the panicking redhead and assure him things were alright.


    Nights like that were eerily reminiscent to their days as children... Robin herself had a bit of a resurgence of nightmares too after the events of Water 7 and Enies Lobby and Rosan was right there for her.


    The two would just hold each other as they let their emotions from the nightmare settle. Sometimes Ram would notice and join them in the real world, other times they''d retreat to the mindscape and cuddle with Mod-chan.


    They were offering each other as much support as possible and it was working out especially well for the, so emotional, Rosan who desperately needed it.


    It was like he had done a complete 180. Gone was the emotionless and detached redhead, place taken by someone that was overflowing with emotion and desired almost constant contact with the people he loved.


    He had turned back into the extrovert Robin knew he was and she was thankful for that because now she could go back to being a tried and true introvert while he took the reigns.


    It was hard, but Robin loved every moment of it. She loved watching his expressions shift so drastically, loved how he was able to joke and laugh so easily, loved the brightness of his eyes.


    Robin would love Rosan no matter what, but it had felt like she had been breathing with minimal air and only now, was she allowed to breathe freely with something fresh.


    It may have been difficult trying to get them under control, but Robin enjoyed every second of it because she saw the joy in everyone''s eyes and knew her own was reflecting it.


    On occasion, she would see Mod-chan staring at Rosan''s face in wonder, and the purple haired woman would begin tearing up with a joyful smile.


    It was things like that, that made Robin so happy that she was still with her family.


    "Rosan, I''m clean again," she said with a fond smile. "Don''t you think we should be going now?"


    The redhead grunted, scowl not once leaving his face as he gripped her chin and scrubbed her cheek. "In a minute. I need to deep cleanse you."


    Robin sighed in amusement, disgust washed away from the same redhead who was washing her face.


    "With how strongly you''re reacting, I fear that you won''t be able to practice extracting his Devil Fruit," she pointed out.


    "I might not. I can barely suppress my murderous tendencies right now. I might let another of the crew beat him into submission because if I get my hands on whoever did this to you, they won''t be recognizable," he admitted.


    Robin was about to speak up, but she noticed a ghost peering at them through a wall.


    Rosan saw where her gaze was headed and let loose a violent snarl.


    To Robin''s slight surprise, the ghost actually squeaked and ran out of the room.


    Wow, he hadn''t been kidding...


    "Talk about bad first impressions¡­ two people spying on you both bathing? Has no one ever taught them manners?"


    "A crew full of perverts¡­ we''ll have to teach them a thorough lesson, Father."


    Robin felt bad for this crew. Rosan was the last person you wanted to give a bad first impression of.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Nami, Chopper and Usopp were having an absolutely terrible time.


    They had been trying one of Franky''s inventions in the soldier system, the Mini-Merry and had been overjoyed to ride their first ship again.


    But in their excitement, they didn''t realize that they were now the first ones to enter the horror island that they desperately did not want to enter.


    Things did not get better. No in fact, it seemed to get actively worse.


    While fearfully walking through Thriller Bark, they had encountered a three headed dog that they quickly realized was Cerberus.


    At that point, Nami had made it her mission to become an arsonist because she had begun flinging around enough fire to make Rosan proud.


    Needless to say, her terrified escapades had managed to arouse actual breathing zombies.


    By this point, Nami was already too far gone in her terror and was indiscriminately attacking whatever was in sight.


    The rather comical acting corpses had lunged at her, Chopper and Usopp with speed that belied their... undead status.


    Things did not get better. With great power comes great responsibility and Nami was showing exactly why that quote existed.


    Clima was throwing out every element Nami had in store to a very effective degree and it was showing that her claims were true, she really was becoming one of the most destructive Straw Hats...


    The orange haired navigator was living up to her namesake as sorceress due to the utter mayhem she had caused and with how widespread her attacks were... it seemed like only Rosan was able to cover more ground!


    "GET AWAY FROM ME! GET AWAY! GET! AWAY!" Nami shrieked, summoning a massive gust of wind that pushed back the zombies that were already running away from her.


    "W-WHAT''S WRONG WITH THIS CHICK?!" One of the zombies shouted in horror, trying to get away from the girl who thought they were still trying to attack her.


    "I DON''T KNOW BUT SHE''S MAD! GET AWAY FROM HER!" another shouted in terror.


    "Maybe we should tell her that they don''t want her anymore," Chopper mentioned with a sweatdrop, looking at the untold mayhem Nami had caused in her horror.


    Chopper had heard that Nami could summon a hurricane now... but you really had to see her abilities in person to believe a claim like that.


    He fully believed it now. He had no clue when Nami got this scary but she was throwing out enough things for him to momentarily forget his fear of zombies.


    Usopp steadily dragged her away, even whilst she continued throwing out elements, and said, "No no¡­ this is perfectly fine."


    Absalom, still invisible, looked at the other beautiful woman with a slight amount of dread.


    He had thought this one was weaker then the other girl he had licked¡­ but perhaps he should switch targets once more¡­


    "HELP ME BIG BRO! PLEASE!" Nami wailed, hoping Rosan would show up eventually to save her.


    "WE''RE THE ONES WHO NEED IT!" The zombies screeched.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    After finally settling down in an area void of zombies (not that they were being followed anymore by them), the cowardly trio were tentatively approached by a man by the name of Hildon.


    The strange man had fearfully requested they stop destroying the forest, much to Nami''s embarrassment and as a show of hospitality, he was currently escorting them to the mansion to meet Dr. Hogback.


    Nami had been about to refuse the offer because she didn''t trust a damn soul on this island, but Chopper had been so excited once he heard the famous doctors name, that he had practically bulldozed all their attempts to leave.


    She blamed Maro and Rosan for steadily helping Chopper with his confidence because she knew they shouldn''t have come here.


    They had met the Doctor named Hogback and his assistant, Cindy who seemed to hate plates and... Usopp too.


    This meeting went normal enough¡­ they had introduced each other, Chopper had fanboyed, they were away from the zombies and they learned a bit more about the place they were in.


    But after their conversation with Hogback, was when everything went wrong.


    Nami had deigned to take a shower because despite her distrust, she was still filthy and a little spent from the events that had transpired so she just wanted to relax.


    She was also very sure that the doctor was an enemy as well. He was just far too shady and if she were as trigger happy as Rosan was (and less filthy), this whole place would have been burned down¡­


    But for now, she''d play up the trust card and remain ignorant, until an opportunity arose.


    Well, that was the plan, up until she was grabbed mid shower and forced against the wall of the bathroom.


    "!?" Nami attempted to scream in shock, only to find a large palm covering her mouth.


    She heard a low growling noise, before a figure leaned in close to her and said, "Turns out you are weaker than the pretty girl on the ship."


    The navigator struggled in his grip and went pale as she felt a hot breath brush against her.


    She reached out desperately for the Clima resting on the wall next to her and managed to touch it with just her finger.


    "C-Clima, help me!" she requested.


    "! Master Nami?!" Her weapon called in surprise. "Someone would dare touch you during bath time?!"


    Without any hesitation at all, the staff summoned a giant gale that caught the surprised perpetrator off guard.


    Nami gasped and let out a shrill scream, as soon as the man''s arm was released from her mouth, that alerted Chopper and Usopp outside.


    She grabbed Clima and summoned those red sparks, before slamming it on the ground with a murderous gaze, right as the iron clouds elevated her off of it.


    "Slimy. Disgusting. Pervert!" Nami snarled, as the entire bath lit up red with her electricity.


    A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    Absalom seized up as the electricity coursed through his veins, amplified by the water and steam in the room. The man grit his teeth in surprise and let out a roar of pain.


    What in the world?! His skin was incredibly tough but this lightning was able to pierce it?


    Who the hell was this woman?! You were telling him she was one of the weaker ones?!


    Not good, if he stayed here, he''d be in a lot of trouble...


    Thinking quickly, the man launched himself towards the window and broke it open with the force of his leap, landing on the floor.


    "Nami, are you alright in there?!" Usopp shouted in concern.


    "No! We need to get out of here. There was an invisible guy peeping on me!" Nami barked, rushing to throw on some clothes.


    "WHAT?!" Chopper shrieked. "What should we do?!"


    "Leave! We need to find the crew!" She ordered, bursting out of the bathroom.


    "You mentioned an invisible guy?" Usopp asked in concern.


    Nami nodded with a disgusted frown. "He grabbed me and forced me against the wall¡­ but I don''t think we have to worry about him for long."


    Usopp and Chopper spluttered.


    "Why do you say that?! He''s an invisible guy! INVISIBLE!" Usopp stressed.


    "Yeah, why don''t we have to worry about him?" Chopper asked in concern.


    Everyone froze as a gigantic red explosion happened outside, shaking the very foundations of the building.


    It was like a miniature earthquake hit and they all grabbed something to steady themselves.


    Nami pointed outside with a grim smile. "Because he mentioned seeing Robin on the ship. If he did anything to her, that he did to me, he''s not going to be alive for very long."


    Usopp and Chopper paled.


    "You mean¡­ the Robin that was bathing with Rosan?" Usopp asked slowly, steadily going more pale.


    "The same Rosan who just destroyed Enies Lobby?" Chopper joined.


    "Yep that one exactly¡­ let''s get out of here because Rosan is about to cause a lot of mayhem," Nami sighed, clutching Clima tightly.


    Another explosion rocked the area and they shuddered.


    Rosan must have been really pissed off.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Absalom balked in fear, as that giant explosion rocked the surrounding area and a dome of red energy showed up for the entirety of Thriller Bark to see.


    W-Was that the Red Devil? Was this how the Straw Hats destroyed Enies Lobby?


    Was he already planning on destroying Thriller Bark?!


    Moria would have his head if he found out Absalom was the reason that the Red Devil was currently on a rampage¡­ but how could he help himself?


    By the time he had gotten on the ship, the entire crew had long departed. He had made sure they couldn''t escape but they didn''t seem keen on getting out anyways¡­


    Then he heard the bath running.


    Natural pervert that he was, his curiosity got the best of him and he went to check it out.


    It was then he saw the voluptuous figure of Nico Robin in the flesh, cleaning herself off with a towel.


    She was even more beautiful than the bounty posters showed. Absalom''s jaw had dropped to the floor laying eyes on her.


    There was no chance he''d be able to resist. He was so unable to resist, that he failed to account for the very dangerous presence of the Red Devil, until a primal urge (probably from all the animal parts stitched into him) informed him that his life was in grave danger.


    He leapt away right before the Red Devil could grasp him and slunk away at admirable speeds¡­


    Absalom didn''t realize how much of a mistake that was but that constant chill hovering around him was far too unsettling.


    The Red Devil clearly didn''t appreciate someone ogling his woman and the lick probably made things even worse¡­


    He''d have to report to Moria about this. The demon was threatening to sink all of Thriller Bark and at this rate, he would and it would be Absalom''s fault...


    Absalom felt a small shudder crawl down his spine. It was a small, terrible omen of what was to come for him.


    But he ignored it, perhaps foolishly so.


    After all, you never mess with the Devil''s possessions.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Perona''s blush at seeing the Red Devil''s naked body, vanished at the combination of furious heterochromatic eyes, combined with a snarl that showed off way too many sharp teeth.


    "Cute¡­ but also so not cute," she shuddered, horror coursing through her body at what she knew was about to transpire on Thriller Bark.


    That intimidating gaze of the infamous Red Devil... He was scary.


    After hearing that the Straw Hats had arrived to their abode, she had naturally sent out her negative ghosts to scout them out and get everything set up to steal their shadows.


    The Straw Hats had all their recorded members as per usual, except for this one pervert with blue hair and a speedo.


    She had been inspecting the ship to look for treasure and was pleased to see that they had quite a bit of giant, pepperoni size gold plates that would fetch quite the hefty price...


    And then she saw Absalom''s errors and wondered why Moria kept the idiot around sometimes.


    The dumb little pervert couldn''t keep it in his pants for even a second and he had actually put his hands on the Devil of Ohara, Nico Robin!


    What was he thinking?! Oh that''s right, he wasn''t thinking at all and now there was a homicidal redhead on the loose.


    Not only was Nico Robin worth 190 million Beris¡­ her boyfriend (the redhead who was in the bath with her)¡­ was worth 310!


    Didn''t anyone ever tell Absalom anything about redheads?! They were crazy and would steal your soul with a smile on their faces!


    That was only 10 million less than Moria and he thought to assault her in front of him? Was he really that lost in his own perverseness? A crew like this would need Moria''s express approval before they thought to attack them and he was unconscious!


    Absalom had fled but the damage had been done and those furious eyes told Perona everything she needed to know.


    The explosion outside solidified it and Perona could only watch in horror, as a dome of red energy encapsulated an area in Thriller Bark.


    W-Was he that pissed? No more words? Just immediately going to the destruction part?


    The Red Devil and Straw Hat Luffy were monstrous threats, with enough manpower to destroy a Marine Stronghold¡­ it was only a matter of time before all of Thriller Bark sunk.


    Not only that, it seemed like the Red Devil was far more trigger happy than the rest of his crew... barring that orange haired girl.


    Perona sighed in aggravation.


    She didn''t like being put on the backfoot. Especially when it was to someone that should be cute but wasn''t.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Franky whistled in shock. "Wow, did Red fly ahead of us?"


    The area they were traversing looked like it had been through a war.


    Scorched grounds, burned to a crisp trees, uprooted trees...


    It almost looked like Rosan himself got his hands on it. They were traveling through a battle ground right about now!


    Luffy shook his head with a huge grin. "Rosan''s behind us with Robin! Nami did this," he corrected.


    Sanji''s eyes bugged. "Nami-san did this?! When did she get so strong?!"


    Zoro shrugged. "She summoned a hurricane at Enies Lobby. She''s putting her new abilities to good use. Better than being a shameless coward."


    Franky nodded with wide eyes. He didn''t expect Nami to be throwing out such power. He was impressed by their navigators abilities.


    Honestly, he was impressed with all of them! He saw what they were capable of and it let him know that his crew were super reliable.


    "Must have been because of this dog we''re on," Franky pointed out on his spot atop Cerberus.


    The triple headed dog had been nursing some burns after running away from the terrifying Nami, then it ran into Luffy, Franky, Sanji and Zoro.


    The lumps on its head, showed how well that meeting went and now the beaten and defeated dog was carrying them across the charred land.


    As they traversed, the group encountered an actual zombie and realized the living corpse was probably the reason Nami had went on a rampage.


    "What''s an old man with severe injuries doing here?" Luffy asked in confusion.


    "THAT''S A ZOMBIE, DUMBASS!" They roared.


    The rubber boy blinked.


    "Zombies?" He repeated, watching as they began rising from their graves.


    "THEY''RE MAKING FUN OF US ZOMBIES!"


    "WE''LL SHOW EM!"


    "SHOW THEM THE TERROR OF ZOMBIES!"


    "THEY AREN''T AS SCARY AS THAT OTHER GIRL!"


    The 4 raised a brow as the zombies charged them.


    "They wanna fight?" They asked simultaneously.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "We''re very sorry sirs! We won''t do it again sirs!" the zombies chanted at once, bruises that were not naturally apart of them, littering their bodies after the hellish beatdown they suffered.


    Luffy frowned at the group. "What are you guys doing here? Were you bugging my friends?"


    The zombies blinked, before blanching as they realized who they were talking about.


    Sanji''s gaze narrowed. "So you were messing with Nami-san?!" He asked in fury.


    "M-Messing with her?! YOU THINK WE WERE MESSING WITH HER?!" The zombies balked in horror.


    "THAT DEMON WAS THE ONE MESSING WITH US!"


    Sanji blinked in confusion.


    He was... not expecting that.


    "S-SHE WAS ACTING ALL SCARED AND TRICKING US! B-BUT THE WHOLE TIME SHE WAS SETTING US ON FIRE, THROWING LIGHTNING, LIFTING US WITH WIND!"


    "I WAS SCARED I WAS GONNA DIE AGAIN!"


    "SHE WOULDN''T STOP! JUST SCREAMING LIKE A MANIAC AS SHE BLASTED US!"


    Luffy laughed at the terror on the zombies. "Nami''s pretty scary huh?"


    "Where is she?" Sanji asked.


    "We can''t tell you that," one zombie said.


    "Yeah we''re built to not tell secrets."


    "Just how we were made."


    "So you don''t know?" Luffy asked curiously.


    "They went past us," a zombie replied immediately.


    At once all the zombies nodded, forgetting their code and pointing in a direction.


    The rubber boy smiled. "Alright guys, let''s go get them!"


    With that, they boarded the whimpering Cerberus and had it take off again.


    Only 10 minutes after continuing their trek, Cerberus stopped in horror, as a massive explosion took place.


    "What?!" Zoro grunted in shock, turning around in disbelief. At the sight of the red blast, his brow raised high.


    Franky''s jaw dropped as he saw the massive dome of red energy that could only be courtesy of one person.


    Luffy perked up and glanced curiously at the energy. "Oh? What happened to Rosan?"


    "Is Red trying to drown us all?!" Franky balked.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Robin and Rosan, both fully dressed, traversed through Thriller Bark at a leisurely pace.


    It was good for his temper going at such a pace. Any faster and his blood might get really active.


    They were on one of the wavers that Rosan and Angel had worked on to make it compatible with land. He had done this with quite a bit of the wavers, giving them different functions and giving some others to Franky or Maro for their own uses.


    He was pretty sure Angel and Franky were trying to make them aerial as well.


    He was proud of her for being so innovative. His little sister had found a renewed passion in her craft and was absorbing as much knowledge as possible to improve herself.


    For his uses, he modified the wavers that belonged to him, into various different forms of transportation, land or water.


    He and Robin were on a waver that he had modified into a pitch black tiger, since she loved calling him that whenever he purred. It utilized the breath dial to move forward and prowled the grounds like it were an actual tiger.


    He decided it was time to expand on what his Modified creations looked like. He was a fan of the birds and flies (ever since the first time he used it all the way back at Baterilla), but he was going to expand upon it more because... he was no longer rooted to his past like before. He could now move forward with the knowledge that he was capable of changing.


    So long as his family thought he could, then Rosan would believe that too.


    ...It felt nice to not hate yourself at every passing moment. Rosan wasn''t quite pleased with himself yet, but he had passed the point of despising who he was as a person.


    Only time would tell if he could ever appreciate himself like others seemed to. Rosan wanted to see the things in himself that everyone else saw...


    Rosan wanted to love himself like everyone else loved him because then he would firmly know that they had always been right and he was wrong.


    But that was in the future. For now, baby steps... and trying to sate his deep burning anger.


    "Weird place," Rosan muttered, inspecting the skeletons that their tiger walked on, with a tilted head.


    The duo were currently conversing through their connection so as to avoid being heard.


    "I like it. I''m a fan of thrillers and horror," Robin smiled. She was sat in front of the redhead, so that his hands could wrap around her waist and remind him that she were here.


    It wasn''t a perfect way to calm his anger down but just staring at her seemed to have an effect in making him stave it off.


    ...She wouldn''t mention how ego boosting that was... but it was ego boosting.


    The redhead snorted. "I forgot that you''re such a weirdo. It''s cute how much of a geek you are."


    Her smile vanished, replaced by an annoyed expression. "Geek? That''s the word you''re using now? Why must you make fun of me for my hobbies?"


    The redhead smirked insufferably, eyes flashing with information from his birds that had flown ahead of everyone.


    "We''ve been through this. It''s up to me to break your character and the easiest way to do that, is by insulting what you''re interested in," he replied smugly.


    Robin turned and glared at him, before reaching out and yanking his hair harshly.


    Rosan hissed at that and snarled at her.


    "Oh, I''m sorry. I thought your emotions were hiding your kinks," Robin said mockingly, remembering him using those words when he yanked her hair at Alabasta.


    "You are so lucky that I don''t wanna brawl with you right now," Rosan snarled, eyes glowing as he simply tightened his grip on her to something almost insufferable.


    Robin rolled her eyes with a small sigh. "I know you''re mad, Rosan ¡ª"


    "Mad?" Rosan scowled deeply. "Robin, you were naked in the bath and someone forced you against a wall and licked you. Mad doesn''t even begin to describe how I feel and my concern for you is the only thing stopping me from going on a rampage. Moria is lucky our crew wanted to explore, because otherwise I''d have already destroyed as much as I could."


    "I wholeheartedly agree. For someone to so boldly sexually assault you¡­ Rosan won''t be the only one getting his hands on the perpetrator. We''re going to make them suffer," Mod growled darkly.


    "Slow and painful. They won''t know joy again," Ram snarled in blistering rage.


    Robin flushed slightly at the 3. They were all so upset on her behalf and¡­ she loved them for that.


    Sure, they were utterly psychotic¡­ but she loved them all the same.


    "Anyone who puts their hands on you without your consent, will deal with me," Rosan promised with a dark glare.


    His prickly attitude lessened, as Robin placed her free hand around his arm once more.


    "Thank you, all of you. But be calm. I''m disgusted that someone saw me naked but until we finally get our hands on them, let''s think rationally. We''re likely on enemy territory after all," Robin muttered to them all.


    Mod took a deep breath and nodded. "Alright, you''re right."


    "I''ll try," Ram grumbled.


    "¡­" Rosan said nothing and Robin noted that his fists were clenched tightly.


    "He''s barely able to even hold it in," Robin noted. She calmly placed a hand on the clenched fist.


    "Just keep trying your best, Rosan. I''m proud that you''re attempting," she muttered, slowly unclenching the fist for him.


    Rosan was a torrent right now. Unstoppable and unrelenting, with no way to stop it but he was trying his best.


    She would do her best to¡­ not quite stop it, but healthily control it.


    You couldn''t stop a tsunami, you could only do damage control.


    He nodded tightly and gripped her smaller hand in his own, squeezing tightly.


    The lumbering black tiger moved forth with the two atop it at a steady pace and it gave Robin and Rosan an eyeful of the scenery¡­


    Aka the aftereffects of Nami''s mayhem earlier.


    "Did Nami do this?" Robin mused, looking rather impressed.


    Rosan nodded, looking at the scarred field and the uplifted trees. "She''s much better at utilizing all her elements at once in comparison to me."


    Nami used her elements in alot of tandem with each other, even combining some of the effects with each other.


    She used her mastery of weather to utilize the perfect attacks, in comparison to Rosan launching everything like a madman and boosting his physical capabilities with them as well.


    They may have both used the same elements and similar attacks, but Nami''s knowledge of weather and the elements, made her truly look like a sorceress in comparison to Rosan looking like a force of nature with how overwhelming his offense was.


    Nami''s use of the elements were actually quite similar to Mod-chan''s. Maybe she would enjoy training with his mother and vice versa.


    The Devil Child nodded in agreement. Nami was utilizing Rosan''s elements incredibly well and she was proud of the cowardly thief for finding something that could help her so well in combat.


    Rosan''s eyes snapped to attention as he heard noise ahead and he made the tiger slow down a bit, idly preparing to blast whoever it was depending on what they said or did.


    Both he and Robin stepped off the tiger and made their way to the noise, guards up the entire time.


    As they made it into the clearing, the duo paused as they encountered the people talking.


    The battered and bullied zombies perked up once more and gazed at the approaching duo with fearful expressions.


    "More of them?!" One zombie muttered in fear.


    "We don''t wanna deal with this! None of them are weak!" Another shrieked.


    "Yeah we''re tired of getting beat up!" Yet another agreed.


    The zombies were all in agreement and one stood up.


    "H-Hey there, your friends went that way!" The zombie rasped, pointing in a direction.


    ¡­


    The zombies blinked in confusion.


    "Uh¡­ hello?" They called slowly.


    Robin, for once, did not have a composed expression on her face.


    No, the woman was deathly nervous.


    Her eyes were wide and she began sweating nervously, as she gazed at the living corpses.


    Were those...? Were those zombies?


    She thought back to a time when she was still a kid and felt her nervousness only grow.


    Now you''re probably wondering just why Robin was suddenly so nervous? Even despite claiming she loved horror and thrills?


    It was simple!


    Robin wasn''t afraid of the zombies. Robin had no fear at all for zombies. She actually didn''t fear anything dealing with horror...


    No, Robin wasn''t afraid of them...


    The redhead staring at them like the apocalypse started, Portgas D. Rosan, was terrified of zombies.


    Yes, that''s right. As a child, Rosan had told her all his fears.


    Rosan didn''t actually fear much things besides being alone. The child laughed in the face of what was conventionally seen as scary...


    But he did have two material fears... large lizards... and zombies.


    Apparently, as a child, one of the young adults on Baterilla, had foolishly informed the young redhead about what zombies were and how they liked to feast on human flesh and convert them as his idea of a prank.


    Needless to say, Rouge had given that young man a firm tongue lashing that no one had assumed she was capable of giving because Portgas D. Rouge was a sweetheart.


    Not that day though... as Rosan bawled against her body, she reminded that young man that she was first and foremost a mother and she was very protective of Rosan...


    Despite getting her point across and soothing Rosan, his fear of zombies had still begun from there.


    All of that was bad but that didn''t quite warrant just why was she this anxious.


    Well, the reason she was so nervous currently, was rather simple.


    Robin was remembering the time she pranked little Rosan and nearly made him trip into a large lizard. The terrified redhead had transformed a stick into a handcannon of all things and leveled the area slightly.


    After that, she did not use Rosan''s fears against him while she was in the vicinity. Only when she was far away, would she prank him and even then she was wary because a vengeful Rosan pranking her, was a very creative person.


    It was easy to avoid¡­ after all, Rosan was only afraid of particularly large lizards, and the best friends sailed the sea most of the time, and zombies... which weren''t real.


    W-Well, they weren''t supposed to be real.


    "Oh please no. You''ve got to be kidding me," Mod moaned in disbelief, as Ram let out an ear splitting shriek.


    "GET AWAY! GET AWAY!" Ram shrieked.


    "Rosan," Robin hissed, turning towards him immediately and placing a placating hand on his chest. "It''s okay! Close your eyes! Please! I''ll guide you away!"


    The things she could feel with her observation didn''t bode well for any living soul in the vicinity barring them.


    Rosan was full of disbelief, horror and terror.


    ...At least they were dealing with zombies?


    Kami, Robin hoped she wasn''t collateral this time at least.


    When Robin had tripped him into the lizard¡­ Rosan had been 5 years old and full of tiny, albeit adorable, fury.


    Rosan was not 5 anymore¡­ and he had absolutely no control over his emotions either.


    No¡­ Rosan was a 24 year old torrent who could level an island now.


    "U-Um maybe you didn''t hear us," one of the zombies muttered.


    "You''re friends, they''re that way! W-We can show you!"


    The one who said that took a step forward, missing the astonished glare Robin shot him.


    "Don''t come any closer! What are you doing?!" She shouted in disbelief.


    The zombie paused in confusion. "W-Wha? What''s the matter with you two?!"


    Robin was about to tell Rosan once more to close his eyes, but it was too late.


    Ram seeped into Rosan''s gloves so quickly, Robin nearly got whiplash.


    Oh dear.


    The redhead held a single hand over his head and began pouring a lot energy as he soared higher and higher into the sky with Robin in his grasp.


    Much to Robin''s shock, the ball of energy he was forming was growing much larger than it needed to be growing.


    "Rosan, this is overkill!" Robin informed him. "You don''t need to do thi ¡ª"


    "Persecution!" Rosan hissed, eyes set into pinpricks as he summoned the same attack he used against Garp.


    Then, he lobbed the enormous ball down.


    This was why Robin was so nervous. Because Rosan''s destructive capabilities had evolved drastically with age and with how little he could control his anger, it could lead to very bad things happening.


    Garp was not here to stop this attack and its effects were shown very, very quickly.


    Robin watched with wide eyes, as the ball crashed into the panicking zombies with a deafening noise.


    A dome of red energy formed that grew larger and larger, consuming everything in its path.


    By the time it settled, Robin shakily looked at the crater that her boyfriend created, before gazing at the huffing Rosan with wide frantic eyes.


    "Mod-chan you fucking liar! You and Mom told me zombies were fake! What is the meaning of this?!" Rosan hissed in disbelief, clutching his chest as his beating heart finally settled down.


    "T-They aren''t real, Rosan! This is someone''s Devil Fruit," Mod stammered in disbelief, holding the terrified Ram with wide eyes. "And please watch your language!"


    "Watch my fucking language?!" The redhead snarled in disbelief. "I believed you! For years I believed they were fake! How could you do this to me?!"


    Robin sweatdropped deeply. The reason Mod-chan had to reassure little Rosan that zombies weren''t real... was because Robin had told them they were.


    Mod-chan had not been very happy with her after that but she couldn''t help it! Rosan was adorable when he was panicking.


    Mod spluttered. "Because they aren''t real by normal circumstances, Rosan!"


    "LIAR! I KNOW WHAT I SAW!"


    "I''M NOT LYING! YOU CAN TELL WHEN I''M LYING!"


    "EXPLAIN THE ZOMBIES THEN?! ARE YOU SAYING I DIDN''T JUST SEE THEM?!"


    "DEVIL FRUIT. A DEVIL. FRUIT. ROSAN!"


    "SO THEY''RE REAL?! WHAT IS YOUR KNOWLEDGE EVEN GOOD FOR IF YOU DON''T KNOW THESE THINGS?!"


    "OH I''M SORRY. I WASN''T AWARE A ZOMBIE ZOMBIE FRUIT EXISTED. FORGIVE ME!"


    "NO! AREN''T DEVIL FRUITS YOUR SIBLINGS?! YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT THEM LIAR!"


    "Enough, you two!" Robin interrupted with a deep sigh, still gazing at that crater with wide eyes.


    Not a single zombie in the area remained from that attack, very likely obliterated from Rosan''s assault but Robin doubted that these were the only zombies on the island.


    Was she going to have to deal with homicidal terrified Rosan the entire time?


    With his unchained emotions too¡­ Robin let out a miserable sigh.


    She sure did have her work cut out for her today.


    Rosan gazed at Robin and his wild heartbeat finally settled as he floated to the ground.


    "I¡­ have a solution," he muttered eventually. "I don''t actually think I''ll be able to function on this island in a normal manner and I imagine it''ll be destroyed in the long run¡­"


    "So you''ll go back to the ship?" Robin muttered. "I''ll go with you. I''d rather that then explore this place without you."


    Rosan shook his head. "I''ll take a backseat for now¡­ I''m already too angry to think straight and now I''ve got these zombies..."


    Mod''s eyes widened. "You''re saying you want me to take over for this mission?"


    "Yeah, have at it," Rosan grunted, as he began carrying Robin bridal style. "Find the source of the zombies and deal with them¡­ and find the invisible person too."


    Robin''s eyes lit up at that. "I have no disagreements with this¡­ but at least stay connected?" she requested.


    The redhead scowled. "I don''t wanna look at the zombies¡­ but I''ll stay connected for you."


    "I don''t wanna look at them either," Ram moaned in horror. Why was she afraid of zombies?! She wasn''t afraid of lizards!


    "Meiko is afraid of zombies too... and all things horror. That''s probably why," he answered with a grunt, hair shifting to purple, as red bled into his purple eye.


    His figure slimmed down as his features softened and the redhead finished his transformation into his Devil Fruit.


    "Fine. I''ll do it instead," Mod grumbled, waving her head slightly and allowing the purple to fall free.


    "My oh my, Mod-chan¡­ how romantic but should you really be trying to steal me from your son?" Robin asked with mirth in her eyes.


    The woman blinked, before a blush appeared on her face as she realized she was holding the taller woman in a bridal carry, with Robin''s arms wrapped around her neck.


    "Don''t tease me. You know I get embarrassed easily," Mod said with a flush, gently placing Robin down before transforming her outfit into her signature black dress.


    "Father!" Ram squealed happily, tackling the redhead.


    Rosan easily caught her with a pleased smile, always content to see his daughter, and got comfortable. "Have at it, Mod-chan. Keep Robin and yourself safe."


    "Try and reign in your anger while you''re in there," Robin advised.


    Mod nodded in determination. "I''m not nearly as gifted in combat as Rosan but I know enough to keep us both safe!" she exclaimed.


    "I''ve seen what you''re capable of doing... I think I''d rather fight Rosan. His fighting is far more honest than yours," Robin said truthfully, thinking to Mod''s style of fighting and shaking her head.


    The woman pouted. "Punching and attacking is much more inefficient compared to firing attacks at a distance... why would I give my opponents a chance to hit me? B-Besides, it''s not like I''m incapable of fighting close combat... but that''s only if they close the distance on me!" she exclaimed.


    "Look at you, immediately jumping to defense after being called out," Rosan simpered. "How does that fighting style work against me when we spar?"


    Mod grit her teeth. "Not... well. I haven''t been able to beat you in quite a long time."


    "Because I have ways to close the distance! Imagine how people who can''t close the distance must feel. Boring, Mod-chan."


    Why was he so annoying? What did Mod do to deserve being harassed by her son as a daily occurence?


    He said the most unhinged things. He had the craziest possession and she (his mother mind you!) was not exempt from it.


    Worst, if she protested, he''d bully her and everyone knew and approved of it!


    She was still upset that they banned her from something she had no intention of doing in the first place! It was incredibly unnecessary and she was their mother!


    "Do you really want us to lift the ban on you dating that bad? Do you have eyes on someone?" Rosan asked in amusement, a slight threat in his voice that didn''t bode well for the imaginary person he was thinking of.


    "I do not have a crush on anyone, Rosan! That''s why this is all the more ridiculous!" Mod scowled.


    "But we''re just making sure no one takes advantage of you," Robin said gently, holding the woman reassuringly. "You''re very innocent. Sometimes you feel like my little sister and I just want to protect you, you know?" she said soothingly.


    That did not soothe Mod.


    She gained a tick and glared at Robin. "Young lady, I have raised you since you were just 8 years old! I am literally old enough to be your mother and I am!"


    "Mother or Grandmother?" Rosan asked in amusement.


    "SHUT UP! I''m tired of this conversation!" Mod barked.


    Her three menaces just laughed and dropped it, allowing her to take a deep breath to sate her nerves.


    First things first... Mod glanced down in dissatisfaction at her footwear.


    She didn''t like wearing shoes, much preferring to go barefoot and if she was going to be here for the mission, she may as well make herself comfortable¡­


    Oh but this land just wasn''t as clean and comfortable as the mindscape.


    Robin watched Mod''s dilemma with amusement, content to let the woman reach a solution.


    Finally the woman nodded to herself and began floating up with a gentle flap of Ragnarok''s wings. She delicately removed Rosan''s shoes from her feet and banished them into the dimension.


    "I shouldn''t show these wings just yet so¡­" Mod mused, withdrawing the wings and instead using wind to help her stay afloat.


    "All of that just to not wear shoes. You''re ridiculous, Mod-chan," Rosan sighed, running a hand through his hair.


    She puffed out her cheek indignantly. "Can I at least be comfortable without you harassing me?!"


    "No."


    Robin sighed before they began arguing again. "Using the wind to help you float is rather ingenious, Mod-chan."


    "Yeah! Lazy people always find shortcuts to make their lives easier!" Ram beamed.


    "Alright! What should we do first?" Mod asked with a strained smile, tickmark forming ever so slowly.


    Robin tried to hide her smile and cupped her cheek thoughtfully. "Considering the mayhem Rosan and Nami caused, I believe we should gather everyone again and warn them of the invisible person. We''ve both struck each other so peace talks are likely out the window."


    The Devil Fruit nodded. "I''d still prefer it if we didn''t immediately come to violence but okay, one of Rosan''s birds has located Gecko Moria and the other located a pink haired girl. I suspect the girl might be the one with the ghost fruit."


    Robin''s smile vanished. "Girl you say? The one spying on us bathing as well? She saw Rosan naked?" She asked slowly.


    Mod blinked, before nodding slowly, a nervous expression on her face at Robin''s serene aura.


    The Devil Child hummed. "I see. Alright, Luffy and the others are up ahead. Let''s find them and then look for the rest."


    "Wow Auntie, gonna just let Mother walk while you float around?" Ram asked incredulously.


    "She''s lazy, expending the effort to lift two people is too much for my aging mother," Rosan sneered.


    Robin bit her lip to avoid from laughing.


    Rosan and Ram took a great joy in bullying Mod-chan. It was especially prominent when she was not there to retaliate.


    "Deep breaths," Mod muttered to herself. "Deep¡­ breaths."


    In and out. In¡­ and¡­ out.


    The woman delicately captured Robin in a breeze and lifted her daughter, before they both began heading towards their crew.


    "She''s doing it!" Ram beamed.


    "Careful Mod-chan, wouldn''t want your back to break."


    "WOULD YOU TWO SHUT UP! JUST WAIT UNTIL I''M DONE HERE!" Mod howled, fury painting her features.


    "Don''t laugh," Robin thought to herself.


    "Ouch. Maybe Auntie has anger issues too, Father. She really is like us!"


    "I thought there was wisdom in age. I suppose she''s just as childish as we are."


    Mod shot Robin a deadly glare, as the Devil Child failed to contain her laughter any longer.


    Robin cursed those two for breaking her like this. Now she had to hear it from the fed up woman.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Awful news, Master!"


    The massive figure blinked slowly, as they awakened from their slumber.


    "Nga?! What an awful dream¡­ and now you''re telling me there''s awful news?" Moria mumbled with a yawn.


    "Yes! The Straw Hats Pirates have arrived on Thriller Bark and already, the Red Devil has destroyed a large area along with some zombies!"


    That snapped him wide awake and the Warlord shot up.


    "The Straw Hat Pirates? The ones who destroyed Enies Lobby?!" Moria asked in surprise.


    The Straw Hats¡­ with Straw Hat Luffy, the man worth 350 million and the Red Devil, Rosan, the man worth 310¡­


    Not to mention the other members of the crew¡­ it would be risky but if it worked...


    "You say he''s already begun destroying Thriller Bark?!" Moria asked in disbelief. "Why is that?! What are his reasons?!"


    "Because someone sexually assaulted his woman while she was bathing!"


    The Warlord raised a brow high at that and gazed at the furious Perona.


    The pink haired girl was glaring harshly at the nervous Absalom, pointing all the blame towards him without any hesitation.


    "Absalom here couldn''t keep his job to just tying the ships down and made it his mission to piss off the Red Devil by assaulting Nico Robin!" She accused, pointing a finger at the man''s lion muzzle.


    Moria then turned his gaze towards the pervert, as his minions brought him 4 days worth of food.


    "I¡­ was checking to see if anyone was still on the ship so I could prevent them from leaving. Most of their members had already left, but Red Devil and Devil of Ohara were bathing¡­" Absalom began slowly.


    "And this idiot assaulted her without a second thought before fleeing!" Perona ranted with a frustrated expression. "Do you stop to even think?! You didn''t see the look on the Red Devil''s face but I did! That scary demon''s out for blood now and you''re his target! I so don''t want to be next to you when he eventually finds you because I might get caught in the crossfire!"


    The pink haired woman pointed outside. "You heard that explosion right?! You saw that dome, RIGHT?! It was huge! These are the guys who destroyed Enies Lobby and you already infuriated their second most dangerous member! Two of them have bounties close to Moria-sama and you somehow managed to piss off the more trigger happy of the two!"


    Moria wolfed down his meal as he listened to them speak but there was a deep frown on his face.


    At this rate, if the Red Devil was hellbent on destroying Thriller Bark and Enies Lobby was any indication, they would need to neutralize him quickly.


    Not to mention securing a shadow of the Red Devil and Straw Hat Luffy¡­ that just sounded too tempting.


    Which would go in Oars? Should it be the Red Devil?


    ...No, based on what Perona was saying with the dome, his skillset might be incompatible with his most prized creation¡­ but his shadow deserved a good body.


    Moria''s eyes flashed as an epiphany struck him and he began laughing.


    "Kishishishi! I know just what to do!" The shadow man decided.


    It wouldn''t be easy but if it worked, he''d be unstoppable against this crew.


    "Where is the Red Devil currently?" Moria asked curiously, continuing to gorge on his food.


    "We don''t know."


    He blinked.


    "You don''t know?" He asked slowly.


    Perona shook her head in worry. "After the explosion, I sent a ghost to check the area and we saw Nico Robin¡­ but we didn''t see the Red Devil. We saw another woman, who we can''t identify, floating alongside her."


    If the Red Devil was off on his own... that couldn''t possibly bare well for them.


    Moria frowned at that, before his smile returned. "We''ll capture them both and bring in the Red Devil using them then. Their shadows should be incredibly valuable to us!"


    Absalom nodded, interested in hearing that there was yet another woman in the Straw Hats. "They should all be heading towards the mansion now."


    The shadow man stood up, much to the surprise of Perona and Absalom.


    "Moria-sama?" Perona questioned. "Are you actually going to participate?"


    "Kishishishi! Of course! Two men worth 300 million apiece¡­ I would be cruel to leave them up to you. Absalom, avoid the Red Devil at all costs if he really wants to kill you and go awaken every zombie on the island."


    Absalom saluted and took off to do just that. He was relieved that Moria valued his life enough to make sure he avoided that demon at all costs.


    "Perona, keep your ghosts alert and avoid the Red Devil too. I don''t need you dying either so make sure he doesn''t get his hands on you. Leave him to me," Moria ordered her.


    Perona nodded, moved by his thoughtful nature and floated off with a relieved sigh.


    Moria pondered the events as he finished off his food.


    He was used to having others do things for him, but this was a special case.


    Two men worth 300 million¡­ perhaps even he''d struggle against them.


    But he didn''t need to defeat them right now.


    No, he just needed their shadows.


    "Kishishishi!" Moria laughed as his plan began to form fully.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Modi!" Luffy cheered, leaping off Cerberus and flying towards the woman with a grin.


    Sanji swooned happily and followed suit.


    Mod smiled at the two and hugged them both, making hearts appear in the chef''s eyes.


    "Looking as beautiful as ever, Mod-chan!" Sanji grinned, pleased that she was hugging him.


    Mod flushed a bit at that and smiled. "Thank you Sanji. I appreciate it."


    Franky, who had been properly told about the woman, formally introduced himself.


    "Mod¡­ Rosan''s super mother and also a sharer of his body right?" Franky greeted, holding out one of his giant hands.


    Mod delicately grabbed it, resisting the urge to recoil at his state of attire.


    "It''s nice to meet you, Franky. I am Rosan''s mother, Devil Fruit and sharer of his body¡­ and because of that, I probably should refrain from hugging you or you''ll cease to exist¡­ courtesy of my demonic son," she greeted with a small smile, pointing at his attire.


    "Bummer," Franky faux sighed in disappointment.


    Red sure was unhinged.


    The woman smiled apologetically and nodded in agreement.


    "What are you doing out here? Where''s Rosan?" Zoro asked curiously, nodding at the woman in respect.


    Mod turned towards Zoro and forcefully dragged the embarrassed swordsman into a hug. "Rosan''s afraid of zombies so I''ll be taking over for the remainder of this trip... or until we deal with the zombie issues," she explained.


    Everyone blinked at that, stunned.


    "Rosan''s¡­ afraid of zombies?" Sanji asked incredulously.


    How... that didn''t make any sense at all. How was their scout immune to ghosts... but afraid of zombies of all things?


    Wasn''t that just a little ridiculous?


    "Terrified," Robin sighed. "Did you see that explosion? That''s because he realized they existed."


    They balked, remembering that massive dome well.


    "That''s why he did that?" Zoro asked in disbelief.


    Calling their scout unhinged was a polite way of putting it. That dome was utterly gigantic and his reasoning for using so much energy did not warrant it.


    "Shishishi wow, I never knew Rosan was scared of something!" Luffy cackled with joy in his eyes.


    "I guess that guy does have fears," Sanji muttered.


    Robin shook her head. "Trust me when I say, do not make fun of him. If you have a fear, Rosan will exploit it. If you don''t have a fear, he will give you one," she warned.


    "Aww look at you warning them, I''m glad you know better," Rosan crooned, absentmindedly rubbing the purring Ram''s head as she curled atop him.


    The Straw Hats thought about it, before realizing just who their scout was.


    Yeah... they just remembered what Rosan did to Nami back at Alabasta. It was in their best interest to not antagonize their scout.


    "Let''s continue forward. I''m worried for the ones we haven''t run into yet," Mod muttered, floating forward to continue their course to the mansion.


    Robin frowned. "I didn''t want to worry you further¡­ but they''ve been knocked unconscious by something that I can''t feel."


    Mother Mod''s eyes flashed dangerously at that and the protective woman frowned deeply.


    They were already knocked unconscious? That couldn''t be good. She needed to get to them immediately.


    "Let''s make haste then. I''ll deal with anything that gets in the way," she assured.


    The woman didn''t wait for a reply and began floating quickly towards the giant mansion, everyone else picking up their paces too.


    As Mod entered the building, she immediately paused at the multiple presences, causing the woman to narrow her eyes.


    "Welcome guests!" The multitude of zombies greeted with sinister gleams.


    The zombies were all in different shapes, sizes¡­ and bodies! Paintings, rugs, human bodies¡­


    "Kill them all. Now!" Rosan hissed, body lurching in horror as he was forced to look at the decaying skin of some of them.


    Whatever else their enemies was about to say, was cut off as Mod apologetically held up a hand.


    "I''m sorry," she apologized as the wind began picking up around her. "I''m in a bit of a rush so we''ll have to cut the pleasantries short."


    The zombies blinked, running through their memories of the bounty posters and coming up blank.


    "Who the hell are you?" They asked rudely.


    Mod smiled. "Please watch your language when speaking to me."


    With that, she struck.


    "Cyclone."


    As the Straw Hats entered the room, their jaw dropped as they saw a group of zombies being sweeped in by the sight of a violent wind, courtesy of Mod-chan.


    "W-WHAT''S HAPPENING TO US?!" The bear rug zombie screeched in horror.


    She had one hand held up and was using it to force the army of zombies together, then the woman held up her other hand and conjured odd purple flames.


    Finally, she launched the fireball into the tornado she conjured and combined the two.


    What followed next, was utter mayhem. The fiery tornado consumed the zombies with no remorse, reducing them into ash as the purple haired woman looked on at her destruction.


    Yet Mod made it look impossibly beautiful and neat, using Modification to contain the flaming winds into one area so as to not burn the entire mansion down.


    Finally, she canceled the technique and it vanished like it never existed.


    Franky''s eyes bugged at the technique and he looked at the ruthless, yet kind, woman with shock on his features.


    He wasn''t expecting that out of her. She was very... no nonsense.


    "Mod-chan isn''t one for theatrics like Rosan," Robin explained to the stunned crowd, barring Luffy. "She''s not a showoff at heart but there''s a natural beauty to how she does things. Battles are just something she would rather get over with."


    The woman ran a hand through her lustrous purple hair with a small smile, sharp fangs vanishing back into her perfectly straight teeth.


    "Rosan and I have opposite fighting styles," she explained, floating forward to inspect the mansion with a contemplative expression. "He loves being up close and hurting people¡­ I''m not quite the same. I would much rather just dispatch of them quickly and efficiently, so I fight at a distance."


    Personally, she didn''t see how Rosan found it so enjoyable punching someone in the face. Mod derived no pleasure from the sound of bones breaking and since she had so much physical strength, bones would break under her strikes.


    "I hate fighting Modi," Luffy complained. "She stops me from moving as soon as the fight starts! She''s boring!"


    Mod spluttered at that. "B-Boring?! I''m just trying to teach you strategy!"


    Zoro sighed in frustration. "I fought her once and never again. She''s ruthless and doesn''t ever wanna take a hit like Rosan does. I spent the entire match trying to reach her and failed every single time."


    Robin nodded sympathetically. "That''s her style. Restraint and peppering from a distance. It''s far more frustrating to fight than Rosan¡­ because the few times you do hit her, she heals it all back up. With how little you hit her, her regeneration feels far more potent than his."


    A ranged distance fighter with almost unlimited regeneration¡­ Rosan really could have been the most annoying person to fight on the planet but opted not to simply because he enjoyed the thrill of battle and punching people in the face.


    Mod blushed in embarrassment. This wasn''t fair at all! She just had a preferred method of fighting!


    "R-Rosan''s still stronger than me! I just don''t like getting dirty so I act appropriately."


    Why did everyone hate the way she fought? They should just fight smarter!


    Whenever she fought Rosan, he always found a way to close the distance and once he did that, there was not much she could do against him. They had the exact same physical strength but her son was taller, faster and was incredibly gifted at close combat in a way that confused Mod because everything he could do, she could too...


    Mod found it very stressful fighting him. It was like trying to run away from a giant boulder on a downward slope.


    Her stress fighting Rosan was likely the same way they found fighting her stressful. He used Modification to get closer and she used it to get further.


    "Me treating her like a princess, must have really got to her head," Rosan complained. "Doesn''t like walking, fights at a distance, doesn''t like getting dirty, completely unaware of how insufferable her fighting style is¡­"


    "One day you need to punch someone in the face, Auntie. It feels really good."


    "I''d rather not," she replied with an annoyed smile.


    "Pity. You''ll never beat the boring allegations like this."


    "I wanna call you cool Auntie, but you make it so hard."


    Kami, she hated them so much. Since when was she boring?!


    Robin hugged her reassuringly. "It''s okay Mod-chan¡­ I don''t think you''re boring."


    Mod gratefully returned the hug. "That''s why you''re my favorite child."


    "Lie again."


    She dutifully ignored him. "Where are the other three now?" The Devil Fruit asked.


    The mansion was rather large. It may take time to completely find them.


    Robin pursed her lips and gazed ahead with a confused expression. "They''re¡­ underneath us? Being moved to another location it appears. I already speculated but Observation cannot sense zombies."


    Mod furrowed her brows. "Beneath us? Underground?" She asked curiously.


    The Devil Child nodded. "I suspect there is a secret passage in this building."


    The Devil Fruit nodded in return. "Seems as if this castle is a dead end then¡­"


    Mod let out a sigh of aggravation. "...So why have they all run off now?"


    While discussing with Robin¡­ Luffy, Zoro, Sanji and Franky had taken the liberty to run off to who knows where, leaving just her and her daughter here.


    Robin giggled at the look of annoyance on her face. "I can still feel them. Should we get them?"


    "I don''t understand how Rosan can control Luffy so easily. It''s an impossible task," Mod sighed.


    When did they even run off? They weren''t even talking for long!


    "...Let''s just go above the mansion. We can verify everyone''s location that way," she decided, turning on a dime and floating out of the mansion.


    Robin simply smiled and allowed the wind to carry her out¡­


    Only for the both of them to pause at seeing a hoard of zombies outside.


    "Oh my," Mod said. "They look stronger than the ones previously encountered."


    "Should we escape?" Robin pondered curiously.


    Mod was about to agree, until a wave of horror coursed through her body and she shut her eyes at it.


    "Run?! Are you crazy?! Kill them all! I don''t want even a single stain remaining of these stupid zombie fucks!"


    "KILL KILL! I DON''T WANT THEM TO EXIST!"


    "Okay! Okay! Please stop emotion blasting me you two! I''m trying to focus here!" Mod whined, ring on her finger transforming to black half gloves that contrasted Rosan''s typical full gloves.


    Robin sweatdropped at the panicking Rosan and Ram. They were being so ridiculous right now and poor Mod had to deal with it.


    The purple haired woman let out a sigh of misery and gazed at the zombies.


    Before they could open their mouths Mod summoned an orb of purple energy in the flat of her palm.


    Then, she pushed it above her and the orb began spinning while growing larger.


    "Discern," Mod said simply.


    Purple beams began shooting out of the orb repeatedly, slamming into the stunned zombies with no remorse.


    The beams penetrated armor and rotted skin with startling ease and Mod put enough power into the attack that it would be going for quite a while.


    But just in case, she tapped the ground with a finger and erected a cage around the zombies, trapping them in there so that none escaped.


    "Satisfied?" She asked gently, floating above the castle with Robin so she could properly gauge everything.


    "No. They might be alive still."


    "Well that''s too bad. The zombies are hardly an issue to us! We have more pressing things to worry about," Mod humphed.


    "You suck at this. No wonder I''m in control all the time."


    "THAT''S BECAUSE THIS IS YOUR BODY!" She scowled.


    "You really mustn''t let them rile you up so easily, Mod-chan," Robin advised, glancing at the even larger mansion behind the mansion they were already in.


    The Devil Fruit blushed. "I-I know¡­ but they know all the right buttons to push!" she whined.


    "It''s easy. I''m a master at triggering Mod-chan¡­ And Robin too."


    "You''re the only one," Robin and Mod sighed despondently.


    Mod gazed at the landscape with a calculating eye, noticing the bridge that connected both the mansions together.


    "Update?" She asked Robin curiously.


    Robin pointed a finger in a direction below, where a garden seemed to lie. "Nami, Usopp and Chopper are there. The invisible man is there as well."


    She pointed at the bridge. "Franky is right outside of the bridge¡­ Sanji and Zoro have been knocked unconscious¡­ and Luffy is with someone¡­ I believe Gecko Moria."


    Mod''s eyes widened at that. "What?! So quickly? But how?!" She asked in shock.


    Robin frowned. "They might have been caught off guard."


    The Devil Fruit bit her lip in contemplation. They currently had 3 birds out right now.


    One was on the ship, keeping watch. Another was flying about and mapping out the area for them and the final was watching over Nami, Chopper and Usopp.


    They were mostly fine. Nami and Usopp were handling the zombies admirably well with their arsenal and did a fantastic job keeping them at bay.


    The more pressing matter, were Sanji and Zoro¡­ Not to mention Luffy¡­


    "Robin can you send your clones to fetch Sanji and Zoro? We''re going to Luffy," Mod requested soaring towards where Franky was.


    "Right," Robin nodded, summoning Raven and Canary as soon as they landed on the stone bridge.


    Canary hugged Mod with a wide smile and snuggled the woman before stepping back and allowing Raven to take her place.


    "We''ll go get those two and put them in a safe spot. We''ll also bring Franky with us too," Canary informed the duo.


    "You can rely on me to keep our heads on straight," Raven snorted, walking off and taking lead.


    "You? The one who gets angry at every little thing?!" Canary retorted with a raised brow, immediately rushing to meet her head on.


    "Better than being a giggly dumbass," Raven retorted with a sneer.


    "Say that to my face!"


    "You mean our face?!"


    Robin sighed at their antics. Hopefully they didn''t kill each other before making it to their locations.


    "I''ll keep Crow with me just in case. I''ll tell you where to go."


    Mod nodded and they immediately began heading to Luffy''s location.


    "Be careful," Rosan warned. "If you want me to take control, say the word."


    "I''ll be fine for now. I won''t hesitate to let you take control if things get difficult¡­ but it''s been a while since I''ve done something and¡­ I''m a little insecure after the events of Enies Lobby," Mod admitted, starting straight forward.


    Robin couldn''t help but flinch. Enies Lobby was behind them¡­ but the wound still felt fresh for her and maybe it was for Mod-chan too.


    Rosan put it behind him because he had come to a new revelation and won completely¡­ but Rosan had done it alone, without her or Mod to help him like they usually did¡­


    The redhead reached closure on his own and while the aftereffects were still apparent, he scarcely thought about the stronghold he destroyed.


    But Robin and Mod weren''t the same.


    All Robin could think about was how she made a foolish mistake and nearly cost everything for everyone. How she had foolishly trusted scum to keep their word and could do nothing because control was out of her hands.


    Robin single-handedly, nearly killed the entire crew in a way that was far worse than what she had blamed Rosan for doing back with Aokiji.


    She was infinitely blessed that her crew was so talented because if even one of them had died, Robin may have never been able to forgive herself.


    That wasn''t to say that made her feel any better because their injuries... Luffy, Rosan, Zoro and Usopp in particular, looked like they had been so close to death...


    And it would have been all her fault for shoving them into that situation.


    Bless her boyfriend because he knew she was still suffering from the turmoil of her actions and was trying to help her in anyway he knew how.


    Her nightmares were related to that after all and he was doing his best to help her... and she loved him all the more. That''s why she had no problem helping him.


    As for Mod, she was forced to watch as her two first children got into a fight with each other and nearly both died... and she was unable to do a thing about it.


    As overprotective as the Devil Fruit was, it was impossible not to be affected by it.


    Mod had to watch Rosan nearly break down, doubt himself, lose his temper and listen to the toxic words of Pestilence.


    Those memories were horrific. Everything he had to go through... and the worst was how afraid Rosan had been underneath all that anger.


    He was so lost without her or Robin, so he latched onto Pestilence''s presence and used them as a distraction so that he didn''t lose his mind.


    It was awful and she couldn''t do a thing about it.


    Coupled with the fact that the meeting with Pestilence had been almost completely orchestrated by Rosan alone¡­ Mod was beginning to doubt her usefulness to her son.


    Watching over a genius was difficult¡­ they rarely needed it after all and Rosan wasn''t done growing.


    But Rosan did need it and Mod didn''t realize the redhead would always look to her for guidance.


    The redhead smiled softly. "Alright Mod-chan, have at it. You don''t need to prove anything but I understand."


    Mod smiled in determination and headed towards Luffy''s direction with haste.


    Without any hesitation she modified a hole into the wall and floated through, eyes narrowing immediately at the sight before her.


    There, in the room was a caged and unconscious Luffy, a pink haired girl, a stuffed bear with its mouth shut, a rotund man, a strange animalistic human and a massive man that towered over everyone in the room.


    "Nami, Usopp and Chopper are inside the bear," Robin supplied helpfully, gauging the appearances with a cool eye.


    That animal man¡­ that was the person who had assaulted her.


    For now, she''d keep that information to herself. The last thing they needed, was for Rosan to figure this out right at this very moment.


    "The bear?" Mod mused, glancing minutely at the stuffed animal that looked quite distressed.


    "Oh?" Moria grinned in interest, seeing the two woman floating through the building.


    "Gecko Moria," Mod greeted politely.


    "Nico Robin¡­ And you are?" The Warlord mused, gazing at the purple haired woman with a hint of confusion.


    "That depends on how this conversation ends," she smiled, holding a hand out and shooting a precise laser that parted the cage for the sleeping Luffy. "I''m inclined to believe we''re enemies based on everything you''ve been doing and if that''s the case, who I am, won''t matter in the long run."


    "So cool!" Nami, Chopper and Usopp thought. Was that Mod-chan?! What was she doing here?! Did something happen to Rosan after that explosion?


    Moria gazed at the stranger with a relaxed expression.


    "Talk? Kishishishi!" The Warlord laughed. "Where is the Red Devil then?! I''d like to talk to him for destroying parts of my ship!"


    Mod''s gaze never shifted from that mysterious smile.


    "I''m sure Rosan will be willing to talk to you as well about one of your crewmates sexually assaulting Robin here as well," she said politely, choosing to play political for now.


    Moria''s grin never faltered. The Warlord looked totally at ease with the situation, likely due to the fact that he had Luffy caged and unconscious.


    "Kishishishi! Is that so?" He asked curiously.


    "But of course. We are very protective of our own¡­" she said firmly, red eyes sharpening a bit.


    Moria chuckled, making Mod''s eyes narrow a bit further.


    "Is something funny about this? Are the words I''m saying funny?" she asked, eyes beginning to glow slightly in warning.


    "Not at all! That''s a very serious problem," Moria agreed with her, tone still full of amusement. "On behalf of whoever did it, they sincerely apologize!"


    Oh so he was playing with her?


    Well, she''d make him regret that decision then.


    "That won''t do. I imagine you''re the same with your crew as well? Would you not desire justice if something happened to say... that pink haired girl right there?" Mod asked calmly, pointing a finger at Perona.


    Perona shuddered at those kind eyes. Something was a little... unsettling about them and she took a step back in worry.


    Were they glowing a bit? Didn''t... the Red Devil''s eyes glow?


    The Warlord nodded easily with a relaxed expression. "Exactly! If something like this happened to my crewmember, I''d be furious... Which is why I can''t agree with your request. I know what the Red Devil is capable of and just turning in one of my crew, goes against my values," he explained.


    Mod nodded at his response. "Is it one of these men right here? Perhaps the one who began sweating the moment I brought this topic up? Perhaps the one who''s eyes suddenly shifted downward? Perhaps the one who''s been on high alert since laying eyes on both Robin and I like we''re pieces of meat?" she asked in quick succession.


    Absalom began sweating as those piercing red orbs gazed directly at him.


    "And if it is?" Moria taunted. "Your captain is unconscious and he won''t wake up for days¡­ not to mention you don''t have a bounty. The Devil of Ohara can only do so much before we utterly overwhelm her!"


    "Overwhelm?" Mod asked curiously. "...How curious. You might come to regret not taking me serious."


    "...This is the one who touched Robin?" Rosan snarled.


    Mod and Robin both hummed in unison.


    "I suppose that means peace options are off the table. I really did hope things would have gone smoother but oh well," Mod muttered, purple bleeding into her right eye.


    "Speaking as if Rosan isn''t here was a mistake, Moria¡­ he''s always listening and he will always win when it comes to negotiations," Robin advised.


    The Warlord only had a moment to blink, before all hell broke loose.


    "Flash."


    A thunderclap of lightning resounded throughout the area, blinding all the Thriller Bark pirates so they were completely unable to account for what happened next.


    As all of them let out startled noises, Rosan let out a violent snarl, as he temporarily took over and he lunged at Absalom.


    The blinded man had no time to react to being tackled to the floor.


    "Slimy son of a bitch wants to touch Robin, huh?!" Rosan growled, eyes pulsing madly as he put up a gloved hand. "You thought you could walk in our bath and do whatever the fuck you wanted right?!" he hissed.


    The redhead was seething with raw fury, black immediately seeping into his eyes as he gazed at the victim beneath him.


    "Fine then. I''m going to touch you."


    The plan to capture and torture had completely flown out of his head, in favor of an all consuming rage.


    The computer man clenched his gloved fist and fire quickly heated them up to dreadful degrees.


    "I''m going to teach you a lesson you''ll never forget!" Rosan hissed venomously.


    Then he swung once and effortlessly smashed Absalom''s muzzle, burning it at the same time with his blistering flames.


    Absalom shrieked in agony but Rosan wasn''t done there.


    The redhead cocked both fists back and began pounding the man''s skull into the pavement below.


    "M-MORIA-SAMA H-HELP! A-AGHHH HELP ME PLEASE!" He howled as Rosan punched him over and over again, caving his features and burning them at the same time.


    "You didn''t just touch Robin. You assaulted her while she was naked," Rosan hissed murderously, swinging over and over again with enough force to smash someone''s skull.


    Absalom wailed in agony, limbs fruitlessly flying in every direction as the demon above him relentlessly smashed his face.


    "She''s mine and you licked her?! There was never a chance you were making it out of this alive," the demonic redhead snarled, eyes glowing as bright as the sun.


    Absalom screeched and tried to apologize but he couldn''t because the abuse had smashed all his teeth. Tears fell from his eyes at the agony he was in but Rosan was utterly merciless.


    Rosan snarled. "No one has ever punished you for your terrible actions. You''ve never had to take accountability... Let me be the first to teach you."


    Without any hesitation in his body, Rosan placed a palm on the man''s disfigured features and said, "Rejection" right atop Absalom''s head.


    The combined power of the Reject dial and Rosan''s energy was far too much for even the reinforced skin of Absalom.


    He let out one last wail of horror, before the attack struck true.


    Blood gushed from every direction, as Rosan caved his features in completely, before even the man''s face couldn''t handle it.


    Rosan ignored the matter flying everywhere, ensuring none of it touched him, and stood up with a satisfied glint.


    "Fuck. I forgot I was supposed to keep him alive and torture him," he grunted, glancing at what was left of Absalom''s face with a scowl.


    He really needed to get his anger under control, this was ridiculous ¡ª


    Rosan seized up before his eyes fluttered and he fell unconscious.


    "Rosan?!" Robin called in shock, making sure Chopper, Nami and Usopp were accounted for.


    Once that flashbang occured, Robin had swiftly dashed over to the threes location and verified that they were safe, before grabbing Luffy out of his prison...


    But in the midst of all that, Rosan had been knocked unconscious? How? What happened?


    "Kishishishi!" A laughter echoed through the room.


    Moria loomed over them, two shadows in his hand, that looked disturbingly similar to both Rosan and Luffy, with a manic grin.


    "To think I''d get two 300 million bounties gifted to me! You used a bright light to blind me, but you only gave me the fuel to rip out your shadow, Red Devil!"


    The Warlord''s plan was a success! With Straw Hat Luffy¡­ he''d put his shadow in Oars and as for the Red Devil¡­


    Well, Moria had a special plan for that. He wasn''t sure why he never thought of this but with the Red Devil''s prowess¡­


    "Quickly, bring out special zombie #900! Oar ¡ª ABSALOM?!" Moria screeched in disbelief, as the light finally vanished.


    Laying there, almost certainly dead, was a member of the Mysterious Four himself, Absalom.


    Perona shrieked in horror at the state of his body, terror wafting off of her at the fact that Absalom''s head had been reduced to¡­ just thinking about it made her want to throw up.


    Nevermind... Perona turned her head and wretched, unable to hold back due to the gruesome sight.


    This was what she meant... when she said he had a target on his back. Oh she needed to get out of here before the Red Devil decided to kill the second peeping tom that intruded on his bath.


    If he figured out she was the one who controlled the ghosts...


    Perona wretched again in fear.


    Hogback frowned, unbothered by the state of Absalom''s body due to being a surgeon.


    What a waste. He spent a lot of time modifying Absalom.


    Moria gazed shakily at Absalom''s deceased corpse, unable to truly believe that he had died in an instant.


    Robin was more concerned about the fact that Rosan and Luffy were currently unconscious, with what looked to be their shadows in Moria''s limp grasp.


    Was he alright? What happened?


    "Rosan is unconscious but I''m still here."


    Robin sighed in relief at seeing Rosan''s eyes snap open, both irises red.


    "Mod-chan, are you okay?" She asked in concern.


    "...Just a bit disoriented. Let''s regroup for now while I try to awaken Rosan," she muttered, pushing herself up.


    The Devil Fruit wasted no time grabbing them all with her wind and flew out of the building, making sure to leave a bird behind to assess the next course of action.


    The Thriller Pirates, barring Moria, watched in shock as Rosan woke up instantly from getting his shadow extracted.


    That wasn''t supposed to be possible! H-How were they already awake?!


    "They''re getting away, M-Moria-sama!" Perona stammered in fear, watching the group swiftly vanish through the hole that strange purple haired woman (where did she go?!) created.


    Moria didn''t register her words. He just continued staring at Absalom''s corpse with a stunned expression, unable to muster up any thoughts.


    Hogback looked at the frozen Moria and the panicking Perona, before sighing.


    Moria was in shock right now, currently reliving some trauma that he had buried. How he would react when not in that trauma? Hogback wasn''t sure¡­


    But it''d likely deviate from his main plan and that just wouldn''t do.


    "Moria-sama, Zombie #900," he reminded.


    Best to take advantage of him in this state before he regained clarity and committed suicide attempting to fight both the Red Devil and Straw Hat Luffy.


    A dazed Moria nodded numbly, allowing Hogback to guide him to the location of Oars.


    The looming body of the ancient giant, dwarfed everyone there but Moria didn''t take the time to admire it this time.


    He mindlessly grasped the shadow of Luffy and unceremoniously jammed it into Oars body.


    The effects were immediate.


    Perona and Hogback couldn''t help but watch in awe as Oars began to awaken with a beastly roar.


    The giant stood over 60 meters, an intimidating visage of red skin as he glared down at them.


    "MEEEAT!" The Zombie demanded, ripping the chains off of him with no effort.


    Still, Moria did not react, he gazed at his most prized zombie with a befuddled gaze.


    This was supposed to be a moment of celebration. A Special Zombie, holding the shadow of a man worth 350 million¡­


    With this, he could finally become the Pirate King¡­


    But all he could think about was the corpse of Absalom. All that corpse reminded him of, was Kaido eliminating his crew, back when he was a hotheaded powerhouse of a pirate.


    Hogback had the watching zombies go fetch Oars some meat and looked at Moria with a contemplative expression.


    This shock went deeper than he initially thought. The death of Absalom, was eliciting a deep seated trauma in the man¡­


    "Moria¡­ what did you intend on doing with the Red Devil''s shadow? You still have it," Hogback pointed out slowly.


    "Huh? Oh¡­ right," Moria muttered, gazing at the struggling shadow of The Red Devil.


    What had he been intending to do with the Shadow?


    Ah that''s right...


    Moria had been intending to use the Red Devil''s shadow¡­ to put into his own body instead of a Zombies so that he could acquire his abilities.


    He only had one Special Zombie and someone with the Red Devil''s capabilities¡­ would be ill suited to just put in any random Zombie¡­


    So Moria had decided that instead of using a Zombie¡­ he''d use himself.


    Right¡­ that was the plan.


    Hogback and Perona watched with wide eyes as Moria, who had been operating on autopilot, summarily stuffed the shadow of Rosan into his own body, using himself as the "Zombie".


    The effects were instantaneous.


    "!" Moria hunched over and his eyes began bulging.


    The shadow that belonged to him, ripped out of his body and they watched as it steadily began to transform into a shape similar to that of Rosan.


    Finally, Moria began screaming. Not from pain¡­ No, the Warlord began screaming in raw unadulterated anger.


    "That bastard!" Moria snarled furiously, eyes bulging in fury as he recalled the Red Devil that dared to kill his crewmate.


    Just like that bastard Kaido¡­ Moria stood straight as he gazed murderously at the direction they vanished in.


    "Do you want us to pursue and bring them back with the Zombies?" Perona asked nervously, taking a step back at Moria''s ominous presence.


    To their utter shock, the Warlord shook his head.


    "No, I''ll deal with them," he promised, eyes dark with rage he was finding hard to control.


    But he would need to for now.


    With barely a thought, his Shadow was fully extracted from his body and he sent it off.


    Then, he turned towards the curious Oars.


    "Oars, we''re gonna get into a fight with some troublemakers who want to stop you from eating meat," Moria said bluntly, clenching a fist tightly.


    Oars'' eyes widened at that. "WHAT?! THEY WANT TO STOP ME FROM EATING MEAT?!" He bellowed furiously.


    Moria nodded without hesitation a violent gleam in his eyes. "That''s right. Let''s stop them completely."


    The giant with Luffy''s shadow nodded without any hesitation. "Let''s kick their asses!"


    Hogback looked nervously at Moria.


    He wasn''t acting normal. Moria was acting nothing like himself. The lazy man taking initiative, was the last thing he''d do and that was cause for concern.


    Moria''s personality¡­ had it been overruled by the Red Devil?


    But how? How powerful were the Red Devil''s emotions? How strong was his will, that they''d overrule the original personality of the user of the Kage Kage no Mi.


    "Moria-sama¡­ maybe you should get rid of the Red Devil''s shadow?" Perona spoke up, hesitation on her features.


    She came to the same conclusion as Hogback. Moria didn''t act anything like this ever so it could only be because he had absorbed the shadow of the Red Devil.


    Moria gazed at Perona, fury still in his gaze and tilted his head slightly, causing her to flinch back in surprise.


    "Why would I do that?" He demanded, gazing at his hands with a hungry expression.


    "B-Because you aren''t acting like yourself...?" Perona said hesitantly, gazing at the maniacal gleam in her captain''s eyes. That rage mixed with mania... it was unnerving.


    Moria shook his head furiously.


    "I haven''t felt like this in years! This motivation, this anger¡­ this knowledge! I feel like a whole new person now! You want me to get rid of this?!" Moria ranted.


    Despite his urge to kill the Red Devil¡­ keeping Rosan alive was suddenly very vital to him¡­ because Moria felt like how he felt when he were in his prime.


    No¡­ even more than that. Moria felt stronger. This wasn''t a feeling he had felt even in his prime...


    Rosan was a torrent and that torrent was seeping into his very core!


    He had never felt so ALIVE!


    The knowledge¡­ the abilities¡­ The Red Devil just handed so much information over to him and it was valuable in a way that he''d never be able to explain.


    And he''d show him exactly how much he appreciated that.


    Without any hesitation, Moria held out a hand and shot a shadowy laser that connected directly with the bird watching them, instantly destroying the creature.


    Perona and Hogback watched the practically new man with wide eyes. There was nothing they could properly say so they said nothing.


    Was this¡­ was this just a glimpse of what the Red Devil was like? How strong was he¡­ where he could even overpower a Warlord''s personality?!


    "Gather the rest of the Zombies, Hogback. We need to recuperate and decide our next course with Absalom''s... death. Perona, send out your ghosts to scout the entire area. Find both the woman with purple hair and the Red Devil. Make sure you''re well hidden," he instructed.


    They gazed at the man, stunned at the rapid shift in emotion.


    "I gave you an order."


    They both squeaked and saluted, dashing off to follow his commands and get ready.


    Moria watched them go, before turning his gaze towards the Oars wolfing down the meat brought to him.


    Finally, he walked towards the room where Absalom''s body resided and gazed at it.


    No shadow¡­ the man was well and truly dead...


    In an instant. Moria hadn''t even heard him dying. By the time he had been aware of it all, Absalom was gone.


    Was he screaming for his help? Was he hoping that Moria saved him.


    Moria felt a wave of anger crash into him and try as he might, he couldn''t stifle it. Shadows began roiling off the man and he snarled in fury.


    How could they... how could they kill him?!


    "...How curious. You might come to regret not taking me serious."


    ...Was it his fault? Now that he looked back at the conversation, Moria could see that the woman''s words were laced with warning.


    But he had been treating the whole situation so laxly... because of his lack of awareness, the woman''s danger had been hidden from him...


    And she just disappeared too? Was she capable of swapping positions with the Red Devil?


    Moria scowled. The Red Devil''s Devil Fruit was some type of Mythical Zoan that granted him various abilities...


    He would need to experiment more with his abilities. The Straw Hats were a formidable group so he''d need to prepare for war...


    The Warlord sneered and located the shadow of an irrelevant Zombie, before violently ripping it out and bringing it to his position.


    He grabbed the shadow and glared at it, before forcefully molding it into a shape that he was satisfied with.


    It seized up, before submitting to his will and allowing itself to be changed.


    Moria let out a grunt of satisfaction as he gazed at the shadowy scythe in his hands.


    A scythe¡­ was this perhaps the main weapon of the Red Devil?

 Thriller Bark II

    "What type of spider is this?" Canary asked curiously, idly carrying Sanji''s unconscious body with a set of arms attached to her back.


    "A spider monkey," Raven said like it were obvious. She was using her Devil Fruit to hold Zoro despite really not wanting


    "Don''t speak like that''s obvious. You know exactly how a spider monkey looks!" she retorted, turning towards her with a scowl.


    Franky perked up at the voices and gazed at the clones with a happy look.


    "Oh! Nico Robins!" He greeted, webbed up from the spiders abilities.


    "Raven you fucking idiot," Raven sneered at the cyborg.


    "Canary," Canary corrected, gazing at the scene with a small smile.


    Franky laughed nervously. Right, he forgot that Robin''s clones were basically individual people.


    "A little help here? I''m a bit trapped," he asked.


    Raven rolled her eyes. "My job was to retrieve these two idiots. I don''t feel like helping you."


    Franky sweatdropped. The angry Robin was as scary as always.


    Canary held her head and summoned a flurry of arms that grabbed the zombie. "Try burning yourself out. We don''t have anything to get you out," she instructed.


    Franky nodded as Raven dashed away from the spider zombie''s silk.


    "How are we going to eliminate this thing?" Raven asked, watching it valiantly struggle in the arms grip. She narrowed her eyes and added to the amount of arms, making hers stab into the spider.


    Raven was the clone least adverse to using Shigan. She actually enjoyed using it and found that it was very effective.


    Good thing Robin already had the strength necessary (thanks to Rosan and his hellish training) to understand the basics of the move fairly easily.


    Now she just needed to learn to make it ranged. Shouldn''t be difficult, those notes from that girl were useful.


    But their skillset didn''t seem fantastic against zombies. Even after poking holes in the thing, it was still moving about with no discomfort.


    How annoying.


    "If I may?"


    Raven and Canary both paused, watching as a figure speedily approached the restrained zombie.


    Tararan, the spider monkey hybrid, could only watch in horror as a familiar skeleton sped to his location with salt in his hands.


    To make matters worse, the hands picked up on it and forced his mouth open.


    "Wait! Hold on don''t do this¡ª" Tararan panicked.


    Brook deposited the salt in his mouth.


    "Salt is their weakness," he informed the three, watching as the shadow flew out of the zombies mouth. "If you have some, just feed them it and their shadow will disappear."


    Canary nodded with a surprised expression. "That''s good to know..."


    Raven grumbled. "I could have taken it out eventually."


    Brook, hearing the same voice come from different positions with different tones, turned towards both of Robin''s clones and felt his jaw drop.


    "A-A-A sister?!" He gaped, gazing at the two Robins.


    He had no idea that his friend had a sister! They looked exactly alike too!


    "Does this mean I can ask one of you to see your panties?!"


    A hand formed on his back, and brutally slapped him down to the floor without any hesitation.


    "Not a chance in hell. Only one person has that honor," Raven sneered.


    Canary sighed. "Don''t say that out loud, idiot. I agree but you know how the main body gets."


    Raven shrugged. "Prude."


    "She''s literally us."


    Franky held his head at the two gearing to argue once more. "Robin sent you two here?" he interrupted.


    Canary turned away from Raven, smile on her face as she nodded easily. "That''s right! I just got new orders so we''re all meeting back at the ship."


    The cyborg nodded curiously at that and began following the two.


    "What do you think you''re doing Skeleton? Let''s go!" Raven scowled, turning her head to regard the confused Brook.


    "Oh there''s no need, I still have business I must attend¡ª"


    "Let''s. Go. Don''t make me upset," Raven warned.


    "You''re always upset. It makes you a liability," Canary said, rolling her eyes.


    "Oh that''s it. I''m so sick of you!"


    "That makes two of us!"


    "They''re ridiculous," Franky thought incredulously, grabbing Zoro and Sanji''s unconscious bodies and slinging them over his shoulder.


    Brook merely sweat a little and hesitantly followed after the crew, a bit afraid for his life if he refused.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Mod let out a startled gasp, as she felt the bird watching Moria and co, get summarily destroyed by the Warlord...


    "Mod-chan? What''s the matter?" Nami asked in concern.


    The woman bit her lip nervously and looked at all the curious eyes.


    Besides Her, Nami and Robin. There was Chopper and Usopp, the three unconscious monster trio along with Franky and Brook.


    Raven and Canary had encountered both Franky and Brook while fighting a giant spider and had been in the process of bringing them, along with Sanji and Zoro, back to the ship before she intercepted them.


    Without much preamble, she engulfed them all in wind (much to Brook''s protesting) and soared over to the Thousand Sunny.


    Now Mod was using her abilities to spy on the pirates¡­


    Well, up until Moria destroyed it.


    "Things have gotten a bit complicated," Mod explained to the group with furrowed brows, back in her own body.


    "While I appreciate the hospitality, I was against being kidnapped, young lady. I have my own personal matters to attend to," Brook said to the beautiful woman.


    "No, me grabbing you was the best case scenario. We need to regroup and rethink and having as much allies is likely pivotal," the Devil Fruit muttered.


    Brook looked confused at that.


    "What''s wrong?" Robin asked the disturbed woman.


    "Before I explain the scenario, I''d like some things cleared up¡­"


    Mod turned to Brook with a serious expression.


    "Moria steals shadows and puts them in zombies, correct?" She asked the skeleton.


    Brook blinked and nodded. "Yes¡­ he stole my zombie and put it inside of a famed warrior by the name of Ryuma. He scours lands and digs up bodies, then he places shadows inside of them and they inherit that person''s abilities."


    "The legendary swordsman?" Robin asked in surprise. Moria managed to get a body like that?


    "We encountered that zombie!" Usopp exclaimed. "So that''s why he was so familiar! We thought it was you, Brook!"


    Mod frowned. "That just answered my next question¡­ the shadows personality takes over the Zombie in the revival."


    Everyone looked shocked by that.


    "Wait! That dog!" Nami exclaimed. "The one that was protecting me because I was a woman! That was Sanji''s shadow!"


    Chopper and Usopp''s eyes bugged at that. It made so much sense!


    "And that swordsman with 3 blades must have been Zoro," Franky said grimly.


    The purple haired woman let out a sigh of relief. "Well that means we know where all 5 shadows are then."


    Everyone blinked.


    "Five¡­?" They muttered. They had only mentioned 3?


    Mod nodded. "The reason I''m a little concerned is because well¡­. Moria placed Luffy''s shadow in an ancient giant by the name of Oars."


    ¡­


    "A giant?" Nami asked weakly, knees shaking.


    "Oars?" Robin muttered in shock. "The Continent Puller?"


    Usopp balked. Continent Puller? What type of intimidating title was that? That was way too cool to belong to someone weak...


    Mod nodded seriously. "Yes. He has Luffy''s shadow and has inherited his personality and fighting style."


    A wave of trepidation went through them at the terrible revelation that a giant was walking around with their incredibly capable captain''s shadow.


    "What about Rosan''s shadow?" Robin asked curiously, not truly worried about getting it back considering Rosan''s abilities weren''t very easy to replicate. "What zombie is it in?"


    Mod bit her lip. "Well that''s the problem¡­ Rosan''s shadow isn''t in a zombie¡­"


    They glanced in confusion at that and Mod chose to stop sugarcoating it.


    "Rosan''s shadow¡­ Moria absorbed it and used himself as the host for it," she explained slowly, looking worried at that.


    "...What?!" They hissed in horror.


    The Warlord had absorbed Rosan''s shadow for himself?! There was a Warlord walking around with his and Rosan''s strength?!


    Oh... Oh no.


    "If it was just inside of a Zombie¡­ I''d destroy and get it back but this changes things drastically¡­ to make matters worse, it appears Rosan''s personality has actually begun dominating Moria''s own," she explained.


    Robin''s features turned concerned at that. "Based on our short meeting with Moria¡­ Rosan dominating his personality is actually a good thing for him. This is bad for us," she muttered.


    Mod nodded, equally concerned. "Rosan is a genius. It didn''t take him long at all to begin innovating with our Devil Fruit¡­ Moria''s experience combined with Rosan''s ingenuity."


    Mod firmly believed that if given someone else''s fruit (barring Luffy), Rosan would use it better. The redhead was a true genius and the fact that Moria had his shadow¡­


    He might begin utilizing the Kage Kage no Mi in ways he never thought of before.


    If Moria''s personality had dominated, Mod was confident that she could eventually defeat him but now? Things were far more difficult.


    Not to mention Oars and all the other zombies¡­ and the remaining humans too.


    "We need to wake everyone up. We must focus all our attention on defeating the zombies with our shadows," Mod explained, gazing at the bodies of Luffy, Zoro and Sanji.


    She also needed to wake up Rosan¡­


    "Do you guys have any idea how we should wake them up?" Mod asked, tapping them experimentally with a weak dose of her lightning and getting no reaction out of the trio.


    "I know what to do, Mod-chan!" Usopp puffed up confidently.


    The sniper took a deep breath. "LOOK, THERE''S A BEAUTIFUL FEMALE SWORD MASTER CARRYING LOTS OF MEAT!" he shouted.


    "There''s no way that''ll work," Mod thought in disbelief.


    "Beautiful female?!"


    "Meat?!"


    "Sword master?!"


    "It worked?!" She balked in confusion.


    Surely it wasn''t that¡­ Was it really that easy?!


    One moment.


    "R-Rosan! Please help! A pervert is lewdly grabbing Robin''s butt and I''m up next!" Mod exclaimed in a panic.


    Robin sweatdropped deeply as an unfocused wave of rage and pressure emitted from Mod''s body without prompting, flooring everyone there with stunned eyes.


    "WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?! Who the fuck is touching you?!" Rosan roared violently, eyes snapping open from his slumber.


    "WHO''S TRYING TO TOUCH AUNTIE AND MOTHER INAPPROPRIATELY?! I''LL RIP THEM TO SHREDS!"


    "I''m fine Rosan¡­ the rage you emitted disintegrated them on the spot," Robin said, staring at the sheepish Mod with a deadpan stare.


    "That''s not enough. Bring them back. No one can grab your ass but me," he snarled.


    "Rosan, please stop saying such unhinged things, no matter how true they are," Robin requested with a sigh.


    Why was he like this? Though, Robin was rather flattered that Rosan saw her in the same vein as Luffy with meat, Zoro with swords and Sanji with girls.


    As strange as that sounded¡­ Should she really be happy about that?


    Perhaps that just spoke to the other three''s irregularities.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan pursed his lips as he digested the information.


    "Moria has my shadow?" He asked in curiosity, given back control by Mod.


    How unlucky that Moria made the best possible move with his shadow. Nobody would ever be able to fully utilize his shadow but the lazy man gaining Rosan''s personality¡­


    "Yes¡­ what should we do?" Mod asked curiously.


    Brook had been given the shock of his life, seeing the beautiful Mod transform back into Rosan.


    That beautiful young lady... was Rosan? Rosan was that beautiful young lady?


    How did that work? Were they different people? It seemed like it, considering the young lady was a kind and motherly person... while Rosan was a smug and belligerent person.


    Perhaps an extreme form of dual personality...


    Rosan simply shrugged, closing his eyes and giving control back to Mod.


    "?!" Mod tilted her head in confusion as she took control of his body.


    "The real question is, what should you do. Didn''t I tell you? You''re in control for this mission so finish it up."


    "You¡­ want me to fight Moria then?" Mod asked in surprise, unable to explain how that made her feel.


    "Get used to it. We''ll be fighting together once I free you from my body. And I don''t recommend fighting Moria alone. You might need some help."


    Mod blinked, before flushing slightly and nodding hesitantly.


    "Alright," she said. "Let''s discuss strategy."


    "Mod-chan? You''re staying out?" Nami asked in surprise and delight.


    She nodded slowly. "Rosan wants me to finish this mission¡­ so I''m going to do that."


    The Straw Hats looked surprised by that but nodded easily, pleased to have her out.


    "You guys probably know by now¡­ but Rosan and I act differently and therefore, we operate differently," Mod explained, eyes glowing seriously.


    "Rosan is a show off at heart that makes a show of his operations. He will complete his mission, and he will have fun doing it. I am a bit more pragmatic. My philosophy, is slowly choking them of any chance of victory," she continued.


    "Scary!"


    "Usopp, your observation''s range is giant¡­ can you detect where the ghost girl is?" Mod asked suddenly.


    Usopp blinked in shock, a little surprised to be so included in a Rosan/Mod plan, before nodding.


    "I can feel her," he nodded.


    Mod smiled. "Good. Outside of raw power, she is their most useful member. I want you to capture and neutralize her. I will help you."


    Usopp nodded, a beaming grin on his face at her trust in him.


    "Brook, you cannot defeat your shadow I assume? Likely because Ryuma is the host of the zombie?" She asked the skeleton.


    Brook looked ashamed and nodded. "I''ve trained¡­ but I''m still too weak. His body and sword are both superior."


    She pursed her lips at that. "What do you fight for, Brook? What are your motives? I''d like to understand you before including you in my plans."


    The skeleton looked rather surprised by that. "I... need my shadow back so that I may sail in the sun again. You see, a very long time ago.. my crew and I left behind a friend and we promised him that we''d visit again, before tragedy struck us."


    Brook pointed to his afro. "I''m the only survivor left and I hope he''s able to recognize me even though I''m like this... it''s been so long."


    Mod paused at that. Hadn''t Brook be in here for 50 something years?


    Wait a minute... 50 years?


    "Brook, I''m sorry if this may be a bit personal... but the person waiting for you... are they a whale by any chance?" Mod asked curiously.


    Every Straw Hat (barring Franky and Chopper), felt their eyes widen to epic proportions as they heard that sentence come out of their mouths.


    Brook himself felt his jaw open at that question and gazed at Mod like she were some type of wizard. "Why... yes. My friend is named Laboon... we had to leave him behind because he was too young to traverse the Grand Line."


    "WHAT?!" The Straw Hats roared.


    This was who Laboon was waiting for?! That whale all the way back at Twin Cape.


    "It''s been so long... we promised him that we''d come back as soon as possible and yet 50 years have passed and he hasn''t seen anyone," Brook sighed wistfully. "I wonder if he''s still waiting. I wonder if he hates us."


    Mod felt her eyes soften at that.


    "We ran into Laboon! Back when we first entered the Grand Line!" Luffy exclaimed happily.


    Brook froze at that.


    "That reckless whale... to think he was right to wait," Zoro said with a small grin.


    "He''s been waiting this whole time for you all," Nami said with a small smile, overcome with emotion at seeing the stunned look in Brook''s eyes.


    Sanji shook his head with a grin. "Guess he was right to wait all those years."


    Usopp wiped the tears from his eyes. "To think that this whole time, he wasn''t waiting for nothing!"


    Mod smiled gently. "You made a promise to Laboon and even after all this time you intend to keep it... Laboon must have known how good your crew was, because he never doubted you all for a second. We made that same promise to him too you know?"


    "...Truly?" Brook asked quietly, emotion beginning to overwhelm him. "Laboon is still... he''s still waiting for us?"


    "He was killing himself doing it so we made a promise that we''d come back to visit him too after our journey so that he''d stop!" Luffy laughed ecstatically. "This is great! Laboon can see the both of us again!"


    See the both of us again...


    Brook felt tears falling from his eyes at the revelation.


    So even after all this time, Laboon never once doubted them. He was so desperate to see them again, that he had begun crashing his head against the Red Line to make it back to the 4 seas...


    To still have so much faith in them...


    "...I''m so glad! Truly, I''m so happy!" Brook sobbed in relief, tears falling freely as everyone gazed at him.


    They allowed the skeleton to cry and Mod couldn''t stop the small tears from forming in her eyes, pulling Robin into a hug to hide her face.


    Robin smiled softly, just returning the hug.


    Rosan smiled softly at that. Mod was such a sap.


    Mod nodded strongly. "We will return your shadow to you at all costs and in return, I just need you to purify as many zombies as possible. I will supply you with all the salt you''ll need so please help us!"


    Brook wiped his eyes and nodded. "I will help to my best ability... but I do have a request."


    She tilted her head. "Yes, what is it?"


    "After this is done, I''d like to officially join the crew."


    ...


    "WHAT?!" The Straw Hats roared in shock, stunned that he was bringing it up.


    Luffy laughed happily. "Of course! Sail with me on my ship! After I become Pirate King, I''ll bring you back to Laboon!"


    Brook bowed at that. "Yes, captain. I''ll give my all to support you!"


    "Welcome to the crew Brook. You''ll love it," Mod said with a pleased smile, moved by the skeleton and his goals.


    Everyone else faux sighed, smiles on their face at hearing that. They were just playing it up mostly... having Brook in the crew was already long accepted by them and they welcomed it now.


    Mod turned towards Zoro with a look of determination. "Zoro, Ryuma was a legendary samurai. His skills were unparalleled and it likely reflects somewhat in his body¡­ but he''s only using Brook''s shadow so he should be far weaker than the actual Ryuma. Please fight and defeat him. I''ve pinpointed his location already."


    "She''s so effective?!"


    Did Rosan always have this information on deck and just never share it with them? He was such an asshole! Seriously, would it kill him to tell them some things?!


    "Sure, I''ll deal with him. If he''s a samurai, he might have a sword worth taking," Zoro nodded easily.


    Mod smiled, before a hoof shook her and she gazed at the determined Chopper.


    "Mod-chan, I want Hogback!" Chopper requested with a furious glare.


    The purple haired woman pursed her lips, closing her eyes.


    She had the birds flying high to remain out of sight so it was difficult to pinpoint exactly where he was¡­


    Oh?


    "Alright, Chopper you can fight him¡­ Do be careful¡­ Sanji could you go with him? I may supply more backup if all goes well," Mod informed him.


    Everyone tilted their head in confusion. "If what goes well?" they asked.


    Mod smiled and pointed over the ship, allowing a bird to land on her finger and prompting everyone to look over the rails.


    A group of humans were looking at the ship with wide eyes.


    In the front, a large pink haired lady gazed at them with confusion in her gaze and Mod waved at her.


    "Hello! Considering you followed my bird, I would assume you aren''t apart of Moria''s crew?" She asked politely, floating down to regard the humans.


    The pink haired woman blinked in befuddlement. "N-No¡­ we''ve gotten our shadows taken by Moria¡­ we''ve been hiding in the dark to avoid losing them but some of us have been getting them back... do you have anything to do with that?"


    "Then that means we''re friends," Mod smiled at the group. "To answer your question, yes. I took out a large amount of Zombies because we''re also at odds with Moria. Considering only some of you have gotten your shadows back, I assume none of you are strong enough to do so?"


    Everyone of them shook their head in defeat.


    "Going against him and his crew... along with all those zombies. It''s impossible," Lola admitted. "We''ve just been jumping any zombie we can and freeing shadows in hopes that they may have ours."


    Mod nodded sympathetically.


    "If you ally yourselves with us, you have the greatest chance of getting your shadows back. Fortunately for you, Thriller Bark will fall before the night is over and I''d love if you could join and help speed things up!" Mod offered, staring into the sky for a moment.


    "I''m Mod, a pleasure to meet you all," she greeted, smiling warmly and offering her hand.


    "...I''m Lola," the pink haired woman returned, accepting the hand of the polite but assertive woman. "We''d love to help¡­ but how can we be so sure that you can stop Moria? He''s recently activated the zombie of a giant¡­ and it looks unbeatable."


    Mod tilted her head and held out a hand to the sky, before shooting a massive purple laser upwards.


    Hildon, who had been spying on them, had no time to react as it crashed into him and brought him to the floor.


    "W-Wait! This isn''t what it looks like!" He panicked, gazing into the cold eyes of Mod.


    Before the zombie could even move, Mod deftly poured salt in its mouth, instantly purifying it.


    "You do not have to be sure of anything. Just offer your assistance to me," Mod smiled gently. "Surely it''s better than just wasting away here? Become my chess pieces and I will guide you all to victory."


    The group of Moria''s victims stared at Mod with wide eyes, before nodding hastily at the suddenly terrifying woman.


    "W-We''ll help!" Lola said with wide eyes, thinking back to that massive laser.


    Scary...


    "Alright! I will supply everyone with as much salt as possible and have you work on purging as many zombies as possible! Please follow Chopper and Sanji."


    Mod turned towards the blonde. "Sanji, I want you to defeat both you and Zoro''s shadow. They are with Hogback," she explained.


    Sanji saluted at that. "Anything for you Mod-chan!" he grinned


    "Mod-chan sure is effective," Nami muttered in awe, watching her operate with wide eyes.


    She was similar to Rosan but the way they operated was very different.


    While Rosan opted to do everything by himself if possible, hardly engaging in the idea of teamwork with anyone barring Robin¡­ Mod seemed to use every possible piece she was given to their max effectiveness.


    It was impressive seeing the two, who were so in sync, operate completely differently. Rosan was a self operating machine, while Mod was a chess master.


    "What about the rest of us?" Nami suddenly asked in curiosity.


    What was Mod''s most effective way of utilizing Nami? Was she to offer Usopp support?


    Mod smiled apologetically towards her and that sent blaring signals through Nami''s head.


    W-What was with that look? Why was Mod-chan looking at her like that?


    "I truly am sorry about this Nami¡­ but depending on how things go, you and Franky, will have to play distraction for the time being."


    Nami went cold. "Distraction on who exactly¡­?"


    Mod smoothly hid behind Robin before saying, "Oars."


    ¡­


    ¡­


    "BRING BACK ROSAN RIGHT NOW!" Nami roared in disbelief. "R-ROSAN WOULDN''T MAKE ME FIGHT OARS! H-HE''D FIGHT HIM BY HIMSELF! BRING HIM BACK!" she screeched, lunging at the suddenly demonic Mod with a look of fury.


    Robin effortlessly caught Nami with an exasperated look and stopped her from assaulting Mod-chan.


    Mod had wide eyes, as Rosan cackled in amusement.


    "Don''t worry Nami! Luffy will be with you all too! You just have to offer him support and once everyone finishes their job, they will assist you!" Mod reassured.


    Hearing that their captain would be helping, put Nami in a bit more ease¡­ but she didn''t want to fight a giant!


    "What about you, Mod-chan?" Robin asked in concern. "Are you going to fight Moria alone? Will you be alright?"


    Mod smiled in reassurance. "I can hold Moria long enough for you guys to deal with your missions and Oars. Once you all finish, please gang up on Oars and when he is dealt with, come to me!"


    They gazed at the woman before nodding.


    "Only because you asked," Nami said miserably.


    D-Did she really have to fight a giant with Luffy''s capabilities?


    Robin furrowed her brows. "Mod-chan, you haven''t said what I''ll be doing. There is a reason for that, yes?"


    Mod smiled slightly. "Why yes there is."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Hogback."


    The Doctor perked up at that, glancing back too see a furious Chopper and a calm Sanji.


    "Ah! Dr. Chopper!" Hogback greeted with a pleased smile. "What brings you here?"


    Chopper glared furiously at the so called doctor.


    "Stop that! You don''t get to act friendly with me you fraud of a doctor!" Chopper growled.


    Hogback laughed in some disappointment. He thought a doctor who was an animal would see things differently but alas, Chopper was just the same as the rest who wanted to remain in their fields with no hopes of expanding.


    "You''re just another boring doctor like every other one that I''ve grown to despise! Perhaps your shadow will give birth to a new and more interesting person."


    With a snap of his fingers, three zombies appeared.


    Sanji and Chopper tensed up, as Cindry, a penguin with a dog''s face and a zombie wielding three swords showed up.


    Chopper and Sanji immediately locked onto the zombie wielding three cutlasses and the doctor was glad that Mod sent the chef with him.


    If he had to fight all of them alone, he''d be toast! A zombie of Zoro and Sanji sounded so strong!


    Sanji''s eyes lit up in excitement and without any hesitation in his body, he blurred forward.


    Jigoro, the swordsman with Zoro''s shadow, didn''t have a single moment to react, as a foot connected to his face, sending him flying into a wall at tremendous speeds.


    Hogback''s eyes bugged out of his head at Sanji''s ridiculous speed. He hadn''t even seen the chef move!


    Wasn''t this one of the Straw Hats without a bounty?! He was this strong?! Why didn''t he have a bounty?! If they knew he was so exceptional, his shadow would have gone in something besides the Penguin Dog!


    "Hey Chopper¡­ since this is the shadow of that shitty swordsman¡­ I can beat him as much as I want, right?" Sanji asked calmly.


    Chopper began sweating at the demonic fire in Sanji''s eyes.


    "Y-Yes?" The doctor said in an unsure manner.


    The chef nodded calmly. "Alright. Since it''s that bastard swordsman''s zombie, he''s probably the strongest one here. I''ll keep him occupied," Sanji decided.


    "Sanji''s really scary right now!" Chopper thought in disbelief. "I don''t know if I can fight them 3 on 1¡­ can you take another one?" The reindeer asked meekly.


    Sanji nodded thoughtfully, before vanishing from his spot in a burst of speed.


    Hogback went white as the chef appeared directly in front of him, leg poised to crush his skull but right before the attack could connect, Cindry jumped in the way of the attack.


    Two things happened. Sanji quickly diverted his leg to avoid connecting with the woman, while the penguin leapt at Sanji with murder in his eyes.


    "HOW DARE YOU TRY TO HIT A LADY IN FRONT OF ME!" The penguin roared.


    The penguin''s leg connected with Sanji''s and the two clashed for a moment, before the chef effortlessly overpowered him and launched him away.


    "Crap, I almost hit a lady!" Sanji cursed, leaping away from Cindry''s plates.


    "Um¡­ Sanji, I know where your shadow is but you might not like what I''m going to say," Chopper spoke up suddenly.


    Sanji glanced back at the doctor with a raised brow. "Mod-chan said she already knew who my zombie was. Who is it?" He asked curiously.


    He did not like the look on Chopper''s face.


    "I think¡­ it''s in that penguin," Chopper said slowly, pointing a hoof at said penguin.


    "¡­"


    Sanji turned towards the penguin that he had kicked towards Zoro''s zombie with a blank expression.


    "He got really angry when you almost hit the girl¡­ and he hit you with his leg¡­ or flipper," the doctor explained.


    "That''s not enough to assume this penguin is me," Sanji retorted calmly, refusing that possibility.


    "He was protecting Nami and refused to lay a hand on her," Chopper added.


    "A coincidence," Sanji said calmly.


    "Stupid penguin can''t even hold him for a second," Jigoro, Zoro''s zombie, muttered.


    "What was that shitty swordsman?" Inuppe, Sanji''s shadow, snarled.


    "¡­" Sanji gazed calmly at the zombies arguing with each other. "This doesn''t prove anything."


    Chopper sweatdropped deeply.


    "You''re in denial? Don''t be such a dumbass. If that isn''t you, I''ll compliment that stupid idiot with my smile," a voice called out, making them both freeze.


    Sanji and Chopper turned in shock, and felt their happiness grow at seeing Robin standing behind them¡­


    With a scowl set firmly on her face.


    Ah this was Raven. The really scary version of Robin.


    "I''m here to offer assistance on orders of the boss woman," Raven grunted, summoning a plethora of arms on Cindry. "Chopper, you can deal with the ugly little penguin dog," she instructed gently.


    Despite being utterly terrifying to everyone she spoke to, Raven had a soft spot for Chopper (and especially Ram). So despite being very annoyed that she was tasked with being away from Mod and Rosan, this wasn''t terrible.


    "Raven!" Chopper cheered happily! "Alright! I''ll do my best, I''ve been training really hard so I''ll win and then I''ll make Hogback pay!"


    Raven nodded approvingly. "That''s what I like to hear. I''ll be occupied dealing with this zombie girl, so you two win your battles."


    "Of course Raven-chan!" Sanji swooned, launching himself at Jigoro with renewed vigor and immediately putting the swordsman on the backfoot.


    Jigoro, despite having someone as formidable as Zoro''s shadow inside of him, stood absolutely no chance against Sanji, who fought the real, stronger, version daily.


    The swordsman wasn''t taking actual damage from Sanji, but he was completely unable to hit the chef that was weaving between his attacks with startling ease.


    Sanji grinned smugly, taking a great joy in crushing anything related to Zoro, all while practicing his Observation Haki in the process.


    The blonde chef had been practicing it with such fervor, he was making leaps and bounds with it.


    Needless to say, Jigoro only served as a punching bag that Sanji used as a replacement for Zoro himself.


    Sanji could have ended the match instantly. He already had a bag of salt and was far faster than everyone in this room¡­ but he was enjoying himself.


    So he continued to use Jigoro as a punching bag, waiting for everyone else to finish their matches to wrap up his own.


    While Sanji was having a very fun time, the same could not be said for Chopper.


    After all, he was locked in combat with a zombie that had Sanji''s shadow inside of it and the reindeer wouldn''t dream of being able to defeat the chef in a serious battle.


    The reindeer hastily transformed into Heavy Point to block a devastating kick to the forearm that sent him flying back.


    "So strong!" Chopper thought in disbelief as he glanced at his bruised arm.


    He was given no respite, as the penguin blurred forward to deliver another kick to his head.


    The reindeer squealed in horror and shrunk into his default form, dodging the kick and leaping out of the way.


    "Tch," Inuppe scoffed. "This body isn''t right¡­ nothing works the way I want it to," the zombie scowled.


    "That''s probably the only reason I haven''t been decimated yet!" Chopper thought in horror.


    Was he really supposed to fight Sanji?! How was Chopper going to do that?!


    "Are you satisfied being this weak?" Raven asked suddenly, weaving a dish as she gazed at Chopper with a frown.


    Chopper jumped at that and turned towards her with wide eyes.


    "How long do you plan on playing the weak card?" She asked with a frown. "No matter how much you improve, you will never actually be strong, as long as you think you''re weak."


    She continuously weaved the dishes thrown at her with narrowed eyes, crossing her arms in the process.


    A flurry of arms grabbed Cindry''s arms and shoved them upward, making the plates fall to the floor. The zombie struggled but more arms formed and forced the woman''s hands behind her head.


    The angry clone of Robin, crossed her arms and summoned a mass amount of arms that completely restrained the struggling Cindry, before she approached the woman and placed salt in her mouth.


    She made it look so easy¡­ and she was just a clone of the actual Robin¡­ That fight had required almost no effort from her...


    "C-CINDRY!" Hogback shouted in horror, watching how easily she had been dispatched. He gazed at the prone zombie with wide eyes.


    The doctor took a step back, only for a plethora of arms to immediately restrain him.


    He went white in horror and gazed at the terrifying woman, fear etching his features as the grip on him tightened.


    To drive her point across, a finger from the conjured arms began poking him and it actually began slightly piercing him.


    W-Who was this woman?!


    "You aren''t weak, Chopper. Stop pretending like you are or else I''m going to sick Rosan on you," Raven reprimanded with a scowl on her face.


    Chopper whitened, before nodded to himself.


    She¡­ was right. Chopper had been training nonstop with Maro and she''d be disappointed in him if he kept acting like he wasn''t bearing any fruits from that.


    Because he was. Chopper¡­ Chopper was strong too!


    "Alright! I''ll win!" The reindeer exclaimed with resolve in his eyes.


    Raven''s scowl lessened and the brunette snorted. "Good. You better win. I''ll be holding this doctor tight just for you."


    Hogback let out a squeak of terror as Chopper glared at him, before pulling out a Rumble Ball.


    Neither he and Maro had mastered assimilating Seimei Kikan with their Devil Fruits, but they were making great progress with the technique.


    Chopper hadn''t stopped relying on the Rumble Balls just yet¡­ but he did discover something.


    Something new.


    "Rumble."


    The reindeer bit into it with determination in his gaze and wasted no time transforming.


    If he was going to use the Rumble Ball, he was going to maximize the effects that the 3 minutes gave him.


    Rosan''s notes on Seimei Kikan (Chopper wondered how he got them!) were so precise that the Zoan duo made wonderful progress on them. It was to the point where when consuming Rumble Balls, they could utilize the technique to a very effective degree.


    Chopper had discovered a new form in the process.


    After seeing Maro''s Rumble Ball forms, Chopper realized something himself.


    Maro was a machine streamlined for combat and it reflected in her transformations¡­


    The forms she took reflected what her advantage was, much like him...


    But he didn''t have a form perfectly streamlined for combat.


    Maro had forms that enhanced all her features of a Dokkaebi, much like his own¡­ but Maro also had a form that she referred to as balanced. It didn''t have any major advantage of her other forms, but her skillset became far more difficult to go against, because she didn''t have a weakness.


    Chopper didn''t have a balanced form like that. All of Chopper''s forms took one of his aspects and pushed it to the extreme.


    That fact had given him whiplash. He didn''t have a form that perfectly balanced out all his traits.


    A form that made him perfectly geared for combat in a balanced way¡­ and he already had the means to achieve it.


    "Combat Point."


    Raven and Sanji paused, as Chopper began transforming into a state that they didn''t recognize at all.


    His horns elongated tremendously, his body grew into human form (looking similar in bulk to his Jump Point) as some of his fur receded, his legs remained in reindeer form, while he gained slimmer arms than Arm Point, equipped with black hooves that looked like fingers.


    Chopper glared in determination at the zombie of Sanji in his all new form.


    With the help of Seimei Kikan, Chopper could use the properties of the Rumble Ball to give himself a combination of all his forms¡­ to a degree.


    His horns were not as large as Horn Point, his strength was not as high as Arm Point, he couldn''t jump as high as Jump Point and he didn''t quite have the defensive features of Guard Point ¡­


    But it was still stronger than all of his other forms because it used a little bit of everything and that was so valuable.


    Meeting a Zoan like Maro¡­ one who was a genuine monster and showed no fear of it, one who wanted to master that uncontrollable monster¡­ Chopper wanted to be like that.


    So Chopper would make his Devil Fruit sister proud by becoming equally as monstrous as her.


    The reindeer crouched lowly, reindeer face glaring at Inuppe, before he rocketed forward.


    Chopper''s Jump Point increased his jump power¡­ but he never realized he could use it to make himself way faster as well. It was just one of those things that slipped your mind.


    Case in point, the reindeer who had been slower than the zombie penguin, rammed his sharp horns into Inuppe with speeds faster than he could react to.


    Like a bull, Chopper heaved the zombie up by the horns, before tensing his legs and leaping after him.


    Inuppe could do nothing, as two arms appeared over him and sent him crashing to the floor at tremendous speeds, keratin hooves carving into him with brutal force.


    As Inuppe crashed to the floor, those incredibly dangerous horns crashed into him from above, embedding him firmly to the ground. If he had been human, he would have suffered severe injuries.


    Before the Penguin could even struggle, a bag of salt was forced into his mouth and he was instantly deactivated.


    Raven whistled, impressed by the outstanding display from the reindeer.


    This new form of his was incredible. It combined traits from almost all his transformations to create a formidable combatant.


    A form perfectly streamlined for combat... Actually, he looked like a smaller version of that Monster Point of his.


    "Not bad at all, Chopper," Raven praised, watching the shadow fly towards the gaping Sanji''s form.


    Chopper huffed, before transforming back into his Brain Point and snapping back to reality.


    "Success," he muttered to himself with a fascinated gleam in his eyes.


    The Rumble Ball combined with his little grasping of Seimei Kikan, was already full of incredible potential.


    Chopper now had a set goal in mind. Increase his physical strength, master his transformations and perfect Seimei Kikan!


    He couldn''t forget his medical skills too!


    Was this what it meant to be a monster? Being excited to become stronger? Is this why his crew was so strong?


    Not only did they become strong to protect the ones they loved¡­ it was fulfilling to have the strength to save everyone.


    Chopper could do it both ways. He could use his medical knowledge and his strength to save people!


    Raven watched the revelation with a proud gaze and idly relayed all the information to Robin.


    Looks like they had gotten another member hooked on training. Babe would be very pleased that they managed to convert another one.


    Sanji blinked as his shadow returned to him and he gazed at Chopper just a little warily.


    "Hey Chopper¡­ we''re cool right?" He asked slowly.


    The reindeer blinked. "Of course we are Sanji! Why wouldn''t we be?"


    Sanji pointed at the body of the penguin that was holding his shadow. "That beat down looked personal."


    Chopper blushed in embarrassment. "You''re really strong, Sanji¡­ so I didn''t wanna give you any chance to recover and I only had 3 minutes¡­"


    Maybe he had been a little harsh¡­


    Sanji idly dodged the flying slash sent his way and turned back to Jigoro. "Beating an imitation of the shitty marimo is fun¡­ but it''s not more satisfying than doing it to the real thing," he sighed.


    With that, the chef blurred forward and dipped salt into the zombies mouth.


    Hogback''s mouth opened in horror, at how¡­ at how effortlessly they had been dispatched.


    Doctor Chopper had only been worth 50 Beri! How was he able to beat the shadow of the blonde who he just watched trash the zombie of Roronoa Zoro!


    The fourth highest bounty in the Straw Hats! This chef didn''t even have one?!


    What was this absurdity? This shouldn''t have been possible¡­ just how powerful were the Straw Hats?!


    "Chopper," Raven called. "You said you wanted this guy here, right?" She asked with a cruel gleam.


    Chopper lit up at that reminder, and gazed furiously at the suddenly terrified fraud of a doctor.


    Hogback squeaked in terror.


    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Moria listened to the plans of the Straw Hats, with a contemplative expression.


    Around him, the room he was in was a tattered and destroyed mess.


    The Warlord had been trying to vent off his anger but nothing worked and he ended up with a destroyed room in the process.


    "They''re rather overwhelming, aren''t they?"


    He glanced coldly at the source, not at all surprised to see that purple haired woman.


    She was gazing at the scythe in his hands with pinched brows before focusing on the giant shadow man.


    "Your emotions I mean," Mod inquired politely, a knowing smile on her face. "They''re out of control and you find difficulties with them, don''t you?"


    Moria turned to fully face the woman, noting the Devil Child was silently next to her as well.


    Nico Robin had a happy smile on her face as she regarded the interaction between the two, content to not say a word.


    "They are," Moria said truthfully, hiding his scowl to the best of his abilities. "Which is why you should know being here with me, after killing my crewmate, is a terrible idea."


    Mod and Robin both leapt out of the way, as a shadowy wave of energy nearly crashed into them.


    The purple haired woman grabbed Robin''s arms and they flew out of the room.


    Moria dipped into his own shadow and immediately pursued.


    The Warlord leapt out of his shadow, scythe in hand as he lunged for the purple haired woman.


    Mod raised a wall to block the attack and easily floated away, before firing an experimental purple beam at the man.


    Before Moria could contemplate dodging it, arms sprouted over his body and held him in place.


    The man looked utterly unbothered by the attack and Robin raised a brow at the fact.


    They soon found out why.


    Moria vanished, replaced by his intangible shadow and the man appeared directly behind Robin, shadowy scythe poised to gore her through.


    At the same time, the shadow that looked disturbingly like Rosan, held out a hand and began firing dark orbs at them.


    Robin long anticipated the attack and was already on the move, summoning a large amount of hands that pushed her and Moria away simultaneously.


    Mod saw the dark orbs flying towards them and retaliated by opening her hand and shooting a gigantic wave of purple energy to consume them.


    The wave crashed into Moria''s shadow in the process and Mod pursed her lips at seeing it take no damage whatsoever.


    "That''s going to be a problem," she thought with a frown.


    She turned towards Moria and fired another wave at him, only for her frown to deepen at seeing him switch spots with his shadow again.


    Then, Moria transformed his shadowy scythe into gloves of his own and slammed them into the ground.


    Mod immediately grabbed Robin and flew high into the air to avoid the shadowy spikes protruding on the floor, only to let out a gasp of surprise as the shadow once more made its presence known.


    "Ah!" the Devil Fruit shouted in surprise, as a barrage of shadowy orbs crashed into her back. She winced a bit and the slight injuries instantly vanished.


    She soared away from the shadow and vowed to keep an eye on it.


    "Are you alright?" Robin asked quietly.


    "...I''m rusty," she admitted with a sheepish smile. "I haven''t fought someone outside of our family in such a long time and it''s such a formidable foe as well!"


    "It''s fine. That''s why I''m here to support you," the Devil Child assured confidently.


    The duo were given almost no time to relax, as Moria''s shadow lunged at them, hand in the shape of a longsword.


    Mod grit her teeth in annoyance and transformed Ram into a one handed blade as well, clashing with the shadow sword.


    She was forced to dance with the shadow that was shaped like her son, clashing continuously with it.


    Only perfectly understanding Rosan''s style of fighting allowed her to anticipate his rapid switch of weapons.


    At once, the both of them transformed their blades into gloves. Mod fired a purple blast of energy that collided with the blasts of shadow, causing a small explosion to ensue.


    She leapt back, summoning a ball above her head that began spinning rapidly.


    "Discern," she muttered.


    The purple orb began spinning, firing out bolts of energy that sought out both Moria and his shadow.


    The shadow allowed the attack to pepper it, immune to all of it, as it raised its own hand into the air.


    Mod watched in annoyance, as it summoned its own orb that began spinning, before shadowy bolts began seeking both her and Robin out.


    She grabbed the Devil Child and began soaring into the air once more, barrel rolling to avoid the beams chasing them.


    As she flew, the woman gained slits in her eyes, as her teeth sharpened dramatically.


    The woman opened her mouth and let loose a hellish amount of purple fire from her mouth.


    "Annihilation!" she growled.


    In combination with her constant flight, the fiery and condensed attack began to shower the entire battlefield, leaving very little room, if any, to run..


    Moria grunted, annoyed at the attack, before dipping into the shadows, appearing at a spot that was free from that destructive attack.


    But that wasn''t all. The spot he chose was one that was at the same height as where Mod was flying because her attack was covering the entirety of the ground beneath him.


    The shadow he was utilizing, morphed back into a scythe and he gripped it to his waist.


    "Absolution!" Moria announced, swinging that scythe with tremendous physical force.


    Mod''s eyes widened at that. He really had taken a lot from Rosan!


    After swinging, a gigantic wave of pure black energy shot out of the weapon and careened towards Mod and Robin with dreadful speed.


    She immediately transformed Ram into gloves and focused, before summoning a barrier that surrounded them completely.


    As the attack washed over them, Mod grit her teeth at the strength behind it but the barrier held strong.


    Robin honed in on Moria and summoned arms to restrain him, forced to cancel the technique in advance as the shadows around him surged to stab at her arms.


    That gave Mod enough time to transform Ram into a pistol that she began firing at Moria.


    The shadow man immediately vanished and had his shadow take his place once more, avoiding the explosive bullets with ease.


    This was... very annoying. Mod furrowed her brows and gazed at the Warlord, never releasing Robin from her hold.


    "Where is the Red Devil?" Moria asked, gazing at his opponents with an unimpressed gaze.


    "I see no reason as to why I''d answer that," Mod retorted, flying away from the shadowy tendrils lunging at her.


    "Your plan of stalling me isn''t going to work. I already know everything you''ve planned," Moria added with a cocky grin.


    His satisfaction rose, as Mod''s eyes widened.


    "You heard?!" Mod asked in disbelief.


    "Kishishishi!" Moria laughed, conjuring the shadowy scythe again. "I never realized how productive I can be. Lazy this, lazy that...its easier being lazy¡­ but it''s far more effective being active. This... this is fun!"


    Moria''s shadow partner in crime began morphing and changing, much to Robin and Mod''s shock, growing in size and losing its human shape.


    "The shadow of the Red Devil has given me a newfound motivation that I haven''t had for a long time¡­ now tell me where he is because I''m never letting him go," Moria demanded.


    The shadow dragon, massive and unearthly, reared back its head and roared to the heavens. It looked utterly unnatural, like someone had ripped out Ragnarok''s shadow and given it life.


    "RAOOOGHHH!" The creature howled.


    "Goodness, his ability to manipulate shadows is allowing him to actually utilize our Devil Fruit to a certain degree," Mod thought, gazing at the looming beast.


    Is this partially how Rosan would have utilized the fruit? Mod knew he would have been a monster with any ability... but this was incredible.


    It was a shame the Moria half was slowing him down. If Rosan had fully dominated Moria, this fight would be far more difficult.


    "You clearly haven''t inherited all from Rosan," Mod said idly, eyes glowing as a victorious gleam entered her eyes.


    Moria raised a brow, confused by her sudden switch in mood.


    "Thank you for confirming to me that you were in fact listening in. I had my hunches but unlike what Rosan would do, you decided to generously share information with me," Mod smiled.


    "Robin? Status update?"


    Robin gazed at the terrified Perona, who was sleeping in her bed, with a charming smile, making sure the woman understood that if she tried anything, the Devil Child would break every one of her bones. "I''ve found the most troublesome one. You can retrieve them."


    Mod smiled at that.


    She knew that Moria had been listening in. She had an inkling, but Mod knew for sure after shooting down the zombie.


    So she mixed in some lies when discussing her plans.


    Mod was not the one to risk such plans by speaking them aloud. She was the cautious one because Rosan was the one who went out guns blazing even despite the fact his plans were genius.


    She refused to underestimate someone who seemed to be dominated by Rosan''s personality¡­


    And Mod knew exactly how to deal with Rosan in the most effective way.


    It was cruel¡­ but it''s not like Moria was actually Rosan, so she had no qualms against it.


    What was Mod''s cruel plan? Well, she thought of it once she saw how dominated by Rosan, Moria seemed to be¡­


    Rosan''s greatest current weakness, was something that not many would be able to ever handle.


    And that was his complete lack of controls over his emotions, something Moria himself seemed to have gained¡­


    And Moria and Rosan both had another weakness they shared... and Moria practically stacked that weakness atop each other by absorbing Rosan''s shadow.


    Both of them hated losing the people they cared about.


    Moria with Rosan''s shadow, was an unknown quantity and Mod wasn''t sure just how strong he was, but it should be very strong.


    So she''d cripple and dwindle his numbers down to nothing.


    This was her real plan. She had just been stalling Moria to make him believe everything was as she said but that was far from it.


    Moria had likely told Perona that Usopp was coming after her and she prepared for Usopp¡­ but Usopp had already done his part.


    Because Robin had already found and apprehended Perona''s real body. The Robin next to her, was actually Canary!


    This was merely a game of chess to Mod and she had never lost to anyone in her family to chess, not even Robin or Rosan!


    "Scary, Mod-chan. Maybe you aren''t as violently cruel as me, but you sure are psychologically crueler."


    "No I''m not. Stop lying, Rosan. Don''t you remember what you did to Miss Valentine?"


    "Made her useful to Maro."


    "By torturing her!"


    "As much as I''d love to hear you both continue arguing. You had plans for this ghost woman right?" Robin asked curiously.


    Ah yes. That was right. The girl named Perona, had a very useful ability.


    Mod thought Maro may enjoy it very much.


    Moria watched in shock, as Mod smiled gently and vanished from view.


    "Remember Moria, you attacked us first so whatever happens now, is your own fault. I tried to handle things in a peaceful manner, but you only escalated it further. This is your fault," she mentioned right before the two disappeared.


    The Warlord blinked at what she was saying, before his eyes frantically began searching for her location, realizing that she wasn''t here to fight him.


    With barely a thought, Moria had the shadow dragon fly off to Hogback''s location, before he himself went straight to Perona.


    Oars would be fine. Those two were in immediate danger.


    As Moria headed to Perona''s location, his dragon relayed to him that Hogback had been completely defeated and there was no one in the room.


    What? But how?


    Was this just to distract him? Were they going for Oars instead? The Zombie wasn''t very intelligent so that purple haired woman would be troublesome for it¡­


    No, he''d just have the shadow dragon assist Oars and then he''d verify Perona''s status¡­ and afterwards, he''d rip that purple haired woman out of wherever she was hiding by ganging up on everyone fighting Oars¡­


    Well, that was the plan¡­ until Moria saw a note lying on Perona''s bed, where the girl''s sleeping body normally lay.


    "You''re just a step too slow, Moria. I''ve never once lost in chess," it read.


    Moria read the note and gazed at the spot where Perona was at, unable to fully process what was happening but coming to the worst case scenario.


    "This is your fault."


    Absalom was his most loyal mate. Moria had known him for years and would attack even Kaido once more to get him back. The death of Absalom had filled him with fury he had never felt and the only thing more infuriating, was that he couldn''t kill the one who had done so because his shadow was just so useful.


    But Perona was different. Perona was his daughter in all but blood¡­


    And she was gone. At the hands of that mysterious woman. That woman...


    She was... dead¡­ and gone¡­ Moria would never see Perona again.


    Perona was dead.


    "This is your fault."


    The Warlord threw his head back and screeched in pure unfiltered rage. Shadows began rushing out of his body, consuming the entirety of Perona''s room.


    But the shadow''s did not stop there, they continued to stretch out, consuming Perona''s entire garden as Moria fully lost control of himself.


    "AGHHHH!" The Warlord shrieked furiously as the shadows around him began twisting and turning.


    The shadows fully converged on his body and when they settled, he was gone.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Usopp''s part of Mod''s plan was simple. He was tasked with "battling Perona" and getting rid of their most troublesome member¡­


    Or that''s what Mod-chan wanted them to think.


    Usopp''s actual task, was to make Perona think he was the only one targeting her, but in reality, he was just here to gather her zombies and guide them away for the real star.


    Usopp could do that. He was becoming a very good actor with and without his mask.


    And act he did. It helped that Perona''s negative ghosts had no effect on him, much to the shock of the floating girl overseeing all of this.


    Currently, he had probably gathered just about all of Perona''s Wild Zombies and was fearfully sprinting away from all of them¡­


    Right into the waiting arms of Brook.


    "Yohohoho!" The skeleton laughed as he began dashing through the zombies, placing salt in all their mouths at incredible speeds. "Most excellent, Usopp! You are quite fast yourself!"


    "T-Thanks! I thought I was gonna die," he wheezed, catching his breath.


    Perona''s eyes bugged out of her skull, at seeing her wild zombies be dispatched of and she gazed at the ones responsible for it with a glare of rage.


    "Getting rid of all my cute zombies?! Do you know how long it took me to get them all?! You''ll pay for that!" Perona announced, summoning ghosts and launching them at the duo.


    "Dodge them! They''re gonna explode!" Usopp shouted, observation flaring as he leapt to the left, while Brook leapt to the right.


    Perona''s eye twitched in aggravation. How did he know that?!


    Usopp held his slingshot and fired a pellet at her.


    The ghost girl grinned menacingly and allowed it to sail through her body.


    Much to her delight, Usopp''s eyes bugged in horror.


    "B-But how? Are you... are you actually a g-g-ghost?!" the sniper stammered in fear.


    Perona laughed haughtily. "But of course! How are you ever going to touch me I wonder! I''m invincible but I can still hurt you!"


    What followed next, was a game of cat and mouse, Perona as the cat, while Usopp and Brook turned into the mouse.


    As she chased the two with all her ghosts (much to her displeasure, all of them were missing), she became more and more secure in her safety because they were getting farther and farther away.


    They tried to hit her but they failed all their endeavors and it was only a matter time before they got tired.


    Yes, it was only a matter of time before they¡ª


    "Hey! Are you sure you should be here attacking us?" Usopp shouted victoriously, eyes gleaming as his observation flared once more and he stopped running, dodging yet another exploding ghost.


    During training, Usopp learned that his Observation''s range was exceptionally big, to the point where its range naturally surpassed the rest of the members in his crew (allegedly Rosan''s natural range was gargantuan but he couldn''t use it).


    That''s how he was able to detect Perona all the way at the Sunny¡­ and that''s why he knew that this Perona wasn''t actually Perona.


    He couldn''t feel this one at all. But he could feel the one further down, hiding by herself¡­


    Well, she wasn''t alone anymore.


    Perona''s eye twitched at them. "And why wouldn''t I want to be here? I have the advantage even with you taking my zombies out!"


    Usopp grinned. "How can you defend your real body like this?"


    Perona went cold¡­


    "W-What did you just say?!" she stammered nervously.


    "Your real body, the one thats really far from us! Isn''t that your weakness?" Usopp asked with a proud grin.


    The woman began to have a terrible feeling at the sudden confidence in his voice. Why did he know that? If he knew about her real body... why was he running so far from it ¡ª


    Realization hit Perona at the last second.


    It was a trap. Someone was going after her real body.


    Right as the thought hit her, Perona felt her spirit get forcefully dragged to her body with a yelp of horror, before jolting up in her real body, terror etched onto her features.


    Or at least, she attempted to jolt up.


    "So you are the other person who spied on us in the bath¡­"


    Perona turned ashen, as she was forced to look into the calm gaze of one Nico Robin.


    "You''re the one who spied on my boyfriend''s naked body, right after your crewmate assaulted me," Robin said serenely.


    The hands clutching her body, idly began tightening around Perona and the woman began to stammer in fear.


    Let it be known, that while it was not as obvious, Robin was very possessive of Rosan herself.


    "W-Wait, it wasn''t intentional!" Perona stuttered in terror. "Please don''t kill me! I don''t wanna die like Absalom did! Please please please! I''m not as dumb as he is! Please believe me, I don''t wanna die!" she sobbed.


    Robin perked a brow and tugged her pendent idly. "I don''t quite have an interest in killing you just yet. For now, I just need you to disappear¡­ then we can discuss your perverse behavior at a later time."


    Perona went pale. "D-D-Disappear?" She stammered in horror.


    "Yes, that''s right. Not to worry. We won''t kill you," a new voice said.


    Mod glanced down at the girl with a kind smile. "If you''re hungry, feel free to eat but do not try to find a way to escape and don''t explore areas much. We''ll talk after this is over."


    With that, the purple haired woman tapped Perona and made her vanish into the Pocket Dimension.


    "Right then. That leaves only Moria and Oars," Mod muttered, writing a note down and leaving it on bed. "Let''s go assist with Oars before Moria makes it to this room."


    Robin nodded. "You are scarily efficient, Mod-chan. You and Rosan have the same level of planning skills but yet, it feels like you use them differently. Similar you may be, but you two are still different people."


    Mod brightened at that. "I never thought I''d be anything more than Rosan''s Devil Fruit... to know that I''ve grown this much is nothing short of amazing."


    Rosan laughed shortly. "We excel at different parts of planning. Mod-chan is rigid in her execution and thorough so her plans have high chances of not backfiring and being done quickly. I plan on the fly and she''s pragmatic¡­ so I''m going to tell you that you made a mistake Mod-chan."


    Mod furrowed her brows in confusion. "I made a mistake? What?" She asked in concern.


    "You''ll find out in due time¡­ I won''t tell you because this is your mission and you want to grow, right? It''ll be a learning experience."


    Mod bit her lip but nodded slowly, shooting a helpless glance at Robin and getting the slightly confused woman to shrug as well.


    "Well, alright. I''ll prepare," she muttered. The woman wrapped an arm around Robin''s legs and hoisted her up bridal carry before they began soaring to the location of Oars.


    Mod sighed as she tried to think of where she could have messed up and came up with nothing.


    Lately, it felt like she had been the one seeking guidance from Rosan, rather than the other way around.


    When did her little boy grow up so much? Maybe her appearance being stuck at 18, was not for show¡­


    Maybe Mod needed to grow up a bit too. Rosan wasn''t completely free from his problems, but he was making amazing progress.


    She should try to progress too.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    One part of the plan that Mod set, that hadn''t been a lie, was having Zoro fight Ryuma.


    Well, she had been intending to alter it a little, but Zoro himself had told her to let him handle this fight alone.


    After all, he was in need of a new sword because of the cracked mess in his sheath and that sword in Ryuma''s hand was quite nice.


    The two clashed with their blades and Zoro took the chance to appreciate his opponent.


    Despite having Brook''s shadow, Ryuma''s build was not as lithe and lanky as the skeleton.


    His build was very similar to Zoro''s own actually. Suspiciously so.


    If Ryuma had Zoro''s shadow instead of Brooks, along with two other decent swords. Well, Zoro might have actually lost this battle.


    What Zoro was beginning to realize though, was that he was struggling quite a bit with opponents that specialized in speed.


    Even the crap cook gave him trouble with that obnoxious speed of his.


    While he and Ryuma had very similar builds, Brook''s fighting style seemed to revolve around utilizing speedy attacks that were hard to react to¡­


    So Zoro chose to do something stupid.


    It didn''t matter how formidable Ryuma was with Brook''s shadow¡­ Zoro was stronger than him and even with two swords, he''d be able to comfortably end this.


    Rosan had made him quite proficient in one and two sword style after all. In their spars, the redhead would often steal his blades and put them out of reach, making Zoro fight with either one or two of his blades.


    It was frustrating but it swiftly allowed him to heavily adapt his style on the fly and improve his weaker styles.


    Which was why he''d be able to comfortably handle Ryuma in a battle¡­


    But Zoro wanted more than just his sword.


    Zoro wanted to hone his shoddy Observation Haki and this was the perfect opponent to do it against.


    "Three-Pace Hum: Notch Slash."


    The swordsman of the Straw Hats, deftly leapt to the side of the attack.


    "Not fast enough. Luffy and Robin can anticipate the attack long before it comes out," he grunted in dissatisfaction.


    While they had been exchanging furious blows, Zoro had suddenly gained a type of¡­ perception, that made Ryuma''s attacks easier to see.


    It didn''t take him very long to realize that his Observation had finally bloomed and Zoro was trying to fully benefit from it.


    "Yohohoho! Are you content with just dodging, swordsman?" Ryuma asked curiously, continuing to strike at Zoro and frowning at having his attacks fail.


    Zoro scoffed with a smirk. "Just wait your turn. I''ll deal with you once I get the hang of this ¡ª"


    The swordsman froze, as he suddenly saw his shadow fly into his body and he gazed down at it in interest.


    Oh his shadow was back. That must have meant they dealt with his zombie over at¡­ that doctors¡­


    Wait a minute¡­ why did he suddenly want to murder that swirly browed idiot?


    The same swirly browed idiot¡­ that probably fought his goddamn zombie.


    Zoro sheathed one of his blades and scowled, measuring Wado Ichimonji at Ryuma.


    "Let''s wrap this up. I don''t need that love cook to know he finished something faster than me," he grunted.


    "I see," Ryuma said aloud. "Very well. This will be quick."


    "You read my mind," Zoro grinned violently.


    "Aubade Coup Droit!" The zombie shouted, thrusting his blade forward and conjuring a shotgun blast of air.


    "Bird Dance!" Zoro grunted, shooting a crescent moon projectile that collided with the attack at great speeds.


    Ryuma wasted no time, dashing towards Zoro with his sword poised.


    "Prelude: Au Fer," he called out.


    Zoro coated his blade in armament and collided with the attack, narrowing his eyes as Ryuma kept repeatedly thrusting against his weapon.


    "He''s trying to break my sword?" Zoro thought with a scowl, eyes narrowed in annoyance.


    Not happening.


    He overpowered the swordsman, admiring how well kept Ryuma''s blade seemed to be, and they began a furious dance.


    Zoro parried a stabbing slash and retaliated with a wide sweep that Ryuma was forced to take.


    Unfortunately he was a zombie so Zoro''s attack did not do much actual damage.


    But that didn''t deter him. It just made him realize he needed a more effective way to finish this battle.


    It was time to wrap this up.


    The Pirate Hunter diverted one of the quick slashes, making Ryuma overstep slightly, before gripping his left hand with his right.


    "Flying Dragon Blaze!"


    The swordsman leapt into the air and came crashing down against Ryuma, cutting effortlessly into the samurai, setting the man ablaze.


    "!" Ryuma''s gaze widened at the swift and decisive blow, before settling into respect for his opponent.


    "You wield incredible power, swordsman," Ryuma praised, sheathing Shusui and throwing it to Zoro. "Shusui will be pleased to be wielded by you."


    Zoro grinned and grasped it. "Perfect. This is a sword that can live up to my expectations," he announced.


    "That, I do not doubt," Ryuma said as his final words, before Brook''s shadow departed from his body and flew towards the skeleton.


    Zoro snorted. "Alright, now I gotta go to the giant and help them out with it."


    The swordsman nodded to himself and headed in the completely wrong direction.


    "Wrong way," Crow said gently, turning the swordsman around and forcing him to walk towards where the very visible giant was.


    She had been tasked with the simple job of ensuring Zoro didn''t get lost. A simple and easy job that Crow was very happy to have because Zoro was not as stress inducing as her sisters.


    "Oh, I knew that," Zoro muttered, turning on a dime and walking over to where Oars was swinging at what was likely his crewmates.


    Now that he had three swords again, the swordsman felt complete and he knew for certain, that Shusui could handle his stronger techniques.


    The swordsman grinned violently as he gazed at the massive figure of Oars.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Gomu Gomu no Pistol!"


    Luffy dodged a wild swing from Oars and he ran up the giant''s fist, cocking his fist back to deliver a punch of his own.


    "Gomu Gomu no Pistol!" Luffy shouted in return, connecting solidly with Oars face¡­ to no effect at all.


    Oars glared down at the rubber boy running up his fist, before a massive burst of fire crashed against his face.


    "Wildfire!" Nami shouted from her safe spot. She was supporting Luffy and Franky to the best of her ability, while Oars rampaged against them.


    Franky opened up his mouth and joined the fray, shooting out his own fire that joined Nami''s in washing over the giant.


    But it barely seemed to affect the giant. It just annoyed him.


    Was he immune to fire? Was that something Moria added to him?


    Oars huffed and swung at Luffy with speed that belied his size...


    To no effect. Luffy was even faster than the giant and effortlessly dodged the giants swing by leaping atop his head.


    "Gomu Gomu no Battle Axe!" Luffy announced, slinging his foot high into the air and slamming it directly atop Oars skull.


    Oars grunted at that, and reached for his head to grab at the rubber boy, only to audibly growl in annoyance as Luffy flew away with Geppo.


    "He''s annoying!" Luffy and Oars said at the same time, glaring at each other.


    "Yeah he is," Nami muttered, summoning a gust of wind to push back the charging giant to no effect. "Nothing is working on him! He doesn''t take damage!" she complained.


    "He''s super resilient," Franky grunted, shooting bullets at the giant and watching as it merely bounced off.


    "We just gotta keep hitting him!" Luffy said stubbornly, coating his fists in armament.


    Not waiting for a response, the rubber boy dashed off again.


    "Gomu Gomu no Gatling!" Luffy roared, armament fists crashing over and over again into the giant.


    Much to their delight, it was actually making progress!


    As the giant stumbled back, a flurry of arms formed at his feet.


    At the same time more arms covered his eyes and a blazing kick slammed into his face.


    Then, a flurry of exploding pellets collided with his face, enhanced by the sharp blades of wing that cut off one of his horns.


    "You guys are all here!" Nami grinned happily.


    The entirety of the Straw Hats, sans Mod and the real Robin, gazed down at Oars with mixed reactions.


    "We have to fight that thing?" Usopp and Chopper squeaked, gazing at the intimidating giant.


    Oars growled in annoyance.


    Way too many people were trying to stop him from getting his meat.


    "Move!" Usopp said frantically.


    "Gomu Gomu no Bazooka!" Oars roared, launching both his arms at the group of Zoro, Crow, Usopp and Brook.


    The 4 utilized their max speed to make distance because Oar''s fist covered an incredible amount of range.


    Even at their speeds, they just barely got out and just the winds were enough to hurt them slightly.


    But Oars wasn''t done.


    He turned towards the group of Sanji, Chopper and Raven and headbutted them with dreadful speeds.


    Sanji was quicker, he grabbed the two and blurred away, grunting at getting hit by some debris from that violent headbutt.


    Finally, Oars launched his foot into the air and everyone''s eyes widened in horror.


    "Gomu Gomu no Battle Axe!"


    What followed next, could be compared to an earthquake.


    All of them were flung aside as Oars crashed his foot into the ground with a thunderous boom.


    The ground shook, debris flew and dust scattered as Oars attack struck.


    As the dust settled and the Straw Hats gathered themselves, the unrelenting Oars moved again.


    "You''re the most annoying one," Oars growled, lunging forward towards Nami at dreadful speeds that belied his size.


    Nami shrieked in horror, eyes wide as Oars cocked his fist back to punch her to death¡­


    Only for a purple blur to grab her.


    "NAMI!" they all shouted in relief.


    "Goodness Nami, are you alright?" Mod asked in concern, holding the navigator bridal carry. The Devil Fruit swiftly ascended away from Oars punch and gazed with narrowed eyes at the giant.


    Such speed for its size... she couldn''t mess around with this one.


    "M-Mod-chan, my hero!" Nami sobbed, clutching the woman like her life depended on it. "I''m so happy, I could kiss you!" she exclaimed.


    "Please do it on the cheek if you must¡­ I''m not good with physical affection and Rosan may kill you if its my lips," Mod replied, eyes glowing in preparation.


    The navigator beamed and did just that, planting a thankful smooch on the motherly woman''s cheek and making her flush slightly.


    "You have soft cheeks!" she complimented.


    That only served to deepen her embarrassment. "...Thank you Nami. I appreciate that," she mumbled.


    "I''ll make sure to torment her more than normal for that later. Kissing my mother right in front of me? The audacity," Rosan rumbled in annoyance.


    "Auntie is such a flirt when she''s out! First Mother, now Nami?! Are you subtly trying to branch out into the dating scene?! We won''t let you!"


    Mod flushed red and ignored them, gently placing Nami down as she regarded the giant.


    "Let''s wrap this up quickly," Mod muttered. "If you can contribute, follow my lead. Don''t get close to him!"


    That was all she said before Mod went on a rampage.


    The woman opened her mouth and shouted, "Annihilation," before firing a gigantic torrent of flames.


    Nami was quick on the uptake, whirling Clima around and shooting out a massive gust of wind to combine with the fires.


    The elements combined and turned into a fiery hurricane of death that crashed directly into Oars.


    Usopp, Franky and Zoro all joined the fray, using pellets, a flamethrower and blades of wind respectively.


    It all crashed into Oars without any hesitation and Mod narrowed her eyes.


    She palmed the ground and concentrated hard.


    "Modification," she said.


    It answered to her will immediately.


    Everyone watched with slack jaws, as the ground around Oars surged upwards, reaching heights similar to the massive giant and sandwiching him between two rocks, completely trapping the flaming giant.


    Mod flew over to him at incredible speeds, pulling out the tiny bag of salt in her dress and expanding it to its actual size.


    Without any hesitation, she slammed the gross amounts of salt into Oars mouth, immediately purifying him and sending Luffy''s shadow back to his body.


    "What the hell¡­" They all said, looking at Mod-chan in disbelief as the body of Oars fell summarily.


    "I wished to finish that as fast as possible. Something like Oars could be dangerous to our wellbeing if kept alive for too long, so I ended it quickly," she explained easily.


    She wouldn''t risk Oars pulling out other dangerous moves from Luffy''s arsenal that could damage the whole area.


    Not to mention Luffy''s ingenuity.


    Mod clapped happily. "Alright, we''ve dealt with all but one. Moria is the last opponent, we received everyone but Rosan''s shadow and it should almost be day time. I don''t know what happened but we''re sailing out of the Florian Triangle so when day hits, I''ll die!"


    Everyone balked at that, gazing at the woman in shock.


    That''s right, Rosan still didn''t have his shadow back!


    "Let''s not waste anymore time and retrieve it then," Robin said in displeasure, frowning at the idea that Rosan and Mod could die.


    She was not going to let that happen at all. Neither of them were going to die on her watch or she''d lose it.


    Moria was completely alone now. It would be him, against the entirety of the Straw Hats. Even with Rosan''s shadow, it would be a herculean task for hi ¡ª


    At once, every Straw Hat froze, as the area around them got darker, shadow''s seeming to grow from all directions as they seeped into whatever they could get their hands on.


    Then, a massive shadow dragon appeared in their line of sight, far bigger than the one Mod had seen for the first time¡­


    And finally, from the shadows itself, Moria himself appeared¡­ and he looked utterly soulless.


    He glanced at the Straw Hats dispassionately, before locking onto Mod herself¡­ and that soulless look was replaced by something primal.


    Rage.


    Moria let out a hateful roar as he .


    "NONE OF YOU ARE ESCAPING ME! I''LL MAKE YOU PAY!" The man howled furiously, zeroing in on the purple haired woman.


    Then, the shadows struck.


    Mod now saw what Rosan meant by she messed up. She thought by isolating Moria, the man would eventually succumb to their onslaught. He wouldn''t be able to handle all of their might and he''d run out of gas in due time...


    Well, that was before she realized he awakened his Devil Fruit!


    "ALL OF YOU, BE CAREFUL!" Mod shouted, grunting as she summoned a heavy gust of wind to lift all the Straw Hats. "His Devil Fruit is awakened! You must be wary of all shadows!"


    The Dragon let out a furious roar, before rearing its head back and forming a black ball of energy.


    Then it glanced back at the crew and unleashed.


    Mod grit her teeth and opened her mouth, fangs sharpening as she countered the shadowy Annihilation with her own version.


    The blazing fire collided with the shadowy imitation and an explosion ensued that rocked the whole area.


    Mod exploded in purple electricity, as Moria crawled out of the shadows behind her with a familiar scythe in hand, poised to run her through with it.


    Seeing that his sneak attack failed, the man swiftly swapped places with the Dragon to avoid injury, who snarled down at Mod and smacked her with its tail.


    "!" Mod grunted as she was launched away from her spot, the impact of the attack being shielded mostly by her raid dress.


    Draconic wings burst from her back and the woman scowled in contemplation as the shadow dragon rushed her again.


    They flew through the sky, firing constant attacks at each other, as the Straw Hats focused their assault on the rampaging Moria¡­


    To very little success.


    When he was close to getting hit, the shadowy landscape would either protect him, or he''d dip into the shadows, surging back out to deliver an injury on one of the weaker members.


    Chopper, Nami and Usopp had already been dealt with by the out of control Warlord and Moria was especially keen on not taking hits from the other members.


    Brook lunged forward with intents to stab the Warlord, dashing incredibly quickly across the field...


    Only for a shadowy fist to smash directly into him.


    Part of his skull cracked at the impact, before gravity reminded him it existed and sent him flying.


    Franky shouted in surprise and jumped in the way of the flying musician, catching him just in time to see the Dragon snarling down at him.


    It opened its mouth and lobbed a pitch black orb that he leapt away from... only for it to explode the moment it touched the ground.


    Franky hadn''t made enough headway and let out a startled yell as he was caught in the explosion, sending both the cyborg and Brook flying.


    Mod grit her teeth as she shot a wave of electricity in hopes of keeping the dragon at bay. "Sanji! Take all the unconscious members and go! Please get them to safety!"


    Sanji saluted, just as much worry on his features as he already held Nami''s unconscious body. He began dashing across the field, grabbing at his crew, all while admirably avoiding as many shadows as he could.


    He got tagged a few times but it wasn''t enough to take him out of the battle yet and soon, he gathered them all up.


    "Where are you going?!"


    Moria surged out of the shadows directly in front of Sanji with that shadow scythe, intent on impaling the burdened chef in order to keep them all here.


    A flash of green appeared in front of Sanji, as Zoro parried the attack with all three of his blades.


    Moria snarled as Zoro held him back somewhat, giving Sanji enough time to break away from them and dash off.


    Much to his relief, Crow appeared to lessen his baggage and they escorted the unconscious members out.


    He attempted to target the chef, but a flurry of arms covered his eyes and hampered him long enough for a fist to crash into his face.


    "Don''t touch them!" Luffy snarled angrily.


    Moria scowled in aggravation and swapped with his dragon, who was distracting Mod, once more.


    The dragon roared and cocked both its fists back, before smashing them into the ground.


    A rush of shadows burst from the ground, like an eruption from a volcano attempting to engulf Zoro and Luffy in the attack.


    Luffy and Zoro''s eyes both widened in horror, as the massive range of the attack gave them little room to dodge.


    "Oof!" they grunted, getting sent in different directions from the eruption.


    Zoro caught himself just in time to leap to the left to avoid the dragon lunging at him, allowing it to fly harmlessly past...


    Or so he thought.


    A familiar sound, that of a pop, went off and Zoro had no time to react to the Moria behind him.


    The Warlord had a sadistic gleam in his eyes as he placed a palm on Zoro''s back.


    A concussive blast of shadows erupted from the man''s hand and the swordsman teetered, as it connected directly with him.


    "Zoro!" Luffy shouted in horror, catching the falling swordsman.


    "In such a short time, he managed to take so many of us out!" Mod thought in shock, glaring in frustration as the dragon kept her busy any chance it got.


    This was insanity!


    She grit her teeth as the dragon made its presence known once more to her and began charging an attack in its maw that it began condensing.


    This thing dared to think it could use her attacks better than she could?!


    The Devil Fruit opened her mouth, a snarl leaving her mouth as the effects of Ragnarok began to seep deeper into her.


    "Raze!" she snarled, shooting the super heated laser from her mouth at the same time as the shadow dragon.


    Both the lasers were aimed expertly at their opponent, which unfortunately meant that they once more met in the middle and caused another boom to take place.


    Mod snarled furiously and sparks began flying off her.


    "Gear Second!"


    "Boost x2!"


    At once, both Luffy and Mod rocketed straight for Moria with determination in their gaze.


    Moria made to dip into his shadows, before arms began holding him in place just long enough for the two to reach his position.


    He had no choice but to swap with his dragon, lest his bones get turned into dust by the combined might of both Luffy and Mod.


    As he swapped with his partner, a thunderbolt crashed from the sky directly into his body.


    Mod was like a shark in the water the moment Moria seized up.


    "EMP: Storm!"


    The sky roared and screeched, as bolt after bolt of purple lightning began crashing onto the field.


    Moria grunted and launched himself to the ground, before utilizing the surrounding shadows to act as cover.


    He grit his teeth as the furious bolts of lightning still somewhat pierced the makeshift shield.


    A steaming figure closed the gap between them, fist cocked back and launching it forward.


    Moria swiftly raised a shadow from the ground, transforming it into a shield that blocked the punch from Luffy.


    Then the shield transformed into the shadowy tendrils that lashed out and grabbed the the rubber boy.


    Luffy grunted as one grabbed him and he attempted to get it off, failing as even more shadows lunged for him.


    Moria had blood in his eyes and lunged forward, intent to place a palm on the rubber boys chest to blast him away.


    Instead, the ground erupted beneath him and uppercutted him in the face.


    Blood gushed from Moria''s nose but he ignored it, swapping places as a purple blue attempted to cut him in half with that sparking scythe.


    Mod gave him no respite. Thunder continued to roar and she transformed Ram into dual pistols that she aimed at both Moria and the Dragon.


    Without any hesitation, she began rapid firing the pistols, all while avoiding the shadows grasping for her.


    Jump, roll, flight... Mod utilized all forms of evasion and miraculously, continued firing at the man.


    "A lady in a dress should not look so cool doing this!" Ram gushed. Auntie looked like such a badass!


    Mod said nothing, intent on riddling Moria with holes.


    The Warlord had not been prone while this was taking place. Staying still for a prolonged period time, meant loss because the battlefield was in utter chaos.


    He was currently atop the shadow dragon, as it soared and weathered the bullets from Mod, while trying to avoid the constant lightning strikes.


    Robin watched from her cover (given to her by Mod), as utter mayhem


    Mod''s eyes narrowed as she saw the dragon absorb the pistols bullets and decided to try something more effective.


    She took flight, as a sniper replaced the dual pistols and she aimed directly for Moria''s head, looking through the lens with a calm gaze.


    Lightning arced off her body as she fueled the gun with electricity and the woman fired.


    A thunderous boom echoed throughout the field, as the shell fired.


    Moria only had a moment to force the shadow of his dragons back to form into a shield in order to block the shot but much to his surprise, it began piercing the shadow.


    He only had a moment to move his head, eyes going wide as the bullet brushed against his cheek and caused a burst of blood to spurt.


    Mod held the sniper in both hands, still floating as she glared at him.


    Did she ever mention that she was a better shot than Rosan was? Mod quite enjoyed using guns.


    Moria grasped his bleeding cheek and sneered. The dragon never stopped moving and it began its onslaught anew, focusing all of its attention on Mod and making the woman temporarily abandon the notion of shooting Moria.


    As the dragon renewed its onslaught, Mod transformed her sniper into gloves and began firing as many orbs as possible at the dragon, in hopes of distracting it.


    Moria leapt of the dragon and Mod''s eyes darted over to him immediately.


    Dozens of bolts flew towards him, as he fell, but his trusty dragon flew in the way of the entire salvo, firing a ball of shadows at Mod in the process.


    Mod growled at that and flexed her wings, soaring towards the ground.


    The moment Moria hit the ground, Luffy made his presence known once more and immediately closed the distance.


    He was completely ignoring the bolts of lightning, even when they crashed into him and just focused his onslaught on Moria.


    At the same time a flurry of arms began harassing him in all manners, hindering the Warlord enough for Luffy to press his advantage.


    Moria snarled as a punch connected to his face at ridiculous speeds.


    As his anger mounted, the shadows began writhing in tandem.


    Robin had to abandon her spot as the shadows began piercing through her shelter.


    Almost immediately, Moria appeared in front of her, murder in his eyes.


    She attempted to dodge but the arrival of Moria had caused her to stop long enough for them to wrap around her legs, halting her.


    Before Moria could take her out the fight, Mod appeared directly behind him, murder in her eyes.


    At the same time, the ground pushed her well out of the way of him, by shoving her into the sky.


    The lightning mysteriously stopped too...


    "Get your hands off my daughter!" she snarled, sparking with electricity.


    "EMP: Burst!"


    Moria howled in agony, as the dome of electricity captured him before he could swap places with his dragon.


    Mod huffed as the shadow man collapsed, before she was forced to defend herself against that pesky dragon.


    The dragon roared its fury to the world and charged up a truly enormous ball of energy, that made Mod''s eyes narrow in worry.


    She held a hand above her head and a ball of her own began forming.


    "Persecution!" she yelled, launching it right into the shadow ball of the furious dragon.


    Much like all their other collisions, these two caused yet another explosion to ensue and Mod gazed up with furrowed brows.


    This wasn''t adding up... why was the dragon still so active¡ª


    "Shadow Burst!"


    A dome of shadows suddenly appeared, covering the entirety of the battlefield.


    "Ah!" Mod shouted in pain as she was directly caught in it. The explosion of shadows slammed into her with concussive force and she was launched away, tumbling on the ground from the power behind it.


    "Mod-chan?! Robin?! Are you two okay?" Rosan asked in concern.


    Mod whined at that, bruises blooming all over her body that healed up as quickly as it formed.


    "I''m okay. I can do this!" she said immediately, a challenging look in her eyes as she shakily stood up.


    "My body hurts, but I''m fine," Robin grunted, pulling herself up and envying both Rosan and Mod for having such incredible healing factors.


    She hurt. This battle was intense in a way that she had never experienced.


    Rosan pursed his lips and frowned, before nodding his head.


    Moria huffed, sweat and blood dripping down his features as he stood up, shadows roiling off him as he gazed at his three final opponents.


    Luffy, Mod and Robin all panted as the Warlord occasionally twitched from the effects of getting shocked.


    One of his arms was locked to his side, unable to move from the electricity coursing through his veins.


    "He can''t handle his own output," Rosan remarked idly, watching the man''s display with an interested eye. "His years of wasting away have bit him. His own laziness has put his body out of shape."


    "Not to mention, he''s being completely overwhelmed by Rosan''s traits," Robin panted out, running through the best course of action to close out this fight.


    Mod''s mouth opened at that.


    That''s right! Moria was shooting far above a level he couldn''t reach anymore! Perhaps if it was before the man had lost his drive, all the Straw Hats would have died¡­ but at this rate, he''d run out of gas all on his own¡­


    Quite frankly, he no longer had the physical specs to keep up with what he was flinging, but he couldn''t see that because he was being dominated by Rosan''s personality...


    And Rosan did have the specs to do that so it was biting him in the ass...


    Moria was very swiftly running out of endurance and running out of endurance against someone like Mod, was fatal.


    Time to show why her family thought she was so frustrating to battle.


    Moria grunted in annoyance as the ground beneath him came to life, lunging at him with a single purpose.


    He dipped into the shadows once more and the moment he popped out, he was forced to deal with an onslaught of purple orbs flying towards him.


    The Shadow dragon roared at that and charged Mod, who remained on the ground and began dancing around its charges, all while focusing on neutralizing Moria.


    As Moria dealt with the onslaught of orbs, the ground made its presence known again and wrapped around him.


    The Warlord scowled furiously, only to let out a yell of pain as bolts of purple electricity crashed into him.


    Let it be known, that Rosan unlocking more elements, actually benefited Mod more then it had him. It helped fuel her toxic fighting style even more.


    "I cannot wait until you find a way to unlock Ice," Mod said with a pleased smile, weaving between the shadows that were lunging for her.


    "Anything for you my spoiled Queen of a mother," Rosan bowed. "Believe it or not, I''ve got a lead so I just have to peer deeper into it."


    "You are such a genius. How do you even have a lead?" Mod thought in disbelief, holding out a hand and firing two orbs of purple orbs with condensed flames inside them.


    "Seekers," she intoned launching them forward.


    Moria howled furiously, exploding in shadowy energy, before he vanished from his spot and appeared behind Mod.


    He tried to cut into her with the scythe, but a wall blocked his attack and the seekers made themselves known once more.


    The shadow man swapped with his dragon, eyes going wide as the orb melted the head of the creature, before it formed back into place.


    Almost as if recognizing that it would do no damage to the dragon, it careened towards Moria again.


    Moria began panting as he was forced to dodge the orbs over and over again, fatigue catching up to him quickly.


    "Damn it. If I hadn''t lost my ambition these past few years! If I had just trained! I''ve lost my Haki, lost my stamina¡­ Damn it, Kaido! Damn it Straw Hats!"


    Damn it all!


    Luffy rocketed forward with a look of finality in his eyes, forcing Moria on the defensive immediately.


    Much to his dread, the orbs flew right over to the dragon''s position, a clear warning of what would happen if he swapped positions with it.


    So he was forced to engage with Straw Hat Luffy in close combat with one good arm.


    Moria may have inherited Rosan''s skills and talent by absorbing his shadow, but physically, he and the redhead were not the same.


    Rosan had the speed necessary to match Luffy''s own ridiculous speed.


    Moria did not.


    Luffy was very quickly gaining the upper hand on their furious exchange and to make matters worse, stray arms were forming that hampered him every step of the way.


    Neither Robin nor Luffy cared about the shadows attacking them, hellbent on inflicting as much damage onto him as possible.


    Robin was exhausted and hurt but so long as Rosan''s life was in danger, she''d do everything in her power to save him.


    She needed to be stronger. She wanted to be strong.


    "Quinientos Fleur!"


    The Warlord stopped in shock, as a single giant hand formed behind him.


    Without any hesitation, that giant hand smashed into him with no hesitation.


    Moria spat out blood as he was crushed to the floor but he couldn''t even catch his breath, as that damned steaming figure appeared above him.


    Luffy launched his foot into the air without any hesitation.


    "Gomu Gomu no Jet Battle Axe!"


    The Warlord gagged, bones creaking in agony as the foot smashed into him with brutal force.


    The Dragon roared in fury and attempted to help its master, only to seize up as a giant bag of salt appeared over it.


    Mod growled, eyes still set into slits. "Submit to my will, lesser dragon."


    With that, she dumped it atop the creature and it recoiled with a shriek of agony.


    As it writhed about, it flew back to Moria''s body and she gazed at the man with the eyes of a hunter.


    Mod smiled and in a tone of finality, she said, "Rebuke."


    She placed a flat palm against Moria''s chest, still sparking with electricity.


    Rebuke was a variation of Rejection or Retribution, that utilized electricity! This was their way of fully restraining someone so this version didn''t utilize the deadly Reject Dial.


    That didn''t make it any less effective.


    Moria seized up, before a chain of purple electricity surged through his massive body.


    The Warlord screeched and perhaps years ago, he''d have been able to withstand these attacks. After all, he had been a pirate with enough strength to challenge Kaido. He had been a man of great renown...


    He had been Gecko Moria!


    But that was years ago and he was no longer the same Gecko Moria as before.


    Moria let out a raspy gasp and fell back, shuddering as he fell unconscious.


    "That''s game," Mod smiled tiredly, canceling the electricity and gazing at the unconscious body with a curious eye.


    Gecko Moria¡­ a man who could have been formidable¡­ who should have been, but allowed his ambition to vanish in favor of laziness.


    And it finally bit him.


    Ambition¡­ was a dangerous thing to lose.


    "I guess¡­ it''s a good thing I got mine back," Rosan muttered, taking control of his body once more and stretching idly.


    Despite being unconscious, Rosan''s shadow had not returned to him, so he took out a plethora of salt and forced it into Moria''s mouth.


    He reached the desired effects immediately and Rosan let out a sigh as his shadow slammed into him without further prompting.


    What a weird day. Never thought he''d lose his shadow.


    "Well done Mod-chan," he praised with a proud smile. "You did fantastic out there. You have nothing to be insecure about."


    Mod blushed red and smiled, staring a hole into the floor. "I just wanted to see if I still had it¡­ I''m glad to know I can still pull my weight."


    "Of course you can! You''re our kickass Auntie!" Ram gushed, hugging her happily.


    Mod burned red at their praise and grinned at them.


    "I''m tired," Luffy sighed, glancing at his injuries with a deep frown.


    The entire crew was rather beat up from the ordeal. Oars and Moria alone had managed to inflict the majority of damage onto them and it was a testament to how strong the two strongest in their crew was.


    Rosan and Luffy¡­ monsters those two.


    "Alright, let''s steal all his treasure and get outta here," Rosan grunted, grabbing Robin and inspecting her injuries.


    Robin sighed in exasperation and leaned into his touch. She had been doing completely fine up until Moria made his presence known but leave it to Rosan to be overly protective.


    But still, it was really ¡ª


    A massive shockwave erupted, connecting to three Straw Hats there .


    "!"


    Neither Luffy, Robin nor Rosan were spared from the sudden attack and the three let out pained noises, as the attack slammed into them with crushing force.


    Rosan held onto Robin for dear life and righted himself, eyes shutting a bit at the devastating strength behind that attack.


    "What the fuck was that?" He rasped in disbelief, glancing down in concern at feeling Robin clutching him tightly.


    The Devil Child huffed in pain and glanced warily up at him, eyes tired but alert.


    "I¡­ I''m not sure. Who was responsible for that?"


    Then the three heard footsteps and warily glanced.


    Even Rosan took pause at the sight before him and he shut his eyes as a rare feeling of dread welled inside of him.


    Tall and enormous, looking to be the same height as Moria, the man (if you could call him that) before them, was walking around with a bible in hand.


    He glanced at them, eyes covered by clear-mirrored lenses and Rosan took a deep breath at the black jacket with a crosshair on it.


    Most of his crew were unconscious. Luffy was picking himself up, same as Zoro and Sanji was the most well off. At sensing the end of the battle, he had come back as quickly as possible. There was no need to protect his unconscious members anymore so he needed to take stock of the situation.


    "Who... is this?" Sanji asked warily, clenching his cigarette and assessing the injuries of the most active crew members.


    Rosan sighed. "Bartholomew Kuma, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea," he said.


    Ah damn. They were all pretty beat up, against one of the most mysterious Warlords in the system.


    Bartholomew Kuma, the Tyrant.


    "Black Leg Sanji. Monkey D. Luffy. Portgas D. Rosan. Nico Robin," Kuma greeted politely.


    He made no note of acknowledging Moria''s body, just gazing neutrally at the group.


    Bad didn''t even begin to describe their current situation.


    Bartholomew Kuma was an unknown quantity but there was nothing good from him being here, after they just beat his ally in battle.


    "Can I grab everyone and run in time?" Rosan thought to Robin.


    Robin raised a brow in shock, not believing Rosan offered the chance to escape first.


    "Yes, that''s the best chance."


    Rosan nodded imperceptibly. "Bartholomew Kuma¡­ do you have business with us?" He asked, having his bird go to where Sanji kept them..


    "Wake them up. Make them group up so I can do it in one fell swoop," Rosan ordered.


    "I do," Kuma said calmly. "I was sent by the World Government to inform Moria of various things, including the threat of the Straw Hats¡­ but it seems you''ve already made your statement."


    Rosan scowled. "He attacked us first¡­ but I doubt that matters to you."


    Kuma was as robotic as Rosan used to be, face not revealing a single thing. "Contrary to belief, I have no interest in capturing the Straw Hats. "


    The redhead snorted. "You probably still have something you want, right? No one who meets me ever just leaves me alone," he pointed out with a scowl.


    "Rosan!" Robin hissed at him.


    "I''m just making conversation to distract him! Am I wrong anyways?!" He retorted, raising a brow.


    "¡­" Kuma said nothing. It was impossible for even Rosan to tell what he was thinking.


    "Portgas D. Rosan, I have heard of your escapades but as mentioned, I was not sent here on explicit orders to capture the Straw Hats," Kuma told him politely, not a single inflection in his voice.


    That was another thing. Kuma kept referring to him by his actual name, Portgas D. Rosan.


    No one called him that. The higher ups of the World Government should know but why did Kuma know?


    Rosan gazed at Kuma like he were some type of puzzle. "What do you want?" He asked warily.


    Kuma held his gaze and Rosan felt a strange discomfort in the situation.


    Rosan could read everyone with his eyes. Even the slightest of inflections, would be caught my him.


    There were more unnerving things about his eyes then just their appearance. He could see everything a person hoped to hide.


    But Bartholomew Kuma was almost a complete anomaly. Rosan could barely glean anything from him and that was an idea that was almost foreign to him.


    It wasn''t often that someone remained a mystery to Rosan... it was rather unnerving.


    Was this how people felt looking at him?


    Who was Bartholomew Kuma?


    Kuma said nothing for a moment, almost looking as if he didn''t register Rosan''s words.


    "There are things that I''d like to test. A test of loyalty. Succeed and I will let you leave this island without catching a single one," he said truthfully.


    Rosan raised a brow. "A test of loyalty? In Luffy?" He asked incredulously.


    That was stupid. If it was a test to see how loyal everyone was to Luffy, they''d all pass with flying colors. Everyone in the crew had unshakeable loyalty in their captain ¡ª


    "No. In you."


    Rosan went cold.


    Faster than he could even blink, Kuma appeared in front of him.


    He was in one spot before, then in front of him with the only sound being a pop.


    Rosan shoved the stunned Robin away with wide eyes, right before Kuma grabbed him with his gloved hand.


    The redhead grunted as he was clasped with startling ease.


    The scout of the Straw Hats opened his mouth and immediately began bathing the man in flames, intent on melting him for daring to leave such an opening¡­


    To no effect. Rosan''s eyes went wide in confusion at seeing Kuma not even let out a noise of discomfort.


    It was as if his flames, Rosan''s flames, had no effect on him.


    Fine, he''d just up the power.


    "You have a turbulent past, Portgas D. Rosan," Kuma said idly.


    The giant Warlord began removing his glove, revealing the paws on his palm. "A past that you don''t want anyone to know of, but has caused you a great amount of suffering."


    What was Kuma talking about? How did he know this stuff?


    "How does he...?" Mod asked in concern.


    Rosan''s eyes were terribly confused, panic seeping into him as Kuma seemed to see through him in a way that only the people he had shared the most intimate of moments with, saw.


    Who did he think he was?! How dare he pretend like he knew Rosan so intimately?!


    "Rosan!" Robin shouted in concern, summoning arms to try and restrain Kuma.


    Her eyes narrowed in confusion at not feeling human skin underneath him and when she tried to contort any part of his body, the Warlord merely glanced over.


    What¡­ What was he¡­? Was Kuma even human? Able to resist Rosan''s fire... having such tough skin...


    "That is unwise, Nico Robin. I have no interest in engaging in combat with you all. I''ve stated this already but if you insist, I will capture all of you," Kuma intoned emotionlessly.


    "Robin stop!" Rosan said, struggling in Kuma''s unyielding grasp. "Don''t! Go get everyone else!"


    "But Rosan!" She shouted in return, not willing to back down for a second.


    "Just get them!" Rosan snarled, eyes transforming into slits as his teeth bared.


    Robin nodded hesitantly and went to go retrieve the Straw Hats, glancing back at Rosan in visible concern and increasing her speed.


    "If you begin transforming, you won''t be here to protect your crew. It will take you a long time to come back and by then, it will already be too late," Kuma said disarmingly.


    Rosan froze as those words washed over them.


    "A truth."


    "Are you just here to kill me then?" He asked quietly, canceling Ragnarok''s transformation and gazing at Kuma with heated eyes.


    Kuma didn''t even flinch at the glare. Rosan was beginning to think that the man had no emotions, exactly like he used to be.


    "Nothing like that," the Warlord said truthfully. "Your crew is weak," he said idly.


    Rosan stiffened.


    "While it''s true I have no interest in destroying the Straw Hats. My orders were to eliminate all of you in the event of Moria''s defeat¡­ but you alone, will suffice."


    "Portgas D. Rosan¡­ the Red Devil. Among the Straw Hats, you, along with Straw Hat Luffy, are quite the topic of discussion. I''m sure if I turn you or Straw Hat in, they will be satisfied."


    "¡­" the redhead said nothing as he digested that. "I''ll fight you with all I have."


    "You will not win as you are now."


    "A truth."


    Kuma fully believed in his capabilities of defeating Rosan.


    "¡­" Rosan huffed. "I''ll still fight you with all I have. You won''t lay a hand on them."


    The redhead vanished from Kuma''s grasp, appearing slightly in front of the staggering Luffy.


    "R-Rosan? Are we gonna fight that guy?!" Luffy asked in concern, getting ready.


    "...No," Rosan denied. "I''m going to fight him. Alone," he grunted.


    His crew was badly injured from the fight earlier. That shockwave earlier, nearly took out both Luffy and Robin, not to mention they were also drained from the fight with Moria...


    That meant he was in the best position to fight Bartholomew Kuma.


    Luffy shook his head in refusal. "But that guy''s strong and we''re all tired! I''m not letting you fight him alone!" the captain declared.


    "¡­" Rosan huffed quietly. "Kuma, fight me. One on one. It''s me you want right? All these words you''re saying boil down to one thing... and that''s me."


    It was also Luffy but Rosan was trying to distract the man from his little brother.


    Kuma stared silently at him. "Are you implying that I should only attempt to capture you?" the Warlord said quietly.


    The redhead chanced a glance at Luffy, at his little brother and sighed. "Every terrible misdeed that the Straw Hats have done¡­ in actuality it''s been one person, me. They are good people. I''m the one who''s bad," he said quietly.


    Luffy''s eyes bugged in disbelief. "WHAT?! NO! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU''RE DOING, ROSAN?!" He roared in fury, stepping up to his brother without any hesitation and grabbing his shirt.


    "¡­" Rosan stared at his furious brother and shut his eyes. "You guys aren''t the one who destroyed Enies Lobby. I was. You guys didn''t massacre the Marines in Alabasta. I did. Kuma is here because my actions have caught up to me¡­ so I''m going to fight with all I have to remain free, but I don''t need you all to incriminate yourselves either," he told his brother gently.


    "I don''t care about any of that! You''re apart of my crew!" Luffy denied with a scowl. "Anything you did, is because I approved it as your captain! If its your fault, then its my fault too!"


    "And that''s why the crew still needs you," Rosan thought fondly. "I''ve got dibs Luffy. This is my fight."


    Luffy''s eyes widened in disbelief. "You... What are you doing, Rosan?!" the rubber boy asked.


    "You think I''ll let you get captured?! If they take you away, I''ll get you back! You aren''t leaving me!" Luffy barked in genuine anger. "This isn''t what you want to do, Rosan! You hate being alone! You don''t wanna leave us! Stop acting like this!"


    Ram transformed into a set of gauntlets as Rosan stared off at Kuma. "It''s not something I want to do, it''s something I have to do. I''m the second in command. It''s my job to step up when you aren''t able to," he said calmly.


    "I''ll win this fight, don''t worry Luffy," he reassured.


    Luffy furrowed his brow. "Fine but if you lose... I won''t let them take you. I''ll get you back no matter what."


    Kuma said nothing for a moment, gauging the words of the Red Devil. "Owning up to your own actions¡­ how admirable, Portgas D. Rosan."


    The Warlord appeared directly in front of Rosan, staring down at the fearless redhead.


    "I refuse," the Warlord said suddenly.


    Rosan stiffened.


    "I have no interest in fighting any of you at this moment," Kuma informed him. "There''s something else I''m here for, then I will let you all go freely."


    The redhead raised a brow in confusion. "What¡­ is that?" He asked slowly.


    "A test, in loyalty."


    Rosan''s brows furrowed again, before his eyes widened and a raspy groan left him, as a paw print embedded itself onto his chest.


    The redhead collapsed onto a knee in shock, before he began to push himself up once more, eyes blazing in fury, as sparks began dancing off his skin.


    Another shockwave forced him to the floor and Rosan snarled in fury.


    He launched himself up and slammed a fist against Kuma''s face, discharging electricity at the same time.


    Before his fist connected, Kuma held up a hand and redirected his fist, completely changing the course.


    Rosan only had a moment to compute the strange attack, before he was immediately captured in a paw.


    "ROSAN!" Luffy shouted in a panic, rushing up to the redhead with a look of concern.


    Rosan''s eyes narrowed in confusion and he began thrashing in his prison.


    "He has the Nikyu Nikyu no Mi¡­" Mod muttered in concern.


    Oh if only she hadn''t made Rosan use up his energy while in control.


    "It''s fine. This isn''t nearly enough to neutralize me," Rosan scowled.


    "So you''ve finally all arrived," Kuma said, regarding the approaching Straw Hats with a blank expression.


    The Straw Hats gazed at Kuma in shock, before gazing at the trapped Rosan that froze at their arrival.


    Robin was gazing at him with narrowed eyes before saying, "Kuma¡­ Rosan has not done all those acts alone. I was a very willing participant as well. So if you plan on capturing him, I will be fighting you too."


    Ah so she heard that¡­ damn.


    "I wasn''t trying to sacrifice myself," Rosan said through their connection.


    "I know. You planned on fighting him with all you had¡­ but you also tried to shoulder all the blame onto yourself. We are a couple, Rosan. We''re in this together!" She said firmly.


    "We''re in a terrible situation. Kuma can¡­ he can defeat us all so I was at the very least, hoping to take his attention off of you all," Rosan muttered, getting ready to activate his Save Point to get out of this compressed air.


    "Straw Hats, how much do you truly know about Portgas D. Rosan? Do you trust him? Do you think he trusts you?" Kuma asked them suddenly.


    Rosan froze completely, a cold feeling coursing through his veins that transformed into a blizzard, as Kuma began pushing something out of his body.


    The redhead let out a strangled rasp, as an orange paw, slowly but surely pushed out of him. He stared at it with wild confused eyes.


    "ROSAN?!" The Straw Hats shouted in shock, watching as the giant orb floated out of him.


    What¡­ was that? What was this paw?


    "Portgas D. Rosan is a naturally secretive person," Kuma began conversationally. "A man who holds his past close to his chest. Even to you all, he hasn''t revealed all of it."


    Rosan''s eyes widened in horror and the Straw Hats saw a rare look of fear cross his features.


    "This bubble houses all a majority of his memories and emotions," Kuma informed them, looking utterly unfazed as Rosan vanished from his prison.


    The redhead launched himself at Kuma with a frenzied look in his gaze. Their scout looked more akin to a feral animal, as he immediately closed the distance.


    No sooner did he close the distance, did Kuma idly tap the redhead with his palm.


    The Straw Hats froze, as a shockwave boomed through the air¡­ and it took them awhile to realize it was Rosan''s body flying past them at speeds they could barely see.


    The redhead crashed into a stone pillar at ridiculous speeds, going directly through it with a strangled gasp of fury as he continued flying.


    "What is he?!" They all thought, gazing at the Warlord with nervous eyes.


    "What do you want?" Robin asked, visibly concerned at what this bubble entailed.


    Rosan''s memories¡­ his emotions?


    "In order to grow as a crew, it''s imperative that the shadow captain of the Straw Hats, is trusted fully by his crew and vice versa. A crew who has even one member lacking trust, is one destined to fail."


    Kuma gazed at them all. "His sins, troubles, fears¡­ all of it is in this bubble. In order to save the Red Devil, you must find the root problem of his concerns. In order to find the root problems of his concerns, you must understand his concerns."


    It was quickly dawning on the Straw Hats, what Kuma wanted from them and they all gained uneasy expressions.


    "Touch this bubble. Learn of the Red Devil. If you are able to accept Portgas D. Rosan after everything you''ve seen, if you still have the resolve to save him after what you experience¡­ then you are free."


    "And if we don''t?" Zoro asked seriously.


    "Then I will capture him."


    The Straw Hats went straight at that.


    "DON''T TOUCH IT!"


    Rosan had a look of true fear on his face as he rushed them. "Don''t touch it. Don''t¡­ You can''t touch that bubble!" He panicked, eyes wide.


    "Don''t touch that bubble. I¡­ I''ll deal with him just¡­ just don''t touch that bubble," Rosan begged.


    His memories¡­ his emotions. No¡­ no no no. Don''t touch it. No one should touch that.


    No one could handle his memories. No one could live the hell that he had been forced to live... to experience it in full... no this couldn''t happen.


    He didn''t want them to know everything. He didn''t want them to know just how afraid of revealing his past he was. He didn''t want them to hate him. He could handle everyone''s hate¡­ but not theirs.


    "This is not for you to decide, Portgas D. Rosan," Kuma said idly.


    Rosan looked like a rabid animal, gaze locking onto Kuma. "Don''t make them touch that bubble, Kuma!" He roared, launching himself at the Warlord.


    Kuma vanished from his spot, avoiding the red energy blasts with ease.


    Rosan roared in pure rage, going utterly feral as he rushed the man with reckless abandon.


    "Rosan please! You''re not thinking straight!" Mod panicked, overwhelmed by his rush of emotions and the events currently taking place.


    "You''d allow yourself to get taken, before allowing them to touch that bubble?" Kuma asked, redirecting another bout of flames from the redhead.


    "Is your past that important to you? Just what have you gone through, Portgas D. Rosan?" The Warlord asked curiously.


    Just what have you gone through?


    Robin''s eyes narrowed in distraught at how desperate Rosan was currently acting. He was¡­ so afraid.


    She knew Rosan''s past like the back of her hands. She was aware of why he was reluctant to show it¡­ but never had he shown such fear at the idea.


    Rosan was¡­ Rosan was afraid of the Straw Hats opinion changing of him¡­ He didn''t want his ugly past to be revealed to them. He didn''t want them to look at him the way everyone else did.


    "All of you," Robin said quietly, walking up to the bubble. "We should touch the bubble. If this is all it takes to get out of this situation, the decision is easy, isn''t it?"


    Luffy nodded without any hesitation, marching up to the bubble with determination.


    "Rosan thinks we''ll change our minds about him¡­ that''s why he''s afraid," Luffy said to his crew.


    Zoro sighed in disbelief before walking up to the bubble. "That''s why he''s so afraid? Him and Robin can be so stupid sometimes if things like this matter. Stop overthinking."


    Sanji glared at Zoro as he took place next to him. "Robin''s not as stupid as that shitty redhead if he thinks this is enough to scare us off him."


    Nami nodded in agreement as she gazed at the bubble with a hint of nervousness. "I already call him big bro. I dunno why he thought I''d stop if I learned more about him."


    "Yeah!" Chopper said in determination. "I''m already gonna be a monster! This is nothing!"


    "Rosan already scares me! He can''t scare me more!" Usopp declared, nervously glancing at the bubble despite his bravado but not faltering for a second.


    "Red seemed really afraid¡­ his past must be rough," Franky pondered, before feeling his resolve settle. "That doesn''t matter! He''s our bro!"


    Brook looked at the Straw Hats in awe. "Even if he doesn''t want you to do so, you still choose to do it without hesitation? Why? What makes you ignore his wishes?" He asked in surprise.


    Robin was the one to answer. "Rosan fears what we''ll think so we''re going to show him that it''s all unwarranted. I''ve already seen it all¡­ but I''ll see it a million times until he understands, there''s nothing to be worried about."


    "Yeah! He''s our scout!" Luffy beamed. "Now get in here Brook, he said all the Straw Hats!"


    Brook froze at that, before nodding hesitantly and approaching the bubble.


    Rosan let out a furious howl at seeing every single one of his attacks be negated by Kuma. Whatever he did was either redirected or teleported away from.


    Not to mention, the man''s body was ridiculously tough. The hits Rosan landed, were weathered dreadfully well and the redhead was just about to finally start busting out the more lethal attacks.


    "Oh, it seems like they''ve made their decision," Kuma suddenly said.


    Rosan felt his whole world stop at that.


    Hesitantly, the redhead turned back just in time to see every single person in his crew, dive into the memory bubble.


    "No¡­" Rosan said in dread, watching the bubble vanish at once. "No no no no. You can''t¡­ You shouldn''t¡­ my memories¡­ my emotions¡­ you can''t," he whispered.


    This wasn''t. They weren''t supposed to¡­ Rosan wasn''t ready for them to see it all.


    "YOU CAN''T!" Rosan screeched, eyes going wide in terror. "STOP! DON''T! WHY DO YOU WANT TO SEE MY HELL?! I TOLD YOU IDIOTS NOT TO TOUCH IT! WHY DID YOU TOUCH IT?!" he howled.


    No no no! Why weren''t they listening? What didn''t they understand?! Why?! Why did they want to hate him?! Why did they want to look at him like he looked at himself?! W-Why?!


    At once, every Straw Hat''s eyes glazed over and they collapsed.


    "Why?" Rosan asked numbly, not even noticing that he was shaking. He didn''t even notice Kuma walking away from the scene. "Why do you want them to see my hell? Why do you want them to live in the hell that I''ve lived in."


    "I''ve already stated the reason multiple times," Kuma said calmly, unphased by Rosan''s mental breakdown. "A test. Of loyalty. You''ve proven your loyalty to them but you refuse to let them prove their loyalty to you. I''m merely giving them the opportunity to do so."


    "Why are you doing this?" Rosan whispered. "What did I do to you? Why do you know me? Why... why won''t any of you ever just leave me alone?"


    "...An interesting choice of questions. Perhaps after this encounter, some of your answers will be found. May we meet again, Portgas D. Rosan," Kuma said.


    With that, the Warlord vanished and Rosan was left staring at his unconscious crewmates.


    The redhead began shuddering as he slowly approached them.


    His memories¡­ his emotions¡­


    They would see it. Even Robin, who had seen his memories, hadn''t actually felt the emotions he himself had been feeling.


    They would feel all of it. His despair, his rage, his helplessness, his hatred, his self hatred¡­


    His complete apathy.


    All of it. They''d see the people he killed, they''d see the horrific ways they died¡­ they''d see Rosan getting tortured... they''d see Rosan witness his mother''s death, they''d see Rosan witness Meiko''s death¡­


    They''d even see the things Rosan never intended to tell them about.


    "Rosan¡­ It''s okay," Mod said quietly, watching as the redhead began shuddering even more.


    "Father please... it''ll be okay," Ram sniffed, tears appearing at seeing the distraught in his eyes.


    But Rosan did not hear them.


    All of it¡­ even the things sacred to himself.


    "AGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Rosan opened his mouth and let out a scream of frustration that reverberated through all of Thriller Bark.

 Life is A

    It was of no surprise to Rosan at all, that the first one to wake was Robin.


    He blankly watched her shoot up, tears streaming down her face that caused a pang to course through his body.


    His girlfriend began frantically glancing around, before locking eyes onto him... and it caused him to wither a bit.


    The speed at which she rushed him, jolted him out of his numbness and he instinctively wrapped an arm around her waist as she crashed into him.


    Rosan steadied the teary eyed Robin with a look of concern.


    "Are you alright, Robin?" He asked softly, noting the way she was shaking in his grasp.


    Of course she wasn''t alright. None of them would be alright. They had seen his darkest memories. They had seen his horrific past¡­


    All of it. They saw all of it. They saw the monster he was, the monster he had been forced to become.


    They all knew his secrets now¡­ They knew how horrible of a person he was ¡ª


    Rosan was forced out of his musings as Robin suddenly kissed him.


    His eyes widened in surprise at the action and he felt his expression waver, as a moment of weakness coursed through his body.


    He didn''t deserve this... what was she doing? Why wasn''t...


    "It''s okay, Rosan. Please calm down. You know they won''t hate you after this..."


    "But... how do you know that? How do you know how they''ll react to seeing my memories?" He asked quietly.


    "We don''t know, but we have to trust them. Won''t you please just trust them, Rosan?"


    ...He wanted to. Rosan wanted to trust them but... but Rosan was so afraid of being hurt by the people he trust.


    He didn''t want to put trust in them... just so they could turn their backs on him, That was a pain worse than loneliness. Rosan was someone who loved too much, so when he was hurt by the ones he loved...


    That wasn''t something he could handle. He''d never be able to handle that.


    Mod frowned in distraught. Hearing Rosan''s true reasonings be something besides he can''t afford to trust others hurt so much... to hear him fully acknowledge that he can''t be hurt by people he trusts...


    "That¡­ Kami, just seeing it all in one go feels so awful," Robin suddenly said, pulling back and gazing at the redhead with nothing but sorrow in her gaze.


    Rosan''s gaze wavered as he saw that look and he gazed away.


    Robin was not having it. She forced him to gaze at her and felt the utter shame coursing through his body.


    "Rosan¡­ you have nothing to be ashamed of," she said softly, even as the tears refused to stop flowing.


    Robin didn''t think she''d be able to get them to stop anytime soon. There was no feasible way she could ever get them to stop after what she just saw.


    To relive Rosan''s life through his eyes¡­ to feel everything he felt, to learn everything he did¡­


    To lose all that he lost. Rosan''s memories were painful but the most agonizing part of it all, was the sheer apathy that had washed over her at the point of Meiko''s death.


    Robin thought she understood Rosan''s pain when viewing the memories but... but it felt like every emotion she felt had been dialed up to 10 after actually experiencing it.


    Everything Rosan felt was amplified to such a dreadful degree. When Rosan had first met her, when he had first latched onto her, the sheer love he felt for Robin was almost overwhelming...


    Robin didn''t know Rosan had loved her so unconditionally so early on... it was no wonder he had been almost irrevocably broken when he realized she wasn''t coming.


    It was as painful as it was endearing, to know that from the very beginning, Rosan always loved her for being Nico Robin. If anything, viewing his memories like this showed Robin just how human Rosan was.


    He was hurting and hiding because he didn''t like being hurt... and the best way to not get hurt any longer, was to hide his heavy emotions that were so bared to the world.


    That soul crushing apathy... the complete void of emotions... moments from Rosan''s memories that made her smile, or gasp in horror, or cry...


    Rosan felt none of that. Not a thing. How could he ever fault himself for becoming a monster if he lost the emotions that showed him these things?


    To know that Rosan felt that for a majority of his life¡­ Robin felt suffocated just thinking about it. She didn''t know how she could possibly live like that.


    She clutched Rosan tightly and just held him. The anguish in her heart at how he had suffered was rooted deep so for now, she''d at least let him know that he''d never be alone as long as she was alive.


    Just like how he''d be the only person if he had to, to view her as human... she''d always be by his side.


    "You''re even stronger than I thought you were before," she whispered gently, burying into the defeated redhead. "I still love you, Rosan. Nothing will change that. I promise."


    Rosan''s eyes widened at that, before a small smile formed on his face.


    He cursed himself for his eyes going foggy but¡­ but he was just so happy to hear something like that.


    At least Robin still loved him. Even if the rest of the crew rightfully hated him, he would always have her.


    "I love you too," he whispered softly, clutching her to his frame as he tried to calm his nerves.


    Robin knew he was still expecting the worst out of all of this but Rosan just didn''t understand who their crew was.


    "I saw... everything," Robin informed him. "In that moment, I wasn''t viewing your memories, Rosan. I was you."


    If anything, that just made Rosan feel worse.


    "You shouldn''t¡­ you shouldn''t have ever bore that. Becoming me is a sin no one should ever bear," Rosan said quietly, feeling his fury at Kuma rising.


    None of them deserved that. Rosan was¡­ Rosan wasn''t normal. He wasn''t human so other humans shouldn''t have had the misfortune of becoming him.


    "You''re wrong."


    Robin glared up at the resigned Rosan, feeling a passion she didn''t think she had before.


    Maybe the effects of glimpsing into Rosan''s memories, were still affecting her.


    "I don''t know why Kuma did this¡­ but I''m thankful because I''ve learned things about you that even I didn''t know before. There is so much more to Portgas D. Rosan than meets the eye and¡­ I know exactly how to help you," Robin said resolutely, clutching his cheek and pulling him close.


    "You didn''t want them to view your memories¡­ because you didn''t want them to abandon you. You think that the life you''ve lived is so bad, that even people you trust would turn their backs on you," she pointed out.


    Rosan said nothing. He just averted those bright eyes of his.


    Robin shook her head at that. "They won''t Rosan¡­ and deep down you know that they won''t but you love to expect the worst out of people, because you think you''re the worst."


    Rosan was¡­ he was such a complex person. He was in a never ending war with himself.


    One half of Rosan, wanted nothing more than to love and be loved by everyone around him. He wanted to trust, be happy, be free.


    But he couldn''t.


    He couldn''t because there was another half of Rosan who thought he didn''t deserve any of that because he wouldn''t be able to protect it. This half of Rosan was afraid to love everything he worked so hard to protect, so he kept his heart shut and allowed them to leave each other... but never allowed himself to love them.


    And he never allowed them to truly love him. It was self inflicted torture, disguised as a form of self protection...


    Before they began dating, or even before his second and third chains unlocked¡­ Robin simply thought his depression played such a huge part but no, it truly felt like Rosan was divided on how he should be treated.


    It seemed to have started right after... right after she shattered him at Daybreak. Rosan was an enigma through and through... it almost felt like he was completely split.


    Robin didn''t care what it took, she''d drown out the noise of the half that wanted him to be all alone, because that was never something Rosan would want.


    But still¡­ she had to wonder, if Rosan really was so divided, why was it that he was almost constantly erring to the side of negativity?


    Since they had been reunited, only with coaxing, would Rosan see the worth in himself¡­ in a way that didn''t seem like it was actually divided. It felt like one half completely dominated the other...


    Well that didn''t matter to her. What mattered was that Robin would help Rosan no matter what. He never gave up on her so she''d never give up on him.


    Rosan looked down at her, noticing how her grip never loosened on his person.


    Even if they hated him¡­ he still had her. Even if they abandoned him, he still had Robin.


    Rosan gently kissed her on the head and held her tight. "C''mon, you''re exhausted¡­ you can rest on me while I wait for the others to wake up."


    Robin was thankful he offered it because she truly didn''t feel like releasing him.


    Her heart ached at his memories. The worst one to her, was the memory of witnessing Rouge''s death because Robin had never seen that memory before.


    She would never ask Rosan to replay that memory. It was completely unnecessary to see and Robin would feel like she were torturing Rosan if she asked him to view it...


    And it was torture.


    It was awful. The soul crushing agony coursing through Rosan''s body, as he tried so hard to be strong for Mod-chan¡­ Rosan had loved Rouge so much... everything he did, he would tell her. He wanted to be so strong for everyone at just the tender age of 4.


    To Rosan who had only had Rouge for as long as he knew... he viewed her as his whole world and to suddenly lose that.


    It was no wonder he latched onto both her and Mod-chan so strongly... he needed that support...


    Never forget that mama loves you.


    Rosan looked down in worry, as he felt more tears spilling on his person and clutched her tightly.


    "I''m fine, Rosan," Robin choked out, feeling his soothing hands on her person. "It''s just a lot to take in."


    She took a deep breath. "Did you put everyone on the ship?"


    He blinked before nodding slowly. "Yeah¡­ you guys have been unconscious for a while¡­ so I placed you all on the ship. I also took all the treasure from Thriller Bark and said farewell to the people who got their shadows stolen."


    "What about Moria?" Robin asked.


    Mod frowned. She had spent the whole time reassuring Rosan so that he didn''t freak out further and guiding the redhead through the motions. It had been her idea for him to do all the things he did because he had been so close to having a complete breakdown and being unresponsive.


    "Moria escaped while we were all regrouping¡­ either that or Kuma saved him.. Regardless, we only managed to secure one person but at least their Devil Fruit was quite useful."


    "Moria''s Devil Fruit wasn''t as great as I wanted it to be anyways," Rosan grunted. "I don''t want anyone''s shadow, and I don''t want my own personal zombies¡­ but maybe they don''t have to be zombies."


    Suddenly, his expression turned pondering.


    "Damn never mind, I have plenty of ideas for his Devil Fruit," Rosan scowled.


    If he encountered Moria again, he''d be sure to capture the man. Rosan already royally fucked up by killing the invisible man, he needed to be more careful in the future.


    Robin sighed fondly. At least for the moment, he was taking his mind off current things. Rosan just needed to wait for the Straw Hats to wake up so that he could have his worries assuaged.


    "Could you bathe me? I got quite dirty in the encounter with Moria and the tears are making a mess of my face," Robin requested in hopes of fully distracting him and herself.


    She really did need the distraction...


    Judging by the way his gaze lit up at the idea of helping her, it had worked.


    It was adorable how innocent the murderous Rosan could be at times. Just the idea that he was able to help her in some way, was able to fill him with an almost childish glee.


    She made no fuss as he lifted her up bridal and simply wrapped her arms around his neck.


    He really was too adorable sometimes.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    A tired Robin snoozed on the vigilante Rosan, wearing one of his purple silk sweaters as she drifted on and off.


    Being bathed and pampered after a tough battle was just divine and Robin forgot that she had asked him for this to take his mind off things.


    She sighed in bliss as the redhead ran a hand through her damp hair and burrowed deeper into his black tee.


    Rosan idly massaged her with one hand as he kept watch of his still unconscious crew and the ship as well.


    He wasn''t quite confident in sailing without Nami''s expertise and the Sunny was a big ship but despite that, he did set them back on course with the help of the Log Pose.


    If anything happened, he would deal with it while his crew slept. The only part of him that was injured, was his ego at the one-sided affair against Kuma.


    The Nikyu Nikyu no Mi¡­ Rosan would love to get his hands on that fruit and he''d love to get his hands on Bartholomew Kuma too.


    Stupid bastard. Who the hell did he think he was? Rosan would make him pay tenfold for his transgressions.


    "I''m with you Father! We''ll destroy that piece of trash," Ram snarled violently, glad that Rosan was finally back to working levels.


    When Father was stressed, she got stressed and when Ram got stressed, she got violent and teary... and Ram hated being teary because Ram hated crying.


    "Thank you, Ram," Rosan said softly. "I know I can always rely on you."


    Ram beamed at that.


    Rosan was brought out of his musings, as groans began ringing out of the clear.


    Robin''s eyes opened as Rosan''s grip on her tightened and a small wave of trepidation coursed through his body.


    At once, the Straw Hats began to all awaken and the redhead frowned.


    "Now that they are all awake, I have business to attend to ¡ª"


    "Rosan."


    "Rosan."


    "Father."


    Rosan paused at the firmness in their voices and reluctantly canceled the Save Point he was planning on using.


    "Fooood," Luffy whined, shooting up first and rubbing his belly.


    "I need a drink," Zoro groaned, holding his head as he fruitlessly wiped at his eyes.


    "Forget that for a second," Sanji grunted, wiping the tears from his eyes to the best of his ability. "After what I just saw, I''m really not equipped to cook something right now."


    "Y-You''re telling me," Nami choked out, unable to even think straight as tears continuously fell down her face.


    Chopper and Usopp couldn''t even properly muster a response, just letting out sobs from what they saw.


    Franky was also sobbing, wiping his eyes repeatedly as he pulled out a guitar to begin playing.


    "My word that was..." Brook muttered, placing a skeletal hand over where his heart would be.


    "So you''re all awake¡­"


    Everyone snapped to attention at the very familiar and resigned voice.


    They all gazed at one Portgas D. Rosan, their scout¡­ whose life they had just bore witness to¡­


    They saw it all¡­ from when Rosan was the young and innocent age of 4¡­ to the angry and violent 9 year old¡­ to the lifeless and resigned 18 year old who had been that way since he were just 12...


    Rosan''s life was a nightmare and suddenly, everything had been cleared up to them.


    All of his problems¡­ all his fears and concerns¡­ They finally understood why he acted the way he did..


    To see the life Rosan lived through his own eyes¡­


    Rosan grunted in surprise as he was tackled to the floor.


    What...?


    "R-Rosan!" Nami cried, holding the redhead like her life depended on it. "I-I can''t believe you saw your mom die like that! Mam ¡ª I mean Rouge was so precious and I can''t believe you had to..."


    To think that he had watched his mother die too¡­ They really were so similar. The screaming pain of having to watch it was all too familiar to Nami and she felt her copious tears somehow renew.


    Rosan recovered quickly and wrapped an arm around her with soft eyes.


    "It was really hard¡­ I wanted to ¡ª"


    "Crawl in a hole and give up," Nami finished, eyes just as soft as she ran a hand through the precious redhead''s hair. "But you didn''t because you wanted to protect Mod-chan."


    The small little child, holding in all his tears until he could no longer hold it in... all because he wanted to protect his first friend.


    Those large innocent eyes, glowing purple with such joy... only for that joy to be replaced with anguish.


    Rosan was even more of an adorable kid than he and Robin made him out to be... the boy was downright precious.


    He shone as bright as the sun with his endless optimism and joy... to know that he had gone through that.


    "The bravery to give up assured comfort and go sailing on your own¡­" Usopp sighed, gazing at the redhead in awe.


    "The strength needed to keep moving forward," Chopper sniffed, wiping his eyes as he recalled all that he had seen.


    Rosan flinched in surprise at that, noticing that none of them were displaying fear or horror like they should.


    "You aren''t¡­ disgusted with me?" He asked quietly, sounding genuinely confused.


    Every single Straw Hat gazed at Rosan like he were a complete idiot.


    "What?" They asked in confusion.


    Robin felt a smile form on her face.


    Rosan wasn''t quite as pleased.


    "You saw it all," Rosan said with a frown, unable to believe what he was hearing. "You saw the hell that is my life¡­ you saw how I embraced the hell I lived in and became a demon¡­ why are you so confused at my question?! Don''t play dumb with me!"


    They saw the slight hysteria in his gaze and frowned.


    "I''m sure Robin-chan already explained it to you," Sanji said, reeling from the memories still.


    It was awful truth be told. No child should ever have to go through that¡­ the sight of Rosan being tortured so callously... to see him imprisoned...


    But the worst part was the lack of emotions¡­ It crushed Sanji from all angles and he nearly buckled underneath the crushing weight of Rosan''s apathy.


    The fact that Rosan still saw it fit to free him, it made Sanji find the redhead all the more inspiring. He didn''t have a single reason to free Sanji. There was no sympathy in Rosan''s stance, no empathy for his goal... just a sheer contempt for a small child being imprisoned... and a belief that anyone with the determination to so strongly proclaim their dreams, should have the right to seek those dreams out.


    That... was really cool of him. The shitty redhead was way too cool for his own good.


    Sanji wondered if that apathy was how his brothers felt at all times. If so, suddenly Sanji sympathized with them. His envy at their conditions when they were younger had practically vanished if they were even remotely similar to how Rosan had been.


    "We felt what you felt, Rosan," the chef explained with a sad frown. "We felt the loss of Rouge-san, felt you getting tortured¡­ felt you losing Meiko-chan and we felt you feel nothing. So you did a bunch of stuff we wouldn''t do... you''re getting better now aren''t you? It''s not like you were always like this!"


    Sanji frowned sadly. It was getting very hard to ignore these tears but at least thankfully, he wasn''t the only one. Not a single person, barring Luffy, seemed to be unaffected by what they just saw.


    "If you thought for even a second, we''d hate or despise you because of the hell you lived, you''re even dumber than I thought, shitty redhead," he declared, glaring at the redhead.


    Rosan was stunned at that and the Straw Hats knew now that he genuinely couldn''t believe that they didn''t view him like the Devil.


    "But the people I''ve killed¡­ the damage I''ve dealt¡­ the hate I feel¡­ you''ve seen me at my lowest so why? You know I''m a demon¡­ so why won''t you look at me like I''m one?" He whispered.


    Chopper shook his head, never removing himself from the redhead''s person. "You''re not a bad person Rosan! You did bad things¡­ but you did so many good things too! You''ve been dealing with so much things since you were a child¡­ the fact you turned out this way, into someone capable of raising an orphan into such a passionate queen¡­ you''re amazing!"


    Sure he had done bad things but... but Rosan hadn''t always been bad! No at one point, Rosan was just like them, with wide and wondrous eyes that just wanted to be happy with the ones he loved.


    But those bright wondrous eyes... had been forced to witness the darkness of the world until they snuffed out the light in his.


    Rosan tried and tried but he... he couldn''t do it on his own. Chopper would be a failure of a doctor if he condemned Rosan for the trauma he had suffered...


    Especially considering it had been a doctor who set Rosan firmly down this path... he understood fully where Rosan''s hatred for doctors came from and the fact that he trusted Chopper enough to continuously work on his body.


    Not once had Rosan shown discomfort when Chopper touched him. He accepted it with the same ease he had accepted Meiko and Demon''s treatments and that thought moved the reindeer to fresh tears.


    "You''re the best, Rosan! I''m sorry I couldn''t have met and helped you sooner!" Chopper wailed.


    Rosan reeled back at that, eyes going wide as his emotions began flaring.


    "You have to be one of the strongest people I know, bro!" Franky sobbed, failing to rub his tears away as he bear hugged the faltering Rosan. "After everything you''ve been through... you still have such a super spirit inside of you! You never fully gave up no matter what!"


    The cyborg burst out into tears again at the redhead. "No matter what happens to you, you just keep moving forward and now look! You''re finding what you''ve set out for! You''re doing Meiko super proud! I know she''s smiling down at you!"


    "Finding what you set out for."


    "You''re doing Meiko super proud!"


    Tears pricked his eyes but he didn''t notice.


    "I''m¡­ finding what I''ve set out for? Meiko... she''s proud of me?" He asked quietly, so quietly that they strained to hear him.


    "Of course!" Nami nodded like it were obvious. "You really thought we''d hate you after this?! We''ve always loved you Rosan! We had no idea you didn''t know! Don''t think something like this would ever make us change our minds because you''ve shown us way too much for us to ever think you were unredeemable!"


    Zoro snorted. "He''s supposed to be one of the smarter members of the crew and he didn''t know something as simple as that? I''ve killed people too. It''s not like you go around murdering innocents, dumbass."


    "Shishishi! Rosan''s been through a lot," Luffy laughed cheerfully. "He''s really stupid so he doesn''t understand simple things. That''s what Ace told me so we have to help him a lot!"


    "You''re not wrong¡­ he''s got a very creative mind," Usopp nodded sagely, thinking back to the redhead''s way of thinking.


    Rosan watched them, stunned as they conversed like they hadn''t just peered into his twisted past¡­ into his never ending nightmare.


    They didn''t¡­ they didn''t think he was disgusting¡­ they didn''t see him as the demon he thought he was.


    A bony hand laid on his shoulder and Rosan turned towards the skeletal face of Brook.


    "As someone who has only known you for a few days... I would like you to know that not once, have I ever thought of condemning you after what I saw," Brook said earnestly. "You are a powerful young man. One of the most powerful I''ve ever met and... I''m glad that we get to be in a crew together! Yohohoho!"


    None of them were lying... not a single lie had been told here. Everything they said... they meant it. They meant all of it.


    Even Brook... the newest member spoke so earnestly... he had the least to go with. He didn''t know Rosan past a few conversations. He knew Mod-chan more than he knew Rosan but... but he saw all those memories and he said such kind things to him.


    T-That was... t-that was s-so...


    "You''re looking for something you already found, Rosan. You already have plenty reason to live but you''re scared to open your heart up like you did with me."


    Robin''s smile at their infallible crew, turned into a gasp as she felt something wet drop on her.


    Was that... were these tears?


    She slowly glanced up at Rosan and couldn''t stop her own tears from forming once more, as she saw tears streaming down his face.


    He gazed at the crew with wide and stunningly innocent eyes, looking as if their words had shown him a side of the world he should have been subjected to first.


    For the redhead who had been plunged in darkness for so long... the beacon that the Straw Hats shown to him, was something that he didn''t think he could still find.


    For the boy who just wanted to love and be loved... to finally realize that no matter what he did, he was still capable of being loved...


    Rosan was a person who was afraid to open his heart because his heart was so big and he was so lovable... but he was terrified of being burned.


    But he wasn''t being burned right now... no the fire the Straw Hats lit, was one that filled him with an indescribable warmth.


    Her gasp brought the attention back to them and everyone gazed at the crying redhead with shocked eyes.


    After all, he hadn''t cried since he was 12! This was a momentous occasion! Rosan was capable of still shedding tears!


    "Are you okay, Rosan?" Robin asked in concern, holding his cheek as the tears continued to spill from his body.


    "Something I already found. I... I already found it. I found it so long ago but I was too blind to see," Rosan thought to himself, clutching the hand holding his cheek.


    They watched as the redhead grinned brilliantly, despite the tears falling down his face. His abnormally sharp fangs gleamed, as his eyes shone the brightest they had seen yet.


    The redhead stared at them all, an emotion that they immediately identified as love in his gaze, as he let out a watery laugh.


    "Kahaha¡­ I''m so sorry you all¡­ I can be really stupid so it takes longer for me to notice things. I... I''m glad everyone is so patient with me because... because I''m not very patient with myself. Meiko said the same thing to me," Rosan said to them, face glowing in the most innocent display they had seen from him yet.


    "We know!" they chirped.


    "She was right," Nami sighed incredulously. "You''re so ridiculous Rosan."


    He really was so stupid. Rosan thought Meiko had been talking about just Robin but no¡­ she had been talking about everyone in his life.


    All of them were worth living for and he had never seen that because he was too in his own head. For so long, Rosan had firmly believed someone like him could never truly be loved because the moment a person learned everything about him... they''d want nothing to do with him.


    Even with his family... he thought that. The only ones Rosan truly thought could ever actually love him, were Luffy and Ace but... but he was wrong.


    They were right, he was really stupid and that removed a burden off his shoulder he had been battling for years.


    "R-Rosan," Mod sobbed, holding a hand over her mouth. "I-I told you that you could trust them! I''m so happy you finally made these realizations."


    They''d all been telling them haven''t they? He owed everyone an apology, Rosan''s head was way too up his own ass.


    Guess he really was royalty. He had the royal douche down to a t.


    "I''m sorry Mod-chan, really," Rosan said sincerely, trying and failing to wipe the tears away. "I''m sorry for making you feel so inadequate over the years. You''ve been trying so hard to make me see how dumb I''ve been..."


    "Y-You never have to apologize to me for something out of your hand, Rosan. I''ve been with you from the beginning, I know exactly why you were the way you were and I''m just glad we finally found the people that can free you," Mod smiled brilliantly, rubbing the tears from her eyes.


    "I''m sorry to you too, Ram. It took me too long to acknowledge that you were my daughter and you didn''t deserve that neglect."


    Ram gasped at that and nodded eagerly. "You''ve never neglected me Father! It... it hurt that you didn''t see me as your daughter, but that''s not your fault!"


    He smiled softly at that. "You are my daughter first and then my weapon, don''t ever forget that. Even when I eventually have kids with Robin. You can be big sis Ram like you wanted, to them."


    Mod''s jaw dropped and a brilliant flush covered her cheeks at his shameless words. "Could you stop being so shameless for just a few hours?!"


    "Kids?" Robin thought in shock, an unseen red on her cheek as well at how shameless he was.


    D-Didn''t Rosan want 4 children?! She forgot about that possible prospect!


    Ram beamed in happiness. "That''s so gross Father!"


    Rosan cackled and stood up, before bowing to his crew.


    "I''m sorry," he began earnestly. "I''ve been a terrible crewmate to you all. I''ve kept secrets, operated on my own¡­ it''s not what I should have been doing and I''ll do my best to be better to you all¡­"


    They deserved it. Rosan would become better to them. He would confide his plans with all of them now... no more operating in the shadows. He would be a good crewmate.


    "What are you talking about Rosan?" Chopper asked in confusion.


    "Yeah, we''re totally fine with the way you act! It''d be weird if you stopped!" Nami beamed, forcing the redhead up from his bowing position.


    "It would be way too strange if you stopped acting like the secretive asshole you are," Sanji nodded in agreement.


    Rosan laughed lightheartedly and ran a hand through his red hair. "You guys are so weird," he said softly.


    The redhead shook his head and took a seat, grabbing Robin and placing the elated woman atop him.


    "At the very least, you guys should rest more¡­ no matter how well you guys are handling it, my memories are still jarring," he informed them. "Take it easy, I''ll make sure we don''t sink for a few hours... and please don''t hesitate to come to me if you have nightmares."


    The Straw Hats gazed at the redhead and nodded, accepting his offer.


    "So what happened after we fell unconscious?" Nami asked, as Sanji darted to the kitchen to go make them all food.


    They were starving after the events that transpired... and honestly some food would be a great distraction. Despite the much more uplifting mood around the ship, that did not change that Rosan''s memories were very... scarring to witness.


    The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    Seriously... how could he stand here and still grin and smile so freely? They knew it had taken him a while but... seeing that Rosan was even still capable of being saved was incredible!


    Rosan explained everything that happened.


    After screaming in frustration and rounding his crew onto the ship, Mod-chan had told him to take everything of value from Thriller Bark, requesting that he give some to the pirates that helped them so that they could at least sustain themselves.


    The leader of the troupe... Lola was her name, had been so tearful at his kindness, that she had asked to marry him...


    Rosan was so out of sorts he couldn''t even deny or accept her request, but Ram had transformed into human form to give the woman a firm lashing about how "Father''s already taken you stupid cow! Mother is 3000 times cuter and smarter and hotter!"


    He would have laughed at the events... if he hadn''t felt like a zombie.


    Ah that reminded him.


    "Nami, the woman named Lola wanted you to have this. I don''t know why but here," he muttered, pulling a sheet of paper and handing it to her.


    "A vivre card?" Nami muttered in surprise, remembering the piece of paper Ace handed to Luffy and Sabo.


    "Yeah," Rosan nodded. "I dunno why she picked you, but she mentioned trusting you for some reason."


    Nami blinked before a look of realization crossed her features. "It''s a long story¡­ I ran into her zombie... we became friends. I guess Lola remembered at least a little?"


    Funny how that worked...


    Rosan nodded, easily accepting that explanation, and adjusted the yawning Robin. "Tired?" he asked her softly.


    "Mentally exhausted," she told him truthfully. "I can''t believe you had the nerve to say you''re mentally weak. For someone as arrogant as you, it''s ridiculous how much you downplay yourself."


    Such arrogance and self doubt should not exist in one person. Rosan truly was an anomaly and even being him for a moment didn''t make it any easier to understand.


    What a strange redhead he was.


    "It took me too long to realize I''m not the worst person in the world," Rosan admitted with a soft laugh. "I''m... it''s hard for me to change my mind about something once I''ve made it huh?"


    The most prime example was with the World Government. Rosan knew they weren''t all terrible people, yet he still hated them all...


    He couldn''t help but feel slight guilt now at his actions towards Commodore Emma...


    That was... not right of him. She had unjustifiably been scapegoated for Smoker''s actions...


    Rosan, wouldn''t become a good person, but he would try to become better.


    "Rest up some," he murmured. "Thank you for never giving up on me."


    Robin sighed happily and tucked into him. "Idiot. Thank you for never giving up on me."


    He grinned fondly.


    He was¡­ so glad that he met this crew. Time and time again, they managed to impress and catch him by surprise¡­ and this one was the greatest surprise yet.


    Rosan didn''t like being surprised. He liked having all the details so he could prepare accordingly¡­ but he would let it slide this time.


    "Oh that reminds me!" Nami suddenly said. "Rosan! Transform into Mod-chan! Bring out Ram too!"


    "M-Me?" Mod asked in confusion.


    "Huh?" Ram blinked.


    Rosan blinked at that and nodded slowly, gazing at the suddenly energetic Robin.


    "I''ll sleep afterwards, I promise," Robin assured, pushing herself up.


    The redhead nodded and stood up, quickly taking the form of his mother in the process.


    Almost as soon as Mod gained clarity, she was swamped by nearly all the Straw Hats (Luffy dragged Zoro who fruitlessly protested) hugging both her and Ram.


    "!" Her eyes widened in shock and a brilliant red marred her cheeks at all the people hugging her.


    "W-What?!" Ram gaped, squirming at all the people hugging her.


    "You''re amazing, Mod-chan," Nami said warmly, squeezing the woman with all her might. "From the beginning to the end, you''ve been an amazing mother to everyone, especially Rosan and Robin. This probably won''t compare to when Rosan finally manages to hug you, but hopefully this is enough for now."


    Throughout everything, Mod had been trying her best to keep everything together. If not for her, Rosan would have gone off the deep end as early as 4 years old. Her calm, rational and kind soul had done everyone so many favors.


    It wasn''t an exaggeration to say the reason Rosan could be saved in the first place, was majorly because of Mod-chan. She was the perfect pillar and mother that Rosan needed.


    Mod''s eyes turned foggy at that and she whimpered. "Y-You all..." she whispered.


    "You remind me of my mother, Mod-chan. She was the kindest soul on the planet and made me believe that I really could be a cook... Rosan''s lucky to have you," Sanji said earnestly, fondness in his eyes.


    "He''s right. I don''t know what I''d do without you Mod-chan... you''re the reason that I''m able to be reasoned with. Without you... I''d be dead or all alone," Rosan said genuinely, joy in his eyes.


    Mod began sniffing at that, big red eyes showcasing just how human she had become over the years... to compensate how lifeless Rosan had been.


    "You too Ram! You both added a lot of life to everyone struggling. You were like a breath of fresh air," Usopp beamed truthfully.


    "Just existing managed to give Mod-chan especially, so much vitality. She really needed you in her life," Chopper nodded enthusiastically.


    Ram''s cheeks burned red in mortification at that. "I-I don''t need your compliments! I only live for Father and I acted accordingly! Of course I''m a breath of fresh air! Look who you''re talking to!" she squeaked.


    W-Who did they think they were, giving her earnest compliments?! She didn''t ask for this! Ram only lived to serve father so who did they think they were making her feel all warm inside?!


    Tears sprung in Mod''s eyes at their words and she sobbed happily, trying to return the hugs to everyone to the best of her ability.


    Even the bony body of Brook!


    "I''m so thankful for you all!" Mod sobbed. "I''ve been pleading with Rosan and Robin to both trust you all from the moment we all met and I''m so so glad that I was right."


    "Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart, for saving both my son and daughter," she finished tearfully, looking at the crew with love in her eyes.


    "Of course, Modi," Luffy laughed wrapping both arms around her. "They''re our friends! We''ll always help them!"


    Mod laughed in joy and nodded tearfully before finally breaking the group hug.


    It was a long time coming and even despite her urging Rosan... she had had some doubts that maybe not everyone in the crew was trustworthy... but she was wrong!


    They were all such lovely people and Mod was so glad that Rosan got to meet them.


    "So you''re Ram¡­" Brook mused, remembering the unhinged girl well from the memories. "It''s a pleasure to meet you in the flesh. Might I see your panties?"


    A tan fist floored him with extreme strength and Ram glowered at the flattened skeleton.


    "S-Such strength! Yohohoho!" Brook wheezed.


    "I don''t wear panties, pervert. If you ask that again, I''ll unlock a bone transformation by absorbing you," she snarled.


    "Duly noted! You make my skin crawl... oh but I don''t have skin! Yohohoho!" Brook laughed joyously.


    Ram sighed. Morons all of them. This was why she stayed in the mindscape, everyone was so dumb.


    Sanji''s eyes bugged out of his head. "Y-You don''t wear panties?!" He balked in disbelief, a lecherous grin slowly forming.


    The belligerent ring sneered at the blonde. "Of course not! Not enough freedom! I wear boy shorts!"


    Mod sighed. "Ram, please don''t tell them that. Rosan just apologized to them and now you want him to commit murder?"


    Ram''s eyes lit up. "Father will commit murder in my honor if I mention what I wear?!" She asked excitedly.


    Robin sighed. "Ram, please don''t. Rosan really will do it."


    The ring pouted at that. "Fineeee," she mumbled.


    Everyone sweatdropped.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Looks like the hunger got the best of you."


    Perona let out a loud shriek at that, jumping 10 feet in the air at the deep voice behind her.


    After pacing about and realizing she had no idea where she was... Perona had attempted to send her ghost out to inspect the area she was in...


    And that''s when she saw the outside of the castle. The never ending darkness, had frozen her up to the core and caused her to shudder in horror, even in her ghost form.


    Wherever she was, was utterly unnatural in nature and she took the woman''s words to heart about not exploring too much because this place was horrific.


    So Perona sat tight in the strange castle, until she was no longer able to ignore her rumbling stomach and the girl decided it was time to take that woman''s offer of eating something if she were hungry...


    Well, that offer had flown out of the window (along with her soul) at hearing the deep and amused voice of the demon in human flesh.


    Rosan looked at the girl tentatively cooking a sandwich for herself and rolled his eyes.


    "Go sit down. I don''t like when people cook in my kitchen. My student tried it once and nearly burned it all down."


    The pink haired woman nodded hastily at the commanding voice and took a seat, going completely pale at seeing Nico Robin stare daggers into her.


    "So I take it you don''t often stare at people''s naked bodies like the other dead one, right?" Rosan asked conversationally, deftly moving through the kitchen as he made a meal.


    Perona shuddered at being in a room alone with two dangerous predators and went pale at his very obvious point of mentioning Absalom''s state.


    Seeing Nico Robin keep eyes on her, was one of the most terrifying things she didn''t know she''d be terrified of.


    There was a disarming smile on her face, as those icy blue eyes peered at her. Her only reprieve, was that Nico Robin frequently focused on the Red Devil, taking her eyes off Perona in quick intervals.


    Where was the purple haired woman? At least she radiated warmth and kindness!


    Perona shook her head rapidly. All she could think of was Absalom''s body on the floor... from this man''s treatment.


    She could not let that happen to her.


    "N-No¡­ I''m not a pervert! Honest! I was just checking to see what Absalom was doing because we had a very specific set of orders that we normally do. I didn''t think he would be stupid enough to attack you two while naked!"


    "You''re lying," Rosan said easily, not even glancing back at her. "Don''t lie to me again. I''m not as nice as Mod-chan or Robin."


    Perona squeaked in terror and began to sweat as Robin''s eyes once more roamed over to her.


    "O-Okay okay! I did think Absalom would do something like that but I didn''t realize he was that stupid! I knew he was dumb but attacking you two with your bounties¡­ You two have such high bounties and it was unprecedented to see such a strong crew show up! I wanted to wait for Moria to awaken before deciding our course of action but he decided it for us!"


    Rosan chuckled darkly and placed a plate of rice in front of her. "So one of you are smarter than the rest."


    It seems there truly was intelligence in cowardice. Maybe he owed Usopp an apology.


    "Attacking my crew and I¡­ it was the dumbest mistake you could have made and your freak of a friend paid the price."


    Perona looked at the plate like death itself had given it to her and gazed up into the piercing eyes of a truly terrifying entity.


    As someone who lived on Thriller Bark, a place full of the supernatural... Perona found herself reassessing the definition of the word horror.


    "Are you going to be as dumb as he was?" Rosan asked quietly, eyes sparking in fury as he forced her to hold his glowing gaze.


    Perona shook her head hastily. "Nope! Nuh uh! I have no intention of being stupid like him! I give up completely! It''s your win!" she practically vomited the words out at the speed she was talking.


    Rosan looked pleased. "Good. You''ve lost this battle. I don''t quite know where Moria is but he has vanished. I don''t believe in needless torture and you''re useful, so I think it would be a waste to kill you."


    Perona let out a sigh of relief at that. Hopefully it stayed like this... with the Red Devil not wanting to kill her. The redhead looked very unstable and she did not want to be the trigger for that.


    "So what do you want?" she asked hesitantly, taking a tentative bite out of the food offered to her and feeling her eyes light up at the delicious taste.


    She very much doubted he poisoned her. He could literally crush her skull with his fists. Poisoning was completely unnecessary.


    Rosan hummed and took a seat next to Robin. "You are useful. Your ability allows for a safe way to have eyes and ears in places and not to mention they can incapacitate just about anyone with their negative abilities."


    Perona puffed up at that.


    "If you used that ghost on me, by the time I recovered, I''d probably be so mad that I''d rip you apart," Rosan said truthfully.


    Without his emotions, they wouldn''t have worked but right now? Rosan would be a complete sitting duck at the face of Perona''s abilities.


    Perona balked at that, dropping her utensils as she nervously gazed up at Rosan again.


    "I want you to work for my student. She could use someone like you. You could easily become one of her most important assets," he finished.


    Robin let out a small laugh at that. "Always thinking of Maro. Should I be concerned?"


    The redhead glanced at her. "Well she wouldn''t be so opposed to my public displays of affection like a certain someone I know, that''s for sure. I bet she''d be happy if I was saying the unhinged things I said about you," he grunted, pinching her cheek.


    Robin let out a noise of annoyance. "Well please take her then. I don''t want to deal with you! Let someone else do it!"


    Rosan snorted. "No way. After all the effort I went through, you think I''m going to just give you up? Keep dreaming, babe."


    The Devil Child let out a noise of misery. "You hear my clones say that once and use it to mock me forever. You''re unreal¡­"


    "Am I getting thirdwheeled in a situation that could decide my future from now on?" Perona thought in disbelief.


    Considering what Rosan had done to Absalom¡­ It would really be in her best interest to not piss the Red Devil off.


    "I''ll¡­ I''ll work with you?" She interrupted the two. "What does your student do¡­?"


    Rosan and Robin stopped conversing to look at her.


    "She''s a Queen in the North Blue. As long as you don''t irritate her, you will live a good life," Rosan grunted.


    "It''s very hard to do so anyways. Maro''s a sweetheart," Robin smiled fondly.


    That smile turned into a yelp as Rosan''s hand gripped her cheeks again.


    "Don''t even think about it," he growled warningly.


    Robin raised an incredulous brow and growled back, summoning multiple hands. "Are you serious?! She is a married woman, Rosan! Why do you think I''d even attempt to do that?!"


    "So if she wasn''t married you would?!" Rosan asked in return.


    "Well maybe! She might be a pervert but at least she isn''t as insufferable as you are!"


    "Oh fucking yeah?!"


    "C-Can we just go now?!" Perona blurted out, sweating at the two gearing to attack each other.


    She went pale as those angry eyes glared at her.


    "When you want of course," she squeaked.


    Hopefully the Queen wasn''t as scary as these two.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Hey Maro."


    Maro perked up, a big grin on her face as she launched herself over the table into Rosan''s waiting arms.


    She eagerly dragged Robin into the hug as well and let out a happy noise.


    "Are you guys happy to see me? Believe it or not, I was actually thinking of you two for some reason! I felt a few shivers going down my spine and began to worry for my safety," Maro rambled to the duo.


    "If you''re Maro¡­ then they were arguing with each other nonstop because they kept accusing the other of wanting to date you."


    The goblin perked up at the unknown voice and peered over Rosan''s shoulder to find a tired pink haired girl.


    Whatever fear Perona felt at the two, had completely vanished as she watched them escalate their argument until it came to blows.


    Watching the two roll around and claw at each other was fairly funny and terrifying... only for all that to be replaced with disgust at watching them suddenly ¡ª


    Never mind. She should just purge that memory from her head.


    "Who''s this?" Maro asked curiously, waving cheerfully at the pink haired girl. "Another soldier for me?"


    "Yeah," Rosan said, glancing back at her. "She was apart of Gecko Moria''s crew. Her ability is very useful so I thought to give her over to you."


    "I''m not some type of toy that you can just give away you know," Perona deadpanned.


    Rosan raised a brow. "Where did all your fear go? You were terrified earlier," he pointed out.


    "Hard to be afraid when I was forced to watch you and your girlfriend lock lips for 30 minutes while I ate," Perona replied dryly. "I just want to bleach my eyes and go to sleep. You two are cute, but I don''t appreciate the free show."


    "I''m jealous," Maro sighed morosely. "Can you two repeat it for me?"


    "Please don''t," Perona sighed.


    Robin rolled her eyes. "This is what I meant by public displays, Rosan," she chastised.


    "You say that like you''re not the one who initiated," Rosan accused.


    Maro sweatdropped at the two and focused on Perona.


    "It''s nice to meet you Perona, I''m Queen Maro of Celadon. I''m a little interested in seeing why Master thinks you''re so useful!" she grinned cheerfully, gazing at the girl.


    She was cute and short, with a head of pink hair and big, round black eyes.


    What a uniquely cute girl!


    Perona paused as she digested, before her eyes bugged out of her head.


    "Y-You''re Queen Maro of Celadon?!" She asked in disbelief.


    "You know of me?!" Maro beamed happily.


    She''d be psychotic to not know about the woman! She was one of, the most famous people outside of the Grand Line!


    How the hell did the Red Devil know her? Did he say she was his student?!


    How did the Queen of an island like this one, know of a demonic pirate? What the hell...


    "Hello?" The beautiful queen asked, waving her hand curiously.


    Perona jolted and nodded hastily.


    Rosan was giving her an opportunity to work for one of the most prestigious islands in the North Blue! She''d be a dumbass to not accept it!


    It was much better than... the other option. Perona may have lost much of her fear for the Red Devil... but that didn''t change the fact that he was terrifying and he only stopped being scary because she agreed to be allies with him.


    "I''m Perona... I''m 23 and I ate the Horo Horo no Mi so I''m a ghost girl! I can send out ghosts that are very good at immobilizing threats and scouting!"


    Maro''s eyes widened in joy. "Hey I''m 23 too! Woah! You look so young!"


    She didn''t have an actual scout! She mostly used Mikita or Drophy for that but having someone who was actually apedt at the job, would be amazing!


    Perona saw the joy in the woman''s eyes and let out a sigh of relief. She summoned her Hollows and demonstrated them to the awed Queen.


    "I won''t show you because I don''t want to die to that demon over there¡­ but I can send this through anyone and take away their will to live," she explained. "I can also make them explode too!"


    Maro ooh''d and awe''d at that.


    "I can also turn myself into a ghost! It makes my actual body susceptible but it''s great if no one knows where my body is!"


    The Queen''s eyes widened at that. Perona was a goldmine!


    Master got this girl for her?! Amazing! Incredible! 10 points!


    "I hope you know I have high hopes for you but I won''t push you hard," Maro beamed. "You''re so impressive! You already have the potential to be one of the most important pieces of the island!"


    Perona beamed in return. The Queen''s personality was very cute! Much cuter than those demon''s getting ready to lock lips agai ¡ª


    Oh hell no.


    "AHEM!" Perona coughed loudly, making the two jump in surprise.


    Rosan glared daggers at her while Robin sighed in exasperation.


    Perona was so tired of them.


    "Do you have any place for me to stay, Queen Maro? I can set up my ghost network as well but you should warn the people about me to not cause widespread panic."


    Maro nodded in excitement. "I especially need to warn Angel¡­ she''s super afraid of ghosts. I''ll set up some arrangements for you to live somewhere that leaves you secured and safe!"


    Perona smiled at that. This was certainly better than being massacred by the Red Devil.


    She did miss Moria though¡­ she wondered how he was doing.


    With pleasantries finished, Maro had Kanna and Kaori escort Perona to her new place with a pleased smile.


    Robin and Rosan both watched the queen turn towards them with a coy smile.


    "Arguing about me eh?" Maro cooed, waggling her eyebrows perversely as she pulled the both of them close. "My oh my you little perverts! I realize I''m super hot and you two are also super hot but I''m also married you know!"


    Rosan rolled his eyes. "Shut up you goblin. I''d never date you for various reasons."


    "Me as well. You''re beautiful but I would rather not," Robin nodded with a small smile.


    Maro spluttered, before curling into herself in depression.


    "You guys are so mean," she mumbled as she drew a circle on the ground with her finger.


    Why did they always bully her? What did she do to deserve this! She was queen damnit!


    Bah, no one had any respect these days.


    The two laughed at her reaction and Maro eventually shot up with a look of curiosity.


    "You guys fought another Warlord?" She asked.


    Wasn''t this a little ridiculous? The Straw Hats never seemed to have any respite at all! All their journeys were just chaos after chaos!


    Rosan''s smile vanished a bit. "Not just one. We saw Bartholomew Kuma as well," he muttered with a deep frown.


    Maro''s eyes widened in shock. "You met Bartholomew Kuma and Gecko Moriah at the same time?!"


    Robin nodded. "We did, it was quite the difficult battle and we were very ill prepared for Kuma''s sudden arrival."


    Maro frowned at that. "So how did you guys manage to get away? Did anyone¡­ die?"


    She didn''t like the way Master was looking right now. He was rather grim while explaining it all so something had to have happened...


    Rosan shook his head. "After we beat Moriah¡­ Kuma and I fought and he¡­ pushed out a bubble full of my memories."


    The Queen''s eyes widened in dread at that. "Your¡­ memories? He can do that?"


    Master''s memories? What the hell¡­ Maro would be lying if she said she didn''t want to know more about Master''s past but she also knew that alot of bad things happened to him... so for someone to forcefully extract those memories from him were just...


    "He said¡­ if my crew touches that bubbles and sees my memories, he''d let us go and they did," Rosan told her. "At first, I was terrified. I didn''t want them to see my past, I didn''t want them to see my own personal hell¡­ but they still accepted me despite everything they saw."


    He still couldn''t believe that they... would be able to look past all that.


    Maro''s eyes softened at that. It seems like Master was finally beginning to realize how much they valued him.


    "Of course they did, you dumbass," she said quietly, pulling Rosan into a deep hug. "I can''t believe I fully trusted them before you did, you were being extremely stupid, Master."


    Rosan let out a deep sigh, hugging his student back and taking in the little details about her.


    It was a fun little thing that he began doing since gaining all his emotions, just fully taking in details about a person for no other reason than to learn more.


    "I''m an idiot," he agreed. "I''ve been¡­ very afraid to open my heart again and¡­ it''s been hurting me and the people around me. That''s another reason I''m here, I wanted to apologize to you specifically."


    Maro blinked in surprise. "For what you did to me when I was a kid? Don''t worry Master, I understood exactly why you did it and Ram even told me Robin gave you a firm lashing that I wish I saw!"


    Rosan shook his head. "I know but I never formally apologized to you. Doing it without my emotions¡­ it''s not sincere enough so I''m here now to make things right."


    The redhead took a step back and bowed deeply to the queen, making Maro''s eyes bug out of her head.


    "Queen Maro of Celadon, my prized student¡­ I''m sorry for what I forced you to go through. No one regrets my decisions more than I did and I''m so glad you turned out the way you did, despite what I made you do. Truly, if there''s anything you want me to do to make it up to you, just say the word," Rosan said truthfully.


    Robin just watched with fond eyes as genuine remorse rolled off Rosan''s frame.


    He truly was trying to just be better. You couldn''t undo the past... but Rosan was trying to make sure it truly stopped shackling him.


    There was a tense silence, before Rosan let out a tiny grunt, at being bonked in the head by Daisy.


    "For one, I want you to stop bowing to me!" Maro barked, forcing the redhead up with a stern frown. "Are you kidding me Rosan?!"


    Rosan winced at hearing Maro call him by his actual name. She rarely ever called him that when speaking directly to him.


    He stared into the angry orange eyes of Maro and flinched back, but the Dokkaebi grabbed him in that impossibly strong grip of hers and pulled him into a fierce hug, causing him to recoil in surprise.


    "I knew how much you regret what you did to me even when you had no emotions! I saw the way you eased up on my training, saw you let me hang out with Angel and Demon more, saw you give me random spur of the moment gifts¡­ Even now, every time you give me something for Celadon, you do it with my best intentions in mind," Maro ranted, personally offended that he still felt the need to apologize to her.


    Rosan''s eyes widened. She noticed all of that?!


    "Of course I noticed! Just who do you think I''m the student of?!" She growled, glaring at the redhead with indignant fury at the fact that he still held such regret.


    When he had first started doing these things... Maro had thought it was a trick. The first time he told her to go hang out with Angel and Demon, she had denied in hopes that she had passed his test...


    But it wasn''t a test. Rosan was still as expressionless as ever but something had changed in their relationship and... and he wanted her to have fun and grow up while retaining some of her kid qualities.


    It was surreal. He would listen to all her woes, get her gifts of whatever she was interested in... soothe her when she was moody...


    To Maro, it felt like Master had begun to actually care for her. How did he think she wasn''t going to notice that?


    "I was raised by the most observing, strict and ruthless teacher I could have asked for¡­" Maro began bluntly.


    Rosan withered at the accuracy of his words.


    "...But behind that¡­ behind that cyborg of a teacher, was the most caring and amazing man on the planet who never once doubted his hopeless student. Behind the cold facade, was a man who''s heart was so big, he didn''t want his loved ones to be taken advantage of again. Behind those all knowing eyes, was someone who wanted everyone else to love like he had once did," Maro said softly.


    Rosan''s expression wavered at that and he heard Mod-chan begin sniffing, already ready to bust out the waterworks.


    "You''re extreme Master, you always have been," Maro whispered passionately to him. "You express yourself by going above and beyond, be it positive or negative. You tried to make me kill that man, not out of unnecessary cruelty, but because you genuinely wanted me to have the guts to stand up and steel my heart and even though you regret it¡­ and even though I was so scared back then¡­"


    Maro took a deep breath and her fierce hug turned into something tender.


    "I don''t regret having you as my teacher for a second. I''m not scared anymore. I''m brave, I''m strong, I''m happy, I''m loved¡­ and it''s thanks to everything you''ve done for me."


    "Your methods are extreme¡­ but that''s just one of your charms, Rosan. I don''t regret getting strong under your teaching because now I can protect the ones I love without relying on you. You wanted me to be your right hand, an extension of you, a weapon¡­ yet you''re the one who pushed for me to become this independent. Even when I didn''t want to become Queen, you told me to do so and I''m so glad you did because I love this island, I love my people and I love you," Maro whispered, tears springing in her eyes.


    "Don''t you dare ever regret what you did for me because that''s spitting on everything I''ve ever become, Portgas D. Rosan. If you continue to regret, I won''t forgive you," the queen finished.


    ¡­


    What was with everyone today, making him try and cry? It''s like they were hellbent on abusing his new emotional status.


    Rosan fiercely hugged his precious student and let out a soft laugh of disbelief. "This is why you''re my prized student¡­ because even despite the adversity you faced, you still ended up like this. You deserve nothing else but the role of Queen. Anything lower would be an insult to you."


    Maro let out a watery laugh herself and beamed. "That''s because I was raised properly by a King!"


    "Fuck you."


    "Anytime~"


    Robin let out a snort and joined the hug, unable to resist. "I can''t praise you enough with how you turned out Maro, I was proud just watching the memories. Even with how shameless and perverted you were."


    Maro spluttered at that. "C-Can you blame me?! Master and Angel are so hot!" She exclaimed with wide eyes. "You''re hot too, Robin! Hey, you wanna ¡ª"


    The Dokkaebi squealed in distress as Rosan summarily hoisted her up by the leg and placed her upside down.


    "I don''t mind if you''re a pervert to me, but hands off Robin! Keep your perversion at a minimum!" Rosan barked, shaking her up and down as if he were trying to steal her coins.


    "O-OKAY I''M SORRY! I''LL JUST BE A PERVERT TO YOU!" Maro stammered.


    A set of hands began tickling the helpless queen and Maro''s shouts of distress got more panicked.


    "I also would prefer you to not make too many blatant comments about Rosan. I''m far more tolerant but I have my limits too," Robin said, smiling softly at the helpless queen.


    "S-STOP!" Maro shouted. "M-MY KIMONO IS SHORT TODAY YOU PERVERTS! PUT ME DOWN! A-AND STOP TICKLING ME, I''M SUPER TICKLISH!"


    "Aww did you hear that," Rosan mocked. "The super pervert is calling us perverts! How adorable! Seeing your panties is only the tip of the iceberg for all you''ve done to me! Nice color by the way, you never struck me as a pink type."


    "I thought she would have worn white or blue," Robin added with a small smile.


    "ANGEL HELP ME! MY CHASTITY IS IN DANGER!" Maro shouted with a strangled gasp.


    Somehow, Angel heard that and showed up to the door in record times. She kicked open the door with a fierce expression and was met face to face with two demons torturing her upside down wife.


    Angel''s fierce expression slowly melted away, at the twin smiles from Robin and Rosan and she chanced a glance at the blushing and squealing Maro.


    She slowly glanced back at Robin and Rosan, before gazing at Maro once more.


    "...Sweetheart, I love you so much but I don''t want to get caught up in this," Angel said wisely, backing away from the dangerous vibes she was getting from them.


    Maro balked as her wife made a run for it in her time of need.


    "YOU''RE SLEEPING ON THE FUCKING COUCH TODAY!" Maro roared with razor sharp teeth.


    "All this because they were both arguing about the other wanting Maro? The poor girl," Mod laughed disbelievingly.


    "Mother and Father are so scary," Ram muttered in shock.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Hey Rosan."


    Rosan paused in his workout and turned towards the voice.


    "What''s up Nami ¡ª" he tried, only to finish with a grunt as arms wrapped around his neck.


    Nami squeezed him tightly with a small smile on her face. "I just wanted to thank you again for everything at Cocoyashi. I... saw what you did afterwards with those corrupt Marines. I''m glad you felt the need to defend me to such an extent, big bro."


    Rosan blinked, before his eyes softened and he wrapped an arm around her waist.


    "Sorry you had to see what I did to him. I was extra brutal with those guys," he said truthfully.


    "Tell me about it," Nami complained, shuddering a bit at the memory. "I had no idea you went after them! I''m just so surprised you did all that on my behalf... not to mention with the 100 million and everything."


    Even without emotions, Rosan was quite the sweetheart in his own way. He just had a funny way of expressing it.


    "I''m surprised though... you gave the fishman to Aiko to clone," she mentioned with furrowed brows.


    Rosan paused at that.


    Right... she did know that now.


    "Do you have a problem with that?" He asked seriously. "I can tell her to plug it if you want me to. I have no sympathy for those fishmen but I won''t make your decisions for you."


    To his surprise, Nami just shrugged.


    "I don''t really care what happens to them honestly. I just hope I never have to see them again," she replied truthfully.


    Rosan laughed slightly at that. "Are you sure my personality hasn''t affected you a bit? Robin said it felt like she was me for a bit so I wouldn''t be surprised."


    Nami thought about it. "I''m definitely desensitized to killing after what I watched. When you told me you fought a fishman, I didn''t realize you were already in your kill as brutally as possible phase," she shuddered.


    She had no clue Rosan was so strong as a child. To be able to go toe to toe and overwhelm a Fishman at his age, was nothing short of incredible.


    What a battle maniac. Even just remembering any memory where Rosan fought got her blood pumping.


    "That reminds me! I want Mod-chan to train with me more when you manage to get her a body!" Nami exclaimed.


    Mod perked up at that.


    "Really?" Rosan mused. "Your use of the elements is pretty similar to hers. You two are alot more surgical with them."


    Nami nodded in agreement. "Hurry up and find a way to bring her into the real world! I want the both of you out and about," she demanded.


    Rosan let out a tiny snort and nodded. "I''ll definitely find a way. I''ve accomplished almost everything I''ve been looking for... but I still need to give Mod-chan a hug."


    Mod glowed, turning a brilliant shade of red and she began poking a wall in her happiness.


    Her pokes turned progressively more aggressive... until she punched a hole into the wall but she didn''t notice in her happiness.


    "There''s just something about how you remember such a little thing... after all these years that truly fills me with far too much love," Mod muttered happily.


    It wasn''t even that important! Rosan just wanted to hug her in real life but the importance to him... for him to remember even after all these years touched her soul so much.


    She really did love Rosan.


    "I''m a little afraid to train with her though. I thought you were joking when you said she was a maniac but you weren''t. She practically tortured you!"


    Rosan nodded sagely. "I told you. Keep in mind I''m not normal either. Imagine her training someone that was way more regular than I am."


    Nami shivered. "Yeah, I think I''ll die."


    Mod spluttered. "I had no idea my training was so bad... but Rosan did learn how to train someone from me so..."


    She had seen how Rosan trained Maro... the boy was just as effective as she was... oh dear. She really had tortured her poor son with training.


    "Don''t worry Mod-chan. Like a good son, I passed on all your teachings!" Rosan reassured.


    Now Maro could torture any future student she got!


    Mod groaned in misery and Rosan simply laughed at her.


    "Mod-chan would love to train with you," Rosan said to Nami. "She says she''ll try not to be a maniac."


    Nami beamed and tapped Rosan in a way that instinctively made him link to her.


    Rosan blinked. How the hell did she do that?


    "I love you Mod-chan but I''m not your son! I''m way more regular so don''t kill me," Nami said shamelessly.


    Mod flushed red. "O-Okay, Nami. I get it!" she whined.


    "I''ll be more careful. Please stop teasing me!"


    Nami couldn''t stop her laughter.


    Wow, it really was easy to get Mod-chan all flushed!


    "No wonder Rosan is so overprotective of you. I feel the same way!" she said.


    Mod had a look of horror on her face and Rosan grinned smugly.


    "No wait Nami! Don''t say such a damning sentence! Don''t you understand that Rosan is the type of person who grows more egotistical when someone agrees with him?!"


    The redhead shrugged helplessly. "What can I say? No one wants you to date for good reason. At this rate, everyone will disagree with the notion that you should be seeing someone."


    Mod spluttered and Nami felt the heavy glare on her person.


    The navigator suddenly laughed nervously. "W-Where''s Robin anyways?"


    "In the library with Ram. They want to find a book that the both of them can enjoy and read it together," Rosan informed her, flashing his ringless finger.


    Nami thought that was extremely adorable. "Why didn''t you go with them?" she asked.


    "I said they could read historical porn since that fulfills both their requirements and got kicked out because of it. Pretty sure I''m sleeping on the couch too."


    Ram had turned a rather funny shade of red at that and Robin had glared at him so yeahhh... he was probably in trouble.


    Nami sweatdropped at the utterly infuriating grin on Rosan''s face. "There''s something deeply wrong with you. There''s no way you can handle sleeping on the couch. You''ll miss her too much."


    Rosan nodded easily. "There''s no way the punishment will stick... Robin likes using me as a pillow too much but if it does stick, I am not adverse to using my charms to weaken her defense."


    Utterly shameless.


    "One day it will fail, Rosan."


    "I play life on the edge," he said freely.


    Nami laughed earnestly at that. Seeing Rosan so at ease was a joyous sight.


    He looked so alive. Watching him grin and laugh and seeing the way his eyes glowed in mirth...


    All because he knew that no matter what his past was like, he''d still have people to accept him.


    Nami couldn''t help herself and hugged the redhead again.


    Rosan blinked and hugged her back with a look of slight confusion.


    "Hey just because Robin is mad at me, doesn''t mean I''m suddenly available. I''m still a proudly taken man."


    "I wouldn''t date you in a dozen years," Nami replied easily.


    "...Why wasn''t that a lie?"


    Nami snorted loudly.


    She knew how Rosan''s inner lie detector worked now. You just had to say a truth that you believed.


    While attractive, the redhead was all Robin''s and Nami had no interest in dating him so she truly did mean that.


    Besides, Rosan was annoying. Only someone as patient as Robin and Meiko could handle the redhead.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan leapt back with a grunt, avoiding the swords flying towards him with narrowed eyes.


    Before he could retaliate, a flurry of arms wrapped his body tightly, holding him long enough for a leg to smash into him.


    He held up his arms and blocked the kick but he didn''t need to for long, as a fist forced the offender to step back.


    Sanji grunted in annoyance and kicked away, only for his eyes to widen as a furious wind wrapped around and forced him towards the charging Luffy.


    As Luffy attempted to punch the hell out of Sanji, a flurry of arms spawned underneath him, grabbing his legs and halting his movements long enough for Sanji to get away.


    Luffy grunted in annoyance and ignored the lightning smashing into him that forced the arms to swiftly vanish and turned towards the ever vigilant Robin.


    Before he could make up the mind to go after her, Zoro made his presence known and dashed towards the rubber boy with grim determination.


    Luffy didn''t even flinch as the ground surged from underneath him, pushing him well out of range of Zoro''s attack.


    Using the elevated ground to his advantage, Luffy cracked the floor and rocketed towards Robin at immense speeds...


    Only for a kick to intercept him.


    Sanji''s kick did not connect because the ground surged once more and blocked it, allowing Luffy to ignore him and continue his flight.


    Before the chef could shoot forward to intercept him once more, he was forced to block a staff that crashed against him.


    Nami grinned coyly and Clima surged with electricity.


    She was taking full advantage of the fact that Sanji was not keen on hitting her.


    Normally she''d be out of sight of Robin because the woman could disarm her easily, but she was being occupied with Luffy so she was free to do so.


    Sanji grunted as the sparks began surging across his body. He swiftly dashed away from Nami and shook off the effects of the lightning, before being forced on the move again as the ground began chasing him.


    As Luffy closed the distance between him and Robin, the calm woman suddenly let loose a violent grin.


    Raven summoned a flurry of arms that restrained Luffy, long enough for Zoro to close the distance.


    Rosan attempted to ward the swordsman off, but a mass of arms were currently doing a great job at making sure he couldn''t move and he eyed the apologetic Crow with a thin veil of annoyance.


    Luffy saw Zoro approaching with his swords poised and huffed in annoyance but fortunately for him, Nami was there to provide support when Rosan wasn''t.


    Zoro let out a true snarl of annoyance, as he was bombarded with heavy winds and an iron cloud that protected Luffy.


    At the same time, Rosan exploded in electricity and shot a bolt of lightning directly towards Zoro and Luffy, forcing Raven to release the rubber boy as well.


    Then, he soared over to the real Robin to get her out of the fight.


    Nami scowled at the feeling the very strong hands grappling her to the floor, before she forced Clima to explode in electricity, much like Rosan was doing this fight.


    To her delight, the hands swiftly vanished off her person and she huffed, before nodding to herself.


    Rosan''s eyes narrowed as he launched himself towards Robin, but before he could capture Robin, Zoro made his presence known.


    At the same time, Sanji swiftly closed the distance between him and Luffy and the two began exchanging furious blows, observations clashing with each other nonstop as they tried to get the upper hand.


    Ram transformed into a broadblade, immediately clashing with all 3 of Zoro''s blades and the two began a furious dance...


    Except Robin continued to make her presence known. The clones and original would pester them nonstop and Rosan''s scowl was out in full force.


    Just as it seemed like his temper was going to fully erupt, as he was put on the backfoot of his duel with Zoro, the redhead suddenly grinned violently and soared into the sky.


    At the same time, Luffy kicked back and launched himself into the air.


    Robin''s confusion only lasted a split second before her eyes widened.


    Before she could open her mouth to warn the other two of what was about to happen, Nami made her presence known.


    "Flood!"


    A great surge of water suddenly flooded the room, capturing the three in it.


    "The Water Dial is no joke," Nami said in awe, floating on Clima like he were a broom.


    Rosan nodded in agreement, watching as Sanji and Zoro both burst out of the water with the Robins.


    "Cheap," Robin coughed, spitting out the water.


    "I didn''t know she could flood a room," Zoro grunted in annoyance, ensuring the Robin''s didn''t go under again.


    "She''s getting scary," Sanji swooned.


    "Asshole," Raven snarled, coughing in spades.


    "They got us," Canary complained.


    "We never saw it coming," Crow sighed forlornly.


    Luffy laughed cheerfully. "That was hard! Fighting Robin is so annoying!" he exclaimed.


    "Tell me about it," Rosan and Nami grunted in unison.


    The Navigator floated down and stuck Clima in the large pool she created, absorbing all the water back into the weapon with a shake of her head.


    "For how fast that fight was, it was utterly terrifying," Nami said, wiping the sweat off her brow. "Robin alone could have ended me within the first few seconds!"


    Rosan snorted and grabbed all the Robin''s with his tail, bringing them close so he could dry them off. "Robin is a bad matchup for you. You can''t really take a hit and she''s good at ending things quickly," he explained.


    Luffy, Robin, Rosan, Zoro and Sanji had wanted to all spar and due to their incredible teamwork, it was decided that the couple of Robin and Rosan should not be on a team together.


    Not to mention the numbers were uneven, so they decided that it would be Rosan and Luffy vs Robin, Sanji and Zoro...


    But to their surprise, Nami had wanted to join in on the spar.


    Seeing as she was the weakest of the 6, they saw no problem adding her to Rosan and Luffy''s team (those two were the definitive strongest which was why the 2v3 was decided) but perhaps she tipped the scales in their favor more.


    Rosan landed on the floor and gently pat all 4 of the Robin''s outfits down, before pulling the downtrodden Crow into a hug.


    "Don''t be upset. You did a good job restraining me. But Robin and I have been through this song and dance a lot. I''m not a very good matchup for you all," Rosan soothed.


    Crow sighed sadly and tucked herself into him. "Did I really do a good job?"


    The redhead snorted and pat her. "Course you did. Imagine if we all weren''t holding back so much? I''d have to deal with healing my body while fighting Zoro. Nami would be dead too."


    "Don''t remind me!" Nami scowled.


    Crow nodded at that. "That makes sense... you''re right."


    "I always am," Rosan cackled.


    Raven scowled. "Hey, I''m pissed that I lost! Where''s my attention?!" she demanded.


    Crow cowered at the scariest of the Robins and Rosan just rolled his eyes, pulling her into the hug.


    "You did good too, Raven," Rosan said in amusement. "I''m sure if we weren''t holding back, I''d have holes in my body because for some reason, you''re the only Robin who wants to use Shigan."


    Raven hmphed. "You''re damn right. Now pat me."


    Rosan conceded easily, just amused to see someone with Robin''s face demand something like pats from him.


    "No fair! I want attention too!" Canary complained, leaping into the group hug.


    Rosan grunted as he was summarily dropped to the floor by the clones.


    "Y-You guys are crushing me," Crow said quietly.


    Robin watched with a befuddled expression as Rosan was swamped by her clones.


    She had no idea how versions of her would so freely stroke this annoying redhead''s ego yet here she was...


    The worst part was that he would forever think this is what she wanted too... and was just too shy to ask for it.


    Utterly ridiculous. Robin was just more dignified and refused to do so in public. Shyness had nothing to do with it!


    "That spar was awesome!" Chopper gushed in awe.


    "Truly! Why my eyes nearly popped out of my head by seeing what you all could do... but I don''t have any eyes! Yohohoho!" Brook clapped in awe.


    "I wanna get in on that eventually!" Franky grinned challengingly.


    "I can''t believe Nami was brave enough to join those monsters," Usopp muttered.


    Nami laughed at that. "I was terrified but Rosan is surprisingly really good at playing a more supportive role!" she exclaimed.


    Rosan chuckled under the pile. "You can thank Maro and Luffy for that. Maro made me good at supporting, Luffy made me great."


    "Shishishi!" Luffy laughed. "Rosan supports me all the time!"


    "That''s because you only know how to go forward. If I want to keep you alive, I have to take a backseat," Rosan complained.


    Luffy wouldn''t be able to support even if his entire fruit was based around supporting.


    "Modification is a supportive fruit and you primarily use it as offense."


    Rosan ignored her and continued his train of thought.


    His little brother was just a fighter through and through. His idea of supporting, was punching someone in the face.


    "This is why Robin''s my favorite partner. She''s fine letting me take charge," Rosan sighed forlornly.


    Robin smiled at that, finally growing tired of her clones hogging all of Rosan''s attention and banishing them.


    "You should all join next time. Rosan and I would be happy to show you how proficient we are in combat together and we could do an entire crew team up," she added, pulling Rosan up.


    Usopp and Chopper shuddered. "I''ll be on Rosan''s team!" they both blurted.


    "There''s no way I''m going against big bro!" Nami beamed.


    Rosan blinked. "What the hell? Why do I have the weakling trio on my team? You''re telling me I have to go against Luffy, Zoro and Sanji? Give me a break guys."


    Zoro shrugged. "Least you don''t have to go against Maro and Luffy."


    The redhead snorted. "Fighting Maro and Luffy is basically a game of seeing which one of them are gonna hit the other first. They both refuse to support each other."


    They would always accuse the other of running into their respective attacks and then it devolved into arguments.


    Needless to say, Robin and Rosan rarely lost to the duo. Though, when the two were in sync, even Rosan had difficulty stopping them. Maro and Luffy were both monsters after all and if they put their minds to it, they''d probably be able to comfortably beat Rosan and Robin.


    Too bad they were both idiots.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "So... Crocodile and CP9, huh?"


    Rosan wasn''t too surprised that they were questioning him about that so he nodded his head.


    "Yeah. Crocodile was just a matter of me wanting to make all of Baroque Works submit. CP9 was because of Izumi making a deal with me," he explained truthfully, even though they already knew his reasoning.


    Usopp shook his head disbelievingly. "You are terrifying. My CP9 opponent nearly killed me and you took him out in one hit," he recalled, shivering at the way Rosan had killed Nero.


    "Tell me about it!" Franky said in disbelief. "My opponent gave me a lot of trouble and you treated him like yesterday''s trash."


    Rosan huffed. "Yeah, I wasn''t very happy about CP9 but I already made a deal with Izumi so I didn''t kill anymore of them."


    Izumi... how could Rosan even stand her presence after all that she had done to him?


    Meiko that''s how. That girl truly was as precious as everyone viewed her...


    It was no wonder Rosan had found it so difficult to move on from her. She was a gentle and incredibly kind soul... one who had managed to even break through Rosan.


    "Well, it''s not like we have a problem with it," Sanji shrugged.


    "They probably hate taking orders from you and you''re unstable as hell, so I''m fine with it," Nami laughed, thinking back at the hatred in Crocodile''s eyes at being forced to listen to Rosan.


    Deserved for scum like him.


    Rosan hummed at that. "You guys are oddly accepting of everything you''ve seen in my memories. Do you guys seriously not have any issues with my decisions?"


    "Not really," Zoro shrugged.


    "The only problem I had, besides your brutal murder spree, was your manipulation tactics on my village," Usopp said truthfully.


    Rosan nodded at that. "That''s fair... well why haven''t you mentioned it before?"


    Usopp blushed and shot him a thumbs up. "Because the entire time I thought you were flirting with Kaya but you were just vouching for me! You called me her boyfriend! Nice job, Rosan!"


    "Dumbass," Rosan thought with a sweatdrop. "Kaya''s 17, sickly and not my type at all, Usopp. You never had to worry about that. She likes you anyways. I actually thought you two were dating."


    Usopp blushed and rubbed the back of his head. "Y-You think she likes me?"


    "If you had asked her to come with us, she would have said yes in a heartbeat despite being sick. Then you''d have your girlfriend traveling with us and you''d stop being insecure," Rosan shrugged.


    The sniper fell. "Y-You didn''t have to say all that," he muttered.


    Robin laughed slightly at that. "You shouldn''t accuse him of being oblivious. You''re even worse," she pointed out.


    Rosan glanced at her. "Aren''t you just as bad as me? I was in love with you too you know."


    "I''m not as bad as you," she replied easily.


    "...Are you going to explain why?" he asked in confusion.


    "No."


    He thought about her response and nodded to himself.


    This was one of those things where he''d be in trouble no matter what if they argued so best to not.


    "Actually, I have a problem! How come you never introduced us to Aiko and Akemi?" Nami scowled, crossing her arms.


    "Aiko is a busy person. You would have met her at the girls day but she was doing something," Rosan replied. "If you guys wanna meet them, I''ll set up a meeting alright?"


    They were all so demanding suddenly...


    Rosan sighed with a wry smile.


    He supposed it was fine. His family was also very demanding and the Straw Hats had officially become his family... so he was fine with it.

 Life is A II

    Rosan blinked slowly and glanced down.


    Robin blinked slowly and glanced down.


    Then, the redhead turned towards Sanji with a concerned glint.


    "Sanji, are you alright? Did Chopper already run a transfusion on you?"


    Sanji, who was perfectly healthy, felt a tick form on his head. "If I weren''t so happy right now at the situation, I''d be attempting to kick your skull off."


    Robin and Rosan had both been off in the Pocket Dimension for a bit longer than usual to deal with matters... only to show up onto the ship to see something rather peculiar.


    The reason Rosan was so concerned for Sanji''s wellbeing, was simply because of what he and Robin were looking at currently.


    It was a young girl who looked a little airheaded (Rosan was thinking of a much harsher word) with green hair and dark purple eyes¡­


    But the reason Rosan and Robin were so perplexed, was due to the lower half of the woman¡­ which was¡­ a fish''s tail.


    "What''s the story behind this?" Rosan asked in amusement.


    "Hi! I''m Camie!" The Mermaid greeted happily. "Nice to¡­ WAIT DID YOU JUST APPEAR OUT OF MIDAIR?!"


    Her eyes bugged out of her skull as realization hit her like a truck and she gazed at the two humans with a dropped jaw.


    "You''re a little slow aren''t you?" Rosan sweatdropped, tilting his head at the idiot.


    "Don''t be rude to guests," Robin chastised with a small smile. "Can someone explain what''s happening? Why is there a mermaid here? The starfish too..."


    Nami nodded and began explaining to the interested duo.


    Their crew had been preparing to head to Fishman Island, but they had no idea how to do that, so Franky had employed one of his submarines that he and Rosan had tampered with to go underwater¡­ but they had not seen any hint of the island despite submerging 5000 feet to get there.


    Then they encountered some type of Rabbit sea monster that had chased them to the surface¡­ and it got summarily beat by Luffy, before spitting out the mermaid and her pet¡­ starfish Papag.


    What a fascinating tale. If anyone else told it, Rosan wouldn''t have believed them for a second.


    But this was just another day with the Straw Hats.


    "You guys don''t know how to get to Fishman Island?" Rosan asked with a raised brow. "You shoulda told me, I know how. Sabo helped me out."


    The Straw Hats blinked, before slapping their hands against their heads.


    Right, they had an all knowing scout¡­ They really should just start asking him if he knew something. It would save them a lot of time and stress.


    "Wait! Before we do that¡­ Camie promised us Takoyaki¡­ I want Takoyaki," Luffy said bluntly.


    Rosan blinked, before nodding his head. "Okay, we can get Takoyaki first," he conceded easily.


    "Luffy is way too spoiled," the Straw Hats sweatdropped.


    Camie grinned and began to call Hatchin (Rosan and Nami furrowed their brow at that name).


    What followed next, was a strange series of events.


    Apparently, Hatchin had been kidnapped by a group known as the Flying Fish Riders, along with the Idiotic Makuro Gang and they were planning on selling him for a high price.


    As this Hatchin spoke, Rosan''s eyes widened in shock.


    "Wait," Rosan said coldly, eyes narrowed as his crew prepared to go save him.


    Everyone went stiff at that and gazed at the redhead. "Camie, this Hatchin¡­ is he a fishman?" Rosan asked seriously, gazing at the mermaid and starfish.


    Pappag was the one who answered. "...Yes? He''s an Octopus Fishman."


    Rosan scowled in annoyance as he met Nami''s gaze.


    "Nami, you recognize that voice don''t you?" He asked the bothered navigator.


    "¡­" The navigator sighed and nodded. "I thought I recognized it¡­ yeah that''s him alright."


    "Nami? Who is that?" Sanji asked in concern.


    "It''s not our call if we save him anymore," Rosan said suddenly, gazing at the crew with a no nonsense expression. "Nami is the one who makes that decision. It''s her right."


    The crew looked puzzled, unable to gather what was happening.


    Despite that, they would always respect Nami''s decision and they gazed at their navigator.


    Nami was touched that Rosan was looking out for her and she gave him a soft hug with a small smile.


    "We should save him," she said softly.


    Rosan snorted and pat her on the head. "I expected that out of you. You''re way too nice, y''know?"


    "Don''t be stupid! If anyone''s gonna decide what happens to him, I should have that right! That''s the only reason!" Nami grinned eagerly.


    Rosan cackled easily and high fived her. "That''s what I''m talking about. You really did get way too influenced by me!"


    None could hide the sweatdrop at the two and they just thought it was better to leave it be.


    "Alright," Rosan grunted. "Since Nami agreed, I''m willing to help."


    Camie let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you so much, Nami!"


    Nami smiled and waved her off. "Don''t worry about it. As long as you can help us get to Fishman Island, we''ll call it even!"


    With that, the crew set off.


    They watched in interest as Camie summoned a legion of fish and began communicating with them about the whereabouts of the Flying Fish Riders.


    "This is in the direction of the Sabaody Archipelago?" Rosan asked. "Perfect, that lines up with what Sabo told me."


    Sabo had said that anyone planning on going into the New World, needed to stop at Sabaody in order to get work done on their ship. If they opted to not do that, then they could not go to the New World without dying a horrible death.


    So this happened to line up well for them. Wouldn''t even be a hitch in their plans.


    "By the way, are you guys sure about this?" Pappag asked curiously. "I''m grateful that you guys are helping but... we aren''t messing with ordinary people. These are people who make a living off buying and selling people."


    Rosan''s eyes darkened. "What did you say?" He asked quietly, clenching his fist in fury.


    The starfish seized up at that, feeling an ominous aura wash over him. For some reason, he felt like death themself, was currently watching his every move and with great willpower, he managed to say what he was about to say.


    "Word... around the sea is, if you''re being targeted by the Flying Fish Gang, you''re done for. They capture and trade you in, it''s a huge business in Sabaody," he said hesitantly, never taking his eyes off the predatory gaze of Rosan.


    All the Straw Hats paused at that and glanced at the frozen statue that was Rosan, remembering vividly what he had gone through when he was just 9 years old.


    "What is your name?"


    They all flinched back at that sinister voice and gazed in horror at the redhead forced to bear it all.


    "Robin... Mod-chan... please, I can''t take this for much longer. P-Please help me!"


    The memory of him getting tortured was probably the most difficult one to watch. To be forced to watch the small and innocent child get tormented by that demon of a doctor... his cries of agony, the tears, the hope that got shattered into millions of pieces...


    Rosan''s life on Daybreak, was the point in his life where they truly began regretting touching that memory bubble because the horrors they had to witness... Kami it was so awful and they each wished they could have gotten their hands on that scumbag piece of garbage Doc.


    To be so young and so afraid¡­ all while being tortured by a madman. Their hearts went out to Rosan far too many times to count.


    It was no wonder he had been so afraid to reveal his past... things like that were better left far back.


    "So slavery is legal in Sabaody," Rosan muttered, filing that away for later.


    Looks like he was going to hate this place. Not a surprise¡­ he was beginning to hate a lot of the islands he stopped on.


    "Will you be alright, Rosan?" Nami asked in concern, placing a hand on the tall redhead''s shoulder.


    "Yeah, if you wanna sit this one out, we''ll handle it!" Chopper assured.


    Rosan glanced at them and flashed them a genuine smile, shaking his head fondly. "You don''t have to worry. I''ve dealt with my trauma of that man during my battle with Enel. He doesn''t chain me down anymore."


    Everyone let out a sigh of relief at that.


    The battle with Enel had managed to help him and they were glad it held strong¡­


    Conquering such trauma wasn''t easy... after all, Rosan fainted on their trip to Skypiea! To recover and deal with his past like that was inspiring!


    "Let''s focus up. We''re almost there," Rosan clapped once, summoning his birds and having them fly off. "I don''t feel like wasting too much time, so I''ll probably deal with this. You guys tend to have too much fun."


    They sweatdropped at the redhead but simply nodded in acceptance.


    The Straw Hats, guided by the fish made their way over to the base of the Flying Fish Riders, before their guides suddenly turned tail and began running away.


    At the same time, Rosan''s eyes narrowed and wings sprouted from his back.


    A group of people, on flying fish of all things, began soaring towards their ship with less than savory intentions.


    One of them hoisted up a cannon to fire at their ship but was unable to do so, due to an explosion hitting him instead.


    The other fish riders could only balk in horror at seeing their smoking ally, unconscious on the fish and that horror turned into sheer terror, as a figure soared over to their location at tremendous speeds.


    They went white, as heterochromatic eyes bored into them with a cruel gaze.


    "Alright, I don''t got all day¡­" Rosan said warningly, holding up a glowing hand to get his point across.


    "Let''s have a nice and easy chat."


    The riders went pale.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Master Duval¡­"


    Duval perked up, iron mask gazing intimidatingly at his nervous subordinate.


    "What is it?" He asked, growing weary at seeing the comatose state of one of his people.


    "...We encountered the Straw Hats and they also have the mermaid, Camie," the man said simply, nervously wringing his hands.


    Duval''s eyes widened behind his mask and a pulse of rage coursed through his body. "YOU DID?! WHERE RE'' THEY?! OH JUST THINKIN OF EM IS GETTIN ME SO MAD!"


    "His accent came out again," someone whispered.


    "It''s so thick! I can barely understand him!"


    The nervous looking subordinate gazed at the ground. "Well¡­ uh¡­ they''re already here."


    Everyone blinked.


    "The Straw Hats?!" Hachi thought in horror. He didn''t even know what happened to the other Fishman on Cocoyashi but it couldn''t have been anything good.


    All he remembered, was getting decimated by Roronoa Zoro but he had managed to escape at the last second from the hands of the World Government...


    Now the same Straw Hats who destroyed him were here and Hachi was sure that they were going to not only obliterate this place... but obliterate him too¡ª


    Right on cue, an explosion resounded through the base¡­


    But that wasn''t all, no to their horror, a shadow suddenly appeared over them in broad daylight.


    Slowly, they all gazed up into the menacing gaze of the dragon snarling down at them.


    "Crap," someone squeaked.


    "Holy shit," someone agreed in a whimper.


    "RAOGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGH!" The creature roared loudly, causing a great gust of heavy and hot wind to blow against them.


    Camie and Pappag''s eyes bugged out of their skulls in horror, at the terrifying roar the dragon let out.


    "H-He can do something like that?!" Camie gaped in sheer horror.


    "N-No wonder I was so afraid of him. Those were my instincts telling me he can eat me whole," Papag stammered.


    "You get used to it," Usopp said offhandedly. "I stopped thinking he was going to eat me just now."


    "I still think he''s gonna eat me if he gets too hungry!" Chopper exclaimed.


    The two did not feel reassured by those words at all.


    Rosan''s giant eyes began glancing around, making everyone seize up whenever his gaze landed on them.


    It felt like an eternity but truly, it was but a few seconds because finally, the dragon seemed to snort in acceptance, before vanishing from their view altogether.


    "We''re so fucked," someone whispered.


    "Can we make a run for it?"


    "How the hell are we gonna run from a dragon?!"


    Rosan floated back to his crew with an amused expression.


    "I found him," he told them. "He''s chained up by this guy with an iron mask on."


    "Why didn''t you burn them all?" Franky asked curiously.


    "...Luffy wants to ride one of the Flying Fish," Rosan said simply.


    Everyone sweatdropped.


    Right on cue, they were suddenly attacked by what was likely the entirety of the Flying Fish Gang, along with a few Fishman themselves.


    "Go crazy, I wanna practice defense so I''ll guard the ship," Rosan told them, taking a seat and transforming Ram into his customary gloves.


    Luffy wasted no time and despite being able to fly or use Rosan''s draconic transformation, he still found the idea of riding a flying fish exciting.


    The rubber boy launched himself through the air and drop kicked a poor soul into the ocean below, before stealing the flying fish and mounting it.


    "WOOOO AWESOME!" Luffy cheered, happily taking a seat as the fish soared through the air.


    Rosan would almost be jealous¡­ but he already knew Luffy thought he was the coolest sibling so he wasn''t that jealous¡­


    "IT''S JUST A FUCKING FISH, LUFFY, STOP BEING SO EXCITED!" Rosan roared to his stupid little brother.


    Why the fuck was he so excited to ride a fish?! Rosan was a goddamn dragon! He could do this for sport and he could burn everything down while he were at it!


    Robin giggled and took a seat next to him. "So you''re not just jealous when it comes to me. You are just a jealous person in general."


    "Did you think I was kidding when I said all of you belong to me?" Rosan asked in disbelief, idly summoning a barrier to block cannonfire.


    "No but I didn''t realize jealousy was apart of the package too. Just insane possessiveness."


    "What possessive person wouldn''t get jealous?"


    Robin shrugged. "You''ve already proven to be an anomaly. I never quite know with you."


    Rosan grunted and rolled his eyes. "Stop being so lazy, get out there and work up a sweat."


    The Devil Child shrugged and summoned her clones, before resting her head on Rosan''s shoulder.


    "They can handle it," Robin said, waving at the three.


    Rosan let out a disbelieving laugh and hugged each of the clones and accepted their kisses on his cheek, before sending them off. "You''re so lazy. When will you stop being such a bum?"


    Robin''s smile vanished and she glared daggers at the redhead. "Fine, let''s go then. If I''m not allowed to be lazy, you aren''t either."


    The redhead sighed and stood up. "Fine fine," he grunted, sprouting his wings.


    Idly, he held out a hand and sniped the flying fish Luffy was riding, sending the rubber boy flailing directly towards the ocean.


    "AHHHHH!" Luffy shouted in horror as he was sent plummeting towards the ocean.


    The captain was snatched out of midair by his oldest brother and let out a relieved laugh.


    "Rosan! You saved me!" Luffy beamed.


    "Of course. I''m way better than those fish," Rosan preened, acting like he didn''t just send his own brother plummeting.


    "Yeah you are!" the captain agreed completely.


    Robin''s mouth was left open, stunned at what she just witnessed her boyfriend do.


    Did he... did he just pretend like he had saved Luffy''s life after being the one to put him in danger.


    "You are genuinely still a psychopath. What is wrong with you?" she asked in genuine shock.


    "Everything. Everything is wrong with him."


    "Why do you think I have so many problems, Mother?! Father is a psycho!"


    "I dunno what you mean. Is it so wrong that I saved my littlest brother?" Rosan mused.


    "Is being so willfully ignorant a skill?" Robin asked curiously.


    "Yes."


    "Yep!"


    "Yeah."


    Robin sweatdropped.


    "GIRLS, STOP WALKING, I''LL PICK YOU UP!" He shouted to the clones of Robin.


    "This is why I love you!" Canary beamed.


    "You don''t love him more than me," Raven sneered.


    "Wanna bet?!" Canary replied, smile turning strained immediately.


    "How do you guys find a way to argue over anything?" Crow sighed.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    The Straw Hats made very quick work of the Flying Fish Gang and their rampage brought them to the main threat of the island.


    It had been almost pitifully easy. Rosan had just floated around, terrorizing anyone he felt like and causing more than one heart attack in the process...


    But at least there was something interesting out of this.


    Duval was the boss of this whole operation¡­ and he had quite the problem with the Straw Hats¡­ in particular, Sanji.


    That confused the chef and the rest of the crew as well¡­ up until he finally removed that iron mask from his head.


    That''s when things got bad.


    But it didn''t get bad for Duval.


    No, it got terrible for Sanji.


    "Pfft, Kahahahaha!" Rosan roared in laughter, falling on the floor and letting out genuine tears at Duval''s face. "H-He looks just like you! How is this possible?" the redhead rasped.


    "Told you it was a spitting imagine. Now you even have a brother," Zoro joined Rosan''s laughter.


    The two continued laughing in unison, completely ignoring Sanji''s utterly blank face.


    Let it be known, Rosan had a very contagious laugh that made situations all the worse.


    It was something the Straw Hats were now learning and it was something Robin knew for a very long time and was pleased to see still remained true.


    "I''m sorry Sanji," Robin apologized on Rosan''s behalf, unable to hide her smile despite the horror on Sanji''s face.


    Rosan wheezed as he got up and closed the distance between himself and Duval. "L-Look!" He cackled, pulling out Sanji''s bounty poster from who knows where. "It''s literally a spitting image! How did they manage to do this?!"


    He forcefully grabbed Duval''s body and dragged him down, forcing the taller man to go face to face with the poster.


    Duval''s face was red in embarrassment as the redhead laughed directly in his face and attempted to break out of the grip, but found that it was impossible.


    The Straw Hats were glad to see that Rosan was still as much of a menace as when he had been a small child.


    He was also still a bully.


    "¡­" Sanji''s jaw remained dropped for the longest of times as he gazed at the person who looked exactly like his failed bounty poster.


    Coupled with the fact that Rosan was making everyone laugh, it was no surprise at all that he completely broke.


    "RAHHHHHH!" Sanji screamed, planting a foot directly on Duval''s face and launching the man away.


    "Brother on brother violence," Rosan sighed wistfully, wiping the tears from his eyes as he finally settled down. "I get that. Ace and I fought all the time you know. I kicked his ass every time too."


    "SHUT UP!" Sanji roared as he began pummeling Duval''s face with his kicks.


    "You are just terrible Rosan," Robin sighed in exasperation. He was cute when he laughed like that.


    "It''s not everyday brothers of fate meet up. It was so surreal I had to laugh," Rosan retorted, placing his head against Robin''s shoulder. "That made me tired. I''m going back to the ship to get some sleep."


    "IT WON''T BE FOR LONG! YOU''RE NEXT, SHITTY REDHEAD!" Sanji roared as he continued pummeling Duval''s face.


    "Robin, protect me while I''m sleeping."


    "No."


    "...I''ll just sleep as Mod-chan then."


    "You''re a sociopath and a villain and one day you will receive the help you need. You are not sleeping as me."


    "...Ram, wanna come out and sleep on top of me?"


    "Of course Father!"


    Mod held her head at his antics. What was wrong with him?


    Sanji huffed and stepped back, looking at his handiwork with a scowl of rage.


    The Straw Hats gaped in disbelief, as they took sight of Duval and realized¡­ he didn''t look anything like the wanted poster anymore because somehow, their chef had completely reconfigured his face.


    As Duval finally realized his hellish beatdown was done... a mirror was helpfully placed in his face and he gawked at the sight.


    "I-I''M SO HANDSOME?!" his jaw dropped.


    Rosan blinked. "Does he have Modification in his legs? How the hell did he do that?" the redhead thought in wonder.


    Robin sweatdropped deeply. "Please go to sleep."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan idly bit into the Takoyaki, while staring coolly ahead of him.


    Hachi tried very hard to ignore the piercing glance but it was extremely impossible because Rosan was directly in front of him.


    Those heterochromatic eyes bore into him boredly, idly glowing in warning.


    "This Takoyaki isn''t burn enough," Rosan said idly, opening his mouth.


    Hachi''s sweat grew to worrying degrees as a hellish amount of fire left the redhead''s mouth and burned the Takoyaki into a crisp.


    Then, Rosan ate it all with a single bite.


    "Yum," he said flatly, gaze never leaving the octopus fishman.


    Camie and Pappag wisely backed away, jaws dropping at the terrifying display from the intimidating redhead.


    "W-Why''s he so scary?" Camie whispered to him.


    "I don''t know but I don''t wanna be near him!" Pappag whispered back.


    "Rosan it''s okay," Nami laughed in disbelief, putting a hand on her intimidating brother''s shoulder.


    It was really sweet that he was upset on her behalf so she watched it mostly in amusement but Hachi looked like he was about to faint and it wasn''t just because of the intense heat of his flames!


    "You sure?" Rosan asked calmly, eyes narrowed slightly. "I can break a limb if you want me too, he''s got plenty to spare."


    Hachi, Camie and Pappag squealed at that statement and Nami sighed fondly.


    "It''s fine, really! I forgive him just like I forgave Kaori. Those two were the most harmless so I bear no grudges," she assured.


    "Nami¡­" Hachi said in shock, tearing up at the kind woman.


    Rosan mulled over her response and nodded. "Alright, if you insist. I''ll ease up on him."


    The fishman let out a sigh of relief, as Rosan stood up and made his way to the amused Robin.


    "That reminds me, Rosan you said you know how to get to Fishman Island right?" Sanji asked the redhead.


    The chef felt much better after rearranging Duval''s facial structure, though that came with the unfortunate side effect of Duval now calling him Young Master.


    Rosan nodded, eating his platter with a contemplative expression. "We need to go to Sabaody Archipelago and get our ship coated, so that we can dive to Fishman Island."


    The redhead yawned. "There''s also the option of me trying to fly us over the Red Line to just head straight into the New World but judging by how Sanji, Franky, Usopp and Luffy''s face are getting progressively worse as I speak, I think that''s not an option."


    Sanji looked like hell was about to unleash at that option. "We have to go to Fishman Island!"


    Usopp and Franky nodded. "Yeah, we need to see mermaids!"


    Rosan tilted his head. What was the appeal with mermaids? Based on Camie here... they were just girls with a fish bottom...


    Was he missing something? Did living underwater give them a good skincare routine? Why were they so appealing?


    Robin giggled at the genuinely confused look on Rosan''s face and just left him to his musings.


    Nami sweatdropped at the ghastly expressions the four idiots were making. "What''s coating?"


    "Oh I know someone who can coat your ship!" Camie beamed.


    Rosan perked a brow at that. "Really? That would make our lives a lot easier if you do."


    Pappag nodded. "We can show you! It''ll be easier to explain what coating is when you finally see Sabaody."


    The crew nodded curiously and continued to eat their platters.


    Hachi suddenly spoke up. "That reminds me! There''s someone at Sabaody that I trust to coat your ship and I''ll ask him for help but just promise me not to touch the World Nobles."


    Rosan perked up at that. "World Nobles? They frequent this place?" He asked calmly, eyes narrowed.


    "Yes. Since it''s so close to Mary Geoise, they often come here to purchase new slaves," the fishman explained.


    "Ah. I see..." he muttered.


    Every Straw Hat went pale at that.


    "My name is Reaper, the Angel of Death, and though I don''t feel like I''m qualified to do this, I am Death and just this once, I am about to deliver justice onto justice itself."


    Rosan blinked as every single one of his crewmates, barring Luffy and Zoro, gazed at him with a stern gaze.


    "You have to restrain yourself, Rosan! Nothing reckless, alright?!" Nami demanded.


    Luffy, Zoro and Rosan were the crewmembers who didn''t give a single damn who their opposition was. If they felt slighted in anyway, they would retaliate.


    The problem with Rosan though, was that his retaliation meant that he was going to kill you. At least Luffy and Zoro would just severely injure you... their scout always jumped to the most maniacal action first and foremost.


    Trigger happy was one way to describe Rosan.


    The redhead blinked again. "I''ll do my best," was all he offered.


    Their eyes narrowed suspiciously but they dropped it for now.


    "I''m watching you," Usopp said, repeatedly swapping two of his fingers between his and Rosan''s eyes.


    Rosan sighed. For the sake of his crew, he really would try to restrain himself.


    They were dangerously close to Mary Geoise and Marine Headquarters so an Admiral would be here very quickly unlike in the 4 seas.


    He didn''t want them to suffer from his actions, so Rosan would be good today.


    "I''m proud of you," Mod smiled. It was so surreal seeing how swiftly Rosan was changing because of his revelations but that was just one of the most impressive things about him.


    Robin nodded along with Mod''s words. "It''s incredible how vastly you''re improving."


    "I''m trying to be better," Rosan said with an exasperated smile.


    "You''re already the best!" Ram beamed.


    The redhead rolled his eyes and continued eating his food.


    "Thank you Ram, no one else ever says it so it''s good to know someone isn''t afraid to admit it."


    "Why on Earth would I want to boost your ego even more? I''m honestly doing you a favor by keeping it at current levels. Anymore will be very dangerous for us."


    "I agree with Mod-chan. I know how you are, Rosan¡­ there''s no way you''re getting free compliments from me."


    "You''re my fucking girlfriend and you refuse to give me free compliments? Do you hear yourself? My ego isn''t even that bad!"


    "¡­"


    "¡­"


    "¡­"


    Rosan let out a groan.


    He hated them all.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Sabaody Archipelago was a stunning sight to behold¡­ which meant Rosan was probably going to hate it.


    The entire land, was a massive mangrove forest growing out from the middle of the ocean, with each tree of the forest serving as an "island" on which the people lived. Considering it was just a group of trees and not an actual island, it actually had no magnetic pull so their Log Pose was still set for Fishman Island.


    How were you supposed to find Sabaody without a log pose? It was a good thing they had the fish trio helping them.


    Hachi had given them a nice rundown on the archipelago and Rosan figured as long as he didn''t do anything to stand out, he''d be fine.


    He was pretty good at lying low so that''s what he''d do for now.


    Robin sighed miserably. Rosan may have had a lot of ego, but sometimes it was warranted and the fact of the matter was, her boyfriend had an exotic appearance and as Maro would so often say, he was hot.


    She needed to ensure he avoided trouble. Rosan was a magnet for it and he refused to see that it was almost entirely his fault.


    "Rosan, put this on," she said, removing her cowgirl hat and giving it to him.


    The redhead blinked, a little stupefied by her sudden request, but he easily grabbed the hat out of her hand and placed it atop his head, modifying it a bit to make it fit.


    "Comfy," was all he said, managing to hide some of his striking red hair.


    "Don''t stray too far from me," she informed him. If she left Rosan alone for a second, something would happen so it was up to her to ward off the danger.


    Rosan had a confused expression on his face but nodded all the same. "Am I in trouble? Did I do something wrong?" he asked genuinely, gazing at her with those large irises of his.


    It was adorable how concerned he was acting but he wasn''t in trouble.


    "No. I just don''t want you out of my sight. I like accounting for you," she replied easily.


    "Yes boss," the redhead saluted, keeping pace with her as they traversed Sabaody.


    Despite not being an actual island, you wouldn''t think that upon seeing all Sabaody had.


    It was made up of 79 Groves and each one was filled with something¡­


    For instance, Grove 30 had a shopping mall and Rosan was currently being dragged into it by one Robin and Nami¡­


    Bullshit, this sucked. Why did they even have to go shopping? This was absurd!


    Franky, Usopp, Sanji and Zoro were back on the ship while the rest had gone to find the ship coater¡­ before Rosan had been forced to accompany his girlfriend (who already had so much goddamn clothes mind you!) to this mall.


    Now, he was boredly watching them go through outfits that they probably weren''t going to actually buy because the quality in here wasn''t even great.


    "You sure have Rosan on quite the leash right now," Nami mused to Robin as they inspected the products in the store.


    Robin sighed. "Rosan is strange and at times he can be very oblivious. He doesn''t realize how much attention he attracts, so I''m making sure he doesn''t do anything he deems as normal."


    She nodded. "Completely fair. I still feel so much sympathy for what you had to go through when you were both kids. He was ridiculously adorable, but Kami he was ridiculous."


    The memories of little Robin and Rosan were probably some of the most precious she had seen.


    Patient little Robin, being forced out of her shell by hyperactive and eager Rosan. They were like yin and yang and Nami knew wholeheartedly why they loved each other so much.


    It was no wonder Rosan nearly lost his mind back at Water 7... Robin was incredibly important to him and for good reason. For so long, those two really only had each other and Rosan was a person who attached himself very hard.


    He practically imprinted to Robin! It was so cute!


    "I was already a patient person, but Rosan may have turned me into the most patient person on the planet," Robin exhaled tiredly, fondly remembering those memories.


    Robin underestimated how much Rosan loved her when they were kids but to him, she was practically his world. It was incredibly flattering to know that not once when they were together, did Rosan ever think less of her. She was always Robin-nee to him and besides Mod-chan, Rosan looked up to her the most.


    It was also heavily ego boosting (no matter how bad she felt feeling it) to see him feel the most amount of emotion with her. Robin felt silly ever being insecure about it because Rosan truly loved her with all his heart.


    "Unfortunately for me, Rosan is not as patient as I am, so we should wrap up soon," she finished with a exasperated smile.


    Nami smiled mischievously. "Are you sure you''re saying that because of his patience or because of the girl currently speaking to him?"


    "I don''t know what you mean," Robin said neutrally.


    True to Nami''s words, the employee there seemed to be talking to the bored Rosan, all while fluttering her eyes at him.


    Rosan glanced over at the employee approaching him with a neutral glance.


    "I''m hungry," he thought idly. They should stop at a place to eat, Rosan wanted to grab a quick meal.


    "Hello, sir!" she chirped, stopping directly in front of him with a suggestive smile. "Is there anything you need help with?"


    "Nah," Rosan said blandly, brows furrowed as Ram let out a warning snarl. "I''m good over here. Thanks for asking."


    The clear dismissal, seemed to have only been heard by Rosan because the cute employee did not walk away from him.


    "I''m surprised you''re even in here but I''m not complaining! You do look good," she said coyly, stepping just a little closer.


    "I''m surprised I''m in here too," Rosan replied bluntly. "I wouldn''t buy anything, yet somehow I''m in this store."


    He then finally glanced at her. "Thanks for the compliments, though¡­ my girlfriend probably wouldn''t appreciate them."


    The employee blinked, before a chill washed over her and she hesitantly turned around to see quite a tall woman staring down at her.


    Robin smiled gently. "There''s nothing here I want Rosan, we can go."


    "The quality just isn''t that good," Nami sighed forlornly.


    "Let''s stop at a restaurant for a quick bite," Rosan offered, turning away and marching out of the store. "I dunno why we stopped here in the first place. You both have a million outfits already."


    "Habit," Nami replied instinctively with a small shrug.


    The redhead snorted and they vanished out the store.


    The employee fell on her butt, sweat falling down her features as the three made their way out of the store.


    "F-For some reason¡­ I feel like I was very close to dying," she muttered to herself in worry.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Where are the others headed?" Nami asked curiously.


    "Grove 13," Robin replied immediately.


    "We can head there then instead of looking for a restaurant here. They''re headed to a bar," Rosan said.


    "They''re so useful!" Nami thought with comical tears. If she had just traveled with these two half the time, she wouldn''t run into half the problems they did!


    The three were currently traversing through Grove 24, due to hearing that there was a rather nice restaurant here but they decided to shelf the idea and instead go to the bar their crew was at.


    Rosan hummed a tune as they walked and he raised a brow, at seeing a commotion taking place.


    What was going on here? Wait... was that...


    "Zoro?" He called out in confusion.


    The swordsman perked up at that, wiping the tomato sauce off his head and turning to see his confused scout.


    "Oh, Rosan, Robin and Nami," he greeted.


    "The Red Devil?! He''s here too?!"


    Everyone gazed at the hat wearing pirate with a shocked gaze, gazing at the redhead who was at ease.


    The redhead looked much like his bounty poster... but that lifeless expression was gone, a raised brow adorning his handsome features instead.


    Even worst, Ohara''s Devil and the Sorceress were with him too¡­


    3 of the most dangerous Straw Hats were currently here and just one of them nearly caused untold mayhem...


    They could only thank the stars that the crisis was already averted.


    "¡­" Rosan said nothing, ignoring the gazes of the people for now.


    "What? Are you confused about the tomato sauce?" Zoro asked curiously. "It''s a long story ¡ª"


    "Is there something you want to tell us¡­?" Rosan asked in concern, pointing a finger at the small pink haired child.


    Zoro blankly followed the finger, then gazed back at his scout.


    "It''s a long story," he explained slowly, not liking the way Rosan was gazing at him.


    What the hell did he do?


    "Right¡­" the redhead drawled, gazing at the scene. "What happened here? You killed that guy?" He asked, pointing at the bleeding body of some man in an apron.


    "I didn''t kill anyone. I wasn''t even able to cut the person I wanted to because this brat tackled me," Zoro grunted, jabbing a finger at the little girl.


    "I WAS SAVING ALL OUR ASSES FROM YOU, IDIOT!" The child roared, transforming into a young adult.


    "Oh, she can age and deage herself like you," Robin pointed out with an interested eye.


    Saving all our asses?


    Rosan glanced around the entire area and narrowed his eyes slightly, at seeing a figure walking away into the distance.


    His eyes sharpened even further and he distantly made out a human atop a crawling one... along with a strange bubble on their head


    "Are you traveling by yourself?" Rosan asked suddenly, conjuring a small wind to blow the tomato sauce off the swordsman.


    Everyone shuddered at the sight of the winds.


    "Yeah, why?"


    The redhead rolled his eyes. "You were about to kill a World Noble¡­ and you shouldn''t be traveling by yourself. You need the buddy system."


    Zoro felt a tick form at that, before registering the first part of Rosan''s statement. "Oh I was about to attack one?"


    Nami smashed her fist into his skull. "WE TALKED ABOUT THIS! WE EVEN KNOW HOW THEY DRESS!"


    Robin sighed. "At least it wasn''t Rosan. I fear we would have already had an Admiral breathing down on us if it were."


    The redhead shrugged. "I''ve been good today. Can''t get mad at me for whatever happens¡­"


    "But I might just get in trouble if all these people keep staring," he muttered darkly, eyes narrowed as he caught all their gazes.


    Nami slapped a hand against her head.


    Kami they were so ridiculous.


    "We''re gonna keep going, Zoro. You coming with?" Rosan asked.


    The swordsman hoisted up the bleeding man and shook his head. "Nah, I''m gonna get this guy to a hospital."


    The redhead glanced at the bleeding body in disinterest. "You do that¡­ Actually, one second."


    He held out a finger and the onlookers watched, as a beautiful blue bird landed on it. Rosan pat it once before having it land on Zoro''s shoulder.


    "That''s your new buddy. You won''t get lost again with him guiding you," Rosan assured.


    "Fuck off!" Zoro snarled, marching off with the man and bird in tow.


    Robin giggled and Rosan snorted, while Nami shook her head in exasperation.


    "Thank you for stopping him¡­" Nami began, gazing at Bonney.


    Before Bonney could inform Nami of who she was, someone else did it for her.


    "The Glutton, Jewelry Bonney of the Bonney Pirates. She has a bounty of 140 million," Rosan listed easily, gazing at the pirate with a bored expression. "She has the Toshi Toshi no Mi."


    The Bonney Pirates went stiff at that dissection, gazing at the Red Devil with cautious eyes.


    Rosan merely smirked sardonically and shot them an easy wave.


    "You recognize her?" Nami asked in surprise. She knew Rosan was Reaper, but she didn''t think he still kept up with current bounty posters like that!


    "I recognize all these big shot pirates staring at us like we stole the show," Rosan snorted, eyeing each of them fearlessly.


    The redhead''s eyes roved over Capone Bege, Basil Hawkins, Scratchmen Apoo and Mad Monk Urouge, assessing them all before shrugging his shoulders.


    "Well, we''re not here to cause any trouble anyways and they don''t seem like they want any, so we should continue our course," Rosan said simply.


    Rosan didn''t know them beyond their bounties but none of the current pirates were too interesting to him.


    Robin rolled her eyes. "Asserting your superiority even during a time like this¡­ you are a trip."


    "You don''t have to be afraid to call me hot."


    "That has nothing to do with the conversation."


    "Why do you always try and cause problems? Is it in your blood?" Nami sighed tiredly, following after the confident redhead.


    "Aww, is little Nami scared?" Rosan mocked, tugging her cheek innocently, much to her annoyance.


    "Don''t worry. You don''t have to be such a pussy when you''re around me, I''m good at resolving issues."


    Nami snarled and attempted to bat his hand away, only for her growl to turn feral as his grip remained true. "I fucking hate the words that come out of your mouth. You say them so confidently too, with no regards of anyone else."


    "Why should I have regard for anyone else with my words? I''m always right anyways. The world would be a better place if everyone listened to me."


    "I hate that you genuinely believe that. Robin, say something!"


    "I''d rather not get sucked into this."


    Rosan and Nami continued to argue, all while trailing behind the amused Robin and the watching pirates, let out an unknown breath as they steadily vanished.


    "Those Straw Hats are as nuts as I expected them to be," Bege grunted, thinking back to the encounter with those 4 members.


    It''s almost like they didn''t actually care about what happened to the World Noble... in fact, it seemed like the Red Devil would have handled the situation even worse.


    Why on earth did he have to arrive to this island at the same time as them? Nothing good could come from them.


    "Roronoa Zoro was bound to be safe, there was no death in his fate but the Red Devil¡­ to be safe from the death that their shrouded in," Hawkins stated, gazing at the back of Rosan with a look of fascination.


    What a fascinating person the Red Devil was... Hawkins could not get a proper read on him.


    "That Roronoa was bloodthirsty for a second¡­ but the Red Devil seems saturated in it. Monsters, all of them," Apoo shook his head.


    Even now, the lingering presence of the Red Devil''s bloodthirsty nature seemed to remain. For how casual he acted, it was quite off putting.


    He supposed the bounty posters weren''t just for show.


    "To think none of them are in charge¡­ Neither Roronoa or Red Devil seem like the type to obey anyone so their captain must be something else," Urouge laughed.


    Straw Hat Luffy... just what type of man was he to earn the loyalty of those two monsters?


    "That redhead is scary," Bonney said bluntly, scratching her head as she gazed at their retreating backs. "I feel like if he were the one there instead of Roronoa, we''d already be trying to escape from an Admiral¡­"


    Was his name Rosan? Bonney didn''t think anything good could come from hanging around a guy as dangerous as that.


    The Straw Hats were freaks...


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Shakky perked up, clear interest on her face as the entrance to her bar was once again pushed open and very familiar faces made their way through.


    Her small smirk widened as she instantly recognized them.


    "My, the Straw Hats do seem to enjoy my bar," she mused, smiling at the Red Devil, Devil of Ohara and the Sorceress.


    "I guess so," Rosan replied, glancing at her with searching eyes. "Are you the coater? Did my crew already set a date?"


    "Introduce yourself first," Nami admonished with a sigh. Did he always have to be so rude?


    The redhead shook his head. "No point, she already met the crew and she knows us too. Might as well get straight to the important stuff."


    "So this is Rosan," Shakky thought, smiling at the redhead. "So I finally get to meet the second in command to the Straw Hats. After meeting your captain, I just had to meet you. Take a seat, you all look hungry."


    "Your bar has rip-off in the name¡­ Are you going to scam us?" Nami asked in visible concern.


    "I won''t scam friends," she laughed. "It''s free of charge, don''t worry."


    "Hm? Finally get to meet?" Rosan''s brows furrowed. "Are you another weirdo interested in me? Please just give me a break," he sighed.


    What was with everyone being so obsessed with him? Was Rosan born under an unlucky star? Nobody ever wanted to leave him alone.


    "Nothing like that. You don''t have to be so worried," Shakky waved him off, placing a plate of rice in front of the suspicious redhead. "I just heard a lot about you. The newspapers mention you quite a bit."


    Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    Rosan didn''t quite look appeased by that statement and Shakky watched those bright glowing eyes of his shift in brightness sporadically.


    "So he really is an Iris," she thought to herself. "Your crew went ahead to go look for the actual coater. I just run this bar."


    "As for my interest in you, it''s nothing so heinous. I''ve met some of your family is all," she mentioned to him.


    "His family?" Robin perked up in interest. "Are you speaking about the Iris?" she asked curiously.


    Nami also looked visibly interested at that.


    Rosan, after verifying that his food was healthy, dug into his rice and just opted to listen in.


    Shakky nodded with a small smile. "I know things about them. Curious?"


    The owner of the bar noted that Robin and Nami were the only ones to nod, while Rosan was utterly disinterested in the conversation.


    "I''m very interested," Robin said truthfully, unable to hide her curiosity. Learning anything of Rosan''s lineage was always something that she''d be very vested in.


    Once again, Rosan said nothing and Shakky gazed at him curiously.


    Did he perhaps already know, which was why he saw no need to be curious? It would make sense, he seemed to be the only Iris of his generation.


    "My knowledge on them doesn''t go very far back, but I do know that a few generations ago, the Empress of Amazon Island at the time, fell in love with the king at the time of Wisteria and they got married," Shakky began.


    Now, Rosan perked up at that. "Amazon Island? The island full of just woman?" He asked curiously.


    He wasn''t aware of that? But why? This wasn''t secret knowledge so long as you were an Iris... he should know this...


    "That''s right," Shakky nodded, pleased that he at least knew about Amazon Island. "Wisteria was fairly notable Kingdom with a great wealth, but with the addition of Empress Allium, they not only became wealthy but they learned how to properly defend themselves as well," Shakky informed the interested group.


    Robin''s eyes were wide as she greedily soaked in the information being granted to her and she glanced at her scout with a fascinated gaze.


    Mod too, was taking in the information in with wide eyes because she was learning things about Rosan of all people! She thought she knew everything about her son but learning of his heritage was so fascinating!


    Rosan hummed in contemplation and placed his utensils down. "You know quite a lot about the Iris. Why?" He asked curiously.


    Shakky smiled mysteriously. "Who is your parent on the Iris side? Is it Dalia? Oren?"


    The redhead''s brow furrowed at that. "Who?" Rosan asked in confusion. "I don''t know a Dalia or Oren."


    More Iris? How much family did Rosan have?


    The owner of the bar felt her eyes widen at that slightly. "Then¡­ are you Raisa''s?"


    He inclined his head at the familiar name. "Yeah, she''s the one who birthed me," he answered easily.


    "That makes sense. You''re practically the spitting image of her," Shakky mentioned. "I haven''t seen her in quite a while. She was around 18 last we talked."


    "You know Raisa?" Robin asked curiously.


    The bartender nodded her head with a fond smile. "Dalia is Raisa''s younger sister. Oren is Raisa''s older brother¡­ I''ve spoken to them quite a bit over the years in comparison to Raisa. They like to visit me."


    "So you have an aunt and an uncle too?" Nami muttered in surprise.


    This was so interesting to listen to! They thought Rosan''s past began with his memories but there was even more!


    Rosan eyed the seemingly normal bartender for a little longer. This woman knew all three of his relatives and she was on seemingly friendly terms with them?


    Is that why she was interested in him? Just who was she?


    Robin was thinking the same thing. Information on the Iris didn''t seem readily available at all so how did this woman know that Rosan''s bloodline on his mother''s side, had someone who hailed from Amazon Island?


    "They''re smart kids," Shakky thought with an amused smile. "I don''t know much about the Iris themselves, but they possess quite a bit of potential that lie in their emotional capacity. The Kuja tribe are born capable¡­ but there was only one Kuja on Wisteria so naturally, Allium''s blood was steadily diluted as time passed."


    Rosan sighed and Shakky felt her smile widen.


    "Raisa was born with the full blood of the Kuja and Iris," she explained. "A prodigy in every way¡­ unfortunately, Oren and Dalia weren''t as lucky and it caused bad blood between them."


    "She knows too much."


    Rosan and Robin agreed wholeheartedly.


    "Forget them for a second," Rosan said suddenly. "What''s our relationship, Shakky? You know a lot, more than a friend should know. What''s the relationship between you and my supposed family, and you and I."


    She laughed. "I was wondering when you were going to ask. It''s nothing so convoluted, I''m their cousin¡­ so I guess we''re cousins too, though you can probably just call me auntie."


    "¡­"


    Rosan blinked slowly. "Huh?" He said slowly.


    Robin gazed at Shakky with wide eyes. "Are you a Kuja as well then? You''re related to Rosan?!"


    "That''s¡­ not what I was expecting," Mod thought in surprise, gazing at the woman with wide eyes.


    "We''re very distant relatives," she informed him with a small smile. "Imagine my surprise, when I saw my cousin who I didn''t know existed, with a bounty on his head. I wasn''t fully sure if you were an Iris, but seeing you in person confirmed it to me."


    Rosan pursed his lips as he digested that information.


    Finally, he opened his mouth.


    "No wonder everyone is so obsessed with my female form. I''m part amazon," he said with a sigh of exasperation.


    Robin sweatdropped heavily. W-Well she supposed that made sense.


    "Maybe that''s why I predicted your first born would be a girl. Maybe I really do have a mother''s instinct!" Mod mused with a bright smile.


    "You totally do, Auntie! You are the biggest mother I''ve met yet!"


    Mod flushed and grumbled under her breath.


    Shakky raised a brow at that comment but said nothing, just smiling at the redhead.


    Rosan snorted and shook his head. "It''s cool that we''re cousins but I don''t really embrace my Iris side at all. I was abandoned at birth by Raisa."


    That got a surprised reaction out of his cousin.


    "You were¡­ abandoned?" Shakky couldn''t help but ask in some shock, perking a brow at that.


    "Yep," Rosan said, popping his lips with an amused expression. "I don''t even know where Wisteria is so I know nothing of my lineage. Everything you told me, I''m just now learning."


    So that was why he didn''t know... Rosan didn''t even know anyone from his family!


    That was¡­ a surprise. Raisa abandoned Rosan?


    "That''s not¡­ something I ever expected her to do," Shakky stated in genuine surprise.


    Everyone said that. They never expected Raisa to abandon him. Hmph, Rosan never expected to become a demon in human flesh but these things happened he supposed.


    Guess he couldn''t blame her for that.


    "Can you tell us about Raisa?" Robin asked, noting Rosan''s disinterest in the entire topic.


    It was unreal how little curiosity he had on the entire matter.


    "Of course but I have to ask¡­ do you know who your father is by any chance?" Shakky asked, confusion on her face.


    Rosan stared at her with a piercing gaze but Robin shot him a look.


    "You haven''t detected a lie from her yet, I think we can afford some trust."


    "You only say that because of your curiosity. You are so lucky I love you."


    "Love you too. Now tell her."


    Rosan rolled his eyes.


    "Pretty sure she was raped by someone named Rocks D. Cutter," he told her.


    "Rocks?!" Shakky thought in shock. She didn''t know a Cutter. That name didn''t ring a single bell to her...


    But Rocks? She knew that name from Rayleigh''s stories... Someone like that was Rosan''s father?


    "...I suppose hearing that puts a little light on the situation. Raisa would never abandon her child normally. She''s a stubborn and headstrong girl, but she''s very kind too. Honestly, I didn''t think you were her child because she would probably never want you out of her sight," she informed them.


    "That''s¡­" Mod looked conflicted at that, frowning at what she just heard.


    "You said you last saw her when she was 18? How long ago was that?" Robin asked curiously, brows furrowing as she.


    "Around 24 years ago," she immediately replied. "It''s been so long, maybe I should give her a visit¡­"


    "So she was raped at the age of 18¡­" Mod stated, visibly disturbed by that statement.


    No matter her issues, Mod would never wish such a horrible fate onto anyone. Raisa may have been horrible in her eyes, but Cutter was even worse.


    Nami frowned as well. "That''s horrible¡­ she was¡­"


    To be violated like that... what a horrific thing to go through.


    Rosan mulled over the information, before his eyes suddenly began glowing.


    "Hold on," he suddenly said, standing up. "We''ll have to postpone this conversation. Camie was kidnapped."


    Nami''s and Robin''s eyes widened. "What?!" the navigator exclaimed in shock.


    "The mermaid?" Shakky asked in some concern. "That''s no good. Mermaids are one of the hottest commodity in Sabaody. She''ll be sold into slavery without a doubt."


    "Let''s prevent that," the redhead muttered, eyes flashing sporadically as he made his way out of the building. "If you don''t mind, I''d like to continue this conversation later because I have a very annoying girlfriend who wants to learn too much, aunt."


    "Someone has to learn something about your past. You know I love history," Robin chastised, rushing after the urgent Nami.


    Shakky waved them off. "I''ll be happy to explain. We''re family after all."


    "Family by blood¡­ Never thought I''d see the day," Rosan snorted, waving his hand.


    A large black tiger materialized in front of him and he idly sat on it, beckoning the others to get on as well.


    "Try Grove 1," Shakky offered, gazing curiously at his display.


    "Thanks," Rosan thanked his cousin.


    With that, the group of three were off.


    Shakky watched them go with a smile, before glancing back at a Den Den Mushi.


    "Maybe I should give them a call¡­ it''s been a few months since I last saw Oren and Dalia¡­ been even longer since I saw Raisa," she muttered to herself.


    Maybe she''d actually pay the Queen a visit. She quite missed Raisa and the fact that she had gotten raped¡­


    Shakky just hoped she got the proper support from that traumatic experience but... she probably hadn''t.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    When the group of Nami, Rosan and Robin arrived to Grove 1, the first thing they saw, was their crew arguing with the people who presumably owned the auction house.


    Camie had been kidnapped while her group was at an amusement park. They had let their guard down and as a result, she had been taken and handed over to the auction house because Mermaids were the best selling commodity of Sabaody.


    "It''s not good," Rosan frowned. "They''ve already got her in a cage, with a collar around her neck too."


    "Why don''t we just break in there and get her? Or blow it all up!" Nami exclaimed, stressing her point by jabbing a finger towards Rosan.


    Hachi shook his head in horror at the sight of Rosan gearing up to do just that. "There''s a Celestial Dragon in there! Don''t even think about it!"


    The redhead frowned at that and dismissed his energy blast.


    Bummer.


    "That makes things more difficult. Well, what do we do then?"


    Nami shook her head. "We just have to play by the rules of the Auction House then. We''ll buy Camie and get her back."


    Hachi and Pappag looked stunned by that. "But¡­ Really?"


    "Alright," Rosan grunted, nodding his head. "I''ll pitch in then. Mermaids are popular so they should sell for a lot. We have 400 million on the ship right now but if we need more I''ll cover it."


    Everyone gazed at the two greed machines in shock.


    "You can''t put a price on a friend!" Nami growled, marching into the building.


    Rosan didn''t actually care to save the mermaid, but he would do whatever his crew wanted and they wanted to save her¡­ so he''d save her.


    Besides, that Camie girl was an earnest idiot and she was a kid too. Kids didn''t deserve to be enslaved.


    As they made their way into the Auction House, Rosan felt two sets of eyes on him and glanced back to the first set.


    It was a pirate, with flame red hair flame red eyes and no eyebrows.


    "Eustass Kid. He has a 5 million higher bounty than you."


    Kid looked at Rosan with a violent grin, that turned into a scowl as the redhead barely spared him another glance.


    "He''s also from the South Blue right? I heard he attacks people without regard. A true scumbag Pirate. He should be glad he became active when I retired or he''d be the first person I hunted and killed," Rosan snorted, losing interest in the only pirate besides Luffy of the new generation, to have a higher bounty of him.


    "Who does he think he is?!" Kid snarled. "How about I go introduce myself?"


    Killer held his captain with a shake of his head. "That''s not a good idea captain. Those are the Straw Hats and we''re in the Auction House too. Best to not cause a scene."


    Kid scoffed and dropped it for now.


    "Where''s Luffy and Zoro?" Nami asked in concern.


    "Zoro is on his way here. Luffy should be too," Rosan assured, linking to the bird that was with the swordsman.


    He stared at the back of the head of the second person who had been staring only for a moment and tilted his head at seeing them looking ahead again.


    "Trafalgar Law. Bounty of 200 million."


    "The Surgeon of Death. Maro mentioned meeting him. Said he had a similar fruit to mine," Rosan thought in vague interest, idly listening to the people being sold off.


    Modification could honestly pose as any fruit if Rosan really put his mind and creativity to it.


    Law sensed eyes on the back of his head and turned around slightly, meeting the bored glowing gaze of the Red Devil he had been inspecting earlier.


    The Surgeon of Death smirked at the redhead but on the inside, he was slightly confused.


    "He looks vaguely familiar," Law thought to himself.


    He had seen that face before and it wasn''t from his bounty poster, but Law couldn''t recall where...


    It was a distant memory. Long ago but not too long... months at least.


    He''d have to dwell on it more. Where had he seen the Red Devil?


    Rosan flashed a smirk back at the pirate but didn''t spare him anything else.


    "How much money do you plan on spending?" Robin asked Rosan, watching as people bid for each slave.


    "However much it takes. You would all be sad otherwise, if I didn''t give my best effort to get Camie back," Rosan replied easily.


    Robin smiled at that and squeezed his hand, pleased to see him squeeze back.


    The crew watched anxiously, as more and more people were sold off with no signs of Camie anywhere.


    Finally, things managed to finally gain traction as a pirate captain who was about to be sold into slavery, bit his tongue and killed himself, causing murmurs of discomfort to ring through the Auction.


    The curtains came down after the display. After a few more minutes, it began to raise once more and all the Straw Hats tensed up at the sight before them.


    A heavy air rushed through them and they gazed at the mermaid with resolve.


    "Alright, we have 400 million on the ship. Not to mention a few gold bars too, we can probably get her back easily with that amount," Nami muttered.


    Sanji nodded. "With that much, it''ll be hard to be conteste ¡ª"


    "500 MILLION BERIS FOR THE MERMAID!" An obnoxious voice screamed.


    The Straw Hats went completely white at that offer and gazed at the one who made it.


    Gaudy, large and with that oh so familiar outfit¡­


    A Celestial Dragon.


    500 million¡­ as his starting offer? How were they ever going to ¡ª


    "600 million beris."


    Everyone in the auction house, felt their jaw drop to the floor at the deep voice and they gazed at the tanned man wearing a black hat on his head.


    Rosan looked utterly at ease despite all the eyes on his person. He ignored the nervous air and looked straight ahead, a cocky smirk on his face.


    "Did that guy just bid against a Celestial Dragon?" Someone whispered.


    "Is he insane?!"


    "Doesn''t he look kind of familiar?!"


    Saint Charlos looked dumbly at the one who dared to bid against him.


    "600 MILLION?!" Disco shouted in disbelief, looking at the insane person who said that.


    "Did I stutter?" Rosan replied in amusement. "It''s been a few seconds and no one else has spoken up, call it. I won."


    Disco spluttered at that. "W-Well that''s true but that''s because ¡ª"


    "700 MILLION!" Charlos screamed indignantly, gazing back at the one who dared to bid against him in fury.


    Even if someone had the money to bid against them, it was an unspoken rule to allow the Celestial Dragons to get whoever they were interested in. Bidding against them would only earn their ire and the moment the auctions were over, you and your slave would probably go to them...


    "800 million," Rosan replied instantly, looking utterly at ease.


    ...Unfortunately, Portgas D. Rosan did not care.


    Charlos, who was not used to anyone ever pushing back against him, could only gaze dumbly at the staunch Rosan, as if this commoner were an unknown puzzle.


    Unfortunately for him, that silence cost him big.


    "Seeing as 800 million is not being contested, the mermaid has been sold to the gentleman in the black hat!"


    The silence was deafening. Everyone''s jaw dropped slowly to the ground at the events that just transpired.


    Was this... was this real? D-Did someone just out bid the Celestial Dragons?


    Law gazed back at the redhead with an even wider smirk.


    What an interesting guy. Hearing him fling around so much money, finally clued him into why he seemed so familiar.


    The Straw Hats... no wonder that Queen was so powerful if this guy was her brother.


    "And that''s that. Problem solved," Rosan said smugly, smirking insufferably.


    He didn''t see why they had to go through all this. Rosan could have just retrieved her but this was fine too. 800 million wasn''t even that much... though Aiko would be pissed seeing him throw that around.


    "HAH! The Straw Hats really are nuts," Kid snorted loudly.


    This was bound to go well.


    "UNACCEPTABLE!"


    All the citizens went pale at that outraged voice, expecting this outcome.


    "I WON''T LET A COMMONER TAKE WHAT''S MINE! SHE''S MINE! MINE! MINE!" Charlos screeched.


    "I expected this," Rosan sighed, looking unbothered by the outrage. "Rules are rules. You agreed to abide by the rules of the Auction House and you los ¡ª"


    "SILENCE FILTHY COMMONER!"


    Rosan''s mouth slowly closed and a dark look crossed his face.


    "Just who do you think you''re interrupting?" he asked darkly, eyes glowing in warning.


    Everyone shuddered at that tone and gazed at the redhead with wild eyes.


    Was he serious?!


    Rosan felt his temper flare irrationally but managed to calm down slightly at the hand holding his own.


    "I won you lost. Get over it. Better luck next time," he waved him off.


    "Rosan, I don''t think you should be talking to a Celestial Dragon like that!" Nami hissed in a whisper.


    "I want him dead but we can''t all get what we want. If I can''t do that, then I''ll do this," Rosan hissed back just as quietly.


    Charlos looked as if he were about to pull out his gun to shoot the filthy commoner but he was interrupted in the process.


    "Father! I want that one!" Saint Shalria stated, pointing a finger at the redhead. "I want that man! Bring him to me at once! I want him right this instance!"


    Rosan''s eyes turned towards that voice and he blinked slowly at seeing a finger pointing directly at him, courtesy of the female World Noble.


    "Oh, she wants me¡­ no wonder she''s been eyeing me the whole time," he mused.


    Robin''s gaze darkened at the blatant attraction in the Celestial Dragon''s eyes.


    Seriously? He didn''t even do anything!


    "Are you kidding me?" Mod sighed in misery. "This is why I wanted to make you just a little uglier."


    "Sorry, I''m not interested in being a slave. Remove those thoughts from your head for your own sake," Rosan said bluntly.


    The crowd who heard him balked in terror at hearing his blatant denial and threat.


    "Someone stop him! He''s mad!"


    "I thought we established that when he outbid a Celestial Dragon!"


    "I knew all redhead''s were crazy!"


    The Celestial Dragons did not hear him unfortunately.


    "Are you sure you want that one, Shalria?" Rosward asked, gazing at the figure with a frown.


    She nodded without hesitation. "He will make a fine first husband for me! His features are perfect!" She claimed.


    "First husband?" Rosan and Robin thought in disbelief.


    "Can father kill them all yet? Please say yes. Please say yes. Please say yes. Look into my eyes while I''m saying this. Please say yes."


    "No. Stop trying to hypnotize me."


    "Bah, so boring!"


    Rosan let out a sigh of aggravation, as guards began approaching him with actual intent to capture him.


    Both Law and Kid watched the redhead with blatant interest, wondering exactly what he was going to do in this current situation.


    "Seriously? I was being so good too," Rosan said forlornly, sparks beginning to fly off his body. "I didn''t attack anyone, I didn''t cause trouble¡­ I just tried to save a friend and once again, my hotness is is getting me in trouble. This isn''t on me."


    "Is he thinking of?!" Everyone thought in horror, watching the sparks beginning to fly off the redhead.


    Oh please don''t tell them he was going to do what they thought he was doing.


    "I¡­ don''t think we can even blame you for this?" Nami said in confusion.


    The rest of the Straw Hats nodded with sweatdrops. For once, their scout didn''t actually do much to warrant what was about to happen.


    He really did attract chaos huh?


    Before Rosan could deep fry the approaching guards, a large hand frantically held onto him.


    "Wait! You can''t attack them!" Hachi said desperately. "We can just leave and find something else to save her! Please!"


    "Will they really let us escape? That girl seems set on capturing me," Rosan replied calmly, gazing at the Fishman with a bored expression.


    "I didn''t do anything wrong. I outbid him, I didn''t hurt anyone¡­ my crime is being hot," he stated with an amused expression.


    Everyone sweatdropped at that statement.


    But eventually, Rosan''s expression darkened once more. "I won''t allow anyone to enslave me. I don''t care who you are. If they are intent on capturing me, they will learn," he said coldly.


    Hachi understood exactly what Rosan was saying but this was just too insane ¡ª


    A massive explosion rocked the auction house, halting all actions and Rosan banished his sparks at the boisterous noise of his littlest brother.


    "CAMIEEEE WE CAME TO GET YOU!" Luffy cheered, marching towards the mermaid with a purpose.


    Hachi, who was already trying to stop Rosan from doing anything reckless, instinctively used his other set of arms to grab at Luffy.


    Only the sound of someone shrieking in disgust, made the fishman realize his errors and he went white in horror.


    "A fishman on land?!"


    "Disgusting! Why does it have so many arms?!"


    "Why is it that color?!"


    Hachi tried to salvage the situation by showing that he meant no harm but everything he did, merely made the crowd more uncomfortable.


    Rosan frowned slightly at the negative emotions roiling off the people there.


    They were all the disgusting ones. These humans sat here, auctioning for slaves, buying people off and judging others solely by their appearance¡­ and they had the gall to be disgusted?


    Utterly repulsive of them. Did they not realize how hypocritical they were?


    Luffy ignored everything around him, running towards Camie with full intents of breaking her out of her shackles...


    Only to freeze in spot, as a gunshot rang through the air and the screams of the citizens rang out.


    Hachi collapsed on the floor, blood pooling underneath him from the bullet wound he just received courtesy of Charlos himself.


    "HACHI!"


    "I got him!" Charlos laughed. "I got the fishman! Since I captured him, he''s free right?! Look, he must have been plotting something! He''s a fishman!"


    "¡­" Rosan said nothing, gazing at Hachi''s body with a neutral expression and a tilted head.


    "Wait¡­" Hachi rasped out to the two brothers. "You promised you wouldn''t do anything to the Celestial, even if someone got shot! Please don''t do anything!" He begged the crew.


    "I was a pirate once and this is just my punishment for everything we did to Nami! I''m sorry but I didn''t mean for this to happen¡­ I just wanted to make it up to her even a little¡­ it was the least I could do for all the pain she went through."


    Nami bit her lip, tears forming in her eyes at his words.


    "¡­" Rosan stayed silent, before he shrugged Hachi''s hand off his foot.


    Then, he took a single step and a small pressure formed in the room.


    After a second step, the pressure got slightly heavier and they were beginning to note that with every step Rosan took, it became more and more crushing.


    The Kid and Heart pirates went stiff at that pressure, gazing warily at the calm redhead.


    "You humans are so disgusting," Rosan said softly. "You enslave, steal, kill¡­ you do the most atrocious acts on the planet and then label it as justice¡­ but have the gall to discriminate and hate people who are not even half as terrible as you."


    Everyone froze as his words carried throughout the entire auction.


    "Oh no, he''s in speech mode," the Straw Hats thought in horror. Things never got good when Rosan was giving one of his speeches.


    "You Celestial Dragons are the epitome of disgust," the redhead announced, slowly but surely making his way towards Charlos, deadly aura growing heavier and heavier until it was completely suffocating.


    Charlos attempted to speak but found that he couldn''t, pressure choking him completely. His droopy eyes were wide in an unexplainable feeling and try as he might, it seemed to only get worse.


    "W-What is this?!"


    "Free to do anything you want with no repercussion. No human should have that type of power because a human with that power, will look no different than a Devil..." he said bluntly.


    "...But you''re not human right?"


    Everyone stared, utterly petrified, as the Red Devil stopped directly in front of a Celestial Dragon.


    Surely he wasn''t¡­ Surely the Red Devil wasn''t this demonic, was he?


    "Gods¡­ that''s what you call yourselves," Rosan whispered quietly, grabbing the frozen World Nobles hand. "How stupid are you to call yourself a god, when you can die just as easily as any other human?"


    Everyone went white as Rosan grabbed the gun out of his hand and aimed it directly at Charlos'' head.


    "How arrogant must you be, to call yourself a God in the presence of a Devil?" Rosan hissed, finger on the trigger as he placed the butt of the gun directly on the man''s forehead.


    "No surely he''s not going to actually do it. Is he actually insane?!"


    This was what everyone in the Auction House thought, sweat falling down their paralyzed bodies as Rosan''s finger hovered over the trigger to the gun aimed directly at Charlos skull.


    If he pressed that¡­ if he pulled the trigger, Charlos would die.


    A Celestial Dragon¡­ would die on Sabaody.


    "We need to get out of here!"


    But none could move, all trapped by that stifling pressure the Red Devil seemed to exude. No, they were all frozen in spot as they were practically forced to watch the upcoming execution.


    "You may think yourself a God but never forget, there are always people who will be unsatisfied with how the world is ran. You will never satisfy everyone," Rosan said gently. "I hope you remember those words in your final moments."


    "NO DON''T DO IT!"


    Rosan''s finger pressed down on the trigger.


    "Bang."


    A fist crashed directly on Charlos'' cheek, sending the man sprawling. A fountain of blood spurted from the Celestial Dragon as he was instantly knocked unconscious from the punch.


    Monkey D. Luffy stared down at the Celestial Dragon with a furious expression, fist clenched as blood dripped from it.


    "Just kidding," Rosan laughed cockily, disintegrating the gun in his hands. "Look at the look on your faces, you actually thought I was gonna kill him? I did say I was going to be good."


    ¡­


    "THIS IS STILL HORRIBLE! LOOK AT WHAT YOU''VE JUST DONE!" Everyone roared in disbelief.


    Rosan shrugged. "At least he''s still alive. I really did want to kill him."


    Everyone''s jaw dropped uselessly onto the floor, eyes bugging out of their head at the actions of the Captain and his shadow of the Straw Hats.


    "Sorry guys, an Admiral is gonna come now," Luffy apologized.


    "Let''s wrap up our business quick," Rosan grunted, crouching lowly. "Let''s finish up guys. Leave Camie to me."


    "Right!" The Straw Hats chorused, only a fond exasperation rolling off them.


    "Wait she has the bomb collar on!" Pappag shouted in worry.


    Rosan glanced back at him, sparking red. "And? What does that have to do with me?" He grinned cockily, vanishing from his spot.


    Disco''s eyes bugged out of his head, as Rosan appeared directly in front of Camie''s tank and punched it.


    The glass shattered everywhere and the redhead grabbed the mermaid.


    "Y-You guys came!" Camie sobbed in relief, hugging the redhead to the best of her abilities.


    Rosan ignored how wet she was (it was messing with his outfit) and focused on the bomb collar on her neck.


    "Stay still," he instructed, gazing at the collar and chain combo.


    She nodded shakily, looking at his hand in fear.


    "It''s not sea stone?" Rosan thought in surprise.


    Well, that made his job a lot easier.


    He ignored the Auction House employees surrounding him and hummed in contemplation.


    "Modification," he thought to himself, making the collar too large for her neck and pulling it off.


    Then, a tail lashed out and wrapped around Disco''s neck.


    Rosan dragged the owner of the Auction House to his location and summarily wrapped the bomb collar around his neck, before tightening it with his Devil Fruit.


    "A taste of your own medicine," the redhead smiled.


    Disco let out a strangled yell, before a punch smashed against his face and knocked him unconscious.


    Camie looked on in awe, watching at how easily he had gotten the collar off her neck and gazing at the redhead with stars in her eyes.


    Rosan hummed and stood up, before the cocking of a gun stopped him in his tracks.


    He raised a brow at seeing that one Celestial Dragon girl who was attempting to enslave him.


    "Not another step!" Shalria said confidently, aiming the gun directly at him.


    Rosan rolled his eyes. "A gun. I''m so scared," he said dryly.


    To his slight disbelief, she thought he was being serious.


    "As you should be! You''re all going to die here but I don''t want you dead specifically, so surrender now and come back to Mariejois with me!" she demanded.


    Rosan tilted his head. "Well, you sound very reasonable..."


    The redhead vanished from his spot and appeared directly in front of her.


    "But I''ll pass."


    Shalria had no time to react, to getting chopped in the neck and she couldn''t even scream in rage at her bubble being popped by the swift blow.


    Rosan stared at her unconscious body with a sneer of disgust, before a contemplative expression replaced it.


    He idly tapped her on the head for a few seconds, before finally disregarding her.


    The redhead was about to deal with all the pests but it appeared that there was no need because an unseen force slammed into all of them and their eyes rolled to the back of their skulls.


    "So you''re Portgas D. Rosan and Monkey D. Luffy¡­"


    Silvers Rayleigh gazed at both Rosan and Luffy with a grin on his face.


    "I''ve been waiting to meet you both! That Straw Hat suits a fearless man like you, Luffy."


    Rosan''s eyes widened and then a scowl formed on his face.


    "Silvers Rayleigh," the redhead frowned deeply.


    "So you know of me?" Rayleigh laughed halfheartedly, despite knowing how Rosan probably felt about him.


    The redhead shook his head and scowled. "To think this is where one of you were hiding. Whatever," he scoffed.


    They had more pressing matters to attend to.


    Rayleigh gazed at Roger''s oldest boy with an unreadable look.


    "I''d like to talk to you later, if you don''t mind," the old man said kindly.


    "So long as you understand my boundaries, I will not have issue with you," Rosan grunted, bringing Camie over to the Hachi and Pappag.


    "Outside is full of Marines," Robin stated as he stood next to her.


    "Anyone of note?" He asked back, drying himself off.


    "None that I know of," she replied.


    "You Straw Hats sure live up to your reputation," Trafalgar Law said with an amused smile.


    "They really are nuts," Kid snorted. "I''m satisfied with what I saw, let''s head out¡­ as a reward for keeping us entertained, I''ll save you from those Marines out there."


    Rosan twitched slightly at that, while Luffy and Law scowled deeply.


    "Don''t tell me what to do," Law said bluntly, clutching his sword and making his way out of the building. "I''ll clear the way."


    "No I will!" Luffy declared, cracking his fists as he marched out.


    The redhead shook his head. "Let them clear the way. We have other things to worry about. An Admiral is on the way."


    Idiots. All of them.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Outside was utter mayhem for the Marines.


    Rosan watched with an interested eye, as Luffy, Law and Kid utterly dismantled the Marines they were up against.


    "I''m surprised you didn''t join," Robin said with a smile.


    "I don''t need to flex my superiority right now," Rosan said truthfully. "I''m going to make sure we all make it out of here. Let them deal with the crowd. The more energy I save, the better."


    Robin''s smile widened. This was the second time Rosan was prioritizing escaping in such a short span! It was incredible!


    Rosan gazed at both Kid and Law''s abilities with a curious eye.


    Eustass was using his fruit to gather all manner of metallic objects to his side, forming a gigantic fist that he used to pulverize his opponents.


    "Jiki Jiki no mi."


    On the other hand, Trafalgar Law was using his ability to make a mockery of his enemies. He summoned a blue circle and within that circle, he was free to do as he pleased to a person without actually killing them.


    Rosan idly grabbed the disembodied head of the screaming person and caught Trafalgar Law''s eyes once more.


    "Op Op no mi. Very prized. Its as important as a Logia in some peoples eyes."


    Magnetism¡­ and the ability to Modify the human body.


    "That''s an interesting fruit you have, Trafalgar Law," Rosan commented.


    Rosan met a lot of fruits that could do what he did with Modification, but the Op Op no Mi seemed to be the closest fruit to his own when it came to base capabilities.


    Law''s fruit delved into modification of the body as well... but it operated differently.


    The easiest way to put it, was that Law''s fruit was one for a doctor and Rosan''s was one for a scientist.


    Law glanced back at the redhead and smirked.


    "The Red Devil¡­ you''ve got quite the interesting fruit yourself," he commented.


    After all, Rosan could easily remove the bomb collar from that mermaids neck. Law was also very capable of doing the same thing with his own Devil Fruit.


    Rosan gazed at the captain of the Heart pirates with those piercing eyes of his and nodded.


    "You''re interesting. I hope you don''t die in the New World," the redhead laughed.


    Law couldn''t help but think that garnering the attention of someone like the Red Devil seemed more akin to a curse than a blessing.


    "I''m getting real tired of you disregarding me, Red Devil."


    Rosan paused at that and raised a brow, turning towards the irritated Eustass Kid with a tilted head.


    "What about it, no brows? You want me to pay attention to you?" the redhead asked incredulously.


    "What? Horny or something? Those are the only people who ever want attention from me," Rosan said in amusement.


    Kid sneered, turning that gigantic fist towards him and lunging.


    Rosan sighed. "Wow, maybe redheads do have a temper," he muttered.


    The scout raised a wall, blocking the massive punch, before placing a palm on the metallic fist.


    The Kid pirates watched in disbelief, as the metal was summarily turned into wood, dropping uselessly to the ground as Kid''s ability failed to hold it.


    "I''m a bad matchup for you," Rosan said with a cruel gleam in his eyes.


    The redhead rocketed from his spot and effortlessly ducked into the shellshocked Kid''s guard, before lunging forward and socking him right on the jaw.


    "A really bad matchup," Rosan cackled, launching his fellow redhead away with the force of the blow.


    "CAPTAIN!" the Kid Pirates shouted in horror.


    Rosan rolled his eyes. "He''ll be fine. I didn''t go for the kill or anything. He can consider this my thanks for cleaning up the Marines. I have quite the temper myself after all."


    The redhead snorted in laughter and began walking off. "Don''t be a dumbass like him, Trafalgar Law. You''ve left a much better first impression off on me."


    Law, who was looking at the spot Kid was just at, gazed back at the redhead who had effortlessly dealt with him warily.


    "Tell your queen sister to be a little more secretive in the future, Red Devil-ya," Law fired back.


    Rosan paused at that, before slapping his head against his palm.


    "Noted. But if you ever mention that again, you''re probably going to die. C''mon Robin, stop lagging behind!"


    With that, the redhead fully departed.


    Law watched Rosan go catch up with his crew and ran through the conversation.


    "You''re far smarter than most of the people here, so do heed his warning. Rosan''s really quite vengeful!" Robin informed him with a small smile, moving just a little faster at seeing Rosan stop to glance back at her.


    "I have no interest in telling anyone her business. It''s not like she''s my enemy," Law said boredly, turning away to catch up with his crew.


    On the contrary, his conversation with Maro was quite enjoyable. He just found it surprising that she was allies with the Red Devil... that was literally the last thing he was expecting.


    The Straw Hats... every time he learned something new, he grew more interested.


    Monkey D. Luffy and Portgas D. Rosan...


    Those two...


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "WHAT?! THIS LADY IS YOUR COUSIN?!"


    Rosan nodded his head as his crew gaped at Shakky. "Allegedly. She knows a lot about my heritage and seems to personally know my mother as well."


    Shakky smiled at them. "That reminds me, Rayleigh, do you know of someone named Rocks D. Cutter?"


    Rayleigh went stiff at that, much to the Straw Hats burning curiosity.


    "Cutter?" Rayleigh murmured, gazing at Rosan with calculating eyes.


    "My biological father," Rosan replied, gazing coolly at the first mate of Roger.


    Rayleigh nodded slowly. "I met him a very long time ago. He was just a really young kid at the time when Roger and I encountered him back then. His older brother was a real problem so we dealt with him¡­ he probably held a grudge because of what we did..."


    Cutter... that wasn''t a name Rayleigh was ever expecting to hear again.


    Rosan actually did snort this time. "Oh the irony. The person I reluctantly acknowledge as my father, is hated deeply by my actual father."


    Wonder how Cutter would feel about that. The idea was very funny to Rosan.


    "So you really do have issue with Roger¡­" Rayleigh mused.


    The redhead scowled furiously. "Issue?! Sure, let''s call it an issue. Of course I have issue with him. He killed my mother," Rosan snarled, eyes narrowed in pure rage.


    Rosan had never quite reached his closure with the cause of his mother''s death. To him, the World Government and Roger would always be to blame and he wasn''t sure how to come to terms with that.


    "¡­" Rayleigh cupped his beard, an unreadable look in his eyes. "He had a terminal illness. It was incurable and he didn''t have very long to live."


    "I don''t give a fuck if Kami themself told him to land on that island to find a cure," Rosan hissed, eyes violent. "His actions brought the World Government to my island and no one was there to help me or my mother so she was forced to hold a baby in her stomach for 20 fucking months and she died because of it!"


    The Straw Hats had intimately felt how angry Rosan had been at Roger''s actions... and truthfully, that anger managed to seep into them with almost no resistance.


    There was no one to save Rouge. No one to help her escape from that island. Roger''s actions carried the heaviest of consequences and their poor scout was one of the only people alive who suffered from those choices.


    The only one who truly cared about saving her, had been a 4 year old boy who really didn''t know what he could do to make things better.


    It was heartbreaking to know that everyone cared more about Roger... while Rosan was the only one who truly wanted Rouge saved no matter what.


    They''d be just as angry as he was.


    Shakky''s brows furrowed in some concern at that. "Are you talking about your adoptive mother?" she asked quietly, gazing at the hurting redhead.


    Rosan clenched his fist. "Yes, Portgas D. Rouge. She was Roger''s lover and his last memento before fucking off into the afterlife, was getting her pregnant and having the Marines converge onto our island. Because of my mother''s love she managed to hide the baby for 20 months but died because of it."


    He hadn''t been this angry in a long time when thinking about Roger, but just the thought that there were people who respected and loved him unconditionally, pissed him off to no end.


    These people didn''t get to praise Roger in front of him. Rosan didn''t want to hear it, he refused to hear it.


    They stood here, with fond smiles on their faces, talking about how great of a man Roger was, or how fearless he had been but no one ever mentioned that Rosan''s mother died because of his stupid actions.


    No one ever talked about how his mother spent 20 months crying in pain and trying to hide it from her perceptive child.


    No one talked about how Roger''s children grew up in hell. It was only Roger this and Roger that.


    Rosan fucking hated that. Rosan hated those rose tinted glasses.


    "First Shanks, now you. I don''t give a fuck how any of you feel about him. I don''t care if you can''t stand the thought that his son hates him!" Rosan hissed.


    "Roger committed the greatest crime on the planet in my eyes by taking my mother away from me. He wasn''t there to see my mother crying in pain because holding a baby for so long was too much for her, He wasn''t there to see my mother fear the safety of her unborn and born child, HE WASN''T THERE TO SEE MY MOTHER DIE BUT I WAS THERE! I WAS THERE FOR ALL OF IT!"


    Everyone flinched back as Rosan crashed a fist through the counter, breaking it completely through. The redhead heaved in pure rage, before sagging into the comforting hold of Robin.


    "I saw it all," Rosan whispered. "I saw my mother hide her tears of pain whenever I asked if she was alright, I saw my mother panic about whether or not she''d be able to protect both me and my little brother, I saw my mother give birth to a healthy baby boy after 20 months¡­ and I saw my mother breathe her last breath, before succumbing to the agony of childbirth."


    ¡­


    Shakky frowned sadly at her cousin, not expecting that he had gone through that.


    It must have been... so hard to hear everyone talk about Gol D. Roger the pirate... but never talk about Gol D. Roger the father.


    Rosan was one of the only ones alive, who knew about Roger the father and he had nothing good to say.


    "Nothing fills me with more anger than hearing someone sing that man''s praises, because I wasn''t there to experience all his conquest or victories. I was only there to experience the consequence of the legacy he built. I will forever hate Roger with all my heart because he took the person who loved him with all of hers," Rosan promised.


    "None of you probably knew I existed so I hold no grudge against the Roger Pirates. My problem only lies with Roger himself and his complete failure as a father."


    Rosan''s gaze darkened. "But understand this. You may sing your praises to the Pirate King. But if you ever stand in front of me and sing your praises to my father, I will hunt you down until I die."


    Rayleigh gazed at the hurting redhead, smile wiped off his face.


    Shanks had not mentioned all of that. It was likely that his former cabin boy wasn''t even aware of all the details.


    What could the Dark King say to that? Shanks had mentioned that he hadn''t been able to defend Roger on what he had done and after meeting the redhead, he found himself in complete agreement.


    Roger messed up badly and the result was the Red Devil. It would be utterly disgusting of him to sit here and defend the man because Rosan was right.


    He knew Roger the Pirate King... but he didn''t have a good idea of who Roger the father was.


    Rayleigh got onto his knees and bowed deeply, head touching the wooden floor of the bar.


    "I know this won''t make up for it at all, but as Roger''s closest companion and right hand, it''s only right that I apologize in his stead. I know him well and I know that the only person who would blame Roger more than you, is Roger himself. I know for a fact he didn''t want this to ever happen, please believe me when I say that. Your hate of him is completely justified¡­ I don''t even think he''d blame you. Roger''s the type to have done everything in his power to earn your forgiveness."


    Rosan stared coldly at Rayleigh, fist clenched.


    "I won''t forgive him. No matter how many of you apologize for him. I will never forgive him. I will never forgive the people who took my innocent mother away from me," he said fervently.


    "This is not something you can change, so understand my boundaries, Silvers Rayleigh. I have no problems with you, so do not make any."


    This was Rosan''s resolve. Earlier, when he was younger, he told himself that he couldn''t hate someone that mom loved but he was wrong.


    Rosan was done using other people to decide how he felt about something, even mom.


    The redhead shook his head and repaired the wooden counter.


    "Sorry," he said quietly to Shakky. "It''s hard to control my anger."


    She watched him repair the counter in some fascination, still not quite sure what his Devil Fruit was, before nodding. "That''s okay. I realize I don''t quite know your past."


    "It''s too much to tell in one sitting. Maybe one day, when I trust you more, I''ll tell you," Rosan said softly.


    The Straw Hats nodded sagely. It really was too much.


    "Pick your head up, my gripe is not with you and Roger has been dead for years. I have no more desire to beat on a dead horse. I just wanted you to understand my point of view," the redhead demanded.


    Rayleigh did so and gazed at the redhead with a curious eye.


    "You''re a strange one, Rosan," he commented.


    "I know," Rosan said bluntly. "We need our ship coated¡­ can we rely on you?"


    The Dark King nodded easily. "You helped out a friend of mine so naturally I''ll help you all out too."


    Perfect.


    "I have a question for you," Robin spoke up suddenly. "What is the Will of D?"


    Rayleigh perked up at that and gazed back at the Devil Child.


    Robin took that as her cue to continue.


    "We went to the Sky Island and I encountered a Poneglyph there that had Roger''s name signed onto it. How does he know that language? Do you¡­ know what happened to the world in the blank 100 years?!"


    It was impossible for her to hide her anticipation.


    "Is this really how you wanna figure it out, Robin?"


    She jumped at that and gazed at Rosan in confusion, noting the way his brows furrowed.


    "Is this how you want to find out what you''ve been researching for years? By hearing it from him?" Rosan pointed out, gazing at her with a searching expression.


    "Would that really satisfy you?"


    Robin opened her mouth and closed it.


    No, no it wouldn''t. Robin had been on this journey of hers for years so for her to learn it all from this man right here...


    It wouldn''t be fulfilling. Besides, she was having so much fun traveling with the Straw Hats.


    "I change my mind, Rayleigh¡­ I don''t want to know anymore," she replied with a fond smile, making her way over to the redhead.


    Rayleigh laughed at that and nodded his head. "A smart choice, though I will tell you¡­ Roger couldn''t read Poneglyphs, he could merely hear the voice of all things."


    Rosan and Luffy both perked up at that.


    "Voice of all things? Is that the reason I hear too much?" Rosan mused with a frown.


    What was this voice of all things?


    "We really don''t wanna ask him anything?!" Usopp shouted incredulously. "We could just ask him if the One Piece really does exist ¡ª"


    "USOPP!"


    The sniper went stiff at that shout and gazed at Luffy with wide eyes.


    "I don''t want to hear where it is! I don''t want to know where it is! If he tells us anything about it right now, I''ll quit being a pirate! There''s no point going on an adventure that isn''t fun!"


    Usopp spluttered and nodded hastily. "You''re right! I don''t wanna hear where it is either! Where''s the fun in that?!"


    Rayleigh smiled at that. "Do you think you can do it? The New World is unlike anything you''ve ever seen. Do you have what it takes to conquer that powerful sea?"


    Luffy laughed. "I don''t care about conquering anything! The Pirate King is the one who is most free!"


    Rosan snorted at that. "Never change, Luffy."


    Shakky smiled at that. "I''m becoming quite the big fan of your crew!"


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    After being each given a Vivre Card of Rayleigh, the Straw Hats were informed that they would need to wait 3 days before the coating process was completed.


    Considering there was currently an Admiral on Sabaody, that was disastrous to hear.


    But it didn''t stop there.


    As they conversed on their next course of action, someone seemed to make it for them.


    The Straw Hats paused in shock, as before their very eyes, two Bartholomew Kumas showed up.


    "You again?" Rosan snarled in hatred, eyes bright in fury.


    The redhead took a single step forward, but swiftly transformed Ram into a buster sword, as a giant axe came crashing down on his person.


    Rosan grunted as he was launched back from the attack and he held himself.


    "The Red Devil Rosan¡­" Sentomaru called out. "I''ve been told to be most wary about you."


    The redhead grinned violently. "Then you should have brought more people."


    With that, he dashed forward and they clashed once more.


    At the same time, the Straw Hats squared off against both the Kuma''s with various amounts of confusion.


    "I can''t feel these two!" Luffy shouted to them, rocketing forward and landing a blow on the emotionless Kuma.


    The rubber boy grunted at not making contact with human flesh and leapt back before the laser could pierce a hole through his belly.


    "There''s two of them too! Are these some type of robots?" Sanji shouted in confusion, wincing at the throbbing pain in his leg after connecting with the robot.


    "They might just be!" Robin called out, frowning at having literally no effect on the robots. "I could somewhat feel the real Kuma but he also had some type of metallic skin!"


    Seeing as she had no effect on the robots, she would play a more supportive role and keep the crew active.


    "Robots? If it isn''t the real one, then it''s fine! Just beat these two!" Zoro grunted, applying armament and successfully cutting into one of the robots.


    Unfortunately, that left him vulnerable for a retaliation...


    Only for a flurry of hands to grab him and drag him out of range.


    Zoro landed by Robin''s side and shot her a nod.


    "Be careful, those lasers look deadly," Robin warned.


    The swordsman nodded and dashed forward again.


    "Focus on supporting Luffy and Zoro. As we are, only armament can get through them!" Robin instructed them, summoning all three of her clones.


    Rosan was keeping that large man occupied so they''d have to pull their weight and deal with these two.


    The redhead in question, already sprouted his wings and soared towards Sentomaru, blood in his eyes as he exchanged in a furious dance with the man.


    Despite his size, Sentomaru was fast. Rosan could not just blitz the man because not only did his speed bely him, he had observation and armament as well.


    He grunted in annoyance, as Sentomaru whirled around to catch his swing aimed for his back.


    Buster sword met axe once more, before Rosan exploded in electricity that Sentomaru grunted at.


    He was not yet adept at applying armament to his entire body but it was enough to weather the worst of it.


    As the Marine weathered the attack, he suddenly slapped an open palm towards the redhead that Rosan effortlessly weaved...


    Only for him to let out a grunt of surprise as a shockwave smashed into his gut.


    As he was sent flying, he immediately righted himself and clutched the ground.


    "Ranged options with Armament Haki? Noted."


    His bruises healed up instantly and he transformed Ram into a set of gauntlets, before smashing his fists to the ground.


    Sentomaru glanced warily at the strange weapon that could transform at a whim, but poised himself to deal with the surging ground chasing after him.


    Coincidentally, that same ground managed to protect Chopper from a laser aimed at him, allowing the doctor enough time to scramble away.


    "Thanks Rosan!" Chopper said thankfully, transforming into walk point to dash away.


    Rosan said nothing, eyes sharpening as his mouth opened.


    Sentomaru, who was still dodging the chasing ground, scowled in annoyance as his formidable defense was being pushed by this man.


    A giant gout of flames rushed towards him, glowing an unnatural shade of red that made him violently swing his haki imbued axe.


    The shockwave gave him enough time to evade the flames, but the grounds made their presence known once more.


    Deciding that he had enough, Sentomaru gripped the handle of his axe with both hands and slammed it towards the ground, causing the earth to crack in every direction.


    The ensuing shockwave managed to stop the earth momentarily, but it did nothing to stop the redhead from exploiting the opening he just got.


    Rosan, powered by boost, launched himself towards Sentomaru at immense speeds.


    Sentomaru was quick to respond. Seeing as his axe was currently a little occupied, he lifted his arm up to block the gauntlet and met the violent punch with grit teeth¡ª


    Only for it to let loose a hellish explosion a few seconds later.


    Rosan sneered at the cloud of smoke, only for his eyes to widen as the axe smashed into him with no hesitation at all.


    "You''re stronger than your bounty suggests," Sentomaru huffed, wiping the blood from his mouth and glancing at his battered arm.


    Blood leaked from his axe at the direct hit and the sumo man watched the trail of blood that eventually led to Rosan.


    The redhead in question huffed, spitting out some blood as his leaking midsection sealed up.


    Sentomaru couldn''t help but look at the action with wide eyes.


    "What is this man?" he asked in some confusion.


    He wasn''t given much thought to ponder the question, because Rosan was already charging back into battle.


    While the two had both exchanged devastating blows to each other, Sentomaru was the one on the backfoot now because unlike Rosan, his wound wasn''t capable of healing up that quickly.


    It wasn''t useless, but Rosan was hellbent on making it so.


    Sentomaru''s observation flared constantly, as multiple attacks came at him from every angle.


    The ground came back to life again, the winds got heavier and Rosan''s body began sparking with electricity as he threw out all signs of defense in favor of hitting the Marine.


    Transforming Ram into a hammer, Rosan clutched it and began battering at Sentomaru''s defense, trying to overwhelm it with pure offense.


    But the pure offense wasn''t the problem.


    The problem was the Red Devil''s complete lack of concern for his health, supplementing that offense into something horrific.


    They were repeatedly inflicting injuries onto each other. Sentomaru took advantage of every opening he saw, to batter Rosan with palms or his axe but they only momentarily paused the whirlwind of trouble he was in.


    The grounds continued halting him every chance they got, the winds remained heavy and battering and the Red Devil continued flying around him like an annoying bug, sparks lashing out into his body with the occasional flame.


    Rosan huffed in annoyance. Despite the advantage he was steadily building, Sentomaru was still far too formidable and it would take a lot more effort to take him out.


    Effort that he did not have. There was an Admiral on the way.


    They clashed once more, Ram a katana this time, and Rosan grunted at the sheer strength the sumo man had, even with that broken arm of his.


    His eyes widened as Sentomaru suddenly released his good arm from the handle and jammed a palm directly into his chest.


    Rosan spit out blood but his tail suddenly sprouted and lashed out, wrapping around Sentomaru''s good arm. The sharp spikes of his tail dug into the arm but didn''t do much, considering the haki guarding them.


    Before Sentomaru could consider the idea of cutting his tail off. Rosan scowled and placed a palm on the axe, transforming it into a wooden version of itself and rendering it useless.


    The Marine''s eyes widened in disbelief at that, before a blaze of flames crashed into him, tail keeping him close so he could take it.


    Not one to let such an attack cow him, Sentomaru fought through the pain and utilized his free, albeit broken, arm to land a devastating punch to Rosan''s face that broke his nose.


    Sentomaru was beginning to realize why the Red Devil was so dangerous. His offense was off the charts! Even his defense was suffering at the hands of it and his beloved axe had been reduced to mere wood!


    What was... what was this man''s Devil Fruit? He was a one man army! It was no wonder the Straw Hats were no dangerous...


    Even if the others managed to escape, he''d have to at least ensure the Red Devil did not get away.


    Sentomaru lunged forward and tried to let loose a heavy swing to knock out the Red Devil but to his surprise, a plethora of arms spawned and held him down.


    "What? But?!" He said aloud.


    Rosan huffed and violently snapped his nose back into place, before dashing forward to meet Sentomaru head on, gloves at the ready.


    Sentomaru took a second too long, to break out of the grasp because a palm rested gently against his midsection.


    "A taste of your own medicine," Rosan snarled victoriously.


    "Rejection."


    Despite applying Haki to himself, Sentomaru wasn''t able to fully protect himself from the internal damage Rejection did and he was launched back from the concussive blow.


    The man''s eyes rolled to the back of his head as the shockwave reverberated throughout his body and he collapsed without making a single noise.


    "He was strong. Thanks Robin," Rosan said, gazing at the bleeding man.


    "Anytime, Rosan. We''re done over here too."


    The two Kuma''s had done a lot of damage to the crew. They all had their fair share of injuries but Robin and her clones had done a great job at keeping them alive.


    Zoro and Luffy suffered the most injuries. They had to deal with the brunt of the Pacifista''s attention due to being the only two capable of dealing lasting damage to them.


    The Kuma''s were very telegraphed however and once you had the damage to deal with them (not to mention Robin providing fantastic support) it was only a matter of time before the duo managed to destroy them.


    Luffy huffed, steam disappearing from his body as the effects of Gear Second dissipated and he gazed to make sure his crew was fine.


    They needed to get outta here. Who knew how many Kumas they had in store? Not to mention, the Admiral was here too ¡ª


    No sooner did Luffy have that thought, a strange sound began ringing through the air.


    Everyone froze in horror as Rosan let out a rasp of pain, due to the laser piercing his belly.


    He glanced down in disbelief and watched as the hole began shutting once more.


    "Wowwww that''s some scary healing," a voice drawled boredly.


    The Straw Hats went cold at that, a terrible feeling coursing through their bodies.


    Hesitantly, they glanced up just in time for an explosion of light to slam into them all.


    Rosan had no time to react, to a kick landing directly on his face, breaking his recently healed nose once more.


    The devastating kick rattled his brain completely, sending the redhead flying through the clearing into one of the massive trees that littered Sabaody.


    "You did quite the damage to Sentomaru, eh Red Devil?" Kizaru asked boredly, leg still raised and showing exactly who had kicked the redhead.


    Rosan''s body screamed in pain and he spat out a glob of blood.


    "Rosan! Are you alright?!" Mod asked in concern, eyes wide in terror as the situation went from bad, to nightmare levels.


    He kneeled over again and threw up a bit, still heavily disoriented from that kick and Kizaru raised a brow at seeing the redhead steadily push himself up.


    "Won''t... touch them," Rosan huffed, glaring at Kizaru with slightly unfocused eyes.


    "Wow, you really are scary!" the Admiral stated, not looking scared at all. "Guess I should take you out first."


    Before Kizaru could push his advantage, a blur showed up and forced the Admiral into the defensive.


    When he saw who it was, even the Admiral couldn''t help but show a genuine reaction.


    "The Dark King?" Kizaru asked, brow lazily perked up. "To think you really were in hiding over here. Coming out of hiding for these greenhorns?"


    "You shouldn''t stop young plants from sprouting early!" Rayleigh laughed, clashing with the light man and sufficiently distracting him.


    "...Robin, are you alright?" Rosan huffed, trying to focus and finding it incredibly difficult. The Philosopher''s Stone was currently focused on his head so he was pretty sure he had a concussion.


    "...I''m fine Rosan¡­ it just hurts," Robin gasped, nursing her burns and gazing at the redhead. "I should be asking you that. You took quite the hit and your eyes are glassy. Do you have a concussion?"


    The redhead panted, wounds healing slowly as he gazed at the utterly lax Admiral.


    "I think so... but I''ll be fine," he said slowly, blinking the stars away.


    "Are you guys okay?" Rosan asked in concern, gazing at his recovering crew.


    They let out weak grunts themselves and Rosan shut his eyes as a wave vertigo crashed into him once more.


    This was really bad. This was a terrible situation.


    They needed to get out of her ¡ª


    "So we meet again, Portgas D. Rosan."


    Rosan went utterly still at that familiar voice and glanced back to see yet another Bartholomew Kuma gazing at him¡­


    Except this one felt real. There was still a bit of humanity in this one, compared to the other two that had been defeated.


    This was the real Kuma and that meant the nightmare situation had turned into actual hell.


    "I see your crew still accepts you¡­ good," Kuma whispered, removing his glove from his hand.


    "Kuma¡­" Rosan snarled furiously, eyes transforming into slits as smoke poured out of his mouth. "I won''t forgive you for what you subjected my crew to. You had no right to violate me like that so I''ll make you pay!"


    "No, Rosan please wait!" Robin shouted in concern, noting the horrible situation. "We need to get out of here! We have to escape!"


    "You have to bring us all into your Save Point! We''ll get back here in 3 days and no one can catch us there!" Robin informed him.


    That snapped Rosan out of his rage and he glanced back to see his crew struggling to stay up.


    Right, escape. He needed to get them out of here. Hiding would be nothing if he just brought them to the Pocket Dimension!


    Rosan turned his back to Kuma and prepared to grab his entire crew ¡ª


    Only for a popping noise to appear directly behind him.


    "I''m sorry, but I can''t let you do that," Kuma said quietly.


    Then he swung his palm towards the stunned Rosan.


    "...Fuck," Rosan said helplessly as the hand connected.


    Pop.


    Every single Straw Hat froze in sheer shock, as Rosan vanished from their sight.


    Robin and Luffy''s eyes went wide in utter horror.


    "R-ROSAN!" They screamed.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Robin felt lightheaded, as she watched Rosan vanish from their sight.


    She felt the urge to throw up. One second Rosan was there, the next... gone.


    "ROSANNN!" Luffy shouted in utter despair, eyes going wide in horror as his oldest brother disappeared from his sight.


    The Straw Hats watched in horror, as Luffy let out a scream of genuine anguish. Not once had they ever seen their captain have such a reaction and it was bringing to light, how terrible the situation was.


    Was Rosan... was... was he gone...?


    A second scream, this one of pure distress, brought them to the petrified Robin and they watched as the woman clutched her chest in agony, looking at the spot Rosan was just at in pure shock.


    No... no no no. Not again. Robin couldn''t lose Rosan again. In the blink of an eye, he was gone and there wasn''t a thing she could do about it.


    Not... not again...


    As the first signs of a panic attack began forming in for Robin, Kuma suddenly appeared directly in front of her.


    "Goodbye," Kuma said coolly, tapping the collapsed woman with his palm.


    And just like that, Robin was gone.


    "ROBIN!" The Straw Hats shouted in horror, watching as she vanished as well.


    That scream knocked the almost lifeless Luffy out of his stupor and the rubber boys eyes widened in horror, as he saw Kuma begin targeting the rest of his crew.


    Robin... was gone too?


    The rubber boy desperately pushed himself up, ignoring the way his heart was being squeezed and ran towards Kuma in a panic, steam beginning to roll off his skin.


    "DON''T TOUCH THEM!" Luffy screeched in rage, closing the distance between him and Kuma with a wild swing...


    Only for it to fail, as the giant man vanished from his spot.


    Zoro grunted, eyes going wide as Kuma appeared directly in front of him.


    "Fast," the swordsman thought, urgently gripping his swords.


    He lunged forward, intent on buying the rest of his crew time. "ALL OF YOU! SCATTER! GET AWAY ¡ª"


    Before Zoro could even finish, much less connect his attack, Kuma rebounded the blow with one palm and slapped his palm into Zoro with the other...


    And he was gone, just like that.


    The Straw Hats were growing steadily more hopeless, as 3 of their members vanished in the blink of an eye with almost no resistance.


    Luffy was the worst of all. His mental was already in a terrible place at seeing his oldest and infallible brother gone so easily and it was only getting worse.


    "No no no," Luffy chanted in horror, whirling around as he continued trying to land a blow on Kuma.


    But it always failed.


    "GUYS! RUN!" Sanji shouted. "HE''S GOING AFTER EVERYONE BUT LUF¡ª"


    Pop.


    Gone. In an instant.


    Chopper eyes widened in terror as Kuma didn''t miss a step, immediately disappearing from his spot and towering over the positively tiny Reindeer.


    He tried to find the best form to transform to in that moment. Tried to see what would help him get out of this situation. Tried to see how he could save himself and the rest of his crew...


    But he found no answer to that question and the terror at that realization froze him solid.


    Pop.


    Nami attempted to run. She clutched Clima to her chest and ran as fast as she could with tears running down her eyes.


    Never in her life had she felt so useless. Crying and running away like a coward. This was... this was so pathetic ¡ª


    Her eyes widened helplessly as her course was cut off by Kuma himself and she fell on her butt, trying to crawl away.


    "L-Luffy... help me¡ª"


    Pop.


    Franky grit his teeth grimly and held out his hands, firing at the back of the man to almost no effect at all.


    Kuma didn''t even glance back at him, merely moving in that infuriating display of teleportation.


    The cyborg saw it coming and geared up a fist, launching it towards Kuma and landing a direct hit to his face...


    To zero effect at all. Kuma''s expression didn''t even change as he swung his palm towards the shipwright.


    Pop.


    A bony figure dashed towards him, sword poised to stab into him and Kuma glanced downward at the skeleton.


    He ignored the repeated stabbings, merely raising a hand and swinging it...


    Brook saw it coming and immediately dashed away, successfully dodging the palm.


    Before he could dash back in to continue his valiant effort at stalling Kuma, a looming shadow appeared behind him and Brook realized that Kuma was gone.


    "Oh dear ¡ª"


    Pop.


    Usopp froze in a moment of true terror as Kuma''s gaze finally focused on him. The sniper began backing away steadily, as Kuma approached and aimed his slingshot at the man.


    "D-Don''t get any closer! I''m not afraid to use this!" Usopp shouted. "The Great Captain Usopp has felled many people with this one pellet so don''t even think about it!"


    Not even a shift in expression. Kuma just continued walking towards him with those same deliberate steps... even despite the fact that he showed he could teleport easily.


    Usopp grit his teeth and fired the Explosive Mine Star.


    A great explosion ensued from the fiery pellet and Usopp panted as his tremors steadily abated.


    Was that enough? Surely a pellet fueled by Rosan would be more than enough to ¡ª


    Kuma walked out of the smoke as if he hadn''t been hit by it, smoking body still moving at that same deliberate pace.


    Usopp could only freeze in horror at seeing how unaffected the man was. He remained rooted to his spot, even as Kuma steadily closed the distance...


    Even as Kuma stopped directly in front of him, terror kept Usopp still...


    Kuma didn''t swing his palm. He merely rested it atop Usopp''s head and the sniper was gone.


    Pop.


    With each pop, Luffy unraveled further and further. No matter what he tried, Kuma ignored him like he were a fly buzzing around, taking out his crew left and right.


    And now there was none left. It was just him.


    The rubber boy collapsed onto his knees, as tears began falling from his face.


    "You... why?" Luffy rasped, clutching his chest as an unexplainable pain began consuming him.


    "I couldn''t save any of them. Not a single one. I lost them all and there wasn''t a thing I could do about it!"


    Kuma stared at the captain of the Straw Hats. Throughout the entire exchange, his expression had remained as vacant as ever, eerily reminiscent to Luffy''s oldest brother.


    "Goodbye, Monkey D. Luffy. We will never meet again."


    With that, he swung his palm at the rubber boy and watched as the final member of the Straw Hats disappeared.


    Kizaru furrowed his brows at that. "You better have an explanation for this Kuma. We had orders to capture them," he drawled.


    Kuma said nothing.


    The Admiral sighed at that and shook his head, disentangling from his duel with Rayleigh.


    "There''s no point staying here any longer, Sentomaru needs medical attention."


    With that, he appeared next to the sumo man, hoisted him up and began walking away.


    Rayleigh didn''t bother interrupting him, merely watching the Admiral vanish, before turning his attention towards Kuma.


    "What''s the meaning of this, Bartholomew Kuma?" Rayleigh asked patiently.


    "..." Kuma once again said nothing, he merely placed his gloves back on and began walking away.


    "I''m merely giving them a better chance to succeed," he said finally.


    With that, he vanished.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan wasn''t sure what was going on but he was completely incapacitated.


    But all he could think about was his crew. Were they alright? Were they fine?


    "Do you think Kuma did this with all of them?"


    "I believe so. I... do not think he is our enemy. He may have violated your privacy, but I think it came from a place of... care?"


    Rosan let out a sigh of relief in the confines of this paw bubble.


    If they were alive, if they were fine¡­ then he would thank Kuma.


    He wasn''t sure what the man''s plan was¡­ but this technique had possibly saved all of their lives from that Admiral.


    Rosan wasn''t confident in outspeeding light but even so¡­


    The redhead sighed.


    How long was he going to be in here for?


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Three days. That''s how long Rosan had been stuck flying through the air.


    He couldn''t activate his Save Point. He couldn''t really move his limbs. All he could do was just allow his body to rest as he spent time soothing the nervous Mod and Ram in attempt to soothe himself.


    It was hard, considering how nervous he himself was, but his crew would be fine.


    They would survive. They had to.


    He was more concerned for Robin and Luffy¡­ if those two thought he was dead, it''d be terrible. He needed to get out of here quickly and assure them that he was fine.


    Thankfully, it seemed that his trip was finally over. He suddenly stopped flying straight and instead began descending towards the floor.


    Opening his eyes, the redhead swiftly donned his Raid Suit and sprouted his draconic wings but the momentum was too much and he was unable to set himself straight.


    As a result, he crashed directly onto the ground and caused a paw shaped crater to appear.


    At the very least, the bubble protected him from the fall.


    Rosan scowled and immediately stood up, inspecting his surroundings.


    He was at the edge of an island. As he gazed out to the sea, he noted that there seemed to be heavy whirlpools at certain points.


    Where was he?


    He turned away and gazed at the island he had been sent to.


    It was beautiful. Large trees, full of unique and beautiful leaves, flowers and the sorts seemed to dominate the island.


    If it was inhabited, the trees did a perfect job protecting him from seeing anything else. They weren''t quite as large as Sabaody, but they were still enormous and he had to strain his neck to gaze at the top.


    Rosan summoned one of his birds and sent it off to inspect the island further.


    His crew should be landing just about now if Kuma really did do the exact same thing as them.


    Where they were? Rosan had no clue. He could only go to Robin and Luffy.


    Rosan frowned deeply.


    Was he still in the Grand Line? The whirlpools surrounding the island meant that it was possible that he was but he couldn''t be too sure ¡ª


    Rosan''s eyes snapped to attention at the rustling of footsteps and he immediately had Ram seep into his gloves.


    Seems like he truly was at an inhabited place. What type of people resided here? Enemies?


    Rosan wasn''t so cruel to attack people on their island, but he was cruel enough to defend himself by any means possible so even if he was a trespasser, if they refused to hear him out, he''d kill them.


    "What do you think that noise was?" A soft and smooth voice asked. They sounded distinctively feminine in nature and Rosan''s brows furrowed.


    "No idea, but we might as well check it out since we''re nearby."


    This voice was far deeper, near Rosan''s in octave.


    "Two individuals. One male. One female¡­" he thought.


    "Verify if they are enemies first before firing. We wouldn''t want to cause issues."


    "I just want to get out of here and find out the status of everyone else," Rosan scowled, listening to the rustling of leaves.


    The colorful bush was parted to the side and two people made their way out.


    The first person Rosan took note of, was the male. He was a tall and handsome man, looking to be just a tad shorter than the redhead, with a head of smooth black hair that reached his shoulders.


    He was bulkier than Rosan''s more lean muscles and he had bronze skin the exact same shade as Rosan''s own, with royal purples eyes that glowed.


    Rosan froze completely at that little detail and his eye moved over to the second person.


    She was very pretty and also incredibly short. Rosan was a solid foot taller than the woman with curly red hair¡­ bronze skin the exact same shade as his, with ocean blue eyes that glowed.


    Mod was stunned silent.


    Rosan said nothing, as the two individuals went stock still. They gazed at him with wide eyes that steadily began growing wider and wider.


    Unlike him, they were far worse at hiding their expressions. He saw both their eyes widen as they took in his features¡­ that were also disturbingly similar to theirs. He saw as realization began hitting them and he saw as the woman tensed up like a coiled spring.


    "Kuma you stupid son of a bi ¡ª"


    "KYAAAAA! OH MY KAMI!" Dalia squealed in disbelief, launching herself at the redhead with wide eyes.


    Rosan''s hand, which was about to instinctively crash into her skull and knock her out, went still as the short woman crashed into him with a fierce hug, lifting the taller redhead off the floor with a wide grin.


    "I can''t believe it! Oren Oren look! This is Rosan isn''t it?! LOOK AT HIM! THIS HAS TO BE HIM!" Dalia rambled, gazing up at the redhead with glistening blue eyes.


    Her nephew was right here in front of her! Holy shit, she never thought she''d see him in person! Just look at how tall and handsome he was! Her little nephew was a walking heartbreaker!


    "Dalia, he doesn''t know us," Oren sighed in exasperation, looking at his nephew with a shocked gaze.


    The very last thing he was expecting to see, was his estranged nephew gazing at them with wary eyes, as he resisted the urge to attack Dalia.


    His glowing (heterochromatic! He was the first in the family!) eyes shifted from him to Dalia repeatedly, fist still clenched but at the very least, he hadn''t outright attacked them.


    "I know but it''s just so different seeing him in person than on a bounty poster! Look at him! Just look! He''s so handsome and tall and he looks just like us too!" She gushed, refusing to remove the redhead from her grip.


    "Yeah¡­ but he doesn''t know us," Oren stressed. "I''m sorry about her. It''s probably a lot to take in so quickly but we''re your ¡ª"


    "Aunt and uncle," Rosan answered for him, taking his gaze off the Dalia poking at his body in wonder. "I just learned about you today, from someone named Shakky."


    So Kuma sent Rosan to the location of his biological aunt and uncle? For what reasons? Was this some kind of fucking joke?


    Was Kuma suddenly a goddamn therapist?


    Oren and Dalia shuddered at the deep voice of their nephew.


    To think that he was an adult now and they had never even seen him as a child...


    "You spoke to Shakky?!" Dalia awed. "It''s been a long time since we spoke to her! We need to give her a call!"


    "Could you stop touching me?" Rosan asked suddenly. "I don''t like being touched by people I don''t know. Bad memories."


    Dalia flinched back at that and released her hold onto the redhead, looking a little burned at those cold eyes gazing at both her and Oren.


    There was not a hint of recognition in them. Just pure suspicion as they sporadically shifted in intensity.


    "I-I''m sorry. I got a little eager," she mumbled, looking utterly dejected at his offputting nature.


    "¡­" Rosan sighed at the heartbroken expression on his aunt''s face.


    Curse his bleeding heart.


    "...You can hug me. I don''t really feel anything bad from you so I don''t mind much."


    Dalia squealed happily and immediately jumped into his arms.


    "My nephew is so goddamn adorable! Look at him Oren! He''s even taller than you!"


    Oren sighed in exasperation at her antics. "Sorry about her. She''s understandably excited to be meeting you, Dalia never thought we''d get to see you so this has gotten her all happy."


    "The happiest!" Dalia gushed. "How did you get here? It''s not easy to navigate to this island you know!"


    "I don''t even know where we are," Rosan said idly, ignoring Dalia''s antics mostly. "I was in an altercation and I lost. Now I''m here. Where is here exactly?"


    He lost an altercation and ended up here? How was that possible? Last they checked, Rosan had been destroying Enies Lobby which was deep into the Grand Line...


    How did he end up in the South Blue?


    "Well, you''re on Wisteria Island," Oren explained. "It''s the island where we were born and raised. We''re currently in the South Blue."


    Rosan paused at that.


    Mod went cold.


    "Did you just say Wisteria?" Rosan asked with furrowed brows.


    Didn''t that mean ¡ª


    Flapping interrupted the conversation, before a figure descended onto the floor.


    "What exactly was that figure rapidly approaching my island. Have you dealt with them ¡ª"


    Rosan watched the person speaking, go utterly still in pure disbelief.


    She hid it well but no one could hide anything from his eyes and he saw raw panic flit across her features for a moment, as they landed upon his person.


    He supposed he couldn''t blame her for looking so surprised, she was practically looking at a male version of herself after all because Rosan was looking at a person who looked nearly identical to his female transformation.


    Tall, beautiful and stunning. Those were the words he would use to describe the person standing across from him.


    She had smooth red hair that flowed to her butt, bronze skin the exact shade as his own and two bright royal purple eyes that glowed even in broad daylight.


    Raisa had to do everything in her power, to stop from collapsing right then and there, as she laid eyes upon her son of all people. She hid the tremor in her legs, she hid the tremor through her body and she hid the distress in her mind.


    Tall, beautiful and stunning. If she had to use words to describe him, those would be the ones she used.


    He had spiky red hair that stopped at his shoulder, bronze skin the exact shade as her own and two bright eyes that glowed.


    One was royal purple¡­ the other was blood red.


    Dalia nervously removed her hands around Rosan''s waist, as he stared down Raisa with an expressionless face.


    Raisa felt her breath get knocked away, as she stared at the boy she had abandoned at birth. The man who was taller than her.


    The pirate who was making waves across the world in the Grand Line.


    What the hell was he doing here?!


    Rosan gazed at his birth mother, looking her up and down.


    "No wonder I''m so hot," he said idly, taking in the features of the woman with a neutral face.


    "You''ve got to be fucking kidding me," Mod cursed violently, expression shifting into one of pure outrage.


    Ram''s jaw dropped at hearing Auntie curse without hesitation.


    Rosan abruptly snorted at the fact that Mod-chan actually cursed, watching as Raisa resisted the urge to flinch back at that noise.


    That about summed up this situation right now.


    "You''ve got to be fucking kidding me," Raisa thought to herself as she gazed at her son with a stunned expression, drinking in all his features in an instant as she roved every inch of his body.


    "I have to have the worst luck on the planet," Rosan and Raisa thought at the exact same time.


    Life really was a bitch wasn''t it?

 The Iris

    "Stupid dumbass pirates!"


    The violent sound of a bone breaking was music to her ears, as she violently stomped on this one''s midsection.


    All around her, the battered and broken bodies of the crew she just got in a fight with lie there and she huffed in disgust.


    Some were shredded, both by her wind and claws, others were burnt and many were choking on their own spittle or screaming in agony as the poison really began to take effect.


    Hmph. Deserved for daring to attack her while she was trying to enjoy a bath.


    These damn idiots... they had greatly damaged her ship! What was wrong with them?!


    "Who''s going to answer for this?!"


    The body underneath her groaned in agony and she huffed, realizing that she let her anger get the best of her.


    Well, no matter. A ship this filled with people, was bound to have a plethora of supplies and that would certainly include things to repair a ship.


    "I''ll be permanently borrowing everything you own, not that you have a problem with that," she sniffed, idly moving her soaked long hair to the back of her head.


    At the very least, the battle had done a good job in drying her off but still...


    16 year old Iris D. Raisa, tightened the towel around her frame and huffed as her scales vanished off her frame, making way for bronze skin.


    "A woman can''t even enjoy a bath these days without being interrupted. You''d think the sea life would be better than at home but it might as well be the same!" she scowled.


    The princess wasted no time raiding the ship for all it had, all while wrapped only in a towel. As she flew back and forth with the supplies, she gained a clear idea of what to do.


    Unfortunately in her rage, she had destroyed the pirates ship to a very intense degree and even now, it was sinking more and more.


    Her ship was still fixable. It would take some time, but she could eventually repair and set sail once more...


    So she would just bring it to an island and repair it. Should be pretty easy.


    Logically she should probably just fly back to the Grand Line and get a new ship... but she was having fun in the New World! This fight had actually made her break a sweat...


    Though, none of them could pierce her scales so she remained unharmed.


    Raisa grinned cockily at the win. If she remembered, this crew had been quite notable as well and even they stood no chance against her!


    It always did feel intoxicating to assert her superiority over others and traveling these seas was even more fun!


    There was a freedom to it that Raisa had never felt. She didn''t feel the stifling gaze of her parents, nor did she feel the resentful gaze of her siblings...


    No, she was just alone and free and she loved that...


    Well, she hated being alone more than anything but for now it was fine!


    Pfft... and Grandma Gloriosa said she''d need a navigator! Yeah right! Raisa could do it all!


    "Thank you for your supplies," Raisa sneered at the ship after plundering them for all they had. "Here, a reward from your new Queen."


    She flicked her hair and turned her back to them and at the same time, a giant gust of razor sharp winds began shredding the ship.


    "Filthy assholes," she muttered under her breath, putting on a pair of long pants and a long sleeved crop top. "Now I have to take another bath... After I find an island to park the ship."


    ...She was going to have to lift the ship wasn''t she.


    A huge burst of flames collided with the already heavy winds destroying the ship, before the huffing Raisa lifted the ship, transforming into her full Zoan to transport it.


    The princess, who was now in a foul mood, flew away from the fiery blaze she caused, muttering obscenities under her breath the entire time.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    It took Raisa about 2 hours to find an island and she had to try very very hard to not break her ship even further parking it on the land.


    She transformed back into her human form and glanced at the ship in annoyance.


    Who knew how long it was going to take to fix this?


    Raisa wasn''t even aware of how to fix a ship... she could do very basic repairs but this looked a lot more than simple.


    The princess shook her head violently.


    Mother and Father would love to hear that she was in need of assistance and Raisa would die before she made it appear of so.


    She was better than them. No one was like Raisa... no one was like her.


    "That''s why your brother and sister hate you."


    Raisa sucked in a breath and banished those heinous thoughts before her observation went haywire.


    Eyes narrowed, the foul tempered Queen whirled around, eyes transforming into slits.


    "State your purpose now before I burn you to cinders," she warned.


    The person, a man, raised his brow and put his hands into the air with an amused smile.


    "Kahaha! You know... it''s rude to intrude on a person''s space and then treat him like the intruder," the man said dryly, golden eyes flickering over to the ship briefly.


    Raisa scowled, ignoring the flush on her cheeks at the truth of his words.


    "That doesn''t change what I said. What do you want?" she demanded.


    He was sweaty and his breath was slightly uneven. Upon closer inspection, Raisa deduced that he had been doing some type of physical labor...


    "Nothing in particular," he replied easily. "I was training when I saw a giant figure approaching. That giant figure then turned into a sassy girl who began grilling me without even introducing herself."


    Raisa scoffed and rolled her eyes. "It''s proper to give your name first. I''ll consider giving you mine depending on my mood."


    The black haired man gazed at her, sharp and golden eyes mildly interested.


    "Rocks D. Cutter. Nice to meetcha," he said easily.


    D? This man had the D initial like her?


    Raisa grunted and turned away from him, not giving a damn that they had matching middle names. "Do not worry about me. I will have this fixed in no time at all, then I''ll be gone."


    Cutter laughed slightly at that. "Do you even know how to repair a ship?" he asked curiously.


    She whirled on him with a glare. "Do not patronize me. I don''t recall saying we could continue this conversation," she warned with narrowed eyes.


    Cutter stared at her glowing purple eyes with curiosity, wondering if she were about to activate an ability of sorts before holding his arms out placatingly.


    "No ones patronizing you here," he informed her. "Fixing a ship is hard work and you''re in the New World alone. It''ll take you a long time and I have nothing better to do."


    "I don''t need your help," Raisa denied. "I don''t need anyone''s help. I''ll be fine just alone."


    Cutter peered at her, expression shifting into something more contemplative.


    "I don''t like liars. I especially don''t like liars who lie to themselves," Cutter said calmly.


    Raisa froze and then a fierce scowl made its way to her face.


    "You''re accusing me of being a liar? If you knew what I was capable of, you''d watch your tongue," she snarled, clenching her fist and turning towards him.


    He looked calm but Raisa knew it was merely artificial. None could hide from her eyes.


    To anyone else, they would have seen a calm man... but to Raisa she saw someone trying so very hard to restrain themselves, even placing a mask on to do so.


    This man had a lot of gall to call Raisa of all people a liar. Raisa was the one who called out people on their lies.


    "You claim to be fine alone but it doesn''t look like that to me," Cutter said truthfully. "You managed to convince yourself that but... I don''t think that''s what you actually want."


    "We''ve spoken for 5 minutes! What do you think I could possibly want?" Raisa scowled furiously, set on taking her ship and finding another island.


    "How about a friend?" Cutter tried slowly.


    Raisa snorted disbelievingly. "A friend?"


    Her? Raisa? Next in line to inherit the throne of her island? She needed a friend?


    Raisa did not need a friend. Not anymore.


    "Everyone needs at least one friend," Cutter said with a wistful expression.


    Raisa''s body lurched at that and she gazed at this Cutter with a guarded expression.


    "My brother was my best friend you know? The only friend I had. I was a weak kid growing up. Easy to pick on," he admitted.


    "How sad," Raisa said, utterly unmoved. "My older brother hates me because I''m better than him and I was born a girl. I don''t suffer the same things you do."


    Maybe if Oren had been born a girl... her parents wouldn''t have treated him so harshly. It was exceedingly rare for the Iris to give birth to boys and Oren had been their first.


    Raisa shook her head harshly.


    That wasn''t her fault. She could not be blamed for that.


    "Sorry to hear that you and your brother don''t have a good relationship. Having a reliable older brother helps a lot," Cutter said genuinely. "My older brother was nothing like me. He was a real charismatic guy and I''m not."


    "...Was?" Raisa asked, unable to hide her curiosity.


    For a moment, Raisa saw a glimpse past that mask Cutter had carefully crafted and what she saw, left her stunned.


    Pure, unbridled hatred. Raisa, someone who was so intune with the emotions of people, nearly took a step back as she was swept up by the torrent of malice that this man radiated...


    But it disappeared in an instant and she could only gaze warily at the strange man.


    "Yeah he''s dead now," Cutter said eventually. "I watched him die. Was too weak to do a damn thing, that''s why I''m here training."


    "..." Raisa didn''t quite know what to say.


    She had never felt weak. Raisa had always felt strong. She was strong. Her parents made sure she knew she was, her siblings hated her for it...


    She had no friends because of it...


    "Would you... assist me in repairing my ship?" she said lamely, not knowing what to say. Raisa was fairly sheltered growing up and most of her casual conversations had been derived from this trip.


    She had met many people while traveling through the oceans but knowing the correct thing to say alluded her still.


    But to her slight relief, Cutter just stared at her and broke out into a laugh.


    "Kahaha! Sure thing, Red. I can help out. I''ve repaired my ships quite a bit over the years," he said eventually, flashing her a crooked smile.


    Raisa nodded before pausing. "Red? Why are you calling me Red?"


    "Because that''s the color of your hair," Cutter said easily.


    She scowled in annoyance. "Raisa. Call me Raisa. That is my name so use it or else."


    "Raisa..." Cutter tested the name on his lips. "That''s a nice name," he said eventually.


    "Of course it is. It''s my name after all," she sniffed. "Now come assist me. The damages look extensive."


    "Sure thing, Raisa. Here, let me run a quick inspection."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan, unlike everyone else, was completely at ease with the situation currently taking place.


    Actually, you could say he even found the whole thing kind of funny.


    The only one who seemed remotely as unaffected by the situation, was Ram herself. She was watching the whole thing with an almost curious gaze.


    Rosan even felt her excitement at the ensuing drama. His daughter had been reading far too much books for her own good.


    At least she read more than romance.


    While Ram was on one end of the spectrum... the same could not be said about his mother. Right now, Rosan was almost being overwhelmed by Mod''s emotions. She was stewing with rage, anxiety and nervousness. It washed over him in a torrent and the emotionally unstable Rosan had to do everything to not let it overwhelm him.


    Surprisingly, it wasn''t too difficult. His errant emotions were bad but honestly, ever since being accepted by the Straw Hats... Rosan found them more tolerable. Maybe the positive emotions were balancing out with his negative ones.


    They were still completely uncontrollable though. That was gonna need some work.


    "Mod-chan, be calm. You''re panicking," Rosan instructed gently.


    Ram put a hand on the wide eyed Mod and the woman let out the breath she didn''t know she had been holding.


    "I-I''m sorry, I didn''t mean to overwhelm you, it''s just¡­"


    "You''re nervous," Rosan finished her train of thought idly.


    Both Mod and Raisa flinched at his voice, but for Raisa it was infinitely worse.


    She was forced to hold the gaze of her heterochromatic son and it was turning her dizzy, drinking in every little detail about him in person.


    The way his spiky hair jutted downward, the way his head was slightly tilted in curiosity, the way his eyes shone sporadically, shifting constantly in intensity...


    Raisa distantly realized that she had never felt such a way before and it was flooring her.


    Her? Nervous? Raisa hadn''t¡­ she hadn''t ever felt nervous before and yet here this man was, telling her like he was sure of it, that she was nervous.


    "What is¡­ State your purpose. What are you doing on Wisteria?" Raisa asked eventually, trying to calm down her errant emotions at seeing her son in the flesh.


    This was surreal. Never in her life, did Raisa think she was ever going to see her son. But here he was, standing a few feet away from her with those bright eyes that were a different color and a knowing smirk on his face.


    He was beautiful... Raisa couldn''t take her eyes off of him and as she once more made eye contact with the redhead, his smirk seemed to widen slightly.


    "My purpose?" Rosan mused, humming as he contemplated that question.


    Kami, his voice was so deep and that humming sounded so pleasant¡­


    What was Raisa to do, when the source of her recent obsession was staring at her right now? What was she supposed to do, now that the son who had plagued her mind for years was in front of her?


    "I have no purpose here," Rosan said truthfully, shrugging his shoulders.


    "...What?" Raisa couldn''t help but mutter in confusion. "Then... why are you... how are you here? How... do you even know where here is?"


    Rosan raised a brow at the unsure tone. "I didn''t come here of my own volition. I didn''t even know where I was until Oren told me."


    The redhead inclined his head towards Oren at the end of that statement.


    "S-So how did you end up here?" Dalia asked hesitantly, looking back and forth between mother and son.


    Did Rosan even realize? Did he have an inkling that he was currently talking to his mother? He had to have a clue... right? Those two looked the exact same!


    If he really did know then... why was he so at ease with the situation? Dalia had frequently called him her nephew and they clarified it when they introduced themselves... but he just had a small smirk on his face as he practically made Raisa (RAISA OF ALL PEOPLE!) squirm in place.


    Rosan''s piercing gaze landed on Dalia and he tilted his head in a manner that reminded Dalia of Raisa herself.


    "Bartholomew Kuma."


    Rosan was not the one who said that.


    Raisa was staring at the giant paw shaped imprint on her ground with wide eyes.


    "You were sent here by Bartholomew Kuma," she stated.


    Rosan scowled at the reminder. He had no clue what Kuma''s deal with him was but that asshole was pushing it.


    "Yeah, I was," he said truthfully.


    "Bartholomew Kuma? The Warlord?" Oren asked in concern. "Why would he send you here?"


    "Ask him," Rosan sneered. "He''s been terrorizing me for a bit. No clue what his deal is but clearly he knows about my relations with this island."


    Rosan frowned deeply. Was his crew okay? He had been the first one sent away and Rayleigh had been holding back Kizaru¡­


    No they were fine¡­ but just in case he needed to go check up on them ¡ª


    "A pirate."


    Rosan paused at that, curiosity making its way to his face as he gazed at Raisa.


    She was staring at him sternly and he raised a brow at the scowl on her face.


    "Of all the things¡­ you chose to become a pirate," Raisa stressed, unable to resist mentioning it.


    Mod''s eyes narrowed dangerously at the tone Raisa was taking, already willing to take over Rosan''s body and make good on her vow to destroy this woman.


    "Yeah, I did. What about it?" Rosan asked in return, a little confused by her confusion.


    That seemed to further incense the Queen and she began glaring at her child.


    "You have the beauty, the skills, the drive¡­ and you wasted it all on becoming a pirate. Just what were you thinking, Iris D. Rosan?" She asked incredulously, clenching her fist at the reminder.


    Rosan''s gaze darkened.


    Dalia and Oren became increasingly nervous.


    "First things first," Rosan said coldly. "I''m fucking sick and tired of people getting my name wrong. You of all people should know that I don''t go by Iris. My name is and always will be Portgas D. Rosan. Get that right or else," he stressed with a sneer.


    Raisa reeled back slightly.


    "Portgas?" she whispered to herself, unable to ignore the stabbing feeling at hearing him disavowing his birth name.


    "Next," Rosan said nonplussed, glaring at her with a frown. "You don''t get to condemn any decision I''ve made in my life, Raisa. I became a pirate because my family, my real family, saw something in me that I never saw. I don''t give a fuck whether you approve of that or not. Do you think I consider youmy mother? Why the hell do I care about your opinion of me?"


    Dalia winced at that. Guess he really did know she was his mother... but he didn''t claim her at all. This was bound to go extremely south because despite everything, Rosan was at the forefront of Raisa''s mind and considering how hostile the situation was getting.


    Oren sighed. Raisa was in no place to judge Rosan''s decisions... but she still cared for him. If that were the case... she shouldn''t have abandoned him in the first place. He understood where she was coming from, but it was still a dumb decision.


    Do you think I consider you my mother?


    Raisa froze as soon as Rosan said those words.


    That''s right¡­ for all intents and purposes, Raisa and Rosan were strangers. Why was she so hung up on what he was doing? She was the one who abandoned him¡­ it wasn''t his fault that she couldn''t bare to raise him properly¡­


    Yes, Raisa was not Rosan''s mother¡­


    So why was she so fucking pissed to hear that?!


    "Not your mother?!" Raisa said incredulously, taking a step forward with a wrath that was swiftly growing. "The 9 months I spent alone nursing you in my belly says otherwise, Iris D. Rosan," she hissed.


    Rosan''s red brow shot up at that. "9 months? Are you out of your fucking mind?!" He asked, just as incredulously. "Do you think 9 months even remotely compares to all the years we''ve not known each other, dumbass?! I''m 24 years old right now and this is the first time I''ve ever even heard your voice but you have the gall to call yourself my mother?"


    Who the hell did she think she was? Was Raisa a goddamn moron? Rosan thought the whole thing was funny before, but now he was getting annoyed.


    "You went out of your way to abandon me. You left me in a forest alone when I was just born. I don''t know a fucking thing about you! In what world do you think I would ever consider you my mother?" Rosan asked genuinely, looking his birth mother in her eyes.


    Red and purple clashed with just purple, as Raisa''s eyes began glowing brighter in her fury.


    On the contrary, Rosan''s gaze was becoming more and more dim.


    "This is getting really bad," Dalia whispered to Oren, an intense look of worry on her face as she watched mother and son begin arguing.


    "It''s not really our place to interfere. We just have to make sure it doesn''t go from bad to worse," Oren whispered back, frowning at the conversation taking place.


    Ram looked a little concerned and gazed at Auntie in confusion.


    "Aren''t you going to stop this?" She asked.


    Mod bit her lip.


    She should stop this¡­ Rosan had more things to worry about like verifying the status of his crew¡­ but she wanted to see this. She wanted to see Rosan tear into Raisa so badly. It was so selfish of her but... but Mod needed this.


    So she shook her head in denial.


    Ram frowned but nodded.


    Raisa was full on scowling now as she looked Rosan directly in the eyes. "No matter what you may think, no matter what thoughts you have, you are my child and I will call you by the name you were born with. You have no idea what I had to go through!"


    "Of course I have no idea, you abandoned me you fucking idiot!" Rosan snarled.


    "What did you just say to me?!" Raisa growled in return. "Watch your mouth when you speak to me. I will not tolerate any disrespect, especially from my son."


    Who did he think he was?! Rosan was the one that she birthed and she''d be damned if he disrespected her!


    Rosan snorted in her face, finally realizing why this unreasonable woman was acting the way she was.


    Raisa heard the snort and her anger began flaring.


    Was this just funny to him? What about this was so damn funny?


    "I see now," he said calmly, rolling his eyes as he peered at her with those glowing eyes.


    "You see?" Raisa scowled.


    "Of course, nothing avoids my eyes," he said matter of factly, gazing through her.


    Just from what he had heard and seen so far¡­


    "Part of you can''t deal with the fact that you abandoned me, right?" Rosan asked knowingly, eyes glinting in amusement.


    Wasn''t that a thought. Based on the memory he''d seen, he knew she was conflicted but Rosan had no idea that even now, she was interested in him.


    "Despite everything, you''re still obsessed with me huh? You''re just like everyone else aren''t you," Rosan stated in amusement.


    Raisa idly wondered if this was how people felt when they were facing her¡­ the ability to so effortlessly read someone¡­ she had never been subjected to such a thing.


    Of course her son would be the first to subject her to it.


    "That''s not true," Raisa denied on instinct, refusing to be weak in front of him.


    "A lie. Guess I didn''t get that from you. I''m a pretty honest person."


    Raisa clenched her fist at the surety of his statement and saw red at the last one.


    So he could even detect lies like she could¡­


    Those bright eyes, the eyes that used to be the same shade of purple as hers, now had one burning red eye that reminded her of all the violence her son was known for.


    Those same glowing eyes looked at her knowingly. As if they knew everything about her, as if they knew her deepest insecurities.


    People weren''t supposed to look at her like that. Raisa was the one who looked at people like that.


    W-Why was he looking at her like he knew?! HOW DID HE KNOW?! WHY WAS HE DECONSTRUCTING HER DOWN WITH JUST HIS GAZE?


    "And so what if a part of me does care about you?!" she cracked, not used to someone putting such pressure on her. Raisa wasn''t used to anyone speaking to her like this. She wasn''t used to being on the backfoot.


    She wasn''t used to speaking to her son...


    "Is it so unreasonable that a part of me cares about the son I gave birth to?!" she asked, feeling herself break in a way she wasn''t used to.


    Rosan said nothing as she fully closed the distance between them, a frantic look in the normally composed woman''s eyes. He glanced at her with a tilted head, noting her abnormally sharp fangs, her silky smooth hair and the way she refused to take her eyes off his person.


    Dalia and Oren watched their sister crack with wide eyes mere minutes into speaking with her son. Their cold and calculated sister, the one who was composed for nearly everything... looked like their spunky little sister in that moment.


    They had no idea she thought about Rosan¡­ that much. Raisa scarcely mentioned Rosan around them¡­ but just meeting him had thrown her completely out of sorts?


    This was surreal¡­ To know that he had such an effect on her... it was stunning to see and even more shocking to witness.


    Raisa had completely unraveled in the face of her son. The way he spoke, their nearly identical appearance, how confident he was in his assessment of her...


    He was looking completely through her in a way that Raisa wasn''t able to handle and this was the result... her cracking under the slightest bit of pressure from him.


    "How do you think I felt knowing my first child, the one who I wanted nothing more than to birth, was the result of the man I trusted most in the world, betraying all my trust and raping me?!" Raisa shrieked in fury.


    Mod''s eyes widened in horror at that.


    Rosan''s expression never shifted.


    "I''ve never had anyone I could call an ally or a friend. I never had someone I could trust unconditionally, my brother and sister alienated me for all my life no matter what I tried!" she shouted, clutching her chest as a hurt expression crossed her features.


    Dalia and Oren withered at that, expression turning downcast at what they submitted Raisa too.


    They would never be able to forgive themselves, for subjecting Raisa to what she had been subjected to. They had been bitter and upset and they had lashed out on her for being talented... no matter how many times she tried to mend their fracturing relationship.


    And now that they wanted to mend it... Raisa had no interest in doing the same.


    "My mother and father expected everything out of me. I was their heir first and their daughter second. Why would anyone want that?! In my eyes, I was being forsaken by my siblings for something that they didn''t actually want!" Raisa panted, glaring at them now.


    The two said nothing, merely bowing their heads as her anger washed over them.


    "But I finally thought I met someone who I could actually trust. Someone I could talk to like a normal person and who didn''t have any expectations for me¡­ Cutter was my only friend and I thought I could finally rely on someone... but can you believe that he had expectations for me too in the worst possible way?" Raisa whispered in distraught.


    "Attacked, raped, island left in ruins and pregnant¡­ all by myself. My siblings left without a word, my parents killed by his hand... and my best friend betraying me for his sick and twisted revenge," Raisa said, teeth beginning to sharpen dramatically at what she had endured.


    The woman felt the air around her getting heavier, as she began shuddering in genuine rage. "You don''t know what I went through! Nobody knows what I went through and nobody cares and I accepted that. I was only 18 years old when all this happened to me, barely an adult by my islands standards but I accepted that I''d have to do everything alone," Raisa said, shutting her slit eyes.


    "Oh Raisa," Dalia sobbed, curling into herself as anguish began coursing through her.


    "I was in no state to take sole control of my island and raise you¡­ not to mention if Cutter ever came back¡­ he''d¡­"


    The Queen clenched her fist, revealing more than she ever had in the past 25 years.


    "The half of me that loved you wanted nothing more than to raise you¡­ but the other half of me resented your entire existence. I couldn''t¡­ I couldn''t raise you in a way that I found acceptable so I gave you up," she admitted quietly.


    "I already accepted that my punishment for abandoning you was this eternal loneliness I''ve known since birth, I accepted that my naivety cost me everything, I accepted that you would find someone who could raise you better than I ever could¡­"


    Raisa gazed up at him, glowing purple eyes shining brightly in contrast to his.


    "But no matter what I do, I can never escape from you. After all these years, the most interest people have shown in me, was because of you. You''re the Red Devil, prodigious spawn of two incredibly dangerous people. You''re the Rosan who was found by the wife of the Pirate King. You''re the Iris, whose heart has been captured by the Devil of Ohara¡­"


    Raisa shut her eyes again.


    "And I''m forced to be reminded all of this came to be because of one decision I made. My punishment isn''t this forced loneliness, my true punishment¡­ is being forced to think of the son who hates me over and over again. The son who''s upended my life over and over again¡­ the ultimate culmination of the heartbreaking betrayal I suffered¡­ you."


    "I¡­" Mod was speechless, gazing at the panting Raisa with wide eyes. The last thing the Devil Fruit ever expected was... was that.


    She was... raped by her best friend? Her best friend killed her parents?


    Raisa panted, clutching her dress and cursing herself at slipping up so much. She took deep breaths to try and steady herself, and when that failed, she shut her eyes and tried again.


    She was not prepared to spill her heart out, she was prepared for battle but the moment she realized that it was her son who had shown up¡­ she felt the ice cold wall she set up tremble.


    In the face of her son, Raisa really was nothing but a pathetic mother who couldn''t come to terms with her own decision.


    Kuma you stupid son of a bitc ¡ª


    "Hate?"


    Raisa froze at that and gazed up at the source of that hauntingly calm voice.


    Rosan was staring down at her with an expressionless gaze. The glow in his gaze was practically gone and he looked down at her with something she couldn''t quite identify.


    The redhead tilted his head and Raisa was starkly reminded of his bounty poster as he peered through her.


    "What you just said¡­ my heart goes out for you, it must have been hard. My life was hard too," Rosan said truthfully. "But you''re sorely mistaken. I don''t hate you."


    Everyone froze at that.


    "You¡­ don''t?" Raisa said in confusion.


    "Rosan''s about to say something he probably shouldn''t," Mod thought instinctively, clenching her fists in anticipation.


    The redhead shook his head. "I hate a lot of things but you are not one of them. Why would I hate you?" he asked.


    Mod closed her eyes.


    Yup.


    Raisa, Dalia and Oren froze completely at his heartless tone.


    "I''ve had to deal with far more problems in my life, to bother thinking about what the hell my birth mother was up to. Do you honestly think, that even once I thought about wishing you didn''t abandon me? I''m too satisfied with my family to think about the birth mother who gave me up hours after my birth. To me, you may as well have never existed and nothing in my life would change at all. This meeting means nothing to me."


    His voice was measured, even and neutral, not a hint of emotion to them as he spoke his mind.


    Raisa took a single step back at that, emotions surging as he spoke. Her eyes were wide and she began trembling, feeling as her heart began the agonizing process of constricting.


    Rosan was merciless.


    "I have so many people in my life that I''d gladly call mother¡­ I have so many amazing people who have kept me sane. I''ve been broken and my family has been rebuilding me¡­ and you weren''t apart of that. Do you honestly think I care about you at all?" Rosan asked curiously.


    Those glowing eyes of his lost their shine and Raisa was forced to stare into the abyss, trapped in Rosan''s endless gaze. She began trembling even harder, hand flying to her chest and breath becoming even more uneven.


    "You didn''t have to explain anything to me. There is no need to justify your actions, because I don''t care. Would you care if a stranger suddenly approached you and began telling their life story?" Rosan asked genuinely.


    Raisa''s breathing got harder as Rosan spoke, taking yet another step back as she identified the gaze her redhead son was regarding her with.


    Unfamiliarity. To him, Raisa truly was just a stranger and that realization did something terrible to her.


    "How could I ever hate someone who I''ve hardly ever thought of? Could you answer that question for me, Queen Raisa?" Rosan asked softly, tilting his head at her.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    ¡­


    "Holy shit," Dalia sobbed softly, heart panging as she saw the utter heartbreak on Raisa''s face.


    Rosan was¡­ he was so ruthless¡­


    Saying all that after she spilled her heart? That was just¡­ Raisa looked like someone had just destroyed her entire view of life... and Dalia never expected her sister to look like that.


    Oren frowned deeply at that, left reeling at the entire events. Even he couldn''t stop the tears from flowing down his eyes. This whole thing was just so awful and he wished it had never come to this. So many things could have been different if...


    What could he even say? This wasn''t anything he could add his two cents too. He understood both sides perfectly¡­


    Raisa thought the heartbreak at Cutter''s hand was the worst feeling she had ever experienced... but this pain was something she couldn''t even fathom. The pain of being disowned by the one you birthed... Raisa felt like screaming in agony.


    Her hand idly clutched her chest as Rosan''s words reverberated through her head over and over again.


    It felt like she were being squeezed at all angles but why? Why did she feel like this? What was the meaning of this...? She had been the one who abandoned him... it was her decision. Now he was standing her and as a result of her decisions, he didn''t care about her at all.


    Ah¡­ she knew why it hurt so much¡­ it''s because deep down, she realized that abandoning Rosan was the wrong choice.


    Now that he was here forsaking her, she knew that she never should have abandoned him. It was a foolish decision and one not made of sound mind... she had abandoned him directly after birth for goodness sakes...


    Deep down, she had always regret the decision to leave him back there. Raisa had fought an internal battle with herself all 9 months of being pregnant with him¡­ and she came to the wrong decision.


    He was well within his rights to say the things he said. Raisa was a stranger to Portgas D. Rosan. She should just apologize for acting so out of turn and bid him farewell¡­


    But unfortunately, Raisa was a Queen and that meant she was terrible at truly expressing herself.


    Cutter had said the exact same thing to her.


    Rosan watched as Raisa''s features contorted into one of rage, that beautiful face glaring up at him with raw fury in her eyes and his hackles began rising in warning.


    He felt a thrum of excitement course through him, as before his very eyes, she began to transform.


    Red scales replaced skin, as a violent and long tail burst from her body. She began growing ludicrously and to finish off, wings burst from her arms, combining along the limbs and leaving her sharp claws free.


    "Ah, so this is why I''m so in love with Dragons," Rosan thought idly, gazing at Raisa with an impressed eye.


    "So that''s how she brought you to Baterilla," Mod said in realization, simply shaking her head at Rosan''s words.


    She''d be lying if she didn''t say she was satisfied at what he said. It filled her with a visceral pleasure (and guilt) to hear what her son had to say.


    Hate was something many people knew how to deal with... but the opposite of love, was indifference and no one truly knew how to deal with that.


    For a group as emotional as the Iris, Rosan''s indifference must have been whiplash inducing... and the results were right here.


    "What Devil Fruit is that?" Ram asked, whistling at the sight of her birth grandma towering over them.


    She was only a little smaller than Ragnarok! That was nuts!


    The ring had always enjoyed Rosan''s more toxic speeches. She was as much of a sadist as he was and it filled her with a malicious glee at seeing Rosan unleash his words onto someone.


    Now they even got a fight out of it!


    "That''s the Ryu Ryu no mi, Model: Wyvern," Rosan answered, jumping out of the way of the swift claw that attempted to crash into his position.


    Raisa snarled, glaring down at Rosan with fury in her eyes. The gigantic red Wyvern bared its fangs at her son and a competitive urge to display his dominance began swiftly overtaking Rosan.


    "I''m going to teach you a lesson in respect," Raisa growled, glaring at Rosan.


    Rosan actually grinned, as the wings of Ragnarok burst from his back.


    "Fine fine. I know someone who wants to beat the shit out of you anyways so I guess this''ll make her happy," he acquiesced.


    "I know you''re talking about me but please be careful. From what we gathered, Raisa should be formidable," Mod mentioned.


    "Time to find out just how formidable she is," Rosan said, a wild gleam in his eyes.


    Dalia and Oren watched in shock as not only did Raisa transform into her full Zoan, Rosan followed suit. The two dragons dominated the air they were in, both vying for supremacy and they looked at the two


    Their nephew''s scales were obsidian black, red lines coursing through his body like visible veins and he was even bigger than Raisa was!


    "RAOGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Rosan roared as he took to the sky, announcing his presence to the world as he always did.


    He looked every bit as intimidating as Raisa did and without hesitation both the dragons took to the skies.


    Raisa glared at her son, growing even more pissed at the fact that he really was a Dragon just like she was and chased after him immediately.


    At once, mother and son opened their mouths and let loose a hellish amount of flames that crashed right into each other.


    The citizens of Wisteria could only watch in horror, as their Queen faced off against an unknown threat.


    While it was almost a mythical sight to see, many people were informed of their all powerful Queen''s transformation into a Wyvern. It was almost unheard of to see her in her full transformation because Queen Raisa quite frankly, didn''t need it.


    So it was a justifiably terrifying sight to see her in her full zoan form, while facing off with an equally as massive dragon. The citizens all screamed in horror at seeing the two dragons snarl at each other, before they opened their mouths and unleashed a terrifying bout of flames.


    "Everyone! Head to the designated safe zones! Queen Raisa has entered her full Zoan! I repeat, Queen Raisa has entered her full Zoan! Head to all safe spots in an orderly fashion! Failure to comply will lead to apprehension after this state of emergency is over!"


    The guards wasted no time ordering evacuation, knowing that they''d merely get in the way of Raisa if they went to help. When Raisa was in action, their job was to evacuate first and then see if she needed backup... and considering she was fighting another gargantuan dragon, it was in their best interest to stay out of her way.


    Red flames clashed with purple, as an enormous explosion ensued following the attacks colliding.


    Raisa wasted no time rushing Rosan, soaring over to the massive dragon and crashing into him.


    Claws, teeth and tails crashed as the two snarled at each other, trying to overpower each other like two apex predators meeting in the wild. They were constantly vying for supremacy, clawing at each other with violent and animalistic fury.


    "Raisa! Rosan! Please stop this madness!" Dalia shouted to deaf ears, eyes wide as she watched them go at it with no regards for the others safety.


    Oren grunted, scales covering his body as he turned towards the city. "We can''t stop those two Dalia, let''s just control the damage."


    She frowned in distraught and gazed at the violence taking place, before scales covered her skin and she joined her older brother.


    "You know nothing about me, yet here you are¡­ practically a spitting image of me!" Raisa snarled.


    "It is pretty fun how similar we are. The apple doesn''t fall far from the tree but I''d never abandon my children. I''m not that much of a failure," Rosan growled right back.


    "SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! YOU DON''T UNDERSTAND HOW I FELT!" Raisa howled.


    The queen roared in fury and at the same time, shot out an enormous gust of wind.


    Rosan''s eyes widened and he retaliated with his own gust of wind, grunting in displeasure at seeing Raisa''s winds overpowering his.


    The cutting winds slammed into his hard scales and to his surprise, they actually managed to pierce it, drawing his blood.


    Had Rosan ever bled while in Ragnarok?


    Raisa was strong.


    That thought filled Rosan with far too much excitement.


    Raisa watched as the dragon''s snarling maw formed into a grin, right before he exploded in electricity.


    She swiftly applied armament to herself but couldn''t bite back the grunt of pain as the lightning coursed through her body.


    Fire, wind and lightning? What the hell was her son?


    Raisa snarled in annoyance and continued lashing out at him, scowling as he met her blow for blow with no intent to back down.


    She lunged, poisonous fangs poised to latch onto the dragon''s neck but the creature merely rumbled in amusement and opened its mouth.


    Her observation flared wildly and she swiftly aborted her course of action as her draconic son opened his mouth and fired a beam at her.


    It made a shrieking noise as it flew directly past her and Raisa gazed at the beam with wide eyes.


    Such mastery of his flames... to condense and speed it up to the point where it may as well have been a laser...


    Raisa was enable to ponder the thought more, because a razor sharp tail crashed to her sides.


    The queen hissed as it dug into her scales and she glared furiously at Rosan.


    Rosan grunted as the razor sharp winds made their presence known once again, cutting into him with no remorse. Unlike his winds, these did not use blunt force... they were truly sharp...


    He didn''t know too much about Wyverns, but he did know that they possessed poisonous abilities that varied in intensity... they were quite dangerous...


    How fun! They were both dragons but they specialized in different things!


    As the winds continued to cut into him, Rosan flew higher into the air and aimed downwards at Raisa.


    "ANNIHILATION!" the dragon roared.


    The Wyvern watched with wide eyes, as her son ignored all the cuts littering his body and opened his mouth to shoot out a gargantuan amount of those unnaturally red flames.


    Worst of all, the flames were fueled by her winds, growing into something truly terrifying...


    And it was careening towards her island.


    Raisa''s eyes widened and she remembered how Cutter had done the exact same thing... how he had used the citizens of her island to weaken her. His total disregard for the amount of damage he was causing, as he launched himself at her with that wild grin that she had never seen on his face...


    The woman braced herself and dove directly into the flames, covering herself in purple flames as well and colliding with the fire.


    Rosan gazed a confused look at that, watching as Raisa rushed into the attack.


    Why did she do that?


    It only took him a moment before he realized why she had done so and he scowled.


    Not cool, he didn''t want his opponents to take attacks in order to protect something else. Cheap shots like that took the enjoyment out of the fights! Rosan was only willing to fight that cheap when his family''s lives were on the line but it was just him here so that was a no go!


    A mostly unharmed Raisa huffed, glaring furiously at Rosan, only for that to turn into confusion as the redhead flew further away from her.


    "What are you doing?" she growled, taking chase immediately after her son.


    Rosan snorted. "I don''t want you worrying about protecting your island. I have no interest in killing innocents anyways."


    The Wyvern froze, stunned at that revelation.


    Then, she only got angrier.


    Raisa roared in rage and rushed him and the giant dragons resumed their assault anew.


    "You think you can say all these perfect things?!" Raisa snarled, attempting to dig into him with her teeth.


    Rosan grunted, lashing out with his claws and forcing her mouth open. His claws lit up with electricity, but a tail crashed and dislodged him from her body.


    "Perfect things?" Rosan asked incredulously. "I live the way I choose to live. I''m not doing this for anyone else but myself and the people I love. Don''t project your insecurities onto me, Raisa."


    There was murder in her gaze and she rushed him again.


    Lightning, fire and wind were thrown about as the two clawed at each other with violent gleams. Despite the extreme physicality of it all, Raisa was growing frustrated because she wasn''t making proper headway.


    This wasn''t working, she needed more speed.


    Raisa suddenly flew away from her estranged son and Rosan let her, interest in his eyes as she shrunk back to her original height.


    Her scales remained, as did her wings, tails and claws but everything of her human form returned.


    Rosan''s eyes glinted, injuries healing up as he watched her transform into her hybrid form.


    Hybrid? It was well known that Hybrid forms were the strongest Zoan forms so now Rosan was really in for a fight.


    Much like Raisa, Rosan reverted back into his human form, keeping just his wings out. He idly transformed Ram into a set of gloves, noting that Raisa didn''t use weapons and had his raid suit activated, donning a simple kimono.


    Rosan flapped his wings idly, as he stared across the floating Raisa with a curious eye. He was gauging her for her next move, while preparing his own.


    Her fighting style was... not quite easy to get a gauge on. Currently, she was fighting while extremely emotional and as a Dragon, there wasn''t much technical things to do. Rosan did know that she was far more willing to use her tail than he was and it was mostly in a stabbing motion as well.


    Also her claws, they were seeped in poison...


    "How¡­ do you only have your wings out?" Raisa asked in confusion, purple eyes narrowed.


    Rosan snorted. "I''m not one to tell people information about myself. I have a lot of secrets that I can''t let out. You''ll have to take me out on a date first. Bring flowers, I''m sure you should at least know what my favorite are," he stated smugly.


    "I cannot understate how infuriating you are."


    Raisa let out a noise that sounded fairly feral in nature and rushed him once more, wings on her arm spreading to help her close the distance. The wind began gathering around her and she propelled herself forward at even greater speeds.


    "Fast," Rosan thought with wide eyes, blocking a punch with his forearm coated in Armament.


    Much to his surprise, Raisa''s own haki overpowered his own and Rosan stared in appreciation at his bruised and slightly shredded arm with fascinated eyes.


    "I think she''s stronger than me," Rosan said idly. It was a thought he had since they had fought in their dragon forms but here in her hybrid, Rosan could see just how strong she actually was.


    "I don''t think it''s by a small amount either," Mod stated in disbelief.


    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    "So she really is strong!" Ram beamed in excitement.


    Raisa''s guilt at injuring her son so greatly... vanished in favor shock, as the bruise on Rosan''s arm instantly vanished, looking as good as new.


    What¡­?


    She wasn''t able to dwell on the oddity because the redhead was already on the move.


    Sparks danced across his body and his raid suit immediately cloaked him, as he instantly closed the distance and began exchanging furious blows.


    Rosan was like a tsunami. He was powerful and relentless, attacking Raisa with all manners of attack¡­


    But Raisa was like water. She calmly retaliated when Rosan left himself open, weaving in attacks with her smooth dodges¡­


    The two redheads were dancers, putting on an incredible performance as their difference in fighting styles clashed with each other.


    Rosan huffed, exploding in electricity that weathered the biting winds that Raisa manipulated with expert precision and lunged at her.


    Her observation flared and she calmly leaned back from the fist... only for her eyes to widen as it suddenly exploded with concussive force.


    "So you do have Observation too," Rosan noted, glancing at his smoking gloves with an amused glint.


    "Haha! Observation doesn''t work when I attack independently from Father!" Ram laughed psychotically, explosions rocking off her hands in a rather unhinged manner.


    The Queen scowled at Rosan, completely unaffected by that attack. "You''ll need more than that to pierce my scales," she warned.


    Rosan grinned mockingly. "Aww, is my dear mother giving me advice? Seems like you aren''t completely worthless!" he crooned.


    "I AM NOT WORTHLESS!" Raisa howled in rage, renewing her assault anew.


    Rosan placed both arms above his head as a tail smashed into them, strong enough for him to feel even through his raid suit.


    She was panting at him now, purple eyes having a black slit and glowing brightly.


    "My island was in complete ruin! My mother and father weren''t even able to properly guide me as Queen before they were struck down. I had to figure out all on my own how to fix my island and I had to do it WHILE I WAS PREGNANT!" she roared.


    Rosan grabbed her sharp tail and began spinning her rapidly, launching her away. Before she could fly too far, her tail wrapped around his neck and he grunted in surprise as Raisa pulled him towards her, landing a punch directly to his cheek.


    "I was already in such a weakened state. I felt utterly helpless! My people were suffering! I was mourning all I lost! It felt like the weight of the world was on my shoulders and it felt like the weight of the world was in my belly!" Raisa ranted.


    Rosan exploded in electricity, forcing her to release him but the male redhead wouldn''t let her off that easy. He grabbed the tail that was flying back to her body and yanked, forcing Raisa to fly to his location.


    He was poised to deliver a brutal headbutt and to his shock (and delight), Raisa met him head on. The two collided violently, making a cracking noise but neither came out of it injured.


    Raisa huffed, licking the blood off her lips absentmindedly as she glared at her son. "I was lost and I didn''t know what to do! My first year as queen, and already my people had lost so much trust in me! Do you know how it feels to rule a country where you aren''t trusted?!"


    She thrust out her hand and a torrent of massive winds formed, colliding directly with Rosan''s own heavy winds.


    "And all the while, I had to hide that I was pregnant with you! The assassination attempts were already out of hand! Imagine if they knew I was pregnant with you?!"


    "So what?" Rosan barked back finally. "I don''t give a damn! Didn''t I already tell you that your justifications mean nothing to me?!"


    "I DON''T GIVE A DAMN IF THEY MEAN NOTHING TO YOU! THEY MEAN SOMETHING TO ME!" Raisa shrieked in a moment of true rage.


    Now that her figurative wall had broken, all of Raisa''s anger had flooded into the world and it even gave Rosan some pause.


    "Do you know how it feels to be overjoyed at the fact that you''re finally having a child... but then the poisonous voice of your assaulter reminds you over and over again that this child is the product of him taking advantage of you?!"


    "I would have loved you with all my heart," Raisa whispered in despair. "My parents raised me and my siblings terribly so I wanted to prove to them that nurturing and love was a better way to go about things... but then I met your father and I trusted him and he tricked me. HE TRICKED ME AND HE BETRAYED ME!"


    Rosan held out a palm and shot out a massive orb that collided with the queen''s purple fire.


    "BUT YOU DON''T CARE ABOUT ANY OF THAT AND WHY SHOULD YOU?!" Raisa roared again, closing the distance and ensuing close combat quarters.


    Despite how the woman was clearly having a mental breakdown, her fighting style was still as fluid as ever. It was a testament to how skilled she was at fighting because Rosan was very sure she was on autopilot.


    "She''s hysterical," Mod noted with a frown.


    "Why should you care about the mother who abandoned you? You shouldn''t give a fuck what I have to say!"


    Rosan grabbed the arm she swung at him and spun her around, aiming a palm at her back and blasting the Queen away.


    "So then why are you attacking me so furiously?" Rosan asked with a raised brow, launching himself at her with a renewed gusto.


    "BECAUSE I STILL LOVE YOU! ARE YOU HAPPY?!" Raisa shrieked.


    Rosan immediately stopped his flight and launched himself backwards, as poison was shot out of Raisa. The wave of purple toxins nearly hit him, but instead fell uselessly to the water...


    The redhead watched with impressed eyes as after a few seconds, numerous dead fish began floating towards the top.


    "So she can use her poison as a projectile too... and it''s extremely corrosive and effective."


    "Goodness, she is a monster. Just how powerful is she really?"


    "Strong enough where if she were taking this completely serious, I''d be in a lot of trouble," Rosan grunted.


    Raisa didn''t even seem to notice him anymore, just lost in her own head.


    "In this world... I''ve always been alone and I thought at the very least, I wouldn''t be alone with my child," she whispered. "I thought to myself, "my child will always love me, my child will always need me, my child can''t betray me," and that gave me hope..."


    She gazed at him with broken eyes. "But my first child was one conceived from betrayal... I''m the one who made him not need me and I''m the one who gave you up... I willingly gave up all of that and plunged myself into eternal loneliness..."


    "So why?! Why is it that your words still affect me? Why is it that I feel so hurt when you rightfully disowned me? Why is it that now that we''re fighting I see both myself and that DAMN BASTARD IN YOU?!"


    Rosan calmly diverted a wild swing from the feral woman, before grabbing her other arm, straining a bit at the strength.


    Raisa''s gaze whitened and a small tremor shot through her body at the action of Rosan holding her arms. The tremor began increasing in strength and she shuddered, before instinctively lashing out with her vicious tail.


    Rosan grunted and watched as it slashed across his chest, effortlessly piercing his durable outfit and drawing blood.


    "Poison?" He asked curiously, ignoring the searing burn as the poison invaded his system.


    "I''m focusing all attention onto it, don''t worry."


    Raisa stopped at that, guilt wracking her body.


    Despite everything... Rosan was not Cutter. With his hands clasping her own like this... ensuring that she couldn''t get away... the Queen had less than pleasant memories.


    "Wait¡­ hold on. My venom is deadly. Let me apply the antidote to you," she said immediately.


    She hadn''t intended to poison him¡­ lashing out with her tail had been an instinctive response but her tail carried a far more potent poison than any other part of her body.


    Rosan tilted his head at her and released the woman.


    "You''re strange, Raisa. You attack me first, have a mental break down... poison me and now you''ve recovered from the mental breakdown and are offering me the antidote? Do you actually know what you want? You seem incredibly indecisive," He pondered curiously.


    No, Raisa didn''t know what she wanted. Raisa hadn''t known what she wanted for years now¡­ Raisa never knew what she wanted.


    Rosan rolled his eyes and showed her his chest. "There''s no need for an antidote. It does hurt like a bitch though."


    She frowned deeply at the injury she caused him, but went white as before her very eyes, Rosan''s skin began patching itself together like it had not been shredded in the first place. The skin of his midsection looked good as new and the only sign that something had happened to it, was the steam...


    "Kahahaha! See? Good as new," Rosan said with a sardonic grin, eyes gleaming excitedly.


    He laughed just like Cutter.


    Raisa looked at her son''s arms with stunned eyes.


    What¡­


    "What are you¡­?" Raisa asked softly, shock coursing through her system enough to temporarily pacify her.


    "I''m better," Rosan said easily. "Now let''s continue the fight. This is fun. I think I''ve got your style figured out," he stated, transforming Ram into a set of gauntlets this time.


    Fun.


    For Raisa, this was the dreaded meeting with her son that she abandoned. A meeting that she never actually thought she''d be submitted to.


    To Rosan this was fun. There was no baggage on him like there was on her. He didn''t know her at all... why should there be? A child should not bear the sins of their parents and her son was the perfect example of that because he didn''t know a damn thing about either of his parents and he didn''t care.


    No, all he cared about was getting a good fight. He obviously delighted in battle in a way that wasn''t similar to her or Cutter.


    No his love of battle, was all him¡­ just like everything else she didn''t know about him.


    Rosan wasn''t her or Cutter''s son. Much like he had always been saying... he was Portgas D. Rosan. He just happened to share the same blood as them.


    They were strangers. Complete and utter strangers.


    Raisa sagged at that, all her anger draining.


    "What am I even doing?" She thought in defeat.


    "You''re right¡­ we''re strangers. I don''t know anything about you. I don''t know your favorite food, your favorite color¡­ yet here I am acting like I do. Here I am, making a complete embarrassment of myself over something that I willingly caused," Raisa said quietly, voice hard to hear over the howling winds.


    Rosan''s eager smile vanished, replaced with a frown instead.


    "Just¡­ go," the queen said softly. "You have more things to concern yourself with. As queen of Wisteria, I would like to offer my apologies for attacking you. It was unbefitting of me, especially when you had already proven you were not a hostile threat."


    "..." Rosan said nothing, just gazing at her with those mesmerizing eyes of his.


    "If you''ll excuse me... I''d like to retreat to my room and handle this embarrassment on my own," she muttered.


    This was all just a waste of time. Raisa was a waste of time and a shame to her throne. They should have just let Oren be king. Raisa wasn''t someone who could handle the burden after all. It was good that no one was like her because she was worthless exactly like Rosan said she was.


    Attacking her son for her own transgressions, basically summed up her life. Throughout all of this, Rosan had been completely innocent. She started the argument, she refused to accept that he didn''t view her as his mother... she escalated the situation.


    Raisa was such a fuckup.


    She was so pathetic. No wonder she got rap ¡ª


    Two strong arms wrapped around Raisa''s frame and she felt herself freeze up completely.


    "You ruined a good fight by being so pitiful. Of all the time to gain your reason, it''s when I was really getting into it," Rosan sighed morosely, hugging the woman with a disappointed expression.


    Raisa was stunned, taking in everything about her son in that instant. From his strong arms, to his flowery scent, to the way his heart pounded so strongly in his chest¡­


    "You don''t know what you want, you''re terrible at expressing yourself¡­ you''re a hot mess, aren''t you? Were you really thinking that you deserved to get raped? Are you stupid?" Rosan asked rhetorically.


    "I... you could tell?" Raisa asked quietly, trembling slightly.


    "Of course and I''m going to tell you right now, no matter the problems we might have, I don''t think you deserve what happened to you at all. I think only scum of the world deserve the level of pain you and I have been through... and I don''t think you''re scum," he replied truthfully.


    "I... I don''t?" Raisa began trembling even harder at that, not detecting the lie in his voice.


    "R-Rosan?" Mod asked in disbelief, not understanding what he was doing.


    Rosan said nothing for a moment and sighed.


    "I can''t help but think, that we really are too similar and¡­ that story affected me more than I''d like to admit," he admitted with a frown.


    Getting betrayed by the person you trusted most in the world¡­ well Rosan once thought Robin betrayed him and that had broken him in a way that had started his downward spiral into becoming emotionless.


    Rosan was someone who thought traitors were the most dangerous thing to his existence, because traitors always hurt a person the most¡­


    And it showed here. Raisa had built a wall almost exactly like he had and once it broke down, she was just frantically grabbing at everything to stay afloat. It had made his heart pang, watching her desperately try to grasp at anything... and that pang had only strengthened as she gave up and exiled herself back to loneliness.


    That... could have been him. If Rosan didn''t have anyone in his family to guide him... he could have been just like this.


    It was a terrible and dark future and he could see that now... so he''d be damn if he was the sole reason he sent someone who he didn''t hate (if he did hate you, loneliness was the least of your worries), spiraling down that exact same path.


    "You''re a broken mess of a person, Iris D. Raisa... and you''ve been bottling it up for 25 years¡­ Take it from someone who''s also a broken mess of a person¡­ it''s always good to have someone to rely on and that remains no different for royalty. Even royalty is capable of having depression," Rosan said quietly.


    Mod''s eyes softened at that.


    Rosan was¡­ such an amazing person. He was such a precious soul and even despite everything... he could find it in himself to be empathetic with a person.


    He had always been good at peering through a person''s soul. It''s why he had managed to break down all of Robin''s barriers after all.


    She had... depression? Raisa was depressed?


    "I''m depressed?" she asked quietly.


    "You know, people can sometimes get depressed after giving birth," Rosan informed her, noting the way she was sinking further into his body.


    The effects of childbirth had been something Rosan extensively researched... after the events of what happened with Rouge. He was also hellbent on making sure Meiko (Robin now) didn''t suffer any type of complications.


    He would be fully prepared... so he learned a lot about pregnancy and the aftereffects... and considering how emotional his lineage was... Raisa had likely been suffering from the rapid mood swings of being pregnant and then birth had made her further irrational.


    That didn''t excuse her for her actions, but it helped explain why she was like this.


    Raisa shuddered at that, not understanding why... why he was explaining her terrible actions. "Why¡­ why are you saying these things to me¡­ I abandoned you¡­ I left you in a forest¡­ why are you still saying such¡­ why are you so forgiving?!"


    Rosan snorted aloud. "I''m not forgiving at all. I''m the most vengeful person on the planet¡­ but I have nothing to forgive from you. In fact, I''m happy you abandoned me because it allowed me to meet the people I know and love today," he said truthfully.


    He wouldn''t have known Mod-chan, Mom, Robin, Meiko, Maro, Luffy¡­ Ace¡­ the list went on and on.


    If anything, he was thankful that Raisa left him in that forest. Things were rocky¡­ but Rosan would never trade this life if it meant missing out on the people he had met and he was sure he''d never have met them if he was being raised by her.


    That''s why he was helping her right now. Because those same people had helped revive his bleeding and empathetic heart that related too much to this woman who had been suffering just as he had.


    They really were mother and son huh?


    "I won''t compare how much trauma we have... but we''ve both suffered in our own way and I''m doing okay. You have no one to trust, no one to rely on, you''ve just been going with the motions for 25 years¡­ that''s not living," Rosan said softly.


    Raisa began shaking, tears forming in her eyes. She noted that shuddering in Rosan''s strong grasp¡­ shuddering in the hold of the son who she had only ever hugged once in her life... back when he was just a baby.


    The same son who she had proclaimed to hate in the heat of her emotions...


    "You think, I deserve to¡­ y-you think I deserve to live?" she asked quietly, so quietly.


    The male redhead hummed at the slight vibrations on his chest and nodded. "You''ve practically been dead this entire time. Take it from someone who''s done the same, you can stop punishing yourself with the sting of loneliness. If you''re anything like me, being alone is the same as submitting yourself to hell on earth," Rosan told her.


    "A-And even after everything I''ve done¡­ you think I deserve to rely on someone?" Raisa stammered.


    "Only if that''s what you want. You don''t gotta rely on anyone. I just find it easier for me when I share my load with someone else," Rosan said easily, feeling a warm pulse as he thought of his family.


    Raisa let out a shaky breath. In an impossibly rare moment of vulnerability, one that she had only ever shared with Cutter, Raisa asked, "Can the person I rely on¡­ can that be you?"


    Rosan tilted his head at that, peering at the woman looking up at him with glistening eyes.


    Well, she did look like him. It stood to reason that she was also adorable.


    "If that''s really what you want, then I won''t say no... but I think you missed when I called myself a broken mess too though. I rely on someone way more stable, like my girlfriend. She''s a real rock that can weather my insanity well," he said fondly.


    "...Can I please hug you back?" Raisa whimpered, clutching the front of his shirt desperately.


    That made Rosan laugh. "Kahaha! Feel free, I''ve been told I''m a pretty good hugger."


    Raisa began sniffing and hesitantly raised her arms, before slowly wrapping it around Rosan''s frame.


    The moment Rosan tightened his hug and tucked her into his frame, Raisa felt the wall she built up for 25 years, crumble into nothing. In the face of her son, Raisa felt like a small child again.


    The Queen let loose a sharp wail and began sobbing into Rosan''s frame.


    "I-I''m so sorry, Rosan! I''m so sorry for everything I did to you! I''m sorry for being such a terrible mother! I''m sorry I let that man rule my decisions so much! I-I''m sorry!" Raisa sobbed, hot tears spilling out of her eyes as she clutched Rosan like her life depended on it.


    "Maybe I should be my own therapist," Rosan thought idly, rubbing the woman''s back.


    "Don''t worry about it. I''m not mad at you. I''ve never been mad at you," he said truthfully.


    That was Mod-chan.


    Mod flushed red at that.


    Raisa whimpered in his safe hold and just allowed the tears she had been holding back for so long to fall. She completely soaked his outfit with her backed up tears, just holding him for dear life.


    She couldn''t believe her son ended up being such an amazing person...


    For him to stand here, in the face of his worthless mother and say the things he had said¡­ Raisa was so foolish to ever give up this incredible boy but he still managed to remain incredible.


    Raisa doubted he''d end up this good under her tutelage¡­


    Rosan gazed down at the woman soaking his outfit with a curious expression.


    When he told her to rely on someone, he wasn''t really expecting her to choose him but he should have guessed.


    She still saw him as her son after all... and people were very in love with holding his attention.


    Truly, whether they reconciled or not didn''t matter to Rosan¡­ he meant it when he said he didn''t really care about their relationship.


    But because he didn''t care, because he wasn''t angry at Raisa¡­ his empathetic soul began sympathizing with her because damn... they really were quite similar.


    That empathy only increased as their fight stretched on. She couldn''t properly express herself so she resorted to attacking him and despite how calm her attacks were, there was a frantic rush to them.


    Not to mention how she just kept speaking... she knew that she was in the wrong but she couldn''t properly come to terms with it.


    She was practically his opposite in that regard. Rosan may have been overwhelming and wild when he fought, but he knew every course of action he was going to take, so it was far more controlled then the person thought.


    Besides¡­ he was trying to be a better person and Robin did say she wanted to know more about his family.


    What better way than to speak to the one who birthed him? Though, Robin probably didn''t have too high of an opinion of Raisa. No one in his family did.


    Shit¡­ Robin. He really needed to go see Robin. She must be worried sick for him and he was worried sick for her¡­ for all of them.


    "Feel better?" Rosan asked softly, noticing her sobs die down.


    Raisa didn''t trust her words and just nodded, still shuddering in his frame.


    Better was a gross underestimation of how Raisa felt. She hadn''t felt this light since she was a 16 year old girl with the first taste of freedom on the sea.


    "I¡­ thank you, Rosan," Raisa said truthfully, clutching him as tightly as possible. "You had no reason to help me¡­ you saw how your words were affecting me and instead of making me feel worse you¡­ you helped me. You helped me for reasons I will never be able to fully understand."


    Rosan sighed. "Yeah¡­ my words can be very effective¡­ and kicking a woman who got raped while she''s already down, is a bit heartless even for me. I''m a momma''s boy after all."


    Mod couldn''t stop the smile at that last sentence, flushing red as Ram shot her a smug grin.


    "You need to be more honest with yourself, Raisa," Rosan said truthfully, noting how powerful her grip was.


    Getting out of it would probably be very hard. Just how strong was Raisa?


    "I know but¡­ I''m afraid of being honest with myself because of¡­ how much I''ve failed. It''s difficult to acknowledge all my failures, so I covered my ears and ran away from it," she whispered in admittance.


    Rosan snorted.


    Like mother like son he supposed. They were both cowards at the end of the day who ran away from their respective issues.


    "Well now you know better. I punished myself for years too for something I did, but despite that I was forgiven in a heartbeat¡­ so I''ll pass on that goodwill to you. Consider all our past problems abolished," he said easily, floating towards the floor.


    Raisa felt like she could begin crying again and she had already ruined her son''s outfit... so she simply nodded...


    That failed however and her tears just spilled onto the amused redhead.


    As Rosan landed on the floor, he was immediately met with both Oren and Dalia, who were gazing at the two with palpable worry.


    That worry turned into wide eyes and dropped jaws, as they saw their cold and detached sister, Iris D. Raisa, clutching onto Rosan like he were a lifeline.


    The two had been in their respective forms, ensuring that no damage made it to Wisteria but it was not necessary because Rosan flew away mid battle, bringing the battle away from their home...


    Afterwards, they had properly made sure evacuations were followed in an orderly fashion, guiding them with their giant bodies and causing the chaos to settle.


    With nothing better to do, they had waited back where they first came... which brought them to the sight of Raisa clutching Rosan like a lifeline, head buried into the crook of the visibly amused redhead''s neck.


    "W-Wha," Dalia stammered, wiping her eyes to make sure she wasn''t seeing things.


    Nope, Raisa was still hugging Rosan, periodically sniffing as the male redhead calmly pat her back.


    "Is she crying?!" Oren thought in shock. He hadn''t seen Raisa cry since back when they were children being trained by their parents!


    Their sister was quite in control of her emotions all the time! After deciding that she could only do so much on her end when dealing with her siblings... she had closed herself off and appeared as an infallible wall to everyone.


    When that happened, Oren had felt guilt for what they had subjected her too. Their sister had finally given up on them and he had been too much of a coward to try to amend their relationship...


    Kami she had no reason to ever forgive them.


    "Hey," Rosan greeted them easily, unmindful of Raisa''s antics and just allowing her to hold him.


    "H-Hi?" Dalia stammered in confusion.


    "Are you two done fighting¡­?" Oren asked slowly.


    Their nephew hummed and craned his head slightly. "Are we done fighting, Raisa?" he asked in some amusement.


    "Mhm," Raisa mumbled, not even thinking of moving from her spot.


    He was very comfortable. She wasn''t even going to think about ruining this by fighting him again.


    Rosan snorted as she tried to burrow even deeper into him. Raisa was as clingy as him and Mod-chan.


    "What¡­ happened up there?" Oren asked in genuine confusion, gazing at his middle sister with wide eyes.


    Raisa wasn''t¡­ acting like Raisa at all. He had never in his life seen her so willingly hug someone but she was holding Rosan like he would disappear at any given moment.


    "We fought a bit then I talked her into being more honest with herself. She''s been living a very difficult life," Rosan said easily. "She''s been dealing with a lot and I helped get her on the right path. Right, Raisa?"


    "Mhm," she mumbled again.


    "Y-You... helped her?" Dalia asked hopefully, gazing at her sister and nephew with wide eyes.


    Did he... did he really manage to pull Raisa out of her self imposed misery?


    Dalia was... she was okay if Raisa never forgave her but at the very least, she just wanted her sister to be happy because she didn''t remember the last time she was...


    "Has she ever hugged any of you guys like this?" Rosan asked with a raised brow, beckoning towards his birth mother with an amused smirk.


    "No. We didn''t know she liked hugs," Oren answered truthfully, frowning at that detail.


    "There''s your answer," the redhead chuckled. "I''m sure she''d tell you herself but she doesn''t want to speak right now. She''s a little embarrassed."


    "I''m not embarrassed," Raisa denied immediately.


    Rosan pat her head. "Don''t bother lying. I can tell."


    That was annoying. Raisa didn''t like that someone else could detect lies.. but she supposed it was fine if it were Rosan.


    "Fine," she grumbled in defeat.


    Dalia felt tears forming at just how¡­ at ease Raisa suddenly felt and she let out a happy sob.


    "We thought you guys were going to destroy everything!" Dalia cried, jumping into the hug with a happy grin.


    Rosan simply shook his head and snagged his short aunt out of mid air, getting an excited squeal out of her. "If I were trying to destroy everything, you''d know. I just wanted to get a glimpse into Raisa''s head is all."


    "He brought the fight away from the island on purpose so he could avoid hurting them," Raisa defended, refusing to look away from her soon.


    "Your tickling my neck," Rosan mentioned with a small chuckle. Everytime she spoke, her lips would brush against him because she refused to let him go.


    It tickled.


    "Sorry but... I don''t wanna move," Raisa said truthfully.


    The redhead rolled his eyes. "You''re a brat. I get too many things from you."


    "Are you a brat as well?" Raisa asked, wanting to know anything and everything about him.


    Dalia''s mouth opened in shock at how she didn''t even deny being a brat. It was utterly surreal to see Raisa of all people, tamed by her son. It was light and day!


    "My girlfriend calls me a brat all the time," Rosan said fondly.


    "Nico Robin?" Raisa asked curiously.


    The sight of her son lighting up warmed Raisa''s heart extremely.


    "Yeah. She''s my best friend and my girlfriend and I love her very much," Rosan smiled. "But... she''s also extremely protective of me so she doesn''t have a high opinion of you."


    Raisa frowned at that. "I''d like to meet and apologize to anyone that has any grievances with me then..." she said softly.


    Rosan gazed at her, an unknown glint in his eyes. "Don''t regret that decision. A lot of people are very overprotective of me."


    Raisa shuddered at that for some reason.


    "Raisa?" Oren said softly.


    "Mmm?" Raisa mumbled as her form of acknowledgement.


    Oren sighed deeply. "I didn''t understand the full picture and I probably still don''t... but I''m seriously sorry for being such a terrible older brother to you. We... won''t ever be able to make it up to you and you might not believe it... but even if you don''t ever forgive us..."


    "But we''re just happy that you found someone that makes you less alone!" Dalia beamed, sniffing happily as she squeezed her older sister. "We don''t deserve to be forgiven after what we put you through, but I''m so glad you''re just happy! You''ve never deserved to suffer!"


    Raisa froze at that and let out a quiet breath.


    "I... forgive you two," she said eventually.


    Both Oren and Dalia froze at that. "R-Really?" Dalia asked tentatively.


    Raisa nodded softly. "I''ve barely done anything yet Rosan was able to forgive me... you two are doing so much to prove you want to make it up. I''d be nothing more than an asshole if I continued to push you guys away."


    "That''s..." Oren said, glancing at his nephew with a stunned eye.


    "I guess all that family therapy turned me into a good one myself. Look at me fixing all these issues," he chuckled.


    "Here I was just trying to get a good fight and now here we are. But I guess that makes sense. People become most honest when they''re pumped up on adrenaline¡­ or about to die."


    Oren sweatdropped. His nephew was a pretty scary person.


    Dalia giggled. Her nephew was such a scary person!


    "But man, to think you could transform into a dragon too¡­" Oren chuckled to himself. "I guess it really does run in the family."


    Rosan raised a brow at that. "Runs in the family? Are you guys able to turn into dragons too?"


    Dalia lit up at that and got out of the group hug.


    "Yep!" she chirped happily. "Look look! Look at me!"


    Rosan watched in interest and even Raisa craned her head slightly as both Oren and Dalia began transforming.


    Scales began covering the both of them, as they both began growing to ludicrous size.


    Blue scales covered Dalia as she lengthened dramatically, losing her limbs, as she became more and more serpentine in nature.


    Gold scales covered Oren as he gained an extra set of legs, losing his arms and becoming quadrupedal.


    "I see now why you''re so obsessed with Dragons¡­ it runs in your family," Mod laughed disbelievingly.


    "Ta da! Aren''t I pretty?!" Dalia rumbled, sharp fangs on full display as the serpent grinned down at them in a rather intimidating display.


    Despite Dalia''s short stature, none of that reflected in the Wyrm she transformed into. It was smaller than what Rosan and her siblings could transform into, but she had them all beat in terms of length. It was quite a sight to see.


    "The Iris love their reptiles¡­ not really sure why," Oren rumbled deeply, golden eyes peering down at them.


    He was as big as everyone else was, though without wings he appeared smaller than both Raisa and Rosan. The Drake rumbled and the earth shook a bit at that, causing Rosan to peer at the ground.


    So all three siblings had the Ryu Ryu no Mi but for different models...


    "A Wyrm, a Drake and a Wyvern," Rosan mused in visible interest.


    "We like reptiles due to our Kuja lineage," Raisa mumbled. "Seeing as we didn''t have our own snakes to train, we compensated."


    "And we decided on Mythical Zoans as our solution," Rosan laughed.


    "Right?! We''re so smart!" Dalia gushed, ducking her head and rumbling in joy as Rosan pat her gently.


    Well that explained why his thought process was always¡­ peculiar. Rosan probably would have come to the exact same solution. If you can''t control a reptile, might as well become one.


    How fascinating. He was very similar to his relatives.


    "So you ate the Ryu Ryu no Mi too, right?!" Dalia asked, transforming back to normal as she skipped up to Rosan.


    Rosan blinked. "No, I didn''t."


    Raisa blinked in confusion at that because Rosan was not lying.


    "What do you mean you didn''t? Is that not what you transformed into?" Raisa asked in confusion, wondering if her eyes had been playing tricks.


    No, Raisa hadn''t been that hysterical. Her son was definitely a dragon.


    "Yeah, I can transform into a dragon¡­ but I didn''t eat a Mythical Zoan," Rosan said easily.


    The siblings only looked more stunned at that.


    "What?" they all asked in disbelief.


    Rosan opened his mouth, before suddenly shutting it as a somewhat concerned look crossed his face.


    "It''s best if I show you," he said slowly, delicately removing Raisa from his hold.


    Raisa was a little put off by that but she had hugged him long enough¡­


    It just didn''t feel like enough to her. She wanted to hug him again.


    "Are you sure about this?"


    "Yes. I must speak my mind."


    "Alright. Say whatever you want. I won''t stop you or object any decision you make."


    Rosan raked a hand through his hair and closed his eyes.


    Raisa, Oren and Dalia''s expressions of confusion melted away, replaced by shock as Rosan began changing yet again in front of their eyes¡­


    But he wasn''t transforming into a dragon¡­ no he was transforming¡­ into another person?!


    He lost many inches of his height, as his downward spikes lengthened and smoothed over, turning a lustrous shade of purple, not unlike his and Raisa''s eyes.


    But what was most shocking¡­ was the fact that he changed into a whole other gender.


    "What...?" Oren gaped in shock, looking at the women in shock.


    "She''s stunning," Raisa gasped, gazing at the woman who just took over her son with wide eyes.


    "She''s so damn hot?!" Dalia''s mouth opened, gazing at the beauty with blatant interest.


    What just happened to Rosan?!


    Mod opened her blood red eyes, making eye contact with the stunned Raisa and despite everything she saw¡­ despite Rosan''s decisions¡­


    Mod was not Rosan. They had their similarities, they were one and the same... but they were two separate people...


    And Mod hated Iris D. Raisa.


    "Hello," Mod said coldly, raid cloak seamlessly transforming into her signature black dress. "My name is Modification, but you may call me Mod. I am Rosan''s mother, a title you do not ever have the right to call yourself," she said bluntly.


    Raisa shuddered horribly at the boiling rage in those red eyes that reminded her of their red hair.


    "His¡­ mother?" Raisa asked slowly, trying to wrap her head around what she just witnessed.


    Did her son just transform into a young woman that referred to herself as his mother? This stunning young lady was Rosan''s mother? But how... she looked younger than him.


    What was happening? How did Rosan do that? An alter ego? Did his heavy emotions manifest into an entirely other person?


    "That''s correct, something you know nothing about!" Mod said furiously, eyes narrowed into something heinous.


    Raisa flinched back at that.


    "I..." she tried to say.


    "You should be ashamed of yourself!" Mod barked, interrupting her immediately. "You heartless, evil bitch! How could you look that poor little newborn in his eyes and abandon him?!" she snarled, feeling all the rage and anger she felt at the mother mounting.


    Raisa began shuddering at the raw visceral rage radiating off the woman.


    "H-Hey wait. We don''t have to get so mean," Dalia tried hesitantly, trying to placate the furious woman.


    Mod shot her a pointed look and the woman stopped moving immediately. "My problems do not lie with neither you nor Oren, Dalia. My problems like with Iris D. Raisa, the person who mere moments after giving birth, decided to abandon her son in a forest. You will stand back and avoid interfering, or we will have a problem," she said gently, turning away from her and directing those furious red orbs onto the stunned Raisa.


    Dalia wilted away from the scary girl, nodding hesitantly and going silent.


    "I am Modification, Rosan''s Devil Fruit, Rosan''s mother and Rosan''s keeper," Mod said strongly, glowering at Raisa with a fierce expression.


    His¡­ Devil Fruit? This woman was Rosan''s Devil Fruit¡­?


    "He may not have any issue with you but everyone who loves him does and I am the main one. Just because my son is such an amazing person, who''s willing to let bygones be bygones, I am not."


    Raisa went cold.


    "Don''t regret that decision. A lot of people are very overprotective of me."


    So this was what Rosan meant by this... he was warning her of this Mod right here... and it was for good reason because Raisa didn''t think she''d ever met anyone that hated her to the degree this girl did.


    Mod glared at her, dress fluttering in time with her anger as her red orbs began glowing. "I watched you abandon an infant in a forest all by his lonesome and even after he cried and cried, you still left him alone!" she shouted.


    Raisa wilted at that, averting her eyes.


    "How do you¡­ I didn''t¡­" Raisa took a deep breath, caught off guard at someone recalling such a far away memory. "I waited for someone to approach him¡­ I stayed up there until someone finally did¡­ and when they both left, I finally did. I didn''t... want anyone to make a connection to me so I thought this was the best course of action."


    Mod scoffed. "You must be so proud of yourself! You must be so pleased that you abandoned your newborn child instead of just giving him to someone!" she said sarcastically, severe expression never vanishing.


    Raisa frowned deeply at that. "He wasn''t... I was going to make sure he stayed unharmed... I admit¡­ my method was unorthodox but¡­"


    "But what?!" Mod shrieked, temper flaring as she was forced to recall all her memories with Rosan. "You thought you were doing what was best for him? You thought you were helping?!"


    Rosan hadn''t forced Raisa to face her past¡­ but this Modification was doing so with no remorse and she felt terrible.


    What had she been thinking... why did she do that?


    "You think punishing Rosan for the actions of someone else was the right way to handle things? Because of what his father did, you decided that he deserved to be left in a forest?! HOW WAS THAT THE RIGHT WAY TO HANDLE THINGS?! ARE YOU FUCKING STUPID?!" Mod roared, eyes pulsing madly, as lighting began sparking off of her.


    "I''ve been taking care of my poor baby boy since he was only 4 years old. I protected him until he became strong, I was there when he cried, I nurtured and watched him grow. I will never ever regret anything I''ve done for him, but I won''t sit here and delude myself into being happy with the circumstances just because I was lucky enough to meet him!"


    Years of anger at Raisa''s irresponsible actions had finally been unleashed and Mod would be damned if the woman didn''t hear everything she had to say.


    Raisa stepped back slightly, looking stricken at the words of the woman.


    "I love Rosan, I will always love Rosan more than anything in this world but Rosan didn''t deserve the life he was thrusted into and you''re to blame! Since he was only 4, I''ve been doing my absolute best to make sure he''s stable and it''s your fault! MY LITTLE BOY WAS TORTURED AND IT''S YOUR FAULT!" Mod howled, eyes glowing brightly as she unwittingly began activating Modification.


    Raisa felt a stab at seeing the tears forming in Mod''s eyes. She looked down in defeat, before the damning last sentence finally registered to her and her head flung back up.


    "Tortured...?" Raisa asked in genuine horror.


    "Yes," Mod hissed venomously. "At 4 years old, he watched his mother die. At 9 years old the child you abandoned became a slave because of everything you passed onto him! AT JUST 9 YEARS OLD, YOUR SON MURDERED HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE AND DESTROYED AN ISLAND. 9! HE WAS 9!" Mod shrieked, slamming a fist into a tree and completely upheaving it.


    Raisa reeled back as if she were physically struck, tears springing up in her eyes at the truth of Mod''s words.


    "At 9... years old? He was a slave?" Oren whispered in shock, holding his heart as a wave of pain washed over him.


    "He lost his mom when... when he was 4?" Dalia sniffed, tears filling her big eyes.


    "If I told you everything that happened to Rosan, you''d be sick to your stomach. It''s too much to tell but you wouldn''t know!" Mod snarled, clenching her firsts as the idea of striking Raisa became all the more tempting to her.


    "I won''t blame you two, Oren and Dalia. You likely didn''t even know he existed... but Raisa, I will never forgive you."


    The Queen shuddered at Mod''s words, watching the beautiful woman glare at her.


    "You don''t know anything about what Rosan has gone through when you should. I don''t care if you abandoning him allowed us to meet because you played a part in all the terrible things that happened to him!" she shouted.


    "I don''t care that you apologized, I don''t care that you regret your actions¡­ as long as I feel like you don''t deserve forgiveness, I will never allow you to fully reconnect with Rosan. And trust me when I say, he won''t disagree with my decision," Mod finished firmly.


    A tense silence washed over the field as Mod glared at Raisa.


    "If that''s your resolve, then that''s that," Rosan complied easily. At the end of the day, Mod-chan was his mother and if she truly wanted this, he wouldn''t argue otherwise.


    She was far more passionate about this than he was, so as her partner, he''d support her decisions.


    "Damn Auntie," Ram said gently, not joking for once.


    Dalia and Oren winced harshly at the words Mod had been using, gazing at the stricken Raisa with guilty, teary, eyes.


    Mod panted after her rant, glaring heatedly at Raisa and wiping the tears that formed away.


    Raisa wasn''t there to comfort Rosan when Rouge died. Raisa wasn''t there to protect the pregnant woman and her son. Raisa wasn''t there when Rosan had gotten tortured at the tender age of 8.


    Raisa wasn''t there to help regulate Rosan''s emotions. Raisa wasn''t there when her son suffered such intense heartbreak at Meiko''s death¡­


    Raisa wasn''t there and she would never forget that because Mod was there for all of that.


    Mod was Rosan''s keeper and she would forever take that role as seriously as possible.


    Raisa felt the resolve in the woman, saw it in those blood red eyes of her¡­ and because of that, she felt a true terror forming at the thought that she''d lose Rosan just after potentially getting him back.


    That couldn''t¡­ but they just made¡­!


    "Please."


    Mod paused.


    The look in Raisa''s eyes were frantic and teary, as she immediately closed the distance between her and Mod.


    Mod craned her neck to look at the taller woman, looking puzzled at the sheer terror in Raisa''s tear streaked eyes.


    "Please give me a chance to make things right!" Raisa pleaded, a rare desperation. "I''ll do anything! I can''t¡­ I don''t want to lose the small connection I''ve formed with him already!"


    "¡­" Mod bit her lip and said nothing.


    "I know I messed up¡­ I''m a failure of a mother and I''m not even thinking of taking that role from you¡­ but I want to make amends with him and I''ll do anything to get that chance! Hurt me, beat me, t-torture me if you want but please! I don''t want to lose this!"


    Raisa, Queen Iris D. Raisa of Wisteria, bowed.


    "Please¡­ at least give me one chance to make things right¡­ that''s all I ask for. I don''t know a thing about him¡­ you''re right, but I want to know who Portgas D. Rosan is," she said quietly, head touching the floor.


    Dalia and Oren could only watch with wide eyes, as their proud and haughty sister bowed to someone else for probably the first time in her life.


    This was surreal¡­ she really was trying to¡­ change for Rosan.


    "Portgas D. Rosan," Mod thought to herself, biting her lip even harder.


    "Please raise your head," Mod said softly, tone turning measured.


    Raisa hesitantly looked up and glanced at the woman with her inverted colors.


    "Stand up."


    The Queen stood slowly at that, gazing unsuredly at the woman.


    SMACK.


    Her eyes widened and her head turned, as blood began pooling in her mouth at the hellish strength behind the woman''s strength.


    Mod stared at the woman, hand connected firmly on the woman''s cheek as she held it there.


    "I hate you," Mod said truthfully.


    Raisa flinched back, gazing into the beautiful eyes of Rosan''s violent mother.


    "I hate you so much, Iris D. Raisa¡­ but I love Rosan much more than I hate you and if there''s one thing I want for him¡­ it''s to have people who love and care for him. Besides, Rosan''s a mess with his emotions and you''re one of the ones who can help him regulate him."


    Mod took a deep breath.


    "...I''m watching you. One mistake and I promise you will know what a mother''s fury truly looks like," she warned.


    Raisa paused at that, before a swell of relief coursed through her body.


    "I''ll do whatever it takes to earn his trust... and I''ll do whatever it takes to earn yours," Raisa said quietly.


    Mod resisted the urge to glare at her and instead allowed Rosan to take over.


    He hummed at the exchange that just took place, idly transforming his outfit once more and gazing at the reserved Raisa.


    She looked at him with a wounded expression and he sighed softly, merely opening his arms.


    It took her no time at all to crash into him and he felt the sheer relief roll off of her.


    "I need to go now. I have to make sure my crew is okay," he said bluntly.


    Raisa''s eyes widened in horror at that and she immediately clutched her fellow redhead.


    "You''re leaving already?"


    She really tried to sound normal saying that but it came out far too pathetic for her liking.


    "We were in the middle of a battle with a Warlord and an Admiral," Rosan grunted. "I need to make sure they''re okay."


    Raisa''s grip on him tightened and horror coursed through her body.


    "An Admiral?!" she hissed in worry. "You fought an Admiral?!"


    Rosan''s gaze darkened. "Yeah, that''s why I need to check up on them. Kuma saved my life but I don''t know if he did it with them."


    Didn''t he realize what he was saying?! Her son had fought an Admiral?! Why? For what reason?!


    But above all¡­ he was leaving already¡­ Raisa didn''t want him to leave yet but he¡­ had his responsibilities.


    "Will you visit?" she asked hesitantly.


    "She''s like a puppy," Rosan thought idly, gazing at his birth mother with a curious eye.


    He idly began rummaging through his pocket until pulling out a small plush he just modified.


    Raisa watched in confusion as Rosan''s eyes began glowing and the toy suddenly grew in size, appearance changing all the while.


    It took the shape of a redhead, with heterochromatic eyes that glowed despite being a plushie.


    "I don''t know where this island is, so just hold onto this and I''ll visit when I can," Rosan said truthfully, handing the toy of himself over Raisa.


    "¡­" Raisa said nothing as she tentatively grasped the toy.


    This was the cutest thing she had ever seen in her life.


    "I will keep it safe," she decided with a far too serious expression, tucking it into her dress and securing it.


    The redhead nodded in amusement, before grunting as Raisa pulled him into a fierce hug.


    "Please be careful," she muttered, sinking into his grasp one last time.


    Rosan rolled his eyes and returned the hug. Relying on him had made Raisa do a complete 180¡­ or maybe this was what she always wanted and was finally cutting loose.


    "N-No fair! I wanna get hugged back too!" Dalia complained. "Hug me!" she demanded.


    Raisa glowered at her but reluctantly released Rosan and allowed the redhead to pull Dalia into another hug.


    "Keep going out there and kicking ass, nephew! I''m supporting you all the way!" Dalia beamed, looking up at him with those big blue eyes.


    "You remind me of my little sister," Rosan replied easily, gauging her curly red hair with curious eyes.


    She was like a nicer, more ditzy version of Angel.


    "Sister?" Dalia pondered in wondrous curiosity.


    Rosan nodded. "Her names Angel. You two would probably love each other. She looks just like me," he mentioned.


    Raisa perked up at that. "Looks like you? How is that?"


    "Modification," he replied effortlessly. "I have a little brother too named Demon. He looks like me with purple hair. He''s very pretty," Rosan mentioned with a fond grin as he thought of his siblings.


    "Actually, that reminds me..." he mused, stepping back slightly and flashing his ring to them.


    "Is he married?" All three thought, hearts panging slightly at possibly missing such an important event.


    But to their utter shock, the ring shuddered and shook, transforming into yet another human.


    "Ta da!" Ram cheered, silver hair swinging as she immediately leapt on Rosan.


    "Since you met Mod and I... it''s only right you meet my daughter. This is Ram," he introduced, hugging her back easily and smiling in amusement as she rubbed her cheek against his own.


    "I love when you call me your daughter, Father," Ram gushed, enjoying the way her heart warmed.


    "D-Daughter?" Dalia stammered in confusion, looking at the tall and gorgeous woman with silver hair... who looked the exact same age as their nephew.


    "She''s technically 12 but yet. I created her," he mentioned.


    "H-He''s so bold?! Isn''t he only 24?!" Dalia blushed red, gazing away from her perverted nephew with an embarrassed expression.


    "Dumbass," Oren sighed at his idiot of a littlest sister. "I guess that''s also your Devil Fruit? She was just a ring after all."


    Rosan nodded, not sensing Dalia''s growing thoughts on how he was a pervert. "Yeah. I made her a long time ago. She''s my weapon too."


    "The best weapon!" Ram beamed cockily, before glowering at Raisa.


    Raisa flinched again at that, noting the woman''s strange set of eyes.


    "I don''t like you! You make Auntie stressed and when Auntie is stressed, I get stressed because that means I can''t bully her," Ram declared. "Watch your back! Auntie won''t try to kill you but I will!"


    Mod sweatdropped. She was currently stewing, slightly cursing herself for allowing the woman a chance but at least Ram always knew how to make her feel better.


    Raisa gazed at her... granddaughter (?) with a conflicted expression, before bowing slightly.


    "I''ll work hard to gain your forgiveness too, Ram," she said softly.


    "You better Granny!" she grinned.


    Raisa twitched slightly at that. She supposed she was old enough to be considered a Grandma now but the fact that a woman who looked 24 was doing it, felt wrong on all levels.


    Rosan let loose a slight chuckle at that, watching as Dalia approached Ram with a curious gaze.


    "Wow, you''re tall and hot as hell! I''m jealous," Dalia sighed, looking Ram up and down. "But your outfit is way too modest! Next time Rosan visits, we''ll buy you some clothes!"


    Ram squeaked in horror at that, looking at the demonic grin (it was completely normal) on Dalia''s face. She shook her head rapidly and leapt right onto Rosan in ring form.


    "I refuse! I won''t go clothes shopping anymore! You can''t make me demon!" she protested.


    Dalia gazed in some confusion at that, tilting her head to the side a putting a finger to her chin in contemplation.


    "She''ll love it," the woman decided with a happy grin.


    "You have my approval," Rosan snorted.


    "FATHER! YOU FUCKING TRAITOR! I HATE YOU!"


    "No you don''t!"


    "SHUT UP! I KNOW I DON''T!"


    He laughed again and his gaze shifted to the oldest of the siblings.


    Oren kind of reminded him of Demon. They were both level headed but Oren seemed far more... laidback? Demon wasn''t very upfront and confrontational either, but with someone as authoritative as Angel being his twin, he had learned a thing or two.


    There was also builds. Oren was built like a truck and Demon was built quite slender.


    Oren caught his gaze and inclined his head, pulling Rosan into a one armed hug.


    "It was awesome to finally meet you, Rosan! Please feel free to visit anytime¡­ Dalia will be insufferable otherwise and I think Raisa misses you already and you aren''t even gone," Oren chuckled knowingly.


    "...When I have free time, I''ll drop by. I visit these seas often so it won''t be hard," Rosan muttered, returning the hug. "I just need to make sure everything is under control so on that note¡­"


    The youngest one there inclined his head, before promptly vanishing from his spot.


    The three blinked.


    "What¡­?" they said in confusion.


    Just what was Rosan capable of doing?


    Ah, Raisa missed him already¡­ she idly clutched the plush of her son and frowned.


    She should go ensure her citizens that there was no threat and that she had handled it. They were probably in the safe zones.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    A distressed Robin, could only feel tears resurging in her eyes as a familiar and warm presence appeared before her.


    Rosan could only grab the woman leaping onto him and the surprise at the action made him stumble back a bit.


    "Rosan," Robin breathed in such relief, he instinctively wrapped her in a tight hug.


    They exchanged a fierce kiss as relief flooded through both their bodies and Rosan let out a relieved sigh.


    "I''m so glad you''re okay," they said in unison, melding further into the other.


    "I knew you''d be fine¡­ but a part of me worried when you didn''t show up still," Robin whispered.


    "I know, I''m sorry¡­ I landed on a very funny island and I''ll tell you all about it," he murmured, running a hand through her hair and letting out a genuine sigh of relief at seeing her perfectly fine, barring the fact she may have been suffering from slight panic.


    She shuddered in his hold and tightened the grip, brows furrowing slightly at the fact that the redhead... smelt different.


    It likely had something to do with the island he was on and Rosan would eventually tell her.


    Rosan felt her tighten the grip and let out a relieved sigh, practically crushing her against him.


    Robin was the World Goverment''s #1 priority in their crew and the actions of Water 7 showed him that. so seeing her good and well must have meant his other crew was fine too.


    But it seems like Rosan wasn''t the only one who was sent to a rather funny island¡­


    "Monkey D. Dragon¡­ is there a particular reason you''re in a room alone with my girlfriend?" Rosan asked dangerously, clutching Robin tightly against his frame.


    Robin rolled her eyes at the unbelievable redhead.


    "You know I only have eyes on you right?" Robin said in exasperation.


    "Yeah but imagine how many people have eyes on you!" he retorted protectively.


    She sighed with a small smile.


    "Hello to you too, Rosan," Dragon greeted, nonplussed by the redhead''s narrowed eyes. "It seems Kuma sent all of you to a certain location¡­ though I wouldn''t know the reasons why. I was surprised to see Nico Robin appear on our island... Kuma must trust you all quite a bit to reveal this location."


    Robin sweatdropped deeply at that. "It''s fine, Rosan. It wasn''t just me and Dragon, Koala was here as well making sure I felt better because¡­ I was under a lot of stress."


    Rosan''s heart panged at that and he immediately began fussing over Robin again.


    "Are you alright? Anything hurt? Want a massage?" he asked rapidly.


    "Mother hen Rosan is in full effect," Mod laughed, feeling her mood lighten at seeing those two.


    She smiled at his affections and leaned into the touch.


    "Yes I would," she said, sighing in relief as he immediately began giving her a massage.


    "So Kuma sent you to the Revolutionaries?" Rosan muttered in surprise, rubbing her back easily.


    Robin nodded. "When I gathered my bearings, I was here."


    "She was panicking quite a bit and it took a lot to calm her down, but I managed to do it!"


    Rosan turned towards the voice and raised a brow.


    It was a very short girl, who was slim and curvaceous with shoulder length orange hair and large blue eyes.


    "She''s a cute one," Rosan said to Robin. "Koala?" he asked curiously.


    Robin smiled slightly at the sight of Koala happily nodding with a flush due to being called cute.


    "Rosan? Robin?! What are you two doing here?" Sabo asked incredulously, stepping into the room after being dragged here by Koala.


    This was what she wanted to show him?! What happened? Last he spoke to them, they were sailing through the Florian Triangle! Why were they suddenly at Baltigo? Rosan didn''t give him a Save Point...


    "We got in a fight with Kuma and Admiral Kizaru," Rosan grunted.


    "I think he saved our lives," Robin murmured, noticing the redheads glower. "Kuma used the same move on you, that he used on me. I don''t know what happened to the rest... but I was second to go," she mentioned.


    Rosan''s harsh expression vanished and he frowned instead.


    "Dragon, Kuma was a revolutionary, right? What''s his deal?" Rosan asked, turning towards the leader with a stern frown. "Not only did he separate us all, he extracted my memories for my crew to watch as well. He''s attacked us twice now and never captured us."


    Sabo''s eyes widened. Kuma did what to Rosan?! Their former ally was mysterious on the worst of days but this was... why was he suddenly interested in the Straw Hats?


    Dragon frowned at that. "Over the years, Kuma''s motives have become more and more mysterious to us. We don''t know what he''s thinking anymore but the fact that he saved you all¡­"


    "We haven''t spoken to Kuma in a long time¡­ I don''t know why he''d suddenly express such an interest in you guys," Sabo mused, frowning at that.


    He extracted Rosan''s memories? Why? What interest did Kuma have in Rosan and Luffy?


    Rosan scowled. "Well whatever his motives are, I don''t know. After all, he sent you to the Revolutionaries¡­ and he sent me to Wisteria."


    Robin froze completely at that.


    "Wisteria? Raisa''s island?" Dragon asked suddenly.


    Rosan nodded, peering at Dragon with a curious eye. "Yeah¡­ we had quite the catch up," he muttered.


    So that''s why Dragon recognized him somewhat all those years ago. He was acquainted with Raisa...


    That made sense.


    "You met Raisa?" Robin asked in shock, wishing that she were there to see such a thing.


    Rosan had met, Raisa? He had met his birth mother¡­? How did it go?


    "It was¡­ fine. We fought at first but turns out she''s obsessed with me. Wants to reconnect and all that," he informed her, moving to her shoulders now.


    Robin blinked at that, feeling the tension leave her shoulders. "You two made up? She''s obsessed with you?"


    He nodded in some amusement. "She reminds me of myself. Who woulda thought that I''d be similar to my birth mother¡­ all she needed was a hug and now she loves me to death."


    What a thought. Raisa was almost comically attached to him now.


    Robin couldn''t stop the giggle. "You know... the first time I hugged you first, I''m pretty sure you fully imprinted to me so that doesn''t surprise me at all."


    "Imprint is a nice way of putting it," Rosan laughed. "Do you remember your second birthday we celebrated?"


    "The one where I kissed you on the cheek?" Robin asked fondly. After she had done that, Rosan had practically glued himself to her for the next month and did whatever she asked him to do with no complaints...


    Huh, wow. Robin was extremely oblivious.


    "That''s where Rosan definitely fell in love. He was so ecstatic when you actually kissed him on the cheek first. You know he talked about it with me the entire night?"


    Robin flushed slightly. "Did he really?" she asked, gazing at the grinning redhead.


    Shouldn''t he be embarrassed?! Why did he look so proud of himself?!


    Rosan nodded triumphantly. "You were the first girl to kiss me that wasn''t either of my moms! Of course I was happy!"


    "He''s such a dork," Sabo and Koala sweatdropped, gazing at the happy redhead.


    Rosan called himself attractive all the time. It was strangely endearing to see how happy something so simple made him.


    Robin sighed at his adorable antics. "You''ll have to tell me more about your meeting with Raisa later¡­ and I''d like to meet her as well. I have a few choice words to say," she muttered.


    "I gave her a piece of my mind already and I encourage anyone to say whatever they want to her," Mod said with a firm frown, allowing Ram to massage her because of the stress.


    Ram let out a small snort and just continued to gently rub Auntie''s shoulders, getting a small sigh out of her.


    "There''s many things I have to say to her. Her actions were completely irresponsible to you and I''ll let her know that I''m watching her," Robin said firmly.


    "Have at it. She''s holding herself accountable and wants to make it up to anyone who has a problem with her," Rosan replied fondly.


    "That sounds more like the Raisa I know," Dragon said with a small grin. "She''s been lying to herself all these years huh?"


    Rosan nodded in agreement. "So you do know Raisa," he pointed out.


    "You met your birth mother?" Sabo asked in surprise.


    "His birth mother?" Koala asked in confusion.


    "Queen Raisa of Wisteria in the South Blue. In terms of power, I doubt anyone in South Blue will be able to match her strength. Her island is difficult to navigate to as well so she''s very rarely attacked," Dragon informed them.


    Koala''s mouth opened at that. Wow! Rosan''s mom sounded really impressive!


    Dragon turned towards Rosan. "We met a long time ago while she was traveling¡­ she was a spitfire, but she was very kind. I was surprised that she abandoned you¡­ but she was clearly more conflicted than she let off. She had a lot of baggage on her that she wanted to let off but it seems like she was unable too."


    "Yeah that sounds like her," Rosan chuckled. "She''s like a puppy now. She refused to let me go."


    Robin couldn''t help but smile in amusement at that, because Rosan was much the same.


    Even now, he had yet to let her go. She experimentally tried to pull away and smiled knowingly as his grip tightened and he shot her a warning glare.


    "I was just testing something, you tiger," she laughed.


    "Stop that," he chastised, pulling her cheek slightly.


    "So what will you do now?" she asked curiously.


    Rosan frowned at the question.


    The only other Save Point he had, was Luffy¡­ he didn''t know where anyone else in the crew was.


    He did have that bird on Zoro though¡­ it was still with him it felt like. His bird was incredibly far... so maybe somewhere still in the Grand Line?


    "I think I''ll go check up on Luffy. I want to verify what island he landed on and make sure he''s alive," Rosan said after a moment.


    "We''re in a difficult situation. The crew is separated and it might be all over the ocean¡­ You were in the South Blue, I was in the Grand Line¡­ they could be anywhere and we have no good way of truly tracking them," Robin frowned in worry.


    Rosan sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I''ll figure something out¡­ it''s just hard. If anything we''ll probably just have to meet up again on Sabaody," he muttered.


    There was just no way he could find them all, even if he flew. There were just too many places to search...


    Damn it and he had just about finished the next patch of their cubes. He should have just given it to them but he wanted to design it a bit more.


    "Do you want to stay here and continue talking to Dragon? I know he was interested in speaking to you and he is an ally," Rosan whispered quietly to her.


    Robin did want to continue speaking to Dragon. He was a well of knowledge but at the same time, she wanted to be with Rosan. She had already had the scare of her life when he vanished from her sight...


    The Devil Child idly tightened her own grip on the redhead.


    She really did not want to be far from him at the moment.


    Rosan saw the slight distress on her features and sighed. Before he could reassure her, he paused as his cube began ringing.


    Fishing it out, he saw that it was Angel calling him and the redhead frowned.


    Angel?


    "Angel? What''s the matter?" Rosan asked softly.


    "MASTER!" Maro shrieked.


    "Maro? What''s wrong? Is Angel okay?" He asked in concern.


    "She''s having a panic attack!"


    Rosan went on high alert at that. "She what?!" he barked in concern, preparing to teleport over to her location immediately.


    "That''s not the problem right now! Master have you read the Newspaper?!" Maro urged.


    Maro''s voice was frantic and teary and whatever it was that had her so stressed, was very close to bringing her into a state of panic like Angel.


    "The Newspaper? What''s happening in the news?" Rosan asked in confusion.


    There was a shuddering breath over the line as Maro tried (and failed) to compose herself.


    "A-Ace has been captured by the World Government! He''s scheduled to be executed at Marineford!"


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan felt like he was being dipped in ice cold water, as Maro''s words washed over him.


    No that wasn''t right¡­ Rosan felt like his very insides were being frozen solid.


    "What did you just say?" Robin asked nervously, watching both Rosan and Sabo freeze completely at that information.


    Angel let out a sharp wail of distress and they heard Demon''s own frantic voice soothing her. The three rulers of Celadon were in a full state of distress and it was very quickly washing over the inhabitants of the room.


    "A-Ace¡­ he was captured and he''s going to be publicly executed by the Marines! W-We have to stop them! We need to!" Maro explained, voice choked up as tears began spilling.


    Ace was¡­ going to be publicly executed?


    What¡­?


    "That''s not¡­ but?" Mod whispered, unable to believe what she was hearing. She began breathing heavily, red eyes going wide.


    "He''s what?!" Ram barked in disbelief, stopping everything she was doing. "There''s no way he got captured! How the hell did he get captured?!"


    Ace was¡­ Ace was in grave danger.


    Pestilence''s eyes snapped open at that and a deep frown made its way to their face.


    Rosan jumped as a hand touched his own and he gazed at the worried Robin with wild eyes.


    At the same time, Sabo removed his hand from his head as Koala worriedly grabbed him.


    "M-Master? Are you there?" Maro whimpered.


    Rosan snapped out of that and his expression turned terrifyingly calm.


    "Sorry Maro, I was thinking¡­" He muttered, eyes lit with fury. "Alright, I''ll deal with it. Okay, I''ll handle this. I''ll save him. I''ll save Ace."


    Robin was nodding until she noticed something.


    "I?" Robin whispered in disbelief. "Alone, Rosan? You plan on going alone?"


    Much to her dread, Rosan nodded without any hesitation.


    "Alone?" Maro asked in disbelief. "What do you mean alone? I''m coming with you!"


    Robin nodded strongly. "You think you can do this alone?! That''s madness Rosan!" she explained to the fuming redhead.


    "You aren''t coming, Robin," Rosan said firmly, wanting to turn away but refusing to be a coward to her. He looked her directly in her eyes and saw the raw desperation in her gaze as she realized, Rosan was planning on storming Marineford alone.


    But much to her dread, Rosan was staring at her with those eyes that meant that he would not sway from this position no matter what she said.


    "You can''t go alone, Rosan! Please don''t do this!" Robin pressed, clutching his outfit desperately.


    Rosan clenched his fist. "Then I''ll bring Luffy. He''ll go regardless of what I say and even if I say no, he''ll end up going. It''ll be better for me to at least keep in eye on him in the case," he decided.


    "But Master!" Maro shouted. "This isn''t fair! I can''t¡­ I don''t want to be useless¡­ I want to help! I don''t care if I''m Queen, I''ll come!"


    Rosan grit his teeth at that and shook his head as his stress began mounting. "No, you two can''t come. I won''t let you," he decided firmly.


    Bringing either of them... no Rosan couldn''t do that. He wouldn''t...


    Rosan felt a headache blooming from the stress, emotions beginning to flare irrationally.


    Ace was going to get executed... Ace was going to die. His little brothers life was in danger.


    His little brother was going to die.


    Robin was stunned at his insistence. Never did she expect, for Rosan to not want to partner with her and it threw her for a loop.


    This was... this was surreal...


    "But why, Rosan? Why are you so set on keeping us out¡­ I don''t understand! I''m content to go along with all your plans but this is too much! We''re partners, Rosan¡­ I won''t let you leave me behind!" Robin said firmly, set in her own stance.


    "So you just want to die?!" Rosan suddenly shouted, eyes blazing as his stress peaked.


    Robin froze and Maro went completely silent.


    "Don''t you understand, Robin?! Don''t you understand who you are in the Government''s eyes? You''re one of the last pieces they need to get rid of to keep complete control of the world and they''ll do anything to get rid of you!" Rosan snarled. "I won''t... I can''t let what happened at Water 7 happen again!"


    Robin reeled back, stunned silent at the redhead raising his voice. Then she began shuddering.


    "It''s my fault," Robin thought in despair.


    Even despite forgiving her for all her grievances... Rosan would still never forget what happened at Water 7 and it was all her fault.


    Robin showed Rosan how large the target on her back was in the worst possible way and he was acting accordingly... but it hurt so much to know that this was her fault... and a small part of her was utterly wounded at how the roles had shifted and she was the one not being fully trusted now.


    That was...


    Rosan caught himself almost as soon as he exploded and took a shuddering breath.


    Calm. Deep breaths. They were just concerned¡­


    "Of all the members in our crew¡­ you are the one with the largest target on your back, Robin," Rosan whispered. "The World Government want you¡­ they want you so badly and I''d be a damn fool if I threw you into their waiting arms."


    He gazed at her with a torn gaze. "Maro, Robin¡­ You''re not strong enough¡­ I''m not strong enough¡­ I can''t bring you because I''ll be worrying about you the entire time and I won''t be able to focus¡­ Please Robin, Maro¡­ I''m begging you not to subject me to this," he pleaded, ducking his head.


    Robin and Maro were stunned silent at that, not expecting such a raw response out of Rosan.


    "Is it fine if I come then?" Sabo asked with a firm frown. "If I come, that should ease Robin and Maro''s concerns right?"


    Rosan mulled the question over and gazed at Robin.


    The Devil Child saw his eyes, saw the way they begged her and knew exactly what he was talking about.


    If Robin went with him¡­ she''d attract so much attention to herself that Rosan wouldn''t even be able to focus on saving Ace¡­ he''d spend the entire time making sure no one would get her like on Water 7¡­


    Because Robin wasn''t strong enough. She was weak¡­


    "Okay," Robin conceded quietly. "I''ll stay here for now¡­ just please be careful."


    Rosan pulled her into a deep hug, noting that she was shivering and kissed her gently on the head. "I''m sorry," he said truthfully.


    "...Please save Ace, Master," Maro said quietly. "I''ll make sure things over here are stable."


    "...Thank you, Maro¡­ I''ll make sure you see all of it," Rosan said quietly.


    The Queen made a small noise, before the call hung up and Rosan let out a distressed sigh.


    There was simply too much for Rosan to account for and even though he wouldn''t have had a problem bringing Maro (he would have welcomed it in fact)¡­ she had her island to worry about.


    If her identity was gleaned any further¡­ with so many powerful forces around it''d only be a matter of time before she was pressed into revealing more and once that happened, she''d put herself at too high of a risk.


    He wouldn''t risk Celadon like that. Ace would never forgive himself either if it were destroyed for his sake.


    Robin was self explanatory. The World Government wanted her at all costs and Rosan would be a fool to bring her directly to them¡­ just one Admiral was enough to completely decimate his entire crew¡­


    Rosan wouldn''t be able to protect her and save Ace¡­ it wasn''t feasible. He''d need to put his all into saving his brother, defeating the Marines wasn''t even an option...


    He wasn''t strong enough¡­


    "I''m sorry, Robin," he said genuinely, holding her close as he shut his eyes. "I''ll get stronger, I promise."


    Robin''s eyes softened at the disappointed Rosan and she pulled him into a deep hug.


    "I''m fine, Rosan. I''ll be fine," she whispered gently, calming him down to the best of her abilities. "I understand your concerns so I won''t push you to take me. Just please be careful, okay? I won''t forgive you if you die," she said, hiding the small tremor at that thought.


    Rosan gazed at her in wonder. "You''re... too good to me," he muttered in guilt.


    "I know... it''s because you''re too good to me," Robin replied with a reserved smile.


    They stared at each other, before Rosan nodded in determination, eyes narrowing into something fierce as he managed to get his wild emotions under control.


    "I''ll be back before you know it," he murmured, exchanging another moment with her.


    The redhead summoned a similar plush like he had with Raisa (he did it so that she could have something that looked similar to him¡­ but he kinda liked how they looked) and handed it over to her.


    "This will show you everything through my eyes," he said softly. "I won''t leave you in the dark so just keep that near."


    She nodded and accepted the plush of her boyfriend, gazing at it with an unreadable expression.


    Then, she turned towards Sabo and pulled him into a deep hug.


    "Please watch Rosan, Sabo. I''m putting all my faith in you... he''s very reckless and he''ll do anything to save Ace... please just make sure whatever he does doesn''t risk her life,"


    The revolutionary nodded, returning the hug and securing his top hat and pipe. "Don''t worry. We''ll all make it out of this. I''ll make sure of it," Sabo assured.


    "Sabo."


    The chief of staff gazed at Dragon with a serious look.


    "Be careful," was all Dragon said.


    The blonde nodded and exchanged a quick hug with Koala, before grasping Rosan.


    Rosan reluctantly broke away from Robin and she saw his gaze waver once more, before they hardened.


    "Save Ace. Save Ace. Save Ace. Save Ace."


    He would not fail Ace again. Rosan swore he wouldn''t.


    With that, the brothers vanished.


    Almost as soon as they did so, Robin''s brave smile vanished and she sagged into herself with a defeated shudder.


    Once more, she''d be useless to Rosan because she wasn''t strong enough to defend herself from the World Government so she had to sit on the sidelines while he risked his life¡­


    Something needed to change, she needed to get stronger. She needed to regain Rosan''s full trust.


    "Dragon-san¡­ I''d love to exchange information with you but until Rosan comes back, could you help me get stronger?" Robin asked with a fire in her eyes.


    "I''ll help you too!" Koala grinned. "They''ll be fine but it''s a great way to distract ourselves from it!"


    Dragon nodded. "You''re an ally so I''d be glad to help. I''ve been very interested in meeting you, Nico Robin."


    Robin smiled shakily at that.


    Maybe that''s why Kuma sent her here¡­


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Rosan."


    "What''s up Sabo?"


    "I wanna eat the Goro Goro no mi."


    Rosan paused at that and turned towards Sabo in surprise.


    "You want to eat it¡­ right now?" He asked with a raised brow.


    Eating a Devil Fruit was a big change in life... and eating one right before such a battle carried a lot of risks.


    Sabo nodded with a serious expression. "I already decided that I wanted to eat it¡­ but we''re gonna need all the firepower we can get. With what Enel was able to do, I''d probably be able to wipe out a bunch of people."


    Rosan had a pondering expression.


    They were currently in his Pocket Dimension, prepared to head to Luffy when Sabo suddenly sprung that request onto him.


    "You sure? It''s not easy mastering a Devil Fruit and we''ll probably be dealing with a lot of conflict," Rosan muttered.


    Sabo nodded seriously. "I''ll be fine. If anything, I''ll just use basic abilities and rely on my normal fighting style."


    Smart. That would just be a flat boost in power with no downsides¡­


    "Alright," Rosan said easily, beckoning with his head. "Follow me then."


    The two went further into the castle until they made it to Rosan and Robin''s room.


    Rosan wasted no time entering and Sabo followed after.


    The blonde couldn''t help but appreciate the two''s room. They were both impossibly neat with their own little additions that signified who it was.


    There were books stacked neatly on the right cabinet, while various trinkets dominated the cabinet on the left. Sabo spotted various mechanical animals and he gazed at them in interest.


    A bird, a wolf, a tiger...


    "Things I''m using to improve my scouting," Rosan mentioned idly, pushing open the cabinet on the left.


    The redhead rummaged through a counter and pulled out the chest, before turning towards his younger brother.


    "Here, the Goro Goro no mi," Rosan presented, inclining his head as he handed it over.


    Sabo inspected the fruit that would change his life forever.


    With just one bite, Sabo would be changed on a fundamental level¡­ he''d be exactly like his brothers¡­


    "Hard to believe you''re just giving it to me," he mentioned.


    "Nami showed interest in eating it recently. It was either you or her and you asked first," the redhead shrugged.


    "Will she be mad?" Sabo asked curiously.


    "Nah, if anything, I''ll try to find her another Logia," Rosan laughed.


    "Fair enough," Sabo shrugged.


    He brought the fruit to his mouth and bit into it without any hesitation.


    His brothers were having too much fun with their fruits, it was about time he joined them...


    Right after he got this awful taste out of his mouth.


    Sabo gagged in disgust, at the foul and horrific taste in his mouth currently.


    What the hell was that?! No warning would ever have been able to prepare him for what he just ate. Bad didn''t even begin to describe how horrible a Devil Fruit tasted!


    He coughed and spit, all while his older brother looked at him with terrible amusement.


    "Help me asshole!" Sabo rasped, glaring at the insufferable redhead.


    Goddamn his brother was as annoying as ever. It was even worse now that he wasn''t a dry asshole!


    "Bad isn''t it?" Rosan asked, tapping Sabo with a palm and making the taste go away. "You guys made fun of me when Mod-chan said I ended up crying eating it."


    Sabo let out a sigh of relief, coughing a bit at the memory of the taste, and said, "Yeah¡­ sorry about that. I don''t know what we were thinking that day, we definitely deserved that ¡ª"


    Sabo abruptly froze and held his head.


    "I don''t know what we were thinking that day, we definitely deserved that prank you did¡­ where you modified our taste buds," Sabo breathed in shock.


    Everyone''s eyes widened at that.


    "You¡­ remember that?" Rosan asked in disbelief, gazing at his brother wide eyes.


    Before Sabo could properly answer, his eyes widened in utter horror.


    "Shit! Ace is gonna get executed!" Sabo panicked, eyes going wide in horror. "We can''t let that happen, Rosan! I have to apologize for everything! I can''t believe I forgot you guys!"


    Shit shit shit. Sabo was the worst brother ever. How could he ever have forgotten his 3 brothers?! It had been 10 goddamn years and he had not remembered them once!


    Who did that? Forget apologizing! No apology in the world was going to make up for the royal fuck up he just did!


    Oh man, they were definitely gonna kill him and Sabo was going to let them ¡ª


    Rosan pulled Sabo into a deep hug, eyes lit in genuine joy as he took in his brother''s essence.


    "You got your memories back," Rosan said softly.


    "He¡­ got his memories back," Mod sobbed happily.


    "Wooo! He got his memories back!" Ram grinned ear to ear.


    Sabo froze at the touch of his older brother. "Rosan¡­" he breathed in shock.


    His older brother sounded so happy for him¡­ he didn''t sound anything like the robot from years ago¡­


    He knew Rosan had gained his emotions back¡­ but now that Sabo had gained his memories back, it was truly hitting him that he had his older brother in full.


    Sabo let loose blinding grin and took in his brothers essence, allowing those heavy emotions to wash over him as he eagerly returned the hug.


    This whole situation was so surreal¡­ Sabo wasn''t expecting things to suddenly be so clear but he remembered everything ¡ª


    In his excitement at the entire situation, Sabo began feeling overwhelmed¡­


    So he exploded in electricity.


    Rosan grunted as he absorbed the massive dose of electricity and gained a worried look as Sabo began clutching his head.


    "Feel¡­ too¡­ much!" Sabo strained, eyes shutting tight as the Goro Goro no mi began fully assimilating with his body.


    "Take a deep breath, Sabo. Relax," Rosan urged, continuing to absorb the errant lightning strikes that were shooting out of his brother.


    Considering he was practically already full, it wasn''t a pleasant experience.


    He guided the blonde out of his room and all the while, Sabo began taking deep breaths until everything began settling down around him.


    "I see how Enel was able to sense everyone on Skypiea," Sabo said in some shock. "If we weren''t in the Pocket Dimension, I can''t imagine how far I''d feel!"


    So it really was the lightning that expanded his range like that...


    Rosan handed him a glass of water and Sabo gratefully grabbed it.


    The redhead watched in amusement as the cup began sparking and Sabo drank without noticing.


    "We have time still so while I get things sorted, you focus on making your Observation usable and controlling your power output."


    Sabo nodded and downed his entire cup. "I wanna see Luffy badly but you''re right. I''ll work to get this under control and you go get him."


    Rosan nodded and stood up. "We''ll be right back. I just need to figure some things out and how we''re going to approach this¡­"


    The redhead sighed.


    "One step at a time, Rosan. Luffy first," Sabo informed him, shrugging off his coat as he headed to the training fields.


    He nodded at his 2nd most level headed brother and waved, promptly vanishing.


    "Alright, let''s get used to this," Sabo grunted, holding out a fist and tapping into his ability to get a feel for it.


    Instead of going to his fist, he fired off a ridiculous amount of electricity, destroying part of the training field.


    Sabo frowned.


    This would take some getting used to.

 Amazon Island

    Rosan grunted as he landed on pavement.


    He immediately began scanning the surrounding area, noting the sheer amount of people, and his eyes immediately landed on his little brother, tied up by a snake of all things.


    Luffy''s eyes lit up in joy. "ROSAN! YOU''RE ALIVE!" he shouted in joy, ceasing his struggles.


    Rosan approached his brother without hesitation and smiled, relief flooding his body at seeing the youngest well.


    He ignored the three stone bodies next to him.


    "Of course I am. You''d die in seconds without me," the redhead said with a soft sigh, smiling slightly as he fully gauged the arena.


    Were they in a¡­ coliseum?


    Rosan''s gaze darkened. Were they currently in a coliseum and using his little brother for sport?


    What was going on here? Did these people want to die?


    "What is the meaning of this? Not only did one man sneak onto the island¡­ another did?! How did you allow this to happen in my absence?!" a feminine voice shouted over all the noise.


    Everyone went silent and Rosan gazed at the one who said that.


    His eyes narrowed.


    "Boa Hancock? The Warlord?" Rosan thought in confusion.


    "Is this Amazon Island?" he suddenly asked, directing the question towards Hancock.


    The people gasped at that question.


    "Don''t you dare speak to Boa Hancock-sama man!"


    "Who does this beast think he is?!"


    Rosan furrowed a brow at that. Was he not even allowed to ask a question? The people of this island were really pushing it...


    "Do not speak to me, man," Hancock said coldly. "I hate all men and you two are no exception. You should be doing nothing but dying honorably."


    Rosan raised a brow at that and scoffed.


    "Are you gonna come down here and do that yourself?" he asked curiously.


    Hancock let out a mocking scoff herself, flipping her hair behind her head and turning her chin up at him.


    "Why would I waste my time teaching you two a lesson? Someone as beautiful as me will merely watch the execution unfold," she stated derisively.


    "Execution? Is that why you have my captain captured, tied up like he is your prisoner? Are you out of your fucking mind?!" he snarled unexpectedly.


    "You think you can sit here and watch my little brother fight for you like it''s a sport? Do you think him your slave?!" he hissed, eyes transforming into slits.


    "Everyone here is crazy!" Luffy frowned deeply. "They sit here and laugh at their friends being turned into stone right in front of them!"


    Hancock scoffed. "Because they broke the rules so I made an example of them. My people may feel bad but they understand that I am never wrong, because I am beautiful!"


    Rosan stared at her in disbelief.


    Because... because she was beautiful...?


    What the fuck was wrong with her?


    Luffy scowled at her. "You make me sick," he said.


    "What good is your beauty, if you have such an ugly heart?" Rosan asked genuinely, not feeling even remotely attracted to this woman. "You don''t look beautiful to me at all¡­ you actually look really fucking ugly right now."


    You could hear a pin drop at the silence that befell the crowd, due to the words of both Rosan and Luffy.


    "!" Hancock let out a noise of distress and reeled back.


    "Are you alright, Hancock?" Boa Marigold asked in concern.


    "Those two¡­ they''re existence¡­ I can''t stand it! No one should be able to resist me¡­ their mere presence is intolerable!" Hancock announced, holding her heart in pain.


    The crowd began frenzying at that.


    "LOOK WHAT THEY DID TO THE EMPRESS!"


    "MONSTERS!"


    "DEATH TO THEM!"


    "DEATH!"


    "DEATH!"


    Rosan stared, utterly unimpressed, as a giant panther entered the stadium and stared them down.


    "This is Bacura the Executioner. She has served the empresses of this land for generations. She will turn you both into unpleasant memories. I want them out of my sight!" Hancock shouted.


    Rosan sighed. "Really now. You would think by now, people would stop using these animals to fight me¡­ but I guess an island as ignorant as this one wouldn''t know."


    Well, time to go through the motions again as per usual.


    Rosan''s eyes transformed into slits and he stared down Bacura, who immediately went still at the action.


    The cheering amazonians went silent in surprise, as Bacura took a sudden step back.


    "Don''t back up. Come to me," Rosan said steadily, holding out a hand and beckoning the panther forward.


    Bacura gazed nervously at that hand, before gazing into the eyes of the apex predator that was Rosan.


    Everyone''s jaw dropped as the Panther meekly approached Rosan.


    "Who''s a good girl?" Rosan rumbled lowly, putting a hand behind Bacura''s ears and stroking it.


    The panther couldn''t help but curl up and purr at those hands running through its fur with surprising delicacy.


    "Were you really about to eat my brother and I?" Rosan asked gently, eyes narrowed in faux concern. "You know that would make me really sad right?"


    "But you wouldn''t want to make me sad¡­ right?" he asked curiously, eyes glinting mockingly as he turned his gaze towards the gaping Hancock.


    Bacura rapidly shook her head and rubbed her massive cheek against Rosan to prove her point.


    "Of course you wouldn''t want to see me sad¡­ I''m beautiful after all," he finished smugly, flashing a cocky grin at the Snake Empress.


    Wow... so Chopper was right. Rosan felt strangely harassed knowing some animals thought he was good looking.


    Did Robin have to be worried about them attacking her? That was a pretty funny thought.


    Hancock felt a tick mark form at the actions of the redhead. He was completely mocking her, using her own phrase against her!


    Beautiful? He wasn''t beautiful at all! He was a man! No man would ever be beautiful!


    Her annoyance only deepened, as hushed whispers began ringing out through the arena.


    "He is rather beautiful... are all men like those two?" someone whispered.


    "He managed to completely pacify Bacura? Isn''t that strength a true sign of his beauty?"


    "ENOUGH!" Hancock shouted with a deep scowl, silencing them all immediately. "You dare make a mockery of my island and I?! Marigold. Sandersonia!"


    "Of course sister!" they chanted.


    Her sisters needed no further instruction and without hesitation, they leapt onto the field, directly across from Rosan and Luffy.


    Rosan absentmindedly continued to pat Bacura as he gazed at the two.


    "Pity¡­ your sister is the one I wanted to punch in the face," Rosan sighed, removing a hand from the panther. "Run along girl. I''ll pat you more later."


    Bacura nodded eagerly, rubbing that giant face against Rosan once more before bounding off happily.


    Sandersonia and Marigold watched Bacura walk off with a befuddled expression. The way she was trotting off... what was wrong with her?


    "What did you do to Bacura?" Sandersonia asked in confusion, gazing towards the redhead who''s predatory gaze was focused directly onto her.


    She resisted the urge to shiver at that unnerving gaze.


    "The same thing I''m about to do to you guys," Rosan chuckled in amusement. "Show who''s on the top of the food chain."


    Luffy clenched his fist and got into his fighting stance.


    Rosan followed suit, peering at them with a calculating eye.


    Boa Hancock was someone who''s bounty grossly underestimated how much of a threat she truly was.


    Of all the Warlords, hers was probably the most deceitful because she was asked to join the Warlord system in her very first year of becoming a pirate, on her very first bounty. The woman was a complete powerhouse of a pirate and Rosan was fairly sure if she wanted too, neither him nor Luffy would be able to defeat her.


    But that was Boa Hancock. She was a one woman army.


    The rest of her crew, while definitely stronger than the average Marine, etc¡­ were not even remotely as impressive as her.


    Rosan''s eyes transformed into slits and he watched in visible interest, as Marigold and Sandersonia began transforming right before his eyes.


    They grew in size, length increasing dramatically as they morphed.


    "Hebi Hebi no Mi: Models King Cobra and Anaconda," Mod listed immediately.


    "You''re so damn useful, Auntie! You just fire them off so fast!" Ram gushed in awe.


    The Devil Fruit smiled at that and hummed in delight.


    "The curse of the Gorgons!"


    "There it is! Proof that they defeated the Gorgons!"


    "It''s beautiful!"


    "That''s just their Devil Fruits?" Luffy said in confusion, gazing at the stupid crowd.


    "They don''t even know what Devil Fruits are?" Rosan hummed, raising a brow. "This place sure is primitive."


    Rosan grinned violently.


    "I wonder what they think this curse will be?"


    Sandersonia and Marigold went still, as before their eyes, two giant wings burst out of Rosan''s back and he began changing as well.


    The cheering crowd went silent in horror, as one of the men began changing in morphing before their very eyes, turning larger and larger until he even eclipsed the gorgon sisters in size...


    A shadow loomed over them as the obsidian creature threw its head back and roared.


    Hancock''s eyes went alert and she stood up abruptly, at seeing the gigantic creature let loose an earth shattering roar. The lackadaisical empress was on full alert now and she began gnawing her lip at the fact that such a gigantic flying creature was currently in a position to kill almost all of her citizens.


    From the distance, Elder Nyon froze and gazed at the dragon with wide eyes.


    "Is that a dragon?!" she asked.


    "RAOOGHHHH!" Rosan roared, snarling down at the stunned sisters with those violent eyes of his.


    Who to burn first, the Cobra or the Anaconda...


    Why not both?!


    "Wait Rosan!"


    Rosan paused and gazed down at his brother curiously.


    Luffy wrapped his arms around the three stone bodies and gently put them to the side.


    "We gotta keep these bodies safe! I wanna try to save them!" Luffy exclaimed.


    Rosan rumbled.


    "They defended you?" he asked, deep voice rumbling throughout the stadium and making the spectators shudder even more.


    "Yeah!"


    The obsidian dragon merely nodded its head.


    "Understood. I''ll avoid being destructive then," he rumbled, reluctantly transforming back into his human form, though his wings remained.


    "They''re protecting them? But why?!" Kikyo thought in confusion.


    Who were these two men? They had no reason to prioritize the statues lives... when they were in far more danger! This was an execution taking place after all!


    "So we just have to beat them? Then what?" Rosan asked in amusement. "Is Hancock herself going to fight us next?"


    "I dunno but I''ll kick her ass too!" Luffy declared with an eager grin. "It''s been a while since we teamed up Rosan!"


    The redhead cackled, sparks beginning to fly off his body. "I used to support you exclusively because you couldn''t keep up!" he snorted.


    "I can keep up now but I still need your support!" Luffy laughed eagerly.


    "Of course you do. You''re a spoiled brat... you should be glad you''re the youngest, you get these special privileges," Rosan grinned savagely.


    With that, they were off.


    "Spikes underneath!" Rosan reminded, closing the distance with Marigold instantly.


    Ram transformed instantly into a claymore, clashing with the giant blade of Marigold''s polearm.


    Marigold was instantly put on the defensive as Rosan began flying all over and a furious dance ensued between the two that she was quickly losing ground on, due to not having the turning ability to defend her back as fast as he flew.


    "Observation and Armament!" Rosan suddenly barked to the Luffy locked in combat with Sandersonia.


    The rubber boy leapt over a wide swipe of her tail and nodded. "Got it!"


    As he remained airborne, Sandersonia''s hair attempted to lunge for the rubber boy, only for a strong gust of wind to converge around Luffy, pushing him higher than she expected.


    Her observation flared and the anaconda began moving in time with Luffy''s movements, weaving between his rapid flurry of punches to the best of her ability...


    But it was really hard to do so because of the rapid amount of lightning strikes trying to crash into her. The red sparks filled up the arena with dreadful frequency and she could only shriek in pain as one hit her, leaving her open to a punch from Luffy.


    It sent her soaring away and she instinctively lashed out with her tail to grab at him, only for a wall to erupt, blocking her tail.


    Luffy kicked once, launching himself over the wall, before he spun and landed a stretchy heel drop to Sandersonia.


    Marigold wanted to assist her sister due to the fact that she was effectively getting double teamed... but she was completely unable to do so because one of the ones double teaming her, was keeping her fully occupied!


    What was this redhead?! He was capable of doing far too much!


    Rosan sneered, forcing Marigold into the defensive all while he harassed Sandersonia.


    Their weapons clashed repeatedly, Rosan''s far smaller frame matching Marigold''s strength and pushing the woman backwards.


    Marigold tried to regain her footing, but the ground underneath her began shifting rapidly enough for her to lose her footing (despite moving on her tail).


    As she stumbled, her eyes whitened as a foot landed directly on her midsection and the woman went flying backwards.


    She flailed and shouted in fear as her floating body hovered right above the spikes...


    Marigold blinked in confusion as she began getting pulled away from the spikes and back onto the field...


    Until she realized someone was gripping her tail.


    Rosan grinned maniacally, firmly gripping her tail. He flexed his wings and soared high, dragging the flailing Marigold into the sky by the tail. He made direct eye contact with Hancock and mockingly waved with his free hand, before he began spinning Marigold around.


    The spectators screamed in shock as Rosan began whirling around, bringing Marigold''s gigantic body very close to them at speeds that were downright dizzying.


    Marigold''s eyes turned swirly as she was used by the playful redhead''s antics, before he mercifully released her...


    Directly into Sandersonia.


    Sandersonia temporarily blacked out, as the speeding missile of her sister crashed into her with enough force to send them both flying with dreadful speed.


    As they careened through the air, a wall erupted behind them and they brutally crashed into it.


    At least they were spared to the gruesome death of spikes underneath them.


    "Shishishi! You''re a bully, Rosan!" Luffy exclaimed, jumping up and down.


    "It''s been a while since I had fun in a battle. It''s been a while since I was able to mess around so much," he said.


    "I''m glad you''re having fun again!" Luffy said, throwing his arms around his oldest brother.


    Rosan laughed and hugged his utterly adorable little brother, watching as the two sisters struggled to stand up.


    Sandersonia and Marigold gazed at the two lax brothers and realized in no small amount of horror, that they were losing to this strange and terrifying duo.


    "Sandersonia. Marigold¡­ why are you two still playing around with these men?" Hancock asked, finding herself at her limits due to the sight of Rosan mockingly blowing her a kiss.


    That damn annoying redhead!


    P-Playing around?! She thought they were playing around?! If anything, these two men were the ones playing around!


    "W-We''re sorry sis!" they apologized, desperately thinking of how they were going to beat this duo and coming up with nothing.


    So in a moment of desperation, they leapt for the stone bodies of Hancock''s victims.


    "HEY!" Luffy shouted angrily. "Put them down! What do you think you''re doing?!"


    Rosan''s eyes narrowed and he stopped moving as well.


    Normally, hostages like this wouldn''t bother him and he''d just attack all of them, but these were Luffy''s friends.


    "To stop fighting just to ensure they don''t get hurt¡­" Hancock muttered, gazing at the two with confusion in her eyes.


    What was wrong with these men? Why weren''t they greedy and selfish? They were... so confusing...


    "You''re losing so you decide to take hostages?" Rosan rumbled, eyes narrowing. "Quite scummy to use your own subjects as bait."


    "Yeah! This is a duel between us! Leave them outta this," Luffy scowled.


    "This is no duel! This is an execution!" Marigold announced coldly.


    Sandersonia nodded. "All of you are getting executed today and we''ll start with these three!"


    Rosan''s eyes narrowed. Were they stupid? At that point, he''d just kill them once the stones were destroyed.


    "Stop!" Luffy demanded with a look of fury. "LET THEM GO!"


    But they weren''t listening. Sandersonia gripped the body of one of them and prepared to smash it into the ground.


    Rosan watched with predatory eyes, ready to spring into action the moment they were done.


    Luffy''s eyes were ripe with fury.


    "I. SAID. STOP!"


    Rosan froze in surprise, as an intense and heavy pressure washed over the field. It slammed into him, not even remotely affecting the redhead but he was able to feel how heavy it was.


    One by one, people in the crowd began fainting and the redhead slowly turned towards his brother in shock.


    "Was that¡­"


    "Conquerors?" Rosan asked in shock.


    "The will of the supreme king?!" The crowd that was awake gasped in disbelief. "He has access to it?!"


    "But only one in a million people are supposed to have it!"


    "That means he has the Haki of the chosen one!"


    Sandersonia went pale, slowly dropping the body of Marguerite as Luffy''s will imposed itself onto her.


    "Hancock''s the only one I know who can do that," Sandersonia said shakily.


    "That man is a natural born king!"


    "He''s like me?!" Hancock muttered in visible surprise. "So he''s not ordinary either..."


    An oblivious Luffy let out a laugh of relief. "So you two are reasonable! See Rosan, they''re not all that bad!" he cheered.


    "He doesn''t even realize what he did," Ram said in disbelief.


    Rosan''s eyes widened. It was just like when he had first used pressure¡­


    He had no idea he had done so. It was in a room by himself with no one to fall victim to.


    ...How long had Luffy been able to use conquerors? Was this really the first time?


    "Luffy¡­ you don''t realize what you just did?" Rosan asked curiously, stepping up to his brother with joy in his eyes.


    Luffy tilted his head. "What did I do?"


    Rosan sighed in amusement. "You used conquerors, idiot. Look how many people you knocked out."


    Luffy''s eyes widened in excitement. "Wait really?! I did?!"


    Rosan nodded proudly, a smile on his face.


    The confused crowd could only watch as Luffy began cheering of all things.


    "WOOOOO! I DID IT! NOW I''M 3 FOR 3! I''M THE FIRST ONE TOO!"


    Rosan''s smile was wiped right off his face.


    "Hold the fuck up," Rosan said rudely, putting out a hand. "You were not the first to be 3 for 3. I was. It''s me. It''s always been me."


    Mod sweatdropped. What a brat.


    "But you can''t use Observation!" Luffy retorted with a grin.


    Rosan''s eyes narrowed and a scowl formed on his face. "Use Conquerors again right now."


    Luffy nodded and began concentrating, brows furrowing as he reached for something he wasn''t even aware existed.


    The redhead grinned smugly. "What''s the matter Lu? It''s like this," he mocked.


    Even more warriors in the crowd began fainting, as a crushing weight crashed into them and the few conscious warriors gazed at the redhead with a white gaze.


    "H-He has the will of the Supreme King as well?"


    "So h-he''s also been chosen?!"


    Sandersonia and Marigold both resisted the urge to kneel at Rosan''s pressure, gazing at the two arguing with wide eyes.


    "They''re both like me¡­?!" Hancock gaped in disbelief.


    Who¡­ who were these two?!


    "Wait, hold on. We''ve got more things to worry about," Rosan grunted, getting it together. "We''ll save your friends and then we have to go."


    Damn Luffy always infecting him with his childishness.


    Luffy sobered up at that. "What''s the matter? Did something happen? Did you find anyone else in the crew?"


    "Just Robin. I don''t know where anyone else is but we have more pressing matters for now¡­ Our crew will be fine," Rosan said, turning towards the snake women.


    Marigold recovered and scowled.


    "This duel is not over yet!"


    With that, she engulfed herself in fire and transformed her hair into snakes.


    At the same time, Sandersonia''s own hair transformed into multiple snakes and in tandem they began rushing the brothers.


    Rosan raised a brow and shook his head. "This duels been over since the moment your sister refused to join. I was just having fun."


    "Typhoon."


    Before the attack of the sisters could strike, a heavy wind lifted them off the ground and forced the two together.


    The immediate effects were disastrous.


    The two giant snakes were slammed into each other, as the whirlwind crashed into them and the flames of Marigold began spreading to Sandersonia, making the green haired woman shout in a panic.


    Sandersonia screeched as the flames began burning her, thrashing about.


    Marigold tried to get away from her sister but to her utter shock, their tails were wrapped up with each other, courtesy of the grinning Luffy who held up double peace signs.


    "Oh oops, looks like we were still playing around a bit," Rosan laughed.


    As Sandersonia continued to thrash about, she unintentionally got closer and closer to the edged spikes on the ground.


    "SONIA! You''re going too close to the spikes! You need to grab onto the railing!"


    Sandersonia heard the voice of her sister and managed to heed her words, reaching her hands out to grab onto the railing.


    Her long body stretched from the end of the battlefield to the railing as she burned.


    Luffy''s eyes narrowed and he swiftly dashed over to Sandersonia''s location, much to the horror of the conscious onlookers.


    "He''s trying to finish her off!"


    "Scumbag!"


    "Someone stop him!"


    The captain ignored all of that and leapt onto her back, before wrapping his body around the tall woman.


    Rosan tilted his head at the strange action.


    "Was that a¡­" he mused, pondering what he just saw.


    He glanced at Marigold, who looked pale, then at Hancock, who looked like a nightmare had struck her, before humming curiously.


    "You''re protecting them, Luffy?" Rosan asked curiously. "Whatever must be on her back, is quite bad, huh?"


    His words reached their desired result, snapping everyone out of their reverie.


    "That man is blocking the Gorgon''s Eye!"


    "Gorgon''s eye?" Rosan mused and his ear twitched a bit as he heard Luffy begin whispering low enough for no one to hear.


    Well no one but him. His hearing was very exceptional after all.


    "You said you''d rather die than let anybody see this, right? Then don''t move."


    Hm?


    His eyes flitted over to Hancock as she abruptly stood up.


    "The war dance is over! Everyone evacuate the coliseum before the Eye of the Gorgon is exposed!"


    Ah. Now Rosan understood perfectly.


    The words that just came out of Boa Hancock''s mouth, the ending of that sentence was a lie.


    But when the crowd mentioned this Eye of the Gorgon, Rosan detected no lies from them.


    These people were laughably ignorant and Hancock was actively lying to them about this Eye of the Gorgon.


    Fascinating. All this to protect their past¡­


    They sounded like him. Perhaps Rosan really was part Kuja.


    He side-eyed the crying Hancock, who was trying to disguise it and watched as the crowd quickly evacuated, even taking the unconscious people out there to spare them from the horrible fate of seeing their back.


    Soon it was just Rosan, Luffy, Sandersonia, Marigold, Hancock and an old lady who was gazing at him in particular with wide eyes.


    He met her eye and tilted his head before gazing away in disinterest as she remained silent. The redhead floated to the ground and gazed at his little brother tending to the stone statues.


    He placed a palm on one of the stone girl, eyes flashing as he ran a quick scan through their body.


    Rosan pursed his lips.


    "The Mero Mero no Mi. Much like Modification, only the user can undo its effects or else they remain permanently in that state."


    Rosan nodded at that. "I can''t do anything about this," he told Luffy.


    The Straw Hat boy frowned at that and nodded, before turning towards Hancock herself.


    "Hey! Are you still gonna fight us?" he shouted to her.


    Hancock gazed down at the two men, making eye contact with both the curious Luffy and the indifferent Rosan.


    "...No, I''m no longer in the mood to see anymore violence," she said eventually.


    "Then free them!" Luffy requested firmly. "They were just defending me! They didn''t do anything wrong!"


    Her frown deepened at that. "I will free them¡­ but you must choose. Their freedom¡­ or yours. You can only have one, not both."


    There. Now he would prove his true nature. This man, at the end of the day he was just a man. He would prove to them that he was a selfish and greedy man ¡ª


    "Really that''s it? Thank you! Please save them!" Luffy grinned, bowing to them gratefully.


    "Pick up your head idiot. Stop bowing to anyone," Rosan grunted, kicking his brother upright.


    The redhead was sweatdropping a bit because he was pretty sure he was the only smart person here.


    In her emotional high, Hancock and Luffy must have forgot he could fly¡­ and teleport too. Freedom was never something Rosan was willing to compromise.


    Well, he guessed he shouldn''t mention any of that because Hancock, Sandersonia and Marigold actually looked like their whole worldview had changed just off Luffy''s response.


    "This world surely is full of stupid people."


    "not all of them can be like Auntie," Ram grinned.


    Rosan nodded sagely.


    "Why do you try so hard to embarrass me?! Do you like seeing me blush?!"


    "Yes, because you''re very pretty!"


    "STOP THAT!"


    As Hancock made good on Luffy''s request and unpetrified the three, he barely spared the confused trio a glance, merely throwing a towel over to Sandersonia so that she could cover herself.


    The green haired woman caught it in shock, gazing at Rosan with wide eyes.


    "I just don''t wanna stare at your tits," he said blandly.


    She blushed in embarrassment and nodded meekly, covering herself with the towel that he got from...


    Where did he get this towel?


    "You two," Hancock suddenly called, gazing at both Rosan and Luffy. "Come to my castle. There is something I''d like to discuss with you both."


    Rosan scowled. "Listen, I''m glad that this is important to you all but I have something way more important than hearing you berate men. We can''t waste anymore time Luffy. We need to go," he said firmly.


    Luffy looked at his brother and it was then, that he noticed how nervous Rosan. No one else would have noticed it, but Luffy was awfully good at reading his oldest brother.


    He was actually the best at reading Rosan. Luffy had known Rosan''s secret desires since the first time they met!


    Only Meiko and their weird connection was better... which was honestly kinda creepy to Rosan.


    Luffy could see the stress on Rosan from a mile away, so he nodded his head. "Alright. Let''s go."


    "I''ll tell you everything soon. It''s really important and we need to focus all our attention to it," Rosan grunted.


    Hancock for some reason, felt her heart stop at that, as the two brothers prepared to leave the island without at least hearing her out. She was growing steadily more desperate as the two completely disregarded her desires and realized that she had never faced such rejection before.


    She... she didn''t want them to go yet! She wanted to speak to them more!


    Sandersonia and Marigold were shocked as well because they never expected Hancock of all people to get rejected. They gazed at the two brothers who were totally unaffected by her beauty and wondered just who they were!


    "Wait!" Hancock shouted to the brothers. "I just wish to know one thing. Come to the castle¡­ I''ll provide you a boat. I just want to¡­ speak civilly. I assure you I no longer consider you my enemies," she said, hiding her desperation to no effect.


    "This is not a bad idea Rosan. At the worst, you remain enemies. But at best, you get one of the Warlords on your side. Keep in mind, you will be engaging against all the 7 Warlords of the Sea when trying to rescue him. This will evolve into war."


    "Not to mention, you need some way to Save Point back into the real world. Mother''s location hasn''t been verified but we kind of have a clue where Amazon Island is. It''s probably the closest we''ll get to Marineford."


    Rosan stopped and took a deep breath.


    He was panicking now that the battle was over. He was back to being stressed and Rosan hated being stressed.


    He desperately wished he could have brought Robin with him but he couldn''t do that to her.


    "Okay, we can spare some time¡­ but we need that boat then," Rosan agreed slowly, brows furrowed.


    Hancock didn''t bother mentioning the relief she felt, to prideful to do so, at hearing that they''d at least hear her out.


    "Come with me then," she said shortly.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "I''d like to thank you both for protecting us back there¡­ even despite the fact we were trying to kill you."


    "If anyone saw that mark on our backs¡­ we''d have to leave the island forever and never come back."


    Rosan gazed at the tall girl with green hair and tilted his head. "Thank Luffy. Not me. He''s the one with the good heart."


    "It was nothing!" Luffy grinned. "Did we get called here for a banquet?"


    "I would hope not," Rosan grunted. "Luffy we need to talk. It''s about ¡ª"


    "You may come in now, men."


    The redhead paused, a look of slight frustration crossing his features at being interrupted but he just took a deep breath.


    They still had plenty of days.


    Whatever, best to just get this over with.


    Luffy summarily barged into Hancock''s room, while Rosan sighed and walked through.


    The moment they entered through the curtains, Rosan could only think one thing.


    "Robin''s going to fucking kill me."


    "D-Don''t worry! I''ll vouch for you and tell Robin you were the first one she thought of despite this," Mod stammered, blushing a deep shade of red.


    "Father is so loyal," Ram swooned, pleased at his loyalty and gazing completely unaffected at the woman across from her.


    The redhead let out a miserable sigh, that prompted the very naked Boa Hancock to look over at him.


    Did he just... let out a noise of misery at seeing her body? Just who the hell did this man think he was?! Her? Eliciting disgust out of someone? Preposterous!


    The woman stamped down the outrage at Rosan''s reaction and moved her hair aside, turning away from the brothers.


    "You said you saw this mark before, correct. Take a closer look. Where did you see it?"


    Rosan tilted his head at that. This must have been before he showed up¡­ so why was he being called in here?


    Maybe this was punishment for being so annoying. Robin was going to choke him to death. Seeing the body of not only a naked woman, but the alleged most beautiful woman in the world?


    "Hey Enel I know I killed you pretty brutally but do me a favor and save me from my very scary girlfriend?" he said sarcastically.


    Mod erupted in laughter at that.


    That mark on her back... There was no doubt about it. That was the same one he saw on the green ones back too.


    Hancock waited for them to say anything, growing more weary as they remained silent.


    "Well, answer! I don''t have all day here! This isn''t something I like to proudly show!"


    "Oh, I thought I saw it before but that was something different! My friend named Hachi had a similar mark on his head!" Luffy exclaimed.


    "It''s a slave brand. It shows that you belong to the Celestial Dragons."


    Hancock went stiff at that deep voice and began shuddering.


    "So you even know of that, young man," an aged voice said.


    Hancock scowled in outrage and pushed open the curtain without further prompting.


    "Could you put some goddamn clothes on?" Rosan grunted, turning away from her backside.


    He was ignored.


    "You¡­ how did you get in here?!" Hancock shouted.


    "Seriously, put some clothes on. Do you not know what shame is?" Rosan asked.


    Ignored... again.


    "To be fair, you don''t know what shame is either. You used to run around butt naked as a child, forcing Robin to restrain and put clothes on you."


    "My freedom cannot be restrained," he said bluntly.


    "YOU WERE RUNNING AROUND THE ENTIRE SHIP NAKED!"


    "Robin and I bathed together. It was fine!"


    Mod held her head at that. He was so abnormal it was unreal.


    Elder Nyon ignored Hancock momentarily and gazed directly at Rosan and Luffy.


    "You two are the pirates Monkey D. Luffy and Portgas D. Rosan, right?" the old woman asked. "The captain and his shadow¡­ worth 350 and 310 million beris respectively."


    Rosan inclined his head as Luffy nodded. "That''s us."


    Luffy''s shadow huh? That''s what they were calling him?


    He didn''t mind. It was pretty cool.


    The three sisters eyes widened a bit at that.


    These two?! 350 million? 310 million? That''s how much they were worth?!


    "Based on everything I heard about you two¡­ I expected Amazon Island to be in tatters while you and Hancock engaged in a life or death battle... but you''re far different than portrayed," Nyon muttered, pulling out a newspaper.


    "Straw Hat Luffy and Red Devil Rosan¡­ just a few days ago, these two assaulted a Celestial Dragon! Not only that, they ended up escaping from their forces and ended up here in such a short time!"


    All three sisters recoiled in shock, opening their mouths in disbelief at hearing of their escapades.


    They gazed at the two brothers with wide eyes, unable to believe that they would be willing to attack one of the Celestial Dragons.


    "They tried to buy me after I outbid them to get our friend back. They were asking for it," Rosan shrugged.


    "Yeah! Rosan''s mine!" Luffy said with a deep frown.


    "Robin might disagree a bit with that," Rosan said dryly.


    "You''re ours!" Luffy beamed.


    The redhead sighed and nodded with a small smile.


    "Yes Luffy I''m you and Robin''s and everyone else''s in our family. I belong to you all. I am your willing servant. This is my course as Mother Hen Rosan," he said sarcastically.


    "You know it''s true. Just like you claim them all, they all claim you!"


    Rosan rolled his eyes.


    So he was a little whipped... so what?! His family was adorable!


    Hancock looked at the anomalies with disbelief in her eyes.


    They were¡­ who were they¡­? They struck¡­ a Celestial Dragon?


    Such reckless men¡­ they were just like¡­


    "Rosan."


    Rosan raised a brow and turned towards the old lady, glowing eyes peering at her.


    Those glowing eyes of his¡­


    "You are an Iris," Nyon stated matter of factly.


    "An Iris?" Hancock thought, trying to remember where she heard that term before.


    "Yes. My biological mother is Raisa," Rosan answered truthfully.


    Nyon''s eyes widened, knowing that their appearances were too similar to be a coincidence. "So you''re Raisa''s child! Are you here to complete the visitation ritual that all the Iris do? How old are you?!"


    He only looked a little older than 16... if she had to guess, Gloriosa would assume he was around 18 - 20 years old ¡ª


    "24," Rosan replied easily.


    "THAT''S WAY TOO OLD!" Nyon roared indignantly. "Why did you take so long to visit the island? You should have been here at 16! It''s been almost 8 years!"


    It was a tradition for a blooming Iris to visit Amazon Island once they turned 16! While it wasn''t heavily reinforced, it was good for the separated families to know each other!


    "Wait just one moment!" Hancock interrupted with a deep look of confusion. "Visit? Why would a man be allowed to visit Amazon Island?! No man is allowed here!"


    Nyon gazed at Hancock with a look of realization. "Right, you have no idea and it''s been a while since an Iris has shown up¡­ Hancock, Sandersonia, Marigold... Rosan is your cousin."


    Hancock blinked.


    "Huh?" she said dumbly.


    "What?" Sandersonia gaped.


    "Pardon?" Marigold''s jaw dropped.


    Luffy''s eyes bugged. "SHE''S YOUR COUSIN ROSAN?! WHY DIDN''T YOU SAY ANYTHING?!"


    Rosan shrugged. "Guess Shakky really was telling the whole truth. As for why I didn''t visit, I don''t acknowledge myself as an Iris. I was abandoned at birth. I had no idea I was even supposed to visit."


    "Oh so you met Shakuyaku as well?" Nyon asked with a pondering expression.


    Abandoned at birth? Such a thing sounded preposterous¡­ Gloriosa had met Raisa out at sea in the New World and that girl didn''t have a single bone in her body that would lead her to abandoning a baby.


    This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    "Yeah. Told me to call her Auntie," Rosan muttered. "So if I visited this island. I wouldn''t have been killed immediately?"


    "It''s been a law not to attack any of the Iris who visit. It''s been a long time since another visited," Nyon explained patiently. "You are family after all¡­ though reactions were quite negative when Empress Allium left so long ago, we eventually made amends and try to promote unity."


    Rosan nodded at that. "So they broke the law," he said accusingly, pointing a finger at Hancock, Marigold and Sandersonia.


    The three spluttered at that.


    "H-How were we supposed to know?!" Sandersonia stammered.


    This man was her cousin?! This was¡­ This was a lot to take in!


    "We offer our deepest apologies, cousin!" Marigold bowed.


    "A-A man is my cousin?" Hancock stuttered in disbelief. "This must be¡­ I broke no law! I''m Empress! I make the laws!"


    Rosan snorted and shrugged. "Like I said, I didn''t come to visit this island for any tradition. I''m here for Luffy. I never once intended on visiting this place," he answered truthfully.


    He then turned towards Hancock. "Now, why did you want us to take a look at the slave mark on your back? I guess you have a past that you''re running away from?" he guessed correctly.


    Damn, maybe they were cousins.


    Hancock sobered at that and gazed wearily at Luffy and Rosan. "Considering you recognized the mark on my back¡­ you must know what that entailed right?" she asked quietly.


    Rosan nodded. "You three were captured by the World Nobles and enslaved by them," he said.


    Luffy''s eyes widened. "No way!"


    Hancock nodded, feeling so small at the moment. "It was a terrible time¡­ my sisters and I were slaves for 4 years and it was the most awful time of our lives. Everyday, I just wished for death."


    Rosan listened to Hancock''s tale with a tilted head.


    For 4 years, she had been captured by the Celestial Dragons and for 4 years, she had been suffering the entire time with her sisters.


    They had even been forced to eat their Devil Fruits¡­ just as a form of sick entertainment.


    But one day, a Fishman by the name of Fisher Tiger had scaled the holy land of Mariejois with his bare hands, attacked the World Nobles and freed every single slave, human and fishman.


    The fishman took the mark of the slaves and rebranded it into that of the sun but Hancock and her sisters had not done the same.


    No unlike the Sun Pirates, they shamefully hid their marks, refusing to let anyone see it.


    Instead, they lied to the citizens of Amazon Island and claimed they were cursed with the Eye of the Gorgon.


    Throughout the story, Sandersonia had begun to have a mental breakdown and even Hancock began shedding tears.


    Rosan watched a tearful Marigold soothe her sister, head tilting as they were forced to relive their trauma.


    "If anyone sees this mark¡­ we can no longer live here anymore! If you two hadn''t protected Sonia today, we would have left!"


    Hancock let out a weak sob.


    "I don''t want anyone to know about our past! Even if it means deceiving my people, I have to continue the pretense. I don''t want anyone to control me ever again!"


    Rosan''s gaze softened at that.


    The urge to be free from your past. The desire to never be forced to submit to someone else¡­


    Kami since when was he such a sap?


    "You''ve always been one, Rosan. It''s what everyone loves about you. Your heart is full of so much empathy, that it can sway even the most scarred hearts. Even Rouge, chose to rely on you when you opened up to her."


    Rosan pondered that. Yeah that was right,his empathetic heart had just been sealed too. Just like he tried to do with Maro...


    Maybe more people deserved his empathy... the world wasn''t all bad.


    "Do you two despise me, now that you know I''m a slave?" Hancock asked eventually.


    "No. I hate the Celestial Dragons," Luffy said bluntly.


    Hancock froze at that, gazing at Luffy with a stunned expression before she smiled tearfully.


    "I like you!" she exclaimed to the rubber boy, wiping her eyes slightly.


    Then, she hesitantly looked towards her cousin with a brave expression.


    "Of course I don''t hate you for being a slave. I was a slave too, you know?" Rosan revealed truthfully.


    Hancock''s teary eyes widened. "R...Really?" she asked quietly.


    The redhead nodded and sighed, leaning back and gazing into the sky.


    "It wasn''t as long as you but yes. When I was just 8, I was a slave for 6 months to a doctor who wanted to exploit me for my skills. He tortured me in anyway he knew how, all in hopes of making me submit but I would never let someone like him control me."


    They listened to his tale with with blatant curiosity, wanting... to know more about their interesting cousin.


    "I eventually began biding my time and when the opportunity arose, I freed myself and killed everyone who dared to hurt me," he revealed, eyes flashing as that distant past came to him like it just happened.


    Hancock''s eyes widened at that and she gazed at her cousin in visible interest.


    He... killed them all? That was... incredible.


    "For a long time, I let the past of that man cling to me. He tainted me in a way that even now, is visible but¡­ I no longer let him chain me down like he used to because I am free and I''ll never allow anyone to jeopardize that again," Rosan said truthfully.


    He gazed at Hancock with brilliantly glowing eyes and pierced through her soul. "Don''t let the past cling to you. You''ll never be able to look forward to the future if you do that."


    Hancock, Marigold and Sandersonia was speechless, just gazing at the two with an incomprehensible expression on her face and Rosan let out a soft sigh.


    "Turn around," he demanded suddenly. "Reveal your mark again."


    Hancock jumped, unable to refuse the order and turned around, revealing the mark of the Celestial Dragons to Rosan''s searching eye.


    The redhead merely placed a warm palm on it and Hancock shivered at the touch.


    "What¡­ are you doing?" everyone, barring Luffy asked.


    "Removing your past," he said blandly, eyes glowing brilliantly.


    "Modification."


    Unbeknownst to Hancock, the mark on her back began slowly vanishing.


    Sandersonia and Marigold saw it though and their eyes bugged out of their head.


    Was that¡­ was this what they thought it was?!


    Was he¡­ Was he truly removing their past...?


    Hancock merely shuddered as his palm rested gently on the mark for a few seconds.


    "You wanna know something else?" Rosan asked, stepping back to inspect the area.


    Her skin was perfectly unblemished, no sign of the branding there any longer and he nodded in satisfaction.


    If he were younger, he''d be unable to do this but now... now it was easy.


    "You¡­!" Hancock gaped, tears brimming into her eyes as she gazed into a mirror and saw nothing on her back.


    He¡­ he removed it?!


    Rosan didn''t technically remove it¡­ he just modified it and made it the exact same color as her skin so it blended in perfectly. Removing it would require ripping her skin off or a level of Modification that he didn''t quite have yet.


    But they didn''t need to know that. Let it be a little white lie.


    "Sometime after I freed myself from slavery, I ran into a Celestial Dragon too," he revealed with a small smile.


    Hancock sniffed and gazed at him, overwhelmed with emotion as she gazed at her cousin like he was her savior. "W-What happened between you two?"


    Rosan grinned cockily, sharp fangs flashing. "He wanted to have me enslaved, so you know what I did?"


    "...What?" she asked a little eagerly.


    "I killed him!"


    There were audible gasps as he revealed that information.


    Everyone was gazing at Rosan like he had grown a second head. They began doubting his claims, but then realized that just a few days ago, they had struck another Celestial Dragon...


    He was insane..!


    "Really?" Hancock asked in disbelief.


    "Of course. I don''t lie," Rosan snorted.


    "...All I do is lie," Hancock said quietly.


    The redhead pat her head. "You should stop lying so much, cousin. Causes less of a headache when your honest."


    "...I''ll keep that in mind¡­ cousin," Hancock replied in a whisper, tears falling freely.


    Then, she let out a choked sob and tackled him to the floor.


    "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" she sobbed freely, squeezing him with all her might.


    Rosan grunted in surprise and returned the hug, before realizing a startling detail.


    "Put on some goddamn clothes!" he complained, grabbed her stray cloak and modifying it so that it could wrap around her frame.


    Hancock ignored him again and just continued crying, making the redhead roll his eyes.


    He stood up, ignoring the woman hugging him and turned towards the other two sisters, beckoning them forward.


    "C''mon my other cousins," he said, even as Hancock wept against him. He just absentmindedly pat her.


    Man he was good at this therapy stuff... and it felt good having someone be thankful for his presence.


    Sandersonia and Marigold sniffed, approaching their cousin with wide eyes and presenting their marks to him as well.


    Rosan looked at the taller woman and nodded to himself, reaching over Hancock and placed a palm on their exposed backs.


    As he removed the slave marks from Sandersonia and Marigold, Rosan watched as Hancock finally released her self to inspect the process.


    Her eyes widened at watching him in action and as he wrapped up his business, the three began shaking.


    They slowly approached each other and began inspecting the others backs, before reality hit them and they collapsed into each other.


    At the first sharp wail, Rosan turned on a dime and began walking out of the room before the three could crush him.


    "Come Luffy, we need to discuss."


    "I''m hungry," Luffy moaned in distress.


    "I-I can prepare some food for you both," Hancock whimpered.


    "We can eat while I talk, that''s fine," Rosan muttered, glancing towards the old lady following them.


    "What did you do?" Elder Nyon asked in shock, gazing at the redhead in fascination.


    She thought his ability was to transform into a dragon? What had he just done?


    "That''s not something I feel very comfortable talking about," Rosan said truthfully. "It was my Devil Fruit, but I won''t go into detail about it."


    Nyon nodded, merely looking at the son of Raisa with searching eyes.


    He was very different from how she expected an Iris to act. Despite overflowing with emotion, he did manage to control it to a suitable degree.


    There were some glimpses to the face that he had on his bounty poster but other than that, the Red Devil wasn''t nearly as cruel as he were portrayed as¡­


    But she didn''t know what he was like truly.


    A slave¡­ how would Raisa feel if she knew her son had been enslaved?


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan floated away from the grabby woman of Amazon Island, who insisted that his body could stretch like Luffy''s.


    Idiots.


    He idly ate his plate of food at the very top of the castle, wings resting on his back, and watched as Luffy finally grew tired of the crowd and launched himself up to the roof to meet Rosan.


    Rosan gazed at the rubber boy, noting that there was a blonde girl (the one who had been stone) with him and he gazed at the two with a neutral expression.


    Marguerite gazed at the redhead with curious eyes.


    "This is one of your friends, Luffy?" she asked curiously.


    Luffy nodded happily. "He''s my oldest brother!"


    Her mouth opened in shock. "Wow! I had no idea you were Luffy''s older brother!"


    "I heard you defended and saved his life," Rosan said idly. "You have my thanks. Luffy''s an idiot. If you want something, I''ll try and get it for you."


    Marguerite smiled happily. "Can I have your jewels?" she asked immediately.


    Rosan perked a brow at that.


    Bit greedy of her but hey, he had a lot.


    The redhead extended his hand and summoned some jewels from his pocket dimension, handing them over to the confused woman.


    "You don''t look satisfied. Do you want more?" he asked curiously.


    So really greedy. Nice. Luffy sure did pick them.


    "It''s not that... I don''t want these kind of jewels," she said.


    Rosan blinked very, very slowly as she pointed at his pants.


    "Those jewels. I want the ones there. Luffy refused to give me his."


    Rosan heard Mod choke on her spit, as the implications struck her and he gazed at the blond with a bewildered expression.


    He opened his mouth, then shut them... then he gazed at Luffy, who was protecting his family jewels and then he looked back at the expectant Marguerite.


    "I think I''ll pass," he said dryly. "I''d rather not part with them. They mean a lot to me and someone would be sad if I lost em."


    "You are such a shameless pervert. Robin''s going to kill you for saying that last part."


    "How many times do we have to go through this? I''m not a pervert mother. You of all people would know if I''m a pervert. We bathed together so much when I was a kid."


    "M-Me of all people?!" Mod stammered with an atomic red blush.


    "Duh Auntie! Look at those things!" Ram cackled, pointing directly at her breasts.


    "LEAVE ME ALONE! THIS IS SEXUAL HARASSMENT!"


    Rosan snorted at that, before gazing towards Luffy.


    "Ready to listen to me?" Rosan asked, noting the old lady failing to hide so she could listen in.


    Whatever. He didn''t quite care.


    "Sorry," Luffy apologized sheepishly. "What''s the matter?"


    "Ace has been captured by the World Government. He''s set to be executed in a few days and there''s going to be a war between them and the Whitebeard pirates."


    ¡­


    Luffy felt the world freeze at the quick and blunt answer¡­ The rubber boy gazed shakily at Rosan with wide eyes.


    "What¡­?" Luffy said shakily. "WHAT?!" he shouted, beginning to shake Rosan.


    "A-ACE?! THEY CAPTURED ACE?!"


    "Calm down Luffy!" Rosan urged, eyes transforming into slits as Luffy''s panic seeped into him.


    "It seems as if you''re saying that more for your sake," Nyon said warily.


    Rosan''s sharp gaze shifted over to her and she flinched at the blistering rage in them.


    "So you''ve heard about the execution of Fire Fist Ace as well," she said slowly, gauging the redhead like he were a wild animal.


    It was almost like he truly were an animal in that moment. One wrong word, and he''d probably set his fangs onto her.


    Luffy''s dread only grew. "Ace¡­ is going to be executed?! But that doesn''t make any¡­"


    Nyon nodded. "He was captured by someone by the name of Blackbeard¡­ the new Warlord for the World Government."


    Rosan''s eyes turned murderous. "Blackbeard?!" he snarled furiously.


    That slimy son of a bitch actually defeated Ace? He knew he should have killed that scumbag! Rosan knew he should have been dead at his feet!


    "We were so close to killing him and now this has happened... I can''t believe such poor timing snowballed into this," Mod frowned in distaste.


    "We need to save him¡­ Ace would be mad if we tried but he''s our brother!" Luffy said resolutely.


    "He can fucking complain about it after he''s back on our side," Rosan snarled. "Sabo''s joining us too. We''re going in there and we''re going to save Ace no matter what."


    Luffy''s eyes widened at that. "Sabo?! He''s coming too?!"


    Rosan nodded.


    "Wait just a minute!"


    Nyon''s eyes were wide in horror. "Fire Fist Ace is your brother? You two plan on intervening in the war between Whitebeard and the World Government?!" she asked in disbelief.


    "That''s incredibly reckless! You two are exceptional¡­ but with only you two, it''ll be no different than throwing yourself in a hurricane!"


    Rosan scowled. "I will never leave my brother behind. Not again. Ace will take my help whether he likes it or not," the redhead snarled.


    "We''ll save him Rosan!" Luffy assured, clenching his fist tightly. "We won''t let Ace die!"


    "We damn sure won''t!" Rosan snarled.


    Nyon looked at the two psychos with wide eyes.


    They were hellbent on imposing themselves into a battle between two titans¡­


    "Fire Fist Ace is currently being held in Impel Down and he''s scheduled to be executed in six days time¡­ if you want the highest chances of saving him, you must somehow infiltrate that place. If you wait for Marineford, he will be guarded by all of the World Government. Trying to pierce through the 3 Admirals and Fleet Admiral will be impossible," Nyon informed, refusing to leave these two to the wolves.


    Rosan turned towards her, those glowing eyes of his peering through her as he began running calculations.


    "Impel Down is impenetrable. How will we possibly get in there to save him?" he asked with a frown.


    That was the best way to save him¡­ maybe Rosan could fly over and modify a hole into the wall.


    But no, Ace was likely one of the most valuable pirates they had captured in recent history. They would be fully guarded right now and he''d be found out¡­


    "If you take a Navy Ship there¡­ you''ll be able to reach it in 4 days and the gates will open for you as well."


    Rosan''s brows furrowed but before he could say anything Nyon spoke up again.


    "Recently, all the Warlords have been summoned to battle at Marineford. Naturally, Hancock is of no exception¡­ but she has refused the summons. If you two are able to convince her to come, you could use her to infiltrate Impel Down."


    Rosan paused at that.


    "You see? Patience is a virtue. Connections are powerful. We''ve been offered a new road to save Ace and it''s one that could only come to us because we waited and listened and offered our help."


    Rosan nodded slowly, a plan stewing in his mind.


    "You''re right, Mod-chan... I should at least listen first. Guns blasting immediately can kill opportunities," he muttered.


    "That''s a good idea. Okay. Where''s Hancock, let''s talk to her," Rosan grunted.


    Luffy nodded eagerly. "Yeah let''s go find her!"


    The brothers leapt off the spot where they were at and Rosan effortlessly grabbed the two woman there, wrapping them in his tail as he soared over to Hancock''s position.


    As they arrived to the entrance, Rosan''s brows furrowed at the sight of a panicking woman. She seemed to be in visible distress but the moment she saw Nyon, a look of relief made its way onto her face at seeing their arrival.


    "Grandma Nyon!" The Kuja pirate shouted. "I''m so glad you''re here! The Snake Empress has fallen victim to an unknown illness!"


    Well wasn''t that just fucking convenient?


    Rosan nearly ripped out his hair in frustration the moment he heard that.


    Were they fucking serious?! Of all the time for her to be subjected to some unknown disease... it was now?!


    "At least pretend like you care," Mod sighed.


    "You two wait out here," Elder Nyon said urgently, moving swiftly into the building.


    Rosan watched her go with a neutral expression and grunted.


    "Sabo has his memories back," he said suddenly.


    Luffy''s jaw dropped. "WHAT?! Wait! Where is Sabo?!"


    "In my pocket dimension. He''s been practicing with his Devil Fruit, though he''s probably wondering where I am right now," he muttered.


    "HIS DEVIL FRUIT?!"


    Rosan put a finger in his ear. "Yeah, the Goro Goro no Mi. Enel''s fruit."


    "WHAAAT?!"


    "Kami, you''re so fucking loud," Rosan complained, gazing at his brother with an annoyed expression. "I''ll pay him a visit after we get this settled with¡­ just leave your Straw Hat out here."


    Luffy''s eyes were bugged and he nodded eagerly. "I can''t wait to see him! Does he really remember us?!"


    Rosan nodded. "He was holding his head when I mentioned Ace but as soon as he ate the Devil Fruit, he remembered everything. The Goro Goro no mi must have given him a final push in his memories unlocking."


    Luffy''s grin could brighten the night and despite everything, Rosan found himself smiling too.


    "We got Sabo back¡­ now we just need to get Ace," he murmured, idly pulling his youngest brother into a hug to calm his nerves.


    Luffy accepted it easily, wrapping his arms around his oldest brother. "We''ll save him no matter what!"


    Rosan nodded, a fire in his eyes.


    Ace hadn''t even gotten to meet the Rosan that was so emotional. Ace didn''t know that Sabo regained his memories or ate a Devil Fruit¡­


    Ace didn''t know that they had unlocked their Haki, or that Rosan was happily in a relationship with Robin¡­


    And if they let him die, he''d never know so Rosan would wrap his claws around the very heavens themselves, and tear it all apart, to save his brother.


    They perked up in confusion as Hancock herself appeared outside of the room.


    Rosan tilted his head at her flushed expression and saw movement in the corner of his eye, prompting him to look up at the window to see Nyon, Sandersonia and Marigold all looking through it.


    For some reason, Nyon was looking at him rather suspiciously.


    Huh? Did he do something? He was sure he didn''t...


    The woman gazed at them both, joy in her eyes that she failed to hide behind a neutral expression.


    "What is it, Luffy, Rosan?" she asked gently.


    Rosan blinked. "Isn''t she a bit affectionate all of a sudden?" he mused.


    "We need your help with something!" Luffy said immediately, allowing Rosan to explain.


    The redhead nodded. "I know this isn''t going to be easy for you, but you were summoned by the World Government. We''d like you to accept that invite and smuggle us into Impel Down, so that we can save our middle brother, Ace."


    He ignored the outraged noises of his other two cousins, glaring at them and cowing them immediately.


    He understood her grievances with the World Government but this was urgent. If they could do this, they could save Ace.


    It was a bit of a longshot asking her, but this was the best way to try and save Ace ¡ª


    "I accept. I''ll help you two to the best of my ability!" Hancock beamed without any hesitation.


    Rosan blinked slowly, gazing at her with a tilted head.


    Huh? Wasn''t that too easy?


    "Really?!" Luffy asked in joy.


    Much to Rosan''s further confusion, Hancock gazed at Luffy and her flushed cheeks grew even darker.


    Hold on.


    Wait a goddamn minute.


    "Of course! If that''s your wish, I''ll gladly follow it, Luffy~," Hancock gushed.


    No seriously. Wait a goddamn minute.


    Then she turned towards him and strong armed him into a hug that Rosan didn''t resist.


    "Rosan is my cousin too! That''s what family is for! Right, cousin? It''s my job to help you to the best of my abilities!" Hancock gushed.


    ¡­


    Forget the part where Hancock was eagerly calling him family, as if they had been raised together...


    Was this woman¡­ was she in love with Luffy?!


    Nyon''s jaw dropped to the floor.


    "I THOUGHT SHE WAS IN LOVE WITH ROSAN! SHE''S IN LOVE WITH STRAW HAT?!" The woman gaped.


    "BIG SIS IS IN LOVE?! WITH STRAW HAT?!" Sandersonia and Marigold gaped in disbelief.


    W-What?! But how?! How did something like this happen?!


    Rosan snorted and if the situation were less dire, he would have erupted in full blown laughter.


    "She is... in love with Luffy of all people?" Mod asked in disbelief.


    "Kahahahaha!" Ram laughed in a complete uproar, clutching her stomach.


    T-This was rich! Seriously?! Their little rubber dumbass?! Angel was gonna flip!


    He couldn''t wait to tell Sanji and his family about this.


    "Thank you, Hancock," Rosan said truthfully, returning the hug and watching as the shorter woman melted in his grasp. "I appreciate it."


    Hancock immediately began gushing over how cute her little cousin was. "Of course! As your big cousin I must spoil you rotten! Oh did you eat enough today? Should I prepare you both more food? Are you tired? You can sleep on my bed and I''ll read you a book goodnight!"


    "...Did you two just tame the world''s most beautiful woman?"


    "Don''t ask me. How old does she think I am? 10?" Rosan thought in amusement, allowing her to fuss over him.


    Two in one day. First Raisa, now Hancock.


    That settled it, his family lineage really was weird.


    "Thanks Hammock!" Luffy cheered, jumping into the group hug.


    The moment he did so, Hancock seized up and began steaming, before going limp in their grasp.


    "She fainted," Rosan said blandly, gazing at the dumb smile on her face.


    He gently hoisted the woman up and began floating up to the window where they were being spied on.


    The three spies looked like they had seen a ghost and Rosan handed Hancock back over to them, before removing Luffy''s Straw Hat from his head and handing it over.


    "Protect that with your life, don''t damage it," Rosan instructed. "Now please tell me, was Hancock''s sickness related to her being in love with my little brother?"


    Nyon nodded slowly. "Admittedly, I thought she was in love with you¡­ but yes. All the previous Empresses of Amazon Island, contract love sickness at a point in their life. Those who refuse to leave the island and follow their love, die. By having Hancock agree to go with you two, she won''t die."


    Love sickness¡­ what the hell?


    "Did this sickness carry onto the Iris lineage?" Rosan asked curiously. "Did it mutate into something? Is that why we are so emotional?"


    "The Iris have always been an emotional bunch, though I wouldn''t be surprised if Love Sickness did affect you all in some way. Empress Allium had it as well so it stands to reason, some of you might contract it," she explained.


    Some way was one way to put it. Rosan''s heart had been shattered twice and nearly ruined him for good. First at Daybreak and second with Meiko. He fell in love very hard.


    "Well whatever the case¡­ when Hancock is ready just have her fiddle with the Straw Hat," Rosan said calmly, grabbing Luffy. "We''ll be back tomorrow."


    Nyon nodded. "Where are you going? Back into the forest? That''s quite dangerous."


    "Where I''m going will never be dangerous. Don''t worry about it."


    With that, the redhead vanished along with Luffy.


    The three blinked in disbelief, reaching out with their observation and feeling their confusion widen at feeling no sign of either of them.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Sabo had been working with his Devil Fruit since Rosan left, only stopping to grab a quick bite when he felt hungry... and growling in frustration at messing it up with his lightning.


    He remembered how he and Ace used to make fun of Luffy for not being able to properly use his techniques, due to Rosan saying he understood a lot of his own techniques fairly easily.


    Sabo was beginning to realize that Rosan was a freak and that Mod was truly an exceptional woman.


    While he wasn''t suffering nearly as much as Luffy, utilizing the Goro Goro no Mi effectively, was not nearly as easy as he thought it were going to be.


    Power output, shaping the techniques, trying not to fry everything around him unintentionally¡­ it was difficult to get it exactly how he wanted it to be!


    If Rosan hadn''t been partially immune to electricity, he would have fried his brother! He was lucky for that because injuring Rosan so harshly would have filled him with guilt for a while...


    He was getting a lot better with it but there was a lot to learn.


    Besides that, he had been adjusting to having his observation range suddenly skyrocket and though it was hard to test in the Pocket Dimension, he was fairly sure he got it down.


    The Pocket Dimension¡­ it was thanks to this place that Sabo was even able to not get utterly overwhelmed by his Observation. It was very useful and had no other presence inside of it.


    Speaking of which¡­


    "Have you taken any breaks?" Rosan asked, watching Sabo easily turn to regard both him and Luffy.


    Whatever Sabo was about to say, was cut off as he made eye contact with Luffy and a wide grin split his face.


    "Luffy!" Sabo shouted in relief, vanishing from his spot in a flash of thunder and appearing directly in front of his brother.


    "SABO!" Luffy cheered, grinning just as large at the sheer familiarity in his brothers voice. "YOU''RE BACK! OH AND YOU ATE A DEVIL FRUIT!"


    Sabo laughed in sheer relief, as his youngest brother engulfed him in a hug. "I''m so sorry for forgetting you guys. I''m the worst brother in the world¡­ I should have asked for help back then but I wasn''t thinking straight!"


    "It''s okay! We got you back now and Rosan and Ace stopped fighting too!" Luffy beamed, refusing to let Sabo go for a second.


    Before, at Alabasta, Sabo had thought it was overbearing, but now¡­ he wouldn''t exchange this for the world. He easily hugged his youngest brother and let loose a relieved sigh at actually seeing him.


    "I''ll fill you in on the plan, Sabo. A lot has suddenly taken place and we''re shifting goals."


    Sabo nodded, a look of curiosity on his face. "Can we discuss over some food? I''m hungry and I''ve overcooked everything I attempted to make."


    Rosan nodded and they left the training fields so that he could prepare a meal for them all.


    As Rosan began the process of cooking, he explained to Sabo what the plan was.


    After Hancock got on the ship with Luffy and one of his birds hiding in her outfit, they would leave Luffy''s Straw Hat at the bare minimum in there.


    It would be hard to hide 3 people in there so they''d likely remain in the Pocket Dimension until making it to Impel Down.


    This would help keep Hancock innocent in this entire thing as well. They would never know how the brothers broke into Impel Down if Rosan had anything to say about it.


    "Boa Hancock? The Snake Empress? You two recruited her? Is that why it took you so long to get back?" Sabo asked with a raised brow.


    "It''s a long story," Rosan sighed, explaining it to their brother.


    Sabo listened with a thoughtful expression.


    So they''d be invading Impel Down to get Ace back with the help of Boa Hancock, who was Rosan''s cousin and in love with Luffy.


    That sounded like his brothers alright. They really did have the craziest adventures.


    "So we''re raiding Impel Down¡­ alright, sounds good to me. That''s the easiest way to get Ace back so that''s what we''ll do," he nodded, digging into his food.


    Rosan grunted and nodded. "Yeah, it''s night so we need to get some sleep soon. Tomorrow I''m going to make some visits while we get this situated."


    The redhead sighed and stood up.


    "Pick a room. You guys have been in here before so you know where everything is. I''m stressed so I''m gonna nap," he informed them.


    "We''ll discuss more tomorrow. Relax for now," Sabo said to his brother.


    Rosan waved at them and vanished to his and Robin''s room with a forlorn sigh.


    He instantly swapped his outfit into a loose fitting tee and sweatpants.


    "Do you miss Robin?" Mod asked with soft eyes.


    "A lot," Rosan groaned aloud.


    He missed her too damn much. This couldn''t have been healthy. He felt like a piece of him were missing.


    But he was the one that begged her not to come¡­ he''d be such a piece of shit to just go back into her arms despite denying her the opportunity to come.


    "Oh Rosan. This must be torture for you," Mod sighed forlornly.


    "I miss Mother too," Ram frowned.


    "I know, I''m sorry for making the decision to leave her behind alone," Rosan said softly.


    "Don''t be. We agree with you. Robin is too high priority to risk taking her. One mistake and we could lose her."


    "Yeah we can''t bring mother with us. You made the right decision, Father."


    Rosan paused as he felt his Save Point tugging and he furrowed his brows, before following the pull.


    "Surely we can at least sleep together, yes?" Robin asked fondly, gazing at the relieved redhead with a small smile.


    She was in a room provided to her by the revolutionaries and it looked like she had been watching his stream the entire time.


    It was still playing in the background... he sighed in equal fondness and idly shut it off.


    "Of course we can. I won''t deny you even that," Rosan said quietly, sidling next to her and transforming her outfit into a comfy set of pajamas.


    He then pulled her into a tight hug and let out a sigh of relief.


    "It hasn''t even been a full day yet and you miss me?" Robin sighed, leaning into the hold.


    That''s why she wasn''t mad at him for begging her to stay behind. This was just as torturous to him as it was to her but they needed to put their over reliance on each other to the side, to look at the bigger picture.


    Rosan nodded truthfully into her body and Robin laughed at how adorable he was.


    "You have me for at least now, Rosan. You''ve been stressed so let me help," she said, raking a hand through his hair.


    "You''re the best," Rosan muttered.


    "I know. That''s why I haven''t killed you yet for staring at the naked body of the world''s most beautiful woman."


    Rosan froze at that, feeling the way her grip tightened a bit.


    Enel was clearly still a bastard.


    "You''ve been rather friendly with Boa Hancock haven''t you? I do believe she hugged you while she was naked?" Robin asked with an innocent smile.


    The redhead shook his head rapidly. "I promise the very first thing I thought, when she flashed me without my consent by the way, was that you were going to kill me. I''m not attracted to her at all and even if I were, that''s my cousin," he said urgently.


    Mod let out a giggle. "It''s true Robin. You truly were the only one he was thinking of! Rosan only has eyes on you," she vouched, too nice to let her son be tortured.


    Rosan was very pleased to see the pleased smile on Robin''s face.


    "That''s sweet. Alright, you aren''t in trouble then¡­ but she does gush over you quite a bit," she said.


    "Raisa is the same way. They both seem keen on doting on me. If you want me to tell them to stop, I will," he said truthfully.


    Robin thought about it and shook her head. "No it''s fine¡­ for Hancock at least. I still need to speak to Raisa myself."


    Robin thought the way Hancock acted towards Rosan was rather funny. She was treating him like a little brother more than a love interest so she wouldn''t mind.


    Besides, Hancock seemed to be in love with¡­ Luffy of all people.


    Robin had seen their perspective. How did she end up falling in love with Luffy over Rosan? Where was the logic behind that?


    It must have been because they were cousins¡­ and honestly, Robin was completely fine with that. She knew Rosan would never pick someone over her (it was very flattering) but it was nice for that to be reinforced.


    "Don''t worry Robin. I will not choose anyone over you," Rosan mumbled her thoughts, snuggling into her. "Thank you for not being mad at me. You really are too good for me."


    "I think you''re too good for me," Robin thought fondly, cuddling him right back. "It would be cruel of me to berate you for making the decision you think is best and it would be even crueler to leave you so stressed. At least for tonight, I''ll calm you down."


    "You two are so precious," Mod said fondly, turning the connection off.


    Let them have some alone time. They both needed it.


    "Come sleep Ram. We have a long few days ahead of us," Mod said.


    "I don''t wanna," Ram said childishly, reading a book with a set of glasses (where did she get those?!) on her face.


    The silver glasses made her look almost incredibly adorable and Mod squealed internally whenever she adjusted them.


    Ram loving to read, was not something Mod ever expected but it was fantastic at pacifying her¡­


    And keeping her up at night. It was the best time for Rosan to not harass her because the redhead had been harassing the most.


    "Well I''m tired, Ram!"


    "So then sleep, Auntie! I''m not bothering you!" Ram exclaimed in exasperation, snapping her fingers and shutting the lights off to prove her point. The only thing visible were her glowing eyes, as she effortlessly read the contents of the book in the dark.


    "¡­"


    Ram gazed up and saw that her auntie was pouting of all things.


    "But you''re comfortable and I wanna hug you," Mod grumbled, puffing out her cheeks childishly.


    "¡­" Ram didn''t close her book but got up and made her way to the bed. "I wanna finish this chapter but you can still cuddle me while I read. I''ll sleep soon."


    Mod''s eyes lit up and she quickly got into bed, snuggling into Ram with a pleased smile.


    The silver haired woman idly ran a hand through her hair, as she continued reading and let out a sigh of exasperation.


    Since when was Auntie so spoiled and goddamn adorable? That was Ram''s thing!


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Be careful," Robin said, hugging him tightly.


    Rosan hugged her back just as tight. "I''ll be back to get you as soon as all this is over. I''m sorry again," he apologized.


    "I understand, really Rosan. It''s Maro you need to explain it too. She doesn''t understand how badly this could affect her," Robin muttered.


    He sighed in frustration. "I know and that''s what has me so worried. One mistake from Maro and she could lose everything. I already forced her to restrict herself so much when she was Grim but now¡­ now all it takes is one mistake for her Devil Fruit to be revealed to the world and if that happens while she''s my ally¡­ Celadon might be wiped out."


    Maro couldn''t just go on the run. Maro wasn''t a pirate like he was.


    Maro was a well respected Queen of a very famous kingdom and she needed to protect them.


    Rosan was going into the eye of the storm. Marines, Warlords, Admirals¡­ Vice Admirals.


    Maro would be pushed to her extremes there. If she was consciously thinking of protecting her identity the entire time, it would be disastrous... and if she wasn''t consciously protecting it, then she''d reveal it in no time.


    Neither he nor Ace would ever be able to forgive themselves if Maro lost Celadon¡­ Maro wasn''t the criminal here, her brothers were¡­ so they''d handle this.


    "So tell her that. You know Maro best so show her why you want to protect her," she said soothingly.


    Rosan nodded slowly and sighed. "Alright. I''ll talk to her after making sure Luffy successfully sneaks onto the ship."


    "Alright please be careful," Robin said again, burrowing herself into the crook of his neck before pushing him away.


    Rosan nodded, leaned in to kiss her and then vanished.


    "You''re being really strong for him," a pajama wearing Koala pointed out. "Despite how miserable this whole thing is making you, you''re really trying not to make him worry even more."


    Robin sighed and watched the stream start up again. "The worst part of it all is that even while acting strong, he can still see through me like no one else can," she said with a tense frown.


    "Even while trying to be strong for him, he can see how miserable I am and it''s not making things much better. That''s why I brought him over, so that I could at least assuage some of his concerns, but I don''t know if that really helped," she admitted.


    Koala smiled gently and hugged the significantly taller woman. "Don''t worry, Robin. You definitely helped him! I don''t know Rosan well, but based on the stream, just how relaxed he seems around you is night and day," she reassured.


    Hearing it from someone that wasn''t part of their family¡­ it did wonders in soothing her mind.


    "Thank you Koala. I will personally vouch for you when you and Sabo officially begin dating," Robin said with a genuine smile.


    Koala''s jaw dropped at that. "N-Not you too! I thought you were normal!"


    Robin giggled a bit. "Rosan and I have quite a lot in common and I admit, tormenting people can be fun."


    Koala stammered and let out a groan of misery.


    "You guys are the worst couple ever," she said bluntly.


    Robin''s smile widened. "Yes I know¡­ now are you going to leave or watch this stream with me?"


    Koala noted that Robin was still in her pajamas and the Devil Child got comfortable in her bed once more.


    "One sec, I''ll join but lemme grab some snacks to keep us occupied and let Dragon know what we''re up to," she said, unable to keep the eager expression off her face.


    She had only seen one part of Rosan''s life through the stream and she could immediately tell that the crew was so entertaining.


    Seriously, getting Boa Hancock on their side?! How did they even do that?! She also had quite the rocking body!


    There was no way she was going to miss live footage of what was about to be the biggest events in recent history.


    She hoped they''d be okay. Sabo had just gotten his memories back so she wanted to get to know the version that remembered his past.


    He also ate a Devil Fruit too! The lightning Logia of all fruits! She didn''t think he was serious about eating one when he came back and discussed the possibility but now he did!


    ...Would Rosan try to kill her if he saw her in bed with Robin?


    She was pretty sure he would.


    What a terrifyingly possessive redhead.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Raisa had been glued to the little plush that Rosan had given her, realizing this was her first actual attachment to her estranged son.


    She¡­ loved it very much. She wouldn''t ever let it out her sight.


    It was a good thing she did.


    While doing paperwork, plushie sitting proudly on her table, it suddenly began showing her footage from her own son''s perspective.


    The sudden action, made her jump in shock and she whirled towards the screen with wide eyes... until she realized she was seeing a clear video of her son.


    She was ashamed (not really) to admit that her paperwork had been completely forgotten, as she glued her eyes onto the screen.


    Her son was as beautiful as ever, conversing with a blonde boy by the name of Sabo.


    They were in what appeared to be a castle but Raisa couldn''t quite take it all in because the very first thing this Sabo said was that he wanted to eat the Goro Goro no Mi.


    The WHAT?!


    Much to her further shock, Rosan just nodded his head with a few questions before they were off to grab one of the strongest Devil Fruits.


    Did Rosan also hoard Devil Fruits like the Iris did?


    Apparently he did because before her very eyes, Raisa watched as Rosan casually handed one of the most powerful Logia Devil Fruits over to this Sabo.


    It was left in a room that was designed in a rather fabulous manner (Raisa wasn''t very stylish, that was Dalia) and Raisa admired how well kept Rosan left everything... though it appeared to belong to him and Nico Robin!


    She watched in visible interest as Sabo bit into the Devil Fruit (by now she had already given up on the idea of paperwork and was planning on heading home to watch the whole thing in peace) and recoiled in visible disgust.


    Raisa knew that look anywhere. She vividly remembered Dalia making that face too, as well as making it herself when they ate their respective fruits.


    She didn''t remember Oren''s face. She had been too young.


    "Bad isn''t it? You guys made fun of me when Mod-chan said I ended up crying eating it."


    Raisa withered a bit at that, eyes downcast at his words.


    She should have been there when Rosan ate his Devil Fruit¡­ she should have been soothing him and telling him she made the exact same faces, all while giving him a cup of warm milk to try and get rid of the taste.


    Kami she¡­ at the very least she should have been active in his life.


    Would she have been able to save Portgas D. Rouge?


    Of course she would. Raisa had no equal in the South Blue¡­


    But without even knowing about it, she had completely abandoned her son.


    She knew nothing about him. She didn''t even know this Sabo had amnesia and seeing the sheer relief on her son''s expressive face at seeing that he had regained his memory¡­


    Rosan was close with this boy. They acted like brothers... and Rosan did mention having a family he loved already.


    Raisa hoped one day he would grow to love her as well... she didn''t deserve it but she''d try her best to earn it.


    Her self loathing transformed into horror, at seeing Sabo explode in electricity all while Rosan was hugging him.


    T-That idiot! What did he think he was doing to her son?!


    But to her utter surprise, Rosan just absorbed it all into his body.


    ...What was her son? What was this Modification fruit? He seemed capable of so much¡­


    Like that strange teleportation¡­ that teleported him out of his¡­ pocket dimension?!


    That''s what Sabo had called it right? Was Rosan in an actual Pocket Dimension?!


    But¡­ how?! Just how many things were he capable of?


    The more Raisa learned of her son, the more confused she got because there was so much she didn''t know...


    So she would greedily watch the footage so graciously granted (did Rosan do this on purpose? How did he do so?) to her.


    Raisa got up and pat her dress down, before grabbing the plushie as gently as possible.


    Writing a note that she was leaving early today, the woman barely paid attention to where she was flying, eyes glued to the screen the entire time.


    "Amazon Island? What is he doing on Amazon Island?" Raisa asked in surprise, watching her son appear on the island of woman.


    Raisa had visited her maternal side''s island when she was 16 years old. It was to honor what her Kuja ancestor Empress Allium had done.


    She truly had not given a damn about that but Raisa still visited since it was close to the New World and she had time to kill.


    Somehow, in a twist of fate, Rosan ended up on the island of his ancestors as well¡­


    The world worked in funny ways.


    His captain was there as well, Straw Hat Luffy himself.


    Raisa paid special attention to this one. This was the boy (he looked so young) who managed to garner Rosan''s loyalty and it was very likely that Straw Hat was the reason her son was even a pirate.


    That Straw Hat¡­ did that perhaps belong to Roger? Raisa had met many people during her travel and the Roger Pirates were some of them...


    They were an interesting and fun bunch. Some of his members had leered at her but before Raisa could inflict justice, he had done so himself and settled them down.


    He was an interesting man. Raisa hadn''t been surprised in the slightest when he became the pirate king... he just had that aura about him.


    Though, the only remnant of his crew now seemed to be that red haired boy, Shanks. She remembered the child in that crew because they both had red hair.


    "Execution? Is that why you have my captain captured, tied up like he is your prisoner? Are you out of your fucking mind?! You think you can sit here and watch my little brother fight for you like it''s a sport? Do you think him your slave?!"


    Raisa jumped at the anger in Rosan''s tone, noting the fury in his eyes.


    Little brother? Was Straw Hat his little brother? Was that why they were in a crew together?


    That would make sense... if she remembered correctly, Straw Hat had a bounty of 350 million so he had to have been formidable.


    She desperately wanted to talk to Rosan again. She wanted to know more.


    The obsession with her son, that she tried so hard to hide, had come roaring out at meeting him in the flesh.


    Reconciling with him managed to only make it even worse and now she was practically only thinking about him...


    And now she had no intentions of stopping it any longer.


    "Raisa? You''re home early," Oren mused, watching her land on her massive balcony.


    She barely acknowledged him, only nodding in greeting and rushing into the house, eyes fixated on a screen from¡­ the plushie that Rosan gave her?


    "I''ll be in my room," she said, rushing past him.


    "What good is your beauty, if you have such an ugly heart? You don''t look beautiful to me at all¡­ you actually look really fucking ugly right now."


    Raisa couldn''t stamp down the visceral satisfaction she felt at that. Rosan wasn''t someone that would fall for such surface level beauty!


    Boa Hancock may be beautiful, but her son was beautiful as well and he had a good heart too.


    As she made it to her room, Raisa was subjected to even more entertainment, as Rosan completely pacified Bacura (she had met her once!) with just his presence alone, making the panther look more akin to a schoolgirl!


    "He''s good!" Dalia praised in awe, peeking over Raisa''s shoulder with gleaming eyes.


    "No, he''s great." Raisa spared her a single glance, agreeing with her wholeheartedly. "If you wish to watch with me, you may join in my room. I won''t be leaving it for the foreseeable future."


    With that, she vanished into her room.


    Dalia watched her go with an open mouth.


    Raisa didn''t even cause a fuss! She just¡­ allowed her in!


    "Rosan managed to tame Raisa. Never thought I''d see the day where anyone could tame her," Oren let out a disbelieving laugh.


    She was completely whipped for her only child, just wanting to know more about him and not letting anything get in the way!


    "I don''t think she''s planning on leaving that room," Dalia muttered, noticing that it was slightly ajar for them to enter. "Luckily I cooked! Let''s go bring the pot in here at least. We should get a table as well..."


    Oren nodded. "It should be fun to watch. I wonder what he''s doing¡­"


    "Luckily we get to see!" Dalia beamed. "RAISA! I MADE FOOD AND THE MAIN DISH IS HONEY BAKED HAM!"


    There was a silence across the door.


    "Bring snacks as well¡­ I have gummy candies stored in the pantry."


    "Can we grab other stuff in there?" Dalia asked.


    "Make sure its restocked by the end of the week."


    The siblings grinned at each other.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Ready?" Rosan asked curiously, watching as Luffy climbed atop Hancock... by going under her clothing.


    He would comment on it but if Hancock didn''t have a problem, he wouldn''t mention it.


    Whatever worked.


    Hancock nodded, trembling slightly at feeling Luffy rustle about before she took a deep breath and settled down.


    "Yes," she said eventually, glancing over at him expectantly.


    Rosan stood up and held out his hand, revealing a mechanical bee. It flew over to Hancock''s side and she allowed it to hide in her hair.


    "That will keep watch while you get on. If anything happens, we''ll kill them all and I''ll handle the rest," Rosan said.


    Hancock nodded. "Alright, I''m going now cousin."


    "Remember the plan?" he asked.


    "Yes. Get my own room, punish anyone who tries to look inside so that they understand not to look."


    Rosan smiled. "Luffy, do not compromise her position. Stay completely silent."


    "Okay!" Luffy agreed.


    The redhead grunted and watched as Hancock approached a Marine ship. According to her, it had been waiting there for a day now and would only leave when she arrived.


    Good, that meant they were desperate.


    "Please be careful," Sandersonia whispered, turning towards him with a worried expression.


    "Do your best," Marigold implored, pulling him into a hug as they sailed back to Amazon Island.


    Rosan grunted as they squeezed him and tried to hug the much taller woman.


    "Thanks," he said truthfully, staring through the eyes of his bug.


    Things were going smoothly. Hancock had undone her stone on all of the men, though she quickly restoned two more who tried to peep into her room... and then settled down into her room, allowing Luffy out.


    "Alright they''re settled. I''m going now, don''t worry about us. We''ll be fine," Rosan reassured, waving at the Kuja pirates.


    With that, he vanished.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    With the successful smuggling of Luffy, Rosan temporarily allowed them to settle down.


    They were now residing in her room, with express orders to not enter and Rosan left the two alone to handle his own business.


    "Maro. Angel. Demon."


    The glum Maro gazed at him and Rosan''s eyes narrowed in guilt.


    He immediately closed the distance and pulled her into a deep hug.


    Angel cracked first and she let out a heartbroken sob that broke Maro through.


    "W-Why, Master?! Why can''t I come with you?! You know how strong I am! I can help!" Maro sobbed, hugging him tightly and gazing up at him with downtrodden eyes.


    "Please Master. Please give me a reason that I can''t come!" Maro begged.


    "¡­" Rosan said nothing for a long while.


    "Maro¡­ do you love this island?" he asked quietly.


    Maro sniffed and gazed at him, orange eyes glistening.


    "Yes. Of course I do!"


    "Do you love your people?" he followed up.


    Maro nodded vigorously.


    "...Do you love Angel and Demon?" Rosan asked finally.


    Maro actually looked offended by that question.


    "That''s the stupidest question you ever asked me, Master!"


    "I know¡­ but I had to ask because I wanted to really know if you were willing to potentially throw it all away."


    Maro froze completely at that.


    "Listen to me Maro¡­ you are so useful. I would never hesitate to bring you on a mission with me but a mission like this, with risks being at an all time high? I can''t do that to you," Rosan said truthfully.


    "You have your illusions, I know¡­ but what we could potentially go up against¡­ you''ll be forced to allocate your power elsewhere. If someone figures out your a Dokkaebi, you will never be able to reveal your Devil Fruit as Queen Maro. If they get a clue as to who you are¡­ they won''t hesitate to destroy this island," he informed her.


    "The Marines know so much about me and I''ve barely given them anything to work with... imagine how much they can learn about you?" he whispered to her.


    "I know all of these risks so if I brought you with me¡­"


    "You''d be splitting your attention onto making sure no one ever figures out who I am¡­ and that would take your focus away from Ace," Maro whispered in realization.


    It was a devastating realization. To know that Master''s love for her, would impede this mission was¡­


    Maro was useful, but Master was the most useful. If anyone could get Ace out of his situation, it would be Rosan but he would need to be completely and utterly focused on the task.


    Her coming would be¡­ it would be less than optimal. This wasn''t a battle they could win with outright power... that''s where Maro shined.


    This was a rescue mission and Rosan would be the absolute best at those.


    She wouldn''t be able to completely focus either¡­ because she''d be focused on making sure no one found out who she was.


    Maro wouldn''t be able to be completely focused¡­ and Rosan wouldn''t either.


    So not only would she be impeding¡­ the risks of getting caught would be utterly disastrous.


    She''d lose everything¡­ Maro didn''t have the means to vacate her entire island. It wasn''t¡­


    It was little gain for too much risk.


    "I get it," Maro said quietly. "I understand why you don''t want me to come¡­ it''s for my sake¡­ I get it. Just¡­ please save Ace."


    Rosan''s gaze softened at that and he pulled the three into a hug.


    "No matter what. I''ll do everything to save him. The World Government wants to use my little brother to make an example¡­ so I will use them to make mine."


    The three distressed rulers hugged him tighter and he kissed each of them on the temple, before eventually releasing them.


    Rosan took a long look at their faces, their downtrodden expressions and committed it to his memory.


    This would be his fuel. This would be what he needed to ensure that he did not fail this mission.


    He would not let this despair linger.


    The redhead''s face hardened.


    He would do anything to get Ace back. Anything.


    "I''m going now guys," he said firmly, pulling out the plush of himself. "Watch me. We''ll save him. Please trust me."


    "We trust you, Master," the three nodded shakily and Rosan vanished.


    Now that they were dealt with, he needed to pay another visit.


    Rosan grunted and dipped into his Save Point.


    The moment he exited again, he immediately raised a wall to block the wave of sand flying towards him.


    Rosan''s gaze darkened into something lethal.


    "I''m not in the mood for your games right now, Crocodile," Rosan said lowly, eyes thunderous as he gazed at the sight before him.


    Crocodile was not alone but there was more than just Daz Bones¡­


    But wasn''t this an amusing sight?


    The buggy pirates and Alvida themselves, were staring at him like hell arrived on earth.


    The sight would have been funny, if he weren''t here for strictly business so now it just served to annoy him to levels he couldn''t contain.


    "If you''re planning on killing me, understand that there''s gonna be severe consequences," Rosan swore, eyes beginning to glow as his raid suit began slowly seeping over his outfit.


    "R-Rosan?!" Alvida balked in horror, unable to believe the horrible turn of events that were taking place.


    Were you serious?! What the hell was this demon doing here and why did he not look lifeless?!


    Crocodile sneered. "You already know how this goes, redhead."


    Rosan took a deep breath. He needed Crocodile in working condition so maiming him beyond recognition was out of the question¡­


    But they still had 5 days.


    "I''m only in the mood to spare your boss," Rosan warned. "Anyone who interferes in this battle is going to suffer a fate so much worse than death, you''ll delude yourself into thinking its a reward."


    Everyone shuddered at that, gazing at Rosan with wide eyes and the redhead scowled, wings bursting from his back.


    "I hope you heal quickly because no matter what condition you''re in, Crocodile¡­ you''re going to be useful to me," Rosan promised.


    There was no Robin here to calm him down¡­ so Rosan supposed he could properly show Crocodile how much she saved him.


    "Don''t interfere useless bunch, you''ll just slow me down," Crocodile grunted, staring at the redhead with a lethal gaze.


    "I don''t think fighting him is a good idea," Alvida tried nervously, gazing at the redhead who had been a robot last she saw him¡­


    Except now he wasn''t a robot. He looked every bit the murderous devil the news adamantly mentioned he was.


    This was worse than bad. Rosan looked poised to end someone''s life right now and if Crocodile kept egging him on, that was going to be them.


    Crocodile glanced at her in disinterest, a warning look in his eyes. "Be glad you''re all still alive. Try and order me again and they''ll be picking you up in pieces."


    "You should have listened to her. I''m really really not in the mood for your bullshit right now," Rosan said in a last ditch effort to pacify the situation, despite not wanting to.


    "Cry to someone who gives a damn, redhead. You die here today," Crocodile snarled.


    Rosan''s eyes glowed ominously.


    "You may soon come to regret this stance your taking currently. Join me for a dance Crocodile. I promise, you won''t wanna miss it."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Bonus!


    "W-Wow! Rosan''s able to do so much!" Dalia gasped in awe.


    Raisa couldn''t help but agree... because Rosan was displaying things he wasn''t in their fight against the two gorgon sisters!


    He was effortlessly manipulating the walls... displaying enormous strength and utilizing elements to cause complete mayhem on the field.


    The two woman never even stood a chance... not to mention his teamwork with Straw Hat! He provided perfect cover for his incredibly reckless captain...


    It was to no surprise at all that they comfortably won their battle.


    What was surprising however, was the fact that not only did Straw Hat have conquerors, her son did too!


    "Rosan has conquerors like me?" Raisa asked, sitting up straighter at seeing him flex his presence onto the onlookers.


    "He''s impressive as hell," Oren said, eyes a little wide at all his nephew could do.


    The three Iris were currently lodged in Raisa''s room, all on her massive and comfy bed. They were eating food as they watched footage of one Rosan and to say they were interested was a gross understatement.


    Just from his battle, they saw how fun Rosan was! He was incredibly playful in his fight against the sisters but the moment the statues were at risk, Raisa had watched his eyes narrow into something lethal.


    ...He was dangerous when he wanted to be.


    Good. As expected of her only child.


    But Rosan wasn''t the only one she was interested in... she was also interested in Monkey D. Luffy because even despite fighting his enemies, he still went out of his way to protect one of them...


    He was very strange. He had a naive and earnest air about him that made Raisa view him almost like a child...


    It was endearing. Judging by the way Rosan smiled with him, he truly did love his captain...


    Perhaps, it wasn''t terrible that Rosan became a pirate if this Luffy was his captain.


    Raisa frowned, idly chewing her gummy candy as she inspected the stream.


    "Raisa, stop eating candy after just eating dinner!" Dalia complained.


    "But it''s good," Raisa countered, ignoring her order and continuing to eat her gummies.


    "Unbelievable," Dalia muttered with a shake of her head, watching the screen again...


    And having her jaw drop at seeing the very naked body of one Boa Hancock.


    "Damn!" she shouted in surprise.


    Oren snorted and closed his eyes, before covering both Dalia and Raisa''s. "Pervert. We shouldn''t be seeing this. It''s an invasion of privacy," he said, completely unaffected by the sight.


    Raisa scowled furiously. Who did that pervert think she was, flashing her son?!


    That damn shameless broad! Was she not aware that Rosan was already taken by Nico Robin?!


    She felt satisfaction welling at hearing Rosan let out a sigh of misery and deduced that if she was watching this stream, it was likely other of his allies were too...


    What were the chances Nico Robin was looking at this?


    Raisa became all the more curious about this technique.


    "Could you put some goddamn clothes on?"


    Raisa''s lips quirked at seeing him completely ignored.


    She perked up curiously, at seeing a short figure enter the room.


    "Oh! That''s Grandma Nyon!" Dalia beamed.


    Raisa''s eyes widened. "That''s Gloriosa? What happened to her! She''s gotten so old!" she couldn''t help but exclaim.


    Gloriosa, while aged, had been a stunning woman! Now she looked so short and old!


    "She''d probably hit you for saying that so bluntly," Oren chuckled, looking at the empress of Amazon Island from 4 generations ago.


    She was currently explaining to Hancock and her sisters, that Rosan and Luffy had just been at Sabaody, where they had attacked a Celestial Dragon before ending up over at Amazon Island.


    "Is that why he was on Wisteria?" Raisa balked in horror. "That fool hit a Celestial Dragon?! Are they mad?!"


    No wonder Kuma had blasted them away. He was saving their lives! They had willingly attracted the ire of an Admiral!


    "He did destroy Enies Lobby," Dalia pointed out with a grin. "Our nephew is so insane!"


    "You are an Iris," Nyon stated to Rosan.


    Raisa perked up at that, watching as Rosan truthfully told the woman that she was his mother.


    She immediately winced back when Rosan told her he was 24 years old.


    They normally visited when they were 16... that''s the age they were allowed to sail off of Wisteria to have their own journey. They could recruit allies if they so pleased but Raisa had chosen to go solo for the entirety of her trip.


    Rosan would have done the same thing when he was 16 but...


    "Right, you have no idea and it''s been a while since an Iris has shown up¡­ Hancock, Sandersonia, Marigold... Rosan is your cousin."


    Dalia cackled. "Oh right! I guess the current empress has never met an Iris! Shakky was the empress when I visited."


    "Same here," Oren nodded, remembering his cousin with a fond smile.


    "Me as well," Raisa agreed. It had been a while since she last spoke to Shakuyaku... they should catch up. The former empress was an impressive woman.


    "Guess Shakky really was telling the whole truth. As for why I didn''t visit, I don''t acknowledge myself as an Iris. I was abandoned at birth. I had no idea I was even supposed to visit."


    Raisa once more withered at that.


    She was just... terrible. Raisa would likely never forgive herself for abandoning Rosan... and a small part of her didn''t think Rosan should have forgiven her either.


    "It''s okay, Raisa," Oren''s deep voice soothed. "You don''t have to forgive yourself yet... but one day you''ll have worked hard enough to find that there''s nothing left to forgive."


    Raisa gazed at her older brother for a moment, before nodding her head resolutely.


    She''d do anything to earn Mod''s forgiveness, no matter how much it took.


    "I didn''t know Boa Hancock was a slave," Dalia muttered, feeling a little bad for snooping on such a delicate past.


    "We''ll just keep that to ourselves. No one needs to know. She''s our cousin after all," Oren smiled.


    Raisa nodded, eyes glued on the screen as she saw Rosan prepare to speak again.


    "Of course I don''t hate you for being a slave. I was a slave too, you know?" he began as she ended her tale.


    Raisa shuddered at that, watching the way his gaze turned faraway.


    "When I was just 8, I was a slave for 6 months to a doctor who wanted to exploit me for my skills. He tortured me in anyway he knew how, all in hopes of making me submit but I would never let someone like him control me."


    Raisa felt nauseous at that. Her 8 year old son... for 6 months... he was repeatedly tortured? She was going to be sick...


    And even despite that, she couldn''t help but applaud her son because he was nothing like her. Raisa let the memory of Cutter control her into making the worst mistake of her life, but Rosan refused to let anyone control him.


    He was her son, they shared many similarities... but he was so different from her.


    "I eventually began biding my time and when the opportunity arose, I freed myself and killed everyone who dared to hurt me. For a long time, I let the past of that man cling to me. He tainted me in a way that even now, is visible but¡­ I no longer let him chain me down like he used to because I am free and I''ll never allow anyone to jeopardize that again."


    Raisa watched those piercing eyes look at Hancock and despite not being the focus of it, she sat a little straighter.


    "Don''t let the past cling to you. You''ll never be able to look forward to the future if you do that."


    ...


    "I think... Rosan would have made an incredible king," Raisa revealed quietly.


    Dalia wiped the tears of awe out of her eyes and nodded enthusiastically. "That was... so inspiring!"


    "Yeah it was," Oren said proudly.


    Don''t let the past cling to you... perhaps Rosan didn''t mean to say that to her, but part of Raisa felt like that was being directed towards her too.


    She would fix the mistakes of her past in anyway she knew how... but she wouldn''t let it cling to her any longer. That''s what Rosan wanted... so that''s what she would do.


    A motivated Raisa watched as Rosan forced Hancock to turn around. Before their very eyes, they watched as the youngest Iris put a palm on her slave tattoo... and began removing it.


    "Holy shit," Dalia gasped, watching as it steadily vanished off her back.


    "That''s... incredible!" Oren whispered in shock. Rosan was capable of so many things... and that was amazing!


    Raisa watched with stunned eyes at what he was doing but his next words are what completely floored her.


    "You wanna know something else? Sometime after I freed myself from slavery, I ran into a Celestial Dragon too," Rosan stated with a small smile.


    "W-What happened between you two?" the sniffing Hancock asked.


    Her son''s smile turned wild and cocky. "He wanted to have me enslaved, so you know what I did?"


    Hancock''s expression turned almost childishly eager as she said, "What?"


    Raisa imagined her expression was the same, as she leaned in to hear what he said...


    "I killed him!"


    ...


    ...


    "WHAT THE FUCK DID HE JUST SAY?!" Dalia screeched in horror.


    Did he just say what she thought he said? Rosan had done what?


    "I must be mishearing things," Oren said in disbelief.


    "N-No... you heard that correctly," Raisa said numbly.


    Did her son just say what she thought he said?


    "Of course. I don''t lie."


    "He killed a Celestial Dragon," Raisa said numbly.


    Why wasn''t this known anywhere? Why was Rosan just now getting a bounty? Did he secretly kill a Celestial Dragon?!


    He said it was sometime after being enslaved and that was when he was 9! Rosan got his first bounty at 24!


    What was the meaning of this...


    Wait, Rosan had clearly shown that he was capable of disguising himself very efficiently. Who''s to say that they even knew it was Rosan who killed the Celestial Dragon? If Raisa remembered correctly, the last Celestial Dragon to die... was Saint Jeremiah around 10 years ago.


    Raisa gained a pondering expression at that. Not much was known about that... but she would have to do some digging because it was itching the back of her mind like a drug.


    Her thoughts were interrupted, as Hancock let loose a sharp wail and tackled Rosan to the floor, sobbing into his frame in an eerily reminiscent manner to Raisa.


    ...At least Raisa had clothes on.


    Eventually, Rosan removed the slave marks off the other two as well and he left them to cry on each other...


    Before the citizens of Amazon Island began pestering him nonstop.


    "It was like that for me as well," Oren said with an amused chuckle. "It''s rare for them to see a man. They didn''t ask me if I stretch though."


    "They were equally obsessed with me," Raisa said quietly, hiding her fuming at all the attention her son was receiving. "Since I was so powerful, they practically worshipped me."


    "I got laid when I was there," Dalia said shamelessly.


    She blinked at the sight of both her brother and sister staring at her.


    "W-What?! You weren''t a little curious?! It was someone around my age!" she explained.


    "No," Oren and Raisa both snorted.


    "Boring," Dalia muttered under her breath.


    Oren had to actually restrain Raisa from flying over to Amazon Island herself, after seeing a cute little blonde ask Rosan for his jewels.


    "She doesn''t know what she''s asking for!" Oren explained.


    "I care very little for that detail. She deserves to die for disrespecting my son," Raisa said coldly.


    Dalia cackled at the dumbfounded expression on Rosan''s face, before some amusement flitted across his features and he dryly denied her request.


    "Ace has been captured by the World Government. He''s set to be executed in a few days and there''s going to be a war between them and the Whitebeard pirates."


    At once, all three of the siblings froze.


    "Wait," Raisa said in realization, recalling the conversation between Rosan and Sabo.


    Oh Kami... they meant Fire Fist Ace! The 2nd commander of the Whitebeard Pirates!


    Wait... How did Rosan know Fire Fist Ace?!


    "We need to save him¡­ Ace would be mad if we tried but he''s our brother!"


    ...BROTHER?! Fire Fist Ace was their brother?!


    Her son''s family... was so strange! Raisa was shocked to hear about this! She hadn''t paid any mind to the newspapers when they mentioned Fire Fist Ace''s execution but to think that he was Rosan''s brother was...


    "Wait a minute... are they planning on going to Marineford?!" Raisa exclaimed in a rare panic. "No! If Rosan goes there he''s going to die!"


    A war between Whitebeard and the World Government? That was complete and utter madness! Rosan couldn''t put himself in between that!


    She just got him back!


    Much to her relief, Gloriosa echoed the same sentiments as her...


    But much to her utter horror, Gloriosa gave them an even worse alternative.


    "RAID IMPEL DOWN?!" Raisa screeched in rage, flying out of the bed with murderous eyes.


    WAS SHE MAD?! RAID IMPEL DOWN?! HOW WAS HE GOING TO DO THAT?!


    "Raisa! Settle down!" Oren and Dalia urged.


    "You saw how much Rosan can do! If it comes to rescuing him, he''ll definitely be able to do it!" Dalia urged.


    Raisa whirled towards them with her fangs bared. "But his life could be in danger! Perhaps he could use my help. If I fly there it''ll only take me but one day to reach him!"


    Oren shot that idea down immediately. "Do you really think he''ll accept your help? Not to mention you''re putting your entire island at risk. Sit Raisa... you''ll just have to trust and watch."


    She flinched and began calming down slowly.


    Trust... yes, she would trust her son. She would never doubt him.


    The Queen took a deep breath and sat down, watching as Hancock appeared on the stream once more.


    Raisa''s eyes narrowed at seeing the way the woman was eyeing her son and judging by the flush on her cheeks...


    "Oh no... is that Love Sickness?"


    Judging by Hancock''s mannerisms... and the fact that she had an unknown illness, it was very likely love sickness.


    "I heard the empress before Hancock died of love sickness," Dalia mentioned, gnawing her lips a bit at the danger Rosan could be in soon.


    But she couldn''t resist the small smile at seeing Boa Hancock, head over heels in love with one Monkey D. Luffy.


    "Hahaha!" Dalia laughed freely. "She''s in love with Straw Hat! Well, he is really cute!" she gushed.


    Raisa let out a sigh. "I thought she was in love with Rosan," she said in relief.


    Her son in question, looked horribly amused as he realized what was happening... and that amusement deepened as Hancock began doting over him like he were a child.


    Raisa stamped down her jealousy.


    She wanted to dote on Rosan... Would he let her? He seemed pretty accepting of most things...


    The Queen watched Rosan vanish into his little dimension, explaining it a little to the wondered Dalia and Oren, smiled slightly at seeing the brothers reunite (if it made Rosan happy, it made her happy) and frowned at seeing the visible distress on Rosan''s face as he collapsed in his bed.


    He looked very stressed out... was he alright? He might have been speaking to Mod and Ram because he was seemingly saying random things aloud...


    And then he suddenly perked up and vanished again... before appearing right in front of a beautiful young woman with striking blue eyes.


    The sheer relief on Rosan''s face floored her. It didn''t even take Raisa a second to realize this was Nico Robin because her son looked hopelessly in love with her.


    Dalia whistled. "So that''s his girlfriend? Our little Rosan really knows how to attract the beauties!" she praised.


    Raisa hit her in the head. "Don''t whistle like that. It''s rude," she chastised, focusing back on the screen.


    Nico Robin was as beautiful as Dalia said she was and she was very clearly reciprocating the love she had for him...


    That was all she was allowed to see because Rosan merely cuddled her deeply and then shut the stream off.


    Dalia fanned herself. "Wow, they sure waste no time!" she blushed.


    Oren rolled his eyes and stood up. "You are a depraved idiot. If that video starts again, could you call us, Raisa?" he asked.


    Raisa was staring at the doll with a unreadable expression.


    "Right, I''ll call you too. Take all the things out of my room please."


    "Kay!" Dalia waved with a yawn, effortlessly lifting up the huge table with the assorted meals with one hand and making her way out of the room.


    "Goodnight Raisa," Oren waved as well, grabbing all the wrappers.


    "Goodnight," she said simply.


    ...


    Nico Robin... that was a woman that Rosan trusted with all his heart. Raisa could see it in the way they looked at each other.


    That was real love... Raisa was glad Rosan found it.

 True Hell

    Robin let out a sigh as she watched the screen, drinking a cup of coffee atop her bed.


    "So am I gonna be the one to address what''s going on right now?" Koala asked with a look of pure confusion. "Okay. Fine. Why is Rosan currently facing off with Crocodile?"


    Robin turned towards her with a calm expression.


    "Rosan despises Crocodile. To the point where he''d rather force him into submission than let him rot in prison," Robin explained patiently.


    No one was as vindictive as her boyfriend and he would quite literally, never forget what Crocodile had done to her.


    And now she wasn''t there to calm him down.


    Robin hoped he didn''t lose control. She was Rosan''s main voice of reason, able to talk the most sense into him when he was about to lose control.


    "So is that what happened after Alabasta," Koala muttered, watching as the two went at it.


    Rosan had many connections...


    "I''m still so surprised that Queen Maro is his student," she said in surprise.


    Robin nodded with a small smile. "She''s his prize student. They''re very close and even though she''s utterly depraved towards both Rosan and I, we still love her very much," she murmured, heart panging at the depressed stance of Maro.


    After all this, she''d have to go see the Queen and cheer her up.


    "Wow," Koala muttered. "You guys never have a boring day, do you?"


    "No, we don''t," Robin sighed.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan''s eyes narrowed as he immediately launched himself away from the wave of sand.


    They were currently on an island and Rosan heard the sounds of citizens screaming as a sandstorm immediately formed.


    As the sandstorm got stronger and stronger, Rosan returned Crocodile''s sneer.


    "EMP: Storm."


    Crocodile grunted, surprised as a thunderstorm suddenly engulfed the battlefield.


    Lightning and sand raged, forcing the onlookers to find cover lest they get struck down by the clash of elements.


    "Lightning?" Crocodile thought to himself. Just how strong had this damned redhead gotten in that span that had crossed between them?


    Every time they met, he wielded some new ability.


    That rate of growth of his...


    Crocodile wasn''t able to dwell on it much, as Rosan immediately closed the distance between them.


    His hook clashed with a heavy gauntlet and Crocodile immediately opened up a hole in his body to avoid the blow to his midsection.


    "Haki isn''t enough for a competent Logia," Crocodile snarked, swinging his hook at Rosan''s cheek.


    Rosan batted it away and opened his mouth. "Good thing I''m not facing a competent Logia."


    Then, he fired a hellish amount of flames that Crocodile dashed away from.


    "So you''ve unlocked your Haki?" Rosan mused, cracking his neck as he stared at Crocodile with a raised brow.


    "Unlocked? No, I regained," Crocodile corrected, sand seeping off his body.


    "Good. That means I can put a little more effort into breaking you," Rosan said darkly, activating his boost.


    Crocodile''s Observation blared, as a speeding redhead closed the distance almost instantly, forcing the sand Logia to disperse and appear elsewhere.


    "You only have Armament," Crocodile observed.


    "Wrong," Rosan snarled, letting loose a heavy blast of Conquerors that stunned Crocodile.


    The former Warlord felt his eyes widen at that, before they narrowed in hatred and he rushed Rosan.


    Rosan narrowed his eyes and held out a hand, letting loose an enormous amount of wind that blew away both the sandstorm and Crocodile himself.


    Crocodile grunted, then grit his teeth as a lightning strike forcefully dispelled him, turning bits of his body into glass and forcing him to discard it.


    "He wields different elements like he''s a Logia himself. What Mythical Zoan is that?" the Pirate grunted, transforming his hand into a blade.


    "Sables: Pesado."


    Rosan grunted at the attack, noting that it was stronger and faster than last time they fought, and launched himself over it, ignoring the sands buffeting him repeatedly.


    He narrowed his eyes and rushed the man again, only to note that Crocodile had no interest in keeping the fight close ranged.


    The former Warlord leapt back, bottom half turning into sand to carry him away at high speeds and Rosan sucked his teeth.


    "Modify," he thought, palming the floor a forcing a wall to raise that trapped the two in a more enclosed area.


    Crocodile glanced back at the walls fearlessly, merely placing a hand on it that degraded it into nothing.


    "You can''t keep me trapped in here, redhead," the Warlord snarled.


    Rosan frowned. He didn''t know Crocodile could even degrade walls into nothing with his touch.


    "You haven''t used water," Crocodile pointed out. Perhaps it was foolish to do so but he knew how intelligent this redhead was.


    Forgetting water was not something he would do.


    "There''s no need for that," Rosan said blandly. "I don''t want you thinking you only lost because I exploited your weakness."


    Crocodile snarled at that, feeling a vein form as his anger mounted.


    "It''s a good thing you didn''t bring your weakness with you. Nico Robin is such an easy target, I''d be exploiting it without meaning to," he retorted coldly.


    No sooner did he finish that sentence, did a fist embed itself firmly onto his face.


    "Deary me. He really is as reckless as you are," Mod sighed, watching as Rosan''s expression turned terrifyingly unhinged.


    "You must have a fucking death wish mentioning my woman," Rosan hissed, as gravity registered and launched Crocodile into the wall.


    Ram swooned happily, placing both hands to her cheeks.


    Crocodile spat out blood as his back crashed into the wall. The man glared at Rosan and forcefully adjusted his nose.


    "You even know how to take a hit," the redhead snarled, leaping back to avoid the spiked sand erupting from the ground.


    The intensity of the sandstorm increased and Rosan scowled as Crocodile burst from a side, lunging at him with his hook poised.


    It grazed his cheek and Rosan instinctively took a step back, grunting as a wave of sand slammed into his midsection.


    The wave carried him to the far end of their battleground, slamming him violently into the wall. Rosan tapped it, forcing the wall forward and having it block the spikes soaring towards him.


    As the protruding walls blocked the sand, Crocodile appeared in front of it and palmed the stone.


    "Ground Death."


    Rosan watched with a surprised gaze, as the area around them began degrading. He immediately pushed himself off the wall just as the technique reached it and launched himself into the air as the ground became useless.


    He grunted slightly, as Crocodile immediately capitalized on that.


    Sand materialized above his airborne form, all in the shape of sharp blades.


    "Sables: Ejecution."


    Rosan spread his wings and began soaring, as blade after execution blade came dropping down on him.


    He flew at rapid speeds through the sandstorm, dodging each blade all while getting buffeted by the heavy sandstorm.


    The redhead finally grit his teeth in annoyance, as Crocodile himself cut off his course, hand extended.


    "Sables: Pesado!"


    The extremely dense sand connected firmly with Rosan''s midsection, causing a shockwave to pulse through the battlefield and launching the redhead far away.


    Crocodile sneered, summoning a crescent of blades before launching it towards Rosan.


    Rosan snarled in fury and his eyes lit up, before he exploded in a dome of red energy.


    "Alright that''s enough," he snarled in a tone of finality.


    The redhead put both hands out and glared darkly at Crocodile.


    "Eye of the Storm."


    Crocodile watched in shock, as gigantic and heavy winds suddenly appeared on the battlefield.


    They quickly overtook his sandstorm, blowing both the grains and him away. He was forced to keep his body solid, lest he get blown far into the sea with no chance of recovery.


    "Wind?!" Crocodile thought in disbelief, instinctively placing his hands in front of his face to offset the strong gale.


    All around Rosan, a maelstrom of wind battered everything in sight. It blew in a single direction, gathering all the sand with it and ensuring that it would stop being a problem.


    But that wasn''t all. Like this, if Crocodile transformed his body into sand, he''d get blown away too.


    Wind was his weakest element he had under control but it would serve its purpose well in winning his battle.


    The redhead rocketed over to Crocodile, sparks surging off his body as he closed the distance between him and the Logia.


    Rosan placed a palm on the surprised Crocodile, knowing that the man would avoid turning himself to sand at all costs, and activated the impact dial.


    "Retribution," he said cruelly, watching in delight as Crocodile hunched over from his insides getting blasted by his attack, in combination with his actual midsection as well.


    Crocodile went flying backwards, spittle flying out of his mouth, that transformed into blood as another fist landed on his midsection, accelerating his flight even more.


    Rosan refused to let his momentum halt for even a second, just continuously chasing the sandman and bombarding him with physical attacks.


    "It''s just like that damn move Straw Hat did," Crocodile snarled in a moment of true hatred, unable to withstand the assault.


    Rosan finally grew tired of his assault and flew right above Crocodile, aiming his gloved hands at the man.


    Crocodile''s momentum was forcefully halted, as he was wrapped in a red bubble.


    "Using the defensive barrier as an offensive attack, as if you needed anymore offense."


    Rosan sneered and launched the barrier towards the ground at hellish speeds.


    "Hopefully that didn''t kill him," he scoffed. "He''s stronger. More useful. Would be a shame if his body was too broken to survive."


    "So you intend on forcing him to go regardless?"


    "Of course," Rosan replied, running a hand through his hair as he gazed down at the battlefield.


    "I only left him alive because he''s still useful to me. Can you believe how badly I wanted to kill him for mentioning Robin?"


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Raisa stared at the screen with a stunned expression.


    Well truthfully, it had been stunned since the moment the Stream had started back up.


    For one, Raisa had stared in complete and utter shock at the ones known as Angel and Demon.


    It was like looking at a batch of triplets.


    First, there was Demon. He was downright gorgeous, with pretty and soft features, that were enhanced by his striking red eyes and his head of purple hair.


    He reminded her of Mod. The two shared a very similar color palette.


    Currently, his eyes were narrowed in worry, visible distraught on his features as he gazed at both the two woman there and Rosan himself.


    He looked just like them...


    "Wow, he''s pretty," Oren pointed out with wide eyes, gazing at Demon with wide eyes.


    "Right? Holy shit, Raisa your kids are a couple of lookers!" Dalia gaped.


    Her... kids?


    Raisa''s gaze shifted to the final triplet... the girl who looked almost exactly like her.


    Long hair, looking smoother than Rosan''s but spikier than Raisa''s... with purple glowing eyes exactly like her own...


    And there was a sapphire ring on her finger and a blue daisy in her hair and she stood so close to that blue haired young woman that was also donning a ring.


    Angel... she looked every bit as haughty as Raisa had been as a child and Demon looked like such a kind young man...


    Raisa knew they probably thought less of her but... she wanted to connect with all of them and show how sincerely she regretted her actions.


    She wanted the right to get to know the three who had inherited her appearance... it would be an honor to her.


    As Raisa felt her resolve to get to know these three deepen, she focused on the final person there. The one who looked seconds away from having a breakdown.


    Blue hair, orange eyes... beautiful by every metric of the word beauty, Raisa gazed at the woman with a tilted head, trying to figure out who this person was.


    Rosan only confirmed it seconds later by saying her name.


    "Queen Maro?!" Raisa''s eyes widened slightly.


    "You know her?" Dalia asked in curiosity.


    Raisa nodded slowly. "She''s... the Queen of Celadon in the North Blue. Her island''s prestige has exploded at almost unbelievable speeds."


    The Queen of Celadon? Hold on... Rosan knew such a person?


    Raisa felt her eyes widening more as she digested the information.


    From what she understood... Rosan was Maro''s... teacher?!


    That... was absurd!


    How did that happen?! How was Rosan connected with the Queen of Celadon?! Was that why it looked as if Maro and Angel were married?


    So many questions... Raisa just felt them continuously piling up to the point where she may explode from the curiosity.


    Maro was clearly Rosan''s student before she was Queen because the woman wanted to come with him and jeopardize everything...


    Raisa could relate. She also wanted to throw caution to the wind and help Rosan.


    But Rosan was right. They had far too much to lose helping him...


    Raisa sighed in defeat and slumped into her bed.


    She wanted to help so badly but that was a reckless thing to do and Rosan would probably scorn her for it as well.


    The Queen watched with soft eyes, as Rosan placed a gentle kiss on all three of their heads, staring at the distraught group with a firm resolve in his eyes.


    He truly... loved everyone he interacted with. He cared so much about their wellbeing.


    ...


    "Jealous?" Oren asked knowingly.


    "..." Raisa said nothing.


    Oren snorted in some amusement. "Listen Raisa. You fucked up. You know you fucked up. Rosan knows you fucked up. Mod definitely knows you fucked up."


    Raisa flinched at that, remembering the purple haired woman''s glare of hatred well.


    "But all that''s left is to try your best. Rosan isn''t pushing you away so work from there and reconnect with him. If things go well, maybe he''ll be inclined to introduce you to his family," Oren told her patiently.


    Raisa said nothing once more, before nodding in determination.


    "You''re right. I want... I want to make it up to him in anyway I know how," she said passionately, a fire in her eyes that was foreign to everyone who knew her.


    She continued to gaze at the screen and felt her mouth open as Rosan appeared in an area, only to be immediately attacked by a wave of sand.


    Her eyes widened.


    "Crocodile? The former Warlord?" she asked in confusion.


    "I heard he was revoked after the Marines exposed his plans on the country of Alabasta," Dalia mentioned, crossing her arms as she regarded the man.


    "The Straw Hats were mentioned during that as well. They managed to escape I hear," Oren mumbled.


    "A lie I imagine," Raisa scoffed. "The Straw Hats likely defeated Crocodile and the World Government took all the credit."


    Nothing was mentioned about Crocodile escaping, except for a quiet increase in his bounty that had been steadily climbing but now it was clear to see what had happened...


    Raisa watched that care that had been on Rosan''s face, vanish and in its place was a merciless redhead. One who took far too much joy in crushing someone.


    She wasn''t sure what the relationship between Rosan and Crocodile was... but it was surely one that was not positive in the slightest.


    The two hated each other with every fiber in their being. Raisa had no idea why Rosan teleported to his location but the two had immediately resorted to a violent battle.


    "Those two hate each other," Dalia said in disbelief.


    "There''s some respect but yeah... it''s definitely mostly hate," Oren scratched his head, watching the two go at it.


    They bombarded each other with attacks that would have been lethal on any lesser foe and Raisa once again had to wonder... why the hell did Rosan teleport here?


    Perhaps it was to clear his stress because currently, he was flying around battering Crocodile with heavy blow after heavy blow.


    Dalia and Oren both winced as Rosan finished off the battle and gazed at their terrifying nephew with wide eyes.


    "I only left him alive because he''s still useful to me. Can you believe how badly I wanted to kill him for mentioning Robin?"


    Right... Crocodile did mention Nico Robin being his weakness and Rosan had quite the scary reaction to it.


    "He''s very overprotective," Dalia gushed with a small smile. "He reminds me of you, Raisa."


    Raisa jolted at that and turned towards her with wide eyes. "T-Truly?" she asked hopefully.


    Dalia nearly melted at just how unreasonably adorable her sister was in that moment and put a hand over her heart.


    "Yeah! He''s alot like you, Raisa! You guys have very similar mannerisms too! My favorite is how you two like to raise a single brow and tilt your heads! Oh oh! I also love that you two are always humming!"


    Raisa felt a warm pulse through her body at that and she smiled.


    "Okay you''re right... I just need to be better and maybe he''ll return his affections towards me," she muttered.


    Rosan loved to fight... but there were many aspects he was lacking in. Perhaps if Raisa offered to help him with training, he''d take that as a chance to visit her more and they could bond from there?


    Yes perfect. Then she''d tell both him and Nico Robin anything about the Iris, to lessen her hostility as well.


    Dalia and Oren looked at their plotting sister with fond eyes, just leaving her to scheme.


    It was nice seeing Raisa so heavily motivated towards something with an actual desire to do it.


    It was very cute.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan gazed at the battered body of Crocodile with a blank expression, bruises healing until he looked perfectly healthy.


    Crocodile coughed up a glob of blood and gazed furiously at the perfectly healthy redhead. He clutched his bruised sternum and raspily let out a painful breath, only to grit his teeth as a foot slammed into him.


    "Do you realize that back in Alabasta, I could have killed you anytime I wanted?" Rosan said idly, crouching in front of the Logia and gripping his head.


    Everyone flinched back in horror as the redhead hoisted Crocodile up, before brutally slamming him onto the floor again.


    "Do you realize, you were going to die, the moment you put your hands on Robin but her safety was my priority and then she told me to spare you?" Rosan asked curiously, hoisting the much taller man up.


    Crocodile sneered at him, spitting out blood that Rosan dodged by tilting his head.


    "I don''t like when another person''s blood is on me," he replied calmly, dropping the Logia.


    "This was a better fight. You''re getting far stronger," Rosan noted. "But I''m not in the mood to play anymore games. There''s work to do so on that note..."


    The redhead turned towards the petrified crowd who had slowly come back after the battle had died down. "Anyone else want to fight me?" he asked quietly, looking at Crocodile''s underlings with a stormy gaze.


    All of them furiously shook their head.


    "N-No sir!" they saluted, backing away from the almost feral redhead.


    The redhead tilted his head and nodded in acceptance, before his eyes shifted to Daz Bones.


    Rosan gazed at the man made of steel, who made no move, and slowly walked up to him.


    "You didn''t shake your head," Rosan said calmly. "So you want to fight, right?"


    The question was asked softly, without any signs of intimidation but Rosan''s tactics were very clear.


    "...No," Daz Bones said after a while.


    "No? You don''t want to fight? Then why didn''t you do anything when I asked the question?" Rosan asked, expression neutral as he bore his gaze into the other man.


    Daz Bones shifted, those unnatural eyes of Rosan making him wildly uncomfortable.


    "I wasn''t... thinking right," he said slowly, averting his gaze as Rosan made it a point to humiliate him.


    Rosan gazed coolly at him, expression not betraying anything.


    "I''m going to ask one more time. Do you want to fight me?" he asked calmly.


    Properly cowed, Daz Bones merely bowed his head and said, "No¡­ I don''t want to fight you at all."


    Rosan peered at him and nodded in satisfaction, taking a step back.


    "You''re going to Marineford in the coming days," Rosan ordered Crocodile. "There''s going to be a war between Whitebeard and the World Government over the execution of Fire Fist Ace. You will be on standby in case things go awry."


    Alvida''s eyes widened at that. "Your brother?" she asked tentatively.


    She immediately seized up as Rosan appeared directly in front of her, those predatory eyes boring into her with an ice that assured the wrong answer would end up with her dead.


    "How do you know that?" Rosan asked warningly.


    She shuddered terribly at that, feeling his presence impose itself onto her.


    After seeing that battle with Crocodile... Alvida wanted nothing less than to get away from this monster. Crocodile could kill every single one of them here and be bored by the end of it... and he had lost to Rosan.


    She was out of her league. This went beyond bad luck.


    "We¡­ met Fire Fist Ace sometime after your bounty was revealed¡­ he''s a pleasant person. He praised you and Luffy and we... threw a party with him."


    The redhead gazed at her, before nodding. "Yeah, my brother. Naturally, I''m not going to let him get executed. You all are going to assist me in making sure that doesn''t happen."


    Everyone looked at the redhead in blatant horror at that.


    "Y-You want us to get in between a war with the Whitebeard Pirates and the World Government?!" someone squeaked.


    "Yeah," Rosan said without hesitation.


    "B-But we''ll die!" another shrieked in the crowd.


    Rosan''s eyes took on a cold and cruel glint. "You either take a chance at survival with them or die certainly to me. Make your choice now," he said grimly.


    There was a horrified silence as the redhead dared anyone to back out.


    As it stretched, Rosan grew satisfied and turned towards the audible snarling noise.


    "You''re outta your goddamn mind, redhead. You think I''m going to ally myself with Whitebeard of all people?" Crocodile hissed, clutching his ribs with one hand as he glared murderously at the redhead.


    It would be a cold day in hell before Crocodile decided to willingly ally with Whitebeard of all people.


    Rosan glanced at him, deathly calm.


    "Think? I think?" Rosan asked curiously. "I don''t think you understand."


    Everyone watched in terror, as a red ball began forming atop Rosan''s rested palm.


    "I don''t give a single fuck whether you agree with my demands or not. You will listen to them or you will understand."


    The redhead''s face turned soulless, looking eerily similar to how he appeared without emotions.


    "None of you are my friends. All of you are my pawns because all of you are weak. I''m not asking any of you to do anything. I''m telling you exactly what the hell you''re doing," he intoned with a grim frown.


    "The strong decide the course of the world and the weak have no choice but to follow the will of the strong."


    The redhead turned towards Crocodile with that eery expression. "Your grievances with Whitebeard mean nothing to me. I didn''t tell you to help Whitebeard. I told you to assist me in saving Ace. If you refuse, you may as well kill yourself in the coming days because after I''m done retrieving my brother, I''m coming for you."


    At that last sentence, a wave of vitriol killing intent spread out and everyone froze, before it vanished as quickly as it came.


    "Clean yourself up. I didn''t break anything too badly so you should be fine. Set a course for Marineford," Rosan grunted.


    Then he turned towards Crocodile''s subordinates.


    "For your sake, I hope he goes. Because anyone here who doesn''t show up is joining him. Don''t think you can run away either, he won''t let you," he warned.


    With that, he vanished.


    Alvida let out the breath she didn''t know she was holding, hating the way her chest pounded in terror.


    She didn''t know if the redhead without emotions was scarier than this version who freely showcased how little their lives meant to him¡­ but Alvida considered herself very unlucky to have unwittingly put herself underneath that demon''s command.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "R-Rosan?" Izumi stammered in terror, watching the redhead land on the ship with a chilly expression.


    At once, every former agent of CP9 seized up and turned towards the redhead...


    Who was alone.


    Like it or not... Nico Robin served as a very good deterrent to their lives being kept intact. With her nowhere in sight and that demon with such a severe expression on his face...


    It was natural that they came to the conclusion that they were all going to die.


    "The World Government is allocating all their resources to Marineford in the upcoming days. I want you to raid every single base you know of and take anything important," Rosan instructed coldly.


    There was no greeting, no threatening... just a harsh order that left Izumi ramrod straight.


    "O-Okay. We''ll adjust our course!" she said immediately.


    Rosan didn''t even bother nodding, just turning on a dime and preparing to fly off.


    "Um... is everything okay?" Izumi asked quietly, only to yelp in horror as a hand gripped around her neck and immediately slammed her into a wall.


    Rosan glared down at her with venomous eyes, tightening his grip and making Izumi squirm uncomfortably.


    "I didn''t come here for small talk. The last thing on the fucking planet that I need, is you of all people asking me if I''m okay," he whispered quietly to her, breath hot to a level that clearly wasn''t natural.


    "I''m sorry!" she squeaked, gripping his hand pleadingly with both of hers. "I-It won''t happen again!"


    "Rosan. You must relax. This isn''t good for you," Mod soothed patiently.


    Rosan continued to fix her with a heavy gaze, before dropping her to the floor.


    "I''m just fucking peachy," he snarled to the coughing Izumi. "Instead of staring at my girlfriend, I have to look at you and then you ask a stupid fucking question. Did you really think I was going to answer you?"


    Izumi coughed slightly and shook her head hastily, even as Kalifa warily approached to make sure she was alright.


    Rosan''s eyes immediately shifted to the blonde, noting their close proximity and he tilted his head.


    Izumi watched how they began glowing ominously and shuddered.


    "Rosan. No. You two made a deal and I won''t allow you to be the one to break it. You made this decision, you have to uphold it."


    "..."


    The redhead scoffed and turned away.


    Whatever. He shouldn''t have even come here. All it did was serve to make him angrier.


    "I-I''m sorry," Izumi coughed, holding her chest and taking in deep breaths. "W-We''ll get started on the mission right away."


    An insidious part of Rosan nearly turned around just to inflict more pain on her but he merely took a deep breath and decided that it was best not to go down a road that dark.


    He just began stepping out of the darkness, it would do no good to step back into it.


    "Do... you need any supplies?" Rosan grit out, noting that Robin probably wouldn''t be pleased if he didn''t at least check their status.


    Izumi looked at him warily, fear on her features as she mulled over the benefits of answering that question.


    With how explosive his mood currently was, it was probably not many benefits at all.


    "We''ve... accrued many supplies at the moment and aren''t in need of any," she replied eventually. "We''ll likely gather more by raiding the Marine bases."


    "Good. Make sure you aren''t spotted. You assassins should be good for something," he grunted, vanishing from his spot.


    Izumi watched him go and slumped back.


    He was even more terrifying than before if that was possible. It seemed like anything even slightly minor would set him off...


    Sometimes Izumi wondered if it truly was worth it to offer him her services... he had let her go, given her an out and she had foolishly thrown herself back into this toxic relationship of theirs.


    This couldn''t have been healthy...


    "Are you alright?" Izumi asked Kalifa quietly.


    "I should be the one asking you that," Kalifa replied, hoisting the woman up.


    Izumi said nothing and let loose another rattled sigh.


    For a moment... it almost seemed like Rosan was going to kill Kalifa for the hell of it.


    ...Izumi let loose another sigh. "Kaku, change course. There should be a Marine base around here."


    Best to just accomplish his mission. After all, with the news that Fire Fist Ace was set to be executed, the Marine bases truly would be practically empty, barring non soldiers.


    It would be easy. She just hoped she raided enough to not incite his wrath.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Rosan? Are you good?" Aiko asked in concern, noting that he didn''t immediately scare her to death on his arrival.


    Rosan grunted, allowing Akemi to move his head back and forth with ease.


    "Lot on my mind. I''m sure you saw the news," he told her, marching towards where she kept a stash of alcohol.


    Aiko didn''t even reprimand him, knowing exactly what he was talking about.


    "Ace," she said bluntly, frowning as she thought of the spitfire brother. "I''m guessing you aren''t gonna just stay still while this happens, right?"


    "Not a chance in hell," Rosan denied ferociously. "We''re gonna save him, don''t worry about it."


    Aiko nodded. "Be careful. You''re getting better but you''re still self destructive."


    "You''re going alone?" Akemi asked in concern, noticing that Robin wasn''t with him.


    Rosan shook his head, taking a heavy swig of the bottle.


    "No. I left Robin and Maro behind because they''ll attract too much attention," he said truthfully.


    Aiko''s eyes narrowed in concern and she sighed. "Akemi, let''s set a trip to Celadon. It''s been a while since we''ve checked up on the goblin brat."


    Akemi was nodding along with her. "Yeah, we''ll get some provisions... and alcohol. Maro probably wants some alcohol."


    Rosan sighed and pulled the two in a hug. "Thanks you two. Sometimes I feel like you can read my mind."


    "That''s what being partners for years does," Aiko grunted, squeezing the redhead reassuringly. "Seriously be careful."


    "I will," Rosan told them. "Maro has a stream of me playing currently. You''ll be able to watch it too."


    Akemi perked up at that and began waving. "Hi Maro! Hi Robin!" she waved.


    Rosan raised a brow. "How''d you know Robin was watching too?"


    "..."


    "..."


    "...Yeah that was a stupid question," he admitted with a sigh. "Though, my birth mother should be watching too I think."


    They blinked at that.


    "What?!"


    "Your birth mother?" Aiko asked slowly.


    Rosan nodded in amusement. "Looks just like me so you''d probably wanna bang her," he mentioned.


    Aiko blinked before a snarl overtook her flushed features.


    "Don''t say shit like that if she''s watching you shitty redhead!" she barked, looking poised to lunge at him.


    Rosan chuckled slightly and pat the short woman patronizingly.


    "You need to be less of a pervert. Do you cry at night knowing you can no longer shamelessly ogle me?" he asked in concern.


    The redhead didn''t even flinch as she leapt on him, her small hands wrapping around his neck.


    "You seem like the type to really prefer someone shorter than you. Maybe my aunt would be more your cup," Rosan mused, thinking of Dalia.


    Aiko paused her unsuccessful strangling of him. "You have an aunt? Do you just have a family of people who look like you?" she asked.


    "Pervert."


    "Pervert."


    "I''ll let you meet em after all this is over," Rosan said with a sigh. "I don''t mind but it''ll have to wait. I''m sure everyone has something to say to Raisa anyways."


    Aiko paused.


    "Raisa? Wait, your mom''s name is Raisa?" Aiko asked in shock. "Do you mean the Queen of Wisteria? That Raisa?"


    Rosan nodded. "Yeah that''s her. Surprised you never made the connection if you know of her."


    Aiko shook her head in surprise. "That''s because hardly anyone knows what she looks like. Last I heard, she hasn''t made an appearance for nearly a decade."


    The redhead mulled that over. "Makes sense. She seemed like a recluse."


    He shrugged. "Well whatever. Maybe I''ll have you guys meet her. Depends on what problems everyone else has with her. Mod-chan really hates her," he pointed out.


    Both the sisters brows shot up at that.


    "Mod-chan? She hates someone?" Akemi gaped in surprise.


    "That sweetheart of a woman?" Aiko whistled.


    Mod blushed red at that and temporarily took over. "It''s complicated but yes, I''ve harbored deep dislike for her for about 20 years," she admitted.


    Aiko whistled again and shook her head. "Damn. I didn''t know you had a hating bone in your body."


    Akemi nodded. "You''re so sweet and kind! I melt everytime I speak to you!"


    The Devil Fruit ducked her head at that to hide her embarrassment. "Well, I''m a mother first and foremost and Rosan is my son after all... it''s my duty to make sure he''s safe. So I''ll be monitoring her with heavy scrutiny."


    The sisters nodded easily at that.


    Mod was severely, severely, overprotective of Rosan. It eased their hearts knowing she was watching over him all the time when he wasn''t with them because the woman was levelheaded and wise.


    "Keep watch of him, Mod-chan," Aiko requested. "You know how reckless he can be."


    Mod nodded. "I''ll do my best. I plan on getting everyone out in perfect condition."


    The sisters nodded in relief and pulled her into a hug. "Be careful you all. I don''t doubt you''ll succeed so I won''t stop you."


    "We will," Mod and Rosan said at the same time as they swapped with each other. "Don''t worry. Make it to Maro''s island fast and you can watch me."


    They nodded and waved, watching the redhead vanish from their sight.


    "Good thing Angel and Hiroshi upgraded our ships," Aiko mused, grabbing a suitcase to store a batch of clothes.


    "Yep! We should be there by the end of the day!" Akemi replied, packing her own essentials.


    Aiko sighed.


    A war between Whitebeard and the World Government and her little brother was going to jump in between that, to go save their other little brother.


    It sounded like a disaster waiting to happen. Aiko wished she had a way to help him.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Rosan!" Hancock beamed, shamelessly wearing Luffy''s Straw Hat and leaping right up.


    Luffy was nowhere to be seen because his little brother was currently off training with Sabo, considering he was completely immune to his electricity. As a result, Hancock didn''t have to risk her position being compromised by his dumbest sibling.


    Though with how proudly she was wearing Luffy''s Straw Hat¡­ Rosan wasn''t sure how that part was going.


    He sighed. They were both idiots.


    "Hancock," he greeted easily, noting the slight pleading in her gaze and beckoning her towards him.


    Her eyes lit up and she rocketed over to his position, causing him to roll his eyes.


    He effortlessly wrapped her in the hug she was too embarrassed to request and asked, "How''s everything on your end?"


    She eagerly returned the embrace, not being used to something as warm as hugging and wanting to experience it more.


    Then she began pondering the question.


    "It''s a little boring in here," Hancock admitted with a slight frown, pushing her hair behind her ears so that it didn''t get in the way of her precious hug. "I have yet to leave my room and I have no intentions of doing so, and I also firmly warned them of what would happen if they entered."


    Rosan hummed at that and nodded.


    Being in a ship full of people you hated¡­ there was a reason why Rosan was barely here. He couldn''t trust himself not to blow their covers.


    Even now, he was strongly contemplating blowing this whole thing up.


    "How often do they bother you?" Rosan suddenly asked, with pursed lips.


    "Enough for me to consider it an annoyance... they bother me for meals of the day," Hancock scoffed.


    The redhead nodded at that, holding out his hand for a moment and having a bird land on it.


    Hancock''s mouth opened in shock, as the bird began transforming into a carbon copy of herself.


    "What?!" she gasped, looking at her stunning figure through something that was not a mirror.


    The copy of her stared back and began perfectly mimicking her mannerisms, much to Hancock''s further amazements.


    "There," Rosan muttered, grabbing Luffy''s Straw Hat off her head and hiding it in the room.


    "You''ve paid this much attention to me cousin? You can even copy my mannerisms?" she asked, swooning at how adorable he was.


    Rosan rolled his eyes. Hancock''s mannerisms were very unique. It was hard to miss them. "Yes I do. How could I not know how my adorable cousin acts?" He said appeasingly.


    He absentmindedly put a hand over her mouth, as she happily squealed and the redhead sighed.


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    He really was dealing with two idiots.


    "C''mon," the redhead said in some amusement, not bothering to hold out his hand because Hancock was back to gripping him happily.


    He was so glad they were cousins. Robin would have murdered him otherwise.


    She blinked and nodded in curiosity.


    "Is it fine, if I''m not in here?" she asked cautiously.


    "This can pose as you perfectly. We''re the ones who made you come here, so might as well make your time more enjoyable," Rosan grunted, gazing at his slightly shorter cousin.


    Hancock''s cheeks turned rosy and she squealed at how adorable her cousin was.


    Rosan rolled his eyes and patted the bird disguised as Hancock. The copy grinned and leaned into his touch, getting a small smile out of him.


    "Cousin."


    "Yes, Hancock?"


    "...I would like a pat as well."


    Rosan sighed again and began patting the giddy woman, before the duo vanished into his Pocket Dimension.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Hancock!" Luffy greeted, wiping the sweat off his head and accepting Sabo''s hand up.


    The two had been sparring furiously for practically the entire day, getting a feel for each others fighting styles and helping Sabo deepen his understanding of his fruit.


    Having someone who was completely immune to his Devil Fruit, was a godsend for Sabo. It allowed him to really cut loose in figuring out how much output he could let out, and how much he could control.


    It was great! Sabo was getting to a level of understanding with his fruit that he was finding very acceptable. He wasn''t anywhere close to Rosan and Luffy''s expertise but he''d only had his fruit for a few days now.


    He''d get to that level soon enough.


    The rubber boy was pulled up by his blonde brother and turned towards the Warlord, waving at her happily.


    "Luffy~," Hancock greeted, materializing next to him with, quite frankly, ridiculous speeds.


    The woman began immediately gushing over the boy, pulling a towel out from who knows where and wiping the sweat off of him with no hesitation, flushing happily at how pleased he was by her actions.


    "Huh, she really is in love with him," Sabo muttered to Rosan, watching the interactions with an amused eye.


    Luffy didn''t even seem to realize, just obliviously accepting her attention with that smile of his.


    "Told ya," Rosan snorted. "Hancock, this is my other brother, Sabo," he introduced.


    Hancock snapped to attention at that and resisted her natural disgust at seeing a man she did not know.


    Sabo understood that she probably had more than enough reservations about men, so he just offered her a smile and a dip of his head.


    "Nice to meet you, Boa Hancock. Rosan and Luffy have a lot of good things to say about you."


    Hancock''s eyes lit up at that and due to the fact that she''d catch a heart attack if she dared to hug Luffy, she flew at Rosan instead.


    Rosan grunted as he was knocked to the floor and he ran out of sighs to give out, just accepting her affections with a defeated expression.


    Sabo watched in amusement as she began squeezing the life out of the redhead happily.


    "You said good things about me?! My little cousin is just the most adorable! After all this is over, we must go out on a cousin trip," Hancock gushed.


    "How old are you?" Rosan asked suddenly.


    "29!"


    "...Fuck. Yeah alright, I''m your lil cousin," he conceded, merely patting her hair. "Hancock, I know he''s a man, but Sabo is very important to Luffy and I, so could you treat him nicely too?" he asked patiently.


    Luffy didn''t have the foresight to realize that he could practically make Hancock do anything he wanted at the drop of a hat.


    Rosan was far more shameless. Hancock was incredibly useful and he was not above using his older cousin for his benefits...


    As long as it didn''t heavily jeopardize her. He quite liked how adorable she acted around him and well... she was his cousin.


    He liked Hancock. He''d feel bad taking negative advantage of her.


    Hancock nodded eagerly and stood straight.


    With almost herculean effort, she turned towards Sabo and held out her hand, stamping down all the disgust in her body.


    "It''s nice to meet you, ma ¡ª I mean, Sabo," Hancock grit out.


    To Sabo''s point, he just thought the whole thing was amusing so he captured her hand with his own before mercifully releasing it.


    Hancock gazed at her hand for a moment, almost confused that it didn''t start melting or something before she whirled towards Rosan with an expectant expression.


    "Isn''t she in love with Luffy? Why does she keep coming to me?" Rosan sighed in exasperation, patting her on the head.


    "Despite being hopelessly in love with Luffy, you are the one who "saved" her and you''re her cousin. She has all the excuse in the world to seek your attention now without having to faint like with Luffy. She loves you just as much."


    He guessed that made sense... and he was a little happy that someone loved him so innocently.


    That just made him warm up to his cousin even more.


    "Good job, Hancock. It must have been hard but I knew my cousin could do it," Rosan praised.


    "But of course! We''re cousins after all! Something like this is nothing to me!" Hancock exclaimed happily, making a point to continue shaking the terribly amused Sabo''s hand.


    "You are shameless, Rosan."


    "I''m well aware, Mod-chan."


    "Luffy, you should give her a hug."


    "Huh? Okay!" Luffy beamed, wrapping his arms around Hancock and making her seize up.


    She immediately went limp in Luffy''s grasp, placing the back of her palm on her forehead and Rosan snorted.


    "How''s progress with your Devil Fruit?" He asked Sabo.


    "Better, I''m getting the hang of it. Luffy''s great in helping me figure things out since he doesn''t feel anything," Sabo replied, holding out a hand and eyeing the blue sparks that came to life a lot easier.


    "You''re way more mature than Luffy and I," Rosan laughed. "The first thing I shot for was techniques. Mod-chan was the one who forced me to learn fundamentals."


    "You literally cannot use Modification well without fundamentals."


    "Try convincing 4 year old me that," he snorted.


    Sabo laughed along with him. "I watched Enel''s fight. I don''t have those drums of his but his techniques were impressive. I think I''ll steal those first."


    Rosan nodded proudly. "You could become a real monster at a distance. I bet your Observation is naturally better than Enel''s without the Goro Goro no mi in effect... so with this fruit, it might have become even more exceptional."


    "I''ve been getting used to the expanded range," Sabo admitted. "It''s not that easy and I feel like my brain is gonna fry sometimes, but once I get it down, it''s going to be a massive advantage for me."


    Rosan scowled. "How are you getting used to it? I''m not anywhere close to making my observation usable."


    Sabo raised a brow at that.


    Right¡­ Rosan''s observation also granted him quite the big range but he couldn''t really use it.


    "That might be because of Modification," Sabo offered. "For me, it feels like I''m reading the electrical signals in the air."


    Rosan pursed his lips at that. His Observation didn''t quite feel like he was reading the signals in the air.


    "It feels more like I''m latching onto electrical sources in general, living and inanimate," Rosan offered him.


    Sabo nodded thoughtfully. "That would explain why you can''t hear conversations. It''s probably because you''re a computer."


    Realization dawned on Rosan''s face at that. "That might be it. I think it is because I''m a computer," he muttered.


    Sabo and Enel were reading electrical signals in the air, latching onto it to expand their range by gargantuan levels¡­


    But Rosan couldn''t read those electrical signals in the air¡­ no, Rosan could feel electricity in general and the stronger it was, the more he could feel it. He likely couldn''t feel electrical signals because they weren''t strong enough.


    The redhead shut his eyes and reached out with his observation.


    Almost immediately, his senses began assaulting him as he latched onto every single electrical source in the vicinity¡­ but Rosan realized the one currently assaulting his senses the most, was Sabo.


    The man made of electricity.


    Rosan nearly grinned ferally, but instead staved off the headache forming as he realized.


    The redhead reached out and grasped and to his utter delight, Sabo let out a startled yell.


    "Rosan what the fuck?!" Sabo gasped, exploding in electricity without doing anything.


    The redhead was still prone but Sabo could just tell his older brother was the one tampering with him right now.


    Further proving his point, Sabo watched as his own electricity was forcefully brought to Rosan''s position, before the redhead absorbed and assimilated it into his own body.


    "That''s weird as hell, Rosan," Sabo sighed in exasperation, just allowing his brother to do whatever the hell he was doing.


    "I think I figured it out," Rosan laughed in a rather unhinged manner. "My Haki and Modification combined in some form of freak mutation, that allows me to detect electrical sources. The more electricity, the more I can feel. With a bit of tampering, I can even manipulate it too..."


    He''d just have to get used to keeping Observation active... and with Sabo around he might get used to it quicker.


    "I can tell," Sabo muttered, watching his own electricity settle down. "You just forcefully used me as a battery. Not cool."


    "My bad. You''re like a beacon," Rosan informed him. "I think we counter each other. My observation will almost always latch onto you¡­"


    "...And you can use my electricity to fuel yourself, forcefully too," Sabo muttered.


    With enough practice, Rosan could probably do way more with that manipulating electricity aspect¡­


    "Technology could become completely useless around me with enough tampering," the computer man mused.


    Sabo wasn''t going to lie¡­ sitting here and brainstorming potential ways to improve their abilities¡­ it was fun. Just this aspect alone, made him find eating his Devil Fruit the right decision.


    There was just something¡­


    "Really fun about Devil Fruits, huh?" Rosan grinned.


    Sabo laughed and nodded at him. "All these years and you can still read my mind."


    He missed his brothers so damn much. It felt like nothing had changed. They were still as seamless as the days before, even with all that had happened.


    Rosan smiled fondly and pushed himself up. "Hancock, come join us in training. We''ve been warming up in preparation."


    Hancock fanned herself and gazed at her cousin. "Training?"


    The redhead nodded. "I''ve heard about how strong you are. If you wanted, you''d probably have kicked me and Luffy''s ass at the same time."


    Judging by the look of horror on her face, Hancock was thinking about the possibility and she did not like it one bit.


    "I-I''d never do such a thing anymore!" she stressed, looking terrified at the prospect. "I admit that I''ve been... not the greatest to you two before but I''ve changed!" she pleaded.


    "Don''t worry about it, cousin," Rosan waved her off. "We aren''t mad at you or anything. Just be better from now on."


    "Yeah!" Luffy beamed.


    Hancock looked at the two in shock, before she began swooning.


    Why were they so adorable?!


    "Let us train!" she declared, despite having hardly trained ever in her life.


    Sabo sweatdropped at watching her rush forward to meet the redhead.


    Boa Hancock was so unbelievably whipped by these two and Rosan was well aware of it.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    When Rosan mentioned Hancock being able to kick both his and Luffy''s ass, he may have grossly underestimated his cousin.


    She was absurdly powerful, even disregarding her cheating Devil Fruit.


    His cousin was even able to beat Sabo! Those two were going at it but Hancock actually managed to pull out a victory against him!


    "Make sure¡­ you don''t put in too much effort at the war if worst comes to worst," Rosan said, watching his bruises heal up from their spar.


    He got his ass kicked left and right to be blunt. Hancock was strong as hell and she packed a lot of physical power in her kicks.


    Hancock was by his side in an instant, terrible worry in her eyes.


    "Did I hit too hard? Are you hurting anywhere? Do you need a massage?"


    Before he could reply, Hancock began doing her best to give him a massage and Rosan nearly laughed aloud at how terrible it was.


    Clearly, Hancock had never given anyone a massage before.


    Rosan snorted and gently removed her hands, patting the putout woman to appease her. "Robin probably wouldn''t appreciate that. It''s fine."


    He''d just ask Ram, she was damn good at giving massages too.


    Hancock blinked in confusion. "Who is Robin?"


    Rosan''s gaze lit up and he immediately pulled out a copy of her bounty. "My girlfriend," he said proudly.


    "Father you are such a dork," Ram cackled and swooned at the same time.


    Rosan ignored both her cackles and Mod''s giggles, just proudly showing off her bounty.


    "This is her. We met when I was four and I''ve loved her ever since despite how dumb she is sometimes. She''s 28, her birthday is a month before mine and she''s two inches shorter than me. She''s a huge nerd that studies archaeology but I love her all the same even despite the fact she has a coffee addiction."


    "She''s going to kill you, you know that?"


    "Why? I praised her."


    Sabo laughed loudly at that. Rosan being such a dork when it came to Robin, was not what he expected, but it somehow fit him perfectly.


    He was an extreme mother hen too so it stood to reason that he''d be a dork.


    "Your girlfriend?" Hancock asked, expression turning thoughtful.


    Rosan''s smile widened and he nodded. It was like all his energy had returned to him and he immediately sprung up.


    "We''ve got enough time, let''s meet her," he decided without any hesitation.


    Sabo sweatdropped deeply as Rosan vanished without another word.


    A tentative tap brought his attention to Hancock and the suddenly demure woman gazed at him.


    "D-Does Luffy have a girlfriend?" she asked in a near whisper.


    "Definitely not," Sabo replied, stifling a laugh and gazing at his brother wolfing down his food.


    Hancock let out a sigh of relief.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan fixed Koala with a soulless gaze, noting that she was in bed with Robin and they were both wearing pajamas.


    "What is this?" he asked calmly.


    "Rosan," Robin said in exasperation.


    "You told me he wouldn''t mind," Koala hissed, watching in horror as his hand began glowing in preparation to vaporize her.


    "He literally calls you his brother''s wife. I didn''t think he''d be this ridiculous," Robin muttered back, standing up and gently wrapping the redhead in a hug.


    "Stop being so jealous of everyone," she reprimanded.


    "No," Rosan replied, taking his eyes off Koala. "I refuse."


    What type of possessive monster would he be if he let anyone get away with lying in bed with Robin? Everyone would have to suffer the fate of death unfortunately.


    "Do you think the way you think is normal? I assure you that it''s not."


    "The way I think is perfect. You can keep pretending like you don''t understand."


    "P-Pretending? Rosan, I genuinely don''t understand!"


    Robin sighed tiredly and just allowed him to tuck her into his frame.


    "I''m very sure you''re just using this because you miss me¡­ but I miss you too so I''ll allow it," Robin said in amusement, cheeks glowing just a little.


    Hearing Rosan''s nonstop gushing over her was always a joy. Just the way his eyes lit up at the mere mention of her name¡­


    She reached out and violently gripped his cheek.


    "Stop insulting me. I really don''t appreciate it," she warned.


    He looked utterly nonplussed and just grunted at the violent pulling.


    "I don''t know what you mean," Rosan replied softly. "I was praising you the entire time."


    She glared at him, but it melted away in favor of worry. "Are you alright? Your tempers been short."


    Rosan''s joking features vanished slightly. "You''re talking about what I did to Izumi? Yeah... seeing her when my mood is so jarred, was not the smartest idea."


    She nodded in agreement and just offered her steady presence to him, listening to how quick his heartbeat pulsed.


    Robin was beginning to now realize how much of a part she played in keeping Rosan''s hellish temper in check.


    She never realized just how often she just put a hand or said something to calm him down... but just seeing how swiftly he nearly choked the life out of Izumi and knowing she would have been there before he reached a very quick melting point...


    Rosan was very unstable right now and it was easiest to see when Robin wasn''t around him...


    She felt a little flattered by that. In a weird kinda way but she was still flattered.


    Robin looked on in genuine amusement at how physically ill Rosan looked removing her necklace but he did eventually take if off of her.


    "Do you wanna come with us, Koala?" Robin asked her fellow pajama wearing friend.


    "...You guys are training right? I guess we can train for today too. We''ve just been watching this stream thingie," Koala nodded, pushing herself up.


    "Weird way to say you miss Sabo," Rosan snorted.


    Koala immediately glared at him. "Stop that! People might really get the wrong idea!"


    The redhead scoffed. "Right... wrong idea... I bet," he said dryly.


    Koala was going to throttle this redhead.


    Rosan chuckled slightly and turned towards Robin. "You can officially meet my cousin."


    Robin rolled her eyes. "You just want to show me off."


    "Of course I do. I''m very proud of you. I would have shown you off to Raisa too," Rosan said truthfully.


    Robin said nothing and just felt her smile widen.


    "Stop trying to embarrass me in front of people."


    "No."


    "You two are disgusting," Koala decided.


    Rosan peered at her and an evil smirk made its way to his face, before he gripped Robin''s cheek and ¡ª


    Koala let out a strangled yell and dropkicked him after about 5 seconds.


    Rosan grunted with an amused smile. "You''re strong as hell too, not bad."


    Robin shook her head in exhaustion, far too used to his antics to be embarrassed. "Didn''t you say multiple people were watching you? Doesn''t that mean Raisa just saw what you did to me?" she wondered.


    Rosan nodded. "Probably? Not like that was going to stop me," he shrugged.


    "One day you will be a normal and stable person, Rosan," Robin muttered to him.


    "You could have stopped me."


    "I won''t stop something I enjoy."


    "That makes us both unstable doesn''t it?"


    Koala sighed in misery.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Robin had to admit, seeing Hancock in person put into perspective how beautiful the woman was.


    It was a good thing Rosan was this woman''s cousin¡­ else Robin would admittedly be a lot more jealous.


    "Hancock, this is Robin," Rosan introduced with a proud smile, pointing towards her and lifting her up around the waist like she were a prop. "She''s my girlfriend. Look, she''s shorter than me."


    Robin twitched at that and resisted the urge to throttle Rosan, instead focusing on Hancock herself.


    Hancock was slightly taller than Robin and the snake empress looked at her with a contemplative expression.


    The two gazed at one another, sizing the other up with curious expressions.


    "So you are my dear cousins spouse," Hancock muttered.


    "I''m his best friend as well," Robin added with a small smile.


    Hancock looked at her with a pensive expression.


    "My cousin is very dear to me and you make him happy so please stay with him forever. If you break his heart, I will have to hunt you down," Hancock said resolutely.


    Robin could practically feel Rosan''s outrage but she simply held his hand and smiled gently at her.


    It was adorable that Hancock cared so much for her like 3 day cousin so Robin took no offense but still¡­


    "Rosan has been my best friend since I was 8. We fought a lot as kids, we fight a lot now¡­ but throughout it all, Rosan and I have always loved each other and that will never change," Robin began.


    "When he gave up on himself, I was there for him every step of the way. When I gave up on myself, he was there for me every step of the way¡­ and it made me realize that a life without him isn''t one that I would ever enjoy¡­ so I''ll keep a firm hold onto him."


    Robin laughed slightly and hugged him. "I''m the one at risk of getting my heartbroken here, I wouldn''t be able to leave him even if I tried. I''d just come running back."


    Rosan laughed in return and squeezed her. "Shut the hell up Robin. You at risk of getting heartbroken? Who do you think I am?" he snorted. "You''re stuck. Trapped. Kidnapped. Mine."


    "And I wouldn''t have it any other way."


    Koala and Sabo both smiled at that and Hancock looked properly appeased.


    "You''ve been my cousin for like 3 days, Hancock. Don''t you find it a little strange that we''re related?" Rosan asked curiously.


    While it was rather funny, Hancock was genuinely acting like they had known each other for years.


    "Not at all!" Hancock said with a flourish. "I''m actually quite glad we''re cousins. You are as beautiful as me, you''ve helped me become a better person to you and now that we''ve connected, I''m going to dote on you like a good big cousin should!" she beamed.


    "Rosan would appreciate that," Robin agreed shamelessly, ignoring the incredulous look he shot her. "He loves being the little sibling. He called me Robin-nee all the time."


    She held herself together at the astonished look Rosan was donning but she dearly wanted to crack.


    "I can be Hancock-nee then!" Hancock declared without missing a beat.


    "No seriously that''s fine," Rosan said holding his hand out. "I don''t call anyone nee anymore."


    "Now you can start!" she beamed, completely missing why Rosan had no interest in calling her Hancock-nee.


    A shy blush adorned her cheeks. "I''ll be your older sister sooner or later anyways," she muttered.


    No one missed the glance she shot Luffy''s way and the rubber boy blinked at all the eyes on him.


    "What?" he asked, tilting his head.


    "Nothin," Rosan chuckled. "Let''s continue training. We have a couple more days before we reach our destination."


    Hancock nodded fiercely. "If I can help you all in anyway, I will. Let''s continue!"


    "I don''t know how you manage to drag everyone into your obsession with training but it needs to be studied," Robin said in exasperation, watching how eagerly Hancock looked at the prospect of sparring with Luffy.


    "All this charisma needed to be used for something," Rosan cackled. "Little sister! Show me what you can do!"


    Koala whirled on him with a sneer. "I''m so sick of you and we''ve barely hung around each other! Oh I''m going to trash you!"


    "Not something you should say to your older brother. Pretty rude."


    Koala let out a herculean roar, lunged at the redhead and they were off. They could hear Rosan laughing as the two blurred around the field.


    Robin shook her head and turned towards Sabo, before pulling the blond in a hug.


    "I saw that you got your memories back and I''m so happy for you," she said earnestly.


    Sabo''s expression softened and he eagerly returned the hug. "And I''m glad I fully remember one of the first people my oldest brother loved with all his heart. You were a gem in those memories, Robin."


    Robin smiled at that. "And you were too. Now let''s go train ourselves. The Goro Goro no Mi¡­ perfect for me to try to learn armament."


    "You''ll get shocked you know?" Sabo replied in some concern.


    Robin looked nonplussed. "Just more motivation to learn it. That''s what it is."


    The revolutionary sweatdropped. "Rosan''s turned you nuts."


    Robin let out a suffering sigh, smile still on her face. "I know."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "You''ve gone and done it now."


    Ace, battered and left in a bundle of injuries, glanced up. It was hard to move considering how heavily chained he currently was but he managed.


    Across from him, sitting outside his cell, was his own gramps, Garp himself.


    "What are you doing here?" Ace asked, spitting out the backed up blood.


    Garp said nothing for a moment, just crossing his arms and looking at the sorry state of his grandson.


    "I wanted you, Luffy and Rosan to become great Marines but you became criminals instead," he began.


    "I spoke to Luffy and Rosan about their fathers you know¡­ though, I don''t think either of them cared to hear about them."


    Ace''s brows furrowed. "Rosan''s father? You know who he is?"


    He knew for a fact that Rosan didn''t know nor care about who his father was. Ace wasn''t aware that Garp knew of him.


    Garp grunted. "He''s in this room."


    There was a pregnant silence at that, as Ace digested that information with wide eyes.


    "Rosan''s father is¡­ the little brother of a very dangerous man. And that very dangerous man was taken out by both me¡­ and Roger. He holds a grudge and it was his undoing," Garp revealed.


    Ace said nothing for a moment.


    So Rosan''s uncle was killed by Ace''s father and Luffy''s grandfather¡­ and Rosan''s father held a grudge, raped Rosan''s mother and was now in Impel Down, which left Rosan to be adopted by Ace''s mother and father.


    And now Rosan claimed both Luffy and Ace as his little brothers. Brothers who he was incredibly overprotective of.


    "The world works in funny ways," Ace grinned sardonically, finding the energy to do so even now.


    To think the three brothers were tied together even before they were born. What a strange twist of fate... though Rosan would vehemently disagree with the notion that fate handled this.


    "Do you think anyone who cares for you is going to take this lying down?" Garp asked him suddenly.


    Ace went stiff.


    "Whitebeard is already preparing for war, Ace. We''ve angered the king of the sea," the Marine informed him.


    The pirate said nothing and Garp sighed.


    He didn''t get it. Ace didn''t understand what was fully happening.


    "What about Luffy or Rosan? Do you think those two will take it lying down? Do you think your brothers are going to accept this?" Garp asked him, watching the way Ace actually froze up completely.


    It was as if he finally realized the gravity of the situation and when he did, Garp watched as genuine terror made its way onto Ace''s face.


    That¡­ wait. No. That couldn''t... His brothers couldn''t try and save him. That was insanity!


    They had their own journey to accomplish! Ace didn''t need them to visit! If they... if they died because of him then he didn''t know what he''d do!


    "You know how Luffy is. You know what he''ll do... but when was the last time you saw Rosan?" Garp asked this time. "He isn''t emotionless anymore you know? His shackles have almost completely disappeared¡­ and Rosan destroyed Enies Lobby just to get one single person back."


    "What do you think he''s gonna do once he hears about this? What will Rosan do once he hears that you''ve been captured by the World Government he hates so much?"


    Ace began shuddering, horror beginning to fill his body more and more as he realized the amount of peril he just put his brothers in.


    He didn''t¡­ Ace didn''t give a damn about being executed but¡­ but his brothers. His reckless brothers who would read the news in the horror he was currently feeling would...!


    Oh no¡­ if something happened to any of his brothers because of what Ace had done¡­ what could Ace do?


    No no no. Not them. Ace couldn''t lose anyone in his family. Not his brothers, not his sisters¡­ none of them.


    "You need to stop them, gramps," Ace said urgently, eyes frantic for the first time since he was in here. "You need to make sure they don''t show up! Go stop them now!"


    It would be his fault if something happened to them. Why was it always his fault?! Ace didn''t think about how his actions would affect the people around him. He just acted on his emotions...


    "Your stubbornness is going to get you killed, Ace," the voice of his older brother said knowingly, 10 years before this disaster...


    "If I could stop them, I would¡­ if I could, you wouldn''t even be in there¡­ but I can''t," Garp said, shutting his eyes.


    He dearly hoped Rosan and Luffy didn''t show up¡­ he dearly hoped Whitebeard saved Ace¡­ because if any of his grandchildren died¡­ Garp didn''t know what he''d do.


    Ace hoped his brothers didn''t show up. They couldn''t. They weren''t strong enough yet¡­ it was his job to protect them but right now, he had thrown everything in disarray.


    "You''re father changed the world with his death, Ace! When you become a man that important, then you can do whatever you want!"


    "You are one of the strongest and most respected Marines in the world, yet you condemned my mother to death when you could have saved her."


    The words of Dadan ringed into his ears from years ago and it felt like gravity was crushing Ace from all angles.


    The words of Rosan ringed into his ears from years ago and it felt like he aged more than he already did.


    Garp didn''t know what to do.


    Ace didn''t know what to do...


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    All signs of playfulness was gone from Rosan, mood quelled and replaced by a cold blooded machine.


    The only sign that he felt something was the sight of his glowing, smoldering, eyes.


    Today, Rosan would make his second statement on a Marine Stronghold and show them exactly why they should not mess with him.


    They called Impel Down hell on earth, but Rosan was going to show them that hell was just a fraction.


    Rosan was going to show them a glimpse of what true hell looked like. By the time he was done, Impel Down would take inspiration from him.


    "Ready?" Sabo asked, tightening his gloves and grabbing his pipe.


    "Yeah," Rosan grunted, armband wrapping around his entire body and forming a coat.


    He grabbed his hair and tied up the back into a bun, letting the front drape over his face.


    The redhead touched his earrings for a moment and nodded to himself, preemptively transforming Ram into gloves.


    "We don''t know anything about Impel Down that could help us find Ace faster¡­ so we probably have to do this the old fashioned way," Sabo frowned, tapping a finger against the pipe rhythmically and watching as sparks periodically coursed through it.


    "I''ll speed up the process to the best of my ability but it seems like it," Rosan frowned, waiting for the signal. "Impel Down has 5 levels to it. Logically speaking, Ace should be on level 5¡­ but there''s a chance they''ve put him on any floor since he''s scheduled for execution."


    "Should the 3 of us split up?" Sabo asked. "With Modification, we could probably explore 3 floors at once."


    "That wouldn''t be a bad idea¡­ but I worry for Luffy," Rosan admitted with a frown. "You know how reckless he is and unlike me he doesn''t have a versatile ability to bail him out. He could get messed up if he''s too careless."


    Sabo nodded. "We''ll decide as we travel. For now, staying in a group is smart. Nothing in there should be able to handle all 3 of us at the same time."


    "If they know what''s good for them, they''ll fall silently and without struggle," Rosan grunted. "I''m in no mood for games. Anyone who gets in our way, dies. I won''t rest until I get Ace back."


    Sabo shook his head. "As scary as ever, Rosan."


    The two waited, until Rosan''s gaze snapped open and he stood up.


    Sabo followed immediately after and without needing prompting, placed a hand on the redhead.


    "Let''s give them hell," Sabo said grimly.


    "Hell will be a paradise when I''m done with them," Rosan snarled.


    With that, the two brothers vanished.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Please be careful you three," Hancock pleaded.


    As Sabo and Rosan arrived, they were greeted to the sight of Hancock and Luffy in a room with both a stone woman and a stone snail.


    Rosan grabbed Hancock into a hug. "Thanks cousin. You''ve done a lot for us and I''ll repay you once this is all over."


    Their time together actually made Rosan rather fond of his cousin and seeing the risks she was so willing to take, no hesitation at all in her body showed him that she was worth being apart of his family.


    After this was over, he''d find the time to actually visit her more because he knew that''s what she wanted. Since she had been such a good cousin to him, it was only right for him to be a good cousin to her.


    She shook her head furiously at that. "There is no need! You''ve done so much for me already¡­ this is the least of my concerns."


    Rosan smiled at her, frigid features melting slightly so he could grace her with one.


    "You''re awesome, Hancock! Thanks a bunch!" Luffy beamed, gripping her hands in his own.


    Hancock''s hand slammed against her chest at that.


    "Does this mean we''re getting married?!"


    The woman swooned and nearly fainted right there, up until Rosan slapped both her cheeks with his hands.


    "Focus, Hancock. You still have to play your part. Focus on getting out of here without arousing suspicion. We''ll see you again after this all blows over," Rosan murmured to her.


    She nodded once more, hugging all 3 (even Sabo! She had warmed up quite a lot to him!), before Rosan modified a hole into the roof and the three slipped in.


    He watched as Hancock undid her ability, allowing the petrified woman to continue her inspections (no recollection of being frozen whatsoever) on his cousin with a small blush on her face.


    After a few more minutes, Hancock was permitted to leave the room and the two woman departed.


    Rosan left a fly out there and had his brothers wait in their hiding spot, while they waited for the group of World Government agents to leave.


    It didn''t take them very long to vacate the area, clearly feeling the haste to get this over with and Rosan grunted.


    Once the coast was clear, Rosan''s wings sprouted from his back and he grabbed Luffy and Sabo, before floating out of sight of the snail and towards the door.


    It took him less than a second to make a sizable hole in the frame and he floated through, tapping it again to make it go back to normal.


    The 3 caught Hancock''s eyes right before the elevator went down and they shot her a smile, that made her begin swooning.


    "Alright," Rosan muttered, as he landed on the floor without a sound.


    "Modification is such a bullshit fruit," Sabo replied with an exasperated smile, watching as Rosan tapped the both of them and linked up.


    "Sabo not you too!" Mod complained. "You of all people cannot say that, after eating the Goro Goro no mi!"


    The three took off running immediately, Rosan at the lead as he began muttering under his breath.


    "I can and I will. The sheer versatility of your fruit is ridiculous," Sabo replied, following Rosan.


    "He''s right! Modi can do way too many things," Luffy exclaimed.


    It didn''t take them very long to find a set of stairs that went downwards and they immediately began descending.


    "Ugh, I can''t believe we just got all of you back and you''re teasing me too!" Mod complained.


    "Can''t resist. You make it too easy Mod-chan. You''re very adorable," Sabo replied cheekily.


    "Noise. People," Rosan said shortly gaze focused.


    Without needing any further words, the three brothers leapt atop the ceiling of Impel Down, watching as guards ran through the location they were just at.


    "Looking for someone," Rosan grunted with a frown, hanging upside down as he stared at the guards and resisted killing them. "Don''t think it''s Ace. Would have been more widespread panic."


    "Probably just a random. Ace is the most important prisoner in this prison. They wouldn''t dispatch such a small group just for him," Sabo frowned, watching as they disappeared down the corridor.


    The three leapt off and continued at a cautious pace, eventually making it into a gigantic room full of cells.


    Rosan grunted and continued his pace, eyeing all the cells with a contemplative expression.


    Finally, he walked up to one and saw the people perk up.


    "How did you get out there?! Do you have the key?"


    Rosan ignored them.


    "Where is Fire Fist Ace?" Rosan asked quietly.


    Someone in the cage snorted. "Fire Fist Ace? There''s no way he''s on the first floor!"


    "Yeah someone like him would be on level 5!"


    "Hey let us out! We could use some fresh air!"


    Level 5¡­ He wouldn''t trust their words but he''d keep stalk of them.


    Rosan relayed the information to his bug following Hancock and gave it the order to find out where level 5 was¡­


    Only to find out that it began malfunctioning the moment it seemed to reach level 4. The only thing he noted was the excess heat before his bird went dark.


    Rosan frowned. Note to self, make his future creations resistant to extreme weather. He only thought about rain.


    "The fourth floor, has an extreme shift in temperature," Rosan grunted, tapping both his brothers and making them resistant to the effects like he was. "For now, we''ll search all the floors for him on our way to 5 ¡ª"


    The rapid sound of footsteps interrupted the redhead and the three brothers looked to see someone getting chased by a bunch of blue humanoid figures.


    Rosan''s eyes narrowed as he realized just who was being chased.


    The redhead held his hand out and the person who was screaming for their life, thought it was a hand meant to save him.


    Buggy''s tears of joy, transformed into unbridled terror as he saw the gloved palm glowing bright in warning.


    The clown shrieked in horror as he realized that it wasn''t salvation¡­ but an execution about to happen and he hastily changed direction ¡ª


    Just in time for a massive beam to barely graze his body.


    Every prisoner went white, as that beam of energy ran over all the Blugori, vaporizing them on the spot.


    "H-Holy shit... I don''t think that guys supposed to be on this floor."


    "No shit... did you... did you see that?! He just took out those Blugori like they were weeds!"


    Rosan sneered, eyes glowing menacingly as he put his smoking gloves down.


    "We don''t have time for this," Rosan grunted. "Luffy, that Vivre Card for Ace¡­ do you still own it?"


    Luffy nodded and pulled it out of his hat, showcasing it to them all.


    Rosan''s fangs bared in murder at just how tiny it was and Sabo let out a disgruntled noise, equally as bothered.


    "Straw Hat?! Redhead?!" Buggy exclaimed in disbelief. "You nearly killed me back there!"


    He was ignored.


    "So they finally captured you two?!"


    Rosan ignored him.


    "STOP IGNORING ME!"


    Rosan pursed his lips.


    They probably had their location outed a bit and Rosan didn''t want suspicion to befall Hancock any further¡­


    The redhead began concentrating slightly.


    Finally a wave of harmless sparks left his body and he grunted.


    "What did you do?" Sabo murmured.


    "Disrupted electrical signals. Cameras should be messing up for this floor and maybe the next depending on how far down it is," Rosan replied back, turning on a dime and continuing his course.


    "Useful. Wonder if I can learn that," Sabo muttered, following his brother.


    "Almost certainly, but it would require a lot of control... or you could just use a heavy dosage and overpower it completely," Mod replied.


    Sabo nodded at that. "There''s a lot of things I''ll need to practice with after we save Ace."


    "The vivre card is pointing downwards so that means Ace is down!" Luffy exclaimed.


    "Should I destroy a hole into the ground?" Rosan pondered.


    "Save your energy, we can just reach the next floor normally. No one knows we''re here yet," Sabo replied, years of covert missions kicking in.


    "You three are trying to save Ace?!" Buggy asked in shock.


    Rosan partially glanced back at the clown in some confusion. "You''re still alive?" he muttered.


    "DID YOU EVEN PAY ATTENTION TO ME AFTER THAT ATTACK?!" Buggy roared in indignation, more than a little offended by being treated like a side gig.


    Rosan ignored his screaming. "You''ve probably been captured for a while. How do we get to lower levels?" he asked the clown.


    Buggy spluttered at the insufferable redhead. "Why the hell would I tell you that ¡ª"


    A super heated palm rested on his nose and Buggy stared into the reptilian eyes of one Rosan.


    "Next time, instead of being a whiny bitch, just answer my question. I was going to leave you be but now I change my mind. You''re escorting us for the rest of this or you''re only going to know pain and misery for as long as I have the will to torment you and I have a lot of will," Rosan warned.


    "Asshole," Sabo snorted in amusement.


    Buggy thought about protesting, but he saw Rosan actually begin forming a beam while still grasping his nose and thought better of it.


    "O-Of course! Right this way!" Buggy stammered in terror.


    Rosan snorted and beckoned his head.


    "You and I will focus on dispatching enemies, Sabo."


    "Yeah. We can alternate."


    "Aww what about me?!" Luffy complained, much to Buggy''s confusion.


    Rosan glanced at his younger brother. "You have to expend more energy to take enemies out since you''re so physical. Save your stamina."


    Luffy grumbled, clearly not content with that idea and it made Rosan sigh.


    "Clown. Explain this structure," he demanded, narrowing his heterochromatic eyes.


    Buggy squeaked in horror at that.


    "E-Each floor of Impel Down gets more dangerous the lower you go," the clown explained to them. "The higher the bounty, the lower you''re put¡­ I even heard there''s a level lower than 5."


    Rosan''s attention was grabbed at that.


    "A level lower than 5?" Rosan muttered. "Why don''t I just blast a hole downwards continuously?" he asked the clown.


    Buggy spluttered. "That''s reckless! Don''t do that! Who knows what could happen?! We''re underwater after all!"


    Rosan pursed his lips.


    He didn''t know the infrastructure of Impel Down so doing something like that, could be dangerous in the long run.


    It could lead to a situation where they absolutely needed to find Ace while water was filling up the entire prison...


    He sucked his teeth. Less than ideal.


    "It''s fine Rosan. Patience over recklessness."


    That was right. Patience would be key here. This required a more steady approach lest they get overwhelmed.


    The redhead nodded and they continued their course, until they arrived to a forest full of trees.


    "This is the first level of Impel Down, the Crimson Hell!" Buggy exclaimed.


    The Crimson Hell was a forest that contained red trees, along with red grass. The reason they were red, was because each blade of grass and each tree, doubled as blades themselves and as a result, every step a prisoner took would spill their blood on the foliage.


    Even now, Rosan could hear pained screams, agony ringing through the place in an almost practiced symphony.


    "How sinister," Mod commented, shaking her head at the cruelty.


    It was all just so vulgar to her. She would never derive joy in this.


    "I think it''s smart! We should do this!" Ram beamed.


    Rosan glanced uncaringly, wings sprouting from his back as he held both Luffy and Sabo.


    Buggy looked at those giant wings with no small amount of nervousness, remembering both his encounters with the redhead earlier.


    The first time on Orange Island... where the redhead was just content to taunt and make fun of him, always at ease and never seeing it fit to kill him...


    And then at Loguetown, when the redhead actually had been about to kill him but he was saved by the lightning strike.


    To think he had been so dangerous this entire time... did he really leave Buggy alive just out of boredom?!


    "Where do we go for the next level?"


    Buggy gulped and led the way, guiding them all to a giant hole that led to level two.


    While heading there, they had been intercepted by a few more Blugori''s that Sabo shocked to incapacitation (Buggy''s eyes bugged out in terror at seeing the unknown blonde in action) but there weren''t as many enemies, likely due to Rosan tampering with the cameras.


    Sabo stared at the burned bodies and nodded to himself, even as Rosan soared with them on each hand.


    "We should be close to level 2 now, right?" he asked.


    Buggy nodded hastily. "Should be just ahead these trees! It''s a giant hole!"


    "Perfect," Sabo smiled good naturedly, on the lookout for anymore enemies that could halt their flight there.


    While Rosan was flying through the air, he was taking up the role of their makeshift turret and was blasting down anything in sight.


    It worked out pretty well! They were advancing at a speed that they were all satisfied with and it took them no time at all to make it to a suspiciously large hole.


    "This is it!" Buggy explained. "Just go through and you''ll make it to level 2! Be warned, it''s called the Wild Beasts Hell!"


    Rosan ignored him mostly, inclining and diving into the hole without any hesitation.


    As they leapt into level 2, Rosan''s gaze sharpened dramatically and his draconic instincts began roaring.


    The reasoning was soon made clear, as a giant chicken with a beasts head gazed down at them, tongue sticking out of its mouth.


    Oh? A lesser creature that thought it could stand to his might?


    Ridiculous. Rosan was a far stronger monster than this one.


    Rosan didn''t even realize that he began subtly activating Ragnarok, as he stared the Basilisk down but he did notice how the beast honed in on him specifically.


    They made eye contact and Rosan felt a roar of fury take place, as the creature before him refused to naturally submit to his will and look away.


    Foolish. Rosan would show it what that entailed.


    In just a split second, he had transformed into Ragnarok and crashed into the beast with raw aggression.


    "Goodness. With Rosan''s sudden surge of anger, Ragnarok is having a far easier time influencing him."


    "It''s pretty awesome!" Ram gushed.


    Buggy''s jaw dropped in horror at seeing Rosan take the form of a goddamn dragon and he backed away, as the creature began brutalizing the Basilisk without any hesitation.


    So the redhead was capable of transforming into a dragon... at this point Buggy was just thanking the stars that he was somehow still alive.


    Rosan roared in fury and sunk his fangs into the Basilisk''s sides, getting a shriek of agony out of the creature and the dragon began ragdolling him like he weren''t a gigantic monster.


    "Rosan!" Sabo called out suddenly. "Slam it through here!"


    Rosan looked at the wall Sabo was pointing at and growled in affirmation, grabbing the screeching Basilisk and slamming it through the wall¡­


    Directly into the stunned guards.


    They had been discreetly trying to relay comms to the Chief Warden or actual Warden that something was largely amiss considering their cameras weren''t working... but it was then they realized their communications weren''t working either.


    Then, they heard the shrieks of one of the monsters of hell outside, along with the roars of a monster they couldn''t identify and they began panicking, trying to figure out what the hell was going on.


    At the sight of one of the walls to their right crumbling into nothing, they could only watch in sheer terror as one of the wild beasts of level 2 flew directly into the room.


    The jail erupted in screams of agony as the Basilisk''s massive buddy crushed them to the floor and Rosan snorted derisively.


    "He''s a devil," Buggy balked. It had been a long time since he had been shown the higher levels of power some pirates could display.


    While Rosan''s was nowhere near the peak of what Buggy had seen¡­ he had been around those same people and was good at spotting who was capable of reaching that level...


    He could see that same potential in this group of three right here. Every single one of them were going to be a terrible issue in the future if they survived...


    "Good thinking, Sabo," Rosan praised, transforming back into normal. "By now they should know something is wrong, but throwing them into further confusion is good."


    The revolutionary nodded and turned towards Buggy.


    "How do we get to level 3?" he asked.


    The crown laughed nervously. "Well¡­ uh¡­ I don''t really know?"


    "You don''t know?" Rosan asked calmly, too calmly.


    "I''LL FIGURE IT OUT! THIS IS BEAST HELL THOUGH SO WATCH OUT FOR THE MONSTERS!"


    "Hmph," Rosan grunted.


    "HEY WAIT! IF YOU FIND THE KEYS IN THERE, YOU COULD FREE US!" A prisoner shouted.


    Rosan tilted his head.


    Why would he do that? At the end of the day, these criminals probably deserved to be in here. Rosan was under no inclination to free¡­


    He grabbed the keys and tossed them to Buggy.


    "Go free them," Rosan grunted.


    "Rosan?" Sabo mused curiously, raising a brow.


    "They will be fine distractions. I don''t know if they are aware of who''s broken in¡­ but these idiots will take up attention."


    Sabo pursed his lips and nodded. "Alright. Sounds good to me."


    As a Revolutionary¡­ letting these guys free made his stomach turn, but they wouldn''t escape anyways and if they did¡­


    Well he''d just deal with them.


    As Rosan watched Buggy open up the doors to the cells, none of the prisoners stepped out and he narrowed his eyes.


    "There''s no point stepping out. You may have beaten one of those beasts but there''s way more," someone shrugged.


    Rosan listened to the noises of agreement and stared at the one who said that, tilting his head to the left.


    The prisoner who said that had no time at all to react, as a giant red beam evaporated him on the spot.


    "W-WHAT THE FUCK?!"


    "D-DID HE JUST?!"


    Shouts of horror rang through the room, as everyone shakily watched the spot the man was at.


    Rosan stared soullessly at them.


    "Get out of the fucking cages right now. Who the fuck do you think you are trying to waste my time?" Rosan snarled, hand still held up. "You have 10 seconds. Anyone who hasn''t stepped out and begun rioting, will die."


    He didn''t give a damn about these prisoners. Their job was to serve as fodder to die. Whether it was to him or the jailors was the only difference.


    The prisoners stared at Rosan in horror, frozen to their spots.


    "3. 2. 1," Rosan rumbled.


    The stampede of footsteps, were music to his ears.


    "Good," he said simply, raking a hand through his hair.


    Buggy stared at the redhead with the most insane of trigger fingers with a dropped jaw, numbly watching the prisoners nervously standing at attention.


    He wondered if he could blend in with the prisoners to get away from this demon.


    Rosan''s ear twitched and he, Sabo and Luffy glanced to see an army of beasts charging them.


    Buggy and every single prisoner paled. "D-Do we run from them?!" Buggy asked in terror, poised to do just that.


    "Run?" the brothers asked, tilting their heads to the side. "Why would we do that?"


    Buggy hated these freaks.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Rosan is a demon," Koala balked in disbelief.


    "I know," Robin nodded sagely.


    The two just watched as Rosan without any hesitation, evaporated a prisoner on the spot.


    Koala thought she was used to how ruthless Rosan was after watching his battle with Crocodile and his interactions with that one short girl... but this really solidified that her brother in law (she would balk in horror in a few minutes after she realized her slip up) was a complete terror.


    Robin could only hold her breath in anticipation as they began their Impel Down operation. Things were going fine for now but it was only a matter of time before things picked up.


    She hoped things stayed like this for at least a few more levels.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Huh... s-so that''s why they call him the Red Devil," Dalia stammered with wide eyes, looking at the spot the prisoner was at with her mouth open.


    Oren nodded with wide eyes. They were no strangers to death. After all Oren and Dalia occasionally hunted bounties down to replenish their funds.


    But the utterly casual way Rosan had disintegrated that body was...


    "AT JUST 9 YEARS OLD, YOUR SON MURDERED HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE AND DESTROYED AN ISLAND. 9! HE WAS 9!"


    Raisa bit her lip and stared at the soulless look in Rosan''s eyes, watching how casually he killed people.


    There was no hint of emotion in his eyes as he destroyed that person on the spot. They may have been a prisoner but Rosan...


    Rosan was an experienced killer. One who didn''t even blink at killing others.


    He had likely been doing this since he was 9...


    Raisa frowned sadly. She never wanted Rosan to don such a look when killing. She never wanted him to do the action so effortlessly. To him, it might have been no different than eating a meal.


    It was heartbreaking. Raisa had unknowingly pushed Rosan down this route...


    But she did not care. If this was the path he was forced down, all she could do was support it. Raisa would never again doubt her son. She would die before doing such a thing.


    That is why she had utmost faith in him accomplishing his mission... and then he''d come visit her and she''d dote on him like Boa Hancock did and he''d have no complaints.


    The only problem was getting Mod to agree to this... How could Raisa win the woman over?


    Well, maybe she''d find out by watching this more. She was learning a lot about Rosan.


    Like how affectionate he was. Even knowing she was watching did not stop him from showing Nico Robin his affections...


    Her son was utterly shameless. Raisa was still blushing in embarrassment just thinking about it.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Something on your mind, Ace?"


    Ace said nothing for a long while. "Just thinking of my brothers¡­ if they hear news about all this, they''re going to try and save me... And knowing my oldest one, he''ll already be thinking of a way to do that," he muttered.


    He could only hope that they were far enough to not make it in time¡­ Ace couldn''t lose them because of something he caused. It would hurt so much more.


    "I want to save you too. This war¡­ I''d do anything to prevent it from happening, even give up my life," Jinbe said, shutting his eyes.


    Ace frowned at that.


    He didn''t want anyone dying for his sake. That was one of the few things he''d never desire. Ace didn''t want to ever be important enough for his friends to die for him.


    "Save me? If I remember, you tried to kill me," he said with a smirk.


    "You nearly succeeded in killing me," Jinbe retorted, recalling the duel they had years ago.


    It was¡­ not as close as Jinbe expected it to be. Fire Fist Ace had a solid advantage over the Fishman.


    It was only Jinbe''s guts and endurance that dragged it on for so long¡­ and the timely intervention of Whitebeard that had saved his life.


    But that was all water under the bridge. Ace was precious to Jinbe and that was why he was locked in this prison cell¡­ because he could not bare the idea that war with Whitebeard and the World Government was about to pass.


    Ace said nothing, allowing his thoughts to wander over to his brothers again.


    "Your brothers¡­ they are the Red Devil Rosan and Straw Hat Luffy, correct?" Jinbe asked cautiously.


    "You know that already, Jinbe. I never stop talking about them," Ace grunted.


    "...Last time I checked, after they destroyed Enies Lobby¡­ they defeated Gecko Moria and then struck a Celestial Dragon at Sabaody."


    Ace went cold.


    "Rosan and Luffy did what?!" he shouted in disbelief.


    He knew his brothers destroyed Enies Lobby¡­ but they also defeated another Warlord and attacked a Celestial Dragon?!


    Not to mention¡­ Sabaody was right next to Marineford¡­


    They were going to be there weren''t they¡­


    "Fuck," Ace whispered in horror.


    Fuck... What had he done?! He was so stupid! Why couldn''t he just stop being arrogant for one second?!


    If he had employed Rosan''s help¡­ they would have defeated Teach but he denied it¡­ With his brother supporting him, it would have been easy to defeat him.


    Hell even another member of the Whitebeard Pirates would have been sufficient¡­ but he hadn''t listened to anything they had to say. They didn''t even want him to go but he ignored everything they said.


    Now he was risking everyone''s life...


    It was almost exactly like how he had risked Luffy and Sabo''s life all those years ago.


    Ace grit his teeth.


    Did anything actually change from the days when he was a stupid 10 year old?


    He''d be hard pressed to find a difference. He was still the same stubborn idiot to the end¡­


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan¡­


    That name stirred something inside of him. Something exciting.


    Cutter pursed his lips at that.


    What was it about that name that evoked something out of him?


    He shrugged and thought about everything else he had been hearing.


    Whitebeard¡­ wasn''t that what Newgate went by?


    Last he remembered that''s what the world opted to call him after he made his own crew.


    That damn traitor. He was the worst of his former crew... it was one thing to make his own crew, but to befriend the one who had caused it.


    His eyes narrowed darkly.


    A war huh? Served him right. Cutter hoped he lost everything precious to him in that war.


    Newgate, Kaido, Linlin¡­ all of them were damn traitors and all of them ate off the glory of their former crew, to make their own crew with no goals at all but to be cowards.


    Worthless. If moving like that granted them freedom, then Cutter would rather be a prisoner.


    If moving out of Roger''s way and allowing him to sail the whole world unbothered was how they wanted to live¡­ then they were trash.


    But at the end of the day, Cutter was the one imprisoned and they were the ones running free¡­


    And they should be glad for that.


    Hmph, whatever. What happened outside had nothing to do with him anymore. It had just been a while since he heard a familiar name.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Sengoku nearly roared in frustration, as he pulled out a hair and saw that it was white.


    Nearby, Garp was laughing at the entire situation and the Fleet Admiral had half a mind to take him out too.


    He had received brief news, that someone had invaded Impel Down and before he could figure anything else out¡­ the call cut.


    The call cut.


    Almost exactly like with Enies Lobby¡­


    That could only mean one thing¡­


    The Red Devil was in Impel Down trying to free Fire Fist.


    Didn''t Bartholomew Kuma say he annihilated the Straw Hats? Did that damn pirate lie to him?! There wasn''t even anything he could do about it anymore! Kuma had been fully converted to PX-0.


    Would the Red Devil continue to pull his teeth over and over again?!


    At this point, Sengoku wanted him to show up to Marineford, so he could deal with him once and for all.


    The forces stationed outside should be enough to stop the Red Devil along with the guards of Impel Down... but just knowing that he managed to break in...


    Sengoku scowled.


    Well, unlike CP9¡­ the forces of Impel Down were far more formidable¡­ It was a good thing before the call ended, Sengoku relayed that order¡­


    "STOP LAUGHING OVER THERE. THESE ARE YOUR GRANDCHILDREN!" Sengoku roared at Garp.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Buggy, along with every single prisoner, felt their jaws falling slack at the havoc caused by the three brothers.


    It wasn''t even a fight¡­ Rosan and Sabo were annihilating all the beasts in troves, shooting out whatever the redhead chose to and lightning respectively.


    Any thoughts of trying to revolt against the redhead had gone away when he vaporized someone on the spot.


    Any chance of going against what he said vanished with the portray all the brothers were showing.


    "I think I''m really getting the hang of this," Sabo muttered, glancing at the burned beasts with an impressed gaze. Sparks idly ran through his body and he hummed in delight.


    Something Sabo noticed after eating this fruit was that thinking became so much easier. After eating his fruit, Sabo honestly like how Rosan claimed to be in regards to having such a fast mind.


    In fact, the world around him seemed slower. Perhaps he was processing things too quickly...


    It was jarring but he spent the days up to here getting used to it.


    Rosan had helped him. He didn''t view the world as quickly as Sabo now could, but his processing speed was still absurd by virtue of being a super computer.


    "You guys are barely letting me fight!" Luffy complained.


    "Because your skillset doesn''t have moves that casually take out waves of enemy without blinking," Rosan grunted.


    "Yeah, this hardly drains our energy," Sabo added, using his electricity on Rosan to fill him up to prove his point.


    Luffy frowned but accepted it¡­ for now.


    "I imagine they know we''re here now so let''s not waste time," Rosan decided, taking off in a direction.


    "R-Right!" Buggy squeaked in renewed horror. "There should be a set of stairs around here that lead to level 3! I don''t know if there''s a special way to get there but the stairs are surefire!"


    Thoughts of escaping, had long vanished. Buggy''s honest best chance at getting out of Impel Down was just sticking with these monsters who were psychotic enough to even break in.


    Rosan grunted as a figure blocked their path and he looked at the giant beast in annoyance.


    It was a large creature with a dark humanoid face and a winged, leonine body.


    What the hell was this?


    "A¡­ sphinx? I believe this is a sphinx," Mod called in confusion.


    Well, he didn''t really give a shit what it was. It was going to die anyways.


    Before he could eviscerate it on the spot, Luffy lunged forward, fists growing gigantic immediately.


    "Wait hold on Luffy!" Rosan shouted, holding his head in disbelief as his youngest brother finally lost his patience.


    The Sphinx roared in fury and lunged at Luffy in return, poised to smush the rubber boy.


    The rubber boy launched himself over the swipe of the giant sphinx, before using the gigantic fist of Gear Third to embed the creature into the pavement.


    As the attack crashed into the sphinx''s head, it forced the creature further and further down...


    And further and further down...


    Rosan''s eye twitched, as the floor began shuddering and he let out a suffering sigh.


    Sometimes, he was so tired of Luffy''s bullshit.


    The redhead wasted no time sprouting his wings and tail.


    He lashed out and grabbed the mini Luffy with his tail, while Sabo laughed helplessly and gripped his arm, right as the ground broke beneath them.


    "This is why you let us deal with it," Rosan groused, glaring at his chibi brother.


    "Hahaha but we got to the third level now!" Luffy beamed.


    Sabo burst out laughing at the way Rosan''s eye twitched further.


    "You know damn well your intention wasn''t to get us to the third level. You were just upset that we were hogging the defeats," Rosan huffed in annoyance.


    Luffy whistled and turned sideways. "T-That''s not true," the rubber boy whistled.


    "Liar," every single person thought with a sweatdrop.


    Rosan huffed and glared at the Buggy clutching him like his life depended on it.


    "You''re useless, I don''t know why you''re still tagging along," the redhead scowled. "You can go run off like you were planning. We don''t need you anymore."


    Buggy spluttered at that. "W-Wait! I''d rather stay with you guys now! It''s safest with you all!"


    "Fuck off... but I guess you could be a useful shield," Rosan sneered, eyes glancing over the entire area and feeling the heat brush against him.


    Naturally, it had no effect¡­ on him and his brothers.


    "So¡­ hot," Buggy moaned miserably, body beginning to falter as the heat washed over him.


    He looked at the utterly unaffected brothers with blatant jealousy.


    Was this just a trait of being a natural born monster? Being completely unaffected by things like extreme heat?


    How the hell were they able to look so normal?!


    Rosan''s eyes narrowed and he opened his mouth, since his arms were occupied.


    Without any prompting, a red laser shot out of the redhead''s mouth and he razed the entire area as he moved his head from right to left.


    The red beam washed over the field without discrimination and Buggy''s confusion washed away as he heard screams ring out.


    "O-Oh," Buggy stammered. How was it possible for this redhead to keep getting scarier?


    Rosan listened to the screams of the guards trying to set up a trap and sneered, cutting down the net that was going to capture them and watching as it fell uselessly to the floor.


    Saldeath watched, petrified as the laser nearly connected with him in his hiding spot.


    The trap they had set up for the offenders had completely failed. Saldeath hadn''t known that the ones invading Impel Down was the Straw Hats, but if he was aware, he would have better prepared for this.


    Was this the reason communications weren''t working? Did they do something?


    Not good... luckily, he didn''t get hit. He would have to wait for them to progress and then go find Magellan asap.


    Saldeath let out a breath he didn''t know he had been holding ¡ª


    Only for that breath to get sucked back in, as a figure landed directly in front of him.


    Saldeath felt a genuine well of terror, as he stared into the heterochromatic and cruel gaze of the Red Devil.


    Rosan was looking at him without a shred of emotion in his stance and Saldeath felt his breath quicken, as he looked for a way to escape.


    The moment his leg twitched, Rosan struck.


    Without anytime to react, a tail lashed out and gripped him by the neck, lifting the Chief Guard off the floor and making him drop the pitchfork in his hand.


    "Not very smart of you but it''s not like you knew who was in here," Rosan commented, tightening the grip on the boy and getting a panicked shout out of the guard.


    He forcefully brought the midget closer to him, forcing the boy to hold his gaze.


    "You thought this little hiding spot of yours woulda saved you?" he mused.


    The redhead looked at the remaining guards with a malicious smirk, aiming their boss at them with a delight in his eyes.


    Their guns were poised, aiming at him with clear desire to shoot but with the knowledge that their boss was being held captive...


    Naturally, they stopped shooting and the redhead hummed.


    His disruptor no longer reached the first floor so if anyone was aware of what was happening, then they had already been reported.


    Not great. They''d probably need to speed up a bit.


    "You''re going to be staying with us for a bit, midget," Rosan smiled gently. "You''re in our care. If you do your job well, you''ll live. If you don''t, I''m going to rip you to pieces and it''s going to be slow."


    Saldeath began shuddering in fear at the horrible turn of events. What was he going to do? How was he going to get out of this? He was being held by a tail as an afterthought...


    He was trapped... the Red Devil had one of the chiefs of Impel Down held hostage.


    Oh no...


    "Where''d Luffy go?" Rosan asked Sabo, turning towards his brother and showcased the hostage he acquired.


    Sabo smiled a little at that and pointed in a direction. "He ran off over there for some reason. I don''t know why."


    Rosan nodded and took off, while Sabo transformed into lightning and pursued.


    As they vanished, the guards hesitantly lowered their guns and watched as the two criminals disappeared.


    They turned towards each other with resolve firm on their features, coming to the same conclusion.


    "We have to inform Warden Magellan about this ¡ª"


    Before the guards could finish, a tiny orb caught their attention.


    It floated slowly, glowing red and they only had a moment to realize that it was an attack, before it exploded into a giant dome of energy.


    Saldeath struggled fruitlessly in Rosan''s grasp, eyes wide in terror as the redhead merely tightened his grip warningly.


    "You''ll make a good hostage and guide," Rosan grunted, eyes roving over the entirety of the floor. "Where are you keeping Ace?" he asked calmly.


    Saldeath said nothing and Rosan sighed.


    "Listen, you look like a kid and I don''t fancy the idea of torturing a child," Rosan admitted, bringing the teen in front of him with a deathly calm look.


    "But you don''t seem to understand just whose life is on the line."


    Saldeath shuddered as those strange glowing eyes bored into him.


    "Ace just isn''t a pirate. That''s my little brother so if you really know what''s good for you, you''ll understand that I''m going to find him regardless of if you say anything and the only thing that will change, is whether you are alive or not," Rosan said gently, violent words greatly contrasting his tone.


    Saldeath shuddered as an ominous aura began looming over him.


    "Level 6," he said eventually, bowing his head as the terror of the situation finally took over. "Fire Fist Ace was brought to level 6."


    A truth.


    "What is level 6? I thought there was only 5 levels." Rosan pointed out.


    "Level 6 is... where we keep the criminals who are the worst of the worst. They''re the ones we want to erase from history."


    Rosan mulled that over and nodded.


    "Good. You''re going to bring us there. So long as you do your job, I will not hurt you. As long as I leave satisfied, your life is saved," Rosan assured.


    Saldeath shut his eyes and nodded.


    Sabo shook his head, finding no complaints at Rosan''s actions.


    He was just surprised to actually be witnessing Reaper in action. Rosan was acting as cold as the Shinigami and until he got Ace back, he''d bring hell to anyone he encountered.


    Sabo was of the same boat. He''d do anything to get Ace back as well.


    And that included using someone as a hostage.


    This was incredibly effective. This was a boy who looked like he knew what he was doing.


    Saldeath merely shuddered in terror, hoping Magellan showed up eventually.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Hancock ignored the sounds of terror as Magellan tortured the prisoners.


    She had barely registered their words but she heard the typical whistles and noises of awe that normal accompanied wherever she walked.


    The screams of terror and pain normally accompanied too. Not because of her, but because of Sonia or Mari.


    When Hancock personally took action, they never made a noise.


    Just the way she liked it.


    The Pirate Empress stared at the beaten and battered Ace with a neutral expression.


    Ace stared back at her in some confusion.


    Why on earth was the Pirate Empress paying him a visit?


    Of all the people Ace had met before, he could safely say Boa Hancock was certainly not one of them ¡ª


    "All 3 of your brothers are in Impel Down right now trying to save you," she muttered to the injured man so quietly, only he could hear it.


    Ace jolted in shock at that abrupt sentence, gazing at the Pirate Empress in abject horror.


    How did the Warlord know that? Why did she know that?


    How¡­ did she know about his brothers¡­? How did she know that he had brothers?!


    All 3 of them? Was Demon here as well? Was Rosan seriously going to jeopardize Demon''s livelihood?!


    Did... he bring Maro too?


    Ace didn''t want any of them to come but if Maro lost her island because of her desire to save him... he''d never under any circumstances be able to forgive himself.


    Ace didn''t know the answer to any of these questions... but Ace knew that his brothers were even more insane than he initially thought.


    Raiding Marineford was one thing¡­ the idiots were in Impel Down?!


    What was Rosan thinking?! Didn''t he understand these were his younger brothers?! He couldn''t just risk them like this!


    Dammit all... why were they in Impel Down? Were they crazy?!


    Hancock looked at the turmoil in his eyes and turned away with a soft sigh.


    It appeared that Ace was as worried for his brothers, as they were for him.


    "They are determined to save you at all costs," was all she offered, before waltzing off.


    "I''m done here. Escort me to the exit," Hancock demanded.


    Ace watched her retreating back with a helpless look.


    "What did she say?" Jinbe asked in concern.


    "¡­My brothers are here," Ace breathed out.


    Jinbe''s eyes widened. "Straw Hat and Red Devil? They''re here¡­? How foolhardy of them!"


    Ace shut his eyes in despair.

 True Hell II

    "ROSAN LOOK WHO IT IS!" Luffy beamed.


    Rosan had half a mind to slam a fist against Luffy''s head but the person he found¡­


    It was a person, in a prisoners outfit along with heavy makeup. He and Luffy were currently hugging fiercely and Rosan tilted his head at that.


    There was no one that Luffy should know, that he didn''t so that meant he should know this person.


    The redhead blinked and took a long look at the man, sorting through his perfect memory at rapid speeds to identify who this was.


    He stopped on one particular photo and compared it to the man before him, nodding to himself.


    Similar features, same hair color, same facial structure.


    This was about a 99% match.


    "Mr. 2," He said eventually.


    "Ah! You know of me¡­ even despite the fact we''ve never officially met!" Bon Clay teared up, wiping his eyes.


    "Yeah, you''re the one with the useful Devil Fruit," Rosan mentioned.


    Bon Clay fell at that.


    "I-Is that the only reason you remember me?"


    "I have photographic memory. That''s the only reason I give a slight damn about you," Rosan said bluntly.


    Bon Clay curled up in depression at that. "So cruel my friend... so very cruel."


    Rosan gazed at the okama and formed a key, before inserting it into his locks and setting the man free.


    Saldeath saw the casual action with bugged eyes.


    Bon Clay''s jaw dropped as Rosan freed him, gazing at the discarded cuffs with wide eyes.


    "You''ll come with us, right?" Rosan asked in a way that didn''t sound like he were asking at all. "You have a valuable fruit. I''ll free you from this place and you''ll become our ally."


    That did not sound like he was giving him much of a choice.


    Bon Clay balked at the redhead a bit, before noticing Saldeath being gripped by his tail.


    It was then that the former agent remembered that this was the man that gave Crocodile so much trouble and directly contributed to the destruction of Baroque Works.


    "U-Understood. I will go with my friends!" Bon Clay exclaimed.


    It helped that he genuinely wanted to go with them.


    "Another freak to the group," Buggy grumbled quietly.


    "What was that?" Rosan asked curiously, making Buggy go pale. Judging by the raised brow, the redhead heard him loud and clear.


    "He said another freak to the group," Sabo replied easily.


    "I thought I heard that," Rosan nodded. "He isn''t wrong I guess. He''s the first freak."


    Buggy''s jaw dropped. "WHAT DID YOU SAY ABOUT MY NOSE?!" he squeaked angrily.


    "When did I mention your nose?" he muttered in confusion, shaking his head.


    "Nevermind. Let''s continue," Rosan grunted. "Guide me to level 4," he demanded.


    Saldeath nodded shakily as Rosan''s tail held him in front of the redhead and he pointed in a direction.


    The group of 6 continued through the burning desert terrain, up until they were intercepted once more by a big figure.


    The large creature looked like a bipedal cow, with striped pants, a leather belt and no shirt.


    In its hands, was a spiked club that it was holding rather threateningly and the dumb looking creature roared at them.


    Sabo grunted, pipe sparking as he lunged towards the Minotaur with blazing speeds.


    In a matter of moments, he effortlessly parried the wild swing with his pipe, batting the giant weapon away before leaping above the monster.


    Clenching the pipe, Sabo slammed his weapon against the Minotaur''s head, making it explode in electricity at the same time.


    He stared with a firm expression as it fell bad with a pained groan.


    The speed at which he had dispatched it, left the ones unaware of his power stunned, none more than Saldeath.


    "He took out a Jailed Beast so effortlessly?! Who is this person?!" the guard thought in horror.


    He had thought the red devil was the most dangerous one here but was he¡­ was he perhaps wrong?


    What a terrifying thought.


    Sabo gazed at his superheated metal pipe with a contemplative expression.


    Enel used his electricity to effortlessly mold gold into any shape he desired¡­ maybe Sabo could do the same.


    It would certainly allow him more flexibility too¡­


    Sabo watched the ground surge and wrap around the unconscious beast, locking it firmly in place.


    Rosan barely paid the creature any attention, just making sure it couldn''t move in the event that it woke up.


    "This way!" Bon Clay announced, pointing towards a direction.


    Saldeath felt Rosan''s eyes and nodded hastily, satisfying the redhead.


    It didn''t take the rapidly advancing group very long to make it to an entrance that was practically billowing with smoke and Rosan hummed curiously.


    They didn''t get intercepted past that beast. That meant they were likely setting up some type of ambush for their group.


    Rosan hoped they used all their soldiers. The more enemies, the easier for him.


    "They call level 4 the Blazing Hell!" Bon Clay exclaimed. "It''s extremely hot, to the point where it even affects the temperature of this floor! If you don''t land in a safe place, you''ll die!"


    Rosan grunted at that and rolled his eyes at the expectant looks, tail wrapping around the three tagalongs, while he grabbed Sabo and Luffy with his arms.


    He floated downwards into level 4, feeling the way the temperature spiked further and further but none of it affected the three brothers.


    The same could not be said for the others. They felt like they were melting in the heat! Bon Clay and Buggy were panting messes, fearing that just the heat alone would kill them.


    Eventually, Rosan reached the floor and gazed at the area.


    "So this is why my bug failed," he muttered, temporarily deactivating his resistance to weather.


    The heat washed over him instantly but he barely blinked at its effects, just grunting and putting his shields back up.


    "We should expect a full assault here," Rosan mentioned. "There was a rebellion stopped on level 2 so now they''re setting up for us. If it''s not here, then it''s level 5."


    "He knows so much," they thought in horror, looking at the unbothered redhead with shock.


    With someone like this¡­ it was no wonder the Straw Hats were so dangerous¡­


    His knowledge, combined with how dangerous he was, made the redhead a terror...


    "Rosan, I''m hungry!" Luffy exclaimed.


    "Alright, Luffy."


    ...Especially with this boy as his captain.


    Rosan stopped moving and stomped the ground once.


    To the tagalongs utter disbelief, the ground sprouted up and a makeshift house was made around the group.


    Then, with a wave of his hand, the redhead summoned a meal from his pocket dimension and placed it in front of his brother.


    "Sabo, come with me," Rosan said, snatching 4 drums from the pile, as his tail continued carrying the resigned Saldeath. "We''re gonna clear a path and look for the entrance to level 5."


    Sabo grabbed three drums and nodded, vanishing in sparks and appearing next to the redhead.


    "Let''s do it," Sabo agreed, placing a drum in his mouth and following after his brother.


    The two rocketed off and at the speeds they were going, it took them no time to run into the guards that were setting up the ambush for them.


    "W-What?!" One shouted in horror, fumbling for his gun at the sudden appearance of Rosan and Sabo.


    "Quick set up the ¡ªAGH!"


    The two barely blinked, as they bulldozed the weak guards. They didn''t even stop in their stride, just blitzing through them to a merciless degree.


    None could stand up to the brothers, just screaming helplessly as they were ran over by lightning, fire and wind.


    Wind especially, brought about the most agony as it carried both the heat of level 4 and even some of the liquid from the blood red pool.


    Any who tried to mount a resistance, hesitated at the sight of Saldeath being firmly gripped by Rosan and those few seconds gave the redhead ample time to destroy them.


    "This is their resistance?" Mod said suspiciously.


    This was odd... what was going on?


    In no time at all, the duo made it to what looked to be the stairway that led to level 5¡­


    But it was being guarded by some woman and three other beasts.


    "Mmm~ It seems Saldeath has mmm been in quite a bind," the woman said.


    She was slim and tall with a curvaceous figure and unkempt orange hair. Bangs covered her eyes but didn''t seem to hamper her vision at all.


    "Sadi!" Saldeath shouted urgently. "None of you can stop these two! You need to get Magellan right now!"


    "Magellan?" Rosan mused. That might have been the most dangerous person here¡­


    Sadi put a finger to her lip. "Magellan is mmm occupied at the moment~ Don''t you worry, Saldeath mmm our jailer beasts here will deal with these two!"


    Saldeath shook his head urgently. "You don''t get it! I''ve seen what they can do! Those jailor beasts aren''t protecting any of us from these two¡ª"


    BOOM!


    Sadi didn''t even get time to blink, before a hand gripped around her neck and slammed her violently into the wall. Once it registered, she cried out in pain and gazed at the unhinged Rosan.


    "You should have listened to him," Rosan sneered, tightening his grip and watching her struggle in his grasp.


    "Raiken!"


    Before the jailer beasts could react a huge electric fist rushed out and crashed into them, engulfing the three monsters.


    Rosan didn''t even look back as he outstretched his free hand and mowed the beasts with a razor sharp laser.


    Sadi looked on in shock, watching how effortlessly the duo had dealt with the monsters.


    It almost felt like they were annoyed to be doing such a menial task.


    "Where does this lead?" Rosan asked Saldeath, aiming that glowing hand directly at Sadi''s head.


    "Level 5," Saldeath said hastily. "The Freezing Hell! Unlike this floor, it''s a giant freezer! Some people freeze to death!"


    Rosan nodded his head, removing his hand from the gasping Sadi''s head. She helplessly gripped his arms, trying to pry them off but the redhead didn''t even register it.


    "This one''s rather sexy don''t you think? Perhaps you should just take her right here and now for yourself. Mmm she''s dressed like a dominatrix so maybe you should dominate her."


    Everyone in Rosan''s body froze at that voice and the redhead snarled, unwittingly tightening his grip around Sadi''s neck.


    Sadi gasped, grip on his arm going limp and as she faded out, Rosan finally realized he was about to choke her unconscious and lessened his grip.


    She coughed as air was permitted to go into her lungs and she fearfully panted, heart slamming against her chest.


    "Sadi!" Saldeath shouted in horror.


    "Pestilence! What are you doing here?!" Mod barked protectively.


    "Me? Just admiring the curves on this one. Did you hear all that moaning she was doing? How could I not get riled up? I''m surprise you haven''t done anything yet," Pestilence laughed mockingly. "Don''t mind me, little Rose. I''m just here to ensure your little brother doesn''t die. You understand right? If you ever need me¡­ just mmm let me in~"


    Rosan shuddered in barely restrained fury. Pestilence having his mother''s voice would never cease to piss him off. Especially when they opted to do perverse shit like that.


    They let out another mocking laugh and disappeared.


    "Gonna explain that?" Sabo muttered in shock.


    "Yeah. Soon," Rosan replied.


    "You mentioned a Magellan. He is the one who runs this place?" Rosan asked them.


    Sadi, despite the situation, curled her lips at him.


    "That''s right and none of you are gonna be able to mmm defeat him~," she crooned.


    She immediately felt her panic resurge as Rosan tightened his grip around her throat once more.


    "You''re in no position to talk smart with me," Rosan muttered lowly. "I already have a hostage. I don''t need two."


    Sadi shuddered, feeling a spike of terror as the living demon snarled at her.


    Rosan grunted, feeling a strange stir in his gut and whirled towards where Luffy was.


    Wasting no time, the redhead launched himself over to where he left his brother and as he flew closer and closer, he saw a giant man covered in purple that was very clearly poison¡­


    But that wasn''t the worst of it, the worst was the positively drenched Luffy.


    His brother was sneezing, with teary eyes and poison dripping off his body, as the Warden stood over him with a calm expression.


    "Luffy!" Sabo shouted in horror.


    There was pure murder in Rosan''s gaze.


    He immediately opened his mouth and fired a gigantic fiery orb at the man, causing an explosion to ensue.


    Magellan grunted in surprise, undamaged by the explosion and he turned around in time for a giant pulse of electricity to slam into him, sending the man skidding back.


    His poison lashed out instinctively, rushing the two before he had to stop himself, at the sight of both Saldeath and Sadi in Rosan''s grip.


    The Red Devil... to think he managed to capture both Sadi and Saldeath...


    What happened to the Jailor Beasts? Surely they weren''t dealt with that quickly... Magellan had barely engaged Straw Hat in combat before the redhead showed up.


    Who was that blonde? He was not apart of the Straw Hats crew last he checked...


    Magellan frowned at the sudden impasse.


    "The antidote," Rosan grit out, fangs bared. "Give me the antidote for him right now, in exchange for this one''s life," he said, stressing his point by heating up the palm gripping Sadi''s neck.


    Magellan gazed at the two being held hostage and blew a poisonous breath.


    What a tricky situation...


    "You think it matters to me what you do to them? Capturing you two is far more important then their lives," Magellan rumbled.


    A lie. A truth.


    "You must think I''m a reasonable man but that''s very far from the truth," Rosan snarled, hand suddenly glowing brighter in warning. "Either you give me the antidote right now, or else I melt this girl from the neck down. Don''t fucking test me."


    Sadi began squirming in his hold, trying her hardest to not let out a noise but finding it extremely difficult. Her terror at the redhead''s actions since he captured her, were growing more and more and she was unable to stop the whimper of pain from escaping.


    "Their lives are in your hand," Rosan warned.


    Magellan gazed at the redhead, then at the staunch unknown blond¡­ and sighed.


    "What are your conditions?" Magellan asked eventually, realizing that he was at the disadvantage.


    Sadi tried to protest immediately, only coughing as Rosan fixed her with a furious glare.


    "Administer the antidote to get the girl. Afterwards, I will give you the both of them and we can continue being enemies," Rosan said easily.


    Magellan blinked at the rather fair deal and frowned. "The antidote can only do so much for him. It won''t fully heal him. It''s already too late for this boy."


    A truth.


    Rosan pursed his lips at that and nearly rejected the offer¡­ but he subtly caught the gaze of Bon Clay and watched as the man beckoned for him to accept the offer.


    "I know someone who can help him!"


    A truth¡­


    "Administer the antidote to get the girl. Do we have a deal?" Rosan asked with a cold expression.


    Magellan frowned and then nodded. "We have a deal."


    "Good. Administer the antidote to Luffy."


    Magellan nodded and began ruffling in his outfit, before pulling out a syringe.


    Before he could turn towards the rubber boy, Rosan interrupted.


    "Is that the syringe that will cure Luffy of most of your poison?" he asked with narrowed eyes.


    "Yes," Magellan said without hesitation.


    A lie.


    Rosan''s gaze turned into slits and he transformed Ram into a katana, sliding it effortlessly across Sadi''s exposed stomach and drawing a line of blood immediately.


    "Magellan was it? I''ll give you one more chance before I lose my patience. One more trick out of you and I promise you''ll come to regret thinking you could trick me," Rosan hissed violently, pressing the edge of his blade further into her belly.


    Sadi shrieked in agony as sparks began surging across her body and her struggles renewed.


    Saldeath watched on in horror, beginning to shudder at the merciless redhead.


    Magellan went stiff, trying not to let her shrieks disturbing him show on his face. There was no indication in his stance that suggested he was lying. He would know because this wasn''t the first time he''d done so¡­


    So how did the Red Devil know?


    "The only reason she isn''t dead right now, is because of the circumstances. I''m giving you one more chance or else I''m killing every single guard in here and you won''t catch me," Rosan warned, ending his sparks and watching as the dominatrix slumped in his grasp.


    "...Alright. I give you my word that there will be no more tricks," Magellan said slowly, pocketing his poison and beckoning one of the wary guards over.


    Rosan watched as the guard hesitantly pulled the antidote out.


    "Is that the antidote that will cure my brother?" he asked again.


    "Yes," they both replied warily.


    A truth.


    "Guard, administer it. Make sure I see every moment of it," Rosan demanded, not willing to let Magellan play any tricks.


    The guard jumped at that and glanced over at the Warden, who merely nodded his head.


    Rosan watched with razor sharp eyes, watching for any tricks before Luffy was given the antidote.


    The redhead grunted and stomped the ground, launching Luffy over to his position.


    Magellan''s eyes widened at that and he gazed at the redhead in shock.


    "What is the meaning of this?" he asked with a look of outrage.


    "Shut your fucking mouth," Rosan sneered. "A deal is a deal. I''m a man of my word."


    With that, he tightened his grip on both Sadi and Saldeath.


    Rosan''s eyes were narrowed cruelly and he launched them directly into the poisonous man.


    Magellan grunted in shock at that, eyes widening in horror as they crashed into his poisonous body¡­ before a giant wall enclosed the group.


    "C''mon," Rosan grunted, ignoring the gaping looks shot at him. "You said you know someone that can heal him?"


    Bon Clay nodded eagerly, gazing worriedly at the poisoned Luffy resting on Rosan''s body.


    The redhead effortlessly ignored the poison seeping onto him, only grunting as his body worked on purging the toxins from his system.


    "He''s said to be hidden somewhere in level 5! His name is Iva! He''s the Queen of Kamabakka Queendom! He''s the world''s greatest drag queen!"


    Sabo jolted at that. "That''s right! Iva''s here!" he gaped in realization.


    Bon Clay''s jaw dropped. "He is?! You know him?!"


    "He''s a revolutionary! He should be able to help Luffy," Sabo said urgently.


    "Wait, he''s a REVOLUTIONARY?!" Bon Clay gaped.


    Sabo nodded. "You said he was somewhere in level 5?"


    "That''s what they say! Hidden away!" Bon Clay exclaimed.


    Rosan, at hearing Sabo realize the name, nodded strongly. "Alright, I already cleared the path to level 5. While Magellan recuperates, we''ll head straight there and find a cure for Luffy."


    The redhead glanced back, honestly surprised that Buggy was still here.


    "You didn''t run?" he asked.


    "You''d kill me if I abandoned Straw Hat," Buggy replied blandly.


    Rosan grunted. "Alright. I can respect that."


    His tail lashed out and wrapped around Buggy and Bon Clay, before he sprouted his wings and took off at a renewed speed.


    The group accelerated through level 4, while Rosan took great joy in incinerating the few stragglers attempting to stop them.


    Rosan ignored the insects, making his way to the stairway and descending immediately towards level 5.


    The stark drop in temperature, caught Modification off guard slightly and Rosan shivered at how freezing it was.


    Modification swiftly recovered and shielded him, along with everyone he applied it to, once more.


    "So useful," Sabo said, gazing at the unconscious Luffy in concern.


    "How do we find this Iva?" Rosan asked, gazing at them with a frown.


    Bon Clay frowned. "We¡­ don''t know where he''s located but it''s a secret location¡­"


    Sabo perked up.


    Wait¡­ he remembered something about this¡­ did it have to do with Morley?


    She did say she escaped by digging an underground tunnel¡­ and Iva would know about this¡­


    "It might be underground somewhere in here," Sabo stated, frowning slightly.


    "No choice but to look¡­ I don''t know how long Luffy has but that antidote probably gave us a bit more time," Rosan frowned, gazing at his near comatose brother.


    "Are you alright?" Bon Clay couldn''t help but ask. "The poison¡­ it''s seeping into you as well."


    "Don''t worry about me," Rosan said harshly. "I''ll be fine. Focus on finding out where they could be."


    Bon Clay gulped and nodded.


    Rosan scowled and trudged forward, intense focus in his eyes as he looked for any discrepancies.


    He was here to save his brother¡­ having another one of them die here would defeat the purpose.


    It was difficult to choose but he needed to find Luffy help first because¡­ because Rosan couldn''t help Luffy but he could help Ace.


    So that''s what he''d do.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Magellan watched as the antidote was administered to both Sadi and Saldeath.


    It had taken him longer than he would have liked to break through that wall that had enclosed around him, but that was because he risked poisoning these two even further if he used his melting toxins¡­


    They''d be out of commission, Sadi especially considering some of his poison had dipped into her bloodstream, but it wasn''t fatal at the very least and they were curable.


    But the Red Devil was nowhere to be seen¡­


    There was no point pursuing them as of yet. They were headed to level 5 and combined with the fact that some floors had communications sabotaged, along with level 5 being too cold for the snails, it would be fruitless trying to find the Red Devil¡­


    Besides, now that it was confirmed who they were looking for¡­


    "We''re going to level 6. We are moving up the time of Fire Fists Ace movement to Marineford. They will not disagree."


    He had no choice. The Red Devil and that blonde¡­ they were far too formidable and not even Magellan was confident he''d be able to stop them¡­


    If he had Shiryu, perhaps he''d be able to deal with them but as things looked now...


    Yes, the World Government could hold that boy for the rest of the duration. Schedule meant nothing if the plan failed.


    But for now, he needed to go to the bathroom.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Robin gnawed on her lips in concern, looking at Luffy''s condition with blatant worry in her eyes.


    "Don''t worry Robin... if anyone can save him, Iva can," Koala assured. "His Devil Fruit is amazing."


    Robin nodded slowly, finding Koala''s presence to be a comfort in this.


    At the very least, things hadn''t gotten terrible until just now. If Luffy was cured, things would have gone exceedingly well for them.


    Rosan and Sabo were running through Impel Down with expert ruthlessness.


    Robin took a deep breath and idly pulled out the plush of Rosan that she had been given, idly squeezing it to herself.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Sabo and Rosan both huffed, blowing out static and fiery air respectively.


    Around them, an army of wolves lay in a heap, all personally dealt with by the stressed brothers.


    "Where the hell are they?" Rosan snarled, swiftly growing impatient with the whole situation.


    "I don''t know," Sabo scowled, just as impatient.


    Rosan huffed and said, "Fine, I''ll just have to bring him to Demon ¡ª"


    The redhead paused at the sound of footsteps and both he and Sabo turned towards the noise.


    It was a man with orange hair on one side and white hair on the other. It was the exact same with his fur coat and he had a cup of wine in his hand, while the other hand was out and flat.


    "Inazuma!" Sabo exclaimed with a relieved grin.


    "Sabo, it''s been a while," Inazuma greeted. "You''ve been looking for us?"


    Sabo nodded. "My brother. He needs Iva''s help. He''s been poisoned and there''s so many different toxins inside him, that there''s no proper antidote for him."


    Inazuma said nothing for a moment, before nodding. "Very well, follow me. I''ll bring you all to the location."


    Rosan could have sighed in relief but he just nodded tersely and they immediately began following the man.


    They made no noise, as the group was led to a rock and Inazuma guided them through, before leading them to what seemed to be a sewer system.


    Rosan''s nose crinkled but he merely blocked the scent and they continued their course.


    He ignored Sabo and Inazuma catching up with each other and took some deep breaths.


    "Pestilence, why are you active?" Rosan asked, knowing they could hear him.


    It didn''t take long for his longest tormentor to make their presence known.


    "You always ask me questions I''ve already answered, little Rose."


    "¡­"


    "You''re never any fun when I''m the one talking to you! Why, I think you dislike me with how rude you are!" Pestilence complained.


    "Shut your fucking mouth, parasite!" Ram snarled violently.


    "Hoh?! Is daddy''s little bitch speaking to me? This must be the first time we''ve spoken to each other! You''re as much of a pest as I expected you to be," Pestilence cackled in amusement.


    "What did you just call me?! Still fucking mad that my daddy humiliated you I bet? How did it feel thinking you were gonna die? Oh that look of terror in your eyes was just so fucking delicious," Ram growled warningly.


    Pestilence''s amusement vanished and they snarled.


    "Watch your mouth, weapon. How does it feel knowing your the weakest weapon apart of this body? Pathetic and worthless trash. You act like Rosan actually needs a weapon. You are just an accessory to be looked at. No wonder you look like his smoking hot dead girlfriend. If you weren''t so annoying, I''d have long tried my hand at fucking you."


    Ram''s eyes transformed into slits at that and she let out a furious roar, launching herself out of her seat and getting ready to march towards the castle.


    "Enough! No Ram! They''re just trying to rile you up. Don''t fall for their temptations," Mod urged, lunging at Ram and holding her back.


    The ring had murder in her eyes, teeth bared as one of her hands transformed into a serrated sword that she was going to use to rake against the stupid bitches neck.


    "I''m going to rip that lesser creature in half," Ram promised.


    "That''s enough."


    Every inhabitant stilled at that commanding voice, shrinking back at the smoldering gaze of Rosan. Even Pestilence shut their mouth, recalling their last encounter with a somewhat nervous air.


    "I don''t need any dissension right now. We''ll deal with it after Ace is saved. Pestilence, if you assist me in saving Ace¡­ if you truly help when I need it, I will rid myself of the urge to kill you. As far as I''m concerned, we will fully let bygones be bygones," Rosan promised.


    Pestilence''s eyes widened at that.


    "Are you serious¡­ Rosan?" Mod asked in surprise.


    "I''m dead serious. Saving Ace''s life is the most important thing to me right now. I won''t let anything make me hesitate to do so. Not even my animosity."


    "...Alright. I accept that offer. I''m honest so I won''t go back on it," Pestilence said warily. "This aligns with my goals as well. I''m awake to save him regardless."


    "Good."


    Finally Rosan focused on the real world again and noted that they were in an entire new area¡­ and it was full of people.


    They were all dressed scantily, man and women alike with either flamboyant accessories or makeup.


    "Oh look! It''s the scary redhead who''s been causing a ruckus!"


    "Not to mention the blond boy! The terror twins have been so entertaining to watch when they''ve let us watch them!"


    Rosan''s neutral gaze roamed over the entire room, taking in everything while not letting his face betray anything.


    He ignored the gushing and eyes on his person, merely shifting Luffy and walking forward.


    Noise interrupted him and he gazed up.


    Even Rosan paused at the sight before him. He stared at the figured with an almost confused expression before deciding that the poison was affecting him.


    The person was more than double his height¡­ with a gigantic head and a head of purple hair, dressed in a scanty leotard¡­


    "Iva!" Sabo greeted with a large grin. "Good to see you''re alive and well."


    "Would you imagine my surprise, at seeing Sabo-boy running through Impel Down!" Ivankov shouted with a surprised grin on his face.


    Sabo nodded with a serious look. "We''re here to save our brother, Ace¡­ but before that, can you heal my youngest brother?" he asked beckoning towards the comatose Luffy.


    Iva looked at the state of Luffy and the Rosan carrying him.


    "Here to save your brothers¡­ I''d be heartless if I said no," Ivankov said truthfully, turning on a heel. "Follow me. I can try to save him."


    The group nodded without hesitation and followed after him.


    "I''m gonna go eat something," Buggy said tiredly.


    He was hot, then cold then he caught a heart attack when Magellan showed up, then he caught another one when Luffy eventually lost¡­


    Buggy was tired.


    "Do whatever you want," Rosan grunted.


    "What about you, Red-boy?" Iva asked, turning towards Rosan slightly. "That poison is seeping into you as well but you seem fine."


    "I''ll be fine," Rosan grunted. "This is nothing. Luffy''s the one who needs your help, not me."


    Luffy shuddered. "I''ll¡­ do anything. I can''t¡­ die here."


    "This will take 10 years off your lifespan, Straw Hat-boy," Ivankov said eventually, beckoning for Rosan to place him on the table.


    Rosan hesitated slightly at hearing that but steeled himself at hearing Luffy go, "Okay," without any hesitation.


    Ivankov nodded at their resolve and they stepped through a giant door, before making their way to a table.


    Rosan''s eyes narrowed as he saw the strap table and he instinctively clenched a fist...


    "It''s okay Rosan. These are allies. They won''t hurt Luffy."


    Rosan let out a sigh and nodded, allowing Ivankov to wrap Luffy tightly in chains.


    "There''s no guarantee you''ll make it. Your chance of survival is zero but with my help, I can increase it slightly. Whether you live or die, depends completely on your willpower."


    "¡­" Luffy let out a raspy breath and just nodded.


    Iva''s nails sharpened.


    "Very well! Off you go¡­"


    He stabbed him directly in his sides.


    "TO THE VALLEY OF DEATH! EMPORIO HEALING HORMONE!"


    At the sight of seeing his chained up little brother spit out blood, Rosan saw red.


    "AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!" Luffy howled in agony.


    At the sound of hearing his little brother let out a gut wrenching scream, Rosan nearly lost himself to the rage.


    Sabo hastily put both hands on his oldest brother, gritting his own teeth at the sounds of Luffy''s screams and pushed him out of the room.


    "Calm down, Rosan. It''s okay. Iva''s just trying to help," he said calmly, noticing the hot rage in Rosan''s eyes. "He ate the Horu Horu no Mi. It''s hormones. He''s manipulating Luffy''s hormones to give him a better chance at fighting the toxins."


    Rosan opened his mouth and slammed it shut as Luffy let out another blood curdling scream.


    "How did I let Magellan get past me? I''m best suited to fight him," he snarled, banging his head on the wall hard enough to wound it, draw blood, and crack the structure.


    Sabo watched the wound instantly heal and sighed.


    "It was a small mistake that you salvaged well, Rosan. We couldn''t have had the foresight that Magellan was going to do the same thing we did because they''ve been on the backfoot the entire time. If anything it''s my fault for not having more expert control over my Haki. I feel so many presences that it''s hard to pinpoint currently," he explained patiently.


    "Hitches happen all the time. Luffy will be fine. Trust him. You remember his dream right?" Sabo asked.


    Rosan stopped at that.


    "I should be the one asking you that," he muttered, sagging a bit into his younger brother. "You''re right¡­"


    The redhead sighed and left a bird in the room with Luffy.


    Then he turned towards Ivankov.


    "Where is level 6?" he asked the Queen of level 5.5.


    Iva raised a brow. "You''re going ahead?"


    Rosan nodded without hesitation. "Luffy will be fine. You said it''s based on willpower and¡­ he has even more than I do. My little brother is stronger than you think," he assured.


    "Yeah, Luffy''s a stronger person than the both of us," Sabo agreed. "Tell us where level 6 is, we''ll handle the rest. Luffy would prefer if we did this too."


    "He''ll be upset that we went ahead without him¡­ but all he cares about is saving Ace," Rosan grunted, glancing back at the door.


    Iva looked at the two brothers, some shock on his features at how insane they were to just ignore their brothers screaming, in favor of achieving their mission.


    "I knew you came from someplace crazy, Sabo-boy," he sighed, before telling them of the location.


    Rosan listened with pursed lips and nodded. "C''mon Sabo let''s go. We should be enough to save him."


    Sabo nodded and the two wasted no time rocketing off.


    Iva watched them go with a shake of his head.


    "Insanity¡­ Sabo seems to have gotten even more unhinged over the years," he muttered.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan and Sabo blazed through level 5, heading straight to level 6 with a single-minded focus.


    They barely paid attention to anything that got in their way, merely blasting them aside with weak blasts.


    As they approached the gate, Rosan effortlessly transformed Ram into a key and inserted her in the slot, opening the cage and meeting a plethora of guards preventing them from traversing downwards on the steps.


    Sabo sparked for a split second, before tapping his foot on the edge of the stairs.


    Every guard seized up and shuddered, as a wave of electricity covered the entire staircase immediately knocking them unconscious and giving the brothers headway.


    "Your control is getting way better," Rosan complimented, dashing downwards.


    "Yeah, I can''t wait to just sit back and fully practice it," Sabo replied truthfully.


    It took them no time at all to enter an entirely new room and Rosan wasted no time walking through the entrance.


    He briskly walked past every single cage, ignoring the curious noise of men and women alike.


    "Hey there handsome!" A voice called out.


    "Are they just giving us free entertainment today?! How about you make it personal for me and step in the cage!"


    Rosan didn''t even register that he had killed the person who said that. He just automatically held his hand out and blasted them on the spot, continuing his pace down the room.


    The silence afterwards was much better.


    Level 6, unlike all the other floors, didn''t have anything special about it. In fact, it looked the most normal of all the levels, just having prisoners chained to their cages.


    So when Rosan reached the end of the room, without catching a single glimpse of his brother, he realized something was wrong.


    Something was very wrong.


    "Ace isn''t here," Rosan said with a frown, turning towards the grim Sabo.


    "Were we tricked?" Sabo replied. "Could he have been put on a previous floor? Maybe level 4? That''s the only one we barely checked."


    Rosan grunted and scowled. "That boy didn''t lie to me... they must have moved him."


    The redhead frowned as he came to realization.


    "We''re stupid. We should have used the vivre card attached to Luffy. I was in too much of a rush to think about that."


    "I left mine back home too... Don''t blame yourself¡­ we just need to go to Luffy quickly and figure out where they''re keeping him."


    "Yeah," Rosan nodded taking a deep breath. "Alright ¡ª"


    "You''re not going to find Ace. He''s been handed over to the World Government early."


    Rosan froze at that and turned towards the voice.


    The person behind the cage was someone he recognized immediately.


    They were large and blue, looking similar to a whale shark, with a stocky build that reminded Rosan of sumo wrestlers.


    "First Knight of the Sea, Jinbe¡­ What are you doing caged up here?" Rosan asked with a frown. "Aren''t you a Warlord?"


    Jinbe looked as if he had seen better days, blood leaking from his person as he stared at the duo with a look of some surprise.


    "...You''re the Red Devil, Rosan right?" Jinbe asked cautiously. "Ace told me all about you and Luffy¡­ to think you actually raided Impel Down¡­"


    They truly were insane. Ace''s tales were actually not exaggeration.


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    The Warlord sighed. "I protested the idea of this war to the World Government. I was so against it, they locked me in here to make sure I don''t do anything rash."


    Rosan grunted at that. "You said Ace was moved early?" he asked.


    Jinbe nodded. "He was scheduled to be moved tomorrow morning but they sped it up tremendously, likely because they feared you''d actually be able to save him."


    Sabo frowned at that. "That makes sense¡­ so that means he''s already being brought to Marineford."


    "Can we intercept them?" Rosan asked immediately. "I should be faster than a ship, maybe I can burn it down before¡­"


    "But we need to wait for Luffy," Sabo pointed out.


    If Luffy woke up and didn''t see them. He wouldn''t wait for them. He would recklessly charge ahead and get himself killed despite his condition.


    Rosan let out a snarl of aggravation. "So that means we have to go to Marineford anyways. Are you fucking kidding ¡ª"


    The redhead took a deep breath. Impel Down wasn''t making it out in one piece by the time he finished venting his frustrations on this place.


    "That''s fine. That was plan A anyways. It''ll be harder but we can get it done."


    Sabo nodded with a firm expression. "Whether it''s Impel Down or Marineford, we''re getting him back. We''ll leave as soon as we get Luffy again."


    Plan set, the brothers prepared to head back to Luffy''s location¡­


    "Wait. Please take me with you," Jinbe requested. "I can be of great help! I''ve known Ace since he joined the Whitebeard Pirates! We''re good friends so please give me the chance to die in this battle."


    "¡­" Rosan stared at him with a blank expression. "The only reason I''m freeing you is because you are Kaori''s teacher," he informed him calmly.


    Jinbe''s eyes widened at that name. "You know Kaori?! You two have met?"


    Rosan nodded shortly. "She talks about you in high praise¡­ I have personal grievances with you because you let a scumbag like Arlong roam free¡­"


    The fishman flinched back at that name.


    "...But I think you''ll be a great asset. And, you told the truth too," he muttered, transforming Ram into a set of keys.


    The redhead walked up and unlocked the cage, before approaching Jinbe''s chained body.


    It took no time at all for Rosan to free the fishman and he watched as Jinbe stood to his full towering height.


    "I''d like to firmly apologize for what happened between your pirate crew and Arlong," Jinbe said earnestly.


    Rosan rolled his eyes. "I''m not the one you need to apologize to. For me, it was just a minor inconvenience. The one you need to apologize to is my navigator... Arlong made her life hell and I don''t appreciate not one bit."


    Jinbe bowed. "If given the chance, I''d love to express my sincerest regrets to her. Truly, I never intended for Arlong to forget everything he was taught and retaliate in such a way."


    Rosan stared at him. "Just be proud that your student turned out to be so outstanding. She misses you. After all this is over, I''ll bring you to her," he said in a way that wasn''t a demand.


    Jinbe frowned. "But I intend to die in this war."


    "Don''t be stupid," Rosan replied bluntly. "So long as you become my willing chess piece, everything will be fine. You are too much of an asset to die here," he said assuredly.


    Jinbe looked at the redhead with wide eyes and said nothing.


    The Red Devil... quite the inspiring figure he could be.


    "HEY FREE US TOO!" someone in a cage shouted.


    In response to that, Rosan held out a hand and shot an explosion at the person.


    "Shut the fuck up, minion. I have no interest in you," Rosan said idly, not even glancing at the smoke.


    Jinbe backed away slightly from the ruthless redhead, sweatdropping at his actions.


    Perhaps he had judged him too quickly...


    "How¡­ is Kaori? It''s been a very long time since I''ve seen her and she had a lot of unclaimed baggage," Jinbe asked, testing his muscles as he nodded gratefully.


    "She found her home and I don''t think she ever plans on leaving it," Rosan said truthfully. "As for her baggage, I gave her the closure she was looking for."


    Jinbe looked puzzled at that. "You...?"


    How did he do that?


    "Yeah. I''m the one who killed her father."


    Sabo couldn''t help the groan that left his mouth, holding his head at his brothers antics.


    "What?" Rosan and Jinbe said at the same time, for different reasons.


    "You''re ridiculous, Rosan," Sabo muttered with a shake of his head.


    "You¡­ killed her father?" Jinbe asked in disbelief.


    Rosan peered at him and nodded. "A very long time ago, when I was 8. We were both slaves and encountered each other in a deadly tournament. In order to guarantee my safety, I had no choice but to kill him," he explained with a faraway look.


    Perhaps if Rosan had more empathy in his heart, he would have freed Kenzo and struck the island right then and there... unfortunately, he was far too young and angry to understand the plights of someone else.


    All that had mattered to Rosan, was him.


    Jinbe said nothing, just digesting the information.


    "She''s forgiven you?" the fishman asked curiously.


    "Well, she tried to kill before but we fought it out and now she doesn''t want to kill me anymore. She also loves my student¡­ so yes, I think she''s forgiven me enough to not blatantly hate me," Rosan explained.


    He didn''t think Kaori would ever forget what he had done... but she wasn''t letting it shackle her down anymore. The woman wasn''t so prideful that she''d avoid him or not ask him questions. She loved Maro too much to hate Rosan.


    The fishman mulled that over, before smiling.


    "I''m proud of her. She truly has matured."


    Rosan nodded. "That she has."


    Before the three could progress, the cage to the exit shut off and a gas began seeping into the room.


    "Hm?" Rosan mused with a raised brow.


    What exactly was happening here? A trap? It seems they anticipated the early arrival of their group and prepared accordingly.


    "That''s sleep gas," Pestilence informed him.


    "It appears we''re trapped," Jinbe commented with a frown.


    "Trapped?" Rosan scoffed and held out his hand. "This is barely going to slow us down."


    "Gust," he intoned, blowing the smoke back with heavy winds. It continuously clashed with the near invisible gas and Rosan''s eyes narrowed at the memories it invoked.


    He dashed over to the pillar exuding the smoke and tapped it, enclosing it all in a wall and effectively stopping all the gas.


    Then, he gazed at the caged wall and extended his hand once more, razing through it with a laser.


    "Holy shit who is this guy?" someone muttered in awe.


    "I dunno but he''s crazy!"


    Rosan ignored the awed noises. "We wait for Luffy to recuperate, then we head off to Marineford," he said calmly.


    The redhead clenched and unclenched his fist repeatedly, taking a deep breath periodically to steady himself ¡ª


    "Did you say your name was Rosan?" a voice directly to his right, behind cages, asked.


    Rosan paused at the polite and deep voice, inclining his head to the right to regard the person speaking to him.


    He met a striking gold gaze and paused at the man behind the cage.


    "Who the fucks asking?" Rosan asked bluntly.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Dalia and Oren heard Raisa before they saw her.


    Their sister''s breath hitched and her eyes shrunk rapidly.


    Then Raisa began breathing heavily. She clutched her chest and shut her eyes, as beads of sweat began rolling down her body.


    "Raisa?" Dalia said in worry, leaning close to her sister.


    "What''s wrong? Are you alright?" Oren asked, watching as she began curling in to herself.


    Oren grabbed his younger sister and pulled her into a deep hug, noting that she was shaking horribly.


    Raisa felt like the world around her was crashing, as the worst scenario she had envisioned in all of this, from 25 dreadful years ago, was made true.


    "That¡­ that voice¡­" Raisa shuddered, wanting to cry and scream at the unfairness of it all.


    "That voice?" Dalia muttered in concern, watching as Raisa slipped further and further into a panic attack.


    "Cutter¡­" Raisa breathed in distress, watching with unrestrained hatred as Rosan turned to face his father. "That voice belongs to that lying bastard Cutter!"


    They jumped at the volume, watching as Raisa was overcome with unbridled rage.


    "GET THE HELL AWAY FROM MY SON!" Raisa roared, scales covering her skin as she leapt out of bed.


    "Raisa!" Oren shouted, tackling her to the floor and watching as she fruitlessly struggled.


    "GET AWAY FROM HIM!" she shrieked.


    Raisa wouldn''t let it happen, Raisa wouldn''t let that traitorous piece of shit reconnect with his son.


    Raisa would die before she let Rosan and Cutter connect. Everything she had done, every step she had taken¡­ all of it was to keep Rosan away from Cutter.


    ...And yet here they were, meeting up again.


    Despite everything she had done... the worst case scenario had still been reached.


    Why... why...


    "It''s¡­ it''s not fair," Raisa sobbed in defeat as all the strength left her body. "Why¡­ why does this have to happen to me?"


    "Oh Raisa," Dalia whimpered, hugging her sister tightly. "I know honey¡­ it''s fine. Trust me, it''s fine¡­ look. Look at Rosan."


    Raisa weakly stared at the screen and sniffed at the sheer disinterest in Rosan''s gaze.


    "Rosan won''t give him the time of day¡­ trust us Raisa¡­ Cutter won''t hurt you anymore," Oren soothed.


    Raisa sniffed and nodded shakily, sagging into Oren''s hold as he gently brought her back to the giant bed.


    "Please Rosan¡­ I have no place to ask but please¡­ don''t give that man the time of day," Raisa begged, shutting her eyes tightly as she saw Rosan staring off with Cutter.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Who are you?" Rosan asked boredly.


    It was a man, that much Rosan could make out but he had a beard that covered most of his features.


    The man behind the cage looked as if he could have been handsome, but prolonged time in this cage had done its share of damage. His pitch black spiky hair was matted to his head, his beard was unkempt¡­ and his figure suggested he had been here for a long time.


    But despite all that, those striking gold eyes of his peered at Rosan, sharp gaze looking at him and making some sort of realization.


    "Beautiful," the man said finally, laughing at some joke only he knew about.


    "He kind of looks like you," Pestilence remarked. "You have the same features. Same eye shape as well... though your mother also has sharp eyes."


    Rosan ignored them.


    "Beard makes me look ugly I bet. I''ve been meaning to shave it," the man commented idly, smiling at him.


    "There''s a lot of things you could look to change about yourself," Rosan said, staring at the man with those brilliant eyes of his.


    "To think..." Cutter thought, gazing into those heterochromatic orbs with blatant interest. "I''ll go out on a limb and say you won''t free me."


    "You''re smarter than most of the people in this room," Rosan commented with an unimpressed frown.


    "I have no interest in freeing you. You speak polite but you can''t hide anything from me. I''m not freeing a loose cannon filled to the brim with hate. Two of me is completely unnecessary," he said bluntly.


    Cutter erupted in laughter at that statement for some reason and Rosan tilted his head in confusion.


    "Is something funny?" he asked warningly.


    "Nothin like that," Cutter replied. "What you said was pretty ironic is all."


    The man smirked sardonically. His son could see through him even better than Raisa could. This was their first meeting and he had Cutter figured out to a T.


    "I''m useful."


    "You''re dangerous," Rosan replied immediately.


    "Of everyone I''ve seen in this room so far, you''re the one I''m most wary of. Not to mention, you''re way too interested in me. I fucking hate that."


    Rosan''s instincts roared looking at this man and not in a good way. This was someone he wouldn''t want to be around for long because it wouldn''t end well.


    "Kahahaha! Fair enough," Cutter conceded in amusement.


    "¡­" Rosan frowned deeply and his expression turned contemplative. "Are you my father?" he asked suddenly.


    Sabo''s jaw dropped at that blunt question and he whirled towards his brother with wide eyes.


    "That depends. How old are you?" the man asked with a small smile.


    Rosan eyed him in some disgust. "I have no words to say to a rapist. Rot in hell Cutter," he sneered.


    Cutter snorted at that. "Can''t say I don''t deserve that. Oh well, I won''t cause a fuss about it. I''m just proud that I got to see my son for once and that he''s impressive enough to break into Impel Down."


    "Save your praise for someone who gives a fuck," Rosan grunted, marching out of the room.


    Cutter watched him leave with a curious expression and snorted.


    "Kahaha! Just like his mother," the man said with an amused smile.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Raisa loved Rosan with all her heart.


    Without a shadow of doubt¡­ she would forever love her son because he was everything she was not.


    She let out a relieved sob at seeing Rosan''s interaction with Cutter.


    Her amazing son was able to see through his politeness immediately. To Rosan, Cutter''s risks far outweighed his benefits and that was something Raisa had been unable to see.


    Forsaking him before the man could get a word out...


    Rosan was¡­ Raisa wanted to see him again. Rosan wasn''t either of his parents. He was a completely different persons who took the traits he inherited from them and used it to protect his family.


    "I¡­ want to see Rosan," Raisa whimpered, curling into herself.


    "After he solves his issues, I''m sure he''ll visit. You can show how much you missed him, alright?" Oren assured.


    "I''m sure he''ll want to show you his girlfriend too," Dalia assured with a small smile. "Then you can give him all the hugs and motherly kisses¡­ if Mod lets you."


    Raisa dearly hoped Mod did let her¡­ because she wanted to show her son her appreciation.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Robin was stunned.


    That was Cutter? Rosan''s father?


    He was dirty and unkempt, likely from being in there for years but to think...


    She could see some resemblances, but Rosan was Raisa''s child to the end.


    To think that the meeting between Rosan and Cutter would be so abrupt!


    So Rosan''s father was dangerous enough to be put in level 6 of Impel Down... but no one knew anything about him.


    She was proud of Rosan for shutting him down so effortlessly... but Robin had to wonder.


    Who was Rocks D. Cutter?


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "That man was your father?" Sabo asked in shock, still reeling from the swift conversation that took place.


    "Yeah," Rosan muttered. "Rocks D. Cutter is his name. He raped my birth mother."


    The blond scowled at that. "Good thing we didn''t free him then. He must be in level 6 for a reason."


    "He can stay there. I have no interest in saving him or anyone from level 6."


    Raisa was a dumbass, but she was a dumbass who didn''t know what she was doing so Rosan held no animosity for her.


    But Rosan would never be able to have pity for a rapist and Cutter was the rapist who started this all.


    The redhead grunted and shook his head. No point dwelling on it.


    "What happened to Straw Hat?" Jinbe asked in some concern.


    "He was poisoned by Magellan," Rosan retorted with a scowl. "He''s currently going through some type of procedure. We''re gonna wait for him to recover before striking."


    Jinbe nodded before pausing. "In Impel Down? Is there a location like that where we can avoid being detected?"


    The redhead nodded and pursed his lips as the freezing temperatures of Level 5 made themselves known.


    Naturally he was unaffected.


    "I don''t know how well the cameras are working right now but I know level 5 has the least amount of people watching¡­ so I can do this," he muttered, grabbing both Jinbe and Sabo, before vanishing.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "You''re back¡­ with an extra person," Iva said slowly, eyes furrowed in surprise at that strange move Rosan had just done.


    A quick glance at his palms showed that he did not have Kuma''s Devil Fruit¡­ so what was that ability to teleport?


    "An ally that will help us. Things have changed," Rosan frowned. "Ace was already taken¡­ we were too slow."


    Iva''s eyes widened. "He wasn''t supposed to be escorted for at least another day! It''s rare for the World Government to abruptly change their schedules!"


    It was a show of subtle power by them. They rarely ever changed their scheduling so that it would appear that everything was going to plan...


    That''s what it always was with the World Government. That''s why they were publicly executing Ace!


    "They did it because of Sabo and I," Rosan grunted with a scowl. "We were making too much headway. If they didn''t we would have freed him."


    Iva frowned and mulled that over. "What will you do now? Straw Hats treatment will take another 3 days and Ace will be executed in two! By the time he wakes up, it will all be over."


    Rosan and Sabo both frowned at that and glanced at each other.


    Despite being linked, the two didn''t need to utilize it to have the quick conversation they just did.


    "Luffy will wake up in time," Rosan said eventually.


    Sabo nodded. "It''s best if we''re here to shield him when he does. He''s gonna do something really stupid otherwise."


    Ivankov looked at the brothers in disbelief. "Did you just hear what I said? His treatment will take 3 more days!"


    "I''ll give it one at max," Rosan said calmly, taking a seat directly against the door Luffy was behind.


    "He''ll be awake," Sabo said assuredly, following in his brothers footsteps.


    The two shut their eyes and began breathing evenly.


    "How can they be so calm?" Jinbe muttered under his breath.


    One of their brothers was screaming behind the door¡­ the other was scheduled to be executed¡­


    So why were they so calm?


    "If I''m not calm, Rosan will lose it," Sabo said, somehow managing to hear that.


    "He''s right¡­ and on that note," Rosan muttered, tapping Sabo. He idly made the area around them more comfortable and let loose a deep breath.


    The brothers swiftly fell unconscious, leaning against the door with steady expressions.


    Iva gazed at the brothers and simply shook his head, before turning towards Jinbe.


    "What is a Warlord doing in Impel Down?" the okama asked curiously.


    Jinbe sighed. "It''s quite the story."


    Ivankov nodded. "We have plenty of time. I''d like to learn more about the outside world as well."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan and Sabo entered the mindscape, getting immediately swamped by Mod and Ram.


    They captured both in a hug and Rosan let out a rattling sigh.


    "To think that you would run into your father¡­" Mod said, clear disturbance on her features.


    Both his parents in such a short time¡­ what a wild turn of events.


    Mod hated both of them dearly. Cutter was a vile human being that deserved everything he got.


    Hate Raisa she may, Mod wouldn''t wish what happened to her on anyone. Mod hated Raisa because of her actions... but those actions were directly caused by what happened to her.


    She would hate to have that spread around the world.


    "Don''t worry Mod-chan," Rosan soothed. "You''re the only father that I will ever acknowledge."


    Mod turned beet red at that and whined against his chest, squeezing him tightly.


    "Auntie would make a hot dude," Ram said truthfully, frowning at something. "Father. Do we really need that stupid little viruses help? They''re just a parasite, latching onto whatever they can to survive."


    Rosan sighed. "Pestilence offers a skillset that''s different then what you and Mod-chan offer¡­ if a situation arises where I need their assistance to turn the tide, it''s better to be on amicable terms. Since we''ll be in the middle of a war... they will be incredibly useful if it calls for it."


    "That''s so mature of you! I''m so proud, little Rose!"


    Everyone paused at that, turning towards the voice with varying expressions, none positive.


    Pestilence smiled at them coyly, nowhere near their castle and bowed to the group.


    It was a surprise to see them so far. The virus, even with the doors to the castle unlocked, never left it. This was their first time since the confrontation that they were seeing them again.


    "Since we made a deal, I figure we could solidify it with a handshake," they grinned, still in that skin tight black dress of theirs. They seemed far too proud to show off the figure that they stole.


    Rosan resisted the urge to run them through and instead closed the distance between himself and Pestilence.


    He saw the small tremor shoot through their body, as he gazed down at them from their despairing height but the redhead merely held out a hand.


    "Don''t think that this means I''ll spare you if you end up trying to destroy me in the future. I''ll just forget all you''ve done in the past," Rosan said truthfully.


    Pestilence masterfully hid their surprise at his compliance, but Rosan still saw it.


    Eventually, the virus smiled coyly once more and grabbed his hand¡­


    Before forcing him into a crouching position, giving Pestilence enough time to steal a heavy kiss.


    The virus let out a delighted noise as they shoved their tongue into his mouth and it snapped Rosan out of his shock.


    Rosan''s eyes widened and he reeled back in disgust, while Pestilence licked their lips in delight.


    "Delicious," they sighed in delight. "Sealing things with a handshake feels much less serious than sealing it with a kiss. Don''t you think~?"


    "Well? How was it? I''m pretty damn good aren''t I? You taste just incredible," Pestilence cooed, fluttering their eyes at him with a coy smile.


    "I''LL FUCKING KILL THAT SHITTY LITTLE PARASITE!" Ram howled, leaping at Pestilence with murder in her eyes.


    Mod leapt up and snatched the ring out of midair, dragging her back with a firm frown and glaring daggers at Pestilence.


    "What do you think you''re doing?" Rosan said warningly, eyes flooding with hot rage.


    "Kahahaha!" Pestilence cackled, flicking their hair and turning on a heel. "If you ever get tired of that boring archaeologist, I''ll make your life more exciting, little Rose. I know a thing or two," they cooed.


    The virus froze as Rosan appeared in front of them, a glower on his features. His impossibly strong grip snatched their arm and lifted Pestilence clean out of the air.


    They struggled a bit but stilled as they were forced to hold Rosan''s gaze.


    "Don''t you ever do that again and keep Robin''s name out of your fucking mouth," Rosan hissed. "Don''t think that because we have an armistice, that you can do whatever you want. Don''t you even think about doing that again, especially with my mother''s face."


    Pestilence stared directly into his eyes, their black sclera making those red eyes all the more pronounced.


    "Of course. I''ll try not to overstep my boundaries again," Pestilence smiled gently, looking almost exactly like his mother in that instance.


    Rosan said nothing and dropped them.


    Pestilence pat their dress demurely and waved at the group.


    "It was fun seeing you guys, let''s catch up again over tea. I have the most amazing stories to tell about Mod-chan and I''s past," the virus waved.


    Mod flinched at that. "Pestilence. Leave," she warned.


    Pestilence merely grinned, before focusing on the furious Ram.


    They leered at the ring and Ram unconsciously covered herself at those predatory eyes.


    "I especially hope we can get along more, Meiko. I could stare at you all day long~."


    "Oops! I meant, Ram! Sorry, that castle sure does block a lot of things."


    Before Rosan could punch their head off, Pestilence waved and vanished.


    "What the hell just happened?" Sabo asked in shock, taking in the entire event with a confused and stunned expression.


    Rosan sighed and grabbed the stricken Ram, pulling her into a deep hug.


    "That''s the virus," he explained, telling Sabo of everything involving them.


    Sabo pursed his lips and leaned into his seat at that.


    "You sure it''s smart to do this?" he asked in concern.


    "No," Rosan confessed, rubbing Ram''s hair and getting her to stop shuddering. "But I will do anything to save Ace. I''ve failed him once¡­ I don''t want to fail him again."


    Sabo''s eyes softened at that and he placed a hand on both Rosan and Ram.


    "It''s alright. We''ll get him back. You won''t have to use that viruses ability if I have anything to say about it and if you do, I''ll be there to stop you from doing anything reckless," he assured.


    Rosan let loose a sigh. "I hope so¡­ the virus does bad things to me. Amplifies all my traits¡­ in the heat of war I don''t know what it will do to me."


    He had been under a lot of stress at Water 7¡­ but he hadn''t been under any type of violence.


    At Marineford it would be all the more different.


    He''d need to avoid it until he had no choice¡­


    "Father¡­ could you stay here for a bit? I''m sorry but¡­" Ram mumbled with an uncharacteristically reserved expression.


    "It''s okay Ram. I''ll be here for you," Rosan assured, dragging her over to the comfy couch.


    "T-Thank you," Ram whispered, clutching the redhead slightly.


    Mod frowned sadly. It appeared that Pestilence was able to get under Ram''s skin like no one else was¡­ the virus knew about Ram''s insecurities about looking like Meiko and targeted them with ruthlessness that no one else who knew of Ram was capable of doing.


    Not to mention those perverted glances at her person... Ram wasn''t used to being looked at as a woman. She was used to being feared as Rosan''s weapon.


    This whole situation was one big disaster waiting to happen¡­ so Mod would need to be on the lookout for it.


    After coming to her realizations, she realized that Pestilence was a very real threat and it was Mod who had been negligent with them¡­ so it would be her that would deal with them.


    ...Even if Pestilence seemed to be completely ignoring her presence now.


    "Do you think they will accelerate Ace''s execution?" Mod asked, taking a seat next to Rosan and leaning into him.


    He absentmindedly tucked her in deeper with his free hand, while his other hand rubbed Ram''s hair as it rested on his lap.


    "No," Sabo said confidently. "The World Government wants the world to witness not only them executing Ace, but the complete crushing of the Whitebeard Pirates."


    Rosan nodded. "This is for them to send a message. If they succeed here¡­"


    "They''ll have crushed the moral of most pirates," Mod muttered in realization.


    "It''ll be the end of the Great Age of Pirates if they succeed," Rosan frowned. "And they plan on using Gol D. Roger''s son to do it."


    Sabo''s eyes widened. "Is that why? Do you think the World Government knows?"


    "I''m almost certain they do," Rosan grunted. "That''s the only reason they chose Ace of all people. They could have done it with anyone¡­ but they picked him. I bet they''re gonna reveal his heritage too."


    "So even after we save him, the target on his back will become massive. Many people have problem with Roger," Mod mused.


    "We''ll deal with them as they come. Ace will have nothing to worry about," Rosan grunted, shutting his eyes. "We should rest some. Luffy would be pissed if we sacrificed our wellbeing for him."


    Sabo laughed. "We''re resting on a pretty hard wall out there. We might not get anything good anyways."


    "I already handled it. We''re actually on a pretty comfy couch now."


    The blond looked at his brother in disbelief.


    "You are ridiculous, Rosan."


    The redhead smiled slightly and dragged the yelping Mod down with him.


    Ram merely mumbled something and climbed his body, instinctively finding the crook of his neck like a homing missile.


    "I''m picking a room," Sabo waved, getting up and walking off.


    "Sure. Goodnight Sabo."


    "I never mentioned wanting to sleep," Mod grumbled, tucking into Rosan''s right.


    "You can leave then. There''s plenty of rooms available."


    "...I don''t wanna," Mod mumbled in embarrassment, hiding her face.


    Rosan snorted loudly. "I swear you just complain to complain Mod-chan. You''re such a tsundere."


    The redhead hissed, as sharp fangs bit into his neck and he glared at the vindictive Mod with a wild gleam.


    Before he could launch himself at her, Ram let out a happy sigh and burrowed deeper into him.


    "Love you dad," she mumbled unconsciously.


    Rosan froze completely at that and Mod''s heart melted, at seeing the flush of happiness that covered his cheek.


    He completely forgot his anger at Mod and kissed Ram on the forehead, soft expression on his face.


    "Love you too, girl," he muttered. "My hearts been sufficiently melted so I won''t kill you, Mod-chan. Goodnight."


    Mod giggled. "Love you, son," she added.


    Much to her delight, his cheeks darkened once more and he kissed her on the cheek.


    "Love you too, mom."


    Mod squealed in delight and Rosan rolled his eyes, shutting them to get some rest.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    20 hours. That''s how long it took for Luffy''s screaming to eventually stop.


    Iva shook his head in disappointment, as Sabo and Rosan woke up in that moment.


    "Looks like its done," Rosan frowned, looking at all the blood seeping out of the room.


    "Unfortunately¡­ it''s only been 20 hours¡­ and the treatment was meant to take 3 days," Iva said with a sigh. "He fought valiantly but he couldn''t survive the entire thing."


    "What are you talking about, Iva?" Sabo raised a brow.


    "Dead? Luffy isn''t dead," Rosan laughed. "He''s just really hungry, so get him a lot of food."


    No sooner did he finish that, a pounding hit the door that left the onlookers stunned.


    The first hit dented the door completely. Sabo and Rosan had long gotten out of the way with knowing smiles as the door was repeatedly hit until it was broken off its hinges.


    "FOOOD!" Luffy shouted eagerly through the door, unable to move from his spot.


    "What?!" Iva shouted in shock. "HE''S ALIVE?!"


    "Didn''t I say he''d be?" Rosan asked, gazing at his brother with furrowed brows. "Bring him food. He can''t move without it."


    Iva nodded, still dazed by the turn of events that had taken place and ordered the okama to bring anything edible towards Luffy.


    As Luffy ate all the food being offered to him, Rosan diligently chewed one of the ones he had stolen, plans running through his head constantly on the best course of action.


    "Luffy doesn''t look too good," Rosan grunted with a frown.


    "Maybe we should leave him out¡­ I doubt he can even move properly," Sabo frowned as well.


    Rosan agreed with that sentiment. Luffy was practically useless right now. There would be no point in bringing him.


    "I''M GOING!" Luffy protested to his brothers, shuffling down more and more food. "I CAN FIGHT! I''M GONNA SAVE ACE!"


    Rosan and Sabo watched Luffy attempt to take a step towards them, only to abruptly collapse on the floor.


    The redhead sighed. "You''re done for Luffy. You won''t be useful like this," Rosan said bluntly. "Just¡­ rest and regain your strength. You nearly died you know?"


    It would be hypocritical of Rosan, if he allowed Luffy to continue moving in this state, while denying Robin and Maro the chance to help.


    Luffy was deadweight. His brother had exhausted his reserves.


    "No. I''m going!" Luffy said in determination, pushing himself up to the best of his abilities and failing. He collapsed to the floor again but didn''t allow that to deter him at all, just pushing himself up slowly... and failing again.


    Rosan''s eyes narrowed. "Don''t be stubborn, Luffy. I''d be a fool to let you go. I need to focus on saving Ace, not keeping you alive. The point of this is that we all need to make it out alive," he stressed.


    "You don''t have to focus on me!" Luffy growled. "I''ll be fine, Rosan."


    Rosan''s annoyance deepened. "Fine?! You call this fine?!" he asked incredulously.


    The redhead nudged the struggling Luffy with his foot and watched as his brother immediately collapsed onto the floor.


    "How do you expect to be able to do anything like this, Luffy?" Rosan scowled. "Saving Ace is incredibly important to all of us¡­ but do you think Ace will be happy if you die instead of him? Do you think any of us will accept that trade?"


    "I WON''T DIE!" Luffy barked in fury.


    "Yes you will! You''re not strong enough!" Rosan shouted in frustration.


    "Guys," Sabo intercepted the argument before it could get worse. "Now''s not the time. We need to prepare to leave."


    Sabo looked at Luffy with a kind expression. "Lu, if you can move and defend yourself by the time we arrive at Marineford, Rosan and I won''t have a problem with you fighting¡­ but right now you''re in no condition to move. Whether you like it or not, we''re going to leave you behind if it comes down to it. You''ll be mad, but we''re your older brothers for a reason. We''ll weather all the anger in the world if it means keeping you safe," he explained slowly.


    Luffy frowned, ready to protest immediately¡­


    Only for Iva to stab his nails into the rubber boys side.


    Rosan''s eyes went razor sharp but before he could commit murder on the okama, Luffy somehow shot up with renewed energy, no signs of the.


    "Emporio Energy Hormone," Iva said. "It will allow him to ignore his fatigue for the entire day. The aftereffects will be intense, but the war should be over by then."


    "I''ll keep watch of him," Jinbe interjected. "No harm will befall Straw Hat if I can help it. I will be his shield."


    "¡­" Rosan frowned and then sighed.


    "Demon''s gonna kill me," he muttered, before conceding. "Alright. Fine. But the moment things get bad for you Luffy, I don''t care what you say. I''m taking you out of the fight."


    "They won''t get bad," Luffy said confidently. "Iva are you coming with us?!"


    Ivankov blinked at the question and shook his head with an amused smile. "Right now, if I escape, I''ll just be a criminal. When my and Sabo''s comrade, Dragon decides to take the reigns and mobilize his forces, I''ll escape."


    Luffy tilted his head. "Oh my dad."


    "Yes your dad," Iva nodded.


    ...


    Ivankov''s eyes bugged out of his head. "YOUR DAD?!"


    Rosan and Sabo sighed. "You''re not supposed to say that so freely, Luffy."


    "Oh¡­ I guess not!" Luffy laughed.


    "This is Dragon''s son?! Does that mean the Red Devil is his child too?!" Iva asked in shock.


    "Where were you born?" he asked Luffy in shock.


    "The East Blue!" Luffy exclaimed.


    "I knew it!" Iva exclaimed in shock.


    So that''s why Dragon would always look towards the East Blue¡­ how surreal. To think he had a son¡­


    Wait¡­ didn''t that mean Fire Fist Ace was Dragon''s son?! HE WAS ABOUT TO BE EXECUTED?!


    "Change of plans. I will come with you all to Marineford," Iva decided.


    Rosan raised a brow at that but said nothing.


    Sabo grinned. "Perfect! Iva''s really useful, Rosan! He''ll be a great asset!"


    The redhead nodded at that. "Alright. The more the merrier. We''re about to break out right now then," he said bluntly.


    The group nodded in unison and Rosan huffed.


    "Let''s get started."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "The more people we free, the higher our chances of escaping!" Ivankov explained as everyone, including all the citizens of level 5.5 traversed through the chilling level 5.


    Rosan pursed his lips at that and nodded. "Don''t hesitate to let the freed ones get recaptured. They''re criminals after all," he mentioned, grabbing a bunch of random items and transforming them into keys.


    The redhead turned on a dime. "Sabo and I will lead the charge. Try not to get too eager, I may accidentally hurt you if you get close to me."


    Rosan paused.


    "Oh and if Magellan comes. Run, I''ll fight him."


    Iva thought about protesting, but even after carrying the poisoned Luffy, Rosan looked none the worse for wear.


    He was probably the best equipped to deal with Magellan¡­ so they''d let him.


    Rosan didn''t wait for anyone to speak and took off, Luffy and Sabo right next to him.


    What followed next, was utter mayhem.


    The brothers carved a complete path through level 4, followed by level 3, followed by level 2¡­ freeing everyone they could along the way.


    Nothing could stop them and it was horrifying for the guards attempting to stop them. Rosan had already carved a path downwards, now he was doing the same upwards with even more ruthless precision.


    Ram had cut her way through far too many people now but Rosan did not care right now.


    Not even the rejuvenated Jailer Beasts (it appeared that the Minotaur had been freed) could stop the onslaught and Rosan grunted in amusement at seeing no signs of Sadi or Saldeath.


    The redhead said nothing at seeing the Under Warden, Hannyabal standing in their way.


    "I won''t let you go out there and terrorize helpless citizens, Red Devil!" he announced, spinning his double blade glaive.


    Rosan stared at the man, sparks running off his body as Ram transformed into her own version of the double sided blade.


    Then he moved and effortlessly cut through the man. There was no fanfare in his strike, no showing off... he just cut through him in a single attack at blistering speeds.


    "Stay out of my way," Rosan said softly, flicking the blood off of Ram as the man collapsed to the floor.


    He had no time to waste on these fools. It was time to go.


    As Rosan stepped past him, a hand grabbed his foot and he glanced dispassionately at the bleeding man.


    "You''re nothing but pirates and rebels who became notorious for your wicked deeds," Hannybal rasped, pulling himself up to the best of his ability.


    "If you''re allowed to roam free, you''re going to terrorize the citizens! Save your brother?! Criminals like you have no right to say something like that! As long as you''re allowed to roam the seas, those innocent citizens won''t be allowed to sleep at night!"


    "This prison was made to keep scum like you in and so long as I''m breathing, I won''t let you out!" Hannybal said, full of conviction.


    "¡­" Rosan stared at him, shuffling slightly.


    "You are an admirable person¡­ and I agree with you," he said eventually, much to Hannybal''s shock. "You may capture any criminal you so desire and I won''t complain¡­ They have committed crimes befitting of being locked in here for the rest of their lives."


    "But you won''t ever lay your hands on my brother!" he finished.


    With that, the redhead kicked up Hannybal with one foot, before slamming said foot into the airborne man sending him flying¡­


    Right into a fist encased with a black aura.


    "All this talk about justice and evil¡­ no matter where you go, you''re not going to find the answer to that! It''s a waste of time!"


    Rosan''s eyes narrowed in sheer hatred and he snarled violently.


    "Blackbeard," he growled, sparks rolling off his body.


    "Straw Hat Luffy and The Red Devil! Zehahaha! Fancy meeting you two here!" Blackbeard cackled, gazing at the furious brothers with a wide grin.


    Next to him, his crew members were grinning as well, though one was wrapped heavily in bandages.


    Before Blackbeard could say anything else, a great burst of red lightning roared out and slammed directly into him with dreadful speed.


    "?! ARGHHH!" Blackbeard howled as he was launched back.


    "Shut up. You talk too much," Rosan said coldly.


    "Zehahaha! Ace said the same thing," Blackbeard huffed, pulling himself up. "You two are brothers alright¡­ you should be thanking him! Ace saved your life!"


    "I was going to take both you and Straw Hats head and turn you into the World Government, but Ace sacrificed himself for you! Fate saved both your lives!"


    "Now Captain has no need for your heads!" Laffitte said with a smile.


    "There''s no such thing as coincidence, only fate so in other words¡­" Van Augur began.


    "You''re both very lucky men," Doc Q finished.


    "YOUR BROTHER FOUGHT BRAVELY! HE''S THE ONE WHO GAVE ME ALL THESE BURNS!" Jesus Burgess, covered in bandages, announced.


    Blackbeard grinned, darkness roiling off him. "Make sure to thank Ace at his grave. If it weren''t for him, you''d both be dead by now."


    All 3 of the brothers had murderous expressions on their faces.


    The Blackbeard Pirates tensed up as smoke began pouring from the redhead''s mouth, remembering exactly what happened during their last encounter.


    Unfortunately for the Red Devil, they weren''t on the sea this time.


    "Stop!" Jinbe urged the brothers. "Think about what''s at stake! We need to save Ace, not battle these guys. Worsening our condition purposely before entering such a dangerous war is detrimental!"


    The three gazed at Jinbe and huffed...


    "WARDEN MAGELLAN IS ON THE WAY!"


    ...Before deciding that he was right.


    "Let''s go then," Rosan grunted sourly. There was no need to spark a confrontation with both Magellan and Blackbeard.


    Rosan charged past Blackbeard, resisting the urge to attempt to murder him to the best of his ability and when that failed, Sabo urged him forward with a stern look.


    "People who believe in fate to such a degree sicken me," Rosan said as his parting words. "You may call it whatever you want, but understand that you''ve earned my ire, Blackbeard. When you die, it''ll be at my hand then you can curse fate for that."


    "Zehahahaha! You''ve gotten all that ambition back! You really are an interesting guy!" Blackbeard laughed, walking away from them.


    "I''ll show you what you missed out on by not joining me! These next few hours are worth witnessing! We''re gonna put on a show that''ll SHAKE THE WORLD!"


    Rosan clenched his teeth and pressed forward.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    As the steadily growing group made it closer and closer to level 1, they freed every prisoner they ran into¡­


    For good reason too. They served as worthy sacrifices to the steadily gaining Magellan.


    Rosan had no idea how he made it past Blackbeard''s group so effortlessly, but fighting him right now was not favorable¡­


    And he was quickly gaining on the large group¡­


    Rosan lagged back with a fierce expression on his face. "He''s taking out too many of them too fast. I''ll block his route."


    As everyone ran past him, the redhead''s eyes narrowed and he palmed the floor, making a great wall surge that stopped the furious Magellan in his tracks.


    "Go!" Rosan barked, sprouting his wings.


    He chanced a glance back to see Magellan melting the wall and growled in annoyance, having his raid suit cover him from head to toe.


    Soon, the redhead was wrapped fully in a cloak and he squared off against the gigantic poison man.


    Rosan sighed.


    "Time to test how good the Philosopher''s Stone really is," Rosan muttered, surging with both fire and electricity.


    "Red Devil," Magellan muttered. "I''m not letting you get away this time."


    "I still have to repay you for what you''ve done to Luffy and I''m really pent up after that encounter with Blackbeard," Rosan sneered.


    His eyes began glowing menacingly. "You''re in for a bad time, Magellan."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan roared, mouth opening as he immediately shot a gout of flame that collided with the poisonous dragon, causing an explosion to immediately ensue.


    "All this does is cause fumes made of poison to fill the room," Magellan said, watching as just that happened. "Eventually, just breathing will be deadly to you."


    "You don''t know anything about me," Rosan said blandly.


    Magellan was such a powerful foe, because just hitting you with his poison was enough to win the battle.


    It made him practically immune to close combat, gave him strong ranged capabilities and practically guaranteed all his wins.


    By all intents and purposes, fighting Magellan was asking to lose...


    Rosan grinned ferally.


    But he wasn''t a loser.


    As a poisonous hydra flew after him, the ground surged in front of Rosan and blocked it the attack.


    Magellan watched as the earth around him shook, before the stone lunged for his body.


    The warden grunted, blocking one of the stones and getting hit by the others, watching as they latched around his body.


    Before he could work on them, Rosan was already on the move.


    Fire crashed onto his body, getting a grunt of pain out of Magellan as it reacted with his poison.


    He attempted to track Rosan''s position, but bolts of lightning crashed into him this time instead, making him seize up.


    Before Rosan could continue his bombardment, he was forced to alter his flight and dash away from the hydra''s chasing him.


    At the same time, he watched as Magellan''s poison began corroding the very stone containing him.


    Eventually the man freed himself and he glared stonily at Rosan. More and more poison began surrounding his body, until his entire body disappeared, acting as a complete shield.


    Rosan was not deterred.


    He watched with a clinical gaze as four giant hydras formed, each dashing to a corner of the room.


    Then, Magellan opened his mouth and began spitting out rapid fire bubbles laced in viscous poison.


    As Rosan flew through the air, he was forced to dodge not only the bubbles, but the hydras lunging at him, trying to drench him poison.


    Magellan wasn''t staying still while doing this. As he watched the Poison Bullets fail, he took another deep breath and let loose a toxic gas into the enclosed room.


    "He''s completely overpowering the room with poison. Be careful."


    Rosan grunted, watching as Magellan released the poison cloud into the room.


    "Cyclone," he hissed, outstretching his hands as he continued to dodge the hydras. One managed to bite directly into him as he focused some of his attention onto the winds and he hissed, but his body was already working to purge and burn the poison from his system.


    It was a good thing he got sick back at Little Garden. That had turned his immune system truly monstrous, even without the Stone.


    As Rosan did various aerial maneuvers, a swirling wind began forming, heavy and strong and swirling up the poison cloud with its suction.


    Magellan''s eyes widened as he felt his body getting pulled towards the cyclone. He tried to resist but he heard the flapping of wings behind him and whirled around just in time to see Rosan aiming a palm at him.


    His gloves were glowing red and Rosan''s eyes glinted violently.


    "Rebound."


    A concussive explosion launched Magellan back, erupting before it could actually touch him and sending him into the cyclone.


    Rosan hissed as Magellan sent a wave of poison towards him last second, watching as it drenched his Raid Suit.


    It dug at his suit but Rosan merely burned the poison off, as fire engulfed him.


    He stared at the cyclone and knew it wouldn''t contain Magellan for long, so the redhead summoned his disastrous flames and snarled.


    "Hell on Earth," Rosan hissed, sending a torrent of flames out of both his hands into the screaming cyclone.


    Magellan roared in pain, as the poisonous cyclone caught fire. The screaming winds turned into a deafening cacophony of noise, as the winds fueled the monstrous flames with him in the middle of it.


    Even with Armament applied to his body, it did nothing to stifle the hellish burns on his body and the man could only roar as it burned him.


    Rosan huffed as the room was engulfed in winds, flames and poison. He gagged slightly as a rancid smell began permeating the air, being more bothered by that then the fact that armageddon was currently taking place on their battlefield.


    After what felt like an eternity, the fiery and poisonous winds settled down.


    Just breathing in the air filled his lungs with a noxious poison and the air smelled terrible.


    "It''s a good thing she poisoned me in our fight," Rosan muttered, referring to Raisa.


    As the redhead gazed at the scorched room, he could only watch in genuine shock, as Magellan slowly began pushing himself up.


    There were scorch marks and burns all over the poison man. He no longer had any poison armor on, showcasing the gruesome state of the Warden but despite that, he was standing upright.


    "The Red Devil... you''re dangerous," Magellan rasped, red poison beginning to seep off of him. "Too dangerous... I see now."


    Magellan could see it clear as day.


    "You can''t make it out of this alive. You''re far too dangerous and if we continue to let you reach stronger heights, you''ll destroy the world."


    Magellan almost looked serene as he gazed at Rosan.


    "I can''t let you leave this place."


    "Vemon''s Demon: Hell''s Judgement."


    Rosan watched with a stunned gaze, as a giant avatar of poison formed... but instead of the purple that Rosan was used too, it was a violent shade of red.


    As a lover of the color red, Rosan knew what that meant.


    "Bad news. Very bad news."


    "Even if I destroy Impel Down, someone like you cannot be allowed to be free. I''ll do anything to take you out," Magellan swore.


    With that, the poison demon lunged at him.


    Rosan''s eyes went alert and he soared away, watching as the red poison began degrading the floor like it weren''t even there.


    The entity began chasing him, poison spreading like a disease as it attempted to infect and kill him.


    He crashed through the wall that he had set up, breaking through as he flew to the upper levels of Impel Down, Magellan chasing him the entire time.


    "Not good. We need to deal with him now before he stops us from escaping," Rosan thought, flying backwards to gaze at the entity chasing him.


    He began firing beam after beam at the man, watching as it collided with the poison monster.


    Nothing seemed to slow it down and Rosan huffed in annoyance.


    What was he going to do? How was he going to destroy this thing?


    Rosan summoned a wall and surrounded the monster, completely locking it in.


    He skidded in a stop, halting his flight with a gaze of finality.


    The stone trapping the monster began dissolving instantly and in no time at all the monster was free. Magellan glared at Rosan and launched slavo after slavo of poison after him, that Rosan weaved through.


    "Gale!"


    The red poison flew backwards as a heavy wind formed once more and Rosan opened his mouth.


    "Annihilation!"


    A giant salvo of flames collided with the winds again, forming yet another fiery of storms that completely consumed the monster ¡ª


    To not nearly as much success as before.


    Rosan watched with wide eyes, as a red poison crashed directly into him.


    "ROSAN!" Mod shouted in horror.


    It began spreading through his arms first and before Rosan reached out to rip the arm off, something stopped him.


    "I can deal with it," Pestilence said immediately.


    "Go," Rosan said without hesitation, watching as it continued coursing through his body. The Philosopher''s Stone had long activated, rushing after the new intruder with admirable efficiency but this poison was dangerous.


    Mod listened to Rosan give Pestilence the go ahead with wide eyes but before she could say anything, a malicious black aura covered his entire body.


    He watched as the destructive over rushed through his body, and it began eating at the poison, making the deadly venom slowly but surely vanish.


    Magellan watched as Rosan utilized that disgusting and heavy black aura with wide eyes.


    But how was that even ¡ª


    "White Plague."


    Magellan only had a moment to throw the demon in front of him, as a viscous black wave of raw energy flew towards him, corroding the area around just as he had been doing before.


    As it collided with his Venom Demon... Magellan watched in shock as his monster began to get consumed...


    No that wasn''t right.


    Magellan watched in horror as the black monster began taking over his Venom Demon.


    The red of his poison began turning a solid black and Magellan hastily launched himself away, hissing in pain as his burns flared, as the venom demon roared.


    "What is that?!" Magellan exclaimed in disbelief, watching as the creature began crumbling before his very eyes.


    Never in his life had Magellan seen anything stop his attack like this. What on earth, was that ¡ª


    So shocked was he, did he not notice Rosan appear behind him.


    Despite that, the man was still swift enough to coat himself in poison in a last effort.


    It did not matter.


    "Nova Burst."


    Rosan lit up like a star, before he exploded fiery red flames that consumed the area around him.


    Magellan howled as he was caught in the dome of fire, getting blown back by the explosion and colliding into the wall.


    Rosan seemed to be able to control the explosion, just holding the attack for as long as possible. He just roared as he filled the air with his rage, fire lashing out at everything.


    Finally, he cut the attack and slumped slightly.


    "Excellent job, my little Rose."


    "...Well done eating that lethal poison, Pestilence."


    Pestilence grinned wildly.


    Ram scowled in fury.


    The redhead panted heavily, body on overdrive as it steadily healed the poison seeping off his body.


    He sagged in exhaustion and took a deep breath, before activating Luffy''s Save Point and vanishing to his brothers side.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Magellan lay their in defeat, as the injured Sadi and Saldeath rushed over to his location.


    "WARDEN?! What happened to you?!" Saldeath shouted in concern, looking at the extensive burns on his body.


    Did he... engage in combat with the Red Devil?


    What the hell... this was ridiculous. The burns on Magellan looked just... gruesome!


    "We need medical attention quickly," Sadi urged, clutching her own injuries as she called for medical.


    As they dragged Magellan away, the defeated man miraculously, was awake with somewhat coherent thoughts.


    "I let that man escape. I let a true Devil escape hell... no that''s not right. That Devil showed me a glimpse of what hell was truly like," he thought, shutting his eyes as he was knocked unconscious.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan huffed quietly as he appeared near the mass of people, getting them to jump in shock.


    "Rosan!" Luffy exclaimed in joy.


    "Magellan is dealt with. There is no other threat to us," Rosan muttered, steam wafting off his body as he healed.


    He grunted, sighing as his body began getting rid of the rest of the toxins in his body.


    "We need to steal a ship and deal with the others!" Sabo explained to him, pointing towards the ships that began sailing away.


    Rosan pursed his lips and nodded, peering at the ships in the distance.


    Never a moment to rest...


    The redhead crouched and cracked the floor beneath him, launching himself across the air and sprouting his violent wings.


    He rocketed over at ridiculous speeds and landed directly on a warship in record time, getting shouts of horror and recognition.


    The Marines gazed at him in terror.


    "O-Oh no... it''s the Red Devil!"


    "No one told us we had to deal with the Red Devil!"


    "W-What do we do?! We''re not qualified to deal with this!"


    "I''m trying to be better¡­ but sorry, I can''t right now. After today, I''ll put in an earnest effort¡­ to the good ones only," Rosan said genuinely, sparks rolling off his body.


    "EMP: Live Wire."


    All across the ship, a web of red sparks began forming, latching onto the plethora of Marines there and shocking them thoroughly.


    He set the ship to sail backwards to his crew, even as he continued to fry the Marines¡­


    Rosan held out his gloved palms and began floating upwards.


    The redhead began to spin rapidly, all while his palms began shooting out a razor sharp beam of energy that effortlessly began cutting through all the ships that were there to prevent them from leaving.


    Finally, Rosan let loose a quite breath and watched as a group of Whale Sharks approached the ship, each carrying his temporary allies.


    "Such versatility," Jinbe praised, looking at Rosan with impressed eyes.


    The redhead said nothing. "How will we get through the gate?" he asked calmly.


    "¡­Someone stayed behind. The one named Bon Clay. He didn''t want us to say anything but I see no reason to hide it any longer," Jinbe replied, just as the gate began opening for them.


    Rosan mulled it over and nodded.


    So it was Mr. 2¡­ A shame¡­


    Yeah¡­ no.


    Rosan leapt on the railing and rocketed back towards Impel Down, ignoring the shouts of warning from Jinbe and Iva.


    That man''s power was too useful for him to die here. Rosan would save the okama and give him to Maro without a doubt.


    He opened his mouth and razed the front, catching the few impel down guards that had stepped out to try and stop them.


    Despite his exhaustion, they stood no chance. There were so little of them that Rosan didn''t even expend energy.


    He entered the building and began heading towards Bon Clay''s location at a brisk pace.


    It took him no time at all to find the man, posing as the same Magellan he just defeated and without giving him anytime to react, Rosan burst into the room, grabbed him, tapped the button that was going to open the Gates and activated Save Point.


    He stamped the slight amusement as a wave of fear at seeing Magellan appear on the ship, coursed through them.


    That fear vanished as the ability war off to show the stunned Bon Clay.


    Bon Clay looked at Rosan in horror.


    "You¡­ but¡­ you just¡­ huh?" he said.


    "I''m sending you to my student when we''re done," Rosan said bluntly. "You tried to sacrifice yourself for us¡­ so of course I wouldn''t let you die. I don''t like when people sacrifice themselves for me."


    The redhead ignored all the cheering and sighed.


    "Throw all the bodies of the Marines overboard. I''m going to briefly rest and restore my energy."


    His eyes pulsed with energy.


    "After, I''m going to bring hell to Marineford."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Blackbeard could once again thank fate for saving his life.


    After all, Magellan had left them for dead, drenching them in poison and solidifying their deaths right then and there¡­


    But it was not to be. The former head warden, Shiryu of the Rain, had given them the antidote so they could live to see another day!


    And now, Blackbeard''s main purpose for raiding Impel Down had come to light¡­


    "Zehahaha! Listen to me prisoners!" Teach announced. "I''m looking for good men to join my crew! But I need to know that you''re strong, so I''ll free whoever is the only survivor in your respective cages."


    At the pulse of fear, Teach''s grin widened.


    Soon, the sound of violence began ringing out and the cries of pain began ringing out.


    "Hey. I don''t have anyone in my cell, does that mean I automatically win? I killed my cellmate 25 years ago. Snored too loud."


    Teach paused at that and gazed at the owner of the voice, meeting amused golden eyes that peered at him with some interest.


    "In a cell by yourself? I don''t recognize you," Teach mused, looking at the caged man with a curious grin.


    "No bounty, no notoriety, no fame... but i was still put into level 6 without any hesitation. Makes you wonder just what I did huh?" the man asked with a small smirk.


    Blackbeard would be a liar if he said he wasn''t curious as to how a no name got into level 6.


    "He''s too dangerous," Shiryu explained with a uncharacteristically grim frown. "You might want to reconsider freeing him."


    Now Blackbeard was interested in this unknown prisoner.


    Cutter hummed at that. "You got a hot bath, some food and a razor for this beard? I haven''t had any of those in years. I''ll even kill a couple of people for ya if you do," he stated with a crooked grin.


    Blackbeard laughed at that. "Zehahaha! I like you! Join my ship! I''m about to put on a show that the whole world is gonna witness!"


    Cutter mulled it over, sardonic grin never leaving his face. "Alright. Sure thing. Just try not to tell me what to do too much. Only my brother can do that and he''s dead."


    "Zehahaha!" Blackbeard roared in laughed, ignoring the sounds of violence and pain as he grabbed the keys and freed the caged man.


    As his cuffs unlocked, Cutter let out a relieved sigh as his abilities returned to him.


    "The names Cutter. I''m an honest man so I''ll keep my word and join you¡­ but make sure you keep me entertained and don''t get mad when I go off to do my own thing. I''m a restless soul," Cutter said in a friendly manner, cupping his beard with a contemplative expression.


    He really needed to shave this. It was disgusting. Raisa said he looked terrible with a beard.


    "Zehahaha! You''re interesting! You remind me of someone!" Blackbeard exclaimed. "Feel free. As long as you don''t sabotage me, I''m fine with what you do!"


    Cutter nodded and creaked his neck, before turning towards the stiff Shiryu with those golden eyes of his.


    "I''d kill you Shiryu but it looks like we''re in the same crew now so let''s get along," Cutter rumbled.


    Shiryu nodded stiffly, gazing at those predatory eyes of Cutter with blatant wariness.


    Cutter ignored it. "It''s been 25 years. Freedom feels good and I already know what I want to do!"


    "We''re going to Marineford. There''s something there we need to do!" Blackbeard explained.


    Cutter actually grinned, revealing his abnormally sharp canines.


    "Maybe you being my captain isn''t bad at all. I was planning on going to Marineford too! There''s a lot of people I want to see there. That sounds like a great place to let the world I''m here."


    All those people... And surprisingly, the most important to Cutter¡­


    Was his son, Rocks D. Rosan. Cutter had always wanted a son after all.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Bonus


    Maro grinned eagerly as she stared at the pirates leering at her.


    "Alright dumbasses! Make me sweat a little alright?" she beamed, pulling out a blue ball.


    She wanted to practice using her Rumble Ball in an actual life or death scenario to get a better feel for it and this opportunity practically handed itself over to her!


    One of her allies, were suffering a pirate problem for a few days so she graciously offered to deal with them.


    While her soldiers were here in case she was caught off guard (she wouldn''t be. Maro had Haki for goodness sakes!), Maro would be the only handling it all this time.


    "Is it really just this babe coming to stop us?" a pirate asked, leering directly at Maro''s chest and getting the Queen to scoff.


    "Sure it is! Just me! Whatever is a helpless maiden like me to do!" she exclaimed sarcastically, plopping the Rumble in her mouth and chewing it.


    "Don''t kill her!" the captain exclaimed. "Just restrain her. I like the way this one looks."


    Maro nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I''d probably kidnap someone as hot as me too," she stated, hair turning completely white and lengthening drastically as her crown transformed into a witch hat.


    The one who called her a babe had no time to react at all, as Maro waved a tiny stick around and a great bout of blue flames conjured all over his body.


    "Mage," she muttered to herself, ignoring the agonized screaming.


    The playful air immediately vanished and the pirates looked at the man screaming with uncomfortable and shocked expressions.


    "Hohoho!" Maro laughed mockingly, stroking the long hair over her shoulder like it were a beard. "What was that about keeping me alive? Sorry! I have no interest in leaving any of you alive."


    The Queen vanished from her spot and appeared next to the captain, holding the head of another crewmember in her hand with a playful smile.


    This time, her hair was just blue, a headband adorning her head as she assumed her ninja form.


    "I''m married by the way and my wife is smoking hot so I have no interest in letting you guys touch this," she whispered.


    The Captain whirled onto her with a frantic expression, swinging wildly and only hitting air, as Maro let out a mocking laugh.


    His horror only grew as he simply watched a speeding figure blitz through his crew with devastating power.


    Some people were lit on fire, others had their head bashed... none of them even looked aware that they were dying.


    "I''m done by the way," Maro chimed, standing next to him again.


    The pirate captain gazed at the beautiful Queen in horror, not even fully registering that she was actually done.


    "That was pretty boring you know," Maro mused, slinging an arm over his shoulder with a small grin. "I noticed you aren''t looking at my chest anymore. Why''s that?" she asked.


    The captain shuddered in terror, looking at her friendly grin and casual stance.


    "Hey, aren''t you the Queen of Celadon?"


    Maro perked up at that and gazed at the one who said that.


    "Who''s asking?" she beamed, casually setting the man next to her on fire.


    The Captain screeched in agony, falling to the floor and clawing at himself as he burned alive.


    The stranger whistled in awe, unfazed by the body burning.


    "Your future husband," he grinned in a suave manner, bowing to her.


    Maro blinked, before conjuring a fireball. "Do you want me to burn you alive?" she asked curiously.


    The man blinked, gazing at the fireball. "Not a fan of the half joke? Bummer," he sighed.


    But as quick as a flash, the smile was back and he waved at her in a friendly manner.


    "In all seriousness, I was here to take out the Pirate Crew but when I showed, you had already dealt with them," he explained.


    Maro nodded at that, feeling the effects of the Rumble Ball wear off. She idly adjusted her crown and gazed at the man.


    He was tall, very much so, with a head of unique gray hair and a set of warm brown eyes.


    Maro would even call him handsome. He wasn''t as hot as Master but Maro wasn''t sure she had met a man as hot as him yet.


    Hell she hadn''t seen much woman as hot as him either.


    "You a bounty hunter?" she asked curiously.


    The man laughed at that. "Yeah! The names Terra."


    Maro blinked. "Oh I heard of you. You''re getting pretty famous in the North Blue. You''re the one who started like what? 4 years ago?"


    Terra was a bounty hunter who had sprung onto the scene around that time. Apparently he was quite the successful one too. They said he never lost a battle and always turned his foes in.


    People were actually talking of him in the same vein as Zoro!


    "Wow, Queen Maro heard of me?" the man gaped. "That''s awesome! Does that mean you''re a fan?!"


    "Nope."


    The man collapsed.


    Maro cackled. "Sorry! You Bounty Hunters are a dime a dozen. Way too frequent ever since Reaper burst into the scene."


    Terra laughed sheepishly. "Yeah... I''d say I''m different but I''m not. Grim and Reaper inspired me too. I figured since they''re no longer doing what they do, I could fill in the void a little for at least the North Blue. It''s good to know my good work has even reached the ears of Queen Maro."


    Maro smiled at that. "Grim and Reaper?"


    The man nodded with a grin. "Yeah! No one ever believes me but Reaper had a partner you know? I heard them call their partner Grim. Grim was a lot more lighthearted, joked around a ton. Reaper was super serious and kinda scary actually."


    The Queen blinked in shock.


    Hold on? This man had met both her and Master?


    "You met Grim and Reaper?" she asked in surprise.


    He nodded with a small frown. "About 11 years ago, I''m 20 now so I was 9 then, Grim and Reaper saved me from some pirates... my parents were already killed by then and my mom was..."


    The man clenched his fist and shook his head.


    "Well those two saved me and they did it so easily... watching them in action made me envious and after they were done, they made sure I got back to safety and when they left, I vowed to myself to never be that helpless and focused on getting stronger."


    Maro listened to the tale with a frown.


    She felt a little bad because she didn''t remember saving this boy at all... but that was a moment that probably stuck with him forever.


    It was weird knowing she was staring at a product of her actions in the flesh.


    "So now you''re a bounty hunter?" she asked. "Why not become a Marine? No offense but Reaper is a criminal and we don''t even know where this Grim is."


    Terra scowled and shook his head. "I don''t buy it," he said bluntly.


    Maro blinked. "Don''t buy it?" she asked.


    The bounty hunter stared warily at her. "No offense, but aren''t you allied with the World Government?"


    The Queen snorted and rolled her eyes. "You think I''m gonna snitch to them and say someone was bad mouthing them? C''mon kid. You just watched the queen of an island annihilate a bunch of pirates."


    Terra mulled that over and nodded his head. "Fair point. Well, I''m pretty sure whatever Reaper''s bounty is either bullshit or undeserved. We don''t even know what happened to Grim! I just don''t buy it."


    Maro hummed at that. "You think it was a coverup? Makes sense, the World Government does that a lot."


    Terra nodded eagerly, pleased to hear that someone agreed with him. "I just don''t think... there''s just no way Reaper deserved that bounty! He was cleaning the seas faster than any Marine! Even I''m wondering how they did it because just the North Blue is rough," he admitted.


    Maro liked this guy. Not only did he know of her secret identity... he was smart enough to question the way the world worked.


    "Isn''t it killing you not being able to find out the real reason these things happened?" Maro asked curiously. "I''d be dying wanting to know the reasons," she admitted.


    "Tell me about it," Terra sighed, tugging his shoulder length hair. "It''s not like I can ask Reaper or Grim themself. No one knows what happened to them."


    Maro shrugged sympathetically. "Yeah, bummer honestly. You''re a smart kid though so I''m sure you''ll find a way," she encouraged.


    There was no way she was ever going to introduce this guy to Master and the redhead was still on edge after Enies Lobby. They had just gotten out of that ordeal after all.


    Actually, that girl''s day was coming up and it was time for Maro to really get the nitty gritty details about Robin''s relationship with Rosan.


    The queen resisted the urge to grin lecherously.


    The bounty hunter laughed heartily at that. "You''re pretty cool, Queen Maro. Thanks for listening to my ramblings but since the job here is done, I''ll take my leave. You gave me a lot to think about actually."


    Maro cupped her chin. "You can have the pirates if you want. You deserve something after coming all the way over here to help my allies so take their bounties," she smiled.


    Terra blinked in surprise and then lit up.


    "Seriously, marry me," Terra requested.


    "I''ll chop your balls off."


    "Worth a shot."


    The man grinned lightheartedly and accepted her offer. "Thanks for making the trip double worth it. I was satisfied just looking at you."


    Maro rolled her eyes. "I''m a married woman boy. Stop flirting with me or I really will chop your balls off."


    "That was the last one. Promise! I''m taking my leave now," Terra said hastily.


    Maro snorted, only for her mouth to open in shock, as the earth rumbled and brought all the bodies over to Terra.


    She watched with wide eyes, as the earth gathered around the discarded bodies, closing them in a ball that began floating next to the man.


    Terra caught her gaze and his brown eyes glittered. "Oh this? Yeah Terra is just my alias. I haven''t used my real name in forever."


    He pointed at the rock with an axe encased in stone. "About a little more than a year after I began dedicating myself to training... I stumbled upon this fruit. It''s been real useful in helping me out."


    "It''s called the Tsuchi Tsuchi no mi! I''m an earth man! Pretty cool right?" he bragged.


    Maro said nothing, just gazing at the man with wide eyes.


    "I... have to go now," she said in a daze, waving her hands and vanishing from sight.


    Terra blinked and tilted his head, before shrugging. "She probably had to do Queen stuff... she spent too much time talkin to me anyways..."


    Queen Maro... what an interesting woman!


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "My Queen are you alright?" Zala asked in concern.


    Maro raked a hand through her hair. "Just thinking of something."


    That... was so bizarre. Maro never thought she''d run into the Tsuchi Tsuchi no mi anymore...


    To think that someone who looked up to Grim and Reaper, would eat the fruit of the wielder who Grim and Reaper brutally murdered.


    The world worked in funny ways. Maro still felt slight guilt at what they had done to Rin''s father.


    "I needa drink," Maro sighed.


    "Of course!" Gem saluted.


    "And I need to french kiss Angel."


    "Shut up my queen," Marianne sighed tiredly.


    "And I want to ¡ª"


    "Shut up my queen!" They all shouted.


    Maro pouted.

 Pale Red

    Rosan was rather rudely awaken by the sound of screaming and his eyes snapped open. There was a cacophony of noise going on outside and he narrowed his eyes in annoyance.


    He muttered a few obscenities, patting the drooling Mod''s hair and wiping it away from her mouth (he tended to do this all the time. Mod did not like being told she drooled).


    She made a noise and yawned, opening her eyes as she sat up and wiped her eyes, smiling at him slightly.


    He grunted and tested his body, finding that just about all the poison had been flushed out and he was back to full strength.


    "I do always admire how ridiculous our body is," Mod said softly, beaming as he planted a kiss on her cheek.


    "You and me both," Rosan agreed, not bothering to wipe the drool from Ram''s mouth. He merely smiled at her and planted a kiss on her cheek as well, getting a happy grumble out of the ring.


    "I would have hoped you got more sleep," Mod said with a frown, gazing at Rosan in worry.


    The redhead had done quite a lot at Impel Down, not to mention he just got out of a battle with Magellan of all people.


    Rosan smiled at her. "I''m fine Mod-chan. Don''t worry, I have you as my backup," he said, scooping her up.


    She beamed at that and hugged him tightly. "Of course. We''ll get out of this!"


    He nodded and stood up, before waking up in the real world.


    Rosan was just a little tired but with a quick dose of Modification, even that was banished away.


    His eyes glowed as his bodily functions began in full swing again and the redhead made his way out of his temporary room, listening to the uproar with a blank expression.


    "WE''LL FOLLOW YOU TO THE END OF THE WORLD BUGGY!"


    "WE HAD NO IDEA YOU WERE ONE OF THE ROGER PIRATES!"


    "WE''LL TAKE THIS SHIP FROM STRAW HAT!"


    Hm? What was that they just said?


    "Who are you taking this ship from?" Rosan asked hauntingly, expression curious.


    You could hear a pin drop with how silent the ship suddenly became.


    Buggy went pale at that, shakily turning towards the very awake Rosan. The redhead was currently locking those eyes of his onto Buggy himself and he understood that things were about to get bad for him very very quickly.


    Earlier they had been making a fuss about how they were going to go to Marineford, to interfere in the war between Whitebeard and the World Government.


    Naturally, Buggy immediately stopped complaining at the warning looks from Sabo and Jinbe because those two were not trigger happy like the real demon of the group.


    If Rosan heard such things, he wouldn''t warn them with words. He''d warn them with almost immediate action.


    Buggy had seen the redhead''s performance in Impel Down and he understood that Rosan had no patience for people''s stupidity. The redhead was kill first, ask the useful person questions.


    Buggy wasn''t sure Rosan found him useful.


    Thankfully, they had managed to settle the rowdy prisoners down¡­


    Up until the ship received a call and Buggy heard the World Government confirm that he was apart of the Roger Pirates. Buggy wasn''t even sure how they got that information, but he had been left with his jaw hanging at hearing them mercilessly reveal it.


    That''s when things got loud.


    Buggy had just been about to shut up his men who had been talking about usurping the ship, when the demon in human flesh himself, appeared out of his room, wide awake and looking like he had not just gotten out of a fight with the goddamn warden of Impel Down.


    Seriously, what was he? How was he able to survive Magellan''s poison? What was this redhead capable of doing?!


    Also... did these idiots think Buggy was going to beat Rosan?! Buggy wouldn''t even attempt to fight him!


    "You guys woke Rosan up," Sabo said in dissatisfaction, brows furrowing to show just how upset that made him.


    Buggy paled. The blonde one was just as dangerous! He was just actually nice!


    Oh hell no, Buggy was not going to take the blame for something he knew they were going to blame him for.


    "MEN! DON''T BE AFRAID OF THIS WAR! THE BIGGEST PRIZE IS WITHIN OUR REACH! IF YOU CALL YOURSELVES MEN, FOLLOW ME TO GLORY!" Buggy roared with a false confident grin, never taking his eyes off the predatory gaze of Rosan.


    Rosan''s deathly calm gaze vanished as the men began cheering, replaced instead by a raised brow.


    "WE WERE BEATEN AND BATTERED IN IMPEL DOWN! WE''RE SORRY BUGGY!"


    "He''d make a good captain," Jinbe commented idly in amusement.


    "He also has great survival instincts," Sabo chuckled, turning towards his older brother.


    "I don''t like that you''re awake early but we won''t be able to get past the Gates of Justice. We need you to handle it."


    Rosan grunted. "This ship isn''t light you know? You realize I just got out of a war with Magellan right?"


    Sabo pat him on the back and pulled him into a hug. "I know. You''ve been doing a lot. After this is over, I''m making sure you get some sleep," he muttered to his brother.


    Rosan sighed fondly and nodded, easily returning the hug. "Alright alright. I was gonna do it anyways."


    The redhead''s blood began thrumming as a violent gleam entered his eyes. Even from this distance and with Sabo right next to him, he activated his observation and immediately felt the thousands of lives of the soldiers that were stationed.


    "Today, the world will know who I truly am," Rosan said idly, walking towards the railing of the ship. "They will understand exactly who Portgas D. Rosan is."


    With that, the redhead leapt off the railing.


    "What''s he about to do?" a random pirate asked.


    "Beats me!"


    "Doesn''t he have a Devil Fruit? Maybe something involving that!"


    The prisoners, who did not know the full extent of Rosan''s terror, spoke casually about what he was attempting. Even after learning that he had defeated Magellan in one on one combat, they had no fear of him because Captain Buggy was right here ¡ª


    "RAOGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"


    At once, every single former prisoner went pale as a shadow began looming over them.


    "O-Oh," someone squeaked.


    "Still plan on revolting?" Sabo asked in amusement.


    Everyone shook their head slowly.


    "Effective," Jinbe said idly.


    "Isn''t it? Rosan''s always been pretty damn effective," Sabo replied with a short laugh.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Ace, what is your father''s name?"


    A battered and bruised Ace, sat kneeled on the stands that marked his impending execution.


    He had not said a word, up until Fleet Admiral Sengoku suddenly began speaking about the specifics of his execution to his subordinates below.


    "...My father¡­ is Whitebeard," Ace said bluntly, closing his eyes as he assessed what it was Sengoku wanted him to do.


    This old man could fuck off. Ace was not going to do what he wanted.


    "So even now you''ll lie about your bloodline," Sengoku said through his transponder snail, relaying the message to everyone across the world.


    The Fleet Admiral was currently broadcasting this to the world. He was intent on a total and complete victory and if the world witnessed, then the World Government would win.


    They would kill the resurge of pirates in one fell swoop. With that, justice would prevail.


    "We were looking everywhere, when we got word from Cipher Pol about the possibility, that one of his children might be on a certain island. We examined newborns, unborn infants and their mothers and found nothing."


    A wave of confusion was making its way through the crowd, those unaware not understanding where Sengoku was going with this.


    Fire Fists Ace parent? What was so important about that?


    "It was only natural though, that we were unable to find what we were looking for. Your mother used a trick to hide you and it was at the cost of her life!"


    Ace shut his eyes at that detail.


    He had seen the memories. He had seen what his mother had done for him.


    He had seen how she had done everything in her power to protect both her children.


    He had seen how her death had shattered his lovable older brother¡­


    "Your mother fooled us all! She lived on an island by the name of Baterilla in the South Blue. Her name was Portgas D. Rouge and she did something we never imagined was possible."


    Garp''s smile was gone. All he could think about, was the sheer impact Rouge''s death had on the world as a whole.


    "Portgas D. Rouge, hid her child in her womb for 20 months, in order to save it. She bought Ace life, at the cost of her own¡­ all because of your father."


    "The blood of the most terrible fiend the world has ever known runs through your veins. Don''t pretend not to know, Ace¡­"


    Sengoku made sure the snail caught this, as he gazed down at Ace.


    "Your father¡­ WAS GOLD ROGER, THE PIRATE KING!"


    A wave of silence met the declaration¡­ before the heavy news struck the world.


    The Fleet Admiral could practically feel the whole world rumbling in shock, as they digested the information given by him¡­


    "But that''s not all," Sengoku said gravely.


    If anything, the wave of confusion grew stronger and he could practically feel everyone latching onto his words.


    "Ace''s mother, Portgas D. Rouge did more then just hide him."


    Ace''s eyes widened in dread.


    What was this bastard planning on doing? What did he think he was doing?!


    "She had another child before she even met Roger. A son," Sengoku revealed gravely. "It was not her birth son, but she still raised him as such. This boy was merely two years old when we caught wind of what Roger might have done."


    "When Portgas D. Rouge gave birth to Ace here and lost her life, that boy, who was only 4 at the time, witnessed the entire thing. With just this act, that little boy gained a deep and irrational hatred of the World Government."


    Smoker and Hina felt a small bead of sweat forming, not yet connecting the dots, but feeling a sense of trepidation at that for reasons unknown to them.


    "Why do I feel such a sense of foreboding?" Smoker thought in surprise.


    Was it because Sengoku was talking about someone that he may have met? Was it because he was unknowingly connecting dots to something?


    "He''s been biding his time and has steadily built his strength and now he and his crew are the fastest rising pirates we''ve seen in a very long time," Sengoku said gravely.


    "They destroyed Enies Lobby, they''ve lain havoc on every location they''ve approached and they struck a Celestial Dragon... and all of it has had this vengeful man at the forefront."


    "Is he talking about?!" Hancock thought in shock.


    "The death of Portgas D. Rouge did not just give birth to Portgas D. Ace¡­ it gave birth to the Red Devil, Portgas D. Rosan of the Straw Hat Pirates," he finished eventually.


    There was a swift beat¡­


    And then ¡ª


    "RAOGHHHHHHHH!"


    Ace, along with all the weaker Marines, felt their heart stop at the roar so full of fury, it washed over them all.


    Weaker Marines felt their knees trembling at that terrible sound and they shakily whirled in every direction, trying to pinpoint where exactly it came from.


    Almost faster than they could see, a giant buzzing noise suddenly permeated the air, before a giant red laser shot from the sky at dreadful speeds.


    W-What?! Where did that come from?!


    They watched in terror as it raced directly towards them, hell bent on goring the masses through and the Marines could only watch in relief, as a yellow beam collided with expert precision, preemptively causing an explosion before it could reach them.


    A wave of heat washed over, as the two beams blew up in the sky, causing a display of rudimentary fireworks.


    "He recovered from Sabaody pretty quickly. How scaryyy," Kizaru drawled, finger pointed upwards to show who had nullified the attack.


    A shadow was currently residing in the sky and it was massive. As the clouds parted, the World Government bore witness to a furious dragon snarling down at them, all while holding one of their massive warships in its claws.


    It floated downwards away from them and dropped the ship in the water, before opening its maw and letting out another furious roar.


    "RAOGHHHHHHHHHH!"


    Rosan was seething and full of fury. It only grew as he saw the state of his brother.


    Ace was looking at him with truly terrified eyes. He never felt fear towards anyone, but the moment his family was in danger, it all came roaring out.


    They were the exact same in that regard. Fearless until someone they loved was in danger...


    And Rosan was terrified at the prospect of losing Ace. Mom''s legacy, the reason she had chosen to die out of love...


    His little brother. Rosan would be damned if he died here.


    "You would dare stand here and blame my mother for the atrocities you committed?" Rosan snarled loudly, eyes glowing with unrestrained fury. "YOU THINK MY MOTHER WAS TO BLAME FOR YOUR GENOCIDE OF CHILDREN ON MY ISLAND?!"


    A wave of hatred washed over all of them there.


    "That''s Rosan?!" Koby thought in terror, looking at the enormous dragon with horrified tears.


    In just a split second, Rosan had been about to kill them all! His friend... probably didn''t even know or care that Koby was here.


    So this... this was war? Koby had to try and stop his friend from saving his brother? Koby had to fear that his friend was going to kill him in cold blood?


    Would Rosan even notice if he killed Koby...?


    "So that''s... why," Smoker said in realization. "That''s why he hates the World Government so much."


    "He was forced to watch his mother die... due to our actions," Hina muttered next to him, a disturbed expression on her face.


    "I despise your organization with every fiber of my being and if I could, I would tear it all down immediately."


    Words of that redhead washed over the two. It was no wonder he had attempted to strike them down with such prejudice... he had been harboring such an intense hatred since he were 4.


    Both the Marines who had encountered Rosan said nothing, gazing in pure conflict at the giant dragon who hadn''t even deigned to use this form against them.


    There was a purging on his island at the age of 4 and he watched his mother suffer... all because of the World Government''s desire to make sure Roger didn''t have a child.


    Countless died because of that... was that truly justice? Killing multiple just for the chance to kill one?


    But they hadn''t even killed Roger''s son... so was it even worth it in the end? The only thing it accomplished was giving this redhead... rather justifiable fuel to hate their organization.


    "That''s the Red Devil?!" a Marine whispered nervously.


    "I heard he and his crew decimated Cipher Pol 9 when they completely destroyed Enies Lobby," another said in terror.


    "H-How are we supposed to deal with that dragon?!" one lamented, legs shaking.


    "Don''t be afraid! We have the Admirals behind us!" one barked.


    "Fleet Admiral Sengoku, the Buddha," Rosan hissed violently. "You are the one who ordered the purge of Baterilla. Hundreds of innocent children killed on your command. How many mothers do you think still cry at the massacre you committed? Do you think about what you''ve done? Do you have regret?"


    Some of the doubtful Marines and viewers watching flinched at the reminder that countless children had been killed in the pursuit of ending Ace''s life.


    "..."


    Sengoku looked at the most problematic pirate of the current generation. The one who had caused him the most severe headaches he had gotten in a while.


    The one who he had inadvertently created, by ordering the purging of Baterilla.


    This boy was a product of Sengoku''s actions... so Sengoku would have to take responsibility for it.


    "The Red Devil... or perhaps I should call you Rocks," Sengoku said calmly, gazing fearlessly into the malevolent gaze of the dragon. "It was foolish of you to show yourself here¡­ after all, your death is just as important as Ace''s. You''re the nephew of a man we desperately tried to erase from history, after all. You''re shaping up to be as similar as he is."


    Rosan sneered violently. "Mark my words, Sengoku. When my time to tear this system apart has come, I will be served your head on a silver platter and you will have a front row seat," he swore.


    Sengoku listened to that threat and said nothing, unwilling to reveal his true thoughts of that statement.


    He knew Rosan meant every word he said and worst, Sengoku knew that if left to his own devices, the vengeful redhead would achieve it.


    Underestimating him was not something they could afford to do anymore. Rosan was a Rocks through and through and he needed to be dealt with now.


    "ROSAN!" Ace shouted frantically. "YOU NEED TO GO! I WON''T LET YOU SACRIFICE YOURSELF FOR ME!"


    "I need to go?" Rosan asked quietly, still managing to be heard due to his dominating size.


    "Yes!" His little brother said without hesitation. "This isn''t your place to help! I don''t need it! Go before something happens to you!"


    "SHUT THE HELL UP!" Rosan barked ferociously to his younger brother. "WHAT IS WITH YOU PEOPLE NOT WANTING TO BE SAVED?!"


    Ace immediately went silent, gazing at his fuming draconic brother with wide eyes.


    "That''s not what I''m ¡ª"


    "So you want me to fly off right now?" Rosan asked incredulously. "You want me to be satisfied at the thought that when my little brother needed help, I wasn''t there for him?"


    "Don''t be dumb Ace!" Luffy roared atop the dragon''s head, scowling at the chained Logia. "We''re your brothers! We can''t let you die here!"


    "L-Luffy?!" Ace gasped in horror.


    "Straw Hat Luffy is their brother too?!" someone shouted in horror.


    Sengoku clenched his jaw at the widespread panic. Despite his words, they were beginning to think that all three of the brothers were born from Roger.


    "Straw Hat Luffy and the Red Devil are not the son of Gold Roger. Straw Hat is the son of the Revolutionary, Dragon and the Red Devil''s parents are irrelevant," Sengoku announced.


    ...


    "THE SON OF DRAGON?!"


    "THE LEADER OF THE REVOLUTIONARIES?!"


    Akainu''s eyes narrowed.


    Ace shut his eyes. Luffy''s lineage revealed, Rosan with a target on his back...


    "Ace, what type of brothers would we be, if we didn''t come help you in your time of need?" Sabo said, sparking with electricity as he glared fearlessly at the entire army of the World Government.


    "Sabo?" the prisoner repeated, gazing into his blonde brothers gaze and noting¡­


    Noting the sheer familiarity. There was a strong sense of recognition and overprotectiveness in Sabo''s gaze. It almost looked like... Sabo fully recognized who he was. He said brother with such conviction...


    Was this¡­


    "Did you get your memories back?!" Ace asked in shock.


    The Whitebeard pirate choked up as his brother nodded without any hesitation.


    "Yeah I got em back when I realized you were about to get executed," Sabo explained with a firm resolve.


    Ace felt a lump in his throat at that. To hear that it was him that helped Sabo regain his memory...


    That made him... despite the situation, Ace was happy to hear that. Ace was so happy.


    Which was why he needed them to go. They needed to go now. There was no way they could fight this many people.


    "I just got back something I lost, Ace. I won''t let myself lose this so soon!" Sabo declared with a furious expression. "You''re coming home. With us!"


    "Luffy¡­ Rosan¡­ Sabo," Ace muttered, shutting his eyes.


    His brothers¡­ they were insane! What were they thinking?!


    "Hmph, so you plan on fighting us all alone?" Sengoku mused, raising a brow at the foolish pirate.


    For all his intelligence... for all his ruthlessness, it seemed like even the Red Devil would throw it all away for the sake of those he loved.


    Even he had his weaknesses ¡ª


    A sudden rumbling caught the attention of everyone there and the higher ups of the World Government went stiff.


    "Did they sneak up on us?!" Sengoku said in surprise, slight concern on his face.


    There had been no signs of them approaching the island and Sengoku thought they would have ample time to dismantle the Red Devil''s forces before the other pirates showed up.


    Even with the Red Devil distracting them, the arrival of the Whitebeard Pirates should have been impossible to miss! Where did they come from?!


    As if answering his questions, the fleet of ships left room for a massive ship to burst into the scene.


    It was a large battleship with a cachalot figurehead, dwarfing every other ship there.


    "Gurarara! Seems like we were beaten to the punch by some upstarts!" A commanding and aged voice called out.


    Rosan turned his head at that and huffed, snorting out a great gout of flame as the ship they arrived on was swiftly evacuated. Jinbe was looking at the rising ships with clear recognition and so he assumed this was the Whitebeard Pirates.


    "POPS!" Ace shouted.


    Not him too... Why were they all showing up?! Didn''t they understand how much was at risk by doing this?


    Pops would risk the whole crew for just him?


    "Whitebeard," Rosan grunted, tail swishing as he regarded the strongest man in the world with narrowed eyes.


    Whitebeard gazed at the dragon curiously. "So you''re the youngsters that my foolish son always talk about! Rosan and Luffy eh?! Gurarara! To think you''d show up in this war and before us!"


    "I will never leave my family behind. I don''t care who''s holding him prisoner. I''ll even run through you if I have to," Rosan said bluntly.


    "Gurarara! Cheeky brat!" Whitebeard simply laughed at the redhead.


    "Rosan who is this old man?" Luffy asked with a furrowed brow.


    "Ace''s captain. Edward Newgate... or Whitebeard," Rosan explained.


    "Wow... Ace''s captain is really old!" the rubber boy exclaimed.


    "Yeah, he''s around 90."


    "Pretty sure he''s a little younger then that," Sabo chimed in. "I''d say around 80."


    Everyone balked at the conversation between the three.


    For them to so brazenly speak about the Whitebeard like that was insanity! Didn''t they know who they were speaking of!


    "Talking about Pops like this in front of all of us..." Marco sighed.


    "Ace was right, they really are fearless and reckless," Vista chuckled in amusement.


    Whitebeard gazed at the brothers and laughed. "You brats really are cheeky! No wonder Ace is a stubborn and fearless fool! He''s grown in an environment full of it!"


    "Watch it old man."


    Ace ignored that insult to his character and gnashed his teeth.


    "GET OUTTA HERE ALL OF YOU! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" he shouted at them all.


    "You''re our brother, Ace! We''ll never leave you behind!" Luffy said strongly, beginning to stretch his bruised body as he prepared for battle.


    "I just got my memories back, Ace! We have too much lost time to make up and that''s not happening if you die here! I missed you all and we can''t catch up like this!" Sabo declared.


    "Gurarara! It was my mistake to send you on that mission alone," Whitebeard announced. "It''s only right that I make up for it and save my son!"


    Ace balked at that. "But you didn''t send me on..."


    "Yeah we did! We underestimated him!" Marco grinned sheepishly.


    "It was silly on our part Ace! We hope you can forgive us," Jozu said seriously.


    Ace listened to the various noises of agreement and bowed his head, hating how vulnerable he was right now.


    Rosan glared at his brother in fury. "I already made a promise to myself that I''d never leave you behind again. Whether you''re the son of the world''s most dangerous pirate, a pirate apart of the world''s strongest man''s crew¡­ or a criminal worth being executed for his crimes, you will always be my little brother first, Portgas D. Ace."


    The redhead transformed back to his human form as he finished that statement and he stared at the stunned Ace with a firm resolve in his eyes. He gently flapped his wings and glared at the entirety of the World Government.


    Ace felt himself choke up at that, tears building in his eyes at how earnest his oldest brother sounded...


    At how vulnerable he currently looked.


    The sheer concern and resolve in Rosan''s gaze¡­ it was a far cry from his emotionless brother or even the brother he had encountered at Alabasta.


    And behind that unwavering resolve, there was the exact same terror Ace currently felt, reflected in his brothers oh so expressive eyes.


    The way they shined...


    "You really did get your emotions back..." Ace said softly.


    "And I won''t lose them again," Rosan told him firmly. "That means I have to save you. I can''t lose anyone else," he swore.


    Rosan¡­ Rosan had found what he was looking for just like Ace had found what he had been searching for and the result was his impossibly stubborn older brother, who would never abandon him again.


    But... if Ace died, didn''t that mean he''d have killed Rosan too? If Ace was really so important to Rosan, then that meant he really did have to survive here.


    "Emotions?" Sengoku thought with a frown.


    Did Rosan somehow have a way to shut off his emotions... no that wasn''t quite right. He didn''t sound like he could control it...


    The Iris were heavily emotional, so something had caused this boy to lose all of that? Was that why he had been so demonic in nature with the atrocities he committed?


    There were far too many mysteries involving Rosan. And those mysteries would remain mysteries.


    Rosan stared coolly ahead. Unintimidated by the vast amount of Marines gazing down at him.


    "Be careful Sabo and Luffy. Saving Ace is our #1 priority, but don''t die to achieve that. I''ll do my part to keep you alive," Rosan told them.


    Sabo nodded seriously, sparks rolling off his body as he released his grip on Rosan''s arm and disappeared in a thunderous boom.


    "ACE!" Luffy roared, launching himself forward with reckless abandon. He was expertly ignoring all his injuries so Rosan would have to pay close attention to his littlest brother.


    But despite that, Rosan did not follow them.


    His wings flapped idly as he glared at the Marines.


    His skillset wasn''t one many people could deal with and he was going to take full advantage of that by causing nonstop mayhem¡­


    The more enemies there were, the better Rosan performed.


    In the middle of a war?


    They would soon understand that Rosan was war.


    Though, it seemed that they were rather wary of him already because Rosan immediately put up an arm to block the kick aimed at his head.


    The speed at which it was delivered, sent him flying backwards and the redhead grunted in annoyance as he laid eyes on Kizaru.


    "Scaryyy¡­ you''re already a lot stronger than when we last met. How is that even possible?" the Admiral drawled, leg still outstretched.


    "I guess I should be honored that an Admiral is already on the move for me," Rosan grunted. "But this doesn''t look good for you, you know? One of your three Admirals, attacking a mere humble scout."


    Kizaru didn''t even look phased. "And you could even block that. This new generation sure is tough."


    Rosan said nothing, merely shaking his arm a bit as armament and his raid suit shielded him well.


    Without them, his arm would have been in a lot worse condition.


    Kizaru remained suspended in air for a moment and Rosan deduced that he couldn''t fly like the redhead could¡­


    But that didn''t matter because Kizaru was so fucking fast.


    It didn''t matter if he couldn''t fly like Rosan could because he could just displace himself with his ability.


    Rosan could anticipate Kizaru''s move. It wasn''t hard to anticipate that the man was going to close the distance between them, but he was just far too fast to react to.


    He grunted as the man transformed into a beam of light and the redhead immediately fortified himself, knowing it was foolish to attempt to dodge.


    The kick landed squarely on his stomach and Rosan grit his teeth in fury. He lashed out to grab the Admiral but even with armament, it didn''t make it any easier to hit him.


    He was rewarded with a laser that slammed into him with extreme force. It would have pierced him, but Rosan''s armament had gotten far better due to the trashings Hancock had often given him.


    So instead of getting pierced, it exploded on his damn body instead.


    Rosan spat out blood and glared furiously at Kizaru.


    Against an Admiral... Rosan wasn''t strong enough to defeat one.


    But if he could get one hit...


    "Hm? Do you need me again? I can end things in a single hit," Pestilence offered with a maniacal grin.


    "Yeah," Rosan said gruffly, eyes flickering black as he prepared to bait Kizaru in.


    Just a single hit was all he needed and he''d take out one of the World Government''s strongest forces ¡ª


    A blue blur dashed past Rosan, colliding with Kizaru immediately and stopping the Admirals assault on the redhead.


    Pestilence huffed and Mod let out a sigh of relief, as the black vanished from his eyes.


    "Ace wasn''t kidding! You really are insane! Showing up the Whitebeard Pirates isn''t something a lot of people would want to do!" Marco the Phoenix laughed, clashing with Kizaru''s leg using his own.


    "Marco the Phoenix," Rosan said idly, nodding towards the man with the Mythical Zoan.


    "The Red Devil!" Marco grinned, disengaging with Kizaru and flapping towards Rosan. "Ace never shuts up about you or Straw Hat over there!"


    If the situation were less dire, Rosan would proceed to tell tale after embarrassing tale of he and his brothers upbringing.


    But that would have to wait for later.


    "We''ll chat after all this is over. There''s a lot I''d like to say to you guys," Marco said kindly, sensing the tension in Rosan''s shoulder. "Pops wants to talk to you and Straw Hat really quick. He really wanted to meet the two Ace talks so highly about."


    Rosan was about to deny the request but merely took a deep breath and nodded.


    It would be incredibly beneficial if he got along with the Pirates trying to save Ace. This would allow them to better coordinate their efforts and that would increase their chances of getting his brother.


    The redhead glared at his enemies, already stewing up plans to inflict the most amount of damage before he turned towards Whitebeard and soared to his location.


    Rosan landed in front of the gigantic Emperor with a frown.


    "Whitebeard," Rosan said bluntly, gauging the old man up and down.


    He was dwarfed by the World''s Strongest Man. Whitebeard was a gigantic person who''s figure heavily belied his old age. Despite being decades older than Rosan, there was an aura to the man that had his senses on full alert.


    "So you''re the brat who''s my foolish son''s oldest brother!" Whitebeard commented.


    "My name is Rosan. Don''t call me brat again," the redhead bit out with narrowed eyes, watching the ongoings with a razor sharp gaze.


    His gaze immediately locked onto Luffy a ways away and he watched in satisfaction as his brother effortlessly pushed through the weaker Marines.


    "Gurarara! Seems like all of you are as fearless as that fool!" the Emperor laughed, gazing out at Marineford with a mulling expression.


    Finally, it seemed like the Emperor came to his decision on what he was about to do.


    Rosan tensed up as Whitebeard clenched his fist, before slamming them against the air, causing cracks to appear.


    The Gura Gura no mi¡­ widely considered to be the most powerful Paramecia to exist. It was a fruit that wielded the power to destroy the world¡­


    And Whitebeard was showcasing that fact right now.


    Rosan watched with a surprised gaze as the seas erupted. The waters began shuddering, forming into an actual seaquake due to the sheer power that Whitebeard exhibited.


    The seas began rising so high, it almost looked as if it might consume all of Marineford and Rosan shuddered excitedly at the strength behind it all. The force was actually shaking the area around.


    To think that he was capable of such an effortless feat at his age¡­ Rosan wondered just how strong Whitebeard had been when he was younger.


    Widespread panic and confusion ensued as people fell from lack of proper balance.


    "The Red Devil. I heard Sengoku call you Rocks. Is that true?" Whitebeard asked bluntly, standing straight as if he hadn''t caused such mayhem so quickly.


    Rosan perked up at that. This could be a good way to get more information for Robin...


    "Yeah, that''s right. I don''t claim the name, but my birth father had it. I heard you and him sailed the same ship, under my uncle."


    Whitebeard mulled that over. "So you''re that brat Cutter''s son then¡­ I didn''t think the brat would have a brat."


    "Seems like it," Rosan nodded.


    Whitebeard gazed down at the redhead with a curious expression. "My time on that ship was nothing impressive. Just a bunch of fools whose interests aligned. That Cutter was just a snot nosed brat at the time too, always clinging to his older brother."


    The redhead tilted his head at that, turning back towards the battlefield.


    "I heard about the people in that crew. How does something like that even fail?" Rosan asked curiously.


    "Gurarara! It was a long time ago! Things might have been different if it happened a few more years into the future," Whitebeard informed him. "But that was a time long before you were born."


    "Yeah. I don''t care about it. I just wanna know for someone else," Rosan said truthfully, gazing directly at his brother. "The only thing I care about is making sure all my brothers get out of here safely. You can give me the answers I want afterwards."


    "A family man just like me!" Whitebeard chuckled, right as the world began shaking again.


    Rosan peered around at that.


    "Due to the seaquakes he formed, a gigantic tsunami is about to strike Marineford," Mod explained, slightly awed by the power of Whitebeard''s Devil Fruit.


    "Old age barely slows any of these people down," Ram mentioned in disbelief.


    This was incredible! Ram couldn''t wait until the old generation saw Father upend all of their power! It would be glorious!


    Rosan agreed, gazing at the towering tsunamis with a half lidded gaze.


    If those crashed, it would do great in softening up the Marines for him. In fact with all that water on them...


    "I''m going to do everything in my power to get Ace back, Whitebeard. This is my only warning to you and your crew if any of my attacks hit them. I''d like it if we cooperated to save him so I won''t attempt to actively harm them... but some things are unavoidable," Rosan said softly. "I apologize in advance."


    Whitebeard gazed back at the redhead and snorted.


    He sure had a lot of guts. There truly wasn''t an ounce of fear in this boy.


    Fools, all of them... but Whitebeard liked fools.


    "Audacious brat," Whitebeard said in amusement. "My men are strong! Go wild and save my precious son! Rescuing Ace is all of our goals here!"


    Rosan nodded, eyes narrowed as he saw a familiar figure dash forward to answer the ensuing tsunamis.


    "Ice Age."


    Aokiji spread both arms out, beams of solid ice shooting out and connecting to the twin tsunami''s.


    Slowly but surely, the giant waves stopped in their path, freezing over completely at the hands of the Admiral.


    A familiar chill went down Rosan''s spine as the fruit used to freeze him solid, made quick work of the Tsunami''s that were going to devastate Marineford.


    "The Admirals are our biggest obstacles in rescuing Ace," Rosan thought warily.


    If he wanted to get Ace, he''d have to clash with them and he would always lose an outright clash... so he''d have to innovate.


    That was fine. Most of Rosan''s opponents could thank the fact that he was a fighter with integrity. He rarely used underhanded tactics...


    But that flew out of the window if he was up against an opponent who was far stronger than him.


    Or if his family was in danger. Considering both were currently happening right now, Rosan was willing to become the most underhanded person on the planet.


    Aokiji took aim at Whitebeard and shot out several spears of ice towards Rosan and Whitebeard. They flew through the air with expert accuracy, intent on impaling both of them through.


    "Ice Block: Partisan."


    Rosan''s eyes narrowed and he held out a single gloved hand towards the airborne man.


    Without any warning, a thick massive beam of red energy shot out of the redhead''s hand. The wave crashed through the ice spears and into Aokiji, breaking apart the Logia''s body before it began reforming again.


    "What scary rate of improvement," Aokiji muttered tiredly, gazing unfazed at the scowling Rosan.


    It had not been that long ago, where Aokiji had frozen the redhead solid. But even now he could see the visible improvements in Rosan.


    What a scary kid.


    The Admiral only had a moment to react, covering his entire body in ice, as a tremor crashed into his body, courtesy of Whitebeard.


    His icy body broke apart and soared towards the water below. Almost as soon as the Logia crashed against it, the entire bay began to freeze over, keeping every single Pirate ship trapped¡­


    But it also had the benefit of giving the pirates a place to stand on.


    "Our ships are trapped! This is blocking off our exit!" A pirate exclaimed.


    Rosan gazed at the ice below before turning towards Whitebeard.


    "I''ll help you for this but afterwards, I''m only focusing on making it to Ace," Rosan told the Emperor.


    Whitebeard raised a brow at that. "What are you about to do, brat?"


    "Nothing special. I''m just showcasing my strengths," Rosan said calmly, leaping off the ship and onto the ice below.


    "Hmhmhm that''s right. Much like how I am Pestilence, you Rosan¡­ you are War. You are made to strike fear into armies, to make them feel powerless. It is your job to overwhelm them with brute strength."


    Mod merely frowned at that. "You are no weapon of War, Rosan... you simply have areas that you specialize in. Show them that this is one of them."


    Pestilence raised a brow at that but said nothing.


    Rosan''s eyes flashed and he palmed the ice.


    "Modify: Form," was all he thought.


    Not a single person could keep the shock off their face, as the Red Devil palmed the ice made from Aokiji and transformed it.


    W-What on earth had he just done?! This strange technique... just what was he doing?!


    It began turning granite gray and it took them a moment to realize that the entire terrain of ice was being turned into¡­ stone?!


    "Hmph," Rosan scoffed, standing up straight as he dusted the ice off his body.


    "W-What¡­?" A random Marine stammered, looking at Rosan''s display with horrified eyes.


    "B-But I thought he was a Mythical Zoan?!"


    "That''s quite the fruit you have," Whitebeard commented idly, gazing at the display with an impressed expression.


    He had never seen such a thing in all his years. Rosan was displaying far too many different abilities that gave no hint as to what his fruit was beyond transforming into a dragon.


    "You''ll probably learn more about it as this war drags on. Depending on how useful you are, I''ll even tell you," Rosan grunted, flapping once as sparks began covering his body.


    "Gurarara! You''re even worse than Ace is! No wonder you''re the oldest of the brats!" Whitebeard rumbled in amusement.


    Rosan snorted. "Jinbe! Watch Luffy for me please!"


    "Leave it to me. I will keep him alive," the fishman nodded and dashed forward to meet the rubber boy.


    "You too Iva! Push forward and carve a path!" Rosan barked.


    "So commanding red boy! But I''ll do it!" Iva shouted back.


    With Luffy accounted for, Rosan nodded his head and prepared himself for the assault on Marineford.


    With what he was planning on doing, he wouldn''t be surprised at all if he became the focus of a lot of people''s attention... but Rosan was fine with that.


    He was the star of the show after all. It was natural that he''d attract their eyes.


    As Rosan prepared to take off into the sky, his senses suddenly went haywire and he whirled immediately.


    A massive gust of wind crashed into the sand sent careening towards Whitebeard and Rosan scowled at the furious Crocodile, sending the coarse element in every direction.


    "CROCOBOY?!" Iva shouted in surprise.


    What on earth was he doing here?! Last Iva checked, the man was no longer a Warlord, bounty inflating drastically due to no longer working under the World Government!


    Part of Sengoku was hopeful that Crocodile was here to enact revenge on Whitebeard and that if he were distracting the Red Devil, then Rosan would not be able to do those devastating widespread techniques of his¡­


    Unfortunately, his hopes were dashed instantly.


    Crocodile met Rosan''s gaze and they glared at each other, before the former Warlord disengaged from the redhead with a sneer.


    He gazed at the surprised Iva warily.


    "I hope you aren''t here to cause trouble, Crocoboy!" Iva exclaimed with narrowed eyes.


    Crocodile sneered at the okama.


    "No one¡­ and I mean no one, is killing this damn redhead unless it''s me," he swore, glaring at Rosan with murderous eyes.


    Crocodile hated Rosan even more than he hated Whitebeard and he''d be damned if the redhead killed him before he got to enact his revenge.


    If that meant showing up to the war to survive, then that''s what he''d do. He had gathered those spineless cowards that were his subordinates and they had set a course for Marineford.


    Alvida and Daz Bones watched in horror at Crocodile''s actions. Did he seriously not care about their last encounter?!


    Would Rosan kill them all if Crocodile kept this up?!


    Rosan merely scoffed at him, running a hand through his shoulder length hair. "That''s so sweet of you darling. I''m touched that you''re so possessive of me but I''m already taken by someone I''d much rather tongue," the redhead sneered.


    "Watch your tongue redhead. You''re next after I finish my business here," the former warlord snarled violently, vanishing in a gust of sand. He immediately leapt into the fray and it didn''t take long at all for Crocodile to begin causing mayhem.


    Rosan watched him go with a sneer, before rocketing into the sky, red sparks pulsing off his body.


    Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    Then, complete mayhem began all at the ends of Rosan and Crocodile... two people who hated each other.


    A miniature sandstorm formed onto the battlefield, following the rampaging Crocodile¡­ and a thunderstorm of red lightning came crashing from the heavens, courtesy of the rampaging Rosan.


    "Sables Pequeno."


    "EMP: Storm."


    The two elements clashed against each other, vying for control over the battlefield and subsequently causing the unfortunate people to become collateral. They were swept up in the elements, screaming as they were either battered by the sands or struck by the unnaturally colored lightning.


    "They''re working together?!" Sengoku balked in disbelief.


    But¡­ how?! That didn''t make any sense! The Straw Hats were the ones who defeated Crocodile! Why wasn''t he attacking Rosan? Why did they seem to have exceptional teamwork?!


    Why the hell wasn''t anything making sense to him? For what reason did Crocodile have to side with them over the World Government?!


    Knowing him, he wouldn''t even show up! So what was the reason behind this?!


    Rosan gazed coolly at the battlefield below him, watching as the stronger marines tried to weather his storm of lightning. His element took a much larger scope than Crocodile''s so he watched from his perch in the sky as he created his own thunderstorm and aimed it at the Marines.


    He watched them scramble about, desperately dodging his storm with frantic levels panic.


    The worst part, was that Rosan was too high above for them to reach him.


    The redhead stretched out his hands and began utterly bombarding the forces with continuous red blasts.


    "SOMEONE STOP THE RED DEVIL!"


    "HOW?! HOW CAN WE STOP HIM! WE CAN''T EVEN REACH HIM!"


    "FORGET HIM! STOP THAT LIGHTNING MAN! WHO EVEN IS THAT?!"


    "I DON''T KNOW! NO ONE SAID ANYTHING ABOUT A MAN HAVING A LIGHTNING LOGIA!"


    Rosan listened to their panic with a neutral expression, merely fueling the storm with more energy so that it could remain sustained.


    He wasn''t the strongest one here. No, not yet. He would eventually become the strongest but that was not right now.


    Even though he wasn''t the strongest, that didn''t change the fact that he was almost certainly the most annoying and his skillset was perfect for War.


    Although that did come with downsides that Rosan accounted for.


    Such as becoming a primary target. It was only natural that they realized just how effective he was as their enemy. If they left Rosan to his own devices, it didn''t matter if he weren''t the strongest one here, he''d have crippled them dramatically.


    It was only a matter of time before someone chose to attack him.


    Rosan watched with a surprised gaze, as a giant fist of magma of all things flew through the air to try and collide into him.


    "So I''ve been attacked by all 3 Admirals now... how fortunate for me."


    "You are attracting enough attention to divert their focus... but not enough to make them commit to attacking you. It''s perfect right now so long as you can dodge."


    He grunted and angled himself downward, blurring through the air and landing directly on the floor as the magma sailed harmlessly through the air..


    Almost as soon as Rosan reached the bottom, he was swarmed by Marines that recognized that he was the root source of all the distress that had fallen on them.


    It was natural that they''d want to neutralize him... but did they really plan on doing that by sending so many weaklings after him?


    Didn''t they understand? Rosan thrived against multiple enemies that weren''t stronger than him. After the events that led to him getting captured at 8 years old, he had honed his craft and welcomed the hoard.


    He weaved through a wild swing from a sword swinging Marine and held out a hand, vaporizing the offenders head with the ensuing blast.


    But it didn''t stop there. His attack went through the bodies of at least 4 other people, killing them on impact and causing the others attacking him, to freeze in horror.


    Rosan leapt above someone lunging at him, wings spreading as he remained airborne.


    "You foot soldiers are not strong enough to stop me," Rosan said softly, sparking red with electricity.


    "EMP: Burst."


    A momentarily silence befell the battlefield, as a giant dome of electricity erupted from Rosan''s position, catching everyone''s attention¡­ and catching everyone unfortunate enough to be close to him.


    The dome of electricity grew steadily larger, causing people to scramble in an urge to get away.


    Eventually it settled and all they saw, was the peaceful visage of the Red Devil. He was gazing at his hand, sparks still flying off of him.


    Then he gazed directly at Ace with that peaceful face, eyes expressing a completely different emotion and glowing with clear insanity.


    "What is he?!" Sengoku thought in disbelief. He thought he had a good measure of the Red Devil''s strength... but it seemed as if not a single report was enough to capture the full scope of his abilities.


    This was absurd! From the moment Rosan had shown up to the battlefield, he alone managed to swing the advantage over to the pirates.


    Not to mention his Devil Fruit! What was it?! He wasn''t even transformed at the moment! What type of dragon gave him such dominant control over all these elements? What Mythical Zoan was this?!


    Such a versatile range of abilities. It was disturbing to think that the Red Devil had hardly been showcasing all he was capable of doing


    ...Was his Devil Fruit even a Zoan?


    It had to be... they watched the redhead show up as a dragon! But what type of dragon was that?


    An obsidian black dragon with red streaks... Sengoku just didn''t know but what he did know, was that Rosan alone was taking too much of his attention.


    He wouldn''t even deign to mention the actual lightning Logia user blazing through their forces with New World level expertise.


    Who the hell was that supposed to be?! Was the Red Devil hiding such a powerful member this entire time?! The Goro Goro no Mi hadn''t been accounted for in years! How did this man suddenly have such an ability?


    Headache after headache was forming for Sengoku and what should have been a brutal albeit completely winnable war, suddenly turned into a battle with unknown variables.


    Rosan looked at the charred bodies surrounding him with a half lidded expression, leaning back slightly to avoid a slow sword swipe.


    His eyes sharpened in the blink of an eye and he lunged but before he could properly retaliate, a plume of smoke soared towards his location, followed by chains that tried to restrain him.


    He jumped over them, floating in the air slightly and ignoring the hail of bullets colliding with his body.


    "Well what a surprise," Rosan said coldly, gazing at the Marines from Alabasta with a narrowed gaze. "Here to stop me?" he asked idly, removing his gaze from them and taking immediate note of Sabo and Luffy.


    Sabo was locked in combat with 3 Vice Admirals, sparking blue as he easily warded them off.


    In only a matter of moments, he erupted in electricity and zipped around, landing devastating blows to each of their heads with a pipe and continuing forward without looking back.


    Meanwhile, Luffy, Iva and Jinbe were charging ahead, making short work of anyone that came after them. His little brother was a whirlwind of limbs, using every part of his body to blaze a path forward.


    His recklessness was being guarded well by both the fishman and okama and Rosan trusted them to continue protecting his brother.


    Due to how much attention Rosan was attracting, they had a much easier time pushing ahead so that meant he was doing his job perfectly well.


    Unfortunately, that magma attack meant that his Storm ran out of fuel and he was sure it would continue to pester him if he went up there again... Whenever Rosan made his presence overwhelmingly clear, one of the Admirals saw it fit to stop him.


    He wouldn''t push his luck further. In and out, he''d continue to exert his pressure over the battlefield until Ace was back in their grasp.


    "I won''t toy with you like with what happened in Alabasta," Rosan warned quietly, sparks already rolling off his body. "I have important things I need to do. Take the life you were miraculously given and fight someone else. I don''t have time for you."


    He watched the swordsman girl, her name was Tashigi he thinks, regard him with a firm expression, but that didn''t take away from the shaking of her frame. Despite the resolve in her eyes, there was a true terror there.


    It seemed like their encounter had been firmly embedded in her mind for a long time. He wondered how often they thought of what he had done...


    After all, Rosan had only thought of them when Aokiji brought them up back at Long Ring Long Land.


    "We can''t let you run amok, Red Devil," Smoker said sternly, aiming his jitei at the redhead.


    "We underestimated you at Alabasta¡­ but things have changed," Hina said softly.


    Tashigi said nothing, aiming her sword at the redhead.


    "Do you think you can fight me with fear clouding your hearts?" Rosan asked curiously, watching the slight tremors through her body.


    "I''ve gotten much stronger since Alabasta. You already couldn''t stop me then, what makes you think you can stop me now? Is your rate of growth faster than mine?" he asked curiously.


    Smoker gripped his jitei tighter. "I was confused on why you hated the World Government so much... but after hearing what the Fleet Admiral said..."


    "Hina understands where your coming from," she said truthfully. "You are right, corruption runs deep..."


    "But we can''t let you continue this warpath of yours," Smoker said resolutely. "You have my sincerest apologies for not fulfilling my duties in the East Blue, but that doesn''t change the fact that this tirade of yours is unjust."


    Rosan peered at them. "You believe that my desire to save my brother is unjust? Even after everything you heard?"


    "...No, your needless massacre of the Marines are. These people are good men," Hina said firmly, chains snaking out of her body.


    "Hmph, it seems you''ve taken serious consideration of my words since our last encounter," Rosan said softly. "Good. I''m trying to be better but it''s hard to show such a thing in the middle of a war. After I save my brother, I will change."


    The redhead turned away from them, continuing his path towards Ace with a firm resolve and ignoring the Marines.


    "We''re at completely different levels of power¡­ save us both the trouble and stay out of my way. Focus on surviving and redeeming yourselves, Marines," he said mercifully.


    "No," Tashigi denied passionately, making Rosan pause in his gait.


    The redhead turned towards them with a terrifyingly chilly expression, no emotion on his face. Sparks began surging through his body, glowing an ominous shade of red.


    "Is that so?" Rosan asked curiously.


    "That''s right," Smoker said resolutely.


    "If we let you do whatever you want, what would we be?" Hina stated quietly.


    Rosan''s eyes flashed.


    "Alive."


    The redhead lunged with murderous eyes, intent on killing them all instantly and being done with it¡­


    He leapt above the plume of smoke, two balls of electricity forming on his palms.


    Hina hastily summoned a cage of chains, intent on trapping Rosan but the redhead used the cages as a platform to skate on, leaping onto it and gliding across.


    Their eyes widened as one of those palms aimed at her ¡ª


    Only for him to suddenly stop his attack and launch himself backwards. He was just in time, avoiding a foot that had far too much power packed into it.


    Great, another force showing interest in him.


    "Fuffuffuf! Outta my way, Marines! I''ve been waiting to meet the Red Devil for a long time and I''m not disappointed!"


    Rosan''s eyes narrowed slightly at the sight of his attacker and he huffed in annoyance.


    It was a tall man with short blonde hair, a pink feather coat dominating his figure and a pair of curved sunglasses.


    "Donquixote Doflamingo," Rosan grunted, eyes narrowed as he stared across the man. "What business do you have with me?"


    "Entertainment purposes!" Doflamingo grinned widely. "Everytime I see the news, you and your crew are in it! I''ve almost been losing patience at not meeting you yet!"


    "Not to mention, I heard of what you did at Jaya! You attacked a crew flying my flag after all!"


    Rosan stared at him. "Oh you mean the Bellamy Pirates," he said quietly, clenching his fist.


    "Don''t have weaklings fly your flag and make sure those weaklings understand the pecking order next time."


    But to no shock at all to Rosan (he was getting good at identifying the freaks) Doflamingo laughed at his words and only widened his grin.


    "That''s true! I was quite disappointed in their performance as well but they had quite the words to say about you. A real devil... is that true?" Doffy asked sarcastically.


    "You''ll find out that I''m far worse, Heavenly Demon," Rosan warned, eyes narrowed as his wings flexed.


    He rocketed off into the sky immediately, brows furrowing as Doffy outstretched his hands and pursued.


    Rosan''s exceptional vision narrowed at that and he activated Modification, grunting as an almost invisible line flew out of Doffy''s fingers¡­


    Upon closer inspection, Rosan could see that some were latched onto the air of all things. His brows pursed in confusion at his observation and he tried to understand the logic behind it, flying further and further away from the battlefield.


    He was forced to abandon his observing in order to evade a single line rushing to his body, courtesy of Doflamingo aiming a finger at him.


    "The Ito Ito no mi."


    Strings? Rosan''s brows furrowed. What was he doing with strings?


    "You dodged that?" Doflamingo pondered in some surprise. "Quite the rookie we have here. You''re already impressing me, Red Devil!"


    "I don''t have time to play games with you, Doflamingo. This may be entertaining to you but it''s not something I have time for. Why not just wait for after this war and then we can properly meet?" Rosan scowled.


    Naturally, his words left the man utterly unfazed.


    "Fufufufu! You''re just too interesting and I do have my duties as a Warlord to attend to! You''ve completely stolen the show from Whitebeard of all people since showing up, so that makes you a valuable target!" Doflamingo grinned.


    "You''re boldly making an enemy of me, Doflamingo. I hope you don''t regret that in the future. I won''t forget a single soul who stops me from saving my brother," Rosan growled in annoyance and launched himself backwards through the air, as Doffy closed the distance immediately between the two.


    A string slashed across his body at such speeds, Rosan wasn''t able to properly prepare for it and he watched as the razor sharp material caused a line of blood to appear across his body.


    "I don''t want to kill you. No you''re far too interesting for that," Doflamingo chuckled, shooting out another string that Rosan got clipped by. "I want to see how desperate you get to save your brother."


    "So he''s a sadist. Naturally," Rosan thought, spitting out blood as the strings caused more lines of blood to appear on him.


    They were so sharp that not even his Raid Suit was able to properly defend against it.


    Rosan outstretched his hands, revealing the two balls of electricity that he never got rid of and he released his attack.


    The orbs exploded in a large web of chasing electricity, covering the entire area ahead of Rosan and catching some of the strings racing towards him.


    "Hm? What exactly is your Devil Fruit?" Doflamingo asked curiously, watching as the webs of electricity converged on his position. "Spider Web."


    A string of webs flew out, blocking Doflamingo from getting struck by its electrical equivalent.


    "If I tell you will you leave?" Rosan asked genuinely, taking flight even higher.


    "Hmhmhm! I have other ways to get you to speak! You aren''t getting rid of me that easily!" Doflamingo cackled.


    Rosan sighed. "Maybe I should be more glad I wasn''t born a girl. I''m beginning to fear how many people are interested in me," he said quietly.


    "You''re telling me. That''s what I say everytime I look at Rosanna."


    "Rosanna seriously is too hot. No wonder mother enjoys kissing the both of you."


    "Why the fuck are you both also calling her Rosanna like she''s a different person?"


    Rosan sighed and ascended higher, rushing past the clouds in the sky and glaring down at Doflamingo.


    His cuts were healing, leaving him unharmed and he opened his mouth.


    At the same time, swirling winds formed around his hands.


    "Annihilation!" he snarled, letting loose a heavy stream of fire.


    Then, as it flew through the air, Rosan clapped his hands, allowing the swirling winds to fly free with wild eyes.


    "Streamline," he hissed.


    The two elements collided, seamlessly transforming into a raging torrent of billowing flames that consumed the air around.


    Doflamingo watched with an impressed gaze and he launched himself away from the mass of fire and wind.


    Rosan watched the affairs in slight confusion.


    Doflamingo wasn''t climbing any higher... in fact it looked like after his attack, the Warlord was a little lower than before...


    The redhead narrowed his eyes before they widened in realization and he flew even further away from the battlefield.


    He was pursued by the Heavenly Demon


    Rosan grunted as he weathered a hellishly strong kick from the Warlord and he exploded in electricity that Doflamingo calmly backed away from, wide grin of ease still on his face.


    But that grin lessened slightly at the triumphant look in Rosan''s eyes.


    "Word of advice Joker..." Rosan began with a sneer.


    Doffy''s smile instantly vanished at that, replaced by clear shock at the sudden name drop.


    How the hell did the Red Devil know his identity?! That was impossible! How could he possibly have figured that out?!


    "...Don''t fight a person in their domain, with such an obvious weakness," Rosan snarled victoriously.


    Then, he exploded in a burst of not electricity¡­ but wind.


    The winds around him grew heavy and began swirling around the pirates, getting heavier and heavier.


    "Whirlwind."


    The sky around the two began to be consumed by the strong winds and Rosan huffed, as Doflamingo remained undamaged by the attack.


    Doflamingo''s confusion at the ineffective technique only lasted for a split second, as he suddenly realized exactly why Rosan had done this move.


    Him suddenly descending towards the floor was proof of that.


    "You attach those strings to the clouds around," Rosan observed, speaking above the whirlwind. "Unfortunately for you, I have methods to get rid of these annoying clouds."


    "That''s why you dragged me away from the battlefield," Doflamingo mused even as he fell towards the ocean. "Don''t think this is over, Red Devil¡­ I''m going to find out how you know such a thing."


    "I''ll be glad to entertain you after I save my brother," Rosan scowled, turning his gaze towards the battlefield once more.


    Admiral Kizaru was likely distracted¡­ there wouldn''t be many people who could answer him in the skies consistently¡­


    Rosan''s gaze flashed cruelly.


    Time to be even more annoying then.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Maro bit her lip nervously. "So that''s Joker? Donquixote Doflamingo?" she mumbled in confusion.


    She wasn''t aware that Joker was the Warlord. Master must have not deemed it important enough to tell her.


    "So that''s him..." Aiko muttered, gazing at the screen in blatant concern and allowing Akemi to squeeze her for reassurance.


    That didn''t change the fact that she herself was deathly nervous. Rosan had already been attacked by three Admirals, a former Warlord and a current Warlord.


    Their lovable redhead was attracting enough attention to make them all nervous. It was incredibly nerve wracking.


    "Joker?" Zala asked softly, clutching Demon''s right arm in reassurance.


    "Who is that?" Mikita asked curiously, placing a palm on his lap reassuringly.


    "An underground broker," Demon answered quietly.


    Aiko nodded. "No one knows who he was before, but he''s the most influential underworld broker in the world. Now it makes sense why they say he even has dealings with an Emperor," she muttered.


    The Queen of Fregate herself wasn''t a stranger to the workings of the Underworld. She had some subordinates that participated in its dealings and if it was incredibly important, she tended to send Rosan himself because he would ensure nothing traced back to her.


    "Why are you interested in that, my queen?" Kaori asked.


    She had been offered the chance to watch after Rosan had encountered and freed Jinbe from her prison. She could admit that she had shed more than a few tears at hearing that Jinbe was proud of her.


    Sure she still resented Rosan for killing her father but... that was a small part of her that would never go away. A larger part of her respected and admired the redhead''s strength and capacity to love. Seeing how much he loved and adored the three rulers of the island that she loved made it hard to truly hate him.


    And when he said he was only freeing Jinbe because he was Kaori''s teacher... that had flattered her tremendously.


    Kaori had no idea Rosan held her in any type of regard. It was... enlightening.


    He also mentioned bringing Jinbe over to her for no other reason than the fact that Kaori missed him. Angel loved to mention that Rosan did little things that no one asked for, but appreciated, all the time and she was beginning to see that.


    She might actually like the redhead now. He didn''t have to bring Jinbe over at all but he had done so just because it would make her happy.


    So she was rooting for him wholeheartedly, hoping that he accomplished his mission because underneath that demon, was truly a sweetheart of a boy.


    "Well, I''m interested in Joker because Master stole my Devil Fruit from him," Maro mentioned truthfully.


    There was a tense pause at that.


    "Rosan did what?!" Zala exclaimed in surprise.


    "Given the context of who Joker is now... yeah he''s nuts," Aiko grunted, ensuring that Akemi blinked. Her little sister had hardly said a word, just watching the screen with enraptured eyes. She only flinched when Rosan killed someone but otherwise, her eyes were glued.


    "Maro..." Perona suddenly said. "When did you eat your Devil Fruit?" she asked warily.


    Maro blinked and pondered that question.


    "When I was 11. 12 years ago," she informed them.


    "So you and Rosan have been enemies with Doflamingo for 12 years...?" Mikita wondered in horror.


    "More like just Master. He stole the fruit long before we met," Maro answered. "Doflamingo doesn''t know what fruit we stole and he doesn''t know I ate it. He doesn''t even know Master and I''s true identity."


    They mulled that over with pensive expressions.


    It did seem like Doflamingo had no idea who Rosan was...


    "He''s very creative. He was weaker than Doflamingo but fought smarter," Kaori pointed out, looking impressed at the redhead who was healing his wounds.


    Maro nodded. "We''re lucky that Master never feels the need to fight underhanded. He finds it more fun to beat someone with his might... but right now all that matters to him ¡ª"


    "¡ªIs Ace," Angel finished quietly, squeezing Maro with a look of concern.


    "When Master finds no enjoyment in the battles he''s partaking in... that''s when he''s scariest," Demon whispered. "It means he''s going to do whatever it takes to win."


    As they watched the redhead''s figure grow once more, all of his former enemies shuddered in unison.


    "I''m glad he never used that against me," Marianne muttered.


    Everyone nodded sagely.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Sengoku thought Doflamingo dealing with Rosan was the end of the Red Devil''s constant annoyance and cast him out of his mind.


    Formidable he may be, the redhead was not at the level to be able to deal with someone like the eccentric Warlord.


    Well, that''s what he would have been thinking at least, until he felt a presence behind him¡­


    Right above Marine Headquarters.


    Sengoku whirled around instantly and witnessed the sight of one Portgas D. Rosan, fully transformed into a dragon, glaring down at Marineford Town with pure malice in his gaze.


    And the worst part was, he already had his attack fully charged.


    It was an utterly gigantic orb being formed from his maw, shuddering with multiple unstable energies that were not meant to be combined with each other and Sengoku realized that it was ready to fire.


    How did he manage to sneak over so quickly?! What happened to Doflamingo?!


    It was dawning on him that while yes, the Red Devil was nowhere near the strongest person here¡­ he was far stronger than they were lead to believe and it led to them vastly underestimating what he was truly able to do.


    It was no wonder he was capable of running through Enies Lobby and a majority of the Grand Line¡­


    The Red Devil was a new world level pirate with a quite frankly, overwhelming skill set for most people to handle. Versatility was a formidable power all in itself and it seemed like he had an answer for every scenario he was put in.


    While not terribly strong just yet, it did not change the fact that most people could not handle him... and it did not change the fact that when he did become terribly strong, very few people would be able to handle it.


    With all he was capable of, Sengoku would even consider his abilities more dangerous than a Logia but that was to be expected... he wielded the most dangerous class of Devil Fruit.


    Most of all however, the Red Devil was grossly intelligent because it was only now that Sengoku was learning, that 300 million was not a good enough bounty for the shadow of the Straw Hats¡­


    Shadow was an apt term for him. Rosan spent all this time, manipulating the type of information that got out about him. No one knew what his Devil Fruit was, no one knew what he was truly capable of¡­ hell no one even knew what he was doing after he separated from Nico Robin.


    Even now, Sengoku only knew how formidable he was because of what he now believed was a mistake on Rosan''s part, where he destroyed the Marine based of the late Nezumi...


    Without that slip up, how little information would Sengoku know about the redhead?


    The answer was none. Most of what Sengoku knew, stemmed from that moment and Rosan''s battle with Smoker and Hina... without that he wouldn''t know anything.


    But Sengoku knew one thing¡­


    Portgas D. Rosan truly despised the World Government with every fiber of his being and he was making that known to the world.


    They needed to shut the footage now.


    "DOOMSDAY!" Rosan roared behind the enemy lines, causing everyone to whirl towards the gigantic dragon.


    Once more, everyone found themselves pausing as Rosan brought all the attention to himself again.


    "W-What...?" a Marine whimpered in terror.


    Mouths opened in horror, as an utterly enormous ball of something crashed into Marineford Town without any hesitation.


    Tremors went through Marineford and the people alike, as a truly giant dome of elements engulfed the area.


    How... how was such destructive power possible...? Wasn''t the Red Devil a rookie pirate?


    "What the hell?" Marco whistled in surprise, gazing at the destruction with wide eyes.


    The only other dragon he had ever seen, was Kaido. Perhaps it was a trait of all Dragon acquiring Devil Fruits to wield such enormous destructive power.


    Whitebeard, watching from his perch on the ship, gazed at Rosan''s display with an inscrutable gaze.


    "That brat..." he muttered.


    Versatility and power alike... such a thing was incredibly rare to come by and yet, Rosan here was wielding both with years of experience.


    You would think he was born with these abilities.


    Whitebeard knew such mastery over his powers took years to acquire. While certainly talented, Rosan used his Devil Fruit as easy as breathing.


    This was a Devil Fruit the brat had grown up with... yet no one knew what his Devil Fruit was.


    That could only mean one thing. Rosan was purposefully omitting what his ability was and it seemed like it was for a good reason as well. The redhead was displaying things that left even Whitebeard impressed.


    How strange. In a world everyone announced their abilities, this brat right here wasn''t willing to disclose more than he had to. He seemed more like a revolutionary, than a pirate with his hatred of the World Government and his secretive streak.


    "Rosan..." Ace gasped, mouth open at seeing his brother truly unleashed.


    Rosan had always been clinical but right now, he was clinical and utterly insane.


    Gone was his cold and calculating brother, using a surgical knife to dismantle his opponents without them knowing who it was, and in its place was his unhinged psychopath of a brother, using a sledgehammer to break the person''s body with extreme force.


    His clinical side was still there, but his manner of execution had completely transformed. Anyone who saw the old Rosan would shudder in fear at how cool and calculating he was, finding themselves 10 steps behind a super computer.


    Anyone who saw this new Rosan would shudder in fear at somehow being 10 steps behind an unhinged maniac.


    Ace actually thought the second version was scarier. An unhinged maniac that actually knew what they were doing... but not caring at all about the consequences.


    He shut his eyes. It didn''t feel good knowing that Ace turned Rosan into this maniac.


    Sengoku grit his teeth, veins bulging on the side of his head as a very familiar headache began blooming.


    It was a good thing they had the foresight to evacuate the citizens, because the Red Devil just completely destroyed the town.


    In one fell swoop, he annihilated both their area of retreat and their resources¡­


    There was just a wasteland... was he truly hiding this much power?


    Rosan grunted victoriously and immediately transformed back to normal, as a barrage of ice and magma flew towards him.


    They sailed harmlessly past his shrunken body and the redhead decided that his job over here was done.


    "CAPTURE THE RED DEVIL AT ONCE!" Sengoku roared, as Rosan continuously made a fool of them.


    Activating Save Point, Rosan immediately transported himself over to Luffy''s location, evading the onslaught of attacks headed his way.


    "Troublesome," Aokiji sighed.


    "..." Akainu said nothing, merely looking disgruntled at the nuisance.


    "How are you holding up?" Rosan asked his younger brother.


    He had bruises all over from the action taking place and Rosan''s eyes narrowed.


    "I''m good! I can keep going," Luffy exclaimed immediately, watching as Rosan effortlessly grabbed his cheeks with both hands.


    Rosan said nothing, merely inspecting Luffy with critical eyes.


    "We''re doing fine," Jinbe answered, throwing a Marine over his shoulder and then punching towards a larger group and sending them scattering.


    "You should be the one we''re asking that. You''re all over the field!" Iva exclaimed, winking and sending a plethora of marines flying away.


    Rosan grunted and deemed Luffy''s condition acceptable. "I''m fine. It''s a given that I was going to attract all this attention and even despite that, I''m doing what I want. You all just keep going. Don''t forget the mission."


    "Be careful, Redboy!" Iva exclaimed.


    "You too," Rosan grunted.


    With that, the redhead soared off again. He was ready to set his next course of plans into action, but he was interrupted by a horrifying sight.


    Rosan felt a chill crawl down his spine and he resisted the urge to explode in energy because there were too many Whitebeard Pirates around him currently.


    The reason for his sudden fear, was due to the group of corpses running towards his location. The rotting disgusting humans were speeding towards him and Rosan hissed.


    "Oh dear," Mod sighed, feeling the spike of fear and getting ready to temporarily take over if she had to.


    "Hmph, I love zombies," Pestilence purred.


    "RED DEVIL YOU BASTARD!" A furious voice roared. "GIVE HER BACK! GIVE ME BACK PERONA!"


    Rosan turned towards the voice and narrowed his eyes at the sight of Gecko Moria.


    The shadow man was seething, eyes bulging in anger as he glared at the redhead. Veins littered his entire body and he was practically frothing at the mouth in rage.


    "WHERE IS SHE? THAT PURPLE HAIRED BITCH! BRING HER SO THAT I CAN DESTROY HER! YOU TOOK EVERYTHING FROM ME!" He howled


    "Me? Oh dear, did he really call me such a rude word?" Mod blinked, looking mildly offended.


    Ram and Rosan both snarled instinctively at that. No one, and they meant no one was allowed to talk to Mod-chan like that outside of their family.


    Only they could bully the woman.


    "I''m flattered you two... I hate you all the same, but I''m flattered," Mod sweatdropped.


    Moria didn''t even get to blink, before he felt himself lose his breath.


    Rosan glared coldly at Moria, fist planted in his chest without any hesitation.


    "The balls on you to talk about her like that to my face while your this worthless. You should have stolen a shadow before coming to fight me like this. I''m not nearly as merciful as my mother," Rosan scoffed, embedding his fist deeper into the man''s gut.


    "M-Mother...?" Moria thought in disbelief, gagging as he curled into himself.


    "Know your role in this world, washed up garbage."


    The fist began surging with red energy and Moria howled in agony, as sparks began running through his entire body.


    The Warlord convulsed, eyes rolling to the back of his skull as Rosan removed the fist from his abdomen.


    "I don''t have time to play with you," Rosan snarled, discarding the body like yesterday''s trash and continuing his course.


    Running to Ace right away was the stupid option, right now he needed to continue dealing heavy blows to them to dwindle them down so that meant¡­


    "Sabo, with me for a bit!" Rosan barked, flying directly past his brother.


    He didn''t stop for a moment and was satisfied to see Sabo reaching out to grab his arm before he was even prompted too.


    His blonde brother had been causing complete devastation on the Marines numbers, to the point where he was attracting more attention than most of the pirates there.


    The Goro Goro no mi, even in the hands of a novice, was a truly devastating power. There was a reason it was toted as one of the few invincible Devil Fruits out there. In terms of Logia''s it stood amongst the absolute best.


    Combine that with someone as formidable as Sabo and you''d get a complete force. Sabo right now, could only be stopped by the likes of Garp or an Admiral.


    "What''s up?" Sabo said, idly sparking with electricity to charge up his brother.


    Rosan nodded thankfully and said, "I''ve been fucking with them nonstop."


    "Yeah it was smart of you to breach their backlines and get rid of their resources. We''re gonna do another like that?" Sabo asked, well versed in the art of warfare.


    Rosan was terrifyingly useful for wars. He was actually one of the most valuable assets because of his resourcefulness and variety.


    "Yeah," Rosan grunted. "Warships this time. Their flanking the area to prevent escape and fire at us from all angles... so we''re gonna inconvenience them."


    Sabo could already see where Rosan was going with this.


    "Alright, let''s go. I''ve got it," the blonde nodded.


    Rosan flew high into the sky and at the same time, Sabo began focusing, focusing on the ships and setting up mental aim.


    "What did Enel call it again?" Sabo mused, blue electricity surging across his body. "Oh, right."


    "El Thor!"


    All around Marineford, giant pillars of blue electricity began slamming into every single Marine Warship with expert precision. They broke apart as soon as the attack connected and Sengoku''s eyes bulged in rage, eyes locked onto the duo in the sky soaring around.


    "What''s with that corpse of the giant over there?" Rosan asked randomly.


    It was of a yellow-green giant, that looked about 10 meters larger than Ragnarok. His body light flat on the ground as the people fought around it.


    Sabo frowned. "His name was Little Oars Jr. apparently. He wanted to save Ace badly but he was so big... that it made him an easy target for the Government."


    Rosan mulled over that. "Moria had the corpse of the actual Oars. Put Luffy''s shadow inside of it. I didn''t get to fight him but it looked fun."


    His brother raised a brow. "He put Luffy''s shadow in that? You never have a boring journey do you?"


    "Not at all. It all happened in the Florian Triangle too."


    Sabo shook his head. "Somehow I''m not surprised you guys entered and made it out."


    Rosan nodded, angling himself over to another direction.


    "I''ve been thinking of getting a weapon made of gold to mold into any shape like Enel did," Sabo mentioned idly, destroying another ship with increasing ease.


    "You don''t need gold for that," Rosan replied immediately. "Any metal will do. Gold is just conductive so he can also travel through it."


    Sabo loved his brother. "You''re too damn smart. Thanks for that. No gold weapon needed... noted. What materials are conductive?"


    "Lot of them. I''ll give you a list after this is over," Rosan said softly.


    "Thanks Rosan. It''s good having an all knowing encyclopedia at the ready," Sabo replied with a small grin.


    "Huh, that''s funny. Maro said the exact same thing..."


    The redhead snorted at that.


    "How''s your observation holding up?" Rosan asked as they continued destroying every warship.


    "Overwhelming, but I''m getting used to it in the heat of war. Believe it or not, this is helping me out a lot," Sabo informed him, getting rid of the final ones with only a minimal amount of sweat.


    "Good, because we probably attracted a lot of attention to ourselves. Don''t turn that Observation off," Rosan grunted.


    Sabo was about to reply, but instead he flipped himself upward onto Rosan''s back and launched himself forward, pipe connecting with Kizaru''s leg.


    "You aren''t wrong about that!" Sabo scowled.


    "Who is this scary guyyyy?" Kizaru asked, light colliding with lightning.


    "No one important. Now would you stop harassing my brother? You can deal with me now!" Sabo grinned.


    In an instant, the two were off and Rosan watched them go with a frown.


    That was fine, Sabo had already done his job by destroying the Warships¡­ The Marines aboard were getting on land, twitching from the effects of the electricity so they''d be easy pickings.


    Fine then, he had done a lot so he could properly coordinate with Whitebeard and begin the rescue of Ace because Rosan was sure that they were going to speed up his execution at this rate.


    Rosan barely moved his head to the side, cheek spilling with blood as he narrowly dodged a flying slash careening towards him.


    "It''s one after the other," Rosan sighed in frustration, glaring at the neutral Mihawk.


    "So many people are targeting you... it''s honestly ridiculous," Mod frowned in concern.


    "Wait until Father is no longer doing a rescue mission. Then he''ll give all these bastards the attention they deserve," Ram snarled in annoyance.


    They were so lucky that Father''s attention wasn''t 100% on them!


    The world''s greatest swordsman didn''t even flinch, as Rosan rocketed to his position, landing directly in front of him with an annoyed expression.


    "Ambitionless¡­ or perhaps I should call you Red Devil now," Mihawk greeted, holding his sword at his side idly.


    "Mihawk," Rosan grunted. "I know you''re interested in me, but could you save it for another time? I can''t focus on giving you a good fight while my brother''s life is in peril."


    Mihawk stared at him, some amusement on his features. "So even with all those emotions, you still completely lack fear. With all that ambition returned¡­ quite the person you are, Portgas D. Rosan."


    "Unfortunately, I must at least attempt some of my duties," he apologized.


    Rosan sighed. "Right, figured. I would have hoped you attempted it against someone else but that''s too fucking much to ask I guess."


    "I''ve already tested the gap between Whitebeard and I, now I''d like to see how much the gap has closed between you and I. I am a pirate after all. I will always prioritize my desires."


    "Long way of saying you''re as interested in me as every other person," Rosan sneered. "You sound so refined and cool all the time, but deep down you''re a twisted and self fulfilling person huh?"


    Mihawk merely brandished his blade. "I am considered the World''s Greatest Swordsman after all."


    And the two were off.


    "Round two!" Ram grinned violently, transforming into dual katanas.


    "Ram has gotten stronger as well," Mihawk praised, dashing forward and clashing with both the swords.


    "She appreciates that... but I don''t appreciate that you''re praising her," Rosan warned. "Personal reasons. You wouldn''t understand."


    Mihawk cracked the tiniest of smirks. "That weapon does seem quite alive."


    Rosan''s eyes flashed. "She is."


    He blocked a swing to his midsection with his left katana, using the right blade to attempt to decapitate Mihawk, only for Yoru to effortlessly block the slash.


    Doing so left Rosan''s left katana free and he immediately lengthened it dramatically to gore through Hawkeye''s midsection.


    Mihawk effortlessly sidestepped, batting Rosan''s blade aside and lunging forward with a horizontal swipe.


    It nearly connected with Rosan, only for Ram to instantly transform into a shield that blocked the attack.


    Rosan was pushed back and he watched as Mihawk lunged from a different angle, moving too quick for the redhead to keep up.


    "Ram."


    "On it!"


    Mihawk''s lunge abruptly stopped and he leapt back, as a giant circular barrier erupted around Rosan. It glowed ominously and he experimentally swung at a flying slash to it.


    Nothing, not even a dent.


    "Fascinating. A new technique?" Mihawk mused.


    "Yeah," Rosan grunted, dispatching the barrier and leaping at the man once more. He grabbed his katanas and slammed the butts together, forming the double sided blade and gripping it in one hand. He spun it rapidly and slammed it against Yoru, making no headway whatsoever.


    Their dance began again in a flurry of speed, disregarding all the bodies getting cut around them.


    "Your rate of growth is notable," Mihawk praised, pushing Rosan''s blade to the side and cutting him across the belly.


    Rosan growled and opened his mouth, shooting out a gout of flames directly in Mihawk''s face that the man already anticipated.


    Mihawk backed away a safe distance and cut his flames effortlessly, parting them like the sea.


    "You''re a fucking show off," Rosan snarled in annoyance.


    "I could say the same to you," Hawkeye pointed out.


    The redhead sneered and began spinning his double sided sword, shooting wind slash after wind slash at Mihawk.


    He was forced to move out of the way as the swordsman responded with his own, much larger one and Rosan sparked with electricity, using it to amplify his speed.


    At the same time, he transformed Ram into gloves and took off into the sky, dodging each flying slash Mihawk was returning in kid.


    He soared through the air, dodging and weaving. At the same time, he began forming tiny red orbs whenever he dodged. More and more orbs began lighting up the skies and Mihawk paused curiously.


    They were floating about ominously and Rosan stopped his flight to glare at Mihawk.


    "Rays of Judgement."


    At once, every single orb transformed into piercing beams that began shooting from the sky. The floating makeshift lasers, began firing indiscriminately, shooting directly towards the area Mihawk was in and Rosan huffed as he allowed his cuts to heal.


    Rosan knew he was significantly stronger than when he first fought Mihawk. It was night and day how much stronger he was¡ª


    He watched as with an almost infuriating amount of ease, Mihawk summoned an enormous gust of wind that served as an offensive and defensive option. It only took a swing of his sword to do so and Rosan''s attack, which would have killed hundreds of people mind you, was nullified.


    ¡ªBut that didn''t change the fact that Mihawk was the World''s Greatest Fucking Swordsman.


    He was no closer to beating the man than last time and Rosan was in no mood to continue this damn fight because it was a waste of time and Mihawk could kill him at any given point in time.


    Rosan eyes narrowed as the ground erupted between him and Mihawk.


    He continued manipulating the ground, forcefully separating him from the swordsman.


    His senses went haywire and he grabbed a random Marine, before launching them in the path of the ruthless swing.


    Then, he used the fallen corpse of some giant and launched himself upwards, Mihawk still hot on his trail.


    Rosan whirled around and they collided once more, a flurry of sparks flying between the two.


    Rosan was effortlessly pushed back, wound on his midsection healing up but the redhead opened his mouth and shot out a weak flame that immediately ignited those flying sparks.


    The intelligent attack was completely negated by the fact that Mihawk was utterly nonsensical and Rosan growled aloud.


    Mihawk was like a hunter, keeping track of Rosan effortlessly even as the redhead tried to shake him off.


    "Fuck off you fucking swordsman! I don''t have time for this!" Rosan snarled violently.


    He huffed and leapt directly above a lazy slash, allowing Mihawk to carve into the iceberg that Aokiji created when he froze the tidal waves.


    The casual swing cut the entire thing in half and the redhead scowled at that.


    It seemed like Mihawk was going for the kill now with his swings.


    That really didn''t bode well for him.


    Without any hesitation, he flew up and punched the iceberg, before modifying the broken pieces rapidly into swords.


    Rosan snarled and began launching every single one of the floating icicle blades at Mihawk.


    But that wasn''t all, he transformed Ram into a set of gloves and began firing orb after explosive orb towards his location as well.


    The frankly ridiculous onslaught of projectiles careened towards the neutral swordsman''s position with envying amounts of accuracy.


    Rosan didn''t wait at all to see if it worked (he knew it didn''t) because he turned on a dime and launched himself directly towards Ace''s location, wings flexing and sparks flying as he pushed himself away from Mihawk.


    Mihawk watched Rosan soar away and was about to give chase, but he was forced to block two blades crashing against him, taking his attention off the redhead.


    "Vista? The Whitebeard Pirates 5th division commander?" Mihawk mused.


    "So you know of me?" Vista grinned.


    "I''d be a fool not to."


    Rosan huffed, glad that someone managed to take Mihawk''s attention off of him and took stock of the situation once more¡­


    His eyes narrowed in confusion. The way the Marines were moving currently was cause for suspicion...


    What were they up to?


    The redhead gazed back at the execution stand and made direct eye contact with the solemn Garp.


    Garp immediately caught his gaze and said nothing, as Rosan''s expression darkened into something truly fierce. Nothing needed to be said but he could feel it in his grandson''s furious gaze.


    "Consider our relationship dead, Garp."


    The Hero of the Marines shut his eyes at that, knowing that Rosan would likely never forgive him for the stance that he was taking.


    Picking between your duty and your family¡­ for someone like Rosan, the answer was obvious but for Garp? It would never be that simple.


    But still... it hurt knowing one of his grandsons had practically disowned him. Despite their rocky relationship, Garp knew that Rosan had largely warmed up to him and vice versa.


    He stopped trying to seriously kill him years ago after all but now?


    Well now Garp wasn''t so sure that was going to remain the same.


    "We''ve lost too many people at the hands of the Red Devil. We''ve identified that powerful Logia as well¡­ if we''re right, that''s the Chief of Staff of the Revolutionaries, Sabo," Sengoku announced.


    The arrival of the Red Devil and his allies was far more disastrous then he had anticipated.


    "Begin the preparations. Cut the cameras off and ensure they are trapped within the bay, while our allies make it to the plaza. Gather the Pacifista and prepare for the execution of Ace," Sengoku instructed.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan watched in some confusion as the Marines suddenly began scrambling back towards their side of the battlefield.


    Hm? What was this? A tactical retreat?


    That wasn''t good. That meant they had something dangerous planned.


    Rosan was about to stomp the ground ahead of him, to block off the route of the Marines but his attention was drawn to the sight of a large bandaged man, leading an army of Bartholomew Kuma.


    The giant copies of the Warlords looked like complete mimics. There truly was no difference besides the palms and lack of bible.


    But above all...


    "You''re still alive?" Rosan asked in surprise, gazing at the heavily injured Sentomaru with an impressed gaze.


    Sentomaru glared at him, moving despite how heavily wrapped his body was. "Red Devil¡­ I barely survived our encounter. I underestimated you greatly and I paid the price for it."


    "The fact that you survived at all is worth praise. The fact that you''ve shown up to a war after having your insides attacked, is downright impressive," Rosan said genuinely, gazing at the copies of Kuma.


    What exactly were these copies of Kuma? Were they robots? Rosan didn''t fight them back at Sabaody but he did notice that Luffy and Zoro had struggled a tad before adapting and crushing the creatures.


    Well whatever they were, they were wrecking absolute havoc onto the pirates. Their skin was incredibly hard, they seemed to have an infinite supply of stamina and they utilized actual lasers with both piercing and explosive power.


    They singlehandedly began turning the tides and Rosan sneered as he leapt over a laser soaring towards his location.


    The redhead scowled and dashed towards Sentomaru and the Pacifista, intent on swiftly dealing with them lest they destroy their numbers even more.


    These Robots were an inconvenience. If left to their own devices, the weaker pirates would get obliterated¡­ They had already thinned down the pirates by a fair amount so he would need to interfere.


    If these really weren''t the real Kuma¡­ If they really were just robots of some sorts...


    Well if they didn''t have wills of their own, then that meant they had a severe weakness that Rosan could exploit.


    The redhead landed atop of one of the Kuma''s, eyes glowing brilliantly as he summoned a barrier that blocked the laser from the other Kumas, that would destroy both him and this robot.


    "Word of advice, it''s not too wise bringing machinery around me," he warned, red sparks transforming into a purple color for the occasion.


    Mod''s eyes sparkled at that.


    "Modification: Overhaul."


    Bringing these robots to a computer? How foolish. Now that he knew they were cloning robots of Kuma and Rosan discovered the key behind his electricity with Sabo¡­ he had begun experimenting.


    The results?


    The purple electricity poured into the Pacifista he was atop, seeping into the gaps and causing the robot underneath him to shudder violently.


    "Error. Error. Red Devil Rosan: Bounty: 300,000,000... Bounty: 0... B-Bounty," the Kuma stammered, voice module flickering over and over.


    Rosan watched with malicious glee as it immediately raised an arm and began shooting lasers indiscriminately, before the redhead peered even deeper into the copy of Kuma.


    There it was. A nice little chip.


    It would be such a shame if someone just.


    Rosan grinned mockingly, exploding even harsher.


    The copy of Kuma stopped firing randomly, attacks no longer splashing off of Rosan''s barrier.


    Then, it opened its mouth and fired a laser directly at its lookalike, destroying one of the other Kuma''s heads.


    The Mod Mod no Mi didn''t just make Rosan a computer human... it made him the epitome of technology.


    His years of hiding the Mod Mod no mi... had admittedly not been incredibly beneficial. He had focused on finding ways to hide what his Devil Fruit was, to the point where he really could just be considered a Mythical Zoan user.


    But Rosan was a computer first and foremost and he needed to remember that part of himself.


    This was the first step. Rosan just needed to no longer be afraid of that. Rosan was going to show the world how dangerous a human computer could be.


    Judging by the simultaneous gasps of horror, he was doing a good job of that.


    "Strange¡­ they aren''t fully robotic," Rosan thought to himself, lazily sitting on the robot''s shoulder.


    They felt more akin to¡­ to Franky honestly¡­ were they cyborgs?


    But Franky had will. He would be pretty difficult for Rosan to Overhaul. Not impossible like Luffy or Zoro, but he was definitely up there.


    These Kuma copies though didn''t have any will of their own. In fact, how the hell were they making cyborgs of Kuma when the real one still existed?


    That was¡­ what the hell? Did that mean the Pacifista were partially human? Were they perhaps clones of Kuma?


    ...Oh what the hell. The implications of that were really gross.


    Well whatever. "Go on minion. Have fun," Rosan smiled.


    Everyone''s jaw dropped as the Pacifista stopped trying to kill Rosan¡­ in order to kill its allies instead. Lasers shot out of its arm and began colliding with the other Pacifista, avoiding damage due to still looking like one.


    "Ace''s brother is kinda terrifying," Marco noted, looking impressed and confused at the same time.


    This gold mine of a person had been unknown up until this year? That just didn''t make any sense to him. Rosan had done nothing but impress him since showing up.


    Everytime he pulled out some technique, it wasn''t just the Marines picking their jaws off the floor. The pirate army was just as bad.


    "That shouldn''t even be possible! The Pacifista are brand new prototypes. There''s no feasible way he should have some technique that can override them unless he''s secretly in kahoots with Vegapunk!"


    Sengoku''s jaw clenched at his thought, unable to comprehend what was happening.


    There was no way in hell Rosan had an authority chip to control the Pacifista. Somehow, the redhead had used that electricity of his to completely take over the robot.


    It was as if he hacked into the hardware of the Pacifista. But such a thing was impossible! Only Vegapunk would be capable of doing something like that. The Pacifista were far too advanced for anyone to make heads or tails of ¡ª


    Sengoku went pale.


    "No¡­ no it can''t be! Does Rosan perhaps have?!"


    But was that really the case? All that he was capable of doing¡­ was that truly the work of¡­


    That couldn''t be... but it had been years since anyone had seen it...


    A bead of sweat fell down Sengoku''s face as he finally felt unease at Rosan''s actions.


    "How are you going that?!" Sentomaru roared in confusion, lunging at the redhead with a frantic look in his eyes.


    That wasn''t possible! How was he possibly able to do that?!


    Rosan ducked under Sentomaru''s desperate swings and launched himself towards another Pacifista.


    "No stop!" Sentomaru demanded, whirling around to attempt to stop the Rosan.


    Unfortunately, when the Red Devil wasn''t fighting he was really goddamn slippery.


    "What type of monster is he?" the man couldn''t help but think, nervously watching as the redhead landed atop yet another Pacifista.


    If allowed to grow¡­ the Red Devil would become so incredibly dangerous¡­ he had only ever encountered the Pacifista once and he never even engaged it in actual combat!


    Rosan had been locked in combat against Sentomaru so how did he possibly come up with some way to counter the Pacifista in a way that was downright detrimental to the World Government?


    Their new way of fighting back pirates... and a single person already threatened to throw that idea on the shelf?! How could that be possible?!


    "Wowww," Kizaru said curiously, materializing onto the platform again.


    "He''s controlling the Pacifista," Aokiji drawled with furrowed brows.


    Rosan was almost significantly more dangerous than their last encounter. It wasn''t even a power boost that was causing such an issue¡­


    It was just the fact that he was versatile and capable of being everywhere at once. The redhead hardly stood still and wherever he went, he displayed a move that hindered them.


    Truly troublesome...


    "How is he doing that?" Akainu asked gruffly. "Has Vegapunk betrayed us?"


    "No," Sengoku said gravely.


    The redhead was truly in his element. He saw himself as no more than a weapon of war and it was for good reason.


    "If he survives this, deal with him," Sengoku grit out. "His contribution is too much for how little of a threat he should be. I''ve come to a potential detail that is very startling."


    If left to his own devices, the Red Devil would cause untold mayhem¡­ and that extended to after this war too.


    Rosan showing up was a mistake on his part because his heritage was just as bad as Ace''s.


    The nephew of Xebec¡­ Rosan was too dangerous and he was showcasing too many similar traits to that insane man. That was why Sengoku wasn''t too upset that he showed up... well before Rosan had gone and shown that his presence was one that could not be ignored.


    Ace and Whitebeard weren''t the only ones he planned on killing today. The Great Age of Pirates would end in one fell swoop because if Sengoku killed Ace and Rosan survived, the world may actually end.


    "Bring up the walls and begin the assault. The cannon''s are destroyed so if you would Akainu," Sengoku instructed.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "These kids are insane!"


    "Who the hell is he?!"


    "Ace''s brothers?! All three of them?!"


    "How have we not heard of the redhead or the blonde?!"


    "The redhead is dealing with those Kumas like they aren''t an issue!"


    Rosan ignored the fact that someone called him a kid and gazed at his converted army of Pacifistas.


    Cyborg clones of Bartholomew Kuma... Rosan wondered how that worked.


    This must have been a recent project. These... Pacifista were not anything he had ever heard or seen.


    How fascinating. Perhaps it was similar to Germa''s clone army but with more robotics involved.


    Was Vegapunk behind this? Likely. Rosan wasn''t sure anyone else could accomplish such a feat.


    Truly, the World Government had a frightening genius on their hands.


    "Standby for now," was all he said.


    With that, he tapped them all and they vanished.


    He stole 4 of them. He wanted to give 3 away and keep the last one for himself.


    Naturally, he''d probably have to change their appearance to avoid suspicion but... for now that could wait for later. Couldn''t risk them getting destroyed.


    Now what exactly were the Marines about to do¡ª


    "POPS!"


    Rosan heard everyone scream that name suddenly and turned towards the noise to see what the commotion was.


    He raised a brow at that and frowned in annoyance at what was happening.


    There was a wound on Whitebeard, courtesy of the sword piercing his stomach and the one who had done so, appeared to be someone from his armada¡­ Squard, the Maelstrom Spider.


    This was why you couldn''t trust pirates.


    Rosan didn''t give a fuck about what petty drama they had going on. Now was not the time to be dealing with it. In the middle of a war? This was quite literally, one of the worst times to have some form of dissension.


    He actually snarled in annoyance and prepared to ignore the Whitebeard Pirates for the rest of this stupid fucking war.


    Idiots didn''t have their focus on the goal at hand. He refused to partner up with people that would listen to the words of their enemies of all people.


    This Squard was it? Rosan would have tortured and shattered his resolve for daring to betray him at the words of the enemy.


    Ridiculous.


    But to Rosan''s surprise, Whitebeard didn''t completely cave in the man''s skull like he should have.


    No instead the Emperor forgave him¡­


    Because the dumb idiot of a pirate had gotten manipulated. What a foolish dumbass¡­ Whitebeard, betray his own people? Did that sound like the man at all?


    All because of what¡­ Ace being Roger''s son? Rosan despised when people tacked on the stigmas of a parent to the child¡­ especially when they weren''t involved in that child''s life.


    "Rosan don''t be so eager to forsake this temporary alliance," Mod said patiently. "I understand your frustration but think about the bigger picture. Forsake them after achieving your goal. Every chess piece is still usable."


    Rosan mulled that over and nodded. "You''re right. I still need them for the highest chance of success. They''re just really fucking stupid."


    "I know. I know," Mod soothed. "They''re all dummies and dummies need a genius commander to lead them."


    "I''ll allow myself to fall for your tricks, Mod-chan."


    Mod rolled her eyes.


    "What''s the meaning of this, Whitebeard?!" Crocodile barked furiously, glaring at the Emperor incredulously. "Such a weak attack wouldn''t have ever caught you off guard before!"


    Rosan pondered that and noticed the truth of his statement.


    No Emperor alive would ever be hurt by such a thing. There wasn''t a chance in hell that Big Mom or Kaido or even Shanks who willingly gave up his arm, would fall victim to this.


    He narrowed his eyes slightly and truly gazed at Whitebeard.


    "It might be his old age. Not everyone can have Garp''s sheer vitality."


    Yeah¡­ Whitebeard was up there in age. There was a very real chance that it was catching up to him¡­


    But that didn''t seem to stop the old man at all. Rosan watched with a neutral expression as Whitebeard soothed the idiot who had betrayed him.


    Then, the Emperor finally decided to march off the ship.


    It was clear that Whitebeard heard the doubts being thrown his way about his condition. It was obvious that the old man was aware that his body might be failing him...


    But as if forcing everyone to shut their mouths, Whitebeard made them watch.


    A giant confidently approached the man, bolstered by the injury Whitebeard was suffering, and confidently thinking he could suddenly handle the Emperor.


    His hubris was met with cold reality.


    Edward Newgate was a monster.


    Whitebeard grabbed the air at an angle and to Rosan''s shock (and admiration) the very island of Marineford began tilting.


    Bodies were thrown off balance as Whitebeard moved Marineford with power alone and his giant opponent was of no exception.


    Before the Vice Admiral could retaliate, Whitebeard leapt up and delivered a devastating punch to the man''s stomach.


    He stood no hope of weathering such an attack and everyone felt their doubts get slightly silenced, as Whitebeard effortlessly defeated the giant in one hit.


    Then, the Emperor punched the air with such force, that the ensuing quake began careening directly towards the retreating Marines, who could only watch in horror as the unstoppable attack reached them¡­


    But to their immense relief, the attack was effortlessly thwarted by the Three Admirals.


    Then, walls began erecting around the bay that they were trapped in.


    Rosan''s eyes narrowed at that before his eyes widened in realization. "SABO! LUFFY! TO ME RIGHT NOW!" He suddenly barked.


    His brothers heard his shout and wasted no time rushing to his location. The urgency in his tone made his allies rush over as well and Rosan ignored the rush of people, eyes locked onto the allies he brought here.


    "What''s the matter, Rosan?" Sabo asked in concern, watching as his brother crouched to the floor.


    "Get behind me. Culling attack on the way," was all he said before palming the floor.


    Whitebeard heard Rosan''s order and turned towards the redhead.


    Based on all he had seen, the brat was exceedingly smart. He displayed an enormous amount of intelligence and his presence had helped significantly with the war.


    It was a no brainer to put his trust in him.


    "All of you!" Whitebeard rumbled. "Behind the brat! Something''s happening."


    Rosan huffed. "Relying on me huh, old man?" the redhead sassed.


    "I''d be a fool otherwise! You''ve done your part, brat. If you make a call, I''ll believe it," Whitebeard said truthfully.


    "Expected after that embarrassing display just now. When saving someone, make sure everyone is on the same page," Rosan sneered, eyes glowing brightly.


    Squard flinched at that, looking ashamed to be called out and he held his head.


    "Gurarara. It was my mistake, brat. It''s a shame that you had to see that. A father never wants others to see his children act out," Whitebeard rumbled, standing right next to Rosan.


    The redhead rolled his eyes. "Father of the year award goes to you. Pretty rare. After this you need to pick up the pace. I''ve been doing everything here and my little brother still isn''t saved you''re disappointing me."


    Everyone''s jaw dropped at how casually Rosan was talking to Whitebeard of all people even as they rushed past the redhead.


    Did he have no fear in his heart at all?! That was pops he was talking to like that!


    Rosan took a deep breath and began to focus, ignoring the pounding of footsteps rushing past him.


    Admiral Akainu glared down at them and raised both fists in the sky.


    Rosan''s eyes snapped open as the last person went past him and he made direct eye contact with the wary Fleet Admiral.


    Sengoku caught his gaze and felt a strange tension forming in his body.


    Then, the redhead let loose a smirk that made the man feel dread.


    "Look alive Mod-chan. The World Government is about to find out what my Devil Fruit is."


    Mod''s eyes widened.


    "Modification: Firewall."


    Sengoku''s jaw clenched as the floor beneath Rosan erupted. The ground raised and raised and raised, before arching slightly into the sky, covering the pirates from the hail of magma.


    As they began crashing against the structure, Rosan stood up and palmed the giant shield of a wall. Fist after magma fist crashed into it and Rosan grunted, backing away from the wall as cracks began forming.


    Akainu clenched his jaw at watching his attack get thwarted. Magma began seeping off his body as he glared at the molten red wall.


    "Incredible," Marco awed, watching the wall with wide eyes. He had given up trying to figure out what Rosan''s abilities allowed him to do and just charted it up to Mythical Zoan bullshit.


    Marco would know. He was also a Mythical Zoan after all.


    "Your brothers are pretty amazing guys, Ace," was all Marco settled for.


    Utterly fearless in the face of pops, utterly relenting in this war... Marco saw why Ace spoke so highly of his brothers now.


    Ace had long given up the idea of resisting. Whether he lived or died¡­ he left it in the hands of the world.


    But that had nothing to do with the complete terror he felt because he was forcing Rosan to reveal his Devil Fruit and judging by the horror in Sengoku''s eyes, he had succeeded in doing so.


    Ace never wanted it to be like this. He never wanted to be the reason the target on Rosan''s back grew to unprecedented levels.


    It never dawned onto him early on, why Rosan prioritized keeping his Devil Fruit a secret but as they grew up together... Ace discovered more and more how valuable it was.


    By the time he set sail himself, he knew exactly why Rosan kept it guarded. Just the abilities he were able to do to disguise its true nature, were incredible.


    Kami, he was such a dumbass. He knew how jealously overprotective his oldest brother was of them all and that love, took far more precedence over some secrets he had.


    Rosan would throw everyone of his secrets out into the world if it meant securing even one of them¡­ and Ace was well aware how deep those secrets ran.


    A Devil Fruit being hunted by the World Government... and Rosan was revealing it in the middle of a war against that Government.


    This couldn''t be happening¡­ you were telling him¡­ that he was the reason Rosan was going to be one of the most targeted people on the planet?


    "Hot," Rosan said, without really meaning it. He had withstood far more scalding temperatures when he was making Ram so a superheated wall was nothing.


    "Modify," he hissed, manipulating the wall once more and having it lean towards the wall that lead into the plaza.


    Finally, he made it traversable by adding steps to it.


    "Go," Rosan huffed, panting slightly at the taxing technique.


    He stood straighter and sent a surge of electricity through the entirety of his insides, snapping up at the burst of energy.


    The redhead ignored everyone balking at him and looked directly at the execution stand, right where Ace was looking at him with clear distraught.


    "MEN! MARCH WITH ME TO THE PLAZA! DESTROY THE NAVY AND SAVE ACE!" Whitebeard roared.


    "YEAH!" They roared, charging up the stares given to them by Rosan.


    "Old man," Rosan said after a moment.


    "Hm?" Whitebeard replied, gazing at the redhead.


    There was a knowing look in those glowing eyes of his and the redhead floated over to him.


    "You can''t show them who you are while this slowed down," Rosan said knowingly, placing a palm on the man. "Modification: Reboot."


    Whitebeard grunted in surprise as all the pain in his body vanished.


    A burst of energy filled him and he gazed at the redhead like Rosan were some type of unsolved puzzle.


    Truly, how had no one ever heard of Ace''s older brother until now?


    "This is your last battle right?" Rosan asked knowingly. "You may as well make it one to remember."


    Rosan had done a variety of Modifications to Whitebeard. He had numbed the man''s sensitivity, allowing him to ignore his pain, he had boosted his energy by shocking his system, and he had experimentally given him a small boost.


    Reboot is what he called it. It was kind of like that Hormone technique that Ivankov had used on Luffy but to a lesser degree and while it would suffer drawbacks, he didn''t think it''d be as bad as the Okama''s.


    It was his first attempt at actively boosting someone''s strength directly. So far, it looked good but he wouldn''t be able to witness any drawbacks if they happened immediately.


    "...Cheeky brat," Whitebeard rumbled in amusement, flexing his muscles experimentally.


    Whitebeard wasn''t sure what Rosan had done to him¡­ but he felt energized in a way he hadn''t felt in a long while! For once, it actually felt like he could ignore his sickness and put real force behind his quakes!


    "It''s called Modification by the way. My Devil Fruit," Rosan revealed, flapping his wings and beginning his ascension. "I''m a computer man. I can modify whatever I touch into anything I have the knowledge of. You should be grateful, I rarely use my abilities to support others like I just did to you."


    "That power¡­ it''s no wonder no one''s heard of you," Whitebeard laughed. "You''ve been keeping it secret haven''t you? That''s why Ace never talked about it!"


    "Guilty as charged," Rosan said truthfully. "But I think the jig is up. I was avoiding revealing it to the Marines but ¡ª"


    "ALL MARINES. CAPTURE THE RED DEVIL AT ALL COSTS! IF LEFT TO HIS OWN DEVICES, HE''LL BECOME TOO DANGEROUS TO CONTAIN!" Sengoku roared, watching in horror as he revitalized Edward Newgate.


    "¡ªThey figured it out," the redhead sighed.


    "I''m sorry Mod-chan. 20 years was our record."


    "That''s okay Rosan, I wouldn''t have it any other way. Give them hell."


    Rosan grunted. "Go wild, Whitebeard. Show them just who Edward Newgate is. Do your part so that I can do mine so that we can get back what''s ours."


    "Gurarara! Cheeky redhead!" Whitebeard laughed, feeling better than he had in years. "Alright brat, I''ll show you a glimpse of who I was."


    Rosan grinned and began soaring through the air, right as a massive tremor, stronger than any that had been released so far crashed into the island.


    Panicked yells rang through the battlefield, as Marineford threatened to flip completely over from the display of raw power and Akainu took it upon himself to rush Whitebeard.


    The world began rumbling at every attack Whitebeard threw about and Sengoku felt his fears rejuvenate.


    Rosan had the capability of making Whitebeard show a glimpse of who he used to be.


    Such a thing carried terrible implications.


    "Being the execution of Ace right now!" Sengoku demanded urgently, turnings towards the executioners¡ª


    Only to watch two bullets land directly into their skulls.


    Rosan transformed Ram into dual pistols and aimed it at the executioners, landing pinpoint perfect hits directly to their heads and sending them flying off the stands right before they could even think to stab their blades into his brother.


    "Boost x2."


    Then the veins in his muscles bulged and he flew towards Ace with a single minded purpose. The redhead was practically a blur as he sped through the air.


    "Would it have been better, if I was never born in this world?" A young Ace asked.


    No. No Ace. Your life¡­ your life meant so much to the people who cared about you.


    You''re life meant so much to him¡­ and he''d be damned if it was lost.


    Rosan could see it. See it in the way he cried and hunched over. He saw it as clear as the sky in his little brother.


    Ace didn''t want to die. Ace wanted to live. Ace wanted to be alive and Rosan would do everything in his power to make sure that happened.


    He would never let his little brothers die.


    That was his duty as the oldest. To keep them safe and watch them grow.


    Rosan''s eyes narrowed into something lethal, as Garp stepped in front of his path. He abruptly stopped his flight and halted his momentum, lest he crash into the Vice Admiral.


    "So is this what you choose, Garp?" Rosan asked quietly, brandishing a double sided sword. It gleamed in the afternoon sun, promising to spill more blood.


    "¡­" Garp said nothing, just looking into Rosan''s eyes with a grave expression.


    Behind the anger¡­ behind the homicidal rage¡­ behind the sheer terror, there was sadness in his grandson''s eyes.


    Garp didn''t want to mention how that made him feel. If he did, it would crumble his resolve into nothing.


    "I thought you were better than them, Garp," Rosan said softly, closing his eyes and hiding those emotions for a moment.


    Then they snapped open and every emotion was forcefully banished, revealing a cold machine beneath it all.


    "I was wrong. Please die, Monkey D. Garp. I will never consider you apart of my family again," Rosan said coldly.


    "...I told you what would happen if you took this route, Rosan," Garp said quietly.


    "This is the route that was laid out for me since the first time I heard my mother cry in anguish," Rosan replied emotionlessly.


    Garp closed his eyes at that.


    "You wouldn''t know, Garp. You weren''t there. You didn''t see the look of agony on her face when she clutched her stomach. You didn''t see the buildup to her death. If you did, you''d never believe there was a different road I could take," Rosan hissed.


    "There always is," the Hero of the Marines replied. "I just regret that I wasn''t able to show you it."


    "You don''t truly believe that we''d ever be accepted," Rosan said coldly. "Look at what you see Garp. Ace isn''t being executed because he''s a pirate. Ace is being executed because he''s Roger''s son. I would be executed for being Rock''s son and nephew. Luffy would be executed for being Dragon''s son. We would never be accepted into such a corrupt army. You''d be bringing lambs to the slaughter and you know that."


    "They would have accepted you all on my word. You three are capable... they''d never have killed you," he told him.


    "And I''d always have killed them," Rosan retorted violently. "I don''t want to hear anything else from you Garp. Die."


    With that Rosan rushed him.


    He was running through hundreds of possibilities on how he could dispatch and deal with Garp but none of them had any chance of success...


    So he''d just stick to his tried and true.


    Relentless aggression.


    What Rosan was not expecting at all was for Garp to not put up any resistance at all and his blade effortlessly cut into the man, causing him to collapse to the floor.


    What...?


    "GARP!" Sengoku shouted in concern.


    That fool! A family man until the end?!


    "It seems... Garp was far more conflicted than he let on," Mod said softly.


    Rosan stared down at his body with a conflicted expression.


    "I won''t try and kill you anymore. There''s no point. You understand the gravity of what you''ve done and you have a proper amount of regret. Besides, despite everything, you''re still two of my little brothers grandpa and I wouldn''t want to execute you in front of them. No one deserves to watch family die."


    Rosan clenched his weapon tighter at that memory and then his eyes gained a murderous glint.


    "I change my mind," he said violently, lunging forward to pierce Garp''s heart.


    Right before he could jam down, a hand gripped his left arm and Rosan hissed in agony, as it began freezing over.


    "About to kill your Grandfather in cold blood? My, you sure are ruthless, Red Devil."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Robin felt her heart stop in a moment of true horror, as Rosan''s body began slowly freezing over.


    This entire war had her heart jumping in distress and Koala had kept an arm on her the entire time¡­


    Every encounter Rosan faced, filled her with anxiety. He fought such powerful forces. Admirals, Warlords... the redhead was attracting all their attention and worst of all...


    He had revealed his Devil Fruit to the world. The World Government now knew that Rosan had the Mod Mod no mi.


    Robin bit her lip.


    That arm that Koala was offering was very much needed because she felt like she was going to have a heart attack any moment now.


    "Please not again," Robin whimpered in terror. She couldn''t handle the thought of Rosan and Aokiji fighting once more.


    She didn''t think Rosan would make it out alive this time if the fight dragged on. He had made too much of a mark...


    "You¡­ guys encountered Admiral Aokiji before?" Koala asked in concern.


    Robin nodded shakily. "We have history¡­ last time we met, he fought Rosan and completely froze him¡­ Rosan''s reaction to it was one of the worst I''d ever seen."


    She shuddered and already felt tears welling as Rosan''s arm began freezing.


    "Deep breaths, Robin," Koala soothed. "Rosan will be fine. He''s got a lot of good men surrounding him. He''s been a star in this show so they''ll definitely protect him."


    The revolutionary put a hand to her shoulder and pulled Robin into a deep hug.


    "It''s gonna be alright, Robin."


    Robin shuddered once more, eyes never leaving the screen.


    It was going to be alright. It was¡­ it was.


    It had to be. Rosan was hers and she couldn''t lose him.

 Pale Red II

    Rosan launched himself away from Aokiji and huffed in agony, left arm completely frozen.


    "Oh no," Mod said in visible concern.


    "Shit," Ram cursed.


    "..." Pestilence frowned at the turn of events.


    Aokiji stared at him with a severe expression. "Didn''t I tell you? Next time we meet, I wasn''t going to be so merciful."


    The redhead grunted and a great amount of flames surged across his body, steadily melting the ice on his arm.


    "I took your words into account. I tried to become a better person," Rosan said truthfully. "And then you attempted to execute my little brother. I cannot be better when my brothers life is on the line. I will become the boogeyman if I have to."


    Aokiji sighed. "Troublesome redhead¡­ the scariest thing about people like you, is your resolve. Even with how sad you feel, you were still going to kill your Grandpa without any hesitation¡­ your resolve is absolute and that''s a terrible thing," he said matter of factly.


    "My resolve being absolute means I have what it takes to do what must be done," Rosan returned quietly. "Unlike you, who wavers on a fence, unsure of whether what you''re doing is right or not. I''d rather have an absolute resolve than a shaky one because a shaky one makes you the worst kind of coward, one who will never take action."


    The Admiral said nothing, closing his eyes and letting loose a sigh.


    "Unfortunately, I was sent on the orders of the Fleet Admiral to capture you. You seem to have quite the desired Devil Fruit, huh?" he asked.


    Rosan''s eyes glinted maniacally and he focused his full attention onto the Admiral.


    "You have no idea. The story of my life all begins with desire. It''s one hell of a roller coaster."


    The redhead stood straight and took a deep breath.


    Rosan wasn''t expecting to face Aokiji again so soon. That last encounter had been fresh on his mind since he had first thawed out of the ice and woken up in a fit of rage.


    He did not like losing. In fact, Rosan really really hated losing so he had focused a lot of time and attention to his Aokiji problem.


    It was a good thing he had been focused on finding a way to counter his weakness to Ice and it was a great thing that he actually made headway on that route.


    His composition as a computer, meant that Ice was dreadfully strong against him. It shut down his functions completely and shutting down the functions of a computer was practically death.


    But Rosan had an answer.


    "I am War," Rosan said softly, emotions steadily vanishing off of his features as they took a neutral expression. "I will paint the world red and I will show the world my might as a dragon. It is my job to destroy and burn everything to the ground."


    Aokiji watched silently as the redhead''s red hair began turning pale shade.


    "I am War and wherever there is War¡­ there is Death," he said.


    A lull washed over the battlefield and everyone''s attention was grabbed, as two feathery wings sprouted out of Rosan''s back, darkness devouring the very light around it.


    Sengoku was the first person to realize what those two wings entailed and he felt his jaw drop as his heartbeat threatened to speed up. He was very sure he was about to catch a heart attack because there was just no way he was witnessing something he shouldn''t be witnessing.


    "No¡­ surely not. Is this what I think it is?!"


    As Rosan''s red hair began steadily losing all the color in it, it lengthened until it finally stopped to his back. "Death is unavoidable. It is cold and unforgiving, grasping at all with unfeeling hands. You may try, but it''s only a matter of time before the Shinigami guides you into the afterlife."


    "Shinigami: Pale Reaper," Rosan finished coldly, emotions completely icing over as both his eyes transformed red.


    Mod''s eyes widened, gazing at the new form of Rosan with disbelief.


    A new form¡­ to Shinigami? But how? When did he discover such a thing?!


    The temperature dropped dramatically around Rosan as he stared apathetically at the uncharacteristically stunned Aokiji, even as his weapon began transforming into a sinister black scythe.


    "You''re¡­"


    "THE RED DEVIL IS REAPER?!" Someone screeched in horror.


    At that announcement, utter mayhem washed over the field.


    Rosan listened to the chaos with a neutral expression, long hair billowing in time with the wind. His blood red eyes never left Aokiji as everyone reacted to his reveal.


    Sengoku''s jaw dropped at the sight of those black wings resting idly on the back of the Red Devil.


    Wings as dark as obsidian, feathery in nature, with an unnatural air to them...


    The most notable thing of the Angel of Death, was their wings and Rosan had a matching description.


    Nothing and he meant nothing, would have ever prepared him for such a reveal. The Fleet Admiral felt dizzy as he realized for the past 10 years, Rosan had been causing him all this stress.


    How was this¡­ HOW WAS THIS POSSIBLE?!


    THE RED DEVIL¡­ WAS THE ANGEL OF DEATH?!


    That¡­ that was impossible! But how?!


    You were telling him that not only was Rosan the wielder of the Mod Mod no mi¡­


    HE WAS THE SAME PERSON WHO KILLED A CELESTIAL DRAGON?!


    "Rosan looks different," Sabo muttered, unfazed by his brothers reveal. If anything, he was more worried about the target on his back now.


    Reaper was worth 500 million and Rosan just revealed he had the Mod Mod no mi too. At this rate, his bounty was going to balloon far past his current 300 million.


    That was cause for concern.


    "He''s that famous bounty hunter?" Marco gaped, clashing with Kizaru and shooting Sabo a look of gratitude as the lightning man helped double team the Admiral.


    So Ace''s brother was the one who had the highest starting bounty? That must have been why no one knew who he was... he must have gone into hiding.


    Wow, what a guy.


    Whitebeard slammed a quake directly into Akainu''s midsection, sending the Admiral flying backwards, and turned to gaze at the source of all the chaos.


    "Gurarara! So he uses different disguises," Whitebeard rumbled in amusement, advancing further and further through Marineford.


    Reaper was it? So that''s who the brat had been... quite the intelligent one!


    Crocodile''s jaw clenched, refusing to show just how shocked he was at the reveal that the Red Devil, was actually the Angel of Death¡­ who sported a hefty bounty of 500 million.


    500 million to the nothing that the redhead had when they first faced off at Alabasta.


    "He played me," Crocodile snarled, sands seeping off his body to signify just how annoyed he was by the reveal.


    That fucking sneaky bastard pulled a fast one on the entire world¡­ to think this entire time, he was hiding such a dangerous identity.


    It was no wonder he was willing to use Crocodile with so little remorse¡­ the Angel of Death had the highest starting bounty of all time.


    He was the worst kind of criminal and that meant things like forcefully subjugating Crocodile meant nothing to him.


    Reaper... that damned redhead had been toying with him the entire time and that pissed Crocodile off something fierce.


    "Hina was right to be so afraid. Hina knew he wasn''t normal," Hina shuddered, looking at the waving white hair of the pirate that plagued her nightmares.


    Tashigi shook as well, looking into those empty red eyes with a fear that she tried to hide, even despite the massive distance between the two.


    So he really had been toying with them back at Alabasta... at any given point in time, he was capable of killing them? Were all the participants of Alabasta just dancing in his palm?


    "So this entire time¡­ from the moment he began sailing with the Straw Hats, he''s just been toying with the seas," Smoker muttered.


    Should he be thankful that Rosan wasn''t more active? After all, the East Blue must have been just a playground for him and he didn''t do anything at all to warrant how dangerous he actually was.


    But yet he hadn''t done anything at all... perhaps his hatred truly was focused onto the World Government only.


    "H-He''s Reaper?" Alvida stammered, removing a mace from a Marine''s head and turning towards the former redhead with horrified eyes.


    So¡­ so all that time ago, when Rosan had shown up on her island¡­ he really had been Reaper. She had thought it was just one big joke and that the Angel of Death would never show up for her...


    Look how that turned out...


    You were telling her that since the very start of his journey¡­ Straw Hat had been traveling with this juggernaut of a man?


    Aokiji looked at his opponent with a surprised expression.


    "So this entire time¡­ you''ve been the Angel of Death in disguise," he said, gazing at the white haired man with an unreadable expression.


    "Correct," Rosan said tonelessly. "I was forced to retire because someone in power saw it fit to enslave me. He is no longer with us though. A fair trade don''t you think, Fleet Admiral?"


    Aokiji sighed at that. "I figured that''s what happened. What an unfortunate run in."


    "Hmph. You don''t sound too disappointed. Perhaps you understand that it''s wrong to attempt to enslave someone and not expect any repercussion," Rosan said softly.


    "Perhaps it''s best if I don''t speak on that," the Admiral said truthfully.


    To be completely honest. Kuzan wasn''t upset with Rosan''s choices whatsoever. The Angel of Death had been doing the seas a service by cleaning up the bounties and one day, he randomly encountered a Celestial Dragon that wished to enslave him.


    Such a bizarre turn of events would have only led to Rosan being enslaved, or slapped with a bounty.


    No one was willing to become someone''s slave and many people would resort to violence to achieve that. To think such an outcome against even the Celestial Dragons was impossible, was incredibly stupid.


    In the first place, Aokiji didn''t believe the Celestial Dragons should hold so much power but oh well.


    "So my cousin is some famous criminal that''s not the Red Devil?!" Hancock thought, resisting the urge to jump in his battle.


    She had no idea who Reaper was but if Hancock had to guess, Reaper was the version of Rosan that had killed the Celestial Dragon he mentioned to her.


    He was so cool!


    It didn''t matter if Rosan was the devil itself, she would still love him! He was her dear cousin after all!


    Sengoku clenched his jaw as Rosan practically confirmed his identity with that sentence alone. If there was any doubt before, all of it was dashed because no information of a Celestial Dragon dying had been released.


    If such a thing had had been released, the world would be turned upside down. If even one person learned that someone was bold enough to kill a Celestial Dragon... it would sow the seeds of dissention.


    Slowly but surely, until one other psychotic soul attempted to kill a Celestial Dragon.


    Sengoku was no fool. If one person publicly announced and showed their dissatisfaction with the rulers of the world, more would eventually stand with them. It was the most common tactic of rebellion. All people needed was one soul brave and crazy enough to voice what they had been secretly thinking...


    And Rocks D. Rosan was that soul.


    He truly was far too much like his damned uncle.


    Plans had changed more drastically then he could ever imagine. The capturing of Rocks D. Rosan had suddenly skyrocketed in their priority list. Having him escape this place was not a possibility he could even slightly entertain.


    The Mod Mod no mi, the Angel of Death¡­ the Red Devil, the lover of Nico Robin, the one who hated the World Government, the killer who had done the unthinkable and murdered a Celestial Dragon¡­


    That was enough crimes to put Rosan up there with the worst of criminals¡­ He was a snowball of the most terrible things the world had to offer and that snowball had grown to catastrophic sizes right under their noses.


    No that wasn''t quite right. He was an avalanche.


    Sengoku had thought that Rosan had been silently building his strength but no¡­ he had been perfectly concealing his identity right under their nose and when he finally retired¡­ he played off his importance by joining Straw Hats crew and letting Luffy hog all the attention.


    A genius. A masterful tactician who''s strength would match that if left alone.


    "Capture the Angel of Death at all costs. He is to not escape this place," Sengoku ordered coldly.


    Ace shut his eyes, tears falling freely at that order.


    Rosan¡­ Rosan revealed everything. He revealed it all because of him.


    "I''m sorry, Rosan," Ace sobbed.


    "What''s there to apologize for?" Rosan asked softly, turning towards his brother. "Some secrets are nothing if I can guarantee your safety. I put family above everything."


    Aokiji dashed at speeds too fast to react to and placed a palm directly on Rosan''s chest.


    "I understand why you did what you did¡­ but orders are orders," Aokiji said frostily.


    "Ice Time."


    Without any hesitation in his body, he completely froze over the pale haired man, not giving him any chance to do anything.


    Best to just nip this in the bud immediately. Rosan was too big of a nuisance to allow to do whatever.


    Aokiji blew out a gust of icy wind, noting that the man wasn''t screaming this time and he stepped back to gaze at his handiwork.


    Just like last time. The redhead was completely frozen from head to toe. This time, there''d be no mercy from Kuzan.


    The Admiral actually froze in shock, blinking in surprise, as the frozen statue of the man began shifting in color.


    The slightly bluish ice, turned as white as snow, as the frozen Rosan casually moved a hand.


    "Such tricks will not work on me any longer," Rosan said softly.


    The ice began breaking off his body, seeping onto the floor instead.


    Rosan gazed at Aokiji, face still completely frozen, before the redhead tapped it, molding the ice into a frozen mask with a black rose atop it.


    "As its avatar, it''s only right that I wield the might of the afterlife," Reaper said calmly, wings spreading wide as he spun his scythe.


    Ragnarok was fire. Fire was synonymous with dragons and so, it was his right to raze down the world with those unstoppable flames.


    Rosan was lightning, as was a computer''s right. His body was a machine in top condition and as a result, it needed the necessary power to fuel it.


    But Shinigami was a little different.


    Reaper was a representation of the afterlife. Cold and lifeless.


    That was why his transformation into Reaper chilled his temperament so much. That was why he had failed so much to transform into the Angel¡­


    That was why Rosan acted almost exactly like Reaper the past 12 years without his emotions.


    Rosan hadn''t channeled Righteous Fury into his transformation¡­ his anger was directly connected to that ice cold castle residing in his body.


    The castle shielding all his emotions.


    When Rosan had tapped into his fury, he had drawn from the castle instead.


    That was why that part of his body was always frozen. That was why when he lost all his emotions, his mindscape had turned into a frozen forest.


    That was why the castle was made of pure ice.


    He had been wrong when he first created the technique and it was something he had rectified in recent time.


    This entire time, Rosan thought Reaper was an Angel¡­ he thought the entire basis of his transformation was an Angel but that was incomplete.


    Reaper was no Angel of Death.


    Reaper was Death itself.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Robin was stunned, gazing at the white haired version of Rosan with wide eyes.


    He was... immune to Aokiji''s Devil Fruit?


    But what was this form?


    She had never once seen him take a transformation like this... and she knew it had nothing to do with the virus because his sclera weren''t black.


    So what exactly was this?


    Rosan was just... going to keep on improving at an absurd rate wasn''t he?


    He really did want to make sure she never had anything to worry about any longer... didn''t he?


    "He looks cool with white hair," Koala pointed out.


    "It looks more pale than white," Robin said softly, agreeing with her.


    Koala blinked. "There''s a difference? Gosh, you''re such a nerd, Robin!"


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Raisa felt a little lightheaded at the display she was witnessing.


    First and foremost¡­ her son''s Devil Fruit was so incredible that there was no way she had never heard of it before.


    Modification¡­ it was such an amazing fruit and judging by the bulging anger, Sengoku was aware of what it was.


    ...His next orders cemented that, when he demanded they capture Rosan at all costs.


    That was extreme cause for concern. When the Fleet Admiral demanded such a thing, everyone would listen. The gravity of his orders weren''t lost to anyone.


    Raisa had been gnawing her lip in worry the longer the war dragged on. Her son expressed no fear, no matter who he was faced against and just rushed ahead with a single minded purpose.


    He fought Donquixote Doflamingo without any hesitation, outsmarting him and getting out of the battle with minimal injuries.


    He threw everything at Hawkeye, failing and getting bailed out so he could escape¡­


    Then, he faced off against the Hero of the Marines¡­ denouncing him as his family as he stood against him.


    Raisa hadn''t know Rosan considered Garp his grandpa¡­


    But Garp still considered Rosan his grandson¡­ and that meant he didn''t resist what the redhead was about to do to him¡­


    But as Rosan lunged for the kill, one of the worst possible people intercepted him¡­


    Admiral Aokiji¡­


    Raisa, much like Robin, was nearly brought to a panic attack as Rosan faced off with one of the strongest Marine forces on the planet, no fear on his features at all.


    Couldn''t he have a little fear in his body?! Why did her son face off with anyone without a hint of trepidation in him? He needed to be more considerate to her heartbeat!


    Her fear for her son, transformed into abrupt horror as he revealed his secret identity (he had a secret identity?!) to the world.


    Rosan¡­ was Reaper?! Raisa didn''t know too much about them, but she was aware of the former bounty hunter.


    There were even a few times when they were spotted speeding past her island...


    Raisa had no idea she had been that close to Rosan.


    Surprisingly, this shocked Dalia and Oren more than it did Raisa.


    "He''s¡­ Reaper?!" Dalia gawked, looking at the black wings of her nephew with bugged eyes. "Our nephew is the crazy guy that got 500 million as his first bounty?! He''s really that guy?!"


    Oren let out a disbelieving laugh at that. "To think that little psycho was parading around as the Angel of Death when he was only a kid. He''s a maniac alright. It''s no wonder he''s not afraid of anyone."


    "You two know of him?" Raisa asked quietly, wanting to hear anything about Rosan.


    "We always wanted to meet them but we were in the Grand Line and they were way too elusive. Dalia was a fan of his," Oren rumbled in amusement.


    "A huge fan!" Dalia gushed with starry eyes, squealing happily. "Do you see how glorious those wings are? Kami look at it in combination with his white hair! No wonder no one even knew his gender, our little Rosan is seriously hot! He''s got a serious fashion sense too! I wanna go shopping with him!"


    Fan was clearly an understatement¡­ Raisa had no idea Dalia was a superfan of her son who happened to the most infamous bounty hunter¡­


    "Would you stop calling my son hot? It doesn''t matter how true it is, you need some decorum," Raisa said with a scary scowl, glaring at her little sister.


    "B-But Raisa!" Dalia whined. "He looks like you and I call you hot all the time!"


    "It''s normally followed by her staring at your ass when you aren''t paying attention," Oren pointed out.


    Dalia froze at that and shot Oren a betrayed look.


    "I-I just wanted to know what workouts you did! I also do squats you know!" she tried.


    If anything, Raisa''s glare deepened and Dalia began laughing nervously.


    "Be glad that I want to pay undivided attention to this footage, pervert," Raisa reprimanded, idly scooting away from Dalia.


    She truly was thankful for this, the footage of the Den Den Mushi showcasing the war to her island had abruptly cut and Raisa, who had only been paying attention to Rosan''s perspective, had waltzed right back into her room to watch the rest of the war.


    The queen gnawed her lip once more as Rosan refused to back down from the Admiral. Her son just stood there rigidly in a way that made her gut curl.


    "Please be fine, Rosan," she whispered.


    She wanted to speak to her son again. Just one conversation with him and Raisa had felt better than she ever had.


    Just a glimpse into his life and she was filled with emotions she''d never been filled with.


    The thrill¡­ the fear¡­ the joy at the simple things that made him happy¡­


    Raisa wanted to see it all. So Rosan needed to survive this battle.


    "Please," she shut her eyes.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    It was impossible to tell what Rosan was thinking right now. His face was completely shielded by the modified ice mask.


    His pale white hair flowed, cascading down his back and his outfit transformed into a pure black kimono, that blended well with his obsidian black wings.


    "Rosan?"


    "Yes, Mod-chan?"


    "Are¡­ you there?"


    "I am. I suppose you are curious about this technique?"


    Mod shuddered at the emotionless tone, a small part of her panicking that Rosan was back to the nightmares of having no emotions.


    "Mod-chan, it''s still me. I still have my emotions, this form just mutes them. You still have Rosan, don''t worry," Rosan soothed, never taking his gaze off the serious Aokiji.


    Mod let out a small shuddering sigh at that, swelling in relief.


    She couldn''t¡­ Mod couldn''t handle losing Rosan again.


    "You won''t lose me," Rosan soothed in that neutral tone of his. "I promise Mod-chan, we''ll all get out of this and I''ll give you the biggest hug to assuage your worries."


    "Please be careful¡­ son."


    "Of course mom."


    This new form of his, was one Rosan discovered as he delved deeper into the intricacies of how Shinigami worked.


    Because of his sole desire to use it as a throwaway disguise¡­ Rosan never truly understood the nature of his form. He thought that the wings being black instead of white, just showcased how he had been tainted by the world¡­


    And he was right¡­ to an extent.


    Shinigami was just that¡­ a Shinigami.


    Rosan had continuously mislabeled it as an Angel and his general lack of interest in using it outside of business¡­ meant he hadn''t reached his full potential with the technique like he had with Ragnarok.


    Shinigami had been half complete until he discovered there was more to it. The wings were only one part of the transformation¡­


    There was so much more to explore. Rosan was transforming into an avatar of death after all¡­


    And now he believed it. Shinigami did not draw on righteous anger to succeed.


    It drew on the cold and dark feelings in his body¡­ the feelings that Rosan had been subjected to for the past 12 years. It was almost childs play to delve back into that familiar sensation.


    Reaper let loose a full wave of his conquerors, causing those who were too weak to faint¡­


    Those who didn''t, felt as if they were hallucinating¡­ due to seeing a hazy shadow flowing from Rosan.


    It was like death itself was staring down at them and the Marines thanked the stars that Aokiji was facing off with the Red Devil.


    "So that''s it... you''ve been using Shinigami to only its half potential this entire time."


    "Fascinating," Pestilence muttered, eyes gleaming.


    Aokiji barely flinched as that pressure washed over him.


    "Resisting my ice won''t win you this battle, Rosan," Aokiji said truthfully, putting a hand on his neck and exhaling tiredly.


    "The gap between us is too large," Reaper agreed quietly, spinning his scythe. "But I have too much to lose. Never corner a wild animal. I will do everything needed to ensure my victory."


    "That won''t be enough," Aokiji informed him, ice creeping from his body.


    "¡­"


    Reaper''s eyes glowed ominously.


    "A lie."


    With that, he was off.


    It had been a long time since Rosan had utilized the scythe in life or death but it was as if he were calling to an old friend again.


    Aokiji leaned away from the side swipe, looking impressed by how speedily it cut through the air.


    Reaper was unfazed. He abruptly shifted the blade in his grip and adjusted the angle to transform the side swipe into a downward swing instead.


    As it cut into Aokiji, the parts that were struck merely turned a bluish-white, signifying another failure.


    Before he could leave himself open to retaliation, Reaper flapped his wings harshly, ensuring the scythe didn''t crash into the ground and embed itself there.


    "Ice Block: Partisan."


    He adjusted himself midair, just in time to avoid the first two spears flying towards him, but the next crashed into his torso.


    His already abused Raid Suit, did the best it could and even despite his new found strengths against ice, that didn''t stop the spears from being incredibly sharp.


    Reaper barely flinched as they sunk into him and he merely ripped the blades out, transforming the material from ice to steel.


    Aokiji didn''t bother dodging the returning spears, allowing the metal to phase harmlessly through his body... but his eyes narrowed as a white aura began pouring out of Rosan.


    The Shinigami''s own ice began filling the air around him and Aokiji couldn''t stop the slight confusion at that. He was sure Rosan was well aware that Ice wouldn''t work on him at all so what did this achieve?


    His questions were soon solved, as the constant dots of ice filling the air transformed into another shape.


    Now Aokiji was slightly on guard, as sharp shurikens made of ice... suddenly turned into sharp shurikens made of steel.


    "Since Ice is a solid material... that means we can grasp and modify it," Mod said in realization.


    "Snowfall," Reaper said gently, pointing his scythe forward.


    At once, the ludicrous amount of shurikens began descending.


    It''s not like this attack would affect Aokiji in the slightest, but the soldiers behind him weren''t as fortunate...


    "Ice Block: Pheasant Beak."


    Aokiji released a massive wave of ice, that took the shape of a pheasant. It screeched and soared through the air, crashing through the descending shurikens.


    Reaper only had a moment to throw up his scythe, watching as the pole clashed with a blade of ice.


    Before he could get pushed back fully, he angled himself to get launched into the air and righted himself once more.


    He spun his scythe for a moment, before transforming it into a pair of pistols.


    With one, he began shooting salvo after salvo at Aokiji. Each bullet flew through the air, burning red with fire.


    As they flew through the air, Rosan aimed the other pistol and began shooting out... air?


    "Troubling," Aokiji sighed, watching as the pressurized air collided with the flaming bullets, turning them into what could practically be described as a meteor shower.


    They streaked through the air, flames consuming the oxygen and growing stronger as a result. Screeches of horror rang through the battlefield as bullets careened towards them with lethal intent.


    "Ice Wall."


    Sighs of relief rang out, as a giant wall of pure ice formed. The blazing bullets clashed with the wall, causing a great bout of steam to form as they cancelled each other out.


    The Shinigami wouldn''t let that deter him. He was prepared to begin yet another barrage of attacks but he was thwarted abruptly.


    "That''s enough of that. It''s clear fighting you at a range is more trouble than it''s worth," Aokiji sighed.


    "Ice Glove."


    Reaper had no time at all, to react to the fist crashing into his face.


    The mask he donned, shattered instantly as one of the strongest punches he ever received was delivered to his body.


    "ROSAN!" Mod shouted in concern, watching the redhead get sent flying backwards, a trail of blood following him.


    The redhead soared through the air, farther and farther away from the execution platform and he would have gotten sent to Whitebeard''s ship, if not for him catching his flight midair.


    Blood spilled from his mouth and broken nose, as he forcefully adjusted the appendage.


    "Are... you okay?" Mod asked, watching as Rosan spat out multiple teeth that had already been replaced.


    "I did not expect a Logia to have such a powerful punch. That reminded me of Garp," Reaper said, clutching his jaw and moving it back and forth.


    So Aokiji could throw a punch too... A Logia with exceptional physical capabilities was rather difficult to go against.


    He didn''t make a noise of discomfort as his bones snapped back into place and the Angel of Death merely flexed his wing and flew back towards the Admiral poised to give chase.


    He could not let the battle stray too far from Ace. That would be less than desirable.


    "If there''s one thing I respect about you, Red Devil... it''s your complete lack of fear," Aokiji said truthfully, summoning another ice blade and leaping to meet the redhead.


    Reaper and Aokiji were a whirlwind of action, the redhead utilized his scythe like it were a pocket knife, swinging it with dreadful speed and agility¡­


    To no success at all, none of his attacks were connecting to Aokiji. Even with the solution of Armament, Aokiji could still transform his body into ice to avoid even Haki imbued strikes.


    They clashed repeatedly, Aokiji catching every one of Rosan''s swings with lazy ease.


    He was making absolutely no headway and it didn''t appear that he was going to be getting help...


    What to do, what to do...


    He transformed his scythe into two kusarigamas, spinning the chained sickle as he resumed his assault anew.


    "You use a lot of interesting weapons at a high degree of proficiency," Aokiji noted, breaking apart and reforming from the wild swings.


    Reaper spun the chains rapidly and ignited one with fire, while the other chilled over with ice.


    "Modify: Size."


    Everyone watched with wide eyes, as the sickled chains suddenly grew massively in size, still glowing with their respective elements.


    Almost like they were battle ropes, Reaper began violently swinging each with reckless abandon.


    He would swing the icy one first, followed by the fiery one.


    Naturally it all failed to touch Aokiji. In fact, the attacks didn''t even seem to be for him. Sure some connected, but Aokiji merely summoned an Ice Wall that blocked the fiery one.


    "It looks like you''re throwing a tantrum, Red Devil," Aokiji pointed out, watching as more and more steam erupted.


    Reaper said nothing and Aokiji sighed.


    Seems like that punch had affected him more than he let on. This truly did look like the pirate was looking for anything that would work on him¡ª


    The sounds of the chains lashing out stopped and Aokiji perked a brow at seeing them embedded into the ground next to them.


    Reaper huffed and began sparking a sinister shade of red. "Emp: Superconductivity."


    Aokiji blinked in confusion, before his body seized up.


    Out of nowhere, a truly enormous surge of electricity appeared around the wet area where Rosan had been indiscriminately attacking.


    Except he had not been indiscriminately attacking. He had been setting up a trap.


    Fire and Ice, clashing with each other and forming a steam that hid the fact that the ground was growing steadily more soaked. As the fire and ice clashed, the ice began to melt.


    It only became easier as Aokiji set up an Ice Wall. It gave him more steam and more water.


    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    But that would never be enough to stop an Admiral... so Reaper had to get a little creative and he needed Aokiji and his body to do it.


    The Logia was made of ice after all... which meant that he would serve as a perfect superconductor. When lightning reacted with something below a certain temperature, that something would conduct the electricity without resistance.


    The results? Aokiji taking the full brunt of his electric trap.


    The red sparks all converged onto one location, causing a bonfire of pure electricity.


    "No way..." someone said in horror, backing away from the shrieking lightning.


    It was so loud. They could barely hear their own thoughts due to the cacophony of noise erupting from Rosan''s location.


    Reaper let loose a tiny breath as he watched the electricity.


    He didn''t think that was going to put him down for the count. Aokiji was still an Admiral so his best course of action, was to just push onward¡ª


    Reaper made no sound, as a blade of ice pierced his cloak effortlessly and stabbed partially into his midsection. Despite the ice not freezing his insides like it normally would¡­ he still got stabbed and it hurt quite a lot.


    "Well I''m shocked," Aokiji said dryly, smoke wafting off his body. "I actually felt that. Way to catch me by surprise, Red Devil."


    "Not even a second of respite?" Reaper asked curiously.


    "It was an ingenious attack which is why I got hit by it. I''m surprised you thought of it so quickly but I guess those are the perks of being a genius," Aokiji replied, looking utterly unbothered by the fact that he had been shocked by so many volts.


    "The Admirals are on a different level," Mod said in disbelief. Was the gap between them truly this large?


    Reaper was inclined to agree.


    This battle was not one that could be won. He stood a resounding 0% chance of defeating Aokiji¡­


    How troublesome.


    Reaper grunted and decided on the next course of action, pulling himself away from the blade wielded by Aokiji.


    His human half was going to dislike this but there was no other option.


    It was time for his last resort.


    "Auto Mode."


    Order''s implanted, Reaper began his assault anew.


    Aokiji''s eyes narrowed slightly, as his Observation Haki suddenly stopped working, while Reaper launched himself at him with a renewed ferocity.


    That didn''t change the gap in their skills¡­ but Aokiji noted that Rosan had thrown all signs of safety away, all for the sake of hitting him.


    Aokiji began weaving between the wild and precise swings, noting that each one was attempting to skewer him through a vital organ.


    He froze the katana right as it crashed into his abdomen, watching as the ice was instantly converted to Rosan''s and melted on a dime.


    The blank faced man transformed the katana into a set of gloves and clapped his hands together, causing a red explosion to engulf the both of them.


    Both came out unscathed, despite the fact the attack connected with them both.


    "No safety and all offense," Aokiji sighed. "That won''t help you at all."


    Reaper swung wildly and Aokiji dodged it, stabbing into his arm in order to render it useless¡­


    But to his shock, Rosan didn''t retreat to let the heal wound¡­


    No alarmingly enough, the psychopath, with the ice blade still inside of him, lunged even closer to him.


    "What in the world?" Aokiji thought, stunned by the raw insanity displayed by Rosan.


    Reaper ignore the blade completely piercing him through his arm, hell bent on continuing his assault.


    The quite frankly, unhealthily unstable move caught Aokiji by such surprise, he didn''t see the hand racing towards his body until Rosan grasped him.


    "Modification: Save Point."


    Aokiji had no time to react at all, considering the hand was grasping him and in an instant, his body vanished.


    "Mission Complete," Reaper said automatically, as his Auto Mode finished its assignment of sending Aokiji to the Pocket Dimension.


    It wasn''t something he truly wanted to do but... if it came down to it, Rosan always had his Pocket Dimension as his last resort.


    Now he''d just have to carefully avoid Aokiji while traversing through it if worse came to worst.


    "Goodness, Rosan. That has to hurt," Mod said, gnawing her lips in visible concern. Right now she just wanted to hug and squeeze her son and go to sleep. This was too much for her.


    "It certainly doesn''t feel great... but I''ve felt worse and I''ve used the ice to numb the pain."


    He huffed and ripped the blade of ice out of his arm, noting that if he were anyone else, his arm would likely be rendered useless for the rest of his life.


    Thankfully, he wasn''t anyone else.


    His tendons began repairing themselves as his wounds shut, body patching up from the intense battle.


    Reaper resisted the urge to let out an exhausted pant. He had been run ragged and it was truly catching up to him now.


    "Just a little more Rosan. You''re almost there," Mod encouraged.


    "Yeah Father! You got this!" Ram cheered.


    He took a deep breath and nodded, purple bleeding back into his right eye as the oppressive blanket over his emotions vanished slightly.


    "W-WHAT HAPPENED TO ADMIRAL AOKIJI?!"


    "I-I DON''T KNOW! ONE SECOND HE WAS THERE AND THE NEXT, GONE!"


    That scream seemed to bring everyone''s attention to Rosan and the Angel of Death merely let his wings rest idly, as all his injuries healed back up.


    His purposeful show worked perfectly as intended.


    All around, Rosan watched as people began sweating in horror at realizing that one of their big sources of power was gone, at the hands of someone who had no current injuries.


    "I-Is he immortal...? I saw some of the hits he was taking... there''s no way!"


    "His arm nearly fell off and now look at it! Not even a scar!"


    Fear. So much fear. It washed over him like a tidal wave.


    His display worked perfectly. Morale had taken a horrendous hit and with Whitebeard rampaging down there, they were quickly losing hope.


    Rosan turned towards the execution stand and made eye contact with the stunned Sengoku.


    He was utterly exhausted but he could keep going.


    He would keep going. He would not stop until all his brothers were safe.


    The white haired scout attempted to take a step, only to find that his movements were completely restricted and he silently turned his head to see one Donquixote Doflamingo.


    There was a vein on the man''s face, contrasting the amusement he felt earlier when Rosan had gotten rid of the clouds and the man was practically glaring at him through those shades.


    Rosan sighed. "How did you survive?" he asked blandly.


    "Reaper, eh?" Doffy laughed, ignoring his question. "To think our very first meeting would be at Marineford of all places! I''ve been waiting a long time to meet you because we have many things to talk about!"


    Rosan said nothing for a moment.


    "You have no desire to kill me right now even despite the fact I can reveal your secret to the world," he said calmly, boring a hole into Doflamingo. "It would be in your best interest to leave now and we''ll deal with this another time."


    Doffy raised a brow at that, tightening the strings wrapped around Rosan as proof that he was more than capable of doing such a thing.


    Rosan tilted his head and activated Save Point, vanishing out of the strings tightening on him and appearing right next to Luffy.


    Doflamingo immediately made to pursue, until he was forced to block a golden hook.


    "Wow Crocodile, working with someone else? I''m jealous," the Warlord taunted.


    Crocodile glared gravely at him. "No one''s killing that redhead but me. I''ll kill you if you interfere."


    "Is that so?!" Doffy laughed, breaking off from the Warlord. "Fine, I''m done here then."


    Despite wanting to get to know Reaper more, if Doflamingo stayed any longer, he risked getting his secret identity revealed and if that happened¡­


    Well a certain Emperor wouldn''t be happy about that.


    Doflamingo would get his hands on Reaper eventually. It was inevitable¡­


    He had been patiently waiting all this time, it would only take a little longer and now that he had a face behind the mask, it was guaranteed.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan appeared right next to the Luffy making amazing headway.


    His little brother had charged towards Ace with a single-minded focus and none of the remaining Marines had been enough to stop the exhausted rubber boy.


    Rosan''s eyes narrowed slightly.


    "Luffy, did you take another one of those super hormone shots?" Rosan asked, looking at his extensive injuries.


    Luffy turned towards his white haired brother. "N-No!" he lied.


    "Liar," Rosan scowled. emotions rushing through effortlessly. "You weren''t supposed to take two! Just one is dangerous for you!"


    "I''ll be fine!" Luffy denied. "We''re almost there! I''ll go to sleep after!"


    Luffy had been having a bit of a rough time this war but with Iva and Jinbe supporting him, he managed to make amazing progress.


    Rosan frowned and sighed. They were almost there. There was no point in causing in issue right now but afterwards, Luffy was going to be in a lot of trouble.


    "Okay, fine. Just remember the plan, alright," he whispered, lunging ahead as he took stock of the situation.


    Whitebeard was taking out waves of enemies despite his accumulating injuries, Akainu seemed to be licking his wounds somewhere, Aokiji was gone, Kizaru was locked in combat with two formidable monsters¡­


    And Rosan and Luffy were soaring up the execution stand. There was hardly anyone left to stop them.


    "DID YOU FORGET ABOUT ME?!" Sengoku roared, transforming before their eyes. He turned gargantuan in size, body turning gold as a bright light expanded from the Fleet Admiral.


    "The Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Buddha."


    A god huh...


    "A god following the wills of scummy humans. You must be so proud of yourself, Fleet Admiral," Rosan taunted.


    Sengoku scowled furiously. "Enough of this, Rosan! This has gone on long enough!"


    Rosan gazed coolly at him and immediately rushed the Fleet Admiral.


    He saw the giant fist approaching his body, shining gold with might and narrowed his eyes slightly.


    "ROSAN!" Ace shouted in worry, watching his brother meet it head on.


    At the last second, Rosan preformed a flip in midair, landing atop the man''s fist and gliding across it, ice forming on his feet as he slid up Sengoku''s arm.


    "Ice Skates."


    Sengoku scowled in annoyance as the ice on his arm began growing like a parasite, attempting to freeze him fully.


    So he truly had control over all these elements...


    But how? In what world did something like the Mod Mod no mi give the redhead these abilities? Such a thing was preposterous to think about!


    He slammed forward with a fist, blowing Rosan away and the ice as well.


    Then, he struck out with his palm and summoned a shockwave that Rosan hastily flew out of the way of.


    The Fleet Admiral was hellbent on making sure Rosan didn''t get away. He glared at the troublesome redhead with fury in his eyes and Rosan sneered back.


    "Snow White," Rosan said softly.


    A sudden blizzard of ice flew towards Sengoku, attempting to bury him beneath it all.


    The Buddha thrusted another palm out, dispelling the terrible cold and sending Rosan flying back from the impact.


    The computer man righted himself and huffed, glaring at Sengoku.


    "You know what my Devil Fruit is I guess?" Rosan asked, hair turning red once more as stretched the kinks out of his body.


    Sengoku glared at him. "To think that all these years¡­ you were the one who wielded the Mod Mod no mi. I considered it a small blessing that we saw no signs of it in 20 years¡­ but now I see that we''ve reached the worst possible scenario."


    "Hmph," Mod scoffed. She would heavily disagree. This was the best possible scenario for her.


    Rosan sneered at him. "A fruit that has caused the death of all their previous wielders¡­ wielded by someone who despises the World Government. Really makes you think, huh?" he asked mockingly.


    "Well now that I don''t have to hide it anymore, understand that everything that I do now is because of you, Sengoku. You sit at the top of this corrupt system and defend horrible human beings so I''m going to make you pay. It''s not going to be today, it''s not going to be tomorrow but one day, you will watch me rip those gods out of their heaven," Rosan swore.


    Sengoku clenched his jaw.


    To think that the witchhunt for Roger''s child, would give birth to a monster even worse than the infant. They were fully to blame for the meteoric rise of Portgas D. Rosan¡­


    At the very least, Ace had not done anything too horrific.


    But Rosan? Rosan had destroyed a Marine Base, destroyed an important Marine stronghold and had killed a Celestial Dragon.


    It was truly awful luck that it had to have been this boy of all people who gained resentment for the World Government.


    If it were any other child, this little tantrum of theirs would be nothing. It would be nothing new to have a child grow up loathing what they stood for...


    But it wasn''t just any other child that detested the World Government. It was this boy right here, standing across from him with access to things he never should have been allowed access to.


    Rosan was not the biological child of Roger¡­ he was the biological child of a Rocks. He was the nephew of one of the most dangerous men he had ever had the displeasure of knowing¡­


    And that child had access to a Devil Fruit that should have never left the World Government''s grasp¡­


    The Mod Mod no mi.


    How did Rosan manage to survive? Ever since they began testing with it, not a single person lived long enough to become proficient in its abilities¡­


    All there was, was a nauseating black miasma seeping off the desecrated corpse as they once more began the search for the Devil Fruit that refused to submit.


    But Rosan was not only using it¡­ he was so proficient with it, that he was able to disguise it as at least two different fruits¡­


    For more than a decade, this boy had been perfectly honing a Devil Fruit that no one in recent time had been able to control.


    "You''ve been underestimated your entire life, Portgas D. Rosan. I will be the first to fully acknowledge just how dangerous you are," Sengoku said stonily.


    Rosan smiled much to his confusion. "You speak as if I didn''t account for this. I wanted to be underestimated and now I''ve decided that underestimating me is no longer necessary."


    "It''s convenient being able to control the information you let out about yourself, isn''t that right, Fleet Admiral?"


    Sengoku glanced warily at Rosan. "What are you talking about?"


    Rosan chuckled. "Didn''t I tell you? Today is not the day where I hunt you down and make you watch your sins catching up to you. I''m only here to distract you."


    Sengoku''s confusion only lasted a moment, before a great gust of fire erupted from where the execution stands were.


    But how?! Ace was chained down and the key was nowhere out here! Why would they have it out? This was an execution!


    "I secretly gave some people keys to unlock his cuffs. I mean, why would I expect you guys to have his keys conveniently lying around," Rosan snorted, waving a key around.


    "Thanks for the Devil Fruit, Sengoku. I''m happy you ran her away to me because she''s mine now," he said truthfully.


    Rosan grinned brilliantly at the flames, even as Sengoku roared and charged him.


    The two began fighting in earnest, all while Ace and Luffy made their getaway and Rosan made sure Sengoku made no attempt to capture them again¡­


    Rosan was utilizing almost expert evasion techniques, completely unwilling to get hit even once by the Buddha.


    As Sengoku shot shockwave after shockwave after him, Rosan would fly above it, summon a wall to block it, utilize a barrier...


    Sengoku nearly felt his blood vessels threatening to pop as Rosan played keep away.


    He was clearly no longer interested in battling after the war he put his body through and as a result, he was showing how frustrating he could truly be.


    The redhead suddenly stilled, before his eyes went wide and he immediately disengaged from the one sided fight by disappearing.


    Sengoku watched him go with a furious expression.


    "CAPTURE THEM ALL! DON''T LET ANYONE ESCAPE!"


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Ace couldn''t believe it.


    He was free. His youngest and most reckless brother had actually managed to free him while his oldest and equally reckless brother fought everyone who approached him.


    They had actually done it. Sabo, Luffy, Rosan¡­ they had shown up and set their dumb brother free.


    He was so happy that he could cry.


    Ace didn''t¡­ he didn''t want to die yet¡­ There was so much more he had to witness. Sabo had regained his memories.


    His brother, who he had thought was dead for 10 years, was here in the flesh and was capable of remembering everything that had been his childhood.


    He was back and Ace wanted to connect so badly with that version of his brother.


    Not to mention... Rosan. His older brother. His oldest brother.


    Rosan got his emotions back. He actually got them back!


    To see how expressive his oldest brother suddenly was. It was so different than the Rosan he had known.


    Watching the anger, the fear, the happiness... the utter insanity!


    The Rosan that had been spoken about as if he were a myth was actually here and alive and Ace was so damn happy to see him.


    If he had died, he never would have gotten to know this Rosan that he had desperately wanted to meet.


    No that wasn''t quite right. If Ace died, maybe no one would be able to see this version of Rosan.


    Because Ace was loved. Rosan loved Ace with all his heart.


    Rosan thought Ace deserved to be alive and because of that, Ace had to live. He needed to live for his brothers sake.


    And he wanted to live with his family. He wanted to see them as often as he could. He wanted to laugh and party with them as they chatted about anything.


    Such thoughts filled him with an indescribable longing and Ace realized, this was what it meant to be alive. Always looking forward to another day. Having people to love and being loved by those same people.


    Ace... Ace wanted to live. Ace found the reason he had been born!


    If Ace knew all that... then why?


    Why couldn''t he stop being stupid for one second?


    He knew he didn''t want to die¡­ so why did he let such simple provocations get to him?


    Admiral Akainu was a battered and seething mess due to his altercation with Whitebeard.


    At the sight of the rejuvenated Edward Newgate, fighting as if he were 20 years younger, the magma man had attempted to slow down his rampage to the best of abilities.


    That was a mistake.


    With the other Admirals occupied, Whitebeard focused all his attention on Akainu and the result was less than desirable for him.


    So he beat a hasty retreat to lick his wounds but in that time span¡­ things had somehow gone from bad to worse.


    The Admiral watched in some disbelief at the swift turn of events.


    Kuzan was nowhere to be seen, Borsalino was being occupied by the Phoenix and Revolutionary and somehow Fire Fist had been set free¡­


    And now they were trying to make a run for it. They had the audacity to try and make a run for it.


    With the freedom of Ace, Whitebeard had announced that their job here was done so it was time for them to leave Marineford.


    But that wasn''t all.


    Whitebeard himself was choosing to stay behind and was going to attempt to take out both Marineford and himself in one fell swoop.


    With how much power he was currently outputting, no one doubted he''d be able to do that.


    Akainu wiped the blood off his mouth and made to chase the fleeing pirates. None would escape on his watch but he needed to handle this carefully...


    "Typical pirate scum, running from something they can''t handle," Akainu commented idly, magma rolling off his body as he ignored his injuries. "But that''s to be expected, just look at who their captain is," he grunted.


    "What did you just say?" Ace said, abruptly stopping and turning around.


    ...With just that sentence alone, Ace had sealed his fate because Ace would never let anyone talk down on someone he loved and respected.


    Akainu cocked his head in slight confusion, magma rolling off his body as the freed prisoner turned to face him.


    "Your real father stood in his way and took everything Whitebeard hoped to attain. He''s an eternal loser. I''m speaking the truth," Akainu said gruffly.


    "A man hailed to be the strongest, amassing a crew and ruling the seas for decades... and he couldn''t even become Pirate King. Whitebeard is a loser."


    Ace clenched his fist. "Take that back right now."


    "Ace what are you doing?!" Luffy shouted. "C''mon let''s go!"


    "GET OUT OF THERE ACE! WE''VE ALREADY WON!"


    "He''s just trying to provoke you, Ace! Stop!"


    Sabo perked up at that, picking up the conversation from the other side of the battlefield where he was retreating. He turned towards the noise and felt his eyes narrow slightly.


    "Ace is facing off with the Admiral?" Sabo said in concern. "Shit! Stop trying to talk reason into him! Ace will never back down from a fight! You need to be more forceful!" he shouted, sparks surging off his body.


    Ace was no longer listening. He was seething furiously as he turned towards Akainu and prepared to engage in battle.


    "The name of this era is Whitebeard!" Ace roared, flames roaring off his body as he launched himself towards Akainu.


    That had been the biggest mistake he made yet because Ace was strong¡­ but Akainu was stronger.


    And he was made aware of that as Akainu sneered at him¡­


    "Arrogant fool," was all Akainu said, meeting him head on.


    The Admiral met his fire with magma overpowered Ace effortlessly.


    "Argh!" Ace howled, burns covering his body as he was launched back.


    "You must think you''re invincible because of that Logia," Akainu rumbled, magma rolling off his body. "My magma is far superior to your fire. Even you can be burned."


    Ace was left a writhing mess, as the burns scalded his skin¡­ He huffed in shock, body already weakened from his treatment these past few days.


    He wheezed, hearing the footsteps of the magma man approaching him.


    "To think that the sons of Roger, Dragon and Rocks would be blood related," Akainu stated, almost not believing such a thing. "Criminals by blood, converging together. It seems almost fateful that you will all meet your end here. Three dangerous bloodlines, quelled in a single war."


    Akainu sneered. "Watch. No one will escape."


    Huh?


    Ace looked up in confusion and felt his eyes widen in horror.


    Akainu wasn''t targeting him.


    He was targeting Luffy.


    Luffy was at his limit. The second hormone shot had worn off far quicker than the first and it had caused him to lose almost all the power in his legs.


    Ace watched in horror as the Admiral soared over to the fallen Luffy''s position, fist at the ready to impale him and he moved without thinking to intercept the attack.


    "Huh?!" Luffy''s eyes widened in shock, at seeing Akainu soaring over to him.


    At the speed he was going, the fallen Luffy would have no time at all to dodge or block the attack from the Admiral and the rubber boy could only watch helplessly as certain death reached him¡­


    Ace rushed over without a second thought, flying in front of the attack in order to weather the blow in Luffy''s stead.


    He hissed in agony as the magma hit his body, body screaming at the horrible pain and ruining the tattoo on his back¡­


    But to Ace''s slight confusion, that was all he felt. The boiling magma hissing on parts of his skin¡­ as if it¡­ as if it spilled onto him instead of connecting directly.


    A cold feeling, one that Ace hadn''t felt in a terribly long time, coursed through his body and he hesitantly turned around to figure out why he was still alive.


    What he saw, would forever be ingrained into his mind until the day he actually died because¡­ because Ace saw...


    He saw...


    A giant fist of magma punching through his oldest brother.


    "I¡­ actually made it in time," Rosan rasped, even as Akainu removed the fist from his stomach.


    "Oh?" Akainu mused, nonplussed by striking his unintended target and surveying the handiwork.


    "R-Rosan?! ROSAN?!" Mod shouted in disbelief, eyes going wide in horror as tears immediately began forming.


    "FATHER?!" Ram screeched in terror.


    Pestilence shut their eyes and sighed.


    There was a gaping hole in the redhead''s midsection, organs fried beyond recognition as the magma destroyed his insides¡­


    But despite that, Rosan looked relieved.


    Ace stood rooted to his spot, unable to believe what was happening. His mouth was open as a dozen feelings coursed through him at once.


    Rosan let out a raspy laugh.


    "I''m glad I was able to¡­ make it in time. Who knows what¡­ woulda happened if I was too slow," the redhead said quietly, collapsing onto his knees as his eyes began flickering repeatedly.


    "Just hold on, Rosan! It''ll be okay. Just let me handle it! I''ll fix this!" Mod said frantically, immediately rushing out of their home to find a solution.


    No¡­ no no no.


    "No way..." Marco said in disbelief, silenced to nothing as he saw the action of the Red Devil.


    He... he jumped in the way of the attack meant to kill Ace?


    "Fool," Crocodile spat, clenching his fist tightly as his bad move nearly boiled over. "Throwing it all away for one idiots mistake."


    Garp stumbled back, clutching his chest in disbelief and horror as he saw Rosan fall to the floor.


    "This can''t..." Garp said to himself, tears of shock forming in his eyes as he collapsed to the floor, blood pooling from the wound Rosan had inflicted onto him. "This can''t be..."


    "I thought you were better than them, Garp."


    Hancock felt her heart stop completely, letting out an unintentional scream of anguish as an indescribable pain overtook her. She abruptly collapsed to her knees, clutching her chest as breathing became harder and harder.


    "T-The Snake Empress has been h-hit?" someone shouted in confusion, looking for the unknown attacker.


    "R-Rosan?" Luffy whispered so quietly you could barely hear him. "R-ROSAN?!" The rubber boy screamed hysterically, rushing his oldest brother with frantic eyes.


    Sabo felt time slow to a crawl as the momentum was abruptly ripped out of his body. His eyes were wide, heartbeat pounding far faster than a normal human, as he saw Rosan collapsing to the floor, a gaping hole in his stomach.


    He had been too slow. No... that couldn''t be true. Sabo had become lightning... so why had he been too slow?


    "ROSAN?!" Sabo screamed, rushing the redhead without any hesitation. "Shit shit no! This wasn''t... it wasn''t supposed to be like this! I was supposed to keep you safe!" he said frantically, hoisting the redhead up.


    "Sabo," Rosan greeted peacefully. "I''m glad I got to embrace you as soon as you got your memories back... I''m glad I got to see you remember."


    Sabo shuddered at Rosan''s tone. "No Rosan. What do you think you''re talking about?! Why are you talking like that?!" he said frantically, surging with electricity.


    He hastily put a hand over Rosan''s heart and sent a weak jolt through his body.


    Rosan simply laughed weakly. "You''re supposed to do that when my hearts stopped you know?"


    "No, I don''t know! I don''t know a damn thing about this power and you have to be here to help me!" Sabo said hysterically, pumping Rosan''s chest fruitlessly.


    "Ah... I''m sorry. I think if you ask Nami, she''ll be able to help you out a lot," Rosan admitted truthfully.


    The ring on Rosan''s fingers shuddered so violently, that it made the stunned spectators jolt back in confusion.


    Mihawk''s eyes widened, taken aback by the sudden change of events, as the ring on Rosan''s finger transformed into a young woman.


    So that was Ram?


    Ram rushed out with wide horrified eyes, clutching Rosan and letting out a gut wrenching wail at all the blood in her hands.


    "WHY ARE YOU TALKING LIKE THAT F-FATHER?!" she shrieked in agony, putting her head to his chest and letting out another cry.


    "Ram¡­" Rosan said softly, holding a strand of her silver hair with a small smile. "I never told you this but I''m really glad you ended up looking like Meiko¡­ it makes you so beautiful and it reminds me, that I''ll always have a piece of her with me."


    Ram sobbed. "W-What the hell are you talking about father?! Stop saying stuff like that! You''re talking like you''re dead!"


    Rosan just laughed wetly at that, throwing up blood in the process as he attempted to squeeze Ram''s arm.


    That snapped Ace out of his daze and the second commander shakily stumbled over to his older brother''s position.


    "My name is Portgas D. Rosan. I''m 14 years old and I''m... your older brother."


    "Mom sacrificed her life for you because she loved you. Don''t tarnish her final action by questioning your existence. Live your life to the fullest, until you find a reason to live, if you have to."


    "Of course I love you. I wouldn''t have been so afraid to meet you if I didn''t."


    "Y-You¡­ you idiot," Ace whispered, tears forming in his eyes. "YOU IDIOT! ROSAN WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?!" he roared in fury.


    He resisted the urge to cry as the reality of the situation crushed him to the floor.


    "WHY DID YOU DO THAT?! I WAS THE ONE BEING STUPID! I-I DIDN''T ASK YOU TO DO THIS!" He howled, stumbling forward until he collapsed.


    Rosan turned those brilliant eyes, the ones that Ace had never seen shining so brightly before, towards him.


    "What type of older brother would I be¡­ if I could stop my little idiot siblings from getting killed and I didn''t take it?" Rosan asked truthfully. "I''m the oldest you know? It''s my job to guide my foolish family towards a future where they are forgiven for their mistakes. Don''t think I¡­ regret what I did for a second."


    Ace shook his head furiously, tears falling in spades from his eyes. "That''s not fair... you can''t just say stuff like that!"


    "W-What are you talking about Rosan?!" Luffy stammered in horror, gazing shakily at the wound on his brothers body. "This is nothing! You can just heal... W-Why aren''t you healing?!"


    Rosan coughed. "I think I''ve healed too much today. I don''t have enough energy to restore these wounds¡­ everyone''s had their eyes on me since this whole thing started so¡­ the stone is all petered out."


    From his fight with Magellan, to battling all the Warlords and finally, his war with Aokiji...


    Rosan was spent. He had been well and truly exhausted.


    "So we''ll just get you medical attention! It''s my fault! I shouldn''t have made you do so much so I''ll fix this!" Sabo said urgently. "You''ve got crazy healing! We just need to stabilize you!" he practically pleaded.


    "I don''t know¡­ if there''s any stabilizing this," Rosan said quietly.


    No¡­ no no no no no.


    "STOP LYING ROSAN!" Luffy screamed with tears in his eyes. "WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?! YOU TOLD ME YOU''D NEVER DIE! YOU''RE SUPPOSED TO BE THERE WHEN I BECOME KING OF PIRATES! Y-You''re my first friend..."


    "I know¡­ I''m sorry, Lu. I''m just a big liar," Rosan said earnestly, tears brimming in his eyes at actually lying to his precious family. "I was more worried about you guys then I was myself¡­ I didn''t actually think it was going to happen. I''m really sorry."


    "R-Rosan¡­ it¡­ it''ll be okay. I''m here for you," Mod said in distraught, curling into herself as tears fell freely.


    She couldn''t... she couldn''t find any way to save him. He was right, the stone had healed too much.


    He... he didn''t h-have the...


    "I''m here for you!" Mod wailed, letting out a scream of agony as she sobbed hysterically.


    That broke the redhead completely and Rosan felt his tears fall freely, a look of anguish crossing over his face.


    "I''m sorry!" Rosan said to all of them, sniffing as the emotions overwhelmed him completely. "I made you guys waste so much time on me and when you finally achieved your goals¡­ I went and did this."


    "Please, get out of here. Take Ram with you and one day, someone will eat Mod-chan''s fruit and she''ll seek you guys out¡­ please when that day comes, give her all the support you guys gave me. Angel and Demon will be fine, I made sure this won''t affect them but you guys need to be there for each other," Rosan pleaded, glow in his eyes going dimmer and dimmer.


    No no no no.


    "And please.. please be there for Robin," Rosan sobbed, sniffing as tears dropped down his face at the effect this was going to have on everyone.


    "Tell her I''m so sorry for being such a trash boyfriend. She deserves better than me. All I''ve done is cause her stress."


    "SHUT UP!" Ace roared. "YOU CAN''T¡­ You can''t leave us Rosan! You can''t say all this dumb shit about yourself and expect us to buy that! This isn''t¡­ why do you have to be the one who dies?"


    This wasn''t¡­ this wasn''t fair. None of this was fair at all.


    Why? Why was it always Ace''s fault?


    "Why did you die for my dumb mistakes? It''s not fair! It shouldn''t have been you!" Ace sobbed in defeat, clutching his older brother as agony crushed his heart from all directions. "I''m sorry, Rosan! I''m so sorry!"


    "Never be sorry, Ace. I''m just glad that even after what I did to you... you can still say that you love me," Rosan soothed, raking a hand through his messy and dirty hair. "I will never be mad at you, alright? You''re my precious little brother and that''s a title I can never forsake."


    "Rosan I can''t¡­ I can''t be Pirate King without you! What am I supposed to do?!" Luffy said desperately, refusing to believe what was happening. He couldn''t move, he couldn''t breathe, he couldn''t do anything. His body refused to listen to him and it left the rubber boy a shuddering mess.


    "You can, Luffy. Whether you have me or not¡­ you''ll always be a fantastic captain. That''s why I chose to follow you¡­ you''re the only person alive that I 100% accept as my captain," Rosan assured, feeling the power leaving his body quickly.


    It was a miracle he had been alive for this long¡­


    "Thank you all so much for breathing life back into me¡­ thank you for making me see the value in my life¡­ thank you for loving me¡­"


    No. No. No no no no no no.


    Rosan shot them all a loving smile.


    "Thank you for being my family. I''m so proud of you all."


    Then, the glow in Rosan''s eyes faded, leaving them dim.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    ¡­


    Ace didn''t realize he couldn''t breathe. Ace didn''t feel his heartbeat pick up. Ace didn''t hear everyone else in his family let out gut wrenching screams.


    Ace didn''t realize he was screaming with them.


    Ace didn''t realize they all blacked out.


    Ace didn''t realize he blacked out.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Luffy couldn''t hear anything around him. He just stared shakily at Rosan''s body. At the hole in his stomach. At the tears rolling down his cheeks.


    At the smile on his face.


    "I''m Monkey D. Luffy! Wanna be my friend?!"


    "Okay."


    "R-Rosan?" Luffy said quietly. "Hey Rosan... say something... w-why aren''t you saying anything?" he asked.


    When no one had believed in his dream... Rosan always had. Rosan never once doubted him. Not even for a second.


    Whenever Luffy failed at something, Rosan had been there to pick him up. He never had to be afraid of being alone... because Rosan had been there for him.


    "I didn''t realize you were in trouble. I''m sorry I couldn''t be there faster."


    Rosan had been someone who was even lonelier than Luffy. He was there... but he wasn''t there. He wasn''t truly alive.


    "I have not been okay for a long time."


    "Rosan... Rosan... ROSAN!" Luffy screamed hysterically, shaking his brother.


    Nothing. There was no response.


    "I''ll help you. I''ll help you, Rosan! We''ll go on the biggest, best adventure ever and I''ll make you say you found a new reason to live! You''ll become the strongest, just watch!"


    "Thank you all, I appreciate it. I''ll put my full trust in you all."


    "You''re not the strongest yet! It''s not supposed to end here! Y-You trusted me!" Luffy said frantically, tears spilling down his eyes as he lost the feeling in his body.


    "You''re done for Luffy. You won''t be useful like this."


    "Don''t be stubborn, Luffy. I''d be a fool to let you go. I need to focus on saving Ace, not keeping you alive. The point of this is that we all need to make it out alive."


    "You''re not strong enough!"


    "Ugh," Luffy''s face scrunched up. "Ugh..."


    He wasn''t strong enough.


    The rubber boy''s eyes rolled to the back of his head.


    "WAAAAAH!" He wailed in agony.


    "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" he howled, blacking out in the middle of his mental breakdown.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Ram panted harshly, clutching her chest as she slipped into a panic attack.


    This wasn''t happening. This just couldn''t... this couldn''t be happening!


    "Father... no Father please!" Ram whimpered, curling into herself as an unspeakable pain enveloped her.


    "What am I supposed to do without you?!" she shrieked. "I-I''m just your weapon! I''ve never known anything b-but you! You... you finally called me your daughter."


    Tears began spilling out of her eyes and Ram let out a keening wail.


    "You can''t leave me dad! I''m not ready to let you go!" Ram sobbed. "Please don''t leave me! P-Please!"


    The ring blubbered and sobbed, curling into herself as she attempted to disappear.


    "D-DAD!" She wailed in agony.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Maro looked at the screen, completely and utterly frozen. There was a stunned look in her eyes, brain not fully catching her up to what she was just witnessing. Even as it cut off, she just stared listlessly at it, expression not betraying anything at all.


    None could ask her if she was alright, because Maro''s reaction, while utterly unhealthy, had nothing on Angel and Demon.


    "NO!" Angel screamed. "NO! NO! NO!" she howled, tears streaming down her face.


    "Angel..." Kaori said softly, not flinching at all as the woman''s flailing caused her to be hit.


    "SHUT UP! SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Angel roared. "HE''S NOT! H-HE CAN''T BE! LOOK AT ME! I-IF SOMETHING HAPPENED TO HIM, I WOULDN''T BE HERE RIGHT NOW!" she screeched.


    Kaori said nothing, shutting her eyes at hearing Angel''s denial.


    "TELL THEM DEMON!" Angel snarled, furiously wiping her tears. "Tell them that he''s fine! That''s not enough to stop Master! You know it isn''t!"


    Demon said nothing. His dim eyes remained rooted to the floor as he curled into himself and shut down. Tears were dropping from the expressionless doctor and he didn''t react at all, to the frantic words of Mikita or Zala.


    "D-Demon?" Angel whispered. "Why aren''t... why aren''t you saying anything?"


    "..." Demon didn''t react. He simply curled into himself tighter and sniffed.


    "...No," Angel denied. "No that''s not... why don''t any of you believe me?!" she shouted, stepping back as she regarded their reactions.


    No one said anything and Angel began shuddering.


    "A-Angel...?"


    Angel froze at that and glanced over at her wife with a faltering expression.


    "I-Is Master... is Master really alright?" she asked quietly, so quietly.


    Angel stepped back at that, at the broken look on the glassy eyed Maro''s face.


    "H-He''s..." she stammered, feeling her heart constrict. "H-He''s... M-Master''s j-just..."


    ...


    Angel let loose a sharp wail and began sobbing.


    "M-MASTER! NO! Y-YOU CAN''T BE!" she cried, collapsing onto the floor.


    Marianne sadly approached the redhead and pulled her into a tentative hug, body shuddering as Angel''s wails shook her to the core.


    Demon sniffed even harder, before the floodgates burst out and the doctor let out a heartbreaking wail. He curled into himself even harder and sobbed, ignoring everyone around him as he completely shut himself off to the world.


    Maro lifelessly watched them cry. She made to move towards them, but as she got up... the queen lost all feeling in her legs and collapsed down to the floor.


    She attempted to do so once more, meeting the same results but the Dokkaebi was too disconnected to understand why she was failing.


    She was abruptly pulled into a tight hug and Maro glanced at the tear streaked face of Aiko.


    "You''re in shock," Aiko rasped, keeping one hand on the unconscious Akemi who had fainted with tears in her eyes.


    "Shock...?" Maro whispered.


    Was that why she was so cold? Was that why it was getting so hard to breathe? Was that why her heartbeat was slamming against her chest...?


    Was that why it felt like she were falling, with no hopes of ever getting up?


    "I... I-I don''t like this," Maro said eventually. "I don''t like feeling like this!"


    "I know, sweetheart," Aiko soothed softly, doing her best to stifle the scream that wanted to rip out.


    "I-I want Master. W-Where''s Master? He can help me," Maro said frantically, eyes going wide as her heart began squeezing. "W-Where is he?!"


    She hastily grabbed her tiara and repeatedly tapped the part of it that was connected to Rosan''s Save Point.


    Aiko watched with a sullen expression.


    "Maro..." she said softly, tears renewing in earnest as she thought about her incredible little brother.


    It wasn''t fair. It just wasn''t fair at all. Aiko felt her knees give out and she collapsed to the floor, letting out an abrupt sob that snapped Maro out of her daze.


    At the sight of Aiko of all people crying, the headstrong and ruthless leader of Fregate, Maro felt something tremble inside of her.


    "You have done a complete 180, my prodigious student. You''re beautiful, married and above all, the Queen of the most prestigious island in the North Blue. You being Grim, is only secondary to everything else you''ve accomplished now. You have exceeded my expectations and I placed the highest faith in you already."


    Tears fell to the floor as Maro took a step back.


    "M-Master..." she stammered, tears flowing down her bright orange eyes. Master was... he was...


    "Come. Join me. Become the right hand of death and I will unlock said potential. It will not be easy but, with the life you currently live, you already know how to survive against the odds. Do this or waste away into nothing."


    "Mgmm," Maro sniffed, falling onto her butt as the strength left her for the umpteenth time.


    "You have no name you say. Well then, as of today, you are Maro."


    "Mgmm..."


    "I''m proud of you, Maro. Never forget that."


    "WAHHHHH!" Maro cracked, shuddering as fat tears began spilling from her eyes. "NO! NO! WHERE IS HE?! GIVE ME MY MASTER!" she wailed, making everyone in the room crack.


    The soldiers looked away, unable to bear the sight of seeing their joyful leaders under so much duress.


    The room was filled with the cries of 5 people, as they wailed their pain to the world.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "I know how it feels to have everything taken from you. It sucks. It''s the worst feeling I''ve ever felt in my life and it must have been the same way with you. The sadness is so much that it makes you wanna crawl somewhere and just sleep it away. The loneliness is so crushing it just makes you want to give up."


    "R-ROBIN?!" Koala screamed, wiping the tears from her eyes as she listened to Rosan''s final words and watched Sabo black out.


    But she wasn''t allowed to pay the screen anymore attention because of Robin.


    Koala whirled towards the collapsed woman with wide and teary eyes.


    "Stay with me Robin! C''mon please say something!" she urged, lifting the much taller woman up.


    Robin didn''t say anything. The woman stared straight ahead lifelessly and that scared Koala more than anything.


    "M-MEDICAL! WE NEED HELP QUICKLY!" Koala screamed, watching as the screen of the stream flickered out into nothing. "PLEASE ANYONE?!"


    Robin said nothing as Koala carried her. Robin didn''t react to the staff checking on her. Robin didn''t move an inch.


    She just remained there.


    Frozen.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "M-MEDICAL! PLEASE! QUEEN RAISA IS IN DANGER!"


    The staff gazed in concern at the sobbing Oren and Dalia but there attention was swiftly drawn away by the sight of the comatose Raisa.


    The Queen was clutching her chest, cheeks flushed harshly as tears fell down in streams from her shut eyes. She was breathing sporadically, panting as her body tried to intake oxygen in anyway it knew how.


    "M-My Queen?!" A Doctor gasped in horror. "W-What happened to her?!"


    "WHAT HAPPENED?!" Dalia sobbed out, glaring at him with fury in her heartbroken gaze. "JUST HELP HER YOU FUCKING ASSHOLE!"


    He flinched back horribly at that and nodded hastily, escorting the woman to the emergency room.


    Almost as soon as the door shut, Dalia and Oren both collapsed, tears of agony falling down their eyes as they sobbed and sobbed to the world.


    What¡­ what had happened? What caused the royal family of Wisteria to behave like this?


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Mod''s grief was loud and ugly as her agony was laid bare.


    She wailed and sobbed to the world, cursing it for taking the one person she loved more than anything away from her and vowing to make them pay in any capacity.


    Her son. Rosan. The joy of her life. The one who gave her life¡­


    The light that shone in a darkness she didn''t even know existed at the tender age of 4.


    And he was gone.


    Mod felt another cry of agony rip itself out of her body and she screamed.


    They would pay. They would all pay. In due time, all of them would pay for taking her son from her.


    She would show them a mother''s wrath. Mod would make sure of it. She would tear it all asunder in her quest to avenge Rosan.


    Mod did not hear the footsteps behind her, nor did she hear the person calling her name. She just continued to cry and cry.


    "Do you want to save him?"


    That made Mod stop immediately and she whirled around at the question.


    Pestilence gazed at the tear streaked woman, assessing her without that mocking smile on their face.


    No there was just a grim frown, arms crossed as they surveyed the crumbling mindscape around them.


    "Do you want to save Rosan?" Pestilence asked again, looking deathly serious.


    "Y-You can save him?" Mod whispered hopefully, praying that this wasn''t some cruel joke from Pestilence.


    If it were... then Mod didn''t think she''d have another presence following her when they were eventually consumed.


    "I can. Yes," Pestilence confirmed. "I have tricks up my sleeve. It''ll be close but you have to manually stabilize inside of him, while I deal with the external stuff."


    Much to Pestilence''s genuine shock, Mod collapsed into their frame with a desperate whimper and clutched their pure black dress.


    Pestilence merely stared at the woman with a confused gazed, body shaking slightly at the vibrations of Mod.


    "Please¡­ if you have¡­ if you know anyway you can save him¡­ please, I''m begging you¡­ please save my son," Mod sobbed, clutching her enemy with the desperation of a mother.


    Consequences be damned. They would deal with it after. Mod just wanted Rosan alive.


    "¡­" Pestilence stared at the sobbing woman, expressionless...


    "Alright. I did say that I would save him."


    ...Then, the virus grinned psychotically.


    "So I guess it''s showtime."


    Mod stiffened as she felt another presence nearing her and the hysterical woman gazed up.


    What she saw, left her white.


    "It seems the time has come."


    Pestilence gingerly removed herself from Mod''s person and pulled the tall figure into a searing kiss that left the crying woman even more stunned.


    "Yes it is¡­ You know what to do out there, correct?"


    "Yes. I''m very close to dying. I must find a source to stay alive."


    Red eyes stared into purple, both sclera a pulsing black.


    "So go cause mayhem, Famine," Pestilence crooned.


    "Of course, Pe-chan," Famine replied neutrally.


    "W-What...?" Mod stammered in confusion, causing... Rosan(?) to stare at her.


    Famine tilted his head, a somber air surrounding the uncharacteristically sad man.


    He crouched slightly, wiping the tears out of Mod''s eyes with a surprising amount of gentleness.


    "There is no need to cry, Mod..." he began softly.


    Mod flinched at that.


    "I will fix this."


    The castle shattered.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Hancock did not bother to wipe her tears, as she resisted the urge to scream in rage and pain.


    Her cousin¡­ her dearest cousin lay there¡­ dead at the hands of that slimy and disgusting magma man.


    She let loose another gut curdling sob, collapsing into Sallom as she was reminded of what happened.


    They would pay. She would make the World Government pay for daring to take her cousin from her. How could they do this?


    Why did they do this? Rosan... Rosan didn''t deserve this...


    All around Rosan, his family lay unconscious, overwhelmed by the grief they suffered. They would have been sitting ducks, if the Whitebeard Pirates didn''t fight so ferociously to protect them¡­


    Oh Luffy¡­ the injuries had caught up to the Straw Hat boy and as he collapsed, he let loose a blood curdling cry before completely stopping.


    He was faring the worst... the boy looked the most injured of the unconscious bunch as he lay there like a sitting duck.


    Hancock wanted to faint too but she would never ever leave herself vulnerable around scum like this.


    She so badly wanted to rush to Rosan''s body and find some way¡­ any way to save him¡­


    But all she did was weep and take a small delight in the fact that the scumbag who had done it, was currently on the receiving end of a thrashing from the World''s Strongest Pirate.


    But that wasn''t nearly enough to make up for the way her heart felt shattered. It was a horrific feeling, one that Hancock had never felt. It was comparable to the agony that she felt when she was a slave... but this was indescribable.


    So Hancock decided to leave. She needed to retreat to an area where she could cry to her heart''s content because... because she was so sad.


    Hancock took a single step, before suddenly freezing.


    Distantly, she noted that everyone else on the battlefield had done the same.


    For a second¡­ for just a split second, an unnatural feeling had coursed through the air.


    It was an utterly insidious feeling.


    "D-Did you feel that too?" A random Marine dared to ask her.


    Hancock would have turned him to stone but she was too busy trying to pinpoint where that had come from.


    Hancock gazed warily, wondering just what that was¡­ before that insidious feeling rushed through the air again.


    By now, everyone was trying to figure out why the air had become so charged with something so unnerving, unable to pinpoint where it was coming from¡­


    That was when the third wave hit them and this was the worst one yet.


    Hate. Malice. Rage. Disgust. Fear. Carnage. Lust. Joy. Envy. Rage. Apathy.


    Sadness. Sadness. Sadness.


    Hancock clutched her chest as a flood of heinous and disgusting emotions washed over her and everyone there, threatening to drive her into madness.


    What on earth was¡­ what was this?!


    Her sadness felt like it were being amplified tenfold and the woman unintentionally let out a wail, as her tears began spilling.


    Distantly she realized, others were getting just as affected as she were. Cries rang out as they were crushed beneath the heavy emotions and Hancock let out an uneven gasp.


    She desperately tried to find where the source of this originated from, hellbent on getting away from it, and when she finally did, the woman froze in complete shock.


    There, on the battlefield¡­ there was a black miasma roiling about. It looked thick and heavy¡­ and it was originating from¡­


    From Rosan, her cousin.


    Hancock watched in horror as Rosan''s body suddenly shuddered.


    "Impossible," Sengoku whispered in horror. Not even he had been left immune to the effects of those heavy emotions, but now it was all dashed away in favor of true genuine horror.


    Rosan had died! He was supposed to be dead! What was the meaning of¡­


    What was this?


    Rosan''s prone body began floating upwards, all while the miasma began swirling around him over and over again.


    All the while, that disgusting aura pulsed through the field like a disease, filling all with madness and rage and sadness and anguish.


    Some lesser men began screaming, losing themselves to the emotions being forcefully shoved into them¡­


    But that wasn''t all. Rosan began screaming too.


    It was a long horrific and gut curdling scream.


    "RAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Rosan''s floating body suddenly screeched, even as the miasma began covering his skin.


    It began thickening over his skin, covering from head to toe and the creature screeched all the while¡­


    "RAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"


    People curled into themselves, lesser man fled to the waters, tears began spilling as the overwhelming hatred began choking them and all the while the creature screamed ¡ª


    "RAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH ¡ª"


    ¡ª Until it stopped.


    Rosan''s body suddenly righted itself, the unrecognizable monster staring at nothing as those red and purple sockets pulsed¡­


    Then, it let loose a hellish snarl and got on all fours, lunging forward.


    The random Marine had no time to react, as he were suddenly tackled to the ground. His teary eyes widened in confusion, before shifting into horror at seeing an utterly uncanny creature staring down at him.


    "RAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" It roared furiously.


    "AGHHHH!" he shrieked. "SOMEONE HELP ME¡ª"


    His sentence suddenly died in his throat as the creature lunged forward, gaping maw clamped around the soldiers neck.


    The field went utterly silent and they watched in horror, as the creature seemed to sap the man of all his livelihood.


    The Marine tried to scream but silent gasps were all that left him, as the creature latched onto him like a wild animal.


    Finally, it stopped. The creature''s gaping white maw shut, as the man underneath him convulsed and shriveled away.


    ...


    What?


    No one was able to contain the unease at the unknown. The creature''s expression never shifted, those purple and red sockets merely locked onto the prey that they... feasted on...?


    Then, the creatures red socket turned purple and it threw its head back.


    "RAHHHHHHHH¡ª"


    Before abruptly stopping.


    That unnatural and black Miasma began clawing its way upwards as the creature suddenly stood on both legs.


    It began climbing Rosan''s body, shedding itself from the parts that they were leaving, until they all settled atop the redhead''s hair.


    The miasma pulsed, melding with parts of the red hair and adding a black tint to the blood colored hair.


    The man took a deep breath, inhaling the air and ignoring the raw vitriol in it that he caused.


    "I''m sorry about that. Not only did you have to see that, some of my emotions spilled through," he said quietly, idly wiping his eyes unsuccessfully as his tears continued to fall. "It''s hard for me to control myself under these circumstances. I hope you can understand."


    The black and red haired monster suddenly disappeared and grabbed another unsuspecting Marine, wrapping his arm around the terrified mans neck.


    "I''m still so hungry... it seems that previous man wasn''t enough sustenance," Rosan said, opening his eyes and showing off two purple irises, over a pitch black sclera. "Won''t you feed me?" he asked politely.


    The person in his arms tried to scream but only let out a strangled garble, as Rosan''s eyes began glowing.


    "Drain," he said gently.


    The body flailed about and struggled but Rosan''s grip was unyielding. Steadily, their flails lessened, as wrinkles began appearing across the person''s skin.


    At the same time, the hole in Rosan''s body began shutting, overlapping with the man in his grasp growing more decrepit.


    Everyone watched in horror and terror, as the hole shut completely at the same time the man turned into just bones.


    "Thank you," Rosan said after a moment, gently placing the bony body on the floor. "That was good, but¡­ I''m still not satisfied."


    The man with dual colored hair gazed at everyone there, hair lashing out wildly.


    "It''s been so long since I''ve been able to feel even the air brushing against my face," he said softly. "For so long I''ve been deprived and starved of a life. It''s stifling."


    Those purple eyes flashed ominously as he gazed at his hand and bright white feathery wings burst from his back.


    "My name is Famine. This world has taken and taken from me¡­ to the point where I took from myself. It''s finally time that I begin taking from you. I''m sorry in advance... but you''ve pushed me to this point."


    A psychotic laugh erupted from the man but his mouth never moved¡­ and they watched as that strange hair of his began writhing about even more.


    The black miasma formed once more, before it took the shape of a woman in a skintight dress and pure white hair.


    Her eyes were glittering in amusement as daintily dusted herself off.


    "Why are you apologizing to them?" Pestilence asked, basking in the air with a pleased expression. "You know they deserve whatever we''re about to do them."


    Famine turned his sullen gaze onto Pestilence and idly dragged them towards him.


    "Ah~," Pestilence gasped, melding into him with blissful eyes. "Now''s not the time to be all lovey dovey. We have work to do! These are the people that almost killed you after all!"


    "I''m aware," Famine replied, turning his gaze towards the unconscious bodies of his family.


    He crouched in front of them all, expression unreadable as he drank in their features.


    Then, he stood back up and walked away from them.


    "Take my family and go. Ensure you don''t stand near me. That''s my only warning to you. If anyone lingers near me, they have only themselves to blame."


    Jinbe panted, gazing at the red and black haired man in confusion.


    So it wasn''t his imagination... just standing near this version of Rosan, seemed to be sapping him of energy.


    He glanced at Rosan''s back, before his worried gaze shifted over to the gravely injured Luffy and Ace.


    "If any hands are able, please help carry them and go!" Jinbe requested, immediately picking up Luffy and Ace to the best of his abilities.


    Pestilence shook their head in disappointment, black miasma rolling off their body. "There you go again. Just too nice for your own good¡­ but I guess I do love that about you~"


    "..." Famine said nothing.


    Black sparks began rolling off the virus and they grinned eagerly, as they forcefully reactivated the stream that had shut off.


    "Hello to you all," Pestilence bowed in exaggeration. "I am Pestilence and this is Famine¡­ and today is about to get even more exciting so buckle up!"


    They''re eyes gleamed murderously, an eager expression on their face.


    "If you thought that the little Rose was bad, you haven''t seen anything, yet."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Robin look! Rosan''s awake!" Koala urged, showing her the screen.


    Robin jolted so violently at that, Koala flinched back. The woman shot up with frantic eyes, locking them onto the screen.


    Koala expected to see some happiness out of her, so she was understandably confused when the clarity in Robin''s eyes, turned into one of horror.


    "No... oh no," Robin whispered in terror. "This can''t... this can''t be."


    "Robin? What''s wrong?" Koala asked in concern, holding the woman''s shoulders in concern.


    Robin did not notice. She just began shuddering.


    Something was wrong. That could be the only explanation as to why Pestilence was out and about in the real world.


    Robin felt terrified all over again.


    "That''s... that''s not Rosan," she eventually said, shutting her eyes.


    What happened to Rosan?


    What happened to him?

 Black and White I

    For as long as they could remember, the Virus had always been a creature of untold violence.


    They would proudly admit that they didn''t think too much but why did they need to?


    After all, they didn''t need to be smart. That wasn''t their job.


    Their job was to destroy and one didn''t need to think when it came to destruction.


    But all that changed with the addition of one person.


    One single person.


    Rosan. Portgas D. Fucking Rosan.


    From the moment he had eaten the Mod Mod no mi, Pestilence''s (this had not always been their name) life had been thrown to hell.


    You were telling them, that one little boy managed to completely turn Modification into¡­ into this?


    They had transformed into some bombshell of a woman who could suddenly feel like a human?! Some woman who suddenly realized how dangerous the virus was, so she resorted to sealing their partner?!


    It had happened so fast that they nearly couldn''t react.


    What was this bullshit?! What was going on?!


    Had they really just¡­ gotten replaced in the blink of an eye? By some fucking brat? For what reason? What did the snot nosed brat have that the Virus didn''t?


    Pestilence hadn''t known at the time. It had just taken a few words and Mod had already succumbed to some child''s charms?


    They had succumbed to the point that they were now suddenly able to have problem with what the Virus did? But why?


    Did Mod truly think she (She?! SHE?!) could seal them away like this? Just who did the Devil Fruit think they were?


    The virus had let Mod think they had been subdued and the moment an opportunity arose, they had slunk away...


    That was when they saw the sight of Rosan and Mod hugging each other, properly meeting for the first time.


    That was when they saw that stupid little brat hugging their partner with all the love in the world.


    It was at that moment, that The Virus began to especially hate Rosan and when you truly hated someone, you would do anything to express that hatred¡­


    Including, playing¡­ smart.


    The virus knew they weren''t strong enough to exact revenge. They might have been able to deal with the little child but them against Mod?


    Impossible. They would never be stronger than Mod. Judging by how Mod was looking down at that little boy, with emotions that she never had anymore... The Virus would cease to exist if she made an attempt on his life.


    They needed a different approach... and they needed to avoid the Devil Fruit at all costs.


    So that''s what they did. They donned the appearance of Rouge, copying all her mannerisms and learning from her. It wasn''t much due to her abrupt death but it was enough.


    Then they hid and plotted, avoiding Mod and Rosan like the plague.


    The virus hated doing this. Hated acting like a background character. Hated scheming and plotting and wondering if they were ever gonna get an opportunity to do anything.


    They hated this...


    But they hated Rosan more. So they would endure because when they got their payoff... it would all be worth it.


    So the virus played it smart. They learned about Rosan. They learned his likes, dislikes, fears¡­


    And they used it all against him. They poisoned his mind with organic thoughts that didn''t sound amiss. They gave him doubts. They filled him with anger.


    All to weaken him. To weaken his resolve.


    To break him.


    But Rosan was ridiculously resilient. Too resilient for his own good. Nothing kept him down for long so long as he had someone with him.


    So long as the boy was never lonely, he''d persevere through it all.


    Rosan was smart enough to heed the words of the people who cared for him. They were his beacons. That raw untapped hatred of his, was dwelling underneath the invincible positive emotions he felt for his loved ones.


    No matter how they poisoned him, it all failed.


    Mod didn''t want him to turn to a darker road, so Rosan listened to Mod. He buried that hatred deep, all while showering his new mother with love and care.


    Nico Robin was a shining beacon for him that he desperately sought out, so Rosan shone brighter as a result. Even when he felt anger and hate... it was due to the injustices being done to the ones he loved.


    The virus merely stored that information away and continued biding their time. As long as someone believed in Rosan, he would persist. As long as Rosan believed in something, he would fight.


    What a conundrum¡­ a boy who simply needed one person to maintain his fragile mental state. Combined with his incredible charisma, it almost felt as if his mind was being fortified by an invincible fortress.


    After all, Mod was a permanent presence and she was all he needed.


    The virus thought it would have been easy after seeing his mother die so abruptly. They even shifted the blame towards Ace to make it all the more easy.


    But that Mod truly did care about him. Due to her presence, Rosan was able to fight through even hell.


    They were perfect for each other and that pissed the virus off even more.


    What to do¡­


    The virus continued to interfere where possible, hiding the fact that they had never been captured in the first place and just slowly but surely turned Rosan crueler and crueler.


    It almost peaked when Nico Robin had been captured. Their influence had shown through the most in that moment and The Virus feared that they would get found out...


    But no, surprisingly Rosan actually saved them by instantly reining in his temper.


    Nico Robin invoked even more change out of Rosan. The redhead was growing to love her to unprecedented levels.


    With her addition, the virus felt that trying to crack him had become truly hopeless.


    All their thoughts of giving up had changed one day, when The Virus felt the chilling weight of Seastone crash into them.


    It had happened soon after Rosan had gotten captured by those people who had ambushed him.


    The Virus had been watching the entire thing with amused eyes, not thinking for a second that Rosan was going to actually lose... up until he was knocked unconscious.


    That''s when confusion settled in. It was rare for the virus to be blinded to what was happening to the outside world so the abrupt weight of Seastone was utterly paralyzing.


    Those little fucking scumbags were utilizing seastone?


    The sheer and utter audacity to do such a thing!


    Unfortunately for them, The Virus was only partially affected by the neutralizing cuffs. So they would be torn to immediate shreds. They would regret the moment they even dared to restrain them.


    For a moment, The Viruses hate of being restrained by worthless trash, overpowered their hatred of Rosan.


    But that was only for a moment.


    As soon as the virus saw just what was happening to Rosan... as soon as they saw the pain the boy was being put through, they felt a devilish plan forming.


    It was best to kill two birds with one stone and Rosan''s weakness¡­


    Was being alone.


    The Virus cackled all by their lonesome.


    No Mod. No Robin. No one.


    No one but them.


    It was glorious. The Virus was practically gift wrapped this opportunity after a moment of true hopelessness.


    At first, The Virus sat back and observed as this Doc tortured Rosan. At first they did nothing, just watching as the redhead screeched and cried in pain and fear.


    But despite that, he held strong. No matter how terrified he was of the man, no matter how much the pain made him cry... he understood that the alternate of that was becoming someone he didn''t want to be.


    It was actually admirable. The Virus felt their respect growing for the redhead as he persevered through the pain¡­


    But his reasoning for persevering, was utterly disgusting.


    Nico Robin? That was why? So to the end, he was a dependent little brat. Unable to do anything on his own.


    Foolish. At this rate, he''d truly be trapped here forever. Why could he not just break so The Virus could offer their ever so gracious help?


    The Virus refused to be chained down to such a pathetic human. One without any power for themselves.


    So that meant there was only one solution to truly get Rosan to stand on his own two feet.


    Turn him on Nico Robin of course. That''s exactly what The Virus did. Turned him against the girl he loved with all his heart.


    It was difficult because Rosan would never truly think Robin had betrayed him... so The Virus just whittled and whittled his defenses down.


    And it had finally worked... It had taken a while but The Virus saw the fruits of their labor because it worked.


    Too well.


    It had worked too fucking well.


    Nothing could prepare The Virus for what had transpired next.


    Rosan didn''t just break. He shattered.


    All around The Virus, the mindscape shuddered, darkening as the bright sun overhead, was replaced by the pale moon. The temperature dropped slightly, cold rain pounding against the Viruses skin.


    But that wasn''t all.


    No, The Virus watched with wide eyes as a castle began forming near their hiding spot.


    What¡­? What was this? What on earth was going on with Rosan''s body?


    What was that blur that had just gotten dragged into this newly formed castle?


    Unable to hide their curiosity, The Virus stepped into the castle. They had no idea what this castle represented so they would figure out if this was another way to get at Rosan.


    That was the biggest mistake they had made to date.


    As the castle continued forming, heedless of who had stepped inside, doors formed behind the copy of Rouge and abruptly shut, locking them inside.


    The virus whirled around and rushed to the door, banging against it as it refused to budge.


    What was this? What the fuck was going on?!


    The Virus fruitlessly banged against the door with wide eyes as they tried to figure out what the hell just happened.


    Were they trapped? What was going on? What did Rosan do?!


    WHAT DID HE DO TO THEM?!


    No matter what The Virus tried, there was no escaping and the virus let out a frustrated roar as they banged their head against the door and gave up.


    The virus couldn''t tell what was happening in the world anymore. They couldn''t see! What was going on?! Why was it that there was a castle here now?! Was this some trap?! Could that little brat of an 8 year old really tell that they were the ones influencing them?!


    No, that was impossible! Not once did Rosan ever indicate that he knew of their existence. Mod never told him either! The Virus had pretended to be sealed this entire time so the Devil Fruit should have nothing to warn him about!


    So what was this...?


    Was this the effect of Rosan breaking¡­?


    Just¡­ how powerful was this boy''s soul? If The Virus knew this was going to happen... they would have never gone to such extents to break him.


    They had no idea this would be the result! Rosan had never been normal but this was absurd!


    This was how much his bonds meant to him? Was this the effect of his love? Just the lies that Nico Robin had betrayed him... caused this to take place?


    What was happening on the outside?


    They didn''t know and that pissed them off something fierce. Unable to even admire the results of their work.


    The Virus explored the castle with a furious expression, unable to find any escape. Not only that¡­ it was freezing.


    This was horrific.


    What did Rosan do?! The virus felt like they had asked that question far too many times. If this was what was happening on the inside...


    There had to be a way out of this prison. There had to be a way out of this cage.


    What was it even supposed to be caging?!


    As they pondered the purpose of this castle, the virus continued making their way through until they found what looked to be a throne room.


    Their brows furrowed and they stepped inside the room.


    What The Virus saw, stunned them silent.


    Sitting there, on the throne¡­ all by his lonesome, was the sleeping Rosan.


    "What¡­?" the virus had said, stepping up to the body with genuine confusion.


    Why the hell was Rosan here? Wasn''t he supposed to be out there? Wasn''t this entire thing caused by him?


    The virus warily approached his unconscious body, glancing back and forth to assess if anyone else was around... before realizing it was just the two of them.


    They placed a hand against the boy, flinching as a wave of pure emotion crashed into them.


    Sadness, fear, anguish... all of it washed over them like a tidal wave.


    The virus gasped, tears immediately forming against their will, as they were allowed to suddenly see glimpses of the outside world.


    Their urge to rip their hands away from the boy vanished, as they were once again granted vision. It was like being allowed to drink water again after a long time...


    So the virus kept their grasp firmly on the sleeping redhead.


    Like this, they could see and what they saw was... another Rosan?


    Huh?


    This Rosan appeared lifeless and it took the virus a moment to realize that was just their expression, eyes half lidded and barely glowing, as one eye glowed a sinister shade of red¡­


    Red like the viruses¡­


    So this was what a broken Rosan looked like? Did he rip himself into two? What good was that...


    Was he aware of this?


    Likely not¡­ but what did this signify? What did this second Rosan represent?


    They thought back to the wave of emotions that had practically crushed them and pondered the hidden fury that they knew Rosan always had...


    That same hidden fury was there on the forefront of the redhead, represented by those eyes. Behind his calm and lifeless facade, lie a rage filled boy...


    It was lurking at the surface, waiting to burst out...


    So was this boy all of Rosan''s emotions besides his anger? Did Rosan rid himself of emotions?


    ...How psychotic. That was not what the virus intended. Ridding yourself of emotion was the last thing they wanted. It was those emotions that they preyed on to weaken them...


    As the virus removed their hand from the sleeping Rosan, they suddenly lost all contact to the outside world and frowned.


    They peeled the body of Rosan off the throne, pleased to see that just by holding them, they were allowed to see.


    There was a bed nearby, so the virus climbed atop of it, continuing to maintain contact with the sleeping body.


    How convenient. Was this castle perhaps made in Rosan''s image? It was quite detailed and from what they knew, the boy did love his fairy tales so it stood to reason that they would know about castles.


    Was it possible to escape this place? The Virus didn''t know about that. The walls were impenetrable and everything was made of the same crystalline ice.


    At least this boy managed to radiate an incredible warmth. The Virus wasn''t typically affected by such things like hot or cold, but this castle seemed to defy many things...


    To their slight surprise, the sleeping Rosan burrowed deep into the viruses'' body, clutching them tightly as their shaky breath evened out.


    The Virus gazed down at the boy with a confused expression.


    Then, their expression turned pondering and a wide grin formed on their face.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    The sleeping Rosan awoke randomly one day.


    It occured at the same time the other Rosan unlocked the technique he called Shinigami.


    The virus had been watching everything and to be honest... they were quite intimidated by the monster that Rosan had become.


    The redhead on the outside had become even more unpredictable, growing his power and ruthlessness as the days went buy.


    They saw what Rosan had done to that doctor and his wife. They saw what Rosan had done to every opponent he had faced...


    The virus was beginning to fear for their safety if Rosan ever figured out they existed.


    And the worst part of it all... was the fact that Mod watched it all. She didn''t care much that Rosan had turned into this monster so that meant...


    What did that mean for the virus? Would Mod watch as the redhead attempted to tear into them?


    Rosan had already proven to be an anomaly. The virus didn''t think they could stop him...


    So how would this weak and caged version of Rosan help? Could they even help? The Rosan on the outside didn''t look like his strength had diminished at all. In fact, he looked stronger than ever.


    In comparison, this shaking and crying boy probably stood no chance.


    The Virus, who had practically never let him go, watched in interest as the redhead gazed sleepily at them.


    There were tears running down his face as he came to and the virus sneered in annoyance.


    "Why are you crying?" they had asked with a scowl.


    He flinched, those big purple eyes staring at them with confusion and sadness.


    "I... I''m really scared," the child whispered. "I don''t know what''s going on. I don''t know where I am¡­"


    "Join the club," the virus sneered. "I don''t got the slightest fucking clue of what''s going on. I haven''t known for months."


    The Caged Rosan clutched them just a bit tighter and the virus stared down in annoyance.


    "Oh... that''s... am I alone?" he asked quietly.


    The virus scoffed. "Alone? Do I just not fucking exist? How do you think I feel? My only company is a boy who''s been asleep the entire time and the moment he wakes up, he starts crying. Not only that, he clutches onto me like his life depends on it and then asks if he''s alone... fucking ridiculous."


    The boy said nothing for a long while.


    "You''re alone too?" he asked eventually, gazing up at them once more with those big purple eyes of his.


    The tears were freezing up as they fell down his eyes.


    How badly did the virus want to pluck his eyes out. They hated how those eyes gazed up their person. Despised it completely.


    "Who cares about how I feel?" the virus asked bitterly.


    Mod sure as hell didn''t. Threw them away at the first chance. Because of this fucking brat right here.


    Partners... yeah right.


    Pathetic. Absolutely pathetic ¡ª


    "I care about how you feel," Rosan said quietly, clutching the virus tight.


    The Virus paused at that, gazing down at the boy with a confused expression.


    Him? Rosan? He cared?


    Oh if Rosan knew what they had planned for them, they wouldn''t have ever said that.


    If Rosan knew that the virus hated them with every fiber of their being, they wouldn''t be so comfortable.


    "You care?" they asked in some amusement.


    Rosan nodded against their body. "I''ve been sleeping but¡­ you''ve been holding onto me the whole time right? I''m alone¡­ but I don''t feel as alone with you. I don''t know who you are but thank you for staying with me," he whispered.


    "It''s not like I have a choice," they muttered bitterly, glaring at the boy.


    But to their displeasure, he was already asleep, just sinking into their frame with quiet snores.


    Ridiculous. Did he think the virus was just another one of their friends?


    They looked down at the boy sleeping on their bust, looking confused for a moment.


    "You just don''t understand what I am," they said eventually, shaking their head at the dumb and naive child.


    So that''s what Rosan did. He ripped out his innocence and locked it into the castle.


    The monster out there was what was left of it. That would explain why he was suddenly so cold blooded. His change in nature had been too drastic and too fast.


    It made sense now, knowing that it wasn''t natural.


    The Virus gazed down at the boy once more, black sclera pulsing before they slowly but surely allowed their corrosive energy to seep into the sleeping child.


    Not enough to hurt him because doing so made them feel¡­ wrong. But it was enough for them to stake their claim...


    For now. They would slowly but surely trickle into him and get the child assimilated with their essence.


    When the day come for Rosan to claim this part of him, the viruses influence would run deep.


    In the meantime, they would... observe this boy. He was incredibly valuable.


    The virus wasn''t capable of harming this child. This was Rosan''s body after all...


    But they had been playing it smart this entire time. They had learned patience as a result.


    The smartest play they could make, was to manipulate and groom this boy into their perfect monster.


    The Virus gazed out into the real world again, noting that they could see a tad clearer and mulled over their current dilemma.


    Rosan was donning a set of jet black wings. He had drawn from the castle to activate them which was why the little Rosan here had woken up... but he had no idea that was the case it appeared.


    Foolish, but that form they took¡­


    Rosan called it Shinigami. The Kami of death. Those glorious black wings that signified all the violence that would soon follow in Rosan''s wake.


    Did the black signify that Rosan truly had fallen from grace?


    I don''t know who you are but thank you.


    Just who were they?


    They were a virus. Destruction given form. They were a plague who was slowly but surely spreading their sickness, degrading all in due time.


    This Reaper was death correct?


    Very well then. The Virus would be known as Pestilence.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "What''s your name?"


    Pestilence glanced down at the child in annoyance.


    He was awake today for once, gazing up at them with curious eyes.


    Pestilence noticed that he seemed to be awake more often and every time, he''d try to initiate a conversation with them.


    "Does it matter what my name is?" they asked with a raised brow, gazing down at the child.


    He nodded without hesitation. "I dunno where we are but everytime I''m awake, you''re here. It looks like we''re stuck here together so we should get along!"


    Pestilence sneered. He had basically said the same thing to Mod hadn''t he? Did this little brat really think they were that easy?


    There was a hopeful look in his eyes, a far cry from the sadness and tears he normally exhibited.


    "I don''t wanna tell you my fucking name, how about that?" Pestilence scowled.


    At the way his gaze immediately turned downcase, Pestilence thought they would have felt satisfaction...


    "Oh, sorry," he mumbled, looking crushed. "I did it again... I assumed you were my friend without actually checking."


    Pestilence felt their annoyance grow. "Why the hell would you assume we''re friends? What gave you that idea?"


    They didn''t like looking at the redhead.


    "...I thought..." Rosan began, backing away slightly.


    "Thought what?!" Pestilence snarled. "Thought you just needed to say a few words to win me over? Thought I was gonna be like your precious Mod and coddle you every step of the way?!"


    "..." Rosan wilted. "Sorry it''s just... you look like my mom so I thought you would want to be my friend."


    Pestilence clenched their fist. "You have no idea who I am, kid," they warned.


    "I dunno who you are but... you picked her appearance right?" he asked knowingly. "I don''t think anyone who looks like mama could be bad."


    "You don''t know anything about me. Stop speaking like you do," Pestilence warned again. "If you knew half the things I was capable of, you''d be crawling away in fear."


    "But I don''t know any of that," Rosan said with a frown. "I just know that I don''t feel alone because of you."


    "..." Pestilence scoffed and looked away.


    He just didn''t know what plans they had for them.


    "Pestilence."


    Rosan blinked and tilted his head. "Is that your name?"


    "What the fuck do you think it is?" they bit back harshly.


    The redhead hummed. "Can I call you Pe-chan? Pestilence is too long."


    Pestilence twitched and glared at him. "I don''t give a fu¡ª"


    They cut themselves off and took a deep breath.


    "Call me whatever you want. I don''t give a damn. Now come here," they demanded.


    Rosan nodded and Pestilence only grew more annoyed at how happy the boy seemed.


    They only wanted to keep contact to see the outside world. What the hell was going through his damn head?


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Pe-chan, why are we trapped in here?"


    Pestilence gazed at Rosan and pondered the question. "Because you''re weak," they said bluntly.


    Rosan flinched at that, wilting in their hold.


    The virus rolled their eyes. "Don''t be upset because of the truth. You''re weak so your other half discarded you like yesterday''s trash."


    "Oh..." Rosan said quietly. "So there''s two of me now?" he asked cautiously.


    "Yeah," Pestilence replied.


    The other Rosan was currently happily in a relationship with the blonde by the name of Meiko.


    "He''s enjoying the life that you should be enjoying. Instead, you''re locked in here with just me as your company," they snorted in amusement. "I''m not even supposed to be here."


    There was a tense silence, before a sudden wave of negative emotion hit Pestilence, causing their eyes to widen.


    "What...?" Rosan asked quietly. "Y-You weren''t supposed to be with me?"


    Pestilence blinked at that, warily gazing down at the child who''s sclera were growing steadily darker over time.


    "Nope. I entered while it was being created," she answered slowly, gauging their reaction


    "..."


    Rosan said nothing... before an intense anger washed over.


    "You''re trapped in here? You''re a prisoner?" he whispered with wild eyes.


    Pestilence flinched in surprise at that. "...Yes?" they replied, not sounding too sure.


    "That''s not right!" Rosan exclaimed. "You weren''t supposed to be trapped in here!"


    "He''s more concerned about me?" Pestilence asked in surprise.


    "I was too weak to be out there... but you didn''t do anything!" the redhead frowned deeply. "We have to get you outta here."


    Pestilence blinked, completely bewildered. "I can''t go out there. This might be a prison, but this is the safest place for me," they said bluntly.


    Rosan blinked. "Why? What''s wrong?" he asked in concern.


    The virus barked a laugh. "I go out there and I die. That little monster known as your other half is gonna slaughter me without a second thought when he realizes what I did. Don''t even get me started on Mod."


    The redhead looked conflicted. "That''s not... no they won''t," he replied.


    Pestilence rolled their eyes. "Didn''t I already tell you? I''m not a good person. Rosan has every reason in the world to hate me. Once he realizes I exist, I''m dead."


    "But I''m Rosan... and I don''t want you dead," Rosan replied frantically, eyes going wide. "You''re all I have Pe-chan! I can''t lose you!"


    "Well in case you didn''t notice... you''re not the Rosan that matters," Pestilence replied blandly, white hair jostling in their amusement. "The one out there is getting stronger and stronger, and you''re sleeping all the time. What exactly are you gonna do?"


    "..." Rosan had a troubled expression on his face. "I''ll... I''ll stop them," he said.


    Pestilence raised a brow in shock. "What...?"


    "I''ll protect you, Pe-chan!" Rosan said viciously, black sclera pulsing with protective fury. "I don''t care if they hate you! You kept me warm and safe and you''re my friend!"


    The virus gazed at the redhead in disbelief.


    They hadn''t even manipulated him. Beyond placing their essence inside of him, Rosan had not suffered anything at Pestilence''s hand.


    This desire to protect them... it was just the boy.


    "Shit," Pestilence thought in alarm.


    Was this how he got Mod? Was it really this easy for him?!


    "And how do you plan on doing that?" Pestilence said, choking on their words slightly.


    "I''ll get strong," he swore, eyes glowing with anger. "I won''t let them hurt you. I''m your only friend right now so... so I''ll keep you safe!"


    Pestilence stared at them for a long moment and sighed. "Idiot... when did I say we were friends?"


    "We''re friends!" Rosan said assertively. "Since we''re friends, I''ll protect you, Pe-chan!"


    Pestilence ignored the tingle and sighed. "Whatever you say, optimistic prisoner."


    Rosan nodded and yawned, tucking easily into their body like they had done so a dozen times.


    "Am I just a pillow for you?" they asked in some amusement.


    "Tell me what happens in the real world?" he asked curiously.


    Pestilence stared at them. "Fine. I''ll tell you."


    He smiled at them, before shutting his eyes. It didn''t take long for his quiet snores to release and Pestilence grunted as they felt the breath brush against their skin.


    Who was this kid? Did he even hear himself? He was going to go against himself to protect the virus who hated them?


    How stupid was he?


    "Stupid," they muttered, staring down at the idiot with a frown. "You''re stupid."


    Pestilence stared at that monster on the outside, the one who was capable of fighting a man with a bear zoan.


    "You don''t stand a chance against him," they muttered, feeling something unpleasant at the thought of the prisoner going against the Rosan on the outside.


    Then, a thought occurred to Pestilence.


    "How are you able to feel anger?" they thought in confusion.


    Anger was the only emotion that Pestilence could never feel from them.


    In fact... how was the Rosan on the outside capable of feeling emotion again?


    ...


    Pestilence didn''t like this. Pestilence didn''t like these strange thoughts at all.


    They wanted to go back to not thinking. Go back to the bloodlust that they so craved...


    But it seemed impossible.


    Pestilence had condemned Mod for falling for Rosan''s tricks... but it seems they were no better.


    Who was truly the pathetic one?


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    The castle had been steadily getting weaker.


    Pestilence had an inkling but gazing at the steadily cold prisoner that was Rosan confirmed it.


    The more the Rosan on the outside got better, the weaker the castle got... and the more emotions the Rosan on the inside lost.


    Pestilence didn''t really like that. They had been getting used to this boy.


    Losing him would put a damper on their plans...


    Not only that, he had been sleeping far more. He hardly stayed awake for more than an hour, quick to fall back asleep in their grasp as the virus watched the outside of the world.


    The only reason they deigned to mention something new was... because right as the castle grew to its weakest, complete disaster struck.


    Meiko, Rosan''s lover... Rosan''s goddamn lover had died in his arms.


    The result was so disastrous that Pestilence jolted in shock at hearing the Rosan she was holding let out a scream of distress.


    His eyes shot open, tears instantly flooding his eyes as he let out an anguished scream.


    "H-Hey!" Pestilence shouted, wincing as the child''s screeches nearly deafened her.


    Rosan didn''t hear them. The redhead just howled, tears spilling everywhere as the castle shuddered.


    "P-Pe-chan, it hurts!" he wailed. "W-Why does it hurt?!"


    Pestilence bit their lip in confusion.


    What were they supposed to tell him? They didn''t even know what was going on!


    Was his body changing once more?! Was this the effect of the one named Meiko dying?


    Rosan continued to wail in sheer agony and the sound was beginning to grate on them.


    "Stop crying!" Pestilence demanded awkwardly.


    "I-I can''t!" the 8 year old sobbed. "I don''t know what''s happening to me!"


    Pestilence reeled back in confusion as the child continued to sob. At the same time, in the outside world, the Rosan there''s expression vanished.


    "Did that crazy idiot shove all his emotions back into the kid?! What''s wrong with him?!" Pestilence raged in annoyance.


    Dammit all! What a nightmare!


    "H-Hey..." Pestilence said awkwardly, running a hand through the redhead''s hair. "It''ll... be alright?" they tried.


    They had never done this shit before. Reassure? Pestilence? This was normally the perfect time to break and take over their target.


    Shit. Um... what was the right thing to do here?


    Pestilence tentatively pulled Rosan into a hug and watched as the boy immediately latched onto them, shuddering as another sob ripped through their frame.


    The virus cringed back and just slowly pat his back, even as the redhead began steadily falling asleep.


    "He''s seriously just shoving off his emotions when things go bad?" Pestilence said darkly, eyes flashing in annoyance.


    That... wasn''t very fair at all to this Rosan right here.


    Take his emotions away as you healed... only to shove them right back onto him when you couldn''t handle it.


    Cruel. What a cruel punishment.


    Pestilence didn''t like that their Rosan was being submitted to it. Remain and suffer at the actions of the monster on the outside... or disappear and become one with the monster who had made him suffer.


    There was no winning for him... So Pestilence needed to draw up a winning play.


    Yes... Pestilence knew how to assure their freedom. It was obvious now.


    As Pestilence decided on their course of action, they slowly but surely blanketed the child fully in their aura.


    Yes it really was obvious. There was only one thing to do.


    Save Rosan.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Pestilence, Famine, War, Death¡­ all names that herald the apocalypse," Sengoku muttered, staring at the grinning lunatic of a woman, along with the somber and cold man.


    "Arrogant, isn''t he?" Kizaru drawled, dusting himself off slightly.


    "...No, he''s right. If left to his own devices, Portgas D. Rosan will bring about the end of the world," Sengoku said gravely.


    Not even a sure kill move had managed to put him down¡­ he merely absorbed the life force of another human and restored his own vitality. Was Modification truly capable of doing such things?


    The ability to Modify... somehow Rosan even exceeded what he thought the fruit could do.


    Just what was he? What was Portgas D. Rosan?


    Not to mention... what had happened to Kuzan? Where was he? Did Rosan somehow steal the abilities of Bartholomew Kuma? What had he done to the Admiral that was dominating the fight?


    Troubling... this Rosan seemed to possess a technique that the other had never shown...


    "They''re talking about you sweetheart," Pestilence mused, eyes glowing in barely restrained joy.


    "¡­" Famine said nothing, heavy gaze roving over all the soldiers there.


    Pestilence pouted. "Aww, don''t be such a stiff! It''s your first taste of freedom in so long and you''re brooding?!" they asked.


    They turned towards Famine and crossed their arms over their bust. "Will a kiss make you smile?" the virus asked curiously.


    Famine turned towards Pestilence with a neutral expression. "Now''s not the time, Pe-chan. We''re in the middle of a war," he replied softly.


    "I think that makes it even more perfect!" Pestilence grinned eagerly.


    "I mean just look! So many victims! It''s a dream come true!" they sighed in exhilaration.


    Pestilence disappeared from their spot and appeared in front of an unsuspecting Marine.


    The marine attempted to step back from the exotic and terrifying woman, only for her dainty hands to grip him with excruciating force.


    "It''s rude to back away from such a beautiful person," Pestilence crooned, expression turning sad as their dress lashed out wildly in every direction. "You''ll make them feel unwanted."


    The poor victim tried to speak but he let out a cry of pain, that turned into a scream of agony as his arm began degrading.


    "Isn''t being a Marine so boring?" Pestilence asked curiously, eyes gleaming maliciously.


    "Why not join my side! It''s really nice over here. We''ll consider this an apology for you being so rude to me~," they assured.


    "White Rage," they crooned, black aura roiling off their body and surging forward.


    "Someone help him!" A marine shouted in terror.


    But despite the scream, no one was eager to close the distance between themselves and the maniacal woman pulsing with that strange black energy the Red Devil had used to drain the Marine from earlier.


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    Everyone was too afraid to become a skeleton and that fear paralyzed them.


    How Pestilence loved that. They loved it so much.


    The marine''s screams of horror continued as the wave of dark energy washed over him, before anger filled his voice and he let out an unhinged screech.


    Black goo began covering his skin and Pestilence watched in joy as their creation lunged forward, leaping onto his shocked and confused ally with pure violence.


    He snarled violently and clawed away, letting out a shriek as the victim underneath him wailed in terror.


    "Kahahaha!" Pestilence laughed, spreading their arms in joy. "Freedom feels so good!"


    The virus laughed psychotically and as they prepared to fire off an even larger White Rage, they were suddenly forced to halt their action.


    A beam of light careened towards the giggling Pestilence and they watched it approach with wide eyes, before a wall surged upwards and blocked it.


    Famine floated over to Pestilence with a sigh, bodies dropping in his path as they felt the strength leave them. They began unintentionally kneeling for the black and red haired man, shuddering as he barely spared them a glance.


    "What will we do?" Famine asked. He stared at Pestilence''s creation, the corrupted man snarling ferally at anyone and attacking friends and foe alike.


    "Seems like we''re being targeted again by those Admirals," Pestilence frowned, eyes pulsing madly.


    The war seemed to still be going strong. While the Whitebeard Pirates seemed to be evacuating, the Marines gave chase, hellbent on finishing the job.


    "Look at them," Famine said softly, peering at the pursuing Marines. "Unable to think with nothing but their blades. Should such violent men really have a say in how the world should turn?"


    "That''s just how the world works," Pestilence shrugged helplessly. "Winners dictate the course. Losers have no choice but to follow it... and the only way to truly win, is to be the more violent person. Peace and kindness don''t move people, rage and war does."


    Famine sighed at that. "That same violence caused my life to spiral like this. Violence only breeds violence... so I suppose I have to become the most violent person alive."


    Pestilence smiled at that but before they could say anything, the sound of footsteps interrupted them.


    The duo turned around in unison, causing Pestilence to raise an amused brow at who had approached them.


    "F-Father?" Ram choked out in confusion, wiping the tears from her eyes as she regarded the image of her father.


    He looked... weird. He felt weird too. Ram was... she was really confused.


    Tears continued to stream down her eyes, as she repeatedly sniffed and Famine gazed at his ring with a half lidded gaze, feeling a slight pang at the mess of her face.


    "So you''re awake, Ram," Famine said softly, wiping the tears from her eyes and watching as she shuddered under his grasp.


    His heart panged again before he steeled it.


    "Go ensure the unconscious ones make it out. They are fully incapacitated and you''re very useful for them," he instructed, taking a step back.


    Ram flinched back, doubt on her face.


    "What''s going on¡­?" she whispered in confusion. "Why is the virus out? Why is part of your hair black? Where''s¡­ where''s Auntie?"


    "What is this, 20 questions?" Pestilence asked, sneering at Ram.


    Ram''s teary eyes transformed into a glare.


    "I wasn''t talking to you!" she snarled immediately.


    "Oh?" Pestilence asked in amusement. "Well I''m talking to you, bombshell," they mocked.


    "Why you..." Ram growled, as anger replaced sadness. "What did you do to Father?! Where is Auntie?!" she repeated, hand transforming into a blade.


    "That''s enough," Famine interrupted before the two could come to blows. "There''s no need to fight," he said softly.


    Pestilence pouted. "Boo you''re no fun. I was just getting started," they complained.


    Famine said nothing, sighing softly as he focused his gaze onto Ram.


    The ring flinched at seeing his black sclera and took a cautious step backwards.


    Famine noted the movement and slowly closed their eyes, letting out a sadder sigh this time.


    "Your assistance is unnecessary. Pe-chan is all I need currently," he said bluntly, turning away from Ram. "It''s time for you to leave Marineford. Please take the others and flee."


    The ring looked stunned at the order.


    "L-Leave you? But why?! I can''t just leave you!" Ram exclaimed. "W-What happened to you, Father? Who¡­ who are you?!"


    Famine''s features darkened. "I gave you an order, Ram," he said firmly.


    "Yeah, wouldn''t wanna disobey daddy would ya?" Pestilence mocked.


    Ram didn''t know what was going on. Her father but not father was staring her down. The stupid bitch of a virus was out in the open¡­


    "Auntie?" she called tentatively.


    There was a tense silence and Ram was sure her Father heard her call for Auntie but he just continued staring, black sclera pulsing.


    "...You should go, Ram. Please make sure the others make it out fine. I''m relying on you to keep them safe," Mod said eventually. "I''ll be fine."


    Ram hated that Auntie was lying to her. She was not fine¡­ not by any stretch of the imagination¡­


    But orders¡­ but orders were orders.


    "Under... Understood." Ram nodded stiffly, wiped the remainder of her tears. She hesitantly made her way to the unconscious bodies and frowned.


    She glanced back hesitantly and met the backs of Father and the virus, before reluctantly turning away from them.


    "I hope one of you wake up," Ram muttered to herself, fearing for father''s safety.


    She was scared for all of them. Luffy looked close to death... Ace''s injuries were intense too.


    Who was going to save Rosan?


    ...


    Ram glanced back once more and met the gaze of Hancock in the distance.


    "Bring them to the sea! I will help you, escort them away!" Hancock mouthed to the ring.


    They had met during the trip to Impel Down so this wasn''t strange to Ram at all. She initially had a problem with how grabby Hancock was with Father but it had gone away very quickly.


    Ram nodded stiffly in response.


    "Let us help you," Jinbe offered, carrying Luffy''s body carefully.


    "Us too!" the Whitebeard Pirates shouted, easily lifting Ace and Sabo up. "We''ll help to the best of our abilities."


    "..." Ram said nothing, just nodding her head slowly.


    Pestilence huffed in dissatisfaction. "You should have told her off more. Don''t tell me you''re upset that she asked who you are," they scowled.


    "...Of course I am," Famine replied softly.


    "Well you shouldn''t be. I''m the only one who''s opinion should matter," Pestilence told him.


    "What is this? What have you done, Pestilence? Who is this? How are you out?" Mod finally spoke up, biting her lip at the sudden turn of events.


    "Whatever do you mean Mod?" Pestilence retorted. "I saved him like you wanted. Well done stabilizing his insides. He would have died without you."


    "That''s not¡­ this isn''t the Rosan that I know," Mod said hesitantly. "How is that possible. Where is my Rosan?"


    "I wonder," Pestilence cackled.


    Mod bit her lip and flinched as the connection forcefully cut.


    This wasn''t¡­ what was going on? Where did this Rosan come from? Who was this Famine? Was he Rosan? Did Pestilence make him look like Rosan?


    She needed to¡­ she needed to investigate urgently.


    Where was her Rosan?


    Famine suddenly wrapped an arm around Pestilence''s waist and leapt away, grunting as a sharp blade cut into his body.


    He landed near a mass of people that whirled around to him but the man ignored them, black tendrils merely moving ominously.


    It was soon made apparent as simultaneously, the bodies around Famine began panting, slowing down drastically as they seemed to age in real time.


    "What''s¡­ happening to us?" A marine rasped, collapsing on his knees as the energy left him completely.


    Famine''s eyes didn''t flit over to him, too focused on the wielder of the blade.


    "I''m sorry. I can''t seem to control my hunger," he said softly, wound sealing shut as his stamina was forcefully restored to him¡­


    At the cost of the people around him... the black tendrils detached from their bodies and snaked back onto his hair.


    "None deserve the right to stand in your presence," Pestilence sighed warily. "They must kneel to show respect."


    Famine''s white wings flapped idly, staring at the curious Hawkeye Mihawk with a tilted head.


    "Who are you?" Mihawk asked, gazing at his own body and then the deteriorating bodies around the black haired man. "You are different from both versions of Ambitionless I''ve encountered."


    "All of you are saying the same thing¡­ I''m already tired of hearing it," Famine replied softly.


    It was tiring, being constantly asked who he was. As if he were the impostor¡­


    It was very grating.


    Mihawk continued to gaze at the strange version of Rosan, expression neutral despite his suspicion.


    How odd. Such a strong presence this one carried. It was draining just being close to him...


    Such a strange ability¡­ just what had happened to Ambitionless?


    There had been a tinge of disappointment, at seeing him die due to the foolish actions of Fire Fist¡­ After all, the redhead had done a phenomenal job this war.


    To see him throw it all away due to his brothers stupidity... Mihawk was disappointed such a talent had been snuffed out due to forces out of his control.


    It filled him with some satisfaction at seeing the redhead alive, but it seems like his death was merely the gateway for this strange entity to appear.


    "You wish to battle?" Famine asked, ice beginning to freeze the floor around him.


    Pestilence wasn''t nearly as fearless as Famine was, gazing warily at the World''s Greatest Swordsman.


    Mihawk stared at the duo for a moment, before gazing at the retreating Ram.


    Then, he placed his blade away.


    "No. I''ve already tried my hand at killing you and failed. You''ve already died but yet you stand here alive. Clearly if you''re meant to die today, it''s not at my hand."


    "Besides, the reason I''m interested in battling you is currently running away. I did not realize Ram was capable of even transforming into a human," Mihawk noted.


    Pestilence scowled. "So what? That''s why you''ve lost interest?!" they asked.


    "Yes. My interest in you without Ram, has significantly dropped," Mihawk stated bluntly. "Not to mention, you aren''t the Ambitionless I''m interested in either."


    Pestilence snarled in annoyance, black waves roiling off their body. "I''ll make you regret that one day," they muttered.


    "..." Famine gazed at the retreating back of Hawkeyes.


    "Fucking asshole," Pestilence said, sighing in relief.


    "Hmph," was all Famine said, turning away from the Warlord.


    "I envy how fearless you are," Pestilence sighed.


    "You don''t have to worry. I''ll protect you," Famine assured.


    Pestilence sighed in bliss. "Sometimes, I find it hard to believe I was won over... and then I speak to you," they said happily.


    "How are you alive, Red Devil?!" Sengoku shouted, grabbing both their attentions. "You shouldn''t be breathing! That attack was fatal!"


    It didn''t make any sense at all. How could he even move about?! What was going on right now?!


    Who on earth was that woman next to him infecting their soldiers?! Some type of necromancer?!


    "¡­" Famine stared at the Fleet Admiral with an expressionless face. "Alive... I wonder if you could truly call it that," he said eventually.


    Sengoku stared at the strange version of Rosan with a look of confusion.


    What did he mean by that? Was this even the same Rosan that had been terrorizing them?


    It certainly didn''t feel like it... this didn''t feel like the Rosan who was desperate to save his brother.


    This felt like a Rosan who was here to inflict damage and judging by his skillset... the weaker Marines were in a lot of trouble.


    Was this the source of how all the previous wielders died? It had to have been¡­ those corrupted Marines exhibited the same symptoms¡­


    What exactly was going on?!


    Sengoku hadn''t been able to glean Rosan''s Devil Fruit for so long because he had never actually seen an effective user of Modification.


    No one could properly utilize the fruit if Vegapunk was not in presence and considering the man loved to stay holed up in Egghead and the fruit offered too much to just be used for his research.


    Clearly they should have just left it with the scientist. Sengoku wasn''t even sure if Vegapunk himself knew of all the things Modification could do.


    In the first place, he never considered it an offense based fruit. It''s applications in the sciences and quality of life were unmatched... Anyone who utilized it properly, would have been an impossibly valuable asset with their control over what they could change.


    But Rosan... even if Sengoku knew about what Modification could really do, he wasn''t sure he''d be able to apply it to Rosan until now.


    Even now he was finding it hard to believe. None of this was making any sense to him at all!


    Weapons of war¡­ that''s what Rosan was geared to be.


    His love of violence, his adeptness at it... No matter what form he may have been in, Rosan specialized in warfare to a worrying degree.


    Rosan was a person who thrived the more enemies he was up against and being in the middle of a war, with so many opponents he was stronger than, made him excessively dangerous.


    It didn''t matter if he was nowhere near the strongest here. His skillset allowed him to widen the gap between the people he was stronger than and that was a numerous amount of their soldiers. More than enough of a percentage to make him a worrying threat.


    The rampaging beasts that the strange woman (who on earth was that?!) created, along with the bodies falling in close proximity to the black haired man were proof of that.


    This Famine¡­ he lived up to his name, draining the life force out of people with but a touch...


    Sengoku didn''t like the implications that Modification could tamper with such things.


    And Pestilence¡­ one touch was all they needed to convert a person to their side.


    Horrifying. They needed to be dealt with immediately. Rosan could not make it off this island. He caused far too many casualties.


    "That woman..." the injured Garp called out in disbelief, clutching his wound tightly.


    Sengoku turned towards his friend in confusion. "What is it Garp? Who is that woman?"


    Garp shook his head warily.


    He had nearly gone and killed Akainu himself at seeing Rosan''s corpse lying on the ground... but all of that paled in comparison to the sheer relief, and complete horror, at seeing the next set of actions.


    Rosan had always been violent but this was... the feral nature of that beast before wasn''t like his grandson.


    Rosan''s violence, while Garp condemned it, was usually targeted to a specific type of people and they always had thought behind his actions.


    But this was just violence for the sake of it...


    Not to mention...


    "That woman looks exactly like Portgas D. Rouge," Garp said gravely.


    Sengoku froze at that. "What...? You''re telling me that white haired woman looks like his mother?!"


    What the hell did that even entail? Did the Red Devil create someone in his mothers image?


    He even had that random silver haired girl show up out of nowhere! Was he capable of creating life?!


    "Borsalino, deal with them now," Sengoku ordered.


    "Yes, boss," the Admiral drawled, vanishing in a burst of light immediately.


    Famine grunted, as a kick connected to his midsection and sent him soaring away.


    Pestilence shrieked as a beam of light pierced their stomach. The virus immediately clutched their stomach and stared at Kizaru with wild eyes.


    "Looking at me with such scary eyes," Kizaru drawled, holding his finger out as he kept his distance from the strange woman.


    Famine felt a wave of fury wash over them as Pestilence held their midsection and he held out a hand.


    The Admiral stepped back as the ground surged beneath him and he easily dodged the white wave of energy, before allowing a wild beast to leap through his body.


    He stared at the feral Marine with a bored expression, noting the black pulsing from their body and the intelligible noises they made.


    "Well now this isn''t very fair," Kizaru drawled. "Putting my own soldiers against me. How cruel."


    "Go," Pestilence rasped violently to her minions.


    More and more began swarming the Admiral and Pestilence snarled in annoyance, dashing over to Famine''s location and immediately pushing him backwards.


    "We should go," they said, watching as Famine''s eyes zeroed in on the admiral fending off the hoard of their minions.


    "¡­" he said nothing, eyes pulsing ominously.


    "Famine! There''s nothing left for us here. We still have business to wrap up," Pestilence urged, choosing to be the voice of reason this time. "We aren''t strong enough just yet and we''ve caused enough damage. That Admiral''s gonna come straight for us and I''m not losing you."


    Famine finally abated at that and frowned. "Eventually... I will earn my retribution but for now, I guess you''re right¡ª"


    He suddenly paused what he was saying, before suddenly going alert. His eyes suddenly glowed with a feral light.


    His gaze snapped towards a direction and he launched himself towards it just in time to intercept Admiral Akainu.


    Ram watched with wide eyes, falling on her butt as she summoned a barrier to protect her family to the best of her ability.


    She had been trying to run away, staying back to guard them... but she hadn''t realized they were still being pursued by the Admiral.


    All three of them were being carried off towards the direction Ram dictated but the Admiral who had struck down Father wasn''t letting them get away scott free.


    He already landed a heavy blow to the Jinbe carrying Luffy and the youngest brothers injuries were becoming concerning to the point where Ram had taken it upon herself to try and ward off the Admiral...


    To almost no effect at all. Ram wasn''t useful without Father. There was only so much a weapon could do without their wielder.


    There was only so much a daughter could do without her father...


    Akainu naturally didn''t take too kindly to that and had immediately attempted to punch a hole through Ram.


    Ram wasn''t really worried about getting attacked in her human form. She wasn''t human after all... but Ram was pretty sure she didn''t want to get hit by magma.


    Famine''s eyes glowed maliciously, as a wall surged and blocked the Admiral from delivering a fatal blow to her. He waved a hand and summoned a pillar of white ice that stabbed directly through Akainu''s midsection, merely forming a hole in the man''s body.


    "F-Father?" Ram whispered in surprise.


    "...Are you okay?" Famine asked softly, not looking back at her.


    "I''m okay..." she mumbled, pushing herself up slowly.


    "Good," Famine said softly, eyes glowing brightly.


    Akainu grunted at that. He had only managed to slightly hit Straw Hat but not only was Jinbe guarding him with his own body, someone was interfering.


    "How did you live my attack boy?" a battered Akainu scowled. He looked like he had been put through the ringer by Whitebeard and the fact he was still raring to go was admirable.


    Famine''s response was to simply outstretch his hand.


    "Deprivation."


    A wave of pure white energy shot out and Akainu grunted, transforming his body into magma and avoiding the area around him degrading into nothing.


    It was as if the very life was being sucked out of it. If he stayed in it, it was likely he''d suffer somewhat similar results.


    The ground began disintegrating, seeming to erode before his very eyes and Akainu regarded the technique with a cold expression, only for his eyes to widen as the ground underneath him opened and swallowed him.


    Before he could anything, the top closed and shut on him.


    "Father never fought like that," Ram noted nervously, watching the swift and ruthless move.


    "Rosan?" Jinbe called cautiously, clutching his injury with one hand.


    He flinched slightly at seeing the pitch black sclera of the redhead with black streaks.


    "You are about to meet up with Hancock, correct?" he asked Ram softly. "I saw you two communicating."


    "Y-Yes?" Ram stammered, feeling nervous in a way she never had before.


    As she looked up at the neutral expression of her father, Ram distantly realized she was terrified of this man.


    If Famine noticed, he didn''t say anything. He just looked past Ram and hummed quietly.


    Then, he outstretched his hand and palmed the floor.


    The ground surged upwards into a direct path towards the ocean and at the same time, he summoned a pure white horse.


    "Black Horse," he said softly, putting a hand against the horse.


    His creation neighed and leaned against him, not making a noise as it was encased in pure white ice.


    "Take it. This will lead you to the ocean," he said quietly, ensuring that none but them could hear it.


    Ram shuddered at that and nodded stiffly. "W-What will you do?" she chanced.


    Famine gazed at her, before turning away. "Be careful. They will not let you escape easily."


    With that he flew into the sky.


    Ram watched him go with a look of trepidation.


    As Famine remained stationary in midair, he glanced at his Raid Suit.


    "Almost completely destroyed," he said softly. "I''ve drained much energy but I still feel tired too..."


    Pestilence appeared next to him in a flash, a look of annoyance on their face as they glared at him.


    "Are you listening to me?" they asked, crossing their arms.


    "I always am," Famine replied bluntly. "I listen to everything you say. But you''re far too afraid currently. You finally have a taste of freedom and you''re running away."


    "R-Running away?!" Pestilence spluttered, rounding on him with a look of shock. "So now you''re acting like a reckless idiot because of that?! I would have thought that you would be the voice of reason!"


    Famine grunted. "Fear isn''t a good look for you Pe-chan. You''re much prettier when you''re confident."


    Their jaw dropped at that. "Afraid?! I''m cautious! Clearly it was a good decision because you''ve turned completely reckless right now. I swear, if you just listen to me we can really just¡ª mghmm!"


    Famine idly pulled Pestilence close and silenced them with a kiss, still assessing the situation as he watched Ram and co hesitantly board his horse.


    "That won''t work every time you asshole," Pestilence muttered with a scowl, sinking into his frame as they conceded.


    "It hasn''t failed me yet," Famine replied, eyes roving over to all the threats.


    "You have a massive target on your back. They want you dead," the virus stated with a frown.


    "I am almost out of energy. I need more... besides I have a lot of pent up aggression currently. It would be best if I just worked some off right now," he said idly.


    "I''ve got plenty of ways to work off aggression but I guess I understand," Pestilence sighed. "Alright, let''s go ¡ª"


    "Zehahaha!"


    "Hm?"


    Pestilence and Famine both paused at that laugh and turned towards the source.


    "Famine, I swear," Pestilence snarled, pushing the man back violently as his eyes narrowed. "That guy beat your brother and we don''t know how clean it was or not, but if he was able to beat him, he can beat you. You don''t have enough energy to be recklessly charging everyone you see. For Kami''s sake Famine, you had a hole in your midsection not long ago!"


    The redhead stared at Pestilence, eyes still narrowed before he let out a tense breath. "And you always pretend like you''re so tough. If you''re really that worried just say it," he grunted.


    The virus nearly bit him, a vein of annoyance forming.


    Annoying fucking...


    "Well well! You''ve gotten even more interesting, Red Devil!" Blackbeard cackled, gazing directly at Famine with a wide grin. "You''ve shocked the world with all your actions! But that''s not the most shocking thing that''ll happen today! I''ll have to take the stage for now!"


    Famine watched as the one who defeated Ace grinned widely.


    "Zehahahaha! Watch me! I''m about to shake the foundations of the world!" Blackbeard shouted eagerly.


    "Teach, what is the meaning of this?!" Sengoku shouted in confusion. That confusion then turned into horror as he noticed the assortment of people behind him.


    What on earth¡­? All these people¡­ this was...


    These were the level 6 prisoners of Impel Down! These were the worst criminals in the world!


    Sengoku went pale. Did Blackbeard free all the prisoners from Level 6?! What on earth was he thinking? The sheer danger all of them emitted... there was a reason they wanted to be erased from history!


    Wait a second¡­ if all the prisoners from level 6 were set free then that meant¡­


    Then it meant that even he was free...!


    Whitebeard''s eyes narrowed at the sight of Teach laughing.


    "Teach," Newgate rumbled, ignoring the heavy burns Akainu inflicted onto him in their fight.


    He was beginning to slow down, Rosan''s boost to him wearing off little by little as the Emperor expended more and more of his stamina.


    But it was still more than enough. Marineford was practically tipping at his power and it was thanks to that redheaded brat...


    Whitebeard had felt the most guilt outside of Rosan''s family at what had transpired. After all, Ace was his foolish son after all and despite Rosan being his older brother, Newgate had a responsibility that he hadn''t been able to uphold.


    He had forced Rosan to show far more than he probably intended and the redhead had expended himself far past what he should have done.


    And the end result... was the redhead being the one who was struck a fatal blow.


    To do everything right and still end up dead...


    As the one being done the favor, it was an incredible shame for Whitebeard to bear such an ugly cross. He would never be able to handle the fact that someone had helped him so drastically and had died as a result...


    Utterly shameful. Whitebeard was truly glad that the man had somehow survived, no matter how different he may have been now.


    "That brat gave me a little bit of life... whatever happens to him, I''m sure he''ll deal with it," Whitebeard grunted. "As for me..."


    Blackbeard''s eyes widened as Whitebeard''s muscles bulged and he watched in horror, as the World''s Strongest Man smashed the air with one arm.


    "W-What the hell is this power?!" Teach shouted in shock, as a quake, reminiscent to a younger Whitebeard, raced towards him with crushing force.


    "Showing your face in front of me? You must have a death wish," Whitebeard rumbled, glaring at him with all the fury in the world.


    Famine said nothing, merely flexing his white wings as the air picked up from the heavy winds. He ensured Pestilence was fine and glanced at the action taking place below.


    "He freed the criminals from level 6. That''s not very good. Some of those people were very dangerous," the man pointed out idly, hand glowing as he contemplated sending a blast their way.


    "We shoulda killed them like the dogs they were," Pestilence sighed, eyes roving over all the new pirates. "Now he''s gonna be a problem in the future."


    "Nothing changes. He still dies and his new crew will join for foolishly joining his cause. He caused this entire mess and kick started this entire war," Famine decided.


    Pestilence shrugged. "Sounds good to me. He''ll get what''s coming to him eventually."


    "So he''s the reason this war started? That makes sense... but I''d still appreciate if you didn''t try to kill him..."


    The duo paused at that and turned towards the source, glancing warily at the figure across from them.


    "...Teach is kinda my captain after all, I''m obligated to fight for him and I don''t wanna beat up my son in the process. Missed too much of his life, would suck to start off on the wrong foot," Cutter grinned wolfishly, floating a relatively close distance to the duo.


    He looked far more polished now, having cleaned up since his time in prison.


    His pitch black hair was shoulder length and spiked downward, framing a handsome and rugged face that had stubby facial hair.


    Cutter was tall. Taller than Rosan by what looked to be 3 inches.


    Famine glanced at him, expression not betraying anything. "You''ve already started off on the worst foot possible," he informed him.


    Cutter''s grin dimmed a bit at that and he stared at his strange son with a curious expression. "How so?" he asked slowly.


    "You joined the man that I vowed to kill no matter what. The same man who captured and handed over my brother to the World Government... and the same man who attempted to kill me. As far as I''m concerned, you''re already dead," Famine said bluntly.


    Pestilence immediately hissed at him through their connection. "Down boy!" they demanded.


    The man scratched his unkempt black hair, spikes jostling as he peered at his son. "Raisa really didn''t give you a good impression of me huh?" he mused. "Well, I can''t really blame her. I did a pretty shitty move."


    "We can''t beat him. We stand even less of a chance of beating him than we do Blackbeard," Pestilence whispered through their connection.


    "¡­"


    "You''re incorrect," Famine said idly, turning towards the pathetic sight of Blackbeard getting his face caved in slightly by Whitebeard. "Raisa did not raise me. We barely know each other. My animosity for you stems from your actions. You''ve yet to make a good one."


    Cutter raised a brow high at that. "So that Sengoku wasn''t lying huh?" the man mused darkly.


    "You were raised by Roger''s wife?" he asked calmly.


    "You have a problem with my mother?" Famine asked warningly, turning his full attention onto Cutter. His eyes sharpened drastically and the air around him grew heavy.


    Cutter shook his head honestly, shrugging his shoulders. "Not really, no. I''m sure the woman who raised you was a delight¡­ she sacrificed her life to save her children after all¡­ but I have a lot of issues with Roger."


    "...I see," Famine said idly. "Tell me something Cutter¡­ does your issue with Roger carry onto Ace now that he''s dead?"


    "That''s the funny thing," Cutter snorted. "I wanted you to be the one who surpassed any kid Roger was going to have. Funny how you just tried to die for him."


    Pestilence narrowed their eyes.


    "...You wanted to raise me to kill Ace then. As one last play of revenge to Roger," Famine guessed.


    "You''re smart. Way smarter than me at least," Cutter chuckled. "Good answer. Since Roger died without me ever getting my revenge, I took a gamble and settled for the next best thing. I heard a few things after all regarding the South Blue."


    "Ah, I think I get it now. After Roger died, your father lost his mind. Being unable to enact his revenge drove him to madness and he realized a child was the answer to some solution he had. I have no fucking clue how he came to that conclusion but insanity does things to people."


    Famine mulled over Pestilence''s thoughts. "Ace is my younger brother. I will not kill him. That will never be negotiable," he said bluntly.


    Cutter sighed. "I figure you''d say that. You sacrificed your life for him after all¡­"


    Those brilliant golden eyes of his peered at Famine''s purple and Cutter stared almost curiously at him.


    "So what exactly have you done to my son?" Cutter asked, expression not changing but air growing more dangerous.


    Pestilence immediately went stiff.


    "You aren''t the same Rosan I met at Impel Down. You look the same... have the same voice... practically identical but you aren''t him. Who are you? How did you become a different person?" Cutter asked in a friendly manner.


    The man shrugged.


    "Well, I guess that doesn''t matter too much. Whatever you did to Rosan, return him. I wanted to speak to him more, not you."


    Famine''s brows furrowed and a flash of annoyance crossed his features that was quickly transforming into rage.


    He was getting so sick of these accusations. What was it about him that made him not Rosan?


    He was Rosan.


    He was Rosan.


    Why could no one get that in their skull? Why was he... being treated like an impostor? Was this not as much his body as the other?


    Cutter idly dodged to the left, as a wave of black energy nearly consumed him whole.


    "Wouldn''t wanna get hit by that," he mused, eyes shifting to the person he was ignoring. "Is this your girlfriend? She''s cute," he said proudly.


    Then his brows furrowed. "But Blackbeard showed me a different picture. I thought you were dating some Devil of Ohara girl. She''s also pretty cute. You have good taste... also are they fine with you sharing? The perks of being beautiful I guess," he shrugged.


    Pestilence was snarling at the man now, eyes narrowed and teeth bared.


    "Watch your mouth when you talk to him or I''ll rip off your lips and sew it to your nuts," they warned.


    Cutter turned his gaze towards the white haired woman and raised a brow.


    "Who are you supposed to be?" he mused.


    Pestilence scowled at him. "None of your fucking business. How are you even up here? What do you want?"


    "I wanted to bond with my son," Cutter shrugged. "Now who are you? I''ll give you once chance to answer only. I have a sneaking suspicion that you were the one that did something to him"


    Famine stepped in front of Pestilence immediately at that, eyes narrowed.


    "You aren''t laying a hand on them. I''ll make you regret every decision that lead to my birth if you do," he warned, protecting the virus with a dangerous look in his eyes.


    Cutter snorted. "Kahaha! Is that so?"


    Faster then either could react, Cutter appeared behind Pestilence.


    The viruses eyes were wide and they whirled around, a bead of sweat falling down their cheek.


    Mercifully, Cutter just pat them on the head.


    "You aren''t strong enough yet, fake son," Cutter muttered with a gleam in his eyes. "I''ve been in prison for 25 years and you still couldn''t react well to me. You''ve got a lot of work cut out for you¡­"


    "...But it''ll have to wait. I''ve got obligations to fulfill but afterwards, I''ll pick you up," Cutter decided, narrowing his golden eyes slightly.


    The black haired man gazed at the battle field, predatory gaze peering at the battle happening.


    "You can either return my son or I''ll do it forcefully. The choice is yours," Cutter decided, rocketing off towards Newgate.


    The former prisoner grinned ferally, scales covering his skin as he blazed through the air.


    He made it just in time to intercept the fist attempting to strike the cowering Blackbeard.


    A massive shockwave coursed through the battlefield at the moment of impact and many people were forced to cover their faces as a heavy wind nearly bowled them over.


    Cutter threw his head back and laughed as he was pushed back slightly. "Man I''m rusty," he grinned excitedly. "It''s been awhile since I got to move these bones of mine!"


    The pirate glanced back at his captain and raised a single brow.


    "Kahaha! A bad first impression, captain! I can''t have much faith in you if you''re cowering at the slightest problems!" Cutter said, grinning wolfishly at Blackbeard.


    Then, he lunged forward again and the two clashed once more.


    As his scales clashed against Whitebeard''s fist, Cutter grunted and disengaged, shaking it idly.


    He needed to train more¡­ it had been a long time since he got to feel the sensation of even movement.


    Blackbeard gazed at Cutter in shock, not expecting him to be able to weather a blow from Whitebeard like that.


    "Zehahaha! Cutter! You''re way more impressive than I ever expected!" he laughed gleefully.


    Cutter snorted. "You thought I didn''t have a bounty because I was weak? I don''t have a bounty because they''re trying to erase me from history and I''ve only committed one crime that I immediately got arrested for¡­ isn''t that right Sengoku?" he asked amusedly.


    Sengoku was shaking in disbelief. Of all the things Blackbeard had done¡­


    To free this man¡­ that absolute fool! What was he thinking?!


    "Rocks D. Cutter," Whitebeard rumbled in surprise. "You''re alive brat?"


    Cutter sneered at Whitebeard, all semblances of that friendly aura gone. "Yeah I am, traitor. Too bad you won''t be for long."


    "Traitor? What are you spouting brat?" Whitebeard grunted in some confusion.


    "Don''t play dumb. You think I don''t know how buddy buddy you were with Roger?" Cutter raised a brow. "Well, whatever. You''ve already picked your side long ago and I''m here to cash in."


    Whitebeard''s muscles tensed. "Just try it."


    "Trying means I have a chance of failing!" Cutter exclaimed grinning wildly, clenching his fists eagerly.


    "Blackbeard! Do you have any idea what you''ve done?!" Sengoku roared in fury. "This isn''t a man you should have set free! Why would you do such a thing?!"


    Blackbeard laughed eagerly. "Maybe not for you! But for me?! Cutter is proving to be more and more valuable by the second!" he exclaimed.


    Shiryu grunted. "He sure is hogging all the spotlight."


    "A bigshot no name?" Catarina Devon mused with interested eyes, gazing at the man brazenly standing off against Whitebeard.


    "He''s got balls, I''ll give him that," Burgess cackled with wild eyes.


    Cutter rolled his eyes at the attention he was receiving. "Why is everyone so wary of me? I''m not my brother. I''m nothing like him at all¡­ in fact, my son acts more like him than me and I''ve only heard about him today," he shrugged.


    "Your son?!" Teach asked with wide eyes. "You have a kid?"


    "Yeah that''s right. He''s damn impressive too," Cutter nodded in amusement, gazing directly at the Famine staring down at him. "The reason Sengoku there is so afraid of the Red Devil, is because I''m his father and my brother is his uncle."


    There was a tense silence at that, before Blackbeard''s eyes bugged.


    "WHAT?!" Teach roared in shock. "You''re that dreamers pops?!"


    Blackbeard looked up at Famine with wide eyes, gazing rapidly between him and Cutter.


    "..." Famine said nothing, merely ready to escape at a moments notice. Pestilence was clutching him with both hands to ensure he didn''t get to do something stupid before they stopped him.


    "The one and only," Cutter grinned wildly. "He''s been making me proud and I''ve only known him for a few hours! He really is a Rocks isn''t he, Sengoku?! Looks like your fears came true and I didn''t even have to do anything else!"


    Waves of horror coursed through the field at the fact that someone had confirmed to be the Red Devil''s father.


    It was not because they knew what Cutter was dangerous... it was because anyone who was the parent of the demon named Rosan could not have possible been good news.


    It didn''t help that their Fleet Admiral seemed so repulsed at the idea that this man in particular had been set free.


    "That is cousin''s father?" the retreating Hancock thought in shock and confusion.


    Sengoku said nothing, red in rage as everything went to hell right before his very eyes... right before victory struck.


    Portgas D. Ace was escaping Marineford, Portgas D. Rosan was somehow alive and Rocks D. Cutter had been set free, maniacal vengeance still firm in his stance.


    The worst of it all, was that Portgas D. Rosan wielded a Devil Fruit he should have never in a million years consumed. He was quite possibly the worst person possible to be given a fruit like Modification because he seemed to be the perfect wielder for it.


    20 years. 20 years he had wielded that Devil Fruit and it took them 20 years to finally realize that it was his Devil Fruit.


    Not only that, Marshall D. Teach had pulled a cloak over all their eyes. His capturing of Portgas D. Ace, his ascension to Warlord, his visit to Impel Down... all of it was planned for this moment.


    For the moment Blackbeard made his name known to the entire world.


    He and Rosan were the same in that regard and Sengoku hated it. Two tactical monsters who orchestrated and planned their actions, waiting for the opportune moment to strike.


    Sengoku hated the smart pirates. They would always pick and choose situations that turned advantageous for them, ensuring they benefited to the max degree from it.


    That was Rosan and Blackbeard. Those two were the worst type of pirates to deal with because there was no dealing with them immediately, there was no luring them in. They were too paranoid to fall for such simple things like that.


    That''s why Sengoku had been pleased that Rosan died. With him out of the way, it would only be a matter of time before the entirety of the Straw Hats, Luffy and Robin in particular, completely collapsed.


    But yet here he was, glaring coldly down at them. Nothing thrown his way was capable of permanently keeping him down. It was like dealing with the undead.


    And now Teach was here to make matters even worse. Freeing Cutter was one of the stupidest things he could have ever done. The man was only fueled by mania and vengeance... and now he knew of the existence of his son.


    This was a nightmare situation. Sengoku needed to salvage this to the best of his ability.


    But how on earth was he going to do that?! Kuzan was nowhere to be seen, Sakazuki had temporarily vanished and Borsalino was dealing with their converted Marines with a reluctance that Sakazuki would chastise.


    And to make matters worse, it looked like Cutter was about to engage Whitebeard in battle.


    Sengoku grit his teeth.


    When had things gone so out of control?! This war had evolved far beyond what it had initially been!


    "So Newgate, did you have fun cozying up to Roger like the little coward you are?" Cutter asked curiously, clashing with the man one time and causing a temporary standstill.


    The black haired man stepped away once more, eyeing Whitebeards naginata with an amused glint.


    "You''ve become bold brat. Much different then that sniveling boy who used to hide behind his brother," Whitebeard retorted, clenching his fist as he prepared to spend his last few moments taking out as many of the Blackbeard Pirates as possible.


    "Kahahaha! I was 10 when I watched my brother die and over the years, I watched the culprit attain all the glory in the world while I was forced to watch! The worst part is, I wasn''t even able to enact revenge before he died," Cutter said, sardonic grin vanishing as his pupils transformed into slits.


    "You, Linlin and Kaido sat there and let Roger do whatever he wanted. Vengeance never once crossed your mind¡­ in my eyes, you''re no better. So I''m going to kill you hear and get rid of your entire crew," the former prisoner swore.


    "Just try it brat. You won''t make it off this island," Whitebeard rumbled.


    Cutter''s grin was back.


    "You''ve already got one foot in the grave, geezer. You think I plan on losing to that?"


    He rushed his former crewmate once more and watched as Whitebeard tensed his arms.


    The World''s Strongest Man slammed a fist in Cutter''s path that smashed into his scales, blowing the man back.


    "Those look weaker," Cutter grunted, looking at the scuff marks on his chest. "I guess even monsters get old."


    Whitebeard scoffed. "I have more than enough to put you in your place, brat."


    "Kahaha! You might! I''m way too rusty but that never stopped me!" he grinned, lunging forward once more with wild eyes.


    He picked up a discarded sword off the ground and clashed with Whitebeard. Sparks rang through the air before Cutter''s weapon suddenly broke.


    The man seemed to expect it, already dashing closer into his guard with his scaled fists extended.


    Whitebeard anticipated it, fist already glowing with the exertion of his fruit.


    Both of them collided with the others face. Cutter''s features caved slightly, while a burst of blood spurted from Whitebeard, as the sharp and scaly fist crashed into his already damaged body.


    "No haki?" Cutter mused, ignoring the damage to his face as Whitebeard''s blood splattered on his face. "You really are too weak right now. Edward Newgate, a shadow of who he used to be."


    Whitebeard ignored the man and gripped his naginata with his other hand, coating it in his Devil Fruit and slashing towards Cutter with serious eyes.


    Cutter''s eyes widened excitedly as it crashed against him. A spray of blood flew from his chest as the vibrations launched him backwards and he touched the injury.


    He grinned. "I guess you aren''t washed up completely!" he exclaimed.


    Whitebeard grunted. "You''re like a completely different person. Since when do you enjoy fighting so much?"


    "Since I realized I needed to fight for myself if I wanted to change anything," Cutter grinned.


    With that, the man began to change.


    Cutter began growing to ludicrous sizes as the black scales across his body grew more pronounced. His body elongated as he ascended to the sky.


    "What?!" Sengoku said in shock, gazing at the serpentine dragon in horror as it shadowed the sky.


    Cutter snarled down at Marineford, large and intimidating and immediately grabbing everyone''s attention.


    Gold hair was littered across his body, as two whiskers jutted out. Spiky appendages adorned the top of its serpentine body and the dragon roared in amusement.


    So this is the Devil Fruit he stole from the Iris," Sengoku said, sweat dropping from his features as he gazed at the enormous dragon that looked similar, yet ominously different from Kaido''s.


    "You ate a Devil Fruit?" Whitebeard wondered, gazing fearlessly at the black dragon.


    "Yeah I did. A prize for severing the bond of the only person alive I could trust," Cutter rumbled.


    "It''s the Uo Uo no mi, Model: Kokuryuu."


    A Devil Fruit guarded jealously by the Iris... because no person was capable of wielding such an evil ability.


    No, people who ate this mythical zoan were driven into madness, unable to withstand the dominant will of this Devil Fruit.


    When Raisa, who was currently unconscious, had been a child, she had scoffed at such absurdity, vowing to herself that any offspring of hers would be the one to tame such a Devil Fruit, since she had already chosen hers.


    And Raisa''s vows would have come true... Rosan would have eaten this Devil Fruit in another timeline perhaps...


    But in this timeline the Devil Fruit belonged to Cutter.


    With that, Rosan''s father opened his mouth and roared, firing a gigantic torrent of water of all things that washed over the entire battlefield.


    "Nothern Wave!" the dragon roared violently.


    "W-Water?!" Someone shouted in horror.


    Crocodile sucked his teeth violently, ensuring that he wasn''t in the vicinity of that attack.


    Many other Devil Fruit users were of similar thought, running away from the battle taking place around Cutter and Blackbeard.


    Whitebeard grunted, watching as heavy blast of water made its way to him, and slammed a fist into the air parting the water around him.


    Others who hadn''t fled the danger zone were not so lucky. The pressurized water engulfed them and screams of shock emitted as they were temporarily submerged.


    Cutter snorted and cut off the stream, before focusing again.


    This time when the dragon opened its maw again, icy blue energy forming this time.


    "Northern Ice!"


    A beam of pure ice careened towards Whitebeard this time, freezing the very air around it.


    Once more Whitebeard attempted to crash a fist against the air, only for nothing to come out as Teach finally made his presence known.


    "Zehahaha! Can''t use your Devil Fruit to stop it?!" Blackbeard roared in amusement, right as the ice crashed into Whitebeard.


    The sheer force of the ice, caved Whitebeard''s midsection in but to Teach''s utter shock, the man ignored it, turning towards Blackbeard without any hesitation.


    A fist slammed into the Dark Logia and Teach howled in agony as Whitebeard put as much power into it as possible.


    He released Whitebeard due to the pain of the immensely powerful man and that was the single greatest mistake he could have made in the moment.


    Power immediately imbued Whitebeard''s naginata, as he filled it with his Devil Fruit and prepared to swing it downwards ¡ª


    Only to stop in his tracks.


    Blackbeard hesitantly removed his hand from his face in shock, only to see a clawed and scaly hand punching through Whitebeard''s chest. They were covered in dark flames that instantly burned the blood seeping off it.


    "Who told you to take your eyes off me?" Cutter asked quietly, eyes smoldering in genuine anger as he turned his eyes towards Blackbeard.


    "And who told you to interfere in my battle?" he asked his captain. "Don''t do that again. Good fights are hard to come by."


    "Zehahaha! My bad but we''ve gotta move along!" Teach grinned apologetically. "You were getting too wild with your attacks! You nearly drowned me you know!"


    The man sighed, removing his claw from Whitebeard and drawing a fresh spurt of blood. "I don''t pay attention to the people around me when I battle. I only focus on anyone who can kill me," he said bluntly.


    "POPS!" screams of anguish rang out but Cutter ignored them.


    "Whatever. I''m not at the level I want to be at anyways. I was never going to be satisfied with this battle," he muttered, transforming back to normal.


    Especially not after the war he had against Raisa. Even after all these years, Cutter could not forget such a thrilling sensation.


    "You''ll get stronger!" Blackbeard assured confidently. "The world''s gonna revolve around us soon! The name of the new Era will be BLACKBEARD! ZEHAHAHAHA!" he roared in amusement.


    "Actions speak louder than words... but this is a pretty good start," Cutter admitted, turning towards his next target without hesitation.


    Whitebeard looked at Cutter, expressionless, as the man dealt a lethal attack to him.


    Then he turned to the cackling Blackbeard.


    "You are not him," Whitebeard said bluntly, ignoring his fatal injuries for the moment.


    "?" Blackbeard tilted his head in confusion.


    "The one Roger is waiting for¡­ it''s not you Teach," Newgate said firmly.


    "You can sever bloodlines, but their flames will never be extinguished. There are those who have inherited Roger''s will, there will be some who inherit mine. Wills have been passed down like this for centuries and they will continue to do so."


    "Someday, one will arise who will challenge the world and shoulder centuries of history. Sengoku, you and the world government fear the great war that will come to this world one day!"


    Sengoku went pale. "Just die! Someone shut him up!" he wanted to scream.


    But no one heard his silent plea. Worst of all, somehow the footage that they had cut off, had turned back on.


    How the hell did that happen?! Who did it?!


    The fleeing Buggy sneezed.


    "I''m not interested in the treasure, but when it''s found, the whole world will be turned upside out. Someone will find it. That day will come because¡­"


    With the last of his strength, Whitebeard raised his voice.


    "...THE ONE PIECE IS REAL!" He roared.


    "¡­" Cutter stared at Newgate with a tilted head.


    "You''re right. Wills are always inherited. You, Roger¡­ I''m sure your wills are going to be inherited¡­"


    Cutter grinned in a feral manner.


    "If you have that type of influence on the world, it''s only a matter of time before someone follows in your footsteps. Even if you''re considered the worst person in the world!"


    "Zehahaha! He''s dead!" Teach laughed, standing up and wiping the blood off his face. "Amazing Cutter! I didn''t know you had a Devil Fruit! A black dragon?!"


    Cutter snorted, turning his gaze towards Garp with murder in his eyes. "I went through hell to get it. Literally and metaphorically."


    Garp grunted and stood up, making eye contact with Cutter.


    "Zehaha! Before you do what you''re about to do! Watch me! I''m about to turn the world upside down!" Blackbeard promised.


    Cutter took his eyes off Garp and turned towards Teach with a curious eye.


    "Sure. Let''s see it. Don''t be too long though, I still have one more person that needs to die," Cutter said bluntly.


    Blackbeard grinned eagerly and his crew jumped into action, throwing a black cloth over them both.


    Famine and Pestilence watched with a blank and curious expression respectively.


    "What''s he doing?" Famine asked.


    "No clue," Pestilence shrugged. "Do you have that Save Point ready? We need to go at a moment''s notice."


    "Yeah. Falling into the hands of my deranged father would be less than ideal," he said truthfully.


    Pestilence nodded in agreement. "A darkness human and a dark dragon. Trash fits trash I suppose," they sighed.


    "Hmph," was Famine''s noise of agreement.


    "What''s going on?!" someone shouted in confusion as a few minutes passed with nothing happening.


    "What''s he doing in there?" Cutter asked his new crew, brows furrowed slightly.


    Laffitte smiled. "Something that will shake the world. Just a little patience and your curiosity will be rewarded."


    The gold eyed man peered at them and shrugged.


    Then, after what seemed like eternity, the cloth was removed and Blackbeard''s laughing visage greeted them all.


    "Zehahaha! Now watch!" Blackbeard roared victoriously.


    Terrified shrieks rang through the already scarred battlefield, as a wave of darkness began sucking in Marines.


    "First, my Logia the Yami Yami no mi!" Blackbeard announced with a grin.


    The man clenched his fist in a familiar position, much to the horror of everyone watching.


    "And this¡­"


    He smashed it against the air with brutal force, watching in satisfaction as it cracked on impact.


    "Is the power that lets me destroy everything! The Gura Gura no mi!"


    The world shuddered as an earthquake that shouldn''t be possible, shook the world around them.


    "THAT''S IMPOSSIBLE!"


    "TWO DEVIL FRUITS?!"


    "HOW DID HE STEAL WHITEBEARD''S DEVIL FRUIT?!"


    "ZEHAHAHAH! To all you commoners who love boring peace! To the marines who revel in complacency! WELCOME TO MY ERA! I''M INVINCIBLE!" Blackbeard cackled in true victory.


    Cutter''s brow shot up in real surprise. "Well I''ll be damned. That''s quite the ability you got there. Two Devil Fruits? That shouldn''t even be possible," he pointed out, looking genuinely impressed.


    "Two Devil Fruits¡­?" Pestilence muttered in shock, dress moving wildly due to the winds caused by Blackbeard''s tremor.


    They rolled their eyes in exasperation, as Famine immediately stopped the flowing of their dress with an even tighter grip.


    "The situation has gotten grim. I was unaware that a person could eat two Devil Fruits," Famine said idly, watching as a wave of sand formed near him.


    "What is this redhead?" Crocodile grunted, gazing warily at the transformed man.


    "Crocodile¡­ you performed your job well. Good job," Famine said idly, inspecting the battlefield once more.


    Crocodile glanced at him with a blank expression, biting his cigar as he nursed his wounds.


    "How did you survive certain death?" he asked.


    The former warlord gazed at the mysterious woman next to the man and frowned.


    "If it were certain, I would not be standing here," Famine replied, turning to face Crocodile. "Is there something you wish to discuss? I would think you''d be leaving now. You''ve fulfilled your obligations."


    Crocodile scoffed, gazing at the black that infected both the redhead''s eyes and hair. It pulsed with a mind of its own, inky black material looking glued to his very being.


    "That man down there is your father?"


    "By blood," Famine said.


    So that Rocks D. Cutter was this redhead''s father. The same man who had killed the person Crocodile hated most in the world... was the father of the person Crocodile hated equally as much.


    "You must think you''re so funny, hiding all these secrets," Crocodile sneered violently. "Reaper? You think me a fool? Was Alabasta just a game to you?"


    Pestilence snarled at that and turned towards him but Famine held a hand up.


    "Alabasta..." he mused. "Yes. It was. I was never truly worried about the outcome... I knew I was going to win. Though your attack of Robin nearly cost you your life," he mentioned.


    "I fucking bet," Crocodile snarled furiously, ignoring the way his body wanted to sag.


    The idea that his plan was doomed to fail, the moment the Straw Hats had set their eyes on him.


    "You played me like a fool, redhead."


    "That I did," Famine responded. "The moment Robin said you''d kill her for coming back to where she belonged, I decided to humiliate you in the worst way possible."


    Crocodile clenched his fist at that, staring hatefully at the redhead. "Don''t think you''ll get away with this."


    Famine stared at him and tilted his head to the side. "Haven''t I already?"


    "You performed well. You alleviated some of the pressure off of me and the mission was a success. Well done, it is unlikely that I will bother you anytime soon so feel free to work as if you are free," Famine waved him off.


    Crocodile simply grunted. "To be fooled by someone who practically threw their life away. You make me sick," was all he said.


    "Don''t forget your role in this world, Sir Crocodile. Well done on your performance today. Next time we see each other, I expect more improvements."


    Crocodile scoffed.


    "Next time we see other, I won''t resist the urge to kill you. This form you''ve taken is pathetic."


    With that, he vanished to where his subordinates had gotten his ship ready.


    Famine gazed at the spot he had been at.


    "Blow up the bug," Pestilence said venomously, eyes smoldering.


    "There is no need. His existence is humiliating enough," Famine replied calmly.


    "You''re too fucking nice," Pestilence snarled in annoyance. "Okay fine. Let''s get out of here."


    "I agree. We should leave," he said softly.


    His family had been picked up by a submarine that was being ran by Trafalgar Law¡­ the pirate at Sabaody.


    Good.


    All of them, including Ram had entered it. They were all still unconscious but only Luffy and Ace''s life were truly in danger.


    Hancock should encounter them soon as well so they''d likely be able to take refuge in peace at Amazon Island.


    Everything was in order then. It was just about time to go ¡ª


    "HALT THEM! STOP THE PIRATES FROM ESCAPING! KILL THEM ALL!"


    Famine paused at that, eyes narrowed slightly as he heard the ravenous voices below.


    "Famine, wait!" Pestilence called out in frustration.


    Goddamnit! He was so fucking reckless! Didn''t he miss the part where his damn dad said he was going to take him back?!


    Ugh! Fine! Pestilence would get their escape ready. Famine could have his fun for now but he was going to get a stern talking to after this!


    The virus kept an eye on Cutter, watching as he and Teach conversed with each other, before the man turned towards Garp with violent eyes.


    "He''s distracted for now. Good," they muttered.


    Famine soared through the air and landed directly in front of the still aggressive Marines.


    They froze in horror as the air around them grew heavy to a draining degree.


    "Look at you; Your allies are in agony, the island is sinking, the war is over and yet, you still have such bloodlust in your hearts," Famine muttered.


    "This is what I hate about you Marines. You can''t focus on more important things. Everything is just to sate your own desires. But don''t worry, I''ll sate that bloodlust for you."


    With that, Famine held a palm out.


    "I will be your opponent. Please try and kill me instead."


    "Hunger," he said softly.


    Bright white flames began conjuring at his palms, before Famine swiped downwards and sent tiny embers flying.


    Howls of agony rang out, as the white flames captured a small group of people¡­ and then it began spreading like the plague, catching more and more of his enemies as it grew larger and larger.


    The flames continued to grow, spreading like wildfire as Famine stared at the white blaze he created.


    "Ah such a shame," he said listlessly. "Maybe we are more similar than I thought. I find myself wanting more to sate this hunger."


    He leaned backwards to avoid the swipe of a sword and saw the trembling figure of a small woman.


    "Hm?" Famine mused, taking in her figure. "You are¡­ the one who was at Alabasta. The Marine who fought with her all, despite being hopelessly outmatched."


    Tashigi trembled slightly harder, feeling an unexplainable and draining weight on her shoulder.


    But despite that, she still aimed her blade towards the monster.


    Famine stared at her, tilting his head to the left before taking a step towards her.


    She flinched and swung with all her might watching in horror as the blade swung sluggishly through the air. It was like watching in slow motion and she immediately knew that it was going to fail.


    Famine merely caught it, appraising her once more.


    "You lack the bloodlust the other soldiers have. I have no interest in killing you," he said blandly, releasing the blade from his hand and allowing it to fall limply to her side.


    "I apologize for breaking your hand back then. Continue to fight for a good cause. Do not let the corruptness of this organization seep into you," Famine said quietly, walking past her to continue his gait.


    Tashigi shook, sagging in terror as she attempted to muster up the courage to face him.


    But she couldn''t. She couldn''t because Tashigi was terrified of the Red Devil.


    "Tashigi!" Smoker and Hina called, rushing her in worry.


    "He¡­ let me live," she whispered in confusion. "When I looked at him¡­ all I could see was death! There was¡­ no way I was going to survive¡­ so why did he let me live?"


    Not only that... he apologized? But why? Tashigi didn''t understand.


    Here he was, mercilessly slaughtering their troops but yet... he was apologizing to her?


    She didn''t understand. How could she ever hope to understand a creature like that?


    Smoker grit his teeth and stood up firmly. "Red Devil!" he barked.


    "Smoker, no!" Hina shouted.


    The redhead paused and turned a single head back. "You''ve been given the opportunity to live twice already, Smoker. Are you truly sure you wish to throw it away by testing me one final time?"


    "You''ve been humbled. I''ve opened your eyes to the negligence and you seem to be stepping onto the right path. You should listen to Hina," Famine said mercifully.


    Hina flinched at that.


    "I say all this... yet you''re still intent on fighting me," Famine sighed, black sclera boring a hole into all of them and making them shudder instinctively.


    "Very well. But I did say before, that I won''t toy with you like Alabasta."


    Smoker had no time to react, as an elbow planted itself firmly into his sternum, bypassing his Logia effortlessly and making him bend over completely.


    Famine stared down at him, somber gaze glowing.


    Then, he planted a foot against Smoker''s head and crushed him to the pavement below.


    "There. That should do it," he said softly. "I''ve already saved my brother. You should be thankful for such a thing."


    He removed his foot from Smokers head. "Ingrain this defeat into your head. Allow it to fuel you. You can use such fuel to make the world a safer place. That''s your job after all."


    Famine glanced at Hina and saw her take a step back.


    He shook his head. "This is the last time I warn you all. It would be a shame for me to kill the few good Marines."


    "..." Hina said nothing, simply averting her gaze and certain death in the same action.


    Famine continued his path of destruction, merely moving forward as those around him tried and failed to contain him.


    All the while, black lines would lash out and attach to anyone around him, utilizing Modification to siphon their energy into him.


    As Famine walked, he suddenly stopped in his gait, due to a figure stepping in his path.


    "This time, I''ll make sure you''re thoroughly dead," Akainu promised, magma seeping off his body as his anger mounted.


    To say he was less than pleased at being buried underground was a vast understatement. The ground hadn''t held the man for long at all, because he erupted like a true volcano, searing the area around him as he broke through.


    But the damage had been done. Akainu felt properly humiliated.


    "Is that so?" Famine wondered, breathing a breath of cold air as a pure white ice began freezing the area around him.


    Akainu glared down at him. "You''ve thwarted our victory, spawn of Rocks. Because of you, the son of Roger and Dragon got away. Only your head will make up for this."


    "You attempted to kill both my brothers," Famine pointed out softly, combining his icy display with bright white electricity. "That is not a crime I will let slide. I would be honored to guide you into the afterlife."


    Magma began pouring out of Akainu, as he prepared to lunge.


    At the same time, Famine prepared to bury him in an avalanche of ice.


    "STOP THIS!"


    Both Famine and Akainu paused, watching as a small figure stepped in between them both.


    Famine tilted his head.


    Akainu scowled in annoyance.


    Koby was stood between both the Admiral and Pirate, trembling in blatant horror as an extreme heat, along with a debilitating pressure squeezed him.


    But despite that, he stood firm in his resolve.


    "Why are we still fighting?!" Koby sobbed. "It''s a waste of human life! Both sides took catastrophic losses so why are we ignoring the injured who can still be saved?!"


    Famine froze at that.


    "If we continue to fight, we''ll just be dying for nothing! That makes us no better than fools!" Koby cried out.


    "¡­" Famine said nothing, before sighing.


    Right as he was about to agree, he heard Akainu say, "You''ve cost me precious seconds. A soldier who doesn''t serve justice has no place in this navy!"


    And all his hatred came roaring back.


    Of course a scumbag Marine couldn''t be reasoned with.


    Famine''s eyes narrowed as Akainu lunged forward, intent on melting Koby with his magma but before he could interfere, a figure dashed forward at incredible speeds and caught the blow.


    "Well said, young man. You almost broke through to Rosan of all people," Shanks said softly, warding off Akainu''s fist.


    Koby shuddered in terror at that, turning hesitantly towards the scowling Famine.


    "Look at that. A young and naive Marine, spilling his heart out and making a good point¡­ and what does this Admiral do? Attempt to kill him without hesitation. Do you think that''s right?" Famine asked, looking genuinely upset.


    "This is the problem with the World Government. You have scum like this, who only care for violence, standing atop the world and expect everyone to be okay with this. It''s sickening," he scowled.


    Koby was about to say something, but the pressure became too much and the young Marine fainted.


    "I understand how you feel, Rosan¡­ but the war is over," Shanks said softly, crouching down to pick up a familiar Straw Hat. "I don''t know what happened to you¡­ but for a brief moment I felt you die. Now, you''re like this."


    Famine said nothing.


    "Thank you for taking care of Luffy all these years. He really grew up," Shanks informed him. "I knew I could rely on you."


    "I am merely fulfilling my duties as an older brother. Do not thank me as if you played any part in my decision," he said bluntly.


    Shanks sighed with a small smile. "You''ve done a wonderful job in this terrible war but there''s been enough violence for the day. There''s no need to fight anymore, don''t you think?"


    "No need?" Famine whispered. "You don''t understand. I''ve been fighting my entire life. Whether you mean those words or not, I will always have to fight. The world refused the life I wanted to live when I was four. All I know now, is how to fight."


    Shanks sighed. "That might be true¡­ but this right here is not your fight. You''ve already got what you came here for, Rosan. You have more important things to worry about don''t you?"


    "¡­" Famine frowned, before a spike of fear reached him and he turned towards the frantic Pestilence, gazing down at him with horror in their eyes.


    "Very well. I''m done here then," he said softly.


    He did have more important matters to attend to.


    Famine turned away from Shanks and began floating into the air.


    "Rosan."


    He stopped and turned, catching the Straw Hat thrown at him.


    "Make sure whatever problems you have, you deal with them, alright?" Shanks smiled.


    "¡­" Famine said nothing and soared away.


    "You are in so much trouble!" Pestilence snarled, gripping him fiercely to make sure he couldn''t run off again.


    "I know, Pe-chan," Famine said softly, eyes glowing.


    "No you don''t! Take this serious! I''ll seriously kick your ass if you keep acting so reckless!"


    "I know, Pe-chan."


    "Stop fucking saying the same damn thing!"


    "You won''t acknowledge anything else I say anyways."


    Shanks stared at the strange version of Rosan with a neutral expression, before turning towards all the Marines.


    "If any of you are still eager to spill blood, then I''ll accept any challengers!" Shanks announced grimly.


    A tense silence followed after his declaration.


    "What about you Teach? Or should I call you Blackbeard?" The Emperor asked.


    "Hm?" Cutter paused at that, turning towards the voice who said that and stopping in his path towards that.


    "Zehahaha! I''ll pass! I got what I wanted. I don''t wanna fight you right now. Let''s go men!" Blackbeard announced.


    Almost as if sensing it, Blackbeard turned towards his most unpredictable crewmate. "Cutter! We can''t take on both Marines and Red Hairs crew! You just got outta prison! It''s time to experience the world!"


    Cutter mulled that over and sighed. "I guess playing a little smarter would do good."


    What a shame. His son had completely disappeared before he could retrieve him.


    Maybe acting so reckless was too much. He could afford to play a little smarter.


    "Fine fine. I''m done here then," he conceded, running a hand through his shoulder length spikes.


    He kept a long, almost curious gaze onto Shanks, before snorting and walking away.


    "This worlds got some new interesting faces, that''s for sure. I hope you don''t mind if I do my own thing most of the time... it seems fun," Cutter mused.


    "Zehahaha! You''ve proven yourself already and you saved my life! Do whatever you want!" Blackbeard cackled.


    Shanks watched them go with a grave expression.


    "Everybody listen... withdraw now and allow me to save face," he said, watching as all the adrenaline seemed to drain out of the very beings of the people there.


    All but Akainu seemed to come to the same consensus.


    "I''ll deal with the burial of Whitebeard. You''ve broadcasted this whole war to the world, I won''t allow you to make a spectacle of their deaths," he said firmly.


    He ignored the sounds of protest and gazed at Sengoku, who merely grit his teeth.


    The results of this war... they weren''t what he wanted at all. Whitebeard was a consolation prize... he may have been the strongest man alive but Sengoku was looking towards the future.


    And in that future, neither Ace or Rosan needed to be alive. This war was meant to kill them.


    He didn''t even know where Kuzan was... but they had sustained far too many injuries.


    There was no point going to war with another Emperor.


    "Very well," he conceded.


    The death of Whitebeard would be enough for now. In the current present, Whitebeard''s death was the most impactful.


    Sengoku would just have to rely on the future to deal with threats they''d have.


    "Thank you," Shanks said.


    "This war is over!" Sengoku declared to the world.

 Black and White II

    Famine and Pestilence appeared directly in front of the stunned Maro.


    There were tears streaming down her confused eyes, as she stared at the duo.


    "What...?" Maro stammered in confusion, unable to believe what she had just witnessed transpire. The Queen wiped her eyes


    Famine did not spare a word, merely gazing at the Angel and Demon that were coming to.


    "See? They''re completely fine," Pestilence said, crossing their arms.


    "It''s good to be careful," Famine replied, verifying that they truly were fine.


    The virus rolled their eyes and said, "Are we done here? We still need to wrap up our business."


    Famine nodded. "Almost. I just need one more person to visit. They should be the most affected by this."


    Pestilence sighed. "They should already know you''re alive. I went through the trouble of hacking and restarting all the broadcasts... but alright," they conceded.


    "Wait."


    The duo paused at that and gazed at Maro.


    "Who are you?" Maro asked, a stern frown on her face as she wiped her tears.


    She couldn''t explain anything going on right now. Maro had been in the throes of a mental breakdown before Kaori had hesitantly brought her attention back to the screen.


    Angel and Demon had both fainted, the shock of the situation being too much for them so they hadn''t seen the stream come back to life.


    It was there that Maro saw something that was cause for extreme concern...


    This person right here. The person posing as her Master.


    "Maro," Famine greeted.


    "Stop acting like this is normal!" Maro scowled, tears drying up. "What is this?! What''s going on? Is this the virus?! Explain now!"


    "M-Maro...?" Akemi called out in confusion, sniffing periodically as she gazed at the queen.


    "All of you stand back!" Maro ordered, eyes lasering onto Rosan.


    Everyone jumped at the tone of her voice. It was rare for Maro to take such a tone and they looked at what was happening with wide eyes.


    Famine shut his eyes and sighed softly as he watched them all back away. "It does hurt when you throw such doubt on me," he said quietly.


    "Well forgive me if I''m a little doubtful," Maro pushed, summoning her club. "But nothing is what I''m used to. Is that the virus?" she asked again.


    Pestilence scowled at her. "And if I am?" they asked.


    Maro''s eyes narrowed. "Then I have a duty to uphold. Master told me about you¡­ and he said on the off chance that he''s incapacitated, then I have to be the one deal with you."


    There was a grim determination in Maro''s eyes.


    "That''s not necessary, Maro," Famine said softly. "I don''t want to fight you."


    Maro closed her eyes. "I don''t want to fight you either, Master. But¡­ right now you''re not the person I''d proudly call my father. Somethings wrong with you."


    "¡­" Famine closed his eyes as a sad frown crossed his face. "Pe-chan, you can stay out of this. Don''t interfere."


    Pestilence crossed their arms.


    Famine would be pissed at them if they killed anyone here and Pestilence''s whole style was based on destruction.


    "Be fast," they muttered a little nervously. Like it or not, Famine wasn''t fresh and Maro was not that much weaker than Rosan.


    Famine nodded softly.


    "M-Master?" Angel whispered in confusion, shuddering as a sob erected from her body. At the sight of her older brother, she launched herself up and tried to rush him, only for a hand to hold her firmly in place.


    "That''s not him Angel," Maro said, looking every bit the Queen she was. There was no joking, no goofing around¡­ the Dokkaebi was utterly serious.


    Angel looked confused, sniffing as Maro gently held her back. As she saw the completely serious look in Maro''s eyes, the redhead went stiff.


    Then she gazed back at Famine with a distressed expression.


    "What''s going on?" Demon wiped his eyes and gazed at his older brother with a distraught gaze.


    "You guys didn''t see it... but Master''s been corrupted by the virus," Maro said softly. "Don''t get close to him. I''m going to get him back."


    "...The virus?" Aiko said slowly.


    "What''s the virus?" Akemi asked in concern.


    Maro glared at the neutral Pestilence. "Them."


    Pestilence shot them a mocking smile.


    Famine carefully avoided their eyes and turned on a heel. "Come then. I wouldn''t want anyone innocent to get caught in the crossfire."


    Maro said nothing, trailing after him with a grave expression.


    She didn''t know what happened to Master, but Maro couldn''t¡­ she couldn''t lose him.


    She would never accept that. Whoever this impostor was, would see the full fury of Queen Maro of Celadon.


    Maro kept her eyes trained on the man the entire time, even as he guided her to a battlefield outside of the castle and away from her civilians.


    This was where her and Rosan fought in Celadon if they wanted to cut loose a bit. Fighting in the castle proved too risky.


    Maro clenched her fist at that. This man... he was corrupted but he was also considerate. She was so confused. She didn''t know this person but he still felt like her Master.


    The trip had been completely silent. Not even the people following after them said anything, too caught up in the nervous airs of seeing how rigid and serious their Queen was.


    The two stood across from each other, neither looking happy with the situation.


    "I love Famine so I''ll give him whatever he wants¡­ but if any of you interfere in this match, you won''t like the outcome," Pestilence warned them, standing a healthy distance away from their group.


    "...Who are you?" Demon asked quietly, hiccuping slightly.


    "Your daddy," Pestilence replied cheekily.


    The virus raised a brow, as a blonde stepped in front of Demon.


    "Don''t listen to her, Demon," Mikita said strongly. "I... I don''t know what''s going on but I''ll keep you safe."


    Demon shuddered and nodded, glancing in uncertainty at what was taking place.


    "Why... why do you look like our mom?" Angel asked hesitantly.


    "Because Famine has a mommy fetish," Pestilence shrugged helplessly.


    "Don''t talk to them, Angel," Kaori said fiercely, stepping in front of the redhead.


    Pestilence merely looked amused, as Maro''s soldiers stared them down. "If not for Famine, I''d have already made you regret stepping up to me. What can you weak little soldiers do to me?" they asked.


    "Stay away from them," Maro snarled warningly, clenching her club.


    "Or what?" Pestilence crooned, sneering at the Queen without a hint of fear on their features.


    Maro whirled, eyes blazing with fury as she vanished from her spot.


    Pestilence''s eyes widened as the Queen snarled down at her, orange iris burning a hole into her.


    As she held her arm up to swing, she found that she was unable to.


    "There''s no need for that," Famine said softly, holding back the Queen''s arm with a neutral expression. "The fight is between the two of us."


    "Tell her to stay away from them," Maro demanded.


    Pestilence rolled their eyes and moved even further away.


    "Satisfied?" they crooned, conjuring an all black throne and taking a seat.


    "Is that what Master has been dealing with all these years?" Angel thought in sorrow, tears surging up once more.


    She thought she knew everything about him but... but realizing that his biggest issue to date was something she had no clue about...


    It hurt.


    Maro sneered at Pestilence and marched back to the battlefield, turning their gaze towards Famine next.


    The two stared at each other, before rocketing off at once.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Maro''s (who was still in human form) eyes sharpened dangerously as she conjured blue flames, launching them towards Rosan with intent to end this quickly.


    Famine grunted, summoning a wall of ice that was quickly consumed by Maro''s mystical fire. The redhead held out a hand and fired a wave of white fire that clashed with the next salvo.


    He spread his white wings and launched himself into the sky, only to grunt as Maro vanished from his line of sight.


    Famine discarded it being an illusion swiftly as his senses went haywire behind him.


    Maro snarled behind him, Daisy poised to smash into him but much to her surprise, Rosan didn''t attempt to defend himself physically, simply floating away from the swing, white lightning coating him.


    She wouldn''t let that deter her at all, vanishing from her spot again and appearing directly in his path.


    Famine anticipated it, whirling around even before she appeared.


    Maro effortlessly ignored the sparks surging across her body, only twitching minutely and she gripped her club, before bashing it onto Famine''s midsection.


    Famine applied armament right before the attack connected, grunting as he was sent plummeting.


    She watched with wild eyes as he rocketed towards the floor and sought to push her advantage.


    "No Ram, Raid Suit not properly protecting him... and just getting out of a war. This is my best chance at beating him," she thought predatorily, flames coating Daisy.


    As Famine was launched downwards, he saw Maro launching towards him with purpose.


    Right as he connected to the floor he palmed it, making the ground surge.


    Maro saw the ground erupt, launching towards her with a purpose and she grunted, evading each and every one with expertise.


    To her annoyance though, the grounds stayed erected, looming over her in the shape of snake like pillars.


    Famine immediately closed the distance between the two and Maro felt the encroaching pressure pressing on her shoulders.


    But she would not be deterred.


    Maro swung Daisy that Famine ducked under, retaliating with an elbow that Maro sidestepped.


    She was forced backwards as the pillars came to life once again and all the while, Rosan continued pressuring her.


    The Queen snarled in annoyance as the snake pillars cut off her avenue of counter every time she saw an opening. Famine was using them to keep her totally occupied.


    It was frustrating.


    Maro scowled and vanished immediately, watching as the pillars focused on her once more and lunged to her position.


    "Annoying. He understands how weakened he actually is," she thought, watching as Famine remained completely stationary.


    The redhead held out a hand and Maro hissed as a flurry of shrapnel like ice flew towards her.


    Her observation flared wildly and she leapt to the right, knowing she''d be more safe there.


    As she landed, she immediately transformed into her full Zoan and smashed Daisy against the pillar there, breaking it completely.


    Her observation flared once more and the Dokkaebi watched as Rosan soared above her.


    She prepared for an attack but instead, he began darting through the sky, tapping every piece of broken stone and converting it to ice with Modification.


    "He''s fighting less like Master and more like Mod-chan," Maro scowled in fury.


    As the sky dotted with the ice, Maro huffed and summoned an inferno of blue fire. She launched it upwards but the pillars made themselves known again, as two of them flew in the path of the fire.


    "How is he doing that? Controlling the ground while being in the sky?" Maro wondered, narrowing her eyes.


    It was then that she saw little black patches, similar to the black markings in his hair.


    Maro''s eyes widened and she summoned a new surge of flames, before washing over the entire battlefield with them.


    Famine grunted as his connection to the ground was suddenly cut.


    He didn''t flinch as Maro appeared directly across from him.


    "You''re somehow using the virus to connect to the ground, allowing you to touch more things," Maro snarled in annoyance, club raised high.


    "I''m surprised you noticed," Famine replied, holding out a hand and blowing her away.


    Before Maro could recover, she was forced to avoid the army of ice rushing her.


    They flew through the sky like shurikens and Maro hissed in annoyance, vanishing from her spot in a burst of flame.


    "That won''t work," Famine said softly, allowing the remaining ice to fly behind him, knowing that Maro was going to do such a thing again.


    But to his surprise, the ice merely passed through her body.


    "Oh yeah?" Maro snarled violently, appearing directly in front of him. "You''re brains working too slow."


    With that, she smashed Daisy onto him.


    "Famine!" Pestilence shouted in worry.


    They knew he was too tired! He didn''t suddenly come out fresh because the other Rosan was gone! This was still the same body that got a hole blasted through it!


    Famine rocketed through the air at ridiculous speeds, getting gasps of disbelief to ring out as he crashed onto the ground with a thunderous noise.


    Maro sneered, landing on the floor after him.


    She didn''t say anything, staring at the body with a deathly gaze.


    Famine sighed, blood spilling from his head as his body screamed in protest.


    The Philosopher''s Stone still wasn''t even close to recharged either.


    "Are you okay?" Pestilence asked him.


    Famine said nothing and took a deep breath.


    That''s right, he was Pe-chan''s only ally so if he disappeared, they were as good as dead.


    He could not let that happen.


    "Sorry, Maro. I really didn''t want to hurt you," Famine said softly, black spreading through his body like a disease. It darkened his hair even further and he stood up, purple eyes shifting to red.


    Maro''s orange iris watched cautiously as he stood up, injuries not healing on his body.


    Almost as if sensing a shift, Maro transformed into her hybrid form, just in time to leap away from a giant white claw.


    She watched with wide eyes as a snarling wolf lunged at her.


    "What...?" she called in confusion, unable to detect its intent with observation.


    She yelped in surprise as another wolf crashed into her from behind, tackling her to the floor.


    Maro snarled furiously as it bit her right side. The icy cold bite made her narrow her eyes and she howled in fury, erupted in blue flames, making the wolves leap backwards.


    The realistic wolves only looked like that because of Modification... but they were really made of ice. Maro watched as they prowled the scene, keeping a safe distance from her but never removing their red eyes.


    "Rosan''s element is fire... but mine is ice," Famine said softly, as a pure white horse formed next to him. "While he may have just discovered how to use ice... I''ve always known how."


    Maro scowled as the wolves lunged at her, launching herself into the air to avoid them, only to yelp as an icy white bird crashed into her, blocking her vision.


    The pure white blue jay wasn''t alone. More and more of the birds, that Rosan based his bird spies on, crashed into Maro and continued impairing her.


    Before she could erupt in flames, a foot crashed against the right side of her head, sending her careening to the floor.


    Her observation began going haywire once more and despite having her vision clouded, the Dokkaebi vanished from her spot, ignoring the crashing noise of what was probably Famine slamming a limb there.


    The moment she appeared again, she heard a distorted neigh and a body slammed into her.


    Maro, more annoyed then hurt, let out a frustrated snarl and erupted into more flames, burning the birds and getting them off of her.


    When she opened her eyes, Maro was met by an army of creatures, staring down at her.


    The most notable, was the giant dragon looming over them.


    "Conquest," Famine intoned softly, floating stationary as an eastern dragon curled around him.


    "Ice and Modification... terrifying combination," Maro thought grimly.


    Famine didn''t fight similar to Mod or Rosan. He sought to overwhelm in a different way. These ice constructs... powered by his mastery over Modification.


    Whereas Rosan was a one man army, Famine could create that army.


    The pure white dragon roared, opening its mouth and shooting out a pure beam of ice.


    Maro leapt away from the ice, fire burning all around as she attempted to ward off the constructs.


    Unfortunately, they seemed moderately resistant to fire.


    "I can use fire as well," Famine reminded, pure white flames forming on his fingertips. "It stands to reason my creations would have some resistance."


    "Shut up!" Maro snarled, honing in on him. She dashed towards him, still in hybrid form, and counted on her cloak of fire to protect her.


    As she closed the distance, jumping in the air to do so, the western dragon made its presence known and smashed her back towards the ground with a giant claw.


    At the same time, the fire burning at the tips of his fingers grew in intensity, while the serpentine dragon curled around his hand until it reached his fingers, opening its mouth once more.


    In unison, the two of them fired off their blast, white fire and white ice surging forward with crushing intent.


    Maro tried to avoid it, but she lost her breath as the pure white horse leapt forward, crashing its hooves onto her sternum.


    Famine watched as his attack struck true, fingers still outstretched as a snow white bird landed atop it.


    He floated there, just eyeing the dust with the unnerving red gaze on a painted black canvas.


    The redhead was unsurprised to see a bleeding Maro standing up and glaring at him.


    There were burn marks on her Raid Suit, speaking to the power behind his attack and he watched as the hybrid zoan dusted herself off.


    Maro clutched her ribs and glared harshly at the army she was up against.


    She took a deep breath and finally, fished out a familiar looking ball.


    Then, she dropped it in her mouth and crunched it.


    Famine didn''t even get to register the fact that Maro slimmed down slightly, before a flash of blue appeared directly in front of him.


    He leaned back slightly in surprise, barely avoiding the swipe of the slim club.


    Maro, who had blue hair tied with a headband, pushed out a burst of explosive flame that adjusted her height above Famine and swung downwards, colliding with the head of the easter dragon.


    She huffed, teleporting a short distance as Famine sent a surge of white fire her way and immediately went invisible, confusing the western dragon greatly.


    Famine would not be deterred. He summoned his flames once more and turned to a direction, swiping them sideways and sending a wave of flames towards the location.


    Maro appeared and transformed again, transforming into a hulking and huge form of her Dokkaebi, all while her white hair grew to ludicrous lengths. Her club transformed into a shield and she blocked the flames.


    A wolf rushed her, only to yelp as her hand lurched out and grabbed its maw.


    With an exertion of strength, she crushed its face and tossed it away.


    As she was surrounded once more by the creatures, Maro tensed her fist and slammed both onto the ground.


    All around her, the earth shook as pillars of blue flames erupted like volcanos, crashing into every grounded creature it could get its hand on.


    But Maro wasn''t yet finished.


    She took a deep breath and her white hair remained, as she transformed back into her human form. She grabbed Daisy, now in the form of a wooden wand and waved it once.


    The pillars of flame froze, before Maro ripped them out of the ground and crushed them into a ball.


    Mage was her strongest offensive form when it came to actual application. Next to Ninja, it was her most overwhelming transformation.


    As the balls of fire surrounded Maro, floating around her witch hat she glared upwards.


    Then, Maro teleported from her spot.


    Famine expected it. He fired a ball of ice towards the fireball shooting from his left and had his dragon cut off her exit, but she merely teleported again, forcing him to whirl right where she appeared.


    Maro launched two more fireballs, aiming her wand like a conductor. They flew towards him and he grunted, extending his hand and summoning a wall of ice that it collided against.


    An explosion of steam formed, leaving him completely obscure.


    The temporary block of vision made him miss Maro teleporting yet again, this time appearing directly in front of him.


    Famine grunted as he erected another wall to block the fireballs but to his genuine surprise, they collided with it... and phased right through.


    Maro snarled violently, the tip of her want glowing as she conjured a prison of flames around Famine and the eastern dragon.


    "Sorry, Master. I can''t pull my punches," she apologized, tensing the complete circular flames and launching it towards the floor.


    The noise was thunderous, as the flame prison exploded in a great blaze.


    Maro huffed, dodging the furious western dragon and placing a wand against its maw.


    It howled as flames suddenly engulfed its entire body, the flames spreading like wildfire.


    Maro panted softly, as the effects of the rumble ball wore off and she stared at the floor.


    She floated downwards and banished her flames, eyes narrowed in a mixture of sterness and concern.


    Famine''s body lie there and Maro heard gasps of concern from Angel and Akemi.


    She wouldn''t lie and say she felt good about this. Maro never wanted to hurt Rosan so badly, especially when his body had already been through so much.


    How he could even still move was wondrous to her¡ª


    Maro froze as Famine''s body made cracking noises but it wasn''t the sound of bone repairing itself...


    No it was the sound of glass breaking.


    She watched in disbelief as Famine''s body completely shattered, transforming into ice.


    "But... what?" Maro said in disbelief.


    "Black Snow."


    Maro''s wide eyes snapped open and she looked upward.


    There, standing in the mouth of the burning dragon, Famine stared down at her.


    All around him, white dots began forming and the man sighed sadly.


    Then, the dots began forming until they formed a truly massive construct of ice... that looked more akin to a meteor.


    "Avalanche."


    Maro attempted to teleport away but her attention was taken away, as a furious and giant bear burst out of the ground and wrapped its arms around her.


    She struggled weakly but the sound of flight caught her attention and she stared into the merciless red eyes of Famine.


    "I''m sorry," was all he said.


    With that, he locked her limbs to her sides in a block of ice and vanished, right as the ice crashed into her location.


    Maro spat out blood as she was crushed to the floor, eyes rolling to the back of her head as the attack connected squarely with her.


    Then, the ice exploded.


    Screams of horror rang out as Famine landed on the ground.


    Before him, Maro lie there, completely defeated.


    "I''m not as strong as Rosan, so I have to fight differently," Famine said softly, serpentine dragon curling around his body once more. "The Famine you successfully struck just now, was just an ice construct... but I know you have Observation so I waited until the perfect moment to swap places with him."


    "I''m sorry. It''s an underhanded way of fighting... but as I am right now, I cannot meet any of you head to head," he apologized.


    "I will do whatever it takes to save the ones I love... even if it means attacking someone else I love. I hope you understand."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "MARO!" Angel screamed in distress, rushing her immediately and grabbing the bleeding Queen. "Demon come quick! She''s hurt!"


    Demon snapped out of his stunned daze, ignoring the way his chest screamed at witnessing Maro and Rosan fighting.


    He rushed over to his injured little sister, flinching as he ran past Famine.


    Famine said nothing as Angel stared at him, genuine terror in her eyes. His little sister cradled her wife, all while maintaining eye contact with him.


    He noticed the tears falling but said nothing, red eyes shifting back to purple as his hair lightened back to blood red.


    He wanted to open his mouth but a hand grabbed him.


    "We verified their state," Pestilence said, materializing next to him. They sent him a pointed look and he nodded hesitantly.


    "Wait!" Aiko shouted, stepping up in disbelief.


    Everyone else had been completely silenced at the sight of Maro''s defeat.


    "Are you really fine with this, Rosan?!" she asked. "Is this really fine with you? The Rosan I know would never hurt his family like this!" she barked furiously, pointing at Maro''s prone body.


    "...You don''t understand... no one understands," he said softly.


    "Don''t understand what?!" Aiko snarled. "I don''t understand why you''re beating the hell out of the little girl you found and raised! Could you explain that to me?!"


    "I didn''t want to fight her," Famine said. "I insisted multiple times that we don''t have to fight but she still chose this..."


    "Because something''s wrong with you!" Aiko shouted. "Do you think this is normal, Rosan?! I don''t even recognize you right now! You''re walking around with some lady who''s terrorizing us and you just dropped a fucking meteor on your practical daughter! Do you think you''re in the right here?!"


    Famine turned away at that. "It... doesn''t matter. I''m going to fix everything."


    "Fix... everything?!" Aiko whispered. "FIX EVERYTHING?! LOOK AROUND YOU ROSAN!" she shrieked.


    "We just watched you, DIE! We watched you die!" She snarled, slamming a finger against his chest and ignoring the pain.


    Famine saw tears in her eyes as she scowled furiously at him.


    "We just watched you die... and you come here and pick fights? What''s wrong with you?" she whispered, clearly distraught.


    "Your brother and sister... they cried and cried because they thought they lost you... and now they''re staring at you like you just tried to kill someone they love because you did," Aiko hissed.


    Famine flinched back, expression wavering slightly but Aiko was too furious.


    "I watched you build up that little girl into this beautiful queen she is and now you''re hurting her this badly? Just who are you because Rosan would never attempt to hurt Maro like this."


    "..." Famine said nothing and Pestilence snarled, eyes pulsing madly.


    "Be grateful," they hissed. "If you were anyone else, you''d be a raving lunatic at my hands."


    Aiko flinched back at the hateful glare and Maro''s soldiers leapt forward.


    If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    "Don''t... don''t fight them," Maro rasped. "There''s no point."


    They shuddered at her defeated tone and Angel let out a weak sob, holding her wife tightly.


    Pestilence''s eyes narrowed. "We''re done here, Famine. C''mon."


    The black haired man nodded softly and they promptly vanished.


    "What''s¡­ what''s going on?" Akemi asked in shock, hating the way her gut curled. It was a terrible feeling... one that kept clawing away and weakening her by the second.


    She had never seen Maro and Rosan attack each other with such grimness. In fact, she couldn''t even recognize that man.


    "I''m sorry guys! I''m not strong enough! I couldn''t save Master," Maro sobbed as she broke completely.


    The queen let out a terrible wail, body shuddering as grief coursed through her body.


    Angel teared up at the heartbroken look on Maro''s face and exchanged a fierce kiss with her.


    "It''s okay honey. You tried your best¡­ I don''t know what''s going on but Master will be fine," she reassured, tears flowing herself as the overwhelming emotions forced themselves out.


    There was just so much going on¡­ Angel didn''t know what was going on.


    Demon sniffed, wiping the tears from his eyes as Mikita and Zala both comforted him to the best of their abilities.


    "C''mon Maro¡­ let''s get you checked up," Demon mumbled, watching as Angel lifted up the wailing Queen.


    He felt his tears welling up again and collapsed on his knees, letting out a sob as the events of today caught up to him.


    The soldiers of Celadon could only watch in despair, as their three leaders broke down.


    They bit their lips, unable to muster up anything that could soothe them.


    Aiko bit her lip as well.


    She stared at the spot Rosan had just been at, before glancing at the almost inconsolable state of her sister. She maintained a tough facade but she knew she wouldn''t be able to maintain it for long... because the leaders of Celadon were practically her little siblings and she couldn''t stand to see them in such a dreadful state.


    "C''mon soldiers," her voice cracked, as she tried to put on a strong front. "Let''s put them all somewhere comfortable."


    Zala frowned and pulled the ruler of Fregate into a hug, lifting the shorter woman up. "You too, Aiko. I''ll bring you somewhere private."


    Aiko shuddered at that and shut her eyes, allowing the tall woman to carry her away.


    The soldiers could only hope that whatever problem Rosan was going through, was solved by him because they couldn''t stand to see their rulers in this state.


    They weren''t sure what was going to happen to their beloved leaders, if something truly did happen to him. It would be disastrous.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Not gonna go to Robin?" Pestilence asked curiously.


    "...No," Famine told them, sitting in the room Aiko tended to reserve for him when he opted to sleep at Fregate.


    Seeing as Aiko and Akemi weren''t here, Famine would remain here to finish up his business.


    "Why?" Pestilence mused. "She''s calling you after all."


    He said nothing. "Would... would that really be a smart idea?" he asked hesitantly, looking unsure of himself.


    Pestilence sighed. "Probably not."


    "...Pe-chan. Why does everyone hate me?"


    Pestilence froze at that.


    "Not a single person wanted to see me," Famine said softly, glancing at their hands. "All of them feared me¡­ all of them want me gone¡­ if even Robin wants that, I''m not sure how I''ll be able to react."


    Pestilence frowned sadly.


    They wrapped an arm around his neck and sat on his lap, gazing at him directly in the eyes.


    "You have to understand¡­ you''re not the same as that thief. They don''t know your story¡­ they don''t know the hell you were put through."


    "That''s... true," Famine said softly.


    "Even if they did, didn''t I tell you? As long as you have me, there''s nothing to worry about. You won''t be alone and after all this is over, you''ll be free," they reassured softly.


    Famine remained silent but nodded, clutching them tightly as he sought reassurance.


    "You''re right¡­ okay. I''m going to go talk to Robin then," he said. "I just want to see."


    Pestilence nodded. "Alone, right?"


    The redhead nodded, nursing his heavy injuries with a tired expression. "After all this is over, I''ll sleep, okay?"


    "You''ll be getting an earful first. You''ve been too reckless today," Pestilence said, waving him off.


    He nodded, before his eyes glowed and he vanished.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Robin could tell something was wrong the moment she laid eyes on the redhead.


    But despite that, she didn''t act as reckless as the rest of her family.


    "I''m glad you''re alive, Rosan," Robin said carefully, staring at the black canvas that was Rosan''s sclera.


    She was a mess to be honest. Robin was not in the state to do anything but... but right now she needed to think about the bigger picture.


    "Robin," Famine said carefully. "You don''t need to speak to me like I''m a time bomb. Say what you wish to say. No matter what, I will carry out what I plan on doing."


    Robin sighed, hiding the trembling in her body as she replayed all the memories in her head.


    "But will you be happy, Rosan?" she asked eventually. "Can you truly risk losing all your loved ones?"


    "...I''ve already lost them," Famine said softly. "The moment they all rejected my existence... no the moment Pe-chan was condemned to death, this was the only path I could take."


    So this... was a Rosan who loved Pestilence?


    "Even you left me, Robin."


    Robin froze at that, shuddering slightly as she was thrown for a loop. "Me...?" she asked quietly.


    Famine sighed. "All of this began with you, Robin. The reason for my existence... the reason for Rosan''s... it all starts with you. You are the catalyst and even though you promised, you left me," he said flatly.


    Robin shut her eyes at that. "You''re not being fair Rosan. Just because we''re in a relationship, doesn''t give you the right to throw such hurtful words at me."


    "Stop that. I know you don''t see me as Rosan," Famine replied softly. "Just because I''m not him, doesn''t mean I don''t have all the innate qualities he has."


    He watched her with those eyes that could always see more than he let on.


    "You say that... but your words truly do hurt. I regret our separation even more than you do, Famine," Robin said finally, turning away from him with a shake of her head. "But regardless. Your trick won''t work."


    Famine tilted his head. "My trick?"


    "Yes, your trick," she said flatly. "You pretend like you''re a different person, but you''re Rosan until the end. You think I''ll allow you to push me away so easily?"


    Famine paused at that.


    Robin shook her head. "You want to make me hate you so that you can do what you plan on doing with no regret... but I won''t make it so easy for you. I already said I won''t turn my back on you no matter what... so do what you plan on doing knowing that eventually you''ll come back to look me in my eyes."


    The redhead faltered at that, staring at her with slightly wide eyes.


    Then, he shook his head.


    "Liar," he whispered.


    Robin stared at him with piercing eyes, before placing a hand on his cheek. "You and I both know that you can detect lies. Who''s the real liar here?" she asked knowingly.


    Famine jolted out of her grasp and shook his head again, harsher this time.


    Without another word, he vanished.


    Robin watched him go and instantly sagged down, tired tears forming in her eyes.


    She didn''t know what was going on. In the first place, Robin hadn''t even recovered from the sight of Rosan getting his midsection burned.


    Robin wasn''t in the right headspace to fix anything. She didn''t know what to do at all. She just wanted to fall asleep in Rosan''s arms but she couldn''t because Rosan was nowhere to be seen.


    Yet even despite that... she was left with the task of trying to speak to the Rosan who was not her Rosan...


    The Rosan who reminded her of little Rosan. Beneath that somber and mature air... Robin could see it all.


    How could she not try to help after that?


    "You''re so selfish," Robin said to herself. "Just the most selfish boyfriend in the world."


    A palm rested gently on her shoulder and she saw the concerned Koala staring at her.


    "I know I''m no substitute... but I''m not having the best time either," Koala muttered. "How about you just vent to me until... all this is settled?"


    Robin said nothing for a long while before something broke.


    "His heart is so big and he''s so caring... that he just wants to keep everyone he loves happy and content. But he goes to almost any extent to achieve it, even at the cost of his own health. I love that about him but... a small part of me wishes he was more selfish," she confessed quietly.


    Robin felt terrible feeling like this but Rosan was her best friend and boyfriend. Couldn''t she be a little selfish when it came to him?


    "I know Robin. It must be hard," Koala whispered.


    His heart was always so big... but just like Robin at Water 7, Rosan had a hard time seeing how his actions might affect others in the long run.


    She hoped he was okay... Robin hoped whatever happened, he''d be okay.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "How''d it go?" Pestilence asked curiously.


    "...Not like I expected," Famine admitted with a grunt. "But it doesn''t matter."


    They nodded curiously. "Alright, it''s time then."


    The two made sure to lie on the bed and shut their eyes, instantly falling asleep.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "I can''t say I''m surprised about this turn of events."


    Mod looked at the duo with furrowed brows, a firm expression on her face.


    There were no tears in her eyes anymore. She was no longer crying.


    There was just resolve. Resolve to fix this issue.


    She had been blocked off from seeing the outside world due to Rosan here and that had verified something to her.


    This was Rosan in some capacity. He was the only one with more authority than her when it came to his body.


    However, Rosan had still given her quite a lot of control... which was probably why this Rosan couldn''t just outright seal her away.


    No if he wanted full authority back, he had to go through the safety measures to achieve that.


    Aka... fighting her. Mod was the firewall preventing these two from having complete control of this body...


    And she would not give it up to them.


    Rosan trusted her to deal with Pestilence, so that''s what she''d do¡­


    "Pestilence¡­ all I wanted was for us to all get along," Mod said softly. "I thought that since Rosan gave me a new lease at life, you deserved the same¡­"


    "And I got it," Pestilence interrupted. "I have Famine right here. He''s all I need and you know what that means? It means you''re in the way Modification."


    Mod said nothing for a long while. "And what of you Famine? Is this truly what you want?" she asked carefully, peering at him with those knowing red eyes.


    She didn''t have to have Rosan''s immense emotional intelligence, nor his keen eye. Her son would never be able to hide his desires from her.


    Famine stared at her. "You left me Mod. Left me all alone."


    Mod flinched slightly. "I didn''t leave you, Rosan. I would never leave you," she said softly.


    "Yet you didn''t even know who I was," he replied quietly. "I was all alone... you were going to leave me all alone but Pe-chan saved me."


    Mod''s expression cracked slightly. "I didn''t know, Rosan!" she exclaimed. "Even now, I don''t know! I''m so confused! I don''t know who you are! I don''t know where Rosan is and I don''t know what''s going on!"


    Famine glared at her. "It doesn''t matter that you didn''t know! You''re supposed to know because you refused to let me know! You kept shielding me and forcing me to rely on you... how did you ever expect me to fend for myself when you disappeared."


    "And not only that... you never even once planned on telling me about Pe-chan. You never wanted me to find out about them... so I was just supposed to suffer alone," he said coldly.


    She wavered at that. Famine was saying all the things she had expected Rosan to say if he had his emotions.


    "I''m sorry, Rosan. I thought you were just so young... I didn''t expect you to be getting attacked even at that age," she whispered. "I thought I had more time to nurture you properly."


    Famine stared coldly at her. "Mom thought that too and she died right before my eyes. You knew that and yet you still followed in her footsteps like a fool."


    Mod felt her heart twist at that and she bit back the tears that were forming. "I just wanted what was best for you, Rosan. Rouge raised you so well so I thought¡ª"


    "She died when I was 4. She''s the reason this mess started," he interrupted, shutting her down. "She''s a damn liar. She looked me in my eyes and lied... and then she died."


    Mod shuddered at that, gazing at the redhead with wide eyes.


    "I was raised by a liar. A liar who kickstarted this spiraling descent," Famine said, fangs bared as anger crossed his features. "And then there''s you. You''re not a liar but you''re just as bad as her because you hide things from me over and over again and you never plan on revealing them. I put my trust in all of you... but none of you EVER trusted me."


    Mod stepped back at that, eyes wide and wavering.


    Was this... what Rosan thought deep down? It was, wasn''t it? That was why Rosan had stopped telling her things in the past 10 years... that''s why he admitted to almost losing all his respect for her.


    It hurt to hear all those things aloud... it was like speaking to the Rosan who had unleashed all the dissatisfaction that had been buried underneath his river of love.


    "I''m not perfect. None of us are," Mod said firmly, wiping the tears. "Rosan of all people knows that no one is perfect... and yet he still forgave me for practically betraying his trust."


    It hurt... but that didn''t matter. It was a mother''s job to care for her children, even when they were in their rebellious phase.


    No matter the hurtful things they said... Mod would always be there for her children and this was her son.


    "I won''t let you have my son''s body. You may be Rosan... but you''re being guided down the incorrect path," Mod said firmly.


    "I''ll be the one to correct that and when you finally step back onto the right path, mother will be there waiting with her arms open. Because even if you become the worst person in the world, I''ll be there for you."


    The woman said nothing else, immediately vanishing from her spot.


    Pestilence only had a moment to react, before a punch of all things landed on their cheek, launching them across the air.


    The virus yelped in pain at the hellish strength behind the blow, righting themself with wild eyes, before glaring hatefully at Mod.


    "I''ll make you regret turning your back on me, Mod," Pestilence snarled.


    "I apologize for that Pestilence. It was foolish of me... but there are more things for me to worry about then making amends with you at the moment," Mod said softly, purple sparks lighting across her skin.


    Mod leapt back with her enhanced speed, avoiding the precise swing from Famine and glowed purple.


    A rush of lightning shot out of her hand, careening towards the man and Famine flapped once, before flying away.


    She didn''t have access to Ram... her power had been reduced by a bit without the girl but that was okay because Mod had access to everything else Rosan had learned.


    Famine summoned a wall of ice that blocked the brutal stream of purple flames, before he summoned an army of ice structures once more.


    "My unique ability is kind of useless in here," Pestilence muttered, wiping the blood from their mouth as black miasma began rolling off of her.


    "Does that truly matter?" Famine asked softly. "She cannot defeat us."


    Pestilence grinned wildly, eyes pulsing with madness. "I love your confidence~!"


    With that, Pestilence cackled madly and let their black miasma fly free.


    "White Plague!" they shouted.


    The black chaotic energy consumed everyone of Famine''s constructs, painting the snow white creatures black and causing them to grow even more feral and faster in nature.


    Mod took a deep breath and steeled herself. She stomped the floor and broke off a piece of the forest''s floor, grasping it and transforming it into a lance.


    The first thing to reach her was the painted wolves and Mod scowled, lunging forward with the long reaching lance.


    The first was unable to close the distance, already getting speared through the mouth by the weapon.


    A black inky fluid flew everywhere and she watched as it melted the ground of the mindscapes... but Mod was not deterred, ripping the weapon out and glowing purple with electricity.


    "Livewire," she muttered, stabbing the floor with her lance and letting loose a heavy stream of the purple lightning.


    She released the lance but the damage was done. The weapon was glowing with the immense amount of electricity, acting as the conductor and the lightning spread all across the floor.


    The grounded creatures yelped, seizing up as they were immediately captured by the surging floor.


    Pestilence and Famine leapt off the ground, white wings growing from the redhead''s back as an inky western dragon flew under the white haired woman.


    A familiar serpentine dragon looped around Famine, drenched in Pestilence''s corrosive energy and it let out a distorted roar, black spittle flying out.


    Famine looked unbothered, red eyes peering at Mod the entire time.


    Pestilence grinned wildly, red eyes pulsing maniacally as they watched Mod deal with the grounded creatures.


    "Don''t bother summoning grounded," they muttered shortly.


    "Noted," he said, air freezing around him as flying creatures made their presence known. In the rain of the mindscape, it was dreadfully easy.


    Unfortunately, the rain of the mindscape didn''t only benefit them.


    Mod didn''t even let the birds, bugs and bats take in their surroundings. Her eyes glowed brilliantly and she shot a hand into the sky.


    A streak of electricity rushed out of the raised hand, rushing high into the sky and Mod''s cold eyes latched onto them.


    "Emp: Storm!" she shouted.


    A thunderstorm formed immediately and rapid bolts of lighting began crashing. The entire sky lit up with the unnaturally colored electricity, riddling the structures created by Famine mercilessly.


    Pestilence scowled in annoyance, summoning the black miasma and transforming it into something solid, holding it above their head as a shield. "Seems like she already has an answer for them," they muttered.


    "I see," Famine mused. "Very well then."


    The air froze around him once more, before forming into a pure white scythe and he grasped it with a single hand.


    At the same time, the black miasma formed onto Pestilence''s hands, transforming into dangerous sharp and giant claws.


    They rushed her at once, storm hampering them greatly but Famine weathered it well in their stead, summoning a shield of white electricity that protected them both.


    Mod saw their approach, lightning strikes crashing around her and she narrowed her eyes, black wings sprouting from her back as she flew away from the duo.


    Famine''s eyes narrowed and he upped his speed, rocketing past Pestilence to immediately close the distance.


    He abruptly halted his flight as an inferno of purple flames launched towards him, forcing the redhead to fly out of its path.


    By the time the flame dissipated, Mod was nowhere to be seen.


    Famine''s eyes narrowed, only to glow in rage as Pestilence let out a cry of pain.


    He whirled around and saw purple sparks roiling off the virus, Mod behind her with a cruel glint in her eyes.


    "You are the weak link," she said assuredly, eyes glowing with fury. "That''s why you manipulated Rosan onto your side. To even the balance."


    Pestilence snarled and swiped with their claws, meeting nothing as Mod ducked under the wild swing.


    Mod retaliated with a swing of her leg, flexibly arcing it through the air from her crouched position and planting the foot directly onto Pestilence''s face.


    A spurt of blood was released from Pestilence''s nose and they skidded back, clutching the appendage with a furious glare.


    More black miasma solidified around their body and Pestilence growled ferociously.


    They launched themselves at Mod, swiping wildly with their claws as the woman weaved through each one.


    "Pe-chan, step back!" Famine shouted. "She''s goading you in!"


    Pestilence almost ignored the order but they listened just in time to leap back.


    They watched with wide eyes as Mod exploded in purple electricity, the burst nearly catching and putting them out of the battle right then and there.


    That snapped the virus out of their hazy rage and they leapt to Famine''s side, reassessing the clinical Mod.


    Right now this wasn''t a Mod that could be pushed around. Every move she made was going for the kill... and she was approaching it in the most logical manner appropriate.


    When it came to logic, Mod was undefeated in this body.


    Famine''s eyes narrowed slightly and he stamped the electrical ground.


    Mod immediately took flight, avoiding the pillars of spiky ice surging from them. Her movement did not stop there however, as the substance on Pestilence exploding, black ropes lunging after her.


    The woman flew threw the air, avoiding the tendrils to the best of her abilities as they tried to grab and wrap around her.


    Unfortunately, all of them were inhabitants of the same body so Mod''s lightning would never have full effect onto the duo over there. It was only good for keeping the constructs at bay...


    But much like how the constructs were somewhat resistant to Maro''s fire, so too were they somewhat resistant to Famine''s lightning.


    Mod let out a yelp of surprise, as a darting bird suddenly crashed into her.


    The inky black bird began pecking furiously and Mod hissed in pain as the black splotches began burning her. If not for the fact that this was the mindscape, she''d be in far more trouble...


    But that mattered little with who her opponents were.


    The black tendrils wrapped around her legs and lifted her, causing Mod''s struggles to renew. She let out a cry as they tightened around and burned her but it turned into a cough as she was dragged into a punch.


    Mod felt the breath leave her at the impact, staring into the somber gaze of Famine.


    She hastily reached out and grabbed Famine''s arm, before opening her mouth.


    The cough she let out at the breath leaving her, was replaced by a roar, as purple flames rushed out of her mouth and crashed into the redhead.


    But it didn''t stop there, so intense were the flames, that they incinerated the tendrils grasping her as well.


    Mod was released, panting slightly as she clutched her midsection.


    She knew that attack wasn''t going to do a lot to Famine because he had used the ice dragon around his body to shield him, giving him enough time to don the scales of Ragnarok.


    The Devil Fruit was proven correct as the flames were banished.


    Famine grunted in pain, burns marking his skin where most people would be reduced to ash. The construct protecting him was nowhere to be seen, completely destroyed by Mod''s Annihilation attack.


    "Despite everything I said, I really don''t like seeing the pain on your face," Famine whispered, ice encasing his body to dull the burns.


    "I won''t stop," Mod said resolutely. "Not until I figure out what happened to Rosan. Not until I stop you from making the biggest mistake of your life."


    "I see," Famine said softly. "Very well then."


    Mod didn''t know what that meant but she suddenly summoned a wall to block the approaching inky fist.


    The wall only lessened the impact, but the fist broke through regardless and crashed against the blocking Mod with crushing force.


    Pestilence sneered as Mod flew through the air, before the woman landed on the ground. She tumbled repeatedly before a tail sprouted and jammed into the ground, halting her.


    Mod panted, bruises all over. Her vision blurred slightly and she noted that her thunderstorm had stopped.


    She leapt back as a spike of ice sprouted from beneath her, tearing her dress due to clipping her and the woman stumbled backwards as a claw attempted to smash her to the ground.


    Pestilence was not deterred, leaping forward to close the distance and causing Mod to be put on the defensive.


    Mod ducked under a swipe of black claws, only to grunt in pain as the inky black substance spiked out and lengthened, cutting into her despite the initial attack missing.


    Pestilence was going to push their advantage, only for the sharp black tail to slap against their face, causing blood to spurt as she was crushed to the floor.


    Mod was relentless, wrapping the tail around Pestilence''s neck and squeezing.


    Pestilence let out a raspy gasp at that, clutching at the appendage with one hand.


    Mod exploded in electricity, shocking Pestilence greatly.


    The virus howled in pain, before they outstretched their hand, gut punching Mod with a liquid-solid tendril in the shape of a bar.


    Mod hunched over at the attack but persisted, electricity holding strong as she attempted to squeeze the life out of Pestilence.


    It was not to be however, as a wolf lunged and clamped her leg.


    She attempted to ignore it to the best of her abilities, up until another wolf clamped her other leg, while a final wolf crashed into her back.


    Mod cried out, loosening her grip enough for Pestilence to break free.


    With no regards for the wolves biting Mod, the furious virus backhanded her with a giant hand.


    Before she could right herself, she was gripped tightly, bones creaking as the black hand gripped her with crushing force.


    "Annoying bitch," Pestilence snarled violently, hoisting her up and slamming her down.


    Mod saw stars at the first slam, but that turned into seeing splotches in her vision as the second came... and then the third and finally after the fourth, she was launched away with disdain.


    "Give up, Mod. You can''t win," Famine said, watching as she shakily pushed herself up, arms slipping and causing her to crash back down. "I don''t want to hurt you anymore."


    The Devil Fruit panted harshly, blinking rapidly as blood spilled down her head.


    Despite that though, she pushed herself up, crying out as her body protested.


    "I''ll never give up. I''m the one who caused this mess¡­ so I''ll be the one who fixes it," Mod said eventually. "I won''t let you have your way... Pestilence."


    Pestilence scoffed and walked up to the practically defenseless woman, staring down at their former partner.


    "You could join us you know," they offered. "Despite everything, I still have a love for you just like how you still had love for me. Why don''t you just stop resisting and join us?"


    "So I can be your trophy?" Mod countered harshly, spitting out blood as she clutched her ribs. "No thank you. My loyalties lie with the person who sees me as a person, not a whore," she spat.


    Pestilence sighed and shook their head. "I never understood why people remained stubborn when facing death. I''m not gonna kill you or anything... but wouldn''t you rather be free than imprisoned?" they asked curiously.


    Mod glared at her, blood blocking her vision slightly. "It''s not about whether I''m free or not. So long as I have something to fight for... I will always fight for it. As long as Rosan''s in trouble, I will be there to save him. I am my son''s keeper," she said resolutely.


    Famine listened to her words and shut his eyes. "I''m your son too you know," he replied quietly.


    Mod shook her head. "If you were truly my son... we would never have gotten to this point," she said softly, coughing more blood.


    "...I see," Famine said simply, turning away from her.


    "Last chance, Mod," Pestilence warned.


    "...Pestilence," Mod said softly. "Go fuck yourself."


    ...


    Pestilence clenched their jaw in annoyance at that.


    "Wrong answer. Foolish to the end... you truly are his mother alright," Pestilence sneered, raising their claws up high to pierce Mod.


    "A shame. You really would have been such fine eye candy."


    The virus swung down, intent on impaling her and getting sweet revenge¡­ but she was unable to because of the strong grip grabbing their arm.


    Then, the virus let out a wheeze of pain, as a punch crashed against their sternum, launching them away from Mod.


    "Pe-chan!" Famine shouted in surprise, eyes widening in confusion before he was summarily kicked in the face.


    The redhead was launched back, catching himself and feeling his disbelief growing.


    Mod, whose eyes were shut, slowly opened them in confusion at the short scuffle.


    What she saw, brought a fresh surge of tears through her eyes and Mod let out a strangled sob of disbelief.


    "Two on one is a bit unfair don''t you think¡­"


    Rosan''s eyes blazed in fury, sharp teeth bared as he smashed a foot into Pestilence''s side, causing the virus to get sent flying backwards.


    "...Especially when the person you''re fucking ganging up on is my mother!" he snarled furiously, genuine rage in his eyes at hearing the pained sobs of Mod.


    Pestilence gasped in agony, as they were launched backwards, halting their flight as they were caught out of midair.


    "Are you okay?" Famine asked gently, rubbing the spot they were kicked at gently as a scowl of fury formed on his face.


    "I''m fine," Pestilence replied, pushing themself up in disbelief. "But how is he here?!" they shouted.


    Rosan sneered and turned towards Mod.


    The Devil Fruit was looking at him with wide eyes, tears spilling up as her bloody lips wobbled.


    Seeing her like this... the redhead immediately hoisted and engulfed the woman in a deep and heavy hug.


    "I''m sorry for being late, Mod-chan," Rosan said in that voice of his, squeezing her gently as regret laced his tone. "You got all hurt because you were defending me."


    "I-I had to!" Mod stammered, feeling her emotions well up at hearing his voice again. "This was the mess I caused a-and I knew you were still out there."


    "I''m glad you never gave up. I knew I could rely on you... To the end, you fought for me. Thank you for giving me time, mom."


    Mod sniffed. "Of course, son. I''d do it all a million times if I had to..."


    Mod couldn''t hold it back and let out a sharp wail, tears spilling as she furiously hugged her son. She gripped him with all her might and placed a flurry of kisses all over his face, smothering the redhead in love and relief.


    "R-Rosan!" she sobbed, threatening to sag in his hold. "I thought¡­ I-I thought you were. W-When I saw what happened I just ¡ª"


    Another sob ripped through her body and Rosan''s gaze softened drastically, taking one eye of his enemies to gaze at his mother.


    "I thought I was done for too," he said truthfully, tucking her protectively into his frame as he gently kissed her bloodied head.


    "I''ll explain what happened to me soon¡­ but first things first¡­"


    Mod sniffed and nodded, a fierce expression on her face as she stepped back and turned towards the nervous Pestilence and furious Famine.


    "You," Famine snarled, eyes lit in fury.


    "Me," Rosan replied easily, eyes smoldering with rage.


    "Pestilence. I tried. I really did," Rosan said, red flames licking his injured body. "I tried to forgive you because that''s what Mod-chan would have wanted me to do. That''s what Meiko would have wanted me to do."


    Famine flinched at that name.


    "I offered to let bygones be bygones. You saved this body... and I thought maybe it was possible to coexist with you," Rosan said truthfully.


    His expression darkened. "And then your head got too big for you. Now, I''m going to rip you to shreds. Limb from limb, bone to bone. I''m going to skin you until nothing remains," he promised, flashing his incredibly sharp teeth.


    Pestilence shuddered at that, only for a figure to step in front of them.


    "You aren''t laying a hand on them," Famine snarled, eyes boiling.


    Rosan stared at the person with his face, properly gauging them for the first time. "And who the fuck is this supposed to be?" he asked with a confused expression. "Making a copy of me? Did you really think that was going to stop me?"


    "Copy...?" Famine whispered in quiet rage. "I''m not a copy, you thief," he hissed, temperature dropping around him.


    "Thief...?" Rosan raised a brow again.


    Mod tugged him slightly. "I... I don''t know how Rosan. I thought Pestilence got to you first and fully corrupted but seeing you here now... I think you two are both Rosan. He... reminds me of you when you had no emotions a bit," she said slowly.


    The redhead pursed his lips at that and gauged the man, noting those pure white wings on his back.


    Wait... pure white?


    Rosan''s eyes widened in realization.


    Oh... Oh! That''s why it had been so impossible to open the castle!


    "Mod-chan¡­ do you remember all those years ago, when Luffy said a big piece of me is missing?" he asked her randomly.


    Mod nodded in confusion, before her eyes widened in realization. "You mean he was talking about him?!" she asked in disbelief.


    "I don''t know how Luffy knew but yeah. I think this is what he meant," the redhead nodded, raking a hand through his air.


    So that''s what the castle was housing. It was holding another piece of him¡­ and judging by those pure white wings¡­


    "This might be where all my innocence went... that explains why my shift didn''t seem abnormal to me despite feeling like it should," the redhead informed her. "I think this is my light half."


    "Does that mean... you''re the dark half?" Mod asked, shock set on her features.


    So that''s why his wings were pitch black¡­ That''s why Rosan had become so cruel.


    That''s why he grew to hate Robin so irrationally, there had been no love to balance out how hurt he was!


    "It all makes so much sense!" Mod exclaimed, turning wide eyes towards Famine. "But then... then why does he act like this? If he''s your innocence, not even Pestilence''s influence should have changed him."


    Rosan was mulling that over as well, until a keyword stuck out to him.


    Thief.


    "Ah, I get it," Rosan sighed, locking eyes onto Famine.


    "What is it?" Mod asked.


    The duo of Pestilence and Famine just watched, preparing for the next course of action.


    "Mod-chan, what was the castle housing?" Rosan asked.


    Mod''s brows furrowed. "Your emotions."


    He nodded. "But my emotions aren''t just some ball of energy. Something had to house them."


    "Yes... it was likely Famine housing all of them," she replied. Despite the situation, Mod did love bouncing things like this between the two.


    "Right... but am I still emotionless?" Rosan asked curiously.


    Mod immediately shook her head. "No... in fact you have nearly all... your... emotions," she replied slowly, realization dawning on her face.


    "So what does this Famine have?" Rosan asked finally.


    "Your emotions... they can''t be in two places at once," Mod muttered. "So if I had to guess, when one gains, another loses. That would mean, that as you lost chains and gained your emotions back..."


    "I lost them," Famine finished coldly.


    Pestilence snarled. "You selfish asshole, discarding all those crushing emotions at your convenience and only taking them back when you feel like it," they growled in genuine hatred.


    "You have no idea what Famine has gone through. You forced him into that castle, forced him to store your emotions and now you think you can just take them away whenever you want?!"


    Rosan hummed at that. "I see now. We cannot exist at the same time," he said finally. "Because if we both exist, one of us are doomed to suffer."


    "Exactly," Famine said, air solidifying around him as he grabbed the frozen blade out of midair. "And if I cease to exist, you will do whatever you want with Pe-chan. I cannot allow that to happen. I will fight you with all I have and regain what was rightfully mine."


    Mod bit her lip at that, mind racing at the revelations.


    "What are we going to do?" she asked turning towards her son, feeling so much more confident at seeing his fearless visage.


    "What to do? We''re gonna beat the shit outta them of course," Rosan promised.


    Mod jolted at that, eyes wide.


    "Light half this, thief that¡­ they hurt you," he said darkly, red flames surging from his body as he tenderly held her cheek. "I won''t let them get away with that. Just follow my lead, Mod-chan. We''ll deal with the complicated stuff after."


    This was why¡­ this was why Mod would forever be eternally loyal to Rosan. Nothing would ever make her change her allegiance.


    Rosan was hers and she was his.


    "Okay!" Mod said, eyes glowing brightly as a fierce and cocky grin made its way to her face. "We''ll figure out the complicated stuff later. For now, let''s show them a glimpse of our teamwork!"


    Rosan''s grin matched hers and he locked his eyes onto both his opponents.


    "Famine was it?" Rosan called. "Fitting. A person doomed to have things taken from them, until they are left starving. You have never felt fulfilled... that name truly does suit you."


    The redhead''s eyes flashed violently. "But I am War. I''ll show you exactly why my title suits me."


    Famine''s anger grew at that, sculptures forming around him. "War you say... very well then, War. I will give you an army to fight against."


    Rosan grinned cockily, unbothered by that. He simply slammed a fist against his palm challengingly.


    "There''s a reason I''m the one who took control of our body. You''re too weak to handle the world that I''ve braved all these years. Now come. Be a good little brother and accept what''s coming your way."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Bonus!


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "So your siblings hate you?"


    Raisa scowled at that, hammering away at her ship with more force than necessary, not that she realized.


    A hand grasped hers and Raisa whirled around, baring her fangs at Cutter.


    "Don''t touch me," she hissed.


    Cutter sighed at her prickly attitude, used to it by now. If she wasn''t in a sour mood, she was sleeping and even then she was probably still in a sour mood.


    "Hey, calm down Red¡ª"


    "I told you that my name is Raisa!" the princess barked in annoyance. "You''re supposed to be helping me fix this ship, not prying into my fucking life!"


    The black haired man held his hand up in a gesture of surrender. "I am helping you fix the ship. You were smashing the hammer too hard on it. Anymore and you would have damaged it instead of fixed it"


    Raisa blinked at that, turning towards the spot she had been hitting and noting that it was looking close to splintering completely.


    "..." Raisa ignored the way her face warmed and slammed the hammer on the floor.


    "I''ll be right back. I don''t have time to deal with your bullshit," she scowled, transforming into her hybrid form to fly off.


    She was not going to destroy that ship. Raisa knew what she was doing. She was a princess... she merely hit it with the best force necessary to speed up the process.


    It was all calculated. Raisa never messed up.


    "Raisa," Cutter called out.


    The princess paused in frustration.


    "What do you want?" Raisa bit out, turning to glare at the man who annoyed her to no end.


    "You realize how completely unreasonable you act, right?"


    She froze and realized Cutter wasn''t smiling anymore. He was just looking at her with a disappointed frown.


    "I don''t know what your deal is but I didn''t sign up to be a punching bag," Cutter told her calmly, crossing his arms. "I''m just on an isolated island, all by my lonesome, training. If you''re really hellbent on acting like this, then you should probably leave. That would be the best for both of us. I''m sure you understand the basics enough to fix the ship on your own."


    Raisa shuddered at that, eyes wide at his words. She felt a weird knot in her belly at that, not liking the feeling whatsoever.


    "Wait..." Raisa mumbled, not expecting such things to be said to her. "You can''t say that..."


    She was a princess. Raisa didn''t get rejected. Whatever Raisa wanted, she got. Such was her right as a princess. And if Raisa''s status as a princess wasn''t enough to deem her worthy, then her status as a fighter surely would.


    Because Raisa was not only a princess. Raisa was a warrior.


    The redhead ran things on both ends, through politics and might. If her words did not help, then her claws certainly would.


    So how dare this random man try and talk to her like this?! How dare he look down on her? Who did this commoner think he was?!


    "How dare you speak to me like that?!" she snarled, landing back on the floor immediately and glaring up at him.


    Cutter was tall, an imposing 6''8 compared to her 5''11.


    But Raisa would never allow herself to cowed by such measly physical traits.


    She pressed a sharp nail against the man''s chest, knowing she could poke a hole into him if she so wished. "Show me some respect! The nerve of you to speak to me like I''m trash! Do not lump me in with anyone else you may have spoken to!"


    Cutter rolled his eyes, completely nonplussed by her attitude. "I''m speaking to you like a human being, Raisa. Learn to be a little more humble. You can''t expect people to let you talk to them any type of way."


    Raisa scowled. "I can speak to anyone I want in anyway I fucking feel like! What are they going to do about it?!"


    "Nothing probably... but I guess that explains why you don''t have friends," Cutter sighed.


    Raisa''s eyes went red in rage and she launched herself recklessly at Cutter. "You stupid son of a bitch! I''ll show you why I have no friends!"


    Cutter''s eyes widened in surprise and he grunted as Raisa tackled him to the floor.


    He felt a pulse of excitement at the immense strength she wielded.


    "Do you have any idea what you''re doing?" he asked, pushing her grabbing hands back.


    "Getting ready to kill you! I have no friends because I am unmatched!" she snarled, purple eyes pulsing in time with her rage.


    "I''m not gonna pull my punches, Red," he warned her one time only. "If it''s a fight you want, then it''s a fight you''ll get."


    "Good! I''ve been stressed and since you called yourself a punching bag, it''s finally your time to prove me wrong!"


    "AND MY NAME IS RAISA!"


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Raisa and Cutter both panted, laying on the ground as bruises and cuts donned both their bodies.


    "You''re... not as worthless as I thought you were," Raisa admitted begrudgingly, feeling light at the thrilling and exciting battle.


    "And you''re a terrifying prodigy. You''re only 16? Hard to believe." Cutter laughed disbelievingly, body thrumming from that.


    "...The last person who couldn''t believe I was 16 thought so for reasons that ended with me bisecting him... but yes. I am 16," Raisa admitted bitterly. "It''s the reason my siblings hate me."


    Cutter turned towards her at that. "Because you''re talented?"


    She nodded, refusing to let the sadness she felt show. "I was born exceptional... I always have been above my peers. At just the age of 6, I was capable of contending with my fathers guards. Once I ate my Devil Fruit, it was no longer a challenge for me."


    Raisa scowled bitterly. "But my siblings were not the same as me. Neither were gifted at battle like I was. They weren''t even capable of pushing the guards to break a sweat, like I could. My parents took note of that... I was given nearly all the attention that should have been split between the three of us."


    It took Raisa awhile to realize how much they favored her. They had begun showing it to her at 5, when she was capable of comfortably defeating Oren in one on one combat despite his two year lead on her.


    They had blamed Oren for being a man, even father because Father could not defeat Mother and Mother was the true ruler of that island. After all, it was unheard of for the Iris line to give birth to men. It did not help that Oren, while talented for his age, was unable to contend with his younger sister.


    When Dalia had become eligible to battle, her parents had high hopes for Raisa''s younger sister. Surely someone that was practically glued to the hip with their prodigy of a daughter, would show the same talents she had...


    But Dalia didn''t have that talent either. She was even weaker than Oren.


    That was when her parents decided that Raisa would be the one to inherit the throne. That was when they decided to focus their attention onto just her.


    She had been 7 when that happened. It was only at 9 did she realize her siblings were being neglected due to the attention Raisa was being showered in.


    At the mere age of 9, Raisa took it upon herself to try and include her siblings into things. Due to her gifts and talents, her parents never truly had a problem when it was Raisa who wanted it...


    She had always been nice to her siblings, but the princess had gone out of her way to try and make them feel loved.


    Too bad it didn''t do a damn thing at all. They still hated her until the end... Oren hadn''t even said goodbye when he left two years ago.


    Raisa doubted she''d even see her little sister when she arrived at Wisteria again.


    "That''s not your fault. You didn''t ask for any of that," Cutter said suddenly.


    Raisa jolted in surprise at that, staring at Cutter with wide eyes.


    The man sighed and shook his head. "All of you are kids so none of you are to blame... but you''re the only one who tried to make things right out of your entire family. You tried on your end but they refused... that''s no longer your fault," he said reassuringly.


    "...Really?" Raisa asked quietly, not believing what she was hearing.


    Cutter chuckled and pat her head. "It''s not on you anymore. You''re a nice girl Raisa so your arms will always be open for them... so it''s on them to mend your fractured relationship. You did your best but sometimes, you gotta let people walk on their own."


    Raisa listened to his words and silently pondered them, feeling inexplicably warm.


    "I''m... sorry for being such a bitch to you," she said eventually.


    Cutter snorted and it broke out into abrupt laughter. "Kahahaha!"


    Raisa felt a vein of annoyance form at that and snarled at him, smoke puffing out of her mouth warningly. "Stop laughing at me you damn bastard! I''m trying to make amends!"


    Cutter kept laughing at her. "Sorry it''s just... I didn''t expect you to say that! You''re a strange friend, Raisa!"


    Raisa opened her mouth and shut it as she realized a smile was threatening to form.


    "Friend?" she repeated.


    He nodded. "Yeah, you clearly need a friend and I don''t actually think anyone else would be able to deal with you, so I''ll be your friend. You don''t have to be so lonely anymore."


    Raisa felt her chest tighten at that. "Friend..."


    To her surprise, she felt tears welling up but she forced them down, lest Cutter think her a weakling.


    Queen''s weren''t supposed to cry after all¡ª


    Raisa went still as she was pulled into a hug.


    "It''s okay to cry you know? I won''t think any less of you," Cutter said patiently.


    Raisa shuddered at that, before the floodgates opened and tears fell down her eyes. She cried silently, but the shudder of her body would not fool anyone.


    "Thank you," she whispered, squeezing him.


    Cutter pat her head gently. "Don''t thank me. This is what friends do," he said bluntly.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Raisa looked at her repaired ship with a conflicted expression.


    On one hand, she was proud because the ship looked perfectly fine... but on the other hand, it meant she had to leave.


    Raisa wasn''t sure she wanted to leave.


    "Lot on your mind?" Cutter asked knowingly.


    "Yeah," she said honestly, sounding far more casual than before. "It''s a little bittersweet... I won''t lie."


    They had taken about 3 months to repair the ship completely and in that time, Raisa and Cutter had become quite close.


    It felt good to have a friend. Raisa had never had one. Royalty did not need friends, they needed loyal subjects. That''s what her parents hammered into her over and over again.


    She had confided with him, they had trained with each other and Raisa had learned about a life that extended beyond being the inheritor of the throne.


    It felt... nice. It was the best Raisa had felt in her entire life.


    She was so glad to have met Cutter... which was why it hurt so much to say goodbye.


    "Cutter I¡ª" Raisa cut herself off abruptly.


    She wanted Cutter to come with her but as much as she hated to admit this... Raisa just couldn''t help him.


    Raisa couldn''t help that anger inside of him. She tried... she really did, but there was nothing she tried that stemmed that inferno inside of him that he hid so well.


    Raisa wasn''t emotionally intelligent enough to help Cutter. Being emotionally intelligent wasn''t something one could learn... it was an innate gift.


    Cutter was emotionally intelligent.


    Raisa was not.


    So she needed to say goodbye.


    "Thanks for keeping me company. It''s been a while since I had someone to talk to," Cutter grinned, patting her head.


    Raisa shuddered, before she broke and pulled the man into a tight hug.


    "Thank you for being my friend, Cutter," she murmured, shuddering slightly. "I... I appreciate it. I''ve never felt so happy so... thank you."


    Cutter stared down at her, those gold eyes of his shining with an unknown emotion. Then, he smiled slightly.


    "Of course, Red. Everyone needs a friend. Now that you know how to be a good one, go out there and make some more."


    Raisa sniffed and squeezed him tightly again. "Let''s meet each other again, alright?" she demanded, big purple eyes glaring at him.


    Cutter noted that they were always glowing, regardless of if she were active or not. It made it look like she was always about to attack someone.


    "Of course. I need to leave this place once in a while anyways," he said, releasing her.


    Raisa nodded. "It''s no good to have no friends," she scolded, floating up towards her ship. "You need to make some too!"


    "Sure sure," he waved, golden eyes glinting in amusement.


    Raisa grinned happily, wiping the slight tears. "Bye Cutter! Next time you see me, I''ll kick your ass! I''ll be the strongest around!"


    "I look forward to it, prodigy," he announced.


    She kept waving even as she left his line of sight and Cutter sighed, smile leaving his face.


    It was nice to talk to someone once in a while. He hadn''t spoken to anyone since he killed every inhabitant on this island.


    Raisa... what a talented girl she was. She was a real monster with that Devil Fruit too.


    "Back to training," Cutter grunted, turning away from the sea.


    Roger wasn''t going to just die by his lonesome. Raisa had been a great training partner over the months but he needed more.


    A prodigy... Cutter wished he was a prodigy like Raisa was.


    Life would have been far easier if so.

 Rosan

    Rosan blearily opened his eyes, though it was hard for him to tell because of how dark it was.


    An endless expanse of black greeted him and the redhead looked ahead, gaze unfocused as his head throbbed.


    Suddenly, the area around turned bright and a wave of dizziness hit him. Rosan nearly collapsed at the mounting pressure on his body, if not for the set of soft hands holding him up.


    ...Hands?


    "...Huh?" he said tiredly, glancing at the source of the hands.


    His eyes shot open at that, shock replacing exhaustion.


    "It''s been so long... to see how much you''ve grown..."


    Rosan''s eyes widened in horror and disbelief.


    What? What was... what the hell was happening?!


    Rouge smiled gently at him, tears pricking his mother''s face, as she placed a gentle palm against his cheek.


    "...My little Rose."


    "..." Rosan said nothing, staring at his mother with wide eyes.


    Then, he sighed and his expression melted. "Another nightmare," he muttered to himself, removing Rouge''s hand from his cheeks.


    "Can we just get this over with? Transform into a monster and scorn me for all the decisions I made in my life," he said, shutting his eyes and taking a breath.


    He had no idea what was going no right now and he couldn''t wake up from this nightmare so he had nothing to do but wait it out.


    These nightmares were so frequent that they barely even phased him anymore. There was nothing to do but wait it out¡ª


    Those soft hands grabbed him once more and Rosan grunted as he was suddenly pulled into a tight hug.


    "My little Rose... you must be so tired," Rouge said, sorrow in her voice. "I''m so sorry for what I''ve put you through... I''m the worst mother in the world."


    Rosan completely froze at that, eyes widening in confusion.


    What...? A dream where his mother wasn''t berating him...? When was the last time he had such a thing? When was the last time Rosan dreamed positively of his mother?


    He opened his eyes and hesitantly glanced down, seeing his short mother glancing up at him with tears pricking her eyes.


    "What?" Rosan murmured in confusion.


    "All these years, I wanted to tell you that nothing was ever your fault, Rosan. I''ve never once blamed you... I blame myself. I blame myself for not having enough time to nurture you, I blame myself for placing such expectations on you... and I blame myself for lying so cruelly to you!" Rouge sobbed, hugging her oldest son with fervor.


    Rosan looked utterly stunned, mouth flapping as he gazed at the person with his mother''s face.


    No... that wasn''t right...


    "Mom?" Rosan whispered, feeling her tears hit his body.


    "And despite how terrible of a mother I was... despite how I could not even hope to match up to Mod-chan, you still held me to such high standards," Rouge cried, squeezing him with all her might. "I don''t know what I did to gain such an amazing son, but I don''t deserve you at all! From the bottom of my heart, thank you Rosan."


    "..." Rosan said nothing and stared at her.


    So this was his mother huh...


    Well then.


    "To be honest... I do hate you mom," he finally said.


    Rouge stopped at that, gazing at the redhead with a hurt but expectant expression.


    "It''s not a big part of me... but that part does blames all of this on you," Rosan frowned, staring at her with a tilted head.


    "All you had to do was tell me the truth. That''s it. You just needed to be more honest with me," he said bluntly.


    Rouge looked guilty at that. "I understand and... and I know you told me to rely on you but¡ª"


    "But what?" Rosan asked, staring at her. "Instead of dealing with the hard part with me, you decided to let me deal with it on my own?"


    The redhead sighed and shook his head.


    "If I had known you wouldn''t survive, maybe I could have used Modification to really help you. If I had known you wouldn''t survive, I wouldn''t have thought up a half assed plan that separated me from my brother for 10 years. If I knew you wouldn''t have survived, I wouldn''t have harbored such resentment for you all these years."


    The redhead''s frown was severe, just gazing at his tear streaked mother with those all knowing eyes.


    "My spiraling descent started with you not being honest, Mom. You knew you were going to die but you lied... how do you think my life would have changed if I was just prepared for this?" Rosan asked softly.


    Rouge held her head at the truth of his words, tears surging at the disappointment in his gaze.


    "I''m sorry my little Rose... I couldn''t bare to see the look on your face when you realized I wouldn''t last longer... but if I knew you would have seen my passing with your own eyes, I swear that I would have said something!" she pleaded, gazing desperately at her son.


    Rosan stared back at her. "My mother is a liar. Someone who was too afraid to face her worried son and left him all alone with a heap of expectations that he just couldn''t fulfill," he said quietly.


    Rouge bowed her head at that, giving up on trying to speak to him because he was right.


    She was a coward who had abandoned her son in the same way that he had been initially abandoned. It wasn''t fair to him at all... Rouge had loved her son so much but she had done something unforgivable to him.


    As Rouge''s tears fell, she gasped in shock as strong arms wrapped warmly around her.


    "But my mom saw an infant all alone and decided to raise him as her own. My mom is a kind soul who was shoved into an unfavorable position... and my mom was someone who just wanted the best for her kids, despite marrying the dumbest person on the planet," Rosan said warmly, frosty expression vanishing.


    "I don''t hate you, mom. I just really wish Roger''s stupidity didn''t infect you," he murmured against her.


    Rouge let out a sniff, before a sob left her and she hugged her baby boy.


    "I''m sorry Mom. I just needed to get that off my chest... I have a lot of baggage that I''ve been dealing with," Rosan murmured warmly, squeezing her into him.


    "I-It''s okay my little Rose!" she assured. "I understand... Your parents haven''t done the best job so I know where your anger comes from!"


    Rouge stared lovingly at her son. "Despite everything you''ve gone through... despite all you did, I''ve never once condemned you my little Rose. I''m so proud of you for finding the family you were looking for..."


    Rosan smiled at that.


    "Which is why you can''t be here," she finished.


    Rosan''s smile turned into a look of confusion.


    "You said that I want the best for my children and you''re right, my little Rose... it''s not yet your time," Rouge said softly.


    The redhead frowned at that. "Not... my time?"


    What was she talking about?


    Rouge nodded. "Don''t be content with the life you''ve built so far, Rosan. There''s still so much for you to experience... and so many people are counting on you. Now go," she said encouragingly.


    Rosan, despite his confusion, felt fired up by her words and nodded. "I don''t know what''s going on... but you''re right. People do rely on me and I can''t let them down now."


    "That''s my little Rose. You''ve bloomed into such a strong and beautiful flower!" Rouge smiled, wiping the tears out of her eyes.


    Rosan smiled softly, watching as she stood on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek.


    "And you''ve gotten so tall too! Seems like all your boasts came true!" Rouge praised happily, squeezing him one last time.


    Rosan returned the hug too, taking in his mother for all that she was. "Of course. My mother raised me to tell the truth after all," he smiled.


    Rouge laughed a watery laugh and released him. "Thank you for following the words of your foolish mother for so long. I truly don''t know what I did to deserve such a precious son... who''d go so far to save my other son."


    "Of course. He''s my little brother after all," Rosan smiled softly.


    Rouge shook her head at that. "That doesn''t mean I want something bad to happen to you, Rosan. I know you''ve been tormenting yourself over the years because of your decision to leave Ace... but you are my son too, my little Rose. I love Ace with all my heart but I raised you for 4 years. Don''t you ever think blood will make him more important than you. You are both mama''s children," Rouge said firmly.


    He reeled at that, eyes going wide. "I... Yeah we are aren''t we?" he said softly.


    "Without a doubt... Rosan, how could I ever condemn you for leaving Ace behind, when the one who took him was apart of the organization that caused my passing? I''m happy that you were able to avoid the mental torture because your health matters too," she said soothingly.


    Ah... Rosan needed to hear that. He didn''t know how she knew, but his mother said everything she needed to say to him, to banish the rest of his doubts.


    Rosan laughed and planted a gentle kiss on his mother''s cheek. "Thank you mom."


    Rouge understood all he meant by that immediately. "Of course, my little Rose. I''m glad I got to see you so matured. I knew I was going to have to beat people away with a stick," she sighed.


    The redhead blushed slightly at that and scratched the top of his head. "I''ve found someone who makes me happy... and I want to protect what we have."


    "You will. You and Robin have a true love for each other... so please cherish that. Don''t take her for granted, Rosan," she advised.


    "I won''t. I never will," he said, eyes glowing.


    Rouge smiled one last time. "Good. Then that means you have to go, Rosan."


    With that she pushed him away.


    "Goodbye my little Rose. Never forget, that mama is always proud of you," Rouge said, grinning brilliantly at her beloved son.


    Rosan grinned back, wiping the tears from his eyes at that. "Thank you mom. Watch me. I won''t let you down."


    And then he vanished.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "You have to wake up!"


    Rosan''s eyes jolted open as he heard that and the redhead grunted, pushing himself up slowly.


    "Ugh," he groaned weakly, shutting his eyes as a wave of nausea hit him.


    What¡­ what happened?


    He felt weak. So weak. What was going on?


    The redhead clutched his midsection and a spike of pain shot through his body, causing him to shut his eyes.


    The last thing he remembered, was the war. He had been run ragged and at the final stretch, Ace had nearly gotten killed... so Rosan took the blow for him.


    His Stone had attempted to heal him but it merely fully exhausted itself in the process... He couldn''t even feel the flames of it.


    It wasn''t gone. It simply couldn''t disappear anymore but it was muted beyond what he could naturally deal with right now.


    Which mean he truly had been close to death... but he wasn''t dead?


    "You''re awake!"


    Rosan groaned and peered at the voice, eyes going wide as a tiny set of hands wrapped around his neck and squeezed him as tight as possible.


    "Meiko¡­?" he muttered in confusion, gazing at the panicked girl with a confused expression as he instinctively wrapped a single arm around the tiny girl.


    Was he wrong? Was he actually dead? The young face of his deceased lover stared back at him and Rosan rasped in confusion.


    "Now''s not the time! You have to go help!" Meiko urged, fear on her features that made his blood roar.


    "Help¡­ Who needs my help?" Rosan muttered, eyes narrowing in confusion as he tried to blink away the daze.


    That confusion swiftly vanished, in favor of pure hot rage, as he saw Mod-chan getting ganged up on by that fucking stupid insect Pestilence.


    She was panting and bloodied, one eye almost shutting from the bruise on it and the sight made Rosan snarl loudly.


    They would dare?! They thought they could ATTACK HIS MOTHER?! HIS MOD-CHAN?!


    Rosan surged up, tired aura completely gone, as red entered his vision and a familiar violent aura shrouding him.


    "I don''t know what''s going on but I''m alive for at least now," he muttered, testing his strength and grunting.


    He was exhausted. He wanted to sleep for a month straight. His body hurt. He could barely focus...


    But he couldn''t rest.


    Not yet. The job wasn''t done yet. The job wasn''t finished until everyone was safe and accounted for.


    "Thank you for waking me up¡­ Meiko?!" Rosan blinked in confusion, taking her appearance in.


    "Go!" she urged in embarrassment, turning away from him with a deep blush. "Stop looking at me. I did this for you!"


    He opened his mouth and then closed it, rushing off to go save Mod-chan.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Are you okay?" Pestilence murmured, placing a palm on Famine''s cheek as they took note of the state the man was in.


    That damned Goblin...


    Famine grunted, surrounded by his army of constructs. "I''m fine. Be careful," he murmured, even as his serpentine dragon curled around his body.


    The virus smiled confidently, pulling him into a short kiss.


    "So my other half is dating the virus?" Rosan thought, disgust clear on his features. "Weird. Mom was always a pretty woman but that''s still my mom. You''re a sick person, Pestilence."


    Pestilence sneered. "I''m not the one who initiated anything, bastard. Famine wanted me because I was all he had but I certainly did enjoy the benefits to it."


    Rosan grunted. "Whatever you say, creep," he scowled.


    The redhead grunted as a set of hands grabbed his cheeks and he looked down at his mother.


    "You''re tired," Mod said worriedly, gazing at the exhausted Rosan with concern in her eyes.


    "So are you," Rosan said gruffly, grabbing her and revealing his tired eyes momentarily.


    She nodded and leaned into him. The two let out twin sighs as they found their resolve with each other.


    "They look tired too," Rosan noted.


    "I can claim the damage done to Pestilence... but Maro was the one who damaged Famine," Mod explained softly.


    The redhead smiled fondly. "Thank you, Maro. My precious student to the end," he murmured.


    That was good. Maro had done her part, now it was time for Rosan to do his.


    "This will be hard," he mentioned, beginning to stretch. The pain only made him more alert and focused so he''d use it to fuel him.


    "Yes but, we''ve gone through every hurdle¡­ we just have one more. Afterwards, I promise you''ll get some rest. You must be so exhausted," Mod replied, gazing at him with raw determination.


    Rosan smiled and pulled her into a crushing hug. "You''ve been trying your hardest to save me. I really do feel stupid for doubting you," he murmured, planting a tender kiss on her forehead.


    Mod teared up at that. "No it''s my fault that you rightfully doubted. You''ve always fully trusted me with all your heart and I couldn''t extend the same level to you. I promise when we win this, it''ll all be better."


    Rosan grinned violently. "That means we just have to win."


    Pestilence laughed, despite their less than stellar state as well. "You''re gonna stop us? Like this?! Both of you look like you can barely move!" they cackled.


    Rosan''s laughter caught the virus off guard. The wild and unhinged nature behind it, shook them to their core.


    "You should know by now, Pestilence. This is nothing. All this does is fuel me," he cackled.


    Famine stared, eyes never leaving Rosan as his anger washed over the entire mindscape.


    Rosan raised a brow and faced his counterpart. "That''s a lot of anger you''re directing towards me," he greeted, gazing at all the ice constructs with an appraising eye.


    So this was what his other half used the ice for? His level of mastery over ice, seemed to match Rosan''s proficiency in fire. All around, perfectly sculpted creatures stared at them.


    Famine''s eyes narrowed. "You think I''ll let you put your hands on them? Locking me away in that castle wasn''t enough was it? How much more do you plan on taking from me?" he snarled.


    The dragon looped around him, growled in unison as it shot a puff of ice out.


    The redhead blinked in confusion. "I didn''t even know you existed until literally just now. If it were up to me, I wouldn''t have ever split up in the first place. Our life clearly wasn''t easy because while I was on the outside getting tortured, you were in that castle stuck with Pestilence," Rosan frowned.


    Famine faltered a bit at that and Pestilence let out a vicious snarl, fury quickly replacing their features.


    "The nerve of you. Who the fuck do you think you are?!" the virus growled hatefully. "Don''t you ever imply that what I feel for Famine, is anything but love! I''ll fucking kill you if you do that again!"


    Rosan huffed in amusement. "Did you love him before or after you corrupted him thoroughly? I''m hard pressed to call this my good half now that you''ve sunk your claws into him."


    Pestilence roared and lunged forward, murder in their gaze as black claws formed on their hands.


    Rosan grunted, taking a step back, before retaliating with a lunging fist.


    Pestilence squealed in pain as they were launched back, eyes wide at the power behind the blow. They hissed as blood began dripping from their nose and glared at Rosan.


    "Still so strong?! How is that possible?!" they thought.


    "Don''t think you can stand up to me, Pestilence," Rosan sneered. "You''re the weakest one here. Without your boy toy, you don''t stand a chance"


    Famine''s eyes glowed in fury and he immediately shot himself forward, meeting with Rosan immediately.


    Rosan parried a fist with his forearm, grunting at the force behind it before Famine was launched back by a furious gale of wind.


    The redhead looked back to see Mod smirking cockily, elements surging around her as their enemies pulled themselves up.


    "You''re cute when you''re cocky," Rosan pointed out with a fond smile.


    Mod blushed harshly at that. "S-Stop trying to embarrass me in a life or death situation!"


    "I''m just taking note of it for the future! We can''t have you flashing that to just anyone! Imagine how many people will fold to such a smile!" Rosan snorted, lunging forward with a manic gleam.


    "You''re so ridiculous! Thinking of my dating life at a time like this?! I really will go find someone!" she threatened, taking flight as she summoned a thunderstorm.


    "I''ll torture them until they can''t even look at you," Rosan chimed, eyes glowing brilliantly as he summoned a torrent of red flames.


    "YOU''RE INSANE!" Mod roared, purple lightning flashing all around her.


    Famine''s eyes narrowed and pointed, white icy creatures roaring in unison at the action.


    Pestilence snarled, black miasma roiling off them.


    The duos stared at each other, before all hell broke loose.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan outstretched his hands, firing off a massive wave of flames in the air that devoured the hawks flying towards him.


    He performed a standing backflip, landing on the back of a bear that lunged at him.


    A black claw attempted to cut through him but purple lightning smashed into him, Pestilence and the bear at once.


    Pestilence''s eyes widened as the purple lightning suddenly turned red and the rebounded towards the stunned virus.


    Before it could connect, a trunk wrapped around their waist and dragged them out of the way, allowing the Elephant to weather the attack.


    It trumpeted in agony and Pestilence scrambled to get away from it, propelling themself backwards and snarling as a lightning bolt crashed against them.


    Rosan made to pursue but was interrupted by a pack of wolves snarling at him. He narrowed his eyes as they lunged and immediately ignited himself, reaching out with a hand and clasping it firmly around one of the wolves.


    Without any hesitation, he set it on fire and used it as a weapon, bashing away at the animals surrounding him with a wild fury.


    His senses went haywire and Rosan stamped the ground once, summoning a wall that blocked a lunging hyena. It crashed with brutal force and slid off, shaking its head as if it were dazed.


    Rosan didn''t stare too long because a blur materialized to his right, left hand raised to cut deep into the redhead.


    Famine stared at the ignited Rosan and slashed down with his blade of ice, scowling in fury as Rosan blocked with the wolf he had been using earlier.


    The wolf let out a pitiful whine as it was cut in half and Famine stared at it in sorrow.


    "Monster... how can you do the things that you do so proudly?" he asked softly.


    "I''ve never been proud of any of the actions I took. I just did what needed to be done for us to keep moving forward," Rosan replied, launching a right hook at his floating counterpart.


    Famine didn''t even bother to dodge. The easter dragon that was permanently wrapped around him, lunged forward to meet Rosan head on. It took the punch to its skull, roaring in pain that turned into fury.


    Rosan opened his mouth at the same time as the creature and the two fired out point blank beams of fire and ice respectively, explosion forming that swiftly turned into steam.


    The redhead barely had time to react as his fellow redhead, with black streaks, soared through the smoke. His sword was at the ready and Rosan transformed his hands into the claws of Ragnarok, wings and tails forming as well.


    Sparks flew as sharp nails clashed with the sword. Rosan and Famine repeatedly swung at each other, styles completely matching.


    Rosan''s wild swings clashed with Famine''s calm blows and what would have been an even matchup, was made almost impossible with the interference of all the creatures on Famine''s side.


    Famine overextended with a swing for his head that Rosan ducked under, poised to lunge and sink his claws into the man''s chest, only to get swatted by the eastern dragon once more.


    As he skidded back, a Gorilla slammed its shoulder into him and sent the redhead flying backwards... or he would have been if he hadn''t stabbed his tail into the ground.


    Rosan''s eyes widened furiously and he snarled, before he fired a gargantuan wave of flames.


    Famine grunted in surprise, ice encasing him as the wave washed over everything in the vicinity without mercy.


    As Rosan huffed slightly, he watched as Famine lunged forward, minor burns dotting his body, with ruthless eyes. He cut into Rosan effortlessly but was unable to truly injure his counterpart due to purple lightning crashing into his back.


    Famine twitched, only to let out a grunt of pain as many more bolts smashed into both him and the dragon.


    Mod floated above the battlefield like a goddess, dress flowing as the weather bent to her will. Many flying creatures had tried their hand at dealing with her and she made sure they regret every single decision, watching the battle with a critical eye.


    She poured bolt after bolt onto Famine, forcing the man to his knee and giving Rosan enough time to smash a foot into the crouched man''s stomach.


    Rosan lifted Famine up with the force of the kick and punched him on the cheek with his left. As his head turned, Rosan smashed his right fist into the man''s gut then smashed the man with his head, before delivering a spinning heel kick to the man''s head.


    Blood spurted as Famine was sent flying away and Rosan sneered, poised to pursue.


    As he lunged forward, A giant claw prevented him from doing so and he barely avoided getting ran through by Pestilence, skidding to a halt and getting grazed for his efforts.


    He hissed at the poisonous miasma that was Pestilence''s aura and lashed out with his tail, attempting to backhand them with it and getting it guarded for his efforts.


    Pestilence scowled as they were batted aside and the virus lunged forward, miasma solidifying around them in the form of armor.


    The virus exploded, painting all the creatures around them black and their eyes pulsed violently, surging with renewed ferocity.


    At once, they rushed Rosan who tiredly glared at them.


    Without Ram, he had lost enough power to be problematic. He wasn''t helpless without her but Ram had gotten significantly stronger on this journey. Her growth was just as explosive as his, unlocking an entire new set of arsenal.


    He grunted and slammed the ground, uprooting it and breaking off a piece.


    With a quick application of Modification, Rosan transformed the material from stone to iron, before glowing red.


    He exploded in electricity, encasing his weapon in it. There was so much lighting spitting out of the redhead, that the weapon looked more elemental than steel, growing far past the size it was meant to be.


    Mod stared down at the battle taking place and was about to smite the creatures once more, before being forced to dodge a beam of white ice.


    Famine stared at her and huffed, before his dragon opened its mouth once more and fired a long continuous beam.


    Mod soared away, black wings carrying her across the sky as the Dragon tracked her. It continued to fire the beam of ice at her and she grit her teeth as Famine raised a hand into the air.


    "All hail," he said softly.


    At once, the lightning storm was accompanied by heavy ice and Mod watched in worry as Famine''s creatures seemed to get even further amplified.


    Mod locked onto Famine and outstretched her hand.


    "Obliterate," she hissed, fangs sharpening.


    The beam of ice clashed with a beam of fire and Mod snarled as they vied for supremacy.


    Rosan felt the battle taking place in the skies but he was in his own predicament, getting completely swarmed by the army.


    Lighting and hail struck him, and though the lightning didn''t hurt, the blunt force of the hail was not doing any favors.


    He took a deep breath and emptied his mind.


    The redhead sidestepped a lunging wolf and decapitated it in a single blow. Mid sidestep, he instantly pivoted and parried a giant ape, catching the fist with his electrified blade.


    Rosan was nonplussed and he pushed downward, effortlessly cutting through the creation''s body.


    There wasn''t a moment to rest. Rosan grunted as a bird crashed onto his back, pecking at his body relentlessly.


    He hissed and reached up with his tail, grabbing the bird and squeezing.


    The insistent pecking stopped.


    Rosan jumped upwards, avoiding the swiping of the bear and he landed on its back, grabbing his blade and stabbing it through the animals midsection.


    The giant blade of electricity cut through completely and Rosan hissed, tensed his muscles and ripped the blade upward.


    Not only did it completely bisect the lower half of the bear, as Rosan removed the weapon, the veritable energy blade surged forward and cut through the hoard of monsters ahead of him.


    Foxes, hyenas, monkeys... they shrieked as they were caught and Rosan huffed, not done yet.


    He gripped his weapon and began to spin.


    Black goo began flying everywhere as Rosan''s spin carved through the surrounding enemies like they were made of butter.


    The redhead stopped his spin and took a deep breath as he was given slight reprieve. The redhead''s gaze darted as he was suddenly forced to dodge a flurry of snowflake shaped shurikens rushed towards his location.


    He jumped backwards to avoid the sharp objects, hail pestering him the entire time and Rosan continued backing away, up until a two hooves crashed against his back.


    "!" Rosan hissed and he let out a pained howl as a sword cut him across his back.


    Then, a giant black fist crashed into his body.


    Rosan was sent tumbling across the floor, rasping as he was pelted by the hail continuously.


    The sound of hooves trotting across the floor filled the cacophony of noise that was the battlefield and Rosan blearily opened his eyes to the sight of 4 figures, all atop horses.


    "Four Horseman," Pestilence crooned, repeating the name of Famine''s technique as they sat atop the wispy horse. "Beautiful isn''t it? Famine''s combination of ice and Modification, allows him to make all the soldiers in the world."


    Rosan spat out some blood. "His art is lifeless. The four horseman should be different colors," he bit out snarkily.


    Pestilence rolled their eyes. "After Famine and I finish celebrating our victory all night... I''ll considering bringing it up to him," they said, sneering at the redhead.


    "Disgusting creature," Rosan sneered, leaping backwards to avoid the charging horseman.


    War, Death, Famine and Pestilence... certainly fit the bill alright. Despite the fact that all of them were black, Rosan could easily identify them.


    Rosan leapt away from War, the biggest of the horses with a flaming head and opened his mouth, firing forth a wave of flames that the horse countered, by firing its own flames.


    The flames clashed but Rosan grunted in dissatisfaction as a wave of ice joined the flames, pushing his own back.


    They canceled each other out and Rosan huffed.


    He wasn''t given any respite, as the skeletal horse of death swung at him with a long scythe, clashing with Rosan''s sword.


    The redhead grunted as ice began spreading across his body from the connection. With a quick application of Shinigami, he converted the ice into his own and had it stab outwards towards the unnerving horse that could only be Famine.


    The jagged ice was dodged by the too skinny horse and it neighed, shooting a white wave at the redhead.


    As Rosan soared away, he noticed the ground where he had been at eroding, but was unable to glean further as the breath was knocked out of him.


    A clawed hand carried him through the field and he gasped as he was dragged across the floor.


    A horse, this one with a plague doctors mask ran across the battlefield, as Pestilence kept a firm grip on him.


    Blood flew out of Rosan''s mouth at the action and Pestilence tensed, before leaping off the horse and into the air, redhead in tow the entire time.


    They released Rosan, who remained midair, before clutching both their claws.


    Blood flew through the air, as Rosan was struck with a double hammer fist.


    The floor quaked as Rosan was buried into it and Pestilence shuddered in bliss.


    "Oh I''ve been waiting a long time to do that," they sighed, landing right next to Rosan. "Do you feel it, home wrecker? Feel yourself getting quickly overwhelmed?"


    Rosan rasped as Pestilence sat directly atop him, peering down at him with a demented smile.


    "There''s too much and poor you are just so tired," Pestilence sighed softly. "Why don''t you rest? Let us take over. You and Mod, all alone together just like Famine and I were. You already stole her from me... so you can just have her."


    Rosan stared tiredly up at them, huffing in exhaustion as the horses surrounded him.


    The redhead smirked sardonically and exploded in a burst of electricity.


    Pestilence shrieked as they were tagged, seizing up and shuddering as it coursed through them.


    They grit their teeth in rage and smashed a fist against Rosan.


    "Underhanded WRETCH!" they snarled violently, expecting that to put him out of commission.


    But to their complete surprise, it just seemed to energize him.


    "You''re damn right," Rosan hissed, spitting a wad of blood directly in their face.


    Pestilence yelped as they were blinded and Rosan lunged, headbutting the virus brutally.


    "Agh!" Pestilence shouted, gasping in agony.


    Rosan gripped them by their dress and headbutt them again, causing blood to spray everywhere. He hoisted the virus up and smashed a foot against their side, before using the momentum to lift his entire body up into a spinning flip, slamming his other foot against Pestilence''s head.


    The virus saw stars at that, sent flying back.


    They were caught by their wispy horse and Rosan was about to take a step forward, before he was tackled from behind by one of the horses.


    Pestilence panted, eyes wide in terror momentarily as they stared at the anomaly that was Rosan. Black blood was leaking from their skull and they twitched in pain.


    "What are you?" they whispered to themselves, gazing at the utterly relentless Rosan.


    He struggled but let out a howl of pain as War lifted both his hind legs and crashed them onto his back.


    "Ugh!" he rasped.


    Mod and Famine exchanged furious long ranged attacks against Famine, both accumulating a steady amount of injuries against each other as they vied for control of the skies.


    Fire, lightning, ice, wind... all elements were thrown through the air as they bombarded each other.


    Famine tried to close the distance but Mod was merciless, summoning whirlwinds to slow him down and darting away in the process.


    He repeatedly fired fire while his dragon filled the air with its dreadful ice.


    But Mod was patient, she weathered it all with calm proficiency, merely countering with her own attacks...


    "Ugh!"


    ...Up until she heard her son''s yells of pain.


    Mod''s eyes darted immediately over to Rosan and they widened in horror at seeing him completely surrounded.


    "ROSAN!" she shouted in concern, only to freeze as a figure immediately appeared in front of her.


    "You''re distracted," Famine whispered. "You truly are our mother... your biggest weakness, is your son."


    With that he slashed and cut Mod effortlessly, drawing blood that instantly froze.


    "!" Mod wailed in pain as the attack connected, before she was sent plummeting towards the floor with a heavy blow from the red and black haired man.


    Rosan''s eyes turned animalistic at that wail and the redhead roared in fury, before he erupted.


    The redhead began to mimic the star, as a dome of fire engulfed the battlefield. His rage fueled the flames and they grew more and more.


    Pestilence had their horse run off at full speed, intent on avoiding the explosion of flames.


    Rosan huffed as his attack died down and he manipulated the ground and brought Mod to his position, clutching the whimpering woman with a soft expression.


    He glanced up to see Famine and Pestilence walking up to them and huffed, eyes drooping as he hugged Mod close.


    Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    Mod clutched him tightly, panting as her wound flared up.


    Rosan''s exhaustion was too deep. He had literally gotten a hole blasted in his stomach and had been thrust into yet another battle. Mindscape or not, he didn''t have the sufficient energy to keep this up.


    Not to mention, all the creatures had steadily sapped his energy. He was already going in at a disadvantage...


    The redhead sighed.


    "Looks like you two were all talk after all," Pestilence sneered, panting themselves as their fear for Rosan settled down.


    Famine said nothing for a while, standing over Rosan with a sad frown.


    "You''ve done well, my darker half. You were born because we were too weak for this world¡­ but then you locked me away... and then you threatened to kill Pestilence. You won''t take them from me. I won''t let you."


    Pestilence flushed at that, gazing at Famine with nothing but love.


    Rosan coughed. "I locked you away? I''ve been spending 12 years trying to unlock that castle. If I knew you were in there, I''d have tried even harder. I didn''t decide to make that castle exist. I wasn''t aware of its creation," he grunted, pulling himself up.


    Famine''s brows furrowed at that and his frown turned severe. "Liar," he bit out.


    Rosan shook his head and sighed. "You believe what you want to believe¡­ but you''re me. You should know what I''m thinking. Light and dark half doesn''t change what we think of, it just changes how we get what we want," he panted, clutching Mod to his frame.


    The pure redhead shook his head. "Pestilence may speak all these things to you but at the end of the day, we''re terrified of being alone," he exposed, eyes glowing with a knowing tint.


    Famine flinched and his expression tightened. "Don''t act like you know me," he said defensively, summoning another icy blade.


    Rosan snorted tiredly. "That sentence really doesn''t work here. I''ve done enough self loathing and deep diving to know a lot about myself," the redhead sighed.


    "Shut up," Famine whispered in quiet rage. "Shut up! You don''t understand. I didn''t even have enough power to stay awake. I didn''t know where I was. I was so alone¡­ and then I had Pe-chan. I was satisfied with them¡­"


    Famine glared hatefully at him. "But even that wasn''t enough for you. You took the only thing I had that made me me¡­ you took my emotions. You took everything from me and even that wasn''t enough... because now you want to take the only person who cares for me away."


    Rosan tilted his head and finally glared at his other half, catching Famine off guard. "We''re the same person, but you''re pinning all the blame on me. Why are you suddenly so innocent?" he asked incredulously.


    Famine took a step back in surprise. "W...What?" he mumbled in confusion, taken aback.


    "I wasn''t the one who didn''t want the castle open. It was whatever was inside it that didn''t. Don''t blame me for being too afraid to face the world like you forced me to! You''re the one who refused to come out!" he scowled.


    "What did you say¡­?" Famine asked quietly.


    "You heard me," Rosan snarled, fury surging as he was reminded of the life he had been forced to live. "I''m the one who had no emotions. I''m the one who was suffering! I''m the one who experienced this terrible world in full, ever since you abandoned me at Daybreak. I had to learn how to love again, how to be happy. I watched it all get taken away from me¡­ but I never ran away and hid like you did!" the redhead shouted angrily.


    "Shut up," Famine whispered, taking a step back.


    "We watched Mom die¡­ we felt the stinging sensation of what we thought was betrayal¡­"


    Rosan took a deep breath, pain crossing his features before the anger came roaring back.


    "...But you didn''t hold Meiko while she breathed her last breath because of a mistake that you made. You didn''t raise a little girl who you wanted to care for but you couldn''t. You didn''t live 12 years without your emotions while your family beat at a wall that refused to be broken," Rosan hissed, clutching his chest.


    "Shut up," Famine said louder, taking another step back.


    "Now I have those emotions back and it tears me to pieces knowing what I put them through... Even after gaining these, I still have all these problems to deal with and you''re still running away."


    Rosan glared hatefully at him.


    "You blame me for stealing everything from you. Well I blame you for being too big of a coward to show yourself again. You practically forced my hand in taking my emotions back by so that''s what I did. I had to learn everything you kept to yourself all over again and I still need help," the redhead panted.


    "SHUT UP!" Famine finally shouted, tears falling down his eyes. "Do you think I knew what to do? I still don''t know what I''m doing! I don''t know anything. Since I was born, I''ve been dealing with all of this nonsense without any say in how I want. I didn''t want this castle either! I don''t know. I don''t KNOW!"


    "Famine!" Pestilence said in concern, turning towards him with palpable worry. "Calm down baby, I''m here for you. It''s okay!"


    Famine took a deep breath and nodded shakily.


    Rosan gazed at him piercingly and then, he closed his eyes. "That''s not my fault and you know it. I never knew any of this either. I didn''t know about the Virus and I didn''t know about you. If I did, things would be different¡­"


    His eyes glowed brilliantly as they opened again, red and purple burning with passion as Mod panted against him. "But what I do know is that you''re trying to upend everything I''ve fought so hard to keep safe¡­ and I can''t have that, Famine," Rosan said softly.


    "I won''t. I can''t accept that. Everyone''s faces¡­ when they realize I''m gone. It haunts me and I already messed up once by getting a fist punched through me¡­ I can''t let you have your way."


    Rosan stared at them in resolve and bowed his head. "Sorry. I''m going to win this battle now. You''re strong... but not strong enough."


    Before Famine could respond, both him and Pestilence froze in shock, before hesitantly glancing down to see a blade protruding through both their bellies.


    "W-What?" Pestilence stammered in disbelief, watching as black and red blood spilled from the weapon.


    "Surprise bitches!" a squeaky voice shouted victoriously.


    Mod''s eyes widened at that and she flinched at the very familiar sounding voice. "M-Meiko?! Is that you?!"


    A growl of frustration, made the injured woman blink.


    "Father said the same damn thing! I''m not fucking Meiko damnit!" the childish voice growled.


    Bright eyes, mixed with red and purple, glared at all there and Ram sneered victoriously¡­


    But that wasn''t the surprising thing.


    The surprising thing, was the fact that Ram looked significantly smaller.


    "Still think I''m the weakest weapon here?" she snarled with an unhinged gleam, adorable features stretched into a fierce expression.


    "H-How are you here¡­?" Pestilence muttered in disbelief, clutching their belly as blood pooled.


    Ram smiled viciously. "I can never be too far from my Father. I''m a daddy''s girl after all so I resisted and resisted the pull until I felt you two stop moving and that''s when I went. It hurt like a bitch but it was worth it," she beamed.


    Rosan grunted at that. "Ram is the one who saved my life. She''s the reason I was able to get to you in time¡­"


    Ram looked down in clear dissatisfaction. "I did what I could and transferred as much energy as I could into him... but I sacrificed some stuff in exchange for that. As you can see, my physical appearance changed," the weapon explained, high pitched voice changed into something much squeakier.


    Mod resisted the urge to squeal horribly loud because of how serious the situation was and the fact that her stomach was bleeding right now.


    It was just really hard... Ram looked about 8 right now and that was just the cutest thing she had ever seen. The ring was certainly her parents children alright.


    Well, Ram technically still had the mentality of a child! This was totally fitting for her!


    "Other Father¡­ I''m sorry but I''m just doing what''s best for you," Ram said softly.


    Famine stared at Ram and then Pestilence with a stunned gaze¡­ right before a leg smashed into his gut.


    The force behind it folded Famine and he rasped in shock, as he was sent flying.


    "I''ll be back!" Rosan grunted, tensing his legs.


    The redhead launched himself forward at incredible speeds, ignoring his injuries and pursuing after his other half.


    "FAMINE!" Pestilence shouted in worry, poised to chase after the two.


    A surging wall prevented them from doing so and the virus whirled around, staring at the bloodied Mod with a wild glint in their eyes.


    "There''s no need to interfere with their battle, Pestilence," Mod said firmly, eyes glaring at the virus with genuine fury. "It''s time for us to resolve our issues."


    "STAY OUT OF MY WAY YOU BITCH!" Pestilence roared, black miasma lashing out in time with their anger.


    They lunged at Mod and began swiping indiscriminately, howling as the woman floated through her attacks.


    Mod leaned to the right, leaned to the left, floated high, ducked low. She was weaving through every attack with minimal movement, careful to not aggravate her injury.


    Pestilence snarled and exploded in a black gooey substance, catching Mod by surprise and watching as the acid like material landed all over the woman.


    "A-Ah!" Mod hissed in pain. The acid began eating away at her dress and Pestilence hissed in genuine rage, eyes darting to where Famine was launched.


    The Devil Fruit''s eyes gained a feral glint, reminiscent of Rosan and summoned a wall, blocking Pestilence off.


    Then, she began glowing purple and held out a hand, shooting out a surging wave of continuous electricity.


    Pestilence squealed as they were forced against the wall by the lightning, seizing up in pain at the attack shocking them.


    The virus howled, but this time in rage and powered through the electricity slowly but surely, coating themself in the black miasma and slowly walking forward.


    Mod never let up in her attack, eyes narrowed ruthlessly as she zapped her former partner over and over again.


    But still Pestilence persisted. With a burst of energy, they lunged forward and slammed a fist against Mod, eyes unhinged.


    "You have things you''ll fight for... and I do too," Pestilence hissed violently. "You don''t matter to me anymore. Famine is all I fucking need so fuck off."


    Mod howled as the attack connected to her already injured midsection and rolled away from the blow. She panted heavily, spitting up blood as her body screamed at the exertion.


    Pestilence snarled, fist poised to crush her against the floor and Mod weakly rolled away, avoiding it.


    The virus was unrelenting, lunging forward once more and letting out a roar of frustration as the Devil Fruit forced the ground forward to block their charge.


    Mod panted, watching as Pestilence began smashing through.


    "I have to win. Rosan trusted me..." she said quietly, eyes glowing brighter and brighter.


    "I caused this mess so I have to fix it. I will fix this," Mod chanted even as Pestilence began charging them.


    She took a deep breath and pushed herself up, cool expression washing over her as she began glowing purple once more.


    "Modify: Form," she said calmly, transforming her nails into diamond and lengthening them.


    Then, they began sparking with purple lightnings, making them even sharper.


    Pestilence roared and lunged at her, eyes feral with finality.


    Mod stared with a chilly expression...


    "Kneel, Pestilence. There is a reason you are just a part of me."


    ...And then she moved through Pestilence, appearing behind the virus with her claws outstretched.


    There was a tense silence that washed over the battlefield.


    Pestilence was completely still, eyes wide in confusion, before black blood spurted everywhere and they fell to their knees.


    "I''ve been so afraid of change because Rosan has been unable to change over the years... but I must be willing to change myself too. My son has grown up so it''s time for his mother to do the same," Mod said softly, swiping the blood off her nails.


    She turned towards the defeated Pestilence and as her nails began transforming back to normal, she flicked her hair in a haughty manner.


    "Just because I don''t want to fight up close doesn''t mean I can''t. Even a queen must get dirty sometimes," she finished, glaring at her opponent with a cocky look of superiority.


    Ram cheered excitedly. Auntie was so badass!


    Pestilence huffed in disbelief, clutching their midsection as they willed themself to move.


    But they couldn''t move. W-Why couldn''t they move?!


    Mod watched the virus try to move and shook her head, merely wrapping Pestilence in a prison of stone.


    "The only reason I''m going to keep you alive is for Rosan to decide your fate," Mod said coldly, red eyes boring a hole into her defeated former partner.


    It was strange, but Pestilence truly showed care for that other half of Rosan. Not only that, they had made good on their promise and had saved Rosan''s life.


    Mod would refrain from doing anything just yet, but Pestilence''s fate would be decided here.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Famine caught himself, landing on the ice and glaring furiously at the collected Rosan.


    "All alone with just your biggest nightmare," Rosan said coolly, blowing a breath of cold air as snow began falling around them. "I hate the cold you know? So gloomy. Makes me sad all the time."


    "The cold is all I''ve known," Famine retorted, eyes shifting rapidly towards a direction.


    "What''s wrong?" Rosan asked gently, looking far too calm for the state he was in. "Worried for Pestilence?"


    Famine snarled at that and lunged forward.


    Rosan shook his head, easily sidestepping the attack and batting the man away.. "Sloppy. You say I stole all your emotions, but that doesn''t seem to be true. Your mind isn''t focused at all."


    Famine would not be deterred, he pushed himself into a handstand and delivered a vicious kick that Rosan leaned back slightly from.


    The redhead grabbed the outstretched leg and hoisted Famine up, slamming him on his back.


    "Is the creeping loneliness getting to you? Are you not used to being alone?" Rosan asked knowingly.


    "Why won''t you just stop talking?!" Famine barked, flipping himself off his back and away from Rosan.


    The area grew colder as Famine summoned a blizzard, launching it towards the Rosan who simply outstretched a hand and match it with a great bout of flames.


    "Just give me my life back!" Famine shouted, desperately throwing flurry after flurry towards his dark half.


    Rosan grunted, effortlessly summoning a wall that blocked the snow flaked shurikens. The redhead tapped the wall and punched it, applying Modification at the moment of contact.


    Famine hissed as spikes began flying out of it, soaring away from the attack.


    "Black Snow!"


    White dots began forming at his shout, all coalescing until it formed into a sharp and pointed snowflake. The giant piece of ice gleamed over the battlefield, looking more akin to a star and the corrupted redhead snarled.


    "Black Star!"


    The giant white star careened towards Rosan with dreadful speeds, slicing through the air as it reached closer and closer to the redhead.


    Rosan stared up and took a deep breath and tensed up, red flames licking his body. The redhead took a deep breath and held his hands out, sweat dripping down his body from overexertion.


    But despite that he continued to draw more and more power. It didn''t matter the cost, he couldn''t lose here. He had to win...


    By any means necessary.


    Scales covered Rosan''s skin as his features turned draconic and the redhead snarled violently, a surge of sparks accompanying the fire and melding with it...


    But that wasn''t all. Rosan grit his teeth as his elements suddenly clashed with each other and he nearly got overwhelmed, before realizing he couldn''t control the attack anymore.


    The redhead watched with wide eyes as his attack surged through the air, hairs on his body standing straight as his strange attack melted the falling snowflake, continuing its course towards a wide eyed Famine.


    He only had a moment to summon a giant shield of ice with the surrounding snow before it crashed into him.


    Famine shrieked as the attack struck, blasting through his shield with no effort. He seized up and shuddered, eyes rolling to the back of his head as he fell towards the ground.


    The black streaked redhead crashed into the ground, gasping in agony as his body spasmed at the strange technique that attacked him.


    How... how was this possible...? How was it that even at his weakest, Famine could not beat Rosan?


    No... no no no. He couldn''t. He couldn''t fail Pe-chan. He was the only one stopping Rosan from getting his hands on them.


    Famine heard the impossibly quiet footsteps like they were a death sentence and pushed his burned body up, staring at his counterpart with wide eyes.


    "I won''t... I can''t let you win," he said, eyes taking a desperate glint.


    "I won''t. I won''t. I won''t let you hurt Pe-chan!" Famine chanted, ice covering his body. He hissed in agony at the reaction it caused but ignored it.


    Rosan stopped as he watched Famine actively hurt himself by icing over his burned skin, gazing at the action with inscrutable eyes.


    "I won''t let you!" he shouted, ignoring his pain and dashing forward.


    Rosan hummed and leaned back, dodging the wild swing with a cold expression.


    "Too afraid to bear the weight of the world¡­ so you hid yourself away. Nothing anyone tried, ever got through to you. I am living proof of that. Your stubbornness plunged you into your greatest fear¡­being alone," Rosan said softly, ignoring the frantic swings as he weaved through them like a dancer.


    Famine''s breath hitched and he froze his swings.


    "But you weren''t truly alone. You had Pestilence. Pestilence has been a constant presence to you since you were born and now you love them comparably to how much I love Mod or Robin."


    The corrupted redhead began shaking, body spiking in pain.


    Rosan took a step. "But now that you don''t have them, you''ve been reduced to the state you always truly were. A sad and afraid little boy who doesn''t know what to do."


    Famine began backing away from Rosan with wide eyes, the most expression on his face since this entire thing began.


    Rosan was not bothered, he continued mercilessly approaching his other half, eyes boiling with unhinged mania even as his counterpart continued to back away from him.


    "I see through you. Through the corrosive corruption, the anger, the sadness¡­ you''re just afraid," Rosan said truthfully.


    "How¡­ H-How do you know that?!" Famine whispered, stepping further and further back as Rosan closed the distance.


    "How?" Rosan asked, stopping directly in front of the man. "That''s easy."


    Rosan reached out his hand and Famine flinched back, unable to do nothing in the face of his stronger and more ruthless half.


    "I know because you''re me, idiot."


    Famine only had a moment to let out a surprised noise, before he was pulled into a strong hug.


    "W-What?" Famine said, eyes wide in confusion as he was engulfed in such warmth. He felt his breath hitch as the pain in his body vanished, gazing at Rosan with wide eyes.


    "All that love you feel for someone... to the point where you''d hurt yourself to keep them safe. The terror in your eyes when you realize something could happen to them and you can''t do anything. The despair of loss... I feel those same things," Rosan murmured, eyes soft as he modified the pain away from Famine''s body.


    "Terrified of being alone so you surround yourself with an army of constructs that fight with you... I also have coping mechanism techniques that I learned because of my trauma," Rosan said softly.


    "...You do?" Famine asked quietly.


    Rosan nodded. "Save Point so I can never get separated from my loved ones again... Overhaul so I can never be betrayed like I thought I was, Auto Mode so I can''t get ganged up on again... and creating Angel and Demon so I don''t have to be alone," he said softly.


    Famine froze completely at that, a torrent of emotions overwhelming him as Rosan spoke in a way that resonated completely with him.


    "I know all those feelings you''re experiencing. Of course I know. We''re the same person after all. At the end of the day, Rosan is a coward who''s terrified of being alone. Isn''t that right, Rosan?"


    Famine let loose a shaky breath at hearing the earnest way he was finally called Rosan.


    H-He was being called Rosan by someone who actually believed it... No one had done that yet... nobody. Whoever called him Rosan didn''t actually believe it was him... but once they learned he was also called Famine they stuck with that completely.


    It hurt. It hurt being viewed as an impostor... but Rosan didn''t view him as an impostor at all. He viewed him... as Rosan too?


    "We split up because our heart was just too big for this world. You left the task up to me to protect us and I failed completely. I just made things worse and despite that, you suffered for it," the redhead sighed.


    Famine began shaking. "You..." he trailed off, stunned quiet.


    "When I felt myself dying, I apologized to a lot of people¡­ but I forgot one person," Rosan said genuinely, eyes shutting at his mistake.


    "I''m sorry, Famine. Sorry that I failed to properly protect us from this world until it was too late. I''m sorry for not making sure it was completely safe so that you could experience all that I experienced¡­" he whispered truthfully.


    "But we can''t be afraid anymore. This fear¡­ it''s chaining us down from the one thing we want more than anything and that''s¡­"


    "...To be loved by a caring family," Famine replied back, tears forming in his eyes.


    Rosan smiled gently. "Aren''t you tired of all this? I know I am. I''m so tired of hating myself. I know you''re tired of it too. We''re not alone anymore Famine. We''re loved and for so long I couldn''t find the reason... But as I look at you, as I see how you act, I realize exactly why. You managed to turn a creature who hated us, into your most loyal supporter and I think that''s pretty damn awesome," he admitted.


    Pestilence made it abundantly clear that they hated him. The virus despised Rosan with every fiber in their being... but that same virus gained a new reason for hating him and it was because of how much they loved this boy right here.


    And as Rosan watched Famine''s desperation peak, helplessness and terror in his eyes at the knowledge he''d fail his only friend, Rosan began to see exactly what everyone else saw.


    It just took a long look in a more realistic mirror. Corruption, lacking most emotions, deprived of a life... and yet Famine still fought with his all to protect the one thing he had.


    That was incredible. Rosan''s jealousy that such a human being could exist vanished, when he realized he was that human being.


    Famine couldn''t believe what he was hearing. After all these years of preparing to usurp his counterpart... failure had dipped him into reckless desperation.


    And now... now at the cusp of victory, Rosan wasn''t trying to kill him? But... but why? Wasn''t he the dark half? Why was he hugging someone who planned on taking everything from him?!


    "I''m so tired of hating myself."


    Is that what Famine was doing? Hating and rejecting a part of himself?


    Did Rosan... did Rosan not hate him?


    "The things you said, is that¡­ is that why you''re hugging me?" Famine asked quietly.


    "We love hugs so I knew exactly how to calm you down," Rosan added with a tiny laugh.


    Famine shuddered strongly. "So that means you¡­"


    "Yeah, of course I love you," Rosan finished his sentence. "I love who we are. I love what we can be. If everyone can love "Rosan" then, I think we can afford to love ourselves a bit," he said genuinely.


    "R-Really?" Famine stammered. "You don''t¡­ you don''t hate me for shoving you into the world alone? For abandoning you? We could have dealt with it together b-but I ran away like I always do."


    Rosan laughed softly and pat his counterparts head. "No I don''t hate you because that was a decision we made together. We''re two halves who were born out of the desire of the original¡­ No one is to blame for that."


    The redhead placed both hands on Famine''s shoulder, flashing a brilliant grin towards him.


    It was like... looking at the sun. Famine was blinded by the brightness that was his counterpart.


    So this... this was why it was him who braved the world. His dark half... he wasn''t dark at all.


    Even with all the darkness surrounding him, Rosan still shone like a star.


    "I think we''ve become strong enough. There''s no need for this anymore. Let''s both experience the world as we should. You don''t deserve to be locked away anymore. That''s not right. We''re both Rosan," Rosan finished.


    Famine said nothing. "But what if the world crushes us again?" he suddenly asked, deep voice vanishing in favor of something far squeakier¡­


    Something far younger.


    Rosan smiled gently and ran a hand through his hair. "Then our family will lift that weight off us. They are strong¡­ and we''re stronger than we think. We''ll protect them and they''ll protect us."


    "¡­"


    A flash of white engulfed Famine and he shrunk tremendously, features turning far younger as he clutched Rosan''s midsection.


    Rosan stared into the eyes of his 9 year old counterpart, those large, glistening, purple eyes that shone with such naivety and innocence.


    Such innocence... Rosan wanted nothing more than to protect this tiny child. This child who hadn''t been allowed to find the light before the darkness.


    Of course he''d have to guide him back to the light. Rosan had been horribly misguided too before everyone helped him.


    The sun. That''s what Robin used to say he was, so Rosan would be a shining star for his counterpart.


    "P-Promise?" Famine stammered, tears beginning to spill from his eyes.


    Rosan crouched onto one knee, regarding the small redhead with a kind and fond grin as he placed a large palm on the child''s head of hair. "I know we don''t have a good history of it... but trust me this one time. I promise. We''re safe, Rosan."


    The child''s lips wobbled at that and he let loose a sharp wail as he crashed into Rosan''s outstretched arms.


    "O-Okay!" he stammered, whimpering as Rosan engulfed him completely. "I''m sorry for being so afraid! I-I kept running away and you had to struggle just like me b-but we don''t have to struggle if we''re together!"


    "That''s right," Rosan said, tucking him in assuredly. "I''ll shield you. I''ll protect us... and you''ll shower our family in the love they deserve."


    His apology... it sounded a lot like Raisa''s.


    "Okay! I''m ready! We can do it!" he sobbed happily, clutching Rosan like a lifeline.


    Rosan smiled in return, tears falling from his eyes. "Of course we can. We''re Rosan after all."


    Famine let out a watery laugh. "Yeah! We can do anything!"


    "Except swim," Rosan laughed with him.


    "Except swim!" Famine laughed too, wrapping his tiny arms around Rosan''s neck.


    The two engulfed and remained there, hugging each other as thousands of emotions and thoughts passed at once. The two laid themselves bare for the other, exchanging everything yet nothing at the same time.


    The cold area around them melted away, grass growing livelier as the sun shone over them, a steady downpour pleasantly tapping their skin. Trees grew, flowers bloomed¡­ and the vestiges of the castle fully melted away, snowflakes melting in the wind.


    Finally, Rosan stood from his crouched position, eyes watery as a grin made its way to his face.


    "This feeling..." he said eventually, basking in the weather with large and wondrous eyes. The red and purple of his eyes glowed brightly, as the black sclera melted away with the ice.


    He held out a hand and felt his excitement grow at feeling the water touching his hand. He gazed at said hand with wide eyes, before summoning a mirror and taking in his complete appearance.


    Rosan took a deep breath, before he threw his head back and began laughing.


    "Kahahahaha!" he laughed in joy, unable to resist as euphoria filled him. Black and white wings, perfectly intermingled with each other sprouted behind him and the redhead flew around the sky, taking in the air with a giddy expression as he shared his joy with the mindscape.


    He just laughed and laughed, red hair with black tips matting to his head completely as he spun in place, performing backflips in midair.


    "It''s been so long. 14 long years but finally¡­" Rosan breathed, landing on the spot.


    "Took me long enough¡­ We finally did it huh, Rosan?" he asked, staring at the two spots where he had just been.


    His grin widened, as he felt a burst of warmth fill his body¡­ at just hearing his name.


    Mama, Meiko, Mod-chan, Robin, Ram, Maro, Ace, Sabo, Luffy¡­


    Even as the tears continued spilling from Rosan''s eyes, he laughed and laughed.


    "They really were right! Maybe I really am stupid!" he beamed.


    "Kahahahahaha!"


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "So are you stuck like this?" Mod asked Ram in a hushed whisper, never taking her eyes off Pestilence.


    She nursed her wounds and glanced gratefully at Ram, watching as the weapon tightened her dress from behind.


    Ram grumbled, kicking her shorter legs out as she held a pistol that looked far too large for her. "I think so. I gave father a lot of power so that he was able to move about."


    Mod nodded thoughtfully at that, taking in Ram''s appearance with a thoughtful expression.


    She was downright adorable, pudgy cheeks puffed out in indignation as she tugged at her fitted double breasted coat. Her hair didn''t actually seem to have reduced in length so it spilled even past her legs, pooling on the floor if not for the fact she had twintails.


    It was just too much. Mod nearly keeled over at the weapon holding a weapon that was too big for her.


    "You did fantastic Ram. I''m so proud of you¡­ you got us out of a tough situation," Mod said quietly, tearing her gaze off of her niece and focusing once more on Pestilence.


    Ram blushed and rubbed a tiny hand against her silver hair. "I had to do it for Father. I knew something was wrong when I saw¡­ them out and about," she spat venomously.


    The trapped Pestilence snarled at her, looking more akin to a wild animal. They looked fully unraveled, eyes pulsing madly and practically foaming at the mouth.


    Mod averted her gaze at that, not wanting to see someone break down so completely.


    "Well done Ram. I''m so so proud of you," Mod said, pulling the tiny girl into a hug. "And now, you look your actual age! I can finally tell you to watch your language and there''s nothing you can do about it!"


    Ram groaned in annoyance but returned the hug anyways. "I hate this."


    Mod smiled softly, clutching her to calm her nerves.


    She was exhausted and bleeding and her dress was torn in all sorts of places and she hated that she was so exposed¡­


    But she needed to be prepared¡­ for anything. Whatever happened, Mod would have to react accordingly.


    She would be ready for whatever happened. Even if it broke her heart to do so.


    Footsteps halted her train of thought but it increased the tension dramatically.


    At once, everyone hesitantly looked at the direction and saw a familiar figure approaching at a moderate pace.


    All 3 lit up at the sight of a familiar redhead.


    "Rosan!" Mod shouted in joy.


    "Father!" Ram squealed happily.


    "Famine!" Pestilence grinned, utterly pleased.


    Mod''s delighted expression vanished at the same time as Pestilence''s and they gazed at each other in confusion.


    "What are you talking about, dumbass?" Pestilence snarled incredulously. "That''s Famine. Your little boy toy lost!"


    "No, that''s Rosan!" Mod shouted in fury, fangs bared. "And I told you not to refer to my son as that!"


    Pestilence grit their teeth in rage. "Oh yeah? Famine, free me!" they demanded.


    The redhead gazed at them all with a tilted head, before waving his hand and undoing the ground wrapped around Pestilence.


    Pestilence beamed victoriously and weakly leapt onto Famine, shooting a smug grin towards the crestfallen Mod and Ram as he steadied their utterly exhausted body.


    Mod looked on in distraught and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath and coming to terms with what she needed to do.


    "Told you so!" Pestilence cackled.


    The virus immediately dove for his lips but a finger stopped them from advancing and Pestilence regarded the man with confused eyes as he simply kissed their head instead.


    "Famine?" they wondered in trepidation.


    There was an apologetic glint in his eyes. "That''s not right, Pe-chan. I love you but we can''t do that."


    Pestilence looked as if they had been struck by that statement. The virus weakly stepped back and regarded their partner with wide eyes.


    "W-What?" they repeated.


    Rosan sighed softly and shook his head.


    "You three should stop arguing," he said eventually, turning towards the confused Mod and Ram. "There''s no need for us to be enemies anymore."


    "No need...? What the hell are you talking about Famine?!" Pestilence barked in confusion. "Don''t you remember what they did to you?!"


    "It was a decision I played a part in," he replied softly, staring at the confused virus with an assured expression.


    "There''s nothing to be upset about anymore. I feel better than I ever have," Rosan smiled confidently.


    Pestilence looked utterly stumped, gazing at the redhead with a dumbfounded expression.


    "R-Rosan?" Mod said, not looking too sure as she gazed at the black tips in his hair.


    Rosan laughed and tugged at his spikes. "This? After effects of taking Pe-chan''s energy for all these years. I think this is permanent," he explained.


    "I don''t¡­ understand," Pestilence and Mod said at the same time.


    Rosan smiled fondly and scooped up a yelping Ram. He squeezed her and held her in the air with a delighted gleam, watching as she fruitlessly struggled in his grasp.


    "Look at how adorable my daughter has become. I can hold you so easily," he awed, spinning the girl around.


    Ram squealed, face burning an epic shade of red as he held her in such a... such a demeaning position! "P-Put me the fuck down Father! This is embarrassing! S-Stop, I''m serious!"


    Rosan shook his head, grinning wildly as he pulled the tiny girl into a deep hug. "Nope. How could I? I''m so proud of you right now."


    Ram tried to struggle but his hands were too damn big and she was too damn tiny! It didn''t take long at all for her to give up and the ring just wrapped her tiny arms around his neck. "You''re the worst, Father," she mumbled, ducking her face into his neck.


    "I know. Get some rest, you''re tired," Rosan said soothingly, tucking her into his frame easily.


    "You are too," Ram murmured, enjoying the warmth. "You''re barely alive right now..." she trailed off.


    "I''ll get rest as soon as possible. Alright?" he whispered, feeling the way the tears spilled onto his body.


    The ring was exhausted after the massive jump needed to make it to Rosan''s position.


    "I-I''m glad you''re alive, dad!" Ram sobbed, clutching him tightly as a wail left her. She held him like he''d disappear any moment and Rosan''s expression softened dramatically.


    "I wouldn''t be without you. Thank you, Ram," he said, squeezing her tightly even as she fell asleep.


    "What''s¡­ going on?" Mod asked in confusion, watching the touching scene and noticing how at ease Ram was around who she thought was Famine... but felt like Rosan?


    Rosan turned towards her with a small smile, ensuring the sleeping Ram was comfortable the entire time.


    "I took a long look in the mirror. I know I''m stubborn but I can at least be a little reasonable, and I realized that¡­ I''m not all that bad y''know?" he said softly, pulling Mod into a tight hug.


    Mod gasped at that, defenses melting effortlessly in a way that only Rosan could achieve. "Wait, did you...?"


    "Yeah. My two halves came to an understanding and they decided that I''m ready to face the world," Rosan finished with a small smile.


    Mod teared up at that and let out a happy sob as she squeezed Rosan with all her might.


    "Yes. Yes! After all this time... I''m so happy!" she exclaimed, crushing the man with tears of joy.


    Rosan laughed and wrapped a single arm around her, taking in everything about her with a pleased gaze.


    Pestilence watched with an expressionless face, closing their eyes and letting out a sigh.


    So that''s what happened. Their partner didn''t take over. War and Famine had reached unity and truly became Rosan once more.


    So this was what it felt like to get your heart broken, eh? It was no wonder Rosan broke in the first place. This was probably the worst feeling Pestilence had ever been through.


    It was taking them everything in their power to not scream in frustration, not willing to crack until they were truly alone... or dead by this redhead''s hands.


    "Pe-chan."


    Pestilence opened their eyes and looked at Rosan with a neutral expression.


    "You know I''m still me, right?" he asked curiously. "I''m still the boy that you hugged for basically my whole life. I''m still the boy who you managed to make smile with your terrible singing¡­ I''m still the boy who loves you¡­ you know that right?"


    Pestilence stared at him and scoffed, shaking their head. "Just leave me alone," they muttered.


    With that, the virus stomped off deeper into the forest.


    Rosan watched them go with a frown, sighing slightly as his mood dampened.


    "Should we really let them go free?" Mod asked in concern. "I understand now that Pestilence is too great of a threat so maybe we should just be rid of them?"


    He immediately shook his head, much to her surprise. "No. I don''t wanna hurt, Pe-chan. I can speak to them eventually but for now, just leave them alone."


    The redhead hummed and tucked the two a little tighter into his frame. "You guys need to rest up. I''ve got a lot of talking to do," he said tiredly.


    "I''ll stay awake with you¡­ I''m just so relieved that..." Mod shivered, remembering the despair she felt at thinking Rosan was¡­


    Think that he was dea¡ª


    Rosan clutched her tightly, running a hand through the shaking woman''s hair and she broke out into weak sobs, body wracking in pain.


    "I know... I''m sorry Mod-chan¡­" Rosan murmured gently, kissing her on the head as she cried against him.


    "Please don''t leave me, Rosan," Mod whimpered, clutching his torn outfit desperately.


    Rosan''s expression softened drastically.


    "I''m still here, Mod-chan," he whispered to her, eyes turning misty at how hard she was shaking.


    She nodded shakily and the redhead allowed her to desperately take in his features, allowing his mother to smother his cheeks in her bloodied kisses.


    "C''mon we need to get you changed. I can see too much of your boobs. It''s turning me homicidal."


    Mod sniffed and glared up at him with teary eyes. "N-No one''s even here to see me like this! You need to stop being so lewd!"


    "You almost seem like a different person too, Mod-chan," he praised. "More cocky, less demure."


    Mod blinked before an outraged expression crossed her features. "Stop talking about my attire! I understand that a lot of my skin is exposed! How do you think I feel about this?!"


    "That is not what I meant," Rosan said with an amused smile.


    Mod rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, turning away from him. "I came to some of my own realizations. I shouldn''t be afraid to change myself."


    "I''m proud of you," Rosan said truthfully, getting his mother to turn beet red.


    "S-Shut up! I''m the mother here!" she protested in embarrassment.


    Rosan smiled slightly, glad for the temporary peace.


    It was going to get hectic very quickly after all.


    He hoisted his mother up and tossed the startled woman over his shoulder.


    "Hey look, I can see your ass," Rosan pointed out with an amused smile.


    Mod''s struggles increased tenfold. "R-ROSAN! I''LL KILL YOU! PUT ME DOWN! THIS IS REALLY EMBARRASSING!''"


    Rosan patted the spot mercilessly, getting a squeal of rage and embarrassment out of his mother.


    "I-I''M TELLING ROBIN YOU SLAPPED MY BUTT!" she stewed.


    He froze at that and then shrugged. "I''ll just let her slap yours next... She''ll probably accept it."


    "YOU''RE SERIOUSLY UNBELIEVABLE!"


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Hey."


    Pestilence said nothing to the figure behind them. "Leave me alone," they said bitterly.


    "I''m not gonna do that," Rosan muttered, pulling them into a hug and repairing their dress in the same movement.


    Pestilence sneered and attempted to shove him off, failing miserably due to their injuries.


    "Stop with the bullshit," they said venomously, struggling fruitlessly.


    "Get the fuck outta here! I don''t want you here. I don''t need you anymore so just let me be alone in peace or kill me! I don''t give a damn!"


    Rosan sighed at the prickly tone. "Pe-chan¡ª"


    "Don''t call me that!" Pestilence snarled, rounding on him with fury.


    The redhead frowned, seeing the pain behind all the anger.


    "You think I''m really that easy?!" Pestilence barked. "Stop fucking messing with me you stupid bastard. You think I don''t know what''ll happen?!"


    Rosan remained silent, even as Pestilence poked a finger against his chest.


    "You''ll make it back to your precious little family and they''ll accept you with open arms. You''ll get everything you wanted with them and they''ll fulfill you the way you''ve been wanting to be this entire time. You ¡ª"


    "I''m not going to forget you, Pe-chan," Rosan said abruptly, seeing through them so effortlessly, it shut them up completely. "I''m still me you know?"


    "I remember everything. How you helped train me up, how you pointed me to the realization that I could use ice, how you looked completely dumbstruck when I made a sculpture of you..." he trailed off.


    Pestilence nearly went soft at that, before their anger came roaring back.


    "You aren''t Famine!" Pestilence hissed, glaring at him heatedly.


    The virus scowled ferociously at the thought.


    "You''ve become one with someone who tried to kill me! To someone who''s jailed you! But just like everyone else you were just another whore for his words! You picked him over me!" they shrieked furiously.


    "I thought you''d be happy that you saved me," he frowned.


    "Happy?! You think I''m happy about this?! Happy seeing you hug and kiss that fucking traitor Mod right in front of me? Happy that you strayed this far from the plan?!" they asked incredulously.


    The redhead closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Pe-chan... Mod-chan and I aren''t like that. There''s love out there that doesn''t have to be adulterous. There is pure love too."


    Pestilence laughed disbelievingly. "So that''s why you stopped my kiss."


    "..." Rosan was expecting that.


    "I don''t see you like that," he said truthfully.


    "The past few years would beg to differ," they scowled. "I wasn''t the one chomping at the bits the moment they turned 18."


    "The circumstances weren''t normal at all, Pe-chan," Rosan countered.


    "You used me," they replied, shaking their head in amusement.


    Rosan sighed. "You''re not being very fair at all, Pe-chan. You''re still the one who caused me to split up in the first place," he said neutrally.


    Pestilence went stiff at that, eyes turning into pinpricks as Rosan stared at them with a frown.


    "The castle was created because of your actions in assisting Doc to break me. You hated me long before I even knew you existed and the existence of Famine and War were proof of that..."


    Pestilence shuddered at his accusing words, averting their gaze at the truth of it. "So what? I already apologized for that. I didn''t expect you to shatter like that," they said bitterly.


    "Exactly... you apologized because you felt bad. Despite hating me, we still managed to talk and become best friends you know? That part of me hasn''t left. Yes, I have some grievances with you now that I''m complete... but we can talk this through."


    Pestilence scowled. "I don''t want to talk to you anymore. Are you going to kill me and get it over with?"


    "No. Why would I want to kill you? That''s the last thing I want to do to you. You''re afraid of dying," Rosan replied, looking affronted by such a thing.


    The virus scoffed. "How thoughtful."


    The redhead frowned at that, running a hand through his black tipped red hair.


    "What are you going to do now?" he asked finally.


    Pestilence let out a barking laugh. "Afraid that I''m still gonna try to fuck with you all? No. I''m good. Despite everything, Famine got what he wanted so I''m going to just stay here."


    "...I don''t hate you, Pe-chan," Rosan said eventually, crossing his arms as a tint of frustration crossed his features. "Why do you keep acting like I hate you?"


    Pestilence twitched violently and their expression cracked slightly. "Isn''t it obvious that you do?" they asked bitterly.


    "Don''t be so fucking stupid!" Rosan scowled finally, making them take a step back. The warning glow in his eyes were fierce, red and purple pulsing madly.


    "Do you think I''d come out here to address you first if that were the case? Pe-chan, stop trying to force yourself to be alone. You hate that."


    The virus turned livid at that. Seeing someone with Rosan''s face and attitude, pretending like they knew what the virus wanted, irritated them beyond belief. "Stop acting like you know me! I don''t want your sympathy, I don''t want your warmth, I don''t want any of it. FUCK OFF!" Pestilence roared, shoving him away.


    Rosan''s eyes flashed and he immediately grabbed their arm, hoisting them up in the air effortlessly.


    "Why are you being so difficult?!" he snarled.


    Pestilence gasped, body not even close to being healed. They thrashed at the pain and gazed at Rosan with fear in their eyes.


    The redhead saw it and his eyes went wide, before he hastily dropped the virus.


    "Sorry, I can''t control my emotions so ¡ª"


    "I won''t ally myself with you. I never will. Leave me alone, Rosan," Pestilence said with a tone of finality.


    Rosan said nothing, then inclined his head.


    He palmed the floor and created a simple yet beautiful house for them.


    Pestilence regarded it in confusion.


    "I remember how you used to complain about how stuffy and big the castle was... and how you''d prefer to live in something a lot smaller," Rosan said quietly, dusting himself off.


    "If you really want me to leave you alone, that''s what I''ll do. I won''t imprison or restrain you in anyway so feel free to do what you want... but I think we both know what will happen if you do something negative so please don''t. Bye Pe-chan."


    Pestilence withered at seeing he had given up and instinctively put out a hand to stop him, before catching themselves and forcefully dropping it.


    They scoffed and turned away from Rosan, scowling in fury at it all as they glared darkly at the black and white house.


    "Stupid asshole," they snarled, entering the house to tend to their wounds.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "It didn''t go well?" Mod asked knowingly.


    Rosan frowned as he woke up. "Not at all. They''re upset. I''ll give them time before trying again."


    "Leave them be, Mod-chan. You don''t have to keep an eye on them anymore."


    "Are you sure?" Mod asked in concern.


    "I''m sure. Pe-chan is not my enemy."


    Mod frowned at that but nodded. "If you''re sure... but if things go south..."


    "I think we all know what the outcome of that will be."


    He could feel Pe-chan still listening in, they weren''t trying to be detected but Rosan knew all their tricks. They had been each others partners for years now.


    Mod couldn''t believe the tables had turned so much. Right as she gained the resolve to eliminate Pestilence, Rosan now wanted to integrate them into their family.


    It was surreal. He no longer seemed to have any animosity towards the virus...


    Rosan tugged his hair slightly and stared at it. "The black tips are permanent now?" he mused curiously.


    "I believe so¡­ but we can always modify them," Mod said, just so thankful to be having a normal conversation with her son.


    "I like it. I had black streaks running through my hair before anyways," Rosan muttered, thinking back to his time as Famine. "I''ll ask Robin what she thinks. I need to visit her asap."


    The redhead stood up and immediately grunted as a wave of agony washed over his body.


    "Ugh," he groaned, reaching for his abdomen and clutching the barely healed spot.


    He fell to his knees and groaned tiredly, eyes fluttering and blinking in brightness as his body began whining.


    Every fight at Marineford, Aokiji, getting punched through his stomach by a magma man and then fighting his student who had delivered heavy blow onto his body.


    Not to mention the deep mental exhaustion seeping into his very bones at the war he had just had in his mindscape.


    He huffed tiredly, glancing blearily at the ring resting on his chest and idly put Ram on, securing her tightly and pushing himself up.


    "You need to sleep soon, Rosan. We''ve been¡­ ran completely ragged. You''ve put up an outstanding performance that deserves the longest rest you could want," Mod said tiredly, worry on her features as Rosan painfully pulled himself up.


    He had been the star of the show. No one alive could deny that, enemy or ally. That great war had revolved around her son in every way.


    Rosan deserved some rest... Mod didn''t like seeing how much pain he was in.


    "I know but people need to see me right now. I can''t leave them in the state they''re in."


    "I understand. Just¡­ don''t push yourself, okay?" Mod murmured, tucking the tiny Ram against her repaired dress.


    The ring continued to snore away and Mod cooed, pinching her pudgy cheeks and getting an annoyed grumble out of her


    "My Raid Suits destroyed?" he mused, ignoring the jolt of pain.


    ...Not completely, but it had taken so much damage during the war that it may as well have been.


    Rosan hummed and tested the transform feature, watching as it molded over his body and covered him back up.


    That would do for now.


    He peered inside his body, testing to see if the Philosopher''s Stone was doing okay and the redhead let out a sigh of relief at feeling the tiny embers.


    Now, he had people to visit. They should know that he was alright now.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Robin was curled into herself, feeling completely inconsolable despite Koala''s best efforts.


    Everything just felt so hopeless¡­ she didn''t know what was going on right now. Rosan but not Rosan had said some harsh things to her and despite how she saw right through his efforts, it still didn''t change the things he said.


    But none of that mattered because Robin didn''t even know where her Rosan was. Would Famine be here forever?


    What did that mean? Where would Rosan go now?


    Was Mod-chan alright...?


    Robin didn''t know the answer to any of these questions and it killed her on the inside knowing she couldn''t do anything about it.


    The Devil Child jolted, as a presence suddenly appeared before her. An incredible warmth washed over her and she was going to look up, but a gentle hand gripped her cheek and did it for her.


    Her heart stopped as eyes full of sorrow stared down at her. There was a reassuring smile on the person''s face and Robin shuddered at that, eyes fogging up.


    "Don''t be sad," Rosan said softly. "If you''re this sad, you''ll make me sad and you know if I get sad I''ll start crying and then you''ll start crying too and then Mod-chan will start crying and it''ll wake Ram up and then we''ll all be crying."


    Robin felt her breath get forcefully taken away, as those bright eyes stared down at her.


    "Rosan¡­is it you?" Robin murmured, placing both hands on his cheeks.


    "It''s me, Robin," Rosan said softly, eyes glowing in visible worry as he saw the tears.


    "You selfish boy," Robin scowled, tears falling as she glared at him.


    Rosan paused, eyes wide at her sudden anger and he felt her grip on his cheeks tighten.


    "I asked one thing of you... Rosan. All I asked was for you to not die... and you couldn''t even listen to that," Robin said, shutting her eyes as memory of Rosan with a gaping hole in his stomach appeared in her mind.


    The horrific sight brought a sob out of her and Rosan felt guilt wracking him at what he had done.


    "You died, Rosan... and there was nothing I could do about it but watch. How could you do that to me?" Robin asked quietly.


    Rosan went cold.


    "I won''t forgive you if you die."


    Ah... shit.


    Mod''s eyes widened in horror.


    "Wait Robin," Rosan said frantically, tiredness melting away in favor of horror.


    He opened his mouth to explain himself and then shut it, as a look of realization crossed his features.


    Then, he closed his eyes in acceptance. "Shit. I really am the worst boyfriend in the world. Nevermind anything I''m about to say... I made a decision without consulting you at all. I''m sorry for worrying you, I wasn''t thinking¡­"


    He let out a noise of surprise as Robin lunged forward, tackling him underneath her. His eyes widened as she furiously kissed him.


    Robin pulled back and let out a happy sob, looking him in his eyes with a smile that made his heart flutter.


    "I know I said I won''t forgive you... but I lied just this once. You look tired, Rosan," she said with a happy grin.


    Rosan opened his mouth to respond, but shut it instead and grabbed Robin close.


    "Thank you so much," he breathed, squeezing her to his body as the melded into each other.


    "I can''t leave you, Rosan. We just have to talk about all the things you said to me," Robin murmured.


    "I was just trying to make you hate me. I didn''t mean any of it," he replied.


    "I know. You keep trying to make me hate you. Why don''t you understand that''s impossible?"


    "Because I''m pretty damn stupid."


    They both grinned happily as they shared a moment and Koala would have reminded the couple that she was here¡­


    But they deserved a little alone time so she departed from the room as quietly as possible, letting out a sigh of relief as she closed the door..


    She was so glad Rosan was alive. The redhead had grown on her tremendously despite all his teasing and he had a charisma about him that you had to admire.


    Rosan was one of the only people who could tell Sabo what to do without complaint. It was clear he loved his oldest brother fiercely.


    Not to mention, Koala didn''t like seeing Robin like that. She was glad her friend was smiling again¡­


    Koala needed to see Sabo. Her partner took Rosan''s temporary death so hard¡­


    She hoped they were doing okay.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Robin shuddered against Rosan''s frame, even as he tenderly held her.


    "I''m sorry for spilling my tears on you," she said quietly. "And I''m sorry for holding you here. I know you''re probably so exhausted and you want to see everyone else but it''s just¡­"


    "Robin," Rosan interjected gently, tucking her into his frame. "You''re my girlfriend. You don''t have to apologize for hogging my time. I''ll always give you the attention you deserve," he murmured.


    "Yes¡­ I know but it''s just¡­" Robin trailed off, clutching him tightly. "I feel awful, Rosan. The thoughts I were thinking, the feelings I felt¡­"


    Rosan gained a look of understanding because Robin was filled with a staggering amount of guilt.


    The circumstances of his¡­ death were controversial and his family was intelligent. It was easy for them all to pinpoint the cause of why he got attacked.


    After all, he sacrificed himself because of Ace''s¡­ admittedly stupid decision.


    "Hey," Rosan muttered, sitting up with her so that they could look each other in the eyes. "I understand. I''m not mad at you and you have a right to feel exactly how you wanna feel. You know I don''t judge."


    Robin felt her throat lock up at that and she hid her face into his chest, shuddering as he ran a hand against her back.


    "I¡­ I hated him so much," she admitted quietly. "When I saw what happened¡­ I truly felt nothing but rage at Ace''s actions because he¡­ he got you killed and¡­ I was mad at you for paying for his mistakes."


    Robin expected Rosan to feel disappointed in her words. After all, she just admitted to having hated his little brother. Disappointment was the natural thing to feel but instead, there was nothing but understanding in his stance.


    "I''m sorry that I put you through that," Rosan said softly, roiling with guilt.


    "I''m sorry for being the reason you had to put me through it. Truly Rosan, I''m so sorry about what I put you through at Water 7," Robin murmured.


    "It''s okay," he soothed. "Not all problems can be solved in the blink of an eye. We''re still learning," he assured.


    She nodded.


    They said nothing else. They didn''t need to. Difficult conversations were necessary, but difficult conversations with no clear answer to it?


    Best to not delve into that. They both understood the others side regardless.


    "I''ll be better," Rosan said truthfully.


    "I''ll get stronger," Robin replied. "I''ll become a monster just like you. I can''t¡­ I can''t live with the fact that I would have been a liability to you. I never want to be a liability."


    "...I wasn''t strong enough either," Rosan said tiredly. "None of us were. We''re too weak."


    Robin''s silence was the only reply he got.


    To hear Rosan of all people deny his strength... it was humbling to know that even he realized the limits of his strength weren''t enough. Despite wavering in many things, his strength was not one of them. Rosan always believed that if things got difficult, he''d be able to get them out of it.


    "I need to go visit more people," Rosan said finally, eyes threatening to flutter shut.


    As much as he wanted to hug and fall asleep in her grasp, there was too much to do.


    "Will you explain everything with us all?" Robin asked, helping the exhausted redhead up. She looked at his injuries with a concerned glance and nearly used her privileges to get him to sleep... but she couldn''t be selfish for so long.


    It didn''t take a genius to see that something had changed with Rosan. After all, he now had black tips and he was practically crushing Robin under a waterfall with his emotions.


    He nodded. "Yeah I''ll explain everything¡­ What do you think about my hair?" he asked randomly, gesturing towards the black ingrained into it.


    Robin looked at it and smiled despite herself.


    She was glad he valued her opinion so much that even simple things like this were asked.


    The Devil Child grasped one of his spikes and inspected it curiously.


    While still predominantly red, each of Rosan''s downward spikes looked as if they had been dipped in black ink slightly, before being pulled out, leaving the tips of each red spike black.


    "...I like it," she said eventually, smiling at the redhead. "It looks like you idolized me to the point where you added black to your hair. It''s like my red strand but way more fanatical."


    Rosan''s look of delight, vanished in favor of annoyance and he tiredly swatted her hand away, much to her amusement.


    "C''mon let''s go," he grunted, dragging her off the bed.


    "Yes boss," she complied easily, feeling incredibly light.


    She was just so thankful that Rosan was alive and here. She couldn''t put it into words so she wouldn''t but¡­


    Rosan glanced back at her in concern. "You alright? Do you need a minute?"


    Robin shook her head slowly, feeling a wave of exhaustion hitting her. "No. I''ll be fine, Rosan."


    He nodded and just pulled her close, understanding what she wanted just from taking a glance.


    Robin sighed fondly. He was a reckless idiot, but he was her reckless idiot.


    "Are you guys heading out?" Koala asked, peeking her head through the door after verifying that there wasn''t anything inappropriate going on.


    "Yeah, too many people are worried about me and I have to make sure they know I''m alright," Rosan said softly.


    "Can I come with?" Koala asked worriedly.


    "...You want to see Sabo, right?" Rosan asked knowingly, turning towards her with tired eyes.


    Koala nodded, taking in his exhausted stance with a frown of concern.


    Should he really be moving like this?


    "I wanna see him too," he sighed, remembering all his brother''s faces clearly.


    The despair was heart wrenching but he needed to see someone else first. His brothers were currently unconscious and they likely wouldn''t be waking up anytime soon.


    "We''ll go see them soon. I need to check up on my little rulers first¡­"


    His fight with Maro was still fresh on his mind. She must have been crushed still and he was crushed after what he had done to her.


    Rosan delicately took Robin''s necklace off and placed it down so that they could have a Save Point to bring Koala and Sabo back home.


    "Kami, I can''t watch you guys do anything," Koala blushed, looking away from the two.


    "You''re just a stiff," Rosan grunted. "Make sure to kiss Sabo when you see him. He''ll appreciate it alot and it''ll make you feel better."


    Koala opened her mouth to shout at him and then shut it, burying her face against Robin to hide her blush. "You''re the worst."


    "I know," he said, grabbing her as his tired eyes flashed.


    The three vanished without any prompting.

 Rosan II

    A brooding and bandaged Maro jolted at the sight of a figure appearing in front of her and her eyes narrowed.


    The Queen''s face shifted into a snarl as she immediately locked eyes with Rosan, ignoring the two people with him and pushing herself up.


    She may have lost once, but that wouldn''t stop her from trying to save her master.


    As green spread across Maro''s body, Daisy made its way to her hand and she lunged at the redhead, hellbent on crashing it against his face despite her injuries.


    Rosan''s eyes widened and he dodged the frantic and heavy swings.


    "Hey wait Maro! I''m not here to fight!" he exclaimed, grunting as the most recent swing caused the ground around her to shake.


    It was a good thing her special garden was so reinforced because Maro was trying to cave his body in.


    "Shut the fuck up!" she snarled violently. "Just because you won doesn''t mean you can come back and do whatever you want! I won''t let you!"


    Ah, she still thought he was misguided. He should rectify that quickly because he was seriously in no state to fight right now.


    "Maro!" Robin shouted in concern, summoning a flurry of arms to slow the woman down and watching in shock as she effortlessly steamrolled through them with brute strength alone.


    It wasn''t often she faced up against Maro so the woman''s sheer strength always caught her by surprise.


    Maro attacked like a woman possessed, not even realizing that it was Robin who had tried to slow her down. She glared venomously at Rosan and lunged, orange overtaking all of her eye.


    Rosan grunted and sidestepped a swing that was definitely aimed to break his leg, before leaning into Maro''s guard with a final surge of adrenaline. He gripped her slender and strong arm, forcing it up so that she couldn''t destroy the area anymore and pulled her into a deep hug.


    Maro''s breath hitched at the action and she froze.


    "You know¡­" Rosan murmured in her ear. "I always expected your fantasies about me to be lewder. This is surprising... though I guess it''s still pretty lewd."


    Maro shuddered at the voice. "M-Master¡­?" she whispered.


    "It''s me, Maro," he replied gently, squeezing her in reassurance. "I''m back. Trust me."


    "He''s right, Maro," Robin replied with a small smile, watching as the green melted off her skin. "Rosan is¡­ better than ever I think."


    Rosan smiled and tucked his precious student into his frame after noting how hard she was trembling. "You have no idea how much you played a part in saving me Maro. Until the end, you fought and it helped me so much. Thanks for knocking my head silly when we fought... and I''m sorry for hurting you so badly."


    Maro sniffed repeatedly and Rosan''s expression turned concerned.


    "Maro?" he mumbled, running a hand against her back soothingly.


    "You''re right," she eventually whispered.


    "...I''m right?" he repeated in confusion.


    "My fantasies of you are way lewder. Y-You have no idea b-but they need you to be alive¡­" she replied, before breaking out in a gut wrenching sob.


    "MASTERRR!" she wailed, tackling him to the floor with heavy tears.


    "I thought you were g-gone! I didn''t know what I was going to do without you! I f-felt... I felt so looost!" Maro continued crying, practically suffocating him with her figure.


    Rosan laughed lightly at that, shaking his head at her words before wrapping her into a crushing hug. "I''m here. I''m here. Thank you Maro. When you told me you were going to show me how much you mattered, I never imagined it''d be like this," he soothed.


    "From the bottom of my heart, thank you."


    Maro just continued sobbing, cries filling her garden as it traveled throughout the castle.


    Rosan just continued to sooth her, running a hand through her hair and humming softly.


    The door to where she had been isolating herself, opened up and Rosan stopped humming.


    Angel and Demon''s red rimmed eyes widened in shock, at the sight of Maro crying against Rosan''s chest. They heard her cries loud and clear and rushed over to mourn together but they never expected to see the sight.


    As he craned his head to gaze at them, the twins met the brightly glowing red and purple eyes of Rosan, lacking a black sclera.


    At the sight of their older brother smiling at them, they felt a fresh batch of tears forming.


    "I''m tired but I always got room for two more," Rosan said holding his arms, as Maro hogged his midsection. She was still crying, spilling her tears all over him.


    "Mghm," Angel and Demon both sniffed, before they let out piercing wails.


    "MASTER!" they shouted in unison, rushing him with no hesitation.


    "Oof," Rosan grunted, flattened to the floor as his three little geniuses squeezed him. "I''m sorry guys. I didn''t mean to worry you all. I''m seriously sorry."


    Angel sobbed on his left. "Y-You better be! W-We thought we¡­ we thought we lost you, big bro! Don''t scare us like that again!" she wailed, tucked into his neck.


    "I¡­ I couldn''t b-believe it," Demon whimpered quietly. "I felt everything shutting down b-but my body was still fine. That''s when I realized it was just how I was feeling a-and I hate that feeling. It''s terrible."


    Rosan''s eyes softened and he felt his heart pang at the shuddering figures of his former crew.


    He held them all close and sighed sadly. "I¡­ when I realized you guys shut down when something bad happened to me¡­ I made countermeasures. You guys are¡­ practically completely separated from me now," he revealed.


    Angel and Demon were stunned silent by that.


    "W-Why would you do that?" Angel stammered in confusion.


    Rosan tilted his head. "Because your lives aren''t tied to me anymore. A mistake on my end should not be the end of all three of us. That wouldn''t be fair to you and especially to Maro," he said.


    "You two are no longer my underlings. You two have an all new set of responsibilities that have nothing to do with me and things would get thrown into chaos if something happened to you two as well. I''m not the only one who matters to you guys anymore."


    Angel''s tears renewed and she sobbed against his shoulder, muffling the noise.


    "You''re always thinking about us," Demon whispered.


    "I-It''s so sweet! Even with these little things that we don''t even think about¡­ Thank you Master," Angel said quietly.


    "You''re seriously the best big brother we could have asked for," Demon mumbled, hiding his face.


    Rosan chuckled tiredly. "It''s my job to take care of all my little siblings. I think of the hard stuff so that you guys can live easier."


    "And we appreciate that b-because we can be really dumb sometimes!" Maro sniffed.


    "Just like how I can be dumb," Rosan said softly, squeezing them all affectionately.


    "You work too hard... we''re older now too so please slow down. You don''t have to do everything alone," Demon begged.


    Rosan''s soft gaze turned down to them and he nodded. "Yeah you''re right. I don''t... I''ll do better."


    They continued to cry against him, joy and relief filling the room, until finally they seemed to be all petered out.


    Rosan smiled at them and they all stood up, right as the door was pushed open again.


    The redhead turned and met the stunned and red rimmed gaze of Aiko and Akemi.


    Rosan''s heart panged again at that and he waved slightly. "Hey you two¡ª"


    The redhead let out a grunt of surprise as he was tackled by¡­ not Akemi but Aiko of all people.


    "You fucking dumbass!" Aiko sobbed, clutching him desperately as Akemi appeared one step behind her and crashed into him with a loud sob.


    Rosan was taken aback by the raw emotion in Aiko. She was always aloof or pissed but he rarely saw sadness from her.


    The last time he saw her cry so freely... was when she got reunited with her sister.


    Huh... so that''s how much he mattered to her?


    "What do you think you''re doing?! Who said you could try and get yourself killed?! Then you came over here causing more issues?!" Aiko barked furiously, pawing his outfit before clutching it tightly.


    At the sight of the tough and stern Aiko crying freely, Rosan''s eyes narrowed in guilt.


    He didn''t make fun of her, he just wrapped his arms around his surrogate older sister with a surprising amount of tenderness.


    "I''m sorry. I wasn''t thinking at all," Rosan confessed, thinking back to what happened.


    He always had a bug watching Luffy... so he saw the moment his brother lost all the power in his body. He saw Ace lose his battle against Admiral Akainu... and he saw Akainu charge after Luffy to deliver a killing blow.


    Rosan had felt a strong sense of dread and simply moved, not thinking of any other way to save his brothers.


    "No thought went into it... my body moves before I even registered what was happening. I just felt the terror of an older brother and reacted. I can''t let anything bad happen to you guys."


    He opened his arm and scooped up the sobbing Akemi as well.


    He squeezed the both of his older sisters and let out a rattling sigh. "I''m not strong enough to ease you guy''s worries," Rosan confessed with a deep frown.


    At that war... most of his opponents had utterly outclassed him. He didn''t have to be stronger than all of them... but if he had been stronger than some, then he''d maybe have saved enough healing to survive that blow from Akainu.


    ...


    "Ever since Water 7 I realized that my strength was failing me and this opened my eyes¡­"


    "I''m weak," Rosan finished, closing his eyes.


    For someone who desired to be the strongest¡­ realizing that you were weak was demoralizing and crushing.


    But it was up to you to transform those feelings into fuel to get stronger and Rosan knew what he needed to do to get stronger.


    "You''ll get stronger... you have to," Akemi mumbled fearfully. "I refuse to let you do anything if something like this will happen again!"


    Everyone nodded in unison, holding the injured redhead tightly.


    Rosan nodded at that, shutting his eyes as his resolve settled.


    "Thank you Aiko for tearing into me after my fight with Maro. You said everything I needed to hear," Rosan said thankfully.


    "You¡­ no one''s ever made me cry since I''ve become ruler of Fregate," Aiko whispered, feeling vulnerable in a way that she never had.


    "Well, it''s always been up to me to make you act outta character," Rosan said weakly.


    Aiko couldn''t even glare at him, too afraid to remove her head from his body. She was just so tired and relieved.


    "I-I''m so glad," Akemi whimpered, tears combining with all the others that had long soaked his outfit.


    Rosan sighed fondly. "I need to go visit the rest. Will you guys be okay? After verifying that they''re alright, I''ll explain everything that happened on my end, alright?"


    Aiko and Akemi''s grip tightened and Rosan felt Angel, Demon and Maro clutching him from behind as well.


    "I''m serious guys. No more fighting. I''d be asleep right now if I didn''t have to make sure you guys knew I was okay," Rosan confessed.


    They flinched at that, noticing just how deep his exhaustion seemed to run.


    "I think I''ll be out for a few days¡­ I''ve been moving nonstop. I fought too many strong people too."


    The tightening on his body was a reminder that they were well aware of who he fought.


    "I''m not going anywhere for long guys. We can even do a group sleep like the old times and I''ll drag all the reluctant ones into it too, like Aiko," he murmured to them.


    "I honestly don''t want you outta my sight so I''ll join," Aiko muttered.


    Akemi nodded hastily.


    Rosan blinked slowly. Man they were really messed up right now.


    "Alright, I''ll be fast. C''mon Robin and Koala," Rosan said, accepting a kiss on his cheeks from Maro, Angel and Demon... and Aiko and Akemi.


    "Come back fast," Angel demanded.


    "I will," Rosan promised, grabbing the two and vanishing.


    The moment he did so, the group let out relieved sobs and collapsed.


    "I''m so tired," Maro mumbled, sniffing as she curled into Angel. The two held each other tightly, tears combining from relief and sadness.


    "We all are," Aiko muttered, wiping her eyes. "You fuckers aren''t supposed to see me cry like this. This sucks."


    "Mhm," Akemi nodded, pulling them all into a group hug. "B-But it''s better than the alternative. A-At least these are tears of relief."


    Everyone nodded, far preferring these over the other tears.


    "You all need to get a bit of rest," Zala said, crossing her arms in concern. "We''ll handle affairs for now. Celadon won''t collapse if you all take a bit of a break."


    "She''s right," Kaori nodded in agreement. "Please rest and recuperate¡­ this was a taxing event to you all. I''ll call and notify Fregate as well. Trust us."


    "We''ll deal with it," Gem saluted.


    Maro sniffed and gazed at her soldiers with teary eyes.


    "Master really always is right. I love my soldiers so much!" she sobbed, nodding in agreement. "Okay! I trust you guys! I''ll leave the island in your hands for now! Thank you so much!"


    "Of course, my Queen!" they saluted.


    The soldiers were relieved that Rosan was alive. They may have had their personal issues with him but none of it even came close to how much they adored Queen Maro, Angel and Demon.


    They were their precious leaders after all. So if they would be ruined off of Rosan''s death, then they too wanted him to remain alive.


    Besides, Rosan truly wasn''t all that terrible. The war showed them that if he wanted to, he could have done far far worse to them so they were thankful he found another use for them.


    That decision to hand them over to the Queen... it was truly a good decision in hindsight and they were glad he had the eye for it.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan''s Save Point brought him to Amazon Island and when he arrived, it was to the company of many different people.


    They jumped in shock at his arrival, turning towards him with wide eyes and feeling their jaws drop at the redhead.


    "Rosan?" Jinbe asked warily, noting the black tipped hair.


    The redhead looked at the assortment of people there with a tilted head.


    "Trafalgar Law? You''re still here?" Rosan mused, gazing at his fellow pirate.


    Law glanced warily at him. "I saved your brothers," he informed him immediately.


    No point trying to incite the redhead''s fury with assumptions.


    The redhead gained a look of concern at that, ignoring Law''s wariness. "How are they?"


    "Alive," the surgeon replied after a moment. "The blonde one is in shock and Fire Fist has some serious injuries but he''ll recover¡­ Straw Hat on the other hand, was on the brink of death."


    Rosan frowned deeply at that. "That bad?"


    "If I didn''t immediately operate on him, he would have died. He could still die," Law said truthfully. "Your¡­ death, put him in shock and combined with how injured his insides were, it was almost impossible to save him."


    "I take blame... he took a blow to the chest from Akainu and I wasn''t able to block it completely," Jinbe apologized.


    "That one is going to scar over but other than that... he''s somewhat stabilized," Law explained.


    "¡­" Rosan said nothing at that, frowning deeply.


    "It''s my fault Red-boy," Iva apologized regretfully. "I should not have given him another hormone shot. If I allowed him to be taken away, maybe everything could have been avoided. I saw your concern for him and disregarded it because¡­"


    "You got swept in by his charisma," Rosan finished understandingly, shaking his head.


    If and buts were meaningless. Yes, Rosan had said he would take Luffy out of the battle when he was out of energy but Luffy had still played a key part in freeing Ace.


    "Don''t worry about it. I don''t blame you¡­ Luffy was able to convince me of all people to work under him. No one alive can resist him," he said matter of factly.


    "Don''t you have too much ego too?" everyone who heard him say that thought at the same time.


    "Trafalgar Law," Rosan said, turning towards his fellow pirate with a tired gaze.


    Law glanced warily at him, hand resting laxly at his side but poised for action at any time.


    "Thank you," Rosan said earnestly.


    Law blinked at that.


    The Red Devil was thanking him?


    "I don''t know your reasoning and I won''t question it, but you saved my brothers. If it was a favor you wanted from me, you earned it. If not, I won''t forget this so in the future I won''t obliterate you and your crew if we cross paths," he said truthfully.


    Law gazed at him curiously. "That favor sounds like a good thing to have¡­ so I''ll hold onto it for the future. No point using it now."


    "Smart. One of the smartest things a person who has met me has said," Rosan grinned wryly, peering at the pirate with amused eyes. "Alright, I won''t forget that then."


    "Rosan, stop flirting with someone in front of me," Robin admonished with a shake of her head.


    Rosan didn''t even bat an eye. "He doesn''t have your boobs. Or your face. Or your a¡ª"


    "Rosan," Robin interrupted with a tired sigh.


    "Absolutely amazing personality," Rosan continued with a winning smile.


    "Have you become even more perverted?" Robin asked curiously.


    "I missed you a lot," Rosan replied, turning towards her.


    "It''s been almost an entire day since I saw you... and I''m really tired so I''m speaking my mind without using a filter much."


    Robin quirked a brow. "You''re telling me you''re capable of using a filter? Truly? Am I supposed to believe that?"


    The redhead gazed at her with half lidded eyes and Robin balked as it began trailing.


    "Never mind. Forget I asked," she said, not willing to test him. His eyes looked a little¡­ bedroomy in a dangerous way.


    Rosan opened his mouth, but whatever he was about to say was cut off by a choking noise instead because a blur of a figure tackled him to the floor.


    His eyes widened, as a terribly loud sob pierced the skies.


    "C-COUSIN!" Hancock wailed, soaking his already ruined outfit even further. "You''re okay! I''m so glad!" she cracked.


    "H-Hancock, you''re squeezing me too hard. And put more clothes on, Robin might kill me," Rosan strained, wrapping an arm around her.


    "I won''t," Robin smiled.


    Obviously, Hancock did not hear him. The woman continued to cry against him, squeezing him like he were about to disappear at any moment and effectively crushing the weakened redhead with her absurd strength.


    "Lucky," the people of Law''s crew thought enviously, watching as the most beautiful woman in the world threw her whole body onto the Red Devil and squeezed him with it.


    Lucky bastard. Couldn''t he be satisfied with Nico Robin?!


    "Hey look. See? I''m totally fine. Don''t worry about me," Rosan assured, running a hand against her back with an exasperated smile.


    He would admit that Hancock had wormed a way into his heart incredibly fast. She was almost childishly adorable in her mannerisms and Rosan didn''t forget how she risked everything she had, to sneak them into Impel Down.


    Rosan liked Hancock because she truly did love him unconditionally. She was a person that more than earned his trust so he''d treat her accordingly.


    Hancock sniffed and buried her head into the crook of his neck. Considering at least 5 different people had done the exact same move, he was well accustomed to it.


    "When I saw your body collapsed onto the f-floor, I couldn''t even contain my cries! Then they only got worse because the air became so thick and heavy with negativity!" Hancock sobbed.


    Jinbe nodded. "Such insidious feelings... I found myself moved to tears just by the charged air alone," he explained.


    Rosan frowned at that. "Sorry. My emotions, particularly the negative ones, are really overwhelming."


    "You felt so sad..." Hancock murmured in despair. "Beneath all those terrible emotions... there was such traumatizing sadness!"


    She sniffed sadly and hugged him.


    " I was so glad to see that you got up b-but then you started screaming in such a horrific manner a-and then I began worrying for you even more and Luffy was unconscious and I just didn''t know what was happening!" she blubbered.


    Rosan sighed and just soothed his older cousin. "I know. A lot happened really quickly. I was very close to dying so I needed to use something... unsettling to survive. That''s why I attacked that Marine. If I didn''t, I''d have died."


    Those there to witness his assault shuddered, remembering the black encased creature well.


    "You seemed more like a wild animal than a human," Bon Clay shuddered, feeling a fear at just remembering that monster.


    "I''m not a human anyways. That''s why I was able to survive," he replied, patting Hancock on the head.


    "I''m sorry for worrying and scaring you," he muttered to his cousin.


    "Don''t be!" Hancock suddenly exclaimed, shaking her head harshly. "Don''t be sorry! I''m not mad at you¡­ I''m just glad you''re alive, cousin!"


    Rosan let loose a fond sigh and stood up with his cousin¡­


    Only to be brought right back down to the floor again, as two much larger figures tackled him to the floor.


    "Cousin!" Sandersonia and Marigold cried in unison.


    "Did you all agree to tackle me to the floor?" Rosan grunted tiredly, completely smothered by his giant cousins.


    "We heard what happened," Sandersonia said in worry, hastily helping him up with the help of her sister.


    "Are you alright?" Marigold finished, patting him down.


    Rosan huffed at them. "I could be better. I did just get a hole punched in my stomach so my insides are in a very precarious situation... some sleep should do me good," he explained.


    Everyone shuddered at how casually he mentioned getting killed.


    "You must get some rest. You''ve done so much! Oh I know! You can sleep in my room! " Hancock exclaimed eagerly.


    "I HATE YOU SO MUCH!" Law''s crew, barring their captain, thought to the redhead.


    "Thanks for the offer but I still have to go talk to my family¡­ and then they''ll drag me into their group sleep probably," he explained tiredly, leaning against Marigold as he threatened to collapse.


    "Your family?" Hancock asked curiously. "You have more? We have more?!" she asked excitedly.


    "My little, but also same age, twin brother and sister, my student¡­ my surrogate older sisters," he explained with a sigh. "They''ve been very affected by this whole thing as well."


    Law perked up at that. "Are you talking about ¡ª"


    "Yes. The one you met was my adorable idiot little student. Like I said, I''d like if you never mentioned anything about her and I''s relationship. It''d be very bad for you," Rosan finished with a sigh of exasperation


    Law raised a single brow at that. "You said you wouldn''t kill me," he mentioned.


    "Trust me. I can do many more things worse than killing someone," Rosan assured softly.


    How reassuring.


    Law smiled in amusement. "Our meeting was amicable. I won''t rat her out. She''s your student?"


    "And she''s banging my sister," Rosan added, nothing the truth in his words.


    His nose suddenly picked up the scent of blood and he grunted in confusion at seeing a few unconscious members of Law''s crew.


    "Rosan," Robin sighed, exchanging a deep hug with Hancock. "You really need to go to sleep."


    "I know," Rosan said forlornly. "Hancock¡­ do you mind if I bring them over to explain everything that happened on my end? I don''t think I can make many more trips."


    "Of course not!" Hancock sounded offended.


    She probably actually was. Hancock was shamelessly whipped and he was pretty sure she''d nod eagerly if he pointed it out.


    "If they are your family then they are mine! I''d like to meet my other little cousins!" Hancock beamed, wiping her tears.


    Rosan snorted. "Alright. I have a lot to explain to you all¡­"


    The redhead peered at the ones not in his family and shrugged. "I guess you guys can listen in. The World Government finally knows my Devil Fruit so I guess I don''t really have to keep it secret anymore."


    Ah that was fun. The eyes that would be on him now were going to be annoying...


    "Not to mention they know you''re Reaper too," Robin pointed out. "I can''t imagine what that will do."


    "¡­" Rosan sighed tiredly.


    "So you truly are Reaper?" Jinbe mused in shock, gazing at his ally of the war with wide eyes.


    "Yeah. I was Reaper from nine years old to fourteen," Rosan explained, allowing Robin to hold him straight.


    "Nine to Fourteen?! What?!"


    Everyone stared at the redhead with wide eyes at his admittance. Reaper was far too notorious for the culprit to be a child!


    "I''d summon my wings but I''m tired so you''ll just have to believe my word," Rosan murmured.


    "Believing your word isn''t the problem, you were way too young!" everyone barked at him.


    The redhead blinked blearily. "Yeah I guess I was."


    "Your Devil Fruit also seems to be quite desired by the Fleet Admiral. Not to mention you seemed to be taking extra steps to keep it secret," Iva pointed out.


    Rosan sighed and nodded. "I''ve been keeping my Devil Fruit secret for 20 years. It''s called the Mod Mod no mi. I''m a computer human that can modify whatever I touch."


    "S-So you''ve modified yourself to achieve the form of a Dragon¡­?" Iva asked in disbelief.


    "Not to mention your complete mastery of elements," Jinbe pointed out in disbelief.


    "All that stems from the ability to Modify?" Law raised a brow. "I''m a Free Modification Human. I can''t do any of what I saw you do."


    "You''re a doctor''s fruit and I''m a scientist''s. My reach is naturally farther in terms of what I can do," Rosan replied easily. "I''m also real creative. I bet there''s a lot of things you could do but you look like you walk around with a stick up your ass."


    Law twitched minutely at that. The Red Devil was very annoying.


    "Rosan," Robin said in exasperation.


    "How did you get a bounty of 500 million?" Iva asked curiously.


    Rosan blinked slowly. "I killed a Celestial Dragon. He decided that I would look better as his slave. I decided he would look better dead after he clearly forfeited his life," he murmured.


    ¡­


    "H-Huh?" Everyone said dumbly.


    ...


    "HUH?!" they screamed.


    "Good job cousin! He deserved it!" Hancock praised, clapping happily for him.


    "I know right?" Rosan agreed, resting his head on Robin.


    "Imagine wanting to enslave me. How else could I freely shove my ton¡ª"


    "Rosan!" Robin interrupted him immediately, glaring at the redhead and putting a hand over his mouth.


    "Okay okay. Going to get them now," Rosan muffled tiredly, making the woman withdraw her hand.


    He stood up slowly, stumbling around as his eyes drooped even further.


    "I haven''t felt this exhausted in forever. It''s rare that I can''t even think at all," he mumbled, allowing Robin to steady him. "Be right back."


    He sent a lazy two fingered salute and vanished with Robin in tow.


    "Instantaneous teleportation too?" Law mused.


    The Red Devil was incredibly dangerous¡­


    Law saw his performance at the war. The Red Devil had been the eye of the storm that entire time... single-handedly turning the tides at unfavorable points.


    Perhaps it was smart to not make enemies of the Straw Hats. That favor sounded like it could be a good thing.


    Law would remember it.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Hancock put a hand to her mouth, at the sight of Rosan standing next to two other Rosan''s.


    Angel, Demon and Maro were practically glued to the redhead and it allowed the world''s most beautiful woman to stare at all three of them.


    "Triplets?!" Hancock whispered in shock.


    "Sometimes Master calls us triplets, since we''re the same age... but he enjoys calling us his little twins instead because he gets to lord being the oldest sibling out of it," Demon explained.


    "It''s annoying," Angel scowled, looking Hancock up and down. "We''re all 24! Sure we''re younger than him but we look the same and have the same age!"


    Rosan yawned. "If you want to be technical, you two are only three years older than Ram, who''s 12 years old."


    The twins opened their mouths at that and shut it.


    "Your fun facts are disturbing," Angel said flatly. She was not 15 years old.


    "Little twins it is," Demon agreed with a shake of his head.


    Rosan chuckled softly. "Calling us triplets is easier. I''m basically the only one who calls them my little twins..."


    Angel and Demon watched with wide eyes as their taller cousin appeared directly in front of them, pulling the two into a tight hug.


    "My little triplet cousins! I had no idea I had more! I am Boa Hancock, your older cousin!" she gushed.


    Oh she just couldn''t wait to dote on her little triplet cousins.


    Demon recovered quickly, returning the hug easily. "It''s nice to meet you Hancock. We''ve been watching you and Master''s adventures... and we just wanted to thank you for helping so much," he smiled.


    Hancock beamed at the purple haired Rosan, who looked quite beautiful, and puffed up proudly. "I will always help my cousins to the best of my abilities! That includes you two as well!"


    Angel smiled at her. "You''re good in my books! We gladly accept you into the family!"


    "Angel doing that means you really are in. She''s insanely stubborn," Demon nodded sagely.


    Angel felt a tick form at that and glared at Demon. "That reminds me..."


    She turned a heavy gaze towards Hancock, watching as the woman went stiff.


    "What are your intentions with my babiest brother?" she asked warningly.


    Hancock blinked. "Luffy? I''m going to marry him," she said bluntly.


    Everyone who didn''t know, felt their jaws dropping at Hancock''s straight to the point answer.


    Angel blinked at the blunt answer and took a long look at her, quite frankly, insane cousin.


    "Hm. I''ll be the judge of that!" she declared. "No one is allowed to get married in my family without express approval from ME!"


    "You''re a psycho," Demon and Rosan sighed tiredly.


    Maro clapped supportively, despite wholeheartedly disagreeing with her wife.


    Sometimes it was best to just go along. Angel was unhinged on the best of days.


    Hancock nodded, somehow not seeing anything wrong with the psychotic statement that left Angel''s mouth. "Very well. I will earn your approval if it''s the last thing I do!"


    "That''s the spirit!" Angel cheered, pulling her cousin into a hug. "I like you, Hancock! Welcome to the family!"


    Hancock beamed. "These are my sisters, Sandersonia and Marigold!"


    "This is my wife, Maro! Look how beautiful she is! You two can talk about back pains!"


    "I don''t have back pain, Angel. I have a strong body."


    "What?"


    "Ow, my back."


    Everyone sweatdropped as Angel began to give Maro a massage immediately after the queen''s painfully fake exclamation.


    As Maro sighed in bliss, her eyes widened dramatically.


    "No way! If it isn''t the Surgeon of Death!" she cheered, bolting over to Law''s position.


    Law was filled with amusement as the Queen excitedly closed the distance, unmindful of the bandages covering her body.


    Seems she truly was a warrior.


    "Queen-ya," he greeted. "It''s been a while."


    "Yeah it has! Last time we saw each other, you weren''t a bigshot pirate!" Maro beamed, shaking his hand eagerly. "Did you save my brothers?!"


    The pirate nodded. "I did. There was no particular reason behind it so don''t ask."


    Maro awed at that. "Wow, you''re a good guy! I knew I was right to not kill you on the spot!"


    "You certainly are the Red Devil''s student. You two say the same things," Law mused, unbothered by her statement.


    She beamed and launched herself at Bepo, squeezing the bear happily.


    "Bepooo you''re still so fluffy!" she gushed happily.


    Bepo was about to respond, before he felt a deathly aura wash over him.


    The bear fearfully made eye contact with a redheaded woman who was staring at him with the eyes of death itself.


    "I''m sorry," he apologized immediately.


    "Apologize after I finish killing you," Angel said ruthlessly, marching forward to do just that.


    "W-What?! Angel you can''t kill him! Look how fluffy he is!" Maro exclaimed, jumping in front of her wife.


    "I''ll peel all his fur off then. You won''t be gushing over his fluffiness again."


    "NO! DON''T PEEL HIM!" Maro squealed.


    "I-I''m sorry," Bepo apologized meekly, hiding behind the amused Law.


    "Let''s all settle down. Master can''t stay up for much longer," Demon interjected firmly, a hint of authority entering his voice.


    Everyone stiffened and nodded, watching as Rosan lolled about, head tipping over until Robin caught him.


    "Nice," Rosan purred in content, nestling in.


    "You''re such a pervert. We need to get you to sleep immediately," she sighed.


    "Tell me about it... speaking of, when Ram wakes up I need to show you her," Rosan mumbled.


    Everyone perked up at that.


    "Something happened to Ram?" Robin asked in concern.


    "Is she okay? She better be okay," Angel frowned.


    "She''s fine... though her confidence might have taken a blow," Rosan explained in amusement. "Her and Mod-chan are sleeping right now. We''ve been through a bit of a trial."


    Robin frowned at that. "It''s about time you tell us everything that happened. Then, you sleep."


    Rosan nodded tiredly. "Alright."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "So you''ve basically been split into two this whole time? That person I fought really was you?" Maro asked softly.


    Rosan couldn''t even muster up the energy to nod. His head was already lying peacefully atop the exasperated Robin''s lap and she merely ran a hand through his hair.


    "Yeah. I was too emotional for the world so I unknowingly split my emotions from myself and shoved them in the castle. The only one I kept when I was younger was my anger¡­ but then I sealed all of it away when you know what happened."


    Maro wilted in guilt. "I''m sorry Master, I didn''t know that it was actually still you. I wouldn''t have said such harsh things."


    "Don''t apologize. I was just angry and afraid. I thought I had no choice but to take the path I was taking... but I was shown that there''s another route that I can take," he said, glancing at his hand with a soft expression.


    The redhead smiled. "With how large the shadow I casted was, it''s only natural that the light would be just as bright..."


    "Because love and hate are two sides of the same coin..." Robin gasped in realization.


    Rosan''s love and hate... they signified both the sides of the redhead. That quote was literal when it came to her redheaded boyfriend.


    His light and dark... so that''s why...


    "That''s why you had anger issues," Angel muttered in realization.


    "I never realized your emotions were crippled for so long," Demon said sadly.


    "That makes so much sense," Robin pondered. "I made a realization that you always seemed to err on the negative side of things. It felt like you were divided on how you wished to be treated¡­ I had no idea how true that was."


    "My genius," Rosan praised, getting her to roll her eyes.


    He was a trip alright.


    "You hit it right on. The version of me that you guys got to know, was my negative half. He was my defense mechanism to shield me... so I was stripped of everything unnecessary to that until I was safe. I like to call him War... or Death since I acted so much like Reaper."


    Rosan sighed. "And then there''s the version of me trapped in the castle... Famine. He initially had all my emotions but as War met his family... he began to lose more. War managed to talk Famine down and now the Rosan you all know and love is here," he explained eyes fluttering.


    "Fascinating," Law muttered. The Red Devil was speaking of his body in ways that would make any doctor, newbie or experienced, fascinated.


    It was truly interesting the way he spoke of himself. As a doctor, it made him all the more intrigued about this redhead.


    "What about the virus?" Maro frowned slightly, remembering the vitriolic creature.


    "Pestilence," Rosan corrected softly.


    Robin quirked a brow. "You don''t¡­ dislike them?" she asked tentatively, not wanting to use the word hate.


    Rosan shook his head. "No. I don''t... it''s complicated," he said shortly.


    They sensed the slight frustration in his voice and mercifully dropped it.


    Clearly that was the Famine half of Rosan who was struggling with Pestilence.


    "Now if that''s everything¡­" Rosan said tiredly. "I need to sleep for a couple of days¡­ or weeks," he said.


    "You can sleep in my castle! I insist! I can make sure you sleep soundly!" Hancock said immediately, a protective look in her eyes.


    "What?! No way! I want Master!" Angel interrupted matter of factly, leaping onto and possessively grabbing her brother. "He''s sleeping with us!"


    Maro and Demon both nodded in agreement at that.


    "Kids," Aiko sighed. "I''ll sleep in the same room. I''m not sharing a bed with you late night monsters though."


    "I will!" Akemi beamed. "I know how you guys get so I''ll just sleep next to Demon! He''s the best bed partner!"


    Demon sighed. "Please don''t say it like that Akemi. If they think that I somehow did something with you, I truly will never escape the allegations."


    Akemi smiled teasingly.


    "I''m not a toy and none of you guys are not apart of my harem. Can''t I just sleep with Robin?" Rosan asked in exhaustion.


    "No."


    He sighed tiredly.


    Hancock mulled over the dilemma. "My bed is large enough! We may all share it then. Cousin is too tired to find a new area to rest regardless," she said eventually.


    Angel mulled it over, glancing at her cousin up and down before nodding in agreement. "Okay! But there are some ground rules to be understood. Master''s right arm is mine."


    "His left is mine!" Maro beamed.


    "Stop speaking about me like I''m some piece of object," Rosan grunted.


    He was ignored.


    "Robin say something. They''re talking about your boyfriend like he''s rentable," Rosan complained.


    "Rosan''s chest is mine," Robin told them.


    "Of course!" They agreed and that was that.


    As the three debated about which part of his body to rent, the redhead simply sighed in defeat and shut his eyes.


    "G''night," was all he said, going unconscious immediately.


    Everyone let out a sigh of relief at the same time, at actually seeing him fall asleep. The mood sombered over quickly and they gazed at his body


    "We kept him up for too long," Maro frowned sadly.


    "I feel bad," Angel said truthfully.


    "We should bring him to bed immediately," Hancock suggested.


    "That would be ideal," Robin said worriedly, letting her brave expression fully melt into blatant concern as she stared at Rosan''s still body.


    Maro immediately hoisted the redhead up and planted him on her back. "Lead the way, cousin!"


    Hancock nodded and they immediately left for her castle.


    "I want to run a quick checkup on the others if possible, then I''ll help Master," Demon said, smiling politely at Law.


    "I''ll remain here to escort you to the castle," Marigold offered with a kind smile.


    "Be my guest. I''ve stabilized them to the best of my abilities," Law told him as they walked onto the submarine.


    Demon nodded. "Thank you again for helping them. As a doctor I understand how difficult caring for one person, much less three, can be."


    Law shook his head. "My fruit makes it easier. It wasn''t that terrible."


    "The Op Op no mi, right?" Demon mused in clear interest. "I''m jealous. That''s quite the Devil Fruit for a doctor to have. I have parts of Masters fruit"


    Law smirked and nodded in agreement. "I hope this isn''t an attempt of flirting by you."


    The purple haired man blinked in slight confusion. "Flirting? Why would I do that?" he asked curiously.


    While certainly attractive, Demon was already dealing with his own confused feelings right now. Adding a third person to the mix, would make the doctor actually believe what Rosan and Angel were saying about his love life.


    Law''s smirk widened, amused further by the fact that Maro didn''t even bother telling Demon what she had been up to. "Because your sister in law tried to set us up."


    Demon blinked even harder before letting out an audible groan, placing a hand against his head. "I''m sorry about Maro... she''s a bit of a dumbass. Rest assured, I did not set her up for anything like that."


    "I believe you," Law snorted. "Queen-ya is a unique case."


    "They all are. Save yourself while you have the chance¡­ though I think it''s too late already. Master definitely has eyes on you and I''ve never seen anyone get away from him," Demon sighed.


    "That doesn''t sound like a good thing," Law said warily.


    "It''s terrible if you''re his enemy¡­ but it''s not the worst if you''re neutral or an ally. Master is very sweet. If you can somehow get on his good side, you''ll find yourself with the most valuable ally alive," Demon offered.


    "¡­" Law sighed.


    At least they were entertaining.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Robin stared at Rosan''s unconscious body, wrapped up in bandages, with a soft expression.


    After double checking his body, Demon had immediately began working on his brother, noting that his body was the weakest it had ever been.


    It was a disaster. Rosan hadn''t even been running on fumes. The redhead''s body had shown the effects of being the centerpiece of a war.


    He and Mod were effectively out of commission for the foreseeable future.


    It was nerve wracking, watching the redhead sleep through the day without so much as a twitch. His face looked peaceful, only showing discomfort when she moved away from him.


    But whenever she moved away, Rosan normally woke right up. Even when he had been horribly sick the lack of her presence would snap him right awake.


    Now? His expression would just shift uncomfortably but he would stay firmly asleep. It was a testament that the incredibly light sleeper wasn''t woken by anything.


    Not the group sleeps, not her washing his body... nothing. He hadn''t even eaten yet. His body was practically shutdown and to be honest, he remained so still that she feared he wasn''t breathing sometimes.


    Despite all his rambunctious behavior, Rosan was quite the peaceful sleeper all the time. It was only when he was struggling from a nightmare that it was bad.


    Robin wished he were a little bit of a more active sleeper. He was just so still.


    The Devil Child sighed, before her attention was grabbed by the ring on the table next to Rosan shaking heavily.


    Robin''s eyes widened and she felt excitement at that.


    Rosan and Mod were completely inactive but was Ram perhaps fine?


    "Ram?" Robin asked carefully, watching as the ring shook some more, before it transformed into her daughter in all her glory...


    Well... half her glory.


    Robin watched with a stunned expression as Ram landed on the floor, three feet shorter than she used to be.


    "R-Ram?!" Robin nearly shouted, eyes wide as she looked at the much younger looking ring.


    "Mother!" Ram squealed, rushing the woman with a happy grin.


    Robin watched the ring rush her, looking decades younger, and instinctively scooped her up.


    "W-Why are you so tall?!" Ram complained.


    "W-Why are you so short?" Robin countered in disbelief.


    The ring blinked, before a flash of disgust crossed her features.


    "Oh Kami I forgot," she whined in despair. "I used power to make sure Father was useful and ended up like this!"


    Right... Rosan said without Ram, he wouldn''t have been able to help them.


    He just didn''t explain that his daughter had turned years younger in the process.


    ...She was so adorable!


    Robin squeezed Ram with a happy smile. "You''re so cute, Ram!"


    "Stop! Don''t call me cute goddamnit! I don''t want to be cute!" she snarled cutely, struggling fruitlessly in Robin''s grasp.


    "Stop this! Father refused to let me go too!"


    "I can see why!" Robin gushed, squeezing the girl. Without any hesitation, she carried the panicking Ram.


    "Mother! Where are you taking me?!" she shouted in distress.


    "Oh Ram, you don''t have to be so shy! I''m going to show everyone that you''re awake!" she exclaimed, rubbing Ram''s pudgy cheek against her own.


    Ram''s eyes widened in horror. "E-Everyone? What do you mean everyone?! Where are we?!"


    "Amazon Island. Maro, Angel, Demon, Aiko and Akemi are here as well," Robin explained.


    Ram felt her horror deepen and she struggled harshly.


    "LEMME GO! I DON''T WANNA SEE THEM!" she hissed.


    Why was this little body so damn weak?!


    "Are you going to transform back to your regular appearance?" Robin asked curiously, utterly unfazed by her struggles.


    "...N-No. I was unconsciously using my abilities to remain the same age as father... now I don''t have the power to sustain that," Ram revealed glumly.


    Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    "Oh wow, I had no idea," Robin murmured truthfully, stroking the silver hair of the girl and getting her to relax.


    Of course, that relaxation immediately flew out the window the moment she heard a familiar voice scream "RAM?!"


    "I hate you so much," Ram hissed violently, hiding her face in Robin''s neck.


    "You can''t just expect them to never find out, Ram," Robin soothed quietly.


    "Who the hell says I can''t?!" she snarled, only to yelp as she was summarily grabbed out of Robin''s arms.


    Angel was gawking at the ring with wide eyes. "R-RAM?! What happened to you?!" she squeaked.


    Ram scowled as she was propped into the air by her aunt.


    "YOU''RE SO CUTE!" Angel squealed, spinning with the girl.


    The ring let out a feral and strangled noise as she was snatched by Hancock next and the two unhinged cousins began gushing over the utterly adorable ring.


    Maro let out a cry of pain and collapsed on the floor.


    "No way, what happened to Ram?!" she cried, staring at her best friend with wide eyes.


    "F-Finally! Someone as upset as me about this!" Ram wheezed.


    Maro held her head in depression. "Your ass was one of my favorites to look at. Now I can''t do it anymore," she sighed.


    "WHY CAN''T YOU JUST DIE ALREADY?!" Ram roared at the stupid pervert.


    The ring huffed and held out her hands, watching as Robin grabbed and held her.


    "I''m still tired. Bring me to Father," she muttered, burying her head into Robin''s neck.


    Robin cooed and nodded. "Come then. You''re a growing girl after all."


    Ram gained a tick at that. She hated this so much.


    "We''ll have to update your wardrobe in the meantime!" Angel gushed.


    "Update her wardrobe?" Hancock asked curiously.


    Angel nodded eagerly. "We''ll go shopping and buy her new clothes!"


    "I''ve never gone shopping for my clothes... is it enjoyable?" Hancock asked curiously.


    Angel gasped in horror. "Enjoyable?! It''s amazing! Oh you have to join us when we go shopping for Ram as well! We''ll get you a new wardrobe too! You could rock so many different outfits!"


    Hancock nodded excitedly and the two utterly unhinged cousins began discussing with each other.


    "I think Auntie Angel finally found a best friend," Ram muttered fearfully, shuddering at the thought of getting a new wardrobe.


    "I actually understand why you fear such a thing," Robin replied, running a soft hand through her hair and getting the ring to doze off.


    She entered the room, where Rosan remained rooted to his spot, eyes shut tight as he didn''t move an inch.


    Robin felt an irrational terror form at seeing his prone body not move at all and she rushed him, shuddering in relief as she felt inaudible breaths leave him.


    The woman let out a rattled breath and shut her eyes, tentatively placing Ram atop the redhead and watching as the tiny girl latched her tiny arms on Rosan.


    She stared at him and let out a tired sigh, before yelping in shock as a hand grabbed and pulled her down.


    "Rosan?" she whispered cautiously.


    Nothing, the redhead was sound asleep but he just had an arm wrapped around her, tucking her to his side.


    "I''m here." Is what he seemed to convey.


    "Even asleep you''re still so considerate," she smiled, calming her nerves slightly.


    She was feeling a little tired... maybe she should sleep the stress off.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "He''s still sleeping?" Hancock asked in concern, gnawing on her lips in some concern.


    Robin placed her book to the side worriedly and raked a hand against the Rosan burrowed into her.


    Ram was off with Angel, being kidnapped by the woman for the time being while Rosan and Mod continued to sleep.


    "We should have at least let him eat something. He probably hasn''t had a meal in so long," Robin frowned.


    Hancock nodded in agreement. "He was already running so low on energy¡­ it''s been 3 days now and he''s shown no sign of waking."


    Saying Robin was worried, was a vast understatement. She still couldn''t get the memories out of her head of Rosan''s performance and it only amplified her anxiety when she looked at his unconscious form.


    It was truly stellar. He dismantled the enemy forces left and right, destroying key parts, taking out strong forces...


    He even managed to defeat Aokiji! The man who plagued her nightmares the most! Rosan had defeated him with ingenious strategy, managing to make it out against certain doom.


    He did everything so well¡­ and he still took a fatal attack that nearly killed him.


    Rosan was fine now but what if he wasn''t¡­? The redhead was peacefully sleeping next to her but w-what if he had really die¡ª


    Robin jolted as a hand rested on her shoulder and she let out a deep breath.


    Losing any of the Straw Hats was one of Robin''s greatest fears but losing Rosan would destroy her because she already thought she lost him. It just couldn''t... she couldn''t deal with that.


    "I''m terrified as well," Hancock said sympathetically. "I''m sure you know, but Rosan and Luffy both saved me when I was at a low and afraid... and I was unable to do anything when they truly needed help¡­ I wanted nothing more than to assist them to the best of my abilities..."


    "But Rosan refused it," Robin guessed gently.


    She nodded. "He didn''t want me to so blatantly risk my island. Even though I was so willing to do just that... he just chopped me on the head and chastised me for being stupid," she explained softly.


    "He''s a paradox like that. I always find it surprising how caring he can be," Robin sighed.


    "And it feels almost impossible to repay him. I still don''t know how I can help," Hancock replied.


    "It''s terrible. This whole thing is a complete disaster," Robin nodded in agreement.


    Her captain was severely injured and in shock, her boyfriend was practically in a coma to the world¡­ her future brother in laws were still unconscious as well...


    And she didn''t know where any other of her crew members were.


    It was honestly a mess and now that the high emotions were falling, it made way for the aftermath.


    Thankfully, Maro and Aiko had left the reins of their islands in capable hands because Rosan was in no condition to bring them back.


    They had been integrating themselves with the people of Amazon Island and Robin was fairly sure that relations were going to be strong between the three islands.


    She wouldn''t be surprised if they set up an alliance with Rosan in the middle to transport things. Angel and Hancock especially had formed an intense bond that stemmed from how mentally unstable the both of them clearly were.


    They got along insanely well. Every completely unreasonable thing Angel said, Hancock had no issue with and the beautiful duo had taken to hanging out with each other as often as possible.


    It also helped that they both had such strong and arrogant personalities.


    It was nice. Angel didn''t really have any close friends that she got on her own but clearly Hancock could handle her and similarly, Angel could handle her cousin.


    "Guys!" the subject of her thoughts suddenly shouted, opening the door. "Sabo''s awake! It''s really bad!"


    The two jolted at the panic in Angel''s voice and immediately rushed out the room.


    Robin made sure Rosan was comfortable by summoning her clones to keep him company.


    "Just... don''t kill him in the middle of your arguments," Robin ordered, kissing him once on the head before departing out of the room to make it to Sabo''s location.


    "We''re just as worried you know," Canary sighed, staring at the redhead.


    Crow had tears running down her eyes and she clutched the redhead. "W-When is he going to wake up? It''s been 3 days!" she wailed.


    "Relax damnit!" Raven scowled, masking her concern behind anger as she clutched one of his arms. "He''ll wake up! He''s not dead. You''re just filling all of us with anxiety!"


    Crow sniffed even as a hand patted her on the head.


    "It''s okay, Crow. He''ll wake up," Canary assured. "Now go cuddle him. He looks very uncomfortable."


    The shyest Robin squeaked at that, before Raven pushed her into the man.


    She turned scarlet as Rosan immediately wrapped an arm and tucked her in.


    "You two are annoying," she mumbled, watching as they followed suit.


    "Yeah yeah," Raven rolled her eyes.


    "It''s our job to encourage our younger sister to be more bold," Canary smiled confidently.


    "S-Since when am I the youngest?!" Crow asked in concern.


    "Let''s not joke ourselves," Raven rolled her eyes.


    "I have to agree with the brute here."


    "The what?!"


    Crow sighed and dug deeper into Rosan.


    They were such idiots. Crow was convinced she was the oldest.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Sabo awoke abruptly, eyes wide in horror as a great surge of electricity answered his distress.


    "Sabo!" Koala shouted in relief.


    He did not hear her. The revolutionary let out a scream of anguish and clutched his head.


    "I was more worried about you guys then I was myself¡­ I didn''t actually think it was going to happen. I''m really sorry."


    "I''m sorry! I made you guys waste so much time on me and when you finally achieved your goals¡­ I went and did this."


    "Thank you all so much for breathing life back into me¡­ thank you for making me see the value in my life¡­ thank you for loving me¡­"


    "Thank you for being my family. I''m so proud of you all."


    "ROSAN!" Sabo howled in agony, tears spilling from his eyes before the blonde abruptly vanished in a spark of lightning.


    "Wait, Sabo!" Koala called out in concern. "Hold on! Rosan''s not¡ª"


    She cut herself off as he vanished and bit her lip, never once seeing her best friend react like that to anything. The agony in his screams...


    Sabo was one of the most confident people she knew. Utterly fearless and incredibly skilled. He had joined the Revolutionary Army before her and she had made it a goal to try and surpass the talented boy who was a year younger than her...


    To no success at all. Sabo''s rate of growth was absurd and she couldn''t even be mad about it because the blonde was such a bright personality, even despite his amnesia...


    But now he didn''t have amnesia and one of the reasons he had such a strong and caring nature... was presumed to be dead.


    Except he wasn''t dead but Sabo didn''t know that.


    Koala reached out with her observation but it was a moot point, considering the surge of electricity that suddenly appeared a ways away from her.


    "Oh Sabo," she mumbled in concern, taking off after him. As she ran, she encountered a concerned Maro and she stopped to explain the situation to the friend she made over the 3 days.


    "Sabo''s awake," was all she said.


    "Oh. Oh," Maro gnawed her lips in concern. "He still thinks Master is¡­"


    "Yeah¡­ what should we do?" Koala murmured in concern.


    "Master is still unconscious¡­ but we can at least tell Sabo he''s fine," Maro nodded in determination.


    That determination wavered completely as they saw the size of the lightning storm blocking them from reaching Sabo.


    Maro reached out and immediately hissed, backing away as the lightning licked her.


    Even with her immunity on one side, the other side wouldn''t be spared from such a thing and the lightning wasn''t weak at all, heightened by Sabo''s distress.


    Telling him was looking like an impossible task. The cage of electricity was just too large and it effectively blocked anyone from entering.


    The roar of thunder was so loud, they could barely hear their own thoughts. It lashed out indiscriminately, perfectly imitating Sabo''s turmoil and anguish.


    They backed away from it and frowned.


    "Is Sabo okay?" Robin asked in concern, approaching their location with Hancock and Angel in tow.


    She stopped immediately, looking at the cage of bright blue electricity with wide eyes.


    "No, we weren''t able to tell him Rosan was fine before he vanished and started this," Koala explained, pained by the entire ordeal.


    Hancock frowned. "An understandable reaction¡­ but we must stop this before my people get concerned."


    They mulled over the possibilities and frowned as they realized they were coming up blank.


    "I can go in," Hancock offered, gazing fearlessly at the lightning. "I will simply coat myself and snap him out of this."


    That seemed like the best option. Angel should have some resistance to electricity but there was so much that...


    Yawning cut them off and Robin turned to find an exhausted Rosan rubbing his eyes.


    "Rosan!" they all shouted in joy, resisting the urge to swamp the redhead.


    The redhead was surrounded by Robin''s clones, expression half lidded as he leaned onto Raven.


    "My little sibling senses went off," Rosan murmured tiredly, gazing at the storm with a barely open gaze. "I''ll deal with it."


    "But Rosan," Robin tried worriedly, placing a hand on him to stop him from moving forward.


    "I know. I''m still really tired," he admitted, sagging slightly.


    He looked like he could barely stand straight. The redhead''s body was still in the process of healing and for someone who healed so fast, it was jarring to see that even after 3 days he was still not close to being fully healed.


    "I wanna go back to sleep. I''ve never felt so drained before in my life¡­" he sighed.


    Everyone stood straight as his eyes sharpened suddenly and gained a resolve.


    "...But my little brother needs me," he said firmly. "I can''t let him suffer like this when I''m the reason it''s happening."


    "...I understand," Robin said with a small smile. "Can you absorb the electricity?"


    "I''m fully empty so yea," Rosan replied. "But there''s a lot so I might be filled quick."


    "That doesn''t reassure me at all!" Robin exclaimed, clutching him tightly. "Just¡­ be fast. You can''t sustain anymore injuries. You need to completely rest."


    "I understand boss," he saluted.


    She scowled, ignoring the pleasant tingle at being called boss.


    "Be careful," she called out, watching him sigh tiredly and enter the lightning storm.


    "I see why Master made us settle down," Angel murmured in concern, clutching Maro protectively. "I can only imagine how it feels watching the person you love charge into dangerous situations all the time."


    "It''s stressful," Robin admitted truthfully. "I''ve never felt more afraid than watching Rosan storm Enies Lobby... or Impel Down or Marineford."


    Rosan just filled her with stress didn''t he? No wonder he had looked so terrified when he thought she was going to break up with him.


    "Sometimes I want to tell him to just take a break for a long while and rest¡­ but there''s always something to be done," Robin murmured.


    "I agree with you wholeheartedly," Angel shuddered.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Sabo didn''t know what to do. It didn''t make sense. Nothing made sense.


    It hadn''t even been a week since he got his memories back¡­ and he was forced to watch his oldest brother die.


    The brother who he was supposed to be keeping watch over.


    "Please watch Rosan, Sabo. I''m putting all my faith in you... he''s very reckless and he''ll do anything to save Ace... please just make sure whatever he does doesn''t risk his life."


    Robin had requested that. She had looked at him with trust, terror and worry... and Sabo had smiled at her and lied to her face because Rosan had done just that.


    He had done just that because Sabo hadn''t been good enough to help him.


    And now... now his older brother was dead.


    Sabo screamed in agony at the memory, curling into himself as his lightning began beating even harsher. He had sustained the least injuries, only truly taking significant damage against Admiral Kizaru but despite that, he couldn''t have helped his brother more.


    He was an idiot. He made Rosan do so many things. So many little things that added up to this outcome.


    Sabo should have helped more. He should have helped him fight Magellan. Should have let him rest more. Shouldn''t have made him use Modification for so many little things... should have helped him hijack those ships.


    Anything. Anything that would have led to a different outcome.


    It had been up to him and he failed.


    Tears fell down Sabo''s face as he slumped in defeat.


    A failure. That''s what he was. It was no wonder he had lost his memories. He had failed his brothers once 10 years ago and he failed them again now.


    Forget his brothers for 10 years¡­ then force one to work to death without assisting him at all. Sabo could have helped him against Aokiji... Sabo could have done so many things differently.


    But he didn''t.


    Sabo didn''t deserve to be integrated back into their family again. Not when he had failed so much at his dutie¡ª


    He went stiff as he was abruptly pulled into a firm hug.


    But that hug did nothing for him at all.


    "Leave me alone," Sabo hissed, trying to push the person away.


    He didn''t want to be hugged. Sabo didn''t need reassurance right now.


    He didn''t deserve any of that.


    Why should he be allowed to feel better? He was the one in charge of protecting his brothers and he failed utterly and completely¡ª


    "Could you kill the lightning? There''s only so much of it I can absorb. I''m already pretty injured," a heartbreakingly familiar voice said, dragging him back into the hug.


    Sabo sucked in a deep breath at that, eyes going wide as he completely froze.


    "R-Rosan?" he asked quietly.


    "It''s me," his brother replied softly. "I''m not dead yet. I''m still here to help you better control your electricity."


    Sabo hesitantly raised a hand and placed it onto Rosan, not believing what he was hearing or seeing.


    He took a good long look at his brother, from his exhausted gaze, to his glowing eyes, to the brilliant red hair that was dipped in black.


    "I''m serious Sabo. It''s me," Rosan said softly, watching as his blonde brother began shuddering in his grasp.


    Sabo shook, disbelief turning into sadness and sadness turning into relief, before the blond burst into tears.


    "I''m sorry, Rosan!" Sabo sobbed, squeezing his brother with all his might. "I should have had your back more! I shouldn''t have made you do so much! You were relying on me and I wasn''t doing anything while you warded off threat after threat!"


    Rosan pat his brother soothingly. "Hey it''s okay. You did your part perfectly. Don''t beat yourself up about it Sabo, you''ll make me sad," he admitted.


    "But you¡­" Sabo trailed off, feeling like he were 10 again.


    "I know. I wasn''t strong enough¡­ There were a lot of tough opponents out there but we''ll match them in due time," he assured.


    Sabo shuddered at the deep and soothing voice of his older brother.


    "You''re really good?" Sabo asked quietly.


    "Yeah, I''m good. I just need to sleep," he mumbled.


    Sabo said nothing for a long while¡­ and then the lightning around them began dying down until it dissipated into nothing.


    "I''m so glad you''re alive, Rosan," he mumbled, squeezing his brother tightly.


    "I''m sorry for worrying you," Rosan replied, holding him with a soft smile.


    "Don''t apologize. Don''t apologize for anything," Sabo said strongly, shaking his head at the thought that Rosan would try to take blame.


    "You did nothing wrong. You did everything right."


    Rosan smiled tiredly at that and ran a hand through his messy blonde hair. "I could say the same to you," he retorted.


    Sabo felt nothing but relief at seeing and feeling his brother.


    The two remained there for a while, Rosan letting his little brother get his emotions in place, before the sound of rapid footsteps approached.


    As Sabo glanced up in confusion, Rosan stepped back in time for Koala to tackle the blond to the floor.


    "Sabo! You''re okay!" Koala exclaimed.


    "...Koala?" Sabo muttered in confusion. "What are you doing here¡ª mghm?!"


    Whatever Sabo was about to say was cut off, due to Koala planting an insanely unexpected kiss directly onto his lips.


    "Huh, she actually did it," Rosan snorted in amusement, sagging into Robin''s arms as she held him up.


    "Maybe she got tired of your teasing," Robin said. "Do you want to go back to sleep?" she asked.


    "Mhm," he nodded. "Let''s give the lovebirds some privacy."


    "Do you want some food, cousin?" Hancock asked in concern.


    "He''s already asleep," Robin smiled fondly, clutching him softly. "I really do think he woke up on pure instinct."


    Hancock sighed. "Let us bring him back to bed then. He''s recovering well."


    Robin nodded in agreement.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "AHHHGH!"


    "Straw Hat, wait!"


    Luffy didn''t hear them. Luffy couldn''t hear anything.


    The rubber boy screamed and ran, disappearing into the jungle that was Amazon Island.


    He panted, body riddled with injuries that weren''t even close to healed. He was wrapped head to toe in bloodied bandages but he did not notice in his distress.


    "Where am I? Maybe it was a dream," Luffy huffed, staring into the sky as he lost the energy to run.


    He began breathing heavily, just staring into the sky as the memories resurfaced into his head.


    "I''m sorry, Lu. I''m just a big liar."


    Luffy gripped his head and screamed in anguish.


    "Whether you have me or not¡­ you''ll always be a fantastic captain. That''s why I chose to follow you¡­ you''re the only person alive that I 100% accept as my captain."


    Memories of holding his bloodied brother filled his head and Luffy howled, as he was forced to watch the light leave his eyes over and over and over again.


    "GET OFF! GET OFF ME!" he screeched.


    Without any hesitation, Luffy slammed his already injured body around. He grasped his head and crashed it onto a rock, heedless of the stress it was putting his body in.


    He continued overexerting himself, screaming in agony as his already weakened body gave out and he collapsed.


    "Thank you for being my family. I''m so proud of you all."


    "AGHHHH!" Luffy howled in agony as he bashed his head onto the ground, watching as blood spilled everywhere.


    So much blood. Rosan had been bleeding so much.


    "You''re done for Luffy. You won''t be useful like this."


    "Ugh," Luffy sobbed weakly.


    Rosan died... because of him... because Luffy wasn''t...


    "Me... become King of the Pirates?" Luffy weeped, holding his head as true despair washed over him.


    "You''re not strong enough!"


    "I''M SO WEAK!" he wailed.


    "Oh Luffy..."


    Robin made eye contact with her captain and crouched in front of him, pulling the injured boy into a hug.


    Luffy sniffed. "R-Robin?" he asked quietly.


    Then, his expression dipped further into despair.


    "R-Robin..." he sobbed weakly. "I''m sorry... I was too weak."


    Robin''s eyes narrowed in concern and she grasped Luffy gently.


    Luffy, much like Rosan, was someone who was absolutely confident in their strength. For him to admit to being weak... it was no different than getting his spirit completely shattered.


    For Luffy to say he couldn''t become King of Pirates... it was no different than a death sentence.


    That wasn''t good at all.


    "I couldn''t protect anybody... Because of me, you lost a-and Rosan..."


    Robin couldn''t dare to let Luffy think these thoughts any longer.


    "Yes Luffy... you''re too weak. We''re all too weak," Robin said softly, holding the rubber boy. "That stubborn and headstrong attitude of yours finally met a wall that it couldn''t overcome... and now we''ve been forced to face the ugly truth."


    Luffy sniffed, only to freeze as someone placed a hat atop his head.


    "We need to get stronger, Lu," a terribly familiar voice, one that made Luffy''s heart stop, said to him.


    Luffy shakily looked up, meeting the soft gaze of his oldest brother.


    Rosan looked like he had seen better days but Luffy looked as if he had been through a warzone.


    "R-Rosan...?" Luffy stammered in confusion, wiping his eyes to get a better look at the person talking.


    "I still think you can become Pirate King without me... but I''ll help you reach it faster. I''m the Captain''s Shadow after all," Rosan said softly, watching as the tears resurged.


    Luffy''s lips wobbled and he let out a sharp sob, tackling Rosan to the floor.


    "ROSAN!" Luffy cried, squeezing his brother like he''d disappear at any moment.


    "Oh Luffy," Mod whimpered with foggy eyes, watching as he wailed against Rosan''s chest.


    "I''m sorry! I should have listened to you! I shouldn''t have asked Iva for another shot. I-If I didn''t, you wouldn''t have had to take that attack!" Luffy blubbered.


    Rosan wrapped his baby brother in a gentle hug and let out a soft hum.


    "It''s okay," he soothed, shooting Jinbe, who had been watching over Luffy, a grateful look. "You know I won''t blame you for things like that... beyond saying I told you so," he smiled.


    "Mhm!" Luffy nodded on his chest, shuddering against his older brother with the vulnerability of his 7 year old counterpart.


    Rosan sighed. "We''re weak Luffy. Our strength can''t take us any further," he said bitterly.


    "He''s right," Jinbe interjected. "I was asked by Ace to watch over you two if something happens... and I only agreed to do so after you earned my respect. You two have done just that so from someone who wants the best for you all, think of what you stand to lose if you continue your journey."


    "...Our crew," Luffy realized. "If we... continue right now. We''ll lose someone just like how I almost lost Rosan."


    The rubber boy gripped his chest.


    "I don''t... I don''t want to lose anyone!" he exclaimed. "We can''t lose anyone!"


    "I agree," Rosan and Robin agreed.


    "But what do we do?" Robin asked with a frown.


    "I have a suggestion, but it''s up to you whether you''d like to listen or not."


    Everyone perked up at that voice and turned.


    "Old man Rayleigh!" Luffy exclaimed.


    "You," Rosan said with a frown. "What are you doing here and what do you want?"


    Rayleigh smiled at them all. "I swam over here from Sabaody. Shakky was worried after reading the news. Resurrected from the ashes... you''ve caused quite the stir Rosan," he explained.


    Rosan said nothing, frowning at that.


    Maybe he had more people to pay visits to.


    "You already realize you aren''t strong enough... but you don''t know what to do about it. You need to all train. Kuma didn''t send you all away because you''re enemies. He did it to help. That''s what he told me," Rayleigh explained.


    As they listened to Rayleigh''s explanation, Rosan''s frown deepened.


    Kuma had been helping... he sent Robin to the Revolutionaries who had been interested in her and he sent Luffy to Amazon Island... for whatever reason.


    Was he really helping? What the hell would Luffy gain from coming to Amazon Island?


    If Rosan knew where the others had been sent, he''d be able to verify if Kuma really was trying to help...


    But Kuma did send Rosan to his mother''s island...


    The redhead sighed. "It''s a good idea but, I really hate having to do that..."


    "But I don''t think we have much of a choice," Robin muttered, just as putout by the idea.


    That sounded... absurd, leaving and training for two years? Was this what Kuma planned by separating all of them? Were he and Rayleigh both helping them by putting them on ideal islands?


    Dragon had already accepted the idea to train her so if she went back... she''d be receiving training from the world''s most wanted man.


    Not to mention, hadn''t Rosan been sent to his mother''s island? Her boyfriend mentioned that she was stronger than him and she certainly could help him train too.


    Perhaps it was for good reason... the New World sounded treacherous and maybe they really weren''t ready for it.


    Judging by his frown, Luffy realized it too.


    "How do we tell them?" Luffy asked.


    Rayleigh smiled.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Marineford was in complete shambles after the war.


    Whitebeard and Rosan had stamped their statements into the very island itself. Marineford Town had been completely obliterated by the redhead, Marineford itself had practically split in half from the deceased world''s strongest man...


    They were trying to salvage as much as they could of the stronghold, forces spread everywhere, but it looked dire.


    In the two weeks since the world, much of the place had already been thrown into complete disarray. Blackbeard and Cutter had already made their statements by immediately entering the New World and annihilating the rest of the Whitebeard Pirates in an epic battle that the Blackbeard Pirates won decisively.


    It seemed like they had finished the job the Marines had begun... but taking their place, was not what they had intended.


    Alas there was not much to be done¡ª


    Everyone froze in shock, as four figures burst onto the scene abruptly with a thunderous boom...


    And the reason for that boom, was due to the giant dragon landing on the ground.


    The very familiar looking dragon.


    Rosan felt the wave of terror washing over them, as they gazed at his form and he huffed.


    Destroying them all would be easy. There were no Admirals here.


    But, Rosan wasn''t here for that. He was here to relay a message to his crew.


    The redhead rested his head on his claws, watching as Luffy, Jinbe and Rayleigh rushed forward.


    Despite his heavy injuries, Luffy effortlessly evaded the panicking Marines.


    The redhead transformed back to normal and floated idly towards the bell, watching as Luffy rang it 16 times.


    "16?!" the Marine''s shouted in shock


    Then, Luffy put removed his Straw Hat and placed it on his heart.


    At the same time Rosan placed a palm over his own heart and the two shut their eyes, sharing a moment of silence.


    Finally, after a long while the two stopped what they were doing.


    Luffy grasped Rosan''s hand and the redhead grunted, spreading his wings and taking off.


    "You think they understand?" Luffy asked curiously.


    "The only ones who wouldn''t are you and Zoro," Rosan replied, landing on the ship waiting for them. He huffed at the unexpected drain from such small actions but he was still rebuilding his strength.


    "Are you sure you''ll be fine with just that old man?" he asked his littlest brother.


    He had brought all the rulers back to their islands and he had brought Sabo and Koala back to the revolutionaries...


    And Robin would join them soon.


    Two years.


    Robin made sure to let him know that he was still expected to visit her but Luffy on the other hand didn''t want to see anyone until the two years were over.


    It was a self inflicted punishment for being too weak. This was something Rosan would do, not Luffy... which was why it caught him by such surprise.


    "I''ll be fine, Rosan! Just visit me if Ace wakes up okay?" Luffy requested, leaning up and hugging his oldest brother.


    Rosan frowned.


    From what Law had told him, his injuries had fully healed, he hadn''t taken anything severe to the head and besides some gruesome scars, he was perfectly fine.


    But he was still unconscious... almost completely unresponsive.


    The redhead sighed. Right now, Ace was on Celadon for the time being.


    Hopefully he''d wake up soon. Rosan knew his brother was in a coma because he took the full blame for practically killing his older brother due to his stupidity.


    If even Robin could feel hatred for him at such an action, Rosan could only imagine what his little brother felt about himself.


    "Take care of my little brother, Rayleigh," Rosan said softly, turning towards the man with a narrowed gaze.


    "I''ll train him to the best of my ability," Rayleigh smiled reassuringly. "You can trust me... but could you visit Shakky? She''s worried about you."


    Rosan nodded. "I''ll pay her a visit. I''ve got a lot of visits to pay anyways..."


    The redhead grunted as he was pulled into a tight hug.


    "I-I know you won''t visit Luffy... but could you still visit me?" Hancock pleaded, eyes set into puppy dogs.


    Rosan sighed and nodded. "Of course, cousin. That''s the least I can do for you, alright? I can even bring you around to Celadon for family visits."


    Hancock beamed and nodded, squeezing him tightly. "Okay! Thank you!"


    "No need to thank me. That''s what family is for."


    Something about his statement seemed to short circuit Hancock''s brain and the woman fainted in his grasp, a dumb smile on her face.


    Rosan smiled at her and carried her, placing her on the bed right next to Luffy.


    "There, now she can faint twice," he said in amusement.


    "Make sure to train with Hancock too, Luffy. She''s really strong," he encouraged, leaning over his cousin and engulfing his little brother again.


    "Alright, Rosan! I''ll see you in two years!" Luffy exclaimed.


    Rosan smiled thinly.


    He didn''t want to not see his little brother for 2 years... but he didn''t have much choice.


    Besides, he understood Luffy''s resolve. He wouldn''t spit on his brother just because he missed him.


    "Rosan, you''re squeezing me hard," Luffy told him, watching his brother''s impossible grip tighten.


    Rosan blinked and released his brother reluctantly.


    "Alright. I''m going now," he muttered, vanishing before he could waver in his resolve.


    Luffy watched him go with an equally depressed expression.


    "You two aren''t used to being separated, are you?" Rayleigh asked knowingly.


    "No. Rosan''s mine," Luffy sighed forlornly.


    The Dark King chuckled. "You two truly are brothers I''ll say."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan sighed tiredly, dipping into his Pocket Dimension and inside his castle.


    To his surprise, he didn''t get immediately attacked.


    "I was wondering when you''d eventually show up..."


    Aokiji removed Rosan''s sleeping mask (he didn''t even use it), from his face and regarded the redhead with a curious expression.


    "...This is a nice place you''ve got. I sensed you entering and exiting recently but you moved too quick."


    Rosan grunted. "Didn''t wanna get killed while transferring people. It''d be inconvenient if they got trapped in here."


    Aokiji raised a brow at that. "So you approached me alone, on the chance that I''d kill you? You''re noble, Red Devil."


    Rosan peered at him. "Been helping yourself to my food and stuff huh?" he asked conversationally.


    "I''ve been enjoying my vacation," Aokiji shrugged. "Though, I figured you were going to leave me in here to starve to death eventually."


    The redhead scoffed and shook his head. "Not at all. I wasn''t satisfied with our fight... and I don''t need you dying in here. I don''t even know how long that would take but I want you out."


    Aokiji looked surprised at that. "You don''t plan on finding some way to kill me? I''m trapped here. No way out at all. The world''s in an uproar with an Admiral missing I imagine."


    "..." Rosan said nothing. "I died you know," he said suddenly.


    The Admiral froze at that.


    "What?" Kuzan scratched his head. "If anything, you feel the most alive I''ve ever felt since meeting you."


    Sure his hair was a little different but died?


    "The one who did it was Admiral Akainu," Rosan explained, ignoring him and crossing his arms with a frown. "I remember our meeting at Water 7. You mentioned that my absolute hatred reminds you of a terrible person... that''s him right?" he asked curiously.


    "..." Aokiji let out a cool breath, never moving from his spot even as he stared in the knowing eyes of the redhead.


    If possible, it seemed like the redhead had gained a new level of wisdom to himself. One that was visible far more.


    "That''s right," Aokiji said. "I''ve seen what absolutes do. Sakazuki was the one who eliminated every citizen of Ohara. He blew up their ship on the off chance that even a single scholar could have escaped onto it."


    "..."


    "That''s... terrible," Mod said quietly.


    Rosan took a deep breath. "Perhaps... a past version of me would have done the same if a Marine I hated tried to hide themselves."


    The redhead shook his head.


    "I''ve learned a few things about myself and while I considered leaving you in here until you starved to death... you spared my life two times when you didn''t have to. Considering you contributed greatly to me dying during the war, I''ll consider this favor #2 and now we''re even," Rosan said idly.


    He sighed and took a deep breath.


    "And besides, better for a coward to become a leader than an absolute asshole," he grunted.


    Aokiji stared at the redhead in genuine surprise. "Alright. I''ll accept your temporary peace offering... reluctantly. I was enjoying sleeping in here."


    Rosan scoffed. "You sure made yourself at home. Now I have to burn and change my sheets... and restock on supplies."


    "You sure do have a way with your words, Red Devil," Aokiji sighed, standing up.


    Rosan craned his neck to stare at the admiral and shrugged. "This doesn''t make us friends. You''ve beaten me twice now so the next time we battle, I''ll take my victory. I still have to get justice for Robin."


    The Admiral lazily rubbed a hand against his head. "You have a big heart. It''s just a shame that the world poisoned it. You''d have been a good ally."


    "Don''t put that idea in my head or you''ll end up in the middle of nowhere," Rosan said gruffly. "Get ready to go. I want you out of my sight quick."


    Aokiji sighed tiredly before he thought of something.


    "Red Devil... who is that little girl?"


    Rosan stiffened at that.


    "...Someone very dear to my heart," he replied eventually. "If she were still here, perhaps you''d have seen the version of me you''re convinced exists somewhere."


    "..." Aokiji said nothing at that.


    "Ah, so that''s why you''ve ended up like that," he said in realization.


    The Admiral nodded. "I understand."


    Rosan said nothing, barely flinching as Aokiji placed a hand on him. "Just my luck to put the only decent Admiral in here," he sighed.


    If Akainu had been the one, the world would have never seen him again.


    Bummer.


    His eyes glowed and they vanished.


    Sunlight suddenly bombarded Aokiji and even despite the fact the Admiral had been practically trapped in an all consuming darkness, he barely flinched.


    Rosan said nothing, merely spreading his wings and flying at intense speeds, merely trusting that Aokiji wouldn''t turn on him.


    Well, even if he did, Rosan still had Shinigami activated.


    "There," Rosan said gruffly, landing atop the giant trees of a familiar archipelago. "We''re at Sabaody. You should be able to handle the rest."


    "I''m surprised you actually freed me. Killing me would be a heavy blow to the World Government," Aokiji pointed out.


    "I''m trying to be better. Killing someone who spared my life, would leave a bad taste in my mouth," Rosan grunted, wings spreading as he flew off the tree.


    The redhead soared away without hesitation. "See ya Admiral Aokiji. Don''t make me regret doing this."


    With that, the redhead vanished.


    Aokiji watched him go and sighed.


    "Troublesome redhead leaving me on the tallest tree here."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    As Zoro stared at the newspaper, wrapping bandages around his body with the help of his little bird friend, he grunted.


    "What does this mean?" he asked the bird that Rosan had gifted him.


    He couldn''t wrap his head around anything that was happening... but he knew one thing for sure.


    Something had happened to Rosan. The newspaper wouldn''t have been speaking about him like he had died otherwise.


    At seeing that his crewmate had supposedly resurrected from certain death, along with the image of his captain in clear distress, Zoro had made the decision to leave the island at the earliest convenience.


    Unfortunately, the monkeys on this island thought otherwise. He had been fighting them all day and night, body aching at having faced them all.


    Now he was licking his wounds in a castle that he now knew belonged to Hawkeye.


    How did he know?


    Well because Hawkeye was here now.


    The bird chirped in his ear and Zoro glanced at it.


    "It''s a message?" he murmured, watching as the bird nodded in a pleased manner.


    A message... for the crew?


    "So that''s what you want?" he frowned.


    He had no idea what had happened to the oldest members of the crew.


    "Ambitionless was struck with a fatal blow," Mihawk explained, reading the newspaper with a neutral expression.


    Zoro jolted at that. "So... it''s true?!"


    "That''s correct. Due to the foolish actions of Fire Fist, he was forced to intervene and weather the blow for him."


    Mihawk looked interested, shutting his newspaper as he regarded Zoro.


    "I felt it. I''m sure everyone felt it. The Red Devil died from his wounds and Straw Hat entered shock... yet he utilized a strange technique that allowed him to survive, becoming a new person altogether. Tell me, what did he do?"


    Zoro scowled at the question.


    He didn''t know what Rosan did. Zoro couldn''t tell Mihawk because he himself wasn''t sure... but it sounded like something involving his Devil Fruit.


    But what Zoro did know is that he was too weak. Luffy and Rosan had fought in a war that resulted in their strongest member nearly dying.


    They raided Impel Down... fought in Marineford...


    All while Zoro had been trapped here because he had been too weak to do anything...


    Hawkeye watched with a curious expression, as Zoro got on all fours and bowed his head to the floor.


    "Teach me what you know," Zoro requested.


    He wasn''t strong enough... and not only that, Luffy and Rosan had made their decision.


    Forgoing meeting up in three days... to instead meet up in two years. They weren''t ready for the New World, so they needed to stay put and build up their strength.


    And the best way for Zoro to do that, was by asking Hawkeye for assistance, even if it meant throwing away his pride.


    "You would throw away your pride in order to ask me for help? I am your enemy, Roronoa. You disappoint me."


    Mihawk''s expression was grave, as he glared at the kneeling swordsman.


    Zoro said nothing, head bowed low.


    "Trashed by the monkeys and unable to head out to sea... get out of my sight."


    "I already beat the monkeys," Zoro interrupted. "They weren''t a challenge for me... the only opponent I have left is you... but I can''t beat you yet."


    Mihawk''s expression turned slightly confused. "I don''t understand. Why would you humiliate yourself and bow to an enemy?"


    "To surpass you," Zoro said, full of conviction.


    Mihawk''s eyes widened at that, before the man unexpectedly burst into laughter.


    "Very well. Tend to your wounds. Once you''ve done so, I will instruct you."


    To throw away your pride... a man of such caliber, would only do that for the sake of another.


    Mihawk looked on in amusement, as the bird traveling with Zoro pecked him in annoyance at the sight of him digging at his bandages.


    This would certainly be interesting.


    Zoro grinned.


    Two years... they had two years to get as strong as possible.


    Once those two years arrived, they''d meet up again at Sabaody.


    Until then, Zoro would become the strongest he could. Strong enough to protect the entire crew.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "So that''s what they want?" Nami sighed, gazing at the newspaper with furrowed brows.


    The speed at which she tried to leave this place, after hearing that Rosan had died of all things, left Nami reeling now that she had received this second newspaper.


    How selfish could they be? Nami wanted nothing more than to make sure her crewmates were doing better but now she had to wait two years to verify...


    Nami sighed and turned back to the island she had been blasted to.


    "Hey... I''m sorry for beating you all up?" she smiled her most winningest smile.


    The old men on the fascinating island groaned.


    "You''re the Devil," one of them rasped.


    "That''s not me. That''s my crewmate who I''m really worried about but I''m not allowed to see him and it''s REALLY annoying," Nami scowled.


    "For once, I agree with you. Being unable to truly verify the state of Master Rosan."


    "Tell me about it. I can''t just read news that he died and resurrected after we finally helped him..." Nami sighed, turmoil destroying her on the inside.


    Luffy and Rosan''s message was loud and clear.


    Stay put and train for two years, then meet back up in Sabaody.


    "But isn''t it strange that we''ve landed on some island that truly seems perfect for us?" Clima asked curiously.


    Nami nodded in agreement.


    Weatheria was what it was called and their technology fascinated Nami something fierce...


    She thought back to the newspaper... back to how it had a picture of a Rosan with a glassy look in his eyes as he smiled... and how he was surrounded by so many people who had clear despair on their face.


    Somehow, Rosan had survived... Nami didn''t know how but he had and it seemed that it taught him they weren''t ready for the world yet.


    Nami hated that she couldn''t disagree.


    They had been relying too much on Rosan. It was time for them to start pulling their own weight.


    Two years...


    "Two years is enough for us to become much stronger, Clima."


    "Such motivation! Yes, let us take this island for the blessing it is and turn that knowledge into our own."


    Nami wiped her tears and nodded in raw determination.


    She''d get stronger in these two years. Next time they saw her, they wouldn''t even recognize who she was.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Two years...? I''m supposed to survive for two years without them?" Usopp, who had gained an obscene amount of weight, gasped in concern.


    Here Usopp was, trying his damndest to get off this strange island at the knowledge that his scariest crewmate had somehow died and now he was being told by that same person and his captain that they should stay where they are...


    The coward was sat a ways away from his ally Heracles, contemplating what to do now.


    "I gained so much weight," he frowned to himself.


    That hellish workout Rosan had put him through, had caused Usopp''s physical strength to begin increasing rapidly. He had Rosan lift that weight restriction off the hammer and was amazed to see how much faster he was able to swing it.


    That had been the surest proof that Usopp was improving. Such a thought had filled the coward with a lot more confidence.


    Luckily, it seemed like his physical strength hadn''t completely dwindled...


    So why the hell was the hammer so heavy?!


    Usopp gasped, quickly put out of breath at the herculean attempt to lift up his trusty hammer. Even before when Rosan added weight to it, the liar had been capable of at least lifting it up slightly off the ground.


    Now? He couldn''t even make it budge!


    Did Rosan... did he increase how much it weighed? How did Usopp never notice?!


    ...So even now Rosan was trying to help him in his own way. If Usopp gained the power to lift this hammer, would he have the right to confidently stand side by side with his crew?


    The sniper flinched as he thought of the newspaper. The one that detailed that Rosan had died and come back to life...


    The same picture that had their scout gazing up with a glassy look, all while Luffy, Ram, Sabo and Ace cried over him.


    Usopp stared at the hammer, tears forming.


    Rosan had been through a lot and still, he was standing tall. Losing some weight and gaining some strength was nothing in comparison.


    Stay put and train for two years...


    Usopp would do that. He''d train for two years and by the end of it, he''d at least be able to lift this hammer up to take off the island.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "You''re telling me Rosan really did die?" Sanji asked in disbelief, gazing at the tall okama with unbelieving eyes.


    "I saw it with my own eyes," Iva explained with a frown. "He took an attack meant for Fire Fist... it blew a hole right through his abdomen. I was reduced to tears at seeing such a hard working young man meet his end but then... he suddenly came back."


    Sanji took a step back, feeling a wave of vertigo hit him as he stared at the newspaper telling them to stay where they were for two years.


    Did they really expect their crew to be able to listen to such a request, after they learned one of their members had died?!


    The reasoning sounded completely believable too. Dying because of Ace? Every Straw Hat had seen Rosan''s memories... they knew exactly how reckless Ace was.


    The entire family was reckless and as the most reckless, Rosan was completely aware of that, taking steps to make sure they didn''t suffer from their actions.


    It wasn''t the first time he had tried to fix Ace''s mistakes... but Sanji never expected Rosan to pay a price so great for it.


    The chef fell at that, holding his head.


    "Seriously...? And you said he suddenly came back?" Sanji asked.


    Iva nodded, noting the chef''s reaction and frowning. "It was nothing I''ve ever seen. I felt my despair amplify... and I watched as the Red Devil became a true demon," he explained.


    Sanji froze at that. "Was it an all black creature? One that didn''t look natural at all? Terrifying screech with unnerving sockets for eyes?" he asked.


    Iva''s eyes were wide at that. "An exact match! You truly are a Straw Hat! He later summoned a woman with white hair with the scariest abilities!" he exclaimed.


    Shit... Rosan had used the virus. How would the virus interact with his body if he died?


    Was it even still Rosan there?


    Sanji looked at the newspaper again.


    No, whatever had happened to Rosan, he dealt with. That''s why he was next to Luffy...


    Had Rosan solved the virus issue? It sure looked like it.


    And now they wanted the rest of the crew to remain where they were, honing their skills and getting stronger.


    Rosan and Luffy were incredibly confident. Those two weren''t the type to doubt their strength, which meant that whatever they had experienced at the war, had humbled them enough to acknowledge that they weren''t ready for the New World...


    If those two didn''t think they were ready, then they weren''t ready. It was as simple as that.


    Sanji didn''t know what happened with Rosan but at the very least, the redhead was alive now.


    He could still make him... no he could make the crew the best meal now.


    Sanji took a deep breath and nodded to himself.


    Two years... alright, he could do that. He could go two years without seeing Nami or Robin...


    He could go two years only seeing these... okama.


    Yeah. Yeah...


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Two years?!" Chopper shouted in shock.


    But... two years?! How could Chopper go two years without at least checking on Rosan.


    It didn''t matter if he looked fine in the picture. The news had said he died!


    Just the thought reduced the reindeer to tears.


    Rosan had sustained a fatal blow without Chopper there to check on him?


    What was he even the ship''s doctor for if he couldn''t be there for his crewmate?!


    Rosan and Luffy both participating in a war that resulted in Rosan nearly dying and Luffy with heavy injuries...


    And Chopper couldn''t check on them.


    How could he trust those two to stay alive for two years?! I-It hadn''t even been that long since they separated and the moment they did, they both gained these heavy injuries!


    But... maybe that was why they were asking them to wait two years.


    Rosan and Luffy... they were both incredibly strong but it was clear they weren''t invincible.


    They both had really big hearts and they wanted to protect them all, so maybe they realized they weren''t strong enough to do that just yet.


    ...Why was Chopper relying on them so much to stay safe? He was the doctor! It was his job to make sure they were safe!


    Chopper knew Rosan now. He knew how self destructive the redhead innately was.


    Self destruction combined with a heart that was too big... Rosan wasn''t the type to die so easy. Not unless he was protecting someone.


    They... they really made him do too much.


    In order to curb Rosan''s desire to protect so strongly, Chopper needed to become strong enough to curb his worry.


    "You can become our monster and we won''t think any less of you, Tony Tony Chopper. Even if everyone fears you, as long as we don''t, it''ll be okay."


    Chopper would become a monster to his enemies... and then he could show his crew the side that would never think less of him.


    Because even despite being a monster, Rosan still had people who could cry freely if something happened to him.


    Chopper was living proof of that... and even Meiko, the sweetest girl that Chopper looked up to, was capable of loving him unconditionally.


    Rosan had been speaking from experience when he spoke to Chopper. It was okay to be a monster... as long as he still had people who saw past that monster.


    As long as his crew knew he was Chopper, he could spend these two years becoming the monster everyone else thought he was.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Franky, who''s front half had gotten blown up, was scouring through the blueprints of Vegapunk''s second lab... the one that had survived the explosion.


    "They want us to get stronger in two years eh?" He muttered to himself, glancing at the Newspaper for a long while.


    To be honest, Franky was finding it hard to believe that Red was struck with a fatal blow... but the picture had been there loud and clear.


    Any doubt Franky had, was dashed away at the second newspaper.


    The one that had Luffy and Rosan praying.


    Both brothers came to the agreement that they needed to hold off on meeting for two years so that they could get stronger.


    That was serious. Rosan alone was stubborn enough that it was almost impossible to get him to concede to things. If you combined that with Luffy?


    The two brothers were utterly unyielding so for them to both put that audacious confidence of theirs to the side to acknowledge that they weren''t strong enough...


    Who was Franky to go against what they said? If they weren''t strong enough, that meant none of them were. They would all need to get stronger if they wanted to brave the New World.


    Sunny was doing their part, it would be shameful if the Straw Hats weren''t enough to protect the ship.


    "Alright, I super heard you loud and clear," Franky nodded, soaking up all the information he could.


    Two years with Blueprints from Vegapunk... Franky would be able to make the best weapons around!


    "SUPER!" Franky shouted eagerly, before lowering his voice at the sounds of Marines.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Brook read the newspaper in his cage, expression undecipherable as he absorbed the information.


    "Yohoho! If that''s what you want... but I must compose a truly magnificent song for our reunion," he said softly.


    Despite not having spoken to Rosan much, Brook actually felt closest to the redhead out of his new crew, by virtue of seeing his memories.


    In fact, since being resurrected by his Devil Fruit, Rosan was the one new person who Brook truly felt like he got to know. His isolation in the Florian Triangle meant that he truly had not had any allies for those lonely years.


    The redhead held a special spot in his bony heart due to that. It was as if Brook had a true friend.


    So he was understandably crushed when he saw news that Rosan had been struck with a fatal blow. It was a relief to read that he had not been truly killed... but the government wouldn''t say such a thing for no reason. They had no reason to lie in such a way.


    Rosan had truly been struck with a blow that was supposed to kill him, but he had survived somehow...


    And Brook didn''t think Rosan had a copy of his Devil Fruit. The redhead showed interest in extracting Devil Fruits but he hadn''t succeeded in such a thing yet.


    Which meant it was likely the virus had something to do with it and that was a scary thought.


    Brook saw what the virus was capable of when he witnessed the memories of Water 7. He saw what happened to the one agent that participated in the kidnap of Robin... and he saw the sheer vitriol Rosan and the Virus had with one another.


    The skeleton sighed.


    Well, his worries about what had happened had been mostly dashed when he saw the second newspaper. Rosan looked mostly fine and while Luffy was injured, the two had managed to both assuage the crews worry and relay a message at the same time.


    Two years to get stronger. Brook had barely been apart of the crew and such a lofty thing was expected of him...


    But he would train as hard as he could. This utterly helpless feeling was one he had felt for 50 years but now he could work to actually do something towards it.


    Two years was nothing in comparison! Yohohoho!


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Perhaps you should reconsider, Rosan?"


    Rosan sighed. "I understand Mod-chan. I get why you would be hesitant, but there aren''t many people who can help me."


    Mod grumbled in disappointment. "Why not just go with Robin? I''m sure Dragon would be fantastic and Sabo is there too!"


    Rosan sighed. "Robin and I are too dependent on each other. We need to have our own lives," he explained slowly.


    Robin looked up at that. "I hope you don''t think that means you can go the entire two years without seeing me. That is absolutely not acceptable," she said firmly.


    2 years was quite a long time and she''d be damned if she went that long without seeing him.


    Luffy wanted to be left alone for the 2 years but¡­ Robin couldn''t go that long without seeing Rosan and she was sure he was the same.


    So they''d be seeing each other of course.


    Rosan let out an audible sigh of relief. "Thank Kami. I don''t think I''d last a week."


    "You give yourself too much credit. You wouldn''t last a full day."


    "5 hours if we''re being honest," Ram chirped happily.


    "If I remember correctly, on the girls trip, you two couldn''t even go a few hours without missing my presence," Rosan retorted, stretching idly.


    "S-Shut up! I was just worried that you''d be lonely without us!" Mod scowled.


    Rosan rolled his eyes. "You''ve become such a brute lately Mod-chan. How unladylike of you. You sure have gotten an ego."


    Mod spluttered. "I''ve decided I need to change myself as well. Do not call me a brute! I''m willing to fight you about it now!" she warned.


    Rosan laughed at that, before it turned into a slight cough. He grabbed his midsection and huffed.


    To his annoyance, the Philosopher''s Stone was still rather dormant. It was reigniting but it was a slow process.


    Dying did that. Pe-chan had forcefully combined themself with the stone and basically made it go into overdrive, all while pumping the viruses energy through his veins.


    The forceful transformation had given him enough time to drain the lifeforce of two people. He was full of vitality, more than the average person and the stone amplified that tenfold.


    He imagined it''d be back to full power in another month or two but until then, he''d have to recover normally like a human.


    Bummer.


    "I''m coming with you. There are things I want to say anyways," Robin said decisively.


    Rosan nodded in agreement. "Of course. I imagine if things go to plan you''ll be seeing them a lot these 2 years."


    "Seriously, can''t you just¡ª"


    "No, Mod-chan," Rosan interrupted gently.


    "I hate you."


    "I know," he said soothingly.


    The redhead took a deep breath, raking a hand through his hair.


    "We''ll be flying mostly," he informed her. "I''ll teleport close to Celadon and it''ll maybe take an hour or two to get there."


    She nodded in acceptance. "Okay. It''s been a while since it''s just been us."


    "Do you want me to take you out on more dates?" Rosan asked, raising a brow as they vanished to near Celadon.


    The Devil Child rolled her eyes. "Yes, that would be nice. We have two years so I expect a lot. Maro loves when Angel takes her out."


    They both laughed and Rosan transformed into a dragon to better carry her.


    He''d visit Aiko but she was currently in full mother hen mode so she wouldn''t let him leave if he did drop by.


    Well, that was everyone. Even Sabo had been reluctant to let him go... but he understood that one.


    Ace was still in a coma after all. Rosan didn''t know when his brother was going to wake up.


    He sighed to himself.


    "It''s okay, Rosan," Robin soothed, patting his scales. "He''ll wake up eventually."


    "I''m sure he will. Ace is as self destructive as me... but he''s also just as whipped by our family as I am," Rosan replied. "He won''t let us down."


    Robin smiled at his conviction. "I still can''t believe we won''t be meeting up officially as a crew until two years from now... I''m so glad you created Save Point."


    "I created Save Point because of my obsessive desire to never be separated from the people I love... so it was a technique you inspired," Rosan explained with a smile, maw curling up at the thought.


    Robin felt her heart swell at his admittance. She already knew that but hearing it from him was always nice.


    "And you have the audacity to say I don''t inspire other things from you. The loudest and sweetest boy wearing muted colors like black... sure Rosan," she mocked.


    "You might be one of his biggest inspirations. You saw the memories. Rosan absolutely adored you."


    The dragon twitched, stopping momentarily.


    "I''d be careful if I were you two," Rosan warned lowly, continuing his flight.


    Robin giggled. "You show shamelessly admitted to staring at me when we bathed but you won''t admit that you look up to me? Isn''t your thinking a little backwards?" she pressed with an amused smile.


    "There''s no shame in admitting I stared at you. I know you stared at me too. The reason I won''t admit such a nonsensical thing, is because you yourself refuse to admit that you look up to me."


    The Devil Child scowled slightly at him. "Why would I look up to a narcissistic, selfish, egoistical redhead?" she asked.


    "You''re saying that about a person who you basically asked out by the way," he pointed out. "What does that say about you?"


    "...I showed the man who wouldn''t stop staring at me, some pity," she replied eventually.


    Rosan burst into laughter. In his dragon form it was a loud and terrifying thing.


    "And I''m the narcissist. We boosted your confidence by too much. You''re lucky I think it''s cute."


    "Gross."


    "Get a room."


    Robin and Rosan rolled their eyes.


    "We haven''t even done anything," Robin pointed out.


    "Yeah you guys are stiffs. It''s especially crazy that Ram can read erotic books but draws the line at light flirting," Rosan rolled his eyes. "...Also I''m confiscating all your books."


    "WHAT?!" Ram howled, mortified.


    "Absolutely not," Rosan said. "Read less inappropriate stuff. I''d feel like a terrible father if I caught you reading that."


    "I-I don''t read it for that! They just have the most interesting romance plots! Please Father don''t do this to me!"


    "...We''ll have to discuss it more," Rosan said eventually.


    "Rosan..." Robin sighed.


    "Fine, I''ll allow Robin to pick them out with you. Nothing too bad," Rosan instructed.


    "You can trust me Ram, I''ll find good books that Rosan approves," Robin smiled.


    "I trust you mother... you''ve already picked out some good ones."


    She laughed at the sigh of relief from Ram.


    They continued to fly and conversed with each other about various things, until a dot appeared in the distance.


    "Is that it?" Robin asked curiously, watching as the dot got larger and larger. She glanced down and saw the turbulent waters protecting the island.


    It was no wonder not many people knew of this island. The waters seemed rather counterproductive to sailing. Navigating to this island seemed difficult.


    "This should be it... that''s where my doll is at least."


    As the island became more clear to them, they were able to make out flowers of all colors. They approached the stunning island with appreciative glance.


    It was huge, the island stretched far and wide. It seemed to be a forest island, one that was adorned with flowers of all kinds. On the center of the island, there was a town, tall buildings everywhere made of a smooth stone.


    From this distance, Robin counted countless different cities. The Kingdom of Wisteria was quite massive, even larger than the island of their cousins.


    The island looked rather advanced too... It had shades of Amazon Lily to it. Robin could see Empress Allium''s work as clear as day.


    Rosan transformed back to normal, way out of sight of anyone, and held onto Robin in a bridal carry as they descended onto the outskirts of the largest city.


    "Beautiful," Robin said idly, inspecting the island with an interested gaze. "So this is Wisteria."


    "Yeah," Rosan grunted, hair turning jet black as the tips spread over the entirety of his head.


    He grabbed a strand of Robin''s hair and turned the entirety purple, before they walked into what looked like the capital city of the island.


    "Can you imagine that I was supposed to rule this place? It''s huge. I wouldn''t want to govern this place at all."


    Robin giggled at his genine disgust. "It''s rather funny to think about. I''m in a relationship with a prince. By blood and all... you are genuinely royalty," she joked, leaning into him with a happy smile.


    He glared at her but wrapped an arm around her. "Yeah yeah. C''mon. I wonder if anyone''s gonna stop us."


    They walked through the island without a care in a world, though many people did a double take at seeing Robin and Rosan even with their disguises.


    Both he and Robin were tall figures after all.


    Also helped that they were hot.


    "Thank you, Rosan." Robin rolled her eyes.


    Rosan smiled, eyes shifting slightly before he abruptly pivoted to a different direction. He would have expected Raisa to be in that giant castle looming over the entire city, but no... her presence was actually in those flower riddled forests.


    Interesting. What was she up to?


    He and Robin continued to converse with each other, strolling to the edge of the cities once more until they reached a large set of trees.


    "U-Um excuse me?"


    Rosan stopped before he could take a step and gazed at the short woman who was straining her neck to look up at him.


    She was cute in a bland sort of way, with a head of brown hair. The girl was wrapped up in a blouse and there was a blush on her cheeks that darkened as both he and Robin stared her down.


    "Um by any chance, Are you¡­ the Red Devil? O-Or perhaps the Morning Star?" she whispered, noting the disturbing similarities between him and her queen despite his black hair.


    The tall man gazed at her with a neutral expression and mulled her question over.


    "No. I''m Rosan," he said eventually.


    The woman and Robin both sweatdropped at his response.


    He was such an idiot sometimes.


    "Wait¡­ who''s Morning Star?" he asked curiously. "Oh and I''m going to find Raisa if that''s what you were wondering."


    "U-Um Queen Raisa is currently occupied. If you''d like to schedule a m-meeting I''m sure we can work something out," the lady stammered, fishing out a bounty poster from her outfit.


    She was gazing at it and then him, paling slightly in horror as she met his intimidating gaze.


    "I''m not gonna do that. Waiting isn''t really my thing. I like being answered immediately so I''m gonna go talk to her now," Rosan denied, taking the paper out of her hand as he continued walking.


    Robin smiled apologetically at the spluttering girl. "I''m sorry about him. Rosan is very headstrong and if things don''t go his way, he throws tantrums. I fear he''s going to go see Raisa now," she answered, leaning into him to get a closer look at the bounty poster.


    At once, both their mouths opened in shock.


    "Oh shit," he said slowly, scratching his head. "Well, still not as high as I expected it to be."


    "But that''s still quite high," Robin explained, mouth opening in disbelief.


    The lady looked nervously at the two pirates, body shuddering in horror.


    "What''s your name by the way? What is your relation to Raisa?" Rosan asked, handing her the bounty poster back.


    "U-Um¡­ Jen? I''m Queen Raisa''s personal secretary... I handle her affairs. I''m 22," she muttered, not really understanding why she was answering his questions.


    The Red Devil wasn''t as scary as she expected him to be... in the first place, Jen was pretty sure she was the only one who knew that this was him.


    But despite that, he seemed very relaxed. Jen would even say he seemed friendly. His expression didn''t reflect that dangerous expression on his face that his bounty poster had.


    "Nice to meetcha Jen. We''re probably gonna see each other a lot so let''s get along," he said, smiling slightly at her.


    Jen blushed deeply and averted her eyes from the tall and handsome man. "U-Um is that a threat? You''re a pirate after all¡­"


    Robin''s eyes narrowed slightly and the woman let out a yelp as Rosan summarily pushed her in front of him.


    "Down, girl," he chastised.


    "I am not some rabid creature like you are," she bit out, allowing him to push her forward.


    "I know," he mocked soothingly.


    "W-What do you want from Queen Raisa? I can''t let you speak to her if you have less than savory intentions," Jen said a bit more firmly.


    The woman squeaked in terror as he gazed at her, tilting his head questioningly.


    She didn''t question him again. He was as scary as their Queen.


    Rosan said nothing and the group eventually made it to an isolated part of the island where only a giant house resided.


    Jen didn''t even realize they had walked all the way to Raisa''s private abode.


    "I''m going to die. I''m really going to die," she thought in despair.


    If not by the Red Devil then definitely her Queen because she just allowed someone to walk to her private home without any resistance.


    Would she be understanding to the fact that Jen was literally dealing with a wanted pirate that could break her in half?


    Probably not.


    "This is some advanced stuff," Rosan mused, inspecting the building and nodding in appreciation.


    Raisa was clearly a person who exported from the Grand Line. She must have had good connections there.


    He tapped the door with a finger and modified a hole large enough for them to walk through, taking a step inside the building.


    "Couldn''t you have knocked?" Robin asked.


    "I''m impatient," Rosan replied, turning around and sealing it shut once more.


    "W-What did you just do?" Jen stammered, watching in shock as he created and repaired a the door.


    "C''mon I can feel her this way," he grunted, taking purposeful steps.


    They approached a door and Jen gnawed on her lips as Rosan knocked on it without any hesitation.


    There was no reply.


    Rosan knocked again.


    Nothing.


    Robin sighed in exasperation as Rosan knocked even harder this time and finally there was a response.


    "What the fuck do you want."


    The voice was raspy and tired, no emotion conveyed in it at all.


    Jen flinched horribly at that. It was rare to hear her Queen curse but when such a thing happened, nothing good followed it.


    Rosan said nothing at the question that didn''t sound like a question at all.


    "He''s so petty all the time," Robin sighed in exasperation.


    A tense silence took over and Jen felt like she could die on the spot. The tension was too much. What was going to happen to her¡ª


    The door swung open with almost enough force to tear it off its hinges. It creaked loudly as a figure stepped into view, aura positively murderous.


    "Do you have any last words before I fucking tear you to pieces ¡ª"


    Raisa instantly froze in her spot, anger melting off her face as she gazed straight into the eyes of Rosan.


    Jen immediately drank in the sight of her queen donned in something that was not her battle dress and felt her mouth go dry.


    So¡­ much¡­ leg. It was no wonder Raisa wore a dress all the time. She was sparing her citizens from blood loss.


    A finger poked her and she noticed that it was Rosan standing next to her. He didn''t look her way but it was probably for her to realize that her mouth had been left agape.


    "He''s not evil at all," Jen thought. If he were evil, he''d let Raisa kill her for shamelessly ogling her.


    "Raisa is a blessed woman," Robin noted idly, gazing at the woman''s long legs.


    Goodness, it was no wonder Rosan was so attractive. Raisa was the spitting image of his male and female form.


    Clearly Rosan''s youth stemmed from his family as well. Robin wouldn''t be able to tell that Raisa was 42.


    "You look like shit," Rosan said bluntly, looking at his birth mother with a tilted head. "When was the last time you left this room?"


    Raisa said nothing, just gazing at her son with disbelieving eyes.


    "R-Rosan...?" she whispered hopefully, reaching out with her arm and grasping the redhead.


    "Raisa," Rosan greeted. "Hey sorry. I know I said I''d visit but things were a bit hectic."


    "You can still leave. I feel hives forming just looking at her."


    "Mod-chan, how about you take a small break. I''ll come give you a massage later."


    "...Fine. I want one for two hours."


    "You''re so fucking spoiled these days."


    Raisa began shuddering at that deep voice, as tears surged and the woman let out a sharp wail of anguish.


    Jen''s jaw dropped in disbelief, as she watched Raisa leap into Rosan''s arm without any hesitation.


    Rosan caught her and the Queen let out a heart wrenching sob, crushing the man against her.


    "W-W-W-What?" Jen spluttered in shock.


    Queen Raisa was... crying? And hugging? What was this?! What was going on?!


    "Rosan!" Raisa sobbed. "I thought you were gone!"


    Rosan blinked, before his eyes widened in realization.


    After all this time, Raisa still thought he was dead? Rosan just thought she really missed him... he had no idea she didn''t know.


    "That''s... terrible," Robin frowned. Despite her issues with the woman, thinking someone was dead for so long was terrible to your mental health


    "You haven''t seen the news?" Rosan asked quietly, allowing her to sob against his frame. He rubbed a hand against her back and watched as she shuddered horribly against him, letting out shaky sobs as she grasped his cheeks and began kissing him all over.


    "Yuck," he sighed, accepting her affections.


    Jen watched with progressively wider eyes, watching as Raisa displayed a side of herself she quite literally never saw.


    "I¡­ was in a coma until a week ago," she replied eventually, sniffing weakly as she finally stopped marking his face. "When I saw what happened to you, I fell unconscious¡­ I don''t know what happened in the aftermath. When I woke up I just came here and wallowed¡­ I had no idea you were still fine."


    Rosan frowned and sighed, wrapping an arm around her and tucking her into his frame. The simple action made her break out into new sobs and she practically glued herself to him.


    "Goodness, you truly did tame her completely," Robin thought in shock.


    Whipped didn''t even seem to properly describe what Raisa looked to be in terms of Rosan.


    "I had no idea you were affected bad enough to be put into a coma. It hasn''t hit me how much you care for me," Rosan admitted.


    Raisa whimpered at his tight hold. "I care for you so much, Rosan. I-I just want to make things right with us and I can''t do that if something bad happens to you."


    His eyes softened slightly at that and he rubbed his hand against her back. "I appreciate that, Raisa. Sometimes all you can do is try."


    "And I''ll try my best, Rosan," she assured, squeezing him tightly. "I-I love you. I hope you know that. Y-You don''t have to say it back."


    Rosan froze at that, not having expected the sheer earnesty of her words. "...Raisa, I have a favor to ask," he said eventually.


    Raisa sniffed and nodded against him. "Anything. No matter what you want. Does... does Mod want to hurt me?" she asked hesitantly.


    "Not yet," Rosan assured.


    She nodded in relief. "What is it that you need?" the queen asked curiously.


    "I want you to train me for 2 years," Rosan said bluntly. "I''d be staying here in that time frame... but I realized I''m not strong enough and you''re the best equipped to teach me."


    Raisa felt the world freeze around her at his request. "You want me¡­ to train you?" she asked hesitantly, staring at him with wide eyes.


    Rosan nodded. "I felt it during our fight. You''re stronger than me. A lot stronger. So I figure you could teach me ¡ª"


    "Yes."


    Rosan, Robin and Jen blinked owlishly.


    "Yes?" Rosan repeated.


    "Yes! I''d love to do that!" Raisa exclaimed.


    Jen''s jaw dropped at seeing an actual grin on Raisa''s face. It was as beautiful as every other face the Queen made, sharp fangs flashing momentarily as she nearly broke into elated laughter.


    "Two years? I get to have you for two years? Truly?" Raisa asked excitedly.


    "Yeah... that sounds about right." Rosan nodded slowly and Raisa resisted the urge to squeal happily.


    She squeezed Rosan with all her might and nearly lifted him off the floor.


    "I''d be happy to! I''ve never had a student before and this also means I can spend more time with you too! This is perfect for me to make up for all my transgressions towards you! B-But that doesn''t mean it''ll suddenly get rid of what I''ve done. Even if you don''t forgive me, I''ll cherish every moment and continue to work hard to make you love me back!" Raisa said happily.


    Raisa finally seemed to notice the other presences and she stared at Jen with a chilling gaze, smile wiped off her face in an instant.


    "Don''t tell anyone of what you''re seeing right now. I will make your death slow if you do," she rumbled, smoke puffing out of her mouth.


    Jen nodded fearfully, utterly confused by the entire thing. She let out a sigh of relief as Rosan easily stole her attention by patting her on the head.


    Raisa immediately turned back to Rosan, an adoring look in her eyes and the redhead smiled at her.


    "You owe me," his eyes seemed to tell her, flashing a smug smirk her way.


    Jen nodded hesitantly, watching at just how easily Rosan was able to deal with Raisa.


    Rosan sighed at how hard she was hugging and squeezed her. "Where are Dalia and Oren?" he asked.


    Raisa''s brows furrowed. "I''m¡­ not sure. I think they need some time to themselves... but considering they haven''t informed me you''re alive, they might not know either."


    Rosan nodded and Robin took the time to speak up.


    "Iris D. Raisa," Robin greeted. "I''ve been wanting to talk to you. It''s a pleasure to meet you, I''m Nico Robin."


    Raisa went stiff at that and gazed at the beautiful Nico Robin with wide eyes.


    Robin noted how wary her expression turned and remembered that Mod had very violently slapped her across the cheek.


    "Don''t worry, it won''t be nearly as bad as your conversation with Mod-chan, but I still have some of my own grievances with you," Robin assured.


    Raisa bit her lip and nodded. "I did say I''d be willing to hear whatever anyone who had a problem with me had to say¡­ and my daughter in law is no exception."


    Robin blinked, before a slight blush crossed her face.


    Rosan sighed.


    He hoped this was a good idea.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Thanks," Rosan said, accepting the tea from Jen. He took both cups out of her hand and passed one to Robin.


    "I-It''s no problem. Thank you for protecting me from Queen Raisa," she mumbled, bowing lowly.


    "No problem," Rosan smirked, taking a sip.


    Jen thought Rosan was actually quite nice. He just peacefully accepted all of Raisa''s affections, while only throwing a few teasing remarks her way for her earlier staring.


    "So... forgive me for asking but what exactly is the relation between you and Queen Raisa?" she asked quietly.


    Rosan blinked. "I''m her son."


    "Oh that makes sense... it''s no wonder she never stopped looking at your bounty poster," Jen nodded at his response.


    "She''s obsessed with me. I guess I don''t blame her for that. I''m me after all."


    "You''re such an egomaniac," Robin sighed.


    ...


    "WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?!" Jen screeched in disbelief, eyes bugging out of her head.


    Queen Raisa had a child?! The Red Devil was Raisa''s son? Those two were mother and son?!


    Jen fell on her butt at the revelation, staring at the nonchalant Rosan with horrified eyes.


    "I don''t think I have to really say this, but don''t mention this to anyone. I don''t need people to know I''m here. It would jeopardize this island," Rosan explained calmly, eyes boring into her.


    She shuddered at his measured gaze. There was no sign of intimidation anywhere but his presence was far too much for her.


    "I won''t... I''ve been loyal to Queen Raisa for years," Jen assured quietly.


    The pressure on her shoulders vanished and Rosan smiled. "Good. You didn''t tell a lie."


    "So he can do that too... just great," Jen sighed tiredly.


    "Why did Jen scream?" Raisa''s deep voice asked, stepping out of the bathroom fully dressed. Her damp hair rested against her head and she immediately took the seat to Rosan''s right (Robin was sitting on his left), leaning against the redhead with a soft sigh.


    Rosan didn''t even flinch at the damp hair, just placing a hand against her hair and instantly drying the redhead.


    "Useful," she murmured in awe, touching her hair with an appreciative glance.


    "I was telling your secretary that you were my mom," Rosan told her easily. "She''s a nice girl. Very accomodating."


    Raisa puffed up at that and Jen blushed.


    "I''ll take my leave now... I''m technically not on shift," Jen bowed deeply.


    "Right... keep up the good work Jen," Raisa said, not used to saying such a thing.


    Jen lit up at that and nodded vigorously.


    It was official, she liked Rosan now.


    As the secretary departed, Robin put her tea down and turned towards Raisa with a serious expression.


    Raisa stiffened at that and straightened up.


    "Rosan, could you let the two of us talk alone for a bit?" Robin asked. "I''d just like to speak to her one on one."


    Rosan nodded easily and stood up. "I''ll go check out my room then. Call me when you need me."


    Robin nodded and they exchanged a quick kiss, before Rosan left the room.


    Raisa watched the action with wide eyes and Robin turned towards her with a firm expression.


    "Raisa... I understand that you understand the errors of your way, but you have to understand how much Rosan matters to all of us," Robin began slowly.


    Raisa nodded, listening attentively.


    While Mod was completely antagonistic towards her, Rosan was almost aloof in how nonchalantly he treated her.


    Robin seemed to be the perfect middle ground. Raisa felt like she could make genuine progress if she talked to the Devil Child.


    "Everyone knows you abandoned him in a forest and everyone has severe issues with you for such a thing," she explained.


    "You are one of them aren''t you?" Raisa asked.


    Robin nodded. "I am but I am also the most rational in our family and Rosan tells me everything. I know you weren''t in the right state of mind when you made that decision... and seeing how you reacted to seeing Rosan let me know that you''re actually attempting to make an effort."


    "So you don''t hate me?" Raisa asked hopefully.


    "Not at all," Robin shook her head. "My perspective is the same as Rosan''s... If you had kept him, we would have never met and I''m glad that it didn''t come to that."


    Raisa sighed. "How can I... how can I connect with him?" she asked tentatively.


    Robin smiled thinly. "You''ll have to win Mod over to make the most progress. Those two really are one and the same and Rosan''s keeping you at an arm''s length because Mod-chan hates you so much, she can decide to cut contact with you at anytime. Rosan won''t deny her, especially when he doesn''t care all that much," she explained.


    The queen nodded, pursing her lips at that. "I figured it would be that hard. I intended on doing that regardless. Mod-chan is his mother so I will do my best," she said, determination on her face.


    Robin saw that determination and sighed fondly.


    She really was like Rosan alright.


    "I''m sure my treatment of you will play a good part. Despite everything, you went through tough times as well and I think you deserve some happiness," Robin explained gently.


    Raisa blinked, before a flush appeared on her face.


    "May I hug you?" she asked tentatively.


    Robin giggled. "Rosan doesn''t bother asking, so it''s a little refreshing to see someone with his face actually ask... but you don''t have to ask me."


    Raisa smiled brightly and pulled her into a tight hug.


    "Thank you, Nico Robin. I''m glad Rosan found you," Raisa muttered.


    "Keep up the good work and I''m sure you won''t regret it," Robin replied. "Take care of him for me please... he''ll visit me a lot regardless but I still needlessly worry for him."


    "I don''t think it''s needless... he''s very reckless," Raisa sighed, shuddering as she remembered how he had been struck with a fatal blow.


    Robin patted her and the two broke off, taking a seat.


    "I suppose I should call Rosan back now," Robin hummed, drinking her tea once more.


    "When will you two give me grandchildren? I''ve decided you are the perfect wife for Rosan so that means you two need to have kids," Raisa suddenly stated.


    Robin nearly choked on her tea at the question. She lightly coughed and watched with wide eyes as Rosan materialized behind her and pat her back.


    "You alright?" he asked in concern.


    "I-I''m fine," Robin muttered, taking a deep breath and staring at the confused Raisa with wide eyes.


    Robin had an inkling that this wasn''t going to be the last time Raisa asked such a thing.


    Two years of this... Robin suddenly wasn''t so sure about this.


    "What did she say?" Rosan tilted his head in confusion.


    "Nothing Rosan... nothing at all. Come, take me back. I need to get situated myself."


    Rosan tilted his head even further.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Bounty Poster


    WANTED


    DEAD OR ALIVE


    ''THE MORNING STAR'' ROCKS D. ROSAN


    1,044,000,000 Beris


    -Marine

 A Lot More Slice of Life I

    Descent


    Chapter 49: A Lot More Slice of Life


    Rosan hummed a tune to himself, as he knocked gently on the door where his Aunt and Uncle were currently holing themselves in.


    The three truly had been on a depressive streak because Raisa hadn''t even noticed they were still in her home. The woman''s observation was nothing to scoff at either.


    "Y-Yes?" a quiet voice asked, pushing open the door an inch and yelping as Rosan pulled it all the way.


    Dalia stumbled from the unexpected move and the short girl crashed into the midsection of the offender, wondering who''s muscular body this was because while strong, Raisa was not built like this.


    She hesitantly glanced up, only to freeze completely, at seeing just who was on the other side.


    "Hey, you alright?" Rosan asked curiously, steadying her somewhat and pushing her upright.


    Dalia said nothing, taking in Rosan''s features with wide eyes.


    Rosan watched carefully as another figure hesitantly stepped into view. His broad uncle paused in disbelief, red rimmed eyes gazing at Rosan. The purple began glowing in confusion and Oren''s mouth opened in shock.


    "Hey," Rosan said slowly, watching the two continue to stare at him.


    His attention was grabbed once more by the sound of sniffing and Rosan heard Dalia let out a tiny whimper, before the woman cracked.


    Rosan''s aunt broke out into a sharp wail and tackled her nephew, squeezing him with her little body like he would disappear if she let go.


    The pirate sighed and effortlessly held his aunt up, rubbing her back as she sobbed horribly against his chest.


    Rosan grunted as he was suddenly hoisted into the air from the side by his uncle, tears falling from his eyes.


    "Rosan!" they both cried in unison, crushing him between them.


    He sighed as they sobbed against him.


    "I''m here. I''m here," Rosan explained softly, hugging them close.


    Dalia sniffed and gazed up at him, blue eyes glistening with tears.


    "We thought... I can''t believe that you''re still here," she whimpered.


    So they saw that... Rosan wasn''t too surprised but Raisa had said she was the only one who had entered a coma.


    "I''m sorry about that, didn''t expect to almost die. I wouldn''t have shown you the footage otherwise," he murmured.


    Oren shuddered. "No... no it''s fine. We learned so much about you from what you showed."


    Dalia whimpered. "We''re so glad you''re okay! We''re so happy, Rosan!"


    Rosan stared at them, expression mostly shrouded.


    They all really did like him a lot. Rosan never thought about his blood relatives. There was never a reason. He didn''t even know who his real mother and father were so thinking of other things like cousins, aunts and uncles, was really far out.


    It was pretty adorable.


    The redhead let them cry because they were incredibly pent up with tears.


    He had been absentmindedly rubbing Dalia''s back, simply conversing with Ram and Mod the entire time as his aunt and uncle practically cuddled him.


    Finally, he grew tired and slowly began pushing himself up, grunting as the grips on his person tightened.


    "P-Please don''t go yet!" Dalia said desperately.


    "Yeah! We just got you! We know you have to get back to your crew but... but could you stay a little longer?" Oren asked measuredly.


    The redhead scratched the back of his head and turned towards his desperate aunt and uncle.


    "I''m staying here for two years. We can get to know each other in the meantime," Rosan informed them.


    The two paused at that, gazing at their nephew with wide eyes.


    "REALLY?!" Dalia gaped with starry eyes, shooting up and leaping back onto him.


    Rosan nodded. "Raisa is going to be my teacher¡­ I''m not strong enough for the New World so my crew and I are going to build our strength."


    The duo nodded and cheered, dragging the redhead into a group hug.


    Rosan let out a sigh of exasperation.


    His family was just as hug happy as him. How great.


    He just peacefully returned the hug and allowed them to snuggle him.


    "We aren''t very strong but we''ll help you as much as we can," Oren grinned, pleased that he''d be able to see his nephew.


    "Even the weakest person can teach someone something new," Rosan said fondly, smiling at a memory.


    "I can''t wait to get to know more about you! What''s your favorite color?" Dalia asked eagerly.


    "Red," Rosan replied easily.


    "That''s such a good color! Mine is blue!" Dalia gushed, squeezing her fellow redhead.


    "Black for me," Oren smiled.


    "I''m a fan of black too," Rosan added, gesturing to his black and red shirt.


    "What about blue?!" Dalia asked excitedly, blue eyes sparkling in curiosity.


    "It''s okay. Not the biggest fan but my student loves it," Rosan mused.


    Dalia''s eyes widened. "Just "okay"? What do you mean okay?!"


    Rosan scratched his head. "Blue''s not really my color. Never really wore anything blue!"


    His aunt let out a gasp of horror, big eyes gazing up at him in betrayal.


    "That just won''t do, nephew! Oh I know! We can go clothes shopping! We''ll need to update your wardrobe with some blue! Maybe some purple too since that''s Raisa''s favorite color!"


    "I already wear purple and please, I seriously seriously don''t need more clothes," Rosan stressed.


    Dalia bulldozed over everything he said with a beaming and cute grin.


    It was pretty cute. Rosan knew she was used to getting her way.


    "She''s the youngest out of the three of us. It wasn''t as apparent when we were younger, but she''s really spoiled," Oren said apologetically.


    Rosan let out a sigh of misery. "You really would love Angel¡­" he muttered.


    He should let them meet. They''d probably get along great.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Rosan, I''m planning on making breakfast. What do you prefer?" Raisa asked, knocking gently on the door.


    There was no answer and Raisa felt a surge of small panic at that, opening the door to her son''s room.


    "Rosan are you okay¡ª" Raisa cut herself off and nearly melted at the sight before her.


    Rosan was sleeping peacefully with a tiny child resting atop him. The silver haired girl snored happily atop the unconscious redhead, neck burrowed into his neck as her son quietly rested.


    Raisa put a hand over her heart and cooed, slowly approaching the duo of Ram and Rosan.


    They looked dreadfully cute.


    As Raisa stood over the sleeping duo, she let out a tiny yelp as a hand lashed out and grabbed her.


    Rosan''s eyes blearily looked at her, mostly unfocused and Raisa watched as her son let out a small grumble, letting her go. He shut his eyes once more and released her, sighing as Ram adjusted herself slightly.


    Raisa considered waking him up... but Rosan deserved to rest a bit more. Dalia and Oren had practically hogged him all day, trying to know anything and everything about the youngest Iris.


    Rosan was someone that probably would not sleep until he got everything done... much like Raisa would.


    "Does he trust me? Is that why he went back to sleep?" Raisa thought, smiling giddily at that.


    He had looked at her and probably realized she was not a threat to him. To think he''d be willing to sleep in her presence...


    Raisa looked around and gained a thoughtful expression.


    Well, she was still a little tired herself... the doll that Rosan gave her of himself helped her sleep far easier.


    Surely her actual son would achieve the same results?


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan was very very used to random presences of his family joining him in bed. He was used to it because Maro especially, loved doing such a thing.


    So he rarely woke up when they scooted in bed next to him, merely adjusting himself so that they could cuddle him how they wished.


    It was the curse of being the oldest. He would either wake up next to Angel, Maro, Demon or Luffy.


    Today it must have been Angel. He just saw a brief red hair, before falling back asleep.


    To no one''s surprise, Angel slid into the bed next to him and his sleep induced nature just offered up his left arm, allowing the middle triplet to burrow deeper into him.


    He heard a sigh of content and just drifted back into sleep, making sure Ram was still comfortable.


    By the time he awoke, Rosan was practically completely smothered and he just huffed in some confusion.


    While he was used to being smothered by either Angel or Maro... or Luffy, this person didn''t have either of his most clingy family members build... they were as blessed as Maro but Maro wasn''t this tall and her hair hadn''t reached the length needed to swamp him.


    It was more in line with Robin but Robin was not this clingy when she slept. It was normally Rosan that crushed her against him, while she adjusted to it.


    Robin also didn''t have red hair.


    Ram yawned cutely, waking up at the exact same time as him. Her tired eyes blinked blearily.


    "Mornin, Father," she mumbled, head falling back against him.


    "Good morning, Rosan."


    "Mornin, Ram. Mornin Mod-chan," Rosan grunted.


    He craned his head to the left, due to the breath brushing against him and regarded who had decided to hog him today.


    The redhead blinked at seeing a bronze face sleeping peacefully, looking almost just like Angel''s but with a few standout differences.


    One was that this face was very slightly older, the hair was almost completely smooth... and Angel wasn''t as "blessed" as this woman.


    "Raisa?" Rosan blinked in confusion.


    His birth mother let out a tiny noise at that, looking completely peaceful as she burrowed into him and Rosan blinked harder.


    "What the hell is this?" Mod asked stonily, fury rising swiftly as she took in the scenery.


    "Down woman," Rosan said calmly, scratching his head.


    Ram snickered, sitting up and peering down at her grandma with curious eyes.


    Raisa yawned, opening her eyes slightly and being met with two sets of the strangest eyes she had still seen to date.


    Both were clearly entertained by this, from Ram''s impish glee, to Rosan''s laidback amusement.


    "Have a good night''s rest?" Rosan asked curiously, watching the slight embarrassment making its way to her face.


    Raisa nodded mutely, face dusting red at the set of stares.


    "It was... the best sleep I''ve had in 24 years," she admitted quietly.


    Rosan''s eyes softened at that and he sighed.


    "Don''t you dare," Mod hissed.


    The redhead''s mouth shut and he frowned slightly.


    "But Robin likes her Mod-chan. Besides, she''s making an honest effort with training us and some good sleep isn''t bad."


    "Grandma isn''t all that bad, Auntie," Ram interjected, allowing Rosan to modify her outfit into her customary double breasted cloak.


    Mod scowled and said nothing.


    Raisa looked doubtful. "I''m... sorry if I intruded. I must have overstepped my boundaries," she mumbled, brushing herself off.


    She got up stiffly and bowed. "I was trying to figure out what you preferred for breakfast when I saw you and Ram sleeping peacefully... when I approached, you grabbed me but then let me go."


    Rosan tilted his head. "That means you don''t trigger my danger senses. I''m a fairly light sleeper."


    Raisa smiled tentatively at that. "I don''t trigger it? I''m glad... but I should still go," she said eventually.


    The woman turned and began heading out.


    Rosan sighed. "You''re making breakfast right? Let me help. I eat a lot."


    Raisa lit up at that and nodded vigorously. "I''d love that! Dalia will most likely help as well. Does Ram have any preference?"


    "Metals or meat," Ram said bluntly, leaping off the bed without further prompting.


    "She''ll eat anything," Rosan interjected with a roll of his eyes.


    Ram rounded on him with a glare. "Shut up Father!"


    Raisa watched the two argue with a small smile. They were so precious to her already.


    "If you''re ever having difficulty sleeping... you can come here by the way. A good night''s sleep is necessary," Rosan said, walking by her and opening the door.


    ...Or he attempted to before being strong-armed into a tight hug.


    "Thank you," Raisa whispered, heart swelling at his words.


    Rosan let out a tense sigh. "Think nothing of it."


    "Mod-chan, seriously."


    "Seriously?! What do you mean, seriously?!"


    "We are completely benefiting from her right now. I don''t feel right being a dick to her."


    "I understand that, but must you actively try and get closer to her?"


    Rosan took a deep breath. Mod was being incredibly difficult as of late. They needed to talk soon about this.


    "Mod-chan, I understand your grievances, I really do. But if someone who I have no problems with is making the effort to connect with me... I won''t just completely push them away. I''m trying to keep her at arms length because of you, but you''re not even attempting to let her redeem herself. Aren''t you being unfair?"


    Mod opened her mouth and shut it with a frown.


    Rosan sighed, smiling idly at the Raisa looking expectantly at him.


    "Do you know why I''m so willing to forgive her, Mod-chan?"


    "...Why?" Mod asked tentatively.


    "Because I know that she''s the only reason that I have you. I don''t care if my life would have been better. Without you, my life would be worse. I have all of you now. How could I hate Raisa for giving me the opportunity to meet you?"


    Mod was speechless at that.


    Rosan didn''t scorn Raisa... because of her?


    The woman''s cheeks flushed in embarrassment.


    "Since when have you been so mature and wise?"


    "I''ve been taught by the wisest and most mature lady for 20 years. I picked up a thing or two."


    Her cheeks darkened at that and she ducked her head. "Okay... you''re right. I''m not being fair at all. I''ll... try to be better."


    "Just a bit of patience, Mod-chan. She''s punished herself for 25 years. She''s been miserable for 42. Let''s give her two years of peace."


    Mod touched her heart at that. The genuine kindness that Rosan was now exhibiting... it was like night and day.


    She knew her little boy, the one who''s heart was just so big, was always still there.


    "Okay. Alright, Rosan."


    He smiled.


    Ram snorted. "I''m pretty sure the person Father has most whipped on the planet, isn''t Auntie Hancock or Grandma... it''s you Auntie."


    Mod''s smile vanished and a tick appeared on her head.


    "Watch your mouth young lady."


    Ram jumped at that, fear on her face as she immediately jumped into the confused Raisa''s arms.


    Raisa cooed at the tiny child, holding and, unintentionally, shielding her from Mod.


    Rosan rolled his eyes in amusement.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan grunted, thudding against the floor unceremoniously. He groaned tiredly, watching as his wounds instantly shut.


    Ever since his stone had reignited, Rosan''s body had evolved to adjust to... almost dying. The stone had far more endurance now, healing him much swifter than normal and taking far longer to get exhausted... in theory. No one wanted him to test it.


    "Stop fighting so recklessly," Raisa said, harsh expression falling in place of concern. She immediately closed the distance and propped the redhead up, placing his head on her lap.


    She tentatively grabbed a bottle of water and gave it to Rosan.


    Rosan greedily drank it and sighed at the cool beverage.


    "You fight with no regard for your wellbeing. Relying on your healing factor is good, but it would be even healthier if you could not sustain damage at any point in time," she instructed worriedly, raking a hand through his hair.


    "Mod-chan says the same thing," he grunted.


    "And you still do it..." Raisa sighed tiredly. "In that case, you must utilize more forms of defense. Your armament is good but your observation is severely lacking."


    Rosan pursed his lips at that. "I do need more defensive options to supplement my extreme offense. Maybe something that reacts independently from me..." he mused.


    He also needed to get his Armament even better. It could be the perfect shield he needed...


    "Raisa how is your Observation so good?" Rosan asked with a frown.


    "Meditation. Lots of meditation," Raisa replied automatically. "It was very difficult for me to use my Observation when I was younger. My mind was too active. I was too emotional. I needed to find a way to control myself."


    Her son hummed at that.


    "I need to regulate my emotions too. They''re completely out of control," he informed her.


    Raisa nodded to herself. "That... is expected. The Iris are all born more emotional. It is tied to our eyes as well..." she explained.


    The woman pointed to her head. "We aren''t too sure about the cause, but every Iris is born with complex neural activity. Our brains are wired... differently to say the least. It doesn''t change too much in our lives, but our emotions are enhanced more than the normal human as a byproduct. The downside is that, by gaining an advantage in the mind, we lose some advantage in the body. The Iris were rather weak at first."


    Mod listened with pursed lips.


    Raisa continued as she noticed Rosan''s attention.


    "We benefit from those changes rather greatly. Our minds are powerful after all. I have an excellent memory for example. I can recall things from even my childhood and envision it in my mind almost perfectly," she explained to him.


    "So that''s why my imagination is so good," Rosan mused. He also had fairly good memory even before eating the Mod Mod no mi.


    Raisa nodded. "The Iris are powerful in the mind. It is one of our greatest strengths. Empress Allium granted future Iris the body of the amazons to complement their powerful mind," she explained softly.


    Rosan nodded along with what she was saying. "A good balance. The body of the primitive Kujas combined with the intelligence of the Iris. It was almost a perfect combination of genes."


    Raisa smiled at him. "Yes exactly... but those come with downsides as well. You see the Kuja are also... somewhat emotional but in a different way."


    "Love sickness," Rosan said immediately.


    She blinked, swelling up at that and nodding proudly.


    "Yes, lovesickness. Empress Allium''s love sickness, caused a mutation inside of her descendants. More emotion, more... brain stuff that I simply did not care to research," Raisa explained with pinched brows.


    "You''d have to ask Oren. He''s the one who knows most about it. But regardless, the added strength to our lineage, came packaged with even more emotion. I''ve heard accounts of some of our lineage killing themselves due to slight emotional distress," she explained.


    Rosan understood that. With how out of control his emotions were... if he had truly been by himself when all of it happened, it would have been bad for him.


    Raisa sighed and gestured to herself. "I was born with the best of what the Kuja and Iris had to offer. I am the pinnacle of our lineage and more. A freak mutation was what occurred with me... And you inherited it all. Not only that..."


    Rosan blew a breath out. "I probably inherited whatever Cutter has too," he finished.


    Raisa immediately shuddered at that, eyes narrowing into pinpricks.


    "So Cutter truly is free¡­?" she asked quietly.


    Rosan sighed and nodded. "Blackbeard freed him from Impel Down... that''s not good. Blackbeard is... a pirate that''s going to cause a lot of trouble in the future."


    Raisa had a look of distraught on her face, shuddering horribly at that information.


    She resisted the urge to curl into herself, as she heard his laughter ringing in the back of her mind. The psychotic laughter of a man that she thought she knew¡ª


    "Hey," Rosan soothed, pulling the woman into a hug.


    Raisa grasped him immediately, unmindful of his sweaty body. She felt her terror nearly consume her and shook harshly against her son.


    "I-I saw you two conversing at Impel Down," she mentioned quietly.


    Rosan inclined. "We did. Hard not to notice such a presence."


    Raisa let loose a shaky breath. "Thank you, Rosan. Thank you for not giving that man the time of day. It''s entirely my fault, but you truly have no idea how much such a thing matters to me," she whimpered, holding him tightly.


    The redhead glanced down at his birth mother and ran a hand against her back.


    "He was my best friend you know... or well, my only friend," Raisa whispered, sinking into him.


    "I felt so normal around him. He didn''t treat me like a Princess. In our time together, I found out how to be someone besides Princess Raisa, the prodigy who will ascend to the throne and succeed her parents. I thought we built a genuine bond with each other..."


    Raisa shut her eyes. "But I was wrong. I was so wrong. He attacked so suddenly. He killed my mother and father with no hesitation. He betrayed me so quickly... I never knew he was so strong. We fought all day... all night and I lost," she said quietly.


    Mod''s eyes softened at that.


    "He took the Devil Fruit I was intending to give my firstborn and consumed it. Then, he made sure the firstborn I gave birth to, would belong to him and left afterwards. I learned recently that he was captured by Garp the Hero and thrown into Impel Down for the last 25 years..."


    Rosan listened with a frown.


    "When I realized I was pregnant... I had a mental breakdown. I thought... he was going to come back for me. I thought he would have come back and taken you... It was such a stressful time for me and I know that it''s not excuse for me at all but I couldn''t think straight at all."


    He hummed at that. "It''s okay I get it¡­ I made a dumb decision as well under stress. Both of our situations were extreme."


    Raisa shook and held him tightly. He was too good to her. She didn''t... she didn''t deserve his kindness.


    "I don''t think Cutter will come back here. I can tell at a glance."


    "I know he won''t come back. Cutter doesn''t care about me anymore¡­ it''s you he wants," Raisa mumbled.


    If Cutter got his hands on Rosan¡­ if he touched her son, then what would happen?


    Raisa wouldn''t let Cutter lay a hand on him. She couldn''t. H-He nearly did it already and she hadn''t even been close enough to stop it.


    She would go herself. Even if it meant fighting the entirety of this Blackbeard''s crew... Raisa wouldn''t let Cutter get his hands on Rosan.


    "She really does love me huh?" Rosan thought, feeling her terror clear as day.


    "She''s super whipped. You could probably make her do anything, Father."


    "¡­" Mod said nothing.


    The redhead sighed. "Alright, come on. I wanna introduce you to some people. We''ll discuss the Observation thing on our next session."


    Raisa perked up at that and gazed at her son in curiosity.


    They had just finished their training for the day and she had run him through the ringer. Raisa truly was a monster alright.


    Despite her intense desire not to, Rosan told her not to hold back anything and she didn''t want to let her son down, so they had been training almost nonstop in his fascinating Pocket Dimension.


    Here, the mother and son could let loose and train completely without being bothered.


    It was incredible. Raisa had been rather rusty herself so she was getting back into the swing of things as well.


    "You need to bathe first," Raisa said sternly, gazing at her sweat riddled son.


    The redhead snorted. "You don''t have to tell me. I''m not leaving without taking a bath regardless. You kicked my ass so I need to soak."


    Raisa bit her lip. "Was I too harsh? I could always tone down if you need me to?"


    The pirate stared his mother down with a deadpan expression.


    "Raisa, I''ll be more pissed if you hold anything back. You''re my teacher. I want to learn everything I can from you and I can''t do that if you''re holding out on me," he said firmly.


    Her eyes widened in horror and she nodded strongly.


    "I understand! I would feel bad if I hurt you... but I''d feel even worse sending you out into sea again with more training to be done," she agreed.


    Rosan smiled at that. "I can take it, trust me. I know you saw... bad things happen to me but just think that you being harsh, will prevent those from happening again."


    "Right. You''re completely right," Raisa nodded with a fierce expression. "I''ll be the harshest to you, so that everyone else pales in comparison!"


    Rosan pat her and began walking off. "That''s the spirit!"


    With that, he headed straight to the bathhouse, modifying his outfit as he entered the room.


    The redhead sighed as he snapped a finger, eyes glowing slightly. At the same time, water began filling the bath.


    He hummed a tune to himself as he did so, a breeze flowing through the room that grabbed all his essentials.


    "Need to get a new bottle of shampoo," he muttered, shaking his empty bottle with a scowl.


    Damnit Robin. At least let him know when the shampoo was done!


    He opened the cabinet full of his shampoo and dragged one out, dumping the previous one in the trash while he was at it and making his way back to the tub.


    By now, steam had swiftly permeated the entire room and Rosan sighed as he sunk into the water, making sure not to go too low so as to avoid activating his weakness.


    He leaned back, grabbing a bucket to soak his hair in, only to stop as he felt a presence enter the room.


    The redhead ran a hand against his soaked face in order to peer to the left, freezing abruptly at seeing goddamn Raisa enter the bathroom.


    "W-What the hell?!" Mod''s face turned scarlet as she stared at the woman and gaped.


    Ram whistled. "Jeez! Some people just have it all."


    "Raisa, what the hell are you doing?" Rosan grunted in surprise, seeing his birth mother enter without a care in the world¡­


    Without clothes on. His mother simply had a towel to her name right now.


    "I''d like to soak as well. It was quite the workout for me too," Raisa said bluntly, placing her towel to the side and folding it gently.


    "Here?!" Rosan raised a brow in confusion. "I have like 4 different baths in this castle. Why are you here?"


    "It''s a good bonding experience for us. You are my son after all... and I didn''t know how to work your baths," Raisa frowned, not seeing issue with what she was doing at all.


    Rosan heard Mod let out a strangled noise and sighed.


    "Raisa¡­ seriously, warn a person when you''re gonna do this," he sighed, leaning back and closing his eyes. "You''re lucky we''re related by blood."


    "It''s not as if I would do such a thing with anyone. Hardly a soul has ever seen me naked," Raisa muttered, entering the bath and sighing in relief at the abnormally high temperatures.


    "This bath feels incredible¡­ does it naturally reach such temperatures?" she asked curiously.


    Rosan nodded, slightly surprised by how much she liked it. Robin for natural reasons, couldn''t stand when he ran the bath this hot and would absolutely rip into him if he did such a thing with her in it.


    He didn''t realize someone else would enjoy these.


    "I normally have to manually heat it up myself," Raisa said, blowing out a puff of flames to show how she did so.


    "It''s very nice. I began to enjoy it after unlocking my dragon form," Rosan explained easily.


    Raisa perked up, seeing this as an opportunity to learn more about her son.


    "So¡­ you modified yourself to become a dragon?" Raisa asked curiously.


    Rosan nodded.


    "It was my goal for a long time. I managed to achieve it when I was 9 and I''ve been using it ever since," he informed her.


    "I guess the Iris truly are obsessed with reptiles¡­ I chose my Devil Fruit when I was a baby. My parents put me in a room of them and I chose this one. They then waited for me to be of age, before allowing me to consume it," she told him.


    "Go figure. You flew me to Baterilla right?" Rosan mused.


    Raisa nodded. "I did. I flew you over and stood above the island until a person without a malicious aura picked you up."


    Rosan hummed. "So if the person who took me was malicious?"


    "I''d have killed them and taken you back. It was... a test for myself and the person. Portgas D. Rouge passed with flying colors."


    Rosan had a thoughtful expression. "You know... all things considered, you made some fairly decent decisions in your stupid ass plan."


    Raisa flinched at that, ducking her head. "It was such an idiotic decision made by me. The Iris pride themselves on their intelligence and I did the complete opposite."


    Rosan snorted, grabbing his shampoo and dumping some in her hair.


    The woman yelped at that, before relaxing at the incredible sensation of someone scrubbing her hair.


    "We''ve gone through this already. Stop dwelling on that when talking to me. I already told you I prefered your decision over you keeping me so there''s nothing to feel terrible about," he murmured.


    His birth mother gazed at her reflection in the water. "What did I do to deserve your kindness?"


    "Take accountability for your actions. You''re trying really hard to make amends with me and I appreciate that," he smiled softly, washing her hair clean.


    Raisa gazed in wonder at her fellow redhead, idly grasping her hair.


    That felt good...


    She stood up. "Let me wash your back."


    Rosan rolled his eyes. "You know Mod-chan can see you naked too right? Ram says nice body by the way," he replied.


    Raisa blinked slowly, before her cheeks turned red in mortification. That red spread to the entirety of her face and the woman let out a strangled noise.


    "W-W-What?! Why didn''t you mention anything?!" she hissed, sinking so deeply into the water that Rosan had to reach and pull her up before she began drowning.


    "She is literally apart of me. She''s been stunned since the moment you walked in," Rosan said in amusement, noting that both his mothers had combusted in unison.


    "Oh¡­ I forgot about that..."


    "I hate you. So... so much..."


    "Now I know where Father got his body from."


    Raisa once again tried to drown herself and Rosan sighed.


    His family was full of idiots.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Hey Aiko."


    Aiko jumped high into the air at that, whirling around to glare at Rosan for being an annoying fucking pest...


    Before the words died on her lips.


    "That technique is so fascinating," Raisa muttered, dusting herself off as Rosan held her up.


    "I''m sooo dizzy," Dalia slurred, grasping Rosan with both hands to prevent from falling over.


    Oren held his head, blinking the stars away at seeing sunlight once more. His nephew idly held him up with one hand, seemingly expecting the two of them to be impaired by that.


    "What a jarring technique. How the hell are you two acting so normal?" he groaned.


    "Dunno. Even when I first started doing this, it never bothered me much," Rosan replied easily.


    Raisa nodded in agreement. "It is a fine technique. Slightly jarring but otherwise, I''m perfectly fine."


    "Weee," Dalia cheered dizzily, climbing her tall as hell nephew and holding onto him.


    Rosan didn''t even flinch at her antics. "How''s it going?" he asked Aiko.


    Aiko''s eyes were wide as she looked at Rosan''s company.


    From the hunking and handsome black haired man, to the short and gorgeous curly haired woman... and finally the tall and downright stunning redhead who was just Rosan in female form.


    "This seriously isn''t fair," Aiko thought in disbelief, looking at the four hotties with wide eyes.


    Rosan approached his surrogate older sister and dragged her into a tight hug.


    "What''s up?" he murmured, watching as she snapped out of her daze.


    Aiko felt her fondness swell, clutching the redhead and returning the hug easily.


    "I''m good. Less worried now that you''re accounted for," she muttered, sinking into him.


    "Where''s Akemi?" he asked curiously.


    "With her therapist. She made more appointments due to recent events," Aiko explained with a frown.


    Rosan flinched. "Shit... I''m sorry. I didn''t wanna send her back to therapy."


    "Back?" Raisa thought in concern.


    "Don''t blame yourself, Rosan. How''s Ace?" Aiko asked.


    "Still unconscious. I really don''t know when he''s going to wake up," the redhead sighed, brow furrowing.


    "It better be soon. I didn''t watch you almost die just for him to stay in a coma," Aiko scowled fiercely, hiding her worry behind the anger.


    Rosan sighed. "Ace is a coward like me... he doesn''t want to face you guys after what happened. He''ll wake up though."


    Aiko saw the slight stress on his face and hugged the redhead tightly, placing her hands on his cheeks. "Make sure you take care of yourself."


    The redhead smiled down at her. "Since when are you showing your concern so freely?"


    "Since you almost died without me being able to even say goodbye."


    Rosan winced back. "Sorry."


    "Don''t be. I just miss Akemi a bit," she sighed.


    "I know," he soothed, running a hand through her hair.


    "Who is this, Rosan?"


    Aiko perked up at that question and gazed into a set of beautiful glowing eyes, shining blue with curiosity.


    The woman was perched on Rosan''s back, staring down at the leader of Fregate.


    "Seriously, how are they all so hot?" Aiko thought in disbelief, gazing at the woman that looked related to Rosan... but not as much as the tall woman in the back.


    "This is Aiko. She''s the leader of Fregate Island and one of my closest friends. Aiko, this is Dalia. She''s my auntie."


    "Nice to meetcha!" Dalia grinned, landing on the floor and walking up to Aiko.


    The woman lost her balance and stumbled forward, falling right into Aiko.


    "Woops! Sorry!" Dalia said sheepishly, looking up at the slightly taller woman. "I''ve got a bit of a weak body so when weird things happen to me, they stay for a little longer."


    "Oh don''t worry about it," Aiko said automatically, flashing her a small smile. "It''s nothing at all."


    A small breeze brushed against the leaders cheek and she looked up, meeting the knowing smirk of Rosan.


    "Did he push her into me?!" Aiko thought in disbelief.


    "You know, Aunt Dalia... it strikes me as weird that you''re single. We''re family after all so that means you have my good looks."


    Rosan was... the ultimate wingman. Aiko seriously needed to reward her little brother one of these days. He was just too awesome.


    "Oren banned me from dating after I killed my last boyfriend for cheating on me!" Dalia chirped.


    "It''s for her own good. Dalia can''t spot a good man from a mile away so they end up taking advantage of her," Oren sighed.


    Raisa scoffed. "Gullible girl. I''ve already warned you that such a thing is expected, Dalia."


    Dalia spluttered at her older siblings. "Now''s not the time to talk about my love life! We''re meeting a new person dammit!"


    Aiko raised a brow. "You''re telling me someone cheated on you? What, are they blind?" she asked in confusion.


    Dalia nodded eagerly. "And stupid too!"


    The woman peered at Aiko with a curious gaze. "You''re single too? Really? How is a big leader like you single?" she asked.


    "Me," Rosan interjected easily. "People get really insecure when they see the two of us."


    Aiko nodded with a helpless shrug. "Something about a hot redhead being able to teleport in my home whenever he wants, doesn''t sit right with them."


    Dalia giggled at that. "You''re funny! I like you! Aiko was it? Let''s be friends!" she said bluntly, grinning ear to ear.


    "She''s as blunt as Rosan too," Aiko thought, noting that the woman was still leaning on her.


    "Sure, I think we''ll get along great!"


    Rosan snorted at that. "This is my uncle, Oren."


    Oren held out a hand and Aiko strained her neck to look at the broad and tall man, catching his hand with her positively tiny one in comparison.


    "Pleasure to meet you, Aiko. I''m Iris D. Oren," Oren said, deep voice coursing through her bones.


    "Likewise," Aiko greeted, smiling at the relaxed man who was built like a tank.


    "How long have you and Rosan known each other for?" Oren asked curiously.


    Aiko scratched her head at that question, pondering it for a while. "Almost 16 years now? I''ve known him since he was a little squirt of a 9 year old. I still remember being a head taller than him..." she muttered.


    Oren snorted. "Sudden growth spurt, right? Happens to all of us except for Dalia."


    "H-HEY!" Dalia shouted, glaring at Oren.


    "Sudden is one way of putting it. One second he was at my nose, the next I was breaking my neck to look up at him," Aiko sighed despondently.


    Rosan ruffled her gray hair with an insufferable smirk and Aiko nearly batted it away on instinct... before remembering what he had done.


    "You''ve known him for that long?" Raisa decided to ask, eyes slightly wide. "You are the leader of Fregate, yes? What is your relationship with Rosan exactly?"


    "She''s my sugar mama," Rosan said with a thumbs up.


    Aiko immediately began spluttering at that, heinous glare making its way to her face. "Don''t say it like that!"


    "Why? You''ve been giving me money for 15 years. You''re also 11 years older than me. I think you meet all the qualifications."


    Her eye twitched at the amused look in his eyes.


    "Sugar... mama?" Raisa tilted her head in confusion. "Dalia, what is a sugar mama?"


    "I don''t like that you automatically expect me to know the answer to that," Dalia deadpanned.


    "..." Raisa stared at her.


    Dalia stared back. "...A sugar mama is an older lady who gives a younger man money... usually for... favors."


    Raisa blinked, before turning a terrifying glare towards Aiko.


    "Woah woah!" Rosan interjected immediately, stepping in front of the raging Raisa. "Down woman. I was kidding. Aiko''s my older sister."


    The aura of death that washed over Aiko vanished and the woman sighed in some relief.


    "I''m guessing this is your birth mother?" she asked, peeking over Rosan''s shoulder at the tall woman.


    "Yeah. Iris D. Raisa," Rosan greeted, placing both hands on Raisa''s shoulder. "Calm down. Aiko and I joke around all the time."


    The redhead''s eyes suddenly shifted red. "Not that you would know," Mod grumbled.


    Raisa flinched back harshly at the feminine voice.


    "My... apologies," she mumbled.


    Mod twitched slightly. "No... that comment was unnecessary," she said stiffly, giving control back to Rosan.


    Aiko whistled. Mod seriously did hate this woman.


    Rosan pinched his nose as he regained control once more. "Aiko, my Raid Suit was destroyed. I wanna new one... though I probably won''t use it that much anyways so maybe I don''t."


    Aiko shook her head strongly. "No. I don''t care. We''re repairing it. Now is not the time for you to start neglecting yourself," she hissed, dragging him out of the room.


    "I wanna get strong enough so that I don''t have to rely on it. Then it''ll become overkill," Rosan said, allowing her to push him out of the room.


    "Whatever you say, silver tongue! Let''s go!" she barked.


    "Yes sir. Just let me change my appearance a bit."


    "SIR?!"


    Dalia giggled. "I really like her!" she exclaimed.


    "She seems like a good balance to Rosan''s insanity. I''m glad he had such a logical voice for all these years."


    "More than one by the looks of it," Raisa commented, watching as Rosan laughed while being pushed out.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "You know, all things considered, I expected you to be more terrified of Raisa," Dalia commented.


    Aiko raised a brow and gazed at the woman in question.


    It wasn''t hard to see why Raisa would be intimidating. She was a tall woman who cut an imposing figure, wrapped in a tight dress that allowed for ease of movement. Her eyes were sharp and with how they were narrowed, it always seemed like she was dissecting you with a gaze.


    Aiko would compare it to a top predator mulling over whether you were worthy of being eaten or not.


    But regardless of those details...


    "No offense at all to her, but Rosan is way more terrifying. I''ve seen what that guy could do since he was a kid so it''s not even close," she chuckled.


    Dalia put a finger to her lip at that. "Really?"


    "You''ve known him for a long time... what was he like?" Raisa jumped in curiously.


    Aiko leaned back into her seat and let out an exhale.


    "A demon that''s what. You guys are meeting one of the nicest versions of Rosan we''ve ever had," she said bluntly.


    "Demon?" Oren mused.


    She nodded without hesitation. "When he was Reaper, Rosan was probably the worst version of himself yet. If it wasn''t his murderous tendencies, it was the complete lack of emotions," Aiko murmured, thinking back to that version and letting out a sigh of relief at seeing how much he had improved.


    Raisa froze. "No... emotions?"


    Both Oren and Dalia froze as well, staring at Aiko with wide eyes.


    Aiko went stiff at that, peering at the three with searching eyes.


    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    "That''s not my place to tell at all. Rosan''s not very forthcoming with information and I respect his privacy. Ask him when you think he trusts you enough... maybe he''ll tell you. I still feel like he doesn''t tell me things."


    The three nodded slowly at that.


    An Iris without their emotions... such a thing sounded unheard of. They were so saturated in their feelings, that losing them would be no different than dying.


    Though, with how Aiko spoke of him, perhaps Rosan had been "dead" for a while.


    "What are you talking about, Aiko? I tell you just about everything. If I don''t, Maro definitely will because I tell her just about everything too."


    Aiko rolled her eyes at his voice and turned towards him, mouth opening and abruptly shutting at seeing Akemi hanging defeatedly off his shoulder.


    "Don''t ask. I forgot just how spoiled Rosan is," Akemi grumbled.


    Rosan smiled winningly. "You were at your therapist for long enough. I understand why you need it but I don''t like being the reason."


    "Well maybe you shouldn''t make my heart burst out my chest!" she cried out.


    "I''ll try not to do it again," he said.


    "Sound more genuine!" she complained.


    The dainty woman pat herself down as Rosan placed her on the floor, glaring up at the tall redhead with puffed up cheeks.


    Rosan smiled and pat her neat gray her, running a hand through the long locks and fixing the few mussed up pieces.


    "You three want to know why I had no emotions?" he asked, turning towards them with a tilted head. His brows were furrowed but there was a peaceful air to the redhead.


    "Only if you''re comfortable telling us," Raisa said immediately, not wanting to pressure him for anything.


    Rosan smiled softly. "I''ve made my peace with it. Making my peace, is actually helping me become a better person so I don''t mind telling you."


    Made his... peace with it.


    Something truly terrible had happened to the youngest Iris.


    "When I was 12, my girlfriend at the time, Meiko, was fatally injured. She died in my hands," Rosan said truthfully, idly messing with the ring on his finger.


    Raisa felt her heart drop at that.


    Rosan sighed. "We were soulmates. Unreal compatibility. I could read her mind, she could read mine. We just had it naturally," he smiled faintly.


    "But she''s gone now. I had already been dealing with a lot of mental stress and that one was the last straw. In order to protect myself, I sealed my emotions away and lost them for 12 years."


    There was a tense silence at that and Akemi pulled Rosan into a tight embrace.


    "I''m so proud of you, Rosan," she murmured.


    "Thank you," he said earnestly.


    The redhead let out a grunt of surprise, as he was pulled into a strong hug.


    Raisa shivered harshly against him, tears brimming in her eyes. "I''m so sorry, Rosan. What a truly awful thing you were forced to experience."


    Mod bit her tongue at that.


    Rosan smiled. "That''s okay. It took me a while but I''m better now."


    Dalia sobbed loudly and Oren wiped his eyes, before the two joined the squeeze session.


    Rosan smiled and pat them all. "Hey, I know you guys are seeping in regret and I know you guys wish you could protect me back then but what''s done is done."


    "I should have protected you," Raisa whispered in despair. "When you were weak and defenseless, I should have been the one guarding you. I have no equal in the South Blue... I could have kept you safe."


    He stared down at her with a tilted head. "Like I said. What''s done is done. Don''t stress about it."


    "No!" Raisa shouted, staring up at him with teary and horrified eyes. "You don''t understand, Rosan. I feel so terrible because it truly is my fault!"


    Rosan raised a brow and said nothing.


    "I didn''t have to be completely uninvolved... with me, none of these terrible things would ever have happened to you. You wouldn''t have been enslaved... you wouldn''t have had to kill so many people and... you wouldn''t have had to become such a notorious bounty hunter," she whispered.


    "Ah, I forgot the world knows I''m Reaper now."


    "All these things... Rosan, I''m sorry for failing you. You keep downplaying my actions but Mod is completely right. I don''t deserve to be forgiven so easily," Raisa whimpered.


    "..." Rosan tilted his head then pat her on the head.


    "Raisa, you and I aren''t so different at all. Even right now, you''re punishing yourself in a way that''s eerily similar to me."


    Mod''s gaze wavered at that and she shut her eyes.


    "Look. No one is as self critical of their self, as I am. My family has been trying to help me view myself better for years. I take everything and I blow it out of proportion. Something I had to learn over the years, is that I can''t do everything," he murmured.


    Raisa wavered at the wistful smile on his face.


    "I grew up thinking I had to be perfect... and I bet as Queen, you grew up thinking you had to be perfect too."


    Dalia and Oren sniffed at the sight of Raisa nodding with wide eyes.


    Rosan sighed and slapped both of Raisa''s cheeks with his palms, something he used to do to himself all the time as a child.


    Raisa yelped at that and gazed at her son with glistening eyes.


    "We''re not perfect, Raisa. I abandoned a newborn too. We make stressful decisions in the heat of the moment and you and I? We''re really emotional people and being self critical makes it even worse..."


    "That''s why you have to rely on people," Raisa whispered, clutching him tightly.


    Rosan grinned. "The same person I made the choice to abandon... grew up and forgave me without ever needing to."


    "A-And you grew up and forgave me too," she whimpered.


    The redhead pat his fellow redhead gently. "I don''t beat on dead horses. You want to get better? I won''t stop you from getting better. How you choose to get better is up to you."


    Raisa''s lips wobbled and she tackled her son to the floor.


    "T-That''s why I''m relying on you! My son has become so wise and caring!" she sobbed happily.


    Rosan laughed and rubbed her back. "Yeah yeah. We need to go soon anyways. I want you to meet more people," he said.


    She nodded and sniffed repeatedly.


    "Aiko, Akemi... I''ll visit again soon," he mentioned standing up and beckoning his relatives over.


    "Sure thing," Aiko nodded. "I''d like to get to know your family better too."


    Dalia grinned and waved eagerly. "It was nice to meetcha, Aiko! You too Akemi! I wanna speak to the both of you more!"


    Aiko smirked. "Sure? How about over dinner? I''ll treat you to whatever you want."


    "Sure! I love seafood and I eat a lot," Dalia grinned innocently.


    "It''s a date." The leader of Fregate nodded.


    Oren raised a brow and shot a look towards Rosan.


    "Are you trying to set them up?" He whispered to his nephew.


    "I''m just planting the seeds. Dalia seems pretty open and Aiko needs to hurry up and settle down," he smirked.


    Oren pursed his lips and nodded. "Alright. I''ll trust your judgement then."


    Rosan nodded with a smile, adjusting Raisa slightly as she continued squeezing him.


    Akemi waved eagerly, stars in her eyes as she looked repeatedly between Aiko and Dalia.


    "I''m sorry for not being here earlier! I''m glad to have met you guys! You have to visit again!"


    Dalia beamed. "We so will! You two are awesome already!"


    "See ya," Rosan waved, vanishing with a small smile.


    "So?" Akemi pressed immediately.


    Aiko huffed. "So what?"


    "So what''s with you and Dalia-san?!" she asked excitedly.


    The leader of Fregate rolled her eyes. "Rosan thought it''d be a good idea to subtly hook me up with his aunt. He must have seen me checking her out and decided it was a good idea to push her into me."


    "And?" Akemi pressed.


    "...And I think she''s really cute," Aiko mumbled.


    Akemi squealed. "You see how possessive Rosan is, right? If you do something wrong to that girl, you might disappear."


    "She already mentioned killing her last boyfriend and her teeth are naturally sharp as hell, so I''m pretty sure she''s got a Devil Fruit..."


    Her little sister beamed. "But you won''t hurt her! Rosan''s trusting you obviously!"


    "Yeah yeah. I have no intention of messing whatever happens up," she sighed.


    "Good! This is probably the closest to dating a version of Rosan anyways! Raisa-san looks untouchable!" Akemi grinned.


    Aiko felt a vein of annoyance form. "What is with you thinking I''m obsessed with Rosan''s appearance?!"


    Akemi giggled and began removing her suit. "So you just happen to like redheads?"


    "Get out. We haven''t physically fought in years but I''m more than willing to bring it back."


    Her little sister laughed loudly. "You wouldn''t fight me! I''d cry to Rosan and then he''d fight you in my stead!"


    Aiko balked at the shameless Akemi.


    "Terrible. I knew that damn demon influenced you too much."


    "Are we talking about Rosan or the actual Demon?"


    "Please shut the hell up."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Raisa stared at the trio of Rosan, Angel and Demon with an unreadable expression.


    "Oh my Kami," Dalia gasped, putting a hand over her mouth as she gazed at them.


    "The resemblance is uncanny," Oren chuckled in disbelief, eyes wide as he stared at the triplets.


    They were all similar heights, though Rosan was noticeably taller than the other two, with similar features and a few differences that made them different from each other.


    While the purple haired man, who they knew was Demon, looked exactly like Rosan, his features were softer and his color pallet was inverted, donning purple hair and red eyes.


    Whereas Rosan had a cocky and wild air to him, smiling or smirking confidently, Demon looked gentle in comparison. There was a kind smile on his face, though it vanished slightly as he gazed upon the three of them.


    On the contrary, the redheaded girl, who they knew was Angel, looked every bit as fierce as Rosan had whenever he was in action. She was scowling slightly at them, glare turning truly heinous as she made eye contact with Raisa, before shifting into slight confusion at the sight of Oren and Dalia.


    Dalia was about to leap forward, but Oren tugged her back.


    "Let them handle this first," he whispered to her.


    "But I wanna glomp my nephews and nieces!" she hissed in return.


    "The girl might kill you."


    "She''s adorable! That''s a risk I''m willing to take!"


    The two stopped arguing, as a beautiful blue haired woman approached them.


    "Nice to meet you two. I''m Queen Maro of Celadon," Maro greeted with a polite smile.


    Dalia''s eyes lit up and she vigorously shook Maro''s hand.


    "It''s nice to meet you! You''re married to Angel right?!" she asked excitedly.


    Maro grinned and nodded eagerly. "We''ve been married almost 6 years now! We love each other very much," she said demurely.


    Dalia squealed happily. "That''s so cute! We''re Rosan''s aunt and uncle. I hope we can get along!"


    "A queen... he sure does have his connections," Oren laughed.


    "Well, he''s the reason I am a queen!"


    Their eyes widened.


    "What?" Oren muttered.


    "We need to hear the story behind that!" Dalia gaped.


    "Sure! Let''s go this way and let these four deal with their thing," Maro smiled, dragging the two out of the room.


    Raisa took a deep breath, as she watched Queen Maro guide her siblings away.


    Some moral support would have been nice. She felt like she were being left in a lion den right now.


    But perhaps doing this alone, was what she needed. Raisa needed to be brave and handle her mistakes by herself.


    The woman slapped both her cheeks and a look of determination made its way to her face.


    Demon''s eyes softened at the very Rosan-esque move.


    Angel was not so easily swayed.


    Rosan was content to stay silent. Much like with Robin back at Water 7, Angel and Demon were free to make their own decisions based on what Raisa said without his influence.


    It was up to the queen of Wisteria to win them over.


    "It is... a pleasure to meet you two, Angel... and Demon," she greeted slowly, not wanting to mess this up in anyway.


    The girl''s glare deepened. "So you''re Raisa?" Angel mused.


    She hugged the amused Rosan tightly, dragging him away and out of sight from the Queen.


    Raisa''s hand faltered at seeing Rosan dragged away from her but she noted Angel''s glare and settled for a stiff nod.


    Angel was holding Rosan rather protectively... as if protecting the oldest triplet from her.


    "I-I''m sorry," Raisa said abruptly, bowing lowly to them.


    "You''re sorry?" Angel asked frostily, eyes narrowed. She bared her teeth warningly but Raisa didn''t see it.


    "I made a mistake. I should have never abandoned Rosan... and I should have never been out of his life for so long. Nothing I say or do will ever truly make up for what I did... but I''m still going to try," Raisa said firmly.


    "Sometimes trying isn''t enough," Angel interjected coldly.


    "You''re right... but I''ll continue to try regardless. Even if my efforts go unappreciated until the end of time, I will still continue to try because Rosan helped me when he was the last person on the planet who needed to do so," Raisa said passionately, holding a hand over her heart.


    The resolve in her eyes were clear as day. Raisa truly did plan on fighting even if her efforts may have never been acknowledged.


    Demon sighed and walked up to the bowing queen. "It''s nice¡­ to meet you, Raisa," he said gently, holding out a hand for her to shake.


    "To be honest, I don''t really like you very much. You abandoned an infant in a forest. Even after one day, that could have proven to be a fatal mistake..."


    Raisa wilted at that, head ducking at his disapproving frown.


    "But... if Master is able to forgive you for such a thing, I suppose I can only be slightly upset on his behalf. He''s going to be staying with you for two years which means we''ll be seeing and hearing about you quite a bit. I''m not one to hold animosity towards someone for such a long time¡­" he sighed, pulling her up.


    She gazed into his compassionate eyes and wavered slightly.


    "Besides, Postpartum Depression is a very real and very dangerous thing. To have to deal with the amount of things you likely did... on top of the fact you were raped, I''d be heartless to not understand why you made the decision you did... I just wish you handed him over directly to Rouge."


    Raisa looked stunned at that, gazing at Demon with wide eyes. Tears sprung in her eyes and she nodded strongly.


    "I was being very stupid," she whimpered, wiping her eyes as she gazed at the kind Demon. "I wanted him to remain unaware of his heritage so he could be free of such a life."


    "I understand... you believed that if someone saw you, they''d eventually be able to make connections that you were the queen of Wisteria," Demon muttered.


    She nodded and Demon sighed.


    "You were under extreme duress. One that you probably had to mask, seeing as you are a queen. It was practically impossible for you to make a sound decision. In fact, I believe you probably wouldn''t have been able to raise Master correctly in the first place, so giving him up for adoption was the only logical decision. As a doctor, I know you must have been going through something excruciating and I''d be cruel to fault you."


    Raisa sniffed at that, tears falling as she gazed at Demon. He was smiling sympathetically at her and at the sight of her tears, the doctor gently wiped them away.


    "You''re making the effort and I''m much nicer than Master is. It''d be a bad look if he forgave you and I couldn''t attempt to."


    "Hey," Rosan said flatly.


    Angel looked at her little brother incredulously, then gazed at Raisa¡­ then gazed at Rosan.


    Rosan caught her gaze and smiled slightly.


    "Do whatever you want. You''re your own person now," he mouthed.


    She gazed down at her body. The one given to her by Master and gazed at her older brother with a small smile.


    Finally, the middle triplet took a deep breath and nodded to herself.


    Angel turned to Raisa in one smooth motion and slapped her right across the cheek with thunderous force.


    SMACK.


    "I expected that," Raisa sighed, head turning at the action as a bruise formed on her cheek.


    While not as strong as Mod, she had left her guard down in complete acceptance for what was about to occur.


    "I don''t like you. At all," Angel said flatly.


    Raisa nodded, not too surprised by that.


    "I hold Master in the highest regards. He''s my big brother after all... and you abandoned him. Good reason this, stress that. I''m not logical like Demon is, so even after hearing all that I still don''t really like you at all..."


    Angel sighed. "But I can relate to people and I really hate that sometimes."


    "I want to call you a complete dumbass and take a stance about being better than you. But... I''ve also made stupid decisions under distress and I lost way more from that decision than yours," she said, eyes shutting as she remembered the day everything went wrong.


    Raisa saw the way her eyes shut and tentatively placed a hand on Angel''s shoulder.


    Angel jolted and stared at it, before stepping away from Raisa with a wary look in her eyes.


    "You''ll have to do a lot to earn my forgiveness¡­ but I''m willing to let bygones be bygones. You should thank my amazing brothers for that... and you should thank my wife for accepting me despite all my faults. I''ll return the good fortune."


    Raisa nodded eagerly. "I''ll do anything to make it up to my children and that involves you two as well. Whatever you need from me, I''ll do my best," she assured.


    "C-Children?!" Angel gaped, eyes going wide.


    "Wow, not only do you have kids¡­ you have triplets!" Dalia squealed happily, clapping as the earlier group of three watched the exchange.


    "I guess it''s to make up for the fact we don''t have kids," Oren mused.


    "Triplets¡­ I have triplets?" Raisa whispered to herself.


    She did didn''t she? They all looked just like her too! Rosan, Angel and Demon... her three children.


    Triplets! Her!


    Her eyes shone and the queen summarily yanked the three into a tight hug.


    "I have triplets!" she beamed.


    The triplets let out different noises, from Rosan''s accepting sigh, Demon''s confused amusement and Angel''s strangled yelp.


    "W-What the hell are you talking about?!" Angel gaped.


    "Her ignorance reminds me of you and Master," Demon laughed.


    "You get used to it," Rosan chuckled, squeezing the three of them.


    "I''ll earn all of your respect. I promise," Raisa said, determination in her eyes as she gazed at them all. "I have many ways to help you all. You must all come visit Wisteria. I will gladly show you all around."


    "I''d like to see it," Demon said, ignoring Angel''s glare.


    "I think it''ll be fun! We''re both queens so we can set things up between our islands," Maro smiled gleefully, steadfastly ignoring Angel''s heinous growl.


    "You''re squeezing too hard!" Angel complained, struggling fruitlessly.


    "So that''s why Master loves hugs," Demon laughed, returning it.


    Maro smiled gleefully, hugging the ecstatic Dalia.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "So you are Rosan''s student?" Raisa asked curiously, chopping a carrot swiftly.


    Maro watched her with an impressed eye, nodding at the question.


    "He''s been my teacher for 12 years now! He taught me everything I know!" Maro beamed.


    Raisa hummed pleasantly at that, dumping the carrots in a bowl. "You don''t... have a problem with me?" she asked tentatively.


    "Of course I do!" Maro laughed. "I used to think you were a bitch!"


    Raisa''s mouth opened in shock at that, not expecting her fellow queen to say that word so freely.


    "I don''t think a single soul in our family doesn''t have a problem with you, besides Master of course. I just don''t feel the need to act out on those issues," Maro shrugged.


    The blue haired goblin gazed at Raisa with a kind smile.


    "You don''t need to be punished by me. You''ve gotten punished enough... besides, you''re the reason I have Master. Without you abandoning him, he probably never finds me and I die instead," she said bluntly.


    Raisa blinked in horror at that. "I... see. So he saved your life?"


    Maro nodded eagerly. "I was homeless before I met him. No parents to be seen. I didn''t even have a name!"


    That made Raisa truly jolt. "Homeless? No name? Truly?!" she asked in disbelief.


    She gazed at the woman carefully. "Does that mean... Rosan named you?"


    "Mhm. Master literally gave me everything. My name, my Devil Fruit, my role in this world... my life as queen."


    Maro smiled and gazed at Angel, prompting the redhead to look up.


    Raisa watched her daughter''s cheeks burn red and felt her heart swell.


    "I feel terrible for leaving him behind... but I realize now that he has met so much people, that it was actually better for me to do so," she whispered.


    "Call me selfish but I agree. At least this way, Master gets the best of both worlds. Us and you!" Maro beamed.


    Raisa never saw it like that... but Maro was completely right.


    The woman placed her knife down and pulled Maro into a tight hug.


    "You''re a wonderful person, Maro," Raisa murmured.


    Maro lit up at that, cheeks a bright red.


    "You''re not a bitch, Raisa!" Maro replied easily, returning the hug.


    "If you ever have any advice, from one queen to another, I''d be glad to help you," Raisa replied kindly.


    The Dokkaebi''s eyes lit up. "Actually, since you''ll be training Master for two years, I''d like to join too! You can teach me queen stuff at the same time!"


    Raisa hummed and nodded. "Very well. I have no problem training you either. You mentioned a Devil Fruit?"


    Maro grinned. "I ate a Mythical Zoan! I''m a Dokkaebi!"


    "Rosan sure does seem to find quite the Devil Fruits," Raisa murmured, finishing up the meal.


    "Yeah he does!" Maro cackled.


    "Enough buttering up my wife!" Angel barked, marching up to the two conversing with a slight glare. "The food is ready right? Get it on the table!"


    Maro saluted and began placing the assortment of dishes on the table.


    Angel huffed and only began helping because she didn''t want Maro moving back and forth too much.


    Raisa made alot of food. It honestly looked delicious... not that Angel would ever say it aloud.


    "I''m not sure what you all prefer, so I just made an assortment of different dishes," Raisa said, fidgeting slightly as she took a seat next to Rosan.


    Her oldest son smiled slightly and held out a hand, before the ring on his finger transformed into Ram.


    "Ram!" Angel squealed, rubbing her cheeks against the girl.


    Ram hissed but accepted it all the same. "Stop that! I''m happy to see you guys but don''t go doing these things! It''s childish!"


    Maro coughed at that and got a heinous glare from her best friend.


    "I''m sorry, Ram! I can''t help it... your cheeks are so squishy," Angel sighed. She idly pinched the girls cheek and Ram growled warningly.


    "Father! Stop her before I cause a scene!"


    Rosan sighed. He had been quietly conversing with Demon while they caused their chaos but it was expected for him to eventually get dragged into it.


    He grabbed Ram and sat the short girl next to him, making his seat larger because Ram would throw a fit if everyone saw her sitting on his knees.


    Ram accepted the fork and idly bit it, chewing the metal like it were candy and glaring as Rosan snatched it out of her hand.


    The redhead''s eyes flashed and he repaired the fork, handing it back to Ram with an amused smile.


    "I''ll give you some actual steel later. Don''t eat Raisa''s forks," he grunted.


    "But Grandma doesn''t have a problem with it!" Ram scowled at him.


    Raisa nodded in agreement. "I don''t. I was concerned at first, but seeing as Ram doesn''t get affected by it, it''s fine by me," she smiled.


    "Stop spoiling her," Rosan and Mod said flatly, voice mixing with each other.


    Ram grinned and shot Raisa a thumbs up, causing the woman to smile.


    "This... is surprisingly delicious," Demon said, taking a bite out of his food. His eyes were wide as he dug into his meal.


    "Seriously! It''s delicious!" Maro exclaimed.


    Raisa''s cheeks dusted and she glanced at the table. "I um... I used to be rather terrible at cooking."


    "Really?" Demon asked, eyes twinkling as he shot a look towards the utterly unamused Rosan.


    Raisa nodded, missing the look. "My parents refused to let me cook. Unbefitting for a queen. They... forced Dalia to cook instead. They used to say if she can''t even fight, she may as well learn how to do something," she said quietly.


    Demon''s smile vanished at that, a small frown on his face.


    Dalia in question, was at Fregate with Aiko, Akemi and Oren so it was just Raisa and her children (yes, her children!).


    "Your parents suck?" Maro asked.


    "They were awful. They mistreated Oren and Dalia very much," she muttered.


    "Not you?" Angel pressed with a frown.


    Raisa shook her head. "My parents loved me. I was everything they wanted in a child and more. I was the light of the Iris family, the greatest prospect since they first combined their lineage with the Kuja."


    There was a tinge of bitterness in her voice at that and the queen shook her head.


    "My parents tainted my relationship with my siblings but that is for another time. You wanted to know why I know how to cook yes?"


    They nodded, noting that Raisa would have preferred to not speak about this.


    "I learned somewhat how to cook during my travels through the sea. I wasn''t the best but it was adequate enough... but sometime after Wisteria was... attacked, I had to fully teach myself how to cook properly. Every other meal I had created for me, was laced in some type of poison by wouldbe assassins. While I''m mostly immune to poison, it does sour the taste of the meal... and I did not want Rosan, who I was still pregnant with at the time, to have anything wrong happen to him," Rasia explained patiently.


    There was a tense silence at that.


    "You were dealing with assassins while pregnant?" Demon asked slowly.


    Raisa nodded, an exhausted look taking over. "A single man managed to destroy countless parts of my island and got away. Not only that, the previous rulers were killed in the action. I had just become Queen when this happened to me. The people were not used to me at all. I was 18, I had just become Queen and the first thing my subjects learned about me, was that I wasn''t strong enough to protect them from one man."


    "Holy shit," Maro thought in horror. Losing the trust of her subjects so early into her reign... all while pregnant.


    Raisa sighed. "I''m not here to garner pity with any of you. I''ve already made my mistakes and I''m ready to make amends for them," she said firmly.


    Demon frowned sadly. "The more you tell us, the more I empathize with you. You were truly in a horrific situation."


    "I would honestly feel like an asshole if I still hated you," Maro muttered, a sad expression overtaking her. "I dealt with assassins too when I first took the throne. I couldn''t imagine dealing with them while pregnant."


    "...It was difficult. Not a day went by where I wasn''t stressed," Raisa agreed, cutting a piece of steak and delicately eating it.


    "Pregnancy is a terrible thing when you have to deal with it alone," Rosan murmured, eyes glossing over with memories. "That''s why I don''t fault you. I was a firsthand witness to a pregnant person. Being pregnant and in charge?"


    Raisa wavered at that. "Thank you for being more understanding than me, Rosan," she whispered.


    Angel stared at the woman who looked exactly like her and frowned, before digging into the plate.


    "I want you to teach me how to cook. It''s a decent meal and since Maro loves it so much, I''ll make it accessible for her," Angel said bluntly.


    Raisa blinked at that, before a smile threatened to overtake her features.


    "I''d love to teach you. It could be a good bonding experience," Raisa said softly.


    Angel''s eye twitched. "S-Shut up! I just wanna learn how to cook! Don''t make it weird!"


    Demon chuckled. "There Angel goes again."


    Rosan rolled his eyes in amusement. "She should be more honest with herself."


    "Auntie Angel is like that! She refuses to because it''s embarrassing!" Ram cackled, wildly eating a steak.


    "Guys. Please... I''m going to have to deal with her eruption later because of things you said," Maro said miserably.


    Angel twitched harshly. "I''ll kill all of you," she said calmly, purple sparks running through her body.


    Rosan blinked and smoothly moved Ram in front of him, much to the rings horror.


    "Have fun," he said easily, chewing his chicken easily.


    "G-GET ME OFF YOUR LAP!" Ram roared.


    "You need to be more honest with yourself too," Rosan chuckled, patting her head.


    "I''LL KILL YOU FATHER!"


    Raisa watched the chaos going on and... the queen felt a laugh leave her body.


    "He...hehehe," Raisa giggled, feeling her body lighten as she laughed for the first time in who knows how long.


    The Queen''s eyes were shut in joy, so she missed the sight of everyone gazing at her.


    "You have a cute laugh," Rosan snorted.


    Raisa heard that, and a blush of mortification appeared on her face at the eyes on her person.


    "I-It''s been a while since I''ve laughed... you guys have just, made my life a lot brighter," she mumbled in embarrassment.


    Angel had to do everything in her power to not coo at that. She was already reluctantly sympathizing with the queen... but she needed to make her work for it.


    Mod watched it all, completely silent. Her brows were furrowed and she bit her lip before sighing to herself.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Raisa''s eyes snapped open as the body she was squeezing, shifted enough to jostle her.


    "Did Rosan''s body get... softer?" Raisa thought, horror beginning to fill her as she felt the very feminine body.


    "You''re squeezing me too hard," Mod said quietly, red eyes glowing in the night.


    Raisa realized where her hands were resting and felt a blush of mortification forming. She hastily yanked her arm from across what used to be Rosan''s chest and gazed at the unimpressed Mod with a look of horror.


    "I-I''m so sorry. I had no idea you were going to take over."


    Mod rolled her eyes, a slight red on her cheek. "It''s fine."


    Raisa didn''t really hear her clearly. "If I had known, I wouldn''t have place my hand over Rosan''s chest!"


    "It''s. Fine!" Mod said forcefully, adjusting the sleeveless gray tee slightly. Her face was burning now and she huffed.


    "Why are... you awake?" Raisa asked carefully. She was gazing warily at the Devil Fruit, eyes slightly drawn to the sight of the woman adjusting the oversized tee.


    "I wanted to talk to you. One on one," Mod said firmly.


    The Queen looked slightly nervous at that.


    One on one...? Without Rosan to mediate?


    That... wasn''t very good for her.


    "She''s terrified of me," Mod thought, shutting her eyes and letting out a heavy sigh.


    Raisa truly believed, that Mod was going to destroy the slight happiness she found.


    She wasn''t used to someone being terrified of her... it reminded her of how terrified she had been of Rosan.


    ...


    "For as long as I could, I''ve hated you. I didn''t think there was anything you could say to make me ever feel anything but hatred for you," Mod whispered, staring at Raisa with a frown.


    Raisa ducked her head in guilt at that.


    "I hate that my family is accepting you so easily. They are so kind and loving and I don''t think you deserve that," Mod said coldly.


    "..." Raisa nervously wrung her hands at that. She was looking everywhere but at Mod.


    Mod sighed, frosty expression melting somewhat.


    "I don''t think you fully understand how much I love Rosan," Mod said quietly, standing up and grasping the woman''s arms tightly.


    "You don''t know the full extent of what we''ve gone through... so I''m going to show you. I''m going to show you why I''m willing to die for him," she muttered.


    Raisa shuddered at that. "You''ll show me?" she asked carefully.


    "Yes. Come. I''m going to show you. I''m not mad at you any longer... but I want you to understand what we''ve gone through. If my family will forgive you, then I will too. But if you truly want to earn my forgiveness, you will watch it," Mod said firmly.


    The queen let out a rattled breath, gazing down at the woman with a disturbed gaze... before it transformed into one of determination.


    "I''ll do anything to earn your forgiveness, Mod. Please allow me," Raisa said passionately.


    Mod merely looked grim. "Very well then. You may sleep here from now on while we do this. Feel free to back out at anytime."


    Raisa took a deep breath and adjusted her robe. "Okay. I''m ready."


    "That''s what you think," Mod muttered, grabbing her and activating the link.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Raisa had never been in Rosan''s mindscape before. She knew it existed because her son had mentioned it... but she wasn''t willing to step into Mod''s domain ever really.


    Mod was in a robe, that she tightened idly. The woman gazed at the sleeping Rosan and sighed with a fond smile. He was by himself for once, Ram sleeping in another room to get used to it.


    ...Mod wasn''t as mature as Ram unfortunately. She still preferred to sleep with either her or Rosan.


    The Devil Fruit crouched slightly and kissed Rosan on his forehead, running a hand through his hair before pushing herself up.


    Raisa wanted to do the same but she imagined Mod wouldn''t be very happy about that, so the woman just followed after her son''s Devil Fruit.


    As Mod exited the homey building, she was greeted to the sight of a steady downpour brushing against her skin.


    "Beautiful," Raisa whispered, gazing at the forest with wide eyes.


    "It didn''t used to look like this," Mod said softly. "It used to be a frozen wasteland. Cold and lifeless."


    Raisa shuddered at the tone of the woman.


    "We can go back inside. I just wanted to show you the scenery," Mod muttered, turning on a heel.


    "...Right," Raisa replied softly, trailing after the woman.


    They went below, heading to the basement of the home and Raisa watched Mod open a door, guiding her into a large room.


    There was a bed there, facing a giant screen that looked as if it could be turned on.


    Mod waved her hand and the bed abruptly changed into a row of seats. She immediately took a seat in the front row and Raisa followed suit, warily sitting next to the purple haired woman.


    The Devil Fruit let out a rattled breath. She didn''t want to watch this at all, but Raisa should truly understand what Rosan had gone through. Words weren''t enough this time. Not for Mod. She was a woman of action... something she got from her son.


    "I''m beginning now. We can''t watch it all immediately so I will bring you in here at my own discretion," Mod informed her.


    Raisa nodded. "What about Rosan?" she asked carefully.


    "I won''t hide anything from Rosan. I will tell him of course... but he doesn''t have to be here. This is between you and I," Mod said firmly.


    "I see... alright then. I understand," Raisa replied eventually.


    "Good."


    With that, Mod waved her hand and began the first memories... the one detailing the very beginning of Rosan''s childhood with Rouge.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Mod let out a yelp as Raisa grasped her tightly. She struggled in the woman''s hold but stopped at hearing the strangled sob.


    "I''m sorry. I''m sorry," Raisa said repeatedly, tears spilling down her eyes as Rosan''s wails pierced the screen.


    Her little baby boy. The shining beacon of a child... and he was forced to watch his mother die.


    "I''m sorry!" Raisa wailed. "If I knew she was suffering through pregnancy, I would have flown over. I could have made the delivery smooth! She didn''t have to wait 20 months... Oh Kami, 20 months? 9 months was hell for me, I can''t even imagine what she was going through!"


    Mod saw Raisa sobbing with an unreadable expression, the raw emotion pouring over her easily.


    "I''m so sorry to you Mod... You weren''t ready for such a tall task but you did it anyways. You were practically shoved into the role of Rosan''s mother when you weren''t ready for such a thing!" Raisa exclaimed, fat tears spilling onto the woman below her.


    "...!" Mod''s eyes widened at that.


    No one had... ever quite mentioned that Mod was woefully unprepared to be Rosan''s mother. It wasn''t something Mod herself thought too much about.


    Her son needed someone and she was there for him, guiding her woefully unprepared emotions to a place that could help nurture Rosan.


    Raisa shut her eyes in agony, even as Rosan''s cries died off and the redhead fell asleep.


    "This... is just the beginning?" she asked quietly.


    "...That''s right," Mod sighed, wiping her own tears.


    Raisa bit her lip. "Should you really be watching this again? This must be torture for you... You''ve already been through so much."


    "And you care?" The purple haired woman asked in annoyance.


    "Of course I care. I don''t hate you, Mod... I think you''re well within your right to hold so much animosity towards me," Raisa said truthfully, shutting her eyes.


    "You more than anyone, are well within their right to despise me. I have committed the worst crime to your son... that''s why I want to earn your forgiveness. I''ll do anything to make you think even a little better of me."


    Mod grit her teeth at the earnest tone and then sighed in defeat.


    "For your own sake, there''s no need to watch anymore," she said blandly.


    The Devil Fruit didn''t even know what she was hoping to accomplish by showing Raisa these memories.


    Mod stood and dusted herself off.


    "Get ready. I''m going to kick you out now," she said bluntly, only to pause at feeling a hand gripping her arm.


    "Mod... if you ever need someone to talk to, I''m all ears," Raisa said softly, gazing directly into the woman''s eyes.


    "...Raisa, I''m trying so hard to treat you fairly," Mod replied, looking at the hand holding her arm.


    "But it''s not possible," the queen finished for her. "I understand, Mod."


    Raisa took a deep breath and tentatively pulled the woman into a tight hug.


    "I know you hate my guts, but please feel free to use me as you see fit if you need anything. It''s the least I could do for the person who stepped up and took my place."


    Mod said nothing for a long while.


    "You''re crushing me with your breast," she finally said, annoyance rolling off of her.


    Raisa leapt back at that.


    "Sorry! I''m not... good at this stuff," she murmured in embarrassment.


    Mod sighed and pinched her nose. "Just... go to sleep."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "You''re touchy today," Rosan mentioned idly. He had just taken a seat and Raisa had taken it upon herself to begin squeezing the life out of him.


    Raisa said nothing, burrowing deeper into him.


    The redhead tilted his head at his fellow redhead''s antics.


    Why was she so moody?


    "You saw my memories?" he asked randomly.


    The silence told him what he needed to know.


    "No wonder you don''t wanna train today," he frowned. "Mod-chan."


    "I don''t know why I did it. I only showed her up to the memory of Rouge''s passing."


    He sighed tiredly.


    "Mod-chan... weaponizing my memories is not cool at all. You know how damaging they can be."


    Mod looked away in guilt at that. "I know... I just wanted to get a win over her. It wasn''t even worth it because she didn''t have the reaction I expected her."


    Rosan huffed. "I understand... but I''m still going to punish you."


    "W-What?!" Mod spluttered. "You do not get to punish me! I''m your mother!"


    "Raisa, I''m punishing you and Mod for viewing my memories without my permission," Rosan said bluntly, patting her on the head.


    Raisa blinked in disbelief, mouth dropping as his words registered. "Punish us? You are not allowed to punish us! We''re your mothers!" she retorted angrily.


    "Huh, funny. Mod-chan said the same thing," Rosan smiled, ignoring her too.


    Raisa spluttered in disbelief at being completely disregarded by him.


    "You can''t muster up the resolve to hit me today... so we won''t train today. I''ve got things I wanna do anyways. In the meantime, you and Mod-chan will be spending more time together soon."


    Mod blinked in horror. "What? Rosan surely you aren''t serious?"


    "I am," Rosan smiled.


    "I''m being punished by my own son...?" Raisa mumbled, contemplating disengaging from her rude child and deciding against it.


    "Get used to it," Rosan grunted, scratching his head as he ran a hand through her hair. "I''m sorry for Mod-chan. You shouldn''t have seen my memories. At least you saw the tamest one," he sighed.


    Of the three major events that broke him, Rouge''s death was the least traumatizing to witness... which said something.


    Raisa shuddered, somehow managing to burrow even deeper into him.


    "You considered that... tame?" she whispered, sorrow lacing her tone.


    "For your sake, you don''t want to see the bad ones," Rosan soothed, pushing himself up.


    "I''ve got some visits to make. In the meantime..."


    The redhead''s eyes began glowing brightly and he grunted, sclera turning back momentarily.


    He began forming a figure with his prowess and the redhead huffed, sweat pouring off his features.


    Ice and Modification... it allowed Rosan to do some wonderful things.


    Not done yet, Rosan''s nails turned into claws and he dug into his skin, getting a startled yell out of Raisa as a pool of blood began pouring on the statue.


    Rosan''s eyes glowed and he touched the ice, modifying it in the process and transforming it into a perfect copy of himself.


    At the same time, the blood began spreading over it and Raisa watched with a stunned gaze as the former ice sculpture, surged to life.


    "Modification: Copy and Paste," Rosan intoned, watching in delight as the perfect copy of him began twitching slightly.


    "Well, it worked," Rosan and the clone said at the exact same time.


    "W-What...?" Raisa mumbled in confusion, watching as Rosan shook his own hand.


    "Tada!" Both her sons said in unison, expressions completely matching. "I figured the technique out!"


    Raisa felt herself getting a little dizzy at seeing two Rosans, who said the exact same things.


    "Okay, controlling two bodies is getting taxing," they said at the same time, eyes glowing once more.


    The Rosan on the right went dormant, as the original one placed a palm against it.


    "Modification: Transfer Files."


    Mod yelped in shock as she felt a tug on her body and the woman let out a squeal, that emitted from the dormant Rosan''s mouth.


    Her eyes snapped open and she took in a deep breath, hands roaming over her own body in disbelief.


    "What...?!" Mod said in confusion, realizing she was in Rosan''s body.


    "You alright?" A familiar voice asked... right next to her.


    Mod looked up shakily at that, meeting the familiar gaze of... of Rosan.


    Rosan smiled. "I finally figured it out... after seeing that my body had been split in two for 12 years. If Modification can split my soul without me knowing, I''m pretty sure I could just split myself."


    Mod felt tears forming in her eyes as Rosan beckoned her and the Devil Fruit hesitantly modified the body granted to her.


    Rosan watched with a wide grin, as slowly but surely the clone of himself turned into a perfect copy of Mod-chan.


    Almost as soon as she finished, Mod let out shaky breath as she was abruptly pulled into a tight hug.


    "It''s been way too long. Of all the promises I made to myself... I can''t believe getting you your own body took the longest," he sighed, squeezing her gently.


    Mod sniffed at that, before the woman broke out into a loud sob.


    "Rosan!" she wailed, hugging him tightly. "You... the first thing you do after giving me my body... is hugging me? You''re so sweet!" she sobbed.


    "Kahaha!" Rosan laughed, holding the woman. "You really thought I''d forget that? C''mon Mod. You know I owed you of all people a hug."


    Mod whimpered.


    What an incredibly kind person Rosan was. To think this goal was so important for him... when Mod hadn''t even thought about it too much herself.


    She held her precious son like her life depended on it, letting out another cry as Ram cheered happily and hugged her in real life.


    "You did it Father! Now I can bother Auntie in real life too!"


    "And you can''t run away from me anymore!" Mod laughed prettily.


    Ram stopped laughing at that, going pale in horror as she backed away from Mod.


    Rosan chuckled. "This is a weird technique. I basically make a copy of myself and then allocate a percentage of my power to paste abilities in it," he explained to her.


    Mod''s eyes widened and she experimentally tapped into her abilities.


    "So how much power do I have? I assume you take from yourself to add it to me?" she asked worriedly.


    "That''s right. Since we aren''t really fighting or anything, I gave you 30%. Enough for you to defend yourself and use all our abilities," Rosan explained.


    "So you''re only at 70% strength?" Mod asked in fascination.


    The redhead nodded with a small smile. "I can allocate as much power as needed. I can even make you have the majority of the power if you want."


    Mod mulled that over. "This technique feels very impractical. Splitting your power against significantly stronger foes would make us lose even faster."


    Rosan cackled. "This isn''t a technique for combat, Mod-chan. This is a technique for you," he murmured, tucking her into his frame easily.


    Mod felt her tears renew at that and she clutched the redhead. "You''re so lovely, Rosan. It''s no wonder I''m so helplessly whipped."


    "It''s cause I''m awesome," he beamed. "Now, you get to spend some time with Raisa. You''re still under punishment."


    Mod blinked, horror on her features as Rosan hoisted her up and planted her right next to Raisa.


    "Try not to kill each other when I''m gone. I''ll be really sad," Rosan smiled. "Ram, you coming with me or staying here?"


    "I''ll stay! I''ll make sure Auntie doesn''t kill anyone!" Ram grinned, jumping into the yelping Mod''s arms.


    "Don''t use Save Point Mod-chan... I''ll be able to tell," Rosan waved. He approached them and planted a kiss on Ram and Mod''s foreheads... before turning to Raisa and doing the same.


    Raisa''s mouth instantly shut at that and her cheeks turned rosy.


    "I''ll do my best to make sure we get along!" she said fiercely, grabbing Rosan and returning the kiss on his forehead.


    "Whipped," Mod and Ram thought in unison.


    Rosan simply smiled and waved, vanishing from his spot.


    "...Is there anything you guys would like to do?" Raisa asked awkwardly.


    Mod shut her eyes and sighed. "I''m so happy that Rosan gave me a body... that I don''t feel the need to antagonize you or myself. I want to thank him somehow... so could you teach me how to cook?" she asked.


    Raisa''s eyes lit up at the request and she completely missed the way Ram was subtly trying to tell her no.


    "I''d love to!" Raisa exclaimed eagerly, standing up immediately. "Come! You can tell me all of Rosan''s favorite meals and we''ll get started on them immediately!"


    "U-Um! I''m gonna go find Aunt Dalia!" Ram said suddenly, dashing off before they could say anything.


    Mod had a look of determination on her face.


    Surely with her own body, learning how to cook was possible now?


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "What''s the occasion?" Aiko asked, filing her nails idly.


    Rosan hummed, idly sprouting a tail and tipping her over.


    The leader of Fregate let out a startled shout at that, hissing and flailing as she fell to the ground.


    "Huh... Demon normally catches you. Where is he?" Rosan asked curiously, ignoring the snarling like it didn''t even exist.


    "He''s on a date with Mikita," Angel informed him, giggling slightly.


    "He''s finally breaking out of his shell!" Maro exclaimed happily, helping Aiko up.


    As soon as she was put on her two feet, she lunged at Rosan with blood in her eyes.


    Rosan raised a brow. "You want a hug?" he asked ignorantly, pulling the rabid woman into one.


    "I''ll kill you in your sleep," she hissed violently.


    "We''ll be sleeping in the same place? I guess that means you finally scored with Dalia," Rosan mused.


    He barely flinched at seeing teeth fail to even put a dent to his skin.


    "Anyways. I called you all here because I''ve got a gift to give you."


    Aiko stopped gnawing unsuccessfully at that and gazed up in confusion at that.


    "A gift?!" Maro asked in excitement, moving her long hair behind her head to regard the redhead fully.


    Master always had the coolest gifts! Last time Maro got a gift, it was a ship!


    Rosan waved his hand and before Maro and Aiko''s eyes, Bartholomew Kuma appeared before them.


    The two felt their mouths open at that, eyes going wide.


    Were these what they thought they were?! They forgot he managed to get some!


    "Here. They''re called the Pacifista. We encountered them at the war and honestly, they''re stronger than any soldier you currently have," he said truthfully, gauging the staunch and huge robots.


    "Seriously?" Maro thought in disbelief. Master had dealt with them so easily, she hadn''t been shown their true strength!


    "They''re good weapons¡­ but I dunno if they''re reproducible without the right materials. Seems like Vegapunk was the one who created them," Rosan explained, patting one of the Kuma''s easily.


    Angel''s eyes glowed at that and she eagerly began circling the idle Pacifista, tapping them experimentally.


    "How''d you get it on your side?" Aiko asked warily, watching as the Robots stood prone in their spots.


    "It''s a machine with no will. Controlling it was almost too easy. I''ve been tampering with them a bit to make sure they don''t go off the rails," Rosan replied confidently.


    "Have them. I stole four so you guys can have three of them. I wanna mess around with one a bit. I have an idea for it that could be cool."


    The Pacifista were very strong. They practically took no damage and could annihilate waves of pirates easily. The average pirate group would be demolished by them...


    Which meant Fregate and Celadon having some would make them practically impossible to invade.


    Well, Celadon already was but Fregate could use a bit of help too.


    Maro nodded eagerly. "That''s so awesome Master! Look how happy Angel looks!"


    "You''re the best brother ever!" Angel gushed, beaming up at him with an excited glimmer.


    "I think Demon''s better than me¡­ but I agree out of principle," Rosan grinned.


    "I''m taking one to experiment on! Ugh, I wish Franky were here so we could talk about it! I''ll figure out how to reverse engineer this thing! Oh a make sure you change the appearance of them! Kuma is a scary guy!"


    Maro and Aiko nodded in agreement.


    "Make mine an ogre!" Maro grinned.


    "Just make mine not a Warlord," Aiko sighed.


    Rosan chuckled and tapped Maro''s not reducing the size but transforming it completely into an ogre like she wanted.


    As for Aiko, he just reduced the size of it, making it taller than her by a slight amount. Then he changed the appearance to that of a handsome, unassuming man.


    "I was always bothered by the fact that you walk around so unguarded... your own personal bodyguard should be good," Rosan mused.


    Aiko looked at her bodyguard in question and nodded in approval.


    "Well, I suppose a bodyguard stronger than basically all of the pirates of the directional seas, would be pretty useful. Thanks, Rosan," she grunted.


    He pat her head with a small smile. "Of course. I need you all to be safe of course."


    "Now if you''ll excuse me, I still got more visits to make," he sighed despondently.


    "Kay!" Angel beamed, waving him off.


    The redhead waved and right before he vanished, he said, "Oh right. I''ve got Mod-chan her own body now. I''ll have to show you guys later."


    There was a tense silence as he disappeared from his spot.


    "WHAT?!" They all shouted in disbelief.


    "Why didn''t he start off with that?!" Maro shouted angrily.


    "Master Mod is free?! Why didn''t he tell us?!" Angel practically screeched.


    Aiko rolled her eyes. "Come on bodyguard. Let''s let them rant."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Izumi."


    Izumi froze at that deep and calm voice, a shudder ripping its way through her body as she hastily whirled around to regard Rosan.


    "R-Rosan!" she stammered, saluting shakily at the expressionless redhead.


    Everyone on the ship tensed up at that, gazing at the redhead with black streaks going through his hair.


    News of what happened to Rosan, spread like a wildfire. It was all the world was talking about, so naturally CP9 was aware that the tyrant ruling over them was a man who had joined a war between the World Government and Whitebeard... coming out alive in the process.


    With an extraordinarily higher bounty.


    And once more he wasn''t with Nico Robin.


    Izumi heard Kalifa let out a rattled breath, only for it to die immediately as Rosan''s eyes shifted over to her.


    The blonde nearly bit her tongue at the stare and Rosan tilted his head.


    "U-Um... we raided three Marine Bases for everything they had. We''re almost completely stocked on supplies... and we''ve been hunting bounties and turning them in. There''s been a surge of pirates so we''ve gotten a comfortable amount of money."


    "..." Rosan stared at her and hummed.


    "I have no interest in any of you anymore," he said bluntly, turning on a dime.


    Izumi froze at that. "...What?" she asked quietly, confusion roiling off of her.


    "This deal between us... it''s tiring. I''ll be going off the grid for a long time so do whatever you want," Rosan informed them.


    "...You''re freeing us?" Kaku asked incredulously.


    "Sure. There''s no benefit to our partnership. I don''t need you all anymore," Rosan said coolly, putting his foot on the railing in preparation to fly off.


    "Feel free to do whatever you want. For your sakes, let this be the last time we ever meet."


    Every single CP9 agent let out a deep breath of relief at that, thanking whatever miracle managed to come their way.


    "But... why?" Izumi asked in horror.


    The CP9 agents froze at that, turning incredulous stares towards the woman.


    After all, they just needed to shut up and Rosan would fly off. Talking back to him was not the way to freedom.


    "Why? Why don''t I desire a partnership anymore?" Rosan asked, turning around to regard her.


    The redhead hummed at that and approached the girl, before gripping her by the chin.


    Izumi was forced to hold his gaze and shuddered at the slight glow in them.


    "You and I have history, Izumi. We''ve taken everything from each other," Rosan muttered.


    "But I''m over that. The past can''t chain me down anymore... so I want to actually sever whatever this is," he said peacefully, raking a hand through his hair.


    "This dance between us? It''s over for good. Whatever resentment I have for you is gone... so just live your life in peace. I won''t torment you anymore," he said softly, releasing his grip on her.


    Izumi was stunned. "But you don''t understand... it''s not..."


    "Easy? I know. But you''ll have to do it if you want to find your own peace," he said firmly.


    The redhead gazed at them all. "CP9... I really want you guys dead but you get to survive this time. If we ever encounter each other again though... then you were just born under the wrong star. "


    With that, Rosan vanished.


    Izumi watched him go with wide eyes, a twitch surging through her body that turned progressively violent.


    Why didn''t he understand? She couldn''t just... there was no moving on from him! He couldn''t say all this fairy tale bullshit and expect people to just agree with him!


    Izumi began digging her nails into her palm, drawing blood, as she just stared at the spot Rosan was just at. She began trembling, pupils dilating.


    She couldn''t... live without him. Izumi would see him again. She would see him again.


    Footsteps snapped her out of her daze and Izumi saw Rob Lucci standing next to her.


    "You do not wish for it to end here, do you?" he asked knowingly, nails sharpening as he stared in cold fury at the spot.


    "Good. Neither do I. The Straw Hats made a mockery of us... I refuse to acknowledge them. We will gain our revenge."


    Izumi trembled and nodded tightly.


    The other three agents looked at the two strongest in clear trepidation, all thinking the same thing.


    "Should they really anger the Devil who had set them free?"


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "If it isn''t my favorite pet Crocodile."


    Crocodile tensed up at that and a snarl formed on his face.


    Everyone else varied just as negatively, though Crocodile was the only one who was angry.


    The others just felt terror.


    How boring.


    "Red Devil," Crocodile sneered, watching the redhead sitting on his ship rail with an amused smile.


    "Morning Star now. I got an upgrade... I still miss Angel of Death though," Rosan sighed.


    Alvida felt a shudder of terror rip through her at that reminder. She gazed nervously at the lax redhead, taking note of the black streaks running through his red hair.


    "Angel of Death..." Crocodile muttered darkly, remembering well what the supposed Angel of Death had done to him...


    "Tell me something, redhead. Why?"


    Rosan raised a brow. "What the fuck is with you people asking me why? I''m not a philosopher. Why what?" he asked curiously.


    "Don''t joke with me," Crocodile snarled, sand seeping off his body. "You know what I''m talking about!"


    The redhead snorted and it broke out into a malicious laugh. "Yeah you''re right. I do. You wanna know just why I didn''t end your miserable existence back at Alabasta?"


    Shrieks rang out as two black wings burst from Rosan''s back, streaks of white seeping into his hair and replacing the black.


    "You want to know why Reaper of all people was traveling around with someone as silly as Straw Hat?" Rosan asked curiously.


    "I''ve been wondering that since we met at the first time!" Alvida blurted, before her eyes widened in terror and she stepped back.


    Rosan turned towards her and tilted his head.


    "Oh you mean your secret base," he mused.


    The redhead shrugged. "Kahaha! Luffy is my spoiled little brother. A lot of people look down on him so I have to be there as insurance to make sure they don''t take advantage of my cute little brother."


    ...He missed Luffy. Rosan sighed miserably.


    Crocodile clenched his fist tightly. "That''s why you let him beat me."


    Rosan smiled. "You wanna know the funny thing about your defeat. It''s your realization that you lost to Luffy. People hate losing to me but they can accept the reasoning behind me winning... but losing to Luffy? That''s gotta sting."


    A vein appeared on Crocodile''s head at that but Rosan continued unabashed.


    "Do you want to know why you''re so hung up on me being Reaper? Do you want to know why you hate me so much?" Rosan asked rhetorically, a knowing smile on his face.


    "It''s because I wasn''t the one who defeated you, Luffy did."


    Crocodile grit his teeth at the sardonic grin on Rosan''s face.


    "Despite the fact that I''m way stronger than you thought. Knowing that I''m Reaper... it hurts all the more that you lost to a no name pirate. Luffy wasn''t established like I was. You would have accepted the loss to me with the knowledge you have now but now you''re sitting here realizing, I let my baby brother beat the shit outta you."


    Rosan flew out of the way of the wave of sand trying to crush him, eyes lit up in amusement.


    "Knowing that you lost to the one you didn''t even deem worthy... ouch," he said finally, soaring through the air to avoid the crescent blades of sand.


    Rosan chuckled at the furious look on Crocodile''s face. "I''m not here to fight you know," he mentioned idly, floating away from the bullets of sand.


    Didn''t seem like Crocodile was intent on listening...


    Well then.


    Rosan sighed, floating idly as a serpentine dragon began forming around him. It curled around his body, head draping off his shoulder, with freezing air permeating through the two.


    "Let''s relax Crocodile. You''re in the middle of the ocean with quite the large crew. It''d be a shame to become a pillar of ice for the rest of your days."


    To stress his point, Rosan''s dragon roared challengingly, a beam of ice forming in its maw.


    "Shut your mouth," Crocodile snarled, sand seeping off his body. "You talk too big. I don''t give a damn if you''re Reaper, talking that recklessly is a death sentence."


    "Yeah?" Rosan asked curiously, rolling his eyes.


    The ice dragon opened its mouth and fired without hesitation. A thin beam of ice nearly collided with the ship, only to be met with a wall of sand.


    Crocodile''s look of hatred never vanished and Rosan sighed.


    "Okay. Block this. Good luck protecting your ship."


    The dragon roared once more, looping around his arm and stopping at his outstretched hand.


    In unison, the duo began charging their attack and Crocodile hissed at seeing both fire and ice being formed by Rosan and the dragon respectively.


    Panic ensued on the ship as everyone saw the attack, terror seeping off the bodies.


    "W-We came to the war like you demanded though! You''re still gonna kill us?!" someone shouted in horror.


    Rosan tilted his head. "My reason for coming here wasn''t to kill you, no. But, your boss has an ego too big for his own good. I wanna see if his skills match it."


    Crocodile grit his teeth at the attack forming from Rosan, knowing he probably couldn''t defend from the no doubt massive attack.


    "Then why are you here? Bragging about getting a hole punched through your chest while I sustained nothing lasting?" Crocodile sneered.


    Rosan twitched slightly. "Wanna see if you''ll come back from getting a hole punched in your chest?" he asked warningly.


    Crocodile sneered, no fear at all on his face despite the disadvantage he was at.


    But... there was no point in throwing his life away here and now.


    "What do you want redhead?" he asked eventually, banishing his sand.


    Rosan''s attack died down and the redhead hummed, landing back on the railing.


    "I''m going off the grid," Rosan said bluntly. "You''re free for now. Whatever happens when I come back... I don''t know. But don''t think about me."


    Crocodile raised a brow. "Off the grid? What do you mean by that."


    "Exactly what I said. I''m disappearing for a while. You won''t see me for a long time," Rosan said bluntly, running a hand through his hair.


    The former warlord scowled at that. "Running away?" he asked darkly.


    "Shut your mouth. I''m not the one who camped out in a country for over a decade, only for all my plans of glory to get flushed down the drain by a rubber boy who doesn''t think."


    Crocodile lunged, hook meeting Rosan''s claw and the two glared at each other darkly.


    The crowd took in another breath of terror at that. Rosan and Crocodile did terrible things to their blood pressure and calling it stressful was putting it nicely.


    Eventually, they sighed in relief as the two disengaged.


    "So you''re disappearing for a while," Crocodile grunted in disinterest. "What do you want from me?"


    "Nothing," Rosan replied bluntly. "Like I said, you won''t hear from me. Do whatever you want to do. This should be a great time for you to train up to kill me."


    "Hmph. Whatever. Get out of my sight if that''s all. Next time I see you, you''ll die."


    Rosan snorted, leering at Crocodile with a knowing gaze.


    "If I were a human, I''d almost miss the fact that you seem almost relieved at seeing me? Why''s that?" Rosan taunted.


    A vein of annoyance formed and Crocodile grit his cigar, eyes murderous.


    "Watch your mouth, redhead."


    "Oh! I get it!" Rosan cackled. "You weren''t a fan of me the last time we spoke? What was it you said? You wouldn''t resist killing me if I were stuck like that?"


    The redhead smirked. "My pet crocodile has grown attached. How sweet. You did good at the war, at this rate you might even reach your prime."


    A wave of sand crashed into the spot he was just at and Rosan let out a mocking laugh, floating once more.


    "See ya Crocodile. Next time we meet, try not to be too behind, yeah?" he sneered.


    With that, the redhead vanished.


    Crocodile snarled to himself, watching the spot the redhead was at with a dark glare.


    "I''m going to kill him," he swore. "No one is killing that redhead but me."


    If he had any doubts earlier, Crocodile had none anymore.


    He was headed to the New World. The Grand Line could not offer him anything else.


    And then, he would encounter that damned redhead and he''d kill him once and for all.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan twitched slightly, expression turning wary as he flew silently through the air.


    The silence was so loud without anyone to speak to. He actually felt himself going a little mad.


    It wasn''t often that he was separated from Mod-chan... and it sucked. He was heavily attached to Robin but his attachment to Mod-chan, was on another level.


    They truly were conjoined to the hip basically. Without her... Rosan felt his anxiety spiking.


    But he could handle it. Rosan was getting better with being alone. He needed to be. It was such a crippling fear of his, that he needed to deal with it before making it back to his crew.


    So the redhead flew in his solitude, practicing with his Observation and finding that it really was easier by himself.


    The best way to improve his observation, was likely to practice it alone and then apply that to after he combined with Mod-chan again.


    At least there was a benefit to this. He could actually train his worst Haki now.


    It still sucked since it didn''t negate the getting overwhelmed thing, but Rosan was just going to have to overpower it like Sabo had managed to do.


    ...


    "Oh it seems like I''m here," Rosan said aloud.


    Naturally, he did not get a response and the redhead sucked his teeth in aggravation.


    No Mod, no Ram... and Robin didn''t want to see him for a while.


    Just great. There was easing into things and there was the stupid shit Rosan decided to do.


    He soared downwards and landed on the floor with a soft exhale.


    Not wasting anytime, he marched towards the designated location with a small yawn, watching as people fell on the ground at his presence.


    Rosan stopped walking, as he saw a flag flying at the very top of the village''s tallest building.


    "Ah, Garp was here," he murmured, not even needing to reach out with his Observation to verify that the Marine wasn''t on the island.


    Good, Rosan wasn''t really intending on fighting Garp right now. He wanted nothing to do with him but he was also at 70% power right now as his maximum.


    Well, whatever. Garp was dead to him. No point thinking about him.


    Rosan approached the nice looking restaurant and kicked the door open without any hesitation, idly repairing it as he walked through.


    "Sup," he greeted, watching as all the people in there jumped high.


    Makino''s look of fright vanished in favor of pure elation and the woman resisted the urge to scream in joy. Tears sprung up in her eyes and she put a hand over her mouth.


    Rosan caught her gaze and smiled slightly, before his attention was drawn to the gun being aimed at his head.


    "This spots reserved," a voice said gruffly.


    Rosan turned towards the black haired man, gauging the unassuming figure in curiosity.


    "Pirates?" he asked curiously. "You reserve restaurants now? How fancy."


    "Funny guy," the pirate said, unamused as he pressed the gun against Rosan''s temple. "Turn back and get the fuck out before I blow your brains out."


    Rosan ignored him. "These dudes bothering you?" he asked curiously, turning towards Makino.


    His eyes narrowed slightly at the proximity to her and Rosan noted that her normally neat clothes, were slightly ruffled.


    Makino nodded shortly, discomfort clear on her features.


    "Right. Well, I can''t have you guys harassing my friend now can I? Especially when she''s been in so much distress?" he asked.


    The pirate''s eye twitched and he opened his mouth. "Didn''t you fucking hear me?! Get the hell outta here before we teach you a lesson, pretty bo¡ª HGRHK!"


    Rosan''s arm lashed out and gripped the pirate by his neck. The redhead rolled his eyes and squeezed tightly, hoisting him off the floor with far too much ease.


    "Learn when to shut up, minion. I wasn''t talking to you."


    "W-Wait! I''m s-sorry!" the pirate struggled harshly, terror in his eyes.


    "They''re always sorry the moment the consequences of their actions show up," Rosan sighed.


    "Drain," he said boredly.


    Everyone watched in terror, as the body began withering in his grasp. The man tried clawing helplessly but Rosan was unyielding, eyes half lidded as they roved over the petrified pirates there.


    "W-Wait a damn second," someone muttered in horror, realization making its way onto their face. "THAT''S THE MORNING STAR!"


    The screech made every single pirate in the bar go pale.


    "Y-You''re kidding me... the Morning Star?! What''s he doing in the East Blue?!"


    Rosan dropped the body and hummed. "Here to visit a friend, before I realized some funny little upstarts were bothering her."


    A dangerous aura washed over the entire bar and Makino shuddered at that, eyes wide as a bead of sweat formed.


    "Get on your little ship and get the fuck off the island. You have 5 minutes."


    Rosan didn''t even glance at the pirates rushing out of the door, simply watching as Makino''s expression contorted, lips wobbling as a sob escaped her.


    "Gotta hand it to them, they sure did start calling me Morning Star pretty quick... guess it''s better than Red Devil," he sighed.


    They sure did put a lot of thought into this one at least. It kinda fit as well... despite the fact that they were now calling Rosan, Satan himself.


    Makino''s expression cracked as soon as she heard his voice and the woman let out a sharp wail, rushing him and crashing against the redhead.


    "Rosan!" she wailed, tears spilling against him as he caught her. "I saw the news! I thought... I thought you died but then the news said you were brought back to life and I''m so confused! I just knew that you weren''t okay and I was so worried!"


    "I know," he soothed knowingly, running a hand through her hair. "Things have been hectic. Figuring stuff out but I''m here now."


    Makino clutched him, sobbing against his frame. "A-Are you and Luffy alright?"


    The redhead sighed. "We''re fine. The two of us haven''t seen each other in a while though. We''re training separately for a while."


    She shuddered. "And Ace...? There was news saying he''s dead but... I don''t know what''s going on anymore."


    "Ace... is alive. But he''s in a coma," Rosan sighed, running a hand through his hair.


    Makino trembled at the wariness in his voice. She wasn''t used to Rosan sounding anything besides composed.


    Rosan glanced down at the short woman and reached in his pocket, pulling out a cube that was a dark green in nature.


    The bartender sniffed, gazing at the cube in confusion.


    "Here, it''s a way to communicate with everyone," he murmured. "I''ll explain it to you but we''ll go to Dadan first."


    Makino nodded in concern. "She... she beat up Garp. She thought he left you for dead. It''s been hard for you until that newspaper showed up..."


    Rosan sighed and summarily hoisted Makino up, getting a startled shriek out of her.


    "We''ll go see her now then. Come on," he grunted, wings sprouting out of his back as he left the restaurant.


    "Wait, Rosan! I need to close the restaurant!" Makino exclaimed, realizing the futility of struggling in his hold.


    Rosan was really quite strong. Makino knew this very well.


    "Oh right," Rosan said, snapping his fingers and watching as every light shut off.


    "W-What?! You can do that?!" Makino asked in shock, mouth opening at the effortless way.


    "Of course. I''m the one who created this for you after all. I''ll give you a remote that can do the same."


    "Y-You''re totally missing the point! Why are you just now giving me one?!"


    Rosan hummed and his brows furrowed. "You''re also getting bothered a lot..." he murmured, ignoring her.


    Makino watched the redhead concentrate, before an abnormally large wolf formed.


    It was jet black, eyes pulsing red and Rosan watched as the wolf, that was reaching his chest growled politely, nuzzling its maw against the petrified Makino.


    "Here you go. This is your guard dog. It''s equipped with ice, fire and lightning to protect you from anyone who tries to grope you inappropriately. Not a single East Blue pirate will be able to fight it."


    Makino listened to his explanation with wide eyes, turning towards the wolf in awe and watching as it barked in affirmative. The giant dog marched off deeper into her restaurant and the bartender watched it go.


    "You''ve... been holding back so much information," she said flatly.


    "Tell me about it. I was doing such a good job," he drawled, making his way out.


    There was a crowd of citizens watching with wide eyes and Rosan blinked, realizing that he was carrying Makino bridal style.


    "We''re not getting married," he said bluntly.


    "THAT''S THE LAST THING WE WERE THINKING!" they roared.


    Makino burned red and shut her eyes in embarrassment.


    "Rosan is that you?!" A voice shouted.


    "What are you doing back in Foosha?!"


    "Were you the ones that scared those pirates away?!"


    "Yes. Visiting. Yes," Rosan answered, tilting his head. "They took 6 minutes to get back on the ship. Pity. I calculated it too. They definitely could have made it in 5," he muttered.


    "...Well, not like I was going to let them survive anyways."


    Makino let out a scream of surprise, as Rosan''s wings flexed and he took off into the sky.


    She applied a death grip to his neck that the redhead didn''t even notice.


    "Those pirates groped you, right?" he asked darkly, gazing at the sailing ship with a lethal gaze.


    "A-A bit," Makino admitted warily.


    Rosan grunted. "Close your eyes. There''s been too big a surge of pirates since the war."


    She blinked, before a look of realization hit her and she shut her eyes...


    ...Only to open them because the curiosity was killing her. What was Rosan going to do? Makino could admit, she had gravely underestimated just how much strength he had.


    After all, the redhead didn''t really make it a point to be violent around her¡ª


    Rosan''s arm was held above his head and Makino watched in awe and terror, as true to his namesake, the redhead began forming a giant orb eerily reminiscent to a star.


    The molten red orb gleamed ominously and Rosan casually lobbed it towards the pirates.


    "Nova Bomb."


    Makino watched in horror and fascination, as it soared through the air at breakneck speeds, colliding with the ship in a glorious explosion.


    "O-Oh..." she stammered.


    A-At least this wasn''t like when she first met Rosan and he brutalized the pirates...


    "Alright, let''s go," Rosan said gruffly.


    "Y-Yeah," Makino agreed, clutching him tighter as the explosion settled down.


    He was... still as scary as ever.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Rosan was so used to being forced into a hug lately, that he didn''t even flinch as Dadan strong armed him into a fierce embrace.


    He did grunt though as about 20 bandits tackled them to the ground.


    The redhead struggled somewhat, huffing in amusement at the cacophony of his name.


    "Since when do all of you like me? I thought it was just Dadan," Rosan pointed out, completely trapped beneath them.


    They didn''t answer, all just crying in relief and the redhead sweatdropped.


    He just let them be, glaring at the giggling Makino who had stepped away from the crowd.


    "We read the news... Are you okay?" Dadan asked, not even pretending to not care.


    Rosan let the woman hold him with a small smile. "I''m fine now. Went through some trials, currently going through some more... but I''m alive and well."


    Dadan sighed in relief at that. "I always knew you were reckless but this is too much for me."


    The redhead nodded in agreement. "Everyone agrees with you. I''m... going to try to get better."


    "You better brat!" Dadan shouted, before her demeanor softened and she hugged him. "Thank you. I don''t know the details... but I know you''re the one who saved Ace''s life."


    Rosan said nothing at that and sighed. "Yeah... the reason everyone thought I died, was because I took an attack that was going to kill Ace."


    Dadan froze at that and shut her eyes. "That''s... what I suspected. Ace has always been too reckless... he refused to run away didn''t he?"


    "Got it in one," Rosan confirmed. "He attempted to fight an Admiral... it didn''t go well. His injuries were already pretty serious so he never would have lived."


    Everyone listened to the redhead with a frown.


    "How is he?" Dadan asked. "Ace is reckless... but he would never forgive himself if his recklessness caused one of you to get hurt."


    Rosan sighed. "You really are a good mother, Dadan. You''re right again. Ace is in a coma."


    There was a tense silence at that. Makino put both hands over her mouth and tears formed in her eyes at the information.


    The redhead sighed. "It''ll be okay guys. He''ll wake up. I know he will," he assured, smiling at them.


    They looked at the redhead''s foreign smile in shock. It was surreal to see Rosan as anything but cruel and emotionless.


    It was... nice to see such a kind smile on his face. Or to see how his eyes glowed strangely.


    Makino imagined if she had been acquainted with this version of Rosan for the 10 years he had been here... well, perhaps she shouldn''t continue that train of thought.


    "Alright, Makino I''m going to teach you how to use that Cube, c''mere," Rosan murmured. "If you or Dadan ever wanna talk to me, just click my name right here..."


    Makino listened with rapt attention, eyes wide at the advanced intricacies of Rosan''s device.


    "Oh! So if I wanted to talk to Maro here... I''d just click her name!" she exclaimed.


    "Yeah exactly," Rosan nodded.


    What an incredible device! This was the most fascinating thing she had ever seen!


    Makino scrolled through it with an excited glimmer, taking note of all the different names and beaming when she recognized them.


    Some of these names were Rosan''s crewmates! Zoro, Nami, Sanji... wow!


    "Who is Raisa?" Makino asked in confusion.


    Rosan rolled his eyes. "My birth mother... once she saw I had these Cubes, she demanded I make her one."


    He was getting significantly faster at making them. He had finished just about all of them for his crew too. Next time he saw them, he''d give them all one.


    ...On that note, he should get ready to go back to Wisteria. He just needed to visit one more person but that wouldn''t take too long.


    "Try giving Akemi a call when you get the chance. She misses you," Rosan said, standing up.


    "You''re leaving?" Makino asked with a frown.


    He nodded. "Call me whenever. I would have brought Luffy but... we''re training separately," he sighed morosely.


    The bartender nodded and pulled him into a crushing hug.


    "Thank you, Rosan," she murmured.


    "No problem," he replied easily, dragging Dadan into the hug. "Take care of yourselves. Don''t be afraid to use that dog I gave you. I know you''re a pussy so he can just freeze anyone annoying insteading of mauling them to death."


    Makino flushed. "T-Thank you for your consideration. I''ll take good care of him."


    Rosan smiled and crushed Dadan next. "I''ll visit when I can. I''ll be busy with training but you deserve a few visits."


    Dadan immediately burst into tears. "Go back to being a heartless bastard, brat! Be careful out there!"


    He laughed slightly and pat the taller woman. "I will. I''ll be much more careful, alright?" he murmured gently.


    Rosan flashed them another smile, before he waved and vanished.